The Game of the Brave

Time ticked by, and finally it was Xue Ming's team's turn to take the stage.

One by one, the children received their weapons from the gunsmith instructor. In just over ten minutes, the five Walther P99s underwent simple repairs and polishing, and the guns were in a solid and reliable condition.

The head coach of Purple Crystal kept a close eye on the group of White-Clad Gang, and was curious about the unfamiliar weapons craftsman.

Every participant in the Moon God Cup is under the watchful eyes of talent scouts and headhunters, including craftsmen and laborers.

Jiang Xueming's effortless and skillful handling of the standard weapons issued for the preliminary rounds instilled fear in the coach of Purple Crystal.

--This was also the reason why we sent Fiego Sebastié to use underhanded tactics off the field to disrupt the opponent's morale.

The Purple Crystal Club is very famous in Daji Town. If they suffer a setback, their financial report for the next quarter will be very bad.

"Who is this guy?" The coach called over two henchmen, pointing at the gunsmith from the White-Clad Gang. "Why don't I remember him at all? Every week, the symphony orchestra's talent scouts send in a personnel survey report—but I've never seen this person before, even when he's wearing a mask. I can't recall him at all, not even by his facial features or ethnicity."

The craftsman immediately replied, "Boss, I've never seen this guy before either, but I do have some recollection of the three coaching staff members beside him."

Another craftsman chimed in, "We've run into Sharks Chili. Don't underestimate this little guy just because he's young; Black Panther fell victim to him."

Black Panther Club was one of the local powerhouses in the previous two Moon God Cup, and also a defeated opponent of Shasha. Purple Crystal's coach was not completely ignorant, nor did the classic "pretending to be weak to take advantage" trope occur.

He was secretly worried for his teammates, especially Fiego Sebastié.

This young man just joined Purple Crystal and is the weak link in the team. It was a special arrangement by the coach to assign the task of trash-talking before the game to Fiego, hoping that this young man could release some pressure and let go of some burdens.

But now it seems that the shameless and despicable psychological warfare tactics have been completely useless.

The addition of the gunsmith of dubious origin further worried the instructor.

"I must find out who he is."

"No gunsmith would prepare weapons for team members during the selection phase; it's too inefficient."

"He went through the motions of comparing his hands, polishing the grip, and even attaching patches to the pistol. Is all that work really useful? Won't it affect the sights?"

"I don't understand why he would bother fixing the blades of plastic toy knives—can his team really adapt to these unfamiliar weapons so quickly?"

Hearing the coach's murmurs, the two craftsmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

They racked their brains, trying to recall the craftsman's figure and face, feeling as if they had seen him somewhere before, but still couldn't figure it out.

When it came time to plan tactics before the game, the head coach of Purple Crystal didn't have time to think about these miscellaneous things. He called the players to the exit of the locker room, started to motivate them, and assigned them all the tasks.

On the other side, Sharks Chili was full of energy, talking to his older brothers and sisters about the most important things in the preliminary round.

Just as I said.

Shasha moved closer to Hao Bro, afraid the other team members would hear.

"A Hao, I need to talk to you about something privately. You can't tell anyone else."

Hao Bro hunched over and leaned closer to Coach Shasha--

"--Please speak."

Shasha whispered, "There are three most important players in this game: you and Fiego Sebasti. You two, as penetrators, can decide the outcome."

"Really?" Hao Bro's eyes widened in anger, and he seemed completely transformed. "What do I need to do?"

Shasha replied, "Follow the tactical plan I just explained to you."

Hao Bro then asked, "Why me?"

Shasha explained, "It's not just you, there's someone else too—that's Miracle Bro. Once the team's communications are connected to the public radio, you have to listen to Miracle. Whatever he says, you have to do, understand?"

"What if what Qi Ji says is different from what you, Coach, instructed from the sidelines?" Hao Bro asked nervously.

Shasha clenched his fist. "Trust him. I can only handle things off the field. When it comes to the knights' duel, you must trust your captain. He has the judgment; he just needs a little confidence. You can give him that confidence—you must give him confidence."

"Ha, I'm a little nervous," Hao Bro said, his face contorted with embarrassment. "Coach, is it really like you said, this game is just between me and that groper?"

"In most cases, the scouts need to relay information to their teammates, and then the breachers will open up the situation. As the first person to engage in combat with the opponent, they are the most important winners in the preliminary rounds of the selection process." Shasha described it in a serious tone. "It's like a boxing match. After you throw a punch, the opponent's expression, their ability, and how much damage they can withstand will all be written on their face, and their weaknesses will be exposed."

"This is a game for the brave, and this bravery can be transmitted to the hearts of your teammates. In the moment when morale is high, the whole team will unleash amazing fighting power."

"Therefore, during the preliminary rounds, most teams need a strong and powerful dribbler—many mercenaries who come to smurf and boost accounts are also high-priced position 1 players. They use their role as dribblers to motivate their teammates and initiate the offensive rhythm."

"And Fiego Sebasti --"

Shasha's expression suddenly turned cold and ruthless, startling Hao Bro.

"--His most important right hand is injured."

"Just now, I could clearly feel his heart soften. The pheromones emanating from his body told me that your gunsmith instructor was protecting JK's buttocks and tightly gripping Fiego's groping hand— Fiego was already injured."

Hao Bro opened his mouth in surprise, his mind going blank for a moment.

Shasha's tone remained cold.

"This is the price Purple Crystal paid for using underhanded tactics against us outside the game—"

" --Fiego Sebasti took full responsibility for the team's decision-making. He thought the wrist injury was just a simple soft tissue contusion, but you should all have experienced the grip strength of a gunsmith."

"His wrist and metacarpal bones have fractures, and within minutes they should swell up to the size of a pig's trotter. But he didn't tell Purple Crystal's coach, perhaps because of his arrogance, or perhaps because of his pride."

"This guy," Hao Bro glanced at the Purple Crystal team that had just walked out of the lounge exit.

Fiego Sebastié remained calm and composed, glancing back at Hao Bro with a meaningful look. He didn't seem injured at all, but he deliberately put his right hand in his pocket, appearing fearless.

"Go and shatter his pride," Shasha whispered. "He's already a trapped beast. If we can defeat him in the first round, completely crush the Purple Crystal dagger, and in that moment of high morale, we'll be the stronger side. So the outcome of this match is up to you, Muscle Boy!"

"I understand!" Hao Bro quickly followed Daniel toward the stadium.

"A miracle." The little shark grabbed Qi Ji's sleeve, trying to do some final persuasion.

Qi Ji listened to the entire conversation between Little Shark and Hao Bro. His senses were sharp, and he wouldn't miss any of this information.

He crouched down next to the cunning and charismatic head coach, awaiting his instructions.

"Don't believe a single word I just said to Shao Jinghao, not even the punctuation."

Qi Ji was stunned. "Ah?!"

The little shark looked serious and said hurriedly.

"We ran into a fatal pitfall in the first round. Without any practice matches to hone our skills, we had to face one of the top seeded teams from Daji Town. To be honest, I had no confidence at all—what I just talked to Hao Bro was all to motivate him."

"This kind of rhetoric is a tool that coaches often use to motivate their players, Qi Ji, please don't take it seriously."

"The preliminary rounds of the Moon God Cup are tiring and long. The competition is definitely not a game for two people. As the captain, this is your first time on stage, so I will put a lot of pressure on you, but I will assign you very few tasks."

Previously, at the tactical guidance level, you only had two specific action plans.

"One of them is that you must always have two teammates in front of you, no matter when or where."

"The other is to keep an eye on your most vulnerable and helpless companion. When they are attacked, you must make an immediate decision and judgment: whether to run away or continue fighting. It all depends on the three bottles of replenishment spray you have."

"Now I want to add one more thing: if Hao Bro does anything stupid during the game, you must stop him immediately via the radio—you have to control him."

Qi Ji felt a little helpless. "A foolish thing? What foolish thing would he do? He..."

"The penetrator is the most impulsive and unstable element of the entire team," Shasha emphasized. "In the coach's eyes, those who can play the role of penetrator are like unstable dynamite. Like the urban warfare vanguard in the Guangling Zhixi rapid reaction force, those without this talent cannot take on the responsibility of a penetrator."

"What stupid things would they do? Even the coach couldn't have imagined it! Just like how Fiego Sebasti hid his injury from the team, do you think the Purple Crystal coach would think of something this outrageous?"

"A Hao is the same. I have no idea what he's thinking or what his next move will be."

At this point, Shasha patted Qi Ji the back, urging him to hurry up and go on stage.

"Hao Bro and I just explained Fiego Sebasti's injury to him, and he seemed a bit unconvinced, as if he felt wronged and was sorry for his opponent."

"I really can't understand this guy's thought process, so if he does anything stupid, you have to stop him. Otherwise, this barrel of explosives will only send us home."

Qi Ji took a deep breath, recalling the times he played games with Hao Bro —this teammate was very obedient, but only listened to him.

Don't worry.

After all the other kids had gone, Jiang Xueming finally Teacher San San, squatting down next to Shasha and rubbing its Shasha.

Shasha reverted to its harmless appearance, looking rather silly, its eyes darting around as if it were under a spell that lowered its intelligence—this was a slacking technique Xue Ming had learned from the Arcane Library, a method that could directly reach the Gate of Death of fish-monster hybrids.

"Boss, what you just told Qi Ji was also a lie, wasn't it? Just like that [rhetorical tool] you mentioned, the coach and captain use a different set of tools when they give speeches."

"Hehehehehehe," Shasha replied happily, "Some of it is true, and some of it is fake."

Jiang Xueming: "Which part is true?"

Shasha: "I want Miracle Bro to stick to the plan, that part is true."

Jiang Xueming: "Is it fake?"

Shasha: "He can't hold Hao Bro back. In a complex battle environment, you can't subdue a wild beast with just a few words—besides, Hao Bro is Meteor's student, and they're all fierce tigers. You can't restrain them with just whips and ropes."

"So, you knew perfectly well that Qi Ji's words wouldn't work, yet you still made him do it?" Xue Ming asked, puzzled.

The little shark gave a meaningful look, grinned, and said, "In the minds of excellent coaches, troop deployment is a basic skill, but to get the older brothers and sisters to work together as one, we need to put ourselves in the players' shoes and think carefully from their perspective—the script has been written, and the success or failure from here on out depends on how they act it out."

"You're so young and you're already telling riddles." Xue Ming found a small stone ledge, sat down by the green field to watch the game, and said while holding Shasha, "What's wrong with you?"

Shasha exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Xue Ming! Don't blink!"

"Welcome to the preliminary rounds of the Moon God Cup! The two teams that will next compete in the knightly duel are 315 and 316."

A passionate, upbeat roar came from the commentary booth; it was from the guest commentator invited by the Daji Town organizing committee.

The man on the left is from District 8 and is a regular in the Moon God Cup match broadcasts. He is the strategist of the Bullfrog Squad of the Guangling Zhixi Assault Team. His full name is Li Zhiwen.

"First of all, we would like to thank Dahua Radio Instruments for providing the basic communication infrastructure for both sides in this competition."

"The main venue, jointly built by Guangdong IKEA Group Co., Ltd. and Daji Town Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., is a testament to the hard work of all the spectators who have taken time out of their busy schedules to attend this grand event."

"Next, we'll hand over the introduction of the two teams to Klein Friedman."

"Teacher Ke, please speak."

On the right side of the commentary booth, a slightly older British gentleman picked up the team roster and immediately perked up.

"Li's guidance, Team 316 is the rising star of our Daji Town! The boys from the Purple Crystal Club are already itching to compete. As a local from Forty-One District, I, like the enthusiastic audience here, am really looking forward to their performance!"

Li Zhiwen: "Awesome!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I need you to be quiet." Klein made a dramatic gesture, pointing a finger to signal for silence. "Give our lads some space, let them see your faces, let them feel the tranquility of Blue Eagle Stadium."

The previously restless scene immediately quieted down.

"Now we can cheer! Clap! Roar! This is Purple Crystal's home turf!"

The thunderous cheers almost drowned out the team members.

Qi Ji finally understood Coach Shasha's intention.

There were more than 60,000 spectators at the scene, and their gazes were so intense that they could make one feel anxious and stinging.

Then look at Hao Bro, he's all pouting, arms crossed, standing at the very front of the line, shouting loudly even without a microphone.

"Give me a second look! Don't you have any manners? You're a guest from afar!"

Hao Bro, static-like roar came through the team's headset, while his teammates all wore expressions like old people on the subway looking at their phones, covering their ears and clicking their tongues in disgust.

This guy is under absolutely no pressure!

Qi Ji found it unbelievable.

--Just like Shasha said, those who can become breakthrough players are like gunpowder.

"Let's see who the Purple Crystal's opponent really is," Teacher Ke said, changing the subject. With sixteen cameras and drones, the lens was shoved directly into the faces of the young man and woman dressed in white.

Li's guidance exclaimed in surprise, "It's the White-Clad Gang!"

Teacher Ke: "That's right! Just as Li's guidance said, the challenger team on the red side is nameless and anonymous; they're from the White-Clad Gang in District One. Hopefully, they can adapt to local customs and find a home and sponsorship soon."

At this point, Teacher Ke paused for a moment.

"Then, fellow villagers! Let our guests who have traveled over 800 kilometers away feel our hospitality!"

Xiao Hao wasn't shy at all. When facing the camera, he tugged at his white shirt, flexed his muscles, and grinned, revealing two rows of healthy, confident white teeth.

Xiao Min whispered to Daniel, "I don't think anyone here will support us. Where does this kid get all this energy from?"

Daniel: "I have no clue either."

The next second, scattered applause rang out.

--Amidst various boos and jeers of his downfall.

Xue Ming, who was watching from the sidelines, was holding a bag of potato chips, stuffing them into his own mouth and into Shasha's mouth, not in a hurry at all.

"Things seem to be getting worse. Will these kids' morale collapse?"

Shasha simply nodded, as expected. "That's how it is when playing away from home. Before we fight the enemy, we have to fight the audience first—but Hao Bro definitely has a way of doing things, this won't be a problem for him."

The team members were all wondering what Hao Bro was trying to say.

He seemed completely unaffected by his surroundings, as if he had something very important to do, maintaining absolute focus.

In the next half minute, Xiao Hao bit his finger and drew a five-pointed star on his white battle robe.

"I'm on TV! Teacher! Can you see me?!"

"Tomorrow is August 1st! It's your birthday! I'm taking you with me to Adulis! Teacher! Can you hear me?!"

"This is my birthday present for you!"

Daniel's eyes were glazed over, as if he were under a spell, yet his body began to move involuntarily.

The moment the bright red star was imprinted on my chest, it seemed as if all the noise disappeared.

Turning back, the two girls did the same thing. Kaycee was afraid of pain, so she pouted and gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed as she hunched over and leaned out, looking straight at the area where Purple Crystal was, her eyes fixed on her opponent.

Miracle felt that the person was like a flame, relentlessly infecting the hearts of his companions.

Shasha kept shaking its head and giggling in Xue Ming's arms.

"I knew it! He has a way! Nothing can stump him!"

"Fiego Sebasti."

A Hao used his bright red fingers to draw battle lines on his face towards the camera.

"I must win this match!"