Who Am I

On the second day of the preliminary rounds, the entire team was extremely busy.

Sharks Chili had to deal with various shady clubs coming to her door with business cooperation proposals, while also dealing with the two team members who had secretly practiced their skills the night before.

Everyone was taking good care of themselves and getting back into shape. Miracle and A Hao didn't take the coach's words to heart at all, and didn't return to the guesthouse to sleep until 11:30 p. m.

You might wonder – is it really true that during the Moon God Cup tournament, aside from the warm-up sessions, there's absolutely no practice allowed?

"The answer is yes, but you can only practice a little bit." Sharks Chili emphasized solemnly, "I know you won the first game, and by a large margin, so you must be proud—it's no use saying anything to you now, but as your coach, I have to be upfront about the unpleasant aspects."

Little Shasha took out the business contract, seemingly having found a suitable client.

"We now have a team name, and we're no longer just a bunch of clueless White-Clad Gang. We need to be responsible for the club—especially you, Hao!"

Hao Bro's eyes were glazed over, and he stared blankly at Coach Shasha like a walking corpse.

"Look at this kid's state! Why have I repeated this so many times? I keep telling you, no training after the match, no training, no training!" Sharks Chili pouted, looking utterly frustrated. "Even a dog remembers its master's commands after being beaten a few times, why can't you understand?"

"Relying on your youthful body, you push yourself to the limit during the day, and then you have to battle against yourself at night. Now you know how severe the accumulated creatine and irritating pain are!"

Hao Bro nodded blankly. "Ah."

"And you! Miracle?" Sharks Chili turned to their captain.

Miracle Bro had a rosy complexion, even breathing, and his mouth was still shiny with oil. He was engrossed in reading the battle report, as if he had forgotten to wipe his mouth while eating.

Why doesn't this kid look tired at all? -- Shasha was shocked.

"Coach, I haven't done any physical training, I've just been practicing aiming, drawing my gun, and firing." Miracle put down the battle report and carefully explained, "Someone as physically weak as me can barely keep up with the older brothers and sisters for a few hundred meters. If I can't even raise my gun when we encounter the enemy, I'll probably only get the evaluation of '[Kun rings the doorbell - Cai is home].' I won't allow myself to hold the team back."

"Moreover."

At this point, Miracle rolled up his sleeves to show his thin arms.

"On the first day of the competition, I read the schedule and rules of the Moon God Cup that were distributed to the players. It stated that it was not recommended for players to engage in high-intensity training outside of the competition, and it was more advisable for players to break through their limits and evolve during the competition. I kept all of this in mind."

Shasha: "You know? You understand?"

Miracle nodded. "Yes, I know."

Shasha pointed at Hao Bro: "Then why aren't you stopping him?!"

Miracle's expression immediately contorted.

"--How could I stop them! Last night, Fiego Sebasti came to the training room, and those two guys were like turtles and green beans, they hit it off and neither of them would give in, they trained until they were completely exhausted."

"Aren't you going to do anything about this?!" Sharks Chili turned to his two older brothers Fuyanni and Billy.

Fuyanni sat cross-legged to the side, a little bewildered when Little Shasha pointed a finger at him.

"We were drinking with our sugar daddy last night, Coach."

Billy was even more of a heavyweight; he was responsible for getting the client's business representative drunk, half-hanging over the sink, still suffering from a hangover.

Shasha slapped herself in the face. "Where's your Uncle Ming?"

At this point, Daniel came out to explain, "The organizers invited Gunsmith to be a special guest. There are many people in the Blue Eagle Stadium who want to find him, whether they are VIP families watching the game, customers who want to order weapons from the anonymous source, or countless followers, they are all looking for Gunsmith."

"That's alright then." Sharks Chili pouted, "Mine, mine, mine."

Daniel turned to Hao Bro, seeking help from the head coach. "Is there a way to get our penetrator back in form?"

"Universal Elixir that can bring the dead back to life, and special items like the Worry-forgetting Tea that repair the spirit, would sell for astronomical prices—this is the competition area, we don't have that much money." Sharks Chili first shook his head, then revealed a sly smile, "But our patron has sent some supplements."

As he said this, the little shark pulled out a chocolate-covered liqueur from his bag as if it were a treasure trove. "Hao! Eat this!"

The chocolate ball hit Hao Bro on the forehead, but he didn't react at all, as if his soul had left his body. In the overtime duel with Fiego Sebasti, he had almost exhausted all his energy.

"Tsk." Sharks Chili hopped and climbed down from the small table, tearing open the chocolate wrapper for Hao Bro to reveal the gunmetal gray paste inside. With Daniel's help, the two of them pressed down on Hao Bro's mouth and chewed it up and down.

When the liquor with the special effects of the Worry-forgetting Tea was poured into Hao Bro's stomach, his eyes lit up instantly. Combined with the chocolate containing the Universal Elixir gel, the kid could feel his whole body getting hot, his heart pounding, his metabolism accelerating, blood rushing back to his brain, his blood oxygen level returning to normal, the strain and soreness in his arms and thighs disappearing, and the bullet marks on his neck slowly fading away.

"Whoa!~" A Hao is back to full health. "Where's the opponent! I'm ready! Coach!"

Sharks Chili didn't say anything, just stood there with his hands on his hips, sulking, looking up at the reckless attacker.

Hao Bro realized what was happening, and he immediately smiled awkwardly and apologized.

"Sorry, Coach, I... Ugh! Never mind! Let's just talk about how much this thing costs! I'll make it up to you!"

Xiao Min was listening nearby, clenched her fists. "This guy doesn't seem to think he's done anything wrong at all. If he can buy this kind of supplement with money, it seems he's prepared to continue doing this."

Daniel was about to speak up and agree.

A miracle had already reached the attacker's side. "I'm clueless too?"

Daniel smiled knowingly, "I'm completely clueless too."

Shark Chili was stunned for a moment, almost laughing in exasperation at Hao Bro. In the end, she had no choice but to remember that Meteor Brother was the same way, so she could only explain in detail in a nice tone, so that Hao Bro would remember it well.

"You can't buy it!"

Hao Bro suddenly realized. "Ah? Things have gotten worse!"

The little shark unpacked its bag. "Throughout the competition, among the supplements sponsored by the client were these eighteen liqueur-filled chocolates to repair our spirit bodies, and ten liters of Universal Elixir."

Hao Bro looked at these things in surprise. "Wow! You're really generous!"

These items can fetch exorbitant prices in Forty-One District. During the competition, the main source of revenue for local governments comes from inter-regional taxes on medicines and food related to the Universal Elixir.

"It's all thanks to our two assistant coaches." Shasha showed Hao Bro the pathetic state Billy the Kid looked after his hangover. "Hao! Keep going! Don't let Billy's efforts go to waste!"

A Hao seemed lost in thought. He picked up the wrapper of the liqueur-filled chocolate from the ground and slowly laid it out. He hadn't even had time to see the trademark on the outer packaging, nor did he know which merchant's name to put on it.

As Shasha rummaged through his bag for his team uniform, he spoke to the other teammates—

"--Our sponsor this time is a candy and food factory in Conch Town, Forty-One District. Their union representative is a lovely older sister, and also a Greenstone People. I'll take you to meet her sometime, so you can all get to know her."

"After we finished our first preliminary match, she immediately contacted me, hoping to get clues about the gunsmith's whereabouts from me, and also sponsored us. This is our team uniform, and it's also the trademark of the candy factory."

As he said this, Shasha asked Fuyanni for a hand, since it had short arms and legs and couldn't easily show the team members clothes in human size.

The inner lining is a pink T-shirt with several black logos printed on it. The logos are the silhouettes of Best the Cat God, indicating that this player will only wear this outfit for the Moon God Cup. If the player wants to participate in other knightly tournaments, they cannot wear this outfit.

The club's logo is consistent with the outer jackets and racing suits, still featuring a pink and black theme, with a snake coiled around a long staff. This logo is a stylized derivative of the World Health Organization logo.

"Is that the Healing Staff?" Daniel stared curiously at the logo on his new team uniform. "Coach, what should we call ourselves from now on? What's our team name?"

Sharks Chili immediately answered loudly, "Fairy Tale Kingdom! That's the name of the candy company owned by our client! The liqueur-filled chocolate that A Hao just ate was a new product from the Fairy Tale Kingdom, and it's very precious—used to heal wounds of the heart and body. Sweets can be healthy too!"

After receiving their team uniforms, including Shasha and the two assistant coaches, everyone changed into their new clothes. Morning Light County had just welcomed the sun from the neighboring district. The team members boarded the intercity bus used by the athletes and headed to the Blue Eagle Stadium. The second day of their dream-chasing journey was about to officially begin.

Billy, clutching his luggage and reeking of alcohol, showed no signs of improvement after a night's rest.

Sharks Chili had something to hide from Xiao Hao —this sponsorship of the Fairy Tale Kingdom had basically nothing to do with drinking culture. The female boss was an employee of the World Health Organization, and her life was very simple and healthy. The Greenstone People did not drink excessively; if they did drink, it was sweet wine, medicinal wine, or fruit wine. They would not drink to get drunk and discuss business.

So the phrase "[Don't let Billy's efforts go to waste]" is also a morale-boosting tool; Sharks Chili is a wicked man.

The team brought all their belongings with them this time, along with all their luggage. With sponsors, they could stay near the expensive stadium and didn't have to take the bus to the games every day. Only Miracle came empty-handed, without taking anything.

The young men, now dressed in black and pink uniforms, returned to the locker room, finished their stretching and warm-up exercises, and waited for the referee's call.

On the other side--

--Members of the organizing committee took turns meeting with the gunsmith, sending a VIP as a representative to discuss something that wasn't very important but took a lot of time.

Jiang Xueming is no longer the naive young man he once was, not to mention his achievement of defeating the Madness Butterfly Sect.

Over the years, the soldiers who used the improved weapons made by the gunsmith to defeat their enemies, and the chapter leader saved by Flash Butterfly Armor, have all become symbols in the hearts of these people.

Their mere presence on the battlefield would send the enemy fleeing in terror, their morale crumbling and their army routed.

This isn't a very important matter, but it's extremely time-consuming. Specifically, the organizing committee leaders at the Blue Eagle Stadium want Gunsmith to voluntarily come to the referee's table or the commentary booth, instead of staying with a team from the Fairy Tale Kingdom.

Gunsmith is a living advertisement. The "washed-up idol" that Bullfrog Team strategist Li Zhiwen mentioned was just a joke. Zhiwen thought that way at the time only because this commentator, who had no bias, wanted to focus the camera on the young people on the field.

Nearly seven years of conquest brought countless legendary stories. The nameless warriors left a deep mark on the hearts of the young people. They talked about the battle stories and folk tales with great interest, just like the works of movie stars or singers. During Xue Ming and Liu Xing's seven years of uninterrupted high-intensity work, the two brothers, along with a Big Sister, could bring new works and new battle reports every half month.

Whenever The Sun newspaper published an extra issue, people immediately knew that the unruly Madness Butterfly Sect had once again suffered a major setback. Furthermore, bookmakers opened betting on whether the entire cult would be wiped out or spared. This strange betting escalated, eventually turning into a gamble on whether the cult leader would be beaten to tears before facing his death.

At this very moment, Jiang Xueming was squatting on the roof of the organizing committee office building, looking at the scenery next to the ventilation cap in the weapons design workshop, with an old acquaintance sitting next to him—a Qingjin.

Let's jump back to when Xue Ming first came to the VIP tea room and heard the name [Dandelion].

These are the code names used by the Lapis Lazuli Lapis Lazuli Guards who hunt Armadillo Hunters to protect themselves. They are nicknames they had to use to avoid revealing their real names and threatening their families.

This familiar face was the same person Xue Ming had encountered during her first ternary quality test. Counting back to Teacher Su Ling's generation, they belonged to the golden generation of the station system, and this older gentleman was now forty years old.

His full beard was neatly trimmed, and at first glance, Xue Ming really liked it. It must have taken a lot of time to maintain; it looked very masculine.

Especially in the groove near the jawbone, commonly known as the "buttock chin," Dandelion Brother has created distinct layers of light and dark in his beard, which, combined with his Caucasian-looking features, makes him appear particularly refreshing and handsome.

This also reflects the spirit of the golden generation. Those who were able to uphold Ming De ten years ago were mostly the bravest of the brave.

"Really not okay?" Dandelion asked in broken Chinese, "Can't I even sit on the referee's bench for a little while?"

Jiang Xueming: "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I have more important things to do."

Dandelion: "I heard you're accompanying students on this training trip during the holidays, is that right?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Dandelion: "Let the young people of Forty-One District experience your charm too!"

Jiang Xueming: "No, please don't! If you ask me to go to the commentary booth, I won't be able to utter a single word. Leave the professional work to the professionals. Besides, Brother Dandelion, I've been fighting for seven years, and last month I was battling a bunch of electronic lumps—I finally have some time to clear my mind and rest properly, please spare me."

The dandelion didn't speak, pursing its lips as it gazed into the distance. The blue-gold half-wolf's eyes were beautiful, sparkling like blue-green gemstones.

After a long time, Dandelion brought up a sensitive topic.

"How far are you planning to take these kids? To Adulis to win the championship?"

"That depends on their abilities." Jiang Xueming pondered the unspoken meaning in Dandelion's words.

--It seems the organizing committee of Forty-One District has some issues with the gunsmith.

The four members of the Fairy Tale Kingdom are from District 1 and have not yet graduated. They cannot represent Forty-One District, let alone become regional representatives. The organizing committee cannot do much in terms of regional promotion.

If Sharks Chili does ultimately secure a spot on the representative team, then the food, medicine, and candy factory in the Fairy Tale Kingdom will become a cultural symbol of Forty-One District, representing the masses of this land as they travel to Adulis to see the outside world.

The only person they were connected to was Qi Ji, who had obtained a temporary residence permit and had been renting a place at Ma's Lamb Restaurant for more than six months.

In fact, the organizing committee hopes that local seed teams can take the lead and become regional representatives, bringing together more enterprises with aspirations for improving people's lives.

A sugar factory can support at most a few thousand households. Taking Purple Crystal as an example, the number of people employed by Amethyst Royal Private and Amethyst Brilliant Stone Group in Forty-One District is in the hundreds of thousands, and they make a living off this brand.

If Purple Crystal can bring victory to Adulis, it will be a tremendous boon for the capital of Forty-One District.

The players from the regional seed teams were born and raised here, so they naturally have an inseparable bond with their hometown. Teams like Fairy Tale Kingdom, which are temporarily assembled, will leave Forty-One District immediately after the Moon God Cup, just like mercenaries, and go to other places.

Therefore, in the organizing committee's mind, there is an unequal scale. Gunsmith is more like a spoiler. Like other multi-tasking breakthrough players and boosters, he may very well make it to the city level competition, then start selling slots to help a certain seed become a regional representative, take the money and leave without leaving any trace. He also doesn't want to go to Adulis to be criticized by reporters.

However, what the organizing committee leaders couldn't understand was...

Does the gunsmith need the Moon God Cup to make money? Does he even need that empty title?

The governor of Forty-One District couldn't understand why the gunsmith would come to this remote mountain village of Morning Light County with four students to participate in the preliminary selection.

There's another thing that Jiang Xueming has never told his students.

Regarding the schedule of the Adulis Grand Finals of the Moon God Cup, all students of the anonymous organization are eligible for a direct invitation.

Given the BOSS's usual behavior, he'll be hoping every day that the various councils can draw a few new cards that are both powerful and visually appealing. The nameless player doesn't need to participate in the preliminary rounds; he can go straight to Adulis, get a free 60-day sea view room, and then wait for his opponents to finish the marathon, panting and out of breath, before the finals begin.

Jiang Xueming didn't allow Hao Bro to use "Anonymous" as the team's logo from the beginning for this reason; he didn't want these young guys to take shortcuts— the Moon God Cup has its unique significance.

Returning to Dandelion's side, upon hearing the gunsmith's answer, Lapis Lazuli was also puzzled.

What does "[Let's see what they can do]" mean? It seems to imply that the teachers are taking the kids on a spring outing and picnic, and how much they can eat depends entirely on their ability?

Dandelion: "You really won't help them?"

"What help are you giving me!" Jiang Xueming reached out and pressed Dandelion's temple hard. "How old are you! Always telling riddles to a junior like me who's not so bright. It's a very simple thing!"

"I'm here on vacation, working as a support staff member in the team. They compete, and how far they go depends entirely on their own abilities."

"I just call my wife and kids every day to let them know I'm safe. I'm here for tourism and sightseeing."

At this point, Xue Ming suddenly gritted his teeth.

"Being alone"

The last line, "[Alone]", sounded almost like it was ground out from between his teeth, carrying a deep sense of resentment.

Once the four babies can get down to the ground and run around like crazy, the fisherman will never have a peaceful day.

Dandelion asked doubtfully, "Really?"

Jiang Xueming nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice. "Really, I don't know how to compete, and I don't know how to hold back. How am I supposed to teach them fair play? Do you remember who was the last person I competed fairly with? The one who wanted to duel with me, the knight?"

"Kang Que" Dandelion hadn't finished speaking.

"No, count from the top. There are still over one hundred and forty brave Madness Butterfly leaders," Jiang Xueming corrected.

Dandelion pondered for a while, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.

After the introduction of the Dual-Strike Method, many cult leaders who came to the forefront attempted to engage in duels with the nameless individuals. However, without exception, only a very few powerful demons with names and identities were able to enter the Gongdelin Temple. The other unfortunate souls with insufficient strength were completely unrecognizable, even when the forensic doctor had to scrape some bits of flesh from the tire tracks of a dump truck.

The gunsmith patted Dandelion on the shoulder.

"I'm leaving. My team's competition has started. Just tell the organizing committee that you apologized!"

Dandelion was stunned. "You've mistaken me for someone else?"

The gunsmith pulled at his eyelids and made faces like a child. He had become much more cheerful since becoming a father; perhaps his children had opened his heart.

"Yes! You've mistaken me for someone else! Brother Zhiwen has also mistaken me for someone else! It's just that I look a lot like the gunsmith!"

The dandelion was about to curse when it realized, "Who would believe that reason?"

Jiang Xueming reacted quickly, pulling a secondary weapon from the VIP's pocket.

It was a well-made, custom-made Sig Sauer P365, compact in size and suitable for concealment and portability.

It's a titanium steel version made by a gunsmith for Dandelion, with copper plating on the outside and diamond plating on the inside, using world-class cutting technology.

"I've recently been researching braided carbon and forged carbon, would you like to give it a try?"

Dandelion pouted. "It's just lightweighting, I don't care."

The gunsmith immediately said, "The whole gun weighs only 130 grams, and with plastic-cased bullets, it weighs 100 grams."

Dandelion changed her question, "How much?"

Gunsmith: "One hundred grams, as heavy as two eggs."

Dandelion glanced around to make sure no drones were watching.

"Why are you only telling me now about something this big?"

Sometimes, a man's happiness is that simple.

"So who am I?" Jiang Xueming asked solemnly. "Me, about myself, a little technician in the Fairy Tale Kingdom, who am I?"

Dandelion said embarrassedly, "Gunsmith, please don't do this. I..."

Jiang Xueming gestured. "If you don't cooperate, I might have to print more parts for the finished product, and its weight will reach two hundred grams."

"No way!" Dandelion said hurriedly, "The titanium steel version weighs over 600 grams now. My wife likes it a lot, saying it's very reliable, but she thinks it's heavy. If it could really be as light as you say, 100 grams..."

"Two hundred grams." Jiang Xueming made a peace sign. "Two sticks, in Wenyu Wuhuan -sized gift box. Signed with the Ming De' cat paw."

Dandelion immediately said with unwavering integrity—

"--You are Xiao Ming. Li Zhiwen is here today, and you are also Xiao Ming. If your wife comes here and kisses you a few times, I will scream loudly! Wow! Xiao Qi, how can you not even recognize your own husband! You shameless person, who looks exactly like the nameless hero, is Xiao Ming, the technician in the Fairy Tale Kingdom team."

Jiang Xueming shoved the pistol back into Dandelion's arms, his gloved right arm gripping Dandelion's fleshy hand tightly.

Thank you!

Dandelion, too, wore an enthusiastic expression, completely forgetting the regional governor's request.

"You're welcome!"