"How annoying! It's not open to the public!" After her failed attempt to purchase tickets, Yan Zheke pouted.
Glancing at the security guards at the gate, Lou Cheng urged, "How about we do something bad? Let's climb in!"
"What kind of match is not open to the public?"
"Nope. I'm a good kid who follows the rules!" Yan Zheke had just spent the day following her heart. As the match was not for the public, she instantly dropped her interest. Her eyes rolled up and she continued, "A dessert shop nearby is pretty good. I tried it with Shuang last time. Their snow slush is super. Come on, I'll take you there."
Without thinking, Lou Cheng blurted out, "No cold food during your period."
"I'll watch you eat." Yan Zheke smiled, raising her chin. "They also serve cakes."
"Sure. Lead the way." Lou Cheng forgot about his original goal and his eyes filled with love and joy.
"Let's follow our hearts, our feelings, and our destinies today!"
"Oblak wins!"
"Oblak wins!"
"Oblak wins!"
The same words again and again echoed in the arena, lowering the selected audience's spirit. They bucked up and cheered for the rival for the friendship between the two cities.
Zhang Zhutong's body was still noticeably shaking, his face pale, exhausted, and wounded.
After breaking free from the nightmare, he glanced at the VIP stand. The deputy governor of the province, Luo Zhong, and the mayor of Gao Fen, Cao Jincheng, looked gloomy and disheartened.
Feeling his heart sinking, Zhang Zhutong hoped other martial artists could defeat this tough opponent and save their face.
"Even though we can't score a win, we can't afford a bitter rout."
However, he knew his hope might not come true.
"Oblak didn't follow the rules. He has fought three rounds in a row where he defeated Han Zhifei and Qiu Shan and injured me in one bout. He should have been replaced after the first round!"
The most capable fighters on his side had been routed. The Gao Fen Martial Arts Group had to play strategically against the rest of those Brutale combatants. Zhang Zhutong gave up fighting the first round and lined himself against the third fighter of the Brutale Delegation to secure one round. However, the rival didn't play by their rules.
"In the worst case, all the young martial artists of my generation will be defeated... " thought Zhang Zhutong bitterly.
"Oblak's physical strength is bottomless, way beyond our level."
"Before reaching the Inhuman stage, bottomless physical strength has great advantages!" A fighter next to him commented with some emotion.
Zhang Zhutong wanted to give a smile as his response, but he just couldn't force one out.
"Tasty?" Yan Zheke rested her head on one hand while watching Lou Cheng with her glittering eyes.
Lou Cheng slowly took one spoonful of the snow and put it into his mouth, tasting it for a dozen seconds before answering, "Very! It reminds me of the milk powder from my childhood. Icy and cold, it tastes much better!"
"Of course. I've tested it myself!" Yan Zheke put on a proud smile and took a bite of the cake with her spoon leisurely.
The dinner was too terrible to satisfy their stomachs, leaving the pair with a great appetite for dessert.
The darkness floated and drifted outside the window. Lights illuminated the city, projecting their shadows on the glass.
The night crept deeper in.
At the entrance of the beetle stadium, security guards cleared out a path where the deputy governor of the province, Luo Zhong, and the mayor of Gao Fen, Cao Jingcheng, walked out with the mayor of Brutale, Dawkins, and his entourage. While waiting for their vehicle to arrive, the two parties chatted politely out of courtesy.
At the fringe of the delegation stood the tall and sturdy Oblak, shaking his legs and arms while looking about.
His blond hair bore a layer of shine under the light as if the light of the rising sun was pouring on the ocean. He was widely known as the Son of the Rising Sun for his handsome facial features and very aggressive martial arts style.
"The young combatants of Gao Fen are nothing special," the black-haired Charles next to Oblak sneered in Brutal language.
Oblak scoffed,
"I heard it is only one of the second class cities of China."
He implied his consent to Charles' comment.
"I'm rather disappointed." The brown-haired Johnny opened his hands.
"To be honest, I feel the same. I fought three rounds, but it was just not enough. In their language… " Oblak bent his arms and continued in Chinese with an odd accent, "Not fully satisfied."
The interpreter felt a bit embarrassed but didn't say anything, keeping the professional smile on his face.
Watching their conversation from afar, Zhang Zhutong couldn't understand a word but felt their defiance and disdain. He felt more gloomy and depressed.
He took a quick glance at the deputy governor of the province, Luo Zhong, and the mayor of Gao Fen, Cao Jingcheng, who were both smiling bitterly.
"It's getting late. We should go back or we'll miss the last bus." Lou Cheng pointed at the dark night outside.
Yan Zheke's eyes followed his hand, her head nodding. "Yes."
Today's journey of destiny began with a bus ride, so of course, they both wanted to end it by bus.
They paid the bill with his mobile phone and walked into the biting cold winter night. They felt refreshed at once.
Strolling by the arena, they slowly made their way to the bus stop right in front of them, glancing at the bustling entrance of the stadium from time to time.
In an extremely good mood, Yan Zheke hopped ahead, her hands swinging high. Lou Cheng followed her pace and stayed right next to her.
"Such a nice day!" She suddenly stopped, looking up at the few stars shining against the city lights. She then closed her eyes and muttered as if in a dream.
The joy hidden in the curve of her lips was faint but lasting.
"I couldn't agree more!" Lou Cheng grabbed her hand.
Yan Zheke opened her eyes and said,
"It would be perfect if there was a fireworks show in the end. Don't go buy any. I mean a fireworks encounter by chance."
Lou Cheng thought about it and smiled gently, suddenly pointing behind the girl.
"Look! Over there!"
Surprised and amazed, Yan Zheke turned around at once, but there were no fireworks, only the dark sky and silent lights.
Bam!
The cold light exploded, breaking into thousands of ice crystals which then fell from the sky.
Bam!
The flame exploded, pouring light on the ice crystals, their reflection clear and pure.
The glorious, dreamy fireworks lip up the dark sky as well as Lou Chang and Yan Zheke's faces.
"See? The ending fireworks of today," laughed Lou Cheng.
Yan Zheke's shock was completely replaced by amazement. With the reflection of the fireworks shining in her eyes, her face was too beautiful to be gazed at.
Her teeth gently bit her lips, the shine flowing in her eyes.
"Cheng, what should I do? I want to kiss you."
The fireworks drew the attention of those standing at the entrance of the arena.
Oblak was stunned, but the shock was soon replaced by joy.
"Superpower. A decent superpower."
He gazed at the corner of the square where Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke stood closely together. His eyes began to glow with joy.
"I will have a go to that superpower bearer."
"I'm not completely satisfied with the previous fights anyway."
He strode towards Lou Cheng rapidly.
The interpreter was terrified, unsure if he should follow him over.
Oblak's master and the head of the delegation, Mason Walker, chuckled while shaking his head. He instructed Jonas,
"You go as the referee. Don't let Oblak injure the rival."
"It will affect the friendship between our two cities."
Looking like a bear, Jonas took it seriously and hurried to catch up with Oblak, followed by Charles and Johnny out of curiosity.
"That poor guy was just trying to please his girlfriend on their date. But Oblak saw him… How unfortunate!"
Zhang Zhutong followed them blankly towards the fireworks. His eyes suddenly widened.
"Him?"
Waiting for a kiss from his little fairy, Lou Cheng suddenly sensed the shaking of the ground and took one step forward subconsciously to protect Yan Zheke.
He saw a blond, blue-eyed young man running towards him, his steps heavy but not weighty, and small explosions taking place in his wrists, arms, and body.
All these explosive points connected with each other to form an odd tree.
Strong… Very strong… Lou Cheng's eyes narrowed. He got in a stance and began to visualize a frozen river, a vast expanse of whiteness, and the blood red sun in the sky.
"Fight… Friendly!" shouted Oblak with his foreign accent.
"A friendly fight?" Lou Cheng drew in a deep breath, visualizing the red sun falling down from heaven and smash into the icy surface.
In front of a worthy rival, of course he would do his best.
Abruptly, Oblak's body doubled in size and he threw a downward punch at Lou Cheng.
Bang!
The sun and the frozen river vanished at the same time, fire and ice canceling each other at Lou Cheng's fist.
A variety of the Severe Warning!
Pop!
Lou Cheng blocked Oblak's punch with his fist. Something collapsed and formed an eddy at the point where their hands touched, sucking Oblak's hand tightly along with his horrible power.
Boom!
The eddy broke out, firing furiously, injecting it into Oblak's body!
Oblak was forced to take three steps back before falling down to the ground in front of Jonas, the referee, as if he had no bones in his body, his eyes wide and body temporarily limp.
Pong!
The sound from his fall on the ground echoed in the air, leaving Charles stunned and Mason Walker in disbelief and drawing the eyes of Dawkins and Cao Jincheng.
Just one punch, the invincible Oblak is down on the ground, unable to get up?
He was having a friendly fight with a passer-by superpower bearer.
"What happened?" Yan Zheke's pretty face popped out, asking blankly.
"I don't really know. He asked for a friendly fight." Lou Cheng was just as lost.
Noticing no response from the foreigner's mates, he was done with it and continued to walk towards the bus stop holding Yan Zheke's hand.
"A friendly fight? Why with you?" Yan Zheke asked, deeply puzzled.
Why would a man who couldn't even take one punch seek a friendly fight?
Lou Cheng answered seriously, "He's actually not bad, but his physical strength is running out."
"With little physical strength left, he asked for a friendly fight with you? I don't get it."
"Neither do I. I can't understand what is going on with this foreigner."
"Hmm... This is probably a gap caused by cultural differences and education divergence... "
The pair went on their way, disappearing in the distance.
Watching the couple walking towards the bus stop, the interpreter felt extremely awkward, unsure if he should translate their comments for the Brutale delegation.
"What did they say?" Dawkins, the mayor of Brutale, asked as his eyes locked on Oblak, who was getting up with assistance from others.
After a moment of hesitation, the interpreter answered, "They said Mr. Oblak is actually very strong but he is too tired to fight."
"Too tired to fight?" Dawkins and Mason Walker fell silent, looking up at the bus stop where a bus happened to pull in. A group of spectators from earlier got on the bus. Lou Cheng, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding Yan Zheke, also hopped on, holding on to the handle with one hand and protecting the girl with the other.
The bus took off into the dark, leaving the group in silence.