Having won the match, Wang Zheng was extremely pleased. He had not had such a good fight in a long time. Even though he got rid of the opponent in just one strike, that person had good reflexes and had put him in danger. It was too bad he was lagging just a little behind.
Amongst the weapons that Bonehead introduced, this spiked sword was not one of them. It was included in one of the eighteen weapons and required one to possess speed, accuracy, and dexterity. However, it was only useful on the surface.
Wang Zheng was getting ready to hit the iron when it was hot and fight another round to properly experience the Overlord when his Skylink rang.
It was Yan Xiaosu.
"Boss, are you having so much fun in Aslan you forgot about home? Is Sister-in-law there?" said Yan Xiaosu's slutty voice.
"She's not back yet. She should be back soon."
"Hah. All good things are worth waiting for. Try to be more understanding, Boss. I heard that there are many foxy men in Aslan, you've got to protect Zisu and not let her get tricked."
"Even if you get sold off, Zisu would never get tricked."
"Hah, that's true. Neither of you are around, so I'm all alone and sad."
"Don't act pitiful. I know you. Tell me, what's up?"
"Let's... play. I've gone through too much lately," said Yan Xiaosu. He was actually feeling lonely. What happened with An Mei… there was no right or wrong, but he had still been hurt. He had thought that his success could make him happy, but in actual fact, Mother An's change in attitude didn't bring anything. He had spent all his time learning and dealing with company matters, and when he got tired, he'd play for a round or two. But he still wasn't over it.
Wang Zheng didn't say much. He did not have much of an interest in CT, but if Yan Xiaosu requested, he'd definitely play with him. He had known Yan Xiaosu for many years, and there was no way he didn't know about Yan Xiaosu's situation. This time around, he was taking a much longer time, which meant that he had truly invested himself in that relationship. Sigh, this was just a game that would end up hurting him.
Even without speaking of Yan Xiaosu and An Mei, his and Aina's future was also unclear. Even then, he couldn't stop it. If it was something that could be controlled or stopped, it wouldn't be love. 'Love' was a strong word, but for a first relationship, a real relationship, Wang Zheng wanted to pursue it without any second thoughts, without a care about how it would end. At least, for himself, he would not have any regrets in future.
Wang Zheng left the training room. There were too many leisure clubs in Aslan. They were all for free, and not many people were interested in this thing.
Wang Zheng left, and on the other end, Honduras was furious. How could there be anyone so shameless? Running away after winning. He could've at least played a best of three.
Honduras' screams and wails came out from the training room.
This was certainly a sign that told people to stay away.
Wang Zheng and Yan Xiaosu entered a two-player mode.
"KING's operations are going rather smoothly. Oh, right, Boss, this FLC seems to have a high opinion of us. To be honest, after going through the Margate and CT incident, I have no good feelings towards these monopolies anymore, but they are really sincere. So sincere that I feel worried,"
said Yan Xiaosu. Businessmen were after profits, and he believed that this project would bring them a great profit, but he still felt weird about it. It was just that he was already in on it and couldn't back down. Plus, this money was life-saving.
"You said they came to you on their own?"
"Yes, think about it, how did they find me? I think it's odd. I had really thought they were a scam at first. What a weird thing to happen. But no matter what, operations are good right now. We've finally toughed through the tough times."
Wang Zheng nodded. "Just be careful. Either way, there was no problem with the contracts."
Yan Xiaosu had more considerations. Could a company that had newly emerged be more than meets the eyes? Perhaps they could even be laundering money or something of the sort.
That would be the worst case scenario, but he may have over thought things. After all, everything went according to legal procedures, and it couldn't possibly be that all the officials of the Solar System Federation were idiots.
But Wang Zheng thought of Old Merchant. If anybody would come to their aid, Old Merchant was the most likely one to do so. He was able to do so well after spending just a few years with Old Merchant, but what about Old Merchant himself?
However, Old Merchant only made one-way communications. Only he could come to Wang Zheng. He would have to ask him for his contact info the next time they meet.
Wang Zheng and Yan Xiaosu entered the arena. It was a five versus five battle, and Yan Xiaosu regained his zeal. This was the advantage of the internet, and that was, it was able to bring people closer together despite the distance
"Brothers, let's go up, shoulder to shoulder, and kill that noob there!" Yan Xiaosu said, full of vigor.
"What are you doing? Charge!"
"Damn, it's true!"
"Seems like it. There's no space behind the name, and it doesn't look like it's fake."
"Alive? Oh, God, it's really the legendary...."
"I think so."
"What's going on? We're in the diamond rank, and there's actually a few platinum and gold players, and even some without ranks, this...."
They finished the conversation, and the few pilots rubbed their eyes furiously. The teammate had stopped speaking.
"It's fake, isn't it?"
"Why would he be here!?"
"... I've just checked the ID out. It seems... real."
"Dammit, what's there to fight? How did they come up with such a grouping? This is my rank up match, it's inhumane!"
"Alright, if you're killed by Skeleton, even the system would take pity on you. Charge!"
"Yes, a chance to play with an ace is hard to come by."
Wang Zheng hadn't gone on CT for a long time now. He had long forgotten about his situation there, but him forgetting about CT didn't mean that others forgot about him. Even Yan Xiaosu had forgotten about his influence in CT. After he started managing KING, Yan Xiaosu had gotten to see the higher levels in the world. He felt that fame in CT was nothing and had forgotten about it.
After a short outburst of shock and surprise, the party excitedly launched an attack on the other party.
This was no longer a rhythm of winning while lying down, it was winning with one's eyes closed!
So what if there were five diamond ranked players? So what if there were fifty coming at them?
But those on the opposite team were not letting it go so easily. A strike overhead and a strike under. Moreover, fighting with a legendary character felt great.
Wang Zheng picked the Overlord at random... and it felt awkward. Perhaps it was because the feeling of using a real mech was too good, and using this afterwards was too awkward indeed.
It was no wonder a true expert would never play CT. It ruined the feeling of piloting an actual mech.
But after some adjustment, battling was not a problem.
They were directly faced with Glory Rider. He was diamond ranked, but he was so nervous, he had started perspiring. Stay calm, you've got to stay calm. Holding on for just a couple of seconds would be considered a win.
Zoom!
The Overlord's spear struck. He spun around, and Chicken Run had made a quick run, taking a huge slide-step back in retreat.
Wang Zheng followed up. The Overlord struck again and charged, but the opponent had escaped again.
Damn it.
Wang Zheng felt gloomy. His rhythm was off. Even his attacks felt weird.
The Overlord had displayed its flaws from head to toe. It would not do if Wang Zheng used the feeling of piloting the Overlord in real life in CT. However, the previous feeling was just too blissful. He couldn't just forget it like that. A mech like the Overlord had its problems, and that is, if he missed his attack, he would be vulnerable to a counter-attack.
But... even though the few diamond ranks had clearly seen the flaws, they were still completely focused on hiding and avoiding.
Even Yan Xiaosu saw the flaw, but the opponents would not take the offensive no matter what. Eventually, Wang Zheng killed them like a blind cat taking on dead rats.
In ten odd minutes, the opponents were all taken down.
Their teammates' congratulations and admiration came in non-stop. Their opponents were ecstatic. They'd held on for such a long time, which really was something to celebrate.
"Boss, you're rather merciful, but the pretense was too obvious." Yan Xiaosu chuckled. There were so many missed hits.
Wang Zheng stared blankly and then smiled bitterly. "I really didn't put on an act. I've been training in the Overlord mech recently, and the real thing is very different from the virtual one. I haven't gotten used to the rhythm in the game, and I was still wondering why they hadn't retaliated."
Yan Xiaosu gaped.
Chicken Run was very glad too. Skeleton was a good man, giving him face because he knew the huge disparity of levels between them.
Retaliate?
He was not dumb. If he were to counter attack during those so-called "missed hits", he would definitely be killed right away. Damn, he was smart.
The opponents had even sent a thank you note, which put Yan Xiaosu and Wang Zheng between laughter and tears.
This was perhaps the legendary air of a king. It was formidable indeed, making the enemy bow without putting up a fight.
Wang Zheng and Yan Xiaosu had lost their interest in re-matching, so they chatted about what they were up to recently. Zhang Shan, Zhang Runan, and Meng Tian were furiously training, and it was said that Meng Ao had given them special treatment, strengthening their training. Chen Xiu and Yao Ailun were doing even better. They had become representatives of the Physics Department and even became the president and vice-president of the Ares College CT Club. It was said that there was a huge group of elder sisters wooing Chen Xiu, but it was just that Chen Xiu had sworn not to have someone older than him. He had to find a younger girl, no matter what.
The thing was, even the newcomers were older than him. The poor child probably had a phobia of older girls.
But.... to others, it was certainly a blessing. Yao Ailun was going down hard on the younger brother recently.
Yet Chen Xiu really hoped his three elder sisters would get married quickly so that he could become a real man.
Wang Zheng and Yan Xiaosu roared in laughter. Wang Zheng also told Yan Xiaosu interesting stories about Aslan, including how he had beaten a rich man's son from Arbiter, of course. Yan Xiaosu jumped up and down in excitement. Too bad he wasn't in Aslan.
But as long as KING Corp. did well, they would sooner or later enter Aslanian markets. Not just Aslan. Becoming a giant in the Milky Way was no mere dream either.
Two years ago, they were just two kids sitting on the hills behind the school, talking about their lives and their dreams. Back then, they thought it would all just be a dream.
But now....
Perhaps the dream simply wasn't that far from their reach. Sometimes you'd just have to grapple without thinking.
Luck would only appear after you put up a fight.
After chatting with Yan Xiaosu for some time, Wang Zheng was in a good mood. The further from home, the more dear a brother's voice would sound. He turned on his Skylink and noticed that there were a few messages.
.... all from Lin Huiyin.
"Wang Zheng, I'm looking for you!"
"Why aren't you answering your Skylink? I'm getting angry!"
"I am really angry now, I will ruin you!"
"Alright, I will be magnanimous and not be angry at you!"
"Wang Zheng, you are a baddie!"
Wang Zheng was between laughter and tears. He had been happily chatting with Yan Xiaosu and didn't notice her messages. That lass was too impatient.