Editor: Decembery
At 6 pm sharp that night, the opening ceremony to the final round of the Eastern First Star District’s summer regular season formally began.
The two teams to face off against each other were Team Eagle Riders from Yan City, Capital Star, and Team IF from Huai City, Yi-Dong Star.
This game was the centre of everyone’s attention and the audience stands were packed to the brim. The atmosphere was more lively than ever—each team’s fans held up supporting banners with lights of every colour while screaming team cheers and the names of their favourite players at the top of their lungs. When the holographic recordings of the players started, the audience screams almost blew the top off of the arena.
Both teams performed their parts in the opening ceremony amongst such screams. They entered from opposing sides and shook hands with every player on the other team.
When Tan Weiran passed by Mu Feibai and arrived at Qiu Yu’s side, her extended hand suddenly froze for a moment before she let out a quiet huff of laughter, meaning unclear. Her thoughtful gaze fell on Qiu Yu’s face.
Qiu Yu didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary and shook her hand once before moving forward again.
However, a wave of screams unexpectedly sounded once this scene was caught by a camera and displayed on the two large screens on the sides of the arena.
“Did Ran jie just smile towards little angel Cupid?”
“She did! Omg, male Omega female Alpha—that’s a ship I can get behind!”
“I’ve heard that Ran jie doesn’t get along with god Mu, so does this mean that now there’s yet another ship and a shura field?”
The players who had already entered their competition rooms were oblivious to the clamour outside in the audience stands.
Qiu Yu took off his team jacket and stepped into the game cabin, quickly falling into the virtual world.
The randomised selection mechanism ended up with a game in point-capture mode on a rainforest map. As such, Qiu Yu was still responsible for jungling.
Other than the thick canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight, it was also constantly raining on this map. Hence, the junglers’ field of vision was greatly affected and they also had to be very careful with leaving footprints in the damp soil as their tracks could be very easily discovered by others.
Qiu Yu walked to the weaponry rack in their base, thought for a while—in the end, he chose a compound bow and a long dao.
At this time, the bullet screen in the live broadcast was fizzling in excitement:
[He’s using a bow, he’s using a bow!]
[Ooh ooh ooh, god Qiu has left the chat, while little angel Cupid has entered the chat!]
[Shoot! Aim right here! (points at chest]
Preparation time ended and the game officially started. Qiu Yu carried the compound bow on his back and raced straight for the jungle—under many pairs of eyes, he scaled vertically up a tree and using the thick foliage as cover, leapt incomparably lithely amongst the branches.
[??? What just happened?]
[Holy shit! I’ve seen people climb trees in the arena, but this is my first time seeing someone leap so happily among the branches like a monkey back in his own element!]
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[QAQ wait wait wait wait, slow down god Qiu! I’m getting tree-sick watching in your perspective!]
Ktf mbwwfcajabgr tjv pera mea bnfg ogbw Ze Mflyjl’r qfgrqfmalnf jcv kfgf rlwlijgis raeccfv eqbc rfflcu Hle Te’r jmalbcr.
Coafg j wbwfca, bcf bo atf mbwwfcajabgr revvfcis ijeutfv, “Pcvffv, la rffwr atja Hle Te lr ralii tlvlcu delaf j yla lc tlr jgrfcji.”
Cr atf mbwqfalalbc tjv pera rajgafv, atfgf kfgfc’a jcs mbcogbcajalbcr sfa rb atf batfg mbwwfcajabg mtjaafv jibcu. “Lf’ii vfolclafis jaagjma j iba bo nlfkfgr klat tlr rxliir lo tf kfgf ab vb qjgxbeg.”
The commentators then turned their attention back to the game, “The best way to reduce leaving traces on this map is to forge forward among trees and ruins. Qiu Yu’s anti-reconnaissance abilities are definitely top-notch.”
Indeed, it turns out Qiu Yu was not only skilled in anti-reconnaissance methods. In a complicated terrain such as this, his killing efficiency almost doubled.
Bows don’t make as much of a noise as guns do when fired, and with the natural sounds of the rainforest as cover, that slight twang of the bowstring was close to being inaudible. There were a couple of times when he hid in the canopy and killed their opponents from above—even their teammates who were right beside them only realised their companion died when the in-game announcements sounded. Even more, they couldn’t locate the killer at all.
In this forest, Qiu Yu seemed to have become a phantom, reaping lives without a single sound.
An arrow flew over and pierced through the left side of Tang Weiran’s chest, nailing her onto a nearby ruin.
Watching her fade away into bits of light, Mu Feibai knelt down to retrieve Qiu Yu’s arrows and ordered in the team channel with a smile, “Begin attacks on the tower.”
It was only nine minutes into the game when the second point was easily taken down by the Eagle Riders.
“Qiu Yu is such a god-given helper in this game!” The commentator said, “We can tell the Su Se’s strategy is probably to drag on the game for as long as possible, and win in the long run.”
“Indeed,” the other commentator added, “Their plan is quite feasible, as the longer they can drag on the first game, the more pressure round one will place on Qiu Yu’s physique. Furthermore, if they can end rounds two and three quickly, Qiu Yu won’t be able to return to the field in peak condition in rounds four and five, which is when Su Se’s chance at victory will come.”
Clearly, even the commentators acknowledged that it would be very difficult for Su Se to win a game should Qiu Yu and Mu Feibai be on-field at the same time.
“However,” the commentator smiled, “What a shame that the game’s rhythm is now completely guided by the Eagle Riders.”
Qiu Yu killed a special-grade mutant beast and returned with its nucleus to their newly captured point.
Coincidentally, he met Mu Feibai who had just revived after being targeted and outnumbered by the enemy team.
The group battle earlier had ended so the two chatted for a little bit in the gap.
“Can you feel it?” Mu Feibai smiled, “Su Se seems to have improved.”
Usually, when competitors were in the middle of a battlefield, they would be tense and in a state of high concentration, meaning that it was difficult for them to notice their opponents’ growth.
However, Mu Feibai managed to do so.
Qiu Yu looked at him with some pride, “En, their cooperation is more tacit than in the previous training game. Their commander also changed.”
This was something Mu Feibai hadn’t noticed. “Really?”
Qiu Yu nodded. “Yeah, it’s quite obvious, their style changed.”
Mu Feibai didn’t usually notice his opponent’s style of command as he always used to rely on his intuition in games. He purely felt that the time at which Su Se chose to start a group battle was really annoying… It was only because Qiu Yu drew away much of the line of fire that their battle rhythm didn’t get messed up.
“However, their current style of purposefully dragging things on and pursuing stability…” Qiu Yu suddenly laughed out loud, “It’s a pretty good idea, but the strategy we’re the best at just so happens to counter it.”
Who knows what the opposing team’s commander was thinking—to drag things on until his physique surpasses its limits?
Seeing him laugh, Mu Feibai’s mood also brightened up.
“Then let’s keep up our fast-paced attacks,” He cocked his gun, “and quickly end this.”
Hence, the Eagle Riders won the first point-capture game of the finals by a landslide at only 27 minutes.
The game cabin opened and Qiu Yu raised a hand to remove his headset and other connectors before he shook his head at Doctor Qi who readied to help him up.
Then, the audience saw him stand up and step out of the cabin by himself with a hand on its wall. He stood looking towards the opponent’s competition room on the other side of the stage.
In that instant, the crowd boiled over—
“Damn! Cupid left standing!!!”
“God Qiu can stand up this time?!”
“Ahhhhh my little angel Cupid stood up! Mother is so relieved!”
In Su Se’s competition room on the opposing side.
Tang Weiran removed her headset and caught sight of the challenge in Qiu Yu’s gaze, her mood became solemn.
—All she did was smile at the other when shaking hands right? Did she offend him?
Qiu Yu expressionlessly left the competition room and the door fell shut, blocking the sight of everyone in the arena.
Only at this time did he quietly wince and reach out to hold onto Doctor Qi’s elbow.
Qi Zhefeng froze for a moment before he reached out to support the other. “I thought it really didn’t hurt anymore.”
Qiu Yu wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, “It is quite a bit better now.”
Qi Zhefeng asked, “Why did you stop acting all of a sudden?”
Qiu Yu shrugged, “…It’s the finals already.”
Qi Zhefeng countered, “There’s still the Star Alliance Cup.”
Qiu Yu replied, “I’ve already managed to familiarise myself with everything I need, so there’s not much point in continuing to keep up a pretence.”
Anyhow, it’s definitely not because he inexplicably felt adverse towards Tang Weiran and didn’t want things to work out as she anticipated.
Qiu Yu walked into the infirmary and habitually removed his nerve-connection suit before laying face down on the cot, waiting for his massage therapy to begin.
Qi Zhefeng put on the gloves, still expressionless. His eyelids drooped down and he placed a hand between Qiu Yu’s slender shoulder blades.
The two gently sloping curves drew closer to each other as his line of sight moved up, approaching a graceful neck—the originally pristine skin was now marred by a faint red tooth mark,
A familiar colour, a similar shape.
As though he was scalded, Qi Zhefeng averted his eyes.
He knew better than anybody else that there could be no happy ending for a Beta and an Omega.
AA was feasible and so was AB and BB. It was only Omegas who would have to live on in agony without an Alpha. Even the affection between a pair who grew up together and then fell in love, who swore to each other by the seas and the mountains, wouldn’t be able to stand the test of an unexpectead heat, and the convenient presence of an Alpha.
That day, many years ago, his eyesight had been blurred by tears yet he could still clearly remember his lover’s words that were carved onto the gravestone of their love. “Yes, I did go look for him again, and I did beg him again. Sorry. I’m really very sorry… but I couldn’t stop myself, I couldn’t stand it anymore, heats… are too torturous. Sorry, let’s… break up.”
And then was a decisive spin and a light red tooth mark that dyed his vision in its colour.
As a result, he couldn’t bear to look directly at the back of any Omega’s neck for a long time, at the risk of feeling blades slicing into his heart. He had to resign from his station in the hospital and find a job other than in the military where he wouldn’t have to meet any Omegas… yet in the end, he still couldn’t avoid it.
He had warned himself not to let his gaze fall onto any other Omegas once the scar of his last love scabbed over.
…Even if that Omega was very special, and even if that Omega said he would undergo the surgery.
Thank goodness he still had the time to stop before the freefall this time.
After the massage therapy, Qi Zhefeng removed the gloves and recorded the therapy data, poker-faced.
Qiu Yu put on his suit again and pushed open the infirmary door to leave.
Outside, a round of cheers sounded from the arena.
The commentator’s voice was magnified by the speakers and sounded down the hallway. “Mu Feibai! Mu Feibai’s operations were beautiful! Can the Eagle Riders turn the tables once again? Let us continue spectating—”
Qi Zhefeng saw Qiu Yu lean against the doorframe of the infirmary with his lashes lowered, a slight smile playing at the corner of his lips.
He couldn’t help a sigh in his heart: He must have committed some crime in his last life, now neither of the Mu family brothers would let him off the hook.
Tn: everyone’s got trauma~~~
This shouldn’t be a spoiler so I can assure u that don’t worry, Qiu Yu and Mu Feibai are definitely the OTP 😛
*Although the raws in this chapter say the opposing team is Infinite, I changed it to Su Se, because in an earlier chapter, Tang Weiran jumped ship to Su Se and in the next chapter Author-san goes back to using Su Se so…. yeah just a heads up in case y’all saw something different :)))
I don’t usually comment but decided to drop by this time coz I’m feeling a bit emotional and sad for doc. I hope he finds someone who doesn’t break his heart like this again. 💛
Doc … didn’t know. Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
Mr. Doctor sir, my heart goes out to you! 😭😭
Love the way the audience are amazed by badass Qiu Yu once again! And it’s nice to see a little more of Qi Zhefeng’s backstory