Chapter 255: 255 Sponsors_1
A week later, Wen Jiang went to look for Sa Ang again.
This time, she still timed her visit to coincide with Sa Ang’s competition.
But this time, he wasn’t so lucky.
Sa Ang lost.
He hadn’t lost all his strength. His opponent this time was a Spirit Card Master who had obtained new cards, and the opponent’s cards were exceptionally powerful, clearly arousing the interest of the audience.
It was also a tall mechanical creature, only it was wielding a chainsaw.
What a coincidence, Wen Jiang thought. Isn’t this directly in my field of expertise?
This card was invincible in defense; it effectively pinned Sa Ang’s Eagle Card, rendering him completely unable to resist. Losing the competition wasn’t surprising.
Karin had accompanied Wen Jiang this time and witnessed Sa Ang’s defeat.
The opponent sneered, even controlling the mechanical creature to hold the chainsaw and saw at Sa Ang’s body as if to cut him in half.
The audience was clearly excited, each of them with eyes blazing, shouting, "Saw him! Saw him!"
Nearby, a person was crying out as if their heart was being torn apart. They shouted too excitedly, and their mask fell off, revealing an ordinary, unremarkable face.
Fear immediately appeared on the man’s face. He looked around in a panic, hurriedly picked up the mask, and when he saw Wen Jiang, his eyes flickered, and he subconsciously put the mask back on.
He was just afraid of being recognized.
After all, those who could come to Ceylon City to watch such a competition were, more or less, people who had suppressed their own bloody nature. What good could they be?
Zero Egg said, somewhat surprised, "This person... this person is your employee."
This man was an employee of Mount Flower. Zero Egg had previously recorded the personnel lists for every factory and association.
So it immediately recognized the man’s face.
Oh-ho, Wen Jiang thought.
"Surveil him," she instructed Zero Egg. "Report the data to Hua Zhuo, but don’t act yet. If something happened to him right after he showed his face here, the man would realize Mount Flower has people in Ceylon City. No need to alert the enemy prematurely."
Zero Egg replied, "Alright, alright! Damn it, this person looks so respectable, I didn’t expect him to be this kind of person."
A System seemed to be influenced by its host too. After following Wen Jiang, Zero Egg had unwittingly begun to despise evil; the System itself couldn’t stand to watch such human tragedies.
This made Wen Jiang reflect. Could it be that her own nature also contained such traits?
Over on the stage, Sa Ang was facing the prospect of being sawed apart, but he clenched his teeth and, with one last surge of effort, rolled off the Spirit Card Master’s platform.
There were rules on the stage: if an opponent fell off the platform, the match was over, and no further attacks were allowed.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough Spirit Card Masters to sustain such losses.
The opponent looked at Sa Ang, licked his lower lip, his bloodthirsty eyes full of regret.
As his bloodlust surged, he boomed, "I’ll kill you sooner or later!"
Sa Ang glared back with unyielding eyes, though his face was pale and he looked utterly miserable.
"You still want to sponsor him after that?" Karin asked, her disapproval clear. "Losing one match basically means it will be very difficult for him to get back on his feet in the future."
Spirit Card Masters, who relied on their spiritual power to make a living, couldn’t afford too many defeats, or it would affect the performance of their spiritual power. It was like how the human brain couldn’t handle too much stimulation.
"Isn’t it more interesting this way?" Wen Jiang murmured softly. "Turning defeat into victory with my cards would prove my power even more."
Karin cast a meaningful look at Wen Jiang.
Her initial judgment might have been a bit off. Not only was Helena here for her brother, but her true nature was likely that of a talented Card Maker, one she had kept hidden. Coming here with such confidence, Karin realized she had misjudged her. But this made it all the more interesting, didn’t it?
Karin smiled and watched Wen Jiang walk toward Sa Ang.
But this time, Wen Jiang did not approach him directly.
When Sa Ang saw Wen Jiang, a glimmer of light flickered in his eyes, which Wen Jiang did not ignore.
She waited for a long time, simply staring at Sa Ang.
And Sa Ang was caught in an intense internal struggle.
Zero Egg was a bit puzzled. "Aren’t you going over?"
Wen Jiang replied, "Am I supposed to be the one to rush over?"
She had given Sa Ang a chance. She sympathized with him, but she wouldn’t cater to his inexplicable internal conflict. He had to seize opportunities himself, not wait for others to hand them to him. If Sa Ang was too wary to approach, then so be it.
Sa Ang had lost the match and was already being ridiculed. Unlike ordinary people, the other Spirit Card Masters from surrounding competitions weren’t wearing masks. When they saw the masked Wen Jiang arrive backstage, some of them began to assess her cautiously.
They sensed the spiritual power of an A-Level Spirit Card Master emanating from Wen Jiang.
What could be the reason for such a high-ranking Spirit Card Master to appear here? they wondered.
Indeed, Sa Ang was in the midst of an internal battle, but when he saw the impatient tension in Wen Jiang’s exposed chin beneath her mask, he knew he had to seize this opportunity before she decided to leave.
Clenching his teeth, he hobbled over to Wen Jiang and asked simply, "I’m in this state, and you still want to sponsor me?"
Wen Jiang just said, "I’m asking, do you want it or not?"
"Yes!" Sa Ang nodded firmly, his teeth clenched.
He had no more chances. He had thought he would win the last match and had given all his money to the hospital; his brother’s medical expenses couldn’t be delayed. He had no money left, only the last 58 bucks for his and his brother’s dinner tonight. After losing this match, he couldn’t even afford to repair his cards. No one would sponsor a loser. It was only because he saw Wen Jiang return and keep her gaze fixed on him that he was certain she would still give him a chance. That’s why he had approached. He had thought a lot after returning home. Being wary was pointless; in a place like this, even if an A-Rank Spirit Card Master wanted to use him as a test subject, he had no grounds to refuse.
"Alright." Wen Jiang gestured with her chin. "Come with me."
Sa Ang then followed Wen Jiang and left.
The other Spirit Card Masters, seeing Sa Ang actually chosen by a Spirit Card Master, had eyes red with envy.
"That kid actually caught the eye of an A-Level Spirit Card Master? Why him?"
"How is he so lucky? He even lost his match this time!"
"What’s the use? In the next match, he’ll lose to Robbie. Robbie definitely won’t spare his life."
"That Spirit Card Master chose a dead man; she really has no vision..."
The last remark was spoken softly, and no one dared to respond.
Robbie was the one who had defeated Sa Ang. He walked in, his towering frame exuding a bloodthirsty aura. He did not seem like a Spirit Card Master, but rather like a blood-soaked Assassin.
He looked around upon entering and asked, "Where’s Sa Ang?"
"He was taken away by a Spirit Card Master. It seems like she wants to sponsor his cards."
A Spirit Card Master quickly said in a flattering tone, "That A-Level Spirit Card Master, I haven’t seen her before. She must be a newly-arrived Card Maker."
Robbie let out a scornful, booming laugh. "Here, no one can surpass my master. That Spirit Card Master has poor judgment; she picked a piece of trash."
"Yes."
"Right, that’s what we think too."
The others echoed his words.
Robbie was formidable, and he himself had been chosen by an even stronger Spirit Card Master who had sponsored his new card.
It was that mechanical creature card, from Mech King, the renowned Card Maker of the Sixth Division.