Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Shadow Beneath the Ranking Tournament
Shen Sui hung up the phone with a string of curses.
"What’s wrong? Did you break up with your girlfriend?" Bu Pei came over, full of gossip.
"Girlfriend? Can she have card effects?" Shen Sui rolled his eyes and said, "I just want to curse at someone right now."
When he heard it was Wu Ziqin calling, Shen Sui was quite happy, thinking that his five million prize money was about to be credited to his account.
However, this illustrious Director of Modu’s Exploration Bureau only called to inform Shen Sui that his latest ranking tournament was arranged for this morning, and told him to quickly get to the Modu Duel Training Hall to participate.
TM, isn’t this pure torture?
They said three days, how come they’ve scheduled the ranking tournament on the second day?
Although Shen Sui wasn’t afraid, having enough confidence in his deck, this feeling of being played around with wasn’t pleasant.
"And you just agreed?" Bu Pei also stuck up for Shen Sui, "If it were me, I’d appeal!"
"Oh, no need for that." Shen Sui coughed twice, "Director Wu said, this time it’s a special situation, something happened on the Life Card Association’s side, and all the ranking tournaments nationwide have been temporarily advanced. As compensation for advancing it temporarily, after this match, I can go to the Exploration Bureau’s card library and choose any Life Card as compensation."
When Bu Pei mentioned that the Exploration Bureau’s task rewards allow you to choose any Life Card, Shen Sui used the computer there to check the Exploration Bureau’s card library.
There are quite a few good cards inside, and that’s just the part available for public trading. Rumor has it there are many more exclusive to tasks.
Bu Pei looked at Shen Sui with disdain; anyone would know that choosing any Life Card from the Exploration Bureau’s card library is a good deal, even if he wasn’t a professional player. Shen Sui was simply being ungrateful, "Then let me take you there."
"Oh, I couldn’t impose. Don’t you have something to do at home?"
"Not anymore." Bu Pei glanced at his phone and said, "I don’t dare go home these days."
His old father, for unknown reasons, flew back to Modu overnight, and Bu Pei felt it was better to hide out for a while given his recent escapades.
The Modu Duel Training Hall isn’t far from the Modu Exploration Bureau, and the two soon arrived there by car.
"What’s happening over there?" Shen Sui looked at the crowd in the distance, who were swarming onto a row of buses parked by the roadside.
The buses seemed to be advertising a certain large warehouse-style supermarket.
"Oh, apparently the chips at the supermarket next door are half-price."
"???"
Seeing that Shen Sui didn’t pick up on his joke, Bu Pei pouted in disappointment and said, "Alright, actually it’s to give back to the people of East Mountain District; everything in that giant mall next door is half-price before noon today. That’s why everyone is heading there."
Shen Sui was tempted, but then he remembered his ranking tournament, and his enthusiasm deflated.
TM, such a huge loss, one Life Card as compensation isn’t enough!
It has to be two.
Complaining inwardly, Shen Sui walked into the training hall.
In the training hall today, there weren’t many duelists, and the staff was sparse, fewer than yesterday.
Shen Sui looked up and immediately spotted a familiar figure.
Xiao Fa....
Without a doubt, it seemed like this person was his opponent for the ranking tournament.
Xiao Fa looked up at Shen Sui, feeling as if he had seen him before.
Oh, seemed like the friend of that oddly dressed girl yesterday?
Humph!
So he is Shen Sui.
Xiao Fa immediately showed a contemptuous expression. An orphan, without any family background, dared to be on par with Xinyuan Yingxue? Simply delusional.
Today, as it turns out, you’re in my hands, and I’m going to wake you up, show you the vast chasm of reality!
Thinking of this, the corners of Xiao Fa’s mouth curved up in a smug smile.
If I brutally beat this guy in the duel, tomorrow I’ll surely be famous all over the internet, much hotter than catching Feng Lindu’s insult storm.
Shen Sui didn’t know what Xiao Fa was thinking, but from his appearance, he seemed like he was asking for a beating.
Thinking back to what Xinyuan Tanchun said about this guy’s notorious misdeeds.
Hmm, he definitely needs a good correction.
While thinking this, Shen Sui’s eyes turned to a girl nearby.
It was a dazed girl, though very beautiful, her eyes were vacant, staring blankly at the entrance.
Shen Sui knew her.
Yang Liguang, a Level 7 Life Card Master, had recently won the Silver Moon Infinite Cup, but at the moment she didn’t look as arrogant and rude as on the field.
Suddenly, the woman behind her patted Yang Liguang’s shoulder.
Only then did Yang Liguang react, looking panicked at Shen Sui, her hands nervously intertwining, her gaze wandering, not daring to look at Shen Sui directly, and instinctively lowering her head as if looking at her toes, much like a socially awkward child meeting a stranger.
The woman behind her frowned unsatisfied, her hand on Yang Liguang’s shoulder pinching sharply.
A hint of fear appeared in Yang Liguang’s eyes, and she quickly lifted her head, her originally panicked eyes gradually turning cold, putting on an air of superiority, ignoring Shen Sui.
Shen Sui looked at the woman behind Yang Liguang.
The woman smiled at Shen Sui, appearing gentle and kind.
In Shen Sui’s mind, a sentence Xinyuan Tanchun once said appeared:
What dueling family, it’s just a family-run entertainment company of hyped-up celebrities.
******
In a cheap rental house in Modu, a group of people in uniform were busy.
Wu Ziqin hung up the phone and looked at the computer screen in front of him.
This was a paused image, and it clearly showed Shen Sui’s face.
This video was from the verification duel between Shen Sui and Feng Lindu, and another open webpage showed a page where a Modu duel examiner publicly insulted Feng Lindu as garbage.
He turned around to look behind him.
A fat man’s corpse was pinned to the wall in a strange posture, and beside him, a newspaper clipping of Yang Liguang winning the Silver Moon Infinite Cup was pinned.
The killer was decisive and ruthless, brutally torturing him before slicing his throat with one slash, hitting a vital spot with another, instantly ending the man’s life.
The deceased was named Chai Dasheng, who was Feng Lindu’s coach in life.
"Let’s allocate tasks, execute immediately." Wu Ziqin took a deep breath and quickly instructed the subordinates.
"First, announce the nationwide advancement of ranking tournaments on the internet and TV, and disseminate information online using Shen Sui’s ranking tournament as an example, clearly stating that Xiao Fa is Shen Sui’s opponent, and Yang Liguang will judge honorably."
"Second, accelerate the evacuation process; clear civilians from the duel training hall area before noon, replacing all staff with Exploration Bureau members. Once a suspect appears, capture them immediately at any cost."
"Third, invite Dean Bu over; Director Zhang has agreed, he can test the forced duel module in this incident."