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墨書 Inktalez
“Ha ha.” Xiu glanced coldly, unwilling to say much more. He had already brewed many unspeakable words in his heart, but this was not the right time. For now, he could only dismiss it with a light snort.
Adams shouted in frustration, “I will not be defeated so easily! Remember this, I am the leader of the defense team, the strongest among them.” At this point, the lackeys on the side shook their heads repeatedly, expressing their confusion.
No one paid much attention to these matters. Adams looked at everyone around him; they were all focused, gazing intently in a certain direction. Following their line of sight, a competition chart appeared on the electronic display. The chart was divided into four equal sections, each square showing the names of various teams along with their respective emblems.
The emblem of the Ice Dust Team was easily recognizable; it resembled a crystal of Ice Flower. The only difference was that at the center of the crystal were three shapes resembling Water Droplets, which served as the mascot for the Ice Dust Team.
The emblems of other teams varied in design. In terms of aesthetics, the Ice Dust Team’s Ice Flower emblem was indeed pleasing to the eye. However, an emblem could only be considered a product of team spirit. It was akin to how some towns would gather in churches for worship, where believers combined divine images into human or animal forms, believing this to be the essence of cosmic creation. Even human anatomy and habits were seen as reflections of divine imitation. Each team's emblem served as a lucky symbol crafted by their minds within a familiar atmosphere, embodying their hopes for victory.
But if merely drawing an emblem could guarantee victory, then everyone would just need to depict a deity or chant mantras. The vile Zerg would face annihilation unless another cosmic explosion occurred or Earth was struck by a planet as massive as Halley's Comet—such probabilities were exceedingly slim.
A similar competition chart formed for the Tyrant Zone, featuring teams like Shark Team, Viper Team, Giant Lizard Team, and Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus Team. At that moment, both charts displayed miniature versions with two underlines appearing at one end. At the very top, atop a pyramid peak, a Crown emerged.
That crown marked the moment of coronation for champions—a testament to the strong collaboration and prowess among the eight teams.
No one would question the strength of the champions. Compared to the Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus Team, which had dominated for three consecutive years, the other seven teams lived under constant pressure from this reigning squad. They were all eager to showcase an impressive performance that turned the tables; however, given their consistent victories over three years, any chance of overcoming such formidable opponents seemed almost nonexistent.
Moreover, no team had ever made Tyrannosaurus Rex suffer losses.
After a long while, as both sides filled with spectators took their seats, another prominent figure appeared in the aisle—a founder of this school and once a great hero of the Joint Defense Force, Gatfrens. Looking up from below, Gatfrens Principal still appeared handsome as he stood at center stage to express his passion for this sport and share his journey in developing it.
Each of the eight teams stood ready as their captains stepped forward to take an oath. Long Xingchen seemed accustomed to grand occasions; however, this time he hesitated slightly. At this crucial moment, he turned back and nodded at Freyr: “I’ve been up three times already, Freyr, it’s your turn now. Don’t be nervous; just share your honest thoughts.”
Freyr froze for a moment, his hands trembling uncontrollably. “Captain, I’m nervous! Why don’t you go again? It wouldn’t be good if other teams laughed at me.” In large crowds like this one, he felt his legs weaken—this had always been his reaction in such situations before. Yet he wasn’t afraid to give orders when using equipment for precise communication; facing a sea of people made his heart race.
“Can I go? I won’t be nervous,” Adams chimed in with a mischievous grin, believing it was his time to shine. He raised his hand to signal that he was in excellent condition and provocatively gestured at Freyr with a middle finger.
Long Xingchen ignored the fool beside him and frowned seriously: “Look at that person on stage; he’s a first-year student from Viper Team. Their captain has given speeches up there for over three years. Don’t you understand why I’m calling you up? After this experience, you will fully embrace this team’s fate for the next three years. I accepted my predecessor's trust here to become captain of Ice Dust Team. You can do it! It’s okay if you’re nervous; everyone has their first time. No one will laugh at you—if they do jeer, treat it as applause and walk back to your team with your head held high.”
The words were passionate and stirring, drawing everyone's attention towards Freyr. He buried his head, a flush creeping up his cheeks and spreading to his neck, resembling the symptoms of a severe fever. Long Xingchen glanced over, seemingly understanding something; Freyr disliked crowds, embodying the solitary wolf that always strayed from the masses. Yet at times, this lone wolf would reveal its fierce fangs, often making unexpected moves that caught enemies off guard.
Applause erupted from the audience. From the newcomers of Viper Team to the captain of Thunder Team, everyone had completed their speeches. Following this, Gatfrens Principal returned the microphone to its place, and the electronic screen above lit up suddenly, displaying a live broadcast.
The video was captured from a satellite's perspective, showing Ice Dust Team staring blankly at the Virtual Screen, almost failing to recognize themselves in it. Some, in their ignorance, even wore expressions of shock. After a while, a few managed to identify their familiar faces alongside their teammates.
Almost every team faced this fate; this method allowed them to see themselves clearly from another angle. By confronting their own image, they could create an impact. Many students believed that Gatfrens Principal was just an irresponsible old fool who had turned even Military Satellite into his tool.
The female students grew increasingly worried about their futures, knowing they would spend the next four years in school. The thought that the principal could control Military Satellite to remotely capture images made them anxious—what if he discovered what they did after class or found out about their romantic escapades?
Although they hadn’t reported him, Gatfrens used Military Satellite to reinforce surveillance of the surrounding environment. He was a retired veteran with the rank of General and had the authority to privately access Military Satellite.
When dealing with these students, he wouldn’t impose a strict military regimen on them; he was an educator and a scholar studying human psychology. With satellite access lifted, Freyr looked at his other self on the screen, head drooping and face flushed with embarrassment, resembling a shy maiden.
The audience reacted with enthusiasm as they watched Ice Dust Team's awkwardness on the Virtual Screen. It was the first time such an approach had yielded such intense reactions. Gatfrens smiled inwardly; creating some pressure for this child and establishing more rivals might lead him to show something more.
The principal smirked slyly; he understood all too well how those who wield power often misrepresented human psychology. Moreover, these children had never left campus and were truly innocent—like unblemished jade yet to see the world. If he couldn’t deeply understand their thoughts after years of claiming to be an educator, it would be futile to continue in that role.
“Go on; don’t keep others waiting,” Long Xingchen said calmly as he turned around. At this moment, others in the team nodded at him; even if it was out of respect for Long Xingchen, they didn’t want to embarrass themselves in front of other teams.
In the group, Adams pouted. “If you’re not going up there, let me do it! I’m better than you and braver too. You have no experience as a leader; I have way more than you do! Just look at how many people are willing to follow me; that shows how well I manage them! You idiot, you’re just embarrassing us.”
“Enough! If you have nothing to say, stop talking nonsense,” Xiu Nu glared at him before continuing. “Freyr, get back into the mindset you had when you challenged me; just say what’s on your mind.”
Freyr desperately tried not to overthink as he walked up to the podium under countless gazes. Seeing his lack of spirit, Gatfrens Principal specifically handed him the microphone and gestured for him to take center stage before stepping aside proudly.
Freyr opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced at the many students below before stammering, “Ahem~ I’m a member of Ice Dust Team. This is my first time participating in such a large competition, and honestly, I’m a bit nervous. I hope everyone won’t put too much pressure on me.”
Freyr was initially nervous in front of everyone, and his opening speech quickly turned into a crisis. Most of the audience began whispering among themselves, muttering about how the next captain could be such a shy and inarticulate person.
Of course, these comments reached the ears of the Ice Dust Team members without reservation. Long Xingchen shook his head slightly, sighing inwardly with regret. However, sending Freyr on stage was meant to showcase the heights they hoped to achieve in front of everyone, even if those heights were seemingly impossible. As long as he could at least impress the audience with his words, they would likely give him some applause out of courtesy.
But now, Freyr's opening remarks were rather awkward, resembling a student being punished by a teacher, lacking any commanding presence.
Freya stepped forward from the back of the team. She gestured slightly, and a few members rummaged around to find a piece of cardboard and a marker. They wrote a few lines on it and held it up high.
Freyr felt somewhat distressed; he struggled to find words and had to force out some baseless chatter. "Um, so this competition means quite a lot to me. Since it's my first competition, I want to perform well. What does performing well mean? It reminds me of my training over the past few months."
Just then, he glanced sideways at the team and noticed the characters on the sign being held up. A group of people was gesturing animatedly at him, and Long Xingchen nodded at him from the front, his expression still calm and indifferent, making it hard for Freyr to gauge whether he had a positive or negative opinion about his speech. This was all too difficult for him.
"Your speech lacks momentum; we're almost falling asleep. Change it up."
A few people exchanged glances, while Freya held up the sign with some characters on it. Freyr looked at it and gave a thumbs-up, then revealed a mysterious smile as he thought to himself, "Okay, just wait until I turn this around."
"Ah~" Freyr cleared his throat and shifted his tone, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "What I've shared is my personal insight, but it doesn't mean that everyone in Ice Dust Team shares my views. Everyone wants to achieve good results in this competition. Beyond hard work, we need a fighting spirit that surpasses what happens on the field. Last year, Ice Dust Team secured third place, but that is not the result we collectively aspire to achieve. Our goal is solely to reach the pinnacle—the championship."
"We're not just aiming for the champion's banner; we want to show everyone that this year's Ice Dust Team is unbeatable. In our eyes, even second place carries the mark of failure; we will not become failures. Therefore, Ice Dust Team will put forth our utmost effort to welcome the upcoming competition—we are here for victory! Only when we hold that championship trophy will we feel satisfied! This concludes my speech!"
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