"Hahaha! No way, Old Kong, after holding it in for so long, you were just messing around, weren't you?"
"Chen Kong: Bronze mistakenly entered a King-tier match, I apologize."
"Good news, Old Kong's attitude is very professional. Bad news, it seems only his attitude is professional."
Watching Chen Kong, who was "fierce in action but 0/5 in stats," the dimensional viewers were highly amused. After all, before his throw, he had a resolute gaze and professional movements. But after the throw, he immediately transformed into a meek "being human, I apologize." Only divine beings could keep a straight face with such a drastic contrast.
Meanwhile, in the match, while Chen Kong fumbled a valuable offensive opportunity, his opponent, Gon, certainly wouldn't. Gon slowly tightened his grip on the shot put with his right hand, the bulging muscles in his right arm immediately ripping through his sleeve, scattering fabric scraps. This scene alone, compared to Chen Kong's earlier superficial display, was far more intimidating."Beep, beep, beep!"
Gon suddenly blew the whistle hanging around his neck and pointed at Caroline, "Red Team player over there, please don't say anything unrelated to the match during the game, otherwise, I'll have to give you a yellow card warning."
As a single man, one of the things Gon hated most in his life was people showing affection in front of him. What's up with that? Do you guys just enjoy tormenting single people for no reason? What did we single people do to you to deserve such abuse!
Hearing this, Chen Kong, Caroline, and even the audience outside the Dimensional Screen knew he was spouting nonsense; there was no such rule at all. Only the simple-minded fellow didn't react, foolishly saying, "Gon, you can't talk about things outside the field? But the rules you just mentioned didn't seem to include that, did they?"
Gon turned to look at Chen Kong, staring at him with an idiotic expression. "Are you the referee or am I the referee? Say one more word, and I'll give you a yellow card right away, kid."
"Uh..." Facing Gon's irritated threat, Chen Kong was momentarily speechless. He wanted to retort but also worried about actually being given a yellow card by Gon. Weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately chose silence.
After all, even though he could rely on the effect of 'Mark of Emptiness' to negate the yellow card effect Gon gave him, considering the huge level gap between him and Gon, nullifying a single yellow card would likely consume half, or even all, of his Star Energy. He absolutely couldn't do it casually.
Moreover, compared to using the Mark of Emptiness like that, he felt it would be better to find an opportunity to remove the 'Audience' status from Isabelle and then take her out of this strange subspace. Thinking this, Chen Kong instinctively looked in Isabelle's direction.
Gon immediately caught his small movement and taunted, "Don't look, kid, you don't think I know what you're thinking, do you? You know, if you dared to rashly use your special ability to eliminate Star Source effects, without real-world coordinates, you might instantly fall into an unknown time-space rift instead of returning to reality.
So if I were you, I'd definitely not entertain any crooked thoughts and would just stand there obediently, seriously preparing for the upcoming match."
Is he telling the truth, or just lying to me?Gon's words suddenly threw Chen Kong's mind into confusion.
Caroline: "He's telling the truth, Kong, because subspace is like a small boat floating on the sea. If you don't have the strength to swim back to shore yourself, it's best not to use that ability recklessly. And if I'm not mistaken, the subspace we are currently in should be the effect of this guy's Star Tool, not a Star Source ability. Otherwise, I don't believe a mere Tier 2 Star Envoy would have the power to create a subspace on their own."
Seeing Caroline interfere again, Gon couldn't hold it in anymore. "No, I didn't guess wrong, I didn't guess wrong! What's wrong with you, Catwoman? Every day it's 'I didn't guess wrong, I didn't guess wrong,' you never end, do you?! If you're so good at guessing, why don't you guess what today's lottery jackpot is, instead of constantly guessing my information?!"
Broken. Gon was utterly and completely broken. If Caroline had guessed wrong, it would have been fine. But every time she opened her mouth, she would accurately hit the nail on the head. How was this guessing? She was clearly reading off his data! That's right, this subspace wasn't Gon's Star Source ability. It was the effect of one of his Star Tools, whose name was — Rift Prism.
[Name: Rift Prism]
[Effect: By rotating the prism surface, localized spatial changes can be triggered, projecting a certain area of the real world scene one-to-one into a subspace between illusion and reality, forming a sealed special space.]
Even though Caroline had mostly guessed his abilities, Gon remained unfazed. After all, in the face of an absolute difference in strength, all schemes and tricks were mere flashy displays. This round, the advantage was with him!
"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you kids anymore. For this first game of dodgeball, who are you sending out first?"
Gon walked to the center of the field and extended his right hand. The next second, a lead ball the size of a basketball suddenly appeared and landed heavily in his right palm.
Seeing this, Chen Kong was instantly dumbfounded. No way, your dodgeball uses a lead ball, and such a big one at that?! If this ball hits, forget catching it, not dodging it is just asking for death!
Caroline: "Kong, for this first round... you go first."
"Huh? Me?" Before Chen Kong could react, Caroline's voice suddenly rang out from the side. Upon hearing Caroline's words, Chen Kong immediately looked at her in shock, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
With his small arms and legs, it was clear he wouldn't even last one round against Gon! Sending him first, how was that different from sending him to his death?
Thankfully, Chen Xing also knew his brother's situation and immediately stepped forward. "Caroline, how about I go first instead?"
Facing Chen Xing's proactive challenge, Caroline shook her head and said, "No, you already have a yellow card. Without knowing what other hidden rules this guy has designed, you going first would be the most irrational action."
Chen Xing: "But my brother, he..."
Caroline: "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Because if I'm not mistaken, the core of the referee's Star Source is actually the word 'fairness'. And in order to maintain fairness, this guy, in addition to strictly adhering to all the public rules he just stated, must also present any hidden rules he's secretly designed to us in some subtle way. Otherwise, such hidden rules would be too unfair."
At this point, Caroline suddenly pointed to the clock hanging on the wall in the hall and said, "What do you think the meaning of this clock is?"
With Caroline's prompting, Chen Xing immediately seemed to ponder. Chen Kong, however, foolishly said, "It's so we can see the time here?"
Caroline: "..."
What you said is good, but please don't say it next time, because I hate foolishness.
Fortunately, Chen Kong's foolishness didn't mean Chen Xing was also foolish. After a simple thought, Chen Xing quickly had the answer. "You mean, this match, from the very beginning... has strict time limits? Otherwise, in this timeless subspace, there would be no need for this object that allows us to observe time."
Caroline nodded, indicating Chen Xing was correct. Then she turned to look at Gon, who was completely numb in the arena. "Yes, this guy was secretly misleading us from the very beginning.
Because whether it was his exaggerated opening performance or his leisurely explanation of the rules afterward, all he wanted was for us to subconsciously assume one thing: that he had plenty of time and could slowly play with us.
This way, he could not only increase our sense of urgency but also make us, in our tension, forget our original sense of time, thus making it difficult to discover this hidden rule. But he forgot one thing."
This time, it wasn't Chen Kong or Chen Xing who spoke, but Gon from a distance. He was also very curious about what he had forgotten.
Caroline: "You forgot to state the conditions for a draw. You know, for any type of competition, if enough matches are held, with a large enough base, small probability events will inevitably occur at some point. And once such a small probability event occurs, to prevent similar situations from happening again, it will definitely be recorded and even evolve into one of the existing competition rules.
Although a draw is very unlikely in this best-of-three dodgeball match, I was still able to deduce several small probability situations that could result in a draw in a very short time.
Even I, who am participating in dodgeball for the first time, can calculate the existence of a draw, so Gon, as the referee and organizer, cannot possibly not know. If that's the case, then why didn't he say anything? You know, in the face of such a huge level gap, even if we knew the draw conditions, it would be difficult for us to achieve them.
He didn't need to specifically hide them; he could have openly included them in the public rules. After all, I speculate that the more rules he makes public, the greater his advantage in this match. But he's actually willing to give up an advantage to hide all the draw conditions, which can only mean one thing."
Mean what?Chen Kong, who was already a bit confused, foolishly asked.
Caroline: "It means that among those different draw conditions, there is one that, even if our level is lower than his, we still have a good chance of achieving. And among the draw conditions I can think of, there is only one that fits our current situation. That is, with an equal number of small round wins, an equal number of dodgeball hits and catches, and the same number of penalty cards, we drag the game until the match time ends."
Chen Kong: "But if that's the case, my sister wouldn't be..."
Chen Kong was about to say something, but then he suddenly reacted and slapped himself on the head, realizing, "...Oh right, I forgot I can remove the yellow card status from my sister. This way, as long as I choose to activate my ability, my sister will be as if she never received a yellow card. After all, a yellow card is essentially a Star Energy spell, not a real rule."
Caroline: "Mm, so you going first is the best option. Because if you're not trying to win, just aiming for a draw, you can focus solely on dodging and don't need to catch the ball. And among the three of us, in terms of dodging and hiding ability, Chen Kong, you're actually superior to us."
Chen Kong: "Okay, Sister Caroline, I understand! This first round, leave it to me."
After listening to Caroline's analysis, Chen Kong, who had originally been afraid of going first, instantly became full of confidence. Come on, he might not be good at fighting, but when it came to hiding and dodging abilities, with the Mark of Emptiness, no one among the 36 members of the entire Starfall Project, except for Brother Tendo, could contend with him! At this moment, Chen Kong for the first time had the illusion that he wasn't a burden, but a crucial member of the team.
Meanwhile, the Dimensional Audience at Station 13, after hearing Caroline's analysis, instantly understood Gon's insidious nature and couldn't help but complain.
'He's already the referee personally participating, yet he still designed so many hidden rules. This guy is really dark.'
'"Clearly strong, but excessively sinister"'
'No wonder you're a fish pond killer. The fish are already in the pond, and you're still unfairly using pumping and electrocution. With that fishing method, who wouldn't catch fish?'
Silence. Gon was completely silenced by Caroline at this point. He had met many intelligent automatons, but he had never encountered one as meticulous and quick-witted as Caroline. No, if you're so capable, why are you Isabelle's bodyguard? Wouldn't it be better to work independently?
Fortunately, even though Caroline had uncovered a lot of his trump cards, he still had a backup plan! He just had to find a way to speed up the match and couldn't let Caroline keep talking. Because if she kept talking, he was genuinely afraid she'd expose all his trump cards.
So, seeing Chen Kong already wearing the Red Team player's exclusive dodgeball vest and entering the field, Gon immediately spoke, "Alright, I'm flipping a coin now. The chosen person gets the opening offense. Heads or tails?"
Chen Kong thought for a moment and said, "I'll choose heads."
Gon: "Okay."
As the words fell, Gon immediately flicked the silver coin in his hand. The silver coin, after a free fall, finally came to rest on the ground. Seeing the result of the coin toss, Gon immediately congratulated him, "It's heads. Your luck is pretty good."
However, unlike Chen Kong, whose face was joyful, Caroline looked at Gon, who was still wearing his referee uniform, and immediately became thoughtful.
Gon: "Here, you get to attack first in this round."
Gon casually tossed it, and the heavy lead ball arced through the air before being clumsily caught by Chen Kong. Even this simple catch left Chen Kong's arms aching. One could only imagine what would happen if he were hit by that ball... Thinking this, Chen Kong immediately swallowed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
However, he quickly had a change of thought. With a draw as his goal, he would most likely not get another chance to attack. Therefore, this attack would likely be his only offensive opportunity in this first round, and he absolutely couldn't waste it.
After all, if he could somehow hit, he would only need to keep dodging afterward, and after time ran out, he could even win a valuable round for his team, increasing their chances of winning. Thinking this, Chen Kong immediately prepared to throw the ball forcefully at Gon in the arena.
But just as he was about to do so, Caroline, not far away, suddenly interrupted him.
Caroline: "Wait, Kong, don't throw yet. Wait until he puts on his player's vest. Because if you throw now, you'll be attacking the referee without cause. At best, you'll get a yellow card; at worst, you'll lose this match directly."
At these words, Chen Kong immediately stopped his original movement and regained his balance with a stumble. On the other side, seeing another one of his schemes exposed by Caroline, Gon was utterly furious. After all, if Caroline hadn't reminded him quickly, would this simple-minded guy in front of him have realized his trap? He would have fallen for it long ago and lost this first match at light speed!
Gon was infuriated that such a rookie had escaped. "Damn it, next time I'm definitely adding another public rule: non-players are not allowed to say a single word!"
He grumbled, glaring at Caroline outside the field, then walked unhappily to the side and took off his referee uniform. As the referee uniform was fully removed, Gon quickly displayed his upper body muscles, which looked like a human sculpture, in front of everyone.
Perhaps to vent his dissatisfaction, or perhaps to put some pressure on Chen Kong, Gon didn't rush to put on the blue team's athlete vest on the ground. Instead, he provocatively struck a standard bodybuilding pose, trying his best to show off his exaggerated muscles.
At the same time, Gon's back muscles continuously tensed during this process, and the intricate muscle lines slowly formed a pattern resembling a 'demonic ghost', commonly known as the Demon Back!
After showcasing his strength, Gon contentedly put on the blue team's exclusive dodgeball vest and said in a low voice, "Kid, don't think you can rest easy just because someone is helping you. Although I'm a Specialist, as a referee who has personally participated in matches for years, this ultimate physique, forged through countless trials, is definitely not something your skinny arms and legs can compare to. Because my purity... is far above yours! Come on, kid, let me see your purity!"
Hearing this, Chen Kong took a deep breath, revealing a resolute look in his eyes. This look and the aura he exuded actually startled Gon a bit. So much so that Gon immediately adopted a serious defensive stance, extremely wary and ready to face Chen Kong's upcoming attack.
Chen Kong: "Ha!"
Chen Kong shouted loudly, then exerted all his strength to throw the lead ball in his hand. His posture was so standard, it was like a textbook demonstration. However, unlike his professional movements, the lead ball thrown by Chen Kong flew in an extremely low arc. It landed prematurely a full five meters away from Gon.
Gulu-lulu—
After a slow and harmless roll, the lead ball he had thrown finally stopped half a meter from Gon's feet.
Chen Xing, Caroline, Gon, Dimensional Audience: "..."
Looking at the lead ball on the ground, Gon picked it up silently after a moment of daze. Then he looked up at the embarrassed Chen Kong not far away and sighed deeply.
Gon: "I'm sorry, I overestimated you. Others might be pretending to be bad, but you are really bad."
However, just as Gon finished charging and was about to deliver a heavy blow to Chen Kong, he suddenly found that Chen Kong, who should have been on the field, had strangely vanished from his sight!
"Hm?!" Was it invisibility? Or some other ability? Knowing that Chen Kong's Star Source was the "Dream Weaver," a special ability that could replicate other people's Star Sources, it wasn't surprising for Chen Kong to possess "invisibility." After figuring this out, Gon's brain immediately began to work rapidly.
There were several types of invisibility, but no matter which one it was, Gon was certain that Chen Kong was still on the field. If Chen Kong wasn't on the field, Gon would immediately receive feedback from his Star Source, indicating a win. Thinking of this, Gon instantly made a decision.
Gon: "Do you think invisibility can buy you time? Naive!"
To everyone's shocked gazes, Gon then entered an unprecedented berserk mode. He completely ignored Chen Kong's hidden location, continuously smashing the shot put into the Red Team's side of the field. In an instant, the hotel lobby's floor tiles began to crack incessantly.
Splintered tile fragments shot out like bullets in all directions. Fortunately, there seemed to be some invisible wall at the edge of the dodgeball court. Not only did this wall block tile fragments, but even Gon's shot put, after hitting the edge, would bounce back as if it had struck a solid surface. Gon used this mechanism to quickly retrieve the bouncing shot put and immediately initiate the next attack.
As a result, under Gon's relentless bombardment, Chen Kong's dodging range began to shrink. Below the shattered court was the hotel's negative first floor.
Chen Kong didn't dare to gamble whether falling down would be considered leaving the designated competition area. However, if this continued, although he still didn't know how long a single round of dodgeball lasted, he felt that he probably wouldn't be able to last until the end of the round. So, Chen Kong gritted his teeth and immediately made a risky decision.
He clearly remembered that among the competition rules Gon had mentioned, there was no prohibition against directly attacking the opposing player. Although he was equally unsure if this was a hidden rule, rather than continuing in a losing situation, he might as well take a gamble.
Chen Kong's personality was indeed indecisive, but he also never lacked the courage to risk everything at critical moments. Thinking of this, Chen Kong decisively drew his black gun and walked to the closest position to Gon on his side of the field.
Then he poured all his Star Energy into his black gun, ready to launch his strongest attack against Gon. After all, he only had one chance and absolutely couldn't waste it easily.
Meanwhile, watching Gon continuously compress Chen Kong's movement space, Caroline was also unable to know Chen Kong's exact location or his specific thoughts at that moment. But after some thought, Caroline seemed to understand something and immediately shouted, "Stop, Chen Kong!"
Unfortunately, Caroline's words were a step too late. Almost at the same time she spoke, a gun fired. And at the sound of the gunshot, Gon instantly removed his dodgeball special vest, revealing the black and green referee uniform beneath.
Bang!
Chen Kong's Empty Rune bullet, though incredibly fast, strangely hovered one step in front of Gon. Seeing this, Chen Kong's pupils instantly contracted. This was the first time he had seen his Empty Rune bullet unable to negate an enemy's Star Energy effect!
Chen Kong: "How is this possible? My bullet even Fushan..."
Gon: "Fushan? A mere first-level Star Envoy, how can he compare to me?"
Gon smiled and picked up the Empty Rune bullet that had fallen to the ground, examining this special bullet as if it were an antique. "A bullet that can negate Star Energy effects, no matter how many times I see it, it still feels incredibly magical.
Although I don't know the principle behind your Star Energy nullification, one thing I'm very certain of. That is, no matter how miraculous a Star Source ability or Star Source technique is, it must be supported by basic Star Energy. Kid, I watched your video attacking Fushan and analyzed it frame by frame.
Then I discovered that the nullification effect of your bullet seems to have a clear upper limit. And this upper limit is the amount of basic Star Energy contained within your bullet. Once the basic Star Energy in your bullet is exhausted, it's no different from an ordinary bullet."
At this point, Gon, dressed in the referee uniform, walked directly in front of Chen Kong, looking down at him. Although Gon was still wearing his comical husky head mask, the astonishing oppressive aura emanating from him still made Chen Kong feel a clear sense of mortal danger, and his body involuntarily began to tremble. Seeing his reaction, Gon immediately smiled and said:
Gon: "Kid, remember what I'm about to say. When facing an unfamiliar Star Envoy, especially an unfamiliar Association Star Envoy, you must be extremely vigilant. Because the Association not only possesses the most complete Star Energy cultivation system in this world, but we also have the richest experience in dealing with various Star Envoys.
Dream Weaver? Others might not know how to handle this Star Source, but we in the Association do. There are two best ways to deal with a Dream Weaver: one is to know all his trump cards and formulate different counter-tactics accordingly, and the other is to force him to use only the trump cards I know.
However, the first one is basically impossible for most people to achieve, so historically, the Star Envoy Association's method of dealing with Dream Weaver Star Envoys has always been the second. Alright, I've said what needed to be said. Since you've made your move, now... it's my turn."
Gon: "Red Team member, Chen Kong, malicious attack on the referee, yellow card!"
As Gon raised his yellow card high, an inexplicable force immediately descended upon Chen Kong. And because Chen Kong had just poured all his Star Energy into his black gun, he had no extra Star Energy to activate Empty Rune and negate the penalty of this yellow card. From this moment on, Chen Kong's defeat was already sealed.
Gon put on his athlete's dodgeball vest again and smiled at the despairing Chen Kong, saying, "Oh, relax, don't look like you're about to die. Don't worry, I won't kill you. Because although I took dark money, I also won't easily violate the Association's regulations. The scale of this... I handle it very well. So, surrender, because if you don't, I can only personally send you out. But if that happens, I can't guarantee you'll be unharmed, you know."
Hearing this, Chen Kong didn't respond immediately but turned to look at Caroline outside the field. Caroline was biting her nails, her eyes constantly flashing with massive data streams, clearly calculating something. But in just a moment, Caroline despaired and gave up thinking.
Knowing that Gon could freely switch between "athlete" and "referee," they had no chance of winning this dodgeball match. Chen Kong's surrender was a foregone conclusion.
And after losing one match, even if she and Chen Xing dragged the subsequent matches to an average, they still couldn't win this match. In other words, from the moment she sent out Chen Kong, they had already lost this match.
But Caroline couldn't be blamed. After all, under limited conditions, it was already quite difficult for her to analyze so many situations. Moreover, facing an experienced Association Star Envoy who was very good at bullying weaker opponents, Caroline was, after all, just a fourteen-year-old girl new to the scene. In terms of experience, she could absolutely not compare to Gon, who had been constantly swimming in the second-level fish pond. Thinking of this, Caroline said dejectedly:
Caroline: "Surrender, Chen Kong. Do as he says, because we... can't win anymore."
Even Caroline said so; Chen Kong was completely despondent. He tried to say something, but his mouth opened and closed without a single word coming out. Finally, forced by the current situation, Chen Kong lowered his head and uttered the word "surrender," which he didn't want to say.
Hearing those two words, Gon smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "A wise man submits to circumstances. Actually, you don't need to be too sad. After all, losing to a second-level Association Star Envoy isn't shameful, and besides..."
However, just as Gon finished speaking, an unexpected voice suddenly appeared.
Tendo: "Who said we lost?"
Gon turned his head in surprise, only to see Tendo smiling as he walked in through the main entrance of the hotel lobby. His appearance not only shocked Gon but also brought a look of joy to Chen Kong's face.
Chen Kong: "Brother Tendo!"
Caroline & Chen Xing: "Tendo!"
Looking at everyone staring at him, Tendo strode in with an arrogant, swaggering gait, directly approaching Caroline and smiling, "Seriously, I was only gone for a moment, and you guys got completely wiped out by the enemy so easily? Caroline, your strength isn't good enough."
Caroline didn't retort to Tendo's teasing. From a practical standpoint, as long as Gon didn't go easy, there was absolutely no chance for them to win a match where he acted as both referee and athlete.
Gon: "How did you get in, kid? My Fissure Prism clearly hasn't failed."
To this, Tendo adjusted his sunglasses and said, "Don't worry about how I got in; the point is, I'm in."
Gon: "..."
Looking at the arrogant Tendo, Gon's forehead immediately broke out in black lines. What Gon didn't know was that Tendo couldn't answer, not that he didn't want to. He couldn't possibly say that he saw from the dimensional screen that Caroline and the others were in a sub-space within the resort hotel.
So he fully activated his Star Eclipse Heavenly Eye and finally found the sub-space entrance of the Fissure Prism somewhere on the first floor of the hotel, right? Otherwise, how could Tendo confirm whether Caroline and the others had disappeared to a location far from the hotel or were dragged into a special space? It simply wouldn't make sense.
And while Gon didn't know how Tendo got in, he knew that Tendo's appearance was definitely not good for him. Because Tendo's Vector Control was simply too suitable for dodgeball. And Tendo himself clearly knew this. So he unhesitatingly waved at Chen Kong and said:
Tendo: "Come on, Kong, give me your clothes. I'll take this round."
Gon: "No, no new person is allowed to suddenly join this match!"
To this, Tendo said with disdain, "Oh, come on, you can trick simpletons like Chen Kong with such nonsense, but you're still trying to fool me. The so-called competition you're holding is essentially just a large-scale Star Energy technique you've cast. I've checked, and the Star Energy technique you set up beforehand nearby doesn't include a clause prohibiting new players from suddenly joining."
Gon: "..."
Silence. Gon was silent again, and again. And this time, his silence was even longer than the previous times when Caroline exposed his hidden rules. Because Caroline's deciphering of hidden rules was based on reasonable analysis.
But Tendo's way of seeing through the rules was, to some extent, simply ridiculous. Directly looking at the technique's structure? No, what kind of eyes does he have that he can directly see the structure of a Star Energy technique?! What's the difference between this and blatant cheating?! Tell me, what's the difference!!!
And also shocked were the viewers in front of the dimensional screen.
"Bro, just turn it off, it's no fun keeping it on."
"Tendo: You solve the problem by analyzing, I solve the problem... by directly looking at the answer key!"
"Heavenly Eye, Heavenly Eye, is Hakiji's eye really a heavenly eye? Otherwise, how can it predict the future and see through the essence of techniques? It's too overpowered!"
"Still buffing, the version T0 is still getting buffed. How much does the production team love Hakiji as their favorite son? They even added another setting for him! If this keeps up, he'll truly be supreme above and below the heavens!"
Amidst the dense barrage of comments, Tendo on the screen put on the dodgeball special vest that Chen Kong handed him and walked straight into the now repaired Red Team's court. Seeing that he was actually going to play, Gon was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and threatened:
Gon: "Tendo Controller, what are you trying to do?! I'm both an athlete and a referee. Even if your Vector Control is very suitable for this dodgeball match, if you attack me three times, I can give you three yellow cards and send you off! Are you sure you want to make a move on me?"
Hearing this, Tendo couldn't help but chuckle.
Tendo: "Three times? Do you think I'll need three times..."
Tendo picked up the shot put from the ground, and to everyone's shocked gaze, the shot put actually began to spin at a visible speed, spinning faster and faster until its black surface was covered in black light. Although Tendo's black shot put hadn't been thrown yet, Gon already felt a clear sense of danger from it.
Tendo: "Go!"
Tendo threw the black ball in his hand with a baseball-like motion. In an instant, the black ball, with a whooshing sound, heavily slammed into the court barrier behind Gon. The court barrier, which was supposed to bounce the black ball back, now showed a visible indentation.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the previously indestructible court barrier was completely breached by Tendo's throw, and with the remaining impact, it shattered a hotel wall on the spot.
Tendo: "How's that? Do you think I need three times to hit you?"
Gon looked at the smiling Tendo and suddenly got anxious.
Gon: "Tendo Controller, what in the world do you want?! Are you trying to ruin my 100% win rate?!"
Tendo, Caroline, Chen Kong, Chen Xing: "..."
Ignoring everyone's stunned expressions, Gon said with a pained look, "Do you know how difficult it is to maintain a 100% win rate for five consecutive years? This not only requires me to put in a lot of effort to specifically select missions, but also to be ready at all times to deal with inspections from above, for fear that they'll find out I can actually break through at any time.
It's precisely after putting in so much effort that I've been able to win the Excellent Star Envoy Award of the Deep Blue Branch for five consecutive years and maintain a perfect 100% win rate until now. And now you actually want to destroy all of this, are you even human?!"
Tendo: "...Then what do you want to do?"
Gon: "A draw. This match today counts as a draw."
Tendo: "Why should I listen to you?"
Gon: "One million Star Source coins."
Tendo: "Deal!"
Looking at Tendo and Gon, who were about to fight to the death a second ago but suddenly reached a backdoor deal the next, Chen Kong and the others were stunned. They had imagined many possible outcomes, but they never expected it to be this one!
System Notification: "Ding! Your bank card has received..."
Tendo: "Oh, you're too kind, too kind. If there's ever anything good like this again, you must remember to find me. I, Tendo, might not be good at other things, but I'm excellent at customizing data for people. Absolutely high quality and low price, fair dealing."
Gon: "Get lost, get lost. I can't avoid you fast enough, and you want me to find you to customize data? Do you think I'm a leek, to be harvested whenever you want?"
Tendo: "Going, going. Sigh, I never thought that I, the notorious salary leech of the Deep Blue Branch, would one day be leeched off by someone else. What terrible luck."
Looking at the annoyed Gon, Tendo couldn't help but ask, "By the way, why do you value this 100% win rate so much? It's not even counted in your Association mission records."
Gon: "You don't understand anything. You'll understand when you reach my level. The development of Star Sources is far more troublesome than you think."
Tendo: "Understood. So there are special conditions for advancing from Level 2 to Level 3."
Gon: "Going, going. I can't say anymore, or the Association will definitely say I'm breaking the rules."
Although Gon said that, he ultimately stopped his steps to leave, turned around, and extended an invitation to Tendo.
Gon: "How about it, want to join our Association? I can personally write you a letter of guarantee. Don't worry, no matter what you've done before or what your background is, with the talent and strength you've shown, I'm 100% confident I can get you to successfully become an Association Star Envoy, and one with a promising future at that."
To this, Tendo smiled and declined.
Tendo: "No need, because if I wanted to, I wouldn't need your recommendation at all."
Gon: "That's true." He then said, "See you never again, you're the only one who's given me a draw."
Tendo: "You never know, maybe we'll meet again in the future?"
Gon: "Really? Well, that would be truly terrible news for me."