Chapter 336: Baby Steps, Please!
Translator: OneshotwonderEditor: Hitesh_
After reading the comments on a few major online forums, Wang Tong had noticed that the tournament had more or less diverted public's attention away from the PA system. Many of his supporters had also left the discussion after a long but fruitless waiting.
Nonetheless, Wang Tong's fan base was still solid. Therefore, he wagered that there were still hope in successfully carrying out his plan. Once he was able to find the first level six opponent, Wang Tong thought, the rest of the plan would unfold smoothly.
Wang Tong simply could not wait to see the fight between Mr. Wannabe and a high-level fighter, as he constantly wondered what kind of performance he would see.
The thought of Mr. Wannabe standing in the arena again tugged at Wang Tong's heartstring. It had always been Wang Tong's wish to help his ghost friend fight again. Wang Tong knew better than anyone that there was nothing worse for a fighter than being denied the rights to fight.
Wang Tong opened his inbox and found out that it was filled to the brim with responses to his challenges, although none of the respondents were actually from a level six player. Wang Tong shook his head and turned the terminal off.
After reading the news about Einherjar Wannabe's challenge, Li Shiming furrowed his brows, as he wondered what the mysterious fighter's intention was.
Li Shiming found that Einherjar Wannabe's goal was so unrealistic that it was laughable. There was a wide range of power among the level six fighters, since five hundred sol of soul energy marked only the entry level of the level six. Some of the level six fighters could be as powerful as an Einherjar. Li Shiming wagered that it was arrogance rather than bravery that had inspired such an absurd challenge.
Although Li Shiming had too little time to spend on too many businesses, he had closely followed Wang Tong's every move. A report from one of his spies had caught his attention; it described a meeting between Wang Tong and Zhang Jin. Based on the close ties between the Zhang and the Dower, Li Shiming deduced the Zhang Jin was there probing the boy's identity on behalf of Patroclus.
The thought of the Zhang and Dower's alliance made Li Shiming lament about their broken alliance with Ma. Should the Li have gained the wholehearted support of the Ma, they would have already dominated the entire world.
Meanwhile, Wang Tong's every move had also been watched closely by Patroclus on the Moon. After being informed that Zhang Jin had a brief meeting with Wang Tong, Patroclus found the probing redundant. Not only did he have an unswerving faith in Wang Tong's real identity, but he also was afraid that the probing would force Wang Tong to make his identity public while he was not yet ready for the consequences.
As for Wang Tong's challenge to all the level six fighters, despite the absurdness, Patroclus was not altogether surprised. Patroclus was well aware of how powerful some of the level six fighters could get, as there were at least two living examples of such fighters in his family. However, Patroclus was convinced that the chance of such powerful level six fighters showing up in the PA system was almost zero...almost.
On that note, Patroclus turned on the terminal and called Zhang Jin on the Skynet.
"Jing, I need your help…"
Zhang Jin cut him short as she knew exactly what Patroclus was going to ask, "No problem, let's give him an opportunity, since he was so confident. That shall confirm his real identity."
"Hehe, thanks, Jin, you know me the best!"
Patroclus and Zhang Jin had decided to play along Wang Tong's ruse and arrange a level six opponent for Einherjar Wannabe. After all, it would be an effective test to see if Wang Tong was really the heir of the Blade Warrior.
Due to the strict family rules, Patroclus found it hard pressed to convince any of his family members to partake in the challenge, and therefore, he needed Zhang Jin's help.
"Ding-Dong"
A message alert suddenly caught Wang Tong's attention—a challenger! Wang Tong looked through the profile, and it seemed like the challenger was indeed a level six fighter through and through.
He was a thirty-six years old Ivantian named Peter Lynn. He was also the captain of one of the Silver Units in the Anti-Smuggling Force. It was well known that the Silver Unit was one of the top three units of Ivantians special forces, and every captain of the unit had been freakishly powerful. More importantly, one of the minimum requirements for being a captain was to reach level six in their cultivation.
Peter Lynn had sworn loyalty to House Zhang, and he had received the order to dispatch Einherjar Wannabe on the PA system.
At first, Peter Lynn had found the order strange. He had heard of the name of his opponent, but why would the Zhang wanted him to defeat someone on a gaming system? However, the emblem of House Zhang on the message's seal meant that the order came from the high up. Therefore, Peter Lynn put aside his questions and accepted the task without any hesitation. This was the first time since Peter Lynn had sworn the oath to the House Zhang that he had received an order from someone who was so close to the center of power.
Although he was convinced that he would be able to defeat a 17 years old boy with ease, the high profile of the task giver seemed to suggest that there was more than what met the eyes.
Even after studying some of Einherjar Wannabe's fighting videos, Peter Lynn found it difficult to see himself failing the mission. Despite the fact that his opponent wielded a strange tactics and utilized double GN force, Peter Lynn noticed that the boy was somewhat inexperienced in controlling his GN force, which, Peter Lynn believed, would be the boy's downfall.
Unlike the soldiers in the Military who were under strict rules, the members of the Anti Smuggling(AS) Units enjoyed a much greater measure of freedom during their own time. However, it was rare to see an AS unit member show up in the PA system, since the widespread pirating activity meant that the SA units had enough practice in real life already.
Peter Lynn stared at the emblem on the broken seal and felt the gravity of this mission for his future. He didn't want to be stuck at the Silver Unit. Now that his employer had finally taken notice of him, it was the time for him to prove himself. Holding the letter in his hand, Peter Lynn felt that as if he was holding the key to his success.
Wang Tong accepted the challenge without any hesitation. Although he was convinced that Peter Lynn's power was much weaker than Mr. Wannabe, he decided to take baby steps for Mr. Wannabe's first couple fights.
DREAM delivered Wang Tong's reply immediately and started to arrange the logistics of the match. The match was set to happen before the start of the final matches of the tournament to minimize distraction. However, many media persons seemed to be uninterested in the match between Einherjar Wannabe and Peter Lynn. To them, the real combat of the "Fantastic Five" was much more enticing than the PA fights.
Although people were naturally drawn to Einherjar Wannabe's mysteriousness, his prolonged inactivity had more or less dulled the public's interest.
That being said, the news about the match had been sensational among the die-hard fans of the PA system. They reckoned that the outcome of the fight would be conclusive evidence in determining the real power of Einherjar Wannabe and the outcome of his fight with Lie Jian.
Wang Tong was pleased by the timing of the fight, since the school was canceled during the tournament. Therefore, he had nothing to do until the finals started.
Seeing that the fight had been arranged, Wang Tong sauntered away from the internet cafe.
"Oh, balls! I waited for two days, and I only got a newbie?" Mr. Wannabe grumbled while hovering in the air. Ever since his soul energy recovered, he had been much more active, and started to come out of the crystal more often than before.
"He is not a newbie. Baby steps, please!"
"Fine. Fine!" Mr. Wannabe sat down on top of Charcoal's head. "Let's go charcoal, let's watch some movies."
Wang Tong smiled amiably after seeing how well Mr. Wannabe and Charcoal had gotten along. He found it difficult to make the connection between Mr. Wannabe and the malevolent Zachery. However, as the memory of the Pirate King in the crystal space flashed in his mind, Wang Tong shuddered and felt less certain of his conviction.
Wang Tong shook his head to clear the thoughts, and started off to the gym. There would be tough battles ahead, and he needed to work harder. The thought of his opponent falling at his feet pleased him, somehow, Wang Tong wondered if he were the heir of the unscrupulous Zachery, instead of the benevolent General Li Feng.