Another beautiful day, although Xia Huanao might not have the mood to appreciate it. The story of what happened after Shen Yu took the towel in last night is too long to tell, and certainly not for outsiders.
But we can still catch a glimpse of it from the expressions of everyone looking at Xia Huanao.
"Boss Xia, you're courting death right after recovering. Aren't you afraid Xiao Yu will cripple you?"
Xia Huanao ignored him, only observing the movements on the field with binoculars from afar. For him, everyone under twenty present could potentially be his teammate. He had to observe them carefully to quickly devise relevant tactics. Although Malanqi hadn't assigned him as leader or put him in charge of tactics, Xia Huanao still decided to be prepared.
"Hmm, this Wu Ji seems to have some substance. What do you think, Adu?"
Yu Longdu also held binoculars and peered into the field. "Indeed, judging solely by this one Pokémon, his strength is probably almost on par with yours."
"Yes, someone like this, if placed in the twenty-five-year-old group, could go even further with good luck. Adu, do you understand what I mean?"
"I do."
Xia Huanao and Adu were acting suspiciously, while the others watching them whispered, "No need to guess, they must be looking for pretty girls on the field."
Yu Tingyun sidled over. "Oh? Is that so? Then why aren't you looking?"
"Why ask? Because I have you."
...
After several hours of matches, Xia Huanao's binoculars swiveled around, and Yu Longdu watched with him. Except when they had to compete, at all other times the two of them huddled together, whispering.
If their friends didn't find this furtive behavior problematic, then there was no problem. Zhang Hong came over and asked, "Boss Xia, what are you two researching here?"
Yu Longdu glanced at Xia Huanao. How to explain? Could they tell the truth?
It was obvious they couldn't. Fortunately, Xia Huanao reacted quickly. "We're naturally here to see who can go further in the grand tournament. We plan to place a bet and make a fortune. How else can I get the money for the dowry?"
"I see, there's such a thing. But Boss Xia, why not just bet on Adu? Why look at so many others?"
Xia Huanao pushed Zhang Hong aside. "Go, go, I'm betting on the top three, the odds are different."
Zhang Hong was puzzled. "But Boss Xia, you're already very rich, and you're not a greedy person. Is it worth it?"
Xia Huanao pointed towards the stands. "Adu, look over there. That person's Kingler looks well-trained. I wonder if it specializes or something?"
They both looked over, and Xia Huanao continued to fool Zhang Hong as he watched. "Do you know how much it costs to raise these few of mine? Just Guagua's training and maintenance are a drain on my finances. Otherwise, would its combat power be so strong?"
Zhang Hong nodded. "Then what about Adu? The Yu family wouldn't lack money, surely? They can afford any amount of resource consumption."
With Xia Huanao buying time, Yu Longdu naturally thought of a way to deal with Zhang Hong. "Having money in hand gives you confidence. I've decided to earn money through my own efforts to marry Xiao Rui. You wouldn't understand."
After a round of fooling, Zhang Hong was sent away in a daze. Upon hearing Zhang Hong's answer, everyone's first reaction was disbelief. Those two scamps were wicked; deceiving Zhang Hong was like playing a game. Fortunately, they had a backup plan. Behind Zhang Hong and Xia Huanao, Yu Linglong, wearing sunglasses, was eavesdropping on their conversation. The two boys were so focused on fooling Zhang Hong and watching the matches that they didn't notice Yu Linglong behind them.
"Adu, how many moles do you think there are among those we're watching?"
Yu Longdu was taken aback. "You think there are moles?"
"Evolutionary stones are strategic resources. While this large-scale selection tournament can identify some strong individuals, it also gives everyone an opportunity to infiltrate. Of the theoretical roster of members, I only trust you completely. Even with Mu Zhishui, I only have ninety percent confidence. So I ask you, how many moles do you think there are?"
"Probably not many. I think among the contestants we're analyzing right now, there won't be more than three. Since the goal is the top four, with one mole per contingency plan, two would be reasonable."
Xia Huanao didn't think so. "If we're talking about Lixing's moles, I think two is about right. But what if all countries are involved? The under-twenty group should be the main arena for college students. We'll compare notes later. Anyone outside the top hundred in the college entrance examination combat should be listed as a suspect. It's true that hidden talents exist among the populace, but there's a limit to the proportion of such talents."
Yu Linglong listened behind them, her heart pounding. From the phrase "strategic resources," she knew this was no small matter. However, Yu Linglong forced herself to finish listening before returning to Shen Yu and the others.
Yu Linglong, worthy of being an outstanding actress, adjusted her emotions completely within a few steps and fabricated another lie to deceive Shen Yu and the others.
At lunchtime, Yu Linglong came to Xia Huanao with a notebook. "Let's go, let's go, accompany me to buy food."
Yu Longdu and Xia Huanao were initially surprised, then followed Yu Linglong out of the arena. Walking on the road, Yu Longdu asked, "Why doesn't Zhang Hong have to come along?"
Xia Huanao clasped his hands behind his back. "Linglong-jie probably used her older sister status to force him to serve Tingyun. Or found some other excuse, as long as it's to lure us two out."
Yu Linglong didn't answer. Xia Huanao continued, "The reason of buying food isn't very convincing. If you just give us the order, two boys are enough. Girls don't eat much, and none of the girls here are competing. The only one with significant consumption is Adu, and this current arrangement makes it hard for me to believe there's no problem. Linglong-jie, how much do you know?"
Yu Linglong replied, "Regarding what you two discussed this morning, don't worry, no one else knows. Although you two weren't speaking loudly, I still have ways to listen."
Xia Huanao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Linglong-jie, remember to keep it a secret."
After buying the food, the group walked back. Yu Linglong warned them, "I used other excuses to fool the few girls. Don't let it slip. Also, be careful."
"Don't worry, we know."
...
The afternoon was Xia Huanao's match. However, he only had one match that afternoon, so he could still observe the situation on the field.
"Hmm, the twenty-five-year-old group is more troublesome. But then again, the problem isn't that big. If Mu Zhishui and I eliminate two spots, the remaining two shouldn't be much of a problem, right? By the way, Adu, is Meng Tianya participating?"
"No, he's already over the age limit."
"Is that so? He looks so young. I didn't expect him to be over the limit already?"
"You wouldn't expect it, he's always been like this. He was like this years ago. But you have to be careful about becoming a breakthrough point."
Xia Huanao nodded. "I know. I'm going to compete now."
Seven or eight minutes later, Xia Huanao returned to Yu Longdu's side with a heavy expression. Yu Longdu looked at him and asked, "How was it? Any thoughts?"
"The pressure of being a standout is immense."
"Indeed. Grass-type, Fighting-type, plus Hail. It's quite targeted at you."
Although Xia Huanao won that match, the opponent's move combination made him very uncomfortable. Grass-type countered Guagua's Water, Rockruff, and Diancie. Fighting-type was used to counter Guagua's Ice and Dark attributes. Hail was used to deal with Shedinja. Bringing it out first was too perfect.
"It seems many people don't want me to advance, or perhaps climb any higher. If it's just that I disrupted their money-making schemes, that's one thing. I'm afraid they have other ideas."
As the two discussed, Yu Longdu suddenly seemed to notice something. "Old Xia, look, it's Mu Zhishui. Who is her opponent? I don't recognize them."
Hearing Yu Longdu's voice, Xia Huanao also quickly turned his gaze. Mu Zhishui was locked in an intense battle with an Aurorus, using Magearna. And despite Steel-type having a four-times advantage against Aurorus, Mu Zhishui's opponent was still subtly gaining the upper hand.
"Adu, do you have the information for Mu Zhishui's division? Let me see."
Taking the information from Adu, Xia Huanao scanned the names one by one. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. "No major issues. The probability of a problem is small. This is a genuine hidden talent among the populace."
Yu Longdu looked up. "What do you mean? Do you recognize the person fighting Mu Zhishui?"
Xia Huanao shook his head. "No, but his name feels somewhat familiar."
Yu Longdu looked at the information. "Feng Zhenhan? What's wrong with the name?"
"You forgot, in our Six Spirits University team, there's a Feng Bing. I always run into him whenever something happens."
Yu Longdu chuckled. "That unlucky fellow, right? I know your stories. Indeed, their connection is wonderfully bizarre. You mean Feng Zhenhan is related to Feng Bing?"
Xia Huanao stroked his chin. "Most likely. They both have the surname Feng, both use Ice-type Pokémon, and even their names have a high correlation. But to be sure, I should ask."
Saying that, Xia Huanao took out his phone and sent Feng Bing a text message. Feng Bing replied quickly. Xia Huanao looked at the contents of the message with a strange expression.
"What's wrong? No connection to Feng Bing?"
"No, there is a connection. Feng Zhenhan is Feng Bing's uncle..."
"No wonder your face looks so grim. But it's not that strange. Having another child late in life has happened before."
"No, this is an uncle from Feng Bing's fifth grandfather's family. According to Feng Bing, his fifth grandfather and grandfather were seven or eight years apart, and married late, and had children even later. With so many buffs, having a twenty-five-year-old son isn't strange."
"Then why do you have that expression?"
"I want to know why it's Feng Bing again!"