"I believe many friends who love Go have come today, so I won't go into the rules of the competition. This competition will still use the Ing Cup. Now, let's begin the draw. The top sixteen will compete for the top eight, officially starting!"
The Ing Cup is sponsored and organized by the Ing Group. The first competition was held in '88, and it takes place every four years, coinciding with the Olympics, thus earning it the title of the Olympics of Go.
The Ing Cup champion receives a prize of $400,000, and the runner-up receives $100,000.
The competition uses the Ing rules with an 8-point komi for Black. The format starts with single-elimination. The semi-finals are best-of-three matches, and the finals are best-of-five.
The top sixteen competing for the top eight are currently using a best-of-three format. This will change to a best-of-five for the top four.
A best-of-three match, in plain terms, is a race to two wins.
On stage, Qi Chuyao's pair of lively, small eyes scanned the venue. Finally, in a certain seat, she spotted the person she wanted to see, revealing a faint smile before confidently beginning the draw.
Number five, meaning her opponent would also be the same numerical designation.
Go, in reality, is quite a dry game. Once a player enters the zone, they cannot be disturbed. Therefore, players need to enter specific rooms, and then the live broadcast cameras switch to show the action, with commentators providing explanations.
In the audience, Mu Hanqi looked at Ye Longlin with a hint of curiosity, narrowing her eyes with an interrogative glint. "Why was Qi Chuyao looking at you?"
Ye Longlin felt that Mu Hanqi was being too intrusive. "How do you know she was looking at me? Besides, who she looks at is her own prerogative. Are you suggesting we should dig her eyeballs out?"
Ye Longlin couldn't comprehend women's thought processes. Was there a necessary connection?
"If you weren't looking at her, how would you know she was looking at you?" Mu Hanqi persisted.
Ye Longlin was also helpless, a smile suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth. "If I don't look at her, how would I know she's looking at me? If you're looking at me, how do you know she's looking at me?"
The back-and-forth of who was looking at whom completely confused Mu Hanqi. She glared at him fiercely and then huffily returned to her seat.
Ye Longlin couldn't help but find it amusing. Was this girl jealous?
"Hiss!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his waist. Mu Hanqi's hand reached out again, pinching the soft flesh of his waist and giving it a 360-degree twist.
"Beautiful lady, I say, if you're here to watch the match, then watch it properly, okay? Don't show off your affection here. Show off your affection at home, alright? I always feel like you're mocking me for being a single dog."
Ye Longlin: "..."
Mu Hanqi: "..."
Ye Longlin couldn't help but roll his eyes. Where did he see them showing off their affection?
Meanwhile, in the shadows, a pair of eyes watched the time and the broadcast screen on stage, narrowing slightly.
Soon, he pressed a button on his earpiece and spoke, "When all sixteen players on stage have appeared, make your move. You must strive to kill those players. Be careful, absolutely do not kill any Great Xia players. This is our most crucial objective for this operation."
"Understood."
"Understood."
"Understood."
After the results of the top sixteen matches came out, they would all appear on stage, and that would be the perfect opportunity.
The Dark Hall could remain dormant for so long not just for show. After all, over the years, the Dark Hall could remain silent for decades for a single plan. They were not to be trifled with.
On the other side, Xuan Niao and Yuan Gang, responsible for security, were monitoring various screens in the control room. As soon as anyone suspicious appeared on screen, they immediately dispatched personnel to stand by them. This way, once an attack began, the Dragon Pavilion could quickly neutralize the perpetrators and minimize casualties.
After nearly two hours of competition, the results were finally in.
"Let us congratulate the eight players who have advanced. They are Qi Chuyao, the female player from Great Xia, Fujiwara Taro from Little Sun, Kim Ji from Bangzi..."
"For those eliminated, we offer our deepest regrets, and for this, we can only..."
"Attack!"
In a certain chapel, a voice suddenly rang out!
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the entire South Province Stadium. A contestant was shot in the head and slowly collapsed on stage.
Simultaneously, an explosion erupted as the scaffolding at the top of the stage collapsed. Instantly, various sounds reverberated – groans, screams, unending cries.
"Attack!"
Yuan Gang and Xuan Niao, seeing this scene in the control room, immediately gave the order.
The Dragon Pavilion soldiers, who had been monitoring suspicious individuals, directly engaged. The muzzle flashes of their pistols took down the targets, who likely didn't even know how they died.
The snipers perched on the top scaffolding had not yet fired, patiently waiting for the enemy to make a large-scale move.
"Please evacuate in an orderly fashion. We will ensure your personal safety. Please remain calm."
Following the incident, Yuan Gang's voice was broadcast, but in such a chaotic scene, it was of little use.
The stadium could hold fifty thousand people. With an event like this happening, who wouldn't panic?
"I'll leave the evacuation arrangements to you. I'm going to the scene."
After speaking, Yuan Gang left the control room and headed to the site.
At the scene, Ye Longlin flashed forward, pulling Qi Chuyao down. However, the remaining fifteen people on stage seemed frozen in shock. Watching the scaffolding and screens behind them crash down, they made no move. At the critical moment, Dragon Pavilion soldiers rushed forward, using their not-so-large bodies to support an escape route.
"Remember to stay close to me."
Ye Longlin glanced at Mu Hanqi. Mu Hanqi hadn't reacted yet, completely stunned. She hadn't expected that in such a situation, someone would actually dare to cause trouble, and to such an extent.
Was this madness?
That was the only thought in her mind. She instinctively nodded at Ye Longlin's words.
Qi Chuyao was also completely taken aback. She had never witnessed such a scene in her life and hadn't expected to experience a shooting incident herself.
The moment the chaos erupted, Xie Wenzhan, who had been hiding in the shadows with his men, immediately jumped out.
"Assist the Dragon Pavilion in evacuating personnel. The rest of you, follow me to apprehend the culprits!"
Meanwhile, the dwarf man who had appeared in the chapel, seeing a group of Zhenwu Division personnel surrounding him, had a cold glint in his eyes.
"Baka! How dare you oppose me! I shall send you to meet our great Emperor!"
The contestant from Little Sun was furious and, in the first encounter, killed two Zhenwu Division members. This also made the remaining personnel realize that this "Little Sun" was not easy to deal with.
"Be careful! This 'Little Sun' has strange abilities. Form a formation!"
Someone suddenly shouted, and the people around them, sensing the difficulty, nodded in agreement.
"Damn it, from such a tiny place, you dare to come here and cause trouble? You're asking for death!"