Chapter 323: Chapter 323 - False Victory
Even though the Chuzzle Battle Zone had provided lodging, Victor Green and I, being habitually solitary, had found our own hotel.
"Mr. Raymond, how did things go with the Sean family? Did you and Miss Sean get engaged?" Victor Green asked with a smirk the moment we walked into the room.
I shot Victor Green a sharp look and said, "Stay out of it. Just get some sleep."
"Hmph, you won’t even tell me. I could see how well Miss Sean treated you. You two must have secretly gotten engaged," Victor Green grumbled.
I paid him no attention, settling cross-legged on the bed and sinking into deep thought.
Judging by the dying energy surrounding Jerry Sean’s features, it seemed he might not last even six months.
What would Mabel Sean do when that time came?
The pressing deadline filled me with enormous pressure, so much that sleep was the last thing on my mind.
That night, instead of resting, I decided to take out the herbs and work on refining pills.
The herbs I had were sufficient for me to create several Vitality Enhancing Pills.
Throughout the night, I managed to successfully refine three Vitality Enhancing Pills.
But I held off on taking them, knowing there was a brutal fight ahead today.
At eight in the morning, I arrived at the Capital City Battle Zone right on time.
Commander Wood and the others were already stationed in the stands, while Bennett Maxwayne was on the training field, barking orders at the team members.
I walked straight to Commander Wood’s side and took a seat, then asked, "Commander Wood, what’s the situation?"
When Commander Wood spotted me, his face lit up with unmistakable excitement.
He slapped my shoulder hard and said, "Mason, you’ve done something incredible this time! Our score and the Capital City Battle Zone’s are both 99! We’ve locked in second place!"
"So tell me, what kind of reward do you want? I’ll put in the request! Cash? Maybe a promotion?" Commander Wood asked.
I considered it for a moment and said, "If you really want to reward me, could you get me herbs? Preferably ones that are over a thousand years old in medicinal potency."
At this, Commander Wood’s expression darkened.
He rubbed his chin and said, "We don’t have many herbs in the battle zone, but I can help you look into it."
I nodded and said, "Commander Wood, you’ve got connections everywhere. Just helping me investigate would be enough."
"Absolutely, no problem!" Commander Wood nodded.
"By the way, today we’re going up against the Capital City Battle Zone. Win or lose, we need to show Commander Richard proper respect, got it?" Commander Wood reminded me.
"Got it," I agreed.
Then I made my way toward the training field.
The Dragon Tiger Team members who saw me immediately shouted, "Greetings, Instructor Raymond!"
I waved my hand and looked at everyone, saying, "I have only one demand for the Dragon Tiger Team: win, don’t lose!"
"No matter who we’re facing, or what kind of background they have, we need to give everything we’ve got to beat them—understood?"
"Yes!" The Dragon Tiger Team members roared as one.
I nodded with satisfaction when Bennett Maxwayne suddenly pulled me aside.
"Mason, Commander Wood must have told you that today we can only lose, not win," Bennett Maxwayne said with a frown.
I glanced at Bennett Maxwayne and said, "My memory’s pretty bad. I forgot about that."
"Mason, Commander Wood, he..."
"Enough. I’ll handle whatever comes from this myself," I cut off Bennett Maxwayne’s words and patted his shoulder.
Seeing this, Bennett Maxwayne said nothing more.
Still, he wasn’t overly concerned.
That’s because the person leading the Capital City Battle Zone team was Ignacio Richard’s student.
Word was that Ignacio Richard had personally trained twenty-four students, who now worked in different battle zones.
This time, the student leading the team was Ignacio Richard’s newest favorite pupil.
A student personally trained by Ignacio Richard would definitely be formidable.
In Bennett Maxwayne’s mind, I might not necessarily come out on top.
As the minutes ticked by, Ignacio Richard soon showed up in person.
Just like yesterday, he took his usual spot, eyes slightly closed.
With Ignacio Richard’s arrival, the final showdown kicked off.
——
The announcer stepped onto the stage and called out, "Now for the final round of our annual competition! Chuzzle Battle Zone versus Capital City Battle Zone! Let’s welcome both teams!"
After the loud announcement, both sides entered the center of the training ground to stirring music.
Mason Raymond stood up and focused intently on the members of both teams.
The skill gap between the team members wasn’t huge; in fact, the Dragon Tiger Team appeared slightly superior.
"The finals officially start!" the announcer declared.
Following the shout, both sides launched into hand-to-hand combat!
The continuous clanging sounds, like metal striking metal, filled the air.
Both teams displayed remarkable fighting ability, and their thrilling battles immediately drew countless eyes!
Even Ignacio Richard opened his eyes to observe the action.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, someone got thrown off the training ground!
For a while, neither side could gain the upper hand, and the match seemed perfectly balanced!
This shocked everyone, since Capital City Battle Zone had always been in a class of its own before!
When facing opponents, Capital City Battle Zone typically crushed them!
"What the hell has Chuzzle Battle Zone been through?"
"Damn, this year’s Chuzzle Battle Zone isn’t any weaker than Capital City Battle Zone!"
"Unbelievable. Capital City Battle Zone is using the training program Commander Richard left behind!"
Everyone stared at the scene, terrified of missing even the smallest detail!
Every time a member went down, cheers erupted!
Thirty minutes in, thirteen Capital City Battle Zone members had fallen, while Chuzzle Battle Zone had only lost eight!
Commander Wood was incredibly tense, his fists clenched, muttering angrily, "This Mason Raymond has the nerve to ignore my orders!"
The number of fighters on the field kept shrinking, eventually becoming a three-against-one situation.
Chuzzle Battle Zone, already holding a small edge, was in an even stronger position to win now.
"Puff!"
But then, something unexpected happened!
The three remaining Dragon Tiger Team members got knocked down with a single strike, unable to stand back up!
Against all expectations, they lost the three-on-one fight!
Capital City Battle Zone, by the narrowest of margins, defeated Chuzzle Battle Zone!
Commander Wood leaned back casually and said, "Good thing I was ready for this."
He’d known Mason Raymond might defy his orders, so he’d warned the team members beforehand.
These members didn’t want to go against Mason Raymond’s wishes, but they also couldn’t dare disobey Commander Wood’s commands.
So they chose to lose in a way that wasn’t completely humiliating.
——
But how could any of this slip past my notice?
I couldn’t help but frown slightly, feeling rather annoyed.
——
"I now announce that Capital City Battle Zone has won! Next up is the battle between both team leaders!" the announcer declared.
On the platform, Ignacio Richard’s brow creased slightly.
A young man stood beside him.
This young man was Ignacio Richard’s newest student and the team leader of Capital City Battle Zone’s competing squad, Micah Ortiz.
Micah Ortiz bowed slightly to Ignacio Richard, saying, "Commander Richard, we won."
However, Ignacio Richard glanced at Micah Ortiz and said coldly, "They handed us the victory."
Micah Ortiz was taken aback and said somewhat defiantly, "How could that be! Commander Richard, why would they be nice enough to deliberately lose?"
Ignacio Richard stared at the stage and said icily, "If they couldn’t win one-on-one, how could they lose three-on-one?"
"That... that’s because they were completely worn out, and our tactics were superior!" Micah Ortiz insisted, still refusing to accept it.
Ignacio Richard’s freezing stare landed on Micah Ortiz.
He said coldly, "You lost, and you’re inferior to Mason Raymond. Deal with it!"
Though Micah Ortiz felt somewhat defiant, he didn’t dare argue back and could only bow and say, "I understand, Commander Richard."
Ignacio Richard looked at Micah Ortiz and said, "In the second round, return the gesture."
