Chapter 240: Long Qi

Several days later, Tiancheng Guang arrived at the island where Fengguang Company was located.

After greeting the company's contact, he immediately got into a car and headed for the local hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, he took several deep breaths, composed himself, then gently pushed open the door to the ward and stepped inside.

Long Qi's bed was positioned by the window.

At this moment, he had taken off his jacket, set aside his favorite hat, and was wearing a hospital gown.

His face was slightly pale, but this was not due to injury—he had always been pale.

At this moment, he gazed out the window, staring at the flowerbed, lost in thought, not even noticing Tiancheng Guang's arrival.

For a "Duelist" who constantly noticed every change, this was a serious "oversight."

Tiancheng Guang silently walked into the ward, placed the gift he had prepared on the table. Only then did Long Qi notice him—he turned his head slightly, scratched the back of his head, and irritably spoke: "Brat, what are you doing here? I told those guys not to tell you, so why did they still call you?"

Tiancheng Guang could see that Long Qi's right hand moved stiffly—he had clearly been injured in their previous duel.

Or…

On the contrary.

"A key proxy Duelist of the company is injured—there's no reason not to call me, Brother Long Qi."

"Tch…" Long Qi remained unwilling. "Students should just focus on school. Don't emulate scum like me."

But he knew very well.

With the representative injured to prevent others from "kicking a man when he's down," Tiancheng Guang stepping in as the number-two Duelist was only natural.

Tiancheng Guang pulled over a chair and sat beside Long Qi.

"Brother Long Qi, what happened?"

Long Qi lowered his stiff right hand, stopped looking at Tiancheng Guang, and turned his gaze once more toward the window—the flowerbed, the butterflies, toward…

His eyes grew distant.

"It's my matter."

"Brother Long Qi, this isn't just your personal matter, is it?"

"Brat, I said it's my private business—it's my private business!" Long Qi slammed his hand on the bed, then instinctively jerked his right arm, gasping in pain. "So none of you need to interfere."

"But Brother Long Qi, didn't you say that after joining the company, we became one family? Now that you're injured, as the company's number-two Duelist, this is naturally my responsibility!"

"Tch, always learning pretty words."

After muttering for a while, Long Qi fell silent, staring even more intently at the flowerbed outside.

Tiancheng Guang said nothing, waiting quietly.

After a long while, Long Qi suddenly spoke.

"It was him."

"Him?"

"Insect Yuye—you've heard of him, right?"

Insect Yuye…

Tiancheng Guang lowered his head, offering no reply.

The "Legendary Duelist" of this era, former Japanese Champion, the strongest Duelist of the Insect deck—Insect Yuye.

Also Long Qi's… "friend."

"That guy?" Tiancheng Guang clicked his tongue, cursing inwardly.

Not surprising at all.

Who else but Insect Yuye would attack someone connected to Long Qi?

Yet Tiancheng Guang hadn't expected this guy, now so old, would still be haunting him like this.

Long Qi had long since moved on.

At this moment, Long Qi briefly recounted their story to Tiancheng Guang.

From competing in national tournaments as a child younger than Tiancheng Guang, winning championship and runner-up titles.

To participating in Kaiba's Duelist Kingdom, Pegasus's Duelist City, then the Orichalcos incident and later events—he gave Tiancheng Guang a general overview.

Long Qi was a very simple, straightforward man.

He regarded Insect Yuye as his friend, but Insect Yuye had his own ideas—and… very grand ones.

Insect Yuye once feared that Motoyugi's "Sealed Dark Magician" was too powerful, so he tricked Yugi into giving up his cards, then threw the Dark Magician into the sea. Later, in Duelist City, he implanted a parasite into Cheng Zhi Nei's deck and used monster tactics to ambush him.

Even later, after Long Qi lost to Cheng Zhi Nei and accepted defeat, he still goaded Long Qi into "seeking revenge on Cheng Zhi Nei," convincing him to join the Domah organization, use Orichalcos cards, and attack Cheng Zhi Nei.

In short:

A festering wound!

Now, over a decade later, Long Qi recognized his past mistakes and had even returned to the right path—yet Insect Yuye reappeared.

What now?

Is it more painful to see a brother's failure—or his success?

"Brother Long Qi, if that's the case, leave it to me!" Tiancheng Guang said, furious after hearing the story.

Both were Legendary Duelists—how could their differences be so vast?

"No!" Long Qi shook his head, his eyes gleaming as he spoke with finality: "No. Only I can defeat him—that is the final, ultimate… end of our fate. Only I… only this way can I be a true Duelist."

"Brother Long Qi…" Tiancheng Guang sighed deeply at his words. "But you've already lost to him."

"I didn't lose!" Long Qi suddenly slammed his right hand on the bed again, then grabbed his right wrist with his left, gritting his teeth and forcing out each word: "I accidentally had my hand crushed by a machine before the duel—I just dropped the card at the end… otherwise, the duel wasn't over!

I will win!"

From childhood to now.

He and Insect Yuye had always been "friends."

Insect Yuye was champion; he was runner-up.

Insect Yuye proposed ideas; he followed along.

He had believed he could break free from past "fate," fully entering a new "realm"—yet at the critical moment, he couldn't hold onto his card!

He glared at his own hand, cursing himself for failing when it mattered most.

…

Accident?

Tiancheng Guang suddenly understood.

Even after awakening, Long Qi remained the same simple, straightforward man.

And Insect Yuye!

Tiancheng Guang clenched his fists.

He sighed and voiced his thoughts.

Honestly—there was no evidence.

Only suspicion!

Yet when he voiced this suspicion, Long Qi seemed to suddenly realize something—he lowered his head, dazed.

This was exactly the kind of thing Insect Yuye would do.

Exactly like him—

For over a decade, he had believed Insect Yuye would change, just as he had.

Though he had never contacted Insect Yuye, over ten years—even the craziest man should have awakened by now, right?

But.

Clearly.

He was disappointed.

"So that's how it is… then I have no reason to cling to it anymore." He half-lay back on the bed. "If that's the case, then it doesn't matter—absolutely… doesn't matter. You can handle it."

But then he suddenly snapped back, staring at Tiancheng Guang: "No."

He sat up quickly, even rolled over, reaching for his deck.

He pulled out two cards.

Tiancheng Guang glanced over.

"This guy is an old friend of mine," he gently stroked the cards. "They weren't this powerful before—but after I joined Fengguang Company, these two cards gradually transformed into something new."

He handed the two cards to Tiancheng Guang.

"They are the symbol of my soul!" Long Qi looked earnestly at Tiancheng Guang.

"Go. End him—no, end the enemy of the company, of our family!"

"Remember—be careful in everything!"

Tiancheng Guang took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"I understand!"

Chapter Two, Chapter Two—monthly votes surpassed ten thousand! Thank you all, thank you for your support!! Wuhu!

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Extra chapters are definitely coming.

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(End of Chapter)