Chapter 11: Crimson King

Before me lay an endless wilderness, sharp whistling filled my ears, beneath my feet was scorched black earth, and behind me were countless figures in relentless pursuit. wenxuem. com

I ran desperately, ran on, disregarding the bone-chilling exhaustion and the blood streaming from my wounds. Yet the figures behind me drew ever closer; I helplessly gazed at the vast path ahead, where the seemingly endless wilderness suddenly ended at a cliff's edge...

"Only when a lion is driven to the cliff's edge does it reveal its strength, letting its opponent know: this is what a lion is!..." The bold words I often spoke now seemed like a cruel irony. Meanwhile, another voice rang clearly in my heart, "You will have no partners, nor should you have friends, nor do you deserve brothers... You are forever a solitary soul..."

A lonely figure atop the cliff, smelling the fragrance of blood upon roses, seeing the moonlight reflect the madness in an enemy's pupils, hearing the dark wind sweep over the treetops, exchanging it for the clear sound of shattered dreams... Who once said: "Better to weep for a night on a lover's shoulder than to be exhibited on a cliff for a thousand years?"

Facing the direction I came from, I slowly fell backward. When the black figure plunged into that brown void, the sound that had been barely audible suddenly grew loud...

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!!!

"Damn it! Who's calling in the middle of the night! You even made me have a nightmare!" I looked at the alarm clock whose hands had just pointed to five, and in a rage, I grabbed the phone, ready to scold.

"Hello? Big Brother?" Amidst the crackling static of a rough, distorted signal, I instantly recognized Xu Ge's voice. Incredibly, the sense of loneliness that had extended from the dream instantly melted away, and an indescribable warmth surged in my heart.

"So you brat aren't dead yet? You actually know to call me? It would be more realistic if you just sent some New Zealand souvenirs..."

Xu Ge: "What souvenirs? I'm not in New Zealand right now. Want to know where I am?... Guess!"

"..." After a suffocating silence, I spoke in the coldest voice, "Kid, it's been a few days; it seems you've forgotten what tone to use when talking to a demon..."

"Wah-ha-ha-ha! Across the Pacific Ocean, if you have the guts, come bite me?!... Years of grudges, finally it's my turn to feel good! Wah-ha-ha-ha...!" Xu Ge completely lost control.

"Cut the crap, are you *** actually okay or not? If you are, I'm going to sleep!" You can imagine my expression yourselves.

Xu Ge finally returned to his usual tone: "Big Brother, actually I'm in South Korea right now; the Samsung Cup tournament just ended."

"Oh?" I still had no interest, asking casually, "Who won?"

"Sweden's 'Saint Virgin'! They finally won their first Grand Slam."

"I see... When we won the WCG last time, I don't think they participated?" I replied lazily.

"Yeah, I heard they were having a split back then. This time, of their five main players, only three were retained. The captain was replaced by a guy with red hair; that guy is really strong, actually sweeping all three individual championships." Xu Ge continued with alarmist talk. "He also seems to have a strange nickname, something like 'King of...'...?"

"Oh, oh, got it. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up; I'm so sleepy, I have class in a bit..." I finally couldn't help but yawn.

"That guy's strength is one thing, but what really catches my attention is one thing he said after the match!" Xu Ge was still chattering on.

"Oh, oh, okay, got it... yawn"

"He said: Compared to boring championship matches, I'm more interested in that demon who's hiding..."

"Big Brother, he's provoking you!!..."

Zzzzzzzzz...

"Hey, hey, Big Brother... don't fall asleep..."

>>>>>>

Letter from Ling Qing:

E-mail_1: Without that old man, oh, sorry, without your father's omnipresent nagging, I finally feel the beauty of life. Fine wine, beauties, my beloved games... this is life. By the way, I met a friend at a bar; his understanding of games resonates deeply with mine. We agreed to watch the preliminary round together tomorrow. He's very handsome, with pale red long hair, yet gives a very gentle impression. Do you want me to introduce him to you, little sister? He's very interested in the Mingqing Academy I mentioned; maybe he'll come visit.

E-mail_2: This year's Samsung Cup is indeed spectacular; several old powerhouse teams that had been silent for a long time have returned, especially Sweden's 'Saint Virgin' and Germany's 'History', both holding world champion titles. It seems this time the competition is fierce, and the grandeur may surpass the previous WCG... KID, the friend I met yesterday, turned out to be an expert beyond my expectations; his brief analysis was far more sound than the commentators on stage... Today's match produced a huge upset; the world champion 'History' was defeated by a newly formed team called 'Burning Cross'. This dark horse is said to be from Sweden as well. Meanwhile, 'Saint Virgin', also from Sweden, showed the true character of a powerhouse, winning easily with only two main players... And this guy KID actually registered for the StarCraft competition, so later I had to watch the FIFA preliminary round alone... (Due to the author's personal preferences, the content regarding FIFA is omitted)...

E-mail_3: Big news! Huge news! Sister, don't be too surprised when you hear this; KID is actually the new captain of 'Saint Virgin'! And 'Burning Cross' is a new team founded by the former captain of 'Saint Virgin'! There seems to be a lot of history between them, but if they both keep winning, they'll meet in the finals! Hehe, there's going to be a good show...

E-mail_4: Having watched game competitions for so many years, I'm quite proud of my insight, but this time I could only stare blankly at the big screen like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, desperately suppressing my urge to scream... Too fast; this is not a speed humans can achieve... The arrogant dark horse 'Burning Cross', after defeating team after team of strong opponents, finally reached the peak of 114 teams to face 'Saint Virgin'. Enthusiasts called this battle 'Twilight of the Gods'... But although the twilight is beautiful, it doesn't last long; KID's first match as captain of 'Saint Virgin', I believe no one will forget... When he simultaneously faced three opponents, his smooth gun-drawing motion and lightning-fast reactions created a breath-taking beauty, as if time itself froze in that moment... The championship this time ultimately belonged to 'Saint Virgin'... And KID, who defeated three opponents twice in a row in the finals and saved the team with instant kills, also received the MVP honor... I just didn't expect he would later win the StarCraft championship as well.

E-mail_5: To be honest, KID strongly reminds me of someone... And when I mentioned him, KID's reaction was quite interesting; he said: "Compared to boring championship matches, I'm more interested in that demon who's hiding..." I laughed heartily and said our school also has a Li Lin. He laughed too, and immediately decided to come to our Mingqing for a few days... Let Ling Tian prepare; it's a rare opportunity.

E-mail_6: I'll probably be back in a couple of days; South Korea is very lively right now, and I really hate to leave. That day, someone overheard KID's words, and it even made the newspapers; I wonder what that hiding guy would think upon seeing it. KID's breath-taking speed and his dazzling operations in StarCraft that made one feel time had stagnated earned him a nickname: The Time Controller. However, the Japanese players' name for him is even more fitting and louder; they call KID:

... Crimson King!

>>>>>>

Lei Xue was worried, obviously worried.

My cousin is returning soon, bringing a newly crowned world game champion, and Dad insists on personally picking him up at the airport. A meeting between Lei Dapao and a professional game player, one can guess with a knee-jerk reaction, would absolutely not be a harmonious gathering where everyone is happy. Worse still, Director Lei has no idea about KID's arrival. The reason is simple: the emails Director Lei saw were all rewritten by Lei Xue into enthusiastic, heart-warming letters of comfort. The result seemed to be too effective; every time Director Lei finished reading a letter, he would sigh to himself: "It seems this kid hasn't forgotten me, the old man; I hope he hasn't forgotten the five-year deadline my father gave him..." Plus, every time Lei Xue nervously added, "Yes, look, my brother in South Korea is thinking of you; how filial..." The final result was that Director Lei believed Principal Ling had repented for his past errors and decided to personally welcome him to show encouragement.

If Director Lei really went, not only would the email matter be exposed, but with KID as an uninvited guest, I estimate only one person would return alive...

If you were the one who started all this, could you not be worried?

But Xue'er is Xue'er after all; when the obviously sleep-deprived protagonist stumbled by, her big eyes lit up.

"Help me out, listen, do, you, hear!" My ears instantly shifted from a vertical to a horizontal position. To be honest, I really didn't want to go; it was hard enough to get away from games a little, and if seeing that KID made me lose control, it wouldn't be a joke; Xu Ge's words from this morning were still ringing in my ears. But Xue'er's words also made sense; in Director Lei's eyes, I am the only "insider" who has nothing to do with games, so the person to pick him up must be me.

... Xue'er's coquettish assault quickly overcame Director Lei. I secretly felt unfair; why was the ear-twisting assault used on me?! The elf-like Xue'er also seemed to notice my expression, gently touched my ears, "Does it still hurt?", then gently held my hand, "Thank you really this time..."

... I held on tightly, unwilling to let go, until someone poked me, "Hey, hey, Teacher Li, mind the international image.." I finally looked up in a daze, seeing the principal desperately trying to pull my hand away, while the red-haired guy I was holding, sweating profusely, whispered in English, "Ling, is he a gay...? So scary..."

I quickly let go, saying in standard English, "Nice to meet you!"

"N.. Nice to meet you t... oo" KID still deliberately stood a bit further away.

"Let's go, let's go, we can chat on the way!" The principal waved his hand generously, so we got into the special car, and the whole ride was silent.

>>>>>>

The towering gates of Mingqing were approaching; according to Xue'er's instructions, we were to take the person to her first to report, but who was that vigorous figure standing at the gate?...

As soon as the principal got out of the car, Director Lei heavily patted his shoulder, "Kid, you're back?"

The principal was obviously flattered, "Ah... Hello, Uncle, did you read all the emails I sent?"

"Yes, my father has read them all.." Lei Xue quickly interjected.

"Although you might not understand my letters..."

"... but the filial piety in the letters is evident to heaven and earth!" Xue'er quickly interjected again.

"So I think I don't need to introduce the friend beside me..." The principal clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was just about to ask you, who is this red-haired guy beside you!?" Fortunately, KID didn't understand Chinese.

"This... this person is..." Xue'er thought desperately.

"I think... um... he is.." I also thought desperately.

"He?.. He is KID?" The principal still didn't understand the situation.

At this moment, KID stepped forward and bowed elegantly,

"Hello, I am the new maintenance worker."

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