Chapter 16

The office door was finally pushed open. Www. wenXuemi. Com

Director Lei sat in his chair, gray smoke curling up from his hand; behind the hazy smoke, that face which was always lean and imposing now looked so dazed and kind.

He gazed out the window at the clear blue sky, lost in thought, and this sudden intrusion by such a large group clearly took him by surprise.

"What's happened?" Director Lei exhaled a wisp of smoke gently and asked calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the second time in half a year you've come to see me, Xiao Qing."

"Uh... well..." the principal was somewhat embarrassed, "Actually, nothing much has happened. There's just a new virus spreading recently, so I wanted to check your computer... oh, and this fellow here wants to say goodbye to you." Having instantly fabricated a lie, the principal quickly gave KID a signal with his eyes.

KID understood immediately, bowed slightly, and said, "I'm returning to Sweden tomorrow. Thank you for your care these past few days." While Ling Qing acted as translator, he directed Ling Tian to check Director Lei's computer.

Director Lei frowned. "What's wrong? Are the conditions here not good enough?"

"No, the few days I spent here were wonderful. It's just that your school's network is now debugged, so my staying here serves little purpose. Besides, I have some private matters to attend to, so I plan to return home." KID's smile and lies were both flawless.

"In that case, I won't keep you. Come back and visit again when you have the chance!" Director Lei still felt a bit regretful about this "network engineer" leaving. "Young people who are both polite and talented like you are always most welcome..."

While Director Lei was talking nonsense again, Ling Qing secretly glanced at Ling Tian, only to see the other man nod heavily with a grave expression. Ling Qing's already ugly face instantly turned deathly pale.

Just then, KID finally couldn't hold back any longer. Summoning his courage, he asked, "Doyouknowthatone'snicknameis'L'? Iwanttohaveamatchwithhim!" Accompanying the challenge, his eyes narrowed slightly as he fixed his gaze on Director Lei, and a trace of gloom suddenly appeared on his otherwise brilliant smiling face.

Ling Qing, caught in the confusion, didn't think much of it and translated directly: "Do you know someone nicknamed 'L'? I'd like to have a match with him..." (Note 1)

"L!?" To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this name, Director Lei actually stood up abruptly in excitement! "Where did you hear that name!?" The old man who had just appeared gentle and kind instantly became ferocious, his fierce gaze tightly fixed on KID, whose smile had become somewhat forced.

KID struggled to keep his gaze from wavering, still persisting word by word: "You don't need to know where I heard that name. You only need to know that some things are unavoidable... for example, battles between men..."

Ling Qing dared not translate any further. Since he could remember, he had never seen his uncle wear such a terrifying expression.

Unfortunately, KID's gaze alone was enough to make the other man understand his determination. Director Lei sighed, forcefully extinguished the cigarette that had burned down to his fingers in the ashtray, and his expression calmed down surprisingly. Looking at his open palm, he said in a deep voice, "L has washed his hands of the Jianghu. Young man, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to fight." Then, gently lifting his teacup, he said, "Xiao Qing, show them out!"

KID wanted to say something more, but the principal dragged and pulled him out the door.

Once in the corridor, Ling Tian announced first: "My uncle's computer does have CS installed, and also StarCraft. They were cleverly hidden in the system partition using advanced hiding techniques. If I hadn't been prejudiced into believing there was a problem, I probably wouldn't have discovered them..." Everyone fell silent.

After explaining Director Lei's final words to KID in a way he could understand, Ling Qing kept muttering to himself.

After hearing the explanation, KID remained silent with a gloomy expression. Only when they reached the dormitory door did he mumble, "I really don't understand Chinese people..." before going into his room on his own.

The students, of course, were even more full of gossip and discussion.

Student A shouted hysterically, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Could my gaming skills really be inferior to an old man's?"

Student B, however, was dejected: "I finally understand why Director Lei hates us playing games so much... because our skill level, in his eyes, is just insulting the game..."

Student C, posing as a philosopher, said, "I guess Director Lei hates games because he must have suffered some setback in gaming back in the day... Alas, the world is unpredictable..."

Ling Tian: "Don't you think there's something odd about Director Lei's words?"

Student D suddenly realized: "Yeah... 'washing hands of the Jianghu' came out. Does that mean gaming masters are shifting tracks to wuxia novels?"

Ling Tian: "..."

Regardless, after that uneasy night passed, the "Mysterious Master Director Lei" surpassed "Invincible KID Killed by a Knife" and rose to the top of the "Seven Mysteries of Mingqing Academy."

At the same time, the protagonist, who had inadvertently escaped disaster, was lying in bed covering his stinging ears, imagining Xue'er's eyes shimmering with light, and happily drifted off to sleep.

>>>>>>

For the students of Mingqing Academy, even if someone claimed Bush was Osama bin Laden's brother, it wouldn't be more incredible to them than the legend that Director Lei Dapao is a gaming master.

Thus, after a night of discussion, the "truth" of the matter was gradually established. Since the possibility of Director Lei being L could basically be ruled out, and the IP address at the time did indeed point correctly to the director's office, the answer was obvious: L was someone else, but the game was indeed played in the director's office.

This was a reasonable yet even more shocking speculation, and behind this answer lay many more unexplainable mysteries: Who exactly was L? What was his relationship with the director? How could he play games so calmly right under Director Lei's nose? And did Director Lei's subsequent outburst stem from previous restraint?

The power of curiosity is boundless. The next morning, several students who considered themselves favorites of the director went to the office to try and get some information from the person involved. As a result, that very morning, all students in the half-floor near the director's office suffered symptoms like tinnitus and dizziness to varying degrees. Those few who spoke up were hit hardest, paying the price with temporary deafness. As for the unlucky one who had a recurrence of otitis media and ended up in the hospital, it was unknown whether that should also be blamed on Director Lei.

While Director Lei firmly refused "interviews" with a clear stance, the other party involved, KID, remained tight-lipped, expressing no further opinions on the matter. He simply buried himself in preparations for returning home, and whenever someone asked, he brushed them off with the excuse of a language barrier plus an innocent smile.

Hitting a wall on both fronts dampened the enthusiasm of the busybodies. Just then, another incident occurred, immediately drawing people's attention away. Under these circumstances, the L incident was put aside by everyone.

This other matter started with the competition KID was about to attend upon returning home. Actually, that competition was quite small in scale and had only one event: StarCraft 2v2. However, the organizer of this competition happened to also be the sponsor of "Saint Virgin," so KID, who held the title of StarCraft World Champion, had no choice but to participate as a seeded player to boost popularity.

And it was the identity of this seeded player that caused the uproar.

Because KID actually intended to transfer his seeded player qualification to Ling Tian! In theory, such an act was against the rules, but KID, with his extensive connections, quickly obtained approval from the Swedish side and promptly faxed over an invitation letter. The page full of foreign text and bright red seals was highly deceptive. Coupled with the grand slogan of "participating in an international competition to bring glory to the country," Director Lei actually agreed to let Ling Tian compete!

Then the problem arose: according to the competition rules, a seeded player could choose one partner to compete with! Who would want to miss this opportunity for a state-funded trip abroad? Without any need for a call to action, a competition for the "Ling Tian Partner Right" quickly unfolded. When the protagonist rushed to the computer hall to watch the match upon hearing the news, the competition had already entered its final stage, and the ultimate battle was, surprisingly, taking place between Xue'er and the principal, Ling Qing?!

This was a battle between Terran and Protoss. But the originally fragile humans and the supposedly noble Protoss were portrayed by both sides in an incredibly unconventional manner...

Seemingly delicate Xue'er, right from the start, inhumanely used the flesh and blood of marines to clash with Zealots and Dragoons, then used workers to weld down Battlecruisers, then sent a sky full of bases and transports flying together, and then fought for a mineral patch with barely any minerals left using ten times the army size of the minerals... Coincidentally, the opponent was also perverted, doing the exact same thing... After a meat-grinder operation, the Terrans, relying on cheap units, gained a slight upper hand, while the Protoss continuously used treacherous drops to try and turn the tide. Finally, the Terrans, having moved across two islands, used their economic advantage to secure the central hinterland with a sea of tanks. With no other options, the Protoss helplessly GG'd. Watching Xue'er's cute face, slightly flushed with excitement, I felt a chill run down my spine: When it comes to violence, Xue'er is indeed invincible...

Losing to his cousin left the principal quite depressed. Although he was prone to emotional outbursts and had a sinister, dirty personality, he truly wasn't trashy enough to refuse to admit defeat... Under these circumstances, he could only pin his last chance to go to Sweden on his uncle...

>>>>>>

"Your only daughter, young and beautiful, is going to a foreign land alone. Aren't you worried at all?" the principal asked with a sincere face. "If there were someone with sufficient ability to protect and take care of her accompanying her, things would be secure..."

"Isn't there Ling Tian?" Upon hearing this, Director Lei did feel somewhat worried.

"Tch, just a brat!" the principal expressed his opinion with a snort. "He doesn't even know who's taking care of him yet."

"That red-haired guy should look after her."

"You mean KID?" the principal was shocked. "That's a famous pervert in Sweden!"

"Is that so... what you say does make some sense..." Director Lei rubbed his hair. "Does that mean I, an old bone like me, have to make the trip?"

The principal immediately put on a flattering expression: "Why use an ox-knife to kill a chicken? This trivial matter can be handled by me. Let me be the team leader and take them out. You can rest completely assured."

"You go? That's impossible." Director Lei Dapao's face instantly cooled down.

"Why? Why can't I go?"

"No reason. You just aren't allowed to go!" If it came to stubbornness and being unreasonable, the principal was clearly no match.

The result was that when I and Xue'er arrived at the principal's office, we saw the principal with a fierce look in his eyes, taking off his glasses with his left hand and placing them on the table, while his right hand slowly unbuttoned the first button of his collar. He said in a deep voice, "You forced my hand!"

Xue'er cooperated perfectly, screaming, "What do you think you're doing!?"

The principal's eyes were filled with determination and resolve. "No one stop me. Today, I'm throwing caution to the wind!"

Before he finished speaking, we felt a flash before our eyes. We saw the principal throw himself to the ground, grabbing Director Lei's thigh and shaking it desperately: "Uncle, please let me go. This is the only small wish of my life..."

Director Lei, however, remained unmoved. While trying to push away the principal's face pressing against him, he scolded, "Kid, you've been using this trick for over ten years and still think I'll fall for it... Dream on!"

"Then are you really that confident letting Lei Xue go out?" the principal was still struggling in his death throes. "I'm not confident enough to let you go!"

"I will consider finding a team leader."

"Then how could anyone in our academy be more suitable than me?" the principal said, looking indignant. "I am young and strong, yet steady in my actions. During the competition, I can even serve as a substitute for them to strive for good results..." (Note 2)

"Xiao Qing!"

"...?"

"Next September will be your grandfather's eightieth birthday. Do you think you still have plenty of time?!" Director Lei's tone grew heavy. "I have already delayed your father; this time I cannot let you make the same mistake."

"But my father never complained about anything..."

"He doesn't care, but I do!" Director Lei's beard began to tremble with this low shout. "You need not think too much; I have already decided who will go."

"Who?"

Director Lei pointed at me beside him. "Uh... it will be him."

Perhaps no one could have imagined that, in the not-too-distant future, Director Lei's casual pointing would change the fate of many people... including his own.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, this great decision only caused one person to be overjoyed and another to be filled with desperate grief and rage.

Note 1: Domestic players often make a small mistake. Many players, when introducing themselves, like to say, "My ID is so-and-so." Actually, this is not entirely accurate. ID stands for identification; no player abroad would introduce themselves this way. Usually, they would say, "My nickname is so-and-so." The meaning of nickname is closer to a moniker, while ID means proof of identity. However, to avoid confusion and to save typing a few letters, I will still use ID instead of nickname to represent an alias in the following text.

Note 2: Originally, it was not a major competition, so the rules were set quite casually. The regulations stated that for a 2v2 match, each group could register three people, with one serving as a substitute, and substitutions could be made before each match began. (Otherwise, the protagonist would have no hope of getting on the field...)

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