Chapter 845: Stellar Sky Martial Demonstration Ceremony (8)

Lu Ka clenched his fists: "…The people of Beiluoboge have never been slaves!"

Tuopa smiled slightly: "Sorry, just speaking my mind—the gunpowder smell is a bit too strong. Go on stage, Lu Ka of Beiluoboge."

Facing the company's security staff, Lu Ka also rolled up his sleeves, recalling how they had acted arrogantly when they came to Panyanzhen; his fists carried some personal feelings, and he quickly knocked this bunch down.

Seeing that his subordinates were all useless, Tuopa had to go on stage himself. But in Lu Ka's eyes, Tuopa had already turned into another appearance.

"…Ke…Kekeliya milady?"

Tuopa blinked for a moment: "Ah? What did you just call me?"

"Oh? Why did athlete Lu Ka freeze up?" came the curious voice of commentator Ximi from above.

"…No…nothing…come on! Miss Tuopa!"

——

Jujutsu Kaisen

Really? Lu Ka fought the Stone Heart Ten?

Rixiabu Duye looked on in disbelief as Tuopa walked up to the stage, thinking the other side was just a coach who wouldn't personally step in—could it be that the head coach had only been warming up before?

She kept a smile on her face the whole time, clearly confident of winning this match.

"Tuopa doesn't look like someone skilled in close combat; she probably wouldn't whip out something heaven-defying like a Foundation Stone mid‑fight, would she?"

Xiaozi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "Impossible—Foundation Stone couldn't be used in such a cheap place. If Tuopa used the Foundation Stone, her strength would approach that of an Envoy. Those who know understand her opponent is a youngster from Beiluoboge; those who don't might think her sparring partner is Jingyuan."

"Unless the winner of this martial demonstration can secure benefits for the Strategic Investment Department akin to those of Pinokangni, there's no way they'd use the Foundation Stone—but flip the perspective: if a match could win the company such benefits, the challengers might not be debt collector Huangyu but another, more ruthless group of ten."

Xiaozi guessed that, without using the Foundation Stone, the Stone Heart Ten probably weren't all skilled fighters—at least it's hard to picture Shajin in those fine clothes exchanging blows with anyone.

Watching Lu Ka continually rub his head on the stage, Yigu also couldn't help but worry—if Lu Ka lost due to lack of skill, that would be understandable; but if he lost a crucial match because of his mindset, Yigu feared it would leave Lu Ka with lifelong regret.

——

Lu Ka only felt he was facing an unprecedented chaos, with "Kekeliya" before him showing four afterimages, two of them black‑and‑white—moving quickly on the stage, it seemed as if bullets were being fired at him from all directions; he couldn't counter, only barely managing to block left and right.

Fortunately, the star helped him adjust his strategy in time, adopting a strike‑and‑control tactic to try to win by speed; Lu Ka ultimately succeeded in blocking Tuopa's retreat on the stage and won by a narrow point margin before time ran out.

Seeing Tuopa fall, Ximi seemed to feel an unprecedented excitement, shouting at the top of his lungs to cheer for Lu Ka.

"Yea!! The Beiluoboge team defended its own dignity with its own strength! How exhilarating!"

""Ah, I can't stand it. Isn't that owl a company employee? Why is he so genuinely emotional?" Tuopa turned to look at Lu Ka: "Lu Ka, you fought well. You won."

Lu Ka, however, was somewhat dissatisfied: "You didn't go all out, Miss Tuopa. Are you just looking down on me?"

""Um, don't misunderstand…for the Stone Heart Ten, going all out means fighting with your lives on the line. This is just a little friendly spar—better not to have casualties or even injuries, or the company's protective gear won't sell." Tuopa looked at him seriously: "You won—be more confident; this is a fair and square victory."

""Besides…frankly speaking, are you the one looking down on me?"

Lu Ka only felt strange: "How could that be? What right do I have to look down on the company's bigwigs?"

""You see everyone with a company title as the company's lackeys. You think we're slaves selling our souls for money. No need to deny—I'm used to that look. The company doesn't need souls, that ethereal commodity; it wants only profit."

""My hometown is no different from Beiluoboge. We're all struggling in this cruel universe, yearning to survive and find happiness. The Amber King's envoys showed us opportunity, just as I, representing the company, have offered you the same. So you see, our similarities far outweigh our differences. Lu Ka, I hope Beicheng can revive on its own strength."

""Now that you've left your homeland and want the whole galaxy to see you, that's certainly good. But in this ill‑intentioned galaxy, are you prepared for greater dangers? Regardless, I wish you success."

——

My little sister can't possibly be that cute.

"Miss Tuopa is truly beautiful and kind-hearted…" Jingjie sincerely sighed, "She's smart and capable, humble, and full of empathy… completely lacking the airs of a high‑ranking company leader—I wish I could meet a boss like her someday."

"…Hmph."

A clear snort came from the sofa; Jingjie blinked, then turned his head to look at Tongnai.

Apparently deliberately avoiding his gaze, Tongnai averted her eyes, arms crossed, her displeasure plainly visible.

"What's wrong?" Jingjie was completely baffled.

"Nothing." Tongnai turned her face away: "Big brother, you really like girls like Miss Tuopa, don't you?"

"Of course, though perhaps it's more 'appreciation' than 'like'? Besides, being attracted to outstanding people is quite normal, right?"

Jingjie blinked, faintly catching a whiff of gunpowder, only then realizing his sister might be angry—but he had no idea what she was angry about.

Or maybe girls don't need a reason to get angry?

"You're starting to make excuses—indeed, you just like this type." Tongnai clung to the pillow in her arms, glaring at him with disgust: "You obviously like her but pretend not to care in front of your sister—perverted, truly hypocritical, disgusting…"

Hey hey… Tongnai, you're going too far. Your descriptions make it sound like I'm someone who commits all kinds of evil, but actually I'm just an ordinary middle school student. Besides, Miss Tuopa is beautiful and rational; if I don't even like this kind of girl, then Tongnai should doubt my sexual orientation…