Chapter 427: The Final Four

In the live broadcast room, Kuangwu Daren was bouncing around incessantly like a rubber ball; at this moment, words were no longer needed.

Victory.

The broadcast popularity also reached over 23 billion; Tianjing Mecha created a miracle, defeated the Fire God Team, advanced to the final four, and also created history for Tianjing Mecha.

The four strongest teams in history were born: Galaxy Team, Hailong Team, Beikarosai Team, and Tianjing Mecha Team.

Two Moon teams and two Earth teams met in the final four; the terrifying semi-finals were about to begin.

The Tianjing Mecha base was still filled with singing and dancing at night; they had made it to the final four, an incredible final four. Ma Laoshi had become a great hero, entering Flowing Heart Martial Arts at the very last moment to kill the Lang Wang Basita, completing a comeback from being a "salted fish." Of course, although there was an extra support on the side and the Wolf King might have been in a half-crippled state, so what? Life certainly requires strength, but isn't luck the most important thing?

The right time, the right place, and the right people completed Ma Long's desperate evolution. When the match ended, Ma Long was carried off; once that energy dissipated, his whole body felt paralyzed, and his legs couldn't even walk. He truly had used every ounce of his strength. This victory also directly sent Tianjing Mecha soaring, landing on the Weibo trending list and being called "Dark Power" by fans everywhere.

Of course, the true core was still Li Hao, the team leader who wasn't favored before the tournament but always had various sensational news stories. He had once again defeated the top expert, Lang Wang Basita. Clearly, the fifth-match duel wasn't just a defeat, but a complete disintegration of Basta's power. After the match, Basta was also sent to emergency care; he had used too many ways to overdraw his strength for the team battle, yet under the pincer attack of Ma Long and Zuo Xiaotang, his body collapsed. It really couldn't be said that the Fire God Team didn't fight hard; they had made full preparations, but facing the seemingly weak Tianjing Mecha, they still returned in defeat and completely fell.

But even so, after the match, Basta still received a lot of questioning and criticism, with people believing that he didn't need to fight the fifth match at all under unnecessary circumstances. If he had reserved all his strength for the team battle, perhaps the result would have been different.

But the fact was there were no "ifs," and if it really had been that way, what would the ending have been?

Tianjing Mecha Academy entered the S Tournament final four, which was news like a tsunami throughout all of Tianjing and all of Earth. It was completely boiling over, and Tianjing Mecha had thoroughly become a hot-topic academy. This year's enrollment obviously wouldn't be a worry, and financial appropriations would definitely be increased.

The team members had undoubtedly become the heroes of Tianjing Mecha, and posters of everyone were hung all over Tianjing Academy. Likewise, Long Danni had also become a hero to the students; it was this new principal who, after taking office, carried out drastic reforms and boldly disbanded the original team. At that moment, everyone actually thought it would take a few years of reconstruction, but the newborn Tianjing Mecha rose suddenly, unstoppable.

Li Hao had truly become the god of Tianjing Mecha. The fact that he was at the bottom of Class 16 had also become a well-known anecdote; clearly, the Puppet God was also an expert at controlling scores.

Various commentators and streamers had reviewed this battle. Tianjing Mecha was the type of team that looked weak but actually had very distinct characteristics in every aspect. The core, Li Hao, was invincible in duels; the brain, Zhou Naiyi, was calm and meticulous; Wuzang was the sharp blade; Cheng Konghai was a manic big shot who didn't fall behind in a one-versus-three during team battles, and after losing one person, he immediately went berserk to crush his opponents. His scene of wildly wheeling the Blood Sacrifice Mecha also reached the number one trending spot—proper violent aesthetics. Zuo Xiaotang was now the benchmark for snipers; in fact, he was the only one who fit the true essence of a sniper—low-key and seemingly weak, but actually formidable. In the final team battle, what Basta was truly wary of was actually him. As for the Substitute Nailong, who felt the most useless, no one dared to underestimate him now. He might still not be good at duels, but this person could heal and strengthen laser firepower, and at the same time, he was a space warrior—an absolute multi-faceted team player. At the same time, he was bold, unrestrained, and full of passion.

The final four was enough to let the Tianjing contestants shine brightly. The well-known commentator from Earth EMP, Kuangwu Daren, only forwarded one picture after the match.

It was that discarded picture of the eight team leaders, with Li Hao in the middle.

Kuangwu Daren had been watching the replay all night. He deeply felt the terrifying power coming from the Mawang; every step was applying pressure, constantly adjusting the rhythm and seizing the opponent's core to strike. And these people, because of past grievances, seemed to be attracted to it; knowing it was like a moth to a flame, they insisted with an uncontrollable stubbornness. Every strong person hoped to be freed from that kind of failure; this was a personal mental cognition. To deny this was equivalent to admitting their own submission, which was something they couldn't face, but the result of challenging the Mawang had to be endured.

Romero had fallen, Fan Liweite had fallen, and now Basta had also fallen. Who was next?

The semi-final groupings wouldn't be decided until tomorrow. Tonight, one only needed to enjoy the atmosphere of victory. Ma Long was still in the infirmary getting nutrient injections; he needed a good rest. When it came to physical fitness, Wuzang was the one who was truly fierce.

Ma Laoshi received meticulous care from Sheng Man; Ma Long had grown into her hero. Ma Laoshi had transformed—from being nonchalant and avoiding confrontation to now being the Milk Dragon King, having found himself.

If it were in the past, Ma Long would definitely have indulged himself, but he now had a bigger goal. He had deeply felt the goal of Tianjing Mecha; from the very beginning, it wasn't about "participating is what matters," but for that one and only height.

"Do you really think so?" Sheng Man fed Ma Long some peeled fruit.

"I only have a feeling for it now, too. Hao Ge is a great power, terrifying," Ma Long said with emotion. "I finally understand what Luo Bi said: the stronger your strength, the weaker you feel when facing Hao Ge."

"I don't understand what you're saying, but you were the best today!" Sheng Man's gaze was soft, her pretty face tender, white, and charming, as if it were about to drip water.

"Haha, that's right, even a lantern is a dragon!" Ma Long was now very willing to accept this new nickname. His personal page followers had also skyrocketed, already nearing ten million. There were quite a few people who liked Nailong; if nothing else, Nailong was still very rare.

Just then, Zuo Xiaotang knocked and entered. Seeing Sheng Man there, he hesitated to speak. "Manman, help me buy some late-night snacks."

Sheng Man nodded with a smile and left the room. Ma Long sat up. "Zuoge, what's up?"

Zuo Xiaotang was fidgeting, looking nothing like a great hero. If one spoke of key heroes, Zuo Xiaotang really had been underestimated the whole way, yet he was stable throughout and fought the hard battles. Although he fell for the rabbit's tricks every time, the result was still good.

Seeing Zuo Xiaotang still hesitating, Ma Long laughed. "We're already in the final four; nothing can stop us now. Speak, who have you taken a fancy to?"

Aside from women, there was nothing else that could make Zuo Xiaotang like this and come specifically to find him.

"No, no, Anlita just sent me a message, and I don't know how to reply." Zuo Xiaotang blushed. He actually had always wanted to message Anlita, but he was afraid of disturbing her.

"Oh, what is it? Let me see."

Zuo Xiaotang hurriedly opened his Skycom. Anlita had sent: "What exactly is your ability?"

Ma Long looked at it, completely dumbfounded. This person was too much, right? They were very likely to be semi-final opponents; even if she was scouting for intelligence, she shouldn't do it like this.

"Ahem, do you really like her?" Ma Long asked.

Zuo Xiaotang was stunned, a bit at a loss. "I don't know either. I always think of her, and I'm so happy whenever I do. Ma Laoshi, teach me. I know I'm not worthy of her, but I want to try."

Ma Long looked at Zuo Xiaotang and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. He was truly worthy of being someone he had cultivated; Zuo Xiaopang had also awakened.

Ma Long rolled up his sleeves, his spirits lifted. "Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

"Very good. Then from today on, don't mention being worthy or unworthy ever again. Girls are all upwardly compatible; what they crave in their bones are heroes, absolutely not cowards who can't even lift their heads. Today, I'll show you my specialty!" Ma Long said. "How were you planning to say it?"

"This is my personal situation that I wrote." Zuo Xiaotang opened a document, hundreds of words flowing freely, detailing his personal abilities; it was only missing an autopsy photo. "I was thinking, since I don't have any other abilities anyway, I might as well just tell her."

Ma Long curled his lip. "There, if you send this out, I guarantee she won't even take a second look and will throw it straight into the trash."

"Ah?"

"Let me do it." Ma Long opened the Skycom and helped Zuo Xiaotang input. "Learn well, watch closely."

"Anlita, you can trick me out of my money, you can trick me out of my abilities, and even my person is fine, but let's go through the motions. You tricking me right off the bat like this makes me look like an idiot, and I can't explain it to my buddies either; they'll all think there's something wrong with my brain."

Zuo Xiaotang wanted to stop him, but Ma Long had already clicked send. Zuo Xiaotang sighed toward the sky—it was over, this.

But not two seconds later, *ding-dong*.

"You little thing, how do you want to go through the motions? Don't think you're something special just because you made it to the final four."

Zuo Xiaotang looked at Ma Laoshi with admiration. In the past, whenever he messaged Anlita, it was always "uh-huh" and "yeah-yeah"; this was the first time he had written such a long message.

"Half an hour later, at Selena Bar, let's see who's better!"

"Tch, I'll kill you!"

Ma Laoshi shrugged triumphantly, looking at Zuo Xiaotang's admiring gaze. "Done. The rest is up to you."

"But, but, I don't know how." Zuo Xiaotang was even more panicked. "How about you come with me?"

"Big brother, I'm still recuperating, and my nutrient drip isn't finished yet. Besides, this kind of thing still depends on yourself. Remember the mantra I usually teach you: when you get there, don't blabber with her, just down a bottle each first!"

"Ah, that's not good, right? Getting a girl drunk?"

"Forget it, whether you can out-drink her is a question. Remember one thing: you can tell her about your ability, but absolutely not today. Everyone is in the final four; no one is afraid of anyone. The other party is a top figure of the Shadow Scouts; you just enjoy the process of this romance. Don't be a coward, don't hide it. No... not that kind of 'lick-dog' behavior. You can do anything, just don't lick. Or, how about this: you provoke her. Whenever you want to say something is good, say it's bad; if it's okay, say it's not; if it's pretty, say it's average. Don't ponder right or wrong, just say the opposite."

Zuo Xiaotang was completely dumbfounded. "This works too?"

"I don't know if it works, but your way definitely won't. We're treating a dead horse like a living one here, what are you afraid of?"

Zuo Xiaotang gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, gave Ma Long a big hug, and dashed out.

Once Zuo Xiaotang left, Sheng Man returned and gave Ma Long a resentful glare. "What kind of terrible idea did you give him? What about Ling Xiao?"

"Haha, people are strange; they try to make up for what they lack. The more honest they are, the more they like danger. He will only turn back after hitting a brick wall, so I am just letting him hit it bravely; that is the only way to mature."

"Ma Laoshi, your schemes run deep. Tell me, how many people did you have to practice on to get this way?" Sheng Man suddenly threw herself onto Ma Long, pressing her soft body against him.

Ah!