Chapter 431: Battle of Glory

The nickname had a hint of deliberate panic-mongering. In Li Hao's view, they were essentially a type of mental-attribute esper. A person's resistance is at its lowest when they are asleep, and their method of sneaking in attacks during dreams was a bit underhanded. Of course, there were different tiers to this; at a certain level, the threat was indeed quite significant. Li Hao had even spent some time searching for them in the past, never expecting to run into one here. However, the assassin had underestimated Zuo Xiaotang's resistance. While attempting to manufacture a death-terror dream for Zuo Xiaotang, the assassin encountered a strong backlash, which also caught Li Hao's attention. Once discovered, he immediately followed the trail to find the other party, who was a staff member at the Galaxy Center—nine times out of ten, a disguise. Li Hao naturally wouldn't let such a person go; he wanted to know the mastermind behind it even more.

With Li Hao's ability, the other party had absolutely no room to resist. Their surprise and shock were as if they had seen a ghost. Li Hao didn't intend to waste words with them and directly took control of their consciousness, but he still underestimated the other party's preparations. The moment the words "Noah's Ark" spilled from the assassin's mouth, they exploded.

A micro-bomb had been implanted in this guy's body, and "Noah's Ark" was the signal to trigger it.

This wasn't exactly new for Noah's Ark, but the question was, why would Noah's Ark attack Zuo Xiaotang?

If they had discovered that he was the one constantly opposing them, they should have attacked him instead. Moreover, he felt the assassin's skill level was slightly low; even if Li Hao hadn't discovered them, Zuo Xiaotang would likely have just had a very exhausting nightmare.

Another motive could involve the S Tournament—not wanting Tianjing to win, but not wanting to be too obvious about it?

Who would have such a motive, and who could be connected to Noah's Ark?

There were many with motives. Mars was a possibility, but relatively low. Not only was the price for a Dream Demon Master on the Dark Net staggering, but not just anyone could hire one. Given the current outcome, it was merely venting anger, which could actually be ruled out.

Xilian was the most suspicious target, but if he were the one to act, it would seem very low-class. He shouldn't be hiring such a half-baked amateur. When a Dream Demon Master encounters someone with a firm will and a powerful Golden Zone, there is very little room for them to operate. With his understanding of the Dream Trilogy, he shouldn't be this ridiculous.

Someone from the Galaxy Team?

Li Hao didn't know much about Maxis. He had strength, ambition, and his own ideas, but to say he hired someone to do this for the sake of the S Tournament was a bit far-fetched.

Li Hao wasn't sure if this was a direct move by Noah's Ark, or if someone else had happened to find the organization.

"Ah, Second Brother, is there really such a thing as a Dream Weaver?" Kevin was excited. "Ah, they died? What a pity!"

"It was a Modified Human with an audio-triggered bomb. But a killer like that wouldn't know much. The news hasn't reported it; the Galaxy Center must have handled it secretly. Security has also become stricter. The people from Noah's Ark have infiltrated quite deeply; I just don't know who is behind it."

"Could it have something to do with Xilian?" Kevin asked. Honestly, Xilian was the one most capable of this and could definitely arrange for someone to get into the Galaxy Center.

"The possibility is very small."

"I think so too. With his Dream Three Chapters, if he really wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't just send one person. He likes to play dirty, but his vision wouldn't be this small, and he would have to consider your retaliation. If it really was initiated by Noah's Ark, the scale seems a bit small. Who could it be?" Kevin also felt it was unlikely. The struggle between Xilian and Li Hao wasn't the kind ordinary people have.

"Second Brother, should we stir the grass to startle the snake?" Kevin suddenly grinned mischievously. "Tell Xilian about this directly and see his reaction?"

Li Hao snapped his fingers. "That's good."

He also wanted to see how Xilian would react. With Xilian's perfectionist personality, he wouldn't easily tolerate someone messing up his stage.

Xilian's mood had been excellent recently, until he received Li Hao's message. Anlita and Ma'er were already standing before Xilian, clearly sensing the fury beneath their boss's calm expression.

"Have you checked the person who died yesterday?"

Such a matter naturally couldn't be hidden from Xilian, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. This S Tournament was like an exquisite cake he had resurrected; it had been prepared and brewed for a long time, and now someone wanted to plant a fly in it to disgust him.

"Master, it was a Modified Human, blown to pieces by a micro-bomb. It was a voice-activated T57 model, circulating in the Space City black market, a common type on the Dark Net. The specific objective hasn't been determined yet," Ma'er said.

"This was a Dream Weaver. They attacked Zuo Xiaotang yesterday and suffered a backlash," Xilian said calmly.

Ma'er was silent for a moment. "It wasn't our person."

Anlita understood. "Boss, this definitely has nothing to do with us. There's something fishy about this. I just met with Zuo Xiaotang, and something happened that night, and the result was most beneficial to us. Is someone trying to frame us?"

"Ma'er, go find out. I don't want a second incident during the finals. There are rules everywhere. The Dark Net has its own territory. Give them a warning; don't let them overstep."

"Yes, Master." Ma'er bowed and retreated.

"Li Hao wouldn't be unaware that if the boss wanted to make a move, it wouldn't be this amateurish," Anlita laughed. Everything was currently moving in the direction Xilian wanted, and this kind of thing was purely disgusting. "But it did help us test Zuo Xiaotang's strength. Being able to block a Dream Weaver shows he isn't as stupid as he looks."

Xilian nodded. "Find a time to offer condolences. A guest has been wronged; we can't be stingy."

"Could it be Maxis?" Anlita said. That kid had a bit too much ambition. He wasn't content to lie low back then, and now with the support of the Galaxy and the Heavenly Heart Style, plus the boost of a championship, it's hard to guarantee he hasn't become a bit inflated and started having crooked thoughts.

Xilian waved his hand. "Based on his personality and motives, the possibility of this behavior is extremely low. It can be ruled out."

Anlita pursed her lips, looking a bit unwilling.

"You want to say that precisely because of that, he has the possibility of acting, right? If you think that way, you've fallen right into the trap of the mastermind," Xilian smiled. "No need to pay too much attention. These kinds of underhanded tactics have limited scope. The current priority is the S Tournament; everything else can be put aside."

"Yes, Boss." Anlita smiled sweetly.

In fact, this incident caused a huge stir among the high-level officials of Galaxy City. After all, it happened at the Galaxy Center during such a sensitive time. Internal martial law was certain, security forces were fully strengthened, and all relevant personnel were subjected to further screening.

Tianjing didn't have any major movements. Zuo Xiaotang didn't even know what had happened; he ate and drank as usual. The next few days were crucial for the Tianjing team members. Everyone was in their best state, with the best training opponents, and their mental and physical states were constantly climbing. This was the best time for a breakthrough; their interpretation of combat and understanding of mecha were constantly improving.

Humans are creatures that undergo extreme metamorphosis in their environment, especially Wuzang. After every return from injury, he would be full of power. The foundation of the Wu Family and daily training were meant to store potential, allowing for a stronger rebound when encountering high-pressure situations. Wuzang even had a Sky-Link call with Wu Xun to ask for advice, gaining new understandings of some of the Wu Family's Ancient Martial Arts mysteries during his growth process.

Ma Long was focused, extremely focused. He liked being the center of attention; that excitement and sense of presence allowed him to devote himself to training with a hundredfold focus. Being comprehensive was impossible; Ma Long was concentrating on one point, a point that could be called his trump card. The experts helping him could all provide him with answers.

Zhou Naiyi, on the other hand, received full support from Aofei. Aofei and the Galaxy had quite a few bouts, so she understood their style relatively well.

The Tianjing team had entered their best state. Similarly, the Galaxy Team was also single-minded. In this regard, strong teams also understood what focus was. All social media was shut down. Every member of a team as strong as the Galaxy Team understood what it was like to win the championship, and what it was like when they were defeated.

In this world, victory or defeat determines fate.

The first semi-final match, Beikarosai Team vs. Hailong Team, was about to begin. The glorious Beikarosai, the hope of Earthlings, a strong contender for the championship—Nine-Headed Dragon Chao Qinglong was once again marching toward the championship journey.

Facing Hailong, no matter how you looked at it, it was a top-tier draw. The Galaxy Center had merged into a single entity, and a million spectators poured in to cheer for the teams they supported. Both teams had already appeared. The mountain-shaking and sea-roaring cheers were at maximum status, and the popularity in the live broadcast room started directly at 29 billion. This was the prestige accumulated over many years, solid and real.

In North American Inuko City, the largest city in the Americas, countless people gathered at the Starlight Avenue to watch live. At this moment, Beikarosai was like a holy land; it carried the hopes of countless mecha fans, and this year's Beikarosai was also their strongest.

Starting lineups for both sides:

Beikarosai Team: Chao Qinglong (Team Leader), Victoria (Vice Captain), Ye Tong, Demikailisi, Lv Gang, Alfonso (Substitute).

Hailong Team: Xilian (Team Leader), Anlita (Vice Captain), Klein, Li Xiangshan, Davalishi, Xila (Substitute).

For the semi-final appearance, every player was given the opportunity to stand alone in the spotlight. The host used all their strength to shout the names, and the live audience would respond with deafening cheers. Under the spotlight, they were one of a kind.

The Beikarosai members were calm; they had experience with this and were full of power. As a newcomer, Ye Tong was particularly dazzling, without a trace of a newcomer's nervousness.

On the Hailong side, except for Li Xiangshan, who was a veteran, the others were all newcomers. In fact, Li Xiangshan had no experience standing in a semi-final, and his mindset was one of the problems troubling Hailong in pre-match predictions. Another was the "King of Pay-to-Win," Xilian. Although everyone knew he was at the level of Flowing Heart Martial Arts, he was originally a researcher. He was definitely a genius, but this genius knew a bit of everything, and it was unclear how he would perform. Moreover, he had missed every opportunity to temper himself during the S Tournament. Looking back at the normal journey of Tianjing, everyone had come to their senses. This was also where various streamers and experts were worried. Which of the past S Tournament kings hadn't fought their way out of bitter battles? The more resilient, the stronger, and only then could they finally stand at the peak.