Chapter 66: Responsibility

When everyone sat together, Zhou Naiyi suddenly felt that no problem was a problem anymore; Li Hao always had an inexplicable ability to make people feel at ease.

Zhou Naiyi briefly explained the situation, "Our situation is very difficult; if anyone wants to leave, I can understand."

"At most we wait a year, and it's not certain that we'll lose."

"I joined in the first place because of the Class Monitor," Zuo Xiaotang said. He was the type to slack off whenever possible; without the Class Monitor's supervision, he would have quit long ago. His talent for long-range combat was also discovered by the Class Monitor, and it was only through her constant urging that he achieved his current results.

Ye Tong glanced at Li Hao indifferently, her sexy little red lips pursed slightly, "What are you thinking? Since Li Hao has joined, we only have one problem to consider: how to play them to death!"

Killing intent flickered in Ye Tong's eyes. The feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it had left the 'Pupil God' full of pent-up fire; it was a bit like a tiger trapped in the flatlands. She had immense trust in Li Hao's strength; even if he only had half the combat power he had back then, it would be enough. Judging by his movements, he hadn't actually fallen off much.

"Haha, thank you all brothers and sisters for your trust. Come, let's have a toast. Welcome my return as a king! My treat today, everyone try to eat as little as possible!" Li Hao tried his best to act cocky. If nothing else, Ye Tong's honey-sweet confidence could at least boost everyone's morale a bit.

Everyone raised their glasses... eat as little as possible?

They immediately burst into laughter, "That won't do! A stingy person is finally pulling out their feathers—Boss, I want to add more dishes!"

"Bring the expensive ones, the very expensive ones!"

The corner of Li Hao's mouth twitched. Zhou Naiyi smiled very relaxedly; she hadn't smiled in a long time. She didn't know why, but it felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Now she only needed to prepare fully for next week's Campus Tournament. Although time was tight, her heart was full of motivation.

This was the atmosphere and cohesion she wanted. No matter how strong the opponent was, they were full of desire.

"There is still time, but what about opponents? We need to find a training opponent with some weight to properly hone ourselves. The Marco Polo Second Team isn't playing anymore; where are we going to find one in such a short time?" Ye Tong said out of the blue.

"Junior Sister Ye Tong, we're eating and drinking here. Since we're full, can't we talk about tomorrow's business tomorrow?" Since they were familiar now, Zuo Xiaotang dared to speak to Ye Tong. His consistent principle was never to bring tomorrow's worries into today.

"Little fatty, interrupt less when your elder sister is talking. From now on, call me Senior Sister, you hear me!" Ye Tong immediately widened her eyes.

Constrained by Ye Tong's aura, Zuo Xiaotang didn't dare to act up, but in front of his brothers, he absolutely wouldn't admit defeat. At worst, he would just bury his head in his food.

Li Hao suddenly remembered something. He dialed the Sky-Link, and it rang for quite a while before the other side answered.

"Second Brother, what are you doing? A whole group of us are online waiting!" Luo Bi shouted. This was ridiculous; they had just gotten into the groove, and it had been over twenty minutes, yet the person hadn't returned. Were they AFK?

"Does your team have anything going on these two days? How about a few training matches with our team?" Li Hao said, "We need to work on our team coordination."

"Holy crap, holy crap, Second Brother, you started a team? Holy crap! No problem, please go easy on us!" Luo Bi on the other side seemed even more excited than Li Hao. He felt that the Li Mo of the past was about to return.

"I'm just a team member. Anyway, just bring your A-game. Coordinate a bit, you know... alright, that's it!" Li Hao hung up the Sky-Link. Only then did he remember he hadn't logged off the EMP. He opened the Sky-Link directly and operated the EMP to log off.

Zhou Naiyi and the others all looked at Li Hao. He had found a training opponent in just a few words.

"Li Hao, Gao Yunfeng's team has a certain level of skill, we can't just find anyone..."

"Luo Bi's Cougar should be fine." Li Hao popped a piece of kidney into his mouth; it was crunchy and delicious.

The dining table suddenly went quiet. They looked at each other. The Puma A-Class Military Academy was in the top ten of the USE... Only Ye Tong wrinkled her little nose in defiance and snorted. That kid Luo Bi used to be Second Brother's die-hard little follower, a sycophant.

The Puppet's great victory would not be publicized in other federations. It might appear in the NUP, but it would be with a sense of mocking superiority, while in the ROM, it was directly... censored.

Yes, this was something only Martians could do. No one even felt surprised, and they even found all sorts of bizarre reasons for it.

Of course, on Earth, it had hit the hot topics of the EMP section on the Sky-Link. It had been a long time since such a powerful Warrior had appeared.

There was also a magical fact: in the middle of the night, over 500,000 VIPs paid to watch an AFK stream...

One could only say that that Arc Step Roundhouse Kick was truly satisfying. But the Puppet didn't come online afterward. Even so, everyone was willing to watch the replay inside and discuss it happily.

Regarding this, a certain Martian streamer said that the Puppet actually lost and had been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment due to internal injuries...

Such an unbelievable deduction actually received likes from the majority of Martians. The Ghost Martial Sect was known for its lethality, so Sa Wutian must have held back at the critical moment, but the shameless Earthling had taken the opportunity to attack...

At that moment, Zhuang Zhou's worldview was a bit shaken. Shouldn't such people be sent back to the furnace to be remade?

At this time, Zhou Naiyi, having finished her morning classes, was already standing in front of Long Danni.

Zhou Naiyi felt that her previous approach had been problematic—not insisting on what should be insisted upon, being indecisive and overly cautious. She didn't even feel like herself anymore. But after thinking it through yesterday, she felt enlightened. To be a person, one must have responsibility and decisiveness!

"Principal, Li Hao has returned to the team. Tianjing Martial Arts needs him, and the team needs him. I want him to be the Team Leader!" Zhou Naiyi said earnestly and decisively.

Long Danni looked at Zhou Naiyi without much surprise, "Oh, tell me your thoughts."

"Li Hao's strength is very strong. I judge that he is no worse than Ye Tong and Wuzang. You also know that he was once selected for the Solar System Youth Class. In terms of personality, he has more of a Team Leader's aura and resilience," Zhou Naiyi said. Actually, since the first grade, although Li Hao hadn't been conspicuous, if one thought about it carefully, the activities he participated in all went smoothly. In those physical fitness projects, or tug-of-war, cross-country, and the like, Class 16 always won. In the dormitory, Wuzang and the others liked to call him Hao Ge. This was clearly not just because he was older; it must be because his personality and the way he did things made them admire him.

"Just that?" Long Danni said indifferently.

"You don't need to worry about his strength. He possesses an S-Grade individual test rating, and his EMP score has already exceeded 1500. He meets the requirements in every aspect," Zhou Naiyi said.

Long Danni shook her head slightly, "You also know that his problem doesn't lie there, but that even if you win, he might not be able to participate in the S Tournament, and might even make it so you can't participate either. Have you considered this problem?"

"Principal, I have thought about it seriously. We cannot accept this reason for not being able to compete. There are some things that are not for us to consider. Everyone has unanimously decided that we are a TEAM, willing to fight together and bear any result together. If we don't even have this much responsibility, we don't deserve to win!" Zhou Naiyi said resolutely.

Long Danni looked at Zhou Naiyi silently, "Since you've decided, just go do it. You don't need to ask me about everything. However, I will still remind you: pretty words are useless; you must speak with strength. In next week's Campus Tournament, the losing team will be disbanded."

"Yes, Principal!" The problem that had been so tangled and worrying before—at this moment, Zhou Naiyi didn't care about it at all.

After Zhou Naiyi left, a smile appeared on the corner of Long Danni's mouth. It was starting to look like something.

After a while, Long Danni straightened out her thoughts and dialed the Sky-Link.

"Teacher, sorry to bother you. It's still that same matter from last time. This student's strength is truly good, and he has great potential..."

"Yes, I am very sure. They are all my students. As the Principal, I am willing to bear all consequences... Yes, thank you for your support. Tianjing Martial Arts will definitely become a shining pearl in the S Tournament!"

To accomplish something, it's not about who relies on whom, but a group of like-minded people striving together.

Upon learning of Li Hao's return, the Tianjing Second Team suddenly became spirited. During the afternoon team training, everyone arrived on time.

Zhou Naiyi also felt full of drive. Although there was no room for maneuver with the First Team, she had instead let go of all the retreats she shouldn't have had. Since she had decided, she had to carve out a path. If they couldn't even pass the hurdle of Gao Yunfeng, wouldn't it be a joke to want to achieve results in the S Tournament?

"Everyone, we've gone in circles and still gathered together. Next week's Campus Tournament will determine our fate. Today I have something to announce: in view of my performance in the previous series and my understanding of myself, I have decided to resign as Team Leader. I personally nominate Li Hao to take the position. If anyone else wants to be Team Leader, you can bring it up, and we will vote as a group," Zhou Naiyi said.

"Cough, cough, Class Monitor, that doesn't make sense," Li Hao said, looking bewildered. His personal situation could only help a little bit; how did things get so twisted?

"Li Hao, don't be in such a hurry to quit. Does anyone have any objections?" Zhou Naiyi directly set Li Hao aside. At this moment, she still displayed the authority of a Class Monitor.

"Hehe, Hao Ge was already the dormitory boss. I have no objections," Wuzang raised his hand.

"I support it!" Zuo Xiaotang also backed her up.

"Hmph, if he's more proactive, it's barely acceptable for him to be my Team Leader," Ye Tong was still a bit tsundere, but in her heart, she naturally approved. She couldn't accept Li Hao just being content with mediocrity.

"Li Hao, with great power comes great responsibility. And in every aspect, you are more suitable to be Team Leader than I am. We will assist you and fight for the same goal." This was Zhou Naiyi's well-considered decision, and once she thought it through, she suddenly became full of confidence.

Li Hao was caught between laughter and tears, "Class Monitor, everyone knows my situation. If things go wrong, I might implicate everyone and end up with nothing."

"Li Hao, that is the Principal's problem, and the USE's problem, not ours. As Warriors, we just need to show our strength and prove that we can. I really don't believe that someone with strength can be buried!"

Zhou Naiyi spoke with ironclad certainty, recovering her dashing Class Monitor demeanor; having changed her status, her train of thought also became clear, and everyone stared at Li Hao with burning gazes, as if they were waiting for him to treat them.

Li Hao could feel it, "That works too, refusing any further would be a bit pretentious; since everyone says so, then I'll really do it. If I don't do a good job, you can replace me at any time, haha."

Wuzang and Zuo Xiaotang applauded, but before they could clap twice, with a boom, the door was kicked open, and a person walked in unhurriedly.

"Yo, the atmosphere of this rabble isn't bad, but thinking you can defeat Gao Yunfeng is no different from daydreaming!" Huo Ying walked in with a mocking smirk on his lips, sitting down after pulling up a chair himself.

"Zhou Naiyi, you know it in your heart, you guys can't beat Gao Yunfeng at all, and Gao Yunfeng hasn't given you any time to prepare either; the fight starts next week, at most there are four or five days left, only I, Huo Ying, can lead you to the peak of your lives!" At this moment, Huo Ying's confidence was sky-high, feeling as if he were about to soar into the sky like an eagle.

(Regarding the matter of the Principal being too cowardly, in reality, there is no such thing as "must" or "should" between people. Furthermore, in life, if you are too proactive in helping, the other party will become dependent, fail to cherish it, and it might even have the opposite effect. Under a common goal, one also needs to show the necessary awareness and sense of responsibility to resonate; I think everyone encounters this in life and work. Regarding the combat issues, my writing style is cinematic; basically, every battle is like a storyboard, the distance between Mecha and Mecha, the switching of movements, every move and style, the progression and changes in intensity of each match—I have the shots in my head. If anyone hasn't noticed it... hmph, hmph-hmph... then it must be that I didn't write it well; blow me up to liven things up for you bosses...)