TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 55

Lin Mingfei and He Youjin stood at the entrance, flanking the doorway like gate guardians, awaiting judgment from the league officials.

A cold wind seeped into He Youjin’s collar despite his efforts to keep warm. Feeling disgruntled, he shoved his hands into his pockets and grumbled, “Zero, are you seriously letting them search the base?”

Lin Mingfei glanced at him.

Realizing the absurdity of his question, He Youjin knocked on his own forehead and shook his head self-deprecatingly. “What am I even saying? Of course, we can’t just deny them access—that would make us look guilty even if we’re clean. No choice but to let them in…”

Lin Mingfei let out a lazy chuckle, his gaze unfocused. “What, you think letting them search puts us at a loss?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s humiliating!” He Youjin fumed. “Why should we have to prove ourselves because of some baseless accusation?”

Lin Mingfei’s expression shifted—his furrowed brows smoothed out, and the nonchalant air about him turned sharp. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, lighting up his face in a way that sent a chill down He Youjin’s spine.

Why did it feel like Lin Mingfei was about to bare his fangs?

Moments later, a group appeared at the end of the road. Judging by their sharp attire and purposeful stride, it was clear these were the league’s enforcement personnel.

Before He Youjin could react, Lin Mingfei stepped forward with a warm, courteous smile, extending his hand for a handshake. “Welcome. Sorry for the trouble. It must’ve been a long journey.”

He Youjin blinked, baffled.

Was this really Lin Mingfei? He’d never seen the man so polite, practically deferential. What was going on? These were their opponents!

The officials appeared taken aback by Lin Mingfei’s accommodating attitude, their expressions subtly hinting that they were now even more convinced of something amiss within P-Team.

“Why are you acting so obsequious?” He Youjin hissed under his breath, but Lin Mingfei merely gestured for silence, ushering the officials inside.

The rest of the P-Team members lined the hallway to greet them. Though their displeasure was evident, they managed to maintain a thin veneer of politeness. Only Xia Tong hung back, peering nervously from behind his teammates.

“Which one of you is Xia Xiao Tong?” the lead official asked.

Caught off guard, Xia Tong flinched. Nervously wringing his hands, he stepped forward, his head bowed like a scolded child. “I-I am.”

The officials’ eyes shifted, scanning the group until they landed on Xia Tong. Their surprise was evident—this top-performing DPS, suspected of cheating, was a petite, unassuming boy.

“An Omega?” one of them muttered in disbelief. “Why is there an Omega in P-Team’s base—” He was elbowed by a colleague, a silent reminder to maintain decorum.

“Between 9:30 and 11 this morning, did you use the account ‘Xia Xiao Tong’ to explore the Siren’s Valley dungeon?” the lead official asked sternly.

“Yes…” Xia Tong answered honestly, clutching the hem of his shirt.

“And was that DPS output your own?”

“Yes! I did it myself…” Xia Tong’s voice grew quieter.

“How did you manage it?”

“Just…by playing normally…” he whispered.

The officials exchanged skeptical looks, their disdainful gazes all but confirming their suspicions.

A flicker of coldness crossed Lin Mingfei’s eyes, but his smile remained. Stepping forward, he clapped a hand on the lead official’s shoulder.

“I’m the captain. I’ll answer all your questions,” Lin Mingfei said breezily. “Let’s head to the training room. I can guarantee that none of our equipment, including the cocoons, has been tampered with since this morning.”

“We don’t need your guarantees,” the official retorted, his smile sharp. “Our team is highly skilled at detecting irregularities, no matter how minor or how pristine the player’s history might appear. Lead the way.”

Lin Mingfei didn’t react to the veiled threat, keeping his smile intact as he led the group upstairs.

Xia Tong’s legs gave out, and he collapsed back onto the sofa, his spirit utterly crushed. The looks those officials gave him were like invisible needles, pricking his entire body with unease. It felt as if he himself was more damning evidence than the anonymous report.

Why did they have to look at him like that?

And now, Lin Mingfei was bearing this feeling of unease in his stead.

The atmosphere in the living room was oppressive and stifling. Xia Tong’s fingers clenched tightly, digging into the flesh of his palms.

If… if they could make it into the league this time… he vowed he would bring glory to Polaris, help Lin Mingfei clear his name, and make those Alphas who bullied him pay!

After what felt like more than half an hour, just as everyone waiting in the living room felt like they were about to turn to stone, Lin Mingfei’s magnetic and cheerful voice rang out from the training room. However, the words he spoke were razor-sharp.

“Do you want to double-check?” He bit down hard on the word double, sneering. “Otherwise, the next time our team performs too well, and someone reports us within 24 hours, you might as well station someone here permanently—build a bed, share our meals. That way, if we kick you out, it’ll look bad; if we don’t, it’ll look even worse. What a sight that would be!”

The crowd in the living room perked up as if injected with a dose of adrenaline, lifting their heads in unison.

Out in the corridor, the previously haughty and arrogant officials—who had acted like supreme judges—now stood awkwardly, their gazes flitting around and avoiding Lin Mingfei’s sharp eyes.

“Well, uh… thank you for your cooperation. You’ve contributed to maintaining a clean and fair esports environment,” said the team leader. His face was thick enough to churn out formalities even now. “We’ll report the findings truthfully to the League’s regulatory office and work on improving the game’s reporting system to avoid such incidents in the future.”

He Youjin watched coldly from the sidelines, his expression alternating between disdain and derision.

The lower Lin Mingfei had bowed earlier, the greater the psychological gap for these officials now. Whether it was shame or guilt, the outcome was clear.

Lin Mingfei gave He Youjin a look.

He Youjin rolled up his sleeves—it was time for his signature performance.

“Make demands! Strike while the iron’s hot! Be relentless!” He quickly ran through the checklist in his mind and grinned like a sly fox.

“Let’s not sugarcoat it. Polaris may have fallen on hard times now, but we were once a star team. Tell me this—if it were Saber-Tooth reported today, would you treat them the same way you treated us?”

“Of course… we’d investigate them too,” the official stammered, his confidence wavering.

“Heh, sure you would,” He Youjin sneered. “You barged in here based on a baseless anonymous report without even finding abnormal data under our accounts! You just waltzed in waving your authority! Do the members of our team not deserve the most basic privacy and dignity? Are we just supposed to be stripped down and searched like criminals? What kind of logic is that?”

“It’s not… it’s not that serious,” the official stuttered, his face alternating between green and pale. “We didn’t treat you like criminals—”

“To a professional esports player, what is the cocoon?” He Youjin interrupted, his voice rising with righteous fury. “It’s a comrade-in-arms! A constant companion! In the dead of winter, you stripped our players of their warmest coat and rummaged through it inside out! And you say you didn’t treat us like criminals?”

The officials: “…”

Why were they suddenly filled with regret?

If they could go back an hour, they’d rather die than step foot into Polaris’s base!

What was this absurd feeling of being blackmailed instead?

“Where’s justice? Where’s fairness?” He Youjin clutched his chest as if heartbroken. “You stomp on the weak and curry favor with the strong! It’s enough to chill the hearts of veteran players like us!”

“Now, now…” The lead official, thoroughly overwhelmed, raised his hands in a gesture of placation. “Manager He, please don’t be like this. We’re just following orders from above. There’s nothing we can do… we understand your situation—”

“Understand? You don’t understand a thing!” He Youjin jabbed a trembling finger toward Xia Tong downstairs. “Do you see that little guy?”

“I… I see him,” the official stammered.

“Our new teammate is an Omega! Such a delicate body! Such a fragile spirit!” He Youjin’s voice quivered with emotion. “Do you know how much effort he’s put in to keep up with our team? To meet the League’s expectations? To achieve those high DPS numbers? And you dare to look down on him, dismissing him with a single word as a cheater? Watching this from the sidelines broke my heart—”

“We didn’t look down on him! We swear!” The officials were flustered.

“I don’t need your oaths!” He Youjin wiped at imaginary tears and shot back their earlier words. “Look into his eyes! Look at him! Don’t you feel even a shred of shame?”

“…”

All the burly Alphas upstairs instinctively followed He Youjin’s finger.

Xia Tong had been nervously glancing up the stairs, his delicate eyebrows knitted together. His eyes, slightly red-rimmed, glistened with unshed tears, carrying a layer of misty grievance. His pure, innocent gaze pierced their hearts, washing over them with waves of guilt.

Under this baptism of purity, the psychological defenses of the officials crumbled entirely, leaving nothing but an overwhelming sense of shame.

Seizing the moment, He Youjin piled on, pretending to weep. “We just want an explanation! Is that too much to ask?”

“We’ll give you an explanation! We promise!” The leader covered his face with one hand, shielding himself from Xia Tong’s accusing gaze. “Don’t look at me like that—it makes me feel awful. We didn’t mean to…”

He Youjin had absorbed enough of the “strategy guide” and shot Lin Mingfei a meaningful glance.

Lin Mingfei coughed softly into his fist and said calmly, “Actually, our request isn’t that demanding. We just want you to find out who maliciously reported us.”

“Uh… you know our reporting system is anonymous—”

“Save it. That line might work on casual players, but not on me,” Lin Mingfei interrupted, crossing his arms with a slight scoff. “I’ve been in professional esports longer than some of you have probably worked for the league.”

With the conversation pushed this far, the so-called “enforcement officers” were at a loss for words. P Team’s mix of playing the victim and asserting dominance had drained both their patience and their temper. The leader of the group rubbed his forehead, his thoughts spinning as he realized the precariousness of his position.

Why did we pick a fight with P Team? Why provoke Zero? Even if they’re a shadow of their former championship glory, what if they rise again? If they make a comeback, Zero would once again be the darling of the scene, and he’d surely make things difficult for us. Better to bow out gracefully now and preserve future goodwill.

With that thought, his demeanor shifted. Forcing a smile, he said, “As expected of Z-God. Nothing escapes your keen eyes. Since we’ve all had this… let’s call it a ‘productive misunderstanding,’ I’ll go ahead and help you out. I’ll contact the oversight department now and get them to trace the IP of the account that filed the report.”

He whipped out his phone and started dialing.

Lin Mingfei raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing on his lips as if he were waiting for the show to begin. A short while later, the man returned, phone in hand, trembling slightly.

Seeing his stammering and increasingly flushed face, Lin Mingfei decided to cut to the chase. He rattled off an address and asked, “Does it match this one?”

The man’s jaw dropped. “How… how did you know?”

“That’s the Saber-Tooth Tigers’ team base. Of course, I know it.” Lin Mingfei leaned casually against the wall, his smile turning icy. “Honestly, ever since I came back, their antics have been piling up. I didn’t think much of it, figuring the league wouldn’t fall for the same tricks as casual players. But now… well.”

“No, no, no! Absolutely not!” The man waved his hands desperately. “The league knows better than that.”

“I hope so,” Lin Mingfei replied.

He let the silence drag on just long enough to let their discomfort fully sink in before one of them awkwardly offered, “How about this—we’ll contact them and get their manager to personally apologize to your team?”

“Do you think an apology is all we need?” Lin Mingfei countered.

“Of course not! An apology is a given,” the man said, scrambling to salvage the situation. “You’re right—a young Omega in professional esports is a rare and admirable thing. Compensation for the emotional stress is absolutely necessary. What else… Z-God, just tell us what you want. We’ll make it happen.”

Lin Mingfei pretended to deliberate, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then, with a faint smile, he said, “Here’s an idea. Before the league officially begins, have the Saber-Tooth Tigers arrange a scrimmage with us.”

“Huh?” The man blinked in surprise. “A scrimmage?”

“Is that a problem?” Lin Mingfei asked.

“No, not at all! We just thought…” The man chuckled nervously. “Well, we assumed you’d ask for something more demanding.”

“Why would we? Polaris has been around for a long time. We don’t need to stoop to petty antics,” Lin Mingfei replied lightly.

“Understood! Consider it done.” The man nodded eagerly. “We’ll reach out to them immediately and update Manager He as soon as we have news. Thanks again for your cooperation and, well… for being so magnanimous.”

Lin Mingfei’s lips quirked into a faint smile.

“Then we’ll take our leave.” The leader signaled his team, and they began their descent down the stairs.

As they passed through the living room, they exchanged fleeting glances with P Team’s players before stopping in front of Xia Tong.

The Omega, wary and tense, stared up at them, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

The man took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt for the disdain he had shown earlier. It seemed inconceivable now, almost shameful.

“Xia Xiaotong, right? An Omega,” he said, pointing.

“What about it?” Xia Tong snapped, his wide eyes filled with defiance.

“Stick with Z-God and work hard,” the man said, his tone softer now. “The road ahead won’t be easy, but your future is limitless.”

–Author’s Note:
Enforcement officers: We made a mistake. We shouldn’t have come.
He Youjin: If you’re here, you’re in for a rough time.

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