TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 63

Goblins was utterly shocked. “What the hell??? On what basis??”

He paused, then angrily added, “Why the hell are they getting a practice match with us? Even if we’re not scrimming against Shadow Squad, we should at least be playing against one of last year’s semi finalist teams!”

“On what basis?” Cai Lun let out a cold laugh. “Isn’t it all thanks to that anonymous report you submitted? The league got ahold of it! Did you really think ‘anonymous’ meant truly anonymous? First day playing games, huh? Now the officials have called me in for a meeting, forcing us to schedule a scrim with Polaris! And you dare ask why?”

Goblins: “???”

“Polaris is currently the second most commercially valuable team in the league, right after us.” Cai Lun slammed the coffee table angrily. “At the end of the day, what does a team’s record translate into? Commercial value! Keep acting up like this, and they’ll just walk all over us!”

This was the second time Cai Lun had chewed him out today. Goblins remained silent, his face dark as he turned away.

At that moment, Dylan came down the stairs, gripping the handrail. “Why next month? Isn’t the league officially starting at the end of next month?” He frowned.

“Yeah, why next month?” Cai Lun’s tone softened slightly when facing Dylan. He grabbed the water bottle on the table, took a long gulp, then exhaled. “Their intentions are clear. They’re not just coming back to the pro scene for nostalgia’s sake—they’re here to size us up and reclaim the championship title. Get it now?”

Dylan narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing even sharper.

“Listen up, all of you!” Cai Lun said earnestly. “Coach Su will be back soon to go over next month’s training plan. You can’t keep messing around like this—we need to start intensive training immediately!” After finishing his rant, he slapped a stack of scrim-related documents onto the coffee table with a loud thud, then turned and stormed off.

Unlike Polaris, where the team had more autonomy, at Saber-Tooth, only Dylan had any real privileges. Everyone else had to follow Cai Lun’s orders without question. In many ways, their relationship was more like a strict manager overseeing subordinates.

After Cai Lun left, silence fell over the Saber-Tooth base’s lounge—until a light, mocking laugh broke the tension.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound, only to see Ping Shuai standing at the door, hands casually tucked into his pockets.

“What the hell are you doing here!?” Goblins, still reeling from being scolded, snapped at him like an angry rooster.

Ping Shuai glanced at him with undisguised contempt, chuckling. “Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m your team’s substitute, remember? Wizard substitute.” He enunciated the last two words deliberately, as if taunting him. “Seems like you all conveniently forgot that little fact.”

Goblins: “!” His anger flared instantly. He jumped up, pointing a finger at Ping Shuai. “You? A substitute? Who the hell would call you a substitute? What a joke—” He stopped mid-rant when Yoyo tugged at his sleeve.

Yoyo asked softly, “Ping Shuai, you seem to be in a good mood?”

Goblins sneered. “Of course he is! His old team just won a game with their new Wizard, and being the loyal dog he is, he must be thrilled! Guess an Omega replacement isn’t worth much, huh? Wonder if someone regrets their decisions now?”

Ping Shuai didn’t even flinch. “Unfortunately for you, that’s not why I’m in a good mood.” He tilted his chin up arrogantly. “Oh, right—I was called here by Manager Cai. He has something to discuss with me.”

Goblins stiffened. “What?”

Ping Shuai smirked but didn’t answer, merely nodding toward Cai Lun, who had just returned from the inner room. “Manager Cai.”

Goblins looked between the two of them, his face draining of color. “Cai… What the hell is this supposed to mean?”

Cai Lun gestured for Ping Shuai to follow him, then turned to Goblins with a businesslike smirk. “Looks like you really did forget—Ping Shuai is still part of our club. If you keep causing problems for me, I’ll just promote this ‘overpriced substitute’ to the main roster. Don’t think I won’t.”

With that, he ignored Goblins’ ashen face and walked off with Ping Shuai into the meeting room.

Even after Cai Lun left, his words cast a dark cloud over the entire lounge. Goblins, in particular, trembled slightly before collapsing back onto the couch, his fingers digging into his sweatpants.

“So that’s it? Saber-Tooth really has no loyalty at all?” His voice was hoarse with frustration as he looked around at his teammates. “Look at Polaris! They barely had anyone left, but Lin Mingfei still went through all that effort to build a team from scratch!”

“That’s because he had no choice.” Dylan said coolly.

“Dylan! I only reported them because you suggested it!” Goblins lashed out angrily, his voice thick with grievance. “And now you’re acting all high and mighty?”

Dylan furrowed his brows, clearly losing patience. “If you can’t handle this, then maybe you shouldn’t be in pro gaming at all. Holo-esports is survival of the fittest—if you want some warm, fuzzy team spirit, go home and play family board games.”

Goblins: “You—!”

Molan coughed lightly and clapped a hand on Goblins’ shoulder. “Alright, calm down. My guess is that Manager Cai was just trying to put some pressure on you, make you take things more seriously.”

“Yeah.” Yoyo hugged Goblins’ arm and shook it gently. “Cai Lun wouldn’t really replace you. Don’t take it so hard.”

Goblins wiped his eyes furiously before standing up. “I’m going to solo queue,” he muttered, his voice thick with emotion.

After he left, Robin Wang—who had remained silent until now—finally spoke.

“Dylan, I really didn’t like what you just said.” His voice was heavy. “Goblins may have submitted the report, but we all agreed that Xia Xiaotong was suspicious. Why are you acting like it was just him?”

“He was the one who acted impulsively in the first place,” Dylan said coldly. “I was just making an offhand comment and you all took it seriously? What, am I the Emperor or something? Whatever I say becomes a royal decree?”

Robin Wang was so furious he laughed. “We’re on the same team—we’re supposed to be united! What kind of attitude is that? Aren’t we all working toward the same goal: making this team better?”

“Good intentions don’t always lead to good results,” Dylan replied. “Next time he’s about to do something stupid, how about you stop him first, okay? Don’t point fingers at me afterwards.”

Robin Wang snapped, “You son of a—”

“You all have really let it go to your heads,” Dylan sneered. “You think you could’ve won the last championship without me? You think you’d be basking in all that glory and praise without my help? Do everyone a favor and remember your place. If you’re not creating value for the club, then at least stop making trouble for it. And don’t expect me to carry the blame for your screw-ups. What kind of delusional fantasy is that?”

With that, he walked away coolly and casually, completely ignoring Robin Wang’s livid face and clenched fists.

—

As soon as the match ended, Xia Tong immediately passed out from exhaustion. He had no idea that Lin Mingfei carried him back to the bedroom, and afterward, he had a very satisfying dream.

In the dream, he was wielding his oversized magical staff, relentlessly chasing and beating up a little monster.

The monster was a saber-toothed white tiger—big-headed and short-bodied, furry and adorably silly-looking, about the same height as Xia Tong. Instead of the character “王” (king) on its forehead, it had three big characters: “哥布林” (Goblin). In the dream, Xia Tong went wild, smacking the tiger’s head with his staff like a jackhammer, pounding it deep into the ground.

“That’s what you get for mocking my wizard skills! Serves you right! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

He had never seen Goblin in person, so he could only imagine that annoying guy based on the name “saber-toothed tiger,” but even so, the dream filled him with immense joy and satisfaction.

Suddenly, the tiger, now half-buried in the ground, sprang up. A thick, powerful tail grew from its rear, stretched infinitely like a snake, and wrapped around his neck—

That deep-seated fear of getting ambushed by a glass-cannon assassin in-game hit him like a brick.

“Aaaah!! Let go of me! Get away!”

Xia Tong jolted awake and instinctively grabbed the “tiger tail” wreaking havoc—then bit down hard.

At that moment, Lin Mingfei was just about to give him a softer pillow to keep him from drooling in his sleep. But to his shock, the peacefully snoring little omega suddenly lunged up and chomped down on his arm!

“Hisss—” Lin Mingfei gasped in pain, his face twisting. Shaking his arm did nothing—the little creature was latched on like a tick, his head bobbing up and down, refusing to let go! Helpless, Lin Mingfei had no choice but to pinch Xia Tong’s nose: “Let go! Let go! Come on, let go!”

The little omega, unable to breathe through his nose, was forced to release his grip. He flopped back onto the bed, slowly opened his eyes, and mumbled in a daze:

“Oh my god… It was just a dream… scared the crap out of me…”

“…” Lin Mingfei rolled up his sleeve and looked at the fresh, bloody bite marks on his forearm. He sighed deeply before muttering:

“Xia Xiaotong, you are way too wild.”

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