Translated by Team DHH at Fish Trapped in Secret Room

Book 3: Glory on the Other Side

Chapter 11

She chose the restaurant that was closest to the compet.i.tion arena.

None of them were picky eaters.  Especially she and Xiaomi were already used
to being rushed by Gun when they were on Solo’s team.  They would eat super
fast as Gun berated them, “We’re late”,  “We’re late”……In the end, they didn’t
even know what they were late for.

Xiaomi bit a shrimp dumpling and leaned on the chair.

Ai Qing saw that he was checking Secret Room’s ranking for today on the official
website.

“After the compet.i.tion in Guangzhou is over, I’ll be on vacation.”  She looked at the
bill and pulled out money to put on the table.  “Let me pay first.  It’s easier to file the
expense report.”

“Vacation?”  Slide s.n.a.t.c.hed the bill and shook her money off.  “We can all file an
expense report.  Why are you so polite?  Where will you go for your vacation?”

“I’m registered in the Tetris Masters Compet.i.tion……”  She explained quietly.

As for the other three people……

The degree of this manager’s involvement in different professions was absolutely
incomparable to ordinary people.

When she didn’t qualify for the DotA Asian Tournament, she went to play Need for
Speed, a racing game.  Now she was leading the Secret Room team, she still had
not forgotten about Tetris.  Slide shook his head and sighed, “If there was
Minesweeper world tournament someday, let me know and I’ll go too.”

They quickly paid the bill, carried their bags, and walked out one by one.

It just so happened that K&K’s manager, Su Cheng, walked in by herself.  
She pa.s.sed by Ai Qing.  Both tried to step aside a little bit only to make the
hallway even narrower.  Several bulky men impolitely took the chance to walk
through between them.  Ai Qing had to step back again.

“Ai Qing.”  Xiaomi exclaimed.

“Ah?”

“You stepped on my foot.”

He was trying to secretly retract his foot, but couldn’t because she had stepped
on the entire foot.

“Ah!  Sorry, sorry.  I wasn’t paying attention.”  She jumped aside.

Which was very well and good, but now Bug’s foot was being stomped on……
the manager’s sense of direction was always terrible.  She was just an idiot at
directions outside of the video games. Just like now, as she fiercely stepped on
his sports shoe.  Though she instantly moved her foot away, it really hurt.

As the commotion ended, the K&K manager had already disappeared.

When they went back to the stadium, the scores on the large screen already had
obvious changes.  Surprisingly, Buff’s scores exceeded K&K.  Before they left around
nine o’clock, both teams’ scores were about the same and with both having won all
their matches……

“Did both teams have the Fifteen Minute duels?”  Slide drank the c.o.ke.

“They should have.”

One point was awarded for winning one match in this Round Robin system.

If the match hadn’t finished after thirty minutes, it would be a draw and neither of
the two teams  earned a point.  There would be a Secret Room duel as a tiebreaker.  
It was similar to…….PK in soccer? (note: PK is Penalty Kick in soccer.)

If a team won the duel within fifteen minutes, they would win a point.

Based on the number of games already finished for scoring purposes, K&K had
done one duel match and Buff should have done two. Getting a duel all depended
on luck, it usually only occurs when there was a good map and a relatively simple mission.

Ai Qing looked at the two teams currently in a match.

Their match was the second to the last round of matches.

Round 11/12.

Suddenly loud cheers and applause erupted in the arena.

K&K won the duel!

“Excellent.”  Slide whistled.

Another wave of cheers burst out before the previous round of cheers calmed down.

At the left side of the arena, the captain of Buff pushed his keyboard away violently.  
He stood up and waved his fist.  He also won a duel match!

This thirty something years old man was different from Solo and Gun who always
stood at the peak of the pyramid regardless whether they were on the compet.i.tion
fields or behind the scenes.  Signs of aging were visible on his face.  She didn’t
know why they returned after the team was disbanded for so many years……

The pioneering Solo’s team and the domineering Buff team.

Before she came here, she doubted the condition of their old opponent.

Now it looked like he still had it, his skill hadn’t diminished at all.

……

Ai Qing felt emotional.  She looked at Xiaomi.

Xiaomi seemed to have tears forming at the edge of his eyes.  He leaned forward
to put his forehead on the back of the chair in front of him and covered his entire face.

In the dark night outside the stadium in Guangzhou, there were already people
walking along the streets looking for snack stands.  But inside the stadium, the
climax of the round robin game matches hadn’t started yet.

Translated by Team DHH at