Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 414 - 409: Central Region Tournament (Part 2)

Chapter 414: Chapter 409: Central Region Tournament (Part 2)

Ji Ning withdrew her spiritual power, somewhat surprised.

Her lips curved into a slight smile.

Just as well, there are some grudges best settled by oneself.

...

In the afternoon, it was time for each school to draw lots and determine the match lists.

A total of 36 schools, divided into three groups: A, B, and C.

Each group had 12 schools competing head to head, with the winners advancing to continue matches with other advancing schools, until a group champion was determined, who then faced off against the champions of the other two groups to decide the top three places and proceed to the finals.

So as long as you become the champion of your group, you’ve secured a spot in the finals, but the higher your rank, the higher your initial score in the finals, which is very advantageous for the competition.

Who would rather settle for second place when they could be first?

Students from the 36 schools were all quietly gearing up, ready to win every single match for their school and bring honor.

Below the stage—

Anhe Middle School students looked on eagerly as their hefty principal reached his arm into the lottery box.

Hoping not to draw the "Group of Death."

Before Anhe Middle School, 20 schools had already drawn their lots.

Among them were schools that had consistently made it to the finals and performed well over the years.

Their group was uniformly referred to as the "Group of Death."

The A and B groups currently included strong schools, especially Group A, which now gathered last year’s Hua Continent third place, fourth place, and the champion from the year before, these three strong teams.

"Not Group A or B, not Group A or B..."

"Buddha, anything but Group A, any group will do..."

"May Principal Zhang have extraordinary luck, surrounded by fortune, I vow to eat vegetarian meals for a week."

Ji Ning found it amusing as she watched these kids temporarily praying, but she didn’t reveal the answer.

On the stage, the host opened the slip drawn by Principal Zhang and announced loudly, "Anhe Middle School, Group C."

"Yay—"

Hu Lingling jumped up in excitement, hugging Bai Xiaotang, Ma Weiwei, and Xu Jiaying.

Lin Yuanyang glanced at the ecstatic four and adjusted his glasses, "Last year’s Hua Continent champion hasn’t drawn yet."

"Don’t jinx it, what if they get Group B?" Bai Xiaotang glared at Lin Yuanyang.

Unfortunately, the goddess of luck did not smile on Anhe Middle School again, not only did last year’s champion end up in Group C, but also the former third-place school from two years ago.

Especially since these two schools consistently reached the finals for several years, lingering in the top three rankings, they were well-established powerhouses.

Their faces fell like eggplants after frost, even with the principal’s encouragement, they couldn’t lift their spirits.

It was Ji Ning’s words: "Do you still want extra training today?"

Everyone instantly perked up, shaking their heads in surrender, begging Ji Ning to spare them.

Who understands the struggle for family?

Just a day of rest, and they still had to complete an inhuman amount of training at home.

The key was that there was someone remotely supervising them, practically like a devil.

Today, they finally got a day to rest, so please have mercy on them.

Bai Xiaotang clasped her hands in front of Ji Ning and pretended to be pitiful.

Ji Ning smiled and said something inexplicable to her.

"You have to work hard, your opponent has gotten much stronger."

Huh?

Bai Xiaotang was surprised.

Could it be that Sister Ning already knew her opponent in advance?

No matter how much she asked, Ji Ning didn’t tell her.

As a result, Bai Xiaotang played the upcoming matches with 120 percent focus.

Even after the matches, she squeezed in time for training on the field to ensure she maintained her best state.

Seeing her as a role model, the other students from Anhe Middle School dared not slack off, all engrossed in competing fiercely and focusing on training when not competing.

This way they didn’t give the little figure a chance to target her and Lin Yuanyang.

...

"Damn, when did these two get so strong? They actually won all these matches?" The little figure, disguised as a staff member inside the venue, looked at the three with hateful intent.

If it weren’t for those three, he wouldn’t have ended up like this, with a child’s dwarf body.

He had his limbs crushed by Ji Ning back then, left to lie on the bed like a cripple.

If it weren’t for his father’s friend rescuing him, he wouldn’t have survived.

In Beizhou for the past six months, he underwent over a hundred surgeries, enduring inhuman torture before he was able to stand again, though his limbs were completely useless and had to be fitted with metal prosthetics.

But because of the metal prosthetics, he gained new abilities.

He’s determined that those three will pay blood for blood!

His burning hatred caught Lin Yuanyang’s attention, and he immediately lowered his head, pretending to sweep the floor seriously.

Lin Yuanyang furrowed his brow, walked over to Ji Ning and asked quietly: "Sister Ning, shouldn’t we be concerned about that suspicious person?"

"No need, just a clown jumping around. We’ll deal with it after the competition."

Lin Yuanyang suppressed his inner rashness.

From the moment Bai Yulin first appeared near them, he had noticed.

He was originally quite concerned, not daring to let Bai Xiaotang be alone for a moment, but after two days of competition, he realized Bai Yulin only loitered nearby and never dared to make a move.

As Sister Ning said, such timid people never make a significant impact.

"Ah—"

"Li Mu actually lost?"

Bai Xiaotang’s scream pulled Lin Yuanyang’s wandering thoughts back.

On the field, Li Mu, a player with an S-Class physique, shockingly lost the first round in a dodge tennis-style challenge project for Anhe Middle School.

The pressure falls on Wu Muzhe, who also possesses an S-Class physique, and Ma Shanshan, who just broke through to an A1-class physique.

If both lose, Anhe Middle School will stop here.

The Central Region group stage doesn’t judge by multiple projects, but by the same project in a best-of-three format.

Currently, Anhe Middle School hasn’t lost any match in the group stage, if they win this round, they will reach the group stage finals.

But their current opponent was the third-place team from two years ago, where every participating student was incredibly strong with ample competition experience.

Even though Li Mu performed admirably, he was still outperformed by his opponent.

Huang Ying handed Li Mu a bottle of water by the field, and took the chance to remind Wu Muzhe who was preparing to play.

"That machine pauses for about 0.5 seconds every 3 minutes and 25 seconds, that’s your chance."

Wu Muzhe was stunned, quickly nodding in acknowledgment.

This is the strength of someone with rich combat experience.

Huang Ying’s sensory perception has already surpassed many superpower users at the same level.

She can swiftly capture any slight changes in the environment.

This was her only chance to survive each time she took on an S-Class task in the Pollution Zone.

...

Outside, everyone from Anhe Middle School silently cheered for the two players who would go next.

Especially Hu Lingling, who temporarily clutched a bracelet from somewhere, closed her eyes and recited silently: "Amitabha."

She now dared not open her eyes at all.

Primarily showcasing the ostrich mentality of "if I don’t look, we won’t lose."

Until familiar cheers erupted around her.

"Ah—won!"

"Wu Muzhe, you’re amazing!"

"I promise not to call you an elite dog anymore."

Everyone: ...

Turning their heads.

They saw Xu Jiaying’s white face suddenly blush.