At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

The bassist, Haion, who had previously been criticized as the team's culprit, was now looking down at the ground with a wide grin that looked like a pumpkin lantern, as if he was about to burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, the guitarist, Black Feather Crow, to his left, took the opportunity of turning his back to tune the instrument to give the drummer a playful grin, which was almost unnoticeable unless you looked closely.

"No. Their demeanor doesn't seem like that of someone reflecting on something."

Su Che sensed something was wrong and was about to think about it some more when the performance started without warning.

Accompanied by the roar of guitar and bass, a familiar intro begins.

He discovered that the opening piece played by the opposing team was the same as the piece they played during the competition—"Undertaker Moonlight".

I heard this song three days ago, so I'm very familiar with it. It's heavy metal, has a huge impact on stage, and the stage presence is impeccable.

The musicians' performance followed a military-style procedure, without any major flaws or problems. But soon, Su Che, with his sharp ears, noticed that this time, their off-track project was absolutely flawless.

The outro has no rhythmic chaos, and the background PAD in the middle has also had its background noise removed, making it somewhat like a big-budget release. There's not a hint of incongruity.

"Miya, listen, isn't the instrumentation for their songs different from the stage performance?"

"Hmm, it seems like there are several tracks of ambient strings layered on top of each other, which isn't present during live performances."

Miya has incredibly sensitive ears, capable of simultaneously dissecting 20 different instrument tracks. This is one of her talents, earning her the nickname "Golden Ear" from Lu Shi and "Cat Ear" from Su Che.

"You noticed it too, right? Generally speaking, even if flawed projects are corrected after a competition, the changes wouldn't be this drastic. And judging from how easily Haiyin played, it didn't seem like they were seriously working on a song. It seems like they..."

There are two versions of the accompaniment.

Su Che guessed.

"Hmm... I think so too."

Miya nodded slightly. "What the cat owners mean is that they deliberately submitted the wrong accompaniment to the recording engineer at the competition, so that it would play out incorrectly. Is that right?"

"probably."

Su Che had lost interest in listening anymore; the answer he wanted was basically clear.

“I suspect that the Mosse I was involved in was a fixed match.”

He gave his final conclusion.

"Really? You own a cat? Then... am I fake too?"

The sudden remark made Su Che's expression freeze slightly, and he turned to look at Miya beside him in surprise.

Miya blinked and continued, "I was the champion in the last Mosse Artifact Cup."

So, cat owners, do you think my championship title is fake, and my feelings for you are fake too?

"........."

Su Che's heart skipped a beat, and he finally realized that he had said the wrong thing.

"Of course not. I didn't mean that."

He sighed inwardly.

He can criticize a game, criticize a team, but he can never criticize his own cat.

Their own cats are their exclusive possessions, objects that need to be pampered. If this is rejected, then all the affection they've invested in them is essentially gone.

Such a complex relationship is absolutely unacceptable in Su Che's ecosystem.

"Cat owner. You've just been too tired lately, dealing with too many people and things. Perhaps you've become distrustful of the world, but I want to tell you that no matter what happens, I will be with you and have kittens with you. Please don't doubt me."

Miya's sincere words were like a transparent sword, silently piercing someone's heart.

Su Che frowned, and for a moment, he was unsure of the meaning of what he was investigating.

Looking at the girl pressed tightly against him, Su Che couldn't help but feel confused—

Yes. Whether the competition is real or fake is no longer important. Because I still want to keep playing.

But Miya, Anqing, and everyone around them are real people, tangible entities that you can reach out and touch.

They're real, so why should I care whether the rules are real or not?

Even if I lose, they won't leave me; even if I win, they won't question the results.

Being with me requires them to pay a huge price. No matter how you look at it, I'm not at a disadvantage. So what am I still hesitating about?

The heavy metal guitar roar continued, while Minghe's opera singing lingered like background music on Su Che's head.

Su Che could no longer hear.

I don't remember how long the performance actually took, nor do I know how I ended up getting back to the hotel with everyone.

This assessment yielded results, but it downplayed some unexpected aspects.

That was the girls' true feelings.

-

At three in the morning, I lay down on the big bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The head maid beside him asked with concern, "Is the young master still troubled by what happened during the day?"

No.

"Then why don't you rest?"

She leaned closer, her allure fully revealed.

Su Che knew that the "rest" the head maid mentioned did not refer to sleep, but rather to a supreme "rest" that involved a kind of spiritual and physical liberation with her.

Unfortunately, I'm not in the mood for that today.

"I'm wondering, when a person lives in a kind of 'cocoon,' will their thoughts, spirit, soul, and body be 'alienated,' to the point that they can no longer recognize themselves from a few years ago?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qiao sensed that the young master might be confused and lost on his life's path, so she put away her seductive charm and wrapped her arms around his body.

He whispered comfortingly in her ear, "It doesn't matter if you've become alienated. No matter how much you become alienated, you'll still be my young master, and that won't change. I believe it's the same for everyone. So just enjoy the present moment, why bother about the illusions and truths of the world?"

"is it?"

"Yes, I've always felt that youth is the most precious thing a person can have. I heard that the young master's childhood wasn't perfect. Since there are already regrets, why not cherish the present to avoid future regrets?"

Bai Qiao pressed her red lips against his earlobe and gently breathed on him:

"When you're young, you should do what young people should do, right? Otherwise, when you're old, you'll regret not seizing certain opportunities when you were young, and in the end, the pain will be doubled, and you'll be surrounded by loneliness. Wouldn't that be even more unbearable?"

"what……"

Su Che's face contorted in pain as he took a deep breath.

Even when feeling utterly dejected, nestled in the head maid's embrace, one can still feel bliss enveloping the body, with every cell in the body radiating an aura of pleasure.

This is an instinctive reaction, an instinct telling itself: "You are already very happy and content, stop being so critical."

Yes. It seems that every cat around me, except the head maid, has the right to say such things.

But people are never satisfied.

As the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and warm, they think of lustful desires," and once lustful desires are satisfied, humans begin to pursue "value"—

Spiritual value, inner value, and even the value of lineage.

Su Che wanted to confirm that he was not a cripple.

I want to confirm what I am capable of doing.

Rather than simply love.

Now, cracks have appeared in the wall; one more powerful punch will reveal the secrets of heaven.

Su Che pondered painfully, agonizing and brooding. Finally, with his head buried in the head maid's chest, he fell into a deep sleep, overwhelmed with exhaustion and drowsiness.

……

……

Chapter 284 Urology Specialist

I awoke from the warmth three days later.

When he came to his senses again, Su Che on the stage looked at the judges below with a confused expression, unsure whether what he had just heard was real or if he was still dreaming.

— "Void Realm" has withdrawn from the competition.

That's right.

Just as their name suggests, the team "Void" only sent a message to the production team immediately after their "Seven Colors" performance during the second round of the Mosse semi-finals:

"Due to force majeure, the team is unable to continue the competition."

This direct forfeit by the opponent resulted in "Seven Colors" receiving a bye in this round and advancing without any obstacles.

Even if Yuan Xiao is nervous and plays three wrong notes, or even if An Qing is too relaxed and misses a high note, it doesn't matter. With the enemy team gone, even if you only get an F grade, you can still pass the level smoothly.

This is the game, and these are the rules.

"Congratulations to 'Seven Colors' for successfully advancing to the semifinals with a combination of skill and luck, breaking through the quarterfinals!"

The host's voice was filled with excitement, as if Su Che and his team had experienced a thrilling and extremely fierce battle.

What's even more bizarre is that the judges in the audience all stood up to congratulate them, as if the withdrawal of a team was no big deal to them.

At that moment, Su Che smiled strangely.

Suddenly, I realized that the biggest blow the "Void Realm" team dealt me ​​was the feeling of endless emptiness I experienced after the match.

That's really pretty awesome.

"Come on, go home."

Su Che and his team members left the stage together.

According to the official schedule and competition arrangement, the semi-finals will be held in February, around the time of the Chinese New Year. There will be almost no gap between the finals and the semi-finals, with the champion to be decided within two days.

The champion team will perform on stage with a mystery band as a way of thanking all the ticket holders who came to watch the game.

On the way home, Bai Chu sent a text message saying that they had crushed their opponents in Group D without any doubt and won the victory.

In other words, if they can beat the leader of Group B in the next match, then they will most likely meet Bai Chu's "Silver Travel Ship" at the finish line in the final.