No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Everyone was wondering if they had misheard.

Is this the kind of thing he should say?

Is this guy possessed by some evil spirit?

But only Jiang Shu knew that as a stepping stone for himself, it was absolutely necessary for him to elevate the other party.

You see, in shonen manga, if the protagonist just casually defeats a random passerby, no one will think that the protagonist is actually very strong, especially when he is a comedic character most of the time.

Defeating someone only has real value if the person you defeated has demonstrated a strong and intimidating presence.

It's like a man having a wife who is completely obedient to him. Ordinary people would just say, "I'm so envious." But if you say that this obedient wife graduated from Wuhan University, it's different. Everyone would say, "That's really awesome."

Therefore, Jiang Shu could not tolerate the lack of confidence in Hiroshima's heatwave.

If even he admits that he's not good enough, everyone will think, "Oh, it's just a bunch of noobs fighting each other, so it's normal for anyone to win or lose."

Doesn't that mean we fought him for nothing?

If they actually take it seriously and use it as an excuse to ask what conditions they need to meet to challenge for a top-ten spot, who knows how much more time they'll waste?

However, Jiang Shu was indeed overthinking this.

It's true that everyone views him with prejudice.

However, they were not as incapable of distinguishing right from wrong as Jiang Shu imagined, or as capable of surviving in the final arena. Although the specific details might vary in strength, some could understand more while others understood less, they could still distinguish the basic strengths and weaknesses.

Even by their own standards, they could see that Hiroshima Heatwave was very strong, and Jiang Shu, who defeated him, was even stronger.

Therefore, even if Jiang Shu didn't say it, they all understood that this was just a temporary period of confusion caused by the Hiroshima heat wave. In reality, no one would take his words seriously, nor would anyone be a heartless fool who actually thought that Jiang Shu had just won another game by luck.

In fact, by now, most people have realized that Jiang Shu is definitely not a simple guy; he is an extremely cunning and threatening opponent.

Therefore, in their view, it seemed somewhat ambiguous for Jiang Shu to specifically emphasize Hiroshima Heatwave's strength in order to comfort and encourage him.

Oh, what? So he has this side to him too?

He could have easily taken advantage of Hiroshima's misfortune and retaliated by severely defaming the Hiroshima heatwave, but he didn't.

Although he's a CS player, he seems to be a good CS player who doesn't trample on the efforts of others.

Of course, Jiang Shu had no idea what they were thinking.

From his perspective, people reacted this way probably simply because they didn't know just how terrifying that "nuclear explosion" really was.

That's why they were so surprised after I told them the truth.

This is understandable, since they can't feel the power and pressure of the light screen. It's like watching a movie; you can only imagine how the protagonist feels through the sound and images, whether it's comfortable or painful. No one else can truly understand except the person in question.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shu looked at the heatwave in Hiroshima.

"I won't allow you to look down on yourself! Because that's disrespectful to me too!"

The Hiroshima heatwave took me by surprise.

Looking into Jiang Shu's stern eyes, filled with a sense of disappointment and frustration, he felt a strange sense of guilt and dared not meet Jiang Shu's gaze.

He lowered his head instinctively, like a child who had done something wrong.

Actually, it's because Jiang Shu is too strong.

He did have that thought.

But he felt that this was not a reason for him to lose.

Does facing someone stronger than yourself mean you have to lose? Doesn't that mean that if you want to win, you can only turn your sword against someone weaker?

So, it's still because I'm too weak.

So weak that even with a skill like "nuclear explosion" that could allow one to overcome a large enemy with a small one and defeat a strong one with a weak one, they still squandered everything due to underestimating their opponent, making all their efforts a joke.

I can't beat my nemesis, Sachima, with my current self.

That guy never underestimates his opponents. From the moment he first gained the qualification to challenge the top ten until now, although his opponent has never wanted to fight him again except for the first time.

But once inside the incubator, the other party will go all out.

But what about ourselves?

Ah... so that's why he keeps winning, right?

Realizing this, Hiroshima Atsuro uttered those self-deprecating words.

But Jiang Shu's words suddenly woke him up.

respect...

Is going all out out of respect for the opponent...?

Is it true that only by respecting one's opponent can one respect oneself and thus possess the heart of a strong person?

What an interesting angle! How come I never noticed it before...?

So it turns out I didn't lose because of the power of my skills...

Thinking of this, Hiroshima Rei's eyes cleared up considerably.

He smiled softly.

"Oh, I see. I really do owe you a favor." He looked at Jiang Shu calmly, finally finding the courage to face his failure: "Thank you."

"..."

Jiang Shu frowned.

Is this person mentally unstable?

Why thank yourself for no reason?

Besides beating him up, what did I do to help him?

“But…” Hiroshima Heatwave smiled, showing no trace of the previous bipolar disorder-like irritability and impatience: “Your next opponent, Sachima, is a man far stronger than me…”

What... kind of development is this?

Shouldn't your most urgent task be to explain to everyone the principle and true strength of your move, and then add at the end, "I didn't expect to still lose to you even with all that"?

"...More consistent strength than mine, and a mindset of a true champion that rivals yours..."

What on earth is this guy saying?

A strong mentality?

He doesn't think he lost to me because of his mentality, does he?

This isn't some kind of idealistic worldview!

"What awaits you next is an even more dangerous challenge. That man won't give you a chance like I did; he's the type who will go all out from the very beginning..."

Hey...wait a minute...

This trend...

You're not going to say that next, are you?

You wouldn't be going to...

Just like those clichéd plot points in shonen manga...

"So... take my share and let's work hard together!"

"Tsk..."

At this moment, Jiang Shu was certain that there had been some kind of strange misunderstanding between them, and he was even more certain that the harsh words spoken by the other party earlier, which were full of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), were not a fabrication, but a genuine expression of his feelings.

Are even the defeat cutscenes this standard?

That's amazing.

"I never expected that you two would become friends after such a misunderstanding," said Sugar Knight, somewhat moved.

Where did we meet?

Don't you think I look more like I'm possessed by some kind of evil spirit?

"Could it be... that he's actually a good person?"

Is it possible that he has been using a prickly exterior to protect the softness inside his heart?

The others were also whispering among themselves.

Jiang Shu was truly at her wit's end.

Just as he was about to distance himself from these scoundrels and cleanse his polluted mind,

"This is lively! I heard something interesting is happening here." A man suddenly appeared, looking at Hiroshima's heatwave with amusement: "You actually lost to everyone else except me?"

Hiroshima Relang's expression changed, and he said to Jiang Shu, "It's him! He's Sachima! Be careful!"

"Are you the one who defeated the Hiroshima heatwave? He's actually quite concerned about you. That's rare." Upon hearing this, Sachima turned her attention to Jiang Shu, licking her lips with curiosity on her face.

Jiang Shu was getting a little annoyed.

Why are they all being presented in such a formulaic way?

Then I'll just stick to a formula.

"So he never cared about anyone when he was with you? But he was always like this when he was with me."

Sachima: ?

Chapter 305 The Second Battle

"What?" Sugar Knight said helplessly when he saw Sachima suddenly appear. "Looks like I didn't need to call you over at all. So you've been watching all along?"

But Shaqima didn't answer him; she just stared at Jiang Shu with displeasure.

Clearly, he was unhappy because of Jiang Shu's remarks.

"So, you're saying that even though you lost, the feeling it gave you was completely different?" He glanced sideways at Hiroshima Atsuro, his eyes filled with a hint of disgust and dissatisfaction.

Hiroshima Atsuro's eyes shone as he nodded frankly: "Yes, although it was still a failure, I learned a lot this time. This is probably... the first time I haven't hated the taste of failure so much."

Upon hearing this, Shaqima's face darkened even more.

At the same time, Jiang Shu was speechless with frustration.

This isn't right...

That kind of misleading statement was just something I made up on the spur of the moment, just to annoy you guys.

No, how could you really be like this?

If the Hiroshima heatwave kneeling there now were a beautiful girl instead of a chubby boy, then replacing the word "failure" with something else would feel perfectly natural.

Of course, it's strange enough that it's not even replaced.

The atmosphere had become so strange that Jiang Shu didn't want to stay there any longer.

Without saying a word, he prepared to flee the scene.

"Snow King, Boya, let's go."

"Huh? Oh, good."

"Are you leaving already?"

What are you disappointed about?

Jiang Shu walked with a gloomy expression to the area near the entrance to the final arena.

With a flash, Shaqima appeared right in front of Jiang Shu.

The Sugar Knight's expression changed, and he shouted a warning: "You can't make a move here!"

"Nonsense, of course I know!" Shaqima replied without turning her head, then said to Jiang Shu with a forced smile, "If the loser doesn't speak, how can the winner just leave?"

"Do you think I'm playing mahjong with you?" Jiang Shu retorted.

"You defeated the Hiroshima heatwave, which earned you the right to challenge for the top ten, and now... I'm standing right in front of you."

Sachima sneered:

"Are you really planning to give up like this?"

If that's the case, it won't be so easy for you to challenge me again next time. You need to understand that some opportunities, once missed, will never come again.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, filled with the smell of gunpowder.