As they approached the check-in area, a lively voice echoed from the stage.
A young female host, holding a microphone, smiled brightly as her voice carried across the street.
"Welcome, everyone, to the trial event of Tactical Internet Café!
Tonight's tournament will feature the latest masterpiece from Tactical Entertainment—Star of War!
Meet the qualifications and claim victory, and you'll walk away with opening ceremony tickets.
And for the MVP—there's an extra mysterious reward waiting!"
Her words instantly split the crowd in two.
On the right, the line for registration stretched long, filled with eager students clutching their forms, chattering excitedly about strategies.
On the left, rows of food stalls and merchandise booths filled the air with mouthwatering aromas and hawkers' shouts.
Chen eyed the registration line and muttered to himself:
"With this many people, once everyone checks in, the matches will probably start right away."
Just then, Li Yan shoved him playfully.
"Chen, you go register for us. I asked earlier, only the captain needs to check in. Kunzi and I will… take a look around first."
Chen froze.
"…Why me as captain?"
Both Zhang Qingkun and Li Yan placed their hands on his shoulders, speaking with mock solemnity:
"Because, aside from gaming, you're useless."
They burst into laughter and ran off toward the food stalls, leaving Chen to stew in his frustration.
Squeezed forward by the crowd, Chen finally reached the counter.
The staffer behind the desk, a young man with earphones on, looked utterly uninterested.
"Next. Registration form."
Chen handed over the sheet.
"Our team… reporting in."
The staffer scanned it quickly, then frowned.
"Team name… blank?"
Chen's mind went blank. He stammered, then blurted out:
"Uh… Just… call us… Justice Squad."
The staffer typed briskly on his keyboard.
"Justice Squad, registered."
He handed over three player cards, each with a bold number printed on it.
"This is your team number. Matches start at five. Report to Area One on time, or you'll be disqualified."
Before Chen could thank him, the staffer had already moved on to the next participant.
Shuffled back by the crowd, Chen stared down at the three player cards, sighing.
"So I do the registering, and those two are probably still stuffing their faces…"
Right on cue, Zhang Qingkun and Li Yan came bouncing back.
Li Yan grinned. "So? How'd it go?
Chen handed them the cards. "Here. Your IDs."
They both read the team name and then exchanged a look. Five seconds later, Kunzi erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha! Chen, you genius! Justice Squad—it's perfect! We'll bring justice to everyone!"
Li Yan nodded seriously. "Not bad."
Before Chen could roll his eyes, the host's voice thundered once more:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the tournament is about to begin! Our big screens will randomly display highlights from different teams during their matches.
And now—let's welcome the director of Tactical Entertainment, Mr. Kainor Jackson, to explain the rules!"