289. A Football Match? A Gladiator Arena!
"Today's match is between the St. Freya Academy team and the Oceania branch team!"
A host, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, announced the match.
The two teams faced each other, their gazes constantly shifting to the Oceania branch team members.
They lowered their heads somewhat embarrassedly.
This was blatant bullying! Yun Ling's actions went beyond mere despicable behavior.
After all, besides Wendy, Bronya on Yun Ling's team was practically disabled...
Playing against such a team, winning was dishonorable, and losing was even more shameful.
"The players shake hands." With the host's announcement, Yun Ling shook hands with the opposing captain.
Yun Ling could feel the growing killing intent in the air, barely concealed.
Yun Ling, however, maintained his sunny smile, which only fueled their anger.
Suddenly, something fell out of Yun Ling's pocket.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a wrench.
Yun Ling calmly picked it up and wiped away imaginary dust.
"Well, actually, I'm an engineering student at St. Freya Academy, so carrying a wrench is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?" Yun Ling tucked the wrench into his lower back.
But before they could say anything, a hammer suddenly fell out of Yun Ling's pocket.
Yun Ling again calmly picked it up and wiped away the dust.
"As I said before, I'm an engineering student, so carrying a hammer is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"Reasonable, my foot! Are you here to fight a war or to play football?!" The opposing captain gave Yun Ling the middle finger.
It seems this place is not only strictly disciplined, but also has a rather fierce atmosphere.
The referee removed all the wrenches, hammers, scissors, and over a dozen "engineering tools" from Yun Ling's person and thoroughly searched him to ensure he wasn't hiding anything else before the match officially began.
By this time, Mei and Kiana had lost all interest in playing, because standing next to Yun Ling...it was just too embarrassing!
However, seeing Wendy's eager expression, they held back. Yun Ling did like to cause trouble, but as long as Wendy was happy, that was enough.
"Wendy, you guard the goal. I believe in you." Yun Ling pushed Wendy towards the goal.
"Okay! I'll try my best!" Wendy nodded vigorously, encouraging herself.
Soon, Yun Ling regretted his actions.
This wasn't football; this was murder!
Have you ever seen someone kick a ball directly at an opposing player's head?
The worst part was that they were also kicking that player's head!
Yun Ling could only say "wtf" to this.
A comical scene unfolded on the field: the opposing team, except for the goalkeeper, relentlessly pursued Yun Ling, kicking the ball relentlessly.
Once Yun Ling gained possession of the ball, he faced a barrage of sliding tackles from five players...
What? Couldn't the referee see it?
Please, if the referee could play, there would definitely be one more player kicking the ball.
"Yuna, receive the ball!"
"Yes!"
Yun Ling finally managed to pass the ball, then dodged the five players' pursuit with a difficult maneuver.
But when he turned around, Yuna had already tripped over her own feet and fallen to the ground; the ball was out of bounds...
The field fell silent.
Only then did Yun Ling realize that without authority, Yuna was a complete sports idiot...
"Yun...Yun Ling...I'm sorry!!" Yuna apologized hastily.
"It's okay, you did your best...wow!" Yun Ling quickly dodged to the side, the ball, still sparking slightly, narrowly missing his cheek.
"That's despicable! He actually dodged!" The opposing player, seeing her attack fail, couldn't help but curse.
"I'm the one who's the victim here..." Yun Ling swallowed hard.
He felt like his opponents were determined to kill him on this soccer field.
"Go, Yun Ling!"
Wendy's cheers came from behind.
Since no one dared to shoot, everyone was kicking at Yun Ling, so she, having nothing else to do, became a cheerleader.
"Looks like I have a reason not to lose!" Yun Ling stretched his body.
"Damn it, Captain Wendy was completely fooled by that guy!"
This brief cheer further shattered the opponent's morale.
"Kill him!" The captain made a decapitation gesture with her thumb on her neck.
Kiana and Mei watched this farce, both wondering whether to intervene.
Kiana was alright; at least she had experience with soccer and could put some pressure on the opponents.
Mei, however, lacked these skills and could only barely hold her own against them thanks to her decent physical attributes. But this required technique, and Mei was constantly dispossessed as soon as she got the ball.
On St. Freya's side, although they had Yun Ling, at least three players would rush at him the moment he got the ball, relentlessly attacking him, making for a terrible gaming experience.
Therefore, the key to winning lay with Kiana and Bronya.
Bronya was a surprise weapon. Although she couldn't run fast, her exoskeleton armor gave her considerable leg strength.
Taking advantage of the other four players charging at her, Yun Ling gave Bronya a look, which she immediately understood.
The soccer ball arced perfectly through the air, landing on Bronya's steel plate before a powerful shot sent it hurtling towards the opponent's goal.
The opposing team clearly hadn't reacted in time; it was too late to save it.
As the ball crossed the goal line, the whistle blew, and the goal was valid!
"Bronya, that ball control wasn't bad," Yun Ling praised Bronya.
"Hmph~ Don't underestimate Bronya!" Bronya raised her chin, clearly pleased with Yun Ling's praise.
"Let's cheer each other on!" Yun Ling said, running ahead to draw attention again.
But after that play, the opponents were clearly on guard, focusing their attention on Kiana and Bronya.
As for the other two, well, they were no threat.
Under their tight defense and indiscriminate attacks on Yun Ling, he could only pass the ball to Mei.
But Mei didn't know how to control the ball, so she imitated Bronya's method, using her chest to stop it.
Then... the ball bounced away...
The field fell silent again.
They glanced first at the soccer ball rolling on the ground, then at Mei, and then simultaneously looked at Bronya.
Bronya's expression froze, her eyes glazed over, gradually turning ashen, as if a slight gust of wind could blow her away.
Taking advantage of this opening, the opponent snatched the ball and dribbled it all the way to the goal.
Wendy stood ready, prepared to defend the goal with her own body, her own life, becoming the last line of defense.
Then... the ball slowly rolled across the line.
Score!
Goal! Now, another person is dejected.
...