The fans and supporters of the Longwei Football Team were stunned. What was going on? How did things suddenly turn out like this? Although they noticed that some of the Longwei players' attacks had slowed down and seemed strange, their thoughts were the same as Zhuang Keluo's. They all booed loudly:
"Longwei, you bastard, you're actually fixing the game, and so obviously!"
"Look, that number twelve, he was about to intercept, then suddenly slowed down. It's obviously cheating! That's too much, Longwei, don't you have any shame? Do your family members know?"
...
The scene was almost chaotic.
Zhuang Sicong on the sidelines was also quite surprised. One number 23 could be considered a mistake, or an occasional lapse in concentration, but several in a row doing the same thing—what was going on?
His thick eyebrows were practically twisted into two frizzy knots as he substituted off the problematic players one after another, quickly inquiring about their conditions. However, the responses were all remarkably similar:
"Captain, I don't know what happened. The moment I kicked the ball, it felt like some force pulled me back, making me stop abruptly, and the ball just slipped past."
"It was like being possessed. When intercepting, I could clearly get the ball, but suddenly it felt like someone was holding me, I could barely move, I could only watch helplessly as the enemy flashed past!"
"Holy crap! It's so weird. I could have headed it in, but as soon as I jumped, all my strength vanished, and I just collapsed. It was like the ball hit me on the head..."
...
Their voices, though indignant, were filled with bewilderment and even a hint of fear, making Zhuang Sicong's face grim, his expression turning stormy.
He smelled a conspiracy!
As a martial arts practitioner, he had naturally heard of mystical cultivators and knew that a group of strange and mysterious people existed in this world.
However, he had never seen them, nor had he ever believed in them.
But if it wasn't mystical cultivators causing trouble, what would the situation be?
Zhuang Sicong squinted, looking towards the eighth floor of the building. However, he couldn't see anything; the glass reflected light. But with his relatively high martial arts cultivation, he could definitely sense a strange aura there.
"Captain, what do we do?" a player about to enter the game asked anxiously.
Zhuang Sicong gritted his teeth and quickly made tactical arrangements.
"When you encounter that situation again, remember, don't try to attack from a distance. Try to pass the ball to the nearest teammate..."
As he spoke, he simply asked the referee to call a timeout to adjust the tactics. In short, based on what he had just said, the main offensive player should be moved as quickly as possible. Zhuang Sicong didn't have time to explain the specifics.
If there really were legendary cultivators aiding and abetting evil, then quickly shifting the main attackers was one solution. Surely those damned cultivators would have a delay before changing targets?
After the tactical adjustment, on the eighth floor of the building...
Shen Hong couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "Zhuang Sicong already guessed our moves, and he was still able to adjust quickly—impressive!"
Shangguan Jinwang said calmly, "So what? First, his tactical adjustments might have some effect, but they're still far from keeping up with the pace of the six masters; second, even if he guessed it, he has no evidence, so we still win!"
He finished, beaming with pride, and laughed heartily.
Shen Hong clapped his hands and smiled, "That's true!"
Meanwhile, the six experts stared intently at the scene, their eyelids trembling. Their faces had turned pale, with a hint of ashen blue, and they looked exhausted.
Controlling five or six burly, incredibly strong men with their mental power in just over ten minutes was truly exhausting work. Of course, one could also say their Xuan Dao cultivation was still relatively shallow.
Xuan Dao cultivation, like martial arts cultivation, is divided into fifteen levels. Based on this, their cultivation level would be around level two or three.
Shen Hong glanced at them, then turned to Shangguan Jinwang and said, "Go and have your men bring over six cups of ginseng tea. The teachers need to replenish their energy!"
This commanding tone caused Shangguan Jinwang a slight displeasure, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction and immediately got up to make the arrangements.
On the field, as Shangguan Jinwang said, Zhuang Sicong's tactical adjustments, while having some effect, weren't very significant. The control of the six Xuan Dao cultivators still suppressed his speed-based tactics.
In less than five minutes, Yongda Football Team scored another goal.
Now, Longwei was almost completely on the defensive, and the players were in a state of anxiety and fear.
On the seventh floor of the building, the scene was also chaotic, with the gamblers looking on incredulously. What on earth is going on? Longwei, who were clearly dominating Yongda, are now completely outmaneuvered and being dominated? This is too dramatic!
These are all VIPs supporting the Longwei football team, who bet heavily on Longwei to win this match. Seeing this, they are naturally even more terrified and angry than ordinary fans!
"What's going on? How come Longwei suddenly seems so weak? Is Zhuang Sicong playing a joke on us? He said he was sure to win! I bet three million!"
"Old Wu, that's nothing! I bet eight million! That's almost all my savings!"
"Is Zhuang Sicong colluding with Shangguan Jinwang to cheat us out of our money? This is outrageous! Does he not want to stay in Yunzhou City? Is he crazy?"
"Look at that obvious cheating! It's a fixed match! It's all fixed! Zhuang Sicong, you've gone too far!"
...
The complaints were deafening. Some people were jumping up and down in frustration, others were about to bang their heads against the wall.
As for Zhuang Keluo, although she hadn't bet much, just casually, she was very nervous because of the shared anger. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, she pressed her palms to the glass, even her face, anxiously looking outside.
She babbled, "Oh no! What are we going to do? There's even a magician playing tricks! Shangguan Jinwang and his gang are inhuman, they're beasts! How could they do this! My cousin's in big trouble now, oh right..."
She suddenly turned to Lu Chen, "Brother Chen, you're in trouble too. I knew it! No wonder Shangguan Mingbo dared to bet ten million with you, and was so arrogant saying he could win, there was something fishy going on!"
As she spoke, she stomped her foot, making her breasts bounce around. She stomped her foot and rushed outside, gritting her teeth, "No, I have to stop those despicable guys! I can't watch them win your ten million! I can tolerate Cong being tricked, but I can't let you suffer a loss, ten million!"
Lu Chen watched her hurried, angry figure, then suddenly smiled and said loudly, "Honey, I have a way to deal with them, honey! Don't be so hasty! They want to play, but they can't afford to!"
Instantly, the beautiful figure stopped, then suddenly turned around, her alluring face revealing a look of surprise and joy.
Zhuang Keluo quickly ran back, plopped down next to Lu Chen, grabbed his arm, and asked, "Brother Chen, you...you really have a way?"
Lu Chen looked outside, scratched his head, and said, "I think I have a way, I can try!"
In fact, it wasn't just "I think I have a way," Lu Chen was almost absolutely certain. Even if those six Xuan cultivators combined all their energy, they wouldn't be a match for him.
Lu Chen sensed it; they were at most level two Xuan cultivators. Even if all six of them combined, they would still only reach level two. While the number had increased, the quality remained roughly the same.
As for Lu Chen, although he had never practiced Xuan cultivation, with the powerful abilities of his Curse God power, he could now at least unleash Xuan Dao level five or six energy.
This was an overwhelming force against those six Xuan cultivators!
Zhuang Keluo now had complete confidence in Lu Chen. She eagerly said, "Then hurry up and try, Brother Chen! The match will be over in a dozen minutes!"
Just then, shouts and cheers mingled outside, and the commotion inside the building grew even louder.
Yongda scored another goal! Now it's five to nine!
"Ten minutes, four goals short." Lu Chen pondered, then suddenly called out, "Luo Luo, call your brother Cong and tell him Dad's name. Unwind, attack with full force!"
Standing on the sidelines, Zhuang Sicong felt utterly overwhelmed and utterly powerless. His heart sank. It felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
He had gambled tens of millions himself, and with the bets from his trusted friends, relatives, and gamblers, the total was definitely over a hundred million. But the worst loss wasn't the money, but the trust his friends had placed in him, and the merciless mockery from his enemies. He had been suppressing Shangguan Jinwang, but today, he was about to be thoroughly humiliated by him and Shen Hong's combined attack!
He knew the other side was cheating, but he was powerless to reverse the situation!
For a moment, his vision blurred; the angry curses and taunts crashed over him like a tidal wave.
"Brother Cong, the phone!" a voice suddenly rang.
Zhuang Sicong turned his head and saw a henchman running over, holding his phone. His first thought was that some guy who had placed a huge bet was calling to confront him.
He gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Whoever is calling, tell him that if I, Zhuang Sicong, lose, rest assured, I will pay back all the money he bet!"
Saying this required considerable courage.
After all, even Zhuang Sicong wasn't rolling in money. If he had to pay back all his clients, that would amount to hundreds of millions. This would be a heavy blow to his career and business!
However, if he didn't do this, Zhuang Sicong's reputation would be ruined.
"It's Miss Luo Luo calling!" the underling said nervously. "She said she has something to tell you!"
Zhuang Sicong waved his hand impatiently. "What time is it? What is it? Tell her I'm busy!"
The underling spoke a few words to the person on the other end of the phone, then stammered to Zhuang Sicong, "Miss Luo Luo said it's very important!"
Zhuang Sicong's voice rose two octaves: "There's nothing more important than the basketball court right now!"
The underling could tell Zhuang Sicong was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. The person on the other end of the phone was the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family! In the Zhuang family, in terms of status, she was even higher than Zhuang Sicong.
He spoke a few more words to the person on the other end of the phone, then his eyes lit up as he looked at Zhuang Sicong, and his voice became much more energetic: "Brother Cong, Miss said it's about the basketball court! She has a way to solve it!"
"What?" Zhuang Sicong turned his head sharply.