Chapter 329 - 311: Confrontation of Powerhouses

Chapter 329: Chapter 311: Confrontation of Powerhouses

Soon after, the drawing for all contestants was complete.

The second round of the tournament officially began.

This round was expected to take about an hour.

Once again, matches were played simultaneously on all four arcade machines.

The players from groups one to four were the first to compete.

Overall, the matches were much more exciting than in the first round.

However, there were also some complete blowouts.

For example, the player on machine three’s player-one side quickly ended their match with a clean sweep, becoming the first contestant to advance to the third round.

And his opponent was by no means weak.

This was an absolute master. His skill might even have surpassed that of Lu Xiangyun, Wang Peng, and the others.

He was a strong contender for the championship.

Everyone’s attention on him intensified.

Including Li You.

The man’s name was Wang Ge Fei, and he seemed to run a fish business in town. He’d eaten at the restaurant quite a few times, so Li You recognized him, though they weren’t well acquainted.

’So this Wang Ge Fei is an absolute master at ’King of Fighters ’97’.’

As the first player to advance to the third round, Wang Ge Fei was also thrilled, frequently waving to the applauding and cheering crowd.

The tournament continued, and more players steadily advanced to the third round.

Soon, it was Liu Xu’s turn to play.

Li You watched with great interest.

In the end, Liu Xu scraped by with a narrow victory, successfully advancing to the third round.

Although it was a close call, his opponent was also very strong, which suggested Liu Xu would still be quite competitive in the third round.

’This Liu Xu isn’t half bad!’

The tournament continued on.

A short while later, Mu Qingye took the stage.

Without a doubt, Mu Qingye once again became the center of everyone’s attention.

Mu Qingye glanced at the crowd. After seeing Li You watching her, she happily continued toward the arcade machine.

Mu Qingye’s opponent was thrilled, having finally reached this moment.

"Mu, I’m very happy to have this match with you."

Mu Qingye offered a polite smile and said, "I’m happy too."

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the match between the two officially began.

Mu Qingye’s execution was as smooth as ever, and her opponent’s skill was also decent. He was much stronger than the female opponent Mu Qingye faced in the last round.

But he was still no match for Mu Qingye.

In the end, Mu Qingye finished the fight without even needing her third character, successfully advancing to the third round.

Everyone in the crowd grew even more excited. They knew that kid was no match for Mu Qingye.

Watching Mu Qingye’s slick and flashy plays, they figured if her luck held, getting into the top ten shouldn’t be a problem, even if winning the championship was a long shot.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Mu Qingye’s opponent sighed in resignation. ’I really was no match for her.’

’Still, getting to play a match against such a beauty was enough.’

The opponent congratulated Mu Qingye.

After thanking him, Mu Qingye walked over to Li You and said, "Boss, how was that?"

Li You gave her a thumbs-up. "Truly impressive. With a bit of luck, getting into the top ten shouldn’t be a problem. You might even be a contender for the championship."

Mu Qingye shook her head. "The championship is nearly impossible. There are several players stronger than me. I can only say that if I get lucky and don’t face them early on, making it to the top ten shouldn’t be a problem."

Li You smiled. "I think your luck will be pretty good today."

"You think so?" Mu Qingye smiled and said, "Then I’ll take you at your word, Boss."

...

A short while later, the second round concluded. It was 3:05 PM.

All 114 players who advanced to the third round had been decided.

Among them, besides Mu Qingye, one other female player had also successfully advanced to the third round.

Additionally, top players like Lu Xiangyun and Wang Peng were all still in the running.

Now, the drawing for the third round would begin.

After the drawing, there would be a twenty-minute break, and the third round would officially start at 3:30 PM.

Who would face whom in the third round? Who would be Mu Qingye’s opponent? Would there be any powerhouse matchups?

These questions filled everyone with anticipation.

At this stage, the possibility of a powerhouse matchup was much higher than before.

With everyone watching, the players drew their numbers one by one.

The first true powerhouse matchup was decided.

Wang Ge Fei and Wang Peng both drew number 5.

The two Wangs would face each other in this round.

Both were absolute masters and strong contenders for the championship. And now, they would meet in this round.

This meant one of them was destined to be eliminated here.

Not only would they miss out on the championship, but they wouldn’t even make it into the top ranks.

It had to be said, this was a shame.

While the audience was excited to see a powerhouse matchup, they also found it a great pity.

No matter which of them was eliminated, it would be a regrettable outcome.

For the two of them, this was just bad luck.

But that’s how it goes. This is a tournament; anything can happen.

The audience felt the regret. As for Wang Ge Fei and Wang Peng themselves, they each took a deep breath.

They both felt a sense of helplessness.

’But when two tigers fight, one must fall. Since we’re facing off now, I’ll just have to give it my all, eliminate my opponent, and advance to the next round.’

With that, both were filled with fighting spirit.

But for the other players, especially the other championship contenders, this was absolutely great news.

Regardless of who was eliminated, it would be to their benefit.

So, they were thrilled.

The drawing continued.

Soon, the drawing was over. All the players’ opponents were set.

Liu Xu had bad luck; he was matched against Lu Xiangyun. He would most likely be eliminated this round.

Liu Xu announced his opponent in his foodie group chat.

Many people in the group who couldn’t make it to the event for various reasons all started cheering for Liu Xu.

"Go, Liu Xu, don’t be scared! Even if that Lu Xiangyun is stronger, performance on the day matters too. What if Lu Xiangyun makes a mistake? Anything’s possible!"

"By the way, how many people from our group made it to the third round?"

"Including Liu Xu, there are 36 of us."

"Really? HAHAHA! That’s a lot of people! Looks like everyone’s pretty strong. I feel like the champion might actually come from our group."

"To become champion, you need both luck and skill. Let’s first aim to get more people into the top ten. Once you’re in the top ten, you’ll have a real shot at the title."

"Let’s go, everyone!"

"..."

The group chat was buzzing, and so was the venue.

Mu Qingye’s opponent, whom everyone was curious about, was also determined.

He was a master too. Perhaps not a strong contender for the championship, but he at least seemed to have the skill to make it into the top ten.

It seemed it wouldn’t be so easy for Mu Qingye to advance this time.

This could also be considered a powerhouse matchup.

Of course, anyone who could advance to the third round was definitely not weak.

So, would Mu Qingye be able to pull through?

The anticipation was immense!

「A twenty-minute break.」

The players all relaxed and adjusted their mindsets.

Meanwhile, all the spectators were excitedly discussing various topics.

Discussing which players had a better chance of advancing.

At this point, the competition was starting to get heated.

Twenty minutes passed quickly, and the third round began.

Once again, matches were played simultaneously on all four machines.

And once again, the players from groups one to four were the first to compete.

None of these four groups of players were weak, and the matches were thrilling.

After a series of exciting clashes, the two players on machine four were the first to finish their match.

The first player to advance to the fourth round had emerged.

And next up was the highly anticipated main event.

The powerhouse matchup between the two number 5s: Wang Ge Fei and Wang Peng.

Who would advance?

The anticipation was palpable!

Wang Ge Fei and Wang Peng first shook hands, then each sat down in front of an arcade machine.

Wang Ge Fei was on the player-one side, Wang Peng on the player-two side.

Wang Peng was at a slight disadvantage in terms of position.

But it was decided by luck, so there was nothing he could do.

’I can only hope that luck is on my side for the rest of the match.’

The character selection began.

Wang Ge Fei chose Yagami, Big Pig, and Clark.

Wang Peng chose Yagami, Shenle Qianhe, and Ryuji.

Both players brought out their strongest lineups.

The match began.

Both players started with Yagami.

The on-screen action was spectacular, drawing continuous cheers from the crowd.

In the end, Wang Peng’s Yagami barely won.

Wang Ge Fei’s second character, Big Pig, entered the stage.

The fight was still thrilling.

But the final result was that, despite winning the first bout, Wang Peng couldn’t maintain his advantage and was ultimately defeated by Wang Ge Fei in a comeback, losing the match.

The one who advanced was Wang Ge Fei.

Wang Ge Fei let out a long breath. The match had made him extremely nervous. Fortunately, he withstood the pressure and managed to make a comeback.

Wang Peng also let out a long breath, then shook his head in resignation.

His performance in this match was fine; he hadn’t made any mistakes. But his opponent was just too strong, and there was nothing to be done.

Wang Peng proactively extended his hand for another shake, congratulating his opponent.

Wang Ge Fei thanked him profusely and then said, "Just a fluke, a total fluke. If we played again, I’d probably be the one to lose."

Wang Peng said, "Brother Wang, you don’t have to be modest. Your skills are truly a cut above mine."

Wang Ge Fei replied, "Hard to say, hard to say."

At this, the crowd erupted in fervent applause.

It was for both Wang Ge Fei and Wang Peng, thanking them for putting on such a spectacular match together.

The one ultimately eliminated was Wang Peng. It was a pity, but that’s how it was.

Lu Xiangyun also felt it was a shame.

The day before yesterday, he and Wang Peng had played the very first match on these machines. He had really hoped that Wang Peng could make it into the top ten with him.

Now, that was impossible.

Of course, whether he himself could even make it to the top ten was still hard to say.

’I can only hope my own luck will be a bit better.’

The crowd’s discussions were endless, but the tournament continued.

After one exciting match after another, some were joyful, while others sighed with regret.

Soon, it was time for the duel between Liu Xu and Lu Xiangyun.

Li You was also very interested in this match.

Wei Ping’s family, Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and others from Liu Xu’s foodie group who were present were also paying close attention.

Liu Xu’s skills were very good. But compared to Lu Xiangyun, the gap was obvious.

Therefore, Liu Xu didn’t cause Lu Xiangyun too much trouble.

Lu Xiangyun won the match with relative ease.

Li You felt it was a bit of a shame, but he wasn’t surprised.

Liu Xu’s skill was quite good, but since he was up against Lu Xiangyun, his elimination was a high-probability event.

It was just a pity, that’s all.

...