75 Chapter 75: Favoritism (2/2)

”Ah, forgive me. You know I'm not good with this sort of things.” Feng Hai tugged uncomfortably at his tie and unbuttoned his jacket. ”Anyway…who cares about that?” he swiveled to a stunned Harrison Reed, who was speechless at the presence of such a legend. ”I overheard your conversation earlier, and I think everyone has good points.” He jerked his head in my direction. ”I've reviewed and watched the mission videos too, and I've to say I understand why the Black Roses want him in the team. He has some skills.”

”You are right, of course.” Harrison bowed his head humbly. ”I do not discount that, and I agree that Richard brings us options.”

”But you also have a good point. The other teams will also think of counters, and having him will make our strategy transparent.”

”Then…” Harrison brightened up.

”Then the best way to settle this is by a challenge!' Feng Hai grinned broadly, ”Don't you think results are the best evidence? Have a match. If Richard's team wins, then it means that they can overcome whatever counterstrategy you might have against them, or that the Black Roses are right about him being flexible and competent. If you win, then it means that building a team around him is indeed a fatal flaw. If we do it this way, no one can complain against the results, correct?”

”That's a great idea!” Harrison was beaming in delight. ”Let us do as Instructor Feng Hai recommended. We should have a match…”

”Um…match?” I was looking confused. ”A team match? I'm assuming it will be Ultimate Outcast Society against Holy Saints Society?”

If that was the case, I might as well just give up now. I couldn't care less about all this bullshit. To be honest, I had to admit that I was interested in the position of representative. That would be a great point in my resume, and help me out tremendously when applying for universities or a job. Prospective employers would be impressed if they learned that I had been a representative, for to achieve such a position even in a low-ranking academy like Jing Tian was a pretty major feat. After all, it pretty much meant I was chosen ahead of nearly a thousand other students for the position.

However…if it was a team-match between Ultimate Outcast and Holy Saints, then they would win 99% of the time. I was under no illusion of our capability. I wasn't a pretentious Mary Sue prick who was looking for a bunch of freshmen to take to the top. Unlike Parthdua26, I did not think of my juniors as ”losers” – hell, I was pretty offended by his insult. My juniors were not losers.

But in a clash against Holy Saints, they stood no chance. Even with the training they received from my Dad in the dojo, they wouldn't be able to catch up to the more experienced and powerful members of Holy Saints, one of the four major societies. Lin Zhan Long was absolutely grinning as he rubbed his hands in glee.

”Hah! You'll rue the arrogance you showed today. I'll teach you the difference in our strengths…”

”Hmm, are you intending for your society members to be representatives as well?” Feng Hai asked, ignoring Lin Zhan Long and interrupting him. The huge guy spluttered, but he obviously didn't dare to protest against the Silver Wolf leader.

”Um…I don't think so?” I glanced to Alicia for help. Taking the hint, she stepped forward with a confident smile.

”No, Brother Hai. I only plan to recommend Richard, not the rest of the Ultimate Outcasts.”

”But they should be given the chance to prove themselves, like their vice-president,” Harrison pointed out candidly. He was hammering the nail in our coffin.

”Fine then.” Dong Fang Yue Chu was acting brave, but I could see that he was trembling violently. ”If you want a fight, we'll give you a fight!”

”…seriously?!”

Harvey, Wang Fei, Stan and I stared at him in despair, but he shrugged.

”Why? Are you guys afraid?”

”Who's afraid?” Stan growled. ”Fine! I'll do it!”

”Um…we can't win. You know that, right?” Harvey was more realistic.

”I don't want to be part of this,” Wang Fei grumbled.

”You guys…” Dong Fang Yue Chu groaned and shook his head. However, he knew they were right. Even so, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down. Lin Zhan Long and to a certain extent, Harrison Reed, had insulted me as well as our society. He didn't want our names rubbed in the dirt.

But the harsh reality was that we truly were nothing compared to Holy Saints. Particularly right now. I wasn't some Mary Sue protagonist who could conjure up a victory for my juniors, who were still unprepared for an event as big as this.

Seeing how troubled we were, Troy stepped forward grimly and raised his hand.

”I'll quit Black Roses and join Ultimate Outcast.”

”There's no need for that!” I told him, annoyed. ”I appreciate the sentiment, but please, don't do this. You'll make us feel bad.”

Troy was a good friend, and I refused to take advantage of him. He joined Black Roses to get access to resources and other training goodies. I wasn't selfish enough to use our friendship to solicit his help at his expense. Even we lost, the most that would happen was that I wouldn't become a representative, and everyone would accept it as natural that Ultimate Outcast was a small society when compared to the Holy Saints. We would have a bruised ego, but that wouldn't affect us. However, Troy giving up all those resources, funding and Black Roses facilities would have a detrimental effect on his training and development. It wasn't something he could afford to give up on a whim.

”That's right. There is absolutely no need for that.”

Feng Hai spoke up and everyone turned to stare at him in shock. The grizzled instructor grinned at us.

”I mean, the whole issue is whether a team built around Richard will be viable or not. And since this concerns the representatives, we're probably thinking about candidates chosen to be representatives, so why must they be from Ultimate Outcast Society? Unless you're thinking of recommending another Ultimate Outcast to the representative team.”

Feng Hai was staring at Harrison as he said that. After all, like Alicia, Harrison as the other representative of Jing Tian Academy had the right to recommend one person of his choice to the team.

The handsome guy quickly shook his head.

”No, of course not. I just thought they deserve a chance.”

”Perhaps, but let's make it voluntary, shall we?” Feng Hai turned to glance at the Black Roses. ”After all, it's not just the Ultimate Outcast who wants to prove you wrong.”

”Black Roses wish to ally with Ultimate Outcast?” Harrison asked, his brow furrowing.

”We do have a history of helping each other out,” Elliot pointed out boldly, and then shrugged. ”Though it's more like the Black Roses are the ones being helped out by Ultimate Outcast?”

”Just one member, though,” Nicholas pointed out, scratching his head as he glanced at my juniors and Dong Fang Yue Chu. He was wondering how we're going to form a team, especially since the president of Ultimate Outcast seemed eager to fight.

I was pretty sure Dong Fang Yue Chu would do fine, so I had no objections to him joining the battle. I was more worried about Stan, though. He still tended to be reckless and impulsive.

”That's settled then.” Feng Hai smiled, though for some reason I had the impression of a predatory wolf hovering above him like some kind of monstrous aura. ”Let's hold this match next week. I look forward to your performances.”

He was about to turn away and waltz into the dance floor when he suddenly paused and grinned at us.

”Oh, and one last thing. I'll be using this to assess who gets to represent the team.”

”…eh?”

Everyone turned to stare at Feng Hai, and he shrugged with a broad grin.

”Makes sense, right? Isn't this a great chance to assess your performance and find out who can best represent Jing Tian Academy?”

”…that's true.”

”Instructor is right…”

Everyone began whispering and murmuring to each other about the scheduled match and chance to represent the team and everything. I left them to their discussion, having no interest in politics and such, and caught up with Feng Hai.

”Sir…” I began. ”Why…?”

I didn't even complete my question. Feng Hai already knew what I was going to ask. He was grinning mischievously as he turned toward me.

”Because you're quite the interesting fella. I'm curious to see why Alicia is investing so much attention into you. Plus…” he rubbed his chin. ”You're one of the few students qualified to join my Silver Wolves…eventually.”