nycdaug Chapter 54 Preliminary Round
Chapter 54 Preliminary Round
The next morning, Li Chenglong went to the special forces' assembly point. A major competition was scheduled for that afternoon, and several members of the special forces were preparing to participate. He hadn't been there for several days. Since it was already mid-April and the weather was warmer, the special forces' assembly time was moved to 7:00 AM. Li Chenglong arrived at the training ground at 6:40 AM, waiting for them.
The first person to arrive was Yang Liu. Seeing Li Chenglong already there, she exclaimed with delight, "Captain Li, didn't Captain Yun say yesterday she'd be coming to lead? Why are you here?" Li Chenglong smiled and said, "I had some time this morning, so I came to check on things. Yun Lan went to the office building." The second was Zhao Liying, who also greeted Li Chenglong. The others arrived before seven o'clock.
Yang Liu organized the team, and then everyone said in unison, "Congratulations, Captain Li, on your promotion to Level Six." Li Chenglong hadn't expected such an opening: "I didn't expect you all to know. Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. I wonder if you actively participated in the matter I asked Yang Liu to inform you about yesterday. The special forces team has been established for two months now, but I haven't assigned you any missions yet. This is because when the special forces team was first established, in order to avoid drawing combat power from the Dawn Army, almost everyone was selected from lower ranks. Their foundation was weak and their skills were low, so I gave you more time to train. I hope you can participate in both the martial arts tournament and the skills competition. Of course, participating in one is fine, but you can participate in both if you want. This way, you can see what level your strength has reached."
Yang Liu then handed a list to Li Chenglong, who carefully reviewed it. Yang Liu reported, "Currently, our special operations team has a total of 47 members. There is 1 Level 4 member, 15 Level 3 members, 21 Level 2 members, and 10 ordinary elite members." Li Chenglong saw that Zhao Liying had also reached Level 3, and nodded at her with satisfaction. Zhao Liying smiled shyly.
Time flew by during training, and it was already 11 a.m. Li Chenglong told the special forces members to rest, while he went to the office building. The lists of participants from all battalions and throughout Shuguang City for the martial arts competition should have been submitted by now. As soon as Li Chenglong arrived at the office, he found Yun Lan, Yun Qian, Zheng Yong, and several others already organizing the lists. After a while, Yun Lan came over with a notebook and said, "A total of 363 people with superpowers have registered, and 1127 people without superpowers have registered. That's the number of participants for the martial arts competition. As for the skills competition, since the deadline is tonight, the statistics haven't been compiled yet." Li Chenglong nodded: "Good, more than I expected. We'll use the computer to draw lots now. Although there's no internet, it's still no problem to draw lots a few times. The competitions this afternoon will be held at Linhai University Stadium and Agricultural University Stadium. Everyone is welcome to come and watch."
Yun Qian asked, "How are the rules set?" Li Chenglong thought for a moment, "Each match for those with superpowers will be limited to 15 minutes. During the match, the use of healing crystals is prohibited, as is seriously injuring or killing an opponent. Attacking the back of the head, throat, genitals, or other sensitive areas is also prohibited, as is the use of weapons other than military daggers. A player who falls to the ground for more than 10 seconds, leaves the designated circle, or voluntarily surrenders will be declared a loser. Today, the top 64 will be determined. The remaining 64 will then draw lots to play tiebreaker matches against their opponents in the top 64, until the top 64 are determined. For example, if there are 65 people left, that person will draw lots again to play tiebreaker matches against the previous 64. As for how the numbers 1 to 64 are determined, they will be arranged according to the order of each person's serial number." Li Chenglong paused and continued, "As for the matches for non-superpowered individuals, the basic rules are the same, but due to the physical limitations of non-superpowered individuals, the use of any weapons is prohibited. The match time is also shortened to 10 minutes."
After speaking, the group got back to work, inputting the names of these individuals into the computer, randomly assigning them numbers, and randomly selecting combat opponents. They worked until 1 PM before finishing this task. This large-scale census also finalized the count of all ability users and the total number of people. Currently, Dawn Base has a total of 722 humans and 722 ability users, including 420 combat-type ability users. The Dawn Army comprises five combat battalions, one logistics support battalion, and one special operations team, totaling 2350 people. 90% of the combat-type ability users and 50% of the support-type ability users are in the Dawn Army.
Of the 722 ability users, there is one Level 6, six Level 5, 34 Level 4, 157 Level 3, and the rest are Level 1 and 2. One reason for the slow level progression is the lack of major battles recently; the nearby low-level zombies have been almost completely wiped out, and areas too far away are still unsafe to visit. However, the number of Level 1 and 2 ability users has increased significantly over the past month, which is a good thing. This is because, with the Dawn Base's promotional efforts, many scattered ability users have joined the base.
At 2 PM, the preliminary rounds of the martial arts tournament officially began. Linhai University's stadium was primarily responsible for hosting the matches for those with supernatural abilities, while Linhai Agricultural University hosted the matches for those without. After receiving their assigned numbers, participants began competing in groups. However, due to the large number of groups at the start, one referee had to oversee two matches simultaneously in the first round. At Linhai University, Li Chenglong, Yun Lan, and several others not participating, along with some officials from Dawn City, were watching the matches. Over five thousand spectators from the Dawn Base were also in the stands, cheering on the competitors.
At the agricultural university, Ma Tiancheng, Yun Qian, and others were watching the competition, along with more than four thousand spectators. Today, the preliminary rounds had to be completed for both those with and without superpowers. To prevent the competition from dragging on late into the night, Yun Qian had also called in people from the power supply station to connect the stadium's headlights, just in case.
Li Chenglong and his group watched from the platform. The 363 superhumans were divided into 181 groups, with one person automatically advancing to the next round after a bye. Wu Gang was number 7, and his first opponent was contestant number 37, a level-two superhuman from his own battalion. Upon seeing Wu Gang, the level-two superhuman immediately prepared to forfeit. Wu Gang said, "Since you're here, and a soldier from our battalion, we always fight. This isn't some high-level zombie king. You can retreat strategically and exchange a few blows with me; it'll give me a chance to see your weaknesses." The level-two superhuman nodded, activated his strength-based ability, and engaged Wu Gang in battle. Wu Gang didn't use his full power, fighting the soldier for a while before sending him flying outside the white circle with a single palm strike. Afterward, Wu Gang called him over, gave him some careful guidance, and then left the arena.
Watching the intense battle in the stadium, Yunlan remarked, "What if two Level 5 or two Level 4 individuals meet early? Wouldn't one of them have to be eliminated? Wouldn't that be a disadvantage for the higher-level ability users?" Li Chenglong nodded, "So after the first batch of 181 groups finishes, there will be a revival round. The other 181 who failed will be drawn again, and each person will face two randomly selected members from the elimination group consecutively. The person who achieves two consecutive wins can continue into the main competition." Yunlan nodded, "That's good; it's as fair as possible."
Thirteen minutes later, the first batch of 30 groups had finished their matches simultaneously, and then the second batch began their competition. More than an hour passed, and the first round of the preliminary rounds was successfully completed. Because of the need for further tallying and drawing lots, there was a 20-minute break. Li Chenglong looked at the list of those who had advanced. Wu Gang, Zheng Aiguo, Hao Dahai, Qi Guoan, and others had all advanced. The only thing that surprised Li Chenglong was that Wang Bing, a level four, and Zhao Rui, a level five, had both been eliminated. Looking closely at the match schedule, he realized that Wang Bing's opponent was Qi Guoan, and Zhao Rui's opponent was Zheng Aiguo, also a level five. Li Chenglong had been looking at the list of ability users and hadn't actually watched the matches closely, so he was unaware of this situation.
The losers' bracket matches began first. After a period of intense competition, 60 people successfully advanced, including Zhao Rui and Wang Bing, who emerged from the losers' bracket. Together with the 182 people in the winners' bracket, this brings the total to 242 people entering the second round. These 242 people will not be drawn by lot; instead, they will directly compete in pairs, with a 1-2 or 3-4 format. There will be no revival round this time. However, this rule only applies to the superhuman group from Linhai University. The non-superhuman group still has a revival round opportunity because, according to Li Chenglong, the non-superhuman group will be selected from the best of the best. There are 121 groups in total, with 20 groups playing each round, and each match lasting 15 minutes.
Li Chenglong was watching Hao Dahai fight a level 3 ability user when Yun Lan patted him and said, "Look, Zhao Liying is fighting a level 3 wind-type ability user from the Second Battalion." Li Chenglong looked over and was quite surprised. Although Zhao Liying had reached level 3, she was a support-oriented Awakened. Even at level 3, she only had three skills: an active mental attachment, a passive charm, and a new level 3 skill called Phantom Kill. Li Chenglong knew about it but had never seen her use it before. Today, he could finally see for himself. Li Chenglong had seen the level 3 ability user Zhao Liying was fighting before; he was a platoon leader in Zheng Aiguo's Second Battalion, and his skill level was quite good.
Yun Lan observed with her Phoenix Eye and said, "Zhao Liying truly lives up to her A-level Awakened status; her attributes are quite impressive, especially her mental attribute, which is even higher than mine when I was at level three. Do you think she can win?" Li Chenglong tapped his fingers on the table: "She recently leveled up to level three and gained a new skill that I haven't seen yet. Moreover, Awakened attributes are significantly higher than those of other ability users of the same level. I think she should win." Meanwhile, the match was about to begin. Zhao Liying slowly walked onto the arena, smiling sweetly at the level three wind-type ability user opposite her. Zheng Aiguo, having finished his round, sat in the rest area and shouted, "He Xiaotian, don't embarrass me! If you can't even beat a woman, come back and see how I train you!"
He Xiaotian shook his slightly dizzy head, roused himself, and immediately activated his superpower: "Wind Blade!" Two cyan wind blades shot out from his palms. Zhao Liying immediately activated her superpower, dodging the attack. However, He Xiaotian's move was just a feint. While Zhao Liying dodged, he had already grabbed his military dagger and rushed forward. Zhao Liying also drew her military dagger to parry, and the two exchanged blows for dozens of moves. Yang Liu nodded in satisfaction in the rest area: "It seems these extra nights of training haven't been in vain. Zhao Liying's growth is much faster than I imagined." Yun Lan also smiled and said, "Really not bad."
The two fought for forty or fifty moves, still evenly matched. He Xiaotian grew impatient, flashing into the distance and shouting, "Tornado!" He then unleashed two tiny tornadoes from his hands, hurtling towards Zhao Liying. Zhao Liying, looking somewhat panicked, was directly struck by one. He Xiaotian exclaimed happily, "I won! Haha!" But a second later, his laughter vanished. Zhao Liying, struck by the tornado, slowly disappeared, and behind him, a dagger was pressed against the back of his neck. "Thank you for the win, I won this round," Zhao Liying said sweetly. Li Chenglong, witnessing this, remarked, "That must be Phantom Kill. A truly impressive skill, and I feel it's even more than that." The audience, though not fully understanding what had happened, erupted in thunderous applause. He Xiaotian walked off the arena, somewhat dejected. Zheng Aiguo stated that he would definitely strengthen the training of the team members in the future, especially in dealing with sudden assassination attempts and other such acts, to improve their ability to respond.
The second round was noticeably more intense than the first. Li Xue led several ability users with healing powers to treat those with more serious injuries. Around 4 PM, the second round finally concluded, with 121 people successfully advancing. Most of the high-level ability users advanced, except for Zhu Qian, who was unlucky enough to encounter the level 5 ability user Zhao Rui and was eliminated. He became the first level 4 ability user to be eliminated. To ensure fairness, the 121 people then drew lots again. Except for one person who received a bye, the remaining 60 groups began fighting again. After more than an hour of fighting, 61 people successfully advanced.
It was already 6 p.m. when Li Chenglong stood up and said, "The preliminary rounds are all over now. Tomorrow afternoon, we will start to determine the top 8, and the day after tomorrow is the final. I hope that those who have advanced will not be arrogant, and those who have not advanced will not be discouraged. Keep up the good work, and that's it for today."
Meanwhile, the non-superpowered group had already determined its top 64. Yun Qian handed the list to Li Chenglong and briefly explained the key personnel. Li Chenglong then told her about tomorrow's arrangements: tomorrow morning would feature competitions in shooting, excavator operation, mental arithmetic, money counting, and various other skills. The competitions would be held at the Linhai University stadium.