"Well, that sucks," Jet said. "I only realized it now, but they're ranking us from the very beginning, right?"
"Yup," Shang said. "It's obvious that they want the stronger, more popular teams to have the greatest advantage."
"Well, at the end of the day, they are the ones who bring in the most viewership," Jinping said. "Who would want to watch a ga with a bunch of nobodies? That's why they designed the system so those teams could advance higher."
Lina took a deep breath. "There's sothing else that's been announced."
"I'm guessing you guys won't like it."
"The top two teams from last year—the Juren Champions and the Ying Eagles—will be part of the 13-team group. They'll automatically have one win under their na with a full 100 points as an advantage, carried over from last year's tournant."
For a mont, there was silence. Then Jet, known for his foul mouth, couldn't hold back. "What? That's unfair!" he exclaid, his voice filled with disbelief.
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The others nodded, murmuring in agreent.
"I knew the system was fucked, but they're giving such big advantages even before the gas began?" Renren asked, unable to stop himself from swearing.
Yuze clicked his tongue, also finding it unfair.
"I think so, too," Lina sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. She shared their frustration, but she knew there was nothing they could do about it. "It seems like they really glorify the winners."
The room filled with groans of disappointnt. It was one thing to compete against the best teams in the country, but to face them with such a significant handicap felt impossible. Yet, they all knew they had no choice but to accept it.
Lina wasn't finished, though. With a somber expression, she pulled up the bracket list on the projector. "This is the official bracket list," she said. "Let's take a look."
The first bracket appeared on the screen.
Kai narrowed his eyes to get a better look.
The Ying Eagles were at the top, their na bold and highlighted. It was no surprise, given their status, but it still left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. A guaranteed win and 100 points right out of the gate? It felt like they were untouchable.
In the second bracket, the Huolan Guardians were listed. Kai couldn't help but pay greater attention to the bracket that had his past school. Sohow, he hoped to find the na of their team there, but it was no use.
It seed like they weren't going to face each other during the group phase.
Then ca the third bracket, and in an instant, sothing about it felt off. The Juren Champions were at the top. But below them? Teams that appeared like they hadn't been to the Nationals before! It was an easy path for the Champions, almost as if the bracket had been designed to ensure their advancent.
"This is the easiest bracket," Shang muttered, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
"Our na still hasn't appeared," Yuze observed, placing his hand under his chin.
Andy scratched the back of his neck. "There are also so teams I've looked out for but haven't seen."
" too," Shang sighed. "That only ans one thing, then."
Lina clicked to the next slide, and the room collectively held its breath.
Three nas stood out imdiately: the Longyu Dragons, the Yin Yang Knights, and the International Archers. All formidable teams, all in the sa bracket.
It was a nightmare scenario.
"What is this?" Jet exclaid, his voice tinged with anger. "Most of these teams have made it into the top 10 before!"
"Goodness," Renren muttered. "Are you sure they made this list randomly?"
Kai couldn't help but frown.
Indeed, the teams within our bracket weren't the best of the best, but most of them, if not all, were teams that had made it to the Nationals before. That ant one thing—they were the only team to make it as a second placer!
Lina's silence was enough. The brackets were unfair—like they were made to protect the top teams to ensure their path to the finals was as smooth as possible.
"It's clear," Kai said, speaking up and capturing the others' attention.
"We're not only against the other teams. We're also against the system itself."
***
anwhile, in Beijing, the Huolan Guardians were in high spirits. Their practice facility was filled with energy as they wrapped up another grueling session.
Unlike the others, they were content with the bracket they had drawn. Sure, there were tough opponents, but none they couldn't handle. They were confident in their chances.
During the break, Rui, the team's water boy, made his rounds, passing out bottles to the sweaty players. He was all smiles, appearing like this was his dream job. As he handed a bottle to Jackson, the older player chuckled.
"Ah, you're a good one, Rui," Jackson said, patting him on the back. "Your relative wasn't nearly as good at this."
Jade, who was sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. "Relative? We had a different water boy before?"
"Yeah, his cousin," Jackson replied casually.
The ntion of his cousin made Rui tense up slightly, though he tried to hide it. His cousin had been part of the team's staff last season, but he had left under mysterious circumstances. Rui knew the truth, but it wasn't sothing he liked to talk about.
Fang noticed the change in Rui's deanor. His ears perked up as the conversation continued.
"What happened to that guy?" another player asked. "I heard he got shot or sothing, but it wasn't on the news."
"Where is he now?" Jade added, his curiosity piqued.
Rui's grip on the water bottle tightened for a mont before he forced a smile. "He got sick," he said simply, trying to steer the conversation away.
"Yeah, but where is he? Didn't he live with you before?" Jackson asked.
Fang clicked his tongue and crumpled the water bottle before throwing it into the trash can. As expected, it made it in.
Then, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Don't look for that guy anymore," he said.
"He never contributed anything to our team anyway."
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