Chapter 36: Dominance

The entire stadium was in an uproar. After all, this was Yanda’s home turf. Even though the opposing team had brought a fair number of cheering students, how could they possibly compare to the overwhelming majority of Yanda’s own?

The roar within the arena was deafening. Even with teachers stepping in to maintain order, they couldn’t quell the commotion. The students of Yanda had been bottling up a great deal of frustration. A game that had started with such promise had taken a sudden, sharp turn for the worse. It wasn’t just a simple loss of points; it felt as though Yanda was practically handing them over on a silver platter. How could they not be depressed?

And now, one of their own players had actually been injured by the opposition!

Although it hadn’t yet been confirmed whether the injury was intentional, most of the furious Yanda students had already made up their minds that it was a deliberate act. Furthermore, in their eyes, the series of accidents that had occurred earlier were surely the handiwork of those bastards from the Institute of Technology, even if they couldn't find any evidence.

With fresh grievances added to old ones, if not for the security guards holding them back, some of the more agitated students might have already charged onto the court. On their own home ground, their own people were being bullied by outsiders—how could they stand for it?

***

In truth, they weren't wrong. Xiao Xiao had clearly seen the expression of anxious apology on the face of the player who had stepped on the victim, but in the moment he bowed his head, a flash of smugness had flickered across his face. The man seemed to want to pull down the corners of his mouth, yet he couldn't quite control them from slightly curling upward, resulting in an expression that appeared both bizarre and ridiculous.

The chill in Xiao Xiao’s eyes deepened. What a den of iniquity that team was! A team devoid of sportsmanship, relying entirely on underhanded tricks! His grip tightened involuntarily, and the metal railing he held let out a teeth-grinding groan.

Xiao Xiao was startled. He released his grip and looked down to see two distinct handprints on the iron. He glanced around; fortunately, everyone was focused on the court, and no one had noticed him. Was he already this strong? But what was he supposed to do about this?

In the end, Xiao Xiao maintained a calm, indifferent expression, deciding that if anyone asked, he would simply claim to know nothing. Perhaps it was a mark left by some predecessor? If he really tried to say he had done it, he’d have to get people to believe him first.

***

"Hey, look, Boss is going on!" Zhuge Yun shouted, pointing toward Zhang Bo, who was receiving instructions from the coach in the rest area.

"Will he be alright?" Zhao Luzheng, clearly still shaken by the frequent mishaps, worried that their leader might also fall victim to some inexplicable foul play.

***

"What is it?" Seeing Xiao Xiao waving at him, Zhang Bo ran over in a few strides.

Before Xiao Xiao could say anything, Zhuge Yun was already yelling, "Boss, crush those sons of bitches!"

"Boss, be careful. Don't let them scheme against you," Zhao Luzheng added, less optimistic than Zhuge Yun, feeling that the people from the Institute of Technology were quite sinister.

Once they finished, Xiao Xiao said to Zhang Bo, who was about to leave, "Boss, play with confidence. Nothing will happen."

***

Even with a player injured, the game had to go on. In sports, athlete injuries were not exactly rare. Naturally, the game couldn't be halted because of this. As play resumed, the Yanda players were clearly more restrained. Even though they were furious about their teammate's injury, the bizarre behavior of the opposition left them at a loss.

The more they couldn't figure it out, the more they obsessed over it, and the more they obsessed, the stiffer and more chaotic their movements became. They were completely flustered—gone was their initial high-spirited demeanor. The match was suffocating; the Yanda players felt a pressure building in their chests with no outlet for release. Their increasing impatience severely affected their performance. What had been a evenly matched contest was now clearly dominated by the Institute of Technology.

***

Zhang Bo was also nervous. It was his first time playing, and the stiff performance of his teammates made him unable to fully let go. However, he was thick-skinned by nature; all his tension was transformed into anger by the arrogance of the opponents. Moreover, he inexplicably remembered Xiao Xiao’s words before he went on. It had been a simple sentence, yet at the time, the depth and stillness in Xiao Xiao’s eyes made it impossible to dismiss his words lightly.

Zhang Bo was a straightforward man. Since "Third Brother" said nothing would happen, then nothing would happen. Besides, as a rough, sturdy guy like him, a fall was just a superficial wound; it was nothing. It was certainly better than being bullied like this. With that thought, Zhang Bo gradually loosened up.

Suddenly, he stole the ball from the opponent several times. The entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause, filled with jubilation.

"Well done, Boss!" Zhuge Yun cheered at the top of his lungs.

"Beautiful!" Zhao Luzheng’s eyes shone with excitement.

A hint of a smile appeared in Xiao Xiao’s eyes, but the majority of his attention never wavered from that new player.

***

He knew the other party wouldn't be able to hold back for much longer.

***

Encouraged by Zhang Bo, the Yanda players gradually regained their composure and stopped acting timidly. The score began to narrow.

Xiao Xiao suddenly stood up and took a few steps forward until his abdomen pressed against the railing. At this moment, Zhang Bo was holding the ball, and facing him was that new player. Xiao Xiao leaned forward slightly, the scene before his eyes zooming in and magnifying.

He saw strands of blood-red color seeping into the new player’s eyes. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, those originally dark pupils were about to transform into a pair of terrifying blood-red eyes. He also saw the new player curve his lips at Zhang Bo with a look of pure malice and contempt. But even more clearly, he saw Zhang Bo’s face turning pale and then ashen, his eyes growing hollow and fearful.

Going too far! Xiao Xiao felt a fire burning within him, growing more and more intense, scorching all the way to his eyes.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light erupted from Xiao Xiao's eyes, shining intensely. His gaze, devoid of sorrow or joy, fell lightly upon the new player, yet it felt as heavy as Mount Tai. The entire space seemed to freeze. Golden brilliance flickered in the air, weaving and moving like a dragon in the clouds, with a powerful, overwhelming pressure.

It forcibly drove the scarlet hue back into the new player’s eyes. Looking at the new player, whose eyes were bulging with a mixture of rage and bewilderment, Xiao Xiao did not relax in the slightest, keeping a firm pressure on him to prevent any further foul play.

A game should be played honestly and openly. Using underhanded tricks and tripping others was not the behavior of a gentleman, and relying on external forces was even less acceptable. Thus, Xiao Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. *Just stay put,* he thought. *Wouldn't it be better to just play the game honestly?*

***

Zhang Bo felt as if he had suddenly woken from a nightmare. Everything before had been hazy, with only a lingering sense of palpitation left in his heart. He shook his head and glanced with confusion at his opponent, who was touted as the strongest newcomer. Why did he have such a twisted expression?

Zhang Bo didn't dwell on it. Seizing the opportunity, he agilely dribbled past his defender, jumped, and shot. *Bang!* A perfect swish!