63: Chapter 63 A Club for Two
The sign-up area for clubs at Magic City Martial Arts University was exceptionally lively today.
As the annual spectacle that determined the distribution of school resources, the Club Championship was the focal point of attention for all students.
The higher a club's ranking, the more academic credits, access to training rooms, and even slots for secret realms it would receive the following year.
Therefore, major clubs were recruiting frantically; some were hanging banners, others were handing out flyers, and some were even performing cheerleading routines—it was practically like a temple fair.
"Brother, join our 'Crazy Blade Association'! Sign up and get a low-grade alloy combat blade! Plus, our president is a top-ten expert on the Wind and Cloud Ranking!"
"Don't listen to them, come to our 'Hundred Flowers Alliance' instead—it's all girls! Not only can you cultivate, but you can also solve your single status!"
"Tch, a bunch of vases. Real men should join the 'Iron Blood Regiment'! Hard-hitting clashes are the only truth!"
Amidst the clamor, two figures slowly squeezed into the crowd.
Wang Fugui's floral shirt was truly too eye-catching, and coupled with his iconic physique, he immediately drew quite a few gazes.
"Yo, isn't this Director Wang? What's this, a busy man like you is also here to join the fun?" a Student Union staff member said with a sarcastic tone.
Ever since Young Master Zhao Tianfeng fell from power, the people in the Student Union had been both hateful and fearful of Wang Fugui and Lu Chen.
"What? Does the school have a rule that fat people can't start a club?"
Lu Chen stepped out from behind Wang Fugui, holding a freshly filled-out form, and slapped it directly onto the table.
"Sign-up."
The staff member picked up the form, took one look, and his brows instantly furrowed, followed by him nearly laughing out loud.
"Ghost Society? What kind of chuunibyou name is that?"
He pointed to the member list at the bottom of the form, raising his voice significantly, afraid that the people around wouldn't hear: "President: Lu Chen, Vice President: Wang Fugui. Members... none? Hahahaha! Are you guys here to be a joke?"
The surrounding crowd immediately swarmed over, and upon seeing that list with only two people, a burst of laughter erupted.
"Damn, is this Lu Chen here to fry the fish pond? They want to participate in the Club Championship with just two people?"
"Although I heard he has a big shot backing him, the Club Championship has rules: no outside aid, and no non-school personnel allowed to participate! Could it be that his ancestor is going to personally enter the arena to fight for him?"
"Exactly, this competition is a team battle! A melee of hundreds of people! No matter how strong he is alone, how many can he fight? He'll be exhausted to death!"
"I heard that although the Zhao family hasn't shown their faces this time, they have united the 'Crazy Blade Association', the 'Thunder Society', and the 'Shadow Sect' behind the scenes to form the 'Anti-Ghost Alliance', just to cripple Lu Chen on the field!"
Facing the mockery and discussion around him, Lu Chen didn't change his expression; he even took a lollipop out of his pocket, unwrapped it, and shoved it into his mouth.
"What? Does the school have a rule that two people can't sign up?" Lu Chen asked, his words slightly muffled.
The staff member froze for a moment, flipped through the rulebook, and looked grim: "There isn't a rule regarding a minimum number of people... but Lu Chen, are you sure you want to sign up? This competition requires signing a life-and-death waiver. Once you step onto the ring, blades have no eyes; don't end up being trampled into meat paste and crying for your mommy."
"That's not something you need to worry about." Lu Chen tapped the table. "Stamp it."
The staff member snorted coldly, stamped the form heavily, and threw the receipt to Lu Chen.
"Fine, I'll wait to see how you two die."
Lu Chen picked up the receipt and turned to leave, with Wang Fugui quickly scurrying after him.
"Brother Lu, were we a bit too rash?" Wang Fugui wiped his sweat and muttered, "I just heard that the so-called Anti-Ghost Alliance has gathered nearly two thousand people! Are we really not going to recruit anyone?"
"Recruit? Why would we recruit those fence-sitters?" Lu Chen said dismissively, "Not only do we have to split the money, but they're also prone to being moles."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'."
Lu Chen stopped walking, looked back at the bustling crowd at the sign-up area, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. "Fatty, tell me, what's the most important thing in a group fight?"
"Is it... momentum?" Wang Fugui asked tentatively.
"Wrong." Lu Chen shook his finger. "It's having a lot of people. And a lot of people who aren't afraid of death."
Wang Fugui was confused: "Where do we have any people?"
Lu Chen patted his shoulder, his smile somewhat chilling: "You'll know when the time comes. Remember, on the day of the competition, bring plenty of melon seeds and drinks; we'll just watch the show from off-stage."
Just then, Wang Fugui's communicator rang. He picked it up, listened for a moment, and his expression instantly turned strange.
"Brother Lu, Luo Li is looking for you."
"Oh?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. "What does that rich woman want now? Didn't we say we weren't meeting?"
"She says... she knows the detailed battle plan of the 'Anti-Ghost Alliance' and asked if we want to buy it. She's giving me a 20% discount for the sake of our partnership." Wang Fugui swallowed hard.
This woman really would do any kind of business.
Lu Chen chuckled. "Tell her no need. Also, help me pass a message back to her."
Lu Chen looked at the flags fluttering atop the distant teaching building and said softly, "Tell her to prepare all of her liquid capital. After this Club Championship, I am going to acquire every low-grade resource production point in the entire school. Tell her to get ready to witness... a true natural disaster."
Wang Fugui looked at Lu Chen's back and suddenly shuddered. He had a feeling that this time, Magic City Martial Arts University might really be played to the point of breaking.
Meanwhile, inside a secret stronghold of the Zhao family.
Although Young Master Zhao Tianfeng was on sick leave, he sat gloomily in his wheelchair, staring at the club sign-up list on the big screen in front of him.
"Only two people?" Young Master Zhao Tianfeng's voice was hoarse, like nails scraping across a blackboard. "Lu Chen, you are too arrogant."
Standing next to him was the president of the Crazy Blade Association, a burly third-year student, toying with a thick-backed machete in his hand.
"Rest assured, Young Master Zhao. This time our three families have joined forces, with over two thousand people; even if everyone just spits, we could drown him."
"We've studied the rules thoroughly," another sinister-looking man sneered. "This competition is conducted in a virtual reality setting, simulating a large-scale battlefield. Although no one will actually die, the pain is real. We will surround him, and without killing him, we will torture him until he suffers a mental breakdown, making him kneel on the ground and beg for mercy, returning the humiliation he inflicted upon you ten, a hundred times over!"
A flash of gratification and malice crossed Young Master Zhao Tianfeng's eyes. "Good! As long as you can cripple him, the resources I promised you will be doubled! I want him to know that individual martial prowess is a joke in the face of an army!"
However, none of them expected that Lu Chen's understanding of the word "army" was on a completely different dimension from theirs.
In the villa's basement, Lu Chen stood in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, looking at himself in the reflection.
Deep within his mind, the system interface was flashing frantically. [Fissioning clones...][Target quantity: 2000.][Setting classes: Heavy Infantry, Sniper, Assassin, Medic.][Setting faction: Ghost Society.][Camouflage skin loading... Uniform: black trench coat, white mask.]
The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curled up slightly. "So, you're going to use numbers to bully the few, huh?" "I like that very much." "I hope you won't cry too miserably when the time comes."