Chapter 170 - 169: European Natives

Chapter 170: Chapter 169: European Natives

"Who?" Huo Xingchen was shocked. "You already have a suspect?"

"Po Ben Kang."

Huo Xingchen frowned. "He’s also from the Kang Family? I’ve never heard Kangkang mention him; he rarely talks about his family." As a child of a prominent family himself, he understood after a moment’s thought. "Is he trying to replace Brother Kang and become the heir of the Kang Family?"

"More or less," Gu Qingyin scoffed lazily. "It’s the same old drama with these wealthy families."

Huo Yunjing also nodded. "Knowing the beneficiary makes things easier, but we need to investigate and verify it first."

Gu Qingyin turned to him and said with a wide smile, "Xingye has already sent someone to investigate Po Ben Kang. I’ll count on you to confirm the connection."

Of course Huo Yunjing wouldn’t refuse. Not only was he a soul messenger now, but he was also her husband. It was only natural that he help her solve her problems.

Back in their room, Gu Qingyin was having some trouble sleeping due to the jet lag, so she decided to meditate and cultivate.

Huo Yunjing also sat cross-legged beside her, keeping her company.

Just after midnight, a long, drawn-out wolf howl suddenly rang out from outside.

Gu Qingyin opened her eyes, walked curiously to the window, and looked out. On the rooftop of the building across from them, a person was howling ceaselessly at the full moon. It felt like he was about to transform at any second.

"A Werewolf?" Huo Yunjing leaned in as well, his eyes filled with amazement. He’d only been a ghost for a few years, and he’d been suppressed the whole time. He hadn’t even figured out the domestic supernatural world, let alone the one abroad.

Gu Qingyin first nodded, then shook her head. "He just has Werewolf blood. A half-Werewolf, I guess. Otherwise, he would have already transformed."

In Europe, the Werewolves, Vampires, and the Holy Temple once waged a great war. It was a chaotic three-way melee. In the end, the Holy Temple fell, the Werewolves were driven to the brink of extinction, and more than half the Vampires were killed, forcing the survivors into a deep slumber. Nobody won.

These three factions hadn’t been seen for nearly two hundred years. To think they would encounter one on their very first night in Europe.

The half-Werewolf across the way noticed them spying on him, but he didn’t care. He even bared his teeth at them from a distance.

Gu Qingyin was amused. "They say a Blood Talisman drawn with powerful blood works wonders. I wonder if it’s true."

Not only did Huo Yunjing not stop her, he even offered to aid and abet. "Should I go grab him for you?"

Gu Qingyin laughed even harder. "Would you really do anything I asked? I was just joking. For him to appear so brazenly, he must have a legitimate social identity. Even if someone recorded him tonight and posted it online, netizens would probably just think he’s being an eccentric."

"We’re law-abiding citizens, and we’re in a foreign country," Gu Qingyin said softly. "Let’s just keep a low profile as long as he doesn’t mess with us. We shouldn’t jeopardize our son’s competition."

Huo Yunjing’s eyes, gleaming with a cold light, turned toward the half-Werewolf across the way.

The half-Werewolf looked puzzled. ’Why do I suddenly feel a chill?’

He only had Werewolf blood; naturally, he couldn’t see ghosts, so he had no idea how close he had just come to death.

Seeing the curtains on the opposite window close, the half-Werewolf scoffed and continued to bathe in the moonlight.

Every full moon, he could feel the power in his body boiling. He had a premonition that his bloodline was about to awaken...

The next morning, Gu Qingyin got ready and went downstairs for breakfast.

At that time, the team members, along with Huo Xingye and Huo Xingchen, were already there. She was the last to arrive, which startled her into quickly checking the time. There were still nearly two hours until the competition started.

’Phew, it’s not that I’m late, everyone’s just really early.’

Carrying her food tray, Gu Qingyin sat down across from Huo Xingchen. "Why didn’t you sleep in a little?"

Huo Xingchen shook his head. "Waking up earlier helps me be more alert during the match." They had even held a strategy meeting before breakfast.

Afterward, everyone finished their meal with chatter and laughter, returned to their rooms to grab their equipment, and got on the bus to the competition venue.

Once on the bus, everyone fell silent and closed their eyes to rest. Not another word was said about the competition. They were all veteran players; everyone understood the unspoken rules and pre-match rituals.

Twenty minutes later, the bus arrived outside the stadium. They were star players, and many of the spectators had come specifically for them. So, the bus stopped at the main entrance. Under the expectant gazes of countless fans, the players got out one by one, put on their professional smiles, and greeted the crowd.

Gu Qingyin and her two other sons didn’t get off. After the team had left and the doors closed, the bus drove them to the parking lot.

Before they got off, the manager gave the three of them staff badges, which would allow them to use the staff entrance and get into the players’ lounge.

At ten in the morning, the team’s players entered the arena.

Gu Qingyin and her sons also moved from the lounge to the inner stands. The three of them each held a light-up sign.

Gu Qingyin’s sign read: "Xingchen! Forever a God!"

Huo Xingye’s read: "Certain Victory!"

Given his personality, he couldn’t have handled a more exaggerated sign. In contrast, Huo Xinghai was much more laid-back. His sign read: "Don’t bother coming home if you can’t win!"

Sitting in front of his computer, Huo Xingchen looked at the signs held by his mom and brothers, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

But he couldn’t deny the warmth spreading through his heart. It was the first time in all these years that his family had come to watch him play live. He was content.

Soon, the commentators finished warming up the crowd, and the match officially began.

Their opponents this time were slightly weaker, but a single mistake could still lead to an upset, so everyone was giving it one hundred twenty percent of their focus.

Luckily, the first game was a steamroll. It was over in just fifteen minutes, securing them the first win.

Huo Xingchen and his team were energized, their eyes shining, their morale soaring.

Gu Qingyin was also delighted, smiling so wide her eyes disappeared. ’No wonder so many people love e-sports,’ she thought. ’This heart-pounding excitement, this sense of accomplishment after a victory... it’s truly addictive.’

After a short break, the second game began.

The opposing team adjusted their strategy. Fatty fell into a trap and died twice, creating a gold deficit and putting their team on the defensive.

Huo Xingchen calmly directed everyone to play steadily and cautiously. They ground it out for a grueling forty minutes and managed to secure a hard-won second victory.

The moment the enemy’s crystal exploded, Fatty ripped off his headset and let out a cathartic roar.

"Damn, that was tense as hell!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Alright guys, one more win and we’ve got it!" Huo Xingchen said, a rare, unrestrained smile on his face. "This last game, let’s crush them!"

"Easy peasy!"

"We’ll finish it in twenty minutes!"

...

The third game went just as they’d hoped. At exactly twenty minutes, the game ended. Huo Xingchen’s team had secured their ticket to the finals.

A three-game sweep. The fans in the stadium went wild, chanting the team’s name in unison.

Gu Qingyin was so moved by the atmosphere that her eyes actually grew a little misty. She found it unbelievable herself. ’People really are emotional creatures,’ she mused, ’so easily influenced by their surroundings.’

Huo Xingye also found it baffling and couldn’t understand it, but that didn’t stop him from taking out a handkerchief to wipe his mother’s tears.

The finals were in five days, in the same city but at a different stadium.

After the post-match interviews were over, the group returned to the hotel. Finding a moment when Kangkang was alone, Gu Qingyin and her three sons went to find him.