Green Sea City is a resort city where the sea, trees, and light rail blend harmoniously. Despite being a popular vacation destination, it has retained much of its traditional culture. The center of Hongye Park, bordered by Emerald Mountain to the east and the Green Sea to the south, was extremely crowded with a long banner stretched between two trees. A young girl squeezed into the crowd. When she saw the four big words “Insect Fighting Tournament” on the banner, a huge roar erupted from the people around her. “Lu Ran won again!” “Wasn’t it him last year too?” “That’s right, and he won easily both times!” As the crowds buzzed with discussion, in the center of the venue, a bald old man looked on in disbelief as a boy of about 16-17 years old stood up. “I concede,” he said with a smile. Insect fighting is a traditional game in Xia Country, also known as cricket fighting in the north. Just now, at the “Insect Fighting Tournament” held in Hongye Park in Green Sea City, Lu Ran, accompanied by his beloved insect, triumphed over a group of experienced veterans and claimed the title of Insect King. And this was not the first time he had won the championship. “You damn brat!” The old man kept scratching his already sparse hair in frustration as he looked at Lu Ran across from him. Ever since this Lu Ran started participating in the Insect Fighting Tournament, he hadn’t lost a single time. Why was that? How could this teenage brat have more experience at cricket fighting than them, a bunch of old geezers? “I just got lucky,” Lu Ran laughed. But suddenly, he seemed to sense a certain gaze from the people around him. His body immediately trembled. “Well, everyone, I’ll be leaving first!” Lu Ran’s expression changed. He quickly put away his beloved insect and hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd towards the exit. However, before he could get very far, his path was immediately blocked by someone who took a detour to approach him. This person wasn’t very old. She was tall and slender, with a pretty face and long chestnut-colored hair tied into a ponytail. She had two long, fair and beautiful legs, exuding youthful vitality. But at the moment, her expression was quite unfriendly. “So you asked for leave just to participate in this Insect Fighting Tournament? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Fang Lan had her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for Lu Ran’s explanation. “I had my phone on silent because I was focused on the tournament,” Lu Ran shrugged. “You’re about to enter your senior year, do you realize that?” Fang Lan’s head was pounding as she rubbed her temples. “Ugh... I know. I’ll go back for makeup classes tomorrow,” Lu Ran said helplessly. “I’m urging you for your own good!” Fang Lan then looked at the jar in Lu Ran’s hand and said, “But then again, you took first place...not bad. Green Sea City is known for its Insect Fighting, and even an old man in the park has decades of insect fighting experience. I heard you managed to defeat them easily.” Lu Ran smiled and said, “Sometimes, you cannot rely solely on ‘experience’ on some things. ‘Talent’ is the most important.” “Don’t praise yourself!” Fang Lan said with frustration. “I want you to focus on your studies first. After you finish the college entrance exam, you can do whatever you want with insect-fighting.” “I know, I know,” Lu Ran waved his hand. “But I’m not really interested in insect fighting anymore. It’s not challenging at all.” “You know, what about I challenge you in hunting? My ancestors were hunters, maybe I have the genes for that too…” He fell into contemplation. Hunting, which involves capturing and killing animals, is currently mainly aimed at developing the country’s wild animal resources, controlling wild animal populations, and maintaining the natural ecological balance. Of course, these goals have nothing to do with him; it’s purely because his family has a natural fighter pet that needs a suitable place to express its instincts. There were still quite a few places that allowed legal hunting in Xia Country. Thinking about it, Lu Ran opened the jar containing the Insect King and directly released this valuable Insect King. Just as he said, this game had lost its challenge. “Hunting…” Fang Lan looked at Lu Ran in confusion and said, “You’re not thinking of using your family’s husky as a hunting dog, are you?” “It doesn’t seem like a hunting dog, except for its appearance,” Lu Ran shrugged. “I could train it. It loves to fight too much, and always suppressing its fighting urge isn’t good either. But there’s no point talking about this. Getting a hunter’s license is quite difficult.” “I hope you’re joking,” Fang Lan said expressionlessly. But soon, she seemed to have thought of something as she stared at Lu Ran and said, “Wait, you still haven’t let go of that matter? Are you preparing to go there?” “No, even if I go, can’t I just hire a professional team directly? What’s the point of going through all the trouble? Don’t you think so too?” “But…” “Let’s go, let’s go. It’s going to rain.” Lu Ran hastily said, not wanting to continue this topic. “Huh?” Fang Lan was puzzled, looking at the clear sky with not a single cloud… “The weather forecast said so,” Lu Ran waved his hand, leading the way out of the park. He was lying, of course. Actually, it was the insects in the park that told him so. …… Not long after, the sky over Green Sea City became densely covered with dark clouds. Seeing that a storm was about to hit, Lu Ran and Fang Lan found shelter in a restaurant, partly to avoid the rain and partly to have lunch. “I’ll be going to Magic City in two days for college. Why don’t you just come stay at my house? You’re about to enter your senior year, let my parents cook for you, so you don’t have to order takeout every day. It’s not healthy.” Fang Lan held her tea, gently sipping it as she spoke: “My parents have told you this many times already.” “I can take care of myself just fine, please send them my thanks though,” Lu Ran said as he also drank some tea to wet his throat. “Call them godfather and godmother!” “Okay, okay. Thank my godfather and godmother for me,” Lu Ran said. He and Fang Lan have been childhood friends, and Fang Lan’s parents, as close friends of his own parents, adopted him after his parents were confirmed dead. However, after being able to manage his life on his own, Lu Ran moved out. His parents left him a substantial amount of money, which was enough for him to live a normal life. “I won’t bother with you anymore. Let them persuade you themselves.” Fang Lan also knew she couldn’t convince Lu Ran. She understood Lu Ran’s temper very well. To put it nicely, he had his own mind. To put it bluntly, he was rebellious, not just regarding small matters, but in all kinds of things. “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself. Just wait for me in Magic City. I’ll come find you next year, and at that time, I’ll rely on you, Senior Sister!” “You can talk about that after you get accepted,” Fang Lan rested one leg on the other, leisurely scrolling through her phone. Her grades were excellent, and this year, she got into the top university in the south, the Magic University. Due to her parents’ professions, she chose a major in veterinary medicine. Although Lu Ran’s academic performance was also good, it’s not so easy to get into the Magic University. The next year was crucial. “Piece of cake,” Lu Ran didn’t find it difficult at all. However, he hadn’t decided on a major yet... but it should be related to animals, right? For example... “Beast Tamer?” Fang Lan suggested. “What? Beast Tamer?” Lu Ran was surprised and looked at her. There’s such a major? He thought it was called Animal Science. Suddenly, Fang Lan spoke again. Lu Ran initially thought she was talking to him, but soon he realized she was muttering to herself while looking at her phone. “I came across a post. I'll send it to you,” Fang Lan said. Soon, Lu Ran’s phone received the link Fang Lan sent. Opening the link, the post’s title was: “Seeking Help! Do you believe in the existence of supernatural phenomena?” Huh? Seeing this title, Lu Ran frowned.
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The entire chapter is 1 giant paragraph, it's unreadable.
ReplyDeletePlease fix it.