"Boss Light, I think we should forget about this so-called foreign aid. The delay is making us look weak." The tough guy with sharp eyes showed a look of disdain, "We didn't need any foreign aid to begin with. We have dozens of people. Every one of our brothers here earned their stripes through fighting, we're not afraid of those Sand Down trashes."
Damian's face maintained a calm and collected demeanor, and he raised his hand to signal his subordinates to stay calm.
"The time hasn't come yet. No worries, we'll stick to the plan."
Although many thugs in the restaurant kept quiet, there was an undercurrent of unease. They were puzzled by the notion of foreign aid from the start, and now the delays were only making things worse. Eye contact among them revealed impatience, and some even were barely restraining their frustration.
Damian glanced around, raised his left hand and looked at his watch, "Ten more minutes. We move out on time."
His tone is extremely calm.
…
"Class 2-A, one, two, three! one, two, three!"
"Go! Go!"
At the center of the field, four groups were locked in a tug-of-war. Students from different grades had gathered, forming circles upon circles around the contestants, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Logan, keep it up! Don't give up, we can do this!" The female team leader, standing just a meter away, was shouting until her face turned red. After almost shouting into Logan's ear, she quickly ran to the front to rally the others.
"One, two, three! Arnold, stop holding back! Ted, you bastard, put your back into it!"
"One, two, three! Come on!"
On the surface, Logan looked like he's fighting tooth and nail for class honor, but internally, he felt no emotion, even feeling calm enough to want to perform a Hadouken.
Holding the rough rope, Logan stood at the back of the line, with nine boys and girls in front of him giving their all. The surrounding crowd watched with excitement.
He squinted, the deafening cheers filling the air.
'Everyone, do you really need to be so enthusiastic...'
The force in his hand was moving the rope forward and backward. Logan knew perfectly well that he was only pretending to pull and hardly used any strength at all. Yet, even in this uneven match of nine against eleven, the students of Class 2-A still managed to hold their ground.
The two sides were deadlocked, with the red line symbolizing victory swaying back and forth more than a dozen times...
'Seriously, you guys on the opposite side, do you know how to play?'
"Come on, everyone, keep going!"
This balanced tug-of-war was the most thrilling to watch. The female team leader shouted with passionate fervor, and the spectators from other classes kept clapping and cheering.
Logan leaned back and the soles of his feet slid back and forth along with the rope, which felt extremely awkward.
'If this keeps up, my conscience will be condemned...'
The competitions of the other three groups have ended one after another, but here, the fight is still indistinguishable. The crowd grew larger, the female class leader's voice was becoming hoarse, and the sound waves rolling through the hot afternoon air. The white clouds in the sky are curling up, and the youth is in the sky. The clouds in the sky curled, and under the sun, and both so-called good and bad students were focused in the same direction.
The sweat from the sturdy girl in front of Logan dripped onto the red plastic track, forming a wet spot. The steps of the nine people involuntarily moved forward with the sound again. Diane and her classmates ran back and forth, and at one point, she happened to glance towards the back of the line.
Sighing, Logan grabbed the rough yellow rope, which made a scratching sound as it moved.
'That fatty should have come today.'
He mused about David's absence.
Taking hold of the rope, which had been leaning heavily in one direction, it suddenly halted and tightened. Amidst the cacophony of shouts, Logan applied force. On this invisible line, a new surge of power joined in, and then overwhelmingly crushed the opposition effortlessly and indisputably…
"Wow--"
"Ah!"
All the students suddenly fell to the ground. The physical education teacher blew his whistle, pointing at the red line and raised his hand to signal the victory to Class 2-A.
Cheers erupted everywhere. And Logan, lying on the ground, felt a rare sense of contentment amidst the chaotic sights. Someone helped him up. The female team leader was so excited that she almost cried. He caught the hand on his shoulder and turned to look, seeing it was Diane.
At this moment, there was a strange light shining in the other party's gentle eyes.
Logan took a step back and laughed, "We won."
"Yes." Diane was still looking at him, with a happy aftertaste on her face and her face was blushing.
It was a bit strange to be looked at by this kind of gaze, and Logan almost had the emotion of: 'Could this childhood friend of mine really have feelings for me?'
Fortunately, a student called Diane away, as the winning class had to register again.
"Everyone, rest for a bit and get ready for the next round of the competition!"
Soon, the energetic voice of the female class leader rang, causing Logan's face to fall.
'Sure enough, winning meant more rounds to come.
'It's bad.' After looking at the time again, Logan exhaled deeply, 'I had to go all out.'
Having made up his mind, Logan would have to ride this wave of unity among his classmates and finish things quickly.
Then, what followed was a display that left countless classes stunned.
At the beginning of the second round, Class 2-A, having earned a lot of attention and enthusiasm in the first round, returned to the field again. Many people thought they'd be exhausted after being in a stalemate for so long, and their stamina must be exhausted. The opposing class certainly believed so, but before they could execute any clever strategy to win, the whistle sounded, and in less than three seconds, the rope on the side of Class 2-A was pulled explosively, sending their opponents sprawling, letting them win instantly.
"Wow, an instant defeat!"
"Is the difference in their strength that big??"
Before the exclaims and admirations were over, another class appeared on the field. This time, the opponents were burly guys, much bigger in size. However, the miracle repeated itself. Class 2-A was like the protagonist who had an epiphany and breakthrough after a hard fight. It's as if their strength had multiplied, and they effortlessly win in less than ten seconds, dragging their burly opponents to the ground.
The third round, semi-finals, finals... more and more people gathered to watch, and the cheers are constantly rising. With each victory, Class 2-A seemed to grow stronger, like protagonists in a story who had completely activated their cheat...
When the result of the finals was announced, the students began to doubt life, 'Isn't this unscientific?
Logan watched his classmates celebrate noisily and rubbed his slightly red hands. The day's fantastical series of events at the sports meet drew to a close under the fading sunlight. He smiled and quietly slipped away when no one was looking.
…
The fan continued whirring as the sunlight dimmed. Damian's face was no longer serene, but grave. The strong man beside him did not dare to speak. He doesn't know whether the boss became more serious because the time was approaching or because of the unreliable foreign aid.
After looking at his watch for the last time, Damian suddenly stood up and said calmly: "It's time, let's go!"
The dozens of men cheered and stood up. The sudden noise and momentum nearly toppled the restaurant. The owner at the cash register trembled so hard that he almost fell off his chair.
"Jose, make the introductions." Damian ordered coolly as he stepped outside into the evening light.
"Got it, Boss Light." The strong man also had an awe-inspiring look as if he was a soldier going to the battlefield. He took the lead with two thugs and went straight to the main base of Sand Down Society.
No tricks, just brute force.
Under the autumn heat, as youth gave way to evening, the rough nature of these men came to the fore without hesitation. Their footsteps pounded rhythmically, and the door was slammed open without reserve.
"Sand Down Society, come out——"
"Who the fuck-"
Before the rough young man could finish, a stick swung and sent him flying.
"Um, excuse me..."
A young man suddenly appeared in the middle of the scene like a magic trick. Both sides, full of menacing energy, paused in surprise and turned their attention toward him.
The young man, still in school uniform and smiling shyly, seemed out of place.
"Did I make it on time?"