Novel Bin Chapter 145 - Battle
Chapter 145 - Battle
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
Public square, music fountain.
The afternoon sun warmed the ground, and the splashing water seemed unreal in the sunlight.
There was a group of youths in the middle of the square. Unlike the other groups that were using a rough b-box accompaniment, there were speakers set up around the fountain, and people were being shocked numb by the subwoofers blasting. The pop music was full of rhythm, and it was surround sound, pulling people’s gazes towards the middle of the crowd.
––The timing and location were both advantageous.
One of the group jumped up from the ground and wiped his face through his sunglasses and mask. The applause he received was thunderous.
In this team, the five members all came from different boy groups. It was difficult for them to run in and do a group dance within such a short time, so they’d chosen solo mode for their performance.
The big youth who’d just danced hip hop just now had black hair that was dyed dark blue. He looked rebellious, but his eyes showed his nervousness. He first looked up at their captain Eagle Blade, and it wasn’t until Eagle Blade gave a tiny nod that he suddenly relaxed like he’d received a reward, smiling and bowing to the audience everywhere.
At this time, there were many gazes still locked on Eagle Blade’s body as he leaned against the wall.
“When can we watch him dance again?” There were girls chattering amongst themselves as they looked at Eagle Blade’s profile, “He makes the whole scene explode when he dances.”
This team was <Go! Popular Youth>’s team 6.
Eagle Blade was a well-deserved S-level trainee. He already had many fans even before his debut. He could sing, dance, and rap, and had created all kinds of excellent works. He was currently being trained up by several big agencies, and at this time, he was just standing silently behind his teammates, but countless visitors were still waiting for him to dance again.
“How much now?” There was no emotion to be found in Eagle Blade’s voice.
One of the team members looked at the terminal and was very excited, “650 credits!”
Unsurprisingly, they would be the first team to complete the task––
There was a sudden commotion from nearby.
The team stretched out their heads in surprise and looked across the bustling crowd. Another group of players was swaggering through the square. No, they seemed to be completely careless as they took over the other side of the fountain.
The teams were now less than 20 meters apart.
“......” Wasn’t this blatant provocation?! The team trembled and looked over at Eagle Blade...
The audience around them was also surprised, and then their interest level rose up. Several cameras whizzed over, following the scent of gunpowder. Eagle Blade, who’d been leaning against the wall, finally straightened up and frowned beneath his sunglasses, his body giving off a freezing aura.
One of the team members finally recognized the other party, “Hudi? This is team 12?”
Nearby.
Hudi looked solemnly at Wu Jin, “Brother Wu, it’s up to you now.”
Wu Jin reached out, and they bumped fists.
The song playing at the fountain changed, a new song playing out. Hudi didn’t waste a single moment, clearing out a space to start dancing. The background music was much more comfortable to dance to than the b-box. Hudi had originally been worried, but he soon started dancing more boldly, tossing thoughts of Eagle Blade to the back of his mind.
Eagle Blade couldn’t stand it any more. He chose someone with a better dance foundation than Hudi and sent him over, “Go deal with it.”
That person agreed right away.
He walked over to team 12, and the visitors around them cleared the way automatically. After a few seconds, some of them finally realized, “Is this-are they about to battle for territory?”
The crowd exploded into noise! Grabbing a location 20 meters away was tantamount to face-to-face humiliation. No matter whether they won or lost, the first person to dare go up and battle was a hero.
A young girl who’d originally just been watching from the side and eating melon seeds suddenly perked up and squeezed over.
Hudi hadn’t been a trainee for long, and his muscle strength hadn’t yet caught up. He had excellent flexibility when he danced, but his moves weren’t always on beat. The team member that Eagle Blade had sent over stood next to Hudi, and his muscles suddenly vibrated rhythmically as his feet slid back, performing the moonwalk!
The crowd was stunned and then burst out into cheering. The young girl spoke quickly, “Popping, a mechanical dance! Look at his wave, it’s so explosive. He’s imitating his opponent––”
The contestant imitated Hudi’s movements, but his muscles were controlled, and he had more strength. He followed Hudi’s moves, making a mockery of his moves one after another. All of the people around them laughed and gestured for Hudi to get off the ‘stage’.
A little boy who wore glasses squeaked and said, “This isn’t very nice, right? It’s disrespectful...”
The melon seed eating young girl spoke in a straightforward manner, “What does that have to do with anything? Street culture is brave and fierce. If you dare to snatch a spot, you should be mentally prepared! This is what battles are like, and if you don’t diss the loser, that’s showing disrespect to the winner! Besides, they haven’t played out their trump cards yet!”
The audience around them yelled, “That’s no good, next, next!”
Hudi spread his hands. He felt no psychological burden losing as a rapper. The winner looked triumphantly at the other side and was caught by surprise as another person walked out. The other party was less than 1.8 meters tall, his baseball cap pulled extremely low. The parts of his face that could be seen beneath the sunglasses and mask were pleasing to the eye, but carried no aggression, and he looked like a little animal who had passed by the fountain by chance.
The person who’d won against Hudi thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out who he was facing. At the very least, it wasn’t any trainee or artist he knew, and he felt that the burden on his shoulders was suddenly lightened––
The second song began, and the other party suddenly moved.
It was also popping!
There was a sudden wave of silence around them, and some people even had their mouths open in astonishment.
There was no other reason for it; the youth who’d replaced Hudi’s presence had changed too quickly. One second, he was warm and quiet, and suddenly, his aura soared in the next second. It was the same mechanical dance, the same imitation of Hudi’s movements, but the muscle control and detail was almost frightening.
It was subtle, as though there was a current flowing through his moves.
From the first beat!
The youth suddenly moved to the rhythm. Popping relied on ‘retraction’. In the first two eight beat counts, his muscle movements were all in sync, and his control was almost harsh. At this time, his strength suddenly broke out as the beat dropped. If one stood close enough, they could almost see the clothes being lifted with the wind from his actions, showing off the perfect muscular curves of his waist and abdomen––
He suddenly stood still, performing a ferocious and dazzling freeze.
The winner and loser were already determined.
Eagle Blade suddenly stood up straight and headed towards the youth.
The youth was imitating Hudi, and he was naturally also mocking the team member from team 6 who’d defeated Hudi. The team member knew that he’d been defeated and looked regretfully at Eagle Blade, “Captain...”
Eagle Blade shook his head, “I’ll go.” He spoke directly to the youth, his voice cool with no fluctuations. “Eagle Blade.”
The youth was equally direct, “Wu Jin.”
A few seconds later, the onlookers finally burst out in cheers. The young girl nearby even murmured to herself, “Oh my god, he’s a little badass. How come his freeze can make me feel like my legs are going soft... What’s this little brother called? Wu, Wu, Wu what?”
In team 6, everyone all looked towards Wu Jin at the same time. For Eagle Blade to have to go up and handle it himself, it meant that the other three dancers in team 6 weren’t this person’s rival. However, they’d never heard this person’s name before––
Eagle Blade paused for a few seconds, “I know you.”
All the team members were at a loss. Wait a minute, who was this person?! How come even Lord Eagle Blade knew of him––Eagle Blade spoke arrogantly, “I’ve seen your competitions, but dance battles aren’t the same as solving math problems.”
Eagle Blade shrugged off his coat and tossed it behind him. There were shrill screams from nearby.
“......” Wu Jin remained silent. Throwing clothing away was a necessary stage skill for every lead dancer. He glanced at Eagle Blade, then unhesitatingly removed his own jacket.
The sun shone down brightly, landing on the smooth curves of the youth’s muscles and highlighting the still-healing wound from the last elimination match.
“......!! Holy shit!” Not only the passers-by, but even the members of team 12 who were standing behind Wu Jin were stunned.
Muscles and scars held the ultimate sexual appeal for men. Wu Jin looked like a harmless little rabbit with his clothes on, but when he removed his jacket, his aura seemed charged with pheromones. The wound left behind by Lan Ran stretched from his shoulder to the collar of his shirt, making it seem like someone had been unable to resist and attempted to tear apart his clothing
Eagle Blade wasn’t surprised, “Let’s go.”
Wu Jin followed behind him and soon arrived at Eagle Blade’s battle site––the viewing platform for the musical fountain. The viewing platform was about half a meter higher than the ground, and there was no fence around it, making it a test for dancers. The ground seemed covered with smooth wood, and it worked well for dancing and breakdancing. The most important thing was the fountain––
According to the music track cycle, the fountain would sweep over the viewing platform in two minutes.
Eagle Blade wanted to finish the battle within 2 minutes.
Eagle Blade raised his eyebrows.
Wu Jin stepped away from him, “Please start.”
The third song began!
Eagle Blade started first. His shoulders and arms spread wide, and he stood slightly taller than Wu Jin. His actions were fierce and direct, starting off with two power moves, followed by a single-handed tribal, setting off the entire audience within 10 seconds!
Beneath the fountain, the crowd that was already fully riled up, burst out into screams.
Eagle Blade stopped and looked at Wu Jin. Wu Jin nodded smartly and pressed down the rim of his baseball cap. He linked up the three power moves and connected them with the rhythm––
Off-stage, everyone, including Hudi and Zhuang Fan, were all dazzled. Zhuang Fan was simply incredulous, “Three combos in 5 seconds? He-he-he... how did he train that up?!” This kind of connection was impossible without 20 years of training, but how old was Wu Jin now? Was he... 20?
Eagle Blade’s expression grew solemn behind his sunglasses.
Then, Wu Jin supported himself off the ground with one hand. His t-shirt slid down due to gravity, revealing his thin but powerful waistline that tensed up with his rotation and breathing––
Hudi’s breathing also stalled, and he spoke his thoughts directly, “Brother-Brother Wu is so beautiful...”
Zhuang Fan interrupted him, “What kind of adjective is that?! This is called handsome! 1990.” He spoke in a low voice, “This was one of the most difficult movements in break dancing in the 1990’s. This arm of Little Witch’s, that arm strength, is enough to beat up a big 2 meter tall man. Eagle Blade can’t match him when it comes to explosive power.”
On the stage, Eagle Blade’s expression suddenly changed.
Zhuang Fan’s words were correct. 1990 was a professional dance move that required too much explosive power. No matter how hard a trainee trained, they wouldn’t go and try the 1990. However, Wu Jin was a survival show contestant who had fought and killed. In this aspect, he was far superior.
On the viewing platform, Eagle Blade’s movements changed, becoming much more flexible. Strength and flexibility were two aspects of the human body. Eagle Blade performed a forward somersault followed by a freeze, his actions smooth and handsome.
Wu Jin followed his moves, copying it to the second. He flipped forward, freezed, then fell back––
Hudi’s heart leapt, “A mistake?!”
On the stage, Wu Jin only landed on the ground for half a second before bouncing back up to link up the combo––
Zhuang Fan stared at Wu Jin for a long time. He was fully won over, “Landing on one’s back after a front somersault usually represents a mistake, but being able to stand up again signifies that performing this kind of high difficulty move didn’t harm him at all. It’s a battle taunt stunt.”
“I rarely see anyone playing like that. This set of moves is too dangerous. It’s also called ‘suicide’.”
On the stage, Wu Jin was completely unharmed.
30 seconds left.
The fountain slowly turned towards the viewing platform, water splashing up to dampen the edges of their clothing. The music was nearing its peak, and the last part was rap, which was the easiest to dance to.
The sun was like magnesium spot lights lighting up the stage. The water mist was becoming increasingly fierce. Wu Jin’s eyes swept across the visitors beneath the platform, his heart pounding and blood boiling.
When it came to freestyle, any routine or trick moves were completely abandoned.
The youth’s waist and back were clearly straight, but they seemed to shift due to the burst of movements. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes raised up slightly, and it was as though he had grasped everyone’s gaze. Every move was old school, but he was committed to bringing out all the ferocity in his bones––
He had once also been an S-level trainee.
A lead dancer trainee, single dance rated S. In the training rooms, he’d paid out much more effort than Eagle Blade.
It hadn’t been that long since his time as a boy group trainee in his memories, but that time was vague and seemingly covered in dust. It was distant and almost seemed unreal.
The countdown ended!
The water from the fountain splashed down. Wu Jin took a step back. Half of his clothing had been stained, and the curls beneath the baseball cap were wet and sticky. He moved his legs and bailed, all the way until he and Eagle Blade had reached safety away from the fountain.
Eagle Blade stared at Wu Jin for a few seconds. “I lost. The space is yours.”
Beneath the viewing platform, Hudi, Chen Shao, and the other teammates were anxiously helping Wu Jin collect money from the performance. They all looked happy, “420 credits! Maybe we’ll be the first to finish the task...”
Their wrist watches all beeped at the same time.
“Team 22 has completed their task. They have currently raised 6554 credits.”
Everyone in team 6, everyone in team 12: “......”
Zhuang Fan was shocked, “Our task was just to raise 1000 credits, right? Who is in team 22? Why do they have 6000? These days, even snatching up robots and reselling them can’t net you 6000 credits, right???”
Hudi thought even further and was full of envy, “6000 credits. Not to mention the task, they could even fund other teams and help them advance. For example, they could give donations to the performers...”
A shadow covered his view.
Hudi’s mouth opened wide as he looked at the player who was approaching them. He seemed to be about 1.9 meters tall, a powerful man with the standard mask and sunglasses.
For some reason, Hudi even found it difficult to speak, “He...llo, are you looking for someone or giving a donation...”
Wei Shi: “Donation.”
Juurensha: WS simply amassing money for his victorious Little Witch!
xiin: no hiding that big boss aura~