Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 483 - 327: The Importance of Participation_2

Chapter 483: Chapter 327: The Importance of Participation_2

"Standing next to Pan Youning, that one?" Wen Zhiyu said.

"Right, that’s Feng Yi," Pan Weining replied.

"Who’s Feng... Oh! The one who’s good at catching snakes and can spin people around like a windmill!" Wen Zhiyu remembered.

He also knew that Feng Yi had done a favor for the Pan brothers. Pan Weining had described to them in detail how dangerous the situation had been at the time.

The impression of Feng Yi was quite good among them.

"This guy is cool! Let’s have a go together," Wen Zhiyu proposed.

"Forget it, you guys play first. Feng Yi is still getting the hang of this; he hasn’t had much exposure to it in the past," Pan Weining said.

"The feeling for this kind of thing obviously has to be developed in the heat of battle! It’s all about the atmosphere!"

Someone else suggested from the side, "Big Pan, why don’t you go ask him? He might also want to play but just didn’t say anything since you’re only three people, and he was too polite to suggest it."

"Yeah, Big Pan, we’re already teaming up anyway. We’ve looked after your little brother before; it’s no big deal to include one more. And for sure he won’t play worse than your little bro. A guy like Feng Yi, who can easily spend a whole month in the mountains, even if he’s not familiar with shooting here, he must be really quick on his feet!"

"Even if he doesn’t want to join the fight, perhaps he’d like to watch?"

Upon reflection, Pan Weining thought they were making sense.

The way Feng Yi handled catching pythons in Florida told him that the man was not one to sit still.

Feng Yi shouldn’t be seen in the same way as Pan Youning.

Instead of calling Feng Yi over right away, Pan Weining said, "If we’re going to have a match, what should we bet?"

Wen Zhiyu raised his eyebrows, "What? Got your eye on something of mine?"

"That meteorite of yours," Pan Weining said.

Wen Zhiyu gave Pan Weining an up-and-down look and laughed, "I’ve known for a while that you’ve been eyeing my meteorite! You watching it for your uncle?"

"Not at all."

Wen Zhiyu wasn’t interested in pressing for the reason; to him, the meteorite wasn’t that important anyway.

It was from when they had gone to the Gobi Desert for fun, imitating those who searched for meteorites, and even dreamt of finding a bunch of otherworldly iron to forge an epic dragon-slaying saber! Such a ceremonial thing!

Wouldn’t that make for an insane brag on social media?!

In the end, they found nothing.

He bought a fist-sized rock from a local villager for a few hundred yuan, which wasn’t an iron meteorite, and didn’t seem to be anything special.

The villager claimed it was a meteorite, and none of them could really tell the difference between a real one and a fake one.

He figured if it was a fake, so be it. Since they’d come all this way, they had to take something back.

Just like going fishing without catching a fish, he would still buy one to take home!

What they hadn’t expected, however, was for someone at the observatory to authenticate it as a real meteorite!

It wasn’t particularly valuable, but a few hundred yuan for such a piece was still no loss.

At that time, Wen Zhiyu flaunted the certificate of authenticity on social media for quite a while.

But to say he valued it greatly would be entirely untrue. He wouldn’t be heartbroken to gamble it away.

Generally, when this group of friends made bets, they set limits, aiming for entertainment and excitement, not creating grievances.

"Alright, I’ll put my meteorite on the line. What about you?" Wen Zhiyu asked.

"That piece of jade you liked last time," Pan Weining said.

The piece of jade was not very large, nor was it extremely precious, but it was interesting because of a natural pattern on it that closely resembled a small dog once raised by Wen Zhiyu’s niece.

Wen Zhiyu wanted to give his niece a birthday present, and this was perfect!

Now that Pan Weining was willing to part with it, Wen Zhiyu was pleased:

"That’s generous! But taking out just a jade piece from you while all I offer is a rock that’s worth only a few hundred doesn’t seem right. Let me add something else to my stake."

"No need. If Feng Yi joins later, just take it a bit easy on him when we start fighting," Pan Weining said.

"Sure!"

They were all old friends and didn’t bother with further refusals. When the time came, they would just give Feng Yi a break and not eliminate him too quickly. It was a trivial matter.

Pan Weining went over to talk to Feng Yi about the challenge but didn’t mention the bet.

"It’s just to get a feel for the atmosphere inside. They have beginners on their side too, and their main players won’t be focusing on the newbies at first," Pan Weining explained.

Feng Yi looked over.

The gregarious Wen Zhiyu lifted his sturdy arm and waved:

"Feng Yi! Come play! Have a couple of games to feel the difference! It’s a whole different vibe from the practice field!"

Feng Yi said, "Okay, I’ll play a few to get a feel for it."

Next to him, Pan Youning asked, "Bro, what about me?"

"You’re coming too," Pan Weining said.

"Yay!"

Pan Youning was the type who was interested in esports and played well, but was pretty bad at physical games despite being interested.

Those familiar with Pan Weining had gotten used to looking after the little brother.

As for Feng Yi, knowing that he was a novice and had once saved Pan Youning, they were also willing to show him the ropes.

They made an appointment for a battle and booked an indoor field.

Checking the team rosters, Wen Zhiyu’s side was one person short.

After glancing at Feng Yi at the end of Pan Weining’s team, Wen Zhiyu turned and shouted over to the spectators’ stand, "We need one more piece of trash!"

Feng Yi: "..."

No sooner had Wen Zhiyu finished speaking than a row of people stood up from the spectators’ stand: "Me!"

Feng Yi: "..."

Seeing the subtle expression on Feng Yi’s face, Wen Zhiyu realized that what he’d shouted was inappropriate and quickly said, "Ahem, sorry, I talk before I think, I’m just used to shouting that, don’t take it personally, okay? Don’t get me wrong, I meant newcomers, that’s what I meant!"

If it weren’t for the emotional cues from Wen Zhiyu, Feng Yi might have really thought the other person was being sarcastic.

Coming over quietly, Pan Youning said, "Don’t mind it, Brother Yu sometimes speaks without thinking."

"Yeah, I know he didn’t mean it," Feng Yi responded.

Seeing that Feng Yi wasn’t angry, Pan Youning breathed a sigh of relief.

Wen Zhiyu might be unreliable with his words, but when it came to action, he was dependable. That is, as long as you weren’t provoked by his slip-ups.

Before entering the field, Pan Weining pulled Pan Youning aside: "I won’t be able to look after you once the game starts, so Feng Yi is your responsibility. Take extra care of him for me. I’ve spoken to Wen Zhiyu and the others already, they won’t be targeting you two."

"Okay, bro, don’t worry. I will definitely take care of my lifesaver. If there are paintballs coming, I’ll block them for him!"

"...I think he’ll react faster than you," Pan Weining said.

"I know, I know, just expressing my determination."

"Anyway, play it by ear and be flexible," Pan Weining advised.

Not fully trusting his cousin, Pan Weining went over to Feng Yi to say a few words. He didn’t outright mention that he’d spoken to the other team, but instead asked Feng Yi, "Is there anything you’re unclear on, or not used to?"

"It’s alright. I’ve read the rules," Feng Yi stated, "I’m just here to get a feel for the atmosphere, to participate. You guys should play your own game, no need to worry about me too much."

Pan Weining patted Feng Yi on the shoulder and didn’t say much more.

They started with a strategic meeting. Pan Weining’s teammates had collaborated many times before, using tactical terms only they understood.

Pan Weining intended to explain things to Feng Yi, but Feng Yi gestured that there was no need to worry about him and to proceed as they would normally do.

Feng Yi didn’t intend to be on the front lines here, he was simply there to be a part of it and experience the atmosphere.

The time for both teams to enter the field came.

Pan Youning and Feng Yi lagged behind their team.

Once the official gear was on, Pan Youning’s mobility dropped by thirty percent.

"Brother Yi, how does it feel to you?" asked Pan Youning.

"I think it’s alright," Feng Yi answered. He didn’t feel any weight.

"I need to work out more. Otherwise, once I put on the gear, I’m just a sitting duck in terms of speed."

Strolling into the field, Pan Youning cheered on the main team up front:

"Brothers, charge! I’m sending you my king’s heart! Heart signal!"

The main team members, who were just getting into their combat stances, were nearly shattered by the cheesy encouragement.

After cheering, Pan Youning said to Feng Yi, "They’ll lead, we’ll back them up. Brother Yi, just follow me with confidence."

Wandering into the field, Pan Youning, with practiced ease, found places for them to hide.

Concerned that Feng Yi might be nervous playing for the first time, he said:

"Don’t worry. My brother and his friends are really good at this. We just have to lie low, no need to engage."

"We don’t have to take down any opponents, just hide well and lie low! It’s all about participation!"