Exotic Battlefield: I Can Activate Dual Talents
Chapter 99 - 97, The world is really small, a little idea (please subscribe for monthly tickets)

Chapter 99: 97, The world is really small, a little idea (please subscribe for monthly tickets)

Seafood Restaurant was the name of the restaurant. Lu Lin and Da Xiang only realized something was wrong after they had stepped inside.

They weren’t invited for dinner, so why did they rush over here full of enthusiasm?

Despite Da Xiang’s look of simple honesty, he also had his own thoughts. He was probably worried about Wang Juan. He feared Wang Juan might be noticed by that boy’s friend, who would then start pursuing her. In that case, he would have an extra competitor out of nowhere. Rather than that, it would be better to declare his claim from the start, letting people know that Wang Juan was spoken for.

Lu Lin took a deep look at Da Xiang. Fine. He would be leaving for university on Saturn soon, not knowing if he could come back in one or two years. Given that, he could help push Da Xiang a bit. If Da Xiang could really end up with Wang Juan, then he would have taken a load off his mind.

The two of them walked into the restaurant. Da Xiang was tall, and his gaze swept over the room until he spotted a few people awkwardly eating and chatting.

Of course, there was Wang Juan. He could also vaguely recognize Ma Yan and Li Tingting.

Sitting opposite the three of them were a few... well, quite mature-looking middle-aged men. Suit, tie, briefcase, leather shoes. One of them even had a nick near his eye. But he didn’t look like a bad person; it was probably an accidental scratch.

"Eh, Da Xiang, why are you here?"

Wang Juan had been keeping an eye on the entrance when they walked in. Now that she saw them, she had to feign surprise.

No one knew Wang Juan’s habits better than Lu Lin. It was the same when they were in primary school. Wang Juan was always the strategist, planning everything, while Da Xiang and Lu Lin followed her to help complete the tasks. Eventually, Da Xiang was always the one scolded by the teacher. After all, Lu Lin wasn’t truly a child at heart; how could he not understand self-preservation?

The man across from them with the scar on his face stood up, feeling helpless. Coming out to meet a girl who brings two female friends is one thing, but why did two more boys suddenly pop up?

Just as he stood up and was about to say, "Now that you’re here, let’s eat together," he suddenly noticed Lu Lin.

"It’s you!?"

If not for the sofa behind him, this man would have retreated at least three steps.

Lu Lin looked at him, puzzled. Who are you? Are we familiar?

The star of the dinner, Ma Yan, also noticed Da Xiang and Lu Lin. Especially when she saw Lu Lin, her face lit up with joy.

Wang Juan had told her this afternoon that Da Xiang might bring Lu Lin, so Ma Yan and Li Tingting had been anticipating their arrival for half the day.

Lu Lin, the top school hunk at Lishui Bay Primary School back in the day. He was good-looking, academically excellent, good at sports, well-built, and polite. He was a definitive star in the eyes of his teachers and classmates.

After he moved to Blue Star, Lu Lin seldom played with his classmates. This was due to his unfamiliarity with the new place and his family’s debt, causing him to eventually blend into the crowd.

Now, seeing the handsome Lu Lin again, hearts practically sparkled in the eyes of both Ma Yan and Li Tingting.

"Lu Lin, you really came?"

"Quick, sit down, sit down! Waiter, bring tea! Add a set of bowls and chopsticks—no, two sets!" Ma Yan said excitedly.

Ignoring the man with the scar on his face, Lu Lin walked to a seat and sat down, smiling. "Long time no see, old classmates."

"You’re the busy one. We haven’t seen a trace of you for days, even though you’ve been back."

"You only show up today when your Promotion Banquet is tomorrow. That’s not very considerate of you." Ma Yan spoke candidly, while Li Tingting nodded vigorously in agreement.

They both knew that Lu Lin, who had awakened his Martial Talent, would no longer be part of their world. Their future jobs, lives, the things they would encounter, and the people they would meet would all be different. Even if they met, what could they possibly talk about?

The three of them quickly fell into a fervent conversation.

Da Xiang naturally sat next to Wang Juan, using his chopsticks to eat small dishes like pickled radish and stir-fried soybeans.

Seafood Restaurant was known for its seafood hotpot. When Lu Lin and Da Xiang walked in, Wang Juan and her friends had just finished ordering.

The scarred man felt awkward as the people opposite him paid him no attention. Should he leave? That would be a waste. For seafood hotpot, you have to order and pay first before the dishes are prepared, and he had already ordered almost 2,000 yuan worth of food. If he left now, he would lose all that money. But if he stayed, he would have to endure the discomfort.

Ever since Lu Lin arrived, the three girls hadn’t spared him or his two companions a single glance; their eyes were all focused on Lu Lin.

After exchanging a few words with Ma Yan, Lu Lin finally looked at the man.

"Do I know you, brother?"

The scarred man’s face tensed. "I am Jiang Yamin from Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall. We met a few days ago," he said in a low voice.

"Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall?" Lu Lin slapped his forehead. "Ah, I remember now! You were there that day when we went to challenge Wild Kill Martial Arts Hall, weren’t you?"

"But, your current attire..." Lu Lin pointed at the man’s professional work clothes. "Oh, I get it. You work during the day and only have free time to practice, right?"

"Me too, me too. I’m planning to go to Alien Star University soon, so I won’t be coming to Wild Kill Martial Arts Hall anymore."

"I only fought that day because Wild Kill Martial Arts Hall is run by my friend’s dad. Sorry about that. Were you alright that day?" Lu Lin looked at the scar on the man’s face, now recalling it. He did remember seeing a fighter with a scar on his face that day.

"I’m fine, but our Martial Arts Hall wasn’t."

Jiang Yamin began to recount what happened after the challenge.

The day after Lu Lin and Guan Yue left for Mingze, Guan Pingchao went alone to the entrance of Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall and shouted abuse, accusing Shao Xiaolong of being disloyal, that his words were worthless, that he had broken his promises, and so on.

A year ago, they had made a bet. If one master’s disciple performed poorly, that master would have to acknowledge the other’s Martial Arts Hall as superior. Furthermore, any promising new students would be given priority for admission to the victorious hall.

When Shao Xiaolong came to challenge that day, Guan Pingchao finally realized he had been schemed against a year prior. He showed considerable restraint by not storming inside to cause chaos.

Shao Xiaolong, already in a foul mood from Lu Lin’s punch to his shoulder, heard Guan Pingchao yelling downstairs and became enraged. He stormed out of the Martial Arts Hall to confront Guan Pingchao but tripped over the threshold on his way out. His head, by a stroke of bad luck, struck the base of the stone lion statue guarding the entrance.

When Guan Pingchao saw Shao Xiaolong in that state, he thought he was faking it, laughed heartily, and left, planning to return the next day to mock Shao Xiaolong further.

Who would have known that Shao Xiaolong, after being unconscious in the hospital for over ten hours that night, would suddenly lose his memory.

He lost his memory.

Shao Xiaolong had never married or had children. Among his disciples, those with Martial Talent had gone to Alien Star for work or study and rarely returned, sometimes not for years. The disciples without Martial Talent naturally lacked the ability or prestige to keep Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall running.

The disciples of Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall discussed the situation and concluded: their Master had lost his memory, and the martial arts hall had just been defeated by Wild Kill Martial Arts Hall. With no one of sufficient prestige to take over, they all agreed to pack their bags and disband.

As Jiang Yamin said this, he looked at Lu Lin with a complex expression. He had known for a while that continuing to practice boxing as he had offered little hope, yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall.

This time, thanks to Lu Lin and Guan Pingchao, he, as one of the martial arts hall’s lesser disciples, received a severance payment of 100,000 yuan and subsequently found a job. Coincidentally, it was at Federal Mobile, where Ma Yan worked. A supervisor there, noticing he was still single at his age, had thought of introducing Ma Yan to him.

"Lu, Mr. Lu, don’t you think the world is small?"

"I thought I would never see you again after leaving Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall."

"But here we are, meeting again after just a few days."

As the food arrived, Jiang Yamin stopped talking and began to eat by himself. His demeanor had an air of unburdened ease.

Lu Lin didn’t mind. The man had pursued his passion for many years, only to see it vanish after one punch. And the master of the Martial Arts Hall had been driven to amnesia by Guan Pingchao’s tirades. If this had happened to him, Lu Lin guessed he would have collapsed too.

"Alright, let’s eat," Da Xiang and the others said.

Watching everyone enjoying various kinds of seafood from the hotpot, Lu Lin suddenly had an idea.