The Bagpipe Squad was likely the first team in the history of the Shenzhou Cup to raise funds by selling rotten eggs.
If they managed to win an award later, this experience would undoubtedly become an inspirational tale used by the Demon Race to educate their children.
“Qing Yi… which Qing Yi?”
After Jiang Ke’er gave her name, the people nearby held their breath, seemingly frozen.
“Qing Yi of the Bagpipe Squad,” Jiang Ke’er said with a slight smile.
“Please excuse me. I need to go on stage to receive my award.”
Go on stage to receive the award…
Every word from Jiang Ke’er’s mouth was like a knife stabbing into the hearts of those who had been jeering earlier.
‘The act of throwing rotten eggs, which I thought was a satisfying way to vent, was actually funding the enemy?!’
‘Not only did I fail to throw rotten eggs and spoiled tomatoes in the face of the person I hate most, but I also paid 10,000 times the price to buy this junk from them? I was fleeced like an idiot!’
[Received 1,000 Villain Points from a certain Cultivator.]
Jiang Ke’er happily glanced at the System Prompt.
She had received ten times as many Villain Points now as she had Orthodox Points a few minutes ago. One could only imagine the state of mind of her “customers.”
Jiang Ke’er quickly ducked into the player area to meet the rest of the Bagpipe Squad, who had also had a successful harvest.
“I sold out. What about you?”
“Me too.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t see the expressions on those guys’ faces.”
The Little Monsters of the Bagpipe Squad doubled over with laughter.
They had originally thought they would face a situation where they were isolated and targeted by everyone at this ceremony, leaving them feeling anxious and depressed.
While that was technically true, the process had turned out to be anything but gloomy.
They didn’t feel unhappy at all.
Go ahead, curse us. Curse all you want.
“Sir, I still have some rotten eggs left. Would you like some? Hehehe…”
“Alright, it’s our turn to head out. Those body doubles have already been exposed,” Si Lian said, straightening her collar with a smile. “If we don’t go out now, the organizers are going to lose it.”
Just as Si Lian said, the host provided by the organizers was fuming, reaching a state of near-madness.
He had finally managed to endure the wait, using a relatively impartial tone to announce the Bagpipe Squad’s glorious achievements from the past year.
The spotlights converged, the cameras focused, and the special effects were dialed up to the max!
At the exact moment the music and atmosphere reached a climax, those “squad members” had calmly removed their hoods, dusted off the eggshells on their clothes, and revealed the faces of random middle-aged men whom no one recognized.
One of the men was balding, and he simply dug his nose while looking around with dead-fish eyes.
“Sorry, wrong way. Where’s the Exit?”
“…”
The host and the entire staff of the organizing committee felt their minds explode.
‘Who the hell are you?! You went the wrong way? How thick must your nerves be to wander onto this stage by mistake?!’
“Sorry, there was some sword traffic on the way. We’re late,” the Bagpipe Squad members finally arrived, climbing onto the stage with calm expressions that carried no hint of apology.
The host choked on his words.
Most teams received invitations before the ceremony began, with detailed schedules and sometimes even rehearsals.
However, the Bagpipe Squad was an exception.
The organizers had secretly hoped they wouldn’t show up, so they hadn’t put much effort into the arrangements. They had only given them a basic schedule and mentioned nothing else.
There were no special swords provided for transport and no rehearsals.
Even the schedule was vague, only stating that they should enter through the East Gate at a specific time to receive their award. It was clear the organizers hadn’t planned any special role for them.
Under normal circumstances, any team with a standard IQ would have taken the hint, followed the script to get the ceremony over with, and avoided making a scene to keep the organizers happy.
Unfortunately, these guys didn’t play by the rules.
The host forced a faint, awkward smile. “As expected of this year’s most high-profile dark horse… truly, you are unique.”
Though his mind was reeling, the host had to keep the opening ceremony going since the entire world was watching. He would settle the score later!
‘You dare offend the tournament organizers? Do you think you’ll get away with this? Naive! You have no idea how foolish your behavior is!’
The ceremony continued —
One by one, all 128 teams that had advanced to the Semi-Finals took the stage.
However, aside from the cold and aloof veterans like Battlewaste 1st Team and Divine Spirits 1st Team, the other 125 teams seemed to have formed a united front.
All their hostility was directed at the few discordant figures of the Bagpipe Squad.
“Long time no see,” the Fireblade Squad captain looked at Jiang Ke’er and sneered.
“Your luck is good to have made it to the Semi-Finals… Unfortunately, you won’t be jumping around for long. There’s no room for your petty tricks here.”
Jiang Ke’er raised an eyebrow. “It’s not too late for you to press the Regret Button.”
“Don’t think you’re impressive just because you killed Cao Zhen,” the Fireblade Squad captain gave a contemptuous smile.
“Cao Zhen was just an expendable member of the Fireblade Squad. You only managed to crawl out of the Emperor Jiang Trial because we were sabotaged and eliminated in the first round.”
“You should be glad you were eliminated,” Jiang Ke’er sighed softly.
“To be honest, I don’t like killing. I feel nauseous when I see blood now… but you people just keep throwing yourselves at me.”
“Hmph.” The Fireblade Squad captain sneered and said no more, though his body was brimming with killing intent.
Murderous intent filled the stone platform as various Faxiang and Spiritual Power flickered restlessly.
It seemed as though everyone was eager to erase the “Demonic Talents” of the Bagpipe Squad right then and there.
“Now, let us congratulate the members of the Team of the Year — the Bagpipe Squad — as they come on stage to receive their award!”
This announcement further ignited the fury of the other teams.
Facing the overwhelming, suffocating killing intent, the members of the Bagpipe Squad simply gave proud smiles.
They tilted their chins up, making no effort to hide their arrogant satisfaction.
Their expressions were so infuriating that it made everyone else itch with the urge to strike.
[Received 5,000 Villain Points from XX.]
Standing on the award platform, they looked down at the other teams who stood a level below them.
“Tch — “
The members of the Bagpipe Squad suddenly glanced at each other and let out a simultaneous, contemptuous snort.
Their mockery was blatant.
“Ahem,” the host coughed quickly to break the awkward atmosphere. “At this festive moment, please share your thoughts on winning the award!”
The host nervously handed over the microphone.
This was standard practice for every award ceremony.
He had mentally prepared himself to break tradition, as the Bagpipe Squad members clearly looked like they were going to cause trouble.
Giving them the mic was incredibly stupid.
However, for some unknown reason, the higher-ups had insisted that he hand it over to complete this segment.
Now, he only hoped they would show some restraint and not stir up any more chaos.
He really couldn’t take much more of this.
But then again, he figured they couldn’t possibly do anything more outrageous… making enemies everywhere would bring them no benefits.
They had already offended almost everyone they could. If they continued, they really wouldn’t be able to live in peace.
Under the host’s worried gaze, Jiang Ke’er took the microphone.
She scanned the surroundings, cleared her throat, and then spoke slowly and clearly:
“To be honest, everyone here is trash.”
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