To make a long story short, a few days passed in the blink of an eye. The highly anticipated Kengan Annihilation Tournament was finally about to begin.
Merchants and entrepreneurs from all over Japan gathered at the docks, boarding a luxurious cruise ship to head to the tournament venue on Ganryu Island.
However, some lower-tier merchants who didn't possess the qualifications for an automatic "seed" into the tournament had to fight through the preliminaries first to secure a spot in the official Top 32. These individuals were forced to board a different, dilapidated vessel—the S.S. Annihilation—to battle for the final 5 remaining slots before they could challenge the elites waiting above.
Thus, the ambitious corporate executives boarded their respective ships. The proxy fighters, each harboring their own hidden agendas, either boarded the opulent Kengan luxury liner or headed to the S.S. Annihilation to fight for their qualifications.
The eleven surviving Explorers currently in this world were among them. Aside from one highly capable Level 7 Explorer who successfully secured a proxy fighter slot with Kouou Academy for a guaranteed pass, the remaining Explorers were forced to bitterly board the S.S. Annihilation to claw their way into the tournament.
"Fuck, I want to be on the Kengan ship too. I've never even been on a luxury cruise liner. Even if it's during a mis... I mean, here, I'd at least like to enjoy it," an Explorer on the S.S. Annihilation complained.
"Forget about it. What can't you enjoy once you return to the Hub? Focus on securing a slot first. Want to team up?" Kurei patted the complaining Explorer on the shoulder, his words subtle but his intention clear.
"This is so damn miserable. Whatever, let's team up for now. You look pretty strong yourself," the Explorer, whose ID was 'Dog Saint', replied.
Upon boarding, the Explorers immediately began forming factions. To them, other Explorers were natural allies but also natural enemies. After all, there were only five qualifying spots available.
For the vast majority of them, their Main Missions were directly tied to the Kengan Annihilation Tournament. Getting eliminated here meant mission failure. The most severe penalties involved instant eradication, and even the "lenient" attribute-reduction penalties were entirely unacceptable, as that was essentially a delayed death sentence.
Therefore, absolutely no one on this ship was going to hold back; everyone was fully prepared to fight to the death.
The Kengan Matches were fundamentally different from standard martial arts tournaments: killing was entirely legal. If a fighter failed to surrender and the opponent had no intention of stopping, beating someone to death was a completely valid outcome.
As the Explorers on the S.S. Annihilation harbored their own grim thoughts and couldn't help but gaze enviously up at the towering Kengan liner next to them, a sharp-eyed Explorer suddenly noticed an anomaly.
"Who is that? Was that guy originally in the plot?" he asked curiously, pointing toward the upper decks of the Kengan ship.
Standing there was the Chairman of the Kengan Association, Metsudo Katahara, and his entourage. However, aside from the famously recognizable Fang of Metsudo, Agito Kanoh, and a few key members of the Bodyguards, there was another man whose "vibe" completely clashed with the rest of them.
The man wasn't wearing the standard-issue black suit of the Bodyguards. He was simply dressed in casual clothes with a long black trench coat draped over him, the fabric fluttering wildly in the sea breeze. Judging by his facial features, he didn't look Japanese; he looked more like he was from the great Eastern nation.
At this moment, the man was cheerfully chatting and laughing with Chairman Metsudo. As he looked down at the S.S. Annihilation, he exuded an aura of absolute authority, like a sovereign surveying his domain.
"Holy shit, I don't recognize that guy at all. You don't think he's one of us, do you?" Other Explorers quickly spotted the anomaly and stared curiously at Lu Li's position.
"What the hell? Could he have been assigned a merchant identity? Does he possess massive assets here, which is why he's able to casually chat with Chairman Metsudo?"
"Probably. Look, the Fang of Metsudo is standing behind the two of them like a bodyguard. He probably took a completely different route than us. Maybe he's here as a corporate mogul."
"Fuck me, I didn't know the Terminus Space handed out sweet gigs like that! I want to be a billionaire CEO and clap cheeks with my cute secretary every day too!"
The Explorers bantered and complained among themselves, but one person remained entirely silent, his expression shifting from shock to profound, bizarre realization.
Kurei stared at Lu Li standing next to Metsudo Katahara. You don't think Boss Qiu Mo has already secretly speedrun the entire tournament behind the scenes, do you?!
Kurei knew a secret. He personally knew the powerful Level 7 Explorer representing Kouou Academy. That Explorer's mission was to successfully enter the Kengan Annihilation Tournament and face the Fang of Metsudo in the official matches, surviving for 30 seconds without being defeated.
Based on his previous understanding, Kurei had thought that Explorer had a decent chance of pulling it off. But now... he realized that Explorer was absolutely screwed.
The Fang of Metsudo... hasn't been replaced, has he?!
A few hours later, the Kengan luxury liner arrived at Chairman Metsudo's private island, and the surviving competitors from the S.S. Annihilation had been officially finalized.
Among the five survivors were two fighters Lu Li recognized from the canon storyline: "The Superman" Rihito, known for his Razor's Edge pinch grip, and Keizaburo Sawada, the kicking specialist representing Murder Music.
The remaining three survivors were all Explorers. Kurei was among them. It seemed he genuinely possessed some solid capabilities, managing to secure a slot without suffering any critical injuries.
The moment Lu Li disembarked from the cruise ship and stepped onto the island, a blur immediately lunged at him, attempting to physically latch onto his body.
But Lu Li's reaction speed was peerless. He instantly raised his hand, catching the incoming attacker squarely by the face and suspending them in mid-air.
As a result, the teenage girl was left flailing her arms and legs helplessly, looking quite comical.
"Lu Li—!"
A low, menacing voice barked his full name. Lu Li finally let go. Erioh Kure was storming toward him, his expression indicating he was highly displeased with Lu Li's presence.
"Phew—!" Karla gasped for air as she was released. She instantly recovered her boundless energy and beamed at Lu Li. "Lu Li! Let's go make babies!"
Lu Li massaged his temples and sighed softly. He finally understood why Ohma Tokita had been so terrified he literally sprinted away in the canon storyline. He couldn't exactly punch a teenage girl, making the situation incredibly difficult to handle.
Thinking of Ohma Tokita, Lu Li felt a profound sense of regret. Ohma had been a martial artist with an incredibly high growth ceiling. If he hadn't died, in five or six years, he would have undoubtedly provided Lu Li with a spectacular fight.
Unfortunately, Ohma had been murdered by the Violator. According to the Kure Clan's subsequent investigation, Ohma had been poisoned. He hadn't been defeated in a fair, honorable duel; his death was incredibly unjust.
"Oh ho, Erioh. By the looks of it, you aren't quite ready to drop dead of old age just yet," Metsudo Katahara greeted with a wide smile as he approached.
"Haha! I think you're the one who's about to kick the bucket! Your back is so hunched you can't even stand up straight anymore," Erioh laughed back. For a brief second, their domineering auras clashed violently.
But Lu Li, knowing the lore, knew these two old men were actually incredibly close. Their bond was forged through blood and revolution from their absolute lowest point. This was just their way of exchanging friendly banter after a long time apart.
Sure enough, after a brief standoff, both old men burst out laughing and walked into the island's interior side by side.
Having been given the "face-grab" treatment, Karla finally showed a hint of restraint. She stopped spontaneously trying to strip and jump on him, instead choosing to quietly follow by his side.
"Where is Raian? He's your representative fighter, isn't he?" Lu Li asked, noticing Raian wasn't in the crowd.
"That idiot thought the island was too boring, so he dragged Uncle off to spar. But the beach here is supposed to be amazing! Lu Li, let's go play in the water!" Karla chirped. At her core, she was still a teenage girl; arriving on a beautiful resort island during summer vacation naturally made her want to hit the beach.
Lu Li shook his head. "I have business to attend to. Karla, don't wander off to any isolated areas. I can sense that this tournament has already been targeted. It might not be safe."
Despite Karla's antics giving him a massive headache, he didn't actually dislike the girl. Moreover, she had genuinely helped him significantly in mastering Removal.
With Ohma Tokita's death, the storm brewing over this Kengan Annihilation Tournament had intensified dramatically. In the worst-case scenario, both the Worm and the Westward Faction might actively intervene. If that happened, very few places on this island would remain safe.
Even though Karla was a genius capable of an 85% Removal rate, she was simply too young. She had never actually killed anyone, and her real-world combat experience was severely lacking. Let alone encountering a monster from the Westward Faction—even running into a high-tier Worm operative would result in her gruesome death.
"With Grandpa and you here, it'll be fine!" Karla dismissed the warning breezily. "Oh, right! Do you know which corporation the Kure Clan is representing this time?"
Lu Li paused. He hadn't actually asked about that. "Wasn't it Under Mount Inc. that hired you?"
Karla shook her head. "Under Mount Inc.? Never heard of them. The Nogi Group hired us this time. And they were super weird about it, too. They set up some complicated proxy arrangement to have us fight representing 'Yamashita Trading Co'."
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