The weapons used in this water arena duel are pretty unique. The inner layer is sturdy plastic steel, wrapped with cushioning material on the outside. Add some flashy colors, and when you swing them around, they look spectacular. Besides staffs, there are hammers, swords, and other shapes—but no matter what, the attack power is basically cosplay prop level. The only difference from regular cosplay props is that these are seriously tough, and if you really put some force into your hit, it can hurt quite a bit.
Zhu Ming pointed his staff at Jack Young, calling him out by name for a duel, which whipped everyone into a frenzy. Back in ancient Rome, if the emperor supported gladiator fights, he’d win instant popularity with the crowd. The human urge for blood and violence is in our genes—and the more comfortable people were in ancient times, the more likely they were to get caught up in this kind of brutality.
Everyone at today’s party is living pretty comfortably, so the wild cheers spread far and wide—so much so that people in nearby villas started peeking over, wondering what the heck was going on.
"Come on up!" Zhu Ming knocked his staff against the platform, making a deep, thudding sound. The crowd went wild, all eyes on Jack Young. Jack started to step forward, but before he could move, someone grabbed his wrist. He turned around—it was Qi Xi. Qi Xi looked into Jack’s eyes, a hint of pleading as she shook her head and quietly said, "Don’t stoop to his level."
Jack Young’s pupils contracted, then he sighed helplessly. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You’re holding me back—who are you worried about?"
"I..." Qi Xi pressed her lips together and finally let out a sigh too. "Both of you. I’m worried about both of you."
Jack couldn’t help but smile—a smile full of complicated feelings. He wanted to say, if you’re worried about me, thanks, but you don’t need to be. If you’re worried about Zhu Ming, well, you probably should be, because that dedicated sidekick has been trying to trip me up all night. He wanted to tease Qi Xi with a bunch of snarky remarks, but in the end, he didn’t say any of it. All those comeback lines faded away when he looked into Qi Xi’s eyes—eyes that hadn’t truly been happy for a long time. All that was left was a sense of helplessness.
Fine, I guess I’m just that kind of useless guy—never could bring myself to be tough with her.
He glanced at Zhu Ming, who was still showing off, and suddenly lost interest. Then he nodded to Qi Xi, saying, "Alright."
"Mm!" Qi Xi looked a little happier. "We haven’t seen each other in so long—come talk with me for a bit!"
"Alright." Jack Young replied in his usual gentle tone.
But just because Jack agreed didn’t mean someone else was ready to chill. Julian Zhu, face flushed with anger, shouted, "What are you doing? Get up here, now!"
Jack Young ignored him and turned to leave.
"Coward! You wanna be a turtle with its head stuck in its shell? Loser!" Julian Zhu yelled. "If you admit you’re a spineless wimp, go ahead and walk away. Otherwise, get up here and fight me! Fight me!"
Julian Zhu’s taunts got more and more outrageous, like a desperate gambler on a losing streak, itching for a comeback. If Jack Young didn’t step up, Julian would be left hanging, totally humiliated. So he kept pushing, going way overboard—making the crowd frown. Everyone looked at Jack, who didn’t react at all, just walked away. But after two steps, he suddenly raised his left hand, palm out toward Julian Zhu. And with the whole crowd watching—bam!—he flipped him the bird.
"Hahaha!" The whole crowd burst into laughter. In this game, it’s not just about winning or losing—you can always flip the table. Jack Young was never the kind to just take it lying down.
Julian Zhu froze. Jack’s gesture was almost identical to the OK sign Qi Xi flashed when she left the studio today. That kind of detail couldn’t be faked. Julian’s blood pressure shot up—he felt dizzy, nearly ready to explode.
"You little—" Julian Zhu raised his hand, about to curse, when someone nearby screeched, "Open spot!" He whipped around just in time to see another guy leap onto the platform. "Waaah!" The newcomer landed a flying kick right on Julian Zhu’s thigh, catching him totally off guard. Julian Zhu tumbled into the pool, sending the whole crowd into fits of laughter.
When Julian Zhu surfaced, shaking off water and wiping his face, he saw more people jumping onto the platform, shouting and wrestling each other into the pool. The Water Platform Arena had gone back to what it was meant to be—pure entertainment. Julian Zhu’s whole performance? Total farce.
At the coffee bar, the observer frowned. "Sir, should we send extra support to Julian Zhu?"