"I do understand the difficult position that Instructor Lu is in. But these five contestants are criminals. They have been stripped of their right to participate in the contest and banned from setting foot into the Jiangdong military camp. How could we allow them to appear in the same arena as other contestants from the Jiangdong military camp? That would be the greatest insult to the military! We cannot allow them to participate in this contest. I don't care if they're hardly a match for anyone in the contest. Fighting them is akin to dirtying our hands," said Lin Qing-He as he shook his head.
He was determined to have the Green Dragon Force disqualified. He wanted them to know that leaving the Jiangdong military camp was the worst decision that they had ever made. In deciding to do so, they had destroyed their futures.
They wouldn't even have the right to participate in a contest.
"Lu Tian-He's vouching for them though. It's going to be a challenge to disqualify them." The other instructors shook their heads and sighed.
Lin Qing-He might be able to persuade Han Ping of the Jiangbei military and Zhu Rong of the Xibei military, but there was no way he was going to persuade Lu Tian-He into disqualifying the Green Dragon Force from participating in the contest.
Lu Tian-He was adamant to have the
Green Dragon Force represent the Yanjing military in the contest. There was nothing they could do about it.
An idea popped up in Instructor Zhu Rong's head then.
"Commander Lin, I have an idea," whispered Zhu Rong. "We might not be able to change Lu Tian-He's mind, but we could try to convince the panel of judges instead."
"What do you have in mind?” Lin Qing-He's curiosity was instantly piqued.
A malicious smile twisted Zhu Rong's lips. "Commander Lin, you mentioned that these five members have been marked as criminals by the Chinese military. We simply have to convince the judges that criminals are disqualified from participating in the contest. Lu Tian-He's application would be invalidated and the Green Dragon Force disallowed from joining the contest. They won't be able to enter the arena then."
Lin Qing-He was elated when he heard what Zhu Rong had just proposed.
Lin Qing-He shook his head. "This isn't going to be easy. I might be able to pull a few strings in Jiangdong. After all, I have many friends in Jiangdong. But the judges are from the Jiangbei military. How do I convince them to help me?"
"Commander Lin, you're missing someone right under your nose. Amongst the four of us is someone who has many friends in Jiangbei," laughed Zhu Rong.
Lin Qing-He slapped his thigh when he realized whom Zhu Rong was talking about. He turned around and his eyes landed on Han Ping.
"That's right! How could I have forgotten Instructor Han? Instructor Han, you're the chief instructor of the Jiangbei military. The judges will surely help you out with this small favor. I'm counting on you. I'll host a grand feast after the contest as a show of my gratitude!" said Lin Qing-He.
Han Ping waved his hand casually.
"It's no big deal. There's no need to thank me, Commander Lin. I've been dying to make Lu Tian-He pay for humiliating me. You've given me the opportunity to do just that. I'll speak to the judges right now. Don't worry, I know the team who's handling the registration and assessing the eligibility of the participants. I was the mentor for a few of them," said Han Ping with a confident smile before he left.
Ye Yu-Yan and her teammates had no idea what had just transpired amongst the other chief instructors.
They were at the registration booth with Lu Tian-He.
'Alright, we're done with the registration.
Yu-Yan, you'll represent the Green Dragon Force to draw lots later. That'll determine whom your opponents are." It didn't take long before Lu Tian-He stepped away from the registration booth and informed Ye Yu-Yan of the draw that would take place later.
Ye Yu-Yan nodded. "Got it, Teacher."
"Make sure you get the Eagles Force!"
"I'm going to give them a good thrashing and pummel them into the ground. I'm going to humiliate Lin Qing-He and his team!"
"We're going to let them know Instructor Chu isn't a good-for-nothing and that the Green Dragon Force aren't losers!"
As contest drew near, the Green Dragon Force began to grow increasingly excited. They couldn't seem to contain themselves.
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