Chosen Evolution: I can load the protagonist template

Chapter 395 Substitute Messenger

"So simple?"

Looking at the invitation in his hand, Cheng Tian's face first showed strong suspicion, but he quickly revealed an expression of "I knew it".

The invitation in my hand popped up a quest item panel. The contents weren't important; what mattered most was that it had the additional attribute of being "unportable".

In other words, Cheng Tian cannot hide or carry it using his inventory, underwear pocket, or magic bag; he can only carry it on his person.

The next second, the huge screen in the audition venue, which had a large number of waiting teams, lit up and displayed the personnel information of a total of 16 teams, including Cheng Tian's Oli Lili team, and began to play it in a loop.

At the same time, the organizers' commentary also appeared.

"The sixteen seeded teams have been selected. They are all teams that have achieved results in past competitions or have achieved greater success in certain areas. Sixteen invitations have been sent to each team."

For the next 72 hours, all seeded teams holding invitations will be prohibited from leaving the designated activity area of ​​the tournament organizers; leaving will be considered an automatic forfeit.

All teams in the preliminary rounds, as well as seeded teams that have lost their invitations, can attempt to steal an invitation in a manner that complies with the tournament rules and does not result in loss of life. They must ensure that the invitation remains in their team's possession before the countdown ends. When the countdown ends, the team holding the invitation is considered to have qualified for the main tournament through the preliminary rounds.

The organizers will utilize cutting-edge technology to comprehensively monitor the movements of all teams and conduct extensive live streaming. Players are advised to be mindful of their words and actions.

As soon as the organizers gave their explanation, the atmosphere in the entire venue changed instantly. All the teams in the preliminary rounds widened their eyes, trying to memorize the information of the sixteen seeded teams scrolling on the screen, while recalling various past competitions and trying to match them with the teams on the screen.

Leaving aside the strength of some teams, their arrogance is definitely a major factor. They don't just want to win the preliminary rounds, but also want to advance by defeating the popular seeded teams. Therefore, their target is the various veteran strong teams that participated in the King of Fighters '96 tournament.

However, many teams in the open selection process were clearly more pragmatic, and unsurprisingly, they targeted seemingly easy-to-bully new faces as their primary targets.

Cheng Tian's team, nicknamed "Aoli Lili Team," which seemed to be stirring up trouble and whose members appeared to be easier to bully, became the top choice for teams vying for invitations during the auditions.

Although Cheng Tian didn't know what the teams in the preliminary selection were thinking at this moment, he could roughly judge the predicament his team would face.

As an open-style fighting tournament, King of Fighters '97 did not have separate men's and women's divisions. However, the number of men was still overwhelmingly greater. While the female fighter teams had already achieved some success, the team that brought three pretty and well-built girls was obviously not very intimidating.

The saying "pick the softest persimmon" holds true in any world. Although Cheng Tian has 2 points of legendary status, he is not yet known to everyone, so it is perfectly normal for him to be looked down upon.

"The countdown has officially begun. Contestants, please give it your all."

In the scrolling display of seed team information, a 72-hour countdown was prominently displayed.

……

The organizers of this King of Fighters '97 tournament clearly know how to create a good show. This player selection process, which resembles a battle royale, is quite sophisticated in terms of both its topicality and entertainment value, since everything is ultimately for commercial purposes.

The sixteen seeded teams that received invitations quickly dispersed, with no intention of forming alliances or alliances.

If you can't even get through this preliminary round, then don't bother participating in the official competition. It would be really embarrassing to be eliminated in the first round.

Moreover, these sixteen teams are all rivals, so it's not entirely impossible for them to take advantage of the situation to eliminate a major threat.

The main entrance to the King of Fighters '97 tournament venue. "Oops~ As expected, the entrance is blocked~"

Looking at the several ragtag teams not far away, all clearly targeting him and wary of each other, all wearing "audition" badges, Cheng Tian smiled and said to the person next to him as he stepped out of the gate.

"If you don't want to suffer, hand over the invitation obediently. Otherwise, it won't just be a few more scars on your face that will make things worse~"

The henchman, who reeked of being a nobody, wore ripped jeans, had a head full of rooster comb feathers, and was licking a switchblade with his tongue, spoke in a lewd tone to Cheng Tian... no, to the three girls, Leoli.

Cheng didn't take it seriously at all.

Seeing that one team had taken the lead, several other teams that were also interested in the Ollili team, but were clearly more cautious, chose to wait and see.

"this one?"

Cheng Tian reached into his pocket and pulled out the invitation, then waved it in front of the other party.

As a result, the other person, like a clumsy fish that had been hooked and had its mouth pierced, lunged at him almost entirely.

But what awaited them was Bazett's iron fist that appeared in the blink of an eye—

boom! boom! boom!
The three men were sent flying backwards, and the camera that had been waiting nearby captured Bazett's fist precisely, deeply embedded in the faces of the auditioning soldiers.

To be honest, this was the first time in Cheng Tian's life that he had ever seen a face dented like Nobita's after being beaten by Gian.

His facial bones were shattered, his teeth were flying everywhere, and blood and foam were still pouring from the corners of his mouth. Although he was not dead, Cheng Tian thought he might as well be dead.

An ambulance, whose location was unknown, arrived with sirens blaring. The three unfortunate men were immediately lifted onto stretchers and quickly disappeared from sight along with the ambulance's siren.

The other teams that had been beaten to the punch in the preliminary rounds watched the ambulance drive away, their throats bobbing. When they turned their gaze back to Bazett, who was shaking the blood off his gloves, they suddenly felt a dryness in their mouths.

It was only then that they realized that being selected as a seeded team alongside some established powerhouses meant they couldn't have been completely without talent.

The miserable state of the three unlucky guys made them want to give up on the spot.

But at that moment, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the crowd, leaping high into the air. Just as it was about to land on Cheng Tian's head, who was holding the invitation, a figure that had been illusory suddenly appeared behind Cheng Tian.

"Muda!"

With a loud shout from Cheng Tian, ​​the black figure was sent flying.

Behind Cheng Tian, ​​who was standing with his arms crossed, appeared a burly humanoid figure, entirely orange with gold undertones, floating in the air and maintaining a punching stance.

The world of substitutes.

(End of this chapter)