Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The atmosphere in the gymnasium was divided into two completely different camps because of the two training camp rosters. Kageyama and Tsukishima were surrounded by people, while Hinata squatted alone in a corner, his back view exuding desolation.

Just as Lu Ren was about to add a couple more hurtful remarks, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

The caller ID showed a domestic number. He took out his phone, walked to the side, and pressed the answer button.

"Feed? Son-in-law. Yes, it's over. We won." Lu Ren leaned against the windowsill, switching to fluent Chinese. "Going to compete nationwide. Yes, January. Ah? To your place? Now?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was full of energy, and you could hear a hearty laugh even through the receiver.

As Lu Ren listened, he raised his eyebrows and looked across most of the court, landing on Hinata, who was still drawing circles.

"Okay, I'll bring someone over. Yes, he's short, but he can jump pretty fast. Alright, you can arrange it."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Ren put his phone back in his pocket, walked behind Hinata, and kicked his heel.

Hinata turned around, her eyes brimming with tears: "What? Are you here to laugh at me for not even getting a spot in the county training camp?"

"I have a question for you," Lu Ren said, looking down at him. "Do you have a visa?"

Hinata froze, forgetting even to wipe away her tears: "What...what kind of visa? Where do I buy it? Do convenience stores have them?"

Lu Ren sighed and rubbed his temples. "Go ask your mother if your passport and visa are still valid. And ask for leave while you're at it."

"Where are we going?" Hinata asked, completely bewildered.

"I'll take you to a new dungeon." Lu Ren turned and walked out. "It's cross-server."

Seven days later, in Guangdong, China.

November in Guangzhou was still sticky and humid. Outside the airport arrival hall, Hinata Shoyo, carrying a huge sports bag, stared wide-eyed at the Chinese-language signs and the endless stream of vehicles on the street.

"It's so hot! So bright! So many people!" Hinata looked around like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world before.

Wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, Qingze Yazhi walked ahead pushing two suitcases, then turned back and called out, "Xiangyang, stop daydreaming, keep up!"

Lu Ren, wearing a baseball cap and holding a bottle of chilled mineral water, took a sip and casually pressed the bottle against Hinata's face.

"Hot, hot, hot—oh no, ice, ice, ice!" Hinata jumped up from the cold.

"Wake up, don't get lost, I don't want to go to the police station to bail you out." Lu Ren handed him the water bottle.

A minivan was parked on the side of the road. The window rolled down, and a dark-skinned, burly middle-aged man leaned out and waved to them: "Xiao Ren! Over here!"

"Uncle Chen." Lu Ren walked over to greet him and stuffed his luggage into the trunk.

Once in the car, the cool air conditioning dispelled the stifling heat outside. Hinata, sitting in the back, gripped the seatbelt nervously and whispered to Lu Ren, "Lu Ren, what are we here for? This is abroad!"

"Special training." Lu Ren leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, "My great-uncle was overjoyed when he heard that we had made it to the national competition. He used his old connections to get me into the Guangdong Provincial Youth Volleyball Team to train with for a few days."

Hinata's eyes widened: "The provincial team?! Isn't that even more impressive than the county training camp?!"

"Nonsense, those are professional reserve soldiers." Lu Ren opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said, "You better behave yourself these next few days and don't embarrass yourself."

"But..." Hinata swallowed hard. "Is it really okay for me to come along? What if they kick me out?"

"I've already spoken to them. I said I'd bring a mascot to liven things up, and they agreed."

"Who's the mascot?!" Hinata protested, but didn't dare to raise his voice too high, after all, this was someone else's territory.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Yazhi turned around and smiled, "Don't worry, Xiangyang. Lu Ren's great-uncle has a lot of influence. They'd love for Lu Ren to bring more people over for the exchange."

The car drove all the way into the training base of the provincial sports team.

As soon as Hinata got off the bus, she was stunned by the sight before her. A huge multi-purpose training hall, a professional synthetic track, and rows of separate dormitories for athletes. This setup was far superior to the somewhat dilapidated gymnasium at Karasuno High School.

Uncle Chen led them toward the volleyball hall, speaking to Lu Ren in Chinese as they walked. Hinata couldn't understand a word and could only follow closely behind like a little tail.

Pushing open the door to the volleyball hall, the loud thud of volleyballs hitting the floor, mixed with the sound of swishing shoes, hits you.

On the field, a dozen tall and strong players were engaged in group matches.

Hinata tilted his head back, his neck almost aching.

"So tall..." Hinata muttered to himself, "They're all at the level of Tsukishima, or even higher!"

Uncle Chen clapped his hands, and the training on the field stopped. The team members gathered around, curiously looking at the three new faces.

Uncle Chen gave a brief introduction in Chinese, explaining that these were Japanese high school students who had come for an exchange program.

The team members exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a hint of disdain. A middle blocker, nearly two meters tall, looked down at Hyuga and muttered in Chinese, "So short, playing libero?"

Lu Ren understood and didn't rush to refute. He simply turned to Hinata and said, "Go, change your shoes and warm up."

Hinata couldn't understand what the other person was saying, but he could sense the condescending scrutiny in their eyes. He gritted his teeth and quickly rummaged through his bag for his sneakers to change into.

"Uncle Chen, can I borrow half the court to warm up?" Lu Ren asked.

Uncle Chen nodded: "Go ahead. It'll be a good opportunity for these kids to see how they fight outside."

Lu Ren and Hinata walked to the sidelines. Lu Ren picked up a volleyball from the cart, spun it around in his hand a couple of times, and got used to the feel of it.

"Hyuga." Lu Ren juggled the ball, his voice not loud, but clearly audible in the empty arena, "Let these big guys see what aerial combat is all about."

Hinata's eyes lit up. He slapped his cheeks hard, completely breaking free from his previous restraint.

"oh!"

Lu Ren walked to the net and stood in the setter position. Hyuga retreated to the three-meter line.

The provincial team members on the sidelines crossed their arms, ready to see what tricks these two high school students could pull off.

"This short guy probably can't even get past the net," someone whispered.

Lu Ren ignored him. He tossed the ball high into the air, and the moment his hands touched it, he caught sight of Hyuga's position out of the corner of his eye.

There was no extra communication, no secret codes.

Hinata had already started his run a second before Rikuren touched the ball. His speed was extremely fast, like an orange lightning bolt cutting into the net.

Take off.

There was no pause during the run-up, and the jump was completely contrary to the normal rhythm.

Before the provincial team members could even react, Hinata had already taken to the air. It was an extremely imposing kind of hovering; his height of just over 1.6 meters was abruptly elevated to a position that made people look up to him.

Lu Ren flicked his wrist lightly. The volleyball transformed into a precise straight line, heading straight for Hyuga's outstretched right hand.

boom!

A loud bang.

The volleyball slammed into the opponent's half of the court, hitting the three-meter line and bouncing high into the air.

The entire venue fell silent.

The provincial team members who were just discussing it were speechless, and even Uncle Chen was stunned.

Negative tempo fast attack.

This isn't your average quick attack; it's extreme speed that gives the blockers absolutely no time to react. Even more terrifying is the incredibly high level of coordination required between the setter and attackers. The slightest deviation results in a mistake.

"Holy shit..." The two-meter-tall middle blocker couldn't help but swear.

Hyuga landed and excitedly pumped his fist: "Good shot!"

Lu Ren flicked his wrist, turned to look at the stunned team members, and said in fluent Chinese, "Gentlemen, don't just stand there. How about we play a practice match?"

Provocation. Blatant provocation.

The young men on the provincial team were all full of youthful vigor and couldn't handle this. Several of them immediately took off their jackets and went onto the field.

The next hour became Hinata and Rikuren's performance time.

Although there were only two players, plus a few provincial team substitutes who were temporarily added to the squad, Lu Ren's tactical brain was operating at full power. He used Hinata as the sharpest knife, and with the deterrent power of the "weirdo fast attack", he forcefully tore through the provincial team's not-so-tight blocking defense.

Hinata sprinted all over the court, and whenever Lu Ren passed the ball to him, he could always appear in the most suitable position to dunk it.

"Stop him! Don't let him jump!" The provincial team's main middle blocker shouted urgently.

However, Hinata's speed was too fast, and with Riku Ren deliberately disrupting the rhythm of the pass, the tall blockers became clumsy decorations.

After the training match, the way the provincial team looked at Hinata completely changed. The contempt was gone, replaced by fear and admiration.

"What did this little dwarf eat to grow up like that? Springs?"

Lu Ren walked to the sidelines and handed Hinata a towel: "Alright, stop showing off. You haven't fully exposed your weaknesses yet."

Hinata wiped his sweat and chuckled foolishly, "This is awesome! The internet here feels completely different!"

Uncle Chen walked over, patted Lu Ren on the shoulder, and gave him a thumbs up: "Little Ren, your friend has some skills. However, his defense is too weak."

In the previous match, Hyuga was practically a liability whenever she moved to the back row. The serves were flying everywhere, and Lu Ren was the only one covering for her.

"That's why I brought him to you." Lu Ren went along with it. "For the next few days, I'd appreciate it if you could find a dedicated libero to train his first pass and defense like crazy. Don't give me any special treatment, just train him to death as long as he doesn't die."

Hinata couldn't understand Chinese, but seeing the malicious smile on Lu Ren's face, she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Lu Ren, what did you just say to the coach?" Hinata asked warily.

"I said you felt the training here was too easy and demanded double the intensity," Lu Ren translated without changing his expression.

"ha?!"

The special training officially began the next morning.

Hinata was pulled aside to a corner. A provincial team libero, who looked like an iron tower, stood on the other side of the net, with three large baskets of volleyballs at his feet.

"Catch the ball. Don't stop until you're in position." The libero said in broken English and gestures.

Hinata swallowed hard and lowered his center of gravity.

boom!

The first ball came crashing down with such force that it knocked Hinata to the ground.

"Again!"

Meanwhile, Lu Ren joined the provincial team's regular training.

The training intensity here is several orders of magnitude higher than in Karasuno. Core strength, explosiveness, tactical positioning—every aspect pushes the body to its limits.

Lu Ren didn't complain of being tired. He treated this like a high-difficulty, timed challenge. Every tactical maneuver and every movement habit of the provincial team was broken down into data and entered into his brain.

He is absorbing, he is evolving.

After a few days, Hinata's arm was swollen, and he didn't even have the strength to hold chopsticks when he returned to the dormitory each night. But he didn't utter a sound, and the next day he was still standing on the court full of energy.

Those eyes, which used to only see opportunities to spike, began to learn to observe the attacker's shoulders, eyes, and hitting point.

"Received!"

On the afternoon of the fifth day, Hyuga received a powerful jump serve with ease. The volleyball drew a perfect arc in the air and landed at the setter's position.

Lu Ren stood not far away, watching this scene, and shook the sweat off his hands.

This guy's growth rate is truly monstrous.

The seven-day intensive training passed in the blink of an eye.

On the day he left the base, the provincial team members all came to see him off. The two-meter-tall middle blocker even gave Hyuga a knee pad and gestured with his hands to encourage him to keep going.

Hinata was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, and she kept bowing and thanking him.

On the return flight, Hinata leaned against the window, looking at the clouds, and suddenly said, "Lu Ren, thank you."

Lu Ren was playing a game with his headphones on, not even looking up: "What are you thanking me for? I just don't want to lose the national tournament because of your first pass error."

Hinata pursed his lips and didn't argue further. He looked down at his bruised arms and clenched his fists tightly.

National competition.

No matter how strong the opponent is, he is ready.

Lu Ren finished a mini-game and put his phone in his pocket. He looked out the window, his mind already starting to formulate a tactical blueprint for the national competition.

Kageyama experienced top-tier equipment in the national youth team, while Tsukishima honed his defense during prefectural training.

He and Hinata completed the most basic numerical enhancements in Guangdong.

Karasuno, this multi-headed chimera, is growing in an extremely savage way. When they reunite, they will surely give teams across the country a huge surprise.

"Get some sleep." Lu Ren pulled down his eye mask. "Back in the palace, there are still tough battles to fight."

Hinata responded and closed her eyes. Soon, steady breathing could be heard.

The plane pierced through the clouds and flew towards the palace. The flames of the national tournament were beginning to ignite.