I became the King of Ryukyu

Zheng Yi stopped in his tracks.

He recalled the last time he saw a similar scene—could it be that some ignorant, foul-mouthed player had run into a brick wall again?

This is no joke. This woman really can make people disappear.

Zheng Yi stood at the door, his mind racing for a mere 0.5 seconds, before making an extremely rational decision—

Steady your hand first.

The Ryukyuans are also a maritime people; they can be pirates and they can also uphold the spirit of contracts!

"Good afternoon, Miss Headquarters." He walked in casually, his tone so natural as if he hadn't seen anything.

Mioko turned around, glanced at him, her gaze lingering for a second on his empty hands, and said coldly, "Get back to work."

"OK.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, made a "remembered something" expression, and then reached into the canvas bag he was carrying—actually, he used the canvas bag as a cover to take out the centipede comb tail from the game inventory.

The centipede-like snake tail is housed in a transparent acrylic box. As the water ripples, its feather-like tentacles unfurl, presenting a symmetrical and exquisite beauty.

"Miss Headquarters," Zheng Yi said, walking over with the box, "I may not understand, but I respect you."

After the dolphin plushie was ruthlessly abandoned last time, Zheng Yi wanted to verify whether there are really people in the world who don't like dolphins but like echinoderms.

Mioko put down the bottle opener for the new Ramune soda and her gaze fell on the acrylic box.

Her gaze paused for about two seconds, and then—Zheng Yi saw her eyes light up.

It wasn't an exaggerated brightness, but a very subtle, almost imperceptible change. Her pupils dilated slightly, her eyebrows rose a millimeter gently, and the lines of her mouth relaxed a little.

But for someone who usually has a blank expression, this is equivalent to "ecstasy" for an ordinary person.

"A centipede's comb and a snake's tail!"

She took the enclosure and whispered the species' name, "The tentacles are intact, and the spines are well-preserved... Where did you find it?"

"A friend found this on the beach; I think you might like it."

Mioko Honbu didn't answer. She just stared at the serpent's tail in the acrylic box, a very rare smile curving her lips.

She smiled.

Although it was only for a brief moment, Zheng Yi was certain that he had seen it.

Zheng Yi spent more than an hour cleaning the water tank, feeding the fish, and mopping the research club floor.

Before leaving, he casually picked up the trash bag by the door and was about to go when Mioko's voice came from the office:

"Wait a moment."

Zheng Yi turned around and saw her take a card out of her desk drawer, hold it between her fingers, and hand it to him.

"This is?"

Zheng Yi took it and glanced at it—it was a Mitsubishi UFJ Bank debit card with a note on the back containing the PIN.

Yes, the Tokyo kid who had his limbs severed last time worked at this bank.

"There are 500,000 inside," Mioko Honbu said, looking down at the tablet without offering any further explanation.

"……Thanks."

Zheng Yi had no choice but to put the card in his pocket. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Mioko from the main body spoke up again:

"Oh, right."

She looked up at Zheng Yi, her face expressionless, and said, "What was the name of that drink you brought last time?"

"Snow King's fruit tea?"

"Yes, that." She nodded, "Every time you come from now on, bring one..."

There was a pause.

Two cups.

Zheng Yi paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

He walked out of the marine life research institute, carrying a garbage bag in his hand and the card with 500,000 yuan in his pocket. He had only one thought in his mind: he would just have to keep this job for now.

Life has already had too many ups and downs, one more won't make a difference.

Zheng Yi had planned to attend his afternoon class, but as soon as he stepped out of the Marine Biology Department building, a familiar notification sound rang in his mind.

It wasn't the sound of a new email, but a message notification from a game friend.

He opened the panel and saw that the image of General Zhu Shou was flashing.

[General Zhu Shou: Tripitaka Master, don't forget the second round of the arena competition today. 3:45 PM, same place.]

Zheng Yi was stunned for a moment before he realized that "the old place" referred to the gym that was all written in katakana.

He glanced at the time on his phone. It was 1:30 PM; he'd make it easily. As for his afternoon classes… well, he hadn't had any regular classes in the morning, so an elective in the afternoon wouldn't make a difference.

Zheng Yi seemed to witness the final curtain call of Kumejima's top scholar; the scholarship for academic excellence had vanished with the south wind, right there on that blue coral reef—

He hopped on the old bicycle and rode towards the gym.

The white soldiers had returned to the strength training area on the first floor, but the Kunlun slaves had not yet appeared.

Legend has it that a racially racist evil spirit resides in a gym in Shuri, Kadena Air Base.

The number of spectators at today's ring match on the second floor of the gym was significantly larger than last time.

After changing into his protective gear, Zheng Yi waited in the rest area and saw the information about today's opponents—the match schedule written on a whiteboard.

Opponent: Daigo Higa, a third-year student in the Department of Physical Education at Okinawa University, style of Goju-ryu Karate.

Okinawa University.

Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to Yuichi Miyagi's nagging, Zheng Yi now understands the situation.

The University of the Ryukyus and the University of Okinawa are notorious rivals in the region—the former is a national comprehensive university, while the latter is a private sports powerhouse. The two schools have been battling it out in various sporting events for years. Could today's match, in a sense, be considered a "clash of academic schools"?

Daigo Higa himself certainly seems to be a ruthless character.

He was about 1.78 meters tall, with well-defined muscles—not the kind of bulky physique created by drugs, but a lean and muscular build from genuine training. His gait was steady, with his center of gravity barely shifting as he moved, clearly indicating a solid foundation in martial arts.

He didn't say much, nor did he make any sarcastic remarks.

It's also possible that Zheng Yi's strength has reached the level of "Battlefield Warrior". He is slender, but his forearms, legs and other exposed parts can be seen to have extremely tight muscles.

They are truly not to be underestimated.

The rules remain the same as K1 rules, allowing punches, kicks, and knees, but prohibiting elbow strikes and ground grappling.

As soon as the whistle blew, Daigo Higa immediately pressed forward.

His fighting style is very characteristic of Okinawa Goju-ryu – low stance, close footwork, heavy punches and kicks.

At the start of the first round, he delivered a low sweeping kick to the outside of Zheng Yi's shin. The force was so great that even though Zheng Yi raised his leg to block, he was still forced to take half a step back.

This guy's legs are really heavy.

Zheng Yi steadied himself and began to take the fight seriously. He had died hundreds of times in the Gaoliang River, and the practical experience of Taizongquan (a style of Chinese martial arts) was etched into his muscle memory. However, that experience came from life-or-death battles on the battlefield, which was different from ring fighting. The life-or-death techniques of the battlefield were completely useless in the ring.