Chapter 2304: Chapter 2305: Strange Actions
Unknowingly, another twenty minutes had passed.
The battle at Scarlett’s end also took shape, with nearly thirty people eliminated. At this moment, precisely twenty people remained on the stage.
Lin Yi was in the best condition, while Scarlett and the others had minor injuries, but it was not a big problem.
However, the remaining competitors were not faring as well.
Some had already lost their ability to fight and could barely stand in the ring.
To speak of another round, even a woman could knock them off the platform.
...If one encountered such a person in the next round, it would be tantamount to advancing.
At this time, the referee stepped onto the platform, began announcing the results of the match, and gave them a break before entering the next round.
Everything happening on the platform was clearly visible to Zhou Fan and Bernard.
“Mr. Zhou, what do you think of the match just now?” Bernard asked,
“If nothing unexpected happens, the ten who advance should be the nine who formed a group earlier and that man from China.”
“That’s about right.”
Zhou Fan said satisfactorily, “Those nine are very clever. When there were still twenty-four people left, they began to purposely control the field. They united to wear down those who seemed strong until they posed no threat, then focused on the others. Not bad at all.”
“I think we can start preparing now.”
Zhou Fan nodded, “Tell the person drawing lots to manipulate it a bit, keep those ten people, and discard the rest.”
“Understood, I was thinking the same.”
“Right, have the KD people prepare too. This round will end quickly, so they should be ready to act soon.”
“Okay.”
After the first round’s melee ended, everyone once again returned to the lounge.
But this time, the room was extremely quiet, for it was clear who would advance.
The brief twenty minutes soon passed, and after some rest and adjustment, the twenty who advanced once again stepped onto the platform.
Following that was the drawing of lots, which Lin Yi didn’t pay much attention to, as he was sure Bernard would manipulate it.
However, the results of the draw surprised him.
In his view, they would group together people of similar strength to facilitate betting and control of the match for profit.
But the actual draw results were a mix of strong and weak competitors.
He and the nine people around Scarlett were all paired with significantly weaker opponents.
This arrangement meant the match results would have no suspense, making it impossible to bet or engage the audience, who were not fools.
As Lin Yi had expected, it seemed Bernard had no intention of opening betting in the second round.
Was he planning to eliminate all these weaker competitors and then start betting in the next round?
Though this explanation might seem plausible, it actually wasn’t.
Because betting could start from this round, there was no reason to miss such a good opportunity to make money.
Lin Yi couldn’t understand this and subconsciously glanced towards the distant glass window.
Only those sitting there would have the answers to these tricks.
Soon, the drawing of lots ended, and the first match of the second round began officially.
The first to compete was the bald strong man who had teased Lin Yi earlier.
The result was without any suspense, as he defeated his opponent with an overwhelming advantage.
The remaining matches followed suit.
Some contestants even forfeited voluntarily, showing self-awareness, which made the referee somewhat embarrassed.
In less than an hour, all ten matches of the second round were over.
Ultimately, the ten who advanced were Lin Yi and the nine including Scarlett.
After the match ended, the audience below left with lackluster enthusiasm, some even cursing and complaining.
Though the first round’s free-for-all was thrilling, the second round’s individual matches were not as impressive.
Yet people still discussed enthusiastically because there were more individual matches tomorrow, involving only highly skilled competitors, ensuring an exciting competition, which might even involve betting.
After the audience had left, Lin Yi and the ten others were kept behind.
“Is there anything else to be said?” Russell asked sternly, “It’s not yet time to hand out the prize money, right?”
“No, no, Mr. Russell, you misunderstood,” the referee said with a smile.
“It’s the organizer of this match, Mr. Bernard, who has something to say to everyone.”
Seeing it was the organizer, everyone stopped talking.
At that moment, Lin Yi saw Bernard and Zhou Fan walking out of the glass enclosure.
But the two did not come over together.
Zhou Fan walked alone towards the outside while Bernard walked towards them.
Seeing this, Lin Yi put his ring to his mouth and whispered,
“Target exiting, follow closely.”
The vibration from the ring signaled the message was received.
Lin Yi pretended to casually stand at the back of the crowd when Bernard approached, smiling and saying,
“Congratulations to all for making it to the top ten of this competition. This also proves that each of you will at least win a prize of 100,000 francs.”
Everyone listened quietly, showing little reaction.
Facing Bernard, who was neither completely masculine nor feminine, even a woman like Scarlett found it unbearable, let alone these men.
But Bernard didn’t mind and continued,
“According to the usual rules of the competition, everyone can now go back and prepare for tomorrow’s match. However, today’s match is a bit different from others. From now on, we will arrange accommodations and make sure nothing disturbs you during this phase, allowing you to focus on the competition.”
Hearing such rules slightly frowned everyone present.
Such arrangements were unprecedented, even in higher-tier competitions.
“What kind of ridiculous rule is this?” Hamas said irreverently.
“Calm down, I implemented these rules for safety reasons,” Bernard responded,
“After all, the first prize is one million francs, a not insignificant sum. If someone tries foul play to eliminate the excellent competitors here, wouldn’t that be my loss?”
He finished, Bernard laughed, continuing,
“So I thought of this method to protect my interests.”
Hearing this, Lin Yi slightly furrowed his brow.
If Bernard organized this match for money, then the second round’s draws made no sense.
Moreover, there were no sponsors in the arena, entirely inconsistent with a businessman’s logic.
So, what exactly was Bernard up to?
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