Chapter 39: The Quarterfinals

The competition continued into the afternoon, and attentive observers noticed that Mr. Zhao was no longer providing commentary. This incident had clearly affected him greatly.

In reality, however, Mr. Zhao had already begun researching information on the quarterfinalists. As one of the few commentators with a certain reputation, the organizers did not immediately abandon him after his mishap. Of course, it was also possible they wanted to use the incident to boost the popularity of the Shashi Rookie Cup; after all, while the Shashi Rookie Cup was a leading event, it still lagged behind the Capital and Metropolis Cups. Perhaps this was the chance to outshine them.

“Mr. Zhao, you’re amazing,” Xiao Ming said admiringly, watching Mr. Zhao Zhe, who was seated in the lounge poring over documents.

Since that blog post was published, their critics on the internet had multiplied, but, unlike before, many people now supported them as well. The atmosphere was no longer a wall of condemnation. Overall, things seemed to be moving in a better direction. Now, the main accusation online was that he was leveraging his seniority, with the previous complaints of biased commentary fading into the background.

“Keep it low-key, Xiao Ming. Go make me a cup of tea,” Zhao Zhe said with a smile, pointing to his cup on the table.

“Yes, sir.” After Xiao Ming left, Zhao Zhe’s smile faded, replaced by a trace of disdain. He couldn’t understand why the company was investing in training such an oblivious newcomer.

Only youngsters would concern themselves with such trivial matters. All it took was posting a blog, hiring a few paid commenters to control the narrative, and contacting the right people to dampen the heat—problem solved.

Recalling Xiao Ming’s flustered reaction that morning, Zhao Zhe shook his head lightly. So young, still too young—hardly someone to be entrusted with real responsibility.

“Mr. Zhao, what if that Agumon actually makes it to the quarterfinals?” Xiao Ming asked after bringing the tea.

If Agumon did advance, wouldn’t that imply their commentary was off the mark? The situation could spiral even further.

“Impossible. Look at its opponent,” Zhao Zhe replied, sipping his tea carefully. He nodded at the matchup chart on the table, signaling Xiao Ming to take a look.

There, the quarterfinal bracket listed the group leaders from the morning’s round of sixteen:

Upper bracket: Group A vs. Group C, Group E vs. Group G, the rest pending.
Lower bracket: Group B vs. Group D, Group F vs. Group H, the rest pending.

“Agumon’s opponent is Feng Xiao from Group H—a hot favorite to win the championship,” Zhao Zhe continued. “So, there’s no need to worry. As long as Shadowcatmon wins, all the current negative press will resolve itself.”

He took another sip of tea, grinning. The matchups had been set in advance; anyone paying attention could deduce the pairings. How could a fluke like Agumon possibly defeat a top contender?

In his view, it was out of the question.

This was why he had confidently declared on social media that Agumon couldn’t possibly reach the quarterfinals. Tomorrow, public opinion would shift, and this minor turbulence would amount to nothing.

“But what if…” Xiao Ming hesitated. As the saying goes, expect the unexpected—what if Agumon did win?

“There is no ‘what if.’ If Agumon wins, I’ll stand on my head and get the runs! Enough—I need to work now. You can leave,” Zhao Zhe interrupted brusquely, a hint of annoyance on his face. Why couldn’t young people ever look on the bright side?

...

That afternoon, three competitors defeated seeded players and advanced to the round of sixteen, but no major upsets occurred as in the morning.

Night fell quickly. As the organizers had predicted, the controversy surrounding Zhao Zhe attracted even more people to the venue the next day. Online viewership also hit a new record—this level of traffic was usually reserved for the finals in past years.

Whether Zhao Jie and his Agumon could reach the quarterfinals became a focal point for many. If they succeeded, it would prove Agumon’s advance was not mere luck, and the outcry against Zhao Zhe would reach a new peak. If they failed, everything would blow over.

“Agumon’s opponent is Shadowcatmon, a beast with championship potential. Advancing will be as hard as reaching the heavens.”

“Exactly! That ‘match termination’ incident was pretty underhanded. If Agumon loses, it just proves Zhao’s point, doesn’t it?”

Discussion raged across the major online platforms.

When Zhao Jie arrived at his lounge with Agumon, he was surprised to find a swarm of reporters waiting by the door—a stark contrast to the previously deserted scene.

The moment Zhao Jie appeared, the reporters surged forward, bombarding him with questions.

“What do you think of Mr. Zhao Zhe?”

“May I ask—”

A barrage of voices made Zhao Jie feel as if he’d wandered into a bustling marketplace.

“Stop, stop. Let me through, please,” he tried to say, but the reporters ignored him, pressing in with relentless questions.

“Agumon!” Zhao Jie turned to Agumon.

“Roar!” Agumon let out a deep growl, flames flickering in its open mouth as if ready to burst forth at any moment.

“Please, calm down! Students, you must stay calm—Digimon are not allowed to attack ordinary people without cause, or you’ll end up in jail!” Feeling the heat from the flames, the reporters retreated a few steps, finally giving Zhao Jie a path through.

Only now did they remember Zhao Jie was a Digimon Tamer, partnered with a Digimon. Even though it was only a Rookie-level, Agumon could easily handle them if it wanted.

“Please, answer a few questions,” one reporter pleaded, seeing Zhao Jie about to close the door. This time, however, none dared step forward—the flames in Agumon’s mouth still burned.

“All right, I’ll answer a couple,” Zhao Jie agreed after a moment’s thought. In truth, after watching the video and reading the blog post last night, he had plenty of feelings, though he wouldn’t admit it. Their questions happened to cover exactly those topics.

“You there,” Zhao Jie pointed to the nearest reporter.

“First, congratulations on making it to the round of sixteen. I’d like to ask—how do you feel about Mr. Zhao’s claim that you reached this stage through pure luck?” The reporter wasted no time, cutting straight to the heart of the matter—that was their job, after all.

“Mr. Zhao? Who’s that? Never heard of him. As for whether it’s luck, we’ll see soon enough, won’t we?” Zhao Jie replied with a puzzled look.

“So you’re confident you’ll defeat your opponent and make it to the quarterfinals?” the reporter pressed, struggling to contain his excitement. He already had a headline in mind: Shocking! The boy under fire responds with these words.

“No comment,” Zhao Jie said with a smile, turning and walking into the lounge.

PS: Thank you all for your recommendation votes. Sure enough, after evolving into Two-Update Beast, the votes have increased. Special thanks to Qidian readers: Niu Ai Tang, Luo Shui Yi Tian, and Meng Xiang Huan Tian Zi Z for their rewards. It seems you won’t let me devolve back to One-Update Beast.