Brian Carter's eyes narrowed more and more as he seriously considered whether to punch each of these two smug guys in the face. As long as those two did anything outrageous again, or said something without thinking, he guaranteed his fist would land on their faces—he had no desire to waste words with them. Even though it was one against two and he was at a disadvantage, who cared? He'd hit first and talk later!

  “Alé, Russell! Gavin·Roger!” Before Brian Carter could react, Emily Clark beside him snapped sharply, “Shut your filthy mouths!”

  The two stopped their fake laughter and shrugged indifferently. “Come on, Emily Clark. Are you worried our team won't get enough people? This Chinese guy's team got crushed by us five to nothing just a few days ago... and as for him—”

  The gray-haired Roger pointed at Brian Carter. “He was played around by the two of us! Hahaha!”

  As he spoke, the tall Russell bent over beside him, stuck out his butt, and spun in place to illustrate his point.

  After all this, the two of them threw their heads back and laughed loudly again.

  Brian Carter was already pulling his arm back, just like an archer drawing a bowstring—this punch would definitely make the other guy's nosebleed spray sideways...

  “But he intercepted your pass!” Emily Clark said coldly.

  The two's laughter stopped abruptly. Brian Carter's tensed arm also relaxed.

  “That was a beautiful interception, wasn't it?” Emily Clark smiled at the two stunned people.

Chapter 8: Our Own Team (Part 2)

  “That was a beautiful interception, wasn't it?” Emily Clark smiled at the two stunned people.

  Taking advantage of their dazed state, Emily Clark grabbed Brian Carter's hand and turned to follow the crowd deeper into the alley.

  Brian Carter noticed that Emily Clark was holding on tightly, as if afraid he would run away. But her hands were indeed soft and warm, just like the last two times they shook hands.

  He didn't understand why this girl, whom he'd only met a few times, would stand up for him in front of her own people, especially since he had once treated her rather rudely. To be honest, if Emily Clark had spoken up even a second later, his fist would have landed on that tall guy's face. When facing two opponents, you have to take out the weaker one as quickly as possible. The tall Russell might look big, but he was thin, pale, and looked like a sissy—definitely not tough. As for the gray-haired Roger, though shorter, he actually seemed harder to deal with to Brian Carter.

  “I'm really sorry, Chu.”

  “Why are you apologizing to me?”

  Hearing Brian Carter's question, Emily Clark laughed. “Those two are my classmates, and soon they'll be yours too. They're not actually bad people, just... a bit mean.”

  Brian Carter didn't respond. He lowered his head and walked quickly into the alley.

  He was in a bad mood, and he didn't deny it at all. No one can feel happy after being mocked, ridiculed, and looked down on. Brian Carter wasn't good at hiding his true feelings, so he didn't force a polite smile or say something like “It's fine, I don't mind.” He did mind—a lot.

  Emily Clark wanted to say something more, but seeing Brian Carter's expression, she opened her mouth and finally said nothing.

  ※※※

  Although Brian Carter hadn't seen many people at the alley entrance at first, as they approached the stadium gate, he realized there was already quite a crowd. The narrow alley was packed to the brim. Maybe it was the contrast with the narrow alley that made it seem like there were a lot of people. And he even spotted some familiar faces in the crowd.

  “Uncle Bent!”

  Chu called out in surprise. A man in his sixties, coming to try out? That was just too postmodern.

  “Are you here to try out too?” he asked in astonishment.

  Old Bennett saw Brian Carter and Emily Clark beside him, smiled and greeted them both before saying, “I'm here to watch you all try out. This is a historic day—I didn't want to miss it.”

  Not only Bennett, Brian Carter also spotted a few young people in the crowd who often hung out at Dunn's Bar. The oldest among them was Jackson, age 32, and the youngest was Phil, age 18. They also saw Brian Carter and enthusiastically squeezed over, encouraging each other to make sure they got selected.

  To maintain order, the club required everyone to line up and register at the stadium gate. The crowd gathered at the entrance, gradually forming a long line.