Chapter 1: The Bug-Fighting Boy

Lühai City, a resort destination where the sea, trees, and light rail blend together, still preserves much of its traditional culture.

To the east lies Cui Mountain, and to the south, at the center of Lühai’s Hongye Park, a huge crowd has gathered, with a long banner stretched between two trees.

A young girl squeezed into the crowd. When she saw the four large characters "Bug-Fighting Tournament" on the banner, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd.

"Ryan Clark won again!"

"Wasn’t it him last year too?"

"That’s right, and it was a complete victory both times!"

As people chattered, at the center of the field, under the gaze of a bald old man who could hardly accept the result, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen stood up.

"Thank you for letting me win," he said with a smile.

Bug-fighting, one of the folk games in Xia Country, is also called cricket fighting in the north.

Just now, at the "Bug-Fighting Tournament" held in Lühai City’s Hongye Park, Ryan Clark led his champion to defeat a group of experienced veterans and claimed the title of Bug King.

And this wasn’t his first championship.

"You little rascal!" The old man kept scratching his already sparse hair, looking irritably at Ryan Clark across from him.

Ever since this Ryan Clark started participating in the bug-fighting tournament, he hadn’t lost once. How was that possible?

How could this teenage kid have more experience in cricket fighting than this group of old-timers?

"Just lucky, that’s all," Ryan Clark laughed.

But suddenly, he seemed to sense a certain gaze from the crowd and immediately tensed up.

"Uh, everyone, I’m heading out now!" Ryan Clark’s expression changed, and he quickly packed up his champion, squeezed out of the crowd, and hurried toward the exit.

However, before he could get far, someone who took a shortcut blocked his way.

This person wasn’t much older than him. She was tall, with a beautiful face, long black-tea-colored hair tied in a ponytail, and two long, fair legs radiating youthful energy. But right now, her expression was far from friendly.

"So you took leave just to participate in this bug-fighting tournament? Why didn’t you answer my calls?" Lauren Bennett crossed her arms, waiting for Ryan Clark’s explanation.

"I was focused on the match, so I put my phone on silent," Ryan Clark pouted.

"You’re about to be a senior in high school, you know that?" Lauren Bennett rubbed her temples, exasperated.

"Seriously... You’re going back to make up classes tomorrow," Ryan Clark said helplessly.

"I’m pushing you for your own good!" Lauren Bennett glanced at the jar in Ryan Clark’s hand and said, "But first place again... Not bad. Lühai City is a big place for bug-fighting. Any old man in a park here has decades of experience, and I heard you wiped them all out again."

Ryan Clark smiled and said, "Sometimes, you can’t just rely on 'experience.' 'Talent' is what matters most."

"I wasn’t complimenting you!" Lauren Bennett said angrily. "I want you to focus on your studies for now. After the college entrance exam, you can fight bugs all you want."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it~" Ryan Clark waved his hand. "But I’m not really interested in bug-fighting anymore. There’s no challenge left."

"Say, what if I try hunting instead? My ancestors were hunters, maybe I have that gene..."

He fell into thought. Hunting—catching and shooting animals—nowadays is mainly for developing the country’s wildlife resources, controlling animal populations, and maintaining ecological balance. Of course, none of that mattered to him. It was just that his family had a pet that was naturally combative and needed a suitable place to let off steam.

Currently, there are still quite a few places in Xia Country where legal hunting is allowed.

Thinking this, Ryan Clark opened the jar containing the Bug King and released the valuable champion, just as he said—there was no challenge left in this game.

"Hunting..." Lauren Bennett looked at Ryan Clark in confusion and said, "You’re not thinking of using your husky as a hunting dog, are you?"

"It’s nothing like a hunting dog, except for its looks."

Ryan Clark shrugged. "I could train it. It loves to fight, and always suppressing its fighting instincts isn’t good. But anyway, it’s not that easy—getting a hunter’s license is pretty tough."

"I hope you’re joking," Lauren Bennett said speechlessly. But soon, as if she thought of something, she fixed her gaze on Ryan Clark and said, "Wait, you still haven’t let go of that thing, have you? Are you preparing to go there?"

"No, even if I did, wouldn’t it be easier to just hire a professional team? What’s the point of all this trouble, right?"

"But..."

"Come on, let’s go. It’s going to rain," Ryan Clark said quickly, not wanting to continue the topic.

"Huh?" Lauren Bennett was stunned and looked up at the clear sky—there wasn’t even a cloud...

"The weather forecast said so," Ryan Clark waved as he walked out of the park first.

Just kidding, actually, it was the insects in the park that told him.

...

Not long after, the sky over Lühai City was covered with dark clouds, and a heavy rain was about to fall. Ryan Clark and Lauren Bennett entered a restaurant—partly to avoid the rain, and partly to have lunch.