Chapter 398: Don't Fight Big Noses in a Place Full of Furniture
"Look at that fan work, how beautiful! But I always feel it can't compare to the old man's magic tricks at the temple fair."
Cheng Fu, whose nose and hairstyle were almost identical to his elder brother's, drained the wine in his glass, letting out a satisfied sigh from deep within his throat.
"The fan work is beautiful, but this constant linear aerial assault is truly hard to commend. If it were anticipated…"
Hong Fu, who was noticeably more robust, also chugged a glass. As he mentally simulated the scene of Mai Shiranui's aerial assault, he made a practice move of striking back, his hands grasping an invisible nunchaku.
"Flashy nonsense~"
Lei Wulong, with a toothpick in his mouth, was more direct, opting for a sharp critique.
Meanwhile, Andy, who was still surprised by the three highly similar faces not far away, visibly darkened.
As for the real fuse, it was the words that Cheng Fu, who then picked up a wine gourd and stepped onto a stool, uttered next.
"I bet a hundred bucks! That woman's dress, slit up to her shoulders, will be stepped on and torn off in the coming fight—"
Bang!
The heavy thud on the table attracted the three drunkards.
The source of this sound was clearly the wooden man Andy.
Although this guy had rejected Mai's marriage proposals and team invitations countless times, making him the wooden man among wooden men, when someone sharply criticized Mai in front of him, especially her outfit—the signature, revealing ninja attire of the Shiranui-ryū style, originally intended to "attract the enemy's attention and create openings"—which Andy cared about excessively, he finally couldn't suppress his anger.
Terry, as Andy's older brother, maintained a relatively rational and calm expression. After all, being sharply criticized was the fate of public-facing fighters like them. Especially with his quasi-sister-in-law, such a controversial outfit made it impossible not to be criticized. Moreover, the three drunkards' critiques were actually quite restrained.
But at this moment, Joe Higashi's expression was clearly off.
Terry just glanced at him and knew that this exhibitionist might cause trouble.
"Hey! Drunkards! Since you dare to question the strength of the Shiranui-ryū Grand Disciple's junior sister in front of him, what about you? Answer me!"
Sure enough, among many possible solutions, this exhibitionist Muay Thai fighter unhesitatingly chose to escalate the conflict.
Cheng Fu, who had drunk the most, clearly hadn't quite reacted yet. However, Hong Fu and Lei Wulong, both Hong Kong international police officers and fighters, first exchanged glances. Then, Hong Fu's expression immediately switched to a serious 'Ah Sir' style.
"Gays… Pfft, Please… Uh—"
Hong Fu, seemingly serious but in fact brainstorming and racking his brains for meager English words, had only just blurted out two words when he was interrupted by the real drunkard beside him.
"Wow! It's the Fatal Fury Team! It's the real Fatal Fury Team… But Brother Andy, why does your hair seem even more flowing than on TV? *Hic*!!"
Cheng Fu, whose strength had increased under the influence of alcohol, grabbed Hong Fu's mouth, pulled and tugged him aside, and shouted excitedly at the Fatal Fury Team, letting out a huge burp in the process. A strong smell of alcohol began to spread towards the Fatal Fury Team.
Even the relatively calm Terry was starting to lose his composure now.
However, at this moment, Terry noticed a detail: all three Big Noses had a "KOF97 Preliminary" badge pinned to their chests. This discovery made his eyes light up.
Joe Higashi had actually discovered this a step earlier, which was the main reason he chose to escalate the conflict.
Yes, the three Azu's nemeses were participating in the KOF97 preliminaries as a team, but they left the venue early during the period when the seeded teams were being decided. This was because their participation in the preliminaries was more for concealing their identities; their true intention was not to actually participate in the King of Fighters tournament.
Hong Fu's main mission as an international police officer this time was to pursue Ryuji Yamazaki, who was involved in arms dealing in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Lei Wulong, as his colleague, conveniently teamed up with him. Cheng Fu, as one of three half-brothers, was an accidental but logical local match.
However, according to Hong Fu's investigation, Ryuji Yamazaki seemed to be involved in an even more complex incident, so much so that he abandoned his business in Kowloon to participate in this tournament.
Unfortunately, Ryuji Yamazaki was not among the seeded teams. Based on Hong Fu's past experience with him, there was a high probability that the opponent would choose to hide in the early stages, delaying the time until the final 72-hour countdown, and then make a move to snatch the invitation letters from the seeded teams. He also planned to wait until then to act.
After all, according to the tournament rules, any dispute involving invitation letters would be live-streamed and broadcast, allowing for precise pursuit at that time.
However, plans change quickly. When Joe Higashi's low sweep kick came flying, it meant that their "Drunkard Team" would soon be on TV due to their confrontation with the popular seeded team, the Fatal Fury Team… Having dealt with the Great Demon God of Methyl and thus deterred a group of less powerful preliminary teams, Cheng Tian and his group, now temporarily settled, were consuming at an oden izakaya. Various stewed dishes were piled up in front of all four of them in varying quantities.
"Boss, can I borrow the remote control?"
Cheng Tian, while using chopsticks to cut the thoroughly stewed radish into four small pieces, took the TV remote control handed to him by the somewhat ethereal-looking boss. At this moment, the screen was broadcasting the scene of the Fatal Fury Team and the Drunkard Team destroying the small izakaya.
Perhaps due to the blessing of the "Furniture City God of War" effect from their original prototype, relying on the chaotic tables, chairs, benches, and wine bottles around them, the three Big Noses, forced into battle, actually formed an initial suppression against the Fatal Fury Team, one of the three major favorites to win this tournament!
The three major favorites to win were the Japan Team, the Fatal Fury Team, and the Art of Fighting Team.
According to real-time statistics, the current viewership ratings for the female fighter team and the psychic warrior team were astronomically high. Below these two teams were the channels of the three major favorite teams.
It was clear that the several consortiums behind the organizers were truly investing heavily, as the words "The tournament organizers will fully compensate for losses caused by player fighting" were urgently added to the side of the Fatal Fury Team channel.
The izakaya owner's expression, which had originally appeared utterly distraught in occasional scene cuts, later transformed into a radiant smile like a blooming chrysanthemum after receiving the compensation notice.
However, Cheng Tian did not continue watching. Instead, he picked up the remote control and switched back and forth between the sixteen channels specially added for this tournament, while also popping radish into his mouth.
He mainly wanted to see if there were more familiar faces appearing due to MUGEN entries.
Switch, switch, switch, switch… Then, from the TV speaker, he heard a roar that made him shiver all over.
"Destruction! Burst! Hurricane Punch!!!"