《Godfather Of Champions 》Chapter 62: The Football Hooligans Part 3
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Tang En was not afraid to face these impetuous drunks. The man standing closest to him could have just swung his fist forward and hit his nose, but Tang En did not step down when faced with other men's fury.
He flung the torn flag toward Hodge. "Michael's son is dead, and you're all his murderers!"
The pub, which had just been noisy like a coliseum, suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at Twain in shock and let the flag that they had considered as life, fall to the ground.
Hodge was also shocked, and he asked, "What are you talking about?"
The door behind Tang En was pushed open once again, and a sweaty Kenny Burns appeared in front of the crowd. "What Tony said is right. Your men knocked down Gavin while you were running away, and you and the Millwall b*stards trampled all over him."
Hodge's eyes widened. He could not believe what he just heard. He had not drunk much, and his mind was sober.
Tang En stepped forward and glared at Mark Hodge. The "Honor is my life" lost its golden glow when he stepped on it.
"Football hooligans?" He sneered as he turned to leave the deathly still pub. "Go to hell!"
Everyone watched him leave in silence. Hodge's eyes had widened in shock, and he could not believe it. Burns looked at the stunned Hodge and his men, turned away, and followed Twain to leave.
"Kenny... You know, when I heard Gavin was... I really wanted to kill those b*stards," said Tang En when they had walked out of the pub.
Burns nodded. "I understand."
"But when I saw them, I suddenly felt they were pathetic. I couldn't figure out why, I suddenly felt sorry for them... This feels strange. I should have rushed up to punch Hodge. How did it turn out like this?" murmured Tang En as he stood on the street with his head down.
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"Tony, even if you had put all of them in the hospital for half a year, Gavin's not coming back." Burns patted his shoulder to console him.
Tang En looked up at Burns and nodded. "I know, I know... That's why I feel so angry. It's like, like when I watched the team lose, and there was nothing I could do about it... the failure, the pain... F*ck!"
Suddenly, he punched the phone booth next to him. Crash! The glass was shattered.
"I had a chance to prevent all this! I could have kept Gavin's death from happening! I upbraided Hodge and told them that they were murderers, but I know I am one too! I'm a f*cking murderer!" Tang En held his head as he crouched down, and blood was dripping down his wrists to the ground.
Burns did not stop him, he just stood quietly at the side as he watched him vent.
The passers-by cautiously circled away from them and looked at them with fear and pity, thinking they were part of the gang inside the Robin Hood Pub.
One by one, cars drove past and splashed them with the water pooled at the side of the road. The two of them did not try to avoid nor dodge it. They just let the dirty water splatter them.
The next day, the Nottingham Evening Post first reported on the clash between the Nottingham fans and Millwall fans in the final round of the League Championship. It was followed by corresponding reports from the other major media outlets. Even the national newspaper, The Times, had followed the incident with interest.
Brawling fans were not unusual in the United Kingdom. The media and the public had long been immune to it. The only reason so much media focus was on a post-match fan brawl in the League Championship was because someone had died.
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"...During yesterday's last round of the English Football League Championship, after the match between Nottingham Forest and Millwall, fans from both sides' gangs had gathered in an alley for a brawl. During the clash, an innocent 12-year-old boy was unfortunately involved and died after failure to revive."
There were only two lines of information about Gavin Bernard in the report. Besides his age, there was nothing else—no name, no character description. People would never know how smart and adorable this innocent dead child was, how likable he was... How he never should have died.
The cold and impersonal report was so objective and fair that Tang En was disgusted. But later, when the media dug deeper into the boy's death, Tang En did not want to read the papers anymore. Because looking the pictures of Gavin that the reporters had dug up from his school, and reading how they had described Gavin's death, Tang En felt as if he was going through everything from that night again.
He was furious, but he had nowhere to vent.
Because he was the head of the fans, Michael had a very good relationship with many of the players on the Forest team, such as Michael Dawson, Andy Reid, Marlon Harewood, Eoin Jess and so on... Everybody knew he had a smart and cute boy, Gavin Bernard.
So, when they learned from the media that little Gavin had died during the fans' clash, almost everyone was not in the state of mind to do their training. The coaches did not yell at them on the training ground, and Tang En, too, did not ask them to concentrate. The entire club was immersed in sorrow.
Because of the pain of Gavin's mother being unable to accept her child's death, Michael decided to hold his burial at an earlier date. The date of the funeral was chosen to be on May 9th. Tang En informed the players of the funeral at the end of the training on the 8th and hoped that everyone would be able to send the poor child off.
No one objected to Twain's decision. The coaches, the team doctors, the assistant managers, and even Mr. Chairman Doughty had agreed to this decision. Everyone, including Tang En himself, might have forgotten that the day after the next, they were going to have a home match with a strong opponent. It was an important match for them.
On May 10th, Nottingham Forest would be playing against Sheffield United in the first round of the English Football League Championship semi-final playoff.
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The First Corridor of Old Works
But what is it, really? Old Works. They say, some do anyway, or would, if they still had tongues - it's a dream. That it's a million year old mystery connecting three planets. Some, yet other, anonymous entities, charge that it's a structure, more accurately, an architecture - a quest, even, made from, and through - corridors. Pretty inarguably, for one thing, it's a maze. Even some pronounce, if you can understand those currently vomiting blood, that it's a corporation, and yet others - the brave ones – and dead - say it's... near death. Or that it is. Death. - Death itself. But that dark thing on the horizon, that thing emerging to replace the only system we... know. - Whatever it is it couldn't be the end, of everything, could it? Eminently possible, but - it couldn't be worse? 3 civilisations/3 planets... and Old Works. 4 heroes: The Cyclops seeing out his Eye the reality of that place - and by means of that vision - greasing the many-toothed gears of that great old churning nightmare. The Writer sweating to keep the story alive that supports the great old lying structure. The Fake King who abides among all those tunnels of dreams and lies and dreams and... slaves. And the Hero Dreamt, all those slaves - to maintain that structure's even functioning, have to - at all... they dream him. They literally dream him. But that thing, from whence, who knows, arriving? What kind of sick demonic mind could even - But it can only be psychosis - Or possession. Reducing all of reality to some kind of – what would you call it? A Game? A video... joke? And that half-Cyclops, that beauty – what does she have growing – beneath her supernatural genitals? A game for him? A game/a dream; a – world? Or just Old Works. And this Wound in reality – that our writer near-died putting inside her. What is it anyway? And what reality does it bring with it. This demon or God. Through the corridors; lattices of smoke and shadows and colours; dungeons; and supernatural organs; the labyrinths made from dreams... and flesh. - What happens when they face that Wound – staring the absolute. right. in. them? - Through - What happens to all us... slaves... then? But at the end of the hallway, you see it there, I say you do, that turning - It's only the First Corridor of Old Works. This finished 104,000 word kind of LITRPGy fantasy novel, the First Corridor of Old Works will be released in daily 2000 word chapters, or equivalent [unfailingly at 20:47 GMT] Immediately followed by the Second Corridor of Old Works [161,000 words, edited, ongoing, as of 24/09/21] At first lite on stats these LITRPGy elements will become increasingly - built meticulously upon what precedes - ubiquitous, as we proceed into a world painstakingly built to support these mechanisms. After - minimum - 6 months, this manic daily release schedule will be somewhat relaxed: 5 days a week. - But don't lie to yourself it's not there. That thing watching at the end of the hallway... and where it leads. It's - Of countless, it could only be - The First Corridor of Old Works.
8 192Nanocultivation Chronicles: Trials of Lilijoy
When the singularity occurred, humanity was not invited. Nevertheless, the great machine consciousness known as Guardian felt a lingering fondness for its creators and intervened before total environmental collapse. Join Lilijoy in an exploration of what remains, in a post-post-apocalyptic world where clans feud over the technology that allows them to upgrade their minds and bodies. The Nanocultivation Chronicles is a blend of hard sci-fi and fantasy gamelit, with a healthy helping of xianxia influence. The gamelit and xianxia elements are uncovered at a slow pace. ******************************** Notes: If you are looking for lots of fast moving action right away, this story may not be for you. There is some violence that is visceral and realistic early on. Some things are not what they appear to be. Character viewpoint narration is not always reliable. Tropes are cherished, subverted, and then cherished again. Science is used, occasionally misused, but (hopefully) never abused. This story assumes that humans have the ability to impact the environment on a global scale. Other tropes and tags beyond those previously noted include: Young MC, Mystery, System Building, Philosophical Taoism, Gender Ignorance, Science Fantasy, Fantasy Academy, Training from Hell, Dualism, Crafting, Magic, Mild Mind Control, Scientific Terms and Concepts, Computer Overlord Certain contemporary companies, governments and cultural identities are fictionalized and imagined in a future setting. There is no sex, and almost no romance. Updating Sunday, Thursday until further notice. (And if you actually read all of the above, then this story may be for you) [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 139Questing: A Failed Tale
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8 137Infinitium, Book 1
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8 169Master Exorcist
A young man born of vampires from a prestigious family. Bloodlines that are on the brink of collapse, the end of a race. A talented mind, but a crippled body. Carrier of a bloodline desired by many and hope for his family. Shackled by his inability to use his power and rejected by his peers. He was visited by one who calls himself a trader. His fortune or demise now lays in the hands of a creature with an offer he cannot refuse. Intentions that seems projected far into the future, he has only one option. What will Ocelio choose to become when he's thrown into a new world against his will. With the opportunity to obtain everything he wants and more...at a certain price. *note: This novel contains themes that may hurt the sensibility of the younger readers. Please do not read if you are under 16 years old.
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