NOVEL WEB Chapter 89: 89
At 11:00 AM, the train arrived at London Station.
As soon as the players disembarked, they transferred to a chartered bus that had been arranged beforehand and headed straight for Tonbridge, Kent, located in southeastern London.
Tonbridge School, one of the top three aristocratic schools in England, was situated in Tonbridge Town.
This place had originally been a noble estate.
In 1533, a noble lord developed this land into a school, exclusively for royal and aristocratic children.
That meant Tonbridge School had an almost 500-year history.
Throughout history, many members of the British Royal Family had studied here.
But the most ridiculous part?
For a high school, Tonbridge School owned a TSC Sports Center spanning over 20,000 square meters, with some facilities even meeting Olympic standards.
After over an hour-long ride, the Bucks finally arrived at this famous aristocratic institution.
There was no grand welcome from the Boar Knights.
Instead, they were received by one singular staff member—a man in a suit, exuding an air of arrogance, looking down on them from above his nostrils.
Rather than guiding them, he seemed more like he was monitoring them, as if afraid these country bumpkins from Southampton would steal or damage anything.
The disdain was palpable.
Yet, aside from the obvious snobbery, the process was otherwise smooth.
At 12:00 PM, the Bucks were led to Tonbridge School's staff cafeteria for lunch—not the student cafeteria, but the staff cafeteria.
At first, Rusty and the others were furious about the disrespect.
But the moment they stepped inside, they completely forgot their anger.
Every dish served in the staff cafeteria looked like a piece of art.
Compared to this, the self-serve buffet at Manchester Grammar School looked like fast food for nouveau riche.
The Bucks players feasted happily, then rested for an hour before heading to the designated training field for pre-match warm-ups.
At 2:30 PM, they were led to Tonbridge Stadium 3's visitor locker room by the same arrogant staff member.
If they thought Manchester Grammar School's locker room was impressive, Tonbridge's locker room felt like a five-star luxury suite.
It wasn't just spacious—every inch of it exuded a high-end aristocratic aesthetic.
The floor was spotless, the lockers polished to perfection, and even included a private physiotherapy room.
And this wasn't even the best locker room in Tonbridge.
Rusty muttered, "These aristocratic pricks are way too extravagant… Just look at this damn locker room! Still, at least they're better than those pirate bastards…"
Watergate scoffed. "You're wrong, Rusty. The Boar Knights? Better? They just think we're so beneath them that tricks aren't even worth their time. But once we're on the field? Don't expect them to play nice. Whether we win or lose—make them feel the pain."
"Yeah! Let's f*ck them up!"
The Bucks players clenched their fists in agreement.
Just then, Coach Carter stepped in.
His sharp gaze swept across the room as he began his speech.
"I'll be honest—our pre-match training just now was disappointing. None of you played at the level I expected. But there's no time to fix it. The match starts soon."
"So let me remind you one last time."
"This is the most important match of our season."
"You all know this: Tonbridge's Boar Knights currently have zero points."
"Last round, they lost to the Golden Fleece."
"Now, they're back at home, and they'll do anything to take 3 points off us."
"To them, we're nothing but cannon fodder—a rotting fish on the chopping block."
"They expect us to lose without a fight."
Carter paused, then asked coldly: "So tell me—are you cannon fodder?"
The Bucks roared in unison: "NO, COACH! WE'RE NOT!"
"Are you filthy, backwater nobodies?"
The Bucks screamed louder: "NO, COACH! WE'RE NOT!"
Carter smirked. "Your words are strong… But you'll probably still lose. And lose badly."
The locker room fell silent.
The truth was—Tonbridge was stronger.
The Bucks still had a ton of flaws.
And this was Tonbridge's home turf.
Carter continued: "With how sloppy our passing has been, how can we possibly win? At this rate, we'll be just what those aristocratic pricks expect—cannon fodder. Isn't that what you all really think deep down?"
The players clenched their fists.
Captain Loaf stepped forward. "COACH! If anyone in this locker room thinks that—I'LL BEAT THE SHT OUT OF THEM!*"
"Yeah! We won't roll over for these rich bastards!"
"We'll make them eat their own arrogance!"
The locker room exploded with anger.
Even Gu Ran—who knew Carter was deliberately provoking them—felt his blood boiling.
Carter's lips curled into a brief smile, then disappeared.
"Good. If you truly believe that, then our chances of making it out of the group stage just went up."
The locker room fell silent again.
"Group stage?"
"Coach… you misspoke, right?"
In a "group of death," how could a fourth-seeded team possibly advance?
That was pure fantasy.
"I didn't misspeak." Carter's voice was firm. "My goal has never changed. I, Lamar Carter, am leading this team out of the group stage. We already have 1 point. If we draw against Tonbridge today, and then win our home game against the Golden Fleece, we'll qualify with 5 points as Group E's second seed."
The locker room erupted.
"Coach has lost his mind!"
"Drawing against Tonbridge is already nearly impossible—and he thinks we can beat last year's runners-up?!"
"Is he joking?"
"Definitely sarcasm… He's messing with us."
"Yeah, no way Coach actually believes that."
But among them, Gu Ran's eyes gleamed.
With 12 years of experience ahead of this timeline, Gu Ran immediately understood Carter's plan.
Carter continued, "If we draw against Tonbridge today, who in Group E can challenge the Golden Fleece for first place?"
"Once the Golden Fleece secures first place, they won't waste energy on a meaningless last match. Instead, they'll save their best players for the knockout rounds."
"I guarantee you—when we play them in our final group match, we'll be facing a B-team lineup."
"And that's where we take our 3 points."
"This is my strategy."
Carter took a deep breath, then raised his voice. "Now tell me—can you beat a B-team at home?!"
"NO, COACH! WE CAN WIN!"
The **Bucks locker room erupted with energy.
For the first time—they actually believed.
Before, they had hoped to survive.
Now, after Carter's breakdown, getting out of the group suddenly felt… possible.
As long as they could hold Tonbridge today—everything changed.
Carter lifted his chin slightly, then said, "Then prove it to me."
"YES, COACH!"
The entire Bucks squad roared in unison.
Gu Ran shouted as loud as anyone.
(End of Chapter)