Chapter 111 p2
When the Gamer team arrived, A Bao looked at Nine Heavens’ lineup: HighTowerMiyuki, Xie Buyu, Fu Tu, and Lin.
She smiled and started her pre-match preparations.
“Xiao V isn’t playing?” Zhuo Jinglan, seeing their lineup, was puzzled.
Lou Mi and Chi Lin sensed danger.
If Xiao V wasn’t playing, she must be planning something, but their intentions were too obvious.
The police were there, stationed inside the live stream room, questioning anyone suspicious.
The staff, the building security, and Lou Mi’s hired bodyguards were also present, providing layers of protection. Nine Heavens felt secure, able to focus on the match.
Zhuo Jinglan, the staff, Huhu, and the two substitute players sat in the viewing area, separated from the players by a glass door.
Huhu, having heard about the recent attacks, was slightly scared.
The air conditioning was blasting, but he felt a chill, pulling his hoodie over his head.
Zhuo Jinglan asked, “Are you nervous?”
Huhu smiled weakly: “A little.”
He noticed a strange object in the corner of the room:
“Sister Lan, what’s that?”
“I don’t know, Lou Mi asked us to put it there, the staff agreed. Maybe she thinks it’s too hot in here?”
Huhu shivered again.
Before the match, Lou Mi called A Tou.
“Can you do it? Ten seconds, triggered by our live stream cutting out.”
“Yes,” A Tou said. “Even a minute.”
“The longer, the better. Thank you.”
The match, attracting global attention, was about to begin. The players’ faces appeared in small windows on either side of the screen.
The map was chosen: Snowy Peak Dungeon.
The chat exploded:
[Are they serious?! Is this intentional?!]
[Isn’t this where A Bao confessed to Lou Mi and got rejected?]
[Yes, and where Lou Mi and Chi Lin broke the record.]
[What a coincidence… This is where it all ends.]
[Nine Heavens will win!]
[Young Master Lin, reign supreme! Sister Lou, conquer all!]
***
A Bao and her teammates appeared in the Snowy Peak Dungeon. She looked at the entrance, memories flooding her mind.
“A Bao?” a teammate reminded her to focus.
A Bao nodded and entered the dungeon.
Both teams were cautious, even more so than usual.
From the first level, opportunities for engagement arose, but neither team acted rashly.
Just some harmless probing.
Just as everyone expected the final battle to take place on the third level, HighTowerMiyuki launched a surprise attack!
Her flame spear separated Gamer’s mage from the team in a flash!
[Ahhh, that’s Sister Lou! Always so aggressive!]
[I almost screamed!]
The isolated mage was surrounded by HighTowerMiyuki and Fu Tu. Gamer moved to rescue him.
A Bao, at the back of the team, was left vulnerable as her teammates rushed to save their mage. Xie Buyu and Lin seized the opportunity, attacking from behind.
Just as Xie Buyu cast a buff, a sense of danger made her pull Xie Buyu back.
“Something’s wrong, they…”
Before she could finish, Gamer’s remaining members ambushed them.
They hadn’t gone to rescue their mage!
HighTowerMiyuki scored the first kill!
But Gamer had sacrificed their mage, planning a two-for-one trade!
Two minutes earlier.
A Bao had stopped her teammates from rescuing their mage.
It was a trap; she knew Lou Mi’s tactics too well.
A Bao smiled: “They’re after me. If we chase, we fall into their trap. If we don’t, they’ll come to us.”
Lou Mi had taught her everything.
And her infatuation with Lou Mi had made her memorize every detail.
Now, it was her weapon.
Xie Buyu barely managed to save Lin before being killed.
Nine Heavens lost their healer!
A Bao, having seen through Lou Mi’s plan, continued to pursue Lin after killing Xie Buyu!
Lin was almost dead, surrounded by three opponents. If they took her down, it would be Nine Heavens’ first defeat!
A Bao, excited by the imminent victory, suddenly felt a chill and stopped.
“Something’s wrong, don’t chase!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like this.” A Bao sensed a familiar predatory aura.
“Lin is also bait.” A Bao realized. “Fu Tu isn’t with Lou Mi, she’s waiting for an opportunity. And Lin’s damage output increases when she’s low on health. If we continue, we might be wiped out. Be patient.”
“They didn’t take the bait.” Fu Tu peeked out from behind a stalactite, seeing only Lin, no pursuers.
Lin went to kill some monsters and regain health, and Lou Mi returned.
“This is going to be a long match.”
A Bao had thought the recent events would make Lou Mi reckless and impatient.
But she was still the formidable HighTowerMiyuki, calm and collected.
Both teams fought skillfully, their strategies and control world-class, a thrilling spectacle for the viewers.
The commentators struggled to keep up.
[This first group match is finals level!]
[Nine Heavens is as strong as ever, but Gamer is also surprisingly good, a close match.]
[A Bao is clearly using her knowledge of Sister Lou’s tactics.]
[Sister Lou taught her everything, and now she’s using it against her. Heartbreaking.]
[A Bao is so ungrateful! A traitor!]
[Let’s get #ABaoOutOfEsports trending!]
***
Zhuo Jinglan watched with bated breath.
She had known A Bao’s familiarity with Lou Mi’s tactics would be a problem.
That little brat… If she had known A Bao would betray them, she wouldn’t have let Lou Mi take her on as an apprentice!
The staff watched the screens intently, the players inside the glass room completely focused.
They couldn’t afford any distractions.
This was a neural interface game; any lapse in concentration would affect their performance.
Focus was essential.
Four police officers were in the room, one of them approaching the glass door.
Zhuo Jinglan looked at him.
He glanced inside, then stepped back.
His colleague whispered something to him.
Zhuo Jinglan felt a surge of unease.
Was something wrong outside?
As she looked towards the door, the two officers approached again, quickly unlocking the door!
Zhuo Jinglan’s momentary distraction ended when she heard a staff member shout, “Hey!”
The two officers entered the room, just two meters away from Lou Mi!
“Security!” Zhuo Jinglan yelled. The security team rushed in, and the two other officers inside the room reacted quickly, grabbing their colleagues.
One of the intruders fired his gun; a police officer narrowly dodged the bullet.
The sudden chaos startled everyone.
They were live! What was going on?!
Xiao V, watching from the hallway, smiled inwardly.
Let’s see if they choose their lives or the game.
The two officers inside locked the glass door and barricaded it with a table.
The officers outside tried to fire their guns, but their bullets were gone!
They tried to break down the door, but one of the intruders, using the table as a shield, held them off.
The other intruder grabbed Lou Mi’s neck from behind.
“Lou Mi——!” Zhuo Jinglan screamed, banging on the glass.
The live stream viewers saw a man’s hand on Lou Mi’s neck.
[Whose hand is that?!]
[What’s going on?!]
[Someone’s interrupting Sister Lou’s match?! Where’s security?!]
The player cams were cut, but the game feed continued.
Xiao V ran to the doorway and peeked inside.
She saw a gun pointed at the back of Lou Mi’s head.
“Your Majesty,” the man with the gun said. “I never thought I would be the one to kill you in the end.”
Xiao V’s eyes widened with excitement.
Kill her! Now!
Meanwhile, in a corner of the building:
A Tou: “Ready?”
Xiao Ju: “This is child’s play.”
“Don’t be grumpy, I’ll buy you dinner later.”
Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the building into darkness. Xiao V heard a scream.
But in that split second before the darkness, she saw Chi Lin stand up, grab the gunman’s arm, and kick him in the face.
A gunshot echoed through the darkness, followed by screams.
“Go!” The police outside broke down the door and joined the melee in the dark!
Xiao V ran, taking out her phone to watch the live stream.
After that interruption, Nine Heavens would definitely lose!
HighTowerMiyuki’s undefeated streak would end, and those two pawns were expendable.
She could deal with Lou Mi and Chi Lin later, there was no rush…
Smiling, Xiao V opened the stream, but her smile froze.
The live stream building had a backup power supply for the broadcast, so even with the power outage, the stream hadn’t been interrupted.
Xiao V couldn’t believe her eyes.
Lin was still playing, fighting alongside Lou Mi, and Nine Heavens was gaining the upper hand!
How…?
Chi Lin’s actions should have disrupted the neural link, at least getting her killed in the game, or even causing her to disconnect.
Why was she still playing?!
In a corner of the viewing area, Huhu sat with his hoodie pulled over his head, eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by the chaos.
If anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed two access crystals attached to his temples.
Before the match, Chi Lin had approached him.
“You’ll be playing on my account today.”
“Me?”
“Yes, but stay outside the live stream room. Don’t worry, no one will find out. We’re prepared.” Chi Lin’s eyes were bright. “Just focus on the game, no matter what happens. Nine Heavens is counting on you.”
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