Su Yao couldn’t remember how many she had killed or how many times her legs had gone numb. The battle continued until dawn. Her mouth was dry, her eyes bloodshot. Occasionally, she glanced at Qinchuan beside her; although he was less exhausted than her, he was still struggling. The last hero’s blood was spilled on the ground. Sanchuan started with two small moves and finished with a move called “Eagle Strike in the Sky.” The hero’s body unwillingly vanished into the stars. At this moment, only Sanchuan remained in the entire universe. A perfect ending. The system announced: 【Congratulations to the player: “Sanchuan,” Class: Shadow Assassin, Level: 122, for being the victor of Map 27.】 Another system message appeared on the screen, asking Qinchuan to reply with his contact information so the game company could arrange the final match schedule. Half an hour later, Hongyaotang finally managed to eliminate the last twenty players on her map.
To encourage teamwork, the game provided significant attack boosts when players formed teams. From the moment the match started, they had become Su Yao’s biggest obstacle. In this age of impatience and quick betrayals, Su Yao had never seen such unity and mutual trust among strangers. However, this was war, and war is inherently cruel. Facing twenty grouped players, direct confrontation was out of the question. One small move from each could trap her without an escape. While killing, Su Yao spent the night thinking of a strategy, finally deciding to target their priest. In a team of twenty, there was one priest. The priest wasn’t the firepower but the lifeblood of the team, the only one capable of healing others. In a PK field where healing potions were forbidden, the priest who healed and buffed the team was their backbone. Despite the priest’s low health and attack, extremely fragile, they still kept her in the center, protecting her like stars around the moon. True heroes live or die by their own merit, not needing a priest as a shield. Better to fight freely than to be concerned with protecting someone. THANATOS said the best defense is an attack.
When Hongyaotang finally seized the opportunity to take out the opponent’s priest in one chain attack, seeing the remaining nineteen players lose their healer and fall into disarray, Su Yao truly fell in love with THANATOS. The crushing group was thus dismantled, and the nineteen scattered players were no longer a threat. In just twenty minutes, Hongyaotang cleaned them up. The system announced: 【Congratulations to the player: “Hongyaotang,” Class: Hidden Thief, Level: 200, for being the victor of Map 24.】 Su Yao then replied with her contact information to the system message. Outside, the sky was bright. The female warrior relaxed in her chair, “THANATOS, I love you.” Recalling the night’s fierce battle, she sighed. Yes, in her lifetime, she could never surpass him, whether in skill or in the realm of thought. Before Qinchuan took her to bed to rest, he shared a piece of news he just found out. “I checked the system announcement times. Before us, three maps had already decided their winners: Number 28, One Morning of Joy; Number 25, Peaches Are Falling; Number 22…” “Who’s Number 22?” Su Yao noticed Qinchuan’s odd expression. Qinchuan swallowed hard, and finally said, “Your ex-husband, Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao.” “What??? F*ck!!!!” The female warrior’s jaw dropped in shock.
I won’t let myself down, nor will I let you down, so that many years later, when looking back, we won’t regret missing this passionate night, nor regret not giving you this unforgettable evening… I love you, thank you for accompanying me, and Mary will always love you 🙂
The news of Ji Canghai’s victory was like a bolt from the blue for Su Yao. She would rather believe a dog could speak human language than believe that idiot Ji Canghai could defeat the remaining nineteen thousand nine hundred ninety-nine players. She flipped the table in anger! Qinchuan signaled her to calm down: “Maybe he used hacks or hired a pro to help him. In any case, no matter how he advanced, it will become clear in the finals.” “F*ck, hacks? Youlong?” Su Yao’s chin was still not fixed, and she had, of course, heard of the legendary “Youlong” cheat, but she only sneered at such things. Both she and Qin Chuan were professional players, honed through countless battles among millions, with sweat and blood, their skills were undeniable.
Suddenly, Su Yao was no longer sleepy. She had not heard of the player named “One Smile at the Morning,” but the “Peach Blossom” from the 25th was the silly girl who claimed to have cheats and had asked her for directions before. Su Yao was waiting for this idiot, who could get hit by monsters even while walking, to be banned by the system, but to her surprise, just like Ji Canghai, she effortlessly advanced to the next level. A deep sense of humiliation and helplessness spread from Su Yao’s heart. If Wang Shenmu were here, he would surely agree, in this world, you could spend your whole life toiling in earnest, yet it wouldn’t compare to others’ backdoors and shortcuts.
Just then, the system announced the end of the PK on Map 36, the winner being — “Wang Shenmu,” occupation: Summoner Mage, Level: 200. Most players, including Su Yao, knew the story of how this Eastern Lord had once stormed the wedding hall. To die by his hand was not unjust, but it was a pity for those unfortunate enough to be on the same map as him. If they had known which map Wang Shenmu had chosen, probably no one would have wanted to join in, because only saints would willingly be stepping stones.
The Snow God Umbrella helped players level up, the Twilight of the Gods sent people to the afterlife; each had its unique trait. However, the Eastern divine weapon, the eighteen-holed Bi Shui Long Flute, known to be the most lethal among the divine artifacts, especially in mass battles. Under the summoner’s command, atop the pinnacle of humanity, demons danced wildly to the flute’s tune, and gods and ghosts obeyed. The continuously summoned demons were a thorough crushing force; as long as the summoner did not fall, victory was assured. The summoned gods and demons tore through human flesh far more gruesomely than the Twilight of the Gods. Wang Shenmu’s advancement was within Su Yao and Qin Chuan’s expectations. Qin Chuan remarked, “If there’s a chance, I’d really like to meet him. This guy is not simple.”
The battle continued until noon, and most maps had their results. Su Yao watched the real-time combat news and noticed many familiar faces. Map 1 — “South Wave Overwhelming”, occupation: Dragon Warrior, Level: 200. Maps 2 to 8 — the seven chief priests of the “Myth Dawn” sect from Great Yan, all Dark Knights, uniformly Level 200. Map 15 — “Luo Zishang”, occupation: Wandering Rogue, Level: 200.
The victory of these elites from Great Yan was not surprising to Su Yao.
Although South Wave wasn’t particularly strong, his reputation for gathering talents and taking in retainers was well-known, and the seven chief priests of Myth Dawn were professional players he had heavily invested in. There were rumors that Luo Zishang, the military strategist of Yan, was also in Yan’s service due to a substantial payment from South Wave. As people speculated, South Wave’s victory was likely due to hiring skilled players to play on his behalf, and the seven chief priests and Luo Zishang each securing a map was a testament to their abilities.