Chapter 11 November 11th, 2 AM

The fourth round of the Melee of the Four Realms ended, and the top sixteen of the Apex Contenders S2 were freshly released.

After the live broadcast, recordings of each match quickly appeared on various non-neural connection system broadcasting platforms.

Many viewers who had already watched the live broadcast logged out of neural connection mode to immediately watch other matches they had missed. Of course... there were also those who, in order to show their presence, deliberately went back to watch the matches they had already seen, constantly spoiling the plot in the comments...

On the other hand, the game forums were also buzzing with activity, with players excitedly discussing the matches that had just ended.

First of all, the Hell Frontline team, which finished their match in just ten minutes... once again refreshed their position in people's minds.

Throughout the rematch stage, they had always given the impression of "not going all out," and up to this fourth round, no one on their team had died in a match.

If their opponents weren't that good, that would be one thing. But looking at these four rounds... whether it was Corpse Blade's first and second teams, or the Gods' second team, including that double-roaming team led by a professional individual player... all of them were undeniably strong teams.

This made Hell Frontline's "zero deaths" record seem incredibly sharp... if calculated according to the preliminary round's same-score ranking rules, they should be ranked first among the sixteen teams up to this round.

Next, let's look at the Ice Emperor versus Order match.

We can now directly call Order's first team "Order," as the other teams from their studio have all left the competition.

As everyone expected, Order seemed to have advanced smoothly. But... that's only from the result.

Looking at the process, their advancement was not easy.

In fact, in the middle of the match, some even thought that Order would lose this contest...

No one knew how Ice Emperor managed to find powerhouses of the level of Dianhe Wang and Samadir to help, nor did anyone think they could set up such a clever scheme and fight Order in a three-on-one situation.

In previous matches, Order had never been beaten by a margin of more than two people, let alone being reduced to just one member.

Even when they encountered a fully buffed (drug-enhanced) Corpse Blade's first team in the preliminary round, they only lost two people. Moreover... that happened when Gui Xiao went to solo the Boss. When Gui Xiao returned to the battlefield, Zui Wo Changran encountered a suicide attack, and Sheng Yu Pian was ganked in a two-on-one situation; and Corpse Blade had also lost two people (one self-destructed, one was completely defeated by Zen Bro).

Moreover, that was just the first match of the preliminary round, meaning that Order's powerful analysis team basically couldn't provide very detailed intelligence support. If this match had taken place ten rounds... no, five rounds later... Corpse Blade's first team would probably have been wiped out.

However, Ice Emperor had once pushed Order to the brink of defeat... if you ask why Order was still able to win in the end, the reason is only four words: Tuntian Gui Xiao.

Without using summons, he successively repelled two uniqueness data beings second only to the Four Pillar Gods, and shortly after, he wiped out the Qu Ming Nan trio, who were almost all at full health, in an encounter.

It can be said... this match was of extraordinary significance. It not only showed people the hope of defeating the Order team, but also pushed the ID [Tuntian Gui Xiao] to the altar once again.

After S1 ended, there was a time when many people questioned Tuntian Gui Xiao's strength. Because he was always heavily restricted by Lutter in the matches, and until the end, he didn't have any heaven-defying performances, even being beaten quite badly...

But after this battle, Gui Xiao once again planted terror in people's hearts. The shock brought by personally fighting is very different from the visual and psychological impact of commanding summons to fight.

At this stage... other than a certain insidious novelist, no one thinks their team can win against Gui Xiao... including the Gods' first team.

Their mentality is really like what Ruo Yu complained: "Pray that we don't meet him before the finals..."

Next, let's talk about the third match, Star Crest versus Sengoku.

This should be considered the most predictable of the four focused matches.

Although most players have a certain prejudice and psychological aversion to "foreign studios," and people don't know much about Sengoku's specific intelligence, the pre-match predictions still leaned more towards Sengoku winning.

Star Crest's strength is not bad either, and they have an S1 champion on their team, but the other players besides Little Ma are all brand new players. Obviously, the studio wants these future stars to show their faces more through the competition, so they can "sell" them for a good price later.

Such a team... has good visible strength, but it has two insurmountable flaws: first, a lack of coordination and cohesion; second, except for Tian Ma Xing Kong, all the others lack competition experience.

In the end... this is a matter of ideology.

No matter what the players and coaches think, the Star Crest management isn't that eager for the championship. They just need to get a "decent" ranking to be satisfied.

And what kind of ranking counts as "decent"? Basically, as long as it satisfies the two points of "not missing out on those competitions that require a certain ranking to participate" and "guaranteeing exposure."

Therefore, Star Crest puts an S1 champion plus three rookies in their first team lineup. The first team title and the champion aura guarantee the degree of attention they receive, and the competition itself allows them to accumulate experience and increase exposure. Not getting the championship... doesn't matter, as long as the value of these players can rise through the competition.

On the other hand, Sengoku is obviously ambitious and determined to win.

In short, these two teams... differ too much in terms of studio ideology and the desire to win the championship. With similar strengths, Star Crest has a higher chance of losing, not to mention that Sengoku's first team is stronger than them... and their strength is unfathomable.

ps: If you vaguely feel that I'm dissing a certain Premier League team, or if you're a fan of that team, please tell yourself that this is just an illusion... a kind of illusion... illusion... sion...

Finally, let's look at the fourth match, Red Sakura First Team vs. Order Second Team.

If the MVP of the Hell Frontline match was Blood Corpse God, then the MVP of this Red Sakura match must be Xu Huai Shang.

This match was originally quite suspenseful. The overall level of Order's second team is quite good. The only difference is that their ace, [Barcode], is a bit inferior to the enemy's ace, [Xu Huai Shang].

As a "queen"-like figure among female professional players, Xu Huai Shang's ability is at least on the same level as "Zui Sheng Meng Si," while Barcode's level is obviously half a grade lower.

What's more, Yin Tian Chou he... uh... I mean Barcode, was unfortunately exchanged by two of the opponent's non-ace members before the match entered its final stage.

In that final battle, Xu Huai Shang also played the role that an ace should play. When she killed Brave Invincible with a move called [Sakura. Moon Sever], Brave Fearless understood... that this was it.

Before long, Fearless Bro, whose stamina had been drained by skills, became a lamb to the slaughter; and when he died, Order's second team was left with Ye Zhi, a medical specialist, plus a snowman with questionable intelligence. This combination couldn't even handle [Blood Rose] alone, let alone with Xu Huai Shang added... the result was self-evident.

In summary, in the fourth round of the rematch, some people were eliminated with regret, and some became gods overnight.

The competition recordings on the online platforms haven't finished airing yet, and the forum gods, keyboard warriors, and professional internet trolls have already mobilized collectively, eagerly starting to predict, analyze, criticize, and manufacture public opinion...

And outside the internet, in the real world.

There is a person who is already planning something else...

…………

3 AM, S City suburbs, a certain crossroads.

This place is remote, almost like being in the wilderness; although there are a few streetlights by the road, there are definitely no surveillance cameras or similar equipment.

At this time, a skinny figure wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and sports pants is standing in the middle of the road, muttering something under his breath.

On the ground in front of him is a magic circle drawn with chalk, about two meters in diameter. In the middle of the magic circle is a small metal basin, filled with a red liquid that looks like blood, and many messy, unidentified materials. And at several symmetrical points in the magic circle, there are several lit red candles.

"in_namen_satans,dem_herrscher_der_erde,dem_konig_der_webefehle_ich_den_kraften_der_finsternis..."

The person muttered for a while at a rather fast pace, and then, at a point in time when the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, suddenly...

Whoosh—

A strange gust of wind suddenly blew out the candles.

Immediately afterwards, all the streetlights around him began to flicker at the same time, as if there was poor contact in the circuits.

In those few brief moments, this crossroads fell into complete darkness.

A few seconds later, the moon reappeared from behind the clouds, and all the surrounding streetlights returned to a stable state of brightness.

And at that crossroads, an additional figure had appeared...

"Hehehe... you always give people surprises, Feng Bujue."

Hearing this "hehehe" laughter, everyone must already know who was summoned by the magic circle. And judging from his first line after his appearance, the person wearing the black hooded sweatshirt, playing summoner magic here in the middle of the night... is Jue-Ge (Bro Jue).

"Are you surprised that I summoned you...?" Feng Bujue also said with a smile.

"Hehehe..." Woody's signature perverted laughter just can't be changed. "Not surprised, a pleasant surprise."

"Okay, whatever..." Feng Bujue didn't want to continue playing this word game with him, so he replied casually and continued, "I don't know how long you can stay here, I'll get straight to the point..." He paused. "Let's... make a bet."

"Hmm?" Woody was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then revealed an almost perverted smile. "Hehe... hehehehe..."

He laughed madly for a while, then pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose that were glowing with white light with his middle finger, and continued, "Hehe... Feng Bujue, before I answer 'bet' or 'no bet,' let me ask..." His tone changed slightly, "Do you really think that there is a possibility of 'equal betting' between you and me?"

"There isn't." Feng Bujue's response was also very straightforward. "In terms of the four elements of gambling, you have all the advantages."

"Oh? There's actually a theory called 'Four Elements of Gambling'?" Woody replied, "I've never heard of it."

"Because I summarized it myself," Feng Bujue replied.

"Is that so? Hehehe... then I'm very interested in hearing it," Woody continued.

Feng Bujue shrugged and said directly, "First, the 'skill' to complete cheating and detect cheating; second, the 'psychology' of absolute calmness and flawless planning; third, the 'luck' brought by courage and belief; fourth, the 'strength' to protect yourself or collect your winnings when the stakes exceed the limit."

"Hehehe... a very good summary," Woody laughed. "Most gambling relies on cheating. Those fish that don't even know this and have no ability to detect it deserve no sympathy for losing everything; and in gambling where cheating is impossible, you mainly have to rely on intelligence battles. Facial expressions, language, actions... the skills of acting and observation determine the outcome; then... gambling that doesn't even require intelligence battles, such as slot machines, relies on luck. This is also what gamblers need most—the blessing of heaven." He paused for half a second. "And in addition to these decisive factors, 'strength' is the final insurance. It can't be called a win if you can't take the winnings away alive."

After finishing this paragraph, Woody put his hands in his pockets and laughed with a shuddering shoulder, "Hehe... you understand all these principles... but you still want to gamble with me?" He seemed to feel that this question was still not sharp enough, and added a second later, "I must emphasize... I am a devil, I am not the type who 'disdains cheating' or 'won't go back on my word for the sake of face.'"

"I naturally understand all this," Feng Bujue continued to smile. "So what?"

This sentence made the smile on Woody's face disappear.

"Hmph..." After a few seconds of silence, Woody snorted coldly and continued, "Feng Bujue, you really make me love and hate you..."

"You don't have to love me, I have a girlfriend," Jue-Ge immediately retorted. "You should hate me... compared to 'love,' 'hate' is a very easy emotion to bear. As far as I know... there are many people who hate me, and I'm still living well." He tilted his head and smiled playfully, "But if there are too many people who love me, I'll be very tired."

"Hehehe... I was just making a metaphor, I don't have any 'emotions,'" Woody continued. "Anyway... let's gamble..." He spread his hands. "What do you want to bet on?"

"I'll use the championship of the second stage of this 'Candidate Game'..." When Jue-Ge said those five words, there was a significant change in Woody's expression, "...to bet on Li Ruoyu's love."