Chapter 19 April 19th

April 19th, late, 11:30 PM.

Although there was still some time before the competition began, the number of online players in Thriller Paradise had already exceeded eight digits.

If the users of those live streaming platforms were also included, the number of viewers waiting to watch this S3 final was undoubtedly over a hundred million at this moment.

At such a time, another shocking thing happened.

Just like when [The Gates of Paradise] announced their withdrawal, this time… [Hell Front] also contacted Dream Inc. and obtained permission to "announce news" through the official platform.

And so, Feng Bujue… appeared on the screens of major live streaming platforms.

This scene, like an emergency news report, interrupted the advertisements and promotional videos on each channel, startling the viewers who were waiting in front of their screens.

The first reaction of the people was – could it be that [Hell Front] was also going to withdraw?

"Don't worry, we won't withdraw." As if seeing through people's thoughts, Feng Bujue said this as soon as he opened his mouth, with a mocking smile on his face.

"I just have a few words to convey to the members of [Order] studio." Jue-ge said, "Although I can say this to you privately, in that case, my words may be judged as 'deception' by you, so that they cannot achieve the due effect… Therefore, I will publicly state my meaning in this form."

He paused, and continued in a very serious tone, "Since Dream Inc. hasn't given me much time, I won't go on at length here. Let me get straight to the point… Everyone in [Order], we all know very well what kind of duel the audience wants to see the most; this is already the final, there is no reason to let something like the 'deployment rules' become an obstacle to the establishment of that duel… So, I'll just leave my words here… Tun Tian Gui Xiao, I, Feng Bujue, will be waiting for you in the 'Vanguard Battle'. Today, in this final of the Peak Hegemony, I want to have a one-on-one showdown with you."

After saying that, he closed the video connection, leaving those words to echo in people's hearts.

He had "left his words," but the people who heard it were in an uproar… Not to mention others, just consider the [Order] side, from the company boss to the frontline team members, what kind of feeling did they have in their hearts?

Believe Feng Bujue? Change the original deployment and let Gui Xiao take the lead? What if the other side sends out Snow in the first match? With Feng Bujue's integrity, it's entirely possible. Even if he is scolded for being despicable and shameless afterwards, it won't affect his persona.

And if they didn't believe Feng Bujue and ignored him? If he really put himself in the Vanguard Battle, wouldn't [Order] be labeled as timid?

Furthermore, although Feng Bujue's behavior seemed extremely arrogant at first glance, if you think about it carefully, what he said was very practical… What did the audience want to see most? It must be a one-on-one battle between [Tun Tian Gui Xiao] and [Mad not Crazy], but under the existing rules, it is indeed difficult to guarantee that these two can meet in the competition.

Now, Feng Bujue took the lead and wanted to challenge Gui Xiao in the "Vanguard Battle". If he put himself in the vanguard position as promised half an hour later, and [Order] didn't respond, then the latter would not only be regarded as retreating, but would also seriously offend the audience.

For casual players, offending the audience doesn't matter, but for studios, the risk is too great… If they neither accepted the challenge nor won the game in the end, it is estimated that they would be sprayed by the audience for a whole week (the limit of netizens' memory), and this matter will often be used as an example or meme in the future.

However, if they accepted the challenge and lost the game because they were fooled, Feng Bujue would just maintain his consistent low line and be sprayed, maybe people would think it was normal, and conversely say that [Order], who fell for the trick, was too silly and naive.

Taking a step back, even if [Order] ultimately won, but if they didn't respond during the game, resulting in Gui Xiao and Jue-ge not meeting… that would still offend the audience, and they might even be said to have won unfairly.

After all, the audience is the audience, and certainly not everyone can understand the professionalism and importance of victory in e-sports. A large part of them have higher requirements for entertainment than everything else… Putting it in the field of football, some teams park the bus but can win championships, and some teams play very gorgeously but end up with nothing every year. The two types of teams each have their own audiences, and you can't say who is right and who is wrong just because of different preferences.

In short, Feng Bujue's move can be said to be a model of a positive scheme – he only used a few simple words to throw [Order] into disarray before the game.

And what is the basis for his strategy? It is nothing more than his unfathomable low line and the burden of the other party being a "big-name studio"...

…………

April 20th, midnight.

The Peak Hegemony S3, the final, the battle between [Hell Front] vs [Order], officially begins.

Venue: Grand Line – Banaro Island.

After the voice prompt [The game will start in thirty seconds], the "vanguards" of the two teams entered the battlefield.

On this wasteland that has been washed by darkness and flames, [Mad not Crazy] and [Tun Tian Gui Xiao] meet as scheduled.

One, black hair and purple shirt, with an evil aura.

The other, red hair and white cloak, with blazing fighting spirit.

Judging from the aura of these two people, it seems that a fierce battle between darkness and flames is about to be staged again.

Of course, their battle… will not be like that.

[……fight!]

The countdown ended in the blink of an eye, and the two people on the battlefield did not move a step.

They stood opposite each other, but it seemed that neither of them intended to make a move.

"You really came." A second later, Feng Bujue said with a smile, "It seems that your team has figured out the accounts."

"Yeah…" Gui Xiao responded coldly, "It's not a particularly tangled problem, for us, there is only one best answer – 'Put me in the first game and win the final victory'."

He was right, only in this way can [Order] avoid offending the audience and strive for honor.

Even if they lose the game in the end, they can find excuses depending on the situation…

For example, if they lost because Feng Bujue didn't keep his promise, [Order]'s public relations can turn the negative public opinion of "very silly and very naive" into "the measure of a king is that even if he loses, he will not be timid"; and if Feng Bujue keeps his promise and wins, [Order], who chose to accept the challenge, has nothing to be criticized for. Since they are inferior in skill, then show a peaceful attitude and "congratulate the opponent."

"However… you really played this trick well." After a pause, Gui Xiao added, "Even knowing that you might have set a trap, after weighing the pros and cons, we still had to go in."

"What are you saying…" Feng Bujue spread his hands, "Am I such an unreliable person in your impression?"

"As an ally, you may be more reliable than anyone else…" Gui Xiao said, "But as an enemy, you can't be described as just 'unreliable', you should say… you can't treat you as a human being at all…"

Those who have had contact with Jue-ge deeply agree with Gui Xiao's words… The limit of a "person" is nothing more than "being able to do anything," but Feng Bujue doesn't have that boundary, he belongs to the situation of "you can't even imagine what he can do."

"Heh… okay, okay…" Jue-ge didn't take it to heart that he was called inhuman, and smiled calmly, "Say what you want, but I still appeared in this Vanguard Battle as promised… didn't I?"

"Yes… by your standards, you didn't do that when you could have completely calculated us, it's worth praising." Gui Xiao replied, "However… I'm not here to chat with you or comment on your low line…"

At this point, Gui Xiao's eyes… changed.

His fiery red hair rose like it was blown up, and his pupils glowed with data streams.

The firm killing intent made the surrounding atmosphere heavy; the surging fighting spirit made the entire island under their feet tremble.

"Feng! Bu! Jue!" Finally, Gui Xiao raised his voice and shouted his opponent's name, "From the first time I saw you, I've been waiting for this battle…" He spread his arms, released his full power without restraint, and continued with a ferocious look on his face, "Don't disappoint me…"

"Don't worry." Seeing this, Jue-ge was as calm as ever, and took out Chuck Norris's Razor from his bag unhurriedly, and began to reap his hair… "I will definitely let you fight to your heart's content."