https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-409-The-Long-Awaited-Keng-Die-Moment/13548097/
Chapter 410: Mall Encounter
Chapter 410: Mall Encounter
The mall remained its usual bustling self, with crowds swarming the vast space beneath the circular dome.
Though lively, it was never crowded—thanks to the system’s smart crowd control. Most players never bothered locking in specific area codes, so each time they entered the mall, they’d be randomly assigned to a less crowded mirrored space.
Feng Bu Jue didn’t rush toward the information tower. Instead, he first stopped at the system shops around the perimeter to stock up on ammunition, batteries, and vitality value supplements.
“Hey… look over there, that police uniform—could it be someone from ‘Order’?” A passerby a few meters away said while Feng Bu Jue was shopping.
“Wow, really is,” another bystander chimed in beside him. “Wait! Isn’t that 【Tian Tian Gui Xiao】? And the four beside him—aren’t they Order’s ‘Drunken Life and Death’? A gathering of experts!”
Top-tier game studios usually published all their class players’ photos on official websites. One reason was for publicity, the other to prevent identity fraud in real life. After all, there were plenty of scammers out there, and most esports players used online aliases. If someone impersonated them for scams, it would not only harm victims but also damage the players’ reputations.
“Dude… Tian Tian Gui Xiao looks way younger in person compared to his photos. Doesn’t he look like just a high schooler?” the first bystander added.
“Yeah,” the second replied. “Hard to imagine someone like him dominating the combat power leaderboard for years… But since he’s Order’s ace, cheating’s probably not an option…”
“Sigh… The world of monsters… We’ll never understand.”
“But,” the other interjected, “compared to him, the recent anonymous player suddenly climbing to second on the combat power leaderboard is the hotter topic. Everyone’s guessing they must be some hidden ace from a class studio.”
“Mm, same here. That mysterious player might become the biggest dark horse in the Peak Conquest Tournament,” the first agreed.
Feng Bu Jue listened emotionlessly to their chatter while shopping. Though secretly smug inside, he kept his expression neutral—no joy or anger showing.
“Drunken Life and Death, huh…” Feng Bu Jue finished stocking up and headed toward the central information tower. “Come to think of it… that guy 【Dream (Sip) Jing (Drink) Chan (Scalding)】 knows me, right? What if he spots me and starts chatting? Not like we’ve got much to talk about… Would be awkward. Should I switch areas? But avoiding him would make me look like a socially anxious weirdo. Though I can’t really deny I’m a little…”
Meanwhile, Order’s five members weren’t focused on surrounding players. They’d gathered here today specifically to hunt for equipment at the auction house. After days of preparation, Order’s management had finalized their frontliners for the Peak Conquest Tournament—these five. Hence, headquarters had allocated funds for upgrades.
For a top-tier studio like Order, prizes weren’t the priority—it was the rankings. In-game money was trivial; real value lay in off-game advertising, player endorsements, and related merchandise.
Take Order’s own game peripherals—mice, keyboards, VR headsets, and merchandise. Their online sales boomed only thanks to player endorsements.
After decades of sports superstars endorsing sportswear brands, by the mid-21st century, esports stars’ endorsements of electronics had followed the same path…
Of course, Order had more than just frontline players—they had secondary and tertiary tiers too. The bigger the net, the better. The more Order players cracked the top hundred, the better. Frontliners could boost personal fame, while those in the Top 100 promoted the studio itself.
“Why am I stuck shopping for gear with you guys?” Gui Xiao stood under the information tower, facing his four seniors. “Your auras are so flashy. Walking with you four in public feels like thugs rolling in.”
“Four tall thugs dragging a 1.69-meter sidekick? Sounds like a mid-laner getting crushed,” teased a young man with a perm, his ID 【Drunk Lying Melancholy】. His words and mannerisms marked him as the chatty, joking type.
“I’m 1.69 meters! And I’m still growing!” Gui Xiao retorted. But as the words left his mouth, he realized his volume was too high, drawing strange looks from nearby oblivious pedestrians.
“Hic~” Meng Jing Chan set down his bottle, burped, and patted Gui Xiao’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Little Glutton. Even if you stop growing, you’ll still break 1.70 if you just get a perm!”
“Who wants a perm?! Only you’d do that in the guild!” Gui Xiao snapped. “And stop randomly nicknaming me ‘Little Glutton’! What’s this ‘stop growing’ nonsense?! You’re cursing me!”
“Enough… We’re here on duty. Try to act serious,” Wu Si Can Xuan sighed, clearly embarrassed by the scene.
Another young man beside him, a round-faced crew-cut, added calmly, “Exactly. If Gui Xiao didn’t waste guild funds on useless stuff, higher-ups wouldn’t force us to operate together.”
This crew-cut’s ID? 【Sashimi】. Yes, among Order’s Drunk, Sashimi, Meng, and Wu Si Can Xuan—the Four Experts—there was actually someone named 【Sashimi】.
This ID reminded one of those classic primary school Chinese comprehension questions: Given four terms 【Drunk Lying Melancholy】【Sashimi】【Meng Jing Chan】【Wu Si Can Xuan】, which one feels most out of place?
Pure coincidence. Jianghu’s “Swords and Laughter” and The Gods’ Four Elites had all planned linked names from the start. But Order’s four only got grouped after rising to fame individually, meaning their name connection was forced. Remove 【Sashimi】 from the combo, and the Four Experts might’ve become something like “Not Even One Piece Left.”
“Hic~” Meng Jing Chan droned on listlessly. “Hear that, Xiao Zai? Wasting money on useless artifacts isn’t right.”
“Says the guy with smoke in one hand and wine in the other…” Drunk Lying Melancholy dryly laughed.
As Order’s five continued lowering the public’s perception of them…
Suddenly, a voice from behind cut in: “Yo~ Rare to meet here.”
The Order members turned, seeing four players in blue-white-gray police uniforms. Each had a light-blue ice rose pattern on their right shoulder—【Hiei Studio】.
The one approaching Order was 【Hard-to-Name】—nicknamed Xiao Ming.
“Oh… It’s you guys,” the Four Drunken Life and Death actually recognized them.
“What? Who’re they?” Gui Xiao asked blankly. He’d never even heard of Hiei Studio.
“Ever browse forums?” Wu Si Can Xuan replied. “Hiei Studio’s the fastest-rising new studio in Terrifying Paradise.”
“Really that famous?” Gui Xiao doubted.
“Yep,” Sashimi said. “Standing before you is Hiei’s strongest legion: Name Zhen Nan Qu, Name Really Hard to Decide, Really Hard to Name… Wait…”
Jibu Shaoye’s temple throbbed. “Who’s ‘Wait’?! There’re four of us here. Three’ve got ridiculous nicknames, and I’m the only normal one—and you call me ‘Wait’?!”
“Oh! I remember now,” Gui Xiao suddenly mimicked realization, adding a jab. “The ‘Hard-to-Name Trio’! Yeah, they’re pretty famous. Didn’t know their guild was Hiei Studio.”
As their exchange continued, Feng Bu Jue happened to pass by, hearing everything clearly. Naturally, he hoped to breeze past unnoticed, avoiding these idiots. He quickened his pace, silently chanting: “You can’t see me… You can’t see me… You can’t see me…”
But fate had other plans. Meng Jing Chan noticed his sudden movement. As the latter raised his bottle to drink, his eyes caught a familiar Joker-costumed figure—triggering a spit-take. “Cough… cough… Mad… Mad Bu Jue! Hey! Feng Bu Jue, it’s me!”
The name Mad Bu Jue magically drew all nine members’ attention from Hiei Studio and Order.
“You’re mistaken…” Feng Bu Jue half-covered his face, turning to leave.
“Don’t go! Feng Bu Jue, I still wanted to discuss that GM and Ironclad Derivative Being incident with you,” Meng Jing Chan insisted, still hung up on their past GM encounter.
“Mad Bu Jue…” Wu Si Can Xuan muttered the name. “In Gotham City, he was one of the six, right… After that kill game mode, 【Shiva】got pushed to third on combat power rankings the next day…” His eyes scrutinized Feng Bu Jue suspiciously. “Hell Front… Never heard of that guild. And it’s nowhere near the top charts. Am I overthinking this?”
(End of Chapter)
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