Chapter 418: Fei Chai Shu
Chapter 418: Fei Chai Shu
“Hey, Feng Bu Jue, how’s it going on your end?” After being eliminated, Xiao Tan returned to the login space and initiated a voice call with Feng Bu Jue.
“Deleting emails…” Feng Bu Jue replied listlessly, though he clearly hadn’t stopped typing even as he spoke.
“Haha… Still not finished?” Xiao Tan chuckled.
They’d spoken around midnight too. Back then, the list of invited players had just been posted on the official site, and Feng Bu Jue’s inbox had just exploded.
“About as expected…” Feng Bu Jue said. “Looks like I’ve officially become famous. I’ve mentally prepared for handling over a thousand emails daily for the next three to seven days.” He paused. “Once the hype fades, it might get better… but I doubt I’ll ever return to that ideal state of anonymity. I remember Jian Shao (Kuangzong Jianying) once said that for high-profile players like him, receiving dozens of messages from strangers every time they log on is normal. I guess I’ll be living that reality soon.”
“I bet countless people would kill for your ‘problem’,” Xiao Tan quipped.
“Hmph… There are perks to being a seed contestant—no need to play the preliminary rounds. So much easier,” Feng Bu Jue replied. “By the way, how did your first preliminary match go?”
“Ugh… Lost.” Xiao Tan sighed.
“Oh,” Feng Bu Jue responded, unnervingly calm.
“Hey! That’s way too lukewarm!” Xiao Tan shot back. “You’re acting like my loss is perfectly normal!”
“Losing a single match isn’t a big deal, is it?” Feng Bu Jue said. “Bug Arena has fifty matches total. As long as you don’t lose four in a row and get eliminated early, you’re fine…”
“Easy for you to say…” Xiao Tan grumbled. “Millions of players entered, but only three thousand will make it to the Cocoon War! And anyone who wins fifteen consecutive matches at any stage in Bug Arena gets fast-tracked. The theoretical best record for completing all fifty matches is forty-seven wins and three losses—if you can’t pull off the fifteen-win streak, you’ve got to aim for that range.”
“Don’t worry,” Feng Bu Jue said. “Forty wins should guarantee qualification.”
“Huh?” Xiao Tan blinked. He knew Feng Bu Jue well enough to read between the lines—his tone carried certainty. “How are you so sure? Even company insiders probably can’t say that definitively!”
“Speculation,” Feng Bu Jue replied.
“Is that the full answer… or some vague shorthand?” Xiao Tan muttered, his lips twitching.
Feng Bu Jue caught his meaning and elaborated, “Let’s start counting from Open Beta day. In under twenty-four days, very few players reached level thirty. Your ‘millions of players’ is a hollow statement—those who didn’t meet the eligibility criteria are irrelevant.
Your real competition is the non-seed players who cleared level thirty and registered. That number isn’t millions—it’s barely cracking a hundred thousand. Among them, many rushed their levels using Double Experience Cards or paid Game Studios’ standard service of having four or five Classplayers solo Bosses with them to guarantee progression. Those are the ‘score-giving children’—they’ll only ever beat each other. Against players who grinded legitimately, they’re guaranteed losses. Getting eliminated after four consecutive losses is just a matter of time.
As for the fifteen-win fast-track… theoretically possible, but realistically tough. Under absolute random matchmaking, anything can happen. In a single-elimination fifteen-match streak, just one opponent stronger than you or one who counters your proficiency breaks it.
Statistically speaking, the higher a player’s rank on the Combat Power Leaderboard, the higher their chances. Players ranked below 100 already have slim odds. So in the three thousand spots, the fifteen-win streak fast-tracked players? Probably around a hundred at most.
Most will have to play all fifty matches and rely on win rates.”
He paused, then continued, “Now, back to your ‘theoretical best’—forty-seven wins and three losses? That’s an equally extreme benchmark. Similar difficulty.”
“Hmm…” Xiao Tan nodded thoughtfully.
“This tournament format is actually pretty good,” Feng Bu Jue added. “The fast-track win and elimination loss mechanics reduce the odds of facing opponents far above or below your skill. Ignoring luck, in fifty matches, you’ll probably only encounter five total top-tier players or Battle Five Zhas.
The other forty-five matches? Opponents in your capability bracket.
If your PK skills are slightly above average, your win rate can’t drop below 50%—that’s already twenty-three wins secured. Qualification then hinges on how many of the remaining twenty-two you win… and whether your ‘luck matches’ face more gods or Battle Five Zhas.”
“Right…” Xiao Tan exhaled. “So the advancement odds are way better than I thought.”
“Exactly,” Feng Bu Jue said. “In my opinion, the minimum qualifying baseline might even be around thirty-five—or lower. As long as you don’t stack fifteen losses, you’ve still got a shot.”
“Alright…” Xiao Tan sounded visibly reassured. “By the way, speaking of ‘luck matches’… Know who I faced in my first match?”
“You lost to someone strong, I assume?” Feng Bu Jue asked.
“Seven Kill! That Seven Kill from Long Ge’s guild!” Xiao Tan emphasized.
“Oh…” Feng Bu Jue said. “Now that’s what I’d call a god-tier opponent.”
“Knowing you once beat a monster like him, I’m not surprised you’re on the invited player list,” Xiao Tan said.
Feng Bu Jue had bragged about the Mantlescramble Battle more than any other scenario to Xiao Tan, so the latter knew the details well.
“What about you now? Could you exchange blows with Seven Kill?” Feng Bu Jue asked.
“I could… and still lose,” Xiao Tan admitted. “I guess the gap between me and you top-tier experts is still massive.”
“Heh… Ten years ago, you’d have beaten me into a pulp,” Feng Bu Jue muttered.
“Huh? What?” Xiao Tan blinked.
“Nothing… Just thinking out loud,” Feng Bu Jue said, hastily backtracking as he deleted emails. “I think I just quoted a movie line. Forget it…”
"Oh..." Xiao Tan didn't think much of it and replied, "Alright, keep deleting emails. I'll go play a few more matches."
"Go ahead", Feng Bu Jue said. "Logging off now."
Their communication disconnected. Feng Bu Jue exhaled deeply. "Phew... that was close..." He muttered to himself, "I just wanted to encourage him... didn't really think through my words..." He paused his work, took a deep breath, and fragmented memories flashed through his mind—bloody scenes filled with cries of the dying. "Back then... that kid must've gone mad..."
...
Meanwhile, a 1v1 kill game mode was unfolding between two invited players: 【Fei Chai Shu】 and 【Shidao Wei Wang】.
Fei Chai Shu's appearance was completely disheveled—messy short hair, stubble, and sunglasses. He wore a brown pajama set with flip-flops.
Shidao Wei Wang, on the other hand, wore a green-and-black Guild Police Uniform. On his left chest was an emblem—a delicately carved Skull-shaped saber with the black characters "Shidao" below. Players from their studio rarely stood out. They all had the same buzzcut, wore identical uniforms, and followed a naming pattern by adding suffixes like "Qiangxi" (Aggressor) or "Weiwang" (Sovereign) to their nicknames.
Under the bright moonlight in the Maple Leaf Forest, night clung to the trees like ink. Killing intent pierced the air like needles.
The two had already exchanged several blows, with one side clearly gaining the upper hand.
"Are you kidding me?" Shidao Wei Wang stumbled backward, picking up a long halberd from the ground—the weapon had been knocked from his grip over twenty seconds ago.
"Actually, that line was mine", Fei Chai Shu replied, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "You're supposed to be Shidao's top expert. You're ranked in the Combat Power Leaderboard's Top Twenty. Getting wrecked like this is pretty embarrassing, don't you think?"
"You..." Shidao Wei Wang's face remained expressionless, but fury churned in his heart. He thought bitterly, "I just wanted to do a casual kill game mode practice... but I ran into a monster. Is this guy really only rank five? Impossible! I fought Zui Wo Chang Ran before—this Fei Chai Shu is way stronger!"
"I've heard some rumors about your studio", Fei Chai Shu exhaled smoke. "You guys use 'drugs,' right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about", Shidao Wei Wang wiped blood from his mouth, using the conversation to catch his breath and look for an opening.
Meanwhile, Fei Chai Shu stood casually, cigarette in hand. "Shidao's always been fifth on the Guild Combat Power ranking, and you have the most spots in the level ranking's Top Twenty. But you, their top expert... your combat skills shock me in all the wrong ways." He sneered and inhaled sharply. "Some kind of drug that suppresses Terror Value, right? Not enough to bring it to zero, but low enough to keep it in check. That way, every time you clear a scenario, you get at least a 'courageous performance' rating and the bonus experience."
"Hmph... Watch your words. Evidence matters", Shidao Wei Wang sneered back. "You're a famous player too. If you spread rumors and damage our company's reputation..."
"Evidence? Haha... How important is that?" Fei Chai Shu chuckled. "I'm just a nobody, a freelanceclass player scraping by in this game. Even if I saw your guys swallowing pills before entering your Gaming Pods, what could I do? You're not breaking any laws." He shrugged. "People like me have only one skill—being good at games. You big studios could bury me with lawyer letters. I'm a hand-to-mouth guy. I can't afford to pick fights with you... or waste time."
His voice dripped with mockery. "The only way I can fight back... is by flattening you into a meat pancake inside this game and stuffing you into a cardboard box."
"You dare!" Shidao Wei Wang roared, rage surging. "I'll make sure you never return!" With a thunderous shout, he swung his halberd, releasing three purple slashes that tore through the air.
Fei Chai Shu flipped his palm, sleeves fluttering. A gust of force formed an invisible wall, halting the purple slashes mid-flight.
"Looks like you've got nothing left", Fei Chai Shu said. "Time to finish this."
Skills charged, he stepped forward, unleashing a ferocious palm strike that scattered the purple slashes and surged toward Shidao Wei Wang.
"Hmph... You've fallen for it", Shidao Wei Wang's face remained blank, a mask for his trap.
At that moment, he executed the "Ruyun Step", soaring skyward and vanishing.
"Oh? Running away?" Fei Chai Shu thought. "No... it's..."
Whoosh—the sound of cutting wind outpaced even thought.
The halberd slashed down from above Fei Chai Shu's left shoulder, its brutal force severing his entire left arm in an instant...
The battle turned completely—reversing in a single move.
Fei Chai Shu's situation collapsed. Shidao Wei Wang had trapped his opponent in a desperate spot with a simple combination of movement skills.
...Or so he believed.
"Ow... Actually hurts", Fei Chai Shu muttered weakly, turning to watch his severed left arm fall to the ground. His hand still clutched the cigarette butt.
"Worry about yourself before your smoke!" Shidao Wei Wang twisted mid-air, his halberd spinning to slash for Fei Chai Shu's neck.
In that lightning moment, Fei Chai Shu did something completely unpredictable—he stood still, neither dodging nor parrying. His right hand simply removed his sunglasses and flung them forward...
Plop... Head rolls.
Yet before Fei Chai Shu's headless corpse even hit the ground, another complete Fei Chai Shu emerged behind the flying sunglasses.
"Funny, isn't it?" Fei Chai Shu said, pulling another cigarette from his pajama pocket and lighting it calmly. "Which way do you want to lie in that box?"
Seeing his opponent fully restored, Shidao Wei Wang felt despair claw at his chest. From the start of the battle until that last move, he'd used every trick he had—but each time, Fei Chai Shu had countered with bizarre methods, surviving unscathed.
The next second, Shidao Wei Wang forcibly exited the match.
Fei Chai Shu listened to the system prompt in his ear, blowing smoke rings. "Hmph... Forcibly disconnecting. Seems like a last resort to preserve dignity. But actually... that's exactly what cowards do."
(End of Chapter)
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