https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-481-Rolling-Cloud-Waves-Thousand-Layers/13548346/
Chapter 482: Offstage
Chapter 482: Offstage
In a certain conference room within Login Space...
"Hehehe... Perfect, the first target has succeeded smoothly." Wooly leaned back in his chair, feet crossed atop the table, hands behind his head, as he watched the live broadcast screen.
"You say that as if one of your 'pawns' has finally been 'used up'." Wen Sent sat across the table, casually adding, "You always sound so cold-hearted."
"Isn't that exactly what's happening?" Wooly countered with a smirk.
Xi De, seated on the other side of the table, frowned. "Frankly, I still don't get how this plan even got this far with so many variables at play..."
"Didn't we already explain?" Wen Sent turned his head, speaking with deliberate patience. "The Invited Players' Setting was specifically designed to ensure those 'ten individuals' would appear before Lute."
"That's what bugs me the most!" Xi De interjected. "Xu Huai Shang hasn't even entered the finals yet—doesn't that mean one person is missing?"
"Mm, that's true", Wen Sent agreed, glancing at Wooly. "I was wondering about that too."
"Hehehe... Simple. During the groupings in Butterfly Arena, someone meddled with the system", Wooly replied, his glasses gleaming ominously.
"Oh? Who?" Wen Sent asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure... Probably one of the Archangels." Wooly adjusted his white-light-rimmed glasses.
Xi De looked puzzled. "But there haven't been any rumors about Archangels being killed or falling from grace recently..."
Wooly chuckled. "Hehehe... Rest assured, Ximen isn't slacking. As the tournament's Organizer, I deliberately turned a blind eye to their interference."
"Is that even allowed?" Wen Sent asked.
"Of course", Wooly replied. "The Peak Conquest Tournament is merely an in-game event unrelated to the actual betting rules. As the game's creator, operator, and technical supervisor, I naturally hold authority over this match."
"So... If you don't object, the altered groupings will just be swept under the rug?" Wen Sent said.
"Hehehe... Exactly." Wooly's grin widened.
"Oh, I see", Wen Sent mused. "A rather clever move indeed."
"You bet", Wooly agreed.
Xi De stared at them, bewildered. "Wait—what are you two talking about?! I don't understand a word!"
"This is called 'Let Them Run' and 'Kill with a Borrowed Blade'..." Wen Sent recited theatrically.
"Teacher! Use normal language!" Xi De snapped.
"Fine", Wen Sent shrugged. "To simplify: Based on Wooly's prior calculations, he needed ten people to defeat Lute's ten forms. The candidates were already confirmed. To minimize the risk of any of them being eliminated before the finals, Wooly created the Invited Player slots."
Wooly continued, "According to the original plan, the system wouldn't pair these ten seeded contestants during Butterfly Arena's random groupings. But some troublemakers from Heaven weren't satisfied with this arrangement. Hence, the Feng Bu Jue vs. Xu Huai Shang matchup appeared when the groups were announced."
"Wait a second", Xi De interrupted. "If they wanted to cause chaos, why not just pit all ten seeded players against each other in pairs?"
"Hehehe... Isn't it obvious?" Wooly laughed.
"You really haven't improved in decades", Wen Sent scoffed, eyeing Xi De disdainfully. "I've long given up expecting you to think five or six moves ahead—just seeing the next one or two steps would suffice. Yet you're still asking such basic questions..." He sighed, shaking his head. "If they did exactly as you suggested, could it still be called 'interference'?"
"Hmm... It'd be too obvious, right?" Xi De admitted.
"Precisely", Wooly said. "Having all ten Invited Players randomly grouped into five matches... Even if I believed it, the players wouldn't. Once they started protesting on the forums, I could conveniently issue a 'Re-Randomization' announcement. Also, those meddling still have to consider Ximen's existence—they wouldn't dare go too far."
"Of course, I suspect there's an underlying personal motive", Wen Sent added. "Why Feng Bu Jue and Xu Huai Shang specifically? This was clearly targeting Wooly."
Wooly grinned. "Hehehe... I'm quite happy with this outcome."
"In any case", Wen Sent concluded, "Xu Huai Shang's elimination will affect the Summit Confrontation's process, but the final result won't change. Meanwhile, those meddling Heaven-dwellers, thinking they've outsmarted us, will probably lay low for a while." His expression darkened. "Wooly's willful ignorance has given them this temporary luck... But this very luck might become the seed of their future downfall."
...
At the same time, across various broadcast zones in the mall and guild conference rooms...
An eerie atmosphere was spreading.
Though most spectators hadn't yet connected the match to supernatural Settings, viewers sensed something odd about the finals.
Numerous players who had clearly died hadn't vanished in the usual white light—a clear contradiction of the game's basic mechanics.
Additionally, when checking their Friends Lists, these fallen contestants still appeared as "In-Game." Another impossibility.
Most unsettling were the derivative beings...
Their existence was now undeniable. Many in the audience had heard the term "derivative being" on forums, but no official channels had ever confirmed it.
Until today, when these mysterious "Npcs" debuted on the Peak Conquest Tournament stage. Their advanced AI and capabilities were unquestionable. But the most unsettling part? They addressed contestants as "players."
Were they mere Terrifying Paradise Easter eggs? Rogue data with self-awareness? Or something else entirely?
No one knew the answer yet.
But one thing was certain—when this Summit Confrontation ended, Terrifying Paradise would undergo a monumental change.
(End of Chapter)
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