It had been a long time since the “Nianhua Cup” had passed, but Jiang Shi had been consistently busy. Building on the foundation of the very first runestone, he had developed several derived functional runestones through subsequent adjustments during this time. The one he was using now was just one among them.

Watching the successful entry of a team from Blood Rose, Jiang Shi cheerfully greeted in the team voice chat, “Keep going, keep going.”

Han Yuze’s tone sounded expectant, enunciating each word with an official commentator’s style, “So, who will be the first lucky one? Let’s wait and see!”

While the surrounding fireworks had yet to dissipate, as the last syllable fell, numerous miniature machines suddenly surged from all directions.

Clearly premeditated, this second onslaught of firepower was even more intense than the previous one.

“What the heck, another round?” On this side, Mad Stomp was still wary of the effects of the runic field. Before they could retreat from the domain, they were forcefully pushed back by this swarm of little flies.

“Just hold formation; I’ll heal.” Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands hadn’t yet detected the effect of the runic array underfoot, feeling a bit perplexed. Seeing one wave after another, they quickly gave a hint in the team voice chat.

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands was a well-known top-tier healer in the circle and wherever they were, warmth and safety were guaranteed.

The players from Blood Rose naturally had absolute confidence in their team captain. Trustingly leaving their backs to Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands amidst the firepower interference, they didn’t rush to dodge but instead confidently directed their skills toward this bothersome swarm of miniature machines.

Amidst the myriad of skills, dazzling flames erupted.

Although Han Yuze’s actions were precise, he couldn’t withstand the collective eruption of professional players, inevitably leading to the mechanical attrition.

However, he remained unruffled, calmly executing his moves.

On the other hand, Blood Rose felt somewhat helpless.

The entrance itself was narrow, and the internal structure of the building made it impossible for them to pinpoint Yu Weize’s location. Despite the considerable number of fallen mechanical foes in this fly swatting mode, fundamentally, it was futile. In this forced standoff, they couldn’t even escape the runic domain underfoot.

The Beast Warrior class, inherently clumsy against the Mechanical Engineer, made Mad Stomp frown as he randomly slashed around, “Old Spring, I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like Yu Weize is intentionally toying with us… Ah, don’t rush to heal me; Street Dodger is about to die. Pay no attention to him!”

Mad Stomp casually mentioned, but before his tone settled, his heartbeat surged again, “Quickly heal him? Heal! Oh d*mn… about to fall, hurry… D*mmit, down!”

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands: “…”

Such a novice mistake clearly didn’t fit Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands Healer’s style. Mad Stomp looked back, somewhat incredulous, “What’s going on?”

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands sighed, “If I say I don’t know what’s happening, would you believe me?”

In fact, since a while ago, they had noticed Street Dodger’s rapid decline in health, even with the significant healing boosts, barely keeping their health bar alive for a while. But in the end, they couldn’t save them.

It could only be said that the rapid decline in health was too severe. Since becoming famous in the alliance, Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands experienced for the first time a situation where they wished for a few extra hands and feet, reminiscent of their novice days. What puzzled them most was that while Street Dodger’s health was plummeting, the other teammates in the same team had barely lost any health.

A thought flashed through their mind, and almost to prove their suspicion, as the mechanical army launched the third wave of attacks, Mad Stomp, who had just been at full health, suddenly began to rapidly lose health.

This finally confirmed for Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands that, in the first instance, while they were frantically boosting the health, they decisively said on the voice channel, “Forget about finding Yu Weize’s location for now; just rush out. There’s an issue with the runic array!”

“Oh, it seems like they’ve discovered it.” Jiang Shi watched Blood Rose suddenly surge after suffering a loss. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

“They’ve found it; so what? They can’t escape your trap.” Han Yuze’s tone wasn’t hurried at all. In fact, he sounded a bit smug, “I said it before; these runes were specially set up for Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands. Now it seems, they’re indeed his kryptonite.”

As he spoke, at the lower entrance, the four members of Blood Rose, led by Mad Stomp, forcibly broke open a wall from the side, creating a path out of the mechanical army’s encirclement.

Under Return to Spring’s Skillful Hand’s intensive healing, Mad Stomp’s precarious health had briefly returned to a relatively safe and normal state, which impressed Jiang Shi.

It was important to note that this modified rune effect caused the team to endure random damage focused on one person. With Han Yuze’s relentless bombardment and more enemies, the selected lucky person bore more damage. If it were any other healer, several members would have probably fallen in an instant. It seemed only Spring Healer could forcibly boost health to this extent.

Unfortunately, they weren’t his teammates.

Jiang Shi sighed in his heart, remaining motionless in his concealed position, just lazily turning the runestone in his hand.

Consequently, just as the Blood Rose team had freed themselves from the runic field and before they could catch a breath, they helplessly watched as a gleam of light once again lit up beneath their feet.

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands: “…”

No wonder those machines of Yu Weize didn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing. It turned out they were waiting here!?

The light surged and dimmed once again.

After the scene switched in the next second, what appeared before the eyes of the Blood Rose team was the very individual damage-absorbing field they thought they had successfully escaped.

A cocky greeting resounded in their ears, “Oh, we meet again.”

The Blood Rose team: “…”

Who wants to meet you again? Could you please leave?

The commentators, witnessing the whole process from their God’s-eye view, choked for a moment before finally regaining their voice, “How should I put it, the Seven Silver Coins have truly maximized the use of geographical advantage. It’s a real hardship for the other two guilds, clearly having numerical superiority, yet directly being played in circles in this environment. Hopefully, after returning, the guilds will arrange some psychological counseling for the players; this is indeed frustrating.”

“It’s frustrating indeed, but the [PoisonedMilk] from the Seven Silver Coins has truly brought us a surprise. The spatial rune we encountered in Nianhua Cup and the runic field… Although I haven’t figured out its effect yet, it appears to be extremely effective against top-tier healers. Who could have expected that even our ‘Spring God’ couldn’t boost health values? This rune’s efficiency in changing the game with a new effect is unprecedented, isn’t it?” Brother Tiao was also watching in amazement.

Tiao Zi continued, “Overall, I think they’re disadvantaged in terms of terrain. PoisonedMilk and Yu Weize are close by, yet from Blood Rose’s perspective, they can’t pinpoint their location. Moreover, these two are incredibly coordinated. PoisonedMilk accurately predicted the angle Blood Rose would use to break free, and Yu Weize seemingly expressed absolute trust in their teammate. From the recent situation, when Yu Weize noticed Blood Rose’s attempt to charge, there was no intention to pursue. Instead, he just perfected the arrangement of the mechanical formation, almost obediently waiting for PoisonedMilk to use the spatial domain to feed the opponent into his trap.”

Glancing at the situation on the field, Brother Tiao remarked, “Okay… Blood Rose finally chose to retreat. It’s indeed a wise move. With the front road completely blocked, withdrawing from the enemy’s control is currently their only choice. After all, um, three out of their five members have directly perished. Even the main damage dealer, Mad Stomp, has knelt. There’s no need for the last two supports to charge anymore. Besides Mad Stomp, the other two have already perished for the second time in this match. The duration of their revival cooldown… tsk, Blood Rose has taken quite a hit!”

“It’s quite a hit,” Brother Tiao sighed initially, but upon glancing upwards, got choked by saliva, “However, from the current situation, it seems like the Snake’s Tail hasn’t fared any better.”

Brother Tiao paused for a moment, their tone somewhat uncertain, “So, the Seven Silver Coins actually resisted the pincer attacks from both the Snake’s Tail and Blood Rose without any harm?”

“I’m afraid, that’s the case,” Tao Zi replied.

Until now, everyone’s attention had been focused on Poisoned Milk and Yu Weize, but upon hearing this, they realized that the Snake’s Tail had also lost three members. As for the Seven Silver Coins, Serious Young Man, Wuchuan Pants, and Gentleman Fan were in view, all in an unscathed state.

The situation was somewhat bewildering.

What’s going on here?

PoisonedMilk and Yu Weize teamed up to drive back Blood Rose, which is understandable, but what about the Snake’s Tail?

Despite being three against five, the Seven Silver Coins were not only holding their ground but also unharmed. After two quiet games, were they now finally exploding as a team?

At that moment, a large number of viewers flooded the Seven Silver Coins’ main perspective live stream.

Just then, as they entered, they caught a snippet from the team voice chat.

Serious Young Man, sounding pleasantly surprised, said, “Master, your runestone is really useful!”

In comparison, Wuchuan Pants sounded somewhat despondent, “Heh, are you sure it’s the runestone that’s good, or is it me?”

Gentleman Fan didn’t seem too invested, saying, “Both are good, both are good.”

---

“How should I put it… Originally, they came to deal with Seven Silver Coins, but unexpectedly, they ended up fighting amongst themselves. I guess, you could say that life is full of unexpected twists.” The commentator’s sentiments from the broadcast booth echoed the thoughts of the live audience.

Indeed, life is full of surprises.

In the blink of an eye, the peace was shattered, and amidst the chaos, the two instigators quietly withdrew.

It’s not that they didn’t want to take advantage of the situation, but their current opponents weren’t as easy to deal with as the soft targets during Nianhua Cup.

If they meddled unnecessarily, they might end up getting entangled themselves.

Therefore, Jiang Shi’s choice was, before leaving, to quietly place a few rune fields below, causing some disruption. It wasn’t specifically aimed at anyone; it entirely depended on the luck of the teams disturbed. After all, regardless of which guild, they were all opponents in this match.

“Truly a pair with Yu Weize, their trick of kicking someone when they’re down is so aligned.” The role under the name [Mad Stomp] was a Beastkin Warrior. Just as he activated his blood-boiling effect, he unfortunately encountered the interference of the rune domains, unable to help but curse under his breath. However, despite his grumbling, as soon as the debuff effect on him faded, he immediately utilized a charging skill, swinging his huge axe towards the front after a quick dash, maximizing the charging duration for an extremely powerful and high-damage strike.

The massive damage startled the Crusaders’ players, who, disregarding the interference from Rattlesnake, instantly focused their attacks on this Beastkin warrior in their team. However, when his health reached about 30% depletion, they watched helplessly as a glimmer flashed, and he was instantly lifted back up.

A little distance away in the rear, Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands was steadily managing their teammate’s health, and with a smirk, added, “Exactly, we’re one family, and birds of a feather flock together!”

“Ah-choo!” Jiang Shi had just stepped into the room where his teammates were hiding and felt a tickle in his nose, sneezing involuntarily.

Beside him, Han Yuze also rubbed his nose tip.

“What’s going on? Are you both catching a cold?” Gentleman Fan looked at the two with surprise.

“Not a cold, probably someone sending regards from behind,” Jiang Shi replied casually, seeming accustomed to such situations, and then asked his apprentice, “Are the preparations ready?”

“The structure diagrams are all here,” Serious Young Man handed over his notebook, flipping to a page illustrating the floor plan structure. With a bit of hesitation, he couldn’t resist asking, “But, do we really have to wait here? Shouldn’t we just withdraw while they’re busy fighting?”

“Withdraw? Only if we can actually get out,” Jiang Shi responded, focusing on the comprehensive floor plan sketch just completed by Serious Young Man.

Han Yuze noticed Mucuan Pants’s curiosity while peeking around the window and chuckled, “Stop looking. The retreat routes are surely blocked.”

Although forced to face each other in battle, as top-tier professional teams, these three guilds wouldn’t make the mistake of forgetting their original motives.

Without needing to see Han Yuze, it could be guessed that these three guilds currently entangled in the melee must have a similar tacit agreement. That is, they wouldn’t allow any chance for the others to escape amidst the chaos.

With a swift movement, Jiang Shi slammed the notebook shut and tossed it to Han Yuze. “Get ready.”

Han Yuze agilely caught it, turned, and exited the room.

Only after that figure disappeared from the doorway did Serious Young Man react and ask, “Where’s he going?”

“Setting traps,” Jiang Shi sounded somewhat regretful, “If I had known earlier, I should have let Old Player come at the start. Waiting around for a lucky break is something he’s an expert at.”

Mucuan Pants echoed, “Yeah, yeah! I said I wanted to rest outside, but you wouldn’t let me. Who’s to blame?”

Jiang Shi replied, “Even if we wanted to replace Old Player, it wouldn’t have been you. We’ll see how you perform later.”

“…”

Mucuan Pants asked, “Can I not go?”

Jiang Shi retorted, “What do you think?”

Mucuan Pants remained silent.

At that moment, Han Yuze’s voice came through the team’s voice channel, “I’m ready here.”

Gentleman Fan leaned against the window, chuckling, “Heh, just in time, looks like the melee down there is also over. It doesn’t seem as fierce as imagined, though.”

Indeed, the three-way skirmish downstairs had indeed concluded.

However, only five members of the Crusaders had been wiped out entirely. The remaining members from Rattlesnake and Blood Roses had two or three players each, adding up to a five-person team. Apparently, they had reached some agreement and didn’t continue depleting each other.

By now, the first batch of eliminated players had begun respawning.

If the chaos had continued, the five members of the Crusaders might have considered respawning and joining in again. But seeing the unexpected turn from the other two guilds, they chose to teleport back without a word.

In an instant, the bodies on the ground disappeared together.

The remaining players from Rattlesnake and Blood Roses, waiting for their teammates’ respawn, began reorganizing.

Just as they were about to set off again, Han Yuze’s voice came through distantly from inside the building, “So, an alliance in the end? Look at these teams with their credentials. Instead of playing it fair and square, they join hands to deal with our small guild. Shameful, isn’t it?”

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands didn’t buy into his words, “Isn’t this giving face to your ‘God Yu’?”

“Stop kidding. Back when I was with the Crusaders, I didn’t see you being so scared of me,” Han Yuze chuckled, “This world, when you’re down, even old friends come to put pressure on you. Give us some leeway, let us enter the finals, is it that hard? Instead of blocking our retreat, they’re even willing to cooperate with Rattlesnake. Old Spring, you’re not a newbie anymore, why are you still so naive? At this stage, these two guilds are still competing for the rankings. In some aspects, they’re the biggest competitors. Aren’t you afraid that by dealing with a team hanging at the end, you’re giving Rattlesnake a chance to backstab you later?”

Even No One couldn’t bear to hear this: “Oh, oh, oh, Yu Weize, it’s not right to sow discord here, is it? We’re all veteran players, who doesn’t have some integrity? Besides, the rankings don’t need your concern. After we deal with you, we’ll naturally settle the matter.”

“Are we teaming up against a common enemy?” Han Yuze clicked his tongue. “Then who’s ready to step up first? Or should we do it together?”

As his words fell, the surroundings fell momentarily silent, subtly so.

Yes, the alliance was formed because intuitively leaving Seven Silver Coins on the battlefield would be a huge disaster.

But while everyone wanted to swiftly resolve this troublemaker, no one was willing to be the first to charge into battle.

During the recent skirmish, not a single person from Seven Silver Coins had shown their face, leaving everyone unsure of what they were up to.

Even now, Han Yuze was making a show of strength here without actually being seen.

After a brief deadlock, it was Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands, who spoke up first: “Old Poison, one person per entrance?”

Snake Scorpion Curse also understood that this was the only way: “Agreed.”

The building where Seven Silver Coins were hidden had two doors, front and back. Since they had no idea what awaited them inside, their only choice was to open the blind boxes.

Han Yuze didn’t know where they were hiding, but he clearly saw the actions of the two teams: “Oh, a pincer attack?”

From their tone, there was no sense of urgency whatsoever.

The teams from Blood Rose and Snake Scorpion Curse entered the building from opposite sides.

While they didn’t know the specific situation inside, the audience with the God’s eye view could see clearly. For a moment, they weren’t sure which side had the better luck.

Han Yuze indeed had nothing to worry about.

Because whether it was the south or north door, the situation awaiting both small squads was not significantly different.

On one side, it was the self-destruct monsters that Seven Silver Coins intentionally left unhandled when entering the door.

On the other side, it was the miniature machinery that Han Yuze had quietly arranged in a few hidden corners after descending the stairs.

Boom! Boom boom!

As Blood Rose and Snake’s Curse carefully groped their way in from both doors, thick smoke followed the sounds of explosions, completely engulfing the teams.

The south door that Blood Rose entered was precisely the masterpiece Han Yuze had arranged in advance. Although there seemed to be a severe explosion, most of the damage was still resisted due to a knight player initiating a team barrier.

In the instant that the thick smoke swept in, Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands swiftly finished his incantation to boost the entire team’s health points.

While he was preparing to adjust the layout, he suddenly heard a voice in his ear that had obviously been waiting there for a while: “Friends, welcome.”

PoisonedMilk?

As soon as he realized who it was, Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands suddenly reacted.

So, the significance of this extensive mechanical arrangement wasn’t about causing damage but to cover up the subsequent actions?

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands’s intuition wasn’t good.

Just as he was about to yell for his teammates to retreat, he saw a beam of light rising beneath his feet.

The next second, the entire area enveloped all five members of Blood Rose.

Jiang Shi’s position and angle were perfect.

Watching his prey get caught, he blinked in a good mood.

It had been hard work developing these five new runestones; it was about time to debut them gradually in suitable situations.

---

[“Hahaha, I can’t stop laughing. Even through the screen, you can feel the Silver Coins’ helpless sarcasm.”]

[“Emphasizing, has a Milk birthday on December 8th, might be tested on it in the future.”]

[“The Career fans are really anxious; if they can’t get a good ranking in this round, it might be game over for them. Why do I feel like they don’t have any mental pressure at all?”]

[“Actually, from God Yu’s performance, I sense a strong conviction.”]

[“Heh, does Yu Weize ever not get carried away? What use is his conviction? Just wait to be eliminated! With that attitude, really!”]

[“Why eliminated? They can display affection as they please. Some people are too broad in their interference.”]

[“Hehehe, in esports, there’s no love. If you want romance, don’t come and play esports.”]

[“Oh look, the neighboring team is all coming over. Let’s watch the show.”]

Inside the Starry Sky Internet Cafe’s live broadcast room, the conversation from the team voice chat was being broadcasted through the first-person perspective, catching the attention of netizens with a wave of fluctuations, as expected.

However, immediately after, everyone’s attention was diverted to the tense situation at hand.

Through Seven Silver Coins’ lenses, the approaching figures of the three professional guilds—Rattlesnake, Crusaders, and Blood Roses—were gradually being captured.

Even Jiang Shi hadn’t expected that these three powerful guilds would make such a unanimous choice at this time. However, instead of showing any urgency, there was a hint of anticipation in their attitude. “What’s up?”

Han Yuze also casually followed along, chuckling, “Let’s see who comes up first.”

Gentleman Fan grasped the meaning behind their words, sighed softly, expressing a bit of sympathy, “You’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor, or not.”

A chuckle arose simultaneously from both sides.

Gentleman Fan shook his head slowly in the midst of this tacit understanding.

The fact that these two could get along was probably the greatest fortune in this holographic age.

In the meantime, the teams from the three professional guilds had successfully met on the plaza below.

They had all arrived from three different directions, obviously not expecting such a coincidental encounter. At this moment, with the three formidable teams facing each other, they stood their ground, staring at each other across the space, no one making the first move.

It’s said that a triangle is the most stable shape, and in this situation, it seemed unassailable.

Having clashed on the battlefield for so long, they had already thoroughly understood each other’s tactics.

As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. No one wanted to give their opponent a chance to sit back and reap the rewards.

A quiet breeze occasionally swept through the towering floors, lifting some dust from the ground.

In the midst of the silence, Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands finally broke the ice, “What a coincidence, everyone’s come to find Seven Silver Coins?”

There was a hint of a rhetorical question in these words, but Serpent’s Curse symbolically responded, “Yeah, want to team up?”

Though asked nonchalantly, those few words caused a slight jolt in the minds of the Crusaders on the other side.

Compared to secondary tournaments like the Nianhua Cup, alliances were more commonplace in the Century Cup. According to incomplete statistics, Blood Roses and Rattlesnake had collaborated many times before, openly conducting transactions that were quite harmonious. Although these circumstances mostly occurred after the second round of the matches, it didn’t mean that alliances wouldn’t be considered in the first round.

If these two guilds truly came to an agreement in such a casual manner, the unlucky ones wouldn’t just be Seven Silver Coins. In comparison, the Crusaders, who were currently also on the plaza, might become the first cannon fodder in the alliance of these two powerful guilds, especially without Yu Weize leading them. While their overall experience might be slightly inferior to the other two guilds, in normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have much interaction in such a difference in generations. However, the current situation compelled Akdas, the newly appointed commander, to step forward and mediate, “Two esteemed seniors, coming here obviously is to deal with Seven Silver Coins. If we consider teaming up, we could consider joining forces together.”

When this was said, there was no immediate response from members of the other two guilds, but it directly caused an uproar among the audience in the stands.

Whether it could be done or not, the situation where these three guilds joined forces against one guild often only occurred during crucial breakthrough matches.

Moreover, it was only in situations where an extremely powerful guild was far ahead in points that such open and blatant targeting would occur.

But what was happening now?

Seven Silver Coins, a team that could be eliminated at any time if they didn’t perform well in this match, and these three guilds were being asked to collaborate? The phrase that would come to anyone’s mind at this point would be—what capability and qualifications do they have?

But in reality, regardless of Seven Silver Coins’ performance in the previous two matches, the fact that these three guilds independently converged to target them actually provided the answer.

At least in the eyes of the players from these guilds, Seven Silver Coins was indeed worthy!

According to Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands’s thinking, despite the lackluster performance in the previous two matches, just the idea of having Yu Weize and PoisonedMilk on the team made them feel that keeping this team was like having a ticking time bomb, which could explode at any moment. If they could eliminate them directly through this match, it would be a complete resolution of future trouble. What was unexpected was that someone else also shared the same idea.

The Crusaders were one thing, but what intrigued Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands was when Rattlesnake became associated with Seven Silver Coins.

Listening to the back and forth between the two guilds, they gave a wry smile and lightly tugged at the corners of their mouth, “Such enthusiasm, somewhat surprised. However, there’s a straightforward question now: is this alliance just to team up against Seven Silver Coins and then dissolve, or do we all stay together to deal with other teams? If it’s the former, it’s a bit of making a mountain out of a molehill, but if it’s the latter, how will we handle the distribution of boss kills after dealing with them? Who gets what final rank? Let me state our stance first; we also don’t want to give up these points, as we are competing for the top breakthrough score.”

With that sentence, it silenced the other two guilds.

Quite coincidentally, Blood Roses and Rattlesnake currently occupied the first two positions in the total score rankings, making them the hot favorites to advance in the first round of the Century Cup.

With their competitive relationship, forming an alliance for a team on the brink of elimination was unlikely. No one was willing to concede their rankings.

As for the Crusaders, they had even fewer options.

Though not as dangerous as Seven Silver Coins, their ranking was in a precarious situation. Giving away points wouldn’t differ much from marching toward the cliff edge.

All were crafty enough to know that the chances of this alliance succeeding were slim. However, even though they knew the odds, none were willing to break this façade by speaking up.

So, the situation circled back; none wanted to expose this vulnerability first.

The scene once again fell into deadlock.

Just then, everyone caught the whistling sound of a slicing wind.

Already on edge, the long-strained pace of the three teams had almost simultaneous reactions from their long-range players.

The next second, a miniature mechanical device was instantly shredded and fell heavily to the ground, completely silenced.

Members of the three guilds: “…”

There was no need to question; everyone knew that such an opportunity couldn’t be allowed to slip away without taking advantage of it.

After a brief moment of thought, almost simultaneously, the three guilds made a unanimous decision: “Attack!”

---

Actually, the shock wasn’t just limited to the commentators and the audience; even Han Yuze’s teammates were amazed as they watched him deploying one mechanical army after another, densely spread out, leaving them astounded.

At a time like this, even Jiang Shi couldn’t help but make a reminder, “Be a bit more conservative in using them, funds are limited.”

Han Yuze gave a reassuring look, “As long as we bring them back intact.”

Jiang Shi’s concern wasn’t unfounded. After all, the Seven Silver Coins Guild, which had just entered this year’s Century Cup, was technically still a small private guild compared to the Crusaders, where Han Yuze previously served. They didn’t have as much material support. The current array of micro-machines looked impressive, but in reality, they were everything the guild scrimped and saved for.

They really needed to be conservative, especially because they were counting on these small entities to last throughout the entire Century Cup.

Thankfully, the Mechanic’s micro-machines were different from runestones. The latter were consumable items—once used, they were gone. But the former had varying degrees of damage. As long as they weren’t completely destroyed, they could be retrieved intact for reuse.

Hearing Han Yuze’s assurance, Jiang Shi gestured his approval for the subsequent operations.

Then, the previously neatly aligned micro-machines in the open area swiftly divided themselves into sections, systematically infiltrating the towering buildings nearby.

Being a Mechanic was always a challenging occupation, especially when dealing with such an outrageous number of machines as seen now.

Gentleman Fan didn’t disturb Han Yuze. Quietly, he walked over to Serious Young Man beside him and inquired, “How’s the count?”

“The count’s done.” Serious Young Man’s pen tip concluded the count on the notebook, “A total of 128.”

Gentleman Fan let out a soft gasp.

To simultaneously control 128 machines—was this guy even human?

The live feed with an overhead view didn’t need an on-site statistician like Serious Young Man. The backstage crew had accurately displayed the number of machines in the corner of the screen. Almost simultaneously, the commentator on the platform, with a gasp, looked at his partner, “128 machines… If I’m not mistaken, the previous record for a Mechanic’s controlled machines was around 56, right?”

“You’re not wrong. Indeed, it was 56,” and Brother Tiao looked complicated, “That was set by Yu Weize when he was with the Crusaders last year. During the match against Blood Roses, he single-handedly achieved an overpowering kill against the Healing Magician.”

“I remember Spring God’s expression vividly at that time; it was as if he was ready to explode. Being able to overpower an assistant healer in front of Blood Roses’ players during a match—it was probably only Yu Weize who could do it.”

Thinking back to that moment, the commentator recalled, “So, even though the Crusaders didn’t secure the first place back then, they dominated the headlines persistently after the match. It firmly established Yu Weize as the top Mechanic. And now, a year later, he’s telling us that 56 machines were far from his limit?!”

Brother Tiao had been struggling to express himself but finally continued, “So, is there a possibility that Yu Weize only used 56 machines to overpower Spring God because he felt… 56 machines were enough?”

As the words fell, there was a momentary silence. The entire venue fell into quietude following the commentators’ silence.

It was either the world was too insane, or they had unintentionally expanded their perspectives completely.

Managing 58 micro-machines simultaneously was something unimaginable for an ordinary person, and yet here they were using the word only to describe it.

Would the live broadcast of this match, once seen by God Spring afterward, make him cry louder?

Eventually, the commentator was the first to regain composure, trying to salvage the situation, “However, it’s well known that the challenge for a Mechanic isn’t just about the quantity of operations but also about the precision. While Yu Weize has showcased an astonishing number of machines, let’s wait and see the tactical completion of these actions!”

The audience could feel the efforts of the commentators, but at this moment, they were more interested in the situation on the field.

In reality, the answer was already given.

Under Yu Weize’s control, batches of micro-machines systematically conducted a carpet search within the nearby high-rises.

In a short time, the concealed mechanical monsters hidden in various corners of the high-rises were discovered one after another. Some exploded with minimal damage, marking the coordinates precisely. Then, the rest were confidently harvested by other Seven Silver Coins members in the confirmed safe zone, collecting a vast number of points.

With the front-runner FirePower’ previous demonstration and the current rankings, the competition for points had officially begun.

Obviously, teams with third-party control professions like Summoners and Mechanics held a significant advantage. Next were the War Engineers controlling Gold Magic Puppets. However, the size of Gold Magic Puppets meant they couldn’t move around as freely within the narrow spaces of the building interiors as the former two.

As the teams strived to showcase their unique strategies, the Seven Silver Coins’ point growth rate was rapidly soaring.

Although there wasn’t an overseer’s perspective from the observation area, the seasoned players on the field knew full well. When considering the current lineup of the Seven Silver Coins, it was obvious that it was all due to Yu Weize.

As the points gradually increased, several guilds promptly adjusted their tactics.

The rapid point growth of the Seven Silver Coins did catch attention. However, while growing in points, they had fully exposed their position to their opponents—a busy area of constant explosions.

“Oh, this is it!” On the commentator’s platform, the excitement rose after quickly catching the movements of other guilds. After a momentary confusion, the commentator’s tone heightened with enthusiasm, “It looks like it’s finally about to begin! Rattlesnake, Blood Roses, and Crusaders have directly adjusted their tactics. From the direction they’re moving, they’re aiming to converge and face off against the Seven Silver Coins! Indeed, if a lineup can’t gain an advantage due to composition issues, the best strategy is to eliminate the team with the composition advantage as soon as possible. This bandit logic applies in every Century Cup!”

Brother Tiao, eager to keep the excitement going, sparked, “I’m more curious now; when these four guilds meet, who will come out on top?”

The commentator clenched his fist, “Let’s watch and find out!”

At the same time, Jiang Shi’s voice came over the team voice chat of Seven Silver Coins: “There are teams coming towards us, probably three of them.”

At this moment, the other members of the team were busy harvesting points at the coordinates provided by Han Yuze. Upon hearing the sudden intelligence from Jiang Shi, who was on lookout outside, they were all a bit puzzled: “Three teams coming directly to us? Are we that enticing?”

“I don’t know if we’re enticing, but I know one thing, don’t be a sitting duck.” Jiang Shi chuckled, swiftly noting down the routes and directions of the three approaching teams before entering the high-rise building. “Give me the coordinates of the nearest self-destructing monster. Others, don’t move, wait for me to get there.”

Han Yuze directly broadcasted three or four coordinates on the team channel and asked, “Should we set up a few formations downstairs?”

When it came to formations from Han Yuze’s mouth, it naturally referred to mechanical formations.

Normally, this question would be quite normal, but the current situation was anything but normal.

Serious Young Man, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, “God Yu, isn’t your current operation limit reached? Yet… you can still set up additional machines?”

Just as Jiang Shi arrived and overheard this, he looked at them somewhat oddly and questioned, “Who told you this is his limit?”

This wasn’t even his operational limit yet?!

Astonished, Serious Young Man opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately managed only, “Master, impressive.”

Initially perplexed by the question, Han Yuze, upon realizing the context, couldn’t help but laugh, “Not so impressive; we’re far from reaching the limit. The reason I used 128 micro-machines this time is just because this number seemed fitting. Besides, there’s not much leftover capacity in my bag. If I had used them all at once, my master would’ve scolded me for being wasteful.”

Muchuan Pant, confused, inquired, “Fitting? Is there something special about this ‘128’?”

“Of course, it’s special.” Han Yuze glanced meaningfully in Jiang Shi’s direction and winked, “It’s your master’s birthday, December 8th!”

Serious Young Man: “…”

Gentleman Fan: “…”

Muchuan Pant: “…”

Blame him!

He shouldn’t have pried with that question!

Facing such a serious situation, there’s still time for playful riddles and flirting?

Be serious!

---

“Welcome to the third match of the Century Cup elimination rounds. I am your old friend, Tao Zi!'”

“I am your new friend, Brother Tiao!'”

“Unconsciously, the Century Cup’s 12 teams have already brought us two extremely intense matches. From the current rankings, it’s evident that the established guilds’ teams remain very dominant, undoubtedly bringing considerable pressure to the new teams.”

“This season, strictly speaking, probably has only one new team, right? Tao Zi, speaking of which, since the start of the Century Cup, one could feel your high expectations for the Seven Silver Coins. Now that we’re more than halfway through the first stage, do you still hold the same optimism for them?”

“Well, how should I put it, I can only say that until the end, nobody knows how things will turn out. That’s the charm of e-sports, isn’t it?”

On the commentary desk, Tao Zi and Brother Tiao, as the official commentators, were subtly influencing the atmosphere at the venue. Though not too direct, their commentary precisely brought out the most current and attention-grabbing topics.

After all, this was already the third match of the first round. Once this match concluded, a portion of the teams would most likely bid farewell to their chances of advancing, including the promising Seven Silver Coins, a rising guild due to the Century Cup.

“Alright, today’s match map is already displayed in front of us. It seems to be a brand new city map. Judging by the scale, it reminds me of scenes from Ultraman fighting small monsters. [Urban Ghost City]—that’s the name of this map. Let’s see what kind of spectacular performance the players can deliver on this map!”

As customary, the official commentators initially directed the discussion towards analyzing the map.

Meanwhile, the 12 teams, now randomly spawned across various points on the map, had started their respective actions.

“A city map? Quite rare,” Jiang Shi said while moving and quickly observing the surroundings.

The Century Cup’s new map usage was significantly higher compared to Nianhua Cup, with occasional older map matches. Hence, on-site adaptability was crucial for the players.

However, for the Seven Silver Coins, a new team without prior experience, this situation, akin to starting from scratch for everyone, ironically became an advantage.

Unable to hear the commentators’ analysis, the players on-site solely relied on their own eyes to gather necessary information.

The starting lineup for Seven Silver Coins in this match comprised Jiang Shi, Han Yuze, Serious Young Man, Gentleman Fan, and Muchuan Pants.

Moving along with the team, Serious Young Man held a notebook and was quickly jotting down notes. He furrowed his brows slightly and remarked, “I didn’t expect they would include an empty city map. Did the official planners readjust their direction again?”

Serious Young Man’s doubts weren’t baseless.

Starting from the underwater map of Nianhua Cup to the two previous matches of the Century Cup, it was evident that the substantial number of minor monsters noticeably decreased the significance of the four major bosses, indicating a trend towards a diversified point accumulation strategy. However, from the beginning until now on this map, despite shuttling between the densely built high-rises, they hadn’t encountered even a single minor monster. It felt vastly different from the previous matches, somewhat reminiscent of a sudden change back to the old ways.

If this match truly returned to determining victory through contesting the four major bosses, Jiang Shi wouldn’t mind adjusting tactics to adapt. Yet, his intuition suggested it might not be that simple. “Let’s continue observing before making any conclusions.”

As if to confirm his intuition, before he finished speaking, a series of explosions suddenly resounded, overwhelming the final notes of his sentence.

The members of Seven Silver Coins simultaneously halted their steps and looked toward the direction of the explosions. From a distance, they could only see billowing mushroom clouds rising. The towering floors where the explosions occurred directly split into two and collapsed with a loud crash.

Though they weren’t sure of the specifics, it wasn’t hard to speculate that the team in that area suffered heavy casualties.

“Was that an internal explosion?” Muchuan Pants asked uncertainly.

Jiang Shi scanned the quiet buildings around him, contemplated for a moment, and sincerely remarked, “We should be thankful that we never considered entering any buildings.”

Han Yuze chuckled, “However, it seems there are quite a few hidden points in this match, but it might require risking our lives to acquire them.”

This chuckle made others notice the situation on the points leaderboard.

A team that was all zeroes just minutes ago suddenly shot up by 50 points, jumping to the top position, clearly conspicuous.

The lucky ones who just experienced the explosion scene were from the Firepower Guild.

At this moment, the guild leader, Medical Decoration stood in the central space under the high-rise. Surrounding him were scattered remnants of buildings. Upon closer inspection, one could notice a faint twitch at the corners of his expressionless face.

At this point, aside from him, the avatars of the other four teammates had completely dimmed, showing the countdown numbers for revival.

Yes, they had just gained 50 points, but at the cost of the gruesome deaths of four members.

If it weren’t for Medical Decoration’s arrangement of Golden Demon Puppets on the ground level to prevent encounters with other teams, within the first few minutes of the game, they might have faced a complete wipeout.

Exchanging the revival CDs of four people for 50 points was undoubtedly a significant loss!

However, since the situation had already occurred, Medical Decoration could only console himself that, although the price was high, at least they were the first to grasp the essence of this map.

[Urban Ghost City].

This empty and desolate city still resembles a city entirely made of machinery.

The Genesis officials haven’t abandoned their strategy of diversified competition. In this city map, instead of minor monsters, various mechanical traps are dismantled and placed inside these towering commercial buildings.

From a certain perspective, safely harvesting these high-value hidden points might be much more difficult than dealing with the competitors in the same arena.

Moreover, the crucial point is that even if a relatively safe method of harvesting points is found, the excessive commotion caused by triggering these mechanical traps will undoubtedly expose their positions to other teams, just like their current situation.

Consequently, to avoid revealing their coordinates and act covertly, the only choice might be to forgo harvesting these dispersed points. However, judging from the previous two matches, solely focusing on targeting the four major bosses often fails to achieve the desired rankings.

This year’s Century Cup is no longer the era where rankings were solely determined by the contest for bosses.

At the venue, the director has already replayed several times the scenes experienced by the Firepower Guild just now.

After the official commentator, Tao Zi, conducted a thorough analysis with a tone filled with anticipation, he remarked, “One can only say the map planners are becoming more and more innovative. It’s a dilemma – whether to leave no stone unturned with the mechanical monsters’ point accumulation or to entirely focus on searching for the hiding places of the bosses. Each team’s choice is genuinely intriguing.”

“Blood Roses seem to have made a decision. Yes, they directly recalled the two who were preparing to enter the building for investigation, seemingly planning to secure a boss first.” Brother Tiao chuckled, “They’re quite lucky. If it wasn’t for Firepower Guild acting a bit faster, at this moment, Blood Roses would be facing boomshakaka.”

Tao Zi remarked, “Black Tower Guild seems quite pleased now. The demons and monsters released all of the summoned beasts at once… Oh, indeed, in the current situation, summoners like Four Ghosts might have a bit of a ‘cheat‘ suspicion.”

Brother Tiao commented, “Actually, if we talk about these ‘investigation teams,’ it seems there’s a profession more suitable than summoners.”

“Indeed, summoning creatures have limits in terms of skills, whereas with miniature machines… The Crusaders have started moving; it seems everyone knows how to be flexible. It’s like everyone is showcasing their unique abilities. Akdas currently controls more than twenty machines. Judging from strength alone, this pillar-like player supported strongly by the Crusaders is indeed formidable. It reminds me of a certain legend who was once a mainstay in the Crusaders. As for Seven Silver Coins, with Yu Weize, a top-notch mechanical engineer, they shouldn’t be sitting idly…”

Tao Zi spoke and started swiftly searching through the god-view perspective.

Finally, when discovering the trace of Seven Silver Coins in the plaza area to the city’s north, zooming in, the sight of the densely packed miniature machines astonished them. “Holy cow!?”

“Calm down a bit,” Brother Tiao, as Tao Zi’s partner, cleared his throat at once, intending to remind him about the choice of words during the commentary. However, following the angle of their vision, even his tone couldn’t resist rising, “Oh my gosh!”

At this moment, no one cared about the two commentators losing their composure.

As the director enlarged the interface, everyone clearly saw the massive mechanical army above the area where Seven Silver Coins were located.

How… How many are there?!

---

The Century Cup has officially begun.

Similar to the previous years’ Century Cup, the official live platform now featured a string of pinned live streams, all showcasing the main perspectives of the competing teams.

Among these, the name of Starry Sky Internet Café, within the logo of XXTV, undoubtedly stood out.

Due to their exceptional performance in the previous Century Cup, Bi Binghuo’s internet café chain had been thriving. Post the new year, they even inaugurated the first joint internet café, primarily centered around the Seven Silver Coins Guild, as a gesture of respect towards their collaborating partners.

As a qualified businessman, Bi Binghuo naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity for continued collaboration. The contract benefits were upgraded once again. Starry Sky Internet Café swiftly secured the broadcasting rights for the Century Cup before any other keen platforms, causing envy and regret among competitors.

The major holographic platforms had their reasons for regret.

Before Nianhua Cup, nobody could have anticipated that the Seven Silver Coins would emerge as the current dark horse, with an unprecedented level of attention following their advancement into the Century Cup. As the day of the historic first live broadcast approached, responsible individuals were almost envious to the point of bleeding.

Naturally, netizens were less concerned about the thoughts of these businessmen. Their primary interest lay in the phrases used during previous interviews. With the embellishments from holographic media, the Seven Silver Coins had almost become contenders for the championship. This raised curiosity about how they would perform in the Century Cup, setting the anticipation levels at an all-time high.

Simply put, thanks to the influence of the Seven Silver Coins, the opening match of the tournament became the most anticipated since its inception. Everyone eagerly anticipated how their involvement would create a new dynamic. So much so that due to the excessive fervor in discussions before the match, the name of Seven Silver Coins directly soared to the top of the trending list on StarNet.

However, amidst such widespread anticipation, the results of the first match were finally unveiled — out of a total of 12 teams, Seven Silver Coins ranked 10th.

Tenth place was undeniably unflattering, particularly when compared to the two teams trailing behind. For a new team like Seven Silver Coins making their debut in the Century Cup, theoretically, they were on par with the established guilds. However, the issue lay in the extensive hype generated by holographic media before the official start of the tournament, excessively elevating the status of this new team.

There were sneers, there were those reveling in their misfortune, and naturally, there were concerns about their future development.

Among the discussions online, the majority questioned their actual strength, especially with regards to the content of Yu Weize’s previous posts being brought back into focus.

Back?

Back to the bottom?

Similar questions were pointedly raised by journalists during interviews.

One might have expected that having suffered such a defeat, Seven Silver Coins would at least exhibit some humility. However, unexpectedly, Jiang Shi simply smiled at the camera and remarked, “This is how competitions go, ups and downs are normal. Just stay calm.”

D*mn, that composure was truly remarkable!

The journalists had intended to dig deeper based on this response. Yet, they were caught off guard by this display of serene beauty and remained silent for a while before recomposing themselves. “But starting with a 10th place in the first match must have brought considerable pressure for the upcoming games. After all, the total points from the four matches will determine the final qualifiers. This kind of start has created quite a gap from the teams at the top.”

Jiang Shi: “Indeed, that’s true.”

Everyone had anticipated that Seven Silver Coins would argue back, but instead, they heard excessively modest words.

The disparity was astonishing, leaving everyone stunned.

Then Jiang Shi, still smiling warmly, earnestly added, “We will continue to work hard.”

As official as those words sounded, in the face of such genuine sincerity, no one could muster any rebuttal.

Finally, after a momentary pause, the journalist said, “…Keep it up.”

“Continuing to work hard” is a phrase that, no matter the occasion, undoubtedly comes across as clichéd. No one took the statement from Seven Silver Coins to heart. Instead, they continued to focus on the upcoming matches.

After the first round, the top four teams were Blood Roses, Rattlesnakes, Fire Power, and Black Tower guilds.

The previously ambiguous Crusader guild, entangled with Seven Silver Coins, secured the sixth position. Although not an outstanding achievement, they were at least in a safe zone based on their points. This was reasonably acceptable for the Crusaders, lacking their leader Yu Weize.

Soon, the second round commenced smoothly.

This time, Seven Silver Coins improved their ranking to seventh place for this match.

Their effort was noticeable, but considering their previous 10th place and current 7th, if they aimed to secure a spot in the next round, they needed to ensure at least a top-four finish in the remaining two matches.

Seven Silver Coins, a contender for the championship?

As the two matches concluded, what was initially a highly anticipated gimmick gradually turned into an ignored joke that no one cared about.

However, online, the Seven Silver Coins stocks continued to be bought at lower rates, while the participants from several professional guilds competing in the tournament remained vigilant.

From the perspective of the Rattlesnake guild, regardless of the healing or spatial domains, Seven Silver Coins hadn’t utilized any skills in both matches. It was evident from the interactions that the opponents were more focused on running formations rather than direct confrontation. This led them to suspect that some form of plotting was underway. As for the Blood Roses group, their view was simpler: solely based on the Reviving Miracle Worker’s understanding of Yu Weize, it was apparent that this man hadn’t exerted his full strength yet. It seemed more like he was indirectly cooperating with something.

The third match was about to begin, and at the entrance, the members of Blood Roses and Seven Silver Coins coincidentally bumped into each other.

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands naturally draped his arm over Han Yuze’s shoulder, displaying a buddy-buddy appearance, and a smiling demeanor. “How should I put it, this match seems to have no retreat, right?”

Han Yuze glanced at him. “No retreat? Top four will do. I feel there’s quite a bit of room.”

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands smiled without saying a word. “Not using your true skills all along. Aren’t you afraid of overplaying?”

“If I could have used them, I would have done so already. This is a new team. Facing your strong teams, there’ll naturally be some issues. We need time to adjust.” Han Yuze maintained a composed attitude, “We’re all experienced players. We should know that competitions are like this, ups and downs are normal. Just stay calm.”

Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands vaguely felt he had heard those last words somewhere before. Furrowing his brows in an attempt to remember, but before he could, Mad Stomp, who had already greeted at the registration desk, called out, “Old Chun, are you done? Come over here.”

“Coming.” Return to Spring’s Skillful Hands replied and patted Han Yuze’s shoulder. “See you on the field.”

“Hmm, see you on the field,” Han Yuze responded.

After Blood Roses finished their registration, the Seven Silver Coins’ group went to sign in.

At this stage of the competition, the majority of the qualifying spots had been almost secured. However, despite being on the verge of elimination, there wasn’t much visible nervousness among the participants. Instead, there was a hint of eagerness to give it a try.

Actually, Han Yuze wasn’t just bluffing the Reviving Miracle Worker earlier.

The first two matches weren’t really about strategies; they were about making internal adjustments within the team in the shortest possible time.

The Century Cup couldn’t be compared to secondary tournaments like Nianhua Cup. Any team casually pulled out here possessed enough strength to dominate. If they didn’t swiftly address the issues in the earlier matches, as the tournament progressed, there would be fewer opportunities for any mistakes.

As for the doubts and criticisms online, it could be said that they didn’t even warrant attention. After all, the most crucial aspect at this moment was that, through the two previous matches, they had ensured the entire team was adjusted to its optimal state.

After completing the registration, Jiang Shi beckoned to the group. “Let’s go, it’s time to get ready for the match.”

The Seven Silver Coins’ group was raring to go. “Coming, coming.”

From a certain perspective, perhaps today would mark their official debut.

---

Actually, after such a long time, the attention of netizens has continuously focused on the development process of the Seven Silver Coins guild. Unknowingly, they almost completely forgot about the small grudge between the Crusaders.

Until Yu Weize’s recent public appearance, which reopened this dusty story and exposed it entirely.

The term [“New Love vs Old Love”] directly trended on hot searches that day. Passing netizens almost uniformly entered the topic with curiosity and left with a look of realization.

For Yu Weize, one guild was a new team that had just started operating this year, while the other was his old home where he had served since the first competition. Wasn’t this a battlefield encounter between new love and old love?

This topic excited the holographic media reporters the most.

With the Century Cup about to begin, the period when various professional guilds held the most press conferences, this meant that the Crusaders’ interviews invariably had an unavoidable question — “Regarding the content Yu Weize posted on StarBlog, what is your guild’s opinion?”

Opinions? What opinion could there possibly be about this nutritionless shouting across the void?

Ever since Pojun Baba saw that post, he’d been feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.

Despite being irritated, he had to give an official reply with a forced smile in front of the media cameras: “As former comrades who fought side by side, we naturally welcome God Yu return and are happy he has found a new direction to strive for in the future. Although we are destined to be opponents in future matches, we still wish him well across the screen and hope for good results in the Nianhua Cup by working together.”

Of course, reporters always feared a lack of chaos.

For instance, at this reception, following quickly was another question: “However, there is only one championship trophy for the Century Cup each time. President Pojun Baba, in your opinion, which guild, the Crusaders or Seven Silver Coins, has a better chance of winning?”

Pojun Baba tried to maintain a smile. “If you’re asking me that question, of course, the answer would be our Crusaders. Although there were personnel changes some time ago, with the training during this period, our internal tactics have been adjusted quite well. This gives us confidence for this year’s competition. Relatively speaking, Seven Silver Coins is still a guild making its first foray into the Century Cup. In terms of the probability of winning, no matter how you look at it, we hold the upper hand.”

Reporter: “So, were those blessings for God Yu just formalities after all?”

Pojun Baba responded calmly, “The blessings are genuine, but in competitive events, actual strength speaks. If we were to meet on the field, we certainly wouldn’t go easy on each other.”

Reporter: “It’s really exciting to look forward to the duel between the Crusaders and Seven Silver Coins. We hope to see a splendid performance.”

Pojun Baba: “Please keep your eyes peeled.”

The questions and answers on the surface went smoothly, but only Pojun Baba knew the frustration boiling in his chest.

This was just the beginning of the Century Cup. The interviews of reporters were relatively restrained at this moment. But as the competition continued, this restraint was sure to diminish. Whether it was the Crusaders or Yu Weize’s Silver Coins, the current hype was intense. But the side that performed poorly in the future would undoubtedly face overwhelming ridicule.

Especially after Yu Weize had just left their Crusaders.

If it had been a regular powerhouse guild, it might have been fine. But it happened to be a new team starting from scratch. If they fell behind on the Century Cup stage, that would be a real slap in the face.

As for who the ultimate champion would be? At this point, no one could say for sure.

However, one thing was certain: regardless, the final rank of the Crusaders must be higher than that of the Seven Silver Coins, no matter what!

Must!

Otherwise, those lurking guild detractors might emerge at any time and directly thrust them into the spotlight once again.

As the related reports poured out one after another following the press conference, the usually silent Seven Silver Coins finally held their first press conference before the Century Cup.

Normally, teams that had just secured a spot from Nianhua Cup received limited attention.

But obviously, Seven Silver Coins were completely different from the norm.

The guild’s conference hall was already filled to the brim before the event even began, with teams from major holographic media outlets.

Looking at the packed hall, it was obvious that it far surpassed the interview scene of top-tier powerhouse guilds.

For the journalists there to report, this scene was somewhat lamentable.

The Century Cup hadn’t even officially begun yet, but it seemed they were witnessing the emergence of another top-tier guild!

But no matter what drew such significant attention to Seven Silver Coins, for the media, popularity was the only evaluation criterion.

At the start of the reception, one question after another poured in, escalating quickly to a crescendo.

The number of participants from the Seven Silver Coins guild in attendance that day was not too many. Island Forest, as the guild spokesperson, Han Yuze, as the central figure of the current discussion, and another person reluctantly dragged along to make up the numbers, all faced a series of inquiries from reporters similar to those posed to the Crusaders.

However, different questions directed at different individuals resulted in completely different answers.

“My content on StarBlog? It’s just the literal meaning,” Han Yuze maintained an appropriate distance from the microphone, evidently familiar with these interview settings and replied calmly, “Leaving the frontline of the competition temporarily after leaving the Crusaders was a short hiatus, and now I’ve returned to the embrace of the Century Cup after taking a detour. As for tagging the Crusaders’ official account, I did it out of habit. Believe it or not? There’s really no deeper meaning to it. Our relationship with them is pretty good. If you check the guild details page, you’ll find our guild has an alliance relationship with the Crusaders. Even the development funds during this period were generously allocated to us by Pojun Baba. With such a good president, why would I provoke him?”

Reporter: “…”

Normally, handling dozens of machines simultaneously without trembling, and now you’re saying it was just a casual tag. Do you think we believe it?!

A reporter gathered their emotions and stood up. “It sounds like the relationship between the two guilds is quite good. However, there can only be one champion. God Yu, which side do you believe has a better chance of winning this year’s Century Cup?”

“If you’re asking about us and the Crusaders, then personally, of course, I’d say it’s our Seven Silver Coins,” Han Yuze chuckled silently. “They say a soldier who doesn’t want to be a general isn’t a good soldier. If a player tells you they don’t want a championship medal, wouldn’t that be criticized as hypocritical?”

Reporters followed up, “So, God Yu means your Seven Silver Coins are stronger than the Crusaders?”

“Actions speak louder than words, so I believe it’s understandable when I say we can win, right?” Han Yuze handled it smoothly, not falling into the trap at all.

The journalists were rendered speechless by this original approach. Some were already considering switching interview targets. “Um… Actually, we have quite a few questions for PoisonedMilk. Is there a chance we could invite him here?”

“Oh, probably not,” Han Yuze glanced at the current time and smiled faintly at the reporters. “He’s probably still sleeping.”

The journalists looked at the clock, nearly approaching dinnertime. “He’s… still sleeping?”

Han Yue nodded. “Yeah, he got a bit tired from last night, so he needs more rest today.”

On-site reporters: “…”

Although every word sounded sincere, for some reason, when related to the relationship between the two individuals, this conversation inexplicably sparked a kind of twisted impulse?

During the brief silence at the scene, Han Yuze had courteously handed over the microphone to the guild leader of Island Forest.

Island Forest smiled at the camera, “Thank you all for your support for Seven Silver Coins. I’ll be answering your questions next. Feel free to continue asking.”

The journalists: “…”

D*mn! They should have taken the chance to ask Yu Weize more questions earlier!

Jiang Shi was indeed very tired.

However, what tired him was the compatibility of rune attributes and the numerical values of team members’ equipment.

He and Wuchuan Pants had been working straight through the night until 6 in the morning.

He wasn’t online at the moment. Instead, he was lying in bed with his phone, watching the live broadcast that something Incense had recorded for him, listening to Han Yuze’s exchanges with the media reporters. His lips hadn’t stopped curving upward.

Especially with that last sentence, so ambiguous and seemingly contradictory, Jiang Shi was pretty sure this man was deliberate.

Taking a moment to sense the atmosphere at the scene through the screen, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

He tapped the screen and switched to another page on the official website.

It was about the first-round win rate predictions for the Century Cup. The list included all participating teams for this year’s Century Cup, along with their respective support rates.

As Jiang Shi scanned down, his eyebrows raised slightly.

The winning support rate for Seven Silver Coins – 12%.

Surpassing two digits, it was evidently much better than initially anticipated.

This also indirectly reflected that after Nianhua Cup, they had indeed gathered quite a number of fans.

Of course, some might just be interested in watching a spectacle.

Jiang Shi himself was quite satisfied with this support rate.

Over the last couple of days, final numerical adjustments had been made for several new types of runestones. Wuchuan Pants had also utilized the resources extorted from the Crusaders to complete three upgrades for the entire team’s equipment. Everything was ready, waiting for the official start of the Century Cup.

The first small goal: To double the online support rate.

---

<Genesis> has been rich in content with its New Year events every year since its launch.

This year was no exception.

Originally, Jiang Shi had prepared to completely abstain from online activities upon returning to his hometown. However, unexpectedly, Han Yuze easily whisked him away from under his parents’ noses. After logging into the game and completing some event tasks, Jiang Shi’s mood turned notably better.

Unfortunately, time was limited because they had to rush back for dinner. They could only prioritize completing a portion of the activities and log off at a specific time.

However, it turned out that if one could sneak out once, there would definitely be a second time.

Over the next few days, it was entirely a time of going around with the Jiang family to visit relatives. Jiang Shi, conscientiously appointed as Han Yuze’s “guide,” did not join in for the sake of the gathering. This led to an increase in the duration of the two’s meetings at the internet café.

Thus, the lively and bustling Spring Festival passed in an atmosphere of open construction and covert concealment.

When Han Yiyuan bid farewell to his future in-laws and was seen off by the entire Jiang family, Jiang Shi, amidst the crowd, exchanged a glance with Han Yuze. Initially, he had intended to quietly remain in the background. However, his mother suddenly pushed him forward, “Dr. Han is leaving, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Jiang Shi found it somewhat baffling, “What should I say?”

“What should you say? You’re asking me?” Jiang Shi didn’t think much and waved towards Han Yuze, “Goodbye, take care.”

Han Yuze smiled, “Yeah, goodbye.”

Watching Han Yiyuan and Han Yuze board the car, after the vehicle went a distance, Jiang Shi turned around, ready to return. Unexpectedly, he encountered his mother’s meaningful gaze.

Pausing for a moment, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang’s mother blinked slowly, and the faint curve at the corner of her mouth made her smile somewhat cryptic, “This little Han, he’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Amidst a brief internal struggle of whether to resist, after considering for a few seconds, Jiang Shi ultimately chose to lie down on the spot, “How did you guess?”

Jiang’s mother revealed an as expected expression, then mysteriously smiled, “What’s so hard about that? A mother knows her child. Come, now is it time to tell Mom how you two met?”

Jiang Shi: “…As for how we met, it should be at Dr. Han’s birthday banquet.”

The subsequent conversation mostly became question and answer sessions with such a wise mother.

Jiang Shi, of course, couldn’t possibly mention what happened in the game back then. Otherwise, if the elders found out that he was in the hospital for three days and three nights, regardless of direct involvement, he reckoned he’d never be welcomed into their home again.

Finally, Jiang’s mother completely satisfied her curiosity and threw out one last question, “So, what stage are you two at now? Little Han came all the way here with Yiyuan, showing he cares about you. Are you satisfied on your side?”

After some thought, Jiang Shi smiled and replied, “I suppose I am satisfied.”

Jiang Shi never thought that even after the Spring Festival had passed, he would have to experience the “ordeal” that Jiang Yan had gone through.

Finally finding time in his own room, the first thing he did was take out his phone and send a message: [My mom knows about our relationship.]

The response came almost instantly: [?]

[Jiang Shi: I don’t know how she found out, but our cover is blown.]

[Jiang Shi: [Contact Card]]

[Jiang Shi: My mother’s number, add it. It’ll be convenient to contact her in the future.]

[Han Yuze: .]

A few seconds later.

[Han Yuze: …Added.]

Jiang Shi was satisfied: [Keep it up.]

The remaining “ordeal” indeed needed someone else to endure it—

Jiang Shi only found out later that Han Yuze was, unexpectedly, quite adept at handling the matter of his mother’s friendship. When he casually passed his mother’s number, he didn’t think much of it. However, shortly after returning from the New Year, he found out through a casual call home that Han Yuze had already thoroughly charmed his entire family.

This, Jiang Shi truly couldn’t help but admire: “Impressive, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is quite harmonious.”

Han Yuze chuckled, “Of course, your mom is my mom.”

Jiang Shi felt that aside from sometimes being too straightforward, Han Yuze really didn’t have any other faults.

But no matter what, having no family conflicts was always a good thing. This allowed them to have ample energy to actively face the main issues.

Time always passes quickly.

Unknowingly, more than a month had passed since the New Year. The Century Cup, which was clearly visible after the recent Nianhua Cup, was beckoning to them from a distance.

This morning, the official website of <Genesis> officially announced the official list of participants for the new Era Cup. In no particular order, the guilds were the Rattlesnakes, Blood Roses, Firebrands, Black Tower, Crusaders, Temple of the Underworld, Lost Sea, Demon Banquet, Love and Peace, Steelheart Flow, Silver Hand, and the seven newly qualified guilds that obtained Silver Coin qualifications through Nianhua Cup.

A total of twelve guild teams, significantly fewer than the number of registrations for Nianhua Cup, but just looking at the list of participating guilds indicated that it was destined to be a fierce battle from the first round.

Even though they had celebrated together after Nianhua Cup, seeing their guild’s name among the top elite guilds, Jiang Shi still felt like he was dreaming. He quietly pinched himself, “I never expected that we would actually participate in the Century Cup?!”

Han Yuze lightly chuckled, “Why not?”

Gentleman Fan shook his fan expectantly, “It should be more fun than Nianhua Cup, right?”

[Deep Well Ice Player: Heh, how could it not be fun? Others might be underestimating us.]

Gentleman Fan: “Will there be headcount restrictions this time?”

Jiang Shi: “It’s hard to say.”

“Everyone, make sure to do your best.” Island Forest, as always, cheerfully encouraged everyone.

“I will try to collect more information about the participants from various guilds during this time,” Serious Young Man with a notebook in hand was eager to gather information. “There won’t be any groupings in the Century Cup, which will save the step of sorting through intelligence.”

Although the participating teams totaled only twelve, the rules of the Century Cup, although divided into three rounds like Nianhua Cup, naturally had significant differences.

The first round belonged to the regular score-grabbing breakthrough match.

All 12 teams would compete in the same arena, totaling four matches. The final rankings based on the points earned in these four matches would eliminate the four weakest guilds, determining the top eight to proceed to the next stage.

In the second round, there would be the pressure-resisting match, a reserved event.

Unlike the usual weekly matches, on the day of the second stage, two matches, upper and lower brackets, would directly test the players’ endurance and tactical allocation. It would directly determine the top four finalists to enter the final round.

Finally, the third round was the highly anticipated day of the championship.

As the earnest youth said, there would be no groupings in the first stage, naturally reducing many uncertainties related to luck. What made Jiang Shi most satisfied was not the convenience in gathering information but the fact that it was destined for them to be arranged with the team he hoped to encounter.

“There’s nothing more to say, just one small goal.” Jiang Shi smiled and pointed to a certain guild on the list, “In the first stage, let’s eliminate them.”

His slender fingertip lightly swept across the named guild’s name, which fell into everyone’s view.

It was the guild, Crusaders, who had cooperated extensively with their Silver Coins guild to build the guild. All the grudges and grievances of this guild undoubtedly began with a certain man, which made everyone’s gaze instantly focus on him.

Han Yuze cleared his throat and delivered an acceptance speech, “Thanks to my boyfriend for supporting me.”

That night, netizens found that the participants of the Silver Coins guild had all posted on StarBlog with a nearly identical message: [#Newcomer, please take care of me~ #Bowing]

The only difference was Yu Weize’s: [#I’m back, please take care of me~ #Bowing]

Just four adjusted words, but they carried significant meaning.

Most importantly, at the end of this StarBlog, they had tagged the official account of the Crusaders guild.

Netizens: Wow, something’s going on here~ #Bowing

---

While Han Yiyuan was busy greeting his parents, Jiang Shi quietly pulled Han Yuze out of the room and cornered him in the hallway. “Speak up?”

To avoid being seen by the people in the room, the two of them were unavoidably very close.

Han Yuze could distinctly feel Jiang Shi’s breath almost brushing against his cheek. Suppressing the curve of his lips out of a survival instinct, he said, “I said I came because I was bored during the New Year and wanted to accompany my cousin. Do you believe me?”

Jiang Shi smiled ambiguously, “Do you think I believe you?”

Han Yuze shrugged in a gesture of helplessness, looking like a completely innocent move.

Jiang Shi’s gaze lingered on this person’s face, which was as thick as a fortress wall, for a moment. Suddenly, he chuckled, “Alright, since you’re here, why not take this opportunity to introduce yourself to my parents?”

Originally, Han Yuze was just teasing Jiang Shi, and he hadn’t expected such a reaction from him. Caught off guard, he paused for a moment.

Seeing Jiang Shi actually grabbing his hand and attempting to pull him into the room, Han Yuze rooted his feet to the ground and pulled himself back, “Wrong, totally wrong.”

Jiang Shi turned back leisurely, “Wrong about what?”

“Wrong for not informing you in advance.” Han Yuze’s expression was as sincere as it could be, “I won’t do it again next time.”

Jiang Shi deliberately kept his expression tense and couldn’t help but tease, “So scared to meet my parents, then why did you come along?”

“Not scared to meet them, but no matter what, you can’t just casually meet them like this, right?” Han Yuze gestured towards the room, raising an eyebrow. “Otherwise, it’ll seem like I’m here as part of a dowry for my cousin.”

As the conversation progressed, Jiang Shi finally chuckled amidst the slightly eased atmosphere and then leaned in slightly to speak, “Besides, I didn’t come to see your parents. I came specifically to see you.”

Jiang Shi hadn’t expected such a shameless statement from this person all of a sudden. After the words were spoken, he felt a slight warmth in his ears.

He cleared his throat softly and said in a low voice, “I’m going back, the one brought for dowry.”

Watching Jiang Shi briskly leaving, Han Yuze silently smiled.

He casually slipped his hands into his pockets and followed back into the room.

The attention of the two elders in the Jiang family was entirely focused on Han Yiyuan, their future son-in-law. After an elaborate round of inquiries that almost rivaled a census, they naturally didn’t notice the brief absence of the two.

After the chat was over, they instructed Jiang Yan to properly take care of Han Yiyuan, and together they busied themselves with preparing the meal.

Jiang Yan was still immersed in the embarrassment Han Yiyuan faced earlier and was laughing uncontrollably. When she looked up and saw the two return to the living room, she waved and asked, “When is your turn to prepare?”

Jiang Shi asked, “Our turn for what?”

Jiang Yan pointed at Han Yuze, “Wasn’t it about bringing double joy?”

At her words, Han Yuze immediately began coughing, “Sis, you two are really brother and sister.”

Jiang Yan asked, “Huh?”

Jiang Shi restrained his laughter, “Someone is too cowardly. The main stage of the New Year’s dinner is still for you guys. We’ll take it slow.”

Jiang Yan was surprised, “Huh? Weren’t you both here for that?”

“Of course not. I came to accompany my cousin, and also…” Han Yuze glanced at Jiang Shi, “To take Jiang Shi out for a spin.”

Jiang Yan was somewhat anxious, but seeing both of them saying the same thing, she could only express a bit of regret.

Dinner was served soon.

When it was time to eat, Jiang Shi naturally vacated the seat beside Jiang Yan, seemingly voluntarily giving it to Han Yiyuan, the future brother-in-law. In reality, he casually and unobtrusively sat next to Han Yuze.

Jiang’s mother was obviously very pleased with the future son-in-law and was equally enthusiastic at the dining table.

After chatting for a long time earlier, she finally had the energy to attend to Han Yuze, the cousin of her future son-in-law, instructing Jiang Shi to help entertain him properly.

Jiang Shi looked very obedient, “Okay, Mom, I’ll make sure little Han feels right at home.”

Just as Jiang Yan had a mouthful of soup, she accidentally choked and started coughing.

Han Yiyuan hurriedly assisted her in catching her breath.

This scene fell into Jiang’s mother’s eyes, undoubtedly satisfying her.

In a cheerful mood, the conversation veered off course, “By the way, Little Han, you and Yiyuan are probably around the same age, right? Do you have a partner?”

Han Yuze, just as compliant as Jiang Shi, said, “Yes, Auntie. But we’re still in the process of getting to know each other. I need to confirm if the other person really likes me before visiting the uncles and aunts.”

Jiang’s mother looked very approving, “That’s right, it’s necessary to be careful about such things as meeting parents.”

Jiang Shi glanced quietly at Han Yuze, continuing to eat silently.

Jiang’s mother liked Han Yiyuan and seemingly extended that approval to Han Yuze as well. After chatting for a while, noticing that Jiang Shi hadn’t said a word, she poked him, “Young people should seize opportunities wisely. If Ah Shi could be as thoughtful as you guys, it would be great, sigh.”

Jiang Shi raised his head from his bowl, “Why drag me into this again?”

Jiang’s mother said, “Ah Yan’s matters have been settled. Next, of course, it’s your turn to worry about.”

Jiang Shi sighed silently.

Jiang’s mother continued, “You know, your dad and I used to wish we could see a collective wedding for both of you. But now, it seems like we’ll have to send you out one by one.”

Jiang Shi remained speechless.

Seeing that his mother was about to start chatting again, Jiang Shi rubbed his temples with a headache.

Glancing sideways, Jiang Shi happened to catch Han Yuze’s suppressed smile.

Pausing for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth, “Mom, a collective wedding isn’t entirely impossible.”

Indeed, the person who was laughing a moment ago suddenly froze.

Equally astonished was Jiang’s mother, who pondered for a moment before catching the implication in Jiang Shi’s words. “What do you mean? Are you in a relationship too?”

“Yeah, I am.” Jiang Shi suddenly felt good about being so honest, feeling Han Yuze’s gaze and speaking more cheerfully, “We’re still getting to know each other. We haven’t reached the stage of informing my sister yet. Once things are confirmed and satisfactory, we’ll bring him back to meet you and Dad.”

Jiang’s mother pondered and remarked, “This sounds familiar. Where have I heard this before?”

Jiang Shi nodded, “Exactly, it does sound familiar.”

Han Yuze remained silent.

With the sudden knowledge of Jiang Shi also being in a relationship, Jiang’s mother’s mood improved, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became livelier.

After dinner, she pulled Han Yiyuan into the living room, leaving Jiang Yan to continue accompanying him. This finally gave the other two a chance.

Jiang Shi smoothly used the excuse of taking Han Yuze around the vicinity to leave the scene of the commotion.

“I think I did the right thing this time. With my cousin paving the way for me, I should be able to perform well next time.” Han Yuze was reminiscing about the scene at the dinner table. He truly felt that meeting parents was a significant test of human character. To maintain such composure in such a significant situation, like Han Yiyuan did, required strong psychological endurance.

“I believe even without Han Yiyuan setting an example, you’d do well.” Jiang Shi said, “I trust your acting skills.”

“Thank you for the praise.” Han Yuze never rejected such ‘acknowledgment.’ But at this point, he finally found an opportunity to settle the score, “So, you chose to blurt it out suddenly?”

“Then I didn’t expose you either.”

“Because Auntie hadn’t caught on yet.”

Han Yuze had something else to say but found that this guy wouldn’t acknowledge it in any way.

Seeing they’d reached a corner, he suddenly grabbed Jiang Shi’s wrist and led him in another direction, “Let’s forget about that for now. Come, I’ll take you somewhere.”

“Where are we going?” Jiang Shi asked.

Han Yuze took out his phone from his pocket, fiddled with it, then handed it to Jiang Shi with a smile.

During dinner, Jiang Shi had noticed Han Yuze discreetly using his phone. When he finally saw the map software showing the destination, he understood, “You were looking for a nearby internet café just now?”

Han Yuze chuckled, “Didn’t you mention wanting a special New Year’s gift?”

For a moment, Jiang Shi had forgotten about that conversation.

[Han Yuze: Speaking of the New Year, is there any special New Year’s gift you’d like?]

[Jiang Shi: Well, there actually is.]

[Han Yuze: What do you want?]

[Jiang Shi: I want to go to an internet café and play games for the New Year.]

After all, it was just casual banter.

When Han Yuze casually asked, Jiang Shi gave a casual answer without giving it much thought.

He never expected this man to actually make the effort to come all the way to his hometown and specifically look for an internet café nearby.

Taking a casual remark to heart was indeed a very romantic and touching thing, yet somehow, it was also a bit absurd.

Who would travel so far during the New Year just to take someone to an internet café?

It was rare for Jiang Shi to be left speechless.

“So, are you coming?” Han Yuze asked after half a second of consideration.

After a brief thought, Jiang Shi replied, “I’ll go.”

It had been a while since he’d visited the Genesis, and he did indeed miss it.

---

[PoisonedMilk: Come on, guys, the adjustment for the Rune Stone’s new effect is done. Anyone up for a dungeon run?]

[PoisonedMilk: Limited spots, first come, first served.]

[Deep Well Ice Player: Very busy, if you need something, find someone else, please. Thanks for not disturbing.]

[Gentleman Fan: Just received a few tasks. I’ll find you after I’m done.]

[Scavenger: It’s been a while since I did parkour. Need to practice, maybe some other time.]

[Serious Young Man: Um, Master… I might need to log off to work on my thesis.]

[What Pen Carries Fragrance: I strained my waist when I went out earlier. Probably won’t be able to engage in intense physical activity for a while.]

[Island Forest: I’m really sorry, dear, I have some matters to attend to. If you don’t mind, can you wait for a bit? It’s a bit regrettable. It’s hard to say when I’ll be free. You understand what I mean, right, dear?]

Finally, Green Fanatic timidly spoke up, with an expression of sacrificing oneself for a gentleman.

[Green Fanatic: Brother, how about I go then!]

[PoisonedMilk: … Never mind, no need.]

Someone’s uncontrollable laughter echoed in Jiang Shi’s ears. He closed the group chat messages, raised an eyebrow, and looked around. “Is it funny?”

Han Yuze cleared his throat, “It’s, um, okay.”

Jiang Shi lifted his long legs to kick someone away, glanced at the sky, and finally sighed silently.

He didn’t understand why. When he called them to test the new Rune Stone effects some time ago, they were all quite enthusiastic. But after a few sessions, it turned into what it is now—everyone making excuses as soon as he called.

Why is that? Was his Rune Stone effect not impressive enough, or was the testing process not stimulating enough?

Seeing Jiang Shi lost in thought while stroking his chin, Han Yuze couldn’t hide a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Stop thinking about it. Have you figured out how to arrange things for next week?”

“Next week?” Jiang Shi’s brow furrowed naturally. “I’ll probably be off for a while. Definitely won’t be able to participate in the holiday events.”

“Going back home?” Han Yuze asked.

“Yeah.” Jiang Shi nodded. “And because of what happened back then, with so many eyes watching at home, even if Jiang Yan intends to give me special access, it probably won’t be convenient to sneak out and log in.”

Time seemed to have passed quite quickly. Unconsciously, it was already the time for the New Year. Although holographic games like <Genesis> were bound to have large-scale events during that time, considering the need to go home for the holidays and the psychological endurance of his parents, the filial Jiang Shi had to reluctantly cut himself off and pretend to be obedient.

He was sure that he would have to be away for a while. He casually asked Han Yuze, “How about you?”

Han Yuze replied, “If you’re not going to be online, then neither will I.”

Jiang Shi looked up. “Your family doesn’t restrict your internet use, right?”

“No restrictions, but since you won’t be around, I might as well take the opportunity to rest a bit,” Han Yuze said.

Jiang Shi nodded. “Alright, see you after the New Year.”

“After the New Year?” For some reason, when Han Yuze said those three words, there was an indescribable subtlety in his expression. After stretching the last syllable a bit, he didn’t say anything else, tactfully changing the subject. “Speaking of the New Year, is there any special gift you’d like?”

Jiang Shi replied, “There is.”

“What do you want?” Han Yuze asked.

Jiang Shi said, “I want to go to an internet café and play games for the New Year.”

Han Yuze: “…”

If there hadn’t been much feeling a while ago, as the New Year approached, signs of the Spring Festival began to show up sporadically in the game.

The most obvious was that every now and then, someone would come over and entrust a few words, mostly farewells before the New Year.

It was evident that whether they were internet addicts or internet aficionados, there was a high probability that they would pretend during the time they went home.

Jiang Shi was a very typical example.

“Are you sure you’re only taking these things?” When Jiang Yan saw Jiang Shi with just a small backpack behind him while carrying several large suitcases downstairs, she looked surprised, “Aren’t you taking more stuff for vacation?”

“We’re going home, not on vacation,” Jiang Shi waved his hand, “Let’s go, let’s get going.”

The two didn’t choose to drive, instead, they called a taxi straight to the airport.

It had also been a long time since Jiang Yan had been home, and it was evident that she was in a good mood. She teased Jiang Shi a few times, “Are you sure you won’t ask to transport the virtual cabin back? We’ll be at home for at least ten days to half a month. Can you really endure it?”

“I can endure it,” Jiang Shi answered and didn’t forget to tease Jiang Yan, “But what about you? If you can’t endure it, I can reluctantly accompany you to find a nearby internet cafe.”

Jiang Yan snorted, “What can’t I endure? Do you think I’m as free as you?”

Jiang Shi asked, “It’s the New Year, what are you busy with?”

“You know it’s the New Year. It’s a great opportunity since everyone is around. Of course, I’m busy introducing my boyfriend to my parents,” Jiang Yan said with a brilliant smile as she drifted into daydreaming, “After a few days, when Yiyuan comes to find me, I’ll take him to visit relatives and such. It’ll take at least ten days to half a month.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Han Yiyuan and Jiang Yan had always had a stable relationship. Not too long ago, they often strolled together in the <Genesis> continent. According to this pace of development, entering the phase of meeting the parents wasn’t surprising at all.

It was perfectly fine to meet the parents for the first time during the New Year. However, from what Jiang Yan implied, it seemed that it wasn’t just the parents they were planning to meet.

Thinking about all those aunts and uncles at home, Jiang Shi remained silent and silently lit a candle in his heart for Han Yiyuan.

Indeed, he was a man destined to become his future brother-in-law.

All he could say was, “Hard work, indeed.”

Jiang Shi had been abroad for medical treatment for several years, and after returning to the country, he stayed with Jiang Yan for observation. Now that he finally returned home, his top priority was naturally to spend more time with his parents.

He was very obedient, busying himself with buying New Year’s goods. Unconsciously, time passed by.

As the new year arrived, the whole family gathered to have the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Jiang Yan hadn’t mentioned it before, but at this moment, she brought up the topic of Han Yiyuan’s plan to visit for the New Year, directly igniting the atmosphere at the dining table.

Jiang’s mother, very enthusiastically, asked around while holding onto Jiang Yan, before finally remembering Jiang Shi. “Speaking of which, Ah Shi, you are not much younger than Ah Yan. When will you have news? Your brother-in-law is going to visit the day after tomorrow. If you can hurry up, maybe we’ll have a double joy.”

Jiang Yan suppressed her laughter, “Mom, actually…”

Jiang Shi knew what his older sister was going to say and calmly interrupted, “Mom, I need to take a call first.”

With that said, he immediately got up and bolted away.

Jiang’s mother found it amusing, “Look at him, as soon as I mentioned it, he ran away!”

Jiang Yan comforted her with a smile, “Don’t worry, Mom. These things happen when they are meant to happen. Maybe we’ll really have a double joy the day after tomorrow…”

Jiang Shi slipped away fast and didn’t hear the rest of the conversation.

But his excuse wasn’t just made up; he did have a phone call.

After closing the gate in the yard, isolating himself from the hustle inside, he leisurely put his phone to his ear and leaned against the wall with one hand in his pocket. “Hello?”

The other end was evidently lively too, with Han Yuze’s voice amidst the noise. “What are you busy with?”

“Eating New Year’s Eve dinner,” Jiang Shi glanced back at the closed gate and asked, “What about you?”

“I just finished eating,” Han Yuze said, suddenly laughing, “I was just being asked about my cousin’s relationship progress, and they managed to rope me into the conversation as well.”

Jiang Shi empathized, “What a coincidence, same here.”

After that, both sides fell into a brief silence.

After a while, Han Yuze, with a smiling tone, spoke again, “Since it’s such a coincidence, how about finding an opportunity to solve it together?”

Jiang Shi raised an eyebrow, “Are you in a hurry?”

“Not particularly.”

Originally, Han Yuze had given a decent response, but evidently couldn’t resist and added after a pause, “If there’s an urgency, do you have any good solutions?”

Jiang Shi knew this person had thick skin, but he really didn’t expect it to go this far. He jokingly said, “Then, why not handle it with your cousin the day after tomorrow?”

Han Yuze thought about it, “That might work.”

Seeing that this person was actually considering it, Jiang Shi couldn’t help but scoff, “Have some dignity.”

As it turned out, having dignity was something that was impossible for Han Yuze.

That night, after a brief chat, both returned home to continue the New Year’s dinner with their families.

Busy with the festivities, it wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that the lively and tiring atmosphere of the New Year’s Eve finally passed under the backdrop of the outside fireworks.

After exchanging “Happy New Year” wishes, Jiang Shi and Han Yuze climbed into bed.

At this moment, both had long forgotten the conversation they had after the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Jiang Shi never expected that two days later, when accompanying Jiang Yan to pick up Han Yiyuan, he would see that overly familiar figure beside his future brother-in-law.

Han Yuze: “Surprise~!”

Jiang Shi: “…”

---