Chapter 71 - -

Chapter 71: Chapter 70 - "Come up, Su Ming’anLv Shu, Eni, Hubert, Mizushima Kawa Sora, Avril, Alauddin... People of various nationalities and skin colors stood together on the same stage, dressed in different occupational equipment. Metal-jointed battle armor, modern-looking mechs, and magic robes embroidered with mysterious patterns... Since this was the first self-organized gathering of players since entering the game world and it was held in the territory of the top players’ First Guild, the event looked incredibly formal.

Yu Ruohuo knew they were the strongest players, but she was constantly looking for one particular figure.

...Just three hours ago, the presidency of the Lighthouse Guild had suddenly been transferred to that person by Lv Shu.

And just two hours before that, third-ranked Mizushima Kawa Sora seemed to have had a fierce argument with that person, even issuing a challenge letter that shocked the world.

Everyone was paying attention to this incident, everyone was waiting for his response... but there was none.

He seemed to have abruptly disappeared, with no activity at all, his post count remaining a mere zero.

"—Welcome to the First Guild, and thank you all for coming here,"

The first to speak was Eni. Although he had been defeated by Su Ming’an in the First World, after the trials of the Second World, he had regained people’s trust. As the vice president of the guild, there was no issue with him giving the speech:

"—The World game, which disrupted all of human planning, has passed through two worlds. It cannot be denied that it was a disaster, but it was also an opportunity for humanity to glimpse the unknown future and break through personal limits..."

His words were official, yet his tone was confident, carrying a unique orator’s charisma. After all, being a former heir to a Fortune 500 company, public speaking was naturally no problem for him.

Many players below had already started livestreaming; internal speeches of the First Guild were naturally still very much in the focus of other players.

Yu Ruohuo, who had interacted with Su Ming’an for not a short amount of time, was exceptionally recruited by the Lighthouse Guild even if she didn’t meet the strength criteria. She was livestreaming and recording Eni’s speech while responding to the viewers.

The players seemed to have been holding back for a long time, fully venting their frustrations, and now the World forums are inundated with such tidal conversations. The Lighthouse faction and opposition were bickering ferociously, with Mizushima Kawa’s post as the battlefield, turning the forum into a smoggy chaos.

Some said it would be better if there weren’t players like Su Ming’an, otherwise the World forums wouldn’t be constantly arguing over him, with every topic opened daily being about his controversies, nearly turning the forums into a "Ming’an Forum", which was just headache-inducing to look at.

Some said players with such strangely aligned morals and characters like Su Ming’an should not receive so much support; such players were too ruthless, only twisting the spiritual wills of those who followed him.

Some even believed that Su Ming’an was an undercover agent sent by the game organizers, as his foresight and predictive-like mind often puzzled people, as if he knew in advance all the developments of the instances.

Yu Ruohuo silently listened to Eni’s official and impassioned speech on stage, watching the forum posts and floating comments, unsure of what to say.

In fact, she should be considered the first player to have contact with Su Ming’an. It was because of this connection that her livestream had far more popularity than other ordinary players, with people often coming over to ask her what the original Su Ming’an was like, which she patiently described.

"He actually started out... quite gentle."

Seeing the comments starting to argue again, she continued, "I was with him from the beginning. He turned on the lights in a lab, helping me get out of danger, and even gave me a flashlight, not at all afraid that I might turn on him... In the end, he also protected me throughout the Apocalypse instance until its end. I taught him how to shoot, and he really just seemed like a student. He actually, actually..."

But then she couldn’t continue.

...It was indeed very normal at the beginning.

But when she saw his behavior afterward, she found that he had changed at some point.

It was as if he carried so much on his shoulders, burdening him until he gradually became more reticent; or as if he had gathered too many eyes on him, preventing him from freely expressing his thoughts.

...What exactly changed him?

It seemed that ever since Yuanyuan’s death, he had changed.

No... perhaps even earlier than that...

After Eni’s speech ended, Eni seemed to want Lv Shu to say a few words. When he turned around, he found that Lv Shu had already slipped away to the edge of the stage.

"I will say a few words." Mizushima Kawa Sora took over the microphone.

Eni originally didn’t want her to speak, thinking the current setting of the First Guild’s first speech wasn’t appropriate for her to express forum-like inflammatory remarks, but considering the duel was about to start, he let her be.

"Mind your words," Eni whispered.

"Check, check." Mizushima Kawa Sora tapped the microphone, tested the sound, and then facing the tangible gazes of over ten thousand people and countless more through the live stream, straightened her back.

"...I believe that as a strongest person... or at least as seen by everyone as the strongest, the one granted the title of Number One Player, need not act with utmost justice and propriety, but should at least be stable, safe," she slowly said, her voice flowing delightfully yet her diction clear and bright, standing unflinchingly on the stage, "I’ve already stated everything on the forum, so no need to repeat here. I want to defeat him before the eyes of millions, to prove that he is not fit to be seen as the Number One Player by everyone—come on up, Su Ming’an."