Chapter 3 – The Werewolf Shadow Emerges; the Wise Shall Reign
"I've always treated Wei Gou pretty well, and the one time I turn him down he betrays the team and runs straight to Gun Shoots Like Dragon…"
Huang Manmiao wanted nothing more than to storm into the Gun Shoots Like Dragon booth and make Wei Gou taste her child-ending kick.
But she still had her senses, so she only darkened her face; the players around her could feel the pressure in the air and none dared say a word.
They were terrified of provoking the Witch Coach.
Cornered like this, even the mighty Huang Manmiao was powerless for the moment.
She had to pick a general from among the shortest of the bench players.
And the tallest of them was naturally Wang Changsheng.
Yet she held little hope that Wang Changsheng could earn the team any points.
He was just a reserve.
Nothing outstanding about him in daily play.
If she didn't need to fill the roster she wouldn't even let him on stage.
"No choice, it'll have to do for now…" Huang Manmiao sighed, her red lips bright.
Competition Hall.
Team Gun Shoots Like Dragon booth.
Coach Chen Gang burst out laughing when he heard the Commentator.
"That stupid woman Huang Manmiao must be out of tricks—she's actually sending in a sub. Still dreaming of a last stand?"
Behind Chen Gang, a narrow-eyed man with a small mustache sneered, venom in his gaze: "I spent big money to poach Wei Gou from her team. Let's see how she reaches the national finals now!"
"Rest easy, Mr. Yamashita. That fox won't make waves again. With our Black Dragon on the field, we'll take a huge lead." Chen Gang tore his eyes from the screen and fawned over the short man behind him.
Black Dragon was their ace.
He'd shone in every major tournament in past years.
This time Hand Over Ideology's ace had been poached.
They'd barely found someone to fill the gap.
Now they'd also lost a core player, forcing a reserve to play.
So Chen Gang and the mustached man were convinced.
As long as their players didn't lose their minds, victory was guaranteed!
"Alright, dear viewers, welcome to the WPL 2023 national Werewolf stage!"
"Forty-eight teams entered, but only twenty-four can advance! One spot remains—"
"Who will reach the national finals? Let's wait and see!"
"All contestants are in position, dear audience."
"The wolf shadow emerges; the wise shall reign!"
"Night falls; please close your eyes!"
The instant the Commentator finished speaking.
The entire arena plunged into darkness.
The huge cube-shaped central screen lit up with Radiance.
Twelve silhouettes appeared around a vast round table.
Their roles appeared one by one on either side of the screen.
These twelve came from twelve different teams.
None had played in the earlier rounds.
This final match.
Would decide their last scores.
And Hand Over Thoughts, Wang Changsheng's team, sat just behind Gun Shoots Like Dragon.
If they failed to score now they'd be pushed out of the top twenty-four!
Wang Changsheng was again in Player 7's Seat.
He looked around.
The game hadn't started; everyone was normal, no one had turned into a shadow yet.
In this virtual space.
Eliminated players would become black shadows, watching the whole match with a Gods Eye View.
Only when the match ended could they leave their pods together.
"Why are there so many pretty girls this round?"
Wang Changsheng noticed several girls among the twelve; two sat right beside him.
On his left: Player 8, a curvy beauty in red miniskirt with long legs crossed.
On his right: Player 6, a Cute Girl with fair skin and sparkling teeth.
Wang Changsheng was sandwiched between them.
Like a roujiamo.
Feeling awkward, he glanced sideways—and locked eyes with a burly man.
The man's gaze was sinister and fierce, staring him down.
He had a sharp, jutting chin that looked lethal—clearly no Good Guy.
Wang Changsheng checked the number on his chest.
Player 3.
"Gun Shoots Like Dragon's ace? They saved him just to deal with me?" Wang Changsheng chuckled inwardly.
He met the vicious stare without concern.
Using an ace against a reserve?
Gun Shoots Like Dragon sure had face.
"Let's see who gets knocked out this time." Wang Changsheng smiled and mouthed.
Bullshit.
At the provocation.
The sharp-chinned bruiser clenched his fists, fury and killing intent flooding his eyes.
But he restrained himself, sneered, and slashed a finger across his throat.
A clear threat.
Wang Changsheng merely curled his lip, ignored him, and calmly looked away.
Ignored like that.
The bruiser felt as if he'd punched cotton—furious.
But no matter what he did Wang Changsheng wouldn't respond, even lowering his head as if studying his own legs.
Here.
Each player's score depended entirely on speeches and plays.
That was the main factor.
Thus in-game faction points mattered less.
Whether Werewolf or Good Guy, as long as your actions helped your side you could gain points.
Conversely, poor speeches or votes would deduct points.
For example, if you were a Good Guy, wrongly accused a fellow Good Guy, and voted for them, you'd lose big.
If only your speech was off but your vote redeemed it, points would adjust case by case.
This scoring meant that although twelve players came from twelve teams, each had to do their utmost for their faction.
Otherwise point loss would make life feel very heavy after the match.
"Beep."
Once all twelve were seated.
A screen appeared at the center of the table.
The board for this match displayed itself to everyone.
The familiar magnetic voice returned, explaining the setup to contestants and viewers alike.