Su Mucheng's Fate  

Ye Qiu read the words and immediately felt a sense of familiarity. The only person who could say such things was likely Liu Hao. But why was Liu Hao using a Berserker instead of a Magic Swordsman?

"Liu Hao!" Ye Qiu called out.

Liu Hao didn't respond.

"So your name is Liu Hao!" Steamed Bun Invasion excitedly charged forward like a hunting dog.

Tang Rou's emotions surged the moment she heard the name. She hadn't forgotten her purpose in playing Glory—to defeat Liu Hao fair and square and prove herself.

Cold Smoke Rou brandished her battle spear and charged in again.

Solo matches are meant to be one-on-one duels, but Steamed Bun and Tang Rou teamed up two against one, and yet Liu Hao didn't find it improper.

"It seems I'll have to kill you two first if I want to solo the legendary unspecialised player," Liu Hao sighed.

With a flick of his wrist, Sun Zheping's Berserker style kicked in. In just an instant of confrontation, Soft Mist and Steamed Bun Invasion's defences were broken, and they were sent flying as if a baseball bat hit them.

Steamed Bun wanted to get up and fight again, but Tang Rou stopped him. "Stop."

"What's wrong?" Steamed Bun was confused. It was rare to encounter such a powerful opponent, and he was getting into the fight.

Tang Rou shook her head. "The gap in skill is too large. We can't win."

Yes, Tang Rou conceded. After being taught by Ye Qiu, she realised that there are always stronger people in Glory. In these past few days of learning, she had only grasped the basics of a Battle Mage. In front of a true expert, she was like a child playing with a rattle.

"To him, our moves must look like we're just being cute," Tang Rou said.

"Being cute?" Liu Hao laughed. This girl really knew how to describe it, and she was pretty accurate. Steamed Bun's actions were silly, and Tang Rou's were indeed just cute.

Ye Qiu couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Don't say that. I was planning on teaming up with you two for a three-on-one. This is a rare chance for revenge."

"Revenge? Boss, do you have a grudge against Liu Hao?" Steamed Bun smelled gossip.

"Yeah, he's screwed me over many times," Ye Qiu said.

"Then let's go at him together!" Steamed Bun said excitedly. "Finally, I get to fight alongside the boss again."

Seeing that Ye Qiu was about to join, Tang Rou's defeated spirit was revitalised. Ye Qiu gave her some confidence.

Seeing the three of them about to attack together, Liu Hao felt troubled. Although Tang Rou and Steamed Bun weren't skilled, Ye Qiu was difficult to deal with. He couldn't beat Ye Qiu's Battle Mage before, and now he had to face an even stronger unspecialised character, all while being distracted by Steamed Bun Invasion and Soft Mist.

"Liu Hao, aren't you supposed to be a master strategist?" Ye Qiu smiled. "So why did you come to solo me all by yourself?"

Liu Hao wasn't flustered and smiled back. "Ye Qiu, don't think you've got me figured out. Aren't you afraid I'll expose your identity?"

Ye Qiu frowned. He had forgotten about that.

"What do you want?" Ye Qiu still didn't want his identity exposed, as it would lead to a lot of trouble.

"Come to the arena and solo me," Liu Hao said.

"No problem. If I win, you can't let anyone from Excellent Era bother me while I'm levelling up," Ye Qiu said.

But Liu Hao shook his head. "That sounds reasonable, but why do you get to set the terms? The initiative is with me, isn't it?"

Ye Qiu thought to himself, as expected, Liu Hao wasn't easy to fool. If it were Blue River, he probably would have agreed straight away.

"So what do you want?" Ye Qiu asked.

"It's simple. If you win, I'll at most promise not to reveal your real identity," Liu Hao said.

"How can I trust you? What if you don't keep your word and go back on it?" Ye Qiu asked.

"You have no choice but to trust me!" Liu Hao said calmly.

Steamed Bun, hearing this, blurted out, "How can this guy be so bad? In the places I frequent, people like him would have been beaten up long ago."

Ye Qiu chuckled, "He won't get beaten up. He's a good fighter and even better at scheming. Those who want to hit him might not even get the chance before they're played for fools."

Tang Rou pondered for a moment and then said, "We can actually agree to his terms."

Ye Qiu was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "You don't know him well, right? Why do you trust that Liu Hao will keep his promise?"

"I don't know him well," Tang Rou said. "But my intuition tells me that Liu Hao doesn't really want to expose your identity. He's just threatening you."

Ye Qiu thought for a moment. It seemed true. If Liu Hao had exposed his identity, Ye Qiu would have been thrust into the public eye, and everything that had happened to him at Excellent Era might have come to light, causing a PR crisis for the team.

Wait! PR crisis! At that moment, Ye Qiu suddenly understood. No wonder Chen Guo, despite being Liu Hao's girlfriend, didn't know about his identity. Could it be that this was all part of a grand plan?

To deal with whom? Me? Or… Tao Xuan?

"Alright!" Ye Qiu agreed directly.

Liu Hao smiled slightly. "I'm not done yet. If I win, then after her contract ends, Su Mucheng will stay with Excellent Era. She's a perfect partner, and it would be a waste for her to stay with you."

Ye Qiu frowned. Although he was confident he would win, he didn't dare gamble with Su Mucheng's future, nor could he.

"No way! Mucheng is an independent person. She can decide her future."

"She listens to you the most. If you tell her to go east, she won't go west. She was going to breach her contract, but with just one word from you, she stayed with the Excellent Era she hated," Liu Hao said.

"No way! Pick something else!"

"Alright, alright. The truth is, I have my ways of keeping Su Mucheng with Excellent Era," Liu Hao said with a smile.

"Whatever you do, as long as you don't use underhanded tricks to force her, I'll support her decision, whether she wants to stay with Excellent Era or not."

"Well said!" Liu Hao applauded. "Then let's go. The arena, a showdown between Excellent Era's former captain and its current opponent!"

"You're just a vice-captain, but with the captain's authority and even more power than the captain!"

...

When they entered the arena, they chose a ring map. A straightforward solo match didn't need a complex map for tactical manoeuvres.

As soon as the match started, Liu Hao controlled Hateful Sword to charge forward, swinging his heavy sword.

Seeing Liu Hao's opening move as just a basic attack, Ye Qiu decided to use the Shield Blind tactic. The Thousand Chance Umbrella opened with a "swish," creating a silver shield in front of him.

Although Lord Grim's outfit was ugly, the Myriad Manifestations Umbrella in his hand was incredibly cool. It was a true masterpiece by Su Muqiu. Its aesthetics far surpassed Ye Qiu's!

Liu Hao revealed a smug smile.

With a "bang," the heavy sword struck the umbrella.

"Did it bounce off?" Steamed Bun asked.

Tang Rou nodded. "It bounced off, but it wasn't the heavy sword that was deflected. It was Lord Grim's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella!"

(End of Chapter)