In the preparation area of the Super Shadow Squad, everyone had already arrived. They were all uniquely dressed, each with their own personalized character.

Aside from the immersive experience and the richer display of information thanks to the use of smart glasses, the gameplay and design were almost identical to the battle royale games Ethan Brooks had played in his previous life. Even the core principles behind adjusting the game settings were nearly the same. Perhaps this was what people called the inevitability of time and space.

Henry Cooper was a Black guy with an afro, using the nickname "Sky Star." Andrew Miller's character was a girl, but when he spoke, his voice was rough. "It's about time, we need to get ready to start! The Demon Claw team is all here too. Oh, they're requesting communication, I'll patch them in..."

Everyone perked up their ears and heard a voice join their channel, "Is Ding Mei there? Ding Mei, are you there?"

The voice was effeminate and a bit sleazy, with a mocking tone that made people uncomfortable.

At this moment, in the squad's preparation area, a character sitting on the roof of an abandoned car—her in-game avatar a cute bunny-eared girl with the nickname "Ding Mei Nanbo Maru"—Sophia Dean's voice came through, "Speak."

Whoosh!

On the other side, the opposing team erupted in a flurry of excited whispers. What a nice voice! So cool!

Clearly, everyone on the other side was listening intently.

"Ding Mei is here... Hello, hello, I've heard so much about you. I'm the captain of Demon Claw, 'Screw Paste'..."

Sophia Dean adjusted her headset with one hand, her hair falling over her ear, tilting her head with a queenly air as people say nowadays, and said, "What is it?"

The captain, who had been pushed forward by his teammates to talk to her, seemed to have been egged on enough to go all out. He took a deep breath, thinking, "If I don't go to hell, who will?" "Ding Mei, listen up—I'm saying this on behalf of our team, not my own idea... Ahem, our Demon Claw Squad is going to make sure you get 'eaten chicken' in front of us today! Just wait until we conquer you!"

As soon as he finished, he decisively cut the connection.

Boom! The Super Shadow Squad collectively exploded in anger.

Hearing the furious voices defending their goddess, including his best friend Henry Cooper, Ethan Brooks felt a bit dazed. Even though he was in a different time and space, at heart he was still an older guy, and it felt like he was suddenly back in those ivory tower days.

There were teammates as silly as pigs, and girls worth fighting for.

...

"Today we have to win! We have to let Ding Mei taste what it feels like to be conquered!" On the Demon Claw side, the captain "Screw Paste" Matthew Scott was hyping up his team in their own channel, and his teammates were fired up.

Some licked their dry lips, the whole team in a frenzy, and their hand speed—honed by years of being single—seemed to get even faster under the captain's buff.

They were already a strong team, and crushing their opponents was always a thrill. Not to mention, today's opponent was Sophia Dean, which made their blood boil even more.

Rumor had it that Sophia Dean was the number one beauty at Qingda Finance College, that she was both talented and well-rounded, with a wide range of interests. It was said that she had enough suitors to fill several soccer teams, and there were even stories of legendary upperclassmen who had graduated, started businesses, and returned in luxury cars with flowers to pursue her, but she remained unmoved.

To interact with her in-game, let alone possibly defeat and conquer her, you could imagine how much this team was running on a rush of hormones.

In the Super Shadow Squad's preparation area, everyone was also trash-talking the Demon Claw team without holding back.

Sophia Dean watched the other team shout and then immediately run away, frowned, and said, "Childish!"

Everyone who saw her expression silently mourned for three minutes for the Demon Claw captain, who probably just wanted to get her attention.

Because it was just like a bunch of little boys desperately trying to impress a pretty girl, only to end up looking clumsy and ridiculous in her eyes.

Sophia Dean sat in an ergonomic chair. Although she didn't respond directly to Demon Claw's provocation, that didn't mean she wouldn't fight back. She knew very well that if she wanted to strike back at Demon Claw, she'd have to do it with skill.

As the countdown to the match began, she pressed the talk button and issued orders to the channel, "The opponents are strong, don't let your guard down... All groups, coordinate closely and adjust according to the established tactical plan."

No one on the team doubted Sophia Dean's tactical and strategic judgment. The Super Shadow Squad wasn't a top-tier team, but making it this far was thanks to Sophia Dean's calm and composed command and brilliant tactical planning every time. You could say they relied entirely on adaptive tactics and Sophia Dean's unconventional thinking to make up for their technical shortcomings.

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Vote for me~ The contract status might go live this afternoon

Chapter 8: The Bet (Part 2)

The match was about to begin. Around the internet café's team area, quite a few students from the nearby university town had gathered, watching the screens. On the Red Line Squad's side, everyone was already enveloped in the tense atmosphere of an official match.