The Demon Claw team is a strong regional team, long renowned in the internet cafes around the university town. In this era when esports has just been deregulated, everyone is highly enthusiastic about it. Whenever word gets out that members of the Demon Claw team are playing in a certain internet cafe, people flock there to watch, always sizing them up and judging. Whether or not they’re convinced, just this shift in attitude shows the reputation and status of the Demon Claw team.

In this tense atmosphere where the entire Shadow Squad was under pressure and silent, Kevin Miller spoke up again, his voice full of grumbling, “...Everyone knows we need to play well... But the key problem is with people like Ethan Brooks dragging us down. Our team’s overall strength just can’t rise, so even if we want to play well, there’s nothing we can do!”

You just won’t let it go, will you!

Henry Cooper couldn’t hold back anymore and turned on his mic, “Kevin Miller, that’s enough...”

“Am I not just stating the facts? Ethan Brooks really does suck... Out of Eric Harris and the others, which one is worse than him? At a crucial time like this, they should be the ones playing!” Kevin Miller started muttering again.

Finally, someone in the channel couldn’t help but say, “Everyone here made it through several elimination rounds. It’s not really appropriate to bring in outsiders at this point, is it?” This was aimed at Kevin Miller’s obvious attempt to form cliques and push his own people into the team. Plus, this tournament was officially organized, and there was prize money for the winners—even the second place got some, though not as much as the qualifying teams. Still, it was a reward for the team members who had been competing all along. If Kevin Miller tried to bring someone new in at the very last qualifying match, wasn’t that just picking the fruit of others’ labor? It wasn’t right.

With someone saying this, Kevin Miller got even more fired up. He didn’t care if it was reasonable or not; as long as he could argue, that was enough. Just as Kevin Miller was about to keep going, Ethan Brooks pressed the comms button and said, “Kevin Miller... enough already. I get it, you’re missing something... Daddy loves you.”

The channel fell dead silent.

That... was a lot to take in.

Andrew Miller couldn’t help but laugh. Since when did Ethan Brooks get such a sharp tongue? Sophia Dean glanced at Ethan Brooks, wanting to laugh but holding back because of her role as captain. She pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks, trying hard to stay serious.

Outside the red line, the crowd watching burst into laughter.

After a moment of shock, Kevin Miller was burning with rage, and this time he was tallying up both old and new grudges. He snapped, “Ethan Brooks! Didn’t you say you’d crush me before? Just now you knew the match was about to start so I couldn’t 1v1 you, so you brought it up on purpose? Heh, but you forgot, between the two of us, it’s not just about 1v1s. How about we make a bet? Let’s see who survives the longest in the upcoming survival match. If we’re betting, let’s make it big—one thousand. No, two thousand! Do you dare? Don’t say anything else, just answer: do you dare?”

Ethan Brooks pressed the comms and replied, “Then let’s bet three thousand! Do you... dare?”

Kevin Miller was already fired up. After being humiliated by Ethan Brooks several times—especially since Ethan Brooks was worse than him in every way—he couldn’t believe Ethan Brooks dared to talk back like this. He’d suggested a two-thousand-yuan bet because he’d already calculated Ethan Brooks’s share of the prize money. If their team won and he outlasted Ethan Brooks—which was almost certain—then Ethan Brooks’s prize money would go to him.

If they lost, it didn’t matter; he’d just get compensation from Ethan Brooks. The key was whether Ethan Brooks even had the money. He said, “What’s the point of just talking? Put the money up, or what if you don’t pay? Let’s put it on the credit platform—three thousand, right? I’ll transfer it right now... Do you have it? Show me the money!”

Ethan Brooks noticed that his e-wallet linked to the gaming platform only had a few hundred yuan left. That was all he had for living expenses. There was no way he had three thousand, and just as he was about to give up on scamming Kevin Miller, a message suddenly popped up: “Henry Cooper has transferred 3,000 yuan to you.”

Ethan Brooks saw the transfer notification from his mobile wallet, along with a message from Henry Cooper: “I’ll lend you my next semester’s tuition... After we parachute in, stick with me—I’ll protect you as much as possible!”

Ethan Brooks turned to look, and Henry Cooper mouthed, “Let’s get him!”

...

Ethan Brooks nodded and immediately transferred the money to the escrow platform. When the transaction was displayed on the public platform, showing that Ethan Brooks had put up the money, meaning whoever won would take it all, another wave of low murmurs and gasps swept through the room.

The spectators in the internet cafe found it more and more entertaining. A wager like this definitely made the match atmosphere even more intense. The team members saw that both of them were committed now. There had been people trying to talk them out of it, but it was no use—these two were dead set, and no one could stop them.

What else could be said? Just play, and let the results speak for themselves.

After transferring the money, Ethan Brooks didn’t say another word to Kevin Miller. He went back to finishing his game settings—zeroing his aim, adjusting mouse sensitivity, and setting all his character’s hotkeys to his preferred setup.

The game transitioned, and everyone’s characters appeared in the transport plane, ready to enter the battlefield.

Henry Cooper sent a private message to Ethan Brooks, “You’re in my E group. Parachute with me and grab the spot! Today’s going to be a tough fight! We have to secure the position first!”