The moment the system's mechanical voice announced the end of the match, Wang Shun collapsed backward, leaning on the back of his chair. Liu Jiayi's tightly pursed lips inadvertently curved upward. Mu Ke let out a sigh of relief, and Tang Erda's shoulders, which had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed.
Reverse God smiled as he looked toward the exit next to the big screen, as did Spades, who stared at the same spot without blinking.
Everything seemed to play in slow motion.
Bai Liu logged out beside the big screen. He wasn't anxious at all, even lowering his head to straighten his shirt.
Immediately after, Mu Sicheng logged out behind Bai Liu. He was slightly injured, swearing at Bai Liu, seemingly criticizing him for exploiting him so immorally in the game. But upon a closer look, the tips of Mu Sicheng's brows and the corners of his eyes carried an unruly smile, as if he didn't really mind everything that happened.
Because they won.
The curses and cheers from the audience blended together, evenly matched, mixed with the panicked screams of the Fanatic Lambs team members:
"…The guild master died. What do we do?"
"Without a tactician, how do we fight the team battle?!"
Bai Liu tidied his clothes, straightening every fold, before finally raising his face. The frenzied screams and whistles from the audience instantly faded away, and everyone's gaze shifted to Bai Liu, who had just lifted his head.
After such an uninhibited, thrilling, and intense match, it was typical for the tactician of the winning side to step forward and deliver some closing remarks, often to belittle the opponent and praise their own team. It served as a final stage of campaigning, aimed at absorbing the remaining points in the audience's hands and building momentum for the next match.
Bai Liu smiled and lifted his hand, then politely bowed, saluting the audience. "I hope my opponent and I have provided everyone with an enjoyable viewing experience."
After saying that, Bai Liu smiled before stepping down, not even lingering. It seemed that he didn't think this victory was worth wasting more words on.
He didn't belittle his opponent, and also didn't praise himself. There was no lengthy speech on his victory or hardships. Bai Liu treated it as nothing big, brushing off the victory lightly as if he had just casually won it.
This restrained yet graceful victory posture truly showed the demeanor of a strong person.
Especially when this kind of demeanor appears in a rookie tactician facing a professional guild for the first time, its appeal to the audience multiplied exponentially.
After a brief silence, the noisy shouts of the Fanatic Lambs supporters who had lost points gradually quieted down, leaving only faint murmurs of excited discussion.
The topic of discussion was obviously focused on just one person.
"…Bai Liu…"
"I'm preparing to place half of my saved points on Wandering Circus…"
"It feels like this tactician's momentum is so strong, even stronger than last year's Killer Sequence…"
"His lethality can't compare to last year's Spades, but his pressure and control skills don't feel like those of a rookie at all. As expected, that dark horse Charles spotted isn't someone to be underestimated…"
When Bai Liu returned to the Wandering Circus team, everyone instinctively stood up and handed him bandages.
Giving bandages to teammates returning from battle to tend to their wounds was a customary practice, just like handing a boxer a sip of water between rounds.
But generally speaking, just one bandage as a token was enough.
Bai Liu looked at the six bandages handed in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't seem to have gotten any injuries in the game?"
Mu Sicheng, who was beside him with blood on his face, quietly let out a "wow" as he looked at this scene. "…Six high-grade bandages—you truly have money. Why is no one handing me a bandage?"
Bai Liu casually received Mu Ke's bandage, handing it to Mu Sicheng and cordially thanking him. "You've worked hard."
Mu Sicheng took the bandage grumpily, his tone impatient, but a slight smile appeared on his face. "Forget it. Stop pretending to be nice in front of me. It'd be great if you don't screw me over in the next match."
Bai Liu candidly replied, "I'll try my best."
Wang Shun took back the bandage Bai Liu didn't take and looked over at Reverse God and Spades beside him, who also quietly took back their bandages. His face couldn't help but have a few question marks: ???
No, Bai Liu is our guild master. The four members of Wandering Circus handing over bandages is a given.
Why are you two members of Killer Sequence handing over bandages?!
Isn't that a bit too overly familiar?!
Reverse God, who had put away his bandage, wasn't awkward at all. With a smile, he reached out, trying to hook Bai Liu's shoulder. "Your performance was really good. Thanks to Guild Master Bai's brilliant performance, all of us spectators who placed bets on you have made a big profit."
"Really?" Bai Liu calmly pushed off Reverse God's outstretched hand and smiled, turning his head to look at him. "If you really want to thank me, why don't you give me half your earnings? We'll split 50-50. Next time there's a good money-making opportunity like this, should I still call you?"
Reverse God paused for a moment and said, "That's not necessary. No need to trouble Guild Master Bai too much."
"Can it really be called trouble?" Bai Liu instantly changed his attitude, patting Reverse God on the shoulder with a businesslike smile and shaking his hand. "What kind of relationship do we have? There's no need to be so polite."
"Haha, really?" Reverse God started laughing, feigning confusion as he scratched his head. "I actually didn't know Guild Master Bai had opened up to me this much. It's a bit overwhelming, but I'm flattered."
Bai Liu seemingly smiled and nodded. "Is that so? Otherwise, would Teacher Reverse God come all the way here to watch my match, bet tens of millions of points on me, and even give me a bandage?"
"My best friend doesn't even treat me this well. You agree, Teacher Reverse God?"
The two of them smiled and chatted without changing their expressions, but their words had already clashed four or five times, leaving the people nearby with their eyes wide and mouths gaping open.
Is this a battle between top tacticians?
The exchange ended with both sides stubbornly refusing to back down.
Liu Jiayi stepped forward and asked Bai Liu, her expression respectful. "Bai Liu, did Yang Zhi's skill not confuse your memories?"
"No." Bai Liu replied very quickly. "After I got back, I ran through my life in my mind, and just like before, it all connected."
"You know your memory has three overlaps…" Liu Jiayi had only spoken halfway through her sentence when she seemed to remember something. She quickly glanced at Reverse God out of the corner of her eye, paused for a moment, and then changed the subject. "First, compete—we can talk about it again after."
Bai Liu made an OK gesture.
"Currently, our competition points are at 4. This time, Fanatic Lambs' loss was rather big. Can't be sure if they'll take some desperate action and force a team match with us to make up for it. Is your condition still okay?" Tang Erda frowned and looked towards Bai Liu. He held Bai Liu's arm, almost picking him up, and inspected him from top to bottom. "Are there any hidden injuries?"
Spades stared at Tang Erda, who was holding Bai Liu's hand and refusing to let go. Beside him, Reverse God was all smiles, but his grip tightened as he firmly pinned down Spades, who was ready to charge forward. He lowered his voice in warning: "These people are Bai Liu's family. Behave well. Besides, you can see it too, can't you? Even if you go over right now, Bai Liu won't pay any attention to you."
"Oh." Spades slowly lowered his head. He shook the whip beside his shoe, his hand still holding the bandage that wasn't handed over. He sat down alone in the corner, saying nothing.
He understood the meaning of Reverse God's words. Just now, when Bai Liu logged out of the game, he intentionally ignored him and also didn't accept the bandage he gave…
It was also like this in the past. In the game pool, when Bai Liu ran into him, he wouldn't even glance at him.
Bai Liu glanced at Spades from the corner of his eyes and paused for a moment, almost imperceptibly, then looked toward Tang Erda: "No need to worry, that team match won't happen."
Tang Erda was stunned.
After Bai Liu said that, news of the Fanatic Lambs forfeiting the match was promptly announced by the system.
[System Notice: Fanatic Lambs has forfeited the competition.]
[System Notice: Wandering Circus vs Fanatic Lambs, Wandering Circus wins.]
"They won't bother me anymore." Bai Liu smiled as he turned around to look at the trembling Fanatic Lambs members on the opposite side. "All their points were used up in this match; they don't have any way to buy items to erase traces in reality."
Reverse God followed Bai Liu's line of sight toward the opposite side, his face carrying a smile, but his eyes were dark. "That means this group will soon have criminal records."
After the match is finished, the winners and losers are to shake hands at the center of the big screen.
The Fanatic Lambs' players were so scared in front of Bai Liu that they could barely stand straight. The horrific images of Kong Xuyang and Yang Zhi being tormented to death by Bai Liu kept replaying in their minds. Just thinking about what they had done to Bai Liu earlier made them tremble with fear, their faces deathly pale.
And not to mention, Bai Liu has now swallowed so many points that it would be effortless for him to do whatever he wants to them.
Bai Liu smiled as usual while shaking hands with the Fanatic Lambs' team members, chatting casually with them as they shook hands:
"Oh, I know you. Wang Shun just investigated you. There's a local police station a kilometer from your home. Just walk 17 minutes, and you'll reach it. Driving a motorcycle will speed it down to about a minute."
"There's a local police station 5 kilometers from your home…"
"Your home's location is not bad; there are three local police stations nearby. Which one do you like?"
After shaking hands, the Fanatic Lambs looked as if they'd been brutally beaten. Cold sweat drenched their faces, wanting to cry, but no tears fell. They stood frozen in place, too stunned to move.
Having worked with Kong Xuyang for so long, they already knew that what's more terrifying than what happens in the game is that their one and only refuge—the real world—has been completely exposed, with all their information laid bare.
No matter how crazy players get in the game world, it's always for someone or something in the real world that they rely on. Having their real identities exposed is terrifying. They know this well and relentlessly exploit this weakness to attack every opponent in the game.
Previously, they used [Paparazzi] on so many people; now it was tit for tat. Bai Liu used [Jack-of-All-Trades] against them in the same way.
It can only be called karma, and one is inevitably punished for their misdeeds.
After Bai Liu shook their hands, he still didn't walk away, instead amicably asking: "Where's your [Paparazzi] teammate? I want to get to know them and introduce them to a friend."
You can call this "getting to know"?!
The Fanatic Lambs members shouted in their hearts—You're deliberately seeking them out for revenge!
But even if that was the case, they didn't dare resist.
The player with the skill [Paparazzi] stepped out, trembling, and tripped right in front of Bai Liu, falling flat onto the ground. A wave of mocking laughter rippled through the audience. The [Paparazzi] was flushed with embarrassment but didn't dare to leave. Head lowered, he stood up and stayed in front of Bai Liu, speaking in a voice as faint as a mosquito's: "…G-Guild Master Bai, I'm Paparazzi."
Bai Liu unhurriedly looked him up and down for a moment. "Do you still have photos of the victims?"
Paparazzi hesitantly nodded. "…I have them."
"That's good." Bai Liu beamed. "Your home is near two local police stations. Bring the photos as evidence, and ride the motorcycles you used to commit crimes with. Unless you want to be tortured to death by me in the games, go turn yourself in."
The Fanatic Lambs members were stunned for a moment—at first overwhelmed with the joy of narrowly escaping death, but then they quickly realized something wasn't right.
"G-Guild Master Bai…" Paparazzi trembled with fear, cautiously asking, "We erased all the traces of our crimes in reality. Even if we hand in the evidence, we still can't turn ourselves in…"
"What does that have to do with me?" Bai Liu's face carried a smile, but his eyes were very cold. "I just want to see you suffer, that's all."
"If you erased everything, then find a way to restore it yourselves."
Bai Liu lifted his eyes and gave Paparazzi a glance. That one look nearly froze him in place. Then he heard Bai Liu softly whisper with a smile right by his ear: "Of course, if you can't restore them, I'm very willing to come torment you."
"We'll definitely think of a way to restore them!" Paparazzi was so frightened that he screamed, his hair standing up straight, retreating back a few steps from Bai Liu. He fearfully looked at Bai Liu and emphasized, "We will absolutely restore those traces and turn ourselves in!!"
Bai Liu withdrew his gaze, turned around, and gave a faint "mm" in response. "I'll wait and see."