Chapter 143: A Startling Flash of Lightning

The atmosphere at the competition venue was truly perilous and intensely gripping.

Fatty had lost his mind, firing his weapon in a reckless, sweeping barrage toward the staircase. At such close range and with such a massive spread of bullets, even closing one's eyes would have been enough to eliminate an opponent.

The audience sighed in waves, inevitably feeling a sense of disappointment. Their expectations for Yiran were simply too high. If he could pull off a comeback from this position, it would undoubtedly become a legendary tale in professional gaming. It was just a pity that the external circumstances refused to grant him such an opportunity.

Yet, the exact moment the spectators turned to speak with their companions, Li Xin suddenly moved.

The King of Games surged forward in an instant, darting out like a nimble cheetah. The heavy sniper rifle in his grip had already switched to a combat knife, gleaming coldly under the reflection of the muzzle flash. In reality, however, his attacking weapon was not a knife at all; through some mystical transformation, the weapon suddenly morphed into a five-foot-long spear.

Boom!

It struck dead center between Fatty's brows, achieving a powerful, instant kill.

The headshot notification vanished in a flash. Silence descended upon both the competition arena and the live-streaming channel of the Great Demon King Xiyou.

"How... how did he pull that off..." Duan Julong muttered in utter astonishment from the best VIP seat.

"I- I didn't see it clearly..." Shisui Shiyu's large eyes blinked, seemingly painting the picture of her shock.

Everyone was reacting the exact same way.

"Damn it! What the hell just happened?" Inside the gaming booth, Fatty rose furiously and slammed his mouse down. He could not fathom, no matter how hard he tried, how his opponent had managed to headshot him with a mere knife. What he understood even less was how his opponent had managed to dodge the torrential spray of AK47 bullets at such close quarters.

Out of more than half a magazine containing thirty-three rounds, not a single drop of health had been depleted.

Fatty only remembered that the very second they faced each other, the Guerrilla player Yiran had seemed blessed by divine light, suddenly transforming into a streak of pure radiance. It was merely game data, so how could the sensation have felt so startlingly real?

Could it be cheating?

No! Fatty quickly dismissed his own speculation. All the competition equipment was provided by the organizers, leaving absolutely no possibility for players to cheat beforehand.

Ignoring the burning, intense gazes of his four teammates and team leader Jiang Chuxue, Li Xin wore a satisfied smile and refocused entirely on the match. He picked up the AK dropped by Fatty, quickly topped off his ammunition, and turned back to sprint toward the Guerrillas' lair.

On the other side, Black Wind's captain L3 did not dare to lower his guard either. Pushing aside the bizarre manner of Fatty's death, he refocused on the match. Yet, undeniably, this incident had already cast a shadow over the hearts of both L3 and his teammate Kaikai.

Against such an enigmatic opponent, it was utterly impossible to guess his tactical mindset or predict when and where he might execute some bizarre maneuver.

Meanwhile, Song Lun had also snapped back to his senses, losing all interest in simply watching the game. Intuition told him that this Guerrilla player was going to win once again. Leaning his head back against the chair to rest for a moment, he glanced at his phone screen and was instantly startled.

"What the hell, when did so many viewers get here?" Song Lun's comedic, squeaking reaction cracked up the audience, sending them into fits of laughter.

"Haha, the streamer is completely dumbfounded, look at him!"

"Great Demon King, how did you ever discover such a divine entity? At this rate and with this kind of skill, he's going to break into the ranks of top-tier players in no time!"

"Awesome, I am in awe. This, right here, is a true pro—cool, calm, leaving no trace, and meticulously thoughtful. He's practically all-around!"

Song Lun smiled awkwardly, offering no answers to any of the questions because he had no idea how to respond himself. Still, this Yiran was truly a lucky star, bringing hope to the Pepsi Team and massive popularity to himself.

In the span of just ten minutes, the number of online viewers in the live stream broke through the milestone of 60,000+, shattering Song Lun's personal peak popularity record. The chat room was scrolling so fast that it was impossible to read a single complete sentence before the sheer enthusiasm of the audience pushed it upward, losing it in an ocean of messages.

Gifts, too, poured in continuously.

In his five years in the industry, he had never witnessed such a passionate and fiery live-streaming scene. He had seen plenty of top-tier esports stars across various gaming categories, yet none had ever driven their viewing fans into such a frenzy.

It bordered on madness.

While they were talking, the match came to an end. Although Li Xin was valiant enough, he had no desire to expose too much of his true strength. After giving everyone a fleeting glimpse, he acted as though utterly exhausted, allowing L3 and Kaikai to jointly eliminate him.

Even so, his magnificent feat of taking down two opponents in a mere 0.5 seconds remained a hot topic of conversation, worthy of worship and awe.

The organizers promptly paused the match and sent professional engineers onto the stage to inspect a network issue in the Pepsi Team's gaming booth. The engineer quickly identified the source of the problem: the outer jacket of a fiber-optic cable was damaged, and the internal fiber strands had been affected. Fixing it would take a minimum of five minutes.

Jiang Chuxue handed out a bottle of Le虎 sports drink to each member to ensure their physical well-being. Just as Li Gang was about to speak, Li Xin suddenly smiled and announced he needed to use the restroom.

Well, the others sighed in unison; their hopes were dashed again. Li Xin always evaded these discussions, and it was probably better to ask less in the future.

In the restroom, Li Xin smoked a cigarette while taking his medication to prevent an episode in advance. By the time he returned to the competition stage, the network cable had just been repaired, and the match resumed.

In the brief intermission before re-entering the game, Li Xin suddenly pressed his headset and spoke in a low voice: "Relax yourselves, and follow your instincts."

Despite the simplicity of these eight words, Li Gang and the other three dared not take them lightly, carefully pondering the underlying chill within them.

To relax was easy, and indeed necessary. But to follow one's instincts seemed rather inappropriate. In the semifinals of a formal professional tournament, steady and absolute focus was barely enough—who would dare to just follow their whims?

Li Xin smiled, though not disappointed. He knew that trying to find a breakthrough amid rigid conventions was truly a difficult task. Yet, he had the confidence to help Li Gang and the others understand and achieve liberation. Just as stipulated in his contract, he would not participate in every single match. If Pepsi lost him, their strength would inevitably plummet. At that point, they would need to forge a new path to avoid being looked down upon or ridiculed.

And following one's instincts was the only possibility Li Xin had found through brief deliberation.

With network speeds fully restored, this urban combat match held no further suspense. The Pepsi Team swept five rounds in a row, effortlessly taking the match 7:1 and advancing to the finals.

Giving a simple wave to acknowledge the audience as he rose, the group then left the stage and retreated to the lounge. Duan Julong had already arranged for specialized staff to prepare celebratory drinks and resting refreshments.

Simultaneously, the streamer Song Lun also stood up from his seat, leading the momentum of over 60,000 viewers as he headed toward the lounge. He wanted to show everyone this invincible mastermind. Barring any accidents, he would soon become the new king of CrossFire.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in Gaoyou City, a flashy red Ferrari F458 parked in front of a villa's gates. It was Wang Xiaoqian's car, but the home was not her villa along the canal.

Long after the engine had been shut off, Wang Xiaoqian slowly pushed open the car door and stepped out. She looked exhausted, her mind deeply unsettled. Ever since returning from Li Xin's dormitory in HZ, she had spent a day and a night alone by the canal, losing count of how much alcohol she had consumed.

Dragging her heavy feet, she walked slowly toward the villa's entrance, carrying a weight in her heart that matched her steps.

Ding-dong! The door opened!

A handsome, upright figure appeared in the doorway, smiling gently as he said, "Xiaoqian, you're back."