"My dear Ma Qiaoli, long ti no see."
As Ma Qiaoli was observing her surroundings, a passionate female voice suddenly erged from her side, and fiery red strands of hair flickered at the edge of her vision.
The newcor was a beautiful woman with a lovely face and a serpentine figure, like a blooming rose, exuding fragrance from head to toe.
"Anna." Ma Qiaoli pressed her cheek against hers and then they parted.
Anna was her friend, a lively and beautiful Italian woman whom she t after entering the World ga.
In the World ga, age seed less significant. She knew Anna was a young woman in her twenties, as fresh and gorgeous as a newly blood rose, with a full thirty years between them.
But their similar appearances made them forge a friendship that transcended generations.
The convenience of simultaneous translation made face-to-face communication incredibly easy.
Sotis, age and nationality do not create a generational gap between two people, and are rely barricades set by world prejudices and rigid thoughts.
"It’s been so long, Ma Qiaoli. I didn’t expect to et you here," Anna said as she took a seat next to her.
"Yes... it’s been a long ti. I think about two World Replicas."
"You are as always. I thought, given such a change, you might be sowhat impacted."
"Just a few fictional story worlds, nothing grave," Ma Qiaoli smiled.
The woman who was actually over fifty and had worked in key departnts for over twenty years seed unfazed by anything.
As a rare senior Player who could achieve accomplishnts in the adventurous World, it seed she had adapted well to this ga-like reality, considering all actions from the ga chanics’ point of view.
Her high interpersonal and emotional intelligence helped her succeed anywhere but the illogical instances of the Apocalyptic World.
The two watched the flow of people coming and going.
As if to mitigate the disparities among Players, their seats were not arranged in rows but rather a large round table where anyone could choose a spot along the circumference without any hierarchy.
The podium was situated among the rounds of the table. As there were many attendees, the table appeared especially large, with a central open space large enough to seat ten participants at once.
All Players could look up and see the people on the podium and were free to hit a button in front of them to stand up and express their opinions at any ti, preventing any monopoly on the discussion.
While Anna was sitting, the round tables, initially set up with one hundred twenty chairs, had already been gradually filled with many people. The ti was now close to the start of the eting, and at first glance, it looked like forty to fifty people were present. The number of busy recorders and attendants was even higher.
Among them, Ma Qiaoli spotted a particularly distinct individual in the crowd.
She sat near a corner of the round table area, dressed in pajamas, a small and thin cluster, clutching a teddy bear, appearing sleepy as if she had just woken up.
The little girl looked utterly harmless, eyes showing innocence. So uniford United Group ladies were whispering gently, asking if she wanted dessert, creating a rather warm scene.
But those who knew the little girl understood the terror of this loli.
She was Bonnie, the Fla Loli, ranked twenty-ninth in the current World ranking.
Those who underestimated her due to her age and spoke arrogantly always died under her overwhelming flas.
Bonnie was extrely acute and vindictive.
She was just a child. And in such a world, so children could appear exceedingly terrifying.
Still not fully mature, young children lack empathy, compassion, and their own mature thoughts about everything in society.
After being abruptly pulled into the World ga without adult guidance, facing such a cruel world could lead them astray. If timid, it might be okay, but for soone strong and courageous like Bonnie, it was like an antisocial person, void of any empathy towards her kin.
It’s unknown how many who sought her help were burned to nothingness amid her bell-like laughter.
But she just thought burning people was fun; the ga was fun.
Like treating a real ga, she treated this "ga that should not be considered a ga."
People had also called for the establishnt of organizations to guide children towards goodness, but received no response. Such organizations require much effort and might not attract rebellious children, only bringing them disgrace instead.
Thus, troublemakers like Bonnie beca a terrifying part of the Player community.
Ma Qiaoli shifted her gaze to the person next to Bonnie— a well-known figure in the World forums.
He was a young man reciting earnestly.
Dressed in a snow-white priest’s robe, he possessed a pair of jade-like, lake-clear green eyes, untouched by any dust. His deanor was lancholic, his expression somber, looking like an angel reciting a eulogy as he continually gestured across his chest, seemingly in prayer, and appeared like a devout Believer.
But Ma Qiaoli knew that he was definitely not a kind or rciful person.
This was Engel, the Player ranked seventy-second in the World, with the Occupation of Dark Priest, similar to an Executioner.
True to his Occupation, he lived a life as fervent and wild as a Heretic.
He appeared innocent and kind to children, capable of smiling and extending a hand to the weak, like a saint walking the earth. He could unite the crowd, chant elegies for the deceased, and his actions seed that of a great benefactor.
Yet, he was also fanatical and stubborn with a lethal potential, able to judge by his own scriptures whether soone could be "saved." Then, as a self-proclaid spokesman of Deity, he would arbitrarily "judge" others’ lives.
Those he deed kind saw him as a God. Seeking his aid would prompt him to lend a hand.
Those he marked as evil saw him as a Ghost, wishing they could avoid him daily, fearing a sudden encounter with this Madman could end their lives.
In the World ga, such exceed-behavior Madn weren’t rare, but definitely not few. People were often plagued by various ntal illnesses, yet struggling repeatedly between Underworld instances and still maintaining a kind heart was extrely rare.
What particularly drew attention to Engel, the madman, was his connection to the Number One Player.
People contrasted him with Su Ming’an, saying thankfully the Number One Player wasn’t soone like Engel. Comparisons only bring harm.
Similarly, both n appeared unreliable and would occasionally go mad. Moreover, both had their own theories and liked to "position" others.
However, the good thing was that Su Ming’an seed to be becoming more reliable and more acceptable to people. Moreover, his Lighthouse theory wasn’t entirely illogical, and his positioning of others was reasoned.
As for Engel, in the eyes of the people, he was rely spouting nonsense, like soone who had just escaped from a ntal hospital, playing a priest cosplay, using various bizarre judgnt excuses as his reason for senseless killing.
And as ti passed, this man beca madder.
"To most people, the few who are different are madn. But to the few, likewise."
This was a statent once made by Engel.
Unlike the vast majority, he thought he was the most normal person, while everyone else was mad.
Engel had once said he wanted to truly discuss philosophy with the Number One Player. He greatly admired the thoughts of the Number One Player. Yet, he felt it was a pity, because the Number One Player was becoming stranger.
Only by becoming like him would one start to beco "normal."
He had posted on forums, wanting to correct the thoughts of the Number One Player, to make Su Ming’an understand what true kindness was, and that those who were useless should not be kept around but needed "judgnt."
...For such a person, Ma Qiaoli really didn’t want to be close to him; she couldn’t comprehend his thoughts, as if the two were not of the sa species, not grown in the sa society.
If it were not for the fact that the top hundred in the world had been invited, she would have indeed liked to persuade the United Group to exclude these strange folks, lest they suddenly go mad during such an important eting, in front of the whole world.
She liked stability, like most people living in peaceful nations. She disliked such madn, who deviated from normal order.
And as Ma Qiaoli looked around, from the eastern gate, a soft murmur arose.
"He’s here, it’s really him..."
"This is the first ti seeing him in person, before it was always through live broadcasts."
"He’s really handso, like a sculpture, his face as if kissed by an angel."
"Perhaps God took extra care when creating him."
"It’s a pity... why is there always that student from Dragon Country above him? He should be the one getting all the attention, I truly believe that."
Ma Qiaoli took notice of these voices, a premonition in her heart, and she shifted her gaze.
Entering was a blonde, strikingly handso young man. His features were well-defined, his facial lines firm as if carefully carved by a sculptor’s knife, his eyes deep blue as the Heavenly Sea, his cheeks almost glowing white under the light, his lips a thin delicate red, perfectly fitting the Western standard of beauty for a young man.
He wore a sophisticated black bespoke suit, seemingly accustod to such significant social events; as he entered, his steps were steady, his deanor graceful, like a modern nobleman used to high-end places, perfectly fitting the fantasies of young girls about Prince Charming.
...if this guy hadn’t lost so miserably in the Fourth World.
Ma Qiaoli thought maliciously.
Perhaps it’s the scenes where a prince falls off his white horse and a hero stumbles into the mud that catch the most attention. After this young man, hailed as the successor to the Number One Player, was crushingly defeated by that student from Dragon Country, everyone was laughing at him.
At that ti, the World Forum was filled with cold jokes from different countries, every word and sentence poking at one’s lungs, mockingly targeting this young man nad Edward from various cultural perspectives, both openly and subtly.
At that ti, the World Forum was a place where one could see how the high were brought low with just one walk through; the number of aningful jokes one could find was countless.
Now, however, this once-defeated young man seed to be adjusting well.
As he walked in, he still carried himself with a princely deanor, and he behaved politely to the several players who ca up to greet him.
...until a discordant voice harshly interrupted.
"Oh, dear, look who it is..."
The middle-aged man with deep brown curly hair yawned as he shuffled into the room, his legs seemingly unable to straighten as he limped along like a river flowing into the eting room.
Upon seeing Edward, celebrated by everyone, he burst out laughing; his laugh was loud, crisp like thunder amid the gentle murmurs:
"Ah, isn’t this Gran’s hope, Mr. Edward? I didn’t expect you to get up after losing so miserably. Has your master given you so kind of love potion? You even forgot such huge psychological scars... I still often savor the nonsense you spouted on the World Forum... and how tragically you died on the banishnt table in comparison."
A strong aroma of alcohol also drifted from his hand as he vigorously took a gulp of vodka, laughing heartily and brightly.
Those seated turned their heads sideways while Edward’s face darkened slightly.
"This is the human future self-rescue eting, Mr. Igor," Edward responded, his sky-blue eyes unflinching, "If you have any personal opinions, you can discuss them with privately."
"Haha!" Igor laughed loudly twice, his whole person resembling a roaring bear:
"Are you saying—everyone doesn’t know you’re just a joke? No worries, we all know, dear top three Edward, if you’d like to chat privately with , I’m all ears. I just didn’t expect you to still show up so confidently, as if nothing happened. You truly are the chosen one..."
He spoke, and with his naturally loud voice, it instantly spread throughout the suddenly quiet eting room, even the tapping of keyboards in the background paused.
"Aha, right, and you, Engel, has your ntal illness healed yet? How about we try your judgnt here? Let’s see if we are the angels of salvation in your eyes..." Igor turned his head and yelled at Engel, who was smiling nearby.
Watching this man, who was chugging alcohol and shouting, Edward was both startled and furious.
Accustod to high-end settings, he had never seen soone who would start yelling and cursing in a eting room like this madman. Words seed powerless against such a brutish person who used his loud voice to overpower everyone, completely disregarding the setting.
And he couldn’t tear off his stiff suit to go and fight this person. Even if a real fight ensued, Edward, who specialized in ti skills, didn’t know if he could beat this bear-like man. Igor was like a large animal that had suddenly barged into a banquet hall, unstoppable by anyone; civilized asures were utterly useless against this man who wouldn’t listen to reason.
Just as the room fell into a brief silence, a staff mber in United Group uniform imdiately spoke up:
"Sir," the uniford staff said, "Excuse , please do not drink in the eting room, please put your alcohol back into your bag."
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