LSDWTWHA chapter 48

Chapter 47

When the system prompt indicated that 【Whitefin Shark】 had killed 【No Return】, the barrage fell silent for a second before erupting like a volcano, covering the screen.

It wasn’t surprising that netizens were stunned; even Su’s loyal fan Qi Yue was dumbfounded by this unexpected counter-kill.

【Wow, this is not the situation I envisioned. Whitefin Shark actually wiped out No Return?】

【No Return got wiped out? Isn’t he the first in the arena? Is that it?】

【Who said yesterday that Whitefin Shark could only bully newbies in the arena? Where are they now?】

More people’s attention was not on the battle itself, but on Su’s starship.

【I can’t believe my eyes; it seems like his starship looks different now.】

【I was just about to ask, why did Whitefin Shark’s starship transform?】

【Doesn’t anyone think this form looks a lot like a shark? It looks fierce yet adorable.】

【It is a shark, right? Just a moment ago, it bit into No Return’s control room.】

【You can tell that Whitefin Shark really loves sharks; his name has ‘shark’ in it, his skin is shark-like, and now even his starship can transform into a shark.】

【So why can his starship transform? Is it some new feature in the game?】

While everyone was puzzled, some players who were more knowledgeable about starships opened their mics.

【This seems to be the second form, right? My brother is in the starship development field; he said they have been working on related projects recently.】

【It can’t be the second form; this tech is still in the experimental stage, and very few truly understand it. Active starships can’t even use it; how could it appear in the game?】

【Maybe it’s easier to implement within a game setting?】

【That’s still impossible, each starship development team keeps their tech confidential. How could they freely showcase their technological achievements in a game?】

【I just showed the live broadcast to my brother; he said this is definitely the starship’s second form.】

【I’m a little curious about Whitefin Shark’s background. Players who can use mental energy are rare, and adding a big shot who can help him modify the starship. Is he some young master from a military background playing for fun?】

While the onlookers indulged in discussing Whitefin Shark’s background, players supporting 【No Return】 were not happy.

【Isn’t this destroying game balance? His starship has a second form, which is superior to others, allowing him to win against No Return. If that’s the case, shouldn’t competitions be about who has more money and a better starship?】

【Exactly, winning by modifying a starship isn’t real skill. I could ask for the White Zao to be sent over, and I could be first too.】

【Nobody else has a second form; him using one is against the rules, right?】

【Haven’t you heard? He has a background; how can a young master breaking rules be called breaking rules?】

【Then just give him the first place directly; why bother with competitions? Everyone is just here to support him.】

【Let’s go complain to the game officials; they need to give a reason. This foul play affecting game balance should result in his disqualification.】

【Yes, let’s complain.】

Initially pleased with Whitefin Shark’s counter-kill, Qi Yue couldn’t stand the escalating negativity and finally couldn’t help but speak up.

【Alright, everyone stop pretending to be crazy. Having a second form is against the rules? It’s destroying game balance? And reporting? Don’t make me laugh. All starships in the game are rated S; they are not like the White Zao which is an SSS starship. Even if he unlocked a second form, his overall strength is still on par with other players’ starships.】

【Anyone with eyes can see how high the control difficulty of this starship is. The previous Swift was lightweight, fast, and had heavy weapons. A single miscalculation could throw the starship completely out of control, let alone its fragility where a single attack could be fatal.】

【Now this shark is even more outrageous. Its propulsion mimics that of a real shark; do you realize how few can grasp a shark’s movements even with mental energy control? Not to mention biting into No Return’s control room at such a high speed. Who could control the charge angle with that precision?】

【And those saying Whitefin Shark only won due to a second form, do you have no shame? The team of No Return was outnumbering by twenty to two.】

Qi Yue’s fierce rebuttal finally pulled the comments back on track.

Some confused players started to understand; regardless of the shapes, the starship level explained everything. The official rating for modifications in 【Star Wars】 had always been strict. There wouldn’t be any starship surpassing S-level strength appearing in the game.

Although Whitefin Shark’s starship appeared quite special, both its forms had clear weaknesses; the Swift had low defense and poor balance, while the shark was limited to melee combat with extremely difficult maneuverability.

If such a starship were to be piloted by any other player in the arena, let alone counter-killing, simply being able to drive it would be an issue.

As for backgrounds, while speculations about Whitefin Shark’s background remained mere guesses among the crowd, No Return genuinely had the backing of the Heavy Sky Guild, which significantly outperformed other players in terms of both the number and quality of teammates.

Moreover, Whitefin Shark was fighting solo, almost being targeted and eliminated in the first round by No Return’s team. This time, he was forced to team up with a likewise targeted 【Simplification】.

Thus, for a time, support for Whitefin Shark gained the upper hand, drowning out the dissenting voices.

Seeing the comments reverting to normal, Qi Yue smiled sweetly, fell silent, and continued watching the stream quietly, keeping her achievements hidden.

After Su countered 【No Return】, the team from 【Heavy Sky Guild】 immediately fell into disarray without leadership. They had been too high-profile, racking up points to the envy of other players, and now, seeing their downfall, many rushed to take advantage.

Su killed another starship with a score higher than his, gaining 25 points, and happily ran off with 【Simplification】.

With a 2v20 victory over 【No Return】, other teams, despite being envious of their points, didn’t make a move against them for the moment.

The 【No Return】 team scattered in the face of multiple players’ attacks and when they regrouped, only an hour remained and their previously amassed points were nearly halved.

A responsible player sent a message, “Captain, I found the coordinates of 【Whitefin Shark】 and 【Simplification】. Should I…”

【No Return】: “Just keep track of their position; let’s avoid them as much as possible. No conflicts should arise in this round.”

【Five Spoons of Ink】 reluctantly said, “Master, are we just going to let it go? Their trick can only be used once; we were unprepared just now. If we get another chance, we can definitely encircle and kill them.”

“Perhaps we could kill them, but it would come at a significant cost. When the clam and the snipe fight, who do you think will benefit?” 【No Return】’s tone was somber: “My goal is victory, to be first; targeting them is a method, not the objective.”

“But…” 【Five Spoons of Ink】 couldn’t reconcile with the outcome. He could already imagine what others would say while watching the match; he couldn’t accept anyone thinking that 【No Return】 wasn’t as good as 【Whitefin Shark】.

It was clear that they had just fallen for the opponent’s plan; it was just that the opponent had suddenly transformed unexpectedly, catching his master off guard. His master was undeniably the top player in the arena, with the best skills controlling starships, even surpassing students from the imperial military academies. How could 【Whitefin Shark】 have…

【No Return】 didn’t let the defeat affect his emotions; his eyes scanned through his starship, looking at the other teams that were eyeing them but hesitant to act: “Don’t act rashly. In this competition, our enemies are not just those two.”

Without the focus of 【No Return】’s team, Su’s score climbed, ultimately placing sixth with a total of 31 points.

【Simplification】 scored slightly higher at 34, ranking third.

【No Return】 regained his score to 41, thanks to team advantages and teammates submitting points, firmly securing first place.

As the scores added up, Su had a total of 41, briefly ranking fourth, 【Simplification】 at 44 in second, and 【No Return】 at 48 in first.

Upon discovering that 【No Return】’s total score was first, 【Five Spoons of Ink】 couldn’t help but feel resentment before calming down.

Indeed, his master’s reasoning was correct. If they continued targeting those two, both their and his master’s rankings would surely drop. In this match, their opponents were not just 【Simplification】 and 【Whitefin Shark】; if they only focused on consuming those two, someone else might surpass them.

Meanwhile, Su noticed his score placing him fourth and flicked his tail in dissatisfaction, glaring menacingly at the top three.

Even 【Simplification】 received a brutal glare from him, implying “I’ll hunt you next round.”

While upset, Su also understood that his current ranking wasn’t unjustified; this competition tested each pilot’s different skills. The first round judged who could achieve the highest speed under varying conditions, while the second assessed tactical planning and teamwork abilities. How many teammates they could unite and how well they coordinated also reflected the pilot’s skill.

Though Su disliked 【No Return】, he had to admit that the latter was indeed superior in this regard. They weren’t merely relying on the advantage of being in the 【Heavy Sky Guild】; it was largely due to his exceptional command and clear grasp of the battlefield situation.

However, Su thought that he would definitely win back in the next round.

With that thought, Su opened the system and checked the content of the third match.

In the next moment, Su froze in surprise, revealing a hint of disbelief.

It wasn’t just him; almost all players who saw the rules couldn’t comprehend them.

The theme of the third match was starship positional warfare.

During the competition, all players belonged to the same fleet, tasked with guarding a supply point against a swarm attack. Their mission was to protect the supply point from being invaded by the swarm.

The scoring employed a deduction system, starting from the cumulative points of the first two rounds.

When the operational task fails or performance is subpar, points would be deducted; if their points drop to zero, the player would be eliminated. The match would only conclude when there were only a hundred players left.

Su stared blankly at the repeated rules three times; the regulations were too vague. While he could grudgingly understand operational task failure, what did poor performance mean? Who would judge it, and what criteria would be used for deduction? How much would be deducted at a time?

In short, nothing was clearly defined.

Su couldn’t figure it out, to the point where he seemed somewhat distracted even after leaving the game.

He even forgot that today was the day he had prepared to take the medicine to transform again, without noticing Qi Hanyi waiting by the pool.

Qi Hanyi, having returned early, came to Su’s room before his match even concluded. He even watched some of Su’s match livestream on his personal terminal before turning it off before Su’s match ended.

Seeing Su swim out of the nutrient tank, he stepped closer to the edge of the pool, bending his index finger to knock.

Su’s mind was filled with match-related thoughts. It was only when he heard the sound that he instinctively looked up, and upon seeing Qi Hanyi, he was stunned for two seconds, asking curiously, “Why did you come back so early today?”

“Isn’t today the day you take the medicine?” Qi Hanyi replied.

“Ah, eat the mermaid medicine!” Su finally snapped back to reality from his match, muttering quietly, “I would’ve forgotten if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

He swam a circle in the water, his brain finally returning to normal thoughts, and then surfaced, poking his head out in front of Qi Hanyi: “But what does me taking medicine have to do with you coming back early?”

Before Qi Hanyi could reply, the little shark fixed its dark, round eyes on him, sparkling with light: “Are you worried about me, Qi Hanyi?”

He self-completed the logic: “You’re worried about me, so you specially came back early to accompany me to take my medicine?”

Su was completely convinced by his conclusion, feeling happy because the human he liked would worry about him. It turned out that being cared for by someone you like was such a joyful thing.

He joyfully splashed the water with his tail, unreservedly expressing his happiness, sweeping away the displeasure from his previous low ranking in the game.

Qi Hanyi’s lips pressed into a straight line, neither confirming nor denying it, but his gaze inadvertently drifted away, his ears gradually flushed pink.

He truly did not feel at ease, and beyond that, he harbored a hint of unspoken anticipation.

That anticipation felt like a soft kitten’s paw scratching at his heart, preventing him from sleeping well all night. His emotions had been tangled since Su mentioned taking the mermaid medicine yesterday and remained chaotic until now.

In just half a month’s absence, he had begun to miss the appearance of the little shark transformed into a human. So he handled the day’s workload as quickly as he could, skipping a relatively unimportant meeting, and hurried home.

He wanted to be the first to see Su turn human.