Chapter 198: Compete
Shen Tian opened his inventory.
The token glowed.
If he used it...
He could override the claim.
Steal Blackstone.
Take eight thousand Fate.
Potentially cripple Windfall’s early growth.
He watched Jiang Feng.
The protagonist had just beaten Chen Hao.
Windfall members shouted his name.
LittleMaple followed him.
MoonPetal stood near Shen Tian.
Jiang Feng reached Varrok.
His sword struck.
The boss died.
[General Varrok Defeated!]
The fortress core appeared.
Titan charged.
Windfall charged.
Shen Tian held the token.
Xu Ning waited.
Then...
Shen Tian put it away.
[Host?]
"No."
MoonPetal heard.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The fortress core floated.
Jiang Feng reached it.
A Titan warrior attacked.
LittleMaple jumped in front.
She blocked.
Barely.
Jiang Feng grabbed the core.
[Claim Territory?]
He selected...
YES.
Golden light erupted.
[BLACKSTONE FORTRESS HAS BEEN CLAIMED!]
[Guild: WINDFALL]
Windfall erupted.
Players screamed.
LittleMaple jumped onto Jiang Feng.
Again.
He caught her this time.
He laughed.
MoonPetal smiled.
Shen Tian applauded from the wall.
Xu Ning looked toward him.
[Eight thousand Fate.]
I know.
[Gone.]
Not gone.
Shen Tian smiled.
Invested.
Xu Ning’s eyes narrowed.
[Explain.]
He pointed toward Jiang Feng.
Windfall had a fortress now.
A reason for Titan to fight them.
A reason for new players to join.
A reason for bigger opportunities.
A reason for Jiang Feng’s Fate to grow.
Xu Ning understood.
Then...
She smiled.
[You’re farming him.]
Shen Tian looked offended.
"I’m supporting my friend."
[You’re farming your friend.]
"...Professionally."
[There it is.]
Then...
A new reward appeared.
Because Shen Tian had the highest ranged contribution during the siege.
[Special Battlefield Achievement!]
[Wall Reaper]
Reward: Blackstone Eagle Mount
Xu Ning’s eyes widened.
Golden Fate moved.
[Host.]
How much?
[Two thousand.]
Shen Tian smiled.
"I’ll take that."
[Ding!]
Secondary Destined Reward diverted.
Fate stolen: 2,000
Jiang Feng Fate Value: 157,500
A massive black eagle appeared.
Shen Tian stared.
"..."
MoonPetal stared.
"..."
LittleMaple stopped celebrating.
"..."
Jiang Feng slowly looked toward Shen Tian.
"No."
Shen Tian smiled.
"What?"
"You got a flying mount."
"Apparently."
"We just started."
"Apparently."
Jiang Feng stared.
"How?"
"Skill."
MoonPetal burst out laughing.
"HE SAID IT AGAIN!"
LittleMaple pointed.
"Thief!"
Shen Tian mounted the eagle.
It spread enormous wings.
Jiang Feng looked toward the fortress he had just won.
Then toward Shen Tian’s flying mount.
He sighed.
"I hate this game."
Shen Tian laughed.
The victory immediately exploded across the internet.
Not hours later.
Minutes.
WINDFALL DEFEATS TITAN FOR BLACKSTONE FORTRESS
FALLENWIND CONFIRMED AS JIANG FENG
FORMER TITAN CAPTAIN DEFEATS REPLACEMENT IN ETERNAL REALM
JIANG FENG IS BACK
Clips spread everywhere.
The duel.
The fortress claim.
Jiang Feng’s speech.
Shen Tian sitting on the wall killing Titan players.
And naturally...
His ridiculous mount.
The real world reacted.
Titan Esports headquarters...
The gaming floor was silent.
Chen Hao’s capsule opened.
He sat up.
Sweat covered his forehead despite the cooling system.
No one spoke.
The manager stood nearby.
His expression was tense.
Chen Hao removed the neural interface.
Then...
He looked toward the massive screen.
A clip already had hundreds of thousands of views.
JIANG FENG DESTROYS TITANHAO
Chen Hao closed his eyes.
"...Great."
The manager sighed.
"Don’t look at social media."
"Too late."
The team coach approached.
"You fought well."
Chen Hao laughed bitterly.
"I lost."
"That doesn’t mean you fought badly."
"Online doesn’t care."
The coach remained calm.
"You’re a professional."
"You should."
Chen Hao looked toward him.
That helped slightly.
Then...
A staff member hurried over.
"Sir."
The manager frowned.
"What?"
"We have a problem."
"What now?"
"The sponsor call."
The manager’s expression changed.
"...Already?"
"They want an explanation."
Chen Hao looked away.
Of course.
Sponsors.
Public image.
Marketing.
Exactly the machinery Jiang Feng had grown tired of.
The manager answered the call.
And immediately...
The pressure began.
Across the city...
Jiang Feng removed himself from his capsule.
His apartment was silent.
No cheering guild members.
No virtual fortress.
No MoonPetal.
No LittleMaple.
Just...
A small room.
He sat on the edge of the capsule.
Then checked his phone.
It nearly froze.
Thousands of notifications.
Messages.
Calls.
Emails.
Former teammates.
Reporters.
Sponsors.
Friends he hadn’t spoken to in years.
His mother.
That one he opened immediately.
Mom: Feng, are you okay? Your name is everywhere again.
Jiang Feng smiled.
He called.
She answered immediately.
"Feng?"
"I’m fine, Mom."
"You beat your old team?"
He laughed.
"Kind of."
"Are they going to sue you?"
Jiang Feng stared.
"...Why would they sue me?"
"I don’t know how these game companies work."
"It’s a game."
"So they can’t sue?"
"No."
"Good."
He laughed.
His mother’s voice softened.
"You sound happy."
Jiang Feng became quiet.
Then...
"Yeah."
"I am."
"Good."
No lecture.
No pressure.
No congratulations about fame.
Just...
Good.
That mattered.
He ended the call later.
Then...
The phone rang again.
Unknown number.
He almost ignored it.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice.
"Jiang Feng."
His smile vanished.
Titan’s general manager.
"...Manager Liu."
A pause.
"It’s been a while."
"Not really."
Manager Liu sighed.
"Can we talk?"
Jiang Feng looked around his apartment.
"You’re talking."
"In person."
"No."
"Jiang..."
"You terminated my contract."
Silence.
Jiang Feng’s voice remained calm.
"We don’t need an in-person conversation."
"This isn’t about bringing you back."
That...
Was interesting.
"Then what?"
"Your public comments."
Jiang Feng frowned.
"What public comments?"
"The clips from today."
"I didn’t insult Titan."
"You said..."
"Don’t use me as your measuring stick."
Manager Liu became quiet.
Jiang Feng smiled faintly.
"That wasn’t about Titan."
"It was about Chen Hao."
"Public perception..."
"Is your department."
Not mine.
He didn’t need to say it.
The manager understood.
Then...
His tone changed.
"Jiang Feng."
"You’re attracting attention."
"Good."
"Sponsors."
"Good."
"Professional organizations."
"Also good."
"Eternal Realm will have an official competitive league."
Jiang Feng knew.
Everyone knew.
NovaDream had announced the professional circuit.
Guild wars.
Arena championships.
World events.
Eventually...
A full global esports league.
Manager Liu continued.
"Titan intends to compete."
Jiang Feng smiled.
"So does Windfall."
Silence.
That sentence...
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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!