Chapter 369 - 265: From Internet Addict to City Hero

Chapter 369: Chapter 265: From Internet Addict to City Hero

"Let’s go, let’s go."

In a detached villa in the suburbs, the team leader hurried the five team members.

Today was the day of the final showdown with the Devils.

A final showdown of skill in the game Red Alert.

Sending this bunch of gaming addicts—who, after over a month of training, could barely manage a five-kilometer run at a six-and-a-half-minute pace—into a real battle with Devils? You’d have to be out of your mind.

"Do we really have to wear such strange outfits?" the player known as War King asked.

Such an incredibly cringey name came from a novel he was obsessed with, Retired War King in the City.

Leon had also read that novel. If he remembered correctly, the plot was about the strongest Warrior from a Legendary Mercenary Corps who retired to sell barbecue on a street corner.

Everything about it felt absurd while he was reading, and putting it down left him wondering if he was wasting his life. Yet he just couldn’t stop himself from reading it.

Weirdly addicting.

"Of course. These are battle uniforms that Miss Grace helped design, custom-made for you by first-class tailors and artisans," the team leader replied.

"But clothes like this are hard to play in," Leon commented from the side.

He held up the battle garment; it looked like a cross between a Knight’s armor and a Mage’s robe, complete with an assassin-style hood.

Complex and heavy.

It was just like the flashy, impractical outfits heroes wear in comics.

And there was a massive logo on the back.

It was the logo for the Twin Tower City sports lottery.

"It’s not for you to wear while playing the game. It’s for filming promotional videos, interviews, and for your entrance. ’People on stage must be mindful of their image’—that’s what Miss Grace said."

Grace had drawn up a detailed operations plan for the entire team.

The team was named the Child of the Twin Towers, tying it strongly to the city in the hope that locals would feel a strong connection to them.

She also designed a team logo, a mascot, and a huge line of related merchandise.

However, this was all still on the drawing board. Whether or not it would ever go into production depended entirely on the outcome of today’s match.

All the team members had received media training, lest their lack of refinement lead them to say something weird in front of reporters.

Furthermore, a rule was made that they had to wash their hair at least once every three days. This bunch of gaming addicts always seemed to go out with greasy hair.

That was fine for a trip to the arcade, but not for being the center of attention for countless spectators on stage.

For this big showdown, they even brought in professionals to style the members’ hair and makeup.

While skill is paramount in a competitive match, having a good image certainly has its advantages.

"This is what you’ll wear during the match."

As he spoke, the team leader pulled out five sets of very simple outfits. These weren’t limited to just the lottery logo; ads from every major business in Twin Tower City were plastered all over them.

"Uh, okay. At least it’s better than that other one."

With their things packed, the group boarded the Magic-guided Vehicle provided by Grace and set off for the Grand Arena.

The match was originally planned to be held at the Cowboy Theater.

The individual qualifiers had been held there, a perfect fit for an audience of two thousand.

However, as hype for the match against the Devils skyrocketed, the demand for tickets far exceeded the theater’s capacity. The only option was to postpone the match for a week and relocate the setup to the Grand Arena.

There were still five hours until the match officially began. It was time for the pre-match interviews for all participants, after which they would wait in the lounge for the evening’s competition to start.

The interviews were being held right inside the empty Arena.

An empty, circular arena possessed a different kind of intimidating pressure compared to a full one.

Leon looked around, feeling his heart pound. ’Nervousness, or maybe excitement?’

Usually, at times like this, his thoughts would be chaotic, but Leon found his mind to be terrifyingly clear. He began to mentally review the habits of tonight’s opponents.

This was how Leon competed.

During the training camp, he’d gradually come to realize that his mechanical skills weren’t the best on the team. He couldn’t match Toto, or even War King.

War King was the team’s second-best player and was scheduled to play first tonight.

Leon’s edge over the others was his memory and analytical skill. He made it a point to memorize his opponents’ habits and design specific strategies to counter them.

As for the five Devils they were about to face, he had already clashed with them dozens of times in ranked play and watched hundreds of hours of replays.

He was confident he could defeat every single one of them.

In contrast to Leon’s calm demeanor, his teammates were buzzing with excitement upon arriving at the Arena.

Especially War King. Since getting out of the car, he hadn’t taken a single normal step. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet with every step, the very picture of composure.

"War King, are you confident about the outcome of tonight’s match?" a staffer conducting the pre-match interviews asked.

"Of course! I’ll crush them. We’ve all fought them in training. Honestly, I’m a 50/50 match for their ace player. Our own ace, Leon, might not even need to show up tonight."

War King was incredibly confident. "I can practically hear the crowd roaring. I’m not some scrub who gets knocked out in the qualifiers! I’m going to the year-end Grand Finals, and the entire arena will be chanting, ’War King! War King!’"

Cocky!

The interview segment needed this kind of cocky player; it made for great television.

As for whether he could back up his words, that wasn’t the organizers’ concern.

If he couldn’t deliver, they just had to hope he was mentally tough enough to handle it.

The interviews ended. Just as the Children of the Twin Towers were about to leave, a dark red Teleportation Array appeared in the Arena.