"A draw? What a joke!"
"Oh my god, they crashed the system? Are these two monsters?"
"What's wrong with the organizers! I paid three times the price to a scalper for this ticket, just to see this ending?"
"The battle of the century, the joke of the century! Refund! Refund!"
"Refund! Refund! Refund!"
The host held the microphone, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
He had been in the hosting industry for over a decade and had never encountered such a ridiculous and absurd situation.
The finals crashing the server was simply unheard of!
Meanwhile, the reporter's section on the sidelines had already descended into chaos.
They were like a school of sharks that had smelled blood, and various impactful headlines instantly formed in their minds:
"The Battle of the Century Ends in Server Implosion! The Pinnacle of Esports or a Requiem?"
"B-444 and A-777, Legends of a New Era or the Sadness of the Technological Age?"
"Unprecedented! The Championship Battle Ends in Such a Way?"
In this pandemonium, after an emergency high-level discussion, another host, under immense pressure, walked onto the stage and, with a trembling voice, announced the final result:
"Due to an unprecedented technical malfunction, it is impossible to determine a winner, therefore, the champions of this competition are... joint champions! The prize money will be equally divided between contestant A-777 and contestant B-444."
Upon hearing this result, the uproar in the venue briefly froze, then erupted into even more violent boos and curses.
"Oh? Divided equally?"
In the audience, Saitama heard the result, and his worried expression vanished, replaced by joy.
"That's not bad. Half the prize money will be enough for us to eat for a long time. Right, Genos?"
"Yes, Teacher," Genos calmly said, while recording the reactions of the surrounding audience.
"However, Teacher, the prize money is not the main point. Mr. KING's battle with the other contestant is the most important..."
After speaking, he began to analyze the entire match.
"Is that so? Sounds amazing."
Saitama scratched his ear, clearly not interested in these complex analyses.
"In short, Mr. KING is strong. Alright, since the match is over, let's go find Mr. KING and then go eat! I'm starving!"
Just as Saitama and his group were about to leave, in another corner of the venue, Suiryu stood quietly among the crowd.
He didn't complain or discuss like the others; he just stared blankly at the dark screen.
His proud Nether Body Fist was simply no match for his opponent.
His opponent not only defeated him but also, in an instant, showed him the culmination of the martial arts path he pursued.
A strong impulse welled up in his heart, wanting to find contestant A-777, even if just to ask one question, to ask, "How can one reach such a realm?"
But he clenched his fists and ultimately did not take that step.
His pride as a genius prevented him from pursuing the victor as a loser in front of everyone.
"A-777..."
He silently recited the code name, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"I've remembered you. Next time... next time we meet, I will definitely be stronger."
With that, he turned and squeezed into the dispersing crowd, his back carrying a sense of unprecedented desolation and determination.
------
In the contestant area, the supervisor was speaking to Garou: "Contestant B-444, we deeply apologize for this accident! Your prize money and compensation will be..."
"Get lost."
Garou squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
He didn't even look at the supervisor, his eyes fixed on the VR headset in his hand.
"Heh..." Garou suddenly let out a low, ambiguous laugh.
He abruptly turned around and casually threw the headset away.
He felt that all of this was like a ridiculous farce.
The competition, the rules, the system, the audience... these things were all constraints to him from the very beginning.
Should he go find that contestant A-777 now and finish the fight they didn't complete?
Heh... The thought flashed through Garou's mind, then was immediately rejected by himself.
Such a powerful person would never be an unknown nobody.
He even had a strong premonition that this A-777 was very likely one of the S-Class Heroes on his "Hero Hunt" list.
Moreover, he could even use Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist?
That familiar starting stance, that blend of hard and soft fist intent, although somewhat different from what he had learned, was undoubtedly the same martial art.
"Things are getting more and more interesting..."
In Garou's mind, the image of an old man with white hair involuntarily appeared—his master, Bang.
He then shook his head irritably, as if to shake off that memory.
Ignoring the supervisor's astonishment and shouts behind him, he strode towards the contestant-only passage without looking back.
He disappeared unimpeded into the shadows of the passage.
Meanwhile, in the contestant area on the other side, Lin Mo took off the completely ruined VR headset.
The smell of burnt electrical circuits wafted into his nostrils, causing him to frown slightly.
He let out a long breath, and the slight dizziness from the system crash quickly subsided.
Although the battle had only lasted a short time in the real world, it held extraordinary significance for him.
He had successfully achieved a preliminary fusion of his two distinct martial arts philosophies, and the power generated was no longer a simple one plus one equals two.
It was just a shame that the virtual system couldn't hold up.
"Garou, huh..." Lin Mo muttered to himself, a hint of thought flashing in his eyes.
He could feel that, at the end of the battle, Garou's aura became increasingly wild and pure, with astonishing potential.
Should he go find him now? Lin Mo dismissed the idea.
Although the current Garou had already bared his fangs, he was not yet mature enough; the "emotional value" he could provide was still far from its peak.
His rash appearance might lead to another fight, but in the long run, the disadvantages far outweighed the benefits.
"Grow slowly, Garou. I look forward to the day you become a true 'Monster.'"
With that, Lin Mo also stood up and walked towards an exit in another direction, subtly blending into the crowd of spectators who were starting to leave... Outside the stadium, night had fallen deep.
Garou walked alone in a secluded, dark alley, the moonlight overhead exceptionally bright tonight, stretching his shadow long and thin.
He stopped, turned around, and looked up, gazing at the huge stadium, still brightly lit in the distance.
His breathing had calmed, but the fire in his heart burned even more fiercely.
"A-777..." He whispered the code name, a cruel and excited curve on his lips.
"I've already... remembered your 'taste.'"
"Next time," he said to the empty alley, "nothing will interrupt us again."