Chapter 27 – One Shot Ends the Game
[Player 4 chooses to use the skill, shooting and eliminating Player 5]
"???"
Number 5 was just about to Self-Destruct and concede.
Suddenly Player 4 raised a hunting rifle.
One shot blew him away!
He was completely stunned.
Isn't Player 4 supposed to be the Guard or the Witch?
Isn't Player 7 the frigging Hunter?
He's the Golden Water-recognized Hunter, damn it!
Holy crap!
[Game Over]
[Good Faction wins]
The Judge's voice rang out.
Not only were the people in the game stunned,
every single spectator outside lost their minds and started Boiling over.
"This is insane! I don't get it—Player 7 claimed Hunter, so how is Player 4 the Hunter? Could Player 7 already tell from that spot that Player 6 wasn't the Hunter but a werewolf? That's why he boldly jumped out as Hunter and forced Player 6 to Self-Destruct on the spot???"
"Player 7 is too damn slick! So the one he poisoned, Player 3, really was Wolf Gun? And Player 1 actually self-knifed, it wasn't just to wear the Witch's clothes and make the wolves think the Witch was already dead?? Otherwise only five people are dead—there's no way the game could end like this!"
"This round is too freaky, I can't read it! Judge, quick, give us the replay! Replay replay replay!"
Amid the uproar the spectators suddenly started chanting.
"Replay!"
"Replay!"
"Replay!"
Commentator Xiao Ming was shocked too, but with the crowd so hyped he had no time to stay stunned; grabbing the mic he started calming everyone down.
"The way this game unfolded is simply unbelievable—only five people gone, yet the Good Guys already won? Let's hear the Judge's replay to find out what happened!"
The huge cube in the center of the stage
began explaining the players' identities from every angle.
[In this game the werewolves were Players 1, 3, 5, and 6.]
[Among them, Player 3 was the Wolf King.]
[Night 1: the wolves chose to have Player 1 self-knife.]
[Player 7 Witch did not use the antidote; instead she poisoned Player 3.]
[Player 10 Seer checked Player 11 as Golden Water.]
[Player 8 Guard chose to guard no one.]
[Daytime: Player 3 Wolf King failed the sheriff election; Players 1 and 3 were eliminated.]
[The Seer voted for exiling Player 9 Villager, succeeding.]
[Night: Player 8 guarded Player 10.]
[Players 5 and 6 attacked Player 11; Player 7 Witch used the antidote, resulting in a Peaceful Night.]
[Player 10 Seer checked Player 7 as Golden Water.]
[Daytime: Player 6 jumped out as Hunter, but Player 7 read her identity, jumped as Hunter with Golden Water while actually the Witch, and forced Player 6 to Self-Destruct.]
[Night: the last remaining wolf, Player 5, attacked Player 4 Hunter and was shot and eliminated at dawn.]
[Game over; Good Faction wins.]
After watching the simple replay on the big screen
the crowd gasped again.
"Players 1 and 3 really were wolves! Player 7 is incredible—basically a god! What a bold play!"
"Yeah, when Player 6 stood up trying to steal the Hunter's clothes from Player 4, Player 4 must have been kicking himself for not revealing his identity earlier."
"Hahaha, exactly! I can just imagine Player 4's panic—luckily Player 7 exposed Player 6 on the spot! Sucks to be you—Player 7 claimed Hunter with Golden Water, but he's not the Hunter! He's the Witch—how's that feel?"
"But Player 6 Self-Destructed way too fast! Couldn't she wait a bit longer? What if Player 7 was just bluffing her? One slip and boom, she's out—tsk tsk!"
"Player 7 stood up and asked, 'If you're the Hunter, what am I?' That reaction was so real; I think Player 6's self-reveal made sense—it's all Player 7's fault for being too cunning!"
"He didn't even save anyone, just opened with poison and happened to splash Wolf Gun! I don't know whether to call Player 7 Wang Changsheng too awesome or Player 3 Furious too unlucky—I'm dying! Who told you to mess with the Witch before the game? You downed a bottle of poison and you couldn't even fire your gun—how's that taste?"
The stands buzzed with chatter.
In every team lounge coaches and players wore mixed expressions.
Wang Changsheng's Witch Coach Huang Manmiao's eyes were so bright you'd think she'd stuffed a thousand-watt bulb in each socket.
She trembled with excitement, her fiery figure tall and slender; those vivid red lips and snow-white teeth would have dazzled anyone who saw them.
Her proud chest heaved, drawing every eye and refusing to let go.
"Hahaha! I knew Changsheng could do it! He's the one I picked personally! We've finally made the top twenty-four!"
She wasn't the only one.
Behind her the rest of the squad were equally thrilled.
Their aces had been poached and snatched away.
They hadn't advanced in ages.
Always stopping at forty-eighth place.
Yet today, thanks to a substitute player,
they stomped over Gun Shoots Like Dragon's heads and broke into the top twenty-four!
One more victory
and they'd reach the true national finals!
And if they could grab a good placing at nationals
they'd qualify for the World Championship!
They hadn't even seen the shadow of the World Championship for years!
Wang Changsheng's buddy Little Curly Hair howled with joy.
"That's my Brother Wang! Too damn strong, too strong!"
——————
Gun Shoots Like Dragon Team room.
Unlike the Hand Over Thoughts squad
this place was dead silent.
Everyone sat mute
faces as black as coal.
Their team had made it to the World Championship last year!
This year their performance dipped and their national ranking slipped,
but as long as they stayed steady
they might still squeeze into the World Championship.
Yet now,
reality had slapped them hard!
A team besieged by investors, their aces all dug away,
left with either mediocre players or total unknowns—
a team everyone expected to fade into obscurity—
had actually overtaken them today!
And in the most critical match
the one who crushed them was... a substitute!!!
This is freaking ridiculous squared—off-the-charts absurd!
"Bro Chen... that kid just got lucky. He must've figured they couldn't promote anyway, so he'd drag us down with him and cost us points—that's why he blindly poisoned Big Bro Furious."
Seeing the mood sink so low,
a Gun Shoots Like Dragon player cautiously said to Chen Gang, trying to comfort their coach.
But Chen Gang slammed the table.
"You think I don't know that? Who asked you to lecture me!"
The player flinched, backed away, and huddled beside a teammate, too scared to say another word.