Chapter 3: The Wolf's Shadow Emerges, the Wise Claim the Throne

“This Wei Gou, I’ve treated him fairly well before, yet when I refused him once, he outright betrayed the team and defected to Qiang Chu Rulong’s squad...” Huang Manyao was filled with a fierce urge to storm into Qiang Chu Rulong’s team room and make Wei Gou pay dearly for severing all ties.

But she still had some reason left; instead, she merely darkened her expression. The surrounding team members could palpably feel the oppressive atmosphere hanging in the air, each afraid to speak a word at such a critical moment, wary of provoking the witch coach.

Despite her formidable skills, Huang Manyao found herself at a loss. She could only select a substitute general from the bench players.

Naturally, the tall figure was Wang Changsheng.

Yet, she held little hope that Wang Changsheng could help the team score. He was merely a substitute, with no remarkable achievements in ordinary times. If it weren’t necessary to fill the roster, she wouldn’t even want him to step onto the field.

“No choice, it has to be this way for now...” Huang Manyao sighed softly, her crimson lips parting slightly.

At the competition arena, inside Qiang Chu Rulong’s team room, their coach Chen Gang burst into laughter upon hearing the commentary.

“That foolish Huang Manyao must be desperate now, dreaming of sending in a substitute to make a last stand?”

Behind Chen Gang, a triangular-eyed man with a small tuft of beard at his philtrum sneered coldly, his eyes glinting with malice. “This time I spent a hefty sum poaching their Wei Gou. Let’s see how they plan to make it to the national finals now!”

“Don’t worry, Yamashita-kun,” Chen Gang said, smiling obsequiously at the short man behind him. “That vixen Huang Manyao won’t be making any trouble this time. With our Black Dragon on the team, we’ll definitely take a commanding lead.”

Black Dragon was their team’s ace, having achieved remarkable results in major tournaments over the years.

Their own ace had been poached away this time, and they had barely managed to recruit a replacement.

Now, having snatched the opponent’s core player as well, the other team was forced to field a substitute.

Chen Gang and the bearded man were convinced: as long as their players didn’t act foolishly, victory was assured.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the WPL 2023 National Werewolf Kill Championship!” the announcer declared.

“This tournament features 48 teams, but only 24 can advance! Now, only one final slot remains—”

“Who will seize the chance to reach the national finals? Stay tuned!”

“All players are now in position, dear viewers.”

“Wolf shadows emerge, the wise shall reign!”

“Night falls, please close your eyes!”

At the instant the announcer’s voice faded, the entire arena plunged into darkness.

A colossal, cube-shaped screen at the arena’s center illuminated brilliantly.

Twelve figures appeared around a massive round table.

Their identities and information were displayed along the screen’s sides.

These twelve were from twelve different teams.

None had participated in earlier matches.

This last match was their crucial opportunity to secure final points.

Wang Changsheng’s team, Crossing Thoughts, was seated right behind Qiang Chu Rulong’s team.

If they failed to score this time, they would be ousted from the top twenty-four advancing teams.

Wang Changsheng sat at seat number seven.

He glanced around.

The game had yet to start; all were normal, no shadows had yet appeared.

In this virtual space, eliminated players transformed into shadows, watching the entire game from a god’s-eye perspective.

They could only exit the game pod together once the match concluded.

“Why are there so many ladies in this match?” Wang Changsheng observed several women among the twelve; two sat beside him.

To his left was player number eight, a voluptuous woman in a red dress, her long legs elegantly crossed.

To his right sat player number six, a cute, youthful girl with a pale, delicate face and gleaming teeth.

Wang Changsheng was sandwiched between them like a filling in a bun, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

He turned his gaze around furtively and suddenly locked eyes with a burly man.

The man’s gaze was fierce and hostile, fixed intently on him.

His sharply pointed chin seemed capable of stabbing a person; he looked like trouble.

Wang Changsheng checked the man’s number card.

Number three.

“Qiang Chu Rulong’s ace? Waiting until now to deal with me, huh?” Wang Changsheng chuckled inwardly.

He paid no mind to the man’s hostile glare.

An ace player targeting a substitute like him was amusing.

Qiang Chu Rulong really had no shame.

“Well, let’s see who gets eliminated this time,” Wang Changsheng smiled slyly, mouthing a word silently.

Bullshit.

Provoked by Wang Changsheng’s taunt, the pointed-chinned giant clenched his fists tightly, fury and murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

But he quickly restrained himself, curling his lips into a cold sneer and gesturing a throat-cutting motion toward Wang Changsheng—a clear provocation.

Yet Wang Changsheng merely curled his lips disdainfully, ignoring him, withdrawing his gaze indifferently.

Being so blatantly dismissed, the giant felt as if his punch had landed on cotton—powerless and infuriating.

The more he acted out, the more Wang Changsheng ignored him, lowering his head as if examining something on his own leg.

Here, each player’s score was entirely determined by their speech and various in-game actions.

This formed the bulk of scoring.

In other words, the game’s faction alignment mattered less.

Whether werewolf or villager, as long as one’s actions benefited their faction, points could be earned.

Conversely, poor speech or voting decisions cost points.

For example, if a villager wrongly accused another villager and voted against them, they’d lose significant points.

If the misstep was only in speech but the vote was redeeming, points might increase or decrease depending on the situation.

This scoring system meant that although the twelve players came from twelve different teams, each had to do their utmost to contribute to their faction.

Otherwise, the loss of points would weigh heavily on them after the match.

“Beep.”

After all twelve were seated, a screen appeared at the center of the round table.

The game board for this match was displayed before everyone.

The magnetic voice heard earlier began to explain the game board to players and viewers alike.