National destiny: Global tower climbing skills have decreased by 10,000 times.

Chapter 118 Exploring the Strike

Time flies, and it's the last day before the "Dragon Slayer Ranking" servers shut down.

The largest conference room at the Eagle Nation's Institute for Foreign Esports Strategy was packed with people.

On the left side of the long table sat the institute's staff, including data analysts, network engineers, and strategic researchers, all seated in a row.

Seated in a row on the right are the top ten professional players from the UK, who were specially invited to attend this strategic meeting.

They are the most likely candidates to participate in next year's national games. At this moment, they are sitting upright with different expressions.

Koss sat in the head seat, a thick report laid out in front of him, a cigar in his mouth.

To his right was the director of the Eagle Nation Esports Association, a man with gray hair, holding a pen in his hand, listening attentively with a blank expression.

The meeting was already halfway through.

The researcher in charge of data reporting stood in front of the projection screen, pointing a laser pointer at the bar chart on the screen, his voice bright: "—Based on the data collected from the Dragon Slayer Ranking, the distribution of top players from various countries is now basically clear. This is the list we are focusing on."

A string of IDs pops up on the screen, with each name followed by its nationality and key information.

"We have basically confirmed the true identities of many people on these lists through speculation and public opinion."

"For example, Korea's 'Kimson,' 'Chorry,' and 'Scky' — the United States' 'Elan' and 'Purgod' — the United States' 'Nizeal' and 'F-camp' — and Japan's 'King of Bones'."

"Donjilo"————"The Great Merchant" of the Dragon Kingdom————"

He went on to say a long string of things.

"At the same time, there are many IDs that we cannot confirm, but whose records are worth noting, such as 'Sando' from Korea."

"The Dragon Kingdom's 'Afterimage,' the Cherry Blossom Kingdom's 'Second Slash of Cherry Blossom,' etc."

The researcher paused noticeably at this point in the report, then emphasized, "Especially this 'Second Slash of Sakura,' it needs to be stressed—"

"His record of 736 damage in 7 rounds in the hidden level has not been surpassed by any player to date!"

"And it's not just a slight lead, it's a commanding, overwhelming lead!"

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

On the right side of the contestants' seats, some rubbed their hands together, some looked at each other, and some looked down at the table with somewhat evasive eyes.

Koss sensed something was wrong. He scanned the ten faces on his right with his own light and immediately asked, "How many of you have encountered this ID before?"

After a few seconds of silence, Jason was the first to raise his hand. He had been thinking about this ID for a long time and was prepared to face it openly and honestly.

Then, hands were raised sporadically, some after hesitating for a long time, as if admitting something difficult to face.

Because every single one of them who raised their hand lost when they faced "Sakura's Second Slash"!

However, neither of them knew about their defeat, so neither was willing to let others see it.

Koss counted; there were six in total. Out of ten players, six had encountered "Sakura's Second Slash."

"And the result?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

As expected, no one answered; instead, each person had a solemn expression and had already written down their answer.

Koss frowned. He was quite certain that these were the top ten professional players in the United States, representing the highest level of gaming globally.

However, these six people encountered the same opponent and were all defeated, as if they had hit a steel plate.

"When did Japan produce such a person?" he couldn't help but wonder.

"What's the situation like in Japan?" he turned to the researcher. "Any related opinions or information?"

The researcher turned to another page of data, his speech quickening: "Yes."

"The entire Japanese esports scene is in an uproar. From professionals to amateurs, everyone is searching for this 'second sword of Sakura'."

"Because of his appearance, the willingness of the Sakura Kingdom to rely on us has been greatly reduced."

He paused. "They believe that the second strike can turn the tide for Japan. But—so far, no one has found his true identity."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the other players sitting nearby widened even further, all thinking, "Could it be that this second strike wasn't performed by a registered professional player?"

Koss raised his hand to interrupt, his voice steady: "Don't let your guard down, this could very well be a facade created by Japan to maintain secrecy."

His gaze sharpened: "It seems that Japan, the land of cherry blossoms, deserves our close attention this year!"

He drew out the last few words, which carried a profound meaning.

Everyone present knew what "focused attention" meant: media attacks, poaching, exposing secrets, and targeted research —

Every possible means will be put on the table and put on the agenda.

It was precisely this tactic that allowed the Eagle Nation to repeatedly inflict losses on their opponents in previous national tournaments.

Koss turned his head to the head of the strategy team sitting in the back row, his tone stern: "Strategy team, immediately make Japan the primary target for attack next year!"

"Yes." The head of the strategy team made a note in his notebook.

Upon seeing this, the researcher who was reporting immediately added: "However, based on our speculation, this 'Second Sakura Slash' is very likely to have used a bug and engaged in data manipulation."

"While his abilities still have some basis and are worth paying attention to, they may not be as exaggerated as the data suggests."

Upon hearing this, Kos's expression changed slightly, but he remained serious and his guard was not down.

"Anyway," he concluded.

"Send an invitation to each of the contestants mentioned on the list, see what they are willing to do, and then we'll decide on a strategy."

"As for this second stab—" he looked at the head of the intelligence team, "we must find him, by any means necessary, and at least find out who it is!"

"Yes!" the researchers replied simultaneously.

"Also, expedite the reconstruction of these players' match videos and begin research as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" they replied, their voices growing louder.

One day later, the Dragon Slayer Ranking officially shut down. Arriving in the Dragon Kingdom, inside the office of the Hundred-Link Esports Alliance.

Xingyuan was sitting at his computer desk, with several news articles related to the Dragon Slayer Ranking displayed on the computer screen.

The "Dragon Slayer Ranking" competition has ended, and not many contestants from the Dragon Kingdom made the list, so people's attention has waned and the hype has subsided, leaving only some summary reports and data reviews.

He was scrolling down casually when an email notification suddenly popped up in the bottom right corner.

"Um?"

He opened the email, glanced at it, and found that it was sent to his account via the address on the Dragon Slayer Ranking website.

"Settlement - Email?" Xingyuan read aloud as he opened the email.

Hearing the noise, Ye Fei immediately sat up from the sofa next to him and went over.

The email was short, but contained a lot of information. The gist was:

Congratulations on your outstanding achievement in the "Dragon Slayer Ranking" event! You will receive rewards based on your ranking and points.

Reward Amount: 100 National Fortune Vouchers!

The text was surrounded by colorful special effects, making it look like some kind of gambling scammer.

But this number really startled them.

"No, it really sent?" Xingyuan said.

"I thought it was just a gimmick to fool people."

Ye Fei also said, "That's quite a lot of money, isn't it?"

They all knew that 100 national fortune coupons were practically nothing to a country.

But for an ordinary person, it's a huge sum of money, enough to make them rich.

However, the following news made them both frown:

Please fill in the following mailing information. The reward will be sent via airmail.

Next comes the information filling page, which includes the detailed address and contact information.

Xingyuan and Ye Fei exchanged a glance, and they both realized the situation almost simultaneously:

This is what they mean by "the true colors are revealed when the map is unrolled"!

"Hahahaha!"

"Are they not even going to act anymore?"

The two of them burst into laughter simultaneously. This proved that their earlier guess was correct.

The so-called "National Fortune Ticket" reward was a lure from the beginning; the real purpose was to collect the real identities and addresses of top players.

Their choice to use "ghost accounts" to hide their real address was a correct one.

Ye Fei suppressed his excitement and immediately asked, "So, what are you planning to do?"

Xingyuan thought for a moment and replied, "Then let's give it to someone who's lucky!"

He opened the map software and randomly selected an address in Korea, a random street.

Fill in the information and click submit.

"Done." He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.

Ye Fei smiled but didn't say anything. He also curiously opened his email; although his account was banned, he still wanted to take a look.

Sure enough, there was a new email in my inbox. The sender was also from the "Dragon Slayer Ranking Official" address, but the style was completely different from Xingyuan's email, appearing much more grand and serious.

He clicked on it.

The first line of text left him dumbfounded.

Congratulations! You have been recognized as a top-tier player for your outstanding performance in the "Dragon Slayer Ranking" event.

The reward you will receive is 1000 National Fortune Vouchers.

"One thousand?" Xingyuan leaned closer and saw the number, causing Chaye to spit out the water he had just drunk.

Ye Fei continued scrolling down, and there were more invitations to him, including a promise to make him the chief strategist of the Eagle Country Esports Association, with an annual salary that directly exceeded ten million Eagle Country dollars.

Xingyuan was speechless. Ye Fei stared at the screen, only one thought in his mind: "This is too outrageous!"

Let's rewind to two days later.

With the 'Dragon Slayer Ranking' over, this matter was temporarily put aside, and Ye Fei returned to his normal life and affairs with the Hundred-Link Esports Alliance.

That morning, Ye Fei got out of bed, glanced at his phone, and remembered that today was the day of the "Grand Selection" of 100 consecutive e-sports matches that he had agreed to with Xing Yuan.

In order to find more potential players from the public, they decided to hold a large-scale selection open to the public. Fortunately, any skilled players can voluntarily participate and try, with no entry requirements.

The purpose of this event is not only to find skilled individuals from the general public, but also to create competition among the members of the existing five teams, allowing for the survival of the fittest and refining the overall quality.

In addition to this, there is another purpose, which is also specifically for "that person":

—Chu Liang.