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

He paused for a moment when he saw the note.

Xingyuan never initiates phone calls; their communication is always limited to online exchanges, with the occasional private message.

But the conversations mostly consisted of discussing game concepts and inviting each other to matches; they never actually talked on the phone.

He knew Xingyuan was usually fine; if something did happen, it would be something serious.

He stood up and patted the cook on the shoulder: "I'm going out to take a call."

The chef, who was staring at the spectator screen, didn't even turn his head: "Alright, big brother, you go."

Ye Fei strode out of the observation room, crossed the corridor, and pushed open the fire door between the stairwells.

The door closed behind me, shutting out the noisy voices and leaving only the echoes in the empty corridor.

He pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

"What is it?"

"Did you see the news? The whole internet is in an uproar."

On the other end of the phone, Xingyuan's voice was very low, but he spoke very quickly, as if he had a lot to say.

Ye Fei leaned against the corner of the wall, his thoughts still on the match that had just taken place: "What news?"

"Over there on the internet, on that world's largest video platform, some Japanese expert suddenly appeared and started livestreaming a challenge against all the hunters from China!"

The hunter in question refers to the character "Silent Hunter." Ye Fei remained silent upon hearing this.

"That live stream is global, it has people from all over the world, and it's already been watched by millions of people," Xingyuan continued.

"Several experts from China have already challenged him, but they have all been defeated. He's getting more and more arrogant as he fights, and he keeps shouting in the live stream."

"Several news platforms related to the Spire are broadcasting this story, and the situation is very bad."

Ye Fei frowned: "Doesn't the Dragon Kingdom also have skilled hunters?"

"Yes, there is, but," Xingyuan said.

"As you know, China's training system doesn't cultivate hunters at all. The few skilled individuals who are somewhat proficient are all self-developed specialists, and they're nowhere near the level of professional players."

"That guy from Japan uses a playstyle I've never seen before—it doesn't belong to any mainstream professional system, the build is bizarre, but surprisingly strong."

He paused, his voice growing even deeper:

"I don't think this is a coincidence. He figured out our weaknesses and had already developed this tactic. He deliberately chose this time to provoke us and even broadcast it live."

"I don't think this is a simple challenge; it's a premeditated attack aimed at damaging the image of esports in China!"

Ye Fei remained silent for a few seconds, sensing that something was amiss.

"Is anyone playing now?"

"Yes. Those top players have all logged off, and it's 'Green Leopard's' turn now. He's the streamer who specializes in playing Hunter, and he's currently laning against him."

He recognized the name; he had seen it by chance on the Spire forum before.

He's supposedly the number one hunter in China, with a record of 50% win rate in A6. He seems to be a streamer with exceptional skills, just like Cai Chu.

"However, I think the current situation is somewhat unfavorable."

Ye Fei opened his phone and found that someone on C-site had reposted that live stream, so he immediately clicked on it.

The scene is from the perspective of the "Green Leopard," showing a man with black-rimmed glasses and a balding head staring intently at the screen, rapidly maneuvering.

A few beads of sweat were already visible on his shiny forehead, and he looked tense, as if the situation was very unfavorable.

On the main screen, his Hunter deck was basically complete, with knives densely packed around it. But no matter how fast he sped up, he was still a step behind.

The comments rolled by like quicksand:

"It's over, is even the Green Leopard going to lose?"

"Are the Dragon Kingdom hunters really going to be wiped out?"

"Just who is this guy from Japan? I've never seen him in professional matches."

"I can't take it anymore, I'm about to lose focus, is there anyone who can save me...?"

In the final round, the boss of "Sakura's First Slash" fell before him.

The system indicated that the game was over, the challenge had failed, and "Green Leopard" immediately left the live stream.

The moment the screen went dark, his profile picture turned gray, and the live stream room fell into complete silence.

Then, the other person turned on their microphone.

"Hey, hey, what? I mean, is this the number one expert in your Dragon Kingdom, huh?"

The voice of "The First Slash of Sakura" came from the speaker; it was sharp and even a little shrill.

Since the Japanese was being spoken in Mandarin, some viewers turned on a translator and sent the message in the live chat.

"After all this time, I thought he was some kind of genius, but he's just an idiot! Is this the only kind of trash your Dragon Kingdom produces?"

He brought his face even closer to the camera, his eyes narrowed to slits, and a small mustache sticking up high below his nose.

"Honestly, such a big country like China doesn't have a single person who can fight. It's really disappointing and a waste of time."

"Is there anyone left?!"

The live chat exploded instantly:

"What's with the arrogance?"

"What are you planning to do, just focus on the Hunter? If you're so capable, go fight other characters!"

"Where are the professional players from China? Why aren't they coming to the rescue?"

"Sakura's First Slash" glanced at the comments and smiled. He was watching the comments on an international live stream, which were also being translated into Sakura's Chinese language. Comments from various countries were flooding in like a tidal wave.

"Dragon Country? That's the one that came in seventh this year? I remember they used to be pretty good."

"That first-hit hunter played really well, I must say."

"A war between the Sakura Country and the Dragon Country? That's interesting, but it's normal that they can't win against the Sakura Country."

"Stop bullying the Chinese, they only know how to play with robots. Go challenge the masters of Goryeo instead."

"..."

After the Green Leopards' defeat, that one-on-one room remained in the international version's multiplayer lobby.

The room name was written in Japanese characters, which translates to "Challenge all the hunters of the Dragon Kingdom".

The room information is displayed below:

Character: Silent Hunter

Advanced: A6

『Landlord: Sakura's First Slash』

Status: Unoccupied

The number of spectators in the room was displayed next to it, and it had already exceeded one million. It remained at the top of the online lobby.

Five minutes passed, and no one entered.

Ten minutes passed, and still no one entered.

"The First Slash of Sakura" continues to rant, its tone becoming increasingly provocative, and its audience from around the world is gradually increasing.

The comments on the Chinese side went from anger to silence, and from silence to sighs.

"Is there really no one willing to go up?"

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. There are no hunters in our professional circle, so no one will come."

"No need to watch anymore, the Green Leopards have already lost. Didn't you see their playing style? They were way ahead of us."

"Forget it, is it so hard to admit that you're not as good as others? I think you should learn properly before trying again."

"People from the professional circle certainly won't come; they can't afford to lose face."

"..."

Xingyuan's voice came through the phone again: "Hey, you should have seen it, right?"

Ye Fei hummed in agreement.

"If this continues, the Dragon Kingdom will lose all face," Xingyuan said.

"If no one else is willing to go, I'll have to go myself. But my understanding of hunters is limited, and I don't know if I can win."

"What if I lose too..."

He paused for a moment, as if he had made up his mind:

"Then I'll have to leave it to you!"

Ye Fei remained silent.

"I know you don't want to reveal your identity or get involved in these things," Xingyuan said, his tone pleading.

"But now, the situation is special, and the circumstances are urgent. I know that with your abilities, you can definitely handle it, right?"

"Please think about the future of the Dragon Kingdom!"

Ye Fei remained silent for a few seconds.

He knew that Xingyuan was right. The situation was special now, and if he didn't step up, he was afraid that no one in the Dragon Kingdom would be able to take the position.

Since it's all just for fun, I can always create another account.

"Okay, I'll log in and check."

Ye Fei hung up, found the receptionist at the organization, and borrowed a spare computer.

Log in to the game and enter the account 'Night Rain'.

The moment the main interface popped up, that glaring title was still hanging in the top-ranked room of the international server's multiplayer lobby:

Challenge all the hunters in the Dragon Kingdom

However, the room status shows: In Battle

Someone's already in!

Ye Fei opened the room details and saw the opponent's ID. It wasn't Xingyuan's alt account, but a familiar name:

—— "Without a Trace"