Chapter 162: JY's Suggestion

"There was zero room for any performance; I was completely and utterly suppressed from start to finish."

Player 12 smiled desolately, spreading his hands and saying, "How on earth was I supposed to play this round? I was led around by the nose the entire time. By the time I finally managed to get a word in, the game was practically over. There I was, the lone surviving wolf, while all four gods and four villagers were still alive. You tell me how I was supposed to turn that around."

"On the first day, the real Seer didn't come out to counter-claim against me, so I was actually quite pleased. The Nightmare told me he had terrorized Number 6 during the night, and Number 7 kept dropping hints to me, so I had no choice but to play as if Number 6 were the Seer. But as soon as the death announcement came out, Number 10—who had taken the hit—didn't die, and instead, my teammate Number 9 somehow got inexplicably voted out by everyone."

"I was completely baffled, but with the sheriff badge in hand and the Seer still hiding, I figured I still had a chance to pull off a comeback, right?" Player 12 recounted his bitter and arduous mental journey step by step.

"As it turned out, my other teammate, Number 2, spoke poorly and got voted out in a landslide by you guys. That night, we were planning to fake a saved-by-the-antidote panacea to protect the Nightmare card, and incidentally throw some shade on JY, but the terror happened to land right on the Witch. Three wolves eliminated in a row, with not a shred of room for recovery."

Player 12 roared in anguish, "What did I even do from beginning to end? I got carried to a loss! I held the sheriff badge, watched my teammates get eliminated one by one, and couldn't do a single thing. I am innocent."

"Traitor of the Empire, you shall be sentenced to hanging in accordance with the law."

The captain walked behind Player 12 and effortlessly lifted his entire body up from his seat with a pair of thick, muscular arms.

"Will hanging hurt very much...?" This was Player 12's first time playing this dungeon, and he had no idea what execution methods existed on the ship.

"It doesn't really hurt, it's just that the process is a bit uncomfortable—somewhat similar to suffocation, and it lasts for close to a minute."

JY was quite experienced in this regard; he had played every single dungeon in VR and tried out all sorts of fancy execution methods. He suggested, "I advise you to choose walking the plank to feed the sharks instead. It feels a bit more exciting, sort of like bungee jumping."

"Oh, right, well then I'll take your word for it. Thanks, JY. I've learned a lot this round, and I'll keep following your live stream."

Player 12 raised his head and asked in a negotiating tone, "Can I choose my own method of execution? I want to jump straight into the sea to feed the fish."

"Of course you can. Imperial law guarantees you the right to die with dignity." The captain kept a straight face as he tied Player 12's hands behind his back.

"This game experience was quite pleasant. Thank you everyone." JY suddenly stood up to express his gratitude, saying, "As for myself, I don't really advocate for the Seer to hide until the second day. Please don't copy me on that, because after all, it makes things very difficult for the good team."

"Actually, taking the win or loss too seriously when playing games isn't always a good thing; it strips away the original joy of gaming. In this regard, I can't compare to Qiu Da—he manages to play every round with so much fun and engagement, unlike me, who is constantly calculating how to win."

"Sigh, after explaining so much, it really has a lot to do with the fact that in my first three games, I was the very first person to get knocked out. I had built up quite a bit of lingering resentment and was urgently looking to prove myself."

"My tactical formulation also centered entirely around myself without considering your feelings. I'm truly sorry." JY smiled with his eyes narrowed, repeatedly apologizing to the good players on the field.

"It's fine, it's fine! Didn't we win in the end anyway? Great Master, don't forget what you promised us, oh." Number 10, the Witch, grinned widely, pointed to the top of his head, and said, "My ID is very easy to remember. I'm called Milk Dad Wolf."

"I've remembered them all, I won't forget." JY cast a benevolent smile as he looked around, then suddenly noticed Chen Fan's ID and said with pleasant surprise, "So you're that Chen Fan."

Chen Fan paused. Ordinarily, he shouldn't have had any intersection with a top-tier master; for the other party to recognize him could only mean it was from the official website...

Most likely that ranking list...

"I don't play very well. I hope I didn't drag you all down." Chen Fan scratched his head, wanting to acknowledge it yet not quite daring to.

JY smiled approvingly and said, "Not bad at all. Your speeches and logic were both solid, and you played the role of a qualified good player."

Hearing the praise from the master, Chen Fan beamed with joy and seized the opportunity to ask, "Then could Big Master JY offer a bit of advice?"

"I wouldn't dare call myself a master; there are plenty of players in the grassroots community who play much better than I do. I just happen to have higher exposure and became famous early on."

JY straightened his fedora and continued, "If you usually like playing in familiar circles, I recommend practicing your demeanor more, striving to maintain a consistent state whether you draw a good player card or a wolf card. Because people play together frequently, they come to know each other's speech habits and logic."

"If you prefer playing ranked matches online, working on your logic is definitely a fundamental skill. Learn to spot the flaws in everyone's speeches and try your best to structure your own words. You can reach a certain level in these aspects through frequent practice."

"The hardest part is actually playing the instigator role. Here, I have to praise our Chinese language; it is truly profound and vast. Rich language combined with vivid body language, ultimately performed with flair and color, can win the trust of many people even if the logic itself is an absolute mess."

"And what surprises me the most is that it can actually defeat flawless logic. Sometimes, no matter how perfect your logical deduction is, it's useless—people simply refuse to believe you. There's really nothing you can do about that."

JY stared at his palm, carefully wiping off the fish oil clinging to his fingertips. "There isn't much profound secret to it; you can find most of it online. How you comprehend and internalize it depends on you as individuals."

"No, not at all. What you said was extremely useful to me. I plan to try walking the performance route from now on and become a dramatic actor,嘿嘿 (hehe)." After listening to JY's lofty theory, a sly trace surfaced on the face of the middle-aged uncle who was Number 10.

"The game has ended. Entering the settlement countdown. You have successfully advanced to the next round. The lineup for the second round of the preliminaries is Seer-Witch-Hunter-Guard versus White Wolf King, with the Sheriff Slaughtering the Village. Wishing you a smooth tournament."

JY offered his blessings before the game ended: "Meeting is a matter of fate. I wish you all the ability to go further in this tournament."

The good players on the field returned the courtesy one by one, and the entire atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.

"I hope in the next round I won't run into any live streamers or grassroots high-tier players again, and instead get obediently matched into a match of noobs pecking at each other, please."

Chen Fan clutched his chest, praying silently while checking his ranking. This freshly won match had once again left hundreds of people behind him.

Previously, Chen Fan hadn't paid attention to pre-match player information, which led to him running into Master JY without even knowing it. Having learned his lesson this time, Chen Fan's eyes never shifted away from the display panel, terrified that a momentary lapse of concentration would result in him being matched against a bunch of formidable opponents.

"Matching opponents for you..."

"Story Dungeon: Maple Story Maple World"

"Your Identity: White Wolf King"

"Player Information:..."

Chen Fan stared at the fleeting IDs. Everyone had come from the University Town Novice Village; although a few unfamiliar IDs popped up later on, they didn't seem very famous, and Chen Fan had zero impression of them.

"Finally, no big shots, haha." Chen Fan rubbed his hands together, preparing to go all out.

Just as he reached the halfway point of rubbing his hands, he suddenly froze, nearly dislocating his fingers in the process.

"Oh, come on..."

Chen Fan stared at that all-too-familiar ID, and instead began wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

"Let's hope... it's... one of our own..."