Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 295 To The Forums (Part 2) 

 

The OP is an asshole! Thought Tan Polang, is there really a need to tease us like that? It’s obvious that he’s trying to reach the top of the leaderboards! It’s almost the end of the month now, and if this keeps up, this post will definitely surpass the current top 1 within three days. 

 

Many of the players shared the same thought, but they could not hold back their curiosity, and in the process contributed to the OP’s effort in reaching the top. The topic was simply something that they could not ignore. Most of them have heard of Fleeting Time’s murder on Gongzi You’s hands, while some had witnessed it in person. 

 

They knew that it was not something as simple as a showdown of strength between two players of opposing continents. Something was up, and they wanted to find out what it was. 

 

And the most enticing thing in the world was an incomplete truth. 

 

It was just like how a fully naked woman would never be as enticing to perverts as someone dressed in very revealing clothing. Humans were born with a natural desire to explore the unknown. Everybody knew how a beautiful girl would look fully naked. What mattered to them was the excitement they felt as one slowly removed each item of her clothing. 

 

The story between Gongzi You and Fleeting Time was just like the beautiful girl. She was dressed, but it also meant that their curiosity and their imagination were running wild. They wanted to know what lies beneath her clothes. 

 

They have seen Fleeting Time provoking Gongzi You in the World Channel with their very own eyes, but there had never been a  back and forth between the two. Gongzi You would always respond with something violent like “I’ll kill you!” that broke their immersion. 

 

But things changed for the first time when a post by a player with the name “Boundless Moonlight” appeared. 

 

The post itself was nothing special. It was about the fight between Ye Ci and Fleeting Time, and was a very good learning material for Hunters. But the poster himself who was full of imagination was able to create gossip from the short video.

 

It solidified the belief in many of the players’ hearts that the duo were up to something. But their interaction ended just as abruptly as it began. They heard nothing from Fleeting Time in the World Channel, and Gongzi You would of course remain silent. 

 

Things once again returned to normal as if nothing had happened. There was nothing to gossip about. The only relationship between the players was the rivalry between their continents. 

 

This was a killjoy for the countless gosipper lurking in the forums. They were so close to uncover something between the two Hunters, and yet it was just out of their reach. It was a pain that remained unquelled in the hearts of many. 

 

Life went on, and just when the incident was about to be forgotten and swept away from the minds of the players, the post by “Just A Passerby” appeared in the forums, and it successfully reignited the passions in the players’ heart. Their thirst for the unknown once again surged forth like a storm that swept through the entire official forum within a matter of hours. 

 

It is human nature to gossip. Many of the posts that were made at the same time were nowhere near as popular as Just A Passerby’s post combined. Everybody wanted a piece of the gossip. 

 

It was simply human nature and nothing to be ashamed of. 

 

Tan Polang and many others like him were furiously mashing their F5 key to refresh the thread. 

 

Wang Jiangnan stretched his body and was about to head to the cafeteria for a meal when he caught a glimpse of his colleague Xiao Wang staring intensely at the scrolling texts on his monitor, “Are you hungry Xiao Wang? Let’s head to the cafeteria together.” 

 

“I’ll pass. Can you help pack up some sweet and sour pork for me?” Xiao Wang did not even turn around to face him. It was a rare occurrence, as Xiao Wang was a person who would usually slip out of the office at any given chance. 

 

Paying no heed to his colleague, Wang Jiangnan headed to the cafeteria with his debit card. Many of the employees were working overtime on the first day of the patch’s release, which naturally meant that the cafeteria was packed full of developers, artists, editors, writers, and customer service employees. It was apparent that many of them were planning to stay in the company throughout the entire night. 

 

With the cafeteria packed, Wang Jiangnan could only bring his food back to his office. 

 

He noticed that Xiao Wang was browsing through the forum as he handed food to his colleague. Xiao Wang rarely cares about the forum, thought Wang Jiangnan, why is he so fixated on that thing now? 

 

“What are you looking at?” ask Wang Jiangnan who was a close acquaintance of Xiao Wang. “You don’t know?” Xiao Wang looked at him with clear disdain, “Have you never tried gossipping?” 

 

“What sort of gossip?” Wang Jiangnan leaned forward to look at Xiao Wang’s monitor as he stuffed his mouth full of rice, and saw the rows of words on the screen, “Pics or it did not happen!” “Come on, show us already!” 

 

He responded with a chuckle, “I’ve never seen you so interested in something like this before.” 

“Pfftt.. What do you know? It’s because the OP knows what he's doing!” Xiao Wang cast a sideway glance at Wang Jiangnan and continued spamming the F5 key on his keyboard as he shoved his mouth full of rice. 

 

“You’re done with your work?” Wang Jiangnan attempted to pour a bucket of cold water on the raging flames of gossip in Xiao Wang’s heart. 

 

But it was not effective, “We have work coming in everyday, but gossip material like this? Once in a blue moon! Do you not have something to pursue in life?” 

 

Wang Jiangnan’s interest was piqued, “Just what sort of gossip are you looking at?” 

 

Xiao Wang immediately sent a link to Wang Jiangnan through the company’s internal messaging system, “See for yourself.” 

 

“Gongzi You and Fleeting Time!!!” Wang Jiangnan was shocked. 

 

“Yup! The top players of Fate from opposing continents sharing a relationship like that… Isn’t it exciting?” Xiao Wang chuckled, “Why is the OP not following up with more pictures? Come on! I swear I will hack into his computer!” 

 

“Hey, hey, hey…” Wang Jiangnan stared at his colleague, “Are you for real…” 

 

“Of course! Are you doubting my capabilities?” Xiao Wang chuckled, “I might not be as good as you, but I’m sure I can hack into his computer without leaving a trace.” 

 

“Are you really that crazy?” Wang Jiangnan was shocked by the incident, but he had not fully immersed himself in the gossip like Xiao Wang. 

 

“Me? Crazy?” Xiao Wang let go of his mouse and scooped some rice into his mouth before looking in Wang Jiangnan’s direction, “Do you know how many of our coworkers are into this? Look at this, this guy is from the tech department, this person right here is from the development team, and this right here is someone from the arts department. There’s easily a hundred of them on the forums! Are you telling me that all of us are crazy?” 

 

Wang Jiangnan rolled his eyes. The picture of Fleeting Time lifting up Gongzi You’s chin was displayed on his monitor. A smile lit up the man’s face, while shock was written all over Gongzi You’s face. This image was enough to drive the imagination of anyone wild. 

 

As he leaned against his chair, Wang Jiangnan thought of the girl named Ye Ci standing under the sun with a smile on her face. She was not a beautiful person, and some would even consider her to be overly thin. But nobody could deny that Ye Ci had her beauty of her own, and an aura about her that could attract the attention of those around her no matter where she was. 

 

Will someone like this… Even have a relationship with another player? Wang Jiangnan could not understand. He did not even have the courage to ponder too long on the question. The first time he met her was in the game, and so was their second and third encounters. He had never met the girl in real life, but he had long classified her as someone who was at the top of the food chain. 

 

Wang Jiangnan had mixed feelings for Ye Ci. He felt appreciation, friendship, and even a slight hint of infatuation towards the girl, but she was just so far from his reach. He had never seen her as a living person, but as Gongzi You who had always belonged to the world of Fate. 

 

But a strange feeling grew in Wang Jiangnan’s heart when he saw the picture of her with Fleeting Time. 

 

He looked up at the group photo he took with the visiting Conquering The Heavens players. Gongzi You was standing right beside her. Her lips were formed into a slight smile that lacked any form of warmth, as if she was merely doing it for the sake of taking the photo. Will someone like her even be involved in online romance? He chuckled and continued reading the content of the post. 

 

“Oh by the way, Jiangnan. Weren’t you the one who received players from several Eastern Continent guilds? Have you seen Gongzi You back then?” a sudden thought flashed across Xiao Wang’s mind. 

 

Wang Jiangnan once again glanced at the cold expression of the girl beside him in the photo and shook his head at Xiao Wang, “No, Upwards Ho! was not invited. I’ve never met Gongzi You before.” 

 

“Aiya, we must invite them along this year.” Xiao Wang narrowed his eyes, “I really want to know how Gongzi You looks like.” 

 

“Don’t you want to know what Fleeting Time looks like?” 

 

“Hey, I’m a man, I’m not interested in another man.” Xiao Wang shook his head. He gulped down a mouthful of water and continued refreshing the post, “Come on OP! If I don’t get any update from you today, I’ll really hack into your computer!” 

 

Wang Jiangnan took one last glance at the post before finally closing it for good to resume his work on monitoring the data of new players. The new patch and Golden Era were his greatest worries. 

 

He could still remember Ye Ci’s words clearly in his mind: I am a person with a dream. He had sworn to work hard in achieving his dream, but… What about Gongzi You?