As time went on, the battle countdown had entered the interactive draw phase. The Federation had never excluded players from the Saudi Empire; after all, despite it being war-themed, a game was a game and the company's interests had to be secured.

However, this competition was different. Given its high popularity, the system would inevitably filter out as many expert gamers from enemy forces as possible. After all, if they allowed hostile forces to mess around on their home turf, it would be akin to those who went barefoot not fearing those wearing shoes, and those who watched the drama not fearing the escalating stakes.

Little Wu, as the commentator, had quite the sentiment. She was a classic example, having had a colleague from her circle come and ridicule her. Knowing him kind of counted, and his superior attitude from being a commentator with a criminal record was intolerable. Few months later, he ended up switching industries. But all these were just side stories for now.

At the moment, the atmosphere outside the battlefield was still incredibly heated. On the huge open-air light screens in city squares, you could hear the cries of the fervent War Chariot, almost manic in his enthusiasm: "Dear gamers, please pick up your light screen phones and cast your precious vote for Revenge Shadow Rider. Participate in our lucky draw, with only five minutes remaining. Just maybe, your precious vote will decide Revenge Shadow Rider's fate, and perhaps, you will be the lucky questioner."

As expected of a veteran commentator, War Chariot's hearty and unrestrained vote-seeking method was natural and instantly garnered countless responses from netizens.

"Dad, just vote for him, I promise I'll study hard in the future."

"Get lost, my idol is a top genius, not Revenge Shadow Rider — wait, does this mean you won't skip school anymore? Are you serious?"

The Federation's city streets continuously showed various interactions related to the Shadow Rider. Girls who had just finished self-study for the night were walking home in groups, all taking out their dainty cell phones to cast a vote for the Shadow Rider. Boys returning from overtime work in remote star districts were rapidly tapping their light screen phones while pedaling their energy bikes. These scenes were repeated across every city.

Without further delay, the lucky gamer finally emerged. He wasn't any of the competitors in the arena, but a youth from a local star district of Alpha. His phone number and profile picture flashed in a corner of the arena followed by billions of eyes. The boys still watching the live broadcast were shocked by the sudden stroke of luck, one of them so astonished they nearly fainted from a heart attack.

"Wow, our lucky gamer has appeared! He's a young native from Alpha, and he's appearing under the same starry sky as Revenge Shadow Rider for the first time in Star Wars. Congratulations to our friend with the phone number XX."

Charlotte's voice was filled with excitement as she said the words. According to the text she received, she was going to pose a question to the Revenge Shadow Rider. Her heart was pounding at the thought… She cleared her throat and raised her voice: "Revenge Shadow Rider, I... I am commentator Charlotte."

"I know." Shadow Rider responded, unexpectedly turning to look at the commentator's platform.

Hearing this, Charlotte was so excited that she was close to tears. Mixed emotions of joy and being touched flooded her. Did the Revenge Shadow Rider actually remember her?

The other three commentators sincerely felt happy for Charlotte. This girl hadn't had it easy, working her way up one step at a time. She had always silently supported Shadow Rider, who clearly wasn't someone who forgot easily.

Although his electronic voice lacked emotion, one could still discern his approximate age – he didn't seem too old. And for some reason, after his enigmatic response, everyone present and even the audience outside the arena were filled with a peculiar euphoria. This guy didn't seem as cold as he appeared. On the contrary, he was simply sparing with words.

Charlotte continued with her question, her beautiful face a bit flushed, asking Revenge Shadow Rider about his gender. In fact, this question was one that many netizens also wanted to know the answer to. But bizarrely, the lucky netizen had added a question, "If you are male, do you have a boyfriend?"

The scene immediately exploded! Damn, this was too melodramatic! The questioner was clearly a male, as shown in his profile picture, his identification unforgeable. So what was this about asking about having a boyfriend? Was that guy gay?

Shadow Rider shrugged, "I am male and only have male friends."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Shadow Rider wasn't gay. If their idol, the one they admired, turned out to be that, they might as well not watch the battle and go to bed early.

Up next was the Sky Ladder match-up phase. At eight in the evening, when Shadow Rider pressed the match-up option, countless people on the scene held their breath...

Although Revenge Shadow Rider had only fought a few rounds so far, one thing was certain: the opponents Shadow Rider matched with would only get increasingly stronger, their strength exponentially increasing until Shadow Rider lost. This was the unchanging law of the Star Wars Sky Ladder battles.

At the same moment, countless experts controlling phantom models pressed the match-up button. Even if it wasn't for battle, it was necessary to show their face in such a public event, especially for the three major guilds in the game.

As the pointer gradually slowed, the opponent emerged. It was ST Jiu Ling, a New Human beauty with her hair done up. From her eyes that shone like colored glass, the crowd could easily discern... she was a player from the Saudi Empire.

Innumerable people were livestreaming this viewership, but at this time, at least thousands of people narrowed their eyes… Zi Mou, Ophelia, Grand, anyone who had some understanding of global military affairs wouldn't find the name and profile picture of Jiu Ling unfamiliar. ST Jiu Ling? A trained Red Cloak from the Saudi Empire, rumored to be more talented than anyone else her age.

If one saw the identity of the incoming player, a wave of sighs.… The sound was instantly replaced by louder cheers, but those with a keen ear could still catch some underneath.

A roar came from Hans's office: "Backstage, what's happening?"

"M-m-manager, there seems to be a loophole, but the Intelligent Brain hasn't detected any abnormal codes yet."

Hans fiercely hung up the internal line phone and rushed out of the room. No one knew better than him who ST Jiu Ling was. It was clearly written in the real name verification: a trained Red Cloak from the Saudi Empire.

The Star Wars subdivision was in chaos, with technicians rushing to their respective positions one after another. Hans knew it was too late. It was impossible to replace the opponent in a match that had received so much media attention. The only thing he could do was to quickly find the loophole to prevent the situation from getting worse and hope that Shadow Rider could perform as well as possible.

As for winning or losing? Hans didn't dare to consider that. He totally lacked the courage to think about it. The opponent was a Red Cloak from reality, far above the likes of an apprentice like Ophelia.

"If, if Revenge Shadow Rider could win, just if, no, it's impossible, but if..." Hans muttered endlessly, sounding like a distraught lunatic.

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