At almost the same moment, all Glory players, whether they were top-tier Team experts or ordinary players, paused their actions.
Everyone, without exception, saw the striking system announcement that had been broadcasted in the world channel.
……
The world channel fell into a brief silence.
Except for a few players who were idly chatting, continuing their conversation in the world channel, oblivious to the eerie quiet that had suddenly descended.
But in the blink of an eye,
……their chat messages vanished instantly.
Replacing them was an overwhelming, unprecedented flood of player messages that nearly crashed the system:
【……?】
【!?】
【???】
【Wait, did I see that right?】
【Did anyone else just hear the world channel notification sound and open it to see that Ash has logged in…?】
【Me too】
【+1】
【You’re not alone】
【It must be another bug, the technicians need to take the blame】
【It’s… a system error, right? Ash quit the game, didn’t he?】
【It’s been five years.】
【But I heard that if a top PK player who’s been inactive for over three years logs back in, the world channel does send out an announcement…】
【Damn…】
【My hands are shaking, is this for real?】
……
【Glory friends…】
【It’s real.】
【I have him on special follow, and when I checked Ash’s profile, it showed he’s online!!】
【Ash, his avatar that’s been grayed out for years, is lit up today.】
【December 3, 202x, Ash has logged in!!!!!】
【The God of War has returned】
【I declare this to be Glory’s sleepless night】
【AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH】
Within just three minutes,
The world channel’s message board… crashed.
This announcement even affected the ranked matches, with many opponents suddenly quitting mid-game without any reason, and many players in the matchmaking queue unable to load.
Greek stood up, his hand unconsciously gripping the edge of the table. He was speechless, but his pupils were trembling uncontrollably.
…
Ash logged in?
How is that possible?!
That person quit five years ago, why would he log back into the game now? And why at this exact moment? What is Ash planning?
If Greek no longer had any rivals in Glory, then the only thing that could instill fear in him was this id that had disappeared for years.
Li Shengwen, standing beside him, was startled by Greek’s expression.
He hesitated, then silently moved closer behind the man, his gaze peering over his shoulder and landing on the laptop screen.
Then, his gaze froze.
The sky had completely darkened.
Jing Mian felt a hint of fatigue.
He placed the prepared dishes into the thermal box, washed the dishes, wiped down the table he had eaten on, and then sat on the sofa, staring at the small elm tree swaying by the floor-to-ceiling window.
Truth be told, he didn’t have much of an appetite today, but since Mr. Ren had cooked, he couldn’t help but eat a little.
Jing Mian found a pair of scissors and trimmed the lush leaves of the small elm tree.
The roots of the elm tree stood tall, as if in a horse stance, still maintaining its proud demeanor.
Ren Xingwan was in the study, while he was downstairs.
Tomorrow was the day they would head to M City for the provincial competition.
Jing Mian turned and went upstairs, returning to the master bedroom he shared with Mr. Ren. He quickly packed some daily necessities, chargers, and a few changes of clothes, neatly placing them into his suitcase.
Thinking about the early start tomorrow, he decided to let Mr. Ren know that he was going to bed first.
However, before he could reach the study door, his phone suddenly rang.
Jing Mian looked down and saw that it was actually the Team Captain, Xuan Cheng.
His first instinct was that it must be related to the incident where Li Shengwen had publicly criticized him on the forum today.
Xuan Cheng had not only defended him on the forum in the name of the Team but had also called to offer comfort after the brief turmoil had subsided.
Jing Mian was touched.
But as soon as he answered the call,
He heard Xuan Cheng’s voice, barely containing his excitement, coming through the receiver:
“MianMian, Ash has logged in!!”
……
……
When Jing Mian turned on his computer, his palms were icy cold.
The usually smooth and quick startup process, which took less than a minute, now felt unusually slow and drawn out. Jing Mian’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he felt his mouth go dry, unable to speak.
Xuan Cheng’s words still echoed in his mind:
“Ash logged in suddenly tonight.”
“The players of Glory and the higher-ups at headquarters were completely caught off guard. Although we don’t know the reason, this is the first time he’s logged in since he quit the game five years ago.”
“You must be surprised, right? Go check it out quickly, he might still be online.”
Jing Mian pursed his lips,
His eyes reflecting the faint blue light from the screen.
…Surprised was an understatement.
Human body movements and inner emotions often contradict each other. For example, right now, Jing Mian appeared calm and composed, even remaining silent throughout.
However, as he clicked on the Glory icon, his fingers trembled.
It felt as if the blood had drained from his body, becoming sluggish and cold, wrapping around his veins and nerves, freezing his slow and numb thoughts.
Ash had logged in.
How was this possible?
Hadn’t Ash quit the game?
Long ago, even when Jing Mian had resolved to win Ash’s Shadow Guard, he had engraved this belief in his heart and had always held onto it firmly.
It was as if a deeply held faith had been suddenly stripped away, causing the facts he had subconsciously accepted to crumble on the verge of collapse, leaving him trembling uncontrollably.
Finally, Jing Mian entered Glory.
He bypassed the window and directly logged into his game account.
The previous forum posts, the slander and counterattacks, all seemed to lose their significance.
At this moment, the world channel was completely abuzz, with all players gathered there, passionately discussing this astonishing and momentous night.
But before Jing Mian could fully grasp the situation,
At the top of the world channel, a system announcement appeared, bold and eye-catching.
The next second,
Under the gaze of countless players, the system suddenly and unexpectedly issued a second mechanical prompt:
[System Notification:]
[System Notification:]
[Player “Ash” has issued a PK challenge to “Greek”!]