Before the words even settled, the audience below erupted in an uproar.
"Did I hear that right? President Lu chose to ban Light-Chaser Garden's items?"
"Items? Why would he ban Light-Chaser Garden's items?"
"Damn, is Lu Shuhang losing his mind? Why would he think of banning items!"
In a roulette casino somewhere in the Probability Space Station, gamblers who had just placed their bets cursed furiously.
"It's over, no need to watch this match. Assassin's Creed is definitely going to lose. What's the point of banning some useless items? To stop Light-Chaser Garden from using health potions?"
"What the hell is that guy named Lu doing? I just bet 400,000 Federal Shields on Assassin's Creed!"
The owner of this casino was a member of the sky serpent race, who had connections on both sides of the law. His family, Morijika, controlled most of the area north of Charon State in the New Federation, dealing in contraband, human trafficking, and arms. He was the family's godfather, involved in both legal and illegal industries, and those who frequented the underworld called him Boss Snake.
Hearing the gamblers' wails, Boss Snake's vertical pupils contracted slightly, and the blood flow in his body slowed—a sign of his excitement.
Boss Snake's sharp fingertips slowly stroked the rough, itchy scales on his body. A hunch told him he could make a massive profit from this opportunity.
His golden vertical pupils fixated on the blonde girl on the competition stage. He hated Dark Gold Rose, whose emergence had caused his family's assets to shrink by nearly eighty percent in less than half a year.
She was like a nightmare, looming over every mafia godfather, striking fear while also being a thorn in their side, something they wished to eliminate quickly.
Yet, he clearly saw that this devil, always impeccably composed, was currently toying with an old bronze coin.
On the competition stage, Xu Xiaoyou still stood tall, gazing at Lu Shuhang opposite her, seemingly unsurprised by his choice.
The coin rolled from her slender index finger to her middle finger, then to her ring finger, finally resting between her ring finger and pinky, before rolling back up in reverse.
Angelina, beside her, noticed this small gesture. She knew better than anyone that this was Xu Xiaoyou's habit when she was extremely anxious.
Angelina couldn't remember the last time she had seen Xu Xiaoyou exhibit this habit.
The clamor from the audience continued unabated.
"Lu Shuhang's playstyle has always been very steady. Rather, he always tries to find the biggest advantage with the fewest losses."
"In my memory, Lu Shuhang would always choose to sacrifice one of his own team members to win a battle, even if the cost was the entire team losing their qualification to continue the competition," an analyst mused.
"His team members don't have objections to him doing that?" someone casually asked.
"No, they seem to have tacitly accepted this approach."
"Now, what we should be discussing is why Lu Shuhang is so aggressive this time?"
"Why would he ban items?"
Nanjiamu's ears buzzed with the discussions, and he suddenly remembered what Lu Shuhang had told him during the Label Express qualifiers.
"Where exactly does her bizarre ability come from?"
"Instead of breaking the rules, I'd rather believe that she was within the rules from the start, but used layers of mist to obscure everyone's vision."
"What if all of the above, she could do even at grade 3?"
"What if the girl isn't a god, but a person who believes in probability, making everyone think she's a god by radiating light?"
He was well aware of Assassin's Creed's situation; unless he had absolute certainty, Lu Shuhang would never make any risky or aggressive moves.
A bold guess formed in his mind.
What if Dark Gold Rose's bizarre and unpredictable abilities all originated from some 'item'?
"Well done," Xu Xiaoyou exhaled softly, slowly raising her eyes. "Lu Shuhang."
"You flatter me, President Xu," Lu Shuhang replied. "I told you, I have a reason to win. This might be Assassin's Creed's last battle."
"This time, and only this time, I will stop at nothing."
"Then, shall we enter the match?"
"Of course."
"Both sides have selected their banned abilities. The match begins! Both teams, please load into the competition arena!"
Ten pillars of light shot upwards simultaneously, vanishing completely from the audience's sight in moments. At the same time, the large screen on the stage began loading the match's visuals.
Blue and purple light columns crisscrossed, dazzling light piercing through black-purple ceramic tiles in hazy bursts. The air was filled with a dizzying mix of perfume and rouge. The explosive rock music slowly faded into the distance. Inside a dimly lit restroom, the blonde girl's figure appeared.
Xu Xiaoyou quickly walked to the washstand, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on her face repeatedly until she looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror.
She wore a black and white bartender's uniform, with a neatly buttoned vest accentuating her waist. Her long, low ponytail fell to her waist, and water-soaked strands clung to her forehead. Her tired eyes reflected a blurry image of herself in the mirror.
Xu Xiaoyou snorted and turned her head away.
Looking at her empty card slots and the 0￥ displayed in the upper right corner of her vision, she slowly leaned back against the wall, a sense of powerlessness rising within her. The faint purple light from above the dim restroom stung her eyes, forcing her to close them.
Let her count.
She had a total of four art grade skill cards, one hundred sixty-seven limited grade skill cards, seven hundred twenty-three refined grade skill cards, and probably several thousand common grade skill cards banned.
Goddammit.
She usually used common grade skill cards like Swift Steps to rush when walking, and even needed Mindful Rest to sleep peacefully.
Even when she and Anya were on the run in Red Heaven, she had a few Fireball Bombardment cards in her pocket.
Xu Xiaoyou suddenly burst out laughing, then chuckled uncontrollably. Neither The Artist, nor Smiling Jazz, nor even Deep Blue Tide had ever made her lose her composure like this since she left Corrupt Hive City.
Lu Shuhang had done it.
She had, in fact, had a premonition of this when the banning game rules were announced.
Since it had already happened, it couldn't be changed. The situation wasn't too bad; it was just a few thousand fewer skill cards. She was long used to falling and getting back up.
She needed to seriously think about how to deal with the upcoming situation.
Xu Xiaoyou calmed down and observed her surroundings.
Was she in a bar now?
"Common-tier match instance 'This Is Our Era' has finished loading."
"Instance Type: Team Match."
It seemed to be a role-playing team confrontation instance. After half a year, she was back in Skyline City.
With her excellent abilities, the system would probably give her a leadership role, right?
At the very least, a bar manager.
"Honey, aren't you ready yet? I'm getting a little impatient waiting for you~" A woman's charming, rising voice came from outside the door, making Xu Xiaoyou's eyelid twitch.
Rate on N.U.
