When Judy walked into the coffee shop, Lu Manman and Akko were sneakily enjoying a Black Forest cake in the corner.

Sensing a sudden change in the atmosphere, Lu Manman looked up upon seeing Judy. She wiped the cream from her mouth and whispered to Akko, “Looks like… the troublemaker is here!”

Judy casually glanced at Lu Manman before quickly looking away, not recognizing her at all.

Despite having faced off in many competitions, Lu Manman’s iconic black mask covered almost half of her face, making her identity obscure to most people in real life.

Judy entered the coffee shop and nonchalantly sat on the table adorned with photo frames and bouquets.

Crossing her legs, she picked up a photo frame.

The president of the fan club walked out from the crowd and angrily demanded, “Please put down the photo frame.”

“Sure.” Judy’s lips curled up slightly as she loosened her grip.

*crash!*

The photo frame fell to the ground and shattered.

Shards of glass scattered around.

“Oh, sorry,” Judy said unapologetically, “my hand slipped.”

Lu Manman covered her mouth, whispering to Akko, “I bet fifty cents she did it on purpose.”

Akko sneered, “Damn, you’re just realizing that now?”

Several fan club members, furious, rushed forward to confront Judy and her friends. The club president intervened, stopping them: “Don’t cause trouble.”

“They’re bullying us.”

“So arrogant, let’s show them what we’re made of.”

W’s fans were indignant.

The president calmly said, “If we start a scene today and it gets posted online, both sets of fans will clash. Let’s not attract negative attention to W.”

Lu Manman was moved to tears, “My fans are all true fans, rational fans!”

Akko: “Who said your country’s esports fan circle lacks sentimentality…”

Lu Manman: “Take that back!”

At this moment, Judy gracefully jumped down from the table.

Her nine-centimeter Prada black high heels landed on W’s photo.

“From today onward, W’s era is over,” she boldly declared. “I, Judy, will replace W and lead Queen to win the championship of every season of ‘Battle Royale’ esports.”

Fans stared at Judy with red eyes, unable to deny the truth: W’s retirement announcement marked the end of an era.

Many fans were emotional, some even turning away to discreetly wipe tears.

Many present had grown up with W, from the inception of ‘Battle Royale’ esports. This letter had accompanied them through their entire passionate youth.

With the rise and flourishing of ‘Battle Royale’ esports professional leagues, this letter could arguably be said to represent the highest level of competition! It’s their faith.

—

Just as Judy and her teammates were on edge,

Not far away, Captain Yuan Xiu of Team X quietly savored a small piece of tiramisu, closing his eyes and savoring each bite.

“Mmm… perfectly baked, not too sweet, delicious.”

Beside him, teammate Ah Heng was speechless. “Captain Yuan, if we’re spotted attending the enemy’s farewell party, won’t we be shot at randomly?”

Yuan Xiu remained composed. “Anyone who’s watched the matches can recognize us.”

Ah Heng looked around cautiously. “Then why… why come here!”

Yuan Xiu calmly replied, “Free cake. Not eating it wouldn’t be very Chinese.”

Ah Heng muttered in frustration, “Can you not self-deprecate! Chinese people have integrity!”

Yuan Xiu then picked up another slice of cake, sitting quietly on a high stool, blending in with the onlookers.

Meanwhile, Lu Manman happened to be nearby, quietly asking Akko, “Do you think I should go over and taunt her?”

“Don’t.” Akko quickly interjected, “It’s pointless to lose face at this moment, especially since you’ve retired.”

“I can’t let her bully my fans like this!”

Akko scoffed, “You just can’t resist stealing the spotlight, can you?”

Lu Manman: …

Akko continued, “Mainly, it’s because you look so down today, no makeup, getting insulted and trampled by Judy. It’s not a big deal for you since you’ve got thick skin, but it could disappoint the fans with ‘Wow, my idol actually looks like this.’ That’s not good.”

Lu Manman: (#`Д)ノ… Plastic teammate friendship!

Disheartened, she said, “Let’s just go.”

At this point, Judy’s arrogance grew stronger. “I mean, hosting this farewell party without W even showing up, what’s the point?”

The fan club president explained, “W’s busy negotiating contracts with other clubs, couldn’t make it to the farewell party.”

Judy chuckled, “Ha? Are you sure?”

The fan club president asserted confidently, “Absolutely, I personally called W to confirm.”

Judy and her group of trendy men and women laughed uproariously.

“You’re still expecting W to join another club? Let me tell you, no one’s going to invite her.”

Fans were outraged: “On what basis are you saying that!”

“Aren’t you curious why W retired?” Judy sneered, “Let me tell you, no one forced her to retire; she signed the contract herself.”

The fans fell silent.

Judy continued, “It’s because W injured her leg and can’t compete anymore. No professional team will ever invite her.” Her crimson lips curled up, “Never. It won’t happen.”

Upon hearing this news, all the fans were struck dumb, their faces frozen in disbelief.

Judy sneered, “So I’m saying, W’s myth has been shattered. Face the truth, children.”

Many fans at the scene were already choking back tears of sorrow.

Lu Manman’s eyes narrowed as she recalled the incident from a year ago at the Intercontinental Championship. She had injured her left leg, with a strained tendon, requiring half a year of recovery in a rehabilitation hospital. When she returned, her performance suffered greatly due to inadequate training and various physical and psychological issues. During competitions, it was evident that she could no longer perform at her best.

She had no choice but to retire.

***

At that moment, a clear and crisp voice rang out from the crowd: “Who said no one invited W?”

Everyone turned to see a neatly dressed girl with black hair and black eyes stepping forward from the entrance—it was Lu Manman.

She remained composed. “As far as I know, a super powerful professional team has already invited W to join.”

“Impossible!” Judy ruthlessly interjected, “W signed a contract and can’t join any American team.”

“Did I say it was an American team?”

At this remark, Judy sneered, “Could it be that W is joining the Congo Gorillas?”

The Congo Gorillas were infamous for their extravagant uniforms adorned with diamonds and gold, and their arrival was often marked by helicopter. Despite their grand entrance, they were famously humbled early in the preliminaries, becoming a joke in the gaming community.

Judy and her group burst into laughter.

Once their laughter subsided, Luman calmly continued, “It’s the Chinese X Team that nearly crushed Queen’s head in this season’s league.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu’s hand holding the pancake trembled slightly.

He followed the sound and saw the girl across from him pulling out a black cap with the letter X printed on it from her bag, placing it on her head.

Lu Manman spoke confidently and loudly:

“I am the manager of X Team, and I am prepared to offer $20 million to invite W to join our professional team.”

With her statement, the entire coffee shop fell silent. Akko, the big black guy, let out a tiramisu-flavored burp.