Chapter 68: The Great Northern Stew

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Teleportation into the arena.

Ye Chao immediately noticed that his appearance had changed once again, for… the four avatars of Alpha Ji had suddenly grown much taller.

Ordinary people, of course, cannot see themselves in a holographic game, but Ye Chao was not ordinary. Strictly speaking, this entire world belonged to him; to know what he looked like was but a thought away.

It wasn’t that Alpha Ji’s avatars had grown taller—it was that Ye Chao himself had shrunk.

He had become a short, stout old man with a white beard so thick it could be braided into two plaits. He wore a red monocle, was clad head to toe in red iron armor, his arms tattooed with gears and bolts, and slung across his back were gun barrels and cannon tubes. One arm had already been transformed into a machine, with a crab-claw-like hand capable of gripping, clamping, welding, and drilling; the other hand held a forging hammer...

He looked every bit the craftsman.

“What is this…?” Ye Chao was utterly bewildered.

The Imaginary Number Space had only just become a game, and development hadn’t been underway for long, yet Alpha Ji had already created several maps and stuffed them with countless heroes.

From League of Legends, Honor of Kings, Overwatch... Rumor had it they'd soon add Dungeon Fighter, Diablo, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Devil May Cry, Dark Souls, Marvel, DC, martial arts and fantasy... Not to mention heroes; Ye Chao hadn’t even heard of most of these games. No matter how clever he was, he couldn’t possibly remember so many games and heroes.

Though the selection of heroes was vast, only three were free at present, one per game, while the rest required payment! Just as heartless as other free-to-play games before the Cataclysm.

Ye Chao had changed, so naturally Alpha Ji’s four avatars had changed as well.

Liu Sha and Xia Zhi Ban were both female heroes: one with brown skin and black hair, clad in blue armor with wings and wielding a rocket launcher; the other with fair skin and gold hair, similarly armored with wings, carrying a small pistol.

Duan Yanze became a warrior, clutching a rocket hammer and sealed tightly in impenetrable armor.

Meng Yan was no longer human, but a blocky, square-headed robot wobbling as it ran, a yellow bird perched on its shoulder.

The game began the moment they entered the arena.

It was a very large, square map, reminiscent of the snowy terrain Ye Chao vaguely recognized, with three lanes—left, center, and right.

However, unlike the snow map where all lanes were straight, save for two obstructing low walls in the middle, this map had only the central lane straight, while the sides were winding. The spawn points had fountains, buildings, and high towers, and the central region was dense with forests, even traversed by a winding river...

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Ye Chao asked, baffled.

He was blind even on the simple snow map, much less this unfamiliar terrain.

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He didn’t know the hero, couldn’t use the skills, hadn’t seen the map... He’d never even played a game before, and suddenly he was thrust into battle—he was more square than a square robot.

“You’re so green, that’s why I picked this hero for you,” Alpha Ji said nonchalantly. “Go down the middle lane, use your first skill under that high tower, then swing your hammer and hit.”

“If your first skill gets destroyed, adjust as needed, reposition or retreat.”

Indeed, Alpha Ji had chosen for Ye Chao the famed and formidable “No matter how strong they are, I pick Torbjörn.”

Torbjörn as a mid-lane solo—who would’ve thought?

But that’s just Alpha Ji’s game.

Essentially, it was a wild mash-up of pre-Cataclysm game maps and heroes—a northeast-style stew! Sour or spicy, sweet or salty, it was unapologetically hardcore, a masterpiece of dark cuisine.

After a brief explanation to Ye Chao, Alpha Ji sent the two female heroes to the bottom lane, and the two armored tanks to the top.

ADC and support on bot, tank and another ADC on top—nothing unusual.

Oh, right, almost forgot—the map was the 5v5 map from Honor of Kings.

Basically, a scaled-down replica of League of Legends’ 5v5 map.

“The enemy will reach the battlefield in five seconds.” As the system announced, Ye Chao, still bewildered, swung his hammer and stepped forward.

==========

What map is this?

Meanwhile, on the other side’s fountain, Guan Junyuan, Ximen Qiong, and their three companions were equally bewildered upon teleporting in.

After days of fighting on the snow map, it was their first time seeing a terrain with mountains, water, and forests.

They had never seen it before.

After careful observation, they realized there were still three lanes—which one to take?

Suddenly, they noticed they weren’t alone—minions were spawning...

“Don’t split up, all go through the middle, frontal assault!” Guan Junyuan’s suggestion was unanimously accepted.

Thus, Guan Junyuan controlled the bald Dharmapala, Ximen Qiong maneuvered the wobbling Black Widow, and together with Guan Yu, Yang Jian, and Sun Wukong, the five charged in chaos.

Classic is classic; even after the Cataclysm, the influence of the Four Great Classics—Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West—remained. Seeing familiar hero names, the group chose without hesitation.

Ximen Qiong picked Black Widow because she was a sniper and didn’t need to walk.

Guan Junyuan picked Dharmapala—besides a sense of kinship and admiration, he’d read a few martial arts novels and knew Dharmapala was a formidable character.

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In short, four melee and one ranged—five utterly uncoordinated rookies barreled down the middle lane.

It took them some time to reach consensus on the terrain, so by the time they arrived at the minion wave, they heard the dull “thud-thud-thud” of the machine cannon, as front-line minions fell under the enemy’s minion wave, Torbjörn’s turret, and the blows of his forging hammer.

Was the machine cannon really this powerful?

Torbjörn’s turret was indeed that formidable.

Automatic targeting, automatic firing, no need for manual operation, with incredible range and damage...

After eliminating several minions, the sound of coins pouring into his pocket echoed incessantly, and Ye Chao’s courage swelled with his growing wealth.

Seeing the five opponents charging in with the second minion wave, he followed Alpha Ji’s instructions and swung his hammer as he advanced.

Then—solo engagement! Turning the tide! True Word: Formless! Battle Charge!

Torbjörn, defeated.

“Buddha does not save him!” [First Blood].

“This rookie!” Alpha Ji shut her eyes in humiliation.

She’d seen green players, but never one so green… She’d told him to swing the hammer at the turret, yet he swung it at the enemy. Though Torbjörn’s hammer packed a punch, still...

“Ha, got one!” The Jiangcheng team was naturally jubilant.

With Ye Chao eliminated, Ximen Qiong pulled out her sniper rifle and, with several shots, destroyed the resisting turret. Then, the five swarmed in, sweeping up the wounded minion wave and charged straight into the first tower.

Tower? What’s that? Never heard of it. Doesn’t exist.

Then Guan Yu’s expression changed dramatically.

His horse charged fastest, making him the first to be targeted by the tower. Two shots landed swiftly, the damage shocking him to his core.

Though inexperienced, they’d played enough to recognize health bars.

“This tower can attack—everyone…”

Just as he tried to warn his teammates, a soft “pop” sounded and an energy wave descended stealthily from above. It didn’t deal any damage, but it catapulted all five of them together into a shadowy corner beside the bottom lane.

“I’m here to protect peace! Boom! Boom! Boom…” The battle chicken rushed into the fray.

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