Chapter 324: Rules
Zhou Ning continued reading the post:
"Earlier today, the IEF (International E-sports Federation) announced that the first Apocalypse Professional League has officially begun. The prize pool will be determined by the total sales of Apocalypse gaming helmets and immersion pods — sixty percent of the total sales will be added to the prize pool and distributed among all participating players. This will be the largest, most high-profile international tournament in history. Apocalypse welcomes your participation!"
"The first Apocalypse Professional League will include twenty-seven IEF member nations: China, Japan, Korea, the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia, Germany, India, and others…"
"The tournament will feature two competitive modes: solo and team."
"The solo mode is a one-on-one duel. The system will randomly select the arena terrain, and players will fight to the finish with no restrictions on item use."
"The team mode is a five-versus-five match between guilds. The system will again randomly select the arena terrain. Victory is achieved by eliminating all opponents. The use of summoning-type scrolls or magic scrolls above level five is prohibited."
"Preliminary Stage: Any Apocalypse player may register. Teams are recommended to have seven members—five main players and two substitutes. A double-elimination format will be adopted: the top eight teams will start in the winner's bracket, while the lower eight will have to fight their way through. The winners of those matches will enter the loser's bracket to face the first-round losers from the winner's side. The competition will be divided by national regions—major regions will have five qualifying teams, while smaller ones will have four. In total, thirty-two teams will advance to compete for the world championship."
"Preliminary venues are as follows: Bryston—Darkland Royal Arena. Ruins—Willick Temple… Sepharic Kingdom—Farric Glory Arena."
"Main tournament venue: Sepharic Kingdom—Farric Glory Arena."
"Registration for the preliminaries begins today. We hope all players will sign up enthusiastically and usher in the glory of Apocalypse together."
Zhou Ning's expression turned a little strange, though excitement flickered in his heart. The central AI actually dared to hold preliminaries in Darkland despite the ongoing catastrophe—bold indeed. Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This could be his chance. Compared to the small-scale skirmishes before, what lay ahead was the start of a true arms race.
Currently, the highest-leveled player in the entire world was his number-one fangirl, Jinse. With his deliberate support and her tireless grinding, she could probably reach level 40 within four or five days—no more than seven at the latest. That meant he had to start releasing some powerful skills soon; otherwise, he'd risk being exposed when level-30 warriors and knights began to shine.
After some thought, Zhou Ning decided to open up two skills—Armament Haki and Observation Haki—for sale in both his personal and guild shops. After thinking a bit more, he also added Gun-Fu: Psychic Counter to the list, planning to put them on sale the next day. Otherwise, he'd probably be forced to work overtime tonight.
These were among his signature skills, all well above the standard power curve, and they complemented each other perfectly. Observation Haki could read incoming attacks, while Psychic Counter could forcibly interrupt casting or attack motions—any player with decent reflexes could pull off spectacular plays with them.
…
At that moment, aside from the players, Richie Burke's underlings had also arrived. After greeting Zhou Ning respectfully, the boatswain, Borg—who had once followed Aaron Ingersoll—took over management of the alchemy shop. The rest followed Zhou Ning's instructions to start purchasing nearby storefronts and setting up a temporary guild base.
Zhou Ning's eyes grew slightly moist. To be honest, he had been waiting a long time for such capable helpers.
Next, he planned to transfer the rights to sell some low-level skill books to NPCs. It was about time he started making money while lying down.
Before long, Zhou Ning noticed the Watcher's carriage pulling up nearby. Sherlock stepped down, his expression grave.
Zhou Ning promptly wrapped up the sale, gave Richie Burke a few final instructions, and ignored the players' groans as he walked toward Sherlock, leaving behind a meaningful remark: "Come back tomorrow—there might be an unexpected surprise."
A surprise?! The surrounding players' eyes lit up. Wayne never lied! Some even tried chatting him up, hoping to trigger a hidden quest. One flamboyant player—dressed like a transvestite with heavy makeup—tripped on purpose, trying to act cute to earn Zhou Ning's favor. Zhou Ning suspected this was the same person who had bragged before the server opened about creating a female character to "marry" him. Was this supposed to be funny?
After giving several players a –5 favorability score in a row, Zhou Ning finally reached Sherlock.
"Let's talk in the carriage," Sherlock said heavily.
"What's going on?" Zhou Ning asked once they sat down. The carriage creaked into motion.
"I was investigating Chris Fisher, and I actually found something. He's a merchant from the Sepharic Kingdom. Used to be an adventurer and even took part in the southern jungle war against the werewolves. He came to Bryston over a year ago and built strong connections with many upper-class figures. But just as I tried to dig deeper, I received an order from above: this haunting case has been officially handed over to Darkley Yard. We no longer have authority to investigate."
Darkley Yard? Zhou Ning frowned. Darkley Yard, similar to Scotland Yard in modern Britain, was the name for the police headquarters of Darkland's capital, Bryston—responsible for public security across the entire region and under the jurisdiction of the Upper Parliament, located about 200 yards from it. But the issue was—Darkley Yard didn't usually handle supernatural cases.
"I know what you're thinking," Sherlock said gravely. "Normally, Darkley Yard wouldn't touch supernatural incidents. But this one involves politics, which does fall under their jurisdiction. Similar hauntings have appeared in the Darkland Fortress and even in Millen Palace—where His Majesty the King resides."
"Because of that, the higher-ups transferred the case. Officially, the Watchers can no longer investigate."
"Of course, I'll continue my investigation in my own way. If I find anything, I'll let you know immediately."
Zhou Ning could only nod helplessly. The higher-ups again… he really didn't know how to respond anymore.
Still, the matter of that suspected Ascender Ritual site weighed on him heavily. His sense of responsibility made it impossible to ignore. After some hesitation, he asked, "Do you know anything about the Darkland National Poorhouse?"
"You suspect the National Poorhouse is connected to Chris Fisher? That's actually a solid lead." Sherlock quickly pulled a small notebook from under the seat cushion, flipped through a few pages, and said, "There were several suspected supernatural murders at the canal district's poorhouse, but no results ever came of the investigations. The one in the trade district also had similar incidents. I'll need to go back to the Watchers' headquarters to check the records. Are you free tonight? I can come find you."
"I am. Meet me at the West Lin General Store—I'll come to you," Zhou Ning replied without hesitation. The matter was urgent. Even if this was technically a game, it no longer felt like one to him. Since he still needed to escort Spark Lambert to see his father later, he would go to Sherlock afterward.
Checking the time—it was around five in the afternoon—Zhou Ning parted ways with Sherlock, got off the carriage, and began walking toward the church square, which wasn't far away.