Early on the morning of the 27th, PNG’s team bus set off from the Longhu base, heading toward Pudong International Airport.
It was still early; there weren’t many cars on the suburban roads, and the bus was quiet. A few teammates and coaching staff in the back were still catching up on sleep.
Leaning lightly against the window, Sui Ning watched for a while as the buildings along the Longhu expressway gradually faded from view. A faint sense of homesickness rose in his chest, like that of a traveler leaving home. Lost in thought, he lowered his gaze, put on his headphones, and opened the video he hadn’t finished watching the day before.
“What are you watching?” Ji Yunyu asked in a low voice. As he spoke, he shifted slightly and pulled his cap over Sui Ning’s head to block the glaring sunlight from outside.
Sui Ning handed him one side of the earphones. “An overseas interview.”
As soon as Ji Yunyu put them on, he heard multiple languages overlapping.
It was a compilation video. The host was asking players from top teams around the world:
Host: “The group draw is coming up soon. Who do you least want to face?”
A player from North America’s second seed, MaJ, answered: “Honestly? I don’t want any of them. I’d rather face our old friends SDB…” (teammates burst out laughing)
Host: “Haha, but SDB is North America’s first seed. Same-region avoidance—you can’t draw them in groups.”
The MaJ player shrugged: “That’s a shame. If we faced them, MaJ would 100% make it out of groups.” (smirking)
Host: “(laughs) Besides that?”
MaJ player: “If I have to pick… UG. The defending champions. If we run into them, then… (choosing words carefully) it’s super hell difficulty. Yeah.”
When the clip was reposted domestically, the comments immediately exploded.
[Wanting to fight your own region’s #1? Starting with fratricide, huh? LOL]
[North America, the eternal comedy region hahaha]
[SDB: I didn’t do anything :)]
[But being afraid of UG—that part’s probably real…]
[If your team got grouped with last year’s champions, wouldn’t you panic?]
[My team’s PNG. Why would I panic? (doge)]
The video continued with answers from other regions:
Europe #2 seed HOP: [UG. The defending champions are undeniably strong, but we’ll do our best.]
Europe #3 seed CLR: [UG. No thanks~]
North America #3 seed FAST: [UG, OST (Europe #1)—don’t want either. The format’s unfair. You should just group us with SDB.]
Korea #2 seed SST: [We most want to be in PNG’s group. Why? …We want to prove that while they (PNG) are strong, Korean esports are stronger. Even our second seed can beat their first seed.]
Korea #3 seed Tio: [There’s no one we don’t want. No matter the group, we’ll win.]
No HPL teams appeared in the video. The interviews were conducted in Paris, and since HPL was the last region to finish its summer split, its teams were still in transit.
Fans could understand that—but what they couldn’t accept was the tone.
[Why is that region so arrogant?? Did they rehearse these lines??]
[Starting trash talk already?]
[HPL has no presence at all? They’re lining up to feed??]
[Even third seeds are acting cocky??]
[Everyone respects UG, but they don't even mention my PNGs?? Mommy is getting angry!]
PNG was hugely popular domestically, but on the global stage, its reputation still lagged behind UltimateGaming—the defending champion that had already won two world titles.
If UG claimed the S6 trophy, they would become the first three-time world champion in history. If PNG ruled the HPL summer, then UG had long ruled the world stage. Given that, other teams fearing UG was only natural.
——
By the time they reached the airport, Chen Chen was once again charging ahead, with players and staff trailing behind him, dragging their suitcases at a jog.
The clattering of wheels against the steps drew curious glances from passersby, and it didn’t take long for someone to recognize them.
A few fans tried to approach for autographs, but Chen Chen, worried about causing a scene, politely declined and ushered everyone through quickly. After passing security, the other three teams were already gathered.
“Ah, Your Majesty, you’ve arrived!” HTG’s coach Tang Yu called out sarcastically to Chen Chen, then waved PNG over. “Come, come, perfect timing—let’s take a group photo before boarding!”
Sui Ning was nudged into the center, flanked by his teammates, with HTG, TL, and Navic surrounding them. The coaches stood off to the sides.
A staff member crouched down with a camera. “Look here—3, 2, 1—”
Click.
“Put on your expedition uniforms—one more shot!”
“Make sure you don’t lose anything. Once you board, there’s no turning back!”
After the photos were taken, Sui Ning followed behind the coach, ready to board the plane.
HPL arranged a chartered China Southern intercontinental flight for the teams. As a commercial aircraft, the cabin couldn’t compare to the ultra-luxurious private jets of Middle Eastern tycoons—with onboard spas and restaurants—but it was still spacious and comfortable by any standard.
The entire cabin was filled only with the HPL group. Sui Ning and his teammates quickly found their seats. They behaved for all of five minutes—once the plane reached cruising altitude, the more energetic ones couldn’t hold back their mischief anymore.
At the front, several coaches were playing Fight the Landlords. From time to time came Chen Chen’s furious yelling, “Tang Yu, you’re dumber than a pig!” followed by Tang Yu’s angry retort, “Next round I’m taking landlord and destroying you!” and Coach Pan Pan’s occasional backseat commands, “Don’t play that—pair of sixes!” Only TL’s coach Li En, the true winner, sat there smiling silently.
TL’s top laner Jiang Hao looked around, pulled out a board game from his backpack, stood up, and waved it enthusiastically. “Werewolf! Who’s in?”
“Me!”
“+1 +1!”
Wei Ye: “I’m in—I’ll enter the battlefield in Gundam form!”
“No way I’m missing this!” Lin Zhaoxu leaned over the seatback and turned to Cheng Su. “You joining?”
Cheng Su stared at him and sneered. “Yeah. Give me wolf. I’m here to kill.”
Lin Zhaoxu: ?
A bad feeling hit him immediately. He turned to Jiang Hao and added, “Then give me wolf too. I also want to kill!”
Jiang Hao: “…Has it occurred to you that roles are drawn at random?”
Also, wasn’t the fun of the game supposed to be roles like Witch or Seer? Why was everyone fighting to be a wolf? The scheming was so obvious Jiang Hao could practically hear it from ten meters away.
Were these guys’ personal grudges a bit too intense??
Before he could finish, a well-defined hand reached over from beside him.
Jiang Hao froze for a moment. Before he could react, Cheng Wensheng—who had been flipping through a magazine—spoke calmly without even looking up: “Give me wolf.”
“????”
“? 666.”
“TL’s captain cheating right out the gate—is that allowed??”
“That’s not cheating, that’s straight-up threatening the game master!”
“Can’t take this anymore, I’m dying laughing.”
Jiang Hao’s mouth twitched. Under the oppressive authority of his captain, he obediently dug out a wolf card and handed it to Cheng Wensheng.
Seeing this, Cheng Su immediately changed his mind and said coldly, “Then I’ll be Witch.”
First round—use poison. As for who he’d poison, that didn’t need to be said.
Jiang Hao: ??
Could you guys show even a little respect for the rules of Werewolf??
——
Soon enough, Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu—who had absolutely no intention of joining this cursed game—were dragged in anyway.
HTG wasn’t about to lose out either. The whole team teamed up to push their captain forward as the “representative”… or rather, the sacrificial lamb.
HTG’s top laner Yu Cai clenched his fist, looking solemn. “This is pre-Worlds warm-up. Facing strong opponents, HTG will not lose!”
He delivered the speech with righteous conviction—while secretly digging his nails into his palm to keep from laughing out loud.
Feng Yi looked at him with the cold gaze of someone about to watch a corpse.
Lin Zhaoxu, the only one genuinely fired up, immediately raised the banner of “Defending PNG’s glory,” hoping his mid-jungle carries would carry the game—
Unfortunately, that hope was doomed from the start. Sui Ning was terrible at deception-based games like Werewolf.
…And of course, he happened to draw wolf.
He pressed his lips together nervously, carefully observing everyone’s expressions. Some were muttering to themselves, some were glancing around just like him, some looked delighted, some were scratching their heads, some smiled gently, and some remained expressionless…
Right—apparently, skilled players could deduce roles just from people’s reactions when they received their cards. Clearly, Sui Ning wasn’t at that level yet.
He lowered his head, struggling. What should he say to avoid suspicion?
Before he could come up with anything, TL’s Korean import Lee Jae-hee suddenly spoke—and opened with a bombshell: “Uh… I don’t know who the Seer is, but I’m a good guy. I’m a villager!”
Sui Ning: …?
Everyone: ????
Sheriff Lin Zhaoxu slammed the table. “It’s you!! I’m the Seer—everyone vote for #4, Lee Jae-hee!”
Lee Jae-hee froze, eyes wide with innocence. “Ah? No, no, I’m villager! Wrong accusation, don’t vote!”
He sounded genuinely panicked.
Beside him, support Jian Wang stepped in to defend him. His expression was cold, but his tone sharp: “I’m the Seer. Sheriff is fake. Jae-hee is good.”
“Nice JW, nice!” Lee Jae-hee gave a thumbs-up.
“Ahem.” Zou Jiayou frowned and coughed lightly, trying to analyze the situation. “Well… #4’s Chinese isn’t great. A slip of the tongue is normal.”
“Yes!”
Zou Jiayou continued, “So he’s probably not wolf. I think the Sheriff is wolf.”
Sheriff Lin Zhaoxu: “?? What the hell are you even doing?”
Lin Zhaoxu was stunned. He turned to Cheng Su beside him and protested, “How could I be a wolf? I’m the Sheriff—be reasonable here!”
Cheng Su didn’t even listen. Calmly, he said, “#9 is a wolf.”
Hearing that, #9—Cheng Wensheng, sitting across from them—raised an eyebrow.
Lin Zhaoxu: “The point isn’t #9, the point is me—”
“#9 is a wolf. Vote him.”
Lin Zhaoxu: ?
This support is unusable! Feeling wronged, Lin Zhaoxu turned to Sui Ning on the other side and dragged out his voice, “Feng-bao—!”
Sui Ning, lost in his own thoughts, froze. “Huh—what is it?”
He had been busy thinking about what to say and hadn’t been paying attention to anyone else.
“They’re saying I’m the bad guy and want to vote me out! That’s too much!”
“Vote you?”
Sui Ning instinctively repeated it. Remembering that wolves were supposed to push innocent people out as shields, he immediately said, “Sure, vote!”
Lin Zhaoxu: ????
So the whole world is against me, huh??
As the MC, Jiang Hao was already dying of laughter. He couldn’t even bring himself to remind them that the rules required speaking in turns—they absolutely shouldn’t be chatting like this.
Just listen to what they were saying—what kind of nonsense was this?! Jiang Hao never expected a group of top HPL pro players to turn into complete disasters in a Werewolf game, each one more outrageous than the last!
At this point, the rules didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was how ridiculous things could still get!
“Ahem—speaking phase over!” Jiang Hao covered his mouth with his fist. “I just remembered there’s another step—I should’ve told you who died last round first. No big deal.”
He’d never been an MC before; he got so caught up watching the chaos that he forgot most of the rules.
Ignoring everyone’s dissatisfied stares, Jiang Hao stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and announced, “The dead players are… #5 and #9!”
Cheng Wensheng immediately let out a mocking laugh.
Sui Ning, however, froze and looked down at the number card in his hand—#5.
…So he’d actually died in the first round?
Then why had he just spent so much effort thinking about his speech?! He’d almost had something perfect ready!!
——
The cursed Werewolf game went on, with more and more people joining in. By the latter half, even Meng Xiyue had been dragged into it. The group laughed and messed around for nearly five hours.
Completely exhausted, Sui Ning returned to his seat with only one thought left in his mind: Never again would he play Werewolf with these people.
The flight from Shanghai to Paris took nearly thirteen hours.
Thanks to the energy-draining “intellectual game,” the cabin stayed quiet for the next few hours.
Everyone had been running non-stop lately, and now, drained of energy, they quickly fell into deep sleep in their comfortable reclining seats.
……
A sudden bout of turbulence jolted Sui Ning awake. Still groggy, he opened his eyes and noticed that the window shade on his right had been lifted. Beneath the wing, he could faintly make out the outline of Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The plane had already descended below the clouds. Curious, he looked out the window at Paris below.
Due to the time difference, it was afternoon in France. Under the bright sun, the city’s web-like roads stretched in all directions, while the Seine shimmered as it wound into the distance like a ribbon of blue silk.
At a major intersection of roads stood France’s iconic landmark—the Eiffel Tower, tall and imposing.
Sui Ning quietly took in the view, an unconscious smile forming at the corners of his lips.
In his previous life, there had also been a World Championship held in Paris before his debut. Seniors who had gone often complained about the city’s poor sanitation and trash-filled streets—but Sui Ning had never seen it for himself.
Now, looking down at the city from above, he had to admit— under the sunlight, the romantic capital really was beautiful.
Of course, what made it even more beautiful was this: the Bercy Arena hosting the S6 World Finals was here; the eyes of all War of Glory players worldwide were here; and the dreams of him and his teammates were here as well.
Not long after, the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
——
The reception staff were already waiting outside. Vehicles marked with the HPL logo drove along the famous Champs-lyses, circled Place Charles de Gaulle, and arrived at Avenue Klber, bringing the four teams and their staff to their destination: the Peninsula Paris.
Catching sight of the Peninsula’s sign and quickly taking in the exterior, Sui Ning couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked. The War of Glory organizers in this parallel world were unbelievably wealthy.
In his previous life, the tournament organizers also arranged hotels for World Championship teams, and the accommodations were decent—but never anything like the Peninsula, a luxury international brand.
But Sui Ning quickly realized: in this world, public attention toward gaming far surpassed that of his previous life. The industry itself was more than ten times larger, with domestic matches easily drawing over a hundred million viewers. The organizers’ revenue was naturally beyond imagination.
Spending a portion of it during Worlds to go all-out like this wasn’t just extravagance—it was also a way to showcase the “brand strength” of War of Glory and expand its global influence.
As they walked into the hotel lobby, waves of “Whoa—” and “Wow—” rang out from the team. Everyone looked around in awe—the sheer luxury of the decor was beyond even the phrase “magnificent and resplendent.”
“Let me give you a quick overview,” the coordinator said after completing the check-in procedures, leading them toward the elevators. “War of Glory has booked three floors here. Floors 6 to 9 are all for World Championship teams—most of them have already arrived. It’s fine to interact with players from other regions, exchange jerseys, take photos, and so on, but please be careful not to leak any information. I trust you all won’t make mistakes on that front.”
Everyone quieted down and listened attentively.
Once inside the elevator, the coordinator swiped a keycard for the 6th floor and continued, “Rooms 6103, 6105, 6107, and 6109 have been renovated into training rooms in coordination with the hotel. All the space and equipment you need for practice are ready. Over the next few days, just focus on adjusting to life in Paris, getting over jet lag, and training as usual. I’ll come back once the Play-In stage begins—”
At this point, his gaze met TL coach Li En’s, and he nodded. “The Play-Ins start on October 7th. The venue is near the City Hall—it’s not too far from here. There will be transportation arranged to take you there.”
Aside from TL, the other three teams didn’t need to play in the Play-Ins, so that information was specifically directed at TL.
After that, the coordinator handed out room cards to each team’s coach.
PNG took their cards, dropped off their luggage in their rooms, and immediately headed to Room 6107.
The renovated training rooms obviously couldn’t compare to their standalone villa back at the base, but the Peninsula’s elegant, understated luxury still shone through. Combined with the organizers’ budget, the setup was more than decent.
The moment Sui Ning stepped inside, he noticed two L-shaped desks, each equipped with five computers. Nearby were gaming chairs, a strategy whiteboard, a projector, and even a small bar area—
It was essentially a streamlined version of their base.
Chen Chen was also very satisfied, especially with the two L-shaped setups, which meant the room could accommodate up to ten players at once. That alone opened up a lot more possibilities for training plans.
Finally, the coordinator distributed the official tournament “super accounts” to the players.
These accounts were temporary resources reclaimed after the event. Everything in the game was unlocked—limited skins, exclusives, special editions… in short, they fully lived up to the name “super account.”
The only drawback was the starting rank: all accounts began at Diamond.
However, the organizers had adjusted their hidden MMR. If they wanted to climb using these accounts, ranking up before reaching King tier would be very fast, skipping divisions to save time.
…Speaking of Diamond.
Sui Ning’s lips twitched slightly. He couldn’t help but wonder what rank everyone else in HPL was at on their main accounts now.
These past few days, he’d been training exclusively on the international server and hadn’t had time to play ranked domestically. The other teams were probably in the same situation.
So… were they really about to become a “Diamond-Master region”?
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