Chapter 79 - 78: Sampo's Plan and the Players' Odd Sense of Competition (Part 2)

For Natasha, his information was more important than anything else. It wasn't just the Underworld planning a rebellion; it seemed the Overworld was about to rise up as well. However, thinking about him made Natasha pause. She debated whether to call Pei Guang and the others inside. She was certain that if she did, Sampo would behave himself. But Sampo did have a point. Though he had tricked many, when he promised to do something, he would follow through. And now, it seemed he had developed some strange feelings toward Pei Guang and the group, almost as if he was afraid of them, especially Pei Guang. Pei Guang, after all, was truly someone not to be trifled with! Still, though he might be wary of them, he couldn't resist the thrill of watching things unfold. To him, this was the biggest and most entertaining show he had ever witnessed. If circumstances allowed, he'd probably invite his bored buddies from the tavern to watch the spectacle too. Unfortunately, with the incoming warships and the powerful surveillance systems on the trains, it wasn't possible to involve them directly. But at least he could represent them and watch the fun unfold. Sampo slipped back into one of his hideouts to make preparations. As he was getting ready, he glanced at the TV screen beside him. "Hope you all watching find what's about to happen amusing~" Meanwhile, Stelle's joy was much more straightforward and pure. As she stepped out of the clinic, her eyes immediately landed on Pei Guang and March 7th, who were playing with some children outside. March 7th stood triumphantly, hands on her hips. "I win this round, kids!" The leader of the children, a blonde girl named Hook, pouted in defeat. "Hook lost! But Hook doesn't cheat!" With that, Hook and the two other kids closed their eyes, while Pei Guang resigned himself to the inevitable and did the same. Just moments earlier, while waiting for Stelle to wake up, Pei Guang and March 7th had started playing hide and seek with the children. Naturally, the losers had to face a penalty—a flick to the forehead! In the first round, March 7th was the seeker, and she easily found Hook and her two friends. As for Pei Guang? He wasn't hard to find either. March 7th had memorized every trash can and dumpster nearby, so it was just a matter of checking which one had "grown". With March 7th emerging victorious, the losers were now lined up for their penalty. She gleefully cracked her knuckles, preparing to flick each one on the forehead. As she approached, Hook squeezed her eyes shut and pleaded, "Big sis, please be gentle~" March 7th smirked mischievously. "Heh, don't worry~ I'll be very, very gentle~" As she went down the line, flicking each child lightly, Stelle approached, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Big sis~ I wanna play too~" March 7th flinched at Stelle's childish tone. "Eek! Don't talk like that!" From the side, Pei Guang chimed in, "Big sis~ please be gentle." "..." March 7th's face froze, her smile faltering as she turned her gaze toward Pei Guang. "Oh, don't worry, Pei Guang. I'll be very, very gentle... and make sure you really understand what 'fun' means." Pei Guang, ever the good sport, didn't back down. He locked eyes with March 7th, fully prepared to accept his fate. But as her hand hovered near his forehead, and she felt his unwavering gaze, she suddenly found herself hesitating. "Uh... can you stop staring at me? It's making me a little... self-conscious..." Pei Guang: "No worries, as long as I'm not embarrassed, the one feeling awkward would be only you." March 7th withdrew her hand and turned to Stelle. "Stelle! I'm passing my right to you! Go! Give Ah Guang a good flick on the forehead!" "Got it~" At that moment, Stelle's face lit up with a bright smile. Pei Guang's trick of using his stare to make March 7th uncomfortable wasn't going to work on Stelle. "Wait! What are you doing?" Stelle replied gleefully, "Just one flick! Just let me flick your forehead once!" Pei Guang: "You're not trying to flick my forehead; you're trying to end me!" He grabbed both of Stelle's wrists tightly, while she eagerly prepared her thumb, bracing it against her index finger, ready to unleash her flick. Stelle: "Relax! I'm not going to end you, I just want to flick your forehead." Pei Guang: "No way! Today it's either you or me!" Stelle smiled: "Pei Guang, just give in. No matter what, I'm flicking you today." Off to the side, Hook, hands on her hips, scoffed. "Adults never keep their word." Pei Guang: "I'm not going back on my word! We agreed that it would be March flicking my forehead!" Hook: "But we never said you couldn't let someone else do the flicking as punishment." Hearing Hook's argument, Pei Guang loosened his grip. No matter how much he calculated, he never expected to be outwitted by a child today! Curse it! As a reliable gamer, he could usually bend the rules with most people. But against Stelle and March 7th... Pei Guang accepted his fate. With a clear, crisp sound, Stelle proudly returned to the group, beaming. "See! I'm the strongest!" But just then, Pei Guang grabbed Stelle by the head. "Oh really? Then let's play hide and seek—I'm super strong too." Hearing the mention of hide and seek, Hook and her little gang jumped up excitedly. "Hide and seek! Hide and seek!" What? Scavenging? The mission? There's no rush! Today, Pei Guang was determined to find an opportunity to give Stelle a brutal forehead flick, to let her understand what true cruelty was. The mission could wait—his competitive spirit as a gamer demanded it. March 7th watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright~ Let's do it! But I'm warning you, I won't go easy on anyone. Heh heh~" Pei Guang gave a wicked grin. "Neither will I. I'll show you all what cruelty really is." Hook added confidently, "Hook will show you what cruelty means too!" Stelle chimed in, "I'll show you all what cruelty means!" Pei Guang: "Heh, just you wait. Today I'll show you who the true king of hide and seek is." Stelle shot back: "I'm afraid you won't find me, and you'll end up crying." Seeing Pei Guang and Stelle so fired up, March 7th might have felt a bit stressed out in the past, but now she was all in. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Why are you looking at me? You think I'm going to lose?" Hearing March 7th's shout, Pei Guang and Stelle both exchanged mischievous smiles. Pei Guang turned to Stelle, whispering: "Stelle, I'll bet you that March 7th wins this round! One credit!" Stelle smiled back: "I'll bet ten credits that March 7th wins!" March 7th: "Something's off about your smiles!" Wait... this wasn't right. Weren't they just about to start a fight? How did it suddenly turn into a bet?