Fantasy Westward Journey: Return to 2005

Chapter 1421 Super Popularity, Pre-Game Conflict?
Everyone stayed in Fang Yun's suite and discussed what might happen tomorrow until late at night before they went their separate ways.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Fang Yun got up, took a shower, and appeared in the hotel restaurant in high spirits.

The others also showed up almost at the same time. Even Shouye, who loved to stay in bed the most, was not late, which was surprising.

Everyone gathered in the restaurant and had breakfast. After Xiaoqing called to urge them to go, Fang Yun and his group went downstairs and got on the Coaster to the stadium.

Twenty minutes later, as the Coaster gradually approached the stadium, Fang Yun and his companions sitting in the car discovered through the glass that there were obviously many more tourists on both sides of the road than the last time they came.

The game will start tomorrow, and the lottery for offline tickets on the official website ended two days ago.

Apart from the lucky few who are local or live nearby and can set off at any time, most people who have drawn tickets from other cities and provinces choose to come to Gusu in advance to avoid the situation where the competition has already started but they have not arrived yet.

What's more, Gusu is a well-known tourist city. Even Fang Yun and his friends had a great time playing there these days, so naturally, other people would also want to take this opportunity to stroll around Gusu.

No wonder all the major first- and second-tier cities in the past have been working hard to promote the development of e-sports. Once this thing matures, the economic growth it can drive will be really impressive.

As the Coaster stopped near the stadium, Fang Yun and his group were shocked by the scene in front of them as soon as they got out of the car!

"I'll go, there are so many people?"

Looking at the crowded square in front of the stadium, Shouye was shocked, "I remember it wasn't like this last year?"

As he said, when they participated in the All-Star offline game in Shanghai last year, there were not so many people in the venue the day before, only on the game day.

But for some reason this year, even though the competition day is tomorrow, these people came to the stadium in groups in advance.

"I can only say that last year's All-Stars were too popular..."

Faced with everyone's surprise and confusion, Fang Yun just thought about it and realized where the problem lay.

Last year's All-Stars was just a pilot, but the results were surprisingly good.

Under such circumstances, an outbreak this year was inevitable, but he thought that the outbreak point this year should be on the day of the game, but he didn't expect that one day in advance, everyone would be eager to check in.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, the identity of the "mysterious guest" officially promoted was leaked, and the fans came to chase the star.

However, this possibility is not very high. It’s not that he trusts the celebrity so much, but Wangyi obviously wants to use the mysterious guest as a hot spot. If it is leaked in advance, wouldn’t he be digging a hole for himself?
"Cheng... Brother Cheng? Is that you?"

Just as Fang Yun and his companions were watching with interest the tourists in the square vying to check in with various fantasy dolls, a somewhat timid voice suddenly came from beside them.

Turning around, they saw two young people, a man and a woman, looking at them eagerly, with expressions that were both excited and nervous, and also mixed with a hint of uncertainty.

"It's me. Are you also fantasy players?"

First he glanced at the petite and cute girl behind him, then Fang Yun's gaze fell on the boy in front of him wearing round glasses. He smiled, nodded, and asked.

"Wow, it's really Brother Cheng, alive!"

Seeing him nod, the boy in front of him suddenly became excited and his voice became much louder.

"Calm down buddy, you don't want us to be watched, do you?"

Seeing this guy jumping and dancing excitedly, Fang Yun could only pat him on the shoulder and said helplessly.

At the same time, the girl behind her had already started frantically rummaging through her bag, stammering as she did so: "Chengcheng... Brother Cheng, we are from Gusu City, but we are all your fans! Can you... can you give me an autograph?"

"sure."

Fang Yun was not surprised to learn that the two were players from Gusu City. After all, this was their base camp.

It was just that when a player from Gusu City came to ask for an autograph from a player from Bianliang City, he always felt like he was forcibly ntr'ing Xilang...

He skillfully signed the two big words "Qiancheng" on the exquisite diary handed by the girl, and then he signed his name on the T-shirt with dreamy elements printed on it for the boy with glasses. Then everyone left as the two men waved goodbye reluctantly.

After leaving, Fang Yun and his group did not dare to walk through the square at the main entrance. Instead, they followed the special passage for players that Xiaoqing had told them about and sneaked into the backstage of the stadium.

As the competition has not started yet and there is a rehearsal today, no unauthorized persons are allowed to enter the stadium today.

So after entering the stadium, theoretically, they were already 'safe'.

"Tsk tsk, what is a big star? This is what a big star is like!"

After entering the arena, Shouye was finally able to speak loudly, and as Fang Yun expected, he immediately started to be jealous.

Shouye doesn't have many hobbies in his life, but showing off in front of others happens to be his favorite.

However, ever since he met Fang Yun, this cheater, Shouye has tried his best but still failed to shake Fang Yun's position as the king.

This hurt him very much.

Everyone was used to this guy's sour words, so they ignored him and waited for Xiaoqing to pick them up before entering the exclusive lounge of Bianliang City.

Xiaoqing entered the lounge and immediately began to explain the specific content of the rehearsal to everyone.

The whole rehearsal process is actually very simple. Each team sends five members, and they just have to go on stage and go through the motions according to the director's instructions.

After all, the contestants are all amateurs, and the audience comes here mainly to watch the competition. There is no need to be too fancy, which will only increase disgust.

In addition to rehearsing on stage, each team will also have to accept a pre-match interview.

These interviews will be published on the official website as soon as they are over. No matter how you look at it, it looks like the trash talk session before a big game.

The entire rehearsal process plus the pre-match interview will be completed before noon. Xiaoqing also told them the reason, because the afternoon time will be reserved for the mysterious guest.

"Speaking of this, Xiaoqing, can you tell us who this mysterious guest is? He sounds like a big shot."

After Xiaoqing finished explaining the whole process, Shouye finally couldn't help it and asked out of his curiosity.

It's not just him who has this question. Others, including fantasy players who can't come to watch the game in person, actually want to know.

Xiaoqing looked a little embarrassed when she heard this. Her superiors had repeatedly told all the staff participating in this All-Star offline game that they were not allowed to leak any information about the mysterious guest before the game. As a small customer service representative, she naturally did not dare to disobey the order.

But faced with the curiosity of Shouye and others, she couldn't bear to refuse because she had a good impression of them, so she became tense.

"Okay, this kind of thing must be kept secret by the authorities. Besides, the competition will start tomorrow, so won't we know then?"

Looking at Xiaoqing's embarrassed face, Fang Yun knew that she was struggling over whether to let go, so he immediately raised his hand to interrupt her.

He had already anticipated the identity of the mysterious guest, so he was not curious at all.

If Xiaoqing told it, although they could promise not to leak it out, it would still be a violation, and there was no need to add psychological burden to others.

As soon as Fang Yun opened his mouth, Shouye naturally realized that he had said too much, so he smiled apologetically at Xiaoqing and told her not to mind it.

Xiao Qing's eyes were full of gratitude at this time. In fact, she was planning to tell it. After all, she believed that with the character of these people, it would be okay even if she told it. However, Fang Yun's actions still made her feel very warm.

At this moment, Huang He, who had been playing on the computer since entering the room, suddenly spoke.

"Speaking of which... the other teams should all be here by now, why does it feel like there's no movement?"

Hearing his words, Xiao Qing immediately explained: "Everyone should be waiting for the rehearsal notice now. You can move freely after the process is over."

"I see."

After hearing her explanation, everyone nodded in understanding.

Not long after, with a notification coming from Xiaoqing's earphone, Fang Yun immediately began to select the soldiers and finally decided on a rehearsal team headed by himself, plus Shouye, Huang He, Sujiu, and Mengge.

Fang Yun actually didn't want to go, but Xiaoqing reminded him again and again that Qian Cheng had a great influence and he was a player who had to appear.

After finalizing the rehearsal team list, the five of them, led by Xiaoqing, left the lounge and walked towards the stage.

"Oh my god, Brother Cheng?!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as the five people walked out of the lounge, they bumped into a thin boy wearing black-framed glasses and with a somewhat non-mainstream hairstyle.

The boy was followed by four team members, who were obviously also preparing to go on stage for rehearsal.

"You are……?"

When the other party noticed him, he didn't leave and stretched out his hand towards him excitedly. Fang Yun was stunned for a moment, then stretched out his hand and shook hands with the other party.

"I am meditating, the meditation of Deyang Confucian Temple!"

Looking at Fang Yun's surprised expression, the man didn't care and continued to introduce his identity excitedly.

After learning that the thin man with glasses in front of him was Meditation, Fang Yun's eyebrows raised immediately, and the image in his memories of the two lives was finally completely integrated!

The meditation in front of him looked obviously much younger than in his previous life, which made him unable to recognize him for a moment.

In the dream world of the previous life, there were often rumors that the meditating person was only 1.5 meters tall, but in fact, he was not that short.

Of course, it’s not that high.

"To be honest, Brother Cheng, we in Deyang Confucian Temple are not too concerned about the results in this offline competition. We just want to meet you. You are the idol of our entire Ming family!"

Holding Fang Yun's hand, Mingxiang immediately began to express his admiration for him in a torrent of words.

If someone else said these words, even if they knew it was flattery, they would probably feel flattered.

But Fang Yun knew very well that all this guy's words should be ignored and just listened to. Anyone who took them seriously was a fool.

In his previous life, Meditation was able to rise from a small substitute player to a top star with an annual income of tens of millions. You can tell with just a guess that this guy is no ordinary person.

Although he later fell into disgrace due to the famous water-attack tree monster incident, it is undeniable that this guy is indeed a talent. It's just that his ways are too wild, and he is not on the same path as Fang Yun.

At this time, Ming Xiang had no idea that Fang Yun had already drawn a line between them in his heart. He still greeted everyone in Bianliang City with enthusiasm, and in a short while, he got to know all the players from both teams.

"Um... the director is urging us to talk. Can we talk while we walk?"

At this moment, Xiaoqing, after receiving the director's urging, finally spoke up and interrupted her endless meditation.

"Okay, okay, then Brother Cheng, let's rehearse first and talk later?"

After being interrupted by Xiaoqing, Mingxiang was obviously a little unsatisfied, but he also knew that this was not the place to chat, so he bowed to Fang Yun and then led the Ming family towards the stage.

"This kid is really good at talking..."

It was not until the Ming family came on stage and began to follow the director's instructions that the Beast Masters and the others breathed a sigh of relief and could not help but mutter.

It’s not like Deyang Confucian Temple had not encountered Bianliang City before, and it was brutally destroyed every time.

In this situation, it seemed a bit strange that Meditation was so enthusiastic when he met Fang Yun for the first time offline and did not mention any past fights in the server wars.

It’s not that this guy has something bad in his heart, but this kind of person is obviously very deep-minded and not suitable to be friends with.

Just like that, while everyone was chatting about random things, under Xiaoqing's arrangement, they went on stage and started today's rehearsal.

Just as Xiaoqing said, the rehearsal process was very simple and it didn't take long for all the stage rehearsal tasks to be completed.

After the rehearsal, Fang Yun and four others were planning to leave and return to the lounge. As soon as they stepped off the stage, they saw two groups of people seemingly confronting each other below the stage, and a tall man was trying to persuade them with earnest words.

Originally, Fang Yun did not take it seriously. After all, many of the teams that advanced to the offline competition actually had some grudges against each other.

Nowadays, in offline competitions, when players face each other, conflicts are inevitable.

But soon, when he saw the face of the leader clearly, his brows suddenly frowned.

That’s right, that guy was Abai.

And since Abai has appeared, it is no surprise that the other party should be the contestant from Zhu Zifang.

When he was in the hotel, he said that all offline players were decent people, but he never expected to be slapped in the face so quickly.

Fortunately, although the atmosphere seemed a bit tense, neither side had any intention of taking action. The biggest reason was that the tall guy had been mediating.

Without rushing forward, Fang Yun and his companions found a corner and watched with their arms folded.

Since they agreed to fight on their own before departure, Abai must solve any problems encountered in the offline competition by himself.

But even if he doesn't intervene, once Abai and the others suffer losses, Fang Yun, as the boss, will definitely not sit idly by.

"That tall guy should be Xilang, right?"

While watching, Huang He next to him tasted it and suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Fang Yun nodded slightly, "I was wondering why there weren't many people here, it turns out that all three teams are gathered here."

At this time, in addition to the five people from Bianliang City, there were also three groups of people from Gusu City led by Xilang, 2008 led by Abai, and Zhuzifang.

In addition to them, the people from Deyang Confucian Temple led by Meditation and the people from Mingxiu Garden led by Baozuo Waipi were also watching not far away, obviously wanting to have a taste of this melon.

Only the contestants from Wangfujing and Forbidden City were missing. It was unclear whether they were not interested or went back to their rooms before the conflict occurred.

(End of this chapter)