Which way to go is the road?

Having contestants act as referees was unheard of for Lao You. How could the rule supervisors be the ones being supervised, and how could the rules be guaranteed to be fully implemented? Using temporary workers certainly couldn't guarantee the fairness of the competition, but how could fairness and impartiality be guaranteed if contestants were the referees? He simply couldn't understand it.

"What if a contestant cheats? Who will adjudicate any disputes that arise during the competition? Your method won't work. How about I get my classmates to help?"

Xiang Fei smiled and shook his head: "Distant water can't quench immediate thirst. It's almost midnight, and besides, it's the weekend. Your classmates must all have their own plans. It's not good to disturb them abruptly! Don't rush, listen to my specific approach before you object!"

"Then tell me, I'm listening, let's see how you turn the impossible into reality!"

"Generally speaking, it's a bit illogical to have players act as referees, but in a crisis, solving the immediate problem is the most important thing, so we can't put aside any available measures. That's one point. Secondly, the games we're hosting aren't that professional, so we'll just set some rules and judge success or failure. Of course, if there are any flaws, we'll definitely make some modifications later!"

At this point, Lao You couldn't help but interrupt, "You've said so much, but you haven't even mentioned the feasibility of using players as referees!"

Xiang Fei nodded with a wry smile, signaling Lao You to quiet down: "Lao You, be patient, don't interrupt me, I haven't finished yet! Thirdly, it's correct that we let the players act as referees, but they can't participate in their own matches. In other words, the players can only referee other people's matches as third parties! Fourthly, we will take certain measures to prevent favoritism and cheating, including three measures: 1. A system of irregular inspections by internet cafe staff; 2. A system for players to report violations; 3. Using screenshots of match results as the basis for determining the winner!"

After thinking it over and over, Lao You felt that Xiang Fei's words made sense. It didn't seem like there was anything wrong with players acting as referees, especially the three rules to prevent favoritism and cheating, which could basically eliminate such phenomena.

"Okay, I'll do it your way. I guess you've broken a Guinness World Record—the contestant is the judge. Only a freak like you could come up with that!"

"Otherwise, I could be the store manager and learn from you, kid!" Xiang Fei was in a great mood after receiving Lao You's approval and even started joking.

Old You kicked the store manager: "Stop showing off. Hurry up and write down and print out all those competition rules and regulations you mentioned. Besides, we should recruit referees. Oh, and since they're working for us, shouldn't we pay them a service fee?"

"Send it in, five yuan per match, not in cash, but deposited into the member's account!"

"You stingy store manager, it turns out you've saved a lot of money compared to hiring temporary workers. I have to say, Sister Luo Mei made the right choice hiring you as store manager!"

"Of course, who would dare to take the job without some skill... Never mind, I won't say anymore. Put your foot down. By the way, that's so uncivilized!"

Old You lowered his foot, which he was about to kick, and ignored the arrogant man. He turned around to prepare to recruit referees. Unexpectedly, as soon as he posted the information, a group of people surrounded him. Xiang Fei selected 10 of them and brought them to Xiang Fei for a brief training session.

The rules were simple, so none of the 10 people had any objections after hearing them. To make it seem more formal, Xiang Fei even asked Wang Haoming to buy some name tags from GG Company, with the words "Referee" and "Chief Referee" written on them, making it look very professional.

This week's match is: Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

At 12:30 pm, the competition was about to begin. As a game enthusiast, Qian Luomei naturally couldn't miss this grand event in her internet cafe. She came down from the attic and went to Xiang Fei's side, only to find him looking melancholy. She quickly asked him why.

It turned out that due to their lack of experience, Xiang Fei and his team only closed registration right before the official competition, resulting in a total of 61 registered players. That's right, there was an odd number, which put Xiang Fei in a difficult position. In order to save time, they skipped the group stage and went straight into the knockout stage, and since it was a single-elimination tournament, one player would inevitably be left without an opponent and would have to advance directly. However, this would be very unfair to the others.

"Has anyone else signed up?"

Xiang Fei shouted to the netizens, hoping that more people would sign up so that the problem could be solved. Looking at the silent crowd, no one responded. Just as he was about to discuss a solution with Qian Luomei and the others, a familiar voice rang out beside him.

"Brother Fei, how about I sign up too? I just don't know if internet cafe employees are allowed to sign up?" Wang Haoming stepped forward when he saw Xiang Fei's dilemma.

"Do you know how to play this game?" Xiang Fei was very grateful to his good friend for saving the day, but he was worried that his friend wouldn't know how to play and that his opponents would laugh at him.

"It's alright! I've played it before!"

"Alright, then I'll register you, you're on the list." Xiang Fei patted Wang Haoming on the shoulder and continued, "Our competition is about to begin. There are 31 pairs of contestants in total, five pairs per group, six groups in total. The last group will have six pairs of contestants!"

Unlike sports competitions, the level of skill in gaming is mainly reflected in mental reaction and finger dexterity and coordination, as well as understanding and thinking about the game and the relevant strategies used.

One of the most intuitive aspects is the typing speed of a player's fingers on the keyboard and mouse, or simply hand speed. This determines the amount of action you can take in a given time, and therefore plays a crucial role in directly affecting the outcome of the game.

Xiang Fei patrolled back and forth to check on the competition. During the fourth group's match, he followed the crackling sound and found Wang Haoming. At that moment, Wang Haoming was completely focused on playing a game, playing as a human against the opposing elf, his fingers flying across the keyboard while his eyes remained fixed on the computer screen.

As expected, Wang Haoming defeated his opponent with an absolute advantage.

Seeing Wang Haoming leave his position, Xiang Fei quickly followed, saying, "I didn't expect that! Haoming, you're really good at this game, and your hand speed is fast too. How come I've rarely seen you play before?"

"I've been hanging out in internet cafes since I was a teenager, so what's so special about me knowing how to play games? I admire you more for coming up with such a great idea; 'Shuiyunjian' is bound to be a hit!"

"Why are you so sure? I only came up with this as a last resort. If competitive gaming declines, my strategy will have completely failed!"

"Esports gaming is still in its infancy and developing. Just wait and see! In a few years, it will be much more popular than it is now!"

"I hope it's as you say, but Haoming, you can't win this competition. Get second place! The first place must go to a customer, otherwise there will be gossip!"

"I understand!"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that!"

"My little grievance is nothing, Fei-ge, you're in trouble!"

"What's the trouble?"

"Look back yourself. I'm leaving now. I don't do jobs that involve selling my body!"