Chase Game

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

Zhang Haiping leaned back in his office chair, exhaled, and then asked Ling Yi to sit down.

"Hmm, let me think... The information that needs to be registered has been registered, and you've signed the confidentiality agreement, what else was there...?"

Oh, right, we'll be arranging a game for you as the hunter next, to help you perfect your hunter-specific skills, as a membership bonus.

Ling Yi was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Isn't the game supposed to be random? Can it be arranged?"

"hehe,"

Zhang Haiping took a drag of his cigarette and asked mysteriously:

"You should know about 'meetings with the gods,' right?"

"What are the rewards for achieving three S-rank ratings?"

Yes, that's the one.

Some speculate that this game is an arena for the gods to enjoy; if you perform well and receive high ratings, the gods will be pleased and reward you.

Many people have achieved the 3S feat to date, and one of the rewards is a portion of the "Game Authority."

"The authority over the game? Isn't that like turning on creative mode in Minecraft?"

"Ahem... It's not that overpowered. I don't know exactly what powers it holds."

Anyway, you know we can arrange a game where you're the hunter, and you can even specify who's the fugitive. It won't be difficult, don't worry.

Ling Yi frowned, still puzzled by one question:

"Doesn't that mean that those who gain control of the game can also designate their opponents, or even directly designate close friends or family members, to make others intentionally lose to them?"

"Of course you can, but it's pointless and might even be harmful."

First, there is the unavoidable random matching, which is the unchangeable underlying logic of the chase game. Every certain period of time, an uninterrupted random game will be played.

Then there's the rating system. As I mentioned before, this game is for the gods to watch. If you play well, the gods will reward you.

Conversely, if you deliberately target weaker opponents or collude to fix matches, the gods will be displeased and punish you.

"Since game control can be granted, it can also be taken back; there are even precedents of people winning the game only to die."

If that's the case, then it makes sense.

Ling Yi couldn't help but think of that magnificent building—the Colosseum in ancient Rome.

Players act as gladiators, fighting fiercely within the designated area of ​​the arena, while only one spectator sits in the stands.

The gladiators' punches landed with a visceral impact, and this spectator excitedly shouted encouragement.

The gladiators were putting on an act, and this spectator threw rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at them.

But in his imagination, the audience member was a mischievous child.

Zhang Haiping looked at Ling Yi and continued:

"Is everything alright? If not, we'll tentatively schedule you to enter the game this Sunday. The vice president should be back by then."

"OK."

Acquiring skills sooner will give you more options to deal with the threats left by Li Fang.

Joining an organization has these advantages. As for whether there are any hidden risks, he still maintains that we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We'll only know if there's any danger after we go there.

Besides, if the Chase and Escape Game Association is really the kind of nascent demonic sect that wastes its new disciples as human resources, then at worst they can just run away if things go wrong, and if they can't escape, they can just try again.

There's no escaping it even if it happens again, so all we can say is:

Good Game!

After everything was over, Ling Yi walked out of the office building. Zhang Haiping wanted to invite him to dinner, but he declined, saying he had to go to class.

As he went in and out, a tattoo-like "scales" mark appeared on his left shoulder, a scale-sized version of the scales sign hanging on the roof of the office building behind him.

"Balance scales" is the emblem of the Chase Game Association, and it has two basic meanings.

One meaning is that the pursuers and the fugitives are equal in the game;

Secondly, it symbolizes the association's mission: to maintain a delicate balance between players and ordinary people.

In fact, he was not interested in this mission. He joined the association purely for utilitarian purposes: there was money to be made, as well as a huge resource and information database.

People like Ling Yi are bound to be the majority, and the association is aware of this, so they don't care about intentions but only about actions; in essence, it's about each getting what they need.

However, besides its symbolic meaning, the scales also have a practical function, which is positioning. It is said to be for the purpose of ensuring the safety of members, but in reality, it is for monitoring.

"Hmm... I'll have to figure out how to block this thing later."

Ling Yi thought to himself, although the surveillance footage doesn't seem to have any impact now, who knows what will happen in the future? In any case, he'll have to deal with this sooner or later.

This trip took two hours, and it's past noon now. His class is at 2 PM.

He randomly picked a roadside stall, ordered some home-style dishes to fill his stomach, rested for a while, and then walked along this road to school. It wasn't far; he arrived in half an hour.

Seeing that it was still early, he headed towards the football field. Usually at this time, that guy was either online or playing football.

Sure enough, on the soccer field, a group of teenagers were divided into two camps, one wearing white jerseys and the other wearing blue and red jerseys, and the two sides were playing... no, they were playing fiercely!

"Dude, what's going on? Looks like a fight's started?"

Ling Yi, with a gossipy attitude, grabbed a guy on the sidelines and asked him.

"I don't know much about football, but I just heard them arguing for a while. It seems like a guy in the blue and red jerseys fell down and pulled down a player in the white jerseys, tearing his clothes."

Then the two started arguing. The guy in the white jersey said the guy in the blue and red jersey committed a malicious foul, while the guy in the blue and red jersey said the guy in the white jersey deliberately tripped him.

Then the two started spitting at each other, and now they were both huddled together, neither giving an inch.

As this guy talked, he kept his eyes glued to the spectacle, practically shouting, "Fight! Start fighting! Fight harder!"

Ling Yi understood; this kind of thing is quite common on the court.

But when I squinted, the guy with the torn clothes looked so familiar.

"Holy crap, so you're talking about Zhang Qiang!"

"Who?"

The guy next to him was still a little confused, but he only saw that the guy who had asked him the question had already rushed up.

"Don't hurt my son!"

Ling Yi maintains a fitness routine year-round, resulting in a well-proportioned yet powerful physique. Therefore, he is not afraid of being bumped into; on the contrary, it is often others who bump into him. He remains as steady as a mountain, while the person who bumps into him falls to the ground, stunned.

"Holy crap, Lingzi, what are you doing here?"

"My son is in trouble, how can I just sit idly by and do nothing?"

"Get the hell out of here! It's the same whether you're here or not. I can take down three of them with one slap!"

……

The two worked side by side, back to back, their hands and feet never stopping, and their mouths never stopping either.

However, not long after, a male teacher came rushing over, blowing his whistle. Taking advantage of the chaos, Ling Yi quickly made his escape.

He didn't run far, but blended into the crowd as a bystander, watching a dozen or so people being reprimanded.

There's no right or wrong in conflicts on the court; it's best to just give each side a fair share of blame and that's it.