- Hónghé Group's Rise Online Operating Office, New York. -
At his desk, Charles Richards, one of RO's chief developers, watches intently as Kaizen and Taznaar duel. The glow of his computer screen reflects off the lenses of his rectangular glasses.
When the sound of the musket shot echoes throughout the Arena until it comes out of the speakers on his screen, Charles is unconsciously anxious about what is coming, as if he already knew.
Seconds after the shot, the audience is completely silent, and the camera's focus is on the musket ball. This bullet is standing still in the air as if time itself had stopped, yet it was still spinning violently. As soon as the rotation of the bullet loses its force, the small metal object falls to the ground.
*Tiim, tiim.*
Like the drop of a coin, the metallic clink produced by the bullet as it hits the ground is like a warning to all the people that what has just happened was real.
