"Huh? This coffee... did you drug me?" Silver Wolf's eyes glistened with confusion and discomfort. She couldn't believe Stelle had drugged her.
Stelle, with a mischievous smirk, replied, "Nope! It's just that this coffee will make you fall asleep after you finish it."
A look of surprise and pain flashed in Silver Wolf's eyes. She never expected Stelle to slip something into her drink. At that moment, she realized where she had gone wrong in this competition.
Before the match started, Pei Guang had specifically asked if they could use any means necessary, and she had only forbidden physical methods. Drugging, however, wasn't a physical method.
But how? Pei Guang and Stelle hadn't exchanged any signals. In fact, ever since Pei Guang started learning hacking, they hadn't even made eye contact. So why did Stelle end up drugging her?
Sensing Silver Wolf's confusion, Stelle's sly grin faded. She helped Silver Wolf lean against her, then explained, "We work as a team. All we need to do is monitor the shared storage space. That way, we know exactly what each other is planning."
Hearing this, Silver Wolf's eyes started to glaze over. At first, she was still fighting the effects, but soon she couldn't help but smile. Perhaps it was the coffee working, or maybe she was simply too tired, but she mumbled her last thoughts.
"Huh… I have to admit… this was fun. As a player, it's great to do whatever you want, as long as it's within the rules..."
Stelle: "No worries~ After this match, you'll be part of our team too. As Pei Guang says, even a temporary companion is still a companion. Welcome aboard~"
Silver Wolf: "Mmm..."
At that moment, Silver Wolf fully drifted off to sleep. With her defenses and attacks gone, her phone became an open field, allowing Pei Guang to quickly hack in. When his little orb touched the glowing white sphere, Pei Guang successfully completed the hack on Silver Wolf's device.
He had won this match.
Dishonorable? Not at all. Pei Guang felt like he had used every ounce of his cleverness to win, and his reliable teammates had understood his plan perfectly. Plus, he was grateful for the fact that Silver Wolf had enough goodwill toward Stelle. Although he didn't know all the details, he suspected it had something to do with Stelle's mysterious background. Maybe Silver Wolf was a relative of Stelle?
In any case, Pei Guang couldn't be bothered to guess too much. He had won, he had beaten Silver Wolf at hacking, and with that, the mission from Herta was completed. Silver Wolf could now become a companion.
As Pei Guang glanced at the sleeping Silver Wolf and the now-hacked phone, Herta gleefully typed a message and sent it out:
Herta: "Breaking News! Super Hacker Defeated by Someone Who Learned Hacking in One Hour!"
"Silver Wolf, the legendary hacker of the Stellaron Hunters, loses to a 'Nameless' who learned hacking in just a few minutes!"
Had anyone else sent that message, it would've been dismissed as fake news. But Herta's word carried weight, and as a member of the Genius Society, people knew she didn't waste time on lies.
Originally, most had bet on Silver Wolf to win, especially after she'd won the first two rounds. After all, the third round was a hacking challenge, and Silver Wolf was a legendary hacker, even Screwllum had once praised her skills. And yet, she lost? Really?
As soon as the news hit the web, it sparked a massive debate online.
Tavern regular who bet his entire fortune on Silver Wolf: "Silver Wolf let her opponent win! This means she's holding back to give him a chance. What does that tell you? It means she's saving her strength for a guaranteed victory in the next round. Time to double down, folks! I'm going all-in!"
Another tavern patron who bet his house on Silver Wolf winning: "Exactly! Double down on Silver Wolf! Who's this 'Nameless'? Who's this 'Player Guang'? Just some overconfident fool who's about to learn there's always someone stronger. Silver Wolf will crush him in the next round!"
Stellaron Hunter member: "No doubt about it! Silver Wolf's just being polite because she's up against Herta's guest. Winning too many times wouldn't be nice."
Masked figure: "I'm betting 3 billion on Silver Wolf! This is your last chance to get in!"
Blue-haired guy being chased across three star systems: "I'm in for 30 million, Silver Wolf takes it."
Xianzhou Luofu general: "I'm betting 1.14 million on 'Player Guang' for the win. As I've said, anyone going up against a Stellaron Hunter, I'll always back them."
The other generals of the Six Flagships, along with their marshal, were speechless at the general's nonchalance. Their home was practically on fire, and yet here he was, calmly betting on a hacking match.
Still, if he was this relaxed, there wasn't much to worry about. The Luofu would hold. The fact that he had placed a bet of just over a million credits meant this was more of a symbolic gesture. But only Jing Yuan knew that he had gone all-in with his secret personal stash. While everything on the Luofu was under control, he figured he could earn some extra pocket money and publicly show support for the Astral Express crew at the same time.
While the internet buzzed with wild speculations and frantic betting, inside Herta's office, Silver Wolf's eyes fluttered open.
She suddenly remembered that Pei Guang and his team had brought along some coffee that could put you to sleep—courtesy of Herta's space station. She just hadn't expected it to be used on her, especially by Stelle, and at a crucial moment like this...
Yet, as her mind cleared, Silver Wolf started connecting the dots. She remembered Pei Guang and Stelle's grinning faces, Stelle's smug smile, and it all made sense. She hadn't just lost the game—she'd been thoroughly outsmarted.
Sure, the match had been fun, but she wanted more. She wanted the ultimate fun.
All that stuff about being a "player" or not? It didn't matter. What mattered was the fun. And right now, Silver Wolf only wanted to push the fun to its limits.
She sighed, "I lost…"
For the first time, Silver Wolf felt completely calm. All the chaotic thoughts in her head had vanished.
As for whether she was upset? No, she wasn't. But that didn't mean she wouldn't have her fun. And what's more fun than teasing your new teammates? After all, Stelle had happily invited her to join them, and Silver Wolf had agreed. Now they were teammates. And it's perfectly normal for teammates to pull a few pranks on each other, right?
A mischievous grin spread across Silver Wolf's face.