Chapter 1

April 1st, 8:30 PM.

At the Blue Sailboat Internet Cafe by the seaside, just like every Saturday, all the computer stations were fully occupied, and the air was filled with smoke.

Because at 8:30 PM every Saturday, major video websites would update the first-person perspective videos of professional players.

As soon as the time came, the first-person perspective video of the Nine-Tailed Fox team's player, which was scheduled to be updated today, was uploaded on time. Many players of "Sword Battle" in the internet cafe were sitting in front of their computers, quietly watching.

However, after just twenty minutes, the internet cafe suddenly erupted in commotion.

"Hey, open the second video, yes, Lin Wei's, and skip to the last part!"

"Are you kidding? The Nine-Tailed Fox team... is dissolving?"

"What's going on? They just won the championship and are dissolving? This is too unreasonable!"

"Is it just an April Fool's joke?"

Although it was April 1st, joking about such a topic was too hurtful to the fans. The Nine-Tailed Fox team had been a top team since the founding of the professional league, and had never changed its members. In the game "Sword Battle," it held a special significance.

"Uh, it doesn't seem to be a joke. There's news on the Nine-Tailed Fox official website too..." Soon, someone in the internet cafe learned the bad news from the official website.

Then, one after another, shocking news updates appeared on the official website, leaving the fans speechless.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's shield, the Jinzhong Shaolin character "Dragon City Flying General" and its operator Lin Wei, transferred to the Seven Rainbow team.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's top damage dealer, the Sword Wudang character "One Sword to the Sky" and its operator Liu Lika, transferred to the Sky Blade team.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's twin stars, the Qin Emei character "Jiajia" and its operator Su Haotian, and the Palm Emei character "Finger Devil" and its operator Shen Zuige, transferred to the Bu Yun team.

There was a brief moment of shock and silence in the internet cafe.

Then, a chorus of curses erupted.

"What's going on? All the main players are gone, no wonder the team is dissolving!"

Some customers in the internet cafe started smashing their keyboards, and the network manager, with a bitter face, didn't dare to stop them after learning what had happened.

"Sword Battle" was currently the hottest online game.

Nine years ago, it became a new e-sports project, and six years ago, it was included in the domestic professional e-sports league's competition schedule. More and more veteran game experts were transitioning to this game.

The Nine-Tailed Fox team had participated in top-tier events like WCG and the E-sports Weekend Invitational, winning championships so frequently that they were considered a top-tier strong team.

Because "Sword Battle" was an e-sports project derived from an online game, it had a very solid foundation in the online gaming world, and the Nine-Tailed Fox team undoubtedly had a large fan base.

"Wait, what about the news about the Nine-Tailed Fox team captain?" The fans quickly noticed something was missing.

"Huh, right, why isn't there any mention of where Captain Chen is going?"

The soul of the Nine-Tailed Fox team and the most important person in the fans' hearts was missing from the news.

"None, can't find it."

"There's no first-person perspective video of Chen Bin today either..."

After reading the news on the official website, the fans went to the video sites and, without exception, noticed something strange.

"Missing?" The entire gaming area of the internet cafe was plunged into confusion.

"Is something wrong with Captain Chen?"

"Please, no..."

"Wait, there's more news." Someone immediately called out, and everyone in the gaming area looked over.

In the dimly lit internet cafe, the figures in the smoke were hazy, but the concentrated gaze of everyone in the gaming area was a powerful force.

The person who spoke had a slightly trembling voice: "The news says that the Nine-Tailed Fox team's hidden weapon Tangmen character 'Heavenly Net Golden Feather' has been traded to the Dragon Chant team!"

Character trade?

It seemed this was the first character trade announced tonight that didn't include the player.

"Isn't 'Heavenly Net Golden Feather' Chen Bin's account?" Everyone was stunned.

"Where's the news? I didn't see it."

"It's on the Dragon Chant official website."

"Damn, why only the account trade? I don't care about the account, where is Chen Bin?"

"Right, which team did Chen Bin join?"

No news, no news at all.

No matter how many times they refreshed the official websites of various teams or tried to gather insider information, no new news came out.

A living person had simply disappeared from the online world...

The sound of keyboards being smashed echoed through the internet cafe.

...

April 1st, 10:15 PM.

At the Nine-Tailed Fox team's training base, Chen Bin quietly walked in.

"That's it, 'Heavenly Net Golden Feather' was sold for 1.26 million. The Dragon Chant team has already paid me half, and I'll distribute it to Weiwei and the others." Chen Bin threw the bank card to the team manager, Hu Hui.

Hu Hui's expression was unpredictable.

Just now, he had been gathering the players who were transferring, tearfully trying to persuade them to stay, but he was unwilling to sign formal contracts with them. To shift the focus, he blamed the delayed championship bonus on Captain Chen Bin.

By accusing Chen Bin of embezzling the team's bonus, Hu Hui could completely clear himself.

Just as Hu Hui was getting to the point, Chen Bin suddenly asked to make a phone call.

Unexpectedly, during that phone call, Chen Bin did something that would shock the entire "Sword Battle" community.

"What do you mean by this?" Hu Hui's chest heaved, and he asked in a cold voice.

"Nothing much. You said I embezzled the team's bonus, and I said I didn't. You can't prove I did it, and I can't prove I didn't. If we keep arguing, there will be no resolution. In the end, we'll just make fools of ourselves and become a laughingstock for other teams." Chen Bin shrugged nonchalantly.

Lin Wei, with red eyes, turned her head and bit her lip.

If the team had a scandal, it would affect every player.

This would have a significant impact on the value of players like Lin Wei, who were at the peak of their careers.

Chen Bin's decision to avoid conflict was to ensure they wouldn't be criticized in their new teams.

Although she knew his approach was the most rational and correct, ...

This wasn't the competition arena. The only thing Lin Wei wanted to do right now was to jump up and kick Hu Hui in the face, followed by a full combo!

However, Hu Hui clearly didn't care about her thoughts. His eyes were fixed on the bank card for a full minute.

Hu Hui licked his lips and, after a long pause, said, "This team was built with my investment. What right do you have to sell your account..."

In other words, Chen Bin's "Heavenly Net Golden Feather" character account should also be his property.