Capítulo 17: Consolidating Power (3)
The 'favorite place' of Li Nuxie was a line of food kiosks not far from the town square. One could see street food of different kinds, soups, and desserts.
"Choose yours," she told the boy.
The boy glanced sideways before looking at her. "I don't have money to –"
"Eat first. We'll sort it out later," she cut him.
The boy chewed on his lips before he finally relented. They ordered chicken liver and garlic rice in one kiosk before going to another kiosk that sold shabu-shabu.
"What's your name?" Li Nuxie asked him in between bites.
"I am called Huang Wensheng," the boy answered as he gulped a glass of water.
Li Nuxie nodded. "And you play Forza Horizon?"
"Only for two years. But I haven't lost yet," Huang Wensheng said, staring at her without blinking.
Looking back at him, Li Nuxie grinned. "Oh yeah? Do you want to play against me?"
Huang Wensheng rubbed his hands. "I want to!"
Li Nuxie pushed her chair back. "Then, let's go."
At the underground café, a man with a black mask covering his eyes pushed the door open. The once loud voices became quiet as the man strode inside. The people, mostly in their teens and early twenties, eyed him curiously. It was their first time to see someone wearing a mask inside the café. A burly man stood up from his seat and greeted him.
"Black Emperor, long time no see."
A player literally fell down from his seat when the name was mentioned. Black Emperor? He used to be Forza Horizon's number one player in the world until he left the scene not too long ago! Even so, his record was still unmatched despite suffering a loss with another player. The gods have blessed them to be in the same area as the Black Emperor.
The man called Black Emperor nodded. "What's up?"
"Nothing much. It was boring when you stopped visiting," the burly man shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, not as boring as the time when Blitzkrieg left the scene."
Black Emperor's mouth twisted when the name entered his consciousness. Blitzkrieg was the only person who beat him in Forza Horizon in his entire time of playing the game. He wasn't able to even ask for a rematch when the person became inactive in the online gaming scene.
"Perhaps, he's not even a real person," Black Emperor said.
"Outrageous," the man commented. "You're a genius when it comes to computers. There's no way you can't tell." If it was another person, he might have thought twice before saying it in the face of the Dark Emperor. However, the burly man and the Black Emperor have been friends for a long time. Way back when the internet was not even a thing.
Black Emperor's jaw tightened at the obvious jab. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I want to play."
The man signaled to his men. "Prepare the Black Box," he said.
The players who have heard the conversation widened their eyes. Black Box? It was the underground café's ultimate game room. Only those who can decode the technical obstacles can enter it. A lot have tried but so far, there's only one who was able it. As expected of the Black Emperor. Can they be lucky enough to watch him play? Majority of the players inside the underground café was shuffling in their seats while the others have completely stopped playing.
The Black Box has only two game reclining seats inside. In front of them were three 98-inch monitors connected with each other. It was running under Corsair One i160. Meanwhile, the ceilings were illuminated by green and violent LEDs which emitted a relaxing vibe, in contrast to the competitive atmosphere outside.
What was unique about the Black Box was its walls. It was made of remote-operated tempered glass. Depending on the player's whim, he or she can make it tinted or otherwise. The game room was located in the middle of the underground café. To others who were not aware of it, it looked like a normal glass panel wall. Outside, there was enough space on its three sides for the audience to gather.
It only took Black Emperor five minutes to decode the technical obstacles.
"Wow, as expected of the Black Emperor!"
"He's a genius. No wonder he used to be number one."
"But I wonder about the person who beat him. Blitzkrieg, right?"
"I think Blitzkrieg just got lucky. They should have a rematch."
As if he wasn't aware of the conversations around him, Black Emperor took a step inside the Black Box followed by his friend.
Li Nuxie's eyes narrowed into slits when the conversations reached her ears. Her hands tightened into fists. She just stepped inside the underground café the moment the automatic door of the Black Box closed, hence she did not see the Black Emperor. How dare these people claimed that she only got lucky? They are asking for death sentence.
"Uhm, Elder Sister, are you okay?" Huang Wensheng asked Li Nuxie when he noticed her dark expression. Li Nuxie inclined her head and stared at the young boy.
"Sure, I am," she gave him a reassuring smile. "By the way, who is the strongest player here?" she leaned closer towards the boy.
The boy didn't answer. Instead, his eyes roamed around the café. After a while, he pointed his finger towards a guy who wore a black shirt with a skull printed on it.
"He is Rezvani. He used to be the number one here," Huang Wensheng informed her.
Li Nuxie crossed her arms as she eyed the man. "Used to be?"
"Well, that—" Huang Wensheng looked down at his feet.
A knowing smile broke down from Li Nuxie's lips. "Until you beat him?"
Scratching the back of his head, the boy nodded. A red tint was visible on his cheeks.
"Rezvani, huh?" She shrugged her shoulders. Well, let's see if he can live to his name's expectations, she thought as the image of the supercar she once saw in Country P flashed in her mind.
Li Nuxie approached Rezvani who was currently has a knot on his eyebrows when she entered his line of sight. Huang Wensheng remained rooted at her back.
"Who are you?" Since his voice was a bit higher than normal, it attracted the attention of the nearby players.
"I'm just a random player. I want to play with you," Li Nuxie told him directly.
Rezvani sneered. "You want to play with me? You have the capability?"
Li Nuxie almost rolled her eyes. Capability, my ass, she cursed inwardly. People like him will only play when there was a stake.
"One thousand dollars," she declared.
The people listening around them were unable to move. One thousand dollars? That's a lot of money.
"Really? You don't look like someone who has one thousand dollars."
Huang Wensheng pulled the hem of Li Nuxie's jacket. "Elder sister, you should not do that," he whispered.
Li Nuxie ignored him. Instead her hand pulled something inside her pocket. She thrusted her hand in front of her. It was a Primus black card, the most exclusive card in City S. Only the family members of the Triad and a few families who maintained ties with them were invited to possess the card. The Primus black card was equivalent to power, no matter how small it was. A power was still a power.
A few players took a step back, their hands were clammy. They only have one thing in their mind. The woman in front of them was not someone ordinary.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder