This was like playing against bots with "full map vision" and "coach mode" enabled!
And Cloud was happy to relax.
Most of the time, he just needed to sit in the stands, drinking cola, eating popcorn, while incidentally running his [Deep Analysis] function.
He discovered that nearly half of the opponents they faced had been "modified" with technological traces.
Some had micro data chips implanted in their brains, assisting their combat predictions.
Some had their muscle fibers lightly gene-modified, giving them explosive power far beyond normal humans.
Others had even had their energy circulation replaced by "tech-infused" energy circuits.
[Ding! NESTS basic combat chip detected. Analyzing underlying logic... Analysis complete! Stored in database!]
[Ding! NESTS G-1 muscle enhancement technology detected. Analyzing structural principles... Analysis complete! Stored in database!]
[Ding! NESTS energy circuit template detected. Analyzing...]
Cloud was like a greedy, walking "source code analyzer."
On one hand, he let his team members "stomp noobs" on stage.
On the other hand, he was frantically stealing... NESTS's core technologies that had cost them countless resources to develop.
He was using this borderline "freeloading" method to rapidly expand his own "tech tree."
...
Meanwhile, in a secret base somewhere, NESTS executives monitoring everything through countless hidden cameras watched their "data collectors" get easily defeated one after another.
Their expressions grew increasingly ugly.
They felt like... they'd been played.
They had intended to use the preliminaries to drain Cloud and collect his data.
But Cloud himself wasn't even fighting!
Instead, it was their own painstakingly developed "black tech" that was being treated like "experience packages," getting "cracked" and "absorbed" one by one?!
This was literally losing the wife AND the soldiers!
"This man..."
A cold voice echoed in the monitoring room.
"Is even more... troublesome... than we imagined."
...
The KOF 99 preliminaries were, for most fighters in the world, a cruel elimination round of "gods fighting while mortals suffer."
But for Cloud and his "divine squad," it was more like an armed parade.
Or rather, a large-scale "product demonstration."
Shermie demonstrated what "the perfect fusion of sexiness and power" meant.
Leona demonstrated what "silence is golden, and attacks mean instant kills" meant.
Goniko perfectly illustrated that "cuteness, before absolute strength, is even stronger combat power."
The three of them, like three "goddesses" with completely different styles, were conducting their own "tour" on KOF's world stage—harvesting opponents' health bars and fans' screams alike.
And Cloud, like a leisurely "manager," sat in the stands the whole time, drinking cola, eating popcorn, occasionally commenting, while incidentally stealing the organizers' (NESTS's) "black tech" secrets clean.
Under this "dimensional crushing" rhythm, they unsurprisingly blazed their way into the Round of 16.
Of course, under the new rules, the matches also produced quite a few hilariously memorable "famous scenes."
For example, when facing a "gourmet"-themed team:
Shermie was about to finish the match with a "Dark Thunder Fist" when the opponent's Striker suddenly rushed in!
He didn't attack Shermie. Instead, he pulled out a steaming, fragrant Tianjin meat bun from inside his shirt!
Then, he flashed a "benevolent" smile at Shermie.
"Hungry, pretty lady? Here, have a bun?"
Shermie froze on the spot.
The scene was as bizarre as bizarre could get.
Even the commentator didn't know how to call it: "Oh! Look at that! The Gourmet Team's Striker! He... he's using the legendary Gourmet Temptation tactic! This is an attack with flavor! Contestant Shermie has fallen into philosophical contemplation about whether to eat or not!"
...
In another match, Leona faced an opponent who specialized in "hypnosis."
Just as Leona was about to deliver the finishing blow, the opponent's Striker—a psychiatrist in a white coat wearing gold-rimmed glasses—rushed in!
He pulled out a pocket watch and swung it in front of Leona.
"Look into my eyes... relax... you are now very sleepy, want to sleep..."
Result...
Leona remained expressionless.
But that psychiatrist, swinging and swinging, hypnotized himself... and started snoring sweetly right there on the stage.
[System Notice: Your teammate Leona, due to her "emotionless" attribute, is immune to all mental control attacks.]
Cloud couldn't help but laugh out loud watching these bizarre "Striker" tactics.
He realized this "Striker Attack" system was practically made for "meme plays"!
...
But amid the laughter, Cloud also keenly sensed something off.
He could clearly feel that every stage they competed on seemed to have some kind of extremely covert energy wave collection device installed.
Whenever his team members used techniques, faint energy resonance would emanate from beneath the stage floor.
Like a greedy "data sponge," frantically recording their techniques' energy frequencies, structural principles, and even their biological characteristics.
"NESTS..." A cold glint flashed in Cloud's eyes. "Looks like you really... won't give up."
He didn't make a fuss, just silently added another mark against this organization in his mind.
...
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