The Battle to Decide the Seventh Fragment / Penguin, Which Never Copies, Plagiarizes, or Cheats ...

"No, I hope you can cooperate with us, that you can continue the search for the key, and that you can become the hero of the Oasis World! Hmm, even making you the CEO of the Oasis isn't out of the question! You just need to transfer the operation and management rights of the Oasis to Penguin Company." Boss Ma's voice was like the whisper of a devil leading people to hell, full of temptation.

Chapter 668 The War That Decides the Seventh Fragment

"Are you trying to push me out to be a puppet?" Shirou asked, looking at Boss Ma.

"As you probably already know, the seventh key is different from the previous ones. Only those who possess six keys can get the hint for the next level. If we want to obtain Kayaba's treasure, we must cooperate, right?" Boss Ma said, looking at Shirou.

"You understand, right? I'm a businessman. Businessmen are in it for the money, and they aim to maximize profits. Since the previous plan wasn't feasible, I naturally chose the one that would yield the greatest benefit. Your lives and game accounts are useless to me, but if I can get the Oasis, I won't be stingy and will fulfill all your and your companions' requests," Boss Ma said with a smile.

Penguin Company naturally didn't want to distribute profits to players like Shirou. After all, Oasis is such a large company that even a tiny fraction of a share could be worth US dollars if managed well.

However, Boss Ma has already exhausted all available means, and both encirclement and assassination attempts have failed. If this continues, it might disrupt the penguin's plans in the Oasis World. Therefore, Boss Ma decisively chose to settle for cooperation as a second-best option.

Whether you call it realism or utilitarianism, if doing charity every day could make someone incredibly wealthy, then naturally he would have Boss Ma dedicate all its Penguin Company to charity.

If everyone loves reading and learning, then Tencent would be the largest online reading and knowledge provider.

But what can you do when the world is like this? People prefer online games and mobile games. Games are the easiest way to make money! Take mobile games, for example, they make 30 billion a year!

Most of the internet industry involves burning money, but making money from online games can be faster than opening a shopping mall. When cash flow is needed, programmers can generate some data, a few artists can draw some pictures, and a few voice actors can record some lines. Then a microtransaction event can be launched, and a large amount of money can be injected.

Penguins are like wives given to them, and they can even become stronger. As long as you spend money, you can get happiness; it's an equal exchange.

To be honest, compared to those guys who spend money on in-game purchases and still might not get a wife or husband, or even if they do, they still need their wives to eat them to become stronger, Boss Ma feels he's already incredibly conscientious.

Unfortunately, the world can't see this clearly, and instead complains that his games are harmful to students and relentlessly ruining people. Those who are capable will naturally succeed. A person who can't succeed will be entangled in gambling, drugs, and other things even if they don't play online games. As the saying goes, survival of the fittest. This may seem too barbaric in human society, but it is the same in business.

Now Shirou has proven himself worthy of working alongside penguins, and cooperation is far more worthwhile than suppression. Therefore, Boss Ma came here with sincerity. Although forcibly entering a private residence, a stick and a carrot are the universal methods of taming.

However, Boss Ma was overthinking it.

Shirou was actually quite used to guys who would barge in without knocking.

For example, the knight girl who suddenly appeared in the warehouse, the purple-haired junior hiding in the shadows, the mad dog wielding a crimson spear who would stab someone in the heart at the slightest provocation, the Divine Era Magus flew in, or the arrogant ancient guru wearing Gil armor.

Thinking about it carefully, in the Fifth Holy Grail War, the one who was most polite was actually the Berserker, who swept everything away with a stone axe.

Some truths are not universally applicable. Money may be important, but it is never a reason to sell one's soul. Money is the worst master to man, but also the best servant.

Shirou shook his head and looked at Boss Ma, saying, "I'm a little disappointed. We thought that since you're a programmer and run a game company, you'd understand our thoughts to some extent."

"Don't be naive, kid! If you agree to cooperate with me, you can have everything! Yes, I'm very busy with work! I don't play games much! But I control all the game channels! And what do you professional gamers have left without games? The equipment you've worked so hard for for months is just a string of data to me! The weak in reality can only find a sense of existence in the virtual world, right?" Boss Ma said.

"Who's the weak one here? You speak so grandly, but your actions are utterly despicable. If you're so confident, why don't you come see me instead of setting up this virtual Projection while I'm not home? If you're a gamer, then solve the problem with a game." Shirou stood up in disappointment.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Boss Ma exclaimed in surprise.

Shirou reached out and slipped his hand through Boss Ma's body, slipping it into the gap in the sofa, where he found a mini Projection that was projecting light.

"Emiya! Do you know what you're doing? I've already humbled myself to talk to you, do you know you're pushing things to the brink of disaster?" Boss Ma said.

"There's no point in wasting time, Boss Ma. We're not going to hand over the Oasis to you." Shirou said calmly, picking up the tiny Projection, no bigger than a fingernail, and walking towards the restroom.

Boss Ma had never seen anyone so unconventional. He stood up and shouted, but by then his voice could no longer be heard. Then, something disappeared into thin air, and the virtual Projection dissipated.

Because I Shirou, threw the Projection down the drain and flushed it away.

"Honestly, I haven't been protecting my home enough. But if some unpleasant guests come, it seems like there's no way to stop them. It looks like I can't stay here for the time being." Shirou said helplessly, taking out his phone.

"Moshi moshi, Asuna, are you alright at home? I just had an illegal intrusion by some penguins," Shirou said.

"Huh? Are you alright?!" Asuna asked in surprise.

"Ah, it's been resolved. I was just a little worried about your situation. But staying home these next few days might not be safe. Are you with your parents now?"

"What should I do? My parents are away on a business trip, and I've been home alone for the past few days," Asuna asked worriedly.

"Then I'll move in with you for a few days," Shirou readily agreed.

Asuna thought to herself, speechless, "Even if you use such a legitimate reason, do you think I can't guess what you're really up to?"

"Well... okay then." But my sister still agreed!

Chapter 669 Penguin: Never Copying, Plagiarizing, or Cheating

"Damn it...!" On the other side of the sea, inside a building in Pengcheng, Boss Ma quickly turned off the equipment and dismantled the motion simulation. The previous stench and sticky feeling made him so nauseous that he lay on the ground and dry heaved.

"Boss... are you alright?" The female secretary outside heard the noise and rushed in. She saw that her boss, who had been sitting perfectly fine just moments before, had suddenly become like this.

"It's nothing! Go and notify the senior executives from the gaming and finance departments to come to a meeting!" Boss Ma waved his hand at his female secretary with a very unpleasant expression, suppressing his anger as he gave the order.

"Okay, boss. But a few managers went out to meet clients. They were supposed to go straight home after finishing their work. Should we notify them to come back?" the secretary asked cautiously.

"Then let's have the meeting in the game! Now! Immediately! Right now!!!" Boss Ma roared angrily.

"Yes!" The female secretary turned pale with fright and quickly ran out.

After receiving the notification, Penguin Company's agents logged on one by one and went to Penguin's headquarters in the game world.

"The partnership with Emiya has broken down! But since he wants to resolve this through games, then I'll grant their wish!" Boss Ma said, placing three cylindrical cans and three fragments emitting a golden glow on the table once again.

Boss Ma said in a deep voice, "I'm going to have a wager with Emiya and the others, using three keys as the price, and the winner takes all."

"However! If they lose, I want them to delete their accounts and be permanently banned from logging into Oasis and all Tencent products. I want to ban them from entering any online games."

Boss Ma released the second, fourth, and sixth fragments of King Arthur's sword, pressed a button, and the transparent glass jar closed, floated up, and was delivered to the game department manager, who said, "This time, win or lose, I want a result! Is that alright?"

"Yes! I'll send out the strongest players from Tencent; I think we'll win," the manager replied.

Boss Ma instructed, "Very good! All the fragments owned by Penguin Company are now in your hands. Make a bet with them; you can only succeed, you can't afford to fail. I want them to understand that only those of high enough status are qualified to possess precious things. Otherwise, even if they obtain them, they won't last long. Possessing a treasure is a crime; being out of touch with reality will only bring trouble upon oneself."

Meanwhile, thanks to someone's help, Shirou successfully moved into Asuna's house. They conducted some experiments and discovered that, just as Boss Ma had said, the last fragment did not contain any clues.

So the two decided to postpone their game guide and spend a leisurely day together in real life. After all, while games are fun, there are things in real life that games can't replace.

When the Penguin Company manager found them, explained his purpose, and extended an invitation to a duel.

Shirou glanced at his companions, and the girls, their fighting spirit ignited, nodded in agreement.

"We accept!" Shirou said.

Boss Ma set up a scheme, creating a customized arena on the Oasis platform, rife with conspiracies.

The five players opposite were using a collection of all the games owned by Boss Ma.

One of them, a gunman with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, wearing a level 3 helmet, a flat pan hanging on his back, and wielding an AWM sniper rifle, laughed and said, "Winner winner, I'm going to get a chicken dinner tonight!"

A young, strong man with short hair held a Greatsword in his hand, chanting "Demacia!"

"I shot it out on Sunday, so today is Monday." Another man with long silver hair, wearing golden armor, golden eyes, and golden runes on his body and face appeared. He was holding a dazzling longbow that burned with golden flames.

A monk with red cloth wrapped around his eyes, it was none other than Shirou, who had fought Apachai before. He clasped his hands together in a Buddhist gesture of respect towards Shirou.

These are the strongest players in various game genres at Penguin Company, and they have been summoned here to fight against Shirou and the others.

Behind the four, there was another man in black, completely shrouded in a black cloak, with only his eyes flashing red. This was the mercenary hired by Boss Ma, the mysterious player ranked number one on the red name list—'Ghost'! In this no-holds-barred fighting match, he was prepared to completely kill Shirou and the others.

The rules of this competition are a five-on-five tower-destroying game, a classic Dota-style gameplay. There are three lanes where players battle against each other, and the first to destroy the opponent's crystal city wins. It's a single-elimination match, a clash of masters. If someone is killed first and falls behind, it's virtually impossible to turn the tide.

On Shirou's side, Kiriko is responsible for melee damage, Asuna is responsible for healing and support AOC, Lizbeth is responsible for tanking, and Shino is the long-range sniper ADC, fighting with long-range control; while Shirou is responsible for jungling and ganking.

This competition will be supervised by Oasis Corporation, with the official guarantee of fairness. The moment everyone enters the battle zone, their combat power will be calculated by the supercomputer and adjusted to a balanced value. That is to say, damage dealers will be paired with damage dealers, support with support, and control with control. All damage values, buffs, and debuff durations will be balanced.

However, for some reason, Boss Ma and the game department manager, who were sitting in the spectator stands, both had smug smiles on their faces, as if they had already won the game before it even started.

As Kiriko charged out in the top lane, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes that killed the approaching minions, Demacia attacked, followed closely by Hou Yi in golden armor. Kiriko, relying on her lightning-fast reflexes, managed to land two consecutive blows on him.

Just then, Hou Yi shot an arrow, Kiriko quickly dodged. Kusazumi Rin also reacted and swung his greatsword, slashing at Kiriko, causing a large amount of health to drop.

Kiriko glanced at her health bar, her expression changed, and she quickly retreated.

Asuna quickly chanted a spell and cast a healing spell to restore Kiriko's health. She also sensed something was wrong; normally, a single skill should have been enough to fully restore Kirito's health bar after just one hit. However, Kiriko's health bar had stopped at one-twentieth of its original level.

"Everyone be careful, something's fishy about this match," Kiriko said to her teammates via voice chat.

Chapter 670 The Mysterious Man in Black

Kiriko's long black hair billowed backward with the force of the impact, and Kiriko gritted her teeth in pain as she backed away.

Seeing Kiriko injured, Asuna quickly chanted a spell and cast a healing spell to restore Kiriko's health. She also sensed something was wrong; normally, a single hit should have been enough to fully restore Kirito's health bar. However, Kiriko's health bar had stopped at about one-twentieth of its original level.

"Everyone be careful, something's fishy about this match," Kiriko said to her teammates via voice chat.

In fact, Penguin Company bribed the programmers at Oasis Entertainment to secretly boost all of the players' stats by 1 point.

Strength, Intelligence, Agility—all the basic stats were increased by 1. Although the increase wasn't significant, it caused a major problem. Because of this change, the game was already unbalanced from the very beginning.

Don't underestimate this point. It means you have an advantage in last-hitting minions, and your attacks are more powerful during battles. Although each attack doesn't do much damage, ten or twenty attacks will amplify the advantage.

Not to mention that everyone present was a top player in the game, many of whom had achieved top rankings in international competitions.

Not only Kiriko, but Shirou and his companions also quickly noticed the anomaly after entering the battlefield. The opposing players' firepower and last-hitting speed were clearly better than theirs. However, the match had already started, the bet was underway, and the opponents were being very discreet. Without concrete evidence, it would actually be disadvantageous for their side.

On this side of the middle lane.

The man in black floated, emitting black energy waves.

"Ugh!" Lizbeth, holding a large hammer in one hand and a shield in the other, moved around alertly, blocking two bursts of energy. The shield dented and emitted smoke from the intense heat.

Two shots rang out in quick succession on the bottom lane.

The guy on the other side was hiding sneakily inside, actively farming minions and occasionally firing a shot at someone. He held the bottom lane by himself, while two other characters were nowhere to be seen.

"Despicable bastard!" Shino gritted her teeth and hid behind the crystal tower, exchanging fire with the gunman wearing a level 3 helmet. Because of her inferior attack power, she dared not come out to fight back, otherwise she would immediately be put on the defensive.

"Shirou, please be careful," Asuna said worriedly.

Meanwhile, in the jungle, Shirou had just wiped out his side's wolf pack when Shirou's Lee Sin, playing Apachai, arrived.

"Apachai, is this what you call a fair fight? If so, then I guess I was blind and misjudged you," Shirou asked the man with the steel fist.

Apachai looked embarrassed. He had only learned about this after entering the game. Originally wanting to have a fair fight with Shirou, he remained silent for a while, then gritted his teeth and retreated the way he came.

"This isn't a fair fight, I'll give you a break this time!"

"Is that so? At least I didn't misjudge you." Shirou ran towards the other monsters. He couldn't afford to be stunned anymore; he had to find a way to turn the tide of the game as soon as possible.

"Withdraw? Why did you withdraw?" said the manager of Tencent Games, who was watching the game from outside.

"Send Apachai to kill the others! Tell him he can't back down anymore," Boss Ma ordered.

"Yes." The game department manager quickly made a phone call to inform his subordinates.

As the battle drags on, the opponent's creep score and development advantage grow increasingly larger.

Meanwhile, on Kiriko's side, Demacia hid in the bushes, occasionally popping out to provoke her. However, Kiriko dared not engage in a direct confrontation anymore. Even if she used her speed to defeat the bush-hiding enemy, there was still a Hou Yi lurking behind her, ready to pounce. A direct fight would simply not be worthwhile.

"Hahaha!!! What's wrong, Mei? You were so enthusiastic just now, are you shy now? Behold my Power of Demacia!" Kusanagi Ren held his greatsword horizontally, spun around, and attacked Kiriko and Asuna.

Shirou killed the jungle monsters and obtained the blue buff. He was about to go to the top lane to help Kiriko and Asuna when he saw a black cloaked figure floating in the air appear in front of him.

Opposite him was the top-ranked assassin on the red-name list, 'Ghost,' cloaked in black. His head, hidden beneath a black hood, swayed slightly as if he were saying something, but Shirou only heard a hissing sound in his ears, like the noise of broken headphones or audio corruption.

The man in black spun around, his cloak billowing, then kicked Shirou aside and floated off to the other side.

"I don't know what's going on! But can you please leave me alone?!" Shirou slashed at the man in black.

"Heh..." The man in black forced Shirou back, Shirou realized that when he swung his sword, it seemed like he hadn't hit anything. It felt like an ordinary person's weapon was hitting the spirit of Servant.

Shirou looked at the departing ghost with surprise, and a message came to his ears.

"Emiya, we've finally met. You've come to be an anomaly in my world. I hope you can make it to the end in this world. I look forward to the changes you can bring to this world."

Then... the man in black simply vanished.

Shirou couldn't figure out what was going on with the man in black, but he didn't linger any longer and ran along the grass towards the road ahead.

At this moment, Hou Yi and the grass -Hou Yi covered jungler were suppressing the top lane, while Hou Yi was smirking and teasing Kiriko and Asuna from time to time.

"Go!" Shirou suddenly appeared from behind, throwing four Gan Jiang · Mo Ye that struck Hou Yi, putting him into a stunned state.

"Haaaaaah!!!" Kiriko shouted as she drew her twin swords and, like a berserker, began hacking wildly at the bushes.

"Why did he suddenly go berserk?" Grasshopper was caught off guard and retreated repeatedly. Fortunately, he was a tank with high health and defense, otherwise he would have been instantly killed by the combo.

At this moment, Asuna chanted a spell, giving Kiriko and herself a continuous recovery buff. Then, she raised her rapier, rushed forward, and stabbed Kusa Rin in the lower abdomen, stunning him.

Kiriko's sword glowed, activating a skill that slashed at Kusanagi Rin once more, inflicting a stun. It was a combo technique that the girls had honed in Aincrad!

Asuna leaped over the bushes and pounced on Hou Yi, instantly joining the battle. As if venting her pent-up frustration, she unleashed a flurry of attacks.

"Come on!!!" Asuna, despite being a healer, was decked out in critical strike gear, unleashing devastating damage with each sword strike.

At this moment, Shirou also charged towards Hou Yi's back, unleashing the final two strikes of his Crane Wing Triple Slash, and the fragile Hou Yi fell to the ground.

Shirou, along with Kiriko and Asuna, killed the Grasshopper Rin, destroyed the tower, and headed towards the mid lane.

"Team fight! Team fight! Mid lane, come quick!"