"Ms. Payne?" Watching the "substitute yer" appear on the screen, Felton and Flint''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    "Demon agreed to y just ten minutes ago," Flint said cautiously, ncing at his shocked boss. "He said he was already at the venue and could make it to the stage on time. Shouldn''t it be Demon up there? Why is it Ms. Payne instead?"


    "Indeed." Felton''s palms were sweating. The situation had been so sudden that Demon had demanded payment upfront. That meant Demon had already walked away with one hundred million dors. If he had just taken the money and run, how would he exin this to his boss?


    "Do you have a photo of Demon?" Shanley asked, his voice raspy, his gaze locked on the girl on the screen.


    "We do." Flint immediately pulled up Demon''s photo. "But there are no clear pictures of his face."


    Shanley''s eyes moved to the screen, which showed a photo of Demon dressed entirely in ck, wearing sunsses, a hat, and a mask, with only his eyes faintly visible.


    A few secondster, a faint smile yed on Shanley''s lips, and a soft chuckle escaped him.


    Demon? The founder of Neverfall Navigators? The unbeatable legend of the e- sports world? It seemed the littledy had a new surprise for him every time he turned around. He wondered if she had enjoyed watching him search high and low for Demon.


    "Sir, are you...?" Seeing Shanley''s sudden smile, Felton and Flint felt a shiver run down their spines.


    "It''s nothing," Shanley said, a fond smile gracing his handsome face. He casually instructed, "Cancel my afternoon meetings. I''m going to watch the match."


    "Yes, sir.” Felton and Flint exchanged a look but didn''t dare ask any more questions. It probably had something to do with Ms. Payne.


    "Juniper? What is she doing here?"


    "Our goddess? Those bastards from Digital Sabers must have driven me crazy. I''m actually seeing Goddess on stage."


    "Oh my god, it really is Goddess!"


    "Goddess ys video games?"


    The sight of Juniper appearing as a substitute yer left the entire audience baffled. Some imed Neverfall Navigators was throwing the game, while others thought they had a secret weapon up their sleeves. However, ny-nine point nine-nine percent of them believed they were throwing the game.


    The atmosphere in the arena became incredibly awkward. Everyone looked as if they had already seen the oue, their faces grim.


    "Please take your seats," the announcer''s voice cut through the tension.


    The members of Neverfall Navigators went through the standard equipment check and sat down.


    Juniper took the seat at position 3, and as she looked up, her eyes met those of the Digital Sabers team across the stage. They were wearing their headsets,ughing and discussing something with sinister, sleazy expressions. They weren''t just looking down on her; they were looking down on all of Neverfall Navigators.


    "I didn''t get your name," MystiCat said quietly after putting on his headset. "Don''t get nervous during the match. Just pretend you''re ying casually."


    "Juniper Payne," she replied, then expertly checked her gaming setup and offered a faint smile. "Do I look nervous to you?"


    MystiCat was at a loss for words again. She certainly looked calmer than any of them. Was this really her first time on a professional stage?


    "Turn the volume up higher," Juniper said, ignoring the stunned captain. Her voice was cold. "And no shouting during the game."


    "Got it," the other four yers nodded. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it was hard to control their emotions.


    "Equipment check isplete. You can inform the announcer," MystiCat said, scanning his teammates before raising his hand.


    "The fourth round of the finals officially begins!" the announcer dered.


    Instantly, everyone''s nerves tensed. Thousands of pairs of eyes were fixed on Neverfall Navigators'' new member. Everyone hoped her substitution meant she had skills, that she would be a surprise.


    But to their astonishment, as the match began, Juniper just sat there at position 3, her hands in her pockets. Her in-game character remained at the base, moving only asionally to show she hadn''t disconnected.


    The onlinement sections exploded.


    "What the hell!"


    "What is the substitute doing? Are they really throwing the game?!"


    They had expected a fight, regardless of the oue. They never imagined... she wouldn''t even bother to move, let alone fight back. What was the point of her being a substitute?


    "Is Juniper there to be a mascot? Why is she just sitting there, not moving?"


    “Hahahaha, is she trying to get famous on a global broadcast? She must be desperate!"


    "To be fair, she is gorgeous!"


    "Hey, this is apetition! Stay on topic, will you?"


    “Can Juniper just get off the stage already? My mood is bad enough as it is.”


    The Digital Sabers yers, who had initially been somewhat wary, thinking Neverfall Navigators wouldn''t just pick a random person as a sub and that the girl might be a dark horse, were nowpletely rxed.


    darken minutes into the da


    she had done nothing but twitch her fingers and blink.


    Digital Sabersunched a fierce assault, pushing Neverfall Navigators back relentlessly. With victory seemingly in their grasp, their guard gradually dropped.


    Fifteen minutes in, MystiCat couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Juniper, any suggestions?" he asked, seeing his team''s situation grow more and more dire. Wasn''t she here to provide strategy? Why was shepletely motionless? Any longer, and he worried she might fall asleep.


    “Don''t rush,” Juniper said, her eyes narrowed. She tapped the keyboard again, making her character move slightly. “It''s not time yet."


    She needed to observe the opponent''s patterns and strategies herself before she could offer advice. This was a critical round; Neverfall Navigators couldn''t afford a single mistake.


    MystiCat frowned, and the other three yers also looked displeased. They had been tricked Her earlier advice must have been a lucky guess. Now that they were facing a real challenge, she had nothing to offer. They would have been better off with a rookie sub, who could at least add some firepower. Even if they lost, it


    wouldn''t have been this


    embarrassing.


    As Neverfall Navigators'' territory was slowly dismantled and Digital Sabers closed in


    on victory, the mood of the crowd hit rock bottom. Some people even started to


    leave.


    Just then, Juniper, who had been silent for so long, finally looked up.


    "Tsk," she clicked her tongue, her voice cutting through the tension. "They''ve had


    theirugh. Now it''s our turn."