World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

"You're right, Ross," the head of the Marketing Department agreed, opening a spreadsheet and projecting it for everyone to see. "The audience's approval of your plan to reduce the resource share to the top three is very high. Additionally, the most voted suggestion is that they want to designate Du Ge's keywords."

"What kind of keywords do they want to designate?" Ross asked.

The manager opened another spreadsheet.

It was filled with various keywords, each followed by a percentage of approval.

The top three keywords were: useless, low-key, and ordinary.

The manager said, "Ross, the audience feedback suggests they want to see if Du Ge can turn the tide and seize first place using these keywords, which are completely contrary to his usual style. Especially the keyword 'useless,' which has a particularly high demand."

Looking at the three keywords, Ross remained silent.

Below these three keywords was the word 'silence.'

Thinking about the consequences of Du Ge's excellent eloquence being restricted, Ross shook his head and dismissed the unwelcome thought from his mind, asking, "Have these words ever been successful before?"

"Ross, we've already targeted Du Ge in various ways. Isn't it unfair to tamper with his keywords as well?" the head of the Planning Department said. "If Du Ge manages to play with these keywords, it's fine, but if he fails, it could severely impact the ratings. We can't just cater to the audience; they thrive on chaos, and if the show becomes unwatchable, they'll be the first to leave."

"I was just considering this issue," Ross said.

"Ross, but we've spent a lot of time gathering the audience's opinions, and not using them in the end might not sit well," the Marketing Department head said.

"I think we can try the word 'low-key,'" Ross said. "Being low-key is a humble and cautious attitude. It means having ability but not flaunting it, which doesn't imply being useless.

Du Ge's mental power is high enough; using this word can balance his abilities and give other contestants a chance, making the game more exciting.

Whether Du Ge loses a round or continues to win using these 'useless' keywords, we can boost the ratings. I don't believe that giving him a 'low-key' keyword will make him dare to reveal his identity on the Alien Star Battlefield."

"Exactly," the Marketing Department head nodded in agreement, smiling. "If he can still take first place even with 'low-key,' then Du Ge truly is a genius, and no word can suppress him."

"Are there any other suggestions?" Ross asked.

"The other suggestions are similar to what we considered before," the Marketing Department head said. "For example, directly reducing the three resource shares to one, or introducing planets unfamiliar with Du Ge to increase competition.

There are also a few extreme ones, like removing everyone else from Qi Yuan Star, leaving only Du Ge to face people from the other nine planets alone; or volunteering to personally participate in the game to meet Du Ge..."

"These people want Du Ge dead!" the casino manager said with some dissatisfaction.

In two consecutive game fields, Du Ge's unexpected performances had caused the casino's profits to soar, and he was the last person who wanted anything to happen to Du Ge. 𐍂Ἀ𐌽Ố𝐁ĘS

Ross ignored the casino manager and looked toward the Exploration Department: "Bas, have you conquered any new civilizations?"

"There's one," Bas said, "but that planet was just conquered, and the resistance is still strong. Such people wouldn't disrupt Du Ge on the battlefield."

"Then select two suitable civilizations from the recently concluded Alien Star Battlefield, tell them the truth, and throw them into the battlefield. We do need a troublemaking catfish," Ross chuckled. "As for the other suggestions, let's put them aside for now. Until someone can replace Du Ge, we can't go too far. We need to squeeze his potential bit by bit..."

"Which planet's participation should we cancel?" someone from the Marketing Department asked.

"The two that gained the least resources in the last few games, let them participate next time," Ross said, crossing his hands with a smile. "Only by making them realize the harshness of survival will they resort to any means necessary to win in the next game."

"Got it!" the Marketing Department head nodded and said, "Ross, when should I announce the new rules for this battlefield?"

"Now," Ross said. "We need to stir up the show's buzz as soon as possible."

...

"Du Ge, you need to prepare yourself mentally. We just received notice from Pan-Universal Entertainment that the rules for the Alien Star Battlefield have changed again. This time, only the top three will receive resources."

Nan Youlong found Du Ge, sitting on the sofa, looking at him with a serious expression. "This means seven planets won't get any resources. This rule change means more people will die. If they don't fight desperately on the battlefield, they'll slowly starve to death on their planets.

This rule was changed because of you. Continuing to shine on the battlefield won't bring you aid; it might even make everyone target you. Only if you die will others have a chance to live.

The sudden end of the last Alien Star Battlefield was likely related to you wanting to share resources. We tried to negotiate with Bai Long to keep you out of this Alien Star Battlefield, but he refused. So, our suggestion is to keep a low profile in this Alien Star Battlefield."

So, they're targeting me again.

Is this your idea of principles?

How shameless!

Du Ge muttered to himself, "I understand. When does the Alien Star Battlefield start?"

"In three days," Nan Youlong handed over a USB drive. "We've selected a batch of contestants for you. Do you want to choose again?"

"No need. With the rule change, the previous strategy is no longer applicable," Du Ge said. "Before entering the battlefield, I'll go through the process, encourage them, and set some new codes. By the way, how many people are entering the battlefield this time?"

"Three hundred people, the number has been changed back to what it was before," Nan Youlong looked at Du Ge and said, "By the way, the Alien Star Battlefield that took place while you were in seclusion ended with a total defeat."

"..." Du Ge was silent.

Nan Youlong sighed, "Du Ge, without the resources you brought back, at least half of Qi Yuan Star's population would die next year. So, I hope you cherish your life and stop opposing Pan-Universal Entertainment.

You've taken first place three times in a row. Even if you don't rank this time, it won't significantly affect Qi Yuan Star's survival. But if something happens to you, Qi Yuan Star is truly finished. My suggestion is that you should change your style."

"Yeah, I will."

Images of those from Pan-Universal Entertainment who had destroyed a civilization flashed through Du Ge's mind, and he shook his head with a smile.

Even if Nan Youlong hadn't said anything, he didn't plan to take another risk. The ability to split his soul couldn't be brought into the Alien Star Battlefield.

If he died, he would truly be dead. If things didn't work out, he just wouldn't get the resources.

If Pan-Universal Entertainment lost him, they'd only lose ratings, but if he died, he'd lose everything.

How could he go against himself?

However, Du Ge didn't plan to leave a soul fragment on Qi Yuan Star.

If the main soul perished, leaving a soul fragment with tens of thousands of mental power on Qi Yuan Star to barely survive would be meaningless.

...

Three days later.

Du Ge and the new batch of Alien Star warriors arrived once again at Pan-Universal Entertainment's launch center.

After three Alien Star Battlefields, Du Ge saw fewer and fewer familiar faces. This was also the cruelty of the Rotational Examination System. Keywords, skills, and various unexpected factors made it rare for anyone to survive four rounds of the Alien Star Battlefield.

Apart from Gao Ming, Feng Zhong, and other old friends of Du Ge who could still maintain high spirits, the enthusiasm of others was noticeably low, with hardly anyone speaking.@@novelbin@@

The new rule that only the top three could receive resources meant that the competition difficulty would increase exponentially this time.

The key issue was that people from other planets would likely team up against those from Qi Yuan Star, weakening Du Ge's support. The survival difficulty was unknown how many times lower than in previous Alien Star Battlefields, so it was no wonder their spirits were low.

The warriors' only hope was that Du Ge could still dominate the battlefield and lead them to victory with his absolute strength.

...

Before entering the battlefield, Du Ge was called over by Bai Long again, who warned him once more not to use his previous abilities.

Du Ge naturally agreed.

Even without the Power of Poseidon, he had still taken first place several times.

With two keywords, the probability of him losing to others was too low; at most, it would just take a bit longer.

Having understood the true strength of Pan-Universal Entertainment, Du Ge's mindset had genuinely relaxed, but he still aimed to take first place. Lying flat, as Nan Youlong suggested, was never in Du Ge's plans.

As long as he performed brilliantly enough, even if he made some fundamental mistakes, Pan-Universal Entertainment would protect him for the sake of ratings.

A clear self-awareness was the secret to Du Ge's enduring success.