"There is also a world lobby, but nobody can customize it. It only has a single theme: black empty space with meteorites floating around."
"And I should also tell you: you can recruit any number of members in your sect. No limit. But you have to give them a minimum salary of 5 points each day."
"In return, the members have to work for the sect and complete their tasks."
"And now, for the rest of the details… let's explore them slowly."
The members nodded their heads. They understood the things Ankit explained. As for the rest, they would discover it themselves.
Then Yash shouted suddenly, voice cracking with excitement.
"Ankit! Ankit! Here it shows we can play the match with solo, duo, 5-player squad, 11-player squad! What is this? What is this? Can we really start a match with 11 players? And if each team has 11 players, then only 4 squads will enter the match? Because a match only allows 50 players? It will not be fun?"
Ether Clone nodded his head—his white cloud eye shifting slightly, making the motion look almost like his head would fall off.
"Yeah, it can be started. But there is a thing: the max number of players in a match is 200 after this update. So the total number of squads will be 19."
Yash blinked, then asked again.
"But the map is so small… can it even accommodate so many players?"
Ankit replied calmly.
"The map has also been expanded, and many places have been introduced, with many hidden things."
Yash and the others, hearing that the map had been expanded, were quite thrilled. Now the game had just become more amazing.
After Yash, others also wanted to ask some of their doubts, but Ankit cut them off gently.
"Let's play for now. You can explore more things later. I don't want to keep explaining every small thing. Yash, start the match. And we are more players—if anyone wants to stay back to explore more, then leave the lobby. We are going to play."
Some friends who wanted to explore more things said goodbye and left the lobby. Only 11 players remained.
Then Yash started the match.
***
Meanwhile, the whole world was buzzing with exclamations toward the game—Free Fire, now called Eternal Ascendancy.
Governments of all nations (excluding India) and countless organizations were scrambling to track down the company. They wanted answers about this revolutionary gaming technology. How was it possible? How did it work?
They had already heard the news: the headquarters had been shifted. Completely. Overnight. But where to? No one knew. Not even rumors had a location.
Even the previous owners were approached—secret meetings, quiet inquiries—but they knew nothing. They were just as curious, just as frustrated. They wanted to know where their old company had gone.
The previous owners secretly contacted Umang, hoping for a hint. But Umang didn't say anything. He genuinely didn't know the location either.
And the gaming industry exploded.
Free Fire downloads reached 4 billion in just one day. More than half the world's population had installed it. The numbers were insane—unprecedented.
Organizations saw opportunity. They flooded the official page with messages, offers, partnership requests. Governments sent formal inquiries. Everyone wanted in.
But all of them received the same single, polite reply:
"Wait for 10 days. We will contact you."
They were also deeply curious about the server. How could one server handle more than half the world's population? The load should have been impossible. Lag, crashes, downtime—none of it happened. The game ran perfectly smooth.
They imagined the workers: exhausted, dark circles under their eyes, hunched over keyboards 24/7, barely sleeping.
But they were all wrong.
Because at the headquarters of Eternal Ascendancy, the employees were in the cafeteria enjoying lunch. Plates piled high with delicious food—fresh, flavorful, better than anything most had tasted. Some were laughing over shared stories. Others relaxed in the sports building, playing casual games or working out. A few even logged into their normal player accounts—not developer ones—just to enjoy the game like everyone else.
They were relaxed because—
CEO Li sat at a table with some directors and senior executives, fork in hand, unable to stop eating. The food was incredible—better than what the maids prepared at home. Rich flavors, perfect textures, every bite perfect.
They chatted casually between bites. Just then, a soft voice came from his wristwatch.
"CEO Li, a hacker has been detected… safety protocols engaged… neutralizing hacker. Adapting the app. This type of hack and method will no longer work."
When he heard it, CEO Li laughed—almost choking on his food.
His colleagues looked up, concerned.
"What happened, sir?"