ã€ŠRise (Web Novel CN)ã€‹


 Chapter 1: A Pure Boy Rooming with a Female Streamer

    The Huya TV live-streaming tform. A small channel with around 70 viewers showing a ranked League of Legends game. The streamer, Evening Snowfall, was ying the champion Vayne, the ad-carry on the blue team. She waspletely focused on farming minions at bottomne. But standing in her way was the enemy ad-carry, a Caitlyn in a sexy police officer skin. A Caitlyn that was abusing long range attacks to constantly chip away at Evening Snowfall¡¯s health and forcing her to miss out onst-hitting minions. She was clearly losing thene.

    The people watching the stream, they responded to Evening Snowfall¡¯s poor gamey by doing what League yers do best. A barrage of text machine-gunned through the stream, all of which was mockery or contempt. On the bottom right of the stream, covering the mini-map, was a small window with Evening Snowfall¡¯s webcam feed. It showed a pretty 24-year-old girl trying to ignore the messages and failing. She tied her long, ck hair into a pony-tail and bit her lip. Then she focused back onto the game. But letting chat know that the toxicity was having an effect on her¡ªthat was the wrong move. Instead of stemming it, she opened the flood-gates.

    ¡¸man this vayne sux¡¹

    ¡¸my grandma has better mechanics than her¡¹

    ¡¸rofl!!!!!1 imagine trying to be a streamer while being hardstuck at Gold 1 ¡¹

    ¡¸LOL!!! GRiL GaMeR!¡¹

    ¡¸I CUM 4 TITS N ASS!!!!111 NOT BRONZE PLAYS!!!!!!!¡¹

    Evening Snowfall¡¯s cheeks red red and burned from anger at the messages running through her chat. She gnashed her teeth, fighting back the impulse to argue with her viewers. A hurricane of profanities brewed in her head. She was beautiful! ssically beautiful! When did it be okay to subject someone as beautiful as her to this kind of abuse? The only reason she was holding back and not telling her viewers how she really felt was because she wanted to be a famous streamer. If it wasn¡¯t for that¡ª

    KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

    The knock on her front door interrupted Evening Snowfall¡¯s mental tirade against her viewers. She looked at the door, surprised by the knocking since she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone toe by today. But small blessings and silver linings, it was a good excuse to get away from the loathsome people watching her stream, just for a bit. She got up from her gaming chair and told her stream that she had to go answer the door. She was wearing some cute butfortable shorts which just so happened to also reveal her fair, slender thighs. The on-point thigh game, she was confident that would calm her viewers down a bit. Then she stepped into her pink teddy bear loafers and walked out into the living room. Evening Snowfall opened the front door to find herndy, a mature and beautiful woman in her 30s, standing there with a young man.

    ¡°Chu Yishu? Why are you here?¡± Evening Snowfall asked, surprised. Then she remembered howte she was with rent. ¡°I-is it about the rent¡­?¡± she asked tentatively, her face etched with panic. ¡°Just give me a few more days! I found a new way to make money. I¡¯ll have the three months I owe you soon!¡±

    The woman chuckled before waving her hand. ¡°No, no, don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m not here about the rent today. I¡¯m too beautiful to hound my tenants for rent, right?¡±

    Evening Snowfall breathed a sigh of relief. Then, her gaze fell on the youth. ¡°This is¡­?¡± The young man standing next to Chu Yishu looked like he was in high school, much too old to be herndy¡¯s son. Unless...

    The young man looked more like a boy, delicate and handsome. His fluffy, messy hair was almost asking for a good ruffle. He wore a bashful expression on his face. Not bad¡­ definitely idol material. The thought struck her mind before she realized it.

    Chu Yishu¡¯s eyes lit up as she pulled the boy forward. ¡°Right! This is my nephew, Lin Feng. Come on, kiddo, introduce yourself. This is Su Xue. She¡¯s also one of my tenants.¡±

    Su Xue. Evening Snowfall¡¯s real name. It took her a brief second to remember that she was talking to someone in the real world and not online. Then she remembered something that she missed because she was thrown off by hearing her real name.

    Also...? Su Xue finally caught onto this important word, but she had no time to think about it. She quickly put on a friendly smile and extended her hand out to the young man. ¡°Lin Feng, is it? Nice to meet you.¡±

    The young man politely shook Su Xue¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah, nice to meet you too, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Ma¡¯am¡­? Su Xue¡¯s smile froze stiff as her lips trembled. You little punk! Do I look like a ma¡¯am to you? I¡¯m only 24, not even close to 30! Do I have to dig your eyes out and wash them for you!? Her impression of this boy immediately plummeted to rock bottom!

    Chu Yishu burst outughing. ¡°Hahaha! You can¡¯t say that. Just call her Su Xue or big sis.¡±

    Chu Yishu turned to Su Xue, still stifling herughter, and apologized, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. You see, Lin Feng here has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth. He¡¯s always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. You¡¯ll get used to it after living with him for a while. Honestly, he¡¯s not a bad kid.¡±

    Su Xue was about to nod and ept the apology when she caught on to thest part. Her eyes went wide. ¡°Living with him? What do you mean?¡±

    Chu Yishu went on uninterrupted, ¡°That¡¯s why I came here today. You see, this kid transferred schools to Shanghai for his senior year in high school. His mom doesn¡¯t feel safe letting him live on his own in the school dorms. So, she left him with me. Doesn¡¯t this apartment have two bedrooms? You use one, he can use the other.¡±

    This camepletely out of left field. A new roommate? A MALE ROOMMATE? Su Xue finally noticed therge suitcases sitting outside her door.

    Lin Feng,pletely failing to read the room, found this to be an opportune moment to interject. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care!¡±

    Screw you! Who wants to take care of you! Su Xue pulled Chu Yishu to the side, ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t do this. I¡¯ve been just fine living here by myself! Why do I have to let some stranger move in? Please don¡¯t do this!¡±

    Chu Yishu chuckled. ¡°Hey, hey, hey aren¡¯t you only using one bedroom? This apartment has two. I can¡¯t just let the spare one go to waste.¡± But she also understood that Su Xue needed a bit of reassurance, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry at all. It''s fine. I wouldn¡¯t put you in an unsafe situation. Feng Feng is only a high school senior. He¡¯s a nice, quiet boy who won¡¯t make any trouble for you, I promise. He¡¯s not like those guys outside who can¡¯t stop leering the moment they see you walk out. Besides¡­¡± She winked at Su Xue. ¡°...Dontcha think he looks just like one of those pretty boys on TV? Mmmmhmmm. If I were 10 years younger, I might consider going after him myself. Aren¡¯t you still single? This is your chance!¡±

    Su Xue forced tears to well up in her eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t joke around with me like that¡­¡±

    Chu Yishu noticed the crocodile tears and decided it was time to reveal her facedown trap card. ¡°Alright, alright. There¡¯s no need to get upset. I don¡¯t want you to feel like I¡¯m forcing this on you with no benefit to you at all. How about this? It¡¯s almost time to pay your rent, right? I¡¯ll write it off. Right now!¡±

    Su Xue was stunned. Not having to pay rent for a month did pacify her raging heart a little bit. But she still hesitated a bit before starting to talk. She wanted to say that a month of rent was only a small benefit. But before she could get the words out, Chu Yishu added, ¡°I¡¯ll also take £¤200 off your rent permanently!¡±

    ¡°Hah... fine. Deal!¡± Su Xue caved. The truth of the world was that money talks, and she could put up with a bit of inconvenience if it meant she¡¯d have more money in her pocket.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Chu Yishu¡¯s face lit up with joy. She then added in a well-meaning voice, ¡°Tell me. Did you get fired from that job I got youst month? It isn¡¯t easy to find work, you know, especially not in today¡¯s economy. If you want to continue living here in Shanghai, you have to learn to endure hardship. You can¡¯t just run away from every small obstacle...¡±

    Su Xue nodded. ¡°I know¡­ I¡¯m working on it. I started a streaming channel for games. I want to make that work.¡± Suddenly, she remembered she was in the middle of a League game. ¡°Shit! I have to get back to my stream!¡±

    Chu Yishu watched Su Xue rush back inside and shook her head in exasperation. She turned to her nephew and said, ¡°Feng Feng, I¡¯m going. I trust you¡¯ll have no problem settling into your new room. Get along with Su Xue, okay? Also, you have my number. Let me know how it goes. I want weekly updates!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded before grabbing his bag. ¡°Alright. Bye, Auntie!¡±

    ?

    Back in her room, Su Xue rushed to get herself situated and back into the game. Her champion, Vayne, had just been standing in the fountain while she was AFK. She¡¯d been gone for a little over five minutes, and the enemy team had used that time to take the outer turret on her side of botne.

    The people watching Su Xue¡¯s stream spammed the chat with questions.

    ¡¸What the hell? did she just AFK?¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t hear what she mumbled.¡¹

    ¡¸where she go?????¡¹

    ¡¸EMPTY CAM! EMPTY CAM! EMPTY CAM!¡¹

    Su Xue quickly moved her Vayne out of the fountain and back to botne, then exined to her stream, ¡°Sorry guys! I had to go see who was at the door. It was myndy¡ª¡±

    A voice suddenly sounded out behind her. ¡°Is there no soda in the fridge?¡±

    Su Xue turned around and saw her new roommate poking his head into her room. Her eyelids started twitching. ¡°There isn¡¯t any. If you¡¯re thirsty, there¡¯s water in the cooler. Clean sses in the living room.¡±

    Lin Feng let out a sad sigh. ¡°Oh. I really want to drink a soda though.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyelids continued twitching. ¡°There¡¯s a corner store downstairs. If you want it so badly, go and get some!¡±

    By this time, Lin Feng had already invited himself into her room. As his gaze fell on the screen in front of Su Xue, he remarked in surprise, ¡°Oh, you y League of Legends too? And you¡¯re a streamer?¡±

    Su Xue took a deep breath and replied as calmly as she could, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can I watch you y?¡±

    ¡°...Sure. Why not? You¡¯re already living here. Why not this too?¡±

    Lin Feng pulled up a chair and sat down next to Su Xue, all his attention on the game. At the same time, Su Xue¡¯s 70-odd viewers noticed Lin Feng through the webcam.

    ¡¸new fone who dis? ¡¹

    ¡¸BOYFRIEND!?!?!?!?!?!?¡¹

    ¡¸never seen him before! Why is a guy here?¡¹

    Su Xue nced at the chat, then exined, ¡°He¡¯s myndy¡¯s nephew.¡±

    Lin Feng waved to the webcam. ¡°Hello, everyone!¡±

    The vein on Su Xue¡¯s forehead started throbbing. ¡°If you want to watch, that¡¯s fine, but be quiet.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Oh, alright.¡±

    ?

    A minuteter, Su Xue managed to get her Vayne killed again because she got caught out of position by the enemy bottomne duo. Her screen faded to grey as she waited to respawn.

    The stream chat immediately started stirring again.

    ¡¸Man. Zero map awareness. How did you die from that?¡¹

    ¡¸Someone call an ambnce, she getting rekt.¡¹

    ¡¸LMAO seems like anybody can be a streamer these days. even I¡¯m better than her¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s mood soured after reading what chat was saying. She nced at her screen, morose and helpless because there was literally nothing she could say back to them. The only thing she could do was stew in her annoyance. How did this happen?

    Lin Feng¡¯s voice jolted her from her thoughts. He had decided this was the best time to offer some input. ¡°Hey, those guys in your stream are all calling you bad.¡±

    Su Xue weakly grunted in acknowledgement. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this boy was going to try tofort her. His heart might be in the right ce, but what use were words offort right now...?

    Lin Feng continued with a thoughtful rub of his chin, ¡°Mhm. I think they¡¯re right.¡±

    The bulging vein on Su Xue¡¯s forehead throbbed. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± she screamed.

 Chapter 2: Lil Bro, Are You Forreals?

    If there were a medicine for regret in this world, Su Xue would be on the web ordering it right now! Oh, the bitter tang of regret! How could she allow herself to fall prey to greed and agree to let this brat be her roommate? A single moment of weakness, apse-in-judgement, one that would lead to untold sorrow!

    Su Xue, still brooding, tried to focus on the game again. She wasn¡¯t terrible at this game! There was a lot going on, and it made it hard for her to focus. Hard for her to y well. Just for starters, a short-range ad-carry like her Vayne was already at a huge disadvantage against Caitlyn. Then there was the distraction and pressure of having the 70-something people watching her stream constantly hurling insults at her and trying to backseat. On top of all of that, she got suckered into living with this little brat who was now joining in with her viewers to criticize her! It was all just too much!

    ¡¸.....she cantst hit for shit¡¹

    ¡¸DO U KNOW HOW TO CS?! U MISSED THE CANNON CREEP! [1]¡¹

    ¡°Oh, yeah. They¡¯re right about that one. Your CSing is pretty terrible, but a little bit of practice can take care of that. You just have to time everything a bit so you get as manyst hits as possible. Bare minimum for eptable CS is 10st hits a minute. Or you won¡¯t have enough gold to keep up.¡±

    ¡¸more bewbs than brains¡­¡­¡­.. save your q [2] for his hook!!1!¡¹

    ¡°Mhmm. Yeah. You should¡¯ve saved your Q. It¡¯s the difference between life and death when you¡¯ve got a Thresh hooking at you.¡±

    ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen someone this bad try to stream before...¡¹

    ¡°That makes sense, yeah. You really don¡¯t find streamers this bad very often. If at all.¡±

    ¡¸i only clicked into this stream cuz she¡¯s cute¡¹

    ¡¸if she didn¡¯t have the facecam on I¡¯d go watch someone with some actual skill!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯d be nice if she was as skilled as she is thc!¡¹

    ¡°Hmm? Cute? Th?¡± Lin Feng paused after that. Then he looked at Su Xue. He turned back to the stream and said, ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know about that one, guys¡­¡± shaking his head for emphasis. This was the first time he¡¯d disagreed with chat.

    Su Xue wanted to murder Lin Feng right now, chop him up into tiny little pieces. Suppressing that urge was like swallowing her own vomit. Don¡¯t know about that one¡ªScrew you! I¡¯m not forcing you to look at me, am I? It''s not like I even want you to look at me! Going after me for my gamey is one thing, but pretending I¡¯m not cute? That¡¯s just too far! What did I ever do to you to make you want to hurt me like this? What the hell!

    While Su Xue ranted and raved in her head, Lin Feng continued talking to the chat. He was eitherpletely unconcerned or blissfully oblivious to the fact that he was seconds away from death at the hands of the person sitting inches away from him. He paid no attention or indicated that he even noticed the metaphorical smoke rising up from Su Xue¡¯s head. Instead, he was enthusiastically engaging with the chat. So much so that some of the viewers started to feel a sense of connection, a kinship, with him.

    Su Xue sat there, watching Lin Feng form a brotherhood with her viewers while she was trying so hard to turn her game around. The back-and-forth between Lin Feng and chat made her want to tear her hair out! Ugh! God damn it! Get a room already if y¡¯all are so into each other! I don¡¯t care anymore! I don¡¯t even want you guys as viewers! All I want is for all of you to shut up and let me focus!

    ?

    A few momentster, Su Xue slipped up again. She was just too distracted by Lin Feng¡¯s nonstop banter with her chat to y well. The Thresh found an opening andnded a hook on her, then yed her back. She eventually did manage to escape by using her sh, but the Thresh took a huge chunk of health from her. She essentially did nothing to the Thresh. In that exchange, she was clearly the loser.

    ¡°Oof, that positioning¡­¡± Lin Feng eximed with a sigh, and shook his head.

    The viewers on the stream started piling on.

    ¡¸Soooo baaaad!¡¹

    ¡¸LOL! Even hookers don¡¯t get hooked that hard!¡¹

    Lin Feng nodded in agreement while rubbing his chin, as if saying ¡®great minds think alike¡¯.

    Catching a glimpse of Lin Feng, Su Xue felt like she was about to grind her mrs into dust. Cleaver! Give me a cleaver! I¡¯ll turn this brat into mincemeat! I don¡¯t give a shit anymore!

    People generally couldn¡¯t y at their best while distracted. Su Xue was no exception. Not only that, but her dder also announced its need for a release. She tried to endure, but in the end she recalled her champion back to base and got up from her seat.

    Lin Feng looked up at Su Xue in surprise. ¡°Huh, are you giving up?¡± In a rare show of consideration, he even threw in some words of constion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone in chat supports you, we¡¯re all cheering for you!¡±

    Cheering my ass! You degenerates are ganging up on me! Why do you have to make fun of me? Su Xue clicked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom!¡±

    ¡°Oh, in that case, want me to y for you for a bit?¡±

    Su Xue snickered. ¡°y for me? You sound pretty confident. What rank are you?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Feng did some quick calctions in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m a Challenger in the Ionia server.¡±[3]

    Challenger? Su Xue¡¯s sarcastic smile froze stiff on her face. Stop screwin¡ªThen she shook her head. It was hopeless. This kid was hopeless. Who would believe that? Who on earth would buy that? She didn¡¯t even want to get into this with him. There was no point in questioning it. This kid just tried to humble brag by casually iming himself as Challenger ranked! Who does that? Someone this far gone, it was probably best to let them be. ¡°Fine. Sure. Why not? You can y for a bit¡­ but I want to be looking at a very different game when Ie back! Completely turned around! Shouldn¡¯t be too hard for someone as good as you, right Mr. Challenger?¡± She started walking away with an extra spring in her step from getting thest word in.

    Lin Fengpletely missed the sarcasm in Su Xue¡¯s final barb. It went so far over his head that it might as well have been in space. He actually believed that she wanted him to turn the game around for her, so he thought about it for a couple of seconds before telling her, ¡°Hm¡­ I mean, I can do it. But, well, I¡¯m going to need 10 minutes. Are you going to go take a¡­ uh, number 2? A dump¡­ ?¡±

    A dump? He wants me to¨CNo. No. He just seriously thinks he¡¯ll turn the game around in 10 minutes. Wait! HE THINKS I BELIEVE HE¡¯S A CHALLENGER! Su Xue was bbergasted. So bewildered that she actually paused mid-step, foot in the air. This kid is something else. In that single r/whoosh moment, he¡¯d taken all the wind out of her sails. Her parting jab, the one that she¡¯d been so proud of, it sliced through the air instead of connecting. She lost the spring in her step and stomped out of the room without replying.

    Lin Feng watched her leave the room. He moved over to the gaming chair and sat down. But there was something different about that simple action. It wasn¡¯t just a guy changing seats or a guy sitting down. Lin Feng sat down like a King returning to his throne. Forgotten glory, splendor, and power wrappingfortably around him. A conqueror returning to hisbor of love.

    While Lin Feng was settling into the chair, the viewers on the stream noticed Su Xue walking out and Lin Feng taking her ce. They¡¯d pieced together what was happening, and chat exploded.

    ¡¸Hey, Lil bro, are you for real?¡¹

    ¡¸what rank are you? don¡¯t feed please. Su Xue has already fed enough...¡¹

    ¡¸Vayne is 0/3/2 right now. It¡¯s impossible for her toe back against a 2/1/1 Caitlyn.¡¹

    ¡¸just y safe and cs under you tower¡¹

    A lot of the people watching the stream hade to like Lin Feng. So when they saw that he was going to y, the dynamic of the chat swiveled towards concern rather than the harsh backseating andments they¡¯d thrown at Su Xue. No one wanted to watch a nice guy get crushed by League toxicity, especially if he waspletely unprepared for it.

    Lin Feng rolled up to the desk and brushed his hand over the keyboard. He traced the curves of the mouse with his fingers, caressed it. It was odd, but also notpletely out of ce. Like a warrior reacquainting himself with weapons he¡¯d long sinceid down. Then he ced his right hand on the mouse and his left hand on the keyboard. A familiar stance, one tempered through battle. He was ready. Lin Feng nced at the chat and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys. I can turn this around. Trust me. I got this.¡±

    He clicked on Vayne, still sitting at the fountain, and started moving her to botne. Vayne, huh... It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve yed her.

    Lin Feng let out a long, wistful sigh, travelling back to his youth in his memories. Of times he¡¯dy awake at night and scheme¡­ Stop! It''s not the time for this! He snapped himself back to the present, to the game in front of him,posed and ready once more. His Vayne was about to reach the botne inner tower, thest defense before the enemy got into their base. The red team¡¯s minion wave pushed up all the way to the inner tower after the outer one had fallen. The Caitlyn who had given Su Xue so much trouble stood behind her minions, calmy chipping away at the tower¡¯s health. The Thresh, her support, had recalled back to base.

    Lin Feng stared at the screen, trying toprehend what exactly was happening in this game. His support was a Janna, who was currently hiding behind the tower and had decided not to attack the Caitlyn who was taking their tower down. ¡°Huh?¡± he muttered. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Janna going in? Didn¡¯t Thresh back? What is happening here?¡±

    The ever-present font of knowledge that was chat quickly provided the answer to his questions.

    ¡¸janna has no health¡­ if she tries anything caitlyn will just kill her¡¹

    ¡¸caitlyn already has a pickaxe her autos hurt a lot more now¡¹

    ¡¸XD if janna goes in, she¡¯ll take a move from eveningsnowfall¡¯s ybook HAHHAH¡¹

    Lin Feng shook his head, disagreeing with their assessment. ¡°Yeah, that Caitlyn¡¯sning is decent. But a pickaxe isn¡¯t enough of an item advantage for her to shut down a level 6 Vayne alone.¡± He stared at Janna again. ¡°Why isn¡¯t she going in?¡±

    His confusion was justified and notpletely unfounded. At the rank he used to y at, everyone was skilled and understood without being told when to go in and seize an opportunity for a kill. He was ying Vayne, the ad-carry. Now that he was back inne, the Janna should have understood that it was time to go in and kill Caitlyn. The whole thing about her health being at 30%? That just didn¡¯t matter in this situation. But this particr Janna, it was clear that she did not understand this. She just stood back behind her tower.

    ¡°Hm. Okay. No big deal. If Janna doesn¡¯t want to go in, we¡¯ll go in. Alright guys, let''s go get our first kill,¡± Lin Feng dered to the viewers watching the stream.

    When Caitlyn saw Vayne walk up to her, she shot an auto attack at him, then fired out a Piltover Peacemaker[4].

    Lin Feng¡¯s fingers glided over his keyboard. He pressed down on the R-key, and then on the Q. An aura of darkness shrouded Vayne. She tumbled forward diagonally, disappearing in stealth and dodging the Piltover Peacemaker. Her demon hunting crossbow loaded with holy silver bolts let out a faint thrum.

    ¡°Let us hunt those who have fallen to darkness!¡±

    1. Minions are units aligned with one of the teams. They spawn periodically from their nexus and advance along ane toward the enemy nexus. They automatically attack any enemy unit or structure they find in their way. They are controlled by artificial intelligence, and only use basic attacks. Every few waves spawns a cannon creep thats more gold.

    2. Every champion has four skills. With standard settings, they are on the Q, W, E, and R keys on a keyboard.

    3. China is pretty huge. So, the region is split into different servers. The Ionia server is the mostpetitive server where all the pro yers and best Challengers gather.

    4. Caitlyn revs up her rifle for 1 second to unleash a prating shot that deals physical damage (deals less damage to subsequent targets).

 Chapter 3: My God! You Make it Look so Easy!

    Lin Feng had an odd habit while ying League of Legends. It started way back when he first started ying the game. The champions in the game, all of them were unique. All of them came with different attack animations and voice lines, and all of them were cool. This entranced the young Lin Feng and set his heart racing. While ying the game, he¡¯d get so immersed that he would imagine himself as the champion he was ying. He memorized all of their lines and would shout them out along with the champion and asionally get so far into it that he¡¯d mimic their attack animations or poses while ying. This was a habit that only grew more refined the longer he yed the game.

    Whenever he¡¯d y with his friends, this odd quirk of his was a source of endless amusement and shame for them. They used to joke about how he was hopelessly afflicted with eighth-grader syndrome, a truly terminal case. Lin Feng didn¡¯t care about the jokes. Or the well-meaning advice from his friends to let go of his eight-grader syndrome before high school. He just really enjoyed the roley. Besides, he was way better at League than any of his friends. So what did they know? There was even a time where a bunch of bullies, wannabes who thought they were hotshots, thought his quirkiness made him a good target. He crushed all of them while roleying the champions he used. That shut them up real quick. But all of that was a long, long time ago.

    Lin Feng never grew out of this habit. Even after all these years, he still remembered the lines perfectly. So, when he activated Vayne¡¯s ultimate and tumbled forward, his mouth already started moving. The rehearsed lines flowed from his lips as he started narrating the scene.

    ¡°A frigid wind blows through the dark. The Night Hunter¡¯s silhouette disappears from sight as the air permeates with an icy killing intent. Vayne¡¯s voice booms out from the darkness¡­. Time for reckoning!¡±

    ¡°Man! So cool!¡± Lin Feng let out a deep sigh of satisfaction.

    The people watching the stream, watching Lin Feng do all this, did not feel the same way he did. They were mostly just confused. The ones that managed to type out their thoughts in chat echoed what everyone else was thinking, what was this li¡¯l bro doing? Was this some kind of stroke? Did the stress of the game and being on livestream get to him? There were even a few people watching who had recently jumped onto the mental health bandwagon sweeping through the inte, and they expressed concern about Lin Feng¡¯s sanity. As mental health enthusiasts, they decided it was best to lecture the rest of the chat on the effects of toxicity based on a few articles they had read.

    But once the initial shock of Lin Feng¡¯s quirky behavior had passed, most of the viewers decided to ignore whatever it was that he was doing and focus instead on his gamey. The way he was ying was far more astonishing than what he was doing. He wasn¡¯t just ying well, and it wasn¡¯t just that his ystyle was impressive. Lin Feng was doing something far more breath-taking. He was ying perfectly without making a single mistake on anything! Decision-making, timing, everything was a perfectly choreographed and well-rehearsed dance.

    Lin Feng had activated Vayne¡¯s ultimate¨CFinal Hour! This gave Vayne increased attack damage, reduced the cooldown on the skill Tumble and made her invisible when using it, and most importantly it granted bonus speed. More specifically, it augmented the movement speed bonus that Vayne gained from her passive skill Night Hunter. Vayne rapidly closed in on the Caitlyn, and shot out a silver bolt with her demon hunting crossbow. Then she moved forward a little and shot out another silver bolt. This was Vayne¡¯s auto attack, and Lin Feng timed it perfectly to cancel the animation and maximize the number of attacks that he made.

    The Caitlyn was slow to react. She just wasn¡¯t expecting a Vayne with 0 kills and 3 deaths from her would attack so aggressively. But the sheer amount of damage being dealt by Vayne and how quickly her health dropped definitely woke her up.

    Taking the Caitlyn by surprise and her slow reaction time allowed Lin Feng tond a third auto attack. This one was different. The third consecutive auto attack was the required condition to activate Vayne¡¯s skill¡ªSilver Bolts. The three silver rings around Caitlyn exploded and dealt bonus true damage!

    Lin Feng smoothly switched between auto attacking and moving forward, disying his mastery of the pro gamer art¨CAnimation Cancel! By the time the Caitlyn started reacting to his attack, Tumble had alreadye off cooldown. His finger hovered over the Q key, waiting for the precise moment that Caitlyn would fire her 90 Caliber Net to slow him down and escape. And that was exactly what she did, just as he¡¯d predicted.

    ¡°Tumble!¡± Lin Feng shouted. The Vayne rolled forward diagonally, dodging the and then closing the gap again. Another silver bolt pierced the Caitlyn and she found herself positioned awkwardly with her back to a wall. This was what Lin Feng was trying to do. He¡¯d outyed Caitlyn without her even realizing it was happening. This was the moment Lin Feng had been waiting for. ¡°Condemn!¡±

    Vayne pulled out the giant crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. Arge bolt flew out and pierced through Caitlyn¡¯s chest, propelling her back and pinning her to the wall. Stunned! She couldn¡¯t move for the next 1.5s. She couldn¡¯t escape. She couldn¡¯t do anything but suffer as Vayne¡¯s silver bolts took away thest bit of her health.

    The game announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>You have in an enemy!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    The perfect y that Lin Feng had just pulled off, that wasn¡¯t the most impressive thing that he¡¯d aplished in thest few minutes. No, he¡¯d done something far more majestic and monumental. Lin Feng¡¯s gamey forced chat speechless. It was actually a double kill! He¡¯d killed both Caitlyn and the chat. The people watching the stream literally could not believe what their own eyes had seen moments ago. They struggled to figure out how it was even possible to do what Lin Feng had just done. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible! When Su Xue was ying Vayne, she fed three kills to that Caitlyn. Even if the Caitlyn wasn¡¯t at full health, she should have still been more than capable of putting up a fight. But that¡¯s not what happened. Lin Feng had executed her without getting hit once.

    Lin Feng reclined back into his seat with a satisfied smile. ¡°Look at that! Didn¡¯t I tell you guys? It¡¯s easy for a Vayne to 1v1 a Caitlyn!¡±

    The people watching the stream finally managed to process what just happened, and chat slowly stirred back to life.

    ¡¸Li''l bro, that y was awesome! You get full points from me!¡¹

    ¡¸fcking impressive man!¡¹

    ¡¸You only won because Caitlyn was too careless. She panicked like a noob and got herself Condemned into the wall¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, you only killed her coz she panicked¡¹

    Lin Feng chuckled. There were still people watching who doubted him. Since that was the case, he¡¯d have to do something about that. He looked right at the webcam and smiled, ¡°Fine. Just keep watching! I¡¯ll show you more of my skills!¡±

    It took the Caitlyn 50 seconds to revive and walk all the way to the blue team¡¯s outer tower in botne. But she didn¡¯te alone this time, her support Thresh was by her side. The Caitlyn had figured out by now that something had changed and was a little bit more wary of Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne. The Thresh, on the other hand, he hadn¡¯t caught on yet. He still thought that the Vayne was a terrible yer because of Su Xue¡¯s performance at the start. As far as he knew, this was still the same yer who¡¯d constantly made bad ys and given away three kills. So he decided to push forward and bully Vayne out of thene.

    Unfortunately for the Thresh, reality did not go the way he predicted it would. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t even slightly bothered by Thresh¡¯s attempts to pressure him out ofne. Instead of backing up like the Thresh thought he would, Lin Feng started attacking. Hended one auto attack, the Thresh still pushed forward and ate a second auto attack.

    The Thresh yer grew increasingly frustrated that his attempt to pressure Vayne out ofne was failing. In an effort to finally make Lin Feng back off, the Thresh decided to be more aggressive. He threw out a chain and sickle using his third skill¨Cy. The idea was to pull Vayne towards him and also deal a little damage. But Lin Feng was far too canny for a barely thought out y like that to work. Vayne dodged the chain with Tumble andnded a third auto attack. That was the condition. A third silver ring appeared around Thresh for a moment before all three exploded, dealing bonus true damage. Vayne¡¯s skill Silver Bolts.

    Being outyed by a trash yer who refused to be bullied out ofne was too much for the Thresh to handle, and he tilted. He threw out a hook with Death Sentence without any real nning or positioning, which made itpletely useless against Lin Feng¡¯s nimble Vayne. She side-stepped past the hook, dodging it.

    Lin Feng never considered Thresh a threat. Even when he still had both of his crowd control skills, all Lin Feng had to do was dodge them. But without them, this Thresh was nothing more than a punching bag. Or a training dummy. Lin Feng fired another silver bolt at him, perfectly cancelling the final part of the animation before shooting again, over and over, gliding forward and peppering The Chain Warden with auto attacks.

    The Thresh started to panic. It had finally started to dawn on him that the Vayne he was facing right now waspletely different from the one at the start of the game. All of his attack skills were on cooldown, and the Vayne consistently managed to outy and outposition him. He had no choice but to flee, retreat and live to fight again when circumstances were more in his favor. He shielded himself using the skill Dark Passage and started to run.

    Lin Feng pursued the Thresh, the thrill of the hunt pounding in his veins. Damage started to pile on the Thresh, and the scent of virtual blood pushed Lin Feng into more of a frenzy. He waspletely immersed in this fight. The intensity in his eyes radiated through the messy bangs that covered them. He felt it. He knew. ¡°I can get this kill!¡±

    The viewers of the stream couldn¡¯t believe what they were hearing. Or seeing. It was already more than impressive that Lin Feng managed to stand up to the Thresh. He¡¯d gone a step beyond that to get a few free hits too. Then he dodged all of the skillshots from Thresh and sent him running. Still, between that and actually killing the Thresh was a long road. But no matter how unrealistic it seemed, no matter how little they believed that Lin Feng could actually seed in getting the kill, they still felt their hearts beating faster. Their eyes locked onto their monitors, unblinking. Hope crept up and overtook them¡­

    And then poured down on them like a cold shower. In ast ditch attempt to escape death, Thresh threw down his Box. Five spectral walls rose up around him, a thinyer of protection that would slow any champion that walked into it. It worked. Without a second thought, Lin Feng gave up. He stopped pursuing the Thresh.

    ¡¸?????¡¹

    ¡¸Didn¡¯t you just say that was a kill?¡¹

    ¡¸What??¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched his head, ¡°I forgot sh was still on cooldown¡­ No problem. Thresh doesn¡¯t have his ult anymore. Next time! We¡¯ll kill him for sure!¡±

    The viewers felt cheated. The streamer had broken his promise! Their excitement hit an all-time low, lower even than when Su Xue went on another one of her loss streaks. They couldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d fallen for Lin Feng¡¯s words. But before they could voice their grievances, Vayne¡¯s ultimate skill came off cooldown. Lin Feng¡¯s finger was already hovering over the R key and pressed down.

    ¡°The die is cast!¡± Lin Feng mirrored Vayne¡¯s voice actor as her figure disappeared into the shadows. With a perfect Tumble, Lin Feng dodged Thresh¡¯s hook. Afterwards, he fired out a silver bolt at Caitlyn, and then immediately pressed down on the E key, pinning her to a nearby wall with Condemn and stunning her for 1.5 seconds.

    Janna finally found the courage to step out from under tower safety and lend Lin Feng a hand. She wound up a Howling Gale and made the tornado fly straight towards Caitlyn, knocking her up into the air before she could even break free from the stun. All the while, Lin Feng unloaded silver bolts on the Caitlyn. He perfectly cancelled thest part of the animation with lightning quick movements of his mouse, making for an almost uninterrupted stream of attacks. The Caitlyn didn¡¯t stand a chance as her body fell to the ground. Dead.

    Thresh had stuck around after almost dying to Lin Feng earlier but was nowing to regret that decision. His health was low and his ultimate was still on cooldown. Even with his crowd control skills, there was still nothing he could do. Once the Caitlyn had been killed, there was no purpose to him remaining there. But before he could run away, a burrow popped up on his screen. Rek¡¯Sai. The jungler from the blue team who hade down for a gank at just the right time, knocking the Thresh airborne and allowing Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne to pick up another kill.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>Double kill!</strong><strong>¡· </strong>

    The viewers of the stream couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. The excitement that had just left their bodies was instantly back. This wasn¡¯t just a simple kill, or double kill. This was a y at a level that was rarely seen at any level in League of Legends. It was reminiscent of the truly great ones. The kind of y even yers at the highest level wouldn¡¯t necessarily pull off consistently. Something they hoped to see at Worlds a monthter. But definitely not something they could¡¯ve ever expected on a small time stream in Gold.

    Some viewers started scouring the inte for clips of the best ad-carry-streamers. They wanted topare it with the show of skill Lin Feng had just given them. And it didn¡¯t take them long. Videos from Monochrome and Hand of God, two greats on the HuyaTV tform, were easily avable. They ced the videos next to each other, and yed them side by side searching for differences. To their horror and delight, they couldn¡¯t find any. Be it game mechanics, reaction speed or anything else, Lin Feng stood on level with these greats. At the very least, he was just as good as them!

    With the double kill, Lin Feng¡¯s kill-death-assist ratio was now 3/3/2. At this moment, Su Xue returned from the washroom. As she walked over to Lin Feng¡¯s side, she sat down and asked in a tone filled with undisguised ridicule, ¡°So, Mr. Challenger, how is thatebacking along?¡±

    ¡°Not quite there yet.¡± Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°But Su Xue, you didn¡¯t give me 10 minutes like I asked.¡±

    The mocking smile on Su Xue¡¯s face froze. She angrily retorted, ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if you could actually make aeback if I gave you 10 minutes! Just where are you getting that confidence fr¡ª¡±

    As her eyes happened to nce over her kills, deaths, and assists tally in the top right corner of the screen, her jaw dropped. ¡°The hell! How did that happen?¡± She clearly recalled her KDA was 0/3/2 when she left. How did it suddenly be 3/3/2? Barely two minutes had passed! Her Vayne had picked up three kills in that short a time!?

 Chapter 4: Hey! Hey! Hey! Iâ€™m Supposed to be the Streamer Here!

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t believe what her eyes were telling her. She¡¯d left for the washroom not two minutes ago. In that short period of time, a losing game suddenly didn¡¯t look all that lost anymore. Lin Feng picked up three kills! She rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen again. The kills, deaths, and assists tally still read the same: 3/3/2.

    Su Xue had unconsciously moved in front of the monitor. Lin Feng could only see a little of the screen and a lot of the back of Su Xue¡¯s head. So, he leaned to the side and tried to see what was going on in the game. Su Xue¡¯s face also blocked in front of the webcam, which was now zoomed in on her forehead. The people watching the stream were quick to voice their displeasure.

    ¡¸get out of the way! stupid maid..¡¹

    ¡¸Stop blocking the streamer from ying the game!¡¹

    ¡¸You damn maid! You¡¯re in the way of our handsome lil bro¡¯s face!¡¹

    The fresh string of messages drew Su Xue¡¯s attention. She read them from the corner of her eyes before pulling back her head. ¡°S-sorry! My bad! I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± It had be somewhat of a habit for her as ofte, to start apologizing frantically the moment chat was the slightest bit displeased with her. But then the absurdity of the situation hit her. ¡°Hey! Wait. Hold on!¡± she shouted. ¡°What the fuck! The maid? I am your streamer, not him. Got it?¡±

    With Su Xue back and screaming, Lin Feng pressed the B key and recalled back to base. Then he took his hands off the mouse and keyboard and asked, ¡°So, are you taking back over? Or... do you want me to keep ying?¡±

    Su Xue didn¡¯t get to reply, the streamers ''tactfully'' did that for her.

    ¡¸lil bro, don¡¯t go!¡¹

    ¡¸we want to see your vayne!¡¹

    ¡¸have the t-chested maid step down!¡¹

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t even hear herself think anymore with the figurative din of 10,000 people collectively screaming ¡®fuck you¡¯ bouncing around in her mind. I finally understand what people mean when they say they¡¯ve been trampled by a herd of 10,000 grass-mud-horses! What a stupid meme! She remained paralyzed though, unable to make a decision. She never expected this jackass to turn into theeback kid, nor did she ever expect that her viewers would turn against her for three kills.

    From streamer to maid in a single bathroom break, and these unwarranted usations of being t chested, Su Xue felt like boulders were dropping down and crushing her. I¡¯m NOT t chested, you jackass! This is just a baggy shirt! I¡¯m not one of those streamers who thinks they can only get viewers by highlighting their femininity! Su Xue gnawed on her lips as she felt a burning hatred coursing through her veins. You rotten, unloyal bastards! Just who is your streamer here!

    Su Xue took a deep breath. She was still upset with her viewers, very much so. But there was something else that yed on her mind. So she came to a decision. ¡°Fine. You y for a bit longer. I would like to see how you win this game.¡± This wasn¡¯t a snarkyment. She was honestly curious to see Lin Feng y. He had to be doing something special to get three kills and win over her viewers in a few short minutes. Though he was still just a high schooler, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this high school kid was some kind of league of legends prodigy.

    Lin Feng shed a bright smile as he quickly ced his hands on the mouse and keyboard again. ¡°Alright!¡± He then paused for a brief moment, unmoving, before looking up at Su Xue. ¡°Uh, mhmm, I¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it now?¡± Su Xue asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit thirsty¡­ I forgot to pour myself some water earlier.¡±

    ¡°Then go and pour yourself a ss of water? Didn¡¯t I just tell you that the water dispenser is¡­¡± Su Xue¡¯s eyes narrowed into a re. ¡°Hey hey hey! Don¡¯t tell me you want me to pour you a ss of water! I¡¯m not your maid!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Uhh¡­ it¡¯s fine. Nevermind. I¡¯ll get myself a ss after this game.¡±

    Su Xue snorted. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±

    When the viewers saw Su Xue''s reaction from behind their monitors, they weren¡¯t all too happy.

    ¡¸OI! why isn¡¯t the maid getting our lil bro streamer his water!?¡¹

    ¡¸hey yeah! How about you make yourself useful!?!?!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, get him his water, or we¡¯ll riot!¡¹

    ¡¸fes, get ready! let¡¯s mass unfollow and unsubscribe!¡¹

    It only took a few seconds for the chat to be nketed with messages attacking Su Xue. She started nkly at them before forcing herself up from her chair and slumping to the living room. These viewers held more power over her than she would like to admit. She grabbed a clean ss from the table and poured in some water before returning to her bedroom¡ªthe streaming room. A break in her step. Just an extra moment before she walked back into the room. Enough time to force back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

    Su Xue wanted to curse and scream but was terrified the viewers would kick up another fuss. So, after walking into the room, she ced the ss on the desk and weakly said to Lin Feng, ¡°Here, your water¡­¡± Then her eyes shifted to the stream chat before falling back on Lin Feng again.

    After sitting down in the sidekick¡¯s chair, Su Xue¡¯s fears subsided a little and hatred started coursing through her veins again. You motherfuckers! I¡¯m the streamer! Not this kid! But no matter the thoughts clouding her mind, she didn¡¯t let out a peep. She would wait. Patiently. She believed her chance woulde. That her new roommate would make a mistake. It was only a single misy away. And then¡­ Hmph! I¡¯ll have them begging for me to take over! I¡¯m Daenerys here, and that¡¯s my iron throne! You¡¯re not going to usurp it!

    ?

    13 minutes into the game, Lin Feng pushed the minion wave to the red team¡¯s outer tower in botne.

    Evening Snowfall (Vayne):¡¸shield plz janna¡¹

    Vayne wasn¡¯t a specialist at taking down towers. Her kit simply wasn¡¯t built for it. But with the support from Janna¡¯s Eye of the Storm, which boosted attack damage and granted a shield to the target, she could deal considerable damage to them.

    Lin Feng had his Vayne go in and fire off two bolts at the outer tower before retreating back. In the process, he ate a shot to the face from Caitlyn, which failed to even break through his shield. Several momentster, when Eye of the Storm was back off cooldown, Lin Feng repeated this method and slowly chipped away at the health of the enemy tower.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you ying too scared? Only going up to hit the tower when you have a shield?¡± Su Xue jabbed.

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at Su Xue and said, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to tower dive and take out that Caitlyn in a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°H-huh?¡± Su Xue looked from Lin Feng to the screen and back at him. Then, as if to confirm she had understood him correctly, she asked, ¡°Tower dive?¡± Even in the best of situations, tower diving was dangerous. The towers did a lot of damage, especially to the ss cannons that all ad-carries were. On top of that, Lin Feng couldn¡¯t count on any of his teammates showing up to help. Top and midne were currently engaged in their own battles against their opponents. Rek¡¯Sai, the jungler, had returned to base to buy items. There was no way he would make it in time.

    Su Xue analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that tower diving had a zero percent chance of seeding. There were too many variables stacked against Lin Feng. His own team couldn¡¯te to his help; the enemy jungler was unounted for and could pop out of a brush at any time; andst but not least, Caitlyn¡¯s support was the high-health champion Thresh. Lin Feng¡¯s support was a Janna, who had about as little health as his Vayne. She threw Lin Feng a suspicious look before shaking her head. You stupid brat. Don¡¯t let your ego get to your head just because you picked up a few kills.

    Lin Feng waspletely unaware of Su Xue¡¯s thoughts, not that he would care even if he knew. Right now, his focus was only on finding opportunities to do damage to the enemy tower. Its health slowly went down. He started mumbling to himself, ¡°Four more hits. Three more hits. Two more¡­¡±

    Only a single blue minion remained within the red tower¡¯s range. Once it died, the tower would start attacking Vayne. The Thresh noticed and decided that all he had to do was keep Vayne within the tower¡¯s range, and he¡¯d get the kill. This was all about timing, and the Thresh believed that Lin Feng was too focused on bringing down the tower to notice him. Thresh lined up the skillshot for Death Sentence and waited. This was all about patience and timing. Just as the tower took out that lone minion, Thresh threw his hook out at Vayne.

    Lin Feng easily sidestepped it, then nodded. ¡°Perfect.¡±

    The chat exploded with praise.

    ¡¸sick dodging skills, lil bro!¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s some great reaction speed right there!¡¹

    Su Xue frowned as she read thest block of messages in chat. Her viewers, they were hateful loathsome beings! When Lin Feng did something simple, like dodging a hook from Thresh, they jumped up and down with glee! They showered him with so much praise that she wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if they had wet spots in their shorts from that simple juke. But when she did it? They didn¡¯t even notice! She¡¯d done the same thing a couple of times at the start of the game and no one even said a word.

    ?

    The minions in bottomne had just died. The tower was only a single attack away from being destroyed. Lin Feng pressed forward and ignored the tower, though it locked onto him, to attack the Caitlyn. This was a tower dive. He shot a silver bolt at her before pushing down on the R key and activating Vayne¡¯s ultimate skill¡ªFinal Hour. All the while the Janna trailed behind him, throwing an auto attack at the tower and destroying it before it could deal any damage to her ad-carry.

    An aura of darkness wrapped around Vayne¡¯s figure. She tumbled forward, disappearing into the shadows, and raised her crossbow. A silver bolt came shooting out of nowhere and pierced the Caitlyn. Vayne appeared from stealth in the same moment, running up to the Caitlyn and past her. Far enough that the Caitlyn found herself in the same awkward position as before. A wall was behind her and Vayne stood in front of her. Vayne raised therge crossbow on her back and fired a giant bolt at the Caitlyn.

    The Caitlyn had no time to react. Vayne had used Condemn to pin her to a wall, and a third silver ring had appeared around her and exploded. This was deja vu, a callback to Lin Feng¡¯s very first kill in this game. The Caitlyn was stunned, pinned to a wall as Vayne let loose a steady stream of silver bolts that ate away at thest of her health.

    Meanwhile, the supports were also having a battle of sorts. Though their damage was low, they both had powerful crowd control skills. While the Thresh tried to engage the Vayne and pull her off his ad-carry, Janna sent a Howling Gale at him, the tornado knocking him up high into the air from where he had to watch his ad-carry die.

    Lin Feng only needed tond four auto attacks to kill the Caitlyn. She broke free from the stun after the second bolt, but the third was already flying her way. The three silver rings around her exploded, dealing bonus damage and leaving her with health in the single digits. There was no skill in her kit that could help her escape. Lin Feng didn¡¯t even have to chase her as she stood still and epted her fate.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>You have in an enemy!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t take a single moment to enjoy this kill. He quickly switched to the Thresh, who was attempting to run away. But the Janna wouldn¡¯t just let him leave. After knocking him up into the air, she cursed him with her Zephyr, a skill which slowed the target down. Thatbined with Vayne¡¯s passive which increased her movement speed while chasing enemy champions effectively ended the Thresh¡¯s n to escape. Lin Feng quickly caught up to him and unloaded a flurry of bolts.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>Double kill!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    Su Xue slumped back into her seat with a look of shock and disbelief on her face. ¡­Another double kill? He¡¯s actually this good at the game!?

 Chapter 5: So, Whatâ€™s for Dinner?

    After his second double kill, Lin Feng¡¯s KDA was now 5/3/2. Any advantage the red team¡¯s bottomne duo had from the start of the game waspletely neutralized. Lin Feng smashed that snowball before it could turn into an avnche. And since he was such an overachiever, he didn¡¯t just stop there. He¡¯d also managed to get full control of bottomne.

    The cool thing about what Lin Feng had done was that Caitlyn would normally abuse her long attack range to get an early game advantage and snowball that through into thete game. That¡¯s exactly what this Caitlyn was doing while Su Xue was ying. But this game was the story of how the Caitlyn¡¯s life got flip turned upside down. While Su Xue was ying, Caitlyn was just chillin¡¯ inne, shooting some minions and farming up kills. Then Lin Feng started ying and a Vayne who was up to no good started making trouble in her neighborhood. Caitlyn got in one little fight and the next thing she knew, she¡¯d been killed four times. Her entire lead was lost to Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne in a matter of minutes, her KDA now 2/4/1. Vayne quickly surpassed her in items.

    Lin Feng had managed to build out The de of the Ruined King, which clearly put his Vayne ahead. But after he¡¯d gotten his 5th kill he used the gold to build out a Statikk Shiv. Having two fully built out items allowed him topletely dominate thene.

    By the time the first teamfight at the dragon pit broke out, Lin Feng¡¯s summoner spells were back off cooldown, giving him even more tools to work with. He grasped the opportunity to cut through to the enemy¡¯s back line and let loose.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>Triple kill!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    The triple kill announcement was too much for Su Xue. She was now jealous. Absolutely jealous. In all her time ying League of Legends, she¡¯d gotten a couple of double kills. It was one of those rare things that happened every dozen games or so when everything just happened to line up perfectly for her. But a triple kill? She¡¯d never gotten a triple kill in a game! She¡¯d never heard the game announce a triple kill for her! She went to the bathroom for a couple of minutes, and this random kid who moved in with her suddenly managed to get two double kills and a triple kill. It was too much!

    Su Xue watched the kid sitting next to her ying the game instead of watching the game. He made it look so easy. Natural. ying league, getting double kills, all of that was so simple for him. Like breathing. Or walking. She wondered why she couldn¡¯t y like that. Vayne wasn¡¯t even a mechanically challenging champion to y, not like Riven. She didn¡¯t need hours of practice to master Vayne. So why did Vayne seem like a killing machine in the hands of this kid, steamrolling through the enemy team like it was nothing? She couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    ?

    Once the game hit the 20-minute mark, the red team unanimously voted to surrender. One of the rules of League of Legends was that a surrender vote could not be initiated before 20 minutes into the game. From how quickly the red team decided to end the game, it looked like they were just waiting for it. Lin Feng was just too scary of a yer for all five of them to deal with. It also looked like the stomping that Lin Feng gave their bottomne duopletely broke their team cohesion. Saltyments from the other three yers on the red team started popping up on general in-game chat.

    ¡¸GG! our botne could¡¯ve solved world hunger with their feeding¡¹

    Lin Feng looked at Su Xue and said, ¡°I made that same joke about you when the game started! You remember that? Looks like this game hasn¡¯t changed all that much. Old jokes are the best ones, right?¡± If there was ever a re that could stop a heart, it was the one that Su Xue was giving Lin Feng right now.

    Whatever the rest of the yers on the red team in this game thought, the Thresh and Caitlyn honestly could not be med for what happened. No one could be reasonably expected to think that a Vayne who was losing 0/3/2 to them would pull a sudden 180 and pop off. If Lin Feng hadn¡¯t started ying, then they probably would have won this game. But if Lin Feng didn¡¯t y, there would be no reason to read this novel. Lin Feng is the main character, and this story follows him. Obviously he had to take over. The real question here, the one that everyone should have been thinking about, is far more profound. Did Su Xue really have to go to the washroom? Or was that merely just a convenient plot device that allowed for Lin Feng to take over? Just food for thought.

    All profound thoughts, expectations, mild regrets and missed opportunities aside, most people ying League would think that there was no point continuing a game with a Vayne who was 11/3/2 and grabbing double kills on triple kills 20 minutes into the game.

    This ranked match was an easy win for the blue team. An easy win for Lin Feng. In the end-game lobby, the yers on blue team showered Lin Feng, who was ying on the Evening Snowfall ount, with praise and honored him. The yer who was ying Janna, his support in the bottomne duo, even added him as a friend and asked him if he wanted to duo queue together. Probably someone who was looking to main the support role and wanted a good ad-carry to y with. Or maybe there was something more. It''s always been understood that duo queue in League held all the promise and spark of potential dual cultivation IRL.

    The random strangers that Lin Feng was ying with on blue team weren¡¯t the only ones losing their minds. The people watching the stream were just as hyped. The chat exploded as 70-something people lost their shit.

    ¡¸again again again again¡¹

    ¡¸You¡¯re amazing, lil bro! Are you diamond? ¡¹

    ¡¸Who knew we¡¯d see a pro in action! I¡¯m a gold noob, but please add me!¡¹

    ¡¸queue up! Gogogogoog!¡¹

    Even Su Xue was caught up in the excitement. ¡°Quick, quick, start another game! That one ended too quickly!¡± She¡¯dpletely forgotten she was supposed to be the streamer here. Watching Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne was simply that entertaining. She was at the edge of her seat the whole time. And at the end, during thatst team fight? She wanted to jump up and apud when he single handedly won thatst team fight. But she managed to hold herself down.

    Lin Feng scratched his hair, ¡°Don¡¯t you, uh, want to y now? It is your stream and, hm¡­ your ount, ya know?¡±

    ¡°U-uh, huh?¡± Su Xue muttered in a daze, recalling that fact as well. A hint of red spanned across her cheeks. Right! This is my stream! How could I let this kid take over so easily? I even told him to y some more! What is wrong with me? This is so embarrassing! But she really did want to see Lin Feng y again. That desire burned so bright that she couldn¡¯t lie to herself about it. The gears in her mindhole started grinding, and she quickly came up with a n that would get her everything she wanted. Salve the sting to her ego while still letting her watch Lin Feng. ¡°You only started ying half-way into thisst game. And then I was in the washroom. By the time I got back, there wasn¡¯t much of the game left to see before it ended. Did I really get to see those skills you were going on about Mr. Challenger? I don¡¯t think so! y a full game this time!¡±

    ¡°Hm. I, uh¡­ Wait. Why do you want to see my skills?¡± Lin Feng asked. Su Xue got real intense out of nowhere, and he didn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Su Xue choked. She struggled to find an answer, she couldn¡¯t exin how much her soul burned when she watched him y. She didn¡¯t want to. Time was running out. She had nothing to say. She had to say something. Not enough time. He¡¯d know something was up if she just stayed quiet for too long. The stream was still on too. How long had it been? Was it a minute? The silence was crushing down on her, she had to say something. ¡°IF I TELL YOU TO PLAY, YOU PLAY! There is no why! Don¡¯t question me!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. Then he scratched the back of his head and cautiously asked, ¡°Okay, okay. I have a question. Not questioning you. Just a question, okay? I y another match. I¡¯ll y. But if I do, what¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    Su Xue was still worked up from yelling at him to y so she replied without thinking, ¡°What¡¯s in it for you? What do you want?¡± Wait, wait, wait! NO! That was the wrong thing to say! Oh-please-god-no! He¡¯s in high school and I¡¯m a beautiful young woman! In the prime of my youth and the height of my beauty. He probably thinks he has a shot here. Omg! He¡¯s probably thinking ¡®kami-sama arigatooo¡¯ in his head right now. I¡¯m not that kind of girl or streamer! Need to put a stop to this right now. She paused while this monologue continued in her head and then she said, ¡°Alright, How about this. y another match. If you carry that hard again, I¡¯ll make dinner for you tonight! I¡¯m a really good cook. Stir-fried tomatoes, scrambled eggs, kung pao chicken, red-braised carp¡­ my cooking will knock the socks off your tastebuds!¡± Safe. Good thing I can cook and came up with that. Who knows where this could have gone?

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Feng started to drool.

    Su Xue proudly dered, ¡°Listen here, I¡¯ve never met anyone who can match me in the kitchen!¡±

    ¡°Deal!¡± Lin Feng agreed without hesitation.

    The people watching the stream also caught this entire exchange on the webcam feed. They had their own input to add in.

    ¡¸Hey, miss streamer! Make us some red braised carp and kung pao chicken too!¡¹

    ¡¸i also want stir fried eggnts!¡¹

    ¡¸do you do takeout?¡¹

    ¡¸she can cook! bonus waifu points!¡¹

    ¡¸When is your next cooking stream?¡¹

    Oh, now I¡¯m the streamer again, huh? You shameless bastards! Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. Hmph! Ady like myself doesn¡¯t just cook for anyone and everyone. Definitely not for you NEETs! Just because you guys want to sit there imagining what it would be like to have me as a wife doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to go out of my way to make it easier for you!

    ?

    Before long, Lin Feng entered champion select. While they waited for the ban phase to end, there was something Su Xue was curious about. ¡°Hey, what role do you main? Ad-carry?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Nah, I main mid.¡± But when it was his turn to pick a champion, Lin Feng locked in Jarvan IV and picked sh and Smite as summoner spells. Jarvan IV was a champion built to y the Jungle role, and picking Smite was confirmation that Lin Feng intended to be the Jungler for his team this game. Smite only dealt damage to jungle monsters and was useless against enemy champions. The summoner spell was designed for the Jungle role.

    ¡°Hey! You just said you¡¯re a mid main!¡± Su Xue yelled out while pointing at the screen.

    Lin Feng rubbed his nose and confidently smiled, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a pretty good jungler too!¡±

    Most of Su Xue, like 97% of her, thought that Lin Feng was trying to show off now. The praise from his team in thest game, all the people watching the stream, and the exquisitely beautiful, fully bloomed woman sitting next to him was too much for him to handle. His head had exploded. But 3% of her thought there might be something more to it. Something that would blow her mind, rock her world.

    Lin Feng was blissfully unaware that she thought he was showing off and was just confident that he could hard carry the game as the jungler.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    The game had started. By the time the game hit the three minute mark, Lin Feng had already cleared all of the jungle monsters on his side of the Rift and gotten both the Blue Buff and the Red Buff. It was time to start whacking the red team around. He decided to go in for a gank at topne first. The Riven saw himing and engaged the red team¡¯s topne champion f. Lin Feng jumped in with his Jarvan IV...

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>First Blood!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    After that smooth first kill, Lin Feng waited until the five-minute mark to go gank midne. The red team¡¯s mine champion Syndra was wary that he might show up. When his Jarvan IV popped out of the top-side river brush, she reacted instantly. The Syndra started retreating towards the safety of her tower while conjuring a Dark Sphere and sending it flying towards him with Scatter the Weak. That would stun Lin Feng¡¯s Jarvan IV and allow her to escape. She was quick. But not quick enough.

    Jarvan IV had already thrown down a Demacian Standard and started flying towards it. Then, Lin Feng pressed D for sh. Jarvan IV disappeared mid-animation as he travelled toward Syndra and appeared right over her. Even though her Scatter the Weak had managed to stun him, he still seeded in knocking her up.

    Lin Feng¡¯s teammate in mine was Yasuo. A unique champion who specialized inbination attacks. Yasuo¡¯s ultimate could only be used on enemy champions who were knocked up. Which is just what Lin Feng¡¯s Jarvan IV had done to Syndra. Yasuo reacted to the knockup in time and activated his ultimate, jumping up onto the knocked-up Syndra in the air and shing down with his katana. Another quick and easy kill.

    Su Xue was dumbstruck.

    The viewers on the stream also reacted with amazement.

    ¡¸holy dammmnnnn!!! thatboooo!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸that¡¯s some skill bro¡¹

    ¡¸WOW So smooth! Lil bro, that was cool as hell!¡¹

    As the rest of the game yed out, Lin Feng basically became the king of the jungle. He made ys left and right and carried his team to an easy victory.

    At 25 minutes into the game, Lin Feng was 8/0/11. A perfect KDA! One that showcased exactly how perfect his jungling was. Lin Feng hard-carried all threenes on his back and set the tempo of the entire game like a conductor in front of an orchestra! And he did it all in 25 minutes!

    Lin Feng had helped Su Xue¡¯s ount score another ranked win. This time around, Su Xue was finally convinced. T-this kid¡­ is really good! No, he¡¯s freaking amazing!

    Lin Feng more or less satisfied his itch to y and handed back the position of stream host to Su Xue. After which she continued her climb up the rankeddder by herself. She was pumped up after seeing Lin Feng win two games in a row.

    When Su Xue got in the ranked lobby, she directly called jungle. And when it was her pick, she instantly locked in Jarvan IV.

    The result¡­ She seeded! ...In losing all threenes for her teammates. Honestly, her feeding had be a form of art. At the 15-minute mark, Su Xue stared at her 1/7/5 KDA wide-eyed and dazed. She slumped back into her seat and rubbed her temples. ncing at all the ellipses flooding her chat, she said in a defeated tone, ¡°Alright, I deserve it. Roast away.¡±

    ?

    As the clock struck six, Su Xue gloomily ended her stream after a fantastic three-game losing streak.

    The viewers seemed a bit reluctant to see the stream end.

    ¡¸are you going to stream againter tonight?¡¹

    ¡¸Lil bro, we¡¯ll be waiting for you toe back!¡¹

    ¡¸don¡¯t let the washingboard maid y anymore. just have her pour you tea and bring you snacks¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes twitched in irritation. These fickle viewers of hers¡­ their reluctance to see the stream end wasn¡¯t even aimed at her! After the three-game loss streak, she¡¯d gone from being the stream host back to being the maid. Lin Feng didn¡¯t find the situation the least bit awkward either. He cheerfully interacted with the viewers and bid them farewell.

    As the stream turned ck and Su Xue slumped back in her chair, Lin Feng turned to her and asked, ¡°Su Xue, I¡¯m hungry. What¡¯s for dinner?¡±

    Su Xue sarcastically replied, ¡°You little shit. You can¡¯t even remember to pour yourself a ss of water. But your memory is suddenly perfect when ites to this, huh¡­?¡±

 Chapter 6: Infinitely Close

    A bet was a bet. Su Xue begrudgingly headed to the kitchen and started busying herself. Even though she was an enchanting beauty, she was quite high spec in other areas too. Her skills with a knife were superb. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, the air around her changedpletely, transforming into something akin to the beloved big sister next door.

    Of course, the most beloved thing for Lin Feng was the savory, steaming-hot dishes Su Xue brought over to the table half an hourter. There were braised eggnts, stir fried chicken, squash soup, and tomato and scrambled eggs just to name a few.

    Lin Feng widened his eyes. ¡°Wow, amazing!¡±

    Su Xue proudly harrumphed. ¡°Of course. I told you I was a Challenger cook!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded vigorously as his hands greedily reached out to the bowl with squash soup.

    After eating about half the rice, Su Xue ced down her bowl. Resting her palm under her chin, she stared in amusement at Lin Feng wolfing down her food with gusto. ¡°Tasty, right?¡±

    ¡°Ryesh, bery tashty!¡± Lin Feng answered with his mouth full of food.

    ¡°How about you take your time and enjoy it? The food isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but break into a smile. ¡°Hey, can I ask you something. How did you get so good at League? How long have you been ying?¡±

    Lin Feng swallowed a mouthful of rice before replying, ¡°Oh, I started ying way back in season one, but I took a break from it for around three years. I only recently started getting back into it again.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow. You started ying in season one? You must¡¯ve been in middle school back then, right?¡± Su Xue eximed in shock. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so good. You¡¯re a veteran!¡± She paused for a moment, then looked to Lin Feng with keen interest. ¡°Hey, tell me. What do you think of my y?¡±

    ¡°Nothing special,¡± Lin Feng replied without a second thought.

    ¡°H-hey, hey, hey! You don¡¯t need to be that blunt, alright!?¡± Su Xue eximed. Then, she slumped back down dejectedly. ¡°But you¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m just a Gold yer.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Su Xue looked up at Lin Feng and asked curiously, ¡°Then what rank are you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re really a Challenger?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head before calmly replying, ¡°No, I¡¯ve never actually reached Challenger. But that¡¯s because back when I yed, Challenger didn¡¯t exist. If I were to convert my elo back in season one to the current system, I¡¯d be Challenger.¡±

    ¡°Sure, keep bragging.¡± Su Xue turned her lips, not really believing him.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Really, I¡¯m serious here. Not bragging.¡±

    Su Xue sighed. ¡°Damn, if I had the skills of a Challenger, how great would that be? I¡¯d easily sweep away all those famous female streamers!¡±

    ¡°So, you want to be a full time streamer?¡±

    Su Xue nodded before letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Yeah, but things aren¡¯t looking so hot right now. It¡¯s going to be difficult.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. It¡¯s good that you have a dream. As long as you persevere, you¡¯ll seed,¡± Lin Feng said.

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°Thank you. Hey, what about you then, mister oh so great Challenger? With how good you are, are you nning to be a pro?¡±

    Su Xue said this more as a joke than an honest question. There were already so many famous and godly yers out there. Those who truly had what it took to be a pro could be counted on her fingers. So, it wasn¡¯t strange she never considered that Lin Feng actually had such grand and lofty ambitions.

    ¡°Mhm. Yeah. I want to be a pro.¡± Lin Feng nodded seriously. Then, he clenched his fist and solemnly vowed, ¡°I want to be the number one yer in the world!¡±

    Su Xue gasped. ¡°Jeez! Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit out there?¡±

    Lin Feng lowered his head back to the bowl and shovelled some more food into his mouth. He then raised his head back up again and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Any pro should strive to be the best, or else what¡¯s the difference between them and anyone else?¡±

    ?

    The next day, the 9th of September, the first day of the new school year. Lin Feng had already woken up and gotten dressed while Su Xue was still fast asleep in her room. He grabbed his bag and headed off to Shanghai High School 13. He wanted to get there a little early and get they of thend before he started, since he was a transfer student.

    Once Lin Feng arrived at the school, he wandered around until he finally found the office of the Head Teacher. It took him a little bit longer than he¡¯d expected. The Head Teacher gave Lin Feng a small orientation and then guided him to the ssroom he¡¯d be spending the next year in before handing him off to the homeroom teacher for Senior ss 7. The homeroom teacher beckoned Lin Feng inside the ssroom and asked him to briefly introduce himself to his new ssmates. This was met with a smattering of politely weing apuse.

    ¡°Right. Lin Feng, is it? Wee. Hm. A bitte to swap around seats again. How about you just find an empty seat and sit¡­¡± The homeroom teacher scanned the room quickly and pointed at the corner desk in the fourth row, at the back of the ssroom, ¡°... that one should be good.¡± The only other student in that row was a guy who had the desk next to the empty one the teacher was pointing at. Lin Feng nodded, walked over to his desk with his bag in hand, and sat down.

    Before long, the first lesson of the day began, which happened to be mathematics, and the students of ss 7 returned to their regr drowsy selves. What was the most boring subject in high school? More than two thirds of students wouldn¡¯t hesitate to cast their ballot for mathematics.

    Lin Feng earnestly paid attention in the beginning, but he quickly noticed his neighbour one desk over secretly fiddling around with something. He curiously nced over. His deskmate was secretly looking at his iPhone, browsing some kind of webpage. It looked like a Baidu page about the season 5 world championship for League of Legends.

    Oh, right. Worlds is soon. Lin Feng had read the announcement from Riot Games before falling asleepst night. It would officially begin on National Day, the 1st of October, exactly 22 days from today. All of the professional League of Legends yers from around the world would gather topete in the most hyped esports tournament of the year. First, they¡¯d y through the best of a double round-robin group stage. The top two teams from each group would advance to the single elimination knockout bracket until it culminated in a thrilling final round between the top two teams, where a new world champion would be crowned. The whole thing was a grand spectacle, one that set hearts on fire and pounding with excitement.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up, but then he quickly realized something as a trace of regret surfaced on his face. Even that was fleeting as his expression returned to normal.

    At this moment, the deskmate sensed someone¡¯s gaze on him. Startled, he quickly shoved his phone into his desk and whipped his head around.

    Lin Feng cracked a friendly smile. ¡°Ah, hello!¡±

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you! I thought you were the teacher... Damn, you nearly scared the piss out of me!¡± The student breathed a sigh of relief, a trace of fear still lingering on his face. He took his phone back out, but held it carefully low so the teacher wouldn¡¯t notice it. He cast a side nce at Lin Feng. ¡°Hey dude. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Lin Feng.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. Right right right! I remember now. Lin Feng, I¡¯m Ouyang Decai. Just call me Ouyang.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow. Your family must really want you make it big and get rich¡­¡± Lin Feng quietly eximed.

    Ouyang helplessly curled his lips and sighed. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. What more can you expect from parents obsessed with running their business? I¡¯m just thanking the heavens they didn¡¯t name me Ouyang Moneybags...¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled at his amusing deskmate. He then switched the topic back to before and asked, ¡°What were you looking at? Something about worlds?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ouyang¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You also y League? Only a few more weeks until Worlds! Exciting, right? Best of all, it starts on National Day, so we have no school! I¡¯m definitely going to stay up all night to watch it! I was just looking at this post on Tieba. It was talking about the line-up. Supposedly, it¡¯s the best yet! The three teams that qualified in the LPL are amazing! But I heard the teams from the other regions are also really strong!¡±

    His excitement reaching a crescendo, Ouyang added, ¡°Oh right, you know about the Four Emperors and Seven Kings, right? Nine out of eleven of them will be in Worlds this year!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Errm¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ve heard a bit.¡±

    The Four Emperors and Seven Kings, better known as the ¡°Yonko¡± and ¡°Shichibukai¡±, was a reference taken straight out of the popr Japanese series ¡°One Piece¡±. Specifically in this context, it referred to the 11 best professional League of Legends yers in the world. They were voted on by the fans for their fame and skill. Of course, this ranking wasn¡¯t official, but amunity endeavor.

    Among the Seven Kings, there were two yers from Europe, two from Korea, one from North America, one from Taiwan, and one from China. As for the Four Emperors, who ranked above the Seven Kings, two were from Korea, one from North America, one from Europe, and¡­ none from China.

    This kind of naming sense reeked of eighth-grader syndrome, but Lin Feng didn¡¯t mind. In fact, he was quite fond of it. Back in season 1, there was a simr ranking in the global esports circle, though it went by a different name and had different yers on it; most of the yers of today had yet to touch the game back then.

    On the old list, there were 10 professional yers that wereuded as standing at the very apex. However, there was one title that stood far above the rest and left the deepest impression on everyone. Sovereign. The Sovereign of the League of Legendspetitive scene.

    Recalling these memories from what felt like a lifetime ago, Lin Feng lowered his head, allowing his messy bangs to drape over his eyes and cover his face. In the past, he¡¯d been infinitely close to obtaining that supreme honor. However, he faltered at the veryst step.

    1. Ouyang¡¯s first name Decai (µÃ²Æ) means obtaining riches. So, Lin Feng references that.

 Chapter 7: Found a Girl to be Our Ad-Carry

    ¡°I gotta say, Four Emperors and Seven Kings really does have a nice ring to it,¡± Ouyang excitedly droned on. ¡°It¡¯s perfect too since the guys in the Seven Kings are actually noticeably worse than the Four Emperors.¡±

    ¡°Just the name Four Emperors screams he cool!¡± Ouyang clicked his tongue. ¡°If I could be one of them, then I¡¯d be drowning in female fans. Haha! How awesome would that be!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lin Feng sat up straight, his face lighting up with a brilliant smile. ¡°If you want to achieve your dreams, you have to keep working hard for it! So what if you fail? You just have to keep getting back up! Even if it¡¯s something as crazy as bing the best in the world, you won¡¯t know unless you try!¡±

    Ouyang was caught off-guard by Lin Feng¡¯s outburst, but his words struck a chord. ¡°Damn, bro! Are you reading my mind? I was thinking the exact same thing!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his fist, trembling with excitement. ¡°Life without a dream is no better than not living at all!¡±

    Startled, Ouyang shot Lin Feng a meaningful look and reminded him, ¡°Hey hey hey! Keep it down! We¡¯re still in ss!¡±

    ¡°O-oh, right! My bad, my bad¡­¡±

    The two sneakily looked over at the front of the ssroom. The teacher¡¯s back was still facing them as he wrote on the ckboard. He didn¡¯t appear to take notice of their little outburst. Only then did they continue quietly chatting.

    Ouyang said with a hint of disappointment, ¡°Out of the Four Emperors and Seven Kings, only one of them is Chinese. That really is a bit of a letdown.¡± But excitement quickly returned to his face a momentter. ¡°But it¡¯s fine! Worlds is only a few weeks away, and the three Chinese teams are all super strong! We¡¯ll definitely get another king! Or emperor!¡±

    Lin Feng clenched his fist. ¡°Right! Go China!¡±

    ¡°Go China!¡± Ouyang shook his fist.

    The two idiots looked like they were about to swear an oath.

    A male student a row in front of them had caught a few of their words. He turned around and asked, ¡°Are you two talking about Worlds?¡±

    Lin Feng stared at the male student. He had a fairly handsome face with frameless sses that hung over the ridge of his sharp nose. He gave off a gentle and refined air that left a good impression.

    ¡°Hehe, yeah. Were we that loud?¡± Ouyang chuckled. He turned to Lin Feng and introduced, ¡°This is Yang Fan. He also ys league.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Lin Feng greeted.

    ¡°Lin Feng, right? Nice to meet you too.¡± Yang Fan politely nodded before turning his attention back to Ouyang. He pushed his sses up with a frown and said, ¡°Ouyang, you know, I don¡¯t agree with what you said just now. I read a post on Tieba of people giving their analysis. Our LPL teams are too focused on the domestic scene. Simply speaking, their vision is too narrow. They¡¯re not bothering to research the metas and tactics of the top teams in other regions. If they don¡¯t prepare better, our chances at winning Worlds aren¡¯t going to look so good.¡±

    ¡°Hey, why do you have to be so negative? Worlds hasn¡¯t even started yet, but you¡¯re already being pessimistic.¡± Ouyang knitted his brows.

    Yang Fan habitually adjusted his sses, then shook his head and exined, ¡°I¡¯m just giving my objective analysis.¡±

    ¡°Fine, whatever. You¡¯re the most rational, most objective.¡± Ouyang rolled his eyes. ¡°In any case, I have full faith that we¡¯ll take the cup home this year! Right, Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lin Feng passionately eximed.

    Yang Fan helplessly shook his head. ¡°You two are really like peas in a pod.¡±

    ?

    The period bell rang, signalling the end of math ss. The stern-faced math teacher concluded the lesson as he picked up his textbook and teaching materials before leaving the ssroom. From the start of ss until the end, the three students in the back had missed everything. While the teacher was busy exining forms on the ckboard, they were busy discussing Worlds and their shared love for League of Legends. Both Ouyang and Yang Fan yed on the Ionia server, where the former was a Gold 3 jungle main and thetter a tinum 5 mid main. After 45 minutes of non-stop chatter, Lin Feng had struck up a friendship with both of them. They were his first friends at his new school.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re pretty good,¡± Lin Feng sighed in admiration.

    Ouyang shot Yang Fan an envious look, then eximed in an angry tone, ¡°Hmph, what¡¯s so amazing about tinum? If it weren¡¯t for the fact I¡¯ve been getting crappy teammatestely, I¡¯d be tinum too!¡±

    Yang Fan gave Ouyang the side eye. ¡°But excuses don¡¯t change anything, right? You¡¯re still Gold 3.¡±

    ¡°You smug son of a bitch!¡±

    Just as the two were about to go at it, a pleasant voice rang out, ¡°Ouyang Decai!¡±

    Ouyang jolted up from his seat in surprise. He raised his head in a flurry to a cute female student aggressively walking up to his desk with her hands on her hips. He immediately put on a ttering smile. ¡°U-uhh¡­ Rou Rou, w-what¡¯s up? Hahaha¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Who said you can call me that? You think we¡¯re that close?¡± The girl swept her gaze over to Lin Feng. Her face lit up and she greeted with a smile, ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the new transfer student! Lin Feng, right? I¡¯m Ren Rou, the ss president. Wee to ss 7.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded repeatedly. ¡°Nice to meet you, Ren Rou.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses, then quietly whispered, ¡°Her name really doesn¡¯t fit her temper¡­¡±

    Indeed. Though her name contained ¡°Soft (Èá)¡±, her chilli-pepper like personality was anything but soft.

    ¡°Dare to say that again!¡± Ren Rou shot a death re at Yang Fan.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­ N-nothing. You¡¯re the prettiest and most gentle.¡± Yang Fan raised his hands in surrender.

    ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s more like it!¡± Ren Rou recalled her original reason foring here and shifted her attention back to Ouyang. ¡°We¡¯re facing off against ss 8 tonight. Did you do what I asked you to? Do we have a team?¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Ouyang nked.

    ¡°You¡¯re our jungler, Yang Fan is our topner, Wu Hai is our mid, and Sun Ming is our support. We¡¯re missing an ad-carry. I told you a few days ago to help me find one! Did you forget?¡± Ren Rou reminded, looking like she was about to eat Ouyang alive.

    ¡°No no no. Rou Rou, you¡¯re wrong¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already found the perfect person!¡±

    Ren Rou withdrew her anger, but continued gazing at Ouyang with a wooden expression. ¡°So, who is it?¡±

    Ouyang cleared his throat, mustering up his courage, and dered, ¡°It¡¯s Tang Bingyao!¡±

    Tang Bingyao? Ren Rou was stunned. Yang Fan also put on a puzzled expression. Lin Feng, who was the most lost in this conversation, scratched his head in bewilderment. Who¡¯s that¡­? It sounds like a girl¡¯s name. Also, what¡¯s this about facing off against ss 8 tonight?

 Chapter 8: Appearance Fee

    Yang Fan snapped back to his senses. He stared at Ouyang in disbelief. ¡°Hey, hey, Ouyang. I didn¡¯t mishear just now, did I? Did you really say Tang Bingyao?¡±

    Ren Rou also quickly regained her wits, her eyes narrowing into a sharp re. ¡°Ouyang, what are you trying to pull here?¡±

    Lin Feng curiously interrupted, ¡°Who¡¯s Tang Bingyao? And what game?¡± But he waspletely ignored.

    ¡°N-n-nothing! I¡¯m not pulling anything! Rou Rou, think about it. Even if I had a thousand more guts, I wouldn¡¯t dare! I¡¯m serious!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and asked with a frown, ¡°Does she even y League of Legends?¡±

    Ouyang vigorously nodded. ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s an ad-carry main, and she¡¯s really good! I¡¯m not lying!¡±

    Ren Rou¡¯s eyes were filled with skepticism. ¡°Really? How is it that I¡¯ve never heard of her ying League? How did you find this out?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. You guys are really looking down on me here. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m the great Ouyang Decai!¡± Ouyang shed a smug smile. ¡°Anyway, when I went to the inte cafe a few days ago, I ran into her. She was ying a game of League. So, I watched her y for a bit, and you won¡¯t believe this. She was hard carrying that match with her Jinx, getting triple kills and quadra kills everywhere! Before I knew it, the enemy nexus exploded!¡± Ouyang looked at everyone and paused for dramatic suspense. ¡°I ended writing down her summoner name. Guess what rank she was.¡±

    Ren Rou stared at Ouyang with an expressionless face. ¡°Cut the theatrics, or do you want me to force it out of you?¡±

    Ouyang shrunk back in fear. He obediently replied, ¡°She¡¯s tinum 1 in the Ionia server!¡±

    Yang Fan sucked in a breath of cold air. Ren Rou¡¯s eyes went wide, disbelief stered over her face. ¡°You¡¯re serious? If I find out you¡¯re lying¡­!¡±

    Ouyang pounded his chest. ¡°I swear I¡¯m speaking the truth. If I¡¯m lying, may I never find a wife in this life!¡±

    ¡°Hmph! As if you ever could find one¡­¡± Ren Rou snorted. However, she finally started believing Ouyang. It would be a huge jackpot if they could add a tinum 1 ad-carry to their roster. But she couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Knowing Tang Bingyao¡¯s personality¡­ are you sure she''ll agree to join us?¡±

    Ouyang pounded his chest again. ¡°Leave it to me, Rou Rou! I¡¯ll get it done!¡±

    Ren Rou stared at Ouyang before reluctantly nodding. ¡°Alright, I''ll leave it to you. Don¡¯t screw this up! The game is tonight! If you manage to convince her to join, I¡¯ll count it as a contribution to the ss.¡±

    ?

    After Ren Rou left, Lin Feng finally found an opportunity to interject, ¡°So, what were you guys talking about? What game?¡±

    ¡°Oh right! I suppose you don¡¯t know!¡± Ouyang realized. ¡°We¡¯re having a friendly match with the ss next door tonight. At the NetCow Cafe across the street.¡± Ouyang clenched his fist. ¡°The honour of our ss is at stake here! We have to win!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Can I join?¡± Anything League rted made his blood pump.

    ¡°Uh, you...?¡± Ouyang looked Lin Feng up and down with a skeptical gaze. ¡°What rank are you?¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest with a proud look. ¡°I¡¯m pretty much a Challenger in the Ionia server!¡± If his elo back in season 1 were to be converted to a ranking today, he would be ced in Challenger, and at the very top of the leaderboards to boot. So, even though it sounded like he was bragging, he actually spoke the truth.

    Ouyang immediately burst outughing. ¡°Haha! You really are bad at bullshitting, man. If you¡¯re Challenger, then I¡¯m a pro!¡±

    Yang Fan also bursted out intoughter. ¡°You really need to work on your bragging skills. Even if you told us you were diamond, we wouldn''t believe you.¡±

    Lin Feng furrowed his brows. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I really am! If you guys don¡¯t believe me, just let me y a round tonight, and I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh! You crafty kid! I see what game you¡¯re ying at. Nice try.¡± Ouyang patted Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder with a look of appreciation. Then, his expression turned serious. ¡°However, this match is just too important. We can¡¯t afford to fool around! We have to y our five best yers!¡±

    Yang Fan nced at Ouyang. ¡°Correct. We can¡¯t afford to fool around. Now, back to the main topic, are you sure we can rely on Tang Bingyao?¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s expression soured. ¡°Hey, I already said she was reliable. You still don¡¯t believe me? Oh, right! Lin Feng, next break we¡¯ll go find Tang Bingyao. We¡¯re going to convince her to join the team.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Eh¡­? Why do you need me?¡±

    ¡°Enough with the whys, juste! This is about our ss'' honour!¡± Ouyang replied.

    ?

    Second period was English. A dull 45 minutester, the bell rang announcing the start of a 25-minute break. The students of ss 7 scattered into their own cliques and started chatting, some of them walking out into the hallway.

    Ouyang grabbed Lin Feng by his arm and dragged him along to the front of the ss. Only girls sat in this row, and aside from one lone girl, they¡¯d all left for thedies¡¯ room. This lone girl sat right next to the wall, earnestly studying her English textbook.

    Ouyang walked up to her with a bright smile. ¡°Tang Bingyao, are you studying? You¡¯re so hardworking!¡±

    The girl raised her head and looked up at Ouyang and Lin Feng. ¡°Do you two need something?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Tang Bingyao. Be it her looks or figure, she was no doubt very pretty. Her hair was neatly tied in a ponytail with her bangs flowing down in front of her forehead. But most striking of all was the unique air about her. At a nce, you could tell she approached life in earnest.

    It sounded strange as it was incredibly difficult to describe things like ¡®air¡¯ and ¡®temperament¡¯ with words. But this was the feeling Lin Feng got from Tang Bingyao. She had a very unique and earnest air about her. In everything she did, from reading her textbook to talking with Ouyang, she appeared earnest. He couldn¡¯t help but have a good impression of her.

    Ouyang chuckled. ¡°You see, it¡¯s like this. Tonight, we¡¯re going to y a game of League against ss 8. But we¡¯re still missing an ad-carry. You¡¯re a very good ad-carry, so I was hoping that you might be interested.¡±

    Tang Bingyao thought seriously before shaking her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s smile froze, which he quickly reced with a sincere and meaningful expression. ¡°Tang Bingyao, our ss¡¯ honour is at stake here! I saw you y League the other day at the inte cafe! You¡¯re a tinum 1 ad-carry on the Ionia server! With you, we will crush those guys from ss 8!¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head again and tly refused, ¡°I¡¯m really not interested.¡±

    Lin Feng poked Ouyang in the side. ¡°Hey, hey. I¡¯m interested. How about you let me y?¡±

    Ouyang shot Lin Feng a sharp nce. ¡°Shush you! Stop messing things up!¡±

    With a shake of his head, Lin Feng reluctantly closed his mouth.

    Ouyang turned back to Tang Bingyao and gritted his teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll pay you £¤50 if you y with us!¡±

    Tang Bingyao raised an eyebrow in surprise. She then started seriously considering the offer before finally shaking her head. She stuck out both her hands and raised eight fingers. ¡°£¤80.¡±

    It felt like a knife slowly carving his heart out to Ouyang. He gnashed his teeth to bite away the pain. ¡°Fine.¡±

    Tang Bingyao cheerfully nodded. ¡°Just tell me the time and ce.¡±

    Huh? £¤50? £¤80? Question marks filled Lin Feng¡¯s head. However, even a dimwit like him quickly figured out what was going on. He immediately shouted in protest, ¡°You¡¯re paying her? Hey! I¡¯ll y for free! Let me y!¡±

 Chapter 9: Friendly Match

    As Ouyang and Lin Feng returned to their desks, Yang Fan turned around and asked, ¡°So, did she agree?¡±

    Ouyang patted his chest with a smug smile on his face. ¡°Of course! I worked my charms on her, and she agreed immediately! Easy peasy! We have our ad-carry!¡± Then, his expression quickly crumpled. ¡°Ah, but she wants £¤80. How about we submit it as a ss expense?¡±

    Yang Fan was speechless. ¡°£¤80? We need to pay her? You¡¯ve got to be kidding. Isn¡¯t that a little ridiculous? This is a group activity! She shouldn¡¯t be asking to be paid.¡±

    Ouyang waved his hand. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s just a little bit of money. It¡¯s our fault for failing to find someone else. Plus, she¡¯s an amazing ad-carry! I saw her y with my own eyes! We pay her that £¤80 and she crushes ss 8. How is that not worth it? I say it¡¯s worth every penny. Isn¡¯t that right, Lin Feng?¡±

    But Ouyang didn¡¯t get the reply he was waiting for. Instead, Lin Feng kept his lips tightly sealed.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s with you?¡± Ouyang asked, bewildered.

    ¡°I told you I¡¯d be your ad-carry, and for free. I¡¯m good. Whatever, pay her her appearance fee,¡± Lin Feng grumbled.

    Ouyang was left speechless. He couldn¡¯t believe Lin Feng was still going on about this. He patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and consoled, ¡°Hey man. Even if I said you could y, it really wouldn¡¯t be up to me. This match is super important. We can¡¯t afford to send out just anyone. Tang Bingyao is tinum 1! With her in the team, we will easily beat ss 8!¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m a Challenger,¡± Lin Feng argued.

    Ouyang half-heartedly nodded. ¡°Fine, sure, you¡¯re a Challenger. Why would you care about a kiddy league match like this? Listen, there¡¯ll be plenty of games. I¡¯ll get you into one, I promise. How does that sound?¡±

    Lin Feng stared at Ouyang, not at all convinced. ¡°Word?¡±

    Ouyang pounded his chest. ¡°My word is as good as gold!¡±

    ¡°Okay. I get to y the next match!¡± Lin Feng happily agreed, gullible as ever.

    Yang Fan interjected, ¡°Hey, Ouyang. Let me confirm with you again. Tang Bingyao really is tinum 1, right? I don¡¯t want to see her suddenly go zero for two. You know, I won¡¯t let you live it down if that happens.¡±

    Ouyang showed a mysterious smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Seeing is believing. You¡¯ll see how good she is tonight!¡±

    Lin Feng started grumbling again, ¡°Oh, so you give her the chance to show off her skills, but not me¡­! I see how it is.¡±

    ?

    The rest of his first school day quickly passed by. After the final period bell rang, Lin Feng grabbed his bag, bid his friends farewell, and cheerfully returned home. He didn¡¯t have homework, so other than the League match tonight, he was free. After taking out his key and unlocking the door, he shouted inside, ¡°Su Xue, I¡¯m home!¡±

    An annoyed voice rang out from Su Xue¡¯s room. ¡°Alright, alright! I got it! No need to yell! I¡¯m still streaming here!¡±

    A few momentster, as Lin Feng was taking off his shoes, he heard Su Xue pound her desk. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Whose fucking viewers are you? Move aside maid? You want to watch the lil bro y? Fuck you! I¡¯m your host, not him!¡±

    Five minutester, Su Xue walked out of her bedroom, steaming from her nose and ears. ¡°You went to ss today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±

    ¡°How was it? Did you make any new friends?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did. It was good. I even got invited to a friendly League match tonight at the inte cafe across from the school. It¡¯s my new ss versus the ss next door! I¡¯ll be going there after dinner.¡±

    Su Xue raised an eyebrow in interest. ¡°A friendly match? Are you ying?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head with a sullen expression. ¡°No. They won¡¯t let me y. I told them I¡¯m a Challenger, but they won¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t stifle herughter. ¡°Hahaha. Of course they won¡¯t believe you if you say you¡¯re a Challenger! But dang, even high schoolers like you are ying League of Legends. The game is getting more and more popr. Looks like I made the right choice in bing a streamer¡­¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his stomach. ¡°Su Xue, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    Having her fantasies of her future career ignored, Su Xue unhappily nced at Lin Feng. ¡°Hungry already? Fine, go watch some TV or something. I¡¯ll start making dinner in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Can you make the stir-fried eggnts you madest night again?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re full of requests, aren¡¯t you? Hehe! At least you now know I¡¯m a great cook, right? Gotcha, stir-fried eggnts. But first, go wash your hands.¡±

    ?

    Half an hourter, a smorgasbord of dishes was set on the table. Lin Feng couldn¡¯t stop himself from drooling. ¡°Hoh¡­ wow! C-can I start? I¡¯m going to start!¡±

    Lin Feng started gorging himself, shoving food in his mouth like a starved beast. Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed and amused at the same time. ¡°Hey hey! The food isn¡¯t going anywhere. Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯re going to eat your own tongue? Oi, don¡¯t focus on one dish! Drink the soup too! Don¡¯t eat so fast! I¡¯m not going to call the ambnce for you if you choke, you fool!¡±

    Some 10 minutester, Lin Feng rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. ¡°Whew¡­ that was good. Thanks.¡± He then checked his phone and immediately stood up. ¡°Shit! The game starts in 20 minutes! I¡¯m going!¡±

    Su Xue also got up. ¡°Hey! What are you so anxious about? You¡¯re not even ying¡­ Go brush your teeth first!¡±

    Lin Feng halted his steps and turned around. ¡°You really are a nag, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Su Xue was dumbstruck for a moment before her temper immediately red. ¡°The hell! You little shit! Calling me a nag? If it wasn¡¯t for your aunt telling me to take care of you, I wouldn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about you! You think I want to hover over you like some old maid? Fine! I don¡¯t care anymore! Scram, y¡ª¡±

    Lin Feng waved goodbye. ¡°Oh, alright. Then I¡¯ll be going! Bye!¡±

    Su Xue unhappily stomped to the kitchen, empty tes in hand. ¡°Thankless brat! Cook him a nice meal, and this is what I get! Hmph! Next time, I¡¯ll just feed him some rice gruel! Who wants to nanny someone else¡¯s kid anyw¡­¡± Still grumbling as she walked back to the dining table, her eyes fell on a certain item. She grabbed it and rushed out the door after Lin Feng. ¡°Hey, little fool! You forgot your keys¡ªFuck! I really have be your nanny!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng arrived at the NetCow Cafe a minute after the match with ss 8 was scheduled to start. Arge group of high schoolers were gathered around severalputers. Lin Feng recognized some of them as his new ssmates. Brushing past them, he could finally see the 10 representatives from both sses. They had rented two rows of fiveputers that were opposite each other. Over on ss 7¡¯s side, Yang Fan and Ouyang were both getting ready to go into the match. Next to them sat the thief who¡¯d snatched away his opportunity to y in this game.

    ¡°Freaking £¤80 appearance fee! I said I¡¯d do it for free, and they still won¡¯t let me y!¡± Lin Feng prattled on like a broken record.

    Ouyang happened to overhear this voice and turned around. ¡°Lin Feng, you¡¯re here! Damn, I told you it was 7 o¡¯clock, and you¡¯re stillte! You were almost gonna miss seeing me carry with my jungle!¡±

    An angry female voice rang out from the crowd. ¡°Hey, Ouyang! Focus on the damn game! We¡¯re already in champion select!¡±

    Catching Ren Rou¡¯s sharp re, Ouyang gulped and immediately turned back to face the monitor. Ren Rou then nced at Lin Feng and instructed, ¡°We can¡¯t let anyone get distracted during the match. So, hush.¡±

    ¡°O-oh, alright.¡± Lin Feng obediently nodded.

    Ren Rou looked at Tang Bingyao and spoke with iparable intimacy, ¡°Tang Bingyao, you can do it! I get to see you carrying with your ad-carry first-hand today!¡±

    Tang Bingyao earnestly nodded. ¡°Mhm! I won¡¯t let the £¤80 go to waste!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What £¤80?¡± Ren Rou blurted out.

    Tang Bingyao nced over at Ouyang, who immediately broke into nervousughter. ¡°Ahahaha¡­ Rou Rou, I-i¡¯ll exin it to youter. Right right right! We should focus on the match!¡±

    The banning phase came to an end. One by one, the 10 representatives started picking their champions. Ren Rou, Lin Feng, and the other students turned their full attention to the game.

    Lin Feng looked over at Tang Bingyao. At the very least, she appeared to be taking this match seriously. Though given his first impression of her, that came as no surprise. He wondered what champion she was going to y. She was third in pick order.

    A momentter, Lin Feng received his answer. Tang Bingyao moved her mouse over a champion and the corresponding champion icon appeared next to her summoner. Then, she locked him in. Draven, The Glorious Executioner!

 Chapter 10: Tang Bingyaos Amazing Draven

    Draven! The spectators stared at Tang Bingyao in shock. The Glorious Executioner was a frightening champion that relied on his two spinning axes to ughter his enemies. Among all the ad-carries in League of Legends, he was the most aggressive and bloodthirsty.

    The students from ss 8 also looked at Tang Bingyao like they¡¯d seen a ghost. Did this girl have what it took to y such a domineering champion?

    Lin Feng felt a deep admiration for Tang Bingyao. After all, Draven required a lot of skill to y. He wasn¡¯t like an ordinary ad-carry where all you needed to do was auto attack. Most of his damage came from his first skill, Spinning Axe, which greatly empowered his auto attacks. The spinning axes would bounce off any enemies it hit before falling back to the ground. The yer needed to catch the spinning axes to continue the activation of the skill.

    A skilled Draven yer could easily catch all their spinning axes, empowering their every auto attack. This meant his damage output could potentially be more than double that of any other ad-carry! In other words, by the time an enemy got you down to half health, you would¡¯ve already killed them! However, those that could y Draven well were few and far between. Lin Feng curiously gazed at Tang Bingyao. He wanted to find out just how skilled this earnest-looking girl was at Draven.

    The five yers from ss 8 instantly stirred when they saw the Draven locked in. As they loaded into the game, one of them couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Draven? Is this a joke? Does she think she¡¯s some kind of pro?¡±

    The ad-carry from ss 8 confidently chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s up to me to put her in her ce.¡± He had picked Caitlyn, who had one of the longest attack ranges among all the ad-carries. This allowed her to easily bully her opponents in the earlyning phase.

    The spectators from ss 8 started heckling.

    ¡°Maybe she meant to go support but forgot to trade? Go easy on her, haha!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t wanna make her cry.¡±

    ¡°Show her we¡¯re true gentlemen, guys!¡±

    Over on the side of ss 7, Ren Rou frowned. She red at the guys from ss 8. ¡°So what if she¡¯s a girl? Are you saying that girls can¡¯t y ad-carry? That all we¡¯re good for is support? Who made that rule? Just watch! Tang Bingyao is going to wipe the floor with your botne!¡±

    The guys from ss 8 erupted into boisterousughter. No matter how they looked at it, they couldn¡¯t take Ren Rou¡¯s words seriously. As far as they knew, girls weren¡¯t particrly good at League. Most stuck to the support role, and even then, they chose easy-to-y champions and relied on their ad-carries to win them the game. So how was this possibly a fair matchup? A random girl versus their ss legend, a tinum 3 ad-carry on the Ionia server!

    Infuriated, Ren Rou gnashed her teeth. She lowered her head next to Tang Bingyao¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°You can do it! I believe in you! Make those boys from ss 8 eat their words!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t even the least bit bothered. She looked at Ren Rou and gave her a nod,pletely focused and serious. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ?

    How formidable was a girl who approached everything she faced with such intensity? Tang Bingyao reminded Lin Feng of another female League of Legends yer, someone he knew from way back in Season 1. Under today¡¯s ranking system, she would¡¯ve been at least Diamond 3.

    That girl, she was determined, always focused on the bigger goal, and a very tolerant personality. Whenever she ended up in a game with toxic teammates or people who tilted easily and then tried to tilt the others, she would always proactively mediate. She always managed to help turn her team back into a team, and then turned a losing game around.

    There was only one instance that Lin Feng could remember where a teammate managed to push her over the edge. This particr teammate, they were feeding more than anyone else on the team but still med everyone else on the team for losing the game. This continued on and on. Then it finally got to the point where the girl had enough. This teammate was going off on another teammate yet again, and she decided it was time to tell him to shut up. ¡°I know you think you¡¯re helping. But if you really want to help us win this game, leave. Just leave. The four of us can win this without you.¡± The toxic yer ended up leaving the game, which proved to be a blessing for the team. The girl¡¯s intensity zed as she shifted her focus to winning. That¡¯s when she popped off with her Lenc, caught the enemy team¡¯s backline off-guard multiple times and hard-carried her team to a victory. This girl taught Lin Feng a valuable lesson. He would never underestimate a female yer again, nor would he look down on them.

    Single-minded intensity, that¡¯s what made the girl special and more than just a skilled yer. Everyone focused while ying the game, it was an essential part of ying. But most people, even skilled yers, had bursts of focus. Not that girl, though. The same thing was true of Tang Bingyao, which is what reminded Lin Feng of the other girl. She gave every single action and minute of gamey her full attention.

    ?

    Lin Feng watched Tang Bingyao with rapt attention as she bought her starting items and left the fountain. He rubbed his chin. Hmm. I kinda feel bad for ss 8¡¯s botne.

    His analysis soon proved correct. Before the game even reached the three-minute mark, the game announcer¡¯s voice rang out.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>First blood!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    Tang Bingyao prepped two spinning axes on the first minion wave. Then, as soon as she hit Level 2, she activated Blood Rush[1] and went in on the Caitlyn. As soon as her first spinning axe hit the enemy and bounced into the air, she pressed down on her Q key, allowing her to briefly juggle three spinning axes at once as she melted away the Caitlyn¡¯s health.

    The students from ss 8 were stupefied.

    Ren Rou was the first to break the silence as she erupted in cheers. ¡°Oh my god! Tang Tang, that was amazing!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. Ah, I hate to admit it, but that is £¤80 well spent. He¡¯d been paying close attention to Tang Bingyao¡¯s gamey. At Level 1, she didn¡¯t bother trying to trade. However, as soon as she hit Level 2, she went in on the Caitlyn. From catching every single spinning axe to making full use of the movement speed and attack speed boost from Blood Rush, she yed it perfectly. And she made short work of the Caitlyn.

    While the students from ss 7 erupted into cheers, Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t so much as smile. Her focus was wholly on the game.

    The ad-carry from ss 8 gnashed his teeth. ¡°I made a small misy! It won¡¯t happen again!¡± A promise he would break within minutes.

    The game was barely five minutes old when Draven led her team to another kill on the enemy ad-carry as well as the support.

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>An enemy has been in!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    <strong>¡¶</strong><strong>Double kill!</strong><strong>¡·</strong>

    The guys from ss 8 shut their mouths. Their ad-carry¡¯s face was flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

    None of this affected Tang Bingyao as she waspletely focused on the game. Her gaze remained unwavering, almost as if she¡¯dpletely tuned out everything going on around her. She continued controlling her Draven to carry out a ughter in botne.

    At the eight-minute mark, Draven¡¯s KDA was 6/0/2! Even the students from ss 7 were dumbstruck, pinching their arms in doubt. Who could¡¯ve thought the normally calm and quiet bookworm was such an amazing Draven!?

    At the 12-minute mark, Draven picked up a quadra kill! None of the enemy champions could stand in his way. Even their tanky topne Darius melted away in a few auto attacks.

    At the 15-minute mark, Draven¡¯s ughter path still showed no signs of slowing down. Tang Bingyao had picked up 14 kills in total! The spectators were speechless, their mouths hanging down. ss 8¡¯s bottomne hadpletely copsed.

    The more Lin Feng watched, the more his expression lit up. Rubbing his chin, he made a decision, a wonderful and the only logical decision! Ah, I really want to y with you! Just this once, I¡¯ll forgive you for snatching away my chance to y!

    1. Draven gains increased Movement Speed and Attack Speed. The Movement Speed bonus decreases rapidly over its duration. Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush.

 Chapter 11: 1 million!

    When the game reached the 20-minute mark, ss 8 unanimously voted to surrender. Theplexion of their five yers were pale-white, traces of fear still lingering in their eyes. When they had started the surrender vote, Tang Bingyao¡¯s 17-kill Draven was already on the verge of ughtering her way into the fountain.

    A momentter, the aura surrounding the red nexus warped violently before exploding into a flurry of brilliance. Arge blue victory screen appeared over the ruins of the enemy nexus.

    ¡°We won!¡± The students from ss 7 broke out into cheers. Tang Bingyao¡¯s four teammates were also all smiles. Ouyang shot up from his seat and basked in the cheers of his ssmates as if he were a hero returning home from a glorious victory. ¡°Haha! That was too easy! I didn¡¯t even get a chance to show off my skills, and they already surrendered!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and gave Ouyang the side eye. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because you didn¡¯t do anything. We got hard-carried by Tang Bingyao.¡±

    ¡°Hey! How can you say that! I ganked bottomne a bunch of times! She got so fed partly thanks to me!¡± Ouyang unhappily countered.

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t go bot, Tang Tang would¡¯ve still easily won herne.¡± She turned to Tang Bingyao with a smile. ¡°Right?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°Mhm, he didn¡¯t need toe gank botne.¡±

    ¡°Gghhh!¡± Ouyang nearly choked. He then scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Come on, Tang Tang. You didn¡¯t have to say it so bluntly¡­¡±

    With this easy win, the students from ss 7 were in high spirits. Watching the students from ss 8 leave the inte cafe in dejection, Ren Rou suggested, ¡°How about we celebrate? There¡¯s a barbecue stand around the corner!¡±

    This friendly match against ss 8 was just an excuse to hang out after ss. The fact that they won was a bonus. So, even though most of the students had already eaten dinner, of course they would still go celebrate.

    While everyone else was cheering, the MVP of thispetition shook her head. ¡°You guys go on ahead. I¡¯ll stay here a little longer.¡±

    ¡°How can you note? You¡¯re the reason we¡¯re celebrating in the first ce! It won¡¯t be the same without you!¡± Ren Rou persuaded.

    But Tang Bingyao adamantly declined. ¡°No need. Just pay me my appearance fee.¡±

    This was the second time Tang Bingyao mentioned something about an appearance fee. Ren Rou instantly turned to Ouyang, practically shooting daggers at him. ¡°Tell me! Just what is this about?¡±

    Ouyang immediately broke out in a cold sweat as he gave a hollow chuckle. ¡°Ahaha¡­ Rou Rou, no need to re at me like that, I might start thinking you have the hots for me. H-haahaha¡­. Listen, I''ll exin it to youter. Yeah, for sure,ter!¡±

    The students from ss 7 gradually left the inte cafe, still in hot discussion about the match. Ouyang¡¯s voice reached over all as he proudly stated how his ganks were the reason Tang Bingyao dominated herne, and the game.

    Meanwhile, Tang Bingyao stayed behind, as did Lin Feng. This was because his interest in the barbeque couldn¡¯tpare to his interest in this girl. He watched her sit back down in front of herputer. It looked like she nned to continue ying. So, he plopped down in the chair next to her and enthusiastically greeted, ¡°Hi! You were really good!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng, slightly confused, before saying, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the new transfer student.¡± Finding his eyes locked onto her, she stared back at him and asked, ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to y another game? Ranked?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    ¡°Can I watch?¡± Lin Feng asked, his voice bubbling over with excitement.

    Tang Bingyao shook her head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t like it when people watch me y.¡±

    ¡°But, just now...¡± Lin Feng frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I was being paid,¡± Tang Bingyao patiently exined.

    ¡°Oh! So if I pay you a viewing fee, does that mean I can watch you y ranked?¡±

    Tang Bingyao thought for a moment before sticking up two fingers. ¡°£¤20.¡±

    ¡°£¤20¡­?¡± Lin Feng rummaged through his pockets, but he only pulled out a £¤5 note and a few £¤1 coins. He frowned. ¡°I forgot to bring money with me¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. Then, she stared at Lin Feng, patiently waiting for him to leave.

    However, Lin Feng¡¯s butt showed no signs of moving. He suddenly thought of something and happily suggested, ¡°How about we 1v1? If I win, you let me watch!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wrinkled her brows. ¡°£¤40 fee.¡±

    ¡°If I lose, I¡¯ll pay you £¤40. If I win, you¡¯ll let me watch. How does that sound?¡±

    Tang Bingyao frowned. ¡°But you don¡¯t have £¤40.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t lose!¡± Lin Feng pounded his chest.

    Tang Bingyao kindly reminded him, ¡°I¡¯m really good at this game.¡±

    Lin Fengughed. ¡°I am too!¡±

    ?

    After some more back and forth, the two came to an agreement. They created a lobby and both picked an ad-carry. Tang Bingyao yed on the blue team. She chose Draven again, while Lin Feng went with Caitlyn.

    ording to the standard rules of a 1v1, the winner was the yer who got first blood, reached 100 creep score first, or destroyed the enemy¡¯s tower. Lin Feng fulfilled the third condition seven minutes into the game. He achieved his victory through slow and methodical pushing.

    ¡°I won!¡± Lin Feng eximed in delight as the enemy¡¯s tower copsed into a pile of rubble.

    Tang Bingyao stared at the ruined tower in a daze. She rubbed her eyes, not sure she could believe them. It felt like the match ended before it had even started.

    ¡°Hey, hey! I won the bet! That means I can watch you y, right?¡± Lin Feng happily eximed.

    Tang Bingyao snapped out of her daze. She stared at Lin Feng, looking him up and down. ¡°You¡¯re really good,¡± she finally said.

    ¡°Of course I am! Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Lin Feng proudly harrumphed.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re really good. Like, way better than I am.¡± Tang Bingyao shook her head. ¡°Since you¡¯re already so good, why do you want to watch me y?¡±

    This was a reasonable question. Lin Feng rubbed his chin for a bit, then replied with a smile, ¡°That¡¯ll cost you an answer fee!¡±

    ¡°Answer fee¡­?¡± Tang Bingyao asked in a daze. ¡°How much?¡±

    Lin Feng stuck out one finger with a solemn expression. ¡°£¤1 million!¡±

 Chapter 12: Top 3 Ad-Carries in China

    Tang Bingyao naturally didn¡¯t have the £¤1 million to pay Lin Feng his answer fee. But a bet was a bet, and so she let Lin Feng sit next to her and watch her y. After queuing up for a match, she turned to him and asked, ¡°Why did it feel like I could never hit you during our 1v1?¡±

    In the match against ss 8, Tang Bingyao had crushed their Caitlyn with her Draven. However, when she faced Lin Feng¡¯s Caitlyn, the oue waspletely different. She¡¯d learned Spinning Axe at level 1 and tried to get in some early harass on him. Draven¡¯s empowered auto-attacks with Spinning Axe dealt a ton of damage. Even if she traded blow for blow with Caitlyn, he¡¯d stille out on top. But, no matter how she tried, she never found an opportunity to attack Lin Feng. If this were only once or twice, she could brush it off as mere coincidence. But from the moment she arrived inne to when her tower was destroyed, she could count with her fingers the number of times she managed tond a hit on him. More often than not, she would end up taking a hit or two from Caitlyn while out of range to counterattack.

    It was almost as if Lin Feng could tell what she was going to do in advance. Tang Bingyao had never encountered this kind of situation before, even against Diamond 1 yers. Complete suppression. She had no clue how he did it.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression, then replied, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m really good!¡±

    Tang Bingyao was taken aback as a dazed expression surfaced on her face. She was not expecting this kind of answer. However, it wasn¡¯t that Lin Feng wasn¡¯t willing to answer, but rather that it was too troublesome to exin.

    There were many variables that decided the oue of a 1v1 between ad-carries. When merely taking the two champions in consideration, the main goal was tond hits without being hit in return. This was done by catching the enemy out of position or when they were focused onst hitting minions. The best way to find these opportunities was to dive into the opponent¡¯s mind and read their next move. Of course, this exnation only began to scratch the surface, so Lin Feng chose to give the easy answer. ¡°The better yer wins.¡±

    Tang Bingyao entered champion select. She no longer questioned Lin Feng, turning her full attention to the game. The third and fourth pick on the enemy team locked in Vayne and Leona as their bottomne duo. In response, she chose her pocket pick, Draven.

    ¡°Draven again?¡± Lin Feng eximed in surprise. Then, he curiously stared at her. ¡°Why do you like ying him so much?¡± From his experience, most girls liked to y ad-carries like Caitlyn and Jinx, or even Teemo every now and then. He rarely ever saw girls picking aggressive champions like Draven.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s easier to win with him,¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    Tang Bingyao had a valid point here. A good Draven yer could easily solo carry games in low elo.

    ¡°Do you not y other champions like Caitlyn or Jinx at all?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°No. They take too long to scale. So, it¡¯s harder to carry with them.¡±

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t ying the same champion all the time get boring?¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head. ¡°Not really. As long as I can get kills, it¡¯s fine. Plus, you climb faster this way.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you like to climb?¡±

    ¡°No. It means I can move onto the next order.¡±

    Huh? Next order? Slowly, the dots started connecting together for Lin Feng. He stared at Tang Bingyao and eximed in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re elo boosting?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded nonchantly.

    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Feng asked in bewilderment.

    ¡°Because it pays well,¡± Tang Bingyao answered matter-of-factly.

    Lin Feng recalled the appearance fee, viewer fee, and 1v1 fee. It all made sense now. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Wow, you really do like money.¡±

    ?

    When Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven spawned in the fountain, she bought her starting items and then headed toward bottomne.

    ¡°The enemy ad-carry is a Vayne. It¡¯s a fairly easy match-up for you. You can easily bully her early game,¡± Lin Feng analyzed.

    Tang Bingyao nodded in agreement.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s partner in bottomne was Nami, the Tidecaller. This mermaid champion was an excellent support, with great sustain and crowd control. With just this, she was already a beloved support of any aggressive ad-carry. But to make it even better, she could also help her ad-carry deal additional damage and slow the enemy.

    Two minutes into the game, the minion waves shed in bottomne. Tang Bingyao prepped her two spinning axes and started to look for opportunities to harass the enemy botne duo.

    Lin Feng nodded in approval.

    The Vayne appeared to be pretty good. She maintained a safe distance from the Draven and steadily farmed the minions. That said, Vayne¡¯s attack range was simply too short. Every time she went up tost-hit a minion, she would end up eating an auto attack or two from Draven. Even if Vayne tried trading back, Draven would stille out ahead.

    After both sides reached Level 2, Tang Bingyao started harassing the Vayne more aggressively, steadily building up a health advantage. Then, when she hit Level 3, she activated Blood Rush and engaged on Vayne.

    Leona tried to intercept Draven with Zenith de. A sr ray shot out of her sword, straight at her target.

    Not showing even a ripple of panic on her face, Tang Bingyao immediately pressed down on the E key on her keyboard.

    BANG! Two spinning axes whistled forward and knocked Leona out of her Zenith de!

    Tang Bingyao chased after the Vayne, continuously moving between her attacks to catch her spinning axes.

    Lin Feng¡¯s face lit up the more he watched. ¡°Awesome! You''re really good!¡±

    Vayne was forced to blow her sh to escape. However, Tang Bingyao followed after her with a sh of her own and finished off the Vayne with onest auto attack.

    ¡°Nice y!¡± Lin Feng eximed in admiration.

    Tang Bingyao cheerfully epted the praise.

    ?

    In the gaming house of a professional esports team in central Shanghai, a young man stared at his screen in slight shock. It was greyed out. "Wow..." he mumbled.

    A teammate sitting next to him couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Hey, hey. How did a top 3 ad-carry in China get solo-killed by a tinum 1 scrub? Haha! Imagine if this got posted online Nightsong!¡±

    Nightsong brushed it off with a chuckle. ¡°I got distracted there, and a little careless.¡± He turned his attention back to the Draven as his lips curved into a smile. ¡°Watch me. I just need to get a little serious.¡±

    1. A pocket pick refers to a yer''s go-to champion that they y very well.

 Chapter 13: Feeling the Pressure

    ¡°Vayne learned Silver Bolts at Level 2. If she had picked Condemn instead, she would¡¯ve survived,¡± Lin Feng analyzed.

    Vayne had three basic skills. Her first skill was Tumble, which was a short range dash that empowered her next basic attack; the second was Silver Bolts, which dealt bonus true damage on every third consecutive hit on a target; and the third was Condemn, which knocked a target back and stunned them if they collided with terrain.

    ¡°She was too careless,¡± Lin Feng concluded.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She knew just as well as Lin Feng that against an aggressive champion like Draven, Vayne had an easier time inne if she learned Condemn at Level 2. This left her an escape tool when the opponent reached Level 3 early or tried to hard engage.

    Tang Bingyao pushed out the wave before recalling back to base, where she bought two long swords before rushing back tone.

    ¡°You want to build a Sword of the ult?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    ¡°Wow, so confident!¡± Lin Feng gasped in admiration.

    The Sword of the ult was a special item. Its base stats were nothing special. However, for every assist or kill, you would gain one or two stacks respectively, up to a maximum of 20 stacks. Every stack increased attack damage by five. So, the more you killed, the stronger you became.

    However, there was one major drawback. You would lose half your stacks after dying. So, building this kind of item was a risky gamble. Only those who were really confident in their skills would dare to. In this case, not only did Tang Bingyao have the confidence in herself, but the item was also quitepatible with Draven.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s fine too. Vayne seems pretty so-so. Building a Sword of the ult is a pretty good choice in my opinion.¡±

    Based on the Vayne¡¯s gamey, Lin Feng estimated they were probably a low Diamond yer, which was honestly pretty high up there in terms of rank. However, he rated Tang Bingyao higher.

    Ouyang believed Tang Bingyao was only tinum 1. But the ount he looked up didn¡¯t belong to Tang Bingyao. She was just boosting it. Lin Feng didn¡¯t know what Tang Bingyao¡¯s actual rank was. However, he had already seen enough to get a rough gauge of her skill level. Purely in terms of game mechanics, she was probably around Diamond 3, maybe even Diamond 2.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s reaction speed and control with her mouse were impable. Combined with a mechanic-heavy champion like Draven, it was a match made in heaven. So, as long as she yed Draven, she could easily carry her way from tinum to Diamond. This match was likely also in the bag.

    By the time Tang Bingyao returned tone, Vayne was already back and farming the minion wave. Seeing the Draven return with two long swords, Nightsong couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m being looked down on.¡±

    Nightsong easily guessed what item the Draven was going to build. But he didn¡¯t take offense. He had been a bit absent-minded earlier, which led to him giving away first blood. Now, however, he was nning to y a bit more seriously.

    In all of China, only a handful of yers could stand up to him when he yed seriously. This was quite the arrogant promation, but he had the qualifications to back these words up. He was Nightsong, Bleakwinter Nightsong, one of the top three professional ad-carry-yers in all of China.

    ?

    As the battle in botne resumed, Lin Feng noticed something off. ¡°Huh?¡± The Vayne¡¯s movement and ystyle hadpletely changed! She now yed much better, nearly wlessly!

    Tang Bingyao also knitted her brows. ¡°I can¡¯t find any openings.¡± She had encountered this kind of situation before when she 1v1¡¯d Lin Feng earlier. But that was against a Caitlyn who held an attack range advantage, allowing for much more leeway in positioning. In contrast, Vayne had one of the shortest ranges amongst all ad-carries. So, for Nightsong to pull the same feat as Lin Feng was an incredible achievement.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. ¡°This Vayne really upped her game...!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°It¡¯s like apletely different person is ying.¡±

    Having secured first blood with her Draven, Tang Bingyao still held the advantage in thene. Slowly, the minion wave started pushing towards the red team¡¯s tower. As they pushed beyond the halfway line, danger reared its head. The enemy Lee Sin came from the river for a gank!

    Lee Sin popped out of the river entrance brush and threw a Sonic Wave at Draven. Tang Bingyao was a step toote and got hit.

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°You misyed there. You could¡¯ve sidestepped that.¡±

    Activating the second part of Sonic Wave, Lee Sin came flying towards Draven. This time, Tang Bingyao did react quickly. She threw out her spinning axes with Stand Aside and knocked Lee Sin out of the air mid-dash.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s reaction speed and reflexes were outstanding. However, with Stand Aside on cooldown, the enemy Leona seized the opportunity to engage with Zenith de. A ray of light shot out of her de as she flew toward Draven. Then, she struck him with her Shield of Daybreak, stunning him.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s sh was still on cooldown from the previous kill on Vayne. She had no way of escaping. So, she tried to trade a kill for a kill. But Leona targeted her with Exhaust, neutering her damage. Her health quickly depleted before Vaynended the final hit.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s screen went gray.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve backed away earlier. Lee showed up on the minimap before entering that brush,¡± Lin Feng advised from the side.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Tang Bingyao asked in slight annoyance.

    ¡°Because you weren¡¯t paying me to?¡± Lin Feng countered with a bright smile.

    Tang Bingyao thought for a moment before agreeing she had thising.

    Lin Feng stared at the Vayne with a pensive look on his face. It looked like Vayne had the kill delivered to her on a silver tter, with Leona and Lee Sin having done most of the work. However, the reality was much moreplex, notably with how the minion wave stopped close to the enemy tower.

    Over the next few minutes, the situation in botne settled down, with neither side getting any more kills. However, Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t content with simply farming evenly with the Vayne. She was ying Draven, a hyper-aggressivener who was supposed to be getting kills left and right in the early game! Yet, this Vayne didn¡¯t give her a single opportunity to engage.

    Tang Bingyao pursed her lips. Even though she didn¡¯t voice it, she was slowly starting to feel the pressure. Vayne hadn¡¯t started going off yet, but she still felt a weird sense of urgency creeping in on her, like she was gradually losing control. She couldn¡¯t shake off this suffocating feeling. It was the same pressure she felt in her 1v1 against Lin Feng.

 Chapter 14: Come at me!

    Seven minutes into the game, the situation at botne was rtively calm. There were no signs of any fights breaking out. Both ad-carries appeared content farming minions and scaling. However, Tang Bingyao was slowly being out-CSed. Over these past few minutes, Vayne had seized an eight CS lead on her, and the two were rtively even in health. This was especially surprising since Tang Bingyao¡¯s support had a heal in her kit. Not only had she failed to seize any kind of advantage, but she''d also been forced on the back foot over thest few trades.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ this is frustrating.¡± Tang Bingyao frowned.

    ¡°Yeah, this Vayne is really good. She¡¯s much better than you.¡± Lin Feng nodded.

    Generally speaking, if you were a one-trick pony Draven, even if you were only a Diamond 3 or 4 yer, you could still gain an advantage on other Diamond 1 or 2 ad-carries. However, that advantage was lost if the difference in skill exceeded an entire tier. An opponent much more skilled than you could easily keep you at bay, nullifying most of the advantages Draven enjoyed and preventing you from scaling. This only got worse the longer it went on.

    Lin Feng¡¯s gaze fell on the enemy Vayne. Her summoner name was First Tyrant. He had never heard of this name before. This person had to be smurfing. He was sure of it. Vayne was a Master or Challenger-rank yer, or else they wouldn¡¯t bening so wlessly. ¡°A hunter masquerading as a pig to hunt the tiger, huh?¡± Lin Feng remarked, his eyes shining brightly. His interest was piqued.

    ?

    Eight minutes into the game, both supports happened to recall back to base at the same time, leaving the two Level 6 ad-carries alone in botne. When the minion wave stopped in the middle of thene, the Vayne headed to the river, looking like she was going to ward.

    Tang Bingyao immediately followed her. Sure enough, Vayne ced down a green ward next to the dragon pit. As she was about to head back tone, Draven flung an axe at her. Tang Bingyao had already prepared two spinning des in thene beforehand.

    Draven versus Vayne! Round three!

    Vayne was quick to respond, activating Final Hour. The Night Hunter shrouded in darkness, then raised her crossbow and fired back at Draven.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s gaze radiated absolute focus. She activated Whirling Death, flinging two massive spinning axes towards Vayne. Too hasty. There was still enough distance between her and the Vayne. She¡¯d given her enemy the time to dodge. And dodge Vayne did.

    Even so, a Draven with two spinning axes wasn''t to be trifled with. Vayne¡¯s health plummeted as the two exchanged attacks.

    Almost as if under Vayne¡¯s conscious lead, the two ad-carries were getting closer and closer to each other. The mes of battle grew hotter and hotter! As Vayne¡¯s health fell dangerously low, she raised the big crossbow on her back and fired out a giant bolt! At the same time, a sh of light illuminated the river as she disappeared, then reappeared behind Draven! The giant bolt struck Draven in the back, then sent him ruthlessly crashing into the wall. Stunned!

    This single moment decided the victor and loser of this duel. Vayne had executed a high level technique and walked out the winner.

    Tang Bingyao was caughtpletely off guard as she stared dumbly at the grey screen. Her hands came to aplete halt, resting on her mouse and keyboard.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Draveny dead on the riverbed. A solo kill. She stared at her screen in a daze. A trace of seldom-seen shock lingered in her eyes. This Vayne¡­ She was really, really good! Tang Bingyao agreed with Lin Feng¡¯s remark before. This Vayne was strong! It wasn¡¯t until now that she realized just how big the gap between them was. It was far bigger than she had ever imagined!

    Recalling the final moments of the fight, Tang Bingyao still felt cold sweat dripping down the back of her neck. This was the first time she¡¯d encountered an opponent whopletely outssed her. She stubbornly bit her lips, her eyes still shining brightly with fighting spirit. She admitted the opponent was far out of her league, but she wouldn¡¯t concede that easily. This wasn¡¯t a matter of pride, but rather a personality trait of hers. Perseverance. Just because the odds were slim, that didn¡¯t mean all was lost! She still wanted to give it a try. As long as she put in more effort...

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re not going to beat him,¡± Lin Feng¡¯s frank, even rude words rang out in her ear.

    Tang Bingyao turned to Lin Feng, staring at him.

    Lin Feng awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡±

    Tang Bingyao forcefully nodded. The resoluteness of this petite girl was cute and moving.

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s a fact you¡¯re not her match.¡±

    Tang Bingyao lightly pouted and whispered in an unresigned tone, ¡°I want to try again.¡±

    ¡°You can, but it¡¯s useless. Your biggest strengths are your reaction speed and mechanics, but they both lose out to that Vayne''s. Also, her grasp of timing, map awareness, minion wave control, and everything else are better than yours. Even if you try again, you have no chance of winning.¡± Lin Feng paused and stared at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Being earnest is a good thing, being stubborn isn¡¯t.¡±

    Tang Bingyao no longer tried to argue. She agreed with Lin Feng¡¯s assessment, but she still felt a trace of unwillingness in her heart.

    Suddenly, Lin Feng broke into a chuckle, then inched closer to Tang Bingyao with a mysterious smile. ¡°Want to know what you can do to win?¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes lit up as she vigorously nodded.

    Lin Feng patted his chest and confidently dered, ¡°Here, switch ces with me. Watch me y for a bit, and you¡¯ll know.¡±

    Tang Bingyao was stunned, but still shook her head.

    ¡°What, you don¡¯t believe in me?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Tang Bingyao hesitated before shaking her head again. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    Lin Feng was bewildered for a moment, then smacked his forehead. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s fine! You¡¯re worried about a teaching fee, a carry fee? Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll do it free of charge!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had Draven rush back to botne. He turned to Tang Bingyao, his eyes zing with spirit. ¡°Watch closely. This lesson I¡¯m giving you is worth £¤1 million!¡± He then paused for a moment and thought it over. ¡°Hmm, £¤1 million is a bit of an exaggeration, let¡¯s say £¤10,000!¡±

    Tang Bingyao earnestly stared at Lin Feng. A knot tightened in her stomach. Perhaps it was a mistake to put her faith in him.

    Lin Feng was already raring to go. His eighth-grader syndrome started ring as he started narrating an epic scene to immerse himself in the game. ¡°An axe spinning in hand, possessing an ice-cold metallic lustre. The heavy stench of blood permeates the air. A figure standing next to a pile of countless corpses leaps high into the air, his armour glittering brilliantly under the golden rays of the sun. A thunderous cheer rocks the surroundings as a hoarse and malevolent cry rings out.

    ¡°WELCOME¡­ TO THE LEAAAGUE OF DRAAAAVEN!¡±

    As Draven arrived at the outer tower, Vayne came walking back tone as well. The two faced off.

    In the gaming house of a certain top LPL team in Shanghai, Nightsong knitted his brows. He didn¡¯t know why, but he just felt his heart skip a beat, as if a faint sense of danger washed over him.

    In the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng¡¯s desire to battle zed brightly!

    1. ying on a second ount at a lower rank.

 Chapter 15: Slaughter! Slaughter to no End!

    Behind the screen, Nightsong¡¯s eyelids faintly twitched. He felt an indescribable pressure. His senses were screaming danger, but for the first time he doubted them and wondered if he was just being paranoid.

    As the seconds passed, Nightsong noticed a clear change. Ever since Draven returned tone, it was almost as if a new yer sat behind the monitor. He was mildly surprised by Draven¡¯s reflexes and mechanics before, but it stopped there. Now, however, he felt a genuine threat. An unadulterated feeling of danger encroached on him!

    Nightsong was well aware of how frightening a fed Draven could be. So, he¡¯d leveraged his superior mechanics and game sense to suppress Tang Bingyao in the earlyning phase, not giving her any opportunity to harass or engage. The longer thening phasested, the further she¡¯d fall behind and the more frustrated she¡¯d grow as he outscaled her.

    Now, though, Nightsong found that he couldn¡¯t pressure this Draven anymore. The enemy came out swinging with a domineering ystyle that made his heart skip a beat, as if he were being assailed by an endless bloodthirst and ferocity! As if death wasing for him!

    At this moment, Leona engaged on Lin Feng with Zenith de, but he easily knocked her out of the air mid-dash with Stand Aside. He immediately punished her for the misy with an onught of spinning axes.

    Lin Feng hacked away at Leona¡¯s health in chunks! Just as it looked like he was about to go all in for the kill, he backed away, the intense killing intent he radiatedpletely vanishing like a fleeting cloud.

    Nightsong¡¯s eyelids twitched more violently. He sensed an iparable threat. A Draven who only knew how to turn it up to 11 and nothing else was nothing to be afraid of. However, one that was aware of his limits and knew exactly when to back away the moment they aplished their goal¡ªwell, that kind of self-control even moved a top 3 ad-carry like him. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many people in the entirety of China could y Draven to this level. But there was no time to think right now.

    Shortly after backing away, Draven turned around again and rushed forward without so much as a warning. The frightening killing intent manifested itself again, and the prey was the low-health Leona!

    A spinning axe whirled through the air and struck Leona, ringing out with the gutteral sound of metal teeth digging into flesh as blood sprayed out!

    Lin Feng had immersed himself fully into the game, his eyes shining feverishly with excitement and bloodlust. He perfectly embodied the spirit of the Glorious Executioner.

    ¡°Hit ''em where it hurts.

    ¡°Hear that? Death''s knocking.¡±

    Suddenly, a hoarse and malevolentughter rang out, melding together with the sound of whirling axes flying ruthlessly towards their hapless victim! A cacophony of spinning axes danced in the sky! A tableau of blood stters dyed the earth!

    Blood Rush activated, Draven gained a burst of movement speed! Throw a spinning axe, catch it, move, and throw another spinning axe, catch it, then throw another and catch another! Spinning axes flew wildly in the air, Draven catching each and every one of them without fail in a dizzying and unending cycle. Who knew how fast a yer had to move their mouse to keep up with this kind of tempo!

    The poor tinum 1 Leona waspletely stupefied. However, she still tried onest gamble by throwing down a Sr re at the pursuing Draven. A brilliant golden radiance erupted below his feet.

    ¡°Heh! You¡¯ll have to aim your ult better than that!¡± Lin Feng cackled, ovepping with Draven¡¯s hoarseughter in the game.

    Lin Feng pressed down on his W key, activating Blood Rush again. The burst of movement speed allowed him to evade the Sre Fare. Then, he turned back around and continued his pursuit!

    Shit, this Leona¡­! Nightsong knitted his brows. He had his Vayne go up to lend aid, firing silver bolts at the Draven while continuously repositioning himself. Right now, his Condemn was the only thing that could save his support. But it couldn¡¯t just be the knock-back, he needed to send Draven colliding into a wall for the stun effect.

    When Nightsong got close enough, he nked Draven with a Tumble before mming down on his E key. Vayne pulled out therge crossbow strapped to her back.

    In that split-second, Lin Feng had also mmed down on his E key! A pair of whirling axes flew straight toward Vayne.

    The two axes knocked the Vayne back to her position just before she tumbled! Then, the giant bolt mmed into Draven. He was knocked back, but the Condemn failed to pin him to a wall. Without the stun, there was no stopping him from killing Leona!

    Lin Feng pressed down on his D key. With a sh of light, Draven shed forward. It was perfectly timed as he happened to catch a spinning axe falling back to the ground, refreshing the cooldown of Blood Rush.

    Nothing could stop Draven from mowing down Leona. One spinning axe after another struck her before bouncing back into the air in almost mesmerising fashion.

    Sitting right beside Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes glinted with a peculiar light as waves of shock continuously battered at her heart. She inexplicably felt goosebumps all over her body, almost as if Draven¡¯s intense bloodlust from the game were leaking out into the real world. She gulped, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

    Draven couldn¡¯t be stopped! There was no escaping once he had his sights set on his prey! He and his spinning axes would cut down any obstacle! ughter! ughter to no end!

    Onest auto-attack chunked away the remaining sliver of Leona¡¯s health bar.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    A shower of golden coins rained down on Draven! This was Draven¡¯s passive, a gold reward for killing the enemy. The adoring cheers of a boisterous crowd could be heard in the background. Domineering and matchless!

    ¡°LEAAAAGUE OF DRAAAVEN!¡±

    Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, a bright smile stretching across his face. ¡°This is what I¡¯m talking about!¡±

    1. Every time Draven catches a spinning axe, the cooldown on Blood Rush resets.

 Chapter 16: Eh? Guess Iâ€™m Busted

    In the gaming house of a certain LPL team, Nightsong¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched the enemy Draven on his screen. A faint ember flickered in his eyes. The aura around him changed. He sat up a bit on his seat and straightened his lower back. Now, he was really taking the game seriously.

    A bead of sweat dripped down from Nightsong¡¯s brow. He was feeling the pressure from this Draven, a type of threat that could onlye from a worthy opponent. Another pro¡­? His eyes shed with a peculiar light. This Draven clearly wasn¡¯t some ordinary tinum yer. They were at the very least at the top of Diamond 1, maybe even a Master or Challenger. He didn¡¯t expect to match up against this kind of opponent while casually messing around on his smurf. His lips faintly curved upward. This game had suddenly be interesting.

    Despite not knowing the true identity of the other side and the fact this was only a tinum game, both Nightsong and Lin Feng decided to give it their all. They would hold nothing back!

    At about 10 minutes into the game, a team fight broke out near the dragon pit. Lin Feng had his Draven enter the fightte when the enemy team¡¯s focus was on his jungler. Spinning axes danced through the air as he continuously threw and caught them. He exploded with damage.

    Momentster, a silhouette shrouded in darkness appeared from behind. Vayne snuck into the back line with Final Hour and targeted Draven with Condemn, catching himpletely off guard. A thick,rge bolt rocketed toward him!

    The Glorious Executioner was sent crashing into the dragon pit wall, stunned.

    Got him! Nightsong¡¯s lips curved into a smile.

    Draven lost one of his spinning axes, which was a huge blow to his damage output. But when Lin Feng broke free from the stun, he still continued to deal considerable damage.

    In the end, both ad-carries picked up double kills. Be it in terms of teamfight contribution or level and items, they were equally matched.

    ?

    This stalemate between the Glorious Executioner and Night Hunter continued. One side was the epitome of domineering, wildly ughtering anything in his path. The other was ghostly, dancing around the edge of the battlefield, and always striking at the most opportune moment.

    ¡°Hear that? Death''s knocking!¡± Draven cackled sinisterly.

    ¡°Let us hunt those who have fallen to darkness,¡± Vayne proimed solemnly.

    A heated sh between executioner and hunter!

    Tang Bingyao earnestly observed Lin Feng ying, shock flickering in her eyes from time to time. The skills disyed by these two ad-carries were awe-inspiring!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes shone brighter and brighter, growing increasingly fervent the more he yed! A strong opponent, one that stood at the apex! He originally believed the Vayne was a Master or Challenger-tier yer. But now? Now he was certain their skills reached the level of a professional!

    Honestly speaking, Lin Feng had to admit his skills as an ad-carry fell short to the opponent¡¯s. It was just that a champion like Draven was crude but effective. As long as he continued catching axes and dealing damage, there really wasn¡¯t much more skill required. This was why he could go toe-to-toe with the Vayne.

    As the game continued, Lin Feng discovered multiple problems with his own y. After all, this was the first time in what felt like forever that he faced off against an opponent of this level. Hisck of practice led to him making many small mistakes. For example, in the previous teamfight, he didn¡¯t guard against Vayne sneaking up on him with her ultimate skill. He also forgot to buy vision wards twice to counter her stealth.

    ¡°Agh, I could¡¯ve yed that better!¡± Lin Feng harshly criticized himself. But this didn¡¯t dampen his zing fighting spirit one bit. He¡¯d been away for too long. It was exactly this kind of strong opponent that he needed to y against to hone his senses back to their peak. To force himself to pull out all the stops to win. And even if he couldn¡¯t win, it was fine. The most important thing was the journey, the rare opportunity to go up against an opponent of this level!

    Nightsong¡¯s fighting spirit was also set aze. He finally had a rough gauge of the Draven¡¯s skill level. Their reaction speed and mechanics were top-notch, but they werecking a bit in awareness and game sense. They made minor mistakes in teamfights that seasoned veterans would never make. But none of these things affected the threat he felt from this opponent.

    His opponent was ying a smart game. They knew they couldn¡¯t beat his Vayne when he was ying seriously. So, they yed to Draven¡¯s strength, sweeping through his weaker teammates with a domineering style and killing their way to absolute victory.

    What an amusing guy. Nightsong smiled, his heart racing with eagerness. No matter what, victory would belong to him!

    As both teams were prepared for a long and bitter struggle, the game announcer¡¯s voice rang out through Summoner¡¯s Rift.

    ¡¶A summoner has disconnected.¡·

    Nighsong was dumbstruck. Lin Feng also went wide-eyed.

    The midner of the red team had disconnected, and judging from his short apology in all-chat, he wouldn¡¯t be back any time soon.

    ¡¸shit, sorry guys, girlfriend¡¯s gone crazy. that time of the month again. imma get off to calm her down. I think my kitchen might be on fire too...¡¹

    Everyone was speechless.

    ¡¸Wtf¡­?.¡¹

    ¡¸rip¡¹

    ¡¸ggez¡¹

    Nightsong nearly choked to death. T-t-his? R-really? I was just getting into it!

    Lin Feng was in a daze for a long time before snapping back to his senses, looking as if someone had run over his puppy. ¡°Aw man¡­ what luck.¡± He was happily ying, brimming with excitement from head to toe, only for this to happen.

    The four yers from the red team lost the will to fight. After all, the two yers carrying on their team were the ad-carry and midner. With one gone, the bnce broke, giving way for a one-sided ughter.

    A 4v5 was still winnable in Silver and Gold. However, as you climbed higher up thedder, it became increasingly difficult to pull this off. In a scenario where you lost an important carry, it was simply hopeless. So, the red team started a surrender vote, to which even Nightsong reluctantly agreed.

    ¡°Ah, what a shame,¡± Lin Feng sighed. But he quickly returned to his usual cheerful self. ¡°It was still really fun! You don¡¯t get to y against someone that strong that often. Man, that was exciting!¡± He then turned to Tang Bingyao with a delighted smile. ¡°See, I told you I could win!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wrinkled her brows. ¡°You didn¡¯t win against the Vayne though.¡±

    True, winning the game and winning against the Vayne were two different things. Lin Feng awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°Ah, yeah. Hahaha. That Vayne was too good. I can¡¯t beat her either.¡± Even though he admitted he was worse, he was still all-smiles.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you just wanted to scratch and itch and didn¡¯t actually n on teaching me anything?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Guess I¡¯m busted.¡± Lin Feng chuckled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s fine though! Right? I still helped you win the game! I also didn¡¯t charge you a carry fee! Consider it even!¡±

    1. They reveal invisible targets.

 Chapter 17: Plenty More Chances in the Future

    At the end of the day, Lin Feng had still won the game, so Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t pursue the topic any further. Plus, one thing was clear. If she had continued ying, even with the enemy midner disconnecting, she still wouldn¡¯t have necessarily won the game. The enemy ad-carry was so good that she would¡¯ve most likely been crushed before the game even reached the 20-minute mark. And yet, somehow Lin Feng had gone toe-to-toe with that Vayne. She couldn¡¯t help but look at him differently.

    Lin Feng noticed Tang Bingyao¡¯s gaze and chuckled. ¡°So? What do you think? Didn¡¯t I tell you I was really good!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded.

    Lin Feng mysteriously smiled. ¡°Want to be just as good as me?¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes lit up. She vigorously nodded. If she could be better, she could make even more money elo boosting! Suddenly, her gaze turned wary. This all seemed a little too easy. Perhaps this new transfer student was plotting something!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won''t ask for money.¡± Lin Feng shook his head. After which he quickly added, ¡°As long as you join my team! If we¡¯re teammates, I¡¯ll always have time for you!¡±

    ¡°You have a team?¡± Tang Bingyao asked incredulously.

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I technically don¡¯t right now¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. Then, he pounded his chest and said with a confident smile, ¡°But I will! So, wanna join?¡±

    Tang Bingyao directly shook her head. ¡°No thanks.¡±

    ¡°W-what, why?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise.

    ¡°Not interested.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ pro yers make a lot of money. Winning the LPLs you half a million, and winning Worlds gets you one million.¡± Lin Feng rubbed his chin as he tried a different approach. ¡°That¡¯s in United States Dors, of course.¡±

    $1,000,000!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s heart shook. But she still shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not good enough to be a pro.¡± She was well aware of her skill. A Draven one-trick pony. It was already hard enough for her to climb to Diamond 2. The gap between her and actual professionals was toorge. Sure, money made her move. But that didn¡¯t mean she would chase after some impossible dream.

    Lin Feng pounded his chest. ¡°No worries. I can make you a pro! You¡¯re really talented. Your reflexes and reaction speed are already close to a pro¡¯s! I don¡¯t even think most Masters and Challengers canpare to you!¡±

    Though she enjoyed the praise, Tang Bingyao still shook her head.

    Lin Feng bitterly smiled. ¡°Still no? You don¡¯t think I can turn you into a pro?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°Correct, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Tell me. How good do you think I am? That Vaynest game was probably a pro! But I went even with her!¡± Lin Feng persuaded.

    ¡°You just told me you couldn¡¯t beat them,¡± Tang Bingyao reminded.

    Lin Feng scratched his head with a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, but that¡¯s because I¡¯m rusty. Plus, I¡¯m not even an ad-carry main!¡±

    However, despite Lin Feng¡¯s attempts to persuade her, Tang Bingyao was still steadfast in her refusal. Lin Feng could only give up. He rubbed his chin. ¡°Right! Do you usuallye here to do your elo boosting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded, though she wasn¡¯t sure why Lin Feng was asking.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You know that¡¯s not very efficient, right? You know, ying by yourself. How about I tag along and duo-queue with you? Free of charge of course.¡± His n was very simple. As long as he could y the game with her, he could work on persuading her. The future was long. With enough perseverance, you could break down the sturdiest of walls.

    ¡°So you can slowly convince me to join your team?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    ¡°Drats! Am I that obvious?¡± Lin Feng suddenly smiled and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re right! That¡¯s exactly the n.¡±

    ¡°You can try, but you won¡¯t convince me.¡± Tang Bingyao shook her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t give up so easily!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ?

    Su Xue opened the door for a somewhat downcast Lin Feng. She soon learned why, a burst ofughter escaping her lips. ¡°You really thought you could convince your ssmate to form a professional team with you? Hahaha! You have to be out of your mind to think she¡¯d agree! That¡¯s so funny! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Feng asked as he took off his shoes.

    ¡°Please, let¡¯s not even get into whether or not she believes you. This is only your first day at your new school. She barely even knows you! How do you expect her to agree?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said the future is long! I¡¯ll try my best to convince her!¡± Lin Feng clenched his fist.

    Su Xue cast Lin Feng the side-eye. ¡°Are you listening to yourself? Just you and a girl from your ss, and you want to make a professional League team? If it were that easy, China would be full of League pros.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to be a pro. I used to y professionally.¡±

    Su Xue snorted. ¡°First a Challenger. Now an ex-pro? How old are you, 18? So, you were a pro in middle school? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of you before? And if you really were a pro, why would you still be wasting your time with high school? Not even a three-year-old would believe your nonsense.¡±

    Reminiscing about the past, Lin Feng closed his mouth. It wasn¡¯t worth arguing about. Suddenly, he thought of something else and asked, ¡°Hey, why did you take so long to open the door?¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes. ¡°I was in the middle of streaming. I backed to base as soon as I heard the doorbell ring. Anyway, whose fault is it for forgetting their keys in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. My bad. I¡¯ll remember next time.¡± Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re still in a game, shouldn¡¯t you be getting back to it?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes jolted wide open. ¡°Shit! I¡¯m screwed! I¡¯m screwed! I wasted too much time listening to your nonsense! Who knows how much CS I lost? Arrghh, those stupid viewers are going to me the crap out of me!¡± She bolted back to her room.

    ?

    After putting his things away, Lin Feng walked into Su Xue¡¯s bedroom which had long since transformed into a streaming studio. As soon as he stepped through the door, he heard Su Xue apologizing to her viewers. ¡°My bad, my bad guys. I had to open the door for thendy¡¯s nephew and lost track of time¡­¡±

    The barrage ofints came to an abrupt halt. The viewers stopped ming as Su Xue had sessfully shifted their attention to another topic.

    ¡¸Eh? lil bro is back?¡¹

    ¡¸where where where?¡¹

    ¡¸we demand lil bro! show yourselve lil brooO!!¡¹

    Lin Feng happened to appear in the corner of the facecam at this moment and waved at the viewers. ¡°Oh, hi guys.¡±

    The viewers boiled over in excitement.

    ¡¸oh shit! lil bro is back!¡¹

    ¡¸you''re finally back! Tell the maid to move aside! We''ve had to watch her terrible ys all evening!¡¹

    ¡¸shes sooo bad¡­¡­¡­. if i wasn''t stickin here for you, i wouldve jumped out the window¡¹

    ¡¸oh oh oh! I can finally see the light! You¡¯re a glimmer of hope in this terrible night!¡¹

    The viewers acted as if they were seeing a long lost rtive again,menting his absence the whole time. Then, they begged him to y.

    ¡¸Get on get on! We wanna see you y!¡¹

    ¡¸have the washboard maid step aside already!¡¹

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! I was ying just fine a moment ago! Why are you shooing me away as soon as this kid shows up?¡±

    ¡¸Shush! The maid doesn¡¯t get a say in this!¡¹

    Su Xue sat in her chair, speechless.

    Lin Feng scratched his head, then cautiously looked at Su Xue. ¡°Uhhh¡­ So, what do I do?¡±

    Su Xue threw her hands up in the air in defeat. ¡°Fine! Get on!¡± Then, she got up while grumbling, ¡°Stupid ky viewers, just who¡¯s supposed to be the streamer here.¡±

 Chapter 18: The Uncrowned Eighth

    The maid relinquished the streamer seat, and the li¡¯l bro took over the stream. After plopping down in front of theputer, Lin Feng noticed Su Xue¡¯s champion was Ezreal. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You y Ez?¡±

    The Prodigal Explorer, Ezreal, was the handsome favored son[1] of Riot. In the past, whenever Riot patched the game, bnce changes to items, masteries, and stats would often revolve around him. An example of this was the Blue Ezreal build[2], which remained in the meta for a long time.

    That said, Ezreal lost a bit of his re recently. He¡¯d gotten harder to y, and only the more skilled yers could make him shine. Everyone else would just misuse his skills, like Mystic Shot, and end up making the champion look clunky. They just couldn¡¯t pull off the graceful ystyle that Ezreal was known for.

    ¡°I wanted to try out a new champion¡­ I thought it¡¯d help me attract new viewers to my stream,¡± Su Xue exined, meekly ying with her fingers. She knew that she wasn¡¯t good enough to experiment with new champions in ranked games.

    Lin Feng checked her KDA¡ª1/2/2. ¡°Oh, at least you¡¯re not feeding like you want to end world hunger. This is so much better than thest game. Remember your 0/3/2 Vayne?¡± He then focused on the game, adrenaline still pounding in his veins from facing off against that pro Vayne yer. This was the perfect opportunity to get back in form!

    Now that Lin Feng had decided to go all out in this game, victory was a forgone conclusion. Any and all suspense in the game ended as he tore through the enemy team, decimating both their front and back lines. It was aplete massacre.

    ?

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶Dominating!¡·

    Lin Feng crushed the Ashe, then used his ultimate¡¯s insanely long range to snipe at the nearly dead Lissandra in topne. This was just the beginning. When the first teamfight broke out, he walked in to pick up a triple kill. He executed every enemy champion that came near him, hard-carrying the game.

    Su Xue was astonished, awestruck, amazed, and all the other words that she couldn¡¯te up with right now, even though she¡¯d seen Lin Feng y before. She knew he was good. But this was an entirely different dimension of good. She never even imagined he could carry a game this easily with any random ad-carry! Su Xue was jealous, she knew she was jealous. How was she supposed topete with someone like this? She was beautiful, sure. But even that couldn¡¯tpete with Lin Feng¡¯s skill.

    The viewers repeatedly eximed in admiration, entranced by his ys. They showered Lin Feng with praise.

    ¡¸Your EZ is sooo good!¡¹

    ¡¸so much better than the maid!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro is so handsome just like ez!l!¡¹

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m sitting right here! Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m not here!¡± Su Xue snapped. But the viewers ignored herpletely. Instead, with the game as good as over, they shifted the topic.

    ¡¸Worlds is starting soon, right?¡¹

    ¡¸3 more weeks!!!! so exciting! ¡¹

    ¡¸China will win this year! We got all the good koreans.¡¹

    ¡¸Yuck... I just wanna see an all Chinese team win. It sucks having to rely on imports¡¹

    ¡¸whadda ya think, lil bro?¡¹

    Lin Feng checked chat while recalling back to base. ¡°Oh, you guys want me to talk about Worlds?¡±

    ¡¸Yeah!¡¹

    ¡¸tell us what you think!¡¹

    ¡¸Tell us!¡¹

    Su Xue chimed in, ¡°Yeah, aren¡¯t you always bragging about how you¡¯re a Challenger? Share your esteemed opinion with us. Do you think China has a chance of winning Worlds this year?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Uh¡­ sure, I guess¡­? But, I¡¯m a bit thirsty.¡± He cast a meaningful nce at Su Xue.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Su Xu¡¯s eyes went wide before her expression darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck! Once was already too much! Now you want to order me around like your maid!?¡±

    Of course, Su Xue¡¯s viewers were quick to side with Lin Feng.

    ¡¸Shoo, maid. go get the drinks!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro has spoken!!!!!11¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t make us mass unfollow!¡¹

    Y-you rotten, heartless bastards! Su Xue cursed under her breath while reluctantly getting up to get Lin Feng his ss of water.

    Lin Feng continued reading the stream chat. The viewers were sharing their opinions on this year¡¯s League of Legends world championship. 16 top teams from across the world woulde together and face off against each other to determine the best in the world. Three LPL[3] teams had qualified. They were Hand of God, Dust and KG.

    ¡¸im cing my bets on hog this year¡¹

    ¡¸Dust is pretty good too. Don¡¯t forget they have Mote!! He wonst year with SSK!¡¹

    ¡¸KG is the only all Chinese team, I want them to win.¡¹

    Lin Feng was super interested in the conversation chat was having and followed along. But like all conversations on the inte, it turned into people fighting and insulting each other. Then they decided to let him be the final arbiter, his opinion settling the debate.. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm¡­ if I had to guess? I¡¯d say HoG probably has the best chance out of the three.¡±

    ¡¸See! I told you HoG was best!¡¹

    ¡¸Go HoG! Make bacon out of the other teams!¡¹

    ¡¸HOG! HOG! HOG!!¡¹

    The HoG fans in the chat started cheering. And they had every reason to. Their team won the LPL Summer yoffs! On top of that, HoG had also imed victory over Fate, one of the top teams in Korea¡¯s OGN[4], in the international Mid-Season Invitational. But Hand of God wasn¡¯t a heavy favorite just because of their victories. The individual yers on the team each contributed to the intensity of their fans. HoG had imported two strong Korean yers. But the real draw was their God-tier miner, Daybreak Hermes. The fans all called him the Star Emperor[5], and he was recognized as the absolute top, number 1, mine yer in China. In a strange twist, his nickname of Star Emperor had nothing to do with the Four Emperors. Hermes wasn¡¯t one of them. The nickname was given to him to acknowledge that he was the only Chinese yer among the so-called Seven Kings.

    ¡°Mhm¡­ Even though winning the Invitational can¡¯tpare to winning Worlds, it¡¯s still an international tournament,¡± Su Xue chimed in aftering back with the water.

    Lin Feng habitually scratched his hair, then lifted his head with a bright smile. ¡°But you know, I¡¯d still like to see KG win the most!¡±

    KG came third in the LPL Summer yoffs, and had imed China¡¯s final spot for Worlds. Their entire line-up consisted of Chinese yers. The team had zero imports. This was reason enough for a lot of Chinese fans to support them. However, there were even more fans who felt KG simply wasn¡¯t good enough. At least, not on the world stage. They couldn¡¯t evene out on top domestically.

    The KG fans in the chat immediately erupted with indignation.

    ¡¸What!??! You don¡¯t think we canpete with HoG or Dust?¡¹

    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong with wanting to see an all Chinese team win????? We don¡¯t need any imports!¡¹

    ¡¸who says your imports will be any good? we¡¯ve seen them fail before, maybe they will again at worlds!¡¹

    ¡¸KG can go head to head with them! We have God Roundy! He made it to Worlds all the way back in Season 1, and he¡¯s still crushing all other topners!!! ¡¹

    The ¡®God Roundy¡¯ the viewers were referring to was a topner called Roundy Round. He was a very much beloved yer. But that was mostly because he had yed in the professional scene since season 1. Still, his skills couldn¡¯t be looked down on. Over the years, he¡¯d remained at the top and many yers in China felt he was more than good enough to im a spot in the Seven Kings. Until then, he was the Uncrowned Eighth.

    ¡°Oh right, KG¡¯s topner is really strong!¡± Lin Feng enthusiastically agreed. Back in Season 1, the yer everyone now knew as God Roundy was a close friend he affectionately called ¡°Fatty¡±. The so-called Uncrowned Eighth was his old ssmate and teammate!

    1. Editor note: Husbando alert, for those of you into that sort of thing.

    2. The Blue Ezreal build refers to Ezreal stacking multiple blue coloured items that provided mana. This build synergized especially well with Ezreal¡¯s kit.

    3. LPL (League of Legends Pro League) is the toppetitive pro league in China.

    4. OGN is the top leaguepetition in Korea

    5. The characters ¡°³½ÐÇ¡± in Chinese is the name for the Roman god Mercury. There isn¡¯t really a distinction between stars, moons, ands in Chinese, they¡¯re all heavenly bodies. The Star Emperor nicknamees from the ¡°star (ÐÇ)¡± character in the Mercury/Hermes (³½ÐÇ) part of his name. It was tough for me to work this into the trantion. So, I¡¯ll just leave the footnote here for you guys.

 Chapter 19: Club Fair

    Early the next day, in the back of the ssroom, Ouyang mmed a heavy textbook shut. On the cover was the word ¡®History¡¯ printed in big bold letters. He let out a grief-stricken wail, ¡°AGGHH! God! Just kill me now!¡±

    Right before the period bell rang, the history teacher, a woman in her 50s who seemingly always had a smile on her face, announced there would be a quiz on Friday. She instructed everyone to study hard over the next few days.

    What was a quiz? Nothing more than a fancy word for a test!

    ¡°Damn! The semester has barely started, and we¡¯re already getting tested! This is insane!¡± Ouyang grumbled in grief and indignation.

    Yang Fan turned around from his seat and looked at Ouyang sympathetically. Adjusting his sses, he said, ¡°Last I recall, you¡¯re pretty terrible at history, right? You¡¯ve never passed a test.¡±

    ¡°Never?¡± Lin Feng¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Uch, don¡¯t remind me. And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t try! Even when I study hard, I don¡¯t pass!¡± Ouyangmented.

    ¡°Oh, wow! That¡¯s impressive!¡± Lin Feng gave Ouyang a thumbs up.

    ¡°All history is, is memorization memorization memorization! There¡¯s no skill to it at all! It¡¯s even more monotonous than ying top Garen! Fuck! It¡¯s not my fault I¡¯m not good at memorizing things! I can try all I want, but it won¡¯t help!¡± Ouyang raged.

    Yang Fan shot Ouyang the old stink-eye. ¡°You sure you¡¯re actually trying and not just goofing off? Memorizing a few bits of history is way easier than math or chemistry.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded in agreement. Someone once imed that studying and ying League of Legends were one and the same. Memorization in any subject was just like ying Nasus in the topne, with the minions being bits of knowledge. If you saw a minion, you just had to hit it with your Siphoning Strike. Kill one, gain a stack, kill another, gain another stack, and so on. Like this you could slowly stack up your ¡®knowledge¡¯ until your Siphoning Strike dealt over 1,000 damage! Then, when the test came around, it was like ying Tryndamere. You first tackle the easy problems, building up your rage meter, then start getting critical hits left and right as you go through the harder questions. Finally, when you face an extremely difficult question, you activate your ultimate skill for five seconds of invincibility and turn the tables around!

    ¡°So, Ouyang, you should pretend like you¡¯re ying Nasus,¡± Lin Feng suggested. ¡°Memorizing a fact is like killing a minion with your Q[1]. After you get enough stacks, your damage will go up and any test you tackle will be a piece of cake.¡±

    Ouyang rolled his eyes. ¡°Wow, when you put it like that, I still have zero confidence! Have you seen me CS? 60 CS by 10 minutes is basically my record[2]!¡±

    Yang Fan sighed. ¡°Just ignore him. He¡¯s a lost cause.¡±

    ?

    As the three continued chatting throughout the day, it didn¡¯t take long for the subject to return to League of Legends.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing exciting happeningtely anyway. We¡¯ll just have to wait for Worlds to start.¡± Ouyang sighed. ¡°Three more weeks. It feels like forever.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses, andforted, ¡°Just be patient. When October rolls around, we¡¯ll have lots to do. Apart from Worlds, we also have the club fair.¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! The club fair is soon! We can use that to recruit some new blood to our club. Damn! I can¡¯t wait! Hopefully we can convince some cute girls to join!¡±

    ¡°What club fair? What club?¡±

    Yang Fan turned to Lin Feng and exined, ¡°Our school holds a club fair every fall, where all the different clubs set up their own booths. Ouyang and I are part of the school¡¯s esports club.¡±

    ¡°Not just ordinary members! We¡¯re part of themittee!¡± Ouyang puffed up his chest. ¡°We joined back when the club was founded in our first year. We¡¯re the founding members!¡±

    Yang Fan gave Lin Feng a rough exnation of the club. ¡°We founded the club two years ago with several other students. Basically, our club works together with clubs from other schools in Shanghai to organize tournaments. It¡¯s being very well received. We even organize simple matches, build up some rivalries, you know. The works. And the best part of it all is that as long as we don¡¯t let it get out of hand, the school administration turns a blind eye to us.¡±

    ¡°The most exciting eventing up is the Shanghai 16-School Tournament,¡± Ouyang said with a face full of excitement.

    ¡°When we took part in itst year, we got knocked out in the first round,¡± Yang Fan quickly added, pouring cold water over Ouyang¡¯s excitement.

    Ouyang choked as embarrassment washed over his face. He coughed, ¡°Ahem, well, that¡¯s because we were careless. We didn¡¯t prepare enough and underestimated our opponents. This time, we won¡¯t make the same mistake!¡± He then clenched his fist as if making a solemn vow. ¡°We¡¯ll reim our honour this year for sure!¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got plenty of time to prepare. The tournament is still a month and a half away.¡± Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°I just hope we can get some good new yers this year, or else we¡¯ll end up repeating the debacle ofst year.¡±

    ¡°Me, me, me! Let me join!¡± Lin Feng enthusiastically raised his hand.

    ¡°You sure are gung-ho, huh?¡± Ouyang remarked. He didn¡¯t take Lin Feng seriously, instead shifting the topic to something else. His expression brightened as he said, ¡°Well, even if we don¡¯t wait for the club fair to roll around, we already have good yers to pick from!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Lin Feng and Yang Fan asked in unison.

    Ouyang chuckled, then pointed at the front of the ss. ¡°Tang Bingyao of course!¡±

    Yang Fan nodded in agreement. ¡°Right. Her ad-carry was really good. She really did lift the whole team on her shoulders yesterday.¡±

    ¡°What about me? What about me? I¡¯m good too!¡± Lin Feng said.

    Ouyang nodded confidently. ¡°Uh huh. With her joining us, we have a real chance of winning! Hell, maybe we can even reach the top 8! Or the top 4!¡±

    ¡°I can join too!¡± Lin Feng said.

    ¡°Will she agree though? Didn¡¯t you have to pay her £¤80 just to convince her to y yesterday?¡± Yang Fan asked with a hint of worry.

    Lin Feng still wasn¡¯t willing to give up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for free! I won¡¯t charge anything!¡±

    Ouyang chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. We can just pay her an appearance fee again! If we can get into the top 4, the prize money is enough to make it worth it! Oh right, Lin Feng, did you say something? I wasn¡¯t listening.¡±

    ?

    As the final bell rang, Lin Feng bolted from his seat and ran toward the NetCow Cafe across the street. He waited at the door for Tang Bingyao, who walked in not muchter. ¡°Hey!¡± he greeted. Then, he told her about the tournament and started airing his grievances to her.

    ¡°A tournament between 16 schools?¡± Tang Bingyao furrowed her brows. After deeply considering it, she shook her head. ¡°Not interested.¡±

    ¡°I knew it! I told them you probably wouldn¡¯t be interested!¡± Lin Feng pped his thigh. ¡°Hah. I told them I¡¯d do it for free, but Ouyang and Yang Fan just ignored me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao considered for a moment, then suggested, ¡°y a ranked game for them. Just show them how good you are.¡±

    ¡°Wow! Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Lin Feng eximed. His expression lit up. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a prize for those in the top 4. Looks like I can make myself some pocket money this time!¡±

    ¡°Prize?¡± Tang Bingyao asked. Her eyes started shining. ¡°How much?¡±

    Lin Feng was stunned. He quickly changed the subject, as though he¡¯d let some big secret slip, ¡°Oh! Uhhh, it¡¯s nothing! Start the queue! Start the queue!¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to change the subject?¡± Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng earnestly.

    ¡°Gah! Ahaha, am I that obvious?¡± Lin Feng chuckled.

    ¡°Very.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    Lin Feng pretended he didn¡¯t hear her. He clenched his fist with a pumped up expression. ¡°Hey hey, I¡¯m online! Add me as a friend, and we¡¯ll duo queue!¡±

    1. Siphoning Strike

    2. The rule of thumb is to get approximately 10 CS per minute, or 100 by minute 10.

 Chapter 20: Iâ€™m Pretty Good at Support Too!

    At the constant pestering of Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao finally agreed to duo queue with him. She picked two Diamond ounts she was boosting and gave one to Lin Feng. Like this, she could get two orders out of the way at once.

    Even though Tang Bingyao was asionally a bit naive, she wasn¡¯t stupid. Boosting a Diamond ount was fairly difficult. After witnessing Lin Feng¡¯s skills yesterday, she quickly realized he would be of great help to get the harder orders out of the way. As for the easier orders with Gold and tinum ounts, she could easilyplete them with her ad-carry Draven.

    Seeing the list of several dozen ounts along with their passwords on her phone, Lin Feng inched closer, his eyes wide with surprise. ¡°Wow! Tang Tang, you¡¯re really something!¡±

    Tang Bingyao knitted her brows. She didn¡¯t like it when people addressed her so intimately. However, seeing that Lin Feng paid no heed to her difort, she could only pretend like she didn¡¯t hear.

    ¡°Do you need money badly? Is that why you¡¯re taking on so many elo boosting jobs?¡± Lin Feng asked, full of interest.

    Tang Bingyao shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t really need money.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Then why are you elo boosting so many ounts?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Because I enjoy the feeling of making money,¡± Tang Bingyao exined.

    Some people liked eating tasty food, others liked ying video games, and there were some that enjoyed travelling. Everyone had their own interests. Lin Feng assumed there were many more people like Tang Bingyao who liked the feeling of making money. So, he epted her answer without a second thought. Entering the username and password Tang Bingyao provided him, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡±

    ?

    Before long, the two entered champion select. Tang Bingyao was first pick, Lin Feng second. She banned three champions[1], then called ad-carry and moved her mouse to lock in Draven.

    ¡°Wait wait wait!¡± Lin Feng cried out.

    ¡°What?¡± Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng.

    ¡°I told you. It gets boring always ying Draven. y another ad-carry today!¡± Lin Feng brightly smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t find it boring,¡± Tang Bingyao objected.

    ¡°But like this, it¡¯ll be difficult for you to improve. Switch up the champions you y. I promise you¡¯ll improve really quickly. Then, you¡¯ll be good enough to boost people to Master and Challenger!¡±

    Tang Bingyao pondered for a moment before nodding. At Lin Feng¡¯s suggestion, she locked in Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance. She then turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°What role are you ying?¡±

    ¡°Support!¡± Lin Feng pounded his chest.

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be harder to win if we both go the samene?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m pretty good at support too!¡±

    ?

    After everyone had locked in their champion, they went into the loading screen. On the top half of the screen was the blue team with top Irelia, mid Veigar, jungle Elise, ad-carry Kalista, and support Annie. That was right, Lin Feng had picked support Annie! On the bottom half of the screen was the red team with top Darius, mid Orianna, jungle Lee Sin, ad-carry Tristana, and support Janna.

    Kalista was the newest ad-carry champion. She quickly gained traction in the pro scene mainly because of her third skill¡ªRend. The important part of this skill was its synergy with her basic attack, which involved her throwing spears. These spears would remain lodged in whatever champion or monster she was attacking, and the spear stacks continued to build indefinitely. Then, when the moment was right, Rend could be utilized with E and rip the target apart with damage scaling to the number of spear stacks. The sheer amount of damage from this skill along with the timing made her invaluable. It was a phenomenalbo for everything from pushingne to stopping the opposing team from getting Dragon or Baron.

    Lin Feng picked Annie, a little girl boasting powerful magic damage. In the early game, she mostly relied on her strong long-range poke. Then, when she reached Level 6, her full skillbo became avable, unlocking frightening damage and crowd control. Not to mention, Annie and Kalista paired very well together. They couldbine their ultimates to execute a devastatingbo.

    ¡°Time to crush the enemy botne!¡± Lin Feng dered.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really yed Kalista much,¡± Tang Bingyao said. She was clearly out of herfort zone.

    ¡°No worries. Kalista is pretty simple. Just requires a little skill with the mouse. She¡¯s perfect for you. All you have to do is go in when I tell you to.¡±

    ?

    At around two minutes, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao killed the two golems in the stretch of jungle adjacent to their botne before arriving at the outer tower. This was a little trick you could pull in botne. After gaining the experience from killing the golem camp, you could reach Level 2 before the enemy botne and seize priority over thene. Not to mention Lin Feng was really good at juggling the aggro of the golem camp, minimizing the number of attacks the golems dealt. He and Tang Bingyao barely lost any health while killing the golem camp.

    When the two reached botne, Lin Feng saw the enemy ad-carry and support were already inne. Both Tristana and Janna¡¯s health bars were full. ¡°They didn¡¯t do golems. We¡¯ll have the Level 2 advantage,¡± he said.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao acknowledged. She started killing the minions.

    Kalista¡¯s passive, Martial Poise, allowed her to make a short dash in a targeted direction in the middle of her auto-attacks. This increased her maneuverability and flexibility. A short dash followed by an auto, this certainly took a while to get used to and required good control with the mouse. However, that was exactly why Lin Feng believed Tang Bingyao was particrly suited for this champion.

    Tang Bingyao ended up missing the first two minions in the first wave and identally dashed toward the enemy, which resulted in her eating a couple of autos. Her face flushed red with embarrassment.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem to mind. In fact, he evenforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll quickly get the hang of her. We have higher damage than them early game. No need to be afraid.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded, her eyes shing with determination. Disappointed with her own y, she became even more driven to master this champion. Even if she was new to this champion, she could still y it well!

    Before long, Tang Bingyao started getting used to Kalista¡¯s gimmick. Her movements became more and more natural. Not to mention, the same ystyle she became ustomed to with Draven started slowly revealing itself in her Kalista gamey. What was that? Aggression! When she found the opportunity, she directly threw out a spear with her Q, piercing through a low-health minion and hitting the Janna. Then, she hopped forward and auto-attacked Janna twice, hopping back on the second auto-attack. Then with another hop, she easily dodged Janna¡¯s Howling Gale.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Lin Feng praised. At the same time, he didn¡¯t ck off with his Annie either. He took advantage of his superior attack range to continuously poke the enemy. From time to time, he would add a Q to his auto attack poke on Tristana, taking small chunks of her health.

    As thest few minions of the first wave were killed, Annie was about to level up. Lin Feng stared at his experience bar, his eyes lighting up. ¡°Alright, get ready to go in!¡±

    ¡°En!¡± Tang Bingyao acknowledged. She had her Kallistast hit a minion, flicking her mouse forward. She hopped toward Janna, a brilliant light enveloping her as she reached Level 2.

    ¡°Go!¡± Lin Feng cried out as he shed forward, his champion also having reached Level 2.

    Annie materialized in front of Janna, wreathed in a ring of swirling smoke; an indicator that her next skill would stun the target for a short duration.

    Lin Feng pressed down on his W-key¡ªIncinerate!

    A cone of scorching hot mes swept forth and stunned Janna. Then, he followed up with Disintegrate and Ignite, a rotation that melted the Janna¡¯s health! It was a beautiful y! An instant engage at Level 2!

    1. In Season 5, first pick in ranked games could ban three champions. Since then, this rule has changed.

 Chapter 21: We Have a Gues

    Lin Feng stunned Janna. Tang Bingyao followed up as she continuously chucked spears at Janna while dashing forward.

    Janna¡¯s health rapidly plummeted!

    Tristana tried to get Annie to back off by firing shots at her, but Lin Feng didn¡¯t bat an eye. Tiny fireballs continuously struck Janna as he helped in dealing damage.

    Janna shed away while simultaneously throwing out a Howling Gale aimed at Kalista.

    A giant tornado swept forth. If Tang Bingyao was knocked up by the Howling Gale, the Janna would escape! But with a perfectly timed sh, she blinked through the tornado!

    ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Lin Feng praised, his eyes lighting up. ¡°Nice reaction!¡±

    With Kalista still hot on her heels, Janna panicked and tried to shake her off with an Exhaust. However, this barely affected Kalista who continued dashing forward with Martial Poise. Tristana also used her Heal on Janna. However, she was still affected by Lin Feng¡¯s Ignite, which reduced the efficiency of Heal by 50%.

    Janna¡¯s fate was sealed!

    After Tang Bingyaonded one more auto-attack, Lin Feng cried out, ¡°She¡¯s low enough! Rend now!¡±

    Tang Bingyao pressed down on her E key.

    A visceral stabbing sound rang out as if a soul were being ruthlessly torn apart!

    Janna¡¯s health bottomed out.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    ¡°See, I knew you¡¯d be good with Kalista!¡± Lin Feng said, beaming.

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao recalled back to base to buy items. Tang Bingyao¡¯s face was all smiles, and she happily nodded. She was really starting to take a liking to Kalista.

    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s get a double kill next!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    If a duo like Annie and Kalista were allowed to get a kill advantage in the early game, they would really be unstoppable. That said, this was still a Diamond ranked game. Tristana and Janna started ying safe and didn¡¯t give away any more kills, albeit at the cost of losing out on some minions.

    Lin Feng continuously pressured Tristana and Janna with his highly aggressive Annie. Tang Bingyao was even starting to zone them out of approaching the minion wave.

    Eventually, Tristana and Janna had to recall back to base after being poked down to low health, lest they fed two more kills. They realized they couldn¡¯t deal with the Kalista-Annie pair any longer and called in back-up from their jungler.

    However, Lin Feng had long since predicted this and typed a message in team chat.¡¸Hey hey, Elise,e down for a counter gank at bot!¡¹

    Tang Bingyao was already Level 6 when the enemy Lee Sin came rushing out of the river brush for a gank. The Blind Monknded a Resonating Strike on Annie and closed in with the second part of the skill.

    ¡°Ult me! Ult me!¡± Lin Feng shouted. Not missing a beat, Tang Bingyao pressed down on her R key and pulled Annie out of being surrounded by the three enemy champions. Tristana even wasted her Rocket Jump trying to close in.

    Even after failing their gank attempt, the three enemies didn¡¯t back down and continued giving chase. However, Lin Feng had no ns of running. Elise was alreadying in for the counter-gank.

    ¡°Go in! Turn the fight!¡± Lin Feng instructed. He quickly moved his mouse andunched Annie back into the fray with the second part of Kalista¡¯s ultimate. The little girl went flying toward the three enemies like a cannonball.

    Annie collided into the Tristana and Lee Sin and knocked the two of them up in the air! Then, Lin Feng pressed down on his W key as a wave of fire swept out. The energized rings of smoke surrounding Annie activated as the mes enveloped all three enemies. A beautiful three-man stun!

    Tang Bingyao started dealing damage with her auto attacks. As for the jungle Elise, she rappelled into the fight and instantly went on the low health Janna with a Venomous Bite.

    Janna was the first to die. The experience from this kill helped Lin Feng reach Level 6. He¡¯d been waiting for this moment, instantly activating Annie¡¯s ultimate¡ªSummon: Tibbers. Annie threw up the little bear in her hand, which transformed into a frightening monster that unleashed its terror on Tristana!

    Tristana instantly lost arge chunk of her health. She panic-shed in an attempt to escape the fight, but Elise also shed forward in pursuit. With an auto-attack, she slowed Tristana with her red buff, allowing Tang Bingyao to catch up and pick up the kill with a few autos and Rend.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The game hadn¡¯t even reached 10 minutes in, yet Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao had alreadypletely blown up the enemy botne. Tang Bingyao followed Lin Feng¡¯s advice on what items to build. As she started scaling with items, she became even more untouchable with the help of Lin Feng¡¯s support. This was why the Kalista-Annie bot duo was feared by many. Bybining their ultimates, Kalista couldunch Annie deep into the enemy team for a multi-man stun. It was basically a sure-fire move to win teamfights. Needless to say, the duo became even more frightening after being fed, annihting the enemy in teamfights.

    ?

    At the 20-minute mark, the enemy team unanimously agreed to a surrender vote.

    ¡°So? What do you think? I told you I¡¯m a really good support!¡± Lin Feng happily eximed.

    Tang Bingyao was still reflecting on the game. ¡°Wow, Kalista is strong.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yeah, but we¡¯re talking about how good my support is!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡®Yeah, I think I should pick her up.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Tang Tang! I don¡¯t think we''re on the same wavelength here.¡±

    Tang Bingyao snapped out of her daze. ¡°Eh? What were you saying?¡±

    Lin Feng no longer bothered. What mattereed was that Tang Bingyao found Kalista fun to y. So, striking while the iron was hot, he asked, ¡°I told you I¡¯m really good at coaching people! So how about joining my team?¡±

    Tang Bingyao considered the offer briefly before shaking her head. ¡°No thanks.¡±

    Lin Feng let out a deep sigh, only for his face to light back up again. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll convince you one of these days!¡±

    ?

    After ying a couple more games, Lin Feng realized it was getting a bitte. Sis Xue had probably already prepared dinner and was waiting for him. He quickly shot to his feet, bid Tang Bingyao farewell, and ran home. When he arrived back home, he gently opened the door and poked his head inside, carefully looking around to see if Su Xue was still in her bedroom. However, what met him was Su Xue¡¯s expressionless gaze from the dining room.

    ¡°Uh oh I¡¯m busted.¡± Lin Feng blinked before putting on an innocent smile. ¡°Sis Xue, I¡¯m home!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s face twitched. She looked like she was about to go off on Lin Feng, but she suddenly took a deep breath and held herself back. ¡°Why are you still standing at the door? Come in already!¡±

    Question marks floated up above Lin Feng¡¯s head. Something was different about Su Xue today. She appeared much more restrained. He soon noticed the guest sitting across from her. She looked the same age as Su Xue. Her hair was dyed dark red like the colour of wine, and she wore a sleeveless, beige vest. In spite of the youthful way she presented herself, it couldn¡¯t mask the mature air about her. She leaned her head on her chin and shot him a mysterious smile.

    1. Enter a movementmand while winding up Kalista''s basic attack or Pierce to lunge a short distance when sheunches her attack.

 Chapter 22: Streamer Meets Streamer

    Lin Feng obediently took off his shoes, then sat down at the table with Su Xue and the mystery guest.

    ¡°Wash your hands,¡± Su Xue red.

    Lin Feng hurriedly shot up to his feet to go wash his hands.

    The red-headed guest couldn¡¯t help but break out intoughter. ¡°Ah, Xue Xue, is there a need to be so aggressive? You¡¯re practically radiating killing intent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way to get this brat to listen. I won¡¯t hover over him like some kind of nice nanny.¡±

    Lin Feng returned from the kitchen. He obediently sat back down at the table and reported, ¡°I washed my hands.¡±

    ¡°Why are you home sote?¡± Su Xue asked with a look of askance.

    ¡°Oh, I was ying ranked with a ssmate,¡± Lin Feng exined.

    ¡°That girl you wanted to recruit to your team?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hoh, this kid is pretty good. Didn¡¯t you say he just transferred the other day? He¡¯s already convinced a girl to y games with him. Quite slick,¡± the red-headed guest chimed in.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Xue Xue¡¯s best friend, Zuo You,¡± the red-headed guest answered in Su Xue¡¯s stead, beaming a bright smile. ¡°Lin Feng, right? Aren¡¯t you a cutie.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Oh, nice to meet you.¡±

    Su Xue knocked on the table. ¡°The introductions are over, right? The food¡¯s getting cold. Come on, eat.¡±

    Lin Feng picked up a bowl and some chopsticks and started gorging himself on all the dishes, while Su Xue and Zuo You continued chatting on the side. They¡¯d already finished eating.

    ¡°What were we talking about? Oh, right! Have you found a new job yet?¡± Zuo You asked.

    ¡°Ahem¡­ uh, no, not yet¡­¡± Su Xue coughed.

    ¡°Still? It¡¯s already been almost two months! How are you nning to pay rent? Do you need me to lend you some money?¡± Zuo You was dumbfounded.

    Su Xue hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No need. No need. I can still scrape by. If things really get bad, I¡¯lle to you.¡±

    Zuo You vigorously nodded. ¡°Mhmm. Just let me know, I¡¯ll help you out. So, you really haven¡¯t found any work yet? That¡¯s so weird.¡±

    Su Xue hesitated for a moment before meekly exining, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve uhh been trying to be a streamer.¡±

    ¡°A streamer!?¡± Zuo You¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°My god! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to be one of those League gamer girls on Huya? You know, the ones that show more of their ¡®face¡¯ cam than their actual gamey to trick thirsty guys out of their money?¡±

    Lin Feng raised his head from his bowl and curiously stared at Su Xue¡¯s chest. ¡°I don¡¯t think she has the assets to pull that off.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Eat your food!¡± Su Xue snapped.

    Zuo You burst out inughter beforeing to the help of her best friend, ¡°Hey hey, don¡¯t say such mean things. She might not fill a sweater out very much, but those legs go on for days!¡± She then turned her attention back to Su Xue. ¡°Really? A streamer?¡±

    Su Xue forced a hollow smile. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Zuo You was speechless. ¡°I say, aren¡¯t you a little in over your head here? There¡¯s plenty of proper, honest jobs out there, but you want to be a streamer? Even you know howpetitive that scene is, and there are so many unwritten rules, not to mention petty drama going on behind the scenes. Do you think someone with your personality is cut out for it? You¡¯re like amb trying to mingle with a pack of hungry wolves! You¡¯ll be eaten alive! You¡¯re just wasting your time!¡± Her voice grew increasingly bitter and resentful.

    ¡°Eh, I think it¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    Zuo You grew more frustrated. ¡°Really? It¡¯ll be alright? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know how good you are at the game. At best, and I mean at best, you¡¯re a Gold yer. Not even as good as me! You can¡¯t attract viewers with your skills, and given your personality, there¡¯s no way you can cut it as a cutesy e-girl. So, tell me, where do you see a future in streaming?¡±

    ¡°You y League too?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise.

    Zuo You turned to Lin Feng with a bright smile. ¡°Yep. I¡¯m t 3! Pretty good, right?¡± She quickly swung her head back to Su Xue. ¡°Answer me. How do you see yourself making a career out of this?¡±

    ¡°But I really like this game, and I enjoy being a streamer. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make a lot of money when I be popr.¡±

    ¡°A lot of money? You think it¡¯s that easy? Only a handful of the very best streamers make good money!¡± Zuo You harshly said. ¡°So what if you like it? Does liking something pay the bills? Does liking something put food on the table?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s good that she has a dream. As long as she tries hard, anything is possible!¡± Lin Feng butted in.

    ¡°Shut up! Eat your food!¡± Zuo You snapped.

    However, Su Xue immediatelytched onto Lin Feng¡¯s words like a miner at their jungler¡¯s mistakes. ¡°No, wait! He¡¯s right. I think so too. I know I¡¯m not the best yer, but I can get better!¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes. ¡°Get better? How are you going to get better? Throw a magic die?¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest. ¡°I can help her!¡±

    Su Xue vigorously nodded. ¡°Right! He can help me!¡±

    ¡°Are you really good at the game? What rank are you?¡± Zuo You asked, a hint of surprise and doubt in her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Challenger!¡± Lin Feng proudly dered.

    ¡°PFT!¡± Zuo You burst out intoughter. ¡°Challenger? A kid like you? Who are you trying to fool? Haha!¡±

    ?

    After Lin Feng finished dinner, the trio went into Su Xue¡¯s room.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were a Challenger? How about you show some of your skills to big sis over here?¡± Zuo You teased.

    ¡°Hey, what? I¡¯m supposed to be streaming right now!¡± Su Xue protested. She had already opened the League client and her stream.

    ¡°Who would want to watch a Gold rank yer like you y? You might actually bore your viewers to death if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± Zuo You brushed her off.

    ¡°No way! My viewers love watching my stream!¡± Su Xue argued.

    At this moment, Su Xue clicked on the ¡®Go Live¡¯ button. Several dozen regr viewers entered the stream. Seeing Su Xue on the facecam, they all stirred.

    ¡¸our luck¡­¡­ we get the maid¡¹

    ¡¸why does she keep trying to hog the stream????/ All she¡¯s good for is bringing water!¡¹

    ¡¸Where¡¯s li¡¯l bro?¡¹

    ¡¸Get outta way! We wanna watch li¡¯l bro y ranked!¡¹

    Su Xue was speechless.

    ¡°Hahaha! Maid? What¡¯s that about? Oh my god, Xue Xue, you really do have it hard. Your viewers all came to watch the kid!¡±

    ¡°Not another word! These traitors need to learn about loyalty!¡±

    Lin Feng and Zuo You had both pulled up chairs and sat down beside Su Xue.

    ¡¸guysguysgusy it¡¯s lil bro!!¡¹

    ¡¸y ranked! y ranked!¡¹

    ¡¸Get the maid to move aside! Hey, there¡¯s someone else?¡¹

    ¡¸huh? Who¡¯s that girl? We haven¡¯t seen her before right?¡¹

    The viewers took notice of Zuo You and her attractive figure in the corner of the webcam.

    ¡¸Wowzers! What a pair!¡¹

    ¡¸DO A FACE REVEAL!!!!!!¡¹

    Reading the chat, Zuo You giggled. She inched herself closer to the webcam and greeted, ¡°Hihi, guyyys.¡±

    The chat exploded with dozens of messages flooding in every second!

    ¡¸Wow, so hot!¡¹

    ¡¸short-haired girls are the best!¡¹

    ¡¸sorry Li¡¯l bro, I changed my mind. Let the red-head stream!¡¹

    The fickle viewers had all shifted their attention to Zuo You. However, Lin Feng ignored them as he switched seats with Su Xue. Zuo You took a minute to talk to the viewers about how eager she was to see Lin Feng''s supposed ¡®Challenger¡¯ level skills. It was obvious that she was only teasing him, and didn¡¯t actually believe that he was that good. At League or anything else...

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start queing up,¡± Lin Feng said, full of fighting spirit.

    Lin Feng quickly got matched into a game. Before he even started picking his champion, the chat stirred.

    ¡¸Hey! Look at the summoner name of the person in third pick!¡¹

    ¡¸HOLY SHITSTIDDLES!!! IS THIS FOR REAL?¡¹

    ¡¸Third pick is also a streamer!¡¹

 Chapter 23: Lee Sin Invades

    The summoner names of teammates weren''t visible during the pick-ban phase, unless they typed in chat. So, the viewers only realized who was on their team when his message appeared in the game chat.

    ¡¸Mid please. Find my stream by searching Ol¡¯ ck on Huya. Give me my role, and I¡¯ll carry you to the moon~ ¡¹This was the catchphrase of a popr Huya TV League streamer called Ol¡¯ ck. His streams would often have around 50,000 viewers. However, unlike most famous streamers who yed in Diamond, Master, and Challenger, he prefered to smurf in low elo and stomp on noobs. Bullying little kids in Silver and Gold, this was what everyone watched Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream for.

    ¡¸no one knows his real rank, but he¡¯s rank 1 smashing n00bs!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸That¡¯s cuz he¡¯d get zero attention ying people in higher ranks. Lawl.¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, but it¡¯s still he fun to watch him steamroll people in low el Haha¡¹

    The viewers in Su Xue¡¯s chat stirred, going back and forth about what they thought of Ol¡¯ ck.

    ¡°Ol¡¯ ck?¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Never heard of him.¡±

    ¡°All you need to know is that he¡¯s a pretty good streamer with a lot of viewers,¡± Su Xue replied.

    Zuo You rubbed her chin, a pensive look on her face. ¡°Oh, right! I¡¯ve watched some of his streams before. Whenever I was really bored. It was pretty entertaining watching him stomp on noobs!¡± She turned to Lin Feng with a teasing smile. ¡°Haha. You really lucked out this time. Enjoy the free carry.¡±

    ¡°Free carry?¡± Lin Feng shook his head. He clenched his fist and dered with a confident smile, ¡°I don¡¯t need a carry. I am the carry!¡±

    Zuo You clicked her tongue. ¡°Wow, so confident. Fine, prove it. I¡¯m looking forward to it. Hehe.¡±

    ?

    On another stream with 50,000 viewers on Huya TV. ¡°Mhm, what kind of midner should I pick for this game? Tell me, guys!¡± Ol¡¯ ck asked his viewers. Hezily reclined in his chair, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

    ¡¸mid Garen!¡¹

    ¡¸show us your Heimer mid!¡¹

    ¡¸I wanna see you y Xin Zhao!¡¹

    ¡¸Please show us your Riven ys!¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck chuckled and waved his hands. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. Hehe. Nevermind. I already got someone in mind~¡± When it came time for him to pick his champion, he sat forward and locked in Lenc, the Deceiver.

    Mid Lenc! The tens of thousands of viewers in his chat erupted in excitement. Lenc was one of the champions they loved watching Ol¡¯ ck y the most. In these sorts of low elo games, he could use her to toy around with the opponents and decide the game within the first 10 minutes. At the same time, fourth pick also locked in their champion¡ªLee Sin, the Blind Monk.

    ¡°Jungle Lee, huh?¡± Ol¡¯ ck remarked, continuing to pick at his teeth. ¡°A Lee in this elo, I wonder if he¡¯s actually blind?¡± Ol¡¯ ck was ying in high Silver, low Gold. Few if any yers could y Lee Sin well in this elo. Ol¡¯ ck quicklyughed. ¡°No problem! Even if our teammates suck, it doesn¡¯t matter. My Lenc will carry for sure!¡±

    ¡¸Wow! So cooool!¡¹

    ¡¸Heck yeah! Show us your carry!¡¹

    ¡¸I want youuuuu!!! Have my babies! <3333¡¹

    ¡°Hoh? Seems like we have another streamer in our game,¡± Ol¡¯ ck mumbled. The Lee Sin had a Huya TV tag beside their summoner name. Another streamer at this rank? The viewers were all surprised. None of them had heard of this Evening Snowfall before!

    Ol¡¯ ck rubbed his chin with a pensive look. Then, he smiled and made a casual guess, ¡°Probably a new streamer! The summoner name seems like a girl¡¯s. I wonder if she¡¯s pretty¡­ Well, whatever, doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯ll let ¡®em see how hard I can carry! Hahahaha!¡±

    ?

    Back in Su Xue¡¯s stream, the initial hubbub of having a popr streamer in their game died down. The viewers quickly turned their attention to the champion Lin Feng picked.

    ¡¸Li¡¯l bro, you can y Lee Sin too?¡¹

    ¡¸Awesome! I love ying Lee!¡¹

    ¡¸Show us your Lee Sin carry!¡¹

    Zuo You stared at Lin Feng and curled her lips. ¡°Kid, you can really y Lee Sin? Not many people can y him well, you know. Just don¡¯t do anything to stupid, wouldn¡¯t wanna be called blind. Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Hey, can you really y Lee? Don¡¯t embarrass me,¡± Su Xue asked in an anxious tone. Lin Feng mostly yed ad-carry on her ount. She¡¯d seen him y jungle Jarvan before but never Lee Sin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! My Lee Sin is really good!¡±

    ¡¸You go li¡¯l bro! We believe in you!¡¹

    ¡¸Show off your skills!¡¹

    ¡¸Are you thirsty? Should we tell the maid to get you a drink?¡¹

    ¡°Hey! Enough of that, you guys!¡± Su Xue eximed.

    ?

    They loaded into the game and before long found themselves on Summoner¡¯s Rift. This Gold-rank match was the perfect yground for Ol¡¯ ck with his Lenc. Walking down to mine, he dered full of bravado, ¡°Sit back and watch. I¡¯ll show you guys my god-nc!¡±

    Lin Feng and his jungle Lee Sin didn¡¯t fall short in confidence either. ¡°We¡¯ve already got this game in the bag!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Xue looked at Lin Feng in surprise.

    ¡°How do you already have it won? The game hasn¡¯t even started~¡± Zuo You asked.

    Lin Feng patted his chest. ¡°Because I¡¯m the jungler!¡±

    At 1:55 minutes into the game, the jungle camps spawned. Lin Feng chose to start at red buff, having his topner help leash for him. He killed it and leveled up. Then, he headed for the enemy jungle.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Ol¡¯ ck remarked in surprise. After forcing the enemy Ahri a step back, he happened to nce at his minimap just as Lin Feng moved down to the enemy blue buff. ¡°Is he nning to counter-jungle?¡±

    ?

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not counter-jungling. I¡¯m picking up a free kill,¡± Lin Feng exined to Su Xue, Zuo You, and the stream viewers with a confident smile. ¡±The enemy Jarvan probably started red. When hees to get his blue buff, we just have to wait for him to use up all his skills and then pick up a free kill.¡±

    Su Xue was skeptical, while Zuo You had a pensive look on her face. Even though she didn¡¯t main jungle, she saw these types of early invades often enough. If he seeded, the payoff was great. She turned her attention to Lin Feng. Is this kid really good enough to counter-jungle? Maybe he¡¯s bullshitting. Well, we¡¯ll see soon enough.

    Lin Feng had already crossed the river and silently entered the enemy¡¯s jungle. He ced down a ward over the wall in the blue camp. Then, he waited in the river entrance bush behind the blue camp.

    Afterying in ambush for only a few seconds, a figure d in golden armour appeared. The viewers immediately stirred. Jarvan IV was here!

    1. A saying that was popr among Chinese yers. Those that could actually y the champion well were called Lee Sin. The rest were simply blind.

 Chapter 24: Too Despicable! Too Shameless!

    Lin Feng, Su Xue, Zuo You, and the viewers watched as Jarvan IV¡¯s figure came into sight. He strutted over directly to his blue buff with his Drakebanence,pletely oblivious to the danger in the surroundings, and started attacking it.

    The ward Lin Feng ced down in the blue camp earlier revealed everything Jarvan IV was doing. Lin Feng patiently watched Jarvan IV blow all his skills to get the blue buff to half health before moving up from the river entrance brush into the enemy jungle. Following along the ring-shaped wall around the blue camp, he tunneled into the brush just behind Jarvan IV. Then, he threw out a basic attack.

    At half health and with his skills on cooldown, Jarvan IV was caught with his pants down. Before he could react, Lee Sin mmed down on the ground with Tempest, then activated Cripple before throwing out a Resonating Strike at the target.

    A silver, glowing marker appeared over Jarvan IV¡¯s head.

    Jarvan IV never expected the enemy Lee Sin to Level 2 invade him. He¡¯d already lost a good chunk of his health and blown all his skills, leaving him powerless to retaliate. Panicked, he shed away in an attempt to escape.

    ¡°Hehehe, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Lin Feng pressed down on his Q key with lightning speed. Lee Sin flew forward with the second part of Resonating Strike! Then, he started auto-attacking, keeping Jarvan IV from escaping with the slow from red buff.

    Jarvan IV was already at low health. After eating several more auto-attacks from Lee Sin, his health bar drained. Hisst sliver of health was chipped away by the burn from red buff. Before he could even call out ¡°Demacia¡±, he fell to his knees and copsed dead on the ground.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Back in midne where Ol¡¯ ck was facing Ahri, he looked over to the enemy¡¯s jungle in shock. ¡°Oh shit! He actually got the kill?¡±

    The viewers in Su Xue¡¯s stream were simrly stunned. They immediately stirred and started flooding the chat with praise.

    ¡¸6666666!¡¹

    ¡¸Godlee!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸holy shit! That was amazing!!!!1!¡¹

    ¡°Huh? First blood that easily? No way, right?¡± Su Xue¡¯s jaw dropped.

    Zuo You also gaped in astonishment, but she quickly recovered. A nonchnt expression on her face, she remarked, ¡°Eh, the enemy Jarvan IV was simply careless. Just a first blood. Nothing big.¡±

    ¡°Right! It¡¯s just first blood!¡± Lin Feng nodded in agreement. Then, he excitedly dered, ¡°So, let¡¯s kill him again¡±

    ¡°K-kill him again?¡± Zuo You was taken aback as were the viewers. They soon learned how Lin Feng nned to bring this n to fruition.

    After killing Jarvan IV, Lin Feng turned back to kill the enemy¡¯s blue buff which helped him level up to 3. Then, instead of returning back to base, he walked into the bush within the blue camp and waited.

    Zuo You and the viewers couldn''t believe their eyes. T-t-this¡­ he was nning another ambush! No way that would work again, right?

    ?

    Half-a-minuteter, Jarvan IV arrived back at the blue camp. The poor Jarvan IV was clearly depressed after just giving away first blood. Little did he know that an even greater tragedy awaited him.

    The viewers almost couldn¡¯t bear to look. Too despicable! Too shameless! Killing him once wasn¡¯t enough already? Now you want to kill him again!?

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to exin his n this time. The viewers were well aware of what was going on. Of course, Jarvan IV was going toe back to his blue buff. He had no idea if his blue buff was still there or if Lee Sin didn¡¯t fully clear it and left one or two small monsters. This was precisely why Lin Feng waited in ambush again.

    Jarvan IV approached the blue camp. The viewers held their breaths and stared at the screen intently, fearing they would miss something if they blinked. When Jarvan IV entered the blue camp brush, he instantly gained vision of everything inside it, in particr the Lee Sin right in front of him!

    Oh... fuck! Jarvan IV immediately tried to escape, throwing down his Demacian Standard and jumping to it with Dragon Strike. However, Lee Sin had already thrown out a Sonic Wave at him, then dashed forward with the follow-up Resonating Strike. He mmed down with Tempest and Cripple for the slow! Then, he continued chasing down Jarvan IV.

    Before long, the pitiful tter of Jarvan IV¡¯s armour crashing to the ground rang out across blue team¡¯s jungle. The prince of Demacia died again, despair and grief lingering in his eyes. The Jarvan IV yer was about to throw his mouse against the wall. All he could hear was the hooves of 10,000 grass-mud-horses stampeding through his mind. Fuck this Lee Sin! Dirty motherfucker!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    When Jarvan IV died for the second time, Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What the hell! Why is this Lee such a beast? He killed Jarvan IV again?¡±

    The 50,000 viewers in Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream also went into an uproar. Many of them were starting to doubt their eyes and ears. Not even four minutes into the game and Lee Sin was already 2/0/0! Did the enemy Jarvan IV¡¯s mouse stop working?

    However, Ol¡¯ ck quickly snapped out of it. Hispetitive spirit ignited. ¡°That won¡¯t do! I¡¯m supposed to be the main show here! I can¡¯t let Lee Sin steal all the limelight! Watch closely, guys! I¡¯ll show you a massacre in mid!¡±

    One had to admit that Ol¡¯ ck was an excellent Lenc yer. Especially in this low elo, he could easily outne the enemy Ahri who was Gold 2 at best.

    ?

    At the five-minute mark, Ol¡¯ ck found an opportunity to engage. Lenc dashed into Ahri with Distortion and threw out a Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains. With sublime reaction speed, Ol¡¯ ck sidestepped Ahri¡¯s Charm and finished her off with Ignite.

    ¡°So, what do you think guys? Was that cool or what?¡± Ol¡¯ ck asked his chat with a smug smile. Then, his smile froze as the game announcer¡¯s voice rang out once more.

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Just as the viewers were about to shower Ol¡¯ ck with praise, they were dazed. Lee Sin had picked up two more kills at botne! They erupted with excitement.

    ¡¸Holy crap! 66666666!¡¹

    ¡¸he¡¯s giving you a hardcarry masterss ol¡¯ ck¡¹

    ¡¸Godleeeeeee!!!!!!¡¹

    All sorts of praises flooded the chat. Of course, none of it was directed at Ol¡¯ ck but rather at the Lee Sin and his beautiful gank at botne. Ol¡¯ ck was stupefied. ¡°Is he scripting or something? Fuck! How is he picking up kills so fast!?¡±

    1. In Chinese streams, spamming 666 is the same as saying, ¡°You¡¯re so cool!¡±. The pronunciation for six sounds the same as the character for slick/cool. I¡¯m still wondering if I should keep this aspect of the raws in the trantion or localize it to something else.

    2. blue buff and red buff are camps of monsters consisting of onerge one, which gives the blue and red buff respectively, and two small ones. If you only kill the big one, the camp doesn¡¯t reset. This is amon tactic when counter-jungling. So, in this case Jarvan IV, needs to make sure the camp is cleared, or it won¡¯t respawn

 Chapter 25: Stream Raid!

    With a free double kill at bot and a solo kill in mid, there was no one left to defend dragon. So, Lin Feng led the charge to the dragon pit from botne and pinged Lenc toe help.

    Ol¡¯ ck was still in a daze before the ping snapped him back to his senses. As he headed toward the dragon, he couldn¡¯t help but type in chat,¡¸Nice y, Lee.¡¹

    When the viewers of Su Xue¡¯s stream saw this message, they immediately stirred.

    ¡¸Woah! Ol¡¯ ck is praising us!¡¹

    ¡¸Dumbass! He¡¯s praising li¡¯l bro, not us!¡¹

    ¡¸Hehehe! Its fine! Were his viewers Praise for him is the same as praise for us!¡¹

    ¡¸whatever¡¹

    Su Xue stared at her chat speechless. In only a few games, her viewers had gone turncoat and joined team Lin Feng.

    Zuo You was amazed, but she still remained a bit unconvinced. She quirked her lips. ¡°That took no skill. The enemy botne was begging to get killed by pushing out so far without proper wards. And then you went and took both kills. What do you need them for? Aren¡¯t they better on the ad-carry?¡±¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t mind as a carefree smile surfaced on his face. ¡°The more kills I get, the easier it¡¯ll be for me to carry!¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes. ¡°You, carry? What, are you going something stupid like full AD?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Lin Feng nodded in high spirits.

    ?

    After securing the first dragon, everyone recalled back to base.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ what items should I go?¡± Ol¡¯ ck hummed as he browsed the shop. ¡°This Ahri is terrible. So, it¡¯s fine to go a bit agg¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence as his eyesnded on a pop up in chat.

    ¡¶Evening Snowfall (Lee Sin) purchased Sword of the ult.¡·

    The viewers in Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s chat went crazy after seeing this notification.

    ¡¸Holy crap! Lee went sword of the iult!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Is he crazy!? What a god!¡¹

    ¡¸how many stacks you think he¡¯lll get?¡¹

    ¡°What the¡­ This Lee really is trying to steal the spotlight from me here! He actually bought a Sword of the ult?¡±

    Meanwhile, Lin Feng¡¯s purchase shocked Su Xue and Zuo You even more. The duo practically couldn¡¯t believe their eyes.

    ¡°H-hey, aren¡¯t you getting a little too ahead of yourself?¡± Su Xue asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting those few kills go to your head! Don¡¯t me me for saying I told you so when you lose your lead!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m a really good Sword of the ult Lee!¡± Lin Feng spoke his catchphrase. From the moment Su Xue first met him, she¡¯d heard him say this exact line a number of times, with only thest part changing. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m a really good _____!¡± Ad-carry, Support, Jungle, Lee Sin, or anything else. Every time he spoke this sentence, he would live up to it. This game wouldn¡¯t be any different.

    At about seven minutes into the game, Lee Sin invaded the blue team¡¯s jungle again and caught Jarvan doing Gromp. Of course, a 0/2/0 Jarvan IV stood no chance against the 4/0/0 Lee Sin going full damage.

    Lee Sin kicked Jarvan IV away with his ultimate, Dragon¡¯s Rage, chipping away thest one third of his health. Jarvan IV copsed to the ground, Sword of the ult gained 2 stacks, and Lee Sin was now 5/0/0.

    At about nine minutes into the game, Ol¡¯ ck decided to go all in on the Ahri in mid. He bursted two-thirds of Ahri¡¯s health in an instant, but she managed to escape the range of his mimicked Ethereal Chains with sh. The low-health Ahri hurriedly retreated behind her tower.

    Before Ol¡¯ ck could get annoyed that the enemy escaped, a sh of silver energy came flying out from the wraith camp and struck Ahri! Lin Feng came flying over the wall with Resonating Strike, then activated his ultimate, Dragon¡¯s Rage.

    Ahri copsed to the ground as her summoner¡¯s screen went grey.

    Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Fuck! What is that damage!?¡±

    Sword of the ult gained two more stacks. Lin Feng¡¯s score was 6/0/0. He was unstoppable!

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s damage soared the more he killed, and the more damage he did the more kills he got! With more than a dozen stacks on his Sword of the ult, Lee Sin could just about instantly kill anyone on the enemy team!

    The several dozen viewers in the stream felt their scalps tingling. Even Zuo You was in awe of Lin Feng despite her earlier scornful attitude. Only, Su Xue waspletely calm. She was already numb to Lin Feng¡¯s freakish game skills.

    For Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s viewers, this was their first time seeing Lin Feng¡¯s skills. It was surprise after surprise for them as they watched him pull off all sorts of crazy ys! He was an absolute force! Waves of shock battered their hearts! Noob stomping was nothing new to them. In fact, they¡¯d seen Ol¡¯ ck y mid Lee Sin plenty of times and carry the entire game just the same. However, they¡¯d never seem someone as domineering as Lin Feng!

    ¡¸the Lee is a streamer on Huya, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, she¡¯s so good!¡¹

    ¡¸Probably the best Lee I¡¯ve ever seen...¡¹

    ¡¸can someone link her stream? I wanna go take a look¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s viewers were shocked and amazed, but thisst message snapped many of them out of their daze.

    ¡¸Right right! someone link godlee¡¯s channel!¡¹

    ¡¸just search Evening Snowfall! Lezz goooo!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Go go go! Let¡¯s go there and bow our heads in worship!¡¹

    Lin Feng was still happily picking off the enemies left and right wherever he went in the game. His Sword of the ult was full at 20 stacks. The viewers in the stream were all in a daze. When they finally snapped out of their daze, they were just about to spam the chat with praise when they discovered some people were already ahead of them.

    ¡¸Ol¡¯ ck raid squad deploying!¡¹

    ¡¸Hell yeah we found godlees channel!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Target locked! Begin deployment! Men,unch the barrage!¡¹

    Then, the small stream of only a few dozen or so viewers was raided.

    ¡¸6666666!!!¡¹

    ¡¸6666!¡¹

    ¡¸666666666666!¡¹

    A tsunami of 6s blotted out the chat. However, with the chat located far off in the corner of the screen and Lin Fengpletely focused on the game, he failed to notice themotion. Su Xue, on the other hand, immediately noticed it. She watched the 6s flooding her chat. They came in at a frightening speed! She could only stare nkly at this sudden development, her mind spinning as if a bomb went off in her head. W-w-what¡¯s going on?

    1. a lone monster standing in a corner across from blue buff

    2. Lee Sin performs a powerful roundhouse kickunching his target back, dealing physical damage to the target and any enemies they collide with. Enemies the target collides with are knocked into the air for a short duration.

    3. Lencunches a chain that shackles the first enemy hit. If the target remains shackled for 1.5 seconds, Lenc roots them and deals additional damage

    4. Sonic Wave: Lee Sin projects a discordant wave of sound to locate his enemies, dealing physical damage to the first enemy it encounters. If Sonic Wave hits, Lee Sin can cast Resonating Strike for the next 3 seconds. Resonating Strike: Lee Sin dashes to the enemy hit by Sonic Wave, dealing physical damage based on the target''s missing Health.

 Chapter 26: Lee Sin Shows Off

    Zuo You noticed Su Xue¡¯s strange expression and followed her gaze to the chat. The stream only had 50-odd viewers a minute ago. Now, however, the viewer count shot up to almost 600! ¡°The hell! What¡¯s going on?¡± she gasped, her eyes going wide.

    It was precisely this audible gasp that made the viewers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream take notice of the streamers. They forgot about the game for a moment as their gazes shifted over to the facecam. The first person their eyes gravitated towards was Lin Feng.

    ¡¸heyyy look at that pretty boi!¡¹

    ¡¸he looks sooooo cute¡¹

    ¡¸I wonder if he swings the other way¡­...¡¹

    The viewers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s streams made some teasing remarks aimed at Lin Feng, until they noticed the two beauties sitting next to him. To the left was an amiable looking, ck-haired beauty with fair skin and delicate features. To the right was a refreshing short-haired redhead in a beige blouse that entuated her alluring figure, in particr her overflowing chest.

    Hot dang! The several hundred viewers that came over from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s streams were dumbstruck. Their collective eyes lit up. Those were two exceptional beauties! The ones you could normally only see in fashion magazines! However, they both seemed a bit older than the kid in the middle. What was going on? Could it be that the streamer had a thing for the big sister types? Regardless, with two beauties next to him, his luck with thedies was certainly as impressive as his Lee Sin ys!

    Curious about the stream, the neers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream started asking questions in chat.

    ¡¸Is he a new streamer?¡¹

    ¡¸how is he only gold?!?!? that SOTO godlee is insane!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hi hotties! Nice tits! Now gimme your digits!¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers took it upon themselves to answer this bombardment of questions. They started replying enthusiastically.

    ¡¸Yeah, this is a new streamer!¡¹

    ¡¸The streamer isn¡¯t the li¡¯l bro in the middle. It¡¯s the long-haired girl next to him. Lately, we¡¯ve booted her out from her seat, and now she¡¯s the maid in charge of pouring water for him.¡¹

    ¡¸The li¡¯l bro is really good! His ADC is friggin amazing!!!¡¹

    ¡¸The streamer lives with this li¡¯l bro. He¡¯s thendy¡¯s nephew.¡¹

    A deluge of messages filled the chat, leaving the neers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream in a daze. Only after a while did they understand the gist of the situation. Evening Snowfall was the long-haired beauty next to the kid? She was gorgeous!

    Su Xue¡¯s original viewers continued on enthusiastically,¡¸But she¡¯s really bad at the game! thats why we demoted ehr to maid!¡¹

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not the maid! Who gave you guys that power!? Listen here! I¡¯m your streamer, got it?¡± Su Xue exploded. Then, she quickly fixed her expression and turned to the webcam with a warm smile. ¡°Hello, everyone! Wee to my stream! I¡¯m Evening Snowfall. If you enjoy your stay here, please hit the follow button below the stream!¡±

    Her old viewers immediately chided.

    ¡¸Look! Look! She¡¯s trying to scam people into watching her again!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh boy. I wonder how many more suckers will join us.¡¹

    ¡¸They have no idea what kind of feeding they¡¯re in for.¡¹

    ¡°You ingrates, shut it!¡± Su Xue shouted.

    The bickering between Su Xue and her viewers appeared quite natural as if they were friends messing around with each other. The neers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream were amused.

    ¡¸Hah, this chick is pretty funny¡¹

    ¡¸Sure i¡¯ll give you a follow¡¹

    ¡¸i wanna see her y a game!!¡¹

    ?

    The game wasing to an end. At the 19-minute mark, the third dragon was about to spawn. The previous two had been secured by Lin Feng¡¯s Lee Sin. The five enemies trembled in fear as they rushed to prevent the third dragon from falling in Lee Sin¡¯s hands as well. They couldn¡¯t afford to lose this one, or else red team wouldpletely steamroll over the game with the third dragon buff stack.

    That said, even without this third dragon buff stack, the blue team was already getting steamrolled and the game looked pretty bleak for them. Lin Feng¡¯s performance in this game was nothing short of godly. After getting 20 stacks on his Sword of the ult, he was already starting to build tank items. Like this, he was impossible to kill 1v1.

    The 500 viewers in Su Xue¡¯s stream shifted their attention back to the game.

    ¡¸this should be thest fight, right?¡¹

    ¡¸If the enemy loses this dragon, they might as well surrender¡¹

    ¡¸Tsk tsk, looks like the enemy is ying pretty cautiously...¡¹

    ¡¸What good wil that do em? are they blind or something? Look at godlee!¡¹

    Back in the game, Ol¡¯ ck was roaming around the lower river looking for picks. The enemy Jinx and Ahri were his priority targets. ¡°Dammit! Why are their carries ying so afraid!¡± he cursed in annoyance. Whenever his Lenc moved the slightest inch forward, Jinx and Ahri would immediately back far away, giving him no chance to go in. Ol¡¯ ck was starting to wonder if he should just go in and try to force a teamfight. However, Lee Sin was already one step ahead of him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill Jinx first!¡± Lin Feng shouted in high spirits in front of his screen. At this moment, he happened to find an opportunity tond a Sonic Wave on the enemy Jinx over a wall in the fog of war.

    Was this it? Yes, this was it! The eyes of the hundreds of viewers in the stream lit up. The Sonic Wavended! Lee Sin could go in! However, some of the neers didn¡¯t agree.

    ¡¸Lee¡¯s damage is really high, but he¡¯s also kinda squishy. If he jumps in with his q, even if he trades one for one, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be worth it.¡¹

    This analysis wasn¡¯t wrong. That was why Lin Feng had no intention of trying to trade his life for Jinx¡¯s! He had an even better n! ¡°Watch this y!¡± he eximed as he activated all his skills at lightning speed, his fingers gliding smoothly over his keys!

    Lee Sin ced down a ward over the wall and hopped to it with Safeguard, which happened to ce him right in front of Jinx! Then out came a Dragon¡¯s Rage as a furious kick swept forth.

    ¡°sh!¡± Lin Feng excitedly eximed as his finger pressed down on his D key, activating the Summoner¡¯s Spell. In an instant, Lee Sin disappeared from his original position and reappeared behind the Jinx. Then, the powerful kick connected with the petite gunner¡¯s body. "YEEEEKUUUUH!!!" Lin Feng cried out, his voice ovepping with Lee Sin''s as it boomed out of the speakers. Jinx wasunched airborne and sent flying toward Ol¡¯ ck and the other yers on red team!

    ¡°Perfect!¡± Lin Feng activated the second part of his first skill, Resonating Strike. Lee Sin¡¯s figure immediately soared toward the airborne Jinx. In other words, Lee Sin went from diving into the heart of the enemy team to flying back out using their ad-carry as the springboard, all in the span of a second! As Lee Sin¡¯s foot made contact with Jinx¡¯s body, thest bit of her health disappeared.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    The viewers gaped in shock. The chat went dead silent.

    HOLY SHIT! A Dragon¡¯s Rage-sh? No, it wasn¡¯t that simple. This was a stunningbo that linked three of his four skills and a summoner¡¯s spell together! This was theoretically Lee Sin¡¯s highest damagebo! At the same time, it was also the most mechanically difficult move to pull off! Not only that, but he had also escapedpletely unscathed!

    Afterwards, as if all the tension was released at once, the chat erupted with 666s. This Lee Sin was simply transcendent!

    1. This is the maximum number of stacks

 Chapter 27: Just a Midnight Snack

    With a lightning fastbination of key presses and mouse movements, Lin Feng pulled off a perfectbo. There was no countery. The Jinx yer¡¯s screen turned grey before he even noticed the Lee Sin!

    The other four yers on the blue team felt their heads spinning. D-dead? Just like that? They stared at their screen stupefied. Before they had a chance to group up, before they even had a chance to see what was happening, Jinx had already died. Their n to bring Lee Sin down a peck was thwarted before it could even be put into action. As for the teamfight that followed, it was a one sided massacre.

    The 50,000 viewers of Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream spammed his chat with 6s. Ol¡¯ ck himself wore an expression of indescribable shock. He¡¯d been smurfing around in low elo for a long time. So long so that he had lost count of the number of opponents he crushed. However, never before had he encountered a Lee Sin who yed at such an impossibly high level. He was at aplete loss for words.

    Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s real skill level was around Diamond 2. Watching this Lee Sin y, he could tell they were at least Master, or perhaps even Challenger! Nevertheless, noob-stomping in low elo was still his field of expertise. He quickly snapped back to his senses and shouted, ¡°God dammit! I won¡¯t let you take all the glory!¡± He pressed down on his W key and dashed into the enemy Ahri with his Lenc, bursting her down in lightning speed!

    The rest of Lin Feng¡¯s team snapped back to their senses too. They excitedly carried out a one sided massacre. Before long, the game announcer¡¯s voice rang across Summoner¡¯s Rift.

    ¡¶Ace!¡·

    Red team only lost one yer, easily wiping out the opposing team and achieving victory. The five yers on the blue team ended up losing the will to fight and started a surrender vote as soon as the game reached 20 minutes. It was unanimously epted.

    Chaotic energies warped and twisted around the blue team¡¯s nexus before it exploded. The word ¡°VICTORY¡± appeared in big, bold letters in the center of the game screen.

    ¡°Easy win!¡± Ol¡¯ ck eximed, only for his expression to crumple. He noticed his chat was only talking about Lee Sin and quite enthusiastically at that.

    ¡¸Lee Sin is so 6666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸godlee godlee godlee!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Ima buy lee and y just like godlee!¡¹

    ¡¸First time I¡¯ve seen Ol¡¯ ck get carried. This Lee is amazing!¡¹

    This time around, Ol¡¯ ck waspletely relegated to the supporting role. However, he had no choice but to admit that the Lee Sin had truly carried the game, picking up the most kills, dictating the tempo of the game, and even showing off shy ys.

    Hell! I Can¡¯t even make an honest living stomping noob nowadays! This is supposed to be my schtick! What¡¯s this Lee¡¯s name again? Evening Snowfall? Ol¡¯ ck thought as he reclined back into his chair and picked his teeth with a toothpick. He rubbed his chin for a bit beforeing to a decision. ¡°I¡¯ve got to see what kinda streamer ys such a godly Lee Sin. Guys, follow me, we¡¯re going on a raid!¡±

    ?

    By the time Ol¡¯ ck and his army of viewers arrived in Su Xue¡¯s stream, the only two people remaining on the facecam were Su Xue and Zuo You. As for Lin Feng, he¡¯d bid everyone farewell right after finishing the match, telling the viewers that he had to do his homework.

    The new viewers were dumbfounded. This kid¡¯s still in school? What the fuck! Since when are high schoolers so good at League of Legends!?

    Ol¡¯ ck ended up missing Lin Feng. However, he wasn¡¯t too disappointed. After all, he was greeted by the sight of two prettydies, which was a nice constion. He especially took a liking to Su Xue. He bantered and chatted with her, finding himself attracted to her personality, as the small stream bustled with activity. In the end, he sent her a few donations and added her as a friend on League, suggesting they should duo together some time.

    Given Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s poprity as a streamer, offering to duo queue together with a new streamer was the same as giving them ess to his viewership. Su Xue naturally wasn''t stupid. She knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. She happily took him up on his offer without any hesitation.

    Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers were over the moon by thistest development.

    ¡¸our xuexue is making it bigtime guyss!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not crying you¡¯re crying! It feels like only yesterday that she started streaming League¡¹

    ¡¸Work hard, Xue Xue! you; be the number one girl streamer on Huya!¡¹

    ?

    Lin Feng was oblivious to these developments. After finishing the match, he scurried back to his bedroom. He sat down in front of his desk and turned the light on, then started tackling his homework with the same enthusiasm as he had while ying League. Solving problems, doing practice quizzes, and memorization. Lin Feng employed his Tryndamere and Nasus study strategy, tackling the questions from easiest to hardest like he was building up his rage bar and stacking up his knowledge like Nasus¡¯ Q.

    About two hourster, just as he was almost finished with his homework, Lin Feng heard the door to his bedroom creak open. He turned around to find Su Xue¡¯s head peeking around the corner. ¡°Hmmm?¡±

    Su Xue jolted unnaturally. She awkwardly said, ¡°Ahem, are you still studying? Did I disturb you?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I just finished my homework.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Su Xue remarked in surprise. ncing over at the desk, she saw piles and piles of schoolwork and couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. ¡°Wow, all that in just a couple of hours? That¡¯s some efficiency.¡±

    ¡°I have a special study method.¡± Lin Feng chuckled. Then, he curiously asked, ¡°You finished streaming? Do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Ah yeah, I just ended the stream.¡± Su Xue nodded. She thenpletely glossed over Lin Feng¡¯s other question and asked, ¡°Did you get enough to eat earlier tonight? Are you feeling hungry? Want me to cook up a midnight snack?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his chin in contemtion. He then rubbed his stomach as his face lit up. ¡°Sure, I could go for some food!¡±

    Su Xue finally returned to her normal self. She rolled her eyes. ¡°You little punk. Do you really have to think about if you¡¯re hungry or not? Fine, give me a minute, I¡¯ll whip up some stir-fried noodles.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. ¡°Why are you being so nice tonight?¡±

    ¡°Err- that¡¯s...¡± Su Xue choked. After struggling to find an answer, she erupted in annoyance, ¡°You li¡¯l punk, what do you mean by that? You have a problem with me making you a midnight snack? Do you want to eat or not? If not, I¡¯ll just go!¡±

    Lin Feng was caught off-guard by Su Xue¡¯s sudden outburst, having no idea what he said wrong. However, the temptation of the midnight snack was too great. He instantly acknowledged his wrongdoing, whatever it was. ¡°Sorry, I was wrong. I still want to eat!¡±

    Su Xue harumped. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Sit tight.¡±

    About 20 minutester, a piping-hot bowl of noodles greeted Lin Feng in front of the kitchen table. He dug in with much gusto.

    Su Xue rested her chin against her hand. Seeing Lin Feng wolfing down on the food so enthusiastically, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Tasty?¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Lin Feng eximed as he stuffed his face with noodles. Afterwards, he looked up at Su Xue and asked, ¡°You¡¯re treating me awfully nicely. Do you need me for something?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Ummm¡­¡± Su Xue was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 28: A Dream Worth Respecting

    ¡°Mmphh don try ¡®oo pull he ool opher my eyes, ghi¡¯m pree¡¯y sharp,¡± Lin Feng said with a mouthful of noodles. He swallowed down his food and continued, ¡°Just tell me what¡¯s on your mind. I¡¯ll try my best to help!¡±

    Slurping down another mouthful, Lin Feng finished off the rest of his noodles and let out a burp. ¡°That was good!¡± He rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.

    All the while Su Xue wore an awkward expression. ¡°Ahem¡­ well, it¡¯s nothing big,¡± she quietly murmured, finally oveing her hesitation. ¡°I just wanted to ask if you can make me better at the game.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng raised his head, staring at Su Xue in bewilderment. ¡°Make you better at the game? Are you talking about me elo boosting you?¡±

    Su Xue hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No, no! What I''m asking is, is if you can teach me how to y better. Aren¡¯t you always saying how you¡¯re a Challenger? Teaching me can¡¯t be too hard then, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, like that!¡± Lin Feng eximed in realization. He patted his chest. ¡°Of course I can make you better!¡± He stared at Su Xue curiously and asked, ¡°But, why do you want to get better all of a sudden?¡±

    Su Xue was at a loss for words for a while before quietly exining, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not sudden¡­¡±

    Su Xue started streaming on Huya TV about half-a-month ago. As a new streamer, she had no one to promote her. So, she struggled to get even two or three viewers for the first couple of days, and they were the kind that only entered by chance and left after a few minutes.

    Almost all new streamers faced the same experience. They didn¡¯t have a core viewership they could rely on, nor did they have the tform supporting them. Gaining any semnce of poprity was as difficult as scaling the heavens. However, if you were skilled enough at what you did, you would eventually attract a base of viewers, and the higher-ups at Huya would take notice of you.

    Su Xue sorelycked this kind of skill. Over the past two weeks, she could only grit her teeth and persevere, streaming for close to 16 hours every day to build up a base of viewers. However, it saw barely any results, with only 50-odd viewers supporting her streams regrly now. Though this was the fruits of all her effort and she deeply treasured that, it was simply far too meagre. From her perspective, her limited skill as a Gold rank yer was the main reason she couldn¡¯t pull in bigger numbers.

    In reality, many popr female League streamers on Huya weren¡¯t all that great at the game. Some were even Bronze, But those types of girls didn¡¯t rely on their gaming skills to make a living. Simply by acting cutesy and showing their cleavage, they could easily earn donations from thirsty shut-ins without so much as touching the game.

    Su Xue was quite beautiful, but she would never use this kind of method to achieve sess, if you could call it that. It was simply out of the question! As for something like singing, she¡¯d feel too embarrassed and camera shy.

    Su Xue had the asional viewere into her stream because of her appearance and ask her to take off her clothes or show them some cleavage. She would try to tactfully decline them. However, then they¡¯d quickly erupt into a tirade of insults, calling her things like, ¡°Trash streamer¡±, ¡°Stuck-up bitch¡±, ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡±, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re some kind of famous streamer?¡±, and ¡°Dumb e-girls like you are what¡¯s ruining the tform.¡±

    Su Xue would pretend like the insults didn¡¯t get to her while trying to pacify her regr viewers who were raging with righteous indignation and banning the troublemakers from her stream. However, every night when she ended the stream for the day, she¡¯d crawl into her bed and curl up in her nkets, fighting back the urge to cry.

    Su Xue often found herself thinking if she were as good as those pro yers in the LPL or maybe had the skill of a Challenger, Master, or even a Diamond yer, she¡¯d be a sessful streamer. However, she was just a small-time streamer with only several dozen viewers. All she could do was persevere and try her best. That was until today. Su Xue finally saw a faint glimmer of hope. She¡¯d managed to queue up with the popr streamer Ol¡¯ ck while Lin Feng was ying on her ount. With Lin Feng showing off his Sword of the ult Lee Sin, he managed to attract many of Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s viewers and even the person himself. In the end, Su Xue had a chance to befriend Ol¡¯ ck, as well as the opportunity to duo queue with himter. Apart from this, her stream also gained a huge boost in viewership.

    ¡°I gained 200 new followers! That¡¯s more than triple what I had before!¡± Su Xue raised three fingers in front of Lin Feng, her tone carrying a hit of joy and satisfaction. However, her expression quickly returned to her serious self. "But they just came for your Lee Sin. Who knows if they¡¯ll be back to watch me? So, I need to find a way to make them stay!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s why you want to get better!¡± Lin Feng said in realization.

    Su Xue nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m afraid if they see how badly I y, they¡¯ll leave.¡±

    ¡°Then how about I y for you more?¡± Lin Feng suggested.

    Su Xue shook her head. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯m supposed to be the stream host. I can¡¯t rely on you always. Plus, you¡¯re still a student. You won¡¯t have as much free time, and you should put your studies first anyway. The best solution is for me to get better myself.¡±

    ¡°You really want to be a big streamer, huh?¡± Lin Feng remarked out of nowhere.

    ¡°Yeah, I do. What about it?¡± Su Xue replied.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing¡­ I just remember Zuo You telling you to find other work. Plus, I thought you were streaming just for fun and weren¡¯t actually nning to make a career out of it. Anyhow, do you really want to be a professional streamer?¡±

    Su Xue was a bit taken aback, her expression darkened. ¡°What do you mean by that¡­? Are you saying I¡¯m not cut out to be a streamer? Maybe you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll seed, that I¡¯m only fooling around and wasting my time, that I¡¯m toozy to find a real job, and I¡¯m just looking for an excuse!¡± She stared intently at Lin Feng. ¡°I know I¡¯m not good at the game. The 50 viewers I did get after streaming for more than 200 hours are all too happy to remind me of that. And without help, I¡¯ll never get any better.¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not good. Just like how Zuo You thinks a person like me can¡¯t be a streamer! I don¡¯t have any skill, and I don¡¯t want to be just another e-girl who has to rely on her looks for viewers. So, what do I have to offer! I must look like a big joke to you right now, huh? Me, bing a sessful streamer? That couldn¡¯t be anything further from reality!¡±

    The more Su Xue spoke, the more riled up she became. In the end, she shot up to her feet, panting for breath. ¡°Fine, forget I said anything. It¡¯s my mistake foring to you for help. I¡¯m just trash anyway, I¡¯ll never be good in my lifetime!¡±

    Su Xue turned to leave about to rush back to her room, when Lin Feng¡¯s voice hastily called out from behind. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Su Xue turned around and red at Lin Feng, the redness around her eyes betraying her inner feelings.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t help you¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Xue gaped.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished. You just kept on going and going without giving me any chance to say anything. I was just asking out of curiosity. You''re overthinking things too much. There¡¯s nothing wrong with trying to be a professional streamer! I fully support it! Just like I said before, having a dream is a good thing. As long as you try hard, you¡¯ll seed. Plus¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched his hair, slightly blushing with embarrassment as he put on an earnest expression. ¡°No matter how stupid or unrealistic people say your dreams are, as long as you try your hardest, I think it¡¯s worth respecting!¡±

 Chapter 29: Charismatic Qualities

    ¡°No matter how unrealistic... as long as you try... something worth respecting¡­¡± Su Xue mumbled to herself, deeply touched. She stared at Lin Feng and said with a hint of hesitation, ¡°Then what you mean is¡­¡±

    Lin Feng smiled brightly and patted his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make you the best female streamer out there!¡±

    ¡°R-really¡­? You¡¯ll really help me?¡± Su Xue asked, half-doubting.

    ¡°Yes. I never go back on my word! You can put your trust in me!¡± Lin Feng solemnly vowed.

    ¡°How good do you think I can be? tinum maybe¡­?¡±

    ¡°tinum? No, that¡¯s too low! I promise I¡¯ll make you a Diamond yer within a month!¡±

    ¡°Heey hey! Do you really think that¡¯s realistic?¡± Su Xue gaped.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really good at coaching!¡± Lin Feng said confidently.

    ¡°Alright. But they¡¯re your words, not mine!¡± Su Xue countered defensively. Then, her eyes lit up, her heart pumping from the prospect of bing a Diamond-rank yer. ¡°I¡¯ll put my faith in you! Let¡¯s get started tomorrow!¡±

    However, Lin Feng was even more gung-ho. He shot up to his feet and said, ¡°Why wait until tomorrow? Let¡¯s get started right now!¡±

    Su Xue was quick to ept this suggestion. The two returned to Su Xue¡¯s room in high spirits and started going over a training n.

    ¡°Your best role is ad-carry.¡± Lin Feng took out a small notebook out of nowhere and started scribbling. ¡°Mhmm, yeah. An ad-carry¡­ so, let¡¯s start with CSing!¡±

    ¡°Huh? CSing? You mean like killing minions¡­?¡± Su Xue muttered quizzically.

    Lin Feng clenched his fist. ¡°Correct! We¡¯re going back to the basics. Let¡¯s create a custom game and practice your CSing!¡±

    ¡°A custom game?¡± Su Xue¡¯s expression darkened. She protested, ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t look down on me so much! I¡¯m still Gold, you know! Even Bronze noobs can CS in a custom game!¡±

    ¡°How about we give it a try first? Then we can up the difficulty if it¡¯s too easy,¡± Lin Feng persuaded.

    Su Xue gave in and quickly created a custom game. She picked the ad-carry she was most familiar with, Caitlyn, and selected Leona as her bot opponent. Afterwards, she started the match brimming with confidence. ¡°Li¡¯l punk, just you watch. No matter how bad I am at the game, I can still easily CS against a bot!¡±

    A short 10 minutester, Su Xue stared at her screen while Lin Feng stared at her. She¡¯d achieved a measly 66 creep score. Perhaps against other yers this was still excusable, but against bots this was nothing short of embarrassing. She didn¡¯t dare move her gaze, afraid she would meet Lin Feng¡¯s. Feeling a strong urge to find a hole to crawl into, sheshed out, ¡°Not a word! Fine. I will practice my CSing.¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled in satisfaction. Then, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Sis Xue, I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to hit the hay. Good luck with your CSing.¡±

    Su Xue was stilling to terms with the fact that she¡¯d only achieved 66 CS at 10 minutes in a custom game against a bot. She buried her head in her arms and muttered, ¡°Alright, good night. I-I¡¯ll continue practicing.¡±

    ?

    The next day, Lin Feng woke up to the sound of his rm ringing at 6:30 AM. He groggily got out of bed and shuffled toward the washroom. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he walked into the living room with his eyes still half-closed. Suddenly, the scent of something delicious wafted into his nostrils. Noticing the poached eggs, congee, and steamed buns, his eyes snapped open as saliva drooled from his mouth. ¡°Oh, breakfast!¡± All the drowsiness disappeared as he sat down at the dining table.

    Su Xue came from the kitchen with a te of steaming-hot buns. Seeing Lin Feng, she smiled. ¡°You¡¯re awake? Did you brush your teeth and wash your face? Breakfast is ready. You can dig in.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He picked up a bowl and chopsticks as he looked over the dishes in front of him. ¡°These eggs look really great! The congee smells delicious!¡± Suddenly, he jerked his head up and looked at Su Xue, who looked like a withrge dark circles around her eyes. ¡°Did you get any sleepst night?¡±

    ¡°Ehh¡­? Is it that bad?¡± Su Xue rubbed her face. A hint of red flushed her cheeks as she exined, ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t sleepst night. I got too absorbed into practicing my CSing. I lost track of time.¡± Then, she frowned in frustration. ¡°What am I going to do about these dark circles? I still need to stream today! Damn, I¡¯ll put on a facial mask and maybe some make-up.¡±

    Lin Feng was at a loss for words, needing a while to snap out of his daze. Even a League addict like him was shocked. She¡¯d practiced CSing all throughout the night?

    For a role like ad-carry, CSing was fundamental. However, it was also one of the more tedious and monotonous aspects of the game. Lin Feng was well aware of how boring it was to CS against a bot. You weren¡¯t going against another person, but a cold, mindless AI as youst hit minion after minion. Perhaps you could derive some pleasure from beating the bot in the beginning, but even that would quickly fade. To do that for an entire night all for the sake of practicing a fundamental skill? This was certainly a type of monotony that most League yers, even amongst the pros, couldn¡¯t endure. Yet, Su Xue had done just this and without any external help at all. She was solely driven by her inner desire to get better at the game.

    Lin Feng stared intently at Su Xue, acknowledging her abilities for the first time or perhaps seeing a glimmer of something special. ¡°Sis Xue.¡±

    ¡°Huh, what?¡± Su Xue raised her head curiously.

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s nothing really¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. He then gave her a thumbs up and smiled. ¡°I just wanted to say I¡¯m cheering for you!¡±

    Su Xue was stunned. Then, her face, haggard from a night without sleep, lit up with a bright smile. She also gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Thanks for believing in me! I won¡¯t give up! I¡¯ll be really good at this game!¡±

    ?

    After finishing breakfast, Lin Feng grabbed his bag and left for a school. He¡¯d finally gotten used to his new schedule and the various sses he had to take.

    Come the final dismissal bell, Ouyang was head-down on his desk, exhausted from all the learning. Yang Fan turned around. Seeing Ouyang practically looking like a zombie, he shook his head. ¡°This guy definitely stayed up gaming too longst night.¡± Then, he adjusted his sses and turned to Lin Feng with a smile. ¡°Lin Feng, why were you in such a hurry to leave yesterday? Ouyang and I were going to ask if you wanted to walk home with us, but you¡¯d already left.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry I missed you guys. I had somethinge up.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head.

    Yang Fan didn¡¯t seem to mind and moved on. ¡°Right, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to join the esports club yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do!¡± Lin Feng nodded.

    Yang Fan chuckled. ¡°Then practice hard in your free time, and make sure you¡¯re in your best form. I just got word yesterday that the club will be recruiting new members at the end of next week. Only the best yers will be epted into the club.¡±

    ¡°Huh? There¡¯s a selection process?¡± Lin Feng was stunned.

    Yang Fan nodded. ¡°Of course. Not just anyone is allowed in our esports club. Well, anyone can be a normal member, technically. But if you want to take part in thepetitive tournaments, you have to earn your spot.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide in realization. ¡°Oh! No problem! I¡¯m really good at the game!¡±

    Yang Fan suddenly got curious. ¡°Right, I forgot, but what server do you y in, and what rank are you?¡±

    Ouyang had asked the same question yesterday. Lin Feng didn¡¯t spare it a second thought before answering the same way asst time. ¡°I''m a Challenger in the Ionia server!¡±

 Chapter 30: A Trip Down Memory Lane

    ¡°You told him you were a Challenger in the Ionia server?¡± Tang Bingyao frowned as she created a ranked game lobby. ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t believe you. No one would.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m really telling the truth,¡± Lin Feng muttered in vexation.

    ¡°Really?¡± Tang Bingyao looked back at him earnestly.

    ¡°My rank in season 1 would be Challenger in the current system!¡± Lin Feng patted his chest.

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that you aren¡¯t a Challenger,¡± Tang Bingyao pointed out ruthlessly. Then, she became a bit curious. ¡°You started ying back in season 1? Weren¡¯t you like 14 back then?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Yep. I started ying back in middle school, but I was already 15, not 14. I¡¯m a year older than you guys, I turn 19 this year.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that something to be happy about?¡± Tang Bingyao asked with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Oh. I guess it isn¡¯t.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. However, be it 14 or 15, it made no real difference back then. Even four yearster, the memories were still fresh in his mind. The events and back-and-forths of those days yed back in his mind.

    ?

    ¡°He¡¯s too young to participate. 16 is the minimum age. We can¡¯t just bend the rules for one person,¡± an inflexible voice delivered unsympathetically, as if it¡¯d repeated this line countless times over in a mechanical fashion.

    ¡°But he¡¯s the heart of our team! We qualified for worlds together! You can¡¯t just tell us to kick him out and find a new yer! We won¡¯t stand for that!¡± another voice protested.

    Several other voices both male and female chimed in.

    ¡°I¡¯m the vice-chairman of the Chinese Esports Association! Maple¡¯s age is public knowledge, and we¡¯ve made a special exception so he could y in the LPL. But for Worlds, even if I wanted to do something, I can¡¯t. The Global Esports Association made and enforce the rules, and they are well aware of Maple¡¯s age.¡±

    ¡°We demand an exnation! We¡¯ve gone through all the proper channels. He should be allowed to y!¡±

    ¡°Maple is our best yer! He¡¯s the best yer in the LPL! Sure, he¡¯s not 16 yet, but can¡¯t the Global Esports Association take a look at his performances in big tournaments?¡±

    ¡°I can attest that he has the skills topete with the very top on the global stage. You can¡¯t just wipe away all the blood, sweat, and tears he¡¯s put into reaching this point just because of his age!¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t leave this room until you give us a proper answer!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng snapped back to reality. He looked up to see a concerned Tang Bingyao staring at him. ¡°Haha. Sorry ''bout that. My thoughts, they followed the wind for a bit there and I forgot to watch my back,¡± he said as he tried to exin his moment away.

    Tang Bingyao was mildly puzzled by the cryptic reply, especially considering the fact that Lin Feng said all that while rubbing the back of his head with a stupid grin.

    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Bingyao said with a slow nod. He decided that it wasn¡¯t the best time to dig into¡­ whatever that was. ¡°Can we y now?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Lin Feng eximed rather excitably.

    Tang Bingyao gave Lin Feng a Diamond ount to y on as the two resumed their duo-queue adventures on the Ionia server. While she stuck to Kalista, Lin Feng switched to Thresh support. The Kalista-Threshbo was fairly powerful in bothning phase and teamfights.

    But even before the game began, Lin Feng sunk back in his muddled mind. As he controlled his Thresh to move to bottomne, scenes from the past shed through his mind like flickeringnterns, along with the sounds of iparably familiar voices. They gave a group of people from the Global Esports Association a piece of their mind.

    ?

    ¡°What does it matter? 15 years old, 16 years old, it¡¯s only a one year difference!¡±

    ¡°Why do you guys have to be so unreasonable!?¡±

    ¡°Look at him! He isn¡¯t some random 15-year-old! He¡¯s Maple! The best yer in the LPL! If even he isn¡¯t qualified topete at Worlds, no one is!¡±

    ¡°Maple wants to be the best in the world! He will be the best! Can¡¯t you see how good it would be for the game if he ys?¡±

    ?

    As the scene yed through Lin Feng¡¯s mind, a flicker of grief shed across his eyes. He ended up misclicking with his mouse, which led to a misy. Several secondster, he and Tang Bingyao were both forced to sh away at low health back under the safety of their tower. Only then did the enemy jungle Elise, ad-carry Tristana, and support Leona reluctantly give up on the chase and turn away.

    ¡°Whew! That was close!¡± Lin Feng wiped the cold sweat off his brow. ¡°We almost got doubled killed. Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°You seem off today,¡± Tang Bingyao remarked, staring at Lin Feng.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng remarked in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head as he brushed off Tang Bingyao¡¯s questions.

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng even more closely. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± However, before Lin Feng had a chance to exin himself, she turned back to face the screen and focus on controlling her Kalista. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me. Just stop getting distracted, or it¡¯ll be hard to win this game.¡±

    ¡°I got it. I got it. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lin Feng promised. ¡±Watch me carry this game with my Thresh!¡±

    Lin Feng focused back on the game. What passed had already passed. More importantly, if he didn¡¯t put on a good performance in this game, he¡¯d be embarrassing himself in front of Tang Bingyao! Then, the odds of convincing her to join his team would be even lower! Thinking about his recruitment strategy, he was instantly fired up. ¡°It¡¯s time to get serious!¡±

    ?

    How good at the game was a serious Lin Feng? ording to him anyway, he was really really really good! Of course, a person that couldn¡¯t back up their words was a useless blowhard. However, Lin Feng wasn¡¯t that sort. The enemy Tristana and Leona were about to experience a bloodbath.

    At around eight minutes into the game, Jarvan IV made his way around the jungle back to botne. Lin Feng moved his Thresh forward to engage. However, the enemy Tristana reacted with a beautiful ultimate, knocking both Thresh and Kalista back.

    ¡°Tang Tang, use your ult!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Tang Bingyao immediately activated her ultimate. Thresh turned into soul form as he was pulled to Kalista¡¯s side, thenunched forward like a cannonball toward the enemy botne!

    BANG! Tristana and Leona were knocked up.

    At the same time, Lin Feng threw antern out [1] behind him using it to pull Jarvan IV into the fray.

    The Tristana realized that they had lost the advantage, especially with the Jarvan IV in the mix. She tried to escape using her Rocket Jump[2].

    ¡°Want to run? Not so easy!¡± Lin Feng eximed as he hammered down on the E key with the ir of a concert pianist.

    Thresh whipped out his chain and scythe backwards in a sweeping vertical arc, interrupting Tristana mid-jump and grounding her. Her attempt to escape death prematurely cut down before it had even begun.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s mouth gaped open in shock. What impressive mechanics!

    A pumped-up Lin Fengbined with Tang Bingyao who had be fairly proficient with Kallista became an unstoppable force at botne, easily sweeping through their ranked games in Diamond.

    First game, ¡®ggez¡¯ as they say in chat! Second game, didn¡¯t even break a sweat! Third game, absolute domination!

    After winning three games in a row, Lin Feng dered, ¡°I¡¯m going to jungle next game!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not supporting me anymore?¡¯ Tang Bingyao remarked, slightly surprised. When a pretty girl as an ad-carry spoke these words, it would usually be delivered with sad, puppy dog eyes. After which the guy wouldn¡¯t have the heart to refuse. However, she wasn¡¯t like most other girls. She was simply making a casual remark.

    In the same fashion, Lin Feng gave a straightforward answer. ¡°Nope! You should practice improving without relying on me as your support!¡±

    1. The skill name is Dark Passage. It shields nearby allies and allows them to jump to Thresh.

    2. Tristana fires at the ground to propel her to a distant location, dealing damage and slowing surrounding units for a brief period where shends.

 Chapter 31: Still Not Beyond Saving

    Lin Feng¡¯s thought process was clear cut. He¡¯d convinced Tang Bingyao to try Kalista because he knew her ystyle suited the champion. Kalista was a champion that required good mechanics, and Tang Bingyao¡¯s greatest strength were her high-level reflexes and control with the mouse. They were a match made in heaven. But it took more than a few days to y a new champion at the level of a Diamond. That was why he had yed support until now. In fact, the greatest contributing factor to their recent win streak was that his support was just that good. So, now that Tang Bingyao wasfortable ying Kalista, he knew it was the right time to change his role. It was fine for an ad-carry to rely on their support, but never to an excess. After all, if your support was bad or had an off-day, it would be up to you to carry.

    Lin Feng exined all of this to Tang Bingyao, then added with a pleased smile, ¡°Man, I¡¯m really good at coaching too!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s coaching duties didn¡¯t only extend to Tang Bingyao. Around dinner time, he bid her farewell and rushed back home.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Lin Feng announced as he swung the door open. Then, he rubbed his empty stomach and added, ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    ¡°Alright alright! I got it! Give me a minute!¡± a voice shouted back. Before long, Su Xue came rushing out of her room with a slight look of guilt. ¡°Ahem, err, just sit back. I got so busy with my stream that I forgot to make dinner. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll whip up something quick!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, then curiously asked, ¡°How did streaming go today?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s face lit up with a bright smile. ¡°I had way more viewers today! I peaked at a little over 200! And my CSing went super good! When I was ying ranked, I almost always got over 70 CS by 10 minutes!¡±

    Maintaining an average of 70 CS at 10 minutes in Gold wasmendable. So, Lin Feng gave her two thumbs up and eximed in admiration, ¡°Nice! That¡¯s proof the training fromst night worked!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know right! I feel like my CSing today has gotten a lot better afterst night!¡± Su Xue nodded vigorously. She was quite pleased with the results of Lin Feng¡¯s coaching. ¡°Can you give me some more tips after dinner? I¡¯ve ended the stream for today anyway, so we¡¯ve got all night!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not streaming tonight? You can stream and practice at the same time, you know?¡± Lin Feng remarked in surprise.

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. If my viewers see me practice, they¡¯ll just make fun of me!¡± Su Xue waved her hands. Then, her lips curled into a mischievous smile. ¡°I want to practice in secret and shock them with how good I am! Haha, you know, some of my old viewers were so surprised by my CSing today, they thought you were secretly ying for me off to the side!¡±

    Su Xue was in a great mood today. She had immediately noticed the improvements in her CSing when she was ying ranked matches, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased with herself after seeing the reactions of her loyal viewers. Plus, her new viewers seemed pretty entertained watching her stream too. They didn¡¯t even make fun of her for being Gold!

    Su Xue was thoroughly pumped up, still riding the high of today¡¯s sess. At this pace, she might really reach Diamond in a month! And when she did, she would realize her aspirations of bing a top female streamer!

    ?

    After dinner, Su Xue quickly cleaned the table, impatient to start her training with Lin Feng.

    Looking at the overly enthusiastic Su Xue, Lin Feng carefully reminded, ¡°Er... I still have some homework to do tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Su Xue paused for a moment, but then smiled and urged, ¡°Go! Get to it! When you¡¯re done,e to my room! I¡¯ll practice my CSing in the meantime!¡±

    Lin Feng watched Su Xue skedaddle back to her room in a daze. He scratched his head and muttered, ¡°She sure is excited today¡­ But that¡¯s not a bad thing!¡± He smiled. After all, seeing someone striving hard to achieve their dream was always gratifying!

    Two hourster, Lin Feng finished his homework and walked over to Su Xue¡¯s room. He poked his head around the door. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m do¡ª¡±

    Su Xue swung her head around and excitedly called, ¡°Quick, hurry! Come look at my CS!¡±

    Lin Feng walked over and looked at the screen. Su Xue yed Jinx and was facing off against an AI Lux in botne. She currently had 94 CS at 11 minutes. This meant she barely missed any minions. Even though the opponent was only a bot,pared to yesterday¡¯s performance, it was clear her farming had improved by leaps and bounds.

    ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Lin Feng praised. ¡°It¡¯s time for the next phase of your training!¡±

    ¡°Next phase?¡± Su Xue asked in a daze.

    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s time for some realbat training!¡±

    ying against an AI and ying against another yer were two different things. If you wanted to improve at the game, practicing against bots could only get you so far. Lin Feng brought over a chair and sat down next to Su Xue. He would be overseeing her games and giving advice in real time.

    When Su Xue loaded into her first game, she was still full of confidence. However, how she hoped it would go and how it actually went vastly differed.

    ¡°Hey, you missed a CS there.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve been more aggressive there. Caitlyn needs to pressure more with her range advantage.

    ¡°That Q was off-aim!

    ¡°Minimap, minimap, minimap! You need to pay more attention to the minimap!

    ¡°Ah, dead¡­ you reacted too slow there! You should¡¯ve shed the moment the Leona shed toward you, and you would¡¯ve escaped!¡±

    ¡­.

    Lin Feng repeatedly shook his head and sighed as he nitpicked at Su Xue¡¯s gamey.

    Beads of sweat formed on Su Xue¡¯s forehead. She thought she was ying pretty well when she was streaming earlier. But the moment Lin Feng sat down beside her, he pointed out every w. It almost felt like there was nothing she did good! Finally, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and protested, ¡°Hey, hey! Do you have to nitpick?¡±

    ¡°If you want to improve, you have to be strict! Those ws I pointed out, no Master would make them!¡± Lin Feng said self-righteously.

    ¡°Master? Didn''t you say you were only going to coach me up to Diamond?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Did I?¡± Lin Feng remarked in surprise.

    Su Xue red daggers at Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng waspletely unfazed. He quickly found another excuse. ¡°A soldier that doesn¡¯t aim to be a general isn¡¯t a good soldier! Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you¡¯llnd among the stars! If you want to quickly be a Diamond yer, you¡¯ll have to aim for even higher!¡±

    ¡°R-really¡­? Hey, don¡¯t try to pull one over on me just because I wasn¡¯t good in school!¡± Su Xue said, half-convinced.

    ¡°Of course! Just believe in me!¡± Lin Feng confidently dered.

    As a result, the training continued with Lin Feng pointing out the mistakes in Su Xue¡¯s gamey as beads of sweat fell from her head.

    ¡°You have too little awareness in teamfights.

    ¡°Your positioning is terrible.

    ...

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Hmm, it seems like one month isn¡¯t enough. Let¡¯s extend the deadline to two months.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Two months?¡± Su Xue blurted.

    ¡°With your talent, it might even take longer,¡± Lin Feng evaluated with a solemn face.

    ¡°No! Didn¡¯t you say one month? Come on. I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m that hopeless!¡±

 Chapter 32: You Think Iâ€™m Just the E-girl Support?

    Over the next few days, Lin Feng basically spent all his free time helping Tang Bingyaoplete her elo boosting orders for free and coaching Su Xue. Pile on all the schoolwork on top of that, and he was quite busy every day. However, with both his students showing clear improvements in the span of just a short few days, he couldn¡¯t help but feel gratified that his hard work was paying dividends.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s rapid improvement was no surprise. After all, she had the reflexes and mechanical control approaching that of a professional yer. Plus, she was a quick learner. All Lin Feng had to do was give her some advice here and there and point out which champion she should try next.

    Helping Su Xue improve, on the other hand, proved an uphill battle. Even though both were ad-carry mains, the gap between them was stark. Su Xue¡¯s foundation was too weak. Her reflexes and reaction speed weren¡¯t that great, and she was slow to pick up on things. So, when Lin Feng was watching over her games, he sounded like a broken record, pointing out the same mistakes over and over again.

    In spite of this, Su Xue had shown remarkable progress in the past few days. This was a testament to her unwavering drive and perseverance. While others would take a match or two to understand a game concept or champion, Su Xue would need three to four matches. However, she would do that and more, putting in five times the amount of practice anyone else would. This was a work ethic ordinary people could only dream of, the kind that demanded respect. Even Lin Feng couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. He was sure that as long as Su Xue kept it up, he could help her reach Diamond.

    ?

    Friday afternoon. Lin Feng had finished his first week of school since transferring to Shanghai. He sat at his desk, enthusiastically discussing the season 5 League of Legends world championship with Ouyang and Yang Fan. It was only two weeks away.

    ¡°I was on Roundy¡¯s Weibo yesterday. He actually updated his status for once!¡± Ouyang animatedly waved his hands. ¡°He posted two pics of the team practicing and even leaked that they¡¯ll be in London next week!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Does that mean group stages are taking ce in London? I guess they¡¯re heading there a week in advance to get used to the timezone and do some bootcamping in the region.¡±

    ¡°London. Man, I wish I could go there to watch them y live. I bet Ennd¡¯s food is great too!¡± Ouyang remarked with a yearning expression in his eyes.

    ¡°The food there is terrible. It¡¯s all potatoes, and their Chinese food is fake and overpriced,¡± Lin Feng chimed in.

    Ouyang rolled his eyes. ¡°You act like you¡¯ve actually been to Ennd.¡±

    ¡°I have!¡± Lin Feng said.

    ¡°Last time you told us you were a Challenger. Now you say you¡¯ve been to Ennd? Why don¡¯t you just tell us you were a pro and went to London topete in season 1 Worlds?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise. He gave Ouyang a thumbs up. ¡°Woah! How did you know? You¡¯re really good at guessing!¡±

    Neither Yang Fan nor Ouyang took him seriously. Ouyang rolled his eyes and was about to go off on Lin Feng, when a pleasant voice rang in his ears. ¡°What are you three talking about?¡±

    The trio turned their heads. Somewhere along the line, their ss president Ren Rou had walked over. She stared at them curiously.

    Ouyang immediately put on a ttering expression. ¡°Rou Rou, you¡¯re here! Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Lin Feng was just bragging again. I was about to tell him off.¡±

    ¡°Bragging?¡± Ren Rou raised an eyebrow in surprise. She turned to Lin Feng with a mischievous smile. ¡°Oh, right, Lin Feng. Did you think you were being sneaky? That we wouldn¡¯t notice? Come on, tell us the good stuff! Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Lin Feng asked, bewildered.

    Ren Rou giggled. ¡°Ah? Still trying to y dumb? You think I wouldn¡¯t notice? I¡¯m the ss president! I know everything! Like how you and Tang Bingyao have been spending a whole lot of time together.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Ouyang blurted. Yang Fan also stared at Lin Feng with his mouth agape.

    ¡°I saw you leave school together with herst Wednesday. And when we had that game against ss 8, while everyone else went to celebrate, you stayed behind with her!¡± Ren Rou puffed up her chest with pride. ¡°So, there¡¯s definitely something going on between you two!¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s where you¡¯ve been sneaking off to after school! You were chasing after a girl! Damn, you yer! You already snagged yourself a hottie in your first week here!¡±

    ¡°W-what? No, it¡¯s not like that! I haven¡¯t!¡± Lin Feng retorted.

    Ouyang nudged up to Lin Feng with bright eyes. ¡°Hey, hey. Since you and Tang Bingyao are dating, when the esports club is recruiting, how about you try and get her to join us? Good! I¡¯ll leave this to you!¡±

    ¡°Oh! I also want to join the esports club!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Ouyang pped his thigh. ¡°That¡¯s great! As long as you can get Tang Tang to join us, I promise we¡¯ll make an exception, and you can tag along too!¡±

    Make an exception? Tag along? Lin Feng frowned. ¡°Tag along? You think I¡¯m just Tang Tang¡¯s e-girl support?¡±

    ?

    ¡°Because none of them know how good you are,¡± Tang Bingyao remarked, sipping on her lemon tea. As usual the two went to the NetCow Cafe after school.

    ¡°But I keep telling them I¡¯m really good!¡± Lin Feng protested.

    Ignoring his tantrum, a troubled expression surfaced on Tang Bingyao¡¯s face. ¡°It looks like people are mistaking our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Well, who cares what they think?¡± Lin Feng asked, not appearing the least bit concerned.

    Tang Bingyao thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡°Mhm, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±

    Neither of the two were the type to care about such trivial matters. So, there was no bashfulness or awkwardness between them. They turned their focus back to the game.

    ¡°Today, you¡¯ll keep ying Twitch.¡±

    ¡°Twitch again?¡± Tang Bingyao¡¯s pretty face crumpled. Lin Feng had told her to y Twitch yesterday too. The gue Rat wasn¡¯t anything like the ad-carries she usually yed. In fact,pared to Kalista and Draven, Twitch was the pr opposite. The former two relied heavily on mechanics, whereas thetter relied mostly on positioning.

    The power of Twitch rested in his ultimate. A good one could decimate the enemy team, while a poor one would lead to an almost instantaneous loss. This meant that awareness and positioning were much more important than mechanics. As someone who liked ying mechanical heavy champions, Tang Bingyao found no joy in ying this kind of champion. However, Lin Feng remained firm. Even if she didn¡¯t want to, she had to obediently listen.

    ?

    After ying two games, Lin Feng turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Are you even trying? You¡¯re ying awful!¡± They had won the first game and lost the second. However, Tang Bingyao had been invisible in both games.

    ¡°Another game!¡± Tang Bingyao said, unhappy with their loss.

    From that point onwards, Tang Bingyao started getting serious. She slowly entered the zone while ying the third and fourth game. Her Twitch was getting much better. In the fourth game, she even got a quadra kill and directly carried the team to victory. The good results gave her finally a reason to enjoy ying Twitch a little.

    ¡°Let¡¯s y another two games,¡± Lin Feng dered, riding the momentum. Suddenly, he froze as he realized something. He smacked his head and said, ¡°Right, I have to let Su Xue know first.¡±

 Chapter 33: Streamer Suâ€™s Daily Life

    After spending all night practicing Lin Feng lessons of CSing andning, preparing breakfast for Lin Feng, and leaving him a brief note, Su Xue finally caved in to her fatigue and copsed on her bed. She slept until the afternoon.

    When Su Xue opened her eyes again, she pushed herself up from her soft, silky mattress and drowsily stretched her body, feeling a wave of wakefulness wash over her. Wearing pajamas, she slid her feet into her pink slippers and shuffled to the bathroom. She gazed in the mirror at her shape with a satisfied smile after brushing her teeth and washing her face.

    ¡°Mhm! Mhm!¡± Su Xue nodded. ¡°Just as beautiful as yesterday! Hahahah!¡± Then, her eyes fell on the faint dark circles around her eyes. She hurriedly examined herself more closely. It was no surprise pulling all nighters several days in a row would take its toll. But if things continued like this, her good looks would suffer! This was uneptable! She pulled open the drawer below the sink and ruffled around. However, to her dismay, she discovered she was all out of facial masks.

    ¡°Crap! I¡¯ve got to buy another box already?¡± Su Xue muttered. They cost more than her empty wallet could miss. She grit her teeth, then conveniently forgot thest minute. After all, what was the worst skimping on her skin care routine could do? And even if that did happen, she was earning a living with her skills as a League yer, not with her cleavage like those other female streamers!

    After finishing up in the bathroom, Su Xue walked into the kitchen. She browsed through the fridge and picked out something filling, a custard bun, and paired it with a ss of warm milk. With brunch in hand, she walked back to her room and plopped down on her desk chair.

    It was almost time to start the stream. Su Xue wolfed down her breakfast before taking off her pajamas and changing into a casual rice-coloured t-shirt. Her usual stream attire. She grabbed several pants and posed with them in front of the mirror. Then, she paused and looked around to make sure she was alone. With a naughty smile, she looked back at the mirror. Here, there was a grown woman in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear with her slender, white legs exposed, making all sorts of alluring movements in front of the mirror! Any guy whoid their eyes on her would, without a doubt, feel their hearts race and their blood pump.

    ¡°Mhm, hm! You¡¯ve still got it, girl!¡± Su Xue nodded in satisfaction, her eyes undressing the image in the mirror. She was 172 cm tall with a slender build. Her standout features were her face and long legs. However, she wasn¡¯t the kind of girl to add a second cam to her stream for her legs. So, she rarely had the opportunity to show them off to anyone.

    Of course, there was still Lin Feng. But he was more like a little brother than a member of the opposite sex. Speaking of which, whenever she was fed up with him prattling on about her mistakes in a League game, she would exact revenge by trampling on him with her long, slender legs.

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but gnash her teeth as thoughts of her recent training sessions with Lin Feng came to mind. ¡°That li¡¯l punk! How is he a coach? He¡¯s just looking for any excuse to make fun of me!¡± It came to the point that she now yed extremely cautiously in her ranked games for fear of being scolded. But no matter how hard she tried, he would always find something and ruthlessly point it out. He didn¡¯t hold back in the slightest! She blushed with shame just thinking about it!

    At this moment, Su Xue¡¯s phone started ringing. ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± she muttered. Then, she answered the call and curtly asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡¸I¡¯m just letting you know I¡¯ll be home a bitte. I¡¯m still at the inte cafe!¡¹Lin Feng¡¯s voice rang out from the other side.

    ¡°Huh, are you still duoing with that Tang Bingyao girl?¡± Su Xue asked in surprise.

    ¡¸Yeah, I am!¡¹

    ¡°You have your heart set on chasing this girl, huh¡­?¡± Su Xue was at a loss for words. ¡°Fine, fine, whatever. Just don¡¯te home toote!

    ¡°Also¡­ when you get back, you still have to coach me!¡± Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but remind him. As harsh as Lin Feng¡¯s training was, it was effective. In only a short few days, she saw clear improvements. Even her long time viewers would asionally remark on how much better she was ying. Naturally, this drove her to strive even harder in improving. Speaking of which, it was about time she started her stream.

    Su Xue plopped down in front of her monitor and turned on herputer. After opening up her browser and logging into her Huya ount, she sent out a quick announcement to her viewers.¡¸Come out! Come out! I¡¯m about to turn on my stream! Hurry up and report in!¡¹

    Su Xue only had 47 members in her special viewer chat group. However, as soon as she sent out the message, they all started stirring.

    ¡¸Eh, you¡¯re going live?¡¹

    ¡¸hey maid. you''re getting on prettyte today¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸lol bet five bucks she overslept¡¹

    ¡¸LMAO! 100% that happened¡¹

    ¡¸Su Xue, you¡¯re neglecting us viewers here! Your streams are way shorter these days! Tell us, are you cheating on us with another guy!¡¹

    ¡¸Has to be it! The gal¡¯s in heat!¡¹

    Su Xue furiously punched down on her keys, writing a reply.¡¸Your mother¡¯s in heat! Who said that? Reveal yourself and ept your punishment!¡¹

    The chat stirred.

    ¡¸Woah! the maid is getting a little full of herself!¡¹

    ¡¸Impudence!¡¹

    ¡¸what¡¯s this? she dares talk back to us?¡¹

    ¡¸Fes, is it time to mass unfollow?¡¹

    Su Xue stared at her chat in shock, then hurriedly asked for their forgiveness.¡¸My bad my bad¡­ Oh please let me off my kind and generous viewers! Ah, my stream is already up. So, won¡¯t you guyse and watch?¡¹

    ¡¸Hmph! That¡¯s more like it!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t forget your ce! There won¡¯t be a next time!¡¹

    ¡¸we¡¯ll be watching you closely!!¡¹

    Su Xue smiled apologetically.¡¸Uh huh, uh huh. It won¡¯t happen again. I promise!¡¹Then, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°These guys¡­ they¡¯re getting more and more cocky. Who do they think they are!¡± Despite herints, she read the group chat messages with a happy smile. Her loyal viewers were already waiting for her in the stream.

    Even though the dedicated group chat for her stream was small, Su Xue was quite close with the people that were there. Unlike many other streamers who never spoke a word, she enjoyed interacting regrly with her viewers off stream. Each and every one of them was loyal to her and she¡¯d personally invited them to this chat. When one of them entered the chat, she would always go out of her way to talk with them.

    From their names to their birthdays, Su Xue tried hard to remember everything important she could about her loyal viewers. In fact,st week was a viewer¡¯s birthday, and she had sung them a birthday song on stream. Of course, everyone had made fun of her for singing, saying things like they could already see the light. However, this didn¡¯t get in the way of her building a deeper bond with her viewers, to the extent it wasn¡¯t simply the rtionship of streamer and viewer but that of friends who could crack jokes and exchange banter with each other.

    Snapping out of her daydreaming, Su Xue looked at her stream page. There were already more than 30 viewers, all of whom were members of the group chat. All the ones who were online were present. But the good feeling of seeing her viewers joining didn¡¯tst long.

    ¡¸you didn¡¯t put on any makeup today either! you atleast could try a little!¡¹

    ¡¸so sloppy¡­ disappointing¡¹

    ¡¸smh! What do you expect of a shut-in? how in the world did i end up following her?¡¹

    ¡°Hey hey, can you not roast me the moment I open the stream?¡± Su Xue erupted. In this lively fashion, her daily stream began.

 Chapter 34: Trolls

    Su Xue quickly queued into her first match. In champion select, she picked her main, Caitlyn. Out of all the ad-carries she yed, she¡¯d been doing the best with Caitlyntely, especially at farming. Plus, it was never a bad idea to start the day on a high note. The enemy picked Jinx, a rtively easy opponent. Her mood lifted and she said to her viewers, ¡°Hehe! Watch how I carry this match, guys!¡±

    The viewers in the stream had a different opinion.

    ¡¸haha the zero ie streamer is bulsshitting again¡¹

    ¡¸watch her feed lol¡¹

    ¡¸the human ATM is bragging!¡¹

    ¡¸so confident, xue xue! r u alright? loool.¡¹

    ¡°Screw you guys! I¡¯ll make you all eat those words when I carry like a god!¡± Su Xue erupted.

    The match got off to a good start. Su Xue yed rather well, taking full advantage of Caitlyn¡¯s superior range to pressure the enemy Jinx in the earlyning phase. At six minutes in, she even managed to get a kill and assist when Rek¡¯Sai came for a gank.

    The viewers were startled beyond belief.

    ¡¸Woah! Maid, are you scripting today!?!?!?/¡¹

    ¡¸wow, that was actually good!¡¹

    ¡°See, what did I say? I¡¯m going to carry like a god today!¡± Su Xue eximed smugly.

    Su Xue was ying exceptionally well this game. Clearly, Lin Feng¡¯s training these past few days was effective. When she hit 78 CS at the 10-minute mark versus Jinx¡¯s 55, the viewers were all gasping in admiration.

    Su Xue maintained a calm expression on the surface, but inwardly she was grinning from ear to ear. Hahaha! All that hard work is paying off! I can finally carry with my Caitlyn!

    Ever since that match with Ol¡¯ ck a few days ago, Su Xue saw her viewership steadily climbing, from 40-odd viewers to over 200. The new viewers also couldn¡¯t help but nod approvingly after watching Su Xue y for a bit.

    ¡¸hoh wow, her caitlyn is pretty solid¡¹

    ¡¸yea! she¡¯s way better than those e-girl thots!¡¹

    ¡¸right? We¡¯re on Huya to watch people y games, not y with themselves!¡¹

    Gaining the approval of her new viewers, Su Xue¡¯s mood lifted even higher, and she started concentrating even harder on her y. It also helped that her long-time viewers were putting in a good word for her.

    ¡¸Yup. Xue Xue might suck, but at least we can tell she tries hard!¡¹

    ¡¸way better than those other female streamers!¡¹

    ¡¸btw where¡¯s our lil bro???¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s long time viewers started asking about Lin Feng. He hadn¡¯t been in any of her streams the past few days. So, they were starting to miss him. The new viewers also recalled Lin Feng. How couldn¡¯t they? He was Godlee!

    ¡¸ohhhhh! Do you mean that kid who yed the sword of the ult Lee?¡¹

    ¡¸that kid and her live together? r they siblings or something?¡¹

    ¡¸I came to this stream for godlee!!!¡¹

    Noticing the conversation in the chat, Su Xue curled her lips and exined, ¡°Hmph! He¡¯s busy picking up girls!¡±

    ?

    At the NetCow Cafe. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were still ying League of Legends together. Right now, they were in a ranked match. Tang Bingyao was ying Twitch, while Lin Feng yed jungle Fiddlesticks.

    After practicing Twitch for several games, Tang Bingyao was clearly getting better at him. Even if Lin Feng didn¡¯t babysit herne, she could still scale very well by herself, at times even picking up kills on the enemyners. Twitch wasn¡¯t a very strongning champion. But if you could get a lead with him early on, then when the teamfights started in mid tote game, he would be nothing short of a monster.

    At about 14 minutes into the game, the second dragon spawned. The enemy team gathered in the dragon pit and started fighting it.

    Lin Feng seized this opportunity to leap over the wall around the dragon pit with Crowstorm and right into the heart of the enemy team. A cacophony of caws rang out in the air as the Harbinger of Doom engulfed the enemy in a murder of crows, dealing a massive amount of magic damage!

    At the same time, Twitch popped out of stealth behind the enemy ranks with Spray and Pray. A spray of noxious bolts cut through the air!

    ¡°PINS AND NEEDLES! AHAHAHAHAHA!¡±

    PTSUI! PTSUI! PTSUI! PTSUI! PTSUI!

    An endless assault of bolts skewered the enemy team, melting away what little remaining health they had left.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    The game announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift consecutively!

    ¡°Awesome Tang Tang!¡± Lin Fengughed. ¡°See? I told you Twitch was great at teamfighting!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. Then, she turned to Lin Feng unhappily. ¡°But I didn¡¯t pick up a single kill.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t? I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Lin Feng replied, feigning ignorance.

    ¡°Liar,¡± Tang Bingyao said as she stared at Lin Feng.

    ?

    Su Xue encountered a snag in her first game. Her Caitlyn was doing pretty well early game, but the rest of her team lost their respectivenes. The enemy topne Darius turned into an unkible monster, while the enemy midne Lenc could one shot anyone she saw. So, when the first team fight broke out, even though she had scaled well, she still couldn¡¯t turn back the tide.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Seeing her screen going gray, Su Xue went wide-eyed. ¡°How did it end up like this¡­?¡± She genuinely felt she was ying really well, and even her viewers agreed too! But with these kinds of teammates, there was nothing she could do to turn the tide. No matter how well she scaled, the enemy mid and topne were just too fed! She just had to be matched up with these kinds of teammates!

    The viewers startedforting her.

    ¡¸don¡¯t feel too down, xue xue. you yed really well¡¹

    ¡¸it¡¯s alright, just move on to another game¡¹

    The new viewers were also chiming in.

    ¡¸bad teammates can¡¯t be helped¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s already pretty hard to shut down a darius and lenc when they¡¯re not fed.¡¹

    ¡¸NOT HER FAULT TEAMMATES BAD¡¹

    However, several unpleasant voices suddenly interrupted the harmonious atmosphere, catching everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡¸trash streamer, ying caitlyn with that skill? stop feeding the lenc!¡¹

    ¡¸what a boosted monkey! I¡¯m way better and Im Bronze!!¡¹

    ¡¸where did this trash streamere from? never even heard of her. such crappy y and she actually wants to be a streamer? Our Rose is way better!¡¹

    Su Xue hadn¡¯t even noticed these messages yet before her viewers already erupted in anger.

    ¡¸Fuck off! Who the hell are these people? Talking shit as soon as they join the stream!¡¹

    ¡¸rose? who da fuk is rose???¡¹

    1. Twitch unleashes the full power of his crossbow, shooting bolts over a great distance that pierce all enemies caught in their path.

 Chapter 35: Donâ€™t Cry! Donâ€™t Cry! Donâ€™t Cry!

    In League of Legends, there were three great blunders: No vision in the brush. The enemy has no sh. I can get the kill! In the same vein, man had three great questions in life: Who am I? Where do Ie from? Where am I heading? Before Su Xue¡¯s viewers was also a question. Who the hell was Rose? But her viewers couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about this question. Fuck! Who the fuck cares who Rose is! Trash talking Xue Xue? Can¡¯tpare to Rose? What right do you have to decide that!

    Su Xue¡¯s long-time viewers might make fun of her in her stream and viewer group chat, but that never went beyond light hearted jokes and banter. It was a testament to how close they were. This was their sole right as her friends! So, when they saw the messages of these trolls, they immediately red with anger.

    ¡¸where did these moronse from? they forget to take their medicine?¡¹

    ¡¸the fuck is rose? never heard of her!¡¹

    ¡¸obvious trolls, can¡¯t even tell this game isn¡¯t caitlyn¡¯s fault!¡¹

    The several trolls in the chat chuckled coldly.

    ¡¸You don¡¯t know Rose? Fucking losers hahahahah!! ¡¹

    ¡¸how is this shitty streamer losing in gold lmaaao! Rose is Diamond. don''t even try topare, okay?¡¹

    ¡¸trash streamer has trash viewers, seems about right¡¹

    By the time Su Xue finally noticed the situation, the trolls had alreadypletely riled up her viewers. She was already in low spirits after losing the game due to bad teammates, but after seeing the messages those trolls typed in her chat, her mood got even worse. Why were they randomly stirring up trouble here anyway? If they didn¡¯t like her stream, they could just leave. There was no need to purposefully antagonize others. Not to mention she clearly yed well this game. So, why were they trash-talking her?

    Su Xue had heard of Rose before. She was also a League of Legends streamer, a way more popr one, with her streams averaging 60,000 viewers regrly. Su Xue had even watched some of her streams before. Her stream name was LovelyRose. She was pretty mediocre at the game. The only reason she was so popr was that she was the kind of female streamer who always wore highly revealing clothing, showing off her cleavage, legs, and whatever else she could get away with without getting banned. Sometimes she didn¡¯t even y the game and just chatted with her stream, browsing clothing websites and asking her viewers what she should buy. She was precisely the kind of streamer Su Xue didn¡¯t want to be.

    Despite her distaste for this kind of behaviour, Su Xue never expressed any feelings about it in her streams. After all, everyone was trying to make a living in their own way. What right did she have to criticize them for it? You have your own thoughts, and I have mine. There was nothing worth arguing about. Now, though, there were trolls riling up people in her stream andparing her to this other streamer. How could Su Xue possibly ept this?

    Su Xue was inwardly sullen and fuming, but she tried to maintain an amiable appearance. ¡°Alright, alright guys, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s all just watch the stream, okay? If you have a problem with my ys, feel free to point out what exactly. I¡¯ll try my best to improve. And if you really can¡¯t stand it, you can always leave. There¡¯s no need to start arguments with others in chat.¡±

    These words failed to have the desired effect. Rather, after realizing they had her attention, the trolls became even more unbridled,unching even uglier and more vicious attacks at her.

    Su Xue let them go on for a little longer before she couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and used her stream host privileges to ban them from her stream. The stream finally settled down for a bit. But within minutes, trouble came knocking again. Just as the stream chat was calming down, a swath of messages flooded in.

    ¡¸trash streamer! y like trash but wont let others point it out!¡¹

    ¡¸BANNING US??? Stupid bitch, is that all you know how to do!¡¹

    ¡¸Rose is way better than you! Can¡¯t ept it? Doesn¡¯t matter! Just cause she¡¯s better, you won¡¯t let us say it, huh? Stupid bitch!¡¹

    ¡¸butthurt muchhhh? ifff you get butthurt so easily, then don¡¯t be a streamer!¡¹

    The trolls were back and in full force. Apparently, the several people who were just banned came back with new ounts, and it appeared they called over more helpers from LovelyRose¡¯s stream.

    LovelyRose was currently streaming. There were over 60,000 fans watching her. When they saw the messages, ¡°Some other trash streamer is challenging Rose,¡± and, ¡°They even banned us for no reason,¡± many came rushing over.

    ¡¸Heard some trash streamer is banning people for no reason. Came here to see if i¡¯d get banned.¡¹

    ¡¸bitch, y are you shit talking our Rose??!¡¹

    ¡¸what makes you think you¡¯re so great?!¡¹

    ¡¸HAHAHA thinks she can challenge rose with her hundred viewers. This bitch is just looking for drama! CLOUT CHASING BIITTCHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!¡¹

    Seeing these trolls overrunning her chat, the blood drained from Su Xue¡¯s face. Never could she have imagined that banning a few trolls would result in even more flooding her stream, and they were even making baseless usations! When did she ever trash talk Rose?

    ¡°I never said anything!¡± Su Xue eximed.

    The trollspletely ignored her. They didn¡¯t care for her exnation and continued mocking and insulting her.

    Su Xue tightly bit her lips, trying her hardest to put on a strong front. But the faint trembling of her shoulders gave away how much these insults dug at her heart.

    The trolls in the chat continued insulting her, theirnguage growing ever harsher and their messages in growing frequency. Su Xue forced herself to ignore them, focusing back on the game. Then, she switched back to the stream chat and took out the banhammer.

    It was useless. No matter how many trolls she banned, more just kepting in. All of them came from LovelyRose¡¯s stream. Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers tried to defend her, but they were vastly outnumbered against the troll army. All their messages were drowned out by the trolls.

    ¡¸STUPID WH0RE¡¹

    ¡¸fking bitch, keep banning us!¡¹

    ¡¸you can¡¯t ban all of us HAHAHAHAHA¡¹

    ¡¸The Rose army is endless! How dare you try to challenge us!¡¹

    ?

    Some of Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers finally had enough and ran over to LovelyRose¡¯s stream.

    ¡¸Hey, can you control your viewers?¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re being overrun by trolls from your stream. Are you paying any attention??¡¹

    ¡¸Answer us, LovelyRose. Control your viewers!¡¹

    The several viewers from Su Xue¡¯s red out in anger. But no matter how much they spammed the chat, they werepletely ignored. The viewers from LovelyRose¡¯s stream even started making fun of them.

    ¡¸Your streamer shouldn¡¯t have started it¡¹

    ¡¸likes dishing it out, but can''t take it back. I heard she¡¯s even banning people for no reason.¡¹

    ¡¸hehee that¡¯s what u bitches get for picking a fight with rose. you think it¡¯s bad now? you haven¡¯t seen nothing yet!¡¹

    The viewers from Su Xue¡¯s chat couldn''t hold back their anger and started fighting back against the viewers from LovelyRose¡¯s stream. But before they could get more than a few words in, a message appeared in their chat and their ability to type in the chat disappeared.

    ¡¶You have been banned from this chat room by LovelyRose.¡·

    LovelyRose¡¯s voicezily rang out from her stream, carrying with it an obvious note of disdain and mockery. ¡°You lot, stop disturbing my stream. We don¡¯t wee rude simps here.¡±

    ?

    Su Xue¡¯s stream chat waspletely overrun by trolls from LovelyRose¡¯s stream. It was utter chaos. The trolls were throwing every insult out there at her.

    Su Xue¡¯s shoulders were faintly trembling. The corners of her eyes were already starting to turn red, but she bit down on her lips, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her. Don¡¯t cry! No matter what! Don¡¯t cry! Don¡¯t cry! Don¡¯t cry! Crying was admitting defeat! She couldn¡¯t let these trolls win!

    But Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of fear and helplessness well up from her heart. She¡¯d only been streaming for half a month, putting in blood, sweat, and tears to slowly build up her viewership. But now, all her efforts were going to be destroyed in the blink of an eye! ¡°What do I do?¡± she murmured to herself helplessly.

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were still at the NetCow Cafe. They had just finished a game. After easily picking up a victory, they were about to get into another match, when Lin Feng overheard a conversation from some other customers nearby.

    ¡°Hot damn! There¡¯s some juicy drama happening on Huya right now! Some new female streamer is being raided. Her stream ispletely overrun with trolls!¡±

 Chapter 36: Apologize to me Firs

    More and more people were entering Su Xue¡¯s stream, and a good 80% of them were trolls sent by LovelyRose. They nketed the chat with insults and general vulgarnguage. Just one such message was enough to make someone¡¯s blood boil and anger well up inside of them. Let alone thousands. A thousand trolls all hurling the most vile abuse at once. No one could endure this kind of attack.

    Su Xue was on the verge of bursting into tears. Her face flushed with anger as she bit down on her lips and continued to manually ban the trolls one by one. But they would quicklye back with new ounts and bring more with them. It was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water. It was truly a heartbreaking sight to see this young woman fighting back to no avail.

    Don¡¯t cry. You can¡¯t cry! You must not cry! Su Xue kept repeating in her head. It was only this mantra that allowed her to persevere in the face of this relentless barrage.

    Even the hundred-plus viewers from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream couldn¡¯t bear to see this any longer and spoke out.

    ¡¸Hey hey. Enough already!¡¹

    ¡¸Is that your goal? Bully a new streamer into crying live on stream? You guys are despicable!¡¹

    ¡¸this is ridiculous¡­ she never even mentioned this lovelyrose before¡¹

    Needless to say, if even these new viewers were speaking out for Su Xue, her loyal viewers were beyond incensed. After consulting with each other in the special group chat, the several dozen of them decided to storm into LovelyRose¡¯s stream and spam her chat.

    But LovelyRose wasn¡¯t the slightest bit perturbed. She banned them all from her stream, then chuckled derisively in her usual alluring tone. ¡°You think you can spam my chat with your little group? Very funny.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Damn! Some juicy drama is happening on Huya right now!¡±

    ¡°A catfight broke out between two female streamers!¡±

    Back in the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were about to queue up for their next match when they overheard the conversation of the patrons nearby.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, a cat fight? I wanna take a look!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about that?¡± Tang Bingyao remarked.

    ¡°I love watching juicy drama!¡± Lin Feng said in high spirits. He quickly tabbed out of the game client and opened up Huya on his browser. However, when he got onto the main page, he paused. ¡°Eh, where¡¯s the drama?¡± He shot up from his seat and shouted at the patrons a row over, ¡°Hey! Where¡¯s the juicy drama?¡±

    Tang Bingyao quickly turned her head, pretending she didn¡¯t know him.

    The patrons a row over replied, ¡°Go on Huya, and search for Evening Snowfall!¡±

    ¡°H-huh?¡± Lin Feng was stunned.

    Tang Bingyao turned to Lin Feng curiously. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    But Lin Feng didn¡¯t appear to hear her. He hurriedly typed ¡®Evening Snowfall¡¯ in the search bar and clicked on the only result that popped up. After the stream loaded up, he was greeted by the sight of Su Xue on the verge of breaking into tears with a nket of abusive messages scrolling over her stream. He scanned the messages one by one, the blood slowly draining from his face. His eyes trembled as the mouse he was gripping started making cracking noises. ¡°Despicable¡­ Despicable!¡± His expression became iparably scary. ¡°Completely despicable! These people are too much!¡±

    All the nearby patrons in the inte cafe turned their attention to Lin Feng.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong? Tell me!¡± Tang Bingyao asked, rmed by Lin Feng¡¯s sudden outburst.

    Lin Feng shot up from his seat. ¡°Tang Tang, I¡¯m going home. We¡¯ll y tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°But the match is already about to start¡­¡± Tang Bingyao said.

    But Lin Feng didn¡¯t listen to her. He¡¯d already grabbed his schoolbag and ran out of the inte cafe.

    ?

    A certain apartmentplex in central Shanghai. In avishly furnished room, Ah Mei sat at her desk dressed in her typical low-cut tank top. She was the streamer known online as LovelyRose, and this was how she attracted viewers to her stream. Right now, she opened Evening Snowfall¡¯s stream and was looking at the barrage of messages scrolling across the screen with a disdainful smile on the corner of her lips. They were all from her viewers standing up for her!

    Ah Mei was quite satisfied. She didn¡¯t care about where this started from or who was right. Or wrong. This hundred viewer Andy who started streaming yesterday had the audacity to pick a fight with her? What a joke! But after switching back to her own stream, she saw a few messages here and there in her chat cursing her out. She couldn¡¯t help but knit her brows. This newbie managed to gather a few loyal viewers, an irritating bunch of simps trying to turn into knights for their Queen.

    She mulled on it for a bit, then opened up her QQ and found ¡®Evening Snowfall¡¯ in the Huya section. Then she hammered out a message, her fingers flying over the keyboard with elegant grace and fury, a deadly viper about to unleash venom.

    LovelyRose:¡¸Evening Snowfall, right? Can¡¯t you control your viewers better? They¡¯re running over to my stream and causing trouble for no reason.¡¹

    Su Xue saw a QQ notification pop up on her phone. After opening it up, she couldn¡¯t believe what she saw. LovelyRose actually had the gall to criticize how she controlled her viewers? This kind of shameless person actually existed! She furiously typed out a response.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸It¡¯s your viewers who came over to my stream first! How could you have not noticed!?? All they¡¯re doing is spamming my chat! Please do something about them! How can you have so little control over you viewers!¡¹

    LovelyRose:¡¸Oh, really? Then howe I¡¯ve heard that it was you who provoked me first?¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸I never said anything! Don¡¯t make baseless usations!¡¹

    LovelyRose:¡¸I¡¯m making baseless usations? I don¡¯t think my viewers would go to other streams for no reason, let alone your tiny little stream. Plus, why would I waste my time caring about a little stream like yours?¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Fine. Let¡¯s just say this is a misunderstanding. Then, can you please call your viewers off? They¡¯ve already disturbed my stream enough.¡¹

    Su Xue was about to explode, but she took a deep breath and calmed down. She couldn¡¯t handle the chaos in her stream. It had gone on for far too long. Her loyal viewers were bing anxious and a bunch of them had started crusading for her sake. Perhapspromise was the smart solution here.

    LovelyRose:¡¸Want me to call them off? Sure¡­ Apologize. To me. So both your viewers and mine see it. ¡¹

 Chapter 37: Lin Feng Help Me

    ¡°Apologize¡­?¡± Su Xue muttered in an incredulous daze before forcing down the unbridled rage that threatened to erupt out. She had never met a more shameless and despicable person in her life! LovelyRose¡¯s viewers came to her stream and wreaked havoc first! What did she have to apologize for?

    But LovelyRose¡¯s tone was perfectly calm, as if this were only the natural course of things.

    LovelyRose:¡¸Apologize, and I¡¯ll let you off this time. I¡¯ll also call off my white knights and simps..¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Apologize for what? I did nothing wrong!¡¹Su Xue gnashed her teeth.

    LovelyRose:¡¸Your viewers areing to my stream and cursing at me. You have a responsibility for them as their streamer. Even if you are innocent, which I highly doubt, you should still apologize for those dimwitted viewers of yours!¡¹

    Su Xue opened the QQ conversation with LovelyRose on her stream. When her loyal viewers saw it, they immediately exploded in anger and furiously started typing in her special chat group.

    ¡¸Fucking hell! This bitch actually wants us to apologize!??!?¡¹

    ¡¸Xue Xue ignore that bitch!¡¹

    ¡¸fuck! what the hell do we have to apologize for?¡¹

    ¡¸it was them! they started this shit! all we did was go over there and nicely ask her to stop it. AND she ducking banned us!!! if anyone should apologize, it¡¯s her!¡¹

    Su Xue didn¡¯t pay attention to the messages in her special group chat. Instead, she was thinking of what to say, while biting on her lips in indignation. Finally, with a look of resolve, she typed out her response.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Tough luck for you then. You won¡¯t get it. Not me or my viewers have anything to apologize for.¡¹

    To say nothing of Su Xue¡¯s long-time viewers, even the hundred or so from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream were deeply moved, turning from casual watchers to loyal followers.

    What sort of thing made a streamer gain a loyal following? It wasn¡¯t necessarily how well they yed a game or how pretty they were, but rather how closely they connected with their viewers! Su Xue was doing exactly that right now. She stubbornly persevered in order to maintain the honour of her viewers!

    LovelyRose:¡¸Tsk tsk. Still not willing to admit your wrongs? Fine, if you don¡¯t want to apologize, I have another solution...¡¹

    LovelyRose:¡¸Let¡¯s have an in-house 5v5. Your stream against my stream. The loser has to apologize to the winner.¡¹

    Su Xue stared at the message, dumbfounded. Her long-time viewers were also shocked.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸An inhouse 5v5?¡¹

    LovelyRose:¡¸Correct. Since we¡¯re both League streamers, we should settle it on Summoners Rift. The loser has to obediently do whatever the winner says. We¡¯ll speak with our skills. Sounds fair enough, right? ¡¹

    Ah Mei then reclined back in her chair as she stared at the messages. Her lips curved into a devious grin. She was quite satisfied with the proposal she just came up with.

    When Evening Snowfall¡¯s viewers came over to her stream earlier, a few were saying things like, ¡°dumb thot¡±, ¡°go back to camgirling¡±, ¡°typical e-girl, showing more cleavage than gamey,¡± and ¡°she isn¡¯t even good at the game¡±.

    What annoyed Ah Mei the most werements like these. If she would climb the rankeddder by herself, her main role ad-carry would get her to tinum 5 at best. However, thanks to some people boosting her ount, she satfortably in Diamond. So, she was extremely sensitive to people questioning her skill. Evening Snowfall¡¯s viewers who came to her stream had to be punished, and what easier way was there than challenging a Gold-rank noob and her 200 viewers? Where she could easily find Diamonds or even Masters, Evening Snowfall would probably couldn¡¯t even find enough Diamonds to fill her roster! This would show those viewers who dared to call her out!

    Evening Snowfall still hadn¡¯t replied. Ah Mei smiled derisively and typed out another message.

    LovelyRose:¡¸What? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared now?¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Fine!¡¹

    The moment Su Xue epted the challenge, the sound of thunder rang out from outside the window. Rain started pouring down from the sky.

    ?

    After bolting out of the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng immediately gged down a taxi to go home. Shortly after he got into the car, the pitter patter of rain tapped on the window followed by the sound of thunder. A heavy downpour started. The sudden change in weather caused the initially open streets to jam up with traffic.

    Sitting in the back of the taxi, Lin Feng fiddled with his smartphone while anxiously ncing at the time every few seconds. After 15 minutes and the traffic not abating in the slightest, he finally had enough. He threw the taxi driver some money before opening the door and rushing out into the rain. ¡°Keep the change!¡± he yelled over his shoulder.

    It was raining buckets. Bean-sized rain drops pelted Lin Feng, drenching him. However, he didn¡¯t appear to care as he madly dashed home.

    ?

    News of the drama had already spread. Almost all the League streamers on HuyaTV had heard of the cat fight that broke out between a new streamer called Evening Snowfall and LovelyRose. Ol¡¯ ck had just gotten online. When he saw what happened, he quickly got on QQ and sent Su Xue a message.

    Ol¡¯ ck:¡¸you really going to do it? you really shouldn¡¯t have agreed. since she dared to challenge you, she¡¯s confident in winning. with her 60,000 viewers, odds are she will find way higher ranked viewers...¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸You don¡¯t need to persuade me. I¡¯m telling you the truth. Me and my viewers never started anything, but LovelyRose still wants me to apologize! If she wants to 5v5, then I¡¯ll face her!¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck:¡¸alright, then look around to see if there are any good yers among your viewers. I¡¯m really not in the position to help you right now. please understand.¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck really did like Su Xue, she seemed like a nice person and they got along. But he¡¯d bepletely ostracized if he got involved in this. The circle of big streamers wasn¡¯t that big in the first ce. So, it wasn¡¯t wise to go around provoking others.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Don¡¯t worry. I understand. It¡¯s the thought that counts. I¡¯ll handle this situation by myself.¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. Su Xue was taking this situation too lightly. She was at aplete disadvantage. Odds were she wouldn¡¯t even find a single Diamond yer to help her. Suddenly, he thought of someone.

    Ol¡¯ ck:¡¸hey, where¡¯s that little brother of yours? if he ys, you¡¯ll at least have some chance of winning.¡¹

    Lin Feng¡¯s amazing Sword of the ult Lee Sin was still fresh in his mind.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸He¡¯s not here.¡¹

    She couldn¡¯t help but think of Lin Feng too. If he were here, maybe we¡¯d really stand a chance. But she quickly shook her head, determination shing across her gaze. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t here right now. She wasn¡¯t the maid being ordered around by her viewers. She was Evening Snowfall, the host of this stream! It was up to her to protect this stream and her viewers!

    ?

    A heavy downpour came down on Shanghai. The howling wind and rain wreaked havoc on the streets as pedestrians hastily sought shelter underneath their umbres. Suddenly, many looked up in amazement at the silhouette of a boy running through the storm like his life demanded it.

    As Lin Feng ran, all he could think of were his past interactions with Su Xue.

    ¡°Hey hey hey! Don¡¯t tell me you want me to pour you water like some maid?¡±

    ¡°You little scoundrel! I¡¯m supposed to be the streamer here!¡±

    ¡°Ahem¡­ well, it¡¯s nothing big. I¡­ just want to ask if you can make me better at the game.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t sleepst night. I got so absorbed into practicing my CSing that I lost track of time.¡±

    Lin Feng recalled Su Xue¡¯s nervous expression when she came to ask him for help, therge dark bags under her eyes when she stayed up all night practicing, and the excitement on her face after finally seeing her hard work pay off. All these scenes floated across his mind. What was Su Xue to him? Someone full ofints and prone to flipping out from time to time. But for all her thorniness, she always put in the effort to make delicious meals for him every day. Even though their time together was short, he already saw her as an older sister. She was pretty much family.

    The rain pelted at Lin Feng¡¯s face and slid down his cheeks. It soaked his hair, causing his bangs to fall over his eyes. He wiped away the water from his face mid-run as he thought of the words he told Su Xue.

    ¡°No matter how stupid or unrealistic people say your dreams are, as long as you try your hardest, I think it¡¯s worth respecting!¡±

    There was a second half to this line. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to risk everything for this dream, then you¡¯ll definitely seed!¡±

    But at this moment, someone was destroying Su Xue¡¯s dream right in front of her, making all her hard work go down the drain and humiliating her. This kind of thing was¡­ ¡°UNNFFFFOOOORRRRRGIVAABLE!¡± Lin Feng bellowed out as he ran through the rain with all his might.

    ?

    Su Xue tightly bit her lips, her face ashen. Their nexus was destroyed almost exactly at the 20-minute mark. Therge, bold letters spelling defeat stung more than she wanted to admit. The gap in skill was farrger than she expected. Though LovelyRose was a fairly mediocre ad-carry and a good match-up for Su Xue, her teammates were anything but mediocre. The weakest was Diamond 3, while she also had two Master yers. Meanwhile, Su Xue only had one Diamond 1 yer, the others ranging from tinum 3 to Diamond 5. This was a difference of more than an entire tier! No matter how hard they tried, it was lost from the start.

    The trolls from LovelyRose¡¯s stream started stirring again, blotting out Su Xue¡¯s stream with messages.

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Trash!¡¹

    ¡¸STUPID BITCH!!!! let¡¯s see what you have to say now!¡¹

    ¡¸trash streamer, let¡¯s hear that apology!¡¹

    ¡¸trying to be a stream with this skill? hahahahhahahahhahahaha aren¡¯t you embarrassed!¡¹

    ¡¸DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT¡¹

    Every ridiculing message was as sharp as a knife, stabbing into Su Xue¡¯s heart. Battered and bruised, she moved her mouse over her stream and turned it off. The viewers in her QQ chat group were sending her messages, as was Ol¡¯ ck. However, she was in no mood to look. She lowered her head, her bangs covering her face and hiding her expression. She continued sitting there motionless, save for her lightly trembling shoulders.

    BAANGG

    The front door mmed open. An instantter, with the sound of heavy footsteps, Lin Feng burst into Su Xue¡¯s room, cutting a sorry figure. He waspletely drenched in sweat and rain as water droplets dripped down from his clothes to the floor. Still gasping for breath, he said, ¡°Hah¡­ hahh¡­, I-i¡¯m home!¡±

    Su Xue stopped trembling. Slowly, she raised her head, her pretty and elegant face alreadypletely covered in ugly tears. In an iparably feeble voice, she called out, ¡°Lin Feng¡­ h-hick, help me!¡± The words were barely audible, but they conveyed the unimaginable grief and despair she was feeling.

    Lin Feng took a deep breath, then vigorously nodded. He didn¡¯t even grab a towel before swapping ces with Su Xue and fixing his gaze on the monitor. With a few clicks on the mouse, he turned the stream back on again.

    Seeing an unfamiliar face appear on the stream, the trolls in Su Xue¡¯s chat were stunned and briefly stopped spamming the chat.

    Scanning all the hateful messages, Lin Feng narrowed his gaze as a dangerous and wrathful light flickered in his eyes. He took a deep breath and stared straight at the webcam as if he were directing his gaze at the countless trolls. Then, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°That was the maid earlier... I¡¯m the streamer. If you¡¯ve got a problem. Then. Come. At. ME!¡±

 Chapter 38: Whose Head Shall I Take?

    All the trolls from LovelyRose¡¯s stream were taken aback by Lin Feng¡¯s words. But they quickly snapped back to their senses. Furious they had been cowed and intimidated by a little kid, they flew into a rage.

    ¡¸Who the fuck are you?¡¹

    ¡¸ooohhhhh soo scaaary bro, almost pissin in my pants¡¹

    ¡¸the hell does it matter if we give that stupid bitch what she deserves!?¡¹

    ¡¸lol are you her boytoy or something?¡¹

    The messages in the chat became increasingly nasty and unpleasant. Lin Feng¡¯s eyes slowly narrowed, shing with anger. It was as if his entire person were radiating an iparably dangerous aura that made a person¡¯s hairs stand on end. He was angry. No, furious! These trolls with their flippant attitudes had truly pushed him past the brink!

    With Lin Feng¡¯sissez-faire personality, even if someone insulted him to his face, he wouldn¡¯t take much heed. In fact, he might even find it funny andugh at it. But attacking those he cared about was somethingpletely different! Ignoring the flood of messages spamming the stream chat, he quickly found the QQ chat window with LovelyRose and sent a message:¡¸rematch?¡¹

    This was a deration of war! The trolls all dropped their jaws in shock, then erupted intoughter.

    ¡¸LOL? a rematch? this kid doesn¡¯t know when to give up¡¹

    ¡¸Aw¡­.. He wants to get revenge for her. What a simp! lol¡¹

    ¡¸ROFL bet he¡¯s just as bronze as her¡¹

    Ah Mei couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Who does this kid think he is? The streamer? Ha! What is this? Two streamers? What a joke.¡± However, her expression froze after seeing the next message that appeared in the chat.

    Lin Feng typed away on the keyboard, his expression unchanging.

    ¡¸What? Scared you¡¯ll be exposed?¡¹

    ¡¸Well, you might as well apologize then.¡¹

    ¡¸And take the steaming pile of trash you call your viewers with you and get the hell out of my stream.¡¹

    The messages Lin Feng sent had Ah Mei and her viewers twitching their eyelids with irritation.

    ¡¸The balls on this fucking kid!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸has he even hit puberty yet!?¡¹

    ¡¸FUCK! He really wants his ass beat!¡¹

    ?

    At Ah Mei¡¯s apartment in Central Shanghai.

    ¡°Ho¡­? This kid sure has a mouth on him,¡± Ah Mei remarked with a light chuckle, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Then, her expression turned frosty. ¡°Fine. If you want to die, I¡¯ll dly send you on your way.¡±

    Ah Mei didn''t take Lin Feng seriously at all. She hadplete confidence in the viewers she recruited to her team. Two were Master-rank yers, another was Diamond 2, and thest one was Diamond 3. How old was this kid? A high schooler at most? She snorted in disdain. How good could this high schooler possibly be? It would already be beyond impressive if he was Diamond 5. Yet, he wanted to seek retribution for his princess like some sort of knight in shining armour? Howughable!

    But, that was fine too. Ah Mei¡¯s eyes narrowed as she licked her lips with an alluring smile, her gaze shing with a cruel light. If she could thoroughly destroy thest vestiges of Evening Snowfall¡¯s hope¡­ Just thinking about it made her shudder in sadistic excitement.

    ?

    ¡°Hey, who are your teammates?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Su Xue wiped away her tears. Even though her eyes were still red, at least she could breathe again. Lin Feng was like her tower of strength. She snapped back to her senses and hurriedly replied, ¡°Some viewers from my QQ group chat. Just give them a shout, and they¡¯ll answer.¡± Then, watching him pull open the QQ group chat, she feebly asked, ¡°Umm¡­ are you thirsty? Is there anything I can do to help?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Lin Feng stared at Su Xue in a daze.

    Su Xue¡¯s cheeks slightly flushed red, clearly betraying her embarrassment. She quietly said, ¡°A-aren¡¯t I the maid? Then shouldn¡¯t I help you get some water, or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng snapped back to his senses. Then, he stared at Su Xue with a stupid grin. ¡°Sounds good! Don¡¯t worry. I got this!¡±

    Su Xue gazed at Lin Feng, then forcefully nodded. ¡°Alright! I believe in you.¡±

    Lin Feng turned to the QQ group chat and sent a message.¡¸Guys, I¡¯m here!¡¹

    The chat immediately boiled over in excitement. Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers all knew how good Lin Feng was. If he were to step in, he could definitely get revenge for them! They immediately started to recount what happened in the previous match.

    Lin Feng solemnly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s like that, huh?¡± The situation was a bit more troublesome than he expected.

    LovelyRose herself wasn¡¯t a particrly good yer. In fact, Su Xue was a good match for her. But the other four members in her team were Diamond 3 or higher. Their jungler and topner were even Master-rank. On the other hand, Su Xue¡¯s team mostly consisted of tinum to low Diamond yers. Water Wraith was the only exception. He was a Diamond 1 mid main.

    With pretty much the entire team outssed by an entire rank, Lin Feng felt he couldn¡¯t carry with an ad-carry. This role simply wasn¡¯t suitable for carrying when there was such arge skill gap. All the enemy jungler had to do was camp hisne while allowing his own allies to smoothly scale. At that point, he couldn¡¯t guarantee victory. But, the situation wasn¡¯t unsalvageable.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin beforeing to a decision. He asked in the chat,¡¸Hey jungler, can you y ADC as well?¡¹

    ?

    While the 10 yers were preparing for the match, the trolls were still upying Su Xue¡¯s stream. They continued spamming the chat, spewing out every insult under the sun.

    However, Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers and the additional 100 from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream startedunching a counterattack and erupted in support for Lin Feng. Some of the new viewers were especially vocal. Most of them had onlye here because of Lin Feng¡¯s god-Lee. So, they were naturally excited about getting the opportunity to watch him y again.

    Ol¡¯ ck was also watching the stream. His brows furrowed. Lin Feng was really good at the game, without a doubt. But the gap in skill between the two teams was too great. Could he really solo carry this team?

    On the other hand, Lin Feng himself wasn¡¯t one bit worried. After creating the lobby for a blind pick game and going into champion select, he directly locked in his champion. The champion¡¯s portrait lit up next to his summoner name. The viewers in the stream gasped in surprise. Even the trolls went wide-eyed with surprise. Rengar, the Pridestalker!

    At this moment, Lin Feng rxed his breath and closed his eyes. He started entering the zone.

    A primal jungle, dead leaves dotting the muddy soil. Barely discernible footsteps approached ever closer at a frightening and dangerous tempo. A gust of wind blew past, scattering the leaves in the air. A deep, growling voice brimming with ice-cold killing intent rang out. ¡°Whose head¡­ shall I take?¡±

    Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, revealing a zing fighting spirit that struck at one¡¯s soul. Whose head? He¡¯d already decided on his prey.

 Chapter 39: What, Cat Got Your Tongue?

    Both teams had selected their champions. As the timer hit zero, they entered into the loading screen. The viewers could see thepositions of both teams. On the top half of the screen was the blue team led by LovelyRose. They had a top Riven, mid Syndra, jungle Lee Sin, ad-carry Caitlyn, and support Nami. Lin Feng¡¯s red team was on the bottom half of the screen. They had Malphite in the topne, Orianna in mid, jungle Rengar, ad-carry Sivir, and support Morgana.

    Ah Mei nced at the enemy team¡¯s lineup before her gaze fell on the portrait of Rengar. Her lips curved up into a disdainful smile. Rengar? Brat, you¡¯re in way over your head if you think you can carry with jungle. She originally thought Lin Feng would pick ad-carry, which left her feeling a bit apprehensive. After all, she was only tinum 5 at best. If that kid really was a Diamond yer, she might face some issues in the botne. Now, however, she feltpletely at ease. After all, the two Master-rank yers in her team were the topner and jungler. And she refused to believe he could be better than her own jungler.

    Ah Mei tabbed out of the game and sent her jungler a message on QQ.

    ¡¸y your best this game. I want you topletely crush that Rengar.¡¹

    The Lee Sin yer chuckled confidently.¡¸Don¡¯t worry, Rose! I¡¯ll make him wish he was never born!¡¹In the current meta, Lee Sin was an S-tier jungle champion while Rengar was a low A-tier, high B-tier jungler. Plus, he was confident in his Lee Sin. Shutting down a Rengar would be a piece of cake!

    Ah Mei nodded in satisfaction. Thinking about how she would humiliate this brat and Evening Snowfall again, she couldn¡¯t help but break out into a sadistic smile.

    ?

    Su Xue returned to the room with water. She set the ss aside on the table in front of Lin Feng, then whispered to him, ¡°Give it your best. I¡¯m counting on you to get revenge for me!¡±

    Lin Feng confidently nodded. He muted the mic for a second and turned to Su Xue. ¡°You can trust in me. I¡¯ll expose her for the trash she is!¡±

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. ¡°Hey, hey, watch your mouth! That¡¯s kind of excessive, don¡¯t you think?¡± Even so, she felt her spirit lifted. With that kind of promise, how could she not have faith in him?

    ¡°Excessive?¡± Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°After what she did to you? Not at all!¡± His eyes flickered with a sharp light as they fell on the portrait of Caitlyn. To condone her viewersmitting such terrible behaviour, not even feeling the slightest bit remorse, and behaving even more arrogantly¡­. For this kind of person, no punishment was too excessive!

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    While the game announcer¡¯s voice weed the yers to the rift, the trolls from LovelyRose¡¯s stream continued flooding the chat of Su Xue¡¯s stream with vulgar and negativements.

    ¡¸Jungle Rengar? More like shitgar. Watch him get stomped. Hahahaha.¡¹

    ¡¸lee sin hard counters counters rengar!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸what rank is this kid anyway? anyone wanna bet lee stomps him within 5mins? kek¡¹

    ¡¸tsk tsk, thinking he can carry with jungle XD where does his confidencee from?¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s old viewers and the new arrivals from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream couldn¡¯t stand for these nasty remarks and continued fighting back.

    ¡¸shut your mouth and watch your lee get ughtered¡¹

    ¡¸Watch yournguage, okay? Can¡¯t you guys just behave and watch the game?¡¹

    ¡¸stupid trolls¡­¡­. lil bro will make you eat your words!¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers, both old and new, hadplete confidence in Lin Feng. Even if Lee Sin was a Master-rank yer, they still believed their li¡¯l bro wasn¡¯t any bit inferior! Of course, they were only partly correct, for he wasn¡¯t just not inferior, butpletely superior in every aspect!

    ?

    When the jungle minions spawned, the game officially started. Lin Feng killed Gromp first with the help of his botne and directly reached Level 2. Then, he had his Rengar head straight for the river.

    Eh? The viewers were stunned. Rengar isn¡¯t doing blue buff? Then, their eyes went wide as they realized what Lin Feng was nning. He was going to invade the enemy jungle to catch Lee Sin off guard!

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers became excited.

    ¡¸God damn! What a chad!¡¹

    ¡¸that¡¯s our li¡¯l bro right there!!!!¡¹

    The trolls became a bit anxious. Still, their Lee Sin was Master-rank! So, they started stirring again in the chat.

    ¡¸a lv2 invade? is he stupid or something??¡¹

    ¡¸this kid delusional or what?¡¹

    ¡¸HA! What a joke XDDDD Watch him die!¡¹

    Lin Feng couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to the chat. His full focus was on an early Level 2 invade! He guided his Rengar through the river and into the enemy jungle near midne, going straight for the red buff camp. This jungle path was pretty much bullet proof, because he knew Lee Sin was going for a red start. If Lee Sin did red buff and tried to gank midne, he¡¯d catch his target. If Lee Sin did golem camp first and headed for red buff after, then it was even better. So, regardless of whether he started red or golem camp first, he would be around the bot side jungle for sure. In other words, there was no way Rengar could miss his target.

    Rengar moved along the walls and stealthily entered the brush next to the red camp. He was immediately greeted by the sight of Lee Sin just starting on red buff.

    ¡°You got him!¡± Su Xue excitedly blurted as she spectated from the side. Her viewers were equally excited in the stream. Meanwhile, the trolls felt their hearts sink to the pits of their stomach. It appeared Rengar¡¯s invade was going to seed.

    Lee Sin was fairly vignt. After hitting the red buff twice, he led it toward the brush. Where normally this would be the safe y, now it was a recipe for disaster.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t give the opponent any time to react. He immediately unloaded his highest damagebo onto Lee Sin, taking full advantage of the full ferocity stacks he built up from fighting the gromp earlier.

    Lee Sin instantly lost more than a third of his health. He tried to escape with sh. However, Lin Feng easily pounced after him with Unseen Predator. Then, he threw out an auto attack followed by a B Strike to slow the Lee Sin down.

    Lee Sin mmed his fist down on the ground to slow Rengar down and buy himself enough time to escape. But it was all futile.

    With so many bushes around in the jungle, it was simply impossible to escape a Rengar. A few secondster, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Lee Sin¡¯s body copsed to the jungle floor.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers erupted with excitement, flooding the chat with impassioned praise, while the trolls were stunned silent.

    At bottomne, Ah Mei was also stunned, an unsightly frown appearing on her pretty face. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± she roared. How did her Master jungler end up giving away first blood to that kid?

    The Lee Sin yer¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly. He never expected something like this to happen. He felt a strong urge to ram his head into a wall! Why was the Rengar in his jungle this early?

    Lin Feng quickly retreated from the blue team¡¯s jungle. As he made his way back to his own side of the map, he nced directly at the webcam with a smug smile. ¡°Oh? Did the trolls stop talking? Got nothing more to say?¡± His voice was calm, but it felt like a ruthless p to the faces of all the trolls.

    1. Rengar''s abilities build Ferocity. Upon reaching full Ferocity, his next ability bes empowered and grants him Movement Speed on cast

    2. Rengar throws a b, slowing the first target hit for a short duration.

 Chapter 40: The True Hunt Begins

    ¡°Did the trolls stop talking? Got nothing more to say?¡± Lin Feng¡¯s innocuous remark resounded like a crisp smack to the faces of the trolls.

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes lit up. Her real viewers also relished in the schadenfreude and vindication.

    ¡¸hahahhaha take that! told you you¡¯d be eating those words!¡¹

    ¡¸LOL that shut them up real quick!¡¹

    Lin Feng proved why he was worthy of their respect yet again. Not only was he amazing at the game, even a simple remark from him could deal critical damage! The viewers snickered thinking back to the proud ims of those trolls. Lee Sin hard counters Rengar! Ha! No one counters our li¡¯l bro! Invading at Level 2? What a joke! Ha! Who is the joke now? Please, keep talking trash!

    The faces of the trolls went red hot from the sting of embarrassment beforeshing out in a rage.

    ¡¸Dumbasses! Think you¡¯re hot shit just because he got first blood?¡¹

    ¡¸trash streamer! getting excited over something so small!¡¹

    ¡¸talk to us again when you actually win a game¡¹

    ¡¸acting like they won the game. NEWSFLASH that was just first blood. God¡­. never seen such dumbass streamers in my life¡¹

    Of course, Lin Feng wasn¡¯t the slightest bit bothered by thements flung at him by the trolls. He had his Rengar retreat from the enemy jungle and head for his own red buff camp. In the minimap, he¡¯d noticed that the support Nami was on her way to help Lee Sin retake jungle control. So, although he could¡¯ve stayed for another gank, he decided the risk was too great. His eyes lit up with fighting spirit. This was fine too. After all, picking up kills depended on arriving at the right time, or being at the right ce, sometimes both!

    After clearing his red buff camp, Rengar reached Level 3. Lin Feng scanned the minimap and noticed that in topne Malphite was being pushed in by the enemy Riven. ¡°Mhm. Looks like we¡¯re going to gank top!¡± he decided, already guiding his Rengar up there.

    At 4:30 minutes into the game, the minion wave stopped just in front of red team¡¯s outer tower in topne. Rengar directly passed through the tri brush into the river for the gank.

    Riven¡¯s path of retreat was cut off!

    Rengary in ambush in the river brush, waiting for Riven toe in range. Then, he leaped. His attacks were perfectly linked together. From a fully empowered Savagery to a B Strike¡ªto slow Riven down¡ªand all the auto attacks in between. They shaved away arge chunk of her health.

    Malphite finally caught up and attacked the Riven with Seismic Shard. A shard of the earth shot through the ground and struck Riven, stealing her movement speed.

    Riven reacted with Ki Burst, briefly stunning Malphite and Rengar. Then, she escaped with sh and a dash from Valor.

    The trolls watched on in excitement. The Riven survived and looked no worse for wear! They immediately started spamming the chat, ridiculing Lin Feng for his failed gank.

    ¡¸loool! that¡¯s how you can tell he''s trash. what n00b uses his ferocity stacks for a little more damage? HAHAHHAAAAHA¡¹

    ¡¸SHITGAARRRRRR¡¹

    ¡¸ahahaha what a garbo! can¡¯t even kill riven when she¡¯s pushed in so far!¡¹

    These remarks had some merit. A fully empowered Savagery only dealt more damage, but an empowered B Strike turned the skill¡¯s slow into a root. In other words, if Lin Feng had rooted the Riven with an empowered B Strike, he might¡¯ve killed her. Now, however, even if he shed after her, he still wouldn¡¯t catch up to her.

    ¡°Mhm? Who says I can¡¯t get the kill?¡± Lin Feng asked with a mysterious smile.

    The trolls were caught off-guard. They were just about to call him out on his bluff, when their mouths fell open in shock.

    Rengar shed. However, he didn¡¯t sh toward Riven, but rather diagonally into the top brush.

    The Riven yer was bewildered before his face paled in realization. He quickly tried to move his champion as far away from the bush as possible. But it was already toote.

    After Rengar entered the bush, Unseen Predator was triggered. ¡°Nothing will escape!¡± a deep growl rang out like the herald of death. Suddenly, a shadow shot out of the bush and pounced toward its prey!

    Rengar leaped onto Riven! With an auto attack, red buff took effect and applied a slow. All of Riven¡¯s skills were on cooldown. She had nothing left to escape. The auto attacks kepting in until she finally copsed dead on the ground.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Nice!¡± Su Xue excitedly blurted out.

    The chat boiled over with excitement. Even after using all her skills to get away, Riven still died! Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar was godly!

    The trolls found it hard to believe what just happened. The barrage of insults they were about tounch became stuck in their throats, while their cheeks started burning with a stinging sensation. They¡¯d never even considered using sh like this. Lin Feng¡¯s quick thinking allowed him to cross a farrger distance than possible with just sh. The rest was history.

    Ah Mei¡¯s pretty face slightly warped with anger. She angrily typed in chat.¡¸What the hell is going on? How did you die at top!?¡¹

    The Master-rank Riven yer also had an unsightly expression on his face. He reluctantly admitted in chat.¡¸that Rengar is pretty good¡¹

    The game was barely five minutes in, and Lin Feng¡¯s score was already 2/0/0. At this time, Lin Feng noticed Lee Sin making a gank attempt on Orianna and moved his screen over to the midne. Su Xue¡¯s long time viewer, Water Wraith, reacted brilliantly, shing away to the safety of his tower and not allowing the gank to seed.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers excitedly typed in chat.

    ¡¸Nice job, Wraith!¡¹

    ¡¸that¡¯s what you expect from a Diamond 1!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸NICE!! Shitlee needs to ask Godlee for a lesson¡¹

    Lin Feng returned to base. Afterpleting his jungle item and buying a pair of boots in the fountain shop, he went back to farming his jungle. Rengar¡¯s ganking ability in the early game was pretty weak. But when he reached Level 6, he would be a true predator of the jungle. No one could stop him then.

    At the six-minute mark, Lee Sin ganked bottomne. Morgana had to sacrifice her life in order to protect Sivir. Unfortunately, the kill went to Caitlyn.

    Ah Mei¡¯s mood immediately lifted. She chuckled happily, ¡°The enemy botne is so trash. Hahaha.¡±

    The 60,000 viewers in her stream showered her with praise for her Caitlyn skills.

    Meanwhile, Lin Feng killed Gromp and reached Level 6. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m Level 6.¡± He nced at his minimap and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started.¡± Then, he activated Thrill of the Hunt. Rengar¡¯s predatory instincts took over, camouging him and revealing the nearest enemy champion in arge radius around him. With his increased movement speed, he stalked to botne.

    Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Badump...

    Lin Feng¡¯s screen was suddenly submerged in an ocean of blood. Everything else got drowned out. All that remained was the steady rhythmic sound of a heartbeat.

    Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Badump...

    This was the heartbeat of the Pridestalker, yearning for the thrill of hunting down worthy prey.

    Su Xue bit down on her lips in anticipation and tightly clenched her fists.

    The viewers all held their breath. They didn¡¯t even blink, afraid they would miss out on a single moment.

    ¡¸He¡¯s finally ganking bot!¡¹

    ¡¸he activated his ult so early, you think can he pull it off?¡¹

    ¡¸was it too soon???¡¹

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes narrowed, his gaze bing increasingly focused. He¡¯d already firmly locked his sights on Caitlyn. Under his control, Rengar stealthily passed through the jungle, closing in ever faster towards his prey! The true hunt¡­ was about to begin!

    1. The tri brush connects the jungle, river, andne.

    2. Rengar''s next attack brutally stabs his target for bonus damage. Ferocity effect: deals increased damage and grants Attack Speed.

    3. Riven steps forward a short distance and blocks iing damage.

 Chapter 41: Setting Up a Ten

    After picking up her first kill, Ah Mei was in a good mood. Even though her expression shed with gloominess when she recalled how Rengar had already picked up two kills, at least she was having no problems scaling at botne. She nced at Sivir and Morgana, her lips curving into a smile. The support Morgana was a tinum yer while the ad-carry Sivir was Diamond 5. Even though the Sivir yer was more skilled than she was, she was ying Caitlyn who had the superior attack range. Plus, her own Support was Diamond 2. So, she had no problem pressuring the enemy.

    Ah Mei recalled back to base and bought a pickaxe to give herself arger edge in bottomne. ¡°Diamond ad-carries are nothing special,¡± she happily muttered to herself. ¡°Ha, I must''ve gotten better! Jerks calling me a boosted thot. I''ll show them! I''m just as good as any other Diamond ad-carry now!¡±

    Ah Mei snapped out of her daydreaming. As she nced at the opposing team¡¯s scoreboard, she knitted her brows. Despite being down a kill and losing inne, Sivir was even with her in CS. She was never great atst hitting minions. Even in thest match, Evening Snowfall was close to 30 CS up on her at 10 minutes. Just thinking about it brought a frown to her pretty face. How could she lose in CSing to a Gold noob?

    Shifting her thoughts back to Sivir, a cold gleam shed in her eyes. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to tell Lee Sin toe down for a gank again¡ª¡± Suddenly, her eyes went wide with rm after a blood red marker started glowing above her Caitlyn¡¯s head! ¡°What¡¯s goi¡ª?¡±

    A dark silhouette appeared out of nowhere and pounced on Caitlyn at frightening speed, leaving Ah Mei no time to react. Rengar¡¯s hunt had begun!

    ?

    Closing in on his prey under the guise of stealth, the Pridestalker¡¯s vision was dyed in blood, as if the only thing driving him was the lust for the kill. After appearing within hunting range, glowing markers appeared above the heads of two enemy champions!

    Lin Feng clicked on Caitlyn with his mouse. Rengar pounced out of stealth and threw out an empowered b, rooting her to the ground. His de cut down into her and took away arge portion of her health. Then, he smoothly sidestepped the Aqua Prison thrown at him by Nami.

    The viewers of the stream stared nkly at their screens.

    ¡¸holy shit!!!! what the¡­ that micro skill dude!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸BEST REACTION SPEED EVAAHHH!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸teach me senpai, plsplspls¡¹

    Ol¡¯ ck who was also watching the stream sucked in a cold breath of air. ¡°What a god!¡± Unlike the rest of the audience, who only saw that Caitlyn lost half her health in an instant and not how, he understood the level of skill required to pull this feat off. Suffice to say, he was thoroughly impressed by Lin Feng.

    Ah Mei finally reacted, for the most part with a shrill shriek. Still, she smashed down on her keyboard in ast ditch effort to escape.

    Caitlyn fired out her 90-Caliber Net and flew backwards from the recoil. But the skill failed to connect with Rengar, and failed to apply the slow. Rengar moved quickly and circled behind her.

    ¡°sh! sh!¡± Ah Mei screamed as she pressed the F key on her keyboard multiple times and tried to escape to her tower for safety. Meanwhile, Nami came to her help by targeting Rengar with Exhaust.

    ¡°You think you can escape?¡± Lin Fengughed. Even though he was slowed by the effects of Exhaust, he only needed to take two steps to enter the brush.

    Lin Feng flicked his mouse cursor on the fleeing Caitlyn and clicked down on the right button. Rengar¡¯s body arched back before leaping out of the brush toward Caitlyn! He threw out a B Strike, this one only slowing her down.

    Ah Mei was in aplete state of panic. She frantically clicked on her mouse, trying to retreat to the safety of her tower. But the slow shattered any hope of her surviving.

    Sivir finally arrived and threw out her boomerang at Caitlyn. This was all she could get in before Lin Feng dealt the killing blow.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Ah Mei stared dumbly at her screen as it went grey. In the background, the trio at bottomne had now shifted their focus to Nami. Morgana rooted her with Dark Bind, after which Renger and Sivir made short work of her.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers erupted with cheers.

    ¡¸666666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸GODGARRRRRR!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸What a double kill!¡¹

    ¡¸HOLY DAMN!! that was sooooo satisfying to watch! kill her again! kill her again!¡¹

    In stark contrast to these messages overflowing with excitement, the trolls were dead silent, not uttering a peep.

    Much like her viewers, who were happily joking with Lin Feng, Su Xue also felt cathartic after seeing LovelyRose die. However, she didn¡¯t let the excitement get to her head and reminded Lin Feng, ¡°You can get the first tower now, right?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll let the tower stand.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Su Xue was stunned. ¡°Why? It¡¯s an easy first tower.¡±

    The trolls were also startled. After picking up the double kill, they knew it was an easy first tower. They instantly pounced on the opportunity to insult Lin Feng.

    ¡°Because it¡¯ll be easier to gank Caitlyn as long as the tower stands,¡± Lin Feng exined.

    The trolls found their insults caught in their throats. Their faces started turning green as if the anger were going to make them cough out blood!

    ¡¸you cocky motherfucker¡¹

    ¡¸You think you¡¯re so great!? Guess what? You¡¯re pathetic.¡¹

    ¡¸can¡¯t wait to see rose make him regret that¡¹

    However, that moment would nevere. A minuteter, Lin Feng started heading towards the bottomne again. Caitlyn should be heading back tone after her short trip back to base. He ced a vision ward in the brush closest to the enemy outer turret, then waited in ambush.

    Eight secondster, Caitlyn arrived back at her outer turret. Before she could even approach the minion wave, Lin Feng pounced on her with full ferocity stacks. With another mid-air empowered B Strike, he rooted her to the ground and started attacking her.

    Ah Mei was furiously clicking towards her outer tower, desperate to escape. Her health was down to less than half health when the root finally broke. But before taking even one step, a Dark Binding struck her squarely, locking her down again. After which her screen went grey, again.

    Be it the regr viewers or the trolls, everyone was dumbstruck.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Ah Mei stared dumbly at the death screen before snapping back to her senses. Her entire body trembled with anger. However, there were still traces of fear and panic lingering in her eyes. ¡°T-this... this is too much!¡±

 Chapter 42: Instagib

    The viewers were dumbstruck. Even if Morgana hadn¡¯t rooted Caitlyn to the ground with Dark Binding, Lin Feng probably still had the damage to kill her by himself. This Rengar damage was absolutely insane! Lin Feng, however, didn¡¯t appear satisfied. He evenined, ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t instagib her. Guess I¡¯m stillcking a bit in the damage department.¡± Especially thisst bit left the viewers speechless.

    ¡°You want to kill her the instant you touch the ground? Aren¡¯t you getting a bit ahead of yourself here?¡± Su Xue asked.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lin Feng shook his head, then confidently smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll see in a bit. She¡¯ll be dead before she can even blink.¡±

    Rengar was a champion with frightening burst damage, especially after picking up four kills so early in the game. In fact, had Lin Feng first gone back to base and upgraded his items before ganking the Caitlyn again, he would¡¯ve had enough damage to instagib her, or any other squishy champion for that matter. He couldn¡¯tin though. Caitlyn had died twice in a row, with the second time being the moment she stepped out of tower range. She didn¡¯t even reach her minion wave before being sent back to the fountain.

    Ah Mei waspletely stupefied. She started shaking with an unsightly expression on her face, while furiously typing away on her keyboard.

    ¡¸leee bot!! this fucking rengar is camping me!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸i¡¯ve already died twice!!¡¹

    ¡¸focus him for me!!!¡¹

    A trace of fear lingered in Ah Mei¡¯s eyes. Both times Rengar hade to gank her, she had no chance of escaping. He had locked her down with B Strikes and followed up with a ridiculous amount of damage. She was basically dead the moment Rengar got a chance to jump on her!

    While Lin Feng set up a tent in botne, Lee Sin didn¡¯t linger idly either and seeded in killing Orianna with the help of Syndra. This put a wrench in Lin Feng¡¯s ns of taking the first dragon after killing Caitlyn. As for topne, the Master rank Riven had managed to solo kill Malphite and even took the first tower of the game. Naturally, these developments reinvigorated the trolls in the chat.

    ¡¸6666666!!¡¹

    ¡¸RIVEN OP!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahahaha get solo killed loser! this rengar is shit! if you have the balls, go 1v1 the Riven!¡¹

    ¡¸the dumbass only knows how to camp bot¡­ only chance he¡¯ll ever get of getting close to a pretty girl¡¹

    Lin Feng nced at the chat. ¡°Huh? You want me to go top?¡±

    The trolls immediately started egging Lin Feng on to 1v1 Riven, thinking he was a dumb brat who¡¯d get riled up at the smallest provocation. Even though Rengar had the kill advantage, Riven enjoyed the level advantage. So, if they did fight, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily need to fear him. They eagerly waited for Lin Feng to fall for their bait and decide to go top.

    How could trolls affect the game? They would try and anger the streamer enough to lose their ability to think clearly and end up doing something stupid. This kind of result was what gave them the greatest satisfaction in life!

    Lin Feng looked straight into the camera and widely smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡±

    The two simple words caught the trollspletely off-guard. They were dumbstruck. W-what?

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like 1v1ing the Riven. I¡¯ll just keep camping bot.¡± Lin Feng paused, looking like he was thinking something over before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t like it? Then bite me.¡±

    ¡¸PFFFT! HAHAHAH!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh My God! Amazing Li¡¯l Bro!1!¡¹

    ¡¸he really got em! what a troll!¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s loyal viewers couldn¡¯t help but erupt withughter. Lin Feng was really worthy of their admiration in every respect. He could even bait the trolls so easily! Where they originally worried he might fall for their goading, now those trolls were the ones with eggs on their face!

    Su Xue burst into giggles, rolling her eyes at Lin Feng. ¡°You¡¯re too mean, teasing them like that. Hahaha.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°What? I¡¯m serious¡­¡±

    Lin Feng had never once thought of ganking topne, let alone 1v1ing the Riven. For one, he wouldn¡¯t necessarilynd a kill on her. And if he failed to kill her instantly, he might end up getting killed himself instead. Besides, his topner was a Malphite. Even if he lost early game, he would still be useful in the mid andte game as long as he could properlynd his ultimate. There was one other reason. From the start of the game, he nned to camp botne. After all, he¡¯d promised to expose LovelyRose for the pile of garbage she was.

    ¡°A man always keeps his promise!¡± Lin Feng said, clenching his fist.

    ¡°Pfftt, you¡¯re just a kid. What man?¡± Su Xue rolled her eyes.

    Lin Feng shifted his focus back on the game. His recall timer had hit zero. On the summoner tform, he upgraded his jungle item andbined his two Long Swords into a Brutalizer. He might not be confident in instagibbing Riven, but Caitlyn was a whole ¡®nother story. So, he headed back to bottomne in his mobility boots.

    The trolls watching the stream had an uneasy premonition in their hearts. Especially when they noticed that Rengar¡¯s ultimate was back off cooldown.

    ¡¸this rengar...¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s going to gank bot again?¡¹

    ¡¸has he got no shame!?!?!¡¹

    A momentter, they had to watch their uneasy premonitione true. Lin Feng guided his Rengar through the jungle and entered the river, then pressed down on a certain key. His figure disappeared in stealth.

    Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Badump...

    Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Badump...

    A steady, rhythmic heartbeat rang in the air. Rengar¡¯s vision slowly became dyed red. The colour of flowing blood. His thick killing intent. A deep growl came from his throat. ¡°A true hunter never rests¡­¡±

    ?

    Having died twice already, Ah Mei¡¯s nerves werepletely on edge, to the extent that if the enemy Sivir or Morgana showed any signs of moving towards her, she would immediately retreat to her tower in a panic. Her own viewers had a hard time seeing her like this. They kept telling her not to panic so much in her stream chat. But this only caused her cheeks to glow hot in embarrassment, and not for her panic to subside. That punk was in her head! The hatred she felt for Lin Feng seeped down to the bone marrow. If it weren¡¯t for him, she would never be this humiliated, this pathetic...

    While Ah Mei was stewing in her thoughts, a blood red marker suddenly appeared above her head. The indicator of death. ¡°A-again!?¡± she shrieked in panic and disbelief, her voice almost cracking. She frantically smashed down on her keyboard,unching Caitlyn backwards with her 90-Caliber Net. Toote. A shadow pounced on her.

    Lin Feng¡¯s fingers agilely moved across his keyboard, activating one skill after the other. Each one shaved away arge portion of Caitlyn¡¯s health. Rengar touched the ground. Caitlyn copsed to the ground. There was nothing she could¡¯ve done. Instagib.

    Holy shit! The viewers stared at the stream dumbly. It took them a moment to move their fingers, but then the stream chat went into an uproar.

 Chapter 43: Things are Getting a Little Dangerous

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Ah Mei struggled to process what just happened, her screen having turned grey again. Her expression shed between rage and humiliation until she was pale from the blood draining from her face. This was an unbearable disgrace! She felt as if she¡¯d been stripped naked in front of all her viewers! The indignation and rancor inside of her threatened to spill over, reaching a crescendo in her heart. This was already the third time in a row Rengar had ganked her! Not to mention he was getting more and more brazen! He acted as if killing her couldn¡¯t be any easier! The announcer¡¯s voice felt like a p to her face. A crisp pa pa pa sound ruthlessly ringing out across her cheeks, showing no signs of stopping until her face was red and swollen. All of this pushed her to the edge, and over it. Without even thinking about her image, she started furiously typing away in the game chat.

    ¡¸how many times do you want to fucking kill me you stupid fucking Rengar?!?!¡¹

    ¡¸did i fucking kill your parents or something!? go kill yourself and fucking join them!!!!¡¹

    The vulgaritying out of her mouth was in stark contrast to the usual sickly cute and childish way Ah Mei portrayed herself. She had well and truly gone off her rocker.

    Before long, a reply came from the enemy team in all chat.

    Evening Snowfall (Rengar):¡¸100x.¡¹

    Ah Mei¡¯s eyes widened, her face turning increasingly brighter shades of red. If she didn¡¯t start breathing soon, she would really pass out from anger!

    ?

    ¡°What an odd person¡­ Why is she asking someone how many times they want to kill her?¡± Lin Feng muttered in bewilderment.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers couldn¡¯t help burst out inughter, imagining what LovelyRose¡¯s expression would be like after reading that reply. They weren¡¯t as thickheaded as Lin Feng, and understood the only reason she typed what she did was that she had been driven off the deep end.

    Of course, Lin Feng didn¡¯t think he could really kill Caitlyn 100 times. That was simply impossible. But there was something else he could guarantee, and that was that he would kill her as many times as he could! ¡°Watch guys. Caitlyn won¡¯t get a chance to see the minion wave again!¡± he dered with a raised fist.

    ¡°You can do it! I believe in you! Turn her into an all you can eat buffet!¡± Su Xue cheered on from the sidelines. From the start of the game to now, watching Lin Feng y was extremely cathartic for her. She could finally vent all the pent up negative emotions built up earlier in the day. Plus, Lin Feng was already 6/0/0 with his Rengar, only two kills away from reaching Legendary. Killing Caitlyn would only get easier from here.

    ¡°Build a Sword of the ult!¡± Su Xue excitedly suggested.

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°No, if I want more damage. I might as well build a Ravenous Hydra.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have enough gold?¡± Su Xue said, unsure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will if I pick up another few kills,¡± Lin Feng chuckled.

    On the wider scale, the game could still go either way. On the red team, after killing Caitlyn again, Lin Feng helped his teammates destroy the enemy¡¯s outer botne tower. After which, they headed to the river and picked up the first dragon of the game. This gave them a small lead in terms of gold. However, at the same time, Orianna was losing to Syndray in midne. As for topne¡ª

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    Riven had solo-killed Malphite again. This meant she was really strong right now. Her damage wasn¡¯t to be underestimated. With a well-timed sh, she could easily decimate the backline in a team fight. Lin Feng was well aware of this fact. But he still decided to leave Riven be for the time being.

    In Su Xue¡¯s stream chat, the trolls saw this as a good excuse to start ming Lin Feng again.

    ¡¸what a puss! only knows how to camp caitlyn¡¹

    ¡¸nub! Go 1v1 riven you scrub!¡¹

    ¡¸hes too scared! bloody coward!¡¹

    The trolls were starting to grasp at straws. Even they had no choice but to admit that Lin Feng was a really good Rengar. Every time he used his ultimate, he would pick up a kill. A hint of admiration even started sprouting in the hearts of some of the viewers from LovelyRose¡¯s stream. His Rengar was simply too superb, be it the instagibbing or the way he pulled off ganks!

    Lin Feng couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay attention to the trolls. He focused on the game that was only 12 minutes old. ¡°Mhm, Caitlyn should be collecting her red buff by now,¡± Lin Feng muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill her there!¡±

    The trolls were speechless. They were already at aplete loss at what to say. Goading was useless. ming was useless. All they could do was helplessly watch as Lin Feng activated his ultimate. They felt no suspense. It would be another kill.

    Lin Feng had his Rengar pass through the river and sneak into the enemy¡¯s jungle. With five full ferocity stacks, Rengar silently snuck along the walls behind the red buff camp and entered the brush. Red buff had respawned. He nted down a vision ward and confirmed the area was safe, theny in ambush. He judged Lee Sin would give the red buff to LovelyRose. So, he patiently waited.

    Before long, Caitlyn appeared within vision. She was heading towards red buff, and her support Nami wasn¡¯t following directly behind her.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s another easy kill,¡± Lin Feng muttered. ¡°INSTAGIB!¡±

    With a swift click of the mouse, Rengar pounced out of the bush and onto Caitlyn. His ws lit up and tore into her, shaving away most of her health. What little remained was quickly emptied out by another two attacks. A lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

    ¡¶Godlike!¡·

    Ah Mei had a nk look on her face as her screen turned grey again. She really was going to go insane! ¡°I-i died again¡­? I didn¡¯t even go tone! All I wanted was red buff! Is this Rengar fucking everywhere!?!¡±

    At this point, her teammates also finally had had enough. After seeing their beloved streamer being yed and toyed around with right under their noses, they felt like they had no face left. This wretched Rengar had to die!

    A ward close to the bot side tri-brush lit up with the teleport animation. Riven was teleporting! Meanwhile, Syndra abandoned herne and headed toward the jungle, nning to cut Rengar off! All the while Nami chased after Rengar with a sh and then targeted him with Exhaust, slowing down his movements to a crawl.

    Seeing her teammates making a move on Rengar, Ah Mei couldn¡¯t help but shriek, ¡°KILL HIM! KILL THAT DAMNED RENGAR!¡±

    On Su Xue¡¯s stream, her loyal viewers felt their hearts tighten. Things were getting a little dangerous this time around!

 Chapter 44: Man, My Rengar is Awesome!

    LovelyRose¡¯s teammates had resolved to kill Rengar no matter what. Nami waved her staff and tossed an Aqua Prison toward him with great precision. Of course, Rengar was still slowed by the Exhaust, so he could do nothing to dodge. The Aqua Prison trapped him and held him in the air.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers gasped in rm.

    ¡°R-run! You¡¯re going to die!¡± Su Xue anxiously cried out.

    Lin Feng was also caught by surprise. ¡°Wow! shing forward and exhausting me!? Aren¡¯t they going a little overboard here?¡±

    A little overboard? A LITTLE OVERBOARD? The trolls burned in hatred and gnashed their teeth in anger. They wished for nothing more than to chop Lin Feng up into pieces. After killing our beautiful Rose over and over again, you still have the face to say her team is going overboard!? Let¡¯s see how you get out of this one! They smashed down on their keyboards, furiously typing a new string of hateful messages.

    ¡¸trash ! get fcked!!¡¹

    ¡¸You get what¡¯sing for you!¡¹

    ¡¸Once or twice, fine, but do you think you could keep getting away with killing rose over and over again forever!? Fuck, our jungle doesn¡¯t belong to you!¡¹

    Riven teleported into the tri-bush. She activated her ultimate skill, de of the Exile. Her runic de lit up with a green glow around its edges. Rengar was getting close. She dashed toward him and stunned him with a Ki Burst. Then, she took away half his health with a perfectly executedbination of Broken Wings¡¯ first and second charge and auto attacks.

    The Riven indeed lived up to his rank as a Master yer. The trolls watched on with baited breath. Kill this Rengar! they chanted in their minds.

    However, Lin Feng¡¯s reactions were just as quick if not quicker. Even though he was frantically shouting on stream, he¡¯d already pressed down on his keyboard before the bubblended, activating his ultimate skill¡ªThrill of the Hunt! Before they could kill him, he disappeared into stealth.

    ¡°Vision ward! Put down a vision ward!¡± Ah Mei anxiously shouted while still waiting to respawn in the fountain.

    However, neither Riven nor Nami had a vision ward. Not that they hadn¡¯t bought them, just that they¡¯d already used them earlier on. So, they lost vision of the Rengar.

    The trolls were burning with impatience. Fuck! Is that shitty Rengar really gonna escape like this!?

    ?

    After sessfully activating his ultimate skill in time, Lin Feng was safe. He had killed Caitlyn and made Nami blow both summoner spells and Riven waste her teleport. This was a huge win. Many of Su Xue¡¯s viewers thought Lin Feng would safely retreat now. However, the person himself had other thoughts. This wasn¡¯t enough. He wanted more.

    Badump¡­ badump¡­ badump¡­

    Badump¡­ badump¡­ badump¡­.

    Rengar¡¯s vision was dyed in red, his heart beating steadily at a strange rhythm. The two enemies before his icy cold gaze weren¡¯t threats, but rather prey to be hunted!

    Lin Feng pinged for assistance on the minimap. The vision ward he ced down in the red camp lit up in the next instant with a dazzling light! Malphite was teleporting over! From botne, Morgana and Sivir were rushing over to the jungle from the botne tri-brush!

    Riven and Nami were dazed for a moment. Then, all their hair stood on end! The enemy wanted to continue the fight! The two of them were in danger of being surrounded! Without any hesitation, they fled toward their botne inner tower, trying to flee their jungle before the enemy could cut them off. However, two glowing markers already appeared over their heads.

    The Riven yer¡¯s pupils constricted in rm! Rengar hadn¡¯t left the area! Not only that, but the prey had turned into the hunter!

    Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

    Still making her way over from mid, Syndra frantically spammed the retreat ping. However, a ck shadow already pounced out from the air, and the killing intent was focused on Riven!

    Lin Feng threw a quick nce at his full ferocity stacks, then roared, ¡°B Strike!¡± An empowered b flew out mid-air and struck the Riven, rooting her to the ground! Rengar tore into her with Savagery, then circled behind her.

    Riven reacted on instinct. Her ultimate was still active. She unleashed Wind sh. A powerful wave of sword energy swept out,pletely missing the Rengar.

    The stream erupted in excitement.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Su Xue screamed, shooting out of her seat and cheering with the viewers.

    Lin Feng¡¯s engage caught the Rivenpletely off-guard, leaving her no time to react until he was already mid-pounce. Even though her Wind sh was fast, he was even faster. Treading on a de¡¯s edge, he correctly predicted she would throw out her ultimate and circled behind her, beautifully dodging the certainly fatal attack!

    Malphite teleported in. He arrived basically next to the Nami and Riven. Then, he used Unstoppable Force! The massive creature of living stone collided into the two and knocked them up in the air.

    Lin Feng shaved away thest bit of Riven¡¯s health, with an auto attack and Battle Roar.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Nami was next on the chopping block. Her skills were on cooldown. There was nothing she could do. Morgana shed forward to join the fray and threw out a beautifully aimed Dark Binding, locking Nami down.

    ¡°Oh nice!¡± Lin Feng cried out. He then clicked on the Nami and activated Savagery again. There was no suspense. Nami copsed dead on the cold jungle floor.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ?

    ¡¸6666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸wo!!!! what a turn around!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha! Way to show em!¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers excitedly showered Lin Feng with praise. Meanwhile, the trolls were dead silent. The game was only 13 minutes old, yet Rengar¡¯s was already 9/0/0! Even though many of those kills came from Caitlyn, and the amount of gold he got from repeatedly killing her was greatly diminished, aplishing this much this early in the game was still pretty damn amazing!

    One kill. Four deaths. 40 creep score. LovelyRose waspletely shut down with no hope of ever making aeback. She stared dumbly at herputer screen with an extremely unsightly expression. Her mouth opened and closed, screeching and cursing soundsing out in her mind, but none finding their way out of her mouth. Reap what you sow. It was she who stuck out her face and gave that kid the opportunity to p it. Now, after losing all face, she could only tremble in anger, not knowing what to do.

    Ah Mei was green with regret. How could she possibly know that this little kid was so good at the game? Or that he would purposefully target her! What left her even more baffled was that she clearly had two Master yers on her team, yet this kid walked over them as if they were nothing!

    ?

    Meanwhile, in an apartment in Shanghai. A boy and a girl sat next to each other in front of aputer. The girl was screaming in excitement, while the boy smacked his lips in satisfaction. ¡°Ahhh! Man, my Rengar is awesome!¡± Of course, they were Lin Feng and Su Xue.

    1. Riven empowers her keepsake weapon with energy, and gains Attack Damage and Range. During this time, she also gains the ability to use Wind sh, a powerful ranged attack, once.

    2. Rivenshes out in a series of strikes. This ability can be reactivated three times in a short time frame with the third hit knocking back nearby enemies.

    3. Rengar lets out a battle roar, damaging enemies and healing for some of the recent damage he has taken.

 Chapter 45: Farm the Jungle, Push out the Minion Waves, Kill Caitlyn

    ¡°Man, my Rengar is awesome!¡± Lin Feng smacked his lips.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers were quite bemused.

    ¡¸Hahah! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless guy!¡¹

    ¡¸+1 to that¡¹

    ¡¸I admit defeat. lil bro is king shameless¡¹

    ¡¸kek, reminds me of when I was a kid!¡¹

    Noticeably missing were the trolls. Even with Lin Feng bragging so brazenly, there were no attempts to shut him down or berate him. They could only stare dumbly at their screen, unable to deny reality. 9/0/0 at 13 minutes into the game. This was true skill.

    From the opening first blood to the repeated ganks on Caitlyn, the trolls could reasonably argue that Lin Feng was a brainless idiot who only knew how to gank bot. Now, however, they had had no legs left to stand on. Not only did Lin Feng survive a situation where the vast majority of yers would die, but he also managed to turn the fight around and pick up a kill on the fed Riven. If that wasn¡¯t evidence enough of his frightening skills with Rengar, nothing was! His Rengar was unstoppable!

    ¡°Oh, guess I can 1v1 Riven now!¡± Lin Feng remarked.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers quickly grew excited. Would they finally get to see Lin Feng gank Riven?

    The trolls didn¡¯t type a word, but a spark of hope lit up in their hearts. If Rengar got overconfident and started going after Riven, she might have a chance of turning the fight around and killing him instead. Plus, this would give Caitlyn some much needed time to catch her breath and scale. Sadly, the sliver of hope was squashed as soon as it came.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s continue killing Caitlyn!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers were speechless, while the trolls just about fainted from anger. But this couldn¡¯t be called a surprise. A man had to keep his word! Lin Feng had promised Su Xue he would teach LovelyRose a lesson. So, he definitely had to see this mission through to the end.

    A minuteter down at botne. The minion waves shed just out of range from blue team¡¯s inner tower. Sivir and Morgana had returned to base. Lin Feng stared at it as another red minion wave joined in. ¡°Caitlyn will definitely try to catch this wave. Let¡¯s go kill her,¡± he said. Though his words were simple and frank, they carried an overwhelming might.

    Lin Feng guessed correctly. Secondster, Caitlyn arrived to collect the minion wave. Her score was an unsightly 1/4/0 with only 60 CS.

    A bush connecting thene to the jungle was just out of reach of the minion wave. Inside of it, arge caty in ambush. Rengar! Lin Feng pressed down on his keyboard, activating Thrill of the Hunt. Rengar silently disappeared into stealth, blood dying the screen red. Then, he pounced forward like a sh of lightning and unleashed his full damagebo on Caitlyn.

    By now, there was nothing left to say. Rengar was overly fed, while Caitlyn was painfullygging behind. It was nearly a one-hit KO. To the viewers, Lin Feng¡¯s movements were simply too fast, and Rengar¡¯s damage was too high.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    Ah Mei didn¡¯t speak, but everyone on the stream could hear her grind her teeth. Her hatred for Rengar had seeped into the marrow! She was 1/5/0! This was a terrible disgrace!

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers spammed the chat with praise, and Su Xue was enjoying every minute of it. At this rate, Caitlyn wouldn¡¯t be worth more than a cannon minion! ¡°Lin Feng, are you thirsty? Want me to pour you another ss of water?¡± she asked in a rare show of proactiveness in her role as a maid.

    Lin Feng happily nodded. ¡°Nah! I want a soda!¡±

    ¡°You punk! Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself!¡± Su Xue red at him. However, just on queue, her viewers continued the routine.

    ¡¸hush muid go do your job!¡¹

    ¡¸go and buy lil bro his soda!¡¹

    ¡¸be a good maid, heh¡¹

    Somewhere after the first several kills on LovelyRose, Su Xue¡¯s stream had returned to normalcy. Even though many of the trolls from LovelyRose¡¯s stream were still here, they didn¡¯t type another hateful message. Everything they¡¯d typed so far had onlye around to bite them in the back. They didn¡¯t dare to risk that happening again.

    Back in the game, Lin Feng was waiting in the dragon pit. When the game time hit 16 minutes, it spawned. With the help of Morgana and Sivir, they easily took it down. Afterwards, he returned to his jungle and continued farming the monsters, waiting for his ultimate toe off cooldown. He¡¯d fallen into a fairlyfortable routine: farm his jungle, push out minion waves, kill Caitlyn. Rinse and repeat.

    Lin Feng made it look simple, butpletely shutting down an enemy like this was extremely difficult. It was an art. You had to calcte their spawn time, predict where they would go, how they would react, and so on. He read LovelyRose like an open book, to the point it bordered precognition.

    The viewers watched Lin Feng humming and casually farming the jungle, when he paused and muttered, ¡°Oh, Caitlyn should be walking out of her base by now!¡± He energetically moved across the map and had Rengar enter the enemy¡¯s jungle. Without even spotting Caitlyn, he activated Thrill of the Hunt. Rengar went invisible as blood dyed the screen red. He prowled closer toward the enemy¡¯s base, until¡­ There! Caitlyn¡¯s silhouette was revealed within his hunter¡¯s vision. He pounced on her and picked up another easy kill.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    Ah Mei was at her wits¡¯ end. In the past few minutes of the game, she hadn¡¯t even seen her minion wave once! Even the viewers of Su Xue¡¯s stream didn¡¯t pay attention to the godly Rengar, but rather to the pitiful score and CS of Caitlyn. 1/6/0 and 60 CS at 20 minutes. She really was starting to be no better than a cannon minion!

    Fortunately or unfortunately, Ah Mei¡¯s suffering came to an end. Surrendering was possible starting from minute 20. Her team quickly agreed. Their nexus twisted and warped with chaotic energies before exploding.

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers erupted with cheers. Victory! It was apletely one-sided stomp by Lin Feng! The feeling was as refreshing as eating iced watermelon pops on a hot summer day!

    ¡¸Damn, that was so satisfying to watch! I can die happy now!¡¹

    ¡¸Tell me about it! Feels good man, to release all that anger and frustration!¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers turned their attention to the trolls.

    ¡¸where your big words now, huh?!??????¡¹

    ¡¸you big boys crying now? say something, idiots¡¹

    ¡¸the yappity yap yap guys have shut up!!!¡¹

    A few of the trolls tried to fight back, but they were drowned out by the soaring momentum of Su Xue¡¯s viewers. The others, they all left the stream in a hurry. With this, the situation was more or less settled, save for one matter.

    Lin Feng smacked his forehead. ¡°Oh, right! That girl still hasn¡¯t apologized yet!¡±

 Chapter 46: Its a Wrap

    Chapter 46 - It¡¯s a Wrap

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers were quick to pick up on what Lin Feng meant.

    ¡¸right rose still hasn¡¯t apologized!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Yea! we won so she has to apologize! ¡¹

    ¡¸make her apologize lil bro!!!¡¹

    The trolls had vacated the stream and everything had returned to normal. However, as the ringleader of this whole situation, how could Su Xue and her viewers possibly let LovelyRose off easily? She wanted to leave and pretend like nothing happened after all that? No way in hell! Su Xue¡¯s viewers started spamming in her chat for an apology.

    Lin Feng also pulled up Su Xue¡¯s QQ chat and sent LovelyRose a message.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Hey, where¡¯s that apology?¡¹

    ¡°How about we drop it. Let bygones be bygones. We shouldn¡¯t push this too far,¡± Su Xue couldn¡¯t help but inch forward and whisper to Lin Feng. Even though she had been pushed to the brink of tears, she didn¡¯t want to create more drama. Lin Feng stomping LovelyRose in a game of League was plenty of revenge for her. Plus, both were streamers on Huya. Who knew how many more times they would run into each other. So, Su Xue didn¡¯t want to burn all bridges.

    ¡°No, she owes you an apology.¡± Lin Feng firmly shook his head. ¡°They were her words, not mine. How can she go back on her own word?¡± He turned to look back at the QQ chat and, finding she still hadn¡¯t replied, started typing furiously.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸apologize! apologize! apologize!¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸apologize! apologize! apologize!¡¹

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸apologize! apologize! apologize!¡¹

    Lin Feng copied the message and pasted it again and again, smashing the enter key in between. He wouldn¡¯t stop until LovelyRose apologized! Finally, the QQ chat window showed LovelyRose was typing. A momentter, the message came.

    LovelyRose:¡¸I¡¯m sorry¡¹

    The message was only two words long, but the viewers in Su Xue¡¯s stream immediately broke out in cheers and endless excitement. LovelyRose apologized! A streamer with over 60,000 viewers apologized to them, a stream with less than a hundred viewers! This settled the matter for them. To see her go from her usual unbearable arrogance and haughtiness to a pitiful apology, it felt like a cool spring breeze blowing through their hearts!

    ¡°That¡¯s all? Is she for real?¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. Then, he typed away on the keyboard and sent another message to LovelyRose.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Hey, that didn¡¯t sound very convincing. Try it again, and mean it this time!¡¹

    The viewers were speechless, while Su Xue smacked Lin Feng¡¯s hand away from the keyboard. ¡°You brat, that¡¯s enough! She already apologized!¡±

    When Ah Mei saw Lin Feng¡¯s request for a more sincere apology, her expression became quite unsightly. However, no matter how much she ground her teeth, she could only swallow her anger. Of course, she had zero desire to apologize, especially in front of so many people, nor was she the slightest bit apologetic. Who would willingly humiliate themselves even further after already losing a bet? However, Ah Mei had no choice but to apologize. In part, because she had personally proposed the bet in front of her 60,000 viewers. If she reneged, she would be losing face and inviting even more criticism upon herself. However, she could manage that. There was a more important reason she had to apologize.

    ?

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng had already swapped back ces with Su Xue. His eyes went wide when he saw who she was chatting with on QQ. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an admin?¡±

    Administrators were high level management of HuyaTV. They had full authority over the streamers. They could ban them with a click of the mouse.

    Su Xue typed away on the keyboard. Before long, she was finished chatting with the admin and closed the window. Then, she excitedly turned to her viewers and exined, ¡°Great news guys! I just spoke to an admin. He¡¯s personally stepping in.¡±

    Themotion on the League of Legends section of HuyaTV blew up more than expected and had attracted the attention of an administrator. This was the main reason why Ah Mei had apologized. The administrator had given her a stern warning. Either keep your viewers in check, or be held fully ountable for their actions. As for Su Xue, the administrator promised to give her a couple of slots on the front page to help promote her stream to make up for everything that had happened.

    The viewers on Su Xue¡¯s stream were overjoyed at this news. They spammed chat more furiously than the trolls had done before, all in support of Su Xue.

    Su Xue was also all smiles. ¡°Mhmh! It¡¯s a happy ending!¡± Revenge, an apology from the instigator, a stern warning for the instigator from an administrator, and slots on the front page, was there anything more she could ask for? This really was the best oue possible!

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Lin Feng rubbed his growling stomach.

    ¡°Oh right! You still haven¡¯t had dinner yet!¡± Su Xue realized. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll whip you up some food right away. What do you want to eat? Just tell me, and I¡¯ll make it for you!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? Okay, I want to eat red braised eggnts, stir fry chicken, and squash soup!¡±

    Su Xue waved her hands. ¡°Ai, why is it always these same three dishes? I did some shopping today and brought home a lot of groceries. What else do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make anything but that!¡±

    ¡°Really? Anything is fine?¡± Lin Feng took a deep breath. ¡°Then I want to eat mapo tofu, chilli chicken, stir-fried pork, sauerkraut stew, pork and konjac, roast duck, sliced beef and beef offals, pickled cabbage and fish, simmer-fried prawn, dumplings, stir-fry fish fillet, plum winter bamboo shoots, steamed pork buns, crunch crispy fried silky chicken, beef soup¡­¡±

    The viewers practically keeled overughing.

    Su Xue gaped. ¡°Oh my god! ...What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to eat! Can you make it for me?¡± Lin Feng asked excitedly.

    ¡°...Okay, how about we stick with your red-braised eggnts, stir fry chicken, and squash soup?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had chopsticks and bowl in hand as he stared at the smorgasbord of dishes set up on the table in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± he eximed, then dug in without waiting. He chowed down and swept through the food like a tornado.

    Su Xue had enough after eating only a little. Afterwards, she rested her chin against her hands and stared at him with an amused expression. ¡°Little fool, slow down. How many times do I have to tell you. Chew your food. Drink the soup! Drink the soup! Don¡¯t just eat the meat!¡±

    A good 20 minutester, Lin Feng put down his bowl and chopsticks. He rubbed his stomach in satisfaction and burped loudly. ¡°Ahh! That was good.¡±

    ¡°Insane. You really can eat¡­¡± Su Xue paused and carefully inched her head closer to him, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng¡­¡±

    Lin Feng raised his head bewildered. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Ahem¡­ well, your Rengar was really strong.¡± Su Xue coughed.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng vigorously nodded. ¡°My Rengar is awesome!¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh.¡± Su Xue nodded in agreement.¡±So, I was wondering... you could teach me how to y Rengar?¡±

    ¡°Sis Xue, you want to learn jungle Rengar?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise.

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Su Xue nodded vigorously. The way Lin Feng carried with Rengar today was simply amazing. Every time his ultimate was off cooldown, he would find a prey and take their life! How could she not be moved? If she could learn this kind of champion, she could easily climb the ranks! Plus, she could attract more viewers with all sorts of shy ys!

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Lin Feng crushed Su Xue¡¯s hopes. He stared at her for a little before adding, ¡°Rengar is just too hard for you. You don¡¯t have the game knowledge or mechanical skill.¡±

    ¡°...Y-you brat! Did you have to be so blunt! Fuck! Making all this food for the rats would¡¯ve been less of a waste!¡± Su Xue erupted.

 Chapter 47: Mid is my Best Role

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll be streaming again tonight. How about you bring yourptop over and y with me?¡± Su Xue stacked the empty bowls and turned to Lin Feng. ¡°I¡¯m sure the viewers are pretty exhausted from all the drama earlier today. I was thinking of hosting an inhouse with them, so we can all enjoy a fun casual match.¡±

    ¡°Mhan inhoue??¡± Lin Feng asked with a full mouth. His eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± But then he paused and scratched his head with a difficult expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can join. I have homework to do.¡±

    ¡°Even on the weekend? Wow, you sure are a busy bee.¡± Su Xue sighed in admiration. Then she cheerfully nodded. ¡°Alright, you go off and do your homework. It¡¯s important you get high grades in high school. I¡¯m happy to see you got your priorities straight. Hah, I still remember back when I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh right! It¡¯s the weekend! I can¡¯t believe I forgot!¡± Lin Feng smacked his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab myptop, give me a minute!¡±

    ¡°And here I was praising you¡­ Can you not change your mind so quickly?¡± Su Xue chided.

    ?

    Lin Feng sat down next to Su Xue and put hisptop down on the desk. Meanwhile, Su Xue had put away the dishes and booted up herputer. While starting the stream, she also opened her QQ chat stream group and typed an announcement.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸We¡¯re doing a viewer inhouse. Who wants in?¡¹

    The viewers exploded like water on a hot pan. Dozens of them flooded the special viewer group chat, scrambling over one another to participate.

    Su Xue giggled happily when she saw the flood of messagesing in.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Calm down calm down, guys. Hop on the stream first. I¡¯ll create the custom game.¡¹

    Viewers came in the stream one after another. There were the 70-odd who already watched Su Xue for thest month, a handful of them even longer. As for the rest, most came from Ol¡¯ ck¡¯s stream. She had officially won them over with how she handled the matter earlier that day. Even now, while Ol¡¯ ck was still streaming, they chose to be in her stream. Then there were another hundred viewers, the remnants of LovelyRose¡¯s troll army. They were the ones who had kept a somewhat neutral stance. The ones who hadn¡¯t blindly med Su Xue, but rather quietly observed everything that happened. In that time, their loyalty had shifted to Su Xue, the heroine of today. All in all, Su Xue¡¯s viewership had grown tremendously.

    Su Xue turned on her facecam and announced to her viewers what she had already said in her group chat, leading to a whole new wave of viewers flocking over to participate in the inhouse.

    ¡¸will that guy from before also join??¡¹

    After this first message, many more of its kind followed. Everyone forgot a moment about participating themselves, and were more concerned whether Lin Feng would join. His perfect Rengar game had left an extremely deep impression on them, to the extent that many of them believed he wasn¡¯t any worse than the top Rengar in China.

    Su Xue groaned . ¡°Yes yes, he¡¯s ying. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lin Feng moved his head in the frame of the camera and waved his hand. ¡°Hi guys. I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡¸the god has arrived!¡¹

    ¡¸oh my god, he is so handsome!¡¹

    ¡¸PLEASE TEACH ME RENGAR!!!!!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸oi, maid! what¡¯s this all about? why is he sitting off to the side and not in front of the camera!!!!??!?!?!?!?¡¹

    ¡°Hey! Am I not pretty enough? Why do you need to see him?¡± Su Xue erupted.

    ¡¸Pfft! The lowly maid wants to seize the throne!¡¹

    ¡¸have you poured him his water yet?¡¹

    ¡¸if we wanted to see a pretty girl, there are other ces for that. LIL BRO OR RIOT!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸just give up maid!¡¹

    In this lively atmosphere, the inhouse finally got underway. Lin Feng would captain the red team, while Su Xue would take charge of the blue team.

    Lin Feng brooded over what role to y. The Morgana fromst game, Grunting Corpse, called the support role. So, he had to pick a different role. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go ad-carry!¡±

    ¡°Hey, no way! If you y ad-carry, how the heck am I supposed to go up against you! No, go a different role!¡± Su Xue said, wide-eyed.

    ¡°Okay okay, I¡¯ll jungle,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ¡°Uh.¡± Su Xue quickly shook her head. ¡°No! Your jungle is too good too. Pick another role!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°But I¡¯m good at every role.¡±

    Su Xue rubbed her chin before her eyes lit up. ¡°I know, you can y mid!¡± She was convinced this n was bulletproof. Her midner was Water Wraith, the Diamond 1 yer who had helped her beat LovelyRose. Plus, she¡¯d seen Lin Feng y almost every role, but she¡¯d never seen him y mid. He couldn¡¯t possibly be that good in mid too, right?

    Lin Feng hesitated. Then he looked at Su Xue and nodded. ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Hey hey! Why are you looking at me like that? What¡¯s up with that look of sympathy or something!¡±

    Su Xue would soone to learn the answer. Water Wraith locked in Yasuo while Lin Feng chose Lenc. It couldn¡¯t even be called a match. There was no suspense, only ughter. At four minutes into the game, Lenc solo killed Yasuo, and at six minutes she repeated this feat. Two minutester Lin Feng had Lenc roam bot, where he assassinated Caitlyn¡ªyed by Su Xue¡ªand Thresh with the help of his own botne. Another two minutester, and he was already 6/0/0. By the 15th minute, he reached legendary with his eighth kill. And at minute 20, while pushing into the blue team¡¯s nexus towers, Su Xue had seen enough and started a surrender vote in frustration.

    The viewers were dumbstruck. Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was on a whole ¡®nother level.

    Su Xue bitterly messaged Water Wraith.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Hey shitty Wraith! I thought you were Diamond 1? Weren¡¯t you supposed to keep him in check?¡¹

    WaterWraith:¡¸Hey, don¡¯t me me! he¡¯s just crazy good! i¡¯ve yed against master rank lencs who weren¡¯t nearly as good...¡¹

    Su Xue turned her head and shot Lin Feng a re. ¡°Why are you so good at mid?¡±

    ¡°Eh, didn¡¯t I say I was really good at every role?¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°But mid is my best role.¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Do you really need to go so tryhard on us!¡± Su Xue cried out in grief.

    Lenc, the Deceiver. A couple of patches ago, she was even stronger. However, no matter how badly she got nerfed, she would always fill an extremely important niche among mine champions. Lin Feng hadn¡¯t told anyone, but the first time he started truly putting his all into learning her was when he saw a certain pro midner put on godly performances that shook everyone in both season 2 and season 3 Worlds. That person was his greatest rival back in season 1. The only person who couldpete with him for supremacy. And today, that person stood at the very top of the Four Emperors.

 Chapter 48: The Big Sister Next Door Canâ€™t be This Cute

    After the first game ended, Su Xue immediately made a lobby for the second match. The yers on both teams were the same, but the champions were different. This time around, Su Xue went with Jinx, while Lin Feng chose Ziggs. The yers on Su Xue¡¯s team couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief when they saw this. Ziggs was no assassin. Lin Feng couldn¡¯t possibly carry as hard with him as he had with that Lenc, right?

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Water Wraith, I¡¯m counting on you! If we win, I¡¯ll give you the privilege of duoing with me!¡¹

    WaterWraith:¡¸Can I pass on this privilege? I don¡¯t want to lose¡­..¡¹

    Su Xue red at the private chat with Water Wraith, but then hit the y button. The game loaded up and everyone arrived on the summoner tform of their respective team.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Ziggs wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly oppressive like his Lenc. Nor was he making shy ys, dictating the pace of the game, or turning entire fights around by himself. He simply farmed the minion waves and the jungle and nothing else. Even so, the enemy team had their sights on him. Jarvan IV walked through his jungle to midne to help Syndra¡ªyed by Water Wraith¡ªget a kill on Ziggs. Their hearts started racing in excitement.

    It did not turn out as expected. Syndra engaged Lin Feng with Scatter the Weak. It hit an earlier ced Dark Sphere and shot toward Ziggs, who easily sidestepped it. Then Jarvan IV came running out of the river bush. He threw down a Demacian Standard and used his spear to fly toward it. Anyone in the way would be knocked up. But Lin Feng again easily had his Ziggs evade, this time with a sh. After which he threw out a Satchel Charge, knocking Jarvan IV into tower range. Having lost his sh in topne just before, Jarvan IV could only use his own two legs to escape. He trudged through the Hexplosive Minefield Ziggs had thrown down, each little bomb damaging him and slowing him down. The tower had a field day on him. To make matters worse, Evelyn¡ªthe jungler on Lin Feng¡¯s team¡ªarrived and helped Lin Feng secure the kill.

    Through his grey screen the Jarvan IV yer stared dumbstruck at Ziggs, as did Water Wraith from the safety of his own tower. Lin Feng had yed so passively until now. Neither of them expected his reaction speed to be so quick. He¡¯d instantly seized the opportunity to turn the fight around and pick up a kill!

    Lin Feng looked at the stream chat, which was being spammed with 666s. He pumped his fist and smugly dered, ¡°I¡¯m really good at Ziggs too!¡±

    ?

    The second game ended with a second victory for Lin Feng¡¯s team. Su Xue had had enough. She grabbed him by the wrist and said, ¡°You¡¯re on my team now! Support me.¡± Her happy mood had turned sour after thest two games, both of which held zero suspense. How could anyone enjoy this! She had worked so hard on improving, yet Lin Feng took her spotlight and gave a true show.

    ¡°Oh, sure!¡± Lin Feng obediently switched over to Su Xue¡¯s team and picked support Blitzcrank.

    The spotlights focused on Lin Feng again. He supported his team by taking them on his shoulders and carrying them towards the enemy nexus. From thening phase, where his every Rocket Grabnded urately on Jinx¡ªthe enemy ad-carry¡ªallowing Su Xue to pick up an easy kill. To thete game, where his mass silence and well ced wards brought an easy victory to his team.

    When Su Xue made the lobby for the fourth game, the yers on the enemy team started protesting.

    ¡¸Give our mid back!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Stop hogging so shamelessly, maid!¡¹

    Su Xue was back in high spirits after winning a match. When she saw theseints, she had one curt reply.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Request denied!¡¹

    The inhouse went on untilte at night, with midnight looming just an hour away. Su Xue was so focused on abusing Lin Feng to go on killstreaks that shepletely missed the random viewers entering the stream. Some came for the gamey, while others stuck around to stare at her facecam. At the end, nearly a hundred of them hit the follow button. This was how it worked. The bigger your stream, the likelier random viewers would enter the stream. Even if only a few of them actually stuck around, that was still a big deal.

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes went wide in shock as she finally noticed the number of new followers. She stammered a little, turning to Lin Feng with incredulous eyes and then back to the stream. It seemed like her dreams of making it big weren¡¯t as far-fetched as before!

    The viewers didn¡¯t quite agree with the ending of the inhouse. They spammed chat, demanding at least one more game! However, Lin Feng looked at the clock and said, ¡°It¡¯s already past 11. I should go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Already? It¡¯s a weekend, you know?¡± Su Xue asked in surprise.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Yeah, but I have ns in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to meet up with that Tang Tang girl again?¡± Su Xue shot Lin Feng the side-eye.

    The viewers immediately perked up their ears.

    ¡¸is lil bro cheating on the maid!?!!?!?!¡¹

    ¡¸EVER HEARD OF MONOGAMY DUDE?????¡¹

    ¡¸hot damn! and here I thought you and the maid were exclusive¡¹

    ¡°Hey hey! Enough, you guys! What''s with this nonsense? How could I possibly be dating this snotty brat!¡±

    ¡¸tsk tsk the maid is jealous¡¹

    ¡¸A woman scorned is scary indeed.¡¹

    ¡¸poor girl, can¡¯tpete with the young ones¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t worry xue xue, we¡¯ll light a candle for you.¡¹

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°No, nothing like that. I just promised to duo with her. I want to recruit her into my team!¡±

    ¡°This little punk says he wants to create a professional team. He thinks he can be the best in the world. Tell him guys, something is wrong with his head, right? Right?¡± Su Xue interjected.

    The viewers were astonished. However, they quickly snapped back to their senses and started supporting him.

    ¡¸Wow!!!! That¡¯s some crazy dream bro!!!¡¹

    ¡¸you can do it man! we believe in you!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡±LL MAKE A FAN PAGE!!! WE¡¯LL BE YOUR GREATEST FANS!!!!!111¡¹

    ¡°Okay! When I make the team, you guys can be our fans!¡± Lin Feng said happily.

    Su Xue frowned. Where everyone else was all smiles, she appeared rather dissatisfied. ¡°Hey hey, if you be his fans, what about me?¡±

    ¡¸since when does a maid need fans?¡¹

    ¡¸yeah, wtf¡­. just keep pouring water for lil bro¡¹

    ?

    Lin Feng woke up early. He threw some water in his face and then bolted out the door without even having breakfast. Not muchter, he pushed the door of the NetCow Cafe open and found Tang Bingyao already waiting for him in her usual spot. ¡°Hey!¡± he greeted, panting.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    After Lin Feng sat down beside her, Tang Bingyao couldn¡¯t help but turn to him and curiously asked, ¡°So, when you were in such a rush to get back home yesterday, it was to help Evening Snowfall win a match?¡±

    ¡°Huh, how did you know?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise.

    ¡°Oh, after you left I got those guys to show me what was going on. I saw most of it.¡± Tang Bingyao paused, then added, ¡°That Rose really crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Lin Feng vigorously nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s fine. I taught her a lesson!¡±

    Tang Bingyao asked in a rare disy of curiosity, ¡°So, you live together with Evening Snowfall? Like roommates?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Yeah, theplex belongs to my aunt. Big Sis is one of her tenants, and she had a spare room, so I could move in. Oh! She also makes really good food!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She stared deeply at Lin Feng and asked in a tone more serious than her usual self, ¡°Are you two in a rtionship?¡±

    ¡°H-huh?¡±

    Tang Bingyao added, ¡°That¡¯s how it works, right? I read about it in these web novels.¡± She pulled open her browser and typed in a couple of keywords. Then, she turned her screen toward Lin Feng. ¡°See? Look.¡±

    ¡°¡®The Big Sister Next Door Can¡¯t be This Cute¡¯, ¡®Love Life with my New Tenant¡¯, ¡®My Stepsister Grew up to be a Hotty¡¯...¡± As Lin Feng read out the titles, his eyes went wide. He turned to Tang Bingyao in exasperation. ¡°Tang Tang, what kind of things are you putting in your head¡­?¡±

    It took a significant amount of time for Lin Feng to exin to Tang Bingyao that this wasn¡¯t even remotely close to his rtion with Su Xue. She was his roommate, his friend! Not his sexy stepsister who got stuck under the bed! Finally, he turned his focus to theputer in front of him. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s y a game. I¡¯ll go mid today!¡±

 Chapter 49: Satisfying an Itch

    ¡°Mid? You¡¯re not jungling?¡± Tang Bingyao asked in surprise. ¡°Your Rengar is really good¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? My Rengar is awesome! So you watched the game? I really taught that girl a lesson!¡±

    ¡°Could you teach me Rengar?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    ¡°Huh? You want to learn him too?¡± Lin Feng was surprised that after Su Xue, Tang Bingyao also wanted to learn Rengar.

    Tang Bingyao vigorously nodded.

    ¡°No! You have to keep practicing your ADC!¡± Lin Feng tly refused.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Tang Bingyao¡¯s face crumpled with mild dejection. After watching Lin Feng¡¯s game yesterday, she felt that if she could y Rengar at that level, elo boosting would be so much easier. She thought for a moment. Not willing to give up, she added, ¡°I can pay you.¡±

    ¡°You really want to learn him that badly, huh?¡±

    Tang Bingyao earnestly nodded. ¡°Just tell me how much.¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. ¡°Alright, £¤1,000,000.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even taking me seriously,¡± Tang Bingyao said with a slight pout.

    Lin Feng chuckled and moved his hand through his hair. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s too expensive, let¡¯s focus on your ad-carry training for now. Don¡¯t forget , you¡¯re going to be the ad-carry of my team!¡±

    ¡°No. I won¡¯t. It will never happen!¡± Tang Bingyao said in a rare huff.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t appear the least bit discouraged. ¡°Oh, it will. Trust me! I¡¯m really good at recruiting people too!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao queued up for a ranked match. When they got in the lobby, Tang Bingyao imed the ad-carry position. She would continue practicing her Twitch today. As for Lin Feng, after the inhouse matches the night before, he felt an itch to y mid. His appetite whetted, he called mid and locked in Yasuo.

    Lin Feng would go on to put on such an awe-inspiring performance that it left waves of shock battering at Tang Bingyao¡¯s heart. Four minutes into the game he killed Ziggs, hisne opponent. Two minutester, he rushed to Level 6 and picked up another kill, this time with his ultimate. At the tenth minute, his score reached 5/0/1. If this wasn¡¯t incredibly enough, then the fight at the dragon pit a few minutester was. He knocked three enemies up and locked them down mid-air with his ultimate. When they fell back down, they were dead. A triple kill.

    The game went on for another 13 minutes. Lin Feng moved Yasuo around the map on a relentless path of ughter. Every engage ended in a kill, or two. Finally, at the 25th minute, the enemy team couldn¡¯t endure it any longer and surrendered. Yasuo had single handedly crushed their fighting spirit.

    Ziggs, a Diamond 2 yer, didn¡¯t believe for a second that Lin Feng was as low ranked as his ount made him out to be. While his nexus exploded, he typed into all chat:

    ¡¸Yasuo, you smurfing?¡¹

    After the game ended, Tang Bingyao couldn¡¯t help but shoot Lin Feng a second nce, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she invited him and they queued up for a second ranked match. In this game, she went with Twitch again, while Lin Feng switched to Zed, the Master of Shadows.

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶Dominating!¡·

    The announcer¡¯s voice continuously rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift, symbolizing the unending massacre of the Master of Shadows. It was a lopsided massacre and the enemy team surrendered directly at 20 minutes.

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng again, but still didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she invited him for another ranked game.

    The third, the fourth, the fifth game¡­ they yed untilte into the afternoon, with Lin Feng solo carrying with various mid champions. There was no suspense. He was ying so well that even professional yers would be left speechless. Every game another champion, and every game a hard carry.

    After every game, Tang Bingyao would fall silent for a moment and stare at Lin Feng before entering the queue again. At some point, Lin Feng scratched his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Why do you keep looking at me?¡±

    Tang Bingyao wore aplicated expression. She stared at Lin Feng for a good while before saying, ¡°You¡¯re really good at mid.¡± Her words contained heartfelt admiration.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s skills with Twitch had improved by leaps and bounds today. She was able to consistently gain an advantage at botne, and during the team fights in mid andte game, she¡¯d often pop off with massive damage. Butpared to Lin Feng, she was like a background character in a y while he was the main star.

    ?

    The same evening during dinner, Zuo You broke out inughter after hearing Lin Feng¡¯s retelling of the day. Lin Feng stared at the red-headed beauty across the table from him and then to Su Xue with a confused look. ¡°Su Xue, why is Zuo You here today again?¡±

 Chapter 50: Helping Zuo You

    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t know. Probably to mooch off my cooking just like you,¡± Su Xue shrugged and answered yfully.

    ¡°Oh, ok.¡± Lin Feng nodded while staring regretfully at the assortment of scraps of dishes left on the table. It looked like a tornado had swept through. If Zuo You hadn¡¯te, the job of going through all this delicious food would¡¯ve been his! Never did he expect that this petite redhead could devour food like apetitive speed eater. He shot Zuo You another nce and sighed. You really couldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover...

    Zuo You noticed Lin Feng¡¯s gaze and reached out to ruffle up his hair. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like meing over?¡±

    While Lin Feng fixed up his hair in a fluster, Zuo You happily picked up thest morsel of red braised pork and ate it. ¡°Mhm, that was good!¡± She rubbed her stomach in satisfaction. ¡°Xue Xue, your cooking is getting better and better. You could open up a restaurant!¡±

    ¡°Would need the money for that first,¡± Su Xue huffed in annoyance.

    Zuo You curled her lips. ¡°So you do know you need to make money! Then why are you still dawling around with this whole streaming thing? You won¡¯t get rich from that¡­ Hey, wait¡­¡± Her expression turned hard. ¡°...That thing from yesterday, you know, what you just told me about, it¡¯s settled, right?¡±

    Su Xueughed. ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s settled. They gave her a warning and mepensation. I¡¯ll get a couple of slots on the front page! Everyone will see my stream! See? I can make money streaming!¡±

    Zuo You cast a side nce at Lin Feng. ¡°Hey kid, you helped Xue Xue get revenge, right? Not bad, not bad¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I did really good!¡± Lin Feng pumped his fist in the air.

    ¡°Mhm! He was a huge help yesterday. You didn¡¯t see it, but he hard-carried with his jungle Rengar! He camped her so much she wasn¡¯t worth more than a cannon minion at the end!¡± Su Xue chimed in with praise and a happyugh.

    ¡°Oh? He was that good?¡± Zuo You looked at Lin Feng in a new light. She recalled Lin Feng carrying with his Lee Sin thest time she was over. ¡°So, you¡¯re a jungle main?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m a mid main.¡±

    ¡°What!? You¡¯re saying your mid is better than your jungle!?¡± Zuo You gasped.

    ¡°Last night we yed some inhouse matches. He was toying with my Diamond 1 viewer in mid the whole time,¡± Su Xue butted in.

    ¡°A Diamond 1? Wow.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m a Challenger!¡± Lin Feng eximed confidently.

    Zuo You was about to start making fun of Lin Feng, like she usually did when he spouted arrogant nonsense. However, she held her tongue for a moment as her lips curved into an evil smile. ¡°Challenger, huh? Then if I have you 1v1 a Master yer, you¡¯ll kick his ass, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Lin Feng pounded his chest.

    ¡°Just the words I wanted to hear!¡± Zuo You smacked her thigh. Then she scooched over to Lin Feng and said, ¡°Hey kid. Help out your big sis here, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Zuo You worked in the marketing department of a foreign enterprise in China. With her figure, every male employee was chasing after her, and a few had recently got wind of her ying League of Legends. Now, they were constantly hounding her to y with them.

    ¡°Most of them are Gold or low tinum scrubs. None of them can beat me!¡± Zuo You frowned. ¡°But there¡¯s this one guy who¡¯s a Master in the Ionia server. He¡¯s a pretty good mid main.¡±

    ¡°So, what do you want Lin Feng to do? Beat that Master guy for you?¡± Su Xue asked, confused.

    Zuo You nodded. ¡°Yep! That¡¯s exactly it!¡±

    ¡°Is he harassing you or something? What¡¯s so bad about having a Master yer carry you a bit?¡± Su Xue remarked.

    Zuo You shook her head. ¡°No no no, you don¡¯t understand. Sure, he¡¯s good at the game. But he¡¯s also an arrogant prick. He goes on and on about how good he is, like being Master suddenly makes him hot. And the one time I did y with him, he was on my ass for everything I did! Like damn, let me y my game! If the idiot wants to date me, he shouldn¡¯t backseat me in my game! Uch, and he¡¯s such a show-off. Man, just thinking about him makes me want to vomit¡­¡±

    Su Xue quietly listened to Zuo You go on a several-minute long rant before managing to butt in. ¡°Ah, I see. Yeah, those kinds of antics get old really fast.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Zuo You chuckled evilly. ¡°The little kid is a mid main, right? If he¡¯s really that good, then how about you let me borrow him to teach that show-off a lesson!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®let you borrow him?¡¯¡± Su Xue said unhappily. ¡°Why are you asking me anyway? He¡¯s right here¡­ Just ask him yourself if you want his help.¡±

    Zuo You turned to Lin Feng. ¡°So how about it, kid? Wanna help me out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. Let me think.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. He rubbed his chin for a bit, then said, ¡°Alright, but on one condition. You have to pay amission fee.¡±

    ¡°The hell! You¡¯re charging me money!?¡± Zuo You blurted.

    ¡°A Challenger doesn¡¯t y for others for free. That¡¯s the dignity of an expert!¡± Lin Feng said in a tone full of zeal.

    ¡°Dignity my ass.¡± Zuo You rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to some KFC. Offer non-negotiable.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Deal!¡±

    Zuo You reached out her hand and ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair again. ¡°You little punk. So young, and you¡¯re already hustling. I can¡¯t imagine what you¡¯ll end up like in a few years!¡±

    Lin Feng dodged away from Zuo You. ¡°If you keep doing that, I¡¯ll have to charge you two buckets!¡±

    Zuo You wasn¡¯t the least bit deterred. ¡°Alright, two buckets it is. Now, bring your head over like a good kid! I¡¯m going to get my money¡¯s worth!¡±

    ?

    Afternoon, the next day. Lin Feng followed the directions Zuo You gave him yesterday and arrived at the cier Inte Cafe. He immediately noticed her waiting for him outside. She wore a charming, violet one-piece dress which perfectly entuated her alluring figure. Her already tall build was raised even higher by her high heels, putting her a couple of cm above Lin Feng. She looked breathtaking, from her long, slender legs to her fiery red hair.

    Zuo You¡¯s eyes lit up when she noticed Lin Feng. She strode toward him on her high heels. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! I¡¯ve been waiting forever!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, there was a lot of traffic.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. He stared at Zuo You and eximed in admiration, ¡°You sure are dressed shy today, huh?¡±

    ¡°What about it? Have you fallen for me?¡± Zuo You teased.

    ¡°No, I was just wondering if you¡¯d look strange walking into an inte cafe like that.¡± Lin Feng shook his head.

    ¡°Pfft, what do you know!¡± Zuo You curled her lips. ¡°That ce is full of losers. It¡¯s the perfect ce to wear this kind of dress. I¡¯ll have them drooling the moment I step inside! They¡¯ll all be looking at me!¡±

    Lin Feng wore a puzzled expression. He didn¡¯t understand her at all. However, before he could say anything else, Zuo You grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside. ¡°Stop getting distracted. That guy just sent me a message. He¡¯s already waiting inside.¡± She turned to Lin Feng while pushing the door open. ¡°One more thing. Don¡¯t hold back. I want you to absolutely crush him!¡±

    The moment the two stepped inside¡ªor to be more precise, Zuo You stepped inside while dragging Lin Feng behind her¡ªmany of the patrons couldn¡¯t help but cast their gazes over. As soon as their eyes fell on her body, they were glued there. My god, she¡¯s hot!

    Zuo You had a smug look as she basked in the attention of all these men. At the same time, she didn¡¯t forget to brag to Lin Feng. ¡°See, what did I tell you? I¡¯m hot enough to have them all go crazy! This is what you call a showstopper!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I think that guy over there is waving at us,¡± Lin Feng ignored her and pointed out.

 Chapter 51: Talking Big?

    ¡°Huh? Where?¡± Zuo You asked, following Lin Feng¡¯s finger. At aputer near the back, a man who was already in the second half of his twenties frantically waved his hands above his head. ¡°Hey hey, over here!¡±

    Zuo You furrowed her brows, loathing surfacing on her face.

    ¡°Is that the guy?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s him.¡± Zuo You nodded. Then, before the man could walk over, she quickly whispered to Lin Feng, ¡°Listen, I want you to absolutely destroy him. Crush him. Don¡¯t show him any mercy!¡±

    ¡°You can trust in me. Just don¡¯t forget my bucket!¡±

    At this time, the man walked up to Lin Feng and Zuo You, his eyes glued onto her body. Her beautiful, nay, gorgeous and alluring appearance awakened a deep lust within him. He quicklyposed himself and greeted her with a smile, ¡°Yo, you¡¯re finally here! I was waiting for you forever!¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Ah, my bad. I was right outside waiting for a friend,¡± Zuo You greeted back with the same smile.

    ¡°Waiting for someone? Who?¡± the man blurted in confusion. Then, his gaze finally fell on Lin Feng. ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    Zuo You pulled Lin Feng into her embrace and beamed. ¡°This is my new boyfriend!¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Qi Ming stammered.

    Lin Feng¡¯s brows crinkled. ¡°Hey! We never agreed to a pretend-rtionship! That¡¯s going to cost you two buckets!¡±

    The man finally regained his senses and looked at Zuo You with a helpless expression. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for bad jokes, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Zuo You stared at Lin Feng in annoyance. ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t you at least try to pretend?¡± She then turned back to the man and winked at him with an alluring smile. ¡°Ahaha, just kidding. He¡¯s my little brother. I told him how good you are at League and he really wanted to see it for himself, so I brought him along.¡±

    Lin Feng offered a handshake. ¡°Nice to meet you, mister. I¡¯m Lin Feng.¡±

    ¡°M-mister?¡± the man¡¯s eyelids twitched. Anger shed across his face until his eyes fell on Zuo You. He forced out a smile and shook his hand. ¡°Lin Feng, right? I¡¯m not that old, just call me Qi Ming,¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright. Fine, Qi Ming it is.¡±

    Qi Ming shot Lin Feng onest nce before turning his attention back to Zuo You. ¡°Since you brought your brother with you, how are we going to do this? We can¡¯t queue up for ranked with three, and didn¡¯t I say I¡¯d show you what real high level League y looks like?¡± His voice carried a hint of haughtiness. However. he had every right to be haughty. After all, he was a Master in the Ionia server. Among all the yers in the whole of China, he was in the top 0.01%.

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine. You said it yourself, you¡¯re a Master. A tinum noob like me won''t be able to tell the difference between you or some random Diamond yer. But my little brother here always brags about how good he is. How about you y against him first and let me see your skills?¡±

    Qi Ming was oblivious to the trap Zuo You was digging for him. Rather, hetched onto the attack on his ego. He knitted his brows and asked, ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t believe in my skills?¡± At work, most employees yed League. With his looks, all he had to do was show one of the girls his Master-rank and they would be swooning all over him. A simple promise to duo-queue together, and he could easily have his way with any of them. Zuo You should be honoured that he was going out of his way to chase after her! How dare she doubt him! Just because I flirted with you a little doesn¡¯t make you some kind of princess...!

    Zuo You didn¡¯t know what Qi Ming was thinking, but she could roughly tell just from his tone and facial expression. However, she wasn¡¯t the least bit bothered by it and was still all smiles. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t put it like that. What do you mean I don¡¯t believe in your skills? You¡¯re a Master yer! Just treat it as humouring my little brother. Please, do it for me?¡±

    Qi Ming raised an eyebrow and nced at Lin Feng. ¡°Humour him?¡±

    Zuo You nodded. ¡°Yes! We still have all day anyway. How about you two 1v1?¡±

    Qi Ming couldn¡¯t help but snicker. ¡°You want me to 1v1 him? Are you sure?¡±

    Before Zuo You could reply, Lin Feng butted in, ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    Qi Ming¡¯s gaze fell back on Lin Feng. ¡°Kid, have you been listening at all? I am Master-rank!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard. A Master in the Ionia server.¡± Lin Feng nodded.

    Qi Ming¡¯s lips curved into a smile as his eyes shed with disdain. ¡°Still want to1v1 me? What rank are you even?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Challenger in the Ionia server!¡± Lin Feng replied in high spirits.

    Qi Ming was caught off-guard by this answer. He couldn¡¯t help but mutely look at Zuo You. ¡°Your little brother is a pretty big talker, huh?¡± His contempt for Lin Feng only grew. If he didn¡¯t have an appearance to maintain, he¡¯d be saying a lot more. Were all high schoolers such blowhards these days? A Diamond he might believe, but Challenger? Did this kid even know what the word meant? Out of the tens of millions of yers in China, only a couple hundred could reach the rank of Challenger. Any one of them was a famous expert. How could you randomly im to be one? He firmly believed Lin Feng was a high schooler who only knew how to talk big for clout, and Zuo You was a brainless idiot for believing her little brother.

    Zuo You shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s what he told me. Guess we¡¯ll find out when you face him.¡± Even though she appeared quite calm on the surface, she was already itching with anticipation.

    Qi Ming chuckled, a trace of ridicule on his face. ¡°Alright, since you insist. I¡¯ll humour your little brother.¡±

    ?

    After finding two freeputers, Lin Feng and Qi Ming sat down, opened up the League client, and logged into the game.

    Qi Ming caught a nce of Lin Feng logging into Zuo You¡¯s tinum ount. He chuckled derisively and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your Challenger ount? Why won¡¯t you show it to me?¡± His own ount was the dazzling Master-rank and also the source of his confidence. However, he didn¡¯t push any further. He would simply humiliate this kid ingame. After all, he firmly believed that if Lin Feng were truly any good, and not just bullshitting, he wouldn¡¯t be using such a low-rank ount.

    ¡°This¡¯ll be easy,¡± Qi Ming muttered to himself. He found this whole situation a bitical. A Master-rank yer like him was humouring a piddly high schooler with a big mouth? His friends would get a goodugh out of this when he told them. ¡°Okay, let''s get this over with quickly.¡±

    Without the slightest worry and confident that this 1v1 would finally convince Zuo You of his skill, Qi Ming created the lobby and invited Lin Feng. He quickly locked in Fizz, a master dueler and one of his favourite champions, while Lin Feng chose Lux. When he saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Picking Lux into my Fizz? You¡¯re asking for it kid. Don¡¯t cry when I whoop your ass! He even started to feel a hint of sympathy for Lin Feng.

 Chapter 52: Completely Calm

    Zuo You pulled up a chair beside Lin Feng and looked at the screen. Lux, the Lady of Luminosity versus the tidal trickster Fizz! She anxiously tugged at his arm and whispered, ¡°Hey, doesn¡¯t Fizz hard counter Lux? Why did you pick her?¡±

    Lin Feng looked up at Zuo You and said, ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know he would pick Fizz.¡±

    Zuo You opened her mouth and then closed it again. She hadn¡¯t seen that Lin Feng and Qi Ming had created a blind pick lobby. So, neither yer knew what the other picked until both had locked their choices in.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I can still win with Lux!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m looking forward to it¡­¡± Zuo You said doubtfully.

    Qi Ming, who sat opposite Lin Feng, looked over his screen at the two. He couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Can still win? Kid, don¡¯t you know how scary Fizz is to squishy champions like Lux? If you don¡¯t even know that, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re probably not even Diamond. Did you even reach Level 30 yet?

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The rules of a 1v1 were simple. The first to kill the other, reach 100 CS, or destroy the enemy outer turret won. Although it didn¡¯t matter which of these three conditions was met, most games were decided with first blood. This was why Lux was considered to be at a disadvantage against Fizz. She relied on slowly chipping away at the opponent with her superior range, especially in the early game. Compared to other casters, her burst damage was rather low. On the other side, Fizz was a melee champion with frightening burst damage. As early as Level 2 he could 100 to 0 his opponent.

    The first wave of minions spawned. Lin Feng walked to midne and chose Lucent Singrity¡ªan anomaly of twisted light that he could detonate at a long distance¡ªas his first skill. Fizz was pretty weak at Level 1 and he nned to take full advantage of this by ying hyper aggressively.

    When the minion waves collided, Lin Feng quickly moved into action. He threw out a Lucent Singrity at Fizz and detonated it immediately. Then, as Fizz tried to inch forward andst hit a minion, he struck him with an auto attack, igniting the energy rampaging around his body. BANG!

    Qi Ming faintly furrowed his brows. So this kid knew enough about Lux to pressure his Fizz at Level 1 and try to dictate the tempo of thene as much as possible. Still, this was hardly enough. His lips curved into a mocking smile. Even if his Fizz lost a little bit of health early and missed a few minions, it wouldn¡¯t affect the overall picture. The moment he reached Level 2, he could engage and kill Lux with his ludicrous damage. Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, this was the most frightening aspect of Fizz! This kid would soon get a first-hand taste.

    Lux was the first to reach Level 2. Lin Feng had her learn Light Binding and then moved to use this brief moment of level advantage. He threw out Lucent Singrity, clearing out the minion wave that shielded Fizz before locking him down with Light Binding. The timing was so precise, so urate, Qi Ming had no time to react whatsoever. Another auto attackter, he hurriedly retreated to the safety of his tower before Fizz had any chance of retaliating.

    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Zuo You eximed in admiration.

    ¡°See, I told you my Lux is really good!¡± Lin Feng said in high spirits.

    Qi Ming¡¯s eyelids twitched. This kid¡¯s Lux was really good. He looked back at his screen and had Fizz drink a health potion, getting his health back above half. His face darkened as he nced at the enemy Lux. I¡¯ll let you have your fun for now¡­ then let¡¯s see your expression when I shove my trident up your ass!

    After Fizz reached Level 2, Qi Ming seized the opportunity to engage. However, Lin Feng¡¯s reaction speed was also extremely quick. As Fizznded back on the ground with the second part of yful Trickster, he rooted Fizz in ce with a Light Binding, then retreated out of Fizz¡¯s attack range. With a trade like this, neither side came out on top. However, Qi Ming was now out of health potions and had only less than half his health bar remaining.

    Lin Feng seemed to have everything under control. The advantage was going his way. If things continued on like this, he would either force Fizz back to base or draw first blood. However, Qi Ming wasn¡¯t the least bit anxious. On the contrary, his lips curved into a cunning smile as he nced at his experience bar. He was about to reach Level 3. The trade just now was all for the sake of getting Lux¡¯s health low enough. He would draw first blood in the next attack!

    A low health minion died to Fizz¡¯s trident momentster. A brilliant radiance immediately enveloped Fizz. Level 3! Qi Ming¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light. His hands blurred into motion! Seastone Trident! Fizz¡¯s trident awakened from a long slumber and blossomed out with a dazzling bloody radiance, greatly enhancing its powers.

    Urchin Strike! Fizz dashed through a nearby enemy minion to close the gap on Lux, then stabbed out with his trident. Two more seconds until Light Binding woulde off cooldown! He threw out another auto attack, piercing Lux¡¯s chest.

    Lin Feng immediately had his Lux retreat. Zuo You tugged on his arm anxiously. ¡°Run! Quickly run! Get back under the tower!¡±

    The most frightening damage Fizz could deal early game was the bleed damage from Seastone Trident. His every empowered auto attack chunked away at Lux¡¯s health. He chased after her. One more attack! Qi Ming¡¯s lips curved up derision. Trying to bait me, huh? Keeping your Light Binding to lock me down within tower range, is that it? Dream on!

    In the instant Fizz entered tower range, Qi Ming ignited Lux, then had Fizz vault into the air on his trident. He skillfully bnced at the top of his trident, radiating a frightful pressure, as if the moment hended on the ground he would deal a fatal blow to the still fleeing Lux. And he would, without a doubt!

    Zuo You¡¯s heartstrings were stretched taut!

    Qi Ming looked over his screen at Lin Feng. W-what? he stammered internally in shock and astonishment. How is this kid so calm!?

 Chapter 53: How is That Possible!

    After the past couple of minutes dueling against Lin Feng¡¯s Lux, Qi Ming knew one thing for certain: This kid wasn¡¯t half bad. So, when he saw Lin Feng calm as ever, rather than growing angry at being looked down on, he raised his vignce. His opponent seemed well aware that if he were to be hit by Fizz¡¯s Trickster, the damage over time from Ignite and Seastone Trident would undoubtedly kill him. However, he had only one method to escape. Wanna sh away? Already got your finger hovering over your keyboard? Qi Ming¡¯s eyes narrowed with a devious light when he realized what Lin Feng was up to. Ok, kid. I¡¯ll y your game of chicken!

    Fizz hung in mid-air on his trident for close to a second. Any moment he would be falling back to the ground with a loud ssh. Qi Ming stared intently at Lux¡¯s movements. His hands were in position on his keyboard. Fizz started falling back to the ground. He pressed D for sh. Fizz lit up with a mottled sh of light, and almost at the same instant, so did Lux. Ha! Gotcha! Qi Ming erupted with glee. His guess was right!

    Qi Ming¡¯s heart was racing with adrenaline. From his point of view, even pro yers couldn¡¯t have yed this any better! Zuo You would finally see why he was a Master! Any lower rank yer would¡¯ve failed to get the kill, but his expert-like game sense gave him that little extra that would secure the kill!

    Fizz sshed to the ground as a shockwave of magic energy swept out. Qi Ming flicked his mouse forward, preparing to deal ast auto attack for good measure and end this 1v1. Huh? Where¡¯d she go? His eyes widened in disbelief. Shit! Lux was behind him. She hadn¡¯t shed to tower safety, but away from it!

    Lux turned around from behind him. She brandished her staff and tossed out a Light Binding followed by Lucent Singrity!

    Light Binding squarely struck Fizz, rooting him under the tower. Lucent Singrity then detonated with a dazzling radiance. Paired with the considerable damage from the tower¡¯s energy shots, Fizz¡¯s health instantly fell to zero. What a turn around!

    Qi Ming¡¯s screen went grey as the announcer¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    He stared dumbly at his screen. His head waspletely empty, unable to ept reality.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Zuo You shot out of her seat and cheered. All tension disappeared from her face and was reced with joy and celebration. ¡°Hahaha! First blood! You really did! You won! Amazing!¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest. ¡°See, I told you I was really good at Lux!¡±

    Even a pro wouldn¡¯t have escaped death here. This had nothing to do with someone being good at a champion or not. Rather, it had everything to do with frightening game sense and even faster reaction speed! Fizz had predicted Lux¡¯s sh. So, Qi Ming shed. But Lux predicted Fizz¡¯s prediction and shed in the opposite direction, catching him off-guard and picking up a beautiful kill. Even amongst the pros there weren¡¯t many with such insane game awareness, or such ability to adapt on the spot.

    Lin Feng had shown something few ever would. However, this was still far from reaching his previous prime. Back then, he stood at the very top of thedder. The number of yers who had the right topete with him were no more than 10. The top 10 in the world!

    ¡°H-how is that possible?¡± Qi Ming muttered to himself, staring at his greyed-out screen with a pale face. He raised his head and looked at Lin Feng. ¡°H-how did you do it? Tell me how you did it!¡± His voice was filled with unwillingness and disbelief. He refused to ept this oue, nor could he ept it!

    ¡°Oh, I just predicted your prediction.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple, honestly.¡±

    Qi Ming almost vomited blood. But he quickly settled his mind and red at Lin Feng. ¡°Rematch! This one doesn¡¯t count! I demand a rematch!¡± He refused to believe Lin Feng had that kind of frightening ability. This win could only be purely dumb luck!

    Zuo You raised her eyebrows. ¡°What, sore loser, are we?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m no sore loser! It¡¯s just that he got lucky! If he was really that good, I¡¯d obviously recognize it!¡± Qi Ming stubbornly insisted. A Master like him losing to a high schooler and in such an out of the blue way, he refused to ept this oue!

    ¡°Tsk tsk. I know a sore loser when I see one,¡± Zuo You grinned. Still, she turned to Lin Feng. ¡°How about it. ept the rematch?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we can go for another round,¡± Lin Feng answered.

    ?

    The blind pick lobby was quickly made and both yers picked their champion. Lin Feng went with Fizz this time, while Qi Ming switched to Syndra.

    Three minutes into the game came the only y of relevance. Fizz jumped through Syndra with Urchin Strike, dodging her stun, and attacked her with his Seastone Trident. She panic-shed away, and Lin Feng perfectly predicted this, following right behind her. He Ignited her and then jumped on top of his trident. It was a moment of deja vu. If Fizz managed tond on top of the enemy with Trickster, it would be his win.

    Fizz sshed down on the ground. A shock wave of magic energy swept out, bursting away Syndra¡¯s health. Then, the ice-cold de of the Seastone Trident stabbed into her, reaping away herst remaining bit of health before Ignite could.

    Qi Ming¡¯s screen went grey. He stared at it nkly, mouth agape.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m pretty good at Fizz too!¡± Lin Feng remarked in high spirits from the next row over.

    If it were possible, Qi Ming would¡¯ve fainted from anger right there and then.

 Chapter 54: Dream Big!

    Two Games. Two losses. After the first game, Qi Ming truly believed that it was purely dumb luck that had done him in. And it was that reasoning that made this second loss sting that much more. Lin Feng hadn¡¯t just beaten him. Lin Feng had taken his champion from the first game and shown him how it would¡¯ve looked had he yed it better. When Qi Ming yed Fizz in the previous game, he failed to predict where Lin Feng¡¯s Lux would sh. In this game, where Lin Feng was ying Fizz, he urately predicted which way Qi Ming¡¯s Syndra would sh and sshed down on her with Trickster. The exact same situation in both games, and Qi Ming had made the wrong decision twice.

    ¡°You know, if you¡¯d shed like I didst game, you would¡¯ve lived too,¡± Lin Feng remarked.

    Qi Ming alternated between anger and humiliation, but he had nothing to say. Everything Lin Feng said was right. He could¡¯ve shed forward, and he would¡¯ve escaped with his life. But in that critical moment, his gut reaction was to sh away. How could he possibly have the time to think of anything else? This was the crux of the problem. When there was no time to react, when the moment was most crucial, most yers acted on instinct or habit. Only someone truly extraordinary could stay calm in a crucial moment like that one and ignore their instinctive reaction! Although he was a Master, achieving this Zen mindset was extraordinarily difficult. From his point of view, even professional yers couldn''t necessarily pull this off consistently! So there should¡¯ve been no reason for him to feel ashamed of himself. Except that this piddly high schooler had somehow pulled it off!

    Lin Feng could do it. Easily. So why couldn¡¯t I? Qi Ming couldn¡¯te to terms with his loss to Lin Feng, and a string of excuses, justifications and rationalizations ran through his mind. It was luck. No,g! My keyboard wasn¡¯t working¡­ But all of those were worthless, he knew they were hollow. The reality of the situation was that the answer was simple. There¡¯s no excuse! You were just bad! There was no excuse, no circumstance that had negatively influenced his gamey. This absolute truth was what made his face sh between red and purple, between anger and embarrassment. Qi Ming shot up from his chair, toppling it over, and stomped out of the inte cafe. He didn¡¯t even bother saying goodbye.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng started after Qi Ming. ¡°Where is he going?¡±

    Zuo You burst outughing. ¡°Hahahaha! That was great! Oh my god! Let¡¯s see him brag and try to show off in front of me at work again! Hahaha!¡± She wiped the tears from her eyes.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°I mean, he yed pretty well.¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes. ¡°But not as good as you. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lin Feng balled his fist and struck a victory pose, a triumphant smile on his face.

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Zuo You curiously looked at Lin Feng. ¡°Why did it look so easy? You made him look like a silver noob¡­ Are you really that good?¡± She went and picked up the chair Qi Ming knocked down, then nced over theputer at Lin Feng and said, ¡°I want to give it a try, let¡¯s do a 1v1!¡±

    ?

    The game barelysted three minutes. Zuo You stared at the grey screen in front of her, confused and surprised. Then she chucked her mouse away. ¡°Fuck this! I¡¯m not ying anymore!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. There wasn¡¯t a single game she could remember where she¡¯d felt as powerless as in this 1v1 against Lin Feng. She decided to go with Orianna, a ranged AP champion. Lin Feng picked Yasuo, a melee champion. Most of the time, ranged champions acted as a counter to melee champions, especially in the early game. Not this game though. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuopletely shut her down. She could barelyst hit a minion. Nor could she manage to poke or do any damage to the Yasuo. Whatever she was going to do, Lin Feng was already there throwing up a Wind Wall or dashing around her or constantly poking at her. She waspletely and utterly powerless against Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo. Her confidence as a tinum yer was shattered.

    ¡°Oh oh! Looks like my Yasuo is pretty good too!¡± Lin Feng said.

    ¡°Yes yes yes. You¡¯re the best. You¡¯re the strongest,¡± Zuo You said. She kind of understood how Qi Ming felt right now. But it did look like that fight was more evenly-matched than the one she just had with Lin Feng. Thinking of him, and that unsightly look on his face as he fled the scene, her anger left her body and a smile reced her frown. ¡°Alright, how about we leave? Let¡¯s go get some KFC.¡±

    ?

    At the KFC, Lin Feng sat down in a booth next to the window. A minuteter, Zuo You arrived with a family bucket of chicken. He grabbed it from her and dug in. Zuo You sat down across from Lin Feng and started talking about Qi Ming again. ¡°You don¡¯t know, but man is he a show off! It¡¯s like all he ever does! You know, he¡¯s already 27 and still only a low level employee at thepany! All he can do is look good and brag about his Master-rank to the girls. He¡¯s the worst! Tsk, guys like him never get their act together.¡± She paused and watched Lin Feng wolf down a drumstick. ¡°Hey kid. What do you think of Su Xue bing a streamer? You think she¡¯s making the right choice?¡±

    Lin Feng was duking it out with a piece of New Orleans-style chicken [1]. He stopped chewing for a moment before vigorously nodding. ¡°Of course I do!¡±

    Zuo You frowned. She looked both worried and angry and vehemently disagreed with Lin Feng, ¡°But she can¡¯t do this long term! You know how these things go. For the next few years, sure, she¡¯ll have a fun job. She might even make a bit of money. But then what? How will she pay rent? Definitely won¡¯t be able to buy a house. Will she even have money for groceries? She won¡¯t have enough savings to retire.¡±

    With a mouthful of chicken, Lin Feng waved the drumstick in his hand. ¡°Yrou schuld do icht exachry becush ou¡¯re yung!¡± He chewed and swallowed the food before adding, ¡°What¡¯s the point of being young if you¡¯re not chasing after your dreams?¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes. ¡°So you¡¯re one of those who doesn¡¯t think about the consequences, huh? Hey, what¡¯s your dream? I remember Su Xue telling me you wanted to be a pro?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I want to be the best yer in the world!¡±

    Zuo You gasped. ¡°Oh my god! Aiming a little high, are we? That¡¯s even less realistic than Su Xue¡¯s dream of bing a big streamer!¡±

    The best yer in the world? Number 1? Zuo You had yed League of Legends long enough to have some understanding of the scene. For the average yer, like herself, there was the rankeddder. You could y casually, or until 2 in the morning on a weekday, and climb the ranks from Bronze all the way up to Challenger. A lucky few at the top of thedder became ordinary pros. They joined professional League of Legends teams but would never trulypete for any silverware. Next came the members of the top teams in the LPL or simrpetitive circuits in other regions. Above them were the individual yers who consistently performed well on the world stage. And finally, at the very top, stood the illustrious Seven Kings and Four Emperors.

    ¡°You want to be even better than the Seven Kings and Four Emperors?¡± Zuo You looked flustered. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. There¡¯s that one emperor everyone says is better than the other three!¡±

    Lin Feng sipped on his coke. He looked up at Zuo You and nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Of course he knew. That emperor, the best yer in the world, that was exactly who he had his sights set on. That guy was something else. He was genuinely, truly amazing at the game! He was a god. An unrivalled God. Thinking about that guy sent Lin Feng back into memories of his own past.

    People always tell you not to dream too big. They tell you that some dreams are unrealistic, just a little too big. They tell you not to dream that big because big dreams nevere true. But if a dream isn¡¯t big, if you¡¯re not chasing after the heavens, does it really count as a dream? Lin Feng knew how difficult it was to aplish his dream. He knew it better than anyone else could. He¡¯d fought against that guy before. And he lost. Lin Feng was thest stepping stone that guy used to ascend to the throne of Sovereign. That guy had stood at the apex of the Four Emperor since then. No one could take the throne from that guy in thest four years. Lin Feng also nursed some regret, since he¡¯d decided to stop ying and leave the scene after losing to that guy. But that was in the past. He was back now!

    Lost in his reveries, Lin Feng absentmindedly took another big gulp of his coke. The ice-cold carbonated drink tickled and fizzed in the back of his throat, snapping him back to the present. ¡°Man, that was good!¡±

    1. This is an actual menu item that is unique to KFC China. It¡¯s a type of oven baked, though it can be pan-fried or grilled, chicken marinated in a mixture of Asian spices and coated in a honey-ze sauce. It¡¯s super popr in China. Many people have created homemade variations and recipes of it, which you guys can find on Google if you want to give it a try yourselves.

 Chapter 55: Esports Club Recruiting

    Early on Monday morning. The bell rang, announcing the end of the first period. While the teacher grabbed his stuff and the other students started whispering amongst themselves, Ouyang couldn¡¯t contain his excitement any longer. ¡°YES!¡± he shouted at the top of his lungs from the back of the ssroom where he sat, ¡°One more week until Worlds! Only one more week!¡±

    Every student had turned around. They were all looking at him. They turned back around a few secondster, shaking their heads. They were all thinking the same thing. He¡¯s hopeless. To the majority of the ss, Ouyang was just another League obsessed idiot going crazy about Worlds.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Worlds really is only a week away,¡± Yang Fan said while adjusting his sses. Then he let out a mncholic sigh and continued, ¡°Time really does fly. It feels like it was only yesterday that we were talking about it being a month away¡­¡±

    Yang Fan probably had more to say. The dramatic trail-off and pause had all the makings of a prelude to an epic monologue about the vicissitudes and vagrancies of time, living in the moment, and celebrating their youth. But before he could continue, Lin Feng misunderstood the dramatic pause as a moment to interject.

    ¡°It¡¯s also almost National Day! [1] We get a week-long break!¡±

    Ouyang rolled his eyes. ¡°Pfft! You¡¯re still such a kid! The break isn¡¯t what¡¯s important. What¡¯s important is that Worlds is starting at the same time! We can chill all day at the inte cafe and watch the games together!¡±

    Yang Fan raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to watch Worlds at an inte cafe?¡±

    ¡°Duh!¡± Ouyang blurted out, incredulous. He couldn¡¯t quite understand why Yang Fan would ask this. Then he raised his finger and wagged it back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s Worlds, guys! Worlds! Are you telling me you were nning to watch it at home? Alone in your room? Fuck that! How can anyone possibly enjoy such a big event by themselves? This is an experience you have to share with others! With your friends! Imagine it! The three of us, and plenty of others, all having drinks and cheering our team on! Is there anything more exciting than that?¡±

    ¡°Having drinks and cheering our team on?¡± Yang Fan adjusted his sses again. ¡°I thought those kinds of bar events were reserved for real sports. You know, like football. Or basketball.¡±

    ¡°PFFFT! Says who?¡± Ouyang moved his arms around wildly, showing the anger that already sounded in his voice. Then he passionately dered, ¡°Who cares about those ¡°real¡± sports? Get with the times, old man! Now is the era of esports! We¡¯re just as big, if not bigger than the ¡°real¡± sports. We are a real sport!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! What Ouyang says!¡± Lin Feng agreed, riled up by Ouyang¡¯s little speech.

    Ouyang quickly pivoted the topic. ¡°Hey, how about we get together next week and watch Worlds together at the NetCow Cafe? We¡¯ll grab a few beers. It¡¯ll be fun!¡±

    Yang Fan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m up for whatever.¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and said. ¡°Nah guys. I think I¡¯ll stay home and watch it with my roommate. She¡¯s really into League too.¡±

    ¡°What? Come on, man!¡± Ouyang yelled while punching Lin Feng in the arm. ¡°Why watch with her? She¡¯s a girl! You don¡¯t watch sports with a girl! You watch sports with your bros! And everyone knows it''s ¡®bros before hoes¡¯. You know, we go to the inte cafe, get some beers, shoot the shit. Watch the epic gamey moments live and tell good stories in betw¡­¡±

    Ouyang trailed off mid-sentence and paused. He¡¯dpletely forgotten what he was talking about once he processed what Lin Feng had just said. Lin Feng lives with a girl? And she¡¯s into League?

    Then he continued on a very different train of thought, ¡°Wait, your roommate¡¯s a girl? She cute? What does she look like? Is she hot? She must be hot, right? That¡¯s why you never mentioned her before. You interested in her? If you¡¯re not, how about you introduce me to her? That¡¯s just what a good bro does, right? Lemme y a game of League with her. She¡¯s into the game, right? I can show her how good I am! Only-if-she¡¯s-cute-though!¡±

    ¡°She definitely wouldn¡¯t go out with you,¡± Lin Feng said bluntly.

    Ouyang¡¯s expression twisted in faked pain. ¡°Damn, that cut deep bro. You know I like to y Ezreal, right? Well. Someone said I¡¯m just as handsome as him the other day!¡±

    Yang Fan rolled his eyes and snorted. ¡°Ezreal? Hah, you look more like Trundle.¡± [2]

    ¡°You¡¯re right! He really looks a little like a troll! But I still think he¡¯s more of a Kassadin,¡± Lin Feng added in high spirits.

    ¡°Kassadin?¡± Ouyang asked in a daze. Then, he quickly regained his sense and erupted, ¡°Screw you! I¡¯m not a dickface! What part of my face looks like a penis to you?¡± [3] Ignoring theughtering from Lin Feng and Yang Fan, he quickly changed the subject again, his train of thought hyperactive as always. ¡°Right! The club fair is tomorrow! Our esports club is recruiting new members!

    Yang Fan nodded. ¡°Yes. The club fair is tomorrow after school. That gives us plenty of time, since school ends early on Tuesday.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. He raised his hand and shouted, ¡°I want to join! I want to join!¡±

    Ouyang turned to Lin Feng. ¡°Oh, sure. But first, did you do that thing I asked you to do?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What did you ask me to do?¡± Lin Feng asked, bewildered.

    Ouyang stared at him, speechless. ¡°I asked you to help us convince Tang Bingyao to join our esports club! We¡¯re having a tournament on the 16th next month, and we¡¯re still missing a good ad-carry!¡±

    ¡°I can y ad-carry. I¡¯m better than her!¡± Lin Feng volunteered.

    Ouyang rolled his eyes. ¡°Sure buddy, you keep saying that. Whatever, just convince her to join us, and we¡¯ll help you get in the club!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Lin Feng happily replied, dense as ever. Wait. He looked at Ouyang, suspicious. Hold on. Then it hit him. ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t need any help! I¡¯m a Challenger! I can get in with my own skills!¡±

    Ouyang and Yang Fan either pretended not to hear him or just tuned him out.

    ?

    Lin Feng met up with Tang Bingyao at the NetCow Cafe after school, like they did almost every day. From the moment they walked in together, he had a stream ofints about Ouyang and Yang Fan asrge and fast flowing as the Yangtze River. Tang Bingyao patiently listened to him until they sat down behind theirputers. ¡°Don¡¯t they watch league livestreams?¡± she finally asked. ¡°You showed yourself on the webcam the other day. They would¡¯ve recognized you.¡±

    ¡°They do¡­ but not on Huya. Probably some other streaming site. I don¡¯t think they watch anything on Huya,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She looked up at Lin Feng and consoled him, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. You just have to show them a bit of your skill tomorrow. They¡¯ll be shocked, for sure.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll show them how good I am tomorrow!¡± Lin Feng pumped his fist in the air.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± said Tang Bingyao, while she pped her hands softly and daintily. She was ying the proper role of a supporter.

    ¡°Uhh, you¡¯reing with me, right?¡± Lin Feng asked, recalling the task Ouyang had given him.

    ¡°No, not interested.¡± Tang Bingyao shook her head. She didn¡¯t see any point in wasting her time attending this event if she wasn¡¯t getting paid for it. She might as well spend that time knocking out a few orders. Time was money, after all.

    Lin Feng frantically shook his head. ¡°No no no, you have toe!¡±

    ¡°Huh, why?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Cause Ouyang said that if I don¡¯t bring you I probably won¡¯t be epted¡­¡± Lin Feng exined with a pitiful expression.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just really not interested.¡± Tang Bingyao frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s nothing in it for you, right?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Tang Bingyao nodded.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin for a little before offering, ¡°How about this? If youe, I¡¯ll teach you how to y Rengar!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bribing me?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, knitting her brows.

    ¡°Bingo!¡± Lin Feng replied without any shame.

    Tang Bingyao thought about it for a couple of seconds. Then she nodded. ¡°Alright, deal.¡±

    ?

    The second the final bell started ringing on Tuesday, Lin Feng rushed to the front of the ssroom where Tang Bingyao sat. He got there before the bell had even finished ringing. He impatiently waited for her to put her books away and then rushed to the esports club meeting, dragging her along. The door was open when they arrived at the packed ssroom. They stepped inside and found 50 students who had all arrived before them cramped into the ssroom.

    The ssroom had two rows ofputers in the middle, and everyone gathered in the space around that ind. Ouyang was behind a desk at the front of the ssroom, struggling to maintain order. Everyone in the room was jostling and rushing to get to the desk, and the individuals had merged into a crowd that continued to grow at an rming rate.

    ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s no need to rush! Form a line!¡± ¡°Come up to the desk one at a time! Sign in on the sheet here with me! Don¡¯t forget to write down your rank!¡± ¡°One at a time! Don¡¯t crowd the desk!¡± ¡°No! Don¡¯t take the sheet and pass it around! Give that back to me!¡±

    The crowd that hadid siege to the desk at the front where Ouyang was attempting to get everyone to sign up was noisy, excited, and in the highest spirits possible. A few people had even found their way around the desk and were quickly boxing Ouyang in. Most of the students in that crowd were first years. This was their first time joining a club. This particr club was for their favorite game, which only served to amp them up further. They were rowdy, nearly giddy from all the excitement. None of them paid any attention to what Ouyang was saying or that he was even there. Most of what he was saying was drowned out from the din of the crowd.

    It was then that a booming voice brimming with menace rang out, apanied by the loud bang of a palm mming down on the podium. ¡°SETTLE DOWN!¡±

    The room went silent. No one dared to do so much as breathe. The previously excited first years stood paralyzed in fear, slowly turning their heads to look at the podium in the front. There she stood. A tall and pretty girl with an almost palpable rage bubbling around her. Her icy cold gaze locked onto them, all of them, and sent shivers down their spines. This fiery beauty was Ren Rou, the ss president of Senior ss 7!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°ss pres is also part of the esports club?¡±

    ¡°Rou Rou is the club¡¯s President of Logistics and Communication. She¡¯s basically in charge of everything,¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    ¡°Wow. She¡¯s really talented!¡± Lin Feng remarked.

    At this moment, Ren Rou spotted Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao in the crowd. Her eyes lit up. ¡°Lin Feng! Tang Tang! What are you two waiting back there for? Get over here!¡±

    1. This is a public holiday in China to celebrate the establishment of the People¡¯s Republic of China that is held on the 1st of October.

    2. Trundle is a troll.

    3. In the Chinese League scene, there¡¯s an ongoing meme that Kassidin¡¯s face looks like a penis so they refer to him as ¡®dickface¡¯. It''s just one of those things. There are a bunch of other champions that fall into the meme category of ¡®dickface champions¡¯.

 Chapter 56: Tang Tang Gets Hit On

    Right after Ren Rou had called out to them, 50 pairs of eyes turned around to scrutinize Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao. A pregnant silence nketed the room for a brief moment, and then all of the first years erupted into hushed whispers.

    ¡°Who are those two?¡±

    ¡°Do they know that scary girl at the front?¡±

    ¡°That one with the ponytail is really pretty!¡±

    The crowd waspletely focused on the dazzling Tang Bingyao. They noticed Lin Feng was there for a second, and then they forgot he was even standing beside Tang Bingyao. He faded into the background as most of their attention gravitated towards Tang Bingyao. Lin Feng,pletely oblivious to the fact that he was essentially invisible, grabbed Tang Bingyao¡¯s hand and squeezed through the crowd to meet up with Ren Rou. ¡°Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!¡±

    The first years hurriedly stepped aside, letting Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao through and letting Ouyang see the two new arrivals. His eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Lin Feng, you¡¯re finally here! Damn, you actually convinced Tang Tang toe! You¡¯re something else!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really good at convincing people!¡± Lin Feng patted his chest.

    Ren Rou looked impressed, but there was a smirk on her face that grew as she said, ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth? I tried getting her to join before, asked her a couple of times. But she always said she wasn¡¯t interested. So¡­ How¡¯d you do it, Lin Feng? Come on! Spill!¡± Then she circled around the pair, considering them from all angles high and low. ¡°Hehehe! I allllreeadddyyyyy knooo! I know what¡¯s happening here! I smelled the smoke and now I¡¯m feeelin¡¯ the heat from the fire!¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Lin Feng asked, surprised. He was, true to form,pletely oblivious to what Ren Rou was implying.

    Tang Bingyao sighed and started to reply. Then she closed her mouth, sighed again, and exined what was going on to Lin Feng, ¡°She thinks we¡¯re dating.¡±

    ¡°We are?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Tang Bingyao patiently exined. Then she shook her head.

    Lin Feng nodded. Everything was clear to him now. He turned to Ren Rou and told her, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. We are not dating.¡± The confidence in his reply was one that could onlye from a state of profound and absolutely cluelessness.

    ¡°Correct.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    Ouyang watched the entire exchange without blinking, his mouth open the whole time. ¡°Damn! You two y off each other so goddamn well! What! How? You guys aedy duo or something?¡±

    Ren Rou put her hand up to her face and giggled, ¡°Right! I totally believe you guys! As if. You guys even talk the same now. Been spending that much time together, huh?¡± Then she giggled one more time beforeposing herself a bit. There¡¯s a lot of people here that need to get signed up. Gotta get things moving. I¡¯ll investigate this FengYao thing after. FengYao? TangLin? BingFen? STOP, STOP, LATER! Ren Rou shook herself out of that and assumed a more business-like demeanor and continued, ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t say anything more about that. For now. Let¡¯s get you two signed up.¡± She grabbed the sign-up sheet from Ouyang¡¯s hands and showed it to them, ¡°Put down your name and rank on here.¡±

    Lin Feng nced at the list, which already had many names on it. There were a lot of Silvers, a bunch of Golds, and more Bronzies than he¡¯d expected. Very few people ranked tinum or higher. He grabbed a pen and without batting an eye he wrote down his name, ss, and rank.

    ¡°Done!¡±

    Ouyang grabbed the sheet from Lin Feng and started reading. Once he got to thest line, he frowned and his expression darkened.

    Name: Lin Feng

    ss: Senior ss 7

    Rank: Challenger, can y any role!

    ¡°Hey, Lin Feng! Stop messing around! This is an official record!¡±

    Ren Rou interjected before Lin Feng could reply, ¡°Hurry up! Let¡¯s get everyone signed up. We¡¯ll change his rankter.¡± She obviously didn¡¯t believe that Lin Feng¡¯s rank was Challenger either.

    Tang Bingyao received the sign-up sheet from Ouyang. She grabbed a pen from the table and quickly scribbled her information down before handing it back to Ouyang.

    ¡°Hot damn, Diamond 5! Weren¡¯t you at tinum 1 before? Did you just get promoted?¡± Ouyang gasped.

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded.

    ¡°It was all thanks to my training!¡± Lin Feng bragged. But his words fell on deaf ears. Ouyang had already turned to the people next in line. Ren Rou shooed him and Tang Bingyao away to make room at the table. They found a corner of the room to sit down and wait until the next phase of the esports club signup. Once everyone finished signing up, the club leadership would organize them into 5-man teams and let them y against each other. This was the tryouts phase, where everyone would have a chance to show off their skills and demonstrate that they deserved to be a part of the esports club.

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao leaned back against the wall in the corner of the ssroom. They watched the crowd of students sign up for the esports club. The line gradually shortened, and most people formed their own little cliques to talk in hushed whispers. Most. Not all. A young man walked up to them, forcing himself through the crowd, and announced his arrival, ¡°Excuse me, I couldn¡¯t help but overhear. You¡¯re a third year?¡±

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao looked over and up to the source of the voice and saw a first year. He approached Tang Bingyao, sporting what could only be described as a teenager attempting to pull off an easy, nonchnt, confident smile and extended his hand. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Luo Tianming from first year ss 3. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    It appeared this young man hade to pitch woo at Tang Bingyao. This wasn¡¯t a particrly strange or umon urrence. He was thetest in a long line of suitors who had summoned the courage to talk to her, and he certainly would not be thest. Even as Luo Tianming attempted to shoot his shot, there were multiple pairs of eyes watching, some concerned that they had waited too long and others more calcting. Tang Bingyao, who didn¡¯t care for any of this and instead mostly kept to herself, drew all this male attention for one simple reason. She was the prettiest girl in ss. By a long shot. Even Ren Rou, despite being beautiful in her own fiery way, couldn¡¯tpare. For these first years, seeing an angel who attended their school, who yed the same game as them, and had alsoe to sign up for the same esports, it was too much for them to handle. For those in the crowd with a little bit more courage, this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

    Luo Tianming had walked over at the first opportunity he saw, well before anyone else could. He wanted to be the first to eat crab at the buffet. The first to talk to this beautiful girl. Maybe even get her to go out on a date with him. And he was confident she would. In his opinion, no one could resist his charm. He wasn¡¯t just good-looking or handsome. He had a maic quality about him and a smile that could make any girl in the first year swoon. Some people even believed that he was good looking enough to be a Kpop idol.

    Unfortunately for him, Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t smitten by his looks, nor impressed with his pick-up game. She didn¡¯t even notice his smile. She gave him a simple nod in acknowledgement and then looked away, letting his hand hang in the air awkwardly.

    Luo Tianming wasn¡¯t discouraged though. He smoothly withdrew his hand and shed an even more dazzling smile. ¡°I happened to see your name on the sign-up sheet. It¡¯s Tang Bingyao, right? That¡¯s a really pretty name. And you¡¯re Diamond 5? That¡¯s amazing! I almost never see girls climb that high on the rankeddder! You must be one of those special kinda women.¡± He paused for a moment to let hispliments sink in, and then asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re an ad-carry main?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nced at Luo Tianming for the second time and nodded.

    This small gesture gave Luo Tianming the impression he had an in. Hetched onto it with a bright smile. ¡°What a coincidence! I¡¯m an ad-carry main too! I¡¯m Diamond 3 on the Ionia server, but I¡¯m pretty close to promoting to Diamond 2! We should y together sometime, yeah? Maybe I can even teach you a thing or two?¡±

    ¡°Oh wow! Diamond 3!¡± Lin Feng gasped. This was a genuinely high rank for ordinary yers. Less than one per cent of all League of Legends yers would ever reach it. Not to mention Luo Tianming achieved this feat on the Ionia server, which was the mostpetitive of all the servers in China. There probably weren¡¯t many here today who were better than this guy. Lin Feng didn¡¯t remember seeing any other Diamond-ranked yers on the sign up sheet.

    ¡°You¡¯re Lin Feng?¡± Luo Tianming finally took notice of Lin Feng. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I saw your name on the list too¡­¡± Disdain slipped from his tongue as he added thest three words, ¡°A Challenger, huh?¡±

    Lin Fengpletely missed the tone shift in Luo Tianming¡¯s words. He nodded and replied with a bright smile, ¡°Yep! I¡¯m a Challenger!¡±

    Luo Tianming¡¯s lips twitched upwards, fighting back a bellyful ofughter. But he managed to hold himself back. The disdain in his words spread to his face. He pressed a little further. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet an actual Challenger in a small high school esports club. It¡¯s truly an honour to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t put yourself down. You¡¯re also pretty good. So young and already a Diamond 3,¡± Lin Feng said.

    Luo Tianming smirked, ¡°Oh, then can you tell me what your summoner name is? I might have heard of it. After all, the Challengers on the Ionia server are all pretty famous, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my summoner name, huh¡­ I guess it¡¯s gone.¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°But my old ount was equal to a Challenger now!¡±

    Luo Tianming¡¯s smirk grew wider. He really was on the verge of bursting out intoughter. Haha! He¡¯s such a terrible liar! I can¡¯t believe it was this easy! He didn¡¯t believe one wording from Lin Feng¡¯s mouth, he never even believed Lin Feng was a Challenger when he saw it on the sign-up sheet. The only reason he was even talking to Lin Feng was to embarrass him in front of Tang Bingyao. But he¡¯d had enough fun. He was here for Tang Bingyao. So he turned back to her, conveniently ignoring Lin Feng, and asked, ¡°So, what do you say? Let¡¯s add each other as friends and duo together. I can support you, maybe give you a few pointers. It¡¯ll be fun!¡±

    ¡°No, thank you. I already have a duo partner,¡± Tang Bingyao tly refused, shaking her head.

    ¡°Right! We duo together!¡± Lin Feng butted in.

    Tang Bingyao nodded.

    The smallest change of Luo Tianming¡¯s expression gave his feelings away. Annoyed. Unhappy. But before he could say anything more, Ren Rou called all attention to her and started calling out names for the first match of the try-outs. As luck would have it, Tang Bingyao and Luo Tianming were both called up for the ad-carry position. They¡¯d be facing each other, going head to head. This was no longer about league, rank, or skill. This was a duel for the right to Tang Bingyao¡¯s heart!

    ¡°What a coincidence. Almost like fate, huh?¡± Luo Tianming said smiling. The universe was on his side! He gave Tang Bingyao a wink and roguishly stated, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll hold back.¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Luo Tianming. ¡°Alright, but I won¡¯t.¡± And she wouldn¡¯t. The moment they entered champion select, she instantly locked in her champion¡ªDraven, the Glorious Executioner.

    ¡°Oh wow! Seems like that guy really rubbed Tang Tang the wrong way!¡± Lin Feng quipped.

    1. The whole ¡°first to eat crab at the buffet¡± is a bit of a joke at a stereotype about how Chinese people go insane for crab at buffets/seafood spreads. We did some research, and this seems to be a Chinese stereotype about Chinese people that just isn¡¯t well known out of China.

    2. Another very China specific stereotype about how the best looking Chinese people go to Korea to be Kpop idols. Doesn¡¯t appear to be well known outside China, but we didn¡¯t really do a significant amount of research on that so we could be wrong.

 Chapter 57: Going All Out

    Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t the kind of girl to turn a guy down with harsh words. Unlike Ren Rou who would tell them to ¡°get lost!¡±, she was more reserved. So when Luo Tianming came over to flirt with her, she¡¯d done her best to let him off easy. To drop a few hints that she simply wasn¡¯t interested in him. But that didn¡¯t mean she would let him trample all over her. She had a bottom line, and her own ways of showing her displeasure. For example, by kicking his ass and wiping Summoner¡¯s Rift clean with him using her main champion in a friendly game of League of Legends!

    Luo Tianming picked Caitlyn as his champion and locked her in. Once the loading screen popped up to get all of them into Summoner¡¯s Rift, his eyes popped open in shock. Draven. The champion that Tang Bingyao had decided to y. The number of girls who yed ad-carry wasn¡¯t particrlyrge to begin with, and there were fewer still within that small group who yed Draven as a main.

    Draven was a very mechanical champion to y, and most of this was due to his first skill, the one activated with Q¨CSpinning Axes. One could theoretically keep Spinning Axes up through every fight, poke, and kill, constantly dealing double bonus damage with every auto attack. But it wasn¡¯t just that simple. Draven¡¯s auto attack was a thrown axe. But unlike other champions in the game, the axe would not disappear once it hit an enemy champion, minion or jungle monster. The thrown axe would bounce off and fly through the air, eventually falling to the ground. Unless Draven caught the axe. If Draven caught the axe, it refreshed the cooldown on Spinning Axes. Essentially, everything about Draven involved mechanical skill and positioning. Not the easiest champion to y. Locking in on Draven meant that Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t just understand how to y the champion, she also had the confidence that she could y him well. That¡¯s what flustered Luo Tianming.

    But he quickly regained hisposure, and an easy, rxed smile settled into ce on his face. He was Diamond 3, and had the skills reflected by his rank. He was confident he could beat everyone in this ssroom today. Now that he was thinking about it calmly, Luo Tianming wasn¡¯t even sure he was flustered when he saw that Tang Bingyao picked Draven. He was surprised. Yes. Surprised. But he wasn¡¯t scared. Or worried. He had full confidence in his Caitlyn. He even started wondering if he should hold back a little once he had a lead. Hopefully, she¡¯ll notice how much of a gentleman I am and agree to go out on a date with me! Or at least y a few games with me in duo queue. He never even considered the possibility that he could lose this game. Or that he was in way over his head.

    ?

    Three minutes into the game, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven hit level 2. The Janna support buffed Draven with Eye of the Storm, giving him extra attack damage and a shield. Tang Bingyao activated Spinning Axes, and her Draven started juggling his two spinning axes. Then she hit W to activate Blood Rush. Her Draven dashed towards the Caitlyn with the movement speed buff and threw the first of his spinning axes once in range. The first axe cut into the Caitlyn¡¯s flesh, bounced off and spun up into the air. While this was happening with the first axe, her Draven smoothly moved forward and threw his second axe. Then he caught the first axe before it hit the ground. Blood Rush¡¯s cooldown was reset!

    The Caitlyn fired out her 90 Caliber Net and flew back. But Tang Bingyao was ready, her finger already hovering over the D key. She pressed down on D the second the Caitlyn fired and shed over the that could¡¯ve slowed her. Then she activated Blood Rush again and chased the Caitlyn down, who shed away in a panic. But Draven, the Glorious Executioner, quickly caught up to her and threw another spinning axe.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The crowd of first years gasped. They couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing! That was basically a solo kill in botne! The only support offered by the Janna was a shield. This was the Draven show! The sheer amount of damage that Tang Bingyao could output from a Level 2 Draven was nothing short of terrifying.

    ¡°Damn! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven is getting better and better! So aggressive!¡± Ouyang gasped in amazement next to Lin Feng.

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my training!¡± Lin Feng proudly stated. But Ouyang had already stopped listening. His focus was back on the game.

    Luo Tianming stared dumbly at the death screen on his monitor. This didn¡¯t y out like how he imagined it would at all! If he wanted to win, he had to start ying seriously. Although Tang Bingyao was far better than he expected, he was still confident in his own skills. The game was barely three minutes in, and his Caitlyn had the range advantage over Draven. As long as he yed it safely, he could easily keep Draven at bay.

    For the next five minutes, Luo Tianming managed to do just that. He kept the minion wave close to his outer tower and patiently farmed, trying to catch back up to the Draven. It even started to look like he might. But then Tang Bingyao decided to engage. The minion wave had just pushed out a little and the Caitlyn and her support Nami had left the safety of their tower.

    Tang Bingyao activated Blood Rush and had Draven rush forward, with two axes spinning in his hands. The Nami tried to lock Draven down with an Aqua Prison. But Tang Bingyao easily sidestepped therge bubble of water. Luo Tianming¡¯s face turned pale with fright. He knew what wasing next, he felt the deja vu wash over him. His Caitlyn shot out a 90-Caliber Net and flew back. Draven shed over it, this time throwing out both of his spinning axes with Stand Aside. They knocked the Caitlyn out of the air mid-animation. Then a spinning axe arced through the air, followed by a second and then a third. The sound of metal digging into flesh rang out as blood sprayed the ground red.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Luo Tianming¡¯s jaw dropped. He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. It was right there on the sign up sheet! Diamond 5! She¡¯s only supposed to be Diamond 5! How is she so good? He shook his head weakly, his eyes wide in shock and horror. How the hell did she do thatst move! Her mechanics and reflexes are insane! This shouldn¡¯t be possible! No Diamond yer can do that! That¡¯s something only Master and Challenger tier yers can pull off! This can¡¯t be! This can¡¯t be!

    From the sidelines, Lin Feng calmly watched. He wasn¡¯t surprised at all by Tang Bingyao¡¯s disy of skill. This was because he knew that the only reason her ount sat on Diamond 5 was because she was too busy boosting other ounts. With her skill, reaching Diamond 2 would be easy, and when talking purely in terms of mechanics, her Draven was already on the level of a Diamond 1.

    Over the course of the next 12 minutes, the game announcer¡¯s voice continuously rang out to announce Caitlyn¡¯s next death. It started to look as if Luo Tianming believed he would get some kind of trophy for collecting deaths. His score dropped to a pitiful 0/6/2. All the while Tang Bingyao wreaked havoc on the enemy team. Especially after she finished her first item, nobody could stop her. She picked up double kills and triple kills left and right.

    At the 20-minute mark, the much expected surrender vote started and was unanimously epted secondster. This game was lost. Luo Tianming and his team members wore dejected expressions on their faces. So much for showing off their skills in front of the esports club. But anything was better than this gamesting even another minute. Because that would be another minute for Tang Bingyao to kill them again. Monster¡­ A monster! That was too scary... None of them expected for this pretty and quiet female upperssman to y such a domineering Draven.

    ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t hold back,¡± Tang Bingyao reminded Luo Tianming. The words cut deep into his ego, causing his face to warp into a marvelous shade of red. His expression alternated between anger and humiliation.

    ?

    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time for the next matchup,¡± Ren Rou dered. She held her sign-up sheet and started listing out the names for the next match.

    Lin Feng was called up to be the midner for the blue team. As he walked over to theputer, Tang Bingyao approached him and said, ¡°You can do it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s finally my time to shine!¡± Lin Feng said in high spirits.

    Ouyang patted Lin Feng on the shoulder. ¡°Give us your best performance. If you do well, we might even pick you as a substitute for the team!¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll give it my all!¡± Lin Feng pumped his fist in the air. He waspletely hyped up. He would pull out all the stops and y his best champion! All for the sake of getting into the club¡¯s team!

    If Lin Feng¡¯s old teammates could see him now, they¡¯d drag him to a neurologist and have him tested. Their old teammate had surely lost it! The former best midner in China, and contender for best in the world, was nning to go all out in a small school club match? This was like a professional football yer joining a Sunday league game. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. It wasn¡¯t a question of who would win this game. It was a question of how badly the enemy team would lose. A tragic fate awaited anyone unlucky enough to face Lin Feng inne.

    ¡°Hold on a moment!¡± A voice abruptly cut through the room. Lin Feng turned around in confusion.

 Chapter 58: Why Would I be Mad?

    ¡°... moment!¡±

    Everyone in the room paused for a second, waiting to see what would happen next. They saw no reason to stop the next game in the tryouts. Unless there was something important that was about to be brought to light¡­

    ¡°Just¡­ wait¡­ for¡­ a¡­ bit!¡±

    The person yelling had to push through the crowd to get to the front. No one wanted to give up their spot by moving after they¡¯d seen Tang Bingyao¡¯s spectacr Draven ys. They didn¡¯t want to risk missing out on more amazing ys or the chance to watch another fantastic yer.

    ¡°Wait a moment!¡±

    The person yelling and forcing his way through the crowd all the way to where Ouyang was standing, it was Luo Tianming! He had vanished after being disgraced in his game, and no one had noticed because all of the attention was on Tang Bingyao. Luo Tianming had slunk off into the shadows, but decided now was the moment to make a truly dramatic reappearance.

    Ouyang turned to Luo Tianming. What does this fucker want now? The interruption annoyed him. The unnecessary drama annoyed him. More than that though, Luo Tianming irritated the shit out of him. It didn¡¯t start out that way, his first impression of this first year was pretty good. This guy was a real Diamond 3 yer! That was impressive. All of that changed after thest game. This asshole spent so much time showing off before the game started, flexing his rank on everyone. But he spent more time at the fountain respawning than actually ying once the game started! The esports club team only needed one ad-carry, and Tang Bingyao locked in on that position with her kickass Draven in the previous game.

    It wasn¡¯t just the showing off and poor gamey that made Ouyang want to gag every time he saw Luo Tianming. Fucker also keeps hitting on every single girl here! He even tried walking over to Ren Rou, smiling like his shit don¡¯t stink. What a jackass! Yes, it was true. Luo Tianming hadn¡¯t just been trying to impress Tang Bingyao. He¡¯d also been trying to approach Ren Rou. This especially was unforgivable to Ouyang. You walk around thinking you¡¯re good looking? Well, I have news for you. Those looks don¡¯t mean anything here! You should be looking at how you got your ass handed to you by Tang Tang instead of looking at yourself in the mirror. Also, you¡¯re not that good looking! Ouyang wanted nothing more than for Luo Tianming to vanish and never be seen again. And yet, he was here! Yelling and interrupting the tryouts.

    ¡°What do you want now?¡±

    ¡°I want another chance! Let me y again!¡± Luo Tianming demanded.

    Ouyang stared at him, unblinking.

    ¡°Look. Listen. I just got unluckyst game, okay? I wasn¡¯t even ying seriously! Just give me one more chance. Please?¡± Luo Tianming begged.

    ¡°Unlucky? Didn¡¯t y seriously?¡± Ouyang snorted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to be saying shit like that? Don¡¯t you have any shame? Do you really believe those flimsy excuses are why you lost the game? You want to tell me that it had nothing to do with Tang Bingyao just being way better than you?¡±

    Everyone had seen what happenedst game. Tang Bingyao hadpletely outssed Luo Tianming in every facet of the game. The crowd could see how deeply each death cut into Luo Tianming¡¯s ego. His reactions spoke volumes. That frustration and anger wasn¡¯t something a person who wasn¡¯t ying seriously would feel. Luo Tianming clearly had trouble epting reality.

    Luo Tianming¡¯s face flushed red, but he kept pushing. ¡°I deserve a second chance! My support was badst game. It was his fault that we lost! Now that I think of it, the Jungler wasn¡¯t great either. Zero map awareness!¡±

    Luo Tianming paused, gathering his thoughts again. He could see this line of protest wasn¡¯t working and he needed to pivot to something else, ¡°I know! How about I y a solone like mid this time? Then I can show you how good I really am!¡± A peculiar glint appeared in Luo Tianming¡¯s eyes as he turned to Lin Feng. ¡°You¡¯re going to y mid, right?¡± He then turned back to Ouyang and shed a bright smile. ¡°He¡¯s a Challenger! I saw it myself on the sign-up sheet. When I beat him, that should qualify me for the club¡¯s mid position, right?¡±

    When Luo Tianming mentioned ying Mid and Lin Feng, the whole thing became blindingly clear to Ouyang. It was too obvious to miss. The only reason Luo Tianming wanted to join the esports club was for the prestige of being on an official team. Initially, he figured that he was a shoe-in for a spot as a Diamond 3 ad-carry main. But in a twist that he did not expect or predict, there was someone else who was just as good as he was. Maybe even a little better. Luo Tianming would never admit it out loud, but he knew that Tang Bingyao had beaten him fair and square. If he tried to push for a rematch against her for the ad-carry spot, it probably wouldn¡¯t happen. And even if it did, he didn¡¯t know if he could actually win. So instead of trying to get a rematch for the ad-carry position, he chose to try for his second best position. The midne.

    Most of the time, Luo Tianming yed ad-carry. But he also spent enough time developing his skills as a midner. He wasn¡¯t as good at it as he was at ad-carry, but he could y at the level of a Diamond 5 midner. And, more importantly, he would be up against Lin Feng. The ¡°Challenger¡± who didn¡¯t even know his own summoner name! He¡¯d noticed that Lin Feng was on good terms with several members of the board of the esports club. This made him the perfect target. All Luo Tianming had to do was make his request loud enough so that everyone in the ssroom could hear him. That would put Ren Rou, Ouyang, and the other members of the board in position without a leg to stand on. They couldn¡¯t take Lin Feng¡¯s side in this, because why would they need to protect a Challenger from someone who was clearly not as good at the game? If they refused to let him y, he couldin that the club board was being unfair and trying to force their friend into a spot he did not deserve.

    Luo Tianming¡¯s cunning y had worked, the dart hadnded where it was meant to. Once the topic shifted to Lin Feng, Ouyang frowned. ¡°That was a typo. We were going to correct itter.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a typo¡­¡± Lin Feng muttered.

    Ouyang shot Lin Feng a re. ¡°Goddamn! Can you please shut up for once?¡±

    Luo Tianming immediatelytched onto this opportunity. ¡°See! He even says so himself. Tell me, what¡¯s the harm in letting me y against him?¡±

    This had blown up and gone beyond reasonable proportions. It got to the point where even Yang Fan felt that he needed to get involved. He was responsible for the technical aspects of the tryouts and providing technical support. He was the man behind the scenes keeping the whole show running, keeping the train running on the tracks. And right now, it was off the rails. He had plenty of other things to take care, a never-ending list of things that required his attention. But themotion was loud enough that he could no longer ignore it. He walked over and adjusted his sses, annoyed. ¡°So what? That still isn¡¯t an excuse to let you y twice. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to everyone else.¡±

    Luo Tianming confidently smiled. ¡°Of course, of course, you¡¯re right. I agree. Everything should be fair. It¡¯s just that when I looked at the sign-up sheet earlier, I saw that only three students were Diamond or higher. Since I¡¯m a Diamond 3 and I didn¡¯t get to show off my skills in the first match, I think it¡¯s only fair I get another chance.¡±

    Luo Tianming did bring up a valid point. Plenty of low rank yers were looking to join the esports club, but only a few high rank yers had signed up. So, the several board members of the esports club, including Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou exchanged nces. ¡°Alright, give us a minute. We¡¯re going to put tryouts on hold while we have an emergency meeting.¡± Ren Rou said, finally caving. Then she and the other members of the club board walked out.

    Meanwhile, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao stood at the side like none of this had anything to do with them. Tang Bingyao tossed a nce at Luo Tianming, then turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°That guy is really annoying.¡± It was strange to hear her say these words. She was usually more reserved but Luo Tianming had really rubbed her the wrong way.

    ¡°Eh? Really? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that bad...¡± Lin Feng scratched his head.

    Tang Bingyao shot Lin Feng a doubtful gaze. ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Why would I be mad?¡± Lin Feng shook his head. He then paused and smiled, his eyes lighting up. ¡°The stronger the opponent, the more I¡¯ll get to test my skills and show off as I beat them! What could be better than that?¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s jaw dropped. She was speechless. She¡¯d finally understood. The only thing on Lin Feng¡¯s mind was to find a better sandbag to beat down! Once she figured out what Lin Feng was thinking, a spark of sympathy bloomed in her heart for Luo Tianming. It was in his best interest if the club board rejected his request to y against Lin Feng. He had no idea what wasing for him.

    ?

    Ren Rou led the several board members of the esports club back into the ssroom where Lin Feng and the others were waiting for them. Luo Tianming immediately looked over, hopeful. Ren Rou nodded at him and said, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll give you your second chance.¡±

    Luo Tianming shed what he believed to be a dashing smile. ¡°Thanks! I just knew a pretty club president like yourself woulde to a fair decision!¡±

    Ren Rou shot Luo Tianming a cold re. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet. If you don¡¯t win, you¡¯re done here. You¡¯re never going to be allowed anywhere near the esports club.¡±

    Luo Tianming barely even heard the warning at the end. His face lit up with joy. He gave Ren Rou a wink and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, prez! I¡¯ll show you how good I really am. Just watch me!¡±

    While Ren Rou talked to Luo Tianming, Yang Fan and Ouyang walked over to Lin Feng with worried looks on their faces. ¡°Hey bro, you sure you¡¯ll be ok? That guy is Diamond 3¡­¡± Ouyang asked.

    ¡°Hehe! Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s going to get rekt! Just watch the fun!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    Ouyang patted Lin Feng on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m liking the confidence, bro. Just y it safe, though. Wait for the jungler toe in for the gank. You¡¯ll be fine. Oh! Go for a farm and scale champion. Someone like Ziggs. Even a Diamond 3 can¡¯t do shit back!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Uh, I have my own n.¡± He¡¯d already decided what champion he was going to y. Since he was going to go all out, he¡¯d y his best champion! Her skills and his ystyle made for a perfect match to pick off enemies and carry!

    ?

    After the slight dy caused by Luo Tianming, both teams found their seats behind their monitors and joined the blind pick lobby. Everyone locked in their champion of choice and picked their Summoner Spells. Then, the lobby timer hit zero and the client opened up. Finally, with the loading screen open, everyone could see the lineup for both teams.

    On the blue team, led by the self-proimed Challenger Lin Feng ying Lenc in midne, Darius in the topne, Rek¡¯Sai prowling through the jungle, and the deadlybo of Kalista and Braum in bottomne!

    On the red team, led by Diamond 3 Luo Tianming ying Orianna in the midne, Rumble would be up in topne, Jarvan IV shredding through the jungle with hisnce, andst but not least down in bottomne were Tristana and Leona ready to show true teamy!

    Luo Tianming had picked Orianna, an overall bnced champion in every stage of the game. Her auto attacks were empowered with magic damage, making it rtively easypared to othermon midne champions to farm minions. But the bulk of her damage, and all of her crowd control, came from her ball¡ªaptly called the Ball.

    This was theplete opposite of the champion Lin Feng chose. When Luo Tianming noticed the champion icon above Lin Feng¡¯s summoner¡¯s name, his lips curved into a sneer. Lenc? You idiot¡­ You wanna show off with her? You think it¡¯s that easy? You think I¡¯ll give you some kills so you can snowball? Ha! Idiot. I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t get your early game lead. Lenc is useless once she gets behind in early game. You¡¯re not going to be able to use Lenc to pop off and blow people up mid game! I¡¯ll show everyone how useless you are! The scene of his grand victory already yed through his mind. He wouldn¡¯t just settle for beating Lin Feng. No, he wouldpletely crush him! I¡¯ll make them all see how good I really am! Hehe. He was filled with anticipation.

    If only Luo Tianming knew what happened thest time Lin Feng yed Lenc. If only he¡¯d known that Lin Feng hadpletely destroyed a Diamond 1 mid-main while ying Lenc.

    Somewhere off in the distance, Water Wraith felt a chill down his spine the minute that Lin Feng locked in on Lenc. Water Wraith was still one of Su Xue¡¯s most loyal viewers. But he was confused as to why he suddenly felt like someone had walked over his grave.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Two minutes into the game and the first minion wave from both teams had arrived at the middle of all thenes and shed. Over in midne, Luo Tianming discovered that Lin Feng was much better than he expected in their first exchange of pokes. Every time he tried to attack the Lenc with Orianna¡¯s Ball using the skill Command: Attack, she easily sidestepped it. What madening even more difficult for Luo Tianming was that Lin Feng yed his Lenc hyper-aggressively. At Level 1 he¡¯d learned the skill Distortion, which he used to jump onto Orianna and deal ssh damage. Lin Feng did this every single time the skill went off cooldown. After a single minute of this intensening phase against Lin Feng, Luo Tianming wiped the sweat from his forehead. Wasn¡¯t this guy supposed to be all talk?

    Lin Feng¡¯s ystyle with Lenc only got more aggressive after reaching level 2. He used the level to learn the skill Sigil of Malice. This skill allowed Lenc to mark enemy champions, minions and jungle monsters. If Lenc managed to hit a marked target with another one of her spells, the mark was consumed and dealt additional damage. He kept marking the Orianna with a Sigil of Malice and jumping on her with Distortion, piling the damage on. If Luo Tianming didn¡¯t watch out, he¡¯d soon find all of his health whittled away.

    Dammit! Isn¡¯t he supposed to be bad at the game? I thought he only knew how to brag! Why is he so good! Luo Tianming cursed. This was starting to look like it would be a difficult game. Another one¡­ But just then, a chance presented itself. A ping from his jungler, Jarvan IV, in the midne. He wasing for a gank! Luo Tianming¡¯s eyes lit up. There¡¯s my chance!

 Chapter 59: Outsmarted

    The second game of the esports club tryouts had started. Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Yang Fan huddled together around a screen to watch. Though there were 10 yers, 5 on each team, they weren¡¯t really interested in watching all of them. Their eyes were locked on midne, taking in everything that was going down there.

    ¡°Oh damn! You guys seeing this? It''s starting to feel like Lin Feng is beating Luo Tianming...?¡± Ouyang half-muttered.

    Ren Rou nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. If Orianna keeps taking hits like that, she¡¯ll have to go back to base or give Lenc the kill. Was Lin Feng always this good in mid?¡±

    ¡°I figured it out! Whole thing finally came together. Listen, that fucker Luo Tianming probably got his ount boosted! I¡¯ll even bet on it. I mean, sure, Tang Tang is really good. I can see how he¡¯d lose to her. But this¡­ what is this? The fucker¡¯s ying like a Silver! If that¡¯s a Diamond 3, then I could be one too!¡± Ouyang eximed.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and looked at the screen again. He shook his head, disagreeing with Ouyang¡¯s analysis. ¡°Sorry man. But if you were in his shoes, you would probably look like the worst League yer in all of history. Watch the game more closely. There! See how Orianna is going for CS? And right there! Look at how she¡¯s trying to get some poke in. You see that? Luo Tianming isn¡¯t ying poorly at all¡­it''s just that Lin Feng is ying really, really well. Absurdly well.¡±

    It took quite a bit of experience and understanding of the game to fully understand what was happening in midne during this game. Yang Fan was tinum ranked, he could see beyond the hype and spectacle. He could see that Luo Tianming wasn¡¯t making too many mistakes. Everyst hit was well-timed and solid. Every poke was nned out and designed to deal maximum damage while taking very little back in return. Luo Tianming was not bad at the game at all. He was better than most people.

    The reality of the game was that Lin Feng yed better. Not a little bit better. Significantly better. In every aspect and facet of the game, Lin Feng outyed Luo Tianming by a considerable margin. From the moment the game started, the Orianna never stood a chance. Lin Feng used his Lenc to clear minion waves with the ssh damage from Distortion, while also positioning to let the ssh damage deal poke to the Orianna. Once Lin Feng hit Level 2 and learned Sigil of Malice, the situation went from bad to worse for the Orianna. Yang Fan¡¯s eyes had a peculiar gleam to them as he stared at Lin Feng¡¯s back. Was he telling us the truth this whole time? Is he really a Challenger¡­?

    ?

    Luo Tianming knew he had to do something. This Lenc was far better than he expected. She was quickly taking control of thene. He could feel his scalp tingling from apprehension. SHIT! I can¡¯t lose another one! But there wasn¡¯t anything he could do. Every time he tried tost hit a minion for the gold and experience, the Lenc would already be there, lying in wait. The second his Orianna walked into the Lenc¡¯s attack radius, she would jump out and hit him with her entirebo for a ton of damage before jumping back out. He tried to counter using Orianna¡¯s Ball, but the Lenc was just too damn fast. And Lenc¡¯s skills could chain together faster than Orianna¡¯s Ball could move. If the game kept going this way and at this rate, his Orianna¡¯s health would continue to plunge until he was forced out ofne and back to base.

    Luo Tianming was thinking, searching for a way to turn things around on the Lenc. That was when the Jarvan IV, the jungler on his team, sent a ping on mine to announce that he wasing up for a gank. This was exactly what Luo Tianming needed, and he felt the pressure around his forehead loosen. The Jarvan IV was walking up to midne from the Red Buff jungle camp, which meant that the jungler had both Red and Blue Buff up. Luo Tianming used a health potion to recover some health and let the minion wave push back towards his tower. He was getting ready to bait the Lenc into a position that would end her reign of terror over him.

    The Blue team¡¯s minions started pushing toward the red team¡¯s outer tower, just as Luo Tianming and his jungler had nned. Lin Feng followed after them, focusing onst hitting the minions. The Jarvan IV hid in the river brush right above the midne. Three and a half minutes into the game, the ambush was ready. All that was left to do was to throw out the bait. Luo Tianming had his Orianna walk out of from the safety of Red team¡¯s outer tower under the pretense ofst hitting a minion. The deception was wless, and the Lenc took the bait.

    Jarvan IV ran out of the brush and straight towards the Lenc. He threw his Demacian Standard down on top of her. Then he thrust out with hisnce towards the g. When they connected, Jarvan IV was pulled to the g! The Jungler could see the entire animation y out in his mind before it happened in the game. The Lenc that stood between him and the g would be knocked up. Then he and the Orianna would gang up and remove whatever remained of the Lenc¡¯s health. That would be the end of Lenc. There was no way to avoid the might of Jarvan IV¡¯s Dragon Strike!

    ¡­ Except that¡¯s not what actually happened. Lin Feng¡¯s reaction time was simply too fast for the n to work. While the Jarvan IV was still mid-dash, the Lenc had safely jumped away using Distortion. It turned out that there was indeed a way to avoid the might of Jarvan IV¡¯s Dragon Strike.

    YOU IDIOT! Luo Tianming screamed in his mind. Great fucking job, you NOOB! Why would you waste yourbo like that? Look what you did! Now she got away¡­ Luo Tianming shook his head in frustration. Every fucking game. These goddamn noobs! Why me? Why is it always me? He took a deep breath and tried to focus back on the game. Shit! His Orianna was still in danger. Shit! Shit! She stood outside of her tower¡¯s range with rtively low health. Shit! Shit! SHIT! He clicked towar¡ª

    Lin Feng had that look on his face. The one he always got when there was an opportunity for a kill. The Jungler had burned hisbo and Luo Tianming¡¯s guard was down while his Orianna was outside the safety of the tower. Lin Feng quickly recast Distortion, activating the second half of the skill. His Lenc jumped back to the ce she had initially jumped from. This is it! The Orianna was exposed, there were no minions in the way. Lenc branded the Orianna with a Sigil of Malice, then shot out Ethereal Chains. The chains wrapped around Orianna while also triggering the Sigil and dealing additional magic damage! Then Lin Feng used his Ignite on the Orianna.

    ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    ¡°The turn around!¡±

    ¡°What a sick y!¡±

    The crowd of first years that had gathered in the esports clubroom let out a collective gasp. The y was electrifying, phenomenal, amazing!

    The rm bells, missile attack sirens, and nuclear bomb warnings in Luo Tianming¡¯s head all went off at the same time! He didn¡¯t expect the Lenc to turn his gank back around on him, never even thought about the possibility! T-this¡­ did he already calcte all this¡­!? But there was no time to think of all that. He needed to escape before the Ethereal Chains managed to snare him! His finger smashed down onto the keyboard trying to send his Orianna panic-shing towards the tower. But he wasn¡¯t fast enough, the Ethereal Chains had already rooted him down. Crap! Fuck! SHIT! I¡¯m dead! Despair, regret, and irritation started washing over Luo Tianming. But before he sumbed to the emotions and started wallowing, he smashed his teeth together. I¡¯m going to take that fucking Lenc down with me! Or force him to use his sh! I¡¯m going to get something out of this! He sent Orianna¡¯s Ball towards the Lenc, then slowed and damaged her with Command: Dissonance. But before he could pull off the rest of what he was nning, his screen turned grey. The final tick of Ignite had burned up thest of his Orianna¡¯s health.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The Jarvan IV was still standing there. He watched the Lenc jump away from his g tossbo and just stood there confused. Then he watched the Lenc jump back and seamlessly flow into abo that led to the death of the Orianna. He didn¡¯t really know what happened, the entire exchange was too fast for him to follow. But he did notice that the Orianna had gotten some damage in before she died. This was his chance! The Lenc had less than half her health left and she was standing right next to him! He hit her with an auto attack that was empowered from the Red Buff.

    Lenc¡¯s health dropped below 30% which triggered her passive skill¨CMirror Image. Two Lencs materialized out of thin air. One stood idly by in the middle of the minion wave, right next to Jarvan IV. The other Lenc ran down, towards the bottom side of the river and botne. The Jarvan IV was too clever for something like this. He¡¯d never be fooled by lies and deceit. Without stopping to consider things for a second, the Jarvan IV decided that the Lenc standing right next to him was a fake and pursued the one that was running away.

    A long secondter, Lin Feng had the real Lenc, the one that had stood idly next to the Jarvan IV in the middle of thene, move up towards the top part of the river and topne. When Luo Tianming saw this, he finally lost it. For the first time this game, he opened his mouth and loudly cursed, ¡°You dumbass! Are you fucking blind or something? The real one is heading top. Fucking hell¡­¡± How can someone be this bad? Why do I always have to y with these idiots? It¡¯s so easy to tell which one is the real one...

    Lin Feng took a detour around his jungle, enjoying the scenery, and returned back to the safety of his outer tower. He¡¯d picked up first blood and kept his sh. This was a huge win! ¡°Man, my Lenc is really good!¡± he happily muttered to himself. His voice was barely audible. Quiet enough that aside from himself, no one heard it. That was probably for the best. If Luo Tianming had heard him, he would¡¯ve probably passed out from anger.

    Ouyang, Ren Rou, and Yang Fan all stared at their screen ck-jawed.

    ¡°What the fucking fiddlesticks was that? This is still Lin Feng ying, right? He¡¯s that good? That y was so fucking sick that even Lux¡¯s panties would be soaked! Lin Feng is slick!¡± Ouyang stammered.

    Ren Rou was so shocked that she didn¡¯t even bother smacking Ouyang for saying something like that. Instead, she eximed, ¡°Oh my god! That was amazing!¡±

    Yang Fan was so taken aback he forgot to adjust his crooked sses. He couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°When Lin Feng told us he was a Challenger¡­ are we sure that wasn¡¯t true?¡±

    ?

    With First Blood and a kill in hand, Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was now in a position topletely dictate the pace of midne. A Lenc needed to get that early advantage and snowball from it. If she could, she¡¯d be an unstoppable force. Then it didn¡¯t matter anymore what anyone else on the opposing team did, she would just rip through them and hard-carry her team to an easy win. Luo Tianming¡¯s primary job in the early game was to make sure this didn¡¯t happen, which he had failed at. He not only handed Lin Feng a kill, he also gave away an entire minion wave¡¯s worth of experience and gold. Luo Tianming had gotten himself into a terrible predicament. Now his purpose in the game had changed. What he needed to do was distract and restrain Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc as much as possible so the rest of his team could salvage the situation. So after reviving in the fountain, he quickly teleported back tone using the summoner spell Teleport.

    Lin Feng, on the other hand, had gone back to base to spend the gold he¡¯d gotten from killing the Orianna on items. He then closed the shop and had his Lenc walk back to midne. He was in a great mood and started nning out how he would y thene next. Hmm. What to do, what to do? Should I kill Orianna two more times?

    Unfortunately, a good mood wasn¡¯t exactly deadly. And kills didn¡¯te just because you wanted them. Luo Tianming was still a Diamond 3 yer with excellent instincts, deep game knowledge, and map awareness. Despite the pressure that Lin Feng put on him, Luo Tianming managed to avoid dying again.

    ¡°Ah, if I had ignite, it would¡¯ve been another kill¡­¡± Lin Feng said regretfully after forcing the Orianna back to base for a second time in just as many minutes. But although he didn¡¯t pick up the kill, he did continue to increase his advantage over the Orianna. She could barely step intone, and the two times she tried tost hit a minion, he¡¯d forced her back to base. Luo Tianming could do nothing but try and soak up experience from underneath the safety of his tower. But he had fallen too far behind in both experience and gold and was no longer a match for Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc. Luo Tianming had lost thene.

    As bad as the game was going for Luo Tianming, it could¡¯ve been much worse. If the Blue team¡¯s jungler, Rek¡¯Sai, hade to gank mid then his Orianna would have died again. But the Rek¡¯Sai was busy helping anotherne, though not necessarily his own team. Five minutes and forty seconds into the game, the game announcer¡¯s voice rang out from bottomne.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Rek¡¯Sai had roamed to bot and failed the gank. The Tristana and Leona duo had somehow managed to turn the gank around, killing both Rek¡¯Sai and Kalista. Red bottomne¡¯s duo was doing great for themselves!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. Botne¡¯s losing? That¡¯s great!

 Chapter 60: Like Youâ€™re One to Talk

    The blue team¡¯s bottomne needed help. After the failed gank from Rek¡¯Sai, the red team¡¯s Tristana was pulling ahead, dangerously so. She now had two kills under her belt and also had a constantly growing CS lead over Kalista. Everyone watching the game figured that Lin Feng would use his advantage over the Orianna to go down to botne and help them out. Prevent them from losing thene and shutting down the red team¡¯s ad-carry. As far as they knew, an ad-carry with an advantage over the one on the opposing team would only continue to push that lead and widen the gap. That had to be stopped, and Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was the only champion on blue team that could stop that. But Lin Feng knew better, he wasn¡¯t about to win a few skirmishes just to lose the game. Short term gains at the expense of long term losses was not a good strategy, or how games were won. Lin Feng had somethingpletely different in mind.

    About a minute earlier, red team¡¯s Jarvan IV had ganked topne and helped the Rumble kill the Darius. This wasn¡¯t a huge issue for the Darius. He could afford to fall a little behind, especially in the early game. As long as he safely farmed under his tower and scaled into mid game, a single teamfight could see him jump back ahead. This was because of his ultimate skill¡ªNoxian Guillotine. He could leap to an enemy champion and strike a lethal blow with his axe. If he got the kill, the cooldown on his ultimate would reset and he could go again. But the enemy champion he was up against, red team¡¯s Rumble, could not be allowed to snowball. In the early-to-mid game, Rumble only needed a singlepleted item to decimate the opposing team in a teamfight using his ultimate skill¡ªThe Equalizer. He¡¯d fire off a volley of rockets that exploded into a wall of mes, damaging and slowing enemy champions. Hell, even a pair of Sorcerer''s Boots was enough to turn Rumble into a pain for the team he was against.

    There was another reason why it was vital not to let the Rumble pull ahead. That was because of the current state of League of Legends, the meta of the game. Some people referred to the current meta as ¡°League of Tone¡±. The topners held so much weight over the direction of the game that they were an even greater threat than the ad-carry. Lin Feng knew that shutting down the Rumble in topne early and preventing the snowball was an essential objective in winning the game.

    At 5:50 minutes into the game, the Orianna was forced out ofne again and recalled back to base. Lin Feng used this opportunity to push out the minion wave, and then disappeared into the fog of war. He roamed through the red team¡¯s top-side jungle and made his way top. Rumble still hadn¡¯t reached level 6 and wasn¡¯t much of a threat without his ultimate.

    Lin Feng approached the tri-brush, and started pinging the Darius to engage. The Rumble hesitated for a second, and then started backing up. It looked like he knew something was about to happen, almost like he could sense it or hear Lin Feng¡¯s pings. But he was too far out in thene. He couldn¡¯t make it back to the safety of his tower before Lin Feng engaged him. ¡°Oh, looks like it¡¯s warded,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. ¡°Eh... doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Lenc swiftly passed through the tri-brush and nked the retreating Rumble. Lin Feng¡¯s pinky and index finger pushed down almost simultaneously, the former a fraction faster. Two malevolent balls of energy¡ªThe first a Sigil of Malice and the second a mimicked version¡ªcame flying out from Lenc¡¯s staff. In the milliseconds before they connected, Lin Feng used Distortion to have his Lenc jump onto the Rumble. The two sigils exploded almost simultaneously, and the final crescendo in this orchestra was the ssh damage from Distortion. The Rumble¡¯s health dropped to somewhere south of 25%. Then came the Ethereal Chains, wrapping around the Rumble and rooting him in ce after a brief dy.

    The Darius arrived in the nick of time and hooked the rooted Rumble with his axe. Then he pulled the Rumble back, further from the safety of the red team¡¯s tower, while also slowing him. This was the skill Apprehend. Darius used the time gained from the hook-and-pull with a slow to charge up and spin around, cutting into the Rumble with the sharp edge of his axe which had bonus armor pration. But it wasn¡¯t enough! The Rumble still had a sliver of health remaining, a brief glimmer of hope, and a chance to escape. But a well-timed auto attack from Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc crushed that hope.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    This was Lenc¡¯s second kill of the game! Lin Feng looked up at his KDA in the top right corner of his screen¨C2/0/0. ¡°Awesome! I got it!¡± he eximed happily. There was both joy and art in making sure you got the kill, even in team fights and ganks.

    ?

    Luo Tianming heard the announcement of the Rumble¡¯s death. He nced at the minimap and saw the Lenc¡¯s icon sitting in topne. He knew exactly what happened. Storm clouds rumbled on Luo Tianming¡¯s forehead. It took everyst drop of self-restraint that he possessed to prevent him from screaming at the rest of his teammates. Only botne was doing ok for themselves. But both jungle and topne were screwing up left and right! Stupid fucking Rumble! Why did you have to throw away your advantage? How can you be so fucking stupid? ARE YOU BLIND? Luo Tianming couldn¡¯t understand how this Rumble fell for the gank. It was so obvious she wasing for you! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! You¡¯re almost as fucking stupid as that Jarvan who fucking walked away from the real Lenc to go chase a clone. Fucking trash yers. Both of you!

    Luo Tianming wanted nothing more than to unleash his ire on his teammates. But all of Luo Tianming¡¯s bottled up rage was about the mistakes his teammates had made. His arrogance prevented him from thinking about his own mistakes. Luo Tianming had been the one who gave Lenc her first kill and first blood. He was the reason why Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc had started snowballing. But his inability to both perceive and ept his own shorings, that didn¡¯t really matter. Not while Lin Feng was there and more than willing to point them out over and over again.

    After picking up a kill in topne, Lin Feng returned to midne. Luo Tianming was wary and ying far more cautiously, his Orianna retreated to the safety of the tower. Right now, his Orianna was a level behind the Lenc. And he was behind in terms of items too. But Luo Tianming wasn¡¯t too worried. He believed that as long as he continued to y it safe, he could avoid dying at the hands of the Lenc. He¡¯d eventually catch up and scale, and that¡¯s when he¡¯d turn things around. The sad part about this was that Luo Tianming genuinely believed this simple-minded strategy would work.

    Luo Tianming persisted with his y-it-safe strategy for nearly a minute. His Orianna only needed a third of an experience bar to hit level 6. But she also only had a third of her health bar remaining. This was because a moment ago, Luo Tianming had moved just a step outside of tower safety tost hit a minion. Lin Feng punished him for that right away, chaining Lenc¡¯s skills together into abo that ate a chunk out of his Orianna¡¯s health.

    A big minion wave was now pushing towards the red team¡¯s outer tower. Luo Tianming wanted to stay underneath the safety of the tower, soaking up experience. But he was also scared. He wasn¡¯t particrly safe, even under the tower¡¯s protection. The Lenc could still jump onto him with Distortion and kill him, then jump back out before the tower got too many hits in. But he¡¯d calcted that her ultimate was still on cooldown, so there was no way for her to burst him down. It was risky to stay and soak up the experience from this minion wave before going back to base and healing. But it was an eptable amount of risk to Luo Tianming. He was determined to stay, determined to seize every opportunity to turn things around on the Lenc!

    Suddenly, a figure came burrowing out of the jungle wall behind the wraith camp¡ªlocated in red team¡¯s top side jungle, just behind the tower. It was Rek¡¯Sai, the blue team¡¯s jungler! He¡¯de in for a gank! Before Luo Tianming could even react to this act of aggression from a hostile party, the Rek¡¯Sai shed forward, burrowed into the ground, and popped up underneath the Orianna. Rek¡¯Sai had knocked Orianna up into the air!

    ¡°Oh nice!¡± Lin Feng eximed. His hands blurred into action as he immediately followed up. He jumped on the Orianna with Distortion and then cast both Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains on her.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was now up three kills without a single death! But another announcement sounded before Lin Feng could bask in the glory of his third kill.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    The red team¡¯s Tristana in botne got another kill. Blue team¡¯s Kalista. The Tristana¡¯s KDA was now equal to Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc.

    ¡°Oh, not bad!¡± Lin Feng remarked. He didn¡¯t appear the slightest bit worried. In fact, he even had a smile on his face. Perfect! The stronger she is, the more I can show everyone how good my Lenc is! There was a more practical reason for why Lin Feng wasn¡¯t worried, too. They were still in the early-game phase right now, and a Lenc with 3 kills could do a lot more right now than a Tristana with 3 kills.

    ?

    9 minutes into the game. Both teams converged at the dragon pit. This was the first team fight objective. yers on both teams arrived at different times from different parts of the map. The ones that got to the dragon pit first poked at each other, waiting for the rest of their teammates to arrive. Or for one of the opposing yers to make a mistake and go in too deep. Whichever happened first.

    Tristana had just finished buying items. She passed through her own jungle and was making her way towards the dragon pit. As she passed by the Blue Buff camp, a ghostly silhouette brimming with menace dashed out from behind the wall.

    Two malevolent balls of energy came flying out from Lenc¡¯s staff, dealing magic damage and marking Tristana. Then the Ethereal Chains hit. The two marks from Sigil of Malice and Mimic¡ªher ultimate skill that mimicked thest skill she cast¡ªdetonated. Lin Feng cast Ignite on the Tristana before jumping away with the second part of Distortion.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    The crowd of first year students gasped, yet again. That sharp collective intake of air was bing a very frequent sound in the ssroom. They were awestruck! The y wasn¡¯t just fantastic, the execution of it was a work of art!

    With their ad-carry now dead, the red team had lost the ability to contest the first dragon. After watching his jungler and topner screw up earlier in the game, Luo Tianming was already close to snapping. And now the only yer on his team he thought was decent ended up dying to the Lenc! He couldn¡¯t take it anymore! ¡°FUCK ME! Do you even know how to y? I swear you¡¯re griefing! Learn to fucking ward! Retard.¡±

    The Tristana yer shot Luo Tianming an angry re and retorted, ¡°Griefing? You think I¡¯m the one on the team that¡¯s been feeding? Do you even know what you¡¯re talking about? Look at your own damn score before yelling at everyone else!¡±

    ¡°T-that...¡± Luo Tianming choked on his words. His face turned red from embarrassment.

 Chapter 61: Group Stage Draw

    Luo Tianming was rendered speechless once the Tristana yer pointed out his mistakes. All his rage turned impotent. Only 9 minutes into the game, and his Orianna was at a pitiful 0/2/0. He didn¡¯t even have an assist! There was nothing he could say. No defense of his y. He wanted to me someone else. His teammates, the Lenc, literally just anyone else. But those would all be hollow lies. The only one he could me was himself.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lencpletely dominated midne. She pushed every minion wave relentlessly forward, and Luo Tianming could only hunker down underneath his tower. If he went back to base, he¡¯d lose out on gold and experience. And it would put his tower¡¯s health into jeopardy. Then he decided to try roaming, going up to top or down to botne. That didn¡¯t work out well for him either. Not to mention that every time he tried this, all of the enemy champions seemed to be aware of his iing gank the second he left midne.

    Lin Feng was to me for all of this. Besides making life hell for Luo Tianming inne, he also spent gold on vision wards and sight wards. They were ced all around midne, and everywhere else his teammates failed to ward. On top of that, whenever Orianna left thene for even a few seconds, he would ping both bot and topne that an enemy was missing. A shing red exmation point that served as a warning to be careful and retreat to tower safety.

    Lin Feng kept the pings going for the entire time that the Orianna wasn¡¯t in midne. It was an annoying thing to do. Lin Feng knew it was annoying. But this was honestly the best way to make sure that Silver-ranked yers were aware of the iing threat and constantly wary. One or two pings could be missed. Or just ignored. But a constant and steady stream of pings was enough to force even the worst League yers to followmon sense and get to safety. Even the ones that decided to be stubborn.

    In the end, it was only Luo Tianming who lost out. His time spent away from midne was wasted. He had quite literally nothing to show for it. Not only did he fail to find any opportunities to gank, but he also lost out on all the gold and experience from the minion waves in midne. The gap between his Orianna and the Lenc only continued to widen in every facet of the game.

    ?

    The first dragon went to the blue team. Luo Tianming could only watch it happen after retreating to a safe distance. The Lenc was still extremely dangerous. She could turn around at any moment and burst him down. He gritted his teeth, his pent up rage overwhelming him. He wanted to murder someone! Then the target of his hatred turned to himself. Inconsble and indignant, this was the perfect way to describe his current mental state.

    11 minutes into the game. Luo Tianming pushed the minion wave in midne. He wanted to snag some extra gold and experience, so he went to the Wraith Camp and started attacking the jungle monsters there. Little did he know that the Lenc was already there, invisible in the brush nearby, waiting for the right moment to ambush him. Luo Tianming scrolled across the map to check on the othernes and keep an eye on the flow of the game while his Orianna attacked the wraiths. Then his screen turned grey with no warning.

    Dead. Again. Luo Tianming had to look at that grey screen again and count down the seconds until his revival. He now had three deaths and still nothing to show for it. Metaphorical dark clouds gathered around his head and thunder and lightning came crashing down on him. His dream of making the esports club main team was crushed. He started muttering, ¡°This can¡¯t be possible. This can¡¯t be. It wasn¡¯t supposed to go like this¡­¡±

    Luo Tianming wanted nothing more than for all of this to be a bad dream. A very, very bad dream. But it wasn¡¯t. This was real life, and it was harsh. His Orianna kept dying over and over again. Soon, she would be worth no more than a cannon minion, while the Lenc was just a few kills away from bing Legendary.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶Dominating!¡·

    Every time the game announcer announced Lenc¡¯s next kill, it would be apanied by gasps of shock from the crowd of first years. Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was putting on a really good show for them!

    Lenc snowballed so hard that a three-spellbo with her ultimate could kill just about anyone on the enemy team. Especially a squishy ad-carry like Tristana. Even a two-skillbo from the Lenc was enough to surgically cleave away half of Tristana¡¯s health. But the Tristana refused to give up. She tried her best to turn the tide for her team. After all, the Lenc was only one champion in a team of five and League of Legends was a team game! She yed well, she really did. And she continued doing well, but that just wasn¡¯t enough. She couldn¡¯tpete against the Lenc. This enemy was too fed and constantly popped out of nowhere to burst her down. It didn¡¯t matter how careful she was, she would always end up being picked off right before a teamfight started. So as far as this game was concerned, there never were any teamfights. This game never entered the teamfight phase. There was no way to win based on teamwork.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    When the game announcer¡¯s voice rang out across the rift to announce Lin Feng¡¯s Legendary status, the red team unanimously voted to surrender. The gamested a little more than 20 minutes. In these 20 minutes, the blue team secured a one-sided victory. Lin Feng had made sure that not just his Lenc got fed, but that his entire team did. After helping the Darius in topne, the yer had pushed Rumble all the way back to his fountain, taking down three towers and an inhibitor in the process. All the while, Lin Feng himself was pushing hard in midne. He¡¯d taken down three towers and was attacking the inhibitor when the surrender vote went through.

    The red team never stood a chance to mount aeback. The game was too far gone. After they surrendered, the chaotic energy in their nexus twisted and warped before exploding. The second game was over. The blue team had achieved victory.

    Luo Tianming slumped back into his seat with a dazed look on his face. His eyes were locked on his stats in the post-game lobby. 0 kills. 5 deaths. 3 assists. He simply couldn¡¯t believe this just happened.

    Ouyang was ready. There was no possible universe in which he¡¯d miss this opportunity to rub salt all over Luo Tianming¡¯s bleeding ego. He walked over to Luo Tianming and looked him right in the eyes while asking, ¡°Ho? What¡¯s this? No, this can¡¯t be possible, right? Surely my eyes are telling me a lie. Didn¡¯t you tell my Rou Rou not to worry? That you would carry? Show us all how good you are? What was the bullshit you were saying again?¡± Ouyang shed a bright smile, ¡°That you would hardcarry your team? Right? Actually. I understand now. I get it! I¡¯m a dumbfuck! Ipletely misunderstood what you meant. That was my bad, I sincerely apologize. See, I was stupid and thought you meant that you¡¯d be carrying your team to a win. I should have understood that you were saying that you were nning to HARDCARRY them to a loss. I¡¯m so, so, so sorry about that misunderstanding. I should apologize to your teammates too. If I wasn¡¯t so stupid, I would never have made them y with a loser like you. They might have actually had a shot at winning that game if you weren¡¯t there. But you were right. You are a hard carrying loser.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell is your Rou Rou?¡± Ren Rou interrupted, shooting Ouyang a re. Then she turned her attention to Luo Tianming. ¡°We gave you your second chance. You failed again. You have no moreints, correct?¡± Her impression of Luo Tianming was already pretty low in the first ce. So she¡¯d quite enjoyed watching him being put in his ce.

    Luo Tianming¡¯s face alternated between various shades of red. He didn¡¯t look up at Ren Rou or Ouyang. Rather, his eyes were still staring at his screen. He simply couldn¡¯t believe it. It felt like his entire world came crumbling down around him. Finally, he pushed his chair back, knocking into several people behind him. But he didn¡¯t care. He pushed harder, then got to his feet and forced himself through the crowd. The shouts of the angered first years didn¡¯t even reach his ears.

    ¡°Hey hey! You¡¯re gonna leave just like that? WAIT! WAIT! What if there¡¯s another team that wants to be hard carried to victory? They might need you!¡± Ouyang reached out his hand.

    ¡°Enough!¡± Ren Rou smacked Ouyang¡¯s hand down. ¡°It¡¯s over. Let¡¯s move on to the next game.¡±

    ?

    The third tryout game for the esports club started. The 10 new yers entered the game and were ready to show off their skills. But no one in the crowd was really looking. Instead, they kept shifting their gazes towards Lin Feng. His Legendary Lenc had stolen their hearts! She dealt an insane amount of damage, while also making all sorts of godly ys! It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that she could jump into the heart of the enemy team, kill any one of their champions, and jump back out unscathed! They couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of reverence towards this upperssman of theirs!

    Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou promptly wrapped up their business and ran up to Lin Feng. They werepletely amped up from his game! They crowded around him and bombarded him with questions.

    ¡°Bro, your Lenc was he cool! Like damn! Even the Changbai Waterfall can¡¯t rain down that much water on that guy! You gotta teach me how to y like that! You got any tips?¡± Ouyang eximed animatedly.

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes and pushed Ouyang¡¯s head aside. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work out great Ouyang. But even if he gave you tips, you still wouldn¡¯t be good.¡± She turned to Lin Feng, ¡°Lin Feng, I never knew you were such a good mid! Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°I did. Multiple times. But you guys wouldn¡¯t believe me¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao came over and nodded in agreement.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses with a wry smile. ¡°You have to cut us some ck. How do you expect anyone to believe you¡¯re a Challenger at face value?¡±

    ¡°So, you really are a Challenger? Damn! Really?¡± Ouyang gasped.

    ¡°Err, not exactly. But back when I yed I pretty much had the same rank.¡±

    ¡°You stopped?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I yed a lot in season 1. Back then they used the elo-system,¡± Lin Feng exined.

    Ouyang sucked in a cold breath of air. ¡°Holy crap! You already yed back in season 1?¡±

    Yang Fan stared at Lin Feng in shock. Not because Lin Feng yed League of Legends in season 1, but because of the rank he reached back then. ¡°So you really got to Challenger back then?¡±

    Ren Rou¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then we actually have a chance of winning the 16-school tournament!¡±

    ?

    The tryouts for the esports club ended close to dinnertime. Lin Feng grabbed his bag and rushed home. When he opened the front door, the smell of dinner weed him. Su Xue was already putting the steaming dishes on the table. He sat down with her and started wolfing down the food, telling her about his day between bites.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you finally got to show off your skills, right?¡± Su Xue said.

    Lin Feng was gobbling up the food like a whirlwind, not even emptying his mouth before replying, ¡°Hyup! Hyup!¡±

    Su Xue chuckled, ¡°How does it feel? They underestimated you for so long, I¡¯m sure it felt great to see their faces, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s okay. But Ouyang and the other guy said we¡¯ll have to keep it a secret. They want to keep me as a trump card for the uing tournament,¡± Lin Feng said after swallowing his food.

    Su Xue nodded, ¡°Makes sense.¡± Then she paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Though I suppose that with your skills it doesn¡¯t really matter. You¡¯re so good, winning first ce in that little inter-school tournament should be easy.¡±

    Lin Feng shifted his focus to a delicious piece of pork cutlet. He put some into his bowl before replying, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not guaranteed. I heard the other schools taking part are really strong. Our team is a bit unbnced, so it¡¯ll be difficult.¡±

    Su Xue shrugged, ¡°Just try your best. I believe in you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still a while away though. The tournament starts in like the third week of October.¡±

    ¡°That far away? Group stages for Worlds should be almost done by then!¡± Su Xue eximed. Thinking of Worlds, she suddenly recalled an exciting piece of news. ¡°Oh right! They just finished the group stage draw and announced the groups!¡±

    Lin Feng stopped shovelling food into his mouth, his spoon pausing halfway to his lips. He raised his head with an excited look and said, ¡°They announced the groups? Show me!¡±

    1. It is basically the same as the current ranked system. You won/lost x amount of points each game depending on whether you won or lost the match. But rather than giving certain point-ranges a rank, back then you just saw your points.

 Chapter 62: In the Early Days

    News of the group stage draw took away all hunger from Lin Feng. He abandoned the rest of his meal and brought his chair to sit next to Su Xue. Then he tilted his head towards her shoulder to look at her phone¡¯s screen. She had the official Riot Games website open.

    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you have your own phone that you can look at this on?¡± Su Xue asked, annoyed.

    ¡°Nah, nah. That¡¯s too much of a hassle for this,¡± Lin Feng said, waving herints away. Then he leaned over even more, basically leaning on Su Xue, and asked, ¡°Hey, can you move your screen over a little? It''s a little hard to see right now.¡±

    ¡°Really! Are you really thatzy?¡± Su Xue eximed. But she still tilted her phone screen so that Lin Feng could see it better, and ruffled his messy hair.

    Lin Feng reached over and tilted Su Xue¡¯s phone a little more. Then he scrolled down a little until he got to the groups for the Season 5 World Championships of League of Legends. His eyes jumped across the groups, searching for the Chinese representatives. There were three of them. KG in Group A, Hand of God in Group B, and Dust in Group D.

    KG, which was the only Chinese teamposed exclusively of Chinese yers, had gotten a little bit lucky with Group A. Their real opponents were Europe¡¯s first seed¨CLegend and North America¡¯s third seed¨Csh. The final team in group A was a wildcard team, and that was the small bit of luck that KG received. Wildcard teams came from smaller regions with lesspetition, so they were considered weaker teams.

    Things were a little bit more difficult for Hand of God in Group B. The other teams in Group B were their old Korean rival Fate, the second seed from North America¨CCOG, and the second seed from Europe¨CGold.

    That said, both Group A and Group B were difficult groups to be in, and it was an uphill battle for the Chinese teams to make it through to the next round. But Group D, well, Group D was something else. If Groups A and B were considered ¡®uphill battles¡¯, winning in Group D could only rightfully be described as scaling a mountain. The Chinese team Dust had to face two of the best teams in the entire world. Both from Korea, Warrior and SSK. Between the two, SSK was the one to watch out for. They were the reigning world champions returning to defend their title.

    ¡°Oh my god. Dust! I feel so bad for those guys,¡± Su Xue sympathetically eximed. ¡°Everyone online is talking about how the Korean teams are the strongest. How unlucky! How did Dust get so terribly unlucky that they got pulled into a group with both of them?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Hm¡­ Yeah. Yeah, that¡¯s uh¡­ Yeah, that is a bit unlucky.¡±

    Since the start of Season 4, Korea was recognized as the strongest region by fans, yers, and analysts. To put it more bluntly, they had several teams who could challenge the best teams from around the world and win. The rules of the World Championships stipted that only three teams from the fourrge regions [NA, EU, CN, KR] could enter. So the three Korean teams that were ying were the best in the region. The selection process in Korea to get one of those three spots was especially bloody. The three teams that made it through were all considered title contenders at Worlds.

    What made the Korean teams so much better than the teams in the other regions? That was the natural question. The one that everyone who yed, watched, and was involved in thepetitive league scene constantly asked and considered. And it always came down to the same answer. The teams from Korea were good as a whole, but that wasn¡¯t what put them over the edge. Of the 11 yers in the Seven Kings and Four Emperors, each of the Korean teams had at least one. SSK even had an Emperor and a King. And their Emperor wasn¡¯t just any Emperor. He was The Emperor. The one that sat on the throne as Sovereign. Rake.

    Lin Feng read over the team names in Group D. When his eyesnded on the name SSK in the bracket, they paused. He clenched his fist. Rake! Just you wait. I¡¯ll climb all the way back up to where you are now! And this time? This time I¡¯ll win!

    Su Xue ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair again, making him snap back to reality, and said, ¡°Look at Group B. HoG¡¯s luck isn¡¯t that great either. Fate has an Emperor on their team. I mean, HoG has Hermes, but he¡¯s only a King. There¡¯s a huge difference between a King and an Emperor.¡± Su Xue was a huge fan of the Four Emperors and Seven Kings. Their biggest fan, in her mind. From their strengths in-game to their favourite foods to their preferred keyboards, Su Xue knew it all. She watched every interview, read every article, followed their socials.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°I dunno about all that. Maybe. Maybe not? I think it¡¯ll be a close game.¡±

    Individual talent was important. That was true of anypetitive sport, and esports were no exception. But just because one team had an Emperor and the other team only had a King, that wasn¡¯t particrly decisive. At this level of y, an Emperor could not hard-carry a team to victory. It wasn¡¯t a matchup between an Emperor and a King. It was a match between two teams. If a team wanted to win on the world stage, at the highest level ofpetitive gaming, team synergy was far more important than individual skill or having one great yer.

    A simr matchup urred during the Season 5 Mid-Season Invitational, and was the best example of this. It was Hand of God against Fate in a best of five series. The two teams yed against each other in three games where Hand of God won two and lost once. The tense fourth game would decide if Fate would mount aeback or if Hand of God would be the victor. Hand of God¡¯s miner, Daybreak Hermes was one of the Seven Kings. Fate¡¯s miner Moon was one of the Four Emperors. It was a head-to-head between an Emperor and a King in mine! Hermes¡¯ impressive performance with Orianna proved that he was worthy of his Crown. He kept Moon¡¯s Viktor at bay long enough for the rest of his team to get to the mid-game phase rtively unobstructed. This allowed Hand of God an advantage, a small one, which they used and pushed into thete-game phase until they ultimately destroyed the enemy nexus.

    The Chinese fans went wild over this victory. They spammed Hermes for days and talked about the series for weeks. The legendary match was known as the ¡°Battle of the Star and Moon Emperor¡±. Star Emperor was the nickname Chinese fans had given Hermes. Winning the MSI series didn¡¯t actually make him an Emperor. Fate¡¯s Moon, on the other hand, was a real Emperor and ranked 3rd out of the 4. The Mid-Season Invitational where HoG had triumphed over Fate was the first time that a team with a King had beaten a team with an Emperor. It also shattered the myth that the 4 Emperors were undefeatable and gave all of the yers in China hope.

    Su Xue rubbed her chin. ¡°Hmm, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    Lin Feng continued, ¡°Besides, HoG ising into Worlds after beating Fate in the MSI. That¡¯s bound to put some pressure on Fate.¡±

    Su Xue looked up at Lin Feng with a hint of surprise, ¡°Oh, that actually sounds kinda logical. You know a lot about this stuff, huh?¡±

    Lin Feng squared his shoulders, puffed up his chest and thumped it. ¡°I¡¯m really good at being an analyst too!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s nonchnt bragging washed away the surprise and admiration Su Xue had felt a moment ago. She pursed her lips for a second and then shoved her phone into Lin Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Alright then Mr. Smartypants Analyst! Take a look at Group A and analyze that for me!¡±

    ¡°Group A? Hmm¡­ okay. Group A, huh?¡± Lin Feng looked at the teams in Group A. Then he took a quick look at the other groups and considered it for a second. ¡°Alright. Hm¡­ I¡¯m going to say Group A and Group B are about the same.¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, perplexed. ¡°No way, right? Look at Group A! Those are all second rate teams, and none of them have a single Korean! That North American team is basically the same as a wildcard team. And the wildcard team is a wildcard team! They¡¯re both easy wins! The European team, that one isn¡¯t bad. Actually, maybe they¡¯re even a little good. But that doesn¡¯t really matter. They don¡¯t even have any Koreans either!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Nah, nah. Don¡¯t look at it like that. You can¡¯t underestimate North America and Europe. They aren¡¯t weak. And they¡¯re really not all that far behindpared to Korea¡­¡± Lin Feng shook his head again. ¡°Besides... you really shouldn¡¯t look down on the wildcard teams either. They can be really strong! No one pays attention to them, right? So you never know when a dark horse will show up.¡±

    Few yers remembered this, especially in the current Korean-dominated scene, but way back in Season 1 neither China nor Korea were big names in thepetitive circuit for League of Legends. The early days ofpetitive League of Legends were dominated by North America and Europe. In the Season 1 World Championships, both China and Korea received a single wildcard slot while North America and Europe got three tickets for a final roster of eight teams.

    Reading the team names and recognizing some of them made Lin Feng reminisce on the past. On the Season 1 World Championship. Memories flooded his mind, flipping open like the pages of an old book. The good times. And the bad times. Memories of both joy and pain.

    The Chinese League of Legends yer base was still small back then. Lin Feng yed for the best Chinese team in those days. They even qualified to represent China at the World Championships! The Chinese fans and yers all supported them, cheered them on. There were even some who bought ne tickets and flew across the world to watch them y at Worlds!

    The Season 1 World Championship was nothing like the grand events Riot held nowadays. Back then, the event took ce in a small convention center in London. The stands weren¡¯t packed full of cheering fans. The stage didn¡¯t have fancy lights. There were no insane disys for the people watching or showmanship. There were only two rows of fiveputers set side by side. It looked exactly like the small local tournaments held in most inte cafes. The scale of the event was small. The rules weren¡¯t all that strict either, nor were they heavily enforced. Lin Feng didn¡¯t meet the minimum age requirement of 16, but the event organizers and officialspromised and allowed him topete.

    At the Season 1 World Championship, Lin Feng stood on the stage that nearly every person who yed League of Legends dreamed of standing on. He got to y against the strongest teams in the entire world. Even now, yearster, his memories of those European and North American teams remained crystal clear. One European team was particrly difficult to forget about. He yed a best of 5 series against them that was etched into his mind. It was one of the hardest series he¡¯d ever yed. One he¡¯d almost lost. But also the one that saw his team go through to the semifinals. The European team¡¯s miner had left a deep impression on him!

    Many people felt that League of Legends had changed significantly since those ancient times back in Season 1. They believed that the World Championships back then were an inconsequential event, and that the yers whopeted back in Season 1 were nothingpared to the professionalpetitive gamers of today.

    But Lin Feng knew they werepletely wrong. They had no idea how wrong they were. Not like him. Phoenix, the European miner, the one who¡¯d given him some of the most trouble in all his time ying League, still yedpetitively to this day. And at the very highest level! Phoenix was one of the Four Emperors, and the only European in their ranks!

 Chapter 63: The Unrivalled Ten | Views: 7063

    Very few yers still remembered the early days of League of Legends. The days before it turned into a world-wide sensation. Even in those days though, there was a group of professional yers who were better than anyone else; the Unrivalled Ten. But that title, that group, had long since lost all meaning. People that were into League today wouldn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass if someone talked about the Unrivalled Ten from back then. If anyone bothered to even engage with that now, they¡¯d say that ¡°Unrivalled Ten¡± didn¡¯t mean anything since there were probably only ten professional yers back then. There really weren¡¯t many yers back then, and being the best of that small group just didn¡¯t mean much. The argument had an internally consistent logic to it, andmon sense validated its truth. Then they¡¯d go on to talk about how much thepetitive scene had changed since the Season 1 days. If you happened to be having this debate with someone who was into both webnovels and League of Legends, then they might add some profoundly douche-adjacent vor to the argument like, ¡°Monkeys proiming themselves Kings on a mountain with no tiger.¡± Or even exim that, ¡°those early pros were nothing more than big fish in a small pond!¡±

    Lin Feng knew guys like that. Guys who thought they were 200IQ every time League was brought up, believing that they knew everything about the old days just from a few highlight clips and what they¡¯d heard about the yers back then. Lin Feng belonged to the small group of yers who knew how wrong those guys were, who understood how misguided this belief was. It goes without saying that a lot of the professional yers from Season 1 no longer yedpetitively or had quit League of Legendspletely. But there were also a few who continued to y at the highest level. The most important thing to know, though, was that six yers from the Unrivalled Ten still continued to y League of Legends. Four of them ranked among the Seven Kings and Four Emperors. The most famous ones were the miners Rake and Phoenix, who ranked first and third in the Unrivalled Ten. They stillpeted in every big event, and they were both in the Four Emperors. The other two were part of the Seven Kings, one being from Europe and the other one from North America. They weren¡¯t just celebrities in the esports world, they were Gods. Everyone who knew even the tiniest bit about thepetitive scene knew their names, and even people outside esports knew of them.

    Thinking about the Unrivalled Ten reminded Lin Feng about his old team, and he thought about them while scratching the back of his head. His old team had some amazing yers now that he thought about it. One of them was Fatty, who was given the loving nickname of ¡°God Roundy¡± by his fans. He ranked 13th, just outside of the Unrivalled Ten. Then there was the support who made it onto the Unrivalled Ten list in tenth ce. Finally there was Lin Feng himself. Until the finals of the Season 1 World Championships, he shared the number one position with SSK¡¯s Rake.

    ?

    Now that the teams and groups for the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships were announced, people started counting down the days until it started. The excitement andpetitive spirit of the event was infectious, and many Chinese yers caught the bug. They tried climbing the rankeddder to show their friends how high they could get before the season ended. Of course, there were also those who were more interested in the spectator side of esports. They didn¡¯t really care all that much about ying ranked games or climbing. Instead, they spent every minute of their free time on Huya, memeing around in chat or getting into intense debates as they watched their favourite streamers climb up or down the rankeddder.

    This also led to a massive influx of new viewers on HuyaTV. Everyone wanted to get in on the fun. Su Xue was one of the many streamers whose viewer count skyrocketed as Worlds approached. It wasn¡¯t all sunshine and roses though. Getting a bunch of new viewers during a temporary surge wasn¡¯t worth much. Retaining them, converting them into permanent viewers required a lot of effort. Su Xue worked a lot harder than the majority of the other streamers. She was willing to grind, build up her viewership, instead of treating it as a casual hobby. But she was getting run down trying to entertain all of these new viewers while still keeping her old ones. Before the surge, she¡¯d start her stream in the afternoon and end around 1 or 2 AM. But all the new people jumping on wanted more, they wanted her to stream more than the 10 hours she¡¯d been doing. Every time she announced that the stream was going to end soon at 1 AM, they¡¯d plead with her to stay longer. Some even started demanding that she continue longer.

    ¡¸Nooooo! Don¡¯t goooo!¡¹

    ¡¸One more game! Pplssssss pls pls pls one more game!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸how about an inhouse?¡¹

    Su Xue didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse such passionate appeals from her viewers. But her eyes refused to stay open. She nodded off in the middle of a game. So she ordered delivery at a 24-hour shop and gobbled down the food for some extra energy. Then it was back to ying until the clock finally hit 3 AM. She could barely keep her eyes open. When the game ended, she stretched her back against the seat and yawned, ¡°That¡¯s it, guys. It¡¯s 3 AM. Ima sleep.¡±

    ¡¸sleep is for the weak!¡¹

    ¡¸you already up till 3, what¡¯s another few hours! Come on, keep going!¡¹

    ¡¸The sun will rise soon, my beautiful Su Xue. Shall we watch it together?¡¹¡¸The rays of dawn will make you radiant¡¹¡¸Dawn is special...¡¹¡¸Its the time when all that¡¯s best of dark and bright¡¹¡¸meet in your aspect, in your eyes¡¹¡¸mellowed in that tender light¡¹¡¸On that cheek¡­. Over that brow¡¹

    ¡¸....¡¹

    ¡¸that guy ^ ¡­ wtf?!?!?!?!?! Goin in too hard¡¹

    ¡¸HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH¡¹

    ¡¸This guy forreal?¡¹

    ¡¸two more games and i¡¯ll send you a gift¡¹

    By the time 4 AM rolled around, Su Xue was teetering on the edge, on the verge of mental copse. She flopped forward over her desk and begged her viewers, ¡°AAHHHHH! Please guys, let me sleeeeep! I don¡¯t care about the gifts anymore¡­ stop sending them. I¡¯m so tired! Wahhhhh!¡±

    ¡¸no sleep, only leagueeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¹

    ¡¸the true pros sleep in queue! Iv seen it!¡¹

    ¡¸Ye! DO THAT! WE¡¯ll wake you when queue pops!!!¡¹

    Despite theck of sleep, Su Xue couldn¡¯t be any happier. It wasn¡¯t too long ago that she quit her old job to be a League of Legends streamer. The first few weeks were the hardest. She didn¡¯t really make any money and couldn¡¯t even afford to pay her rent anymore. But the past few days had changed all of that. All her grinding was starting to pay off. After putting in many, many hours of work to bring her viewers entertainment, she consistently hit 800 viewers in every stream. There were even times when she peaked as high as 1,600 viewers!

    ?

    ¡°Oh? Sho, ur shtream ish doin pre¡¯ey goo¡ª?¡± Lin Feng asked, shovelling the food from his bowl into his mouth.

    ¡°Yeaaahhh¡­ But I¡¯m dying!¡± Su Xue suddenly grabbed Lin Feng by his arms and forced him to look at her exhausted face. ¡°Look at these bags under my eyes! The dark circles are getting so dark that makeup can¡¯t hide them anymore! Lin Feng, you gotta help me! I¡¯m going to start getting wrinkles! Listen¡­ maybe five hours. I haven¡¯t gotten more than five hours of sleep a night in the past few days¡­ I can¡¯t keep this up!¡±

    ¡°Eh? How am I supposed to help you?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Take over the stream for a bit! Please?¡± Su Xue immediately replied. Then she stared at him with what she thought were sad puppy dog eyes. They looked more like sad roon eyes at this point though. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a bit of free time every night after you finish your homework? It¡¯s just for a bit! I just want a small nap, and I¡¯ll take back over at midnight!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Hm¡­ I dunno¡­ I don¡¯t really think I want to be a streamer and¡­ there¡¯s nothing really in it for me.¡± Lin Feng looked troubled.

    Su Xue bit her lips. She knew what had to be done. ¡°I¡¯ll make you one extra dish every night!¡±

    Lin Feng stuck out two fingers. ¡°Two!¡±

    Su Xue red at him. ¡°One! Take it or leave it!¡±

    ¡°Done!¡± Lin Feng agreed and put his hand out to shake on the deal. After they shook hands, Lin Feng thought it over again. He was too hasty. He realized that he probably could¡¯ve gotten more out of her if he¡¯d haggled better. His negotiation skills needed improvement. Tang Bingyao does this all the time! He¡¯d go to Tang Bingyaoter and ask her to teach him. Also. Now that he was thinking about Tang Bingyao, there was something strange happening with their duo sessions at the NetCow Cafe these days. A few uninvited guests kept tagging along.

    ?

    ¡°Come on, Lin Feng bro! Let¡¯s do a 5-man!¡± Ouyang called out, sticking his head out from behind theputer the next row over. ¡°We have exactly five people too! Think about it! Is there anything more awesome than ying a game with all your friends at an inte cafe?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m duoing with Tang Tang. She has to fulfill her orders,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Tang Bingyao nodded in affirmation.

    ¡°Orders? Hot diggity-dawg! Tang Tang, you boost people?!¡± Ouyang asked.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and sighed in admiration. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so good. A professional ELO booster, hm¡­?¡±

    Ren Rou nced at Yang Fan. ¡°Putting the chicken before the egg there, buddy. She¡¯s a booster because she¡¯s so good. That¡¯s why she gets orders.¡±

    Yang Fan shrugged. ¡°Sure. But boosting ounts probably helps you get better.¡±

    ¡°That depends on what kind of ounts you¡¯re boosting and to what rank.¡± Ren Rou looked over at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°What are your orders usually like?¡±

    ¡°tinum and Diamond for the most part,¡± Tang Bingyao replied. But her voice had a slight tinge of regret as she replied. The higher the rank, the more money she made. She really wanted to take orders to boost up to Diamond 1. Maybe even Master. But when she brought it up to Lin Feng, he refused to help. The conversation went something like this: ¡°Can we take Diamond 1 orders?¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ huh? No!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re not good enough.¡± ¡°But you are. Can¡¯t you carry me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I am and I could. But I charge a fee for that.¡±

    Just the thought of having to pay Lin Feng was enough for Tang Bingyao to drop the subject. She¡¯d have to get better if she wanted to take on higher-paying orders. Then she wouldn¡¯t have to rely on Lin Feng and she could keep all the money!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s thoughts drifted back to the esports club tryouts. The team had dly epted her as their main ad-carry after her ster performance against Luo Tianming. As for Lin Feng, he became the club¡¯s secret weapon. After Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Yang Fan had recovered from the initial shock, they quickly came up with a n. They decided to spread a rumour that Lin Feng had just gotten lucky during tryouts and that he was a Lenc one-trick pony. They also added that Luo Tianming wasn¡¯t all that good. They said everything they could to convince the crowd of first years and anyone else who¡¯d seen the game that Lin Feng wasn¡¯t nearly as good as he looked during that game. For now, they wanted to keep his skills and identity under a tight heavy lid.

    ¡°We gotta keep this on the downlow! And we gotta make sure to keep telling people that Luo Tianming is a shithead, it''s for the sake of confidentiality!¡± Ouyang said.

    Ren Rou and Yang Fan agreed with Ouyang. News of a Challenger appearing in their esports club would spread like wildfire without some damage control.

    ¡°In thest Shanghai 16 School Tournament, our strategies got leaked and our opponent crushed us. We were out before the first round even ended,¡± Yang Fan exined. ¡°Weter learned that one of our members had a big mouth and talked about what we were nning to his friend. That friend? He was a spy! Our first opponent sent him in to gather information!¡±[1]

    ¡°Wow! So extreme! Sounds like something straight out of a spy movie!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Tang Bingyao nodded in agreement.

    ¡°We might be going a bit overboard, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful, especially afterst year,¡± Ren Rou said. She clenched her fists. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely get our revenge this year!¡±

    1. <strong>Editor Note:</strong> I would google ¡°Taric Roam and Bruiser Middle Leak TSM DIG CLG¡±, since this seems inspired by an event that happened in League history.

 Chapter 64: Is It That hard? | Views: 7063

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was incredibly important to the high school esports clubs in Shanghai. There were three reasons for this. First, this was the only official sanctioned League of Legends high school esports tournament in all of Shanghai. Some schools organized smaller events, like the Haiwan 4 School Tournament or the Pudong 8 School Cup, but those were local events for friendlypetition. The 16 School Tournament was an entirely different sort of event. It wasparable to the national University tournaments in terms of scale and production value. The venue was huge! It had plenty of room for fans toe and watch, and the gaming equipment was of the highest quality. This was the stage topete on for the high school students in Shanghai. It was a real professional tournament, nothing like their locally organized events. Victory on this stage also held meaning. Winning meant everything from further opportunities to team rewards. There was also the moment when they¡¯d hoist a trophy up in front of hundreds of screaming fans. A trophy which would be the most valuable treasure in their club¡¯s cab.

    The second reason the different esports clubs put such importance on this 16 School Tournament was the prize money. The Shanghai Division of the Chinese Esports Association was the organizer for this tournament, and they sponsored a huge cash prize that would go to the teams who made it to the semifinals and finals. First ce would earn a whopping £¤80,000. Even the fourth ce prize was nothing to sneeze at, a respectable £¤20,000. On top of that, there was also the individual MVP award with a prize of £¤20,000 attached to it.

    The third and final reason was that this tournament was the stage for any young yer who dreamed of making it to the professionalpetitive circuit to showcase their skills. This was the tournament where they could get scouted. The tournament organizers invited famous professional analysts, yers, and coaches to make guest appearances asmentators. Justst year, one of the members of the winning team had caught the eye of a top LSPL team¡¯s coach.[1] That yer was now part of that coach¡¯s second team and a real professional gamer! This was THE dream for countless high school students in Shanghai.

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was the first step on the path to glory. If they got scouted by an LSPL coach or yer, an LSPL team might pick them up. From there, they could qualify for the LPL. Once they made it into the LPL, the World Championships were only a step away. That¡¯s where they could fight on the highest stage in the world, ying at the highest level, millions of fans cheering them on. To fight for the highest glory and take home the biggest trophy, this was the dream of every avid League of Legends yer!

    The funny thing was the name of the tournament was a bit of a misnomer. It had grown considerably since its inception. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament currently had far more than 16 schools participating. There were roughly 200 high schools in Shanghai, and 70 of them participated in the 16 School Tournament. The sheer number of schools and teams required the introduction of a qualification series before the official tournament could begin. During the qualifiers, teams from the 70 participating schools would duke it out to earn one of the coveted 16 spots in the official tournament.

    ¡°So. What you¡¯re saying is that we didn¡¯t even make it out of the qualifiersst year?¡± Lin Feng asked, eyes wide in shock.

    Ouyang awkwardly coughed. ¡°Well¡­ if you really wanted to be technical about it, yeah bro¡­ you could say that.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°There is no other way to put it, Ouyang. It''s not a technicality. Correct, we were knocked out in the first round of the qualifiers.¡±

    The first round of the qualifiers for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was a group stage between four teams. The top two from each group would move on to the next round and the losers would go home. Last year, High School 13 only had one win and did not make it through the first round of the qualifiers.

    ¡°BRO! I know! Okay. I know. But it¡¯s still embarrassing to admit!¡± Ouyang said.

    Ren Rou patted Ouyang on the shoulder. ¡°It wasn¡¯t entirely our fault. I mean, we got really unlucky in the draws. Our group was basically impossible. First we had to y against those jackasses who sent a spy to steal our strategy. We lost that game before it even started. And the second match was even worse. We had to y against the team who went on to ce 2nd in the main tournament. We had no chance against them.¡±

    Yang Fan nodded and sighed with aplicated look on his face. ¡°Yes. I suppose that¡¯s just how the cookie crumbles. Those guys from Shanghai International were absurdly good.¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah! We had shitty luck! That¡¯s why it''s a technicality! I read something online about something called the return of Mars causing shitty luck. That¡¯s what probably happened. If Mars didn¡¯t return and our luck was better, we¡¯d have been in the main tournament!¡± Ouyang eximed. He then shot out of his seat, zing with fighting spirit. ¡°With you and Tang Tang joining us, it won''t matter if Mars, Venus, or even Neptune returns! We¡¯ll wash away the stink fromst year¡¯s disgrace! This year, we¡¯ll get that trophy! I can already taste it in my mouth, before I even kiss it!¡±

    ¡°How good werest year¡¯s champions?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    Ouyang froze. Tang Bingyao¡¯s question stole all the thunder and bravado he had moments ago.

    Ren Rou shot Ouyang a disdainful re before turning back to Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao. She took a deep breath and then started exining the League of Legends scene in Shanghai. Specifically the high school esports club scene.

    Shanghai was known for being the heart of China¡¯s esports scene. Most of the professional teams in the LPL and LSPL had set the city as their base of operations. Riot Games had even held a League of Legends All Star event in Shanghai. The city¡¯spetitive environment allowed the high school esports clubs to evolve until they were better than anywhere else in China. The teams who managed to qualify for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament reflected that evolution.

    ¡°So, for example, Shanghai International had a Challenger and Master on their team. Their weakest yer was Diamond 2,¡± Ren Rou exined. ¡°Even with a stacked team like that, they only got second ce. The champion was Shanghai High School. They had two Diamond 1s, two Masters, and a Challenger. Their best yer is called Tiny Teacup. I heard he climbed all the way to the top 10 on Ionia. He¡¯s a prodigy at the game...¡±

    Yang Fan nodded and sighed. ¡°Comparison really is the thief of joy.¡±

    ¡°Then what about our team?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Ren Rou¡¯s expression turned awkward. ¡°Well. That. Look, it''s obvious that we¡¯re nowhere near Shanghai International or Shanghai High School.¡±

    Ren Rou found it difficult to admit but High School 13 and the top schools in Shanghai were simply on different levels. They were so far apart you couldn¡¯t evenpare the two. Before Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao joined the team, the average skill level of High School 13 was low tinum. Yang Fan was currently their best yer. It wasn¡¯t always like this. They used to have several Diamond rank yers, but those guys either graduated or quit the esports club to focus on their studies. Only the weaker yers like Ouyang and Yang Fan stuck around, refusing to let go of their dream of winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament.

    ¡°So how are we going to win?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, intense as always.

    Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou looked at each other, but none of them opened their mouths. Although the tryouts a few days ago were a massive sess and they¡¯d recruited several promising yers, they needed a lot more than that to beat the likes of Shanghai International or Shanghai High School.

    ¡°I think even getting into the Top 8 will be hard,¡± Tang Bingyao said.

    Ren Rou sighed. ¡°All we can do is try our best. I don¡¯t want to leave any regrets behind.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Ouyang gnashed his teeth. ¡°That isn¡¯t enough! I won¡¯t settle for just doing our best. This is our final year! Screw the Top 8, we have to get into the Top 4! At the lowest! I want to leave something behind for the club. Something they can be proud of!¡±

    Yang Fan shook his head. His eyes betrayed the sadness he felt inside. ¡°I understand how you feel. I feel it too, Ouyang. But statistically speaking, Top 4 is impossible. It¡¯s so far away that you cannot even consider it a pipedream. We¡¯ll never get that far.¡±

    Lin Feng listened to the exchange with a puzzled expression. ¡°Is it that hard?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re amazing Lin Feng. But even if you¡¯re a Challenger, the rest of the team can¡¯t keep up with you. And we can¡¯t count on you to hard carry us to the Top 4, can we?¡± Ren Rou said.

    Ouyang and Yang Fan nodded. The euphoria of finding out Lin Feng was an actual Challenger had clouded their judgement. Reality was kicking back in. At the end of the day, their team consisted of a Challenger, a Diamond, and then some random low rank yers. If they got lucky, they might possibly make it to the quarter finals. But anything more was just wishful thinking. League of Legends was a team game. They didn¡¯t have a team. They had two talented individuals. Nothing more.

    In the background, the sound of other customers at the inte cafe chatting could be heard. But Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou kept quiet. Their expressions were sombre as they stared at their hands. Lin Feng rubbed his chin, looking at his three friends, then suddenly broke the silence. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too hard!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to offend you here or sound like I doubt how good you are. I know you¡¯re a great yer. But if you think about it for a second you will understand. Think about it and tell me what it is you can do? You¡¯re a Challenger. A tinum yer like myself would end up dragging you down once we get deep into the tournament.¡± Yang Fan sighed. ¡°You know¡­ I would really like to have the skills of a Master or Challenger and help out the club, but I don¡¯t. I¡¯m a tinum yer. There¡¯s nothing I can do to change that fact.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not good enough, just get better!¡± Lin Feng said as a matter-of-factly. Then he swept his gaze over Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou. ¡°I can help you guyse up with a training n!¡± Feeling as though that didn¡¯t sound convincing enough, he pounded his chest. ¡°I¡¯m really good at coaching too, you know! Isn¡¯t that right Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao slightly tilted her head. Then, thinking seriously for a moment, she nodded. ¡°Mhm.¡±

    Yang Fan, Ouyang, and Ren Rou stared at Lin Feng, dumbfounded. A training n? Coach Lin Feng?

    1. The LSPL is the League of Legends Secondary Professional League with the LPL serving as the main professional league in China.

 Chapter 65: You Wonâ€™t Know if You Donâ€™t Try | Views: 7462

    Ren Rou was President of the high school esports club. She handled the logistics and day-to-day operations of the club, making sure that everything was in order. But when it came to actually ying League of Legends, that¡¯s where she took a step back. Not because she hated ying the game or anything like that. She loved ying League! It was more that she wasn¡¯t very good at it, definitely not good enough to represent the team well. She¡¯d been hardstuck in Silver for more than a year. Sure, she could have pushed herself onto the team if she wanted to. She was the President. But she wanted the esports club to seed, and her ying the game would not aplish that. So she helped out as best as she could, taking care of the other things so that all of the other people in the club who loved the game just as much as her could keep ying on the team and keep fighting for glory.

    Ouyang found himself on the same boat as Ren Rou. He loved League of Legends, he was all about gamer culture, and he loved the esports club. There was nothing that made him happier. But he also never made it onto the main team because he was never one of the best yers in the club. His Gold 3 rank ced him solidly in the middle of the pack within the club. The role that he took on was simr to Ren Rou¡¯s, where he assisted the club in administrative ways. It also gave him the opportunity to keep ying the game he loved with other members of the club.

    Yang Fan was a little different from the others. He did have administrative duties within the club, but he also made it onto the main team. He was a tinum yer, and participated in the qualifiers for the 16 School Tournamentst year.

    ¡°We have to take part in the training too?¡± Ouyang asked in surprise. He figured that Lin Feng would devote his time to people who would be representing the club at the tournament, and that he wouldn¡¯t be included at all.

    Ren Rou was simrly startled. She pointed at herself and asked, ¡°Even me?¡±

    ¡°Correct!¡± Lin Feng said. Then he jabbed his finger on his chest and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge of your training n!¡±

    Yang Fan looked at Lin Feng, hesitant. ¡°The tournament starts in a couple of weeks. Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re a little bitte with this?¡± He trusted that Lin Feng really was a Challenger and he understood that being trained by a Challenger was sure to see their skill improve by leaps and bounds. The issue, the one that worried him, was about the time constraints. Or to put it more bluntly, he simply didn¡¯t see how Lin Feng could turn them into contenders for the 16 School Tournament. He definitely didn¡¯t see how Lin Feng could get them to the point where they¡¯d be in the Top 4 in a little more than half a month.

    ¡°I can get you to Diamond! No problem-o!¡± Lin Feng said. Then he pounded his chest and added, ¡°Trust me! I already have coaching experience!¡±

    Lin Feng really did have experience coaching. He¡¯d recently taken two students under his wings and they were both performing phenomenally after receiving his guidance. The first was Tang Bingyao. She¡¯d been ying with him at the NetCow Cafe, and gone from Diamond 4 to the point where she could hold her own against yers who were Diamond 1. Then there was Su Xue. She was struggling in Gold when he first met her. Then she spent some time ying and learning from him. Now? She¡¯d spent thest two days climbing from Gold to tinum 5. And she was still ying phenomenal games. She could get even higher!

    Ouyang stared at Lin Feng in disbelief. ¡°Two weeks to reach Diamond¡­? WHAT? OKAY! Alright. Hold on for a second, pump the brakes. BRO! You tellin¡¯ me your n is to boost our ounts? What¡¯s that going to do? WE STILL HAVE TO P-L-A-Y AT THE TOURNAMENT!¡±

    Yang Fan was still skeptical. He adjusted his sses and argued, ¡°Lin Feng, I know my level. I know my skill. I¡¯m realistic and pragmatic. There is no conceivable way¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna hear it!¡± Lin Feng cut him off. ¡°All I want to know is if you trust me. Do you?¡± He looked over at the three of them, just standing there in silence. ¡°Do you trust me, Princesses?¡± He waited for a couple of seconds, and then the corners of his mouth started twitching. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take a magic carpet ride with me? See a whole new world?¡±

    Ren Rou and Yang Fan stared at him.

    Lin Feng giggled and said, ¡°Sorry, sorry, so sorry. The joke was just there, I had to make it! But let''s be serious about this.¡± He giggled again, andposed himself. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys want to take home the trophy?¡±

    Ouyang stammered. ¡°O-of course we want to! bu¡ª¡±

    ¡°Good! That¡¯s all I needed to hear.¡± Lin Feng pumped his fist in triumph, then continued in a more serious tone, ¡°Now, I don¡¯t want to hear any more what-ifs. Don¡¯t tell me something is impossible if you haven¡¯t even tried it! You don¡¯t know if it is impossible unless you try it and give it your all. So let¡¯s do that!. Let¡¯s give it our all!¡±

    It was the same mantra that Lin Feng kept on repeating. If it wasn¡¯t something amazing and worth achieving, could it really be called a dream? Dreams were meant to be giant! They had to be huge! They had to be so big that they set your soul on fire when you thought about them! It didn¡¯t matter if you tripped. It didn¡¯t matter if you had to take a step back. It didn¡¯t matter if you failed once. Or twice. Or three times. All that mattered was that you never gave up, that you kept on trying no matter what! As long as you kept on the path, kept travelling through the journey, all of it would be worth it in the end.

    ¡°Haha! At the very least you guys will look cool!¡± Lin Feng cheered on. ¡°Give it your all! NO REGRETS! FORRRRRR DEMMMAAAAACCCCCIIIIAAAA!¡±

    Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou felt Lin Feng¡¯s infectious passion and determination zing through them. All three of them had dreams they¡¯d given up on, regrets they nursed, and things about themselves that they wished they could change. But they never believed they could. Somewhere along the way, they¡¯d given up. They still talked about their dreams, still had those dreams, but they¡¯d stopped chasing after them.

    Yang Fan remembered the qualifiers fromst year. How helpless and frustrated he felt as his team was losing, how he could do nothing to change that. How nothing he did was enough back then. How he wasn¡¯t enough back then.

    Ouyang also knew that gnawing pain. He was a founding member of the club, but his mediocre skills had him sitting in the bleachers. He was a background character in the story of the club that he helped to create. Even though he was all smiles on the surface, behind all that enthusiasm was an intense desire to stand in the spotlight and raise the team on his shoulders.

    Ouyang gnashed his teeth. ¡°Dammit! Lin Feng is right! How will we know if we don¡¯t try? We gotta try! Lin Feng bro, this is cringe. But I¡¯m feelin¡¯ it! FOOORRRRRRRRRR DEEEEEMMMMAAAACCCIIIAAA!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He still appeared calm, but his face radiated unbending determination. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re not going to end this with regret! I am not going to shout Garen¡¯s battle cry though. I¡¯m with you. But I am not doing that.¡±

    Ouyang and Yang Fan turned to each other. They read the same resolve in each other¡¯s eyes. A quick nod. An unspoken understanding between two best friends. They cried out in unison¡ª¡°We¡¯ll do it!¡±¡°DEEEMMMMAAAACCCIIIAAAA!¡±

    Lin Feng turned to Ren Rou, who rubbed her temples in frustration before gritting her teeth. ¡°Fine! What''s there to be afraid of? I¡¯m your president anyway. I might as well keep you guys somepany.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Lin Feng smiled. ¡°Then that¡¯s settled. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really good at coaching!¡±

    ?

    After leaving the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked home in the same direction. Tang Bingyao looked down at the pavement, counting the bricks before putting her foot down on them. Suddenly, she asked, ¡°Do you really think you can do it? You know, helping the club win the trophy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, hm. That. Well, I guess¨Chaha.¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, then smiled. ¡°No. Not at all.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked up at Lin Feng. ¡°Then what you said before¡­¡± she said, puzzled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how things will turn out. But it¡¯s because I don¡¯t know how things will turn out that makes the future interesting!¡± Lin Feng replied. He raised his fist into the air. ¡°IT¡¯S A DREAM! That¡¯s enough! All we can do is try, and maybe one day we¡¯ll achieve it!¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s your dream?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be the best professional League of Legends yer in the world!¡± Lin Feng replied without the slightest hesitation.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She then lowered her head back down and continued counting the bricks she passed.

    They walked on in silence for a while until Lin Feng turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Tang Tang, what¡¯s your dream?¡±

    Tang Bingyao seriously considered the question before ultimately shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±

    ¡°Really? How can you not have a dream?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Lin Feng solemnly reflected on her answer, then suddenly halted his steps. He pped his thigh and shouted, ¡°I know!¡±

    Tang Bingyao also stopped when she heard Lin Feng shout out behind her. She turned around to look at the young man, slightly tilting her head.

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a dream, I¡¯ll lend you mine! At least until you¡¯ve found one for yourself. No need to thank me!¡± Lin Feng said with a bright smile.

    Tang Bingyao quietly thought about Lin Feng¡¯s words for a minute. Then she shook her head. ¡°How can you lend me your dream?¡±

    Lin Feng dismissed the questionpletely, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t even think about it. I¡¯m lending it to you, and that¡¯s that. No need to give it back!¡±

    ¡°How can there be two best pros in the world?¡±

    ¡°Easy. You can be the world¡¯s best ad-carry!¡±

    ¡°What a boring dream¡­¡±

    ¡°Just give it a try. Who knows, you might end up liking it!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know unless you try!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, Tang Tan¡ª¡±

    ¡°The answer is still no.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I haven¡¯t even asked anything yet!¡± Lin Fengined.

    Tang Bingyao started walking again. She didn¡¯t look back at Lin Feng as she said, ¡°I won¡¯t join your team.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, how did you know I was gonna ask that¡­?¡± Lin Feng asked, dejected. But he quickly returned to his cheerful self as he caught up to her. ¡°That¡¯s okay too. I never give up! You¡¯ll be my team¡¯s ad-carry!¡±

 Chapter 66: High Rank Games | Views: 7462

    Coach Lin Feng was ready! But he wouldn¡¯t just be training a few people in the club who also happened to be his friends. Absolutely not! The esports club had to be stronger. That was the only way to fight through the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. There¡¯d be a lot more people grumbling in Coach Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp. Not just Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou. For starters, Tang Bingyao needed to show up too. She was the main ad-carry of the esports club and as ad-carry she needed to be strong enough to carry. She¡¯d already yed a ton with Lin Feng, and had fought her way to Diamond 1. But that was far from enough. Odds were that they would face far stronger opponents in the uing 16 School Tournament, and it was up to Coach Lin Feng to make sure she¡¯d be ready. There was no way he¡¯d be letting her ck off!

    ¡°That¡¯s why you need to train too!¡± Lin Feng stated.

    Tang Bingyao nodded. She¡¯d been a part of ¡®Coach Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp¡¯ for a while now, before it was even called that. She knew the drill.

    Beyond Tang Bingyao, the other members of the main team would be attending the Legends Bootcamp. Including the substitute yers. There was, however, one minor issue with that n. The list of yers. Ren Rou hadn¡¯t had time to finalize the list with all the new people from the tryouts the esports club had just held. That would take her another day or two.

    ¡°Just leave it to me!¡± Ren Rou said, reassuring them that it would be handled as quickly as possible.

    ¡°I can help!¡± Ouyang eximed. He was riding the wave of euphoria now that it looked like things would turn around for his esports club, and wanted to volunteer and help out as much as possible.

    Ren Rou shot Ouyang a mean re. ¡°You, help? Please. Actually? You can help. How about you help me by not starting any more problems or causing trouble? Oh! And you¡¯d better be taking training seriously! If I so much as hear a whisper about you cking or goofing off, I swear...¡±

    Ouyang scratched his hair, looking sheepish at her response. He did have a minor gift for making any situation bad or taking a bad situation and making it worse, he knew that. But he couldn¡¯t help himself right now! He hadn¡¯t felt this good in a long time, he was all fired up! ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, dearest Rou Rou! I¡¯m not just going to give it everything that I¡¯ve got! NO WAY! You just keep-on-keepin¡¯ and watch me! I¡¯m going to surpass my limits! I¡¯m gonna stake a im on my spot on the team!¡±

    There was another minor issue that Ren Rou, Yang Fan, and Ouyang needed to consider. Lin Feng had dubbed himself ¡°Coach¡± Lin Feng once he decided that he¡¯d be training them. The three of them were more than willing to let Lin Feng help them get better. But they knew Lin Feng. The other members of the main team and their substitutes, they did not know him. So the three had to consider if they¡¯d even ept Lin Feng as their coach and train with him. Then they dismissed the concernpletely from their minds. When the list was finalized in two days, they would inform the team of Lin Feng¡¯s true skill level. Between the godly Lenc ys that Lin Feng had shown off the other day and the title of Challenger, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone who objected to him. Even Diamond and Master would fall in line.

    ?

    These days, Lin Feng¡¯s normally chill schedule had be way more packed. School started early in the morning and that took up most of his day. The afternoons were dedicated to his bootcamp, where he was training the esports club team. Then he¡¯d rush home for dinner, and quickly finish up his homework after that. The next thing was helping Su Xue out by filling in for her on her stream while she napped. That¡¯s when he¡¯d finally be done with everything and go to bed.

    ¡°EAT! Come on,e on¨CHurry it up! Stop taking such dainty bites. Girls eat like that when they¡¯re on a date cause they want to look cute. I know you can eat faster!¡± Su Xue urged Lin Feng. ¡°Finish already! You need to take over my stream for a bit!¡±

    When Lin Feng shoveled thest spoonful of food into his mouth, Su Xue grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him into her bedroom. ¡°Alright! Good enough! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Hrey! I hafunt frinishud!¡± Lin Feng protested.

    ¡°Eat eat eat! Is that all you can think of? Do you dream of food too? You¡¯re going to explode if you keep eating so much!¡± Su Xue raved while struggling to drag Lin Feng into her bedroom. ¡°Please, help me stream. You can always finish the leftoverster!¡±

    ¡°But I want to eat chicken cutletter.¡±

    ¡°Fine! You¡¯ll have your chicken cutlet. I promise! I¡¯ll get it for you when I wake up, alright? But first you have to help me with my stream!¡± Su Xue persuaded. She finally managed to get Lin Feng inside her bedroom and shoved him down into her gaming chair. ¡°Hahhh, finally.¡± She let out a deep sigh and pped her hands. ¡°Alright, stream is all you for the next couple of hours. Mama¡¯s finally going to get some sleep!¡±

    Lin Feng was sitting in the chair and someone would be entertaining her viewers. The only thing on Su Xue¡¯s mind now was sleep. Nothing mattered more than sinking into her soft cloud of a mattress. Shepletely forgot that Lin Feng was now in her bedroom and whipped off her clothes. She sorta pulled on some pajamas and leapt into her bed. The soft andfortable mattress bounced a little, gently rocking her to sleep. She burrowed her head into her pillow. Pure bliss. ¡°Ahhhh, how I missed you!¡±

    Lin Feng heard Su Xue mumble something and turned around to ask her what she said. Then he froze. He stared at Su Xue sprawled out on her bed practically naked without a care in the world. It took him a couple of seconds to figure out what to do in this awkward situation. Then he yelled at her, ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Phwaat!?¡± Su Xue¡¯s muffled voice came from behind her pillow.

    ¡°You should probably get underneath yourforter, or pull up your nket. Basically, uh, cover yourself up a bit more before I turn the webcam on,¡± Lin Feng advised.

    ¡°Hm? What? Oh my god! HEY! You little pervert! Turn around! Don¡¯t look!¡± Su Xue screamed while she scrambled to dive under her nket.

    The exhaustion from the past couple of weeks finally caught up to Su Xue. She rxed again once she was under her nket and thefort of her bed lulled her to sleep in seconds. Locks of her long hair fell over her face, some swaying rhythmically and peacefully from her breaths. In sleep, she was rxed and untroubled. Even without her make-up on, she was beautiful. Her eyshes were long and gracefully arced up, and they fluttered every now and then. Even asleep, Su Xue was just as captivating as she was on stream.

    Lin Feng turned around to look at Su Xue one more time, just to make sure it was safe to start the stream. Then he turned back around to face theputer. He opened up the browser and used the information Su Xue had written down to log into her Huya ount. After he clicked on the button to go live, viewers immediately started flooding the stream. A good 70 within seconds, and more than 200 a few minutester.

    Su Xue¡¯s stream had grown quite a bit recently. There were many more viewers than before, and a portion of them had never heard of or seen Lin Feng before. So it was easy to imagine their surprise when they opened the stream and saw a young man in the webcam feed. A young man who looked nothing like their beautiful host!

    ¡¸who r u!? HACKER??¡¹

    ¡¸what did you do with our xue xue!¡¹

    ¡¸why¡¯s it a guy!?¡¹

    In stark contrast to the angry and confused messages from the viewers who didn¡¯t recognize Lin Feng, there were many more who did know him and were happy and excited to see him.

    ¡¸lil bro! you¡¯re back!¡¹

    ¡¸we missed you! where¡¯d you goooo???¡¹

    ¡¸We were getting tired of watching the maid y! Thank god you¡¯re back!¡¹

    Lin Feng chuckled and waved at the camera. ¡°Hey, guys! Long time no see. How you guys been? Everything good?¡±

    ¡¸who dat? I thought xue xue was the streamer?¡¹

    ¡¸He the nephew of xue xue¡¯sndy! our respected lil bro streamer!¡¹

    ¡¸xue xue is just the maid. he¡¯s the real streamer!¡¹

    ¡¸he¡¯s really fcking good at the game!!¡¹

    ¡¸this kid is better than snowfall?? Really?¡¹

    ¡¸he a qtpie¡­ but he¡¯s got the look of a feeder¡¹

    ¡¸STFU BISH!!! HES NOT MORE CUTE THAN SU XUE!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Defo not cuter than xue xue¡¹

    ¡¸Probably sucks at the game too. Su Xue keeps him around for eye candy!¡¹

    ¡¸just wait, you¡¯ll understand when you see him y¡¹

    ¡°Oh, right. Let me exin. Su Xue needed a small nap, so I¡¯m filling in for her until she wakes up. She¡¯s sleeping right now,¡± Lin Feng exined. Then he pointed the webcam towards Su Xue¡¯s bed and added, ¡°Can you guys see? She¡¯s fast asleep.¡±

    ¡¸woah is that our xue xue!???¡¹

    ¡¸sleeping so early! Is she deranged>?????¡¹

    ¡¸haha she¡¯s be a sleep streamer! I wish I could make money by pointing a camera at my bed!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸ahaha! Screenshotted!¡¹

    ¡¸this is brilliant! we¡¯ll never let her live this down!!¡¹

    ¡¸this pic of sleeping beauty will go up above my bed!¡¹

    Su Xue was most definitely not one of those streamers. She never did ¡®sleeping streams¡¯ or any other stream of that sort. In fact, if she¡¯d known that her viewers had taken screenshots of her sleeping, she would have flipped out on them! She¡¯d find every nasty word she could in the dictionary and give the perverted scumbags who did that something way more spicy to remember! But she wasn¡¯t awake. She was peacefully asleep, unaware of what Lin Feng had just done.

    Lin Feng turned the webcam away from Su Xue and back to himself. He then looked through it at his viewers and dered, ¡°Alright! Enough of that! Let¡¯s y some League!¡±

    Lin Feng logged into Su Xue¡¯s League ount. She¡¯d managed to climb all the way to tinum. He queued up for a ranked game. The first game popped up, and he decided to go with Yasuo. Even at tinum, the game was too easy for him. There just wasn¡¯t any challenge to it at all. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo toyed around with the opposing team. He managed to intimidate them so much that they surrendered in 20 minutes. It was short, easy, and carrying that hard made things a little boring for Lin Feng. So when the second game popped up, he decided to change it up. Instead of Yasuo, he locked in on Lee Sin. Even with the change, the same thing happened in the second game too. 20 minute surrender. Two short games where he carried his team. Hard.

    The new viewers watched in shock as Lin Feng outyed his opponents and picked up kills and assists left and right. Finally, they couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and erupted in excitement.

    ¡¸woah dude! you¡¯re friggin amazing!!!¡¹

    ¡¸screw the maid! I only wanna see you y now¡¹

    ¡¸Seee? What did we say? Is our lil bro a god or what!¡¹

    ¡¸the other day he wrecked a master¡¹

    ¡¸our lil bro here is definitely at the challenger level!!!!!!!! he¡¯s also funny as hell, and he¡¯s like way better than most of the streamers out there. you guys really lucked out popping into the stream today!!!!!¡¹

    The new viewers were sold. Theypletely forgot all about the hot girl they¡¯de to see. Now they¡¯d given themselves heart and soul to the Cult of Lin Feng. Watching a pretty girl try her hand at gaming was fun. Watching a pretty girl who was actually decent at ying a game was even better, that¡¯s the kinda girl they fantasized about wifing up. But watching someone y the game at a god-like level? That was an entirely different electrifying experience!

    Over the next two games, the number of viewers kept climbing until 1,500 people were watching Lin Feng stomp all over tinum yers. The chat was frenzied from all the excited viewers trying to talk to Lin Feng, each other, and sometimes just trying to say something to be part of the fun. It eventually turned into walls of 666 spam every time Lin Feng did something insane or outyed his opponents. But there were also a few who startedining. It was a small minority at first. But theirints started to gain steam, and it soon turned into a vocal minority. More and more people started joining in. This was boring to watch. Lin Feng was just too good. There was no thrill in watching these games, no suspense. There wasn¡¯t another yer who could make Lin Feng sweat a little. There was no pressure! The people watching the stream wanted to see Lin Feng actually trying! They wanted to witness him struggling to win and finally clinching it at thest second!

    ¡¸STOP SMURFING BRO¡¹

    ¡¸go y on your main!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GO KICK ASS IN CHALLENGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°You guys want me to stop smurfing?¡± Lin Feng asked the chat. Then he smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± Then he smiled a little bit more. ¡°Yeah. That sounds way more fun, right guys?¡± His smile grew until it was positively beaming. ¡°Alright! Yeah! That sounds like a n! I agree! Let¡¯s go y some higher ranked games and make this more exciting!¡±

 Chapter 67: Jinx Takes Off | Views: 7627

    The guys yelling in chat are right! These games are boring. It¡¯s boring to y and dull as hell to watch. I need to get out of tinum, obviously. But I don¡¯t know¡­ Diamond games also feel kinda boring. And they keep saying they want high ELO games... Lin Feng sat there thinking about what to do to make the stream more exciting for the viewers and himself. But he did not realize that his thoughts were on apletely different track from the viewers. There was an easily identifiable point of divergence too, the word ¡®challenge¡¯. To the every-day League of Legends yer, high tinum and Diamond ranked games were challenging and exciting. Most of them would never climb that high on the rankeddder, so watching someone who was that good on stream was an experience. Lin Feng, on the other hand, was not your every-day run-of-the-mill League of Legends yer. In his mind, an ¡®interesting high ELO game¡¯ was at the Challenger tier. He didn¡¯t consider anything below Challenger as high ELO, and he wanted to test his skills against current professional yers in a genuinely challenging game. Man! Just thinking about ying a game against a pro yer gets me all amped up! But¡­ hm. How do I get there? I don¡¯t have a Challenger ount I can use right now¡­ maybe I should make my own ount and climb up? No, no. The guys on stream aren¡¯t going to stick around and watch me climb on a fresh. That¡¯s just going to be hours of boring gamey. Hm¡­ While Lin Feng thought about how to solve the problem of ying Challenger ranked games without a Challenger ranked ount, the viewers on the stream started getting more and more excited. They thought Lin Feng would finally switch over to his own ount. He was definitely Diamond. Maybe even Diamond 1 if they were lucky! Chat exploded with a bunch of people specting how high his ount was ranked and others arguing or agreeing to it.

    Lin Feng turned and looked straight at the webcam. ¡°Hey! Listen¡­ this is kind of awkward. But. Any of you guys have a Challenger-ranked ount I can borrow for a bit? Please?¡±

    Chat died. The people watching the stream sat there staring at Lin Feng on their screens, trying to figure out what this guy was thinking. It took all of them a collective minute to process his request. The chat in a stream with 1,500 viewers waspletely silent for a full minute. And then one viewer broke the silence.

    ¡¸LOL!!!1 challenger ount? why the fuk would we be here if we got a challenger ount?¡¹

    ¡¸im here for the sick ys!!!! if i could y like that myself, why would i need to sit here and watch???? i would stream myself!!¡¹

    That¡¯s all it took to revive the chat. Hundreds of messages in a simr vein followed after that. Lin Feng read through the walls of text in the stream chat, hoping there would be at least one person out there who could help him out. But it started to look less and less likely. Not one of the 1,500 viewers had a Challenger ount. Or even one close to it. Lin Feng started to worry. It just did not look like he¡¯d have an ount that was higher ELO than Su Xue¡¯s, the one he was already ying on. The excitement he felt moments ago was quickly being reced by disappointment. Then he remembered! Water Wraith! I almost forgot about that guy! He was Diamond 1¡­ I think. He opened Su Xue¡¯s viewer group chat on QQ and sent a message to Water Wraith.

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸Yo Wraith! It¡¯s Lin Feng. Gimme your ount! I needa y on it for a bit. Please?¡¹

    Water Wraith was one of Su Xue¡¯s faithful viewers who¡¯d been around long before her poprity had surged. He was also the highest-ranked out of all her viewers at Diamond 1. The most important thing was that he was a nice guy, and he knew Lin Feng. Water Wraith¡¯s ount was the best that Lin Feng had a realistic shot at getting his hands on right now. Lin Feng sent the message and waited. Hoping that Water Wraith was around and that he would see the message.

    Luckily for both Lin Feng and the people watching Su Xue¡¯s stream, Water Wraith just so happened to be looking at his QQ messages right then. He saw the message from Evening Snowfall and opened it. When Water Wraith read what Lin Feng wanted, he immediately sent over his ount information and password. There was no hesitation. He liked both Lin Feng and Su Xue and trusted them. If he could help Lin Feng, he¡¯d do it. Then he paused for a second and started typing out a second message. He paused again halfway through typing and thought about the message. Then he sighed, finished typing out the message and sent it.

    Water Wraith:¡¸hey lil bro. ive been stuck at like 20lp for the longest time. plz help me climb. thanks!!!¡¹

    Evening Snowfall:¡¸No problem man! I¡¯ll get you some wins!! Trust me!¡¹

    Lin Feng used the login information Water Wraith had sent him and logged into the Diamond 1 ount. Then he queued up for a ranked game. It was a moment of tense anticipation for both him and the people watching the stream. Diamond 1 was definitely up there on the rankeddder, and that meant that a lot of well-known and famous yers could potentially show up. There was also the chance that something even more special could happen. Every now and then, the professional yers would jump onto their alt ounts to y in what they considered to be a low ELO. Either to experiment a little without getting a loss streak on their main ounts or to y a more rxed and casual game. To the Challenger ranked professional yers, Diamond 1 was low ELO and everything below that didn¡¯t even exist. If Lady Luck was on their side, Lin Feng could get to y against a professional yer and the people watching the stream would be in for the game of a lifetime.

    The queue popped. Lin Feng entered champion select. He was fifth pick and on the Blue team. This meant that the other four yers on his team could choose their champions and roles before him. It wasn¡¯t an ideal situation, being at the mercy of four other people. If they didn¡¯t want to be amodating, there was a chance that you could end up with a champion or role you just didn¡¯t know how to y well. This was more of a problem in low ELO than it was at Diamond 1, where everyone understood that having a teammate y something they weren¡¯t good at would end up costing them the game. When the yer who had second pick called out mid, Lin Feng sighed. He could y other roles besides mid just as well, but he didn¡¯t want to end up ying support. He needed to do something. Lin Feng quickly typed out a message to his team.

    Water Wraith:¡¸anything but support plz!¡¹

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t hate support or anything like that. He¡¯d been ying support a lot recently with Tang Bingyao and enjoyed ying the role. It was just that carrying as a support in Diamond 1 was significantly more difficult than it was in Gold or tinum. Teamwork and tactics were way more important in Diamond. At this level, his performance in the game as a support just didn¡¯t matter as much. If his ad-carry was having a bad game, his team would lose. Especially once they got into mid andte game. A single screw up from the ad-carry could flush every little advantage they built up until then away.

    The guy at third pick locked in on Jarvan IV. With his pick, Jungle, Top, and Mid were taken. Lin Feng hovered his mouse over an ad-carry champion while he waited for third and fourth pick on Red team to lock in. The second they did, Lin Feng smashed down on his mouse and locked in on Jinx before the yer at fourth pick on his team had a chance to decide.

    ColdCoffeeEnema:¡¸the hell dude! why the fuck would you do that? im no fucking good at support¡­¡­¡­..¡¹

    Water Wraith:¡¸Don¡¯t worry! I''ll carry you. I¡¯m really good at ADC!¡¹

    The chat exploded the second they heard Lin Feng say what had be his catch phrase. He¡¯d just pulled a dick move. One that everyone, regardless of ELO, knew was poor game etiquette. It was a rude thing to do to another yer, and then he used his catchphrase as an excuse.

    ¡¸pfft, is there anything you¡¯re not good at? pro role stealer¡¹

    ¡¸So crafty! HAHA I LOVE IT! show that dude who¡¯s boss!!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸haha there he goes again, I¡¯m really good at!¡¹

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The bottomne matchup was Jinx and Thresh on the Blue team versus Ezreal and Janna on the Red team.

    Lin Feng decided to go with the skill Switcheroo at the start of the game. This allowed Jinx to switch between her minigun and her rocketuncher. The minigun had a faster attack speed and dealt single target damage while the rocketuncher was slower but had a longer attack range with area-of-effect and ssh damage. The other drawback with the rocketuncher was that it required mana to use.

    When the first minion wave arrived inne, Lin Feng used Jinx¡¯s rocketuncher to kill them as fast as possible. He was going for full wave clears. He also used positioning to his advantage with the rocketuncher. Red team¡¯s Ezreal was his opponent inne. Every single time Ezreal stood too close behind or near one of Red team¡¯s minions, Lin Feng would target that minion so he could use the ssh damage from the rocketuncher to get some poke in.

    Red team¡¯s Ezreal wasn¡¯t a terrible yer who would stand there and take the poke, though. He figured out what was happening, and tried to counter. Ezreal searched for an opening between the Blue team¡¯s minions that the Jinx was using as a shield so he could use the skill Mystic Shot. This was a skillshot with a long attack range. Ezreal could shoot out a damaging bolt of energy that would explode when it hit the first minion, monster or enemy champion in its path.

    Mystic Shot was a powerful skill, but its primary drawback was that it was a skillshot that moved in a straight line. Lin Feng predicted the line that Mystic Shot would travel down, and his Jinx easily juked around it. Then he had his Jinx move forward a little bit tounch a rocket at the Ezreal. He cancelled thest part of the animation and pulled his Jinx back a little to make sure that she remained outside the Ezreal¡¯s attack range. This three-step dance, this waltz was one Lin Feng did over and over again with the Ezreal.

    Red team¡¯s Ezreal was starting to feel the pressure. He tried over and over to get some poke in back, but Lin Feng¡¯s Jinx continued to waltz around him while carving his health down. The pressure was starting to build on the Ezreal yer. His champion had lost a giant chunk of health and he had nothing to show for it! At the level they were ying at, it was obvious that the Ezreal yer knew that Jinx had a range advantage over his Ezreal with her rocketuncher. But he had no idea how to counter a Jinx who pushed that advantage to the extent that Lin Feng was currently doing. Backed into a corner, all he could do was try and push his minion wave out as fast as possible before recalling back to base.

    Lin Feng, on the other hand, continued to dance around the Ezreal. As the game continued on and he fell deeper into the dance, more and more immersed in the flow of the game, his Jinx¡¯s aggression and pressure mounted. An unending barrage of rockets rained down. He whittled both the Ezreal and Janna down to the point where they absolutely had to recall back to base. Then the game changed. One of his rocketsnded on a minion with low health, killing it immediately. There was another minion that was also at low health next to it, and the ssh damage from the rocket killed that one also. Jinx and Thresh both hit Level 2.

    Lin Feng immediately started pinging on the nearly dead Ezreal. They had to go in now! If they waited any longer, the Ezreal and Janna would recall back to base and their chance for a kill would vanish!

    The Thresh understood and knew what needed to be done. He shed towards the Ezreal while simultaneously using y and Ignite in quick session. The Thresh¡¯s chains swept out and pulled the Ezreal towards him while also slowing him, and Ignite set the Ezreal aze. Then the Thresh used Death Sentence to throw out his scythe and hook the Ezreal, stunning him and pulling him in even closer.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Jinx followed up immediately after without losing a millisecond. Sheunched another rocket and then threw three me Chompers down on top of the Thresh. Thebo crowd control y synergized perfectly! The moment the Ezreal broke free of the stun from Death Sentence, he was rooted again by three exploding grenades.

    The people watching the stream were awestruck by the precision of the y! It was seamless! They were starting to understand that Lin Feng was just as spectacr ying in Diamond as he was ying in tinum, and that blew their minds even more.

    ¡¸6666666666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸awesome engage and follow up!¡¹

    ¡¸HOLY DAMMMNNN!!!!! that¡¯s first blood for suurreeee!!!¡¹

    Right after that perfect engage y, Lin Feng continued to shred the Ezreal¡¯s health. Every attack thatnded made it seem more and more likely that the Ezreal would be giving First Blood away. To Lin Feng.

    Red team¡¯s Janna tried to save Ezreal with a Howling Gale that she threw at Jinx. The intended oue was that it would knock the Jinx up, which should hopefully give the Ezreal enough time to escape. The Ezreal saw the animation for the skill and understood what to do. Before the tornado from Howling Gale even touched the Jinx, he shed towards his tower. As long as he could get under the safety of its turret, he would live. He didn¡¯t think the Jinx would tower dive. He also used the summoner spell Heal to build a little bit more of a buffer between him and death. But the Ignite that the Thresh hit him with was still active, which greatly reduced the healing.

    Lin Feng saw animation for Janna¡¯s Howling Gale start up. He saw the tornado forming, and watched the Ezreal sh away. But none of it bothered him. He was calm, serene, and detached. He was in control here, and all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment. His finger hovered over the D key, waiting. The tornado howled towards him, and he still waited. Still calm. Just as the tornado from Howling Gale was about to touch his Jinx and knock her up, he hit D. His Jinx shed through the tornado and now stood safely on the other side. And the Ezreal was also in attack range. What a happy coincidence, Lin Feng thought before firing another rocket at the Ezreal.

    Meanwhile, the Ezreal had run to the point where he was only a single step away from safety. One more step and he¡¯d be under the protection of the tower. One more step and the Jinx would have to give up. The Ignite had ended and the Ezreal no longer had to deal with continuing burn damage thankfully. He had less than 10 health remaining. He was going to escape death! Then a final rocket spiraled towards him.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The chat on Su Xue¡¯s stream exploded! They were cheering, raving, congratting Lin Feng, and spamming. It was an epic y and an edge-of-their-seats kill!

    ¡¸6666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸OMG THAT WAS SO SICK!!!1!1!!¡¹

    The sound of a minigun rang out across bottomne. ¡°Everybody get excited!¡± Jinx¡¯s shrillugh cut through the smoke and gunpowder. Jinx had gotten First Blood, and this triggered the activation of her passive skill¨CGet Excited! Whenever an important objective, like an enemy champion, tower, or dragon, was taken down within three seconds of her damaging it, she would gain an enormous burst of movement speed and a slight increase to her attack speed for six seconds.

 Chapter 68: No Way! Is that Really Him!? | Views: 7627

    Killing the Ezreal was fun, but it wasn¡¯t enough to sate Lin Feng¡¯s bloodlust. Not by a long shot. He was hungry now, and bottomne had two enemy champions. He wasn¡¯t about to let the Janna walk away. She had to die too! There was no way he would let her escape! His Jinx currently had the movement speed buff from her passive¨CGet Excited. Lin Feng used that to chase after the Janna while switching out Jinx¡¯s rocketuncher for her minigun. He just realized that he¡¯d been using the rocketuncher this whole time after the chat pointed it out. The rocketuncher was only really meant for long range pokes during the early game, and there was more than one backseat pedant in the chat who attempted to remind Lin Feng of this fact. The minigun was a far better option when it came to bursting enemy champions down and killing them.

    ¡°Hahah! It¡¯s fine! I got the kill! It was definitely intentional! Hahaha!¡± Lin Feng said whileughing. He did make a mistake, sure. But was it really a mistake? It didn¡¯t matter how he got the kill on the Ezreal. The only thing that mattered was that he got the kill. He saw replies popping up in chat, but he ignored them and focused on the Janna.

    Jinx attacked the Janna, peppering her with a hail of bullets from her minigun. The Janna started running, and Lin Feng¡¯s Jinx continued chasing after her while attacking. The Janna¡¯s health quickly dwindled down as she juked around and ran back to the safety of her tower. Her health dipped dangerously low just as she managed to get near the Red team¡¯s tower. It was a now-or-never moment. The Janna shed, cutting through the distance and appearing cleanly underneath her tower. She was safe.

    In a different part of the map, the Blue team¡¯s jungler Jarvan IV had just picked up Red Buff. He decided it was time to go down to botne for a gank. Just as he arrived, he watched the Jinx and Thresh engage the Red team¡¯s Ezreal. So he decided to go up the river and through the Red team¡¯s jungle until he arrived at the brush just ahead of the Red team¡¯s outer tower at botne. And he waited there. If the Ezreal and Janna tried to escape, he¡¯d cut them off! But before he could follow through on his n, Jinx killed the Ezreal and the Janna shed under her tower bypassing his ambush entirely. But the Janna was almost dead. That¡¯s when the Jarvan IV came up with a new n. He was going to towerdive!

    The Jarvan IV threw his Demacian Standard down on top of the Janna. Then he dashed out of the brush, striking out towards the standard with Dragon Strike. Hisnce connected with the standard, pulling him towards it. There was nothing the Janna could do! He¡¯d been watching as she used all of her skills, so he knew they were still on cooldown. His attack struck her and knocked her up into the air.

    Jinx stood just outside the attack range of the Red team¡¯s outer tower. Lin Feng watched the Jarvan IV fly out from the brush and engage the Janna under the tower. His Jungler had decided to tank the tower damage! This was his chance to jump in and pick up the kill! His Jinx ran beneath the Red team¡¯s tower and started attacking the Janna. The rattle of the minigun was thest thing the Janna heard as bullets pierced through thest of her health and ended her short-lived escape.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Awesome! My Jinx is going to be invincible now!¡± Lin Feng eximed in delight. Jinx was a champion who needed a bit of time before she could start snowballing. But this game was going so well that it was no longer necessary. With this double kill under her belt, Lin Feng¡¯s Jinx went from a snowball to an avnche. She was going to blow the Red team away!

    Lin Feng farmed several more minions waves and pushed his minion wave all the way to Red team¡¯s outer tower before recalling back to base. He had saved up enough gold to buy an expensive item. The B.F. Sword. The Big Fucking Sword. Thisponent item gave his Jinx an insane 50 attack damage on top of her base stats.

    When people watching the game saw Lin Feng buy the B.F Sword as his first item, they literally had nothing to say. Even the backseat gamers in the chat were shocked into silence. It hadn¡¯t even been five minutes since the game started! They had no idea when and how Lin Feng managed to farm the 1300 gold required for the B.F Sword. Or how he¡¯d done it so fast. But they did know where this game was headed. It was going to be just like the first two games Lin Feng had yed on Su Xue¡¯s ount in tinum. He was going to stomp all over Red team. The Ezreal might as well quit now. Botne was lost.

    At 7 minutes into the game, Blue team¡¯s topner was looking at botne as Lin Feng¡¯s Jinx was the first to hit level 6. Irelia had chosen the Summoner Spell Teleport for this game, and she was looking for an opportunity to use it. There were three brushes along the bottom side of botne. In the one closest to the Red team was a ward. That was where she would go.

    The animation of a teleport started ying on Blue team¡¯s ward in botne. The Thresh knew what this meant. He¡¯d yed plenty of games and repeated this trick countless times. He shed forward and then used y, sweeping the Ezreal back towards him and slowing him. Then hepletely ignored the frantically escaping Ezreal and shifted his focus to the Janna. The y was a distraction. A trick to lower the guard of his real target. He threw out his scythe towards the Janna and hooked her.

    The Janna was focused on helping Ezreal escape. She thought the Thresh was going to hold Ezreal down until Jinx killed him again. She had no idea that there was a very different y being set into motion. So when Death Sentence came flying at her, she didn¡¯t know what to do. It surprised her, and she stood there frozen in shock for a second. Then three me Chompersnded just in front of her. Thresh¡¯s hook pulled her right into them and the grenades exploded, rooting her. Her skills were of no use to escape, and as a support she dealt no considerable damage. All she could do was watch the Jinx and Irelia attack until her health hit zero and her screen turned grey again.

    In the end, The Janna died and the Ezreal escaped. He¡¯d fled to his tower and from there recalled back to base. This would normally be an eptable oue. The ad-carry had survived and that was what mattered. But the Red team didn¡¯t just give away a kill, they gave away so much more. Their botne nowpletely unguarded, since both yers from the Red team were now in base. Their Jungler was on the other side of the map, too far away to do anything. All Red team could do was watch as the Blue team took down an uncontested dragon. Irelia¡¯s top-teleport-gank y had perfectly set Blue team up for a kill and dragon.

    ¡°Wow! My teammates are awesome!¡± Lin Feng eximed. This was a huge win! His teammates during this game were much better than the yers he usually found himself ying with these days. Both his topner and jungler understood he could carry the game, so they put their focus into getting him ahead. This was paying off tremendously. His Jinx avnche was roaring! It wouldn¡¯t be long before there was nothing more that the Red team could do to stop him! His teammates reading the game correctly and knowing to help him get ahead was something that only happened at higher ELO. Starting from Diamond 1, there was a marked increase in awareness, game sense, and objective control.

    Just as Lin Feng was praising his teammates and celebrating in his mind, an announcement rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift...

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Lin Feng quickly moved his camera towards midne. Veigar had died in the middle of thene. Red team¡¯s Syndra had gotten away with only a sliver of health remaining. It looked like they¡¯d gone all out against each other. Lin Feng thought about it for a moment, watching as the Syndra disappeared into the fog of war. He guessed that she¡¯d recalling back to base right now. Most likely from right underneath her tower. He pressed down on the R key. Jinx¡¯s Super Mega Death Rocket burst out from her rocketuncher and flew across the river towards midne.

    The viewers of the stream had enough time to start typing as the rocket cruised over the river. The Syndra was hidden within the fog of war. They didn¡¯t know where she¡¯d stopped to recall. It was even possible that she¡¯d already seen the rocket and was getting out of its trajectory!

    ¡¸is it gonna hit?¡¹

    ¡¸it wont! it will! it wont! plzzz hittt!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸PLEASE let her be stupid!!!¡¹

    The Syndra yer still felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins. That had been too close! The Veigar almost got her! But she¡¯d gotten the kill and survived in the end. She rxed a little while waiting for the recall animation to finish. Only a few more seconds. Suddenly, a teammate started pinging on top of her Syndra. She ced her hand back on her mouse and looked at what those pings were all about. It hit her before she even realized what happened. Her screen went grey. A plume of smoke and fire rose into the air. The Super Mega Death Rocket had hit her. She¡¯d just been killed by the Jinx who was all the way down in botne.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng smiled. The kill was his. He then looked over at the stream chat. It had exploded once again with the viewers telling him how awesome that was and how amazing the y was. He smiled at the webcam and said, ¡°Well. Yes. What did you expect? I¡¯m pretty good at Jinx too!¡±

    ?

    The game eventually came to an end. Lin Feng¡¯s final score was 7/1/4. His only death happened during the veryst teamfight because he got a little bit too cocky. He¡¯d let Darius get too close, which was just enough of an opening for the Darius to leap forward and strike a lethal blow with his axe¨CNoxian Guillotine! Almost at the same time, the Ezreal fired out his ultimate¨CTrueshot Barrage. A powerful st of energy that did massive damage. Two attacks hit Lin Feng¡¯s squishy Jinx simultaneously and killed her. This didn¡¯t change the oue of the game though. It was a win for the Blue team.

    ¡¸Hahaha! Still died in the end!¡¹

    ¡¸ezreel still got his revenge!!¡¹

    ¡¸LOL. it¡¯s a nice change seeing you fail for once¡¹

    The messages in the stream chat were all in the same vein. Schadenfreude. They found a strange glee in watching Lin Feng make a mistake and die, and this was the first time they saw him make a big mistake. They didn¡¯t know how long it would be before something like this would happen again, so they milked it for all it was worth.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t mind the messages in the stream chat. They couldn¡¯t dampen his mood. Heughed as he read them and finally said, ¡°Alright guys, time for another game!¡±

    ?

    The ranked queue popped and Lin Feng was first pick in champion select. He called mid and locked in Fizz. Now that he had gotten his main role, he could finally show a little bit of his true skill. He yed so well that the enemy team never stood a chance. It started with two early solo kills in midne, after which he started roaming around the map. He helped his botne and topne pull ahead, taking the kills for himself. Wherever he went, every time an enemy champion came close to him, he would kill them. There was not a single one who escaped with their life.

    10 minutes into the game, Lin Feng was 5/0/0. He didn¡¯t have a single assist. Every time he went in, he picked up a kill. It got to the point where the people watching the stream started calling him a killstealer and greedy. They wrote paragraphs about how he was showing off and being an attention whore. But Lin Feng disagreed with them and said, ¡°I¡¯m an AP assassin. Every assist is a badge of shame!¡±

    That was too much for chat to handle. They¡¯d epted a lot of Lin Feng¡¯s bullshit by this point and let him slide.

    ¡¸Man, what ame excuse!¡¹

    ¡¸i almost believed you!¡¹

    ¡¸you¡¯re just a KSer, in and simple!¡¹

    ¡¸keep doing this and we¡¯ll report you¡¹

    ?

    There was no suspense to the game. Lin Feng used his Fizz to hard carry his team to an easy victory. After the game finished, he directly queued up for a third game on Water Wraith¡¯s Diamond 1 ount. While he was waiting for the queue to pop, he looked at the chat and started reading some of the messages.

    ¡¸y can¡¯t we queue up against anyone famous?¡¹

    ¡¸ i wonder how his fizz will do against a pro¡¹

    ¡¸Star Emperor is a Fizz main too, right?¡¹

    ¡¸You mean Daybreak Hermes? I think he¡¯s in london bootcamping for worlds. why would he ying in the china server?¡¹

    ¡¸didn¡¯t they say they only arrived in ennd two days ago and are still jetgged? I saw hogs weibo  announce that they n to start bootcamping in two days¡¹

    The viewers were still enthusiastically chatting about Daybreak Hermes and Worlds, when Lin Feng queued into his next game. He typed his usual message in the chat.

    Water Wraith:¡¸Mid plz! Can¡¯t supp!¡¹

    While Lin Feng was doing his what he always did during champion select, the people watching the stream had noticed something far more interesting. The flurry of messages being sent was too much for the stream to handle, and the chat startedgging! Every second or so, all the messages would disappear and be reced by an entirely new wall of messages. Over and over.

    ¡¸OMGOMGOMGOMG¡¹

    ¡¸no way! Is that really him!? The guy in fifth pick!?¡¹

    ¡¸hooooooooooooooooolyyy!¡¹

 Chapter 69: Never Tell me the Odds | Views: 8139

    The waters of the Ionia server ran deep. Those murky depths were where the Diamond 1 and Master yers gathered. But one could never know exactly what kind of monster they¡¯d run into fishing in those waters deep. There were a lot of professional yers, streamers, and famous gaming content creators at this level, waiting for the chance to finally step up to Challenger. The truth was that they weren¡¯t hard stuck at this depth because they weren¡¯t good enough to be Challengers. That was the furthest thing from the truth. These were the best yers in all of China, some of them were even among the best yers in the world.

    But League of Legends was a game built around teamwork. Especially at this level. Sometimes, a game would be lost because one yer on the team was having an off day, and that was enough for the opposing team to gain an advantage and snowball. Most of these yers had hit the peak of individual ability in the game, so their advancement to the top of the Master rank was based more on how well they managed to synergize into a team with four other people. Some days, they¡¯d get lucky and find the perfect team. Other days, not so much.

    But climbing up to the top of Master wasn¡¯t the only obstacle in the path to bing a Challenger. There was a fixed number of yers who could get to Challenger. In order for a yer to move up from Master to Challenger, one of the current Challengers had to be forcefully thrown back down into Master. The battle never ended for those in the Master and Challenger rank. They had to fight constantly to get up to Challenger, and then keep fighting to keep their ce. A single moment of weakness and all of the silent monsters hidden in the depths of the Ionia server woulde out to feast.

    Beyond the hurdles, there was a more practical reason why most of the professional yers never bothered to hit Challenger or retain their spot once they hit it for the first time. They rarely had the time to sit around and y in solo queue. Their focus was on winning tournaments, and to do that they needed to constantly y together with their team. ying alone in the Challenger pool would actually be detrimental to them. Their focus was on practicing as a team and scrimming against other professional teams. It built team synergy, one of the most important aspects in tournaments. Between that and all the time they spent travelling across the world to attend tournaments, they just didn¡¯t have the time to worry about their solo queue rank.

    On the rare asion when a professional yer did show up in solo queue, the entire server would start bubbling as the monsters swarmed around. Especially if the professional yer belonged to a team that was ying in the LPL. Streamers would spectate the game and provide y-by-ymentary to their viewers. Fans would debate and cheer across chats and social media would end up flooded with memes and clips from the game.

    That was the situation that Su Xue¡¯s stream was in right now. The people watching the stream hadpletely lost their minds! The name of the yer who had fifth pick! It was one of the most recognizable names in all of China! Everyone knew it! HoG Nightsong. Bleakwinter Nightsong. The ad-carry for Hand of God and one of the top three ad-carries in all of China!

    The viewers spammed the chat in their excitement. They weren¡¯t reading what other people were saying or responding to them. They barely knew what they were typing. This was literally the most exciting thing that could happen while watching a stream, and it was happening to them! Nightsong was their idol! Watching him y in solo queue was a dreame true! And now they¡¯d get to see him y on the same game as the streamer they were watching, on the same team! And to think that only a minute ago they wereining that Lin Feng hadn¡¯t queued up with a professional yer yet. The gods had heard them!

    But under the waves of excitement was also a weak undercurrent. One that started gaining traction as the initial hype and shock of seeing Nightsong¡¯s name in the champion select faded and chat regained someposure. More than a few viewers didn¡¯t buy that this Nightsong was the real Nightsong.

    ¡¸isnt nightsong supposed to be in london right now? why isnt he scrimming with his team?¡¹

    ¡¸right! this cant be him right???? is that a troll pretending to be nightsong??? it cant be nightsong??????¡¹

    ¡¸Idiots! Didn¡¯t I just tell you! Their scrims don''t start for another two days! Go read HoG¡¯s announcement!¡¹

    ¡¸OMG! Wiatwaitwaitwitawatiwait! LOOK AT THIRD PICK!¡¹

    ¡¸Look at third pick!¡¹

    ¡¸ITS HIM!!! LOOK!!!¡¹

    ¡¸who is that?¡¹

    The summoner name of the yer at third pick was ¡®OldWorn¡¯.[1] The viewers of the stream felt like they¡¯d heard this name before, but they couldn¡¯t ce where. It looked so familiar. The answer was on the tip of their tongue. Then it hit them.

    ¡¸omgomgomgomgomg¡¹

    ¡¸ooooooooooooohhhhh shiiiiit!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that the name of Star Emperor¡¯s smurf?¡¹

    ¡¸YEP! that¡¯s the friggin star emperor!!!1!!¡¹

    There were yers who had second ounts in lower ranks where they would asionally y on. Smurf ounts. Different yers had them for different reasons. But most top and professional yers had them for the same reason. There were only so many yers in Challenger. This meant that the queue times could get really long, and really boring. If they yed on their smurfs, which were ranked just below Challenger, they could quickly get into a game and start having fun!

    OldWorn. Star Emperor. They were just different names for one person. The yer at third pick in champion select on Lin Feng¡¯s team was Daybreak Hermes! The Daybreak Hermes. The famous miner of Hand of God. One of the Seven Kings. And the King who had gone toe-to-toe with an Emperor in the Season 5 Mid-Season Invitational and emerged victorious!

    Two famous professional yers in the same game! On the same team! ON THE SAME TEAM AS THEIR STREAMER! The people watching the stream were beyond shocked, beyond starstruck. This was the day they finally achieved Nirvana. Chat waspletely still. Bleakwinter Nightsong. Daybreak Hermes. Not one, but two. Daybreak Hermes, Bleakwinter Nightsong and¡­ Lin Feng? Two of their idols duo queueing together! They would get to see the game firsthand! Chat stirred to life again. But no words. It was walls of exmation marks and emotes.

    While the people watching the stream were losing their minds and changing their shorts from the excitement of finding out two of their idols were in the same game as their streamer, Lin Feng had been lost in his own little world and didn¡¯t notice the hubaloo. He was trying to figure out what champion he wanted to y. Once he sorted that out in his head, he looked over at chat and noticed that something had happened. Exmation marks. Emotes. There were a few messages every now and then, but they scrolled up so fast that he couldn¡¯t read a word of them. After this happened 30 times in thest 10 seconds, he started putting the pieces together. They¡¯re super excited about the guys in third pick and fifth pick? Hm... He looked at the summoner names in champion select and then eximed, ¡°Oh wow! How awesome is this, guys? Did you notice? Oh¡­ right. You guys already did. YEAH! This is going to be really fun! Hermes and Nightsong! This should be a pretty cool game!¡±

    The yers started picking their champions. Lin Feng was fourth pick on the Blue team. First pick locked in a Topne champion. The Red team could now choose their first and second champion, and then the second and third pick on Blue team could go. Second pick locked in a Jungler. The yers who had first and second pick on the Blue team had both decided not to choose Mid or Ad-carry as their roles out of respect. Those two roles were reserved for Hermes and Nightsong! Sadly, this meant that the only role left for Lin Feng was Support.

    Lin Feng scratched his hair, a little unhappy. ¡°Man¡­ I really really don¡¯t wanna y support¡­¡±

    ¡¸Don¡¯t whine and just support!¡¹

    ¡¸are you dumb!? you dont fight them for their roles!! they be legends!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Nightsong and Star Emperor are probably trying to warm up for the tournament! Give them their roles!¡¹

    ¡¸yeah! YOU better not tilt our yers right before worlds starts!!!¡¹

    OldWorn, better known as the Star Emperor or Hermes, locked in the champion Veigar. He was going mid. It was starting to look like Lin Feng would have to end up being a Support in this game. But then Nightsong typed a message in the champion select chat.HoG Nightsong:¡¸Fourth, can you adc? If you can¡¯t support, I¡¯ll do it.¡¹

    Water Wraith:¡¸Yes yes! I can adc. I¡¯m really good at ADC!¡¹

    Nightsong asking Lin Feng to y ad-carry was a twist that no one watching the stream sawing. They literally could not believe that a professional ad-carry yer, one of the best in China, would willingly give up his role to some unknown yer. And that he was willing to add wonder on top of a miracle by offering to y support for that unknown yer who would be the ad-carry. But that wasn¡¯t even the thing that blew their minds. Not even close. The most spectacr, unbelievable, astonishing, mind-blowing thing to happen in thest five minutes was Lin Feng¡¯s reply.

    ¡¸HOLY SHIT DUDE!!! you¡¯re my heroo!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸the fuck¡­ first he sulks that Nightsong probably wants to y ad-carry, and then when Nightsong let¡¯s him y ad-carry, he starts bragging like he IS nightsong¡­¡­¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸thcest skin on all of huya!!!!11¡¹

    ¡¸how does he walk around with balls that heavy and made of steel?¡¹

    ¡¸Nah, thickest skin in all of China!¡¹

    ¡¸Dis fuck aksually tell Nightsong that hes good at adc? how/////¡¹

    The newer viewers hadpletely lost it. Since they didn¡¯t know Lin Feng, this was to be expected. But even the long-time viewers felt like they¡¯d just been suckerpunched by Lin Feng¡¯s ego. They knew he was good at League of Legends. They even knew that he was a good ad-carry. They also knew that there wasn¡¯t a single yer in all of Gold and tinum who could beat him. But no one had ever seen him y a game in an ELO this high before. But whatever happened in the game, Lin Feng had done something today that was worth bragging about. He made Nightsong give him ad-carry!

    Lin Feng ignored whatever was happening in chat. He needed to focus on champion select. More specifically, he wanted to see which champion Nightsong was going to use. He waited and watched, thinking the whole time. Nightsong locked in Blitzcrank. Lin Feng considered his options for a moment. He needed to make sure the champion he picked had great synergy with Blitzcrank and was a champion he enjoyed ying. He looked around the list of ad-carry champions, thinking. Then he picked Vayne and locked in.

    Lin Feng decided to go with Vayne after putting some thought into how the game would be yed and how he could work best with Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank. But he¡¯d also done something that once again blew the minds of the people watching the stream. See, Lin Feng had not only taken Nightsong¡¯s role in the game. In his typical unintentional and oblivious fashion, he also picked Nightsong¡¯s signature champion.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    While the other yers were busy buying their starting items and walking to theirnes, Lin Feng looked at the stream. The number of viewers had teaued at 1,500. Until he ended up in a game with Nightsong and Hermes. That¡¯s when the viewer count started skyrocketing. Right now, there were more than 3,000 viewers! And it was still going up! He looked over his shoulder at the peacefully asleep Su Xue. If she were awake right now, he knew that she''d probably be losing her mind. He grinned as he pictured her jumping up and down in joy. This game was like winning the lottery for her. Her stream hit a new viewer count record every few seconds. Some of them woulde back tomorrow and eventually be regrs. This game had made her viral!

    The insane number of viewers flooding into Su Xue¡¯s stream wasn¡¯t unprecedented or unexpected. In a certain light, it madeplete sense. Nightsong and Daybreak Hermes rarely ever yed solo queue. Nor did they show up in a game together very often. But the timing made this particr asion all the more special. Worlds was right around the corner! This happening right now, there was a one in a million chance! No! A one in trillion chance! The odds of this happening were so astronomically low that there was a higher probability of the viewers meeting a kpop idol who would agree to date them. There was only one stream to watch tonight, and that was Su Xue¡¯s. They couldn¡¯t spectate the game from Nightsong¡¯s or Hermes¡¯ perspective, but they could still see them y!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t care about the viewers flooding in or their excitement beyond the joy it would bring Su Xue. His attention was on the game in front of him. He looked at his Vayne and balled his fist. No matter what, he had to do well in this game! He still remembered his very first game with Tang Bingyao at the NetCow Cafe. The game where she picked Draven and he took over from her because she was losing to a Vayne. First Tyrant. That was the summoner name of the guy who yed that Vayne. Lin Feng remembered it well. That game had ignited his desire to relearn the champion. Every game he yed with Vayne since then, he¡¯d beenparing himself with First Tyrant¡¯s Vayne. And now that he¡¯d shaken off the rust, he was confident he could now go toe-to-toe with First Tyrant¡¯s Vayne inne. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t know that First Tyrant was HoG Nightsong¡¯s smurf ount!

    On the other side of the world, Nightsong sat in a 5 star hotel in London, equally unaware that the yer behind the name Water Wraith was the same one who¡¯d given him so much trouble with a Draven. The Draven who had forced him to go all out in what he thought was a casual game. The Draven he almost lost hisne to. The Draven who had sent chills down his spine. If the game hadn¡¯t been cut short by another yer¡¯s angry girlfriend, Nightsong knew there was a chance he might have lost to that Draven.

    Call it a fluke, a crazy coincidence, or fate, but these two yers were now on the same team and paired together as the bottomne duo. They had never yed together before. Neither of them knew they¡¯d even yed against each other. But their synergy was on point.. It was more than good. It was perfect! They danced and moved like they¡¯d been married for 40 years and could read each other¡¯s thoughts!

    ?

    3 minutes into the game, a silver bolt from Lin Feng¡¯s whizzed through the air and took down a low health minion. Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank timed his Rocket Grab perfectly to the instant that the minion died. Blitzcrank¡¯s right hand flew over the freshly dead minion¡¯s corpse and grabbed the Ashe.

    Lin Feng had targeted the Ashe behind the minion before the attack from his Vayne hadnded on the minion. He knew Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank was going to follow up with the grab. The second the Ashe was pulled forward, Vayne shot another bolt at the Ashe and then tumbled forward to cleanly dodge an Aqua Prison from the Nami. Lin Feng followed up with Condemn. Vayne pulled the heavy crossbow on her back out. A giant bolt flew out and pierced the Ashe through her chest and sent her flying backwards towards a nearby wall, pinning her to it.

    ¡°Awesome! That was so clean! I yed that perfectly!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Chat responded with emotes of rolling eyes. They heard Lin Feng praising himself instead of talking about what a great support Nightsong was.

    1. The original name ¡°¾ÃÁË¾Í¾ÉÁË¡± is a y on words in Chinese using different characters that sound simr. It trantes to, ¡°if it¡¯s old, it¡¯s worn¡±.

 Chapter 70: Time to Show Off | Views: 8347

    Lin Feng chuckled. A new Ashe, huh? So I should be worried? He smiled. The idea wasn''t wrong, per se. The reworked Ashe should have an advantage over Vayne during early game. Her attack range was longer and the cooldown on her skill Volley was reduced, so she could theoretically poke and burst his Vayne down. Changes and champion buffs don''t really matter unless you know how to take advantage of them. And we''ll see if this Ashe really can do that. But there''s no way I''m throwing in the towel because of a little rework. Besides, they were down in botne. Lin Feng had a support champion at his side, and that support could negate every advantage from this new Ashe. He had a Blitzcrank! A robot with a flying hand that could hook and pull enemy champions. That hook made it impossible for the Ashe to position herself in the most advantageous way. And whenbined with his Vayne¡¯s Condemn, it was downright deadly.

    This Vayne-Blitzcrankbo move was put on disy three minutes into the game. There was a single minion defending the Ashe from a Blitzcrank Rocket Grab. Lin Feng waited, patiently, for the perfect moment. He targeted the Ashe with an auto attack, when the minion¡¯s health dropped to single digits. NOW! He had his Vaynest hit the minion and created the opening Nightsong needed to hook and pull the Ashe. The second the Ashe was pulled forward, Vayne shot another bolt at the Ashe and then tumbled forward to cleanly dodge an Aqua Prison from the Nami. Lin Feng followed up with Condemn. Vayne pulled the heavy crossbow on her back out. A giant bolt flew out and pierced the Ashe through her chest and sent her flying backwards towards a nearby wall, pinning her to it.

    Nightsong put his Blitzcrank into Overdrive to gain some extra movement speed and rushed towards the pinned and stunned Ashe. The timer on the stun was ticking down, and the Ashe would soon be free to escape. Blitzcrank continued charging forward and reached the Ashe literally the instant she broke free from the stun. Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank went in with a Power Fist that connected with the Ashe just as she shed away. The sh had worked, but the Power Fist had also connected. The Ashe reappeared a small distance away and was instantly knocked up!

    Good enough! Lin Feng wasn¡¯t even a little upset that the Ashe managed to sh away. His Vayne¡¯s passive increased her movement speed whenever she was chasing after an enemy champion, so the sh didn¡¯t make that much of a difference. Vayne ran down the Ashe, nailing her with auto attacks every second and a half. Narrowing the distance between them while still taking out as much of the Ashe¡¯s health as possible. She shot a third silver bolt at the Ashe, and the three silver rings encircling the Ashe exploded, dealing extra true damage. Then Vayne took aim again.

    The Ashe was feeling both the pressure and the pain. She had to keep running, keep trying to retreat to the safety of her outer tower. But her health was dropping dangerously low! She didn¡¯t know if she would make it. But her support Nami healed her precisely when she needed it with Ebb and Flow. Ashe also used the Summoner Spell Heal to get some extra health. Hopefully, this would give her enough health to get to the tower. But the Vayne was still right behind her, cutting away at the health she¡¯d just gotten back. Thankfully, Nami was there to stop that by throwing an Exhaust at the Vayne. This lowered both Vayne¡¯s movement speed and damage. That was all the opening that the Ashe needed. Exhaust had slowed the Vayne down and dropped the damage just enough for her to get under her tower. She was safe. If the Vayne tried to follow her under the tower, she still had enough health to avenge her death with her own hands.

    For the people watching the stream, the engage and fight at botne was riveting! Not one message was sent on chat the whole time, they were too absorbed in the action to type. Until the Ashe slid underneath the safety of her tower by the skin of her teeth and Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne backed away.

    ¡¸You could¡¯ve shed there...¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah, wtf... you couldve gotten the kill if you shed!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸You should have known that the Ashe was going to sh and nked!¡¹

    ¡¸you let all of nightsongs hard work go to waste! noob¡¹

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Nope. Guys, it wouldn¡¯t have worked. I don¡¯t have enough damage right now. I couldn¡¯t kill her even if I did the towerdive. Plus, tower shots early game really hurt on this patch. I might¡¯ve given them a kill if I did that.¡± He knew exactly how much damage he could dish out right now, and it wasn¡¯t enough to towerdive and kill the Ashe.

    Lin Feng¡¯s exnation was solid, his reasoning was well thought out, and madeplete sense to most of the viewers. But in the history of streaming, when had the backseat gamers ever epted a reasonably well-thought out exnation behind a gamey decision without trying to convince the person who was actually ying that they were wrong? Never. This stream was no exception to that rule.

    ¡¸Keep making up excuses!¡¹

    ¡¸that was clearly a kill¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸Nightsong would¡¯ve definitely gotten that kill if he was ADC!¡¹

    The trend of messages in chat from these guys made what they were trying to do tantly obvious to everyone else watching. They weren¡¯t trying to backseat, they were just trolls. They wanted to turn the tide of chat against Lin Feng. That would tilt him. Then he¡¯d start ying poorly and they couldugh as he embarrassed himself in front of two professional yers. But Su Xue¡¯s faithful followers wouldn¡¯t just sit there and let this happen.

    ¡¸shut the fuck up you morons! Look at these armchair challengers here. Lol¡¹

    ¡¸KYS, please. Then we wouldn¡¯t have to listen to you.¡¹

    ¡¸youre all new here right? I could tell the moment you opened your ugly ass mouths¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t talk when you don¡¯t even know how good he is.¡¹

    ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s right! Bronzies over here know when to go in best, right?¡¹

    ¡¸if ur mommy knew how dumb u were shed kill herself¡¹

    ¡¸if you dont like what you see, piss off! There is a red X in the top right of your screen. Go on and click it.¡¹

    The sheer venom and outrage from the other viewers cowed the trolls into silence. They tried to pivot, exin to the chat that they were only trying to have a bit of fun. Some harmless banter. But no one was in the mood to listen or make them feel better. Every message and response was quickly shut down. Anyment they tried to make that was less than sugary-sweet nice was met with an army ready to stomp them down.

    It was beyond confusing for any viewer who showed up to troll. The whole thing just made no sense. The streamer was a guy! They could see it! And yet, there was an army of white knights defending him! So they tried to pivot again, exining that they didn¡¯t understand why so many people were defending a guy streamer. They were indignant and convinced that they had done nothing wrong, but no one was listening to them.

    Su Xue¡¯s faithful followers and long-time viewers saw this from apletely different perspective. They¡¯d seen these kinds of messages before, met these kinds of people before. They weren¡¯t going to make the same mistake twice. If they gave these trolls an inch, chat would end up overrun again. They had seen it happen when LovelyRose¡¯s troll army had attacked Su Xue¡¯s stream. They were more amodating back then, more forgiving. That was the mistake, one they weren¡¯t going to repeat. So they pushed back hard against any and all trolls!

    Lin Feng noticed something was going on in chat. Oh? They don¡¯t think I¡¯m good? Well. Alright. I¡¯ll just have to show them how good I am! He didn¡¯t even notice that people were trying to tilt him. He genuinely believed that the trolls were upset that the Ashe kill didn¡¯t happen, and they were starting to doubt him because of that. Which wasn¡¯t really a problem. The game was only a few minutes old. He still had plenty of time to change their minds. Which is why he confusingly told the viewers, ¡°Calm down guys, it¡¯s fine. Just sit back and enjoy. I¡¯ll kill her when she gets back tone!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s word was his bond, and he¡¯d always follow through on a promise. He told the viewers that he was going to kill the Ashe when she got back tone, and that¡¯s exactly what he nned to do. Well, he was nning to do that even before he promised them. His n went into motion the instant the Ashe recalled back to Red Base. First, he let the Red team¡¯s minion wave push out a little. Hanging around just beyond the range of Red team¡¯s outer tower wasn¡¯t ideal. It limited maneuverability and positioning too much. So he shepherded the minion wave to the middle of thene. This was the perfect spot. Between theck of towers and the opening to the river, this was where the best possible positioning and ys could happen. That¡¯s where Lin Feng decided to freeze the minion wave. With absolute precision and perfect control, he made sure that the Blue minions never dealt more damage than the Red minions.

    At 3:40 minutes into the game, the Ashe arrived back in botne. She walked out from the safety of her tower and into the middle of thene to start farming minions. Shest hit one minion, and then another. Then she decided to move forward a little bit to get to one of the Blue caster minions who tended to hang back.

    Lin Feng smiled. Here we go! Vayne tumbled forward and shot an empowered silver bolt at the Ashe. A single silver ring appeared around her. Then Lin Feng took his fingers off every key except D. He pushed down on it slightly, not enough to register a button press and activate the skill. But almost. He had his Vayne shoot another bolt at the Ashe.

    Ashe turned around and started running when the first bolt hit. She knew it was risky to get that caster minion. But the gold was worth it, she didn¡¯t want to fall behind this Vayne. That¡¯s when Ashe noticed that the Vayne was chasing her. That first attack wasn¡¯t just a poke. She needed to get away before she was forced out ofne again! She turned around and shot out a cone of ice arrows¨CVolley! Nine arrows that would cover her back and slow the Vayne when they hit. She turned back towards her outer tower and continued retreating.

    GOTCHA! Lin Feng¡¯s smile grew wider. His finger pressed down the D key a nanosecond before the ice arrows pierced Vayne. sh! Vayne shed through the arrows and ended up right behind Ashe. Then she took the heavy crossbow from her back and fired out a giant silver bolt. Condemn! It pierced Ashe through the ribs and lifted her off the ground, carrying her until it collided with a wall and pinned Ashe there.

    The viewers watching the stream were blown away! Lin Feng was phenomenal! They sent messages about how they wished they could y Vayne like Lin Feng. They talked about how it would go if they tried to do what he just pulled off, and collectively agreed that it wouldn¡¯t have gone well. They would¡¯ve never shed through Ashe¡¯s Volley. Once they got hit by that, the Nami would¡¯vee in with an Aqua Prison. And then the Ashe would have rained arrows on them until they died.

    Nightsong and Lin Feng weren¡¯t talking to each other in voice chat. Nor were they using pings to indicate what they intended to do. Neither of them needed to type out a single thing in the in-game chat. They just understood each other perfectly. So when Nightsong saw Vayne engage the Ashe, he shifted his Blitzcrank into Overdrive and charged towards the pinned Ashe. Nightsong knew exactly what Lin Feng wanted done without words or pings. The stun from Condemnsted for 1.5 seconds. Even with Overdrive, Nightsong didn¡¯t know if he could get his Blitzcrank close enough. The Ashe broke free of the stun while he was still a few steps away. He was close enough, barely though. Blitzcrank¡¯s hand sted off his arm and flew forward until it grabbed the Ashe, dealing damage and dragging her back to him. Then he knocked her up into the air with Power Fist!

    The Ashe knew that she was just too far away from her tower. Her skills were all on cooldown, as were her Summoner Spells. There was nothing she could do. She still tried to run away from the Vayne and Blitzcrank, but she knew how hopeless it was. A momentter, her screen turned grey.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Literally seconds after first blood was announced came another announcement. A second kill for Blue team. This one happened in midne, where Daybreak Hermes was ying Veigar against a Kassadin. He¡¯d been harassing the Kassadin for the first few minutes of the game. And then the jungler, Elise, decided toe to midne for the gank. That¡¯s when Hermes had gone in and gotten the kill.

    The viewers of the stream cheered and spammed and rioted in chat. Both of their idols, the two professional yers in this game, had gotten a kill! At nearly the same time! They got onto the scoreboard together! Daybreak Hermes in the mine with his Veigar, and Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank in the botne!

    ¡¸Star Emperor is a god! 66666666666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸Best Veigar ever!¡¹

    ¡¸Nightsong¡¯s Blitzcrank is also pretty amazing!¡¹

    ¡°Hey! I was the one that got first blood, you know!¡± Lin Feng protested.

    ¡¸oh, you did okay i gues...¡¹

    ¡¸its good you didnt bring nightsong down¡¹

    ¡°What? Really? Is this actually happening right now? I¡¯m really good, too! You guys¡­¡± For the first time since he¡¯d identally stumbled into streaming, Lin Feng understood what Su Xue went through all the time. These viewers, his viewers, had demoted him to a side character in his own stream! He even started sympathizing a little with Su Xue.

    ?

    By the time the game had turned 6 minutes old, Lin Feng and Nightsong had imed dominion over the botne. Red team¡¯s Ashe and Nami could only cower impotently underneath their tower and watch minions die off in the distance halfway down thene. Lin Feng had once again frozen the minion wave in the same spot as before. The Ashe¡¯s creep score was falling further and further behind every minute.

    Lin Feng looked at his minimap. Nightsong had warded all around botne, so he had fantastic vision. He noticed Jarvan IV, the enemy jungler, trying to sneak up on them and gank them from behind. He had his Vayne walk back towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower. The Jarvan IV tried to ambush her with a g-tossbo, but she easily dodged it with a Tumble. That¡¯s when Nightsong decided it was time to show everyone why he was a professional yer. He had positioned his Blitzcrank under the tower and waited. Once the Jarvan IV fell for Vayne¡¯s bait, Blitzcrank used his rocket arm to grab Jarvan IV and pull him underneath the tower. Then Blitzcrank used Power Fist to knock Jarvan IV up into the air!

    Lin Feng knew it was his turn when the Jarvan IV was knocked up. His Vayne was perfectly positioned. The Jarvan IV was stuck underneath the tower, a powerful structure he could be pinned to with Condemn. Vayne took the heavy crossbow from her back and fired arge silver bolt at the Jarvan IV, pinning him to the tower and stunning him. Between the damage from the tower shots and Vayne¡¯s bolts, it was an easy kill.

    While this was going on in botne, Hermes¡¯ Veigar hit Level 6 in midne. This opened a brief window of opportunity where he had the advantage over the Kassadin. Hermes wasted no time and engaged. There was no suspense. The Kassadin was already at low health, he should have gone back to base when he saw Veigar at Level 5 but decided not to. It was a mistake that would prove deadly. Veigar¡¯s ultimate did more damage the lower an enemy champion¡¯s health was. Thebination of circumstances had decided Kassadin¡¯s destiny. Hermes had his Veigar st the Kassadin to the afterlife with his ultimate¨CPrimordial Burst!

    Just like what had happened with first blood and the second kill in the game, botne and midne got a kill simultaneously again. There was so little time between the kills that the voice announcer only called out the first of the two.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡°Oh wow! He¡¯s really good!¡± Lin Feng didn¡¯t say that out of surprise though. There was no reason for him to be surprised. Daybreak Hermes was a member of the top LPL team in China, Hand of God. He was the best midner in all of China! And he was one of the Seven Kings! It would¡¯ve been surprising if he wasn¡¯t winning hisne in a random solo queue game. That statement was Lin Feng¡¯s way of expressing pure and genuine admiration. Both Nightsong and Hermes, and how they were doing in this game, managed to ignite the fire ofpetition in Lin Feng¡¯s soul. A fire that he hadn¡¯t felt burn in a long time!

    ¡°We¡¯re going to show them how awesome I am!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng got a chance to showcase just how awesome he was 8 minutes into the game. The Ashe had once again overextended herself. Lin Feng activated Vayne¡¯s ultimate¨CFinal Hour. Darkness enveloped Vayne, and she disappeared. She raced towards the Ashe under the invisible cloak of darkness, the demon hunting crossbow held ready in her hands. When she got close enough, she attacked! A silver bolt struck Ashe.

    Ashe was already wary. She¡¯d been cautious since the first time she died, and that caution had doubled with her death. She¡¯d been hanging back near her tower, and only stepped forward a little in the moments that she felt absolutely safe. And she always had one eye on the Vayne. Which is how she noticed immediately when the Vayne disappeared into the shadows. Death wasing for her. But she was ready for it this time. She waited for half a second, and then fired her ultimate, Enchanted Crystal Arrow, at point nk range. There was no way it could miss the Vayne, invisible or not. The Frejlordian cell in the arrow would freeze anything it hit. Like the invisible Vayne.

    Too easy. Lin Feng knew Ashe¡¯s ultimate wasing. He knew that was her only option, the only way she could stop him. He could dodge it though. Or just avoid it. His eyes were trained on the Ashe. He stared without blinking, searching for signs of the animation that would signal that Ashe was about to fire her ultimate. There! He spotted it before the arrow had even left her bow and twitched down on D. Vayne shed through Ashe¡¯s Enchanted Crystal Arrow, rendering itpletely impotent. More importantly, Vayne wasn¡¯t stunned.

    The mechanical skill and balls of steel required to do what Lin Feng had done didn¡¯t just blow the minds of the people watching the stream. Nope. Lin Feng had made waves on an international level. All the way over in London where Nightsong was sitting in his hotel room with aptop. Nightsong watched as Vayne activated her ultimate and started to engage. Then he saw the Ashe fire her ultimate right at the Vayne he was supposed to be supporting. Just as he was getting ready to go in and save his ad-carry, he saw Vayne sh through the ultimate and gasped. ¡°Holy shit! Wow¡­ That. That was impressive.¡±

 Chapter 71: Rare Praise | Views: 8543

    Vayne had just shed through the Ashe¡¯s Enchanted Crystal Arrow and dropped down right behind her. Lin Feng didn¡¯t sit back and congratte himself on a brilliant maneuver or nce at chat. His eyes were locked on the game. He wasn¡¯t done yet, not by a long shot. Before the sh had even ended, Vayne had the heavy crossbow in her hands, ready to fire. A heavy bolt thrummed through the air and pinned the Ashe to the wall in front of her. Condemn! Vayne followed this up with another auto attack, and a third silver ring appeared around the pinned Ashe. All three rings exploded, dealing bonus true damage! Lin Feng¡¯s y wasn¡¯t just avoiding Ashe¡¯s ultimate. He had chained sh, Condemn, Silver Bolts, and auto attacks into a spectacrbo that he executed in less than a second! Ashe literally had no time to react after she fired her Enchanted Crystal Arrow!

    Nightsong was impressed by the Vayne¡¯s y, but not to the point where he forgot that he was still ying a game. He was Vayne¡¯s support and his ad-carry had just engaged the Ashe. His Blitzcrank was in Overdrive and charging towards the stunned Ashe without any conscious thought from him. This was the samebo y they¡¯d been doing since the start of this game. The instant that the stun from Conden had ended, his Blitzcrank¡¯s hand was wrapped around the Ashe. Blitzcrank pulled the Ashe back towards himself, and then knocked her up with Power Fist! Nightsong smiled. Their Vayne-Blitzcrankbo y was great at the beginning. But after running it a couple of times, it was seamless. This Vayne is great, feel like I¡¯m ying with a teamma¨C Nightsong nced at the minimap in the mid-thought. Something was happening!

    Two of the wards in the bottomne had lit up! One glowed blue and the other was red. Teleport! Two champions were teleporting to botne. The summoner spell Teleport was one of those used almost exclusively by topners. Topne was the longestne on the map, and moving back intone after going back to base or dying was a priority. Right now, both of the topne champions were teleporting down to botne. Blue team¡¯s Rumble and Red team¡¯s Irelia!

    ¡°Hot diggity dog! Woooooooo! Alright, alright, alright! We gotta party going on in botne, boys!¡± Lin Feng shouted whileughing. This game was getting more and more fun for him. He wasn¡¯t even slightly surprised this was happening though. This was a real game he was in, an actual high ELO game. Every single person in this tier had impable map awareness. There was never a point during the game where they didn¡¯t have an eye on what was happening all over the map. All three of the other yers on Red team knew that botne was in trouble during this game. So when Lin Feng engaged the Ashe, he knew there was a huge chance that other yers on the Red team would show up to bail her out. He was ready for this. Which is why he didn¡¯t back off when Irelia decided to show up. Vayne continued to attack the Ashe who had just been knocked up into the air by Blitzcrank. By the time she hit the ground, she was nearly dead.

    Both of the teleport animations finished one after the other. Red team¡¯s Irelia had shown up in botne first, and Blue team¡¯s Rumble followed two secondster. Irelia dashed towards the Vayne with desurge, dealing damage with the collision. Then the Irelia followed up with a fast Equilibrium Strike! Or she tried to, anyway. The attack sliced through empty air! Vayne was already gone andpletely out of sight. Lin Feng had dodged with a well-timed and empowered Tumble, and his Vayne had melded into the shadows right after because her ultimate was still active.

    The Nami put two and two together real fast and threw down a Vision Ward! The ward revealed Vayne to the Red team, but it was still a little toote. Lin Feng didn¡¯t use the brief window of stealth to escape. Vayne had continued to attack the Ashe. By the time the Vision Ward went up, another auto attack from Vayne was whistling through the air towards Ashe. The silver bolt pierced her and all three of the silver rings around her exploded, leaving her lifeless corpse on the ground!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Once again, Lin Feng didn¡¯t stop to cheer or tell the chat how his kill was awesome. He didn¡¯t have the time to rx. There were still two more enemy champions around, one of whom could easily kill his Vayne. He clicked on the Irelia to target her and started attacking. The first silver boltnded. Then he cancelled thest part of the attack animation by backing up two steps. Another silver bolt pierced the Irelia. Vayne moved a step back and a step to the left this time. Over and over, Lin Feng wlessly kited around the Irelia while the thrum of his Vayne¡¯s crossbow created the rhythmic melody for the dance.

    Blue team¡¯s Rumble had teleported onto a ward ced in the river, just outside of the entrance to the middle of botne. That was the closest ward that he could teleport to. He ran into botne quickly, chasing after the Irelia, and then down botne to where the Vayne had just killed Ashe. By the time he got there, Vayne was kiting around and attacking Irelia. He wasted no time getting into range and throwing his ultimate skill¨CThe Equalizer! A barrage of rockets rained down on the Irelia and Nami in a straight line, like a bombing run. The area theynded on boiled and erupted, turning molten from the payload of caustic jet fuel, which burned away the flesh of the two enemy champions caught in it.

    Nami was still level 5, which meant that she still hadn¡¯t gained her ultimate skill. The ultimates could only be gained at Level 6, they were locked before that. There was nothing she could do to help Irelia at the moment without her ultimate, and her already low health was now dropping dangerously low. There was only one thing she could do right now, and that was to preserve her own life. She quickly made up her mind and shed away from the Irelia and towards her outer tower. There was nothing cowardly about it, she couldn¡¯t save the Irelia¡¯s life so the best thing she could do was save her own life.

    In a truly unfortunate twist, the Irelia¡¯s sh was still on cooldown. She¡¯d used it back in Topne a little while ago. Not having sh was what truly doomed her, since her movement speed was decreased while she was caught in the Rumble¡¯s ultimate, and that meant she would constantly be taking damage while trying to escape it slowly. To make things worse, Rumble had caught up to her by now and applied a second slow by shooting two harpoons at her. She needed to escape! But every step was painfully slow. The real cherry on this shitshow sundae was that the Vayne continued attacking her. Silver rings appeared and exploded, over and over. Burning, slowed, constantly taking true damage, the Irelia started making peace with her eventual death. Then her screen went grey.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The people watching the stream saw everything, from Lin Feng¡¯s spectacr shbo to the topners teleporting into the Ashe¡¯s death and then the double kill with Irelia. The entire y bloomed before their eyes, and the sheer excitement of the moment rendered them breathless. Once the Irelia was in, they started talking again. For the first time since this game had started, everyone had something nice to say about Lin Feng and his Vayne.

    ¡¸Wooooah! Nice mechanics! Almost as good as Nightsong!¡¹

    ¡¸that rumble ult was so sickkk!!!!11!¡¹

    The Blue team won the 3vs3 team fight in botne. They picked up two kills, while the Red team failed to secure even one. But the Blue Team didn¡¯t just stop there. Since Rumble was already at botne, they decided to go kill the dragon. This was salt on top of a grievous wound for Red team. Their topner and ad-carry were waiting to respawn, and Nami had recalled back to base to recover her health. They had no one who could contest Blue team for the dragon kill. They could do nothing.

    ?

    Back in London, at the 5-star hotel where Hermes and Nightsong were staying. Both of them were sitting at a desk, behind theirptops. When the double kill was announced, Hermes pushed himself against the back of his chair and stretched. He looked at Nightsong and said, ¡°That Vayne, eh? He¡¯s doing pretty good.¡±

    Nightsong rubbed his eyes and chuckled. ¡°Damn straight. I don¡¯t know if ¡®pretty good¡¯ is correct. The little shit is doing fantastic with Vayne.¡±

    ¡°Wait. What? I was just messing with you! Look at you, saying someone else is ying Vayne well. I thought you were going to tell me ten things he did wrong in thest 30 seconds and how you would¡¯ve done better. Hahaha! Hang on! I know what happened! Truck-kun must¡¯ve gotten me on the way to the airport and now I¡¯m in a different dimension, a parallel universe. One where Nightsong is an arrogant shithead.¡± Hermes said and thenughed again. He¡¯d been ying with Nightsong for a while now. Long enough to understand what kind of guy his teammate was. Nightsong was friendly and went with the flow for most things. Except when it came to League of Legends. That¡¯s where all of Nightsong¡¯s hidden pride and arrogance came out, especially when someone else was ying his role or his champions. It wasn¡¯t undeserved or unearned arrogance though. He had every right to be proud. He was one of the top three ad-carries in China! He had gone toe-to-toe with Mote, the ad-carry for SSK when that team won Worldsst year, without buckling during the off-season. Nightsong was most definitely a god-tier ad-carry!

    Chinese fans everywhere thought there were two Chinese professional yers who deserved a chance to make it into the Seven Kings. The first was Roundy, the Uncrowned Eighth. His fans argued it was ridiculous he wasn¡¯t already part of the Seven Kings! Right behind Roundy was Nightsong. He was phenomenal at the game and could go toe-to-toe with the best yers in the world. Sincest season, he was even publicly acknowledged as the number one Vayne in all of China! So when he judged another yer¡¯s Vayne, he was doing so at the standards that he held for himself. He almost never had anything good to say about another yer¡¯s Vayne.

    Nightsong shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m the realest, and I¡¯m just being real. I¡¯ve been next to that Vayne this whole game. He¡¯s good, that¡¯s all there is to it. Just keep watching, you¡¯ll see what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ?

    10 minutes into the game, Hermes had poked the Kassadin he was against nearly to death. And right now, it was time to go in. His Ignite had juste up, and his ultimate was ready to go. It was time for him to start setting the stage for the kill. The first thing he did was push the minion wave up a little.

    Kassadin was a melee champion, so he had to walk right upto the minions in order tost hit them. This is what Hermes had taken advantage of. Every minion that Kassadin went to get thest hit on, it was just a little bit further out from the Red team¡¯s tower than thest one. Just far enough from each other so the Kassadin only took baby steps, never feeling like he was overextended. He kept going, until he finally realized exactly how far out he¡¯d gotten. Which was too far out. This was the moment that Hermes had been waiting for so patiently. Veigar went in and twisted the edges of space to create a cage¨CEvent Horizon! Any champion that tried to pass through it would be stunned.

    Earlier in the season, Veigar had been nerfed slightly by Riot Games. They had made a change to Event Horizon. The skill used to cast instantly. Now, there was a brief dy between the activation animation and when the cage would form. This window allowed any champion who would be caught in Veigar¡¯s cage a chance to escape unscathed.

    When Kassadin saw the activation animation for Event Horizon, he reacted instinctively with his ultimate¨CRift Walk. The skill allowed him to blink through space andnd a small distance away, simr to sh. But he could also deal damage when hended. Right now, the Kassadin had decided to blink towards the part of the river that connected midne and botne. He hadpletely avoided the stun from Veigar¡¯s Event Horizon and saved himself from death!

    Lin Feng chuckled. My timing couldn¡¯t have been better! Holy shit! I can¡¯t believe this Kassadin decided to blink this way. Vayne, shrouded in darkness, burst out of the river brush and straight at the Kassadin! Lin Feng decided that botne was going well, so he pushed the minion wave out and went roaming to mid. Just as his Vayne got to midne, he saw Veigar casting Event Horizon. And then the Kassadin had helpfully decided to save him some walking by blinking closer. Lin Feng chuckled again. The timing couldn¡¯t have been more perfect! Alright Kassadin, let¡¯s what you¡¯ll think of this! Lin Feng pressed down on the E key¨CCondemn! Vayne took the heavy crossbow from her back and shot a giant bolt at Kassadin. The impact lifted him off the ground and carried him through Veigar¡¯s newly formed cage, stunning him!

    The people watching the stream had no words. Just no words. It took them a minute to process what just happened. Veigar¡¯s Event Horizon, the cage that it formed, didn''t count as a structure. So Vayne¡¯s Condemn couldn¡¯t pin enemy champions to it. And without pinning, the skill couldn¡¯t stun. But any enemy champion who passed through the walls of Event Horizon¡¯s cage would be stunned. Which is exactly what Condemn had done. So Lin Feng had juste up with a way to use Condemn to stun an enemy with an unpinnable structure.

    ¡¸WHAAAAT!?!?!??!?!!? That works!?¡¹

    ¡¸THAT¡±S SO BIG BRAAAIN! LUL!¡¹

    ¡¸5HEAD! 20000000000IQ! WTF? WTF? THIS IS WHY I SUCK¡¹

    ¡¸This guy gets me hard. He single?¡¹

    Hermes was surprised, then startled. He¡¯d nned on resetting and trying something else when the Kassadin blinked away. But then the Kassadin hade right back. Stunned and neatly packaged. He pushed down on the W, Q, R keys in sequence, the Veigarbo. Dark matter coalesced into a ball in the sky above and then rained down on the Kassadin, dealing magic damage¨CDark Matter! Veigar followed this up with a bolt of dark energy from his staff¨CBaleful Strike. That was just the appetizer. Veigar charged up an even bigger bolt of dark energy that sted the Kassadin away¨CPrimordial Burst, his ultimate!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Hermes was in a good mood after picking up the kill that he thought was lost. Such a good mood that he decided to say something nice to the Vayne that had brought his runaway Kassadin kill back.

    OldWorn:¡¸Nice y, bro.¡¹

 Chapter 72: Vayne Popping Off | Views: 8530

    ¡°Nice y, bro.¡±Every person watching the stream read those words. This was Daybreak Hermes! The Star Emperor! One of the Seven Kings! And he¡¯d justplimented Lin Feng! Literally every single person watching fantasized of a moment like this happening to them. A game where they¡¯d be ying with legends, and then do so well that a professional acknowledges their skill. For Lin Feng, that fantasy was now his reality. After a pause, once their hearts started beating again, chat went nuclear!

    ¡¸666666666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸OMMMG SNEPAI NOTICED US¡¹

    ¡¸Siiiiiick! Star emperor just said nice bro to us! IM STARSTRUUUUCK!¡¹

    ¡¸my life isplete i can die with no regrets. to the sleeping xue xue, i leave my most beloved gundam figurine collection¡­.¡¹

    Lin Feng read the chat and smiled. ¡°I know right? My Vayne is totally awesome!¡± he said whileughing. For the first time since the start of the game, not one message was sent that made fun of him. Every single viewer simultaneously decided that he had earned the right to gloat. When Daybreak Hermes, a professional yer and one of the best in the world, told Lin Feng he was fantastic, who were they to disagree? Lin Feng had earned the right to enjoy this moment.

    ¡¸nightsong is still better though.. got a ways to go¡¹

    ¡¸keep at it bro, one day you might be a pro tooo!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s okay! I¡¯d still say he¡¯s around as 70% as good as Nightsong!¡¹

    ¡¸we can call him the mini nightsong! cuz he¡¯s like half as good!¡¹

    The validity of these statistical assessments that the viewers were making was dubious at best. Lin Feng did spend a minute thinking about what they were saying though. The gap between him and Nightsong was not as huge as they believed it to be, that he was certain of. But there wasn¡¯t much of a point in telling them that. Their minds were already made up. Nightsong was one of the best ad-carry yers in all of China, unquestionably in the top three. They would never ept that he could possibly be Nightsong¡¯s equal. In their eyes, he could never match up to Nightsong.

    But they are right about one thing. I¡¯m great at being an ad-carry, but not as good as Nightsong. Nightsong was the better ad-carry, and he would never pretend otherwise. When it came down to mechanics and reflexes, he was just as good as Nightsong, maybe even better. But he just didn¡¯t have the depth of ad-carry gamey that Nightsong had. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t a master at every single role in the game. He was a miner. Besides, he was still shaking some of the rust off. Nightsong had been ying every single day for thest couple of years, during the time he walked away from the game. Lots of things in the game changed while I was gone. New patches, new champions, and little tweaks to the flow of the game. Nightsong knows every little tiny nook of those things, and I don¡¯t. It would take time to learn all these things. What he needed right now was practice. He was a god in low ELO games where no one knew a damn thing about the game, sure. But the way he was right now, there was no way he could stomp all over the best yers in the LPL. But I ain¡¯t done yet! I¡¯m not going to give up, I¡¯m going to climb all the way back to the top! All these people watching the stream, they¡¯re going to watch me rise! Thepetitive drive and fire that burned in Lin Feng wasn¡¯t dying out. It was burning brighter than it had before! If he had the choice, he¡¯d be where the Kassadin was right now. Going toe-to-toe with Hermes. It would¡¯ve been a glorious way to find out where he was at, testing himself against the best miner in all of China. God damn, that¡¯d be fun. Going up against one of the 7 Kings. If I went all out, I wonder where I¡¯d bepared to the top professional yers in the world today?

    ?

    After Ashe came back to life in Red team¡¯s fountain, she ran back towards the botne. The second she got there, she started farming minions. The Vayne had gone back to base after taking down the Dragon, so this was her only chance to get some gold and experience from minions. Catch back up a little before the Vayne came down with more items and a stronger build. She pushed the wave out as fast as possible with the help of Nami. The n was simple. Get as much gold and experience as possible while pushing the wave all the way to Blue team¡¯s outer tower. The tower would kill most of the red team¡¯s minions, and every single one that the tower took was lost gold and experience for the Vayne. That would also help decrease the canyon between them.

    The Ashe and Nami managed to get the minion wave all the way to Blue team¡¯s outer tower, and even gotten a few hits in on the tower. That¡¯s when they spotted Lin Feng¡¯s Vayne running towards them. Neither Nami nor Ashe considered engaging. Both of them turned tail and ran. They knew what would happen if they tried. The Vayne was fed, and if they let her get too close she could kill both of them by herself!

    Lin Feng arrived back inne. His mind still wasn¡¯t back on the game. He started farming his minions, uratelyst hitting them under his tower. It would be a waste if he didn¡¯t pick gold that hade to him so freely. Then he started pushing the minion wave out towards the middle of thene.

    At 11 minutes into the game, Lin Feng had pushed the minion wave back to the middle of thene. His focus shifted to the Ashe. She was hiding behind her minions but would asionally step forward tost hit a minion. She would probably try to escape the moment hended an auto attack on her. He waited for her to do just this and then tumbled forward to poke at her a bit.

    Ashe didn¡¯t turn around when she saw the Vayne tumbling towards her. She didn¡¯t try to escape. This was the moment she¡¯d been waiting for! The moment that the Vayne would use the only movement ability in her kit. She raised her bow up and pulled back on it as the Enchanted Crystal Arrow coalesced. Then she let go. The arrow whistled through the air and pierced the Vayne, freezing her where she stood.

    Lin Feng saw the Enchanted Crystal Arrowing, but there was nothing he could do. sh was still on cooldown and he¡¯d just used Tumble to engage. He tried to dodge by side-stepping the arrow, but it wasn¡¯t enough. His Vayne and the Ashe were too close together for that. The Enchanted Crystal Arrow plowed into his Vayne and stunned her.

    Nami was ready with an Aqua Prison the second the Enchanted Crystal Arrow hit. Vayne was trapped in a bubble before the stun ended. The Jarvan IV came running down from the river and went right into his g tossbo without skipping a beat. Vayne was knocked up in the air, and riddled with frozen arrows from the Ashe¡¯s auto attacks. Then the Jarvan IV leapt up into the air and grabbed the knocked up Vayne. He threw her down with so much force that it created a crater at the impact site, his ultimate¨CCataclysm! The damage piled on. Vayne¡¯s fate was sealed, there was no way to escape.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s screen went grey for the first time in this game. For the first time in the stream, actually. The message from Hermes had distracted him too much. He¡¯d been lost in his thoughts and not focused on the game. The viewers immediately started dogpiling on him.

    ¡¸smh, shouldn¡¯t have q¡¯ed in.¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha dumbass thats what you get for trying to show off¡¹

    ¡¸get rekt m8!!!!!!1!¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. He was embarrassed at the sloppy y. ¡°Haha. Yeah. My bad, my bad. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. But it¡¯s fine. No worries my homies. I still got this.¡± He was so distracted thinking about where his skills werepared to Hermes and the other professionals that he¡¯d forgotten for a minute that he was ying against Diamond 1 and Master yers. All of them had gotten to this point because they didn¡¯t give up and lose hope like yers in the lower ELOs did. When the cards were stacked against them, they waited and watched for an opportunity to turn things around. Which is what just happened to him.

    But beyond embarrassing himself, there was no major harm that came from his death. The Dragon hadn¡¯t respawned yet. The only thing that he¡¯d given up was the gold bounty on his Vayne for being on a Rampage. His carelessness hadn¡¯t screwed his team over. But something still changed. The look in Lin Feng¡¯s eyes was just a bit different. His breathing slowed down. He said more to himself than to the stream, ¡°Time to get serious!¡±

    ?

    The Dragon respawned every five minutes. The Blue team had killed it for the first time 8 minutes into the game. It was now 13 minutes into the game, and the Dragon would respawn any second. The Red team was still resentful over how they¡¯d lost the first Dragon. That 3vs3 in botne had screwed them over, and they weren¡¯t going to let that happen again. They had a n. All of them arrived at the Dragon Pit early, before it had even spawned. And they started warding everything they could, maximizing their vision. They weren¡¯t going to get ambushed or surprised this time. This Dragon was going to be the start of their turnaround!

    The Blue team had no intention of letting the Red team get the second Dragon. They noticed what the Red team was up to, and started nning a counter-y. The Jungler and Support put down wards where they could to give the rest of the team some vision. But they were careful not to overextend themselves to the point where the entire Red team would pile on top of them and kill them. Unfortunately, Nightsong underestimated how extensive the Red team¡¯s warding went and pushed his luck a little bit too much. He¡¯d put his Blitzcrank into Overdrive and charged through the Red team¡¯s jungle to p a ward down near their Blue buff.

    A volley of ice arrows flew out of the brush near Blue buff and pierced Blitzcrank. Ashe had been lying in wait, and her revenge was best served with her ice cold arrows. Blitzcrank started running towards the river. But before he took two steps, the Jarvan IV charged in towards him from the river entrance! Blitzcrank¡¯s escape route was blocked. Jarvan IV dashed in with his g-tossbo, which knocked Blitzcrank up into the air. Then jumped up into the air to catch the knocked up Blitzcrank and threw him back down to the earth with so much force that it created a crater, a cage of dirt¨CCataclysm!

    Blitzcrank was hemorrhaging health. The attacks from Ashe and Jarvan IV had taken out more than half of his health. That¡¯s when Kassadin decided he wanted to join in on the fun. With the damage of the Void Walker on top of the other two, there was nothing that Nightsong could do. shing away would be a waste of the summoner spell. Backed into a corner like this, there was only one thing left to do. Nightsong was going to get some good hits in before he died. So he started fighting the Kassadin with his fists until his health dropped to zero. Thus, the noble Blitzcrank did die, his gears spinning to the beat of battle until his final moments.

    Right when the Red team finished turning Blitzcrank into scrap metal, the Dragon spawned. They quickly grouped up and moved to the Dragon Pit. Jarvan IV engaged first and quickly pulled the Dragon out of the pit. If all five of them squeezed into the pit to fight the Dragon, they¡¯d leave themselves open to both Rumble¡¯s ultimate and Veigar¡¯s cage.

    ?

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    Back in the hotel room in London, Nightsong shook his head. He looked at Hermes and said, ¡°I messed that up, what am I doing with my life? I know a sausage when I see one, and that was a bad sausage. I¡¯m sorry, man.¡±

    Hermes looked at his friend andughed, ¡°As long as you get all of this outta your system before Worlds, I¡¯m chillin!¡± He stopped and smiled, ¡°Chillin like a viin!¡± Then heughed and looked back at the game for a second before continuing, ¡°We¡¯re still in this, even without your Blitzcrank. Or that super special ward that you wanted to put down. Rumble has his ult, I got my cage. We¡¯re good. If the Elise and Vayne decide to pop-off, we¡¯ll be even better.¡±

    Between Hermes¡¯ Veigar and Rumble, the Blue team had two champions with powerful AoE damage and crowd control skills. There was also the Vayne who could dish out a lot of consistent damage and Elise couldn¡¯t be underestimated either. All four of them together were more capable of taking the entire Red team out. They would avenge the noble Blitzcrank!

    ?

    The Blue team waited up the river from the Dragon pit. They were letting the Red team whittle down the Dragon¡¯s health. Just to throw off suspicion, they threw out a few skill shots every now and then. But they never went in. Until the Dragon¡¯s health got down to around 20%. That was their cue. Veigar quickly went in towards the Dragon Pit and threw an Event Horizon down on top of the Red team. The edges of space curled up and formed a cage.

    Rumble was right behind Veigar and followed up. With the Red team locked inside Veigar¡¯s cage, he had the perfect target for his ultimate¨CThe Equalizer! He fired off a group of rockets, creating a wall of mes over them that damaged and slowed them.

    While all of this was happening, the Dragon continued to sh at the Jarvan IV! All five champions on the Red team were taking too much damage. They started to back away, slowly. None of themmitted to the retreat. They didn¡¯t want to give up the Dragon, so they hesitated. The Dragon was almost dead. If they pulled out too far, the Dragon would flee back to its pit and heal to full health. They would have to push the Blue team back and then start all over again. If they just managed to get a few more hits in, they¡¯d take it down!

    Suddenly, the shadow of a spider loomed over the Dragon. The Blue team¡¯s Jungler, Elise in spider form! She lunged onto the Dragon and gave it a Venomous Bite, while also hitting it with a Smite. That was it. The Dragon died!

    ¡¶Your team has in the dragon!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh! Nice steal!¡± he eximed.

    The Blue and Red team stood across the river from each other, one side wallowing in despair while the other sipped on joy. It was still. Calm. Tranquil. Then suddenly and all at once, the stillness was shattered! Attacks and skills flew back and forth, a full blown team fight had broken out! The Jarvan IV went in on the Veigar with his g-tossbo, while the Ashe fired her Enchanted Crystal Arrow in Elise¡¯s direction. The Arrow found its mark and froze the Elise. Both the Ashe and Nami focused their attacks on Elise after that.

    The Jarvan IV¡¯s g-tossbo missed. Veigar shed right over it, and straight into the heart of the Red team. The proximity to the entire Red team was ideal for him to throw his signature Veigar Combo down. He coelesed a ball of Dark Matter in the sky and brought it down on them. Then he followed up with a small and big bolt of dark energy¨CBaleful Strike and Primordial Burst! The Ashe took the brunt of Veigar¡¯s attacks. She was blown up before the Dark Matter hit the ground.

    The Nami tried to neutralize Veigar and possibly save Ashe. She threw out a bubble to trap the Veigar¨CAqua Prison! Itnded, but only after Veigar had already killed Ashe. Aqua Prison couldn¡¯t save Ashe, but it could avenge her. Jarvan IV and Kassadin ran up to the trapped Veigar and eviscerated him!

    On the fringes of the fight, Irelia locked onto the Vayne. She dashed forward with desurge and was nning to stun the Vayne with a follow-up Equilibrium Strike, But her n went the exact same way it did thest time she tried it. Lin Feng pressed the R key to activate Vayne¡¯s ultimate, and then tumbled away from the Irelia¡¯s desurge. Then Vayne vanished into the darkness where Irelia¡¯s Equilibrium Strike could not reach. When she reappeared a momentter, she let loose a stream of silver bolts. This was followed up with the active skill gained from the item de of the Ruined King, which slowed the Irelia.

    The Irelia tried to close the gap. But her skills that could do so were on cooldown, and the slow from the de of the Ruined King meant that the Vayne was always faster. Her health quickly dropped. Between the damage from Rumble¡¯s ultimate and Vayne¡¯s silver bolts, she was going to die! Three silver rings appeared around her and exploded. Her screen went grey.

    Lin Feng picked up his fourth kill for this game, and his score was now 4/1/1. But the fight hadn¡¯t ended yet! He started zoning in on the Nami along with Elise who had just broken free from Ashe¡¯s stun. With their damagebined, Nami went down to zero from hero.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The viewers were going wild in the chat! Lin Feng was quickly turning this team fight around! But their cheers stopped mid-sentence. The Elise was only one or two attacks away from dying and she was in the middle of the enemy team. They watched the Jarvan IV turn around to the Elise. He skewered her with Dragon Strike and finished her off with an auto attack.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t about to let Elise¡¯s death go unavenged. He shifted his focus to the nearly dead Jarvan IV. Vayne shot three silver bolts at him in quick session before the Jarvan IV could even reach her. The third silver ring appeared around the Jarvan IV and exploded. The true damage was enough to kill him.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    The excitement in chat that had crashed and burned when the Elise died, it returned with added interest when the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again across Summoner¡¯s Rift, her tone more animated than when she announced the double kill, for the triple kill.

    ¡¸TRIPPLLLLEEEE KILLL!!!!!! FCCK YEAH!¡¹

    ¡¸damn! That was a crazy ass 4v5!¡¹

    ¡¸OMG HAVE MY CHILD¡¹

    ¡¸uhhh¡­ guys? Kassadin is still alive right?¡¹

    ¡¸WATCH OUT!!!!!! KASSADIN IS BEHIND YOU!!!!¡¹

    Lin Feng had picked up a triple kill, but the battle still raged on. The Red team still had a living champion. A violet silhouette appeared in a nearby brush. Kassadin was an assassin. After killing the Veigar, he¡¯d retreated to let his skillse back off cooldown while searching for an opportunity to jump back in the fray. That moment was now! Vayne¡¯s health was low enough that two attacks would be enough.

    The Kassadin blinked right on top of the Vayne with Riftwalk. He activated his Nether de mid-blink, ready to kill Vayne before she could react.

    Lin Feng was focused. Ready. He knew Kassadin was still alive. He wasn¡¯t stupid. His finger trembled slightly on top of the D. There was only one way to outy the Kassadin with the little health his Vayne had left. Lin Feng was going to use his Vayne as the bait in his trap! When Riftwalk activated, a dark violet portal appeared a moment before Kassadin did. Lin Feng kept his eyes trained on the screen for that splotch of purple. The instant he spotted it, he pushed down on the D.

    Vayne shed away from Kassadin,pletely avoiding his Nether de. Then she raised the heavy crossbow on her back. A giant bolt flew out and sent the Kassadin colliding in a wall, stunning him. Condemn!

    ?

    Over in London, Nightsong sat up straight in his chair and stared at his screen. Amazed at the y. ¡°Girrunafuck! This Vayne¡¯s mechanics could fingerbang a cat!¡±

 Chapter 73: You Perverts! | Views: 8411

    Kassadin¡¯s n was wless. He¡¯d blink on top of the Vayne with Riftwalk and then kill him with a Nether de. It would happen so quickly that the Vayne wouldn¡¯t even know what happened. There was nothing the Vayne could do to stop him. She would only have milliseconds to react before death! His n was wless, perfect, you could even say it was beautiful. But that perfection that existed in his mind shattered when he actually tried to do it. The instant he blinked out of the brush and got to where the Vayne was, he found himself standing alone in the river with an impotent Nether de. The Vayne had disappeared! She¡¯d vanished so fast that he didn¡¯t even see it happening. But he had no time to think or act or pivot around. A thick, heavy bolt struck him squarely in the chest and pinned him to a wall!

    The muffled impact from Kassadin was the catalyst for the people watching the stream to erupt and verbally scream like they were trying to go Super Sayajin!

    ¡¸666666666666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸WHAT A GOD!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸HOLY WUTT!?!?! is he scripting? he must be scripting right? That reaction spee what the actual fuk¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸CHEATER!!! MUST BE A CHEATER!!!!!11!¡¹

    ¡¸A QUADRA ITS GONNA BE A QUADRA!!1!!!¡¹

    The man at the center of it all waspletely oblivious to the uproar in chat. All of Lin Feng¡¯s attention was squarely focused on the Kassadin. After stunning Kassadin with Condemn, Vayne fired off a silver bolt. She followed up with a Tumble tond the third silver bolt. The three silver rings around the Kassadin detonated with true damage.

    Vayne fell into a dance of auto-attacking, repositioning, and kiting. Over and over again. Not only did it whittle down the Kassadin¡¯s health, the lifesteal from her items allowed her to heal all the way back to a safe buffer. That¡¯s when Rumble rushed over. He plowed straight at the Kassadin and fired off two harpoons¨CElectro Harpoon! They pierced and electrocuted the Kassadin, simultaneously dealing damage and applying a slow. Rumble then activated his methrower and scorched everything in front of him¨Cmespitter!

    Kassadin¡¯s health dropped fast. He tried to Riftwalk away, smashing the R key while waiting for the stun from Condemn to break. But one-and-a-half seconds were an eternity with two enemies attacking. He only had a sliver of health left when the stun finally broke. But it was enough. He blinked away with Riftwalk. Away from the river. Away from the Rumble. And definitely away from the Vayne. But he didn¡¯t notice that single solitary silver bolt following him. Literally right when his Riftwalk ended, the arrow found its mark and emptied thest bit of his health bar. He copsed dead on the ground.

    ¡¶Quadrakill!¡·

    ?

    In his hotel room in London, Nightsong leaned back in his chair. He nced over to Hermes and said, ¡°Would ya look at them apples? Can I call it or what? I told you this Water Wraith shit was a fucking fantastic Vayne!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re a god whose eyes pierce the veil and see truths the rest of us cannot. You were right.¡± Hermes nodded. He stared at his screen for another second before turning to Nightsong. ¡°I gotta say something though. I¡¯ve seen you y Vayne. A lot. And now I just watched this guy y Vayne. I¡¯m thinking¡­ well, I¡¯m starting to think that this Vayne is so much more reliable than your Vayne. He shows up for every teamfight. Oh! He also showed up right when I needed him to help me get that kill before. He¡¯s always exactly where he needs to be, right when you need him to be. What a team yer, right?¡±

    Nightsong red at his friend. ¡°My dick! You wanna start something here? I¡¯ll show you my Vayne¡¯s dick! Mine is bigger and better. It¡¯s like a fucking third leg! This little shit¡¯s got a toothpick! Nothing on me. Ya dig?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you were dead for that whole teamfight. Damn, your Blitzcrank is pretty unreliable too now that I¡¯m thinking about it... But you had all the time in the world to see how he yed that. Think you could¡¯ve done it better? That Vayne is Zen! Did you notice how he held onto his sh until the veryst moment? He didn¡¯t waste a single ability. Tell me man, could you have done it better? Do you really think you could¡¯ve yed that teamfight better?¡± Hermes asked with a smile.

    Nightsong had nothing to say. He had watched the whole fight, from how Vayne escaped from the Irelia, chased down the Nami and killed the Jarvan IV to how he held his sh through all of this for the Kassadin. He¡¯d be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t impressed. This Vayne had yed the teamfight to perfection and it stung. He would¡¯ve died to the Kassadin after wasting his sh on chasing down the Nami or the Jarvan.

    ¡°God damn! You really want to do this whole ¡®fiddle-dee-dee look how much better than you is he¡¯ thing? Go for it! You just want to mess with me and I know it. But it''s not going to work. I don¡¯t give a flying fuck about that Vayne! My Vayne¡¯s dick is bigger. It¡¯s the best! I am the best Vayne yer and that¡¯s that!¡± Nightsong barked.

    Hermes shook his head and grinned. Then he turned his attention back on the game. Or to be more precise, back onto the Vayne. ¡°I think we¡¯re watching the birth of a new pro in the scene. He¡¯s got the eye of the tiger, he ys for the thrill of the fight. I think we¡¯re going to see him rising up to the challenge.¡± he mumbled.

    ?

    Lin Feng shook his head. He was mildly miffed. The teamfight went great, he was happy with how he yed that. Picking up a quadra kill was pretty fun too. But his KDA was now 7/1/1. That one death, all because he¡¯d gotten distracted and careless. He grumbled, ¡°If I didn¡¯t screw up inne that one time¡­ Why¡¯d I give that kill away? I would¡¯ve gotten a godlike if I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    The chat had no sympathy for Lin Feng. The people watching the stream jumped on the chance to make fun of him and pour a little bit more salt on his misery.

    ¡¸lul! now you realize¡¹

    ¡¸Whose fault is it for showing off!¡¹

    ¡¸karmas a bitch ey? and i don¡¯t mean the champion!!!! shes cute and hot and totally bangable¡¹

    The viewers were poking a little fun at Lin Feng. But when all was said and done, they¡¯de to respect him. New or old viewers, all of them were thoroughly impressed with his Vayne. Especially this quadrakill that was nothing short of breathtaking! There were several diehard Nightsong fans in chat, and even they had to admit that no one could¡¯ve yed that teamfight better than Lin Feng had. Not even Nightsong himself!

    After thisst teamfight, the Blue team was up two Dragons and two towers, and their mid and ad-carry were fed. The advantage they held over the Red team was overwhelming. Nothing short of a miracle or some serious griefing would let the Red team make aeback. But that wasn¡¯t about to happen with two professional yers and Lin Feng on the same team. The rest of the game was much calmer. There were no more shy ys, no unnecessary risks. Only solid teamwork.

    The Blue team¡¯s synergy started to shine. Nightsong had learned his lesson after overextending and dying. His ystyle changed to one that was more serious and wary. As the Support, he was the shotcaller. He led his team around the map, searching for targets to hook. Whenever he found an enemy champion, he¡¯d Rocket Grab them. Veigar followed up with an Event Horizon. Stuns piled onto stuns with an extra side of stun. All the while Vayne would be unloading her silver bolts on them. They died so fast that Veigar didn¡¯t even have the time to use his ultimate half of the time. Neither did Vayne or Rumble. They were just that much stronger than the Red team.

    Lin Feng stayed in the backline along with Veigar. He never walked in front of his Blitzcrank, never left himself exposed to attack. He only went in on enemy champions that were within attack range and already engaged by the Blitzcrank. Vayne had such arge item advantage over the Red team that it didn¡¯t matter who she attacked, they all died the same. There was no escape. It didn¡¯t even matter how much armor the Red team champions stacked to defend themselves against her, it just wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°Sweet! My Vayne is really really strong! I can probably 1vs5 them now!¡± Lin Feng eximed, smiling.

    The chat had no response. Most of them were new to the stream, and just didn¡¯t know Lin Feng well enough to react. They couldn¡¯t tell if he was serious or joking or delusional. But the viewers who¡¯d been watching for a while now had more experience with Lin Feng and his quirkiness. They knew he was different and not like the other streamers. So, earlier on, one of them had suggested a copypasta in the QQ group chat. One that they¡¯d spam in chat whenever Lin Feng had one of his special moments.

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    ¡¸uWu! I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person in my life! uWu!¡¹

    The entire chat was blotted out by walls of this message that were constructed over and over again. This was a sort of tribute from the chat, one usually reserved for the most popr streamers who hadrge and very loyalmunities. On that note, Su Xue¡¯s stream was growing quickly. The viewer count was over 6,000! It was something that Su Xue never even dreamed would happen! She would have been screaming, ¡°WHAT? OVER 6000? That can¡¯t be!¡± But Su Xue was still sleeping, and this wasn¡¯t a dream. Lin Feng, with a little help from Hermes and Nightsong, had done it!

    ?

    After the first game, Lin Feng jumped straight into a second, riding the momentum and chasing the high. That game was another quick and easy win. So was the third. But when it came to the fourth game, things took a bit of a left turn. In thest two games, it didn¡¯t make that much of a difference if the othernes lost. As long as they didn¡¯t give up and go AFK or grief by walking into the enemy tower every time they respawned, he could still carry to a win. In the fourth game, none of that happened. But something simr and just as annoying did happen. A teammate who was so bad that all they aplished was feeding, even while trying to y seriously. All of the kills created enough of an advantage that it no longer mattered how well Lin Feng yed, the game was unsalvageable.

    ¡°Well, this was unexpected¡­ That Tryndamere is ridiculously boosted,¡± Lin Feng concluded after looking at the numbers in the end game lobby.

    Chat hade to a simr conclusion much earlier in the game and said so then, and agreed once more.

    ¡¸Yeah! That trynd could feed an entire nation!¡¹

    ¡¸such a shame! you were doing so amazing with your yasuo¡¹

    ¡¸that game was unwinnable with how bad that trynd was ¡¹

    ¡¸Report him for inting! Report him!¡¹

    Not a single person watching the stream doubted Lin Feng. Not anymore. No one tried to argue that Lin Feng wasn¡¯t that good either. Lin Feng had united every single person watching with his gamey. They were happy when he was happy and angry when he got mad. He was their streamer, and they were his chat.

    Lin Feng read through the chat and engaged with the viewers, a wide grin on his face. There were a lot of messages flooding in. So many that he was starting to have a hard time keeping up. At first he thought people were just typing fast, but there were just too many messages for that. He eventually got curious enough to investigate and looked at the viewer count. His eyes stopped for a moment. Then he rubbed them and looked again. ¡°Oh WOW! This is crazy! There¡¯s so many of you! You guys seeing how many of you there are in here? Oh. Wait. Did you guys already know?¡±

    Lin Feng was so surprised that he shouted while saying that, and it woke Su Xue up. She rubbed her eyes, still drowsy, and then dragged herself out of herfy cocoon of nkets and pillows. She pushed herself up and looked over at Lin Feng. ¡°The hell are you yelling for? Trying to wake the whole neighborhood up?¡± She grabbed her phone to look at the time. ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s almost 12? Alright. Fine. You¡¯re lucky your shift is almost done. If you¡¯d woken me up early...¡±

    She stretched and yawned one more time. Then she cracked her back and shook off the grogginess. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m up! We can switch.¡± She walked over to Lin Feng, still in her pajamas, and ruffled his hair. ¡°What were you screaming about anyway?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Look! You¡¯re going to be so happy! Look! Look!¡± Lin Feng said while jabbing his finger at the monitor. Unfortunately, his excitement and his finger also blocked Su Xue from seeing the viewer count.

    Su Xue pushed Lin Feng aside and looked at the screen. Her heart stopped for a moment as her mouth fell open. She moved a little closer as all the sleep left her face and was reced with shock. ¡°S-s-six t-t-thous¨C¡± The shock was too much for her. She leaned on the desk and forced herself to breathe. ¡°SIX THOUSAND? How? Lin Feng how did you do it?¡±

    A certain demographic of the viewers, a very specific subset, had already feasted their eyes on the heavenly sight of the sleeping Su Xue. But seeing her in her pajamas, that was an entirely different dimension of enticing. The thin fabric entuated her curves, and the stream lights highlighted the sheerness of the material. They stopped breathing. They could only sit there drooling with their eyes locked on the screen staring at the beautiful woman who had appeared on the webcam feed.

    ¡¸Woahhhh¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸Is xue xue going naked on stream?¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO TURN OFF THE WEBCAM!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t know the stream provided these kinds of services too!¡¹

    ¡¸COOMERS UNITE! OUR MOMENT HAS COME!¡¹

    ¡¸clipped it dn saved it!¡¹

    ¡¸this is THE BEST STREAM!! Nightsong, Hermes, now this. OMG!¡¹

    Su Xue noticed what was being talked about in chat before it went on for too long. Or too far. Her eyes turned into round saucers as she nced at the webcam feed and saw herself showing off her body in her scanty and translucent pajamas! She quickly wrapped her arms around her chest and screamed at the camera, ¡°What! You freaking perverts! Close your eyes! CLOSE THEM NOW!¡±

 Chapter 74: Fatty Eating All by Himself | Views: 8645

    Su Xue mmed one hand over the lens of the webcam, and then used her other hand to turn it off. Those goddamned perverts! They should¡¯ve closed their eyes! I can¡¯t believe they didn¡¯t have the decency to do that. I know some of them clipped it too. The stupider ones probably took a bunch of screenshots. GAH! Su Xue was embarrassed and upset. She knew it was her fault, she¡¯d been careless. But her eyes still teared up when she thought about all the people watching the stream seeing her like that. Knowing that some of them had pictures and video of her exposed like that just made it worse. Okay. Webcam is off and those perverts can¡¯t see anything anymore! There¡¯s nothing I can do about what they¡¯ve already seen, but at least I¡¯m not giving them any more. Wait! Lin Feng is still here... Su Xue shot a re at Lin Feng to make sure he wasn¡¯t looking at her the same way the lonely losers on her stream were. He wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s a relief. Looks like those degenerates haven¡¯t corrupted Lin Feng yet. Okay! Now get dressed and deal with this! Su Xue stormed out of her bedroom and into the bathroom to change.

    Seconds after Su Xue turned the webcam off, chat started protesting. Quite a few of the people watching demanded that the webcam be turned on. They kept up the demands for a few minutes, and then decided to pivot when they saw that their strategy wasn¡¯t working. They made promises of donations, tips, and gifts that they¡¯d send if the webcam was turned back on. Some of the amounts were beyond absurd. But that didn¡¯t matter, they never intended to follow through on the promise. When that didn¡¯t work, they started pleading. Three of them even wrote extensive sob stories about how their wives had died and Su Xue¡¯s beauty had rekindled passions that they thought were gone. One talked about how he was paralyzed, but Su Xue made him forget how terrible his situation was. It was¡­ something. Once Su Xue returned and started to turn her webcam back on, the anticipation peaked! Then they saw that she was dressed normally, and they made their disappointment known in the chat.

    ¡¸Where¡¯s your pajamas?¡¹

    ¡¸you looked so cute!!! put them back on¡¹

    ¡¸keep providing us with your special service!¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha! lewd stream!¡¹

    The viewers who¡¯d been watching Su Xue¡¯s stream for a while now knew that she didn¡¯t spend hours putting makeup on and dressing provocatively to draw people into her stream. Most of the time, she wore cute outfits that werefortable and casual. And the makeup she did use, it was the bare minimum to look presentable on camera. Her stream was about her gamey, her personality, and her interactions with people watching. But Su Xue was beautiful even without trying. None of her viewers would deny that. She was just as gorgeous as most of the popr e-girl streamers. The fact that she didn¡¯t unt her body or her looks, that made her all the more alluring. Even her most faithful viewers weren¡¯t going toin about a chance to appreciate just how beautiful she was.

    Su Xue started reading the messages in the chat and got angrier with each one. Her eyelid started twitching. Then she hit her breaking point. She looked straight at the webcam and yelled, ¡°Alright you perverts! You got to see more than enough! Did you enjoy yourselves? Are you happy? Did I satisfy you? Good! NOW, tell me which of you looked! Don¡¯t try to hide! Start typing! Who looked?¡±

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    Su Xue stared at the wall of the same message being sent from thousands of viewers. She read over it again, not understanding. Then she addressed them, ¡°Huh? What? What do you gu¨C¡± Su Xue snapped her mouth shut mid-sentence. Starting to say the word ¡°guys¡± had snapped all the pieces together in her mind. Her face turned a deep shade of red and she screamed, ¡°YOU PERVERTS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS? DID NO ONE EVER TEACH YOU HOW TO TALK TO A LADY? How could you say something like that!¡±

    ¡°Su Xue?¡± Lin Feng tugged on Su Xue¡¯s arm. ¡°What do they mean? Typing with both hands? Isn¡¯t that how everyone types normally?¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T WORRY ABOUT IT!¡± Su Xue snapped at him. Then she took a deep breath and continued in a more measured tone, ¡°Think about it for a minute and you¡¯ll figure it out. If you can¡¯t, that means you¡¯re too young to know. But I¡¯m not going to exin it to you.¡± Then she took another deep breath.

    Su Xue was embarrassed. She was annoyed at herself for letting something like this happen. She was also annoyed at some of these assholes, so much so that she wanted to tear them a new asshole. But beyond that, she was also happy. She started out happy when she woke up and saw the view count. Then she was embarrassed, then angry, and then annoyed, and then angry again. But the memory of her gaffe was fading and she was starting to feel happy again. No, more than that. She was ecstatic! Lin Feng had helped her shatter her view count record! 6,000 viewers! It was a dreame true!

    Once chat settled down, they started talking to Su Xue about everything that happened while she was asleep. That¡¯s how she learned that most of these viewers joined after Lin Feng ended up in a game with Nightsong and Hermes. She understood that the stream had blown up because people came to see the two professional yers. That meant that her viewer count would start dropping soon. Many of these viewers had only shown up to see Nightsong and Hermes, and then they¡¯d stuck around for Lin Feng. They weren¡¯t here to see her, they didn¡¯t even know who she was. But that didn¡¯t mean that this wasn¡¯t an opportunity. If she yed this right and entertained them, she could probably convince some of them to stick around. That could her anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand new regr viewers. This was a huge win! She could double her average view count!

    ¡°I did good, right?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Yes. Yes! You did amazing!¡± Su Xue ruffled his hair, full of energy.

    A low growl came from Lin Feng¡¯s stomach. He looked up at Su Xue and said, ¡°Can I get that chicken cutlet now?¡±

    ¡°I should¡¯ve known. Food! That¡¯s all you can think about. Here, take my card and order your chicken cutlet,¡± Su Xue replied.

    Most of the people watching the stream right now had never seen Su Xue before and had no idea who she was. They had joined the stream while Lin Feng was ying and thought he was the streamer. When she took his spot and shooed him away, they got even more confused. To them, it looked like she was taking over and kicking their steamer out!

    ¡¸Is li¡¯l bro not going to stream anymore?¡¹

    ¡¸whats going on???? whos that girl?¡¹

    ¡¸i thot this stream was different with actual content¡­.. turns out its just another THOT stream¡¹

    Su Xue knew this was going to happen. Her stream had gone viral with Lin Feng¡¯s face on webcam. But she was ready for it. She exined to the viewers, ¡°Lin Feng here needs to do his homework. And he has school in the morning. He can¡¯t bete for that¡­¡± Su Xue had one eye on the chat while she gave the speech she rehearsed in her head, and she saw the tide of resistance to the change rising. But she had a card up her sleeve just for this! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯ll be back tomorrow! He¡¯ll be switching ces with me every night!¡± She tugged at Lin Feng¡¯s arm. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Su Xue for a moment. She looked right back at him, her eyes pleading for him to say yes. He waited another second and then held up two fingers. ¡°Two! I want two chicken cutlets and I¡¯ll fill in for you!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°You little punk! Are you trying to extort me? Can you even eat that much?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s nothing. I know someone who can eat way more than that. Two really isn¡¯t much.¡±

    ?

    Over in London, inside the Brighton Hotel, Hermes and Nightsong were still in their room and on theirptops. They¡¯d just finished ying a ranked game. Nightsong cracked his back and sighed. ¡°Great galloping galoshes, man. That was a good game. Only because I was awesome in it. Did you see how fucking fantastic I was at support? If I can¡¯t y as an ad-carry anymore, not that it''s ever going to happen. But if I got so bored of being the most amazing ad-carry in China or something like that, I¡¯ll try ying support.¡±

    ¡°You? Support? Trying to take Ol¡¯ Eight¡¯s job now? Sure. Go tell him you¡¯re going to be a support. And then stand there for an hour while he tells you the three hundred different ways he¡¯s going to defile your mother, your sister, your grandmother, and any other rtives you can think of,¡± Hermes replied, and then broke downughing.

    Nightsong shrugged, uncaring. ¡°There¡¯s only one rule, my HoG brother. Don¡¯t be trash. And my support game is the furthest thing from trash. But it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. My magic fingers and insane skills are meant to be ying ad-carry. It¡¯d be a tragedy to waste all of this raw talent anywhere else.¡±

    Hermes shook his head with a wry smile. Typical Nightsong. Could this guy be any more of a narcissist? He¡¯d gotten used to it by now. Arguing with Nightsong when he was in this kind of mood was beyond pointless, it was an exercise in futility. Hermes sighed. If Nightsong¡¯s ego gets any bigger, his head might explode. Then we wouldn¡¯t have an ad-carry for Worlds. But he also knew that pride and ego was well-deserved and hard earned. The guy was an amazing ad-carry. Top three in China, just as good as any of the other great ad-carries in the world!

    The yers who had a shot at bing one of the Four Emperors and Seven Kings, all of them had a singlemon trait. When they yed at the highest level andpeted under metric tons of pressure, they didn¡¯t just y at their best. They yed better. When these guys went all out, it was at 120%. Being able to y at 100% under that much pressure when the stakes were that high, that made a yer great. These guys were beyond great. They had found something within themselves that let them go to a level beyond that of a super saiyan, and that¡¯s where their absolute confidence came from.

    Take Nightsong for example. He knew exactly how to get into the right mindset for apetition. He knew exactly what worked for him. There were two days until the bootcamp for Worlds started, and he was preparing himself mentally. Instead of dpressingpletely by drinking a beer on the beach or going out partying, he yed ranked games with Hermes. As a Support. That¡¯s how he rxed and reset his headspace. By ying games where he didn¡¯t have to worry about his performance as the ad-carry.

    It was exactly because Nightsong knew what worked for himself that Hermes had so much trust in him. He had no doubt in his mind that Nightsong would be ready when Worlds started. They had a real shot at winning! At least in the group stage and maybe even in the round after. Making it all the way to the finals, that was probably pushing it. The other teams were just as good as them. Some were even better! They would be ying against the best teams in the entire world! Then there was SSK, and their Miner. The Emperor who sat on the throne of Sovereign. Just thinking about that guy sent shivers down Hermes¡¯ spine.

    Hermes shook his head. Worrying about the other teams and how they¡¯d do against them was meaningless. All they could do, all he could do, was to give it his all. To keep pushing and never give up. As long as he did that, nothing else mattered.

    ?

    After finishing one ranked game, Nightsong didn¡¯t feel like ying anymore. He stretched and spun around in ce on his chair before turning to Hermes. ¡°Hey, you think the buffet is open?¡±

    Hermes nodded before replying, ¡°I think so, yeah. Didn¡¯t they say something about serving tea and pastries in the afternoon? Why? You hungry?¡±

    Nightsong got up from his chair and patted Hermes on the shoulder. ¡°Come! It¡¯s not like we have anything better to do. Let¡¯s go stuff ourselves!¡±

    Besides Nightsong and Hermes, there was one more Chinese yer in Hand of God. Their support, Eight Saltspoons. They went to ask him if he wanted to join them for a quick snack, but found him passed out on his bed in the room next door. As for the other two members of the team, they were Korean and had gone to tour the city after lunch with the team¡¯s trantor. Nightsong and Hermes took the elevator down to the second floor together.

    The buffet was being served in arge dining hall on the second floor. Nightsong and Hermes stepped inside and looked around. The ce was practically empty. Not that it mattered to them. All it meant was they wouldn¡¯t have to spend as long waiting in line. They loaded up their tes with cake, tarts and biscuits. Then they picked up some coffee. Nightsong pped Hermes in the chest and pointed at thebel for the coffee, ¡°You know this coffee, there are monkey-cats that eat the beans and shit them out. They collect the coffee beans from the shit of a monkey-cat! That¡¯s what makes it so good! Super expensive stuff, this is a nice hotel.¡± Hermes sighed. ¡°They aren¡¯t monkey-cats, the animals are called civets. They have an enzyme in their stomachs that makes the coffee good,¡± he replied. Nightsong did not look at all convinced by Hermes¡¯ exnation and continued talking about monkey-cats.

    They finished picking up their afternoon snacks and started looking around for an empty table in a nice spot. They had prime pick since there weren¡¯t that many people in the dining hall. That¡¯s when they spotted a familiar figure sitting in the corner by himself and eating. The table he was sitting at was full. There was enough food to feed an entire team, and this guy was eating it all by himself. Nightsong called out to the guy, ¡°Roundy!¡±

    Anyone with an iota of interest in League of Legends would know the name. One of the greatest yers to have evere out of China! Everyone, from fans on the street to other professional yers, called him by his online handle as a show of respect.

    The person eating alone in a corner of the banquet hall was Tian Tian! Roundy Round! God Roundy! He was the topner of KG and also known as the Uncrowned Eighth. There was no better topner in all of China, and there were only a few in the entire world who could go toe-to-toe with him. When he heard his name being called out, Tian Tian looked up and saw Nightsong and Hermes.

    They walked over and put their tes down on the table. ¡°Hey man!¡± Nightsong smiled. ¡°I see you¡¯vee down for a snack. That¡¯s good. I¡¯d start worrying if you lost weight. Me and Hermes here got bored up in our room, so we decided to see if there was anything good here.¡±

    Tian Tian wiped the crumbs from his mouth and swallowed a giant mouthful of food. Then he smiled at them and said, ¡°Hey! You guys! Hi! Here, pull up a chair! We¡¯ll eat and talk!¡±

    Tian Tian was the number one topner in China. But at first nce, he didn¡¯t look even remotely special. He was chubby with a baby face and wet round eyes. He looked like the mild-mannered kid people would forget was there. Or the target of the school bully. A timid young man who usually minded his own business.

    Everyone in the professional scene knew that Tian Tian was a shy and reserved guy in real life. There was even a funny story about him that went around and everyone knew it now. It happened after an LPL match. A beautiful female fan walked up to him for an autograph. He signed whatever she gave him and handed it back. Then the girl asked him if he¡¯d like to join her on a lunch date sometime. When the word ¡®date¡¯ registered in Tian Tian¡¯s mind, it went haywire. He started stumbling over his words and his face turned red. The girl asked him again and stood there waiting for his answer. But poor Tian Tian never managed to get the words he wanted to say out. He wanted to say, ¡°YES! I would love that!¡± The girl was beautiful. He never thought a girl like that would walk up to him and ask him out. She was out of his league. But what he actually said was nothing, and the poor girl walked away thinking she¡¯d been rejected.

 Chapter 75: A Distant Memory | Views: 8,285

    Hermes and Nightsong took a seat at Tian Tian¡¯s table. Nightsong looked at all the tes already on the table and grabbed a small pastry from one of them. He aggressively bit a chunk of the pastry, savoring it as he chewed, and said, ¡°Holy Cannoli! Literally! This cannoli¡¯s so good! Good thing I was smart enough to steal it from you, eh Roundy? Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a couple more of them on the other tes. I checked.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t lying. There were five tes spread out on the table, all within arm¡¯s reach of where Tian Tian was sitting. All of the tes were piled high with different kinds of pastries and sandwiches. It was honestly more than a little impressive. Each te contained enough food to feed a family for several days, and utilized a genuinely creative organization and stacking structure to achieve this. Nightsong and Hermes both took a minute to look at all of the food on all of the tes. For different reasons. Hermes was awestruck at the volume of food and how much was packed onto each one. Nightsong was making sure there were more cannolis like the one he¡¯d stolen. He figured there would be when he said there were, and now he wanted to make sure. Once he confirmed there were, that¡¯s when he saw the bigger picture.

    Nightsong¡¯s eyes popped out of his head as he gasped, ¡°Good lord! I know you like to eat Roundy, but what the hell is this? I could literally make a life-size sculpture of you from all this food! This ain¡¯t all for you, right? The rest of your team ising down? There¡¯s no fucking way you can eat all of this! The UN doesn¡¯t even give Africa this much food! Please tell me you got this for the rest of your team because you got here early! God damn! If I was into food like you were, I¡¯d have a boner all the time!¡±

    Hermes shook his head. Well, at least Nightsong didn¡¯t tell him he¡¯d be trash if he got fatter. He looked at Roundy, ¡°Nightsong¡¯s got a way with the words, right? But you can really pack it away, Roundy! That is so much food! How can you eat all of that!¡±

    Tian Tian shrank into his chair and slid a little more under the table. But he didn¡¯t fit. The table tilted and some of the tes started sliding off. He jumped back into his chair and set the table right, but his face waspletely red from embarrassment. ¡°Hahah, yeah. I¡¯ve always been pretty big. Got arge stomach, ya know? So I need to eat a lot¡­¡± His eyes fell on the chocte mousse cakes on one of the tes. The energy he lost a moment ago was back in full. He grabbed two cakes and gave one each to Nightsong and Hermes. ¡°Here! You guys have to try these! They¡¯re super delicious! Probably the best thing they have here right now!¡±

    Nightsong looked at the chocte mousse then at Tian Tian, amazed. He had no words. He let out a long sigh. ¡°Damn. You¡¯re crazy, man. Completely cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Wait! Shit! Don¡¯t go get cereal now because I reminded you of it. But god damn! I got a big dick and everything, but I¡¯m still freaking out about Worlds right now. Here you are stuffing your face with pastries and sausages, telling me about how good the chocte mousse is. I gotta know. How big is your dick? Gotta be huge, right? I mean, I can barely keep food down right now! You either have a monster of a trouser snake or you¡¯re chillin cause you¡¯ve been here since Season 1.¡±

    Tian Tian waved his hands and shook his head. ¡°No no! You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m really nervous too! Maybe you can¡¯t tell, but I¡¯m freaking out!¡±

    ¡°So why are you eating here all by yourself?¡± Hermes interjected in an attempt to bring the conversation back to a more normal vein. Then he chuckled to himself and added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I need to ask. Did you eat your teammates?¡±

    Tian Tian rubbed his hair. ¡°Oh, them¡­ They went sightseeing around the city. I think I heard them say something about a theme park? I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    ¡°Theme park?¡± Nightsong¡¯s eyes started shining. ¡°Hermes and I were just talking about going there! I heard they got a ton of cool rides and shit there! Also heard that it was a decent ce to meet some cute girls. Why didn¡¯t you go? You feelin'' the chocte mousse more than the girls here?¡±

    ¡°No no no, no. No. No! They¡¯re going for the rollercoasters! I hate those things. They¡¯re terrifying! What if something goes wrong? What if the seatbelt-thingiees loose? I don¡¯t wanna go flying! Or what if the cart falls off the track¡­ Nope! Just no. I¡¯m never getting on another rollercoaster ever again!¡± Tian Tian frantically shook his head, his chubby face turned pale. Just the thought of a roller coaster terrified him! There was one time he got talked into getting on one and he made a solemn vow to himself that it would never happen again. That was a memory he wanted to repress!

    ?

    Laughter rolled through the banquet hall. Nightsong and Hermes were talking and joking around with Tian Tian while tasting the pastries. Tian Tian, on the other hand, had a different approach. He ate like his life depended on it. Like he was worried someone would steal his food if he looked away for a second. He still looked up and replied to the two sitting across from him, though, and they eventually started talking about Worlds.

    ¡°The pressure¡¯s starting to get to me. I¡¯d be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t.¡± Nightsong sighed. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve had our fun in the LPL and those teams were good. But you know, they were only LPL good. We knew everyone we yed against from solo queue or from scrims against them. Worlds is apletely different animal! We don¡¯t know half the teams. I mean, not like we know all the LPL teams, and we¡¯re going to be up against many of the Seven Kings and Four Emperors. And yeah yeah, before you guys start about it, I know. It sounds cringy as fuck. Can barely believe hearing myself say it. But it¡¯s still true that those guys are really fucking good. They¡¯re way better than what we have in the LPL!¡±

    Hermes nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Every team that qualified for Worlds this year is really good.¡±

    Nightsong suddenly jerked his head to look at Tian Tian. ¡°But you¡­¡± He waved at all the food spread out before him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it man. But you don¡¯t look nervous at all. Like not one bit. How do you do it?¡±

    Hermes patted on Nightsong¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Stay frosty, man. Roundy over here has been ying at Worlds since Season 1. He¡¯s been around the block way too many times. It doesn''t freak him out as much as it did in the beginning. It¡¯ll be the same for us in a couple of years.¡±

    Hermes hadn¡¯t started ying League of Legends until Season 3. Then it took him a little over a year to climb up high enough to get noticed and sign with a professional team. His team managed to qualify for Worlds in Season 4. So this was only his second time at Worlds.

    Hermes was a babypared to Tian Tian when it came to Worlds. Tian Tian¡¯s first Worlds was in Season 1, and he even made it all the way to the finals that time. Every year after that, with the exception of season three, his team had made it to Worlds and he¡¯d yed in all of them. This year would be his fourth time around the block. Tian Tian was the most experienced yer in China and among the most veteran yers in the entire world.

    ¡°No no, guys, you got it all wrong! It¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m really not immune to the stress or anything. I¡¯m also super freaked out!¡± Tian Tian tried exining to them. He hated beingplimented like this. It made him feel incredibly ufortable. Especially since it was the furthest thing from the truth. He wasn¡¯t calm. He was so far from calm that calm disappeared over the horizon. But he stumbled over his words when he tried to exin, and then eventually gave up and slouched in his chair.

    Both Nightsong and Hermes noticed that Tian Tian was getting ufortable with the conversation. They changed the subject to the most recent game of League they¡¯d yed. Hermes made fun of Nightsong and the strange things he did and said. That was just what Tian Tian needed. His breathing calmed and he looked a lot more rxed. He even sat up straight and chewed his food like a normal person instead of swallowing it whole.

    ?

    Nightsong and Hermes spent the next 20 minutes eating and talking, enjoying the pastries they picked up from the buffet. They also tasted several that Tian Tian highly rmended. By the end of it, they¡¯d eaten more than they could handle. Their stomachs bulged out and their eyelids felt heavy. The early signs of an impending fooda. Tian Tian, on the other hand, still had several tes to go and was busy stuffing his face with no signs of slowing down.

    ¡°Mghmmm?¡± Tian Tian attempted to ask when Nightsong and Hermes stood up. They looked at him, confused. He gulped down whatever was in his mouth and tried again, ¡°Are you guys done eating? Already? Are you leaving?¡±

    ¡°Nope! No more! I¡¯m not eating another bite! I feel like I¡¯m about to blow up, and not in the good way!¡± Nightsong yelled while frantically waving his hands around. ¡°You¡¯re something else. I don¡¯t even know why you got into ying League! You should¡¯ve gone intopetitive eating. You¡¯re already an Emperor in that sport. Respect man. Respect!¡±

    Hermes picked his te up and cut Nightsong off, ¡°We¡¯ll let you enjoy your afternoon snack. Nightsong and I are going back up to our rooms. Gotta let all this food digest. We¡¯ll probably chill out on the couch or something for a bit and then get back to ying some more ranked games to warm up for Worlds.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright then! Thanks for sitting down with me for a bit, it was fun. Good luck in your games!¡± Tian Tian waved goodbye while the other two walked away. Then he looked back down at the food on his te. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to eat itself,¡± he mumbled before shoveling it into his mouth again. It was a continuous fluid motion. Food went up from the te, into his mouth, and down his throat. But it happened so quickly that it was impossible to figure out when he actually did all of those things. Food disappeared from the te and his hands blurred while moving up and down. He did this while sittingpletely alone in thatrge banquet hall. The only other people with him were the wait staff who asionally walked by. In thatrge banquet hall, he looked all the more lonely.

    Tian Tian looked a little different after Nightsong and Hermes left. His hand started trembling. He made a fist, holding onto the fork more tightly. But it still trembled. The piece of cake on it vibrated off and fell in hisp. Then he dropped the fork. It fell onto the te and the clink of steel on porcin echoed through the empty banquet hall. His teeth started chattering. He¡¯d been trying really hard to keep himself together in front of Nightsong and Hermes. He didn¡¯t want them to see how absolutely petrified he was. That he was freaking out more than the two of thembined. More than the rest of his own teambined! Once they left, hepletely fell apart. Just thinking about Worlds sent him into a panic attack!

    The name Tian Tian was made up out of two characters. Tian (Ìï) was his family name, and the Tian (Ìì) in his first name was given to him by his grandfather. It represented the sky and was given to him in the hope that his aplishments would be just as vast. But Tian Tian worried every day that he had let his Grandfather down over the past 21 years of his life. And that he¡¯d continue to let his Grandfather down for the rest of his life.

    For as long as he could remember, he was always the fat kid. But it didn¡¯t stop there. He could¡¯ve been the fat kid who was funny. But no, he was shy and timid. He never found the courage to stand up for himself. All he wanted to do was hide, fade into the background. But that was not particrly easy to do for a fat kid. This unfortunatebination also made him the perfect target for any bully.

    From kindergarten to his final day in high school, not a single one went by without someone showing up to bully him. They took his lunch money, roughed him up every once in a while, and made fun of him until they got tired. Thatst one was the worst. He got used to the fat jokes fast, and they figured that out just as quickly. So they changed tactics and pinpointed the stuff that actually hurt him. That¡¯s when their words started to hurt. Really hurt. But he never fought back. He never tried to stop them. He never even told his parents. Instead, he buried his frustration and pain underneath food. He ate and ate and ate, and then realized that he truly enjoyed eating food. Whenever he was eating, he stopped feeling sad. Stopped worrying. Only through eating could he step out of the mental prison he¡¯d trapped himself in and enjoy life. If only for just a moment.

    As the years went by, Tian Tian grew fatter and fatter. He had no real friends at school. The only people that really talked to him were the ones who wanted to bully him. He turned to gaming because it was something he could do alone. He didn¡¯t need any friends to y games. Didn¡¯t need to talk to anyone at all while ying games. And while he yed the game, no one needed to know he was Fatso Tian Tian. So no one could bully him.

    That¡¯s when he found out about a new game that was just released. League of Legends. He decided to give it a try because he heard that every game was yed with nine other real yers. He could get to know people from behind a screen, maybe even make some friends. And if they wanted to bully him, they could only do so for the length of a single game. Then he¡¯d never see them again. Picking up League of Legends, that turned out to be the best decision Tian Tian had ever made in his entire life. He was good at the game! It was the first thing in his life that he was actually good at! The truth was that he wasn¡¯t just good at the game, he was fantastic at it. He was so talented that he managed to get noticed and signed by a professional team a few months after he started ying the game! Then he climbed with that team to the very top and yed at the very first World Championships. And he¡¯d been doing that for thest five years.

    Nightsong and Hermes weren¡¯t wrong when they assumed he wasn¡¯t freaking out about Worlds. He¡¯d been in the professional scene for five years now and yed in four World Championships. Most people would think that he¡¯d gotten used to the pressure by now. But that was the furthest thing from the truth. His secret was that he was always worried. More than everyone elsebined. The anxiety and panic kept him awake all night. His hands trembled and his knees wobbled.

    It was one thought. Just one thought that always ran through his mind and broke his spirit and sent him spiraling into panic attacks. One thought. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck up! Don¡¯t let your team down! Don¡¯t let your fans down! Don¡¯t let your Grandfather down!¡± He never even thought about how well he¡¯d do. He didn¡¯t think about how happy he¡¯d be if he did well. All he thought about were the countless ways he could fuck up. The things that could make him choke. How he¡¯d let his teammates down. How he¡¯d let all the people that believe in him down. Every second that he was alone with his thoughts, a brand new scenario in which he would fuck up and singlehandedly lose the game popped up in his mind.

    It was his anxiety, his fear of failure, the idea that he might choke when people were counting on him that led to the five tes of food in front of him. He was sitting here eating all that food to try and ease his anxiety, to bury it under mountains of pastries. He wasn¡¯t sitting in the banquet hall alone because his teammates had abandoned him. They didn¡¯t want to go and do something without him. He was here alone because he wanted to be here. He wanted to be alone. If his teammates knew how he was feeling, what was going on inside his head, they would worry about him. They would be sad because they couldn¡¯t do anything to help him if they knew the truth. It wouldn¡¯t aplish anything if everyone felt like he did. That would make things worse. That¡¯s why he was alone.

    Every time he took a bite, the rush of sugar and the joy of the vor banished the anxiety from his mind. He could rx for a second. This was the only way he knew how to cope. The constant need to eat to escape from his crippling anxiety and the desire to not burden anyone with his problems or let them down in any way created a truly unfortunatebination that resulted in him isting himself from everyone around him.

    It wasn¡¯t always this way. Well, the anxiety and panic attacks were always there. But there was a time when Tian Tian wasn¡¯tpletely alone. It was four years ago, right before the start of Worlds. His anxiety amped up and he was on the verge of a panic attack. Exactly like today. He couldn¡¯t deal with his thoughts, couldn¡¯t stop worrying and he couldn¡¯t breathe. Before he knew it, he was in a small restaurant across from the hotel he was staying at. He didn¡¯t even remember walking there, that¡¯s how panicked he was. He ordered every single thing on the menu and settled into a quiet corner. All by himself. The first of his food arrived and he salivated in anticipation of both the food and the momentary reprieve from his thoughts. Just as he was about to dig in, he was interrupted by a young man. A teenager, still in middle school, holding a tray with arge te of food in his hands.

    The young guy put his food down on the table and sat down in the empty chair across from Tian Tian. He gotfortable and then grabbed his own fork and knife. Just before he started eating, he looked at Tian Tian and said, ¡°Fatty! Did anyone tell you it was rude to go off and eat by yourself? You should¡¯ve said something if you wanted to eat. I was hungry too! It''s rude when you don¡¯t ask your friends toe eat with you! Haha!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ I, it¡¯s uhm, just I think...¡± Tian Tian looked at his food and then looked at the guy sitting across from him. He wanted to eat, needed to eat. But he wanted to reply. Back and forth. But every time he tried to say something, he stumbled over his words. It always happened when he got nervous. ¡°You know¡­. Um¡­. well, w-w-with the game¡­ hm¡­ err tomorrow. You know¡­ the, uh... The Worlds thing. And I thought. N-n-no, I was thinking¡­ uh, and I was¡­ you know¡­ uh. And. Well, if I eat, my nerves¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re nervous? You got some anxiety and you¡¯re trying to eat your feelings, huh? Bury it under whatever you can put in your mouth?¡± The youthughed, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so fat!¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess¡­¡± Tian Tian lowered his head, embarrassed.

    ¡°Well that makes two of us! I¡¯m also super nervous! Worlds starts tomorrow! Can you believe it? Tomorrow! I can barely keep it together! So I came down here to eat my feelings! Just like you! Haha!¡± The young man looked Tian Tian right in the eyes and his cheerful tone turned serious. ¡°Fatty, listen up. This is important. Next time you get this anxious and need to eat, call me. I¡¯ll tag along. Then we can both eat our worries away together! It won¡¯t be so lonely!¡±

    Tian Tian looked up and looked in the young guy¡¯s eyes for the very first time. Met his stare for the first time. Tian Tian surprised himself. He didn¡¯t remember thest time he¡¯d looked up at someone, looked them in the eyes. This might have been the first time he did that in his entire life. But something about the young guy made him want to, and when he did he found eyes that were beaming with joy. But he still hesitated. He¡¯d gotten used to eating alone, eating so fast that he could stop his own thoughts from beating him down. If someone else was there, they wouldn¡¯t let him just eat. They¡¯d want to talk. And then he¡¯d be trapped in his thoughts again.

    Just as he started walking down the thorny path in his mind that he¡¯d walked so many times before, the one that spiraled into the dark ce, the young guy interrupted him again, ¡°It¡¯s so lonely, this whole eating by yourself thing! Isn¡¯t it way more fun to eat with someone else? Food is meant to be shared and enjoyed with friends! Let¡¯s enjoy this meal together!¡±

    Pain shot through Tian Tian¡¯s head and gut at the same time, snapping him out the memory. He picked his fork up off the te and licked it clean. Then he sat there, staring at the empty banquet hall. Dazed. He didn¡¯t eat or move for a long time. He just sat there without blinking. Then all at once and without warning, he stabbed the fork into whatever was on the tes and started eating. He ate like his life depended on it. Like he needed to bury whatever he was feeling under as much food as his body could handle. Frosting and crumbsbined and created a crust around his mouth. He still kept eating. Some of the crumbs got pushed into his mouth, but they were quickly reced by new crumbs and bits of food. He inhaled the food in front of him while tears ran down his face. His shoulders trembled. In between bites and the shifting of tes, he cried and mumbled, ¡°L-lin Feng, where did you¡­.go? You said you¡¯d eat with me! You said to call!¡± But no one heard him or saw his tears in that empty banquet hall.

 Chapter 76: The Training is Just Beginning! | Views: 8956

    Lin Feng was deep in an intense schedule of his own design. He had three things that he couldn¡¯t change. School, homework, and filling in for Su Xue on her stream. Other than that, every spare minute was poured into coaching the esports team. If he wasn¡¯t working with them, he was thinking about strategy and thinking about how to help them get better. Even when he was in ss and doing his homework, he was still thinking about the esports club and how to coach them better.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just coaching the esports club. He was still trying to help Su Xue get better, but his time with her was much more limited. After he bumped into Nightsong and Hermes in solo queue the other night, Su Xue¡¯s stream hit a record viewer count of 6,000! It never got that high after that. But Su Xue never really expected it to. From that night, Su Xue¡¯s stream gained around 2,000 new viewers who decided to stick with her and keep watching. Far more than Su Xue had expected or even hoped for!

    Su Xue made it her mission to convert as many of these new viewers as possible into fans of her stream. People who would buy subscriptions, gift gifts, and participate in chat. Lin Feng yed a key role in this. Most of these people had stuck around for him after watching his game with Nightsong and Hermes. They wanted to see him carry. That was why Su Xue was willing to bribe him with two chicken cutlets a night just to have him show off how good he was at the game. But she didn¡¯t stop there. She also worked hard to improve her own skills at the game. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to rely on Lin Feng to lure these people. She could do it herself!

    Hard work could eventually catch up to raw talent. Su Xue absolutely believed in that. As far as League of Legends went, she literally had no talent. Her game instincts were horrendous, and that was understating it. But she overcame all of those hurdles through diligence. dedication, and sheer force of will. She worked harder than most people, giving up sleep and sacrificing her sanity. And all that hard work was paying off. Her skill at the game was rapidly improving, and that directly tranted into a higher quality stream. Last night¡¯s viewer count spike was a fluke. A one-off lucky break. But behind that was a steady increase in the number of viewers, all from her own efforts. And with more viewers came more money, and she now had more than enough in her bank ount to pay rent.

    ¡°Just you pervs wait! Mama¡¯s gonna climb to Diamond!¡± Su Xueughed at the camera.

    The people watching the stream couldn¡¯t help themselves and turned the chat into ¡°The Roast of Su Xue¡±.

    ¡¸climbing to diamond? LOL you called the molehill in the park diamond or something? hHAHHAHA¡¹

    ¡¸nah, sounds too hard for her! LOL! HARD bet she¡¯ll calls her bootycall diamond and climbs him like a tree¡¹

    ¡¸oh oh! I volunteer!!!!! climb me xue xueee!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸yo guys i¡¯m xue xue rl friend!! this is her number: 867-5309! call her!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Coach Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp!

    Ren Rou spent a couple of days going through the games that happened during the tryouts, and eventually came up with the official lineup for the esports club team. Her list also included the substitute yers for every role. Noticeably absent from the list was Lin Feng¡¯s name. He was good enough that he could y any of the roles for the tournament, so he would fill in whenever it was necessary. Right now, Lin Feng¡¯s job was to be the Coach and get the team for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament.

    Which is exactly what Ren Rou told Lin Feng when she came to show him the finalized list for the esports club team. Then she started talking about each of the yers, but he cut her off.

    ¡°Sounds good! Ipletely understand.¡± Lin Feng pounded his chest. ¡°I¡¯m really good at ying every role! Let me see that list.¡± He snatched the list out of Ren Rou¡¯s hands and started reading.

    Name: Chen Ze

    Rank: Diamond 5

    Role: Top

    Main: Irelia

    Name: Yang Fan

    Rank: tinum 4

    Role: Mid

    Main: Twisted Fate

    Name: Liu Yue

    Rank: Diamond 5

    Role: Jungle

    Main: All current meta junglers.

    Name: Tang Bingyao

    Rank: Diamond 4

    Role: ADC

    Main: Draven, Kallista, Twitch

    Name: Wei Dong

    Rank: tinum 2

    Role: Support

    Main: Nami, Braum

    ¡°What about the substitutes? I don¡¯t see their names on the list?¡± Lin Feng asked after he finished reading.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them,¡± Ren Rou reassured him. ¡°I got a backup for every position. Ouyang is actually the backup for Jungle. I can make a list of them too if you want¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Lin Feng nodded, but his mind had already drifted elsewhere. He was thinking about the n of attack. The first few rounds of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Unless they got really unlucky in the draw again. That meant that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about ying a specific role for now and could instead put all of his energy into training the club¡¯s team. It was important that the team yed together in games that actually mattered, and not just in practice rounds. Team synergy only started developing when the stakes were high. That¡¯s when they would really learn how toe together as a team and grasp victory.

    While Lin Feng was thinking about this, Ren Rou continued to talk, ¡°... so I told everyone on the list toe meet us in the club room today. Ouyang¡¯s alsoing. We¡¯re going to let them know that you¡¯re a Challenger and that you¡¯re going to be coaching them for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Is that okay? I know this is short notice, but are you ready?¡±

    Lin Feng had only heard the second half of what she said and started to answer. But before he could get a word out, Ouyang walked into the club room. ¡°My bro Lin Feng over here is always ready to y. Amiright Lin Feng?¡±

    Lin Feng gave Ouyang a quick bro hug before answering. ¡°Yeah. We can tell them today. Let¡¯s get started on training as soon as we can! We have to y as many games as we can before the tournament. That¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll achieve the dream of winning!¡±

    Ren Rou jumped in, ¡°Alright Ouyang, I¡¯ll introduce Lin Feng and tell them about the training we¡¯ll be doing. You can jump in when you think it''s necessary or back me up.¡±

    Ouyang vehemently shook his head to indicate how much he disagreed with Ren Rou¡¯s n. ¡°No way! I¡¯m going to introduce my bro Lin Feng here! Tell those scrubs that he¡¯s the Challenger and they need to fall in line or fall behind! If anyone tries to argue, their ass is grass! I got this!¡±

    Ren Rou sighed, but she just didn¡¯t have the energy to argue with Ouyang. It was probably best just to let him do whatever he was going to do. That was her usual policy whenever he got this hyper about anything.

    The three of them talked about the training program and the Shanghai 16 School Tournament until the five yers on the main team arrived in the club room. Their arrival was the final piece needed to put their n in action. Everything else was ready!

    ?

    The yers on the roster for the esports club team had all finally arrived in the club room, and stood there waiting to find out why Ren Rou had asked them to meet. It was now time to introduce Lin Feng and start the training camp for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament.

    Ren Rou stood at the front of the ssroom and cleared her throat. Everyone else stopped talking and settled down to hear what she had to say. Before she could, Ouyang jumped in front of her and started his own speech.

    ¡°Alright. You guys are here today because you¡¯re good! You guys are the best yers out of everyone that showed up at tryouts. The best of the best! And that¡¯s who we want. Only with the best of the best can this esports team kiss that trophy from the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

    ¡°BUT...

    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t really the best of the best. You guys are only better than the rest of the trash that showed up at tryouts. We gotta forge you into an army! HOW DO YOU TURN TRASH INTO AN ARMY? BY TRAINING!

    ¡°We¡¯re going to wash the stink of trash from you guys, from us, from this entire esports team. Right now, I look at you and I think why did they send me daughters when I asked for sons? But that¡¯s okay! We¡¯re going to make men out of you! Then we¡¯ll train some more until we turn you into warriors. Then we¡¯ll train even more until we¡¯re an army! An unstoppable army!

    ¡°That¡¯s where my bro Lin Feng herees in. He¡¯s going to be our coach! He¡¯s going to teach us everything we need to know to not embarrass ourselves at the tournament. He¡¯s going to teach us how not to be trash. He¡¯s going to show us how to grab our dreams with our own two hands!

    ¡°Some of you are wondering why you should listen to him, right? WELL I DON¡¯T CARE! You¡¯ll listen because I¡¯m telling you to listen. And if you don¡¯t listen, we don¡¯t need you in this esports club. But all of you saw how awesome his Lenc was at tryouts, right? Well, my bro Lin Feng here is an actual Challenger on the Ionia server! THAT¡¯S WHY YOU LISTEN TO HIM AND TRAIN UNTIL YOUR EYES BLEED! OR I¡¯LL MAKE YOUR ASS BLEED!¡±

    ¡°Are you for real? A Challenger? He¡¯s actually a Challenger?¡± Wei Dong eximed.

    Chen Ze looked at Lin Feng like he¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°Holy shit! I didn¡¯t know we had a legend at our school! Oh damn, a Challenger? Holy damn!¡±

    ¡°... wait, did you just say you¡¯d make our ass bleed?¡± Tang Bingyao asked. She already knew Lin Feng was a Challenger and that his training would work. So most of her attention was on Ouyang¡¯s increasingly peculiar choice of words as he got more and more excited during his speech.

    The only one who didn¡¯t say anything was Liu Yue. He just stared at Lin Feng thoughtfully. Where have I seen you before? He knew he saw Lin Feng somewhere before, the guy felt familiar to him. But where? Where was it? He couldn¡¯t figure it out. Damnit where¨C ¡°Wait!¡± he suddenly cried out. ¡°That¡¯s where I know you from! You¡¯re that Vayne! I watched you y on Huya! You were that amazing Vayne!¡±

    ¡°Ehh? You caught me.¡± Lin Fengughed, scratching the back of his head. It seemed like someone had finally recognized him.

    ¡°Huh? What Vayne? Bro, since when are you a streamer?¡± Ouyang asked, bewildered. He stopped for a moment and then fired off, ¡°What¡¯s your stream called? You stream everyday? Wait! Why haven¡¯t you told me about this? I thought we were bros! What the fuck man! You could¡¯ve invited me. If we duo queued, you¡¯d definitely gotten more viewers! I¡¯d be the sex appeal in your stream. All the girls would show up!¡±

    Liu Yue finally connected the dots in his head. This is him! That was his Vayne! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! His eyes went wide in shock and excitement. ¡°I knew you looked familiar! I was browsing Huya and then clicked on your stream just as you queued up with Nightsong and Hermes! Oh my god! That game was so amazing! Nightsong actually gave you the ad-carry and then you went Vayne! I thought for sure you would fail. But man were you good! Your Vayne was so good! I don¡¯t think I know a better Vayne yer! Even Hermes gave you apliment! Hermes! Your Vayne was just that good!¡±

    ¡°I know right?¡± Lin Fengughed and patted his chest. ¡°I¡¯m really good at Vayne!!¡±

    While Lin Feng and Liu Yue were talking about Lin Feng¡¯s ys and how he kept his cool when he was ying with Nightsong as his support, everyone else was silent. They stared at Lin Feng with their mouths wide open. It was as if they¡¯d lost their tongues. Or like they¡¯d forgotten how to function. They just stood there in shock.

    Ouyang was the first to recover. He shouted, ¡°You yed with Hermes and Nightsong? THE HERMES AND NIGHTSONG?¡±

    Yang Fan followed soon after. He adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I know I was a little pessimistic before, but man, I had no clue you were that good! If you can even impress Hermes, maybe we really do have a chance to win the 16 School Tournament.¡±

    ¡°Guys, GUYS!¡± Ren Rou interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s great that Lin Feng is amazing, but that only means we have to work harder! Don¡¯t forget, we can¡¯t drag him down!¡±

    Liu Yue raised his hand and shouted, ¡°I promise to give it my all! I won¡¯t hold him back! I promise!¡±

    Chen Ze and Wei Dong, the Toner and Support, looked at each other and found the same excitement in the other¡¯s eyes. They had been with the esports club for a while now, but they had nothing to show for it. It wasn¡¯t because they hadn¡¯t tried. They¡¯d given it their all! But they were just never good enough. Now, though, their team actually stood a chance! For the first time since joining the club, they felt the rush thates from a chance at victory! A fantastic conclusion to their otherwise dull high school years!

    Lin Feng smiled as he saw that everyone was full of anticipation and excitement. He pounded his chest and dered, ¡°Coach Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp is going to start!¡±

    ?

    The best way for Lin Feng to understand the esports club team¡¯s skill level was to have them y a 5v5 ranked game. They found a quiet corner in the NetCow Cafe and the main team members all sat down in front of a monitor. Lin Feng walked behind them, back and forth. ¡°Alright guys, this¡¯ll be your first match. Just show off what you can do. Try and work together. This game is just for me to get an idea of your skill level. So try your best! Impress me! You guys can do this! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The team members logged into their ount on the Ionia server and queued up as a team for a 5v5 ranked game. This game mode was different from solo and duo queue, because it relied far more on team synergy rather than individual skill. Take the esport club¡¯s team. They all knew each other. They were even sitting right next to each other and could easilymunicate. This was impossible to do when you were queued up with random yers.

    It didn¡¯t take long to find a game, and it also didn¡¯t take long to finish it. The esports club¡¯s team pulled ahead from the start. Everyne did great and pushed for an advantage. The gold lead grew and they got the first and second Dragon mostly uncontested. But their opponents saw it differently. They believed that all it would take to turn the game around was one misy. One opportunity. But this opportunity never came and when the game hit the 25-minute mark, they gave up and surrendered.

    Ouyang walked past the lineup of yers, patting them all on their shoulders. ¡°Great work guys! That¡¯s what I love to see! Perfect y! That was super! Keep it up and we¡¯ll definitely win the tournament!¡±

    Lin Feng watched Ouyang and the others. They were all excited. Their first game was a win! He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°This is going to be a lot of work¡­ There are so many problems. Where do I even start?¡±

    Lin Feng knew what to expect when it came to the individual skill of these yers. They weren¡¯t half bad. They could hold their own inne, even against a stronger opponent. That was great in solo queue, but it meant very little in a 5vs5. And he wasn¡¯t training them so they could climb in solo queue. He needed to turn them into a team! This was going to take a lot more effort than he thought it would. He let them enjoy their victory and bask in the glory before starting to give them feedback on how they did.

    ¡°Wei Dong, you don¡¯t hide behind your tower when your ad-carry is towerdiving the enemy! Match your ad-carry. Support her damnit!¡± He then turned to Tang Bingyao. ¡°And you! What was that? Why in the world would you towerdive when your Support is hiding behind his tower? Any decent team would¡¯ve taken advantage of you. You have to y a little bit less aggressively!¡±

    Lin Feng turned to Yang Fan and Chen Ze, both of whom were now a little bit less excited. ¡°And you, Yang Fan, sure yourning was fine. But help exin something to me. Why did you pick Teleport? Why? I didn¡¯t see you use it even once! Why pick it if you don¡¯t n on using it? Communicate man! Communicate! When you pick Teleport, you have tomunicate with your team and find the right ce and time to use it! I don¡¯t want to see you do that again! Better yet, you probably just shouldn¡¯t pick Teleport again.¡± He barely took a breather as he turned to Chen Ze. ¡°Same for you Chen Ze. You did fine inne but who cares about that? This is a team game! Not solo queue! If you pick Teleport, you have to use it! I didn¡¯t see you leave topne once!¡±

    The good mood from a moment ago waspletely shattered by Lin Feng¡¯s judgement. Tang Bingyao fidgeted with her fingers, Yang Fan was cleaning his sses and Chen Ze just stared at his screen and his score in the post game lobby. None of them dared to look in Lin Feng¡¯s direction, afraid he would think of more things to fault them on.

    Liu Yue looked at Lin Feng, hesitant. ¡°Uh, Lin Feng? What about me? Did I do ok?¡±

    ¡°No. You did not,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°Your Jungle was fun and nice for some random game, but we¡¯re not here to prepare for some random game.¡± He stopped for a moment and looked at the others, then continued, ¡°Alright guys, listen up. We¡¯re not here to feel good about crushing some silver scrubs in a random game. We¡¯re here to prepare for the 16 School Tournament. We want to win that thing! We¡¯ll be up against Masters and Challengers. Your little win over some silver scrubs? It means absolutely nothing! Get your shitake mushrooms together! We¡¯ve got a long way to go!¡±

 Chapter 77: Three Day Countdown | Views: 8956

    Lin Feng chuckled. These guys have no clue how lucky they are. They¡¯re getting all the perks of belonging to a professional team with none of the downsides, and the whole thing is free! He was coaching them while Ren Rou took care of everything else in terms of management. All the five yers from the esports club had to do was work on their game. To improve as quickly as they possibly could! They didn¡¯t even have to think about strategy or what champion to y, he did that for them. It couldn¡¯t be any easier for them!

    This was exactly how the professional teams and esports orgs worked these days. After thepetitive League of Legends scene had matured, there was a lot of money going around. Team owners woke up one morning with more than enough funding to expand their organizations. There was now enough money for support staff. They already had managers, but now they could start investing in coaching staff and analysts. The coaches made all the decisions. They decided who would y in a tournament, what strategy the team would go for, and which champions the yers would use. All that was left for the yers to do was focus on improving their y and being in optimal condition when the next game started.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t have this luxury back in Season 1. Not that many people yed League of Legends during those days, and there really weren¡¯t many professional yers and orgs. There was no money for support infrastructure around the teams. No coaching staff to tell them how to y. All they had was a team owner, someone who spent most of their time seeking out potential sponsors and convincing them to throw money at the team. They also had a manager who took care of the logistical things, like arranging scrims, booking travel and aodations, and buying food. The rest was up to the yers.

    From analyzing the game to staying up to date with thetest patches. They researched their opponents and prepared their own strategies. Lin Feng and his team handled all of that back in Season 1. They had to coach themselves. That¡¯s what Lin Feng drew on for what he was doing with the esports team. As far as game knowledge and tactics went, Lin Feng was good enough that he could be considered about half of a professional coach. Sure, it was a given that he didn¡¯t have anywhere near enough experience to join the coaching staff of a professional team. But it was more than enough to help the esports club prepare for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament.

    The five yers on the esports club team sat side by side. Lin Feng walked behind them, back and forth. His eyes caught everything, from how they sat in their chair to the smallest mistakes they made in the game. And he was sure to point them out as bluntly as he could. There was no time to be nice about it. They had to be ready when the Shanghai 16 School Tournament started!

    ¡°Tang Tang, you have a minimap for a reason! Go to your settings and make it bigger, maybe then you can keep an eye on it!¡±

    ¡°Wei Dong, Tang Bingyao isn¡¯t going to bite you. Stop running away from her! Support her goddamnit!¡±

    ¡°Liu Yue, quit it with the bullshit roaming. Maintain vision and move in when there¡¯s an opportunity! Don¡¯t walk around the map admiring the trees and the rocks! If you can¡¯t find an opening to gank, force one!¡±

    ¡°Chen Ze map awareness! Come on dude, what did we talk aboutst game? If you pick Teleport, use it. Hey! Chen Ze! Listen! What did I just say? Teleport!¡±

    They tried to do what Lin Feng told them to do, but every time they tried to change things he¡¯d be yelling at them about yet another mistake they made. Another mistake. Another thing they did wrong. Half of the time they didn¡¯t even understand what it was they did wrong. Or how it was wrong! They started to y more carefully, hoping he would stop shouting at them. But he didn¡¯t, he only shouted louder. Their hands felt sweaty and their hearts would skip a beat every time they thought he would scream at them again.

    Ouyang tapped on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and gestured at him to follow. When they were out of earshot from the rest of the members, he said, ¡°Hey bro. I trust you, really, I do. But are you sure this is the best way to coach them? Look at them! Look! They¡¯re terrified! If you keep pushing them, they¡¯ll snap. They¡¯ll either rage and tilt or give up. You don¡¯t want to see that happen, right? So how about you chill down a bit?¡±

    ¡°No. I can¡¯t.¡± Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°I would be a bad coach if I did that. If they want to improve, I have to point out their mistakes as they happen. That¡¯s the only way they¡¯ll get any better!¡± He looked over at the five yers, then added, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve only been pointing out the big, obvious mistakes. I¡¯ll go into a little more depth after the game is over.¡±

    ¡°The big, obvious mistakes?¡± Ouyang looked at Lin Feng, incredulous. He felt his heart skip a beat. If he thinks those are only the big and obvious mistakes, then what about¡­? Is he going to scream even more at them after the game¡­? He grabbed Lin Feng by his arm and asked, ¡°Yo bro, are you sure about this? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re setting the bar a little too high? It¡¯s only a high school tournament¡­¡±

    Lin Feng smiled at Ouyang. ¡°Trust me. We need to do this if we want to win that tournament.¡± He understood better than Ouyang how vast the gap between them and high ranked teams was. If they wanted any chance at winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, they couldn¡¯t ck. He couldn¡¯t be nice about certain things. Being this harsh and yelling and hammering down on them, it wasn¡¯t fun for him either. But it was necessary if they wanted to have any chance of beating the top schools like Shanghai International and Shanghai High School.

    The team had two weeks to prepare for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Even if they trained every single day until then, it was still going to be incredibly difficult to get to a point where they were ready. There were so many variables that had to fall perfectly into ce. Even with Lin Feng on the team there were no guarantees. He couldn¡¯t carry them by himself. But if they worked hard and really tried, they would eventually get to a point where they¡¯d be real contenders.

    No one gave up. No one tilted. The members of the esports club listened to Lin Feng¡¯s advice, trying to ignore his harsh tone, and worked hard to improve their game. For every failure, they made a mental note to work on itter. They couldn¡¯t let Lin Feng down. They wouldn¡¯t let this golden opportunity to take home the trophy pass by. For the honor of their club and the glory of victory, they would push themselves to their limits and exceed them! They would go beyond plus ultra!

    They yed several more games like this until Lin Feng noticed howte it was. ¡°Oh, shoot! It¡¯s already seven? I need to go home guys!¡± Su Xue was probably already in her pajamas, waiting for him with dinner ready. He¡¯d promised to take over her stream so that she could get some sleep. ¡°Alright guys, gather around. Come here for a moment. Let¡¯s call it a day for now. Think about everything I¡¯ve told you and then we¡¯ll continue tomorrow where we left off. Go get some rest. See you guys tomorrow!¡±

    Everyone nodded and started grabbing their stuff, when Ouyang nudged Yang Fan and said, ¡°Hey bro, wanna y a couple more games with me? You know, get some extra practice in before tomorrow? We can walk home together afterwards.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Sure, sounds good. I think I finally understand one of the things Lin Feng was exining to me. I wanted to see if I could get the hang of that anyway. Let¡¯s stay and y a few more games.¡±

    Wei Dong watched the exchange between Ouyang and Yang Fan and then looked at Tang Bingyao, who was packing her bag. He fidgeted his fingers before gathering the courage to walk up to her. ¡°Erm, Tang Bingyao¡­?¡± When she looked up at him, he felt his face heat up. He tried to hide it behind his hand as he meekly asked, ¡°I-I feel like our synergy in bot is kind of bad. You¡¯re way better than me. I can¡¯t really keep up. So I was thinking that maybe, if you¡¯re ok with it, that we could y a few more games? That will help me get better¡­ But only if you¡¯re ok with it of course!¡± He stared at the ground, his eyes wide and terrified, waiting for her reply.

    Tang Bingyao was caught off-guard. She paused midway through putting a notebook in her bag and looked at Wei Dong. Then she thought about it for a moment before nodding, ¡°Sure. That sounds good.¡±

    Chen Ze looked at his new teammates. Three of them had already decided to stay behind and get a few more games in to practice what they¡¯d learned today. He couldn¡¯t ck behind them! So he put his bag back down and sat behind his monitor again. ¡°I¡¯ll stay for a few more games too! I have almost no homework for tomorrow anyway.¡±

    Liu Yue looked at everyone and thenughed. ¡°Chen Ze, wait! Don¡¯t queue up yet! I¡¯m joining you! Let¡¯s y some games together. I felt our Jungle-Topbo had great synergy. Let¡¯s work a little more on that and make Lin Feng proud of us tomorrow!¡±

    Ren Rou looked at the excited team members with a smile. ¡°Guys! Guys!¡± she shouted while raising her hand. She waited until she had everyone¡¯s attention and then continued, ¡°Seems like we¡¯re all staying to get some more practice in. That¡¯s great! I¡¯m really proud of you all! But we can¡¯t work on an empty stomach! So, you guys y one game while I go and get some takeout. Then we¡¯ll have a quick bite to eat together and then y a few more games! How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡±

    Sounds great!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the best Rou Rou!¡±

    ¡°Get me something vegetarian please.¡±

    ¡°Only if you pay for it with club funds.¡±

    Lin Feng flung his bag over his shoulder and looked at his trainees. Without exception, all of them chose to stay behind and get some more practice in. It seemed like his first training had lit a fire under their asses! He pumped his fist in the air. ¡°Awesome guys! Train hard! I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing how you¡¯ve all improved tomorrow!¡±

    To Lin Feng, only the impossible and far-fetched could be considered a dream, and working hard to achieve it was one of the most fulfilling things in life. This group understood how difficult it was to reach their goal and how hard they would have to work for it. And they were willing to put that work in! He was incredibly proud of them for this. If they kept it up, then High School 13 would deserve to win the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! In his opinion, at least.

    ?

    While the high schoolers in Shanghai were excited about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, there were tens of millions of League of Legends fans in China looking forward to a different event. One that would start in another three days. Worlds! Chinese fans everywhere were in heated discussions on their favourite forums and tforms. Riot put more fuel on the fire by releasing emotes for every team participating at Worlds. yers could buy them and sh them above their Champion¡¯s head during a League game to show which team they were supporting.

    Riot also released a promotional video for Worlds. It featured all 16 teams and their achievements as well as interviews with the yers. This video became the most viewed video in all of China. Everyone was watching it. Fans would go online and discuss the interview highlights. How one yer looked really out of it and how their team had to be preparing poorly for Worlds. Or how another one looked happy and carefree. That had to be a sign that their team was doing great!

    Lin Feng and Su Xue also watched the promotional video. Su Xue had put herptop on the table, and they were ying it on repeat while enjoying dinner. The different teams and yers shed across the screen. Su Xue had something to say about all of them, nitpicking every tiny detail.

    ¡°Oh god¡­ That dude is seriously ugly.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah! Wait, he¡¯s a support? How can a support be that hot!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Look at that troll! Haha! That American looks like a troll! What do you think Lin Feng? You think he ys Trundle? Hahaha!¡±

    When KG appeared, both Lin Feng and Su Xue sat up a little. They watched closely on the screen. First they saw some of KG¡¯s previous achievements, after which came the interviews with the yers. Tian Tian was also featured here.

    ¡°Roundy! Ahhh, he¡¯s so cute!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god and he¡¯s so chubby and totally adorably!¡±

    ¡°You know Lin Feng? I just really wanna hug him and squeeze him and pinch his cheeks!¡±

    Lin Feng looked over at Su Xue andughed, ¡°I know right? Fatty¡¯s cheeks are really great to pinch!¡±

 Chapter 78: An Old Friend | Views: 9814

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes were glued to the screen. She¡¯d tuned Lin Feng out. Whatever he said was unimportantpared to what was going on on her screen. The promotional video was showing one of the Chinese teams! That was all that mattered to her right now. Lin Feng¡¯s job was to listen to her, not give his own opinion. So shepletely missed him calling God Roundy ¡°Fatty¡±, or saying that pinching his cheeks was great. God Roundy was on the screen and he had herplete attention!

    Tian Tian was on the screen and being interviewed. He looked like a nervous wreck in the promotional video. His eyes were on his shoes and his face was red. The interviewer fired off questions at him, but he had trouble answering them. It started with the first, which was supposed to be a simple self-introduction. ¡°H-hi, I¡¯m Tian Tian, uh¡­ KG¡¯s Toner. Uhh, p-peop¨C F-fans c-c-call me Rou¨C Ah, i-it doesn¡¯t m-matter. Fatty, yes¡­ Fatty is m-my name.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! What was that?¡± Su Xue spit out her foodughing. She covered her mouth with her hands and swallowed. Then she continued, ¡°A! He¡¯s soooo cute! I expected something else from China¡¯s number one topner. Not such a cutey! Aww, he¡¯s so shy! Look at him! Look at him! I could just eat him up!¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his nose and smiled. ¡°Yeah, Fatty¡¯s a bit of a coward. Always has been.¡±

    The interviewer was unfazed by Tian Tian¡¯s clear difort and pressed him with more difficult questions. ¡°Tian Tian, what are your thoughts on the groups draw? Do you think KG has a shot at making it through the group stage?¡±

    Tian Tian fidgeted with his fingers and bit his lips. ¡°Mhm, y-yea¡­ I t-think our g-g-group is¡­ is d-doable.¡±

    Su Xue shook her head, shocked. ¡°Think our group is doable? He doesn¡¯t sound convinced at all! Does he know something we don¡¯t? Why does it sound like he¡¯s already given up?¡±

    The interviewer was looking for a different kind of answer. Something a little bit more spicy. More provocative. But it was really difficult to get anything out of Tian Tian. She decided to change her tactic. ¡°You¡¯re up against North America¡¯s sh in Group A. They qualified third in their region, but they do have a King on their roster. Their Toner Chris! You¡¯re considered the best Toner in China. Your fans even call you the Uncrowned Eighth! How do you think you¡¯ll do against him? Will you show everyone that you¡¯re better than King Chris?¡±

    The camera zoomed in closer on Tian Tian¡¯s face. They could see the beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. The camera zoomed in even closer. Now his head took up to the entire screen. They could see his upper lip starting to quiver. Tian Tian started blinking. A lot. He swayed back and forth as he stammered out an answer, ¡°U-uhhh¡­ I d-don¡¯t know. B-b-b-but I¡¯ll try my best to win.¡± He looked like he was about to pass out.

    ¡°Ohe on! What was that? Try your best? Can¡¯t you be a little more confident!¡± Su Xue eximed, exasperated. She stared at the screen and startedining to Tian Tian as though she believed he could hear her, ¡°What is wrong with you? Worlds hasn¡¯t even started yet Roundy! Get your shit together! Everyone calls you the Uncrowned Eighth! Even the interviewer did! You¡¯re basically one of the Seven Kings anyway! Show some confidence! You¡¯re just as good as them! Don¡¯t be scared! Come on! You can do it!¡± She pumped her fist in the air. She had copied Lin Feng¡¯s signature move subconsciously.

    The promotional video moved on to the next team in Group A. It was sh from North America. This was clearly done by the editors to insert some drama. After a short intro illustrating sh¡¯s recent achievements, the interview segment began. A young man stepped into frame. He crossed his arms over his chest, confident andfortable. The camera zoomed in on his face. He had a pale skin, freckles on his nose and curly, red hair. A caption appeared on the bottom of the screen.

    Chris, Toner of sh

    The camera zoomed out to also include the interviewer in the shot. The interview started with several boring questions about how he and his team were preparing for Worlds. Then the topic shifted to Chris¡¯ rivals. ¡°I spoke to Roundy Round from KG before you. He said that he¡¯ll try his best to beat you! As the number one Toner in North America and one of the Seven Kings, what do you think of this challenge?¡±

    Chris chuckled. ¡°He said that? Alright, I wee the challenge. I¡¯ve known him since all the way back in Season 1. We¡¯re both veterans of the game. We even yed against each other in Worlds. I¡¯ve got a lot of respect for him. But. I¡¯ve been watching some of his gamestely in the LPL and I have to say that he really looks out of it. He didn¡¯t impress me at all. If he wants to go toe-to-toe with me in topne, he¡¯ll have to find his old groove back. Right now he¡¯s just not good enough. I really hope I¡¯m wrong. But if I¡¯m not, this is going to be a very boring game. Easy win.¡±

    ¡°What a prick!¡± Su Xue cursed, mming her hand down on the table. ¡°This asshole is way too full of himself! How dare he say Roundy has fallen off? Roundy is amazing! Fuck me! What¡¯s so amazing about being in the Seven Kings anyway? Roundy is way better than him! And who even talks trash like that in an interview? He¡¯s pathetic!¡±

    ¡°I know right!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°I can¡¯t stand him either!¡± He went quiet while Su Xue droned on in the background. His eyes narrowed and focused on the screen. I remember you. They¡¯d yed against each other during the Season 1 World Championships. He hated the guy. A real asshole. One of the most toxic, two-faced yers he¡¯d ever met. But Chris was also a really good yer. One of the best in the world back in the day. Ninth to be precise. Forparison, Fatty only came in thirteenth. There¡¯d been a clear difference in skill between the two.

    Lin Feng couldn¡¯t help but smile. Individual skill alone wasn¡¯t enough to make it on the highest stage. Their match during the Season 1 Worlds was the perfect example. Fatty had trouble against Chris inne, but that was only for the first few minutes. Their jungler arrived and helped Fatty pick up a kill on Chris. That was all the help Fatty needed to lock down hisne while the rest of his team pulled ahead. Then when the team fights broke out in the midgame, it quickly devolved into a one-sided beating. Chris and his team never stood a chance. Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. I wonder if he¡¯s still mad about that game¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why he¡¯s being such an ass towards Fatty.

    While Lin Feng was lost in his thoughts, the promotional video moved on. Team after team was interviewed until the video approached the end. The hype music amped up, and the SSK logo appeared on the screen. Thest team to be featured was the best team in the world and the current World Champions¡ªSSK! Their roster consisted of three world-ss professional yers, a King and the Emperor! They were the team to beat!

    Lin Feng focused back on the promotional video. The highlights of SSK¡¯s season shed by, after which the interviews started. He watched that familiar figure walking into the spotlight. So calm. So confident. His eyes trembled. He balled his fists and ground his teeth. You.

    The interviewer walked forward to wee Rake with a big smile. She didn¡¯t fire off questions right away like she¡¯d done with the others. No. She waited for Rake to getfortable and give her the OK. He was the best yer in the world, and for that reason alone deserved her respect. She triple-checked that he was ready and only then started the interview. Her first question was different from the questions she¡¯d asked the other yers. ¡°Rake, you¡¯ve already won Worlds twice. No one has ever won it three times. What do you think your chances are?¡±

    The camera switched to Rake. He looked calm andfortable, like he always did. His expression didn¡¯t change. He didn¡¯t have to think about the question and replied in Korean. Subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen so that the people watching could understand what he was saying. ¡°I won Worlds in Season 1. I won Worlds in Season 4. I will win Worlds again this year.¡± This was Rake through and through. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in his mind that he would win the Season 5 World Championships.

    For the first time during the promotional video, Su Xue failed toe up with a witty remark. She was inplete awe of Rake¡¯s confidence. She sighed. ¡°Ahhh, the God of Mine. I don¡¯t care how cocky he sounds, it just fits him so well.¡± She looked over at Lin Feng and tapped on his hand. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say you want to be the best yer in the world? That¡¯s the guy you¡¯re gonna have to beat!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes were locked on the screen. He stared at Rake while giving a slight nod. ¡°I know.¡±

    ?

    The next two days flew by. It was Friday afternoon. The students in High School 13 sat restless in their ssrooms. They weren¡¯t paying any attention to the teachers. Their eyes were on the clock, waiting for the final bell to ring. Tomorrow was National Day! The start of a week long break and the start of Worlds! They could stay upte to watch the games and wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting up early the next day for school!

    The dismissal bell rang. Students from every year rushed for the door, shoving each other aside to get out first. The floors shook and the excited shouts drummed through the hallways. Club activities were canceled today, so Ouyang and Yang Fan joined the mayhem and were gone before Lin Feng even noticed it. He looked around, confused, and found that only Tang Bingyao was still at her desk. They were the only two left in ss.

    ¡°Hey, wanna walk home together?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Tang Bingyao was still reading a textbook. She looked up at Lin Feng, thought for a moment and then nodded.

    The halls were already empty when Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked out of the ssroom. They walked down the stairway and off school property. The two walked in silence on the sidewalk until Tang Bingyao turned to Lin Feng and asked in a rare show of curiosity, ¡°What team are you rooting for at Worlds?¡±

    ¡°KG!¡± Lin Feng replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Why them?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, tilting her head slightly.

    Lin Feng scratched his hair and smiled. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you an old friend of mine is in KG?¡±

 Chapter 79: Anything to Get the Girls | Views: 9814

    ¡°An old friend in KG?¡± Tang Bingyao tilted her head, bewildered. Her ponytail swung back and forth as she stopped walking and stared at Lin Feng. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Roundy Round! Fatty and I were teammates!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide. Shock and disbelief were battling it out on her face. Roundy Round? The God Roundy was his teammate? The Uncrowned Eighth? The best Toner in China? Is he showing off again, or is he telling the truth here¡­

    Lin Feng chuckled. ¡°What? Don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head, but then hesitated. Maybe¡­ She nodded. Slowly. He¡¯s told the truth about everything until now. If he says he knows Roundy, he must know God Roundy. Right? She wanted to believe Lin Feng, but it was hard. This wasn¡¯t just some random professional yer, this was Roundy Round!

    ¡°Uhh, is that a yes or a no? You¡¯re making kind of a funny face there,¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Tang Bingyao looked up at Lin Feng. ¡°Tell me the truth! Were you really a professional yer?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Feng pounded his chest. ¡°I was a pro back in Season 1! Really! I was really good at League of Legends! Like Emperor good!¡±

    If it were anyone else saying this, Tang Bingyao would¡¯ve thought they were bullshitting. She¡¯d either make a sarcastic reply or ignore it. What Lin Feng imed was damn near impossible to believe. But she¡¯d been ying with him for a while now. She¡¯d seen what he could do. On the rare asion when he went all out, he was unstoppable. His ys were wless. Then again, they never yed at the highest ELO. Mostly in Diamond. But to hard-carry so easily in Diamond. He really could¡¯ve been a pro¡­ Wait. No, that can¡¯t be right. She started walking again and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying. You were only in middle school back in Season 1. How could you y professionally if you weren¡¯t even 16 yet?¡±

    Tang Bingyao remembered a rule that had existed since the dawn of thepetitive scene in League of Legends. Anyone who wanted topete, either domestically or internationally, had to be at least 16. Lin Fengughed at her question but didn¡¯t reply. Tang Bingyao looked at him and continued to press, ¡°Really? I almost believed you!¡±

    Lin Feng stoppedughing. He looked straight at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°The rules weren¡¯t enforced all that hard back then. I was too young. But I was also really good! They made an exception for me!¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t tell her the whole story. He was too young back in Season 1 and they had made an exception that let him y. That was only part of the truth. His age had be a huge issue. His team had almost given up hope. Lin Feng started to think he wasn¡¯t going to be allowed to y with his team. The problem wasn¡¯t Riot Games. Thepetitive scene for League of Legends during Season 1 was tiny and there really weren¡¯t many rules. But the World Championships were regted by the World Esports Association. Their rules were written in stone. Those guys really wouldn¡¯t listen. He sighed. If it weren¡¯t for the Chinese Esports Association having his back, if it weren¡¯t for the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Esports Association personally getting involved, if it weren¡¯t for several other important figures speaking out on his behalf.

    Especially if those final words hadn¡¯t been spoken. The words that decided everything. If it had gone any other way. He would have had to go home without ying a single game. He would¡¯ve had to bend under their rules and ept that he was too young. He would¡¯ve needed to wait another year and hope that the opportunity to y at the World Championships woulde again.

    Tang Bingyao looked over her shoulder at Lin Feng, who was standing there lost in thought. She waited for a moment, hesitating, then she asked, ¡°You keep talking about your pro team. Why not invite Roundy Round to join you?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ That is bec¨C Uhm¡­¡± Lin Feng didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Let me ask you something else,¡± Tang Bingyao said after a brief moment. ¡°Why did you quit back then?¡±

    This was a question that Lin Feng was more than prepared to answer. It was an answer he¡¯d given many times. He replied, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because of school. I had to study for the entrance exam for high school.¡± His reply was calm, measured, with no hesitation or stammering.

    Tang Bingyao looked at him. She said nothing for a few long seconds. Lin Feng looked right back at her. Then she broke the stand off by asking, ¡°Ok. So why not invite Roundy Round to join your team then?¡±

    ¡°You really are full of questions today, huh? Unfortunately¡­¡± Lin Feng ran ahead, up to the next intersection. He waited for Tang Bingyao to catch back up and continued, ¡°Unfortunately, you have to turn here to go home, right? I really want to answer your question, but I have to walk straight here. And look! The light is turning green. No more time! See ya tomorrow!¡± Lin Feng bolted down the street without waiting for her to say anything or looking back.

    ¡°Uh, bye?¡± Tang Bingyao waved weakly at Lin Feng¡¯s back. That was strange¡­ She stared down the street, watching Lin Feng run home, for a long minute. Then she turned and started walking home. He¡¯s never acted like this before. The Lin Feng she knew never backed down. He wasn¡¯t scared of anything. How many times had he told her that striving for the impossible was the only thing worth doing? Hiding things and running away, that waspletely out of character for him. But she understood.

    He didn¡¯t want to answer the question. Actually, he didn¡¯t want to answer both questions. Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew his answer about studying for the high school entrance exam was just a cover. She stopped walking and stood there, thinking. Then she adjusted her book bag and continued walking home.

    If Lin Feng didn¡¯t want to tell her why he stopped ying after Season 1 or what happened between him and God Roundy right now, that was fine. She wouldn¡¯t push. He¡¯d tell her when he was ready.

    Lin Feng kept running down the street until he felt like he¡¯d gotten far enough away. He turned around and looked to see if Tang Bingyao was still there. She wasn¡¯t. She¡¯d already turned around the corner and was on her way home. Lin Feng decided he could stop running. He stood there, in the stillness of that empty street. He stood there, breathing heavily. His head slowly dropped down until he was staring at the pavement. He stood there staring at the pavement for a long time.

    Dusk fell. The red glow of the setting sun washed over Lin Feng¡¯s body. He stood alone on that empty street, watching his shadow grow long. He stared at his shadow in silence.

    He¡¯d run away from Tang Bingyao, run away from her questions, because he didn¡¯t know how to answer them. Trying to answer meant thinking back to what happened back then. He¡¯d need to bring up memories he buried deep in his mind under a tight heavy lid. He didn¡¯t want to think about what happened back then. Didn¡¯t want to think about why he¡¯d ran away from everyone back then. So the only thing he could do was run away from Tang Bingyao today.

    The reason he¡¯d cut contact with his former teammates was because he didn¡¯t know how to face them. How he could face them after what he did. He still remembered the disappointment on their faces. The sadness in their eyes. And it was all because of him. He was the reason. He was the reason their team came second in Season 1 Worlds. It was his mistake that led to their loss in the 5th and final game of the tournament. The champion trophy was up for the taking, but he screwed up. It was his fault, and his alone.

    ?

    When Lin Feng got home, Su Xue had already cooked dinner. He sat down and quietly filled his bowl. His usual smile was nowhere to be found. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating in silence. His shoulders hunched over the table as he buried his face into the bowl.

    Su Xue sat across from Lin Feng. She looked at him, worried. ¡°Hey, is everything ok? You don¡¯t look so good. Is there something wrong with the food? I can make you something else if you want.¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and had another bite.

    ¡°Then why are you so quiet?¡± Su Xue asked. ¡°Did the teacher yell at you? Or did you get in a fight with your friends? Oh! I know.¡± She grinned, ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t reply to any of it. He kept shaking his head while eating his food.

    Su Xue was starting to get really worried. This wasn¡¯t the Lin Feng she knew! Something was wrong! She got up from her seat and rushed over to his side. Then she ced her hand over his forehead and checked his temperature. ¡°Hey now. You¡¯re not getting a fever, are you? I told you to put some warmer clothes on! It¡¯s not summer anymore. You should listen to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lin Feng pushed Su Xue away, then focused back on his bowl.

    ¡°Are you sure? Okay. Alright then, that¡¯s good.¡± Su Xue looked visibly relieved. Then she got annoyed. You¡¯re fine but acting like this? Yeah right! You¡¯re not right! Something¡¯s up! She ruffled his hair and said, ¡°Then why are you so quiet? Tell me! Your aunt made me promise to take care of you, you know! You¡¯re scaring me here!¡±

    Su Xue sat back down. It didn¡¯t look like Lin Feng was going to give her an answer. She didn¡¯t know what to do. There wasn¡¯t really anything she could do. She looked him in the eyes, anxiously, and said, ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter? Please tell me. I¡¯ve never seen you like this before.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. Please don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Fine. Suit yourself. Forget it. Whatever.¡± Su Xue shook her head. ¡°You kids these days are so melodramatic. I¡¯m done worrying about you.¡± She frowned. But annoyance was quickly reced with excitement. ¡°Oh! Worlds starts tomorrow! I was thinking that maybe I could open my stream and watch the game with the viewers. Maybe give somementary, you know? Do you wanna join? I¡¯m sure those degenerates would love that!¡±

    Lin Feng looked up from his bowl. Really looked up. He blurted out. ¡°You are going to givementary on the games?¡±

    ¡°What is it? Say it!¡± Su Xue red at Lin Feng. ¡°You think I can¡¯t do it? Is that it? How hard can it be? Just say a few words. Anyone can do it!¡±

    ¡°No, no! Not at all. Not at all! I think you¡¯d be great!¡± Lin Feng replied. He was about to say something more, but stopped himself at thest moment. Then he said, ¡°Oh, but I can¡¯t join tomorrow. I promised my friends I¡¯d watch the games with them at the inte cafe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Su Xue nodded and smiled, ¡°But it¡¯s not me you should exin this to. The viewers are expecting you! If you¡¯re going to let them down, you¡¯ll have to tell them yourself. Oh, I know! Come, I¡¯ll open the stream right now and you can tell them!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng didn¡¯t know what to say. But he wasn¡¯t given the opportunity either. Su Xue dragged him into her bedroom and pushed him down on her gaming chair. Then she booted up herputer and opened HuyaTV.

    Su Xue stood next to Lin Feng, making sure he didn¡¯t try to escape, while she waited for more people to join her stream. Only after more than a thousand had joined did she exin to them that Lin Feng could unfortunately not join them to watch the first day of Worlds together.

    ¡¸lilll broooo do you not want us anymooore ¡¹

    ¡¸How can you just abandon us like this?!?!?!??!??!?!?¡¹

    ¡¸You heartless traitor! why would i evene to this stream if your not here?????????¡¹

    ¡¸are you really leaving us with the maid?? what have we ever done wrong to you to deserve this!?!?!?!¡¹

    ¡¸I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN WATCH WORLDS WITH HER¡¹

    ¡¸don¡¯t hold me back! I¡¯ll go kill myself right now¡¹

    Su Xue was speechless. She needed a moment to process what the chat had just said. She was hurt by their words for a split second. Then she figured out that they were just screwing with her, trying to rile her up. It was part of the streaming experience, so she decided to indulge them by yelling, ¡°WHO WAS THAT? Who said they¡¯d rather kill themselves than watch Worlds with me? You¡¯re all a bunch of drama mas! You should feel lucky that I¡¯m even willing to watch it with you degens! Pfft!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry guys. I¡¯d like to watch Worlds with you guys, but I already promised my friends I¡¯d watch it with them,¡± Lin Feng apologized. He scratched his head while wearing a troubled expression on his face.

    Su Xue found the perfect opportunity to get the viewers back on her side. She shed a bright smile at the camera and said, ¡°See? See? You can only trust me! I¡¯m the best! He dumps you guys to go hang out with his friends. Right, what friends! He¡¯s ditching you all for a girl! Go on, me him! Give him your worst!¡±

    The chat didn¡¯t start ming Lin Feng, save for a white knight or two. Everyone else stopped typing. The chat went silent for a couple of seconds. Then, the messages started flooding in.

    ¡¸What?¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro¡¯s going to hang out with a girl?¡¹

    ¡¸you wanna go spend some time with your girl?¡¹

    ¡¸he just wants to hang with his girl???¡¹

    ¡¸Yoo mate! Dont worry, HOS BEFORE BROS!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro dont worry about us¡¹

    ¡¸GO GET LAID MY MAN.!!¡¹

    ¡¸we can survive one night with the maid. Just for you! tell her i said hi!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GO GET HER TIGERRRRRRR RAAWWRRRRRRRR¡¹

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing in the chat! Her jaw literally dropped for a few seconds. Then she snapped her mouth closed and pursed her lips. She looked straight into the webcam and said, ¡°Huh? How? What? No. NO! What the hell guys? What the fuck is this? When did you guys decide to grow hearts? Fucking ingrates! You should be ming him! Go me him!¡±

 Chapter 80: Worlds Begins | Views: 9,136

    The 16 best League of Legends teams in the world had gathered in London. The venue was booked and the tickets sold out. Everything was set for the biggest tournament of the year. The League of Legends World Championships! yers were fighting their nerves while fans were standing in line to make it onto the venue in time. Thementators were spinning up their pre-show, their voices sting through speakers all across the world. Fans got into heated arguments on different forums, streams, and gaming websites. Random strangers from around the world would step up to support their point, while others would argue against it. The excitement spread across the world! This was esports! This was the highest level ofpetition in League of Legends! This was the Season 5 World Championships of League of Legends!

    A cold October wind blew through the air. The sun wasn¡¯t up yet but the birds were already chirping. People walked down the streets of the esports capital of China¨CShanghai! They had their phones in their hands and their eyes on their screens. Sometimes they would walk into someone, but no one cared. The moment was finally there! The day everyone had been waiting for! Only a few more hours and then the most anticipated event of the entire year would start! The League of Legends World Championships! Everyone was counting down the minutes to the opening ceremony! And preparing to watch it with their friends!

    The inte cafes in Shanghai were packed. Large parties had booked entire halls far in advance. But there were still more fans trying to get in. They all wanted to watch the games together. It got so bad that the managers of the inte cafes were forced to ce bouncers at the door and let no one else in. There was no extra space for more fans. But that didn¡¯t stop the fans from trying. They were too excited to notice! The managers had their phones ringing constantly. They were frantically trying to convince people to stay away because they were too full with advanced bookings.

    ¡°We¡¯re fully booked! There is no more room! We¡¯re very sorry but I have to ask you to please note!"

    ¡°Yes! There really is no more space here! Please listen to me! We¡¯re full! Go look elsewhere!¡±

    ¡°Please, sir, believe me! The private booths are full! All of them! Yes! Even the special ones!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying! Why would I be lying? Please go and search for another ce to watch Worlds! You might have some luck in the suburbs!¡±

    While the managers were pulling their hair out in stress, the owners of the inte cafes were counting their money,ughing. Business was booming! They wished Worlds wouldst for an entire year! They would make so much money that they wouldn¡¯t have to work another day in their lives!

    The reason that so many League of Legends fans wanted to watch Worlds at an inte cafe was the same as why football fans would go to their local bars to watch the game. There was no excitement in sitting at home and watching the TV from thefort of your couch. There was a certain kind of atmosphere that was needed to really bring these games to life. One of joy andughter. One where, after loosening the lips with a few beers, friends and strangers would sing andugh together. Where they would fall into each other¡¯s arms to celebrate a triple kill and scream at the TV if their team gave one away! Sports games had sports bars, and esports games had inte cafes. And those inte cafes were where the League of Legends fans all over Shanghai gathered together to watch Worlds.

    ?

    The students from High School 13 had booked the NetCow Cafe well in advance. The inte cafe waspletely full. There were bouncers at the door, turning away those who werete to the party. The guests had gathered around arge screen in the hall and were watching highlights fromst year¡¯s Worlds. In the back, there were several private booths. In one of these were the eight members of Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp. The seven trainees had gathered around their coach and looked at him.

    Lin Feng looked back at them, one by one. They were all silent, hiding their hands behind their backs. ¡°Ok, guys. This is important. I trust everyone did their part. But let me ask just to make sure. Do we have everything?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±¡°I got it, yes.¡±¡°I brought a lot. Hehe!¡±¡°Mhm.¡±

    Ouyang couldn¡¯t look at the serious expressions anymore. He startedughing and revealed what he was hiding behind his back. A bag of potato chips. ¡°I bought 10 bags of chips! I got the others in my bag. You can all have one and I¡¯ll have three!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses, smiling. ¡°I bought two bars of choctes and some fruit gummies. I thought that would be a more appropriate amount.¡± He looked over at Ouyang who was already digging into the first bag of chips.

    Liu Yue raised his hands above his head to show everyone what he had bought. He looked at the others for a response. When that response didn¡¯te, he said, ¡°Look! three bags of jerky! It¡¯s the big kind! They¡¯re really good! You guys will love them!¡±

    Chen Ze and Wei Dong nodded at Liu Yue, then looked at each other. They¡¯d gone shopping together and bought a bunch of snacks. A lot of everything, including more of the same jerky Liu Yue had bought. They started talking at the same time.¡°We got jerky, mel¨C¡±¡°We bought melon seeds and walnuts! Oh and some jerky!¡±

    Everyone was excited about their own snacks. But when Ren Rou stepped forward, they fell silent. They forgot for a moment about their own things and looked at her. She smiled back at them and ced arge box down on the floor in the middle of the room. She then looked up at the others and said, ¡°Instant noodles! I figured you guys would get plenty of snacks but nothing a little more filling. So if anyone gets hungryter tonight, you can have some of these beef noodles! Just add some water and you¡¯re good to go!¡±

    Everyone looked at Tang Bingyao. She still hadn¡¯t said what snacks she had brought for the party. They thought she waited to best because she had something big, something that would blow their minds. She started raising her hand up, and anticipation filled their eyes. And then it changed to shock as she raised up a small bag and said, ¡°I brought some dried seaweed.¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t notice the shock or surprise in the room. He was just happy to see everyone had brought more than enough snacks tost them through the night. ¡°Haha! You guys are awesome! Those are all great snacks! That jerky is some of the best, right Liu Yue? Oh, and I love dried seaweed! It has that nice crunch to it! Oh, oh! And nothing beats some chocte after noodles!¡±

    Ren Rou looked at Lin Feng, but didn¡¯t share his joyful mood. She waited for a few more seconds, but he showed no signs of revealing what snacks he¡¯d brought. It started to look like he hadn¡¯t brought anything! His hands were empty and as far as she knew he hadn¡¯t brought a bag with him either. What is he trying? Does he think we owe him this because he is coaching the team? ¡°Lin Feng,¡± she said in a stern voice. ¡°Did you forget something?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Ren Rou. She looked upset. Maybe even mad! He chuckled. She was too obvious. He knew exactly what she wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ren Rou! I didn¡¯t forget. I didn¡¯t forget!¡± He grabbed a stic bag from the floor. ¡°Look! I bought 30 packs of spicy strips!¡±[1]

    No one knew what to say. Seven pairs of eyes stared at Lin Feng, speechless. Until Ren Rou finally blurted out, ¡°Spicy strips?¡±

    Ouyang took a step back from Lin Feng. He stopped himself from eating the potato chip in his hand. ¡°Uhh, I think it¡¯s four bags for me and none for Lin Feng. Spicy strips? Bro¡­ What the fuck is wrong with you?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng with the same disgust in her eyes as the others. She nodded at Ouyang and said, ¡°Something¡¯s definitely wrong with him. He¡¯s not getting any of my dried seaweed either.¡±

    ¡°Anyway!¡± Ouyang said, shifting everyone¡¯s attention away from the stic bag in Lin Feng¡¯s hands. He waved his hands around him and said, ¡°Do you guys hear that? Like half of Shanghai is here tonight! Isn¡¯t that great? This shit is the best! Beats watching at home by a fucking long shot! Am I right or what? It¡¯s just like a sports bar! But better! Because this is esports!¡± He was so excited that he forgot to breathe. A few moments and deep breathster, he added, ¡°You guys should thank me. Did you see that long ass line at the door? That would¡¯ve been us if I hadn¡¯t booked this room! Imagine! We would¡¯ve been standing out there in the cold and miss the game if it wasn¡¯t for my big brain thinking!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Hehe. Those guys are screwed. Everyone here hase to watch Worlds. We¡¯re not leaving until after thest game has finished. I guess they can stand out there and watch the games on their phones.¡± He stopped to think about hisstment and then added, ¡°That must be even worse than watching at home.¡±

    Everyone agreed with Yang Fan. Standing out in the cold to watch the games on a small screen sounded terrible. They continued talking about it as they sat down and lounged back. There were still two hours before the opening ceremony would start. But when the conversation died down, everyone just kind of sat, awkwardly looking at each other. They saw each other almost every day. There really wasn¡¯t much left to talk about. Lin Feng noticed the silence and looked over at the row of fiveputers. There should be plenty of time to y a game or two. He jumped up to his feet and said, ¡°Since we got some time to kill anyway, how about we get some practice in? Come, let¡¯s y a few games!¡±

    No one spoke up. There was no need to. Lin Feng was the coach. If he said they would y a game, they would y a game. When it came to League of Legends, they did exactly what Lin Feng told them to do. He was their coach. His word wasw. So they sat up straight in their chairs and moved to sit behind the monitors. The sound of fiveputers booting up sounded out.

    After the first day of Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp, the team members quickly got used to his training methods. They learned on the first day that it was best not to argue with him and instead put their energy into taking in all the information he gave them. Then they would spend the rest of the night applying these tips to their game, improving both their individual and teamy skills. This wasn¡¯t easy. No matter how easy Lin Feng made it sound, it took them a lot of effort. But they were already seeing the results of their hard work. For example, the botne duo of Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong finally started to show some synergy. Tang Bingyao learned to slow down a bit, while Wei Dong stopped hiding behind his tower and started actively supporting Tang Bingyao. They were actually starting to y really well together.

    There were also some surprises. Ouyang was probably the biggest one. He was the backup Jungler of the esports club team. When Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp began, he was a middle-of-the-pack Gold. He had decent mechanics, but was absolutely terrible at the two most important things a Jungler needed to do: pathing and ganking. He would often wander around his empty jungle, searching for something to do but not really doing anything. Then he would recall back to base and waste another 30 seconds. As for his ganks. They were so poorly timed that it would¡¯ve been better if he didn¡¯t gank at all. He almost never helped thene he showed up in. Either he came toote and his teammates were already dead, or he popped up right when the other botne duo had recalled back to base. But after only a few days of training under Lin Feng, he¡¯d started improving on these aspects of the game. His pathing became more efficient and his ganks actually led to kills! He started winning his games in solo queue, and after thetest five game win streak, he was even in his promotional series for tinum!

    ¡°I swear, you guys. I¡¯m a fucking genius!¡± Ouyangughed. He opened his League client and jabbed his finger at the screen. ¡°See? Didn¡¯t I tell you guys? I¡¯m in my tinum promo series! I didn¡¯t even get boosted! I did this all on my own! I¡¯m the fucking best Jungler ever!¡±

    Ren Rou shook her head. He is hopeless¡­ She listened to him brag for another second before cutting in, ¡°You know it¡¯s all because of Lin Feng, right? If he didn¡¯t help you, you¡¯d probably be down in Silver by now.¡±

    ¡°HEY! What was that? Silver? I¡¯m no Silver scrub! You are! Haha!¡± No one could kill Ouyang¡¯s mood right now. But that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d lost all touch with reality. He knew Ren Rou had a point, to a certain extent. ¡°Fine. True. He did help a little. His tips were good. But I did the rest all by myself! I put in the work and now I¡¯m amazing! I can beat any Gold scrub! They are all a bunch of noobs! Isn¡¯t that right, Lin Feng? I did it all by myself, right? You just helped me with a few tips!¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°You were terrible. Really, really bad. Those improvements you made were all on me.¡±

    ?

    The esports club team yed three ranked games. They won two games and lost one. The loss came in the only game where Liu Yue let Ouyang give Jungle a try. But even that loss couldn¡¯t kill Ouyang¡¯s good mood. He started making up all kinds of excuses about why the loss wasn¡¯t his fault, until his eyesnded on the clock. It was 8:45 PM. There were only 15 minutes left till the start of the opening ceremony of Worlds! His eyes went round as he just about threw his body around to look at Lin Feng. ¡°Yo! Coach Lin Feng! Bro! Look at the time! We can¡¯t y more! Worlds is starting!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at the time. ¡°Oh, I guess you¡¯re right. Alright, let¡¯s go watch Worlds!¡±

    Aside from the fiveputers on which they¡¯d been ying the ranked games, there was also arge smart TV to watch streams or videos on. Ren Rou turned the TV on and opened up Huya, where she found the official broadcast of Worlds. There were already many people watching the stream. On the right side of the screen, there was a chat that was blowing up with discussion about the matches of the day.

    There were six games that would be yed on the first day of Worlds. Three in Group A and three in Group B. Hand of God was the Chinese team in Group B and they would y one match. KG was a little bit less lucky. They had to y two games on the first day. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough already, their first game was against the top team from Europe¨CLegend! Legend was a really strong team and it¡¯d be tough for KG to get a win over them.

    Ouyang stared at the screen, speechless. He shook his head and pped himself. Just to make sure he wasn¡¯t dreaming. Then he said, ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe this¡­ KG is so crazy unlucky! They have to y two games today? Why two? That¡¯s so unfair! Now they can¡¯t focus on pounding Legend¡¯s ass! Why is this even allowed? What the fuck!¡±

    Chen Ze agreed with Ouyang. ¡°KG really is unlucky. They have to y against the strongest team in the group for their first game. Then they gotta reset and be ready for another game right after that. It ain¡¯t right! They¡¯re under a ton of artificial pressure because of the organizers made a stupid decision!¡±

    Everyone agreed with Ouyang and Chen Ze. Legend was a contender for the title. They could make it all the way to the finals and they had a real shot at the trophy! Their Miner was Phoenix, one of the Four Emperors! KG should be given the opportunity to put all their focus on preparing for this game. It was ridiculous that they had to split their attention between two games!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t join the discussion. He watched the screen. His eyes were on the team logo of KG. Fatty, you can do this man. I know you¡¯re probably really nervous right now. Probably having a panic attack too. Believe in yourself! You can do this! You¡¯re a really good Toner and you have a good team. Please don¡¯t have a nervous breakdown!

    1. <strong>Spicy strips</strong> are strips of flour mixed with chili powder. They''re soft, chewy, and pretty disgusting. I''m not a fan.

 Chapter 81: Nervous Breakdown | Views: 8,297

    Tang Bingyao looked over her shoulder at Lin Feng. While everyone else in their group was discussing the Worlds schedule for Day 1, he sat back. The excitement from a moment before had left his face. He was slowly shaking his head while looking at the screen. She walked over and sat down next to him, then tapped on his shoulder. ¡°Lin Feng?¡± She waited for a second but Lin Feng didn''t seem to notice her. She tapped on his shoulder again and asked, ¡°Was Roundy really your teammate?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, his eyes locked on the TV.

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng. She wanted to ask, Are you ok? Something definitely seemed off. She wanted to be a good friend, but he was barely listening and she didn¡¯t know what to do. After hesitating for a little bit longer, she whispered just loud enough that only he could hear her, ¡°I read online that Legend has a really good Toner.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded again. He heard her talk, but he was in no mood to respond to her right now. His eyes were still locked on the TV. On the logo of KG. He thought of Fatty and his matchup in topne in game 1.

    Legend had switched Toners after Season 4 Worlds. Their old one just wasn¡¯t up to the task anymore and they¡¯d found a very talented rookie. Demon. He started ying League of Legends in Season 4 and joined the pro scene in the off-season before Season 5. During the next EU LCS spring split, he surprised fans and analysts alike with his strong performance. Game after game. He never faltered. The summer split was much of the same. He dominated in topne. Many European fans were swept up by the hype surrounding him, saying that he belonged in the Seven Kings.

    Lin Feng stared at the screen. Fatty should be better than Demon. Fatty was the Uncrowned Eighth and Demon was still just a rookie! But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t all that convinced. He shook his head and said, ¡°Demon is really good. Pretty much as good as Fatty.¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, surprised. She¡¯d finally gotten Lin Feng to talk. But she didn¡¯t expect him to say this. It didn¡¯t sound like he was all too confident in Fatty. She prodded, ¡°Who do you think is better? Do you think Roundy will win this game?¡±

    The lineup of KG and Legend appeared on therge TV. Lin Feng looked at it, ruffling his messy, curly hair. He didn¡¯t immediately answer Tang Bingyao¡¯s question. A picture of Fatty appeared on the screen with his biggest achievements next to it. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°That¡¯s all on Fatty. If he stays calm, this will be his game. He¡¯s really good when he¡¯s calm. But if his nerves are getting to him again¡­ I¡¯m not sure he¡¯ll stand a chance if that happens.¡±

    ?

    It was almost 2 PM in London. The League of Legends fans had found their seats in the Wembley Arena. All 12,500 seats were sold out, and it looked like more people had managed to sneak in. Above the stage in the middle of the arena were fourrge screens on which the crowd could see all the action live. The lights in the arena dimmed. There were thousands of lightsticks that started shing in the crowd. The music stopped ying. Then the fourrge screens lit up.

    3

    2

    1

    A video started ying on therge screens. It showed the highlights of the 16 different teams that would be participating in the tournament. Famous casters hyped up the different ys! The fans started cheering and whistling! The opening ceremony of the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships had started!

    The video ended several minutester as a single ray of light shone down on the center of the arena. It shone down on a pedestal on which the trophy the yers would be fighting for stood. The Summoner¡¯s Cup! Then the game announcer¡¯s voice sounded throughout the arena, ¡°Please wee the teams for the 2015 League of Legends World Championships! Representing Korea and the LCK, Warrior!¡±

    The 16 teams were introduced, one by one. When their name was called out, the team members and their coach stepped onto the stage and waved at the fans, who cheered and whistled in excitement. The crowd went really wild whenever a European team walked up on the stage. Many of them were from Europe and they made sure everyone knew this! Some fans in the crowd started a wave that went round and round the arena. This went on until there were only two more teams to be announced. Legend and KG. The European fans started screaming for their heroes from Legend, while the few Chinese fans in the audience tried to let their voices also be heard. But they were drowned out.

    ¡°Go KG!¡±¡°LLEEEGGGGEEEENNNNDDDDDDDDDDD! PPHOOEENIIXXXX!¡±

    ¡°God Roundy, you¡¯re the best!¡±¡°DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON!¡±

    The Chinese fans were pissed off that their voices were drowned out by the muchrger European crowd. They wanted to show support for their team! But there were not enough of them to make any kind of impact. All they could do was hope and pray that KG would shut these European fans up by beating Legend! Preferably by winning a perfect game! If KG could keep all their towers and give away not a single kill, now that would shut these Europeans up!

    ?

    In the backstage area of the Wembley Arena. A KG staff member pushed the door open to the bathroom. He waspletely out of breath as he checked the stalls one at a time. They were empty, until he got to the one at the very end. This one was locked. He knocked on the door and shouted, ¡°Hey! Are you done yet? You need toe out! The match is starting soon! It¡¯s our turn to go up on stage! You need toe out now! Come with me! Please!¡±

    The staff member didn¡¯t have the time nor patience to deal with this yer from his team right now. He knocked on the stall again. ¡°Please Roundy! You need toe! We have to go!¡±

    A weak voice came from the other side of the door. ¡°A-alright. Give m-me a m-m-minute. J-just let m-me finish up.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± The staff member shook his head, exasperated. He didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Just hurry up please! Everyone is waiting for you! I¡¯ll be right outside.¡± He then turned around and walked out of the bathroom.

    Inside the bathroom stall, Tian Tian sat on the toilet with his hands over his head. He pulled on his hair and bit on his lips. There were tears in his eyes and his heart was beating rapidly in his throat. He could barely breathe. His first match at Worlds was against Legend! He would have to step up to the te from the start! There was no easing into it! If he fucked up. If he didn¡¯t win. If he made a single misy. He would be screwing over his entire team!

    He would be up against Demon! Everyone was talking about how good this rookie was. How this kid, because he was barely more than that, would soon rank among the Seven Kings! Tian Tian didn¡¯t stop to think about his own skill. All he knew was that his opponent was strong. Really strong. That meant that the odds of him fucking up increased exponentially! He forgot to breathe. The world around him started spinning and turned dark.

    A memory fromst year started ying in his mind. It was the same back then as it was now. His nerves had gotten the better of him and he¡¯d locked himself up in a bathroom. Back then, an old friend and mentor who he deeply respected came to find him. When his mentor saw the state he was in, they became pissed and started shouting at him, ¡°Grow the fuck up Fatty! This bullshit has gone on for long enough! It¡¯s the same shit every time you have to y in a tournament! You always have your stupid fucking breakdowns! Get your act together man! You¡¯re such a good yer! If it wasn¡¯t for these stupid breakdowns, you probably would be an Emperor by now! God! You¡¯re wasting away here in this disgusting bathroom! Can¡¯t you smell the shit?¡±

    Tian Tian had endured the scolding from this retired professional yer. He hadn¡¯t said a word. This was a respected mentor who only had the best in mind for him. He knew that. He also knew that he could y really well when he wasn¡¯t stressed out like this. That he was a really good yer. But it didn¡¯t matter how he tried to convince himself of this, his subconscious wouldn¡¯t hear it. It didn¡¯t listen to reason, only to fear.

    Tian Tian opened his eyes again. He was still in the bathroom stall. Alone. He swallowed his saliva and felt the urge to start eating something. Anything. His stomach agreed, rumbling in response. ¡°M-maybe I s-should go get s-some-something to eat.¡± He shook his head and pulled on his hair. ¡°T-this g-g-game is lost anyway. W-we can¡¯t win. They. T-they¡¯re w-way too strong.¡±

    Legend didn¡¯t just have a strong Toner. They had a strong team. Their Miner was something else. He was one of the best yers in the entire game! Phoenix. He¡¯d seen Phoenix in action first-hand during Season 1 Worlds. Back then, Lin Feng only barely managed to outy him. It was almost a loss! And the Miner on his current team¡¯s roster was nowhere near as good as Lin Feng was. His Miner didn¡¯t stand a chance against Phoenix!

    Lin Feng! Lin Feng! Tian Tian smiled for the first time that day. His nerves hadpletely settled down, if only for a moment. He pictured his old friend in his mind, the one that was always there for him and stood by him. Lin Feng would know exactly what to say right now! He¡¯d probably walk over and tell me I could do it, tell me to focus on the game and just do my best. Because that¡¯s all that matters. The Lin Feng that existed in Tian Tian¡¯s mind, that Lin Feng always knew what to do. That Lin Feng was rock solid and never scared. He¡¯d be right here next to me, with a giant smile on his face. Probably talking about how much more satisfying our win would be against a strong team. How everyone would know how awesome we are if we kicked ass in both games! The Lin Feng in Tian Tian¡¯s mind calmed him down,pletely wiped away all the nerves and anxiety. But that Lin Feng only existed in his mind, and wasn¡¯t ying next to him. Once Tian Tian realized that, the anxiety flooded right back in. He started trembling again and mumbled, ¡°I-if you w-were here, e-everything would be f-fine¡­ O-only you can beat t-that guy¡­¡±

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe in China, Lin Feng and his group were watching the opening ceremony of Worlds. The sound of the event sted through the TV speakers. It was as if they were in the Wembley Arena, cheering with the 12,500 fans there! Ouyang even started waving his arms around as if he had a lightstick in his hand. Liu Yue joined in, and Ren Rou rolled her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t hide the smirk on her face.

    After thest two teams were introduced, it was time for the first game of Worlds. The yers from KG and Legend sat down behind the monitors on the stage. The casters announced their names and listed their prior achievements before starting to analyze both teams. Theyid out the differences and gave their opinions on the current state of both teams. Finally, they gave their predictions.

    However, none of the people in the stream cared for whatever it was that the casters were talking about. They were far too excited to sit still and listen to what the analysts had to say. Rather, they were jumping up and down behind their monitors or TVs and were typing chat memes or other random messages that had absolutely nothing to do with what the casters were talking about.

    Inside the private booth in the NetCow Cafe, Liu Yue suddenly cried out, ¡°Look! LOOK! That¡¯s God Roundy! It¡¯s really him! That¡¯s God Roundy! Oh my god! We¡¯re gonna see God Roundy y!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Calm down. I can see him too. I might have bad eyesight, but I¡¯m not blind. How could anyone miss him? Look how big he is. He¡¯s filling the entire shot.¡±

    Ouyang inched closer to the TV. The others moved their heads to look around him, but he kept inching closer to the screen until his nose was almost touching it. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s odd,¡± he started. ¡°Is it just me or does he look kinda bad? He doesn¡¯t look like himself. Do you guys also see it?¡±

    ¡°We might. If you moved your big head away from the screen,¡± Ren Rou replied.

    Ouyang hurried back but didn¡¯t forget to point with his finger at Roundy Round¡¯s face. ¡°Look! See what I¡¯m saying? He really looks out of it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. He does look bad.¡±¡°Did he not get enough sleep or something?¡±

    ¡°He does look kinda pale¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you guys think it¡¯s nerves?¡± Ouyang asked. Then he shook his head. ¡°No, no. That can¡¯t be it. It must be something else. What do you guys think?¡±

    ¡°Haha! God Roundy doesn¡¯t feel stress! He is God Roundy! Not stresses-too-much Roundy.¡±¡°He¡¯s yed at Worlds so many times already. How could he be nervous?¡±¡°You must be joking, right? He¡¯s been to Worlds four times now. He knows the pressure. The others from KG might be feeling a bit nervous, but God Roundy? I don¡¯t believe it!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t say anything. She turned around to look at Lin Feng, worried.

    Lin Feng looked at the TV screen. At the familiar figure on it. Fatty¡­ He knew what was wrong with his old friend. He recognized it the moment Fatty stepped into the shot. It was impossible to miss. Fatty, you had another breakdown, didn¡¯t you? He clenched his fist and bit on his teeth. Come on, Fatty! I believe in you! Show everyone how good you really are!

 Chapter 82: Caster Curse? | Views: 8,297

    ¡°It¡¯s KG on the Blue team and Legend on the Red team! We start Worlds this year with a top game between Europe and China! I¡¯m Qinghe, your host! And with me I got Stone and Lolo! We¡¯ll be yourmentators! But that¡¯s enough about us. Let¡¯s dive right into Champion Select! KG is first to ban a champion!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s dive into it already!¡± Ouyang shouted back at the TV.

    On therge TV screen in the private booth rented by Ouyang at the NetCow Cafe, the Worlds stream showed the Champion Select for KG versus Legend. There was a live video feed of three people standing behind the caster desk on the bottom half of the screen. Qinghe stood on the far left of the table, with a TV behind him, while Lolo and Stone stood a bit further down the table. They were the two special guests.

    Everyone who¡¯d watched the LPL at any time over thest few years knew who Qinghe was. He was the caster of the LPL! He had more experience castingpetitive games than any other casters! He knew how to share his knowledge of the game and get the fans excited! And the fans loved him for it. They loved his quick wits and sense of humour. There was never a dull moment when he was on the caster desk!

    The second caster on the desk was Stone. He yed League of Legends professionally back in Season 1. After leaving the professional scene at the end of Season 1, he started making guest appearances on the caster desk. The fans had weed him with open arms. He gave them insightful analyses and exined the thought processes of professional yers in an easy-to-understand manner. But this wasn¡¯t why people wanted to see him on the desk. They wanted to see him on the desk for his unbelievable ability to deliver the caster curse! The Chinese fans called it honeyed words. Whenever he said something nice about a yer or team, disaster would strike them!

    The most famous case of his caster¡¯s curse was way back in Season 3. Stone wasmentating on a match in the LPL. Heplimented the Blue team for the advantage they¡¯d gotten in the early game. Not even half a minuteter, a team fight broke out. The Blue team lost this fight and with that the gold lead they¡¯d built up over the first 20 minutes of the game. Then he praised the Red team for mounting a phenomenaleback. It wasn¡¯t even 10 secondster that they gave away an uncontested Baron Nashor, the most powerful monster on Summoner¡¯s Rift. With the buff gained from killing Baron Nashor, the Blue team took control over the game again. In the next team fight, Blue team¡¯s Vayne popped off and got a triple kill. Stone was a little hesitant but still gave apliment. The caster¡¯s curse struck again. Vayne was wandering through his own Jungle a minuteter and got caught out by two yers from the Red team and died.

    This still wasn¡¯t the end. By the time Red team won, the caster curse had struck another four times for a total of seven times! Seven times in one game! This was still a record today! As a direct result of this game, Chinese fans had nicknamed Stone ¡°Prophet Stone¡±.

    The third caster for the official Chinese stream of Worlds was Lolo. She was a vivacious young woman who enjoyed ying League of Legends in her free time. She also dabbled a little with streaming on Huya, mostly League of Legends games. She was most known for her asional guest appearances as a shoutcaster during the LPL, just like Stone. But there was a pronounced difference in what they brought to thementary. Stone was there to provide insights, game y predictions, and reasoning behind yer decisions. Lolo brought a more bubbly enthusiasm to thementary. She didn¡¯t have the deep game knowledge that Stone did, but she more than made up for that with the entertainment factor she added to the shoutcasting. It also didn¡¯t hurt that she had fantastic knockers and a preference for skin-tight low cut dresses. Beyond the lighthearted moments she added to thementary, she appealed to a very specific demographic of League of Legends fans.

    While KG and Legend were taking their time deciding which Champions to ban, Qinghe steered the conversation on the caster desk to the uing game. ¡°We¡¯ve already talked a lot about the different groups this year at Worlds, and who we believe will make it through to the next round. But we haven¡¯t really talked much about the individual games yet.¡± He turned to Stone and nodded at him, smiling. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the game in front of us right now, shall we? It¡¯ll start in only a couple more minutes. What do you think, Stone? Who¡¯ll win this game? Which team gets your vote?¡±

    Prophet Stone grinned and took the bait. ¡°Well, when I¡¯m looking at the lineups of both teams, I have to say that Legend looks really strong this year. I think they will win this first game! Hehe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, did you hear that guys?¡± Lolo giggled at the camera, hiding her mouth behind her hand. ¡°Prophet Stone has spoken! We can all rx now, KG is clearly winning this one.¡±

    Qinghe startedughing, loud enough that it almost sounded fake. ¡°Hahaha! Hahaha! You¡¯re so right! Isn¡¯t she guys? Lolo understands! Prophet Stone has spoken! We can rest easy! This game is KG¡¯s to lose now!¡± He stepped aside and gestured at the TV screen behind him. Then he looked into the camera and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at what some of you guys have to say about Prophet Stone¡¯s prediction for game 1!¡±

    ¡¸HAHAHA my man stone is at it again¡¹

    ¡¸Everyone, take cover! T-minus 30 seconds until the curse strikes!¡¹

    ¡¸CARRY KG TO A WIN OH LORD PROPHET!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸prophet stone carrying since season 2!!¡¹

    These were the reactions the three casters were looking for. They knew the fans would eat up a simple joke like this. Besides, they didn¡¯t want to give the fans false hope by saying they believed KG would win this game. Legend was a stronger team than KG. There was no way around this truth. They should have what it takes to win this game. It was to the point where even the three casters were hoping for a little bit of ck magic from Prophet Stone. It would be a great start to Worlds if KG could pull a big upset in the first game and beat Legend!

    ?

    In a private booth in the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng and the others were engrossed in the stream. The ban phase hade to an end. The top tier meta champions in the current patch, like Mordekaiser and Gangnk, were banned. KG and Legend started choosing the champions they wanted to y. Most were standard picks. It was only the picks in Mine that really stood out. Legend¡¯s Phoenix had decided to go with Lenc, and in response to that, KG¡¯s Flintlock chose Lulu. Lulu was originally a Support champion. But in thest few patches, she had turned into a realistic pick for midne to counter assassins like Lenc.

    ¡°I think Lulu is a smart pick. Don¡¯t you guys agree?¡± Qinghe said. He looked at the other two casters and waited for them to nod. Then he continued, ¡°Phoenix is a really good yer. You don¡¯t want him to go Legendary on his Lenc. It was smart thinking from KG to go with the safe pick.¡±

    Stone looked at Qinghe and said, ¡°KG doesn¡¯t really have a choice here, do they? Phoenix is so good, you just have to be extra careful. The game would be over if he gets rolling on his Lenc. All Flintstock can do is y it safe.¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡± Ouyang cheered at the TV. He jumped up and down as he ran little circles around the others. ¡°The prophet is doing it again! KG has won! Easy game! Let¡¯s skip it and go straight to the second game!¡± He suddenly stopped running around andughing for a second, then added, ¡°Let¡¯s not skip it. I wanna see KG crush Legend! Haha!¡±

    Liu Yue shot up from his seat and joined Ouyang, ¡°WOOT WOOT! Keepplimenting them Prophet Stone! We believe in you!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head a little as he watched the others go crazy over Prophet Stone. If a caster curse really were a thing, KG wouldn¡¯t need to pick Lulu. They could pick anything and have some fun¡­ He looked at the two topne champions. Thatne deserved more attention. Demon had picked a top tier meta champion in Darius, while Fatty had locked in Gnar. Gnar versus Darius¡­ Hmmm, I guess it¡¯s doable. But it¡¯ll be hard¡­ He looked at the rest of the lineup, searching for something that would help KG bring this game home. Huh? Something looked off. There was something wrong with Blue team¡¯s lineup. Gnar, Lulu, Rek¡¯Sai, Tristana, and Nami¡­ What are they doing? Where is their damage? Only Tristana can deal damage. But she¡¯s ate game carry. What are they nning to do until then? Pray that Legend won¡¯t kick their asses? Who drafted this teamp?

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The first game of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships was officially underway! The 10 champions spawned in their fountains. Both teams decided to do ane swap. This meant that the Toners would y in botne and the botne duo would go up to topne. Wards were ced all across the river, with a few just inside the other team¡¯s jungle for some extra vision. When the Jungle minions spawned, the Toners both took the camp closest to theirne before recalling back to base, while the Junglers started on the Blue or Red Buff with the help of their Supports.

    The game ended up in a standardning phase. In the bottomne, both Gnar and Darius arrived before the first minion wave died. They got a couple ofst hits and were rtively even. Gnar had a slight advantage at Level 1 because of the range advantage of his auto attacks. Tian Tian quickly made use of this and started showing why people called him God Roundy. His positioning and ability to force Darius to miss minions was perfect. Darius tried to counter this by winding up and swinging his axe in a wide circle¨CDecimate! But Tian Tian sidestepped it and started throwing more auto attacks at the Darius.

    KG wasn¡¯t falling behind at the start of the game. Theirnes looked to be doing ok, and Tian Tian looked especially good. The Chinese fans watching the official broadcast felt their hearts racing. Perhaps KG stood a chance! They quickly took to the chat to share their hopes with the other fans.

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY FOR THE WINNN!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸gnar >>>> darius¡¹

    ¡¸66666666!¡¹

    ¡¸i love you roundy!!1!!1¡¹

    ¡¸We can win this game! China number 1!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸OMG this is soooo cool!!!!!¡¹

    Tian Tian started pushing the minion wave towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. The ward he¡¯d ced at the start of the game timed out. His vision of the river above hisne disappeared. But there were still a few minions to kill, so he stuck around.

    Legend¡¯s Jungler was Lee Sin. He¡¯d spotted Roundy Round ce a ward down in the river near botne at the start of the game. He knew exactly when it would time out. So he adjusted his jungle route to it. The moment the ward disappeared, he walked down the river to botne.

    ¡°Oh no! God Roundy you need to back! You¡¯re going too deep!¡± Lolo cried out from the caster desk.

    Qinghe was the calm voice of reason. He said, ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry. Gnar has a hop and sh. It¡¯ll be really difficult for Legend if they want to pick an early game kill on him. They¡¯d better focus their time and energy on anotherne.¡±

    Lee Sin appeared from the river in botne. Darius used this opportunity to walk out from under his tower and towards the Gnar. Tian Tian saw this happen and quickly had his Gnar hop away¨CHop! But the Darius was prepared for this. He shed forward, then swept the Gnar out of his Hop mid-air before hooking and pulling him back¨CApprehend!

    The European fans in the Wembley Arena went wild with joy! This was a brilliant y from Demon! He¡¯d perfectly predicted how Tian Tian would y and found a counter to it! There was nothing Tian Tian could do! He still had his sh, but there was also the Lee Sining for him. Everyone knew what was going to happen. Be it the fans cheering in the arena, or the Chinese fans feeling their hearts drop at home, everyone knew that the Gnar would die. Even Lin Feng knew. He slowly shook his head. This isn¡¯t good.

 Chapter 83: Undue Blame | Views: 8,858

    Lin Feng was spot on. This really wasn¡¯t good for Tian Tian. After Tian Tian¡¯s Gnar got caught mid hop by Demon¡¯s Darius, there was no more escaping. He tried to run away, but the Darius attacked his crucial artery¨CCrippling Strike! The Gnar started bleeding. His movement speed dropped. The Darius attacked him with another auto attack, while the Lee Sin projected a discordant wave of sound¨CSonic Wave! It hit the Gnar. The Blind Monk knew where his target was and dashed towards the Gnar¨CResonating Strike! He followed up with an auto attack, applying the slow from the Red Buff on the Gnar.

    Between the Darius and Lee Sin, there was nothing Tian Tian could do to escape with his Gnar. Even if he shed away, it wouldn¡¯t matter. He was too far away from his own outer tower. They would just run him down and kill him before he could reach it. He had overextended and he would pay for it. The small yordle copsed dead on the ground.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The European crowd in the Wembley Arena went wild! Their Legend had secured first blood! Their team was pulling ahead in the first game of Worlds! They chugged their beers, then hugged the friends and strangers around them, jumping up and down while screaming at the top of their lungs, ¡°KING DEMON! KING DEMON! KING DEMON!¡±

    The fourrge screens above the center stage at the Wembley Arena showed the yer cams for KG and zoomed in on Tian Tian. His face was pale. Beads of sweat stood on his forehead and dripped down his face. He looked at his screen, biting his lips to force back the tears. But he fooled no one. Everyone could see his watery eyes.

    Qinghe watched this all happen from behind the caster desk for the official Chinese stream. He shook his head, disappointed. ¡°Ah, he misyed that. He shouldn¡¯t have died there.¡±

    Stone looked at Qinghe and said, ¡°Uh, no? What are you on about? You can¡¯t call that a misy. There was nothing Tian Tian could¡¯ve done. This was a perfect y from Demon! Did you see how he sh-pulled the Gnar out of his hop? That was brilliant!¡±

    ?

    In a private booth in the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng and the others had also just watched the Gnar die. They¡¯d watched God Roundy give away first blood. This wasn¡¯t what they were hoping to see. This was a worst case scenario! They hoped to see God Roundy show Demon who the better Toner was. But now Darius had the bonus gold from first blood. It would be incredibly difficult for God Roundy to get back into thisne.

    ¡°NOO! WHY GOD ROUNDY?¡± Ouyang screamed. ¡°Why would you give away first blood, bro? You totally had this! Why did you have to get cocky and overextend?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Yeah, that was a misy. I agree with Qinghe. If he had first shed away before using Hop, he would¡¯ve survived. He can only me himself for this one.¡±

    Lin Feng listened to his friends discussing the y, his eyes on the stream that still showed a close up of Fatty. This wasn¡¯t a misy, Fatty. There was nothing you could¡¯ve done about it. Please don¡¯t let it eat you up! He felt a twang in his heart as the stream forced him to look at the pain in his old friend¡¯s face. This isn¡¯t your fault! You can still win thisne! Trust in yourself! He knew that the Seven Kings and Four Emperors were only a title. There were many other really good yers. Demon was one of them. His reflexes were some of the best in the game! There was no way Tian Tian could¡¯ve seen this sh-engage from the Dariusing. That was why Lin Feng felt it wasn¡¯t his old friend¡¯s fault that he gave away first blood. Everyone in that exact situation would¡¯ve died. Everyone!

    The stream went back to the game. It showed an exchange in midne. But Lin Feng cared little for this. It was a Lulu versus Lee. One would defend and the other attack. Neither could pose much of a threat to the other, granted both sides yed it correctly. He looked at the minimap in the bottom right corner of the screen. The Gnar had respawned in the fountain and was walking back tone. You can do this Fatty! This isn¡¯t lost! The Darius only has a small advantage. You can turn it around! He balled his fist. Show everyone what you¡¯re made of!

    ?

    At 5:40 minutes into the game, while Tian Tian was trying his best to farm his minions and catch back up to the Darius, his Jungler Rek¡¯Sai went to gank topne. There¡¯d been aneswap in this game. The bottomne duo of both teams were ying in topne. Tristana and Nami on KG and Jinx and Thresh on Legend. Rek¡¯Sai roamed up the river, unnoticed.

    The Rek¡¯Sai burrowed into the ground. Her range of vision decreased but her movement speed increased. She passed over a ward as she moved into topne. The Jinx and Thresh tried to run away when they saw the Rek¡¯Sai, but they were toote. The Rek¡¯Sai was already inne. She shed forward, closing the distance with the Jinx, and unburrowed from the ground, knocking her up!

    KG¡¯s bot duo knew Rek¡¯Sai wasing beforehand, so they were ready to follow up. Nami threw down an Aqua Prison on the airborne Jinx. Tristana Rocket Jumped forward and started auto attacking the Jinx. Her damage was still low in the early game, but it was more than enough to get a kill in a three versus one.

    Legend¡¯s Thresh shed away towards his outer tower. He threw hisntern back on top of his ally Jinx¨CDark Passage! It gave her a shield and she could click it to be whisked away to the Thresh. The Jinx broke free from the Aqua Prison and touched thentern. The Tristana simply didn¡¯t deal enough damage to burst her down, so she escaped. Then the Thresh threw out his scythe and hooked the Rek¡¯Sai¨CDeath Sentence!

    The Thresh pulled the Rek¡¯Sai into range of Legend¡¯s outer tower. He followed up by ying her deeper into tower range, while the Jinx threw down three snare grenades on the ground¨Cme Chompers! They exploded on the Rek¡¯Sai, rooting her under the outer tower.

    The Rek¡¯Sai took an energy shot from the tower and lost three quarters of her health before the stun broke and she could escape. But while she was running down the topne towards the KG¡¯s side of the map, Legend¡¯s Jungler, Lee Sin, came walking up the river. It was perfect timing. The Rek¡¯Sai had no chance to escape, while the Tristana and Nami were forced to sh away and only barely made it out alive. This game was quickly going from bad to worse for KG. Legend was picking up advantages everywhere!

    ?

    ¡°NO! How is this possible? This can¡¯t be! We were supposed to win this game! Prophet Stone cursed Legend! This is impossible!¡± Ouyang cried. ¡°Did the prophet lose his power?¡±

    Liu Yue couldn¡¯t believe it either. ¡°Now we¡¯re losing at top too? What are we going to do? How are we going to win this game? Tell me! How?¡±

    ¡°Damn!¡± Ren Rou cursed. ¡°We¡¯re already down two kills and the game has barely started! This is terrible! If they don¡¯t watch out, this is going to be a stomp!¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t join the discussion with his friends. He sat a little to the back. Just far enough away that his friends wouldn¡¯t bother him, but not so far away that he looked like he wanted to leave. He watched the stream. There was arge minion wave building up at botne. A lot of gold and experience for Fatty. Come on Fatty. That¡¯s a big minion wave! When you get them, you should be back in thene!

    Unfortunately for Tian Tian, he wasn¡¯t allowed to take these minions. He got an order from his team. They would be swapping bot and topne. He was to immediately recall back to base and go to topne. The minion wave was running right at him. But an order was an order. He hit the B key as blue circles appeared around his Gnar. After recalling back to the fountain, he walked up to topne, only to find the minion wave frozen just outside of the Red team¡¯s outer tower. It was a one versus two. He couldn¡¯t even get near the minions, let alonest hit them.

    Lin Feng watched all of this happen on the stream. He bit his lips. There were many things he wanted to say about this move by KG. But he didn¡¯t. He kept his mouth shut.

    At 7 minutes into the game, the minion wave in topne started pushing towards KG¡¯s tower. Tian Tian would finally be able to get a fewst hits on minions again! But Legend wasn¡¯t about to let this happen. Their Jungler and Miner had nned for this. The minions pushed into the tower. The Gnar started attacking the minions. His Rage built up until he transformed into Mega Gnar!

    Legend¡¯s Miner and Jungler knew where KG had ced wards and snuck around them towards topne. Into KG¡¯s jungle and into a brush just behind the outer tower. Tian Tian farmed the minions while the botne duo he was up against kept their distance. Then his Gnar returned to his normal size. It was the moment Legend had been waiting for. The four yers towerdived the Gnar and killed him. It was a worst case scenario. Not only did Tian Tian give away another kill, it was Phoenix¡¯s Lenc who picked it up!

    If giving away first blood wasn¡¯t bad enough already, now Tian Tian was also feeding the Lenc! The Chinese fans couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing! They instantly took to the stream chat to me.

    ¡¸the hell is god roundy doing!?!?!??!?!¡¹

    ¡¸he¡¯s terrible¡­¡­¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸INTING?!?!?!!?¡¹

    ¡¸Did he forget how to y or something? WTF are these ys???? Can the idiot not ward???¡¹

    ¡¸uch¡­ I told you guys KG needed a new toner. One that¡¯s actually a little good¡­...¡¹

    st pro game for the fatso????¡¹

    Ouyang and the others shared the sentiment of the stream chat. God Roundy looked useless on his Gnar! He was behind in levels and kept giving away kills! Lin Feng listened to this, but didn¡¯t say a word. He knew how unfair this was. His friends werepletely wrong! All the people watching the stream were also wrong! This wasn¡¯t on Fatty one bit! This was on the whole team! He bit his lips and clenched his fists harder, his nails digging into his skin.

    ?

    Legend¡¯s bot duo recalled back to base after picking up the kill on Roundy¡¯s Gnar. Then they went to botne, switchingnes with the Darius. Two minutester, at 9 minutes into the game, a fight broke out in botne. The Threshnded a hook on the Tristana. He pulled her back towards him and right into the three snare grenades the Jinx had ced on the ground. The Chompers exploded, rooting Tristana! The Jinx switched to her minigun and started attacking, while the Thresh walked up to the Tristana.

    The Tristana yer was smashing on his W key. His sh was on cooldown and his only other escape ability was Rocket Jump. It felt like the root would never break! His Tristana¡¯s health was already down by half! Then the root finally broke. Rocket Jump activated. The Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired!

    The Thresh yer had kept his y for this moment. He pressed on his E key. Thresh swept his chain and knocked the Tristana down to the ground mid-jump. The Jinx followed up with a Zap! A shot with her shock pistol that slowed the Tristana. Then she continued auto attacking before firing off her Super Mega Death Rocket!

    ¡¶Red team has in an enemy!¡·

    The Chinese fans were starting to get really anxious. Botne didn¡¯t get ganked. This was a clean outy by Legend! At the professional level, dying to thene opponent in botne was the same as giving away a solo kill! It really shouldn¡¯t happen. The Tristana really shouldn¡¯t have been caught out like this. This game started to look worse and worse.

    The three Chinese casters tried to paint a positive picture. They forced smiles on their faces as they discussed how it would be an uphill battle for KG. Their main point of conversation was that the game wasn¡¯t lost yet. There would still be plenty of opportunities to mount aeback. All KG had to do was y it safe and wait for their chances. The only thing they had to make sure was that they stopped giving away kills to Legend. If they didn¡¯t, they might as well surrender.

    Legend took the first dragon after getting the kill on the Tristana. KG was in no position to contest it. They werecking wards and without Tristana they had no damage. Their entire team was built around the Tristana. They were helpless without her.

    KG managed to survive the next few minutes without giving away any more kills, but they were falling further and further behind. Then, at the 14 minute mark, KG gave away another solo kill. It was Tian Tian again. He¡¯d been hiding under his outer tower in topne. But he wasn¡¯t even safe there. The Darius had built up such arge advantage that he could easily towerdive. Tian Tian was forced to run away, all the way back to his inner tower. That still wasn¡¯t enough. The Darius chased after him and came down on Tian Tian with his axe¨CNoxian Guillotine! Tian Tian¡¯s Gnar had only a little bit of health remaining, which disappeared after taking several more ticks of bleed damage.

    The Chinese fans understood from the start that KG wouldn¡¯t necessarily win the game. Legend was a strong opponent. But that didn¡¯t mean they would ept watching their team make stupid mistakes! They wouldn¡¯t sit quietly when someone as great as God Roundy was giving away solo kills left and right!

    ¡¸hes lost it. EZ GG¡¹

    ¡¸I hope they boot roundy from the team after this game!¡¹

    ¡¸^ that¡­¡¹

    ¡¸They would probably have a better chance if they kick Roundy right now and y 4v5¡¹

    ?

    In the private booth in the NetCow Cafe, a dark cloud rumbled above Lin Feng¡¯s head. He was furious! Angry and frustrated on behalf of his old teammate! These so-called fans were ming the wrong person! This wasn¡¯t Fatty¡¯s fault! There was nothing he could¡¯ve done! His team had sacrificed him! How is this not obvious to everyone? Are they stupid? And now Fatty was paying the price for it! Judging from the camera pointed at his face, he was having a panic attack and tilting!

    Professional League of Legends yers rarely tilted. They had been trained to stay calm and collected in high pressure situations even when things weren¡¯t going their way. Even when things were going downright terrible! Because if they let a single setback affect them, it would affect the entire team. It meant the difference between winning and losing a game. But because they were so good at bottling up their emotions during a game, when the bottle did end up breaking, it would be disastrous.

    The pressure on the professional yers was immense. It sometimes felt like they had to bear the entire weight of the world on their shoulders. This was all the more obvious during the biggest event of the year. Worlds! In this event, KG had to y against a favored title contender in their first game. The pressure on their shoulders was crippling! They were probablypletely lost on what to do. And what made it worse was that they¡¯d lost grip on the game within the first 10 minutes!

    Lin Feng knew Fatty better than most others. He recognized the signs of his old friend panicking. His old friend¡¯s mental fortitude was pretty poor to begin with and he now looked to be at aplete loss. There were no teammates who came to help him and he was left alone inne against a Darius who could kill him whenever he liked. This is bad. This is really, really bad. If things don¡¯t change soon, KG will lose. Come on, Fatty! You can do it! Tell your teammates to give you a hand! I still believe in you!

    ?

    KG stoppedmunicating. The yers were upset and needed something or someone to me. They went quiet on the voice chat and were busier with trying to get somest hit on minions, rather than worrying about stopping Legend from pushing into their base. Topne was the first to fall. 19 minutes into the game, Legend broke into KG¡¯s base and destroyed the inhibitor. Then they methodically moved to midne and finally botne. 23 minutes into the game, the third inhibitor fell. With super minions spawning in all threenes, Legend held the overwhelming advantage. It took two more minutes to close it out. It was a stomp.

    The European crowd in the Wembley Arena jumped up from their seats and screamed in joy! Their Legend had won! Europe had won the first game of Worlds! They hugged the people around them and yelled, ¡°LEGEND! LEGEND! LEGEND!¡± Legend had done them proud! And they looked really strong! Maybe they could really make it all the way to the finals!

    In stark contrast to the joy from the European fans, the Chinese were unable to ept this loss. They were angry. Furious! This wasn¡¯t how this game was supposed to go! Prophet Stone had spoken! KG should¡¯ve won this game! This was their game to lose!

    ¡¸WTF!?!?!?! did they think they were just scrimming for fun or something?!?!?¡¹

    ¡¸KG IS TRASH¡¹

    ¡¸god roundy my ass, he yed like a fat turd on the road!¡¹

    ¡¸uncrowned eighth? give me a break¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸LOL kg is fucking terrible! so what that they¡¯re all chinese?!?!?!¡¹

    Tang Bingyao read the messages in the stream chat. All of them were insults, and more than half were aimed at Tian Tian. His Gnar had started the loss. Whatever happened after that didn¡¯t matter. The game was lost after first blood in the eyes of most fans. She then tilted her head and nced at Lin Feng, worried. He was biting his lips and his face was pale. She whispered, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Lin Feng took a deep breath. He forced his eyes away from the screen and to the ground. Then he took another deep breath. He closed his eyes and let his heart calm down. His lips formed a smile. He forced out the familiar him, the him his friends knew and loved, and then looked up at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. Just a little annoyed is all.¡± If KG¡¯s loss were really Fatty¡¯s fault, he would¡¯ve been frustrated that his old friend yed a shitty game. That would¡¯ve been it. But this loss wasn¡¯t Fatty¡¯s fault. This loss was on KG! Their problems started with their teamp and showed through in the rest of the game! Fatty might¡¯ve died a few times more than the others, but this loss was absolutely not his fault!

 Chapter 84: Helpless | Views: 8,858

    ¡°Damnit! Roundy really fucked this game up¡­¡±¡°How could he let himself get schooled by a rookie?¡±¡°This didn¡¯t look anything like the God Roundy from the LPL. He looked terrible!¡±¡°I don¡¯t know man, his whole team looked like hot garbage.¡±¡°Maybe they¡¯re jegged?¡±¡°Yeah, maybe they flew inte! That¡¯s the only thing that makes sense!¡±

    In a private booth in the NetCow Cafe, the members of High School 13¡¯s esports team were chatting about the KG versus Legend game. They didn¡¯t me God Roundy like the stream chat was doing, but they also didn¡¯t have anything positive to say about him. He had lost to a rookie. Demon had made God Roundy look like the rookie!

    Lin Feng took a deep breath. He listened to his friends discussing Fatty, but he didn¡¯t participate. He didn¡¯t see any point in trying to exin to them how wrong they were. It wouldn¡¯t change anything. All that mattered was that he knew the truth. He understood how unfair all this hatred towards Fatty was. This game wasn¡¯t Fatty¡¯s fault. It was KG¡¯s coach¡¯s fault! Who even drafts such a terrible teamp¡­ The strategy KG used in this game was short-sighted and inflexible! They decided that it was better to y a 4vs5 with a mediocre Tristana than it was to y a 5vs5 with a strong team. There were so many ws in this n that he didn¡¯t even know what he disliked most about it.

    For KG¡¯s gamen to work, their Tristana had to get fed. She went to topne to have an easier time farming minions, and Rek¡¯Sai farmed the jungle camps closest to her to offer help. This was how the early gank started. A gank that failed. Tristana didn¡¯t rocket jump into a power spike, but away to safety. Rek¡¯Sai then gave away a kill to Legend¡¯s Jinx, sealing thene. The Jinx, who already had the early game advantage over Tristana, was now too strong. So KG decided to send Tristana down to botne, where arge minion wave was building up. This was the minion wave Fatty needed for his Gnar to catch back up to the Darius.

    The Gnar fell further behind to help the Tristana get ahead. All the minions in botne were left for her, while Fatty went up to topne where he was minion starved. Legend froze the minions near their own outer tower and zoned him out. He could barely get in range to get experience and then got tower-dove a few minutester. The game went from bad to worse to disastrous for Fatty. He found himselfning against a fed Darius again. His teammates were frantically trying to help Tristana scale. They left him alone. He had to fight Legend off on his own. The Darius and the rest of Legend dly made use of this. They bullied him and killed him and made him look like he didn¡¯t belong on the professional stage. He was the sacrificialmb for the Tristana who waspletely useless the entire game. She didn¡¯t make a single y.

    ?

    In a skybox in the Wembley Arena, Nightsong and Hermes were watching the KG versus Legend game. When KG¡¯s Nexus exploded, Nightsong clicked his tongue and threw his hands up in the air. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Hermes. That¡¯s KG¡¯s problem. They tunnel in way too hard on this ¡®protect the ADC¡¯ bullshit. It¡¯d work if I was the ADC, maybe. But Konjac isn¡¯t me, he¡¯s just not good enough for them to focus around him! His Tristana waspletely limp-dicked! He got his whole team stroking him off with all this attention, and he still couldn¡¯t scale up! I feel bad for Roundy, dude. They pretty much told him to fuck off. Who even does that? If they didn¡¯t cuck him so hard, that game would''ve been a hell of a lot closer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have no idea what KG¡¯s coaches were thinking.¡± Hermes nodded. ¡°Their back line was shit and they starved their front line of resources. It¡¯s like KG was setting him up to fail the whole time.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng shared the same view as Nightsong and Hermes on the KG versus Legend game. Don¡¯t they want to win? He understood Fatty. His old friend didn¡¯t handle stress well. So it made no sense to Lin Feng why KG would force a game n that had this potential oue. And now, Fatty would copse under the torrent of abuse that woulde his way from the fans. You need to give Fatty some confidence! Not chop his legs off with an axe¡­ What good is this going to do? Think you¡¯ll win now? If Fatty started tilting, then that would affect all of KG for the rest of Worlds. This move was self-sabotage!

    Lin Feng remembered how Fatty would hide on the toilet when his nerves got the best of him. He figured it was the same now. The game was lost and everyone was ming him for it. Odds were that he was balling his eyes out curled up on a toilet. Alone. While his teammates were off doing other things. What Fatty needed right now was a friend. Someone who was there for him so he wouldn¡¯t be alone with his thoughts. His thoughts were a dangerous weapon when he was anxious and helpless.

    Lin Feng wanted to scream in anger. He balled his fists until his nails dug deep into the flesh of his palm, but he was oblivious to the pain. I should be there! He bit his lips. If he could, he would buy a ne ticket and fly to London! He had to be there for his friend! But he couldn¡¯t. Many years ago, he¡¯d sworn to always be there for Fatty. But today, he couldn¡¯t be there for him. All he could do was sit in front of a TV at an inte cafe and watch Fatty suffer.

    I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry! Lin Feng looked at the TV. They were showing how Fatty¡¯s facial expressions changed after every next y that didn¡¯t go his way. The analysts were going over it, searching for anything they could talk about. Lin Feng couldn¡¯t listen to it anymore. He felt a lump in his throat as he pushed his chair a little further back. He looked down at the ground before turning his head away from his friendspletely. He put his hand over his face, trying to hide the tears that had welled up in his eyes. WHY! Why am I so useless? Why can¡¯t I be there for my friend? Why¡­

    ?

    The second match of Worlds was in Group B. It was Korea¡¯s Fate versus North America¡¯s COG. It was a boring match. There was no big upset or any other big surprises to speak of. COG was a strong team. Their yers yed well. But they simply weren¡¯t as good as Fate. Fate had an Emperor Miner in Moon. He led his team to a 35-minute win over COG. The game could¡¯ve ended sooner, but COG held on and Fate didn¡¯t brute-force their way into COG¡¯s base. They yed the slow and mechanical game.

    The third match of Worlds was in Group A again. It was Europe¡¯s Legend versus North America¡¯s sh. Phoenix hadn¡¯t been as prolific in his first game, mostly due to the choices made by KG. But in this second game, he showed everyone why he was an Emperor. He went 9/0/4 on his Veigar and absolutely decimated sh. They didn¡¯t stand a chance! The only reason they didn¡¯t surrender was because this was Worlds, and teams didn¡¯t surrender at Worlds.

    It was time for the second Chinese team to take to the stage in the fourth game of the day. In Group B it was China¡¯s Hand of God versus North America¡¯s COG! The Chinese fans were a little hesitant to cheer for their team after KG¡¯s performance, but that quickly changed. HoG showed the world from minute 1 why the LPL was a region to be feared! Nightsong got excited with his Jinx! He tore through the enemy team and picked up kills left and right. Hermes couldn¡¯t stay behind either. He traveled across the map with his Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill and helped lead his team to a clean victory.

    At 33:45 minutes into the game, HoG destroyed COG¡¯s Nexus. The LPL had won its first game at Worlds! The Chinese fans had held their breath until thest attack hit the nexus. Now they could finally breathe. They startedughing and many took to the inte to post messages on forums and streams.

    ¡¸HOG IS AMAZING!!!¡¹

    ¡¸i knew we could count on hermes!¡¹

    ¡¸I told you guys, didn¡¯t I? Look, here, I posted it before the KG game. KG is useless. They have some ¡°Uncrowned Eighth¡±... What is an ¡°Uncrowned Eighth¡± good for? Nothing! You need a KING like Hermes to win at Worlds. KG is shit, long live Hog!!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY STINKSS!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GO HOGGG!!! MAKE US PROUD! WIN WORLDS!!!¡¹

    ¡¸That was the world champions ying!!!11!1 lezz fucking goooo!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha maybe kg should look at this game for some inspiration¡¹

    ¡¸if only kg could y like hog. life would be good¡¹

    ?

    It was time for the fifth match at Worlds. This was the third match andst match in Group A on day 1. KG would get their chance at redemption after getting stomped in game 1. Their opponent was a wildcard team. No one considered the wildcard teams a threat. Many felt that these wildcard teams were invited to experience Worlds, and not topete. The members of the caster desk on the official Chinese stream had their own thoughts on this game.

    Qinghe leaned on the desk on his elbow, smiling. ¡°This should be a nice game to get some confidence back for KG. What do you two think?¡±

    Stone nodded. ¡°Should be an easy win. They¡¯re up against a wildcard team and they¡¯ve done amazing in the LPL all year. They can do this.¡±

    Lolo smiled at the camera and said, ¡°KG might not have had the best start to Worlds, but there is no way they lose this game! I believe they will show us why they are representing China at Worlds!¡±

    Qinghe stepped up to the TV behind him and said, ¡°Oh, looks like our viewers agree! I¡¯m seeing many supportive messagesing in here.¡± He read through some of them and then turned back to the camera. ¡°Ok, ok. I think I got the gist of it. KG just had some bad luck in game 1. They got countered by Legend and just lost control. This is a new game. KG and God Roundy will show us how good they are.¡± He looked at Stone and Lolo and then back at the camera. ¡°It seems we all agree! The game is starting soon, so let¡¯s watch KG win this one!¡±

    However, the game didn¡¯t go anything like the Chinese League of Legends fans or casters expected. It seemed like the game against Legend wasn¡¯t an exception. KG was even struggling against a wildcard team! And not just a little. They kept going in for fights and kept losing them. Every y they tried only saw them falling further behind. It took them 15 minutes to get their first kill on the board. By then, they had already given away 7 kills to the wildcard team! This game wasn¡¯t just going a little bad for KG. They were losing. They were actually losing to a wildcard team!

    The three Chinesementators for the game were struggling to find the words. They wanted to say something positive, but there wasn¡¯t anything positive to say. KG was ying horrendously! Lolo still tried. ¡°Maybe with this kill they can start turning the game around.¡± But it was weak. KG was 7 kills behind already. The game hadn¡¯t even transitioned into the mid game yet!

    ¡°I think KG just has an off-day,¡± Stone chimed in. ¡°You know, one of those days where nothing you try works. They happen to the best of us! But this game isn¡¯t lost yet. I believe in KG! They¡¯ll win this game for the fans!¡±

    Qinghe nodded, his mouth hanging slightly open. He was actually speechless. It wasn¡¯t often that he saw a team of KG¡¯s caliberpletely lose it. He watched the game, half of the time forgetting to entertain his audience. This was so bad, he didn¡¯t know what to say. His quick wits and jokes were gone. He looked helpless.

    The gamested 41 minutes. Once the team fights started in the mid game, the match became a mess. Both sides screwed up consistently and gave away their lead. They tried to finish it multiple times, but somehow the other team would miraculously hold on. Neither side had a single tower left standing. But finally, in the 41st minute of the game, KG managed to win a team fight around Baron Nashor. From there, they charged down midne and into Red team¡¯s base, where they destroyed the nexus and imed their first win at Worlds.

    No one was cheering. KG had won. But not a single Chinese fan was cheering. This disy was embarrassing. KG was supposed to be a top tier team, yet they were struggling to hold their own against a wildcard team! Instead ofplimenting KG, the Chinese fans took to the online forums and started ming. The main point they made was that every single yer in KG should have their professional contract ripped apart. They weren¡¯t worthy to represent China!

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe, the members of High School 13¡¯s esports team were watching the stream. It was alreadyte at night and they¡¯d started to wonder why they were still watching. KG¡¯s performance was disgraceful. It wasn¡¯t representative of a team who wanted topete at Worlds.

    ¡°They might as well go home. What a fucking terrible game,¡± Ouyang sighed.

    The others nodded. They were tired. This game had killed all their excitement for Worlds. If these were the kind of matches they were going to have to watch, maybe it was better to just not watch them. The only positive note was HoG. HoG had put in a great performance!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t chime in. He understood perfectly well why KG had almost lost against the wildcard team. In fact, he was kind of surprised they pulled out a win in the end. The reason was simple. Fatty and the rest of KG had tilted off the face of the Earth!

 Chapter 85: Bleak News | Views: 10,976

    ¡°Fate is pushing down midne! Will they finish the game right here?¡±¡°Only two more Nexus towers standing! Gold really has to fight now, or it¡¯ll be toote!¡±¡°They¡¯re going in! They¡¯re going in!¡±¡°WAAAAAAA! DOUBLE KILL! MOON DOUBLE KILL!¡±¡°Oh my lord, it¡¯s an ace! Fate has aced Gold! This is the game! This is the game!¡±

    Thest game of Day 1 of the Season 5 Worlds featured Korea¡¯s Fate versus Europe¡¯s Gold. Moon showcased why he was an Emperor in this game. He single-handedly carried his team to a win. No other tower fell, only those in midne. He pushed from the early game and just kept on pushing. The rest of his team came to help when they realized what was going on. They were just too strong,pletely outssing Gold. When Gold¡¯s Nexus was destroyed, the yers from Fate jumped up from their gaming chairs and started cheering!

    Day 1 of Worlds came to an end. Six games were yed and everyone had a better idea where their teams ranked in the world. The Korean and European fans had a lot to be happy about. Fate and Legend both secured two wins in their groups. It once again showed how strong a team with one of the Four Emperors was. If their opponent didn¡¯t also have an Emperor, they were next to unstoppable! On the other hand, the Chinese fans had mixed feelings about this first day. They wanted to celebrate HoG¡¯s victory over COG, but the disastrous performance of KG overshadowed it. KG had brought shame to the LPL.

    KG had put up a poor performance against Legend, but that was only a poor performance. It wasn¡¯t the end of the world. What was the tipping point for the Chinese fans was the game against the wildcard team. For the first time in five years of Worlds, a Chinese team was forced to drag out a game against a wildcard team until the 40th minute before, mostly due to luck, mounting aeback and winning the game. KG had set multiple records today. Records for disgracing their region! The Chinese League of Legendsmunity didn¡¯t have a good word to say about KG.

    ?

    In a private booth in the NetCow Cafe, High School 13¡¯s esports team was sitting in silence. They were all kind of staring at the screen, but not really watching what was going on. The results from Day 1 Worlds were nothing like they¡¯d expected. Their hype was crushed. It was shattered! There was nothing left of their hopes for this year¡¯s Worlds. KG had made sure of that!

    ¡°GODDAMNIT!¡± Ouyang mmed his fist on the table. ¡°This was a fucking disgrace! How could they do this to us? Fuck it! I need to y. Who¡¯s with me? Let¡¯s get some ranked games in to forget about this shit!¡±

    ¡°Damn right,¡± Liu Yue agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s hop into some duo queue and kick some asses!¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯m in,¡± Yang Fan said, in his anger forgetting to adjust his sses.

    Chen Ze grabbed his things. He barely looked at the others as he was already walking to the door. Then he paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder at the others. ¡°Good luck guys. I need to sleep. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow.¡±

    Ren Rou stood up and looked around the private booth. Everyone looked defeated. It was as if they were the ones who had yed at Worlds and screwed up, not KG. I should really say something to them. It¡¯s just... She was in no mood to do anything about it. But I really should¡­ Just as she made up her mind and wanted to say something, Wei Dong rolled his gaming chairs behind aputer and started smashing down on the keyboard. She bit on her lips, holding herself back. Everyone was in a terrible mood, herself included. It was best to let them be for now. ¡°Hey guys, I¡¯m also going home. Good luck with your matches.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also going,¡± Lin Feng said. He grabbed his spicy strips, which were mostly left untouched, and left the private booth. Tang Bingyao looked after him from when he grabbed his things and walked out of the door, until the door closed and she couldn¡¯t see him anymore. She thought for a moment, then grabbed her backpack and said to the others, ¡°Goodluck guys. Have a good night. Bye.¡± Then she ran after Lin Feng.

    ?

    It was a cold October night. When Lin Feng walked out of the NetCow Cafe, it was already close to midnight. The streets were deserted. Most League fans were ying away their frustration, while others had given up halfway through KG¡¯s second game and were already home and in bed. He walked down the sidewalk with his eyes on the pavement. A chilly breeze hit him in his face. There were a thousand and one thoughts swirling in his mind.

    Tang Bingyao opened the door of the NetCow Cafe and looked outside. She spotted Lin Feng walking down the street and ran after him. When she almost caught up to him, she slowed down. She wrapped her hands around the straps of her backpack and matched his speed. Her ponytail swayed in the wind. She didn¡¯t go up to him because she didn¡¯t want to interrupt his thoughts.

    Lin Feng was in a world of his own. He barely registered what went on in front of him, nearly missing his turn. When he walked around the corner, he did notice a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. Huh? Was that Tang Tang? He stopped walking and turned around. ¡°Woah! It is you! Where did youe from? Why are you here? Are you following me?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head. ¡°Following you?¡± She thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m walking you home.¡±

    ¡°Uh, hehe¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t see you. Come,e. Don¡¯t be a stranger. Let¡¯s walk together!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and walked up beside him. Then the two fell into silence again. They walked home together, both lost in their own little world. Tang Bingyao asionally nced up at Lin Feng, trying to think of what to say. He really does know Roundy Round. There is no other reason why he would react like that back during the games. That isn¡¯t how a KG fan would react. He didn¡¯t even seem to care about KG, just about Roundy. She opened her mouth a few times, but stopped herself before words coulde out. What do I even say? How do I ask him about it? It looks like he¡¯s taking it really hard. I don¡¯t want to make him even more upset. But maybe it¡¯ll help him feel better if he talks about it? She tugged at Lin Feng¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Lin Feng?¡± She bit her lips. He looked at her. She had to continue now. ¡°Was Roundy always this nervous? When you were ying with him, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. He was.¡± Lin Feng nodded. ¡°You see, Fatty is a coward at heart. He stresses out over nothing and always worries that he¡¯ll screw things up. The pressure thates with a big event like Worlds is just too much for him. He copses under it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao cupped her hands over her mouth and blew a warm breath into them. Then she ced her hands over her ears, trying to beat the cold night air. She looked back up at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°So did he always tilt this badly? Or did he have it better under control back then?¡±

    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t tilt back then.¡± Lin Feng shook his head. He turned to Tang Bingyao and smiled, ¡°Back then he had us. When he got stressed, we were there for him. Always. He had real friends who looked out for him.¡± He grinned as he thought back to Season 1 Worlds.

    Lin Feng remembered how stressed out they all were when they arrived in London. They were the only Chinese team at Worlds. They carried the weight of an entire region on their shoulders! The fans at home were expecting big results, but those fans were at home. They weren¡¯t at the event. Many yers of the team were traveling outside of China for the first time in their lives. They were in a strange ce, where they didn¡¯t know anyone.

    The teams from Europe and North America had fans everywhere, recognizing them on the streets and cheering for them in the arena. Lin Feng and his team only had themselves. They could only look to each other for support. Whenever they felt helpless, lost, angry, or frustrated, they would turn to their teammates. Their friends. And they would fight through it together. They woulde out of it stronger as they battled their way through the tournament! And when they couldn¡¯t sleep the night before a big game, they would explore the streets of London. Together, as a team. Because they were a team, even when they were hollering in the empty streets like a bunch of idiots. They did everything together as a team.

    ¡°WE WILL BE THE CHAMPIONS! NO TIME FOR LOSERS!¡±¡°NO ONE CAN BEAT US! WE WILL BE THE VERY BEST!¡±¡°WE¡¯LL SHOW THOSE EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS WHO THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD IS!¡±

    They would sing and yell and have a good time. Laughter was the best medicine! By venting their worries with their teammates, their worries suddenly didn¡¯t seem all that scary anymore. The burden felt smaller when they shared it with their teammates. Together, there was nothing they couldn¡¯t do! They would charge at any obstacle as a team and crush it together!

    However, Fatty had none of that right now. He didn¡¯t have a team. The KG that appeared at Worlds was little more than a group of five individually strong yers. yers who didn¡¯t stand up for each other. yers who weren¡¯t there for each other. yers who only worried about doing well themselves. And from the looks of it, the coaching staff was just another unit of individuals.

    Lin Feng stopped thinking about the past and halted his step. His stomach felt like it was tied up in knots. He bit his lips as he looked down at the pavement, anxious. Fatty wasn¡¯t just anyone. Fatty was God Roundy! He had achieved so much in his career and was supposed to be the star yer on KG¡¯s roster! This brought a ton of unwanted stress with it. Everyone in China expected him to carry every game he yed. Their expectations were like shackles to Tian Tian, locking him down. He needed his friends or a support system to break free from this and show everyone how good he was.

    ¡°You can always try calling him,¡± Tang Bingyao said. Everyone had a phone these days. It shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. ¡°Just hearing your voice should help him a bit, right?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide as he froze for a moment. Then he turned to Tang Bingyao and started shaking his head. ¡°No no no! I can¡¯t do that! It¡¯ll only make things worse! He¡¯ll only start stressing more!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked Lin Feng in the eyes. The frantic look in them revealed how full of shit he was. ¡°You¡¯re lying again, Lin Feng. It doesn¡¯t look good on you.¡±

    ¡°I-i¡¯m not! Really! You have to believe me!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Tang Bingyao curled her lips. ¡°That didn¡¯t sound convincing one bit.¡±

    ?

    It was the second day of the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships. Group A and Group B had their second round of matches. The Chinese teams had to y three games. Hand of God would y two games, the first against Korea¡¯s Fate and the second against Europe¡¯s Gold, while KG would y one game. Their opponent was North America¡¯s sh.

    Hand of God showed a strong performance with one win and one loss, making the Chinese fans proud. They started the day with the loss. Fate was just too strong. They meticulously outyed HoG in every stage of the game and closed it out in the 32nd minute. There wasn¡¯t much to say about it. HoG showed that they were trying, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The fans could understand this. Fate had an Emperor. This was an eptable loss. In the second game, however, Hand of God made their fans really happy. Theypletely destroyed Gold! What Fate did to them in the first game, they did to Gold!

    Then there was KG, the team on full tilt. They had clearly not dealt with their problems from the day before. The team was ying like a nervous wreck. Nothing they tried worked. sh toyed around with them. It was a match that really didn¡¯t belong at Worlds. The yers from KG lookedpletely out of it. They even looked a little bit happy when sh finished it at 35 minutes into the game. If it went on for any longer, that would only be more suffering for KG.

    With this loss, KG¡¯s chances of making it out of the group stage started looking bleak. There were three more games to be yed, but it was already almost out of their control. If they wanted to make it through to the next round, they would have to win all their matches from here on out. This was a task that seemed impossible for the current KG. The camera zoomed in on Tian Tian, the supposed star yer of the team. His expression said it all. He looked very worried, with beads of sweat on his forehead.

 Chapter 86: You Still Have Me! | Views: 10,976

    Day 1 of Worlds was disastrous for China! Day 2 was a little bit better thanks to Hand of God. But KG had screwed up again! They were really testing the limits of their fans! There was now a break. Half of the games in Group A and Group B were yed. The teams could use the next week to prepare for the second half, or in the case of KG to get their mess sorted out, while the fans turned their attention back to solo queue. They still kept an eye on Worlds, of course. In another two days, Group C and Group D would y their first half of the group stage. Dust was in Group D. This was a new chance for China to shine on the world stage!

    One group of fans were the members of High School 13¡¯s esports team. They kept up to date on Worlds, but their attention shifted to something more important. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament. It was approaching fast and they still had so much to do before then. Lin Feng¡¯s Legend Bootcamp turned up to 100. Lin Feng didn¡¯t allow any cking. If someone repeated a mistake, he would tell them they had one more chance. Then he reminded them how stupid the mistake was, that it belonged in Silver solo queue and not in their team games. And if that didn¡¯t help, he threatened them by saying he would kick them off the team!

    ¡°Tang Tang, you yed like crap in that teamfight! You¡¯re the ad-carry, not the tank! You don¡¯t jump in first! How many times do I have to tell you this?¡±¡°Wei Dong, you need to get deeper vision into the enemy jungle. Exactly! Just like that pink ward.¡±¡°Chen Ze stop feeding! We can¡¯t keep sending Liu Yue up top to help you. He needs to focus on othernes too!¡±¡°Stop AFK farming in your jungle Liu Yue! You¡¯re giving away all map pressure in the first 10 minutes of the game! The other team doesn¡¯t even have to worry about warding, you don¡¯te to gank anyway¡­ YES! THAT MEANS GO GANK!¡±¡°That¡¯s an awful y.¡±¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡±¡°Not good enough. Get better.¡±

    The yers in the esports team weren¡¯t blind or stupid. They noticed that Lin Feng was being a lot more demanding than usual. Sometimes they felt the urge to say something about it to him. To ask him if all of this was really necessary. But then they saw his face. It was calm and serious. He had no anger, hatred, or joy in telling them off. He was earnestly trying to help them be better yers. So they could only turn back around and focus on their game. Since he was putting all this effort in, they would have to at least do the same!

    Lin Feng¡¯s high intensity training was proving to be very effective. The team members didn¡¯t just see tremendous individual growth, but they were also really starting toe together as a team. This only further motivated them to work harder. Whenever Lin Feng gave them a few minutes between games to think about everything he¡¯d said to them, they would huddle together and discuss it as a team. Then they would go back over the match and watch reys of the important ys and talk about what went right and what went wrong. All the while, Lin Feng sat in a corner of the room, staring down at the ground. They would asionally look over towards him.

    Ouyang leaned forward, gesturing for the other team members to do the same, and whispered, ¡°Hey, do any of you know what¡¯s up with him?¡± He pointed towards Lin Feng with his head. ¡°Seems like the dude is always in a bad mood these days.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I know right!¡± Liu Yue eximed. Then his eyes went wide and he put his hand over his mouth. He looked towards Lin Feng from the corners of his eyes, but saw no response. Shit! That was close¡­ He turned back towards the others and nodded. ¡°I feel like he¡¯s been way harder on us. I¡¯m kind of scared to do anything. I don¡¯t want him to yell at me for making a misy. But when I don¡¯t do anything, he also yells at me! You guys feel that way too?¡±

    The others nodded. Liu Yue had said exactly what they felt. Then Ouyang and Ren Rou turned their heads towards Tang Bingyao. They knew the rtionship she had with Lin Feng. The two still imed it was just a friendship, but it sure looked like something more. Ren Rou nudged Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Did he tell you something? Do you know why he¡¯s been acting this way?¡±

    Tang Bingyao did know. Lin Feng had told her. But he had told her in confidence. She wouldn¡¯t share that with others. It wasn¡¯t her ce to do that. Lying wasn¡¯t really her thing either, though. She felt conflicted, but decided that being Lin Feng¡¯s friend was more important. She stared down towards the ground and shook her head a little. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s going through a bad breakup?¡± Chen Ze asked.

    ¡°You idiot.¡± Ouyang flicked Chen Ze¡¯s ear. ¡°Are you blind? Bro, have you never noticed how Tang Tang here and Lin Feng are always together? You know¡­¡± He gave Chen Ze a wink. ¡°...How they spend a lot of time together, without us? Just the two of them. For fucks sake! They even go home together all the time!¡± He paused for a moment, then added, ¡°Here, if you still don¡¯t get it, let me show you.¡± He hugged an imaginary person who was supposedly sitting on hisp and started making out with her, shoving his tongue into her imaginary mouth.

    Tang Bingyao looked at Ouyang. She didn¡¯t quite understand what he was doing. He was getting his spit everywhere and looked like an idiot. ¡°Uhh, Are you having a stroke? Should we call an ambnce?¡±

    Ren Rou smacked Ouyang in the back of the head. ¡°Alright! That¡¯s enough nonsense out of you! Let¡¯s get back to something a little more serious.¡± She started digging in her purse before pulling out a letter. ¡°I received a letter from the 16 School Tournament organizers. It¡¯s about the qualifiers. The groups have been announced.¡± Her smile turned into a frown when she mentioned the qualifiers. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just get this over with. We¡¯re screwed guys. We got screwed over really hard. It¡¯s even worse thanst year.¡±

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament took ce every year around the same time as Worlds. It would start sometime next week with the qualification round. In the qualification round, schools were ced in groups of four. If they wanted to move on to the next round, they had to win at least two of their three matches. There were a lot of schools participating, so the better teams usually didn¡¯t have much trouble moving on to the next round. But even if High School 13 could be considered above average, their luck was definitely the worst. Ifst year¡¯s group wasn¡¯t bad enough, this one was. They were up against Tonji Affiliated High, High School 3, and High School 7.

    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK!¡± Ouyang screamed. ¡°How the fuck is our luck worse thanst year? HOW THE FUCK IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?¡± All the hard work they¡¯d put in suddenly seemed pointless. Worst case scenarios shed through his mind. He pulled at his hair and whined, ¡°Why? Why is our luck so bad? Why is it always us? It¡¯s always us! Why? Tell me! Why is our luck so bad! We¡¯re fucked! We might as well give up now and just enjoy Worlds!¡±

    Yang Fan, Chen Ze, and Wei Dong weren¡¯t looking any better than Ouyang. They¡¯d yed in the Shanghai 16 School Tournamentst year. What happened back then was still fresh in their minds. They knew how strong those opponents were. This year would be worse. The thought alone destroyed all confidence they¡¯d built up training under Lin Feng.

    High School 3 was the easiest of the three teams High School 13 would be up against. They failed to qualify for the main tournament and got kicked out in the Top 32st year. But they got knocked out by a school that made it all the way to the quarterfinals! Who knew how far High School 3 could¡¯ve gone if they¡¯d had a little bit more luck! As for High School 7 and Tonji Affiliated High, both of them had made it to the main tournament. High School 7 went out in the first round, while Tonji Affiliated High lost in the quarterfinals. They were two of the best schools for esports in Shanghai!

    ¡°Tonji Affiliated High is a loss. No point in talking about them.¡± Chen Ze looked at the others. His heartbeat went up as he started hyperventting. He ced his hands on his stomach and forced deep breaths. Then he continued, ¡°And I doubt we stand much of a chance against High School 7¡­¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He forced a smile and said, ¡°We really have our work cut out for us.¡±

    Everyone fell silent. No one knew what to say. They had worked so hard for a shot at making it to the main tournament, yet now all of that seemed like it¡¯d been for nothing. All their hard work, all the progress they¡¯d made, it was pointless in the face of absolute skill. They weren¡¯t preparing for some random school, they had to prepare for some of the best schools! One of which even made it all the way to the quarterfinalsst year! A few weeks of training couldn¡¯t possibly be enough to suddenly beat these schools. They were screwed! All their self-confidence was gone. Their morale sank through the floor.

    ¡°Oh, the groups were announced?¡± a voice broke the silence. Everyone turned their heads towards Lin Feng, who¡¯d been sitting in a corner. He raised his head and stared at them, puzzled. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with you guys? Did you all eat something funny?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Chen Ze started. He sighed. ¡°Our luck is dogshit. We have a harder group thanst year¡­¡±

    Wei Dong added, ¡°He¡¯s right, you know? You¡¯ve really helped us and we¡¯ve gotten a lot better, but these guys are way better than us. I can see us winning a game against High School 3, if we¡¯re lucky. But when have we ever been lucky? Look at our group! And well, High School 7 would have to really y poorly if we want to have a shot at beating them. Let¡¯s not even talk about Tonji Affiliated High. It¡¯ll just depress me more.¡±

    Lin Feng looked around the room. Everyone was agreeing with Chen Ze and Wei Dong. No one seemed to have any faith in themselves. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°I thought we were going for first ce?¡±

    No one replied. Lin Feng looked at everyone, one at a time, but none of them said anything. Instead, they turned their heads away or looked down at the floor. They didn¡¯t want to look him in the eyes. And he didn¡¯t understand why. So he asked, ¡°I thought we agreed on going for first ce? You guys didn¡¯t forget, right?¡±

    The group was looking for someone to reply. They didn¡¯t want to be the one to say what they all thought. Lin Feng had been in a poor mood all day and they felt more than a little ashamed right now. Wei Dong was finally the one to speak up, ¡°I¨C We didn¡¯t think you were serious. We kinda figured you were just trying to motivate us.¡± And the others nodded to his words.

    Lin Feng looked at Wei Dong. He looked him in the eyes and said, ¡°No. I meant every word I said. We¡¯re going to win the trophy.¡± He then looked at the others, one at a time. They tried to evade his gaze, but he wouldn¡¯t let them. ¡°What have you guys been training for? Why have we all been working so hard if you guys are just going to give up before the tournament even starts? What is this for a shit attitude? A little setback and you just give up? You think just because we don¡¯t have the easiest road to the finals that we¡¯re doomed? We¡¯re going for the win here guys! If we want to win, we have to beat the best teams! It doesn¡¯t matter who they are, we beat them all!¡± He paused for a moment, frustrated. ¡°Why have I been putting in all this effort if you guys are just going to give up? I should just go home and let you guys figure it out yourselves.¡±

    The group listened to Lin Feng, but it wasn¡¯t until hisst sentence that it struck them. He was right! Everyone had put in a lot of effort. They had all worked hard. Lin Feng especially had created a great training schedule that saw even better results! But instead of thanking him by making it to the finals and taking home the trophy, they were ready to give up before the tournament had even started! They were ready to give up because a team that made it to the quarterfinalsst year scared them! Lin Feng had every right to be upset! It would¡¯ve been weird if he wasn¡¯t!

    ¡°Bro, that¡¯s exactly what I needed to hear. You¡¯repletely and totally 1000% right. We can¡¯t just give up like this!¡± Ouyang eximed.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°I agree. So what if our opponent is stronger than we expected? That only makes it more interesting!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re not giving up!¡±¡°No way in hell! We¡¯re going to kick their asses!¡±¡°We¡¯ll bring home the trophy!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! High School 13 for the win!¡±

    Lin Feng got the response he was looking for. The confidence was back and the morale was high again. He said, ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t worry so much about how good you are and how good your opponent is. All those what ifs in your mind are a waste of your time. Just have faith in me and my training and do your best. Besides, even if the opponent is really strong¡­¡± His lips curved up, revealing that smile that had disappeared in the past few days. ¡°...You still have me!¡±

 Chapter 87: A Phone Call | Views: 8,575

    High School 13¡¯s esports team was full of energy. It didn¡¯t matter who they had to y against in the qualifiers for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They would beat everyone who came at them! They would wee any and every challenge! With this mindset, they practiced the rest of the day until the sun set. They made the ys they were too afraid to make before, and endured Lin Feng¡¯s biting criticism. All that mattered was that they got better, even if that meant getting yelled at by Lin Feng every now and then.

    ¡°Alright guys, that¡¯s all for today. Let¡¯s gather around,¡± Lin Feng said after the esports team had won another game. Once everyone huddled around him, he continued, ¡°I really liked what I saw at the end there. You were all trying. It doesn¡¯t matter that you don¡¯t always seed. You can¡¯t always seed. The important thing is that you try. So good job on that! Beyond that, you guys really need to keep working hard. Try and y a game or two tonight and I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight guys!¡±

    Everyone grabbed their stuff and left the NetCow Cafe. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao waved the others goodbye and then started walking home together. The streets were quiet. Under the soft yellow glow of the street lights, Tang Bingyao hopped around the pavement tiles. She yed a little game called ¡®evade the cracks¡¯. Her feet would asionallynd on a crack and she would lose her bnce, rocking unsteadily before quickly stabilizing herself again.

    Lin Feng followed half a step behind Tang Bingyao. Heughed as she hopped around and said, ¡°You kind of look like Kalista, hopping around like that.¡±

    Tang Bingyao spun around and looked up at Lin Feng while walking backwards. ¡°That pep talk you gave today really worked. Everyone was super motivated by it.¡±

    ¡°Of course they were!¡± Lin Feng chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m really good at giving pep talks too!¡±

    ¡°Thatst part really made it. ¡®You still have me¡¯. It sounded really cool, and you even looked cool! You never look cool!¡± Tang Bingyao smiled. Then her expression turned serious again. She stopped walking and held her hand up to Lin Feng¡¯s chest to stop him. ¡°So, what about your old teammate? Are you going to help Roundy too?¡±

    High School 13¡¯s esports team had a support pir in Lin Feng. When they started worrying, he would reassure them. When they started freaking out, he would p some sense into them. And when they gave up and lost their motivation, he would help remind them why they were doing this. He was always there to help them, not just by being a good yer or coach, but also by being a good friend. Tian Tian had none of this in KG. He didn¡¯t have a teammate he could rely on. They were all mentally broken, just like him. And they expected him to be their mental support! He was supposed to be their pir! But Tian Tian was no pir. If anything, he needed the mental support more than anyone else in KG!

    Lin Feng smiled. For the first time in days, when Fatty was mentioned, he didn¡¯t hide. He balled his fist and looked Tang Bingyao right in the eyes. ¡°Hehe. Don¡¯t worry. I know how I can help him. I finally figured it out!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng turned his key in the lock and opened the front door. He pushed the door open and yelled through the opening, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±

    ¡°Sheesh! I get it, you¡¯re back! Do you want a medal or something?¡± Su Xue snapped. She was wearing an apron and oven mitts as she came walking out of the kitchen with arge, piping-hot casserole dish. ¡°Don¡¯t be so noisy! And take your shoes off! We¡¯re not animals!¡±

    Su Xue put the casserole dish down on the dining table, and then wiped the sweat from her forehead. Dinner was ready. The bowls and chopsticks were set on the table, together with a wide variety of food. She had really worked hard on it over thest couple of hours. But it smells delicious! I¡¯ve really outdone myself today! She smiled, proud and happy of her culinary skills. Then she turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯re home early. Everything ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m good! Just really hungry!¡± Lin Feng replied. He brushed past her, throwing his bag on the ground, and sat down at the table. His mouth started salivating as the smell of pork reached his nose. He leaned forward and gave the casserole dish a big sniff. ¡°Hmmm! Smells great!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, it smells great? Of course it smells great! I made it!¡± Su Xue said. She was really happy with how this pork dish hade out of the oven. Then she pointed at the kitchen sink and added, ¡°Now go and wash your hands! Then we can eat.¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to be told twice. When there was food in the picture, he would do anything. He rushed to the sink and put his hands under the faucet. It could barely be considered washing them. He didn¡¯t even bother drying them off as he ran back to the dining table and let himself fall on his chair, nearly toppling it over. Then he grabbed his bowl and filled it with pork. His stomach was rumbling and his mouth salivating. He grabbed his chopsticks and dug in.

    ¡°Hey hey! Don¡¯t only eat the meat! I also made a really nice chicken soup! You have to try it. It took me several hours to make!¡± Su Xue protested as she watched Lin Feng wolf down the food.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t even look up from his bowl. He shoveled more food into his mouth as he said, ¡°Fanks, yur da besht!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes, then grabbed a napkin and cleaned the bits and pieces of food Lin Feng had spit out on the table. ¡°Stop talking with your mouth full! It¡¯s disgusting!¡± sheined. ¡°And stop giving all these emptypliments! If you really want to show how thankful you are, stop being such a massive pain in the ass!¡±

    Lin Fengpletely ignored her. He filled his now empty bowl with the chicken soup, then put it to his mouth and started slurping. ¡°Ah! Hot hot hot!¡± he yelped as he quickly put the bowl down. He grabbed his ss of coke and took a swig. ¡°Aahhhh! That¡¯s better. Wow, that was really hot! But it was also really delicious! You really went all out tonight!¡±

    Su Xue grinned and shook her head. Idiot, is what she wanted to say. But she didn¡¯t. He liked her food. She¡¯d been working really hard on it for a good portion of the day and it just felt really satisfying to hear him say that he liked it. ¡°Good! Drink it up! I better not see a single drop go to waste!¡±

    Lin Feng looked up for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll drink it all! And then I¡¯ll eat the rest of the food too! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll eat it all!¡± Then his full attention went back to the food on the table. He took a bite of pork and then another swig from the chicken soup, though only after blowing on it to cool it down a little.

    Mhm, that¡¯s right. Su Xue watched Lin Feng eat for a bit, resting her chin on her hands. Haha! I¡¯ve never met anyone who can eat like that. He really is something else. But at least he does look a bit happier again. I really started worrying after thest few days. She smiled and asked, ¡°Are you feeling a little better now?¡±

    Lin Feng raised his head, a piece of pork hanging from his mouth, and asked, ¡°Ghuh? Wha dju meen?¡±

    Su Xue harrumphed. ¡°What? You think I¡¯m blind? Or do you think you were really good at hiding how absolutely miserable you¡¯ve been looking the past few days? It looked like your pet had died or something. Just that you don¡¯t have a pet, right? Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to bother you. I figured it was best to let you figure this out on your own. But man, you kids these days really make a big deal out of every little thing! What can possibly have happened in your short life that was so bad?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. Heughed, awkwardly. So that¡¯s why she hasn¡¯t been bothering me thest two days. I should¡¯ve probably noticed it¡­ ¡°Uhm, ah¡­ You see, it¡¯s li¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Whatever. You don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± Su Xue waved her hand and cut him off. Then she looked at him. She really looked at him. He had worried her. She wanted him to be happy and had to really hold herself back thesest two days from acting like a concerned mother. ¡°Did you deal with whatever has been on your mind? Are you all good again? There is nothing wrong with you, right? If there¡¯s something I can do¡­¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, but he still took an extra moment to think before answering her. He looked at her and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m all good again!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng went back to his room after dinner to do some homework. The teachers loved to swamp them with extra assignments to keep them busy during the holidays. He opened his book and started reading. It was a dull textbook with 200 pages he had to read before the end of the week. His eyelids felt heavy after the third page, and he couldn¡¯t remember what he had read at all after the fifth. Realizing this wasn¡¯t productive, he put the book aside, and after some thinking, grabbed hisptop. He pulled up his browser and started browsing League of Legends forums. Most posts were about Worlds and the less than ster performance of the Chinese teams. As could be expected, KG got torn a new asshole, but even Hand of God who ended the first week with two wins and one loss wasn¡¯t spared. The Chinese fans med them like it was their civic duty.

    ¡¸lmao beat fate in msi and lose to them in worlds. just lpl things¡¹

    ¡¸Like seriously. HoG yed like a bunch of fucking monkeys! They deserved to lose! I hope Dust isn¡¯t going to be such a pile of steaming shit like KG and HoG!!!¡¹

    ¡¸They probably got cocky after winning the mid seasonal invitational tournament but didn¡¯t realize that fate was sandbagging.¡¹

    The Chinese League of Legends fans made fun of Hand of God andined about them, but most didn¡¯t go beyond that. It waspletely different for KG. There was no making fun of them, onlyints and harsh insults. But it could still be worse. Tian Tian could attest to that. His ¡°fans¡± didn¡¯t hold back one bit when it came to him. They¡¯d revoked his status as the Uncrowned Eighth and he certainly wasn¡¯t God Roundy anymore. But more painful than any of that were the insults they threw at him. They called him a waste of human life and much worse.

    ¡¸number 1 top in the lpl? HA! What a fucking joke!!! and how the fuck does he dare to call himself the uncrowned eighth? he better hopes i don¡¯t find him irl or ill give him more than a piece of my mind!!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸fucking useless fatso. if he spent the time he eats practicing, he might actually be half decent¡¹

    ¡¸kg better see what a fucking waste of space he is! rece him! GET SOMEONE ELSE IN PLACE OF THIS PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!1!1!¡¹

    ¡¸anyone in london can go kick his ass? ill pay £¤10,000¡¹

    Everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that Tian Tian never called himself the Uncrowned Eighth. This was a title the fans had given him. It was even worse. Tian Tian had repeatedly said in interviewers he didn¡¯t believe he was good enough to be considered the Uncrowned Eighth. He¡¯d always said there were other yers better and more deserving of such a title. But no one cared about that back then, and they certainly didn¡¯t care about it right now.

    Lin Feng gripped his mouse, the stic of it creaking. He bit down on his lips as his eye started twitching. Page after page. Post after post. He read everything. His eyes turned bloodshot. That¡¯s not true! That¡¯s a lie! He closed his browser and lowered his head. I get why they¡¯re upset. But this ispletely unfair! Fatty did nothing wrong! He didn¡¯t raise your expectations! He never asked for all this attention! He didn¡¯t betray you. Your own hyped up hopes betrayed you!

    This was the inte. A message was easily and anonymously posted. People would often forget that they were talking to or about real people. And that those people had feelings, just like anyone else. It didn¡¯t matter how upset the Chinese fans were. Abusing Fatty like this just wasn¡¯t right. Their feelings of disappointment were of their own doing! Then there were the haters and trolls, adding fuel to the fire. They had no filter and Lin Feng found it hard to read some of the messages they posted.

    Lin Feng clenched his fist. His nails sunk into his flesh, but the pain didn¡¯t register in his head. He smashed down on his bed, the soft recoil of the mattress only making him angrier. The Chinese fans were disappointed, he understood that! But that didn¡¯t mean they had the right to write these things about Fatty! Fatty is probably alone and terrified of the world right now. They¡¯ve always talked him up and up and up. Every little thing he did right, they exaggerated a thousand times over! And now he screws up one time and they alle down on him. This just isn¡¯t right! They can¡¯t do this to Fatty! Not after everything he¡¯s done!

    However, it didn¡¯t matter what was right and wrong. Tian Tian had stepped into the limelight. He was one of the most, if not the most recognizable Chinese League of Legends yer. Strangers were going to have their opinion, and the inte was an easy way to share that opinion with the world. There were millions of fans who counted on him to show up when it really mattered. They watched him with bated breath. But they never considered the pressure they put on him. All they saw was the halo of glory over his head. They were ignorant to the sweat on his face and the deep footprints he left behind.

    Back in season 1, after losing in the finals of Worlds, a mentor Lin Feng deeply respected had told him, ¡°A professional yer will get criticized more than they getplimented. You better learn how to deal with that as early as possible.¡± He didn¡¯t understand what these words meant, or even really listened to his mentor. He had already sunk into a spiral of guilt and self-me. But now that same sentence yed in his mind again. It started to make sense. He began to understand what his mentor had tried to tell him. Unfortunately, he had no way of contacting Fatty in London. No way to text him, call him, or send a private message. But he did have someone who could help him with that.

    Lin Feng dialed the number of an old mentor who hest spoke to several years ago. He wasn¡¯t even sure the number still belonged to him. The phone was ringing, so at least the number was still in use. It took a few more rings, but then a man picked up. A familiar voice rang out from the other side of the line, ¡°Hmm? Who¡¯s this?¡±

    Lin Feng was quiet as he scratched his hair. He¡¯d found the courage to call this number, but he hadn¡¯t thought of what he would say. This brief moment of hesitation brought the emotions he¡¯d been repressing for the past four years creeping back to the front of his mind. They hit him like a truck. His eyes felt wet and a lump appeared in his throat. He coughed and wiped away the tears with his sleeve. Then he weakly said, ¡°H-hey¡­ it''s me.¡±

    There was no response, just silence. Then, the man started chuckling, a bit bemused. ¡°Oh? Wow, It¡¯s you! Here I thought you¡¯d walked away for good. I never thought you¡¯d call this number again.¡±

 Chapter 88: Pass On a Message | Views: 8,177

    The Finals of the Season 1 World Championships was the day that Lin Feng¡¯s short life came crumbling down around him. He still remembered the hype he felt that morning, the excitement as he won the first game. But that all changed in the final game of the series. The score was 2-2. There was onest game to decide who would be the World Champion. The game started off well for Lin Feng. It was an intense back and forth from the first minute, with neither team giving an inch. His heart was racing and his hands were sweaty. Thening phase ended and the team fights started. What little advantage he¡¯d built up inne wasn¡¯t enough to win over the opposing Miner. The fights became trickier and trickier as the minutes went by. All the champions reached Level 18 and most hadpleted their item builds. One misy and it would all be over. Onepse in judgement would end the game. His nerves got to him and he made a rash y. A huge blunder. The opponent capitalized on it. They aced his team, stormed his base, and destroyed the Nexus.

    Lin Feng remembered the defeated looks in the eyes of his teammates. The way they looked at him still haunted him to this day. They didn¡¯t say it, but he could feel their disappointment. It was his fault that they lost, and his alone. He had let them down. Everything they¡¯d worked so hard for, he¡¯d made it all worthless. It was all too much for him. He couldn¡¯t take it. So he ran away, far away from all those judging eyes! He didn¡¯t even stop to tell Fatty, who was the teammate he got along with best. The only person he told about his decision was his mentor, a man he deeply admired and respected.

    His mentor had always been there for him. In fact, it was this mentor who¡¯d helped him with the problem ofpeting at Worlds. When the Global Esports Association told him he couldn¡¯t participate because of his age, and when even the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Esports Association wasn¡¯t enough to change this decision, it was his mentor who had helped him. A few words from him were enough for the Global Esports Association to change their minds and let Lin Feng participate at Worlds despite his age.

    When Lin Feng told this mentor his decision to retire from the esports scene, he wasn¡¯t given a lengthy speech about how young he was and how much more potential he had left in him. Instead, his mentor calmly listened to his little speech and then nodded. ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s what you really want, alright. Take some time off and get your thoughts sorted out. When you¡¯re ready, give me a call.¡± He left Lin Feng with a pat on the shoulder and a note with a phone number on it.

    It wasn¡¯t until today, almost four yearster, that Lin Feng finally called that number. He weakly said, ¡°H-hey¡­ it''s me.¡±

    There was no response, just silence. Then, the man on the other end of the line started chuckling, a bit amused. ¡°Oh? Wow, It¡¯s you! Here I thought you¡¯d walked away for good. I never thought you¡¯d call this number again.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. He couldn¡¯t help but feel he''d let this man down four years ago. His mentor had done so much for him, and what had he given back in return? A failed tournament and early retirement. He tried to think of something to say, anything! But he couldn¡¯t. His mind was empty.

    ¡°Hey! If you need something, hurry up already! You¡¯re costing me a ton of money.¡±

    Lin Feng was caught off-guard. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. He¡¯d prepared himself to be lectured, chided, or even yelled at, but certainly not this. He asked, choking up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you. Do you not want to talk to me? I can hang up¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Lin Feng¡¯s mentor asked. Then something almost audibly clicked in his head. ¡°Oh! No, it¡¯s good to hear from you! But you¡¯re really costing me a fortune here! I¡¯m on holiday in Hawaii. Long distance charges are a killer. It¡¯s like several bucks a minute.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng breathed out, relieved. The calm and casual tone of his mentor calmed him down too. His worries about himself disappeared and Tian Tian moved back to the front of his mind. He remembered the reason he¡¯d called his mentor. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been watching Worlds. You know, KG and Fatty.¡± Lin Feng paused for a moment. It wasn¡¯t fun for him to say the next part. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s had another nervous breakdown. His first game was a disaster and from there it just got worse. I¡¯m worried about him.¡±

    ¡°Oh, huh? That brings back memories. You remember what I told you back then? You gotta be able to take the criticism. All thepliments are nice, but you won¡¯t amount to anything if you can¡¯t take the criticism. Anyway, I guess you want me to go do something about it? Should I go to Fatty for you and pass on a message?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Feng blurted out. ¡°That would be great! Thank you so¨C¡±

    ¡°No. Can¡¯t do. I told you, I¡¯m in Hawaii. If you forgot your geography sses, that¡¯s like half a world away from London. And I don¡¯t have Fatty¡¯s phone number either. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d get in touch with him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! I know you can do it! If there¡¯s anyone who can, it¡¯s you!¡± Lin Feng insisted.

    ¡°Ha! You¡¯ve been practicing asskissing, huh?¡± There was a pause on the line, but then the man continued, ¡°Eh, you¡¯re not wrong. I can do it. Hmm. You know what? Don¡¯t worry about it. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes started shining. He clenched his fist and wanted to scream in joy. Yes! Yes! Yes! It worked! Fatty¡¯s gonna be alright! Wait. Calm down. Thank him first. He¡¯s doing this for you. You have to thank him. Thank h¨C The voice of his mentor interrupted Lin Feng¡¯s thoughts. ¡°So you call me after four years just to ask me a favour for someone else? What about you? Have you thought about what I said to you thest time we spoke?¡±

    When Lin Feng heard this question, there was no hesitation. He¡¯d thought about it a lot, and he¡¯d made his decision. No dream was too big, and he would chase after his no matter how small his chances of sess were! ¡°I have. I¡¯m not giving up. Just wait and see, I¡¯ll be the best professional yer in the world!¡±

    ?

    On a beach in Hawaii, under the clear blue sky, stood a small wooden hut. In front of the hut was arge umbre spiked in the white sand. A man in his mid twenties reclined on a beach chair underneath. He held a phone to his ear and sighed when he heard thest words from Lin Feng. After hanging up, he mumbled to himself, ¡°You¡¯ll be the best professional yer, huh?¡± He rubbed his nose. He¡¯d heard this line many times before and usually dismissed it with an amused chuckle. But not this time. He started smiling, ¡°If anyone can do it, it¡¯s you. I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing how far you¡¯ll get.¡±

    ¡°Ok! Enough daydreaming!¡± He leaned to the side and blindly felt around the little table next to him. When he grabbed hold of what he was looking for, he lifted it up and sighed. The piece of chocte he¡¯d saved forter had melted. His hand was wet and sticky. He tried to lick his fingers clean as his thoughts went back to Lin Feng and how he could help him. Finally, he grabbed his phone from hisp and dialed a number.

    The phone rang twice before it connected. A voice sounded from the other side of the line, ¡°Hey? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Yo! Where are you right now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in Spain. I told you, I¡¯m on holiday here. Did you forget? Oh, and why did you call me?¡±

    ¡°Guess it slipped my mind. Sorry. I need a favour.¡±

    ¡°A favour? What kind of favour¡­¡±

    ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t worry man. It¡¯s nothing big! Just a small little thing for me! Hahaha! Come on, just hear me out.¡±

    ¡°No! Nope! No way in hell! I¡¯m not doing it! Find someone else.¡±

    ¡°Oh, quit your whining. Just go and get on the next flight to London. Do you remember Fatty? He¡¯s ying for KG at Worlds right now. He¡¯s had a nervous breakdown. I need you to go to him and pass on a message for me.¡±

    ¡°Worlds? You still follow League of Legends?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t follow that game. I¡¯m on holiday, I don¡¯t have the time to worry about something like that.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Then why are you asking me to go there and talk to Tian Tian?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not doing this for myself. You remember Feng Feng? He just called me and asked if I could help him pass on a message. If I remember correctly, you cared a lot about that kid too, right?¡±

    ¡°Me? Why the fuck would I care? If he can¡¯t handle the pressure, that¡¯s his fault. I told him this back in Season 3. Grow a spine and grow the fuck up. But did he listen? No. It went in one ear and came out the other. That¡¯s on him. If he doesn¡¯t want to change, nothing will happen. I¡¯m not wasting anymore time on that kid.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. You¡¯re a little upset with him. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not asking you to go help him. I¡¯m only asking you to pass on a message for me.¡±

    It was quiet on the other side of the line, almost as if they¡¯d hung up. But the call was still connected. So after another second, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll take your silence as a yes. Great! Thanks for helping me. You¡¯re the best!¡±

    ¡°Fine. Just this once. But you owe me for this.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, whatever you say. How about this? Next time youe visit me, I¡¯ll have my babe fix you up something really good.¡±

    ¡°Ha. What kind of guy makes his girlfriend repay his favours? You really are something else, you know? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? Oh! And I have to correct you there. She¡¯s not my girlfriend anymore. She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e now.¡±

    After hanging up the call a few minutester, he sat up straight in his beach chair and looked towards the crystal clear waters. She stood on the shoreline, waves washing over her feet. Her long, raven ck hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a beautiful sundress and a straw hat that protected her face from the sun. You¡¯re as beautiful as the day we met. He couldn¡¯t believe how lucky he was to have met her. She¡¯d grown only more beautiful over the years, her hot temperament mellowing out with time. Then she turned around and smiled at him.

    ?

    Lin Feng felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. He¡¯d been worrying about Fatty ever since that first game of Worlds. But now he¡¯d finally done something about it. His mentor would help him get in touch with Fatty. He would have to wait to see how that would turn out. Until then, he turned his attention back to something a little more pressing. High School 13¡¯s esports team! They still had a lot of work left in front of them while the first day of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was next Monday!

    Two days of practice came and went for the trainees in Lin Feng¡¯s Legends Bootcamp. Then they turned their attention back to Worlds. It was time for Group C and Group D to y their first three games in the double round robin. The two days and 12 games that followed were another dissapointment for China. Dust performed a little better than KG, but that was all. They ended with 1 win and 2 losses. Both losses were to the Korean teams in their group. The Chinese fans started to worry. It began to look like not a single Chinese team would make it out of the group stage this year!

    There were three more days until the second half of the group stage. The Chinese fans used this time to type out their hatred on themunity boards and forums. Maybe that would motivate their teams and light a fire under their asses!

 Chapter 89: We Can Do It! | Views: 8,177

    The National Holiday came to an end. There was no more ying League all day and watching Worlds all night. Lin Feng had to get up early on Monday morning. He grabbed some breakfast and then went to school. Ouyang and Yang Fan were already sitting in ss, worried like they¡¯d been all week. In fact, there was a buzz going through the entire ssroom. Angry hushed whispers with the random shout. Today was do or die for KG and Hand of God. And afterst week¡¯s performance, everyone in the ss was worrying both teams would get kicked out of Worlds! They¡¯dpletely forgotten that HoG was currently sitting in second ce with two wins and one loss and on schedule to make it to the next round. The teacher tried to get their attention, but no one really paid attention to her. She was the least of their worries.

    There was a second reason why Ouyang and Yang Fan were worried today. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament! The qualification round would startter in the day. They would y three games that decided whether High School 13¡¯s esports team would move on to the next round! All their hard work over thest few weeks would be put to the test. They would finally get to show Lin Feng just how much they¡¯d learned from him!

    All throughout the morning, Ouyang shuffled on his chair. He couldn¡¯t sit still. His nerves were getting the better of him. Two of the biggest moments of the year hade together on the same day! He opened a forum on his phone and started browsing posts, yelping as he read somements. The teachers warned him, hour after hour. It was so bad that he got sent out to the hallway in thest hour before lunch. But he didn¡¯t care. He was even a little happy. Now he wouldn¡¯t have to hide his phone. He could sit on the floor and browse as much as he wanted!

    Yang Fan was faring better than Ouyang. He didn¡¯t get sent out of ss, and only got reprimanded a few times. But that didn¡¯t mean he paid attention to the teacher. He hadn¡¯t the faintest idea what ss he was even in. His mind traveled between Worlds and the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Come on KG! You can win! I¡¯ll win too! I have to! I won¡¯t let it be likest year again! He spun the pen in his hand as the hours ticked by.

    Something really unusual happened inst period. Tang Bingyao got called out. This was a first for her. She sat in the front row and always paid attention. But today, for the first time in high school, she was lost in her thoughts and missed the question the English teacher had asked. She was forced to ask the teacher to please repeat the question, and had to think twice before answering.

    Just like the others, Lin Feng also had a hard time paying attention in ss. But unlike the rest, he wasn¡¯t worrying about Worlds or the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He didn¡¯t particrly care for either at the moment. There was only one thing, one person he cared about right now, and that was Fatty. It¡¯d been three days since he¡¯d called his mentor and asked for help in passing a message along. He hadn¡¯t heard anything since then. The next game for KG was only a couple of hours away. He worried his message wouldn¡¯t reach Fatty in time. That Fatty wouldpletely copse under the pressure and feed and tilt even worse thanst week. Come on! Please be in time! Please! He then breathed in deeply and let the full breath out. I need to calm down. I can trust him. He said he would take care of it, so he will. I just have to be patient.

    While Lin Feng was listening to his English teacher droning on and on about grammar rules, an airnended at Heathrow Airport in London. Inside the cabin of the ne, a man in histe twenties looked out the small window. ¡°Ah, why did I have toe here? From the sunny skies of Barcelona to this muggy mess¡­ Such a shame.¡±

    He grabbed his belongings and walked out of the ne. After getting through security, he turned his phone back on and made a call. ¡°Hey Ol¡¯ Yang. I just arrived in London. Get me a backstage pass for Worlds, will you?¡±

    ?

    At exactly 4:40 pm, the final bell of the day rang. The students from High School 13 grabbed their backpacks and bolted for the door. They ran home, where they shoveled some food down their throats before rushing through their homework. There were only two hours left before Worlds would start! Though they were busy ming KG and HoG online, they also really wanted to see both teams show up and make it to the next round. They were nning to follow every second of the action!

    The members of High School 13¡¯s esports team didn¡¯t have this luxury. Homework would have to wait and they didn¡¯t have the time to watch Worlds either. There was something more important waiting for them. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament! The seven team members gathered in the club room. They weren¡¯t looking all that excited. If anything, they looked worried and afraid. Ren Rou tried to amp the others up by announcing they were going to take the bus! It was a bad attempt at trying to do something about the sad faces around her.

    Lin Feng looked at the team members. Even Ren Rou didn¡¯t sound one bit convinced. It felt like a few days ago all over again. They looked like they¡¯d given up! He tapped Ouyang on the shoulder, drawing everyone¡¯s attention, and said, ¡°Uhh? What are you guys so nervous about? I thought we talked about this¡­¡±

    Ouyang brushed Lin Feng¡¯s hand away. ¡°Bro¡­ Why do you think? Just because we aren¡¯t giving up doesn¡¯t mean we aren¡¯t nervous as fuck. Like fuck! Calm down dude. We¡¯re just really nervous! It¡¯s right here! We¡¯ve been working so hard, and one bad game and it¡¯ll all have been for nothing! We¡¯d be like those idiots from KG. Oh god, please don¡¯t let us pull a Roundy!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! What Ouyang says!¡± Liu Yue nodded. His head went up and down so fast it looked like he would hurt himself. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear who we¡¯re up against? Tonji Affiliated High! High School 7! High School 3! They¡¯re all really, really good! How can we not be nervous? Are you a robot or something?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. ¡°Not a robot, no. But I am very excited to see you guys show off! You¡¯ve all worked really hard. This is the moment to show everyone how far you¡¯vee!¡±

    Lin Feng told them the words they needed to hear. He was right! They had been working their asses off for thest two weeks. Even with the distraction of Worldsst week, they still hadn¡¯t cked off! The goals Lin Feng had set for them when his Legends Bootcamp officially started were all met. And then some! They had overachieved! No one was left behind. They hade together as a cohesive unit and helped each other out! When they thought back to where they were only a few weeks ago, and how much they¡¯d improved since then, they felt butterflies in their stomachs. It was an unbelievable feeling! They never thought this was possible. The group of low ranked individuals, with the exception of Tang Bingyao of course, had be a strong team! As this realization clicked in their heads, their mood turned for the better. Some nerves were fine, but they wouldn¡¯t let those nerves get the better of them! They were a real contender for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament title! This qualification round was nothing and they would prove that! Their faces started beaming with anticipation and excitement.

    Ren Rou smiled at Lin Feng. He¡¯d managed to do what she¡¯d tried to do but failed at. She nodded towards him, thanking him, and then turned to the others. ¡°Lin Feng is right, guys! You can do it! I believe in you!¡±

    ¡°YES! We can do it! Let¡¯s go!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! That trophy is ours!¡±¡°No one can stop us!¡±¡°We¡¯re going to kick some asses!¡±¡°Coach Lin Feng is the best!¡±¡°Mhm!¡±

    ?

    In the Wembley Arena in London, the second week of Worlds kicked off. The first match of the day was between Korea¡¯s Fate and Europe¡¯s Gold! There were 12,500 Europeans in the crowd cheering their team on. An early first blood had them jumping up and down on the stands. They chugged their beers and screamed at the top of their lungs, ¡°GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!¡±

    The sounds of the fans reached all the way backstage in a private room. KG had gathered there. The coaches, analysts and yers were sitting together, attempting to prepare for the next game. Though it could barely be called that. They weren¡¯t talking with each other, only sitting together in the same room. Everyone was caught up in their own minds and they didn¡¯t even notice that one of their teammates was missing.

    One of the coaches looked around. He wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t know what. It couldn¡¯t go on like this. He knew that. But he didn¡¯t know how to make the others see it. He had no clue how to help them out of this slump. As he was searching for an answer, he looked for the supposed star yer of the team. ¡°Huh?¡± he mumbled. Then he searched around the room again before asking, ¡°Guys, has anyone seen Roundy Round?¡±

    The yers looked at each other for a bit, until one of them mumbled, ¡°Probably shitting again.¡± Then another one grumbled, ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s his problem? How much can a guy shit in one day? And every single time it¡¯s right before a game. How are we to prepare like this¡­¡±

    ?

    In one of the restrooms backstage, Tian Tian had locked himself up in a toilet stall again. He sat on the floor with his back against the door and his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his hands around his knees and rocked back and forth, mumbling to himself.

    ¡°I-i c-c-can¡¯t d-do this¡­ P-please, s-stop! I-it¡¯s n-not m-my f-f-fault!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m useless! Y-you all say it! W-we can¡¯t w-w-win with me¡­ L-let m-me go home! I w-want to g-go home!¡±

    The stress from thest few days had only made him feel worse. He barely managed to force himself out of bed in the morning. There wererge bags under his bloodshot eyes, and his face was a sickly pale. If it was only the abuse he received from the fans online, he¡¯d at least still function. But it hadn¡¯t stopped there. His coach and teammates all med him for what happened in week 1 of Worlds. It was his fault they¡¯d lost those two games. And it was his fault that they almost lost to the wildcard team. Their expressions haunted him, their faces floating in his mindughing and jeering at him.

    Tian Tian waspletely lost in his own little world. He didn¡¯t even hear someone walking into the washroom, and he didn¡¯t hear the footsteps stopping right outside of his stall. Then, a loud knock rang just above his head. The stall door bumped into him. He reached out to grab the toilet bowl and forced himself up faster than his frame would suggest he could. Wiping the snot and tears from his face, he asked, ¡°W-who i-is it?¡± He forced himself to breathe to steady his voice. He didn¡¯t want to show his teammates that he¡¯d been crying. ¡°D-did the c-coach send y-you? J-just wait. I-i¡¯ll be out in a m-mi-minute.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, after which a familiar voice rang out from the other side of the stall door. A voice he hadn¡¯t expected in a hundred years. ¡°I knew I¡¯d find you here. Tsk. What a waste of talent. Tell me, Fatty, how many times have we been in this exact situation? You know what¡¯sing next, right? The part where I tell you to grow up. That if you want to make something of your life and be one of the Seven Kings, you need to do something about that shitty attitude. And then you tell me how you don¡¯t care to be one of the Seven Kings¡­¡±

    ¡°I-i don¡¯t! I-i don¡¯t want t-to be a-a King¡­¡± Tian Tian muttered. It was a line he¡¯d said many times over. It was his go-to response when his mentor scolded him. His mentor who¡¯d given up on him. His mentor¨C ¡°W-wait! I-is t-that r-r-really you?¡±

 Chapter 90: Fatty, Itâ€™s Me | Views: 7,104

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really me. Now open that door. What are you waiting for? Come on, open it up already,¡± Tian Tian¡¯s mentor said.

    ¡°O-oh, right! S-sorry,¡± Tian Tian replied, flustered. He pushed open the toilet stall door just enough that he could stick his head out. Then he wiped his face clean again with his sleeve before peeking through the opening. A familiar figure leaned against the wall on the other side. It really is him! His eyes went wide as he pushed the door wide open and stepped out. ¡°Uhm.¡± He started ying with his fingers while looking down at the floor. ¡°W-why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Because a little bird told me you had another nervous breakdown. They had a prettypelling story. Got me curious. So, Worlds hasn¡¯t gone your way, huh?¡± The man pushed himself off against the wall and looked right at Fatty. He started smiling and mocked, ¡°Crying in bathroom stalls has be your thing, huh? Do youe and decorate the ce before you move in?¡±

    Tian Tian stepped back, his back touching the bathroom stall. He scratched his forehead and lowered his head as far as he could to hide the tears.

    The man stopped smiling. He¡¯d tried to lighten the mood with a little joke, but it hadn¡¯t worked. How many times have I been here¡­ He started to feel frustrated. ¡°I keep trying to hammer this into your thick skull, but it just doesn¡¯t seem to register. Alright, let¡¯s try this again. Tian Tian, what is the most important quality a professional yer absolutely must have?¡±

    ¡°M-mental fortitude.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Mental fortitude, confidence, whatever you want to call it. You¡¯ve always been a worrywort, I know that. Remember, I¡¯m the one who helped you deal with it all the way up until the end of Season 3¡­ But I don¡¯t know what to say. The you I see right now? You look like a pathetic fat sack of tears. I¡¯ve never seen you look this bad. What happened? How did it get this bad? Where is the best Toner in China? Where¡¯d he go? Show me him.¡±

    Tian Tian shook his head. He kept shaking it as he started tearing up again. ¡°N-no. I¡¯ve n-never asked for any of this! T-there is only m-me here! I-i don¡¯t want any of this.¡±

    ¡°If you wanted none of this, you could¡¯ve retired. Just walked away. But did you? No. You¡¯re still here. So you do want to y. And when you y? You¡¯re really good. Fans are going to cheer for you. It¡¯s that simple. Instead of trying to get them to stop cheering for you, why don¡¯t you try and live up to their expectations? China only has one King and no Emperors. You could easily be the second King from our region. It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t see that. You could be the hero of the LPL. Have you never thought of making your fans proud? And don¡¯te with that bullshit excuse of not wanting this or not having asked for it or whatever it is you keep saying. You¡¯ve had 5 years to walk away. You¡¯re still here.¡±

    Tian Tian wiped the tears from his face and looked up at his mentor before quickly looking back down again. He reached behind his back and searched for the edge of the stall door. Then he pulled lightly on it while also fighting the urge to jump back in. In there it was safe. In there no one could see him. In there he could be himself B-but I can¡¯t disappoint him¡­ He didn¡¯t hide away, not yet at least, and instead muttered under his breath, ¡°I-i¡¯m not good enough. I can¡¯t make anyone p-proud¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are good enough. Yes, you can make people proud. And yes, you are really good at this game. Like, really good. But you¡¯re so stuck in your own head that you can¡¯t see the world around you anymore. You can¡¯t even see what¡¯s right in front of you.¡± Tian Tian¡¯s mentor clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯ve told you this before. Quite a few times, actually. But I¡¯ll say it one more time, just in case you¡¯ve forgotten. You have the talent, Tian Tian. You do. If you stop fighting with yourself and set your heart to it, you can be a King, maybe even an Emperor!¡±

    Tian Tian looked up at his mentor, for the first time meeting his eyes. His hand slipped from the door stall and balled into a fist. But then he let go. He reached almost instinctively out for the stall door again and pulled it open while his gaze fell back on the floor tiles. He took a step back, hiding half his body behind the stall door, and said, ¡°N-no no no no! I¡¯m not good enough. O-only¡­ Only Lin Feng could fight an Emperor! L-lin Feng¡­¡± His teeth started chattering and his lips quivering. He shut his eyes and started crying, ¡°L-lin Feng! W-w-where are you? I miss you! I-i miss him!¡±

    Thest couple of days Tian Tian had forced his mind back to Season 1. It was thest time he really enjoyed ying League of Legends. Thest time he was truly happy. He was also a nervous wreck back then. But he had real teammates who cared for him. When they saw he was down, they would help him back up. They were his rock. And Lin Feng was the person he could count on the most. Lin Feng lifted up the mood in a room just by being there. Whenever he needed to eat his stress away, Lin Feng was there with his big, goofy smile and a tray of food. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t here anymore, nor were any of his other teammates from Season 1. They¡¯d all quit and had left him alone. Now, there was no one he could eat with.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about Maple. Funny you mention him. You know, he¡¯s the reason I¡¯m here. I got a message from him for you.¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes went wide. Tears were still streaming down his face, but he started smiling. He pushed himself out of the bathroom stall and even took a step towards his mentor. ¡°A-a message from Lin Feng? Really? What did he say? Did you speak to him? Is he doing ok? Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Yes, really. I got asked to pass on a message from that kid. And for some reason, I stupidly agreed. I left my nice resort in Barcelona and flew all the way here to meet you. This morning I was still enjoying the sun, and now I¡¯m in thisnd of rain. Stupid rain, reminds me of four years ago...¡± He looked at Tian Tian and grinned, ¡°Now that I¡¯m here, though¡­ Eh, I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°What did Lin Feng say? Huh? W-what do you m-mean?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Yup. I¡¯m way too good to be a messenger boy. If that kid wants to say something to you, he can do it himself.¡± Tian Tian¡¯s mentor took his phone from his pocket and dialed a number, grinning as he looked at Tian Tian¡¯s face that kept alternating between fear and confusion.

    ?

    The qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was held at a branch of the NetCow Cafe in downtown Shanghai. The ce was packed with people. More than 70 teams were looking to secure one of the 16 spots for the main tournament. Their first step was a group stage, where they would y against three other teams. To make sure everyone got through their matches before the end of the day, the Chinese Esports Association had reserved the entire inte cafe, and they had rearranged theputers so that there were inds of two rows of fiveputers throughout the ce. This made it possible for 10 matches to be yed simultaneously.

    At 7 pm on the dot, the first 20 teams took their ces behind the monitors. Everyone else took a step back so as to not disturb the teams. They walked around the inte cafe in search for the most interesting matches or to scout out their next opponents. A small crowd gathered around the teams from High School 13 and High School 3. They started quietly discussing the champions and teampositions, and their expert opinion on who would win the game.

    Lin Feng stood with Ren Rou and Ouyang next to a gaming station. The match was already 15 minutes underway. In the first few minutes, Ren Rou was biting on her nails and Ouyang was hopping up and down on his feet as though he had to pee really bad. But both of them had calmed down as thening phase came to an end. This was because High School 13 was ying really well. Ouyang and Ren Rou even startedughing and cheering as their team took first Dragon and destroyed two enemy towers! Then Tang Bingyao got a double kill on her Tristana. She already was 6/0/3. Ouyang and Ren Rou forgot thest of their worries as their nerves finally settled down. They had this first game in the bag!

    Ren Rou and Ouyang had every reason to celebrate. High School 3 was no pushover. They had reached the second round of the qualifiersst year and were rumoured to be a strong contender again this year. But High School 13 still ran all over them with wless teamwork. It only took them 15 minutes to build up such a big lead that it was harder to lose the game than it was to win it!

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t celebrating with Ren Rou and Ouyang. He wasn¡¯t even paying any attention to the game. He trusted the team, and besides, there was something more pressing on his mind. It should be just past noon in London. KG is up next game¡­ He¡¯d memorized the schedule. KG would y in the second match of the day against North America¡¯s sh. Fatty should be getting ready for his game. Why haven¡¯t I heard anything yet? Did he not get to Fatty in time?

    Just as his worries started gnawing at him, Lin Feng¡¯s phone started buzzing. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was a foreign number he didn¡¯t recognize. Is this? His heart started racing as the crowd around him suddenly sounded incredibly loud. He searched around for somewhere quiet, but the inte cafe was packed. There was no time. He sprinted out the front door and picked up the call. ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Maple! It¡¯s been too long. Your voice hasn¡¯t changed a bit! Haha! Do you still remember me? Ah, doesn¡¯t matter. Hey, I¡¯m here at Worlds with Fatty. You wanted to say something to him, right? Here, I¡¯ll give him the phone. You two talk.¡±

    Lin Feng felt the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite ce it. But before he could figure out who it was, a second voice interjected from the other side of the line. This one he did recognize instantly. He would recognize it anywhere. It was as quiet and timid as he remembered it to be. ¡°L-lin Feng, i-is that you?¡±

    Lin Feng froze. Fatty! It¡¯s you! I, I¡­ His throat felt dry and his head started spinning. He didn¡¯t know what to say as his eyes became wet. That same voice he knew so well sounded out again, now a little more nervous, ¡°Hey. A-are you there? P-please, say something!¡±

    Lin Feng took a deep breath, then wiped the tears from his eyes. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and forced out a big, goofy smile. ¡°Yo Fatty! Long time no talk! How¡¯ve you been holding up?¡±

    In the backstage area of the Wembley Arena in London, Fatty sat with his back against a bathroom stall. He was barely keeping it together. His hands were shaking as he held the phone to his ear. When his mentor had given him the phone, he couldn¡¯t believe Lin Feng was really on the other side. But now that he had heard that voice. The voice he¡¯d been longing to hear for thest four years, he knew it was Lin Feng. It all became too much for him. He started bawling his eyes out. ¡°L-lin Feng, it¡¯s really you! Y-you don¡¯t know how much I missed you! I c-c-can¡¯t take it anymore. T-the pressure is killing me! Where are you?¡±

 Chapter 91: Leave the Rest to Me | Views: 7,270

    ¡°L-LIN FENG!¡± Tian Tian blew his nose on his already wet and sticky sleeve. Then he tried to wipe his eyes dry too. ¡°W-what happened to you?¡± His heart was racing and his stomach flew around like he was on a roller coaster. He hated roller coasters. But hearing Lin Feng¡¯s voice again was worth more than anything else in the world. ¡®¡°W-why did you leave without telling us¡­ What did we do wrong? Is it because we lost Worlds? Did I do something wrong? We could¡¯ve just tried again next year¡­¡±

    Tian Tian stopped mumbling, and he stopped crying. ¡°You know, the others all left after you. We were a team. And suddenly, we weren¡¯t. Everyone lost their motivation. They stuck around for a little while longer, but it just wasn¡¯t the same. Until I was all alone.¡± Alone. It was how he felt all the time these days. ¡°I¡¯ve been hopping from team to team for four years now, but I never really felt like I belonged¡ªnot like when the five of us were together.¡±

    The more Tian Tian spoke, the more he began to reminisce. His throat became dry again and he had to fight hard to keep the tears back. ¡°I-i tried to keep in touch, with the others. But everyone had their own lives. I-it became really hard to keep in touch. A-and you even changed your phone number and QQ! I tried to reach out to you, but no one knew where you went. I tried so many times¡­¡±

    The only sounding from the other side of the line was someone breathing, more loudly and irregr the more Tian Tian spoke. Then Lin Feng finally spoke out, ¡°Fatty, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±

    Tian Tian shook his head, frantic. He¡¯d forgotten for a moment he was talking over the phone with someone on the other side of the world. The voice sounded so clear and the emotions so pronounced. It was easy to forget. But then he caught himself mid head-shake. His gaze fell back down on the floor. He missed his friend. ¡°N-no. Why are you apologizing? There¡¯s nothing you have to say sorry for. I-its just¡­¡± Lin Feng wasn¡¯t here. He was still all alone. Tears started flowing down his face again. ¡°I-i just really miss you. A-all of you! It¡¯s b-been so lonely without you.¡±

    Tian Tian loved League of Legends. He loved watching it, he loved talking about it, but most of all he loved ying it. Though his demeanor right now would suggest otherwise, he also loved being a professional yer. He loved walking up on stage to a cheering crowd. He lovedpeting against the best. The only thing holding him back was his personality. He couldn¡¯t deal with stress. It all quickly became too much for him. Lin Feng and his other teammates shielded him from this stress back in Season 1. They gave him the strength topete at the highest stage against the very best. He wasn¡¯t scared of anyone!

    However, right now, Tian Tian was on a team of individuals. These yers only cared about their own branding and were quick to throw anyone else, even their teammates, under the bus if that meant generating more traction for themselves. And afterst week, they¡¯d made full use of this. Any hatred directed towards Tian Tian was a little peace of mind for them. All of them had screwed up, but the fans had it out for Tian Tian and that was good for them. They¡¯d left him all alone to deal with the abuse flung at him. Even the strongest of minds would struggle to deal with this, let alone Fatty who was especially sensitive to these kinds of things.

    Tian Tian waited for Lin Feng to say something. Anything! He could hear Lin Feng breathe, so the call was still connected. But his friend didn¡¯t say a word. Finally, he broke the silence himself. ¡°W-when are youing back?¡±

    There was a slight pause, just enough time to really think about the question. Then Lin Feng promised, ¡°Soon. I¡¯ll be back soon. Trust me Fatty, just a little bit longer. And when Ie back, I¡¯ll have you join my team!¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll wait for you! Just hit me up when youe back! I¡¯ll join your team!¡± Tian Tian just about shouted through the phone. It sounded like a promise between two children. His overwhelming feeling of despair was reced with excitement. Only for a moment. Then he remembered where he was. He was at Worlds as the Toner for KG. Every fan in China hated his guts right now. One more loss and he was out of Worlds. It would only get worse for him if that happened. There wasn¡¯t anything to be happy about. Dark thoughts flooded his mind again as he whispered, shivering, ¡°B-but please h-hurry! I-i can¡¯t hold on, i-it¡¯s all too much. I-i worry that I¡¯ll break.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry!¡± Lin Feng shouted.

    Tian Tian yelped, almost dropping his phone on the ground. He was caught red handed. Lin Feng knew him too well. He quickly wiped a tear from his face, then bit hard on his teeth. I won¡¯t cry! I won¡¯t! Lin Feng said I can¡¯t cry, so I can¡¯t! He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm. The physical pain numbed his urge to cry. I¡¯m not crying! Lin Feng is here!

    ¡°You¡¯re ying next right? Couple more minutes or so?¡±

    The sudden distraction was enough to keep him from crying. Tian Tian replied, ¡°Yeah. Should be any minute now.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Hear me out. You¡¯re going to win every game. Those next three games? Win them all. Carry your team and win. If you win all three, you can still make it out of group stage.¡±

    ¡°W-what? All of them? Did you really say all?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Win all of them. If you don¡¯t, you''re out of Worlds. We can¡¯t have that.¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes went round. He looked beside him at the bathroom stall. But Lin Feng was on the phone, so there was no point in hiding in there. The only thing he could do was argue. ¡°No no no! Impossible! I can¡¯t do that! Did you see Legend and sh? They¡¯re too strong right now. I can¡¯t beat them. It¡¯s impossible!¡±

    ¡°Yes you can.¡±

    Tian Tian rubbed his nose, sniffling loudly. Then he ced his hand over his mouth. No! Lin Feng said I couldn¡¯t cry. I can¡¯t cry! I won¡¯t! He bit his lip and said, ¡°I-i know you think I¡¯m good, but¡­ B-but they¡¯re really really good. T-they¡¯re way better than me. I-i really can¡¯t beat them¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡±

    ¡°With my life!¡±

    ¡°So when I say you can win. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Uhh.¡± Tian Tian stared at his hand, searching for an answer. He didn¡¯t know how to exin to Lin Feng just how good these teams were. They weren¡¯t some pushovers. These were two of the best teams at Worlds! Just because he wanted to win, it didn¡¯t mean he could. It¡¯d take more than a strong conviction! So he argued, ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°No buts. I don¡¯t want to hear a single but from you ever again. Listen to me, Fatty. If I say you can win, I say that because I have full confidence that you can actually win. I¡¯m not trying to hype you up here. I really believe you can win. No. I know you¡¯ll win. Now, promise me that you¡¯ll win. Say that you¡¯ll win all three games!¡±

    Beating Legend and sh, but Legend has Phoenix¡­ When Tian Tian thought of Phoenix, he started trembling. Phoenix wasn¡¯t just the best yer on Legend, he was one of the best four yers in the entire world! An Emperor! Tian Tian didn¡¯t think he was bad, but an Emperor was still an Emperor. They were far better yers than anyone else. No one can beat them! So he muttered, ¡°But¡­ Phoenix. Legend has Phoenix. They¡¯re too strong. I can¡¯t beat them. Phoenix is an Emperor.¡±

    ¡°I know Legend is a strong team. I know Phoenix is a very good yer. But I also know you, Fatty. I know how good you are. I wouldn¡¯t ask you to get out of the group stage if I didn¡¯t think you could. In fact, you know what? If you can¡¯t make it out of the group stage, then don¡¯t even think about joining my team. I don¡¯t need yers who can¡¯t even get out of the group stage. You¡¯re only wee in my team if you make it far at Worlds this year!¡±

    Tian Tian felt like his heart stopped working for a moment. All his joy and happiness from hearing Lin Feng¡¯s voice disappeared. He started trembling and couldn¡¯t hold back the tears. Through the sobs, he asked, ¡°Y-you don¡¯t mean that. Do you? T-tell me you don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°I do mean it. So, promise me you¡¯ll win?¡± Lin Feng¡¯s voice sounded firm, but there was a slight disruption in it that revealed how much pain it caused him to say these words.

    Tian Tian missed this. All he heard were the first two words, the rest was a blur. I do. I do. I do. They yed in his mind, over and over again, as he let the phone drop to the side. If you don¡¯t win, you¡¯re not wee in my team. Not wee in my team. Not wee in my team. He started fighting with himself. Lin Feng¡¯s words yed on repeat, but only those he didn¡¯t want to hear. The ones that were most painful. I know you¡¯ll win. It was one sentence. A single thought now in his mind. But it quickly boomed louder until it was all he could hear. I KNOW YOU¡¯LL WIN! He breathed out deeply. Lin Feng believes I¡¯ll win. That¡¯s the only reason he said those other things! He ced the phone back to his ear. His eyes shed with determination. ¡°O-okay. I promise you. I will win! W-we¡¯ll be teammates again! I¡¯ll beat Phoenix!¡±

    On the other side of the bathroom, Tian Tian¡¯s mentor leaned against the wall. He¡¯d acted like he didn¡¯t care when he gave his phone to Tian Tian. But he did care. He cared a lot. That was the only reason he was here. Not because a friend had asked him a favour, but because he still cared deeply for Tian Tian. When he saw his mentee fired up, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was a reaction he¡¯d been trying to get out of Tian Tian for the past three years, but had always failed to do. He¡¯d even given up. But here he was again. And there was that expression on his mentee¡¯s face again. He bit his lip as his heart swelled with pride.

    When he first discovered Tian Tian on the rankeddder, he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He¡¯d never seen anyone that talented before. Tian Tian might be timid and easily scared, but he was so talented that none of that mattered. Well, it didn¡¯t matter topete professionally, at least. But it did stop him at the final hurdle. It stopped him from bing one of the truly great. When he didn¡¯t let his emotions hold him back, he easily had the raw talent to be an Emperor! The only one holding him back was himself. In fact, Tian Tian¡¯s mentor had only ever seen one yer who was more talented than Tian Tian since then. But that person was just something else entirely. Like a freak of nature. Out of this world. Lin Feng. The talent he possessed was one in all of existence. There was, quite literally, no one who couldpare.

    ?

    Lin Feng hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket, when cheers rang out from inside the NetCow Cafe in central Shanghai. He pulled the door open and walked in, then started smiling. At the gaming station of High School 13, his teammates were jumping up and down and celebrating. It looked a lot like they¡¯d just won the game against High School 3. He rubbed his face and took a deep breath, then hurried over to them. ¡°Did we win?¡±

    ¡°WE WON!¡± Ren Rou shouted as she hugged Lin Feng, still jumping up and down in joy.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and smiled, ¡°One down, one to go! We just have to beat High School 7 or Tonji Affiliated High. Just one win and we¡¯re through to the next round!¡±

    Chen Ze¡¯s expression crumpled when he heard Yang Fan mention their next two opponents. ¡°Right. One more win. But we have to y those two schools. They¡¯re way better than High School 3.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Liu Yue mumbled. The others felt the same. Their good mood disappeared and was reced with worry. They didn¡¯t want to admit it, they really didn¡¯t, but the other two opponents scared them. After Lin Feng¡¯s speech a few days ago, they wouldn¡¯t give up. But they hadn¡¯t suddenly changed their point of view. High School 7 and Tonji Affiliated High were two of the best schools in the entire tournament. It would take more than a little speech to beat them.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. You guys don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Lin Feng said, calm as ever. Heughed, ¡°Just leave the rest to me guys, I got this.¡±

 Chapter 92: Letâ€™s Fight Together | Views: 7,480

    ¡°First ce is ours! Haha! We¡¯re gonna win this whole damn thing! No one can stop us! We¡¯re the fucking best!¡± Ouyang eximed. ¡°Who cares about who we gotta y? We fucking rule! Isn¡¯t that right!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! We don¡¯t care! We¡¯ll beat them all!¡± Liu Yue was infected by Ouyang¡¯s enthusiasm. He gave Ouyang a bro hug and shouted, ¡°We¡¯re totally awesome! No one can take first ce from us!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and nodded, ¡°We can really do this!¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s little outburst drew a few eyes, but when Liu Yue jumped on top of him, most eyes in the inte cafe turned to High School 13¡¯s esports team. Some chuckled or just shook their head before going back to what they were doing before. It wasn¡¯t strange to see a team get a little overexcited. There was always one. Others didn¡¯t turn away and instead started whispering amongst each other.

    ¡°Who the hell are those guys? They look like idiots¡­¡±

    ¡°I love their vibe, man. They¡¯re totally feeling it. Can you feel it? Man, they¡¯re feeling it.¡±

    ¡°Smack-talking after ying the first round of games¡­ Do they think they¡¯re already in the main tournament?¡±

    Those who were still paying attention to Ouyang and his crew after their little outburst learned which school this team belonged to. High School 13. There weren¡¯t many esports clubs in Shanghai who didn¡¯t know about High School 13. It was one of those teams that believed the world had it out for them, always iming they got dealt the worst hand. Justst year, they made some wild usations about a spy after getting their asses kicked in the first qualification round. As if that was the reason they lost. Only the best 16 teams could make it to the main tournament of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, and High School 13 definitely wasn¡¯t one of them. High School 13 was only here for the experience.

    ¡°You for real? Haha! That¡¯s hrious! Are they high on something?¡±

    ¡°Shit man. I¡¯d be too embarrassed to show my face again if I lost here in the first round. Like, can you imagine, losing in the first round¡­ Heh. And now they¡¯re talking about taking first ce? You know what? They¡¯re probably just having augh. Hehe. We¡¯re taking them more seriously than they do themselves is my guess!¡±

    ¡°I kinda wanna know where their confidence ising from. What if they found some great first year?¡±

    The whispers turned into a louder discussion, until someone informed the gathering crowd that High School 13 would y against High School 7 next. This little piece of information hit the floor like a bomb. Most people stoppedughing. It wasn¡¯t funny anymore. This team from High School 13 had no clue what they were in for. High School 7 wasn¡¯t some no name team. They were a contender for a spot in the main tournament! Justst year, they made it all the way to the round of 16, and it was rumoured that their current roster was at least as strong as back then!

    A small audience gathered around the isle of 10puters where High School 13 would face off against High School 7. Themotion caused by Ouyang had drawn so much attention that there were people curious to see where he and his crew got their confidence from. Plus, if High School 13 really did end up beating High School 7, then that would be a huge upset! There was no losing here for the crowd. They¡¯d be in for some good drama and an exciting game either way!

    The team members from High School 13 looked around the ce. It felt like all eyes were trained on them. Wherever they looked, people were staring at them,ughing and whispering. Their joy and excitement vanished, and back came the nerves they¡¯d beaten a few minutes ago. Ren Rou and Ouyang took a step back, while those who were ying had to walk forward and take their seats. Only Lin Feng walked to his chair with his head held high. He looked nothing like the nervous wrecks around him.

    High School 7 looked as confident and calm as Lin Feng. They weren¡¯t at all afraid of High School 13, joking andughing with each other as they found their ces behind their monitors. High School 13 was the team that always called itself unlucky. There was nothing for them to worry about or watch out for this game. This would be nothing more than a warm up match in preparation for their game against Tonji Affiliated Highter in the evening.

    Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and looked around the room. He was ying because High School 7¡¯s Miner was quite strong. Too strong for Yang Fan, and High School 13 really needed this win to move on to the next round. Huh? What¡¯s up with them? He noticed the worried looks of his teammates. Ohe on, not again¡­ How many more times are they going to be like this¡­ He patted Liu Yue on the shoulder and said, ¡°Come on guys, cheer up! I¡¯ll crush their Miner and carry the game. Just have some fun. Don¡¯t worry so much.¡±

    Thisment got someughs from the crowd, but the biggest reaction came from High School 7. Two of their team members lost it as they startedughing uncontrobly, while their Miner shook his head, smiling. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. He¡¯d reached Master on the Zuan server and was a Diamond 1 on the Ionia server. These were genuine high ranks. Poor guy doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s in for¡­ He grinned onest time before focusing back on his monitor. This opponent wasn¡¯t worth his time. Huh? He looked back up and caught Lin Feng smiling at him, bright and confident. Uhh¡­ Why does he look like that? Doesn¡¯t he know who I am? Though he tried to convince himself that was the case, there was something that didn¡¯t feel quite right about the situation. That smile was a little too confident.

    ?

    High School 13 and High School 7 loaded into the game. There were no big surprises in Champion Select. High School 13 was on the Blue team and got first pick. They¡¯d locked in Rumble who was a really strong Toner in the current patch. In response, High School 7 locked in Gragas and Leona. Leona was the Support, while Gragas could go Mid, Jungle or Top. High School 13 decided it was best to choose their bottomne duo and get a little more information before deciding what to y in Jungle and Mid. They went with Kalista and Braum, two favourite picks for Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong. The next two picks for High School 7 were Jarvan IV and Jinx. Jarvan IV was usually yed in the Jungle and Jinx was an ad-carry.

    High School 13 discussed their best option for a bit. They had two more Champions to choose. But ultimately, Lin Feng reminded Liu Yue to just have fun. He would carry this game, and the rest of the team could y something they werefortable with and just do their best. With that in mind, Liu Yue chose to y Elise in the Jungle, while Lin Feng locked in Zed, the Master of Shadows. In direct response to this pick, High School 7 chose Yasuo. This meant that Gragas would y in topne and that Lin Feng was up against a Yasuo with his Zed!

    The crowd had their eyes on both Miners, and they were loving what they were seeing. Zed versus Yasuo! This was a pure skill matchup! The better yer would win! They¡¯d all heard Lin Feng say how he¡¯d crush High School 7¡¯s Miner. This would make for a really interestingne match-up!

    ¡°What do you guys think? Who¡¯s gonna win?¡±

    ¡°Yasuo, obviously. The dude is a Master. That Zed is going to get destroyed!¡±

    ¡°Haha! Either way, it should be a fun game to watch!¡±

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    High School 13 and High School 7 opted for a normal start to the game. There were none swaps and there were no jungle invades. Everyone found their way tone and waited for the minions to arrive. At 1:55 minutes, the minion waves met in the center of midne. Zed and Yasuo startedning.

    Yasuo learned Steel Tempest at Level 1. This was a skill where Yasuo would thrust forward his katana and deal damage to everyone it hit.

    Lin Feng had his Zed learn Razor Shuriken at Level 1. As the name would suggest, Zed could throw his Shurikens. It was simr to Yasuo¡¯s Steel Tempest in the sense that both their skills dealt damage in a straight line, though Razor Shuriken had a longer range than Steel Tempest.

    Lin Feng and the Yasuo focused onst hitting the minions while also trying to harass each other. This worked out better for Lin Feng than it did for High School 7¡¯s Miner. Lin Feng sidestepped every Steel Tempest with his Zed, not taking any damage. The Yasuo wasn¡¯t so lucky, or good. He failed to dodge even a single Shuriken the Zed threw at him. His health was quickly dropping.

    The crowd that had gathered behind Lin Feng and High School 7¡¯s Miner gasped ¡°ooh¡¯s!¡± and ¡°ah¡¯s!¡±. This Zed wasn¡¯t all talk! He was ying far better than any of them had expected. High School 7¡¯s Miner felt the same. He¡¯d thought Lin Feng was all talk, but it seemed he would have to get a little serious if he wanted to win hisne. He sat up straight in his chair and started really focusing on the game.

    The Yasuo started ying more carefully. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose more health, or he would be forced out ofne and back to base. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Another Shuriken hit him, and also the minion behind him, killing it. It was thest bit of experience the Zed needed to Level up. Lin Feng had his Zed learn Living Shadow. This skill let Zed ce a living Shadow in front of him who would mirror his actions. If he activated the skill again, he could switch positions with the Shadow.

    Lin Feng pressed down on W twice. The Zed¡¯s shadow dashed forward and then he switched positions with it. He was on top of the Yasuo and attacked. Yasuo hit back with Steel Tempest while retreating back. He ate two auto attacks from the Zed before he activated the third hit of Steel Tempest. After hitting two targets in a row with this skill, the third attack would turn into a tornado and knock everything in its path airborne. Including the Zed. This was enough for the Yasuo to run away to his outer tower, his health dropping dangerously low.

    Lin Feng pushed the minion wave in mid towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. His Zed still had well over two thirds of his health remaining and he had yet to use the first of his three health potions. In stark contrast, the Yasuo had dropped below half health and had already used his health potion. It became dangerous for him to stick around inne.

    The small audience standing around the isle ofputers couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. They expected a fun match-up, yes, but not an easy one like this. It looked like Zed waspletely outying the Yasuo, leaving zero room for countery.

    ¡°How¡¯s Yasuo getting pushed back? That¡¯s High School 7¡¯s Miner!¡±

    ¡°I know right! Isn¡¯t that dude a Master?¡±

    ¡°On the Zuan server, but yeah, he¡¯s a Master. Also pretty good on the Ionia server actually.¡±

    Lin Feng lingered just outside the range of Red team¡¯s outer tower. His eyes were trained on the Yasuo. He¡¯s so careful. He knows if he makes one misstep he¡¯s dead. Hest hit the red minions while throwing his Shurikens at the Yasuo. But he didn¡¯t try anything more. He was waiting. Waiting for the Yasuo to make that mistake. It always happened. He just had to be patient.

    Zed hit Level 3 and learned Shadow sh. This was a sh that dealt damage in a small circle around Zed. Lin Feng still waited. The Yasuo hadn¡¯t made the mistake yet. He got a few more minions. There! And Yasuo made the mistake. He went in tost hit a minion with Steel Tempest. It was small. Most yers wouldn¡¯t have been able to capitalize on it. But Lin Feng jumped on it right away.

    Lin Feng had his Zed¡¯s Shadow dash forward¨CLiving Shadow! It appeared right behind the Yasuo. He stood right in front of the Yasuo. Lin Feng pressed down on Q and E. Zed and his Shadow both threw out their Shurikens, after which their w des swept out in a circle. All four attacks hit the Yasuo! His health fell below 30%! The Yasuo tried to run, but Zed switched positions with his Shadow, then auto attacked and ignited the Yasuo. It looked like the Yasuo would die right there, just inside his outer tower¡¯s range. Then the Yasuo disappeared. He shed away to behind his tower and then threw out a hurricane at the Zed¨CTempest Steel!

    Lin Feng saw thising from a mile away. He wasn¡¯t new to the game. The Yasuo was trying to bait him and y an UNO reverse card. The idea was to get him into the outer tower¡¯s range and then knock him up, after which he would die to the tower¡¯s energy shots. He had his Zed take one step back, retreating just outside of the outer tower¡¯s range to cancel its aggro, then shed through the hurricane and appeared right on top of the Yasuo. He hit the Yasuo with an auto attack, and then another.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The audience around Lin Feng lost it. They started screaming and wanted to go up and high five Lin Feng. Ouyang had to step in to keep them away. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t notice any of this. He was under Red team¡¯s outer tower and would die if he didn¡¯t move. It was too far away to walk back up thene, but there was an opening into Red team¡¯s bottom jungle just behind the tower, almost exactly where he was. He had his Zed run there and get out of range of the tower, itsst energy shot bringing him down to less than 10% health. Then he tracked back through Red team¡¯s jungle, fortunate enough not to run into High School 7¡¯s Jungler. He safely made it back tone, where he recalled back to base.

    When Zed recalled back to base, Lin Feng let go of his mouse and balled his fist. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯m holding up my part of the deal, Fatty! The rest is up to you! Let¡¯s do this together!

 Chapter 93: Pressure | Views: 7,480

    In the Wembley Arena, multicoloured lights danced in the air! Loud beats drummed through the venue. Everyone could feel the excitement the DJ tried to build! But it failed miserably. The 12,500 fans in the crowd didn¡¯t really go wild. They watched the Nexus explode. Gold hadn¡¯t stood a chance against Fate. The Koreans, led by their Miner Moon, methodically dismantled the European team. It was one of those games where there was no excitement. Everyone knew from minute one who would win. Not that it wasn¡¯t impressive. It was, incredibly so. But it was also a boring match for the neutral fan.

    If it was just losing one game to a stronger Korean team, the crowd in the Wembley Arena wouldn¡¯t have been this quiet. But Fate didn¡¯t just beat Gold, Moon also used this game to send a message to Legend¡¯s Miner Phoenix! That he was the better Miner! Moon had yed Anivia, Phoenix¡¯s signature Champion, and ended the game with a score of 7/0/3. He was just one kill away from being Legendary!

    In the VIP viewing area, Phoenix leaned forward on the balustrade. He¡¯d watched the entire game and was now staring at therge picture of Anivia on the big screen. Well yed. His eyes fell on Moon, smiling. He felt the itch to y, to show Moon who the better Anivia was. A fight between Emperors, now that was something to look forward to! But the tournament had barely started. There was still plenty of time for that.

    The second game of the day would be in Group A. It was North America¡¯s sh versus China¡¯s KG. Ifst week¡¯s performances were anything to go by, this game wouldn¡¯t hold any suspense either. The crowd felt the same. Those who had to take a bathroom break left the hall, while those who stayed were more focused on talking with their friends or looking at their phones than they were with waiting in anticipation for the game to start. KG was such a big disappointment this year, even the wildcard team in Group A looked better. Many fans even thought that if KG kept going like they were, they would end up at the bottom of their group.

    Chinese fans all around the world turned silent. They stopped ming KG on the forums, and they stopped judging them in the various streams. No matter how low their opinion was of the current KG, they still held thatst trace of hope. KG still had a chance! They could still make it through to the next round! If they¡¯d dealt with whatever problem they were dealing withst week, then maybe they could finally show the world how good of a team they really were! It wasn¡¯t much to hold on to. But the Chinese fans desperately clung onto this hope. KG had to perform! They just had to!

    The yers from sh walked up on stage, waving at the cheering crowd. They were loving all the attention. Their Toner Chris sat down on the gaming chair in front of hisputer and leaned back, smiling. This was what he lived for. Thousands of people cheering for him! He cracked his knuckles. I¡¯ll show them how good I am! This game was the perfect moment for that. They wouldn¡¯t just qualify for the next round by winning this game, or as good as, but he would also show the entire world how much better of a yer he was than God Roundy! Though, he did hope KG would perform better today than they didst week. Last week was just pathetic. If that was the level of KG and the LPL, then that was really disappointing.

    Chris looked across the stage at KG. He looked at Tian Tian. God Roundy, ha. God... Roundy Round looked like a nervous wreck, much like how he¡¯d looked a week ago. Chris sneered. This¡¯ll be easy. Uncrowned Eighth my ass¡­ Just a nervous, fat scrub. Can¡¯t believe he beat me four years ago. Well, he didn¡¯t really. The other guy did¡­ The thought of what happened four years ago still stung Chris. This terrible Toner had somehow beat him. It was humiliating! He¡¯d been looking for a chance to get revenge for four whole years, and now that chance had finallye! Last week was fun, yeah, but there were no consequences. This time though. Hahaha! I¡¯ll kick that sad excuse for a yer off the World stage! I want to see him cry and wobble away! Heughed. Just the thought of watching Roundy Round walk away in defeat had him crazy with joy!

    The mood on KG¡¯s side waspletely different from sh. No one was talking. They walked up on stage with their heads hanging down in defeat. They hoped the crowd wouldn¡¯t look at them. Worlds was already as good as over for them afterst week. It would take something really special to save this sinking ship. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. Not everything was lost. They realized at least that much. There were still three more games to y, and if they won all three of them, they would make it to the next round! So they forced smiles on their faces and mumbled motivational quotes to themselves. They did whatever worked to hype themselves up for this next game.

    However, they were only motivating themselves. They didn¡¯t even look at their teammates. This game was for personal redemption. To show everyone how good they were, and not toe together as a team and win. They¡¯d thrown that n out the window during their off timest week, when instead of nning and preparing for these three games, they¡¯d spent their time sulking in their rooms and reading all the terrible things their fans had to say about them online. They couldn¡¯t be considered to be anywhere near their optimal state of mind.

    Tian Tian looked the worst out of all the staff and team members from KG. His face looked ashen and he was chewing on his lips. He thought of the match and the stakes at y, and then his mind wandered back into that dangerous corner. It traveled to that ce of darkness, where all he thought of were the ways in which he could screw up. What if I towerdive and screw up? The thoughts were wild and unnecessary, but they haunted Tian Tian¡¯s mind and he couldn¡¯t rid himself of them.

    But then a figure appeared in Tian Tian¡¯s mind. A vague silhouette. He recognized it in an instant. Lin Feng! He thought back to his phone call, and the promise he¡¯d made to his friend. His friend had believed in him. ¡°Arrghh!¡± he groaned, causing his teammates to look at him, annoyed. But he didn¡¯t notice, he was battling in his own mind. Don¡¯t be afraid! Don¡¯t be afraid! You can¡¯t be afraid! I trust him! He said I can do it! I can do it! I can really do it! He screamed louder and louder, trying to fight off the demons in his head. He failed. The demons struck him where it hurt. And he let them. Those dark thoughts were right. A-ah¡­ I can¡¯t do it. I-i¡¯m useless¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t need yers who can¡¯t even get out of the group stage.¡±

    Tian Tian trembled. The thought hit him out of nowhere. He¡¯d already forgotten about it under all the pressure. But now it was back in his mind. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t looking for a weak teammate, or an old friend to goof around with. He was looking for someone who couldpete at the highest level! So if he wanted to y with Lin Feng again, he had to perform. I-i can¡¯t drag him down! I-i have to win this game! Every match! I-i win!

    His nerves and worries lost to the pure confidence in Lin Feng¡¯s words. He raised his head. There was no more crippling anxiety of everything that could go wrong shackling him down or ten tons of abuse from his fans weighing down on his shoulders, there was only Lin Feng¡¯s voice in his mind, reminding him how good he was. He took a deep breath and started smiling. ¡°L-lin Feng is right! I can do this! I¡¯ll win every match!¡±

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe branch in downtown Shanghai, the game between High School 13 and High School 7 was in full swing. After Lin Feng secured first blood with his Zed on the Yasuo, High School 7 got a kill back. Jarvan IV had ganked topne and helped the Gragas pick up a kill on Chen Ze¡¯s Rumble. The score was now one to one.

    The least interestingne to watch was botne. Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong failed to capitalize on a mistake from High School 7¡¯s botne duo early on and the game had since entered a deadlock. Kalista and Jinx were both busy farming, and were both failing to put any real pressure on the other. Tang Bingyao on her Kalista was the better ad-carry, but High School 7¡¯s Leona was the better Support. It was an even match-up.

    Midne wasn¡¯t much more interesting than botne after the first kill. When the Master rank Yasuo came back tone, he changed his ystyle and started ying far more defensively. He kept his skills to retreat and used his Wind Wall skill to block Zed Shurikens whenever it was off cooldown, while he only went tost hit a minion when it was safe to do so. There was no opening for Lin Feng to abuse. He couldn¡¯t get another kill.

    Lin Feng kept pushing the minion waves into Red team¡¯s outer tower. He killed the red minions the moment they got intone with the help of his Living Shadow. It gave him a false sense of security. And when his ward in the river brush wore off, he stuck for another wave. This was the wrong move. He used Living Shadow again to clear out a wave, when Jarvan IV came for a gank, jumping on him with a g-tossbo. His skills were on cooldown. He had to run away as the Yasuo dashed to him. Fortunately, Liu Yue arrived at midne to bail him out. He had his Elise throw out a Cocoon which stunned the Yasuo.

    High School 7 didn¡¯t have enough damage to finish Lin Feng off. His Zed got away with less than 10% of his health remaining. Though High School 7 didn¡¯t pick up the kill, they did force Lin Feng back to base. This gave Yasuo some breathing room to push out the minion wave. By the time Lin Feng returned tone, he¡¯d lost an entire wave and the advantage he¡¯d built up with his first blood was mostly gone.

    High School 7 was putting the pressure on High School 13. They were a strong team, but there were stronger teams participating in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. If High School 13 gave up to this little pressure, it would be the same as giving up on the tournament and on their dreams! That wouldn¡¯t happen. They weren¡¯t going to give up or cave under the pressure from High School 7!

    Lin Feng took a deep breath. He¡¯d promised his team that he would carry this game. He didn¡¯t forget his promise to Fatty either. They would be fighting side by side! Though in different tournaments in different parts of the world and for different stakes. He smiled and looked at his screen. What¡¯s the point of a promise if I don¡¯t keep it? A man keeps his word!

 Chapter 94: God Roundy | Views: 7,103

    Lin Feng took a deep breath. The buzz in the inte cafe disappeared. High School 7¡¯s Miner sitting across from him disappeared. His teammates sitting around him and talking in the voice chat disappeared. All that remained was Zed. The Master of Shadows. His eighth grader syndrome reared its head. ¡°A shadow hidden in the darkness, a traitor to Kinkou doctrine of bnce.

    ¡°Turning to the darkness and mastering the forbidden techniques, he is the leader of the Order of Shadow, the ruler of the unseen. The cold, ruthless gaze beneath his mask strikes fear into the hearts of all those who see him.

    ¡°Embrace the shadow¡­ or die in darkness!¡±

    Minion for minion. The Zed and Yasuo stayed on even footing. Both looked for openings, but neither were giving anything away. Thissted until the sixth minute of the game. Then it all changed. The Zed reached Level 6. Level 6 was an important level, because a Champion could then learn their ultimate skill. For Zed, this was Death Mark. He¡¯d disappear into the shadows, after which three of his shadows would dash onto the target and mark them. This mark would trigger three secondster and deal a portion of the damage Zed dealt while the mark was active.

    Lin Feng changed his ystyle. He pushed the Yasuo away from the minions and deep underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower. The Yasuo tried to walk back intone tost hit a minion, but there was Zed. The Zed was stalking around the minion wave, using it as bait. High School 7¡¯s Miner felt the pressure. He knew he couldn¡¯t get close to the minions. He¡¯d just get abused if he did. But the minions were also right there, almost begging to best hit. It took him all his restraint to stay back. He was almost Level 6. When he had his ultimate, he could be a little more aggressive again.

    Damnit! What is this? The Yasuo could only watch Blue team¡¯s minions die in the middle of thene. He couldn¡¯t get to them. I need to do something¡­ He looked down at his experience bar. It was almost full. A few more minions, that was all. Then he could learn Last Breath. This skill let him blink to an airborne Champion, keeping them in the air before mming them down to the ground. If he hit the Zed with it, he could at least get his footing in thene back. One more minion should do it.

    High School 7¡¯s Miner hit Level 6. He learned his ultimate skill and pushed forward intone. But the Zed was waiting for him. Yasuo¡¯s ultimate wasn¡¯t enough of a deterrent. Or not at all, it felt like. He got two minions before he ran back to his tower, having lost a good bit of health. ¡°Dammit¡­ Who the heck is this guy?¡± he cursed under his breath. Then he looked at his minimap. The Jarvan IV was at the Wraith Camp, right next to midne. I need a gank! Then I¡¯ll win.

    The Jarvan IV moved to midne, sweeping the area for wards. He didn¡¯t find any, not even in the river brush right above thene. The Zed was still pushing over the halfway line. The Jarvan IV had yed so many games together with his Miner that they didn¡¯t need to talk. They both knew the n. He pinged on the Zed and jumped in with a g-tossbo. If he could hit it and knock the Zed up, they would get the kill. Yasuo¡¯s Last Breath would take care of that.

    The Yasuo ran forward, dashing through the minions¨CSweeping de!¨Cwhile charging up Steel Tempest. If this Zed dodged Jarvan IV¡¯s knock up, he would be ready to use his whirlwind. It didn¡¯t matter that his health was low, or that Jarvan IV¡¯s health was low. This Zed would be dead before he knew what hit him! Time to say goodnight! He grinned.

    Lin Feng knew the Jarvan IV wasing. High School 7¡¯s Jungler had missed a ward. It was ced just a little further up river, but close enough to reveal him as he walked into the brush above midne. Hehe. Let¡¯s do this. Lin Feng smiled. The Yasuo suddenly got a little more aggressive. It wasn¡¯t a lot, but enough to warn Lin Feng something was up. He knew what would happen next. His finger hovered over his R key. Death Mark would make Zed untargetable while dashing to the target. That also meant he couldn¡¯t be knocked up. Hehe, watch this.

    High School 7¡¯s Miner timed his whirlwind from Steel Tempest perfectly with Jarvan IV¡¯s g-tossbo. The Zed would be toast! Got you! And then the Zed was gone. His eyes went wide. It felt as if time came to a stop as he mumbled, ¡°Crap.¡± Both knock up skills had missed. Three blood red shadows jumped on him and put a mark above his head.

    The Zed appeared behind the Yasuo. His w des swept in a circle, cutting through the Yasuo¨CShadow sh! He followed up with Razor Shuriken. Then the Yasuo finally reacted. He dashed to a nearby minion, and then another. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t about to let him get away. His Shadow dashed forward and he directly switched positions with it¨CLiving Shadow! He was on top of the Yasuo again and hit him with an auto attack. That should do it. Lin Feng pressed on his R key again, and his Zed switched positions with the Shadow he¡¯d ced when activating his ultimate skill.

    The Jarvan IV ran after the Yasuo and Zed, but couldn¡¯t keep up. By the time he caught up, Zed had disappeared and the red mark above the Yasuo was about to explode. There was nothing he could do about it. His Miner would die. He turned around to chase the Zed, but he was toote for that too. The Zed was already halfway to his own outer tower. Then the sound of the red mark exploding rang out beside him. This gank was aplete and utter failure.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng breathed out. He¡¯d held his breath during the fight, and only now rxed. The kill was his. His KDA went up to 2/0/0. The sound of the crowd around him entered his ears again. He could hear them gasp, while his teammates were cheering. He grinned and pumped his fist in the air, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then he looked back at the screen, a little nervous. Fatty¡¯s game should¡¯ve started. I hope he¡¯s doing ok.

    ?

    In the Wembley Arena, KG and sh were in the middle of Champion Select. Below the stage, the yers from Fate had found their ces in the VIP viewing area. They¡¯d just won their game and were now going to unwind by watching the next game at Worlds. Moon leaned back in his chair and looked at the picks, especially those in topne. sh had chosen Riven. She was a really strongner who had a lot of potential to outy herne opponent and get solo kills in the early game. On KG¡¯s side, God Roundy picked Hecarim. What is he thinking¡­?

    Hecarim was a decent pick in the current meta. This spectral fusion of man and beast could single-handedly win teamfights with his ultimate skill. But he was a rtively weakner, and he needed a little extra to get rolling. When taking KG¡¯s recent form in consideration, this pick seemed downright suicidal. What are they doing? Did they give up already? But why¡­ This is Worl¨C

    ¡°Excuse me, passing through! Excuse me!¡±

    Moon needed an extra second. The man trying to walk by was speaking in English, and he wasn¡¯t great at thenguage. ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± he mumbled. He moved his legs to let the man through and looked up at him. Late twenties to early thirties. Casual expression. Nor did he spare Moon a nce. Thisst part was strange. Most people would take a minute to greet him or even ask for an autograph. He was an Emperor, after all. But it didn¡¯t bother Moon that this man didn¡¯t stop to say a word or two. He didn¡¯t even really notice it, because that man looked really familiar for some reason. He looked at the man and mumbled, ¡°Where do I know him from?"

    ¡°Wait!¡± His eyes went wide. He knew who that was! This was a legend of the scene! He looked towards the man, who¡¯d found a seat and reclined back, his feet up on the balustrade in front of him. It really is you! Before making the switch to League of Legends, Moon had yed a different esport. That was where he knew this man from. This man was one of the biggest names in that esport. A true legend! A real OG!

    Moon kept looking at the man, fighting back the urge to go up to him and ask for an autograph. Then he scrunched his nose. Why is he here? He retired from the scene years ago¡­ Has he ever even yed League? Before he could think more of it, the crowd in the Wembley Arena started cheering and singing. The game had started. It was KG versus sh!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    sh was on the Red team. They decided to start the game with an odd set-up. Their bottomne duo went up to topne. They took the Golem Camp on the way there for some early experience, and then started pushing out thene from the first moment that the minions arrived inne. Down in bottomne, KG mirrored this tactic. They also first took Golem Camp before pushing out thene.

    As for the Toners of both teams, they didn¡¯t go to ane. They wouldn¡¯t get anyst hits on the minions inne against the bottomne duos, and the constant pressure they would be under could easily have them slip up and give away an early First Blood. So they went into the jungle and helped their Jungler clear their camps faster.

    KG¡¯s botne duo was a Kennen ad-carry and Thresh support. After pushing out the first two waves into sh¡¯s outer tower, they recalled back to base. They wanted a standardning match-up, so they rushed up to topne. Their Jungler had started on the Blue camp in the top half of the Jungle and had made his way down to the bottom half of the jungle together with Tian Tian¡¯s Hecarim. When the Kennen and Thresh recalled, Tian Tian split from his Jungler and had his Hecarim charge down the jungle towards botne. The minions were fighting in the middle of thene when he arrived. He quickly pushed them back into Red team¡¯s outer tower.

    sh didn¡¯t push for anotherneswap. They were confident that Chris¡¯ Riven would beat the Hecarim inne. That was an advantage they had to abuse. So they left their bottomne duo up in topne, while Chris recalled back to base to buy a few potions. Then he teleported to the outer tower in botne.

    The Chinese fans watching streams, and the odd few in the Wembley Arena, let out a shared breath of relief. They¡¯d been worrying all week that KG would give away an early advantage to sh and lose from there. But right now, the game was still even. And KG had even made a good y! Instead of recalling back to base and buying an extra health potion, Roundy Round had rushed to botne and pushed out the wave. If he hadn¡¯t done this, sh¡¯s Chris would¡¯ve arrived in time inne to freeze the minion wave halfway down thene and force Roundy Round to sit under his outer tower and miss gold and experience. That would¡¯ve lost KG the game then and there. This was a great y by God Roundy!

    The Riven arrived at the outer tower in botne. Chris versus Roundy Round. The real fight between the two Toners was finally beginning! Chris looked at the Hecarim trying to get somest hits in. Hehe! Just you wait, fatso. I¡¯ma make you wish you were never born!

    ?

    The second round of games in the first qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was in full swing. After Lin Feng¡¯s second kill on High School 7¡¯s Miner, his team started to pull ahead. Liu Yue began to show that the weeks of training weren¡¯t for nothing. He finally started putting pressure on thenes, even helping Rumble pick up a kill on Gragas in the topne.

    Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong also found an opening in botne. Jinx pushed out a little too far and they jumped on her. The Kalista dashed forward, throwing a spear with every jump. Tang Bingyao chased after the Jinx until the Jinx shed away to tower safety, then shifted targets to the Leona. Caught out in the middle of thene, the Leona was also forced to sh away, while the Jinx used her Heal to keep them both alive. High School 7¡¯s botne survived this fight, but they paid a high price. They were forced back to base and lost a full wave and a half of minions.

    Topne came back after giving away an early kill, botne seized a small advantage, and the Jungler was applying pressure all over the map. Lin Feng¡¯s teammates seemed to have shaken off their nerves. They weren¡¯t worrying about making misys, but rather focusing on making ys! Lin Feng smiled. He was proud of his teammates. They¡¯d finally fought back their fears and were really performing now! Fatty, do you see me? I¡¯m trying my best here! I hope you are too!

    ?

    It was quiet in the Wembley Arena. The crowd had forgotten about their phones. All eyes were on the giant LCD screens above the stage, which showed the battle of the Toners down in botne. Unlike everyone had expected, this game wasn¡¯t a stomp. Chris was ying hyper-aggressively on his Riven, pushing out the minions and harassing the Hecarim. But Tian Tian wasn¡¯t taking the abuse lying down. He fought back, blow for blow, and was evening out on top! His Hecarim that should be losing to a Riven inne was actually pulling ahead!

    No one had any expectations for KG going in this game. Not the fans in the crowd. Not the fans at home. Not even the coaches of KG. But what they were seeing right now was a strong team that was going toe-to-toe with sh! Most impressive of all was Roundy. The fans felt that spark of excitement again as they watched him y. Maybe he would live up to his reputation today! Hopefully, he would show the world why his fans called him the Uncrowned Eighth!

    The cameras in the arena got no good shot of Tian Tian¡¯s face, it was hidden behind his monitor. But they got a great shot of Chris¡¯. His casual expression from before the game was gone. In its ce was anger and frustration. He squinted his eyes and leaned closer to the monitor. His Riven and the Hecarim both had about a third of their health remaining. Thene was pretty much dead even. Fucking fatso¡­ I don¡¯t care how good you are. Let me show you how good a real professional Toner is!

    Tian Tian looked like he was going even with Chris. Hecarim and Riven were both at the same health and thene was stuck in the middle. But appearances were deceptive. Chris made sure to leave KG¡¯s minions alive for a little longer. The wave pushed slightly to his side, but not so far that it got near his tower. A second minion wave arrived inne while the first was still mostly alive. Hehe. Finally. He started killing Blue minions again, timing it so that the next blue minion wave would stop his minion wave outside the reach of the outer tower.

    Hehehe. He¡¯s got no clue what¡¯sing for him. Chris killed this minion wave fast. There was a short window here until the next minion wave would arrive. The Blue minions quickly died to therge Red minion wave and Riven. The Hecarim was forced underneath his tower. Hehe. Now. Gotcha, idiot. The minion wave reached under KG¡¯s outer tower. He had to act fast. If he got the kill on the Hecarim, he would win the game right there and then. As he saw it, this was a win-win situation for him! Force Hecarim back to base or kill him. Either way, he¡¯d get the experience and gold lead. He chuckled and then dashed towards the Hecarim¨CValor!

    The Rivenshed out with herrge sword¨CBroken Wings!¨Cand linked that up with an auto attack. She was in range of the outer tower. An energy shot charged up and shot at her. It did far more damage than Chris expected. So much so that he started to worry. Fuck. Too much damage. He¡¯d gotten greedy. The tower would kill him before he could kill the Hecarim. But he¡¯d already gotten so far. He didn¡¯t want to turn back now. Screw it. Onebo and I¡¯m out. He pressed down on the W key¨CKi Burst!

    Tian Tian had shaken off his worries and was ying with confidence. When the Riven dashed at him, he spotted the mistake right away. His finger moved over the D key. The only thing Riven could do was try and stun him with her Ki Burst. That was her only possible y here! Or she could walk away, but that just wasn¡¯t Chris¡¯ style. So he let her hit him with the first charge of her Broken Wings and waited for the animation of Ki Burst. It came a momentter. The green Ki bursted out around the Riven and he pressed down on his D key. His Hecarim shed past the Riven, dodging the stun. He followed up by activating Devastating Charge and charged into the Riven, knocking her backwards.

    FUCK! Chris cursed. He never expected Roundy to sh, or that he¡¯d make a y like that at all. This was nothing like the Roundy fromst week! He smashed down on his F key and shed away, but not before taking another energy shot from the tower. His health was already down to 10%!

    Tian Tian knew what was in front of him. First Blood. He wouldn¡¯t let this chance go to waste. When Riven shed, he was ready for it. He charged after the Riven and hit her with an auto attack. Then he cleaved the Riven with his polearm¨CRampage!¨Cand finished her off with onest auto attack.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    The Wembley Arena that was predominantly European erupted into cheers! What a phenomenal outy! This was a true solo kill at the World stage! They almost never got to see this! They forgot that it wasn¡¯t a European team who¡¯d got the kill as they jumped up and down and screamed as loudly as they could, ¡°GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY!¡±

    The online tforms, where most Chinese fans were following the game from, went even wilder. This was exactly what they¡¯d been dreaming of! Aeback from KG! The turn around in week two of Worlds! And God Roundy!

    ¡¸AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!1!!!! OMG DID YOU SEE THATTTTT¡¹

    ¡¸fiiiiiiiiiiirst bloooooooooood!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY!!!! DAMN THAT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Lez fucking goooooooo we got thizz boys ez win gg¡¹

    ¡¸FUCK THE HATERS!!! GOD ROUNDY IS THE BEST¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m not Chinese, but that was such an impressive y! Roundy Round is really deserving of the title God Roundy. I think he should be one of the Seven Kings. He really deserves it. What do you guys think?¡¹

    ¡¸LOL ^ Who''s that idiot? ALSO GOD ROUNDYY WOOOO!!!!!!! WAAAA!!!!!!¡¹

    On the caster desk of the Chinese official broadcast of Worlds, Qinghe lost control over his emotions. His eyes were wet and he had to wipe the tears away. He couldn¡¯t find the words, much like Lolo who was just staring at the screen, shocked. Only Stone didn¡¯t forget how to talk. He shouted his voice hoarse, ¡°OH MY GOD THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! THAT WAS GOD ROUNDY! EVERYONE! THAT WAS GOD ROUNDY! HE¡¯S COME TO PLAY AND GETS FIRST BLOOD!¡±

 Chapter 95: Losing is Not an Option | Views: 6,404

    Lolo couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing! God Roundy was giving a great performance! Her mouth fell open. She closed it with her hand, then shed a smile towards the camera. ¡°Oh my! This is the God Roundy we all know and love! That was such a beautiful outy. It gets my vote for best solo kill of the tournament!¡±

    ¡°Sorry sorry.¡± Qinghe said to the people at home. He wiped the tears from his face again. ¡°I¡¯m just so happy. I¡¯ve followed God Roundy for the past few years. I know how good he is. Last week was painful. Really painful. But he¡¯s back now. The god is back! God Roundy! The Uncrowned Eighth! HE IS BACK!¡±

    The three casters didn¡¯t know how to approach or prepare for this game of KG. They all hoped that KG would do well and win, just like the people at home did. But KG¡¯s performance in week 1 was so disappointing that they didn¡¯t want to raise the hopes of the fans too high. That would only lead to even greater disappointment if KG didn¡¯t show up. They had to walk a fine line in the pre-game analysis, where they hyped the fans up just enough that they stuck around to watch the game, but not so high that they were expecting KG to win. In their efforts to deliver this message, they spent so much time focusing on KG that they started caring more about the game than they usually did. They cared about it to such an extent that they were even more worried about the game than the yers from KG were! But that all changed after God Roundy¡¯s outy on Hecarim. Their worries evaporated. The restrictions they put on themselves were gone. No more curbing in the excitement. They could finally cast the game!

    It wasn¡¯t just the casters who felt liberated, everyone watching the Chinese streams did! First Blood had washed away all their worries! This was the KG they knew from the LPL! They weren¡¯t any worse than the best teams in the world! The KG and God Roundy fans who were previously too embarrassed to show themselves came out of the woodworks and flooded the stream chats and forum boards.

    ¡¸God Roundy is back boyzzzzzzzz¡¹

    ¡¸WAAAAA ILY ROUNDDYYYYY¡¹

    ¡¸finally. why didnt they y like thisst week?.....¡¹

    ¡¸Third seed in lpl >>>>> third seed in na¡¹

    ¡¸Chris is such a n00bbbb!!!!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸WE¡±RE GOING TO WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Chris stared at his screen. It was grey. His Riven was dead. FUCK! He gnashed his teeth as his cheeks burned red. It was such an embarrassing death, and the whole world had seen it! He let go of his mouse and keyboard, put his elbows down on the table, and let his head hang down. Then he started pulling his hair. M-my Riven¡­ How did that fatso kill me? UCH¡­ D-did I really get outyed by that fatso? He thought back to the y and every move he made. I couldn¡¯t kill him. Fine. But that towerdive should¡¯ve been fine¡­ This shouldn¡¯t have¡­ No matter how he looked at it, he should¡¯ve been able to get out. Even with the sh, it was still Roundy ying the Hecarim. He usually wasn¡¯t this spot on with his mechanics, reflexes, or situational awareness. Fuck. He yed that well. This was a y so few people could pull off that he hadn¡¯t even stopped to think about it. There were maybe two or three yers in the entire game this good. NO! That fucking fatso isn¡¯t that good! He just got lucky. Yes. Luck. That¡¯s all. I¡¯ll get him next time.

    Across the stage from Chris was KG¡¯s set-up of fiveputers. The mood over there waspletely different. The yers of KG were screaming into their microphones in excitement.¡°Good job Roundy!¡±¡°That was awesome, man!¡±¡°This is perfect! We shut the Riven down early! That¡¯s a massive advantage! Let¡¯s build on it, guys!¡±

    It was only First Blood. This usually didn¡¯t have too much of an impact on the game. However, this First Blood was a solo kill in a difficult matchup! Tian Tian hadpletely outyed Chris! This was the confidence booster the members from KG so desperately needed!

    As for the person in question, Tian Tian¡¯s heart was racing as he tightly gripped his mouse. The hand on his keyboard trembled. The thrill had taken everything out of him. He¡¯d predicted Chris¡¯ next move, focusing so hard that he¡¯d forgotten to breathe while waiting for the Ki Burst. Then he¡¯d jumped into action with incredibly fast and urate reaction speed. And now, now he could rx. He breathed out deeply as the pressure he put on himself left his body. The shackles of nerves tying him down snapped and broke. He stopped fighting against himself. That could wait for another day. Now, he was going to win this game!

    Tian Tian sat up straight in his chair and looked at the Riven. Her corpse stilly under his tower. He smiled, his heart pounding in his chest. I-i really did it! His focus turned to the minions. Therge wave was dying to his outer tower. He had to get as manyst hits on them as possible! Lin Feng was right. I really can do this!

    Tian Tian¡¯s analytical abilities weren''t limited to just the game itself. This was a process he would begin long before the game even started. Take his Hecarim pick in this game. In the current meta, Hecarim topne needed the Teleport Summoner Spell to be viable. The second Summoner Spell had a little more freedom, but most Toners went with Ignite for the extrane pressure it offered. Tian Tian, however, had opted to go with sh. This wasn¡¯t a spur of the moment decision, but rather a well thought out n.

    Tian Tian had spent a lot of time watching videos of sh¡¯s recent games. Specifically on how Chris yed thene. During his research, he¡¯d picked up on one of Chris¡¯ habits. Chris liked to build up a strong minion wave and crash it into the opposing Toner¡¯s tower. Then when the opposing Toner tried to clear the wave, he¡¯d take advantage of the opportunity to engage on them. When Tian Tian noticed Chris attempting to do the same thing in this game, he set his n in motion. Instead of trying to stop Chris, Tian Tian started helping him. He purposefully didn¡¯t clear Chris¡¯ minion wave and let it push into his own tower, all the while preparing for the opportunity to kill Chris. Chris took the bait. He towerdove and Tian Tian outyed him to pick up the solo kill. This was a perfect example of how much good research of the opponent was worth.

    Despite his many hours of research, Tian Tian didn¡¯t have the confidence to base his choice of Summoner Spells on an eventuality. So he looked beyond this specific scenario to choose between sh and Ignite. The advantages of Ignite were especially clear in the early game, while sh became more valuable the longer a game went on. Since he wanted sh for the early game and it was also a better choice for the team fightster in the game, the choice became obvious.

    Back in Season 1, when there were no analysts on a team, it was normal for yers to put as much effort into researching their opponents as Tian Tian still did. Now, in Season 5, most yers didn¡¯t bother with that anymore. They had analysts to do the research for them. This also meant that they only saw what the analysts showed them. Tian Tian, on the other hand, saw a lot more. He really knew his opponents, watching their games even when he sat on the toilet. This was a valuable habit, and even more so because no one knew he did this. Since they didn¡¯t know this, they couldn¡¯t prepare for it. Even his own teammates and coaches didn¡¯t know about this side of him. Lin Feng was the only exception. He knew how much time and effort Tian Tian put into researching his opponents.

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe branch in downtown Shanghai, the game between High School 13 and High School 7 reached the 10 minute mark. High School 7 had worked hard thest few minutes to get back into the game, having their Jarvan IV show up top and bot to put pressure on the sidenes. It was a sess. Bothnes got a slight gold and experience lead in theirnes. Theplete opposite was true for midne. Yasuo was being toyed with by Lin Feng. It was to the extent that the audience crowding around theputers couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Isn¡¯t that guy a Master? What the fuck¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I heard too! How is he getting his ass kicked this hard?¡±

    ¡°Who is that Miner for High School 13? Also a Master? It must be, right?¡±

    Despite it being obvious that the Yasuo was losing thene, it looked a lot worse than it was. High School 7¡¯s Miner kept his calm. His othernes were doing well. As long as he could stay close enough to the minions so that he could pick up the experience and stay rtively even in level with the Zed, then everything would be fine. When the teamfights began, the rest of his team would win them and carry the game. All he had to do was show up and pick up a kill here and there to catch back up in items and be relevant again.

    The Jungler of High School 7 roamed bot. High School 13¡¯s botne duo was pushed under their tower and their Jungler had just revealed himself in the top half of the jungle. This was a great opportunity for a towerdive! The Jarvan IV didn¡¯t worry about wards. There was nowhere to run for High School 13¡¯s botne anyway. His team¡¯s minion wave in botne was pushing into Blue team¡¯s outer tower. He waited just outside of the outer tower¡¯s range for the Support on his team, Leona, to engage.

    Leona was a defensive support Champion with a lot of crowd control skills. The most powerful one was her ultimate¨CSr re! She could call down a beam of sr energy and stun Champions! The Leona arrived at Blue team¡¯s outer tower and waited for Kalista and Braum to walk close together. Then she threw down a Sr re!

    ¡°Wei Dong!¡± Tang Bingyao eximed, annoyed. The Leona was obviously waiting for them to stack on top of each other before engaging. Wei Dong had done the one thing he should never do in ane against a Leona!

    The Leona stunned the Kalista and Braum. Wei Dong frantically clicked his mouse and hit down on his keyboard but nothing happened. A g-tossbo of the Jarvan IV knocked both his Braum and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista airborne before the stun broke. The Jinx was shooting them down with her rocketuncher. Kalista died in an instant, and he followed soon after. The crowd control was too strong. There was nothing he could do. It was a clean two kills for High School 7. He looked up at Tang Bingyao sitting next to him and mumbled, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Lin Feng could hear the annoyance in Tang Bingyao¡¯s voice. Botne was losing. Topne was struggling again. And Liu Yue in the jungle was unable to put the same pressure on thenes as the Jarvan IV did. They were falling behind left and right. Only midne was doing well. But this didn¡¯t mean the game was lost. Anything but! The game was still even right now. However, the next big fight would be very important. If they lost that, the game would be very difficult to win. Lin Feng zoned out everything else around him. He had to focus and win for his team!

    ?

    On the other side of the world, the game between KG and sh also hit the 10 minute mark. The minutes after Tian Tian killed the Riven had been rtively quiet. Only one big y had happened. A gank in midne. sh¡¯s Jungler, Lee Sin, had ganked KG¡¯s Miner and helped his Kassadin pick up the kill. This brought the score back to one kill for both teams.

    The Chinese fans started to get nervous again. After watching Tian Tian pick up an early solo kill, their hopes for a KG win were reignited. KG had started ying better in the few minutes after too! Everything seemed to be going smoothly. But then the Orianna died in midne. The game suddenly didn¡¯t seem all that easy anymore. KG was still ying well, they had at least that going for them, but ying well just wasn¡¯t good enough. If KG wanted to make it out of the group stage, they had to win all three of their remaining matches! One loss and they were out!

    ¡¸Come on KG! Don¡¯t give this one away! You guys have to hold on! We believe in you!¡¹

    ¡¸STOP FEEDING ORI!!!!! just let the heca carry you!¡¹

    ¡¸we can still win! go kg go!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸dont give up guys this is still a win for kg, just trust them¡¹

    ¡¸tell that to the ori! GO GOD ROUNDY! carry your shitmates!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Give me a K! Give me a G! KGGGGGGGGG¡¹

    ?

    Prophet Stone was careful with what he said on the caster desk. He was terrified of jinxing KG. Qinghe and Lolo felt the same, as did the millions of fans in China. They were praying for a win. KG had to win! Their hearts were in the game. They started talking to the screen as though KG could hear them. Sometimes even screaming. There were some fans who put on their special t-shirt. They believed it¡¯d bring their team luck. They¡¯d do anything they could think of to help KG win this game!

    Though there weren¡¯t millions of fans watching, the situation in the match between High School 13 and High School 7 was very simr to the position KG found themselves in. But instead ofmentators and fans worrying for them, there were only Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Yang Fan. Ouyang hid behind the other two, afraid that him looking at the game would cause his team to lose.

    Both teams in both games gathered around the Dragon pit. This would be the first teamfight of the game. It was one of the most important few seconds of the entire game! One team would pull ahead, while the other would spend the rest of the game ying catch up.

    Lin Feng stared at his screen. He couldn¡¯t let anyone disturb him now. His team wasn¡¯t good enough. He had to carry them, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could single-handedly win this next teamfight. And if he failed, the rest of the game would suddenly be a lot more difficult. Losing wasn¡¯t even out of the equation then. For you, Fatty. I¡¯ma win this fight for you!

    Tian Tian was worried, just like Lin Feng was. His nerves started assaulting his mind again, and it looked for a moment as if he¡¯d fall back in his old habit. N-no. L-lin Feng won¡¯t forgive me. He forced himself to calm down and focused on the game again. There was no second chance after this game. This game was his second andst chance to make it out of the group stage! He had to win. He couldn¡¯t let this game slip from his fingers! One mistake and it was over. I-i can¡¯t screw up! I have to win!

    Then, it happened. In two different games in two different tournaments, separated by over 5,000 miles ofnd and sea, High School 13 and KG both fell for an ambush. For KG, the botne duo was caught out, while for High School 13 it was the Jungler and Support. Four yers from High School 7 had spotted them warding high up in the river and surrounded them.

    Ren Rou and Ouyang panicked. Qinghe, Lolo, and Stone panicked. The millions of fans at home all panicked. High School 13 was trapped! KG was trapped! All their hopes and dreams came crashing down on them. It was over! After everything, this looked like the start of the end!

 Chapter 96: Turn-Around! | Views: 7,286

    ¡°WEI DONG! LIU YUE! WATCH OUT!¡± Ouyang yelled. He tried to go up and help them, but Ren Rou pulled him back by his shoulder, pinching down hard. ¡°AH!¡± Ouyang red at her. ¡°Goddamnit,¡± he cursed before looking back at the monitor, frantic. Liu Yue and Wei Dong had overextended. High School 7 was almost on them. ¡°You gotta back, guys! BACK! PLEASE BACK!¡±

    If High School 7 got the drop on Liu Yue and Wei Dong, then they could pull far ahead of High School 13 in a matter of a minute. More important than the gold from the two kills were the 30 second death timers. This was a lot of time in which High School 7 could take down the Dragon and the outer tower in midne. These were both important objectives thatted a lot of team-wide gold. The Yasuo would catch up to Lin Feng soon, and the rest of the team would pull far ahead of their direct opponents. High School 7 would put themselves in a very good position to win the game.

    Liu Yue and Wei Dong ran into two Champions from High School 7, and suddenly spotted two more on their minimap. Lin Feng ordered them to back. But it barely registered. It was all a haze before them. There was nowhere they could really escape. They were caught out in the middle of the river. Liu Yue tried to get away by shing towards Blue team¡¯s side of the map, and Wei Dong used Stand behind me! His Braum leaped towards the Elise, increasing both their armour and magic resist.

    The yers from High School 7 spotted the two yers from High School 13 out of position. They circled in on Liu Yue and Wei Dong and shouted in voice chat,¡°Go go go go go!¡±¡°Get ¡®em! Don¡¯t let them escape!¡±¡°Quick! Kill them fast!¡±¡°Elise first! Get the Elise first!¡±

    The Leona raised her sword to the sky and called down a beam of sr energy¨CSr re! She was too hasty. The Elise and Braum weren¡¯t caught in the middle of the skill, but in its perimeter. So, instead of being stunned, they were only slowed. The Jarvan IV followed up with a g-tossbo into a Cataclysm. He leapt into battle with such force that he terraformed the ground and created an arena around him and Elise!

    Liu Yue¡¯s screen shed red. His Elise was almost dead! There was nowhere left to escape. He changed his Elise to Spiderform and then Rappelled up into the air. Elise could stay up here for a few seconds. Those were a few more seconds during which High School 7 couldn¡¯t kill her. Liu Yue wasn¡¯t sure what this was supposed to aplish, but he figured it was better than just letting them kill him.

    Lin Feng grinned when he saw Liu Yue Rappel. He¡¯d bought them a valuable few seconds. ¡°Come, Tang Tang!¡± he ordered, already running towards the Elise and Braum in the river with his Zed. Tang Bingyao had her Kalista make a beeline for the Braum. Lin Feng nodded and then continued, ¡°Chen Ze, get ready to Teleport. We can win this fight!¡±

    ?

    In the match between KG and sh, there were also two yers caught out. But unlike in Lin Feng¡¯s game, here it was the ad-carry and support of KG. The botne duos of both teams had returned to their bottomne a few minutes earlier. sh¡¯s Jungler, Lee Sin, moved into the tri-brush above KG¡¯s outer tower and swept for wards. There were none. KG had no idea he was in there. He waited a few seconds, until KG¡¯s Thresh walked up to ward the brush. Then he ced a ward behind Thresh and dashed to it¨CSafeguard! He followed up with a powerful roundhouse kick,unching the Thresh further away from his outer tower¨CDragon¡¯s Rage!

    The Thresh wanted to escape back to his outer tower. But Lee Sin was waiting for him. So he made the call to sh diagonally over arge boulder. That was intone, but from there he could run back to his outer tower without having to deal with the Lee Sin. He shed but had no vision on the other side of the boulder, and he came to regret that. sh had anticipated this move. Their Alistar Support was already waiting for him, Pulverizing the ground and knocking him up into the air when he appeared, as was the Tristana. When he was still knocked up in the air, the Tristana walked past him and loaded a massive cannonball into her weapon¨CBuster Shot! The cannonball knocked into him and sent him flying towards Red team¡¯s side of the map, far away from his own outer tower.

    Several wards in botne suddenly lit up. Champions were Teleporting in! Three in total! They were sh¡¯s Riven and Kassadin and KG¡¯s Hecarim! This was going to be a full on teamfight! Whoever won this fight could take Dragon and maybe even an outer tower! That would be a massive gold boon!

    The Chinese fans at home put their hands over their ears and closed their eyes or turned their heads away, only throwing a few nces at the screen. They were terrified of what might happen. The casters also felt their nerves getting to them, but they were hired to do a job. So they put their feelings to the side and casted the fight.

    ¡°One¡­ THREE TELEPORTS! It¡¯s going to be a teamfight! It¡¯s going to be a teamfight!¡±

    ¡°Orianna doesn¡¯t have Teleport! She has to walk down! sh has the numbers advantage!¡±

    ¡°KG¡¯s Jungler is also in midne! Way too far away to join the fight! This is going to be a 3vs5! KG ispletely caught off guard! This is bad! This is really bad!¡±

    ¡°God Roundy has to buy his team some time! Come on God Roundy! You can do it! COME ON!¡±

    On the stage in the Wembley Arena, Tian Tian sat hunched over in front of hisputer. He was the first to Teleport in. His Hecarim would be there before the Riven and Kassadin! C-crap! T-this is bad. Bad bad bad. Every fiber in his body told him that he shouldn¡¯t have used his Teleport, that it was better to just cut the losses and let botne die. But he¡¯d still Teleported down. His intuition told him he could win this fight and he¡¯d listened to it. There was no going back anymore. He had to win this fight, or it would cost KG the game.

    ?

    Back in the game between High School 13 and High School 7, Liu Yue¡¯s Elise came down to the ground. She was in the middle of the enemy team. If they focused her down, she¡¯d be dead in an instant. Wei Dong wouldn¡¯t let his Jungler die just like that. His health was dropping dangerously low. But there was one more skill that he could use to buy himself and the Elise some extra time. His ultimate skill, cial Fissure! He activated it. His Braum mmed his shield into the ground, freezing and fissuring the ground in front of him. The immense force causedrge blocks of ice toe loose andunch upwards, knocking the Champions up in the air. Three of High School 7¡¯s Champions were airborne!

    Tang Bingyao was the first to arrive. She pulled the Braum away with her ultimate¨CFate¡¯s Call. The second part of her ultimate was up to Wei Dong. He could decide in which direction Kalista wouldunch him. If he hit a Champion, they¡¯d be knocked up. But his health was low. The safe y would be tounch himself away to safety.

    ¡°Knock them up with the Kalista ultimate!¡± Lin Feng shouted.

    Wei Dong didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He clicked on the three Champions from High School 7 that were still huddled up together after his ultimate. The Kalistaunched him. He flew through the air and hit the yers from High School 7 like a wrecking ball. It was another three man knock up!

    Lin Feng ran straight past the knocked up Champions and closed in on the Jinx. When he got in range, he used his ultimate skill¨CDeath Mark! He left a shadow behind as he dashed on the Jinx, marking her. The Jinx shed away, but he followed after her with his Living Shadow. Then he attacked her with his de ws and shurikens. Her health dropped fast. He hit her with two more auto attacks, then jumped back to the Shadow created with his ultimate. The Jinx¡¯s health hit zero when the mark exploded.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Chen Ze¡¯s Teleport finished casting. He arrived in the river just behind High School 7¡¯s team. The crowd control was perfectly linked together so far and the timing worked out. Chen Ze found the yers from High School 7 lined up for him, so he had his Rumble fire off a group of rockets to create a wall of mes on the ground¨CThe Equalizer! He followed up with his mespitter, setting the river aze.

    Tang Bingyao started auto attacking the members from High School 7 after using her ultimate on Braum. Her spears were piercing the Champions and the damage was quickly ramping up. The Zed arrived back in the middle of High School 7¡¯s team and also started auto attacking. The Yasuo died before getting his ultimate off. The Jarvan IV¡¯s skills were on cooldown and he also died without putting up any real resistance. As for the Gragas and Leona, they tried to do something, but it was far too little. Neither was strong enough to kill the five yers of High School 13. They weren¡¯t even strong enough to make it back to safety. Their screens turned grey.

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    ¡°WE DID IT! WE FUCKING DID IT! DID YOU SEE THAT ROU ROU?¡± Ouyang jumped up and down and then hugged Ren Rou, overjoyed.

    ¡°Get off of me,¡± Ren Rouined. Then she looked at the team, her team, and smiled, ¡°Great work guys! Keep it up!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and then balled his fist. ¡°Yes! That might¡¯ve very well just won us the game! Good job guys.¡±

    ?

    Back in the KG versus sh game, the situation went from bad to worse for KG. Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai were running towards the botne, but were still far away. Too far away to be of any influence on the teamfight. The Thresh was caught and after the Tristana sent him flying backwards, sh killed him. The 3vs5 was now a 2vs5. But this still didn¡¯t stop KG¡¯s ad-carry, Kennen. He initially tried to get to his Thresh and help his Support escape. But when the Thresh died, he didn¡¯t turn around. Hemitted. Konjac pressed down on his R key and activated Kennen¡¯s ultimate¨CSlicing Maelstrom!

    Slicing Maelstrom was a storm of lightning that spread out around Kennen and followed him wherever he went. Anyone caught within its radius would be struck by lightning. If a Champion got three stacks of lightning on themselves, they would get stunned. Konjac positioned his Kennen so that the lightning would hit the Lee Sin, Alistar, and Tristana at the same time. He dealt damage to all three of them, but not enough to kill any one of them. Then the Slicing Maelstrom wore off and Riven¡¯s Teleport finished.

    Chris teleported into the river brush right above botne. The Kennen was a little up river. He had his Riven sh forward and then activated her ultimate skill¨Cde of the Exile! Riven lit her de up with green energy, increasing its attack damage and range. She attacked the Kennen with the first strike from Broken Wings and then stunned him with a Ki Burst. A stunned ad-carry was a dead ad-carry. Kennen had low health to start with. The Riven, Lee Sin, and Tristana killed him before the stun broke.

    Tian Tian had followed Kennen into the middle of sh¡¯s team. This was a terrible call. He knew it, but he still did it. The Thresh died, and then the Kennen did too. He was all alone in the middle of sh¡¯s team. The little damage he had done so far was not anywhere near enough to make his actions worth it. He pressed down on his E key¨CDevastating Charge! His Hecarim gained increased movement speed and could move through units. He charged down the river and towards KG¡¯s outer tower.

    The Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired a shell into the ground,unching herself into the air and after the Hecarim¨CRocket Jump! Then she hit him with an Explosive Charge, a bomb that would explode after a short duration. She attacked the bomb with her auto attacks, increasing its eventual damage. And then it exploded. Hecarim¡¯s health dropped fast.

    The Wembley Arena went silent, the crowd waiting to erupt into cheers when sh won the fight. Or when KG pulled off the turn around by stalling long enough for Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai to arrive. They didn¡¯t care either way, as long as it was exciting to watch. It waspletely different for the Chinese fans watching from home. They were also silent, but that was because they were afraid that one fart all the way over in China could distract God Roundy in London. The stream chat was empty, because typing on the keyboard also made a sound. Even the casters of the official Chinese broadcast started whispering, their eyes locked on the screen instead of on the camera.

    Qinghe chewed on his lips and didn¡¯t blink. He didn¡¯t want to miss even a second of this fight. This was the fight that could very well end up deciding the game! He looked at the close up of Tian Tian¡¯s face and then at the Hecarim. His eyes went wide. ¡°Ultimate. Ultimate! The Hecarim still has his ultimate! God Roundy hasn¡¯t used his ultimate yet! There is still the ultimate!¡±

    It seemed as if Tian Tian could hear Qinghe scream. His Hecarim¡¯s health had dropped below 25% as he reached under his outer tower. The yers from sh were chasing after him. All five of them. They ran after him in a perfect straight line. This was the moment he¡¯d been waiting for. The sole reason why he hadn¡¯t used his ultimate yet. He flicked his mouse to hover over sh¡¯s Champions and then pressed down on his R key¨COnught of Shadows!

    The sounds of a thousand hooves rang across the rift. Hecarim had summoned his spectral riders! He aimed his polearm at the Champions from sh andmanded in his hoarse voice, ¡°Break their ranks!

    ¡°Trample their bones!

    ¡°Crush them underfoot!¡±

    Hecarim led the charge into sh¡¯s team. The cavalry of spectral riders followed behind him. They charged through the Tristana and then the Lee Sin. Riven. Alistar. Kassadin. All five Champions from sh got caught in the skill. They were terrified by the spectral riders running through them and ran away like headless chickens!

    The Wembley Arena erupted with deafening cheers! This was a five man Hecarim ultimate! God Roundy had actually hit all five members from sh! The Chinese fans at home leaned closer towards their screens. This was their God Roundy! God Roundy was making the ys! They wanted to scream and yell, but had no one to scream or yell to. So they took their excitement to the stream chat.

    ¡¸omgomgomgomgomgo did you guys see that. tell me youg uys saw that! Telll meeeeee¡¹

    ¡¸WWOOOOOOOO GOOODDD ROUNNDDDYYYYY¡¹

    ¡¸!!!!!!! FIVE MEN ULTTIIII¡¹

    ¡¸HOLLYYY DAMMNNN SOOO GOOODDDDD!!!!!!111!1!¡¹

    ¡¸im not crying im not crying im not crying¡¹

    ¡¸this is so fcking sick like holy fk dude¡¹

    Stone¡¯s voice was already hoarse. But he didn¡¯t care about his dry and painful throat. He screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°HECARIM HAS ULTED! WAAAAA! HE¡¯S DONE IT! GOD ROUNDY HAS LANDED A FIVE MAN ULT! THIS IS THE TURN AROUND!¡±

 Chapter 97: Still not Enough | Views: 7,286

    The yers from sh felt numb. They stared at their screens. Feared. The Hecarim. Roundy Round¡¯s Hecarim had baited them into a five man ultimate. His spectral riders had feared all five of their Champions! The screams from the 12,500 fans in the arena hit their eardrums, making it all the more painful. Chris especially felt his heart drop. This was the second time this game that he¡¯d been baited by Roundy Round. He¡¯d fallen for it both times. ¡°T-this can¡¯t be¡­¡± he mumbled.

    On the caster desk, Qinghe couldn¡¯t hold his excitement back any longer. ¡°Look! Look! It¡¯s Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai! They¡¯re finally there to help God Roundy! They can win this! KG can win this! Come on, KG, get that ace! ACE FLASH! ACE FLASH!¡±

    The yers on sh saw the health on their Champions drop. Lee Sin especially. He was the only one who could keep up with the Tristana Rocket Jumping after the Hecarim by dashing to her¨CSafeguard! Then, as both of them were under KG¡¯s outer tower and he got tower aggro, Hecarim hit them with Onught of Shadows. The tower fired off an energy shot at him. A second one followed right after and hit him before the fear broke.

    Tian Tian was in the middle of sh¡¯s team after using Onught of Shadows. He turned around. The Tristana was walking aimlessly under his outer tower. He activated Devastating Charge. Hecarim gained increased movement speed and could walk through units. He charged through the Riven and Lee Sin. Then he kicked the Tristana with his hooves, knocking her back into his outer tower.

    The voice chat from KG had been quiet during the gamesst week. It wasn¡¯t all that different at the start of this game, safe for when Tian Tian got the solo kill on the Riven. But right now it finally sprung back to life. Tian Tian¡¯s teammates were showering him withpliments.¡°Nice job Roundy!¡±¡°You roll over ¡®em, Roundyboy!¡±¡°We can win this fight! Focus, guys!¡±¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    The Rek¡¯Sai had burrowed underground for the increased movement speed as she rushed down to the fight in bottomne. She arrived just as the yers from sh broke free from the fear. Three of them were closely huddled together. She shed towards them and Unburrowed, knocking them airborne! One of them was Lee Sin. His health was almost zero. Rek¡¯Sai sunk her teeth into him¨CFurious Bite!¨Cand killed him.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    The Orianna arrived in the river entrance to botne. The yers from sh were still disorganized, and Rek¡¯Sai stood in the middle of them. This was Orianna¡¯s chance to make a move. She shed forward and used Command: Protect to attach her Ball to Rek¡¯Sai. The Tristana tried to run out of tower range, but ran straight towards the Rek¡¯Sai Now! Now! Now! The Orianna watched her Ball move until it attached to the Rek¡¯Sai and activated her ultimate¨CCommand: Shockwave!

    The millions of Chinese spectators all held their breaths. Their eyes were glued onto their screens. This was it! The moment when KG could win the fight! Even the casters weren¡¯t really casting. Only Stone was talking and he kept repeating the same words over and over again. ¡°Come on. Come on. Come on.¡±

    A powerful electromaic shockwave erupted from Orianna¡¯s Ball. It swept out into the surroundings before sucking everything towards it! The Tristana had walked right into its range, while the other members from sh were also in range. They were all pulled in and lost a lot of health! Then the Orianna used Command: Dissonance to release a pulse of energy that also dealt a lot of damage. The four yers from sh suddenly had only a fifth of their health remaining at most.

    It was beautiful to watch, that synergy andbo by Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai! They did exactly what the fans expected of them! The millions of people watching the Chinese stream went wild! This wasn¡¯t just a 3,000 ELO Orianna ultimate, this was also the move that won KG the fight! It might even be the catalyst to them winning the entire game!

    ¡¸Did you see that ori ult? SO SICK!!!¡¹

    ¡¸the rek-ori wombooomboooo!!!!1!!!¡¹

    ¡¸KG GOT THIS! LEZ WIN THE GAMEEEEE¡¹

    ¡¸Orianna is the best Orianna in the world!¡¹

    Tian Tian chased after the Tristana. After she got caught by the Orianna ultimate, her health dropped into the single digits. All he had to do was attack her onest time with an auto attack. His polearm swept across her body.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Chris had a little bit more health left on his Riven than the Tristana had. But it still wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to stop Tian Tian. Tian Tian had his Hecarim cleave the Riven with his polearm¨CRampage!¨Cand then hit her with ast auto attack. For the second time this game, he¡¯d killed the Riven.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Tian Tian¡¯s screen was shing red and his Hecarim had less than 10% of his health remaining. There were still the Alistar and Kassadin alive on sh¡¯s team. The Kassadin fired an orb of void energy at the Rek¡¯Sai¨CNull Sphere! He followed up with a Force Pulse, swiping his de and firing off excess energy in a cone in front of him. It hit Tian Tian¡¯s Hecarim, slowing him and dropping his health to less than 1%. Then a purple rift appeared out of nowhere and Kassadin disappeared. This was the animation for Riftwalk! If this skill hit the Hecarim, he would die! Tian Tian smashed down on his D key to sh away. His Hecarim disappeared from the exact spot where the Kassadin arrived. He¡¯d gotten out just in time! With another Devastating Charge, he ran down thene all the way back to his inner tower.

    The Rek¡¯Sai used Queen¡¯s Wrath to empower her basic attacks, then attacked the Kassadin with her ws. His health dropped to almost zero. The Orianna also threw an auto attack at the Kassadin and thenmanded her Ball to attack! The Ball moved to the Kassadin and hit him. It was just enough to kill him. All the while, the Alistar tried to run away. He¡¯d gotten halfway down thene when Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai caught up to him. And between the two of them, they had enough damage to kill him before he could reach his outer tower. The Orianna dealt thest attack.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    Millions of people were watching the Chinese live broadcast of Worlds. They watched KG turn a terrible situation around! Tian Tian had single-handedly helped his team win this teamfight! KG had a chance at winning this game! Messages flooded into the chat. Everyone had an opinion on the fight and wanted to exin just how good God Roundy was. As for the three shoutcasters, they were speechless and sat there staring at the screen. Qinghe then turned to the other two, a voice in his ear reminding him he had to cast. ¡°WOW! KG hase out big! That y was insane, you guys!

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he turned that fight around! They even aced sh!

    ¡°I thought for sure Orianna and Rek¡¯Sai were too far away. But they never gave up and arrived in time to clean up the fight! Props to them!

    ¡°However, I think we need to stand still for a second and look again at what God Roundy did. That was something special, guys. A five man Hecarim ultimate. He hit a five man Hecarim ultimate! Have we ever seen this happen before at Worlds? Or even inpetitive y? I don¡¯t think so. I know I haven¡¯t.

    ¡°For all of you watching at home. This is one of those moments you¡¯re going to tell your children about. I think this y will be one of the highest skill ys we¡¯ll ever see in the game! God Roundy just made himself a legend! Oh my god, that was a five man Hecarim ultimate!

    ¡°Are we going to start calling it a Roundy? I say we start calling it a Roundy as a sign of respect to the man! Though, I doubt we¡¯ll ever see another one. That was just too good. God Roundy is too good.¡±

    Qinghe hit the nail on its head. This teamfight was the God Roundy show! Roundy Round showed the entire world why his fans called him a God. He showed them why they nicknamed him the Uncrowned Eighth. Though, going solely off this y, calling him the Uncrowned Eighth would be an insult. This y alone made him deserving of the title of King, if not Emperor!

    Loloughed and cried. Her emotions were in turmoil. She didn¡¯t know anymore how she felt or how to act. Then she wiped her eyes clean and spoke towards the camera, ¡°God Roundy did fantastic. He carried that teamfight on his back! That was so good.¡±

    As for the man in question, Tian Tian slumped back into his gaming chair. His Hecarim had survived and they¡¯d won the teamfight. He looked drained. But there was also a smile. He grabbed his chest with both hands and breathed out deeply. Then heughed. One shortugh full of disbelief. I-it worked. It worked! I can¡¯t believe that worked! There¡¯d been no big n, no grand scheme, nothing behind his y. All he did was follow his intuition. He¡¯d used his ultimate when it felt right. I-i¡¯m really really good. Lin Feng was right. I¡¯m good! Then he calmed down. Whenever he thought of Lin Feng, he remembered the promise he¡¯d made. He had to win this game! Not just one teamfight. It''s time to focus and win!

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe in downtown Shanghai, the yers from High School 13 had jumped up from their seats and were hugging each other and cheering. High School 7 had surrendered 25 minutes into the game! Though, the game was pretty much yed after the teamfight at the Dragon pit. That fight had crushed High School 7¡¯s motivation. They¡¯d stopped trying as hard and got caught out of position constantly, to the point where there wasn¡¯t another big teamfight to speak of, only solo kills all over the map. But it didn¡¯t matter what High School 7 did or how they yed. All that mattered was that High School 13 had won the game and would move on to the main tournament!

    Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou ran at their teammates and created a bigger hug-circle, as they jumped up and down. They¡¯d done it! They were going to the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

    ¡°Nice! You guys are the best!¡± Ren Rouughed.

    Ouyang ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair and shouted loudly into everyone¡¯s ears, ¡°HAHA! I KNEW IT! You guys totally did it! The Championship trophy will be ours! Watch out everyone, HERE WE COME!¡±

    When everyone calmed down a little and the hug-circle broke, Lin Feng rubbed his nose and said loud enough for everyone to hear, ¡°It¡¯s still not enough, though.¡± He waited for the others to look at him before continuing, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that we already qualified. We still have to win the next game. Just this isn¡¯t enough. We have to go three for three.¡±

    The third game in this qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was against Tonji Affiliated High. They were the strongest team in this group and had made it all the way to the semifinals of the main tournamentst year. Butpared to what Fatty had to face at Worlds, this was nothing. Lin Feng only had to beat some high schoolers, while Fatty had to beat Legend, whose Miner was Phoenix and one of the Four Emperors.

 Chapter 98: 20-Minute Goal | Views: 7,812

    ¡°God Roundy is pushing down topne. He¡¯s already on the inhibitor tower! The rest of KG is defending mid. sh can¡¯t push through them. Riven will have to go top and defend.¡±¡°WAAAAA! GOD ROUNDY KILLS RIVEN AGAIN! THIS IS THE INHIBITOR! THIS IS THE INHIBITOR!¡±¡°Watch out, Roundy! sh is copsing on you! Devastating Charge out! You can do it! Run away on your horse!¡±¡°Hahaha! Look at that wild goose chase God Roundy is leading them on! LOOK AT MID LANE! LOOK! THE INNER TOWER IS DOWN!¡±¡°Is this the second inhibitor for KG? IT IS! KG HAS TAKEN DOWN THE SECOND INHIBITOR!¡±¡°This is the game, right? This must be the game! KG is going to win!¡±¡°THEY¡¯RE STILL PUSHING! Why is sh not recalling back to base? They need to defend!¡±¡°OH MY GOD! GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY! He¡¯s stopping them from recalling! He¡¯s stopping them from recalling!¡±¡°THE NEXUS TOWERS ARE DOWN! WAAAAAAAAAAAA! THIS IS GAME! KG WIN THE GAME!¡±¡°KG HAVE BEATEN FLASH! GOD ROUNDY CARRIED KG TO A WIN!¡±

    The crowd at the Wembley Arena went wild. Fans jumped out of their seats and the cheering erupted out of the arena. It was so loud that even the people out in the parking lots could feel the vibrations from the cheering through the ground. KG was dered the winner of the second match of the day. KG had just defeated sh!

    KG was a team from the LPL and not from the European LCS. There should be a strong rivalry between the two regions! But the European fans didn¡¯t care for any of this right now. This match was a neutral fan¡¯s wet dream! They pped until their hands were numb and screamed until their voices gave out. God Roundy¡¯s KG had won them over!

    God Roundy had told a story of redemption today. A story of never giving up and always striving for the best. Everyone in the crowd knew what¡¯d happenedst week. Many of them were in the Wembley Arena and saw it happen! KG had yed like a nervous trainwreck. They¡¯d looked like the weakest team at Worlds. But that had all changed in this first game of week two. This looked like a new KG. A KG with God Roundy on the roster, instead of Roundy Round. God Roundy carried, even on a Champion like Hecarim who was more of a tank than a carry. He won ane matchup he shouldn¡¯t have won and led his team to an easy victory. But more than all of that, he had hit a brilliant five man ultimate. Just thinking of that one y gave everyone goosebumps.

    There was a small number of Chinese fans in the crowd at the Wembley Arena. They were far too few to make their voices heard when the Europeans started cheering, and afterst week¡¯s performances of the Chinese teams, they didn¡¯t mind that no one paid attention to them. But right now they stood on their chairs and held up the fluorescent sign boards they¡¯d prepared. If they couldn¡¯t make their voice heard, they could at least show God Roundy and KG that they did have fans cheering for them in the audience!

    There was a group of three girls who held up arge, fluorescent sign board. It read: ¡°WE LOVE YOU GOD ROUNDY!¡± Then there were several other groups spread out across the arena that held simr signs but with different texts.¡°KG! KG! KG!¡±GO GOD ROUNDY! GO KG!¡±¡°KG IS THE BEST!¡±¡°KG NEW WORLD CHAMPIONS!¡±

    The people in the VIP viewing area also stood up and apuded KG. Among them were the yers from Legend. When the Chinese fans saw Phoenix pping for KG, they froze. They stopped cheering and instead fell back on their chairs. In their excitement, they¡¯d forgotten about KG¡¯s situation for a moment. KG needed three wins to make it out of the group stage. One win was in the bag. They should also be able to im a second victory against the wildcard team. But then there was a third team they¡¯d have to y against and beat. Europe¡¯s first seed team. Legend. Their Miner was Phoenix, one of the Four Emperors. The same Phoenix who stood, pping for KG, unfazed. Though he was a little far away, from what they could see of him, he didn¡¯t worry one bit after seeing KG¡¯s ster performance. They did worry now. If this performance from KG couldn¡¯t get a reaction from Phoenix, then it wasn¡¯t enough to worry him.

    Phoenix. The best yer in Europe. One of the four best yers in the world. He had a strong team around him. They were a real contender for the World Title. It was always going to be an uphill battle for KG to beat them. But the Chinese fans had hoped, expected even, that after thisst game, Legend would worry ever so slightly. God Roundy should¡¯ve rocked the boat that was Legend with his godly Hecarim! They looked at Phoenix again. He¡¯d sat back down, reclining back in his chair andughing with the person next to him. This looked nothing like a worried person. This looked everything like a confident man.

    ?

    The initial excitement calmed down. The Chinese fans at home stopped spamming the stream chat and Stone concluded his post-game analysis in which he¡¯dcked the supetives for God Roundy. They then continued with an early pre-game analysis. The next game for KG was versus Legend. Qinghe turned to the camera and said in earnest, ¡°The next match will be it for KG. Do or die. If they want to move on to the next round, they have to win this game.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Stone sighed, loudly, and shook his head. ¡°If they¡¯d yed like thisst week, they wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. Man, they have to beat Legend. That¡¯s going to be so difficult.¡±

    Lolo forced a smile, worried. ¡°This game was the God Roundy show. He yed phenomenally. I wish he could¡¯ve yed like thatst week. Then KG would already be through to the next round¡­¡±

    Lolo said what everyone watching the stream thought. If only God Roundy had shown up in week one, Worlds would¡¯ve lookedpletely different for the LPL teams. They, as the fans, would¡¯ve had something to celebrate. But now their patience was being tested and all they could do was worry for KG. It would take something really special for them to move on to the next round.

    Qinghe took a deep breath and said, ¡°There¡¯s no point in talking about what could¡¯ve been. Let¡¯s just be happy for now that God Roundy and KG seem to have found their form. And don¡¯t forget, guys, they¡¯re still in it. They haven¡¯t lost yet!¡± He smiled, ¡°All they have to do is beat Legend, and they¡¯ll advance directly into the quarterfinals. But even if they lose, there¡¯s still hope. As long as they beat the wildcard team and Legend beats sh, then KG and sh will have the same score. They would have to y a tiebreaker to decide who¡¯ll make it to the next round.¡±

    The viewers agreed with Qinghe. Legend was probably too strong for KG. God Roundy had shown everyone how good his Hecarim was, but that was just one Champion in one game. It was hardly representative for how strong KG was. Either way. If KG won, that was great, obviously. But they also had to prepare for what¡¯d happen if they lost. sh would most likely also lose against Legend. That meant that, assuming KG beat the wildcard team, they would y a tiebreaker. This was exactly where the minds of the yers from KG were at. They felt their time was better spent preparing for the tiebreaker rather than on the Legend game. The only exception was Tian Tian.

    Tian Tian had separated from his teammates and sat alone. He didn¡¯t share their sentiment. Why do they worry so much about an Emperor? It didn¡¯t matter who he had to y, he wanted to win! If it was before he¡¯d spoken to Lin Feng, he¡¯d still be sitting in his bathroom stall, or maybe even be on his way back home already. However, that one call had woken up something deep inside of him. Something that¡¯d always been there, but something he¡¯d forgotten. Or maybe suppressed. He was terrified to face off against Legend. That hadn¡¯t changed. He hadn¡¯t changed as a person. But Lin Feng had reminded him that the only dreams worth pursuing were those that seemed impossible. He wanted to make the impossible possible! He wanted to beat Legend and carry his team to the next round!

    This desire to beat Legend and show Phoenix that he could beat a team with an Emperor on it wouldn¡¯t go away. Tian Tian only felt it be stronger and stronger. He clenched his fists, eager for the next game. Then his mind went woozy. His lips started quivering and he started ying with his fingers, everything he did back in his bathroom stall. I can¡¯t do it! I-can¡¯t do it! I ca¡ªN-no! T-that¡¯s not right. I have to win! I¡­ I can¡¯t do it! I have to win! I promised I would win¡­ I¡¯m going to win! Win! Win! Win! Win! He shook off everyst fiber in his body that tried to resist, that tried to pull him back to that dark ce he¡¯d stepped out from. Then he took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°W-wait for me, Lin Feng! I-i¡¯ll win!¡±

    ?

    In the Netcow Cafe in downtown Shanghai, the yers from High School 13 were amping themselves up for theirst game in the qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They¡¯d already qualified for the main tournament after winning thest game against High School 7, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t give it their all in this game! Their next game was against their strongest opponent yet. Tonji Affiliated High! This was the perfect game to see where they stood.

    Ouyang had gone off to spy on Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team. He hid behind a row ofputers and tried to listen in on them. Then he got a good look at their expressions before running through the inte cafe back to his own team. ¡°H-hey, bros! Come here!¡± he eximed, exhausted. ¡°I just went to sneak a peek at them¡­¡± He pointed over his shoulder towards Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team. ¡°...they don¡¯t seem worried. Like, not one bit. My bro, Lin Feng. You know I love you man. And I don¡¯t wanna be the party pooper here. But, bro, do you really think we can beat those guys?¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s words struck a nerve with High School 13¡¯s team, but some things had to be said. They were all feeling the same in the back of their minds. That¡¯s why Ren Rou didn¡¯t get upset with Ouyang. Tonji Affiliated High was a far better team than High School 7. They¡¯d made it all the way to the semifinals in the Shanghai 16 School Tournamentst year. From team synergy to individual talent, they were just really, really good. Their weakest yer was their Toner at Diamond 4. The others were Diamond 1 or Master. And even if their Toner was only Diamond 4, that didn¡¯t mean much. Team skills were the most important when it came to teampetitions.

    Ren Rou grabbed a little notebook she kept and opened it to a page that read Tonji Affiliated High at the top. She read her notes and then said, ¡°Hisning phase is pretty mediocrepared to the others on his team. But his Teleport game is on point and the longer a game goes on, the better he gets. He¡¯s a really good team fighter.¡±

    Over on the other side of the inte cafe, Tonji Affiliated High was also paying attention to High School 13. They¡¯d spotted Ouyang and had watched him run back to his group. ¡°That¡¯s High School 13?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°Seems like it. They beat High School 7 apparently.¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk. Those guys at High School 7 are terrible this year. Can¡¯t believe they lost to the never lucky crew from High School 13.¡±

    ¡°Ah, whatever guys. Let¡¯s just make this a quick game. I wanna go out and get a bite to eat.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sounds good. We¡¯ll have them surrendering in 20 minutes. Maybe we should try and end it before 20 minutes? Just to embarrass them a little¡­¡±

    Tonji Affiliated High had the status to be a little arrogant. They¡¯d provenst year how good they were, and this year they were at least as good. Maybe even better. However, they weren¡¯t the only ones making bold ims. Lin Feng had a knack for that too. He looked at his team and said, ¡°Tang Tang, go your Draven. I¡¯m also switching to top.¡± He paused for a moment, then added, ¡°Let¡¯s finish this game in 20 minutes!¡±

 Chapter 99: Same Wavelength | Views: 7,812

    The time was finally there! The moment everyone had been waiting for! KG versus Legend! The crowd in the Wembley Arena forgot all about KG and their spectacr victory over sh. They only chanted, ¡°LEGEND!¡± Both teams walked up on stage, the European favourites waving at the screaming crowd. This was their crowd! This was their hometurf! They would show the world why they were a title contender! The 10 yers sat down behind theirputers, eachne opponent opposite each other. They were given a minute to adjust their mouse and keyboard settings as the arena went quiet.

    There was a buzz in the arena while the fans were waiting for the game to go into Champion Select. But the seconds soon turned to minutes. They were getting antsy. They wanted to see the game, and they wanted to see it now! A few people started a wave that went around the arena, while others started cheering for Phoenix and Legend. There were even a few bored Dutch fans who started singing a poor trantion of a well-known song:¡°It takes too long,¡°We¡¯re stuck here for a while now,¡°We have to move on,¡°So for the final time I¡¯m sorry,¡°This takes too long!¡°Boohoo!¡±

    The Chinese fans tried to get their voices heard. But they were tiny droplets of sound lost in an ocean of voices. No one could hear them, no one noticed what they were saying, or paid any attention to the pride they felt at a team from their country winning. It was a bittersweet moment for them, joy and sadness swirling together. Until one of the Chinese girls, one who was waving around a sign that said ¡°MARRY ME ROUNDY¡±, decided to do something. If there was ever a time she could make their voices heard, it was now! There were far more Europeans in the crowd than there were Asians, but the Europeans weren¡¯t cheering together right now. She would be the beacon for all of the Chinese fans, she could and would unify their voices until they overpowered everyone. She jumped up onto her seat and pulled her sweater off. She waved the bright red sweater in the air like a g, and then flung it out towards the crowd in front of her. Underneath the sweater, she had a crop top on. A racy,cy one that revealed her toned midriff all the way up to just below her breasts. The sheer fabric clung to her curves and only entuated their appeal. They wererge, round, and perky. The breasts of a goddess, one that lived in every man¡¯s fantasies. Now that she had everyone¡¯s attention, she grabbed another fluorescent sign and held it high above her head. There was a new message on it: ¡°GO KG!!!¡± Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡°DO YOUR BEST KG! I BELIEVE IN YOU! GO GOD ROUNDY!¡±

    The spotlights just happened to pan over her during this perfect moment. Perhaps fate was a man, or an avid admirer of the feminine form. Everyone was drawn to her. Thousands of eyes fell on her body. People from all the way across the arena squinted their eyes, trying to get a better look at her. For most of them, it was part of the excitement that went withrge scale events like Worlds. But for a small minority, this was something different. For that small minority, this was the first time that they¡¯d ever seen such an attractive woman in such revealing attire in real life. They were stunned! Most people justughed. They started catcalling her, jokingly, while keeping their eyes on her. One lucky man even got her sweater and took a big whiff. The people around him could hear a loud ¡°Aaahhhhh!¡±

    The girl in question cared for none of these lecherous gazes. Or the catcalls. She was the center of attention right now, and that was all that mattered. This was her goal. Whatever she said next, everyone would hear it. She dropped her sign and cupped her hands around her mouth. Then she screamed, ¡°GO KG! GOD ROUNDY FOR THE WIN! GO KG!¡±

    She gave small kicks to the girls sitting directly next to her. They were her friends, and they also happened to be very attractive. She needed their help right now! The two girls looked up at their friend, caught up in the mixture of shock and awe. Their friend had done something incredible. Embarrassing! But incredible! Then one of them mumbled, ¡°Screw it!¡± She took off her shirt, and threw it down onto her seat. Then she cheered and started jumping up and down with just her bra on! The men in the crowd couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. Their shouts grew louder, chanting for her to also get up on her chair. She did. Then she noticed all of the people looking at her and got shy. She wrapped her arms around her chest. Then she clenched her jaw and looked at her friend next to her, still cheering KG on. Her friend needed help! She turned around and bent over, mooning the entire crowd! There were those that just weren¡¯t into breasts, and she would help get the attention of those people with her shapely rear! Once she was sure she managed to get everyone¡¯s attention, she grabbed the fluorescent sign board from the ground. She lifted it up high above her head and started cheering for KG together with her friend, her breasts jumping up and down, dangerously close to popping out of her bra.

    The third girl tried to hide her head behind her arms. She slid down into her chair, hoping no one would see her. But they did. Everyone did. And they were calling for her in between whistling towards her two friends. She bit on her lips and looked up at the other two. They seemed to be having fun. It was reckless. But also harmless. She thought about it, thought about how you only live once. Ah, fuck it! She grabbed her sign and stood up on the chair, then started chanting for KG together with her two friends.

    However, the rest of the crowd wouldn¡¯t have anything of it. Everyone had turned their attention to the three girls. Two were revealing more than they perhaps should. But the third was still wearing arge sweater! One person in the crowd yelled, ¡°Take your shirt off and I¡¯ll chant for KG!¡± And soon the whole arena was chanting that one sentence.¡°TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF AND WE¡¯LL CHANT FOR KG!¡±¡°TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF AND WE¡¯LL CHANT FOR KG!¡±¡°TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF AND WE¡¯LL CHANT FOR KG!¡±¡°TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF AND WE¡¯LL CHANT FOR KG!¡±

    The girl with her long sweater on felt herself blushing. She was probably beet red right now from the embarrassment and attention. She wanted to jump back down, but there was something that kept her standing. And it wasn¡¯t a creepy pervert. She shook her head in refusal, which only invoked louder screams from the crowd. Then she put her sign down and took her sweater off. She twirled her sweater on her finger and let it go. It flew through the air andnded a few rows to the front. She picked the fluorescent sign board back up and held it before her chest before finally moving it up above her head, jumping up and down and cheering for KG, as did everyone else in the Wembley Arena, if only for a little while.

    ?

    After their loss to KG, the yers on Team sh were in no mood to sit down with the rest of the yers, the ones from other teams, in the VIP viewing area. So they walked out of the main arena, up the stairs, and into one of the private skyboxes. None of them said a word. They walked up to the window and looked down on the arena from the skybox, at the cheering crowd. Some girls had gotten the entire arena riled up, screaming, ¡°KG!¡± and ¡°God Roundy!¡±. They hated it. Chris smashed his fist against the double ss, while the others turned away and sat down at a table and started talking about their n of attack.

    ¡°Man! No way in hell KG beats Legend! That¡¯s our chance! We y Legendter! All we gotta do is y out of our minds and beat them! Sounds great, right? Great¡­ Ah, I don¡¯t know guys. It¡¯s kinda unrealistic, right? They¡¯re really fucking good. Odds are that we lose and end up in a tiebreaker against KG¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t see us beating Legend either. Let¡¯s be real, Legend is the better team. They got Phoenix, we got no Emperor. Simple as that. Let¡¯s just assume we¡¯ll be in the tiebreaker against KG.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cool. It¡¯s cool. We¡¯ll be good. Screw the Legend game. Let¡¯s just focus on the tiebreaker. We got this. Just focus down that Roundy guy and then it¡¯ll be an easy win. Right guys? Right? We¡¯ll win for sure!¡±

    ¡°I mean, sure, we¡¯ll win. As long as we don¡¯t give away first blood again. Let¡¯s not do any stupid towerdives and shut that Roundy Round down. The others on KG are all shit. This game is in the bag.¡±

    Four yers from sh had resigned themselves to ying the tiebreaker against KG. They couldn¡¯t be faulted for giving up. Legend was an Emperor team. It didn¡¯t matter how good Chris yed, he was only a King. sh was only a King team. That generally wasn¡¯t enough toe even close to beating an Emperor. All five members from sh knew. That included Chris. He was on the same wavelength as the others. The game against Legend was a loss. They had to focus on the tiebreaker against KG. Chris looked through the window down at the center of the arena. KG was setting up for their game against Legend. Roundy Round sat behind hisputer. You fat shit! You got lucky! I¡¯ll wipe the floor with you. Chris was determined to wash away the humiliation from thest game. The possibility of KG defeating Legend didn¡¯t even register in his mind. Let¡¯s see you get your ass kicked by Phoenix first.

    ?

    Moon sat in the VIP viewing area, watching God Roundy. If anyone knew how strong an Emperor was, it¡¯d be him. The strength of an Emperor wasn¡¯t just their individual skill. It was their ability to bring a team together and lift them up to that next level. To help every member reach their potential, and then some. And through that, they instilled a sense of fear into their opponents. It was thisbination that set Emperors apart from other yers. This was also the reason why Moon didn¡¯t think KG had much of a chance against Legend. Phoenix was the third ranked Emperor. He was one of the greatest yers this game had ever seen, and would probably ever see. The way he could bring up the overall strength of his team was something special. Even Moon didn¡¯t think he was that good.

    KG had yed well in their game against sh. God Roundy had put on a show with his Hecarim. He¡¯d shown the world why he was one of the best yers. But he wasn¡¯t at the absolute top. He hadn¡¯t made that jump that Phoenix had. Moon turned his head away from Roundy to look at a man sitting a little further in the VIP viewing area. But how does he look so calm? This was the man some called the Esports Legend. The man he knew from the game he yed before League of Legends. Someone who was connected to Roundy. He was grinning, unconcerned. What does he know? How can he be this calm? Something didn¡¯t feel right for Moon. His analysis of the teams told him Legend would win, but the way that man was acting had him doubting himself.

    ?

    The third and final match of the qualifiers for High School 13 was about to begin! High School 13 versus Tonji Affiliated High! Both teams had already qualified for the main tournament. There were no real stakes left to y for. This was a game for prestige! At least, it was for High School 13. This was a great opportunity for them to show everyone, especially themselves, how strong they were this year. Tonji Affiliated High, on the other hand, didn¡¯t particrly care for this game. They never put High School 13 in their eyes. High School 13 was a weak team with a bad reputation and wasn¡¯t worth their time. They would y to get a quick win this game and move on.

    Arge crowd gathered around the isle ofputers. There were even more than during High School 13¡¯s second game after Ouyang¡¯s outburst. The yers from both teams were sitting behind theirputers, with Lin Feng sitting behind the monitor for the Toner. That meant that Chen Ze was sitting out this round, while Yang Fan came back in to y in the midne. This wasn¡¯t a rash decision by the team. Rather, this was a carefully nned out trap by Lin Feng. His main role was midne and he could beat the Master Miner from Tonji Affiliated High. But there was a big difference between beating ane opponent and outright carrying the game. Right now, he needed to carry the entire game. The way to do that was to get fed. He couldn¡¯t do that in midne against a Master yer if they yed defensively. But there was an easier target in topne. Someone at a lower rank who would make the kind of mistakes he could easily capitalize on to snowball thene into a winning game. That was why he would be ying in the topne this game.

    Lin Feng looked over hisputer screen at the yers from Tonji Affiliated High sitting across from him. He couldn¡¯t let Tonji Affiliated High dictate the pace of the game. If that happened, High School 13 would lose. I just have to try-hard and carry this game. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, then looked over at Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner. He was a Diamond 4 yer. This was a high rank, but no different from any other low ranked yer to Lin Feng. He would find this yer¡¯s ws and abuse them to snowball. Hehe. Alright. I know. Let¡¯s go with this n. Stomp thene, win the game. Now I just need to pick a strong early game champion that can do that.

    ?

    KG and Legend were in Champion Select. The crowd was cheering in the background as KG was the first to ban a Champion. Tian Tian listened to his teammates discuss their strategy. They¡¯de up with a game n and were ready to execute it. But he didn¡¯t join in with them. His hands were shaking a little but he stared them still. Whatever n his teammates hade up with was irrelevant, because it was a n where they would fight Legend on even foot. He knew how impossible that was, he just didn¡¯t know how to tell them. Legend was better. in and simple. They couldn¡¯t win if they went into this game thinking they could beat Legend at their game.

    Tian Tian took deep breaths, quite unlike his usual shorter breaths. He wasn¡¯t borderline hyperventting. He had his emotions under control, for now. More than ever, he knew what to do. His n of attack was clear. He was never more certain about anything than this. We can¡¯t fall behind in the early game, or we lose. We can¡¯t give them time to react and adapt, or we lose. I need to snowball early and hit them hard and never stop until their Nexus explodes! He bit on his lips. The voicesing from the voice chat sounded as indistinct as thoseing from the audience behind him. He stared at the screen, scrolling through the list of Champions. I have to do something special. It didn¡¯t matter what his teammates were doing, so long as they didn¡¯t start feeding Legend kills. All that mattered was that he knew what had to be done to win this game, and that he did that! I¡¯ll win this game!

    The ban phase came to an end and both sides started locking in their Champions. KG was the Blue team and got first pick. Legend reacted to it, and KG reacted to that. Both teams showed more of their strategy as they locked in their Champions, until it was the turn for fourth and fifth pick on the side of KG. Fifth pick was KG¡¯s Support and he locked his Champion in right away. But Tian Tian in fourth pick didn¡¯t. He scrolled through his Champions, looking, thinking. His teammates talked to him, but he wasn¡¯t listening. He knew he had to do this. His hands started shaking a little bit again, so he squeezed his mouse and pushed down on his keyboard harder to make them stop. Two more deep breaths and then he hovered over the one Champion that could help him do what he needed to do.

    ?

    It was High School 13 versus Tonji Affiliated High! The game went into Champion Select with Lin Feng¡¯s team on the Blue team. They had first pick, revealing the first bit of their strategy. Tonji Affiliated High didn¡¯t respond to this, but rather went with a Champion to suit their own teamposition. What followed was a back and forth of locking in Champions until it was the turn for fourth and fifth pick on the side of High School 13. Wei Dong in fifth pick locked in his Support. Lin Feng was thest on his team to lock in a Champion. He¡¯d already made his decision. Time to show everyone how to win a game in 20 minutes. He moved his mouth to the search bar and typed in a name, then selected and locked in the Champion. Watch me Fatty. This one''s for you!

    On the main stage in the Wembley Arena, Tian Tian watched the timer tick down. He only had a few seconds left to lock in his Champion. There was a trace of hesitation. A moment of weakness. But then there was no more time. He¡¯d thought long and hard on this game. He knew what he had to do to win. He clicked on the Champion he was nning to y and locked it in. If he was to beat Legend, he had to pull something truly special out of the closet. I-i¡¯ll win this! I will! I promise, Lin Feng! For you and f-for me.

    Two different tournaments. The same Champion. Separated by 10,000 kilometers ofnd and sea. One ying topne for High School 13, the other ying for KG. Lin Feng and Tian Tian were on the same wavelength, connected by a single string of fate. They both picked Riven, the Exile! A warrior wielding a broken runic de, reforged through sheer willpower! Broken but not defeated. She overcame all odds to forge a path ahead. She was the perfect representation of an underdog, and she was here to issue a challenge!

 Chapter 100: My Spirit is Not Lost! | Views: 7,180

    Top Riven? What the hell¡­ The Toner for Tonji Affiliated High looked over his screen at the yers from High School 13. He didn¡¯t get a great look at their Toner¡¯s face, but he had a hunch as to who it was. It was the guy who¡¯d yed midne against High School 7 and beat their Master Miner! From there, it was easy to guess High School 13¡¯s n. They were singling him out. He was the lowest rank, so they considered him the weakest link. He was the easy yer to get fed on. He sneered. You think I¡¯m that easy? We¡¯ll see about that¡­

    The Toner from Tonji Affiliated High was the mechanically worst yer on the team. That was true. But just because he wasn¡¯t the best in one aspect of the game, that didn¡¯t make him the worst yer on the team. Nor did he believe he was the worst yer on the team. As for this game, he could prove that by not feeding High School 13¡¯s Toner. He would take a safe pick in Darius and y hisne defensively, overly so. As long as he made sure he didn¡¯t give away any early game kills, High School 13¡¯s n would go up in smoke. Then once thening phase came to an end and they started teamfighting, he would show everyone just how good he was at the game!

    ?

    An audible gasp sounded through the Wembley Arena when Roundy Round locked in Riven. Riven was an offensive Toner. yers picked her when they nned to win thene. This was a Champion with which you¡¯d get fed with early on in the game and carry your team. Legend was the Emperor team. They had the more skilled yers. So no one expected thising out of KG. They¡¯d expected a safe pick, something tanky and strong in the current meta.

    The Chinese casters didn¡¯t know what to think of this pick. They wanted to be excited, but they were also worried. This was a big risk KG was taking! Stone was the first to open his mouth. He wanted to say something interesting, but failed to find the words for that. All he said was, ¡°God Roundy pulled out the top Riven!¡±

    Qinghe looked at the two guestmentators and asked, ¡°What do you guys think? Is he nning to jump in and try to snowball?¡± Stone and Lolo looked at him, but neither said a word. They didn¡¯t know the answer. It sure looked like Roundy Round was nning that. But this was Legend they were ying against! Qinghe turned to the camera and grinned, ¡°A bold choice, I¡¯ll say that! KG is risking it all! But if they can get the Riven ahead in the early game, then who knows¡­ Maybe they can actually win the game!¡±

    On the main stage, the yers from Legend looked at Phoenix. They didn¡¯t expect to see this picking out of KG and wanted to know if this would change the way they were going to y this game. Phoenix nodded at his screen, at the Riven pick. He felt the gazes of his teammates on him and could hear them asking him for his n over voice chat, but he kept staring at his screen. Interesting¡­ This could be fun. He then turned to Demon and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s change the n up a little. Scrap thene swap, we¡¯re doing normalnes this game. Demon, just y it safe. Don¡¯t give him a kill and we¡¯ll get an easy win.¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± Demon replied. He bit on the inside of his cheek as he looked at the Riven in the loading screen. Should be easy enough. He knew how poorly Roundy Round yedst week, but he¡¯d also seen how good Roundy Round had yedst game. They were like two different yers. If the first one showed up, it was an easy win. And if the second one showed up, it should still be rtively easy. He trusted in his own skills. Even if he didn¡¯t outright win thene, he was confident he could keep the Riven from snowballing in the early game.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Lin Feng looked at his screen. His Riven stood in the fountain in the bottom left corner of the map. He opened the fountain shop and bought his starting items before walking out of the base. Then he took a deep breath. This was an important game to him. He wanted to win it. He needed to win it. So he got in the zone. His eighth grader syndrome went on full disy as he started narrating, ¡°Smoke hovering over the battlefield, a tattered battle g flutters in the wind.

    ¡°Soldiers dropping like flies, a wanton disregard for human life. A sight wholly unique to war.

    ¡°A silhouette wielding a heavy runic de charges into enemy ranks. Dark, green shes of runic light fly out, severing space itself. Then the cries ring out as jets of blood spray into the air. Heads start rolling and bodies drop limply to the ground.

    ¡°Above the scorched earth, surrounded by a mountain of corpses, a lone and heroic silhouette stands tall.¡±

    The scene perfectly encapsted Riven. Herbat style was to jump into the midst of battle and take over. She would y anyone standing in her way! This was exactly what Lin Feng was looking to imitate in this game. And what better Champion to do that on than Riven! In his opinion, there was none. His Riven reached the outer tower in topne. He felt butterflies in his stomach. Excited for what was toe. These were the moments he lived for! He started smiling, grinning, and thenughing. This game is mine!

    ?

    After loading into the game, Tian Tian pathed to topne and ced a ward in the tri bush at the entrance to Red team¡¯s Jungle. Fiora was already waiting there. It seemed like Legend nned to y a standardning phase. With this information, Tian Tian joined his Jungler and helped him clear the first two jungle camps, getting enough experience from it to hit Level 2. Then he took a deep breath. It was time to go tone. The knot in his stomach pulled tighter. The nerves were starting to overwhelm him again. If he screwed up. If he didn¡¯t get ahead in the early game. If he didn¡¯t snowball into the mid game... He could go on. There were too many ifs he could think of. His hands started shaking. Instead of walking intone, he clicked towards his outer tower. That was the safer option, though his Champion wasn¡¯t one you picked to y safe on.

    Tian Tian didn¡¯t have any tricks to focus his attention. He couldn¡¯tpletely immerse himself in the game like Lin Feng. He didn''t have a knack for painting grandiose scenes in his head, nor could he lose himself in these delusions anyway. A grin floated onto his face. He couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about his friend. H-he¡¯d probably be saying silly things to himself, like her j-jumping in and heads rolling¡­ N-no. That doesn¡¯t matter. I want to win. In order to win, he had to y out of his mind. There was no room for error and no room for hesitation. He either went all in, full of confidence, or he could just as well surrender and go home right now.

    The Riven arrived at the outer tower in topne. Fiora was already inne,st hitting the minions in the first wave. Tian Tian snorted, expelling hot air out of his nose and his nerves along with it. He stopped shaking. His eyes locked onto the Fiora. I¡¯ll beat you! The words came so easy. He knew exactly what he had to do and what he wanted to do. It was his ingame version of: I want to eat steamed buns!

    ?

    Ren Rou stood a little to the side from the isle ofputers. The match between High School 13 versus Tonji Affiliated High had kicked off. She couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. ¡°Chen Ze?¡± she asked, looking at the regr Toner of the team. ¡°What do you think? Can we win?¡±

    Chen Ze made all kinds of pensive faces and sounds with his tongue. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know. Honestly? Probably not. Tonji Affiliated High is really good. We¡¯ve gotten a lot better. But we¡¯re not that good. Only Lin Feng is.¡± He bit on his lips and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re ready for this game yet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a downer, bro!¡± Ouyang nudged in. ¡°We got the two wins! We¡¯ve qualified for the main tournament! We¡¯re in, bro! We¡¯re in! Who cares about this game? Let¡¯s just have some fun. We¡¯re in! We¡¯re advancing to the next round! Oh yeah!¡±

    Ouyang had the mindset most people would have. This game didn¡¯t matter. If they lost, that was no big deal. The millions of fans watching the KG versus Legend game shared the same sentiment, just for a different game. It didn¡¯t matter if KG lost against Legend, they could still make it through to the next round in the tiebreaker. Legend was an Emperor team. There was almost no one in the world who could beat them. As long as KG didn¡¯t disgrace their region, the fans would be proud and show their support!

    If Lin Feng had heard what Ouyang said, and seen Ren Rou and Chen Ze nodding in agreement, he would¡¯ve thrown a tantrum. No! This wasn¡¯t alright! This was a terrible mentality! The mentality of a loser. The mentality of someone who¡¯d never reach their dreams, because they gave up before they even got close. This game against Tonji Affiliated High was the most important game in the first qualifying round! It didn¡¯t matter that they¡¯d already advanced to the next round. The only thing that mattered was that if they ever wanted to amount to anything, they would have to face their struggles head-on. Losing after having given it your all was eptable, but not even trying was unforgivable!

    The fans watching the KG versus Legend game were just as pessimistic about KG¡¯s chances as Ren Rou was about High School 13¡¯s. They didn¡¯t think KG had any chance of winning and were already thinking about the next game. If Tian Tian was to learn of this, he wouldn¡¯t know how to respond. He wasn¡¯t outgoing like Lin Feng. No. He was timid and the type to avoid conflict. But he didn¡¯t want to walk away. Not this time. He wanted to win! Sometimes, the most timid cowards had the potential to be the bravest and most courageous of men. All they needed was the right push.

    The previous game against sh had shown Tian Tian what he already knew but didn¡¯t dare to believe. He was really good at this game. There were very few yers who could beat him when he was at his best. Last game, he beat a King in Chris. One of the Seven Kings! This was a phenomenal achievement! In this game, he was up against an Emperor. Phoenix wasn¡¯t hisne opponent, but he was ying for the opposing team. Tian Tian was nervous, anxious, and scared. But, more than anything, he was excited. He wanted to see just how far he could get. He wanted to know if he could beat an Emperor!

    ¡°When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.¡± Lin Feng¡¯s mentor had said these words many times. Just because something was difficult, or tough, that didn¡¯t mean you¡¯d give up. If someone better at the game challenged you, you shouldn¡¯t decline and walk away. You should stand up to the challenge! Because at worst it¡¯d be a valuable experience, and at best you¡¯d be two steps closer to reaching your dreams! After all, it was a person¡¯s dreams that gave them the desire and passion to chase the impossible. It gave them the attitude to stand back up andugh after falling face first to the ground. It gave them the determination to press forward no matter how difficult the path was.

    The yers from High School 13 thought Lin Feng was crazy for wanting to go 3-0 in the first qualification round and win the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They gave up before the journey had even begun. Their reasoning? Their poor performancest year. Theycked the vision to chase after the impossible. Instead, they were shackled by their past failures.

    The millions of fans watching Worlds saw Tian Tian¡¯s Riven pick as overconfidence. They didn¡¯t share his confidence. All they did was think back to the games a week prior and how KG had almost lost to a wildcard team. That setback was enough for them to give up on this game. After falling t, they didn¡¯t get back up. They didn¡¯tugh. All they did was worry.

    Lin Feng¡¯s mentor had another piece of wisdom he liked to share. ¡°When chasing your dream, falling is the start of the journey. No one begins at perfection. We begin at the bottom and fight our way up. And yes, along the way, you will get knocked down. It¡¯ll be difficult. There¡¯ll be times when you want to just walk away and give up. It¡¯s only by persevering through these setbacks that we stand a chance of reaching our dreams. And when we do, everything will have been worth it!¡±

    Riven was a Champion who lived by this wisdom. The lore explored how when she got knocked down on the battlefield, she¡¯d grit her teeth and climb back up to her feet. Even though she walked with a broken de, the day woulde when she would see it truly reforged. She never gave up, no matter what life threw at her. She always fought onwards. Because obstacles were meant to be torn down! And opponents were meant to be defeated!

    ?

    Three minutes into two different games. Separated by 10,000 kilometers ofnd and sea. Riven yed in both topnes. Lin Feng and Tian Tian were on the same wavelength, again connected by a single string of fate. Lin Feng had his Riven sh out with a strike¨CBroken Wings! Then she stunned the Darius with a Ki Burst. Another auto attack and the second strike from Broken Wings. The Darius started burning from an ignite. A third auto attack and the final strike from Broken Wings. It knocked Darius airborne before he fell to the ground. Dead.

    KG versus Legend. Rek¡¯Sai came to gank the Fiora in topne. She shed on top of the Fiora and Unburrowed, knocking her airborne. Then Tian Tian arrived with his Riven. She shed out in a series of strikes, releasing a burst of ki in between to keep the Fiora locked down. The Fiora was burning, just like the Darius in the other game. Her health dropped. Then with onest sh of Riven¡¯s runic de, she died.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    People watching two different games broke out into the same cheer! They couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing! Bothnes, both games looked impossible. Yet somehow, these two yers managed to pull it off. They got the advantage. They got the early kill. And now they could snowball the game!

    ¡°WOW! NICE! LET¡¯S GO GOD ROUNDY!¡± Stone shouted on the caster desk. Qinghe and Lolo were equally excited. The former clenching his fist and screaming, ¡°WWOOOOOO!¡± While thetter was just jumping up and down and throwing her arms up in the air. ¡°IT¡¯S FIRST BLOOD FOR GOD ROUNDY!¡±

    Lin Feng and Tian Tian sat behind their monitors, half a world apart. But they felt the same. They felt that same excitement that came from a great y, and the start of a special game. It didn¡¯t distract them. If anything, it helped them focus more. Only the strongest opponents could push them to their limits and force them to go all out! The opening of the de of the Exile¡¯s massacre slowly started to y. The heroic voice of a woman faintly rose above the surrounding sounds, ¡°My spirit... is not lost!¡±

 Chapter 101: How to Proceed | Views: 7,383

    A cloud of dust hung in the air. An orange glow filled the sky. mes ravaged the battlefield as the corpses of soldiers in red or blue littered the ground. A woman¡¯s voice echoed out, cutting through the air and reverberating into the surroundings. ¡°So long have I wandered¡­ How should I proceed?¡±

    Five minutes into the High School 13 versus Tonji Affiliated High, Lin Feng had his Riven hide in the brush on the top side of thene. After giving away first blood, the Darius had gone on the defensive. He hid under his tower and only farmed minions when Riven wasn¡¯t anywhere near him. He was terrified to give away a second kill! But Lin Feng was patient. He knew this Toner was scared and that if he wanted to pick up a second kill, he had to give this Darius some confidence. So he pretended to have recalled and waited. The Darius took the bait. He overextended.

    A silhouette broke through the brush, brandishing her heavy runic de. She charged towards the Darius and unleashed a flurry of shes. A dazzling eruption of runic energy erupted from her de, scattering into fragments of mottled green light. Her swordy was exquisite. Every sh, thrust, and movement of her de flowed smoothly into the next. She didn¡¯t give her opponent any opportunity to react. Then she came down on him with one final sh.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°NICE BRO!¡± Ouyang cried out from the sidelines. He wanted to jump up and hug Ren Rou. But her re made him rethink that. So he turned to Chen Ze and hugged him instead. ¡°Fuck yeah! Lin Feng is the best! Carry us with that Riven, bro!¡±

    ¡°I know, right! It¡¯s looking like we might actually beat Tonji!¡± Chen Ze grinned. He¡¯d been feeling a little down about swapping out from topne in this game. But all of that was forgotten when he saw Lin Feng y. Even these first two kills that looked simple were things he couldn¡¯t pull off himself. So he took this game as another lesson from Lin Feng and patiently started taking notes.

    Impossible! Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner stared at his death screen, his eye twitching. How is he that good? He knew what''d happened in the game between High School 13 and High School 7. He knew this Riven was good at the game. But there was a massive difference between being good at the game and whatever he was supposed to call this performance from the Riven. Everything he tried got shut down and even when he yed as defensively as he could, he was still giving away kills!

    ?

    The supersized LCD screens in the Wembley Arena panned to topne in the match between KG and Legend. God Roundy was pushing out the minion wave into Legend¡¯s outer tower. His Riven was ahead after picking up First Blood. But Demon was still a world ss Toner. If he yed safely under the tower, there was nothing Roundy could do to his Fiora. Not by himself, at least. That changed if his teammates came to help him. And they did. Two silhouettes wereing up top from the river. KG¡¯s support Thresh and jungle Rek¡¯Sai! They moved into the tri brush closest to Legend¡¯s outer tower and waited for Roundy to push in the next minion wave.

    Blue team¡¯s minions pushed into Legend¡¯s outer tower. Demon was farming them on his Fiora, while keeping an eye on the Riven. If she stepped closer, he would back off. A few lost minions was better than giving away a second kill. But he was so focused on the Riven that he forgot to check what happened on the rest of the map. He failed to notice that botne¡¯s support was missing, and that KG¡¯s Jungler hadn¡¯t shown herself in quite some time. He didn¡¯t even realize he was getting ganked when the Rek¡¯Sai popped up on his screen. His eyes were on the Riven and Blue minions, and not on what was happening in his own Jungle.

    The Rek¡¯Sai moved quickly underground, digging a tunnel to arrive underneath the Fiora¨CTunnel! Then she Unburrowed, knocking the Fiora airborne. The Thresh followed up with a Death Sentence, an easy hook on the airborne Fiora. He bound her in chains and kept her from escaping as the Riven jumped in. With a burst of green ki, the chain of crowd control continued. The Fiora wasn¡¯t given any chance to escape. Her health dropped and she died. KG was out of tower aggro before the energy shots could kill any of them. It was a sessful towerdive!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Really¡­? Demon stared at his grey screen. They really went for a three man gank¡­ Why? It was only a week ago that KG couldn¡¯t work together as a team if their lives depended on it. Yet right now they looked like a unit. A team that understood each other perfectly and worked to help each other get ahead! He expected Roundy to y better this game, especially after seeing hisst game against sh. But he never expected the rest of his team to do the same.

    KG¡¯s Jungler had his Rek¡¯Sai walk back towards the outer tower and started recalling back to base. He stopped moving in his gaming chair for a moment, hesitating, then said, ¡°Sorry Roundy. Great y.¡±

    The Support from KG bit on his lips when he heard what his Jungler said in voice chat. He felt a pang in his stomach and then added, ¡°Yeah¡­ Sorry.¡±

    Tian Tian looked away from his screen and to his teammates sitting to his side. His Jungler nodded at him. ¡°T-thanks, guys. Great gank!¡± Tian Tian looked back at his screen and smiled. His n was working! Picking Riven really was the right choice! And his teammates seemed to start seeing that too now. They had the early game advantage and could push it out from here!

    While Tian Tian focused back on the game. There were two more apologies that came through the voice chat. KG hade to rely too heavily on Tian Tian leading up to Worlds. He was their superstar and he would carry them through the group. That was the terrible mindset that had slipped in, and they knew that now. But hindsight was 20/20. Their apologies were a week toote. They¡¯d lost an entire week of Worlds to it and were now desperate for a win to make up for it. Last game was the first win, which was all thanks to their ostracized Toner. This game, they had to apologize and hope that he could help them win again. So that¡¯s what they did. But it left behind a heavy feeling that wasn¡¯t very productive either. So the Jungler was the first to liven up the mood a little.¡°Alright, guys! We can¡¯t let Roundy do all the work! Let¡¯s win this game!¡±¡°Yeah! We can win this!¡±¡°What do you think, Roundy? Let¡¯s do this?¡±

    Afterst week¡¯s performance, all of KG was under immense pressure. The coaches were upset with them, their fans were upset with them, they were even annoyed and mad at themselves for what¡¯d happened in those three games. They came to Worlds topete, and not to choke and get knocked out in the first round! But it was hard to change when all you received was criticism and abuse. The yers from KG were still in that negative mindspace from a week ago when Roundy started carrying on his Hecarimst game. However, his performance helped them shake it off. For the first time in a week, they felt like part of the team. In this game, they helped Tian Tian, something they should¡¯ve done much sooner. They were teammates, and they had to start acting like that!

    Tears welled up in Tian Tian¡¯s eyes. This was the first time in a long week that his team believed in him. They were even helping him get ahead inne! He couldn¡¯t remember thest time his Jungler came for a gank, let alone his Support! ¡°Mhm,¡± he mumbled in voice chat. Then he focused back on the game and stared at his screen. Right! Who cares that they¡¯re an Emperor team? I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t! I¡¯ll beat them! We¡¯ll beat them! He opened his mic again and stumbled over his words, ¡°I, we¡­ L-let¡¯s win. Yes, win! We can do this!¡±

    ?

    The game between High School 13 and Tonji Affiliated High was in full swing. Arge crowd had gathered around the isle ofputers and were cheering on both sides. They wanted to see an exciting game, and that was what they were getting. Lin Feng in topne wasn¡¯t the only reason for this. The Jungler of High School 13 was running down the river for a gank on bottomne! Tonji Affiliated High had no clue this was happening. They were pushing towards High School 13¡¯s outer tower, when the Draven and Leona suddenly turned aggressive. ¡°Careful! Back! Back!¡±¡°SHIT!¡±¡°Jarvan! Watch out for the Jarvan! He¡¯s ganking in bot!¡±

    Tang Bingyao activated Blood Rush. Her Draven got increased movement speed and attack speed! He strode forward with two sharp, spinning axes in his hand. He flung an axe at the Caitlyn, who fired her 90 Caliber Net to escape. Draven disappeared. The flew through where he stood and hit nothing. Then he reappeared right in front of the Caitlyn. The force of firing off the had sent her flying back a short distance. But before shended, two axes flew at her and knocked her back to the ground¨CStand Aside!

    The crowd held their breath and leaned forward to get a better look at the screen as Draven engaged on the Caitlyn. Then when he shed through her 90 Caliber Net, their eyes popped open wide. Of everything they¡¯d expected, this certainly wasn¡¯t it.

    ¡°OOHHHH SNAP! Did you see that? Did you see that?¡±¡°WOOOWWWWW! That Draven is crazy good!¡±¡°How in the world did she do that? What the fuck¡­¡±¡°She is so good. Look at those reflexes, jeesh. It¡¯s crazy!¡±¡°WAAAAA! She¡¯s showing everyone girls can also be good!¡±

    Tang Bingyao threw her spinning axes at the Caitlyn. They hit the Caitlyn before bouncing back into the air. The damage was too damn high! If the Caitlyn took a few more of these attacks, she¡¯d be dead! So she shed away towards her outer tower, which was still a good bit away. And then she ran for dear life.

    Liu Yue wouldn¡¯t let the Caitlyn get away. He threw down his Demacian Standard on top of where the Caitlyn shed to and then stabbed out towards it with hisnce¨CDragon Strike! He pulled himself towards the g and dashed into the Caitlyn, knocking her up into the air!

    ¡°NICE! AWESOME! PERFECT PLAY, MY BROS!¡± Ouyang shouted from the sidelines, though only the people in the crowd could hear him. And Ren Rou, who covered her ears and gave him a kick against his leg, annoyed with his loud outburst.

    Wei Dong caught up to the Draven on his Leona. He pressed down on his E key¨CZenith de! Leona projected a sr image of her sword that pierced through everything in its path until it hit the Caitlyn. It briefly immobilized the Caitlyn as the Leona dashed forward. Then the Leona struck the Caitlyn with her shield¨CShield of Daybreak! It dealt bonus magic damage and stunned the Caitlyn!

    Tang Bingyao flung her spinning axes, cleaving the Caitlyn. They ricocheted off of the Caitlyn and fell back to the ground. Tang Bingyao caught them. All of them. Then threw them again. The bonus physical damage from these Spinning Axes added up and Caitlyn¡¯s health depleted fast. The one second stun from Shield of Daybreak wore off, but Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t care. With Blood Rush, which reset every time she caught a Spinning Axe, there was no ad-carry that could escape from Draven! He kept throwing his Spinning Axes and killed the Caitlyn before the Caitlyn could get close to the safety of her outer tower.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Good work, guys,¡± Tang Bingyao said in the voice chat. League of Legends was a team game. She might¡¯ve picked up this kill and dealt most of the damage to the Caitlyn, but it wouldn¡¯t have been possible to do this if it weren¡¯t for Liu Yue and Wei Dong using their crowd control skills to lock the Caitlyn down. This was a team kill! And her teammates deserved just as much praise for it as she did!

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    The crowd had only shifted their attention to bottomne for a moment, and had missed so much in topne. Lin Feng kept pushing hard, even when the Darius was hiding underneath his own outer tower. This didn¡¯t matter much to Lin Feng. The outer tower wouldn¡¯t target him as long as he had minions by his side and didn¡¯t attack the Darius. So with the Darius refusing toe out from underneath the tower, Lin Feng decided to just destroy the tower. Seven minutes into the game, he did just that. The Darius hadn¡¯t stuck around to watch it happen. He¡¯d retreated all the way back to his inner tower, determined to not give away another kill.

    Lin Feng looked at the othernes to see how everyone was doing, while mindlessly farming some minions. Topne was rather boring right now. Suddenly, he noticed something in midne. Yang Fan was pushing into Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s outer tower, with the Syndra defensively farming underneath. ¡°Oh, perfect!¡± Lin Fengughed. He killed another wave of minions and then disappeared into Red team¡¯s top side jungle.

    At 7:40 minutes, Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Miner was farming minions under his outer tower. His team was currently on the backfoot. High School 13 was pushing their advantages, so he decided to y it safely. All they had to do was farm and take back the advantage in the mid game. They were still the better team! Then a silhouette came running out of his own team¡¯s jungle and dashed towards him. W-why the hell is he here?

    Lin Feng activated de of the Exile and dashed towards the Syndra¨CValor! He followed up with a burst of green energy that enveloped the Syndra and stunned her¨CKi Burst! Yang Fan caught up to Lin Feng and cast Command: Protect on him. His Orianna instructed her Ball to shield the Riven. Then shemanded it to unleash a shockwave that dealt magic damage andunched the Syndra towards the Ball¨CCommand: Shockwave! All the while, the Riven attacked the Syndra with the series of strikes from Broken Wings.

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Miner tried to do something back. She conjured a Dark Sphere on top of the Riven, dealing a little bit of damage. She wanted to knock it back with Scatter the Weak and stun the Riven. But before she could, a powerful sh of windbined with green energy washed over her. The damage of it was enough to kill her. She died while the Riven walked out of range from the outer tower, with about half of her health remaining. Lin Feng had pulled off a sessful gank!

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Lin Feng was already 3/0/0 on his Riven. But this was only the start. The game wasn¡¯t even 10 minutes in. He would use these early kills to snowball so hard that he could 1vs5 Tonji Affiliated High. Anything less and he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied! He would show everyone here tonight that High School 13 was a title contender at this year¡¯s edition of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

 Chapter 102: Enemy Counterattack | Views: 7,383

    There was a crowd in the NetCow Cafe watching the game between High School 13 and Tonji Affiliated High. They were making themselves heard by shouting and cheering. But the atmosphere they created was iparable to the Wembley Arena, where 12,500 people were showing their support withrge banners, signs, and their voices. Though, with the current disy by KG, it was the few hundred Chinese fans that were louder than anyone else. They were even more present than the 10,000 Europeans in the arena!

    ¡°KG! KG! KG! WHO¡¯S THE BEST? KG! KG!¡±

    ¡°LONG LIVE GOD ROUNDY!¡±

    ¡°WHAT EMPEROR? ALL I SEE IS GOD ROUNDY!¡±

    ¡°GOD ROUNDY! BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD!¡±

    The casters of the official Chinese broadcast were all smiling. The game was better than they¡¯d dared to dream. They were ready to give up before it¡¯d even started. When they saw the Riven pick, they were more worried than excited for what mighte. But now, after watching God Roundy pick up the second kill of the game and then the video showing the crowd in the arena that looked very much Chinese, they couldn¡¯t be more excited. Their hearts were beating in their throats as they forgot to breathe or blink.

    The excitement sounded through in Qinghe¡¯s voice as he livemented, ¡°KG is at a sizable lead with two kills to zero! They made the right call giving God Roundy the Riven! He¡¯s ying crazy good! I want to see him carry this gam¨C¡±

    Stone cut in. He¡¯d waited long enough. ¡°Exactly! This is something really special! You know, Riven versus Fiora should be an even matchup. But now that¡¯s no longer the case. Demon is so far behind on his Fiora that he isn¡¯t even fully safe under his own tower! He has to be super careful, or he¡¯ll give away even more kills to God Roun¨C¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Qinghe interrupted, chuckling. ¡°God Roundy¡¯s Riven is invincible right now! He can do whatever he wants!¡±

    Lolo finally found a moment to butt in. ¡°It isn¡¯t just topne either! Look at bot and midne! Everyone is ying really well! KG has reallye together for this game!¡±

    Qinghe looked at the scoreboard. Two kills for KG. Zero kills for Legend. KG was pulling ahead in gold in everyne. The game was going their way everywhere on the map! ¡°If KG can keep this momentum going, they might actually beat Legend! That would be a huge upset! Just imagine! KG doesn¡¯t even have a King on their team! A normal team beating an Emperor team. That would be a Worlds first!¡±

    The people who couldn¡¯t make it to the Wembley Arena and were now watching the game from home or at a viewing party couldn¡¯t keep back their excitement. The streets in many ces in China were booming with the excited voices of millions of fans. Many of them were on their phones or sitting behind theirptops and furiously typing away.

    ¡¸666666666!!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸UNCROWNED EIGHTH >>>>>>>>>>> EMPEROR¡¹

    ¡¸stomp those a-holes from legend. fucking posers!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDYYYYY!!!!!1!1! BEST PLAYA EVAHHHHHH¡¹

    ¡¸HAHAHAH MY EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS ARE CRYING!!! WHAT A BUNCH OF BABIES HAHAHHAHA¡¹

    ¡¸IM IN THE ARENA AND THE ATMOSPHERE HERE IS CRAZYYYYYY!!! OUR BOYS CAN REALLY DO THIS!!1!!¡¹

    It was only 10 minutes ago that these same fans had already given up on the game. They didn¡¯t give up because KG was ying poorly. The game hadn¡¯t even started yet 10 minutes ago! These fans had given up because they thought KG didn¡¯t stand a chance. Legend was an Emperor team. Normal teams didn¡¯t beat Emperor teams. That was why they¡¯d given up. Or rather, why they never even considered KG having a chance in the first ce! But looking at the game now, it didn¡¯t look all that impossible anymore. God Roundy was obviously doing great in the topne, but the othernes were also doing well!

    KG¡¯s Miner was ying against the Emperor. But he hadn¡¯t given anything away yet. His Xerath was holding strong against Phoenix¡¯s Yasuo! Phoenix had tried to kill him with a gank from his Jungler, but KG¡¯s Jungler had responded in kind and blocked the y. Legend got nothing out of it and KG preserved their advantage. They had shut down a kill attempt from an Emperor!

    As for the back and forth in botne, KG was currently aggressively pushing into Legend¡¯s outer tower. The Tristana and Thresh worked together perfectly to poke down Legend¡¯s Kalista. They¡¯d gotten her down to below half health. She was defending far behind her own outer tower, desperately trying to get some experience and gold from the minions without giving away a kill. The Tristana was building up a big advantage!

    KG was winning in all threenes! They were ying out of their minds! They made an Emperor team only look so-so! The Chinese fans couldn¡¯t curb their enthusiasm. Fans from other regions always told them how the LPL wasn¡¯t good enough for the world stage, how their region couldn¡¯tpete unless they got an Emperor. Right now, KG was shutting all of those people up! They were good enough to y at the world stage, and they were good enough to challenge an Emperor team and win!

    ?

    ¡°LOOK AT BOT LANE!¡± Stone shouted on the caster desk. He was pointing at the screen in front of him, jabbing into it. ¡°God Roundy is making a y! He¡¯s teleporting in! He¡¯s teleporting in!¡±

    Everyone switched their attention to botne. God Roundy was using his Teleport on a ward in the river entrance to botne. The Fiora couldn¡¯t respond. She¡¯d used her Teleport a minute ago when she teleported back tone to catch a minion wave. If she¡¯d walked, it would¡¯ve died to the tower before she¡¯d arrived.

    The Thresh was prepared. He shed forward before the Riven even arrived and swept his chain, knocking the Kalista towards him¨Cy! He followed up by throwing hisntern towards the Riven¨CDark Passage! The Riven clicked on thentern and dashed to the Thresh. All the while the Tristana was letting loose on the Kalista.

    Morgana was Legend¡¯s Support. She cast a ck Shield on Kalista, granting her a protective barrier which could absorb magical damage and disable any effects until it was broken, or wore off. Then she aimed a Dark Binding for where the Riven wouldnd after she¡¯d grabbed the Thresh¡¯sntern.

    God Roundy saw thising. The Dark Binding was slow. Too slow. The Morgana hadn¡¯t timed it correctly. It would¡¯ve been perfect if she¡¯d cast it before she¡¯d put the ck Shield on Kalista. God Roundy had just enough time to dash to the side and evade it¨CValor! He followed up with a series of strikes on the Kalista who was trying to run away¨CBroken Wings!

    While the Kalista ran away, the Thresh shifted targets. He threw out his hook at the Morgana, who had no ck Shield on herself, and bound her with his chains¨CDeath Sentence! The skill held true to its name. It was a death sentence for Morgana. The Tristana bombarded her with cannonballs, while the Riven attacked with her sword. When the bind broke, Morgana still had some health left. She shed away. But God Roundy activated the second part of Riven¡¯s ultimate skill¨Cde of the Exile! It was a powerful ranged attack. A sh of wind infused with green energy swept over the Morgana and killed her.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    God Roundy was on a killing spree! He was 3/0/0 on his Riven against the Emperor team Legend! The fans at home and in the Wembley Arena couldn¡¯t believe their eyes! God Roundy was carrying today! Even against Legend! He was snowballing hard and soon no one would be able to stop him!

    ¡°This is it! KG should get the game from here!¡± Qinghe shoutcasted.

    Stone nodded and analyzed, ¡°Legend can¡¯t do anything to stop KG from taking Dragon now. This should be an uncontested Dragon. It¡¯s going from good to great for KG¨C¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Stone looked at the video that had shifted from botne to midne. It looked like the caster¡¯s curse had struck again. Legend¡¯s Jungler Sejuani hade mid for a gank. She ran down the river into midne, then shed and charged into the Xerath, knocking him up into the air¨CArctic Assault! The Yasuo followed up with his ultimate¨CLast breath¨Cblinking to the Xerath and keeping him airborne for another second before mming him down to the ground. The Xerath didn¡¯t have enough health. He should¡¯ve backed before the gank, but he hadn¡¯t. The Yasuo¡¯s ult killed the Xerath and put Phoenix on the scoreboard. One kill, zero deaths.

    The Chinese fans went quiet, while the Europeans in the Wembley Arena burst into cheers. This was the Legend they knew! They had endured long enough! Phoenix took his team on his shoulders and got them right back into it! This kill didn¡¯t just get him on the scoreboard, it also blocked KG from taking a free Dragon. It was too risky now, without their Miner to apply pressure.

    The yers from Legend were quiet. They didn¡¯t share the emotions of the crowd. They didn¡¯t when KG pulled ahead, and they didn¡¯t when Phoenix picked up the kill. This game had only barely started. They had all the time in the world to win. A few kills in the early game meant very little. Phoenix grinned. He shook his head. Fun game. But they¡¯re stupid if they think they¡¯ve won.

    This first kill started Legend¡¯s counterattack. Phoenix used it to pull ahead in hisne and force the Xerath to passively defend behind his outer tower. But that wasn¡¯t quite enough. Xerath was a long range Champion. Even behind his outer tower, he could stillst hit minions. So, 9 minutes into the game, he called over the Fiora and Sejuani for another gank.

    Legend¡¯s Toner and Jungler walked through KG¡¯s jungle, which had far too few wards. They passed through without being spotted and arrived behind KG¡¯s outer tower in midne. The Sejuani charged into thene and knocked up the Xerath¨CArctic Assault! She followed up with a b that froze and stunned the Xerath¨Ccial Prison! Then she ran out of tower range to survive the energy shots. The Fiora and Yasuo had more than enough damage to quickly finish the job, with the Fiora picking up the kill. All three of them came out alive after picking up the kill.

    At 10 minutes into the game, Phoenix joined his Jungler into roaming bot. KG¡¯s Support walked up the river to ce a ward. He was caught out. The Sejuani dashed into him and knocked him up into the air¨CArctic Assault! After which the Yasuo blinked towards him and kept him airborne for a second longer, before mming him back to the ground¨CLast Breath! The Tristana and the rest of KG were too far away. The Thresh was out of position and didn¡¯t have enough health to make it back to safety. He died and gave Phoenix a second kill. The Yasuo was now 2/0/1 and had almost caught up to God Roundy¡¯s Riven in terms of levels and items!

    ?

    In the NetCow Cafe in downtown Shanghai, High School 13 was starting to struggle. The first few minutes of the game had caught Tonji Affiliated High off guard. But they¡¯d regained their footing. They weremunicating and slowly crawling their way back in the game by putting their resources in everyne that Lin Feng wasn¡¯t in. The crowd watching the game saw this, and the three from High School 13 on the sidelines saw this. Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Chen Ze became anxious. They saw their teammates struggling and wanted to go up and help. But they weren¡¯t allowed to do that. And even if they were, there was nothing they could do. They could only watch on and feel utterly helpless.

    Lin Feng saw his team falling behind. They were struggling in theirnes and asking in voice chat for help from each other. But everyone was feeling the pressure and no one had the freedom to help anotherne. Lin Feng just listened to this. He didn¡¯t participate. His focus was on his own screen, on his Riven.

 Chapter 103: No Longer Alone | Views: 6,330

    The Syndra pushed into the Orianna. She conjured a Dark Sphere, dealing magic damage and forcing the Orianna further back. Then she grabbed a minion and lifted it up with her mind before throwing it down onto the Orianna. The Orianna was slowed. Her health was dropping. She tried to dodge and weave, anything to escape the Syndra. Then the Syndra cast Scatter the Weak. She knocked back a Dark Sphere that hit the Orianna, stunning her. The Syndra followed up with another Dark Sphere before casting her ultimate skill¨CUnleashed power! All the Dark Spheres on the ground and the three that floated around her bombarded the Orianna. And killed her.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Yang Fan stared at his screen. The game was 9 minutes in. Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Miner had just killed him. He¡¯d tried to outy her, and when that didn¡¯t work, escape. But she¡¯d killed him. His screen was grey. He took his sses off and started cleaning them on his shirt, annoyed. He¡¯d given away a solo kill. The one thing he shouldn¡¯t have done, he did. I shouldn¡¯t have gone that far out intone. I should¡¯ve backed sooner. I knew she had her ultimate. That was stupid of me. I could¡¯ve evaded that whole situation.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Yang Fan was pulled out of his thoughts and looked to his side, where Tang Bingyao sat. She was biting on her lips and glowering at the screen. He hadn¡¯t seen what¡¯d happened, he¡¯d been too busy in midne. ¡°Uhh, Tang Bingyao?¡± he asked. She looked up at him, frustrated. He almost recoiled back in surprise, but didn¡¯t. He continued, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°That stupid Elise came for a gank. I had so many Adoration stacks on my Draven. They¡¯re all gone now. This is really annoying,¡± she replied, curt. Draven¡¯s passive was called League of Draven. Whenever he caught a Spinning Axe or killed a minion, monster, or tower, he gained the Adoration of his fans. If he killed an enemy Champion, his stacks of Adoration would grant him a certain amount of bonus gold. But when he died, he would lose 75% of his stacks.

    Tonji Affiliated High killed High School 13¡¯s Miner and ad-carry within seconds of each other. This left the Dragon uncontested. So they moved down into the river and killed the monster. It gave the team Gold and also a stack of Dragon yer which granted all yers on the team bonus attack damage and ability power. The advantage High School 13 had built up was gone. Tonji Affiliated High were right back into the game, as could be expected fromst year¡¯s semi finalists.

    The yers from High School 13 were all looking to Lin Feng for guidance. But he sat up in topne, quiet. He was never quiet. He always had something to say with that big, goofy grin of his. They didn¡¯t know what to think of it, so they did what they could and focused back on the game. As for Lin Feng, he wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to his teammates. His focus was entirely on the game. If he wanted to solo carry on his Riven, he couldn¡¯t make a single misy.

    Lin Feng was well aware that in normal circumstances, High School 13 was no match for Tonji Affiliated High. The skill gap was just too big. Two weeks worth of bootcamping wasn¡¯t nearly enough to do something about that. If he wanted to win this game, he had to do something special. That was why he was ying in topne right now. However, the longer a game went on, the harder it became to make up for theck of skill of his teammates. They could make one small mistake inte game, like getting caught out before a teamfight, and it would be game over. So it was pivotal that he got such an overwhelming advantage in the early to mid game that it never got to that.

    If everything went ording to n, Lin Feng was 80% confident he could win this game with his Riven. The other 20% would be up to his teammates. They had to y to the absolute best of their abilities, and make sure they didn¡¯t fall too far behind. Because just like he was getting fed off of Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner, any one of their yers could get fed off of one of High School 13¡¯s yers. That couldn¡¯t happen. That would kill any hopes of winning this game. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t worry about that. He trusted his teammates. They wouldn¡¯t just give up. They would keep fighting and supporting him, so that he could carry them to a victory!

    ?

    While the crowd in the Wembley Arena came back to life, the Chinese casters looked at their monitors, worried. Legend was turning the game back around. Demon got a kill and pulled himself back into the game thanks to it, after being starved in topne by Roundy¡¯s Riven. More worryingly, there was Phoenix. Emperor Phoenix. Phoenix had two kills, one assist, and 15 minion kills up on KG¡¯s Xerath. The kills and assists aside, just the CS advantage showed a worrying trend. Xerath was a Champion that relied on farming. With his long range, he could poke the opponent out ofne and even farm when pushed under his own tower. Then there was Yasuo. A melee Champion known for a lot, but not his great ability to farm.

    ¡°It¡¯s starting to look a lot more like the game we were expecting to see,¡± Qinghe said. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°KG got off to such a great start too¡­ I really thought they had a chance.¡±

    Lolo looked defeated, with slumped shoulders and all. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything of KG¡¯s lead left. The Riven is still kinda strong. But what¡¯s that worth when you got a Sejuani to lock her down?¡±

    ¡°Lolo is right,¡± Stone agreed. He put on his analytical sses and continued, ¡°Legend has Sejuani and Yasuo who are both getting the farm and kills they need to scale to be big threats. Not to mention how well the two work together. Then there¡¯s Demon on his Fiora. If he can get another kill somewhere, he should be able to at least hold Roundy¡¯s Riven off. That alone will kill any hope KG has of winning this game.¡±

    ¡°This is the make-or-break moment for KG,¡± Qinghe said. He looked into the camera and continued, ¡°I want our Chinese fans at home to not worry. This game isn¡¯t lost yet. God Roundy is up three kills on his Riven. If he can snowball harder and carry the rest of his team on his back, then KG still has a shot. They can still win this game, though they¡¯ll have to fight really hard for it.¡±

    Lolo perked up a little. She smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! The game isn¡¯t over yet! KG can still win this! We can¡¯t give up. We must not give up just yet!¡±

    ?

    KG was losing the game to Legend. The power and determination from a few minutes ago was gone. KG¡¯s voice chat was quiet. No one knew what to say. Tian Tian recalled back to base and looked at his teammates, worried. He wanted to say something to lift their spirits, but he couldn¡¯t think of the words. Only a few minutes ago, they were all full of hope. Their excited mood had also helped him. He wanted that again. It¡¯d felt good. He just didn''t know how to.

    ¡°Sorry, that was my bad. Shouldn¡¯t have pushed thene out that far,¡± Konjac said in the voice chat. In his mind, if he hadn¡¯t pushed up thene so far, his Thresh wouldn¡¯t have gone for an aggressive ward high up in the river. His Support would¡¯ve survived.

    KG¡¯s Support shook his head. ¡°No, man. This was all on me. I was stupid. Should¡¯ve never gone that deep without vision.¡±

    The Miner from KG looked at his botne duo and then nodded. ¡°I also fucked up. I should¡¯ve seen that gank in midneing from a mile away. That won¡¯t happen again. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±

    KG¡¯s Jungler chuckled. ¡°We done fucked up thesest few minutes. How about we pretend they never happened? Roundy is still winning. Let¡¯s take it from there!¡±

    They were the words Tian Tian wanted to say. He just didn¡¯t know he wanted to say them until he heard his Jungler say them. They lifted up the mood in the chat. There was no ming each other, the de facto reaction of week 1, as the yers from KG instead came together as a team. This game wasn¡¯t lost. They knew that. Now it was time to prove that!

    ¡°You¡¯re right. We can do this. Let¡¯s do this!¡±We¡¯re still in this. Focus and no more slip ups! We got this, guys!¡±¡°Let¡¯s focus more on vision. We can¡¯t fall for any more of those Sejuani ganks.¡±

    Tian Tian stared at his teammates, speechless. The Jungler had gotten the reaction he wanted to see, but even then he didn¡¯t expect it to be this easy. The scenes ofst week were still fresh in his mind. Everyone had it out for each other. There was zero working together. Yet, right now, they were all eager to work as a team. It didn¡¯t make any sense. He didn¡¯t understand it.

    ¡°Hey! Roundy! Wake up, man! Get your ass out of the fountain!¡± Konjac said. Then he turned to his Toner and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°O-oh, right!¡± Tian Tian blurted out. ¡°S-sorry.¡± He quickly bought items at the fountain shop and then had his Riven walk back towards topne.

    KG¡¯s Jungler grinned. ¡°You still got that lead. That¡¯s our best bet. I¡¯lle top in a minute for a gank. Try and set it up for me. Let¡¯s see if I can help you snowball some more!¡±

    The Support from KG nodded. ¡°Mhm. We just need to get Roundy fed. We can still win this.¡±

    Konjac patted his Support on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear! Yes! We got this, guys! Let¡¯s give it our all and try not to fuck up again!¡±

    ¡°No more fuck ups!¡±¡°Right! No more stupid mistakes! And we¡¯re a team, let¡¯s y like one!¡±¡°That¡¯s the spirit! For KG!¡±¡°M-mhm, yeah!¡±

    The mood in KG¡¯s voice chat was infectious. Even Tian Tian joined the cheers of his teammates. He didn¡¯t sit back, separating himself from the rest, but he joined in as part of the team. And the team stood up for him. They had his back. A determination that¡¯d seemed lost was recovered. They were the pride of the LPL! The only all Chinese team! They wouldn¡¯t give up because of a few minor setbacks! They were far too strong for that! Even against an Emperor team, they wouldn¡¯t shy away. They would go into battle with their weapons drawn!

    This was the real KG! This was the team he¡¯d joined! Tian Tian felt a fresh new energy course through his veins. It burned away the shadows casting a darkness over his mind. He stopped worrying about the what ifs. He pushed back the negativity that had tied him down. There was a win against an Emperor team right before them! He was leading the charge! His teammates had his back! This was how it was supposed to be. The superstar of KG wasn¡¯t alone anymore.

 Chapter 104: Blade of the Exile! | Views: 5,816

    ¡°Come on, guys! You can do it!¡± Ren Rou shouted. She wanted to win this game! They were doing so great during the early game. What happened in thest few minutes, that was only a minor setback! Two kills and a Dragon, that¡¯s all that happened! They could still win! There was still hope!

    ¡°YEAH! Come on, my bros! We can totally still win this!¡± Ouyang cheered. He punched up into the air. But it lookedpletely mismatched with the expression on his face. He was biting his lips and his eyes were wide open, full of worry. A trace of this worry slipped into his voice. ¡°We can do this! Totally.¡±

    Chen Ze didn¡¯t say anything. He watched the yers from High School 13 sitting behind their monitors. They looked lost, even from behind. He couldn¡¯t exin why. Perhaps it was the way they were sitting in their chairs, or how they kept looking towards Lin Feng as if they were searching for his guidance. Their ys became less confident too. They hid further back. Whenever an opportunity did show up, they chose to retreat rather than engage. It looked like they¡¯d lost the will to fight.

    It made sense. This game was difficult. Tonji Affiliated High was simply better than High School 13. They were the semi finalists fromst year. They had the stronger yers in every role. They had everything going for them. Well, almost everything. Lin Feng was on High School 13¡¯s team. He was the only reason the game wasn¡¯t over yet. But how far can he carry us? Even with him, it looks like we still can¡¯t win. We¡¯re just not good enough. Chen Ze thought things would¡¯ve been different if they just had more time. More time to practice. More time to learn from Lin Feng. Two weeks just wasn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s fine, though. Right? It''s just one game. There¡¯s nothing on the line here. We¡¯ve already qualified. Yeah.... It¡¯s fine.

    However, the yers from High School 13 hadn¡¯t given up. Nor was their morale running low. They were just upset, that¡¯s all. Not even upset, really. More like mildly miffed. They were mad at themselves, more than anything else. It was their mistakes that had led to them giving up two kills and a Dragon. They were annoyed that Tonji Affiliated High was back in the game because of their mistakes. But that annoyance was not the same as giving up. If anything, it made them want to fight even harder!

    The usually quiet Wei Dong was the first to give voice to these emotions. ¡°God dammit guys! I¡¯m not gonna stand here and take this! We¡¯re not going to let Mikey get to us! Not after that fantastic start we had! We¡¯re going to win this damn game! We¡¯re going to win! This is only one match, but we can make an explosion!¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah! What Wei Dong says! THEY SHALL NOT PASS!¡± Liu Yue said. He cleared the Wolf Camp on the top side of his Jungle, then added, ¡°I¡¯lle help you guys in bot and mid. Screw that Elise and her shitty ganks! I¡¯ll show them what a real gank looks like!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. ¡°Come mid first. Syndra has no sh. Should be an easy kill.¡± There was something more he wanted to say, but he hesitated. He had his Orianna walk intone tost hit a minion, careful not to get caught out by the Syndra. He clicked his tongue and added, ¡°Of course, this isn¡¯t great right now. We¡¯ve given away two kills. It¡¯d be strange if any of us were happy. But being upset isn¡¯t giving up. We¡¯re not giving up. Our goal is the trophy. This is just one game towards that trophy. Let¡¯s make sure we win it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit down hard on her lips. Tonji Affiliated High had gotten a kill over her. Their ad-carry was ahead of her Draven now. But she was the better ad-carry. She knew she was the better yer. It was time for her to prove that. y time is over! Instead of making promises over voice chat or cheering with the others to fight, she just stared at her screen. She stared at Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s ad-carry. I don¡¯t care what it takes. Starting right now, I¡¯m going to y on! I¡¯m going to beat you. And I¡¯m going to win this game.

    Lin Feng looked over at his teammates and smiled. They¡¯d made a few mistakes, and that was fine. Mistakes were a part of life. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t upset that they¡¯d died. They were trying their best and that was all he could ask of them. That was also why he was happy now. They were doing their best. Even after falling behind, they didn¡¯t give up nor did they start ming each other. Instead, they were supporting each other. Offering help and seeing what they could do to get their teammates back into the game. They came together as a unit and fought against a team they knew was much stronger than they were. For that reason alone, Lin Feng was proud of them.

    Lin Feng took a deep breath, long and slow. He needed to y a perfect game with his Riven to help his team win. That was the singr point of his focus. He didn¡¯t even join in for any of the discussions over voice chat. His teammates, his friends, could figure out their strategy on their own. He knew they could, and he trusted them. He knew they¡¯d make the right call, and they did. They chose to fight! That was the right choice. He could feel his heart beating faster and the adrenaline pounding in his veins. There was a fire burning in his bones! He was going to win this game for them! His Riven was going to go in like a wrecking ball! He knew he needed to say something, he knew how one word could make a heart open. So he said, ¡°You¡¯re doing great, guys! Dontcha worry, leave the rest to me! I¡¯ll bring this game home!¡±

    ?

    Determination was important when you decided to chase your dreams. You needed to be determined enough to constantly headbutt a brick wall until it broke down. You also needed courage to keep charging into it. Over and over again. Without the courage to recklessly charge forward against any obstacle in your path, determination meant nothing. There was a form for it. Ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain. That¡¯s what you needed to conquer your dream.

    It didn¡¯t matter how big or strong the guy standing in the way of your goal was or how tall and thick that brick wall was. As long as youughed at the immovable object in front of you and charged forward heroically with all your might. You might fall a couple of times. You might need to take a breath. But even if you couldn¡¯t move an immovable object despite bing an unstoppable force, you could still hold your head up with pride. The journey alone transformed you into an unstoppable force, one that could charge forward again after stepping around the immovable obstacle. There was a hundred percent reason for everyone to remember your name.

    Just like Alonso Quixano in the novel, ¡°Don Quixote¡±. Aughable knight-errant who attempted to revive chivalry by tilting at windmills. His actions were considered bothical and delusional by the post-chivalric society in the novel. But the Knight Don Quixote never gave up, and never backed down. He faced countless foes, albeit fictional, and eventually triumphed.

    In the face of an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, an immovable obstacle, all you needed was courage. The courage to turn into an unstoppable force and charge forward! But in League of Legends, you didn¡¯t need to have that courage alone. You had teammates standing at your shoulders, pushing you forward. A League of Legends team wasposed of five people!

    Five people who could rely on each other! Five people who could depend on each other for courage! Five people who could band together to be an unstoppable force that could ovee any obstacle!

    My power¡¯s turned on, starting right now I¡¯ll be strong!

    Like how Riven¡¯s unwavering voice rang out through the battlefield where she continued to fight alone until her de was smashed to pieces, ¡°My spirit is still not lost!¡±

    I¡¯ll y my fight song! And I don¡¯t really care if nobody else believes, cause I¡¯ve still got a lot of fight left in me!

    Like how Tian Tian relentlessly pursued victory despite trembling and shaking at the edge of the abyss that was his anxiety!

    Like a small boat, on the ocean, sending big waves into motion. Like how a single word can make a heart open. I might only have one match, but I can make an explosion!

    Like how Lin Feng charged into this game with his spirit burning brighter and brighter, pushed forward by his teammates until he turned into an unstoppable force!

    This is my fight song! Take back my life song! Prove I¡¯m alright song! My power¡¯s turned on! Starting right now, I¡¯ll be strong! I¡¯ll y my fight song! And I don¡¯t really care if nobody else believes, cause I¡¯ve still got a lot of fight left in me!

    Know I¡¯ve still got a lot of fight left in me.

    ?

    At 14 minutes into the game, the second Dragon spawned. The yers from High School 13 and Tonji Affiliated High gravitated towards the Dragon pit in the bottom side river. Tonji Affiliated High took control of the river above the Dragon pit. They bullied the yers from High School 13 away and back towards midne. The yers from High School 13 weren¡¯t just going to take this. They fired back with their skillshots and tried to get vision over the area, and then maybe control. All the while, Lin Feng had slipped away and pathed from midne down through his Jungle and around the Dragon pit. Then he walked through the tri brush near botne towards the river.

    A few people in the crowd noticed the Riven¡¯s icon showing up below Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team. They tapped or brushed against the people around them and pointed at the monitor.¡°Dude! Look there! The Riven!¡±¡°The Riven backdoor!¡±"Oh snap! This gonna be juicy!¡±

    Ouyang looked around the cafe. The whispers weren¡¯t whispered, they were more like muffled shouts. He put his finger to his lips and started shushing those who were the loudest. Ren Rou did the same, as did Chen Ze. Lin Feng was nking Tonji Affiliated High! He tried to get into their backline and one shot the squishy carries hiding behind the tanks! This was a great n! But it would fail the moment Tonji Affiliated High noticed him. So the three of them took it upon themselves to quiet the crowd, and make sure Tonji Affiliated High wouldn¡¯t find out about it until it was already toote to do anything about it!

    ?

    The casters of the KG versus Legend game had full vision of the map. They saw where Legend was, even when KG couldn¡¯t. Right now, KG had very few wards and had no clue where any of the yers from Legend were. ¡°NO! BACK! Don¡¯t do that! Back! Not good! KG is going to get caught!¡± Stone cried out as the crowd in the Wembley Arena came to life. Everyone saw what was happening, except for the five yers from KG.

    KG¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai was trying to get some vision around their midne. He walked through his upper jungle until he arrived at the wall separating the jungle near midne and the river. On the other side of the wall was the river brush. That was where he wanted his ward. He got as close up to the wall as he could and then ced a ward over it into the brush. As he did, the dark magic of Morgana flew through the wall and locked him in ce¨CDark Binding!

    The Xerath, KG¡¯s Miner, saw the Dark Binding appear. He moved without thinking, ready to help his Jungler. Then Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s wardnded on the brush. It revealed all five members of Legend, waiting for a pick. ¡°Crap!¡± the Xerath shouted. But he was already too close to his Jungler, and too far away from his outer tower. Nor was there any time to react.

    Legend¡¯s Sejuani shed over the wall and then charged into the Rek¡¯Sai and Xerath, knocking both of them up into the air¨CArctic Assault! This was the moment that the Yasuo was waiting for. He activated his ultimate and blinked over to the two airborne Champions! Then he knocked them back down to the ground¨CLast Breath! The Sejuani came in right after with her own ultimate, a b that froze and stunned the first Champion it struck¨Ccial Prison!

    KG¡¯s Miner died. Before the other three members from Legend could walk around the wall and arrive to the fight, he was already dead. Thebination of crowd control spells meant there was nothing he could do in return. He was basically perma-stunned until he died. As for the Rek¡¯Sai. After the Last Breath knocked her back down to the ground, she shed away and created enough of a gap to have some hope of survival. But the yers from Legend were hot on her tail!

    If Legend got the kill on the Jungler, then the second Dragon was within their grasp. They would get another buff on top of two kills. This would be the nail in the coffin for KG. There was noing back after that happened. The Chinese casters and fans at home were biting their nails. Legend was too strong. The Sejuani could tank towers, while the rest finished off the Rek¡¯Sai. It looked hopeless. Their only hope was God Roundy and his Riven. They looked towards the minimap, where they saw Riven¡¯s icon moving down the river from topne and towards the action.

    ?

    Lin Feng walked up towards the team from Tonji Affiliated High from behind, while Tian Tian did the same in his game against Legend. 10,000 kilometers separated the two, but they kept making the same ys. They yed with the same conviction and came to the same conclusion. This fight was not lost! It didn¡¯t matter how bad it looked, both of them believed they could turn the fight around and pull out a win for their team! The two friends mmed down on their R keys, an ocean apart but still bonded by fate.

    Both Rivens empowered their weapons with green energy, reforging their broken des¨Cde of the Exile! Their attack damage and range rose sharply, and they gained the powerful ability Wind sh! Their cold voices echoed through Summoner¡¯s Rift, and across time and space itself, in unison, ¡°I am awakened!¡±

 Chapter 105: Worldsâ€™ Level Turn Around! | Views: 6,008

    Yang Fan pushed into the river from midne. Tonji Affiliated High was trying to take control of the Dragon pit, and he wouldn¡¯t let that happen! He had his Orianna send her Ball into their team with Command: Attack! All it had to do was hit someone and it¡¯d deal damage. If he rinsed and repeated that a few times, he could force them back. He¡¯d help his team push down towards the Dragon pit and take over control of the area! The Ball hit the Syndra and he pressed down on his W key¨CCommand: Dissonance! It erupted with a pulse of energy that dealt arge amount of magic damage!

    Tang Bingyao also got the message. If they gave the Dragon to Tonji Affiliated High, that would be it. The fatdy wouldn¡¯t just be singing, she¡¯d be belting out an entire opera. They¡¯d fall too far behind. So she pressed forward. But she had to be careful with that, since her Draven had a short attack range. She targeted and poked and attacked only the enemy champions in the frontline with her Spinning Axe, all while hovering her finger over the D key. Just in case she needed to sh away. As much as they needed to push for control over the Dragon Pit, she couldn¡¯t let herself be killed. Her team had no hope of getting through the team fight at the Dragon Pit without her damage.

    Tonji Affiliated High wasn¡¯t stupid, nor were they blind. They knew exactly what was going on. This was the fight that could decide the game. If they managed to get a kill and took the Dragon down after that, this game was in the bag. They could push through the advantage to take down towers and eventually the Nexus. So they were looking for the pick. They¡¯d rounded up the yers from High School 13 near the midne. The Janna threw Howling Gales their way, hoping for that one good knock up that would be the opening salvo to the melody that led to them winning this teamfight. The Caitlyn fired off Piltover Peacemakers every chance she got. Bullets that blossomed open with two de-like wings and sliced forward through the air. And any enemy champions from High School 13 that happened to be in their path.

    This particr Caitlyn had finally hit her power-spike. The moment where she achieved terminal and deadly velocity. Two items, that¡¯s all she needed. Then for a brief, shining, glorious interval in the game, she was unstoppable. Thebination of her long range and high damage proved to be a nightmare for High School 13. They couldn¡¯t get too close, couldn¡¯t poke, and couldn¡¯t engage without stepping into her kill zone. And she would always fire if they entered her attack range. A normal hit wasn¡¯t too bad. Any champion she sniped still had a shot at surviving. But if she happened to get a critical hit off, that would hurt. Just a smidge more than the pain thates from having your high school crushugh at you when you finally gathered the courage to ask her to prom. It would hurt enough that any champion from High School 13¡¯s team who took a critical hit to the face would be forced to back away. Maybe even run back to base to heal.

    The Syndra from Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team, she wasn¡¯t a pushover either. Her skills and attacks also packed a punch, a serious wallop of burst damage. If she managed to get her fullbo off, she could instadelete a champion. But that came with its own drawbacks. Every time she used her fullbo, she had to back out and wait for her skills to cooldown. But that small handicap was mitigated with the constant damage from the Caitlyn. Essentially, what this boiled down to was that both Caitlyn and Syndra were necessaryponents for Tonji Affiliated High to win this team fight. They were equally important. But the Caitlyn was flush with power and going a little insane. Her team needed her for this fight, needed her to stay alive. But she started to get a little too aggressive and yed a little bit too recklessly. Enough to worry her team, and they didn¡¯t hold back when reminding her how important it was that she stay alive.¡°Stop being so aggro! You think you¡¯re that Draven or something? Stay back!¡±¡°Watch out for J4 and Leona! Seriously, we¡¯re screwed if they get to our backline!¡±¡°Stay the fuck back! You idiot! The Riven can just sh engage on you!¡±

    Throughout this teamfight, there was a very real threat that High School 13¡¯s team would go in for a hard engage. If their Leona or Jarvan IV could find a moment to go in on either Caitlyn or the Syndra from Tonji Affiliated High, that would end this fight. With Command: Protect, Orianna could attach her Ball to them and then use her Command: Shockwave to deal a ton of magic damage and push back any enemy champions within reach. The champions from Tonji Affiliated High were all clustered together right now, huddled up. They¡¯d be toast. Beyond the threat from Leona, Jarvan IV, and Orianna, there was also still the Riven to think about. A fed Riven. A Riven who could sh into their backline and slice through their carries with a single sweep of her de. They absolutely had to be careful.

    ¡°Okay! I got it! I got it!¡± eximed the yer who controlled the Caitlyn. He was exhausted. Irritated. Everyone on his team was being too neurotic and worrying too much. He knew why they were worried and what they were worried about. He knew there was a chance that his Caitlyn would get killed if he overextended. But that was the same in every game. This is all because I lost to that Draven early in the game¡­ He walked his Caitlyn back a little, taking cover behind his team¡¯s tanks, the more defensively orientated champions. Look, there¡¯s that Jarvan being an idiot again. And look at that Leona, fronting like she¡¯s hot shit¡­ And that Riven that everyone¡¯s shitting themselves over, she¡¯s probably in that bush... He decided to use his Caitlyn to throw a Yordle Snap Trap in the brush he was looking at to get some quick vision. Huh? Wait. WAIT! SHIT! His eyes rounded, ¡°Guys! The Riven is m¨C¡±

    A sh of golden light erupted out on top of the Caitlyn. The Riven appeared out of nowhere. She raised her sword and shouted, a shock wave of green energy sweeping out and stunned the Caitlyn and Janna¨CKi Burst! Then the Riven followed up with a quick auto attack and then the first strike of three from the skill Broken Wings. Then came the second auto attack and also the second strike from the skill Broken Wings. It all happened so fast. The yers from Tonji Affiliated High forgot to react. They only shouted in shock in their voice chat..¡°Oh shit oh shit! Riven! RIVEN!¡±¡°Fuck! How?¡±¡°Protect Caitlyn! Peel! Peel! Peel!¡±¡°Exhaust! Exhaust the Riven!¡±¡°I don¡¯t have Exhaust! I used it already!¡±

    The rest of the team tried to save Caitlyn. They needed her! But the Riven was too strong and none of them had the right abilities off cooldown. The only thing that could stop the Riven right now, or slow her down, was Janna¡¯s Exhaust. But unfortunately for her and the rest of her team, she¡¯d used that two minutes earlier in botne against the Draven. It was still on cooldown. And they didn¡¯t know that. The card that the rest of the team thought they had up their sleeves, it didn¡¯t exist.

    The Caitlyn smashed down on his keyboard. 90 Caliber Net! sh! One of them had to work! Maybe then he could still get out, somehow. But the Ki Burst¡¯s stun didn¡¯t break. His Caitlyn just stood there, immobile, while he smashed down on his keyboard, frantic. Then as her health dropped down below a quarter, she moved. Finally. The sh worked. She followed it up with a 90 Caliber Net. And then a wave of runic sword energy! But that wasn¡¯t Caitlyn¡¯s skill. It was the Riven¡¯s. It was the second part of her ultimate¨CWind sh! The green runic sword energy sliced through the Caitlyn and killed her.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    The crowd burst into cheers. This was a beautiful y! This was exactly what they were watching the game for! But above all the excitement, three voices were louder than any other. They belonged, of course, to Ouyang, Ren Rou and Chen Ze.¡°NICE, BRO! HELL YEAH! KILL ¡®EM ALL!¡±¡°HAHA! THAT WAS BRILLIANT! YOU¡¯RE THE BEST LIN FENG!¡±¡°HE CAN REALLY DO THIS! HE REALLY CAN!¡±

    The yers from High School 13 stared at the Riven. They turned into spectators as they didn¡¯t even chase after the yers from Tonji Affiliated High as they moved to kill Lin Feng. ¡°GO GO GO GO! What are you waiting for!¡± Lin Feng¡¯s voice sounded in the voice chat. It was enough to snap them out of it. They weren¡¯t spectating this game. They were ying in it!

    ¡°COMING IN HOT!¡± Liu Yue cried out. He was the first to react. He had his Jarvan IV dash into the heart of Tonji Aff. High¡¯s team with his g tossbo. The Syndra was right in front of him. ¡°DEMACIA!¡± He jumped up in the air and then came crashing down on her, knocking her into the ground with such force that the terrain around them transformed into an arena¨CCataclysm!

    ?

    Legend had caught out KG¡¯s Miner and Jungler! The Miner was already dead. Right now, they were chasing the Rek¡¯Sai through KG¡¯s top side jungle. Sejuani led the charge, with Yasuo and Morgana right behind her. The Yasuo was the only one with real damage. If he was out of the picture, Rek¡¯Sai might still survive! Konjac, KG¡¯s ad-carry, knew this. He sneaked into his jungle and hid in the Wolf Camp, waiting for Rek¡¯Sai to pass by above him. Then he had his Tristana load a massive cannonball into her weapon and fired it at the Yasuo as he passed by¨CBuster Shot! The magic damage didn¡¯t threaten the Yasuo, but the knockback was enough to get him away from the Rek¡¯Sai.

    Konjac smiled. A job well done. His screen shed red. Huh? He¡¯d been moving his screen to follow his Rek¡¯Sai to see if she could make it out alive. Shit! This distraction had left his Tristana undefended. He¡¯d forgotten there were five yers on Legend for a second. Demon was one of those five. Legend¡¯s Toner. He Lunged onto Konjac¡¯s Tristana with his Fiora! The Fiora then erupted forth with a tempest of shes¨Cdework! She slowed the Tristana down with the first attack and critically hit her with the second! A third and fourth and the Tristana had less than half of her health remaining.

    The European fans in the Wembley Arena had forgotten all about whatever it was that¡¯d happened before the game had started. Right now, they only wanted to see Legend win. And that was what they were seeing! Their team was about to break open a lead so big that they¡¯d all but won the game. Just a few more kills and a Dragon. It was within reach. They stamped their feet on the ground in an even rhythm, building up the hype. This was the moment that Legend would win their hardest game in the group stage yet!

    KG had to defeat Legend if they wanted to make it out of the group stage without ying a tiebreaker. But the openings to mount aeback were quickly bing smaller. Legend was pulling ahead, and fast. It was so bad even that if KG didn¡¯t turn this fight around, then they could just as well surrender. That was how poorly it looked for them. Yet on the flip side, if they won this match, then they''d be as good as qualified for the next round! The Chinese fans forgot to breathe, shackled to their TVs. This was the moment. Make or break.

    The Chinese casters were just as nervous as their viewers. They were fans of the game, and they wanted to see the teams from their region do well! The three of them leaned forward, their arms on the caster desk, as they watched the game as closely as they could. If anything happened, they wanted to be the first to see it. Stone did. His face started shining as he stood up straight and looked into the camera, ¡°YES! KG still has a chance! It¡¯s not all over! IT¡¯S NOT OVER! RIVEN IS COMING!¡±

    Tian Tian had his Riven run down the river and into his own top side Jungle. He walked past the Blue Buff Camp and into the brush. The Rek¡¯Sai had already run past. The Sejuani and Yasuo were still chasing her. But the Morgana sat back. Her health was low and she was recalling back to base. She had no clue he was there, because the Rek¡¯Sai had swept for wards a minute earlier and cleared all of them in the top half of the river. I-i can do this! I-i can! Yes! Tian Tian¡¯s breaths became short and loud. Then he clicked on the Morgana and then pressed on the R key¨Cde of the Exile!

    A green energy lit up around the edges of Riven¡¯s reforged sword. She dashed towards the Morgana¨CValor! The Morgana didn¡¯t have her Dark Binding. It was still on cooldown. She was defenseless. The Rivenshed out with a series of strikes, three of them in total¨CBroken Wings! She didn¡¯t even pause in between for auto attacks. That would take more time and Morgana¡¯s health was already so low that it wasn¡¯t necessary. She smashed her sword down onto the Morgana for the third strike and killed her.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡°GOD ROUNDY HAS DONE IT AGAIN!¡± Stone screamed on the caster desk. The chat was lighting up. The fans all across the world agreed. God Roundy was back! Last week was forgotten. This game and a win was all that mattered now!

    ¡¸666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY IS DA FRIGGIN BESTTTT!!!!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸ROUNDY ROLLS OVER THEM!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GOOOOOO ROUNDY!!!!! NICE PLAY MY BROOO!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸OMGOMGOGMOGMGOMG IT WORKED!!!! WALKING TO THE FRIDGE GETS ROUNDY A KILL!!! IMA WALK TO THE FRIDGE AGAIN BRB!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸SSIICCKKK PLLAAYYY GO GET EM TIGER!¡¹

    Tian Tian quickly fled back into the brush near Blue Buff Camp after killing the Morgana. The other four yers from Legend stopped what they were doing. Their chase of the other members from KG seemed pointless. Even if they got the kills, they weren¡¯t worth as much as Tian Tian¡¯s Riven. And the Riven was in the middle of the jungle. There was no easy escape. They turned around and copsed on her.

    On the caster desk, Qinghe put his hand down on a sheet of paper. He crumpled it and said, ¡°Can he escape? Can God Roundy do it again and escape?¡± He turned his eyes away from the monitor and looked into the camera. ¡°God Roundy killed the Morgana in an ambush. That¡¯s a good y. He bought his teammates some time to escape. But it¡¯ll only be worth it if he can stay alive. Because if he dies, he¡¯ll give away the bounty on his head as well as the Dragon. It¡¯s now all on his shoulders! Let¡¯s see what he does!¡±

    Phoenix was the closest to the Blue Buff Camp. He was just left of it, towards KG¡¯s base. He had his Yasuo turn around and shed forward. Gimme that shutdown gold! He grinned. This would be an easy kill. There was plenty of space to chase after the Riven, and his Yasuo was great at chasing. He pressed down on his E key¨CSweeping de! This was a gap closer from Yasuo that also dealt a little bit of magic damage. He used it to catch up to the Riven and then auto attacked with his katana.

    The other three yers from Legend stopped chasing whoever they were chasing and redirected their focus on the Riven. She wasn¡¯t far away. Really close, even. They were all only a few steps away from the Blue Buff Camp. All that separated them was a funnel. They moved towards it without thinking. The Riven was running away and they wanted to catch up. It never crossed their minds that the Riven could turn around. A 1v4 sounded suicidal in a normal game, let alone at Worlds! But that was exactly what Tian Tian did on his Riven. He shed towards the three yers from Legend when they pushed through the funnel and then pressed on the W key¨CKi Burst! A shockwave of green energy swept out from the Riven, stunning the three yers from Legend!

    Stone jumped up and down behind the caster desk. He looked at the camera, then at Qinghe. ¡°WOOOOOO!¡± he yelled before running at the camera and grabbing it with both hands. He pushed his face into the camera and shouted, ¡°A FLASH INTO THE ENEMY TEAM! GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY! HE, HE, HE¡­¡±

    Everyone, from the other professional yers in the VIP viewing area to the casual League of Legends fan back at home sat up in their chairs. They stopped everything else they were doing and focused their full attention on the game. Something special was happening. Something unique. Something everyone would be talking about for years toe!

    ¡¸HOLYSHIT! HOLYSHIT! HOLYSHIT!¡¹

    ¡¸HE¡¯S GOING IN FOR THe 1V4 CLUTCH PLAY!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY IS DOING IT!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸666666¡¹

    ¡¸AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I CANT BELIEVE THIS OMGGGGG THIS IS INSANE!!!¡¹

    ¡¸DO IT ROUNDY! I BELLIIEEEBBBBBBBBBBB!!!!!!¡¹

 Chapter 106: Emperor? Who Cares! | Views: 5,999

    Two games. Two different chapters in two different lives. Two friends on the same Champion, both carrying their teams. One had millions of fans watching his game online and cheering him on and 12,500 people booing his name in the arena he was ying in. He was the one taking down the crowd¡¯s favourite! The other one had a small audience of little more than a dozen people gathered around an isle ofputers. They were talking amongst each other, never really cheering. Not like the fans watching the other game did. The stakes were too different. A world apart. But the importance in that very moment felt the same for these two young yers. This was their story.

    High School 13 versus Tonji Affiliated High. Bottom side river, just above the Dragon pit. Lin Feng had just jumped on the Caitlyn. No one had seen iting. Everyone panicked. The yers from High School 13 stared at their screens, forgetting they were ying the game, while the yers from Tonji Affiliated High were screaming into their voice chat. They were shouting incoherently, searching for something, anything they could do to save the Caitlyn. They couldn¡¯t. She shed away and then she died to the second part of the Riven¡¯s ultimate¨CWind sh! Then, at Lin Feng¡¯smand, a full teamfight broke out.

    KG versus Legend. KG¡¯s top side jungle, Blue Buff Camp. Tian Tian had just killed the Morgana. The other four yers turned away from whoever else they were chasing and all focused on him. He was the only one worth killing, because he had the bounty to his name. The Yasuo shed on him, while the others walked into a funnel towards him. He didn¡¯t sh away. He didn¡¯t try to run. This was his game and this would be his y! He shed right into the middle of the three other yers from Legend and pressed down on the W key¨CKi Burst! Fiora, Kalista and Sejuani were all stunned!

    ¡°...HE IS GOING FOR THE 1v4!¡± Stone finished shouting into the camera. He let go of the camera and turned back to Qinghe and Lolo behind the caster desk. ¡°OH. MY. GOD! HE¡¯S DOING IT!¡±

    ¡°He really is, isn¡¯t he?¡± Qingheughed. His eyes never left the monitor. He chewed his lips, afraid to blink and miss even a fraction of this fight. This was a 1vs4! This could very well be the y of the year! ¡°Come on, Roundy,¡± he mumbled.

    The Chinese fans at the Wembley Arena were also shouting in support of God Roundy, but their voices were drowned out by the crashing waves of booing from the European fans. Their team was losing and they wouldn¡¯t have any of it! But the message to KG from their fans around the world was clear. Every one of them wanted to see God Roundy pull this y off.

    ¡¸YESYESYES! RIVEN 1V4 TURNAROUND!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY 6666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸DOOOIIIIITTTTTTTTTT ROOUUNNNDDDYYYYY!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸PPLLLLZZZZZZZZZZZZZ WIINNNN!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸BIKINI CALENDAR FOR 2K COMMENTS ON A CHAPTER!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸HE IS MY GOD!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Tian Tian sat in his gaming chair behind the monitor. His eyes wereser focused on the screen. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and his hands were sweaty. This was it. There was no turning back. He¡¯d gone for it. I-i¡­ There was no time to think. The worries that came up disappeared. His mind was nk and his hands moved on instinct. They knew what to do. The timing on his skills was perfect. The movements of his mouse were perfect. He was in the zone.

    A green energy wrapped around Riven¡¯s de. Sheshed out with a strike, hitting all three yers from Legend around her¨CBroken Wings! She followed up with an auto attack on the Kalista. Kalista couldn¡¯t do anything. She was stunned. The Riven continued with the second strike from Broken Wings, the increased stats that her active ultimate gave her helping her shred through the three Champions around her. The Kalista, Fiora, and Sejuani broke free from the stun. They could move again, and then they couldn¡¯t. The Riven had timed it perfectly. The third strike from Broken Wings knocked those hit airborne. All three yers found themselves up in the air, for just a moment.

    The Riven cut down on the Kalista with an auto attack, then used the second part of her ultimate¨CWind sh! The Kalista¡¯s health bar went almost empty. Only a sliver remained. But that was enough. The Kalista used her Heal and then shed away. Her team would keep the Riven busy, and she¡¯d make it out alive. She stopped just out of reach of the Riven and hesitated. Maybe she could get some poke in, help her team get the kill and grab an assist for herself. This was the wrong move. Only the Xerath was dead on the side of KG. There were still three other Champions besides the Riven. The Tristana had Rocket Jumped away and had to walk around the Jungle to get back and the Rek¡¯Sai was almost dead only a moment ago, but the Thresh hadn¡¯t joined the fight yet. The ghoulish green spectral appeared.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± the Thresh yer shouted in voice chat. ¡°Here! Grab myntern! Let¡¯s kill this Kalista!¡± He shed towards the Kalista and yed her with his chain, knocking her back enough to keep her from escaping. Then he threw hisntern towards Roundy¨CDark Passage!

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Tian Tian replied in voice chat, clicking on thentern and traveling towards the Thresh. It pulled him away from the Sejuani and Fiora and towards the Kalista. The Kalista had some health back after using her Heal, but it was far from enough and she had no skills left to escape. The Riven auto attacked her, then canceled the animation perfectly. Animation Cancel! She shed down on the Kalista again and killed her.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°WWOOOOOO! That is 5/0/0! Riven is 5/0/0! She¡¯s on a Rampage! God Roundy is on a rampage!¡± Stone shoutcasted. The Chinese fans at the Wembley Arena shouted simr lines as did the people watching from home. God Roundy had gone in 1vs4 and had already picked up two kills! And he was still alive!

    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! The fight is not over!¡± Qinghe said. He didn¡¯t care anymore how he looked. His eyes were glued on the monitor. He was beating his fist on the table to the rhythm of a fight song. ¡°Legend is still going for him! He can clean them all up! This is God Roundy! He can do this!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Lolo interjected, just as excited as the other two. ¡°Konjac! Konjac ising back around! He¡¯s almost there! It¡¯s a 3v3! It¡¯s a real fight now! Go KG!¡±

    All roads lead to the Blue Buff Camp. The yers from KG were all world ss and full of determination to win this game. So when they saw the chance presented to them, they turned around. It didn¡¯t matter how low their health was. It didn¡¯t matter that one or two of them might die in this fight. The only thing that mattered was that this was their chance to win the teamfight against Legend. A teamfight that would help them put themselves in a very good position to win this game!

    The Rek¡¯Sai was at the end of the jungle path leading all the way to KG¡¯s base. It was a winding path that went up all the way to the Blue Buff Camp. She Burrowed underground and followed it. Then she created a tunnel, quickly closing the distance with the Fiora and Sejuani, and Un-burrowed. She came up from underground and knocked the two yers from Legend airborne.

    Konjac had also walked around the jungle and back into it with his Tristana. She was now to the left of the Wolf Camp, right below the funnel at the Blue Buff Camp. The Fiora and Sejuani were in range. She ced a bomb on the Fiora¨CExplosive Charge! It¡¯d explode in a few seconds, and it could be charged up by shooting auto attacks at the target! That was exactly what Konjac did. He activated Rapid Fire and went to town on the Fiora.

    Demon¡¯s screen was shing red. The Riven had already done a number on him. Now the Tristana was also attacking his Fiora! The Fiora¡¯s health dropped quickly and he needed to do something about that fast! There was only one thing he could do to get health back. Grand Challenge. Fiora¡¯s ultimate revealed all four Vitals on her enemy and gave her bonus movement speed while near them. If she could hit those four Vitals or the target died, Fiora and her allies in the area would be healed over the next few seconds. She targeted Rek¡¯Sai and attacked her!

    Phoenix also caught back up. He dashed through Rek¡¯Sai¨CSweeping de! Then he turned around and thrust his katana forward¨CSteel Tempest! He knew very well that this fight was lost if Fiora couldn¡¯t get the heal from her ultimate. They needed that health now more than anything! He hit the Rek¡¯Sai with another auto attack, all the while cursing that he didn¡¯t have enough attack speed! Then his heart sank. Fuck.

    Konjac hit the Fiora with thest auto attack that could strengthen the bomb. The bomb attached to Fiora was shing red and about to burst. Her health had dropped low. Too low. The Rek¡¯Sai still had some health left. She wasn¡¯t fast enough. The bomb exploded. Fiora died. Konjac didn¡¯t pause. Getting a kill reset the cooldown on Rocket Jump. He pressed down on the W key. His Tristana aimed her cannon to the ground and fired,unching herself towards the Yasuo.

    Phoenix clicked towards the Thresh, frantic, while smashing down on his E key. The Tristana was too strong right now and his health was too low. He couldn¡¯t kill her. The only way out was through the Thresh. He dashed through the Thresh¨CSweeping de! Then he ran straight into the Riven. It almost looked as if God Roundy had been waiting for him.

    Tian Tian had his Rivensh out with the first strike of Broken Wings. Then he struck out with an auto attack, cancelling it before the animationpleted to hit the Yasuo with the second strike of Broken Wings! The Yasuo tried to run. He didn¡¯t even try to fight. But that didn¡¯t matter for Tian Tian. He pressed down on his E key¨CValor! His Riven dashed after the Yasuo and then leaped up in the air and mmed down onto the Yasuo, killing him¨CBroken Wings!

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOO! TRIPLE KILL!¡± Qinghe shoutcasted, throwing his arms in the air and doing a little dance. ¡°It¡¯s a triple, it¡¯s a triple, it¡¯s a triple kill!¡±

    Stone and Loloughed, excited. They high fived and then turned to look at the monitor hanging behind Qinghe. It was where the stream chat was disyed.

    ¡¸TTTRRIIIPPPLLLLEEEEEEEE KKKIIILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸TRISTANA STOLE HIS PENTA!!!!! SHE BETTER AFK AND THINK ABOUT HER ACTIONS¡¹

    ¡¸god roundy with the ssiickkkkk outy¡¹

    ¡¸SOMEONE PINCH ME! IM AFRAID IM DREAMING¡¹

    ¡¸best riven world, discuss¡¹

    ¡¸BEST TOPLANER WORLD!!!!! GOD ROUNDY IS DA BEST!!1!¡¹

    ?

    One of the fans watching Worlds from home was Su Xue. She sat in her bedroom, chilling in her gaming chair, and watched the KG game. When God Roundy killed the Morgana and started the turnaround of the fight, Su Xue was one of those who sat up straight in her chair. Then, as the fight went on, she leaned in closer and closer to her monitor, until she was almost touching it with her nose. As the Emperor fell, she jumped up and pumped her fist in the air. ¡°NICE! Awesome! Great y! KG is going to win this game!¡±

    Su Xue let herself fall back down in her chair, almost toppling over. She reached out with her arms, searching for something to grab onto, but didn¡¯t find anything. Nor did she fall. She grinned and then breathed out through her nose. ¡°Ah! What a game! Hmm¡­¡± She looked at the empty chair next to her. It was the chair Lin Feng so often sat in. ¡°I wonder how that kid is doing. Did he already qualify?¡± She tossed a sunflower seed in her mouth and munched down on it. ¡°Oh well, who cares. That¡¯s just some silly tournament. This is Worlds. He¡¯s got nothing on God Roundy! Hmph!¡±

    ?

    A teamfight broke out between High School 13 and Tonji Affiliated High! Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV threw out his g-tossbo and dashed into the heart of the Red team. This was the decisive moment! The game deciding fight that would see the strongest team top their qualifying group! There might not be ten thousand plus people in the crowd, or shoutcasters hyping up every y. But this game was as exciting as any other at Worlds! At least, it was to the students participating in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament.

    ¡°Back back back! Get the fuck back!¡±¡°Exhaust! Where¡¯s our fucking Exhaust!!!¡± ¡°CC the Riven! STUN HER! DO SOMETHING!¡±

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s voice chat was in chaos mode. They¡¯d just lost their Caitlyn and now their entire team was getting sandwiched! The Janna yer had no Exhaust but he still had his ultimate. He smashed down on his R key¨CMonsoon! A maelstrom erupted out from his Janna and pushed the yers from High School 13 away, while his allies inside the maelstrom got some health back. It was a short timeout. A few seconds to breathe and get their act back together. But a few seconds were hardly enough.

    Liu Yue leaped into the air and mmed down on the Syndra. The impact transformed the terrain and formed an arena around him. Wei Dong¡¯s Leona followed up with her ultimate¨C?Sr re! She used her sword to summon down a beam of supercharged sunlight right into the heart of the cluster of enemy champions! It stunned both Syndra and Elise while also slowing the Janna! Yang Fan followed up with his Orianna¡¯s Ball,unching it into the center of the trio. He pressed down on the R key to activate his Orianna¡¯s ultimate¨CCommand: Shockwave! A storm of electromaic energy raged out from the Ball and captured Syndra and Elise with its sh. Then the invisible electromaic pulsations dragged both of them in towards the ball, all while damaging them. Their health plummeted. The Janna barely shed away in time, only to be met face to face with the Riven.

    ¡°Haha! You¡¯re not getting away! Give me my penta!¡± Lin Fengughed, his fingers gliding over his keyboard. He¡¯d found his way back into the fight after being blown away by the Monsoon. Everything went as nned. He¡¯d ace them and then push for an easy victory! He had his Riven close in on the Janna with the first two strikes from Broken Wings! Then he pressed on the Q key again for the third strike. His Riven jumped in the air with her sword raised above her head and hacked down on the Janna! The power knocked the Janna airborne! She couldn¡¯t do anything as the Riven hacked and shed away at her. Her health dropped and disappearedpletely. Lin Feng had killed the Janna!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    While Lin Feng beat down on Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s backline, Tang Bingyao did the same on their frontline. Wei Dong had hit the Syndra with a Sr re. The Syndra was stunned. Her Jungler was stunned. Only their Darius could try and stop Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven from Blood Rushing into the fight. But he didn¡¯t. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t. There was a Leona who¡¯d mmed into him with her shield, stunning him¨CShield of Daybreak! Tang Bingyao maneuvered her Draven, juggling his Spinning Axes, throwing them at the Syndra and catching them again as they ricocheted off of her. The Syndra was a squishy caster at already low health and the Draven dealt a ton of damage. It only took two axes to finish her off.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tang Bingyao turned to the Darius. She threw two spinning axes out in a straight line, slowing the Darius and knocking him aside¨C?Stand Aside! Then she continued her deadly dance, throwing Spinning Axes and catching them again. It looked like a well rehearsed y as she manipted her axes just enough that she could reposition herself, continuing to find the best spot to throw the next axe from. The Darius couldn¡¯t do anything. There wasn¡¯t just the Draven, there were also the Orianna, Jarvan IV, and Leona. All four of them focused him down. Tang Bingyao caught a Spinning Axe and activated Blood Rush again for that extra bit of attack speed, when Lin Feng cried out in voice chat, ¡°Wait! Tang Tang! Don¡¯t steal my kills!¡± But she ignored him and threw thest Spinning Axe to finish the Darius off.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    After securing the kill, Tang Bingyao tilted her head and looked over at Lin Feng a few monitors over. ¡°Hmm? What did you say?¡± she asked, blinking.

    ¡°Nooo! My penta!¡± Lin Feng wailed. He let go of his mouse and keyboard and started pulling his ruffly hair, turning to Tang Bingyao to show her his pain. He was absolutely devastated! ¡°That was my penta! What good Riven game doesn¡¯t have a penta! You¡¯re so mean!¡±

    ¡°Oh, was that it? I already killed the Syndra. You wouldn¡¯t have gotten a penta anyway,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, honest and direct as ever.

    ?

    Tian Tian carried KG to win the fight. He¡¯d killed the Emperor and picked up a double kill! Konjac had also dealt a ton of damage in the end and gotten the kills on the Fiora and Sejuani. He¡¯d yed a good fight, as had the Thresh and Rek¡¯Sai. Everyone had forgotten how the fight started. The oue was all that mattered. And it was precisely that oue that a lot of Chinese fans had an issue with.

    ¡¸the hell!? Where¡¯s our penta!!!¡¹

    ¡¸what is this bullshit! konjac stole his penta¡­¡­¡­...¡¹

    ¡¸I already have my pants down! I can¡¯t finish if I don¡¯t see my roundy get a penta!¡¹

    ¡¸i want my money back!!!!!11!!¡¹

    ¡¸screw this im not watching anymore of this shit HOW FUCKING DARE HE GIVE GOD ROUNDY HIS PENTA NOW¡¹

    ¡¸useless team dragging GOD roundy down¡­...¡¹

    Qingheughed and said, ¡°I see how the chat feels about thisst fight. How about we take another look at it and see if they¡¯re right. Did Konjac really steal a penta away from God Roundy, or was it a good teamy? Let¡¯s see!¡±

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Triple Kill¡·

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    ¡°Gotta say I agree with the viewers here,¡± Stoneughed. ¡°That was absolutely totally a penta steal! Haha! What a great y by God Roundy! Shame about that penta steal. Really puts a damper on the whole thing!¡±

    ¡°God Roundy with the beautiful ys getting screwed over! It¡¯s like solo queue all over!¡± Loloughed. ¡°What a y! Best y of the year! Best y of League ever! He so should¡¯ve gotten that penta! We want to see a penta! Penta! Penta!¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Qinghe looked at the rey for a second time. He watched God Roundy pick up the first two kills, and then Konjac picked up the third kill of the fight. Then God Roundy again before Konjac killed the Sejuani and ended the fight. He took the chat seriously for just a moment, while they were just having augh. ¡°If Konjac hadn¡¯t picked up that third kill, I would¡¯ve agreed. But this was very much great teamy on the back of a phenomenal y by God Roundy!¡±

    Lolo smiled and said, ¡°Never! That was totally a steal! God Roundy should just rage quit! He deserves to after that fight! Haha!¡±

    The chat jumped on the Lolo bandwagon. They loved her and roasted Qinghe! Qinghe shook his head. He¡¯d been far too absorbed in the fight. It was just that exciting! And then he misread the room. Everyone was excited! Thrilled! KG was winning! They were actually beating an Emperor team! And their messages reflected that. Now, they were just having some fun, releasing all their stress into chat. This small victory just about secured the game for KG! They would move on to the next round in Worlds if nothing crazy happened!

    ?

    KG still had to y the game out, but Lin Feng and his team had already won against Tonji Affiliated High! They¡¯d pushed hard after winning the teamfight and picking up the Dragon and after the game hit the 27 minute mark, Tonji Affiliated High gave up. They surrendered unanimously. The primal energy within the Red Nexus twisted and warped before erupting out in a powerful explosion. On the screens of the yers from High School 13, therge ¡°VICTORY¡± message appeared.

    Ren Rou and Chen Ze ran up to the yers behind the monitors, screaming,¡°We won! We won! You guys did it! Oh my god, you guys really did it! You beat Tonji Affiliated High!¡±¡°That was so beautiful! Amazing teamwork! Thanks Lin Feng! Your topne ys were crazy!¡±

    Ouyang didn¡¯t join Ren Rou and Chen Ze. He stood still, staring at the monitor. His head rocked back and forth and his knees started shaking. ¡°D-did we really beat Tonji? T-they were semifinalists¡­¡± He tried to swallow the lump in his throat down, ruffling his hair. ¡°D-did we really¡­¡± Only two weeks ago, he thought this was something impossible. A dream he didn¡¯t even dare dream of. But in a short two weeks, here they were. They¡¯d defeated Tonji Affiliated High! ¡°W-we, we won!¡±

    Liu Yue leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling before sitting up straight again and rubbing his eyes. He looked at his screen. The letters ¡®VICTORY¡¯ still stood there. He startedughing and crying, ¡°W-we really won?¡±

    Yang Fan put a hand on Liu Yue¡¯s shoulder. He adjusted his ss, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He yed it calm and said, ¡°Yeah man, we did it. We won!¡± Then he readjusted his sses again, and again. He couldn¡¯t hide the joy and happiness and most of all disbelief.

    Wei Dong kept shaking his head. His hands were still on his mouse and keyboard. The game couldn¡¯t be over yet. They hadn¡¯t lost yet. He didn¡¯t think any other result was possible. His eyes rested on the victory screen. He pinched his arm and muttered, ¡°We really did it. I¡¯m not dreaming. We won!¡±

    High School 13, the school that had lost in the qualifying roundst year and the school that other teams never even considered as contenders for the main tournament, had won their qualifying group this year! They¡¯d won all three matches and would move on to the main tournament with a perfect record!

    The members of Tonji Affiliated High stood up from their seats, one a bit faster than the other. This loss didn¡¯t mean much to them. They¡¯d already secured their spot in the next round. But that didn¡¯t mean they were happy either. They were rather muffled. High School 13 had outyed them and that was why they¡¯d lost. They walked around the isle and congratted them on a game well yed.

    Just because this qualifying round was for a tournament and everyone was in apetitive spirit, that didn¡¯t mean that both sides couldn¡¯t be friendly before and after the game. After shaking hands, Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner walked over and nodded at Lin Feng, ¡°Your Riven is amazing, man. Those were some crazy ys. I could easily see you ying in Challenger.¡±

    ¡°Haha, thanks! My Riven really was pretty amazing!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    Ouyang had walked over after his initial shock and happened to hear Lin Feng brag. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head a little. Then he pushed through a few people and grabbed Lin Feng by the shoulder. ¡°Hey, bro. What the fuck¡­ Show some humility. Bragging everywhere and about everything isn¡¯t some great trait. It¡¯s kind of stupid is what it is.¡±

    While Lin Feng was talking with Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner, Tang Bingyao got approached by their ad-carry. He scratched his hair and took several fake steps in her direction before finally walking up to her. ¡°H-hey,¡± he mumbled, sticking out his hand and almost punching her in the stomach. ¡°U-uh, your Draven was really good.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook his hand and nodded, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The ad-carry from Tonji Affiliated High felt his face heat up. His stomach was taking a roller coaster ride and his knees were wobbling. He still mustered up the courage to talk. ¡°U-um¡­ D-do you want to be League friends? M-maybe we can duo together some time?¡±

    Tang Bingyao slightly tilted her head. She didn¡¯t answer right away, instead observing him a little. How he was wobbling on his feet. How he was ying with his hands. How his eyes wouldn¡¯t meet hers and his face was beet red. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°Are you trying to ask me out?¡±

    His eyes went wide. It felt like his world came to a stop. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He wobbled back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°U-uhm¡­ N-n¡­ I-i d-d¡­¡± He looked around for his friends, then found the door to the inte cafe and bolted away.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Tang Bingyao looked after Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s ad-carry. Then she turned to Ren Rou who¡¯d just walked up to her and asked, ¡°Why¡¯d he run?¡±

    Ren Rou tried to stop herself fromughing, hiding her smile with her hand. ¡°Tang Tang¨C¡± She couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and burst outughing. She grabbed her stomach and clutched in, lunging forward and almost falling down on the ground. ¡°Hahaha!¡± She felt for the table and pushed herself up against it, then took several deep breaths. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Aww, haha! Tang Tang, guys aren¡¯t used to us girls being so direct. Haha! You scared him off! Ha! He just ran away, did you see him run? Hahaha! You know? You know, if you keep this up¡­ Hahaha! You¡¯ll scare them all off!¡±

 Chapter 107: Well Deserved Applause | Views: 5,331

    This game that Legend was ying against KG, it held far more significance than everyone realized. Literally everyone. Analysts, professionals yers, shoutcasters, spectators, and even the most erudite of aquatic audiences who watched and argued on streams, all of them believed that Legend would win. Easily. It was a forgone conclusion, so much so that no one had even considered what would happen if they didn¡¯t win. Everyone except for Phoenix. He knew, he¡¯d been thinking about it for a while now. If Legend lost this game, then theirst game against sh suddenly became important again. Because if they lost to sh, they would end up in a three-way tiebreaker with KG and sh. All three of them would be at 4 wins and 2 losses. He didn¡¯t want to see that happen. He had to win this game! But that was easier said than done. It was bing harder and harder to do that with every passing second. He stared at his screen, indecisively considering the possibilities and his next move.

    Phoenix hit the Tab key and looked at the score. The Riven had picked up a triple kill and sat at 6/0/0. She was fed. She¡¯d snowballed. There was nothing they could realistically do to stop her, beyond stalling. Sitting in their base and hoping they could hold off long enough to mount aeback in the superte game. But it didn¡¯t stop there. Thatst teamfight, one where all of them got killed and KG had gotten an ace, that was where the Riven situation went from just in bad to a nightmare. Uch¡­ He sighed and rubbed his temples to soothe the pounding headache from this game.

    Putting aside the Riven, there was also a fed Tristana. Tristana needed levels and items to be strong. But once she did, she was one of the best carries in the game. Thest teamfight had brought her to that point. If that wasn¡¯t enough to deal with, KG also had a Xerath, a mage champion with absurdly long range. Legend¡¯s champions could hide all the way in their fountain and Xerath could still snipe them down with magic from outside their base! And it wasn¡¯t like Legend could dash in and kill KG. The only immobile threat was the Xerath, and he was the weakest of the three carries! Not to mention that Rek¡¯Sai and Thresh. All of the champions KG had picked, their teamposition, were ones who scaled hard. The longer the game went on, the more difficult it would get to take them down.

    No matter how Phoenix looked at it, his team was losing and he couldn¡¯t think of a single strategy to turn this game around. He shook his head, once, then looked down at his hands. This game was finished. His team had lost, he knew it but he just didn¡¯t want to admit it. There¡¯s gotta be something we can do! But there wasn¡¯t. The only way Legend could win was if KG miraculously decided to surrender for some unknowable reason. Anything short of that, the game would end in a victory for KG. KG had beaten them.

    Phoenix bit on his lips and focused back on the game. He wouldn¡¯t give up, not until Legend¡¯s Nexus exploded! He would fight and do everything he could to turn this game around. Not everything was lost! They were still ying the game! Anything could happen! Maybe KG would screw up like they¡¯d done only a week ago! That would see Legend pull out an easy victory. He didn¡¯t care how small the chance of that was, just that there was a chance. And as long as there was a chance, he would fight. He would give it everything he had and y to win!

    ?

    On Summoner¡¯s Rift, Legend held on for dear life. They wouldn¡¯t give up, even after losing the big teamfight at 15 minutes. Their towers fell and they lost control over the map and the pace of the game, but they were holding on. They stopped giving away kills and yedpletely on the defensive. All they had to do was drag this game out. Get to the superte game where every Champion hit the maximum level of 18 and the 6 items their inventories could hold. But they couldn¡¯t. KG¡¯s advantage was too big. God Roundy split pushed on his Riven and took down the inhibitor in topne at 31 minutes. Their base was broken open. The game was lost. Phoenix knew it. All of Legend knew it. In their desperation, they went for one more teamfight. Dragon had just spawned, so they rushed over the map, through an ocean of KG¡¯s wards, to fight for this objective and try to win something.

    KG saw Legend running towards the Dragon pit. One final attempt of desperation. They wouldn¡¯t let it happen! This game was theirs, and this Dragon would also be theirs! They rushed towards the Dragon pit and gathered in the river brush right above the alcove. Legend had it warded. KG knew this, but didn¡¯t care. Legend didn¡¯t seem to care either as they tried to take the Dragon down, standing practically on top of each other.

    Tian Tian was the first to move. He dashed forward¨CValor!¨Cand then shed. His Riven reappeared in the middle of Legend¡¯s team. She raised her sword up in the air and let out a shout, a green shockwave erupting out around her¨CKi Burst! Shended a perfect five man stun. A green energy wrapped around her sword and she startedshing out with a series of strikes¨CBroken Wings!

    The Rek¡¯Sai followed right after the Riven. She shed into Legend¡¯s team and Unburrowed, knocking all five Champions airborne. Another second Legend couldn¡¯t react. And another second the damage dealers on KG could attack! Tristana put her bomb down on the Kalista¨CExplosive Charge!¨Cwhile the Xerath activated his ultimate¨CRite of the Arcane! This ultimate skill made Xerath immobile in return for several powerful electrical charges. The area of effect was justrge enough to wrap around all five members from Legend. Their health bars disintegrated! Then there was the Riven again, with the second part of her ultimate¨CWind sh!

    There was too much damage on the side of KG. Legend¡¯s Yasuo, Morgana and Kalista died before they could even move. And the Fiora and Sejuani died right after, while they were trying to escape. KG didn¡¯t turn to take the Dragon. There was no need. Super minions were making their way through topne and were about to smash into Legend¡¯s base. Following God Roundy¡¯s Riven, the other four from KG walked through midne and into Legend¡¯s base, then took down the two Nexus turrets and finally the Nexus. They won. KG beat Legend!

    ¡¶Defeat!¡·

    Phoenix looked at the red banner on his screen. Defeat. The Emperor of Europe had lost to the third seed from the LPL. Damn! He banged his fist on the table, letting his frustration out. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ Dammit! I shouldn¡¯t have lost focus like that! He believed that in their group, only sh could put up any resistance against Legend. And even then, that was only out of respect for Chris who was one of the Seven Kings. Demon was a great Toner, and not any worse than Chris in his eyes. I should¡¯ve done more. He¡¯d taken the group stage for granted and had put his focus on the three Korean teams who he considered to be their only real opponents at this edition of Worlds. And because of that mistake. His mistake. They now had to beat sh or end up in a tiebreaker. Whatever happened, they couldn¡¯t lose this next game.

    Demon tapped Phoenix on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, dude. Come. We gotta go congratte them.¡±

    Phoenix looked up at his Toner and smiled, ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go.¡± He got up from his gaming chair and walked over towards the yers from KG. Tian Tian stood at the far end. KG¡¯s Toner. Phoenix was caughtpletely off guard by him. He¡¯d outssed Demon, something Phoenix never even considered possible. And then he outssed Legend. His Riven was so good that Phoenix would even ce him on the same level as the best Toner in the world! Heh. He shook his head and followed after his teammates to congratte KG, all the while thinking of God Roundy.

    This game reminds me of back then. Phoenix smiled towards God Roundy and made a small courtesy bow. ¡°Well yed, Roundy.¡± He thought back to Season 1 Worlds. That was when he¡¯d first yed against Roundy. And lost. Just that the reason he lost back then was different from now. In that game, it wasn¡¯t Roundy who¡¯d carried his team, but their Miner who had. That guy was something else. The thought alone of him sent shivers down Phoenix¡¯s spine. A 15 year old who had shown him every corner of the Rift. Such a pity that that guy left. I would¡¯ve loved to y against him again¡­

    Phoenix started ying League of Legends in Season 1. He was already one of the best yers in the game back then. But he was never number one. There were two other Miners who were simply better. One was a 15 year old Chinese talent and the other an 18 year old Korean talent. Phoenix grinned and shook his head as he thought back to Season 1 Worlds. The Finals that year was something special. A sh between the two best yers the game had ever seen. Rake and Maple. It looked like Maple would take the win for the longest time, but it was Rake who made the winning y in the end. And then Maple disappeared. He just up and left. Such a shame¡­ Phoenix sighed, deep and loud. I wonder what¡¯s happened to that kid. It¡¯d be great to see himpete again.

    ?

    The Wembley Arena was quiet. A stunned silence. The European crowd couldn¡¯t believe what they¡¯d just seen. Their team, the one they hoped to see take home the trophy, had lost to KG. A team without even a King. The silence persisted as even the Chinese fans didn¡¯t know what to do. They¡¯d hoped and cheered for KG before the game started. They were screaming until their lungs gave out when God Roundy made his big y to Ace Legend. But winning a teamfight and beating Legend were two different things. Thetter was something they never even considered possible. Finally, someone started pping. It set off a wave of apuse. Everyone, European and Chinese fans alike, got up to their feet and started pping. Only Emperor teams beat other Emperor teams. Until now. For the first time in this year¡¯s Worlds, a regr team beat an Emperor team. KG had done the impossible. They¡¯d beaten Legend!

    The professional yers watching the games in the VIP viewing area were no exception. They were all pping for KG. Moon struck his hands together, like everyone else. But his mind wasn¡¯t on the stage. He looked over at the legend a few seats over. The one that had arrived at the start of the game, calm and rxed. That man was now standing and pping, still smiling. He¡¯d never lost that smile throughout the game. Is he why Roundy is ying so good today? That could make sense¡­ Right? He wasn¡¯t sure. It felt like too much of a coincidence. But why would hee for Roundy? He had questions, but didn¡¯t want to walk up to that man and ask them. Whatever. He shook his head and looked back at the stage where KG was enjoying the apuse.

    It finally dawned on the few Chinese people in the crowd what¡¯d just happened. KG had won over an Emperor team! They startedughing, uncontrobly so, and pped so hard that their hands started going numb. It woke them up a little. Enough to open their mouths and start chanting the name of their new favourite team, ¡°KG! KG! KG!¡± The few broke the dam. Others started joining in and soon the entire arena was shouting, ¡°KG! KG! KG!¡±

    The people watching the various broadcasts of Worlds were in as much shock as those at the Wembley Arena. They needed a moment to settle their emotions and then flooded the chats.

    ¡¸WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸ITS THE GOOODDDDDDD 6666666¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY >>> KG >>>>>>>>>>> LEGEND¡¹

    ¡¸omg dis for real? cant be right? someone wake me up before you go go¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY HARD CARRY KKGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!1!!¡¹

    No words could describe how the KG fans felt. Only a week ago, they¡¯d given up all hope. They¡¯d even taken it upon themselves to go to online forums and me their team¡¯s yers. The five who¡¯d destroyed all their hopes and dreams! They were furious. Full of rage and disappointment. Though mostly disappointment. They wanted to see their team do well and to see them screw up so badly felt like a low blow. Yet now, on the verge of being knocked out, they turned it all around. That rage and disappointment warped into such extreme joy that the fans didn¡¯t know what to do with it. Jumping up and down their seats. Hugging their neighbours. Kissing the girl they had a crush on. Everything they would otherwise never do. The LPL wasn¡¯t done for! There was still hope for them! This edition of Worlds wasn¡¯t over! They could still win it all! The trophy could be theirs!

    On the caster desk, Qinghe covered his mouth with his hands and pulled down. He couldn¡¯t believe what¡¯d just happened, but he¡¯d been there shoutcasting it all. He watched it happen live with his own two eyes. ¡°Wow¡­¡± He turned to the camera and shook his head. ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t know what to say. Just, wow. That was. Wow. KG deserves all the apuse. That was something else. Wow.¡± He started pping again.

    Stone nodded and pped. He smiled and didn¡¯t know quite what to do. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± He looked at Lolo and then back at Qinghe. ¡°What do I say about that? That was just so, so good. God Roundy really lived up to his name. Can you imagine the pressure he was under? Like, afterst week? I don¡¯t know how he did that. He actually carried both games! Damn!¡±

    The MVP during the group stage of Worlds so far was undoubtedly Tian Tian. His Riven and Hecarim alone were more than enough to nominate him for that award. He carried his team on his shoulders and made it possible for them to win what was supposed to be an impossible-to-win game!

    The cameras had already panned over to the winning team. Every disy in the arena, along with millions of phones,ptops, tablets, and monitors around the globe showed one scene. One moment that captured all of the glory and camaraderie and everything that League of Legends and esports represented. The yers from KG jumping out of their seats and sping each other in an enormous bear-like group hug. With a beaming Tian Tian at the very center of it. He was all smiles andughter and sheer infectious joy!

    ¡°Right, now that KG managed to grasp victory this game¡­ I¡¯m guessing Team sh is pretty shocked right now, huh?¡± Lolo interjected.

    Over in Team sh¡¯s box, standing out in stark contrast to the cheers and apuse, was a dark storm cloud in the very middle of the room. Right over where the yers from Team sh were sitting. They had an interesting mixture of expressions on their faces. From shock to disgust to fear to disbelief. But schadenfreude in its purest form, that could be found by looking at Chris¡¯ face. He looked like he¡¯d identally eaten the vomit that came from one dog after it hadpped up diarrhea from another dog. His dreams, and all of Team sh¡¯s dreams, of making it out of the group stage had ironically disappeared in a sh.

 Chapter 108: No One Else | Views: 6,427

    KG stood with half a foot in the quarterfinals of Worlds! This win over Legend had secured that. All that was left to do for them was to y the wildcard team and win. But that shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Even when KG was at their worst, only a week ago, they¡¯d still beaten the wildcard team. The only other development that could rock KG¡¯s boat was if Legend screwed up in theirst game against sh. If they lost, there would be a three way tiebreaker between Legend, sh and KG. Anything could happen in a tiebreaker. But Legend had never lost to sh. There was nothing to suggest they would start losing now. Their loss against KG was a momentary setback, nothing more. sh would be easy pickings for them!

    The yers from Hand of God had watched the KG versus Legend game in the VIP viewing area. Hermes and Nightsong were sitting together, chatting about thest game in Group A. They were rooting for KG, of course, and were happy to see Roundy make it to the next round. Hermes nudged Nightsong and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that tiebreaker is happening, man. Legend has never lost to sh. Ever. Never ever. I don¡¯t see it suddenly start happening now.¡±

    ¡°Yup, you¡¯re right! sh is fucked! No way they beat Legend. Nope. Don¡¯t see it happening. That¡¯s an Emperor team. We did it back at MSI cause we have me! But sh doesn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t think KG could do it either, but I guess some of my big dick energy must¡¯ve rubbed off on Roundy back at the buffet!¡± Nightsong patted himself on the back and smirked. ¡°You see, that¡¯s why you should feel lucky to have me. I¡¯ve got a way of making the impossible possible.¡±

    ¡°Sure sure. It had nothing to do with Legend underestimating KG. Oh, and definitely nothing to do with Roundy ying out of his mind, right?¡± Hermes grinned, elbowing his friend in the side. ¡°Still, Legend really dropped the ball this time. They disrespected KG, and Roundy walked all over them for that. I guess they figured Demon would always beat Roundy and didn¡¯t n for otherwise. Roundy really carried the hell out of that game.¡±

    ¡°Told ya!¡± Nightsongughed, proud of his self-imagined contribution. ¡°It¡¯s all me! Roundy wouldn¡¯t have solo carried those games if it wasn''t for me!¡±

    ¡°Yep, yep. All you. Like you keep saying.¡± Hermes shook his head and grinned. His friend was an idiot. ¡°You know. If Roundy keeps ying like he is, he¡¯ll probably take Chris¡¯s spot and be one of the Seven Kings. I don¡¯t think it even matters how KG ends the tournament. He just has to keep ying like he is.¡±

    Nightsong looked at his friend and winked at him. ¡°Or he might disce you, who knows! But whatever. It¡¯s good that KG is finally winning their games. The LPL needed this. This is good for all of us! We also gotta make it to the quarterfinals!¡±

    Hermes chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Yep. We were the first to qualify in the LPL. It¡¯s up to us to show everyone that we¡¯re the best team in China! So we better kick some asses!¡±

    The yers from KG and Legend had left the stage. It was empty while the stadium announcer was hyping up the crowd for the next game, while reys of both teams appeared on the giant LCD screens above the stage. Hermes and Nightsong looked at it, watching themselves y. Their opponent was North America¡¯s COG. This was a winnable matchup. They waited until the little videoclip came to an end and a picture of the five yers appeared. Then they got up from their seats and walked up the stage with their teammates, waving at the cheering crowd.

    In Week 1, Hand of God had beaten COG. It was a resounding victory, but it didn¡¯t paint the full picture. COG had a King on their roster, just like HoG. However, unlike HoG, their King had to sit outst week. Due to circumstances, he couldn¡¯t y. But now he was ready. Back with a vengeance. COG finally showed up with their strongest lineup! This game would be a battle between Kings! On one side was Daybreak Hermes in the mine and on the other was Seven, North America''s best Toner!

    The crowd in the Wembley Arena was pping and cheering. This game was no battle between Emperors. This game was also not the previous game. It didn¡¯t hold the excitement. The thrill. But that didn¡¯t mean this wasn¡¯t a match the people looked forward to. This was a battle between Kings! Two of the best yers in the world would go toe to toe! Anything could happen and they were excited to see what this game would bring!

    ?

    While Hand of God and COG got into their match, the fans cheering their names, Tian Tian had retreated to a bathroom stall backdoor. His bathroom stall. But instead of hiding away in it, he left the door open, cuddling a phone with both hands. He had tears of joy in his eyes as he dialed a number and waited for the other side to pick up. When they did, the floodgates opened. Through the tears and joy he started rambling, ¡°L-lin Feng! Lin Feng! I did it! I promised you and I did it! I won! W-we beat Legend! I-t was really cool! I won!¡±

    Tian Tian was using his mentor¡¯s phone. His mentor who was also in the bathroom, listening in on the call. He watched Tian Tian caressing the phone and weeping, and shook his head. ¡°I must¡¯ve been really drunk when I decided to help him¡­ What did I think? Fatty¡­ He¡¯s such a crybaby! Even when he¡¯s happy those tears flow. How did I ever think he could follow in my footsteps?¡±

    There was a moment of silence. Tian Tian¡¯s mentor looked over. Tian Tian was listening, his mouth hanging open a little. He was nodding, vigorously, every few seconds and sometimes mumbling a few words. Then he used his sleeve to wipe his eyes dry and said, ¡°Yeah! B-both games! We won both of them!¡± His face started shining. It could light up the darkest room. Full of pride he was. ¡°I carried both games! Y-you should¡¯ve seen it! I really did it! I didn¡¯t let you down! First I yed my Heca. Y-you need to go see a rey. Inded a 5 man ult! I hit all five of them! ¡­ Yes! Also on that Chris, haha! It was really cool! And, and then in the second one I went with Riven. I-i knew it would take something special. So, so, so I did! I went for it! And it worked! It was so cool! We won and I got a perfect game against Legend!¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s mentor smiled. He looked at this young man who he¡¯d given so much attention to. This kid who¡¯d given him so many sleepless nights and headaches. A foolish crybaby. But this same kid. This same crybaby... Fatty had just shown the entire world one of the best topne performances ever seen in League of Legends! This was the level he knew his pupil could reach, at minimum. The Seven Kings were nothing for Fatty! All he had to do was get a little more consistent. Once he did that, his eyes would be on the Four Emperors. Though, it was a little bit early to be thinking about them. A few good games wouldn¡¯t see Fatty enter their ranks.

    The Four Emperors, huh? Tian Tian¡¯s mentor thought back to the days he still yedpetitively. He¡¯d lived and breathed esports. He¡¯d stood at the top and seen it all. He¡¯d fought with the best, and against them. I suppose we weren¡¯t all that different back thenpared to these Four Emperors.

    Number 4: Moon. Miner for Fate. Competing in the Korean LCK.Number 3: Phoenix. Miner for Legend. Competing in the European LCS.Number 2: Autumn, Support for Season. Competing in the North American LCS.Number 1: Rake. Miner for SSK. Competing in the Korean LCK. Best yer in the world.

    Tian Tian¡¯s mentor and his friend in Hawaii, both of them were invested in the LPL. More specifically, they were invested in Tian Tian and Lin Feng. Rake was the catalyst that led to Lin Feng quitting the scene. This still left a bad aftertaste. Everytime Tian Tian¡¯s mentor heard the name, or saw the man y, he got a little annoyed. He didn¡¯t like this Rake one bit. But it didn¡¯t matter if he liked Rake or not. Fact of the matter remained that Rake was an exceptionally talented yer. The best in the world. There was no one who could beat him. Not right now, at least.

    ¡°The next three years will be Rake¡¯s golden years¡­¡± The words rang in Tian Tian¡¯s mentor¡¯s head. Those were the words an old friend had said to himst year, when SSK won the Season 4 World Championships. ¡°The only thing that can stop Rake is if his team falls apart. There¡¯s no other team, or yer, who can contest against him right now. Maybe they lose a game after a crazy patch. But other than something extreme like that, I don¡¯t see anyone else winning over them.¡±

    League of Legends was already five years old. From a small game primarily yed in North America, it was now a worldwide phenomenon. There were tens of millions of yers, if not more. But a yer from all the way back in Season 1 was still the best. He started ying in Korea when the queue times for games were long because there weren¡¯t enough people yet. But since that first edition of Worlds until now, no one had appeared on the professional team that could beat him. The only person who came close was Lin Feng. But that was so long ago, it didn¡¯t really count anymore.

    Lin Feng, huh? Tian Tian¡¯s mentor looked over at his pupil. Tian Tian was still holding his phone as though he held the most valuable item in his hands, listening to what Lin Feng was saying on the other end of the line. He smiled. No one was invincible. There was always a higher hill to climb. And there was an opponent who could challenge Rake. Maple. The kid who at only 15 years old had challenged and fought through the rounds in Worlds until finally losing in the fifth game of the Finals. He was the first andst yer to ever give Rake a real difficult time. But Maple had quit. If he wanted to y again, he first had to get back into the game. He had to prove to everyone all over again how good he was. If he could do that. If he could fight through everything thrown his way and get back to where he once stood. Then, and only then, would Rake finally have to fight, really fight for his position on the throne!

 Chapter 109: Iâ€™ve Had my Fun | Views: 6,427

    Tian Tian¡¯s mentor looked at Tian Tian. After hanging up his call with Lin Feng, Tian Tian had started crying. Not just a little bit. No. He was bawling his eyes out, rocking back and forth on his behind. What is wrong with him¡­ It didn¡¯t make any sense. A moment ago, Tian Tian was still beaming with joy! He rolled his eyes and said, ¡°What are you crying about this time¡­¡± If he had a straight leather prop flogger whip, he¡¯d be going to town on Tian Tian right now to smack some sense into him! You¡¯re the best yer at Worlds today, for fucks sake¡­ Why do you have to be like this?

    ¡°No, no! That¡¯s not it!¡± Tian Tian replied, wiping the tears from his eyes and blowing his nose in his sleeve. ¡°I-it¡¯s just. I¡¯m really happy!¡± There were too many things that¡¯d happened today. Too many good things. The games were great. He¡¯d led his team to two big victories, even beating an Emperor in the second one. That alone was normally enough to push him over the edge. But beyond all the hectics around Worlds, there was something far more important. Something he¡¯d stopped dreaming about and had given up on. An old friend. A dear friend. Someone who really understood him. He¡¯d finally reconnected with Lin Feng. Finally!

    ¡°Oh! Uh-uhm¡­¡± Tian Tian rubbed his nose and looked up at his mentor. ¡°Eh, Lin Feng promised me he would treat me to a big meal for ying so well today. It¡¯s just¡­ He isn¡¯t here right now, s-so¡­¡± He carefully examined the reaction of his mentor. From the slight movement of the man¡¯s hands to the twitch in his eyes. When he felt it was safe to continue, he asked, ¡°I-i heard London has a 2 Michelin star restaurant¡­ It¡¯s supposed to have some really good food¡­¡±

    The smile disappeared on Tian Tian¡¯s mentor¡¯s face. It warped from delight to fury in an instant. He gnashed his teeth and grabbed for his phone with a lot more force than he intended. Then he barked, almost next to Tian Tian¡¯s ear, ¡°SO THAT¡¯S HOW IT IS, HUH?¡± He shook his head and walked towards the exit of the bathroom. ¡°He wants me to treat you in his ce? That little brat! He¡¯s got some guts¡­ trying to pass the buck on me!¡± He pushed the door open and walked away, shouting over his shoulder, ¡°Youing, or what?¡±

    ?

    High School 13 had yed their three matches. They¡¯d passed the first qualification round of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and had qualified for the next one. The night was already getting prettyte. So the yers of High School 13¡¯s esports team decided against celebrating their victories. That coulde another day. They had school the next morning and they couldn¡¯t bete for that. Besides, there was still a way to go before they could qualify for the main tournament. Everyone went home and soon Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were the only two left, walking down a brightly lid sidewalk.

    Lin Feng hung up the call and put his phone away. Then he made a strange face. He put his hand in front of his mouth and looked for something bright to look at, squinting his eyes. ¡°Aaachoo!¡± He shook his head and wiped his nose clean and muttered, ¡°Hmm, someone must be thinking about me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stood next to Lin Feng. She tilted her head to look up at him and tapped him on his arm. ¡°Were you calling with him? You know, him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng nodded, smiling. He felt his phone in his pocket and started grinning. ¡°Yeah! One got me in touch with Fatty! Fatty said he won both games today! He says he yed great! If he says that, he really did super good! KG should be through to the next round!¡±

    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tang Bingyao held up her phone for Lin Feng, which showed the score from the KG versus Legend game. Specifically, the final score of Riven. ¡°Look. It¡¯s all over the news. Roundy Round hard carried both games. The first with Hecarim and the second with Riven. Look at these stats. They¡¯re pretty amazing.¡±

    Lin Feng balled his fist and threw it up in the air, then shouted, ¡°Of course! Fatty is my old teammate! He was always amazing! And he¡¯s still amazing!¡± He looked at Tang Bingyao and smiled, still clenching his fist, and continued, ¡°Seven from COG is the best Toner and the best of the Seven Kings, right? Everyone says that. Fatty is at least as good as Seven. They both deserve the title. I think they should give it to him. He is the newest addition to the Eight Kings!¡±

    ¡°That is a stupid idea and it sounds stupid too. It¡¯ll make the title meaningless if you keep adding people¡­¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    Lin Feng nodded and grinned, ¡°Yeah! True!¡± He agreed. If you started calling them the Eight Kings today, then who was to say it wouldn¡¯t be the Nine Kings tomorrow? They were the Seven Kings and Fatty deserved a spot amongst them. All he had to do was keep ying like he was, and he would secure a spot amongst them! He was more than good enough for that.

    Tang Bingyao went quiet and focused where she walked, paying the utmost attention not to step in the cracks between the pavement. They walked together in silence and turned a corner. It was still a bit until they got home. She paused and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s One?¡±

    Lin Feng also paused, caught off guard. He scratched the back of his head andughed, a little ufortable. ¡°Oh, him¡­ Haha. Well¡­ He¡¯s a really, really amazing person.¡±

    ¡°How amazing?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lin Feng looked around, then put his hands on his chin, pensive. He moved his head a little, weighing his thoughts, before ultimately replying, ¡°Really amazing!¡± He knew that wasn¡¯t the reply she was looking for. He could see the look in her eyes, even under this dim lighting. ¡°It¡¯s like this. One is like a mentor to me. He¡¯s a really amazing guy. He helped me so much! You know. Back when I qualified for Worlds in Season 1, I was only 15, right? Well, the Global Esports Association was being difficult and wouldn¡¯t let me participate. We¡¯d almost given up. It seemed like no one could help. But then he came. One said a few simple lines and all was good. I was allowed topete.

    ¡°One has always been there for me. Whenever I¡¯m going through something rough, he¡¯s helped me. When I wanted to contact Fatty, I didn¡¯t have his number. So I didn¡¯t know how I would even go about contacting him. That was when I remembered One. I still had his number. He¡¯d given it to me on a piece of paper four years ago. I still have it! So I called with One and he said he would help me. Then after we hang up, he called Three who flew to Ennd to talk with Fatty, an¨C¡±

    ¡°Wait. Hold on,¡± Tang Bingyao said, confused. She looked Lin Feng in the eyes and asked, ¡°One and Three? Why do you call them that? It¡¯s really confusing. How many number people are there? Why don¡¯t you just call them by their names? So the one who flew to Worlds isn¡¯t the one you spoke to on the phone, right?¡±

    ¡°Right! I first called One. He called Three. Three went to London. Then Three called me!¡± Lin Feng exined, matter of factly. He felt his exnation sounded perfectly reasonable. But Tang Bingyao disagreed. She opened her mouth a few times before asking, ¡°Is it really ok that you call them by¡­ numbers?¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged. Then he rubbed his nose and grinned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Haha! You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Fine too. Don¡¯t tell me,¡± Tang Bingyao said, scrunching up her nose.

    ?

    Lin Feng looked over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao. She¡¯d turned the corner to go home. He still had to walk straight a little further and he¡¯d be home too. But he didn¡¯t walk. He hesitated and just stood there in the middle of the street, staring and thinking. I should thank him. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, then dialed a number. It quickly connected.

    ¡°What do you want? Haven¡¯t I done enough yet?¡±

    ¡°Three! Thank you! Really, I mean it. You went all the way to London for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you do realize how much trouble this little errand of yours caused me? Did you think this little trip wasn¡¯t expensive enough already? You even tried to get me to pay for Fatty¡¯s food? You know how much that kid eats! In a 2 Michelin star restaurant? Are you trying to get me bankrupt? That¡¯s not a very sincere thank you, Lin Feng.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Haha! U-uh... That was a misunderstanding. Yes, totally a misunderstanding!¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid? Screw it. Forget it, I¡¯m going. And not to take Fatty out for food. KG¡¯s management will do that. They¡¯re taking the whole team out for dinner tonight, so you¡¯re lucky. I won¡¯t be hounding you for the money. Besides, those guys can show their gratitude by paying for all of his food. Haha! Alright, I¡¯m leaving now. It¡¯s been enough fun here.¡±

    ¡°Leaving? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean? I¡¯m going back to Barcelona. Of course I¡¯m leaving. What did you think? I only came here to pass your message along. That¡¯s done. Fatty is doing great. What use is there in me being here? My nice hotel room is waiting for me in Barcelona. I want to go back to the sun!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right. Thank you again! It was really nice of you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. You know me. I like the kid. There was no way I wouldn¡¯t have gone. Plus I got to see two great games. That was plenty. I would¡¯ve been really upset if I¡¯de here for nothing. Hehe. Actually. If you really want to thank me, how about you start ying in the professional scene again? I know how good you are. You can lift up the LPL. We stink right now! Only one King. Ha! What a joke! A disgrace! Only one! You need to get some fame back for all of us!¡±

    ¡°You could do it yourself! You¡¯re more than good enough! Maybe you¡¯re a little old and rusty, but you got plenty of experience to do something beautiful. I believe in you. You can really do it! Why don¡¯t you try and do it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in talking about that. I¡¯ve had my fun. It¡¯s time for you kids to make your move.¡±

 Chapter 110: Fight On! Be the Best! | Views: 7420

    ¡°I¡¯ve had my fun. It¡¯s time for you kids to make your move.¡°I¡¯ve had my fun... ¡°I¡¯ve had my fun....¡±

    The words echoed in Lin Feng¡¯s head, bouncing off the sides of his skull. Booming through his ears. Just a few words, but they carried so much meaning. Three wasn¡¯t old. Far from. But his years in the spotlight hade to an end. He¡¯s had his fun¡­ time for me to make a move¡­

    Lin Feng was so caught up on those two sentences that he almost missed the next. Three¡¯s voice rang out through the phone, ¡°There¡¯s no room for an old fart like me. I¡¯ve had my 15 minutes of fame. It¡¯s time you young¡¯uns take the lead. Step up and find your own paths! Don¡¯t let anyone tell you how to do it. Do what you think is right.¡±

    Three was passing on the torch. Lin Feng understood how important this was to his old mentor. And how important it was to himself, too. He listened in earnest. Soaking it all up and giving it a special ce in his mind. He¡¯d had his fun. It¡¯s time I have mine.

    ¡°Fatty should be good for now. Your little speech really helped him fight through his own head. He looks good. I think he¡¯ll keep up his performances and be one of the Seven Kings. But that¡¯s not enough. I won¡¯t be happy with just that. We¡¯re better than that. We got the talent! I expect at least half of the Seven Kings and Four Emperors toe from the LPL! Anything less is a failure! But more than all of that. You. You¡¯re good, kid. You¡¯re really good. There¡¯s a reason One saw something in you. You know he was the best in the world? He was better than me and everyone else. And he saw something special in you. You¡¯re the special one. Follow in his footsteps. Make him proud.¡±

    Lin Feng took in every word. When Three spoke of Fatty, he smiled. It was great to hear his friend doing so well. And then came thest few sentences. One was the best. And he was One¡¯s protege, so he had to be the best too. That was his dream. He was going to give everything he had to achieve that, no matter how hard it was. ¡°I understand.¡± He nodded, earnest. Then he grimaced. ¡°I lost to Rake once. He¡¯s got to enjoy that long enough. It¡¯s about time I beat him back.¡±

    There came a chuckle from the other side of the line. ¡°That¡¯s what I was hoping for. I¡¯m looking forward to it. But. What are you doing right now? Fatty said you¡¯re doing some school stuff¡­ What¡¯s that all about? Some kiddy League tourney?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and chewed on his lips. ¡°The Shanghai 16 School Tournament¡­¡±

    ¡°Why? Ah, nevermind. Sure. Have your fun with that little tournament. But when that¡¯s done, you¡¯reing back, right? You can easily find a second rate team to brush your skills back up. A lot of the veterans still know you. They¡¯ll have you in a heartbeat! Do one season in the LPL with that team and then move to one of the top teams. It should be easy for you. Is that what you¡¯re going to do? Or what¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°No. I want to start from scratch. I¡¯m starting all over.¡±

    ¡°Starting all over¡­ Why?¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s going to be a fresh start. I¡¯m going to build a new team and start at the bottom. We¡¯ll climb our way up to the top, one step at a time.¡±

    Lin Feng was incredibly talented at League of Legends. So much so that even when he was out of practice, he was still more than good enough to make his way into a lower ranked team in the LPL. If he familiarized himself with the newpetitive scene and found his groove, he could even make his way up to the top of the LPL in a rtively short time. However, he didn¡¯t care about bing just a professional yer. Or just one of the best professional yers. He only had one goal. To be the best League of Legends yer in the world. Anything else could only be considered a failure. And he didn¡¯t think he could reach that goal if he jumped right back into thepetitive scene. It didn¡¯t feel right. If he wanted to be the best, he needed to do something different. That was why he wanted to build a team from the ground up. To grind his way through the different leagues and fight his way into the LPL and finally Worlds. He believed that only by doing all of this could he work his way to the absolute top.

    The number one yer in the world, who took the throne of Sovereign all the way back in Season 1, hadn¡¯t sat idly by all these years. He¡¯d worked hard to be better and better. Rake of SSK was fully deserving of his title. And it wasn¡¯t just him, but his whole team that yed together perfectly. There was no random team that could beat them. Lin Feng couldn¡¯t magically find synergy with four yers and beat this team. It was with all of this in mind, for example, that he chose topete in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. A challenge. An opportunity to prove himself. To himself. Step by step he would get stronger and build a team around him that had perfect synergy. They would push past any setbacks and he would take the throne. Sovereign Lin Feng!

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s some mindset, kid. Sounds like you¡¯ve been doing some soul searching thesest few years. Hmm¡­ I agree. One didn¡¯t make a mistake. He was right about you all along,¡± Three said.

    For the first time since Lin Feng¡¯s departure from the professional scene in Season 1, Three understood why One had let Lin Feng go. I was so disappointed. I didn¡¯t even see¡­ Back then, Three morphed his disappointment into anger and resentment. He hated that Lin Feng gave up and wanted to quit! But he wasn¡¯t allowed to stop Lin Feng. One stopped him. One forced him to let Lin Feng go. For the kid¡¯s own good¡­ To let him find his own path¡­ Toe to terms with everything that happened¡­ He felt these were all excuses. And not especially good ones. But when he listened to Lin Feng now, over the phone, he understood. One was right. All those years ago, One made the right call. Because the person on the other end of the line didn¡¯t sound like the boy he remembered. This man was like a treasured sword, tempered under years of real life. His edges were sharper. His cuts more precise. But he was always good at that. The real difference was that he now also knew when to sheath that sword. He¡¯d learned the skill intimidation. For the real danger wasn¡¯t in the known, it was the unseen de.

    Lin Feng and Three spoke for a while longer, but they were both lost in their own thoughts. They barely listened, nor did they talk much. After hanging up, Lin Feng put his phone away and stared at his feet, the silence of the dark night around him magnified. Then he looked up into the sky. The faces of his friends, both young and old, and the scenes of everything that had happened shed before his eyes. The pain and heartache on one side versus the joy and happiness on the other. He took a deep, long breath, bit on his lips, and then hollered out into the night sky, ¡°FIGHT ON! BE THE BEST!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned, still looking up at the moon. So that¡¯s why wolves do it, huh? I feel great! He looked in front of him and started walking again. That was when he noticed the faces. There were only a couple other people in the street. But they¡¯d all stopped walking and were just looking at him, as if he were a severe mental case. He rubbed his nose and startedughing, only reaffirming what the other pedestrians thought. Then he started running, sprinting, racing home as fast as he could.

    ?

    It was alreadyte when Lin Feng got home. He pushed the front door to his apartment open and shouted inside, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Then he sniffed, loudly. A strong and fragrant aroma assaulted his senses. He started salivating as his eyes widened and pure bliss appeared on his face. Expectation. Hunger. Deliciousness! ¡°Ohhh! That smells amazing! I want!¡± He kicked his shoes out and rang to the dining table. Su Xue had prepared all sorts of dishes, with steaming off of them. It was a feast to his culinary eye. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s ¡­ That looks amazing! Can I? Can I?¡±

    ¡°Lin Feng! Put your shoes in the rack! Go and wash your hands! Hey! Don¡¯t touch the food with your fingers!¡± Su Xue yelled as she came walking out of the kitchen with another steaming te. Then she asked, annoyed, ¡°Do you know howte it is? Why didn¡¯t you call me? Where were you!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his hair. ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ The tournament only started at 7, and then it ran wayter than I expected. Sorry, haha.¡±

    Su Xue put the hot te down on the table. She looked over at Lin Feng, a little curious, and asked, ¡°So. Did you at least win?¡±

    ¡°Hehe! Of course we won! We won all three matches and are through to the next round! It was great!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    ¡°Oh? Not bad. Not bad at all.¡± Su Xue nodded, impressed. Then she ruffled his hair and said, ¡°But whatever. It¡¯s just a little kids tournament. Nothing to get excited about. You know what is something to get excited about? Today¡¯s games at Worlds! Like O.M.G, you missed the best day of Worlds! KG and HoG did absolutely phenomenal. And God Roundy was so cute! He carried and everything! Comeee! Let¡¯s eat! I prepared this feast to celebrate!¡± She showed Lin Feng all the different dishes she¡¯d made. Most of them were some kind of chicken. She knew he liked that. ¡°Oh, right.¡± She paused for a moment and added, ¡°I suppose we can celebrate your wins too.¡±

    ¡°Ok! Sounds good!¡± Lin Feng ran to the table, his hands still wet after washing them. He didn¡¯t care what this meal was for. This wasn¡¯t a celebration for him or for KG at Worlds. This was a celebration of food! And he would enjoy and savour every second of it! He grabbed his bowl and filled it with a chicken curry. All the while, Su Xue narrated the events that¡¯d happened at Worlds, ¡°Ok, so. When you were ying your games, right? The most amazing things happened at Worlds! KG yed so good! You should¡¯ve been here! It was like¡­ Ah! I don¡¯t know! But it was super amazing!¡±

    Su Xue didn¡¯t eat a bite herself. She waved her arms around and tried to show everything that happened. To the point where she grabbed some items around the table to make a rey of the best scenes, like the five man Hecarim ultimate. ¡°See? See? Like this! That¡¯s how God Roundy did it! Amazing, right? Only he could do that! I was holding my breath the whole time! It was too exciting! And his Riven! You should¡¯ve seen his Riven. It was like. And he beat Demon so easy. But like! Ah!¡± She fell silent. She remembered something and looked up at Lin Feng. ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Mhmphpg?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, his mouth full. He didn¡¯t even bother to look up at her as he took anotherrge bite from his chicken curry.

    ¡°Hey! HEY! YOU!¡± Su Xue yelled. She pushed up and reached across the table, pulling Lin Feng''s face up by his chin. Leaning forward, she stared into his eyes and screamed, ¡°ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING? WHAT DID I SAY? WHAT?¡±

    ¡°H-hruh? Whagh?¡± Lin Feng asked, bewildered and scared. Some food spilled from his mouth, together with that nice, thick sauce.

    Su Xue let go off Lin Feng¡¯s chin and wiped her hand clean. ¡°You¡¯re disgusting! Stop talking with your mouth full! Also¡­¡± She stared at him and hesitated. Then she looked away for a moment before mumbling, ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to learn how to y Riven. Think you can help me with that?¡±

    ¡°Learn Riven?¡± Lin Feng asked, tilting his head. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± Su Xue nodded, frantically so. ¡°I really want to learn Riven! Did you not listen? God Roundy was so good on his Riven! I want to be that good too! And those degens in my chat said that I can¡¯t. They keep saying I suck! Screw them! I¡¯m good enough! I can y her! I¡¯ll show them! But please, I need you. Help me teach those degens how wrong they are!¡±

    ¡°Mhm-mm. I see...¡± Lin Feng nodded. He rubbed his chin, rocking back and forth and pretending he was deep in thought. All the while his eyes were locked on the stir-fried eggnts. How do I get them on my te without her yelling¡­

    ¡°What do you see?¡± Su Xue asked, nervously.

    She sounds distracted. Now! It''s your moment, you own it, you better never let it go! You only get one opportunity, one shot! Lin Feng reached out for the stir-fried eggnts with his chopsticks and grabbed one of the bigger ones. Then he put it in his mouth and started chewing, enjoying every bite. ¡°Mhm-mm!¡± He rubbed his belly and looked up at Su Xue with arge smile on his face. The food was eaten. She couldn¡¯t take it back! Now he could tell her, ¡°Oh, I think your viewers are right.¡±

    The table became quiet. Lin Feng held his chopsticks still, waiting. Su Xue just stared at him. His words had caught herpletely off guard. Of everything she¡¯d prepared for, this wasn¡¯t it. Then her face turned red and she yelled, ¡°You little punk! Think I¡¯m stupid! Are you itching for a beating? Did you miss them thesest few days? Get your ass over here! Let me p some sense into you!

    ¡°HEY! Don¡¯t run! Stay here!

    ¡°Dammit! Get your ass over here! I¡¯m going to p those cheeks red if it¡¯s thest thing I do!¡±

 Chapter 111: Chat Reunion | Views: 7420

    Chasing red. Su Xue charged after Lin Feng. She wouldn¡¯t let him off. Not this time. He¡¯d really done it now! She¡¯d worked so hard! She¡¯d done everything he taught her! All those sleepless nights where she was working behind herputer, trying to get good enough to pass his training. He¡¯d started giving herpliments. A few of them. Here and there. And now he did this. They were back where they started. He dared to tell her she wasn¡¯t good enough! He was siding with her viewers again! She grabbed his shirt, but he pulled free and mmed the kitchen door shut behind him.

    Su Xue mmed on the door. ¡°Lin Feng! You little shit! Open the door! NOW!¡± And he did. Just as she asked. But he didn¡¯t give himself to her. Instead, he slipped through the gap between her legs as she was trying to block him and ran into the living room. She was breathing heavily, a sharp pain in her side. Why is he so fast! He was on the couch. Jumping around. Trying to keep her away. Back and forth. And she kept running after him, always a step toote.

    She clutched her stomach, wheezing and gasping. Lin Feng was still jumping around, full of energy. He wasn¡¯t even sweating! She leaned on her knees and said, ¡°E-enough! W-w¡­ Dammit! I-im done! So fast. Why? I-i thought esports¡­ not track and field!¡±

    Lin Feng jumped down from the couch and struck his victory pose. He clenched his fist and threw it up in the air, grinning like a fool, and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m really good at running too!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course you are. You¡¯re good at everything. How could I have forgotten?¡± She breathed in deeply and then let it all out. ¡°Alright, alright. Enough fooling around. The food is getting cold. Let¡¯s go eat.¡±

    The two returned to the dining room and resumed their dinner. Lin Feng did, at least. Su Xue still had something she wanted. To learn how to y Riven. She looked at Lin Feng, hopeful, and asked, ¡°Hey hey, do you really think I can¡¯t learn Riven?¡± She was desperate to prove her viewers wrong. But she needed Lin Feng to do so. If he taught her Riven, she could! She just had to change his mind! Or maybe he already had and he was just having some fun with her! Either way, if she convinced him to teach her Riven, she could prove her viewers wrong! Then it¡¯d all be worth it! Plus, when she made the shy ys God Roundy had shown at Worlds, that would definitely attract new viewers. Learning Riven was a win win!

    ¡°I fink ish bttchur if chu keep pracishing yur ad-kary,¡± Lin Feng replied. There was too much food on the table and not enough time to eat it all before it went cold. So he couldn¡¯t bother to borate or even slow down the speed at which he ate to reply to her.

    ¡°Hmm. Maybe you¡¯re right.¡± Su Xue rubbed her chin. He had a point. There was no good reason to change course right now. Her hard work and practice were paying off. The improvements in her skills as an ad-carry were noticeable, and she saw herself climbing up the ranks in tinum. Even Diamond seemed feasible! Diamond! When she got that rank, she would finally shut all her viewers up! Then she could finally call herself a good yer! Just the thought of showing off her rank on stream made her smile. Evening Snowfall. Diamond ad-carry! Her viewers wouldn¡¯t dare to make fun of her again! She would be making fun of them! She started grinning as she rubbed her hands together, and then broke out in fullughter!

    Lin Feng ate his fill. He rubbed his stomach and leaned back in his chair. Satisfied. He was in a much more talkative mood now. ¡°Hey, did you watch the match between HoG and COG? Who won?¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, dazed. She blinked a few times as the words registered in her head. Oh! Worlds! She snapped out of her daydreams. If the topic was Worlds, she was always happy to talk! She was watching Worlds all day thesest two weeks. And when there wasn¡¯t a game on, she was watching reaction videos! She loved everything Worlds rted! ¡°Oh! Yeah, of course I did! HoG won that big! You should¡¯ve seen it! It was awesome! COG thought that now that they had Seven, they would suddenly win. He was their super-duper trump card, or whatever the analysts called it. He got really hyped up. And then he totally bombed! Hahaha! It was hrious! He couldn¡¯t get anything done! HoG kicked their asses!¡±

    ¡°Oh, nice! Sounds like HoG is going to make it out of Groups too!¡± Lin Feng nodded, excited as ever. This match was supposed to be a great game. A battle between Kings! That was why he was curious, though it helped that HoG was from the LPL. But the prospect of Hermes and Seven facing off was the far more exciting part of this match! It looked like it¡¯d be a close game on paper. One full of excitement and battle! But it sounded like none of that hade to pass. It was just a one sided stomp. Though Lin Feng wasn¡¯t too surprised.

    Many people expected that HoG versus COG would be a close matchup. However, the only reason they thought this was because it was a match between Kings. They never stopped to think who the Kings were, nor what the teams around those Kings were. HoG was the better team. One yer couldn¡¯t change that. HoG reminded the hopeful North American fans that there was a lot more to League of Legends than putting a strong Toner into a team. They beat COG and now COG was in danger of being eliminated from Worlds!

    COG did great in the North American LCSst year. They¡¯d had some skirmishes against other teams around the world and won. Those few wins gave them far too much confidence. They decided it was best to hide their full strength at Worlds. To say a yer wasn¡¯t avable in Week 1 and have him chill in London. For even with their substitute, they believed their group would be easy. It proved to be anything but. Conceit was not rewarded. Due to their own stupidity, they were now at risk of being eliminated before even reaching the quarter finals. This was a good reminder to all other teams. Only the 16 best teams in the world qualified for Worlds. None of them could be underestimated!

    ¡°Worlds this year is reallypetitive! It¡¯s like it doesn¡¯t even matter if your team has Kings or Emperors. Anyone can win! It¡¯s so nice! The games are crazy exciting! Wouldn¡¯t it be super weird to not see COG make it to the next round? What do you think?¡± Su Xue asked, lost in her own excitement.

    ¡°Yeah, I suppose some Kings and Emperors have lost. But those are just a few games. I don¡¯t see them getting knocked out of Worlds in Groups,¡± Lin Feng said, scratching his hair. No team was invincible. At Worlds, anything was possible. Take the KG versus Legend game. A team without even a King had beaten an Emperor team! The underdog would win. And every tournament had a dark horse that could make it all the way to the end. If the analysis on a piece of paper would decide the oue of a match, there¡¯d be no excitement. No one would watch that.

    That said, the title of Emperor carried an entirely different weight. Even on the world stage. This was more than just a good yer. This was a good team. The best teams! They were the final bosses in a video game. There was a reason why they always made it deep in tournaments, and why they¡¯d never been eliminated in the group stage of past Worlds. They were of a different caliber. They were on a level of their own!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t care much for the group stage. There were some fun matches, but nothing too crazy. That was reserved for the knock-out stage! Emperor teams could face each other. They would be long and bitter battles in a best of five series. Those were the games to look forward to! That was where the silverware would be decided! The battle had only just begun!

    ?

    After helping with the dishes, Lin Feng disappeared into his room and sat down behind his desk. He cracked open his textbook and got started on his homework. He tackled the easy problem first. Then as he built up momentum, he moved onto the more difficult ones. Until eventually, he finished the hardest. Leaning back against his chair, he checked the time on his phone. I wonder if Su Xue is still up... He got up and strolled over to her room.

    Su Xue was still up. She was ying a ranked game! Her focus was entirely on her monitor, so she missed Lin Feng walking into her room. But her viewers didn¡¯t. Many of them had their eyes on her webcam feed. They spotted Lin Feng the moment he walked in. The new viewers who hadn¡¯t met Lin Feng yet were the first to type their feelings out in chat.

    ¡¸THE FUKKK! WHOS THAT!?!!¡¹

    ¡¸watch out, xuexue! you got a creep sneaking into your room!¡¹

    ¡¸this some of kind of new roley!? How exciting!¡¹

    ¡¸is that her bf or sumtthing? fukkk! The betrayal!¡¹

    ¡¸thats no creep¡­.. THATS LIL BRO!!!!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro is here!¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO!!!! hurry ande over! we missed you to death!¡¹

    ¡¸damn how could you ditch us all day like this! you made us watch worlds with the maid¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡¹

    Su Xue noticed themotion in the chat and looked over her shoulder. ¡°Oh? You finished your homework?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I did!¡± Lin Feng said. He pulled up a chair beside Su Xue and sat down. Then he waved at the camera with a big smile and said, ¡°Heya, everyone!¡±

    ¡¸ayeee! evening!¡¹

    ¡¸mah bro,, what¡¯s upppp¡¹

    ¡¸yayyyyyy, it¡¯s feng feng!¡¹

    Chat forgot about Su Xue. They forgot about the game. All that they cared about was Lin Feng. Their favourite streamer was back! They wouldn¡¯t have to be bored by the maid any longer! The main man was back to take over and show them some real gamey! To show their support for him, they even started spamming crying emojis andining about all the bad things the maid had done in his absence.

    ¡¸how could u leave us for so long!¡¹

    ¡¸we wanted to watch Worlds with you!¡¹

    ¡¸right! we wanted to hear ur thouhts on the game, but we neded up listening to the maid instead!¡¹

    ¡¸u dont even know our pain! i¡¯d rather hear a jackhammer next to my ear than listen to her. Al she does is shout and gasp. I¡¯d get more meaningfulmentary out of a cricket! ¡¹

    ¡¸(¨i?¨i£») I feel like i popped my ear drums from all her screaming.¡¹

    The vein on Su Xue¡¯s forehead bulged. If looks could kill, her stream would be empty now. These fucking ingrates and their stupid fucking JOKES! She hated this. They were great viewers, most of the time. But at moments like this. They really knew how to get under her skin. She shouted at the camera, ¡°Hey, you bastards! Speak for yourselves! You lot became 666 spam bots whenever a big y was happening!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his hair and apologized, ¡°Oh, sorry guys. I had a tournament today. I couldn¡¯t make it back home in time to watch Worlds with you guys.¡±

    ¡°Right! See, if it isn¡¯t chasing after girls, it¡¯s something else! He doesn¡¯t care about you guys at all! Why care about him? I say we don¡¯t! Let¡¯s only care about me! Alright? Right!¡± Su Xue said, grinning. She wanted nothing more than to see her viewers go off on Lin Feng. They always made fun of her. For once, just once, she would like to see them make fun of Lin Feng.

    ¡¸shut it! who asked you??????¡¹

    ¡¸go fetch the water... we want to hear lil bro talk!¡¹

    ¡¸hey hey! what kind of tournament did you y?¡¹

    ¡¸didja win? you definitely hard carried right!? RIGHT?!?!??!?¡¹

    ¡¸Of course he did! He¡¯s li¡¯l¡¯ bro! When he ys, he wins!¡¹

    Su Xue stared at her chat. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing! They were cheering him on again! Why is it always like this? Why do they never back me? Why do they only care about him? I¡¯m the streamer! It¡¯s me! Me! I¡¯m the streamer! She wanted the attention the viewers gave Lin Feng. She pouted, ¡°So what? It¡¯s just some crappy high school tournament. He only got lucky and passed the first round of the prelims. Nothing worth talking about.¡±

    ¡¸hot dang! Really? GRATZ LIL BRO!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Niiiiiceee! that¡¯s amazing! We¡¯re so proud of you¡¹

    ¡¸see what¡¯d i tell you that¡¯s our feng feng¡¹

    ¡°Yeah! Really! Thanks guys! I¡¯ll win the whole tournament!¡± Lin Feng said, striking another victory pose. The viewers loved it. They spammed the chat with 666s and kept telling him how great he was. Lin Fengughed when he saw all of this. It was always nice to hear people talk nice about you.

    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t even watch the tournament! We don¡¯t even know how he actually yed! What the hell are you congratting him for!¡± Su Xue was at a loss for words. Time and time again, she was blown away by how much better her chat treated Lin Feng than herself. His brief absence wasn¡¯t met with anger, but longing! They wanted to see him back! And now that they did, they couldn¡¯t find enough words to wee him back. If she didn¡¯t know any better, and perhaps she didn¡¯t, she¡¯d believe they were in love with him!

 Chapter 112: Autumn Leaves on Frosted Earth | Views: 7,207

    ¡¸you watching next round with us lil bro?¡¹

    ¡¸YAAASSSS QUEEN! ^^^^^^ WHAT HE SAYS!!! PLSSSSSSS,¡¹

    ¡¸That would be so cool! Please do it!¡¹

    ¡¸are you really good at shoutcasting too?¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned. You guys! He looked in the camera and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be here for the next round! We¡¯ll watch Worlds together and I¡¯ll be your shoutcaster!¡±

    ¡¸sswweeettttttt!!!! i can finally watch this stream with the sound on!!¡¹

    ¡¸finally a good caster! beats those three buffalos on the official broadcast¡¹

    ¡¸Buffalos? Alright there, Chief Wigwam.¡¹

    ¡¸wowow Prophet Stone is awesome! But lil bro is definitely better! LEZ GO LIL BROO!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I just wanna listen to lil bro!!! hes the best!!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°Yeah! You guys get it! We vibin¡¯!¡± Lin Fengughed. He gave a thumbs up to the camera and said, ¡°I¡¯m really good at shoutcasting too!¡±

    ¡°U-uh? What the fuck?¡± Su Xue muttered. She looked at the camera and then at Lin Feng. She saw his bright smile. He was talking to her viewers again. They were cozying up to him. Not her. Him. All he had to do was say a few words and they were all over him. They hadpletely forgotten about her! ¡°Oh. I see how it is. If he¡¯s shoutcasting and watching Worlds with you guys, what am I supposed to do?¡± she asked chat. That, of course, was the wrong question.

    ¡¸just keep our cups topped off like the good maid you are!¡¹

    ¡¸we already suffered enough listening to your screeching excuse of a voice.¡¹¡¸ please stop damaging our ears¡­.¡¹¡¸ ill have mywyere after your ass otherwise!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸FIRE HER! FIRE THE STUPID MAID! BAD MAID! BAD MAID!!!¡¹

    ¡¸his cup is still empty??? You guys seein htis? ITS EMPTY!¡¹

    ?

    Su Xue decided that while Lin Feng was here, they should hold another fan in-house. Lin Feng agreed, which set off a buzz in the chat. Excited messages flooded in. They were more than a little excited at the chance to y a game with their favourite streamer! Lin Feng! Su Xue had timed this fan in-house perfectly. Her average viewer count had jumped up to 2,000. They were what was left of the people that found the stream when Lin Feng yed with Nightsong and Hermes. However, though they stuck around, they couldn¡¯t be considered loyal fans yet. There was still a way to go for that, and one way to do that was with this in-house! This was a great opportunity to make sure these people would keeping back to her stream!

    The custom game was created. Eight lucky viewers were selected through a lottery. Su Xue was the Blue team captain and decided to y Jinx. An ad-carry she¡¯de to really enjoy as ofte. Lin Feng was the Red team captain. He also yed in botne, but unlike Su Xue he was ying Support. His Champion of choice was Blitzcrank. A fast moving machine with an extendable arm!

    At 4 minutes, Lin Feng looked up from his screen and at Su Xue. There was undisguised surprise on his face. ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve gotten better!¡± he eximed, shocked. He meant it as a genuinepliment, but to Su Xue and the viewers, it sounded like anything but. The chat flooded with messages making fun of Su Xue, while the person in question had her head burn red.

    ¡°Uh, no no!¡± Lin Feng said, waving his hands in front of his chest. ¡°Not like that. I¡¯m serious! She has gotten a lot better! Just look at how she¡¯s positioning! And there, see? She hasn¡¯t missed any CS yet! That¡¯s so much better than it was. She¡¯s really gotten a lot better!¡±

    Su Xue had improved a lot. She still wasn¡¯t at the level of a Diamond yer, but she was better than the average yer that just hit tinum. Since the first day Lin Feng started coaching her, she¡¯d worked overtime to try and soak up as much information as possible from him and apply it in the game. All that hard work was definitely paying off. Her reddened face warped from anger to joy, real quick. Sheughed and said, ¡°Of course! Who do you think I am? All I had to do was put my heart into it! Then nothing can stop me! Watch! Ima get to Diamond real lickedy-split-quick. But first. Tee-hee! I¡¯m going to crush you guys!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Lin Feng nodded. His hands were back on his mouse and keyboard. He focused on the screen again. ¡°Guess I should get a little serious too, then.¡± Graves, Malcolm Graves, was his ad-carry. A renowned mercenary with a big double-barreled shotgun! The Graves wasst hitting minions and was just about to kill the one right in front of Su Xue¡¯s Jinx. Lin Feng pushed down on his Q key as thest auto from Graves flew in the air. It was timed to perfection. The Rocket Grab passed over the minion in the millisecond after it died and grabbed the Jinx, then pulled her back!

    Lin Feng hit the Jinx with a quick auto attack, then had his Blitzcrank charge up his fist and smash the Jinx airborne¨CPower Fist! Hended another auto attack while she was in mid air and also ignited her. The Jinx started burning, with every tick of the Ignite dealing true damage.

    The Graves dashed forward, giving himself bonus attack speed¨CQuickdraw! The Jinx stood right in front of him. Point nk range. He raised his double-barreled shotgun and squeezed the trigger. Threerge bullets shot out in a cone, all three smashing into the Jinx¨CBuckshot!

    The Jinx was almost dead. One more auto attack would do it. The Graves was clicking on the Jinx, ready to kill her. But he was never given the opportunity. Lin Feng had his Blitzcrank go into Overdrive and raced in circles around the Jinx while the Graves peppered her with Buckshot, and then auto attacked her at thest possible second to take the kill.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Lin Feng and Su Xue sat next to each other in Su Xue¡¯s bedroom. The game sounds ovepped. One announcing victory and the other defeat. Lin Feng found himself with some extra gold, enough to buy himself something nice in the fountain shop, while Su Xue¡¯s screen went grey. She stared at it, dumbstruck.

    ¡¸hahhahaha lil bro >> maid knew it. always rated lil bro!¡¹

    ¡¸666666666666666!!!¡¹

    ¡¸serves her write for getting all cocky saying she gonna beat thene¡¹

    ¡¸U TRIED BE A SIETSE THUNDERCOCK BT U TOO FLACCCCCCIIDDD!¡¹

    ¡¸that blitz was so sick lil bro. Like. so sick!¡¹

    Lin Feng leaned over a little towards Su Xue so he could read the chat. He grinned as he went through them and said, ¡°I know, right? My Blitz is really good!¡±

    Su Xue couldn¡¯t take it anymore. First he told her she wasn¡¯t good enough to learn Riven, after she¡¯d made him dinner, and now he did this! It was too much! Too damn much! ¡°LIN FENG! YOU BRAT!¡± she screamed, her nose twitching. ¡°Would it kill you to go easy on me? Just once! Don¡¯t try and run! This time I¡¯ll get you! I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson today or my name is not Su Xue!¡±

    Lin Feng knew what this meant. He was a trained escape artist. A true master of all trades. He jumped up from his chair, putting it between himself and Su Xue. Then he ran to the far side of her bed. She ran after him, so he jumped up on her bed and held her off. She tried to run around the bed, to whatever side he was closed. But he¡¯d just run to the other side. She jumped on the bed, and he jumped off, running back towards theputer and putting the two chairs between him and Su Xue. Su Xue almost fell down from the bed in her hurry to chase after him. A brief moment of lost bnce. The short moment Lin Feng needed to escape her clutches and jump back on her bed.

    ¡°AARRGGHHHH! LIN FEENNGGGG!¡±

    The perfectly calm fan in-house devolved into a game of cat and mouse. Jerry ran around the room while Tom tried to enact judgement! But Jerry was a slippery little bastard! And Tom never got to give his good pping. The people watching Su Xue¡¯s stream turned away from the game and only looked at the webcam feed, as did the eight actually ying the game. None of them cared for a game of League right now. This webcam feed was better entertainment than prime tv! Some viewers even started giving livementary.

    ¡¸xue xue has missed again! how many more times can she not catch lil bro! find out next time on DBZ!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro evading the maid with some sick positioning!¡¹¡¸we can all learn from this! watch closely and apply it to your league games!¡¹

    ¡¸Oh! He¡¯s going to jump through her legs again! They¡¯re too long! It¡¯s too hard to close them in time!¡¹

    ¡¸dang she almost had him¡­¡­ COME ON SU XUE!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!! If anyone can do it, it¡¯s you!¡¹

    ?

    The second day of Week 2 at Worlds wasn¡¯t anywhere near as spectacr as day one. There were no big upsets of any kind, nor were there any particrly great ys to watch. The teams who made it out of Group A and B were decided. In Group B, Hand of God did what their fans expected. They qualified for the next round with 4 wins and 2 losses. Both of these losses came against Fate. HoG couldn¡¯t put up any resistance against this Korean powerhouse. A hard to ept reality for their fans. As for KG, they also did what was expected of them. They beat the wildcard team. It all came down to whether Legend would find a win over sh. And they did. There was no suspension. They crushed sh, which meant that Legend and KG made it through to the next round.

    The final games in Group C and D were held at the end of the week. There was first a two day break at Worlds. The next part of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was also held over the weekend. This gave High School 13¡¯s esports team a couple of days to work hard on their game. Every day after school, they raced down the stairs and across the road to the NetCow Cafe, where they would rent a private booth. Lin Feng did the coaching and the other seven did as he instructed.

    The three consecutive wins in the first round of the qualifier had changed their minds. Where before they were full of doubt, now they were eager to y against the strongest teams in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Because they believed they could. They finally, after a lot of struggling, had enough confidence in themselves that they weren¡¯t afraid to face off against the best teams in the entire tournament. Ouyang had exined why to Lin Feng, the others nodding to his words. ¡°We beat Tonji Affiliated High. Tonji was a semifinalistst year. That means we¡¯re as good as a semifinalist! And we¡¯re still getting better every training! We work hard and are awesome! It can only go better for us! That first ce trophy is ours! We just gotta go and take it!¡±

    ?

    It was Friday. Worlds was back on. Today it was all on Group C and D to show the world what they had! Lin Feng came home early from training with the esports team at the NetCow Cafe to gobble down some dinner before helping Su Xue with streaming. But Su Xue had something else in mind. She¡¯d decided to hold a mukbang! They would turn on the stream and eat in front of the camera. Maybe the viewers could eat with them from wherever they were! She¡¯did out all sorts of delicious dishes and turned her stream on, smiling at the camera. They¡¯ll love this!

    ¡¸wtf¡­. friggin maid makes food for herself but not for us??? im out¡¹

    ¡¸Can you also send me some food? I¡¯m always here and nice to you, Xue Xue.¡¹

    ¡¸You should be honoured by my presence and send me some of your homemade food!¡¹

    ¡¸did you cook the rice in your bathwater??? can i buy some???¡¹

    ¡¸FINALLY! The maid is taking care of our lil bro¡­¡¹¡¸ now if only she could also take care of us.¡¹¡¸WE HAVE NEEDS TO YOU KNOW!¡¹

    ¡¸ddaannnggggg that looks delliiiiouuussssssss¡¹

    ¡¸so hungry. my mom is a shit cook. Plse cook for me, love <>¡¹

    ¡°Bathwater? Make for you guys? What? NO! You should¡¯ve eaten before the stream! It¡¯s already past 7! Not my fault you can¡¯t cook.¡± Su Xue tried to hide a smile behind faked anger, but the joy in her eyes was hard to miss. They were practically shining. She turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°Come, sit! Let¡¯s eat!¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and made himself at home. There was nothing better than a good dinner! Not right now, at least. He smacked his lips and said, ¡°Alright! I¡¯m digging in!¡±

    While Su Xue and Lin Feng were enjoying dinner and the viewers were enjoying watching their host devouring his food, Worlds began. The Chinese fans were most excited to see what¡¯d happen in Group D. That was Dust¡¯s group. But the first match was one in Group C. So they turned their attention to that.

    Su Xue picked up a morsel of cabbage and said, ¡°Group C seems pretty evenly matched up, huh?¡±

    Everyone agreed that Group C had three strong teams and that any of them could make it out of Groups. Each of these teams had at least a King on their roster. The Assassins from Taiwan¡¯s LMS had Read XIII. He was their Jungler, a master on Lee Sin and Evelyn. The pressure he could put on thenes and the opposing Jungler was second to none! Then there was Spoon, a strong Miner. He yed for Meteor from Europe¡¯s LCS. However, the best yer in Group C belonged to the third team. He was the second ranked Emperor and yed for the North American team Season. Autumn. A God-tier Support.

    Lin Feng rubbed his nose as he looked at the lineup for team Season. His eyes were locked on the name of their support. A name that brought back memories from four years ago. He pursed his lips and shook his head. It was a name that he knew intimately. The God-tier Support on his team back in Season 1 had the same summoner tag. Autumn.

 Chapter 113: Meticulous or Flamboyant | Views: 6,508

    The first match in Group C was the game to watch! It was a sh between two titans, a game that guaranteed edge-of-your-seat-almost-shit-your-pants moments! Team Season versus Team Meteor! A battle between North America and Europe. Two of the teams most likely to make it through to the next round. The winner of this game could very well cement their position as number one in the group! The crowd in the Wembley Arena was cheering. The casters were hyping up the game! And Su Xue tried to do the same with her viewers. ¡°This is a super hype game, bois! A Miner who¡¯s a King up against an Emperor Support! I really wonder how this game will go!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s pathetic attempts at building hype fell t. The viewers on the stream just ignored her. Besides, they weren¡¯t here in this particr stream to listen to her. They were here for Lin Feng. His insights, his breakdown of the game. They knew he saw more in the game than they did. So they waited until he decided to chime in. Lin Feng shook his head, disagreeing with Su Xue¡¯s assessment. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should see this game as one between a King and an Emperor. The roles that each of them are ying, they¡¯re too different topare directly. I think. But¡­ uh, let¡¯s see what happens in champion select first, yeah? We can learn a lot from that. Then we¡¯ll talk about who¡¯ll win this game!¡±

    Kings and Emperors weren¡¯t only given the title for sheer mechanical skills. There were many other variables taken into consideration, such as showmanship both in domestic and international games and their ability to build ys that substantially impact the team¡¯s performance. Spoon from Team Meteor was a Miner and a shy-sort of King. People watched games with Team Meteor just to see him and his outstanding game mechanics! Autumn, on the other hand, was apletely different type of yer. It really made no senseparing the two. Autumn was much more of a team yer. He wasn¡¯t really shy, nor did he ever do anything that focused the spotlight on him. What made him great was his ability to ward the map to maximize vision just where it was needed, the calctions he did to create opportunities for his team, and the ys that he called for his team. His presence alone made his team far better than they could be without him, all while he stood in the background. This skillset is what earned him the nickname of God Support and the title of Emperor.

    For this first game of the day, Su Xue and the casters all focused on the idea of a titanic sh between a King and an Emperor, the rest of the yers on both teams were afterthoughts. People there to round out the numbers. But Lin Feng thought this was ridiculous. This game was Season versus Meteor. Two strong teams, both talented in their own way. It was a fight for dominance between raw individual skill and perfect teamy. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say one had no teamy and the other no individual skill. They were both among the best teams in the world, skilled in all aspects of the game. It was simply a matter of what they excelled most at.

    ?

    The two teams entered into Champion Select. It was Season on the Blue team and Meteor on the Red team. Season banned Mordekaiser, a strong Champion in the current meta. There were other meta champions that were generally banned out in every game, like Gangnk, Azir, Darius, and Lulu. These Champions were too strong right now. However, instead of taking one of those Champions off the board, Meteor banned Thresh. Thresh wasn¡¯t especially strong in this patch, but he was a frightening Champion in the hands of Autumn! Meteor showed their respect. They weren¡¯t going to try andpete against the world''s best Support on his best Champion.

    The Champion Select ended without any surprises or shocking twists. The teams loaded into the game while the fans and analysts were discussing the picks. More specifically, they were honing in on the King versus Emperor perspective. They couldn¡¯t let this go. Spoon had picked Yasuo in the midne, while Autumn went with a support Morgana. One of Yasuo¡¯s skills was a Windwall that could block Morgana¡¯s skillshots. So the analysts argued that Meteor hade out with the advantage in the draft.

    ¡°Meteor is farming minions. Season is farming minions. Man, why are these European and American teams always so boring in the early game? All they do is farm and farm and farm even more. I wanna see them fight!¡± Su Xueined. To which her viewers were quick to point out that this was just how Europe and North America yed the game. They prefered to scale up into thete game and then win it through one big teamfight.

    The Jarvan IV from Meteor did try to force a fight at botne. Several times, in fact. But the first two times failed miserably. Autumn had warded correctly and spotted the Jarvan IV before he was even close tone. They backed away to their tower and didn¡¯t even try to fight. That changed during the third gank. Autumn had his Morgana retreat a little, but notpletely back to his own tower. There was just enough room to bait the Jarvan IV into jumping at him.

    The Jarvan IV shed forward and then used his g-tossbo to dash at the Morgana and knock her up. Autumn was ready. He activated Dark Shield on his Morgana, blocking all crowd control effects. She wasn¡¯t knocked up. The Jarvan IV found himself out of position, far ahead of his teammates. The Morgana binded him with her dark magic¨CDark Binding! Then she used her ultimate skill¨CSoul Shackles! Wings unfolded from her back. She unleashed the full force of her Celestial power! Chains of suffering made corporealtched onto the Jarvan IV, slowing him and dealing damage before stunning him. All the while the Tristana sted the Jarvan IV with her cannonballs and Explosive Charge. They ended the Jarvan IV¡¯s pitiful existence before the stun ended.

    ¡°Wow! Nice! Awesome y!¡± Lin Feng eximed, giving a thumbs up at the camera. The people watching Su Xue¡¯s stream were quick to agree. They flooded the chat.

    ¡¸HOLY SMOKES!!!! if only my support was that good. ez game then¡¹

    ¡¸teach me senpai!¡¹

    ¡¸what a support y! just goes to show you dont have to y a carry to carry¡¹

    ¡¸Did you guys see that reaction speed? Like fk dude. That was fuckign mental!¡¹

    ¡°It really was a brilliant bait. Autumn knew there wasn¡¯t enough space for a g tossbo. He didn¡¯t just get the Jarvan to jump at him, but also waste his sh while doing so!¡± Lin Feng exined to the chat and Su Xue. ¡°He also knew he didn¡¯t have to worry about Jarvan¡¯s ultimate. That was still on cooldown after the little skirmish Jarvan had with Elise in the jungle a little earlier. There were still at least 30 seconds left on that cooldown. Autumn knew all of this and made the perfect y for it. That really was great to see!¡±

    ¡¸that¡¯s some great insights lil bro!¡¹

    ¡¸see, maid? That¡¯s how you cast a game! You should take a lesson from his book!!¡¹

    ¡¸You know so much lil bro! That¡¯s really cool! Thanks!¡¹

    ¡¸this just goes to show: LIL BRO >>>>>>>>>>> the maid. GO BACK TO THE KITCHEN WHERE YOU BELONG!!!!!1!¡¹

    ?

    While Autumn was making ys in botne, Spoon tried to do the same in mid. To no effect. Season¡¯s Miner had picked Lulu, a defensive Champion who was hard to pressure inne. Then there was the Elise, the Jungler from Team Season, who was also focused on shutting midne down and constantly hovering around it. Whenever the Lulu needed any help, she¡¯d be right there to provide it. There was nothing Spoon could do, except farm the minions and stay even in CS with the Lulu.

    ¡°Heh. That Spoon isn¡¯t all that great¡­ Is he really a King?¡± Su Xue asked Chat. She chuckled and added, ¡°Roundy is way better than him! Right, guys? Roundy should take his spot and be the new King!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers agreed. All of them. Without exception. Because they only remembered thest game. Their judgement was based solely on Roundy¡¯s Hecarim and Riven game and Spoon¡¯s Yasuo game. And then not even on the actual quality of their y, but rather how it looked on the screen. Lin Feng understood this and he knew how wrong they were. He thought for a second about arguing with the viewers over it, but then decided it wasn¡¯t worth the effort.

    Spoon wasn¡¯t making shy ys nor was he getting solo kills on the Lulu. But no one could reasonably expect him to. That just wasn¡¯t how the game worked. Lulu was a strong pick in midne because of how defensive she was. It was really hard to get a solo kill on her, almost impossible. To this end, it was rather impressive how Spoon forced the Jungle Elise into midne to protect the Lulu. This was a testament to his skill. Something the viewerspletely missed. And when the Elise and Lulu would make a mistake, and they would¡ªpeople always did¡ªhe¡¯d be there to make the outy and pick up the kill. That was the skill of a King.

    Lin Feng looked at the minimap, at the icon of the Morgana. It¡¯s just¡­ Autumn is just better. A lot better. Spoon is great, but it¡¯s not enough. He really needs to do something special here, otherwise Autumn will walk away with the game on his Morgana. Autumn is ying super good!

    At 14 minutes, the second Dragon spawned. Season had gotten the first. The game was slowly slipping out of Meteor¡¯s hands. They really needed this Dragon if they wanted to stay in it. So they warded aggressively around the Dragon pit and tried to force Season away. It looked like a sess. A few skillshots hit and Season retreated into their own jungle, around the edge of a wall. A wall they then used perfectly.

    The yers from Meteor had to walk around it to chase Season. The Morgana ran at the front of Season¡¯s team, and the Jinx from Meteor at the back of their team. A wall separated them, but they could almost touch hands if it wasn¡¯t there. The Morgana called upon her dark magic. No wall could stop it. She threw it at the Jinx and bound her¨CDark Binding! Then she shed over the wall and cast her ultimate¨CSoul Shackles! Wings unfolded from her back. She unleashed the full force of her Celestial power! Chains of dark painshed onto the Yasuo, Jarvan IV and Jinx, slowing them and dealing damage before stunning them.

    The other four yers from Season turned around as if they¡¯d been waiting for this exact moment. They were ready and pounced on the three Champions that were pinned down. Yasuo and Jinx were blown up fairly quickly, since they were squishy, and the Jarvan IV barely managed to survive longer than those two. The remaining two Champions from Meteor knew what wasing and were already in the process of retreating. But Season didn¡¯t chase after them. The second Dragon was way more valuable than an Ace.

    ¡°Nice catch!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°That was a great y! They got baited so hard! Haha!¡±

    That teamfight turned out to be the one that decided the game. Season grabbed such arge advantage from it that there was nothing Meteor could do to turn things around. Not that Team Meteor gave up. No one ever gave up during Worlds. But they never really had a chance to w their way back. Team Season methodically yed it out, taking down every Red tower on the map. Finally, at 32 minutes, Team Season destroyed Meteor¡¯s Nexus and ended the game.

    ¡°Autumn was amazing! He was really amazing! Wow! That was crazy! Did you guys see it? Can we see a rey? I want to see the rey!¡± Lin Feng couldn¡¯t get enough of Autumn. From start to finish, he yed a perfect game on his Morgana. He showed the world why he was the second Emperor and proved himself worthy of the title. He yed like a machine, and didn¡¯t make a single mistake.

    Lin Feng stared at the screen, but had stopped watching what it showed. Watching this Autumn y made him recall his old Support. These two were pr opposites. One yed meticulously. Like a machine. The other yed full of style and passion. They werepletely different approaches to the game. And both worked, when coupled with the right ad-carry. He grinned. The perfect botne. A duo thatplemented each other¡¯s ys perfectly into a tango. That was something special. Season showcased it this game, and he¡¯d seen the Support and ad-carry in his old team do the same. His old teammates, they were great. Every single one of them. He smiled wistfully and rubbed his eyes. I miss those guys.

 Chapter 114: Unwilling | Views: 5,700

    How are they? Are they doing well? What happened to them? Lin Feng found himself thinking about his old teammates a lot these days. He¡¯dy awake in bed at night, wondering about them. But just like he had with Tian Tian, he¡¯d been the one to cut contact and ghost them. He had no idea what they were up to through his choices, his actions. In his calls with Tian Tian, theyughed and joked and talked about Worlds. He went along with it. They were good moments. But what he really wanted was to ask about his old teammates. Tian Tian would have the answers for him. However, it was a lot more difficult to ask this question than he¡¯d expected. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say them. He wanted to know how they were doing! But every time he opened his mouth to ask the question, the words refused toe out. He was afraid of what Tian Tian might say if he brought the topic up.

    I ignored their calls. That was all me. Lin Feng wanted to talk to his old teammates again, if only to hear their voices one more time. He wanted to know that they were doing alright! But he didn¡¯t know how to get back in touch, how he could face them again. Even over a phone call. Even the simple question of, ¡°How are you?¡± felt like a monumental task. Back in Season 1, when they were on the same team, he counted on them to have his back and they counted on him to have their back. And then he walked away. He left them behind and didn¡¯t even look back. Through their shouts. Through their frantic and worried calls. Through everything they tried to find out what was going on with him, he left. He broke the one sacred rule. He didn¡¯t have their back.

    I betrayed them¡­ Lin Feng hated himself for it. He wanted to kick himself, curse in the mirror, or steal that one Delorean from that crazy kid and old man. Instead of sharing the cup of sorrow and letting his friends support him, like he would¡¯ve for them, he ran away. Away from them and away from his problems. He bit his lips and looked down at the ground. I betrayed them¡­ He¡¯d tried to justify his actions. Toe with an argument for why what he¡¯d done was the right thing. But the harsh reality was that there was no argument. No justification. Nothing that could support his actions. He¡¯d broken The Bro Code. He¡¯d done the one thing no one should ever do. He¡¯d turned his back on his friends and those who cared about him. I betrayed them.

    Why¡­ Why? Lin Feng knew that what he¡¯d done was selfish. He was the most selfish person to ever walk this Earth! Yet when he reconnected with Tian Tian, when they heard each others¡¯ voices for the first time in four years, Tian Tian wasn¡¯t mad at him. Tian Tian was just happy to hear his voice again. Why didn¡¯t he call me out? Why wasn¡¯t he angry? Lin Feng didn¡¯t know how to react to the fact that Tian Tian wasn¡¯t mad at him. The guilt in his heart only grew stronger and so did the intense self-loathing. He was just holding back. He¡¯s probably afraid I¡¯ll run away again if he says something. He knew it! What he¡¯d done was unforgivable! Tian Tian had to be mad at him! Lin Feng genuinely believed he deserved to get yelled at, ripped a new asshole. From one bro to the other. It needed to be said! He¡¯d feel so much better! But the question was if it would make Tian Tian feel better. He didn¡¯t know if it would. It didn¡¯t seem like it. From what he¡¯d noticed so far, Tian Tian was just happy to have his old friend back.

    Lin Feng breathed in, deep and long, and then let it all out. He forced a smile and looked back up at hisputer screen. His hands, that were below the desk, balled into two fists. It¡¯s time I stop being such a whiny baby! I made my choice! I have to face the consequences. Whatever they are. Next time I call with Fatty, I¡¯ll ask him about the others. I will! I WILL!

    ¡¸wtf is wrong with lil bro?????????¡¹

    ¡¸He looks he outa it man¡¹

    ¡¸DID THE MAID POISON HIM??!??!¡¹

    ¡¸hey lil bro you ok bud? you look kinda pale? maybey down a bit?¡¹

    ¡¸YO MAID go take care of lil bro!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯d also feel sick after eating so much¡­ Did you guys see the pile of food he worked away???¡¹

    Su Xue turned to look at Lin Feng. His face was pale and he looked like he¡¯d just puked. She ced her hand over his forehead and asked, ¡°Are you ok? Is something wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you caught a fever. I told you to put warmer clothes on! It¡¯s getting cold at night. You have to be more careful with your health!¡±

    ¡¸Go to bed, lil bro! You¡¯ll feel better in the morning!¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s already the middle of the night, man! We get it. Just get some sleep.¡¹

    ¡¸don¡¯t worry about us¡­ we¡¯ll survive another evening with the maid¡­. if we have to¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m already putting cheese in my ears for protection!!!!¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and then smiled at the camera. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me! I was just lost in thought for a bit there. Thanks for the concern, but I¡¯m really fine!¡±

    Su Xue flicked Lin Feng¡¯s ear. ¡°Oi! That¡¯s all? You had me worried here for nothing! Why would you do that to me?¡± Then she ruffled his hair and turned back to the chat. Her eyes narrowed. They locked down on a specific kind ofment. There were many in the chat that thought they were being funny. ¡°Where is the cheese in the ears guy? Step out! Show yourself! Let me ban you out of this channel! My voice is angelic! Screw you all!¡±

    ¡¸Cheese in the ears? Who said that? I didn¡¯t hear anything about that. Did you guys?¡¹

    ¡¸no no, me neither¡­. Maybe she¡¯s seeing things again!¡¹

    ¡¸hey look! the next match is starting!!!! IT¡±S DUST!!! LEZZ GOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸Ohhhhh h its duusstttttt!!!! GO DUST! GO DUST! WINN!!!!¡¹

    The previous three games of the day were exciting, to an extent. But none of them had really grabbed the attention of the viewers. They were all games between other regions. This next game, on the other hand, featured Dust! The third team from the LPL after Hand of God and KG! It wasn¡¯t going great for Dust. They were in a group with two Korean teams and had ended Week 1, as could be expected, with one win and two losses. They were on the brink of being knocked out. The only way to stay in it was to beat at least one of the Korean teams. They had to! For their fans! And then the viewers saw who Dust was up against in the first game. All hope was gone. This game was lost. Dust could never win against SSK. No one could.

    ?

    All across the world, Chinese fans gave up. There were even those who turned the stream off and went about finishing their homework or focusing on their job. Anything was better than watching Dust getting their ass handed to them by SSK. There were a lot of strong teams and most of them could face off against each other for a match that could, in theory, go either way. But there were exceptions. SSK was one of them. With a King and the number one yer in the world, they were a force no one could beat. All hope was lost if you had to y against them. It didn¡¯t matter how people tried to spin it. Dust would lose. There wasn¡¯t a single doubt in their minds.

    SSK had it all. The number one yer in the world. There wasn¡¯t anyone who could even get close to shaking his position, not even the other three Emperors! Then there was the King. Another phenomenal yer. The other three yers that rounded out the team couldn¡¯t be looked down on either. They were all at the top of their game and yed together with absolute perfect synergy. Leading this group of freaks was a famous veteran coach and a strong team of analysts. They were the perfect team.

    Lin Feng saw the matchup and directly said, ¡°Dust is going to lose this match.¡± There was no hesitation in his voice, no second to think about it. He didn¡¯t even consider Dust winning the game. It was too ridiculous an idea, even in his mind.

    The game yed out as anyone would¡¯ve expected. Lin Feng gave some good analytical insight, but there was no need to build up the hype. There was no hype to this game. SSK yed a clean game. At 25 minutes, they¡¯d destroyed two inhibitors and gotten a 9,000 gold advantage. This was something no one coulde back from. In thest three minutes of the game, SSK just had a little fun. They ran around the map, looking to pick up kills and even going so far as to camp Dust on their fountain, letting the Nexus survive for a few extra seconds.

    Rake was the MVP of the game. His Xerath ended the game with a score of 11/0/6. He¡¯d made full use of the long range of Xerath to shoot down the yers from Dust even when they were hiding underneath their own towers. No one was safe from him. It was a disy of absolute domination! The strength of the Emperor!

    ¡¸... hows anyone supposed to beat him¡¹

    ¡¸this was fucking hopeless¡­...¡¹

    ¡¸dust got crushed and left in the dust¡¹

    ¡¸OOFF that was hard to watch¡¹

    ¡¸Let¡¯s give Dust a big F, guys!¡¹

    Su Xue knew, just like the others, that Dust was going to lose. But there was a big difference between losing and whatever this game was. Dust got stomped so hard that she wasn¡¯t angry with them. She just felt bad for them. ¡°Jeez! That Xerath was way too good. Right, guys?¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t say a word. He¡¯d reverted to his quiet self, staring at the screen, staring at that one name. Rake. He¡¯s stronger. The Rake that Lin Feng had just watched was so much better than the one he remembered from Season 1 that there really was noparing the two. If he were to face off against this Rake, he¡¯d lose miserably. It wouldn¡¯t even be a game. He dug his nails into his palm and bit down hard on his lips. It was hard to admit. He really didn¡¯t want to admit it. But it was also the truth. He was the second-fiddle. There was no beating this guy, not right now at least.

    I have to be strong! I have to fight! Lin Feng stopped worrying and instead redirected that emotion into motivation. Rake was strong. But he was also really good at the game! He justcked training. Rake had four years on him on that front. So he had to work hard and catch up. His breathing calmed down. I will. He came to the decision he should¡¯vee to a long, long time ago.

 Chapter 115: The Second Qualifier | TeamUprising | Views: 6,136

    ¡°Another win for SSK sees them to 6 wins and 0 losses! Did anyone expect anything else?¡±¡°What a beautiful win by Season! That secures them the group!¡±¡°WOOO! Assassins! What was that! How! They did it! They¡¯re through to the next round!¡±¡°Damn! The warriors from Warriors are REAL! They are the warriors that built this town! They hacked¡¯n¡¯shed their way into the Quarterfinals!¡±

    The second week of League of Legends World Championships hade to an end. All 12 matches were yed and the results proved to be a heavy blow to the thousands of Chinese fans watching. They¡¯d had high hopes for Dust, the LPL¡¯s second seed. That small me of hope raged into an inferno after KG¡¯sst game a few days ago, where they had without a doubt, undoubtedly, unquestionably made the impossible possible. And then all of those hopes and dreams came crashing down. Dust didn¡¯t perform like their fans would¡¯ve liked to see. They were obliterated by the two Korean teams they got matched up against. It was hard to watch. Dust never really found their footing or had a chance to get their rhythm in any of their games. The Korean teams that Dust was up against, those were the strongest in the world right now. But to the Chinese fans watching, knowing that the difference was this big made them all the more hopeful for a David-vs-Goliath situation. Everyone wanted to see the underdog win. But that didn¡¯t happen.

    The Chinese fans had been prepared for this oue from the very beginning. They knew Dust had pulled the short straw during the group stage draw. But it was never fun to see your team go out like this. Their only constion was that two of their teams managed to qualify for the quarterfinals; KG and Hand of God. This was an impressive aplishment. The only region and league with more teams in the quarterfinals was Korea¡¯s LCK.

    First ce in Group A were the Legend from Europe!First ce in Group B was Korea¡¯s Team Fate!First ce in Group C was Season out of North America!First ce in Group D werest year¡¯s champions, Team SSK from Korea!

    Second ce in Group A was China¡¯s KG!Second ce in Group B was HoG from China!Second ce in Group C were the Assassins from Taiwan!Second ce in Group D were Korea¡¯s Warriors!

    The group stage at Worlds was fun, but the teams here weren¡¯t ying for the hardware or glory just yet. They were just qualifying to y for it. The knockout stage was where it all happened. The main course of the World Championships! The Chinese fans were ecstatic that they had two teams, two possibilities, two beacons of hope shouldering their pride! Fighting for the Summoner¡¯s Cup! Their teams had survived London. The weather, the food, and their matches! Now the time hade to fly a little further south, to the beautiful city of Paris! That was where the knockout stage would be held.

    ?

    While the World Championships of League of Legends came to the business end of things, High School 13 had their own game to worry about. They¡¯d made it through the first qualification round and now had to y in the second qualifiers. There were now 32 teams remaining andpeting for the 16 spots in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. The second round of qualifiers would be held in the downtown Shanghai branch of the NetCow Cafe, which was where they gathered up today. In this inte cafe, the teams would be matched up against one other team. If they won, they would qualify and advance to the main tournament. If they lost, then their journey would end. They could go home early and watch the rest from their couches and through the haze of their tears.

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was still a school event at the end of the day. So, in an effort to waste as little of the students¡¯ time as possible, the organizers nned to have four matches going on simultaneously. This way they could keep the event organized and move things along, without too much waiting time for any one team. The goal was to finalize the teams ying in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament by the end of the night. Because if it took any longer, if they kept the students waiting for a second day, then that could take away from the time the students could spend on studying or preparing for exams. A failed exam could ruin a life! None of the organizers wanted to have that on their conscience.

    The High School 13 esports team arrived at the NetCow Cafe just after 1 PM. The games would start in 30 minutes. They were one of the first eight teams to y. Lin Feng had them huddle up so he could rehash the strategies, tactics, and ys they¡¯d be armed with for today¡¯s games. He also had somest-minute advice and encouragement. Once that was done with, all of them rxed and started shooting the shit while waiting for the event to kick off.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses as he looked at the others around him. ¡°I heard some rumors, quiet whispers from sources I consider authoritative upon the subject, that this year the main event will take ce in a real high quality venue. Based on my analysis of the growth of Lea¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yep! Yep! I heard that too!¡± Ren Rou interjected excitedly and shouted. ¡°They also invited professional shoutcasters!¡±

    ¡°Forreals?¡± Liu Yue asked. It took him a few seconds to process the newspletely. Then his eyes went wide as he realized the implications. He grabbed Ren Rou by her shoulders. He looked into her eyes intensely and said, ¡°THIS IS SO AWESOME! Do you know who? Are they the really famous ones? Is it Qinghe? Maybe I can get his autograph!¡± He let go of Ren Rou and turned to Ouyang. ¡°Hey, buddy! BUDDY! HOMESLICE! You vibin¡¯ with me here? You thinking what I¡¯m thinking? You feelin¡¯ my wavelength? What do you think? WOOT WO-ooo...?¡± Lie Yue¡¯s excitement died the second he actually looked at Ouyang. The guy didn¡¯t seem like himself. Or all that excited. Quite the opposite. Ouyang was staring off in the distance and his lips were trembling. This was not the Ouyang they hade to know and love. Their Ouyang would¡¯ve hit the roof at the slightest bit of hype. This wasn¡¯t small hype. But he just stood there quiet. Liu Yue put a hand around Ouyang¡¯s shoulders and asked, ¡°Eh? Buddy? Everything ok over there?¡±

    Ouyang waved his hand and forced a smile. ¡°N-no. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good. All good. Yeah¡­¡±

    Ren Rou grinned. Then she looked at him andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that idiot. He¡¯s just nervous because he found out that he¡¯s ying today. He¡¯s just a big old chicken! Pok! Pok pok pok! Should we check his pants for eggs? It might make him ufortable when he tries to sit on them!¡±

    ¡°N-no! No! Liar! T-that¡¯s not true!¡± Ouyang denied.

    Ren Rou stopped smiling and said, ¡°Oh, shut up! You think I don¡¯t know you? We¡¯ve been in ss together for years! We¡¯ve been in this esports team together for years! I know you better than your mom does! And right now, you¡¯re absolutely petrified that you¡¯re going to y bad and embarrass yourself.¡±

    Ouyang made some strange expressions. No one knew what he was trying to do. Or say. All they saw was his face bing progressively more red. Then he shouted, ¡°Dammit! Yes! I¡¯m scared! It¡¯s normal to get nervous before a big game, alright! Everyone¡¯s got a pre-game ritual! Lotsa big athletes do it to get calm right before a game! I just didn¡¯t get a chance to do mine today! That¡¯s all! Okay! Stop riding a brother so hard!¡± He turned to Lin Feng and muttered, ¡°A-am I really going to y today?¡±

    ¡°Of course you are!¡± Lin Feng replied, excited and full of energy. ¡°You¡¯ve been training with the rest of us all this time! If you don¡¯t get to y at least one game, then what was the point of all that? There wouldn¡¯t have been one! This is your moment to shine, baby! Go out there and show everyone how good you¡¯ve be! Let ¡®em know that nobody puts baby in the corner!¡±

    ¡°B-but¨C¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Ren Rou cut him off. ¡°No buts! You¡¯re a grown ass man! Start acting like one! Why are you being this little whiny bitch about it? If Lin Feng says you y, YOU PLAY! Damn, there¡¯s nothing I hate more than a guy without a backbone.¡±

    Liu Yue pped his friend on the back. ¡°Do your best! I¡¯ll be rooting for you!¡±

    ¡°What he says!¡± Wei Dong added. ¡°Just y your best! We¡¯re all waiting to see you carry this game! You can do it!¡±

    ¡°F-fine! Ok. I get it. I¡¯ll do it!¡± Ouyang gnashed his teeth and then stamped his feet. ¡°Uch. Ok. I sit down. I y my game. And we¡¯re all good, yes? No big deal. I can do this! Yes! Watch me carry you guys with my amazing ys!¡±

    As if waiting for Ouyang to find his confidence just so she could crumple it again, Tang Bingyao suddenly spoke up, ¡°Hmm. Seems like everyone is watching us. I wonder what that¡¯s about.¡±

    Yang Fang turned his head around, as if in slow motion. All eyes were on him and the people around him. Everywhere he looked, more eyes were looking back at him. He turned back around and adjusted his sses before saying, ¡°Seems so.¡±

    Lin Feng followed the gazes of the others around him and found more than a hundred people all looking at them. All the different teams had their eyes trained on them. Those strangers were whispering amongst each other, pointing at them. Lin Feng looked at the others, confused, and asked, ¡°What are they staring at us for?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and grinned. ¡°They¡¯re probably scared after they heard how we won all three games in the first round of the qualifier. Most of them probably watched us y.¡±

    Wei Dong nodded. ¡°Mhm. We defeated High School 7 and Tonji Affiliated High. There were so many people watching us y, especially in thest game. It¡¯d be strange if they didn¡¯t recognize us.¡±

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was very important. It was a ticket into the pro scene! So every team had done their research beforeing here today. Everyone in the NetCow Cafe had seen High School 13¡¯s game versus Tonji Affiliated High. Most had watched it live, while the few who hadn¡¯t had watched reys. A team that couldn¡¯t even make it through the first round of the qualifiersst year suddenly beat some of the best teams in the entire tournament. This was an explosive piece of news! High School 13 was the dark horse they had to watch out for! They couldn¡¯t let a false sense of security fall over them. High School 13 was the real deal! They were nothing like the team they werest year! This year, they were title contenders!

    ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°HAHAHA! That¡¯s great! Isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re going for the trophy anyway! Hah¨CMgmph! Mmphh!¡±

    Ouyang had jumped at Lin Feng from behind and wrapped his hands around his friend¡¯s mouth. Then he whispered into Lin Feng¡¯s ears, ¡°You idiot! Can you not be so loud!¡±

    Liu Yue added, ¡°Yeah! Are you trying to make them hate us? This is how you do that!¡±

    Ren Rou kicked Lin Feng in the shin. ¡°You idiot! If they heard us, we¡¯re finished! They¡¯ll put their energy into kicking us out of the tournament!¡±

    However, Lin Feng hadn¡¯t kept his calm. He¡¯d screamed loud enough that everyone in the NetCow Cafe had heard him. Among them was a nearby team from Shanghai High School. Their team captain and Support, Zeng Rui, turned around to look at Lin Feng. To look at the fool who now had a teammate hugging him from behind. He turned back to his own teammates and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that idiot?¡±

 Chapter 116: Cocky Dumbass | Views: 5,929

    Shanghai High School! The Champions ofst year¡¯s Shanghai 16 School Tournament! And this year wouldn¡¯t be any different! Their lineup was as strong as ever, with two Diamond 1s, two Masters, and a Challenger team captain! His name was Zeng Rui, a name every high schooler in Shanghai had heard of! Beyond that, Tiny Teacup was his Summoner¡¯s Name. This name reverberated through the Ionia server. Famous in the entire region for his outstanding Support skills! He was objective, logical, and meticulous to a fault. At any given time, he kept track of more than two dozen variables! They included ward cement, skills and summoner cooldowns, enemy experience, health, and damage potential! Some even called him mini Autumn, since that was his idol. Or so people said. How much of all this was actually true, no one knew. They only knew Zeng Rui from hearsay. None of them ever had the opportunity to y with or against him. So they made up stories about the guy who was undoubtedly the best yer in all of Shanghai¡¯s high school scene!

    However, one thing was definitely true. Zeng Rui was a really good Support. ying only this role, he¡¯d fought his way up the rankeddder all the way to the top 10 yers in the Ionia server. When he yed solo queue, he always queued up with and against famous and professional yers. This was a one of a kind form of experience. No one here doubted that he¡¯d eventually make his breakthrough into the professional scene.

    The Jungler from Shanghai High School followed Zeng Rui¡¯s gaze and looked at Lin Feng and Ouyang who were creating quite the spectacle. ¡°I think those idiots are from High School 13.¡±

    ¡°High School 13?¡± The Toner scratched his chin, thinking hard where he¡¯d heard the name before. ¡°Oh! You mean tho¨C¡±

    ¡°Those are the guys that won all three of their games in the first round of the qualifiers. They topped their group by beating Tonji Affiliated High. High School 3 and 7 weren¡¯t their match either,¡± Zeng Rui finished the sentence for his Toner. Then he nodded towards his Jungler. ¡°I see. Understood.¡±

    The Junglerughed, resisting the urge to give himself a pat on the shoulder, and said, ¡°As expected of the boss! You even bothered to research that crappy team! That¡¯s some real dedication right there!¡±

    ¡°Crappy team?¡± Zeng Rui shook his head. ¡°No. A team that beat Tonji Affiliated High does not qualify as crappy. They¡¯re someone we need to pay some extra attention to.¡± His voice was steady and calm as if none of this bothered him. Just another point on his checklist. And that much was true. He wasn¡¯t someone to lose his head to pride or arrogance. The objective truth was the only thing he cared about. His team was the best team here. That was a simple fact. But in the same breath, High School 13 was a team they had to pay attention to. It didn¡¯t matter that High School 13 was one of the worst performing teamsst year. This year. This edition of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was all that mattered right now.

    ¡°Anyone who clings onto yesterday and refuses to look at today is a fool,¡± Zeng Rui stated. This was his catchphrase. A few words of wisdom he shared with anyone who¡¯d listen to him. He looked over in the direction of High School 13 again, rubbing his temples in contemtion. ¡°Hmm. They¡¯re in the first group. Their opponent is North High. We¡¯ll go and look at their game.¡±

    ?

    The clock ticked away until it struck 1:30 PM. The organizers announced the matches and on which isle ofputers each match would take ce. There was a short scuffle as the 40 yers who were ying and everyone else who was looking to spectate a particr game found their way to the isles. High School 13 was among them. They raced to theputers they¡¯d be ying on and sat down behind their monitors, changing the height of their seats and looking over theirputer settings. Their lineup was somewhat of a surprise. At thest minute, Lin Feng had decided to swap with Wei Dong. Ouyang was struggling really hard to keep it together, and by ying as Support he could offer Ouyang the mental support he needed while not drastically changing the game n.

    Lin Feng looked over at Ouyang, who looked back at him, and patted his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You got me! We¡¯ll win this! Easy!¡±

    ¡°B-but you¡¯re just ying Support¡­¡± Ouyang muttered, terrified his possible mistakes would cost his team the game.

    ¡°Rx! I got this! I¡¯m really good at Support too!¡± Lin Fengughed. He then noticed a small crowd forming behind them from the corners of his eyes. Just a few at first, but as he turned to look at them, more and more arrived. ¡°Hoh? Looks like we¡¯ve got a pretty big audience again today!¡±

    The people in the crowd weren¡¯t here because this was such an exciting match. High School 13¡¯s opponent was North High, a school who hadn¡¯t made it to the main tournamentst year. And after their performance this year in the first qualifiers, no one really believed these guys could make it through. High School 13, however, was apletely different story. They were this year¡¯s dark horse. The underdogs who¡¯d popped up out of nowhere, beating one of the favourites for the title! Everyone wanted to know what this team was all about.

    Chen Ze looked at the crowd until his eyes locked on a group of five. His eyes went round. He knew them! They were the yers from Shanghai High School! He turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng? You see those guys over there? They¡¯re the team from Shanghai High School¡­¡±

    Yang Fan followed Chen Ze¡¯s gaze and locked ontost year¡¯s Champions. He started nodding and forgot to stop. Rocking back and forth with his head, he said, ¡°Are they here to watch us y? We really did draw a lot of attentionst week.¡±

    ¡°The Shanghai High School? Those guys you keep talking about? The big Champions fromst year?¡± Lin Feng asked, looking over at the five yers the rest of the team was already looking towards.

    Yang Fan was still nodding, but at least remembered to adjust his sses. ¡°Yeah. You see that guy in the middle? That¡¯s their captain, Zeng Rui. He reached the top 10 Challengers in the Ionia server. There¡¯s some rumours an LSPL team tried to recruit him, but he rejected them. He didn¡¯t even let them make an offer.¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s mouth fell open. He stared at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°D-damn! Really? Now that¡¯s a Challenger! It¡¯d be so cool to y with someone like him. So cool...¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m also a Challenger! We¡¯re ying together!¡± Lin Feng protested.

    Ouyangughed. The stress left his body for a moment and he justughed. ¡°Ha! I meant a real Challenger. Not whatever you are. Get an ount to Challenger first, then we can talk.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Lin Feng agreed. He couldn¡¯t keep leaning on his old rank. It meant nothing anymore. He¡¯d have to get a new ount and get it up to Challenger! As for Shanghai High School watching their game, he wasn¡¯t too bothered. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about those guys. We¡¯re taking first ce this year! When we fight that little Challenger Support, we¡¯ll crush him just like we crushed everyone else! Isn¡¯t that right, Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head. She looked Lin Feng in the eyes. They looked confident, to her at least. Then she nodded, ¡°Mhm!¡±

    Ouyang looked at Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao before turning back to his screen. The nerves that had left for a second came rushing back. His teeth started chattering. He bit down, trying to stop them. Then a shiver went through his whole body. His stomach felt funny and he just couldn¡¯t sit still. ¡°Dammit! H-how are you guys so confident? We still gotta win this game first!¡±

    ?

    North High versus High School 13 Darius versus RumbleLee Sin versus Jarvan IVTwisted Fate versus ZiggsTristana versus TwitchMorgana versus Zyra

    North High and High School 13 approached this gamepletely differently. On the side of North High, there was a Twisted Fate in the midne, who could use his ultimate to reveal everything in the fog of war in arge circle around him and teleport to any location within this circle. Whenbined with the Jungler, this could create for some terrifying ganks in the early game! As for thete game, the extra information of where the other team was could prove vital. Then there was High School 13 who chose a group of Champions with powerful area of effect ultimates. If North High huddled up too closely together, they¡¯d get blown up before a fight could even start!

    The yers from Shanghai High School had walked around the isle ofputers and were now watching over the shoulder of the yers from North High. From here, they could somewhat make out the faces from the yers from High School 13. The Jungler tapped on Zeng Rui¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°Boss, that support for High School 13 yed mid and top in the previous two games. Looks like he keeps changing up his position.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. He looked at the members from High School 13 one at a time, trying to extract as much information from their expressions as possible. Lin Feng sat at the end of the line. He was thest person Zeng Rui observed. ¡°Mhm. He yed Zed in mid and Riven in top. He dealt the most damage to Champions in both games. His engages were good, his teamfights were good. He sessfully plowed through the enemy backline.¡± Zeng Rui paused for a moment, trying to piece the information together. ¡°So he also ys Support? I wonder if he¡¯s an all-rounder. Hmm... Interesting. Definitely interesting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh! Let¡¯s do our best, guys! Watch me carry this game!¡±

    Zeng Rui was physically repulsed. He watched Lin Feng make his announcement. Heard him make the announcement so loudly that even people outside on the streets could hear him. So he really thinks he¡¯s going to carry his team, eh? Then he noticed the other yers from High School 13, saw them trying to hide behind their screens. His right eye twitched in response to the visceral cringe of the situation and he said, ¡°Scratch that. He¡¯s just a cocky shit. And a thundering dumbass.¡±

 Chapter 117: Support Zyra! | Views: 5,929

    This was the final hurdle! All High School 13 had to do was to win this best of three series against North High, and then they¡¯d qualify for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Two games stood between them and their goal. They¡¯d make sure it never even got to a third and deciding game! Two wins. Fast and clean. A stomp in game one to swing the series in their favour and then ride the momentum through the second game. Easy enough. But their opponents felt the same. North High wouldn¡¯t let High School 13 walk all over them without putting up a fight. They would struggle for every inch! They would take game one and then game two! High School 13 wouldn¡¯t win this series, they would! The yers from both teams slowed their breathing as they zoned out everything but the monitor in front of them. Everyone but the yers on their team. If they wanted to win, they had to find thatpetitive mindset and never lose focus!

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao rushed down from the Red team¡¯s fountain into botne. They stopped halfway in and ventured into the jungle. Opposite of the Blue buff camp was the Gromp. A lone monster. They waited for it to spawn and then killed it, juggling its aggro so as to take as little damage as possible. The experience from killing it would get them close to Level 2. A small advantage that could see them win thene! Except for the fact that on the Blue team, North High¡¯s Boners had the same idea. They were killing the monster camp closest to their botne, the Krugs; durable monsters of stone! This was a tactic often seen in professional y and was being copied more and more in regr games.

    The minion waves in botne shed. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao had their Champions rush tone to get as much experience as possible. While clicking towards thene, Lin Feng looked over at Tang Bingyao and grinned. ¡°Seems like they had the same idea. Doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s crush them!¡± He didn¡¯t care that the champion he decided to go with, Zyra, had fallen out of favour for a lot of yers. They couldn¡¯t do what he could! He would carry this game all the same!

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. Her focus was on her screen. She was going to give it her all, like she always did. It was just¡­ This stupid two-legged rat is ugly. Not cute at all. We have to end this game quickly. She¡¯d started ying Twitch because Lin Feng told her to. He was the coach and she wouldn¡¯t argue. But that didn¡¯t mean she enjoyed ying Twitch. This stupid rat was one of the Champions she hated the most! I can¡¯t let this drag on.

    ?

    Zeng Rui from Shanghai High School stood behind North High¡¯s team. His gaze was firmly on their screens. This game had started normally. He looked at the Toner¡¯s screen. He was fighting a Rumble with his Darius. Darius was a strong Champion in the current meta and had an advantage over Rumble during the earlyning phase. But as long as Rumble followed two simple rules, he could still win. The first was to avoid Decimate, an ability where Darius would heft his axe and swing it around himself. The second was that Rumble needed precise management of his Heat, which was the resource that Rumble used to cast his abilities. If he kept to these two rules, then and only then, would he push the Darius out ofne and get an easy win.

    Topne could be fun to watch, but it wasn¡¯t what Zeng Rui cared most about. That was botne. His evalutation of Lin Feng had gone down substantially after Lin Feng¡¯s little outburst, but that didn¡¯t change the facts. This cocky dumbass had yed two games and carried hard in both of them. So Zeng Rui would devote some extra attention to the botne. He narrowed his eyes and focused on Lin Feng. Still grinning like an idiot¡­ I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s any good¡­ But. There¡¯s that stupid word. But he did carry his team twice now. I should see if there¡¯s anything I can learn from him.

    ?

    North High had the advantage in the botne matchup. Tristana had the attack range advantage over Twitch and could deal significant damage with her Explosive Charge, blowing up a bomb on someone¡¯s head, all the while the Morgana supported her from the rear with a powerful binding tool in Dark Binding. Twitch had no dashes, no jumps, no nothing to dodge these Dark Bindings. And Zyra had little to nothing to protect him, especially in the early game. The lower Twitch¡¯s health became, the harder Tristana and Morgana could push thene. They could force the Twitch to use his Summoner Spells and force High School 13¡¯s Jungler toe down for support. There really wasn¡¯t any other way thisne should y out. However, none of this happened. To the surprise of even Zeng Rui.

    Tang Bingyao focused on farming the minions, while Lin Feng threw auto attacks at the Tristana whenever she tried tost hit a minion. The Tristana wasn¡¯t having a good time. It couldn¡¯t go on like this. She had to do something. So she walked forward a bit to throw an Explosive Charge on the Twitch. That was the wrong thing to do. Tang Bingyao had her Twitch turn around the moment the Tristana started moving. The Twitch threw a Venom Cask over his shoulder, which exploded in the Tristana¡¯s face. It slowed her and inflicted her with Deadly Venom. If this wasn¡¯t bad enough, what Lin Feng did definitely was. He didn¡¯t walk away like the Twitch. Quite the opposite. He had his Zyra move forward and pressed down on the Q key¨CDeadly Spines! Thick vines spread through the ground and exploded into spines, piercing the Tristana! Her health dropped a lot from this short exchange.

    Zeng Rui raised his eyebrows halfway up his forehead and nodded. ¡°Not bad¡­ Not bad at al¨C¡±

    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re really in the zone today, huh?¡± Lin Feng eximed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

    While the rest of the NetCow Cafe looked over at Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao ignored his very existence. She didn¡¯t have time for his nonsense. Not right now. If she wanted to win this game quickly, she had to focus. She was a Draven main. A master at putting pressure in the early game and dominating herne opponents! Even if this Twitch was nothing like Draven, in every sense of the word, that aggressive ystyle she was sofortable with still shone through.

    ?

    ¡°What the hell is this? Why is this Twitch ying so aggressively? Why are we letting her?¡± North High¡¯s ad-carryined. ¡°I¡¯m ying Tristana. I should be bullying that stupid rat! Not the other way around! What the fuck!¡± He pushed forward to try and get ast hit on a minion, only to find his health drop low again! The Zyra. It was the Zyra! His eyelids twitched. ¡°That stupid ntgirl keeps attacking me. She¡¯s fucking mental. Their Support is crazy!¡±

    Whenever he tried to attack the Twitch, there was Zyra. Whenever he tried tost hit a minion, there was Zyra. Whenever he tried to just get a second of freedom, there was Zyra! She was always there, poking his Tristana and being a generally obnoxious piece of shit! He couldn¡¯t take it any longer! And then she hit Level 2. She sent forth her vines through the ground and ensnared his Tristana¨CGrasping Roots! He felt frantic! Clicking towards his tower and trying everything to get away. The only saving grace was that the Twitch was out of position. He was too far back and couldn¡¯t get to his Tristana in time. That was the only reason he survived. It was too close. That Zyra had yed it perfectly. He knew it. If he didn¡¯t do something about his positioning quickly, the same would happen again. And next time, next time he feared the Twitch wouldn¡¯t screw up. Fuck.

    ?

    Lin Feng nced at his minimap. Their Jarvan IV was clearing the Red Buff Camp. That meant that Lee Sin was doing the same. The Junglers were on the second Buff Camp in their jungle. Their next step would be to look for a ganking opportunity. Did Lee start on Blue or Red? Lin Feng looked at the information he had, which was restricted to the flow of thenes. His eyes fell on the Morgana and Tristana in botne. They were letting the minion wave push towards their outer tower. It looked sketchy. A little too easy.

    At 4:35 minutes into the game, High School 13¡¯s minion wave was pushing towards North High¡¯s outer tower. Tang Bingyao had her Twitch go up for ast hit, extending just a little further than she normally would. There. Lin Feng spotted it immediately. He¡¯d been wary, but now he was sure. A gank. The Morgana was moving forward. He mirrored her actions, walking towards the opponent ad-carry.

    The Tristana stood near the river wall. The tri-brush connecting thene, river, and jungle was just above her. She moved forward a little, just far enough to get in range of the Twitch while also staying back. Then the Lee Sin appeared. He rushed towards the Tristana from the fog of war and shielded her¨CSafeguard!

    Lin Feng pressed down on his E key before the Lee Sin even appeared¨CGrasping Roots! The Zyra sent forth vines through the ground, heading straight for the Tristana. As Lee Sin rushed to her side, the vines passed through them, ensnaring them both. They were rooted! ¡°Haha! Beautiful! Great job, me!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Amongst the audience was Zeng Rui. He bit down on his lips, fighting back the intense urge to knock some humility into Lin Feng. This goddamn kid! Stop bragging¡­ That y was great. He¡¯d seen Lee Sine for the gank. It¡¯d looked perfect. He didn¡¯t see how High School 13 would stop it. But Lin Feng was one step ahead of everyone, and stopped the gank before it could even happen. That was a really high level skill. Zeng Rui had to admit that. But then he had to go and pat himself on the back¡­ Shut up and y!

 Chapter 118: Second Rate Teams, Third Rate Gameplay | Views: 5,984

    ¡°Wow! Did you see that?¡±¡°Yes. I did. I¡¯m right here¡­¡±¡°That was so amazing!¡± ¡°It really was. I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve done that.¡±¡°Haha! Definitely not! You suck at this game!¡±

    While gasps rang out from the crowd, merging together with the hushed whispers, Ren Rou cheered together with Wei Dong. Lin Feng had averted the gank! His Zyra stopped any hope of the Lee Sin jumping on them! They could get out scot-free. ¡°Nice! Let¡¯s go! Get out of there!¡± she shouted, eager to support the team in any way she could.

    However, Lin Feng didn¡¯t go back. Nor did Tang Bingyao. They knew what the other was thinking. There was no need for words. But Lin Feng was in one of those moods, full of energy. He shouted, ¡°Tang Tang! Let¡¯s do this! Fight!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded while having her Twitch move forward. Her target was the Tristana. Twitch was in range. He cackled as he fired off a venomced bolt. Then he stepped to the side. It looked harmless, a simple reposition or an attempt to cancel his attack animation. But then a Sonic Wave flew past where he just stood. The Blind Monk was searching for his target and failed. Tang Bingyao had guessed perfectly what the Lee Sin¡¯s next move would be and dodged it before it even happened! She followed up by pressing down on the W key¨CVenom Cask! The Twitch hurled a cask of venom that exploded on top of the Tristana and Lee Sin, slowing them and applying a deadly venom.

    ¡°Oh, damn! That was sexy!¡± ¡°I know right! She¡¯s ying crazy good!¡±¡°You¡¯re hot High School 13 ad-carry!¡±¡°Awkward creep¡­ Just enjoy that awesome y!¡±¡°My god! She actually predicted he would throw his Q!¡±¡°What rank is she? She must be Diamond, right? Like, at least!¡±¡°Sick skills, girl! Now turn this fight around!¡±

    ?

    ¡°D-dammit! Fine! You want a fight? I¡¯ll give you one!¡± North High¡¯s ad-carry had had it up to here! Until here and no further! This matchup should be his! His Tristana was stronger than the Twitch! His Morgana was a really strong Support on the current patch. And that Zyra waspletely useless in this meta! There was no excuse. He had to win! He had to! This cocky bitch! How dares she attack me when my Jungler is ganking! I¡¯ll show her! He pressed down on the W key¨CRocket Jump!

    The Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired,unching herself into the air and towards the Twitch. Shended on top of him and put a bomb on his head¨CExplosive Charge! Then she fired off an auto attack. The Morgana and Lee Sin were trying to catch up from behind, but the minions in thene were blocking a direct path.

    Behind North High¡¯s ad-carry, Zeng Rui from Shanghai High School shook his head. Fool. This was a mistake only the worst yers made. The Devshards. Beginners who had no clue what was going on and had zero feeling for the game. It took a special kind of stupid to jump in when you didn¡¯t know where the opponent¡¯s Jungler was, even more so when you were the ad-carry. Squishy and easy to kill.

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t run. She let the Tristana jump on her and just kept attacking. This time, she was the bait. Becauseing down from the river, shouting in her ears and pinging on botne, was none other than Ouyang with his Jarvan IV! ¡°Coming in hot! Time to save the princess!¡± he shouted. Then he shed forward, walking until he was almost on top of the Tristana, and then executed his g-tossbo! He was right on top the Tristana. There was nowhere for her to escape to. He had his Jarvan IV dash through her and knocked her up into the air! He followed up with an auto attack before calling upon the ancient kings of Demacia to shield him from harm and slow the Tristana¨CGolden Aegis!

    F-fucking. Dammit. Argh. Fuck. Shit. North High¡¯s ad-carry was rapid firing insults at himself. He should¡¯ve never jumped in like that. Now he knew! How should I know that Jarvan was right there! He smashed down on his keyboard, trying to sh away, while he watched his Tristana¡¯s health drop lower and lower. ¡°ck shield! Morg, give me a ck shield! Come on! Hurry up already!¡±

    The Morgana caught up. She cast the ck Shield on Tristana, protecting her from all disabling effects with a barrier of starlight. She followed up with a Dark Binding. The dark magic flew through the air, straight for the Jarvan IV. If she could stop him, her ad-carry would still have a chance to survive!

    Lin Feng paid close attention to the Morgana. He was well aware of how the Tristana could escape. He was going to counter that. Zyra could nt seeds and she could also have them grow into monstrous nts! Lin Feng had nted a couple of these seeds, preparing for this very moment. Morgana¡¯s Dark Binding flew through the air. He pressed down on his Q key¨CDeadly Spines! Thick vines spread through the ground and exploded into spines, feeding one of the seeds. The seed grew into a Thorn Spitter nt and rose up right in the path of the Dark Binding. It ate the attack of dark magic and died. But it also blocked the attack from connecting with Ouyang¡¯s Jarvan IV!

    ¡°How in the world¡­¡±¡°Wow¡­¡±¡°Was that¡­¡±¡°Yeah, it was¡­ Jesus, that guy is good.¡±

    The crowd couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. This y was out of this world! Beyond that, even Zeng Rui was caught off guard! This Zyra went from one high skill y into the next as if it were nothing! Wow. Those reflexes and reaction speed are something to watch out for.

    Ouyang and Tang Bingyao could chase after North High¡¯s ad-carry without a worry in the world. The Tristana was almost dead, the Morgana had no damage and no crowd control skills left, and it¡¯d be suicidal for the Lee Sin to jump in. This was the very definition of an easy kill. They attacked the Tristana a few more times until Tang Bingyao pressed down on her E key¨CExpunge! Twitch sted the poisoned Tristana with his vile diseases!

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Ouyang could hear his teammates cheering behind him. The ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡± from Liu Yue was especially resounding. Liu Yue approved of his y! I-i¡¯m doing it! I¡¯m doing it! He startedughing. There was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to fear. This game was in the bag. He¡¯d carry it with his Jarvan IV! ¡°Oh yeah! Bro, my Jarvan is fucking fantastic! Did you see that gank? Damn, I was so awesome there!¡±

    Zeng Rui snorted. Who is this idiot? He didn¡¯t care one bit for Ouyang¡¯s performance. It was mediocre at best. And the only reason it looked mediocre and not straight terrible was because that Tristana was just as bad as the Jarvan IV. Two terrible yers having a little fun. They were having fun, but there wasn¡¯t anything to see for the crowd. Why did that Tristana even Rocket Jump in? How was it not obvious that the Jarvan IV wasing? The Twitch stayed to fight! That was such a dead giveaway¡­ There were so many problems and issues with the Tristana and Jarvan IV¡¯s ys that he didn¡¯t know how to endining about them. Until he shifted his attention towards High School 13¡¯s ad-carry. Tang Bingyao. She stayed calm and yed well. Impressive.

    However, the most impressive yer was still Lin Feng. Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng again. The cocky dumbass¡­ Lin Feng¡¯s mechanics on Zyra were really good. Really good. It wasn¡¯t just one time either. In these first four minutes of the game, he yed perfectly. Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t find anything toin about, at least gamey wise. Is he really that good? Was it luck? But he¡¯s done it before on Riven and Zed. There is no such thing as coincidence¡­

    ?

    The game started great for High School 13. But the few minutes after the first blood went all North High¡¯s way. The first big moment came at 6 minutes. The Twisted Fate had reached Level 6 and learned his ultimate¨CDestiny! He predicted the fortunes of his foes, revealing them and enabling the use of Gate. A portal he could use to travel to any target location in 1.5 seconds. Chen Ze¡¯s fortune ended first. The Twisted Fate teleported to the topne and helped his Darius pick up a kill on the Rumble.

    A minuteter, at 7 minutes, the Twisted Fate returned to midne. Ouyang had been waiting in a brush for this. He wanted to help his Miner get a kill. Maybe even help Yang Fan win thene. He jumped on the Twisted Fate with his g-tossbo! The Twisted Fate shed away, back to tower safety. His health had dropped low. Ziggs had his Mega Inferno Bomb and Jarvan IV had Cataclysm. Ouyang made the call. He towerdove the Twisted Fate. His Jarvan IV heroically leapt at the target and smashed the Twisted Fate down into the ground so hard that the surrounding area terraformed into an arena. Together with Ziggs¡¯ long range attacks, the Twisted Fate died. But the Jarvan IV was also locked up in his own arena. Underneath North High¡¯s outer tower. He forgot to cancel his ultimate skill in time and died to ast energy shot from the outer tower.

    Yang Fan breathed out, deep and hard. ¡°Come on! Ouyang! You should¡¯ve backed away, dude. You know you can cancel your ult, right?¡±

    There was no need for Yang Fan to yell at Ouyang. Ouyang was more than a little upset with himself already. Still, he blurted out, ¡°I was backing away, alright? It¡¯s just that minion that was in the way. And there was a slight dy in canceling my ult. This stupid game! It bugged! Shit!¡±

    Standing behind the yers from North High, Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t hide his contempt. The gamescore was two kills for two kills. Four idiotic deaths that could¡¯ve all been evaded. Easily. If he would¡¯ve yed, none of this would¡¯ve happened. He would¡¯ve made sure of that! Second rate teams showing off their third rate gamey¡­ All his interest for High School 13 disappeared. Their botne was good, he had to admit. But the rest of their team was dogshit. Terrible. The worst yers he¡¯d ever seen y the game. Two strong yers wasn¡¯t enough at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Not to contest for the title, at least. High School 13 wouldn¡¯t be a title contender. He wouldn¡¯t have to prepare for them. It wasn¡¯t worth his time.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Zeng Rui mumbled. Though he¡¯d already decided High School 13 didn¡¯t amount to much, he still stuck around to watch the game. Mostly because he just felt this urge to watch the Support Zyra die. Something about the excited shouts of that Support yer had rubbed him the wrong way. At 8 minutes, something big was brewing in botne. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao would have to do some truly spectacr to walk out of this one alive!

 Chapter 119: Stranglethorns! | Views: 5,984

    Topne was a win! Midne was a win! Jungle was a win! North High was dominating the map everywhere, except for botne. They had a small problem brewing there. Twitch, the gue Rat. A weak early game Champion, just like Tristana, but ate game hyper-carry. One well timed ultimate from him could decimate his opponents! Rat-Ta-Tat-Ta! Twitch could unleash the full power of his crossbow, shooting bolts over a great distance that pierced all enemies caught in their path! If Twitch went on a rampage, he could turn any fight around. It didn¡¯t matter how far ahead North High got in the othernes, they had to shut him down before he became too big of a problem!

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were ying in-sync. Tang Bingyao focused on farming with her Twitch, while Lin Feng pushed the Boners from North High back underneath their outer tower. His Zyra was strong. Her damage was disgusting. She would nt seeds that couldn¡¯t be targeted wherever she wanted using Rampant Growth. They could only be broken by walking over them, and that was something Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t let happen. His fingers were hovering over the Q and E keys, lightly tapping on whichever felt more appropriate in the situation. The first time the Tristana had moved forward to step on a seed, Lin Feng had gone with Grasping Roots. His Zyra sent forth vines through the ground to ensnare the Tristana and also to grow the seeds into Vine Lashers. These were vicious nts thatshed out in melee range to deal damage and apply a slow!

    There was still Morgana. She could use her ck Shield to protect the Tristana. The roots couldn¡¯t root and the Vine Lashers couldn¡¯t slow. Nor was their damage enough to break the barrier. It was the perfect counter. However, Morgana had only one ck Shield. It had a long cooldown timer. And Lin Feng was on point with his ys. He baited out the ck Shield on either Morgana or Tristana and then would quickly switch targets. If the Morgana tried to wait and cast her ck Shield a littleter, the damage would be done. She had to make that decision. But it never worked out in her favour.

    The crowd watching the game could agree on one thing. Botne looked like a horrorne. The Tristana and Morgana were pushed underneath their tower, and even there they weren¡¯t safe. Lin Feng targeted them. Harassed them with his skills. The damage kept piling on. And if Tristana or Morgana made a slight misy, the Twitch would jump in and help the Zyra attack. Their health dropped and they were ready to flip their tables and yell at their counterparts across from them. This wasn¡¯t any fun!

    ?

    At 8 minutes, Lee Sin roamed towards bot for the second time in the game. He¡¯d timed it just right. High School 13¡¯s wards had worn off. They had no vision of the jungle entrance or up the river. Their Boners were pushing into North High¡¯s outer tower, like they had been for thest couple of minutes. The Zyra especially caused the Tristana and Morgana a massive headache. She¡¯d single-handedly harassed them down to below half health. If they got caught by her Grasping Roots, they¡¯d be dead. The Lee Sin had to be fast.

    North High¡¯s Support looked at the minimap. He knew their Jungler wasing for a gank. High School 13 looked ill-prepared for it. This was their chance. ¡°Let¡¯s do this. We can still win!¡±

    The ad-carry from North High nodded. His eyes were locked on the Twitch. He wanted revenge. He needed it! ¡°Mhm. You engage first. I¡¯ll follow right behind. Try and lock down Twitch, but if you can¡¯t, go for the Zyra. I don¡¯t care who we kill, just that we kill one of them.¡± Because after the Tristana got the first kill, her Rocket Jump cooldown would reset. She could chase after the second and pick up the kill. North High¡¯s ad-carry was confident he could do at least that much. His Tristana should be strong enough.

    Standing behind the yers from North High was still Zeng Rui. He nced at the minimap. Jarvan IV¡¯s portrait popped up in topne. Twisted Fate was still in mid. Lee Sin came bot for a gank. There were no other variablesing into y. This would be a 3vs2. The Lee Sin, Morgana, and Tristana were all three Level 6. They had the damage to kill the Zyra and Twitch. They also had the crowd control to lock them down, so that they couldn¡¯t escape or turn the fight around on them. Looks like they¡¯ll finally get something going in bot.

    ?

    ¡°Watch out! Lin Feng, back!¡± Yang Fan shouted in voice chat. He was the first on High School 13¡¯s team to notice. As the ingame clock hit 8:35 minutes, Lee Sin¡¯s portrait appeared on the minimap. He came walking down the river into botne. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were still pushing into North High¡¯s outer tower, harassing the Morgana and Tristana underneath. They had their Zyra and Twitch run back towards High School 13¡¯s side of thene.

    ¡°Ha! Want to run? Fat chance!¡± North High Supportughed. He had his Morgana move forward, to whichever from Twitch and Zyra was easier to bind.

    North High¡¯s ad-carry was in even more of a rush. This was his change to get a kill back! To show everyone watching that he wasn¡¯t the worst yer in the game who¡¯d lost a winning matchup! He mmed down his W key¨CRocket Jump! His Tristana pointed her cannon to the ground and fired. She arced through the air andnded in front of the Zyra! Then she ced a bomb on the Zyra¡¯s head¨CExplosive Charge!

    The Morgana wouldn¡¯t wait any longer either. She shed forward and appeared right in front of the Zyra. Then she activated her ultimate¨CSoul Shackles! Two wings appeared on her back as she released the full force of her Celestial power! Her feet left the ground. She floated andshed out chains of dark pain on the Zyra. They slowed and dealt some damage. And after a brief dy, would also stun. She followed up by conjuring her dark magic to lock the Zyra down¨CDark Binding!

    Zeng Rui nodded. ¡°Not bad. That¡¯s the right y.¡± The Morgana was ying it just like he would, by focusing the Zyra. That was the correct y in this situation. A point nk skillshot was hard to miss. If she¡¯d instead tried to hit the Twitch, that would¡¯ve been asking for problems! But something didn¡¯t feel quite right. It didn¡¯t make sense. He¡¯d been paying close attention to the botne and gotten some understanding of how Lin Feng yed on his Zyra. This didn¡¯t look like a dead Zyra.

    Lin Feng looked at his screen. The Lee Sin was ganking. He was a little out of position. This was his mistake. He should¡¯ve warded. The Morgana shed towards him. Her Soul Shackles wrapped around his Zyra. And then the Dark Binding appeared. His breathing stayed calm and there was no sweat on his forehead as he moved his mouth and then pressed down on his Q key¨CDeadly Spines! Thick vines spread through the ground and exploded into spines in between the Zyra and Morgana. There was a seed. It bloomed into a Thorn Spitter nt. The Dark Binding hit the nt and bound it. The Zyra was free.

    ¡°W-what? I-it was blocked?¡± North High¡¯s Support muttered. He stared at his screen. It didn¡¯t make sense. He was right in front of the Morgana. His attack should¡¯ve hit! He should¡¯ve locked the Zyra down! How did he do that? H-how is that even possible? Was he waiting? Did he know? No. There were no wards. I swept for them. Then how?

    Everyone in the crowd needed a second to process what happened. Even the yers from Shanghai High School were thoroughly impressed, and that included Zeng Rui. This was something else. This was something truly special! Then the silence broke. People started talking. Cheering. Shouting!

    ¡°OH SNAP! Did you see that? Did you? Did you?¡±¡°WOOOO! That was sick!¡±¡°How is that possible? That looks like a bug!¡±¡°He makes it look so easy¡­"¡°My god¡­ How. Just how.¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t quite done yet. This was only a little trick. There was nothing impressive about it once you knew how to do it. He pressed down on his E key¨CGrasping Roots! His Zyra sent forth vines through the ground that ensnared those caught by it. The Morgana was the first, well before she could even think about casting ck Shield. And the Tristana was second. Lin Feng rooted both North High¡¯s Support and ad-carry with one well ced skillshot!

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! That¡¯s Lin Feng for you right there!¡± Liu Yue shouted, high fiving Wei Dong.

    ¡°Oh, yeah! Nice! Awesome! Couldn¡¯t have done that any better!¡± Wei Dongughed, pping Liu Yue¡¯s hand as hard as he could.

    A loud p sounded out and Ren Rou shook her head. Boys will be boys¡­ Then she looked back at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Good job! Nice y! Keep it up, guys! You can do it!¡±

    There was onest y left in Lin Feng¡¯s ybook. One final skill that couldplete the turn around. He nced over at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Now! Go in!¡± His fingers glided over the keyboard and he pressed down on the R key¨CStranglethorns! His Zyra summoned a twisted thicket. It passed through the Morgana and Tristana, damaging them. The seeds in the thicket then grew enraged, growing into massive Thorn Spitter nts!

 Chapter 120: Fight Fight Fight! | Views: 6,274

    Tang Bingyao saw the Thornsplitter nts and felt it. That indescribable sensation that settled over her when she saw Lin Feng¡¯s Zyra unleash her ultimate. She knew in that instant that Lin Feng saw an opening, the possibility to win this fight. The chance to get some kills. She wasn¡¯t looking at him, but she knew exactly what Lin Feng looked like at that moment. She could see his calm expression, the intensity pouring out of his eyes, and that imperceptible shift that came over him whenever he tasted blood. She knew his Zyra would go on the offensive now and start attacking instead of shing away. And she also knew what she had to do. And she started doing it before Lin Feng finished saying, ¡°Now! Go in!¡±

    The Stranglethorns spread out and the Morgana and Tristana were perfectly lined up. She pressed down on her R key¨C?Rat-Ta-Tat-Ta! The attack range of her Twitch grew. Twitch aimed at the Morgana and then squeezed the trigger. Empowered toxic bolts shot from his crossbow and pierced the Morgana and then the Tristana!

    North High¡¯s Jungler saw the health bars on his Boners drop. They were already at half health before the fight started. Now they were a few more hits away from death. He ced a ward in thene and dashed toward it¨C?Safeguard! He followed up with a Sonic Wave. The Blind Monk didn¡¯t know where to jump to. He needed to find a target first. His Sonic Wave was aimed perfectly. It went straight for the Twitch. The immobile Twitch who had no abilities beside a sh that could help him dodge. But then, just as he was about to be hit by the Sonic Wave, a massive cannonball barreled into him and sent him flying backwards¨C?Buster Shot!

    The Tristana sabotaged her own Jungler! Her sh was on cooldown. She¡¯d, again, used her Rocket Jump to engage. And the Twitch had turned around on her. Her health was too low. There was no way out. She needed to get rid of the Twitch. His toxic bolts would kill her! So she moved forward and fired off her ultimate at him. Anything to knock him away! But by doing that, she killed any hope for her team of killing High School 13¡¯s Boners.

    Tang Bingyao still had sh. North High¡¯s ad-carry had acted on fear and he was about toe to regret it. Twitch disappeared with a sh of mottled light before reappearing right back where he was a moment ago, the moment before a giant cannonball mmed into him. The Tristana was there. The Morgana was there. And his ultimate was still active. He fired at them, empowered toxic bolts skewering the two yers from North High.

    The Morgana ran away. Out of range from the Stranglethorns. Because this ultimate skill from Zyra had a secondary effect. First, the twisted thicket spread out before the thick vines would snap upwards, knocking anyone caught within airborne! She got out just in time. But the same couldn¡¯t be said for the Tristana. She tried to run away, but the range was toorge. It was too far. She was thrown up into the air. All the while, Twitch focused her down.

    North High¡¯s Jungler refused to give up on his ad-carry. She was still alive. There was still something he could do! Maybe this isn¡¯t lost yet¡­ Let¡¯s do this! His Lee Sin was already on the Twitch. He pressed down on the R key¨C?Dragon¡¯s Rage! The Lee Sin roundhouse kicked the Twitch,unching him back, far away from the Tristana!

    However, before the Twitch flew away, Tang Bingyao pressed on her E key¨C?Expunge! Her Twitch wreaked havoc on the poisoned Tristana and Morgana with a st of his vile diseases! There was no protecting against it. The Morgana found herself with only one auto attack worth of health left, while the Tristana dropped dead to the ground.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Awesome! Great work! Let¡¯s get the Morgana next! We can do this!¡± Lin Feng eximed. These were the moments he yed the game for! Full of excitement they were! He was happy that the Lee Sin hade for a gank, it made the whole y that much more fun! Besides, it finally lured the Tristana and Morgana away from the safety of their outer tower. He exhausted the Lee Sin to get him off their backs while he chased after the Morgana together with Tang Bingyao.

    Tang Bingyao activated Ambush. This skill camouged her Twitch for a short duration, granting him bonus movement speed. The Twitch caught up to the Morgana before she could even reach her outer tower. Her health was too low. One final auto attack left Twitch¡¯s crossbow and pierced the Morgana. Her health hit zero. The Twitch picked up another kill.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The Lee Sin saw the two yers from High School 13 chase after the Morgana and kill her. He knew this was the end. There was nothing he could do to change this fight around anymore. The most he could do was to not give High School 13 a third kill. Two was already too much. So he turned around and ran up the river and then into his own jungle. Far away from any wards from High School 13. Then he started channeling a recall.

    There was nothing stopping Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao from taking down the outer tower. They waited for the next minion wave to m into it and then started attacking it, while Lin Feng also called over Ouyang. They didn¡¯t need Ouyang¡¯s help in taking down the tower. However, after the tower Lin Feng also wanted to take down the Dragon. That was why he needed Ouyang. The Lee Sin had run away, and most likely also backed away, while North High¡¯s Boners were both dead. If they were fast, they could take the Dragon uncontested.

    North High hade for a gank on botne. A 3vs2. This should¡¯ve been their win! Their outer tower! Their Dragon! Instead, High School 13 had turned it around and taken everything for themselves. There was nothing North High could do about it. And to add insult to injury, they heard that same, annoying, frustrating voice from the side of High School 13. ¡°Hahaha! Good job, guys! That was awesome! We really pulled ahead with that fight!¡±

    Standing behind the frustrated members from North High¡¯s esports team was Zeng Rui. He didn¡¯t care for who won the game. Nor the results of a gank. None of these yers looked like a threat to him. Except for one. There was one yer who kept surprising him. That Zyra. His eyes were glued on her. Impossible! How did he do that? Could he really¡­ Ha¨C No. He¡¯s just an idiot. Idiots also get lucky. Luck. Zyra¡¯s Rampant Growth could be cast inbination with Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots to summon nts that helped her deal damage and block projectiles. This wasn¡¯t some grand secret. Every half decent League yer knew of this aspect of her kit.

    Zyra couldy down a Seed with Rampant Growth, then germinate it with Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots. This was her regr skillbo. It could also be executed in reverse order, though that required lowtency and fast fingers. But it also gave the opponent less time to react. This was a skill only seen at the higher ranks, or by Zyra one-trick ponies. However, what Lin Feng had done wasn¡¯t that simple. When the Morgana shed forward with Dark Binding, there wasn¡¯t enough time for even the reverse Zyra method to block it. But he had done just that. There was only one possible exnation. He predicted Morgana¡¯s next move and cast his skill the same moment that Morgana shed! That was the only exnation that made any sense. Just that it didn¡¯t make any sense! No one was that good!

    How¡­ It can¡¯t be. Zeng Rui kept shaking his head. It was hard to ept. He couldn¡¯t ept it! But the facts wereid out right in front of him. They were shoved into his face. There was nothing he could find to deny them. They looked true. Fast reaction speed. Perfect reflexes. Strong mechanics. Top. Mid. Support. A monster in everyne he ys. Who the hell is he...

    ?

    At 10 minutes, the bnce of the game tipped back in High School 13¡¯s favour. After securing the first tower and Dragon, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao roamed over to mid and started helping Yang Fan pressure the outer tower. This was a worst case scenario for Twisted Fate. His power came from pushing hisne out and then putting pressure on othernes with his ultimate. When he instead got pressured, his ultimate was useless. He became useless. On top of that, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Twitch was already 3/0/0! She was already strong enough that she could sweep through North High¡¯s entire team with a well ced ultimate.

    ¡°Our teamp is really good!¡± Wei Dong remarked. He had nothing better to do since he was sitting out this game. So he decided to provide somementary to Liu Yue and Ren Rou. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a bulky frontline, but we don¡¯t need to either. Yang Fan has all the poke in the world with his Ziggs. Then we got Lin Feng and Chen Ze with crowd control that also deals a lot of damage, and Ouyang with his Jarvan to engage. And Jarvan also has his ulty! Our team has so many AoE crowd control skills that it¡¯s easy for Tang Tang to get off a good ultimate and clean up anyone still alive!¡±

    Wei Dong¡¯s analysis was on point. It didn¡¯t even matter that mid and top had fallen behind a little. Yang Fan only had to worry about being annoying by hitting his explosives, while Chen Ze¡¯s Rumble only needed to get his Sorcerers¡¯ Shoes to be a menace. His ultimate would do the rest. And with Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao helping these two, they would get back into the game soon enough and have the items to be even more of a problem for North High.

    Ouyang¡¯s anxiety also disappeared. His team was winning and he felt like a God. There was nothing to worry about. He pressed his skills, ran with the rest of the team, and tried his best to get sessful g-tossbos off. It didn¡¯t even really matter if he missed abo. Lin Feng was always there with more crowd control. This knowledge gave him all the confidence he needed. His skill shots started hitting more and more often. He actually became an asset to the team.

    North High quickly found themselves in a position where the game seemed lost. They were losing everywhere. Their only hope was to drag this game out and hope for a miracle in the ultrate game. Perhaps their Tristana could outperform the Twitch then. It was a steep task, but their only hope. So they hid behind their towers and gave up on the game objectives. They bided their time, pumping the few resources they did get into the Darius for a tanky frontline and the Tristana for her damage items. But High School 13 wasn¡¯t about to let them get back into the game. They were looking to end it. And Lin Feng led the charge.

    ¡°GO GO GO! Let¡¯s fight, guys! If we aren¡¯t fighting! We aren¡¯t winning!¡°Ouyang! Don¡¯t think! Just go! Dive straight into their backline! Go ham or go broke!¡°Don¡¯t save your Rumble ult! Just throw it down, Chen Ze! Even if you whiff it, I¡¯ll force them to walk into it!¡±

    Over the next eight minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s voice continuously rang out in the voice chat. He was the team captain. He was the Challenger on the Ionia server. He was their coach. If he told them to fight, they would fight! If he told them to sacrifice a death for the team, they would offer themselves up! And if he told them to do anything game rted, they¡¯d do it for him. So they fought!

    The crowdughed and whispered and joked. High School 13¡¯s team looked like a pack of rabid dogs! There was no grace to their y. It was literally just fight fight fight! Their tactics were crude and simple. But somehow it worked. They came out on top in every teamfight. They never gave away an objective. And slowly but surely, they fought their way towards North High¡¯s base. It looked stupid. It looked like it shouldn¡¯t be working. But it did. It was frighteningly effective. For some reason, it just always worked. North High lost all control over the map and High School 13 was brute forcing their way to victory!

 Chapter 121: Advancing to the Main Event! | Views: 6,274

    Crude! Ugly! Terrible! A bunch of rabid dogs! The crowd could think and say whatever they wanted about High School 13¡¯s performance, but it didn¡¯t change the facts. It was effective. They were winning the game, and convincingly so. Their teamposition that looked risky in Champion Select due to theirck of a beefy frontline showcased its strengths and never really got in danger of copsing! This was reminiscent of Season 2 and 3 in the Ionia server¡¯s solo queue. yers were still finding out what the best teampositions were and tried the strangest concepts in the process. Most didn¡¯t work. yers were med, abused, and told to uninstall the game! But every now and then, something special was discovered. Such aspositions that focused solely aroundboing ultimate skills, which High School 13 leaned towards in this game. Orpositions where one Champion would split push a differentne while the rest of his team fought back the five on the other team.

    There were a lot of less popr teampositions in League of Legends. Sometimes, there¡¯d be a patch where one of them rose to fame. So too the backdooring strategy. It all began after a European team made it work on the highest stage. Suddenly, every League yer wanted to try their hand at it and show everyone how good they were. It was the days of Jax pushing down in topne, nevering to help his team. Or Master Yi running around the map with the movement speed from Ghost and just being a nuisance. Shaco, the Demon Jester, throwing down boxes and spamming theugh emote to piss his opponents off. To drive them mad!

    Beyond all of that. There was something more that could decide teampositions. Pure skill. That was what happened in the North High versus High School 13 game. Lin Feng helped his team pull ahead. They were stronger. And from that moment on, nothing else mattered. They could do whatever they wanted, be however brave they felt like being, and there was nothing that North High could do to stop them. North High lost the game when they let the Twitch get fed. They just couldn¡¯t get close enough to him to stop him. And his ultimate decimated their ranks. It was even fair to say that the game was lost before it even began. Because Lin Feng was on High School 13¡¯s team.

    ?

    Zeng Rui lost his interest in the game. He didn¡¯t care for the rest of the game, or what would happen from High School 13. He¡¯d been worried about Lin Feng. The stories told to him gave him every reason to! And Lin Feng really did surprise him. That Zyra was ying extremely well. But that was just it. The Zyra did all the ying. There were no other members on the team, not really. The Twitch was decent. But that was it. The others all reliedpletely on the Zyra to have any kind of impact on the game. Without her, they would¡¯ve lost to this already weak team. Zeng Rui could onlye to one conclusion. High School 13 might win this game, might qualify for the main tournament, but they weren¡¯t contenders for the title. They just weren¡¯t good enough as a team for that.

    Zeng Rui snorted while looking at the yers from High School 13. The Toner was a joke. A terrible yer and an even worse team yer. The same held true for the Miner. Both of them were gatekeepers in Diamond 5, at best. More likely, they were stuck somewhere in tinum and med their teammates for their mediocre skills. Then there was the Jungler. Zeng Rui didn¡¯t even feel like wasting his breath on that guy. A wreck of nerves with zero impact on the game. If that guy ever made it out of Gold, then that waspletely on his teammates. He didn¡¯t belong at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Except for in the bleachers to watch the game, far away from any keyboard or mouse. They¡¯re only winning because of that Zyra and Twitch. Mostly the Zyra. She¡¯s carrying. Not even very great either¡­

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t just find fault in the individual skill of the yers on High School 13¡¯s team, but also in their team synergy. They were like a group in solo queue, with zero coordination starting from the moment they entered Champion Select. Their strategy going into the game was wed, and quite honestly, terrible. The execution wasn¡¯t much better, with the shot caller saying nothing but ¡°Go in! Go in!¡± or ¡°Fight fight fight!¡± These were the tactics of a team in Silver, full aggression with zero thought, and not of a team about to qualify for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

    ¡°Dumbfuck¡­¡± Zeng Rui muttered. His team had won the Shanghai 16 School Tournamentst year. He knew what it took to lift that trophy. And High School 13 didn¡¯t have it. He didn¡¯t have to worry about this dark horse. They wouldn¡¯t bepeting for the title. Their individual members were subpar and their shotcaller didn¡¯t make up for this either. A good shotcaller helped his team improve their teamwork and synergy. This Zyra did none of that.

    In thest edition of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, the Finals were Shanghai High School versus Shanghai International School. The deciding factor didn¡¯t lie in a difference in the skill of the individual members, though it had to be noted that Shanghai High School had one additional Challenger. Butparing teams based on the average rank of their members was the mark of a fool. Shanghai High School won because of Zeng Rui¡¯s meticulous research and precisemands during the game, and his teammates executing on them wlessly. All his teammates could be at a lower rank. It wouldn¡¯t have changed the oue of the match. His research was what had changed the oue.

    Thinking back tost year and then the possibility of having to face High School 13 this year, Zeng Ruiughed. Ha. They? What a joke. High School 13 were like farmers moving to the big city. They werepletely out of ce! There was no challenge in beating them! Except. Zeng Rui looked at the ad-carry. She was ying fairly well. They¡¯d have to watch out for her and shut her down early. Then there was that Support. Mr. Dumbfuck.

    The Riven who had solo carried his team to a win versus Tonji Affiliated High. That was an achievement. Something to actually watch out for. And also the kind of tactic Zeng Rui detested the most. Teamwork! Strategy! Those were the most important in League of Legends! Not some guy showing off his skills on Riven in the topne. But it didn¡¯t matter how he felt about it. Lin Feng had shown he could solo carry a game. That was a skill Zeng Rui would have to watch out for. Prepare for. Something he couldn¡¯t look down on. Let¡¯s see what role he ys next game. Maybe I can learn something more from that¡­

    However, Mr. Dumbfuck didn¡¯t y the second game. He actually sat out. Lin Feng got up from his gaming chair after the first game and said to Wei Dong, ¡°The next one is all you!¡± He patted his friend on the shoulder and added, ¡°I¡¯ve given us the head start, now go and finish it. Don¡¯t let me down!¡±

    Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Is he stupid? Is he actually stupid? Did his mom drop him? Did he hit his head on the concrete? Lin Feng was the best yer from High School 13. By a long shot! They only won the first game because of him! And now he was sitting out. He was leaving the second game to the others on his team. If that game started like the first. If the rest of his team didn¡¯t step up their game. That would be a loss. High School 13 would be in danger of losing their spot in the main tournament! What in the world is he thinking¡­ This makes absolutely no sense!

    ?

    The first game against North High gave High School 13¡¯s esports team all the confidence they needed. Ouyang especially made all the difference. There were no shakey ys from him. He went in for ganks full of confidence, and this confidence paid off. Everything he tried kept working. There even seemed to be a hint of something called team synergy blossoming in this game! This led to kills in the early game, and by the 10th minute, High School 13 had a lead of 6 to 3 kills. Five minutester, this gap had increased to 10 to 5 kills.

    Wei Dong was no Lin Feng. He didn¡¯t act like he was either. He yed to his own strengths and showed that if you put in the hard work, anything was possible. He¡¯d transformed from the unconfident Support who hid behind his own outer tower to the confident Support who engaged for Tang Bingyao to capitalize on. They were bing a phenomenal botne duo!

    However, it wasn¡¯t the botne synergy that was making the difference in this game. It was Yang Fan in midne. He yed Twisted Fate, and unlike North High¡¯s Minerst game, he did manage to push out thene. He roamed bot and top and made ys all over the map, making full use of his ultimate¨CDestiny! His prediction of the future saw High School 13 go 2-0 and win this best of three series.

    At 20 minutes, the game went from bad to worse for North High. Tang Bingyao hit Tristana¡¯s power spike. Her damage soared and she had the range where it became impossible for the yers from North High to jump on her. She became the killing machine North High couldn¡¯t put a stop to.

    Standing amongst the crowd, Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler said to Zeng Rui, ¡°I guess that''s the game. Look at those guys from North High. They look like they¡¯ve already given up.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. He¡¯d lost interest in thest game already. There was only the matter of Lin Feng. He wanted to research this yer. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t ying, so there was no point in him staying here any longer. He turned around and walked away. ¡°Trash facing Trash. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The game ended at 31 minutes. High School 13 won. The crowd wasn¡¯t as big anymore. Most of them weren¡¯t all that invested in this game. But that didn¡¯t kill the excitement of the yers from High School 13! They jumped up from their seats and started cheering and hugging each other! This was a dreame true! Something a lot of them never considered possible! Ouyang, Yang Fan, Ren Rou, and Chen Ze. They were half the team. The long time members of the esports club and the first to have given up. But now they were back. And they were back with a vengeance! High School 13 had officially qualified for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament!

    Lin Feng struck his victory pose. The others saw it. They knew what wasing next. Lin Fengughed and pumped his fist into the air. ¡°Awesome! Next up is first c¨C¡±

    ¡°Dammit, Lin Feng! You need to stop saying this kind of stuff in front of so many people! It¡¯s not funny! You¡¯re not funny! You¡¯re embarrassing all of us!¡± Ouyangined after jumping on Lin Feng and covering his mouth again.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ouyang. I think I¡¯m with Lin Feng this time. We¡¯re going to get first. I really believe it. We can do it!¡±

 Chapter 122: Making Videos! | Views: 5,319

    For the first time in history, High School 13 had qualified for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! They had done it! The impossible was made possible! They were going to fight 15 other teams for the title! High School 13 was now officially one of the best esports high schools in Shanghai! ¡°Everyone has a dream, but what if you can make that dreame true?¡± It was something Lin Feng liked to say. One of his main motivators! The what if was now answered by Ren Rou, Ouyang, and the others who¡¯d fought for this opportunity ever since setting up the esports team. They were jumping up and down with joy! Cheering and hugging and professing their undying loyalty to Lin Feng.

    High School 13 had yed their matches. Their next would be in the Round of 16 of the main tournament! They stuck around a little longer to see how their potential opponents yed before deciding to go and have some dinner together. A team celebration. The rest of their research woulde some other time. They went to a barbeque restaurant that served special Belgian beers. It was one of Ouyang¡¯s favourites, if the amount he talked about it was anything to go by.

    After the waitress brought them their beers, in full and big sses, Ouyang turned to Yang Fan. ¡°Do you really think we can win this thing? Even you?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I really think we can.¡± He believed this team could do it. They had the talent and the drive. That golden trophy would be theirs! No one could beat them! They would fight and win! Not for the legacy they¡¯d leave behind at High School 13. Not for the teachers, the students or anyone else but themselves. This was their dream! It was their hard work and never giving up mentality that got them here! And it would lead them to the trophy! Their dream woulde true!

    Ouyangughed. He shook his head and raised his ss. ¡°Then first ce will be ours! Cheers!¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Cheers!¡±

    The yers from High School 13¡¯s esports team lost themselves in their joy for qualifying for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They forgot for a moment they would still have to y in it. All they¡¯d done was pass the qualifiers. This was nothing. A first, tiny step. Tonji Affiliated High was the only strong team they¡¯d faced so far. A team that never took them seriously and was caught off guard more than anything. A second game against them wouldn¡¯t go the same. Then there were other strong teams likest year¡¯s finalists Shanghai International School and Shanghai High School. These teams had the talent to make it far in higher levelpetitions, even at the National level. This was the kind of opposition High School 13, a team that averaged at tinum only a few weeks ago, would have to beat to im the title. It seemed nothing short of impossible.

    ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s good that there¡¯s a challenge!¡± Lin Feng eximed, flushed. He raised his empty ss to the air, another empty one on the table, and said, ¡°How boring would life be if it was easy! Right? Let¡¯s fight!¡±

    However, High School 13 wouldn¡¯t be fighting again that night, or the next day. The main tournament wouldn¡¯t start until a weekter. This gave the teams some time to research their opponents and prepare for the matches. Higher quality League games were what the organizers were looking for! The only deviation from this structure, and they¡¯d only learned of this from hear-say, were the semi finals and finals. Those would be on the same day. But all of this was good news for High School 13. They were the ones furthest behind. They were the ones who had the most room to improve. And most importantly, they were willing to put in the time to improve! There was no rxing. No cking off. No anything but working their asses off and preparing for the next set of games!

    Practice! Practice! Battle! And then practice some more! Through exhaustion! Through setbacks! Through anything and everything thrown their way! They would never give up! They would keep fighting! They would keep improving! And when the main tournament of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament finally began, they¡¯d be ready to show all of Shanghai who the best school was! Battling their way through the rounds and lifting up the trophy! Anything less would be a massive disappointment.

    ?

    The weekend came and went. High School 13¡¯s esports team spent all their free time practicing. Working hard, just to improve enough before the start of the main tournament. After another long day, Lin Feng got home. He took his shoes off and went to wash his hands, peeking his head into the living room to see what was going on. There were two voices. One belonged to Su Xue, but he also recognized the other one. It was Su Xue¡¯s friend who woulde over to mooch for food. Mooch for his food! He¡¯d have to eat twice as fast when she came by!

    Lin Feng walked inside the room and stopped for a moment. His foot hung in mid air. There was something different about Zuo You. Something a little more fiery. He looked her up and down and then stared at her hair. ¡°Oh, wow! It¡¯s even redder than normal!¡±

    Zuo You chuckled and winked at Lin Feng. ¡°I just had it re-dyed. Liking what you see?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s not very different. I mean, it was fine before¡­¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes, annoyed. ¡°Pfft. No point in talking to a kid. Do you even understand why I dye my hair? Let me tell you. I dye it to my mood!¡± She pointed at her hair and added, ¡°This is my mood today!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling really lucky and thinking you¡¯re going to win the lottery?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°No. Idiot. It means I¡¯m pissed off! I¡¯m fuming! I¡¯m raging! I¡¯m fucking angry!¡± Zuo You yelled.

    Lin Feng raised his eyebrows high and nodded, wisely keeping his mouth shut. He knew better than to argue with an angry woman. So he sat down next to Su Xue and put some rice in his bowl while listening to Zuo You vent. It turned out she had every reason to be upset. Life had handed her a couple of bad cards. Back in the day, she used to work for the editing department of arge corporation. She hated it. Detested it. And wanted nothing more than to find another job. Which she had. She got epted to the marketing department of anotherpany and worked her way up until she was the woman in charge! But just when everything looked up, when she was enjoying her work life, upper management came to her. Their editing department wascking in manpower and they couldn¡¯t find qualified recements for the short term. Upper management knew of her past in editing. So they decided to transfer her over. Temporarily. She had no say in the matter.

    ¡°Honestly, you have no idea how terrible an editor¡¯s job is!¡± Zuo You grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s the absolute worst! I wake up and I have to think about it. I want to have lunch, but I can¡¯t. There is work to be done. I want to go to sleep early, but there is a deadline that has to be made. There is no rest. No fun. Nothing except the next project. And I was just having so much fun with the marketing. All I had to do was take a client out for coffee, charm them a little, and everything else would fall into ce. It was fun and rxed. That¡¯s what I want! Not this constant stress!¡±

    Su Xue looked at her friend, worried. ¡°So, what are you going to do about it?¡±

    ¡°Do about it? What can I do about it? Quit another job again? How¡¯s that going to look on my resum¨¦?¡± Zuo You asked. She mmed her chopsticks on the table and then wiped away the tears, that weren¡¯t really tears, from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll work at this shitty editing department. Work behind my stupidputer all day and night and fight with this stupid fucking video editing software that crashes every ten seconds! I¡¯m going to die from stress before I even hit 30!¡±

    Su Xue didn¡¯t eat. She¡¯d ced her chopsticks down and leaned with her elbows on the table, staring at her friend. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. You¡¯ll be fine. This is just temporary. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get transferred back soon. Just a week or so. They just have to find someone for the position. Right? That can¡¯t be that hard! I¡¯m sure everything will be fine!¡±

    Zuo You curled her lips and looked down at her bowl. Her loud voice turned quiet, even sounding a little weak. ¡°Who knows? Maybe they¡¯ll be so impressed with my skills that they make the transfer permanent. I¡¯m just really good at this video editing. But I hate it. I don¡¯t want to do it. Maybe I should start cking off¡­ That might help them send me back to the marketing department.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually a good video editor?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°What do you mean, am I actually good? Of course I¡¯m good! Didn¡¯t you listen? I was a video editor at myst job! They tried everything they could to keep me! I¡¯m that good!¡± Zuo You grinned. Though she didn¡¯t pat herself on the shoulder, it very much felt like she was from the expression on her face to the tone in her voice. She then put up her index fingers and pointed at Su Xue. ¡°Speaking of which. You¡¯re still dead set on that streaming stuff, right? It won¡¯t ever work if all you do is stream a little. You need more. Have you thought about recording some videos and putting those up? You know, a vlog,mentary, reaction videos, those kinds of things?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Xue blurted out, sitting up straight. ¡°Posting videos? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Posting videos is what I mean! Every popr streamer has a video channel! If you want to be like them, you have to get one too! There are people who get really popr just making videos! You don¡¯t even have to stream! All you need is some content and a good video editor. And well, you got me! You can be like that guy Smut Sentinel. He¡¯s been getting crazy popr by making all sorts of funny and sexual jokes while doingmentary. His videos are already averaging in the hundreds of thousands of views!¡± [1]

    Su Xue red at her friend, sitting back in her chair and far away from Zuo You. ¡°What. Are you saying I should copy him? Make some sexual jokes? Wear a sexy maid costume?¡±

    ¡°Is this even a question?¡± Zuo You asked, her voice thick with ridicule. ¡°Of course that is what you should do! Tell me. What is better than a guy making sexual jokes? A hot girl making sexual jokes, obviously! Oh. But I don¡¯t mean you should copy him. All I¡¯m saying is that his thing works. There are plenty of other styles that also work. You just have to find what works best for you. And I¡¯m serious here. This could really help your stream.¡±

    Zuo You grabbed up her chopsticks again and looked at her bowl, which still had some rice in it. Then she looked back up at Su Xue and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to stop streaming. Just make the videos on the side and send them to me. I¡¯ll handle the video editing and special effects. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. If the video tanks, whatever. Lesson learned, right? But if it does well, you¡¯ll get more viewers, more fans. Your stream will be more popr. There are only ups to this n!¡±

    ¡°That does sound good,¡± Su Xue admitted. She turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Lin Feng had just stuffed a big piece of red braised pork into his mouth. He looked up and nodded. ¡°Shounds god rto me.¡±

    Zuo You started smiling. This was her chance. The kid was eating and her friend was interested. She said, ¡°Plus, you won¡¯t have to worry about finding any original source material. You got the kid. He¡¯s pretty damn good at the game. Just have him y and you canmentate on his gamey! It¡¯s a match made in Heaven!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. That feels a little dishonest,¡± Su Xue countered.

    ¡°What dishonest?¡± Zuo You chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°Othermentators do this all the time! They invite a professional yer to make the gamey while they talk. It¡¯s just how these things work. But you got no connections. All you have is Lin Feng. But he should be good too. I saw him y against my friend. He¡¯s good. So that¡¯s good.¡± She turned to Lin Feng and nodded at him. ¡°What do you think? Think you¡¯re good enough to help Su Xue?¡±

    What Zuo You asked of Lin Feng wasn¡¯t as easy as him ying a few matches on the same Champion. Other video content creators invited famous yers in different roles who yed different Champions to get different perspectives. This was impossible for Su Xue right now. She could only rely on Lin Feng and his Champion pool. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem one bit worried about this. He justughed and pumped his fist into the air. ¡°No worries! I got this! My Champion pool is really deep! I can y anything!¡±

    1. The name of the video content creator ¡°¼ø»ÆÊ¦¡± trantes to something like porn viewing master, basically a reference to a specific government censoring position whose sole job is to scour the inte for poronographic content.

 Chapter 123: Old Huangâ€™s Troubles | Views: 4,947

    Video content creation. It was a spontaneous suggestion by Zuo You. A spur in the moment topic that could blow away into forgottennds by the time the subject shifted again. But Su Xue didn¡¯t want to forget it. Video content creation, and then specifically gameymentating, was on the up in China. There were many people doing it with great sess. They would hire a professional or famous yer and record gamey with them, thenmentate and finally prepare the video for release. This was another avenue for streamers to get their name out there and be popr enough, so that they could make a living by ying the video game they loved to y!

    The main gripe as a streamer was that you could only attract viewers while you were online. It was the content that was created in the moment that got everyone together. If the streamer was lucky, they could get a feature on the main page of their streaming website and more people woulde and watch. Then there was word of mouth advertising and short clips on social media. But beyond that, there weren''t a whole lot of ways to find new viewers, because the only way they¡¯de and stay was if you were online and they liked what they were seeing.

    It waspletely different on a video hosting website like yMoreLoL. There was no need to be online at specific times. People coulde and watch a video whenever they felt like it. On top of that, yMoreLoL was at least as popr as the big streaming sites like HuyaTV. Content creators could reach an entirely different set of people who might enjoy their work! And who knew, maybe some of those new fans woulde and watch the stream, or vice versa. The traction created through this would only make the content creators more popr. It was a win-win situation for them.

    Su Xue enjoyed browsing yMoreLoL. She used to do it all the time, before she started streaming. Though not so much anymore. She was struggling to find any free time. And what time she did find was spent preparing dinner for Lin Feng. Just getting in a good night¡¯s rest sometimes felt impossible. But she knew yMoreLoL. She knew how videos could easily gain traction and reach hundreds of thousands if not millions of views. Not to mention the muchrger number of featured slots on the frontpage. It also helped that Su Xue was already a streamer. She could have her fans watch the videos, like them and leave ament. There was no way this n could fail.

    All of this information swirled through Su Xue¡¯s head even long after Zuo You had left. She¡¯d done the dishes, absentmindedly, and sat back down at the dining table. Just staring in front of her. Maybe. Maybe I really could? The more she thought about it, the harder it became to see the negatives. Her mind focusedpletely on everything that coulde from it. There were no negatives! Not that she could think of at least! It would be a sess! There was nothing stopping her from bing famous except herself! She looked into the hallway at the door to Lin Feng¡¯s room and shouted, ¡°Lin Feng!¡±

    A few secondster, the door opened and a head popped out. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Su Xue beckoned him over with her hand. ¡°Come! Come here! I want to talk with you about something.¡±

    ¡°Ok?¡± Lin Feng mumbled as he pushed open the doorpletely and walked over towards Su Xue. He sat down across from her and asked, ¡°What is this all about? Is everything ok?¡±

    Su Xue sped her hands and looked at him. There was no smile in her expression. No joy. No anger. Just utter concentration. ¡°What do you think of Zuo You¡¯s idea? You know, the thing about me making videos.¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his messy hair. ¡°Oh, sounded like a good idea. Probably going to be really exhausting though. Aren¡¯t you alreadyining all the time about how little time you have? It¡¯s only going to get worse. You¡¯re basically going to need twice the time!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Su Xue replied. She breathed out, letting all tension escape her body. ¡°I¡¯m new to the scene. If I want to make a name for myself, I can¡¯t chill. I can¡¯t sit back and expect everything to be handed to me. It¡¯s going to take hard work. I¡¯m willing to put in that hard work. I¡¯ll make this a sess.¡± She then turned to Lin Feng and looked him in the eyes. ¡°But this n from Zuo You. I can¡¯t do it alone. If I¡¯m going to do this, I¡¯ll be needing your help. For the first bit at least.¡±

    Though Su Xue had never donementary videos before, she¡¯d watched plenty of them to know what was important. A good video had two strong elements. Thementary and the gamey. Both had to be of high quality. Commentary was something she would have to work on. All she had to do was put in the time and effort to research how others did it and then create her own style. It was a lot of work, but it was doable. However, quality gamey was something a lot more difficult. She couldn¡¯t just start ying like a professional yer. She wasn¡¯t that good at the game.

    Quality gamey was just as important as a goodmentator. The Chinese people watching videos on yMoreLol were particrly picky about this. If someone new tried to break into the scene, the viewers would put this new video content creator under a loop. All it took was one mistake. One bad y. One badment on a good y. And it was all over. Their hopes of bing a video content creator would be ruined. Even Diamond yers weren¡¯t immune to this. Only the best yers could create the gamey the Chinese fans felt was worth watching. Anything else and they would take to thement section and write out their displeasure.

    ¡¸I¡¯d be embarrassed even uploading this garbage. What a waste of bandwidth.¡¹

    ¡¸Gold gamey? Lmao. get out of here fucktard¡¹

    ¡¸lol, no point in watching this. Not even a quadra or penta¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸pls learn to y before posting this shit¡­.. scratch that. just dont post and delete your ¡¹

    ¡¸if your mom saw this shed off herself¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ve seen two year olds with more personality than whoever this idiot is.¡¹

    Su Xue had read through these kinds ofments many times before. She knew how ruthless people could be on the inte. Even her stream saw it from time to time. But this example also showed why she needed help with procuring gamey. Diamond yers weren¡¯t good enough. She was tinum. It was absolutely hopeless if she tried to make some videos herself. Her only hope was that Lin Feng would be willing to step in and help her get quality gamey.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to think twice at her suggestion. ¡°Sure! Of course I¡¯ll help you!¡±

    Su Xue smiled. She¡¯d spent thest half an hour worrying how she was going to get her hands on quality gamey if Lin Feng said no, and hadn¡¯te up with any solution. There really was only Lin Feng she could rely on for this. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. Then she added before he could say anything, ¡°I won¡¯t let you do this for free, of course! You¡¯ve already helped me out so much! I can¡¯t keep taking advantage of you! How about this, if this ends up making money, we¡¯ll split the profits 50-50?¡±

    Su Xue and Lin Feng lived together. They shared everything together and were quicklying to see each other as family. But just because they were so close, that didn¡¯t mean Su Xue felt good with Lin Feng helping her for free. She was making money for the time he spent streaming! As long as it wasn¡¯t more than a little here and a little there, she didn¡¯t feel too bad. She¡¯d just prepare him a little extra for dinner to thank him. But if it became something more permanent, a deal where he would actively have to make time free in his schedule to record with her, then it became something different. She would have to pay him for his time with money, or she wouldn¡¯t feel good about it.

    Lin Feng waved his hands. ¡°No need. Let¡¯s talk about money when you¡¯re actually sessful. You just go and find out how we can record the gamey. It doesn¡¯t really change much for me anyway. I¡¯ve been meaning to get my own ount and y some solo queue anyway!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng looked at hisptop. He¡¯d spent thest few hours finishing up his homework. But his mind was never really on it. Not after the SSK versus Dust game the other day. That game had helped him realize how far behind Rake he was. How much work he had to put in to reach those heights again. He would find his old form again and then only get better! His games with Su Xue or High School 13¡¯s esports team were only child¡¯s y inparison. They were good fun but wouldn¡¯t really help him. If he wanted to achieve his goals, his first step would be to make an ount and fight his way up the rankeddder in solo queue.

    The Koreans were the best yers in the world right now. By that logic, their solo queue should also have the strongest yers. It was the best ce to get better. So Lin Feng chose to y on their server. He downloaded a VPN so that he could connect to it and bought a Gold-rank ount that had finished its cement matches. Then he opened up the Korean League client and entered his new login information. The client loaded in. He took a deep breath. A smile spread on his face. Let¡¯s do this!

    Lin Feng had felt prettyfortable about his chances of getting back to the top of the League of Legends scene, until that SSK versus Dust game. That one game had shook him awake. He realized how wrong his thinking had been. A four year hiatus wasn¡¯t just him being away for four years, but also everyone else bing better for four years. Rake was the number one yer in the world. But the Rake of Season 5 was iparably more dominant than the Rake from Season 1. They were like two different yers. If Lin Feng wanted to have any chance against Rake, just ying a few games here and there wouldn¡¯t do. He needed to take this seriously. He had to put his all into this. And he would have to work every waking moment on improving if he wanted even the tiniest chance of catching back up again.

    Lin Feng breathed in through his nose and then let it all out. It was time to finally do this. He amped himself by moving around in his chair and then said, ¡°I need to get better! That¡¯s the only way!¡±

    ?

    In a small town in the Northeast of China was an almost abandoned apartment building. That was how it looked, at least. No one could be reasonably expected to live here. But voices could be heard and lights were on. In one of the apartments, in a dirty room with dishes piled up in a corner and a thickyer of dust, a man in shorts and a tank top sat on the floor in front of hisputer. He had the QQ messenger app open and was talking with someone.

    Smut Sentinel:¡¸Are you ready?¡¹

    Cup Noodles:¡¸Okay, ready.¡¹

    Smut Sentinel:¡¸Good. Get on voice.¡¹

    Smut Sentinel, or Old Huang as he was called in the outside world, lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs. Then he blew out rings of smoke, smiling brightly. His n was a sess. He¡¯d found someone who could help him bring his videos to the next level!

    Old Huang was still new to the whole video content creation scene, but he was already doing phenomenal for himself. His choice of name inbination with his skillfulmentating style that heavily leaned on his sexual humour got his videos to average 250,000 views. This was a very impressive number for a neer. However, his viewers were never satisfied. They always wanted, even demanded, more from him. It was to the point where his channel was stagnating.

    Thements sections below his most recent videos allined about the same thing. Gamey. The quality of the gamey didn¡¯t live up to the quality of hismentary. But his own rank was only Diamond 5, so he couldn¡¯t use that. As for his friend who was helping him, he was high Diamond. That still wasn¡¯t enough. So Old Huang had reached out to a Master yer on the Ionia server and asked them to help him get some source material. To make it even more interesting, for this next video specifically, this mystery Master would y on the famous Korean server!

 Chapter 124: A Nostalgic Name | Views: 5,448

    VICTORY

    ¡°Ha! Great game! I yed that perfectly!¡± Lin Feng leaned back in his chair andughed. Another win. The third in a row. Each next one more dominating than thest. He didn¡¯t care what his teammates did. They could feed to their heart¡¯s content for all he cared! He¡¯d carry them and win the game anyway! Though it had to be said these games were only in Gold ELO. The opponents weren¡¯t his match on their best day and his worst. It gave him the chance to ease back into it and start finding his form again. He yed in midne and picked Champions like Lulu, Twisted Fate, and Viktor who were strong in the current meta.

    This was the first time in four years that Lin Feng yed on his own ount. He felt the added pressure. These games were on his name. He couldn¡¯t hide behind different Summoner names anymore. Every move was truly his now. But that didn¡¯t bother him in the game. Not really. He yed like he always did,fortable and confident. He overwhelmed hisne opponents and forced them to hide behind their towers. It was all they could do, or they¡¯d feed him and make it even worse for themselves. However, hiding behind their towers was not the answer either. Lin Feng would simply go somewhere else. There were threenes and a big jungle. There were five yers on each team. He could go after whoever he liked. So he pushed out hisne and started roaming around the map, showing up just at the right moment wherever he went. This was something called Awareness. To know when and where to be and exert the greatest impact on a game. It was one of, if not the greatest divider between professional yers and people climbing the rankeddder.

    Awareness was far more important than game mechanics. There were plenty of very strong mechanical yers in Master and Challenger. They were a dime a dozen. Some random yers were even better than professional yers in this regard. But their mechanics had no purpose if they didn¡¯t know when and where to apply it. The awareness to follow up. The awareness to navigate a chaotic teamfight. The awareness to y the whole map to their advantage. This was the skill of a professional yer.

    There was an element of talent to awareness. But most was borne from hard work. That was what Lin Feng was focusing on right now, and also the reason he chose to y on the Korean server rather than on the Ionia server. The best way to hone awareness was through teamy, something that was simply far more prevalent on the Korean server. Even in lower ranked games in Gold, yers were actively looking to work together to win the game. His n was simple. He¡¯d climb his way up thedder, each rank bing a little more difficult to win, to work on his awareness. Then, by the time he reached the top of Challenger, he might even get the chance to test his progress against <em>that guy</em>. Against the Sovereign.

    From as early as Season 1, Rake was considered the best professional League of Legends yer. He was the Miner for SSK and Lin Feng¡¯s ultimate target. But Rake didn¡¯t just stand at the top of the professional scene, he also stood at the top of the Korean rankeddder. In fact, he had three ounts up there. One was in first ce, one in fourth and thest in tenth. He had to y consistently to keep these ranks, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Lin Feng to run into him down the line. Lin Feng would face Rake again. The same guy who had beaten him four years ago and had led to him quitting the game. But the past was the past. Lin Feng didn¡¯t think about that anymore. He looked up ahead. At the challenge in front of him. A dream that seemed almost impossible. But it was exactly this apparent impossibility that motivated him to fight!

    Lin Feng pursed his lips together and blew out the air from his mouth. He looked at the end game lobby screen. Gold 2, 85 LP. He¡¯d gained 34 LP for thisst win. One more and he would be in his promo series for Gold 1. Another step towards his goal. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and then back out again. Then he started smiling and set up straight again. He ced his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯ll climb up to Challenger and beat you!¡±

    ?

    Dirty clothes were strewn across the floor. Old Huang sat on a sweater in front of hisputer. He had his League client open on the Korean server. His recording software was properly set up and he¡¯d just tried a test run. Everything was good to go. He was on voice chat with Cup Noodles, the Master yer he¡¯d invited to help him make a video. ¡°Yo, Cup, you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yup yup! All good to go on my end!¡± Cup Noodles replied.

    ¡°Awesome! Let¡¯s make something great today. Give your best, ya hear?¡± Old Huang scrolled through thements on his most recent video. Thements were all pointing in the same direction. His fans knew what they wanted. He knew what he had to create. ¡°I want to see a Quadra or Penta! Nothing short of that! My viewers have been bitching about howme my videos are. They wanna see something cool. You better show me something amazing! We gotta blow them outta the water! I wanna shut them up and get them off my ass!¡±

    Cup Noodles queued up for a ranked game and chuckled. ¡°Chill, man. I¡¯m a Master. Did you forget? Ha. And you¡¯re having me y in Gold. This is going to be too easy. Just watch. I¡¯ll make the ys happen.¡± He was an ad-carry main. And a very good one at that. He¡¯d hit Master on the Ionia server relying only on his own skills. Not to mention that it was generally a lot harder for Boners to climb up thedder because of how much they had to rely on their fellow Boner. He was one of the best in his role.

    Many yers were stuck in Gold. The queue never took long to pop. Before he knew it, Cup Noodles entered Champion Select and called his role. No one argued. They let him have it. So he picked his ad-carry and didn¡¯t pay much attention to the rest of Champion Select. It didn¡¯t really matter to him. This was just a Gold game. Until they went into the loading screen. That was when he noticed the name of a yer on the other team. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s funny. Look. That guy on the other team, he¡¯s also Chinese!¡±

    ¡°What? Howdya know?¡± Old Huang asked, confused. He was making sure his recording software was working properly. That it was recording at the correct resolution. So he wasn¡¯t paying attention to the game yet.

    ¡°Dude. How do I know? Look at his name¡­ CN?Maple. It can¡¯t get any more obvious than that,¡± Cup Noodles replied. He looked at the loading screen, at that specific summoner name, and sighed. ¡°That name brings back memories. We had a pro back in Season 1 with that name. Maybe this one is a fan or something?¡±

    Old Huang shrugged and focused back on his recording software. ¡°Eh, never heard of him. Season 1 was too long ago. Those guys all retired pretty much. And like, why care about some random pro?¡± He started ying League of Legends in Season 3 and back then hadn¡¯t bothered with the professional scene. Even the famous yers from Season 4 were fuzzy in his mind. He only really knew what was going on since recently, because it could help him with his videos. But beyond that, he simply didn¡¯t care about it.

    Cup Noodles shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, man. He was China¡¯s number one Mid! Everyone looked up to him. I only started ying at the end of the first season and even I became a huge fan. It¡¯s a damn shame everybody forgot about him.¡±

    Old Huang chuckled, uncaring. ¡°Alright, I get it. I get it. You¡¯re a hipster. You yed League before it was cool. Quit ya braggin¡¯. We¡¯ve got a video to shoot here! Focus on getting me some content! I want that Quadra or Penta!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng sat in Champion Select and moved his mouse over several different Champions. Whenever he yed with Su Xue or his friends from school, he¡¯d choose whichever Champion he felt like ying. They were mostly assassins, because they suited the style he enjoyed to y the most. His godly Lenc was just one example. Or his Fizz in that duel against Zuo You¡¯s friend. But these games today were not for fun. He was ying on the Korean server and on his own ount to get better. To find his form back. So he yed all kinds of different Champions. In this game, he chose to y one of the most reliable midne Champions out there. Orianna.

    Blue Team versus Red TeamIrelia versus GnarSejuani versus Rek¡¯SaiOrianna versus AhriJinx versus TristanaThresh versus Nami

    Lin Feng looked at the portraits on the loading screen while waiting for the game to start. He noticed that the Tristana¡¯s Summoner Name was Paomian. It read like pinyin. ¡°Another Chinese yer?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Then he shook his head and pped his cheeks. ¡°Ah, whatever. Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll just win and go on to the next game!¡±

    Lin Feng followed behind his minions towards midne. Hisne opponent was Ahri. A sexy fox spirit who held an advantage over his Orianna in the early game. This was in arge part due to Orb of Deception and Charm. The first skill allowed Ahri to send out her orb in a straight line in front of her and then pull it back, dealing magic damage on the way out and true damage on the way back. Charm was a little more devious. Ahri could blow a kiss and if it hit an enemy, they would fall under her charm, stopping their movement abilities and causing them to walk harmlessly towards her. Charmed Champions even took increased damage from Orb of Deception!

    However, Ahri¡¯s main abilities were skillshots. She had to hit them for them to deal any damage. So all Lin Feng had to do was dodge them and attack her with Orianna¡¯s Ball and auto attacks. And that was what he did. The Ahri was only Gold, and yed more than a little predictable. He sidestepped her attacks before she even used them and counterattacked when her skills were on cooldown. The game wasn¡¯t even 4 minutes in, when he had her down to half health. She was hiding behind her outer tower and wasn¡¯t getting anyst hits on the minions.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Lin Feng sat up in his chair, surprised. First blood wasn¡¯t his. He looked around the map and found where it¡¯d happened. Botne. The Nami and Tristana stood over the dead corpse of the Jinx. His best guess was that the Jinx got caught in the Nami¡¯s bubble and was killed. He nodded, his brows raised, and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    ?

    Cup Noodles grinned. He¡¯d just picked up a kill on the Jinx with his Tristana. It was an aggressive y, but he knew his limits. He¡¯d yed it perfectly. ¡°Ha! See? I told you Gold was easy!¡±

    ¡°Never doubted you for a sec. That y was pretty nice. You just keep doing your best. Don''t forget to give me a Quadra or Penta!¡± Old Huangughed. These first few minutes of gamey looked promising.

    ¡°Just leave it to me! I¡¯ll solo carry. Just watch!¡± Cup Noodles said. He then hit the TAB key and looked at the scoreboard. It looked a little different than he was hoping to see. ¡°What in the world¡­ Look at that! How is that Ori so far ahead of the Ahri in CS?¡±

    Old Huang was spectating the game from Red team¡¯s point of view. He moved to the midne and found the Ahri hiding behind her tower, desperate to get somest hits on the minions. ¡°Oh, looks like she¡¯s going to have to back. She¡¯ll just die if¨C¡±

    Old Huang didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence. The Ahri walked forward instead of retreating, eager for thatst hit. She threw out her Orb of Deception to try and get some gold. That was the cue for the Orianna. She shed forward. Thenmanded her Ball to Attack and then Dissonance! A pulse of energy spread out and struck the Ahri. She followed up by throwing a Fidget Spinner.

    The Ahri was immobilized during her cast animation. She couldn¡¯t do anything for a brief moment. Then she shed away. Her health was low, but she wanted to make it out. She still had at least 10 health remaining. I¡¯m out! But she wasn¡¯t. As she shed away, the Orianna had thrown onest Fidget Spinner. It flew through the air, following her through the sh, and struck her.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng smiled and gave himself a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Mhm! Good job, me! Well done! yed that perfectly!¡±

 Chapter 125: Keep Coming Mid | Views: 5,839

    ¡°What? A solo kill?¡± Cup Noodles yelped into his microphone. ¡°What the hell is that Ahri doing? Wasn¡¯t she low health? Why did she not back?¡±

    ¡°No, wasn¡¯t like that,¡± Old Huang replied. He looked at his screen, blowing out arge breath of smoke, and shook his head. ¡°That Orianna yed that good. She shed in the very exact moment that Ahri threw out her orb. There was nothing she could do.¡±

    ¡°Damn really??¡± Cup Noodlesughed. This is only Gold, what did I expect¡­ He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Whatever. Just a typical solo kill in Gold. When that Ahri hits Level 6, she¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll dive and I¡¯ll get my time auto attacking while they all jump on her. First blood was mine. I¡¯ll carry this game. Easy.¡±

    Cup Noodles had a point. Tristana was ate game hyper carry. A maximum level, full item build Tristana was almost unstoppable! The more kills she got in the early game, the faster she reached that point. That superte game didn¡¯t alwayse to pass, though. But that didn¡¯t really matter either. Starting from two items, a third on her way topleting her build, she would suddenly receive a big power spike!

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Old Huang stared at his screen, nodding. Everything Cup Noodles said sounded logical, but it still didn¡¯t feel quite right. So he warned, ¡°Just be careful. You can have a little more fun at bot, but then go take care of mid! Late game Orianna can get really strong. I don¡¯t wanna see that. The viewers would hate it. You gotta carry this one. Carry it hard!¡±

    ¡°Chill! Chill, man!¡± Cup Noodles said. Then he chuckled and added, ¡°You just said that Ori used her sh, right? Here. Let me show you what we do with a shless Ori!¡±

    ?

    At 5 minutes, Lin Feng returned to base and spent his gold. The items he bought gave him the edge over the Ahri. When he returned tone, he started pressuring the Ahri even harder than before. She wasn¡¯t allowed to do anything but sit behind her tower and try to stay in range for the experience. Lin Feng continued to widen the gap, urately getting everyst hit on the minions while keeping her from even getting one. It was painful to watch.

    Lin Feng was pushing into the outer tower in midne, when he spotted the Tristana walking up the river into hisne. She Rocket Jumped on top of him and ced a bomb on his head¨CExplosive Charge! Then she Rapid Fired at him with her auto attacks, dealing physical damage and charging up the bomb! His Orianna¡¯s health fell. The bomb would explode in a few more seconds too. He pushed down on his E and then his W. Orianna¡¯s Ball retreated to her side and protected her with a shield before it sent out a pulse of energy. This pulse boosted her movement speed and she sped away.

    The Tristana kept firing at the Orianna all the way until the Orianna reached Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Then she had to give up. Her damage in the early game just wasn¡¯t enough. It¡¯d take a little more scaling before she could burst down her targets. But she did leave the Orianna with almost no health.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin and grinned. ¡°Hehe, that Tristana looks a little interesting. This might be fun!¡±

    The Tristana¡¯s gank wasn¡¯t a gank in its truest form. Unlike most Junglers, Tristana didn¡¯t have any crowd control. All she could do was fire off her cannon and harass, in this case, the Miner. There was never a real threat to the Orianna. It was just a little trick to help the Ahri in herne and force the Orianna to give up on some of the pressure she was exerting.

    ?

    Cup Noodles had his Tristana walk back to botne whileughing into his microphone. ¡°Haha! Did you see that? Did you see her run away? Haha! Man, I totally pissed her off! She¡¯s probably tilting off the edge of the world right now! Haha! Did you see that? Haha!¡±

    Old Huang blew out some smoke, smiling. ¡°Not bad, not bad. That was some quick thinking. Great move! It really worked great! This should make the game even easier! Now let¡¯s get that Quadra or Penta!¡±

    Cup Noodles had yed this little gank in midne to perfection, as could be expected from a Master yer. He first pushed out his wave in botne, making sure that there was nothing he was losing from his roam, before going up to midne. Then he attacked the Orianna, forcing her to give up on a minion wave and retreat. He got the Orianna¡¯s health down, made her lose CS, and gave the Ahri some breathing room to finally get some CS. This little gank couldn¡¯t have gone any better for Cup Noodles!

    ¡°That¡¯s how you reach Master as ad-carry. Takes some real awareness,¡± Cup Noodles said into his microphone. He startedughing, proud of his little y. Then he decided he should exin it to Old Huang in a little more detail. Old Huang wasn¡¯t a Master, after all. ¡°If you can¡¯t push for any direct advantages in botne, you want to look around the map and see if you can put pressure somewhere else. Like here, I saw Ori pushing in mid. It was the obvious choice. You help your Miner, and that helps youter into the game. Now I tilted that Ori and this¡¯ll be an easy win.¡±

    Cup Noodles got back to botne and almost instantly started pressuring the Jinx again. Thisne was too easy for him. He looked back up to midne. His Ahri was really far behind. He rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Ahri can use a little more help. Plus, it¡¯ll be so much fun to tilt that Ori even harder! I¡¯ll go for another gank in a few! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°Alright, sounds good.¡± Old Huang checked the footage from thest gank in mid and saw some openings for hismentary. ¡°Make it good. I can talk a story around it. This should be good! Let¡¯s do it and get a useful game!¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    Cup Noodles panned his camera to midne. It hadn¡¯t even been a minute! The game clock read 6:30 minutes. And there was already another kill! ¡°What the¡­ How did she die again? Is she feeding? Trolling? What is going on?¡±

    The Ahri wasn¡¯t feeding. Or trolling. She was a Gold yer ying against a Challenger. ying against one of the best yers in the world. Lin Feng had baited her, showing an opening that really wasn¡¯t there. The Ahri had just reached Level 6 and learned her ultimate¨CSpirit Rush! She dashed forward and fired an essence bolt at the Orianna. Then she dashed again and attacked the Orianna with three Fox-Fires! That was when the real threat revealed herself. Sejuani. Blue team¡¯s Jungler. She charged at the Ahri and knocked her Airborne with her Arctic Assault.

    Fidget Spinners flew at the Ahri. The Orianna¡¯s Ball was on top of her, also dealing damage. She wanted to get away. sh or the third dash of her ultimate. Either could work! But neither would. She was Airborne and couldn¡¯t do anything. Then, as she hit the ground again and used her ultimate again, a shockwave spread out around her. It damaged her and dragged her back towards Orianna¡¯s Ball. Her health was almost zero. She was dead.

    Behind hisputer, Lin Feng shook his head, smiling. ¡°So naive. She really needs to be a little more careful next time. Hehe.¡±

    If the Ahri yer knew what was happening, how she was being yed by a Challenger on the Ionia server, she¡¯d understand her frustration and anger. This was unfair! Absolutely unfair! There was nothing she could do about this. She couldn¡¯t win this game. She just wasn¡¯t good enough to face a Challenger. She was Gold! Dirty! This was a dirty y! Nothing more!

    ?

    Cup Noodles started to feel a little worried. That Orianna now had two kills. His ownne opponents, the Jinx and Thresh, were ying absurdly defensive on top of that. He could get all the CS he wanted, but it was impossible to get anything more out of thisne. The Orianna would scale faster. Would deal more damage. Might even carry the game. ¡°This is shit. We need to shut down mid asap!¡±

    Mindlessly farming minions in botne, unobstructed by Blue teams Boners, Cup Noodles panned his camera to midne again. He had to do something, or risk losing control over the game. ¡°I¡¯ll make another roam mid in a bit. Just have to wait for Ahri¡¯s ult toe off cooldown. If we y that right, worst case scenario we force Ori to blow her Summoner Spells. Best case, we get a kill and a tower. That should shut that Ori down. Ahri should finally be able to get back into it then.¡±

    At 8 minutes into the game, Cup Noodles had pushed out the minion wave in botne. He roamed up the river, looking to gank midne again. The Orianna was standing close to the bottom side river brush, farming minions in the middle of thene. Cup Noodles chuckled. ¡°Perfect. You¡¯re dead! Hehe!¡± He walked through the river brush and then ced an Explosive Charge on the Orianna¡¯s head before Rapid Firing away, dealing physical damage and charging up the bomb!

    Cup Noodles grinned, happy with his little n. This is going to be easy. Doesn¡¯t even matter that I¡¯m not Level 6 yet. There¡¯s nothing that Ori can do to me anyway. Even if everything goes wrong, I still got my Rocket Jump. I¡¯ll just fly away! Haha! And there¡¯s also the Ahri. She¡¯s a little behind, but should still deal enough damage to be of some he¡ª

    The Orianna¡¯s Ball flew straight towards Cup Noodles¡¯ Tristana and hit, dealing magic damage. Then a pulse of energy spread out¨CCommand: Dissonance! ¡°Shit!¡± Cup Noodles eximed. The Ahri was right there! He expected that the Orianna would run away in this 2vs1. It didn¡¯t make any sense for her to stick around! But the Orianna didn¡¯t flee. She was going hard on him instead! His Tristana¡¯s health was getting low and the Ahri hadn¡¯t even started helping yet. He flicked his mouse and pressed down on his W key¨CRocket Jump! His Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired,unching herself into the air.

    Lin Feng smiled and muttered, ¡°Keeping mid. Heh. Keeping mid¡­¡± He pressed down on his R key. This was Orianna¡¯s ultimate skill Command: Shockwave! A skill that sent out arge shockwave around Orianna¡¯s Ball and pulled in all Champions caught within its range. It didn¡¯t matter if they were in the middle of an animation or not. The Tristana was pulled out of her Rocket Jump to safety and suddenly found herself in a peculiar position.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

 Chapter 126: Revenge

    Cup Noodles¡¯ Tristana was only Level 5. She had pushed the minion wave in botne, which had cost her a fair bit of health, beforeing mid. And now the Level 7 Orianna attacked her with several skills. Each dealing substantial damage. Her health was dipping low, only a few more hits from death. This was something the Ahri wouldn¡¯t let happen. She dashed toward her ad-carry to support her, firing off an essence bolt at Orianna¨CSpirit Rush! The Tristana wasn¡¯t on the same page. She just wanted to get away, but her sh was on cooldown. So she started running. Running into the Sejuani.

    The Sejuani appeared from the bottom side river brush. She Arctic Assaulted into the Tristana, knocking her Airborne, and then threw a cial Prison! A b flew at the Tristana, and the Ahri next to her, freezing the Tristana and slowing the Ahri. The Tristana couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t do anything for the next 1s. The Orianna moved toward the Tristana andmanded her Ball to attack while throwing out an auto attack.

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Cup Noodles stared at his screen. It was grey. His Tristana was dead. He¡¯d died in a Gold game. A Master on the Ionia server had just been killed by some random Gold yer on the Korea server. He didn¡¯t know what to say or do, so he just sat there, staring at his screen.

    Old Huang was also silent. He watched the fight happen on his recording software and hit rey. Then he watched it again, and one more time. ¡°U-uhm¡­¡± He was searching for the words, but they sounded wrong. They sounded impossible. He still asked the question, ¡°D-did you just get outyed?¡±

    ¡°N-no, I-i, t-this¡­¡± Cup Noodles stuttered.

    Cup Noodles knew it and Old Huang knew it. The Orianna had outyed Cup Noodles. For some reason, this Gold rank yer knew how much damage she had and that she had enough to kill the Tristana. But that could also be exined as an overly confident y. Those happened all the time in Gold. The real surprise was pulling the Tristana out of her Rocket Jump. The Orianna used her ultimate in the exact moment that it would shock the Tristana out of her escape. That took actual skill, or more luck than most people found in a lifetime of ying video games.

    ¡°... was luck, right? I-it has to be!¡±

    Old Huang blew out some smoke rings, then shook his head and shrugged. ¡°Who cares what that was? That Orianna got the fancy y, not you. I need you to do that. Those are the ys I need. Just do what that Orianna is doing!¡±

    Cup Noodles chuckled, though he didn¡¯t sound happy. It was more of a worried confusion. He mmed his hand down on his desk and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Really! It¡¯s all fine. That was just a small slip up. Nothing to get worried about. I won¡¯t do it again. Don¡¯t worry. I got this!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I believe you. Just stop messing around,¡± Old Huang sighed. He then nced at midne. At the Orianna. She was 3/0/0 and had almost double Ahri¡¯s creep score.

    ?

    Cup Noodles had had his fun. It was time to get serious. He had to if he wanted to win this game. Fortunately, he was still a Master on the Ionia server. As much as this game wasn¡¯t going his way right now, he was a really good yer. When he returned to botne, he did what he did best, carrying. He pushed thene towards the Blue team¡¯s outer tower and kept poking the Jinx. Then, at 10 minutes, his Nami support threw a bubble that connected with the Jinx¨CAqua Prison! The Jinx floated in the air, unable to do anything. Cup Noodles had his Tristana jump in and kill the Jinx. He didn¡¯t even care for the tower aggro, because of Tristana¡¯s Rocket Jump. This skill reset on a kill. So after bursting the Jinx down, he jumped back out andughed into his microphone, ¡°Haha! Pretty slick, eh? What do you think? That¡¯s what you want, right?¡±

    ¡°Slick my ass! Hurry the fuck up! That Orianna ising for you!¡± Old Huang shouted back over voice chat. He could already see what was going to happen. It was all too obvious.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Cup Noodles muttered. He looked at his minimap, where he found Orianna almost arriving at botne. ¡°EH? How did she get here so fast!¡±

    Cup Noodles ran towards his own outer tower. But Blue team¡¯s Thresh wasn¡¯t about to let this happen. The Thresh yed the Tristana back and then threw antern to the river entrance. A shield wrapped around the Orianna as she was pulled to the Thresh¡¯s side. Then shemanded her Ball to Attack and then Dissonance! The Ball shot towards the Tristana and then released a pulse of energy.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Cup Noodles¡¯ screen turned grey again. The announcer¡¯s voice rang out in his ears. He stared in shock. The window on his screen showed him where most of the damage came from. Energy shots from the outer tower. He¡¯d gone too far. His outy had turned into a misy real quick. Then he looked back at botne. The Nami was still alive. Well. She was. The Thresh and Orianna were chasing her down and had enough damage and crowd control between them. There was nothing the Nami could do.

    ¡¶Enemy double kill!¡·

    There was silence on the voice chat. Old Huang looked at the Orianna¡¯s score. 5/0/0. And then at the 2/2/0 on Tristana. ¡°Dammit! Who the hell¡¯s gamey am I recording? Yours or that Orianna¡¯s? She looks like the Master! You look like the Gold yer here!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng was finding a steady groove this game. Push out midne, maybe pick up a kill, and then go to the Wraith Camp in the jungle for some extra gold and experience. Then it was back to midne and pushing the minion wave out again. And when the opportunity presented itself, he¡¯d roam down to botne. He had a specific purpose for these little trips down botne. They weren¡¯t something obvious like gold or kills. He already had both this game, more than he could ask for even. The real reason he terrorized Red team¡¯s Boners was that Tristana. The ad-carry who¡¯d roamed up the river to gank him twice. He had to enact revenge on her!

    At 13 minutes, Lin Feng roamed botne for the second time in the game. His presence alone made the Tristana sh away and then Rocket Jump for good measure. The Nami didn¡¯t have these tools at her disposal. She tried to dodge the Thresh hook but failed. Orianna¡¯s Ball was attached to the Thresh as he pulled himself towards the Nami¨CDeath Sentence! And that was all she wrote. The Orianna¡¯s damage was too damn high. It was a quick and easy kill.

    At 16 minutes, the Sejuani went for a gank in botne. Lin Feng panned his camera over and watched what happened. The Sejuani missed her ultimate, with the ice storm merely slowing the Tristana and Nami down. They had enough of a headstart to safety. With only a sliver of health, they arrived at their outer tower. But the Sejuani had a lot of health and they had almost none. The Sejuani could towerdive. So they kept running all the way back towards their inner tower.

    Lin Feng recognized the opening. He was already walking through the Red team¡¯s bottom jungle to cut off the Tristana and Nami¡¯s path of retreat. There was an entrance to the jungle halfway between the outer and inner tower. The Tristana and Nami walked past just as Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna arrived there. Shemanded her Ball, the damage from this first attack enough to pick up another double kill!

    ¡¶Godlike!¡·

    Lin Feng smiled and muttered, ¡°Keeping mid. Heh. Keeping mid¡­¡± He sounded borderline insane as he had his Orianna walk back towards midne, leaving behind the two bodies of histest conquest.

    ?

    Lin Feng looked down at botne. ¡°Oh, another opening. This should be fun!¡± He¡¯d just pushed the minion wave into Red team¡¯s outer tower. The Ahri wasn¡¯t there. She probably backed, or something. So he had his Orianna move down to botne. Through the river brush right below midne, and then a second brush. And then, from out the jungle they came. Ahri and Rek¡¯Sai! They¡¯d been waiting for him! It was an ambush!

    Ahri used the first two dashes of her ultimate skill to close the distance, while Rek¡¯Sai burrowed a tunnel to arrive right underneath Lin Feng. Then she Unburrowed. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t that easy to kill. His fingers glided over his keyboard. He knew precisely what to do. A quick sidestep from the Ahri¡¯s Charm that was already flying his way, and then a sh to dodge the knock up from the Rek¡¯Sai. All the while, hemanded Orianna¡¯s Ball to stay put right on top of the Rek¡¯Sai and Ahri.

    ¡°Command: Shockwave!¡± Lin Feng eximed as he pressed down on his R key. An electromaic pulse ripped out from Orianna¡¯s Ball and dragged Ahri and Rek¡¯Sai back towards it. Then he pressed down on the W key¨CCommand: Dissonance. A pulse of energy erupted from the Ball.

    The Ahri and Rek¡¯Sai turned around to escape. Their health bars were almost empty and they didn¡¯t want to give any more kills to the Orianna. They ran into their jungle, towards a ward from the Blue team. This ward lit up. The Irelia was teleporting in! Behind them was a fed Orianna. In front of them was an Irelia who was more than strong enough to finish them off. There was no left or right way to escape to. They put up ast struggle before both dying. One kill went to the Irelia, the other to Orianna.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    Lin Feng pressed the TAB key. It showed his kills, deaths and assists. 8/0/2. The game announcer was right. He was Legendary! ¡°Oh, wow!¡± he eximed. Then he grinned and added, ¡°Man, my Orianna is really awesome!¡±

    ?

    Cup Noodles and Old Huang were also checking out the game score. More specifically, they were looking at the Orianna. The game wasn¡¯t even 20 minutes in, yet she was already Legendary and had somehow found the time in between kills to get over 200 CS. It almost felt like it should be impossible. But this Orianna had somehow done it. At this point, it was hard to see anyone kill her, even in a 5vs1.

    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Cup Noodles sighed and shook his head.

    Old Huang lit up a new cigarette and blew out some smoke before saying, ¡°What the hell? I recorded a highlight reel for this Orianna¡­ Dammit! This was supposed to be a highlight reel of you! What good are you if this Orianna in a Gold game beats you!¡±

    Cup Noodles wanted an excuse. He needed one! ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t expect to run into this Ori. She¡¯s definitely not Gold. She must be a smurf, and a really high ranked one. She¡¯s way too good.¡±

    Old Huang snorted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Master? What random yer is better? What? Are you going to tell me this is that oh so great Miner from Season 1 you were talking about?¡±

    ¡°Haha. Maybe¡­ I don¡¯t know? Probably not. Doubt it.¡± Cup Noodles fell silent for a brief moment, thinking back to Season 1. Then he sighed. A deep and long sigh. ¡°It¡¯d be great if he was. He was something else. If he came back, the LPL would have an Emperor finally.¡±

 Chapter 127: Donâ€™t Disgrace the Name

    ¡°An Emperor?¡± Old Huang blurted. Across all the regions, in all the teams, four yers were considered the best in the world. It sounded ridiculous to think that someone who yed back in Season 1 and then quit could juste back and disce an Emperor four yearster. Even if they¡¯d been training nonstop, it was still impossible to just be an Emperor! ¡°Are you serious? You¡¯re joking, right? That¡¯s way outta there. That can¡¯t be right¡­¡±

    From individual skill to past achievements, there were four people who were better than anyone else. They stood at the top of the global esports scene. Fans called them the Four Emperors. A good sounding title. But it was so much more than just a title. It was a symbol of the most skilled professional esports athletes! These were their names:

    Moon, The Moon Emperor! Phoenix, The Undying Emperor! Autumn, The Autumn Emperor! Rake, The God Emperor!

    The LPL had no Emperors. No real ones, at least. They did have Daybreak Hermes, The Star Emperor. It was a nickname given to him by his Chinese fans. Just like how they called Roundy Round ¡°God Roundy¡±. However, no matter how highly the Chinese fans spoke of Hermes, or Roundy for that matter, they all knew that neither of these two had what it took to measure up with an actual Emperor. The Four Emperors were just on another level. Another ne of existence. The gap was so wide that it was hard to evenpare them. That was why Old Huang didn¡¯t really listen to Cup Noodles. The LPL had some great talents who couldn¡¯t even get close to the Four Emperors. In his mind, some random yer in solo queue couldn¡¯t even dream about it!

    Cup Noodles breathed in deeply and then let it all out. ¡°You don¡¯t understand it. You should¡¯ve been there. It was something else. That guy was so good. It was just a joy to watch. He was the best yer in China, and one of the very best in the world.¡±

    Old Huang puffed out some smoke and replied, ¡°So what? Star Emperor is the best Miner in China right now, right? Do you see him holding his own against the Emperors? No. He isn¡¯t good enough. Why would this kid be? Besides. That was four years ago. He¡¯s probably past it. I doubt he can even keep up with the current meta.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Cup Noodles said. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± He remembered Season 1. He could still name the yers of the Unrivaled Ten. That match at the World Championships where Maple beat Phoenix was one of the few games he remembered from back then. Maple had beaten an Emperor! He was that good! And then there was the Finals. The best of five series. Maple versus Rake. It took all five games and an unfortunate mistake on Maple¡¯s part for the conclusion. It could¡¯ve gone either way. If Maple was really back, then¡­ Then¡­

    Cup Noodles shook his head. Maple had alwayse out on top. He was unbeatable in Season 1. Except at the very end. In that final series, and ultimately in that final game, he lost. And then he quit. He left through the backdoor, while his opponent took the Summoner¡¯s Cup in his hands and lifted it up high. Today, there was Rake the God Emperor, but no Maple. It was the painful truth. Cup Noodles shook his head and breathed out deeply. ¡°Nevermind. Forget I said anything. Anyway, this game is useless for your video. Let¡¯s move on to the next one."

    There was still the game of League. Cup Noodles focused on his screen. There was no tension to the game anymore. That Orianna was too strong. He didn¡¯t surrender, but he also didn¡¯t really tryhard. The Blue team, led by the Orianna, pushed their way down midne and into Red team¡¯s base. They destroyed one inhibitor and then moved on towards the Nexus. There was a scuffle there. A few yers on the Red team who were just throwing themselves at the Orianna, trying to get at least one kill in. They didn¡¯t. She yed too well. And then the Nexus exploded. The game was over and the yers were moved to the endgame lobby.

    CN?Maple

    Cup Noodles grinned to himself and shook his head. He didn¡¯t care that he¡¯d lost this game, because he¡¯d lost to Maple. It didn¡¯t matter if this Maple was the real Maple. What mattered was the manner in which they¡¯d yed. Full of confidence and with perfect awareness and mechanics. This Maple hadn¡¯t let the name down. More importantly, he¡¯d seen a shimmer of the most brilliant Miner from China. He muttered to his screen, to this Maple wherever he was, ¡°Don¡¯t let down the reputation of that Summoner Name¡­¡±

    The name Maple didn¡¯t mean anything to most Chinese League of Legends fans. There was only a small group who remembered the name, and even fewer what it stood for. The significance and weight behind it. It belonged to perhaps the best yer China would ever see. The legend from Season 1. The only yer who could go toe-to-toe with Rake!

    ?

    Lin Feng pumped his fist. ¡°Yes! Another win! Let¡¯s go!¡± He nced at the clock. It was only 11:30 PM. He was young, he didn¡¯t need much sleep. And if he wanted to catch up to Rake, he had to y more and give it his all! So he hit the queue again. ¡°I¡¯ll y one more. Maybe two. Yeah, two sounds better. If I¡¯m fast, it should be fine! I¡¯ll just sleep after three more games!¡±

    Lin Feng was a man of his word. He went to bed at a respectable time and woke up early the next morning, mostly refreshed. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. Full of energy he walked towards the dining table, where he saw Su Xue just walking out of the kitchen. She was yawning, her groggy eyes barely open, while carrying her breakfast. ¡°Wow, you look tired.¡±

    Su Xue forced her eyes open a little more and only then seemed to notice Lin Feng. She nodded at him, though it felt more like she was rocking her head back and forth while falling back asleep. ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake. Come, have breakfast.¡±

    Lin Feng grabbed the bowl of congee from Su Xue¡¯s hands and dug in. While he was wolfing down the food, Su Xue peeled a soft-boiled egg for him while saying, ¡°So I started looking into that video recording software. I found one and downloaded it. But there are so many options and settings and things¡­ I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±

    There was a brief silence. Just long enough that Lin Feng looked up, catching Su Xue shaking herself awake. Then she continued, ¡°Oh, and I also watched the videos of some othermentators. Man, they¡¯re some really smooth talkers. They just keep talking. It¡¯s like they never breathe. I tried it for a bit, but like¡­ I don¡¯t get how they do it. How should I evene up with all those funny lines? I don¡¯t just want to copy theirs. That would bezy. But how do they keep producing more? I don¡¯t get it. How do I even start learning about that?¡±

    Su Xue looked down at her phone, which was ying a video on silent. It was a video she¡¯d looked at before. She knew the words being said before they were even spoken. Another dirty joke¡­ It was one of the constants in all the popr videos she¡¯d found. No one shied away from making those dirty jokes. She grinned. If I¡¯m going to do this¡­ She looked up at Lin Feng, her eyes finally open and awake, and said, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. All these videos are popr. I even tried looking for unpopr ones. There were none. They were all doing great! Getting a few hundred to thousands of new fans should be easy! Easier if I make some dirty jokes. People seem to love dirty jokes.¡±

    Lin Feng paused for a brief moment. He put his chopsticks down and looked up at Su Xue, shocked. ¡°You are going to tell dirty jokes?¡±

    ¡°You little brat! Hyperboles! Hyperboles! All I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m taking it seriously! I¡¯m going to learn how to domentary!¡± Su Xue barked. She red at Lin Feng, shoving the peeled egg into his bowl. ¡°Eat that. Now. Or you¡¯re going to bete for school.¡± She then put up her finger and added, ¡°Oh, right! Make sure you¡¯re home early tonight! The quarter finals for Worlds starts at 7! We¡¯rementating together on those games!¡±

    ?

    The eight teams who¡¯d qualified for the quarter finals of the World Championships of League of Legends Season 5 had flown from Ennd to France. Their next set of games would be held in the Zenith Paris in Paris. It was an indoor arena perfect for these kinds of asions. The brackets were already announced.

    Legend (Europe) versus Warrior (Korea)Season (North America) versus Fate (Korea)Hand of God (China) versus SSK (Korea)KG (China) versus Assassins (Taiwan)

    The best teams in the world participated at Worlds. Deeper in the tournament, the matchups would only be more exciting. There were basically no weaker teams in the quarter finals. The first and second matchup were especially exciting. They were the powerhouses from Korea versus Emperor teams. As for HoG versus SSK. Even the Chinese fans didn¡¯t have much hope for that game. It seemed like SSK would have an easy way to the semifinals. They were simply the better team in every way. Then there was KG versus Assassins. These two teams were arguably the worst, if they could be called that, of the teams in the quarter finals. Either team could make it through to the next round. This was also the matchup most Chinese fans turned their attention to.

 Chapter 128: Picture

    The first seed from the Chinese LPL versus the first seed from the Korean LCK. It sounded like an exciting match when said like this. Until people looked at the lineups. Hand of God¡¯s strongest yer was Hermes. One of the Seven Kings. On the other side was SSK. Their team captain was none other than the God Emperor, Rake! The best yer in the world. The one who never lost hisne. Then they also had a King on their roster. They were the World Champions. They were the team to beat. And HoG didn¡¯t seem like they were the team to do that.

    In the Mid-Season Invitational, HoG had beaten an Emperor team. They¡¯d beaten a Korean team! This was something that until then had seemed impossible. No one could beat the Koreans! But that victory was against Fate. A strong team, yes. But they weren¡¯t SSK. There was still arge chasm separating them from that height. The Moon Emperor had struggled hard together with his team to qualify for Worlds. Then there was SSK. The invincibles. Fate had only managed to beat them once this year and lost six times. It just went to show how big the difference between the two teams was.

    From analysts to fans, from professional yers to casual yers, everyone knew who SSK were. Who Rake was. It didn¡¯t matter how much Hermes improved, he wouldn¡¯t be good enough to beat Rake. And the rest of his team wouldn¡¯t win theirnes either. This would be a stomp. There was nothing HoG could do but extend the suffering. It was to the point that Chinese fans stopped paying attention to HoG and shifted to the KG versus Assassins game. KG might not be as good as HoG, but Assassins wasn¡¯t as good as SSK either. KG versus Assassins looked like a matchup that could go either way. The all Chinese team actually had a shot to make it to the semifinals! This was the game they chose to ce their hopes on!

    ?

    Lin Feng hade home early from coaching High School 13¡¯s esports team. He¡¯d promised to watch Worlds together with Su Xue and her stream and give his insights on the games. So, after enjoying a quick dinner prepared by Su Xue, he followed her into her room and sat down at her desk. Then he waited for her to start up the stream, browsing his phone and looking at the matchups. The first game of interest for the Chinese fans was HoG versus SSK. Viewers wereing into the stream and were weed by Lin Feng¡¯s analysis on the matchup, ¡°Mhm. SSK is the better team. I don¡¯t see how HoG is going to get anything from this matchup.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a great first thing to hear on the stream. The viewers were hoping that they were little balls of negativity. They were hoping that their li¡¯l bro would set them straight! To hear him agree with their own assessment felt like a low blow.

    ¡¸damn¡­ even lil bro thinks so too?¡¹

    ¡¸aghh, hog is screwed¡¹

    ¡¸MANN WHYYY i thought maybe you could convince me they had a chance¡­¡­¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸maybe ssk has an offday¡­¡­ maybe¡­? I hope¡¹

    Su Xue listened to Lin Feng and read her stream chat. Everything was agreeing with him. She did too. So she gave her two cents on the matter, ¡°I think so too. SSK has the Emperor and a King. What does HoG have? One King. That¡¯s all. They really needed an Emperor if they wanted any chance of winning this.¡±

    ¡¸fucking maid¡­ who told her she could talk?¡¹

    ¡¸GO BACK TO THE KITCHEN!!!! IT¡±S WHERE YOU BELONG¡¹

    ¡¸look at this wannabe expert over here, thinking she can judge teams on some stupid ranking¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸I knew girls were stupid, but this¡­. Wtf¡­ does she really think that¡¯s the reason??????¡¹

    ¡¸JEEZ We got us a little miss small brain here...¡¹

    Su Xue stared at the chat, her eyes widening with every next message. Then she shouted, ¡°Hey! Stop that! There¡¯s no need to me me so hard! What did I do? I was just giving my opinion¡­¡± It was her little show. Pretend to be upset. She wasn¡¯t. Not really. She understood how her viewers were feeling. They were upset! Angry that the LPL¡¯s best shot of making the finals was thrown against a brick wall and then down a well with spikes at the bottom! Hand of God was as good as eliminated with this draw! They wouldn¡¯t even make the semi finals.

    Just as everyone felt like they were stuck at the bottom of that well, Lin Feng threw them a rope. ¡°Well, you know, it¡¯s not lost yet. They still have to y. It¡¯s really difficult to win, but that¡¯s no reason to just give up! We should cheer them on and hope that they y the series of their lives!¡±

    Nothing in life was set in stone. Life wasn¡¯t that boring. Miracles did happen. And hard work was rewarded. Take KG. Everyone had written them off at the end of Week 1 of Worlds. They looked like they were in shambles and were a shadow of their former selves. But then something happened, something changed during their short break. And when they came out again, they looked like a team born anew. They fought, really fought for it and were rewarded with a spot in the quarter finals! Then there was also High School 13 making it through the first round of the qualifiers for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, though the miracle there was mostly Lin Feng joining the team.

    There was a simple lesson in all of this. One Lin Feng was living by every day while chasing for the title of best League of Legends yer in the world. That was to never lose hope. To never give up. And to always keep striving for more! Miracles hadn¡¯t left this world. Not for Lin Feng, not for anyone. This wasn¡¯t the time for the viewers to give up hope on HoG. If anything, this was when they had to support their team the most!

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s starting, it¡¯s starting, guys! Let¡¯s watch today¡¯s game first! We¡¯ll talk about the other gamester!¡± Lin Feng eximed, excited! The first match in the quarter finals was Legend versus Warrior. It wouldn¡¯t be until the weekend that Hand of God and KG had their games.

    ?

    Friday morning, Lin Feng walked into the ssroom and sat down next to Ouyang, who was already being his excited self despite the time of day. ¡°Damn! Those four gamesst night were absolutely amazeballs! Did you guys see it? Did you feel it? I had goosebumps all over! That was so good!¡± He looked up at Lin Feng and nodded before turning back to Yang Fan. ¡°Legend actually made it through to the semis! Did you see thating? They beat the Koreans! They beat the Koreans! Holy, I never saw thating. Did you? That was the best quarter finals so far!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and started talking, ¡°Ye¨C¡± but Ouyang wasn¡¯t finished yet. He just continued rambling on, ¡°Also, also, shut up for a minute. Let me talk. Also, that Phoenix! Did you see him y? I totally get why he¡¯s an Emperor. He¡¯s so good! That was like, he carried so hard those games! Even that game they lost, he was the best yer in the game. The MVP in every game!¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Phoenix is really good!¡± Yang Fan blurted out. He didn¡¯t even adjust his sses. All he wanted was to finally get a few words in. ¡°Yeah. Game 3. You know, the one they lost, his Orianna was still the best Champion. He dominated midne with her. Warriors Miner was pretty much taken out of the game. That¡¯s the difference between an Emperor and any other yer right there.¡±

    Ouyangughed and pped Lin Feng on the back. ¡°Point is, those were some awesome games to watch. Right, bro? I don¡¯t care who wins. All I want are fun games. Plus, it¡¯s always good news for us when a Korean team gets sent home.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and reminded, ¡°HoG still has to y SSK. We still have to have a team make it to the semis for this to be your so-called good news.¡±

    ¡°Dammit! You just had to do that, didn¡¯t you? You just couldn¡¯t let me be happy for a change. All I was happy about was that a Korean team lost. That should mean something, right? Korean teams are defeatable! HoG still has a chance! They can make it to the semis!¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± Yang Fan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Who cares about Warrior or Fate? They¡¯re nothingpared to SSK. If SSK loses, now that would be something to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh! Fate is ying tonight, right? They got Moon! That will be awesome to watch! I can¡¯t wait!¡± Ouyang eximed, bouncing on his chair.

    Yang Fan nodded and then turned to Lin Feng, ¡°Fate will have a hard time, even with Moon. Right Lin Feng? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°H-huh?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, half asleep. He yawned and stretched out long, then rubbed his eyes. ¡°Tonight¡¯s games? Uhm¡­ It¡¯s going to be a difficult one for Fate, that¡¯s for sure. Season is a really strong team.¡±

    Season wasn¡¯t just a strong team from North America. They were also the secret weapon against Korean teams. No one really understood why, but whenever Season yed a Korean team, they seemed better. Stronger. More cohesive. They were even dubbed the Korean Killers! Their track record supported this, with 75% of their games against Korean teams ending in a victory. There was no other team in the world who could say the same!

    The bell rang and the first period began. The three friends paid little attention to ss, whispering amongst each other just enough to get on the teacher¡¯s nerves, but not so much that they got sent to the principal¡¯s office. The period bell rang again not muchter, announcing the end of ss. And a littleter, the next one rang. This one had Ouyang a little worried. He turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Hey, bro. We were doing some sort of listening test for English today, right? And something with picture cards? I forgot. What was it? Wait. Oh shit! We need a pencil and eraser, right? Crap. I think I forgot mine!¡±

    Lin Feng opened his drawer and rummaged through it. It was mostly clean and organized. Mostly. He took out a pencil case and checked its contents. Then he looked up with a wide grin and said, ¡°Look! I brought mine!¡±

    ¡°Nice! I knew you would! That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t bring mine! It¡¯s perfect teamwork! Just lend me yours in a bit!¡± Ouyang grinned, moving his chair right up to Lin Feng and looking over his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Uh? Huh! Is that a picture? It is! Who¡¯s that? Tell me who that is!¡±

 Chapter 129: Bunbun

    Ouyang had a very specific selective attention. Girls. League of Legends. Friends. In that order. Anything else he didn¡¯t really pay attention to. Like the big and bold letters the teacher wrote down on the chalkboard. They went in one eye and out the other. But when the words ¡®pretty¡¯ and ¡®girl¡¯ were mentioned in a hushed conversation on the other side of the ssroom, his ears would perk up and his eyes would lock onto the students talking. That kind of conversation got his undivided attention. Right now, Lin Feng¡¯s pencil case had his full focus. There, buried under pencils, erasers and other stationary, he spotted it.

    The English teacher hadn¡¯t walked into the ssroom yet. There were still a few more minutes until the lesson started. So Ouyang grabbed Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and looked at his friend. ¡°Yo! Lin Feng, buddy! Best bro! You¡¯ve been holding out on me? Were you hiding that picture from me? That¡¯s not what bros do, my man! Come, gimme! Lemme have a look at that!¡± He held out his free hand and added, ¡°Hurry up! Give it!¡±

    ¡°Oh, this? It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lin Feng said, ruffling his messy hair. He emptied his pencil case on his desk and took out the picture. An old memory. He looked at it for a moment and then showed it to Ouyang. ¡°It¡¯s just an old picture I have from a few years ago.¡±

    Ouyang leaned forward, just about pressing his eyes onto the paper, and started scanning it. Something had drawn him to this picture, he was now looking for what that something was. Lin Feng stood in the middle of the frame. It looked like someone had called his name half a second before snapping the picture as only his head was turned towards the camera. He looked the same, with the same messy hair and the same simple clothing. The only real difference was that the Lin Feng in the picture looked a few years younger. But it was just Lin Feng. Ouyang had hoped for something else. He shook his head, disappointed. ¡°I thought it was something better. Not just a picture of you...¡±

    Ouyang squinted his eyes. His special Ouyang senses, as he liked to call them, didn¡¯t lie to him, they never did! There was something more to this photo. But what¡­ He turned to Lin Feng, the man with the answers, and asked, ¡°Yo, you look pretty young in this. So where was this taken? It looks like some kind of auditorium? Was this at your old school or something?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at the picture. It was more than a quick nce this time. ¡°No. That was at the Season 1 Chinese Finals for League of Legends!¡± He¡¯d almost forgotten about this picture. It¡¯d been at the bottom of his pencil case for the longest time now. But it was a snapshot of a good memory. One he treasured deeply. He smiled. Those were some fun games.

    ¡°You forreal? We actually had finals back then?¡± Ouyang looked up at Lin Feng, his eyes wide and round, then looked back at the picture. ¡°Bro. That¡¯s crazy. Yikes though. Looks like they had no real budget. That all looks really cheap.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Yeah, it really was low budget. It was also really small. I think there were maybe a few hundred people there?¡±

    League of Legends wasn¡¯t big in Asia in Season 1. It didn¡¯t really gain traction until a yearter. That also meant that there were no big sponsors and no big money going around. The Chinese Esports Organization had to work with what they had, renting small venues on the outskirts of Shanghai and trying to make it look better than it was. All that hard work wasn¡¯t even rewarded. There were 500 seats for the Season 1 Chinese Finals, but there weren¡¯t 500 fans willing toe and watch. A good portion of the auditorium had stayed empty. This was something unthinkable with the current stage of the game, where the biggest venues were rented and even those weren¡¯t enough to hold the fans looking to watch their favourite team y.

    ¡°A few hundred? No way¡­ That sounds crazy! I saw some numbers online that the LPL Summer Finalsst summer had 10,000 people in the crowd! And there were people outside trying to sneak in!¡± Ouyang clicked his tongue. ¡°But dam, bro! You really were one of the first to y the game! You¡¯re like a living fossil of a League yer! I can¡¯t believe you convinced your parents to let you go watch the finals live!¡±

    ¡°A living fossil? Haha! Yeah, I guess you could say that. I¡¯ve been ying this game from the start!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    ¡°Wait. Wait. Wait! What¡¯s this here?¡± Ouyang put his hand to Lin Feng¡¯s mouth and zoomed in on a corner of the photo. A small detail in the background. His eyes went wide. He pushed off Lin Feng and jumped up from his chair. Then he held the photo up and shouted through the ssroom, ¡°WHOOOO! OH YEAH! SCORE! I found the girl! She¡¯s hot! I knew my Ouyang senses were right! Hehehe!¡±

    The ssmates of Senior ss 7 turned to look at the far back of the ssroom. Ouyang and Lin Feng sat next to each other. Well, Lin Feng sat. Ouyang was jumping up and down and pointing at a photo in his hand, shouting. They were getting used to it by now. Ouyang always screamed over absolutely nothing. Some shook their heads while others sighed. That was Ouyang for you.

    ¡°U-uh? A girl? Where?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused.

    Ouyang shoved the picture in Lin Feng¡¯s face. Then he pointed at a corner of the photo and kept jabbing at it with his finger. ¡°Here! Here! Look! Behind you!¡± There stood a girl behind Lin Feng, looking at the camera from the corners of her eyes. She wore a white t-shirt, had ck framed sses resting on her nose, and had her hair up in two pigtails. Though she stood in the background and Ouyang could only see half of her face, that was all he needed to see.

    Ouyang looked at Lin Feng, almost looking angry! He barked, ¡°Pigtails and sses! You know how much I love those! And she¡¯s rocking that cute-cool look! Totes a 9 outa 10! Dammit! I can¡¯t even call you my bro now! How could you hide her from me? I thought we were friends! What ever happened to us? Get me a better picture of her, maybe with her phone number on it!¡±

    Lin Feng grabbed the photo and looked at the girl Ouyang was pointing at. He directly recognized her. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s Bunbun!¡±

    ¡°H-huh? Bunbun? What¡¯s a Bunbun?¡± Ouyang stammered, surprised. That didn¡¯t sound anything like a name! Not one he¡¯d heard before, at least.

    Lin Feng said, ¡°Bunbun! She¡¯s my childhood friend! I remember now! She went with me to the Finals!¡±

    ?

    After the dismissal bell rang, the members of the esports team gathered in the club room. Ouyang was the first in the room. He was jumping up and down on his feet, about to burst! There was something on his mind. Something so important that it couldn¡¯t wait. He had to share it with everyone! Lin Feng had a hot friend from his childhood! The guy who spent all his free time ying League of Legends had somehow found the time to meet a girl and hang out with her! It wasn¡¯t just Ouyang, everyone found this difficult to believe. In the short time they¡¯d known Lin Feng, all he did was League of Legends! So they had him pass the photo around, with everyone zooming in on the girl with pigtails in the background.

    Liu Yue stared at the photo and mumbled, ¡°So this is his childhood sweetheart?¡± Then he looked up towards Lin Feng and squinted his eyes, doing his best Ouyang impression. ¡°Are you kidding me? I can¡¯t believe you have such a pretty friend! The pretty childhood friend¡­ I thought this only happened on TV!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. ¡°Uhh, yeah. Me and Bunbun go way back. I¡¯ve known her since elementary school.¡±

    Ren Rou looked over Liu Yue¡¯s shoulder and then shook her head. ¡°Hmph. Yes, she¡¯s pretty. Really pretty. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but it seems like he did. He somehow found himself a really cute girl. Maybe he had more game a few years ago. That could exin how he found her.¡±

    Wei Dong stood on Liu Yue¡¯s other side, looking at the photo. He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°This was taken four years ago, you said? She was already so pretty back then¡­ I wonder how much she¡¯s grown. Ah, shit. Can I have some of your luck? I want to find myself a girl like that!¡±

    While the others were gathering around Liu Yue to look at the picture, Ouyang stood a bit away. He¡¯d stopped jumping up and down. His excited expression had disappeared. Now he was staring at hisces, his smile having turned upside down. Some bro¡­ Doesn¡¯t even share¡­ Keeps everything for himself¡­ Bastard. Bastard. Bastard! He grabbed Lin Feng¡¯s arm and tugged on it. With his other hand he grabbed his chest to hold his broken heart together. He forced tears from his eyes and said, ¡°Y-you bastard! Traitor! What happened to the bro code! What happened to honour! Chivalry! All those things! Is Tang Tang not enough for you? Do you have to hoard all the pretty girls for yourself? What, are you going to build a harem? Take every cute girl for yourself and let your good bro here dry out and wither? I know I¡¯m no first prize! But even a Gollum like me needs some love! Leave some girls for the rest of us!¡±

    Lin Feng tried to tuck his arm free and looked at Ouyang, confused. ¡°Uh? What do you mean? Tang Tang and I are just friends¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm. We¡¯re friends. Nothing more,¡± Tang Tang added while looking at the photo of Lin Feng¡¯s childhood sweetheart. She was thest to look at it. Everyone looked at her. She nodded. ¡°Cute.¡±

    Ren Rou wrapped her arms around Tang Bingyao from behind and rubbed her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re also very cute! Don¡¯t let the guys make you think otherwise! You¡¯re at least as cute as that girl in the picture!¡±

    Chen Ze turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Hey, why do you call her Bunbun? That¡¯s a pretty strange name¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Lin Feng grinned. ¡°You see, she was pretty round and chubby when we were young. It reminded me of a steamed bun! So I called her Bunbun once and the name kind of stuck. Hehe.¡±

    A stunned silence fell over the room. The seven people turned to Lin Feng and just stared at him. Ouyang even had to push his mouth closed. They were shocked. Stunned. KO¡¯d. Lin Feng had done it again! He¡¯d showcased just how dense he really was. He actually nicknamed a girl after a steamed bun and didn¡¯t seem to see anything wrong with that! It looked like he even thought it was funny! Ren Rou shook her head and said, ¡°I feel for that girl. It sounds rough being your friend.¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He didn¡¯t like this awkwardness, so he changed the subject. ¡°You¡¯ve told us this before. But wow. You really did start ying in Season 1, huh? You¡¯re the super veteran. We all started ying in theter seasons.¡±

    Liu Yue nodded. ¡°Yeah. I only started yingst season.¡±

    ¡°SCREW THAT! Are you guys stupid?¡± Ouyang shouted. ¡°You¡¯re just ignoring the most important part here! He went to the finals with a girl! A PRETTY GIRL! Who cares about him ying League in Season 1? There¡¯s only one thing we should be looking at. THAT GIRL! He already took such a pretty girl out on a date before we even met¡­ I feel like he just stabbed me in the back before we even met! Here! Look at the scar! That¡¯s what Lin Feng did!¡± Ouyang pulled up his shirt and jabbed at his side, where there was no scar.

    ¡°Uhh, no?¡± Lin Feng shook his head and looked at Ouyang, confused. ¡°She was there to cheer me on. I was ying¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure, whatever. You went there to y. Of course,¡± Ren Rou said, her voice overflowing with sarcasm.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t believe you. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Lin Feng kept iming that he used to be a pro. And they had to admit that he was really good at the game, far better than anyone else they¡¯d met. But Lin Feng also said that was in Season 1. The year he was only 15 years old. The rules were clear. Everyone knew them. You had to be at least 16 years old if you wanted topete professionally. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t 16, so he couldn¡¯t possibly havepeted. And he¡¯d done nothing to prove the opposite. They were a little bored with his nonstop ims of fame.

    However, none of them had yed the game back in Season 1. They knew the rules from Season 2 and onwards. Back in Season 1, the rules weren¡¯t as strict. Exceptions were made. This was why Lin Feng, a 15 year old, was allowed topete. But because of the special circumstances, extra measures were taken. His real name and age were never revealed. To the world, he was Maple. Nothing else was revealed by the Chinese Esports Organization or his teammates. It was kept under such a tight seal that even most people he yed against didn¡¯t know how old he was.

    ?

    Lin Feng got home early again. Tonight was the second match of the quarter finals at Worlds. Season versus Fate. The first sh between Emperors in this edition! The millions of League of Legends fans across the world had been waiting for this moment. This once in a year opportunity where two of the best yers in the world would go toe-to-toe against each other, putting everything on the line! And they were rewarded for their patience. They were treated to a spectacr best of five series! Full of ups and downs, and even some loops! The games were long and it went all the way to a fifth and final match to decide the winner.

    Right before midnight in China, with Lin Feng and Su Xuementating on the game, the series deciding y happened. Autumn, Season¡¯s Emperor Support, caught Moon out of position. Fate¡¯s Emperor Miner slipped up after a grueling five hours of ying League of Legends. One moment of losing focus cost him and his team a teamfight. The death timers were more than a minute. Season ran down midne and finished the game. They secured their ce in the semifinals! The Korean Killers had done it again!

    This second day of the quarterfinals had it all! But there was still more toe. There were still two series in the quarterfinals. One of them was KG versus Assassins. A matchup that wasn¡¯t half as exciting as the match between Season and Fate. The other matchup, however, that was something the whole world looked forward to. Even the Chinese fans wanted to see how their first seed would do. The next match, yed on Saturday, was none other than Hand of God versus SSK! A finals worthy matchup! The best of two regions would fight it out! The challengers would face the title defenders! This was the ultimate hurdle for HoG!

 Chapter 130: The Emperor is Calm

    Day 3 of the Worlds quarterfinals! It was the day of Hand of God versus SSK! It would start at 7 PM on the dot. But that didn¡¯t stop people from talking about the game before. The online forums lit up in the early hours of Saturday with discussions about the best of five series that would be yed that night. It was a battle of regions. The strongest team from the LPL versus the strongest team from the LCK. Though, it was also a World level team versus the World Champions. There was a distinct difference between both teams, one most fans, even the Chinese ones, didn¡¯t see Hand of God oveing. However, that didn¡¯t stop HoG¡¯s fans from stering the online space with supportive messages for their team! It didn¡¯t matter what they believed would happen. For the only thing they could do to influence the games was to show their trust and confidence in the team and hope it would carry through into the game.

    The incident with KG was a turning point for many Chinese fans. Their faces were pushed against the facts. KG never wanted to lose. But they struggled just like any other normal person would do. The thing that could help them over that point, to get them in a ce where they could perform, that thing was encouragement. Confidence of their fans that showed through in their own gamey. It was how fans could influence the game! Whether this was in a small tournament with almost no stakes or at Worlds where the stakes couldn¡¯t be any higher, this rule didn¡¯t change. If they showed their confidence and trust in the team. If they encouraged them to do better than they normally could. If they cheered in support even when things weren¡¯t going great. Then, and only then, could their team perform at the best of their ability!

    There was something else many Chinese fans hade to realize. The teams that qualified for Worlds, they didn¡¯t participate for a participation trophy. They participated to win. Every waking hour they practiced, they prepared themselves both physically and mentally, to be in that optimal state where they could perform at the highest level. It wasn¡¯t any different for Hand of God. They didn¡¯t give up just because their opponent was SSK. They were working together, nning their game tactics. Finding that perfect n that could get them the advantage and do the impossible! They would fight to the end and never give up!

    Hand of God¡¯s fans wouldn¡¯t give up either. They would support their team through thick and thin! So they did the only thing they knew, and that was to ster the online space with their support for the team. There were hundreds, thousands, and by thete afternoon tens of thousands of posts, all of them full with ongoing discussion. All of them overflowing with a singr wish. For Hand of God to y their hearts out tonight!

    ?

    It waste in the morning and the sun was shining in Paris, France. League of Legends fans were streaming into the Zenith Paris, finding their way to one of the 9,000 seats. They were the lucky few who¡¯d got their hands on a ticket before it waspletely sold out. Their clothing was in the colours of their favourite teams and they¡¯d brought with them signboards and glowsticks, with some especially fanatic fans trying to sneak in megaphones and fireworks. Inside the arena, chatter rang out to the backdrop of epic battle music from the oversized speakers.

    The time drew closer to noon and there were only 20 more minutes before the first game of Hand of God versus SSK would start. Backstage, the yers could hear the vibing sounds inside the arena bing louder as the announcer started hyping up both teams. All the way to one of the bathrooms. The bathrooms where Nightsong and Daybreak Hermes were hyping themselves up before they¡¯d go on stage and y the best team in the world. Maybe even beat them.

    Nightsong leaned over one of the sinks and looked at himself in the mirror. He was about to y one of the most important games in his life. The nerves that came with that even affected him. He took a deep breath and then sshed his face with some cold water.

    Hermes came out from one of the stalls and walked up to the sink next to Nightsong. He opened the faucet and let the water ssh on his hands while looking at his friend. He chuckled, short and rushed, and asked, ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    Nightsong breathed in, deeply, and then blew it all out through his nose. He forced a smile to his lips and looked up at his friend. ¡°Excited! Of course! What else? I¡¯m very excited! No one can beat me!¡±

    This was Nightsong. Hermes knew his friend like no other. He asked, ¡°Feeling the pressure?¡±

    ¡°Ha! Pressure? What pressure! Look at me! Do I ever feel pressure?¡± Nightsongughed, his hands shaking. He quickly grabbed one hand with the other, then forced them both under the faucet. Anything to stop Hermes from noticing how they were shaking. He was nervous and he was feeling the pressure. This wasn¡¯t just some random game. They were up against SSK in the World Championships! This could turn out to be the biggest game in his entire career! It¡¯d be crazier if he wasn¡¯t feeling the pressure. But that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d admit to that.

    Hermes rubbed his nose and smiled. ¡°It is SSK we¡¯re ying against. Look at my hand, it¡¯s shaking so badly! I can¡¯t get it to stop.¡± He imitated Nightsong, grabbing one hand with the other and putting them under the faucet. ¡°But that¡¯s normal. We¡¯re ying against SSK. I have to face Rake inne. Holy shit, dude. I have to face Rake. Rake! Fuck. I don¡¯t know. This is going to be so difficult.¡±

    Daybreak Hermes was China¡¯s number one Miner. He was also a King. Fans had chosen him as one of the best yers in the world! Some had even given him the nickname Star Emperor. There were very few yers who were better than him, and those who were were only slightly so. Except for one. Against Phoenix and Moon, two Emperors, he would still have some confidence. They were the better yers, but he wasn¡¯tpletely lost. However, that confidence was thrown out of the window when it came to Rake. Even Moon and Phoenix were terrified of the God Emperor. The best yer in the world. It was only to be expected that he was fighting hard not to shit his pants.

    Nightsong looked in the mirror, at himself. Then he smiled and turned to Hermes. ¡°So he¡¯s a little good. So what? That doesn¡¯t change anything! You¡¯re going up and you¡¯re going to give it your absolute all! That¡¯s what we do! Don¡¯t look up to him. Look down on him! Piss on him and im your territory!¡±

    ¡°That is what we do.¡± Hermes nodded and grinned. He looked up at the mirror straight into his own eyes. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not giving up. I¡¯m going to fight! I¡¯m going to beat him! He turned to Nightsong and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t let him look down on me. We¡¯re pros. It doesn¡¯t matter what the odds are. We fight and give it our all. Who knows, maybe that¡¯s enough today.¡±

    Nightsong looked at his friend. The serious look in his eyes. The words that were meant to hype them up but that soundedpletely ridiculous. His own nerves raging within him. It suddenly seemed all tooical. He startedughing and said, ¡°Look at us! We¡¯re acting like we¡¯re supposed to be scared of them! Haha! They should be scared of us! We¡¯re HoG! It¡¯s just SSK! How bad can it really be? I¡¯ll stomp all over them with my shy ys and show the world who the best ad-carry is! And you do the same in midne! We¡¯re going to kick some asses!¡±

    Hermes smiled. ¡°Hehe. I guess we did do pretty ok at the Mid-Season Invitationals. Maybe we can carry that through here. Only one way to find out. Let¡¯s do this.¡¯

    ?

    Su Xue and Lin Feng were sitting in Su Xue¡¯s bedroom behind herputer. The stream was on. There were 2,000 people watching, all of them here for Lin Feng¡¯s insights. Their excited messages flooded the chat, slowly turning more nervous as 7 PM approached. They kept asking for reassurances from Lin Feng, something he wouldn¡¯t give. He kept reiterating his view on the matchup. It¡¯d be hard for HoG to win, but not impossible. Still, that little was enough for a lot of viewers. They felt a little more confident in HoG¡¯s chances, until a few minutester when this process would start all over again.

    Su Xue was very much in on it with her chat. She tugged at Lin Feng¡¯s arm as both teams went into Champion Select and asked, ¡°Hey! What do you think HoG¡¯s chances are? Like 40% Maybe 50? Do you think they have a better chance!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°Eh, I¡¯ve said it to the stream already, HoG¡¯s chances are pretty slim. If they y at their best and SSK screws up a little, then they might have a 30% chance of winning, I guess?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open. She knew the answer. She tried to prepare herself for it. But it still hit like a truck. ¡°Really? That low? Don¡¯t you think their chances might be a little better? You know, just a bit?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head, resolute. ¡°I¡¯m being optimistic here. Realistically? It¡¯s probably lower. SSK is really good. They¡¯re the favourites for a reason.¡±

    There were several conditions that had to be met if Hand of God wanted to win this series against SSK. First, they had to y a perfect Champion Select. That meant banning the Champions they wanted out of the game, including having SSK ban Champions for them, and also picking the Champions that were perfect for theirposition. Of course, it¡¯d help if SSK went with aposition that just happened to be weaker against theirs.

    A second hard condition was Hermes. He was up against Rake. An impossiblene to win. But he didn¡¯t have to win, not necessarily. As long as he could somewhat keep up, or even go even, then there was still a chance. He had to scale up and get out from under Rake¡¯s pressure, so that SSK had to focus on midne as well as the othernes. This condition applied for the most part to the early game. In thete game, where one teamfight could decide victory and defeat, anything was possible.

    Hand of God¡¯s Jungler was another important condition. Just like Lin Feng kept hammering on with Liu Yue, jungle pressure was everything. HoG¡¯s Jungler couldn¡¯t fall behind. He couldn¡¯t react to SSK¡¯s ganks. He had to be the one ganking. He had to be the one making ys. Or at least, he had to put enough pressure on the game that SSK¡¯s Jungler couldn¡¯t move around freely and dictate the pace of the game.

    There were two more conditions. Topne couldn¡¯t fall. Going even was fine and even a slight loss was fine. But they absolutely couldn¡¯t afford losing it. And then there was botne. Botne was where an opportunityy for Hand of God. Nightsong was a strong ad-carry. If he could get a slight advantage in the early game and carry his team through the mid game and into thete game, then all bets were off.

    If Hand of God wanted any hope of winning this series, they had to meet all five of these conditions. Not three, not four, all five. An impossible task. On a good day, Lin Feng saw them meeting maybe two or three of them. But that wouldn¡¯t be enough. Hand of God would lose. Lin Feng lowered his head. The situation was clear. Hand of God needed a literal Hand of God to win this series. They needed divine intervention. A true miracle.

    When Lin Feng raised his head again, the stream switched to the cameras aimed at the yers. They first showed the five from Hand of God. From the Toner all the way to the Support. Their expressions were tense. Lip biting. Fidgeting. Shifting around in their chairs. It was clear how they felt. Then the yers from SSK came into view. They lookedpletely different. Rxed. Confident. Excited even.

    The camera stopped on Rake. The 20 years old Korean and best yer in the world. He sat behind his monitor, waiting for the game to start. His breathing was even and his expression was calm. There was no concern. There was no conceit. There was nothing that betrayed his feelings other than that calmness that felt so natural. When looking at him, there was no doubt in the minds of the viewers. SSK was going to win. This was going to be a quick and easy series. These were the words Rake spoke to them without even opening his mouth.

 Chapter 131: Backs Against the Wall

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Game 1 of Hand of God versus SSK was underway. Hand of God decided to go with ane swap, sending their botne top. Nightsong yed Jinx while SSK¡¯s Toner yed Fiora. HoG both wanted to make sure that the Jinx scaled into the mid game, so that Nightsong could carry them into thete game, as well as stopping the Fiora from getting any farm. If she was starved of resources in the early game, she wouldn¡¯t be having much fun. This way, HoG took care of two of the five win conditions.

    The third of five win conditions for Hand of God was that Daybreak Hermes didn¡¯t lose hisne. A steep task with his choice of Champion. It was a Yasuo versus Kassadin matchup. Both Champions were vulnerable before Level 6. So HoG decided to make use of this. Their Support, who yed Janna, roamed up to midne at 5:10 minutes and forced Rake to sh away to safety. It wasn¡¯t a kill. But a Kassadin without sh before Level 6 couldn¡¯t exert any pressure in thene. If he tried, HoG coulde for another gank and he¡¯d be dead.

    The Hand of God fans all across the world started cheering at theirputer screens or TVs, including those watching Su Xue¡¯s stream. The streamer herself jumped up from her gaming chair and threw her hands up in the air. Sheughed and cheered, ¡°NICE! He forced the sh! He forced the sh! They can do it! They¡¯re doing it! Let¡¯s go HoG!¡±

    Lin Feng looked up at Su Xue and rubbed his chin. ¡°Yeah. Not a bad start for HoG.¡±

    The game went on. Hand of God was ying well across the entire map. Then, at 8:10 minutes, their Jungler went to topne for a gank on the Fiora. Nightsong and his Support had been pushing the Fiora deep underneath her outer tower and punished her whenever she tried toe out for somest hits. Rek¡¯Sai Burrowed into the ground and moved through the tri-brush towards SSK¡¯s topne outer tower. She dug a tunnel and arrived right underneath the Fiora, where she Unburrowed. Nightsong didn¡¯t need someone to tell him what to do. His Jinx got excited as she fired off her minigun, piercing the Fiora with bullets and killing her.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    The Janna made a slight miscalction. She thought she had enough health to tank one more tower hit. She did not, and ended up giving away a kill. But Nightsong got the all important first blood on his Jinx. That was the only thing Hand of God¡¯s fans cared about right now. Their team was doing it! They were winning! The impossible suddenly started looking sort of possible! SSK wasn¡¯t stomping HoG! There were openings for HoG, chances for them to win this game! Hope grew among the fans.

    And then it shattered. It all came crashing down. At 10 minutes, SSK decided to make a y. Rake decided to show the world why he was the best yer in the world. Together with his Jungler, he walked into HoG¡¯s upper jungle, dodging the wards. Hand of God had no idea what was happening. Thest they saw of the Kassadin was him recalling back to base. But the Kassadin wasn¡¯t back in base. He was walking toward the Jinx and Janna in topne together with his Lee Sin.

    The Fiora pushed. The Jinx and Janna knew something was up. They retreated back to their outer tower. But that was precisely what SSK wanted them to do. The Kassadin and Lee Sin were waiting in the jungle brush right below the outer tower. And when the Jinx and Janna felt safe underneath their tower, they showed themselves. The three from SSK jumped on the two from HoG and made an end to any hopes of an upset. They picked up two kills without giving one away.

    Lin Feng looked at the stream. Then he looked at the chat and at Su Xue sitting next to him. The excitement from a moment ago was gone, and with good reason. SSK had flexed their muscles. They¡¯d given a reminder to the world that they were the best. That HoG could try all they wanted, but that it was them who would take this game and then the series. Lin Feng shook his head. This was what he¡¯d expected that would happen. Hand of God just wasn¡¯t good enough. This series was more than just difficult.

    ?

    The game had slipped out of Hand of God¡¯s control before they even realized it. At 15 minutes, they found themselves at a 3,000 gold deficit. This was arge enough gap that every fight felt like SSK had an extra Champion on the Rift. It was the gold equivalent to a full item. One SSK made full use of two minutester at the dragon pit. Both teams were hovering around the alcove in which the Dragon slumbered, firing off skillshots at each other and trying to find a pick. To find the angle so that they could win the teamfight and then y the Dragon.

    The Lee Sin found that angle. His Sonic Wave connected with Nightsong¡¯s Jinx. He activated the second part of his skill¨CResonating Strike¨Cand dashed towards the Jinx. Then he shed through the Jinx and appeared behind her before turning around and hitting her with a roundhouse kick¨CDragon¡¯s Rage! The Jinx wasunched towards SSK¡¯s team, who made quick work of her. Rake picked up the kill.

    While the yers from HoG turned on the Lee Sin, The Fiora from SSK had pathed around the dragon pit and walked right into HoG¡¯s backline to help her Jungler. All the while Kassadin lingered around the edge of the fight, waiting for his opportunity. The Janna moved forward a little. Just enough to be in range of a Rift Walk. The Kassadin jumped on her, dealing ssh damage. He followed up with a Null Sphere, an orb of void energy that dealt magic damage, and also canceled the Janna¡¯s Monsoon within half a second after her casting it. Then he hit her with a Force Pulse, unleashing the residual power of collected magic, before stabbing her to death with his Nether de.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    SSK won the teamfight. There was no hope for Hand of God after losing their ad-carry before the fight even started. Hand of God did end up killing the Lee Sin, the silver lining around a deep pit of despair. Rake got a triple kill. The Fiora picked up a kill and two assists. SSK¡¯s carries were fed. They took the Dragon and from it they got a buff to their physical and magical damage. Then they pushed down the wave in botne and picked up a tower. Four kills, a Dragon and a tower. And all it cost them was one death. Their Jungler. Not even a carry. They came out big in this teamfight and had just about secured a win.

    The Hand of God fans all across the world were struck speechless. Silent. Their hopes, crushed. SSK was too strong! Hand of God had no chance of winning this series. Or even a game. The fans didn¡¯t start ming Hand of God. Most of them didn¡¯t, anyway. But they also didn¡¯t cheer. Stream chats all across HuyaTV were silent. Despite the thousands of viewers across hundreds of streams, no one typed a word..

    SSK wasn¡¯t a team to let an advantage slip from their fingers. They capitalized on the y at Dragon and only pulled further ahead from there. More and more kills wereing their way. Hand of God had to give up objectives to them and were forced to protect their base, afraid to even step out into their ownnes or jungle. Then, as the game reached the 27th minute, SSK dealt the killing blow. They towerdove into HoG¡¯s base and Aced them. A clean Ace. Zero for five. The nexus exploded 20 secondster.

    Though HoG had enjoyed the early advantage, SSK decided to show the world why they were the best team. Su Xue had a hard time epting this. She was still riding the high of Hand of God¡¯s early game and was desperate to see them win. Watching SSK win felt like a bad dream to her. She muttered, ¡°H-how did this happen? How did we lose? We had such a good start! HoG was so far ahead! I thought they¡¯d win for sure! How did SSK turn that around?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. This oue was the most likely one. The momentum was now in favour of SSK. HoG would have to pull something truly special if they hoped to turn this around. Their odds had dropped even lower than they already were before the first game. Lin Feng really couldn¡¯t see a world in which they¡¯d do the impossible.

    ?

    Hand of God was the Red team in game 2. They put their best foot forward, giving it their all. But there were no fancy tactics or tricks that could surprise SSK. It became another game where Rake showcased to the world why everyone called him the best yer in the world. His Support helped him jumpstart hisne with an early gank at Level 3. He got a kill on his Fizz against Hermes¡¯ Viktor. A fed Fizz was a deadly fish. Rake kept the pressure on and only a few minutester, at 6 minutes, he picked up a solo kill on the Viktor.

    Four minutester, SSK was winning in everyne. They¡¯d opened up a 4,000 gold lead and it was looking very difficult for HoG to do anything about it. No matter how HoG tried, from a teamfight at 15 minutes that ended in them losing all five members for two kills to ast ditch effort at 30 minutes where they lost all five yers without getting a single kill, nothing worked. Their deficit just becamerger andrger, reaching far beyond 10,000 gold by the end of the game, until their nexus exploded after 32 minutes of ying.

    SSK 2 - 0 HoG

    Hand of God found themselves with their backs against the wall. One more loss and it would be all over. Their dreams of lifting the Summoner¡¯s Cup would end. The fans felt just as nervous, sweating behind theirputers. Their team had to win! It was still possible! All Hand of God had to do was to win the next three games! A reverse sweep! It¡¯d happened before!

    But it didn¡¯t happen this time. SSK decided to end the third game fast and decisively. Rake yed Lenc mid. He achieved the Legendary status within 20 minutes. Hermes didn¡¯t stand a chance. Even walking intone felt dangerous. And when he didn¡¯t, or hesitated, Rake would roam top or bot and pick up kills there. No one was safe. It wasn¡¯t even fun to watch anymore towards the end. The only positive point for HoG was that SSK didn¡¯t drag the game and ended it just short of 25 minutes in.

    The online forums didn¡¯t descend into chaos. No one wanted to me Hand of God. They¡¯d yed their best and given it their all. There was nothing to me them for. SSK was just better. The millions of Hand of God fans across the globe, though most were located in China, slumped back in their seats and shook their heads as they watched the screen. It was over. Their hopes for a World Championships title were gone. They¡¯d have to wait for next year.

    The stream showed the yers from SSK. They wereughing and joking together. It looked like they were just having a good time, and not as if they¡¯d juste out of a grueling quarterfinals series at the World Championships for League of Legends. Like this was just another day for them. Then the camera focused on Rake. He wasn¡¯tughing with his teammates. Rather, he sat behind hisputer and looked at the post game lobby. There was no change in his expression from the start of the first game. He looked as calm as ever, a calmness that was borne from the absolute confidence he had in his own skills and in his teammates. They were the best.

    Lin Feng looked at his old rival. He didn¡¯t hear Su Xue bbering on next to his ear, or the viewers typing in chat. His full attention was on Rake. The only person he¡¯d ever lost to. Just wait. I¡¯m training. I¡¯ll get stronger again. We¡¯ll fight again and I¡¯ll win this time. Just wait. I¡¯ll be back.

    ?

    Day 3 of the quarterfinals came to an end. SSK made it through to the semis and HoG was sent home. The only Chinese hope left at Worlds was KG. They felt the pressure of an entire region resting on their shoulders. Lin Feng was well aware of this. And the heavy burden this ced on Tian Tian. So, after ending the stream with Su Xue and retreating to his own room, he took out his phone and made a long distance call to France.

    ¡°Hey, Fatty! How are you! Excited for tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°H-hey, Lin Feng. I-i¡¯m ok.¡±

    ¡°What is that? You don¡¯t sound all that good!¡±

    ¡°Eh, i-it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope! That¡¯s not the Fatty I know! The Fatty I know would be talking about winning!¡±

    ¡°I-i¡¯m going to win!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to carry?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. I¡¯ll carry my team to victory!¡±

    ¡°And then what?¡±

    Tian Tian had nothing to say. He had no idea how to respond to that question...

 Chapter 132: The Challenge Back Then

    Tian Tian shook off his nerves and even smiled a little. And then what? If Lin Feng had asked him this right after HoG¡¯s loss to SSK, he might¡¯ve said something else. But not anymore. He thought back, back to minutes after the game, when the yers from HoG walked off the stage, deted. Nightsong and then Daybreak Hermes right behind him. He¡¯d pped. These two all time greats from the LPL had put on a phenomenal show. They¡¯d given it their all! It just wasn¡¯t enough this time. He¡¯d pped as they walked by and even mumbled a few words, ¡°Y-you guys did great!¡± But they were lost in the crowd, never reaching anyone¡¯s ears.

    Nightsong did hear something. He looked at Tian Tian and smiled, pained. There was a pause in his step, a slight hesitation, before he stopped and walked up to Tian Tian. He put his hand on Tian Tian¡¯s shoulder and, after a brief moment, grinned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t enough. You saw it. Fuck. Whatever, shit happens. I¡¯ll piss all over them next year and show who canst longer. But this year is all on you now. You can do it, man. Make us proud.¡±

    Daybreak Hermes had followed a step behind Nightsong. He¡¯d put his arm around his friend¡¯s shoulder and looked at Tian Tian. ¡°What this dude here says. Make us proud. You can do this. Just like the Heca and Riven games.¡±

    Tian Tian held the phone close to his ears. And then what? The answer was so simple. This was for the yers! This was for the hopes and dreams of everyone who followed the LPL! This was for the glory of the LPL! But more than anything, this was for him! He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Then we¡¯re going to make it to semis!¡±

    ?

    It was all on KG now! Hand of God was eliminated. They were the first seed from the LPL and most Chinese fans had vested their hopes and dreams on them. Now that they were out, these fans turned to KG. They acted like lifelong fans and flooded the online sphere with their presence. The added pressure was almost palpable. Even more so since KG had, in the eyes of many, the easiest way to the semifinals. Their opponent wasn¡¯t an Emperor team. They only had to y a King team. Assassins.

    Assassins was a team from the LMS. This was the League of Legends Master Series, apetition in which teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macaupeted. They were the best in this smaller region. And not just by a little. This was in part due to their Jungler. Read XIII. He was one of the best Junglers in the entire world, most known for his fantastic Lee Sin. His skills on Lee Sin were so good that many fans considered him the best yer on the Champion! The only other yer who couldy im to this title was Orion, another King and Jungler for the Korean team Warrior.

    There was a famous Taiwanese esports publication. They ranked all professional teams on their individual skills, teamwork and team synergy. In their rankings, 65 points was the score of a middle of the pack professional team. As for the best few teams in the world, those who were expected to make it to the quarterfinals and beyond at Worlds, they scored a minimum of 80 points. This was where Assassins ranked. Their individual yers got them a score of 65. On top of that, they got another 15 points for teamwork and team synergy for a grand total of 80 points! They were one of the best teams in the world!

    Lin Feng was talking with Fatty over the phone. The topic had shifted from some motivating words to Assassins¡¯ Jungler. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching some games. That Read XIII sure has gotten a lot stronger!¡± He was Lin Feng, and he didn¡¯t know how demotivating words could sound. His words were full of excitement. In his eyes, this was the perfect chance for Fatty to show the world just how good he was! He said, ¡°Fatty, you can do it! Read was worse than you! You had one full rank on him! Now he somehow got this King title behind his name. That should be yours! You were better then and you¡¯re better now! You just have to beat him for the rest of the world to see it!¡±

    Tian Tian wasn¡¯t quite feeling the enthusiasm in Lin Feng¡¯s voice. He replied, ¡°B-but he¡¯s a Jungler¡­ I¡¯m a Toner! I-it¡¯s like apples and oranges. You can¡¯t justpare us. And he¡¯s really good! H-he¡¯s gotten so much better since Season 1.¡±

    ¡°Ah, who cares about that?¡± Lin Fengughed. ¡°All you have to do is win. You can do that. Easy. Just do like Eleven did! Eleven¡ª¡± Eleven was the Jungler on Lin Feng¡¯s team back in Season 1. It was a name he hadn¡¯t said in a long time. One he didn¡¯t intend to say out loud.

    Tian Tian heard Lin Feng¡¯s voice breaking off. He thought for a moment the connection died, but then heard his friend breathing on the other side. It was the name. He put two and two together, but didn¡¯t know what to do with it. All he had were his words, and he wasn¡¯t great at using them. The only thing he could think of was a fond memory, one he shared with Lin Feng. He said, ¡°Y-yeah, yeah! Remember how we always made fun of their names? Eleven is better than Thirteen. Hehehe. That guy got so annoyed by it. It was great, hehe¡­¡±

    It didn¡¯t have the desired effect. There came no reply from the other side of the line. ¡°U-uh¡­ ¡®Member XIII?¡± He stuttered a few more words. ¡°Oh I ¡®member!¡± Anything to get Lin Feng talking again. ¡°That was fantastic.¡± But there came no reply. Lin Feng didn¡¯t start talking again. So he stopped, holding the phone to his ear, not knowing what to do.

    Lin Feng thought back to his road to Worlds in Season 1. His team was only one step away from securing the Asian wildcard. Their final opponent was the team Read XIII was on. It was a best of three series. The series came down to a difference in Junglers. Eleven outyed Read XIII in both games,nding Lin Feng¡¯s team a clean sweep. They qualified, while Read XIII and his team were sent home and could only cheer on Lin Feng¡¯s team. Something they promised to do.

    The two teams even made ns to meet up again in the next season. They¡¯d had that much fun in the series! Read XIII was especially interested in this rematch. He wanted, needed even, a chance at revenge! With only this in mind, he started practicing. He trained and he trained to be the better Jungler, to be the better yer. But the next year, Eleven had disappeared from the professional scene just like Lin Feng had. There was no revenge to be had for Read XIII. That didn¡¯t slow him down. He kept working hard and had fought his way into the Seven Kings!

    Lin Feng bit his lips, then finally said, ¡°Hey, Fatty. After your games, I want to talk to you about something.¡±

    Tian Tian held the phone closer to his ear. He smiled when he heard Lin Feng¡¯s voice again and started nodding. ¡°Okay!¡±

    Lin Feng forced a smile on his face and hyped up his voice. ¡°You have to win! You can do it! Just do it! I¡¯ll do the same tomorrow in the next round of my tournament!¡±

    ?

    League of Legends fans from around the world opened their favourite streams. So too did Su Xue¡¯s viewers. They were looking for the best viewing experience of Day 4 of the League of Legends World Championships! The all Chinese team KG would face off against Assassins for a spot in the semifinals! To them, no one was better at analyzing than Lin Feng! Their li¡¯l bro! But it wasn¡¯t his voice that weed them. It was a female voice. The one that belonged to the maid. ¡°Go KG! Go KG!¡±

    ¡¸GO AWAY STUPID MAID¡¹

    ¡¸stop waving around that jerky like a fool¡­...¡¹

    ¡¸lill brroooo, help us get rid of the maid pllssssssssss¡¹

    ¡¸Why does she always have to be here?¡¹

    ¡¸remember the games with just lil bro? Those were the days¡¹

    ¡¸she isnt goin to be givin that shit analysis talks again right¡¹

    This was how the viewers showed their affection with Su Xue. It was a game where they were offensive while she pretended to be infuriated. There was never a dull moment in the stream because of that. More importantly, right now, it helped to get the viewers¡¯ minds off the game. To forget about their nervous anticipation. KG had to win. They just had to! It couldn¡¯t be any other way!

    Lin Feng sat next to Su Xue. His eyes were on the stream, instead of on chat. The camera panned over to the yers from KG, showing closeups of their expressions. When Fatty came on screen, Lin Feng started smiling and balled his fist. You can do it! Come on, Fatty! Do it!

    ?

    The Zenith Paris was full of excited fans. Even if the game didn¡¯t feature a European team, that didn¡¯t dampen their mood one bit. Everyone had found their favourites, many of them leaning towards KG after their phenomenal performance in the second week of the group stage. They were pping their glow sticks together and cheering for the 10 yers as they took to the stage and sat down behind theirputers.

    Tian Tian sat down behind hisputer. He heard the fans in the background, cheering his name! Beads of sweat rolled off his forehead and trickled down his face. These were just 9,000 people. There were millions more watching online, counting on him to carry KG to the semis. He was the hope for the LPL. He was the only one who could do this! Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply. The air filled his lungs. Then he blew it all out, letting the tension in his body go with it.

    ¡°I-i¡¯m going to win! I will win! Win! Win! Win!¡± His eyes snapped open. Tian Tian looked up from his screen at the crowd in the arena. At all the people cheering for him! For his team! For all the people watching him y at home! For Nightsong and Hermes! For Lin Feng, and most importantly, for himself! He was going to win! No matter how hard it was going to be. No matter how strong Assassins yed today! No matter how shit his team was today! No matter anything and everything! He was going to fight! He was going to never give up! And he was going to win! He looked at the screen and ced his hands on his mouse and keyboard. It was time to y!

    KG and Assassins locked in their Champions. They loaded into the game and went with a standard strategy. There were no early level invades into the other team¡¯s jungle, nor were therene swaps. It was a pure matchup of skill. A matchup KG won. They pushed the differentnes, with top tower being the first to fall. Tian Tian kept putting pressure and forcing Read XIII, Assassins¡¯ Jungler, to make trips up top. The rest of KG used this time to push theirnes. From there it was a methodical finish. Assassins¡¯ Nexus exploded after 32 minutes.

    This was the start that KG¡¯s fans wanted to see! Assassins was a King team. KG only had God Roundy. But KG was the team dictating the pace of the game. There was no evidence that Assassins actually had a King on their roster. In the first game, anyways. The second game was a little different. It was a lot more even and at 35 minutes, KG tried to make the difference by trying to kill Baron Nashor without Assassins noticing. They did notice. Read XIII yed Rek¡¯Sai and was waiting around the edge of the Baron Pit. Waiting for that one moment. That one opportunity.

    KG¡¯s Jungler yed Jarvan IV. He tanked Baron Nashor while his team killed it. His health was dropping, but there was no sign of Assassinsing to stop them, so he kept pushing. He kept pushing. And then a tunnel appeared on the map. It came from the other side of the wall. Rek¡¯Sai wed herself out of the tunnel and knocked the Jarvan IV airborne. She followed up with a quick auto attack to kill the Jarvan IV. Then she turned to Baron Nashor.

 Chapter 133: The First Pentakill

    Read XIII¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai still had Smite, a Summoner Skill that dealt a lot of damage to minions and monsters. Baron Nashor was at low health, high enough that it still took a few more skills or auto attacks to kill it but low enough that one Smite could kill it. So Read XIII smited the Baron. The giant wurm died on the spot and granted a team wide buff to Assassins.

    Su Xue grabbed onto her desk. She dug her nails into the surface. KG¡¯s Jungler was dead. This was a 4vs5 now, and Assassins had the Baron Buff! Everything looked wrong, and everything went wrong from there. Assassins pushed down the midne, killing two more yers from KG in the process. They forced their way into the base and killed another one. Only Roundy Round was left alive. He fought back hard in a desperate attempt to stall the game. But the death timers were too long. The Nexus towers fell with 20 seconds still left for the Jarvan IV to respawn, not to mention the others.

    ¡°Aghhh! How did we lose that game?¡± Su Xue eximed. The Nexus exploded in front of her eyes and the victory screen for Assassins appeared. ¡°W-we won the teamfight before! How did we lose at Baron? Gahhh! Damn that Rek¡¯Sai! How did Read XIII get that steal! It shouldn¡¯t have been possible! J4 should¡¯ve¡­¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his messy hair and said, ¡°He¡¯s a King for a reason. You can¡¯t underestimate him. Even when he¡¯s not ying on his Lee Sin!¡±

    The stream chat felt very much deted. Game 1 saw a chat full of jokes andughter and excitement. The second game started out the same. But as the tension built up towards thete game, the viewers stopped making jokes. Their messages turned serious. They were looking for an opening KG could use, even though they had no way of contacting said team. Then they watched Read XIII steal the Baron and carry his team to a win.

    ¡¸ahh¡­¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸I guess a King team > KG...¡¹

    ¡¸i really thought we had a chance¡¹

    ¡¸mmannnn, why does it always have to end likes this??!?!?¡¹

    ¡¸hog also looked good at first. look what happened to them.¡¹

    ¡¸plzzzzz dont lose pplzzzzzzzzz¡¹

    ?

    KG and Assassins had one win each, and Assassins was riding the momentum high after the Baron steal and the subsequent win. However, it didn¡¯t feel like that. They were cheering, but not on their feet. A high five. A pat on the shoulder. That was it. Read XIII looked across hisputer at KG¡¯s lineup. More specifically, he looked towards God Roundy. This was a yer he remembered very well from back in Season 1. They were old friends. But he wasn¡¯t happy to be facing his old friend. Not today. Something felt off. Or wrong. He couldn¡¯t quite ce it. All he knew was that there was this indescribable feeling warning him of Roundy Round. ¡°Dammit! Why does it feel like that fatass is going to do something crazy!¡±

    ?

    There was a small break between game two and three of the KG versus Assassins series. Lin Feng chatted with the viewers a bit, but there was an annoying buzz that kept distracting him. It came from his pocket. High School 13¡¯s esports club had a team chat. This way, even when they weren¡¯t watching Worlds together, they could still share their feelings while watching it!

    Ouyang:¡¸fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! we lost that second game! goddamn stupid reksai!!!!¡¹

    Liu Yue:¡¸nnuuuuuuu coommmeee ooonnn KG!!! Dont throw this!¡¹

    Ren Rou:¡¸?(¨p?3?)? f this all! We¡¯ll win for sure!¡¹

    Tang Bingyao:¡¸Read XIII carried this game for Assassins. If KG wants to win the next one, they need someone on their team to carry harder.¡¹

    Lin Feng skimmed through the messages before putting his phone away again. He didn¡¯t have time to talk with his friends now. Right now, he was helping Su Xue with her stream, and he would give his full attention to that! So he put his phone on silent and focused back on the stream as KG and Assassins went into Champion Select for Game 3. He looked at the bans and then said to the stream, ¡°Against Assassins, it¡¯s absolutely necessary that KG take the initiative. They can¡¯t let Read XIII do his thing. Then it¡¯ll be very hard to win. The good news is that KG does have that ability. They have the yer to do that. If they give Roundy Round a Champion he can carry on, they can win this game.¡±

    It looked as if KG¡¯s coach, who was telling his yers which Champion to pick, was listening to Su Xue¡¯s stream. Only secondster did KG lock in Fiora. A woman with a Bluesteel rapier. She most definitely had the potential to take the initiative and carry her team to a victory! The stream chat saw this Champion as a reaffirmation of their beliefs.

    ¡¸LIL BRO CAN LOOK IN THE FUTURE¡¹

    ¡¸this analysis! Holy dam¡­ lil bro is the best¡¹

    ¡¸woootttttt FIORA!!! Lezzz goooooo¡¹

    ?

    This was it. There was no more warming up. Whoever won this match was on gamepoint! KG and Assassins loaded into the game. They bought their items and went to theirnes. KG went with the normal setup, while Assassins initiated ane swap. Their Boners went topne to face Tian Tian¡¯s Fiora! They were going to focus him and shut him down! It didn¡¯t stop there. They had big ns for stopping the Fiora from ever getting into the game.

    Read XIII ganked topne twice in the first 10 minutes of the game. It almost looked like a 3vs1 in top. Assassins really had it out for Tian Tian! But Tian Tian didn¡¯t die. He lost some minions, but that was it. It was as if he had a sixth sense, warning him whenever Read XIII came close to hisne. Before the Lee Sin could even walk into the topne, he would¡¯ve retreated underneath his tower. He didn¡¯t give away any advantage. The game was still dead even.

    On the caster desk for the official Chinese broadcast of Worlds, Stone was hopping up and down in excitement. An LPL team was doing well in the quarterfinals! And his curse hadn¡¯t struck yet! ¡°Beautiful!¡± he shouted as Roundy Round evaded another gank. ¡°Roundy is really sharp today! It¡¯s like he has eyes at the back of his head!¡±

    Qinghe looked over at Stone and then back at the camera. ¡°Roundy is doing very well in avoiding danger! But, that isn¡¯t enough to win this game. Assassins are pouring a lot of resources in keeping him down, and to some extent it¡¯s working. He needs to find a way to break out of this situation and get some time farming minions for experience and gold.¡±

    At 15 minutes, the gaming wasing to a head. Assassins¡¯ Boners had disappeared from topne, presumably to go back to base and buy items. But then they showed themselves at the Dragon Pit, together with the rest of Assassins. KG¡¯s Boners moved up while their Jungler and Miner also came to contest, walking around the backside of the pit to team up with their ad-carry and Support. Skillshots started being flung around.

    Read XIII did it. He had his Lee Sin send out a Sonic Wave. It connected with Konjac¡¯s Jinx. This was the target to hit. They had a chance to take out the carry! He pressed down on his Q key and activated the second part of this skill¨CResonating Strike! His Lee Sin dashed towards the Jinx, who shed away before he even arrived. The distance was further. He found himself a little behind KG¡¯s team. Kicking back the Jinx didn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense; he¡¯d be kicking her into her own team. But he was right behind the Elise. So he hit her with a roundhouse kick and sent her flying towards the other yers from Assassins¨CDragon¡¯s Rage!

    Lee Sin was in the middle of KG¡¯s team. The Thresh Support from KG yed him back, allowing the Jinx to fire away at the Lee Sin with her minigun. They got the Lee Sin down to half health in a short moment. But this wasn¡¯t just any Lee Sin. This was Read XIII¡¯s Lee Sin, the best Lee Sin in the world! He knew exactly what he had to do to get out of this, or he wouldn¡¯t have gone in. The moment he could move again, he ced a ward on the ground and dashed towards it with Safeguard. There was still a gap between him and his team. He was in the middle of this face off. So he shed away to the safety of his own team.

    There was a ward in the river brush above the Dragon Pit. It lit up with a blue light. A teleport! Tian Tian wasing down to help his team! Assassins were focused on dealing with the Elise and helping their Jungler get back safely. Theypletely missed the teleport. Tian Tian appeared behind the yers from Assassins. The Lee Sin was running towards him, towards what he believed to be safety. It wasn¡¯t. Tian Tian pressed the Q key¨CLunge! His Fiora lunged towards the Lee Sin and stabbed him, dealing physical damage and applying on-hit effects.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tian Tian was in the middle of Assassins¡¯ team. There were four more Champions around him, all turning their attention to him. He had to be fast. His next target had to be one of the carries. The Kalista was the most obvious one. So he clicked on her,manding his Fiora to attack. The Fiora attacked the Kalista with her rapier. Her passive identified the vitals on her target. It was called the Duelist¡¯s Dance and showed her where to attack next. An arrow instructing Tian Tian from which direction he could deal the most damage to the Kalista.

    Assassins¡¯ Support was a Leona, a defensive Champion with a lot of crowd control. All she had to do wasnd one of her skills and the Fiora would be stunned. The Fiora would be dead. The Leona projected a sr image of her sword straight towards the Fiora, about to jump towards her and stun her. But before the image faded, the Fiora disappeared. She¡¯d shed away to the other side of Kalista! To where her Duelist¡¯s Dance told her to attack next!

    Tian Tian pressed down on the R key¨CGrand Challenge! His Fiora revealed all four Vitals on the Kalista and gained bonus movement speed. There was a second part to this skill, other than the massive damage she dealt after hitting a Vital. Arge area around the target would be a healing ground for Fiora and her teammates if she hit the four Vitals or killed the target. The target was Kalista. Her health was low. One auto attack on the first Vital did the job.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    On the caster desk, Stone mmed his fist on the desk and shouted, ¡°NICE! LET¡¯S GO!¡±

    Qinghe nodded and added, ¡°God Roundy has done it! He got the second part of the Fiora ult! He¡¯s going to clean up this figh¡ª¡±

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    There was no time to shoutcast. There was no time to do anything. Tian Tian went to town with his Fiora. The third kill came before the casters could even talk about the second. And the fourth came before they could even cheer for the third.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    It was a quadra kill! A quadra kill! The people in the Zenith Paris went wild. They jumped up from their seats and screamed Tian Tian¡¯s name. ¡°GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY!¡± They held up their signboards and were pping together their glow sticks. They were chugging their beers and jumping up and down, the vibrations reaching all the way to the parking lot outside. And they weren¡¯t the only ones. All across the world, every KG fan screamed and yelled and cheered. This was their moment! A 1vs5 quadra kill! And there was still a Gnar alive. A Gnar that was trying to flee!

    The Thresh Support from KG shed forward and threw out a Death Sentence. His sickle cut through the air towards the Gnar and wrapped around him. Then he dragged the Gnar back towards him, while throwing antern to Tian Tian¡¯s Fiora¨CDark Passage!

    Tian Tian clicked thentern. His Fiora dashed towards the Thresh and got a shield. She was right in front of the Gnar. Then she lunged forward, stabbing the Gnar, dealing physical damage. The Jinx caught up and also hit a few auto attacks. The rest from KG was a step behind. But Tian Tian wasn¡¯t going to let this kill slip from his fingers. He attacked with another auto attack.

    ?

    Lin Feng watched the stream, forgetting to breathe. He stared at Fatty. How he moved. How he killed. How he did absolutely everything right on his Fiora. It was a beautiful disy of skill. A level of y that very few, if any, other yers could imitate. This was the Fatty he remembered from Season 1! This was Fatty! He clenched his fist and smiled. Fatty! You did it! You did it!

 Chapter 134: Not Out Yet!

    ¡¶Pentakill!¡·

    The announcer¡¯s voice boomed out from the stadium speakers. The bass thrummed on the ground. The 9,000 fans felt the vibrationse up their feet and into their voices as they were screaming their lungs out. Colourful beams lit up the dome and shed around. The Zenith Paris was on fire! Then the hall went dark. A sudden change. A sudden silence. A single beam of light lit up and shone down on Tian Tian. Therge LCD screens started a rey. The Fiora dashing through Assassins¡¯ team with her Bluesteel rapier, reaping lives. It was the perfect y. It was a...

    ¡°P¨CP¨CP¨CPEEENTAAKILLLL! GOD ROUNDY GETS THE PPEENNNTTTAAAAAA!¡± Lolo cried out! She jumped off her seat on thementator desk and grabbed her hair with both hands. Her expression said more than a thousand words. Utter joy and disbelief.

    Stone was drumming on the desk,ughing. That same expression of joy and disbelief. ¡°God Roundy! What a hero! He gets the first penta at Worlds this year! What a brilliant y! Holy¡­ Damn. The timing. The teleport, focus¡­ Perfection.¡± He forced his head away from the rey and looked into the camera. ¡°For all you people sitting at home, wondering what perfection looks like? This was it. This was perfection. God Roundy is perfection! It was all nned and executed to perfection! PERFECTION! Did you all see that sh? That¡¯s only possible if he knew the Zenith de wasing for him. He was prepared to hit that D! It was fucking perfect! God Roundy, if you watch this backter. I LOVE YOU! That was just¡­ perfect.¡±

    Qinghe didn¡¯t jump up from his seat, nor did he join in theughter. Not on first sight, anyways. But his attempt at hiding the big smile on his face fooled exactly zero people. Anyone could read the joy in his expression. He turned to the camera and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rest of KG! It was the quick turn around and follow up by their Mid and Support that helped God Roundy to get the Penta! But let¡¯s talk a little about the rest of the game now. Assassins¡¯ n failed. God Roundy got back into the game. KG now has a solid lead. They might¡¯ve lost two yers in this fight, but that¡¯s nothingpared to the penta and first Dragon. KG really has to screw up from here to not win this game.¡±

    The pentakill killed the deadlock the game was in. Tian Tian was catapulted ahead of everyone else, grabbing both the gold and experience lead. His KDA went up to 5/0/0 and he¡¯d be Unstoppable in the span of a single teamfight. It was a double whammy for Assassins. All their effort, resources and strategizing were out the window. Their gamen of shutting Tian Tian down had failed, miserably. It¡¯dpletely blown up in their faces! There was no one on their team who could stop him now. Even sending two members after him wouldn¡¯t change that. He was too far ahead. Two members sent his way was the same as giving away two more kills. This situation was a nightmare for them.

    The crowd was cheering KG! The casters celebrated the phenomenal performance! The millions of KG fans all across the globe could finally rx back in their chairs. KG was doing it. They were winning! Even the critical Lin Feng joined the bandwagon. He smiled and said to Su Xue¡¯s stream, ¡°KG should win this game. They¡¯re doing it! Actually, let me make it a little more clear. If KG doesn¡¯t win this game. If they let Assassins get back into it and win, then they might as well swim back home to Shanghai!¡± It was a running joke in China. A punishment for a team that didn¡¯t just underperform, but a team that yed so badly that they should feel too ashamed to ever show their faces again!

    KG wasn¡¯t nning to swim home, or take the ne. They were going to stay in France and make it to the next round! Their first step was this game. There was a small change to their gamen. Tian Tian was now the main carry. The resources in the game were shoved his way and the rest of the team yed around him. He was so strong that with the help of his team, there was nothing Assassins could do. It didn¡¯t matter how good Read XIII¡¯s Lee Sin was. It didn¡¯t matter how well they yed. The gold gap was too big. Tian Tian was too far ahead. And he only yed better. Towers fell and Assassins were pushed back into their base.

    Read XIII mmed down on his keyboard. He gripped his mouse and almost squashed it in half. ¡°Fuck fuck fuck! The hell did that fatass eat? He¡¯s never been this good! What the fuck. He¡¯s ying out of his fucking mind!¡± He knew Tian Tian was good. They went way back. But there was a clear distinction between being good and being great. This game, Tian Tian was great. Maybe even better. So good that Read XIII, as a King, could do nothing to stop him. Read XIII was powerless to turn this game around.

    ?

    VICTORY!

    The crowd jumped back to their feet! A win by KG! Though the excitement wasn¡¯t all there. That was already expended on the pentakill. The rest of the game was a foregone conclusion. KG yed the methodical game and made sure to not give Assassins any chances of mounting aeback. It was to be expected, but still not the most exciting bit to watch. A 31 minute win by KG. KG was up two to one in the series. They were on gamepoint! One more win and they were through to the semifinals of Worlds!

    Prophet Stone was all smiles, proud of how KG had yed the game out. But that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d lost his caution. He looked into the camera and warned, ¡°Ahem! Don¡¯t celebrate too early, guys. This series is not over yet. Assassins is still a King team. You can¡¯t count them out. KG has to focus and make sure they don¡¯t slip up in the next gam¨C¡±

    The stern expression, the grave words, Lolo couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She started giggling, hiding her mouth with her hand, then said, ¡°Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t see what you¡¯re trying to do, Prophet Stone. Trying to work that Prophet magic, huh? Hehe!¡±

    Stone¡¯s Caster¡¯s Curse was a popr meme in the League of Legends circle. Stone knew it. Lolo knew it. Everyone knew it. The fansughed and started flooding the chat of the live broadcast.

    ¡¸about god dam time he puts his power to good use!¡¹

    ¡¸The prophet¡¯s about to cast his curse! Everybody duck! ¡¹

    ¡¸STONE HAS SAID THE WORDS!!!! THE CURSE HAS BEEN CAST!¡¹

    ¡¸yo yo stone! i got me here a wife that wants to watch some stupid dating show¡­. curse her away plzzzz¡¹

    ¡¸HAHAHAH kick their assessssss in!!!¡¹

    ¡¸the prophet prophesies the prophecy. kg for the w1nnn¡¹

    Qinghe scrolled through the chat messages andughed. He looked at Stone and said, ¡°Seems like the fans at home are at ease. You¡¯ve struck Assassins with your Caster¡¯s Curse! We¡¯ll be watching them crumble apart next game. I believe!¡±

    Stone looked at the camera and rolled his eyes, slowly. ¡°Guys, hey¡­ I¡¯m being serious here, okay? They¡¯re a King team. We really can¡¯t underestimate them. KG has to y another perfect game to beat them!¡± Then he smirked. He liked the meme. And the fans did too. This little spiel boosted everyone¡¯s spirits and didn¡¯t hurt anyone. That was the most he could do. The rest was up to KG. They had to y the game. They had to face Assassins. And they had to win! As for him, like all other KG fans, he hoped that KG would do that and make it through to the semifinals.

    ?

    The fourth game in the series started. This was it. Either Assassins would w their way back into it and force a deciding fifth game, or KG would win and move on to the semifinals. This game could decide the final semi finalist of Season 5 Worlds! The Champion Select went without much surprise. Assassins stuck to Lee Sin and formed an early game teamposition around it. On the other side, KG went with a teamposition that didn¡¯t start shining untilter in the game. If they survived the early game, they¡¯d carry thete game to a win.

    Assassins came out swinging from the first minute of the game, as was to be expected from their teamposition. They invaded KG¡¯s Jungle, gankednes, and did everything they could to get the advantage needed to secure a win. But KG fought back. They weren¡¯t giving anything away. Their Jungler knew what fights he could take, and more importantly, which he couldn¡¯t take. Thenes were ying defensively, but they weren¡¯t losing. And Tian Tian got revenge on his Gnar. Unlike the game in the group stage where his Gnar got toyed around with, this game he became a real presence.

    The early advantage did go to Assassins. It was to be expected. There really was no question about it. The real question was if the advantage was big enough. If they had pulled open a far enough lead where they could y the game out before it ever got to thete game. The answer was a resounding no. They hadn¡¯t. Their advantage was small, almost negligible. And with every next minute, KG became stronger and stronger. Assassins knew that they had to do something extreme if they still wanted to win this game. They turned their attention to Baron Nashor. If they could kill this giant wurm and win a teamfight off the back of it, then, just maybe, they¡¯d be able to push down midne and finish the game.

    There were wards everywhere. Assassins were desperate. They weren¡¯t thorough enough. There were wards they missed and they didn¡¯t have full intel on where the yers from KG were. But they stillmitted. It was the only option in their eyes. They attacked Baron Nashor, their health bars steadily dropping. Around the back, Tian Tian¡¯s Gnar appeared. He was on the backside of the Baron Pit. A wall separated him from the yers from Assassins. They stuck to the Baron. That was the call. Then Tian Tian shed over the wall and into the Baron Pit. His Gnar¡¯s rage hit the maximum and the little yordle evolved into Mega Gnar! Then therge monster stood up on his hind legs and dug his ws into the ground behind him. He swept forward, throwing everything around him against the wall of the Baron Pit and stunning the four yers that were hit by it¨CGNAR!

    The crowd in the Zenith Paris went silent. This was the game. The other yers from KG followed up behind the Gnar. They took out the stunned yers from Assassins, then finished off Baron Nashor. The Baron buff didn¡¯t just boost yer stats, it also boosted the stats of the minions near a Champion. With the help of the empowered minions, they pushed down midne. They destroyed the towers and inhibitors. The yers from Assassins only started respawning when KG was already attacking the nexus. They threw themselves forward, but were sent back to the fountain.

    VICTORY

    KG 3 - 1 Assassins

    The final hope of the LPL, the all Chinese team KG, had done it! They¡¯d made it out of groups and now had won their quarter finals series against Assassins! They were moving on to the semifinals! An LPL team had qualified for the semifinals! It took a minute for realization to set in, for the fans, for the casters, and even for the yers from KG. They just sat there, staring at the victory screen, until the cheers and chants from the crowd shook them away.

    ¡°WE FUCKING DID IT!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOO¡±

    ¡°WHAT AN ULT ROUNDY!¡±

    ¡°HOLLYYYYYY SEMIS!¡±

    ¡°We really did!¡±

    Qinghe sat behind the caster desk, shaking his head. Then he started smiling before bursting outughing. ¡°KG takes the win and the series! They fought hard for it, but they did it! They¡¯re semi finalists!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s all take a moment to congratte KG! This is a massive milestone for us! For the first time since Season 1, an LPL team had made it to the semis!¡± Stone said, smiling. ¡°They¡¯ve really done it, guys. It¡¯s a little hard to believe, trust me, I know. But they¡¯ve done it! They¡¯ve really done it!¡±

    ?

    Read XIII was mad, annoyed, frustrated. His eyes warned everyone who tried to approach him to turn around and walk away. He¡¯d have them for breakfast if they tried to cheer him up right now. Screw the fans. Screw his teammates. Screw everything! He stepped down the stage, ignoring everyone around him and walked backstage. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. They were the only words going through his mind, together with reys of the games. Every small mistake he¡¯d made, amplified a thousand times. Reyed in slow motion. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. After walking through the backstage area, he found a bathroom and kicked the door open. He walked in and mmed his fists down on one of the sinks. Then he stopped. There was someone else in the bathroom stall. He turned towards that person. The culprit of his current mood. Tian Tian.

 Chapter 135: Ill-Mannered Read XIII

    KG had won the series! They were through to the semifinals! Tian Tian jumped up from his seat and joined his teammates to celebrate! Just for a minute. A short cheer. Because there was someone else who he wanted to share this win with. That was much more important to him. He excused himself and stormed down the stage and to his favourite bathroom stall in the backstage area. His hands were trembling as he pushed the stall door open and sat down on the toilet, his feet up and an arm wrapped around his knees. He had a smartphone in his free hand and stared at the screen. Stared at a picture of Lin Feng with his phone number underneath it. Then Tian Tian hit the call button.

    Ring-ring¡­. Ring-ring¡­. Ring-ring¡­.Three rings, and then the call connected. A voice came from the phone, but Tian Tian didn¡¯t even hear it. He was already stumbling over his own words, trying to get the message across. ¡°L-Lin Feng! I-i won! W-weon! Win! S-semis!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I was watching! Saw the whole thing! Good job! I knew you had it in you! Especially during game 3, that pentakill was really awesome! It was a perfect y! But I knew you could do it! You always had it in you!

    ¡°I gotta say though... Assassins looked really good. They¡¯re a strong team. You ready for this?¡±

    Tian Tian nodded with his whole body. Team Assassins was strong. Read XIII had yed a great series, especially in game 2. If it weren¡¯t for him showing up, KG might¡¯ve lost. He knew this, the excitement of it churning in his stomach. He smiled and said, ¡°Mhm! Thirteen is still really good. He pretty much won that second game all by himself. And we got lucky with that pentakill on my Fiora. Otherwise, we might¡¯ve lost. They were keeping me down pretty hard.¡±

    ¡°Hahah! If Thirteen is still the Thirteen from Season 1, then he¡¯s probably more than a little salty right now. That penta must¡¯ve hit him hard. Hahaha! I bet he¡¯s looking for a wall to run his head into right now!¡±

    Tian Tian bit on his lips, biting down a burst ofughter. That¡¯s exactly what Thirteen would do! Haha! He even looked the part after thest game. Hehe! He took a deep breath, forcing theughter back into his belly, and said, ¡°Mhm! I can totally see that happening, haha!¡± He then moved the phone from his ear. Just a little, so that he could hear what was going on in the bathroom stall. Did he¡­? No.

    ¡°Right! You should give Three a call! He¡¯s been worrying about you! Let him know how you¡¯re doing, I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll cheer him up!¡±

    Tian Tian let go of his knee and raised his hand, then made a snap. Right! He nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll make sure to give him a call next!¡±

    ?

    Good news was meant to be shared! After hanging up with Lin Feng, Tian Tian scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. His mentor¡¯s phone number. He pushed on the touchscreen and the phone started ringing. A brief momentter, the call connected. Three spoke, ¡°Yo, who¡¯s this?¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s face started glowing. This was the voice of Three. The man who¡¯d gone through so much trouble for him. And now, now he finally had some good news to share! He said, ¡°Three! It¡¯s me! I did it! We won! We¡¯re through to the semis! And, oh! Oh! I got a penta! I got a penta!¡±

    ¡°Oh, semis is it? I see. That¡¯s fine. Just give me a ring when you get the trophy. I¡¯m about to board a ne, so I can¡¯t really talk now. Let¡¯s chatter, ok? Bye bye, hanging up now.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Tian Tian held his phone up to his face and stared at the screen. Three had hung up. H-he didn¡¯t even congratte me¡­ Three had barely said a word. In the background, the faint sound of someone opening the bathroom door rang out. But he paid no attention to it. He didn¡¯t have any attention to spare. His entire focus was on his phone, and the strange call he¡¯d just had with Three.

    As for Three, he really was about to board a ne. He was at the airport in Madrid, Spain, waiting for the gate to open. There was a smile on his face as he browsed an online forum to check thetest updates on Worlds. His pupil had made it to the semifinals and secured a penta! Not bad, Fatty! He thought back to the Fatty of Week 1 of Worlds. The nervous wreck. Good thing One called. I should give him a call. He scrolled through his contacts and made the call.

    ¡°Huh, why are you calling me? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Fatty just gave me a call. Thought you might be interested in what he told me.. He made it to the semis.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Is that so? Not bad. Not bad at all. Looks like your little trip to London was worth it.¡±

    ¡°It definitely was. So. You still in Hawaii?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I am. Uh, why¡¯re you asking? Wait, are those nes in the background? Are you at the airport?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Yeah, I¡¯m at the airport. About to board a ne to Hawaii. I should be there tomorrow morning. You still owe me a meal, you know. I¡¯ming for it. Then we can also have a beer.¡±

    There was a long silence on the line. Then Three heard a dull impact. Something light falling onto something soft. Like a phone into the sand. Footsteps sounded out. Hurried. Something else fell. Maybe a chair. It was hard to tell without seeing it happen. A distant voice sounded out, yelling loud enough for the call to pick it up. ¡°BABE! Pack our suitcases and book a ne ticket for tonight! We¡¯re going! That bastard Three ising to shake us down! We have to go now! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ?

    Tian Tian put his smartphone away. I¡¯ll call him againter. He sounded busy. He then looked around him, at the four walls almost wrapped around him. There was practically no space here. My teammates are probably waiting for me¡­ He put his feet back on the ground and got up, then pushed the stall door open and walked into the bathroom. Walked into the person he least wanted to see right now. His eyes went round. His heart rate shot up. Sweat formed on his forehead and left his armpits wet. He looked at the door out of the bathroom and scuffled in that direction.

    Read XIII looked at Tian Tian and said, ¡°Hey! Fatty!¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s not me! N-not me! Y-you¡¯ve got the wrong person!¡± Tian Tian replied, panicked. The door out was still a good few meters away.

    ¡°Wrong person my ass!¡± Read XIII cursed. He walked up to Fatty and put his arm around him. ¡°Got me good today, didn¡¯t you? A fucking pentakill. Damn, dude. What did your fat ass eat for you to pull that out during the game? Yeesh. I¡¯m getting saltier just thinking about it. You got a penta!¡±

    Tian Tian eyes were wide open. He grabbed Read XIII¡¯s arm and tried to push him away. But he wasn¡¯t strong enough. He tried to duck, but Read XIII followed him. Then he stood back up and also shoved Read XIII away. That did it. The guy let him go. He took two steps back and raised his hands defensively in front of his face. ¡°W-what do you want? B-back off! I¡¯m against violence!¡±

    Read XIII stared at Tian Tian for a brief moment, then rolled his eyes. ¡°Screw off! Who told you to y so good today? You know, I was just thinking about you. Thinking about what¡¯d I¡¯d do if I got my hands on you.¡± He paused and gave Tian Tian a wink, then continued, ¡°And here you are showing up right in front of me! Hehe. I finally have luck on my side after that terrible series!¡±

    Read XIII walked up to Tian Tian and raised his arms. He jumped back and forth on his feet, and then went in. In for a hug. Heughed and let go of Tian Tian a few secondster. ¡°You yed pretty well today, huh? Those were some good games.¡±

    ¡°E-eh¡­¡± Tian Tian hesitated, but then said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t too bad.¡±

    ¡°Not too bad my ass!¡± Read XIII cursed,ughing. ¡°What¡¯s there to be humble about? You were real good today. I bet you yed better than Seven ever has. Just ept thepliment. I¡¯ll get angry if you don¡¯t!¡± Then he breathed in deeply, pursed his lips, and blew it all out. ¡°Fuck me. Some shit luck. This is the game you decide to be a fucking god. Why did we have to be matched up against each other? Any other team and we would¡¯ve made the semis! I¡¯m sure of it!¡±

    Read XIII walked back to the sink and looked in the mirror. He grinned, self deprecating, and then nodded towards Tian Tian. ¡°Well, you making it to the semis is the second best thing. You¡¯re representing basically the same region! If you win, I win, sort of. Since my team is out now, I can only cheer for you. So you better not let me down, or I¡¯ll have toe and find you in Shanghai! That won¡¯t be fun! Haha!¡±

    Tian Tian was fidgeting with a slip of toilet paper. Something to kill the nerves. He nodded, short and quick, and said, ¡°D-don¡¯t worry! I-i won¡¯t let you down!¡±

    Read XIII smiled and turned the faucet on, letting the water ssh on his hands. Season 1 was a lot of fun. With Fatty here, Eleven¡­ The name struck him before he even realized it. An old rival. One he wanted to y against to this day. So much so that he¡¯d even give up a chance for the Summoner¡¯s Cup for it! He turned around to look at Tian Tian and said, ¡°Hey, how¡¯s Eleven doing these days? Haven¡¯t heard from him in a while.¡±

    Tian Tian looked down at the ground and started counting the bathroom tiles. One. Two¡­ He pursed his lips and started breathing faster. ¡°E-eleven. He¡¯s not in the LPL anymore¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know he isn¡¯t,¡± Read XIII cut him off. ¡°You already told mest time! I¡¯m asking you where he is now. Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s still wasting away in that third rate LPSL team? Such a waste of talent¡­¡±

    Tian Tian scratched the back of his head, his elbow close to his side. His breathing became heavy, as though he was going throughbour, or something that wasn¡¯t quite as exhausting. Then he nodded. A silent affirmation. Yes. That was where Eleven still was.

    Read XIII mmed down on the faucet handle, frustrated. Eleven was his rival! Eleven was a great Jungler! He wasn¡¯t someone who should be stuck on some shit-tier team! He can¡¯t have fallen this far. This is stupid¡­ But Fatty wouldn¡¯t lie¡­ Not about this. He didn¡¯t want to ept it. He wanted there to be another exnation. Anything that could have it make sense to him. But there was nothing. Eleven¡¯s path down thedder made no sense to him. He shook his head, shaking away those thoughts, trying desperately totch onto something else. Something to draw his mind away. ¡°Right,¡± he said, holding up his finger. He turned to Tian Tian and asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you on a call with someone when I walked in? Who were you talking to?¡±

 Chapter 136: The Expansion of the Chinese Esports Scene

    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Su Xue asked, curious. Lin Feng had ran out of the room with his phone in hand a few minutes earlier and only now came back. He¡¯d ran away while the stream was still running. People were here, just for hismentary! They¡¯d badgered her with questions and demands. Bunch of degens¡­ Hehe.

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Lin Feng asked, pointing at his phone. Then he scratched the back of his head, ¡°Uh, just a ssmate.¡±

    ¡°A ssmate?¡± Su Xue looked Lin Feng up and down. He moved back a little and wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes. What¡¯s he hiding? Then she started smiling, grinning. ¡°Hehe. Just a ssmate? Is that right? You ran all the way to the washroom for that? It¡¯s a girl, isn¡¯t it? You can tell me. What was her name again? Tang Tang? Was that her?¡± She winked at Lin Feng and pulled him over. ¡°Haha. Nevermind. Come, hurry up! I promised the viewers we¡¯d do some in-houses to celebrate KG¡¯s win!¡±

    Lin Feng''s eyes lit up. He fought his way out of Su Xue¡¯s embrace and was already halfway out of the room, when he said over his shoulder, ¡°Awesome! I¡¯d love that! Hold on, let me go grab myptop!¡±

    The viewer in-houses were the main attraction of Su Xue¡¯s stream these days. Viewers woulde from far and wide just to watch these games. Su Xue versus Lin Feng. A trainwreck meeting an unstoppable force! Despite the clear difference in skill, these were always fun matches to watch. And also a lot of fun to y in. There were many viewers bickering over each other to see who the lucky eight were this time. People who tuned into the stream for the first time were weed by viewers and the streamer having a good time together. It was this kind of warm and inviting atmosphere that saw them sticking around. That saw them hitting the follow button anding back again another time. They wanted to be a part of themunity. Though, it didn¡¯t hurt that Su Xue was also fairly attractive. That kept the boys around, and attracted some more toe and check out the stream.

    Lin Feng rushed back into Su Xue¡¯s bedroom and put down hisptop on her desk. Su Xue had already created the lobby and invited the viewers. They were all waiting for Lin Feng to join. He was Red Team¡¯s captain. And like thest few times, he decided to y Support. If he yed any other role, it¡¯d be even easier for him to carry the games. This just gave the sense of it being a fair match up. Though, it was anything but. Lin Feng was so much better than Su Xue that there really was noparing the two.

    The game was barely 10 minutes in. Su Xue was ying ad-carry and had decided to test her skills on Kalista. She wasst hitting minions while keeping an eye on the stream. Right now, her eyes were on the number of viewers. 11,045. Sheughed and turned to Lin Feng. ¡°Haha! Look! 10k-plus viewers again! It¡¯s starting to be a regr¡ª¡±

    Focus was key. Su Xue wasn¡¯t nearly good enough at League of Legends to split her attention between her stream and gamey. Lin Feng punished her right away. His Morgana was already in position and conjured her dark magic. Then he fired off a Dark Binding and bound the Kalista. His Graves followed up, dashing into the fight and unloading his shotgun on the Kalista. Buckshot! Three bullets shot out in a cone, all three smashing into the Kalista and sting away her health. Then he used his ultimate skill¨CCoteral Damage! The Graves fired off an explosive shell with such force that he was knocked back. The shell dealt physical damage and then exploded, destroying the Kalista¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Su Xue saw the grin on Lin Feng¡¯s face a moment before the announcer¡¯s voice rang out in her ears. She looked back at her screen and saw that it¡¯d turned grey. They¡¯d killed her. She¡¯d lost focus for a second and they¡¯d killed her! ¡°What? Why? Argghh! Lin Feng!¡± She pped him on the shoulder, more annoyed at herself than anything else. This, of course, was precisely the thing her viewers loved to see.

    ¡¸LOL DUMBASS!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahahaha, t noob daydreaming against a challenger¡¹

    ¡¸The maid is living up to her name! She¡¯ll soon be back in the kitchen!¡¹

    ¡¸shes sooooooooooooooo bad hahahaa¡¹

    ¡¸lolololol her team must hate her¡¹

    ¡¸IT¡±S LIKE SHE¡±S TRYIN TO FEEDDDD>>>.???¡¹

    Su Xue bit her lips as she read the stream chat. She squinted her eyes, ready to erupt at her viewers. Then it happened. Lin Feng had moved away a little after she¡¯d pped him. In preparation. ¡°Good job, Graves!¡± he said at the camera. His smile turned wider, brighter. He startedughing, clutching his stomach preemptively. ¡°Sick Dark Binding, right? But man, hahaha! Those Kalista skills! Hahaha! Worst Kalista on the Ionia server, am I right? Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°YOU SHITTY BRAT!¡± Su Xue erupted. She pushed her gaming chair back and shot to her feet. ¡°GET HERE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME! COME HERE! LET ME BEAT SOME SENSE INTO YOU!¡±

    The best part of the in-houses had started. It was why the viewers kepting back. The games were great, and Lin Feng¡¯s Challenger skills really made for some beautiful ys and highlight reels, but that wasn¡¯t the best part. The best part was when Su Xue lost her cool again. When she did something stupid and needed someone to vent on. That poor sap was Lin Feng. She ran after him as he jumped on her bed and kept her at a distance. She ran right, he jumped left. She dove after him and he just slipped through her fingers, dodging any attempt of her catching him. All in full view of the viewers.

    ¡¸HAHAHHA WHAT ARE THEY DOING!??!?!?!¡¹

    ¡¸LOL what are these two? This is hrious!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸THIS is the best part of the stream!¡¹

    ¡¸just sit back and enjoy heheheehhe¡¹

    ?

    After Su Xue exhausted herself from chasing after Lin Feng, they yed a couple more games before calling it a night. It was Sunday. Lin Feng would have to get up early the next morning and go to school. It¡¯d be a pretty important day for him. It was the official start of the main tournament of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Su Xue had heard him talk about it, but had forgotten all about it because of the KG games earlier. Until now. She turned towards him, while he was already walking out of her room, and said, ¡°Hey, hold on! That 16 School thing. What did you call it? Ah, whatever. Are you still in it?¡±

    Lin Feng stopped and looked over his shoulder. He ruffled his hair and said, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re still in it. Tomorrow is the Round of 16.¡±

    ¡°Nice, nice. You guys are doing really good, huh? The main tournament. Almost in the quarterfinals! Pretty impressive, if I may say so,¡± Su Xue nodded. She then rubbed her chin for a bit before adding, ¡°Fine. Tell me the when and where. I¡¯lle cheer you on!¡±

    ¡°Sure! I¡¯d love that!¡± Lin Feng said, smiling. He put hisptop down and wrote the information for her down. Then he balled his fist and held it up in front of his face. He flexed his biceps and said, ¡°You can watch me show off my skills!¡±

    Su Xue raised her eyebrows and curled her lips. ¡°Hoh? Big words, little man. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hold you to them. Just don¡¯t feed. That¡¯s all. If you can do that, I¡¯ll be happy and cheer you on even louder!¡± There was a lightugh in her voice. She knew she wasn¡¯t serious. Lin Feng was by far the best League of Legends yer she knew. Some random high school tournament is probably way too easy for him. I¡¯ll just go and watch¡­ her. Su Xue didn¡¯t worry about Lin Feng¡¯s games. He would carry. But he¡¯d talked a bunch about a girl in his ss. That had caught Su Xue¡¯s attention. She wanted to know who this Tang Tang was. She needed a face to the name!

    I¡¯m like his big sister. His Aunt put me in charge. I don¡¯t even know where his mother is¡­ I¡¯ll have to take it on myself and make sure he picks the right girl! Su Xue nodded. She cared for Lin Feng and wanted to see him happy. If he really liked this girl as much as he made it sound like, then it was up to her to check this girl out and make sure she was good enough for Lin Feng! Of course she won¡¯t be. How can she? Like a good older sibling, Su Xue wanted only the best for her Lin Feng. Lost in her own little world, it¡¯d gonepletely over her head that Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were just friends. Nothing more.

    ?

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament wasn¡¯t held in a branch of the NetCow Cafe like the preliminaries. They were held somewhere a littlerger. Where a crowd could gather and cheer on their favourite team. This ce was an electronics mall in the Pudong district of Shanghai. The Chinese Esports Association spent a lot of money to not only rent this ce, but also prepare it for the event. It almost looked a little like a miniature version of Worlds, with a crowd, high endputers, and famous guestmentators. Though, the number of people in the crowd was a lot smaller and the guestmentators were a lot less famous than those at Worlds.

    It was Monday afternoon, 5:30 PM. The venue was packed with people. This was the main tournament. It featured the biggest new talents in the Shanghai League of Legends scene. And Shanghai was the esports capital of China! Justst year, there were several talents that¡¯d been recruited into the professional scene. So there was a lot of interest for this tournament.

    There were only 30 minutes until the tournament would officially start. But there was still so much to do. Too much. The members of staff were running around, taking care of all thest minute issues that kept popping up. On top of that, there were even more little tasks that could only bepleted at thest minute, like making sure all the contestants were present. Within this chaos, two men stood together chatting.

    The organizer of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was a man in his 30s. He wore a suit and gold-rimmed sses. ¡°Mr. Zhang,¡± he said to the man in front of him. ¡°I want to extend my gratitude again for allowing us to host the event here.¡±

    Zhang Jun smiled. His cheeks were puffy and his stomach was big and round. He was the director of this electronics mall. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mr. Chu. Just a small thing. We¡¯ve known each other for how long now? Last year we also hosted both the main event and the Shanghai Varsity Championships. And, I mean, you approached us. It¡¯s a real honour to be hosting these events at my venue.¡±

    Chu Fang shook his head and said, ¡°Alright, alright. That¡¯s enough pleasantries. Let¡¯s focus on the tournament. There¡¯s still much to do. But this should be a win-win situation for the both of us. We¡¯re going to get the most out of it!¡±

    Zhang Junughed, putting one hand on his stomach and wiping away the sweat on his forehead with the other. ¡°Haha! Right you are! A win-win for the both of us! Haha!¡± That was also the only reason Zhang Jun decided to work with Chu Fang. He was a businessman and only moved for profit. The Shanghai Esports Association was like a fat cow in that regard. They were full of money and they brought a lot of foot traffic to his mall. It just made sense to work together with them.

    The win-win scenario Chu Fang had in mind was a little different from Zhang Jun. He didn¡¯t move for money. Well, it wasn¡¯t his main point of attention. His goals with the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Esports Association were a little different. There was something more important that money couldn¡¯t buy. Talent. He needed to scout talent. To find the best yers in China and help them get into the professional scene. That was the best way he could help put the LPL on the map. If they ever wanted to win Worlds, his work was vital!

 Chapter 137: A Lack of Promising New Talen

    It was 5:45 PM on Monday. 15 minutes until the Shanghai 16 School Tournament started. The yers were getting ready for their games, the organizers were taking care of thest-minute tasks, and the fans were getting more and more hyped as they packed into the Mall. Chu Fang had arranged for 500 seats, but there was still more space. Most of the seats were upied, while there were more people walking by and stopping to look at what was going on. Among the crowd were two familiar faces.

    ¡°Come on! Come on!¡± Su Xue shouted, dragging Zuo You along with her. She searched around the arena for a ce to sit. ¡°There! There¡¯s empty seats over there! Come!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Su Xue! Stop! You¡¯re going too fast! What are we rushing for? Don¡¯t we have another 15 minutes? I¡¯m on high heels here! Lemme walk!¡± Zuo You shouted after her friend, who was already pushing through another group of people. She shook her head and grumbled, loud enough that only she could hear herself, ¡°Why in the world did I let her drag me all the way out here for some stupid high school tournament? What¡¯s so fun about this? Stupid high schoolers.¡±

    Su Xue walked by some people, their gazes catching her attention. She looked away, but trailed a finger through her hair. Zuo You followed a step behind, fire just about zing from her eyes. Fire as hot as her hair was red. Her eyebrows were permanently arched down to the center. But that didn¡¯t stop the gazes. She saw them everywhere. They were everywhere. She tried shooing them away, cursing them, but the hint was not received. One guy she passed even left his arm hanging behind him, just a little out of ce. She pped it away and shouted, ¡°Hey! Get off of me!¡± Then grumbled, ¡°Fucking perverts.¡±

    The seats Su Xue had her eyes on were almost on the other side of the hall. The two girls pushed through the crowd to get to them. A sea mostly made up of guys. There were more than a few guys in the hall who purposely slowed down or sped up, just to be within an ufortable proximity of the two women. They leered and sniffed, hoping to catch a whiff of the fading notes of perfume. They were creepy. They were disgusting. More than anything, they were disturbing and made the girls feel ufortable. All Su Xue and Zuo You wanted to do was go to a tournament and cheer for their friend. They didn¡¯te here to get harassed by strangers. By these creeps. But that was exactly what was happening. Hands constantly brushed against ces that shouldn¡¯t be touched. No one seemed to take the hints Zuo You almost screamed through the hall.¡°Hey, fuck off! What are you squeezing in for?¡±¡°You want me to break your hand and nose?"¡°You take one step closer, and I¡¯m reporting you to the police!¡±¡°I¡¯m not afraid to use these 7 inch stilettos. Come, try me. Let me stamp a hole in your foot!¡±

    ¡°Zuo You, Zuo You!¡± Su Xue stopped and looked at her friend, whose face was as red as her hair. ¡°Is this really necessary? Let¡¯s not make a scene. People are already staring at us. I just want to watch the games.¡±

    ¡°Hmpf! Why do you think they¡¯re staring at us? These creeps need to stop it. This is sexual harassment! You should stand up for yourself a little more, Su Xue! You can¡¯t let these guys just take advantage of you. If they try to touch you, you kick them in the balls! If they try anything funny, you hit them in the face and scream for the police!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and smiled. ¡°Ah,e on. It¡¯s not that bad! And you do look really good today! Your makeuppliments your outfit perfectly! And your hair, damn! And I love your heels! You have to tell me where you bought them!¡±

    Zuo You curled her lips and said, ¡°Oh shut it! I know you¡¯re just trying to distract me! Any other time and I would¡¯ve been happy. But right now? Absolutely not! I dress the way I dress because it makes me feel good. Because I want to be fashionable and pretty! For me! Not for the fantasies of these lonely fuckers! Besides... You know most of them aren¡¯t even looking at me, right? They¡¯re all looking at you. I¡¯m the reason why they haven¡¯t jumped on you yet¡­¡±

    ¡°What? No way! Look at me! I put on a big sweater and¨C¡±

    ¡°Quit ying stupid. You want apliment?¡± Zuo You looked at her friend and waited for a brief moment before continuing, ¡°Fine! You look good no matter what you wear, ok? A stupid sweater isn¡¯t going to hide how beautiful you are. There, happy? Or do you want more? I can go on if you want¡­¡±

    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s so nice of you!¡± Su Xue grinned and winked towards her friend. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m here for Lin Feng. He and I are practically family, you know! If I look like a slob, what are his friends supposed to think of him? So I had to put a little extra effort in today!¡±

    ¡°Talking about that kid,¡± Zuo You said. Then she paused as she took a moment to look around the mall. ¡°Where is he? We came all the way here for him and he doesn¡¯t even have themon courtesy toe and say hi? Such an ungrateful little bastard!¡±

    ¡°Oh! I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here yet!¡± Su Xue said, still pushing her way towards the empty seats. ¡°He¡¯sing by train together with his ssmates. But they¡¯re ying in the second round, so I think he¡¯ll get here in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Second round?¡± Zuo You muttered. She squinted her eyes and asked, ¡°So we¡¯re going to watch random high schoolers in the first round?¡± The dots connected. She wasn¡¯t happy. Profanities flowed from her lips, sounding frighteningly familiar to her. But they were already here. Might as well try and enjoy it. Stupid brat¡­ They got to their chairs and sat down. She leaned back and clicked her tongue. ¡°Who''d thought some high school League tourney would be this big? League is getting really poprtely.¡±

    Su Xue nodded. ¡°Why do you think I started streaming? It¡¯s getting bigger everywhere! And these high schoolpetitions are getting bigger every year. They¡¯re even nearing the university levelpetitions! You know, I was reading an article the other day online. Apparently, the average rank of all semifinalists of this eventst year was Diamond 1!¡±

    ¡°What? Are you serious?¡± Zuo You asked, stunned. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°Damn. These zoomers¡­ They¡¯re really leaving us millennials behind. It¡¯s all just because they started at an earlier age! How can wepete with that? Go back in time? Haha. Ha¡­ Oh. Hey. If the average rankst year was Diamond 1, then what about this year? Will Lin Feng be ok, you think?¡±

    ¡°He sounded pretty confident. Told there was nothing for me to worry about,¡± Su Xue replied. Then she smiled and did the Lin Feng special. She clenched her fist and threw it in the air. ¡°I believe in him!¡±

    Zuo You shook her head, hopelessly. ¡°You two have been hanging out together far too much. He¡¯s starting to rub off on you¡­¡±

    Su Xue grabbed her hand and put it back to her side, then asked, ¡°Uh, really? You think so?¡±

    ?

    It was 5:50 PM. There were 10 more minutes until the start of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. In the backstage area, a member of staff ran up on Chu Fang and said, ¡°Boss, we¡¯re pretty much all set.¡±

    Chu Fang nodded. ¡°Thanks for the hard work. Can you tell me how many teams have checked in?¡±

    ¡°Nine. The two teams ying in the first round have checked in. They¡¯re just waiting and are ready to go up on stage at any time. You just say the word,¡± the staff member reported. He then handed over a clipboard to Chu Fang. It was the bracket. Who would y who at what point in the tournament.

    Chu Fang looked over the clipboard. There were three teams this year, just likest year, who looked clearly stronger than the rest. Tonji Affiliated High, Shanghai International, and Shanghai High School. They were ced in different sides of the bracket, so that they wouldn¡¯t meet before the semifinals, or even finals. This was a little trick they had nned to make sure the most exciting matches were yed in the semi finals and finals. There was nothing worse for a tournament organizer than seeing a title favourite go out in the Round of 16. The title contenders generally had a lot of fans and were much more likely to make the impressive ys. These were the teams they wanted to see it make all the way.

    The staff member interrupted as Chu Fang was still looking through the brackets, ¡°As you can see, we¡¯re set for the same semis asst year.¡±

    Chu Fang breathed in through his mouth and then let it all out. He was less than happy about this development. The top teams fromst year were still mostly intact. This year they were expected to do the same, fight for the trophy. They were by far the strongest teams. And in thaty the problem. It wasn¡¯t that they were strong that was the problem, Chu Fang was happy about that. The thing that worried him was that there were no new contenders. There was no other team who seemed ready for the challenge. It was just going to be another win for one of these big three teams, and he wouldn¡¯t get his hands on any real talent. This tournament was to scout talent and it didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d find any this year. None that he hadn¡¯t foundst year already, at least.

    Take Zeng Rui. The Support for Shanghai High School was a real talent. Someone who could make it to the top of the professional scene and fight on the world stage. That was the kind of talent he wanted to find! They were people the Shanghai Esports Association wanted to invest in. But why can¡¯t there be more? He sighed. Finding one was great and all. But it was hardly enough to pump fresh blood into the LPL. It was far from enough to create some realpetition at the top. Why are we even going through all the effort for the 16 School Tournament and the Varsity Tournament if we¡¯re not finding any talents? It feels like a waste of time.

    Chu Fang shook his head empty. These thoughts were useless. I have to focus on what I do have power over. He looked over at the staff member, who still stood there waiting, and asked, ¡°Any dark horses? Any team that looked a little better? Anything that might suggest some level of talent?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The staff member took the clipboard back from Chu Fang and scanned through the list of names. Then he read one of them. High School 13! ¡°Oh! There actually is! I almost forgot. There was this team that got knocked out in the first preliminaries roundst year, but they qualified for the main tournament this year. Even beat Tonji along the way. They could be interesting.¡±

 Chapter 138: Sorrow and Regrets

    ¡°COME ON! HURRY UP! WE¡¯RE RUNNING! LATE!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry! We still got a few more minutes until it¡¯s 6. We can still make it¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it. Lin Feng, get your ass over here. Someone grab him! If he stops in front of one more shop, so help me God!¡±

    Ren Rou led High School 13¡¯s esports team up the seat and out of the subway station. She nced behind her, checking everyone was there and keeping an eye on Lin Feng. Ouyang had grabbed his friend by the arm and was dragging him along. The electronics mall, where the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was being held, was only a small distance from the subway station, though Lin Feng made it look a lot further. It was almost 6 PM when they finally arrived at the entrance.

    ¡°Finally! Thank God! Alright. Are we all here? Lin Feng, obviously. Liu Yue, Chen Ze, Wei Dong, stinky Ouyang, Yang Fan, Tang Tang. Ok, good. Looks like we¡¯re all good to go! Let¡¯s go check in!¡±

    Ren Rou pushed her way through the crowd of people, shoving everyone aside with force. People turned around, confused, called out to her for being rude but she didn¡¯t care. Another two minutes and they¡¯d be officiallyte. Worst of all. It was all Ouyang¡¯s fault. This was all on Ouyang. If everything had gone ording to n, they would¡¯ve been here half an hour ago. Now, because of Ouyang, they were almost missing the event! She cursed and shouted, ¡°Shitty! Stinky! Stupid Ouyang! It¡¯s all your fault! Why do you have to be such an idiot? Now we all have to run because of you! You stupid. Stinking. Piece of¡­ Argh! You made us almostete!¡±

    Ouyang pushed through the crowd and walked up next to Ren Rou. He lightly tapped her shoulder and awkwardly smiled. ¡°Come on, Rou Rou. Don¡¯t be mad. Didn¡¯t we make it? Look, we¡¯re here. Haha.¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH ME!¡± Ren Rou erupted. She stared at him. red at him. ¡°What if we didn¡¯t make it in time? What if the subway had a few minutes dy? Huh? Then what? Would you have taken responsibility?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and shook his head. He grabbed Ouyang by the arm and pulled him over. ¡°But damn dude, it really was your fault this time. You knew we had to go here today. How could you let something like that happen?¡±

    Ouyang was the reason they werete. By more than half an hour. The original n was to go to the venue at 4:30 PM, right after the dismissal bell. They would¡¯ve been at the electronics mall by 5:10 PM. Now it was almost 6 PM. Theirst ss was English. Ouyang had turned in his homework at the start of the ss, as was usual. During the ss, the teacher went over it while the students were working on an assignment. It went well at first. But then the irritated sounds of a pen crossing things out sounded out through the ssroom. Once. Twice. It kept going on for several minutes. Then the teacher had had enough. She looked up over the rim of her sses and said, sternly, ¡°Ouyang! What is this? You made this at home. You have the inte. Students to ask questions to. You could¡¯ve sent me an email. How can you possibly have every single question wrong?¡±

    Ouyang had tried to exin himself. A poor excuse about how he didn¡¯t really understand the questions and how English was a really difficult subject, hiding the fact he¡¯d copied Lin Feng¡¯s homework. Well, he¡¯d tried anyway. Just that what he copied wasn¡¯t the homework for today, but forst week. The teacher spotted it. She breathed in and then out. In, and out. Letting her annoyance with the worst student in ss settle down. Then she looked at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re staying after ss. We¡¯re going to have a chat about this.¡±

    Chen Ze walked a few steps behind Ouyang and Yang Fan. He shook his head as he listened in on the conversation between the two. ¡°Man. How do you fail at copying answers? That¡¯s a new low. Even for you.¡±

    Lin Fengughed, carefree as ever. ¡°It¡¯s fine guys! Haha. It was kind of funny, right? And we made it! We¡¯re here and we still got at least 60 seconds to spare!¡±

    Wei Dong nodded, hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m just happy we¡¯re in the second group. We¡¯d have been screwed if we had to y in the first round.¡±

    ¡°Quit your yapping! We still have to check in! Let¡¯s gooo!¡± Ren Rou urged.

    ?

    When High School 13¡¯s esports team finally entered the venue, the first two teams were already up on stage. The big screen above them was still dark, so they weren¡¯t in Champion Select yet. Most likely, they were sticking in their own keyboards and doingst minute checks on their microphones and settings. Arge crowd had gathered, many of whom were shoppers just passing by.

    Therge screen above the stage lit up. The League of Legends logo yed on the screen, followed by the full bracket for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Then the screen zoomed in to the top left of the bracket. It zoomed in on the first match of the Round of 16. One team was a familiar name to the yers from High School 13¡¯s esports team.

    Tonji Affiliated High versus High School 4

    Liu Yue grabbed Lin Feng by the shoulder and pointed at the screen. ¡°Hey, look guys! Tonji is ying in the first match!¡±

    Yang Fan looked up at the screen. ¡°Hmm.¡± He adjusted his sses and then said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, High School 4 made it to this stage of thepetitionst year too. But Tonji is the better team. From what I heard, High School 4 hasn¡¯t gotten any better. This should be an easy win for Tonji. Seems like they¡¯ll be through to the quarters.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Who cares about Tonji anyways? We kicked their asses ck and blue!¡± Ouyangughed.

    Ren Rou got back from checking in. She was just in time to hear Ouyangugh about Tonji Affiliated High. Wasn¡¯t that ad-carry from Tonji¡­ She turned to the stage, where the yers from Tonji Affiliated High were getting ready for Champion Select. Yeah. Hehe. That¡¯s him. She nudged Tang Bingyao and teased, ¡°Hey, Tang Tang. Look, it¡¯s that ad-carry from Tonji. You should go up and say hi to him.¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, looking from Ren Rou to the ad-carry from Tonji. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°No thanks, not interested.¡±

    Wei Dong snorted andughed. ¡°Go do it! Haha! He¡¯ll run away again and lose Tonji the game. Hahahah! She really got him goodst time! Hahaha!¡±

    While the others wereughing about the Shyboi who¡¯d ran away after Tang Bingyao asked him a very innocent question, something that¡¯d looked equally absurd and hrious, Lin Feng¡¯s phone started buzzing. He took it out and saw it was a message from Su Xue.

    Su Xue:¡¸Heyyyyy¡¹

    Lin Feng:¡¸Yo! What¡¯s up?¡¹

    Su Xue:¡¸You there yet? We¡¯re sitting in the stands to the far end.¡¹

    Lin Feng:¡¸We just got here! I think Ren Rou checked us in. Are there still empty seats? I¡¯lle find you.¡¹

    Su Xue:¡¸No. It¡¯s full. People are standing around and all. Don¡¯t bother. Doubt you¡¯d even get through the crowd. You¡¯re ying in the next game, right? Focus on that with your friends! We¡¯ll be cheering you on when you go up on stage!¡¹

    Lin Feng:¡¸Thanks! We¡¯ll win this game! I¡¯ll make it awesome!¡¹

    ¡°Yo, Lin Feng. Lin Feng!¡± Liu Yue said, trying to get his friend¡¯s attention. When Lin Feng looked up from his phone, Liu Yue asked, ¡°Who were you texting just now? Tang Tang is right here.¡±

    Ouyang felt his Ouyang Senses tingle. He ran up to Lin Feng and threw his arm around him. Then he leaned in close and looked at Lin Feng¡¯s phone, getting a glimpse before Lin Feng put it away. ¡°Su Xue! It said Su Xue! I saw it! Wait. Wasn¡¯t that the girl you¡¯re living with?¡± Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide and round. Su Xue. After Lin Feng had told him about the stream, he¡¯d looked her up. Su Xue. He started smiling and said, ¡°I checked her out on Huya the other day! She¡¯s hot as hell! You¡¯re actually living with her! Nggh! It¡¯s so unfair! You lucky son of a bitch!¡±

    The other guys, all four of them, nodded. Su Xue was hot. They¡¯d seen it with their own eyes. This was the wrong thing to do. They could feel the hair on their backs stand on end. A terrifying gazended on them. Ren Rou. The club Prez. She looked at them, one at a time, and curled her lips in disgust. ¡°Ughh. You guys make me want to puke! Simping over girl streamers¡­ You guys have a fucking problem! What¡¯s stopping you from interacting with a real girl in the real world? We have Tang Tang right here! She¡¯s miles better than any of those stupid inte thots! I swear. If Tang Tang tried streaming, she¡¯d be the most famous one out there! EASY!¡±

    Ouyang chuckled. He considered himself somewhat of an expert on the subject. He licked his finger and slicked his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure about that, Rou Rou. These female streamers are a genre of their own. That Su Xue, right? She¡¯s he hot, but only a small streamer in the genre. There are others many times more popr. It takes real hard work and dedication!¡± He then turned to Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you that you can¡¯t. But it¡¯s really hard. I¡¯m not sure you have what it takes. You could still stream of course! You¡¯re really good at the game! I¡¯m sure many people woulde and watch just to see your high ELO gameys!¡±

    Ren Rou looked at Ouyang, increasingly incredulous at his words. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you? GROSS! ALL YOU BOYS DO IS WATCH THOSE STREAMERS WITH YOUR HANDS DOWN YOUR PANTS! STUPID PERVERTS!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Ouyang and Ren Rou who were screaming at each other, their faces almost touching, the spit firing off from their lips. Then Ren Rou had had enough. She moved her arm back, ttened her hand, and then struck Ouyang in the face. His scream silenced the entire venue for a moment. But Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t really paying attention to this. Streamers made money. She liked money. So she figured that streaming might be something for her. She looked down at her chest. Maybe if I use a push up bra? She shook her head. It wouldn¡¯t be enough topete with those kinds of streamers. Hmm. I can¡¯t do that for now. Maybeter. I¡¯d have to rely on my game skills first.

    ?

    The Round of 16 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament would be yed over four days. Two rounds were yed on each day. The format was a best of three series. Just like the previous round. Tonji Affiliated High was well ustomed to this format. They knew the importance of winning the first game and getting off to a good start. They imed the win, fast and easy, then moved into the second game. Momentum was really important. They went into the second game with the focus and conviction that they could win, and within 10 minutes they¡¯d pulled open such a big lead that it was hard not to win it.

    Chu Fang leaned forward in his chair and watched the game with great attention. These were the most important moments of his career. If he found a talent, his year was made. If he didn¡¯t. Well, then not so much. He nodded, slowly, then mumbled, ¡°As expected. Tonji have a great team. Two Masters is enough for them to win this match. But it¡¯s not enough. It¡¯s just not enough¡­¡±

    It was incredibly difficult to find the diamond in the rough amongst these high schoolers. But there was always one. There had to be! It was just that the students were in high school for several years, so the teams didn¡¯t change all that much from one year to the next. Tonji Affiliated High was almost a copy fromst year, as was High School 4. Chu Fang couldn¡¯t just look at the rankeddder for talent either. That was just one aspect of skill, and if someone truly talented showed themselves there, they¡¯d be recruited before he¡¯d ever find them.

    Chu Fang¡¯s demands for talents were really steep too. Challengers. That was what he was looking for. Preferably those who ranked in the Top 30 consistently. Even better if they did that on the Ionia server! On top of that. They also needed to be great team yers. If they couldn¡¯t lead a team, they weren¡¯t worth his time. Then there was pressure. Someone who broke under pressure was no good. Not worth his time. Like this, the list of potential candidates dropped until there was almost no one left. There really was almost no one who caught his eye. So far, there were only Zeng Rui, the Support for Shanghai High School, and the ad-carry for Shanghai International.

    It used to be so different¡­ There used to be actual talent. Chu Fang shook his head as he thought back to the past. He entered the League of Legends scene in Season 1. He was just a regr staff member at the Shanghai Esports Association. For the most part, he was assisting the old vice president, Fang Hao, who was promoted to President a while back. They¡¯d even gone to London together to watch Worlds. That was thest time he saw so many true talents together. If only we could get another year like that¡­

    In Season 1, there wasn¡¯t just the Korean kid. Rake, the God Emperor, actually had someone who could go toe-to-toe with him back then. A 15 years old from China. That kid was good. Real good. I bet he¡¯s still just as good¡­ ¡°Ahh, such a waste.¡± Chu Fang sighed. That kid had disappeared. No one knew where he was now. They really needed to find someone with his level of talent.

    The crowd cheered in the background. It sounded dull, but was loud enough to pull Chu Fang out of his thoughts. He looked up at therge screen. Tonji Affiliated High had won the second game and qualified for the quarterfinals. As was expected. He grabbed his clipboard and looked at the next matchup. ¡°Bright High versus High School 13¡­ Bright High made it to the Round of 16st year. They should be alright. Oh! High School 13! Aren¡¯t they the guys who beat Tonji in the first round of the qualifiers?¡± He looked up at the stage. The host grabbed a microphone. Maybe?

 Chapter 139: Top Lane Jax

    Tap tap¡­ ¡°Hello? Excuse me?¡± The host was the most expensive low budget one. But he did grab the crowd¡¯s attention. Everyone stared at him as a wave of silence washed over the venue, with only the sounds of shoppers in the background. ¡°What an exciting two games! Tonji Affiliated High beat High School 4 in their best of three series with a score of two wins to zero losses! They¡¯re through to the semifinals. I¡¯m excited to see how far they¡¯ll make it.¡± He gauged the response from the crowd, cautiously optimistic. A deep breath to calm the nerves. He blew out. Into the microphone. The sound amplified and sted through the speakers, followed by a loud beep. Now he did have everyone¡¯s full attention, and annoyance. ¡°S-sorry! Uh, next up! Next up is the series between Bright High and High School 13! Two teams with great qualifiers! Let¡¯s give them a warm wee!¡±

    The crowd started cheering as the two teams walked up on stage. So too Su Xue. Her eyes wereser focused on High School 13¡¯s team. She spotted Lin Feng and jumped to her feet. Waving her hands above her she yelled, ¡°Lin Feng! Over here! I¡¯m over here! Do your best! You can do it!¡±

    498 pairs of eyes turned to Su Xue. There were more than a few guys in the crowd. Most everyone here was of the male gender. They looked at Su Xue. They stared at her and started smiling. There was a twinkle in their eyes as they forgot the stage and the teams ying. And that was the wrong thing to do. Zuo You thought so, at least. She red at every guy ogling Su Xue and herself and locked in on the most disturbing. The most lecherous. The biggest perverts.

    ¡°What are you looking at!¡±

    "Never seen a pretty girl before?¡±

    "Is this the first time getting out of your mom¡¯s basement?¡±

    ¡°You wanna keep those eyes? Doesn¡¯t look like it!¡±

    ¡°You disgusting shit!¡±

    Zuo You got her message across. The guys that got called out shriveled back into their seats, their faces burning a deep red. A girl had talked to them! An actual girl had talked to them! Zuo You shook her head, a shiver running up her body. ¡°Yuck!¡± She then leaned towards Su Xue and whispered into her friend''s ear, ¡°Hey hey, could you please not do that again? Did you see those disgusting guys looking at us? Yuck!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why do you care? We¡¯re here to cheer Lin Feng on. Why shouldn¡¯t I cheer for him?¡± Su Xue asked, bewildered. She didn¡¯t even notice the gazes, not like Zuo You had. Her eyes were on the stage, on Lin Feng and his teammates walking up to theirputers. She clenched her fist and pumped the air. ¡°Lin Feng! Lin Feng! You can do it! Show them how good you are!¡±

    The subject of Su Xue¡¯s attention, Lin Feng, turned around and looked up into the crowd. It wasn¡¯t hard to find Su Xue. Everyone was looking at her. His face lit up and he said to his teammates, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s here! Look, over there!¡± He then gave Su Xue a thumbs up and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve got this game in the bag!¡±

    Zuo You lowered her head and grabbed her hair, shaking. ¡°My god. Are you sure you two aren¡¯t family? Maybe one of those separated at birth cases?¡±

    ?

    Some staff members for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament had gathered below the stage to watch the games. Their job was to get everything ready for the game, not to watch over the matches. Right now, they could kick back for a bit. Until the game ended. The girl in the crowd cheering and the boy on stage replying to her. They saw it happen and startedughing amongst each other.

    ¡°Oh wow, that kid sure is confident, haha!¡±

    ¡°He is the man of steel, nerves! Hahahaha!¡±

    ¡°That kid is pretty full of himself. I wonder if he¡¯s got any skill¡­¡±

    ¡°Way more fun if he sucks! Hehe. He¡¯ll just disappear in shame then. Can you imagine?¡±

    Chu Fang looked at the members of his staff around him and smiled. The preparations were all going well, and his subordinates were having fun. More importantly, the contestants were also having fun. It was great to see kids at this age have that unbridled confidence in themselves. A rare quality. He looked at the young man on High School 13¡¯s team. Huh? He scrunched up his face and looked again. This time a little more closely. Where do I know him from? He looks so familiar. He even sounds¡­ His face shook. His whole body shook. His eyes went wide and he was now staring at the young yer. ¡°No way¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°This can¡¯t be. I must be seeing things. Why would he¡­ No. Probably just sounds and looks and acts and does everything the same¡­ Right?¡±

    ?

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament had its very ownmentator desk, simr to the official Chinese broadcast for Worlds. The Shanghai Esports Association had invited two guestmentators to cast the games. Both of them had achieved some online fame and as a result were regrly invited for semi-professional tournaments like this one. They sat behind theirmentator desk, watching the venue and the games.

    West Wind was a somewhat famous streamer. Someone who could really put on a show. He noticed themotion in the crowd¡ªit was hard to miss¡ªandughed, ¡°Haha! What a lucky kid! He seems to be the, hmm¡­ yer for High School 13! What do you think, Silent Reed? Love interest or big sister?¡±

    Silent Reed was the second guestmentator. She worked for the Breaking Esports mediapany and sometimes dabbled in castingpetitive games. A real busy bee. She looked at the woman in the crowd and then winked at West Wind. ¡°I don¡¯t know, West. She¡¯s a looker though. Whoever gets to date her is one lucky guy!¡±

    ¡°That yer looks real confident too.¡± West Wind looked towards the yers from High School 13. Towards Lin Feng. Then he looked over his notes before turning back to Silent Reed. ¡°Looks like his name is Lin Feng. I think? Don¡¯t hold me to that! But, haha, he does not look one bit worried. Did you just see him give her the thumbs up? What a hero! I¡¯m already loving him! Haha! I want to see him y!¡±

    ¡°This might be a really interesting series!¡± Silent Reed said, excited. She pointed down at her notepad and continued, ¡°High School 13 somehow beat Tonji in the qualifiers! We just saw how good Tonji is. That¡¯s kind of hard to imagine, right? But it really says so. Right here!¡± She paused a moment for dramatic effect. Then she introduced the other team. ¡°Then we got Bright High. They made it all the way to the Round of 16st year and were strong again in the qualifiers this year! We might have a real match on our hands here!¡±

    ¡°Wow! Really?¡± West Wind eximed. ¡°From the sounds of it, these are two very strong teams! I¡¯m excited to see what this series will bring us!¡±

    The twomentators turned to the stage and fell silent, taking a moment to observe both teams. The yers from High School 13 and Bright High had already taken their ces behind theputers. Everything was set. Therge screen above the stage lit up and showed Champion Select. West Wind was the first of the two to pull his gaze away from the stage and back to his work. ¡°Well, it looks like we¡¯re in Champion Select already. This game is about to get underway. I hope everyone here is as excited as I am to see who¡¯s going to win this!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng sat back in his chair and looked at his teammates sitting next to him. An all too familiar sight. He cracked his knuckles and said, ¡°Do your best, guys. Don¡¯t worry about the rest. I¡¯ll carry this game from topne.¡± He then let his teammates choose the Champions they wanted to y, rather than telling them what to do.

    High School 13 versus Bright High

    Jax versus Fiora

    Rek¡¯Sai versus Lee Sin

    Syndra versus Orianna

    Lucian versus Jinx

    Alistar versus Blitzcrank

    West Wind looked at therge screen above the stage. At the Champion photos in the loading screen. He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Jax versus Fiora, huh? That should be a fun battle to watch. I¡¯m predicting non stop action up in topne!¡±

    Jax wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been a few patches ago, but he was still a very strong Champion. A true dueling master! But Fiora was the Queen of dueling and held a reputation for being invincible in thete game. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object! It could go either way. Or neither. It all came down to skill. Fiora had Riposte which allowed her to block all crowd control and even stun any Champion trying to stun or root or bind or do anything to her! Then there was Jax with his Counter Strike. He would swing hismppost above his head, dodging all attacks. Anyone in range when he stopped would be knocked into a stun. A game of cat and mouse, Jax and Fiora both being the cat and the mouse, depending on the situation.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    High School 13 and Bright High loaded into the game. Nine yers didn¡¯t feel the need for any fancy tricks. They wanted to y their best game. The best way they knew how. But Lin Feng had something a little different in mind. Instead of going topne, he went to the Wraith Camp in his bottom side jungle. A long distance away from topne. The jungle monsters spawned and he started attacking the wraiths. All the while, the Fiora was in topne, waiting for the minions to arrive.

    At the caster desk, West Wind nodded, impressed. ¡°This Jax knows a trick. Nice. He¡¯ll clear the Wraith Camp, recall back to base to buy health potions and then teleport up to topne. It¡¯ll give him a slight experience advantage that should see him hit Level 2 first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Nice y by the Jax,¡± Silent Reed agreed. ¡°Those health potions especially will be so important. It just means he can y a little more aggressive. He has more health! If he ys this right, he can pull quite the advantage from this trick.¡±

    That was exactly what happened. Lin Feng cleared the Wraith Camp, then recalled back to base. He bought a few health potions and then teleported to one of his minions already in topne. He was only one minion away from hitting Level 2. So when he appeared in the middle of a pack of low health minions, his next move was obvious. One auto attack. A big smile on Lin Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Fight me Fiora! Fight me!¡±

 Chapter 140: Crude and Simple

    Summoner¡¯s Rift. A duel between two of the strongest duelists in the game. Jax and Fiora. Lin Feng got the early level advantage. He pushed the Fiora out ofne. And the Fiora let it happen. She went back a little, waiting for another minion to die. Then she would also be Level 2. The advantage would be gone. A moment, and then the minion died. Everything was back to even. The Fiora dashed back in.

    ¡°Let me at ¡®em!¡± Lin Feng shouted from behind hisputer, jumpscaring Liu Yue sitting next to him. But he didn¡¯t notice. Nor would he care. His entire focus was on the game, emting his Jax only heightening his senses. The Fiora dashed towards him, so he Leap Striked at her! Then he pressed the E key¨CCounter Strike! His Jax spun hismppost in the air, a transparent mantle enveloping him. He now dodged every basic attack, all the while auto attacking the Fiora.

    Counter Strike was a crowd control skill. So the Fiora used Riposte! She leaned back, brandishing her Rapier, and took aim. But Lin Feng knew it wasing. He¡¯d been waiting for it. He had his Jax walk out of the direction the Fiora was aiming in and then waited out the 0.75s duration of Riposte. The counter by the Fiora failed. Now it was his time to shine! He moved in on the Fiora again and activated the second part of Counter Strike.

    The Fiora Lunged away. Ast ditch effort. But she was toote. Themppost hit her in the face. She was stunned. All she managed to do was create a little distance. To make it a little more difficult for the Jax to kill her straight away.

    ¡°WOOOOO!¡± Silent Reed eximed from behind the caster¡¯s desk. She turned to West Wind and said, ¡°They¡¯re really going at it in topne!¡±

    West Wind nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, that Jax is ying it really well. The Fiora isn¡¯t half bad either. These are some high Diamond level ys!¡± He looked back at the screen, which was still focused on topne. It was the onlyne with anything interesting happening. ¡°But look at their health bars. Jax got out on top here.¡±

    ?

    The invincible Jax! Grandmaster at Arms! He was one of Lin Feng¡¯s favourite Toners. One of few. There was also Riven, which he¡¯d yed in the qualifiers of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Then there was f. A simple man who knew how to throw an axe and run across the map! Technically there was one more Champion Lin Feng enjoyed ying. Though this Champion didn¡¯t really count. He could barely be considered a Champion. It was the spin to win legend. The master of nothing and joy of all! GAREN! A man and his sword, running across the Rift, being little more than a tanky nuisance.

    Jax was a simple Champion. His skills were straightforward and there was nothing really special about him. That was, for the average yer. But to be a good Jax yer. Truly good. That wasn¡¯t so simple. It took a lot of skill and experience to make use of all the tricks. Of all the little things that made Jax such a powerful Champion.

    To truly understand the power of a Jax, getting to know his skills and how they worked together was the first step. Take his passive. Relentless Assault granted bonus attack speed every hit up to eight stacks. At eight stacks, which wasn¡¯t hard to get to, Jax could attack three times in the time his opponent could only get two auto attacks off. Well. That was, assuming he didn¡¯t use any of his skills. Empower. A skill that reset his auto attacks and empowered them and had an incredibly short cooldown. That brought him to four attacks when his opponent could only attack him twice.

    But wait, there was more! There was Leap Strike! Leap Strike and Empower could be used together. The power of the two skills were stackable! This gave rise to an easy Jax trick. Activate Empower, then Leap Strike in and auto attack once before running away again. It didn¡¯t sound like much, but the damage was surprisingly high! So high that thene opponent would have to respect it and y around it.

    But wait, there was more! Before hitting Level 6, Jax was just a Champion. Not a Grandmaster quite yet. At Level 6, he was promoted. The Grandmaster¡¯s Might! It was an ultimate skill that passively empowered his every third basic attack. This could also bebined with Leap Strike and Empower! His damage would go through the roof! It was almost ridiculous! And if he activated it, he gained bonus armor and magic resistance. That was why he was invincible!

    But wait, there was more! Jax also had Counter Strike. While dealing all this damage, he could dodge every attack sent his way! If he wasn¡¯t permanently locked down, there was almost nothing that could stop him! He was a real menace of the rift!

    Crude and simple to theyman, but a Champion that had far more potential than many yers realized. This was just one reason why Lin Feng greatly enjoyed ying Jax. It also helped that with Leap Strike, Jax had some real mobility. So even when things weren¡¯t going great for him, it was still rtively easy to get away.

    As for why Lin Feng enjoyed ying f, that was a little of the same. But then also a lot not. While Jax had a lot of small tricks that could make a great difference, f was just a man with an axe. Lin Feng liked the ystyle. No thinking, just running. Throw an axe. Run towards the axe. Pick up the axe. Throw the axe. Run towards the axe. Pick up the axe. Rinse and repeat. f was special in that way.

    ?

    Su Xue sat on the edge of her chair, biting on her nails. Her eyes were on therge screen above the stage. It was still focused on topne. The Jax and Fiora were going at it, using their skills to grab any kind of advantage. Their health bars dropped and it looked like it could go either way. To Su Xue, it even looked like it was going the Fiora¡¯s way. The Jax¡¯s health was too low. One mistake. One tiny mistake and Lin Feng would give thene away to the Fiora. His promise of carrying the game looked far away.

    Su Xue tugged on Zuo You¡¯s arm, her eyes never leaving therge screen above the stage, and said in a voice fraught with worry, ¡°H-hey, h-hey¡­ Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s being too aggressive? His health is so low... I-if he¡¯s not careful, that Fiora will kill him!¡±

    Zuo You pulled her arm free and shook her head. ¡°Well, pulling my arm off won¡¯t help him¡­¡± She looked at her friend and smiled, friendly. ¡°Jax doesn¡¯t have much health left, right? But look at the Fiora! She is as good as dead! All Lin Feng needs to do is hit her a few more times!¡±

    On therge screen, the two women saw how Lin Feng leaped onto the Fiora and hit her with an auto attack. The Fiora wouldn¡¯t have any of it. She dashed at the Jax and struck out with her rapier¨CLunge! She followed up with an auto attack. But her health was too low. She didn¡¯t deal enough damage. If she stayed any longer, the Jax would kill her, and not the other way around. So she shed away, retreating under her outer tower.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Su Xue cheered, jumping up from her chair. Then she slumped back down. ¡°Damn.¡± She shook her head and looked at Zuo You. ¡°Look at that Fiora¡¯s health. That could¡¯ve been first blood! All Lin Feng needed was Level 3. If he¡¯d had his W[1], he would¡¯ve gotten the kill¡­¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t at all concerned about the Fiora or his own health bar. He didn¡¯t try to chase after her when she shed away and instead chose to go back to the minion wave and continuest hitting them. That was where the money was at. Kill or no kill, this situation was a win for Lin Feng. He got some time to free farm experience and gold while the Fiora had to hide underneath her tower or even recall back to base. It didn¡¯t take him long to use this advantage to hit Level 3 first.

    West Wind turned to Silent Reed at the caster desk and said, ¡°This Jax, man, he¡¯s got a good head on his shoulders. Many yers would¡¯ve gotten greedy there and shed in for the kill. But that Fiora still had Riposte. So killing her was impossible. He would¡¯ve given away a kill instead. Good call to focus on the minions instead.¡±

    Silent Reed smiled, a development happening on therge screen. She said, ¡°You know. Both of them are at low health. If only a Jungler were to show up¡­ Hey! Look! Two Junglers are making their ways up top! Hehe!¡±

    West Wind looked back at therge screen, at the Rek¡¯Sai and Lee Sin rushing top. The Lee Sin was almost there. The Rek¡¯Sai was still a ways away. ¡°Uh oh! Jax is in danger! Can he make it out of this alive? Let¡¯s see!¡±

    In the crowd, Su Xue couldn¡¯t control her nerves anymore. She pinched hard in Zuo You¡¯s arm and shouted, ¡°No no NO! Lin Feng! Oh no! He has no ward! He doesn¡¯t know! We have to tell him he¡¯s in trouble! We have to! Lin Feng, watch out!¡±

    ¡°Ai!¡± Zuo You yelped, grabbing Su Xue¡¯s hand and pulling it off her arm. Then she turned back to the game, for the first time showing some concern towards Lin Feng. She bit on her lips and then cursed, ¡°This stupid kid! How dumb is he? All he needed to do was ce one ward! Now that Fiora is going to turn on him and get the kill¡­¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng was farming his minions, oblivious to the approaching danger. Until Liu Yue shouted into the voice chat, ¡°LIN FENG! WATCH OUT! The Lee ising for you! I¡¯m right behind him! But he¡¯s got a bit on me!¡± Lin Feng nced down at the map and noticed the fog of war blocking his vision. Oh. Right. I forgot. Oh well, doesn¡¯t matter. Haha¡­

    The Lee Sin ran into topne from the river entrance. He ced a ward in front of him and dashed towards it¨CSafeguard! Then he threw out a Sonic Wave, searching for a target to dash towards. But Jax wasn¡¯t that easily killed. Lin Feng shed the Sonic Wave, as the discordant wave of sound struck a minion behind him. It was all the Lee Sin needed. Another gap closer towards the Jax. He activated the second half of his skill¨CResonant Strike¨Cand dashed towards the minion. He arrived right next to the Jax. All the while, the Fiora left the safety of her tower and charged back intone.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Jax reappeared. The Lee Sin was too far away. The Fiora was even further away. He could get out! Until a sh of light appeared. Then the Lee Sin arrived right next to him. The Lee Sin raised his arm and mmed it down on the ground¨CCrippling Strike! Behind him, the Fiora Lunged forward, trying to close the gap again. This was his chance! He pressed on his Q key. His Jax Leap Striked on the Fiora!

    ¡°THE TURN AROUND!¡± West Wind cried out behind the caster desk. ¡°He¡¯s going to get the kill! He¡¯s going to do it! WOOOO!¡±

    Lin Feng pressed down on his W key¨CEmpower! His Jax¡¯smppost lit up. Its next attack would deal frightening damage. Its next attack would kill the Fiora. If itnded. He moved his arms back, his hands tightly wrapped around the weapon, and then swung his thick and sturdymppost down. Down onto the Fiora.

    1. Empower

 Chapter 141: Iâ€™m Really Good at Jax Too!

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    There was a stunned silence in the crowd. Everyone had just watched Lin Feng sh away from the Lee Sin and Fiora. But the game announcer didn''t lie. The next moment, the Jax was suddenly on top of the Fiora¡¯s corpse. Silent Reed shook the people at the venue awake, ¡°Wow! Beautiful! That was amazing! Jax picks up First Blood!¡±

    Su Xue was the first in the crowd to react. She jumped to her feet and threw her fist up in the air. ¡°GO LIN FENG! Hahaha! Nice! First blood!¡±

    Zuo You looked at therge screen above the stage, wide-eyed. ¡°Damn. That y was so sick. Like. Damn.¡±

    However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. Lee Sin was still alive and Jax had almost no health left. The Lee Sin was briefly caught off guard. He¡¯d just spent all his skills and abilities on chasing down the Jax, only to see his own Toner dying. Still, there was one constion. He was now between High School 13¡¯s outer tower and the Jax. The Jax was maybe two attacks from death. This was his chance.

    But then, a wild Rek¡¯Sai appeared! She dug a tunnel and Unburrowed right underneath the Lee Sin! He was knocked Airborne. The Jax turned around and mmed down with hismppost, while the Rek¡¯Sai bit Lee Sin. Her teeth sunk into his skin and tore away his health. Then the Jax¡¯smppost lit up. It was empowered. He thwacked the Lee Sin. Killed him.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°WOOOO!¡± West Wind shouted from behind the caster desk. ¡°What a y! Jax did it! The Toner for High School 13 picked up the double kill! That was amazing!¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Silent Reed said. She looked at Lin Feng sitting behind hisputer. He looked as calm and rxed as before the game. ¡°That Jax just got a double kill and double buffs. The Fiora is screwed. I bet they¡¯re having some not so fun talks in Bright High¡¯s voice chat. Would be great if we could listen in.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng pressed on the B key, recalling back to base. Then he leaned back in his chair andughed, ¡°Haha! That¡¯s game. Fiora is useless now! Haha!¡± His Jax was 2/0/0 with double buffs, while Fiora was 0/1/0. She had the level and gold disadvantage. On top of that, Lin Feng¡¯s Jax gained mana regen and cooldown reduction from the Blue Buff and burn damage from the Red Buff. This was literally a worst case scenario for the Fiora and Bright High.

    Shanghai High School was also in the crowd today. They weren¡¯t ying, but one of their rivals in Tonji Affiliated High did. Those games were quick and fast and Zeng Rui learned from them what he wanted to. But instead of going back home, he stuck around for the High School 13 series. He wanted more intel on that Support fromst game. The one who was now ying in the topne. He watched the gank. How the Lee Sin tried to make a y and how the Fiora screwed her team over. Idiot! Fool! You were one attack from dying. Why would you go in? Are you already inting? You knew that Jax still had his Q. He could leap to you whenever he wanted. You were practically asking to get killed¡­

    After cursing the Fiora for being a mindless fool a little while longer, Zeng Rui turned his attention to the Jax. To High School 13¡¯s Toner. The reflexes Lin Feng showed. His awareness. These were things no ordinary yer had. This y wasn¡¯t something a beginner could pull off. It wasn¡¯t dumb luck, it was skill of the highest level. He gazed at Lin Feng, coldly. Like I thought. He was just messing around in Support. This guy, he¡¯s a really dangerous Toner. We should be wary of him.

    ?

    Bright High had lost the topne. The Fiora dide back. She tried. She really did. But there was nothing she could do to pull thene back in her favour. Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t give her the chance to. Whenever she approached a minion, he had his Jax Leap Strike on her and gave her a thwack with hismppost. A simplebo that dealt a third of the Fiora¡¯s health as damage. It didn¡¯t matter if the Fiora used Riposte. She was immobile while it was active. Lin Feng just waited it out, standing right next to her. And then mmed an empoweredmppost in her face. All she could do was Lunge away and hide under her outer tower.

    Lin Feng pushed hard into Bright High¡¯s outer tower in topne. The Fiora was barely safe hiding underneath it. Realistically, she wasn¡¯t. Not if there came a gank. So Lee Sin is around, oring. Lin Feng was fully prepared for this. He¡¯d instructed Liu Yue toe to topne and be ready for a countergank.

    It took too long. The Lee Sin didn¡¯t show himself and Liu Yue was just hiding in the tri brush right beneath the outer tower. The Fiora had almost no health. All Lin Feng and Liu Yue had to do was juggle the tower aggro, so as to not give away a kill. That wasn¡¯t going to be hard either. The Rek¡¯Sai dug a tunnel from the fog of war and Unburrowed right beneath the Fiora, knocking her Airborne. Lin Feng followed up with his Jax, jumping on her and thwacking her to death with an Empowered strike of hismppost.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The Rek¡¯Sai backed away immediately after delivering the knock up. She got out of tower aggro in the exact moment after Lin Feng dealt the killing blow. This meant that the aggro wouldn¡¯t shift to Lin Feng¡¯s Jax. They both got out alive after picking up the kill. To add insult to injury, the Lee Sin walked through topne to the outer tower. He showed himself as the Fiora died, then turned around and ran away. High School 13 had picked up a kill and wasted the Lee Sin¡¯s time! It was another win-win!

    Behind the caster desk, West Wind and Silent Reed were watching therge screen. High School 13¡¯s Toner and Jungler were taking top tower after picking up a kill, while the Lee Sin was hovering in the back. Just walking back and forth, looking for a way in but not finding one. West Wind shook his head and said, ¡°Is that Fiora really Diamond 2? It doesn¡¯t look like it to me. And that Lee Sin. What is he doing there?¡± He grabbed his notepad and flipped through the information on Bright High. His finger traced what was written down about the Toner. ¡°Diamond 2, yeah. That¡¯s what they im he is¡­¡±

    West Wind¡¯s analysis wasn¡¯t quite fair. Anyone would struggle against a double buff and double kill Jax. He was a walking cmity. The Fiora yer was angry. Infuriated! Enraged! He wanted to grab his monitor and throw it into the crowd! From the moment he walked intone, he was at a disadvantage. The Jax had started on the Raptor Camp. He hadn¡¯t. It only got worse. The Jax snowballed. And now all he could do was sit under his tower and hope the Jax would show him some mercy.

    Lin Feng was merciful. Or rather, he understood there wasn¡¯t much more he could take from the Fiora. She was out of the game. It would take more than a little farm for her to get back into it. He could pressure her, and that would surely help his team push for a win, but there was something better he could do. There was a midne that was in full swing. He would go there and throw his weight around!

    ?

    At 5:40 minutes, Lin Feng pushed the minion wave in topne towards Bright High¡¯s inner tower. Then he had his Jax move down to the midne through the jungle. Past the Krugs. The Red Buff Camp. The Raptor Camp. There he stopped. The Raptor Camp was separated from the mine by a wall of trees. Lin Feng had his Jax attack the raptors twice, charging up for the passive proc from his ultimate¨CGrandmaster¡¯s Might! A powerful third auto attack!

    Yang Fan in midne knew Lin Feng wasing, thanks to abination of constant pings and instructions over voice chat. He had his Syndra push the minion wave towards Bright High¡¯s outer tower, doing everything to make it obvious a gank wasing. Bright High¡¯s Orianna picked up on it. She ran back to her outer tower. Back to safety. But Yang Fan kept pushing, staying near the bottom half of thene. Instinctively, the Orianna moved to the other side. The top side. Towards the wall of trees connecting midne to the Raptor Camp.

    The people in the crowd, other contestants, analysts, fans, everyone wanted to look away. The Jax was sitting there in the Raptor Camp, waiting. He already had his Counter Strike active. This was going to be a dive. This wasn¡¯t going to be pretty for Bright High. Some people turned their heads away, while others moved their hands to their forehead, blocking their vision of the screen. What was about to happen was a tragedy.

    Lin Feng grinned. The Orianna was in range. He moved his mouse over her and then pressed on the Q key¨CLeap Strike! His Jax jumped over the wall of trees and onto the Orianna! He followed up by activating the second half of Counter Strike, stunning the Orianna! Then he Empowered hismppost. It lit up as the Jax swung it down onto the Orianna.

    The stun was short and the Orianna broke free before the Jax could do anything more. She shed away. Away towards her tower, slightly back intone. Towards Yang Fan¡¯s Syndra. That was the wrong move. The Syndra ced a Dark Sphere on the ground, dealing magic damage to the Orianna. Then, she pushed the Dark Sphere back, doing the same to the Orianna and stunned her¨CScatter the Weak!

    The Orianna was served on a golden tter to Lin Feng¡¯s Jax. Yang Fan¡¯s Syndra had pushed her right back to him. Lin Feng didn¡¯t hesitate. He hit her with two auto attacks. Then. Empower was back off cooldown. The passive from his ultimate would proc on his next attack. Abination of terrifying damage! Themppost lit up. The Jax raised it over his shoulder. He swung it like a bat, hitting a homerun.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    The cheers of the crowd rang out in the background. The shoutcasters were screaming his name. And Lin Feng smiled and nodded. Perfect. That sh let me cancel tower aggro for a moment. Really nice of her. His Jax was now 4/0/0. It was hard to see anyone manage to stop him this game. He looked over at Yang Fan and gave him a thumbs up. Then he grabbed his microphone and ced it close to his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m really good at Jax too! Hehe.¡±

 Chapter 142: So Many Tricks

    Back in base. His Jax had a purse full of gold. Lin Feng spent it all before looking around the map. Teleport was off cooldown. He could go anywhere and go for another y. ¡°Ready for battle!¡± heughed. His gazended on topne. On the Fiora who wasst hitting minions. She was patient, refraining from pushing thene and only attacking when the minions were on theirst breath. But the wave was still pushing out and she was already fighting them next to the ruins of her outer tower.

    Lin Feng started smiling. Wide. Bright. Evil. Earlier, when he¡¯d gone through the top side jungle of Bright High to gank the Orianna in midne, he¡¯d left a ward at the Red Buff Camp. From there, it was a short trip up to topne. The Fiora was in the open. He could cut off her path of retreat. Like a fish on the chopping board. At this pace, she¡¯d be worth less than a cannon minion in another few minutes. He pressed down on the F key, his mouse hovering over the ward in the Red Buff Camp.

    ¡°Surprise! I¡¯m back,¡± Lin Feng muttered as his Jax appeared at Bright High¡¯s Red Buff Camp. He then had his Jax move up towards topne, past the Krugs and into the brush separating topne from the jungle. The Fiora had no wards in her jungle and no sight of the Jax. So, after killing thest few minions in topne, she¡¯d started to back. Better to be safe than sorry. But she was still toote. Lin Feng¡¯s Jax came running out of the brush and struck her with hismppost!

    W-where! What! How the hell¡­ Why from there? I¡ª There was no time. The Fiora yer knew this. His Champion was no match for the Jax. He had to get out. Now! He pressed the Q key and then the F key. His Fiora Lunged towards her inner tower, then shed a short distance. Anything to get closer to her inner tower. Anything to get away from the Jax!

    ¡°Taste mymppost! Haha!¡± Lin Fengughed as he clicked on the Fiora and pressed on his Q key. His Jax Leap Striked onto the Fiora. A transparent mantle appeared over Jax¡¯s head¨CCounter Strike! The Fiora couldn¡¯t attack him, not that she was trying to. She was trying to get away! But he was on top of her. She had no more mobility skills. He hit her with hismppost, then used Empower to reset the internal cooldown of auto attacks. His weapon lit up. This attack would deal bonus damage! He followed up with a third auto attack. It was strengthened by the passive of Grandmaster¡¯s Might.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The difference was too big between the two. Levels. Items. Skill. Lin Feng held the advantage in every aspect. The Fiora didn¡¯t stand a chance. Worse even, Lin Feng didn¡¯t even have to go all out. He hadn¡¯t even used the active part of his ultimate! He hadn¡¯t needed to, because the Fiora didn¡¯t attack him and she was too far away from her inner tower. So he never even got in tower range. It was all too easy.

    ?

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t the only yer on High School 13¡¯s team who was winning hisne. Yang Fan was only tinum. Bright High¡¯s Orianna was Diamond 2. But that didn¡¯t stop Yang Fan from going even inne. And after Lin Feng hade for that gank and had killed the Orianna, Yang Fan had used that brief period of solo farm inne to pull ahead of the Orianna. It was a small advantage, but it turned out to be enough for him. He pushed the advantage and was even starting to win hisne!

    Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong were fairing even better in botne than Yang Fan was in mid. They¡¯d be a really strong duo, especially over thest couple of days. Theirne was Lucian and Alistar versus Jinx and Blitzcrank. Jinx was as strong as ever, while Lucian had fallen off a bit after thest few patches. But even so, there was nothing in this game suggesting this. If anything, it looked like Jinx was the one who¡¯d been nerfed.

    Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong were pushing the minion waves into Bright High¡¯s outer tower. Bright High¡¯s Lee Sin was being kept busy elsewhere on the map, so they didn¡¯t have to worry much about a possible gank. They focused entirely on poking down the Jinx and Blitzcrank. To the point where Blitzcrank¡¯s passive skill activated. Mana Barrier gave him a temporary shield based on his mana when he dropped to low health.

    The shield gave the Blitzcrank some confidence. He only had it for a little. This was the time to go in and try a y! It could turn thene around! He Overdrived into position and then shot out his right arm, trying to grab and hook the Lucian. But Tang Bingyao was prepared. She knew he¡¯de. That was what Blitzcranks did. She had her Lucian dash to the side, dodging the hook¨CRelentless Pursuit!

    The Blitzcrank had moved forward, away from his tower. The Blitzcrank had used his crowd control skills. The Blitzcrank was out of position. Wei Dong knew this was his moment to shine. He hit down on the D key¨Csh! His Alistar shed forward, reappearing on top of the Blitzcrank. He then raised his bulky, muscr arms up and with the power of his bovine body smashed down on the ground¨CPulverize! The Blitzcrank wasunched into the air, while the Alistar moved towards Bright High¡¯s tower and then turned around. He dug his hooves in the ground and pushed off, charging forward and ramming his horns into the Blitzcrank, knocking him back¨CHeadbutt!

    Tang Bingyao had her Lucian aim his two guns and shoot a bolt of Piercing Light through the Blitzcrank! This activated his passive, Lightslinger. Whenever Lucian used an ability, his next attack would be a double-shot. The Blitzcrank¡¯s Mana Barrier disappeared. His health dropped low. Lucian shot a missile in a star shape, marking the Blitzcrank. He followed up with another double-shot. And then another auto attack.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Lin Feng heard the voice announcer and quickly panned his camera to botne. The Jinx was hiding under her tower, while Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian stood over the corpse of the Blitzcrank. He smiled and said, ¡°Nice job at bot! Great kill, Tang Tang!¡±

    ¡°Thank Wei Dong. It was his Alistar y. I didn¡¯t do much there,¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t let Tang Bingyao walk away without epting thepliment. So he said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! It was some beautiful teamy! That¡¯s what bot is all about! You guys are doing awesome together and that¡¯s why you¡¯re picking up those kills! Great job to the both of you!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, ncing over at Lin Feng. Maybe he has a point? She took a deep breath. Maybe he does. She smiled and nodded, ¡°Mhm!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui, Support and captain of Shanghai High School¡¯s esports team, was still watching the game between High School 13 and Bright High. There was some interest. Just a smidge. He had to take all his opponents seriously. Most of all those who were performing above and beyond how everyone expected them to. That was why High School 13 was important. One of the weakest teamsst year, and this year they made it all the way to the main tournament. That wasn¡¯t the difference of just one yer. This could only be if the whole team had be better.

    Beyond thest year, just over thisst week, High School 13 had be a stronger team. This had Zeng Rui¡¯s full attention right now. More specifically, it was High School 13¡¯s botne and then mostly the Support. That Alistar engage, the sh into Headbutt, was done perfectly. He¡¯d waited for the right moment. Combined his skills urately. Zeng Rui himself couldn¡¯t have done it any better! But it wasn¡¯t just this one y. There was something more. It was this Alistar¡¯s entire y style that was a step up from only a week ago.

    Zeng Rui looked away from therge monitor and towards the yers sitting behind theirputers. Towards the ad-carry and Support from High School 13. A girl and a guy. Their synergy is getting really good. They¡¯ve improved so much in only a week. Ah, it doesn¡¯t matter. It really didn¡¯t matter. There was nothing for him to worry about. Yes, High School 13¡¯s Boners were ying a great game. They were getting better every game it looked like. But they were still a far cry from himself and his ad-carry. There was no way they could get that good anytime soon.

    ¡°The others are good. But in the end, the biggest threat is still¡­¡± Zeng Rui shook his head, while turning towards High School 13¡¯s Toner. His eyelids twitched. He bit on his lips. He didn¡¯t want to say it. Or admit it. But. ¡°...that thundering dumbass ying Jax.¡±

    ?

    There was no need for Lin Feng to y too seriously. He was just having fun. His Jax was fed. No one could stop him. He pushed out the minion wave in topne, all the way towards Bright High¡¯s inner tower. What he¡¯d done so far to the Fiora still wasn¡¯t enough. He¡¯d make sure she wouldn¡¯t get anything! You want the minions? He grinned. Come. I won¡¯t attack you. Promise! He startedughing. ¡°Hehehe.¡± I won¡¯t attack you. Really. Just get some farm. It¡¯s free! ¡°Hehehe.¡± He leaned towards his screen, devious. Then his mouth opened into an even bigger grin. Oh oh! Yes! A few more steps! ¡°Hehehe.¡± Since you¡¯re here already, how about having a taste of mymppost!

    The Fiora stepped forward. Lin Feng had his Jax Leap Strike onto her. He then whacked her with hismppost. ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Feng mumbled. ¡°So it¡¯s a bait. Alright.¡± He shrugged as he watched the Orianna walked out of the jungle, trying to cut his retreat off. But he wasn¡¯t nning on retreating. He was Jax. ¡°Come at me together! Try! See what happens!¡± Heughed, then pressed on his W key¨CEmpower! His Jax had just hit the Fiora for a second time. The internal cooldown for his auto attack reset. Hismppost lit up. It was the third attack, which activated the passive from his ultimate, Grandmaster¡¯s Might. A super empowered auto attack hit the Fiora. It knocked her to the ground and she couldn¡¯t get back up.

    ¡¶Dominating!¡·

    That was Jax''s sixth kill. Zero deaths. But if it was up to Bright High, they¡¯d do something about that. The Orianna used her ultimate skill¨CCommand: Shockwave. Her Ball unleashed a shockwave,unching all enemy Champions towards it and dealing damage to them. In this case, that enemy was Jax. Lin Feng activated Counter Strike to mitigate some of the damage, but the crowd control aspect pulled him towards her. Not that he minded. Now he could kill her too. Except for the fact that at that very moment, another yer from Bright High showed himself. Safeguarding out from the jungle was Lee Sin!

    West Wind sat at the caster¡¯s desk, leaning forward. Just a little closer to therge screen. ¡°This is exciting! It looks like Bright High is putting everything on killing the Jax! They might actually do it here!¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and added, ¡°That Jax is going to have to run. Orianna and Lee Sin together is just too much damage. He¡¯s far ahead, but those two have everything to kill him.¡±

    The twomentators were spot on. When Lin Feng saw the Lee Sin, he dropped his immediate n of killing Orianna and ran back up the topne. He stuck close to the jungle wall. The Lee Sin hit him with a Sonic Wave. One he didn¡¯t side step. His finger was on the D key, ready to press down. Ready to sh. The Lee Sin activated the second half of his Q skill¨CResonating Strike! He dashed towards the Jax. Lin Feng pressed down and eximed, ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡±

    The Jax shed over the jungle wall. The Lee Sin followed after him. Then he ced a ward back on the other side. The side where the Orianna was. The Orianna who was trying to rush towards him. He Leap Striked over the wall and onto the ward, finding himself right in front of the Orianna. He followed up with an auto attack, then used Empower to reset his auto and attacked again! The next auto attack triggered the bonus damage from Grandmaster¡¯s Might! He swung down hismppost, knocking thest bit of health out of the Orianna¡¯s health bar.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    A stunned silence washed over the crowd. Over the shoutcasters. Even over the Orianna yer. All he could do was stare at his screen. It was grey. He was dead. That Jax¡­ They¡¯d ganked up on him. A 3vs1! He shouldn¡¯t have gotten a single kill! They should¡¯ve killed him! But here they were. Two deaths. And the Jax was still alive. He stared at his screen, dazed. M-my Orianna¡­

 Chapter 143: Whatâ€™s His Name?

    ¡°HEY! Talk! Start talking!¡± a voice boomed into West Wind and Silent Reed¡¯s earpieces. They were hired to do a job, and that job wasn¡¯t to sit in a daze and keep their mouths shut. It was to talk. To never close their mouths. To lead the people in the venue and at home through the games! That was the job of a shoutcaster!

    ¡°Uh oh, right,¡± Silent Reed mumbled. She shook her head and looked back at therge screen above the stage, thinking back to that Jax y. He shed away. Then jumped back. Didn¡¯t he¡­ The dots connected and she started talking into her microphone again, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Jax do the same thing for his first blood? Remember how he shed away and then Leap Striked back onto the Fiora?¡±

    West Wind looked to his side, towards Silent Reed, surprised. ¡°Huh. Hmm. You¡¯re right. It does look kind of simr. I mean,st time it was in the middle of thene and this time it was over a jungle wall, so it¡¯s not exactly the same. But yeah, you¡¯re right. A different ce but the y itself is almost identical. That Lee keeps getting yed, hehe.¡±

    The people in the crowd turned towards thementators. Those two were right! They had seen this y before! This Jax had done the Lee Sin dirty once at the start of the game. And now, a few minutester, he did the Lee Sin dirty again! There was no being nice, considerate, or anything of the kind. This Jax was just toying around with the Lee Sin, making him look a fool! And he was the fool, especially the second time. He should¡¯ve learned his lesson the first time around.

    ?

    The Lee Sin yer from Bright High couldn¡¯t take it anymore. God fucking fuck fuck shit fucking shit! He mashed down on his mouse, full of power, as if he were trying to kill it. Smother it! God fucking fuck fuck fuck fuck! He raised his other hand up above his keyboard, a little higher than usual, and mmed down. Down on the D. His Lee Sin shed over the wall and after the Jax. You little piece of¡­ This was thest time the Jax would do him dirty! He was going to put an end to this right now! The Jax was almost dead. One roundhouse kick to the face would seal the deal. I¡¯ma kill you, you fucking shitstain!

    However, Lin Feng still had his teammates. More specifically, a Jungler and Miner. Liu Yue and Yang Fan had started walking towards topne the moment it became clear what was going to happen up there. Now, with the Fiora and Orianna already dead, they finally arrived. Not toote. Not too early. But precisely when they were needed.

    Yang Fan had his Syndra conjure a Dark Sphere under the Lee Sin, dealing magic damage to him. Then he activated Scatter the Weak. The Syndra knocked the Lee Sin and Dark Sphere backwards. The Dark Sphere hit the Lee Sin again, activating the secondary ability of Scatter the Weak. That was to stun any Champion hit by the Dark Sphere. Then, timed to perfection, the Rek¡¯Sai dug a tunnel and Unburrowed underneath the Lee Sin. This time, the Lee was knocked up, but the result was the same. The Lee Sin was immobilized. He couldn¡¯t do anything as the Syndra cast her ultimate¨C?Unleashed Power! She bombarded him with her Dark Spheres, iming the kill. All the while, Lin Feng had his Jax stand off to the side, taunting the Lee Sin for failing to kill him.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡°A, man!¡± Lin Feng whined. The Lee Sin was dead. His Jax got an assist. He was now 7/0/1. ¡°Just one more kill. All I needed was that one kill, and I would¡¯ve been Legendary¡­¡±

    Yang Fan rolled his eyes, then adjusted his sses. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve already got so many kills. You just picked up two in a 1vs3! How are you still not happy? Ah, forget it. Just don¡¯t go doing anything stupid. We don¡¯t want to give them the bounty on your head.¡±

    Lin Fengughed, uncaring. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. They can¡¯t catch me. I¡¯m really good at saving my own hide too!¡±

    ?

    High School 13 versus Bright High. The game wasn¡¯t over yet. Not officially, at least. But there wasn¡¯t much hope left for Bright High. Yang Fan was doing well in midne on his Syndra, despite his opponent being Diamond 2. As for botne, Tang Bingyao was 1,500 gold ahead of the Jinx. This was half an item worth of gold. A difference that was noticeable in fights. As if it were a 6vs5. In this particr game, it was even worse. Topne. Lin Feng¡¯sne. The disparity up there was so big that it was hard to say anything positive about the Fiora. It looked like she wasn¡¯t intentionally feeding yet. But that was about it.

    The other teamspeting in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament who¡¯de to observe these games stared at therge screen. They followed the game. Followed every move High School 13 made. Made mental notes. Anything and everything they noticed. High School 13 was good. Really good. If they wanted to beat them, they¡¯d have to really try. y their best. So it was important to find potential weaknesses right now. Then, if they were unfortunate enough to end up having to y against High School 13, at least they knew where to start forming a n from.

    In this game against Bright High, High School 13 looked like a genuine contender for the title. They were the dark horse of this edition. It was so impressive that even the yers from Shanghai High School started whispering amongst each other, worried. They¡¯d watched High School 13 a week ago. But the High School 13 this week looked like a different team. They were so much better, it almost felt like they were dreaming. Against this team, they might actually have to try!

    One of the few yers who wasn¡¯t affected by this showcase of power from High School 13 was Zeng Rui. He sneered when he heard the whispers from his teammates. Fools. Fair. High School 13 was stronger than he expected. Better than anyone initially anticipated. But just because they were better, that didn¡¯t mean they were good. Their Boners were half decent and their Toner was good. But other than that, they were a weak team. They might luck their way to the semifinals, but they¡¯d never make it to the finals.

    Zeng Rui shook his head. There really wasn¡¯t anything to worry about. Might as well get matched up against them. We just have to put a little more effort shutting that thundering dumbass down. The rest is easy. High School 13 wasn¡¯t strong enough. The only team that scared him was Shanghai International. Last year¡¯s runners up. They had a strong team, rivaling his own. Hmm¡­ He nced in his notebook at the information he¡¯d written down on High School 13. Seems like Shanghai International knocked them outst year. Maybe they got particrly unlucky in their qualifiers. Who knows...

    ?

    Chu Fang was watching the match, which wasn¡¯t particrly interesting. The winner was obvious, to everyone. High School 13. He looked at the 10 high schoolers fighting it out. At the other high schoolers from other teams watching the games. That used to be me¡­ He thought back to his early days. His introduction to the massive online battle arena genre. He started in DotA and when League of Legends released, made the switch. Since then, he¡¯d yed this game. Though, over thest several years, he¡¯d noticed his reflexes and mechanics falling off. His old rank was near the top of thedder in high Diamond. But these days, he¡¯d be lucky if he didn¡¯t drop down to tinum.

    However, even when he yed DotA, he never belonged to the very best. He was very good, but not good enough to make it professionally. If those yers, the ones who dominated the DotA scene back in their days, had made the switch to League of Legends. If they were willing to step out of retirement and reignite theirpetitive spirits. Chu Fang shook his head. They¡¯d be Kings and Emperors. No one could stop them. They¡¯d dominate the scene. Such a pity¡­

    Chu Fang knew his own skills, orck thereof, and had made his peace with it. But that didn¡¯t stop his love for esports. He just had to find a different way to be involved. And he had. His current job put him right in the middle of the scene and he absolutely loved it. When he looked at these young kids ying to the best of their ability right now, it felt like he was looking at a younger version of himself. His dreams of making the big leagues. His dreams ofpeting for the highest titles and awards. His thirst and desire to win in the Finals of the World Championships and every game before and after it!

    The world kept revolving. The faces on and around the stage would change. With the developments in technology, the game would keep evolving. But there was one constant. One thing that would never change. Something Chu Fang recognized in himself and his peers back when he still yed. And something he recognized in the yers he was watching right now. It was thepetitive spirit. The never give up mentality. To always keep fighting no matter how impossible the odds!

    Chu Fang shook his head, shaking off the memories of old, and focused back on the game. On two yers in particr. They were the only two of the 10 yers who had some semnce of talent. He might not be the yer he once was, but he¡¯d learned how to spot talent. These two definitely had it. That special spark about them. The ir in their game. It stood out to him like a bright light, blinding him.

    He watched the Lucian. A female ad-carry. It was rare, but not unheard of. She was ying incredibly well. But she also still had a long way to go. Then there was the Jax. That Jax was different. He didn¡¯t just have talent. He was ying above and beyond everyone else. The outys in topne, and even that kill in midne, they were the one in a million ys for most people. A stroke of luck that happened once in their careers. They¡¯d jump up to their feet and forget about everything else. But not this Jax. He made the first y andughed, calm. Rxed. Then he went in with the same conviction and only made better ys. There was never a shred of uncertainty. Chu Fang smiled. This Jax had real talent. ¡°Right,¡± he said to himself. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±

 Chapter 144: Leave Some for the Rest of Us

    Ring-ring¡­ Ring-ring¡­ Ring-ring¡­

    Chu Fang grabbed his phone and checked who was calling him. It was the owner of an organization with business ties to the Shanghai Esports Association. The thought of finding out the name of High School 13¡¯s Toner slid to the back of his mind. He left his spot backstage and walked to somewhere a little more private, so that he could take the call and not be interrupted by the crowd of 500 cheering for that Toner. That Toner who he was sure he¡¯d see more of. If not today, then in the quarterfinals. For there wasn¡¯t a single doubt in his mind that High School 13 would beat Bright High and move on to the next round. And as if to confirm this thought, a single word sted from the speakers.

    ¡¶Legendary!¡·

    The game wasn¡¯t fun, not for the yers from Bright High. It was their worst nightmare. The Jax was toying with them. He hunted them down across the Rift, mming them back to the fountain with hismppost. And there was nothing they could do about it. At 20 minutes, he grew to the invincible status. If they tried to fight him, even get near him, he¡¯d kill them. Anyone squishy would fall to him. But since they hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to buy some defensive items, all five of them were squishy.

    Bright High tried to hunt him down. Again. Another 3vs1. Another failure. Lin Feng turned tail and ran. But he didn¡¯t run for safety, he just ran around the map, waiting for them to make a mistake. Waiting for one of those chasing him to split away from the others. Then he jumped on the straggler. Killed them. And then went back to running around the map. It was painful to watch.

    The yers from Bright High were growing increasingly frustrated. Another Leap Strike. Another death. Jax again jumping from the only un-warded brush within sight. Annoyed. Angry. Furious. They couldn¡¯t take it anymore! Not for another second! ¡°GOD FUCKING SHIT JAX! FUCK THIS GUY!¡±¡°SCREW HIM AND HIS FAMILY!¡±¡°AGAIN? THIS STUPID SON OF A BITCH!¡±¡°I WANNA FUCKING KILL THAT STUPID SHITHEAD!¡± ¡°AARRGGHHHHHH WHAT IS THIS BULLSHIT? HOW IS HE EVERYWHERE? EVERYWHERE!¡±

    ?

    Silent Reed shook her head and sighed. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good for Bright High. They can¡¯t do anything against this Jax. It¡¯s really hard to watch. I think we all know how frustrating these kinds of games are when you¡¯re on the losing team.¡±

    ¡°No kidding. He¡¯s unkible,¡± West Wind chuckled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many people go after him, they won¡¯t kill him. He¡¯ll just get away, while the rest of his team punishes you. There¡¯s no winning this. He¡¯ll get to their nexus and end the game. A fed Jax is such a headache.¡± He paused for a moment to look up at therge screen. ¡°Mhm. Looks like this game is about done. Bright High has basically given up resisting.¡±

    Bright High hadn¡¯t exactly given up. They were giving it their all. They were fighting for farm. For objectives. For kills. For anything and everything they could. But High School 13 was too far ahead. In every aspect of the game, they held the upper hand. Four of their yers were pushing together in midne, while Lin Feng ran around the map, doing whatever he felt like doing. He could. No one could stop him.

    Su Xue had forgotten all about her earlier nerves. Now, she was cheering for every y Lin Feng made. Everything he did ended with a kill or objective. It looked so easy when he did it. So simple and smooth that it made others wonder if it was even difficult what he was doing. She jumped up and cheered for him, only to be pulled back down by Zuo You. Sometimes even before she could jump up or cry out, Zuo You would move to stop her. And perhaps that was for the best, for what Su Xue wanted to shout through the venue the most was, ¡°HEY HEY! SEE THAT JAX? YEAH? THAT¡¯S MY LITTLE BROTHER!¡±

    Weapons and spells mmed down onto Bright High¡¯s nexus, the red energy within looking to break free. Its durability went down. Bright High tried to stop it, but the yers from High School 13 would take a break from destroying the nexus to killing them whenever they tried to do something. In this fashion, thest bit of durability depleted. The nexus exploded and the red energy escaped. It was a victory for High School 13! They were up 1-0 in this best of three series!

    High School 13 had to win one more game to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Everyone expected that Jax to pick another Champion that excelled at fighting and picking up kills. They even wanted to see that Jax put on another disy! But they weren¡¯t going to get that chance. High School 13 changed their roster for the second game. Lin Feng made ce for Chen Ze.

    Right after the information was passed on to the staff members, it was sent through to Silent Reed behind the caster¡¯s desk. She forgot for a moment that her microphone was on. That everyone could hear her. She said, ¡°Hoh? What? The Jax yer is sitting out?¡± Realizing everyone had heard her confusion, she smiled and added, ¡°We have a change in High School 13¡¯s lineup! They¡¯re switching Toners! The Jax is sitting out in the next game and someone else is taking his ce!¡±

    Somewhere in the crowd, Zeng Rui looked over his shoulder towards the caster¡¯s desk and shook his head. Big whoppin¡¯ surprise¡­ Not. He knew this could happen. In fact, he was even expecting it. This thundering dumbass did the same in thest round¡­ He needs to have his brain checked out. Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng, who was walking down the stage with a spring in his step. He couldn¡¯t spot the slightest trace of worry. Or anything of the kind. Overconfidence? It has to be. Does he think this game doesn¡¯t matter or something? Lose one and then carry the next? Zeng Rui jutted his jaw forward and glowered. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re some superhero? Come swooping in to save the day when your team needs you again?¡±

    ?

    ¡°Eh? Why are you here?¡± Su Xue asked Lin Feng when he walked up to them. ¡°Your game is almost starting. Was that caster girl right? Are you really sitting out? Why?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah. I¡¯m sitting out.¡± Lin Feng nodded and sat down next to Su Xue. After the game had ended, he¡¯d noticed the chair freed up, so he made the quick decision toe sit with his roommate. He looked at her, and Zuo You sitting on the other side of her, and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Our team is strong enough. They don¡¯t need me to beat that Bright High team. Besides, it¡¯ll be good for them to win a game without me.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡± Su Xue shook her head, but then grinned. She ruffled his hair and said, ¡°You were fantasticst game! It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t embarrass me!¡±

    ¡°I know, right? My Jax is amazing!¡± Lin Fengughed, brightly.

    Zuo You listened to the two, feeling the intense urge to disappear. She ced her hand over her face and scrunched back, biting on the inside of her lip. Then. She¡¯d had enough. ¡°Seriously! Come on! What is it with you two? One making a fool of himself up on stage, and the other in the crowd! I don¡¯t want to be the third wheel in this rtionship!¡± She breathed in, deep and long. Then blew it all out and turned her attention back on the stage. On the yers from High School 13. On the ad-carry. She looked at the girl and¡ª ¡°Hey! Lin Feng? That girl ying ad-carry on your team, is she your girlfriend?¡±

    Lin Feng looked over at Zuo You, bewildered, and asked, ¡°Huh? What girlfriend?¡±

    Zuo You gave him the stink eye and said, ¡°ying dumb? You know, the ¡°not my girlfriend¡± girlfriend. That ssmate you can¡¯t shut up about. Or. Wait. Are you two still together? Or did she break up with you? Is that it? Well, don¡¯t worry about it. That¡¯s just what kids your age do. They race through rtionships. A new one every week, sometimes even twice a day. It¡¯s just part of being a teenager. But damn. She¡¯s actually kind of cute. Almost as cute as Su Xue here was when she was still young.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes bugged out. She was used to getting this kind of abuse from her viewers while streaming, but not from her best friend! ¡°Hey! When I was still young? What¡¯s wrong with you! I¡¯m still young! Screw you!¡±

    Zuo You grinned, revealing her teeth. ¡°Hohoho! Look at the little miss insulted here! Desperate topare herself to a high school girl! Haha! Look at this, Lin Feng, these are her true colours. She¡¯s a jealous one.¡±

    Su Xue fingers flew as if they had a life of their own. Flew towards Zuo You and stabbed into her side. The side of her stomach, an especially sensitive area. One that often receivedughter when tickled. She yelled, ¡°Who are you calling jealous? Huh? HUH? Tell me! Who¡¯s the jealous one!

    ¡°Hahaha! Ow! Mercy, mercy! It¡¯s my bad! I was just joking around! Haha! You¡¯re so mad! Doesn''t that mean I¡¯m ri¡ª Ow! Hahah! Okay! My bad my bad! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°Hmpf. That¡¯s what I thought.¡±

    ?

    The second game between High School 13 and Bright High started. Lin Feng watched it from the stands together with Su Xue and Zuo You, though he was for the most part preupied with chatting with the two girls. There wasn¡¯t anything for him to worry about in the game. His team yed fantastically. Even without him, they were great. It was what they¡¯d been practicing for all this time! Chen Ze was no Lin Feng, but he yed a very strong topne and was even the yer who made the first big y in the game. The y that tilted Bright High over the edge.

    Bright High was pushing hard in botne. Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong were forced underneath their outer tower. But not before Wei Dong had ced a ward in the brush a little further inne. A brush that wasn¡¯t warded by Bright High. Chen Ze teleported to it with his Irelia. A 3vs2. His Irelia had a stun and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana had a jump. Thene was too long. Bright High couldn¡¯t get away in time. Tang Bingyao picked up the double kill on her Tristana.

    From those first two kills, the game snowballed in High School 13¡¯s favour. They built up a gold difference that only grewrger. Up to 4,000 gold by the 15 minute mark and up to 6,000 gold another five minutester. Most of that gold difference was between the ad-carries. Tang Bingyao was ying one of her best games. She got rewarded for it with a quadra kill that she picked up at a fight over the Dragon. It was such a beautiful y by her that the entire crowd went silent for a moment, before erupting into cheers!

    The caster¡¯s desk was helping with this. Silent Reed shoutcasted, ¡°You go girl! Represent all female yers! We¡¯re also really good at the game!¡±

    Bright High was still mad after the first game. They stepped with the wrong foot in this second game, and they were punished for it. From the start of the game, they were pushed back. They lost objectives. They gave away kills. It started slowly, but soon happened everywhere. There was nothing they could do to stop it anymore. After 32 minutes, their nexus exploded as did their dreams of making it to the next round in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament

    High School 13 2 - 0 Bright High

    Lin Feng ran down the stands and joined up with Ouyang and Ren Rou as they jumped up on stage to celebrate the win with the rest of the team. From out in the first round of the qualifiersst year to making it now to the quarterfinals! This was immense! This was huge! Ouyang jumped on Yang Fan and screamed, ¡°WOOOOOOOO! WE WON! WE¡¯RE GOING TO THE QUARTERS!¡±

    Liu Yue hugged the two guys, with Wei Dong and Chen Ze doing the same. Lin Fengughed and jumped into the hug circle, with only the two girls shaking their heads from the side. Ugh, boys. They grinned at each other and Ren Rou said, ¡°Great work, Tang Tang! You really carried that game! That was amazing!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡±

    Su Xue and Zuo You walked up on stage. Theyughed while watching the guys hugging each other. The guys were still jumping around. They looked like a bunch of fools! But they didn¡¯t care. They were just happy! Until Ouyang noticed the two women. His Ouyang Senses had warned him. ¡°Wait!¡± he shouted, pushing himself free from the others. He turned to look at Su Xue and Zuo You. ¡°Su Xue and¡­¡± He scrutinized the girl next to Su Xue. An unfamiliar face. He turned to Lin Feng, then pointed his thumb at Zuo You and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s she? Don¡¯t tell me. Don¡¯t tell me. Lin Feng. You bastard! Leave some for the rest of us!¡±

 Chapter 145: Master and Disciple!

    Liu Yue looked at the two women. Then he looked over at Ouyang, next to him and jumping on Lin Feng, shouting and pointing at the two girls. Liu Yue¡¯s face turned red. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. A whole lot faster than normal. He looked down at the ground as chills ran up and down his body. He took a step back, shaking. He tried to look up, tried to look at the two gorgeous women. Are they looking at me? Gotta check. One quick nce. Quick like a cat! LET¡¯S GO! He took a quick nce at them, just to make sure they didn¡¯t notice him noticing them. Beads of sweat materialized on his forehead. The scent of his armpits suddenly arrived at his nose. He wanted to make sure it wasn¡¯t too bad, but that would be too weird. W-what should I say? Do I say hi? Is that normal? Will they think I¡¯m a creep? I should just say something, right? But what if they think I¡¯m stupid? Maybe they¡¯llugh at me. I should just say hi. I think? Maybe. What are the others¡­ He nced around. At Ouyang being his normal dude-bro self, right up in Lin Feng¡¯s face. At Yang Fan standing off on the side, casually and analytically leering at the two women. He was especially interested in the redhead. At Chen Ze and Wei Dong who looked like identical twins. Staring and drooling and nearly falling over each other, excited to be in the presence of these two women.

    Ren Rou red at the boys. Disgusting pigs! They¡¯re all the same! These guys saw newnds, unexplored horizons and lost their minds in the thrill of discovery! Even though they didn¡¯t have a shot in seven hells at getting anywhere near these twodies. They still lost their minds! Why are they always like this? Swines! She¡¯d had enough of it and put her fist to her mouth, scraped her throat, and coughed, ¡°Ahuh-hem!¡±

    Rudely interrupted from his argument with Lin Feng, Ouyang turned to Ren Rou. There was true righteous anger and thundering fury zing in his eyes. And then it died. Shit. He knew that look. He knew what wasing next if he didn¡¯t stop. He nodded and looked around at his friends. They had round eyes and red faces, stammering and babbling random small talk.¡°A-ah, weather. Good. Yes.¡±¡°H-haha. Uh. Daydream. We''re just daydreaming!¡±¡°Uhhh, yes! Daydreaming! Me too!¡±¡°W-what? I. Uhm.¡±

    Zuo You walked up to Lin Feng and put her arm around his neck. She looked at his ssmates and said to him, ¡°Hahaha! Lin Feng, your ssmates are funny! Aren¡¯t you going to introduce us?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right! I forgot!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He turned to his ssmates and said, ¡°This is Zuo You and this is Su Xue. Su Xue is my roommate.¡± He then looked at Zuo You and started pointing at his ssmates. ¡°Ouyang. Yang Fan. Ren Rou. Chen Ze. Wei Dong. Liu Yue. Tang Bingyao.¡±

    A simple introduction. It didn¡¯t seem like much, but it broke the ice. The guys stopped staring and started talking. Su Xue was a streamer and they had a lot of questions for her. From how she was enjoying streaming to who her personal white knights were. Every stream had them, Ouyang argued. Then there was Zuo You. She had that same fiery temperament as Ren Rou. The two were drawn to each other and started chatting. The hostility and anger Ren Rou felt, mostly because of how the boys had reacted to the two women, dissipated. It helped that Zuo You was as much of a League fanatic as her, so they quickly forgot about everything else.

    Su Xue was talking with the boys. She promised to add them as friends on her League ount, and maybe even y a few games with them. These were her little brother¡¯s friends and she was going to show her best self to them! It was a side of Su Xue that Lin Feng had never seen at home before. But her charm worked. The boys started to feel a lot morefortable talking with her. They started thinking of her as their big sister and began talking more freely. Until Tang Bingyao walked forward. They went quiet and looked at her. She waved her hand and said to Su Xue, ¡°Hello, nice to meet you.¡±

    Su Xue looked over at Tang Bingyao. She looked her up and down. Left and right. Then she smiled and said, ¡°You must be Tang Tang, right? Lin Feng talks about you all the time!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Why would he talk about me?¡±

    Zuo You was still chatting with Ren Rou when she heard the question. She hadn¡¯t been listening in. Hadn¡¯t heard anything of that conversation up until this point. But this question caught her attention so hard that she forgot about everything else and turned around to Tang Bingyao. She interjected, ¡°Of course he talks about you all the time! He likes you! You¡¯re his girlfriend, right? Mhm-hm, not bad. Not bad at all. So, are you two official yet?¡±

    ¡°Official? No. We aren¡¯t dating,¡± Tang Bingyao denied.

    Lin Feng put his hand on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulder and nodded. ¡°Yeah! We aren¡¯t dating. We¡¯re the best of bros!¡±

    The physical contact didn¡¯t bother Tang Bingyao. She nodded, agreeing with his words. Until it hit her. He called her a bro. That wasn¡¯t quite right. She looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m a girl. We can¡¯t be bros.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine! Girls can be bros too!¡± Lin Feng said.

    Tang Bingyao scrunched up her nose. She looked at Lin Feng and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. It sounds wrong.¡±

    ¡°Eh, who cares?¡± Lin Feng waved his hand. Then he scratched his chin and said, ¡°Okay. I got it! How about we go with Master and Disciple?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°Mhm. I¡¯m fine with that.¡±

    The others around the two had gone quiet. They looked at Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng having an honest argument. A stupid argument. It was simultaneously silly and cute. No one knew what to say. So they just stood there watching. Waiting. Hoping for it to end soon. Then Zuo You broke the silence. ¡°Damn! I take back all my doubts. You two are made for each other! I¡¯ve never seen a more perfect couple!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng and the others didn¡¯t stay at the venue where the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was held for much longer. It was alreadyte and they had school the next morning. They could celebrate after winning the entire tournament. For tonight, they decided to cut it short and go back home. While saying their goodbyes, Su Xue and Zuo You promised the team that they¡¯de and cheer them on all the way to the Finals. They¡¯d be there when High School 13 would lift the trophy! If they got that far. And if they did, Su Xue even promised them a dinner celebration.

    The others from the esports team went back with the subway, while Lin Feng joined Su Xue and Zuo You. They took a cab back to their ce. In the car, Zuo You asked, ¡°You¡¯re pretty close with those ssmates of yours, huh? That Ren Rou girl is really nice. I really like her!¡± She paused for a moment, a wicked grin spreading on her face. She winked at him, a little over the top. ¡°Hey, hey. Are you really not dating Tang Tang? I think you two would make such a cute couple!¡±

    Su Xue nodded. ¡°You two really did look great together. And she¡¯s really cute and adorable and pretty. Are you sure you aren¡¯t interested in her?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and smiled. ¡°Nah, nah! It¡¯s like I said, I¡¯m her master! The best of bros!¡±

    ¡°The best of bros my ass!¡± Zuo You said, rolling her eyes. Speaking of bros¡­ She looked at Lin Feng. Scrutinized him. Then asked, ¡°Right. That friend of yours. Ouyang or whatever. He said something about a pretty childhood friend? Was what he said true?¡±

    ¡°Haha, yeah! He was talking about Bunbun!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    Zuo You opened her eyes wide and nodded. ¡°Ha. You¡¯re insatiable. I should¡¯ve known when I saw you eat. But wow! How many women do you want before you¡¯re happy? Is Tang Tang not enough? Do you really need this Bunbun too? Oh! And don¡¯t forget about Su Xue!¡±

    ¡°Hey! What the fuck!¡± Su Xue eximed. ¡°Why would you include me there? I¡¯m his big sister! Big. Sister! Nothing more!¡± She then turned to Lin Feng, ignoring her friend, and asked, ¡°So you really have a cute childhood friend? Tell me about her!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Bunbun is a really good friend! She was the one who introduced me to League of Legends and taught me how to y!¡± Lin Feng nodded. Then he grinned. ¡°But now I¡¯m way better than her! Hehe. I can easily kick her ass!¡±

    Zuo You rolled her eyes and said, ¡°No one cares about that.¡± She knew Lin Feng was good. They all knew Lin Feng was really good at the game. One of the best in all of China, most likely. If he wasn¡¯t at the level of a professional yer, he wouldn¡¯t be far off. That was how highly they thought of his skills. So there wasn¡¯t a doubt in their minds that he could beat some random yer who happened to have introduced him to the game. But pressing him on the matter wouldn¡¯t get her anything. She knew him better than that by now. So she turned to Su Xue and switched the topic. ¡°Hey, remember the video thing I suggested the other day? Did you have a chance to think about it yet?¡±

    Su Xue smiled and said, ¡°I did! I did! I¡¯m nning on giving it a shot! It¡¯s just been a little difficult to figure out how to record the gamey and find a good way of doingmentary. My own style. I¡¯ve been studying othermentators for a few days now, but it looks really difficult. Anyways, I think it¡¯s possible. As long as Lin Feng is down to make the gamey for me to recor¨C¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡± Lin Feng interrupted.

    Zuo You nodded. ¡°Sounds good. I think it¡¯s a great idea. Just hurry up and get things rolling. I¡¯ve got some spare time right now, but who knows how long that¡¯llst. Get that first video recorded and send it my way. I¡¯ll do all the editing and post-processing!¡±

    ¡°No worries. We¡¯ll have the video done in no time. Right, Lin Feng?¡± Su Xue said, turning to Lin Feng. Then she thought about it for a moment before asking, ¡°That¡¯s fine, right? Like, we can make a video in the next day or two? If you aren¡¯t busy with anything...¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and said, ¡°Nope! I¡¯m good! We can do it!¡±

    However, not everything was good. Something terrible was happening! It was so bad that it didn¡¯t just affect Su Xue and Lin Feng, but the entire Chinese League of Legendsmunity! They were all caught off guard by the news. No one saw iting. But when it did, it hit like a truck. It smashed into them and left them numb. Then the pain set in. They started screaming in righteous indignation. This wasn¡¯t fair! This was the absolute worst!

 Chapter 146: Disastrous News

    The quarterfinals for the League of Legends World Championships were over. Four teams had qualified for the semifinals! They were flying to Brussels, Belgium, for the next stage of the tournament. The Summoner¡¯s Cup was almost within reach, but their opponents were also getting stronger. Of the four teams left, three of them had an Emperor on their roster. And the fourth team might not have an Emperor, but they did have the Uncrowned Eighth!

    Coming from Europe, fighting on their homeground for the title of World Champions and the Summoner¡¯s Cup. Fighting for the glory of their region! It was Legend! Led by the Emperor Phoenix!

    Coming from North America, fighting for relevance! Fighting for honour! Fighting for a win! It was the Korean Killers from Season! Led by the best Support in the world. Emperor Autumn!

    Coming from Korea, defending their world title and going for a record third win in a row! Defending their title of best team in the world! It was SSK! Led by the best yer in the world. Emperor Rake!

    Coming from China, fighting against all odds! Chasing their dreams and the hopes of a region! David holding his own between the Goliaths! It was KG! Led by a God! The one, the only, Uncrowned Eighth Roundy Round!

    On Monday, while Lin Feng and his school esports team were busy with the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, League of Legends fans all across the world were in heated discussion about the possible draws for the semifinals. There were three Emperor teams. And the fourth was KG. A team that had beaten Legend in the group stage. That meant there were basically four Emperor worthy teams. There was no easy win. Except that SSK was the impossible opponent. The one no one wanted to y against. SSK was untouchable. Rake was too strong.

    Legend had a strong Miner in Phoenix who could carry the team on his shoulders, while Season had Autumn, a Support who could make his entire team y several times better than they usually could. His awareness. His ability to ce the best wards and call the right fights were second to none. Both were terrifying teams to y against. But both had their own weaknesses that could be exploited. KG had shown that by beating Legend in the group stage. This bit of information was all that the KG fans needed to hold onto. Cling onto. And hope, pray, beg for their team to draw against one of these two for the semifinals.

    However, life wasn¡¯t fair. Riot Games published the semi finals matchups. They were what KG fans feared the most. The one thing they¡¯d been collectively ignoring all day in the hope it wouldn¡¯t be true. But it had. Any hopes of KG making it through to the finals were dead. Dreams copsed. The disastrous news was that KG had to face off against SSK!

    League of Legends World Championships Semi Finals:Legend versus SeasonKG versus SSK

    ?

    A few hours earlier, Lin Feng and Su Xue arrived back home. It was alreadyte and neither had had dinner yet, due to the awful timing of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. So Su Xue put on her apron and turned on some music. She started humming to the sound while chopping vegetables and preparing dinner. All the while, Lin Feng bolted to his bedroom to work on his ¡®anything but cooking¡¯ homework.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the spices and meat and vegetables toe together in a hot pan, that delicious smell of food wafting through the apartment. Lin Feng was busy with his homework when the scent permeated into his room. He perked up and looked over his shoulder. The door was closed, but he could do something about that. He opened the door and peeked around the corner. Su Xue was setting the table. He forgot about the homework he was doing and rushed into the dining room, where he dropped down on his chair. Chopsticks in hand, he waited for her to sit down and give the ok.

    Lin Feng attacked the food, striking it with his chopsticks and then chewing it to pieces before swallowing it down. Su Xue watched him with rapt attention, eating a little too. Nowhere near as much as Lin Feng, though. He¡¯s really something else when food is on the table¡­ She took another small bite and chewed on it for longer than necessary, watching Lin Feng. When she finally swallowed it down, she said, ¡°Hey. Lin Feng. That childhood friend you were talking about. Is she real? Do you really call her Bunbun? Like, to her face?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh. Yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ¡°What a¡­¡± Su Xue hesitated for a moment. Bunbun. It was a strange name. ¡°What a cute nickname.¡± She fell silent for a bit, while Lin Feng worked hard on devouring all the food. Then, as curiosity got the better of her, she asked, ¡°Where is she now? Are you two really so close? Why don¡¯t I ever see you calling her then?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because she¡¯s also busy with school!¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°And, uhm, well, she¡¯s still back in Hangzhou. That¡¯s where I was toost year. I¡¯ve only been here for a little while now. But yeah, it¡¯d be nice to talk with her a bit more!¡± He grabbed his bowl of soup and started slurping it down. When it was empty, he put it back down and looked up at Su Xue. With pieces of food stuck to his lips and a wide smile, he asked, ¡°Why are you so interested in her anyway?¡±

    ¡°W-what? Can¡¯t I be a little curious about my little brother¡¯s life?¡± Su Xue asked, curling her lips. She turned her head away from Lin Feng and looked out the window. The light from amppost shone in the distance. Why do I care? Is it because of how he talked about her? He seemed to really care about he¡ª Her eyes went round. They shot open so wide that it almost looked like her eyeballs would roll out. Her mouth fell open a little. No. NO! I¡¯m not jealous! You¡¯re not jealous, Su Xue! It¡¯s not true! She shook her head, flustered. No way! It can¡¯t be! She¡¯s just a little kid! Why would I be jealous about a little kid? I¡¯m not jealous!

    ?

    Lin Feng got up from the dining table to finish his homework, while Su Xue did some quick cleaning before returning to her bedroom and turning her stream on. Viewers flooded in the stream and then the chat. Theyughed and joked with Su Xue, while she was ying a game. It was going decent. Well enough that her team was winning, but not so good that the game was over. Then, one of her teammates got caught out. The rest of the team rushed over to help. This was going to be important. If she won this teamfight, she¡¯d win the game. If her team lost it, they¡¯d be back to square one. It was then that Lin Feng decided it was the best time to walk into her room and sit down next to her. Her viewers noticed and lost all interest in the gamey.

    ¡¸HEYYY LLILLLL BROOO!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Lil bro notice me pls!!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸Hey!!! How you doin¡¯?¡¹

    Lin Feng waved and smiled at the camera. ¡°Hey guys! Good to see you all! How¡¯s everyone tonight?¡±

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Su Xue grunted. She red from the corners of her eyes and grumbled, ¡°Quit yapping! Can¡¯t you guys wait until the game is over? I¡¯m trying to focus here!¡±

    Lin Fengughed, only barely managing to cover his mouth in time to keep the sounds indoor. Then he zipped his mouth shut, winking towards the camera, and waited for Su Xue to finish her game. She won the teamfight. So it didn¡¯t take long. Her team stormed down the midne and destroyed the nexus. So Lin Feng could finally unzip his mouth. He breathed in and out, as though he¡¯d been starved of oxygen for days, and then said, ¡°Haha! Woow! You yed pretty well this game, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did! Look at my score! 6/2/11! My Lucian is really good now! Here, see? I even deal the second most damage to champions! I can beat anyone below Diamond now!¡± Su Xue said, smugly.

    For an odd change of pace, the viewers agreed with Su Xue. Her gamey had impressed them, though the bar wasn¡¯t very high with the level she started out at. Still, they took the time to type out a couple ofpliments.

    ¡¸yeah she was pretty okay today¡¹

    ¡¸She¡¯s been improving steadily. I¡¯m proud of her.¡¹

    ¡¸kek. she hasn¡¯t fed for a while now¡­. pretty impressive when youpare it with a few weeks ago¡¹

    ¡¸The new and improved maid. MAID V2.0! What upgrades will version 3 have?¡¹

    Su Xue knew her viewers weren¡¯t nice to her often. But they could be! All she had was to condition them to be nice to her! An easy way to do that was to reward them when they were nice to her! A real life Pavlov experiment! They¡¯d just been nice to her, so she¡¯d give them something special. She looked at the camera, smiling, and said, ¡°Since you guys are so nice tonight, I¡¯ll let you all in on a little something. I¡¯ve seen thementating videos, including the ones you guys linked me! And I like it. So I got a video editor to help with the production and Lin Feng here to help me with the gamey. With mymentary, I think this can be something really fun!¡± She looked at the chat, her smiling growing wider. They¡¯re going to be nice to me. Just wait, hehe!¡ª Oh, right! She turned back to the camera and said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m also trying hard to be a better yer. When I¡¯m good enough, I¡¯llmentate on my own gamey!¡±

    A healthybination of caution and excitement flooded into the chat as the viewers shared their opinions on this grand reveal!

    ¡¸no worries, just have lin feng do the gamey. his games are more fun to watch anywayzz¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸just focus on thementary¡¹

    ¡¸I like this idea! It¡¯ll help you get more popr! You can count on my support!¡¹

    ¡¸make sure to tell us when you¡¯re uploading it, welll make it trend for you¡¹

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Su Xue eximed. She grinned and continued, ¡°I knew I could count on you guys! It¡¯s really great having a bunch of diehard fans!¡± That was the wrong thing to say. All her hard work went down the drain. She was right back where she started a few minutes ago.

    ¡¸diehard fans? LOLLL did you guys hear that???? hahaha¡¹

    ¡¸forrealllsss hahahhahahah!!! she thinks were here for her!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha this maid is hrious. like she doesnt know were here for lil bro!¡¹

    ¡¸MAKE ME A SANDWICH!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°Ohe on!¡± Su Xue said, exasperated. ¡°Would it kill you guys to let me enjoy this moment a little? I¡¯m not asking for much here. Just a few seconds would be enough¡­¡±

    ¡¸SHIT! SHIT!!!! GUYS HAVEY OU SEEN?¡¹

    While Su Xue and her viewers were having another one of their arguments about her ce in the stream, they were rudely interrupted by one message. Then a second one. And a third. This was the tsunami. The flood of messages that warned of something terrible. About some disastrous news!

    ¡¸FUUUUCK! FUUCK! WHAT THE HELL!??!?!??¡¹

    ¡¸xue xue, have you seen the news yet?¡¹

    ¡¸EVERYBODY GO LOOK AT THE WORLDS WEBSITE¡¹

    ¡¸........wrowrhwr GOD FUCKING DAMMIT WSJFRSFISBF¡¹

    Su Xue looked at the chat, bewildered. ¡°Uh? What¡¯s happened? Worlds? What?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a rest day?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°Quarters finished yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Semis are in a week. I¡¯m not sure if the matchups are even announced ye¨C¡± Her mouth froze. It stopped forming words, shapes, anything, as she flicked her mouse to open up her inte browser. She started typing in the search bar, while asking her stream chat, ¡°Wait! Did they announce semis already?¡±

 Chapter 147: Fight Until the Bitter End

    ¡°HOW!¡± Su Xue cried out. She had the official web page for the Season 5 World Championships open. It showed the announcement for the semifinals. It showed that KG was going to y against SSK. ¡°H-how can this be? Is our luck so bad¡­¡±

    The thousands of viewers all saw what Su Xue saw. The web page was open on her stream. The worst case scenario had be reality. SSK was too strong, they all knew that. But if KG managed to make it to the Finals by beating Legend or Season, then. Then. Then they still wouldn¡¯t have won the Finals. But at least they could¡¯ve had the bragging rights! Now, however, they were in for the hardest series in their lives. The viewers flooded the chat.

    ¡¸DAMN! WTF IS THIS LUCK??? WE¡¯RE AGAINST SSK IN THE SEMIS!?!??!?!¡¹

    ¡¸WHY THE HELL DID IT HAVE TO BE SSK!??!?!?.........¡¹

    ¡¸FML EZ GG. kg is done for. it was fun while itsted¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸......... RIPERINO¡¹

    Lin Feng was unusually quiet. The readers were screaming in chat, Su Xue was practically crying on his shoulder, but he just sat there, dazed. He stared at the screen. At the match schedule. KG versus SSK. He read it, over and over again. The words didn¡¯t change. KG was still KG and SSK didn¡¯t suddenly be Legend. This really couldn¡¯t be any worse. Looks like this is it, Fatty. Come on! It¡¯ll be difficult, but you can¡¯t give up! You have to fight!

    ?

    It wasn''t just the viewers of Su Xue¡¯s stream, all KG fans in the world learned of their misfortune. After Hand of God¡¯s exit from the tournament, all Chinese League fans had rallied behind KG. And now they were going to get through those difficult times again. The same team that had beaten HoG. The best team in the world. No one believed KG stood a chance. It was hopeless. They gave up on Worlds this year and started looking towards next season. Next year.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it have been Legend or Season?¡±

    ¡°Why did it have to be SSK?¡±

    ¡°All we wanted was a Finals!¡±

    ¡°What is this luck¡­¡±

    ¡°Why is it always us? We never get lucky¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fucked.¡±

    Beyond the sadness and feelings of injustice, the KG fans worried about KG. About the yers in the team. Everyone remembered Week 1 of Worlds. They all knew what¡¯d happened. To some extent, at least. The pressure had gotten to the yers from KG. Performing on the world stage proved to be too difficult. It took them a full week to get to a point where they could show everyone how good they really were. And they were. They even beat Legend! Now, however, they were up againstst year¡¯s winners and favourites to take the title again this year. There was no week between the first and second match. They had to perform from the get-go. The pressure and stress that came with this knowledge had to be suffocating!

    KG had a chance of beating SSK. There was a best of five series. None of the games were yed. If SSK had an off day. If everything KG did worked in their favour. If a lot of ifs came together, then KG actually could make it through to the Finals. But one condition for this was that KG was in top mental and physical state. They couldn¡¯t let the pressure get to them. They couldn¡¯t copse under it. They had to fight through and show everyone their best selves. And to this end, the KG fans wanted to help. So they did the only thing they knew how to. Make posts online to speak out their support!

    ¡°GO KG! YOU GOT THIS!¡±

    ¡°YOU GUYS CAN DO THIS! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!¡±

    ¡°SHOW EVERYONE HOW GOOD YOU GUYS ARE!¡±

    ¡°KG IS THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!¡±

    ¡°KG GOING TO TAKE THIS SERIES 3-0!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng got up from his chair and excused himself to the viewers and Su Xue. He was worried about his friend, and that got priority over having fun on stream. So he walked out of the room and grabbed his phone. Tian Tian¡¯s number was in the favourites list. He called his friend and put the phone to his ear. Three rings and then it connected.

    ¡°L-lin Feng, y-you found out?¡± Tian Tian muttered, his teeth chattering. His breathing was mismatched, half sniffling. ¡°W-we just found out ourselves. SSK. W-we¡¯re going to face SSK in the semis¡­¡±

    Week 1 of Worlds was a mess for Tian Tian. He¡¯d been a nervous wreck, stuck in his own mind and unable to perform. It wasn¡¯t until Lin Feng and Three spoke to him and showed him their confidence, that he found his true self. That old rhythm that made him one of the most talented yers in the world. It was why he was picked up in Season 1 by a professional team and why now, in the fifth season, he still yed at the highest level. He was a really good yer when he pushed through the obstacles he ced in his own mind.

    Week 2 of Worlds was a dreame true for Tian Tian. He yed some of the best League in his entire career. He wasuded as a King. Even an Emperor. A five man Hecarim ultimate. A pentakill. These were feats that rarely ever happened on the world stage. But when he yed at his best, this was exactly what he could do. God Roundy. There was a very good reason why his fans had dubbed him this.

    However, there was only so much Tian Tian could do on his own. He couldn¡¯t keep carrying his team on his back. Even against Legend, it was him who did all the work. His teammates only did the bare minimum. It was draining. Exhausting. By the end of that game, he¡¯d felt close to copsing. But he¡¯d pulled through. Made the impossible possible, for just one game. But that was Legend and this was SSK. There was a stark difference between the two. Legend was good. Great. One of the best teams in the world. But SSK was SSK. They were the best team in the world. With the best Miner in the world.

    Some mountains were too high to climb. Some obstacles too big to break through. Some waters too deep to explore. When Tian Tian learned he had to face SSK next, he fell back against a wall and slid down to the ground until his buttocks hit the floor. He just sat there, staring at the wall on the other side. They were in the semifinals. The likelihood of drawing SSK was really big. But until the announcement, there was still the chance they would draw another team. He could still make excuses in his head. To keep himself from losing it. Not anymore. He had to y against SSK. He had to beat them if he wanted to make it to the finals.

    Lin Feng knew this. It was why he was so worried about Fatty. It was why he¡¯d left the stream to call his friend. But against all his expectations, while he was still thinking of what to say, Fatty continued talking. ¡°I-i was in a team meeting just now¡­ E-everyone was pretty down. No one really wanted to talk. B-but we decided we want to win. It doesn¡¯t matter that we¡¯re up against SSK or what our odds are. We want to win. S-so we¡¯ll give it our best and try our hardest!¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Lin Feng answered, smiling. It looked like he¡¯d worried too much. Fatty had taken the first step himself this time. The pressure hadn¡¯t left him disabled in a bathroom stall. He was talking and there was a fire in his voice.

    Tian Tian breathed in, long and deep, and then let it all out. A weight off his shoulders. He continued, ¡°T-the others from the LPL are out. We¡¯re all that¡¯s left. E-everyone is counting on us. We have to do this. I-it doesn¡¯t matter how strong SSK is. We want to fight. We want to win. We¡¯re not giving up until thest second. E-even if it¡¯s impossible, we can¡¯t give up.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Lin Feng replied again, letting Fatty talk. Expecting more of the same. But it wasn¡¯t more of the same. Fatty showed a side of him that had been in hiding for a long time. A side of him he¡¯d been denying existed.

    Tian Tian rhythmically hit the ground with his fist and said, ¡°B-but¡­ I don¡¯t want to just fight. Not give up. Whatever. I don¡¯t want to lose¡­ I-i don¡¯t like this mindset. I want to win!¡± He caught his fist in the middle of the beat. The words he¡¯d spoken only now went through his mind. He¡¯d said he wanted to win. To beat the invincibles. ¡°U-uh¡­ I mean. Uhh. I-i know SSK is too strong. We can¡¯t beat them. The gap is just too big. E-even in topne, I¡¯m not sure I can win. B-but¡­ I want to win. I just want to win. J-just one game and I¡¯m happy. I-i don¡¯t want to lose. Not again. I-it doesn¡¯t matter how small the chance is. I-i want to win a game.¡±

    A silence fell over the line. Neither side spoke. Lin Feng was still listening to his friend, while Tian Tian realized something. He¡¯d been talking. He alone. Lin Feng hadn¡¯t said a word. ¡°U-uh¡­¡± His face felt warm. He bit the inside of his lips and then asked, ¡°H-hey, you¡¯re notughing at me, right? I know we lost to that guy in Season 1. E-even with you. S-so this must sound stupid. It¡¯s just that. M-maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°I¡¯m notughing at you.¡± He clenched his phone and took a deep breath. Then he started smiling. A big, happy, goofy grin surfaced on his face. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Fatty! At least, I think so! SSK isn¡¯t invincible! You can beat them! Just do it! I believe in you!¡±

    ?

    After their exit from Worlds in the quarterfinals, the yers from Hand of God had taken the first flight back home. Their headquarters were in Shanghai, which was where they were right now. Nightsong and Hermes were chilling behind theirptops when they heard the news. Or rather, Hermes read it and then told Nightsong. Nightsong looked up at his friend for a good moment before sighing. ¡°Man. KG got screwed in every hole.¡±

    Hermes nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s in bad luck. Against Season or Legend, who knows, they might¡¯ve done something special. But against SSK? Fat chance.¡±

    The two friends had just yed against SSK. And lost. They knew how strong this team was. KG really didn¡¯t stand much of a chance. But they also knew KG! Nightsong grinned and said, ¡°KG won¡¯t give up. That¡¯s not who they are! Roundy won¡¯t let them! He¡¯ll keep them going hard until thest second!¡±

    Hermes smiled, hesitant, but still said, ¡°Yeah. I think so too.¡±

    Of course KG would keep fighting. It was an unspoken rule in League of Legends. Professional teams didn¡¯t give up. They kept fighting until thest second of thest game. For the LPL teams, if one team got knocked out, their fans would switch to the others still remaining, cheering them on. Anything they could do for the region! Nightsong and Hermes were only stating the obvious. Empty words in their truest form. KG would keep fighting. To underline this, they published a post on their official Weibo ount a few minutes after midnight in China.

    We¡¯ll fight until the bitter end, not just for KG, but for the entire LPL! Godspeed!

 Chapter 148: Coming Storm

    KG would carry on no matter what the obstacles were! They refused to give up! When the going gets tough, they would just get tougher! And, win. SSK was strong. Yes. SSK was great. Sure. SSK was a million things and more. But they weren¡¯t invincible! Someone would beat them, eventually. Maybe it really would be KG. All they had to do was to forget all the reasons why they¡¯d lose, ignore all the paths that led to defeat, and focus on that one singrity that could see them win this series! To that end, they received the unconditional support of their peers and fans!

    ¡¸The LPL stands with you! Good luck KG!¡¹

    ¡¸We know you can do it! Show everyone how good we are!¡¹

    ¡¸Fight! Fight! Fight! And never give up!¡¹

    ¡¸y the best you can do! Make us proud!¡¹

    Between the many short messages of encouragement, there was the odd essay. Most were written by overzealous fans, but there were also a couple of big names in the scene who joined in. One of them was Qinghe, the official LPL caster for Worlds.

    Qinghe:¡¸I¡¯ve followed KG¡¯s Worlds journey since the moment theynded in London. I was there the first week, when everything went the wrong way. They looked lost. Not just in the game, but also outside of it. But sometime in that week off, they started looking better. More excited. Confident. Then came the miracle week. What more can I say? It was a true miracle. We all remember that five man Hecarim ultimate. How they beat the Emperor team Legend. And what about that pentakill? They were works of art from a true legend of the game! Our very own God Roundy!

    The Quarterfinals were a continuation of that second week. We got to see the best KG all year. More importantly, what I saw in them was hope. A team chasing their dreams. Don¡¯t get me wrong here. Hopes and dreams aren¡¯t enough to beat SSK. That is going to take a miracle. But isn¡¯t that what KG has been doing? Creating miracles? They beat an Emperor team!

    The LPL is no stranger in defeating Emperor teams. We all remember what happened at the Mid-Season Invitational. Hand of God defeated Fate. We¡¯ve beaten two Emperor teams now. Isn¡¯t SSK just another Emperor team? Well, no, they¡¯re the Emperor team. But an Emperor team nheless.

    Maybe, and mind you, I know this is reaching. I know better than most how absurd this challenge is. SSK is the best team in the world for a good reason. But maybe, just maybe, if the cards fall the right way. If KG has the best day of their lives and SSK loses focus for just a bit. Maybe if we all show our support for KG and help them y at a higher level than ever before. Maybe they can create one more miracle. The miracle of defeating SSK!

    I realize this is just a dream of mine. We can¡¯t realistically expect for that to happen. So let¡¯s do what we can and hope that they fight the good fight. That they never give up and do our LPL proud! That much alone is enough for me. And I know it¡¯s enough for the KG fans around the world too. So, KG, this is to you. Do your best! You have my full support! I¡¯ll cheer you on from behind the caster¡¯s desk!¡¹

    Qinghe had hit the nail on its head. Between all the support everyone was showing KG, his post was a breath of fresh air. He knew how strong SSK was. And how weak KG was inparison. There was noparing the two teams. It would take more than just skill to close this gap. But at the same time, he didn¡¯t give up. There was still hope for KG. This resonated with a lot of fans and other professionals in the scene. They leftments and upvoted the post, using theirbined power to get this message to the yers from KG. The reality of the situation was tough. But it wasn¡¯t hopeless.

    ?

    The weather wasn¡¯t great on Ka¡¯anapali Beach, Hawaii. The skies were grey and the waters still. It was the precursor to a storm that was gaining strength just over the horizon. Three walked out onto the beach. His bare feet pushed into the sand, the grains wriggling between his toes. He looked up ahead. A little further on the beach stood One, staring out over the ocean. He raised his eyebrows, surprised, then shook his head and walked up to his friend. ¡°Hey. Did you hear? The semis got announced. It¡¯s KG versus SSK.¡±

    One didn¡¯t react. He didn¡¯t even turn to look at Three. His eyes remained firmly locked on the ocean. The sounds of the water, strangely waveless. It sounded calm. In this almost threatening silence rested something ominous. The calm before the storm.

    Three shrugged and clicked his tongue. ¡°I kind of hoped to see them go up against Season or Legend. Who knows, they might have pulled a win out of the Rabbit¡¯s Hat. Don¡¯t see them getting anything in this series against SSK though. Looks pretty hopeless if you ask me.¡±

    One didn¡¯t bother answering Three. It didn¡¯t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. KG was good. SSK was better. It was as simple as that. He looked over the water and said, ¡°You see this? The moment younded, the weather went bad. Me and the missus have only had blue skies and sun all day. Every day. Until you came. Now it¡¯s shit.¡±

    ¡°And that is my fault? Is that what you¡¯re getting at?¡± Three asked, cocking his eyebrow. He then followed One¡¯s gaze. No longer talking, he could hear the distant sound of thunder. Weak, but definitely there. The clouds were growing darker. He shook his head and said, ¡°Huh, guess what they say is true. Bad newses with bad weather.¡±

    One narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°A storm ising.¡±

    ?

    The next couple of days were nice andfortable for the members from High School 13¡¯s team. They were one of the first teams to qualify for the quarter finals. There were three more days and six more series to be yed. They could watch them, or just chill and do something else altogether. That was, when Lin Feng didn¡¯t leave them with tasks. His training schedule for them was never empty. There was always something more to do. Some different aspects of the game to get better at.

    The extra free time Lin Feng had for the next couple of days perfectly lined up with Su Xue¡¯s n of recording gamey for hermentary videos. Of course, he¡¯d done enough for her for free. It was time for her to pay up. So he came with a list of demands if he were to help her record gamey. It went something like, ¡°Ok, I want more food for dinner. Morete night snacks. Extra variation. Think mapo tofu, chilli chicken, stir-fried pork, sauerkraut and pork stew, konjac, roast duck, sliced beef offals, pickled cabbage and fish, Sichuan style braised prawn, pan-fried dumplings, fish fillet, stir-fry bamboo shoots, steamed pork with salted vegetables, shredded cabba¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough! ENOUGH! ALRIGHT! Alright! I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll make you more food. Jeez. Are you afraid of going hungry or something?¡± Su Xue grumbled, hiding her smile. She enjoyed cooking. Making a little bit more wasn¡¯t much of a punishment for her. Plus, she got to learn some new recipes!

    That same night, after enjoying dinner together, Lin Feng and Su Xue set up in her bedroom. Su Xue booted up herputer and prepared her recording software, double checked her settings, and made sure she was good to go. As for Lin Feng, he started his VPN and opened the League client. His ount was on the Korean server, so that was where they¡¯d be getting the footage from. This was a little something that would help set Su Xue¡¯s video apart from the thousands of others who were trying to make a name for themselves. After all, the Korean server had a higher reputation than the Chinese ones.

    To that end, Lin Feng even came up with a name for the video series. ¡°Smurfing in Korea.¡± But Su Xue wasn¡¯t as enthused about it as he was. She didn¡¯t think it was all that funny. Quite the opposite, really. She got a little angry with him and shouted, ¡°Smurfing my ass! Do you know how good the yers on that server are? I¡¯ll be happy if you don¡¯t get your ass kicked! Smurfing idiot¡ª¡±

    Su Xue found the words caught in her mouth. Lin Feng had just logged in. She could see his name. ¡°CN?Maple? A little patriot we got here, huh? Did you really have to add the CN? Oh well, whatever. Hey, click on your profile. Show me what rank you are!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and clicked on his profile page. ¡°Oh, I just promoted to tinum.¡±

    ¡°The hell? Didn¡¯t you say you bought a Gold 3 ount?¡± Su Xue cried out, shocked. He¡¯d only bought an ount the other day! She shook her head, trying to clear it up, then looked at him and asked, ¡°How? How did you get to tinum already? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°It does! I¡¯m really good at climbing thedder too!¡± Lin Fengughed. Then he balled his fist, showing off that goofy smile of his, and threw his arm in the air. ¡°I¡¯ll get to Challenger in no time!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and breathed out heavily. ¡°God. Why, always? Forget it. Enough. You think it¡¯s that easy? There are only a couple of LPL pros who managed to do it! It¡¯s really difficult! You¡¯ll see. Anyways, start the game already! Who knows how long it¡¯s going to take us to get one that¡¯s good for a video.¡±

    It did take more than a few games. Just like Su Xue feared. She watched Lin Feng y five games. Each game was more boring than thest. None of them were worth a dime for her videos! She wasn¡¯t even going to bother trying to make them work. The reason for this was simple. Lin Feng. He wasn¡¯t just really good on the Ionia server. He was also really good on the Korean server. Five games. Five one sided stomps by him. Foursted 20 minutes after the opposing team surrendered. As for the fifth, it ended after only 14 minutes, when the other team gave up. They stopped protecting theirnes and base and let Lin Feng and his team push through mid to win the game.

    Su Xue looked at her recordings. She scanned through them, searching for anything of value. There was nothing. She grabbed her hair and said, ¡°Why! Everyone always talks about how the Koreans never give up! A bunch of liars! They gave up after 14 minutes! They stopped trying¡­ Why won¡¯t they y for thete game and try to get aeback! I just want to see a good game. Please¡­¡±

    ¡°Aeback is impossible!¡± Lin Fengughed. He looked at Su Xue and pounded his chest. ¡°I carry too hard!¡±

    Su Xue put her elbows on the desk and leaned on her palms, rubbing her eyes. ¡°Yes yes yes, you¡¯re amazing at the game. I bow down to your greatness. Great.¡± She sighed and looked at the five thumbnails on her screen. ¡°A-are these kinds of games even worth anything? It was too easy. Of course they aren¡¯t¡­ What happened to the whole Diamond in China is Silver in Korea? These games don¡¯t look like Diamond to me¡­¡±

 Chapter 149: Another Meeting!

    ¡°You¡¯re too picky,¡± Lin Feng grumbled. He leaned back in his chair and looked at Su Xue sitting next to him. It wasn¡¯t his fault these games were easy. Plus, just because they were easy, that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t anything worth recording in them. He¡¯d made some great ys that she could definitely turn into a cool video. If only she could look past the full games and zoom in on the skill he showed.

    ¡°No, but if you¡¯re winning so hard every game¡­ the viewers are going to get bored!¡± Su Xue argued. There had to be tension! It couldn¡¯t just be stomps! He had to fight a little for the win! Now that was exciting to watch. ¡°It¡¯s only fun to watch these videos if it can still go either way. And then you pull on the long end and bring home the win!¡± She paused and thought for a moment, browsing through her recordings. Then she looked at him and smiled. ¡°I know! How about you let yourself get pressured in the early game. You can let yourself fall behind a little, or something, and then you make a bigeback in thete game! That¡¯d be exciting and fun to watch!¡±

    ¡°Nope! Not gonna work!¡± Lin Feng refused, wildly shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m too good! These guys can¡¯t pressure me.¡±

    ¡°Aww,e on! You¡¯re so good, I¡¯m sure you can do it!¡± Su Xue pleaded. She looked at Lin Feng, putting on her best attempt at making puppy eyes. ¡°Just one game? Please! Games with an underdog making ast secondeback are always more exciting to watch! Will you do it for me? Please! Pretty please?¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Lin Feng looked at Su Xue and scratched his hair. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    There was hesitation in his voice. It was all Su Xue heard. An opening. A way in. She jumped on it and directly proposed, ¡°How about this. As long as you do this teeny tiny thing for me, I¡¯ll order two extra chicken cutlets for youter tonight!¡±

    Food made Lin Feng move. His eyes lit up. They started shining. Almost radiating! He sat straight in his chair, leaned a little towards Su Xue, and countered, ¡°Three! I¡¯ll do it for three!¡±

    ¡°Two. Take it or leave it,¡± Su Xue shot him down. She had his attention. Two would be enough. She knew.

    ¡°Okay! Deal!¡± Lin Feng agreed. He still hadn¡¯t had bargaining lessons from Tang Bingyao. He hadn¡¯t even brought it up to her yet. But he wasn¡¯t thinking about that at all. There was only one thing on his mind. The picture of two chicken cutlets. Juicy. Hot. Delicious.

    ¡°Hey, are you going to y, or what?¡± Su Xue asked.

    Lin Feng blinked and looked up at Su Xue. Right. League. Then food. He looked at his League client and clicked through the menu to queue up for another ranked game. Hmm, if we want aeback victory, I¡¯ll probably have to feed a little. I don¡¯t see any of these guys beating me. Hmm, let¡¯s see.

    ?

    There was a small town in Northeast China where there were more potholes than asphalt on the streets. The apartment buildings were old and in disrepair. Some sections had even broken downpletely. In an apartment where the walls were dark with water damage, Old Huang paced back and forth. He was Smut Sentinel, a rising content creator most known for hismentary videos. But it didn¡¯t matter how well he did, his fans always demanded more. More specifically, they wanted to see better gamey.

    Old Huang had invited Cup Noodles, a good friend of his, to help him out with this problem. However, the videos they¡¯d recorded so far weren¡¯t anything he could use. Either Cup Noodles lost. That one game. Or he stomped hisne and won the game. Zero suspense. It was all too easy for a Master yer to win games in Gold and tinum. But that was just it. Without suspense, there was nothing drawing the viewers to the edge of their seats. He needed something exciting! Something exhrating! Something that had his fans beg him for more of the same!

    The deadline for his next video was fast approaching. Old Huang browsed through all the recorded gamey. Useless. It¡¯s all useless. He bit his lips, then banged his fist on his desk and shouted into voice chat, ¡°Dammit! Noodles, why can¡¯t you make these games a little more exciting! These stomps are boring. Make them entertaining! If you can¡¯t even do that, then what are you good for?¡±

    ¡°Screw you too!¡± Cup Noodles shouted, equally frustrated but for all different reasons. He was trying to help his friend, but there wasn¡¯t a single thank you. Onlyints. ¡°What do you want from me? Am I not doing what you asked me to do? Look. Look at this match history! I¡¯ve been carrying in Gold and tinum games! That¡¯s what you asked for! It¡¯s not my fault you had to put the bar so goddamn high for your stupid videos!¡±

    Old Huang puffed out some smoke and shook his head. Then he took another puff of his cigarette before saying, ¡°Listen. I get that you¡¯re stomping Golds and ts. That¡¯s normal, right? But no one cares about that. Talk to me again when you can stomp in Diamond. That, or when you can make these stomps in Gold and t look more exciting. More fun to watch. Maybe throw a little in the early game and make an epiceback in the ultrate game. Or do something. Anything to make these games fun to watch. Right now, they¡¯re just boring. I¡¯m falling asleep for fucks sake!¡±

    ¡°I get that! Fuck!¡± Cup Noodles cursed. He took a few deep breaths, forcing his annoyance down. ¡°But how am I supposed to do that? I¡¯m an ad-carry¡­ If I fall behind, that just means the other ad-carry is going to snowball. Suddenly, we¡¯re reliant on the othernes, and odds are they¡¯re losing too. Then what? There¡¯s nothing for me to turn around then. It¡¯ll be a loss. I¡¯m no fucking wizard!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just figure it out!¡± Old Huang shouted, pisssed off.

    ¡°Really? Is that how you¡¯re going to be? You know what you¡¯re asking for, right? This is such a specific set up. Like. We have to find a stronger team to y against. But not so much stronger that we lose everywhere. Then we need a mid and top on our team that can help. Then we need them to be in on it. Make sure they don¡¯t go Legendary before the game is 10 minutes in. There are too many fucking variables for it to work,¡± Cup Noodles ranted. He shook his head, frustrated. Whatever. Let¡¯s see what happens¡­ He entered the queue for another ranked game.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the queue to pop. Cup Noodles entered Champion Select. He looked in chat, where it showed the other yers on his team who¡¯d joined the game. Four names. One jumped out. He leaned forward a little, double checking. ¡°Uh, hey,¡± he said. He waited for a reply and then continued, ¡°Look. That guy in third pick. Isn¡¯t that¡­¡±

    Old Huang could see Cup Noodle¡¯s client through his recording software. He looked at the Champion Select. At the yer in third pick. ¡°CN?Maple¡­¡± Then it hit. He coughed, violently, the smoke he¡¯d just inhaled burning in his throat. ¡°Fuck! Him again?!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng was in Champion Select. They were going through the ban phase, but he didn¡¯t care much for that. He was scrolling through the list of Champions. Su Xue had promised him two chicken cutlets, so he¡¯d give her what she wanted. But what Champion is good to lose early with¡­ There weren¡¯t many Champions that fit his n. It had to be one that was weak in the early game but became a monster in thete game. Of the hundreds of Champions, only a few fit this criteria. ¡°Hmm, what to pick. What to pick.¡± Lin Feng rubbed his chin, scrolling up and down the list of Champions. Then he saw one. ¡°Oh, I know!¡± He moved his mouse over the portrait and selected the Champion. It was a Toner. A jackal-headed man with arge staff that could whack any Champion back to the fountain in thete game! Nasus, the Curator of the Sands!

    ¡°Really? Top Nasus¡­¡± Su Xue mumbled a little louder than she intended to.

    Lin Feng looked over at her and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted? Ate gameeback, right?¡± He started grinning, stupidly so, and continued, ¡°Nasus is perfect for that! All I have to do is farm up stacks on his Siphoning Strike! Whack minions all game long and let the other team get ahead elsewhere on the map! It doesn¡¯t matter what happens in the game. All I have to do is farm up enough stacks that I can whack them all back to the fountain! It¡¯s an easy 1vs5 in thete game!¡±

    Confident his n was going to work, Lin Feng sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. This is going to be fun. Let¡¯s see what the rest of the team is going to¡ª eh? He squinted his eyes and looked at the Summoner Name of one of his teammates. ¡°Paomian? Cup Noodles? Where have I heard this name before¡­¡±

    While Lin Feng was surprised to find a name he recognized on the Korea server, Old Huang and Cup Noodles were also surprised. Just that they were surprised about somethingpletely different. They knew CN?Maple as a Miner. One who¡¯d crushed them. So they weren¡¯t expecting to see him pick topne. Nor were they expecting a Champion like Nasus. This jackal-headed master of the cane wasn¡¯t the vour of the month.

    Cup Noodles suddenly startedughing. He pped his desk with his palm and said, ¡°Haha! This is perfect! Nasus is the perfect pick! It doesn¡¯t matter how far we fall behind, he can make theeback happen! Plus, that Maple guy is the real deal. He has the skill to make aeback happen! This might really work! Haha!¡±

    ¡°Oh, damn! You¡¯re right! This might really work!¡± Old Huang eximed. He puffed a few smoke circles, looking at the screen, and then added, ¡°Yo, Cup. This isn¡¯t a free pass to y like shit. Like, the optics of it are great. But you need to do the carrying. We can¡¯t have this Nasus take all the spotlight. You need to be the hero in this game.¡±

    ¡°Chill! Chill! I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Cup Noodles assured. ¡°Remember, this is just t. I¡¯ll hold myne, easy! Besides, that Maple guy is on our team this time. We¡¯ve got this!¡±

    ?

    Blue versus Red

    Nasus versus Riven

    Elise versus Jarvan IV

    Xerath versus Yasuo

    Tristana versus Vayne

    Nami versus Thresh

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    ¡°Woohoo! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s do this! Chicken cutlets!¡± Lin Feng eximed, drooling as thest two words left his mouth. He bought his starting items at the fountain shop and then moved towards the topne. Then, a message appeared in all chat.

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸CN?Maple? ?? ?... ?? ?? ????¡¹

    ¡°Huh? What do you think he¡¯s saying?¡± Lin Feng asked Su Xue. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He typed a quick response.

    CN?Maple (Nasus):¡¸? ? ?¡¹

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸Nasus. Chinese?¡¹

    CN?Maple (Nasus):¡¸Yes!¡¹

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸??? ?????, KG? ????¡¹

    Lin Feng shook his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°What does this guy think? That I magically learned Korean in thest 30 seconds? Or is he expecting me to search what it means¡­¡± But he didn¡¯t have to search for it. The Vayne followed up with an English message. It was short and easy to understand.

    Zeal(Vayne):¡¸fuck all chinese!!!¡¹

    Zeal(Vayne):¡¸kg trash!!!¡¹

 Chapter 150: Hydralisk

    The League of Legends fans across the world split into four camps. They were ready for battle, for a showdown of epic proportions! It spanned the entire world! From a farm in rural America to a skyscraper in Beijing, everyone with an inte connection could connect and fight! A battle of word and wit. But more than anything, a battle of the biggest mouth. The average Joe was a footsoldier. Their squad captains were amateur analysts sharing their wisdom and insights. Higher ranks were achieved with inte points, something the famous online names had most of. For that reason alone, they became the strategists, the lieutenants and generals of this war.

    This was a healthy rivalry between the four teams who¡¯d made it to the semifinals of the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships. The back and forth arguing between Europe and North America remained like that. They were an ocean apart and just wanted to see their team go through to the Finals. However, there was something a little more dark brewing between China and Korea. They were both Asian regions. Both wanting to be better than the other. And the Koreans were better, right now. They¡¯d won Worlds multiple times and were the favourites to take home the trophy again this year.

    Then there was China. They wanted to be the best in the world. Or at least in Asia. But they weren¡¯t, and Korean fans loved to remind them of this fact. Every chance they got, they rubbed it in. It got to the point where many Chinese fans were convinced there was a government program in Korea specifically aimed at annoying Chinese League of Legends fans. Ridiculous, of course, but the mind could wring itself in marvelous twists and turns. This hatred between the two regions had erupted a couple months earlier. After a post on an online Korean forum. This post went in great detail to exin just why Chinese yers were so terrible at the game and why Bronze yers from Korea were better than the best professional yers from the LPL.

    The post that instigated the hatred was long. Really long. Many fans didn¡¯t bother reading through the entire tranted version. They didn¡¯t have that much free time on hand. But they did read thements underneath, all of which were tranted from Korean to Chinese.

    ¡¸you call those pros? lmao, I think our bronze yers can y better than that¡¹

    ¡¸kek what¡¯d you expect? trash region, trash yers¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸Remind me, why is the LPL a major region again?¡¹

    ¡¸coz rito felt bad for thsoe suckers HAHHAHAHA¡¹

    ¡¸I WATCHED AN LPL GAMES AND NOW MY EYES ARE BLEEDING HELPP!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸death >>> being forced to watch those shitty chinese y¡¹

    Thesements alone were enough to give a good picture of how the Koreans thought of the Chinese yers. It gave the Chinese fans all the reasons they needed to hate the Koreans! They wanted nothing more than to force these clowns to eat their own words! To this end, high rank yers from China started ying on the Korean server. They terrorized Gold and tinum as they climbed thedder, making the games in these ranks a nightmare for the average yer. But then they hit Diamond, sometimes even Master, and suddenly found they couldn¡¯t get further. The Korean server was reallypetitive. It was hard to rise up to the top. There were only a few who managed to make their way into Challenger.

    Though all of this happened months ago, the smell of gunpowder was still in the air. It¡¯d ebbed to the background, but never disappearedpletely. Now, with KG and SSK facing off against each other at the Worlds semifinals, the mes were reignited! The hatred reached a new boiling point. Online forums were flooded with arguments and hate messages, while yers from both regions started ying on the other¡¯s server and proving how easy it was to climb thedder. This was war!

    KG was through to the semifinals. For the first time in four years, it looked like a Chinese team might make it all the way to the finals! The Chinese fans were so excited. They¡¯d danced on the streets! And then they learned their opponent was SSK. KG would have to beat SSK to make it to the finals. The Chinese fans knew how good SSK was, but they also remembered the hateful messages sent by the Koreans. It was something they couldn¡¯t tolerate. They wouldn¡¯t! If they couldn¡¯t win at Worlds, then they would at least win this online war!

    ?

    Cup Noodles read all-chat. ¡°Fuck all Chinese? Fuck you!¡± he grumbled. With a shake of his head, he tried to ignore the message, only for a new one to pop up. His eyes twitched and he shouted over voice chat, ¡°Fuck this stupid shit Vayne!¡±

    Old Huang wasn¡¯t as fluent in English. He puffed out some smoke, listening to his friendin, then asked, ¡°What¡¯d he say anyway?¡±

    ¡°He said fuck all Chinese yers and KG is trash!¡± Cup Noodles barked.

    ¡°Wait. What?¡± Old Huang shot up straight in his chair and looked at the messages. He copy pasted them in his browser and had them tranted. They said as his friend imed. He squinted his eyes and shouted, ¡°That son of a bitch! What a fucking tool!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That. Hold on,¡± Cup Noodles said, the sound of his fingers pushing down on his keyboard in the background.

    Cup Noodles (Tristana):¡¸FUK OFF! EAT SHIT!¡¹

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸TRASH!!! I FUK U BOT!!!!!¡¹

    Old Huang threw the words in his trantion app, ring at his screen. The words morphed into Chinese. He could read what they said. He grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Fuck this guy! I don¡¯t care about whatever gamey footage. Just kick that asshole¡¯s ass! Teach that shit t yer who¡¯s boss!¡±

    Cup Noodlesughed with righteous fury and then said, ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll crush this noob! Fucking low elo scrub!¡±

    Just like Cup Noodles and Old Huang, Su Xue was also furious when she read the Vayne¡¯s messages. She shouted at the screen, ¡°What the fuck is wrong with that guy! Didn¡¯t his mother teach him manners? Asspiece!¡± She then turned to Lin Feng and frowned. The corners of her lips turned down. Then she said, ¡°Dammit. Why did you listen to me? I wish you¡¯d picked Lenc or something. You could¡¯ve put up a tent in that idiot¡¯sne!¡±

    Lin Feng, however, wasn¡¯t at all concerned with the Vayne. His mood was great like usual. He patted his chest and said, ¡°Trust me! I¡¯ll carry this game with my Nasus!¡±

    Su Xue nodded, hesitant. Then she shook her head. It didn¡¯t feel right. It felt very wrong! She turned to Lin Feng and tugged on his arm. ¡°Hey? Are you sure? I¡¯ve never seen you y Nasus. Are you good at him?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Well, haha, you see, I¡¯ve yed a few games with him? I want to say 10? I don¡¯t remember. Something like that. I think. Maybe less? Ah, it¡¯s been too long.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Su Xue shouted, her voice sting into Lin Feng¡¯s ear, ringing. ¡°Only 10 games?¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his ear andughed. ¡°Oh, haha, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m really good at Nasus too!¡±

    ?

    At 2 minutes, Cup Noodles arrived inne together with his Support. Tristana and Nami. But before they could even start hitting minions, the Vayne and Thresh moved forward for a quick engage. The Vayne Tumbled and fired off an empowered auto attack, while the Thresh threw out his hook¨CDeath Sentence! It missed. But it did set the tone for thene. More importantly, it gave Cup Noodles some valuable information. He frowned and said in voice chat, ¡°This Vayne and Thresh. Something¡¯s not right¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Old Huang asked off the cuff. He was double and triple checking his recording software and hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the game just yet.

    Cup Noodles had his Tristana move forward, just far enough tost hit a minion. It was the cue for the Vayne and Thresh. The Vayne switched targets to the Tristana and hit her with an auto attack. Then, before the Tristana could retaliate, she fired off another silver bolt. All the while the Thresh lined up for another Death Sentence, leaving Cup Noodles with no other choice but to back away. To let thest hit slip away from him. And even then, this quick exchange cost him almost a third of his health and he hadn¡¯t dealt any damage to the Vayne!

    Cup Noodles started paying attention. His senses were right. Something was off! The way this Vayne and Thresh were ying. How the Vayne wasst hitting minions. How the both of them were positioning. There was no tinum yer this good. Cup Noodles said in voice chat, ¡°These two. They aren¡¯t t. They¡¯re smurfs. That¡¯s the only exnation. They¡¯re smurfing¡­¡±

    ?

    The lights were still on in the training room of a building in Seoul, South Korea. This was the headquarters of Hydralisk, a secondary pro league team. The night was deep, but there were still two yers practicing their skills by ying ranked duo queue. Zeal and Ron. The Boners of the team. They were the Vayne and Thresh, the botne opponents of Cup Noodles.

    Zeal had just won an exchange and pushed the Tristana back under her outer tower. Thene was his! He grinned and said, ¡°Hah! I knew he was a trash yer.¡±

    Ron, who was ying Thresh, smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯ve got some luck. Our first game smurfing and we get to stomp some Chinese yers! Hehe.¡±

    Their team had given them the day off. But they still felt the itch to y anyways. So they¡¯d decided to log in on their smurfs and have some fun. There was nothing they enjoyed more than a few easy games where they could do what they felt like. A couple of games where they didn¡¯t have to really try to win. This determination to bezy was rewarded. Their first game wasn¡¯t just going to be easy. It was also giving them the opportunity to y against Chinese yers!

    Zeal and Ron belonged to a small subset of Korean professional yers who considered themselves superior to other regions, and would openly say so. To them, North American and European teams were so bad that they weren¡¯t even qualified topete in the second Korean league. As for the LPL, those who yed in that league weren¡¯t real professional yers. They were hillbillies trying to look cool by calling themselves professionals! SSK versus KG would only reaffirm that. As would this ranked game.

    ¡°Nasus and Tristana, huh?¡± Zeal sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll send you two back to where you came from! I¡¯ll have you two cry and beg for yo mamas! Stupid scrubs!¡±

 Chapter 151: Worth!

    Hydralisk the Terrible! Well, they weren¡¯t terrible. They yed in the secondary pro league in Korea. That made them one of the better teams in Korea! But they were performing terribly. For a team like them, their eyes were supposed to be on the entry tickets to the LCK, and not on the relegation spots of the pro league like they were right now. And normally, when a team went through a rough patch, they¡¯d work even harder to turn things around. To battle through the blockade ande out the stronger! But not Hydralisk. The yers, coaches, analysts, and everyone else who worked in a function for the team had stopped trying. They weren¡¯t going to turn this around. It was easier to just give up.

    Zeal and Ron, the Boners for Hydralisk, were the perfect example for this. Instead of working on their game in high ELO games. Instead of trying to get that little extra training in, those few extra hours that might see them win their next games. Instead of that, they were fooling around on their smurfs. This was a grave sin for professional yers. Most professional teams across the world even forbade their yers from smurfing, because it could negatively affect their gamey when it really mattered. It was to the point where a team¡¯s management watched over their yers¡¯ shoulders to make sure they didn¡¯t do it. Except for Hydralisk. Management had given up. Their yers could do whatever they felt like.

    The morale scale had hit an all time low in Hydralisk. It was to the extent that management didn¡¯t even notice that Zeal and Ron were smurfing in the headquarters. It was to the extent that Zeal and Ron smurfed just to feel better about themselves. To let out their frustration and just win a couple of easy games. There wasn¡¯t any pressure here, nor were there yers at this rank who could pose any kind of challenge to them. These were quick and easy games that helped them feel a little better about themselves. And, even though they weren¡¯t in the best of form right now, they were still professional yers. Even if they met another smurf, it wasn¡¯t that hard to get the advantage. As was the case in this game.

    ?

    Old Huang watched Cup Noodles struggle in this Tristana and Nami versus Vayne and Thresh matchup. Cup Noodles¡¯ Tristana was being pushed back and forced to miss out onst hitting minions. Everytime she did try toe forward for ast hit, specifically when it was aboutst hitting a cannon minion for the extra gold, the Vayne would Tumble and hit her with an Empowered silver bolt, while the Thresh aimed his Death Sentence. Old Huang took a puff of his cigarette, inhaled the smoke, and then blew it out. ¡°Ah! What the fuck is this shit!¡± he eximed. ¡°They¡¯re smurfing together, right? It must be. This is ridiculous! How good are they!¡±

    Cup Noodles gritted his teeth, frustrated, then said, ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re duoing. Their synergy is too good for it to be a coincidence.¡± He looked at the two Champions. The Vayne and Thresh that still had a perfectst hit record this game. ¡°Shit! This shit is annoying!¡± He wanted to teach this Vayne a lesson. This asshole who¡¯d said, ¡°Fuck all Chinese!¡± That was unforgivable. Cup Noodles wanted to do something about it! It was just, even with his skills as a Master on the Ionia server, he was getting yed around with by these two. Whether he liked to admit it or not, they were better.

    Before Level 6, Vayne didn¡¯t have a lot of killing power. So Cup Noodles could still trade with his Tristana and get somest hits on minions in. In a normal situation! This wasn¡¯t a normal situation. His Support Nami was a regr tinum yer. One of countless. While that Vayne had a Thresh, a strong Champion, and an incredibly skilled yer. There was such a massive difference between both sides that even before Level 6, thisne was dangerous. Case in point when the Threshnded a Death Sentence on the Nami, hooking her and dragging her back towards him. If she hadn¡¯t shed away, that would¡¯ve been first blood.

    The Nami didn¡¯t have sh anymore. For the next few minutes until it got off cooldown, she had to be extra careful. One misstep, and these two smurfs would take advantage of it and kill her. Cup Noodles knew this, so he pinged the Nami back when she tried to walk forward. Just a quick warning. He figured it¡¯d be enough. But it wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t even half a minute since she shed, but she was already going back in. Moving forward to poke the Vayne. ¡°Uh?¡± Cup Noodles mumbled. ¡°What¡¯s this guy doing? Shit.¡± He pinged again, several times in quick session. He then hit enter and typed a few letters and mmed on the enter key again. Anything to get her to retreat!

    Cup Noodles forgot to look at his Tristana. His entire focus was on the Nami. And on the Thresh. The Thresh who reacted to the Nami engage by shing forward! He disappeared in a sh of light. And then. Then he didn¡¯t reappear on the Nami. Cup Noodles felt his heart drop. His eyes went wide. He looked at his Tristana. There was the Thresh. ¡°Fuck!¡± he eximed. Then he mmed down on his W key¨CRocket Jump!

    The Tristana aimed her cannon towards the ground and fired. The recoilunched her up into the air, away from the Thresh. The Thresh who whipped his chain and scythe backwards, dragging her back to the ground¨Cy! Then he wound up his scythe and flung it at the Tristana. Point nk range. There was no missing this skillshot. The Death Sentence hit. All the while, the Vayne had moved up and past the Tristana, getting the angle for Condemn. She pulled therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. Arge bolt flew out and pierced the Tristana,unching her back and pinning her to a wall. Stunned. She couldn¡¯t move for the next 1.5s. 1.5s in which the Thresh ignited her and the Vayne fired off silver bolts, the third attack causing the silver rings around the Tristana to explode.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Cup Noodles threw his mouse away and his arms up in the air. His screen was grey. He¡¯d given away first blood. ¡°Fuck!¡± he cursed. ¡°Shit! I messed up. Dammit!¡± He mmed down on his desk in frustration. Then he looked back at the screen. A message appeared in all chat. A message from the vayne. Two letters. Cup Noodles lost it. ¡°God fucking dammit! This little piece of shit! I¡¯m going to show him! This little f¡ª Argghhh!¡±

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸EZ¡¹

    ?

    Cup Noodles came back to hisputer after blowing off some steam by walking around his apartment. He sat down and had his Tristana, who¡¯d respawned in the fountain, walk back towards botne. ¡°Old Huang?¡± he asked. A deep breath. In and then out. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s going to be hard to hold thisne¡­¡±

    Old Huang unwrapped a new pack of cigarettes, nodding. ¡°That Thresh has some moves on him. What a dirty son of a bitch. That Condemn was pretty good too¡­ Yeah, this game¡­¡±

    Cup Noodles smiled, bitter, and said, ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this what you wanted? This should be an interesting game. It¡¯s going to be a long one I guess. We¡¯ll have to rely on top to carry and turn things back arou¡ª¡±

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    A brief pause followed as the yers on both teams moved up to topne to see what was going on there. Then the announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift again.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Ha! Holy crap!¡± Cup Noodlesughed. He panned his camera to the topne. There were three Champions underneath Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Nasus, Jarvan IV, and Riven. ¡°Ha. Top traded a double kill for one? Nice!¡±

    Old Huang had been keeping an eye on the whole map. That was his job. He hadn¡¯t seen exactly what happened in topne, but enough to get the general gist of it. It was a failed towerdive. Heughed and said, ¡°Haha, they really wanted the kill. The Riven and Jarvan IV both towerdove. I don¡¯t know how that Nasus did it, but he got them both. Hahah! That¡¯s brilliant!¡±

    The Nasus was going to lose out on some minions, which meant missed experience and gold. But it¡¯d be the same for the Riven. They were both dead. On top of that, the Nasus got the double kill. Ate game Champion picking up a double kill so early was a massive boon. This Nasus was well on his way to bing a raid boss, with a massive health bar thanks to his ultimate skill and massive damage thanks to Siphoning Strike, a skill where he whacked minions, monsters, and Champions into the next life!

    ?

    Lin Fengughed and pumped his fist in the air. ¡°Worth! Haha! I won that trade!¡± He then spent the gold he earned from the two kills on items at the fountain shop before having his Nasus walk back tone.

    ¡°That really was amazing!¡± Su Xue eximed. ¡°I thought you were dead for sure! It lookedpletely lost! But you somehow got both of them! Haha!¡±

    When the game started and the minion waves arrived in topne, Lin Feng had taken the cautious approach. Nasus was ate game Champion. He couldn¡¯t do much against a Champion like Riven, who wanted to snowball in the early game. So he kept tost hitting minions, building up the stacks of his Siphoning Strike skill. But the Riven wouldn¡¯t have any of that. She attacked him every opportunity she got. It was just that many of her skills were area of effect skills. That meant that when she hit him, she also hit the minions around him. It didn¡¯t take long for the minion wave to push into Blue team¡¯s outer tower.

    Pushed under his tower, Lin Feng continued his cautious approach. Hest hit minions and did nothing more. Until the Jarvan IV appeared from the Jungle. There was a brush connecting thene to the jungle just below his outer tower. The Jarvan IV walked out from the brush, while the Riven walked into tower range and jumped on the Nasus. Then the Jarvan IV followed up with a g-tossbo. A skillbo that Lin Feng sidestepped. The knock up failed. Lin Feng could do everything on his Nasus. Normally, that¡¯d be the cue for the Jarvan IV to retreat. But he didn¡¯t. He kept going and the Riven went in after him.

    Two tower energy shots were enough to almost kill the Riven. She only had a sliver of health left, but still tried to attack the Nasus. She wasmitted. The Nasus raised his staff in reply and whacked the Riven back to the fountain¨CSiphoning Strike! Then he turned to the Jarvan IV who was attacking him with everything he had. The Nasus cast Wither on him. The Jarvan IV grew old in a moment. Walking became more difficult and his pike suddenly felt heavy. He managed to raise it one more time to m down on the Nasus. It was enough to get the kill. But at his old age, he wasn¡¯t fast enough anymore to walk out of tower range. Onest energy shot killed him too.

    Lin Feng had picked up two kills. On top of that, the Jarvan IV lost his double buffs. He¡¯d have a much harder time clearing jungle camps and being a presence on the map. For the next few minutes that was, anyways. So Lin Feng was pretty happy. When his Nasus arrived back inne, he looked over towards Su Xue and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s over. I¡¯ve won thene!¡±

 Chapter 152: Soul-Shattering Siphoning Strike

    It was Nasus versus Riven in the topne! Nasus, the jackal-headed monster who needed time to scale, and Riven. Riven was an early game beast, especially if she got that first kill. That was why the towerdive earlier with her Jungler was so important. And they got that all important kill! The kill that could make thene! If only the Riven had gotten it. But she hadn¡¯t. The Jarvan IV had. And in the process, they¡¯d given two kills to the Nasus. Now, the Riven found herself up against a Nasus with two kills. A Nasus who¡¯d gotten enough gold to buy items with health and armour. There wasn¡¯t much she could do in this matchup anymore.

    The Jarvan IV had gotten the kill on the Nasus. He might¡¯ve lost his double buffs, but he got that important kill. It was enough for him to stay relevant. More importantly, he could go and fight in anotherne, a winningne, and get back into it again. But this wasn¡¯t the case for the Riven. There was nothing she could do but sit in topne and face off against a Nasus she couldn¡¯t kill anymore, waiting for the game to reach the point where she fell into the pits of futility. She didn¡¯t even dare to step up to the Nasus anymore. His Siphoning Strike was quickly bing the most powerful skill in the game.

    ?

    Lin Feng focused on farming his Siphoning Strike. Siphoning Strike was perhaps the most important skill on Nasus. This was not for its power at the start, but for what it could be. Every time Siphoning Strike whacked a monster, minion, or Champion to the next life, its power increased. This stacked indefinitely. Lin Feng was calm and confident, smiling. But Su Xue wasn¡¯t as convinced and had mumbled more than a fewints. So Lin Feng turned to her and exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Things are only just getting started! Nasus needs at least 300 stacks on his Siphoning Strike! That¡¯s what I¡¯m getting right now. I just push thisne and get stronger, all the way until I destroy the nexus. And if a teamfight breaks out somewhere, then I have my teleport and can jump into the action. I¡¯ll clean house, get more kills and more stacks and then go back to farming in myne. It¡¯s easy. Really!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and sighed. ¡°You know, I normally have some confidence in you. And you sure sound believable. If not for the fact I just saw you look up a guide on your phone¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Lin Fengughed, waving her worries away with his arm. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. I was just making sure I was doing this right. No worries, haha!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng and then back at the game. She bit on the inside of her lips. He looks confident, it¡¯s just that¡­ It was just that his actions didn¡¯t match his confidence. So she asked, ¡°A-are you really sure?¡±

    ¡°Ease up a little! Haha! Have I ever let you down? My Nasus is great. I told you already! Just have a little faith in me,¡± Lin Feng replied. Then he paused for a moment. He nodded to his phone and asked, ¡°Oh, uh, can you maybe open that guide again and tell me what items I should get? I forgot¡­¡±

    Su Xue was about to fire off a sling of insults, fighting the very real urge of tearing Lin Feng a new asshole. But then she gave up. This kid is hopeless¡­ She shook her head and grumbled a little, quietly enough so that Lin Feng couldn¡¯t hear her, but still grabbed his phone and opened the guide. A deep breath to force away thest of her annoyance and then she said, ¡°First you want to buy¡­¡±

    Lin Feng soaked up the knowledge Su Xue was instilling by narrating the guide. It didn¡¯t go into too much depth. Just the basics. From what his skills did to which items to buy in which situations. As for how to y specific matchups, there were only general tips. This was to be expected. It was impossible to line out every single possible scenario. This was also a depth of detail Lin Feng didn¡¯t care for. He wasn¡¯t going to y how some guide told him to. He had his own ystyle and would stick to that.

    When Lin Feng took his first steps into the professional League of Legends scene back in Season 1, it was under the guidance of One. One told him back then that he was good enough to y any of the five roles in a League of Legends match, but that his particr ystyle was especially suited for midne. That, inbination with the team he was joining being in need of a Miner, was how the initial decision of bing a Miner was made. As for why he still wanted to y the midne now, four yearster, that was a lot simpler. Rake. The best Miner in the world and his rival. He was going to beat Rake. And to do that, he had to y in the midne.

    ?

    At 5:30 minutes, Lin Feng had pushed the Riven far underneath her tower. He was farming the Red minions that charged at him. Then, he Siphoning Striked another minion to the afterlife. It gave his Nasus thest bit of experience needed to hit Level 6. This was a turning point for Nasus. His ultimate skill made him a true raid boss, granting him health, armour, magic resistance, cooldown reduction, and attack range! Tanking an energy shot from a tower suddenly wasn¡¯t all that daunting anymore. And as if on cue, the Riven decided this was the best time to take a step out from under her tower tost hit two low health minions.

    ¡°Oh? Is she stupid?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He pressed down on his R key¨CFury of the Sands! A frightening sandstorm brewed around his Nasus and then exploded out around him, grains of sand piercing the Riven and damaging her! The Nasus transformed into an ancient ascended being, doubling in size! He raised his staff and mmed down on the Riven¨CSiphoning Strike! Then he raised his staff again to call forth a ring of ghastly mes! The Spirit Fire exploded on the ground beneath the Riven¡¯s feet. Her armour dropped! Her magic resist dropped! Her health sunk!

    The Riven forgot to use her Ki Burst to stun the Nasus. Instead, she turned around and dashed away¨CValor! But Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t just let her get away. He cast Wither on her, turning this woman in the spring of her life into an olddy. She needed her sword as a walking stick as her speed dropped drastically. The Nasus caught up to her and hit her with one auto attack. Then another auto attack. Her health dropped low enough. One more Siphoning Strike and she¡¯d be dead. The Nasus raised his staff and then brought it down, whacking her back to the fountain.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Oh, man! I love it when the otherner just feeds me a kill!¡± Lin Fengughed as he had his Nasus walk out of tower range. After thest energy shot hit him, he still had more than a third of his health remaining. More than enough to feelfortable.

    ?

    Zeal heard the kill announcement. It came from topne again. This Nasus was now 3/1/0. It was starting to be annoying. He moved his camera to the topne. His eyes twitched. The Riven¡¯s corpse was underneath her own outer tower. She wasn¡¯t even towerdiving. She was being dove by a Nasus. Not even six minutes into the game a Nasus towerdove her! ¡°This is fucking ridiculous! How bad is this Riven?¡± he cursed.

    Ron scratched his hair and said, ¡°Yeah. Very. But this Nasus is going to be really strong like this. We¡¯re going to have to shut him down soon. It doesn¡¯t matter how fed we get. If that Nasus bes any bigger, there¡¯s nothing we can do. He¡¯ll just throw a Wither on you and chase you down. Look at his stacks! At this speed, he¡¯s going to one hit you¡­¡±

    Zeal looked at topne. He couldn¡¯t care for botne right now. Botne was easy. He barely had to pay attention. But this topne. His gaze turned cold. CN?Maple, huh? Just you wait¡­ He then turned to Ron and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re going to ignore top for now. It¡¯s that Riven¡¯s own fault for being an idiot and tower diving so early on. Let¡¯s just get this bot tower down and then move mid.¡±

    There was good reasoning behind Zeal¡¯s decision. The longer the game went on, the more difficult it¡¯d be to stop the Nasus. So they had to end the game early. That meant destroying the enemy Nexus. Or, for a more immediate objective, taking down outer towers. First the one in botne, which was easy. They¡¯d just killed the Nami and the Tristana couldn¡¯t do anything to stop them on her own. Then they¡¯d go mid and help their Miner take the Blue team¡¯s outer tower down. However, there was one w with this n. It didn¡¯t take the Nasus and Riven into consideration. More specifically, this n only worked if the Riven could at least hold onto herne and not give away any further kills. This obviously wasn¡¯t going to happen. She¡¯d just died underneath her own tower!

    At 8 minutes, the Riven didn¡¯t even dare to show her face inne. Lin Feng was working onst hitting the minions to build up the stacks of his Siphoning Strike, while looking at the map, at the wards he¡¯d ced around the vicinity of topne. Then he turned to Su Xue and exined, ¡°See, the minion wave is pushed up a little. I froze it nicely just outside of their tower range. She can¡¯te here to farm, so she has to go somewhere else. Now, we know she just backed. So the most likely ce she¡¯s going to go to is the Krugs camp right next to herne.¡± He sat up straight in his chair and smiled the smile of a bad man. ¡°So let¡¯s go and sit in the brush right next to it and wait for her there. You¡¯ll see. She¡¯lle.¡±

    Sometimes it felt like Lin Feng had a magic ball that told him the future, because it went exactly as he predicted. The Riven walked into her own jungle, over a ward ced by Lin Feng. She made a beeline for the Krugs and started attacking them. Monsters without intelligence. Her own focus dropped. She just wasn¡¯t expecting the Nasus to be here. But he was.

    Lin Feng pressed on the R key¨CFury of the Sands! A frightening sandstorm brewed around his Nasus and then exploded out around him, grains of sand piercing the Riven and damaging her! The Nasus transformed into an ancient ascended being, doubling in size! He raised his staff to call forth a ring of ghastly mes! The Spirit Fire exploded on the ground beneath the Riven¡¯s feet. Her armour dropped! Her magic resist dropped! Her health sunk! Then came the soul-shattering whack. A purple fire lit up on the top of Nasus¡¯ staff as he raised it up above his head. Siphoning Strike! Space itself trembled as it came crashing down on the Riven. The spirits wailed in anguish! The mighty blow smashed down on the Riven!

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    The announcer¡¯s voice boomed across Summoner¡¯s Rift, informing all 10 yers of the Nasus¡¯ feat! A killing spree! The Riven was annoyed, Lin Feng¡¯s teammates were happy, and Zeal. Well, Zeal was red with anger. Steam came off his head. He threw his mouse at the wall next to him and shouted, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS STUPID BITCH DOING? FUCKING INTER! FUCK!¡± He grabbed his mouse from the ground and moved it around. It still worked. Then he shook his head and cursed, ¡°Does this fucking bitch want to lose? What the fuck is wrong with her. All she has to do is not feed and we can carry this. But no, this stupid waste of oxygen feels the fucking need to feed the Nasus. Oh my fucking god, how stupid is she!¡±

 Chapter 153: Donâ€™t Cower

    Zeal sat in his chair, stewing, staring at hisputer screen. ¡°How stupid is she? Stupid Riven¡­¡± He shook his head and rubbed his temples. ¡°My god. All she had to do was y defensively. Let me scale and I¡¯ll take care of the Nasus. I¡¯m a Vayne for fucks sake! But no. She just had to feed and int and be a stupid fucking bitch! How the fuck am I supposed to carry this if the Nasus hits histe game build 10 minutes into the game? Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Fuck,¡± Ron cursed. sitting next to Zeal. He moved his camera between the three screens and added, ¡°We can¡¯t let this drag any longer. This needs to end now or we¡¯re losing.¡±

    Zeal breathed in, long and deep, and then breathed out through his nose. The tension escaped his shoulders. He cracked his neck and fingers, then focused on the game again. ¡°Yo, Ron.¡± He waited a moment for the response, then said, ¡°We stick to the n. First bot, then mid. We just have to be a bit faster. It¡¯s time to start pushing really hard.¡±

    ?

    Cup Noodles was having an equally bad time as hisne opponent Zeal. The reason was even somewhat simr. They were both losing. Just that Zeal was angry that his team was losing the game, whereas Cup Noodles was upset with himself for losing thene. He was smurfing! A Master in tinum. But this Vayne was kicking his ass. It didn¡¯t help that his Support wasn¡¯t doing anything supportive. At times, it even felt like she was purposely making thene a lot more difficult. A 1vs3!

    ¡°Stupid smurfs,¡± Cup Noodles grumbled. ¡°I swear, the Vayne and Thresh are both Master or higher. Probably higher. I don¡¯t believe for a second they aren¡¯t. They¡¯re too good together. This is something you don¡¯t even see in Master on the Ionia. Yeah. They must be Challenger. It¡¯s the only exnation. What are they doing in tinum?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s not looking good,¡± Old Huang replied, anxious. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose yourne at this rate. Your tower is almost gone, and then what? You can¡¯t let this Vayne get any more ahead. It doesn¡¯t matter how good this Maple is. A fed Vayne is at least as big of a headache as a fed Nasus is. Vayne is the tank killer for a reason! If the Nasus ys a fight poorly, that Vayne can win it. All on his own.¡±

    ¡°I know. I know!¡± Cup Noodles eximed. He gritted his teeth. I¡¯m trying! I am! But this Vayne is just really good. And this Nami is as useless as theye. She¡¯s like¡­ like a Magikarp. Just flopping on drynd like the stupid fish she is! ¡°Uh?¡± He was pulled out of his thoughts by a ping on his minimap. The Jarvan IV wasing! Red team¡¯s Jungler wasing to gank him! Cup Noodles had his Tristana retreat back under the outer tower, while also pinging his Nami. ¡°Back! J4 is ganking!¡± he shouted at his screen, though the Nami couldn¡¯t hear him.

    The Nami didn¡¯t react. Not in time. Zeal grinned. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± He pressed on the R key¨CFinal Hour! An aura of darkness shrouded the Vayne. She disappeared in stealth as she Tumbled forward. A silver bolt appeared out of nowhere and pierced the Nami. The Vayne stepped out of stealth then shed forward, disappearing in a burst of light and reappearing behind the Nami. The Nami who now found herself with her back to a wall. The Vayne pulled the giant crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger¨CCondemn! A massive silver bolt flew through the air and pierced the Nami,unching her backwards and pinning her to the wall. The Vayne followed up with another silver bolt. The third. The three silver rings around the Nami exploded and dealt bonus true damage!

    The Nami was useless. She was more of a liability than a help. But Cup Noodles wasn¡¯t just going to let her die. There was only one skill that could save her now. He pressed down on the R key¨CBuster Shot! His Tristana loaded a massive cannonball into her weapon and fired it at the Vayne. It knocked into the Vayne, the force blowing him away, far away from the Nami.

    However, there were three yers from the Red team in botne. The Thresh arrived at the Nami as the Vayne gotunched backwards. He threw back his Lantern, allowing the Jarvan IV to dash to his side, and then threw his scythe at the Nami. It wrapped around her and he dragged her back. Her fate was sealed by the Death Sentence.

    Cup Noodles watched his Nami losing her health. He wanted to help, but he had nothing he could do. Old Huang¡¯s voice sounded out in the voice chat, telling him to back, to give up. This fight was lost! Cup Noodles also knew it was lost! After they killed the Nami, they could towerdive and kill him too! He had to back, back all the way to the fountain if he wanted toe out alive from this gank! Then. Just as he was about to give up, a blue minion stopped moving. A blue light enveloped it. This was the animation for Teleport! Only the Nasus had Teleport. The Nasus ising!

    Behind hisputer, Lin Feng talked to his screen, sounding like he believed his teammates could hear him. Could listen to his advice and his calls. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, guys! I¡¯ming! Haha! Time for some fun!¡±

    Moments after the blue minion stopped walking and the blue light wrapped around it, a red minion also stopped moving. A red light wrapped around it. The Riven was also teleporting down and joining the fight! This fight was going to be a 4vs3! And the Nami was already almost dead. This was basically a 4vs2!

    Zeal had his Vayne auto attack the Nami. A few more hits and she¡¯d be dead. Then he could focus on the Nasus and Tristana. He grinned and said to Ron, ¡°Keep going! We got this! That Nasus can¡¯t do shit against all four of us!¡±

    Cup Noodles had his Tristana move back and forth, apprehensive. Old Huang yelled in his ear, ¡°Run! Ditch the Nami! It¡¯s lost! You can¡¯t win this! Go back to base!¡± But he didn¡¯t want to back. He wanted to fight this fight! He gritted his teeth. The Nasus was teleporting over. There still was a chance. He stopped moving his mouse back. ¡°No. I¡¯m fighting!¡± The apprehension disappeared from his voice. And from his game. He had his Tristana walk into the fight, her cannon loaded. ¡°Nasus ising! We can win! That Vayne has pushed me around enough. It¡¯s time I do something back. This is the perfect opportunity. The Nasus just has to help me get a kill, and then I got my reset on Rocket Jump and can kill all of them. Plus, that Riven is far behind. This should be possible!¡±

    The Nasus finished his teleport. He arrived in botne. Lin Feng, sitting behind hisputer, let his eighth grader syndrome rear its head again. ¡°Time toy on the pain!¡± he shouted as his finger pressed down on the R key¨CFury of the Sands! His Nasus swelled in size, a sandstorm kicking up around him. He followed up by raising his staff and casting a Spirit Fire underneath the Jarvan IV and Thresh. This lowered their armour, which allowed the Tristana to deal more damage to them. Then he turned to the Vayne. Lin Feng showed a wicked grin. ¡°Hehe. You¡¯re mine.¡±

    The Vayne¡¯s ultimate, Final Hour, was still active. Zeal had her Tumble forward, disappearing in stealth and getting far away from the Nasus that was hot on his heels. Then he shouted, ¡°Ignore the Nasus! Hook the Tristana!¡±

    A pink ward appeared on the ground. Right next to the Vayne. It revealed everything that was hidden. The invisibility cloak wrapped around the Vayne lost its power. Zeal¡¯s eyes went wide. It felt like his heart stopped for a moment. Then he mumbled, barely audible, ¡°H-he brought a pink ward?¡±

    Lin Feng locked onto his target. The Vayne. ¡°Haha! I knew this pink ward woulde in handy! Gimme that juicy shut down gold! Haha!¡± He pressed down on the F key, activating Ghost. His Nasus gained increased movement speed. The Vayne was only a little further away. Almost within reach! Then the Nasus raised his free hand and cast Wither on the Vayne. The Vayne turned into an olddy. She lost her movement speed, and just squeezing the trigger from her crossbow became difficult. From there it was easy for the Nasus to catch up. He raised his staff far above his head and then mmed down, whacking a third of the Vayne¡¯s health away¨CSiphoning Strike!

    ¡°FUCK! What is this damage!¡± Zeal eximed. He mmed down on his keyboard. ¡°Heal! HEAL!¡± His Vayne¡¯s health was restored and she gained a short burst of movement speed. But the Nasus¡¯ Siphoning Strike had a short cooldown. He had to get out of the way fast. It was just that he was almost underneath Blue team¡¯s outer tower. So he started running down thene, all the way back to his side of the map.

    The Vayne had to run past the Nasus. That got him another whack of the staff and an auto attack. His health dropped again. And he still wasn¡¯t faster than the Nasus, who hit him with another auto attack. A few more seconds and Siphoning Strike would be off cooldown again. It would almost be enough to kill her. Then the Riven appeared. Her Teleport finally finished casting. Zeal had his Vayne move towards her and muttered, ¡°Please be useful for once!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t. The Riven didn¡¯t care about saving the Vayne. Saving the bounty on her head for the killing spree. All the Riven cared about was getting back into the game. And the way to do that was by picking up a kill. The Tristana was being ganked on by the Thresh and Jarvan IV. She was the easy target. This Nasus was also at full health. She couldn¡¯t kill him. So she activated her ultimate skill, de of the Exile! Her reforged sword lit up with green energy and she shed past the Vayne and Nasus, then dashed forward¨CValor! Everything to close the distance with the Tristana! Only a few more steps. Almost in range! She pointed her sword up into the air and gave a loud shout, ¡°Ha!¡± A green, runic energy exploded out around her, stunning all Champions it hit¨CKi Burst!

    The Riven was tinum. Cup Noodles was a Master yer. He wasn¡¯t going to get caught by a silly tactic like this. He backed off a little, evading the stun and then Rocket Jumped over the Riven and after the Vayne. ¡°Haha! Screw off!¡± heughed, then took aim at the Vayne. He hit her with an auto attack, and then another. Cannonballs flew through the air.

    There was also still the jackal-headed raid boss, hidden within the raging sandstorm. Arge staff, thick and powerful, came crashing down onto the Vayne. It was another Siphoning Strike. An ability that was quickly bing the highest damage skill in this game. It¡¯d found its next target. Another stack was added.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ?

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Zeal stared at his screen. Grey. He was dead. His face was drained of all blood. ¡°GOD. FUCKING. DAMMIT!¡± he then yelled. He grabbed his mouse, pulled it free, and threw it to the ground. But that wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°I. FUCKING. HATE¡­¡± He mmed his fist down on the table, his eyes zing with hatred. Disbelief. T-this can¡¯t be happening¡­ But the announcer¡¯s voice didn¡¯t lie. Nor did his grey screen. Or the Tristana Rocket Jumping to her next target. ¡°FUCK!¡±

 Chapter 154: Ignored

    Old Huang jumped up from his chair. He balled his fist and screamed into the microphone, ¡°Yeah! Nice! You got this! Jump and kill! Jump and kill!¡±

    Cup Noodlesughed. Vayne was dead! His Tristana got the reset on her Rocket Jump! And there were still three opponents waiting to be killed! ¡°Ha!¡± he shouted. ¡°It¡¯s about damn time! Let¡¯s clean this fight up! Haha!¡±

    Nami took a silver bolt to the knee and Vayne got done in by the cane. Two dead. Five alive. The 3v4 became a 2v3. It still looked like a difficult situation for Blue team. Tristana and Nasus had to kill Thresh, Jarvan IV, and half a Riven. Half a Riven because she was so far behind that she really couldn¡¯t count for a whole Champion. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t mind the challenge. He weed it! His Nasus was 5/1/0 and it could be 8/1/0 by the end of this teamfight! That was all he needed to know. So he clicked towards his next victim, shouting at his screen, ¡°Haha! 2vs3! Easy! Let¡¯s get these kills! Haha!¡±

    The Jarvan IV turned around, around to his side of the map. Because that was where the Tristana was, closer to his own outer tower than he was. He closed the distance towards her with a g tossbo, then jumped up high into the sky. His vision locked onto the Tristana. He screamed at the top of his lungs. And then he leaped down from the sky, crashing into the Tristana and then the ground. The residual force was so powerful that the earth terraformed into an arena¨CCataclysm!

    There was only one logical direction for the Tristana to escape in. Red team¡¯s outer tower. Away from the Jarvan IV that was in the arena with her. Away from the Riven that was charging at her with her reforged sword. Away from the Thresh that could lock her downpletely with his crowd control. Her Rocket Jump was off cooldown after killing the Vayne. So she aimed her cannon towards the ground and fired,unching herself up in the air and over the arena walls, away to safety.

    Lin Feng ced himself between the Tristana and three Champions from the Red team. His Nasus was the tank. A tank with high health and high damage. He pinged the Riven, the half a Champion, and shouted at his screen, ¡°Go for her! Attack the Riven!¡±

    There was no voice chat. There was no way for Cup Noodles to hear Lin Feng¡¯s instructions. But he didn¡¯t need to hear them. He was a Master yer and knew exactly what was expected of him. He pressed down on the Q key¨CRapid Fire! His Tristana¡¯s attack speed increased. She turned around and focused all her firepower on the Riven.

    The Riven and Jarvan IV went to town on Lin Feng¡¯s Nasus, throwing all their abilities at him. But they barely scratched him. The sandstorm raging around him dealt more damage to them than they did to him. Then his staff lit up with a purple fire. He raised it up high and then mmed it down on the Riven¨CSiphoning Strike! Her health disappeared.

    The Tristana and Nasus¡¯ damage together brought the Riven to below half health. And lower. She turned around and ran. She dashed towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower, past the Thresh. The Thresh who activated the Box. This was his ultimate skill. He called forth five spectral walls around him, which slowed any enemy Champion that walked through it. The Nasus was next to the Thresh, caught in this prison. But he didn¡¯t give up on his chase. He charged through the spectral wall, epting the slow. Then he raised his staff and cast Wither on the Riven. Her body withered. She aged 50 years in the span of a single second. It became hard to walk.

    Slow versus slow. But the slow on Nasus wore off first. Lin Feng had his Nasus chase down the Riven. Then he pressed on the Q key¨CSiphoning Strike. The Riven had a little more than a third of her health remaining. The Nasus raised his staff high. It lit up with a purple fire. Then he mmed it down and whacked the Riven back to the fountain.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The Tristana got another reset of her Rocket Jump skill for the assist on the Riven. Cup Noodles used it to jump onto the Thresh and continued firing away. The Thresh was doing okay inne. He¡¯d gotten enough gold to get some health items. So he was a little harder to kill. Hard enough that it gave the Jarvan IV all the time he needed to escape up the river and into his own jungle. Lin Feng had his Nasus attack the Thresh too, helping the Tristana, who ended up getting the kill.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Nice! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! Yes!¡± Cup Noodlesughed. He hit the TAB key, looking at the stats of his Tristana. Her creep score wascking. But he wasn¡¯t 0/1/0 anymore. One kill and two assists! He was on the board now! He could use this to get back into the game and overtake that Vayne!

    ?

    ¡°I yed that fucking perfectly! wless!¡± Zeal raged on. He couldn¡¯t ept the Nasus. The jackal-headed monster that came from topne to rain terror on the botne. Zeal had done everything so beautifully. From the engage to the sh into Condemnbination to stun the Nami to a wall. ¡°And that stupid shit Riven gave away another kill. Of course! Of fucking course! How could I expect anything different? She¡¯s absolutely useless! Oh my god, why does this always have to happen to me?¡±

    Zeal was 3/1/0 on his Vayne. This was normally great for an early game Vayne. He got the gold and the kills. He was set to be a monster. If only there wasn¡¯t another monster on the Rift. Something far more terrifying. A Nasus was a difficult opponent for Vayne from the start due to Wither. But this became all the more difficult when this Nasus was already 6/1/1. Those six kills included the one on his Vayne. A shutdown kill. A kill thatted the Nasus extra gold. Gold he could spend to get even further ahead.

    ¡°Why? WHY? Why does it always have to be me?¡± Zeal whined. ¡°WHY!¡± Now, this game was almost impossible to win. The Nasus was too strong. His team was useless. The Riven was practically worse than a cannon minion at this point. All he wanted was to have some fun. This wasn¡¯t fun. ¡°God fucking dammit! This stupid shit! Argh! I hate this piece of shit Riven!¡± The only way he could still win a fight against this Nasus was if the Nasus screwed up, his Thresh Support perfectly linked his crowd control skills to keep the Nasus away from his Vayne, and he bought items that could cancel crowd control skills, like the Quicksilver Sash. And even when all of those conditions were met, there were still four other yers on the Blue team he had to think of. ¡°Fucking shit teammates¡­¡±

    ?

    ¡°Oh, nice! We got the shutdown! Bot should be a win too now!¡± Lin Fengughed. He then pinged on the Dragon, already having his Nasus walk towards it. ¡°Let¡¯s grab the Dragon while we¡¯re here!¡± he said to absolutely no one. But the Tristana seemed to understand him, a case of being on the same wavelength. And the Elise also finally found her way towards the botne, after the fight ended. But that did mean she was there to help take the Dragon.

    Lin Feng made a quick trip to the fountain to spend the gold from the kills in botne and the dragon before returning back to topne. The items he bought were the ones Su Xue instructed him to buy, the ones from the guide. He had no clue how to build Nasus. Nor how to y him, really. But the guide told him the best thing to do was to keep pushing topne and force the Red team to send Champions to stop him. At this point, they¡¯d need to send more than two yers to stop him. Because otherwise he would just kill them and continue pushing. Every next minion wave, his Siphoning Strike would deal more damage. Every next Champion that came his way would take more damage. It was a real headache for the Red team.

    And for Lin Feng, for Lin Feng it was a fun game. He could do whatever he wanted, he was that far ahead. ¡°Haha! Let theme! It¡¯s just more gold for me! This is so much fun!¡± heughed. His Nasus was no Master Yi who could push ane fast and then had to run away. His Nasus was a raid boss in its truest form. He could push and keep pushing even when opponents came to stop him. They couldn¡¯t stop him.

    Zeal knew this too. The Nasus was too strong. The timeframe the Red team had to win this game was quickly disappearing. There was no point in sending people after the Nasus. They¡¯d lose too much elsewhere on the map if they did that. So he came to the only logical answer. ¡°Let¡¯s teamfight! We¡¯ll force them into a teamfight by pushing down mid! We can win a 4v4. We just have to keep the Nasus away. The Riven is already worthless, so we might as well have her do that. That should work.¡±

    The n was sound. However, there was one important aspect to the n. The Riven had to be able to hold topne, something she¡¯d failed to do all game. A small detail Zeal forgot all about. At his normal rank, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. But this Riven was a tinum yer. The Nasus was Lin Feng, the previous contender for best yer in the world. So it really wasn¡¯t unexpected when, before the Red team could force a teamfight, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡°My god. How bad is this bitch?¡± Zeal paused for a moment, thinking. Then he hit down on the ENTER key and started typing a message in all chat. A message he¡¯d been keeping back all game but couldn¡¯t anymore.

    Zeal (Vayne):¡¸??? ?, ?? ??! TRASH RIVEN!¡¹

    Zeal stopped pressuring for a teamfight. He had his Vayne retreat. They needed to do something about topne. If they didn¡¯t, the Nasus would just keep pushing and eventually destroy their nexus. And the Nasus was going to be pushing a lot faster on his own without opposition than the four of them could against the rest of the Blue team. It was just that¡­

    ¡°Haha! You think I¡¯m going to let you back? Dream on!¡± Cup Noodles said, smirking. He ran after the Vayne and kept auto attacking. He wasn¡¯t going for the kill. That wasn¡¯t possible right now. No, he was just interrupting the Vayne, keeping her from recalling back to base. Like this, the Nasus could keep pushing. Cup Noodles fired off another cannonball at the Vayne and said, ¡°Come! Stay! Slow dance with me now! I just want to slow dance to the beat of Nasus destroying your base! Hahaha! Slow dance if you feelin¡¯ me now!¡±

    The Tristana showed the other yers from the Blue team what to do. They followed his example and did everything they could to stop the Red team from recalling back to base. Lin Feng noticed this too. He panned his camera to midne and watched recall animations being cancelled every few seconds. ¡°Haha! Nice! The rest of the team is working hard too! Haha!¡±

    The Jarvan IV was the first to get his recall through. It took a hot minute, but he made it all the way back to his base. Which was crumbling under the assault it was being subjected to. Jarvan IV decided it was time to mount a defense, and he noticed that the Nasus had already destroyed the inner tower and was working on bringing down the inhibitor tower. He rushed in, expecting an epic sh between spear and staff. But contrary to all his expectations, the Nasus didn¡¯t react to his arrival at all. The Nasus didn¡¯t step back, didn¡¯t reposition, didn¡¯t even slow him or start attacking him. So Jarvan IV decided to go in for the engage, throwing his standard at the Nasus for a g tossbo. He was going to knock the Nasus up and force a retreat! But the Nasus cleanly stepped around the g toss and continued to calmly and nonchntly attack the inhibitor tower. Jarvan IV couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, but he continued to struggle to stop the Nasus. Tried to get the Nasus¡¯ attention. But all his skills and auto attacks together couldn¡¯t scratch Nasus any more than the minions could. And so, the Nasus continued to ignore him in favor of the tower. Ignored him, like a small fruit fly.

    W-why is it always like this? P-please. Notice me, Senpai!

 Chapter 155: Keep Talkin Trash to Me!

    ¡°You do you, buddy!¡± Lin Fengughed, ignoring the Jarvan IV who was attacking him. His entire focus was on Red team¡¯s top inhibitor tower. ¡°I¡¯ll do me. We can both have fun! See? Isn¡¯t this great? We can all get along!¡±

    However, the Red team wasn¡¯tughing. This was no joking matter. The Nasus was destroying their base! And while the Nasus was doing that, they were stuck on the middle of the map, because four annoying pests were stopping them from recalling. There was nothing they could do to get the recall through. Except by walking half way back to base. By walking so far back that it almost felt like walking back the entire way was the faster approach. But they still tried channeling their recall every few seconds, and finally the Thresh seeded. He teleported back to his fountain and then rushed towards the top inhibitor tower. He rushed to stop the Nasus from taking thest line of defense of their base!

    ¡°A, looks like they¡¯reing back to base already,¡± Lin Fengined as the Thresh appeared on his screen. The other yers from the Red team had disappeared from his minimap. They were probably all sessfully recalling or already arriving back in the fountain. ¡°Ah, too bad. And I almost had it too¡­ Such a waste.¡± He then pressed on his Q key¨CSiphoning Strike. His Nasus whacked the tower into disrepair. The stone structure copsed and the energy kept within dissipated in the air.

    ¡°Almost had what? Didn¡¯t you destroy the tower anyway?¡± Su Xue blurted out, sitting next to Lin Feng, incredulous. What is wrong with him¡­

    ¡°Oh! I was referring to the Jarvan. The tower was already down anyway. But, oh well, looks like I can¡¯t kill him now,¡± Lin Feng exined,ined.

    Su Xue rolled her eyes. She was speechless. Two towers, an inhibitor tower included, wasn¡¯t enough. Apparently. Not for Lin Feng, anyways. He wanted more. He wasn¡¯t satisfied until he had everything. She shook her head and said, ¡°Hey¡­ Aren¡¯t you being a little greedy here?¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t being greedy. Not even a little. Nasus was the raid boss. He had both health and damage. Taking on a tower and a Champion or two was fine, especially after getting fed. But even a fed Nasus had its limits. That limit was Vayne inbination with Jarvan IV and Thresh. The true damage from Vayne¡¯s silver bolts could deal serious damage to him, while the crowd control from Jarvan IV and Thresh could make sure that he¡¯d never get anywhere near the Vayne. If he ended up giving away a kill to the Vayne, his massive bounty would go to the Vayne too. That was uneptable. But being mindful of the situation didn¡¯t equate to panicking. Lin Feng yed to the full potential of his Champion and not a step beyond that. So he backed away from the Red inhibitor and dered, ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡±

    ?

    Cup Noodles and Old Huang were truly enjoying this game. After Nasus had destroyed the tower defending Red team¡¯s top inhibitor, the Red team had to y a lot more defensively. They couldn¡¯t let the Nasus just push into their base. That would be game. Even the Vayne, who¡¯d weed everyone into the game with his big mouth, was forced into submission. He couldn¡¯t make any more aggressive ys. All he could do was defend. He had to try and help his team get to a point where they could challenge the Nasus again. And then, hopefully, if everything worked out just right, they could fight for a win again.

    Old Huang didn¡¯t see this happen in a million years. He puffed out some smoke andughed, ¡°Haha! Raid boss Nasus! He¡¯s my hero! Nobody can beat him! Haha!¡± He looked at the game and how multiple yers from the Red team were forced to continue dealing with the Nasus. ¡°There is no winning for them. They either stop the Nasus and let you guys take the rest of their towers, or they stop you guys and let the Nasus destroy their nexus. They basically have to give up everything to defend their base.¡±

    Cup Noodles chuckled and said, ¡°Yep! Let¡¯s see that Vayne try to talk more smack. Haha! It doesn¡¯t matter how much she scales, it¡¯s hopeless. The Nasus is too strong already. She can¡¯t stop him.¡±

    This was something Zeal also knew. He sat behind hisputer, in Hydralisk¡¯s training room in Seoul, South Korea. He had to do something. He was a professional yer. So too was Ron, his Support. There was no way the two of them could lose a simple game in tinum. I refuse to believe¡­ He wanted to think of something, a brilliant n to turn this situation around. Something. Anything to deal with this Nasus. But he wasing up with a nk. He couldn¡¯t think of anything that could help his team get back into the game. Maybe if we turtle¡­ Can we get back enough? Maybe in thete,te game? Hope the Nasus¡ª

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Zeal felt his heart drop. He¡¯d been farming minions in midne, trying toe up with a n. A brief moment where he¡¯d forgotten to keep an eye on the rest of his team. On the Riven. The Riven who¡¯d decided to split from the rest of the team and go top to stop the Nasus. This useless piece of. Please. Uninstall. You¡¯d do all of us a favour. He panned his camera to the topne. There, the Riven¡¯s bodyy on the ground, far away from any tower. She¡¯d gotten it into her thick skull that that was a good idea. SOMEHOW! Wait¡­ The Teleport animation lit up around the Nasus.

    Zeal felt a shiver run up his body, and then back down. The Nasus could only be teleporting for a singr reason. Danger. Danger. His hands started shaking as he had his Vayne retreat. Then he started spamming the yellow retreat ping.

    However, just like a few minutes earlier, the Blue team wasn¡¯t going to let the Red team back. Even more, Nasus¡¯ teleport was their cue to initiate a teamfight. The Nami did this with her ultimate skill. She summoned a Tidal Wave that crashed through midne, straight into the yers from the Red team who were trying to retreat. The water mmed into them, knocking them up and leaving them powerless. Then,ing from the other side, came Nasus running. A Nasus sped up by Ghost and empowered by his own ultimatell¨CFury of the Sands!

    ¡°W-what? He still has his ult?¡± Zeal blurted out. He stared at his screen for a moment, stunned. Then he erupted, again. ¡°THIS F.U.C.K.I.N.G RIVEN! HOW F.U.C.K.I.N.G BAD IS SHE! HOLY SHIT!¡± He took a breath, just so he could continue his shouting contest. ¡°MY F.U.C.K.I.N.G GOD! DID SHE BUY AN ELO BOOST? F.U.C.K!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng could¡¯ve taken the inhibitor after killing the Riven. That was the easy path to victory. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t ying this game to win it. He was ying it to get content for Su Xue¡¯s videos. To that end, split-pushing alone wasn¡¯t going to cut it. He needed to make the ys. He had to do something truly spectacr. An opportunity for that presented itself. Lin Feng grinned. He could already see it y out in his mind. He looked at Su Xue sitting next to him and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to¡­ get a pentakill! Hahaha! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Lin Feng had his Nasus barrel straight for the yers from the Red team. They were running straight at him. And behind them, there was a massive tidal wave chasing them down, knocking them up. He pressed the F key, and then the R. Ghost activated, granting his Nasus increased movement speed. Then a sandstorm started raging around him as his Nasus doubled in size.

    The Vayne ran straight into the Nasus. Lin Feng pressed on the Q key¨CSiphoning Strike! His Nasus¡¯ staff lit up with purple fire. He raised it up above his head and then mmed down on the Vayne. One hit. More than half the Vayne¡¯s health. That was the new power of his Siphoning Strike. It was absolutely terrifying. The damage was beyond ridiculous.

    Zeal reacted in an instant. He was still a professional yer at the end of the day. He pressed the R key, and then the Q. Darkness shrouded his Vayne as she Tumbled into stealth. Tumbled away from the Nasus. And then she was revealed. A pink ward was ced on the ground, revealing everything and everyone hidden away in stealth. A withering aura wrapped around her, pulling at her skin and her body, sapping out the life. She withered, aging half a century in a mere second. Her movement speed fell, as did her attack speed.

    F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K! NO! Zeal refused to believe it. He tried to find an angle, for a wall to Condemn the Nasus into. Only a stun could save him now. But the Nasus never let his back face a wall. So Zeal pressed the E key anyway. His Vayne pulled therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. Condemn! Arge, silver bolt flew out and pierced the Nasus, knocking him back. But not stunning him. And the Vayne was still slowed. He was back on her almost instantaneously.

    Lin Feng ignored the Condemn. He ignored the other yers from the Red team trying to stop him. His only target was the Vayne. The girl with the big mouth. Ghost was still giving him increased movement speed. He charged after her and eximed, ¡°Haha! Keep talking smack! More smack please! I want to hear more smacktalk!¡± Then he pressed on the Q key again.

    The Vayne had used Heal. It gave her just enough health to survive this second Siphoning Strike. Another few seconds to try and get away. She Tumbled again, its cooldown almost as short as Siphoning Strike. Two short cooldowns. One was barely able to open up a distance, while the other could whack the Vayne right back to the fountain. And whacking her it did. The Vayne ran for a few more seconds before the staff came down on her and knocked her out.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Nice! Haha! It counts as a killstreak! That¡¯s perfect!¡± Lin Feng eximed, smiling. The time between killing the Riven and the Vayne was short enough that the game considered it a spree! This meant that Lin Feng¡¯s goal was still possible. ¡°The pentakill is still on! Haha!¡±

    Lin Feng turned to the Yasuo. He was Red team¡¯s Miner. The Tristana had already done some work on him, making him use his skills and bringing him down to below half health. There really was no challenge to it. Nothing special. The Xerath, Blue team¡¯s Miner,nded a stun on the Yasuo. It meant the Yasuo couldn¡¯t jump between minions anymore. He couldn¡¯t run away as the Nasus came at him. He could do nothing but watch as the Nasus raised his staff and then smashed it down, whacking him back to the fountain.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    Three down, two to go. Lin Feng looked at thest two standing members from the Red team. Thresh and Jarvan IV. Two defensive Champions. However, right now, even if they couldbine their defensive stats, they still wouldn¡¯t be as tanky as the Nasus. And they definitelycked the damage of the Nasus. Lin Feng smiled, wickedly so, and clicked on the Thresh. His lips moved, as if on their own, and he spoke the same sentence Nasus did, ¡°The cycle of life and death continues. We will live, they will die.¡±

    Lin Feng pressed on the Q key¨CSiphoning Strike! His Nasus¡¯ staff lit up with a purple light. Lin Feng clicked on the Thresh. Not with his right mouse button, but the left. His Nasus walked forward until he was standing right on top of the Thresh. He wasn¡¯t going to let this pentakill slip from his fingers. He looked at the Thresh¡¯s health, then at the precise damage his Siphoning Strike would deal. He waited as the Tristana and Xerath attacked the Thresh, draining his health bar. Now! He clicked his right mouse button. His Nasus¡¯ staff came down on the Thresh and whacked him back to the fountain.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    The announcer¡¯s voice rang out, climbing in excitement with each sessive kill. It was almost as if she could feel what was happening. Was anticipating what was toe. Only the Jarvan IV was still alive. He was running. Or trying to, anyways. The Nami had her Aqua Prison. Xerath had a slow and a stun. And Elise had a cocoon she could lock him up in. They used these skills and not their damage abilities. This was Nasus¡¯ moment. This was all him! He came at the Jarvan IV, who was already at low health. His staff lit up with a purple fire. He raised it up high above his head and mmed it back down. Down on the Jarvan IV.

    ¡¶Pentakill!¡·

 Chapter 156: Next Wednesday

    Thornmail. A defensive item in League of Legends that had high armour and reflected a portion of the physical damage dealt to the Champion. It was the single, most important item of this game. Riven. Basically no damage, but still physical! Yasuo. A little bit more damage and also physical! Vayne. Slightly fed. A lot of damage. Most of it, again, physical. Every single Champion on the Red team was high on physical damage. It was a tactic that could do wonders in the early game but would also blow up in a team¡¯s face if it reached thete game. In this game, Nasus was simr to a normalte game Champion by minute 15. It got to the point where he could 1vs5 the Red team.

    There was no crowd control in the world that could stop Lin Feng¡¯s Nasus anymore. He whacked a minion to the next life, and then another, constantly building up the stacks of his Siphoning Strike. There was no maximum to the amount of stacks he could get. So he whacked and he whacked, monsters and minions alike from 100 to 0. There was no skill involved anymore. All he did was run around, sometimes with Ghost, and whack anything he could whack with his cane. And when a yer from the Red team was stupid enough to get in his way, he would just have to whack twice.

    If the Red team wanted to turn this game around and win, they would have to look beyond just the game. There were no fair ways to turn this around. The only way to stop this Nasus was by getting him to disconnect. An attack on his inte connection, or maybe attacking the entire Korean client. Whatever worked to have this game end. Because if they yed it to the end, the Blue team would win. It was that simple.

    Zeal knew this, as did Ron. The two yers from Hydralisk sat behind theirputers next to each other, ying. Searching, frantic, for a way to win this game. At 24 minutes, Zeal was trying to get some farm in his Jungle. A costly mistake. He ran straight into the Elise. She was busy killing a monster camp. He wasn¡¯t going to stick around to try andpete. So he pressed on the F key¨Csh! His Vayne shed away towards Red team¡¯s base.

    However, before Zeal could get back to base, a ward lit up with a pir of light. Teleport. It could only be one Champion. Nasus. There was nowhere Zeal could go. Behind him was the Elise and in front of him the Nasus. The Nasus that cast Wither on his Vayne. The Nasus that threw down a ring of Spirit Fire and lowered his Vayne¡¯s armour and magic resistance. The Nasus who raised his cane and then mmed down on his Vayne. He turned around. Maybe I can take the Elise down with me¡­ It was a fool¡¯s errand. The Elise had Rappel. She could jump up high in the sky and stay there for a couple of seconds. Seconds the Nasus could use to kill the Vayne. But it never got that far. Before Zeal could get to the Elise, Nasus¡¯ cane came down on him again.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Zeal raged, mming his fist down on the desk. His screen was grey. Again. ¡°This fucking shit Riven! If she hadn¡¯t fed this stupid Nasus, I would¡¯ve¡­ God fucking shit!¡± He gritted his teeth and mmed on the ENTER key. Then he started typing, and backspacing, and typing again.

    ¡°Stop, Zeal. We can¡¯t win this,¡± Ron said, sighing. He shook his head and added, ¡°Let¡¯s just move on to the next game.¡±

    ¡°You want to surrender?¡± Zeal asked, surprised. He forgot about his anger at the Riven for a second and turned to his teammate. His friend. ¡°You want to surrender in a tinum game? A tinum game!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had his Nasus run towards Baron. He¡¯d just killed Vayne, the only yer on the Red team who was a little strong after picking up some kills in the early game. Then he turned to Su Xue and said, ¡°See? Easy! We can Baron now! Then we can just storm down mid and end the game! Man, I¡¯m ying so good!¡±

    Su Xue didn¡¯t really listen to Lin Feng. Her eyes were on the screen. The Vayne was spending an awful lot of time on the fountain. Su Xue loved seeing this, especially after his big words at the start of the game. She was beaming as she said, ¡°Haha! Sweet! Serves that Vayne right for talking so much smack at the start of the game! Hey, Lin Feng, Lin Feng¡­¡± she tugged at his arm, ¡°... go type something back in chat!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lin Feng replied. He hit the ENTER key and was about to type something in all chat, but paused. He hesitated, then scratched his head. ¡°Uhm. What do I say?¡±

    A silence fell over the room. They both wanted to say something witty, something funny, something so brilliantly stupid that it would make the Vayne erupt. But they couldn¡¯t think of anything. Nothing came to mind. And then, in chat, a message appeared from the system. Four yers on the Red team had agreed to a surrender vote. That was enough to surrender, but the fifth still had to make their choice. Su Xue¡¯s eyes went wide. She pulled on Lin Feng¡¯s arm and urged, ¡°Hurry! Write something before the surrender goes through!¡±

    ¡°Uhh, ok.¡± Lin Feng shook his head trying to think, then wrote the first thing that popped up in his mind:

    CN?Maple (Nasus):¡¸no zhuangbi?¡¹

    ¡°There!¡± Lin Feng said,ughing. He turned to Su Xue and added, ¡°Perfect, right?¡±

    Su Xue was speechless. She looked at Lin Feng and then back at the game, which moved to the victory screen. The chat disappeared. She sighed, helpless. ¡°What the hell? Why would you type in pinyin? He¡¯s Korean. He doesn¡¯t speak a word Chinese¡­ How is he going to figure out your ¡®no show off¡¯? This is so stupid.¡±

    But while Zeal and Ron couldn¡¯t understand what Lin Feng wrote, there were two others who could. Cup Noodles clutched his stomach,ughing, and tried to catch his breath. Then. ¡°Hahaha!¡± He pulled himself. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Together. ¡°Hahaha! That guy! Oh my god. Hahaha! This is some next level trolling! Talkin smack in pinyin! Haha! Does he think they¡¯ll understand just because it¡¯s in English letters? Hahaha!¡±

    Old Huang coughed, violently. He¡¯d just taken a puff from his cigarette. Right at the moment the message appeared in all chat. He couldn¡¯t stop theughter, his face turning red from the coughing. He grabbed his water, but spurted it all out again. ¡°Haha!¡± Another coughing fit. More time trying to pull himself together. Then he did. And chuckled. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine. What matters is that we won. I bet that Zeal is pretty fucking mad right now. That¡¯ll teach him for talking shit! Haha!¡± He took a deep breath, finally. The smoke was gone from his lungs. He then looked at the post game lobby. More specifically, at the score of the Nasus. He shook his head and said, ¡°Damn, a pentakill. That Nasus actually got a pentakill. He was so good. Dude, why can¡¯t you be like him? I could actually use the footage if you were the one who¡¯d gotten the penta. But now it¡¯s pretty useless. I can¡¯t really use this game at all. Sadly.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Yes! We can use this game!¡± Su Xue announced, overjoyed. She went through the recording. This game had it all! There was the rivalry between China and Korea, emphasized by the Vayne shittalking at the start of the game. Su Xue was making this video for a Chinese audience, so Lin Feng winning the game and shutting the Vayne up only made it a bigger selling point. The tinum rank was eptable too. But perhaps even more important, the icing on the cake, was the pentakill. A Nasus pentakill! Just being able to put the word ¡®pentakill¡¯ in the name of the video would draw in a ton of people!

    Su Xue now had the gamey for her video, but that was only part of the work. Next up, she needed to make thementary. It was the second half of the video, making a whole together with the gamey. If one wascking, the other aspect would also look worse. The gamey andmentary needed to flow together to build a coherent whole. To create something truly extraordinary. Su Xue wanted to do this. She wanted to make the best video she possibly could! But she hadn¡¯t done anymentary before, except for the Worlds games on her stream. She looked at Lin Feng, thinking, then said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to do some more research onmentary. See how others do it with this kind of video. I have to do this perfectly. I don¡¯t want to waste your gamey. It took so much work just to get it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Lin Fengughed, waving Su Xue¡¯s worries away. ¡°I¡¯ll just y another game like this. It¡¯s easy. I can do it. Don¡¯t worry. I know what you want now, so it¡¯s really no problem at all!¡±

    ¡°Ha. Since when do you have so much free time?¡± Su Xue snorted. She then smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got school and the quarterfinals for your little tournament is soon. You have to prepare for that too. Don¡¯t put too much on your te. This is a great video. I just have to make sure that I don¡¯t screw it up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s fine. The Round of 16 isn¡¯t even over yet,¡± Lin Feng said. He wasn¡¯t at all worried about ack of time. For League of Legends, he would make time! ¡°There¡¯s another two days before the quarterfinals matchups get announced. That¡¯ll be really fun! I hope our next opponents are a little better! Then I can show off a bit of my skills! After the quarters, we got two more series to win, and then that trophy! Haha! That trophy will be ours!¡±

    ¡°Hmph. You sound excited. Way too excited for some kiddy high school tournament. Not like it¡¯s Worlds or something actually cool¡­¡± Su Xue said, a little too eager to throw cold water over Lin Feng¡¯s enthusiasm. It came across as disingenuous. She did care. A lot. But as he mentioned Worlds, her mind drifted to KG versus SSK. She sighed and said, ¡°I hope KG beats SSK. It would be so cool to see them go to the Finals and then win it all. Can you imagine. Ah, I can already see God Roundy lifting the trophy¡­¡±

    ?

    Reaching the quarterfinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was a massive step forward for High School 13. A year ago, they went out in the first round of the qualifiers, and now they were in the main tournament, battling for the trophy! However, there were only eight members of the club involved. As for the others, the casual members who liked toe and y with other people from the school after sses, most of them had no clue how the team was doing. So Ren Rou had gathered them all to announce the good news.

    The good news was that High School 13 could now say that they had one of the best esports teams in all of Shanghai! The members who until now only came by irregrly and were just looking for someone to y with, suddenly started paying attention to the club. To the main team. They wanted guidance and to y with the team members who could now call themselves some of the best yers amongst all the high schoolers in Shanghai!

    High School 13 was one of the best schools for esports in Shanghai! They stood on equal footing with the likes of Tonji Affiliated High, Shanghai International, and even Shanghai High! From nobodies to heroes! The members of High School 13¡¯s esports team could finally raise their heads in public. When talking with their friends from other schools, they¡¯d brag about which club they were in. How good their team was! These were the bragging rights their esports club had secured!

    However, though Ren Rou managed to build up excitement. Though she got everyone riled up for the esports team, the reality of the situation wasn¡¯t as morous. High School 13 wasn¡¯t on the level of the top schools in Shanghai. Their win over Tonji Affiliated High could even be called a fluke. A mistake mostly on the part of their opponents. Not to mention how hard Lin Feng was carrying them. He didn¡¯t just outright win games for them, but he also spent a lot of time teaching the team how to y the game, how to build up synergy, and so on and on and on. Without him, they¡¯d be eliminated in the first round again this year, just likest year.

    Then there was something else. A piece of news no one particrly liked hearing. The officials for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament had announced when the quarterfinals would be held. High School 13 knew the date and time. And that date and time fell together with another big event. An event that was far more exciting than some high school League tournament.

    Ouyang shook his head and whined, loud enough for the entire room full of esports club members to hear, ¡°Ahh, why! Why do we have to y next Wednesday? Shit! This is ridiculous! Why do these stupid organizers make us y on the same day KG y against SSK? Dammit!¡±

 Chapter 157: 1v1 Love Confessions

    Just like a few weeks ago, High School 13 yed on the same day as KG! However, that was where the simrities ended. This time, the games wouldn¡¯t be yed simultaneously. There would be no Lin Feng and Tian Tian finding the same wavelength, wreaking havoc on the opponents with their Rivens. Due to the time zone difference, KG wouldn¡¯t y until it was 11 PM in China. High School 13 would¡¯ve finished their quarterfinals series by then. If they hurried home, they could even catch the start of the KG versus SSK series. But many people weren¡¯t going to hurry. They¡¯d choose to watch one or the other. And the KG versus SSK series was a lot more interesting and exciting than some high school tournament.

    Ouyang had gathered up with the other members of the esports club main team. All eight of them were here, watching Ouyang as he threw his hands up in the air and wailed, ¡°Why! Why can¡¯t we y a dayter? Or earlier! I want everyone toe cheer us on! They have toe for us! I want to show off how good I¡¯ve be!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and looked at Ouyang for a long, never-ending second. Then he sighed and shook his head. ¡°So that¡¯s what you were getting worked up about. The attention.¡±

    ¡°No shit!¡± Ouyang snorted. He pushed his chest up and clenched his fist. ¡°Last year we had nothing to be proud of. That spy really screwed us over. We could¡¯ve made it to the main tournament if it wasn¡¯t for him, and then. Then¡­¡± He looked past Yang Fan, standing opposite of him, and at the wall behind. He stared at it, then shook his head. ¡°We had nothing to brag aboutst year. But this year? This year is different. We made it to the quarters. The quarters! Yang Fan, we¡¯re in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be really cool if the other club memberse and watch us y? Watch us win? Maybe we can even get the whole school toe! All the cute girls will see how cool I am! Can you imagine?¡±

    Ren Rou looked over at Ouyang. She shook her head and scrunched her nose. This little piece¡­ She breathed in, long and deep, gathering all her frustrations. Then she breathed out. He¡¯s right. It would be cool. She sighed and shook her head again before saying, ¡°Hahh¡­ I hate this. Why do you have to say something that makes sense? But you¡¯re right. It would be cool to have the other studentse and cheer us on. This is a pretty big deal for the club. I suppose we could make some flyers and hand them out, or maybe just tell everyone we know about it. Some word of mouth can do miracles. It might even help to build up the poprity of the club.¡±

    Last year we didn¡¯t even tell Mr. Zhou. Ren Rou smiled. Mr. Zhou was in charge of club activities. He could help them get the word around school. She looked at the others until she reached Lin Feng. Here she paused. She looked at their new teammate, her new friend. It¡¯s all thanks to him. She nodded towards him and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s ask the club members toe and watch us Wednesday. I¡¯ll make an announcement for it, and it¡¯d be great if you guys could build some hype up as well. If we make it to the semis, I¡¯ll inform Mr. Zhou. He can help us get the whole school toe and cheer for us! It¡¯d be awesome if they¡¯re there, cheering us on when we win the tournament and lift up the trophy!¡±

    Making it to the Finals. Having the whole school cheer them on. Beating Shanghai High School or Shanghai International or whichever team they¡¯d be up against in the Finals. And then lifting that trophy. Realizing their dream. Making history for their school. Their minds went wild. It actually sounded usible! They were almost there! Only a few more steps! Perhaps they could really do this! Maybe! Maybe! Maybe Lin Feng was there to curb their enthusiasm. He put up his finger and said, ¡°Hey, guys¡­ Uhm. It sounds good and all. Just. We aren¡¯t even in the semis yet. We have to keep working really hard to get there. You guys can¡¯t start celebrating now. Celebrate when we¡¯ve won.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and nodded. ¡°Lin Feng is right. We need to focus on our next match. There is nothing beyond that if we don¡¯t win.¡±

    Liu Yue bit on the inside of his lips, holding his tongue. He nced over towards Ouyang, fighting back the urge. But Ouyang wasn¡¯t saying it. Ouyang was staying quiet. So he jumped onto the table in the middle, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, ¡°WE CAN DO THIS! THE TROPHY IS OURS! HERE WE COME!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports team had been so invested that it¡¯d taken away all attention from the rest of the esports club. But it was still that. A club. They had arge number of members, students who loved to share their love for League of Legends. The club wasn¡¯t just about the main team. It was about creating amunity for like-minded individuals to enjoy ying the game they loved together. Now, Ren Rou had a good excuse to put some of the bigger ns on the backburner. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was the most important thing on her schedule right now. But that didn¡¯t mean she could forget all about the club. Smaller and recurring events would still take ce. So, with the exception of Lin Feng who had better things to do with his time, the other yers of the main team joined the other club members in ying friendly 5v5s, or giving pointers to people in 1v1s.

    Tang Bingyao was of the same mindset as Lin Feng. It wasn¡¯t worth her time to teach these random club members. She hadn¡¯t joined this club to be friendly with them. The only reason she joined was because there was a prize for winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Besides that, she¡¯d rather spend her time working on ELO boosting orders than spending time with the club members. However, unlike Lin Feng, she didn¡¯t make herself scarce fast enough. She stuck around just long enough to grab Ren Rou¡¯s attention. The club president walked up to her and grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Come, Tang Tang! You can¡¯t leave now! You¡¯re our poster girl! You see all these first years here? They¡¯re all here for you!¡±

    Tang Bingyao, she was the fairest of them all! To the first years, anyways. Tang Bingyao was the prettiest girl in the club by popr vote. On top of that, she was also the best ad-carry of the club! This was enough for these League enthusiasts to fall in love with her. So when they got a chance to learn from their Princess, they swarmed around her, their pubescent bodies raging with hormones.¡°You¡¯re so pretty! Add me on League!¡±¡°I love you! Please go on a date with me!¡±¡°Your Draven is so good. Can you help me with my Draven?¡±¡°Can you add me on League, please? I wanna y a game with you.¡±¡°Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow? My mom is cooking meatloaf!¡±¡°I¡¯m a Support main! Want to duo queue? Just add me on League and we¡¯ll y!¡±

    The guys of the main team stood together off to the side. Basically no one came up to them. Chen Ze shook his head and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these kids? Were we this thirsty too?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and looked over at the club members pushing and shoving just to get closer to Tang Bingyao. He shook his head, stunned. As did Wei Dong. He added, ¡°I don¡¯t think we were¡­¡±

    Ouyang clicked his tongue and chuckled, amused. ¡°These idiots, hehe. There are so many girls at this school. They could¡¯ve picked any of them. Worst case, they would¡¯ve been let down easy. But they just had to pick Tang Tang. Haha! Do you guys remember that guy from Tonji? How she just destroyed him? Haha, that shit was hrious.¡±

    The guys turned to Tang Bingyao and watched her deal with a first year student. He was badgering her with questions, only some of them loosely connected to League of Legends. All he wanted was her attention, and shetched onto it. She frowned and asked, ¡°Did youe here for some advice, or because you like me? Is that why you¡¯re trying to flirt with me? What¡¯s next? Are you going to ask me out on a date?¡±

    ¡°W-what? I-i¡­¡± The first year shut uppletely. He stared at her, wide eyed. He liked her. A lot. But as much as he wanted to ask her out on a date, he wasn¡¯t ready to be asked about it so bluntly. He was still working up the courage to pop the question! It was too much for him. The n that he¡¯d worked out in his mind copsed. He didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. More guys were pushing around him, trying to get Tang Bingyao¡¯s attention. He let them push into him, force him back, as his face went red. Then he turned around and bolted away out of the ssroom.

    Liu Yue shook his head and said, ¡°Tsk tsk. He ran faster than that Tonji guy. That must be a new record. He¡¯s got a long way to go before he¡¯s ready to flirt with Tang Tang.¡±

    After the first ran away, the less brazen also slowly backed off. They turned to the other yers of the main team, or started chatting amongst themselves. Anything was better than having to answer that question from the girl of their dreams! However, several guys remained. They smiled their most handsome smile and flexed their muscles. They did their hair and winked at her. The first worked up the courage and stepped up to Tang Bingyao. He didn¡¯t spin around it, but straight up asked her, ¡°Hey, I think you¡¯re really pretty. Would you like to go out for dinner with me Thursday?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like you.¡± Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t even need to think about it. The words came from her mouth the moment the guy finished asking her out. She¡¯d barely looked at him. But she¡¯d seen enough to know he wasn¡¯t the kind of guy she liked. But that didn¡¯t dissuade the others. Another one came up to her and professed his love. She looked at him, annoyed, and said, ¡°No. I don¡¯t like you either.¡± Then came a third. Another group of guys were standing around her. There seemed to be no end to it. None of them got the hint. She shook her head and looked around at the guys. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do it this way. I¡¯ll consider going on a date with any of you, if, and only if, you can beat me in a 1v1.¡±

    Tang Bingyao, the number one ad-carry of the esports club, would take on any challenger in a 1v1! Better yet, she¡¯d go out on a date with anyone who could beat her! At least, that was how the first years understood it. The blood rushed to their heads as they pushed over each other again, trying to be the first to challenge her. She was the fair maiden in search of a man worthy of her! And they would prove their worth in battle! Because they were the heroes of their own stories! They would dominate her and show them why they were her perfect partner! Dreams of beating her yed in their minds. Taking her out for dinner. Falling in love. Having babies together, and maybe even getting married! They nned out an entire life together before the 1v1 even started. And then it was over. There wasn¡¯t a single match thatsted more than a few minutes. Tang Bingyao won all of them. She beat all 19 challengers.

    Tang Bingyao looked around the room. The 1v1 Love Confessions, as Ouyang had started to call them, hade to an end. There were no more challengers. Those who¡¯d yed against her were now huddled around differentputers, waiting for their turn to y, to practice. Because maybe, just maybe, if they kept practicing long enough, they could get good enough to beat her. They¡¯d do anything for a date with their fair maiden! But that wasn¡¯t of any help to Tang Bingyao. She was using these matches as practice, and now there was no one left to practice with. She asked, a little helplessly, ¡°Is there anyone else? No one?¡±

    Ren Rou had joined the guys in watching Tang Bingyao fighting off all challengers, and then seeing them actually get to practice their skills. They weren¡¯t thirsty teenagers anymore. Well, they were. But they were also League of Legends yers trying to get better at the game! Sheughed and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this great? Everyone is working so hard!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He looked over at Ren Rou and said, ¡°It¡¯s great that they¡¯re practicing and all. But, there is a small problem. At this rate, half the club is going to be ad-carry mains. Maybe we should have Tang Bingyao y Jungle for a while.¡±

    ?

    The next two days came and went. The Round of 16 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament came to an end. The eight teams for the quarterfinals were announced. Amongst them were, as was to be expected, the big three. The three strongest teams in Shanghai. Tonji Affiliated High, Shanghai High School, and Shanghai International! Fortunately, High School 13 wouldn¡¯t y against any of them in the next round. Their opponents were still strong¡ªWest High, a team that made it all the way to the quarterfinalsst year. Their team this year looked stronger thanst year, but they were clearly a step below the real powerhouses. In other words, for the first time ever, High School 13 had some luck in the draw.

    The yers from High School 13¡¯s esports team practiced hard in preparation for the next round all throughout the week and weekend. Even that Monday, they spent most of their day practicing for the series on Wednesday. But on Tuesday, their minds were somewhere else entirely. That was because this was the day that the first semifinals match of Worlds was! A sh of titans! Europe versus North America! Legend versus Season! Two Emperor teams were going to fight it out for a ce in the Finals of the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships!

 Chapter 158: Shackled Minds, Heavy Hearts, Transient Euphoria

    There was a belief, a bit of conventional wisdom, a line of thought among long-time fans of thepetitive scene for League of Legends. It was simple. Europe beats Korea! North America beats Europe! Korea beats North America! Exactly like Rock-Paper-Scissors. This was the ¡®rule¡¯ created by truly small brain analysis that asionally held true but also had a million and one exceptions. The idiot logic was built up after watching what seemed like a recurring pattern over the years. The European teams managed to do well against the Korean teams, most of the time. Then the North American teams managed to do well against the European teams, most of the time. Finally, the Korean teams dominated the North American teams, most of the time.

    Why this pattern sprang into existence and managed to hold true most of the time, no one could really say. The best theory was that it was from the difference in regional yerbases. The European teams yed against each other, and yed in a way that tripped up the Koreans. Same thing for the North American teams against the European teams. But at the very end, the Koreans always managed to dominate. But again, there were a million and one exceptions to this sort of thing. Not that most of the fans watchingpetitive LoL cared about that nuance. For them, the 80 IQ EU > KR; NA > EU; KR > NA equation was enough. Truthfully, the mental gymnastics required for that algorithm might¡¯ve taxed the mental acuity of 40% of the fanbase.

    For the uing semi-finals matchup between Legend and Season in the World Championships, this small brain analysis was enough for most fans to confidently and assuredly state that Season held the upper hand. Because LoL Rock-Paper-Scissors-ROFL-LMAO-LOL logic was irrefutable. Of course, there were also those who took simplicity to another level. An almost -200 IQ level. Including a certain dude-bro in Senior ss 7 whose blood and mouth ran far faster than his brain.

    ¡°ListenListenListen! Forget about League Rock-Paper-Scissors! All you need to know, my brother, is that Autumn is the second ranked Emperor. Phoenix is the third ranked Emperor! Do I need to make this any clearer? Number 2 is better than Number 3! You smelling the smarts here? Autumn is one rank higher, so Season is going to win this semi-finals matchup! It''s going to be as smooth as I am with thedies,¡± Ouyang dered.

    Yang Fang turned around in his seat and stared at Ouyang over his horn-rimmed spectacles. Then he shook his head. ¡°Ouyang. There are several things wrong with everything you just said. Let¡¯s start with the first one. I¡¯m not an expert on the subject per se, but based on observations you are not smooth with women. Now that we¡¯re done with that, let¡¯s talk about the rest of this. Do you really think the analysis and predictions for a game between two of the top teams in the world with some of the best yers is as simple as that? Do you really think it¡¯s as simple as some arbitrary ranking that states that the second best yer in the world has an edge over the third best yer in the world, so Season is going to win? If it were that simple, there would be no esports, no World Championships, none of this. The only logical conclusion here is that you¡¯re just as bad with predictions as you are with women.¡±

    Ouyang progressively frowned and grimaced as Yang Fang talked. Then he red at Yang Fang for a long minute. ¡°Oh? Oh! Well, ya know what? How about you spin up that egghead and try? Come on, fog up those sses. Have a brain st! Riddle me what you got. Show me how streets ahead you are! I¡¯d like to see you try. Even the professional analysts and strategists at Worlds can¡¯t predict who¡¯ll win! Everyone gets it, Yang Fan. Legend and Season are among the foremost teams in the world. There¡¯s a lot of things to think about. But getting bogged down in the deets, what¡¯s the point? Think about it! There¡¯s always a trap, and worrying about the trap is pointless. You say trap and I say no, you say tomato and I¡¯ll say potato. We¡¯ll never get an answer until someone checks under the hood. Ain¡¯t no point in thinking. Or overthinking. Might as well go full small brain genius. Because when everyone else thinks smart, you might as well think dumb! Ain¡¯t nothing wrong with being 40 IQ when everyone else is just guessing anyway. I got just as much a chance of being right as anyone else.¡±

    ¡°This¡­ what? Traps? Hood? Potat...¡± Yang Fan wanted to say something, wanted to argue back. But the words died in his mind before they got to his tongue. He was speechless. Ouyang had be¡­ Nichs Cage! So random and pointless that he transcended conventional standards and thought to create a new point that no one ever really thought of. The biggest shock of all was that Ouyang¡¯s words madeplete sense. Did Ouyang independently arrive at am¡¯s Razor¡­ in reference to League of Legends?!

    Lin Feng had been watching the exchange quietly from his seat the whole time. But Ouyang¡¯s moment of insane rity and Yang Fang¡¯s reaction to it was too much for him to handle. He broke downughing and gave Ouyang a thumbs up. ¡°Ouyang¡¯s right. Nothing wrong with keeping things simple. I don¡¯t me him. Both teams are really strong, so it¡¯s hard to predict who¡¯lle out at top. There really is no point in oveplicating things!¡±

    Ouyang jumped out of his chair and fell to his knees, arms raised to the sky in supplication, once he heard Lin Feng say he was right. Then he cried out, ¡°YES! PRAISE THE TRUE SAVIOR VAN WILDER! In! Yo! Face! Yang Fan! I thought your faith was strong but you needed proof. Well here it is! Even Bro Feng over there agrees with me! Only the truest of bros can see the genius in other bros!¡± Then he sat back down with a smug smile on his face, basking in the moment where he¡¯d one-upped Yang Fan.

    ¡°Fine, fine, stop making so much noise. Your analysis was fantastic, you truly are the more intelligent one. Far smarter than I. Real-real big brain,¡± Yang Fan said as he motioned to Ouyang to calm down. Then he looked over to Lin Feng and curiously asked, ¡°What are your thoughts on this? Who do you think is mostly likely to win this one, Season or Legend?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... Me?¡± Lin Feng thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He had an answer in his mind. Or he thought he had one anyway. He mulled it over again and then scratched his head. His analysis wasn¡¯t as simple as Ouyang¡¯s, but he didn¡¯t know if he could exin it right. And it would take too long anyway. ¡°Oh, I guess Season probably has the higher chance of winning.¡±

    Legend and Season. Two of the best teams in the entire world. Both teams also had an Emperor as one of their yers. Two yers who stood at the top of the world, facing off against each other. They were the strongest representatives from their respective regions. This semi-final matchup, everything was about nuance. One misclick, one minor incorrect decision, one champion stepping just a hair too close or being a smidge too far away. That was the difference between victory and defeat here. Lin Feng just didn¡¯t feelfortable making a clear judgement about who would win this game after being away from thepetitive scene for so long. This game was at an entirely different level of y. Even the yers on both of the teams ying couldn¡¯t confidently state they had a 100% chance of making it through the semifinals. The only person qualified to make a statement with such certainty was someone who stood above them. Perhaps.

    ?

    The city of Brussels in Belgium. The Sun rose on the day of the semi-finals. Thousands of fans, spectators, enthusiasts, literally anyone who was even remotely interested in League of Legends and nearby had all gathered together to watch this epic semi-finals match between Legend and Season. The arena waspletely packed! There was not a single empty seat in the whole ce. Stage lights shed around wildly and Silver Scrapes boomed out from the speakers, hyping an already hyped crowd up to the level beyond that of a Super Saiyajin!

    In the VIP viewing area above the ground level with the crowd, the members of Team SSK calmly looked down at the stage below. They were breezy, not a line of tension visible on their faces. Maybe it was magic, or maybe it was Maybelline. But they were aloof, untouched and unblemished by the hype and excitement and tension in the air. Pure indifference to thepetitive semi-finals matchup that was about to take ce, unconcerned about who would win. It simple did not matter to them.

    One of the coaches for Team SSK turned to the unassuming 22-year-old Koreand sitting next to him. He smiled and asked, ¡°Hey Se-Ho. Who do you think will win?¡±

    Se-Ho. Han Se-Ho, that was his full name. But this Miner was far better known by another name. His summoner tag. The handle of the world¡¯s best Miner and the God Emperor among the Four Emperors. Rake.

    Rake turned to his coach and said, ¡°Season will win. It¡¯ll be 3-1. Or 3-2.¡± His reply was calm, collected, and precise. It had an eerie mechanical quality to it, the absolute confidence of a machine that had calcted everything ande to the only possible conclusion. There was no hedging. No exnation. No justification. His analysis and judgement were absolute. Then he looked back down at the stage. The first semi-final game between Legend and Season was starting.

    ?

    The first game of the series went on for 45 minutes. Legend managed to drag it out to thete game phase. This was where they were the strongest and the mostfortable. Then when the stage was set, they went in for onest crucial teamfight. Phoenix started the engage with his Orianna and his ad-carry Tristana followed up and took out the rest of Team Season¡¯s Champions. Then they pushed down midne together and took out Season¡¯s Nexus. Legend grasped the first victory of the semi-finals matchup and an early lead.

    The second game, Season came out the gate swinging hard with a new teamposition that was strong in the early game. They dominated during the first 15 minutes. Then they pushed that advantage out further, continuing to snowball hard and keeping Legend on the defensive. Season trampled over Legend¡¯s Nexus and ended things at the 30 minute mark. With this game, Season had evened things up and tied the matchup score at 1-to-1.

    The third game was a truly unfortunate one for Legend. They lost the game during Champion Select, where they had allowed Autumn from Team Season to pick one of his main Support Champions. Tahm Kench. Autumn showcased why he was an Emperor in that game, chaining godlike ys together into unholybos, saving his teammates at the veryst second with Devour, and manipting the flow of the game. Team Legend was off-kilter the whole time, and Autumn¡¯s Tahm Kench was always there to catch them off-guard when they were most unbnced to engage with his ultimate. The game was over before Champions had set foot on the rift. Team Season pulled ahead with this win, making the score 2-to-1. They were now a single game away from taking the whole series.

    An incalcble number of European fans watched the matchup at the edge of their seats. Nails were chewed off, breaths were held. The earth of the continent was bathed in the flop sweat of nervous gamers and fans. They couldn¡¯t couldn¡¯t help it. Thebination of excitement and energy drinks had revved their hearts. They prayed to Gods Ancient and new alike. Some even lit incense offerings to PewDiePie. They wanted to do whatever they could to help Legend endure the pressure and mount aeback. But their prayers went unanswered. Even PewDiePie could not change the oue of the fourth game in the series. Legend had lost. Team Season destroyed their Nexus.

    The LCD screens in the arena all showed ¡®VICTORY!¡¯ over the ruined chunks and dying embers of Team Legend¡¯s Nexus. A hush fell over the entire stadium, almost as if everyone in the crowd had simultaneously decided to let the moment sink in. Then the quiet and stillness was broken by apuse. Quiet at first, slow. Then it gained strength, rolling through the crowd, growing in volume, before finally erupting into deafening cheers. Even the European fans cheered and pped through their disappointment. Legend had lost, but they¡¯d also yed an amazing series! Team Season had also yed brilliantly. And they were there to witness it all live!

    The North American fans in the crowd were especially excited. They were waving their batons and cheering their hearts out. Season had won. They had defeated Legend 3-1! Their region was advancing to the finals!

    Up on the stage, over on Team Season¡¯s side, Autumn remained seated in front of his deck. He leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes, taking a moment to rest. A moment to reset mental after focusing hard in four straight games. But his face was calm. No trace of excitement, no joy, nothing. It didn¡¯t look like this win meant anything to him at all, like he¡¯d been expecting to win the whole time.

    Over on Legend¡¯s side, the mood was somber and heavy. Phoenix balled his fists and let his chin fall to his chest. Then it snapped up suddenly. His eyes narrowed as he considered something that he¡¯d only just thought of at that moment. Concentration and focus back in full force. Then he sighed and shook his head.

    ?

    ¡°THAT WAS INTENSE! We haven¡¯t seen a series this tense and exciting in a while. It was a toss up to say who would make it through, both teams were fantastic. But it¡¯s Team Season at the end of it all who¡¯ll be going onto the Finals!¡± Stone announced on the official Chinesementator desk for Worlds.

    Beside Stone, Qinghe nodded. ¡°Indeed. Season yed extremely well in these past three games. Legend also yed well, especially Phoenix in the mine. But in the end, in terms of tactics and game n, he wasn¡¯t a match for Autumn.¡±

    Stone chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s very true! Well, this calls for a celebration! We have to congratte Team Season for advancing to the Finals!¡±

    Qinghe also beamed a smile before riffing back, ¡°Right! Reaching the Finals of the World Championships is THE DREAM of every professional team. Team Season climbed all the way to the top and is now only a single step away from the Summoner¡¯s Cup!¡±

    Stone nodded. ¡°The only thing left to do is wait for tomorrow, when we¡¯ll find out who Team Season will be up against in the Finals for the League of Legends World Championships! I don¡¯t know about you Qinghe, but I¡¯m more than a little nervous about tomorrow. We¡¯ll be here the whole time, letting you know what¡¯s happening when it happens!¡±

    The twomentators paused right after this, letting the hype dwindle. The millions of Chinese fans watching the live broadcast of Worlds also settled down. The excitement from the matchup between Season and Legendpletely washed away and reced by apprehension. Because they were reminded that tomorrow wasing. The games today were fun. Satisfying to watch. But now the games were over and the anxiety that had hidden in the dark corners of their minds hade roaring out. Tomorrow. When their very own Team KG would y against Team SSK in thest matchup of the Semi-finals.

 Chapter 159: Now Youâ€™re Just Somebody That I Used To Know

    Su Xue was dealing with problems of her own for the past two days. Ughh¡­ this is so bad, why can¡¯t I do this! I didn¡¯t think it would be this hard! She¡¯d just finished recording her voice over for the recent Nasus game Lin Feng had yed and recorded for her. But hermentary, it just wasn¡¯t as good as she thought it would be. The quality of the whole production was far less than what she wanted it to be, at leastpared to the average standard of other popr gamey videos. It just didn¡¯t feel right. And hermentary, it was boring. Uninteresting and dull. She knew it wasn¡¯t good enough, she didn¡¯t even need to show it to other people and ask for feedback to confirm that.

    But what if¡­? Hm¡­ no that¡¯s no good. Su Xue¡¯s n was to take a moreedic approach with hermentary. She couldn¡¯t really provide interesting insights that would engage the people watching her videos. But she could make themugh! She thought it over more, tried toe up with jokes and witty banter. But the natural charm and wit that came so easily to her while streaming, it waspletely gone. The few jokes and bon mots that she¡¯de up with and recorded fellpletely t now that she was watching the video. If she couldn¡¯t even make herselfugh, how would she make other peopleugh?

    You know what? This isn¡¯t that bad. Cause it''s all in my head, I think about it over and over again, I keep picturing it over again. And that¡¯s driving me crazy! I¡¯m being too hard on myself for no reason! I¡¯m funny! My jokes are funny! It¡¯s probably all in my head. I¡¯m being too hard on myself! I¡¯m funny. My jokes are funny! I¡¯ll show it to Lin Feng. See what he thinks! Su Xue went to get Lin Feng from his room, then sat him down in front of herputer and made him watch the video.

    Ten minutester, Lin Feng finished watching the video. He turned to Su Xue and said, ¡°Wow! That¡­ it was something. Hm. Um¡­ I don¡¯t know how else to say this but it was really bad. The best thing I can say in this situation is that I think you¡¯d set a record for dislikes if you made your viewers watch this.¡±

    ¡°What? Record for dislikes? Y-you...¡± Su Xue gasped out the words before falling speechless. She genuinely had no words, no thoughts, nothing. Lin Feng had used brutal oblivious honesty on her, and it was super effective! I-i showed him it, and he... he roasted me for it! WHAT A LITTLE SHIT! Her mind slowly started working again as rage overwrote her embarrassment and cringe. Her face flushed red and she lunged at Lin Feng, intending bloody murder.

    But Lin Feng had quick reflexes and mechanical skill. He ducked around her just before she reached him and ran towards the door. Then he stopped and turned around to look back at her. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but quickly changed his mind when he saw Su Xue charging at him. He ran out the door and around the house, trying to find some safety.

    Su Xue returned to her room after she burned off some energy and stress chasing Lin Feng around the house. She sat down at her desk and stared at her monitor and the video, still breathing heavy from all the running. She stared at the video, thinking and frowning. Well, that was a nice breather, but now I gotta get back to this again¡­ What am I going to do with this video? If I upload this the way it is right now, no one will want to watch it¡­ Am I actually going to need to do something as cheesy as falling back on dirty jokes here¡­?

    She started smoothing out and adjusting her shirt when another thought urred to her. Maybe I coul- WAIT! WHAT? NO! Su Xue smacked herself in the face and shook her head. She was flustered and stressed, worried that no one would like her videos. That turned into the catalyst for some dangerous thoughts and a terrible pivot in her content creation strategy. The ideas floating around in her mind right now, they were genuinely dangerous and scandalous. I won¡¯t do it! I¡¯m better than that!

    Su Xue cleared her head and tried to think up what to do for the video for a little bit longer. Then she came to a decision. She¡¯d put the Nasus video aside for now. There was no point trying to force something that just wasn¡¯ting to her right now and recording another subpar voice over. The best thing to do right now was for her to y some ranked games and record her own footage. Since it was going to be her game that she was ying, she didn¡¯t think there would be any issues with putting emotion into thementary when she recorded it. It was an experiment worth trying!

    Of course, Su Xue wasn¡¯t delusional. She knew that her gamey wouldn¡¯t be good enough for a video. She wasn¡¯t at that point yet. So she asked Lin Feng to help by duoing with her in botne. Like always, Lin Feng agreed to her request without any hesitation. He patted his chest and smiled. ¡°Sure, no problem! I¡¯ll be your support! Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    ¡°FUCKFUCKFUCK! That fucking Yasuo! What is his problem!!? If he didn¡¯t steal those two kills, I would¡¯ve got a penta! That FUCKER stole my penta!¡± Su Xue raged after winning a teamfight.

    They were ying in ranked queue on the Korean server with a Gold ount. Su Xue was ying the ad-carry Lucian and Lin Feng was supporting her with Thresh. The two of them did really well in the early game, with Lin Feng making a lot of shy engagements and helping her pick up kills. She¡¯d scaled and be really strong in the mid game. Enough to dominate during most of the teamfights, including the one right now where she had almost gotten a pentakill.

    ¡°AGGGGH! MY PENTAAAA!¡± Su Xue mmed down on her desk. ¡°If I¡¯d gotten that pentakill, it would¡¯ve made this video perfect!¡±

    Su Xue red at the Yasuo on her team. The one that had stolen her pentakill out from under her nose. Her eyes narrowed as she read the summoner tag. ¡°This Devshard guy was 0/5 before this fight too! He waspletely useless the whole game. But right when I¡¯m about to get a pentakill, that¡¯s when he shows up to screw me out of it and finally get some kills. Lin Feng, help me report his ass when we get out of this game!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Lin Feng smiled.

    But Su Xue was in a fantastic mood by the time the game ended. They had won, and she hadpletely forgotten about reporting the Yasuo. She made sure her Lucian game had been saved properly and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. We¡¯ll y a few more tomorrow. If we can¡¯t find any better games, we¡¯ll go with this one.¡± Just as she said those words, Su Xue suddenly remembered that tomorrow was important. She turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you ying in your quarterfinals tomorrow?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Got it! I¡¯ll be there tomorrow, cheering you on!¡± Su Xue cheerfully said.

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Lin Feng said. Then, he thumped his chest and dered, ¡°Just watch! We''re definitely going to make it to the semi-finals tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it! I¡¯ll be waiting for the day you bring home that trophy!" Su Xue said whileughing. Then she suddenly paused as her expression sank. ¡°Right, semi-finals. KG is ying SSK tomorrow too. If KG can win... well, that¡¯d be great.¡± She tried to sound hopeful, but her tone was anything but. Most Chinese fans were feeling the same way about tomorrow''s match. It was obvious why. The opponent was SSK. The Mountain that towered over the whole League of Legendspetitive scene. They were the team that all other teams looked up to and could never hope to beat.

    ?

    ¡°y your best Fatty! That¡¯s all that matters!¡± Lin Feng said. He¡¯d decided to give Fatty a phone call right before bed.

    ¡°Mhm! Mhm! I will do my best! You can trust in me, Lin Feng!¡± Tian Tian nodded, forcefully, a bright smile on his face. Tomorrow was KG¡¯s toughest match yet, but there wasn¡¯t a speck of fear or anxiety on his face. Instead, his small eyes shone with a sharp and dangerous light. ¡°Even if we¡¯re up against SSK, we¡¯ll do our best! At the very least, we¡¯ll take a game or two off of them!¡±

    Lin Feng made a fist bump under his covers. ¡°Haha! That¡¯s what I like to hear, Fatty! I¡¯ll be watching and cheering you on tomorrow! Beat them! I believe in you!¡± He had full faith in Fatty. Even if the opponent was SSK. Even if the opponent was Rake. No one could reign eternally. No one was invincible forever in the world of esports. As long as the people below were still climbing up, as long as they still desired to reach for the throne, there woulde a day when even the greatest Emperor would fall.

    ¡°Right! Don¡¯t you have a game tomorrow, too?¡± Tian Tian asked. He¡¯d recalled Lin Feng talking about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament the other day.

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s why we both have to try together! I¡¯ll win first. Then I¡¯ll wait for the good news from you!¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes zed withpetitive spirit. He blew hot air out of his nose and nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ?

    The next day at 5:30 PM in the evening, High School 13¡¯s team rushed over to the electronics mall in Pudong, the venue for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. The matches were starting at six. When they arrived at the venue, they discovered that many of their schoolmates were already there. They came up and excitedly greeted the team members.

    ¡°Do your best Yang Fan! Show them the power of us four eyes!¡±

    ¡°Go Lin Feng! Carry the game!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re waiting to see you beat West High! We even bought glowsticks and neon signs to cheer you guys on!¡±

    ¡°GO TANG TANG! WE LOVE YOU! DESTROY THEM AT BOT LIKE YOU DESTROYED US!¡±

    High School 13¡¯s team members were also smiling at the warm wee as they walked past their fellow schoolmates.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s register first. We¡¯re ying in the first group,¡± Ren Rou reminded.

    When High School 13¡¯s team arrived backstage, they bumped into the yers from Tonji Affiliated High. The two teams were already acquainted by. So, they politely greeted one another. Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s ad-carry walked up to Tang Bingyao. His face was all red as he fidgeted around for a while before eventually getting out a few words.

    ¡°G-good luck in your match today. L-lets both d-do our best!¡± Then he hurriedly retreated back to his team.

    Tang Bingyao stared at the young man in bewilderment. She tilted her head. ¡°Huh? Why does he keep running away?¡±

    Standing nearby, Ouyang, Chen Ze, Liu Yue, and the others burst outughing.

    ?

    5:45 PM. The backstage area of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Chu Fang, the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association epted a clipboard from a staff member. It contained the registration form for the teams ying today. He faintly nodded. ¡°All eight teams are here?¡±

    The staff member nodded. ¡°Yes sir. Shanghai International was thest to arrive. They¡¯ve already finished signing in. We¡¯ll be ying two best of three games today. Since we¡¯re starting at six, we should finish easily before 11. That¡¯ll be good since everyone is rushing to get back home in time to watch Worlds.¡±

    ¡°Good. Looks like everything¡¯s in order.¡± Then he looked down at the schedule for today. ¡°Two brackets are ying today. High School 13 vs. West High and Shanghai International vs. Shanghai High 6.¡±

    ¡°Yep that¡¯s right! It looks like Shanghai International is guaranteed to advance to the semis in the second bracket. After all, they werest year¡¯s runner-up. As for the second bracket, High School 13 is a dark horse, but West High is still pretty strong,¡± the staff member interjected.

    ¡°Mhm. Yeah. West High was a quarterfinalistst year too. I know.¡± Chu Fang nodded. ¡°But I still think High School 13 is going to win this match.¡±

    The staff memberughed. ¡°That¡¯s only cause you¡¯re always hoping for fresh blood. That¡¯s fine too, though. High School 13 is a pretty strong team. I remember their ad-carry and top both being really amazing¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Chu Fang recalled something and turned to the staff member. ¡°Hey, do me a favour and help get me the info for High School 13 in a bit.¡± He¡¯d been meaning to find out the name of that topner for High School 13 before. But he was interrupted by an important business call and ended up forgetting. Now that he remembered, he¡¯d finally get his answer to why that young man was so familiar. By this point, he wasn¡¯t imagining things. There was a strong voice at the back of his head telling him that he should already know who this young man was!

 Chapter 160: Blemished Reflections of Narcissus

    It was 5:53 PM. Seven more minutes until the start of the Quarterfinals for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! High School 13 versus West High. Two strong teams shing in a series that could go either way! The long hand of time marched closer and closer to 6:00 PM. 10 yers had gathered below the stage, five on either side. On the far left, there was High School 13. On the far right was West High. Staring at each other, tension palpable between them. All around them were tournament staff, giving themst minute instructions and waiting to give them the official go-head to get up on stage. Waiting. Staring. Coiled. Then one opened his hand and waved it towards the stage. The ¡®go¡¯ sign, the green light.

    Lin Feng was about to step forward, when someone pulled on his arm. He turned around to find Su Xue. She smiled at him and said, ¡°Make me proud! If you do, I¡¯ll cook anything you want tonight!¡±

    There were a few ways to light a fire in Lin Feng¡¯s heart. But all of them paled before the inferno that could be lit in his stomach. Through food. His eyes beamed at the thought of food and he replied, ¡°Awesome! You can make me stir-fried eggnts, squash so¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut it! Win this matchup first. Then you cane and im your prize,¡± Su Xue said, interrupting his food fantasy. Then she gave him a quick hug and ruffled his hair. ¡°Go, kid. You can do it.¡±

    Lin Feng let the hug overwhelm him, the familiar scent of Su Xue bringing peace. He broke free from the hug andughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll win this game. It¡¯s no biggie.¡± Then he turned back to the stage, his friends already walking up the steps, and walked up. His confidence was as big as ever. There was not a single worry on his face, a stark difference from the other nine yerspeting. They couldn¡¯t smile, or look at the crowd, sweat dripping down their faces. They stared at theirputer screens, barely breathing, as they waited for thepetition to kick off.

    Below the stage there was a special seating arrangement for the other six teams still in thepetition. They were all present, including the yers from Tonji Affiliated High. They were one of the teams who¡¯d yed against High School 13. They knew like no one else how strong this team was. But at the same time, that was weeks ago by now. Perhaps they¡¯d just had an offday that day. Their Miner thought so, at least. He turned to his teammates and said, ¡°West High was pretty decentst year from what I remember. What do you guys think? A win for them?¡±

    The Toner stared at his teammate, eyes wide open. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re serious?¡± he asked after a moment of silence. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Do you not remember that game? I don¡¯t care how good West High is, they don¡¯t have that Lin Feng guy. Holy shit was that dude good. I¡¯ve never yed against anyone better¡­¡±

    The other three teammates nodded. They remembered. They wouldn¡¯t ever forget that Riven. That wasn¡¯t just a good game. That wasn¡¯t luck. That was pure skill. More skill than their entire teambined. It didn¡¯t matter how terrible that Lin Feng¡¯s teammates were. When you were that good, solo carrying a game at this level was an easy thing to do. Besides, they¡¯d yed against West High before. Justst year, they were the ones who¡¯d eliminated West High in the quarterfinals. West High was a good team, they had to admit that. But West High was just that. Good. Not great. Not perfect. Not Legendary like Lin Feng.

    Tonji Affiliated wasn¡¯t the only team talking about the match. Shanghai High School, the reigning champions, were also in discussion about this series. It was another round, and still the same and confident Lin Feng. They¡¯d seen this before. It felt somewhat like deja vu. And if it was, then High School 13 would tear West High a new one and move on to the semis. From out in the first round of the qualifiers to the semifinals, though between then and now they¡¯d almostpletely revamped their team. A superb move.

    ¡°What do you guys think? I think this¡¯ll be an easy win for High School 13. Right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably. Did you see him hug that girl and talk about food? It¡¯s just likest time. He doesn¡¯t seem worried at all. And why would he be? We all saw him y. He¡¯s fucking fantastic! Then they still have that ad-carry. She¡¯s pretty decent too. Together they can easily carry any deadweight to the semis.¡±

    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that fielding an almostpletely new team can have such big results! Remember their team fromst year? It was hot dogshit! And now they¡¯re on their way to the semifinals. It¡¯s unreal.¡±

    Zeng Rui sat calmly, aloof. He heard his teammates talk but didn¡¯t engage in conversation with them. Their logic was wed. Who cares if High School 13 wins? He looked at the yers from High School 13. Some of them look nervous. Good. Except for him. The thundering dumbass. Enjoy your five minutes in the spotlight while itsts. Idiot.

    The organizers of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament had revealed the brackets to the eight teams in the quarterfinals. Everyone knew who they had to y in this round, as well as their potential opponents in the next round. For High School 13, that potential opponent in the next round was Shanghai International. Zeng Rui smiled, an almost palpable coldness spreading from him. He knew how strong Shanghai International was. His team was the only team who¡¯d beaten them! In the Finals! It was a hard fought victory for his team. Even he felt a cold shiver run up and down his body when he thought of them. We almost lost. They were good.

    They¡¯ll never bridge the gap. It¡¯s the core that¡¯s wed¡­ Zeng Rui nced over towards the yers from Shanghai International. They were different from High School 13. Shanghai International¡¯s entire team was phenomenalpared to High School 13, which only had a good Toner and a decent ad-carry. Good yers all around who¡¯d yed so much together that their synergy was on a whole ¡®nother level. And to top that all off, beyond their good yers and great synergy, they had a Miner and ad-carry who were more than good. They were GRRREEEAAAT! Genuinely top tier among all high school yers!

    It wasn¡¯t just Zeng Rui who saw it like this. The yers from Shanghai International felt the same. It was first voiced by their Jungler, who mumbled, ¡°High School 13¡­ They sound¡­ Those idiots fromst year? Didn¡¯t we stomp all over them? They were terrible¡­ How did they make it this far?¡±

    The Supportughed, loud and freely, grabbing his stomach and arching his back just to give it a bit more power. Then he said, ¡°I know, right? I couldn¡¯t believe it either when I saw it. Maybe they cheated? Or did they just get the luckiest draw ever? It¡¯s a disgrace for this tournament that a team like them got this far already.¡±

    Yan Liang, Master Miner and team captain of Shanghai International, waved his hand, cutting off the conversation. ¡°Enough of that, guys. Who cares aboutst year? Fact is, they¡¯re still in it this year. We might meet them in the semis. Who knows, maybe they¡¯ve actually be a strong team.¡± He paused, ever so briefly, then broke outughing. ¡°Oof, I could barely keep a straight face through that. Hahahah! Can you imagine? Those losers actually bing good? Hahaha! What a joke!¡± He wiped the tears of joy from his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, only to burst outughing again.

    The Support patted Yan Liang on the shoulder, stillughing. He said, his short breaths keeping him out of breath, ¡°Haha! You almost had me! Haha! Remember? Remember how they went after Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Trist? Haha! My god, they were so pathetic!¡± He was out of breath,pletely. He fought hard to get some more oxygen in his lungs before he continued, ¡°Thatst fight where they ran out of their fountain and gave a triple kill away. Oh boy. It¡¯s alling back to me now! Haha! Shit shit! And right before the end. Liu Zhengjie here was dancing and taunting them! Hahaha!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie, Master ad-carry, reclined back, bncing his chair on the two hind legs. He shook his head and smiled, ¡°Not my fault. They were asking for it. All I did was give it to them. But man. They were garbo. Like. Really garbo. Shame we didn¡¯t let that game drag on a little longer. I would¡¯ve gotten a penta. Would¡¯ve been the easiest penta of my life.¡±

    The Toner looked over at Liu Zhengjie and teased, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go jinxing yourself now. Find some wood and knock it off! You see that pretty girl up there?¡± He pointed at Tang Bingyao who sat up on stage behind herputer. ¡°She¡¯s their new ad-carry. Smokin¡¯ hot and crazy good. Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll p your ass if you don¡¯t watch out. Unless that¡¯s what you¡¯re into, hehe.¡±

    Liu Zhengjie shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Eh, if it¡¯s a girl, I¡¯ll have to go easy on her. Gotta act like the gentleman I am, y¡¯know?¡± He then turned his attention away from High School 13. He just didn¡¯t care about them. A weak teamst year, a weak team this year. They could rece all the yers they wanted. That wasn¡¯t going to change the simple fact that a bad team was a bad team. And he was good. Very, very good. So good that a coach from an LSPL team had approached him and asked if he was interested in ying for them. That was how good he was. In the entire Shanghai high school League of Legends scene there was only him and Zeng Rui who¡¯d been offered a spot in an LSPL team.

    Zeng Rui! Liu Zhengjie turned to look over at his rival in a different role. They yed different roles, but also in the samene. And thatne, inst year¡¯s finals, had gone to Zeng Rui. Zeng Rui had won thatne and he had lost. His parents, his friends, that coach from the LSPL team, all of them had seen him lose to another high schooler. This was a disgrace! Just thinking about it made him angry. How he couldn¡¯t pressure like he usually did. I hate him. Hate him. Hate! But this year. When we meet in the Finals. Watch me. I¡¯ll make you feel what I felt. And worse. You¡¯re going to get your ass kicked so hard¡­ That. That¡­ He¡¯dpletely forgotten about High School 13. He didn¡¯t care about the semifinals. His team was too strong. The Finals were just about guaranteed to feature Shanghai International.

    ?

    High School 13 took another step forward on their historic run in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! The games ended without much fanfare. Lin Feng yed. It was too easy. There was never the question if High School 13 would win, only when. Was it going to be sub 20 minutes, or were they forced to fight for their wins. Spoiler. They weren¡¯t. It was easy and fast and only an hourter, the series came to an end. High School 13 went 2-0 and took the series. They moved on to the semifinals!

    The yers from High School 13 walked down the stage, smiling, cheering,ughing. Below the stage arge gathering of esports club members were waiting for them. Their friends and fellow League enthusiasts. They cheered andughed and lifted Ouyang up on their shoulders. Ouyang who hadn¡¯t yed a game but was shouting like he¡¯d carried the whole team. ¡°WE DID IT! SEMIFINALS, HERE WE COME! HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO WIVES! WE WRECKIN EVERYBODY OUT HERE!¡±

    Lin Fengughed with his teammates and epted the hugs and bro-fists from his fellow club members, until he noticed Su Xue standing just a bit behind the esports club members. He walked up to her and showed her his bright, goofy grin.

    ¡°Good job, kid!¡± Su Xueughed, ruffling his hair. ¡°You did great. I¡¯m proud of you!¡±

    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t let you down! I told you. I¡¯m really good at the game!¡± Lin Feng said.

    ¡°You little fool. Is it so hard just to say thanks? Why do you always have to be so full of yourself?¡± Su Xue teased,ughing. Then she looked at him and asked, ¡°I guess you¡¯re done for the day? Or are you nning to watch the other game?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. ¡°Oh, yeah, I was nning to watch the second match. We¡¯ll be facing the winner from that match in the next round.¡±

    ?

    While the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was moving on to the second quarter-finals series, Chu Fang was backstage, taking a phone call. The person who¡¯d called him was his direct superior, Fang Hao, the President of the Shanghai Esports Association. He was informing Fang Hao on the going-ons at the tournament. Between all the buzz and people pulling him to every which direction, he took the time to inform Fang Hao. Not because Fang Hao was his boss, but because Fang Hao was also his mentor. Someone he deeply respected.

    ¡°Everything is running smoothly. The first match was won by High School 13. It¡¯s all looking good. I think that¡¯s about it,¡± Chu Fang reported.

    Fang Hao said, ¡°No need to be so stiff, son. I believe in you. That¡¯s why I left you in charge. You don¡¯t have to double check everything with me. You can do this. You really can.¡±

    Chu Fang smiled and replied, ¡°You¡¯re too nice to me. Honestly, I¡¯m not good at taking charge. It¡¯s just... difficult. I preferred it back in the day when I followed you around and helped you.¡±

    It was silent on the line for a minute, before Fang Hao sighed. ¡°You¡¯re talking about back during Worlds in Season 1? Tempus fugit, time flies. That was four years ago.¡±

 Chapter 161: Shocking Revelation

    The headquarters of the Shanghai Esportions Association was located in a high-rise in downtown Shanghai. On the top floor, looking out over the city, was the president¡¯s office. Fang Hao sat behind his desk, leaning back in his chair. He held his mobile phone beside his mouth, Chu Fang¡¯s voiceing from the little speaker. It wasn¡¯t a serious call. Chu Fang was the perfect protege. He worked himself to the bone, searching for the next big star to be born. Fang Hao walked over to the window and looked down at the streets below. A sea of car lights, barely visible below the lightsing from the office buildings around.

    Fang Hao stared at the nightscape of the city, Chu Fang¡¯s voice stilling from his phone. He took a deep breath, air filling his lungs as he raised his shoulders. Then he let it all out. The air, the memories from four years ago and everything since then. It¡¯d been an uphill battle, and it still was. He was the man who helped China step to fame in the esports world through DotA. China became the dominant region. They were the best. And even after their first generation of talents decided to retire, a new one, the next one was ready to take over the scepter. His work in all of this was exemry. So much so that he was appointed the position to oversee Chinese interests in the new massive online battle arena game League of Legends. He was asked to work his magic again, but this time without direct supervision.

    There were doubters who thought League of Legends would never be anything big, but he ignored them and pushed through. He pushed and he pushed to prove everyone that he was suited for the job. Sponsors, manpower, and equipment were just some of the obstacles. From nothing, absolutely nothing, he built up the Chinese League of Legends scene to what it was today. From working for weeks tond a small time sponsor, to now where the biggest sponsors in the world came to him for a deal. From barely being able to organize a small LAN-event, to holding multiple events on several different levels throughout the year. All of that was his hard work.

    It wasn¡¯t just him. Fang Hao was blessed with employees who believed in his vision and yers that were just as passionate about building up the scene as he was. Through their love of the game, they infected the Chinese people with the League of Legends bug. Most memorable of these yers were the five who made it all the way to Worlds in Season 1. The true heroes of the scene. Their result saw a direct and sharp rise in the game¡¯s poprity. The five who flew to London to represent the LPL. The team that made it all the way to the Finals.

    Chu Fang sighed and shook his head, smiling. ¡°That day when I heard we qualified for Worlds. I still think back to it so often. That was the happiest day in my life. They were something special.¡±

    Fang Hao chuckled and said, ¡°Mhm. We worked so hard and then those kids thanked us by actually making it to Worlds. It was all going great until those guys from the Global Esports Association came knocking...¡±

    Maple the wonderkid. One of, if not the best yer in the world at that point. He was only 15 years old, a year too young topete. An exception was made for him to y in the LPL. This was thenmunicated with the Global Esports Association, who had no qualms with it. Maple was allowed to y in the LPL. But when it came time for the kid to y at Worlds, suddenly the Global Esports Association had something to say about it. Fang Hao still remembered how angry he got. He never really got mad. But that day, in the office of people who could have his job, he lost himself and raised his voice high enough that people in the office building across the street could hear him.

    ¡°I¡¯m the Vice President of the Chinese Esports Association! We¡¯ve had this conversation before when we wanted Maple to y in the LPL. Back then you had no issues? But now? Now it¡¯s an issue? Your stupid organization suddenly feels threatened? Are you afraid our wonderkid will knock out whatever team you¡¯re cheering for?

    ¡°I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION! I DEMAND THAT YOU LET HIM PLAY!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere until you say he can y. WE¡¯RE STAYING RIGHT HERE!¡±

    Fang Hao grinned as he thought back to those days. His yelling hadn¡¯t done them any good, but in the end, the wonderkid was allowed to y. Their team made it all the way to the Finals. They did absolutely fantastic. He was so proud of them and had been eager to see where they would end up. It was unfortunate that the future he hoped to see them have didn¡¯t y out like that. The lost Finals were a harder blow to the team than he or anyone could¡¯ve expected. The wonderkid quit, and the rest of the team split up after. Of the five, only two still yed the game, and only one was still on an LPL team. God Roundy was the only one of that team full of talent who was still on the top of his game.

    God Roundy was a top talent. He was a beast in topne back then and still to this day. No one could deny that, and Fang Hao wouldn¡¯t either. But despite that, Tian Tian was nowhere near the best yer on the team. There were at least two yers better than him. One of them was the ad-carry, the clear number two on the team. As for the best yer on the team. That was Maple, the wonderkid, the best yer in the world. The 15 years old kid was so ridiculously good at the game that every time Fang Hao watched him y, he had to take a step back and make sure his eyes weren¡¯t ying tricks on him. And ever since, hepared every talented new Chinese star to Maple, only to find himself somewhat disappointed.

    Chu Fang broke the silence, breaking the memories, and said, ¡°If those guys were still ying, we¡¯d have won Worlds at least twice by now. They were good.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t just have won Worlds. We¡¯d have two Emperors,¡± Fang Haoughed. Then he went quiet as those final scenes yed through his mind again. He recalled how Maple walked away. The kid was gone before he¡¯d even noticed it. Maple was the best yer to have evere out of China. He was an Emperor. There was no one who could deny that. But he¡¯d quit the game. He was gone, and so he wasn¡¯t an Emperor. He was an almost forgotten name¡­

    Fang Hao shook his head clear of those memories. They were tales of four years ago. Today, there was another story building up. KG could write history by defeating SSK! That deserved his attention. He pped himself across the cheeks, just to wake himself out of his thoughts, and asked, ¡°Is that final game almost done? Everyone at the venue is probably itching to go home and watch KG versus SSK. We should finish well before then, right?¡±

    Chu Fang quickly replied, ¡°Yeah. First series is done. High School 13 made it to the semis. Shanghai International is now ying, but that shouldn¡¯t take too long. They¡¯re clearly the better team.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Shanghai International? They were the runner-upst year, right? They were pretty alright from what I remember. Uhm. What was the second team? High School 13 you said? Are they a new team? I don¡¯t remember hearing about them before.¡±

    ?

    Game 1 was a stomp. Shanghai International waltzed all over their opponents and finished the game in a short 25 minutes. They¡¯d picked strong early game champions and brute forced their way into the opponent¡¯s base. The second game didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be any different. In the first 10 minutes of the game, Shanghai International built up an advantage that was difficult toe back from. Too difficult by all standards.

    Below the stage, the yers from High School 13 were watching the games. Tense. Nervous. Sweat dripping down their faces and their hands m. Last year, Shanghai International looked strong. But because they weren¡¯t good enough of a team yet, they had no idea just how good Shanghai International was. Now, however, they did have a clue. They spotted the big and small techniques and tactics Shanghai International forced to push for the advantage. This Shanghai International was far better than they expected.

    ¡°C-can we really win?¡± Liu Yue muttered, dazed.

    His question was met with silence. Chen Ze and Wei Dong stared at the screen, terrified. Yang Fan kept adjusting his sses, looking, searching, but not finding anything. And then there was Ouyang. The man with quick wit. The myth who always knew what to say. The legend who brought up morale just by being in the room! He sat there, silent.

    Lin Feng wasser focused on the games. He heard the question, but didn¡¯t turn to look at his teammates. The game was more important. He had to spot the small things, the errors that Shanghai International made that he could take advantage of. ¡°They¡¯re strong, but¡­¡± he said, half to himself and half to his teammates. His eyes were on therge screen, never shifting away. Every small y, he wanted to see it. Then he smiled. He¡¯d seen what he needed to see. His hand almost automatically clenched into a fist and was flying up in the air. He jumped from his chair and shouted, ¡°We¡¯re still going to win!¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang put his phone away and was about to find his seat to watch thest few minutes of the Shanghai International game, when a staff member walked up to him. They handed him a document and said, ¡°Here¡¯s the information on all the teams in the quarterfinals. It also has something on High School 13.¡±

    Chu Fang epted the documents and nodded. ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡± Then he started flipping through the pages until he found the information they had on High School 13. He skimmed what was written down. School information, club president, team membe¡ª His eyes went wide as the document slipped through his fingers and fell on the floor. He trembled on his knees, his hands shaking violently. ¡°T-this¡­ T-this¡­¡± He stared at the document on the ground, then dropped to his knees and grabbed it up. His finger traced over the information from High School 13 again, directly towards the names of the yers on the team. Towards that one particr name. His mouth fell open. He closed it, only for it to fall open again. ¡°H-how?¡±

 Chapter 162: Enemies on a Narrow Path

    It was 20 minutes into the second game of the Quarterfinals for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Though it was never really a game to begin with. Shanghai International was ying with such ferocity, with suchplete domination, that no one even knew who their opponents were. This was Shanghai International¡¯s party, and only they mattered here today. The main event of this party, the headliners, were the Miner and ad-carry. Yan Liang yed on his Fisherman Fizz and fished up kills across the map. The unidentified opponents were helplessly speared by his magnificent harpoon, while he only found his own fishy self on the sushi mat one time, bringing his score to 6/1/3. The other life of the party was Liu Zhengjie. He had his Striker Lucian dribble his ball through thene and nutmeg his no name opponents, killing them after the fact with his two big guns. His score was a perfect 5/0/5.

    The yers from Tonji Affiliated High watched the game breathlessly. Shanghai International was steamrolling over their opponents! The first game was an easy win, and now in the second they were 5,000 gold in the lead, not far from closing the series out. To those watching who also happened to read the Xianxia webnovels, they knew what was happening. Shanghai International had be the favored disciple in the best sect in a tournament for cultivation resources! They were tyrants on the rift! Everyone who appeared before them had to bow down! Their opponents had to kowtow and kiss the floor, begging to be spared from too humiliating of a defeat!

    ¡°Damn. They stronk. Like¡­ Damn.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s still the same ystyle. They always push and force openings out of nothing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it might be the same ystyle, but it¡¯s alsopletely different. Are you watching the game? Do you see how good they are? It looks almost perfect. I haven¡¯t seen a slip up yet¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Tonji Affiliated High who were worried. Shanghai High School, the strongest team fromst year and favourites to take the trophy home again this year, was also paying careful attention to this game. Most of their yers were a little worried. Shanghai International looked strong, much stronger thanst year. Andst year it was already a very close game. They all turned to Zeng Rui to see how their team captain was holding up. He was their pir and their leader. His calm rubbed off on them whenever they started to worry, and it did now too. His expression was empty and his breathing was even. There wasn¡¯t anything that betrayed his true feelings, except for hisck of blinking. He wasn¡¯t going to miss even a millisecond of this game!

    A short trip around the crowd was long enough for Shanghai International to end the game and win the series. They destroyed the Nexus and secured their spot in the Semifinals! They were only a single step away from the Finals, where they could finally fight for redemption afterst year¡¯s humiliating defeat! But though their minds were already drifting to the Finals, to scenes of defeating Shanghai High School and iming the trophy, they¡¯d first have to beat the dark horse. The team that was a misbegotten clusterfuck of both phenomenal and downright terrible yers. High School 13.

    As for the yers from High School 13, the usual seven were sweating profusely and shifting around in their chairs, while one was leaning back, chilling. Su Xue sat behind this anomaly and tugged at his elbow. ¡°Hey, Lin Feng? You have to y against those guys next, right? They look really strong¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm, yeah. They¡¯re strong. They yed really good!¡± Lin Feng agreed, smiling. He enjoyed a real challenge, and beating Shanghai International looked like it might actually be a challenge. They were a strong team, though individually nowhere near his level. He was a lot better than them, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about his teammates. Even Tang Bingyao, the next best yer on the team after him, would be hard-pressed to achieve anything besides maybe going even against Liu Zhengjie. And at the end of the day, there was only so much carrying he could do. He couldn¡¯t be everywhere all the time, and Shanghai International were the first team they¡¯d face who could really abuse that.

    Until now, Lin Feng¡¯s go-to tactic to carry his team was by ying a strong Champion and let the game get to a stage where he could solo carry. Shanghai International wasn¡¯t a team that would wait around for that to happen. They picked strong early game Champions and pushed and pushed. And then they pushed some more. They never let up the pressure. From start to finish, they pushed and forced ys. They would never give an opponent enough time to get strong enough to solo carry. Their games simply didn¡¯tst that long. So Lin Feng had to think of something else. He had toe up with a different approach for this game, because if Shanghai International was allowed to push, then his team would lose. It was that simple.

    Lin Feng looked over to Chen Ze. He¡¯d lose. He then turned to Yang Fan. Same here. He shook his head as his gaze fell on Tang Bingyao. Even Tang Tang won¡¯t win¡­ He had to think of something, because if they went in like how they usually did, this would be the end of the road for them. If he yed in topne, mid and bot would lose. If he yed in midne, top and bot would lose. It was a question of what the better option here was. He was a mid main, but the meta of the game was called League of Tone for a reason these days. Neither option looked much better than the other. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I have to find a way to win this. It doesn¡¯t matter that it¡¯s hard. It¡¯s good! I actually have to try. But I have to try. I really have to try and think of something to make this work. Suddenly, he started smiling. First it was a weak grin, but then it turned to his usual goofy smile. His lips spread wide and they looked like they were almost touching his ears. His eyes lit up with light, almost as if they were shining. His entire face screamed joy! He clenched his fist and threw it up in the air, shouting, ¡°Ha! The greater the challenge, the greater the reward! Let¡¯s do this! We¡¯re going to win! Woo!¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang felt his heart beating hard and fast, crashing into his ribs and trying to get out. Faster. Faster! His hands trembled. He traced his finger over the name. That name. Him. He couldn¡¯t believe it. This wasn¡¯t possible. It was a name he¡¯d often thought of, wistfully. A time when Chinapeted for the world title. The wonderkid. I-is it¡­ He shook his head once, then pped himself across the cheeks twice. Lin. Feng. Challenger. That was all the information the piece of paper held. Nothing more. But it told him everything he needed to know. It¡­ It¡­

    The member of staff who¡¯d brought Chu Fang the document stared down at his boss, dazed. His boss was nicknamed Mister Unshakeable. He was always calm. It didn¡¯t matter what got thrown at him or what he had to deal with, it never brought him off his piece. With calm determination, he waltzed over everything thrown at him, smiling along the way. That same person was now sprawled on the floor, desperately tugging a piece of paper, almost crying. ¡°U-uh, boss?¡± the member of staff asked, careful. But there was no reaction. His boss was staring at the paper, tracing a name, holding it to his cheek and cradling it. ¡°Alright then,¡± the member of staff mumbled, raising his brows. He bit on the inside of his lips, his foot already off the ground. He hesitated for a moment, but then turned around and walked away.

    Chu Fang didn¡¯t see the look in his employee¡¯s eyes, nor would he care if he had seen it. There was only a singr thought on his mind. Lin Feng. It¡­ It¡­ He traced his fingers over the piece of paper again. It really said it. Lin Feng. Challenger. He moved to the wall over to the side and leaned up against it, then wiped his face. He put his hand over his mouth and blew out all the air from his lungs, full of disbelief. H-how¡­ How is this possible? H-he left¡­

    Lin Feng had left the scene four years ago, at the end of season 1. He was a 15 year old kid back then. Now, four yearster, he was 19. He¡¯d grown up into a young adult who was attending his final year of high school. Chu Fang counted it out on his fingers. The name. The rank. That joyful look on this Lin Feng¡¯s face when he walked up on stage. The age. There were too many coincidences for them to be coincidences. ¡°N-no. This can¡¯t be real,¡± Chu Fang mumbled, more frantic with every repetition. ¡°T-this can¡¯t be¡­ it can¡¯t be real!¡±

    However, the more he thought about, the more he started believing it. This Lin Feng was the same Lin Feng whopeted at the Season 1 World Championships. This Lin Feng was the same Lin Feng who beat Phoenix and led his team to the Finals. This Lin Feng was the Lin Feng who went toe-to-toe with Rake in a tense series thatsted five games. It was the first andst time in League of Legends¡¯ history that Rake was pushed to his limits. There was no one else who came so close to beating him. Chu Fang said with his lips shaking but his voice firm, ¡°This. Is. Maple! It really is him!¡±

    Chu Fang bit on his lips, smiling. A smile that covered his face, with tears of joy running down his cheeks. ¡°It has to be him!¡± His mouth was making all kinds of strange movements. He didn¡¯t know what to do with it. ¡°It really is him! It is!¡± he shouted, looking like he¡¯dpletely lost it. But he didn¡¯t care. He pushed himself onto his feet, his knees shaking with excitement. ¡°I need to make sure. I need to see him. If it really is him¡­ It is him, I know it!¡± He rushed out from the backstage area and looked around the arena, searching for that face, mumbling, ¡°Where did he go¡­¡±

    ?

    High School 13 had made it to the semifinals. The games for the day hade to an end. By all right, they should be celebrating their victory. Chuck a few beers and congratte themselves on a job well done. They¡¯d gone further in this tournament than ever before! But they didn¡¯t care about any of that. They only cared about the trophy, and the team standing in their way towards it. That team, right now, was Shanghai International.

    The whole team was down. They could barely raise their heads, their hope having sunk down into their boots. Their hope was initially, after winning their quarterfinals, rather high. But that all changed when they watched Shanghai International y. It didn¡¯t matter how much Lin Feng had taught them, they were still a far shot from being Shanghai International¡¯s opponents. There was a distinct difference in individual skill and team synergy. A difference that Lin Feng couldn¡¯t bridge for them. They knew he was good, but there was a limit to what one person could do. Even if that person was Lin Feng.

    Ouyang looked around at his friends. The same he¡¯d watched win the games, while he sat out. This isn¡¯t right. His gaze was steady. He knew his job. ¡°Ha! What¡¯s with all the long faces, my awesome super-bros? It isn¡¯t like we gotta y against Shanghai High School! Now that would be bad¡­ I know! Come, sing with me!¡± He cleared his throat and started singing, very loudly, ¡°Always look on the bright side of life¡­ tu-du, tududududu. Always look on the light side of life... tu-du tududududu!¡±

    Yang Fan grinned and shook his head. ¡°Idiot.¡± Then he adjusted his sses and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We do need to look on the bright side. I guess it was about time we faced them again. Remember what they did to usst year? Let¡¯s give them some payback for that!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°You guys yed themst year too? What happened?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you see¡­¡± Ren Rou started, then trailed off. They were walking towards the exit of the venue. But to get there, they had to walk between the rows of chairs packed closely together. Straight up ahead, there was another team walking in the opposite direction. Both sides stopped, just standing there, staring at each other. Ren Rou tried to put on a brave front, pushing her chest forward, but her shaking arm revealed how she really felt. Scared and angry. Furious for what these assholes had done to her and her teamst year! And terrified the same would happen again this year.

 Chapter 163: Hello, is it me youâ€™re looking for?

    Ouyang saw them. The Shanghai International team. He¡¯d stood across from them before, looked at those faces and red into those eyes. One year ago. It¡¯d been a year since he stood on a stage like this one, looking at them. On any normal day, his motto was simple. You got a problem? Yo, I¡¯ll solve it! But not on that day. That day was the single worst day of his life. And when he saw them again, standing across from him. Standing across from his team. Looking down on him with the same stic expressions of ridicule from one year ago, that day started ying in his head again. The moments that haunted his nightmares and always stuck around in the back of his mind.

    ¡°Lol! This is too easy man,¡± Yan Liangughed loudly into his microphone and to the crowd around him. He sat behind aputer in a small inte cafe, with two yers to his left and two to his right. Together, they were the esports team for Shanghai International. ¡°Let¡¯s have a little fun! Haha!¡±

    It was the first round of the qualifiers for the 2014 edition of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Shanghai International was grouped together with High School 13. It was an easy matchup for them. It was a game in which they could y around a little, try different tactics, and maybe just have some fun. And having fun is exactly what they did. The game was about to hit the 20 minute mark, but they were already pushing into High School 13¡¯s base. It was a roflstomp in its truest form. With a little more than a minute before High School 13 could surrender and end this humiliation, the yers from Shanghai International reached the Nexus. But instead of destroying the Nexus¡­

    Liu Zhengjie looked towards the yers from High School 13, sitting opposite him. Heughed at them and said, loudly enough for everyone in the inte cafe to hear him, ¡°Watch this! HahaHAHAHA!¡±

    If the humiliation of losing a game before 20 minutes wasn¡¯t bad enough, what happened next definitely was. All Ouyang, substitute for High School 13, could do was watch as his team got served the ultimate humiliation. They were Nexus farmed. Shanghai International was so strong, and had enough long range skills, that they had formed a line around the fountain and were killing the yers from High School 13, letting their minions finish the game. It was painful, disturbing, and degrading. This was the worst form of sportsmanship. But it didn¡¯t end there. Shanghai International still wasn¡¯t satisfied. High School 13 was below them, and they would let everyone know that.

    The game finished. Shanghai International had as good as qualified for the next round, while High School 13 was on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament. But the yers from High School 13 were no sore losers. They took a deep breath, pushed past their hatred over what happened in the game, and stood up to shake hands with the yers from Shanghai International. It was basic courtesy, a short and simple show of good sportsmanship. That was when it happened.

    Liu Zhengjie walked up to them, a bright and wide smile on his lips and derision in his eyes. He made himself big, broadening his shoulders, and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dirty my hand by letting you touch it! If you want to congratte me, get down on your knees! Hah, fucking pathetic bunch of losers. Go back to your kiddy league. You don¡¯t belong here.¡±

    They were the memories of a year ago. Ouyang¡¯s arms started shaking as they yed in his mind again, and then again. He bit down on his teeth, while his brows pointed down towards his nose. The grating sound of his teeth were barely submerged by the low roaring from the back of his throat. He wanted to go up. He wanted to show them who was boss! He! He... He cracked his knuckles but didn¡¯t move. Ren Rou held her arm out in front of him and Yang Fan, who¡¯d lived through the same humiliation, grabbed him by his shoulder. So he didn¡¯t storm forward, settling for pawing his foot on the ground, menacingly.

    Yan Liang read the anger, the hatred, and most importantly the fear. They¡¯re the same asst year. A bunch of kids trying to y with the grown ups. He grinned at his own joke before walking up to Ren Rou. He gave her a one over, checking her whole demeanor out. Then he turned to the others behind her. There were the familiar faces of a year ago, together with a few new faces. He looked back towards Ren Rou and said, ¡°Oh, well look at this! High School 13! What a surprise! What are you guys doing here? Wait¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is it true? Did you guys really make it to the semis? Wow! Good job! I have to congratte you! You did a great job drawing all the easy teams! Are you guys going to celebrate? I can understand. You guys gotta celebrate the small victories since they are all you have, right?¡±

    Su Xue had watched the stare down, thoroughly confused, and now this guy came at them and started insulting them. ¡°Hey. Hey! What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do this? Are you really this pathetic?¡± she asked.

    Ouyang stared past Yan Liang and towards Liu Zhengjie, his chest rapidly going up and down. He said in such a deep voice that it almost didn¡¯t sound like him, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ignore them. That¡¯s just how they are. A bunch of arrogant assholes.¡±

    Yan Liang¡¯s smile turned to confusion. It looked so honest, so real as he raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Us? Arrogant? Nooo¡­¡±

    Laughter rang out from behind Yan Liang, his teammates grinning and joking and patting each other on the shoulders. Then the Support said towards Yan Liang, but loud enough that it was meant for everyone, ¡°I remember him. He was that substitute kid! He¡¯s so bad at the game that he couldn¡¯t even make it onto this kiddy team! If you ask me, his mother should¡¯ve just gotten an abortion. That would¡¯ve been better for everyone.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Sod off! That¡¯s enough!¡± Yang Fan shouted, followed by Chen Ze who added, ¡°Check yourselves! Don¡¯t try to be funny. You¡¯re not.¡±

    Yan Liang shrugged and said, ¡°Enough? What do you mean? It¡¯s the truth, right? He¡¯s terrible, even for your shit team. His mother¡¯s probably pretty disappointed she didn¡¯t abort him¡­¡± He trailed off towards the end, looking at the different people making up High School 13¡¯s team. ¡°Hmm? Am I wrong? Please, correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    ¡°You fucker! I''M GONNA WEAR YOUR FACE!¡± Ouyang had had enough. So what if Yang Fan held him by the arm? He could just pull himself free! So what if Ren Rou held her arm out in front of him? He could push through that! No problem! He shook his arm free and cracked his knuckles, white hot rage on his face. ¡°Youe here, you fucker! Watch me!¡± He stormed forwards, stamping his feet on the ground and moving his arm back, ready to punch.

    ¡°OUYANG! NO!¡± Ren Rou shouted. She grabbed him by his raised arm, pulling him back with all of her weight. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t lower yourself to their level! Don¡¯t do this! Please!¡±

    Yan Liang chuckled, watching as Ren Rou and Yang Fan pulled Ouyang back and calmed him down. He waited, feasting on the spectacle, then said, ¡°What? Can¡¯t win with words, so you resort to violence? Eh, what am I saying? That sounds about right for people like you. I really can¡¯t believe you made it to the semifinals. Did you bribe someone to get here? Or were you just that lucky? Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll make sure to put on a nice spectacle and give you another taste of our specialty: Fountain Farming!¡±

    The reply came almost instantaneous. A snort full of derision followed by the question, ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    Yan Liang turned to someone at the back of the group, behind the three he knew best. It was a man with messy, curly hair. He looked calm, unconcerned even. Yan Liang narrowed his eyes into two thin slits and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. Is he deaf? He looked Yan Liang in the eyes and replied, ¡°Oh. Really. Question mark.¡± He then shook his head and grinned. ¡°You really think you¡¯re going to beat us? Let me help you out of that fairytale. We¡¯re not losing. You will. I will personally see to it that we crush you.¡±

    ¡°Crush us?¡± Yan Liang''s mouth fell open, surprised. Then he startedughing and turned back to his teammates. ¡°Did you hear him? Hah. He thinks he¡¯ll crush us! This is the best joke I¡¯ve heard this whole year! Oh my¡­¡± He wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to shake theughter off, only for a second burst toe out. This time he waited a full minute, trying topose himself. But when he looked up again, up towards Lin Feng, he started all over again. He just startedughing and keptughing. ¡°Ow! My stomach. Ah!¡±

    Then the smile disappeared. Theughter stopped. Yan Liang stopped wiping the tears of joy from his eyes and stopped pping his knees in happiness. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Lin Feng and said in a voice as cold as ice, ¡°Trash. That is what you are. That is what your team is. You belong in andfill. The fact you want to y us is insult enough. These words you¡¯re saying? Don¡¯t. It¡¯s not funny. It¡¯s pathetic. Concede and go home. Let the big boys y.¡±

    Liu Zhengjie walked up to Yan Liang and put his arm around his shoulder. ¡°You see that kid?¡± He pointed towards Lin Feng and continued, ¡°He¡¯s that Riven that beat Tonji Affiliated High. It was a good game I¡¯ve heard. But¡­¡± He looked at Lin Feng and shook his head. ¡°But it sounds like that was just some excited kids talking big. He didn¡¯t look anything special to me. Seems like Tonji just has a shit lineup this year. Or we got that much better. Probably abination of the two.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled. He moved his head ever so slightly in ridicule. ¡°Liu Zhengjie, is it? You¡¯re the ad-carry. I watched you y and I have to say, you¡¯re pretty good¡­¡± He paused for a moment, his smile turning into a big, foolish grin, then added, ¡°But our ad-carry is better.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Tang Bingyao blurted. The entire situation was a little much for her to follow. There was too much new information and she got lost halfway along the way. She looked up towards Lin Feng, who was smiling at her. He looked his usual self.

    ¡°You¡¯re better than he is. Isn¡¯t that right, Tang Tang?¡± The words struck her so hard that she felt a little woozy. Better than him? She looked from Lin Feng over at Liu Zhengjie, the guy she¡¯d just watched y. An ad-carry who was at the top of his game. It was hard to spot any faults in his game. Hmm. She tilted her head andpared his game to her own. She rocker her head over to the other side, then nodded. ¡°Hmm, I think so. Yeah. I need to practice a bit more, but I¡¯ll be better than him.¡±

    Lin Feng pounded his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about practice! You don¡¯t need any practice to beat him. I¡¯m saying you¡¯re better than him right now! And if I say so, it is so!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie stared at the two from High School 13. They were now arguing back and forth, but their words weren¡¯t registering in his ears. His ears were ringing, the same few words resounding in his head over and over again. From shock and surprise to anger. He glowered and shouted, ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting! Her? She? That stupid girl, better than me? Just because you say so? Fuck off. Idiot.¡±

    The other yers from Shanghai International had heard enough. They all walked up to Yan Liang, leaning over his shoulder and pushing chairs away to get closer. The Support was the first to speak. ¡°Do you even know who you¡¯re talking about? I guess not. Let me tell you. Liu Zhengjie here is so good that a coach from the LSPL came specially to check him outst year. Only Liu Zhengjie and one other person were scouted. You want to tell us that she, a girl, is better than him? Hah. What a joke.¡±

    The Toner was the next to voice his dissatisfaction with Lin Feng. ¡°Right! Have you heard of the Shanghai Esports Association? Sure you have, they¡¯re the organizers of this tournament. Those guys, yeah? They¡¯re keeping an eye on Liu Zhengjie here and even told him he¡¯s going to be a great professional yer one day. You still want to tell me you believe she¡¯s better than him?¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH! THAT¡¯S IT!¡± Ren Rou shouted. Shanghai International had finally done it. They could try and bully Ouyang all they wanted, he probably had someing anyways. They could say all the trashy things they wanted to say about High School 13. It hurt to hear it, but she wasn¡¯t going to bother fighting them over it. But this. This was one step too far. They would not touch Tang Bingyao. Not under her watch. ¡°You think we¡¯re that easy to bully, huh? Well let m¡ª¡±

    ¡°W-wait! Hey, you kids! Hold up!¡±

    The voice came from behind High School 13, so the guys from Shanghai International saw the neer first. Yan Liang took a step back, halting the aggression and surprising Ren Rou into backing off as well. Then he put arge smile on his face and said, ¡°Hello, sir! Are you here for us? We¡¯re happy to help the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association with anything he wants! Just say the word!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie didn¡¯t call out to Chu Fang like Yan Liang had. But he did start smiling, and in his mind rightly so. This was his moment to shine. He stood up straight and checked to make sure there were no stains on his clothes. Then he carefully did his hair. This was his moment to show these people from High School 13 just how good he was. Everything had to be perfect. He took a deep breath and on the exhtion took a step forward. This would show the doubters how truly talented he was. So talented that Chu Fang came running for him. That¡¯ll show them. Hmm. I wonder what he wants. Is there another pro team interested in me?

    The people from High School 13 turned around to see why the guys from Shanghai International had backed off so suddenly. Lin Feng also turned around and met the gaze of Chu Fang. The very same Chu Fang he¡¯d met back in Season 1. His eyes went wide. CrapCrapCrap. He looked around for a ce to hide. Searched for it! But right now of all times he couldn¡¯t find anything to hide behind. CrapCrapCrap. He turned to Tang Bingyao, who was quite a bit shorter than him and jumped behind her. She was the closest to him. He huddled down, making himself as small as he possibly could.

    Liu Zhengjie nodded towards Chu Fang and said, ¡°Hello, Vice President. It¡¯s an honour to see you here. Were you looking for m¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t have time for you right now. Could you please move out of the way,¡± Chu Fang cut him off.

    Liu Zhengjie stood in ce, stunned. He didn¡¯t know what to do. The words were still processing in his mind. I don¡¯t have time for you. He understood what the words meant, individually. But that full sentence didn''t make any sense to him. So he just stood there, rooted to the floor, not sure of what to do.

    Chu Fang didn¡¯t have time for this. There was something far more pressing on his mind than sparing some random high schooler¡¯s feelings, even if that random high schooler was quite the talent. He looked past Liu Zhengjie towards the group from High School 13. There he saw Lin Feng, hiding behind some girl. It¡­ It¡­ He tried to stayposed. He wanted to keep it together. But his throat parched up and he felt something wet at the corners of his eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, shaking his head in disbelief, smiling. After all these years of searching. After all these years of hoping to find just one person half as talented as Maple. After everything he¡¯d gone through. Right here. Right now. Right in front of him was that familiar face. He let himself fall down in the chair next to him and covered his mouth with his hand. He took a couple of deep breaths, then said, ¡°Lin Feng? Lin Feng. Hey.¡±

 Chapter 164: Supplication to a Forgotten God

    I don¡¯t have time for you. Every word in that sentence stabbed into Liu Zhengjie¡¯s ego, deting it with yet another cut. His shoulder slumped and he let his head droop backwards and forward a little. He¡¯d just experienced literal verbal whish. He didn¡¯te here to see me? The gears in his mind rumbled and stuttered to life. He started running through everything that just happened, trying to understand the reality of the situation. Chu Fang had shown up, and then had run towards the group. That much was clear to Liu Zhengjie. He saw Chu Fang running towards the group he was standing with. He had turned towards Chu Fang and started talking. That¡¯s where everything broke down for Liu Zhengjie. Chu Fang had brushed him off without a nce. Chu Fang didn¡¯t run over to talk to me, so¡­ CHU FANG MUST BE HERE TO TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE! Liu Zhengjie¡¯s struggling brain had finally caught up to the moment. Who¡­ Who is he here to see if not for me? That¡¯s when he realized that Chu Fang wasn¡¯t in front of him at all. He looked around, trying to catch up to what had happened while he was lost in his thoughts. Chu Fang was now sitting on a chair, staring in the direction of High School 13¡¯s team while looking mindblown. But they looked just as confused as he was. Except... Him?

    ¡°He¡¯s not me! Completely different Lin Feng! It''s amon name! Not me!¡± Lin Feng cried out, frantic. He grabbed Tang Bingyao by her waist and moved her a little, just enough to turn her into a human shield and kill any vision Chu Fang had on him. If he couldn¡¯t see Chu Fang, then Chu Fang couldn¡¯t see him! Right? Lin Feng shook his head, fervently, and shouted, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person! It¡¯s definitely not me!¡±

    The yers from Shanghai International stared at Lin Feng. They couldn¡¯tprehend what was going on. The group from High School 13 was much the same. Everyone turned to look at Lin Feng, speechless. They knew him as the odd goofball he liked to be. But this was a new low even for him. This was by far his worst attempt at hiding from a situation!

    ¡°IT IS YOU!¡± Chu Fang yelled, excited. Up until now, the signs were there. Everything pointed towards this being Lin Feng. Maple. Lin ''Maple¡¯ Feng! The prodigy from back in Season 1! The Wunderkin who all of China¡¯s hopes rested on back then! But he¡¯d also argued all of these signs away in his mind, he didn¡¯t want to get his hopes up. When Lin Feng disappeared¡­ it was hard on all of them. So Chu Fang convinced himself that there were other exnations and reasons that could, potentially, make sense. But after he heard Lin Feng speak, there was no doubt anymore. There was no way he could pretend he didn¡¯t see what his heart already knew! He¡¯d know that voice anywhere and anytime. It was a little bit deeper than he remembered. More mature, tinged with that jaded mncholy thates from knowing tragedy. But it was still Lin Feng¡¯s voice! He shook his head, smiling, and said, ¡°Stop hiding! I can see you. I know it¡¯s you!¡±

    Under the confused gazes of the people around him, Lin Feng stepped out from behind Tang Bingyao. He walked forward two steps, then looked up at Chu Fang. He looked right into Chu Fang¡¯s eyes while ruffling his hair andughing awkwardly. ¡°Uhm-uh¡­ Hi! Hey¡­ Long time no see.¡±

    In that awkward, miraculous, and truly confusing moment, there was no Shanghai International or High School 13. Everyone was united in their shock and confusion. All of them stared at this exchange between Lin Feng and Chu Fang, trying to figure out how this was even possible. Trying to figure out what was even happening! Lin Feng¡¯s friends knew that he was really good at League, and they knew that he¡¯d been ying the game since Season 1. They remembered how he kept telling them how he was ¡°a challenger on the Ionia server¡±. That was a lot more than what Shanghai International¡¯s team knew about Lin Feng. But even with this extra information, they still couldn¡¯t wrap their heads around the fact that the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association hade running just to talk to Lin Feng! Chu Fang wasn¡¯t even passing by on his way to do something more important! He had specifically run towards them for Lin Feng! No, not even that. Chu Fang had chased after them and arrivedpletely out of breath. He¡¯d ignored someone as talented as Liu Zhengjie, and then copsed into a chair while staring at Lin Feng. Then the only person he wanted to talk to was Lin Feng. Ren Rou, Yan Liang, everyone stared at the two, speechless.

    However, even whenbining the shock of everyone else together here, it still wasn¡¯t anywhere near the amount of shock Chu Fang felt. It battered at his heart. It tried to knock him off his socks. He smiled, that dim-witted smile of ecstasy, and forgot where he was. The people around him disappeared for a moment, all he could see was Lin Feng. The supreme League of Legends talent. Then he blinked. More specifically, he forced his eyes shut and told himself, Keep it together. Keep it together. He opened his eyes a momentter and smiled, kindly. That¡¯s when he noticed everyone else was still around, too many of them. He nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s find somewhere private to talk.¡±

    The yers from Shanghai International watched Lin Feng nod in agreement to THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SHANGHAI ESPORTS ASSOCIATION. Then they watched Lin Feng and Chu Fang walk away, neither paying any attention to them. Chu Fang didn¡¯t even say anything to Liu Zhengjie! Their biggest talent. The guy on their team who was good enough to go professional. Their teammate who they¡¯d been bragging about, telling everyone how the Shanghai Esports Association was showing great interest in his development. But that reflected spotlight they¡¯d been basking in? It sputtered out and died. Chu Fang had ignored them, hadn¡¯t even spared them a nce. His eyes were locked on Lin Feng from start to finish. They felt their faces turn red, Liu Zhengjie more than the others.

    ¡°Awkward! Awkward, Awkward, Awkward.¡± Ouyangughed. He looked over towards Liu Zhengjie, whose red hot face of embarrassment was quickly warping to anger, and continued, ¡°Oh well. Karma¡¯s a bitch. Gnarly, radical, on the block I''m magical. See me at your college campus¡ª¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHAAH-haha! Oh my god!¡± Liu Yue said,ughing and pointing towards Liu Zhengjie. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone get hit by tribtion lightning this hard in any webnovel! Hahaha! Did you guys see that? The Vice President ignored him so hard that his brain broke! Haha! Look at his face! Oh my god, this is my favorite minute of this entire event!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie looked over towards Liu Yue. He glowered. He raged. He, he¡­ He cracked his knuckles and raised his fist. That¡¯s it, you stupid shit! Watch me! There was only one way he knew how to deal with this. His words had failed him, so he could only resort to this. He stepped forward, towards Liu Yue, charging his fist up. His foot stamped the ground, drumming his fury. I¡¯ll kick your sorry ass to the hospital! And then he got stopped. Yan Liang grabbed his raised arm and pulled it down. He turned to look at his Miner and friend, confused.

    ¡°Come, we¡¯re leaving,¡± Yan Liang said, sullen. He dragged Liu Zhengjie with him, and the others followed as well. There was nothing left to do here. All their big words, the bravado with which they moved, it was all gone. It was smashed under Chu Fang¡¯s feet. But he wouldn¡¯t leave just like that. That wasn¡¯t his style. He raised his voice just loud enough that the group from High School 13 could hear him, ¡°They¡¯re not worth our time.¡±

    ¡°Oh! OH! What was that about resorting to violence? Feeling all big now, are we?¡± Ouyang shouted after the departing group, savouring this moment of schadenfreude. Then he turned to his friends and sighed, ¡°Man! That was awesome! Serves them right for being dicks. EVEN THE UNIVERSE IS MY BRO, BITCH!¡±

    Yang Fan smiled at Ouyang, but then adjusted his sses. He frowned, staring in the direction Lin Feng and Chu Fang left in, and said, ¡°Still, I wonder how Lin Feng knows the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association.¡±

    Yang Fan wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to know this. Every one of them did. Ren Rou turned to Su Xue and asked, ¡°Do you know? You¡¯ve known him the longest out of all of us and you two live together.¡±

    Su Xue shook her head, staring after Lin Feng in a daze. She kept shaking her head until she realized everyone was staring at her. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She blinked a few times and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s never told me anything about this before.¡±

    Ouyang directly turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°What about you? Do you know?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, but remained silent. Lin Feng had told her he used to y League of Legends professionally. With that in mind, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to know Chu Fang. It even kind of made sense. But that¡¯s his story to tell. She was his friend. He told her things in confidence, and it was up to her to keep his confidence. So she shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    ¡°Welp. Guess we¡¯ll have to ask him when he gets back then!¡± Liu Yue said.

    ¡°Haha, watch me when he gets back,¡± Ouyangughed, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m going to use my super bro power and wring all the secrets out of him!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng waved goodbye to Chu Fang and said, ¡°Thanks for understanding. I¡¯ll be going. Byebye!¡± Then he bolted away, running back towards his friends who were waiting for him on the other side of the venue.

    Chu Fang stared after Lin Feng, shaking his head. They¡¯d only spoken for 10 minutes, barely enough to catch up. He¡¯d wanted to talk more. There was so much he wanted to talk about with Lin Feng. But he also understood that the kid¡¯s friends were waiting for him and that he couldn¡¯t hold him up too long. It was a short conversation about the important things. Important things¡­ He shook his head and muttered, ¡°You punk. Giving me a headache on your first day back. How could you do that to me after all we¡¯ve been through¡­¡± Then he started smiling. He covered his mouth in disbelief and shook his head. He¡¯s back¡­ I never thought¡­ He¡¯s back. He¡¯s finally back! He came back!

    As for Lin Feng, he ran back to his friends and caught up with them. Heughed and apologized and thanked them for waiting. Then he started walking towards the exit of the venue¡ª

    Ouyang pressed his hand against Lin Feng¡¯s chest and forced him to stop. He looked his friend up and down and then straight in the eyes. In a calm voice that allowed no arguing, he said, ¡°Exin yourself. From one bro to another. Tell me how you know him!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Tell us!¡± Liu Yue chimed in.

    Ren Rou waited a moment, just long enough for Ouyang and Liu Yue to shut up but not so long that Lin Feng could answer. Then she said, ¡°Tell me what you guys talked about. What did he want from you?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, that? Uh, we didn¡¯t really talk about anything specific. We were just catching up.¡± That was the excuse he was going with. Two old friends catching up. Then he went on telling a story that was loosely based on the truth, about how they¡¯d met at the Chinese regional Finals back in Season 1. Since then they hadn¡¯t seen each other for years, but it¡¯d left asting impression. So when Chu Fang saw him today, he just really wanted to catch up. That was what they were chatting about, and that was the story Lin Feng was sticking to, despite him scratching the back of his head and refusing to look up at his friends for more than a quick nce.

    Everyone knew Lin Feng was lying. He wasn¡¯t fooling anyone. They¡¯d all seen how Chu Fang reacted after recognizing Lin Feng. There was no way that he¡¯d act like that after seeing a random person he met once several years earlier. That just wasn¡¯t how life worked. But the KG versus SSK game was on and they had to hurry home if they wanted to make it. So they let him get away with it. They could badger the truth out of him another time. There was no hurry. They had at least until the end of the year.

    ?

    Su Xue and Lin Feng took a cab home after separating from the others. That was also how long Su Xue could keep her mouth shut. When they sat on the backseat of the car, her curiosity got the better of her. She turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°You weren¡¯t telling the truth. I¡¯m not that oblivious. Tell me the real story!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Lin Feng asked, innocent as ever.

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Hmph. Quit the act. I¡¯m not that stupid. Whatever, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, don¡¯t tell me. But don¡¯t lie to me. Just say you don¡¯t want to tell me. I don¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched his head, awkwardly. He really hadn¡¯t talked much with Chu Fang. For the most part, it was just two old friends catching up. Beyond the pleasantries, he¡¯d also informed Chu Fang about his intentions. His ns for returning to the professional scene and had asked him to keep that quiet. He didn¡¯t want the people he knew from back then finding out he was ying again. Not for any reason in particr, but just because it didn¡¯t feel right to him at the moment. I¡¯m not back yet. He chewed on the inside of his lips as he thought back to their talk, staring out of the front window of the cab. Then he mumbled, barely audible, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when the time is right.¡±

 Chapter 165: Sanguine Slopes and Leblancâ€™s Pokes

    Lin Feng knew that running into Chu Fang was inevitable. The first of many people from his past that Lin Feng would bump into on this climb back to the top. The first of many that he¡¯d have to confront since he ran away all of those years ago. Just to name some, there were the friends he¡¯d made along the way all those years ago in Season 1. He wanted to see them again, and he liked to think they¡¯d want to see him again too. Then there were his rivals and other yers he¡¯d enjoyed ying against, the fans who¡¯d cheered him on and sent him fanmail, and everyone else who was connected in one way or another to the Season 1 run of his team. There were too many to name, but he remembered their faces and names. He was both looking forward to seeing them again and dreading it at the same time.

    But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t nning on looking for them just yet. There was more than enough time to reconnect with old friends and rekindle old rivalriester on. Right now, he wasn¡¯t Maple. He was a regr yer getting back into the game and he didn¡¯t want to lean on his old name to do that. This was a path he wanted to walk on his own two feet. That wouldn¡¯t be easy. He was well aware of that. It would take time to find his old form, to adjust to the changes in the game, and further hone his skills. But he had that time as long as he stayed in anonymity. There was no pressure to perform, there were no teammates that he had to work together with, there was only himself and his dream. The dream of stepping onto the world stage. He wanted nothing more than to make it back there and fight against Rake again. But this time, he would win. For that reason, he chose to wait. He would take one step at a time, keeping himself grounded, and only let the spotlight fall on him when the time was right.

    That day wasn¡¯t far away, but it wasn¡¯t today. Right now there were different things on his mind. For starters, he¡¯d just qualified with his team from High School 13 for the semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. This was a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it meant the world to his school. They¡¯d never made it this far before and would be celebrating through the night if it weren¡¯t for another event taking ce halfway across the world. This event did matter in the grand scheme of League of Legends. It was the semifinals match between KG and SSK at the World Championships. Millions of people, both those who yed the game and those who just enjoyed watching it or reading about it, tuned in long before the match even started. They were here to listen to the analysts and watch the introductions of both teams. They were only a small fraction of the number of people who would be watching when the series officially started.

    ?

    Su Xue strapped on her apron and put on her chef¡¯s hat. It was the basic attire for her part time job as Lin Feng¡¯s cook. There wasn¡¯t a whole lot of time today, because the KG versus SSK game was starting soon. So she prepared something quick and easy, though she did start from scratch, and served it. The aromas floating in the air wafted into Lin Feng¡¯s room and the person in question soon followed his nose into the dining room. They enjoyed a quick dinner, which was halfway interrupted by an rm going off. Su Xue had set it at 10:30 PM, 30 minutes before the start of Worlds.

    Su Xue didn¡¯t bother with doing the dishes, nor did she let Lin Feng finish his food. She dragged him along to her room and shoved him down in his chair. Then she turned on her stream and pinged the people in her QQ group chat. This was perhaps the most important match at the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships! It was also an excellent opportunity for her to bring in new viewers! So she had to be on time. She absolutely could not bete.

    Su Xue started her stream 20 minutes before the start of the first game, her regrs started flooding her stream chat and soon enough thousands of people were watching her and Lin Feng. They were all here for their stream shoutcasting on the best of five series between KG and SSK.

    ¡¸This is going to be sikkkkkk!! Best of 5! I wanna see it go to game 5 woooooo!!¡¹

    ¡¸FK GAME 5, 3-0 KG LEEZZ GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!1!!!1!¡¹

    ¡¸shit tho¡­. cant belief our shit luck. ssk... rip¡¹

    ¡¸ah shut up! i¡¯d almost forgotten.. uch. lets just hope for the best¡¹

    ¡¸FKING DOWNERS! KG DA BEST WOOOOOOO!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lmao watch god roundy carry the shit outta this game LOLOLOLOOL!¡¹

    Su Xue read through the chat conversation, picking out several lines to read out loud. Then she shed a smile at the camera and said, ¡°We got our very own li¡¯l bro here with us tonight¡­¡± she turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°So, what do you think about KG¡¯s chances today?¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin, looking up into the vast nothingness that was Su Xue¡¯s ceiling, thinking. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He let it drag out for a bit longer, but then shook his head with a long sigh. ¡°It¡¯s going to be really hard for KG. Really hard. Nothing is impossible. But, they¡¯re going to have to y the best game of their lives if they want to win this tonight.¡±

    ?

    The venue for the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships semi-finals was on the Heysel teau in Brussels, Belgium. There was arge arena with a capacity of 15,000. It was full. It was packed. Not just the arena itself, but the area around it too, with the Atomium in the backdrop. The ground was shaking due to fans jumping up and down, watching therge monitors in-and-outside the arena. It was the middle of the day, but it looked like all of Brussels was here. Like everyone had taken the day off to show up and scream their lungs out.

    However loud the fans on the Heysel teau were, the two teams who¡¯de in action tonight didn¡¯t hear any of this. They were seated in soundproof booths on the stage. From where they sat, they couldn¡¯t even see each other. Their focus was on their screens, making sure everything was in order before the series started. This was the matchup of a lifetime for KG. This was their chance to make their mark on League of Legends history! Only three games, three wins, stood between them and the Finals. It was thebination of this knowledge and knowing who their opponents were that raised their pre-game jitters to a whole new level. They could barely function, trembling and shaking.

    Tian Tian was no exception. His teammates looked towards him, searching for their pir, but he couldn¡¯t offer them what they needed. Not right now. He was trembling and shaking more violently than any of them. It wasn¡¯t strange that he acted like this. Anyone in his shoes would do the same! After all, he was about to face off against the strongest team in the world! This was an opportunity of a lifetime, but also not really an opportunity. SSK was on a different level entirely. Two teams so close together, yet so far apart. But despite this, despite his every instinct telling him to run and hide, he put his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. He stared at his screen and muttered through gritted teeth, ¡°I-i¡¯ll win! We¡¯re going to win this! I-i just have to try really hard, and then¡­ Then we can do this! We can!¡±

    There were two gaming booths, with windows all around. The fans could see their yers preparing for the games from a distance, but also up close with the facecams on therge screen above the gaming booths. On one side, yers were looking around, visibly unwell and searching for anything totch onto to ease their nerves, while on the other side yers were joking andughing and almost looking bored. To one team this was the game of a century. It was their opportunity to beat the best and be the best! While for the other team it was just another game they had to y. y and a win woulde. They were too good not to win. There was too much talent thatbined into wless teamwork to lose. Talent on each part of the team, but most of all on their Miner. Their staryer was the best yer in the world. There was no denying his skill. He really was the best. The other team had a good yer, a very, very good yer. But that was just it. One team consisted of very good yers to form a very good team, while the other was built on the best yers in the world to make the best team in the world.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Game 1 of the second semifinals of Worlds was finally underway! It was KG on the Blue team versus SSK on the Red team. Both teams had gotten the Champions they wanted. Their signature Champions. When the fans saw God Roundy picking Riven, they cheered so loudly that most of Brussels could hear them. And all throughout China, people were bonking with brooms on their ceilings, yelling for their neighbours to not scream so much. But the screamers couldn¡¯t be med. This was God Roundy¡¯s Riven! They all knew what he could do with her. And if he could do that again this game, then they were in for a really good game!

    However, the first round of cheers was quickly drowned out by the second wave of cheers. This one was far louder, with windows trembling, breaking, and car rms going off in the distance. There was only one thing that could get these fans so excited. Rake. He had chosen to y Lenc. It was his signature Champion. It was the Champion he almost always yed when it wasn¡¯t banned. More terrifyingly, he¡¯d never lost with her in any official game all year. His win-rate was a perfect 100%!

    From thefort of her own bedroom, livementating on the game, Su Xue lost her shit for a brief moment. She clutched her armrests and screeched, ¡°ShitShitShit! How did we let him have Lenc? This is cheating! Cheating!¡±

    Lin Feng moved away and covered his ears in reflex. He bit on his lips, keeping them sealed. This wasn¡¯t great, both Su Xue screaming in his ear and Rake picking Lenc. But there was nothing he could do about thetter, except for cheering Tian Tian on. So that was what he did. He clenched his fist and mumbled, ¡°Come on, Fatty! You can do this! I know you can!¡±

    Back in the game, the minions had spawned and were charging down their respectivenes. Tian Tian was up in the topne with his Riven and had to face off against a Gnar. The minion waves arrived and started fighting, while the Riven and Gnar did the same. They jumped in and out, gettingst hits in on minions while also using every opportunity to dish out some poke against each other. And after only a couple of these exchanges, it was clear that Tian Tian was pulling ahead.

    At the caster desk for the official Chinese broadcast, Lolo was jumping up and down and pointing at the screen, screaming, ¡°That¡¯s our God Roundy! God Roundy is doing it again! He¡¯s seized the advantage! He¡¯s going to carry the game and bring KG the win! It is possible! It is!¡±

    Stone moved his hands up and down in front, calming the non-existent audience in the room, and said, ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but look at midne. KG picked Lulu, a very defensive Champion for midne. Their n is clearly to not lose. Look. Do you see what I¡¯m seeing? Lulu is losing. Rake is outying her so hard that ane that should never be lost is actually losing. This is a masterss.¡±

    Lulu was a very defensive choice for the midne. She had a shield and crowd control in her kit, which she could use to mitigate a lot of the Lenc¡¯s damage. Everyone used her these days to stop aggressive Miners, and so had KG. It was how they were going to shut Rake down. If Rake never got rolling, he wouldn¡¯t be any good! But Rake didn¡¯t care that it was a Lulu. He knew how to y against her perfectly. So he went about farming minions, baiting out Lulu¡¯s shield and crowd control in the process, and waited for that moment where her skills were on cooldown to jump in and attack. Then he backed out, making sure to hit another auto attack on the way out. He yed it so perfectly that not even four minutes into the game, the Lulu was running low on health and was at real risk of dying. She could only sit under her tower and give up on gettingst hits, while he could do whatever it was he wanted to do. Thene was his.

    At 4:25 minutes, Rake officially dered midne his. KG¡¯s Miner knew he was safe against the Lenc as long as he stuck underneath his tower. His Lulu had a shield that could help him survive any tower dive. However, no n was perfect, especially when made in a pinch. SSK¡¯s Jungler was a Rek¡¯Sai, a Champion with its own unique set of skills. One of them was Unburrow, which allowed her to knock Champions Airborne, which was a state in which the victim couldn¡¯t use any of their skills. But this wasn¡¯t the Rek¡¯Sai show, this was the Rake show. He positioned his Lenc to perfection, moving in such a precise manner that the Lulu didn¡¯t even realize her pathing was being influenced by him. She moved up a little,pletely of her own volition it seemed. That was a fatal mistake. The Rek¡¯Sai burrowed a Tunnel and then shed forward, arriving right underneath the Lulu, where she Unburrowed and knocked her victim up in the air. And of course, Rake was there for the follow up. He had his Lenc jump towards the Lulu¨CDistortion. Then she shot out her Ethereal Chains. They wrapped themselves around the Lulu, binding her in ce and leaving her with nowhere to escape. One more auto attack flew from Lenc¡¯s staff before she jumped back, away from KG¡¯s outer tower.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

 Chapter 166: Canâ€™t be Stopped

    Giving away first blood wasn¡¯t great. Anything but. However, that didn¡¯t mean the game was over. KG still had everything in their own two hands. The three casters for the Official Chinese Broadcast knew that as well. They looked around the map, away from the Lenc in midne, and soon found something else totch onto. Something was brewing up in topne. KG¡¯s Jungler was roaming up the river and into the tri-brush directly below SSK¡¯s outer tower. God Roundy let thene push his way ever so slightly, making sure the Gnar wasn¡¯t any the wiser. Then the Jarvan IV dashed out from the tri-brush and nked the Gnar. But the Gnar came prepared. He Hopped onto the Jarvan IV and then further towards his outer tower, then shed thest bit to safety.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Lolo cheered, waving her arms up and down. ¡°God Roundy can now push thene! The Gnar has to recall back to base and will lose a ton of experience! This is great for KG!¡±

    Stone nodded and smiled. ¡°Mhm, this should give Roundy some time to build up an advantage. But that reaction speed by the Gnar was out of this world. The Jarvan jumped onto him from the fog of war, and he still found the time and uracy to Hop onto him and then towards his own tower. That¡¯s some real skill there. If he¡¯d missed, he¡¯d have given away a kill to KG.¡±

    ¡°But they got the sh out. That¡¯s the important thing here,¡± Qinghe chimed in. He turned back to the screen and watched the Gnar recall back to base, then added, ¡°Plus, if that Gnar teleports back tone, then that¡¯s two Summoner Spells gone. He can¡¯t go anywhere, while God Roundy can go anywhere on the map and help his team win an important fight. This is looking great for KG!¡±

    The three casters tried their best to spin the story back in KG¡¯s favour. They had to! But that wasn¡¯t how they felt in their heart of hearts. This game wasn¡¯t in KG¡¯s favour. Things weren¡¯t going great. Quite frankly, the game was quickly slipping away from KG¡¯s grasp. In all of League of Legends, there was nothing more terrifying than the best yer in the world on his best Champion. But KG had allowed for that to happen. It didn¡¯t even take Rake five minutes to punish them for that mistake. His Lenc was something else. She looked like a different Champion entirely when he yed her. In his hands, she was a dark cloud looming over the Rift. An absolute nightmare. No KG yer who stepped out of the fountain was safe from her. This was Rake¡¯s Lenc.

    The casters and the fans at home could all see Rake pulling quickly ahead of hisne opponent. And since they could see it, so could Tian Tian. He panned his camera to midne every couple of seconds, just to make sure the game wasn¡¯t lost yet. His nerves were making his hand shake, and he missed ast hit because of it. T-this won¡¯t work¡­ Lenc got first blood¡­ He knew Rake. They¡¯d yed against each other before, all the way back in Season 1. Tian Tian gulped, his eyes wide with fear. He took his hand off the keyboard and ced it on his other hand, trying to stop it from trembling and shaking. N-no. It¡¯s just one kill¡­ He bit down on his teeth and breathed through his mouth. W-we can still do this! I can still do this! I just have to win harder! I-i will carry!

    ?

    To win or lose a game of League of Legends. Sometimes it took upwards of an hour, or even longer, to find out who would win the game. Other times, it was decided before the 10-minute mark. There were teampositions and specific Champions that allowed for very quick games. Two such examples were Riven and Lenc. If either of them got rolling, while the other went down, they could solo carry the game. They could push ane all the way down to the Nexus, or teamfight 1v5. It really didn¡¯t matter. Once they got going, they could win the game single-handedly. This game between KG and SSK looked to be heading in that very direction, with the game-deciding fight happening at 6:30 minutes.

    It happened at botne and started off with a gank by SSK. Rake had teamed up with his Jungler and roamed bot. SSK¡¯s Support and ad-carry were informed over voice chat and eased down on pushing out thene. The next wave of Blue minions was frozen right outside their own outer tower¡¯s range, and KG¡¯s Jinx was extended far out in thene. This was an opportunity to get a fewst hits where she didn¡¯t have to fight over a kill with her tower. It was a whole lot easier tond the killing blow, especially in the early game, when the tower wasn¡¯t firing off powerful energy shots at the minions. But the Jinx shouldn¡¯t have been tunnel-visioning on the minions. She should¡¯ve noticed that herne opponents had eased off on the pressure.

    SSK¡¯s Support yed Alistar. He was a minotaur with strong crowd control skills. One of these skills was Pulverize. He could smash down on the ground so hard that the stone and dirt directly around him would explode outwards, knocking Champions and minions up into the air. There were different ways to get in range to use this skill. He went with sh. With a mottled burst of light, he disappeared from his spot and then reappeared right on top of the Jinx. He raised his muscr arms and then smashed his fists down into the ground¨C?Pulverise! The Jinx was knocked up into the air!

    The timing was perfect. The Jinx was up in the air and couldn¡¯t do anything for a short duration. SSK¡¯s ad-carry, who yed Lucian, dashed forward and fired light bullets from his gun. Then he sted the Jinx with a purifying light¨CPiercing Light! The Jinx then started falling back to the ground. Another second and she could sh away towards safety. That was when everyone could see a Tunnel being dug out from the fog of war. A wild Rek¡¯Sai appeared directly underneath the Jinx and knocked her back up into the air by Unburrowing! Rake appeared next, Distorting towards the Jinx and hitting her with the ssh damage. Then he Mimic¡¯d Distortion and hit her again, dealing substantially more damage this time. It was so much damage that it directly killed the Jinx.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The yers from KG were yelling and screaming into their microphones, trying to do something. Because if they did nothing, they¡¯d be giving SSK a double kill. It was a 4vs1 right now, so a towerdive would be simple.¡°BackBackBACKBACK!¡±¡°Lulu! TP! Come down now! COME!¡±¡°I don¡¯t have TP! Fuck! It¡¯s on cooldown! It¡¯s on cooldown!¡±¡°Thresh! Wait! Stay near your tower! I¡¯m TPing in! We can do this!¡±

    The casters of the Official Chinese Broadcast were just as desperate as KG. They wanted to see their team win! But this fight looked lost, until a pir of light descended on one of the Blue minions in botne. It was like a beacon of hope! That was how Stone saw it, anyways. He cried out, ¡°Riven is teleporting! Gnar¡¯s TP is still on cooldown and God Roundy is Level 6! He can win this fight! KG can still turn this around!¡±

    Tian Tian arrived in botne. He pressed down on the R key¨Cde of the Exile. A green light wrapped around his Riven¡¯s de. It was reforged, perfect once more. Then she dashed forward and thrusted her sword up into the air¨CKi Burst! A wave of green energy washed over the Lucian, stunning him. His already low base health took a beating. Then the Rivenshed out with the first of three strikes. The second followed after an auto attack, and then almost directly after came the third. The Riven jumped up in the sky and hacked down on the Lucian, knocking him Airborne¨CBroken Wings! Another auto attack would kill the Lucian, but the Alistar came charging over from the side, Headbutting her away. The Lucian fell back to the ground and shed away.

    ¡°N-no! You won¡¯t get away!¡± Tian Tian yelped. He pressed down on the D key and then directly on the R key again¨CWind sh! His Riven had charged up the runic energy contained within her sword and unleashed it all with one final sh. It flew after the Lucian, chased him down, and washed over him. It dealt the damage and killed him.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°It¡¯s theeback! It¡¯s theeback!¡± Lolo cried out, throwing her arms up into the air. And she wasn¡¯t the only one cheering and happy to see God Roundy make the y. Everyone watching the stream shared her sentiment and they started flooding the chat.

    ¡¸EMPEROR GOD ROUNDY!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸god roundy is the besstt!!11!1 omgomgomgomg¡¹

    ¡¸GOD ROUNDY HAVE MY BABY!¡¹

    ¡¸KG IS GONNAAA WIINNN!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Down with the Koreans!!! WOOOO GOD ROUNDY!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸EZ GAME GG GOD ROUNDY MVP!!!!¡¹

    Back in the game, KG¡¯s Thresh turned around. God Roundy was here. He had to help his teammate turn this fight around. The Rek¡¯Sai was closest to the tower, so he wound up his chain and sickle and hooked her, then dragged her under the tower¨CDeath Sentence! He followed up with y, dragging her even further under the tower. There were no minions, so the outer tower targeted the Rek¡¯Sai and fired off an energy shot at her. All the while, Tian Tian tried to have his Riven move towards the Rek¡¯Sai and Thresh, but was stopped by an Exhaust from the Alistar. A debilitating energy wrapped around her and debuffed all of her stats, including her movement speed!

    SSK¡¯s Jungler knew he could be hooked by the Thresh. In fact, he was even counting on it. So when it happened, he didn¡¯t panic and try to sh away. Instead, he let it happen. He let his Rek¡¯Sai get dragged underneath the outer tower and closer towards the Thresh. Then, when he was almost on top of the Thresh, he pressed down on the E-key¨CFurious Bite! His Rek¡¯Sai bared her teeth and sank them down into the Thresh, dealing double and True damage. All the while, Rake had beenst hitting minions, patiently waiting for an opening. There it was. The Rek¡¯Sai was taking energy shots from the tower and the Thresh¡¯s health was dropping. So he had his Lenc step into tower range and pressed down on the Q and then the E key. His Lenc raised her staff and fired an orb of malefic energy, followed directly by two illusory chains that flew towards the Thresh and wrapped around him. Then she cast another auto attack.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    However, SSK had to pay a price for giving Rake the two kills. The Rek¡¯Sai had tanked too many energy shots from KG¡¯s outer tower, which dealt increasingly more damage with every hit. Before she could even start Tunneling away, she died. That made it two for two. This fight that started out so terribly for KG was even again, and it was now all up to Tian Tian to make the impossible happen. He could keep the dream alive!

    ¡°Kill the Lenc! If he kills the Lenc, KG wins! KG can win this!¡± Qinghe shouted from behind the caster desk. ¡°Come on God Roundy! Do it! Do it! You can do it!¡± There was no calmness in his voice, or any semnce of professionalism. He looked like a fan on the edge of his seat, cheering for his team to win! Cheering for his favourite yer to make the ys! It was exactly how the people at home felt, all ten million of them!

    Su Xue was one of the fans sitting at home, cheering for her God Roundy! But she couldn¡¯t sit on the edge of her seat. This moment was too tense! She jumped up and leaned closer to the screen, screaming, ¡°Come on! God Roundy! Do it! Kill the Lenc! Kill that stupid bitch!¡±

    Lin Feng sat next to Su Xue. He pushed her aside when she moved in front of the screen, his eyes locked on the Riven. Fatty¡­ He was watching the map. The Jarvan IV wouldn¡¯t arrive in time. It was a 1v2 for Fatty. But he had the cooldowns on his side. The Lenc had just used hers and Fatty¡¯s wereing off cooldown again. That meant he held the advantage, for a short few seconds. That¡¯s your chance. Do it! Win!

    Two gaming booths stood across the stage from each other. One belonged to KG, the other to SSK. One Toner was chewing on his lips and his hands were trembling, while a Miner sat still, unmoving except for the quick and urate movements of his hands. Tian Tian was giving it his all, ying to the best of his ability, while Rake knew how much effort he had to put in to win this. And that was how much energy he poured into this fight. Nothing more and nothing less. He put in exactly enough to win this fight.

    Tian Tian gritted his teeth. He knew his cooldowns and he¡¯d seen the Lenc just use her skills. He had his Rivensh out, striking the Lenc with the first attack from Broken Wings. He followed up with an auto attack and then the second sh from Broken Wings. The Lenc auto attacked him, constantly repositioning. But her skills were on cooldown and her health was falling quickly. Tian Tian pressed on the Q key for the third time¨CBroken Wings! His Riven leaped up into the air, bringing her sword over her head, and then hacked down towards the ground. The de would smash right into the Lenc, knocking her Airborne. Except that it didn¡¯t, because the Lenc wasn¡¯t there anymore.

    Through the entire fight so far, Rake still hadn¡¯t used his sh. Until now. His Lenc disappeared in a sh of mottled light as the Riven came crashing down on her. She walked up thene a little, creating an angle between the minions through which she could hit him with her skillshot. Lenc only had one real skillshot. Ethereal Chains. She fired them off and they struck the Riven, coiling around her.

    Everyone went silent in the arena, until all that could be heard were the ingame sounds ring from the speakers. Everyone hosting streams, shoutcasting or analyzing the game, went quiet. They sealed their lips and moved to the edge of their seats, watching, waiting. Across the world, from Korea to China and all the way to Europe and North America. Every single League of Legends fan stopped what they were doing and focused on the stream. The second part of Ethereal Chains took a second to activate. It would snare the Riven. Rake had to snare Roundy Round if he wanted to win this fight, and Roundy Round had to get out of range to cancel the snare if he wanted to win. There were only two possible oues. A shutdown bounty for Roundy Round or a game winning Rampage for Rake.

    Tian Tian desperately tried to get away, to break the link before it could root his Riven in ce. But Rake had positioned himself too perfectly. There was nowhere he could run. His Riven got rooted. Red minions started attacking him. A Sigil of Malice struck him. Then another auto attack. He clicked and he pushed the buttons on his keyboard. But he was rooted. His Riven didn¡¯t move until she copsed dead on the ground. She¡¯d died. He¡¯d lost. The announcer¡¯s voice rang through his headphones.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Shit. Tian Tian let go of his mouse and keyboard. He fell back in his and rubbed his forehead. T-this is really, really bad. He took a long inhtion, pushing out his stomach, then let it all out. Shit. I-it¡¯s over.

    Tian Tian had done great in this fight. He helped his botne turn apletely lost fight around into a two for three situation. In any other situation, this would¡¯ve been a good result. Not great, but definitely not the end. However, it wasn¡¯t so much that they gave the kills away, but who they gave them away to. SSK hadn¡¯t cared about sacrificing their Rek¡¯Sai, because it meant another kill for Rake. Nor did it matter that the Lucian died. The only important part of this fight was that the Lenc picked up a triple kill. She was 4/0/0 barely seven minutes into the game. She was on a Rampage and about to be unstoppable.

    Sitting behind the caster desk, deted, Stone voiced the feelings of the millions of KG fans watching from home. ¡°Shit. This sucks.¡±

 Chapter 167: Step By Step, We All Fall Down

    The mood at the ShoutCaster¡¯s Desk was not a happy one. Thest thing that Stone said, ¡°Shit. That sucks.¡± echoed despite the professional grade microphones, pre-amps, noise-gating, and soundproofing. Those words hung in the air, echoing without an echo. The sentiment was precise, and the ShoutCaster¡¯s Desk reflected what every KG Fan¡ª No, what every Chinese fan of League of Legends was feeling at the moment. Regardless of how they individually felt about KG, the team was currently carrying all of China¡¯s hopes for the Season 5 World Championships.

    Qinghe felt it too, and tried to change the mood by forcing out a smile and some optimism, ¡°Let¡¯s not lose all hope just because Rake¡¯s Lenc is on a rampage! There¡¯s still more of this game to go! And let¡¯s cheer for God Roundy back there for some quick, quick, quick thinking on his feet! That Teleport helped even things out for the whole team, pulled a baby right outta that trash-fire. If he didn¡¯t jump in, that fight would¡¯ve been 0-for-2. But Roundy¡¯s Riven got there in the nick-o¡¯-time and made it 2-for-3. And even with the kill back there, Riven is still scaling decently. Rake might be feeling the snowball, but I¡¯m feeling like Riven¡¯s starting to bring enough heat to melt it. Any thoughts, Stone?¡±

    Stone was still slumped on his side of the Caster¡¯s desk andpletely missed the point of Qinghe¡¯s analysis. ¡°It¡¯s no use, though. I don¡¯t see KG turning this around...¡± Then his mind finally processed Qinghe¡¯s words and he perked up a little and added tentatively, ¡°Rake¡¯s Lenc getting fed this early into the game, it¡¯s going to be hard to stop hi¡ª¡± He paused mid-sentence. Then perked up a little bit more, cautiously hopeful. ¡°Unless.¡± He looked straight at the camera before continuing, ¡°Unless God Roundy uses this lead topletely dominate top and carry the game. But that¡¯s a big if right there, Qinghe. A real big if.¡±

    Qinghe nodded silently. Stoically. There was nothing more he could say here. His momma didn¡¯t raise no fool, and he knew there was very little that KG could do against a Lenc that was 4/0/0 this early in the game. And it was Rake¡¯s Lenc too. He sighed. KG¡¯s mine was at an absolute disadvantage right now. Even the Lulu they¡¯d strategically picked to counter Lenc was useless right now. All hope of a KG victory in this game rested solely in the hands of God Roundy¡¯s Riven. Tian Tian was now carrying all of China on his back.

    ¡°GO GO ROUNDY! YOU CAN DO IT!¡± Su Xue shouted at her monitor. But all of the people on her stream could hear how nervous she sounded underneath the cheers.

    Lin Feng, still sitting next to her, had nothing to say. He bit his lips and stared at the monitor intensely. Beneath his bangs, his eyebrows were scrunched together. He already knew what was going to happen. He knew that all of the optimism and hope would fall t. He knew it was almost impossible for Fatty to turn this around. There was no way for Riven to turn the tide of this game.

    ?

    9 minutes and 25 seconds into the game. Rake¡¯s Lenc was dominating the mine, just as everyone expected. KG¡¯s Lulu was pushed back to the safety of the tower multiple times, and eventually had to recall to base. Lenc froze the minion wave, and then decided it was time to go for a walk on the Rift with SSK¡¯s Jungler Rek¡¯Sai. Together, they roamed to topne and took the scenic route. They circled behind KG¡¯s outer tower in topne and nked God Roundy¡¯s Riven. No man, no matter how perceptive, expects to be taken from the rear by two other men. Especially not the way Team SSK¡¯s dynamic duo did it. Rek¡¯Sai burrowed into the ground and popped up underneath Riven to knock her up into the air. Lenc jumped up over with Disortion and unloaded her full damagebo onto Riven. Thisbo y, the unexpected attack from behind where one Champion came in from the bottom and the other from the top, it was more than God Roundy¡¯s Riven could handle. Lenc picked up another kill, and Rake killed any hope of God Roundy turning the tide in this game.

    ¡¶Unstoppable!¡·

    With thatst kill, Rake¡¯s Lenc was now at 5/0/0. As Riven¡¯s body dropped to the ground, all of the Chinese viewers felt their heart¡¯s drop too. With this single macro-gamey masterstroke, Rake had effectively taken out KG¡¯s outer tower at topne, dropped Riven behind by a lot of Gold and Experience, made the cliff that God Roundy needed to climb to turn this game around even steeper, and also made his Lenc even stronger. Whatever tiny advantages God Roundy had built up on his Riven in the early game, and whatever small victories he¡¯d imed in topne, Rake had swept all of those away with one precise y. Rake had shut God Roundy down. He knew exactly what he was going when he roamed up to topne. And as he turned his Lenc back towards mine, he looked at Riven¡¯s corpse onest time with subtle contempt in his eyes.

    On the other side of the game and the other side of the stage, Tian Tian winced. His mind was riddled with regret and anguish. I shouldn¡¯t have died there! I-i should¡¯ve seen-it! S-s-should¡¯ve known that g-g-gank wasing! His Riven¡¯s death was more than a Champion death or giving away a kill. It was the death of any hope of KG making aeback. As much as Tian Tian was ming himself for letting everyone down right there, the truth was that he couldn¡¯t be med for this. Lenc¡¯s fullbo did an insane amount of damage, that was one part. The other part was the signature SSK synergy between their Jungle and Mid.

    Everyone who was even slightly involved in thepetitive scene spouted on ad infinitum about how Team SSK had an Emperor and a King. And everyone also went on like a broken record about how SSK¡¯s Emperor was the God Emperor. Rake, the One that Sits on the Throne of Sovereign. First among all the Emperors. h, h, h. But Team SSK¡¯s real power wasn¡¯t Rake. It was their King, Mafa. Quite possibly the best Jungle yer in the world. The same league as Team Assassin¡¯s Read XIII, but perhaps even better. Team SSK¡¯s Mid-Junglebo, the synergy between Rake and Mafa, that was their signature. One of the deadliest weapons in their arsenal.

    In nearly every game that Team SSK yed, it was the Rake-Mafa roams that helped the entire team get ahead and then snowball. Their coordination and synergy was perfect. That scary, eerie perfect. To anyone watching and anyone ying against them, it was like Rake and Mafa could read each other¡¯s minds. This particr game against KG was no exception to that strategy. After Lenc and Rek¡¯Sai ganked topne to kill God Roundy¡¯s Riven, Team SSK started to snowball. 10 minutes in, SSK had already pulled ahead with a gold lead of 4,000. 12 minutes in, SSK imed and killed the first Dragon. 15 minutes into the game, the gold lead had widened to 6,000. By 20 minutes in the game, it widened even further to 8,000. The gap between Team SSK and Team KG turned from a small advantage to an ever-growing chasm. It also represented the difference in skill between the two teams.

    Rake¡¯s macro gamey was so overwhelming that it transcended this one game against Team KG. He wasn¡¯t just crushing them in one game, he used one move to dominate the entire series. And he wasn¡¯t just trying to disy Team SSK¡¯s might to Team KG. The point was to push every team watching, every yer past, present, and future with one y. And it worked. Too strong! That was the single thought going through the minds of every yer on every team watching this game.

    A perfect Mid-Jungle duo. A wless y that turned the entire game around for Team SSK. Even their Gnar who had been losing in the early game phase, managed to regain his footing. By the time mid-game rolled around, he was throwing out beautiful multi-Champion stuns that helped Team SSK win several teamfights.

    The snowball that Rake¡¯s Lenc had started turned into an avnche for Team KG. They struggled in vain, trying to turn things around. God Roundy tried his very best to use his Riven to dive SSK¡¯s backline, take out their main damage-dealers. But it was all for nothing. Team SSK was an anaconda, slowly wrapping around them, crushing their bones and squeezing the life out of them. Team KG was powerless against them. No amount of struggle could stop the noose that was tightening around their necks. KG was struggling with all their might and trying their best to fight back. Tian Tian was also doing his best to dive the enemy¡¯s backline. However, SSK was like an unbreakable noose slowly wrapping around their necks.

    Finally. After 31 minutes of futile thrashing, the victory screen floated up on the screen as KG¡¯s Blue Nexus exploded with chaotic energies. KG lost the first game. The series became 0-1.

    This loss was heavy. The weight of defeat settled down on all of the Chinese fans, suffocating them. Despite the reality that was evident to everyone, though, there were still those eternal optimists who refused to give up hope and tried to reassure the other¡¯s online.

    ¡¸it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s only one game¡¹

    ¡¸This is abest of five!¡¹

    ¡¸there¡¯s still hope! Don¡¯t give up!¡¹

    ¡¸roundy yers really well! As long he carried a little harder!¡¹

    ¡¸we can still win!¡¹

    However, these hollow words offort proved to be empty. Their hopes werepletely shattered by once the second game in the series started. 4 minutes into that second game, Tian Tian¡¯s Rumble was ganked by Team SSK¡¯s Elise and Leona and was instantly sent back to the fountain.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    The rest of the game wentpletely downhill for Team KG. Just like the first one. 6 minutes into it, Mafa¡¯s Elise roamed top again, this time with Rake¡¯s Fizz in tow. They circled behind Tian Tian¡¯s tower and killed his Rumble again. Rumble was 0/2/0. He was clearly being targeted, that much was obvious. SSK knew that God Roundy was KG¡¯s shining hope, and they wanted to crush that early on. But there was nothing that the rest of KG could do to help. Tian Tian¡¯s topne waspletely shut down during the early game. The rest of the game only got progressively worse for Team KG.

    10 minutes: The gold gap increased to 4,000 in SSK¡¯s favour.

    15 minutes: A team fight broke out around the Dragon Pit. Rake¡¯s Fizz initiated the fight by picking off Konjac¡¯s Jinx, instantly putting KG at a disadvantage. SSK won the fight 4-to-1 and pulled ahead even further.

    27 minutes: The game ended. SSK was one game away from winning the matchup, and KG had a fat doughnut on their hands.

    The Chinese fans watching felt their chests tighten. Some were so nervous that they started shaking. One more loss and KG was out. Was there any hope left? Could KG pull a miracleeback? The answer was no. Cold and cruel reality snuffed out the dying embers of hope.

    The 3rd game started with an invade. Team SSK pushed through KG¡¯s jungle and a Level 1 teamfight broke out. There was a fire-fight! And a massacre. Team SSK picked up 3 kills, two for their top Hecarim and one for their mine Yasuo. Team KG didn¡¯t manage to get any kills in that fight. KG had fallen behind before the game even started, and the fatdy had finished warming up and started belting out the first notes of her opera.

    10 minutes: The gold gap was 4,000.

    At 20 minutes: The gold gap increased to 10,000.

    Then, game over. When the purple victory emblem floated up over KG¡¯s ruined Nexus, the Chinese fans watching online fell silent. KG was knocked out of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championship Semi-finals with a score of 0-3. A clean sweep. Many of the Chinese pros watching World grimaced and looked away. Countless Chinese fans online felt their hearts slowly turn cold, as if their entire world had turned gray. KG had lost. The LPL had lost. They werepletely crushed by Team SSK without any chance of fighting back.

 Chapter 168: Silence is All We Dread

    The curtain finally closed on the second semi-finals match of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships. Team SSK had won, and Team KG had lost. Miserably so. SSK won three games in a row, utterly crushing KG. The score of 0-3 hovered in the minds of everyone watching. And it was etched in the hearts of every League of Legends fan in China. The entire LPL had been humiliated on this day, and this match would be a permanent ck stain on its record. As far as most people were concerned, today was the darkest day in the history of LPL. When thatst victory screen floated over KG¡¯s ruined Nexus¡­ the sheer torrent of despair that washed over the tens of millions of Chinese fans watching Worlds was indescribable. It was bad enough that Team SSK hadpletely and utterly crushed Team KG. What made it even worse was that Team KG never gave up, they kept fighting and never stopped trying to make aeback. The futility of all that effort though, and the fact that there was literally nothing they could do to resist SSK¡¯s overwhelming strength, that¡¯s what hurt the most.

    Team KG¡¯s knockout also meant that the LPL no longer had any team ying that could carry its beacon to the Finals of this year¡¯s Worlds. Even the three Shoutcasters had given up. They just sat there, all gloom and mncholy, not saying a word. They just didn¡¯t know what to say. They felt the blow from this loss just as keenly as any other normal fan, and they did not have the words to express it. Or the will to provide any analysis or hype. So they sat there. Quiet and forlorn.

    Then the post-match interviews started, and that was a whole new dimension of misery. Fans watched as the God Roundy broke down live on stream. They watched as he got up in front of the camera, holding the microphone with both hands. They watched him tremble and shake. When he looked straight at the camera, they saw the tears, unfallen, welling in his bloodshot eyes. Then he muttered the words, ¡°I-i-i so-s-so SORRY!¡± With those words, he could no longer hold it together. He broke down sobbing, still holding the microphone and still looking at the camera. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­. I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯msorryI¡¯msorryI¡¯msorry¡ª¡± Tian Tian repeated over and over again while choking on his own snot and tears. His tear stained face dead center on every camera and every stream. Finally, he bowed his head to the camera and continued apologizing to the viewers. The rest of Team KG¡¯s yers were simrly glum, but holding it together better than Tian Tian. They stood next to him with tears in their eyes as well, and faced the cameras. Then they also bowed and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±

    The Chinese fans, both those who had flown to watch the games in person and those watching it on stream, felt their heart¡¯s ache as God Roundy broke down. His many female followers were livid with anger that the cute and cuddly God Roundy had been made to feel such grief. No one med Team KG for the loss. No one could me God Roundy for what happened. How could they? Just the fact that Team KG had made it all the way to the Semi-finals of Worlds was an incredible aplishment, both for them and the LPL. No one on Team KG had anything to be ashamed of. The fact that they made it all the way to the semifinals of Worlds was already incredible. Standing up to SSK was incredible. God Roundy had no reason to be ashamed or sad! KG had done nothing wrong, there was nothing to criticize about how they had yed!

    Despite the pride they felt in KG for making it all the way to the Semi-finals and the despair they felt at Tian Tian¡¯s grief, the fact that KG lost to SSK hurt in apletely different but equally painful way. Just thinking about how SSK trampled all over KG with a score of 0-3. That made the blood of every Chinese fan run cold and choked the breath in their throats. For a brief moment, every Chinese fan of League of Legends connected and thought the exact same thoughts. This reality that was etched in stone was difficult to confront for all of them. The pride they had for their region, for the LPL, it had just been smashed to pieces in front of their eyes. The weight of this reality pressed down on them, suffocating them.

    ¡°W-why is it like this¡­¡± Su Xue muttered. She was also starting to tear up. The mood in the chat was also gloomy. The thousands of people on her stream, none of them knew what to say tofort her. Or tofort each other. At this point, anything they could possibly say seemed meaningless.

    Lin Feng sat next to Su Xue. Also not saying a word. He bit his lips, so hard that he actually drew blood. His hands both balled up into tight fists. His nails dug crimson crescents into his palms. But he seemedpletely oblivious to the pain. All he did was stare at the monitor, at the stream of Worlds, without blinking his eyes. He stared at the score of 0-3. He stared at Fatty, crying and bowing and sobbing. Whatever physical pain was overshadowedpletely by the pain in his soul and his heart at all of this.

    ?

    Now that the Semi-finals had ended, the two teams that would be moving onto the Finals were decided. Team Season and Team SSK. A sh between North America and South Korea. They¡¯d be going head-to-head next weekend to decide who the champion of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships would be. It was a duel between the Support God Autumn and the Mine God Rake. A collision between the two top Emperors. As exciting as it all was though, many Chinese fans no longer had the heart to continue watching Worlds. They hadn¡¯t gotten over their disappointment from KG¡¯s loss in the Semi-finals.

    This included the regr crew from High School 13. It was now Monday, and they were still struggling to get over KG¡¯s loss. Yang Fang and Ouyang sat in their ssroom, still talking about yesterday¡¯s game and what happened.

    ¡°Regardless of how many perspectives you analyze it in, there is no possible way that KG can be med for the loss. Their gamey was wless. It is highly unlikely that any team from the LPL could¡¯ve done better,¡± Yang Fang said as he adjusted his sses. Then he sighed.

    Ouyang¡¯s reaction was far less measured, ¡°Fiddle-faddle-frucksitall! SSK is too god-fucks-it-all OP! THEM BITCHES NEED TO GET NERFED! OR BANNED UNTIL THEY GET NERFED!¡± Then he rubbed his face and grimaced. ¡°Bro, lemme tell you. When I saw Brother Roundy break down like that in the post-match interview. Shiiiiiitttttt! My heart, torn. Like when you give a girl a poem and she rips it apart and throws it in the wind? That kind of torn. Watching a fellow bro feel bad like that, it made me feel bad. I¡¯m telling you, the total amount of awesome in the universe diminished when that happened. It was that bad. Shit. I haven¡¯t felt like that in forever...¡±

    Both Ouyang and Yang Fang fell silent for a minute after that. That¡¯s when Ouyang noticed that Lin Feng hadn¡¯t said a word. Or indicated that he wanted to join in on the conversation at all. Which was odd. Ouyang tilted his head toward Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Bro Feng? Not nnin¡¯ on yappin¡¯, Cap¡¯n?¡± Lin Feng said nothing in response to that. Ouyang turned towards Lin Feng and looked at him, ¡°YO! What¡¯s up man? Don¡¯t feel like talking right now?¡±

    Lin Feng simply shook his head and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Ouyang opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. He¡¯d changed his mind. He looked at Yang Fang, who shook his head ever so slightly. Ouyang understood and didn¡¯t push Lin Feng any further. Then he continued talking to Yang Fang about yesterday¡¯s game, both of them keeping half an eye on Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng remained the same eventer on in the day, when the esports club team members had gathered together for practice. Ren Rou, Liu Yue, Chen Ze and the others also noticed that Lin Feng was being uncharacteristically quiet. Aloof and withdrawn. But just like Ouyang and Yang Fang, they didn¡¯t dwell too much on it and decided to let things be. In their minds, he was also reeling from KG¡¯s loss yesterday and they figured it would be best to let him sort his feelings out on his own. He¡¯d talk to them when he was ready, if he wanted to. It all lined up in their minds. Lin Feng was going through the same thing that every League of Legends fan in China was going through right now. He¡¯d sort himself out and be fine in a few days, they thought.

    But they soon discovered exactly how wrong they¡¯d been. All of them individually and collectively figured that Lin Feng would perk up and be back to normal in a few days. So they waited. A day passed, and he was still quiet and disconnected. Then two days. There was no change in Lin Feng. Then a third day of this passed, and that¡¯s when they started to get really concerned. It didn¡¯t matter what was happening, Lin Feng walked around like a quiet zombie. In ss, he stopped getting involved in conversation and stopped joking around. Even when they were all practicing at the NetCow Cafe after school, Lin Feng was disconnected from everything. He didn¡¯t say much of anything when he was coaching them either. He just stood there, quietly watching. Gone was the constant pointing out of their mistakes, the yelling, the badgering that pushed them to their limits. It was reced by a quiet and uneasy tension, and a withdrawn Lin Feng.

    That¡¯s when they realized that something was wrong with Lin Feng. Something far more than just the loss at Worlds. They were worried about him, but there was also nothing they could do. Every time they tried to ask him what was wrong, tried to even approach the subject, he¡¯d force out a smile and shake his head. Let them know everything was fine in that quiet way that made them all the more worried and walk away.

    ?

    After school, the club members gathered for a secret meeting. The subject was obviously Lin Feng and what was going on with him.

    ¡°Dudes and Dudettes, I know that he¡¯s not fine. Especially because he¡¯s saying that he¡¯s fine. You know what it is? Listen, you know when you¡¯re with a shorty and she tells you everything is okay when its not? Its that kind of fine. As the resident ya here, I can tell you for sure that the more he says everything¡¯s fine, the more everything is obviously not fine!¡± Ouyang fumed.

    ¡°He really does seem offtely. I really wonder what¡¯s going on with him. But if he doesn¡¯t tell us, there¡¯s nothing we can do to help him,¡± Ren Rou said with a look of concern.

    Chen Ze and Wei Dong nodded.

    Yang Fan turned to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang, out of everyone here right now, I think it''s fair to say that you¡¯ve had the longest connection with Lin Feng and know him the best. Do you know what¡¯s going on with him?¡±

    Ouyang protested, ¡°Hold it right there! You saying Tang Tang knows Bro Feng better than me? Do you really think anyone knows a bro better than his bro?¡±

    Yang Fang looked at Ouyang seriously and said, ¡°Ouyang. Not the time. Tang Tang, you tell us what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Then she looked down at the ground. The truth was that she was just as worried about Lin Feng as everyone else. She racked her brains to figure out what was going on with him and what was causing this strange mood. She thought she had a good idea. Or at least a lead. She knew that Lin Feng was a good friend of KG¡¯s topner, God Roundy. So that probably had something to do with why Lin Feng was so preupied these days. But there was something more to it, something that she didn¡¯t understand. That was why she couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what Lin Feng was going through in his feelings. Besides, she wasn¡¯t very good atforting people and that was just as frustrating right now. She tried to talk to Lin Feng about what he was going through a couple times now, but she always ended up backing away in the end. She just didn¡¯t know how tofort him. Or where to startforting him. The whole thing was frustrating!

    ?

    That night, after practice ended, everyone on High School 13¡¯s team said bye to each other and went their separate ways.

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked home together, as usual. It was a calm and peaceful night. Not that many people were walking around, and the streetlights gave the sidewalk a warm yellow glow. Lin Feng walked mechanically with his eyes looking down at the ground. Not saying a word. the ground, not saying a word. Tang Bingyao walked in front of him, making sure not to step on any cracks in the sidewalk and asionally hopping forward if there were too many. But she didn¡¯t try to get Lin Feng to talk, nor did she say anything. But every once in a while, she¡¯d stop and nce back at him just to make sure he was still behind her and okay. Then she¡¯d continue walking. The pair walked on like this in silence for a block. Until Lin Feng finally broke the silence with a question, ¡°Hey, why do you keep looking back at me?¡±

    ¡°I was worried you¡¯d hit your head on a pole. You¡¯ve been walking with your head down this whole time,¡± Tang Bingyao replied while tilting her head in that adorable way girls do. She looked Lin Feng in the eyes. It¡¯s now or never, Tang Tang! Ling Feng had broken the silence between them, she had to go for it and figure out what was bothering him. Now¡¯s probably the best time. So she asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Lin Feng forced a smile and said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng¡¯s face, ¡°That smile looks super fake.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes widened and the smile faltered. Then the mask broke and he looked sad and a little embarrassed. He rubbed his face with both hands before saying, ¡°Really? No way, right¡­?¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t respond. She kept looking at Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng started feeling awkward and scratched his head. ¡°R-really. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Tang Bingyao slowly nodded her head, then she asked, ¡°Is it because KG lost?¡±

    The question hit Lin Feng harder than he was expecting. He thought someone would eventually ask and he was prepared. But it still phased him enough to let more emotion slip through onto his face. Then he recovered and smiled. But one that had very little joy or warmth behind it. Then he replied, ¡°I guess. A little bit. But that¡¯s not all of it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao scrunched up her nose and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to.¡± He then paused and looked up. It was clear in Shanghai tonight. There were no stars. Only the moon shining brightly overhead, shrouding the entire city in a veil of silver light. He stared at the night sky, calmly, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m really useless?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Bingyao remarked in surprise. The stunned look on her face was cute.

    Lin Feng waved his hand and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just talking to myself. Come on, let¡¯s go. We¡¯re almost at your house.¡±

    ?

    After arriving back home, Lin Feng smelled something delicious the moment he stepped through the door. The dining room table was already set with a variety of dishes.

    Su Xue came walking out the kitchen with an apron on, carrying a te full of stir fried eggnts. When she saw Lin Feng was back, she smiled at him and greeted, ¡°You¡¯re home! Comee! Wash your hands and let¡¯s eat dinner!¡±

    High School 13¡¯s team members weren¡¯t the only ones to notice Lin Feng¡¯s peculiar mood overst few days. Su Xue was actually the first one that noticed something was off. How could she not? They basically spent every day together! She was also worried. But she had a secret weapon that none of the others did. She could cheer him up with food! That¡¯s why she spent the day cooking so many of the things he liked to eat. But she didn¡¯t know what was going on with him either.

    At the dinner table, Su Xue watched Lin Feng eating with his head buried in the rice bowl. She couldn¡¯t hold herself back any longer and gently asked, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? Is practice with the team not going well?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head.

    Su Xue racked her brains. Then she made a wild guess and asked, ¡°Did something happen between you and Tang Tang?¡± Thinking she might have hit the nail on the head, she started giving some meaningful advice. ¡°You guys are still young. Getting into a fight or two is no big deal. But you¡¯re the guy, so you should just let her have her way sometimes¡­¡± The more she spoke, the more she was convinced she was right.

    Lin Feng t-out denied her guess, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that! I think your imagination is starting to run a little too wild! Me and Tang Tang, we¡¯re fine! Our rtionship isn¡¯t like that! We¡¯re Master and Disciple!¡±

    Su Xue was stumped quiet. Then she asked, ¡°Then¡­ then, what¡¯s going on with you?¡±

    Lin Feng was about to open his mouth, but then he changed his mind and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Ahem. Then, what about your midnight snack? Do you want a chicken cutlet? I can order you some,¡± Su Xue said.

    ¡°We¡¯re still eating dinner. It¡¯s way too early for that,¡± Lin Feng said quietly and curtly.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Su Xue said.

    It was the first time Su Xue had seen Lin Feng be anything other than the happy, cheerful, oblivious kid that he was. The first time he¡¯d been so curt and dismissive towards her. She didn¡¯t know what to say. She was confused, worried, and more than a little hurt that Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t let her in. Wouldn¡¯t let her help him. So she stayed quiet. They finished the rest of the meal in silence and went back to their respective rooms.

 Chapter 169: Itâ€™s Dark Down Here

    Lin Feng closed the door to his room behind him. He kept his hand on the knob. Paused. Still. Hesitating, for a moment. Thinking. Then he walked over to his desk and sat down.

    Think of something else. Anything else. He took out his books out of his backpack. Math. English. Chinese Literature. Work for tomorrow, and work for the day after. He worked for several hours at such a high pace that he didn¡¯t have the space of mind to think about anything else. Nothing at all. Until the clock struck 11 PM. That was when he paused. The homework before him felt unimportant again. He leaned back into his chair and looked up at the ceiling. It was grain white, but he barely noticed that the ceiling was even there. His gaze was long and distant.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t keep staring at the ceiling, though he didn¡¯t quite know when he stopped. He¡¯d moved without himself even realizing it, sitting up straight again, grabbing hisptop, and opening a video. It was the video of the semifinals match between KG and SSK. The same video he¡¯d watched six times already over thest few days. Nearly two hours of footage, including the time between games. He sat in silence, staring at the series that had silenced all of China. For a brief moment in time and space, China hade to a grinding halt. That was the extent of mental damage this loss had dealt.

    However, Lin Feng didn¡¯t rewatch this series to analyze how KG had yed. He¡¯d wanted to see Fatty win, but also knew that was practically impossible. The reason he sat here, again watching this video, was to analyze his own skills. He reced KG¡¯s Miner with himself and reyed the games. This was the most recent series yed by Rake. It was his current skill. And that skill was far higher than Lin Feng had expected. It was to an extent that it was hard topare. Apples with golden apples. Pears with pomegranates. No matter how Lin Feng looked at it, regardless of the methods he tried, he always lost, and miserably so. Rake toyed around with him, showed him every corner of the Rift, and then sent him back to the fountain. Fromning to farming to teamfighting, be it individual ability or awareness, he was simply worse. A lot worse. So much worse that he even doubted he could do any better than KG¡¯s Miner had. I might¡¯ve even lost against KG¡¯s Miner¡­ Especially thatst realization hit hard. Someone he never considered his opponent, much less his equal, was really above him.

    Lin Feng clenched his fist and mmed it down on the desk. ¡°Fuck!¡± he yelped. ¡°FuckFuckFuck!¡± He grabbed his hair and pulled on it. I¡¯ve got no right to even look at these games. None. I can¡¯t even figure out how to beat some shitty high school team¡­ That hurt. It felt like an Asian Giant Ho had stung him, twice or thrice. He was looking at videos from Worlds,paring him to the best yers in the world. But he had no ce on the world stage. He couldn¡¯t even figure out how to beat a high school team. He gritted his teeth, angry and frustrated. I¡¯m useless. Useless. Useless.

    Over the past several days, Lin Feng had been thinking of strategies to beat Shanghai International. It was a simple high school game, it wasn¡¯t that difficult. But to him it was. He just couldn¡¯t figure out how to do it. If I can¡¯t even do this, how can I even think about Rake? I have no right. No right. I¡­ He pulled on his hair and sighed. Useless. I can¡¯t even figure this small problem out. What can I do? I¡¯m useless. Absolutely useless.

    There was no doubt in Lin Feng¡¯s mind, his teammates sucked. They were nice and he enjoyed ying together with them, but they just weren¡¯t very good at the game. He hadn¡¯t had long enough to train them, and there was only so much he could teach them. The rest they would have to do on their own. And since they weren¡¯t as good as he was, or liked to think he was, he never stopped to consider them. They weren¡¯t going to win this game for him. Only he could win this game. I have to think of a way. Maybe if I get just a little better. I have to train really hard, but maybe it can be enough. Shanghai International is an easy opponent. I can still 1v5. Do I have enough time?

    The night grew deep. Lin Feng stayed up. He had to think of a way. There had to be something he could do to win this series. This was just a high school tournament. If he wanted to ever make it back to the top, then this couldn¡¯t stop him. This should be easier. It should be the easiest tournament of his life. It¡¯s just a high school tournament. There has to be a way. They are all terrible.

    ?

    It was the middle of the afternoon. Senior ss 7 was following a lecture on mathematics. Their teacher, a man going through the rot before the midlife crisis, was droning on and on about functions, scribbling down chalk on the chalkboard. Most of the students in the ss couldn¡¯t even tell if the chalk formed some coherent message in the form of equations, or if it was English. Both looked the same, unintelligible. That was the case for a good majority of the ss, anyways. There were the bookworms who knew exactly what was going on. But there were only a few of them, two to be precise. As for the rest of the students, they were yawning and fighting to keep their eyes open. They¡¯d fall asleep, only to get that terrible falling sensation that woke them right back up. And then there was Ouyang.

    Ouyang had put his backpack up on the table and was resting his head on it, his eyes closed and a weak snoring sound apanying his breaths. Every now and then, he¡¯d scare himself awake. A short moment with his eyes open. The terrifying question, ¡°Did the teacher notice?¡±, ying on repeat in his mind. He¡¯d slightly move his head, only to find their teacher still with his back to them. ¡°Ah, safe.¡± He wasn¡¯t even really awake in those moments, and he¡¯d be back to his dreams within seconds. With a single exception.

    Ouyang had just scared himself awake again. He nced around the room, careful. A few people looked back at him. Shit. They noticed. He was nervous to look towards the teacher, but still did. Please don¡¯t look at me. Please don¡¯t look at me. Please¡­ Ah, good. The teacher was still with his back turned to ss, like he¡¯d been doing all hour. Then Ouyang nced over at his deskmate. He looked at Lin Feng, whose eyes were wide open and who was writing and writing some more. His eyes widened, shocked and nowpletely awake. ¡°Damn! What are you being awake for? This is math, dude. You know, Triple Z hour!¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t even seem to notice Ouyang talking to him. So Ouyang fought off hisziness and lifted his head off his backpack. He watched Lin Feng writing, furiously, then looking at what he¡¯d written and ripping the page out. Once, twice, three times. It kept going and going. Ouyang then leaned over towards Lin Feng and looked at what his bro was writing. ¡°Hey dude. Watcha wri¡ª¡± He shut up. He kept his lips tightly sealed. The teacher had turned around, he saw it from the corner of his eyes. He turned towards the teacher, grabbing something from his table to start writing with. It was his phone and the target of his hard work was his table.

    Through all of this, Lin Feng hadn¡¯t noticed a thing. He was busy with something more important than Ouyang¡¯s constant need for attention. Nor did he care for the ss. He¡¯d done his homework and knew the substance for this week of math. What he didn¡¯t know was how to beat Shanghai International. That was what he was working on. Bans. Teampositions. Shanghai International¡¯s y style. Lane match-ups and yer habits. They were all analyzed, scrutinized, thought over a thousand and one times. He could practically dream every different scenario he¡¯de up with. It was exhausting. He¡¯d been up sincetest night working on this. His eyes were bloodshot and he could really use some coffee. But there was no rest for the wicked. No! Useless. Not good enough. Won¡¯t work. Dammit. Stupid. Why am I so stupid? This is useless. I need to think of something. There has to be a way. It can¡¯t be this difficult. It¡¯s stupid. I¡¯m stupid. Why am I not better? I need to be better. I have to be!

    ?

    Training after school at the NetCow Cafe had be somewhat of a ritual for the yers from the High School 13 esports club team. They would y ranked games, sometimes ying with substitutes like Ouyang, and work on their game. Lin Feng would watch over their shoulders, pointing out their every little mistake, no matter how small or insignificant. Sure, there were better and worse days. Days on which they yed terrible, and days on which Lin Feng wasn¡¯t his usual self. Thest few days had been days where Lin Feng was a little more quiet than usual. But he was never totally silent. There was always his breath blowing in their necks as he watched over them. There was always the, sometimes tired voice as he pointed out yet another mistake. Today was different. He wasn¡¯t breathing in their necks. He wasn¡¯t pointing out their mistakes. He was standing there shaking his head. It wasn¡¯t even about a bad y or a misy, he just shook his head from start to finish. There wasn¡¯t a thing they did that looked good to him. Then, he gave up. ¡°You guys keep practicing. y a few more games. I¡¯m going to y some solo queue games over there.¡± He pointed towards aputer that he was already walking towards.

    Liu Yue turned around, as did the others from the team, and watched Lin Feng sit down behind aputer and move the mouse around. ¡°Uhh?¡± He turned to Ouyang and then Tang Bingyao. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Wei Dong stared at Lin Feng, who was now clearly logging into a League of Legends ount. He guessed, half convinced, ¡°Maybe we yed that badly today and he needs a moment?¡±

    ¡°Nah. No way. That¡¯s not our bro-man,¡± Ouyang said, shaking his head. ¡°No way. I watched you all y. You guys were doing fine. Mega fine I¡¯d say. There¡¯s no way that is the reason for whatever this is.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He had something to say, and it was going to be something smart, or he wouldn¡¯t push up his sses. ¡°Right. We were doing fine. Just fine. Do you think that with our skill just fine is enough to beat Shanghai International? Of course it isn¡¯t. We need to y great and even then our chances are slim to none. Let¡¯s not beat around the bush. We need to step up our game.¡±

    Yang Fan was right, they all knew it. They¡¯d been working hard in their own ways towards bing better yers, towards stepping up their game. But it wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to beat Shanghai International. It wasn¡¯t even enough to make the series close. Shanghai International would y with them, fountain farm them, and thenugh at them in front of arge crowd. If they didn¡¯t watch out, it¡¯d be a repeat fromst year. Just that this time around, there was arge crowd of hundreds of people. They fell silent. If they kept up their current method of training, they could just as well give up. There wasn¡¯t enough time before the match to get ready. But they also didn¡¯t know what they could do to get good enough before then. Everything they knew, it wasn¡¯t enough. It just wasn¡¯t enough. They weren¡¯t enough.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! We just have to try our best! Don¡¯t worry about the rest!¡± Ren Rou cheered, trying to break the negative spiral they found themselves in. Think positive! Think positive! she told herself. Then she put on an even brighter smile than normal and took a move from Lin Feng¡¯s ybook. Something he¡¯d done so many times with so much sess. She clenched her fist and threw it up in the air. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happens, as long as we¡¯ve given it our all! Everything will be worth it if we just give it our all! Let¡¯s give it our all and do this!¡±

    Lin Feng looked over towards Ren Rou. He¡¯d heard her words. Then he looked at the others, who were now all nodding, with Ouyang jumping around and shouting and being his over-the-top excited self. He shook his head. It does matter. It¡¯s not enough. He didn¡¯t care about regrets or everything being fine. Who cares about stupid things like that? You don¡¯t win the silver, you only lose the gold. Second wasn¡¯t good enough. Fourth definitely wasn¡¯t. He wanted to lead High School 13 past Shanghai International and then win the Finals. That trophy had to be theirs!

    They¡¯re not enough. I have to do this. It¡¯s all on me. Lin Feng had watched his teammates y. Not just today, but every day for thest month and then some. He knew exactly how good they were, and how far they¡¯de. But the fact of the matter remained, they were tinum, they were Diamond, they weren¡¯t Masters or Challengers. There was a vast chasm between where they needed to be to even stand a chance to beat Shanghai International and where they actually were. The only way to bridge this chasm was if he carried them over. He had to take them on his shoulders, because on their own they would fall into the depths and lose. I have to carry them. It¡¯s all on me.

    Lin Feng stopped caring about helping his teammates improve. There simply wasn¡¯t enough time to get them to a satisfying level. The only way was for him to make up for their shorings. And to get to that point, he had to work his hardest and improve as quickly as he possibly could. To that end, coaching his teammates became a waste of time in his mind. It was time better spent on working on his own skills. So that was exactly what he did. He abandoned them. Left them to their own devices. They could go home for all he cared. It didn¡¯t matter. The only thing he cared about right now was beating Shanghai International, and to achieve that, he had to work hard. Harder than he ever had, perhaps. His eyes were locked on his screen. He was ying Yasuo in the midne, dashing through minions and dominating hisne. Not enough. It¡¯s just not enough. I have to get better. I have to do this. Come on, Lin Feng. You can do this! You can! You just have to do it! Carry them! You¡¯re good enough to do this. If you can¡¯t even do this, why are you still trying? If you fail this, you might as well give uppletely. This time, you can stay away for good. His eyes were red. I have to carry them.

    ?

    At the NetCow Cafe Lin Feng ignored his teammates and friends, and at home he ignored Su Xue. The world of friends and happiness he¡¯d built up around him crumbled. A darkness shrouded him. It devoured the world as he knew it and reced it with a single thing. League of Legends. That became his life. ying the game and then writing down his findings, only to realize his findings weren¡¯t sufficient to help him win against Shanghai International. He wasn¡¯t good enough. His methods weren¡¯t perfect yet. But he would get there through the power of will. That¡¯s what the little voice in his mind told him, anyways.

    It was a grave he¡¯d dug himself before, a familiar road he¡¯d walked before. The Finals of the Season 1 World Championships of League of Legends. The Korean team was too strong. He lost hope in his teammates and took on the burden himself. He had to win this game. It was all up to him. So he plotted and trained and worked every waking second. Back then it wasn¡¯t enough. He lost and med himself, rightfully so. The burden wasn¡¯t his. It wasn¡¯t his back then and it wasn¡¯t his right now either. But he refused to listen to that rationale. After the semifinals match at Worlds, the KG versus SSK series, he¡¯d let the darkness in. It consumed him. It became him.

    Lin Feng was only one person. He wasn¡¯t God. But he was pushing and punishing himself as if he were. Sleepless nights in which he pushed his mind to think of new ideas and strategies, followed by long days of ying solo queue. Whenever his eyes started closing, he gritted his teeth and sshed some cold water in his face. Sleep was for the weak! He wasn¡¯t weak! He would persevere, he would push through all obstacles, he would realize his dreams! And right now that dream was to win the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He¡¯d do whatever it took to aplish that. As for everything else, that couldeter. Another time. It wasn¡¯t important, not to him. The darkness was no longer shrouding him, but shining out from him. He was the darkness.

    Su Xue was helpless. She tried what she knew, cooking Lin Feng dinner and being her cheerful self. But it worked to ill-effect. Lin Feng¡¯s friends at school had even less of an idea of what to do. They watched their friend lose himself to an invisible enemy. The bags under his eyes became the least of their worries. He¡¯d stopped putting on clean clothes. His hair was a mess. He couldn¡¯t keep his hands from shaking, and there was a strange twitch to his eye. Except for the seven of them, everyone else at school had started walking arge circle around him. In fact, even his friends wanted to.

    The days blurred together. High School 13¡¯s esports team didn¡¯t stop training. But they did spend more and more time looking over at Lin Feng. He hadn¡¯t stoppeding to the inte cafe, but he had stopped talking with them. Thesest few days, he sat behind aputer a row over and started ying solo queue. He was in another game, an easy one from the looks of it. He wasn¡¯t as annoyed as he could be. Yang Fan finally turned to Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Hey, you know him best. Go talk to him.¡±

    ¡°Right! You two are already lovers, wink wink! Haha! Hottest couple ever, am I right? He has to listen to you! Tell him to stop being such a downer! I can feel his negative energy all the way from over here! It¡¯s such a mood killer,¡± Ouyang chimed in.

    Tang Bingyao shook her head, visibly frustrated. ¡°I tried. It¡¯s not working. I don¡¯t know what to say or do. He just nods but doesn¡¯t listen. It¡¯s like he isn¡¯t even here¡­¡±

    Ouyang rubbed his temples and groaned, ¡°Ahhh, then what do we do? We¡¯re his bros! His best buds! It hurts my pure heart seeing him like this. We have to do something! Tell me what we can do!¡±

    There was an awkward silence. They¡¯d all tried their own ways of approaching Lin Feng, but none of it had worked. In the end, Ren Rou sighed. She looked over the others and asked, exasperated, ¡°Is there really no one that can talk to him?¡±

 Chapter 170: Marching Time Drew On, and Wore Him Numb

    It was Monday morning. Senior ss 7 was in the middle of their first period of the week. Study hall. This was time intended for doing homework and preparing for uing tests. But that wasn¡¯t how these students saw it. They¡¯d juste back from a long and busy weekend, where they stayed upte and got up early to have fun with their friends. Monday morning study hall, that was the perfect window to catch up on some much needed sleep. Of the thirty students in the ss, there were maybe five awake.

    Ren Rou was the ss president. She was supposed to lead these study hall periods. But she also understood that when the students got the option between an extra hour of sleep or doing homework, they would unanimously vote for the former. She shook her head, looking around the ssroom. Then she felt drawn towards the very back of the ssroom, towards thest row of desks. This was where Ouyang was snoring, quietly, and Lin Feng was scribbling in his textbook, furiously. She couldn¡¯t see what he was writing, but she could tell he wasn¡¯t happy. There was an aggression to the way he pushed his pen into the paper. And whenever he looked up, she could see just how bloodshot his eyes were. And the dark circles around his eyes. It looked like he didn¡¯t get much sleep over the weekend.

    Today marked the fifth day since that semifinals match between KG and SSK. It was also the fifth day that Lin Feng had withdrawn from everything going on around him. He was consumed with his notebook, losing sleep and letting everything else in his life fall behind as well. As for what was in the notebook, Ren Rou could make a decent enough guess. She¡¯d seen some of his work only a few days ago. He¡¯d been working on his preparations for the game against Shanghai International. From Champion Select tone match-ups to habits of all the yers, with both main team members and substitutes being taken into consideration. He didn¡¯t leave a stone unturned, thinking of new approaches and searching for that one vital weakness he could exploit.

    Ren Rou stared at Lin Feng. She still remembered how the entire team had felt when they saw what Lin Feng was working on. He¡¯d prepared a dozen different scenarios for Champion Select, based on the Champions and strategies Shanghai International yed most often. It was thorough. There were even small scribbles next to each Champion detailing the ways in which it was most likely going to be yed and how to counter that. Lin Feng¡¯s teammates didn¡¯t know what to think of it. On the one hand, the insights and strategy were impressive. But on the other¡­ It wasn¡¯t healthy what Lin Feng was doing, they all knew that.

    The only way the team members from the esports team knew how to help Lin Feng was by stepping up their own game. If they wanted to share the burden with him, they had to y at a level where they could actually share the burden. But they weren¡¯t at that level. They couldn¡¯t help him when it came to the game versus Shanghai International. They weren¡¯t good enough. Ren Rou shook her head, upset. She wanted to help. But she wasn¡¯t good at the game like Lin Feng. Nor did she have his insights in tactics and strategy. She could only put her trust in him and count on him pulling them through. She felt terrible about it, but didn¡¯t see any other way.

    ?

    Tang Bingyao was one of the few students not fast asleep during study hall. She¡¯d opened her English textbook and was reading the words. Sentence by sentence, page by page, the words shed before her eyes, but they never entered her head. She didn¡¯t even really know what book she was holding. There was something nagging at her mind, distracting her from everything else. She could hear his pen working away on the paper. I¡¯m so stupid. She nced over her shoulder, over towards Lin Feng, and started biting her bottom lip. He¡¯s still working so hard. She turned back towards her textbook and tried to continue reading, but found she had no clue what page she was even on. She had to search for thest bit she remembered and that brief moment was enough for her mind to wander back towards him. She looked over her shoulder again and looked at Lin Feng, mumbling to herself, ¡°I¡¯m so stupid.¡±

    He¡¯s spent so much time coaching me, and I¡¯m still not good enough. I can¡¯t even beat that ad-carry from Shanghai International. He¡¯s better. Even after everything Lin Feng tried to teach me, I¡¯m still only here¡­ ¡°Ugh.¡± Tang Bingyao sighed, shaking her head in frustration. She wanted to help him, but she was no good atforting people. Not in her mind, anyways. But that was for the most part because she¡¯d never done it before. Because she¡¯d never cared about anyone that much. And then came Lin Feng. She still vividly remembered how he sat next to her at the NetCow Cafe that first time. How he¡¯d watched her y and then convinced her to y with him. From a 1v1 to ying together every day for months. He¡¯d shown her something that was really worth something. He¡¯d always been there for her and now there was this indescribable feeling telling her to do the same. She wanted to help him. She really did. But she had absolutely no clue what to do. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid,¡± she muttered, slightly louder than before.

    Tang Bingyao looked towards Ren Rou, who was trying her best to lead the study hall. I even asked her. I¡¯ve never done that before. But Ren Rou wasn¡¯t much help either. She didn¡¯t have a clue about how they could help Lin Feng. The two girls had talked about it for a long while, tried brainstorming together, but they came up empty. Tang Bingyao looked over her shoulder again at Lin Feng. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek now, watching him write. Maybe¡­ What if I treat him to some food? She stared at Lin Feng as shepletely forgot about the English book she was pretending to study. A n was taking shape in her mind. She knew how much he loved food. He was always talking about it.

    Tang Bingyao turned back towards her desk and grabbed her purse. ¡°How much do two cups of milk tea cost? It should be £¤14,¡± she muttered, counting her money. Then she hesitated. It was more than she¡¯d ever spent on anyone. She turned around again and looked towards Lin Feng. ¡°He also really likes chicken cutlets¡­¡± She checked her purse and counted the bills. Then she pulled out another £¤10, confident and decisive, and stuffed the money in her coat pocket.

    ?

    The study hall period came to an end. The homeroom teacher walked into the ssroom and gestured towards Ren Rou that she could take her seat. He then walked to the front of the ssroom and cleared his throat, loudly. It woke up most of the sleeping students, and after an extra loud cough, even Ouyang woke up. ¡°Alright,¡± the homeroom teacher started, giving everyone another moment to wake up. ¡°I¡¯ve got some news. We¡¯re having a new student join us today.¡±

    ¡°A new student? Is it a girl?¡± Ouyang asked, everyst hint of drowsiness quickly disappearing from his face. And he wasn¡¯t the only one. Everyone perked up at the news of a new student and turned towards the homeroom teacher. This was a lot more interesting than anything else going on at school for most of them.

    ¡°Uhh, how?¡± one student asked, confused. ¡°We¡¯re already two months into the year. Aren¡¯t they going to be behind? Will that not create issues? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±

    The homeroom teacher cleared his throat again, waiting for the buzz that had broken out to quiet down. When it finally did, he continued, ¡°Our new student is from Hangzhou. I hope you guys can give her a warm wee to our school and to our ss.¡± He then turned to the door and said in a louder voice, ¡°You cane in now.¡±

    The students from Senior ss 7 all turned their heads towards the door. They were all curious to find out who this new student was. As if for dramatic effect, the door opened slowly. Too slowly. There went a buzz through the ssroom as everyone started guessing about the identity of their new ssmate.¡°I wonder who it is, do you know?¡± ¡°What do you think? Sexy or nah?¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯s into gymnastics?¡± ¡°I hope she likes the theater. We really need one more girl.¡±

    Getting a new transfer student to the ssroom was like opening a box of choctes. None of them ever knew what they were going to get. The ssroom door was pushed open, revealing the new student. It was a vivacious girl! One with a beautiful smile! She was a sweet and tender nougat wrapped in a bittersweet dark chocte. She walked in with a light blue oversized sweater over her school uniform, and ck thigh-highs that only entuated and contrasted with the uniform skirt. She was that angelic girl-next-door kind of sexy, the kind that made you feel the warmth andfort of home while stopping your heart. The guys in the room couldn¡¯t help but smile back at her. They didn¡¯t know if it was something in the way that she walked or that twinkle in her eyes, but it made them happy just to see her. Herfortable, wide sweater was a little bit too big for her. But it fit her well all the same. Somehow it matched her charm and amplified it. Its milky light blue made her long ck hair seem even darker and more mysterious. And the ck thigh-highs¡­ well, that was almost too much for poor Ouyang to handle. His eyes roamed up her long, slender legs to just where they ended, right before the hemline of her skirt. And then he choked. The girl though, she didn¡¯t seem to notice the guys in the ss practically falling over her as she walked up to the homeroom teacher.

    ¡°Go on, introduce yourself to the ss,¡± the homeroom teacher said, nudging towards the ss.

    The girl nodded and turned to face the ss, smiling. She bowed and said, ¡°Hi! Nice to meet you all! I transferred here from my high school in Hangzhou. I know the year has already started, but I hope I can still fit in and get along with everyone.¡± She looked around the ss and the people she¡¯d spend the rest of the year with. They were all looking at her, except for one. Her smile turned into a grin and she stuck out her tongue towards him. ¡°Oh right, how could I forget? My name is An Xin. But my friends call me Bunbun.¡±

 Chapter 171: A Call From a Friend, Saw Her Picture Again

    A new girl had joined Senior ss 7! Her name was An Xin and she¡¯d told everyone about her nickname! That could only mean a single thing in the minds of the guys. She wanted to be their friend! ¡°Bunbun, it¡¯s nice to meet you!¡± some of them shouted, eager to showcase their friendliness. Of course they wanted to cozy up with An Xin. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Ren Rou and Tang Bingyao were every students¡¯ dream, until now. Bunbun was new, she was exotic, she was exciting. And now she was their number one. They didn¡¯t even look at the other two girls, because only Bunbun deserved their attention right now.

    There were four students who weren¡¯t concerned with weing An Xin to the ss. It wasn¡¯t that they disliked her or anything like that. Rather, they stared at her, dumbstruck. Bunbun. They¡¯d heard the name before. It was the name Lin Feng had given to a childhood friend of his. Almost collectively, from where they sat, they turned towards Lin Feng. Bunbun? Is she THE Bunbun? They saw Lin Feng look up from his notebook. Is she really¡­ Is that really his Bunbun?

    Ren Rou tried to remember the picture of Bunbun that Lin Feng had shown her. That picture was from four year ago, with the girl looking a lot younger than she did now. The girl in that picture had pigtails and was standing off in the background. They do look simr though¡­

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t need to think like Ren Rou did. She stared at An Xin and pursed her lips. There was a look in her eyes that revealed far more of her thoughts at the moment than she would¡¯ve liked. Fortunately, everyone was looking towards Bunbun and no one was looking at her.

    ?

    Lin Feng was working on histest idea for the match against Shanghai International when the homeroom teacher announced a new student was joining the ss. He didn¡¯t really care. It didn¡¯t have anything to do with him. So he didn¡¯t even bother to look up, scribbling down the ideas that formed in his mind before they disappeared again. Then he looked over the notes, but the letters were hard to read. He blinked his eyes and tried to ignore the pain that he felt in his head. The words on the page made sense again. This won¡¯t work¡ª

    Then he heard the new student introduce herself. It was a voice Lin Feng recognized, one that he would know anywhere. His pen fell from his fingers on the table, then rolled off his desk and dropped to the ground. But he didn¡¯t notice. He could only hear that voice that he knew so well. He lifted up his face and for the first time took a look at the new transfer student. Bunbun? The world was spinning before his eyes. He started worrying that it was his sleep deprivation and that he was seeing things. So he rubbed his eyes and looked again. There she was, smiling and sticking her tongue out at him. He barely moved his lips and the sound was almost inaudible as he said, ¡°Bunbun.¡± She¡¯d grown a lot since hest saw her, but she still looked the same. To him she did, anyways. She was Bunbun. She was one of his best friends growing up.

    ¡°An Xin, you can sit¡­¡± The homeroom teacher looked around the ssroom. Most seats were taken, except for a few at the back of the ss. He hesitated for a few seconds but then pointed towards a desk in thest row and said, ¡°You can sit over there for now. Sorry, we don¡¯t have that much space. We can maybe look into reshuffling the seating arrangement some other time¡­¡±

    An Xin looked at the desk the teacher was pointing at. There was no one else sitting at that desk. Then she looked at the desk next to where she would be sitting. Two guys sat there. One of them was Lin Feng. She smiled at the homeroom teacher and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. That seat looks perfect!¡± She then walked over to it and sat down on the side closest to Lin Feng. There was only the aisle separating them.

    Lin Feng watched her walk and sit down at the desk next to him. He stared at her, shocked and speechless. She put her backpack down and all he could do was look at her. Then he said, his lips moving of their own ord, ¡°Bunbun?¡±

    An Xin paused midway through putting her books on her desk. Then she tilted her head and looked at Lin Feng. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Before the two old friends could catch up, the school bell rang. It was the start of the second period of Monday morning. For Senior ss 7 that meant English. It was a subject many of the students hated. This wasn¡¯t because of the subject per se, but more because of the teacher. He was a real hard ass. If he caught someone cking off, he¡¯d pull them to the front of the ss and tell them to share their story. He liked to say that if someone felt that whatever it was they were talking about was more important than what he was teaching them, then it was only fair they shared it with the entire ss and not just the students sitting next to them.

    Lin Feng tried to pay attention to the ss. He listened to the words of the teacher and made notes. These were notes on the ss and not on the game with Shanghai International. But his mind was somewhere else entirely. It was on the girl sitting next to him. And after only a couple of minutes he tore off the edge from a page of his notebook and scribbled something down. He gave it to An Xin, who read it and wrote a reply.

    Lin Feng: ? Why are you here? ?

    An Xin: ? What? Do you not want me here? Teehee~ ?

    Lin Feng: ? Where are you living? ?

    An Xin: ? Mom and Dad moved here, so I had toe too. ?

    Lin Feng: ? Really? You all live in Shanghai now? ?

    An Xin: ? Yep! I¡¯m really liking it here, though probably not half as much as you are. My parents told me that you¡¯re living with a girl, right? They also said that she¡¯s trying to be a League streamer. I bet you¡¯re having a good time with her. Hehe~ ?

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head after reading thest note. He didn¡¯t really know how to respond to that. He was living with a streamer girl. But she wasn¡¯t a streamer girl. She was a girl who tried to make a living by creating real content that went beyond showing off her cleavage and long legs. But he didn¡¯t know how to write all of that down on a small piece of paper. He turned towards An Xin, unsure, only to find her sticking her tongue out at him. Oh¡­ Lin Feng shook his head and even showed a little smile, while An Xin stuck up her nose andughed. She did that for half a second before quickly putting her hand over her mouth. The two looked to the front of the ssroom. The teacher was looking at them, hesitating, but then continued with his lesson. Lin Feng and An Xin didn¡¯t dare to move their eyes away from the chalkboard, listening to the teacher for a good three minutes. Then their note exchange started up again.

    An Xin: ? Do you like it? ?

    Lin Feng: ? Like what? ?

    An Xin: ? My new hairstyle, Goofus. ?

    Lin Feng: ? It¡¯s new? Looks the same¡­ ?

    An Xin: ? Does this look like pigtails to you? ?An Xin: ? It¡¯spletely different. ?An Xin: ? My parents also finally let me get contacts! You can finally look into my eyes~ ?

    Lin Feng: ? Oh, I see. ?

    An Xin: ? What¡¯s wrong with you? I bet that wall behind you is more fun to talk with¡­ ?An Xin: ? Anyways, what are you working so hard on? ?An Xin: ? I mean all those pages in your notebook. You were writing so much that you didn¡¯t even see me at first! ?

    Lin Feng: ? It¡¯s nothing. ?

    An Xin read the two words on the small note that was covered in tiny scribbles. She read them again, just to make sure she was understanding them correctly. But there was nothing to misunderstand about it. Dumbass. She looked up at Lin Feng and raised an eyebrow, giving him a moment toe with a better answer. He didn¡¯t. He barely even looked at her. She waited for when he did and mouthed, ¡°Big. Fat. Liar.¡±

    ?

    There was a short break between English and the next period. These were a valuable few minutes to the four members from the esports team in Senior ss 7. Three of them jumped up from their seat and rushed to the back of the ss, while Ouyang was already badgering Lin Feng and An Xin with his questions. Well, he did until Ren Rou shot him down with one of her famous res.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Bunbun!¡± Ren Rou greeted, smiling. ¡°Lin Feng has said so much about you! He even showed us a picture of you! I¡¯m so happy that we finally got to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Oh? My picture?¡± An Xin asked, surprised.

    Ouyang¡¯s hand shot into Lin Feng¡¯s desk, almost on reflex, and retrieved the pencil case. He opened it up in one fell swoop and turned it upside down. The contents fell on the desk, but he didn¡¯t care for the pens and crayons and other items. He wanted the picture hidden beneath all of that. He grabbed it and waved it in the air. ¡°Yep! Here! This picture! Look, look. That girl in the back. You see her with the pigtails? That¡¯s you, right?¡±

    An Xin took the photo from Ouyang and looked at it. Then she smiled and said, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s me. I think this was taken back in middle school.¡±

    ¡°You had your hair in pigtails and you had the sses, but you were still tots adorbs! I could totally see the me from four years ago falling for the you from four years ago! When you walked into the ssroom I almost didn¡¯t recognize you, because hot-diggity-dawg that glow-up! But I never forget a beautiful face! I knew that I knew you, I FELT IT! Then you introduced yourself as Bunbun and it all clicked! You¡¯re Bunbun!¡± Ouyangughed, proud of his deduction skills.

    ¡°I really like what you did with your hair. You¡¯re really pretty,¡± Ren Rou chimed in.

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s really nice of you.¡±

    Ren Rou shook her head and said, ¡°No, no. I wasn¡¯t trying to be nice. I¡¯m serious. You don¡¯t know, but when Ouyang and the other guys saw your picture, they were so jealous of Lin Feng for having such a pretty friend. They almost wanted to fight him to get your number.¡±

    ¡°Right, right! Nice to meet you!¡± Ouyang said, excited. He pointed at himself and continued, ¡°I¡¯m Ouyang! Best bro of Lin Feng! I¡¯ll throw myself under the bus for my best bro and deskmate!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and reached out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Yang Fan, friend of Lin Feng. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, An Xin.¡±

    Tang Bingyao was the only one left to introduce herself. Three pairs of eyes turned towards her. But she ignored them and stuck out her hand. ¡°I¡¯m Tang Bingyao, but you can call me Tang Tang.¡±

    An Xin shook Tang Bingyao¡¯s hand and smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you Tang Tang.¡± She looked at Tang Bingyao and smiled a little brighter. ¡°You¡¯re really pretty.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head, resolutely. ¡°Not as pretty as you.¡±

    Lin Feng decided that of every moment in this conversation to interject, this was the best. He stuck his head between the two girls and said, ¡°I think both of you are really pretty.¡±

 Chapter 172: Open Skies Uncover All Lies

    ¡°I think you¡¯re both pretty.¡± That one line from Lin Feng echoed around the ssroom. A ssroom that was now pindrop silent. A moment in time where those words which could¡¯ve only been spoken by the most oblivious of men hung in the air and nothing else. ¡°I think both of you are really pretty.¡± There wasn¡¯t much Lin Feng could¡¯ve said to make the situation any worse. He was a thick-skinned Nasus, obviously farming up his Siphoning Strike, caught in between a Katarina and Ahri. Both of whom now had their ws out and an intense desire to stain them with his blood. He¡¯d spoken the forbidden words. Tang Bingyao and An Xin turned towards him. They looked at him, stared at him, red at him.

    Ouyang started shivering. He wanted toin about someone opening a window and letting a cold breeze inside, but the windows were all closed. Then he turned towards Yang Fan and looked at his friend. They¡¯d known each other for years and had built up that unspoken bond of brosmanship. Words were no longer necessary between them. If they wanted to, all they had to do was lock eyes and they couldmunicate through the force that linked all bros. And in this moment, when their fellow bro Lin Feng needed them more than ever, their eyes found each other and their thoughtsmuned within the BroForce.

    ?D-damn! You feelin¡¯ this? The room got way colder than the shoulder a girl way outta your league gives you when you try to talk to her! We need to do something! If I¡ª?

    ?No! Do not get involved! He got into this mess on his own. There is no way this situation will improve if we get involved. It¡¯ll definitely get worse if you start trying to help him. Let him figure out how to extricate himself from this quagmire on his own!?

    ?YeahYeah, you¡¯re right. Dammit. Even I¡¯m not that stupid. What was that idiot thinking??

    Ren Rou looked at the two girls ring at Lin Feng. Then she looked at Ouyang and Yang Fan in the middle of one of their moments where they just looked into each other¡¯s eyes and slightly moved their lips to talk. She wasn¡¯t really a bro, didn¡¯t have the same kind of connection that they had with each other. She wasn¡¯t a bro, but she could be a Sis! She didn¡¯t know how to be one with the BroForce, but she was a woman! She knew how to get a message across without words. She seized Ouyang¡¯s attention without making a sound and pointed towards Lin Feng and the two girls with her eyes. In that single moment, she opened herself to the BroForce, let it wash through and out of her, and synced onto the same wavelength that Ouyang and Yang Fan were on.

    ?Do something about this, Ouyang! They¡¯re going to fight!?

    The gears in Ouyang¡¯s head started spinning. It took a hot minute to grease up the cogs and get the engines revving. But when his brain shifted into turbo, he figured out exactly what needed to be done. He grabbed the picture of Lin Feng and An Xin and tapped on An Xin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°An Xin! An Xin! This picture, right? Lin Feng said it was at the Season 1 LPL Finals. Does that mean you¡¯re also into League of Legends? Are you good? I was a Gold scrub, but thanks to Lin Feng I¡¯m at least tinum now. Probably even better if it wasn¡¯t for those damn teammates I keep getting matched up with!¡±

    An Xin turned to Ouyang, frustrated. But then she saw that twinkle in his eyes and she heard the emotions behind his words. They were genuine curiosity and pride. She smiled, choosing to forget what happened a moment before, and patted her chest. ¡°Yep! I love the game! I¡¯ve been ying since Season 1 and I¡¯m pretty good at it!¡±

    ¡°Right! Bunbun is a really good Jungler!¡± Lin Feng interjected, oblivious as always to the catastrophe that was just averted. ¡°But not as good as me. I¡¯m better!¡±

    An Xin snorted. She red at Lin Feng and said, ¡°That¡¯s it. You and me, we¡¯re going to 1v1ter. I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±

    Thest few words never even registered in Lin Feng¡¯s head. All he heard was the challenge. He smiled and said, ¡°Sure! But you¡¯re losing.¡±

    The six people were all League of Legends fanatics and were more than anything happy to shift away from the awkward situation. So they quicklytched onto the new topic. Ouyang started interrogating An Xin on how good she was at the game, and she was happy to tell them that she was currently sitting on Diamond 5 in the Ionia server.

    Ouyang blurted, ¡°Damn! Diamond 5 is so good! You¡¯re really good! That¡¯s so amazing!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°People always say how girls aren¡¯t good at the game. But here we got another one who¡¯s better than we are.¡±

    Ren Rou was also thoroughly impressed. She nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s really cool!¡±

    Lin Feng watched his friends practically falling over An Xin just because of her League rank. They hadn¡¯t done that when he told them about his rank. He looked around, confused and a little annoyed, then shouted, ¡°Hey! What is this? Who cares about some low Diamond yer? You guys never acted like this when I told you that I¡¯m a Challenger. I¡¯m way better than she is!¡±

    That was the wrong thing to say. No one cared about Lin Feng right now. They wanted to get to know their new ssmate better. So four pairs of eyes shot towards Lin Feng, followed by four quick replies¡°Shut up! No one cares!¡±¡°We know your rank. Stop bragging about it.¡±¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re good at the game. We know.¡±¡°Mhm.¡±

    Ren Rou guided the conversation into the direction of the esports club. She¡¯d found a new, strong female yer and she was set on recruiting her. So Ren Rou started talking about how great the club was. How much it had grown recently and the achievements that had helped them grow. She spoke about the first years who¡¯d swarmed around Tang Bingyao for her ¡®1v1 Love Confessions¡¯ and finally also about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. First she talked about how they¡¯d been robbed of a winst year. Then she moved on to this year and how well they were doing. They were semifinalists! But it looked like reaching the finals was going to be really difficult, since their opponent was Shanghai International.

    ¡°Shanghai International?¡± An Xin asked, curious. ¡°Are they good?¡±

    Ouyang nodded fervently and said, ¡°Yeah! They¡¯re really, really good! You must know that they made it all the way to the Finalsst year. I thought for sure they were going to win. And they¡¯re only better this year. Maybe they¡¯re even better than Shanghai High School this year!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°They¡¯re a lot better than we are. Unfortunately, it looks like they¡¯re too good. I don¡¯t think we can beat them in our current state.¡±

    Ren Rou sighed, then started talking, the words flowing from her lips before she even realized it, ¡°But we¡¯re trying really hard. Lin Feng is especially doing everything he can. You should¡¯ve seen him work over the past week. He¡¯s practically killing himself ov¡ª¡± She shut up and put her hand over her mouth as an extra measure the moment she realized what she was saying. Crap! I said too much¡­

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± An Xin asked, turning towards Lin Feng and looking him up and down. She saw his bloodshot eyes and therge bags under his eyes.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, ufortable. ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ?

    Third period on Monday morning was Mathematics. After the bell rang, the students from Senior ss 7 returned to their desk and grabbed their textbooks. The teacher walked in and, after taking attendance, started exining forms. He turned his back to the ss and started writing on the chalkboard. This was the perfect timing for An Xin to pass another note to Lin Feng.

    An Xin: ? What is this about you practically killing yourself? ?

    Lin Feng: ? It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. ?

    An Xin: ? Liar. ?

    Lin Feng read the note, then put it away in his bag. He focused back on the lesson, though his eyes kept shifting towards the ideas he¡¯d written out in his notebook on the series against Shanghai International. He forgot about the ss he was in and started getting absorbed in his analysis again. Until a ball of paper hit him in the side of the head. It jolted him out of his thoughts and he nced over towards An Xin. She was ring at him. Her eyes were saying murder, while she was mouthing, ¡°Open. It.¡±

    Lin Feng looked down to the floor, where the crumpled piece of paper had fallen. He reached for it with his foot and moved it closer towards him, hesitatingly. But when he looked towards An Xin again, and saw the look in her eyes, he knew there was no evading this. So he reached down and picked up the note. He started unfolding it, noticing An Xin from the corner of his eye. She was smiling but she also wasn¡¯t. She looked scary.

    An Xin: ? Next break we¡¯re going outside to talk. ?

    ?

    After Mathematics, the students from Senior ss 7 had a 25 minutes break. An Xin stood up from her desk and looked at Lin Feng, urging him toe with her. But he didn¡¯t get up. Instead he raised his textbook and pretended to be busy studying. She sighed, then pulled the textbook from his hands and put it in his backpack. Pushing it in his embrace, shemanded, ¡°Take it ande.¡±

    Lin Feng took the backpack in reflex, but didn¡¯t get up. He leaned over his desk andined, ¡°I-i¡¯m feeling a little tired. Can we talk another time?¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± An Xin demanded, ring at Lin Feng. ¡°We don¡¯t have all day. Get up.¡± He hesitated another moment, more time than he had. She grabbed him by his arm and pulled him up, then dragged him out of the ssroom. He could only hurry after her, her fingers pinching into his arm.

    Ouyang and Yang Fan watched the two walk out of the ssroom, keeping their mouths shut. They knew better than to make a funnyment about Lin Feng being whipped into obedience. But when they had left earshot, Ouyang couldn¡¯t help himself. He whisper-shouted, ¡°What do you think those two are going to do? Having a little romantic one on one time? Maybe Lin Feng likes them bossy.¡±

    Yang Fan shook his head, looking at the open ssroom door through which Lin Feng and An Xin had walked out. Then he turned to Ouyang and said, ¡°No. You saw them. That didn¡¯t look or sound very romantic. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter what they¡¯re going to do. Let¡¯s just hope that with her here, Lin Feng¡¯s mood improves. He really needs someone who knows how to get through to him and help him.¡±

    Out in the hallways, Lin Feng was following behind An Xin. There were students everywhere and he searched for a way to escape into the crowd. But An Xin was surprisingly strong, her fingers wrapped around his arm. She would notice if he tried anything and he didn¡¯t want to think what would happen then. So he followed, albeit reluctantly. They walked towards the stairs and went up a flight, and then another. After two months at High School 13, he¡¯d never been in this part of the school. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Bunbun, where are you taking me?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere quiet where no one will disturb us,¡± An Xin replied, curt.

    Lin Feng tried to pull his arm free, but An Xin wouldn¡¯t let him. He slowed down, but she pulled so hard that he nearly fell forward. She wasn¡¯t letting him go. He felt his stomach drop. It felt bad, really bad. There was nowhere to escape and there were less students around then a minute ago. He suggested, timidly, ¡°H-hey, how about we talk after school? I still need to do some work before next ss.¡±

    An Xin came to an abrupt halt, with Lin Feng almost walking into her. She turned around and raised her eyebrow. ¡°Hmm? Something you want to say? Is there?¡±

    ¡°O-oh, it¡¯s nothing. Nothing. Really. It can wait. Let¡¯s talk now. I¡¯ll follow you,¡± Lin Feng said, stumbling over his words. He followed An Xin up thest flight of stairs. There was no hallway here, only a door. An Xin pushed it open and he followed after her onto the empty terrace on the roof. The wind blew in his face as he looked around, surprised. ¡°We have a rooftop terrace? Nice! This looks really cool!¡± He then turned to An Xin and asked, ¡°Bunbun, how did you know about this ce?¡±

    ¡°Because all schools have this. Literally every single school,¡± An Xin replied. She then let go of Lin Feng¡¯s arm and looked around the rooftop terrace. There were no other students here. They werepletely alone. Just the two of them. She nodded, happy, and then turned to Lin Feng. ¡°Good. We can talk here without getting interrupted. So let¡¯s talk.¡±

    Lin Feng looked around the terrace. He then walked past An Xin towards the edge of the rooftop, where he looked out over the surroundings. The city center was quite some way away, but he could still see therge buildings in the distance. He heard her walk up to him, but pretended he was engrossed in the scenery. Until a t palm pped him in the face and an angry yell sounded in his ears, ¡°Stop pretending! Look at me!¡± He inhaled, long and deep, then let it all out and turned around to look at An Xin.

    An Xin looked back at Lin Feng. For the first time, the two locked eyes and really saw each other. The anger and annoyance disappeared from her eyes. The stern expression disappeared from her face. She smiled the saddest smile and asked, ¡°I saw that KG lost¡­ How are you taking it? Are you ok?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s lips quivered. He bit down on his teeth and looked at his best and oldest friend. She knew him. She really knew him. It was never about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament for him. It was always about Worlds and what happened there. He tried to open his mouth and say something, but only a hoarse sound came out. Then he shook his head and lowered it.

 Chapter 173: Ache with the Pulse of Remembered Song

    Autumn in Shanghai, The leaves were turning yellow and there was a faint chill in the air. A cool, gentle breeze kicked up across the treetops. It curled through the leaves and danced along the air, growing stronger and stronger, before blowing across a school rooftop as a strong gust. An Xin looked at Lin Feng. She¡¯d been with Lin Feng since they were young. They¡¯d grown up together, through the good and the bad. She knew that he was Maple. She knew of how he found his joy and happiness in life, and how he shared that with those around him. But she also knew his demons, and how he would withdraw into himself to deal with them. How he never asked for help from anyone when things got difficult. She looked at him, worried, and said, ¡°I know about Tian Tian, Lin Feng. I do. And I know about Rake and what happened back then. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± She waited for a response, only to see him hang his head lower in defeat. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± She took one step forward and repeated again, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    Lin Feng stared at the ground of the roof, though it was hard to see through the tears in his eyes. He blinked, onerge droplet falling to the ground. It sshed apart. He sniffed back the tears. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± She said it again. He felt a lump in his throat and he bit on his lips. B-but¡­ He sunk through his knees and took a deep, long breath. Then he swallowed and wiped his eyes clean with the sleeve of his jacket. He didn¡¯t look up at An Xin, still staring to the ground, but he did start talking, slowly at first.

    ¡°T-that day, Fatty called me. R-right after the... the game. H-he was crying. He was crying, Bunbun. T-then he started apologizing¡­ saying how useless he was¡­ He¡­ he said how he broke his promise to me¡­¡± Lin Feng wiped the tears from his eyes again and sniffed his nose empty. He bit his lips, fighting back everything that he¡¯d kept in for so long. ¡°I-i didn¡¯t know what to say. He did amazing. He did so much better than I could¡¯ve ever expected. They were up against SSK. It was lost before it even started¡­ But¡­ but he tried his best. He did so well. And then he called, crying¡­ I didn¡¯t care that he lost. I tried to tell him that I only cared that he did his best!!¡±

    Lin Feng closed his eyes and turned his head away from An Xin. He scratched his forehead, his mouth moving without making a sound. Then he sniffed and continued, ¡°F-fatty kept repeating how he failed everyone. He said it was all his fault. He¡­ He¡­¡± Lin Feng tried to get the words over his lips, but they wouldn¡¯te. He sniffed and took several hasted breaths, then said, ¡°He said that he let me down. H-he said¡­ that he let me down. He didn¡¯t. I tried to tell him that he didn¡¯t let me down, that it wasn¡¯t his fault. That I knew! He can¡¯t do it all on his own, no one can. And I told him that I knew he did his best!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and grinned, self-deprecatingly. ¡°After the call with Fatty, I went and rewatched the games. I was just curious to know what might¡¯ve happened if I was up there, ying alongside him. Like back then¡­ I watched the game like six times in a row¡­ I asked myself how I would¡¯ve yed the game if I was KG¡¯s Miner. How would I have yed against Rake? I wouldn¡¯t, Bunbun. That¡¯s the answer. I wouldn¡¯t, because I would¡¯ve never gotten that far into the tournament. KG¡¯s Miner is better than I am right now. I wouldn¡¯t have made a difference. No. That¡¯s not quite right. I would¡¯ve made the game even harder for Fatty¡­ Doesn¡¯t that make me useless? It does¡­ I¡¯m useless. Useless¡­¡± Lin Feng stared at the ground, anger at his own inability masking the pain, making the tears disappear. ¡°It¡¯s not even that I can¡¯t help Fatty. I can¡¯t even help my friends at school. A stupid high school League tournament and I can¡¯t carry them to a win. A stupid school tournament! I¡¯ve yed at Worlds, and look at me now. I¡¯m losing in a high school tournament. I¡¯ve been trying to think of ways to carry the game. But I can¡¯t think of any. However I look at it, I can¡¯t win. I¡¯m not good enough... See? I told you that I¡¯m useless. I can¡¯t do anything right¡­¡±

    Lin Feng pushed himself to stand up and looked at An Xin. There were streaks of tears on his face, and his nose was runny. He smiled, bitterly, and said, ¡°See? I told you that I¡¯m useless. I¡¯m useless. Absolutely useless¡­¡±

    An Xin stared at Lin Feng, listening to his words. Her eyes went from concern to anger, but Lin Feng was so consumed in his own misery that he failed to notice. He continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about Worlds anymore, or Rake. It¡¯s pointless. I can¡¯t even win some stupid high school tournament. Why am I even trying to be the best yer in the world? I¡¯m useless¡ªOW!¡± Lin Feng rubbed his cheek, fresh tears in his eyes. ¡°Ow!¡± he said, again. ¡°What the fuck.¡± He looked up at An Xin, confused, and asked, ¡°What was that for?¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Well, someone has to knock some sense into you! Idiot. Useless? How dare you call yourself useless? You were the best Miner in China! You carried your team to the Finals of Worlds. The Finals! That¡¯s not what constitutes useless. You are not useless.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I was¡­¡± Lin Feng mumbled.

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng, waited a moment, and then said with crystal clear pronunciation, ¡°You¡¯re going to zip your mouth and keep it zipped until I¡¯m done talking. Understood?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes widened. He nodded, slowly, very slowly, and kept his mouth shut.

    ¡°Who told you that you have to solo-carry the game in this high school tournament?¡± An Xin asked, pausing for a brief moment. Then she continued, ¡°League of Legends is a team game. It is and always has been a team game. Your whole team is trying their best. All in their own role. Why do you keep thinking that you have to shoulder everything yourself? Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You¡¯ve hit a wall. Shit, that happens. You take a step back, evaluate, then go around it. Or tear it down. But that¡¯s not what you¡¯re doing, is it? You see that wall and you, for some godforsaken reason, feel the urge to ram your head into it, repeatedly. It¡¯s what you did back then. It¡¯s what you¡¯re doing right now again. It¡¯s idiotic and a terrible habit.¡±

    Lin Feng let his head hang low. Lower. He swallowed and opened his mouth, uncertain. A short hesitation, then he mumbled, barely audible, ¡°But I¡ª¡±

    ¡°No buts. Zip it,¡± An Xin said, striking Lin Feng on his cheek again with her t palm. It left a clear, red mark and Lin Feng yelped in pain, but she didn¡¯t seem to care. She looked at him, waiting for him to shut up, then continued, ¡°What? Think you¡¯re so big and strong? Think putting all the pressure on yourself makes you look cool? It doesn¡¯t. It looks pathetic. Those friends of yours in ss, did you see them? Did you see how they looked at you? They were worried. I could tell. Everyone can. They are worried about you and they want to help you. You¡¯re not alone. Stop shutting everyone out. Let people in, Lin Feng. All they want to do is help you.¡±

    Lin Feng waited for An Xin to continue talking. She didn¡¯t. She kept her mouth closed and looked at him. She just looked at him. Then she raised her arms. His eyes went wide. He¡¯d seen this before. He then closed his eyes, turning his cheek towards her, ready for another p. I¡¯ve probably deserved it¡­ But the p he was expecting didn¡¯te. Huh? The scent of Jasmine suddenly became very strong. He opened his eyes just as An Xin wrapped her arms around him and took him in her embrace. She hugged him tightly, his muscles tensing in reflex. Then they rxed. He rxed. He hugged An Xin, tightly, burying his head in her neck.

    ¡°You big idiot. I know you¡¯re in pain,¡± An Xin whispered into Lin Feng¡¯s ear. ¡°You can¡¯t do everything yourself. You¡¯re only human. If you keep going like this, you¡¯ll only end up hurting yourself and everyone you care about.¡± An Xin paused, waited, hesitated, then ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair. She smiled a smile that sounded through in her voice. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you still have me?¡±

    Those words thundered in Lin Feng¡¯s mind. ¡°Don¡¯t you still have me?¡± He smiled. For a single moment in time, the pain disappeared. There was no anxiety, no disappointment in himself, no frustration at his own inability. There was only the warm embrace of his best friend. He hugged her as tightly as he could. He breathed in through his nose and realized the Jasmine scent came from her. Then he closed his eyes and breathed out. Feeling her soft hair brush against his face, he asked, ¡°Bunbun?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± An Xin replied.

    Lin Feng let go of her and looked her in the eyes, an innocent curiosity in his own. He scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°Did you put on some pounds?¡±

    An Xin¡¯s face dropped. Her eyes went wide and her hand moved on instinct. She pped Lin Feng harder than she ever had, and then she hit him. Again. The second time her fist connected with his chest, causing him to stumble backwards. ¡°You asshole! Do you want to die? I lost weight! Alright? Fucking unbelievable.¡± She threw her hands up in the air and then turned around and walked away.

    ?

    An Xin didn¡¯t stay mad for long. Lin Feng caught up to her halfway down the first flight of stairs, and after a few words of apology from him, she asked him about the High School 13 versus Shanghai International series. He told her that they had two Master rank yers and three in high Diamond. Then he went on about how they came in secondst year and that their style heavily leaned on the early game. She quietly listened. When he¡¯d given her the general idea of the situation, she nodded and said, ¡°Ok. I think I got it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°They¡¯re also pretty full of themselves.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. That just makes it so much more satisfying to defeat them. I already can¡¯t wait to see their expressions,¡± An Xin said, smirking. Then she turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°I heard our team practices right after school?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we do,¡± Lin Feng nodded, missing out on one small, but very big detail. Then it hit him. He paused and asked, ¡°Wait. What do you mean, ours?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ren Rou tell you? I already joined the team,¡± An Xin said, matter-of-factly. She looked over towards Lin Feng, who didn¡¯t directly reply, and asked, ¡°What? You¡¯re not happy?¡±

    Lin Feng quickly shook his head and said, ¡°No, no no! I was just surprised. I¡¯m very happy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± An Xin said. She then jabbed her chest and said, smiling brightly, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you might be better at the game, but I¡¯m still the best when ites to making strategies and shotcalling!¡±

 Chapter 174: Pinky and the Brain

    The first thing after the dismissal bell for High School 13¡¯s esports team was a training session at the NetCow Cafe. Eight members of the main team, including Ren Rou, found their way across the street to the inte cafe, like they did every day. It¡¯d be a habit. Even on days that they weren¡¯t coached by Lin Feng, they would still find themselves walking into the inte cafe without even thinking about it. But today was different from other days. That was because there was a ninth member who¡¯d joined the team. She was An Xin.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Bunbun?¡± Liu Yue asked, surprised. Then he extended his hand to An Xin and said, ¡°Hi! Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Liu Yue, the Jungler!¡± He looked An Xin up and down and then up again, a smirk appearing on his face. He turned to Lin Feng and winked. ¡°Damn! Ouyang is right! You know all the pretty girls!¡±

    Wei Dong and Chen Ze weren¡¯t as straightforward as Liu Yue was. The Ouyang hadn¡¯t rubbed off on them quite as much as it had on Liu Yue. Or perhaps it was a Jungler ailment. They extended their hands and weed An Xin to the group, introducing themselves.

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet all of you too. Now let¡¯s y some games!¡± She took half a step towards theputers when she was stopped in her tracks by Lin Feng being Lin Feng.

    ¡°I brought her here to help us! She¡¯s very good at shotcalling and shees up with some of the best strategies. I would almost say that she¡¯s as good as me. But I¡¯m really good at being better than her too!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    An Xin didn¡¯tugh. She curled her lips and said, ¡°I see. Running your mouth again¡­¡± She shook her head, disappointed. ¡°You got all this big talk, but I don¡¯t remember you ever using that little brain in your head to shotcall or strategize. You¡¯re the kind to run around the map doing whatever you feel like and letting your team face the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ I don¡¯t remember that, well¡­ Maybe?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Then he waved his hand and smiled. ¡°Ah, whatever! That¡¯s not important. We have you now, that¡¯s all that matters!¡±

    Liu Yue looked over at An Xin and asked, ¡°You yed with Lin Feng back in Season 1, right? You must be really good at the game then! What role do you y? Are you also an ad-carry like Tang Tang?¡±

    An Xin smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not an ad-carry main. I¡¯m a Jungler.¡±

    Ouyang walked up to Liu Yue and fistbumped his shoulder. ¡°Ha! Did you hear that? She¡¯s a Jungler. And it gets better. She¡¯s Diamond! Just like you! You¡¯re both Diamond! Isn¡¯t that great? Our team now has two Diamond Junglers! We¡¯re finally starting to get a real team together! And if you getzy, she¡¯ll just take your spot. Haha!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Liu Yue looked at Ouyang, rubbing his painful shoulder, then asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you also a Jungler? If I be the substitute, do you be the waterboy?¡±

    Ouyang felt his stomach drop. This was a variable he hadn¡¯t thought about. Then the gears in his mind started spinning, searching for an answer. I¡¯m no background character! I¡¯m the Broman! The smile that had disappeared for a second reappeared, brighter than before. He said, grinning, ¡°I might be t now. But just you wait! I¡¯ll be Diamond in no time! And then I¡¯ll beat both of you and be the best Jungler!¡±

    Chen Ze grinned and said, ¡°Right, with the help of Lin Feng. But Bunbun here got to Diamond all by herself. That¡¯s pretty awesome if you ask me.¡±

    Liu Yue raised his hand, impatient to get a word in, and shouted, ¡°Tang Tang is also awesome! She can beat Diamond 1s and Masters! If youpare her to those Huya streamers or other famous female yers, she¡¯s definitely the best ad-carry out of all of them!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both really good because I coached them!¡± Lin Feng interrupted, patting himself proudly on his shoulder. He then turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, smiling brightly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then replied, ¡°Mhm. Yes.¡±

    Yang Fan chuckled, adjusting his sses in his usual fashion, and said, ¡°The main point here is that we got two really good League yers who are also girls. That¡¯s pretty rare. I think there isn¡¯t another team out there who canpare to us on that front.¡±

    Ren Rou listened to the boys fawning over Tang Bingyao and An Xin, her expression faltering. She mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear her, ¡°Then what about me? I¡¯m feeling pretty left out here. I know I¡¯m only Gold, but still¡­¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s eyes lit up. A woman in distress! He moved with an agility rarely seen from him as he suddenly stood next to Ren Rou. He nudged her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rou Rou. We can duo queue after practice. I¡¯ll carry you to t! You can always count on me.¡±

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes and snorted. ¡°Please. I¡¯d much rather y with Tang Tang or Bunbun.¡± She then turned to the girls and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you two feel the same? Wanna y with meter?¡±

    ¡°Of course we do!¡± An Xin agreed. She stopped for a moment, then added, ¡°It¡¯s so much more fun ying with friends.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded to this statement and to Ren Rou. She also didn¡¯t mind helping Ren Rou out and carry her to tinum, and maybe past Ouyang, just because they could.

    Lin Feng stepped forward, making the others go quiet. The discussion was shifting away from introducing An Xin to the group. This was the moment to move on with the training. He looked around the members of the team, one at a time, until his eyesnded on An Xin. He smiled and said, ¡°Bunbun will be our new coach.¡±

    An Xin nodded towards Lin Feng and then turned to the others and said, ¡°Yup. I¡¯ll be the new coach. You guys y a game for me first. I want to see where we¡¯re at, so I cane up with a good n for the series against Shanghai International.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Wait. Hold on. Woah! You¡¯re not just Diamond, but also a good coach?¡± Ouyang asked, his mouth falling open in surprise.

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°She¡¯s a great coach!¡± The best. But thatst part he kept to himself. He thought back to Season 1. We didn¡¯t have a coach back then. Not a real one, anyways. We would¡¯ve been lost if it wasn¡¯t for her. She always came up with the best strategies. Without her drafts and gamens, we would¡¯ve never made it so far¡­ He looked over toward the girl. Though she¡¯d never been given the name, the whole team had epted her as her coach back then. And it didn¡¯t look like it would be any different this time around. How she was introduced¡­ Two images merged together.

    ¡°Hmph! Just a great coach? I¡¯m also a pretty great Jungler, thank you very much!¡± An Xin added, smiling. Right now she was only Diamond 5, but it hadn¡¯t always been like that. Back before the ranks got introduced and yers climbed the ELOdder, she¡¯d hit 2,700. When converted to today¡¯s rankings, that would put her at the top of Master. She was really good at the game.

    ¡°You were pretty great yeah! Until you fell off hard,¡± Lin Feng said, enjoying every word of that sentence. Then he waved his hand and said, ¡°But it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re just a girl. Getting to Diamond is already really impressive for you!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me? Just a girl?¡± Ren Rou raised an eyebrow in surprised shock. A shock that quickly warped to anger. She narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Trying to say girls aren¡¯t as good as guys?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s ying the sexism card,¡± Tang Bingyao chimed in.

    An Xin didn¡¯t say anything, not at first. She just looked at Lin Feng and waited for his eyes to meet hers. When they did, she lifted the corners of her lips but there was no joy in her eyes. They were steady, staring at him. ¡°HMM? Did you say something? Say it again.¡±

    Everyone went silent. The guys in the room shrunk away. They took a step back, trying desperately not to draw any attention to them. But Ouyang failed. He stumbled into the chair behind him, making enough noise for all the eyes to draw towards him. His face went pale as he tried to make himself small.

    Lin Feng looked at his friend, surprised and confused, and asked, ¡°Huh? Why are you looking so pale all of a sudden? Did you not have enough to eat? Get a banana.¡±

    Liu Yue mouthed for Lin Feng to shut up, he begged him, trying to connect through the BroForce. But that was Ouyang¡¯s power. Lin Feng had no idea what Liu Yue was getting at. So with no other option left to him, Liu Yue shouted, ¡°Lin Feng! Shut up! Are you trying to get us all killed?¡±

    ?

    The esports team yed two games. One with the normal line up, with Ouyang and Lin Feng watching on from the sidelines, and one with Ouyang in the Jungle and Lin Feng in Mid. An Xin walked back and forth along theputers, paying close attention to how everyone yed and how the games were unfolding. Ren Rou followed a step behind An Xin, unable to stand still and wait. Then, after the second game ended, she tugged on An Xin¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°What do you think? What do you think?¡±

    An Xin was quiet for a moment, thinking, then said, ¡°Not bad, really. You guys are better than I expected. Everyone did pretty decent. I especially liked what I saw in botne. Tang Tang is a super good ad-carry! I was really impressed with her!¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m ok. I think I can still improve. I have to keep working hard,¡± Tang Bingyao argued, hiding away her flushed cheeks behind her hands.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so modest! Bunbun only givespliments when people really deserve it! You¡¯re really good!¡± Lin Feng said, smiling. Then that smiled turned into a wide grin as he added, ¡°Just don¡¯t forget. I¡¯m the one who taught you! If it¡ª¡±

    ¡°But,¡± An Xin said, cutting Lin Feng off. ¡°You guys are too focused on the individual skill. There is some synergy, but no real teamy and your objective focus ispletely out of sync. No one really knows what to do and when. You need a goal before the game even starts and work towards achieving that. Thenes aren¡¯t independent arms, they are part of one big structure. You need to work together and make thenes be part of that bigger structure. More specifically, that means that you don¡¯t team up for just a Dragon, but for all map based ys.¡± An Xin let out a long, deep sigh. She shook her head and looked around the team members. ¡°The more I¡¯m thinking about it, the stupider it looks. Who even came up with this strategy?¡±

    Everyone turned towards Lin Feng, who was already proudly patting his chest. ¡°That was all me! I came up with their strategies! They¡¯re great, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course it was you,¡± An Xin said, shaking her head. She chuckled at herself and then said, ¡°I should¡¯ve expected as much. You like to bruteforce your way through everything. It¡¯s easier than using your head, right? You¡¯re hopeless. I¡¯m happy I got here when I did. If this had gone on for another month¡­¡± Then she turned towards the others, her disappointment and exhaustion disappearing from her voice and whole demeanor. She looked full of life. She looked excited and happy and ready to get to work. ¡°But you guys don¡¯t have to worry! I¡¯ll take care of your strategy and gamens from now on! I¡¯ll show you all what a real game n looks like.¡±

 Chapter 175: The Blind Sees the Invisible

    All hope was not lost! High School 13 could still beat Shanghai International! Those were the words that An Xin told the esports team. She¡¯d watched them y. Analyzed their individual and team skills. And she¡¯d also looked into Shanghai International. If they came up with a real strategy for this next matchup, including a well thought out draft, when to make in-game rotations, which spots on the map to focus vision on, and so on, they could win. They had a real shot at making it to the Finals! An Xin needed to sit down and work it all out, but she felt strongly that it was possible.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have it ready tomorrow,¡± An Xin promised. ¡°I¡¯ll watch a few of Shanghai International¡¯s games from earlier in the tournament and work out the best way for us to beat them. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. We can start practicing with the game n tomorrow.¡±

    Her deration was met with a stunned silence. The members of the esports team had all watched Lin Feng torture himself searching for the answer. On top of that, they knew Shanghai International. They¡¯d yed against them before and watched them y in this tournament. Beating them was impossible, this was fact. Until An Xin came along. She said that they could beat them with so much confidence that they had no choice but to believe her! Ouyang was the first to buy in and start cheering, and then Liu Yue joined in. Before long, all of them were cheering andughing and thanking An Xin for showing up just when they needed her the most.

    Liu Yue was awestruck by An Xin, ¡°Amazing¡­ You¡¯re amazing. How can youe up with an entire game n in a single day? That¡¯s insane! So cool!¡±

    An Xin chuckled and said, ¡°Well, I could make it better if I had more time, but the game is scheduled for this weekend. We need toe up with something fast and test it out. See if it works. That way, even if it doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll still have time to adapt and pivot. Come up with a backup n.¡±

    ¡°See, guys? I told you An Xin is a great coach! With her here, we don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. Just y ¡®em like she calls ¡®em, and we win!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    ¡°Lin Feng! Stop! This won¡¯t be a perfect n. I¡¯m going to do my best, but you guys are the ones that¡¯ll have to make it work,¡± An Xin said. Then she looked at Lin Feng and gave him a coy smirk. ¡°But I think I already have n B in mind. Just in case.¡± Then she winked at him.

    ?

    With two games down and the team still revved up for a third, Ouyang stood up from his seat and BroSnapped at An Xin. ¡°Hey babygurl! How about you y a game? I want to see your moooovveeess! You know that I know that what I really want to see is how a Diamond Jungler pushes it on everyone else!¡±

    This suggestion was a good one that everyone approved. The way Ouyang phrased it, not so much. After a few strong res and some facepalms, the rest of the esports team also joined in on asking An Xin to y a game with them. They all wanted to see her y. She¡¯d talked so much, but she hadn¡¯t actually shown them any real skill yet. All they knew was what she said. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t believe her. They absolutely did believe her, especially with Lin Feng vouching for her! But they were curious to see a good female Jungler. Those were very rare. Most girls yed Support, and if they yed another role, it was Miner or ad-carry. As for those who did y in the jungle, they were generally kind of terrible at it. This was just how it was. yers and analysts alike came with all kinds of reasons as to why this was. Some imed that ane was just ane and they could focus on that, whereas the Jungle tied the whole map together. It required quick thinking and perfect decision making. Many believed girls weren¡¯t good at those snap judgement calls. Others called this ridiculous and said there was another very logical reason. There just weren¡¯t enough girls who yed the game. Either way, regardless of what the real exnation was, the fact of the matter remained that there were very few good female Junglers.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses. He knew this bit of information. He¡¯d even done some research into the matter, ¡°Most girls are pretty terrible Junglers,¡± he said.

    Lin Feng waved his hand and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! Bunbun isn¡¯t a normal girl!¡±

    Wei Dong and Chen Ze already took a step back when Lin Feng opened his mouth. They remembered thest few times that he did. Ouyang and the others leaned back half a secondter. Just in time to create some distance from Lin Feng and An Xin. An Xin who¡¯d tilted her head, a smile that looked incredibly creepy spreading wider and wider on her face. ¡°Hmm? Did I just hear you say something weird again?¡±

    Liu Yue nudged Ouyang, covering his mouth with one hand and reaching the other out towards Ouyang, and whispered, ¡°Look at these goosebumps. She scary.¡±

    Ouyang nodded, though he never actually looked at Liu Yue or his arm. His eyes were on Lin Feng. Admiration, that was what he felt. Undisguised admiration. He mumbled to no one in particr, ¡°I have to give it to him, he¡¯s got some massive cajones. No clue how he managed to live this long with her. But damn, she fire when she gets mad. Holy shit, how can someone be that hot? I¡¯m feeling it.¡±

    An Xin suddenly turned towards Ouyang and looked him in the eyes. He shrunk back, terrified she¡¯d heard what he just said. But it seemed like she hadn¡¯t as she only said, ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll y!¡± Then she turned back towards Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯re going to y Mid.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and said, ¡°Sure! We haven¡¯t yed together in forever!¡±

    The esports team queued up for another ranked game. They quickly found an opponent and went into Champion Select. A few bans and a couple of Champion lock inster, they moved into the loading screen, ready to y their next game. This was the game where An Xin could show off her skills, or fail spectacrly! Either way, they were all eager to watch her y.

    Blue Team Line-up:Chen Ze (Top): RumbleAn Xin (Jungle): Lee SinLin Feng (Mid): YasuoTang Bingyao (AD-carry): JinxWei Dong (Support): Alistar

    Lee Sin was a mechanic heavy Jungler. An Xin had nothing to hide behind. Regardless of their opponents, everyone would be able to tell how good she was at the end of this game. But it didn¡¯t take that long. An Xin wouldn¡¯t let that happen. She took the game in her own hands almost from the start. She cleared her Red Buff Camp in the bottom left jungle, then pathed all the way to the top right jungle where Red Team¡¯s Red Buff Camp was. When she got there, the Evelynn was taking her Red Buff, unaware of the looming danger. Her health was low, and dropping lower. An Xin waited, patiently, then pressed her Q key. Her Lee Sin sent out a Sonic Wave that struck the Evelynn. Then he dashed towards her and killed her.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡± Liu Yue cheered. ¡°You¡¯re awesome Bunbun!¡±

    Ouyang shouted at almost the same time, ¡°That was great! Did you guys see that? Woooo!¡±

    Ren Rou smiled and said, ¡°Go go, Bunbun! You¡¯re the best!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses, smiling, and said, ¡°Great y. The Evelynn never even saw iting. Now she¡¯s far behind and Bunbun should have an easy game.¡±

    An Xin pped in her hands,ughing. ¡°Yep! This is a good start to the game. Now to keep it going!¡±

    An Xin was far more direct with her idea of keeping it going than the others had expected. Instead of recalling and spending the Gold she¡¯d gotten for the kill on Evelynn, she stayed in the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. There she waited for the Evelynn to respawn and make her way back to the Red Buff Camp. That was exactly what the Evelynn did. And when she found her Red Buff still alive, she attacked it, forgetting to check the brush right next to her. An Xin happily abused this, waiting for the Evelynn¡¯s health to drop and then using her one-level advantage to kill her again.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Liu Yueughed, loudly so, and said, ¡°Damn, she cheesed that hard¡ªWaitWaitWait! I meant that that was amazing! Great y!¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, it looks great and all. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Ouyang rubbed his chin, watching An Xin¡¯s every move. Something felt off, but he wasn¡¯t sure what. ¡°Why does it feel like deja vu? Did we y before, Bunbun? No, I wouldn¡¯t forget you.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°It probably feels familiar because that¡¯s the exact same move Lin Feng likes to pull.¡±

    Lin Feng moved his mouse, clicking constantly, while his other hand glided over his keyboard. All the while, he was also listening to the others and even interjecting, ¡°Yeah! She taught me how to do that move! Most of my Jungle pathing I learned from her!¡± Then he pressed on his W key¨CWind Wall! His Yasuo swept a wall of wind up in front of him, blocking Ahri¡¯s Charm. Her health was low, so he dashed through a minion to close the gap and then dashed through her, hitting her with his Sweeping de. He followed up with a straight attack of his de¨CSteel Tempest¨Cand an Ignite. The Ahri shed away. She tried to get to safety. But her health was already too low. Thest tick of Ignite took away thest of her health.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Not bad,¡± An Xinmented on Lin Feng¡¯s kill.

    Lin Feng winked at her and said, ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m really good at Yasuo too!¡±

    An Xin curled her hair behind her ear and smirked. ¡°Oh, is that so? Alright, let¡¯s have apetition. Whoever gets more kills wins.¡±

    Everyone expected Lin Feng to start picking up kills. He was really good and they¡¯d seen him be even better on more than a few asions. But they didn¡¯t know what to expect from An Xin. They were only hoping to get a show. And that was exactly what they got. An Xin was taking this friendlypetition very seriously and started hunting the Evelynn in the Red Team¡¯s Jungle. At five minutes, she found her at the Krugs in the top side of the Jungle. From there it was a quick and easy kill. She was just too far ahead and the Evelynn wasn¡¯t getting any experience to catch back up.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    An Xin pathed to midne and helped Lin Feng pick up a kill on the Ahri, who¡¯d just returned tone, before heading straight back into the Red Team¡¯s Jungle. That was where she lived this game. She walked through the bottom side Jungle, from the Blue Buff Camp to the Wolves. There, she found the Evelynn at low health trying to get some experience. An Xin killed the Evelynn and then also the Wolves for some extra experience.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    Be it the spectators or the people ying the game themselves, they all just kind of watched in shock. There was nothing special about An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin mechanics. She didn¡¯t pull off any fancy moves. All she did was predict exactly where the Evelynn would be and kill her. This happened over and over again. From the start of the game to now, the Evelynn had only managed to clear a single Jungle Camp unmolested. That was the very first, the Blue Buff Camp. From that point onwards, the game went downhill for her. Every single time she entered her Jungle, Lee Sin would already be there and waiting for her. He¡¯d kill her and send her back to the fountain. It felt as if the Lee Sin could see through the fog of war and locate the Evelynn wherever she was.

    Ouyang and Liu Yue stared at An Xin. They were Junglers themselves and knew just how difficult it was to predict an opposing Jungler¡¯s pathing. But An Xin was doing just that, perfectly. She knew exactly where the Evelynn would go. Ouyang and Liu Yue watched on, both awestruck and shocked as they quickly realized that An Xin was a better Jungler than both of them put together. If they had to y against her, she would ughter them. They wouldn¡¯t even know what hit them. Her Jungling style relied entirely on predicting what the opposing champions would do next.

    ¡°Holy shit. Her Lee Sin is amazing¡­¡± Liu Yue muttered.

    Lin Feng looked away from his screen and towards Liu Yue. ¡°Eh, she¡¯s alright. But shecks the mechanics. What good is a Lee that can¡¯t even R-sh?¡±

    ¡°HMM?¡± An Xin turned her head towards Lin Feng, her lips curving into that dangerous smile again. That smile that made everyone around her want to run away. There was a fire in her eyes when she smiled that smile. Something changed in her demeanor. It was almost palpable. She asked, ¡°What did you say? Say that again.¡±

 Chapter 176: Some of us Get Numbers; Some of us Throw up

    The Red Team was just like High School 13¡¯s esports team in the sense that they were a group of friends who yed the game together. But the simrities didn¡¯t stop there. They also had a strong Mid-Jungle pair. The Ahri and Evelynn were the yers usually carrying the team to a win. Justst game they went Legendary and the game before that they were Unstoppable! They¡¯d been on a winning streak, rising up the ranks, until this game. This game was different. There was no settling in here. There was no scaling to a point where they couldfortably fight. They were getting crushed. Ahri was losing badly to the Yasuo in midne, while in the Jungle¡­ From the first minute of the game, the Lee Sin seemed to know exactly where the Evelynn was and where she was going, even when she didn¡¯t know it herself. And he was there, waiting for her and then killing her.

    The Ahri was fortunate that she could huddle near her outer tower and soak up some experience from the minions that died inne. But the Evelynn wasn¡¯t so fortunate. She needed to kill the Jungle monsters to get experience. To do that, she had to go into the Jungle where the Lee Sin was waiting for her. No matter from what side she entered the jungle, he was always right there. The Evelynn was lost. She didn¡¯t know what to do. So she hovered around her jungle, searching desperately for a hint of Lee Sin before ever so carefully threading between the walls of trees.

    At 9 minutes, the Evelynn had spent a good 30 seconds searching for any hint of the Lee Sin near her bottom jungle. Only when she was absolutely sure that it was safe to go in, did she walk in. Her Blue Buff Camp was empty, taken by the Lee Sin. But the Gromp was alive. So she went up to it and started attacking it. And there he was, as if on cue. ¡°Shit! Not again!¡± the Evelynn cursed while shing away.

    ¡°Want to run?¡± An Xin mumbled, smiling. She moved her mouse over towards the Evelynn and pressed down on the Q key¨CSonic Wave! Her Lee Sin punched out with his fist, sending out a st of air. It connected with the Evelynn and revealed her. Then he dashed towards her with the second part of his Q skill¨CResonating Strike! He followed up by cing a ward behind the Evelynn, Safeguarding towards it, then turning around with a powerful roundhouse kick and sending the Evelynn flying back¨CDragon¡¯s Rage!

    All the while, the Ahri had been farming in midne. The Yasuo was gone for a couple of seconds and she was going to get the most out of it. She figured he went back to base to spend his gold. But he hadn¡¯t. The Yasuo had followed after the Lee Sin into the Red Team¡¯s bottom jungle. When the Evelynn was kicked up into the air, he dashed towards her with his ultimate, suspending her in mid-air¨CLast Breath! Then he smacked her down to the ground and hit her with an auto attack.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    In the NetCow Cafe, Ouyang and Liu Yue stared at An Xin, shocked, while Yang Fan stared at Lin Feng with that same look in his eyes. There was no vision of the Evelynn before they went into the jungle. But it seemed like An Xin had information the others didn¡¯t, and that Lin Feng knew she had this information. They worked together like they¡¯d been doing it every day for thest five years. It looked so smooth and easy, but the three spectators knew that it was anything but easy. This was an incredibly impressive y that they couldn¡¯t hope to imitate. They simply weren¡¯t anywhere near good enough to pull something like this off.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t impressed. He shook his head and said, ¡°Bunbun, what was that? It looked like a granny ying Lee Sin!¡±

    ¡°Got the kill, didn¡¯t you? My kill,¡± An Xin replied, ring at Lin Feng. ¡°Give me my kill back!¡±

    ¡°What? No way. That was my kill,¡± Lin Feng said. Then he smiled and added, ¡°Can¡¯t give away kills if you want to win.¡±

    The two kept bickering back and forth, a never ending stream of words flowing from their mouths, but their hands never left their mouse and keyboard. They moved their sights to botne. There was no need to talk about it. They were near botne already, only one brush away, and Red Team¡¯s Boners were having a hard time facing Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong. They were being pushed back into their tower. But they didn¡¯t recall back to the fountain. Even after seeing the Evelynn die, they stayed inne. Lin Feng and An Xin were going to punish that mistake. They ran through the brush and into botne, then towerdove.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡°AAHHHH! WHY! Why would you do that, Tang Tang?¡± Lin Feng wailed, grabbing his hair and pulling on it. ¡°Why! You could¡¯ve left a kill for me!¡±

    An Xinughed, carefree, ¡°Good job, Tang Bingyao! Don¡¯t give that idiot any kills! Killsteal from him whenever you can! Oh, right, you should leave a kill or two for me and help me win.¡±

    ¡°Win what?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, tilting her head in confusion. She¡¯d been so focused on botne that she hadn¡¯t really noticed what these two were talking about. They were more of a background noise to her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°We¡¯re having a littlepetition! Most kills wins! You should join!¡±

    Tang Bingyao thought about it for a moment and then asked, ¡°Is there a prize?¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Of course there is! The loser treats the winner to food!¡±

    Treating the winner to food? If Lin Feng wins, then¡­ Tang Bingyao started smiling without even noticing it. She nodded and said, ¡°Mhm, sure!¡±

    This game was never going to be interesting. The skill difference was just too big. Lin Feng and An Xin were toying around with the Red Team from the start of the game and now Tang Bingyao had joined in too. They were running around the map, searching for whoever was still alive and killing them. The two who had the least kills were dragging the game out, trying to get that kill that would get them to the top, while the current winner was pushing to end the game. But even through this individual focused gamestyle, there was still nothing the Red Team could do to even pick up a single kill. The game announcer talked a one-sided conversation in kill messages.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The Red Team suffered through 20 minutes of this, though they did discuss quitting the game early. But that would get them a warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour, so they stuck around. They tried to y and win for most of the 20 minutes, at which point they could finally surrender and move on to the next game. And that was exactly what they did. It was a unanimous surrender vote.

    An Xin jumped up from her chair and pointed at Lin Feng with both hands. ¡°Ha! YES! I won! Suck that! You¡¯re treating me and Tang Tang!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Ah¡­ I was almost second¡­¡±

    ¡°Yourpetition aside,¡± Yang Fan interrupted. He waited for everyone to look at him. Then he adjusted his sses and said, ¡°An Xin, you¡¯re a really good Jungler! That was a strong performance.¡±

    Chen Ze nodded at An Xin and said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re really good. Your synergy with Lin Feng was next level. If you y against Shanghai International, we might actually win. We probably will win.¡±

    The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Chen Ze was right. She was good. She did y great together with Lin Feng. And with her on the team, their chances of beating Shanghai International were substantially higher than with Ouyang or Liu Yue. It wasn¡¯t that Liu Yue was worse than her on an individual level, but he couldn¡¯tpete when it came to shotcalling and the Mid-Jungle synergy between Lin Feng and An Xin. Liu Yue wanted to y the game, but more than that, he wanted for his team to win. Right now, An Xin looked like the answer to achieve that. So he was more than willing to take a step back and let her help them.

    ¡°Thanks! But let¡¯s not do that quite yet. That was actually my backup n,¡± An Xin said. She nodded at Liu Yue and then continued, ¡°I¡¯m not here to be on the roster. My role is to be your coach. That¡¯s what I¡¯m best at.¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports team yed a couple more games before calling it a day. It was nearing dinnertime and they were all hungry. An Xin called a cab, while the others all walked home. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao lived in a different direction from the rest, so they walked together, like they did nearly every day. The cold autumn breeze was in the air and the sun was starting to set early. Streetmps illuminated the sidewalk, and Tang Bingyao was hopping from one tile to the next, never letting her feet touch the cracks. She always yed this game that she called, ¡®Don¡¯t Step on the Cracks¡¯. It was just that today she wasn¡¯t quite as good at it as she normally was. She touched the cracks several times before almost stumbling over her own feet.

    Tang Bingyao felt her ears heat up. Fortunately, it was already quite dark outside. H-he can¡¯t see it, right? She nced over her shoulder, sheepishly, to look at Lin Feng. He was watching her and grinning. But he looked like he was grinning about her almost tripping, and not about her burning ears. She felt the tension in her body rx a little, until she put her hand in the pocket of her jacket. The cash she had counted out earlier was there. I should ask him. She twirled around and looked at Lin Feng, then opened her mouth. H-hey, Lin Feng. Want to go for some milk tea? My treat! She spoke the words in her mind, but they wouldn¡¯te out of her mouth. They just wouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Uh, are you okay?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. Stupid. Stupid. Just ask him! She bit on her lips as they kept walking. Now she walked by his side. She could feel the warmth radiating from him. Do you want to get some milk tea? The words were spoken in her mind, again. She moved her mouth, testing that it still worked, and then tried it again. But no matter how she pushed herself, she couldn¡¯t get herself to say the words. They walked past an intersection and in the distance, she could see a couple of shops. One of them was a fast food ce. This is myst chance! I gotta ask him RIGHT now!

    Tang Bingyao took a deep breath, clutching the money in her hand. Then she stopped walking and grabbed Lin Feng by his jacket. He stopped and looked back at her. She looked at him and could see the confusion in his eyes. I have to say it now. Her heart started pounding, racing faster and faster until it started mming into her ribcage. NOW! Her hands felt sweaty and her face got hot, and then it started burning. NOW TANG TANG! Tang Bingyao started panicking a little bit. She forgot how she wanted to start this conversation, forgot what to do next. Oh no! What was I going to say to him? I don¡¯t remember. No..no..no DO SOMETHING TANG TANG! So she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out some money. Which she then showed to Lin Feng. And then stood there awkwardly for a minute before saying, ¡°Um... Lin Feng? Look! Money! Wait. No, not that. What I wanted to ask was... Do you want... to go get milk tea...¡± Then the world started spinning a little, and she felt faint. But she was also Tang Bingyao, and she wouldn¡¯t back down! ¡°... withme?¡± She did it! She managed to get the question out. But she forgot the most important part, the one that would make her actions make sense. She was still standing there, holding money in her hand out to him. ¡°M-my treat. I have money!¡±

 Chapter 177: Winds, Sinking Ships

    ¡°Whuh?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. He blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a second longer than he normally would. Then he looked at Tang Bingyao. He looked at her defensive posture as she scrunched back, trying to hide the red tint on her face. ¡°You want to treat me? To milk tea? You?¡± He looked at her, incredulous. ¡°Are you feeling ok?¡± She never spends any money. She likes making money and she likes having money. Why would she¡­ He reached out towards her, wanting to feel her temperature. Maybe she is sick¡­ But she recoiled, moving far away from him and shaking her arms in front of her. ¡°Uhh?¡±

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t! If you don¡¯t want to, just say it. That¡¯s fine. I understand. Let¡¯s just go home, ok?¡± Tang Bingyao said, hurried. Then she turned around and started walking and then running away towards the intersection where they always split up.

    ¡°Wait! Waitwait!¡± Lin Feng called out after the now running Tang Bingyao. She paused, turned around. He smiled at her and said, ¡°I would love some milk tea! This is great! This is the best day ever! I can¡¯t wait to tell Ouyang about this tomorrow! He¡¯ll be crazy jealous!¡±

    ¡°N-no. No! Don¡¯t tell him,¡± Tang Bingyao said, lowering her head.

    ¡°Uh... Why not?¡± Lin Feng asked. Then his eyes widened. It was the exact moment where you could almost see the lightbulb light up. ¡°OH! I know! Ouyang wille begging you for some milk tea too!¡± Lin Feng stood up tall and smiled. He patted his own shoulder,plimenting himself for his quick thinking, and winked at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell them. Your wallet is safe with me.¡±

    Tang Bingyao started at Lin Feng, dazed. Of everything he could¡¯ve said, this wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever considered. Why don¡¯t you get that I want to buy you a milk tea, not Ouyang or anyone else? But I guess he said yes¡­ We¡¯re going to have a drink together. Just you and me. She smiled at him and nodded. ¡°Mhm. Don¡¯t tell him or our other ssmates.¡± Then she waited, until he nodded, before walking back towards him and going into the fast food ce together.

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked up to the register together and ordered two milk teas and a chicken cutlet. The employee gave the price. She took the money that she was already firmly holding out from her jacket pocket and handed it to the employee. It felt strange, especially with thoserge eyes from Lin Feng looking over her shoulder. She could feel him staring at her. Then she turned around and nodded at him and he smiled right back at her. It was that same smile he always had, bright and innocent.

    Tang Bingyao nodded at Lin Feng and tried talking to him. ¡°It was a good practice earlier¡­¡± She trailed off. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t looking at her anymore. He mumbled a reply as he stared at something behind her. She followed his gaze behind the registry, where their order was being prepared. The chicken was being fried. She turned back to him and tried again, ¡°You did really well on¡­¡± She could see that he was more focused on the food than on her. She started fidgeting with her fingers. What do I say? What do people say? What¡­ She wanted to talk, but the otherwise so natural conversations with Lin Feng suddenly took a lot more effort. I have to say something. She looked up at Lin Feng and tugged at his arm. ¡°Uhm, that¡­ Your friend, Bunbun, she¡¯s really an amazing Jungler.¡±

    Lin Feng finally looked at Tang Bingyao. Heughed and said, ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s good! But she isn¡¯t as good as I am! I¡¯m way better!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and asked, ¡°Did she follow you around when you were ying as a pro back in Season 1?¡± She thought for a moment, barely a second, and added, ¡°Like, to the tournaments?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! She always came with us,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°You know what she did today? She also did that for my team in Season 1. She always came up with our gamens and strategies.¡± He paused for a moment, taking his time to ball his fist and throw it up into the air, then said, ¡°That¡¯s why beating Shanghai International is going to be easy now! With her on our team, we¡¯re unstoppable!¡±

    ¡°Oh. I see¡­¡± Tang Bingyao nodded, her gaze falling down to her shoes. She sounds really good. She¡¯s probably better than I am. And she¡¯s also really pretty¡­

    ¡°Thanks for waiting! Here¡¯s your order,¡± the shop employee said, tearing Tang Bingyao away from her thoughts. The shop employee handed the two cups of milk tea and the chicken cutlet Tang Bingyao had specially ordered for Lin Feng. ¡°Enjoy!¡±

    ¡°Yeeeeeeesss! Chicken cutlet! You¡¯re the best, Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng cheered. He hurried towards the counter and grabbed the chicken cutlet, treasuring it in his embrace, then also picked up his milk tea. His hands were full, so he used his teeth to get a taste. ¡°Ahh!¡± came his scream as he dropped the chicken back in the bucket. ¡°HotHotHot! Ahh, so hot!¡± he wailed, hurrying towards an empty table and sitting down, so that he could cool his tongue down.

    ¡°A-are you ok?¡± Tang Bingyao asked as she hurried after Lin Feng. ¡°Isn¡¯t that really hot? Did you burn yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m really good at eating hot food too!¡± Lin Feng brushed her worries off. He grabbed the piece of chicken he¡¯d just dropped and took another bite. He was a little more careful this time, making sure only his teeth touched the meat. Then he took slow bites, letting the heat escape his mouth every few seconds. He swallowed the first bite and eximed, ¡°Ahhh, delicious! Hot food is so good! Tang Tang, you¡¯re the best!¡±

    Lin Feng blew on his chicken cutlet and took another bite. Then he stopped. He didn¡¯t chew the meat but instead turned towards Tang Bingyao. ¡°Hrey¡­¡± He ced his hand before his mouth and quickly swallowed the chicken down. ¡°Uch, uch. Tang Tang, do you want to try? It tastes better when you eat together!¡± He offered his half-eaten chicken cutlet to Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Here, try it! Take a bit. It¡¯s really good. I¡¯m the expert here! I eat this every night. Su Xue orders it for me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at the chicken cutlet, at the bites Lin Feng had taken from it. Uhh, do I¡­ She didn¡¯t know what to do. This whole situation was different from what she knew and expected. Finally, she shook her head and pushed it away. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You eat it. I know how much you like it.¡±

    ¡°More for me it is!¡± Lin Fengughed, taking another big bite of the chicken cutlet.

    Tang Bingyao leaned on the table, watching Lin Feng eat. He looks happy. Maybe I should tell him now¡­ N-no. I should let him eat first. He looks so happy. She smiled and asked, ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°Like it? I love it!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ¡°Mhm. Good,¡± Tang Bingyao said, a hint of red returning to her face. She took a sip from her milk tea and continued watching him. Maybe I should say it now. If I keep pushing it back¡­ She took a deep breath and forced a brighter smile on her face. ¡°U-umm¡­ Lin Feng? Well, I can keep tr¡ª¡±

    RING! RING! RING!

    Lin Feng looked down at his phone to see who was calling and his eyes widened. He dropped the chicken cutlet in his hand and picked up. ¡°Hey! Sorry I¡¯mte!¡± He then listened to someone talk on the other end before replying, ¡°Okay, got it! I¡¯lle home right away. See you in a few!¡± He hung up and turned to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Hey, sorry. That was Su Xue. She¡¯s calling me home for dinner. I have to go right now. But you live right around the corner from this ce, right? So that¡¯s fine. I have to go.¡± He jumped up from his seat and was already on his way towards the exit. Then he stopped, thought, and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Tang Tang! Thanks again for buying me the milk tea and chicken cutlet! Bye!¡±

    Tang Bingyao watched Lin Feng bolt out of the door, dazed. She had finally mustered up the courage to tell him something she¡¯d been wanting to tell him. She was already halfway through saying it. And then, then his phone went and he left. She had no chance to get in between! Well, that¡¯s what she told herself. She looked at the empty te on which the chicken cutlet was served. Lin Feng had taken the food with him. I¡¯m such a coward¡­ I couldn¡¯t even tell him. She shook her head, frustrated. She¡¯d never felt like this before for anyone. It was all new to her. Should I text him? She quickly shook her head. That didn¡¯t feel right either. Maybe I can call him? She shook her head again. This was something she wanted to say in person. That was the only way that felt right. It was just... How do I tell him?

    ?

    Lin Feng pushed the front door open and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±

    ¡°Why are you home sote?¡± Su Xue asked from the kitchen. Then she poked her head around the corner and looked at Lin Feng, and at the milk tea and chicken cutlet in his hands. She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, and said, ¡°I cook dinner for you every day at the same time! Why would you go and buy food?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t! Tang Tang treated me!¡± Lin Feng exined, excited as always.

    ¡°She did?¡± Su Xue asked in surprise. Didn¡¯t he say how she liked her money? Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, looking for something but not finding it, and then said, ¡°Sounds like you two have made some real progress in your rtionship, huh?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his hair and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Su Xue sighed and shook her head. ¡°Nevermind. Go wash your hands. Dinner is almost ready.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Feng replied, after which he pushed past Su Xue into the kitchen. The food was still on the fire, its strong aroma causing his stomach to rumble. He washed his hands, while watching Su Xue bring the food to the dining table. A few momentster, barely long enough to get his hands clean, he ran after her and sat down at the dining table. He was hungry.

    Su Xue sat down across Lin Feng, who was already gobbling up the food he put in his bowl. She stared at him, shocked, and said, ¡°Eat a little slower, please. The food isn¡¯t going to grow legs and run away¡­ How are you still so hungry anyway? Didn¡¯t you just have chicken cutlet? And milk tea is also kind of filling. Do you ever get full?¡±

    ¡°Only when the food is bad!¡± Lin Feng replied in a brief moment between bites. Then he chewed away another mouthful and said, ¡°Your food is really good!¡±

    Su Xue smiled as she put her elbows on the table and supported her head with her hands. ¡°Oh? Is that so? Hmm¡­ You didn¡¯t look this happy in the morning. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Yrep!¡± Lin Feng said with a full mouth, nodding.¡±

    ¡°What happened? Did you ace a test?¡± Su Xue continued her interrogation.

    Lin Feng waved his chopsticks in the air, swallowing down a too big bite, then said, ¡°No. It isn¡¯t that. You know the Semifinals for the 16 School Tournament? Well, we¡¯re going to win it! We¡¯re going to crush them!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, surprised, and asked, ¡°Really now? Where¡¯s all that confidenceing from so suddenly?¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled and looked at Su Xue, attempting to look as mysterious as he could. The exhaustion and stress were gone from his face. He was full of confidence for his game against Shanghai International. For the first time in a week, everything was looking up. And that was all thanks to An Xin. With her coaching the team, he didn¡¯t need to worry anymore. Bunbun, it¡¯s good to have you back. He was still looking at Su Xue and spotted the slight annoyance in her expression. Then heughed and said, ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees!¡±

 Chapter 178: A heartbreaker, dream maker, and a proper Coach

    Lin Feng sat behind his desk in his bedroom. There was a big, thick studybook in front of him, and he was scribbling in a notebook to the side. He was writing down the most important bits of each page and disregarded the rest, not even checking what it was he wrote. That was a worry for when the next test was announced. This was his patented study method; Fast and Furious. Chinese literature, done. Mathematics, done. English, done. In only a short few hours, he finished his homework. He then let go of his pen and leaned back in his chair. ¡°Phew! Done!¡±

    It was only 9 PM, still too early to go to bed. So Lin Feng, almost out of habit, opened the League of Legends client and logged into his Korean ount. I¡¯ll just y a couple of games before bed, he thought while queuing up for a game. They were his practiced motions, as was the message he flung into the Champion Select team chat. ¡°Mid plz.¡± Because that was the role he wanted to y tonight. Slowly, Lin Feng got into the zone.

    Game 1: Lin Feng picked Fizz in the midne. He bullied hisne opponent and got an early kill at Level 3. From there on out, it was an easy game for him. He brute-forced his way to a 20-minute win.

    Game 2: Lin Feng picked Syndra in the midne. He bullied hisne opponent and forced them to recall back to base after the first minion wave. The advantage he built up from that wasrge enough for the opponent to never get back into the game. He carried his team to a 26-minute win.

    Game 3: Lin Feng picked Yasuo in the midne. He crushed hisne opponent into submission at Level 1. His opponent¡¯s teammates came to help, but he killed them all. That happened only 12 minutes into the game. They gave up and didn¡¯t leave the fountain again. So Lin Feng and his team destroyed the towers in midne, then the inhibitor, and finally the nexus. It took them all of 16 minutes.

    That¡¯s enough for tonight. Lin Feng looked at his screen, waiting, hesitating. Then he opened his browser and clicked on Favourites. At the top was a link to the Semifinals match between KG and SSK. He opened it and watched it. More specifically, he watched the midne, and how Rake and KG¡¯s Miner were ying. He watched every small move and studied its effects on the game.

    I¡¯ve seen this. I know it. Lin Feng shook his head. The results were no different fromst time. Rake gamey was, as always, perfect. Even KG¡¯s Miner was better than he was right now. But it didn¡¯t hit him as hard as it had over thest week. Something had changed. He managed to take that step back and look at the big picture. It painted a different perspective. Sure, he wasn¡¯t anywhere near good enough to step onto the world stage right now. But he shouldn¡¯t want to either. This process he had set into motion took time. It couldn¡¯t be rushed. He had to take on the challenges in front of him, of which there were plenty, and focus only on them. Lin Feng smiled, balling his hand into a fist. Watch mee back to the top, Rake. I¡¯ll get back up there. We¡¯ll have our rematch. And I¡¯ll beat you. This time, I will win! ¡°YES!¡±

    ?

    Something had changed in the training sessions of the High School 13 esports team. They still went to the NetCow Cafe everyday and from an outside perspective everything looked the same, but something intrinsic had changed. It was the addition of a real coach. Lin Feng was a phenomenally talented yer and far better than the rest of the esports teambined. But at the end of it all, he was a yer and not a coach. An Xin was different. She was more of a coach than a yer.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t like to oveplicate things. When it came to ying the game, his first strategy was to bruteforce his way to victory. Only if that really didn¡¯t work, after repeated attempts, would he pivot to something different. That held true for his coaching as well. He tried to bruteforce information into the minds of his trainees. When they made a mistake, he badgered them with it. He told them when they screwed up. How they screwed up. And what they had to change. But a vital point was missing here. He didn¡¯t help them understand how to not repeat the same mistakes. He could point them out, but he had trouble thinking on their level and exining solutions in a way that they could understand.

    An Xin had a different training method. She didn¡¯t walk behind the team like a drill sergeant, barking at them. Instead, she sat behind her ownputer, spectating and recording the game. She didn¡¯t say a word while the team was ying. They had free reign to y in whatever way they felt was best. But every mistake they made, no matter how small or big, was written down by her. Then after the game finished, she had everyone gather around herputer. She opened the rey and grabbed her notebook. Next up, she started going over the game, pointing out everything that required attention; fromning phase to teamfighting and from broader map-wide ys to individual details, nothing was left untouched.

    ¡°Tang Tang and Wei Dong, I really liked what I saw there. You two were really ying the game together. It¡¯s just that you two seem to only have one mode. Attack. Attack. Attack. It¡¯s okay to y a bit more defensively. Vayne is ate game Champion. y to her strength..¡±

    ¡°Liu Yue, I love the prediction game. Where is the other Jungler? How should I path through the Jungle? When can I gank? But when you y like that, it has to be perfect. Because if you fail, you fall behind. You need to know what to look for and what to do and you need the right Champion. You yed Sejuani. She doesn¡¯t get strong until Level 6. Don¡¯t try and gank with her until then.¡±

    ¡°Alright, the midne. Yang Fan, yourning was good. Props for that. But you need to do so much more as a Miner. Help your team. y together with your Jungle to make ganks. Roam. Do anything but sit in mid and farm minions. Because more often than not, that¡¯s not going to help the team.¡±

    ¡°Chen Ze, solid work on your ind in the topne. Just that you brought a teleport so you could get off of your ind. You really need to learn how to use it. Your first goal will be to get better at using your teleport. That first teleport, you want to use it for the first teamfight. One good y there can win you the game. Use that knowledge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really happy with what I saw. There are just a couple more things I want you all to pay attention to. Most importantly right now, that is vision. Just cing wards for cing wards isn¡¯t good enough. There needs to be a reason why you¡¯re cing that ward. A ward is an investment. Use it wisely¡­ Like here, look at the video. Let me pause it¡­ Here. See where the opponents are? They¡¯re all in theirnes and the Jungler is near the topne. That means you have an opening at botne to go into their Jungle and ce a ward as close to their Jungle entrances as possible¡­ So here, here, here¡­ Those wards will give you the intel you need to make more aggressive ys. Those are the wards that really matter.¡±

    Beyond the more general information that could be of value for the entire team, An Xin also took the time to talk with each team member individually. She¡¯d prepared a video clip of their ys, so she could point out their shorings and give them tips on how to improve on them. This especially won everyone over. They nodded and listened and sometimes asked questions for rification. They believed in what she said and applied the knowledge she shared with them in their games. It almost directly started showing results. The reason for this was simple. They understood what An Xin exined to them. And with that, they had something concrete they could apply to their games beyond Lin Feng¡¯s usual, ¡°You suck. Get good.¡±

    There was, however, one team member who wasn¡¯t improving as quickly as the others were. That was Lin Feng. An Xin tried to coach him the same as she did with the others. But it didn¡¯t matter how she tried to exin the most simple concepts to him, nothing seemed to get through his thick skull. All she could do was stare at him, exasperated. He was sitting across from her right now. She shook her head. One more time. Then she let out a long sigh and repeated herself again, ¡°Lin Feng, you have to stop being so wasteful. Stop wasting your sh!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? I never¡­¡± Lin Feng replied, confused.

    ¡°What do you mean you never?¡± An Xin countered. ¡°Last game at 13 minutes. You didn¡¯t need to blow your sh. You forced the Orianna to use her Summoner Spells already. There was nothing more to be gained there. But you still wasted your sh. Then the teamfight began and your sh was on cooldown. That was terrible. You could¡¯ve dove into their backline so much easier with sh. If you still had it.¡±

    Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t hear it, though. He argued, ¡°But I got their ad-carry in that teamfight, so what does it matter? It doesn¡¯t! I killed their carry!¡±

    ¡°You killed their ad-carry because he mispositioned. He made a mistake that made up for your mistake. If he didn¡¯t screw up, you wouldn¡¯t have killed him,¡± An Xin stated, coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± Lin Fengughed, patting his chest. ¡°I would¡¯ve gotten the kill anyway!¡±

    ¡°How?¡± An Xin asked. ¡°Exin to me! How would you have gotten the kill?¡±

    Lin Feng paused for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect to get called out like this. But then he grinned and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how! I know I would¡¯ve gotten the kill! I¡¯m just really good at Fizz!¡±

    An Xin rubbed her temples, annoyed and frustrated. ¡°Forget it. Just remember from now on that if you know that a teamfight ising up, you shouldn¡¯t blow your sh. Keep it! Alright?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and said, ¡°I mean, I guess. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t see what the point is. It won¡¯t make a difference anyway!¡±

    An Xin finally had had enough. That smile that looked anything but a smile crept on her face and she said, ¡°Hmm? What did you say? I thought I heard you disagree. But I¡¯m not sure. Say it again. Say it.¡±

    Standing a few steps away, pretending to mind their own business, the other members of the esports team were listening to everything Lin Feng and An Xin were saying. They cringed when Lin Feng disregarded An Xin¡¯s advice. They wanted to walk out of the inte cafe when they saw the expression on An Xin¡¯s face. And then, when Lin Feng had really gone and done it, they stood nailed to the ground.

    Ouyang shook his head and said, ¡°Man. That Lin Feng. What in the world? Is this his kink or something? Does he get off on making BunBun upset? Oh boy. Maybe that¡¯s the way to her heart? I could also¡­¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think Lin Feng has always been like this. It¡¯s just that no one has called him out on it before. It¡¯s kind of nice to see BunBun do that.¡±

    The other guys nodded. They agreed wholeheartedly with Yang Fan, but felt it was better to keep their mouths shut. The further away they stayed from Lin Feng and An Xin, the safer they would be. That was how they saw it, anyways.

    As for the girls, Ren Rou was talking to Tang Bingyao. Well, it was more urate to call it gossiping. ¡°Did you hear about those two from Senior ss 8? They¡¯re saying that they came out of the toilet together. Those stalls are so small! What do you think they were doing there? If you ask me¡­¡± She went on and on, stringing one tidbit of gossip to the next. ¡°Oh, oh! And did you hear what happened on the toilet on the second floor? This girl started attacking her friend with a curling iron! She was mad that her friend wouldn¡¯t break up with her boyfriend. It was crazy! I think someone even taped it. Let me see if I can find it for you¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t really listening to Ren Rou. She was looking at Lin Feng and An Xin. Watching the easy rapport between the two as they talked. It was effortless, like they belong together. She just stared at it, thinking... Long enough for Ren Rou to notice. Which she obviously did, and gently patted Tang Bingyao on the shoulder before asking, ¡°Hey, girl? You okay? You look really distracted and distant right now. Something on your mind? Something bothering you? Or¡­ someone¡­?¡±

    Tang Bingyao snapped out of her daze, blinking her eyes and turning her head to look at Ren Rou. The words Ren Rou had said registered in her mind half a secondter and she replied, ¡°H-huh? Am I? Really?¡±

    Ren Rou didn¡¯t respond at first. She looked over towards Ouyang and the other guys, just to make sure they weren¡¯t trying to listen in on them. Only when she was sure that no one was trying to eavesdrop on them, did she whisper, ¡°Hey, can I ask you something? Do you like Lin Feng?¡±

 Chapter 179: â€˜Twas the Night Before Semis

    ¡°Ah!¡± Tang Bingyao cried out. Her eyes were round and wide and her face red as she looked over at Ouyang and the other guys. They weren¡¯t paying attention to her. She turned back towards Ren Rou and shook her head, hushed-shouting, ¡°N-no! No! Me liking him? No way! Don¡¯t joke around like that! I¡¯d never like someone like him!¡±

    Ren Rou observed Tang Bingyao. The red tint painting her face. The fidgeting with her fingers. The constant nces towards Lin Feng. The signs were everywhere. It was so obvious that Tang Bingyao was crushing hard on Lin Feng. Ren Rou could see it from a mile away. But despite it being so obvious, Tang Bingyao was clueless. She really didn¡¯t know what it was that she felt for Lin Feng. They were feelings unlike any she¡¯d ever had before. She bit on her lips, looking down at her shoes, then said, ¡°R-really¡­ I¡¯m telling you the truth. I don¡¯t like him. I think¡­¡± She nced over at Lin Feng, who was still arguing with An Xin, and whispered. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    She likes him. Ren Rou sighed and looked at her friend, worried. Aww, Tang Tang. She knew how much Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng hung out together. The whole esports team knew, and they¡¯d all supported the two. The two seemed like they¡¯d make a great couple. But that was then and this was now. She looked over at An Xin, who was raging at Lin Feng, only short of getting ready to beat him to a pulp. Those two¡­ Why did it have to turn out like this? There was a chemistry between Lin Feng and An Xin that wasn¡¯t there between Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao. They could all see it, even Tang Bingyao. Ren Rou turned back to Tang Bingyao and asked, whispering, ¡°Did you tell him? Does he know that you like him?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nced over at Lin Feng again. He was still talking with An Xin. I didn¡¯t tell him. I wanted to tell him... She looked back down at her shoes and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Ren Rou nodded. Tang Bingyao is quiet and Lin Feng is oblivious. Go figure. She would have to somehow get herself to spell the words out for him, or he won¡¯t get it. He won¡¯t get it, will he¡­ She looked at Tang Bingyao. She looks so nervous. Ren Rou smiled and put her hand on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tang Bingyao said. ¡°She¡¯s just¡­ better.¡± She pursed her lips and shook her head. Bunbun is prettier, a better coach, has more of a personality¡­ She has everything I don¡¯t have. How can Lin Feng ever like me when she¡¯s around? She¡¯s so much better than me¡­ Thest few words came out of nowhere. She hadn¡¯t thought of them before, not that bluntly anyways. But now she had. And it tore her heart apart. They hurt so much that she felt like crying, only she didn¡¯t. She bit down hard on her lips and then said, again, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Ren Rou didn¡¯t say anything. She didn¡¯t know what to say. So she hugged her friend. She took Tang Bingyao in her embrace and pulled her as close as she could. There was nothing else she could think of tofort Tang Bingyao. They¡¯d been good friends for thest two years. She knew Tang Bingyao better than most. She knew how simple and pure Tang Bingyao was, and how she¡¯d never shown more than a moment of interest in a guy. Until Lin Feng. She was different around him. A little more alive. Her first real crush. It¡¯s going to break her¡­ Ren Rou pulled Tang Bingyao even closer, a deep frown on her face as she nced over at Lin Feng. Does he feel the same for her? It doesn¡¯t look like it...

    ?

    Ren Rou had been worried for Tang Bingyao, but it seemed there was nothing to worry about. Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t suffering from a broken heart. At least, it didn¡¯t look like that. She came to school the same as always, and she trained with the esports team, again, the same as always. In fact, she was ying with more focus than before and it was showing. She was makingrge strides forward and bing a better yer every next day. So much so, that An Xincked the supetives for her.

    ¡°Tang Tang is the best! She¡¯s improving the fastest out of all of you!¡± ¡°Tang Tang is so diligent and hardworking! You guys need to be more like her!¡± ¡°You guys could learn a thing or two from her.¡±

    The guys were tired of hearing this from An Xin. She sounded like a broken record, though she waspletely right. Tang Bingyao was doing better than them, much better. They weren¡¯t blind. They saw it too! But that just made it that much worse. They shook their heads and half-heartedly answered back, ¡°Yeah, yeah. We get it¡­¡±

    That, of course, was the wrong answer. An Xin smiled that smile of hers. Her lips curved up and almost seemed to reach her ears. Yet her eyes weren¡¯t joyful. There was pleasure in them, but then there was also something else. It wasn¡¯t anger. She wasn¡¯t angry, she was strict. And she didn¡¯t allow anyziness. ¡°Hmm? Did I mishear? You guys didn¡¯t sound like you took my words seriously just now.¡±

    Be it Yang Fan or Ouyang, all the boys on the team straightened their backs and nodded, hastily. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We were wrong. It won¡¯t happen again. Sorry, BunBun.¡± They were scared of her. Genuinely scared. So they did as she asked. They watched Tang Bingyao practice and tried their best to imitate her.

    An Xin smiled, satisfied, and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡±

    ?

    It wasn¡¯t only High School 13 that was quickly improving. Su Xue was seeing simr sesses, though hers were in the direction of recording gamey. Lin Feng had been busy with the Semifinals matching up, so he hadn¡¯t had as much free time to spare for her. So, she ended up ying some games by herself on the Korean server. It was a huge sess. She yed ad-carry, like she always did. One game in particr stood out. She yed Jinx and got two triple kills and even scored a quadra kill! Her score was just short of Legendary! This was more than enough for a good video.

    ¡°This is it!¡± Su Xue cried out, pping down on her desk in excitement. It was only a game in Gold. There were manymentary videos featuring Gold games. It only had one quadra kill. There were manymentary videos featuring quadra kills and even pentakills. But this was her work. She¡¯d given it her all and created something that she could be proud of! Besides, the gamey was only one aspect of amentary video. Perhaps the more important aspect was thementary itself. That was where she could really set herself apart from the rest.

    Su Xue had made several videos by now and tried to make a good and enjoyablementary for them. But she always felt that something wasn¡¯t quite right. Something felt wrong, or missing. She didn¡¯t know what it was, until this video. This was her own gamey. She knew exactly what she intended to do in every y, and she was excited to share that with everyone who wanted to listen to it. That was that missing factor. The excitement in her voice as she gave thementary. It brought her videos alive and to that next level. Lin Feng agreed with her as did the few viewers she showed an early cut of her video to. Now, it was all up to Zuo You to work her magic and make this video really good.

    ?

    Early on Thursday, during one of the breaks, Ren Rou got called to Mr. Zhou¡¯s office. He was in charge of the school¡¯s clubs. Ren Rou had gone to him before to talk about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and if they could get the school¡¯s help to invite students toe and cheer them on. Back then, he promised to discuss it with the principal. Now he had good news to share with her. The principal was very impressed with the recent achievements and promised that if the esports club made it to the Finals, he would make a school-wide announcement encouraging students to go and cheer the team on.

    ¡°An esports tournament is still a tournament. We don¡¯t care that it starts with an ¡®e¡¯,¡± ¡°You¡¯re representing our school, and we¡¯re proud of how far you¡¯vee already.¡± "Do your best and I hope to see you guys make it to the Finals.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get that trophy!¡±

    The school officials could help get more students to go and watch the games, but that didn¡¯t mean no one knew about it. In fact, there was a constant buzz in the hallways of High School 13. Everyone was talking about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They were one of the top four esports schools in all of Shanghai! This was a massive achievement, something they never knew they cared so much about until now. But they did! The team members became overnight celebrities. Students pointed them out and some even approached them, congratting them and wishing them all the luck in their next game.

    "Aren¡¯t you Ouyang? You¡¯re on the esports team, right? Good luck man! We¡¯re rooting for you!¡± ¡°Hey! Liu Yue! I heard about the esports tournament! Good job man! You¡¯re ying Friday, right?¡± ¡°Look, look! That¡¯s Tang Bingyao. She¡¯s on the esports team! Good luck, Tang Bingyao! Do your best!¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s Chen Ze! He¡¯s the Toner! You can win this, Chen Ze! We¡¯re cheering for you!¡±

    It was a little strange and difficult to get used to this new fame for the members of the esports team. But beyond the cringe and added pressure, they felt happy and proud. They¡¯d done something great and were getting the recognition for it! Their peers were looking up to them! This was an incredible feeling. It ignited their already strong desire to make it to the Finals as every minute of their day became upied with League of Legends. They trained and practiced and theorized and did everything they possibly could to prepare for the match, right up until thest moment.

    The team trained untilter than normal on Thursday. This was theirst chance to get some practice in before the game. But they also needed to sleep, or they wouldn¡¯t be in the optimal mental state for the series against Shanghai International. So they eventually ended practice and went home to get a good night¡¯s rest.

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked home together, as they always did. They walked in silence, listening to the sounds of the cars and the passersby. Then Lin Feng looked up at the starry sky. He smiled. Heughed. And then he screamed out, ¡°WE¡¯LL WIN FOR SUUUUUUURREEEEE!¡±

    Tang Bingyao recoiled, caught off guard by the sudden scream. Then she smiled and balled her fist. She pumped the air, imitating Lin Feng¡¯s victory pose, and said, ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll win!¡±

    ?

    An Xin walked out onto the balcony of her apartment in Pudong. She put her arms on the railing and rested her head on them. The sounds of cars and the buzz of people sounded out in the background, with the asional police siren. She looked up at the sky, though the lights around her made it hard to make out the stars. Her hair fluttered in the wind as a cold wind blew past. This fall was cold. Hmm¡­

    An Xin stood up straight and hugged her jacket tightly, looking over in a particr direction. She smiled a happy smile. It almost looked wrong on her. Hmm. She thought of thoughts that were her thoughts, and hers alone. They would never leave her mind. But these thoughts made her happy. Content. Excited for what was toe.

 Chapter 180: Principal Empty Words

    The day of redemption had arrived. It was Friday. Tonight, High School 13 would face off against Shanghai International for the first time since the incident. Ouyang still had shbacks of what happenedst year, as did Yang Fan and the others involved. But this year was different. They¡¯d upgraded several key positions, most notably mid and ad-carry. On top of that, they now had a real coach. They were nothing like the team that participated in the tournamentst year, and they were eager to show how far they¡¯de. Tonight would be the night of Shanghai International¡¯s demise!

    The Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament on Friday were only the start of a weekend packed with action. As early as the next day were the Finals. The trophy that Ouyang wanted so badly was up for grabs. They just had to get there and take it. And then,ter on that very same day, were the Grand Finals for the League of Legends World Championships! They would get to watch the best teams in the world, featuring the best yers in the world, face off against each other in an epic best of 5 series! It promised to be an exciting weekend full of League of Legends and fans everywhere were counting down the hours and minutes until the action would start.

    News of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament buzzed through the hallways of High School 13. Their school had made it to the Semifinals and it looked like they could go the distance! Everyone was suddenly a League of Legends fan and expert. And they were all looking forward to supporting their team! It was just unfortunate that the governing body of the school didn¡¯t share in this enthusiasm. Ren Rou had asked for their help in advertising for the event. The principal had responded through Mr. Zhou. He was impressed with the team¡¯s performance, he said. He also imed that he wanted to help the team. But, only if they made it to the Finals. There was just one small problem with that. The Finals were on Saturday, a day after the Semifinals. There was no school on Saturday. So the esports team wasn¡¯t going to get any help. Fortunately, word of mouth was a powerful tool and the news eventually made its way around the whole school.

    The ssroom that was most excited about the tournament was Senior ss 7. This was because most of the team members were in this ss. Six to be exact, including Ren Rou. They were currently enjoying their break together in the back of the ssroom, chatting about the uing series against Shanghai International.

    ¡°Just this morning there were like at least 10 people who came to ask me about the tournament!¡± Ouyang said, just about jumping from his chair in excitement. ¡°Can you guys imagine it already? There¡¯s going to be hundreds of people from our schooling to cheer us on tonight! It¡¯s going to be epic!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Everybody¡¯s looking really excited about our Semifinals match. Then again, we¡¯ve never gotten this far before. That really helps build up the hype. I also think there¡¯ll be a lot of peopleing to cheer us on tonight.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯lle to watch us win! And then tomorrow we¡¯re getting the trophy!¡± Lin Feng shouted, grinning. Then a thick, heavy booknded on his head. ¡°OW! What the¡­¡± He painfully rubbed his head, ring at An Xin.

    An Xin put the book back down on her desk, ignoring Lin Feng¡¯s pitiful re as though he didn¡¯t exist. She then turned to the others and smiled, sweet and innocent. ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to win. But it won¡¯t be easy. We have to really go for it. We need that want-to-win mentality. Shanghai International is a strong team. Don¡¯t rx. Don¡¯t get sloppy. Stick to the n and win.¡±

    ?

    The morning turned into afternoon. There was only an hour until the dismissal bell, but the students of High School 13 had long since clocked out. They were thinking about the weekend and all the things they wanted to do over the next two days. Excited conversations spilled out of every ssroom and the teachers had a hard time getting any information across. There was one subject that kepting back up, the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. It wasn¡¯t every day that a school club made it to the Semifinals of a big tournament. Everyone was excited to see if the esports team could also make it to the Finals. There were even students who decided to make it a fun night out. They¡¯d first cheer on their school, and then go out with their friends for a drink and some food.

    DING DONG DING DONG!

    It was the weekend! The students jumped up from their seats, most already having packed their bags, and raced out of the ssrooms and down the hallways. Every second counted! They had two whole days without any obligations! Among them were many who¡¯d decided to watch the esports team take on Shanghai International. They ran for the bus to make it to Pudong in time. There were only 800 seats in the venue and there was nothing worse than standing in the back too far away from therge screen to tell what was going on.

    The esports team also rushed out of their ssrooms and gathered near the exit of the school. They weren¡¯t in as much a hurry as the other students. Their seats at the tournament were reserved. It didn¡¯t matter if they were 10 minutes earlier orter. They only had to make sure that they were in the optimal condition to y, both physically and mentally.

    An Xin looked over the seven members of the team, with Ren Rou standing next to her. She smiled and said, ¡°The game is in a few hours. Put all your other worries aside. Right now, all we care about is the game. If there¡¯s anything, tell me. Besides that, let¡¯s win!¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! We¡¯re going to send those losers packin¡¯!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be so satisfying to watch them cry! Hahah!¡± ¡°Watch me kick their asses! I¡¯m going to show them just how shit they really are!¡± ¡°Mhm! Let¡¯s win!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys. It¡¯s easy. I got this.¡±

    ?

    It took longer than expected to arrive at the tournament venue in Pudong. The High School 13 esports team even had to hurry thest bit. They only had 10 minutes to spare when they finally arrived in therge hall at 6:20 PM. Here, they were briefly dazed by the turn-out. It was crowded. Packed with students, many of whom they recognized.

    Ren Rou led the esports team into the backstage area to sign in. There they met with a familiar figure. Chu Fang was personally weing the teams. Well, that was the excuse that he gave. In reality, he was here just to see Lin Feng again. Lin Feng was the most talented yer he¡¯d ever met and he wanted to grab every opportunity to build up his rtionship with Lin Feng. ¡°Hey! Lin F¡ª¡± Chu Fang fell silent. He stared at the girl standing next to Lin Feng. She had grown up and her hair was different, but he recognized her instantly. His mouth fell open, then he mumbled, ¡°BunBun?¡±

    An Xin gave a small bow and said, smiling, ¡°Hey, Chu Fang. It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±

    Chu Fang remembered An Xin as the short girl with the pigtails and sses. She didn¡¯t look anything like that anymore. But she unmistakingly looked like BunBun. He smiled and asked, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too. How are you? Last I heard you were going to school in Hangzhou. When did youe to Shanghai?¡±

    ¡°I moved here with my parentsst week,¡± An Xin exined.

    ¡°I see¡­ I guess that makes sense. And you transferred to High School 13?¡± Chu Fang said, grinning. Then he looked over at Lin Feng and shook his head. ¡°You two really are inseparable.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°She only came earlier this week. I hadn¡¯t seen her in months!¡±

    An Xin did understand what Chu Fang meant. Her face flushed red and she fired back, ¡°Haha. Very funny!¡± She paused, looked at him, and then said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like that or I¡¯ll tell Jingyi.¡±

    Chu Fang stoppedughing at the mention of that name. He stepped back, almost looking afraid. Then he put his hands up and said, ¡°Sorry, sorry! I won¡¯t joke around like that again, haha. It was in poor taste. I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t tell Jingyi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± An Xin said.

    Chu Fang looked at her again and at the people around her, then asked, ¡°You also joined High School 13¡¯s team?¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°Yep! I¡¯m their coach!¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡± Chu Fang shook his head,ughing at the absurdity of the situation. Lin Feng and BunBun are on the same team again¡­ She was the coach back then too. And he was Maple. It¡¯s been a few years, but if she¡¯s half as good as she was back then, then she¡¯s basically just as good as a coach on any professional team. Between the two of them, I doubt Shanghai International stands a chance... He sighed and said, ¡°In that case, it seems like you guys have a pretty good shot at making the Finals.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. This was his cue. He stepped forward and patted his chest. ¡°Hell yeah! We¡¯re winning tonight, and then we¡¯re winning tomorrow, and then that trophy is ours! Just you watch!¡±

    The rest of the esports team took a step back. An Xin took a step towards Lin Feng. She then grabbed him by his ear and yanked him backwards, ¡°You big idiot! We haven¡¯t even yed yet. You can dream all about the trophy after we win it. Until then, you focus.¡±

    ¡°OW! But we¡¯ll win! I know it! Watch¡ª Owow! Bunbun! Why do you have to¡ª Ow!¡± Lin Feng cried out as he followed after An Xin while trying to pull free from her iron grasp.

    The clock struck 6:30 PM. An Xin let go of Lin Feng. They had to focus. The other members of the esports team looked into the venue. The stands were packed. There were more people than there were seats, so many of them had to stand in the isles or at the far back, too far away to get a good look at therge screen above the stage. People were talking excitedly about the games, while some would asionally shout their team¡¯s name through the venue. This was quickly drowned out by the rival school chanting their own name. The venue came to life. The Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was officially beginning!

 Chapter 181: Crush! Kill! Destroy!

    ¡°For our first match in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, we have Tonji Affiliated High versus Shanghai High School!¡±

    The first Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinal was about to begin. Both teams stepped up onto stage, while the host announced the individual yers. Shouts and cheers came from a quarter of the crowd, while the rest were booing. It was a fun contest to see which school had brought with them the biggest crowd. The yers from both teams sat down behind theirputers, waving at the crowd and preparing for the uing best of five series. They were only three games from making it to the Finals!

    The esports team from High School 13 was backstage, looking out onto the crowd. Ren Rou scanned over the students from High School 13 who¡¯de to watch and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a nice crowd,¡± she said. ¡°I recognize some people from our school. I think more wille after this first series is finished. There should be more room then.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Tonji and Shanghai High School are both really strong teams. They should both be able to take this series. I¡¯m thinking this will be a very close match-up. I wonder who¡¯ll win it.¡±

    ¡°Probably Shanghai High School,¡± Ouyang answered, almost bored. ¡°They wonst year and their individual members are just better. Watch them destroy Tonji.¡±

    Wei Dong nodded and added, ¡°Yeah. Shanghai High School has Zeng Rui. A top 10 Challenger who specializes in strategies and shotcalling. It¡¯s almost unfair that he¡¯s allowed to participate. I wish I could be anywhere near as good¡­¡± He¡¯d been therest year, watching the Finals between Shanghai High School and Shanghai International. More specifically, he watched the two Supports. As a Support himself, he hoped to learn a thing or two from them and improve his own game. But he wasn¡¯t prepared for what came to pass. Zeng Rui carried his team with perfect strategies and even better shotcalling. Every ward ced by him proved useful. Every y initiated by him ended in a win. Everything he did helped his team get closer to victory, until they won.

    Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. BunBun is a way better strategist than that Zeng Rui! And she¡¯s also a better shotcaller! BunBun is better in every way!¡±

    Perhaps for the first time, An Xin didn¡¯t re at Lin Feng. She didn¡¯t hit him on the head with a book or pulled him by the ear. She smiled, kindly, and brushed her hair behind her ear. ¡°Yup! I¡¯m better than whoever that guy is. Our strategy will be a lot better. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about that. Just y your best!¡±

    ?

    It all happened so fast. The crowd was stunned speechless, as were the organizers. Tonji Affiliated High versus Shanghai High School was supposed to be a thriller of a series. Both teams were highly regarded and strong rivals. But the games weren¡¯t all that fun to watch for the neutral fan. Shanghai High School won easily. They showed everyone just how much better they were than their directpetition. It was a clean sweep. 3 - 0. The longest gamested for 28 minutes, while the shortest only took 21 minutes. There was no ir to it, no amazing or beautiful skills. It was the raw skill of a master strategist. Zeng Rui hadpletely outyed Tonji Affiliated High before the games even started.

    The yers from Tonji Affiliated High sat in their chairs, staring at the post game lobby. Three losses. They hadn¡¯t stood a chance. The yers from Shanghai High School walked up to them for the customary shaking of hands at the end of a game. The crowd started cheering in the background, a painful reminder of all the students from their school who¡¯d watched them y just now. They felt numb. This wasn¡¯t how they pictured this night would go. They could hear the yers from Shanghai High Schoolughing and joking. Those guys were happy¡­

    Shanghai High School¡¯s team gathered at the center of the stage. The crowd was pping and cheering for them. They recognized ssmates and friends and waved in their direction. They started pping themselves and then made a bow towards the audience, thanking them for their support. Then they walked down the stage,ughing and congratting each other on a game well yed. Except for Zeng Rui. He didn¡¯t join in with the rest of this team. Rather, he trailed behind them, calm as ever. Tonji Affiliated High was never their opponent. He knew that. This win meant nothing to him.

    Chu Fang weed both teams backstage and congratted Shanghai High School on their ster performance. He said some pleasantries to them and didn¡¯t forget to add that he felt they were even better thanst year. Thisst part was especially true. The Shanghai High School of this year looked almost unbeatable. Zeng Rui had taken that next step sincest year, and was looking more and more like a real professional yer. He was exactly the kind of talent that the LPL desperately needed. If this wasst week, I would¡¯ve said you guys would win¡­ Chu Fang looked at High School 13¡¯s team that sat below the stage some distance away. But with those two here¡­ He smiled and mumbled under his breath, ¡°With those two here, I¡¯m not so sure anymore.¡±

    ?

    The mood in High School 13¡¯s team had dampened some. An Xin¡¯s arrival had given them the confidence that they could take on Shanghai International. This was an opponent who went toe-to-toe with Shanghai High Schoolst year. But that was then and this was now. They¡¯d just watched Shanghai High School. That team was good. It was far better than they¡¯d ever expected. That pressure that they¡¯d escaped from came back, weighing down on them. Their confidence took a nosedive.

    Chen Ze muttered, dazed, ¡°So that¡¯s Shanghai High School¡­ Damn.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. Their botne is really good. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re strong enough to take them on.¡± She wasn¡¯t talking down on herself, orcking confidence. She knew how good she was, and she¡¯d just seen how good Zeng Rui and his ad-carry were. They were better. It was that simple. She became better every day, both individually and in her synergy with Wei Dong, but it was far from enough to beat Shanghai High School. Zeng Rui was really good.

    An Xin looked in the direction of the backstage area, where Shanghai High School had just disappeared to, thinking. Then she looked at the others and said, ¡°Yup. They¡¯re better than I expected. I¡¯ll have to go over my strategy for the Finals again and make some changes.¡±

    Lin Fengughed, unconcerned, and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine! We¡¯ll win anyway! It doesn¡¯t matter how good their Support guy is, you¡¯re better at strategizing! We¡¯re going to win!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng, her lips curving up into that terrifying smile. ¡°You idiot,¡± she said, raising her arm, scaring Lin Feng. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple!¡± Then she rubbed her chin, thinking. But a few momentster she shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s forter. Our game is starting soon. Let¡¯s get ready for that.¡±

    ¡°For our second match in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, we have High School 13 versus Shanghai International!¡±

    As if on cue, the host announced the second match. The yers from High School 13 stood up from their seats and were about to walk towards the stage, when they noticed something from the corners of their eyes. Further down the row, the yers from Shanghai International also got up from their seats. They looked at Ouyang and Ren Rou, recalling what happened a week ago. They¡¯d exchanged some banter, until Chu Fang came running over. Against all their expectations, Chu Fang didn¡¯te for them.

    Liu Zhengjie red at the kid behind Ouyang. He couldn¡¯t even remember the name. But he did remember how Chu Fang greeted that kid. How Chu Fang pushed him aside to get to that kid. How Chu Fang had dared to ignore him! That god fucking shithead! I¡¯ll fucking strangle him! He felt the angering right back to him. I¡¯ll show you how shit they are! They¡¯re trash! I¡¯ll kick them down! He sneered at the yers from High School 13, then put his finger on his neck and drew a sharp line, mouthing, ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±

    Ren Rou put her arm around Ouyang, holding him back before he could try anything. Which he did. He raised his fists and shouted, ¡°Let me go, Rou Rou! That fucker! We need to teach him a lesson! Last week clearly wasn¡¯t enough for him! He wants some more! Just let me punch that stupid grin off his face!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Ouyang. It¡¯s not worth it. Let¡¯s beat him in the game,¡± Ren Rou said, trying desperately to calm him down, but to little sess.

    ¡°They do seem a bit full of themselves,¡± An Xin mumbled. ¡°Well, since that¡¯s the case¡­¡± She turned to the team with that same smile on her face that she had when Lin Feng said something stupid again. That smile that looked like anything but a smile. That smile that sent a shiver running up and down the spine. She said, ¡°I expect a clean sweep. Kick them down! And then kick some more! Don¡¯t let them get back up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s win this game! It¡¯s going to be super easy!¡± Lin Feng cheered, striking his victory pose.

 Chapter 182: Ah, Lifeâ€™s Little Surprises!

    The host of the Semifinals announced the individual yers of High School 13 and Shanghai International as they made their way up the stage. Lin Feng was enjoying the cheering crowd, waving to them andughing. The rest of his team was a little bit more nervous, focused on their rivals on the other side of the stage. Those rivals, the yers from Shanghai International, weren¡¯t smiling orughing. They were calm, aloof. High School 13 wasn¡¯t their opponent. There was no reason to get excited for this series. They would blitzkrieg their way to the Finals.

    High School 13 was a fairly average school. Their clubs never made it far in the big tournaments, regardless of the sport. The recent achievements by the esports club were an exception. That made it so much more remarkable. The students had been talking about it all week, and arge number of them hade to cheer their team on. They wanted to be that 6th member of the team and give their club that extra boost of motivation by cheering as loudly as they could.

    ¡°High School 13! High School 13! It¡¯s all skill! No luck! Skill!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to the Finals! We¡¯re going to the Finals!¡± ¡°I love you, Lin Feng!¡± ¡°Tang Bingyao is the best ad-carry! Liu Zhengjie is a noob!¡± ¡°We¡¯re the best! Rock on, Ouyang!¡± ¡°Show those guys from Shanghai International who¡¯s Boss!¡±

    The students from High School 13 kept cheering at the top of their lungs, uncaring of the looks and nces from the people in the crowd. They didn¡¯t care what others thought about them. They were here to support their team, and supporting them was exactly what they would do! In stark contrast, the students from Shanghai International were much more reserved. They believed that their team was far superior to High School 13. There was no need to cheer, or show their support. Their team would win. They were just here to watch it happen. And in that frame of mind, the cheers from High School 13¡¯s students were more than a little annoying.

    ¡°What is wrong with those idiots? Can¡¯t they shut up?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. Fucking country bumpkins.¡± ¡°So excited over making it to the Semifinals. I¡¯d almost feel bad for them¡­¡± ¡°Haha. Can you imagine? Losing to them? What a joke!¡± ¡°Right? You know, if they win, I¡¯ll eat my shoe!¡± ¡°Haha! How did these idiots even make it to the Semifinals? Did they get an easy draw or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all luck. They¡¯ve got the easy opponent in every round. I¡¯m thinking it might be rigged.¡± ¡°None of that matters. Now we have an easy way to the Finals.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Shanghai High School found their seats in the special viewing area right below the stage. They sat down and watched High School 13 and Shanghai International get ready for the match. The ad-carry turned to his teammates sitting next to him and said, ¡°Shanghai International is winning this one, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably, yeah¡­¡± the Jungler said. Then he thought of something and added, ¡°So that¡¯s another repeat ofst year. It¡¯s gonna be us versus them in the Finals again¡­ Kinda boring to be honest.¡± He rxed back in his chair, putting his feet up on the railing in front of him.

    ¡°Does it really matter?¡± the Toner asked. He shook his head and grinned, apathetic about the oue. ¡°We¡¯re going to win regardless of who we y against. Neither team has anything on us.¡±

    Zeng Rui listened to his teammates talk, but didn¡¯t join in. It was a pointless discussion, in his opinion. He¡¯d watched both teams y and analyzed them. Shanghai International was the better team. They would make it to the Finals and High School 13 would lose. He looked up at the stage and the yers on both teams. Shanghai International has the same team as always. As expected. High School 13 has¡­ He blinked his eyes and took a second look. Who is she? He hadn¡¯t even seen who the yers were before his eyes were drawn to the girl pacing back and forth behind the team. Did they get a coach?

    ?

    ¡°On the Blue Team, we have High School 13! And on the Red Team, we have Shanghai International!¡±

    The host riled up the crowd one more time as the two teams entered Champion Select. It was the start of the game! First was the banning phase. Both teams could ban three Champions. There were no big surprises here. They banned six Champions who were very strong in the current meta, like Darius and Hecarim. Then High School 13 was the first to lock in a Champion. They chose Jarvan IV. He was a strong Jungler and a rtively safe choice. There were no Champions who couldpletely shut him down purely based on their kits. It woulde down to skill.

    Shanghai International picked the next two Champions. They went with the same tactic as High School 13 by picking two safe choices. Their Champions were Lee Sin, a great Jungler, and Leona who was a strong Support.

    The next two Champions would be selected by High School 13. There was a brief discussion going on, leaving the crowd waiting. Then, they locked in Annie and Draven. This pick provoked gasps from the crowd. Draven was an aggressive Champion. He was very strong once he got going, but until then, Shanghai International had every chance to shut him down, especially when he got picked so early in Champion Select. But that wasn¡¯t how the lively crowd from High School 13 saw it. They knew about Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven. The video of her match against Senior ss 8 had been passed around the school all week. Her Draven was phenomenal! She was going to carry the team to a win!

    Yan Liang was Shanghai International¡¯s Miner and team captain. He¡¯d done his research and wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised when he saw the Draven pick. But there was still a frown on his face. ¡°Annie?¡± he muttered. That pick had caught him off guard. He¡¯d done his research. He knew which yer favoured which Champions. But Annie wasn¡¯t on that list. Where is she going? Annie could be yed almost everywhere. But in the current meta, she was mostly yed in Support and sometimes in the topne. That didn¡¯t change the fact she was a mage who could go into midne or even jungle.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be Support Annie for sure,¡± Liu Zhengjie said, distracting Yan Liang from his thoughts. He sneered, condescendingly, and said, ¡°Annie and Draven, huh? That¡¯s some big damage early game. I can see what they¡¯re trying to go for. But it won¡¯t work. Not against me.¡± He grinned, confident. It doesn¡¯t matter what they try. I¡¯m half a pro. They can¡¯t beat me.

    Yan Liang nced over at Liu Zhengjie and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. That should be it. Sivir has a spellshield, pick her. Let¡¯s make that Annie useless.¡±

    Shanghai International locked in Sivir and Twisted Fate. Sivir was an ad-carry with a Spell Shield. This was a barrier that blocked damage, but also crowd control. Annie was a Champion with powerful crowd control, so Sivir was the obvious pick. As for Twisted Fate. He was a mage with a lot of map pressure. That could only work in Shanghai International¡¯s favour. His map-wide teleports could change the dynamic of any teamfight! Yan Liang had thought of all of this and then some more. If I team up with Lee, we can get a few early ganks in bot and make the Annie and Draven useless, hehe.

    However, all the ns that Shanghai International had made in thest couple of seconds were thrown right out the window again. It turned out that the Annie wasn¡¯t a Support, not in this game at least. High School 13 locked in their fourth and fifth Champion. Braum and Malphite. Braum was a Support and Malphite was a Toner. That could only mean that Annie was going in the midne.

    Right below the stage, Shanghai High School was watching the Champion Select. Including Zeng Rui. The initial disinterest from his face disappeared without a trace, reced by a hint of surprise. He looked at the girl who was still pacing back and forth behind High School 13¡¯s team. Did she n this? He tried to read the expression on her face. But she wasn¡¯t looking in his direction, so he couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°That was clever,¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Yan Liang cursed. They were wrong. Their whole n had copsed. And worst of all, Annie was really strong against Twisted Fate. Shit! How did we not see thising? He grinded his teeth, looking at the Champion icon of his Twisted Fate. No one ys her in mid anymore. Why¡­ It made no sense to him. Annie was a powerful Support and she paired well together with Draven. She was supposed to go Support! ¡°Shit!¡±

    In stark contrast to the frustrated Yan Liang, Lin Feng had that familiar wide grin on his face. It was abination of confidence and joy. This was the oue he¡¯d been hoping for. It felt so good when Yan Liang locked in that Twisted Fate. It secured his win. He looked over his shoulder at An Xin and said, ¡°This is fun!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Yep. They fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.¡± The strategy she¡¯de up with was pretty simple and straightforward. She yed Shanghai International a fool in the Champion Select, forcing a favourable match-up for the Annie. Lin Feng would y her in mid. He was good, and a fed Annie was really strong. Together with Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven, they¡¯d be a menace in the early game, while the other three Champions would shine in the mid game. This was because of their ultimates that had very strong crowd control effects. That would give Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao enough time to ace Shanghai International. As for thete game, well, as An Xin had put it, ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±

    Shanghai International hesitated with their fifth pick. Their whole teamposition didn¡¯t make sense anymore, and they were trying toe up with an alternative method. But they had alreadymitted. It was toote to make any substantial changes. So they ended up going with Fiora, a strong topne Champion.

    An Xin was happy. Her n had worked. Now it was up to the team to win. She walked towards the steps leading down the stage, then paused. She turned around and looked at her team. ¡°You can do it, guys. Crush them!¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah! No worries! We¡¯ll win this, easy!¡± Lin Fengughed, confident.

    Tang Bingyao nodded, smiling, and said, ¡°Mhm, leave bot to us.¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Lin Feng took a deep, long breath. The grin disappeared from his face. It was reced by an expression that looked calm, yet determined. He ced his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. His eighth grader syndrome red. He mumbled in a voice only audible to him, ¡°You wanna y too? It¡¯ll be fun!¡± There was no more rut. No more frustrations at his own inabilities. No more struggling. An Xin had taken care of all of that with her arrival. He was free. Right now, there was only him and Annie. Everything else around him disappeared. The venue. The crowd and the noise they made. The teammates sitting next to him. He smiled and made his best Annie imitation, saying, ¡°y time!¡±

 Chapter 183: Cornered Rats; Fight or Fligh

    It was Lin Feng on Annie versus Yan Liang on Twisted Fate in the midne! Both Miners bought their starting items from the fountain shop and then started making their way intone. Twisted Fate was on the Red Team. He was a Champion that wasn¡¯t very strong inne, especially not in the early game. His main objective was to farm and reach Level 6 as quickly as possible. Then his Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill would unlock¡ªDestiny! A unique ultimate that blew the fog of war away and gave himplete vision on the map, while also allowing him to teleport instantly to any point within arge radius. He was essentially a card-flipping ninja assassin who exerted constant pressure on everyne and every enemy Champion. Because when Twisted Fate had a winning hand, he¡¯de in out of nowhere to throw it out for the kill. This sleight-of-hand made him the ace in his team¡¯s sleeve. Annie, on the other hand, was a blunt hammerpared to Twisted Fate¡¯s finesse. She had some of the highest burst damage in the game, which made her very strong in the earlyning phase. ¡°Push. Pressure. Kill.¡± That was her mantra.

    Yan Liang knew this. He was aware of how screwed he was if this Annie was any good. But, he was a Master on the Ionia server. He was one of the best solo queue Miners in all of China. And Twisted Fate was one of his favourite Champions. So he didn¡¯t see a need to worry. He figured that with his skill, holdingne and not giving too much away would be easy. He¡¯d do this until he hit Level 6. That¡¯s when ytime would end. Or start. Depending on how you looked at it. I¡¯ll show you¡­ the power of a true Super Saiyajin!

    Unfortunately for poor Yan Liang, this game was going in a way that made him Hercule instead of the Prince of All Saiyajins. What the hell¡­ His opponent knew how to y Annie. Fuck! The Annie skipped right over the pushing part and started straight pressuring his Twisted Fate. Fuck! She abused her long range to alternate betweenst hitting every Red minion and getting in some damage on him. Fuck! Then, whenever Disintegrate came off cooldown, she hurled a mana infused fireball at him. Dammit! He bit down hard on his lips, trying to get somest hits of his own. But she kept attacking him. Nearly half of his health was gone already. Shit! She¡¯s so damn aggro!

    Lin Feng was ying very aggressively. That was how he would win thisne. He would never let Yan Liang find any room to maneuver around, or give him any opportunity to just farm minions for a couple of minutes. This was because the further behind Twisted Fate fell before he reached Level 6, the lower his impact would be when he could use his ultimate skill. So Lin Feng clicked on the Twisted Fate, having his Annie fire off an auto attack. Then he pressed on his Q key¨CDisintegrate! His Annie fired off another mana infused fireball, while the minions were slowly pushing towards Red Team¡¯s outer tower. He was onlyst hitting the minions, but that was enough to build up a bigger wave that started pushing.

    Yan Liang used a health potion, but it only kept his Twisted Fate at around half health. He could see the minion wave. There was so much gold and experience in it¡­ Dammit! I can¡¯t lose this wave to the tower! Should I just recall now? Or stay¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure. The first option forced him to use his Teleport, while the second could see him killed. He inched forward, indecisive, andst hit a minion. That was definitely the wrong choice. The Jarvan IV from High School 13 came running out of the brush above midne and dashed towards him with a g-tossbo.

    FUCK! Yan Liang cursed as he mmed down on his F key¨Csh! His Twisted Fate disappeared with a mottled sh of light, dodging the knock up from Jarvan IV and escaping certain death. The minions were marching towards his tower. The Annie was with them. She hurled another mana infused fireball at him¨CDisintegrate! His health was sliding down to critical levels. He had no more health potions. There was a massive wave of minions on his doorsteps. Yan Liang gritted his teeth. He knew what he had to do. And he hated it. He hated what it represented. The Miner from High School 13 had forced him, a Master on the Ionia server, out ofne. He walked behind his outer tower, out of range from the Annie, and recalled back to base.

    Yan Liang looked up from his screen and across the stage at the yers from High School 13. There, right in the middle, sat Lin Feng. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Yan Liang cursed. That stupid idiot with that stupid grin on his face and that stupid, stupid stupid¡­ I¡¯m a Master! He pressed down on the D key¨CTeleport! A radiance lit up around the outer tower in midne and his Twisted Fate arrived back inne a momentter. The minion wave was still there. Only a couple had died to his outer tower so far. But this early in the game, a couple of minions was worth a lot. And being forced to blow both Summoner Spells and recall back to base were basically adding insult to injury.

    Midne was lost. Yan Liang knew it, though admitting it was still difficult. But his sh was on cooldown. He had to y carefully, or he¡¯d be giving away kills. And that was never good. Whatever. We still got Liu Zhengjie. He nced over at his ad-carry. Liu Zhengjie was the best yer on their team. He was the real carry. He can do it. I¡¯ll just focus on keeping this Annie inne. His n had changed. There was no longer the goal of roaming around the map, picking up kills and pushing for a quick win. His Twisted Fate had fallen behind. The Annie wouldn¡¯t let him roam around the map. But what he could do was keep the Annie upied. Like this, Liu Zhengjie would have the time he needed to get strong enough to ughter this Annie! He¡¯s just ying against a girl anyway. Girls are terrible yers. And Draven? Hah. Who does she think she is? This¡¯ll be easy.

    ?

    It was apletely different game in botne than it was in midne. Liu Zhengjie showed everyone why he was the star yer of the team. Why he was being scouted by professional teams. Without the help of his Support Leona, he was pushing thene towards High School 13¡¯s outer tower. Tang Bingyao yed Draven. He was an extremely powerful Champion, especially when dueling. She also had the support of Braum, who had strong crowd control and high health. Yet the both of them couldn¡¯tnd the skills or get the position to pressure Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Sivir. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When Tang Bingyao tried tost hit a minion, Liu Zhengjie pressed down on his Q key, smiling. His Sivir hurled her crossde like a boomerang. It cut through the Draven on the way forward, and then again on the way back. Liu Zhengjie grinned. Yeah, take that! Bitch! Fucking idiots recing their ad-carry with a girl! Heh. It¡¯s like they want to lose! Let me help them with that, heheh!

    Wei Dong pushed forward. Sivir had just hurled her crossde. She couldn¡¯t move for a short moment. But he was already toote. Still, he pressed the Q key¨CWinter¡¯s Bite! His Braum propelled freezing ice from his shield in a straight line. The Sivir dodged it. It was as if she knew it wasing. Then she turned her attention to Wei Dong. He¡¯d ran forward, past his minions, to get the angle for this skillshot. If the skill had hit, there was nothing to worry about. But now he was caught out of position, and this Sivir knew how to punish him for it. She hit him with her auto attacks, again and again until he¡¯d finally retreated back under his own outer tower. It was fortunate that he was ying a defensive Champion with a lot of health, or this single exchange would¡¯ve seen his health go down to critical levels, assuming he wouldn¡¯t be forced to sh away.

    Mhm. He¡¯s really good. Tang Bingyao focused on her screen. She needed to catch the axes. But Liu Zhengjie could also see where the axes wouldnd. He knew where to put pressure, and when. And he was doing just that. This was something she hadn¡¯t experienced since Lin Feng started teaching her. But Liu Zhengjie was a genuine Master of the game. She couldn¡¯t remember thest time she yed against someone this good. Maybe that time when Lin Feng and I just started ying together¡­ But this slight setback didn¡¯t demotivate her. If anything, it only made her want to try harder! I have to win! I promised Lin Feng that I¡¯d take care of bot¡­ Mhm. Can¡¯t let him down.

    Liu Zhengjie pushed the minion waves under High School 13¡¯s outer tower. This was perfect for a Sivir. There was less room for Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong to maneuver, which meant it was easier to hit her skillshots. On top of that, Boomerang de had a rtively long range. And if it hit a Champion twice, it dealt serious damage. So Liu Zengjie could have his Sivir stand out of range from the tower, while still dealing damage to the Draven. That meant that Tang Bingyao had to choose between taking damage and being forced back to base early, or missingst hits. Both scenarios saw her losing gold. There was no winning here. She was already missingst hits and her health was dipping below half.

    Silent Reed and Westwind were invited once again to cast the games. They sat at their desk to the side in the venue, talking with each other while watching the game. Silent Reed listened to Westwind talking about thest few moments of the Sivir, then sighed. This was painful to watch. ¡°That Sivir is ying so good¡­¡±

    Westwind nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, Liu Zhengjie is a really good ad-carry. No wonder he¡¯s being scouted. His Sivir is insane! How is he even doing this¡­ 1vs2¡­ The Draven and Braum can barely farm under their own tower.¡± He shook his head in disbelief, then added, ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel a little bad for them.¡±

    The Leona hovered around botne. She was there, always putting that pressure without actually using any of her skills. Wei Dong watched her, apprehensive. Their health was dropping too low, while she was still at full health. He turned to Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Tang Tang, let¡¯s recall back to base. Our health is too low. That Sivir can just kill us like this, if the Leona doesn¡¯t dive us first. We¡¯re dead. We need to back now!¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on her lips. I won¡¯t lose. She nced at her minimap. Liu Yue was in their top side jungle. Too far away. She looked up at topne. Chen Ze was being pushed back towards his outer tower by the Fiora, which meant that he couldn¡¯t use his Teleport toe and help them. He¡¯d lose too much in topne if he did that just to give botne some breathing room. No. I have to do this myself. I said I¡¯d take care of bot.

    Tang Bingyao tried to get in somest hits on the minions, dodging the Sivir¡¯s attacks and trying to figure out what to do. Wei Dong talked to her. Urged her back. He always preferred the safer approach. That was just how he was. But that wasn¡¯t her ystyle. She liked to y aggressively. She wanted to fight and win. Wei Dong said something again, slightly distracting her. She shook her head and said, ¡°Uh-uhm.¡± No. We can¡¯t leavene. That will give them too much of an advantage. We have to stay. It¡¯s dangerous. But we have to stay inne and fight. If we go back, it¡¯s over. They¡¯ll hit Level 6 and¡­

    ¡°Now!¡± Tang Bingyao suddenly said. The opening was there. It presented itself to them and she pounced on it, clicking on the Leona.

    Wei Dong was a step ahead of her. The Leona had walked forward, in front of her minions and in range of the tower. He pressed down on his Q key¨CWinter¡¯s Bite! His Braum propelled freezing ice from his shield. It connected with the Leona, slowing her and more importantly applying a stack of Concussive Blows. They needed four stacks to stun her. But after the first, every next auto attack that hit her would add a stack. Three more attacks. That was all they needed!

 Chapter 184: The Girl who Played With Fire

    Shanghai International¡¯s Leona was slowed! She was right at the edge of High School 13¡¯s outer tower in botne, running away. Tang Bingyao narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, then pressed the W key¨CBlood Haste! Draven¡¯s hands lit up with a red light, increasing his attack speed. A whirlwind erupted underneath his feet, increasing his movement speed. He bolted forwards, chasing down the Leona and throwing an axe at her. It ricocheted off her, and he caught it. The second axe was already spinning through the air, striking her again. That dealt the third stack of Concussive Blows. One more to stun her. Mhm.

    ¡°Shit! I can¡¯t escape! I¡¯m going in!¡± Shanghai International¡¯s Support shouted into his microphone. He couldn¡¯t get stunned right now. It¡¯d be the death of him! The Draven would keep throwing his Spinning Axes and kill his Leona before the stun broke. So he did the only thing he could do. He hovered his mouse over the Draven and pressed down on the E key¨CZenith de! His Leona projected a sr image of her sword that pierced the Draven. Then she dashed towards him!

    Westwind was casting the game. His eyes were locked on the fight in botne. He clutched the microphone and brought it closer to his mouth, shouting, ¡°A TURNAROUND! Tha¡ª¡± His voice was caught at the back of his throat, while he finished the sentence in his head, t¡¯s Shanghai International for you! They never back out of a fight! And they always win! But those words seemed silly now.

    Silent Reed stared at therge screen above the stage, stunned into silence. It felt like the entire venue had gone quiet for a moment. Silent Reed pinched her hand, just to make sure she was awake. The pain confirmed that. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°Wow. That Draven... He actually knocked the Leona aside mid-dash! That¡¯s one way to use Stand Aside! He canceled her only gap closer! She¡¯s done for!¡±

    The crowd snapped out of their daze. Tang Bingyao had stopped the Leona from jumping on her Draven and stunning him! Her Draven was still only at half health, but this fight suddenly didn¡¯t seem all that lost anymore. So the students from High School 13 in the crowd started screaming their lungs out in joy and marvel.

    ¡°Tang Tang! We love you!¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah! Did you guys see that? Oh. My. God! She¡¯s amazing!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our Tang Tang! She¡¯s the best!¡±

    ¡°She beat me in the 1vs1 Love Confessions!¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang is the best Draven in China!¡±

    Tang Bingyao clicked to the side, repositioning her Draven away from the Sivir. Then he threw the third axe at the Leona. It connected, applying the fourth stack of Concussive Blows. The Leona was stunned for 1.25s. She couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t use her skills. She couldn¡¯t do anything but let the Draven attack her. And the Draven did just that, unimpeded. Not even the Sivir could stop him. The Braum had leaped to the Draven¡¯s side and raised an imprable shield in front of him, protecting Draven from any and all damage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Liu Zhengjie shouted into his microphone, ring at the man sitting to his left. ¡°Exhaust the Draven. Then sh and stun him!¡± He looked back at his screen, at the Draven hiding behind the Braum. You think you can beat me? Don¡¯t kid yourself. You¡¯re trash! His health bar was full and the Leona had more than enough health to survive through the stun and then some. On the other side, both the Draven and Braum were running low on health before the fight even started. If he yed this right and his Support didn¡¯t screw up, then they could still get a double kill without losing anything! With the bonus damage from Leona¡¯s passive, all I need is one good Q and a few auto¡¯s to kill that Draven¡­

    The Leona broke free from her stun with still a fair bit of health left. She directly targeted the Draven with Exhaust. A debilitating energy wrapped around him and sapped away at his strength. This was it! Shanghai International was going to win this fight after all! Liu Zhengjie started grinning, picturing the ugly expression on the girl¡¯s face when he killed her!

    ¡°Retreat! Go back! Back! Behind us!¡± a voice shouted into his ears. Liu Zhengjie sighed, annoyed. What now? sh in already! He nced down at his minimap in frustration and then paused. A brilliant blue light had descended on a ward in the bush behind them! NO! Why now?

    Westwind¡¯s voice boomed through the speakers in the venue, hyping up the crowd, ¡°TELEPORT! The Annie is teleporting behind the Sivir and Leona! High School 13 is sandwiching Shanghai International¡¯s Boners! Are they going to get the double kill? I THINK THEY ARE!¡±

    Lin Feng was pushing midne when the fight in botne started. The Twisted Fate¡¯s Summoner Spells were on cooldown, while his weren¡¯t. He knew he had to make use of this advantage. So he¡¯d panned his camera across the map, searching for an opportunity while also keeping pressure on the Twisted Fate. The fight in botne quickly presented itself to him. It was exactly what he was looking for. Wei Dong had even ced a ward in a brush along the bottom side of thene for him to Teleport to. Lin Feng had his Annie teleport to the ward, then shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, excited, ¡°COMING IN HOT! Lock ¡®em down!¡±

    The Annie appeared in botne to find the Sivir and Leona simultaneously shing away, trying to escape. She ignored the Sivir that had cast her Spell Shield and immediately attacked the Leona. Disintegrate! She hurled a mana infused fireball at the Leona. A smouldering swirl appeared around her as she did that. It was her passive skill, Pyromania! After casting four spells, her next offensive spell would stun a target. Incinerate! She set the air in front of her aze, burning minions and the Leona alike. They were all stunned.

    The Draven chased after the now immobile Leona and quickly caught up to her. He threw a Spinning Axe and caught it again after it ricocheted off the Leona. He followed up with another Spinning Axe, while the Annie started throwing fire. The Leona¡¯s health disappeared. She broke free from the stun, but that was it. Before she could take more than a couple of steps towards her own outer tower, a final Spinning Axe struck her in the back, killing her.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Nice!¡± Ren Rou cried out from below the stage. ¡°Keep it going, Tang Tang!¡±

    ¡°Serves that fucker right! HA! Show ¡®em who¡¯s boss, Tang Tang!¡± Ouyangughed, reveling in the look on Liu Zhengjie¡¯s face. ¡°Look at him! This feels so good!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses, smiling, and said, ¡°Yeah, it does.¡± Then he looked behind him at the crowd that had exploded! People were jumping up and down and screaming Tang Bingyao¡¯s name! He recognized a few faces in the crowd. They were ssmates. Then he turned back towards the stage and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting as loudly as he could, ¡°Good job, Tang Tang! You yed that perfectly!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie looked over his screen at the crowd. Pathetic. Cheering for that? Losers haven¡¯t seen anything! He bit down on his tongue and turned his attention back to his screen, pressing down on the TAB key. It showed the Champions on both teams and their stats and items. He looked at the Draven. I worked so hard on keeping him down¡­ It took more than starving a Draven of minions to shut him down. This was because of his passive, League of Draven. Every time he caught a Spinning Axe or killed a minion, monster, or tower, he gained Adoration stacks. When he killed a Champion, those stacks turned into gold. That kill on the Leona was worth so much more than just the 400 gold for First Blood. All of Liu Zhengjie¡¯s hard work was gone. The Draven was back in the game.

    ?

    While High School 13 made a y in bot and picked up First Blood, Shanghai International made a y in topne. It was a Malphite versus Fiorane. Fiora was a strong dueler, while Malphite was a walking rock. He had a lot of health, but little in terms of damage. So it wasn¡¯t very difficult for the Fiora to get the upper hand. She zoned the Malphite away from the minions, lunging at him with her rapier whenever he did try to walk in tost hit a minion. It was simr to the midne fight between Annie and Twisted Fate. Bothnes had one Champion harassing the other with arge minion wave building up. The only difference was the team applying the pressure and the colour of the minion wave.

    The Lee Sin had walked through High School 13¡¯s top side jungle and hid in the brush below the outer tower. The Malphite was stuck underneath his tower, trying desperately to getst hits on the minions before the energy shots from his tower killed them. All the while, he also had to worry about the Fiora attacking him. The only thing he forgot to do was ward. He was oblivious to the Lee Sin behind him until it was toote. The Lee Sin¡¯s attack appeared out of nowhere and the Fiora took this opportunity to lunge forward herself, both dealing lethal blows to the Malphtie. His health disappeared, and both yers from Shanghai International were out of tower range before the energy shots could kill them. It was a clean towerdive.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The Fiora picked up the kill. The Toner from Shanghai International grinned, enjoying the crowd cheering for him, and said into his microphone, ¡°Nice gank, mate!¡±

    Shanghai International¡¯s Junglerughed, ¡°Too easy. Fumbling noobs.¡±

    ?

    An Xin smiled, unconcerned. Ouyang was shifting around in his seat next to her. Ren Rou was shouting words of encouragement to the team. They can¡¯t tell. The game looked even. In fact, it looked bad for High School 13 to the untrained eye. Liu Zhengjie was a really good ad-carry and wouldn¡¯t give Tang Bingyao any breathing room, while Chen Ze was a worse yer than his opponent in topne and was now also a kill behind. This could quickly spin in Shanghai International¡¯s favour. But we¡¯re not losing bot. We¡¯re winning. And we¡¯re also winning in mid. There were no kills in mid, but Lin Feng was dominating thene. That was easy to forget when looking at the scoreboard. On top of that, it didn¡¯t matter if Chen Ze fell behind. His Malphite wasn¡¯t meant to carry the team. He was there to soak up damage andnd a good ultimate skill, which was a powerful area of effect knock up. He didn¡¯t need a lot of gold to do that.

    It doesn¡¯t really matter if the Fiora gets fed either. An Xin grinned. A fed Fiora was generally a big problem for any team. But it wasn¡¯t for the team An Xin had drafted. They had Malphite and Braum who both had an area of effect knock up. Then they had a Jarvan IV who could imprison any Champion with his ultimate. Finally, there was also Annie, who couldnd an area of effect stun. Not to mention Draven¡¯s Stand Aside. There was so much crowd control on the team, and only one of all these skills had to hit the Fiora to lock her down. Lin Feng and Tang Tang have enough damage between them to take care of the rest! So simple. This n is foolproof. She looked back up at therge screen above the stage.

    The game clock read 6 minutes when Lin Feng returned back to midne. He continued where he¡¯d left off before his trip down to botne. He started pressuring the Twisted Fate out ofne, whilest hitting every Red minion. He was really good at this spiel. The Twisted Fate was forced to hide next to his outer tower.

    Yan Liang wanted to scream, It shouldn¡¯t be like this! He was frustrated and angry. The Annie didn¡¯t have Ignite! She¡¯d gone with Teleport! She shouldn¡¯t be able to apply this much pressure on him! But she was. She confined him far behind his own outer tower and there was nothing he could do about it. Dammit! I can¡¯t even get any CS! He looked down at his experience bar. He was Level 5 and still a bit away from Level 6. He had to wait a little longer until he could start roaming around the map with his ultimate skill. Just a little longer and then I¡¯ll get back into this game! He looked over at the Annie. She should also be hitting Level 6 soon... I need to be careful. His sh was on cooldown, hers wasn¡¯t. He had to respect that. Let¡¯s back after this wave. She shouldn¡¯t hit 6 until the next one¡ª

    ¡°The Annie shed! A Level 5 engage! WHAT IS THIS!¡± Westwind cried out into his microphone, the speakers carrying his voice across the venue. The Annie was only Level 5. She still needed a bit more experience before hitting Level 6. Without her ultimate skill, she didn¡¯t have the damage to kill the Twisted Fate!

    Lin Feng hadn¡¯t made a mistake. A moment earlier, he¡¯d calcted how many more minions he needed to hit Level 6. The answer was two caster minions. There were two caster minions right next to the Twisted Fate. Then he¡¯d looked at Annie¡¯s passive skill¨CPyromania! After casting four spells, her next offensive spell would stun the target. She was at three stacks right now. Perfect. So he pressed down on the D and then the W key. His Annie shed forward and Incinerated the two caster minions in front of her. She leveled up to 6 and learned her ultimate skill. A smouldering swirl wrapped around her body. The little girl giggled as she tossed up her teddy bear into the air. ¡°Have you met my bear Tibbers?¡± she asked, innocently. Then an enormous ming bear appeared above the Twisted Fate and fell down on him, stunning him.

 Chapter 185: Loading Teamfights...

    ¡°WHAT!¡± Yan Liang blurted out. His Twisted Fate was stunned by Tibbers, Annie¡¯s teddy bear. The monster fueled by mes swiped down at the Twisted Fate with its massive ws, tearing away at his health. A mana infused fireball mmed into him. He had a sliver of health left. SHIT! NO! Not like this! Yan Liang clicked towards his own tower, but his Twisted Fate wouldn¡¯t move. The stun hadn¡¯t broken yet. Fortunately, the Annie had cast all her spells. She hit him with an auto attack and then another. But that wasn¡¯t enough to kill him before the stun broke.

    Yan Liang mmed down on his W key¨CPick a Card! Yellow! Yellow! Come on! A blue card appeared above his Twisted Fate, followed by a red card. COME ON! Then the golden card came. Yan Liang hammered down on his W key, selecting the golden card, then clicked on the Annie. STUN! The golden card whizzed through the air and struck the Annie, stunning her, while the Twisted Fate ran back towards his tower. But the Annie wasn¡¯t the main threat. She¡¯d used all her skills and could now only throw little embers at him. It was the massive teddy bear of her that was dealing all the damage! Tibbers chased him down and swiped down again with its massive ws, killing him before he could even get close to his outer tower.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Yan Liang stared at the grey screen in front of him. No. No. This stupid little girl! ...I just made a small mistake, I can still change this. We¡¯ll win. He was trying his best to calm himself down. But over the edge of his screen, he could see the crowd in the venue jumping up from their seats and cheering. They should be cheering for me. The Annie just got lucky in Champion Select¡ª He was interrupted by a cheerful voice that traveled all the way to him from the other side of the stage. ¡°Wow! Who would''ve guessed? I¡¯m really good at Annie too!¡± I¡¯m going to¡­ kill that fucker! I¡¯ll fucking show you, you little piece of, of, arggh!

    The crowd erupted! This was a solo kill! The two Miners had faced off and the Annie had won in impressive fashion! This time, it wasn''t only the students from High School 13 who jumped up from their seats, shouting and screaming. But they were the loudest.

    ¡°WOOO! Maul his ass! Maul his ass!¡±

    ¡°Fucking yes! That was¡­ AWESOME!¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that feel? Getting killed by a little girl! HAHA!¡±

    ¡°HEEYYAAAHH! Little girl beats up old man!¡±

    ¡°That y was crazy!¡±

    ¡°HOLY DAMN! That dude is good¡­¡±

    ¡°I gotta say,¡± Westwind said, his voice booming through the speakers in the venue. He waited for the crowd to quiet down, then continued, ¡°That y was probably the single most impressive y I¡¯ve seen all tournament! The Annie knew exactly when she was hitting Level 6. Impressive. Just, impressive.¡±

    Silent Reed looked over the venue from her vantage point at the caster desk and waited for the crowd¡¯s roar of approval to die down. She nodded at Westwind sitting next to her and said, smiling, ¡°You¡¯re right. That was very impressive. Yan Liang didn¡¯t know what hit him. He had no time to react! The Annie hit Level 6 mid-fight. She nned and executed it perfectly!¡±

    Everyone in the venue agreed with this sentiment, even Zeng Rui. He watched the rey on therge screen and raised an eyebrow, surprised and even a little impressed with the Annie¡¯s performance. Huh¡­ That was¡­ good? So the thundering dumbass also knows how to y mid¡­ Weird. But that was a good bait. Yan Liang fell for it hard. He paused. Analyzing games was second nature to him. He noticed when something looked wrong before he even understood why. He sat up straight and looked, really looked, at the yers from High School 13. Don¡¯t tell me, hmm¡­ If it goes on like this, High School 13 is actually going to win. This was an oue he hadn¡¯t even considered before. But now he had to ept the possibility that the Finals would see them facing High School 13, and not Shanghai International. That would be unexpected.

    ?

    Draven was a Champion that became stronger the more he fought. When he got one kill, it was the same as getting two or even three kills for other Champions, depending on how many Adoration stacks he had. This was the power of his passive. Tang Bingyao made perfect use of this. She¡¯d epted that Liu Zhengjie would push into her in the early game. She let it happen, patiently farming Adoration stacks by catching Spinning Axes andst hitting minions, until the opportunity for a kill presented itself. She went in on the Leona and got first blood, turning her Adoration stacks into gold. She used her suddenrge reserve of gold to buy an expensive item with a lot of attack damage. This gave her an edge over the Sivir and allowed her to y the style she enjoyed the most. Hyper aggressive! She flung Spinning Axes,st hitting minions and pressuring Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Sivir.

    Leona was a precarious Champion. Her kit allowed her to jump into a fight and stun Champions with a single target stun and an area of effect stun. This made her invaluable in every scenario. But, there was one condition. She needed to live long enough to get into the middle of the enemy team, which she could only do if she had enough defensive items. The flip side of her usage was that she was useless without those items. After giving away first blood, that was the direction Shanghai International¡¯s Support saw the game going. His Leona was falling behind. He needed to do something to turn this around. He had to force a y! So he pushed past the minions and searched for an opening. If I can just get Draven to use Stand Aside¡ª

    ¡°Back. Back BACK!¡± Liu Zhengjie shouted at his Support. ¡°The hell are you doing! Are you stupid? Help me freeze the fuckingne! We can¡¯t let the minions push further out or we¡¯re going to get fucking ganked again! And stop taking so much free damage. God fucking dammit!¡± Why do I always get the braindead retards! He continued grumbling, frustrated. He¡¯d carefully built up an advantage from the first exchange in the game. It all went great. They were winning thene. They were winning the game! And then, then the Annie teleported to botne. She¡¯d ruined everything! His Support died and his hard work went up in smoke. The Draven used the gold from that kill to buy his first big attack damage item, while he was forced to buy a weaker item to try and keep up.

    Draven is too strong¡­ Fuck! Liu Zhengjie gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to scream. The more he thought about the situation, the more pissed off he became. He had his Sivir attack the Draven by hurling her crossde like a boomerang, but the damage lookedckluster. It wasn¡¯t nearly as destructive as it¡¯d been a minute ago. The damage of the skill hadn¡¯t changed much, but the amount of damage the Draven dealt had. That single item made such a big difference this early in the game. It was almost impossible for Liu Zhengjie to do anything. If he took one step too far forward, the Draven could simply run up to him and kill him. So he did the only thing he could do. He farmed minions from as far away as possible and kept his mouse ready to retreat at the slightest hint of trouble. All the while he grumbled under his breath, ¡°Fucking fuck fuck! This fucking Draven girl! Go y Support like all the other girls! Dammit! This stupid shit game!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s botne was winning. Lin Feng watched them y with a wide grin on his face that seemed to say, ¡°I¡¯m really good at ganking too!¡± He turned his attention back to midne. The Twisted Fate was hiding behind the Red team¡¯s outer tower, allowing Lin Feng to farm the minions without a worry in the world. So he turned to look around the map again, a little too rxed. The Twisted Fate wasn¡¯t putting any pressure on him. He could just push and push and push. The monotony of it was distracting. He let his mind wander.

    At 8:50 minutes, Shanghai International¡¯s Lee Sin came mid for a gank. He walked down into midne from the brush in the river. The Annie didn¡¯t retreat. She threw a small ember of fire at a minion and then a mana infused fireball at the Twisted Fate. She was clueless of the danger behind her. The Lee Sin didn¡¯t need to think twice. He ced a ward behind the Annie and Safeguarded towards it. Dragon¡¯s Rage! He hit the Annie with a roundhouse kick, sending her flying backwards.

    There was a golden card above the Twisted Fate¡¯s head. The Annie flew past him andnded underneath the Red team¡¯s outer tower. He threw the golden card at her and stunned her. There were no Blue minions, so the tower targeted her and started firing off increasingly powerful energy shots. The Lee Sin hit the Annie with a Sonic Wave and then dashed towards her with Resonating Strike. All the while, the Twisted Fate kept throwing his ying cards, a next one always appearing from his sleeve.

    Ah, I¡¯m dead. Lin Feng was busy watching the othernes. He¡¯d noticed the Lee Sin far toote. He pressed down on the R key the moment the stun on his Annie wore off¨CSummon: Tibbers! His Annie willed her teddy bear to life. The small doll transformed into a frightening monster! But it was too little toote. She forced the Twisted Fate to sh away. Then she died.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Almost. Oh well,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He looked at his grey screen, at the Twisted Fate walking around with almost no health left. I probably could¡¯ve¡­ He shook his head. He¡¯d given away a kill. It was a bad y. There was no excuse. He grumbled, ¡°I got your sh, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll get you next time.¡±

    ?

    Chen Ze was struggling in the topne. He¡¯d improved a lot as a yer over thest two months, but Shanghai International¡¯s Toner was simply better. On top of that, he yed Fiora who was dubbed the Queen of Dueling. Chen Ze lost all control of hisne after giving away that first kill. The Fiora wouldn¡¯t even let his Malphite walk out from under his outer tower. Shest hit minions inne and built up arge wave. Then she pushed them into the Blue team¡¯s outer tower. The tower would kill a good number of them, further hampering the Malphite, and she could use the opportunity to dish out some damage.

    Minions were dying and Chen Ze wasn¡¯t killing them. The outer tower was. Its energy shots ripped them apart, while they were trying to destroy therge structure. All the while, the Fiora jumped in to deal some quick damage and then back out. Chen Ze gritted his teeth. He knew thisne was going to be difficult, but he never nned on losing it. His goal was to contain the Fiora. To make sure she never really got rolling. But he failed miserably. At 9 minutes in, he gave away a second kill. His health had fallen too low and the Fiora had killed him underneath his own tower.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°I should¡¯ve recalled faster,¡± Chen Ze mumbled, barely audible. He shook his head and sighed. No. That wouldn¡¯t have helped either¡­ He watched the Fiora eat another energy shot from the outer tower. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough to kill her. Uh? His eyes widened. He hadn¡¯t noticed Liu Yue running up the river until now. The Jarvan IV g-tossed towards the Fiora, knocking her Airborne. He followed up with a couple of auto attacks and killed her. ¡°Nice work, Liu Yue!¡± Chen Ze said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Shanghai International held the advantage in the topne. The Fiora was quickly bing very strong. Shanghai International also came back in midne. The kill on Lin Feng was enough to give the Twisted Fate some breathing room. High School 13 only held a clear advantage in botne. Even though both teams had 3 kills and roughly the same amount of gold, Shanghai International¡¯s most recent victories in top and mid tipped the bnce in their favour.

    ¡°That idiot¡­¡± An Xin muttered, putting her palm over her face. ¡°How many times do I have to remind him to ward? How can he make such a stupid mistake...¡± She looked up at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to ward, idiot!¡±

 Chapter 186: Adding Foreplay to the Teamfight...

    ¡°The game is looking pretty dead even,¡± Silent Reed said. She turned to Westwind, who sat next to her on the caster desk, and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Westwind nodded and said, ¡°Can¡¯t believe it, but yeah, you might be right. Three to three in kills and there¡¯s no real difference in gold. But. And this is a big but. There is so much more to a League game than statistics¡­¡± He paused for dramatic effect, making the crowd really want to hear what he had to say next. Then he continued, ¡°Like map pressure, ys, power spikes. Look at topne. The Fiora is destroying the Malphite. I don¡¯t see High School 13 stopping her.¡±

    ¡°True, true. You know, I spoke with Shanghai International¡¯s Miner backstage earlier,¡± Silent Reed said. ¡°He was pretty convinced that they were going to win this series. He was already talking about the Finals. But it looks like he¡¯s struggling in mid¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s struggling. He¡¯s ying a Twisted Fate into an Annie!¡± Westwindughed. ¡°The game would be over already if he wasn¡¯t struggling! But he isn¡¯t losing. He got the return kill and he¡¯s only going to get stronger now. The Annie needs to do something really special here if she wants to stay relevant.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t you think the Annie already is doing that?¡± Silent Reed asked. ¡°She¡¯s barely back inne and already pushing the Twisted Fate back to his tower. That is pretty special.¡±

    ¡°No doubt it¡¯s special. But¡­¡± Westwind paused, smiling. ¡°There is a big difference between special and really special. The Annie is great, but she can¡¯t stop the Twisted Fate from ulting away after he reaches Level 6¡­ Actually, you know what? Let¡¯s ask the audience!¡± He clutched the microphone and pushed it close to his mouth, then asked, ¡°What do you guys think? Let yourself be heard if you think Annie will do something really special!¡±

    There was a lull in the game. The crowd started buzzing. Then the students from High School 13 jumped up and started cheering, ¡°LIN FENG! LIN FENG! LIN FENG!¡± He was their hero! It didn¡¯t matter in whichne he yed, he always pulled off a phenomenal performance. There were even students from Tonji Affiliated High and Shanghai High School cheering.

    ¡°See?¡± Silent Reed chuckled. ¡°The crowd agrees with me. The Annie¡­ Lin Feng is doing something special!¡±

    ¡°Hold on, hold on,¡± Westwind said. He clutched the microphone a little harder and shouted, ¡°Shout as loudly as you can if you think Yan Liang will carry this game with his TWISTED FATE!¡±

    ¡°YAN LIANG! TF! TF! TF!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll win. EASY!¡±

    ¡°EASY WIN FOR TF!¡±

    ¡°YAN LIANG IS THE BEST!¡±

    ¡°SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FOR THE WIN!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHA! What is this question. High School 13 SUCKS!¡±

    ¡°EASIEST WIN OF OUR LIVES!¡±

    Westwind winked at Silent Reed, grinning. A little hyping up of the crowd was enough to make them lean one way or another. He decided who won the vote just by the way he asked the question. ¡°But,¡± he said, again pausing for a brief moment. ¡°Twisted Fate is in a weird position. If he roams, it has to be sessful, because the Annie will just take his tower. It¡¯s really a question of how well he¡¯s going to use his ultimate.¡±

    Silent Reed giggled and said, ¡°This game can go either way! You heard it here first!¡±

    Zeng Rui sat in the seating area for Shanghai High School, shaking his head. The casters had sessfully hyped up the crowd, which was their job. But their analysis was off. The few precious seconds Twisted Fate had bought himself by killing the Annie were hardly enough to get thene pressure he needed to catch back up. He was a long ways away from salvaging hisne. ¡°I don¡¯t see Yan Liang getting back into this,¡± Zeng Rui mumbled. He turned to look at Lin Feng. The thundering dumbass. He can¡¯t have thought of this¡­ Is he just following her instructions? He nced down the row of chairs to where four yers from High School 13 sat. Amongst them was a new face. Did shee up with this? The n is great. Shut the Twisted Fate down early and then transition into a very powerful mid game. In theory, that is. I doubt they have the skill to pull it off in practice.

    ?

    At 10 minutes, the game was still fairly even. There was nothing exciting happening. The crowd was watching, listening to Westwind and Silent Reed attempting to entertain. The initial surprise of seeing High School 13 going toe-to-toe with Shanghai International had worn off. They were getting bored. Their attention wavered as they looked away from therge screen and started looking at the stage and the 10 yers seated behind theirputers. There were nine guys and one girl.

    ¡°My god. I can¡¯t believe how hot she is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know right? She¡¯s a 10 outa 10!¡±

    ¡°Even behind theputer and with that big headset on, you can still tell¡­ She hawt!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d kill for a night with her¡­¡±

    ¡°So pretty and good at League¡­ She¡¯s every man¡¯s dream!¡±

    ¡°I just wanna, you know¡­ Bang bang!¡±

    It felt like everyone shut up for a brief moment, emphasizing the less than pure thoughts some students voiced. Their words traveled from the three different sections of the crowd towards where the students from High School 13 were sitting. There were some raised eyebrows, while others started arguing.

    ¡°Tang Bingyao is off limits! Watch the game.¡±

    ¡°Why do there always have to be those damn perverts?¡±

    ¡°There always have to be these stupid perverts...¡±

    ¡°They should ban these pervs from the event!¡±

    ¡°Fucking leave her alone! She¡¯s just here to y the damn game!¡±

    ¡°Horny asshats!¡±

    It was to be expected. The crowd at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was predominantly male. Amongst them, there were bound to be a couple of perverts who couldn¡¯t keep their thoughts to themselves. Tang Bingyao was beautiful. There were plenty of guys interested in her, some of whom still remembered their painful loss during the 1vs1 Love Confessions. But that didn¡¯t mean they were professing her love to her while she was participating in the Semifinals of a tournament. And they especially knew not to shout out those feelings, whether in the privacy of a ssroom or in a public venue. But not everyone felt that way.

    ¡°Horny asshats? LOOK AT HER! With those clothes, she¡¯s practically begging us to hit on her!¡±

    ¡°YEAH! She¡¯s leading us on! If you dress a whore, you are a whore!¡±

    ¡°I was just saying that I thought she looks cute¡­ What the fuck you guys piling on me for?¡±

    ¡°Whatever. All hot girls are just attention whores. That¡¯s just how it is. It¡¯s not my fault that she looks like that...¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I even say that she¡¯s the perfect girl? I¡¯m just giving her apliment!¡±

    ¡°All I hear are JEALOUS SIMPS! We all think it¡­ BANG BANG BANG!¡±

    There were more people in the crowd who turned to look at the group of perverts spread out throughout the venue, shouting and screaming their desires for a night with Tang Bingyao. They looked confused, appalled, and stunned. They couldn¡¯t believe what they were hearing. Then they shook themselves out of their daze and started arguing again.

    ¡°What is wrong with you people? Act normal. Please!¡±

    ¡°How oblivious are you guys? Stop objectifying the poor girl! She¡¯s ying a goddamn game! Let her!¡±

    ¡°Those clothes? She¡¯s wearing a sweater and jeans, for fucks sake. Those are NORMAL CLOTHES!¡±

    ¡°Can you leave her alone? We¡¯re here to watch the game! Take your disgusting shit elsewhere!¡±

    ¡°LEAVE. HER. THE. FUCK! ALONE!¡±

    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t funny, you know, right? This is sexual harassment. There¡¯s cameras everywhere. I hope you all get what you deserve.¡±

    The two sides couldn¡¯t see eye-to-eye. Both were convinced of their righteousness and wouldn¡¯t let anyone convince them otherwise. This was only further emphasized in a conversation between two students sitting next to each other.

    ¡°Do you get these idiots? How is it my fault that she looks like that? She¡¯s the one dressing up like that, doing her make-up and all that, you know? And now I can¡¯t let my eyes feast on that? That¡¯s just stupid!¡±

    ¡°Dude. Stop being a creep. You¡¯re here to watch a game. This isn¡¯t porn¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Even you? How is this my fault? She¡¯s asking for it! I¡¯m only entertaining her!¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t entertaining anyone. You¡¯re being a creep. We¡¯re here to watch the game. Stop objectifying the girl. Watch her gamey and judge her on that. You know how you¡¯re bitching on the guys for sucking at the game? Do the same for her!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a GIRL! Girls can¡¯t y games. They only make it onto a team for their looks. That¡¯s all her teammates care about.¡±

    ¡°Have you been watching this game? She¡¯s going toe-to-toe with Liu Zhengjie! How can you possibly think¡­¡±

    ¡°Right. Because she¡¯s getting all the help in the world. I¡¯m telling you, she¡¯s just there because of how she looks. That¡¯s the truth and you know it.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a damn good ad-carry, that¡¯s why she¡¯s on the team! And you¡¯d known that if you¡¯d looked away from her chest and up at therge fucking screen above the stage. I¡¯m done. Shut up.¡±

    The two sides disagreed with each other from start to finish. Everyone thought they were in the right and there was no argument that could convince them of anything else. This ended the discussion prematurely. The students felt there were more interesting things to do, like watching the game they came to see. They craned their necks to look at therge screen above the stage, which was currently giving a bird¡¯s eye view of midne.

    ?

    At 11 minutes, Yan Liang found the first opportunity to use the ultimate skill of his Twisted Fate¨CDestiny! The fog of war was blown. He had full vision of the map and fiverge eyes appeared above the Champions from High School 13. They couldn¡¯t hide from him, even if they hunkered down in a brush or went back to the fountain. Yan Liang had his Twisted Fate walk up the river toward topne, then pressed the R key again¨CGate! This was the secondary effect of his ultimate skill. It allowed him to teleport anywhere within arge area around him.

    The Twisted Fate appeared in topne, right in front of the Malphite. He used Pick a Card and selected the golden card, which granted him a single target stun. The Malphite was already running low on health after being whittled down by the Fiora. He tried to run away to safety, but didn¡¯t get far. The golden card struck him and stunned him. A volley of Wild Cards hit him, followed by the Fiora lunging at him with her rapier. They dealt too much damage and he didn¡¯t have enough health.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Lin Feng heard the kill announcement, but he didn¡¯t stop smiling. He didn¡¯t care that Chen Ze had died again. His Malphite was not worth that much anymore after dying several times earlier. He had his Annie attack the outer tower in midne. She took it down together with the minions before the Twisted Fate could return tone. ¡°Perfect! Just like nned!¡± Lin Fengughed.

    Westwind ignored the cheering crowd. He said into the microphone, ¡°Just like I said. Twisted Fate lost his tower roaming top. The gank did get them a kill, but that can hardly be considered a sess. The Malphite wasn¡¯t worth anything. The Fiora was already dominating him. Yan Liang should¡¯ve made a y in botne. That¡¯s where he could make the difference.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right,¡± Silent Reed said, smiling. ¡°They could¡¯ve taken Dragon after killing the Boners. This felt like a desperate y more than anything.¡±

    Westwind nodded and said, ¡°It really was desperate from Shanghai International. But did you notice? The Malphite just let it happen. He still has sh and his ultimate! He probably could¡¯ve gotten away, only he didn¡¯t! I wonder why he did that.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Yeah, I still got sh and Teleport,¡± Chen Ze said over High School 13¡¯s voice chat.

    Wei Dong grinned and said, ¡°Nice! I was worried you used them to try and escape in thatst fight. Remember, we only care about the teamfights!¡±

    ¡°Woot!¡± Liu Yue shouted,ughing. ¡°That¡¯s our Chen Ze! The dude has got enough patience to watch paint dry!¡±

    Chen Ze coughed, embarrassed. ¡°Eh, thanks guys. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not tilted. BunBun was pretty clear¡­¡± That if I used my sh for anything but an important teamfight, she¡¯d kick me off the team. That girl can be really scary¡­ He shook his head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m good, really. I¡¯m ready whenever. Teleport is off cooldown.¡±

    ¡°Guys! Guys!¡± Lin Feng suddenly shouted. ¡°A chance! Let¡¯s teamfight!¡± He¡¯d just seen the Twisted Fate running into his own Jungle towards the Blue Buff Camp. The Lee Sin was already there, fighting therge golem that granted the Blue Buff to whoever killed it.

    Earlier in the week, An Xin had admonished the team, and Wei Dong specifically, about their poor ward cements. Wei Dong had worked hard on improving that over thest couple of days. So when he spotted the Lee Sin on the top side of the map, he grabbed the chance to show off the results of his training. He had his Braum run into Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle and ced a deep ward in the brush next to the Blue Buff Camp. That ward now revealed everything the Twisted Fate and Lee Sin were doing, while also giving Chen Ze¡¯s Malphite a target to teleport to.

    ¡°Chen Ze, TELEPORT!¡± Lin Feng shouted, excited.

 Chapter 187: Strength of the Team Comp

    The Blue Buff Camp was walled off by trees on three sides. Yan Liang had his Twisted Fate run around the trees and towards the opening that was on the side closest to botne. He stopped in the brush next to the Blue Sentinel and started attacking the monster together with his Jungler. Suddenly, a pir of blue light descended on top of the Twisted Fate. Or rather, on a Blue ward ced right beneath him. Yan Liang¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Shit! Back! BACK!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. There were two Champions with Teleport on High School 13¡¯s team; they were Annie and Malphite. They saw the Annie running towards them, so it had to be the Malphite that was teleporting in.

    Lin Feng had set his sights on the Twisted Fate. He had his Annie run after him into the Red team¡¯s Jungle. ¡°Come out,e out, wherever you are!¡± he mumbled in his best Annie impression, grinning. The Twisted Fate and Lee Sin had killed him a few minutes earlier in midne. It was about time he settled the score. His Annie ran into the wall of trees around the Blue Buff Camp. But rather than going around it, she disappeared with a mottled sh of light and then reappeared on the other side. A Molten Shield wrapped around her and a zing heat started swirling around her. She then tossed her teddy bear up in the air and shouted, ¡°Get ¡®em, Tibbers!¡±

    The small teddy bear grew into a nearly three meters tall monstrocity. Scorching hot mes burned from its fur and tworge embers zed in its eyes. He crashed down onto the ground, stunning the Twisted Fate and Lee Sin. Then he tore into them with his ws, while the searing heat from its body dealt burn damage to the two Champions from Shanghai International.

    ¡°Oh my god! That stun!¡± Silent Reed eximed into her microphone, her voice reaching across the entire venue. ¡°The Annie got them both! What a perfect enga¡ª¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± Westwind interrupted, tapping her on the shoulder, excited. ¡°Look! The Malphite is almost here. Imagine his Unstoppable Force! Woo!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s grin grew wider, reaching all the way to his ears. He got the double stun. The rest was easy. He tapped down on the W key¨CIncinerate! His Annie sted the Twisted Fate and Lee Sin with a jet of mes. She followed up with a mana infused fireball that struck the Twisted Fate. All the while, Tibbers was swiping his ws at the Twisted Fate.

    Yan Liang grimaced. I should¡¯ve seen thising... Dammit! He looked at the sh icon. It was still on cooldown. His Twisted Fate¡¯s health was evaporating. He frantically clicked away on his mouse, hoping that the stun would break before the Malphite arrived. Then, maybe, he had a chance to escape. But that was a fool¡¯s hope. The Malphite appeared next to him. The massive creature of living rockunched himself towards the Twisted Fate and Lee Sin and rammed into them, knocking them Airborne¨CUnstoppable Force!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    The Twisted Fate died instantly in the collision, while the Lee Sin wasunched high into the sky. At the highest point, he reached a brief moment of weightlessness. Then he came crashing back down to the ground, powerless. He couldn¡¯t use any skills. Tworge Spinning Axes ploughed through the ground towards him,ing all the way from botne and ignoring every obstacle in their way¨CWhirling Death! The Lee Sin couldn¡¯t dodge them. They passed through him as he crashed into the ground and killed him.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡°Eh? Wait¡­ What? Where are my kills?¡± Lin Feng muttered. He turned to look at Tang Bingyao. Chen Ze had actually helped with the kills, so it was eptable that he got one. But not Tang Bingyao. She was still farming away in botne and hadn¡¯t done anything in this fight. He narrowed his eyes and cursed, ¡°Tang Tang, you killstealer! That was mine!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and looked at Lin Feng, visible confusion on her face. Then she smiled and shrugged. ¡°Hmm, I was securing the kill.¡±

    Below the stage, An Xin smiled. She listened to the crowd cheering behind her, screaming and shouting in support of her team. She looked at the three teammates around her. Ren Rou was dancing on her feet; Yang Fan was adjusting his sses, like he always did; and Ouyang wasughing and showing Shanghai International¡¯s team his middle fingers. An Xin shook her head, giggling, and turned back to look at therge screen. High School 13 was fighting the Dragon and there was nothing Shanghai International could do to stop them. She mumbled to herself, ¡°The idiot did something good. Two kills and a Dragon for the team. Nice.¡±

    ¡¶Blue team has in the Dragon!¡·

    The yers from Shanghai International stared at their screens with defeated looks on their faces. They lost a lot in that fight. It was more than just the deaths and the Dragon. They¡¯d lost momentum. The Malphite got some much needed gold to catch back up to the Fiora, while the Draven could pull even further ahead of the Sivir now. As for the Annie, she could keep pushing midne all the way to the inner tower or roam the map to look for ganks. There was no one who could stop her.

    Yan Liang¡¯s eyelid twitched. I should¡¯ve seen thising¡­ He¡¯d never considered High School 13 their opponent. They were shitst year¡­ Even though they were eliminated in the first round of the qualifiersst year, they made it all the way to the Semifinals this year. That should¡¯ve been enough for him to really look into them and figure out how they¡¯d done it. It was too simplistic to call it luck. But that wasn¡¯t what he had done. Now, he faced a team that knew how to y and had a good strategy to boot. When theybine their ults¡­ We should¡¯ve never let them get this teamposition.

    ?

    At 14 minutes, Tang Bingyao made the next big y. Liu Zhengjie had his Sivir step too far forward, desperate to get thest hit on a minion. Tang Bingyao immediately pressed down on her D and then Q keys. Her Draven shed forward and started throwing Spinning Axes. The Sivir panicked and activated her Spell Shield before the Draven had even cast Stand Aside. The Draven kept chasing after the Sivir, throwing Spinning Axes and waiting for the Spell Shield to disappear. But it didn¡¯t take that long. The Sivir died before the Spell Shield could wear off.

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Tang Bingyao secured another kill on Liu Zhengjie. A shower of coins rained down on her Draven, the visual representation of Adoration stacks turning into gold. She could use this gold to pull even further ahead of the Sivir. On top of that, she could hear the people in the venue through her noise cancelling headphones. They were chanting her name! She smiled as a tingling sensation went up and down her body.

    ¡°NICE! Good job, Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°See? I told you that you¡¯re better than that guy.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, beaming. She turned to look at Lin Feng and clenched her fist, throwing it up just a little. A small nod to Lin Feng¡¯s victory pose.

    Across the stage, Liu Zhengjie stared at his grey screen. He¡¯d been furious at his Support after the clumsy y that led to First Blood. That was all on the Support and he had to work with that! He¡¯d been quietly cursing for thest several minutes. But now this¡­ This was his fault. He felt his cheeks burning. His whole body felt like it was burning anger and embarassment! There was no one else to me. I got solo-killed by that bitch? ¡­ A girl! She¡¯s a girl¡­ No. This isn¡¯t possible¡­ This can¡¯t be!

    ?

    High School 13 had Shanghai International in a choke hold. After his first kill, Chen Ze got his Malphite back in the game. The Fiora lost her edge over him and failed to kill him inne again. On top of that, High School 13¡¯s Braum and Jarvan IV had been doing well for themselves from the start of the game. All the pieces were in order. They were ready for the mid game, where their teamposition started to really shine.

    At Lin Feng¡¯smand, High School 13¡¯s team would gather and force a teamfight. All they had to do wasnd one ultimate skill from Braum, Jarvan IV, or Malphite. From there, the rest was easy. They¡¯d waltz through Shanghai International¡¯s ranks and then turn to take down an objective. In this very fashion, they won a teamfight at 17 minutes, after which they took down the inner tower in midne.

    Below the stage, Zeng Rui shook his head in frustration. This game wasn¡¯t going like he¡¯d hoped to see it go. He¡¯d prepared to face off against Shanghai International in the Finals, not High School 13. All he knew about them was that they had a thundering dumbass who talked a lot and a mostly insignificant supporting cast. He rubbed his temples. It¡¯s only one game in a best of five. This is not over. Shanghai International just has to start focusing and stop doing whatever this is if they want to win...

 Chapter 188: Wonâ€™t get Fooled Again!

    Shanghai International fought back against High School 13¡¯s relentless assault. But they failed at every step of the way, giving away both kills and objectives. High School 13¡¯s teamp, oriented towards dominating the midgame teamfights, tore through them. They couldn¡¯t even hide underneath a tower for protection! High School 13¡¯s team had multiple Champions with more than enough Defense and Health to tank the tower turrets. Malphite, Braum, and sometimes even the Jarvan IV, would all dive a tower to start a teamfight. High School 13 won every single one of these fights. First they did this in the mine, where they took out all of Shanghai International¡¯s Champions protecting the inhibitor tower, then the tower itself, and finally the inhibitor. Then they changed focus to topne to try and take out the inhibitor there.

    Two destroyed inhibitors was generally considered the point of no return in any game. Shanghai International had only lost one so far, but there was little to no doubt about how the rest of this game would go down. Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower in topne fell first, followed by their inner tower. 26 minutes into the game, High School 13¡¯s Champions were knocking the doors of the inhibitor tower in topne down.

    After ane¡¯s inhibitor was destroyed, Super Minions would start spawning in thatne. These were bigger, stronger, meaner minions. Since High School 13 had taken down the inhibitor in the mine, the Super Minions were leading regiments of regr minions down thene. The first of them had already arrived inside Shanghai International¡¯s base to wreck havoc and let loose the dogs of war. If Shanghai International didn¡¯t send someone to stop these Super Minions, they would take down the base. So while the rest of the team tried to keep High School 13 from taking their top inhibitor, Liu Zhengjie was forced to have his Sivir clear the Super Minions in midne.

    ¡°THIS IS IT! It¡¯s do or die for Shanghai International!¡± Westwind screamed into his microphone. The crowd was buzzing in the venue, excited, enthralled. ¡°Yan Liang and his team need nothing short of a miracle to turn this game around! High School 13 has to throw this game several times just to let them back in it! On the other hand, if the J4 or Malphite get a good engage, then they can end the game right here, right now!¡±

    All five yers from High School 13 had gathered around the Red Team¡¯s inhibitor tower. There were four yers from Shanghai International defending it, with only the Sivir missing. She was busy killing Super Minions in midne. This made it that much easier for High School 13. They were so far ahead that they could win a 5vs5 under Red Team¡¯s tower, let alone a 5vs4. So they started pushing, with the three defensive Champions zoning the yers from Shanghai International away and the Annie and Draven attacking the inhibitor tower. The Draven especially was doing a number on it.

    When the inhibitor tower had less than half of its health remaining, Liu Yue shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯M GOING IN!¡± He pressed down on the E and then the Q key. His Jarvan IV went into his normal g-tossbo. But right before he couldplete the dash towards his Demacian g, he disappeared with a mottled sh of light. sh! He reappeared right on top of the Twisted Fate, still carrying the momentum to knock anyone in his way Airborne.

    ¡°WAAA! Nice!¡± Silent Reed cried out. ¡°What a great engage by the Jarvan! They got Yan Liang!¡±

    What followed was a perfectly executed teamfight by High School 13. The Malphiteunched himself forward at high speed and crashed into three Champions, knocking them up into the air¨CUnstoppable Force! The yers from Shanghai International were shortly suspended in mid-air before falling back to the ground. Then the Braum mmed his shield into the ground, creating a fissure that knocked them back up into the air. Two Spinning Axes followed up, ploughing through the ground and cutting through the three Airborne Champions. All the while, Lin Feng¡¯s Annie was running forward to join the fight.

    ¡°I want a turn!¡± Lin Feng shouted. He pressed down on the R key¨CSummon: Tibbers! His Annie threw up her little teddy bear and turned him into arge monster! mes spewed from his body as he swiped down at the Twisted Fate! The Annie followed up with Incinerate, casting a jet of mes over the Twisted Fate and the Fiora, killing the former. Then she threw a mana infused fireball at the Fiora and killed her too.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    The students from High School 13 went wild! Their team was doing it! They were winning the first game against Shanghai International! It¡¯d sounded like an impossible task. Shanghai International was well known for their strong League of Legends team. But their team was doing it!

    ¡°GOOO LIU YUE! YOU RULE!¡± ¡°Braum and Malphite for the WIN!¡± ¡°LIN FENG! LIN FENG! LIN FENG!¡± ¡°BRAUM! BRAUM! MALPH! MALPH!¡± ¡°MVP TANG TANG!¡±

    Back in the game, Lin Feng switched focus to the Support and Jungler from Shanghai International. Quadra, here Ie! Heughed, clicking on the two Champions. He¡¯d used his skills on the Twisted Fate and Fiora, so he could only auto attack and wait for them toe off cooldown. His Annie threw small embers, burning away at the healthbars of the Jungler and Support. Then a Spinning Axe cleaved what little health remained away. Twice.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡°Not again! Tang Tang, stop stealing my kills!¡± Lin Feng shouted, ring at the girl sitting next to him. We killed four¡­ He turned back to look at the screen and found the Sivir standing halfway between her Nexus and topne inhibitor. He grinned, then startedughing. ¡°The Sivir is mine! Don¡¯t ruin my triple!¡±

    Fuck¡­ Shit¡­ NOO! Liu Zhengjie gritted his teeth. His team was dead before he could even get to them. Now he was standing awkwardly between the Super Minions on one side and the yers from High School 13 on the other. He mmed down on his R key¨COn the Hunt! A whirlwind erupted around his Sivir. She gained a surge in Movement Speed! The Annie was running towards her, but she was faster. She was faster even than the Draven who¡¯d used Bloodrush! Fuck this stupid shit! Liu Zhengjie cursed. High School 13¡¯s team was in their base and only he was left alive. He couldn¡¯t do anything to stop them.

    ¡¶The Blue Team has destroyed a turret!¡·

    High School 13 destroyed the inhibitor tower in topne, but skipped past the inhibitor. There were Super Minions swarming the base of Shanghai International and four of their five yers were dead. So High School 13 went straight for the Nexus towers. The Sivir didn¡¯t even try stopping them. She sat on the fountain while they destroyed the two Nexus towers and then the Nexus. Red energy exploded outwards and then morphed into arge victory screen.

    VICTORY!

    The audience burst into wild cheers! High School 13 had done it! They¡¯d won the first game in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! People had written them off at every step along the way, but here they were, only two wins away from making it to the Finals! The students from High School 13 were especially energetic. They were jumping up and down, screaming andughing, and some were even dancing! Their school never made it far in tournaments, until now. They were bing a League of Legends school!

    In stark contrast to the rest of the crowd, the Shanghai International fans looked confused and upset. Until now, they hadn¡¯t even entertained the thought of their team losing to High School 13. It sounded like a ridiculous story, even now. The yers from Shanghai International¡¯s team also felt this way. They sat behind theirputers, staring at their screens. They were confused, lost, and very, very angry. Yan Liang and Liu Zhengjie especially were ready to smash their fists into a wall, a release. They were the main carries of the team, yet they were outmatched by their direct opponents.

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Yan Liang cursed. Then he looked over at his teammates sitting next to him and said, ¡°We can¡¯t let them have Annie next game!¡±

    ¡°Also ban Draven,¡± Liu Zhengjie added. Then he red at Tang Bingyao sitting across the stage and continued, ¡°That stupid ass broken Champion canpletely take over a game. There¡¯s no countery. Just a broken Champion that needs to be fixed¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright. Alright alright. The Annie and Draven were the reason we lost that game. We know their strategy now and we can just ban out their favourite Champions. This loss means nothing,¡± Yan Liang said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He nced across the stage at the yers from High School 13, then added, ¡°We¡¯re ready for their petty tricks now. I won¡¯t let those¡­ those fuckers fool me again!¡±

    ?

    After every game, the two teams were given a couple of minutes to reset their mental game and make somest minute preparations for the next game. During this time, the casters hosted a post game analysis. Westwind and Silent Reed talked about the game deciding ys and gave their thoughts on them.

    ¡°WOO! What a match! That was an exciting one, right Silent?¡± Westwind kicked off the post game analysis.

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°YES! That was great! I have to say though. This was not how I expected this to y out. A quick game, sure. But Shanghai International losing? No way. I still can¡¯t believe it!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! Shanghai International were the favourites! But High School 13 came to fight! They knew how they were going to y it, and they executed their ns to a tee! So where do you think this all went wrong for Shanghai International?¡± Westwind asked, evoking a murmur from the crowd.

    ¡°That¡¯d be the Champion Select,¡± Silent Reed said. ¡°That Champion Select was all about misleading Shanghai International. And it worked! High School 13 got the match-ups they wanted and that helped them win the game. But now it bes interesting.Shanghai International knows of their ns now. What are they going to do next? Do they have another trick ready?¡±

    Westwind clutched the microphone and moved it close to his mouth, saying, ¡°I think this is a question for the audience. What do you guys think? If you think Shanghai International has learned from their mistakes, LET YOURSELVES BE HEARD!¡± He grinned as he listened to the crowd shouting, with some boos and whistles mixed in. Then he said, ¡°Well, I think there we have our answer. That sounded like more than half of the crowd. They think Shanghai International will win!¡±

    Silent Reed giggled and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t even give the others a chance! But I think you¡¯re right. Shanghai International should still be the favourites. But I don¡¯t think they should let High School 13 get Annie again. That Annie was scary.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Ban the Annie. Ban the Draven. I think if they do that, they can win this game,¡± Westwind concluded.

    The two casters delved into the game. They spoke at length about the early kill in botne, where Annie helped the Draven pick up First Blood. That was what decided the game the casters said. The Draven became strong, while the Annie kept pressuring mid. Both carries were getting the gold and experience they needed to be monsters in the mid game, while their tanky frontline got enough in terms of Defense and Health. From there, it was an easy win for High School 13. There was nothing Shanghai International could do. They¡¯d lost at least 90% of the game in Champion Select.

    ?

    The two teams were ready for Game 2. They switched sides, so High School 13 yed on the Red team in this game. An Xin walked up on stage to guide them through the Champion Select again. She¡¯d already discussed strategy with them, but the final decision on the Picks and Bans were up to her. When she walked up the stage, a buzz went through the venue. This was the first time the students noticed High School 13 actually had a coach. Before the first game, their focus had mostly been on Shanghai International.

    ¡°Wait what? High School 13 has a coach?¡± ¡°Holy smokes! That exins so much!¡± ¡°They¡¯re like a professional team! Do you also think they have a masseuse?¡± ¡°Aww man, if only we had a coach¡­ Maybe we would¡¯ve gotten past the qualifiers¡­¡± ¡°Lucky bastards! Is this even allowed? Did someone check the rules?¡± ¡°Fucking YES! Let¡¯s go High School 13! You got this!¡±

    Shanghai International had the first choice to ban a Champion. They banned Draven. This elicited a small disturbance from the audience. They were quietly mocking andughing at the yers from Shanghai International. But that quickly died down as the Champion Select continued and High School 13 banned a Champion. Then it was up to Shanghai International again. They banned Annie. Now, the disturbance became a lot louder. Some people in the crowd even started heckling.

    ¡°Fucking cowards!¡± ¡°Scaredy cats banning Annie and Draven! How pathetic!¡± ¡°I thought these guys were good? THEY¡¯RE TERRIBLE!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen Bronze yers with bigger balls!¡± ¡°HAHAH! Are they really doing this? How sad!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you. They¡¯re calling in sick on Monday! Haha!¡±

    The yers from Shanghai International couldn¡¯t hear the crowd through their noise cancelling headphones. But they could see the reaction to their bans. People were standing up and pointing at them. Some even threw stuff their way. It was the response they¡¯d expected. But that didn¡¯t make it any better. They gritted their teeth and focusedpletely on the screens in front of them. If they wanted to win this game, they had to ept the skills of the Draven and Annie. They¡¯d been outyed by those two Champions. So, right now, it was best to ban them. It didn¡¯t matter what other people thought about it. Winning the game, that was all they cared about.

    Shanghai International thought they¡¯d figured High School 13¡¯s ns out. They were preparing to face the same kind of teamposition, which was another reason why they banned the Annie and Draven. But An Xin was never nning to let her team y the same teamposition twice in a row. She smiled and grinned when she saw the bans. Got ¡®em! Shanghai International had fallen for her next trap.

 Chapter 189: Imaginary Opponen

    Yan Liang and Liu Zhengjie were proud of their achievements in League of Legends. They knew that they were some of the best yers the game had to offer. In China, anyways. They also had the arrogance that went with this pride, looking down on the many weaker yers they matched up against. But they didn¡¯t let this go to their heads. They were very good at the game, yes. But they were also aware that they weren¡¯t the best. There were plenty of yers out there who were better at different aspects of the game. That¡¯s why they epted their lossst game. But the series wasn¡¯t over. Assuming they didn¡¯t lose again, they had three more games to prove to everyone that they were the better team. So Yan Liang and Liu Zhengjie prepared for the next game with greater focus than before. They were ready to face High School 13¡¯s teamp this time, so they banned out the Annie and Draven. Everything was set for Shanghai International to win Game 2.

    Yan Liang locked in his Champion, then stared at the yers from High School 13 on the other side of the stage. ¡°Let¡¯s see them try and use that strategy again. I dare them!¡± he said over Shanghai International¡¯s voice chat.

    Liu Zhengjie clicked on the icon of his Champion and then locked his choice in. He grinned wickedly, and said, ¡°Bot is already won. I¡¯ll show that stupid girl what a real ad-carry looks like!¡±

    Game 2 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinals:

    Shanghai International (Blue) versus High School 13 (Red)Topne: Irelia versus RumbleJungle: Lee Sin versus Rek¡¯SaiMidne: Lenc versus Twisted FateAD-carry: Lucian versus KalistaSupport: Thresh versus Leona

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see thating¡­¡± Silent Reed mumbled, though her voice still traveled through the venue. Shanghai International had picked Lenc first. High School 13 responded to that with Twisted Fate.

    Westwind nodded, raising an eyebrow at the Twisted Fate pick. Then his lips curved into a devious smile. He grabbed the microphone and started hyping up the crowd. ¡°Last game, we had Annie versus Twisted Fate. We all saw what happened. RIGHT?¡± He waited for the crowd¡¯s response, a loud cheer, then continued, ¡°Now we got Lenc, who is also a high burst damage bully just like Annie, versus Twisted Fate! It¡¯s effectively the same situation, just that the sides are switched. Yan Liang is getting a shot at redemption!¡±

    The crowd erupted into louder cheers. Most of them were Silver to Gold League of Legends yers. When they saw the Lenc versus Twisted Fate match-up, it always went the Lenc¡¯s way. She did too much damage and the Twisted Fate had nothing in his kit that could help him counter her. So they started shouting in support of Yan Liang, especially his fellow students from Shanghai International.

    ¡°High School 13 is stupid! Easy win for Yan Liang!¡± ¡°Haha! Go Shanghai International! You guys got this!¡± ¡°That TF is a dumbass. Getting all cocky cause he won as Annie.¡± ¡°Lenc hard counters Twisted Fate! That Lin Feng guy is gonna rekt!¡± ¡°YAN LIANG! YAN LIANG! YAN LIANG!¡± ¡°Jesus, why would they pick TF into LB¡­¡±

    Near the front of the sage, Zeng Rui sat with his teammates in the private seating area for yers. He wasn¡¯t as quick to jump to conclusions as the crowd or casters. The thundering dumbass had proved him wrong too many times. Twisted Fate into Lenc¡­ I can see what you¡¯re trying to do. It¡¯s just¡­ While casual fans like those in the crowd only looked at thene match-up, he looked at the bigger picture. High School 13 hadn¡¯t picked Twisted Fate to beat Lenc in the midne. They¡¯d picked Twisted Fate for map pressure. He could team up with the Rek¡¯Sai, another equally mobile Champion, and get a gank off anywhere on the map in a matter of seconds. They could use this to dictate the pace of the game and force a win. Shanghai International isn¡¯t that bad. Yan Liang and the others won¡¯t let this happen.

    Back on the stage, Yan Liang red at Lin Feng. He hated being looked down on, but he was also a little happy. Last game was a disgrace for him, something he wanted to wipe from his mind as quickly as possible. Lin Feng gave him that opportunity. This fucking idiot picked Twisted Fate. Ha! Does he not know my Twisted Fate is the best? He smiled, sinister. I¡¯ll make you regret this so much!

    An Xin nced over at Shanghai International¡¯s side of the stage and caught Yan Liang ring ov here. She followed his gaze to Lin Feng, then grinned and shook her head. She walked up to Tang Bingyao and patted her on her shoulder, whispering, ¡°This game is all you, Tang Tang. Show them what you¡¯re made of.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked up at An Xin and nodded, earnest. ¡°Mhm. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Hey HEY!¡± Lin Feng shouted. He turned around to look at An Xin and said, ¡°What about me? I also want a pep talk! Give me a pep talk!¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows and curled her lips. ¡°Hmph. Aren¡¯t you really good at giving pep talks too? You should just give yourself one. Actually, you know what? Fine. You want a pep talk? Here, I¡¯ll give you on. If you feed, I¡¯ll hit you in the head with the thickest book in my bag!¡±

    ¡°I am really good at giving pep talks too¡­¡± Lin Feng mumbled, turning back to look at hisputer screen.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The two teams spawned at their respective fountains. They bought their starter items and set up vision, which entailed cing wards and having Champions stand at strategic locations across the map to spot movements by the other team. But there were no aggressive early ys. Both Shanghai International and High School 13 decided to start the normal way. Toners went to the topne, Boners to the botne, Jugnlers stayed in the jungle, and Lin Feng went to the midne.

    Lin Feng had his Twisted Fate hovered around his mid outer tower, waiting for the first minion wave to arrive. On the other side of thene, he spotted the Lenc. He narrowed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°I got this.¡± His opponent was Yan Liang. But that wasn¡¯t who he saw across from his Twisted Fate. He was ying against Lenc. Rake. She was Rake¡¯s main and favourite Champion. To y against Lenc was, in a way, to y against Rake. I have to win this. He focused on the game. His hands were steady, his gaze locked on the screen. The world around him disappeared until there was only him and the Lenc. I can¡¯t lose against him. I won¡¯t. Never again.

    The Blue and Red minion waves crashed in the middle of thene. The Lenc and Twisted Fate moved forward tost hit the minions. Both Champions worked on their creep score, while also looking for opportunities to deal damage to each other. Lenc had the clear advantage in this aspect. She was highly mobile with Distort, which allowed her to jump forward and back to her original position, while the Twisted Fate wasn¡¯t. So it came as no surprise when she found more openings to damage the Twisted Fate than vice versa, pressuring him and pushing him back towards his own tower.

    ¡°Man, what the¡­ How is he doing this? Guys, guys, tell me how he¡¯s doing this!¡± Westwind said into his microphone, chuckling. Then he continued, ¡°Ah, nevermind. I¡¯ll tell you how he¡¯s doing it! By being really fucking good! He¡¯s keeping up with the Lenc in CS despite her pushing him back far behind his own outer tower! This is some insane skill!¡±

    Silent Reed looked at her comentator and giggled. Then she turned back to look at the screen and shook her head. ¡°You know what surprises me the most? The Twisted Fate is ying so passively. I have to say, it¡¯s hard to believe that¡¯s the same yer as the Annie fromst game¡­¡±

    There was more to ane match-up than the two Champions. In a scenario where everything else was equal, the Lenc would pressure the Twisted Fate and force him back. But there were plenty of things that were not equal in this match-up. Most notably, the difference in skill between the yers. Lin Feng was a far better yer than Yan Liang. He had superior mechanics, positioning, awareness, and reflexes, just to name a few. This allowed him to y in whatever style he chose, rather than being forced to stick to one style or another, like less skilled yers would. And he¡¯d decided to y this game passively.

    An Xin sat next to Ren Rou in the special viewing area, watching the game on therge screen. It showed midne, with Lenc pushing into the Red Team¡¯s outer tower. She focused on the Twisted Fate and how he was ying. How he was letting himself be pushed underneath his tower. How he was working on his creep score, rather than trading blows with the Lenc. How he was ying exactly the way he wanted to y. An Xin shook her head, smiling. She knew Lin Feng better than anyone. That Lenc makes you think of Rake, huh? Is that why you¡¯re actually ying, and not just fooling around? She chuckled, shaking her head, and mumbled, ¡°What a big idiot. I guess we won¡¯t have to worry about winning this game anymore.¡±

    Yan Liang waspletely oblivious to what was happening. From his perspective, he was winning thene. He smiled smugly. What happened? Why are you hiding under your tower? Oh, wait, is it maybe because it isn¡¯t all that easy to y Twisted Fate against my Lenc? Is it maybe because you¡¯re getting countered, like I wasst game? Huh? Show me that big stupid ass grin again! He chuckled, thenughed. Lin Feng had really gotten to himst game, so he was eager to return the pain in kind.

    Oh, look! A new wave of minions! Here, let me show you how to CS! Yan Liangughed out loud, evoking nces from his teammates. But he didn¡¯t care about that. He only cared about doing to Lin Feng what Lin Feng had done to himst game. He pressed the TAB key andpared his creep score to Lin Feng¡¯s. Uh, huh? What? They were almost dead even. How the fuck¡­ Then Yan Liang watched his minion push in front of the Red Team¡¯s outer tower. Heughed again, his whole face beaming with schadenfreude. Let me help you missst hits on all those minions!

    Lin Feng watched the Lenc attack the new minion wave fast and hard. She tried to clear it instantly, so she could then start pressuring him. It¡¯s so obvious. He shook his head, not minding the Lenc, and focused back on the Blue minions. There was a surprising sense of calmness. It didn¡¯t matter that the Lenc was pushing him underneath his tower. He even prefered it this way, because Rake would also push him underneath his tower. Rake would do it a lot better though. Lin Feng took long and deep breaths. The Lenc in front of him split in two. One was Yan Liang, while the other was Rake. Lin Feng didn¡¯t care about the first. That Lenc was easy to beat. But he did care about the other. Rake. I¡¯ll beat you! He started adjusting his style and y, searching for a way to beat Rake-shadow.

    Lin Feng had to thank Yan Liang for putting so much pressure on him inne. It helped him imagine ying versus Rake. This was exactly what he wanted, because the fastest way to improve was through adversity. He made it difficult for himself on purpose, almost forcing Yan Liang to y in a fashion simr to Rake. The only thing letting him down was the fact that Yan Liang simply wasn¡¯t anywhere near as good as Rake. There was always an opening, always a mistake to exploit.

    Yan Liang had cleared the Red minions in thetest wave. The Twisted Fate still had to clear two caster minions. He grinned, waiting. Come on, step forward. You know you want to! The Twisted Fate took a few steps forward to get thest hit on one of the two caster minions. GREEDY IDIOT! HA! He mmed down on his W key¨CDistort! His Lenc jumped forward.

    The audience had two very contrasting reactions. One half was screaming in joy and cheering in excitement. Yan Liang was going to get First Blood! After all the pain and suffering in Game 1, this game would be his show! The other half held their breaths. They stared at therge screen above the stage, biting on their nails, terrified that Lin Feng would give away First Blood. ¡°Watch out, Lin Feng!¡± was what they wanted to shout. But they didn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t hear them anyway.

 Chapter 190: A Difference in Attitude

    ¡°This is it! Lenc is getting FIRST BLOOOODDD!¡± Westwind screamed out into the microphone, his voice sting through the speakers at the venue. ¡°There is nothing, NOTHING, the Twisted Fate can do here. He¡¯s at half health and as good as¡ª¡±

    Lin Feng had long since predicted the tower dive. In fact, he¡¯d yed thene in such a manner, that he¡¯d baited the Lenc into doing this. She moved exactly as he wanted her to, pouncing on him with Distortion. She was under the Red Team¡¯s outer tower and was targeted by it. Lin Feng pressed his the W key¨CPick a Card! A Red Card appeared above his Twisted Fate¡¯s head first, while the Lenc fired off a Sigil of Malice, marking him. Then she cast her Ethereal Chains. And it flew right past him. Ha! So easy! Lin Fengughed, locking in the Gold Card that now hovered over his Twisted Fate.

    Yan Liang¡¯s pupils trembled. His jaw drops. It was a momentary daze thatsted only a fraction of a second. Then he woke up. FuckFuckFuck! No! BACK! BACK! W! W! W! He smashed down on his keyboard, frantic for the second part of Distortion to activate. This would have his Lenc jump back to her original position. But she didn¡¯t move back. She couldn¡¯t. Because right as her Ethereal Chains failed to connect with the Twisted Fate, who¡¯d dodged them simply by stepping forward, a Gold Card struck her, stunning her.

    The crowd in the venue lost it. Those who¡¯d been screaming in joy a moment before fell silent. Their star was caught below the enemy tower. His Lenc was stunned. It was clear he wasn¡¯t going to get First Blood. But it didn¡¯t stop there. It started to look like he might even give away first blood! That was what had another part of the crowd cheering, excited.

    ¡°HE DODGED IT!¡± ¡°OH! MY! GOD! LIN FENG, YOU HERO!¡± ¡°WOOOOO!¡± ¡°SICK DODGE! SICK!¡± ¡°BEST PLAYER EVAAHHH!¡± ¡°GET THAT KILL!¡±

    The Twisted Fate threw out an auto attack at the Lenc, followed by a volley of ying cards¨C?Wild Cards! Right then, High School 13¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai appeared from the fog of war. She¡¯d dug a tunnel from the Raptor Camp to midne, then shed forward toward the Lenc. There, she Unburrowed, knocking the Lenc who was now right above her up into the air and keeping her immobilized! Thebined damage from the Rek¡¯Sai and another energy shot from the tower dropped the Lenc¡¯s health below 20%, triggering her passive¨C?Mirror Image!

    The tower didn¡¯t know which of the two Lenc¡¯s was the real one. It saw two targets and picked one. This gave Yan Liang a brief respite. He couldn¡¯t jump back out with Distortion anymore, the skill having gone on cooldown. But he still had sh up. So he mmed his finger down on the F key. His Lenc disappeared with a mottled sh of light and reappeared some distance away. Then she started running towards her own outer tower on the other side of thene. But she never got that far. The Twisted Fate was right behind her, throwing his ying cards at her. They killed her before she even got to her side of thene.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°WOOOO! AMAZING! BRILLIANT! WOOO! What a kill! What. A. Kill!¡± Westwind yelled into his microphone, jumping up from his chair. ¡°I thought the Twisted Fate was dead! We all did! But this kid from High School 13 somehow turned it around! What a y! This kid is going to make it far, I¡¯m telling you!¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head and said, ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe it. It was a beautiful kill, yes, but Yan Liang was also really unlucky! The Rek¡¯Sai just happened to be there for a gank at the perfect moment. And it wouldn¡¯t even have mattered if Yan Liang didn¡¯t miss the Ethereal Chains. That was just so unlucky. I really feel for him. But well yed by High School 13! Beautiful first blood!¡±

    Wrong. Right. Wrong. Wrong. Zeng Rui shook his head, listening to the casters babble on. He agreed with them for some parts. It really did seem lucky that the Rek¡¯Sai just happened to be there. And she undoubtedly helped in picking up that kill. But¡­ Zeng Rui frowned, staring at the thundering dumbass who was smiling and happy as always. But Yan Liang didn¡¯t miss. That thundering dumbass dodged it. He knew it wasing, and where, somehow. That shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­

    There was one person present in the venue who did understand exactly what had happened in that fight. That was An Xin. She was looking at Lin Feng, listening to thementary from the casters. Even if he didn¡¯t see iting, he could have reacted to it. He was that good four years ago. Well, it makes no difference. He knew it wasing. Besides¡­ She looked over at Yan Liang and could almost feel the hatred she saw in his eyes. That guy didn¡¯tmit to the kill. He left himself room to back away. That¡¯s the wrong mentality. He¡¯ll never amount to anything like that.

    Yan Liang''s primary goal was to force the Twisted Fate out ofne, dead or alive. From there, he could build up his creep score and get the lead. If he got the kill, that was perfect. But he wouldn¡¯tmit to it. He left himself an opening to retreat and was ready to fall back at the slightest sign of danger. All the while, Lin Feng was only focused on one singr task. To kill the Lenc. He would have it no other way. So, from the first minute of the game, he directed the game. He gave the Lenc a false sense of security. He let her think that she was the one deciding her moves. He made her towerdive him, and subsequently give away first blood. All of this started with the difference in their approaches.

    ?

    Lin Feng cleared the Blue minions in midne with the help of Liu Yue before recalling back to base. He spent his gold in the fountain shop and then walked back tone, where the Lenc was already waiting for him. The death timers at the early levels were only a couple of seconds, so she was back inne before him. But she hadn¡¯t started pushing the minions towards the Red outer tower yet, like she had before. This wasn¡¯t because she was afraid of the Twisted Fate. She was still at a slight advantage against him. It was the nature of the two Champions. She was stronger inne, while the Twisted Fate would hold the advantageter on when there were ys happening all across the map.

    Trying to bait me, huh? So obvious. Lin Fengughed, shaking his head. Clearing waves became easier and easier as he leveled up. But that alone wasn¡¯t enough to justify how defensively the Lenc was ying. The Lee Sin is probably sitting right there in that brush. Lin Feng grinned. Yan Liang was trying to bait him. Let¡¯s keep them waiting then. Lin Feng cleared the minion wave from a distance, far enough away that a gank would fail. The Lee Sin, as he expected, didn¡¯t show himself, waiting for a better opportunity. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t going to give him a better opportunity. Instead of walking further intone, he turned around and went towards the Raptor Camp in his Jungle. If he couldn¡¯t push hisne, he could simply go here and take these monsters. They gave gold and experience just like the minions inne did.

    Over the next few minutes, Lin Feng switched between killing minions in the midne and clearing Jungle camps. He soon hit Level 6 and he unlocked Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill. At seven minutes, he put that skill to use. He walked into his bottom side Jungle, like he¡¯d done so many times before, but this time shouting over the team¡¯s voicems, ¡°I¡¯ming in!¡± He pressed down on his R key¨CDestiny! The fog of war was sted away, revealing the entire map. Five eyes appeared, one above each Champion from Shanghai International.

    ¡°The Twisted Fate BAITED them again!¡± Westwind shouted, excited. ¡°He¡¯s going in for a gank in botne!¡±

    Yan Liang had warned his teammates that the Twisted Fated was missing in action. But he didn¡¯t worry too much about it. This was the umpteenth time that the Twisted Fate disappeared for a couple of seconds. He and his teammates had let their guard down a little. Far enough that the Boners didn¡¯t directly back away when he pinged them. Then the Five Eyes appeared. A wave of curses rang out over Shanghai International¡¯s voicems as their Boners ran back to the safety of their outer tower.

    Liu Zhengjie had his Lucian dash away¨CRelentless Pursuit! But his Support wasn¡¯t as lucky. Thresh didn¡¯t have any skills in his kit that let him jump, dash, or lunge away. He could only run. That wasn¡¯t enough to get away from the Leona, who pierced him with a sr image of her sword¨CZenith de! Then she stunned him with a strike from her shield¨CShield of Daybreak!

    A deck of cards spread out into a perfect circle in botne. The Twisted Fate appeared in the middle of it a secondter. He was already holding a Gold Card, which he threw at the Thresh who was about to break free from the Leona¡¯s stun. The Thresh was stunned again. It was a beautifulbination of crowd control skills. All the while, Tang Bingyao was attacking the Thresh. Her Kalista was hurling phantom spears, each lodging into the Thresh¡¯s body, until his health dropped to 10%. Rend! She ripped the spears out, dealing enough damage to kill the Thresh.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WOOOO!¡± Westwind screamed into the microphone. ¡°What do you guys think of that? What a y! Perfect timing by the Twisted Fate! He just carried his Boners to a win! And from the cheers I¡¯m hearing, I think you guys agree with me!¡±

    The y wasn¡¯t over yet. Shanghai International retaliated by sending their Lee Sin to the midne and helping the Lenc destroy the outer tower. But High School 13 answered back by pushing out botne and destroying the outer tower there. In the end, it was a tower and a kill for a tower. High School 13 had clearlye out ahead in this y.

    ¡°It looks like High School 13 came out ahead, but¡­¡± Silent Reed said. She looked at Westwind, then continued, ¡°But Yan Liang destroyed the tower in midne. This means that the Twisted Fate will now have a much harder time gankingnes. If Yan Liang ys this correctly, he can force the Twisted Fate to stay in midne and make him irrelevant. This game is still very much up in the air!¡±

 Chapter 191: Chin Up, Princess, or the Crown Slips

    Game 2 of the High School 13 versus Shanghai International showed many simrities to Game 1, especially in the midne. The Twisted Fate lost his tower fairly early on in the game, and with that the pressure he normally enjoyed. He was forced to passively farm underneath his inner tower, unable to leave its safety and search around the map for an opportunity to get back in the game. That was part of the reason why Yan Liang had lost so badly in Game 1. His Twisted Fate was hunted down by the Annie and he could barely get any farm in. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t Yan Liang.

    Lin Feng had identified how Shanghai International could hunt him down. He¡¯d prepared for it before the game even started by picking Teleport instead of a more aggressive Summoner Spell like Ignite. His preparations extended into the game. When he came back tone, he brought with him two wards; one pink and one green. The pink ward was a vision ward. It revealed everything around it, including hidden things like other wards or invisible Champions. He ced it on the top side of thene, near the river. If the Lee Sin wanted to gank him from that side, the ward would spot him. He used the green ward, which only granted vision, in a simr fashion on the bottom side of thene. Then he pushed the minion wave out, but only as far as the ruins of his outer tower. When he got there, he went into his Jungle to clear a camp. Like this, he never felt any of the pressure Yan Liang had felt in Game 1.

    At 9 minutes, Lin Feng orchestrated a second y for High School 13. At hismand, Tang Bingyao had frozen the minion wave just out of reach of her own outer tower, while Wei Dong had ced a ward on the far end of thene in the brush closest to the Blue Team¡¯s outer tower. Shanghai International¡¯s Boners were oblivious to this ward and were only worrying about breaking the freeze. The Twisted Fate had ganked them only a little more than a minute ago, so they didn¡¯t even think he woulde again. They almost even missed the teleport animation. A red, zing light descended on the ward, announcing the arrival of Twisted Fate!

    Westwind didn¡¯t miss it. He was already up on his feet, his microphone clutched tightly in his grasp, screaming, ¡°Twisted Fate is ganking bot again! He¡¯s doing it again! Lucian and Thresh don¡¯t have their sh! Double kill! Say it with me, people! DOUBLE KILL!¡±

    Back on stage, Liu Zhengjie was grinding his teeth, fuming! He red towards the other side of the stage, locking onto Lin Feng, and felt the urge to shout, ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKER! The fuck did I ever do to you! You fucking pussy! Come at me! I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡±

    Shanghai International reacted immediately to Lin Feng¡¯s Teleport. They had their Toner teleport to a minion in the botne, who was followed by High School 13¡¯s Toner a secondter. Shanghai International¡¯s Irelia arrived first. She dashed towards the Twisted Fate and stunned him with a strike of her de¨CEquilibrium Strike! But not before a Golden Card flew from the hands of the Twisted Fate, hitting the Lucian and stunning him.

    Tang Bingyao activated Fate¡¯s Call. This was Kalista¡¯s ultimate skill. At the start of the game, she¡¯d made an Oathsworn bond with Wei Dong¡¯s Leona. Now, she could teleport his Leona towards her, granting him the ability to dash in any direction he desired and knocking up all Champions he knocked into. Wei Dong had his Leona dash towards Shanghai International¡¯s Boners,unching them up into the air. He followed up by mming his shield in the Lucian¡¯s face¨CShield of Daybreak! From a stun into a knock up into another stun, the Lucian couldn¡¯t move at all. Then the Leona finished her attack with her ultimate skill. Sr re! A st of sr energy mmed down on the Lucian and Thresh and locked them down. In the meantime, Chen Ze¡¯s Rumble had teleported to the botne and joined the fight. He used his ultimate¨CThe Equalizer! His Rumble fired off a barrage of rockets that rained down in a straight line, setting the ground aze and damaging all enemy Champions caught within its range.

    The crowd fell silent. They sat on the edges of their seats, watching the fight unfold. Shocked and enthralled. In the Champion Select, this game had lookedpletely different from the first game. This came mostly down to High School 13¡¯s teamposition. They didn¡¯t have the Champions with powerful crowd control skills that could seamlessly work together in this game, nor did they have an aggressive Miner. But though it looked different. Though it sounded different. Though everything about it seemed different. It really was the same tactic ofyering ultimate skills on top of each other and winning teamfights.

    ¡°How did we not see this¡­¡± ¡°The hell¡­¡± ¡°My god. Look at that damage. Shanghai International can¡¯t do anything¡­¡± ¡°High School 13 just copied the same tactic fromst game¡­" ¡°How did Shanghai International fall for this¡­?¡±

    Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Lucian was the first to die. Thebination of ultimate skills and auto attacks were too much for his low health Champion. It was Rumble¡¯s methrower that dealt the final attack. Liu Zhengjie¡¯s screen went grey, his face red. AGAIN! YOU! YOU! YOU¡­ ¡°AAARGGHHHH!¡±

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Lin Feng had his Twisted Fate run away from the Irelia towards Red Team¡¯s outer tower. The Irelia chased after him relentlessly. She attacked him with her de. He shed away and she followed after him with a sh of her own. This gave the other three yers from High School 13 the chance to finish off the Thresh, with Tang Bingyao getting thest hit. Then they turned their attention towards the Irelia. Wei Dong Exhausted her, saving Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate by doing so. Tang Bingyao and Chen Ze followed up with abination of skills and auto attacks. In the end, it was Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista that picked up the kill.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Shanghai International lost three yers in that fight and killed no one. The game had started well for them. They had even looked stronger than High School 13 in those first couple of minutes. But all that changed after the first gank in botne by the Twisted Fate. Still, they were in the game and could make aeback happen. But this second gank was too much. Shanghai International had lost the botne. The Kalista had pulled too far ahead. Her KDA at 9 minutes was already 3/0/1. At this speed, she would carry the game all by herself.

    Liu Zhengjie smashed his fist on the desk and yelled over Shanghai International¡¯s voice chat, ¡°WHY DID YOU FLASH? WHY! STOP TUNNELING, YOU USELESS TRASH! YOU PATHETIC WASTE!¡± His face was red hot with anger, spit shooting from his mouth with every word he spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Yan Liang said sternly. He was angry too. Furious even! But he knew that screaming and cursing at each other wouldn¡¯t help them win the game. He took a deep breath and looked at the yers sitting next to him, then said, ¡°Calm down, guys. We have to focus. Tilting isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere. We can still win this. Let¡¯s focus on that.¡±

    The other yers on Shanghai International¡¯s team remained quiet. They stared at their screens, watching as High School 13 took down the Dragon, one of their wards giving the vision. Liu Zhengjie¡¯s little outburst was probably nothing more than him venting his frustrations, but it had great ramifications. No one enjoyed working together with a toxic yer. Liu Zhengjie had never been the friendliest one of the group. But there was a line he normally never crossed. He had now. And they were well and truly fed up with him. They stopped talking over the team¡¯s voice chat and only focused on their own gamey.

    Shanghai International had picked Champions that were strong inne. Their goal was simple. Win everyne and push the advantage into an early victory. Everything went as nned in the first couple of minutes, until the Twisted Fate hit Level 6. Hepletely turned the bnce of the game around. His first gank in botne saw High School 13 grab a small advantage, while the second saw them pull far ahead. Shanghai International had no back up n. Their Champions were great individually, but didn¡¯t really mesh all that well together. In stark contrast, High School 13¡¯s Champions had great synergy. They couldyer their ultimate skills and be an absolutely frightening force in teamfights.

    The yers from Shanghai International were being force-fed this reality. They lost in Champion Select again. Yet they still had a difficult time epting this. They were looking and searching for any other exnation, but came up empty. Yan Liang was having an especially difficult time. This wasn¡¯t just because High School 13 was winning, but also because it was their Miner who was making the ys. In the first game, High School 13¡¯s Annie had dictated the pace of the game. And now it was this Twisted Fate. Yan Liang gritted his teeth. That¡­ That¡­ How the hell does he know how to y those two Champions so well? They¡¯replete opposites! How is he this good! This is ridiculous!

    It didn¡¯t matter whether it was a game in Bronze or on the world stage, falling behind was nothing to be afraid of. It happened. It was best to ept this and look for opportunities to get back into this game. But that was oftentimes easier said than done. Falling behind didn¡¯t just affect the game, it also affected the mental state of the individual yers. They had to be ready for setbacks and support each other through them. Shanghai International did theplete opposite of that, cursing each other out, rather than trying to help their teammates get back up. And it wasn¡¯t as if the game was lost. There was still plenty of time to do something about their current situation. They had skilled yers who coulde together as a team and win. But their anger and frustrations with each other clouded their judgement. They were in no mood to continue ying and started giving up.

    ?

    Yan Liang yed Lenc. She was a Mage Assassin who was only good when she got the kills in the early game and snowballed. But she hadn¡¯t gotten a single kill this game yet, nor was there any sign that she¡¯d get one anytime soon. And with the early game drawing to an end, Yan Liang started to really feel the pressure. His patience waned. All he could see, think, hear, was the Twisted Fate. I have to get a kill on him fast!

    The Blue minions pushed towards High School 13¡¯s inner tower in the midne. Yan Liang was hovering behind them, hesitating between pushing or searching for a gank opportunity elsewhere on the map. The minions crashed into the tower, revealing the Twisted Fate hiding behind it at half health. Yan Liang¡¯s eyes went round. CHANCE! CHANCE! NOW! He pressed down on the W and then the R key¨CMimic: Distortion! His Lenc jumped forward, and then again!

    Lin Feng smiled. He could see the Lenc behind her minions. His Twisted Fate¡¯s health was low. Come on,e on. I know you can¡¯t resist! He pressed the W key¨CPick a Card! A golden card appeared above the Twisted Fate¡¯s head, and Lin Feng pressed the W key again to lock it in. The Lenc jumped forward, as expected. Gotcha! He targeted her. The Twisted Fate threw the golden card at the Lenc as she arrived underneath the inner tower and stunned her. He followed up with an auto attack along with a volley of ying cards¨CWild Cards!

    The stun on the Lenc wore off while she was still alive. NoNoNoNO! Yan Liang mmed down on his E key, frantic! The Lenc fired off Ethereal Chains straight at the Twisted Fate. At point nk range. But she missed. Again. The Twisted Fate had stepped to the side at the exact moment the Lenc attacked him. It was as though he knew it wasing, as if he were burning Atium and could briefly see into the future.

    Westwind clutched the microphone in his fist and put it almost into his mouth, shouting, ¡°AGAIN! IT HAPPENED AGAIN! The Lenc missed the important Ethereal Chains! Who would¡¯ve thought!¡± He shook his head and turned to Silent Reed, then asked, ¡°Can you believe it? It happened again! What do we think? Is this still luck? Or¡­¡±

    Silent Reed looked up at therge screen above the stage. Yan Liang¡¯s Lenc was still alive. She jumped back from where she came from, disappearing far out of range of the Twisted Fate, who had no skills in his kit to catch back up to her. She had failed to pick up the kill. Then things took a turn for the worse. The Kalista and Leona appeared in the midne, cutting off the Lenc¡¯s retreat. They killed her.

    ¡¶A Champion from the Blue Team has been in!¡·

    The crowd went wild. It was a beautiful y! But Silent Reed didn¡¯t cheer together with them. Instead, she shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s just really unfortunate for Yan Liang. Maybe he should¡¯ve hit that Ethereal Chains. I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯ll have to watch it in the rey, maybe that¡¯ll show us something.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll show us a beautiful y by High School 13!¡± Westwindughed. Then he looked over the crowd and shouted, ¡°WOOOO! What a kill! Chant with me, everyone! High School 13! High School 13!¡±

    Yan Liang sat in front of hisputer. He stared at his grey screen. The world around him went quiet. His face lost all its colour and it felt as if his heart stopped beating for a moment. Then he came back alive. He could hear the crowd chanting ¡°High School 13!¡± loud and clear. His gaze dropped to hisp, while his arms fell limply by his side. His face turned red and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. But it could still be worse. Fortunately, he couldn¡¯t hear Lin Feng asking his teammates, ¡°Why is he inting?¡±

 Chapter 192: Time is Running Out!

    VICTORY!

    At 28 minutes, High School 13 breached Shanghai International¡¯s base. They took down all three inhibitors and then started attacking the Nexus. Shanghai International did nothing to stop this. All five yers on their team had tilted off the edge of sanity. They were off doing their own things, ignoring pings from their teammates, or recklessly jumping into 1vs5s. In fact, it looked very much like they wanted to lose this game. There was no one defending the base. A few stood at the fountain, waiting for the end, while Liu Zhengjie was farming minions down in botne.

    The blue energy trapped in Shanghai International¡¯s Nexus exploded outwards. It wrapped and turned around itself to form the victory emblem. This was the moment the fans at the venue had been waiting for. They were finally moving on to Game 3! Thisst game was over at 9 minutes after the second gank in botne. The next 20 minutes were a one-sided stomp by High School 13. And though that was fun to watch every now and then, the crowd was hoping to see something more during this match. High School 13¡¯s students were the only exception. They were enjoying every second of this Semifinal. Their team, written off by analysts long ago, was on the verge of making it to the Finals! Better yet, they were about to knock outst year¡¯s runners up and one of the favourites to win the whole tournament this year! High School 13 had never amounted to much. They were the school people easily forgot about. But that would all change today!

    ¡°GO GO GO! HIGH SCHOOL 13 FOR THE WIN!¡± ¡°WOOOOOOO THIRTEEN IS MY LUCKY NUMBER!¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna get the clean sweep, we¡¯re gonna get the clean sweep!¡± ¡°STOMP THEM LIKE YOU STOMPED OUR HEARTS, TANG TANG!¡± ¡°Shanghai WHO? Shanghai WHO? Shanghai SUCK ME!¡± ¡°We are the Champions, my friends! And we¡¯ll keep on fighting till the end!¡±

    There were a decent number of students from High School 13 at the venue who weren¡¯t League of Legends fans. Some of them didn¡¯t even y the game. They enjoyed watching a game of football. Beer in both hands, jumping up and down to the beat of a song, singing until their voices gave out. They believed that that atmosphere was something special, unique to real sports. Today, they learned it wasn¡¯t. The fast beating of their hearts as their team made another clutch y. The thrill when Tang Bingyao picked up her next kill. The pure bliss when their team soundly beat the tournament favourites. Even if some students didn¡¯t understand League of Legends, they could understand what was going on. It was the universalnguage of sports. High School 13 was doing something really special, and they were here to witness it!

    ?

    There was a short break between the second and third game of the series between High School 13 and Shanghai International. The yers were given time to unwind from thest game and prepare for the next. Shanghai International¡¯s yers were in dire need of this moment of rxation. They were down 2-0, a single game from being knocked out of the tournament. This was a situation they never expected to find themselves in. To make matters worse, they weren¡¯t just losing, they were being toyed around with.

    Yan Liang gnashed his teeth, looking around at his teammates, and said, ¡°Dammit, guys! Come on! We have to get our shit together!¡± He pointed at the yers from High School 13 and continued, ¡°Are we really going to lose to those guys? Look at them! Look at that fucking idiot shouting at the crowd! They¡¯re terrible yers! We are so much better than them. All we have to do is focus. Focus and we win this easily!¡±

    Liu Zhengjie looked at Yan Liang and raised his eyebrows. That¡¯s riching from you¡­ You fed that motherfucking idiot! But Yan Liang was still the team captain. So he calmed himself down and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We can¡¯t lose this! Now, their Miner is the issue here. He¡¯s carried their team in both games. If we keep him down, we should win.¡±

    The heat of the moment was behind them. Everything that happened during the game was forgiven. The yers from Shanghai International were talking with each other again. The Support and Toner nodded in agreement. Focusing High School 13¡¯s Miner did seem like the right call. They turned to look at their Jungler. This job would fall mostly on his shoulders. He was also nodding and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys. I¡¯ll camp the ever living shit out of mid this game! I dare him to try and do anything!¡±

    ?

    ¡°It is time for Game 3 of High School 13 versus Shanghai International! High School 13 has already put one foot in the Finals! Let¡¯s see if they can deal the killing blow to Shanghai International!¡±

    Zeng Rui watched the two teams walk up the stage and sit down behind theirputers. He raised an eyebrow, confused. It looked like High School 13 was making a change to their line up. Besides their coach, the guy with the sses was also walking up on stage. Yang Fan. tinum Miner. What are they thinking? Yan Liang is a Master Miner¡­ Why would they do this? Uh? He expected Lin Feng to sit out this game, like he¡¯d done in the earlier rounds. But Lin Feng sat down behind aputer, preparing to y. It was Liu Yue, High School 13¡¯s Jungler, who made space for Yang Fan.

    Westwind was hyping up the crowd for the third game, doing his thing, until he noticed Yang Fan sitting down and Liu Yue standing off to the side. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Huh? He grabbed his sheet with information on High School 13 and said into the microphone, ¡°It looks like High School 13 is going to change their winning strategy! They¡¯re swapping out a yer! It is, let me see¡­ Ah, here! Liu Yue is sitting out next game! Recing him is their Miner, Yang Fan!¡±

    Silent Reed took the sheet from Westwind and read through it. She traced two lines in particr, frowning. Then she said, ¡°High School 13 is recing their Jungler with another Miner! I¡¯m not sure what to think of this¡­ Have they grown overconfident?¡±

    The yers from Shanghai International also didn¡¯t know what to think of this substitution. Yan Liang and his teammates knew something fishy was going on. They raised their guards, vignt. But no matter how they looked at it, it just didn¡¯t make sense. There was no logical exnation why a Miner would rece a Jungler. But rather than worrying about the unknown, they focused on what they did know. They had to win this game to stay in the series. A reverse sweep wasn¡¯t unheard of. That would have to start right now, though. They had to draft a strong team and force favourablene match-ups.

    Both teams had a clear n going into Champion Select. The bans went through quickly, with both Annie and Draven banned again, followed by all 10 yers locking in their Champion. Then they picked their runes, masteries, and Summoners Spells in thest couple of seconds before the game loaded up. When it did, the line-ups were revealed to everyone in the venue.

    Game 3 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinals:High School 13 (Blue) versus Shanghai International (Red)Topne: Jarvan IV versus FioraJungle: f versus Rek¡¯SaiMidne: Lissandra versus OriannaAD-carry: Jinx versus TristanaSupport: Thresh versus Morgana

    There was a small upheaval during the Champion Select. This had to do with High School 13¡¯s picks of Jarvan IV and f. These two Champions could both y in the topne and Jungle. So Shanghai International was forced to guess which Champion would go where. Westwind and Silent Reed went into great detail on this, intermittently focusing on the tense and frustrated expressions of Shanghai International¡¯s yers. But theypletely misunderstood why Yan Liang and his team were upset.

    Shanghai International¡¯s team didn¡¯t particrly care about the confusion surrounding the Jarvan IV and f and who would go where. Their Toner was ready to face either. The thing that upset them was High School 13¡¯s Miner. Their game n was to make Lin Feng irrelevant. Yet now, Lin Feng had decided to y this game in the Jungle and not in midne! He forced them to trash their ns before they could even be put into action!

    Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t any happier than the yers from Shanghai International. He was frowning, scratching his forehead in annoyance. After watching thest two games, he really wanted to see the thundering dumbass y another game in mid. I need to find out how deep his Champion¡¯s pool is. But he wouldn¡¯t get the chance, since Lin Feng had moved to the Jungle. Why does it feel like they¡¯re doing this just to mess with me? Are they that confident about winning? This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Where¡¯s the logic in all of this? He looked up at the girl walking off the stage. Is this her¡ª

    An Xin walked down the stage, feeling as if a pair of eyes was trying to dig into her. She nced over at the front row of the crowd and quickly noticed Zeng Rui staring at her. She¡¯d done her homework, so she knew who he was. He looks confused. Guess it¡¯s working. She smiled and winked at him, watching his eyes go round as he seemed to realize that Lin Feng switching to the Jungle really was in preparation for the Finals. Then she turned away from him and sat down next to Ren Rou.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The Champions spawned on the Rift. They bought the starter items from the fountain shop and moved out of their base. Lin Feng yed in the Jungle this game. He liked to use cheesy tactics and was ready to pull one off. But the start of the game had something else in store. Shanghai International had gathered up to ce a deep ward in High School 13¡¯s bottom side Jungle. High School 13 had a simr idea in mind. They were gathering in a brush, ready to invade, when Shanghai International¡¯s team just about walked into them. Lin Feng was the first to react. He pinged on the Red Champions and shouted over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°OH! Look! Them! Let¡¯s fight! Wei Dong, ENGAGE! Kill them all!¡±

 Chapter 193: I Took an Axe in the Knee

    It was time for Game 3 of the Semifinals match between High School 13 and Shanghai International! This was going to be a real thriller! The match of the century! 30 minutes that no one would ever forget! At least, that was what the crowd was desperately hoping for it to be. The previous two games had left them thoroughly disappointed, with both games being decided in the first 10 minutes. They wanted something more. The first signs of Game 3 looked promising. Lin Feng had switched to the Jungler-position, with a substitute taking his ce in the midne. He¡¯d been the most dangerous yer on Summoner¡¯s Rift this Semifinal. High School 13 had won the first two games because of him. And now he was going to y another role. Most yers excelled at only one role. Everyone thought Lin Feng would be the same, so they didn¡¯t understand why High School 13 made this substitution. Maybe it was overconfidence, arrogance, or a carefully nned strategy. Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter which it was, as long as the change would put new life in this Semifinal.

    Lin Feng yed f, a Champion he¡¯d always liked. ¡°Throw axe, pick up axe. Throw axe, pick up axe¡­¡± was how he exined it. That was the essence of f. He was a viking with thick, burly muscles and tworge axes. One of his skills was called Undertow. He could throw one of his axes forward. It would damage and slow all the minions, monsters, and Champions it passed through. Then he could chase it down and pick the axe up from the ground. That lowered the cooldown to almost zero, allowing him to throw it again.

    High School 13 and Shanghai International started the game off fairly normally. They bought items in the shop and went into their own halves of the Jungle to ward. It looked like the same start of thest two games and some people in the audience started booing. But then something different happened. Shanghai International gathered up as a team and moved towards the bottom side river to ce a deep ward near the Blue Team¡¯s Red Buff Camp. High School 13 was gathering up in the brush in the middle of the river. Shanghai International would have to walk through it to ce their ward. The crowd got rowdy in anticipation.

    Westwind¡¯s face lit up when he saw what was happening. He started beaming, shouting into his microphone, ¡°OH! OH! A Level 1 teamfight!¡± Thest two games had an uninspiring first couple of minutes. He would read out the teampositions, and discuss potential game ns with his co-caster Silent Reed. He could still hype up the crowd, but it wasn¡¯t nearly so much fun as hyping them up for an actual y! He clutched the microphone tighter in his grasp and said, ¡°WOO! I hope you guys watching are as excited as I am! Let¡¯s fight!¡±

    Silent Reed smiled and said, ¡°This can go either way! Yan Liang¡¯s team has the Morgana. But High School 13 has Thresh¡¯s hook and f¡¯s axe! Anything can happen!¡±

    The people in the crowd weren¡¯t as reserved as Silent Reed. She was the caster. She had to be neutral and evaluate both teams. They didn¡¯t. They could say whatever they were thinking. Right now, they thought it was obvious who was going to win this Level 1 teamfight.

    ¡°3-0. Game over.¡± ¡°Man, I can¡¯t believe this shit luck. All I wanted was one good game.¡± ¡°Thresh and f. Lol. Easy win.¡± ¡°High School 13 doesn¡¯t even have to try. Shanghai International is just giving it to them...¡± ¡°GO LIN FENG! Kick some ass!¡± ¡°YAN LIANG! Don¡¯t go in! GO BACK!¡±

    Shanghai International¡¯s team was walking through the bottom side of their Jungle, along the wall of the Blue Buff Camp. There was an opening to the river here, half of it covered by a brush. They headed down through the brush and into the river together, while Yan Liang was exining part of their game n over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°We want Rek¡¯Sai to make an early gank in bot to help keep that Jinx down. Then we want to ce our attention on mid, so th¡ª¡± They stood in the middle of the river. There was one small brush right in front of them. The Thresh from High School 13 walked towards it, while the Jinx stepped out of it. ¡°SHIT! BACK! BACK! BACK!¡± Yan Liang yelled over his team¡¯s voice chat.

    High School 13¡¯s entire team was hiding in that one brush. Lin Feng was the first to see the yers from Shanghai International appear right in front of them. He directly pinged on top of them and shouted over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°OH! Look! Them! Let¡¯s fight! Wei Dong, ENGAGE! Kill them all!¡±

    Wei Dong pressed down on his D key¨Csh! His Thresh disappeared with a mottled sh of light and reappeared on the other side of the brush, right on top of Shanghai International¡¯s team. He followed up with Death Sentence. The sickle cut through the air and struck the Rek¡¯Sai, hooking her. Then the Thresh walked backwards, dragging the Rek¡¯Sai back with him.

    Westwind couldn¡¯t contain himself any longer, much like the crowd. There was action! He shouted into the microphone, ¡°THE HOOK LANDS! THE HOOK LANDS!¡±

    ¡°Back. Back! RETREAT!¡± Yan Liang shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat again, while having his Orianna run away. They had the weaker Level 1 team and they were caught out of position. That was reason enough for him to not even consider fighting. His teammates agreed. They quickly followed after him, the Morgana throwing a Dark Binding behind her to slow High School 13 down. But she was too quick. High School 13 hadn¡¯t even started chasing after them yet. The Dark Binding struck the Thresh. He was the only target on High School 13¡¯s team she didn¡¯t want to hit. He didn¡¯t deal any damage and had already used his only avable skill. Hitting him was no different from wasting her team¡¯s only crowd control skill.

    Lin Fengughed and shouted over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m going in!¡± Then he activated Ghost. His f received a burst of speed as he charged after the yers from Shanghai International. He threw his axe at them, hitting three and slowing them¨CUndertow! They continued running away and he chased after them, leaving his teammates behind.

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t follow Lin Feng. She had her Jinx take out her minigun and fired away at the locked down Rek¡¯Sai, shearing away the Champion¡¯s health. Chen Ze and Yang Fan also had their Champions attack the Rek¡¯Sai. They were still Level 1, so they didn¡¯t deal a lot of damage. But it was enough.

    The Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s health dropped below 20% before she broke free from the Thresh¡¯s hook. She then panic-shed towards a wall, hoping to jump through it to the other side. But she hit the middle of the wall and was thrown back by it. She had no more abilities to escape from the four Champions attacking her and lost thest bit of her health.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Meanwhile, Lin Feng was in Shanghai International¡¯s bottom side Jungle. He had his f pick up the axe he¡¯d thrown and then hurled it at the three Champions in front of him again, reapplying the slow. Then he continued running after them fearlessly. He didn¡¯t need his teammates right now. He was f! All he needed was his axe!

    The three Shanghai International yers were frantic. There was an f hot on their heels, who was constantly slowing them. The Jungle suddenly looked a lot bigger than it normally did. Safety was far away and it felt like any second now, another axe could hit them. There was nothing they could do to stop the f, short of killing him. But that didn¡¯t seem realistic with the rest of High School 13 right behind him. So they resorted to the only method they knew for a fact would work. They shed away.

    The Level 1 teamfight drew to a close. The smoke settled and it became very clear who¡¯de out the winner. High School 13 had used three Summoner Spells; Wei Dong had used sh and Exhaust, and Lin Feng had used Ghost. Meanwhile, they¡¯d forced Shanghai International to waste four shes and they¡¯d also picked up First Blood. At this point, this game was theirs to lose. They knew it, as did the people in the crowd.

    ¡°Damn." ¡°Holy what? That f is fucking nuts!¡± ¡°Someone, pinch me. Please. This can¡¯t be real. I must be having a nightmare. I must be¡­¡± ¡°WOOO! LIN FENG, LET¡¯S GOOOOO!¡± ¡°That¡¯s game right there. Another easy win for High School 13. GREAT.¡± ¡°Shanghai International got wrecked!¡± ¡°NO RESPECT! 1vs4 chase and Shanghai International just ran away! HAHA!¡±

    In the private seating area, the yers from Shanghai High School were finally starting to realize what was happening. Even after the second game, they still thought Shanghai International would turn it around and make it through to the Finals. Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner was the first to voice what they were all thinking, ¡°Shit. Are they really going to 3-0 Shanghai International? What the eff is this?¡±

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t say anything. He sat in his chair, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, staring at the yer at the center of this all. That thundering dumbass¡­ How did he¡­ In the previous rounds of the tournament, it was very easy to see through High School 13¡¯s tactic. But that was mostly because there was no real tactic. They were, for the most part, winning games purely through the skill of one yer. This Semifinal was different. High School 13 was ying really well. They had a well thought out game n and executed it perfectly. How did they¡­ Zeng Rui shook his head. He couldn¡¯t evene up with a proper analysis for Game 3. It just didn¡¯t make any sense to him. High School 13 had gained so much from that Level 1 teamfight. ¡°How¡­ How¡­¡± he mumbled on repeat.

    Back on stage, Shanghai International¡¯s yers were sitting quietly behind theirputers, dazed. This game was supposed to be theirs! They were going to mount aeback and show everyone why they were the favourites! Yan Liang¡¯s lips started quaking from a mix of rage and fear. FUCK! We needed first blood! We! Us! Not them. Not again. Why! Why? WHY! It doesn¡¯t make ANY SENSE! IT DOESN¡¯T! WHY? No. Argh! I¡­ NO! WHAT! AHHHH!

    Liu Zhengjie nced across the stage at Tang Bingyao, mumbling, ¡°That stupid fucking girl. Lucky again.¡± He¡¯d just talked with his team about making sure she wouldn¡¯t pop off again. Now the first minion wave had just spawned and she already had a kill. He had tone against her again starting from a deficit. ¡°God fucking dammit! These useless motherfuckers!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had his f go towards the Blue Buff Camp, happily humming. Then he turned to look across the stage and saw the expressions and res from Shanghai International¡¯s yers. He startedughing and said, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re tilting again!¡± He then turned back to look at his screen and had his f kill the Blue Sentinel. After which he headed straight for Shanghai International¡¯s Red Buff Camp.

    Chen Ze was in topne, which was closest to the Red Team¡¯s Red Buff Camp. He warned, ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t overdo it!¡± But Lin Feng hardly listened. He justughed it off, full of confidence, and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really good at invading with f, too!¡±

 Chapter 194: Going Viral

    The Shanghai 16 School Tournament was the pathway to the professional League of Legends scene for the high schoolers of Shanghai. This was the big stage where everyone wanted to y and perform at! But there were also many people, both young and old, who wanted to watch the games. This was their chance to see the next generation of professional yers! Some of them went to the venue, but there were far more who couldn¡¯t make it. There were, after all, only 700 seats. So the Shanghai Esports Association had done the only logical thing. They¡¯d approached different live streaming tforms and signed broadcasting deals with them. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament would be on the frontpage of every big streaming website for the Semifinals and Finals!

    Chu Fang, who was the vice president of the Shanghai Esports Association, had put time, money, and effort into promoting the broadcast for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He had prepared targeted ads and bought mentions on the streams of influencers. All that hard work proved to be worth it. When the stream went live on Huya TV, it opened with 5,000 viewers and that number kept climbing higher with every passing second. Family, friends, and fellow students who couldn¡¯t make it to the venue tuned in. Diehard League of Legends fans took this high school tournament as an appetizer for the Season 5 Worlds Finals that was scheduled the next day. Then there were the trolls who opened the stream just to make fun of the yers. They believed that high schoolers were too young to be any good at the game, so they were rubbing their hands together in anticipation, ready to start trolling and riling people up.

    ¡¸LEL 5k peepz watching nubs y XD go watch lovelyrose, maybe you¡¯ll GIT GUD¡¹

    ¡¸shit i was watching smutsentinal vids and got bored, so i hopped on huya. Think this might even be worse. At least i can get augh out of that cupnoodles guy.¡¹

    ¡¸Can¡¯t believe there are so many idiots who want to see high schoolers y¡­ Bunch of pedos if you ask me.¡¹

    ¡¸go watch lspl or lpl reys. better waste of your time morons¡¹

    The first game between Shanghai High School and Tonji Affiliated started. More and more people joined the stream, curious to see what so many others were watching. It was a high school tournament. Most scoffed and thought about clicking away. But they quickly changed their minds when they saw how well the two teams were ying. These weren¡¯t kids fooling around. These were full fledged yers, disying high level tactics and gamey! In fact, it was almost indistinguishable from professional games in the LSPL, and maybe even the LPL!

    ¡¸Are these guys really still in high school? They¡¯re so good!¡¹

    ¡¸hoho woww, man, you¡¯d almost feel bad for those tonji kids. They¡¯re getting dumpstered XDDDDDDD¡¹

    ¡¸OH SNAP! look at the shanghai high school support¡¯s name! HE¡±S A CHALLENGER!!!!! I KNOW HIM!!! HE¡±S FRIGGIN GOOOODDDDDD¡¹

    ¡¸KEK UwU UwU CARRY ME DADDY¡¹

    Shanghai High School and Tonji Affiliated both showed impable individual and team y. This quickly garnered respect from the viewers. More people kept joining the stream, many of them sticking around to see how the series would end. They found it hard to believe a group of high schoolers were this good. But the evidence was right in front of them. They watched until Shanghai High School won 3-0 over Tonji Affiliated High. And then they kept watching as the second Semifinal series got underway. High School 13 versus Shanghai International.

    ¡¸I heard Shanghai International is about as good as Shanghai High School. someone confirm?¡¹

    ¡¸yo i watched themst year! Pretty sure their ad-carry got scouted for an LSPL team!?¡¹

    ¡¸WOWA. Forreals? That good????? We got more of thising? SWWEEETTTTTT¡¹

    ¡¸pls let hs13 be better than tonji <33333 k thx¡¹

    ¡¸Lawl. HS13 sucks balls. Bunch of noobs that got lucky. GO SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL!¡¹

    ¡¸Ripperoni in pepperoni High School 13¡¹

    The Shanghai International fans were spamming the chat. They were quick to talk their team up and High School 13 down. Many viewers expected a one-sided stomp. A quick series that would show why Shanghai International was an amazing team and why their ad-carry would make it onto the professional scene! But then the first game started. It was indeed a one-sided stomp, just that the Annie did all the stomping.

    ¡¸THAT ANNIE! My sweetness! She deserves a cookie! SO SICK!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hahahha so much damage. I¡¯m betting my left testicle that she¡¯s getting banned next game, HARHAR¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll tattoo a dick on my forehead if she doesn¡¯t get banned!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸screenshotted! Better get that ink gun ready bitch, cuz if you don¡¯t imma find you.¡¹

    The second game went into Champion Select. The bans came and went and then the yers started locking in their Champions. The viewers were trolling around in chat, having a good time and not really paying attention. That was, until Lin Feng locked in Twisted Fate. The chat quickly zoomed in on that.

    ¡¸holy crap, that¡¯s bm as fk!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸oh man, I bet you that miner from shanghai international is praying to his gods that this twisted fate is shitty as shit, hahahaha¡¹

    ¡¸eh, idk guys. tf into lb? my moneys on the lb¡¹

    ¡¸either way somebody¡¯s booty bout to get pped¡¹

    The game started. Lin Feng was pressured at the start, but quickly turned that around into an early kill. Then he patiently bided his time, farming minions in hisne and monsters in the jungle, until he hit Level 6. His Twisted Fate could finally use his ultimate skill¨CDestiny! He used this to gank botne and help his team pick up a kill. Then a few minutester, he went to the botne again, this time with teleport, to help his team win big again. Lin Feng was carrying the game, just like in Game 1, and the viewers couldn¡¯t get enough of him.

    ¡¸look at the facecam! The miner from High School 13 is good AND cute!¡¹

    ¡¸he¡¯s got it all¡­. so unfair. someone go and make him ugly pls.¡¹

    ¡¸I love how he¡¯s showing SI¡¯s Miner how to y TF. That¡¯s some real BM right there!¡¹

    ¡¸such a HOTTIE! if only i was a few years younger >.<¡±¡¹

    ¡¸TEACH ME SENPAI! I WANNA BE GOD LIKE YOU!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸wait¡­ i think i¡¯ve seen him somewhere before.wasn¡¯t he that kid that yed with Nightsong in botne!? He was that Vayne, and Nightsnng was Blitz! why is he mid, i thought he was an adc main! lmaaaao.¡¹

    The number of viewers on the livestream grew to such an extent that it also started to get the attention of famous streamers. Amongst them was Twilight, a retired professional yer. His viewers had asked him to open the stream and give his opinion on the level of gamey. Twilight had yed in the LPL, so they really wanted to know what he thought of these high schoolers. Twilight opened the stream and watched it. He nned to watch it for a few minutes and move on. But he soon forgot about the time. This was a good game. A really good game. The Twisted Fate especially left a deep impression on him. He ended up watching the entire game before finally turning to look at his webcam and saying, ¡°That Twisted Fate, right? That kid¡¯s got talent. His roams and awareness are insane. I can see him go pro.¡±

    ?

    Su Xue had told Lin Feng that she would be cheering for him in his uing matches. But it just so happened that she¡¯d scheduled a duo queue session with Ol¡¯ ck when Lin Feng was ying in the Semifinals. She¡¯d apologized profusely to Lin Feng and exined the situation to him. He said he understood and that it really wasn¡¯t a big deal. So she¡¯d stayed home and was streaming with Ol¡¯ ck. This gave her arge pool of potential new viewers, something she¡¯d do anything for.

    Ol¡¯ ck was casually ying a few games with Su Xue, reading through his stream chat and replying to messages from his viewers. There wasn¡¯t anything interesting happening at first, but then his viewers started talking about the tournament stream. He raised his eyebrows and said over the voice chat, ¡°Hey, Snowfall, didn¡¯t you say lil bro of yours is ying in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament? He made it to the semis, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess he¡¯s probably ying right now,¡± Su Xue replied. ¡°Why?¡±

    Ol¡¯ ck said, ¡°Some viewers are talking about it. Looks like the tournament is being streamed. Wanna go watch it?¡±

    ¡°Wait, WHAT?¡± Su Xue yelped. ¡°It¡¯s being live streamed? Yes! Of course! Let¡¯s go watch it!¡±

    This new bit of information also got a strong response from Su Xue¡¯s viewers. They¡¯d much rather see Lin Fengpete than watch the maid y some duo queue! So they took it upon themselves to announce that to her.

    ¡¸Be a good maid and show us the stream! Then go fetch me some water! No wait! Get off the stream and bring water to lil bro! Hes probably thirsty right now!¡¹

    ¡¸SHOW US THE STREAM! WE WANNA SEE LIL BRO PLAY!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸exit that queue! go watch lil bro! how did you not know this? this stupid maid. smh.¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m only here for lil brooooooooo!!!!!!1!!! LIL BRO IS MY HERO¡¹

    Su Xue looked at the webcam and said, ¡°Haha, you guys are so funny.¡± But she did as they asked, mostly because she herself wanted to watch Lin Feng y. She opened the Shanghai 16 School Tournament stream just in time to watch the Level 1 teamfight in Game 3 break out. They witnessed Thresh''s hook on the Rek¡¯Sai, followed by Lin Feng chasing away four yers from Shanghai International with only an axe. Su Xue couldn¡¯t stifle herughter as she said, ¡°So cool! Go, Lin Feng! He made them all sh away! Amazing!¡±

    ¡¸AMAAAZZIINNNGGGGGG¡¹

    ¡¸666666666666 sikckkkkkk yyzzzzz¡¹

    ¡¸dayummmm, look at that score! 2-0! If they win this, they¡¯re through to the finals!¡¹

    ¡¸carry them to the finals, lil bro! IN LIL BRO WE TRUST!!!¡¹

    Su Xue cheered with her viewers, watching Lin Feng take the Blue Buff and then heading towards the Red Buff Camp on Shanghai International¡¯s side of the map. ¡°Ohhh! He¡¯s invading! Lin Feng is invading! GoGoGo!¡±

    1. bad mannered

 Chapter 195: A Bad Case of Lin Feng

    After High School 13 won the Level 1 teamfight against Shanghai International, Wei Dong snuck into their Jungle and ced a ward in the Blue Buff Camp. This gave Lin Feng all the information he needed. He knew exactly when the Rek¡¯Sai killed the Blue Sentinel and when she started walking in the direction of the Red Buff Camp. He had his f sneak into Shanghai International¡¯s top side Jungle, going unnoticed, and hid in the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. There, he waited for the Rek¡¯Sai. A murmur went through the crowd as they watched this happen.

    ¡°Man, that¡¯s bloody dirty!¡± ¡°GET SOME WARDS! Damn idiots¡­ It¡¯s like they¡¯ve never yed the game before.¡± ¡°Maybe the Rek¡¯Sai will check the brush?¡± ¡°This is going to be so sad for that Rek¡¯Sai¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of feeling bad for Shanghai International¡­¡±

    Westwind shook his head and looked at the crowd. This y was going to be painful to watch. He had to do something to make everyone excited for it! He grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Why is everyone so quiet? This is EXCITING! The f is showing us some real SKILL! Let¡¯s hear it for f and his first kill! WOOO!¡±

    Silent Reed stared at the screen and said, ¡°Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s early game will be ruined. Two deaths within five minutes. That¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know. Yan Liang and his team are going to have a hard time.¡±

    Lin Feng sat in the brush, waiting. He panned his camera across the map to see how his teammates were doing, then turned his attention back to the Red Buff Camp. The Rek¡¯Sai appeared from the fog of war a couple of secondster. She attacked the Red Brambleback with an auto attack, then stopped. There was a slight hesitation as the fiery monster attacked her. It was as though it urred to her that she should make sure the f wasn¡¯t anywhere near her. She walked into the brush next to her to get better vision of her surroundings. Fuck.

    Lin Feng grinned. The Rek¡¯Sai walked right into him. He pressed the Q key¨CUndertow! Lin Feng¡¯s f hurled his axe, hitting and slowing the Rek¡¯Sai. He picked up his axe and threw it again. The Rek¡¯Sai wanted to escape, but she had no sh to jump over a wall and create some distance. There also weren¡¯t any teammates that coulde and help her, because she was in the middle of her Jungle, far away from thenes. Another axe hit her. Her health was reaching critical levels. She tried to run towards Shanghai International¡¯s base. But it was too far away. The axes kepting until her health bar bottomed out.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng clenched his fist and threw it up in the air, cheering, ¡°Heck yeah! Invading is the best!¡±

    ?

    Viewers across different streams on various streaming tforms all felt the Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s pain. They¡¯d all yed games like this where an opponent was abusing them. These kinds of games were the most infuriating to y. They made you rage and scream at your screen. They made you fight the urge to punch a hole in the wall. They made you battle that voice in your head that was demanding you to throw your monitor out of the window. The viewers started flooding the chats.

    ¡¸I¡¯m not even ying the game, and I¡¯m tilted just watching this!!¡¹

    ¡¸fk me! that f is so dirty¡¹

    ¡¸just feel bad for the rek¡­ shit.. These kinda games are the worst¡¹

    ¡¸open mid? dont see those guysing back from this¡¹

    ¡¸that fucking f knew reksai had no sh. fucking lowblow man¡¹

    ¡¸He yed it brilliantly, no denying that. Bute on, was that really necessary? Give that poor Rek¡¯Sai a break!¡¹

    The mood waspletely different in Su Xue¡¯s stream. Her viewers enjoyed every second of this game. They loved seeing Lin Feng exploit the weaknesses of the opponent. His ¡®show no mercy¡¯-attitude made for some beautiful moments they would never forget. Some of the older viewers recalled the time that Lin Feng had set up a tent in botne, killing LovelyRose whenever she got back tone. That was the kind of games they wanted to see! They flooded the chat with their excitement.

    ¡¸lil bro the god! YEAAH!¡¹

    ¡¸NICE CATCH! Godlee does it again, WOOOOO!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸We only bow to lil broooooo!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahhahahahahahahhaha, didnt expect any different from lil bro!!¡¹

    ¡¸I pray to the Church of Lin Feng!!!!!1!11¡¹

    ¡°Haha! Go Lin Feng!¡± Su Xue eximed, hopping up and down in her gaming chair. Then she turned to look at her webcam and said gleefully, ¡°See! What did I tell you guys? Lin Feng¡¯s the dirtiest yer of ¡®em all! No one¡¯s dirtier than he is! Haha! That Jungler will want to uninstall the game by the end of this!¡±

    ?

    Shanghai International¡¯s voice chat was quiet. It was a silence that made the air itself feel heavy. This game was supposed to be the moment they turned things around. After everything that had happened in the previous game, they¡¯d agreed to leave that all behind them and focus on making it through to the Finals. They¡¯d done their best to hype themselves and each other up. They¡¯d prepared a game n and worked out a strategy that was supposed to work. But before any of that coulde into y, they were thrown on the backfoot in the Level 1 teamfight, directly followed by the Rek¡¯Sai dying in her own Jungle. They found themselves back in the same mental state of thest game. Angry and frustrated. They were in no mood to talk.

    Yan Liang took a deep breath. He looked at his teammates, chewing his frustration away on his lips, then said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, guys. Two kills, that¡¯s all. y it safe. Don¡¯t give away anymore kills. We¡¯re the better team. We have to win this.¡±

    Back in the game, Lin Feng was on the move again. He had killed Rek¡¯Sai and the Red Brambleback. There was nothing else for him in the Jungle, so he turned his attention to the topne. He pinged on Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Chen Ze, push out yourne. I¡¯ming!¡±

    Chen Ze was initially being pushed back by Shanghai International¡¯s Fiora. But when Lin Feng killed the Rek¡¯Sai in Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle, the Fiora directly stopped her aggression and retreated back towards her own outer tower. This gave Chen Ze the opportunity to have his Jarvan IV clear the Red minion wave and push thene. The Blue minions marched towards Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower and crashed into it. All the while, Lin Feng had his f run through the Jungle into a brush behind the outer tower.

    Yan Liang was paying careful attention to his minimap after the kill on Rek¡¯Sai. He immediately noticed when the Fiora backed away and when the Jarvan IV took the opportunity to push thene out. That¡¯s odd. Why didn¡¯t he freeze thene? ¡°Fishy,¡± he mumbled to himself. Another gank? That could¡­ He made the decision right away. Something was going very wrong in the topne. He had to be there and help his Toner out. So he had his Orianna fall back to the outer tower in the midne and Teleported to the Fiora, saying over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯ming top!¡±

    A pir of red light descended on Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower in the topne. Lin Feng stared at it for a moment and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Oh. That was fast. Doesn¡¯t matter. Abort, Chen Ze. I¡¯ll go somewhere else.¡± He¡¯d forced the Orianna to use her Teleport, a valuable Summoner Spell, and he hadn¡¯t even had to do anything for it. On top of that, the Orianna would lose minions in the midne. He didn¡¯t even need to gank to make this gank worth it!

    Yan Liang was stewing in anger. He¡¯d saved his Toner from a gank, probably. They never actually got vision on the f. But he felt pretty confident that they¡¯d stopped a gank. He had paid the price for it, though. He missed out on gold and experience in the midne and lost the small advantage he had built up over the Lissandra. Damn it! That damned f! It¡¯s the same every single fucking time! He was growing more irritated by the second. Lin Feng had beat him in Game 1. Lin Feng had beat him in Game 2. And now Lin Feng was strolling around in the Jungle, making Yan Liang¡¯s entire team look like a bunch of beginners! Who the fuck does he think he is! He, he¡­ Wait. Yan Liang suddenly remembered what had happened a week ago after the Quarterfinals. Chu Fang, the vice president of the Shanghai Esports Association, hade looking for Lin Feng. The two had interacted like they were old friends. Yan Liang turned away from his monitor to look at Lin Feng across the stage, mumbling, ¡°How does he know Chu Fang? Just who the hell is he¡­¡±

    ?

    At 7 minutes, Yang Fan couldn¡¯t hold the midne any longer. He just wasn¡¯t good enough at the game to face off against a Master yer. The Orianna always knew when to attack and she brought his health down to half. He was thinking of recalling back to base, trying tost hit a few more minions, when the Rek¡¯Sai came for a gank. He smashed down on his D key¨Csh! But the Rek¡¯Sai was faster, shing on top of his Lissandra and knocking her up into the air. Yang Fan adjusted his sses, watching his screen turn grey, and said, ¡°Shit! My bad. I was toote with my sh. The Rek¡¯Sai sh-engaged me. I won¡¯t let it happen again. Sorry, guys.

    Lin Feng shook his head andughed. ¡°No worries! You said the Rek¡¯Sai shed? I got this. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll make her pay for killing you! Haha!¡±

    After helping Yan Liang pick up a kill on the Lissandra, Shanghai International¡¯s Jungler had his Rek¡¯Sai path towards the bottom side of the Jungle. He was smiling ever so slightly again. The game was finally looking on the up. They were talking over the team¡¯s voice chat again and he could feel his mood improving by the second. He had his Rek¡¯Sai go to the Gromp Camp, located across from the Blue Buff Camp, and started attacking the big frog. And then he took an axe in the knee.

    Lin Feng grinned and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s me again! Did you miss me? Haha!¡±

 Chapter 196: Foot in the Door

    Lin Feng had been farming Jungle Camps over thest couple of minutes. His f had the Blue Buff, which lowered the cooldowns of his skills and increased his mana regeneration, allowing him to spam Undertow without having to worry about running out of mana. He went from one Jungle Camp to the next, throwing his axe back and forth, each time chasing after it to pick it up again. In the meantime, he kept his eye on the minimap, searching for opportunities. That was when he saw the Rek¡¯Sai gank Yang Fan¡¯s Lissandra. He was too far away to help, so he could only watch it happen. But then the Rek¡¯Sai moved towards the bottom of her side of the Jungle. Lin Feng was hovering near the botne, only a short distance away from Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle. He didn¡¯t need to think and directly started chasing after the Rek¡¯Sai. He found her at the Gromp Camp.

    Lin Feng had his f throw an axe at the Rek¡¯Sai, then ran forward to pick it up and throw it again. The Rek¡¯Sai had used her skills in the gank in midne. sh was also on cooldown. She found herself back in the same situation as a couple of minutes before. The f attacked while she tried to run away. But his slow was too strong and her health was too low. He kept attacking until she only had a little bit of health left. Then he jumped up, raising his axes high above his head, and hacked down with such force that he dealt true damage to the Rek¡¯Sai and himself¨CReckless Swing! The Rek¡¯Sai died; he lived.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Westwind shot up from his chair at the caster desk, microphone clutched in his grasp, and shouted, ¡°OLAF HAS DONE IT AGAIN! He killed the Rek¡¯Sai in her own Jungle! Is she safe anywhere? I THINK NOT! Don¡¯t you guys agree?¡± He paused for a moment, winking at Silent Reed as the crowd cheered in response to him. Then he continued, ¡°But some real talk here, guys. What this f is doing isn¡¯t all about luck. A really skilled Jungler can predict the pathing of their opponent and y ordingly. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what this f here is doing. Insanely impressive. LET¡¯S HEAR IT FOR OLAF!¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head, smiling, as the crowd erupted into a second round of cheering. They hung on Westwind¡¯s words, doing as he asked of them. She looked over at the stage and said, ¡°That¡¯s some prediction ability. The f is practically living in the Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s jungle. Reminds me of that Jungler from a few years ago. What¡¯s his name...¡±

    Westwind turned to Silent Reed and said, ¡°Right! Shit. I can¡¯t remember either. You mean the, ¡®your jungle is mine and my jungle is mine!¡¯-guy, right?¡± He waited for the nod from Silent Reed and then continued, ¡°They really do share some simrities. Maybe it¡¯s a brother from another mother! Haha!¡±

    In the private seating area of thepeting teams, Zeng Rui sat at the edge of his seat, staring intently at therge screen. He was always meticulous in his approach. But until now, he hadn¡¯t considered High School 13 a threat. He¡¯d watched them y and concluded they weren¡¯t good enough to make it to the Finals. The team he watched back then and the team in front of him right now werepletely different. This team did have what it took to make it to the Finals. And that thundering dumbass also knew how to Jungle. Lin Feng had yed every role at some point in the tournament and had never lost a game. Zeng Rui would be a fool if he didn¡¯t recognize that. So, for the first time in this year¡¯s Shanghai 16 School Tournament, he got really serious.

    ?

    Chu Fang watched the Semifinals backstage, out of view from others. He was grinning andughing. There was a mixture of emotions overflowing from him. Joy. Gratification. Hope. It¡¯s really him. It really is! He¡¯d watched every second of the High School 13 games, every second of Lin Feng. He¡¯s not there yet. But it¡¯s him. It¡¯s really him! He¡¯ll get there again! Chu Fang couldn¡¯t keep the smile from his face. He was beaming! All his hard work with setting up the Shanghai 16 School Tournament was worth it. He¡¯d found the talent he¡¯d been looking for! The biggest talent of them all. Lin Feng!

    People across the world looked down on the Chinesepetitive esports scene. The Americans didn¡¯t take them seriously. The Europeans didn¡¯t take them seriously. The Koreans made fun of them. Chu Fang shook his head in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to see a Chinese team make it back to the Worlds Finals. He wanted to see them win! The current teams weren¡¯t realistic contenders. There was too much of a gap between them and the real top. So he¡¯d focused his full attention on the next generation of yers, doing everything within his power to find raw talent and prepare them for the big stage. I found him again!

    Chu Fang forced himself to stay seated. But what he really wanted to do was jump up and down and hug everyone he could find. There were two stars being born in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Zeng Rui was a phenomenal Support. He¡¯d proven thatst year, and was doing so again this year. He consistently ced at the top of the solo queue rankeddder, while solo games were his weak point. He would make it very far in the professional scene. Then there was Lin Feng. Chu Fang couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling every time that name crossed his mind. Lin Feng. It didn¡¯t matter to him what anyone thought of the LPL or the Chinesepetitive esports scene anymore. We got Lin Feng. He¡¯ll shut them up!

    ?

    Shanghai International desperately tried to keep control of the game, but that was bing increasingly difficult. In the previous two games, the trouble started in the midne and then found its way to the botne. This time around, it all happened in the Jungle. Lin Fengpletely shut down the Rek¡¯Sai. He stopped her from putting pressure on the map by always informing his teammates of her location. He stopped her from farming Jungle monsters by setting up a tent in her Jungle. He stopped her from ganking thenes by always intercepting her. Everything she tried to do got shut down by him.

    Rek¡¯Sai gained the passive skill Tremor Sense when she Burrowed under the ground. She could feel the tremors of Champions walking nearby her. But this extra information didn¡¯t give her the edge she needed. It might as well not have been there. Because the f appeared in it when he wanted to, and didn¡¯t appear in it when he didn¡¯t want to. That didn¡¯t say whether he was there or not, though.

    Shanghai International¡¯s Jungler started to doubt his own sanity, especially after a failed gank in the topne. He¡¯d wanted to help his Toner pick up a kill on the Jarvan IV. After destroying the wards he could find near the topne and making sure the f wasn¡¯t nearby, he sped into thene and attacked the Jarvan IV. But the f was already there, waiting in a brush. High School 13 turned the gank around, killing the Fiora and the outer tower. The Rek¡¯Sai survived. But that felt more like adding insult to injury than a win.

    There were many, many people watching the stream by now. Arge portion of them came to poke a little fun at the high school tournament. But they all stayed for the incredibly high level gamey. A good 90% of the people watching were genuinely left speechless. They didn¡¯t type a single word in chat. Fortunately, there was a very vocal 10%.

    ¡¸I can¡¯t believe this. Is that f really a high schooler?¡¹

    ¡¸That f is a Challenger, right? RIGHT? SOMEONE TELL ME!! IM LOSING MY FRIGGIN MIND HERE¡¹

    ¡¸WTF¡­ i thought f was nerfed? did i miss some patchnotes??????????¡¹

    ¡¸OOMMMGGGGGGG ¡¹

    Chu Fang was reading through the messages in the stream chat, smiling. Maple was a Miner, but he could y any role... Chu Fang started grinning at himself, remembering something the Jungler on Lin Feng¡¯s old team had said. ¡°Hey, Lin Feng. You know¡­ If you start ying Jungle, I swear, solo queue will be eleven times as toxic! All those damn dirty Junglers trying to imitate you!¡± Eleven¡­ Chu Fang shook his head. He knew Eleven better than he knew Lin Feng. Eleven used to be one of the best Junglers in the world. He was right up there with the likes of Read XIII. But then he lost that spark that made him so special. Chu Fang sighed. Hah¡­ What a shame. What a shame.

    ?

    At 10 minutes, Lin Feng had his f roam towards the botne. He entered Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle and walked into the brush right behind the outer tower. The Tristana and Morgana were underneath the tower, farming minions. Lin Feng had made sure to evade all the wards, so Shanghai International had no clue that he was there. His f was strong enough to deal damage and tank several energy shots from the tower. The Blue minion wave was marching at the outer tower. Wei Dong and Tang Bingyao were ready.

    Lin Feng pressed down on the D and then the R key¨CRagnarok! A blood red haze washed over f¡¯s body as he became immune to all crowd control effects! His movement speed even gained two boosts on top of that; one from Ghost and the other from Ragnarok. Then he charged at the Morgana and Tristana, ignoring the tower and straight up attacking them!

    The Morgana directly fired off a Dark Binding at the f. But he was immune to crowd control effects, so it didn¡¯t lock him down. The Tristana loaded a massive cannonball into her weapon and fired it off, intending to knock the f away. But he was immune to crowd control effects, so it didn¡¯t affect him. He charged at them and threw an axe. Then he auto attacked the Tristana with his other axe.

    Tang Bingyao pressed down on her R key¨CSuper Mega Death Rocket! Her Jinx raised her rocketuncher and fired off a super rocket that traveled through the botne before colliding with the Tristana and Morgana. A loud explosion followed, a smiley appearing in the resulting smoke cloud. The dust settled, revealing a corpse. The Tristana was killed by Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Wei Dong smashed down on the D key¨Csh! His Thresh disappeared with a mottled sh of light and then reappeared on the other side of the Red minions. He followed up by throwing his sickle at the Morgana, hooking her¨CDeath Sentence! Her health was low after Tang Bingyao¡¯s attack and Lin Feng¡¯s f was on top of her. It only took a couple of swings with his axe to finish her off.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Fengughed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I got a kill! Nice! Let¡¯s go and take Dragon now!¡±

    The crowd in the venue were chanting the name of their new god. ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡± He was leading High School 13 to another win. ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡± There was no tower that could stop him. Man and Dragon alike feared him. ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡± At only 12 minutes in the game, he carried his team to a 4,000 gold lead over Shanghai International. ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡± He was invincible. ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

 Chapter 197: Blind Man Walking

    High School 13¡¯s students in the audience were living the dream. Their team was beating Shanghai International! For the first time in the school¡¯s long history, one of the clubs was performing at a big tournament! The students were so surprised that they didn¡¯t know what to do. But their emotionspelled them to jump, scream and shout, ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡± High School 13 had always been the butt of every joke, knocked out early in everypetition they participated in. No one ever took them seriously. But not today! This day, High School 13¡¯s esports club was breaking tradition! They were on the verge of advancing to the Finals of the biggest high school esports tournament in all of Shanghai!

    Most students from High School 13 hadn¡¯t started supporting their esports club until a few days ago. They were afraid to. That was how much the losing mentality was ingrained into them. It all started with the principal who wouldn¡¯t give the school¡¯s open support to any club team. He believed they wouldn¡¯t amount to anything anyway, so he thought it best not to announce their next big disappointment to all students. That was reinforced justst year. The basketball team had qualified for a regional tournament, and the principal made a one-time exception, giving the team his full support. Suddenly, all students were basketball fans and the yers became overnight celebrities. Then the tournament came around. The hopes for the team were sky high. They were so high that it was impossible to meet them. In the end, High School 13¡¯s basketball team got knocked out in the first round. They didn¡¯t win a single game.

    It was always difficult to deal with loss. High expectations only made that that much harder. The basketball yers were disappointed in their own performance, and the students were disappointed in them. High School 13 should¡¯ve been proud that their team made it to the regional tournament, but all they remembered was the first andst game at the regional tournament. A loss. It reinforced the beliefs of the students. High School 13 had no good, or even decent clubs. They were attending an average high school that would never amount to anything.

    The students stuck to this loser mentality until a few days ago, when word went around the school about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Their esports club had made it to the Semifinals of a big tournament! That meant they were in the top four in all of Shanghai! Their school wasn¡¯t all that bad! Their negative thoughts disappeared. Suddenly they saw a new hope. Their esports team hadined multiple times about being unlucky. Perhaps that exined why they hadn''t performed until now! The students clung onto this idea. It exined perfectly how the esports team had made it to the Semifinals. How they might make it to the Finals! High School 13¡¯s students had even started dreaming about their team winning the whole tournament and bing the best esports club in Shanghai! Many of them had gathered after school on Friday and traveled to the venue for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, excited to see their team kick Shanghai International¡¯s ass!

    High School 13¡¯s esports team repaid the support of their fellow students with a ster performance. They were facing off against Shanghai International, one of the favourites for the title, and were up 2-0! They were only one victory away from making it to the Finals! High School 13¡¯s students in the audience were losing their minds. This was it! Their school was finally making a name for itself! They finally had something to be proud of! Their esports club was one of the best in Shanghai! Maybe even the best!

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13! HIGH SCHOOL 13!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    ¡°WOOOO! WE¡¯RE GOING TO THE FINALS! WE¡¯RE GOING TO THE FINALS!¡±

    ¡°CLEAN SWEEP, LET¡¯S GOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD IT¡¯S HAPPENING!¡±

    ¡°CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? WE¡¯RE THE ABSOLUTE BEST!¡±

    Ouyang, Ren Rou, and Liu Yue were moving around in their seats. The hurricane of cheers smacked into them, lifting them up! They couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. After all the hard work, the many hours locked up in a private booth in the NetCow Cafe, they were only one step away from reaching the Finals! Their team, of which they were very much a part, was doing the impossible! They were beating Shanghai International!

    Ouyang was the first to jump up to his feet. He turned around to face the crowd and shouted, ¡°SHOW THOSE DICKTWATS HOW LOUD WE ARE! WE ARE HIGH SCHOOL 13! WE ARE THE BEST! MY BROS ARE GOING TO WIN THIS WHOLE DAMN THING!¡±

    Liu Yue shot up from his seat and put an arm around Ouyang¡¯s shoulder, jumping up and down with his friend, screaming, ¡°WOOT WOOT! WE¡¯RE THE BEST AND SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL SUCKS BALLS!¡±

    Ren Rou didn¡¯t pull Ouyang down like she often did. She didn¡¯t tell him to take it easy or to calm down. Instead, she got up and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. She started jumping in sync with him and Liu Yue and screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13 IS THE BEST! NO ONE CAN STOP US!¡±

    An Xin looked up at her three new friends acting like happy fools. Then she nced over her shoulder at the crowd, taking the whole scene in. She smiled and nodded. This is what it¡¯s all about. This is what that big idiot lives for. It was also what she lived for. She felt goosebumps as another wave of cheers hit her. She grinned and turned back to look at the stage. At the man at the center of all of this. She nodded at him and said to herself, ¡°You¡¯ve done it. This game is over.¡±

    ?

    Yan Liang refused to give up. His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing uneven. He nced over his monitor at the crowd. Stupid fuckers cheering for the wrong team¡­ He looked back at his screen and at the ever growing kill and gold difference on the scoreboard. DAMMIT! He gritted his teeth. We can¡¯t lose! Not like this! We¡¯re stronger than we werest year! We were going to finally beat Shanghai High School! It can¡¯t end like this! These fuckers don¡¯t even know how to y the game! God fucking dammit! He panned his camera to the differentnes and started shoutingmands over the team¡¯s voice chat,

    ¡°NO GIVING UP! We can still win this! Focus! FOCUS!¡±

    ¡°Liu Zhengjie, freeze that damn minion wave! I don¡¯t want to see you pushing it out! And help your stupid Support get some vision! WE NEED VISION! VISION, GUYS, VISION!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Rek. Stop trying to gank. The f is on your fucking ass the whole damn time! It¡¯s not working! Get your level up! BECOME RELEVANT AGAIN!¡±

    ¡°Ward the jungle entrances! Buy pink wards! Don¡¯t let that f get back in our Jungle! WE HAVE TO STOP THAT DAMNED OLAF!¡±

    The yers from Shanghai International all agreed with Yan Liang. They couldn¡¯t lose this game. This mentality didn¡¯t stem from pride or the desire for a trophy. No. This was about something far more important. High School 13 was the butt of all jokes. Losing to them would be the single greatest embarrassment in their lives. They¡¯d have to go to school and face their friends, knowing everyone was aware about their humiliating defeat at the hands of a no-name team. Just the thought of their friendsughing at them and joking about them behind their backs was enough of a motivator to give this game everything they had, and then some.

    Fuck! Shit! To hell with it! We need to win! Shanghai International¡¯s Toner was the first to take action. He had his Fiora Lunge at the Jarvan IV and then used her ultimate skill¨CGrand Challenge! The Blue tower targeted her, firing off an energy shot. But she pressed on. The four vitals were revealed on the Jarvan IV. She attacked three of them, then shed behind him and hit the fourth. The Victory Zone appeared on the ground beneath her, healing her as the tower fired off another energy shot. She attacked the Jarvan IV with one final auto attack to kill him, then retreated back towards her side of thene.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Westwind stood on his feet and cried out, ¡°BEAUTIFUL! Shanghai International hasn¡¯t given up yet! What a y by the Fiora! Let¡¯s see if they can keep this up!¡±

    Down in the botne, Shanghai International¡¯s Morgananded a Dark Binding on the Thresh. Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Tristana fired a cannonball at the ground,unching herself towards the Thresh. She threw a bomb at the Thresh and charged it up with her auto attacks, only to get Exhausted by the Thresh. Then the Thresh shed away and the Jinx healed him so that he could survive through the explosion of the bomb on his head. Liu Zhengjie didn¡¯t give chase. He¡¯d forced High School 13¡¯s Boners to use three Summoner Spells. This would give him a huge advantage inne for the next couple of minutes. That was enough.

    The Shanghai International students in the audience erupted into cheers! This game was not lost yet! Their team just had to keep ying like they were right now, forcing High School 13 on the backfoot and picking up kills. Then, maybe, they could still win this game! This would be the start of theireback. They started shouting words of encouragement to their stars,

    ¡°Beat those lucky fuckers!¡±

    ¡°Show them how good we are!¡±

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13¡¯S LUCK HAS RUN OUT! LET¡¯S KICK SOME ASSES!¡±

    ¡°Liu Zhengjie will carry this, trust me!¡±

    ¡°They were just giving High School 13 the idea they stood a chance. Haha! Brilliant!¡±

    ¡°THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE! MORE PLEASE!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s team wasn¡¯t at all concerned with the sudden aggression from Shanghai International. It didn¡¯t affect their game n, nor did it threaten their control over the game. Lin Feng¡¯s f was still running amuck in Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle, searching for opportunities to gank one of the threenes. He found one in the midne. The Orianna pushed just a bit too far towards High School 13¡¯s outer tower. He pinged in the midne and shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯ming mid! Attack her! Go in!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Yang Fan answered, pressing down on his E key¨Ccial Path! His Lissandra shot a w of ice towards the Orianna. It glided over the icy ground until it was almost on top of the Orianna. Then the Lissandra blinked to its position and targeted the Orianna with her ultimate skill. Frozen Tomb! Two pirs of ice shot up from the ground and froze the Orianna solid within.

    Lin Feng¡¯s f charged into the midne, a dense and thick bloody aura billowing out from him. It was the visual effect of his ultimate skill¨CRagnarok! He was immune to all crowd control effects and had received a boost in movement speed! He threw his axe at the Orianna, damaging her¨CUndertow! He followed up with an auto attack. Then he jumped up into the air, raising his two axes above his head, and hacked down with such force that it dealt true damage to the Orianna and himself!

    Yan Liang was frantically mming down on his keyboard, impatient for the stun to break. It broke. His Orianna still had some health left. She shed away towards her own inner tower, calling her Ball to her side for a shield¨CCommand: Protect! Then she gave herself a movement speed bonus to negate the slow from f¡¯s Undertow.

    ¡°My axe is thirsty!¡± Lin Fengughed, unconcerned. He had his f chase after the Orianna and entered the outer tower¡¯s range. He tanked the energy shot that was fired at him and continued to hack away at the Orianna. Another energy shot hit him. They ran past the outer tower and into the range of the inner tower. That was where thest bit of Orianna¡¯s health disappeared. A third energy shot took f¡¯s health down to a dangerous level. But there were no Shanghai International yers around to exploit this. The f disappeared into the Jungle right above the midne, moving towards the closest Jungle Camp. He started attacking the monsters, using his lifesteal to get his health back up.

    The crowd was eerily silent for a second, processing what¡¯d just happened. The f was so strong that he could tank multiple energy shots and attacks from the Orianna! That meant that he could run under any tower and kill any of Shanghai International champions he desired! He really was invincible right now! Ouyang was the first to break the silence. He screamed out, ¡°FUCK YEAH! WHO ELSE WANTS TO DIE? NO ONE? I THOUGHT SO! HAHAHA!¡± This set off a new wave of cheers. The audience, save for the students from Shanghai International, shot up from their seats and threw their arms in the air, shouting,

    ¡°KING OLAF FOR THE WIN!¡±

    ¡°SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL ARE ALL BITCHES!¡±

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13 TO THE FINALS!¡±

    ¡°WOOO! EASY GAME WITH OLAF!¡±

    ¡°WANNA DUO QUEUE WITH ME, OLAF?¡±

    ¡°Damn. Hard carry by that f yer again. What a boss.¡±

 Chapter 198: Wait, Bait, GREAT!

    There were numerous streamers watching the Huya TV broadcast of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Their viewers had begged them to cast their judgement on the quality of the games, iming thepeting yers were almost as good as professional yers. The streamers had scoffed at the notion. The tournament was for high schoolers. But they humoured their viewers and opened the stream. Their amusement turned into wonder really fast. They were closely watching the f, forgetting that they were streaming. He was ying so well that it didn¡¯t even matter if his teammates gave away a couple of kills. It wouldn¡¯t change the oue of the game. There was no one on Shanghai International¡¯s team that could stop him. He chased them down and killed them, even taking them on 1vs5 if he had to.

    DookieCastle:¡¸damn this f is killing it!!! he ran that ori down harder than my shits in the toilet!¡¹

    ShoutingFoliage:¡¸hahaha yeaaah. makes me want to switch from a Kindred main to f...¡¹

    Xurgati:¡¸hehe, i¡¯d jungle too, but I think i¡¯mma stick to support if I i have to deal with that kind f in my games¡¹

    shSkewer:¡¸the kid¡¯s good but my Mundo¡¯s better! I¡¯d like that f try that kind of invade on me! I¡¯d shove a cleaver up his ass!¡¹

    LuciferBarb:¡¸i came in to see what¡¯s all themotion¡¯s about, no idea what¡¯s going on, but it seems pretty exciting! maybe i should pick up league too?¡¹

    Prinsz:¡¸hahaha, nbody no if that jinx streams? id luv to support her with my Blitz. I¡¯d be real catch! Get it!? Cuz i¡¯m a hooker.¡¹

    These were all famous names. Everyone knew them. There were thousands of viewers who forgot about the game and focused on their idols instead, flooding the chat with messages directed at them.

    ¡¸OMG! IS THAT DOOKIE! IM A BIG FAN! AND LOOOOOOL 100% AGREED!¡¹

    ¡¸Xurgati too! love the trap cosys! You go QUEEEN!¡¹

    ¡¸wow it¡¯s a streamer party over here!¡¹

    ¡¸haha! Yeah, the stream is blowing up on Huya¡¯s font page! I¡¯m not surprised!¡¹

    ¡¸+1 GAZILLION !!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸i know right, even the Just Chatters are here!¡¹

    These famous streamers were indirectly providing more viewers for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Su Xue was one of them. She watched the stream together with her viewers in amazement. Lin Feng had utilized f to his fullest potential. He knew exactly how aggressive he could be and what he could get away with. The Orianna kill was a good example of this. He knew how much damage he dealt and how long he could survive. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have a lot of health left, but that he could kill her. He knew there were monsters in the nearby Raptor Camp, giving him a way to lifesteal his health back. It was all nned out. He¡¯d left nothing up to chance. That was how he approached this game. And the people who asionally watched him appear on Su Xue¡¯s stream recognized this. They continued spamming her chat.

    ¡¸6666666666!!! that¡¯s our lil bro for you! Never seen him not carry a game!¡¹

    ¡¸Has lil bro ever lost a game??????¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO IS GOING TO THE FINALS>???? AWESOME OPOSSUM!¡¹

    ¡¸anyone else think f is super sexy? they should make a calendar for him¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸this game right here! that¡¯s why you¡¯re the maid xue xue!¡¹

    ¡¸How is he so good;... its like.. Idk guys, how in the world does he keep doing this?????¡¹

    Su Xue rxed back in her gaming chair, smiling. Her eyes were sparkling. Good job, kid. You¡¯re making me proud. She grinned and said, ¡°See, what did I say? He¡¯s really good at f too! I don¡¯t know why they would let him have that Champion¡­ Those Shanghai International guys were basically asking for a beating!¡±

    ?

    Yan Liang gritted his teeth, grim. They¡¯d banned Annie in Game 2, only to be hit with Twisted Fate. They¡¯d banned Annie and Twisted Fate in Game 3, only to be faced with f. A team could only ban three Champions. That was clearly not enough to stop Lin Feng. Yan Liang chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to think of a solution to their problem. But that was easier said than done. Finally, he shook his head and said, ¡°Stop forcing things! The f will just punish us! We have to drag this out! We¡¯re going for thete game! That f is just strong because he hit a power spike. Let him fall off!¡±

    Shanghai International¡¯s team believed that High School 13 really wasn¡¯t that good. This belief was only reinforced as they yed more versus High School 13¡¯s individual yers. High School 13¡¯s teamprised three mediocre yers, a good yer, and an f. Shanghai International¡¯s yers were confident in winning against the mediocre and good yers, but the f¡­ He was single-handedly winning the game for High School 13. They had to take him out of the picture. But to do that, they first had to level the ying field. That meant catching up to him in terms of levels and items. It would take time to get there. But when they did, Shanghai International¡¯s yers were confident they could force a victory.

    Shanghai International¡¯s yers started freezing the minion waves in theirnes as close to their own towers as possible. This was a delicate work. Attack a minion too early, and the whole wave would start pushing towards High School 13¡¯s side. Attack a minion toote, and the whole wave would crash into their own tower. But Shanghai International had five very talented yers who could freeze a minion wave in one specific spot. On top of that, they also warded up their entire Jungle and gave the Jungle Camps to Yan Liang¡¯s Orianna and Liu Zhengjie¡¯s Tristana. Their carries needed to get every little advantage they could get if they were to turn this game around.

    ?

    At 15 minutes, Lin Feng helped High School 13 secure the second Dragon. This gave all members of the team increased damage against towers. Shanghai International didn¡¯t make an attempt to stop them from taking it, much less contest it. The risk to reward ratio wasn¡¯t worth it. Besides, they were in no position to enter into a teamfight right now anyway. Their only hope was to continue dragging out this game for as long as possible. If they could get the time for their Orianna and Tristana to obtain a few more levels and items, they could get back in the game. That was the only thing on their minds.

    Silent Reed looked at therge screen above the stage and said, ¡°That¡¯s Yan Liang for you! He never gives up! And he won¡¯t let his team give up either! I bet he picked Orianna expecting this game might be difficult. Her ultie can change a fight around! They can still win this!¡±

    Westwindughed and grabbed his microphone. He put it close to his mouth and said, ¡°But I doubt High School 13 will just let that happen. Isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re all thinking? High School 13 is probably preparing for their next big y RIGHT NOW! Let¡¯s watch it happen!¡±

    Yang Fan looked over the edge of his screen. Why are they cheering? He shook his head and turned his attention back to his screen. It can¡¯t go on like this¡­ ¡°Hey, guys,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°We need to force them into a teamfight!¡±

    Chen Ze nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, their Orianna and Trist are scaling up very quickly. They¡¯re getting too much CS. I think the Rek¡¯Sai basically gave up half her jungle to them. We can¡¯t have them get much stronger, or it¡¯s going to be very hard to win teamfights...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only going to be more difficult anyway. We don¡¯t really have a way to force an engage,¡± Wei Dong added.

    It wasn¡¯t that High School 13¡¯s team didn¡¯t have the Champions to force a teamfight. They had Jarvan IV, Lissandra, and Thresh. All three of them could start a fight by jumping onto Shanghai International¡¯s team. But just jumping in wasn¡¯t enough. They had to burst down the Orianna and Tristana. That was where it became a lot trickier. The Tristana could wait far in the backline and only jump in after High School 13 had wasted their skills, while the Orianna had her ultimate skill¨CCommand: Shockwave! She couldpletely disce High School 13¡¯s team. If High School 13 wanted to win a fight, they had to be very certain that they could quickly kill the Tristana and Orianna.

    Lin Feng, however, wasn¡¯t at all concerned about any of this. He shrugged and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, guys. It¡¯s fine. Just find an opening and we¡¯ll fight.¡±

    ?

    At 20 minutes, the third Dragon was about to spawn. Shanghai International had no intention of giving up on this one. They wanted the first Dragon buff that granted bonus attack damage and ability power, and they were finally ready to fight for it. Their Orianna and Tristana had reached a point where they were real threats in teamfights, while the f was starting to fall off. This was the moment in the game that Shanghai International had been waiting for!

    Westwind turned to Silent Reed and said, ¡°Shanghai International has stalled long enough. Seems like you were right. They can get back into this. Now, let¡¯s see them do that!¡± A low buzz was the response from the crowd.

    There was still roughly a minute left until the Dragon spawned. Both teams grouped up in the midne for a little forey. They threw their skillshots at each other, trying to get in as much poke as possible before the actual fight. Shanghai International used this to boost their confidence. They were the individually better yers, so theynded more skillshots overall. They were back in the game. If they won this next teamfight, they could really start theeback.

    Shanghai International¡¯s team danced around the midne, firing off their skillshots and dodging the skillshots High School 13 fired back at them. They were healthier than the opposing team. They were winning this exchange! Yan Liang grinned and nced at the yers from High School 13. Then he stopped. What! He blinked and looked again. His heart stopped. ¡°W-WHERE¡¯S OLAF? OLAF! OLAF!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He moved his mouse and had his Orianna retreat back towards the outer tower. If they didn¡¯t know where the f was, he could catch them off guard. That could really screw them over. ¡°BACK! BACK! RETREAT, GUYS! RETR¡ª¡±

 Chapter 199: Now You See me; Now You Donâ€™

    Westwind had been casting games all night. He was currently on his sixth game in a row. His voice was hurting and he desperately needed a water break. But then he looked at therge screen above the stage. At the f. What a yer¡­ He shook his head in disbelief. The f made shoutcasting a high school tournament very interesting. ¡°Hoh? It looks like the f is going for a nk!¡± he said into his microphone. He heard his voice booming through the venue. It had taken some time to get used to hearing himself, but he was growingfortable with it. ¡°Shanghai International has ced a ton of wards around their midne. This is going to be very difficult. But this f has been surprising us all game. Let¡¯s see what he has in store for us now!¡±

    Silent Reed sat next to Westwind. She¡¯d been shoutcasting the games together with him since the start of the tournament. He usually took the lead and she would respond, preferably with some new insights or a different point of view. She also looked at therge screen above the stage. It showed the game from the spectator mode, meaning that there was no fog of war. They could see exactly where all 10 yers were and where they were going. Right now, the f was in the top side of his own Jungle and looking to cross the river to enter Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle. Silent Reed smiled and said, ¡°Yan Liang will probably notice that the f is missing very soon. He¡¯s a good team captain. I think they¡¯ll retreat before the f can surprise them. Plus. See that ward in the brush above the midne? They¡¯ll spot the f with that ward the moment he tries anything! This is looking good for Yan Liang¡¯s team!¡±

    Silent Reed¡¯s analysis was correct to a certain extent. That ward would reveal Lin Feng¡¯s f, but only if he walked through that brush or got too close to it. Lin Feng was good enough at the game to know that there was most likely a ward in that brush. So, when he had his f cross the river, he made sure to keep enough distance from that brush to not get spotted by the ward. Then he entered Shanghai International¡¯s Jungle and stopped at the Raptor Camp, which was directly above Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower in the midne. A wall of trees was the only thing separating the two.

    Lin Feng panned his camera over to the midne and watched what was happening there. The Orianna had started to back. It was clear Shanghai International¡¯s team knew something was wrong. What they didn¡¯t know was that it was already far toote to retreat. Lin Feng grinned and pressed down on his D key¨CGhost! A blue aura flowed out from underneath the f¡¯s feet, granting him a burst of movement speed. He ran through the narrow passage between the river and the wall of trees around the Raptor Camp. Then he used the active skill of one of his items, which gave him a second movement speed boost. He stormed into the midne!

    Westwind tried to hype up the crowd for this y. But only a small section of the audience responded to him. The rest were sitting on the edge of their seats, enthralled. It all happened so quickly. One moment High School 13 and Shanghai International were throwing skillshots at each other in the midne, and the next the f had nked Shanghai International¡¯s team and was charging at them. The audience didn¡¯t want to miss a second of the action, not even to cheer!

    Lin Feng¡¯s f was the embodiment of Odin. He was the Norse God of War and Frenzy! A blood red aura shrouded him. It was the visual effect of his ultimate skill¨CRagnarok! He was immune to all crowd control effects. Nothing and no one could stop him now! He threw an axe at no one in particr, but still hit three Shanghai International Champions. Lin Feng screamed over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°GoGoGo! FIIIIGHT!¡±

    FUUCK! Yan Liang gritted his teeth. They¡¯d lost vision on the f for only a couple of seconds. Just a few seconds! And then they were toote to stop it. The f was so fast. He was already in the middle of their team, wreaking havoc. There was no time to think. There was no time to deal damage. There was no time to do anything else but retreat as quickly as possible. Yan Liang shouted over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BACK! FLASH! JUMP! ANYTHING! JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!¡±

    Shanghai International¡¯s retreat was toote. Three seconds after Lin Feng¡¯s f received the speed boost from his item, a secondary effect took ce. A turbid shockwave of energy pulsed out into the surroundings, sweeping over the Orianna, Rek¡¯Sai, and Fiora. Their movement speed was cut in more than half. It looked as if their Champions were walking in slow motion, while the f ran like the sh! f¡¯s axe was flying through the air again, striking three Champions and slowing them. He stacked slow upon slow upon slow, until Shanghai International¡¯s Champions had no movement speed left.

    Lin Feng locked onto the Orianna and mumbled to himself, ¡°Obliteration!¡± Then he pressed down on his E key¨CReckless Swing! His f charged at the slowed Orianna and jumped high in the air, raising his axes above his head. Then he hacked down with such force that it dealt true damage to the Orianna and himself. ¡°Urge to kill, rising!¡±

    Chen Ze had his Jarvan IV jump into the action with a g-tossbo. Then, at just the right moment, he shed forward. This extended the range of the knock up all the way to where the Orianna was standing. She found herself suspended in midair. Another sh of mottled light appeared near her, revealing the Thresh. He aimed his Death Sentence at her. The ghastly sickle came flying at her and wrapped around her.

    Every yer could take two Summoner Spells at the start of a game. Yan Liang had chosen sh and Cleanse. Right now, he used Cleanse to remove all crowd control effects on his Orianna. But there was no running away anymore. High School 13¡¯s team was all around his Orianna. By the time she¡¯d taken two steps, another slow or stun would¡¯ve hit her. Yan Liang groaned in frustration, then clicked towards High School 13¡¯s Champions. If I¡¯m dying, I¡¯ll take as many of you fuckers down with me as I can!

    Shanghai International¡¯s Fiora also stopped retreating. She turned around and targeted Lin Feng¡¯s f with her ultimate skill¨CGrand Challenge! It revealed f¡¯s four Vitals. She Lunged at him, attacking the one closest to her. Then she moved to the side, where the second one was located. But before she could hit it, High School 13¡¯s Lissandra appeared right next to her with a molted sh of light. Then two pirs of ice shot up from the ground and trapped her within¨CFrozen Tomb! This was Lissandra''s ultimate skill. It froze a target in ce, dealing constant magic damage. There was nothing the Fiora could do. She was trapped. Her ultimate skill timed out. The Vitals disappeared on the f and she had failed to activate the second part of her ultimate skill¨CHealing Field!

    Lin Feng shifted his focus to the Fiora. He had his f pick up his axe and then threw it at the Fiora. Then the f let out a war cry. He gained a burst of attack speed and lifesteal¨CVicious Strikes! A purple light shed across his axes. He started hacking away at the Fiora, decimating her health bar!

    Shanghai International¡¯s Morgana also finally stopped running. She turned around and shed into High School 13¡¯s team. Then she activated her ultimate skill¨CSoul Shackles! Dark violet chains erupted from her body andtched onto the Jarvan IV, f, and Lissandra. Yan Liang had his Orianna move her Ball towards the three to try and hit them with her ultimate skill, while Liu Zhengjie had his Tristana start firing away at the f from the backline. And then a Super Mega Death Rocket hit them in the face.

    Arge explosion swept out from the middle of Shanghai International¡¯s ranks, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. There appeared a creepy murder smiley within this cloud. It revealed the destruction of Jinx¡¯s ultimate. The Super Mega Death Rocket had killed two Champions from Shanghai International; The Orianna and Fiora. Neither of them did any real damage before dying.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The crowd started buzzing. It was about to explode. Westwind grabbed his microphone, clutched it tightly in his grasp, and shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°IT¡¯S A DOOOUUBBLLLEEEE KILL! WOOOOOOOO!¡± That did the trick. The audience shot from their seats and threw their hands up in the air! Shanghai International had lost two yers. High School 13 was going to win this! The chants started, ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13! HIGH SCHOOL 13!¡±

    Back in the game, the second half of Morgana¡¯s ultimate skill activated. Soul Shackles had wrapped around Jarvan IV, Lissandra, and f, stunning two of the three. The f was still immune to all crowd control effects because of his ultimate skill, so he didn¡¯t get locked down. He directly turned his attention to the Morgana and threw his axe at her¨CUndertow! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx was next to him. She¡¯d received a movement speed bonus from her passive skill for killing a Champion, so she was running like the wind. Switcheroo! She took out her minigun and started firing away at the Morgana.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    There was nothing Shanghai International could do to win this teamfight anymore. The Rek¡¯Sai dug a Tunnel and disappeared in the Jungle, while the Tristana Rocket Jumped away. She flew past Shanghai International¡¯s outer tower and towards her inner tower. High School 13¡¯s team ignored the Rek¡¯Sai, who wasn¡¯t worth much after dying consecutive times to the f, and chased after the Tristana. The f and Jinx still had their movement speed buffs. They caught up to the Tristana and started attacking her with axes and rockets, shearing away at her health until she finally copsed on the ground.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    The crowd was about to lose it. A quadra kill! Shanghai International¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai was still alive! This was a pentakill in the making! Everyone stopped caring about the f. He wasn¡¯t the star of the show right now. That was the Jinx. She was about to get a pentakill in the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Many people in the audience hadn¡¯t ever gotten a pentakill in their lives, let alone at the biggest high school esports tournament in the esports capital of China! The crowd was dancing andughing. They were screaming their lungs out, begging for Tang Bingyao to get the pentakill!

    ¡°WOOOOO! OH YEAH! GET THAT PENTAAAAAAA!¡± ¡°JINX! GIVE US THE PENTA! JINX! GIVE US THE PENTA!¡± ¡°TANGANG FOR THE WINNNNN!¡± ¡°VOTE JINX MVP!¡± ¡°GET THAT PENTA! PENTAAAAAAAAA!¡± ¡°WOOT WOOT! SHOW ME THAT PENTAAAAA!¡± ¡°GIMME A P! GIMME A¡­ Screw this. GIMME A PENTA!¡±

 Chapter 200: Two Girls, One...

    Shanghai International¡¯s Jungler escaped from High School 13¡¯s pursuit. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx didn¡¯t get the pentakill. But that didn¡¯t change the oue of the teamfight. The four kills she got gave her a lot of gold. On top of that, High School 13 killed the Dragon. This gave the whole team gold. Then they turned their attention to Baron Nashor, the strongest monster on the map. Killing him gave a teamwide buff that increased the stats of Champions and minions that were near Champions. High School 13 pulled so far ahead after this teamfight that there was nothing Shanghai International could do to stop them anymore. Right before the teamfight started, Shanghai International had been hopeful. They thought that after 10 minutes of desperately trying to scale up and getting to a point where they could contend against High School 13, they could finally turn this game around. But there was nothing that could stop High School 13¡¯s unyielding momentum.

    After recalling back to base and spending the gold they¡¯d earned, High School 13¡¯s team split up in two. Lin Feng had his f go to the topne, where he pushed towards Shanghai International¡¯s base. He destroyed the inner tower and came knocking on the inhibitor tower¡¯s door. In the meantime, the rest of the team pushed down the midne. They destroyed two towers and only stopped when they reached the inhibitor tower. The inhibitor towers were easier to defend than the outer and inner towers due to the terrain surrounding them. So Shanghai International¡¯s team had decided to make theirst stand here.

    Shanghai International¡¯s Fiora was switching between helping the midne defend and trying to keep the topne inhibitor tower from falling to the f. She was trying to do two things at once. Her attention wasn¡¯t entirely on the topner, nor was it on the midne. This was a mistake. At 23 minutes, Lin Feng had his f towerdive the Fiora and killed her before she even realized what was happening. He escaped with more than half of his health remaining. This was the signal for the rest of High School 13¡¯s team to go in. They used the brief moment of confusion on Shanghai International¡¯s team to towerdive them in the midne. The Thresh, Jarvan IV, and Lissandra used their crowd control skills to lock down Shanghai International¡¯s yers. Tang Bingyao followed up with her Jinx, unloading a thousand and one bullets and killing the Orianna, Rek¡¯Sai, and Morgana.

    ¡¶Triple Kill!¡·

    Westwind sat at the caster desk overlooking the venue. The audience had been up on their feet for thest several minutes. This was clearly the end of the game. High School 13 was pushing for the win. Heughed to himself and then brought the microphone to his mouth, shouting, ¡°IT¡¯S A T-T-TRIPPLEEE KILLL! I think we all know what that means. High School 13 is closing out the match! High School 13 is going to the FINALS!¡±

    Silent Reed couldn¡¯t even hear her own thoughts anymore over the deafening sounds of the audience. She smiled and shouted slightly louder than usual, ¡°Whoever said that ad-carries are weak this patch hasn¡¯t seen this game. Jinx is clearly as strong a Champion as ever!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx wreaking havoc had nothing to do with ad-carries being strong or weak on the current patch. Every Champion became strong after picking up 7 kills within two minutes. That was just how the game worked. But it took skill, or very bad opponents, to get those kills and be that strong. Tang Bingyao had seeded in doing that, while Liu Zhengjie had failed. His Tristana wasn¡¯t worth much anymore, even after his desperate struggle to scale up. All he could do in thisst teamfight was Rocket Jump away and then dodge the Jinx¡¯s Super Mega Death Rocket by shing over it. Now he stood on the fountain, watching High School 13 destroy the inhibitors in the mid and topnes.

    This stupid fucking bitch! DAMMIT! Why does she always get so lucky? If I¡¯d gotten that first blood, this game would¡¯ve been different! If my team had made a decent engage, I could¡¯ve grabbed a quadra¡­ It would be me! I would be the one pushing for a win! NOT that stupid fucking bitch! FUCK HER! Liu Zhengjie gnashed his teeth, fuming. He was Shanghai International¡¯s star yer. He was favoured by his peers to be a professional yer. He was approached by a professional team! But Tang Bingyao was stealing his thunder. The Shanghai 16 School Tournament should¡¯ve been the stage for him to make that step to the professional scene after winning the whole tournament! And now, now he was on the verge of being eliminated in the Semifinals. He looked around the map. Minions were pushing into the base. All five champions from High School 13 were attacking the two nexus towers. The death timers on his teammates were still more than 20 seconds. It¡¯s over. Fuck.

    The first nexus tower was destroyed. High School 13 pushed on to the second nexus tower, which fell shortly after. Three Red minion waves spawned from the Nexus, but they did little to slow down High School 13¡¯s advance. The Tristana stayed on the fountain. She watched the Nexus tremble and shake until it shattered, the red energy contained within exploding outwards and morphing into the victory emblem for High School 13.

    VICTORY!

    The audience was split into three groups. First there were the students from Shanghai International. They slumped back in their seats, embarrassed at their team¡¯s performance. High School 13 was the butt of all jokes. They were the single worst team in all of Shanghai! They were the kids who spent more time looking for excuses for their poor performances than practicing the game. Yet Shanghai International¡¯s team had just lost against High School 13. Shanghai International had lost to the worst team in Shanghai! At that very moment, it genuinely felt to Shanghai International¡¯s students like they were the single worst team in all of Shanghai. They¡¯d lost to High School 13. They¡¯d lost to High School 13...

    The second group in the audience were the neutral fans. They were for the most part students from Tonji Affiliated High and Shanghai High School. They were jumping up and down and cheering their lungs out! The games weren¡¯t perhaps as exciting as they would¡¯ve liked, but Lin Feng had more than made up for that. This series was an astonishing disy of skill by him, and he deserved every bit of praise!

    Finally, there were the students from High School 13. They didn¡¯t cheer or slump back in their seats. They just sat, staring, dazed. They¡¯d grown so ustomed to losing that they didn¡¯t really know what to do now that they¡¯d won. Despite the victory in the first game. Despite the victory in the second game. Despite the massive advantage High School 13 had procured in the third game. Despite all of that and more, High School 13¡¯s students in the audience were expecting another loss. Until now, they were cheering because they rarely had the chance to do so. But they cheered for a good y, a nice trick, a perfectly executed gank. They hadn¡¯t ever cheered for winning a series. Nor for their team making it to the Finals of the biggest high school esports event in Shanghai! They started smiling uncontrobly. They startedughing. They were crying tears of joy. But in this moment of pure bliss, they forgot to cheer.

    ?

    As was custom, High School 13¡¯s team walked over to the other side of the stage to shake hands with the yers from Shanghai International. But there was little response. Yan Liang was staring at his screen, dazed by the reality of the situation, while Liu Zhengjie was cursing at everything and everyone he could see and think of. The other three yers weren¡¯t very happy either. But they forced themselves up from their seats and bowed slightly.

    In the meantime, Ouyang and Liu Yue had recovered from their shock. They turned around to look at the silence behind them, and were met with hundreds of happy faces. Ouyang grabbed Liu Yue and Ren Rou by the shoulders and they stood up from their seats. They wrapped their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders. Then they started dancing and singing, ¡°AND IT¡¯S SWEET, SWEET, SWEET VICTORY, YEAAHHHH!¡± The students from High School 13 followed by example. They stood up and started jumping to Ouyang¡¯s beat and began singing with him.

    High School 13¡¯s team walked down the stage, watching the audience jumping and dancing and cheering for them. They smiled andughed and threw their hands up in the air, waving at the audience. Chen Ze and Wei Dong walked up to Ouyang and joined in with him, while Yang Fan followed a step behind. He was his usual self, though he couldn¡¯t hide the joy in his expression. Lin Feng ignored all of them. He walked towards An Xin with his arms wide open and shouted over the noise, ¡°BUNBUN! WE WON!¡±

    An Xin stared at him, her eyes widening further with every step he took. He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away just in time, yelping, ¡°What was that?¡± She red at him and added, ¡°I get it, we won. Great. Let¡¯s celebrate it without hugging!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin and rubbed his chest painfully. Huh? Well, then¡­ He turned around, showing an even wider grin, and walked over towards Tang Bingyao. He opened his arms wide and shouted, ¡°Tang Tang, we won!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t as quick as An Xin. Lin Feng¡¯s arms wrapped around her before she realized what was happening. She nced past Lin Feng at An Xin and then quickly pushed him away, asking, ¡°Hmm? What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Lin Feng took a step back and looked at the two girls. He turned from one to the other and back to the first again. Then he said, ¡°What am I doing? Celebrating, of course! We won! We beat Shanghai International!¡±

    ¡°Oh. Hmm¡­¡± Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and then at An Xin again. Finally, she shook her head and said, ¡°We can celebrate. But no hugging.¡±

    Two beautiful girls and a guy getting turned down by them. Ouyang wouldn¡¯t be Ouyang if he didn¡¯t notice it. He slipped away from the others, somehow pulling Ren Rou with him, and started grinning, relishing in Lin Feng¡¯s schadenfreude. ¡°Yo, Lin Feng, bro. Tell me how it feels getting rejected by two girls in a row! Hahaha! And here I thought I had to be jealous of you! Haha!¡± Then he pulled Ren Rou, whose arm was still around his shoulder, a little closer to him and said, ¡°Hey, Rou Rou, how about we have a celebratory hug?¡±

    Ren Rou pulled her arm away and red at Ouyang, then pped him across the cheek. ¡°Screw off! All you did was warm the bench! What do you have to celebrate for?¡±

    Ouyang grimaced and shrunk back a little as he moved his arms in front of him. ¡°H-hey¡­ It¡¯s not like I had a choice. I wanted to y. But the others are better¡­ I mean, at least my heart was up on the stage with them, right?¡±

    Ren Rou didn¡¯t get a chance to reply to Ouyang, because Liu Yue interrupted her. He tapped on her shoulder and shoved into their little circle. Then he pointed behind him and said, ¡°Yo, guys, look who¡¯sing.¡±

    All nine members of High School 13¡¯s esports team fell silent. They huddled up together and watched quietly as Shanghai High School¡¯s team approached. Zeng Rui walked in the front, with the four others stalking behind him. He moved with a steady, strong gait, looking calm. The yers from High School 13, bar for Lin Feng and An Xin, started fidgeting, nervous. They¡¯d seen Shanghai High School¡¯s team from a distance, always performing up on stage. But they¡¯d never actually met them. Yet today, they¡¯d secured their ce in the Finals and would be going up against Shanghai High School for the title. High School 13 suddenly found themselves amongst the big names, and that was quite intimidating. So they looked at the ground, shuffling around, not really knowing what to say or do.

 Chapter 201: Fishing For Compliments!

    Zeng Rui looked at the celebrating members from High School 13¡¯s esports team. He shook his head and turned to his teammates, saying, ¡°Come.¡± Then he got up from his seat and walked towards Lin Feng. He correctly guessed that the others from High School 13¡¯s team would gather around Lin Feng the moment they noticed him walking over. There were six guys and three girls on High School 13¡¯s team. Zeng Rui didn¡¯t care about most of them. There were really only two¡­ and a half who he felt deserved his attention. After stopping in front of High School 13¡¯s team, he sized them up. The thundering dumbass¡­ That new girl¡­ and her. High School 13¡¯s yers stared back at Zeng Rui. Neither side said anything.

    Shanghai High School wasn¡¯t just any opponent for High School 13. They were the opponent. Shanghai High School had won the Shanghai 16 School Tournamentst year. They¡¯d been the undisputed best high school team in Shanghai. Only Shanghai International had ever given them a difficult time. High School 13 had just beaten Shanghai International. But just because they swept Shanghai International 3-0 didn¡¯t mean that they could beat Shanghai High School. The victory today was inrge part thanks to An Xin¡¯s game n. She had drafted the perfect line-ups to shut down Yan Liang and Liu Zhengjie, the two strongest yers on Shanghai International¡¯s team. More than that, she understood Liu Zhengjie¡¯s personality and how that could affect an entire team¡¯s dynamic. Shutting him down was almost the same as shutting the entire team down.

    Shanghai International wasn¡¯t a team. They were two carries with three ves. An Xin had correctly spotted this and prepared ordingly. She¡¯d created a solid n that could see individually weaker yers win. High School 13¡¯s average skill level was rtively lowpared to the other Semifinalists, with Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao being the only two exceptions. But High School 13¡¯s team was stronger than the sum of its individual parts. Shanghai International failed to recognize this, and they paid the price. They were knocked out, ming Lin Feng and his insane skill. They never realized that they themselves were the real problem.

    Shanghai High School was a different beast altogether. They wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake Shanghai International had. Zeng Rui recognized that High School 13 wasn¡¯t just a mishmash of individual yers; they were a strong team. He would need more than five individually good yers to beat them. He needed a game n, a strategy to exploit High School 13¡¯s weaknesses while simultaneously curbing Lin Feng. The first ideas were already floating in his mind. Zeng Rui was one of the best in all of Shanghai when it came to strategy and tactics.

    The members from High School 13¡¯s team, with the exception of Lin Feng and An Xin, stared at Zeng Rui. They knew who he was. They¡¯d seen him on stagest year, leading his team to the title. Every League of Legends fan in Shanghai knew who he was! He was one of the best Support yers in all of China! He was a Challenger on the Ionia Server! He was a master strategist who never got outwitted! There were plenty of rumours going around suggesting he was approached by a professional team multiple times during the year. Other rumours took it a big further. They said he was going to join a professional team as early as next season!

    Zeng Rui ignored the stares. He was used to it. It came with his fame. He looked at the different members from High School 13¡¯s team, then cleared his throat and said, ¡°Let me be the first to congratte you on making it all the way to the Finals. Shanghai International wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.¡± The words were there, but they sounded empty, as if he didn¡¯t mean them at all. As if he wasn¡¯t the least bit impressed with High School 13¡¯s recent form. Then he turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯re a really good Jungler.¡±

    It was a simple statement that no one could disagree with. Lin Feng¡¯s f was just that good. But Zeng Rui¡¯s teammates standing behind him widened their eyes in surprise, staring at the back of their team captain. Zeng Rui rarely ever gave apliment. But when he did, he really meant it. Lin Feng didn¡¯t know this. He scratched his hair andughed, ¡°Oh, you think so? Thanks! My Jungle is pretty good! But I¡¯m a way better Miner!¡±

    Ouyang stood off to the side, incredulous. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Lin Feng, you¡­ you idiot! He smacked his face with his palm and shook his head. Bro¡­ Get some humility! Stop with all the bragging! My god! And now you¡¯re also giving away secrets to our opponent! You¡¯re supposed to be our secret weapon! SECRET! What the fuck, bro¡­

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t bother with Lin Feng¡¯s reply. He turned to look at Tang Bingyao, nodding at her, and said, ¡°Your ad-carry was half decent.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    Zeng Rui finally turned to An Xin. There he paused. He looked her in the eyes, searching for something that could help him prepare for the Finals. But she didn¡¯t give away anything, except for an innocent smile. How good is she¡­ I need to find more information on her before tomorrow. He smiled back, weakly, and asked, ¡°That was your strategy, right?¡± She nodded, prompting him to continue, ¡°That was¡­¡± He shook his head and took a deep breath. ¡°That was brilliant. You have my respect.¡±

    If Zeng Rui¡¯s teammates were surprised to hear thepliment he gave Lin Feng, then they were astounded right now. They could count on their fingers the number of times he¡¯d called someone brilliant. Zeng Rui never gavepliments to his opponents when he yed for Shanghai High School¡¯s esports team. He never had anything positive to say about his teammates or opponents in solo queue. The only yers who could impress him performed on the professional stage. And even then, there were only a few of them. They were the likes of Autumn from the North American team Season, who was a master strategist much like Zeng Rui.

    ¡°What in the world¡­ Is he feeling ok?¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling ok, bud? Not catching anything bad I hope, haha.¡±

    ¡°Ha! He must be in a really good mood today!¡±

    ¡°I wish he would give me apliment once¡­¡±

    An Xin smiled at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re ttering me. I heard you¡¯re pretty good ating up with strategies yourself. I¡¯m looking forward to tomorrow.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°Right. Tomorrow should be interesting. I¡¯m looking forward to it too.¡± Then he nodded at his teammates and turned around to walk away. His teammates said a few congrattory words to the yers from High School 13, then hurried after their team captain.

    High School 13¡¯s team watched Shanghai High School¡¯s yers walking away, dazed. Liu Yue was the first to turn his head away from them. He scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°What the hell was all that about? Did he really juste here to congratte us¡­?¡±

    Ouyang snorted and said, ¡°To congratte us? No, bro. Are you deaf? Didn¡¯t you hear what he said? He¡¯s looking forward to ying against us! He was challenging us! He only came to provoke us! That¡¯s how those asshats work! But we¡¯re better than that! We¡¯re going to beat them!¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear him provoke us. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.¡±

    ¡°Of course he does to you!¡± Ren Rou said, rolling her eyes back. ¡°He only had good things to say about you! You like anyone who gives you apliment!¡±

 Chapter 202: Alone, and Turned to Travel Home

    It waste into night by the time that the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinals concluded. High School 13¡¯s team walked out into the cold night air of Shanghai, while Ouyang rambled on about the amazing ys and how he¡¯d totally helped the team make it to the Finals from the bench. ¡°Listen, listen, listen bros and fembros! My heart was right up on stage with you guys, beating and pounding! I felt your nerves like my nerves, sizzling and frying! We were in it together!¡± The others walked on while politely nodding as Ouyang basked in the excitement of the win. They eventually reached arge town square and stopped. This was where they had to partpany and go back to their own homes. The Finals were the next day, so there was no time for celebration tonight.

    They said their goodbyes to each other and started walking off in different directions, a mellow closing to an eventful day. That¡¯s when An Xin ran over to Lin Feng and grabbed his arm, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see your ce! Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone heard her words and froze in ce for a picosecond. Ouyang was the first to react, his mind moved faster than the sh whenever something like this came up. He thought he knew what was going down. An Xin had seen Lin Feng ying, and she was all revved up. He started grinning. My bro Lin Feng! No! Now he¡¯s going to be my man Lin Feng! What a fucking champion. Wins the tournament, gets the girl. His grin got even wider and he positively beamed a pure, primal, pristine, and fading-virginity-by-proxy joy at Lin Feng. ¡°MY MAN LIN FENG! REMEMBER, KEEP THE COVER ON THE STRAW WHEN YOU GET THAT JUICE!¡± Then he winked at Lin Feng.

    Ouyang¡¯s excitement and yelling was enough to spark understanding for Liu Yue. He understood exactly what Ouyang was saying, and he grinned right back at Ouyang before looking at Lin Feng. Then he said, ¡°Lin Feng, I¡¯m right with you in spirit! I got your back! But if you need any¡­ uh¡­ HELP, you call me. Any time! I¡¯ll get up! No matter howte it is. You call me if you need to know anything, yeah? Encouragement, moral support, tips, anyt¡ª¡±

    Ren Rou was shocked when she heard An Xin talking about going to Lin Feng¡¯s house. It waspletely unexpected and out of the blue. She got over her shock at how scandalously forward An Xin was being just as Ouyang finished talking. Then she let out a small gasp and turned to look at Tang Bingyao, who was just staring at the ground. That¡¯s when Liu Yue started talking, and she red at Ouyang before motioning towards Liu Yue. Ouyang read her loud and clear. He grabbed Liu Yue and pulled him away before any more words could be said.

    Ren Rou then turned to look at Tang Bingyao, who was staring at the ground. She heard¡­ Poor girl. Ren Rou walked up to Tang Bingyao, who was chewing on her lips and ignoring everyone around her, and put an arm around her. Then she leaned closer to Tang Bingyao¡¯s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, ¡°Hey, everything okay?¡± There was no response.

    Lin Feng, meanwhile, had only just processed An Xin¡¯s statement. And failed to understand what she meant. He looked at her, confused, and asked, ¡°Huh? Why? What?¡±

    An Xin knocked on Lin Feng¡¯s head. ¡°Why? You¡¯re an idiot. Why do you think? I just said it. To see your ce!¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his forehead in pain and said, ¡°Uh¡­ But, well, isn¡¯t itte¡­? Look, it''s night!¡±

    An Xin narrowed her eyes, smiling that terrifying smile of hers, and said, ¡°Yeah. So? Got a problem with that?¡±

    All the guys took a step back. They felt a cold chill running up and down their bodies. An Xin was a nice girl most of the time. But something always seemed to change whenever she talked to Lin Feng. She would start smiling that smile that could¡¯vee straight out of a horror movie. There was something incredibly disturbing about it, though they didn¡¯t quite know what.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem to notice what the other guys saw. Heughed and said, ¡°Okay, sure! It actually works out perfectly! You¡¯ll get a chance to try Su Xue¡¯s food! It¡¯s always so good! She¡¯s probably busy making ate night snack for me right now!¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°That sounds yum! I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    Lin Feng nced at the time on his phone and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s already sote, let¡¯s not take the train. It¡¯s going to take forever, and it¡¯s annoying. We¡¯ll get a cab home!¡± Then he looked at Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°Tang Tang, you cane with us too! We¡¯ll just make a stop at your ce and drop you off, your ce is on the way anyway.¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t look up at Lin Feng. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. All she could hear was the sound of her heart knocking violently against her ribcage. Her shoulders started trembling, but Ren Rou expertly helped her to hide it. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± she mumbled, barely audible. She chewed on the inside of her mouth, fighting back the tears she could feel welling up. There was a strange feeling in her stomach, as if she were falling. She could feel seven pairs of eyes on her. They were burning. Her breaths came in ragged and uneven. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°N-no, thank you.¡±

    An Xin was surprised that Tang Bingyao refused to join them. ¡°What? Tang Tang, just take the cab back home with us. Don¡¯t you live really close to Lin Feng?¡± She paused for a moment, waiting for an answer that wasn¡¯ting, then added, ¡°It¡¯s sote already and you¡¯re a pretty girl! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s smart for you to take the train home by yourself. What if something happens?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! What BunBun said!¡± Lin Feng chimed in. Then his eyes went wide. Oh, right! Money! I can¡¯t believe I forgot that! He quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about splitting the cab ride! I¡¯m paying for the whole thing.¡±

    Tang Bingyao kept shaking her head, still staring down at the ground. ¡°N-no, thank you,¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯ll take the train home.¡±

    ¡°But I said I¡¯ll pay!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°You understand what I¡¯m saying, right? I. Will. Pay! You don¡¯t have to pay anything! It¡¯s free! That¡¯s like making money! Don¡¯t you understand¡­ I don¡¯t understand... Are you sick again?¡± He reached out towards Tang Bingyao¡¯s forehead, but was pped away by Ren Rou who yelped, ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t you hear her? She said no!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tried to hide behind Ren Rou, who was still hugging her from the side, and mumbled, ¡°N-no, thank you. I¡¯ll t-take the train home.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head andined, ¡°Tang Tang always wants to save money. I¡¯m saying that I¡¯ll pay. Why would she want to pay for a train ticket home and wait for the train, when she could just get in a cab with BunBun and me? We¡¯ll drop her off at her ce! I don¡¯t get it!¡± He looked at Ren Rou and continued, ¡°Maybe she really is running a fever, Rou Rou. Right! Why¡¯d you have to p me away? I¡¯m just worried for a friend! What did I even do?¡±

    Running a fever? Are you really that stupid? Ren Rou shook her head. She could feel a trembling panic from Tang Bingyao and hugged her a little closer. Then she looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You go take a cab home with An Xin. I¡¯ll take the train back with Tang Tang. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± She then nudged Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°That¡¯s good with you, right?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding slowly.

    Lin Feng shook his head, confused, and said, ¡°Okay, If you say so. I¡¯ll see you guys tomorrow then! Come, BunBun, let¡¯s go find a cab.¡± He waspletely oblivious to what was going on.

    An Xin, on the other hand, was not as clueless as Lin Feng. She¡¯d picked up on what was happening. She looked at Tang Bingyao and briefly considered if she wanted to say something, but decided against it. Not the right time for that. We¡¯ll sit down and talk when it''s just the two of us. Another time, another day. She smiled at Ren Rou and Tang Bingyao, ¡°Just be careful, alright?¡± Then she grabbed Lin Feng by the arm and walked away.

    ?

    Ren Rou and Tang Bingyao lived a good 30 minutes apart from each other. They walked to the train station together in silence and waited for thest Line #4 train to arrive. The sky was dark. There was almost no one around. They jumped on the train when it arrived and were greeted by an almost empty carriage. There was someone sleeping in the back, who probably had already missed his stop judging by the drool on his zer, and there was a small group in suits. The two girls stayed near the door, far away from the other passengers. Tang Bingyao was leaning back against the ss dividers, staring out the window at the city¡¯s nightscape, lost in thought.

    Ren Rou looked at Tang Bingyao and sighed. She wanted to say something to help her friend, but didn¡¯t know how to breach the topic. Or even what she could possibly do. Finally, with only two more stops until she had to get off the train, she said, ¡°Tang Tang, you know you didn¡¯t have to do that, right?¡±

    Tang Bingyao turned to look at Ren Rou and said, ¡°Mhm huh? What? Sorry¡­¡±

    Ren Rou shook her head, staring out the window, and said, ¡°You know you didn¡¯t have to do that, right? Back there, I mean, with Lin Feng and BunBun. It¡¯s only a cab ride. Why didn¡¯t you just go with them? You¡¯re all going the same way anyway. Now you¡¯re in this train that smells like piss¡­ Is this really what you want?¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on her lips. Just the thought of Lin Feng and An Xin together pained her. It was a contracting feeling in her chest. She clutched it and said, ¡°Uhm, I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be the third wheel.¡±

    Ren Rou sighed, you poor girl, and said, ¡°How would you be third wheeling? You¡­ Ah, you stupid girl. You really have no experience with dating, do you? Did you read this in some book? You¡¯re all up in your head and imagining all sorts of crazy things. I guarantee you, nothing is happening between the two of them. BunBun even said so herself. She¡¯s just going over to take a look at his ce. And,e on, Tang Tang. They¡¯ve been friends for years! It¡¯s perfectly normal that they¡¯re closer with each other than you are with Lin Feng. You two have only known each other for a few months.¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t answer right away. She looked down at the carriage floor, chewing on her lips. Finally, she mumbled, ¡°I know that, but¡­¡± Then she remembered how Ren Rou had saved her from the situation earlier. If it weren¡¯t for Ren Rou, she would have run out of excuses. Lin Feng and An Xin would¡¯ve convinced her to join them in the cab. She would¡¯ve had to sit next to them, while they were doing things together. She would¡¯ve had to listen to them doing those things together. She would¡¯ve had to see them doing those things together. No! Ren Rou said it was only a cab ride... But that thought didn¡¯t make her feel any morefortable about the situation. She looked up at her friend and said, ¡°Thank you, Rou Rou.¡±

    ¡°Please, what¡¯s there to thank me for? That¡¯s what friends are for!¡± Ren Rou replied, smiling. Then she looked at Tang Bingyao. She wanted to say something more. She wanted to tell Tang Bingyao not to give up on Lin Feng. An Xin was Lin Feng¡¯s friend, they weren¡¯t dating. But she couldn¡¯t get herself to say the words. She shook her head and mumbled to herself, ¡°Hah, what am I going to do with you?¡±

    The train arrived at the fourth station since the two girls got on. Ren Rou gave Tang Bingyao a goodnight hug, said a few more supportive words, and then got off the train. Tang Bingyao watched the doors close before continuing staring into the distance. She still had to wait through another seven stops, which would take about 20 minutes. Shanghai¡¯s scenery shed by, but she didn¡¯t see any of it. Her mind was a mess, with images of Lin Feng and An Xin together. Maybe they kissed already¡­ The voiceing from the speaker above her head announced the next stop, pulling her out of her stupor. She hefted her backpack up to her shoulders and waited for the doors to open. Then she got off the train and left the station.

    Tang Bingyao walked the familiar streets she always walked with Lin Feng. The warm glow of the streetmps illuminated the path ahead, casting long and slender shadows over the pavement. She carefully ced her feet over the cement blocks, ying her usual game of Don¡¯t-Step-on-the-Cracks. Then she turned back to look behind her¡­ He wasn¡¯t there. His bright grin and messy hair. He wasn¡¯t there. He always walked with her down this street. She would y her game and he would watch her. He wasn¡¯t there. The street was empty. The onlypany she had was her own shadow. She felt a lump in her throat and her eyes watered. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry,¡± she mumbled to herself, rubbing her nose. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. There¡¯s nothing to cry about. Stop crying. Stop crying!¡± She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. ¡°Stop it!¡± She forced herself to take a deep breath and looked back down at the cement blocks. She hopped around on them, a brief distraction. Then she turned to look behind her again. He wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Why are you not there?¡± she asked, her eyes red and tears running down her face. ¡°I wanted you to be there.¡±

    ?

    The cab dropped Lin Feng and An Xin off in front of the apartmentplex where Lin Feng lived. They walked up the stairs together and stopped before the front door. Lin Feng fished in his pocket for his keys, but couldn¡¯t find them. He felt around in another pocket, and then another, searching for them. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± He turned to An Xin and said, ¡°Oops! Looks like I forgot my keys!¡±

    ¡°Idiot. Still as forgetful as ever, I see,¡± An Xinined, shaking her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! Su Xue¡¯s home. She can open the door!¡± Lin Feng said. Then heughed and added, ¡°It¡¯s not like this is my first or second time forgetting my keys!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes back and said, ¡°You sound proud of it. Don¡¯t be.¡±

    Lin Feng had stopped listening. He was knocking on the front door and shouted, ¡°SU XUEEEE! I¡¯M HOO¨COOOME!¡±

    The door didn¡¯t open right away, so Lin Feng banged a little harder on it, shouting even louder, ¡°IT¡¯S-A ME, MARIO! I mean, LIN FENG! OPEN THE DOOOOOR!¡±

    Su Xue still hadn¡¯t opened the door yet. Lin Feng grew increasingly impatient, now mming his fists into the door and shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°SU XUEEEEEEEE¡ª¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Su Xue shouted from inside the apartment. She swung the front door open a few secondster and yelled, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to wake up the entire neighbourhood? And how did you forget your keys again? How stupid are you? Do you think I won¡¯t let you sleep outside? Just watch, you little¡ª¡± Su Xue abruptly stopped ranting. She¡¯d finally noticed An Xin.

    Lin Feng noticed that Su Xue was looking at An Xin. He scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, This i¡ª¡±

    Su Xue mmed the door shut in Lin Feng¡¯s face. Shit! Why did I close the door? FUCKING FIDDLESTICKS! I panicked... She leaned against the door and slid down towards the ground. What do I do now? I CLOSED THE DOOR ON THEM! Su Xue was embarrassed at her reaction, confused, and mostly mind-blown by how cute the girl standing next to Lin Feng was. He brought a girl home. A very pretty girl¡­ I think? Was that really a girl? A ghost? Maybe it was a ghost! No, it wasn¡¯t. I really saw her. Wait, no. I¡¯m totally seeing things! That has to be a ghost! She pushed herself up and opened the door again. There was the girl. I¡¯M NOT SEEING THINGS! I¡¯M NOT SEEING THINGS! SHE¡¯S REAL!

    ¡°Hey! Why did you close the door again?¡± Lin Feng shouted, indignant.

    An Xin ignored Lin Feng and bowed towards Su Xue, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m An Xin, Lin Feng¡¯s friend. He invited me toe over.¡±

    Lin Feng stopped badgering Su Xue with demands for an answer and turned to look at An Xin. It took him a moment to process what she¡¯d just said, then he startedining, ¡°Hey! Weren¡¯t you the one inviting yourse¡ª YEOUCHH!¡±

    An Xin silenced Lin Feng with a swift kick to the shin, while smiling kindly at Su Xue and continuing as if nothing had happened, ¡°But all my friends call me BunBun, so please call me that!¡±

    Su Xue blinked several times. Then she said, ¡°Oh! You must be one of Lin Feng¡¯s ssmates then! Come in! Please,e in! Make yourself at home!¡± All the while, her imagination was running wild. He brought a pretty girl home thiste at night! Should I call his mother to make sure she¡¯s ok with thi¡ª Wait! What about Tang Tang? Wasn¡¯t he seeing her? Where did this An Xin, BunBun, whatevere from? And she¡¯s also really pretty! Are all high school girls so pretty these days? Su Xue nced at Lin Feng as the two brushed past her. Don¡¯t tell me this stupid kid is actually popr with the girls...

 Chapter 203: Maid Feng

    ¡°WHAAT?¡± Su Xue cried out. After weing An Xin, Su Xue had rushed back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches to thete night snacks she¡¯d been preparing. She¡¯d brought them out, allowing Lin Feng to attack the tes of food, and started talking with An Xin. That was how she learned An Xin and Lin Feng had been friends since elementary school. She couldn¡¯t wait for An Xin to exin it in any more detail as she started firing off questions, ¡°You knew Little Feng? How was he? Just as stupid as he is now?¡± She giggled at her own joke, then leaned back in her chair and sighed. ¡°Wooow. So you guys go way back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we do! We go way back!¡± Lin Feng interjected. Then he started grinning and added, ¡°She used to be so chubby, you wouldn¡¯t believe it. Oh! You know those meat buns? She was fat just like one of those!¡±

    An Xin pointedly ignored Lin Feng and nodded at Su Xue, saying, ¡°Yeah, we do.¡±

    Su Xue looked at An Xin and shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± she mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re nice and beautiful and way too good for this stupid kid¡­ I don¡¯t know what he did in his past life to deserve a friend like you, but he better count his lucky stars.¡±

    An Xin smiled at thepliment and replied, ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re not far prettier than me! And you¡¯re pretty amazing yourself too! Lin Feng mentioned that you¡¯re a League streamer, so I¡¯ve been catching some of your streams. You¡¯re always online and you¡¯re working so hard to make everyone feel wee! Your viewers love you! You managed to create a ce where everyone feels wee. That¡¯s really impressive!¡±

    Su Xue started blushing from all thepliments and said, ¡°No, no, you¡¯re exaggerating! It¡¯s not that good. I¡¯m still working really hard to get to that point¡­ Also, my viewers don¡¯t love me. Those ungrateful degens are always making my life miserable. Just yesterday¡­¡± She started recounting all the terrible things her viewers had said to her over thest couple of days and how they drove her crazy.

    An Xin listened to Su Xue ranting about her viewers, smiling at the passion behind Su Xue¡¯s words. This wasn¡¯t the I will murder you-smile that she gave Lin Feng all the time, but rather a normal, friendly one. When Su Xue briefly paused to catch her breath, An Xin said, ¡°I¡¯m really not exaggerating. You¡¯ve done something really special. You bonded with your viewers. They see yourmunity as a family. That¡¯s not something most people can pull off. You should be very proud of yourself. I know I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    Su Xue started smiling and then grinning. An Xin knew just the right words to say. That was exactly what Su Xue was trying to do with her stream! To create amunity where everyone felt wee, amunity built around having a good time together. And someone noticed that without her saying it. That was all the proof Su Xue needed to confirm that the hard work she was putting into her streams was worth it.

    ¡°Yeah! Su Xue is just a little insecure! She doesn¡¯t believe that her viewers are only teasing her! But it¡¯s so obvious! She does put in a lot of effort to make them happy, though,¡± Lin Feng chimed in.

    ¡°Hey, hey! I¡¯m not insecure! I know it¡¯s all in good fun, you stupid punk!¡± Su Xue shouted back, ring at Lin Feng. Then she turned back to look at An Xin and asked, ¡°So you moved herest week from Hangzhou?¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s barely even been a week.¡±

    ¡°So pretty much since Monday, huh?¡± Su Xue mumbled. That¡¯s right around the time Lin Feng stopped sulking¡­ He should¡¯ve just told me he missed her... Stupid kid. Stop making me worry about you for nothing. I¡¯ll get back at you for this! She red at Lin Feng, then threw her thoughts of revenge to the back of her mind and focused her attention back on An Xin. She put on a smile and asked, ¡°Oh, right! You said you watched my stream? Does that mean you also y League?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she does! She¡¯s really good! Oh! Oh! She¡¯s coaching our team! Didn¡¯t you see? She was standing in the back during Champion Select!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. ¡°Also! Also! We made it to the Finals!¡±

    Su Xueughed and said, ¡°Yes! I caught thest bit of the third stream. But you little punk should¡¯ve told me something about the livestream! If it wasn¡¯t for my viewers pointing me to it, I would¡¯ve never even found it! Your f was really good though. Did BunBun tell you to y him? She¡¯s the one who came up with the strategy, right? Isn¡¯t that what a coach does? That¡¯s what I always see in the LPL and at Worlds!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°Yep! She did! She¡¯s a great coach! If only she was anywhere as good as me at ying the game¡­¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡± An Xin asked sternly, looking at Lin Feng with that infamous smile of hers. ¡°Say that again. I dare you. I double dare you.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and then corrected himself, ¡°err, ying the game at my level! It would be more fun if you were just as good as I am! All I meant is that you¡¯re just a little bit worse than me¡­ You¡¯re not bad. You¡¯re very good! Really!¡±

    Su Xueughed at the two high schoolers squabbling with each other. Then she turned to look at An Xin and asked, ¡°I¡¯ll be streaming in a bit. Want to y some duo queue?¡±

    ¡°Sure! I¡¯d love to!¡± An Xin replied.

    Lin Feng looked at the two girls, confused. Game? But BunBun didn¡¯t bring herptop¡­ What are they so excited about? Did they forget? He licked the grease from his lips, then said, ¡°Uh, how are we going to y a game? There¡¯s three of us and only twoputers. You know BunBun didn¡¯t bring herptop, right?¡±

    ¡°Three of us? I asked her, not you,¡± Su Xue said.

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. How about this, Lin Feng. You can be in charge of getting us drinks and snacks!¡±

    The thought of being reduced to maid duties scared Lin Feng into action. He quickly came up with an excuse and said, ¡°Wait! Look at the clock. There¡¯s no time to y a game. How are you going to get home in time? You need to sleep early. Tomorrow is the game against Shanghai High School and you still need toe up with a strategy for that!¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows and shut Lin Feng down, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sleeping here tonight. I told my parents before I left for school this morning. Didn¡¯t you ask me to stay over yesterday? Yep, that¡¯s totally how it went down. By the way, mom and pa asked me to say hi for them. Hi.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s settled then,¡± Su Xue said, waving her hand. ¡°She can sleep in my room. Or she can sleep in your room and you can sleep on the couch. We¡¯ll figure it out. I¡¯ve got some spare nkets. But let¡¯s worry about thatter. Finish your food first so that we can start ying some League!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue started up her stream, pointing the webcam at only herself. Lin Feng had brought hisptop over and put it down next to Su Xue¡¯sputer. An Xin sat behind it, while Lin Feng stood behind the two girls. Viewers started joining the stream and they quickly flooded the chat, angry at how long it¡¯d taken Su Xue to grab ate night snack.

    ¡¸Holy shit girl¡­ Eat faster please¡­. I can only keep going without you for so long¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸I ALMOST DIED OF OLD AGE WAITIN FOR YOU!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸ssssssooooooooooooooooooo sllloooww¡­¡­ I FELL ASLEEP!!¡¹

    ¡¸MAH GOD! Slowpoke is faster than you are! Snox woke up before you finished your snack!¡¹

    Lin Feng leaned over Su Xue¡¯s shoulder and entered the frame of her camera. The viewers noticed him immediately and started congratting him for his win in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Semifinals.

    ¡¸oh shit! it¡¯s the raid boss himself!!!¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BROOOOOO!11!1! WE MISSED YOU!1!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸TEACH ME OLAF PLS< SENSEI!!¡¹

    ¡¸WE SAW YOU PLAYING TONIGHT<< LIL BRO! Your f is dirty!¡¹

    ¡¸so sick third game. hands down best f world. GRATS MY FRIEND!!¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, grinning like an idiot. He absolutely loved it when peopleplimented him. It didn¡¯t matter who gave them. He just liked receiving them. ¡°I know, right?¡± he started. ¡°We 3-0¡¯d them! Did you all see how good my f is?¡±

    ¡°Oh please¡­ Not this again. Get a room already!¡± Su Xue said, exasperated. Then she pushed Lin Feng away and announced to the viewers, ¡°We¡¯re going to y some duo queue tonight!¡±

    ¡¸NICE! carry her lil bro!!¡¹

    ¡¸YUSH! Another lil bro and maid episode! THESE ARE THE BESSTTTT!!!!1!¡¹

    ¡¸get ying already! i wanna seeeeeeeee¡¹

    ¡¸CARRY HER LIL BROOOOO!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°Oh, sorry guys. I¡¯m not ying with Lin Feng today,¡± Su Xue interrupted. Her stream chat reacted as if she¡¯d poured a bucket of ice cold water over their burning hot enthusiasm. As if she took away all the joy and happiness from their lives. They took it upon themselves to me her and tell her exactly how dumb it was to duo queue with anyone but Lin Feng.

    ¡¸HUHHH!? WE ONLY CARE ABOUT LIL BROO!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸IT¡±S TIME TO RISE AGAINST THIS TYRANNY! TEAM UPRISING! TEAM UPRISING!¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO OR I GO! LIL BRO OR I GO!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡±M ONLY HERE FOR LIL BRO!!!! GO AWAY STUPID MAID!!!¡¹

    ¡¸i really wanna see godlee, not whoever the fuck this other person is¡­...¡¹

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­ You guys sure about that? You¡¯ll make someone very sad,¡± Su Xue said. Then she turned her webcam so that An Xin was also in the frame. ¡°I was nning to y some duo queue with BunBun here. But since you guys don¡¯t want to watch two pretty girls ying League, whatever I guess. I¡¯ll just turn off the stream and go to bed early for a change.¡±

    An Xin waved at the camera, smiling, and said, ¡°Hi, guys!¡±

    The viewers needed a moment to process this reveal. They forgot all about Lin Feng and focused their full attention on An Xin. She was stunning. To them, she was the most beautiful girl on the whole world wide web. The viewers channeled their inner degen. They readied their hands, ced them on the keyboard, and started flooding the chat.

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands too prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with BOTH hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸TYping with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove Innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸hey hey are you better than xue xue?? Wanna duo with me? I¡¯m Diamond 1. You can add me. My tag is: WaterWraith¡¹

    ¡¸Tping with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with ALL THREE hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with b0th hands t0 pr0ve inn0cence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with BOTHhands to prove innocence!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Typing with both hands to prove innocence!¡¹

    Lin Feng stared at the chat. They were his loyal bros a moment ago, but now they¡¯d forgotten all about him! Thepliments were gone. The demands for him to y were gone. Every mention of him was gone. He pushed past Su Xue and grumbled, ¡°Hey! What about me? I thought you guys wanted to see me y!¡±

    ¡¸eh it¡¯s fine.. We already watched you today in the tournament¡¹

    ¡¸you can go pour drinks for BunBun!¡¹

    ¡¸yeah, be a good host and go get BunBun some water!¡¹

    ¡¸Haha MAID FENG! MAID FENG!¡¹

    Lin Feng watched the chat in stunned silence. He didn¡¯t know what to say or do, except to slowly move away from the screen. He hoped nobody noticed the ¡°Maid Feng¡±message, or that they¡¯d forget about it quickly even if they did. Meanwhile, Su Xue was just enjoying the moment. How do you like that, you little punk! Finally getting a taste of your own medicine! Maid Feng! Ha! This is awesome. Maybe I should buy him a maid costume. The viewers would love that¡­ Have him walk around in it as a sub goal, hahahah!

 Chapter 204: Hot BunBun Warming an EveningSnowfall

    An Xin and Su Xue were chatting together, deciding what roles they were going to y in their game of League of Legends. This was their first time duo queueing together, so they didn¡¯t know what to expect or how they would y together. Su Xue had been trained to y ad-carry by Lin Feng and that was the role she¡¯d spent the most time practicing and ying. She didn¡¯t really know how to y anything else. An Xin, on the other hand, was primarily a Jungler, but she could also y other roles. She looked at Su Xue sitting next to her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go Support. It¡¯ll be more fun ying together, rather than doing our own thing on different ends of the map.¡± The thousands of viewers watching the two girls were quick to agree with this decision.

    ¡¸yes!!! go support!¡¹

    ¡¸Two pretty girls ying bot is like peanut butter on chocte! A perfect match!¡¹

    ¡¸i bet bunbun is an uber good support! SHOW EM BUNBUN!!¡¹

    ¡¸this gunna be soooo goodddd¡¹

    ¡¸BunBun for best Support in the world!!!¡¹

    ¡¸NO ONE is better than OUR BUNBUN!!!1!¡¹

    An Xin and Su Xue had only just entered the queue. The viewers had met An Xin barely a minute ago. They¡¯d never seen her y a game of League. Yet they were already proiming her to be the best Support yer in League of Legends. They wouldn¡¯t hear any arguments saying otherwise. ¡®Their¡¯ BunBun was the best, end of discussion.

    Lin Feng sat on Su Xue¡¯s bed and grumbled, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m really good at Support too¡­ Why can¡¯t I y¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re the maid! Now stopining and pour us some drinks, Maid Feng!¡± Su Xueughed, relishing the opportunity to get back at Lin Feng. She was already nning how to best make use of this newfound power. Maybe I can demand some sparkling water from the store downstairs, hehe. But her viewers had something else entirely in mind.

    ¡¸SHUT IT< MAID! no one said you could call lil bro that!¡¹

    ¡¸right! Only we can call him maid feng!¡¹

    ¡¸watch your tone, xue xue! we all know who the real maid is here!¡¹

    ¡¸Keep that up and we¡¯ll have lil bro duo with bunbun instead!¡¹

    ¡¸TTSKKKKKKK maids really don¡¯t know their ce these days.¡¹

    ¡°Hey hey! Don¡¯t be like that, please! It was just a joke! A joke! Please give me another chance!¡± Su Xue begged, changing her tune to the whims of the chat. The idea of Lin Feng taking her ce sounded terrible. She wanted to y a game of League, and she wanted her viewers to watch her y. This was her stream! And she would do anything she could to make sure her viewers wouldn¡¯t turn this into Lin Feng¡¯s stream again, like they did on the regr.

    The game found a match, and both of them epted. An Xin and Su Xue entered Champion Select and locked in their Champion choices. Su Xue went with her best Champion, her main, her spirit totem in League¨CJinx! An Xin decided to go with Thresh. This choice evoked another grumble from Lin Feng, ¡°I¡¯m really good at Thresh too¡­¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Su Xue and An Xin were on the Blue team. They went to the botne and startedst hitting minions as soon as the first minion waves reached the middle of thene. During the first wave they kept the same pace as the Red team¡¯s Boners. But they got more aggressive when the second minion wave arrived, which helped them hit Level 2 first. An Xin directly used this level advantage to force a fight. She pressed the D key¨Csh! Her Thresh appeared with a mottled sh of light on top of Red team¡¯s Tristana. He yed her backwards, slowing her, and then threw his sickle at her¨CDeath Sentence! His chain wrapped around the Tristana and he pulled her backwards, allowing the Jinx to freely auto attack. Then he hit the Tristana with Ignite, setting her aze. In the fiery inferno of exploding rockets and an unquenchable fire, the Tristana died.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Wow! BunBun! You¡¯re an amazing Support!¡± Su Xue eximed, beaming at An Xin. ¡°Thening phase will be so easy with you supporting me!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That Tristana is just bad.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that Support too. They¡¯re both terrible!¡± Lin Feng chimed in. But no one paid any attention to him.

    This was the very first time and game that An Xin and Su Xue were ying together, but their synergy and cohesion made it seem like they¡¯d known each other for years. That cohesion was primarily due to An Xin and her exceptional Thresh. She knew how to adapt to Su Xue¡¯s ystyle.

    Whenever Su Xue wanted to engage or make a y, An Xin was a step ahead with a hook in the enemy champion. And when Jinx¡¯s health started to run a little low but Su Xue wanted to stay and fight, An Xin would make sure her Thresh was positioned right in front of Jinx to protect her.

    It took less than 10 minutes for Su Xue¡¯s Jinx to get fed to the point of no return. The Red team didn¡¯t know how to stop her, and eventually just gave up. They waited for the 20 minute mark to surrender, when it became avable, and unanimously voted ¡®Yes¡¯. The victory crest appeared over the screen for the yers on the Blue team.

    An Xin yed a phenomenal support game with her Thresh, so much so that she carried Su Xue to victory. And like a great support, she carried without making it apparent to anyone. To the untrained eye, it looked like Su Xue carried the game with her Jinx. But that was the furthest thing to the truth. Su Xue and her Jinx were only able to do as well as they had in this game because of An Xin and her Thresh.

    The stream chat lit up with 666s! The viewers were in love with An Xin. They loved watching her as she yed. How she wouldpletely focus on the game right before a y was about to happen, and the slight smile after she helped Su Xue pick up the kill. No matter how the viewers looked at it, all they saw was perfection. An Xin was their dream girl and they hoped she¡¯d be making more appearances on stream. Or maybe even start her own channel!

    Su Xue agreed with her viewers, which was a truly rare urrence. She turned to look at An Xin and eximed, ¡°You¡¯re the best Support I¡¯ve ever yed with! It¡¯s like you could read my mind! You did everything I wanted before I even knew that I wanted it! Even Lin Feng couldn¡¯t do that! You¡¯re way better than Lin Feng¡¯s Support!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s annoyed voice came from behind the two girls, ¡°Hey! I¡¯m the better Support! Let me y a game and I¡¯ll show you!¡±

    An Xin turned around and said, ¡°Nice try, big idiot. But we¡¯re not letting you y. Just keep whining¡­ You seem to be pretty good at that too.¡±

    ¡¸Hahahaha BURNED!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro is really good at getting burned too, hahahhahahaha¡¹

    ¡¸XDDDD Someone call an ambnce for lil bro!!!!¡¹

    Lin Feng read the chat on his smartphone, annoyed and frustrated. He wanted to argue how he really was the better Support. That it was a fact and not up for debate! But the viewers were siding with An Xin. And every time he tried to say anything, they just made fun of him. So he sat back, continuing to grumble, and watched as An Xin and Su Xue started another game. And then one more after that. Then a fourth game. He just watched them y. He watched them forget that he was even there. He sat there wondering why he was even there. Did they forget about mepletely? I¡¯m really good at League! They¡¯re not even asking me what I think¡­

    ?

    ¡¶Quadra Kill!¡·

    ¡°Oh my god! A quadra! I got a quadra! BunBun, I got a quadra!¡± Su Xue eximed, amazed. This was her fourth game together with BunBun, who¡¯d already led her to a double kill in game two and a triple kill in game three. The two girls were getting better and better at ying together. Su Xue pressed down on the B key to recall her Tristana back to base. Then she looked over her shoulder at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Did you see that? A quadra! I got a quadra kill! That¡¯s my first quadra on Tristana!¡±

    Lin Feng grumbled something under his breath, scrolling through the stream chat on his smartphone. That only made his mood worse, since the viewers wereplimenting Su Xue on her quadra kill. I could¡¯ve gotten her a penta¡­ But the viewers didn¡¯t care what he could¡¯ve done. They were cheering for what Su Xue had done.

    ¡¸You yed that so well, xuexue!!!¡¹

    ¡¸OH M G! A QUADRA GIRLL!!!! that¡¯s amazing!¡¹

    ¡¸so cool! an actual quadra¡­ dang!¡¹

    ¡¸you¡¯re sooooo good xue xue!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸A QU_QU_QU_QUAADDRRAAAA!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Can you teach me how to y ad-carry?¡¹

    Su Xue read through the stream chat, thanking her viewers for theirpliments. Then she thought of something and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget BunBun! Her Leona was great! Her stuns were spot on and if she hadn¡¯t Exhausted the Zed, I would¡¯ve died before getting my first kill!¡±

    An Xin chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t downy your quadra! This was all you. Your Tristana is really good!¡±

    Lin Feng watched the two girlsplimenting each other. He¡¯d really had enough of it and grumbled louder than he intended to, ¡°It¡¯s just a stupid quadra¡­ I¡¯m really good at getting quadras too.¡± It was loud enough that the viewers heard himin. They¡¯d been listening to himin for four games now and they were starting to feel sorry for him.

    ¡¸hey let lil bro y a game, he¡¯s been sitting there watching the whole time...¡¹

    ¡¸Look at those puppy eyes! You GOTTA let him y a game!!¡¹

    ¡¸step aside maid, youve had your fun! ITS LIL BRO TIME NOW!!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸show us a penta lillll brroooo!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°Huh? W-what? Maid?¡± Su Xue stuttered, falling t on her face after riding the high of picking up a quadra kill. She stared at the chat, wide-eyed, and pointed at herself. ¡°Me? What the hell! I just got a quadra and now you want me gone? Maybe I can get a penta next game!¡±

    The viewers wouldn¡¯t hear any excuse that she gave. And she gave more than a few. They¡¯d made up their minds. They wanted to see An Xin and Lin Feng y a game together. So they kept pushing until Su Xue gave up. She went to grab a chair from the dining room and sat down behind the two who¡¯d taken over her stream.

    Lin Feng grabbed the mouse with his right hand, moving it around. It felt right in his hand. Then he ced his left hand over the keyboard and brushed his fingers across the keys. He grinned and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go mid!¡±

    An Xin shook her head a little and then replied, ¡°I¡¯ll y Jungle then. We might as well get some practice in for tomorrow.¡±

    Lin Feng and An Xin queued up for a game. They got into Champion Select and locked in Lenc in the midne and Rek¡¯Sai in the Jungle.

    At 3 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc solo killed Ziggs, who was the Red team¡¯s Miner.

    At 4 minutes: An Xin¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai ganked the midne, helping Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc pick up her second kill of the game.

    At 6 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc solo killed Ziggs. Then she was chased by Red team¡¯s Jungler, Jarvan IV. But An Xin¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai appeared just at the right time to rescue the Lenc and kill the Jarvan IV.

    At 7 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc and An Xin¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai roamed to the botne. They killed the Red team¡¯s Boners. Then they destroyed the outer tower. And finally they secured the Dragon.

    At 9 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc solo killed Ziggs. Then she roamed top with An Xin¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai and killed the Irelia before destroying the outer tower.

    At 12 minutes: The Red team gave up. It was too early in the game to surrender, so they typed ¡®open mid¡¯ in all chat. The Red team didn¡¯t leave their fountain again and the Blue team, led by Lin Feng and An Xin, started destroying the towers in the midne, all the way to the Nexus.

    At 15 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc destroyed the Red team¡¯s Nexus. Victory!

    The game started. And it ended 15 minutester. It was the most one sided stomp many of the viewers had ever seen. The viewers didn¡¯t quite know what to say. There wasn¡¯t a single teamfight in this game. There was no mid orte game. There was only the early game, in which Lin Feng and An Xin won all threenes for their team. Messages started flooding the chat.

    ¡¸holy shit... talk about a stomp!¡¹

    ¡¸what a game¡­¡­. that was something¡­ DANG¡¹

    ¡¸......... wow¡­¡­ just wow¡¹

    ¡¸did we just see them 2v5 a whole game!?!??!!??!¡¹

    Su Xue stared at An Xin and Lin Feng, amazed, and said, ¡°The heck, you two? My ount is at high tinum! Why did it look like you two were stomping on Bronzes and Silvers?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Me and BunBun make a great team!¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Great team? All you did was killsteal¡­ I did all the actual work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the Miner! That¡¯s my job!¡± Lin Feng countered. Then he rubbed his stomach. He looked over his shoulder at Su Xue and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Can we order some take-out?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just have ate night snack?¡± Su Xue asked. She was still annoyed at being benched by her viewers and was in no mood to entertain Lin Feng¡¯s perpetual hunger.

    ¡°I know, I know. But I¡¯m hungry again!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    An Xin looked at her friend. She shook her head and blurted out, ¡°You pig!¡±

 Chapter 205: Fervent Whispers, a Moonlit Shoulder & Indifference

    Su Xue stared at Lin Feng. He was staring back at her with pleading eyes. The kind of puppy dog eyes that were hard to ignore. But Su Xue was used to them by now. She vehemently shook her head and said, ¡°Hey! Hey! Hey! Listen up, ya little shit. You¡¯re going to be an ugly fatass if you keep eating this much! No morete night snacks for you!¡± Then she ruffled his hair and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re good at League, no one can deny that. And apparently a lot of girls like what they¡¯re seeing¡­ Your only real problem is that mouth of yours. Life ain¡¯t so easy when you¡¯re chunky, you hear me? People will make fun of you. Lemme tell you, fat-shaming is very real. That¡¯s not what you want.¡±

    An Xin stood off to the side, sizing Lin Feng up, rubbing her knuckles with her palm. She smirked and said, ¡°What do you think, Xue Xue? Should we knock some sense into him? That¡¯s the only thing he¡¯ll respond to.¡±

    ¡°You two are worrying over nothing. I¡¯ll never get fat!¡± Lin Feng replied, confident. ¡°My metabolism is really good too! I can eat whatever I want and never get fat! So let¡¯s get some takeo¡ª¡±

    Two fists hit Lin Feng squarely in the face, shutting him up. Su Xue looked at him and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re an asshole! And a pig! That¡¯s what you get for bragging about being able to eat whatever you want without worrying about your weight in front of two girls!¡± She barely finished talking when An Xin yelled, ¡°How dare you! Apologize right now to all the girls out there counting calories! RIGHT NOW!¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his mouth in pain. There was the sweet taste of iron in his mouth and his lip felt warm and swollen. They had actually punched him in the face! His eyes started watering, so he quickly turned away from them while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go get some extra nkets and make the bed ready for An Xin.¡± It was already well past 1 A.M. and the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals were the next day. This was the perfect excuse to get away from Su Xue and An Xin before he got whacked again. And he needed a bit of alone time to nurse his injuries and salvage whatever dignity he had left.

    Su Xue let him walk away. She¡¯d said what she wanted to say and punched Lin Feng in the face. Thest part especially felt good. She smiled and shouted after Lin Feng, ¡°I¡¯m going to keep streaming for a while, so let BunBun sleep in your room. You sleep on the couch in the living room!¡±

    Lin Feng paused and turned back to look at Su Xue, indignant. He argued, ¡°Why can¡¯t BunBun sleep on the couch? She¡¯s practically family! You don¡¯t need to give her special treatment.¡±

    Su Xue raised her eyebrows, staring at Lin Feng, then said, ¡°You¡¯re going to make a girl sleep on the couch? Keep up that attitude and you¡¯ll be single for the rest of your life.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng walked into his room with clean sheets and started undoing his bed. Such a hassle. Why can¡¯t BunBun just sleep on the couch... He was grumbling and gloomy the whole way through. An Xin sat at his desk, watching him, grinning. ¡°Poor you,¡± she said. ¡°Su Xue really is too kind. You know, making you sleep on the couch and giving me the bed and all. I¡¯m soooo touched.¡±

    Lin Feng stopped what he was doing and turned to look at An Xin. He stared at her for a moment before suggesting, ¡°Then how about you sleep on the couch and I¡¯ll take the bed?¡±

    An Xin¡¯s mouth fell open. Then she quickly covered it with her hand. ¡°Reaaally? Are you going to make a guest sleep on the couch? You monster! How could you even suggest that!¡± Then she did her best impression of Lin Feng¡¯s puppy dog eyes from before and added, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do that to me, would you?¡±

    ¡°Oh please, cut the act,¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°Everyone else might fall for it but you can¡¯t fool me! I know you!¡± He¡¯d known her for practically forever. She¡¯d been around for his entire life, as long as he could remember. Her impression of his puppy-dog eyes were really his impression of her puppy-dog eyes from when they were young. They were the bane of his existence. An Xin would win every single argument when she used them. It didn¡¯t matter who she was talking to, or what she was arguing about. She always got what she wanted. The first few times Lin Feng thought it was abination of luck and solid arguments. But when it kept happening, he knew something was up. He was a little slow at times, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. He figured out her trick and was then forced to watch her use it to great sess repeatedly.

    ¡°A, was I that obvious?¡± An Xinughed. The second that Lin Feng finished making the bed, she immediately jumped into it. Then she grabbed the sheets and pulled them up over her legs. Then she looked up at Lin Feng and smiled. A smile full of promise and desire and temptation, one that would ordinarily send the heart of any man racing. Then she patted the empty space next to her on the bed and winked at Lin Feng. ¡°How about you sleep with me tonight? Big spoon, small spoon. You get it.¡± She was wearing one of Su Xue¡¯s pyjamas. It fit her well enough, though it was a little too loose for her slender frame. She moved her hand towards her chest and traced her finger around the neck of the shirt, then pulled it down over her shoulder and only stopped when it reached her elbow. The shirt now barely covered her chest, showing most of her cleavage. ¡°You know¡­¡± she whispered. A whisper that ended in a light moan.

    ¡°Nope! Don¡¯t wanna!¡± Lin Feng immediately refused. ¡°You¡¯re the worst sleeper ever. You always kick me out of bed! Only an idiot would want to sleep with you!¡±

    An Xin started, her eyes wide in shock. Then her face turned a deep shade of red as she shouted, ¡°Liar! You big idiot! I never did that!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and argued, ¡°I¡¯m not lying. Remember back in first grade? When I slept over at your ce? I never got any sleep that night! You kicked me off the bed at least a dozen times!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng, then grabbed the pillow behind her. She threw it at his head and yelled, ¡°Idiot! Stop it!¡±

    Lin Feng caught the pillow and smugly smiled at An Xin. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at blocking skillshots too!¡±

    An Xin had already grabbed a second pillow and threw it at Lin Feng again. This time, it hit the bull¡¯s eye. Lin Feng didn¡¯t see iting until the soft fabric hit him in his face.. An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Too-bad-so-sad. My skillshots don¡¯t have a cooldown!¡±

    ?

    3 A.M. ording to therge clock in the living room. Lin Feng had been trying to fall asleep for a good two hours, but he was still tossing and turning on the couch. Sleep just wouldn¡¯te to him. He¡¯d heard Su Xue go to bed some 30 minutes ago and now there was only silence. Nothing to disturb him, nothing stopping him from falling asleep¡­ but he was wide awake. ¡°This pillow sucks. I need to get my good one,¡± he muttered. Then he kicked his sheets away and got up. ¡°Time to steal back my pillow!¡± He grabbed the ¡®bad¡¯ pillow and started walking towards his room, mumbling to himself, ¡°Let¡¯s call this Operation: Pillow Swap!¡±

    Lin Feng walked through the hallway and arrived in front of his room. He stuck his ear against the door, careful not to make a sound. After confirming there were no soundsing from the other side, he gently pushed the door open. Then he poked his head through the gap and looked inside. Huh? What? He stared at an empty bed. Where is she¡­? He looked around his room and found An Xin sitting against the windowsill. His eyes went wide. The cold night breeze blew into the room, causing the curtains to flutter along with her long, ck hair. She was staring out the window at the night sky, the light of the moon illuminating her face.

    Lin Feng stared at An Xin for a good minute before he realized that he was actually staring at her. He shook his head a little and then withdrew it, careful not to make a sound. I don¡¯t think she heard me¡­ Probably too distracted or something¡­ Yeah! That¡¯s why! Now, I just need to carefully close the doo¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m neither blind nor deaf. I heard you walk down the hallway and I can even see your reflection in the window,¡± An Xin said as she turned around to look at Lin Feng, who was caught trying to close the door.

    ¡°AH!¡± Lin Feng yelped. He grabbed his chest, his eyes wide open. Then he pushed open the door again and walked in, asking, ¡°Why did you have to scare me like that? And why didn¡¯t you say something earlier? Do you know how much effort I put into Operation: Pillow Swap?¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Oh, I was curious to see what you were nning to do.¡± She winked at him and added, ¡°It isn¡¯t every night that you find out that one of your oldest friends is trying to sneak into your bedroom in the middle of the night. I knew you were a pervert, but this¡­¡± She traced her finger around her shirt¡¯s neck and started pulling it down again. Then she flicked her hair, smiling the most mesmerizing smile, and said, ¡°Did youe here to apologize for being an idiot before? And that you really do want to sleep with me?¡±

 Chapter 206: Great Minds Dream Alike

    Do I want to sleep next to you? No! I said no! It¡¯s a stupid joke! ¡°You¡¯re not funny!¡± Lin Feng shouted at An Xin. She was teasing him again, something she seemed to find great pleasure in. He red at her and said, ¡°I just wanted to get my own pillow back. I can¡¯t sleep on another pillow. I need my pillow!¡±

    An Xin burst outughing, her shoulders bouncing up and down, and couldn¡¯t stop for a good several minutes. After she finally calmed herself down, forcing long and deep breaths, she looked up at Lin Feng. ¡°Oh, Feng Feng, I¡¯m so funny. You¡¯ll understand one day. But I wasn¡¯tughing because of tha¡ª¡± She started grinning again and quickly ced her hand before her mouth to stop herself from breaking into an uncontrobleugh again. It took her a minute to gather herself again and then she continued, ¡°You¡¯re 19 already, but you¡¯re still such a kid. It¡¯s kind of cute that you still need your favourite pillow to fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡± Lin Feng argued, annoyed. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about having a favourite pillow? I just like how it sleeps! My head feels good on it! And, and¡­ It¡¯s all your fault! You had to steal my bed and my pillow! I need my pillow to sleep!¡±

    An Xin couldn¡¯t stop herself from giggling whenever she looked at the expression on Lin Feng¡¯s face. He looked so serious and annoyed. She shook her head and focused on her breathing, forcing herself not tough, until she could talk again. ¡°Alright. I understand. It¡¯s my bad. You can have your favourite pillow back and I¡¯ll take the one you have.¡± She watched him jump to his bed and grab his pillow, then cradle it in his arms. But she didn¡¯tugh at hisical response. She was just staring at him and asked, ¡°Since we both can¡¯t seem to fall asleep, why not keep mepany for a bit and chat?¡±

    Lin Feng held his favourite pillow close to him and grumbled, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep because you stole my room¡­¡± But he sat down on his bed and looked at An Xin, who sat with her back against therge window. She had put her legs up onto the windowsill and was hugging her knees. ¡°Be careful you don¡¯t fall off,¡± Lin Feng said, rubbing his butt as he remembered thest time he¡¯d sat down on the windowsill.

    An Xin looked back out of the window at the city nightscape, which was illuminated by the moonlight. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t fall. Plus, you have a really great view here. The park over there with the trees, and therge skyscrapers in the distance. It¡¯s so beautiful. I like it.¡±

    Lin Feng stared at An Xin. At his best friend in the whole world. He vividly remembered all the good times they¡¯d shared together when they were younger, running around at the yground and pranking guests at dinner parties. There was never a dull moment with her around. But she looked so different now from the girl in his memories. Somewhere along the way, she¡¯d grown from a meatbun into a beautiful woman. He smiled and said, ¡°Hey, BunBun. You¡¯ve be really pretty.¡±

    An Xin was stunned. She slowly turned away from the window and looked at Lin Feng. He wasn¡¯t ogling her nor was he trying to flirt, she could see it in his gaze. He was just saying what he thought, and he thought she was pretty. She started smiling, bright and cheerful, and said, ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng and An Xin chatted about their daily lives, school, and most importantly League of Legends. They discussed the yers currently ying in the LPL and their teams. They argued about who the worst yer was, which took them far longer than it should have. Tian Tian was another name that popped up, as was Eleven whopeted in the LSPL these days. Lin Feng and An Xin were both League of Legends fanatics. There was always more League of Legends for them to talk about.

    A cold breeze blew through the cracks around the window. Poor instion. An Xin had really enjoyed this chill after sweating under Lin Feng¡¯s thick winter nket. But she was starting to feel cold. She hugged her knees tightly together and buried her face into her chest. She sat like that for a minute before raising her head and quietly asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on between you and Tang Tang?¡±

    ¡°Uh, what do you mean?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused.

    ¡°You big idiot¡­¡± An Xin mumbled, shaking her head. She¡¯d seen Tang Bingyao¡¯s strong reaction at the electronics mall after the Semifinals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. There was clearly something going on between Lin Feng and her. An Xin looked at Lin Feng, who looked genuinely confused. You big idiot¡­ She decided not to push this specific conversation any further and changed the direction of the conversation back to League of Legends. ¡°Are you nning on making her the ad-carry for your new team?¡± she asked.

    Lin Feng¡¯s lips parted into a wide grin. He nodded fervently and said, ¡°Yeah, I am! She¡¯s really talented! If she puts in the effort, she can be one of the best ad-carries in the world!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°I see. Yes, she¡¯s pretty talented. This also means you¡¯ve decided to start ying professionally again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have!¡± Lin Feng replied immediately. Then he looked at An Xin. He really looked at her. His smile was gone. He looked dead serious and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make myeback. I¡¯ll make a team and qualify for the LSPL. Then the LPL. Then Worlds. And then I¡¯m going to beat Rake in the Finals and be World Champion of the world! I will be the best yer in the world!¡±

    An Xin stared at Lin Feng. Some things just never change. He¡¯d given her this same speech back in Season 1, before he quit the game. Bing the best yer in the world. It had always been his dream, and it would probably always be. She didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever let go of it. But the past few years he hadn¡¯t been able to say the words out loud. Now he did. He was willing to voice his dream and chase it again. She nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s a great dream.¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his nose and chuckled. He¡¯d proimed this dream to many people in his life. Some didn¡¯t understand it. Others justughed at him. An Xin was one of the select few who genuinely believed in him and supported him through thick and thin. ¡°Oh right!¡± he suddenly blurted out. ¡°Wasn¡¯t your dream to be the best coach in the world?¡±

    ¡°You remember,¡± An Xin said happily. She nodded and continued, ¡°Yep! That¡¯s still my dream. I want to be the best coach in the world!¡±

    Lin Feng jumped from the bed and made his famous victory pose, clenching his fist and throwing it up in the air. He shouted, ¡°That¡¯s great! Let¡¯s chase our dreams together! You¡¯ll be the best coach and I¡¯ll be the best yer!¡±

    An Xin ced her finger before her mouth and shushed him, ¡°Quiet! You big idiot. Don¡¯t wake up Su Xue.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uhh right,¡± Lin Feng whispered. He looked at the clock on his nightstand and said, ¡°Right. We should get some sleep. The Finals are¡­ today. I¡¯m going to sleep. Good night!¡± He grabbed his favourite pillow again and started hugging it as he left the room. Just before closing the door behind him, he poked his head back inside and said, ¡°BunBun, thanks.¡±

    ¡°You big idiot. What¡¯s there to thank me for? Go and get some sleep,¡± An Xin replied. She watched him leave the room, then turned back to look out over the city. ¡°My dream, huh?¡± she mumbled to herself. ¡°I guess¡­¡± She smiled and shook her head. ¡°Some things never change. That applies as much to me as it does to him. Guess all I can do is to keep trying¡­¡±

    ?

    The sun shone through the window in the living room. The couch was facing away from the window and the backside blocked the light from reaching Lin Feng¡¯s face. He peacefully slept through most of the morning and only woke up from the smell of scallion pancakes. His stomach started growling, scaring him awake. He opened his eyes wide and sat up straight in an instant. Then his eyes followed his nose towards the food. Su Xue and An Xin were sitting at the dining table, enjoying arge breakfast. His stomach rumbled. He rubbed it, still waking up, andined, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys wake me up for breakfast?¡±

    Su Xue nced over at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s not our fault that you sleep in sote. It¡¯s almost 11 A.M.! You woke up from the smell of the food, right? Yourzy ass would¡¯ve slept until dinner if it wasn¡¯t for the food.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s azy pig. You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± An Xin said. She picked up a piece of scallion pancake from her te, then dipped it in some soy sauce and put it in her mouth.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t even hear what Su Xue and An Xin said. The food had woken him up. His eyes saw food, his ears heard food, his nose smelled food, and all that was left was for his mouth to taste the food! He ran towards the dining table and grabbed a bowl, almost letting it fall on the ground in his hurry. ¡°Breakfast! BREAKFAST! Those noodles look great! Ohh! Is that a soft boiled egg? Woow! Those pancakes look so good!¡±

    ¡°GET UP!¡± Su Xue shouted, and An Xin added, ¡°Go brush your teeth and wash up! You smell!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t smell and why can¡¯t I brush my teeth after breakfast? Isn¡¯t it all the same anyway?¡±

    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Su Xue asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I thought for a second there that you tried to argue with me.¡±

    An Xin showed Lin Feng her trademark smile that was anything but a smile and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Lin Feng grumbled, but got up from his chair and stomped to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and washed his face in a short few minutes. Then he charged back towards the dining table, just in time to hear Su Xue yelp, ¡°What? No Way!¡± She held her phone in her hand and was scrolling through thetest news about Worlds.

 Chapter 207: A Legacy of Raking Up Championships

    Lin Feng forgot about the breakfast on the table and the food in his bowl. He looked at Su Xue and asked, ¡°What happened? What are you looking at?¡± Then he raced around the table before she could answer him and looked over her shoulder at the phone. An Xin ran around the other side of the table and leaned over Su Xue¡¯s shoulder. They both read the headline out loud. ¡°LEGACY OF RAKE: The guest presenter at the Finals of this year¡¯s League of Legends World Championships is Lee Dojae!¡± Lin Feng and An Xin reacted exactly like Su Xue, gasping in surprise. Then Lin Feng grabbed the phone from Su Xue¡¯s hands and hit the refresh button. The message was still the same. Lee Dojae was going to be the guest presenter at the League of Legends World Finalster that day!

    The Finals for the League of Legends World Championships would start at 11 P.M. in Shanghai. The battle between North America¡¯s Season and South Korea¡¯s SSK. This was the game that literally everyone across the world wanted to watch, the game they¡¯d been anticipating since the start of the World Championships. Two of the best yers in the world on opposite sides of the rift. The North Americans had Autumn, a legendary Support yer, while the South Koreans had Rake, the single best Miner in all of League of Legends. There were eight other yers on the rift, each among the best in their respective roles. Team Season was unofficially dubbed the Korean Killers, while SSK hadn¡¯t lost a single game yet in this year¡¯s Worlds. Fans on either side of this epic matchup had so many reasons to be confident that their team would be the one to im ultimate victory.

    Beyond the excitement for the matchup itself, there was also the curious decision that the organizers had made to invite Lee Dojae as the guest presenter. This raised gs and questions in the minds of many people, who wondered why he was the guest presenter for this year. In thest few years, the guest presenter was either the President or Vice President of the World Esports Association. That wasn¡¯t the case this year. Lee Dojae was an esports Hall of Famer. There was no doubt in anyone¡¯s mind, Lee Dojae had been a massive influence on the entire esports scene. He well deserved his ce in the Hall of Fame. He enjoyed the bragging rights that came with being a Hall of Famer, and like the other six people in the esports Hall of Fame, he functioned as a lifetime honorary advisor for the World Esports Association. He held quite a lot of sway over the most important governing body in the world of esports.

    But that didn¡¯t exin why the World Esports Association would ignore convention and invite Lee Dojae to guest present the World Finals. Everyone who noticed that Lee Dojae was presenting this year, all of them wondered if the organizers knew something they didn¡¯t. The question at the heart of it all was if there was some special meaning behind Lee Dojae showing up. In an unexpected twist, the Inte unanimously agreed that there was something suspicious, and that it meant the organizers of the World Finals believed that SSK would win the tournament. That was the only exnation that made any sense to them.

    Lee Dojae was a yer who made a name for himself in DotA. He quickly became one of the best yers in the world and led a team thatpeted for the big prizes. Team SSK. Lee Dojae, whose online handle had also been Rake, had led his team to the point where they dominated the DotA scene. There was only one other team that could reallypete with them, and eventually also beat them. They were second best. But that was then and this was now. Lee Dojae handed over the captaincy to Han Seho, who took the name and the team. He led SSK to be the uncontested number one in League of Legends. Lee Dojae treated Han Seho like he would his own son. He gave his name and his team away. And now he was going to guest present the World Finals. It smelled fishy. Very, very fishy.

    The South Koreans, of course, didn¡¯t care one bit what everyone else thought. They were happy. More than that, they were proud. Lee Dojae and Han Seho were two of the biggest names in esports around the world. Both of them hailed from South Korea, and both of them would stand on the stage tonight. One would be the guest presenter at the awards ceremony, while the other woulde and ept the trophy. That was how the SSK fans saw it, anyways. They were more than happy to agree with all of the people talking about how SSK was going to win the Season 5 World Championships for League of Legends. While also conveniently ignoring any usations or concerns about the Finals being fixed. They were just happy to confidently believe that Rake was going to get a hat trick! Their Rake was going to win three World Championships in a row!

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports team had decided to meet up at the NetCow Cafe in the afternoon. There was still some time until the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament were starting, and they needed every second to get some more practice in. But rather than getting straight to their training, they started talking about Lee Dojae and how the World Esports Association was clearly picking sides. No one couldprehend why the governing body of world esports would show such disrespect to Season, who were still very much in the race to win Worlds. Lin Feng listened to the others talking, but didn¡¯t participate himself. He stood off to the side, stewing, annoyed and upset that Lee Dojae would present the trophy.

    ¡°What in the world possessed the World Esports Association to do this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ Lee Dojae? What the fuck!¡±

    ¡°Right? That¡¯s like saying to everyone that the match is fixed! This is stupid!¡±

    ¡°FUCK! I feel bad for Season. This is so unprofessional¡­ FUCK!¡±

    ¡°This reflects very poorly on the World Esports Association and the integrity of the tournament.¡±

    ¡°They even called the article ¡®Legacy of Rake¡¯... This is just¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say!¡±

    ¡°Cringe! That¡¯s what you wanna say, bro. Mega ultra super cringe! Fucking posers...¡±

    An Xin let everyone get what they had to say out of their system. She stepped forward, hushing everyone, and said, ¡°They can pretend all they want, Lee Dojae was never more than second best. Legacy of Rake my ass.¡± She smiled and watched for the reactions of her team members. They nodded, agreeing with her. Good. She pped her hands and changed the subject, ¡°Alright. Enough distractions. We have a finals to y tonight and we¡¯re nowhere near ready for it! It¡¯s time to practice!¡±

    Everyone nodded and moved to their position. The substitutes gathered around one screen, so that they could spectate the match, while the yers on the team sat down behind theirputers. From left to right it was Chen Ze, Liu Yue, Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao, and Wei Dong. It was the same seating arrangement that was used at the big tournaments, so that the viewers could easily recognize which yer yed what role. Wei Dong nced over at Tang Bingyao. She had big, dark bags under her eyes and she looked an absolute mess. He turned to her and asked, ¡°Hey, you ok? You look like you haven¡¯t slept in days! Are you that nervous for tonight? Don¡¯t worry, with An Xin here, we can win this! She¡¯ll probably even let you take a nap. Just go and ask her. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll y better after a power nap.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shot up straight in her chair and turned to Wei Dong, her eyes wide open. She stared at him for a second, then fervently shook her head, and said, ¡°Uhm, no. I-i¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡± I just stayed uptest night watching a stream¡­ And then I couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore...

    ?

    It was 12:30 P.M. in Berlin, Germany. The League of Legends World Finals would start in another four and a half hours. The organizers were running around the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the location of the World Finals, working very hard to get everything ready in time. But not everyone was all that busy. Lee Dojae had gathered a group of reporters around him and was answering their questions. He knew what they were going to ask him, and he¡¯d worked on his answers the night before. So when they asked about his thoughts on SSK and if they could win the Finals today, he confidently replied, ¡°SSK is in the best form of their lives. They¡¯re going to show the world something very special tonight. I think this will be a night no one will ever forget!¡±

    The reporters had many more questions they wanted to ask Lee Dojae, and he entertained them. He gave them the kinds of answers they could easily transition into headlines that would get a ton of clicks. Lee Dojae was loving every second of this interview. These reporters were here for him! He kept talking with them until all their questions were answered, and only then retreated backstage. There, he was stopped by an old teammate who said, ¡°I caught a bit of that interview. Those were some strong words, eh?¡±

    Lee Dojae shrugged and replied, ¡°Just stating the facts. SSK will win tonight. No one can stop them.¡±

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s such a ¡®you¡¯ thing to say,¡± Lee Dojae¡¯s old teammateughed, patting his friend¡¯s shoulder. Then he added, ¡°But I don¡¯t disagree.¡±

    Season was a strong team who¡¯d performed especially well against teams from South Korea. But just being a strong team wasn¡¯t nearly enough to beat SSK in their current form. Lee Dojae and his old teammate were both convinced that it didn¡¯t matter what Season brought to the table, SSK would clinch the victory tonight. SSK had seen a transformation after Han Seho took the captaincy from Lee Dojae. There was no other team in the world that could threaten SSK¡¯s hegemony. They were internationally renowned and were hard on their way to bing the symbol of the South Korean esports scene. If they weren¡¯t already. Season was only a guest at their show. Lee Dojae didn¡¯t care one bit for Autumn. This time, SSK was ranked number one. Everyone else was irrelevant.

    Lee Dojae¡¯s expression suddenly became hard. Han Seho will seed where we failed. SSK will finally be invincible! One and his old team can¡¯t do a damn thing about it! They¡¯re the past. My team and I are on top now! He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He¡¯d wanted to be the best yer in the world and win all the big tournaments. But there was a Chinese team, led by the illustrious One, who¡¯d beaten them again and again. Lee Dojae never made it higher than second best. Everytime it looked like he was about to make that final step, One would show up out of nowhere and knock him back down. I¡¯m not going to be second-best anymore! He showed his teeth. You retired so long ago, One. You¡¯re probably old and gray now. But look at me! My name is still the biggest in the scene. Rake will be eternal! And SSK has a great leader in Rake! I¡¯m still winning trophies, while you¡¯re rotting away somewhere! Take that! Ha! SSK will remain the best and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. You belong in the past. Poser.

 Chapter 209: How deep...? I THINK IT MIGHT BE TOO DEEP!

    Blue coloured spotlights shed over Shanghai High School¡¯s side of the stage. They were the Blue team in Game 1 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals. The yers from Shanghai High School and High School 13 went into Champion Select, and started as always with the ban phase, where they could ban three Champions each. Shanghai High School used these bans to target Lin Feng. Their first ban was Lenc, a Champion Lin Feng had used to great effect on multiple asions. Then they banned Fizz, and finally they banned Yasuo. They were three assassins. Three Champions that could win a game on their own. Three Champions that Lin Feng loved to y.

    Westwind sat at the caster desk. He looked out over the overcrowded venue. The audience eximed in surprise to the bans. It seemed like no one expected Shanghai High School to single out the midne. Westwind grinned. He grabbed the microphone from its stand on the desk and shouted into it, ¡°There you have it! Shanghai High School recognizes that Lin Feng is the real threat on High School 13! But we¡¯ve seen Shanghai International do the same thing in the Semifinals. The real question here, people, is this: How deep is Lin Feng¡¯s Champion pool? I think it might be¡­ TOO DEEP!¡±

    Silent Reed looked over at Westwind standing next to her and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re singling out this Lin Feng guy. Zeng Rui banned out three strong Champions in the current meta. I think he just doesn¡¯t want to deal with those three Champions. It probably has nothing to do with who their opponent is. Don¡¯t forget how good Zeng Rui¡¯s team is.¡±

    Zeng Rui hade up with a strategy for his team to shine, rather than shutting Lin Feng down. He saw no point in changing an entire strategy in reaction to one opponent having a good couple of games. The bans of Lenc, Fizz, and Yasuo had nothing to do with Lin Feng and everything to do with Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner. Zeng Rui recognized, especially after the Semifinals, that Lin Feng was a very good Miner and that he was the only real threat on High School 13¡¯s team. So they had to shut him down. The best way to go about that was to give his own Miner, who was incredibly skilled, every advantage he could get before the game even started. He performed better against non-assassin type Champions, so Zeng Rui decided to ban out the strongest assassin type Champions in the current meta.

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t worry about Tang Bingyao and her Draven either. She was a good ad-carry, but she wasn¡¯t anywhere near the level of Lin Feng. On top of that, Shanghai High School¡¯s botne was their strongestne. They had a Diamond 1 ad-carry and Zeng Rui was a Challenger Support. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in Zeng Rui¡¯s mind that they would win the fight in botne. They would stop Tang Bingyao before she could achieve anything with her Champion. The only variable Shanghai High School had to worry about in this game was the midne. They had to shut Lin Feng down.

    An Xin looked across the stage at Zeng Rui, smiling. She¡¯d seen her fair share of Champion Selects and knew exactly what Zeng Rui was up to. I¡¯m almost impressed. Decent n to ban out Lin Feng and beat Tang Tang inne. It can work, I suppose. Heh. If Lin Feng was going mid that is¡­ She giggled as she helped her team decide on the final Champion to round out their team.

    Game 1 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals:

    Shanghai High School (Blue) versus High School 13 (Red)Topne: Irelia versus Twisted FateJungle: Xin Zhao versus Rek¡¯SaiMidne: Orianna versus WukongAD-carry: Jinx versus TristanaSupport: Thresh versus Morgana

    After both teams had locked in their Champions, the yers had a minute to confirm their Summoners Spells and switch Champions around between the team members. High School 13 used this time to have Lin Feng and Chen Ze constantly switch their Twisted Fate and Wukong back and forth. The crowd watched it happen andughed. Westwind made a joke about it, saying how it would bite High School 13 in the bum if they didn¡¯t get it correct at thest second. And then thest few seconds of the Champion Select counted down. It wasn¡¯t allowed to switch the Champions around anymore. Chen Ze was ying Twisted Fate while Lin Feng was ying Wukong.

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. ¡°Are you guys seeing what I¡¯m seeing? Is this FORREALS?¡± The audience roared in reply. They were seeing the same thing he was. High School 13 had given the Twisted Fate, a midne Champion, to their Toner! And they¡¯d given Wukong, a topne Champion, to their Miner! Westwind clutched his microphone and shouted, ¡°WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Was it a mistake? IS IT? I KNOW! Let¡¯s get a close up on that Miner and Toner! Get them on the big screen!¡±

    The cameraman had the same idea as Westwind and was already in the process of doing that. Every yer had a camera on theirputer that was pointed at their face. The one for Lin Feng and Chen Ze were erged and broadcasted on therge screen. Chen Ze looked a little nervous, but not anxious, while Lin Feng was carelesslyughing about something. This wasn¡¯t how a team who¡¯d screwed up their Champion Select in the Finals of a big tournament would act. Everyone knew that.

    Silent Reed looked at therge screen, shaking her head, and said, ¡°That¡¯s just dirty. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re ying at here, but that¡¯s just dirty. They¡¯re sending their Miner top and their Toner mid. Let¡¯s just ignore that and focus on the otherne. Both Jinx and Tristana are strong meta picks. They can really pop off in teamfights with their resets. And Zeng Rui was allowed to choose his Thresh. I think that is a mistake by High School 13, though their Morgana pick is a strong counter¡­¡± she rambled on, but no one was really listening to her. The audience had their attention on therge screen, which still showed Chen Ze and Lin Feng.

    ?

    An Xin hade up with the n of sending Lin Feng to the topne and Chen Ze to the midne after spending some individual time with the members of High School 13¡¯s team. She¡¯d learned that Chen Ze wasn¡¯t just a good Toner, but also a good Miner. It was this little piece of information that formed the basis of the strategy she came up with for this first game in the Finals. She nced over at Zeng Rui and found him staring back at her, ring. She giggled and then said to her team, ¡°He looks mad. Good. Alright, the rest is up to you guys. Win this one.¡±

    Lin Feng struck his victory pose and said to An Xin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m really good at Wukong too!¡±

    An Xin looked over and happened to catch a glimpse of Lin Feng¡¯s screen. She smiled her murder smile and said, ¡°Are you going to y Wukong with those runes and masteries?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng turned back around to look at his screen and noticed An Xin was right. With only three seconds until the game was starting, he switched around his rune page and masteries. Then heughed and said, ¡°Woops! Almost forgot! That was close!¡± He was carefree, unworried about absolutely everything. His teammates stared at him in shock. One murder smile from An Xin was enough for them to never make the same mistake again. But it didn¡¯t seem to have that same effect on Lin Feng. It was almost as if he enjoyed it when she looked at him like that.

    An Xin ignored Lin Feng and turned her attention to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang, you¡¯ll have the hardest job of the team. Try your best at bot! We trust you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She knew that Shanghai High School¡¯s strongestne was their botne. Zeng Rui was a really good yer and it was incredibly difficult to y against him. She¡¯d never yed against a Challenger before, not that she knew of at least, and was both eager and terrified of this game. Eager to tackle her biggest challenge yet. And terrified to screw it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Tang Tang will carry us!¡± Lin Fengughed. ¡°She¡¯ll win thene easily!¡±

    ¡°Just make sure you win your ownne, you big idiot,¡± An Xin said, rolling her eyes.

    Lin Feng patted his chest and said, ¡°Consider it won!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± An Xin asked. Then she smiled her murder smile and said, ¡°If you lose, I¡¯ll have your ass.¡±

    The rest of High School 13¡¯s team felt shivers running up and down their spines. There was nothing worse than getting looked at like that by An Xin. They turned their heads away, pretending like they didn¡¯t hear or see the conversation between Lin Feng and An Xin. Anything was better than ending up in the middle of that. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t see it like that. He grinned at An Xin, who murder-smiled back at him. She walked off the stage, keeping eye contact, and set down next to Yang Fan and Ren Rou. Then she noticed Lin Feng mouthing something to her. She leaned forward, matching her mouth to his, until she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll crush this Irelia within five minutes.¡± She sighed. You big idiot¡­

 Chapter 209: How deep...? I THINK IT MIGHT BE TOO DEEP!

    Blue coloured spotlights shed over Shanghai High School¡¯s side of the stage. They were the Blue team in Game 1 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals. The yers from Shanghai High School and High School 13 went into Champion Select, and started as always with the ban phase, where they could ban three Champions each. Shanghai High School used these bans to target Lin Feng. Their first ban was Lenc, a Champion Lin Feng had used to great effect on multiple asions. Then they banned Fizz, and finally they banned Yasuo. They were three assassins. Three Champions that could win a game on their own. Three Champions that Lin Feng loved to y.

    Westwind sat at the caster desk. He looked out over the overcrowded venue. The audience eximed in surprise to the bans. It seemed like no one expected Shanghai High School to single out the midne. Westwind grinned. He grabbed the microphone from its stand on the desk and shouted into it, ¡°There you have it! Shanghai High School recognizes that Lin Feng is the real threat on High School 13! But we¡¯ve seen Shanghai International do the same thing in the Semifinals. The real question here, people, is this: How deep is Lin Feng¡¯s Champion pool? I think it might be¡­ TOO DEEP!¡±

    Silent Reed looked over at Westwind standing next to her and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re singling out this Lin Feng guy. Zeng Rui banned out three strong Champions in the current meta. I think he just doesn¡¯t want to deal with those three Champions. It probably has nothing to do with who their opponent is. Don¡¯t forget how good Zeng Rui¡¯s team is.¡±

    Zeng Rui hade up with a strategy for his team to shine, rather than shutting Lin Feng down. He saw no point in changing an entire strategy in reaction to one opponent having a good couple of games. The bans of Lenc, Fizz, and Yasuo had nothing to do with Lin Feng and everything to do with Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner. Zeng Rui recognized, especially after the Semifinals, that Lin Feng was a very good Miner and that he was the only real threat on High School 13¡¯s team. So they had to shut him down. The best way to go about that was to give his own Miner, who was incredibly skilled, every advantage he could get before the game even started. He performed better against non-assassin type Champions, so Zeng Rui decided to ban out the strongest assassin type Champions in the current meta.

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t worry about Tang Bingyao and her Draven either. She was a good ad-carry, but she wasn¡¯t anywhere near the level of Lin Feng. On top of that, Shanghai High School¡¯s botne was their strongestne. They had a Diamond 1 ad-carry and Zeng Rui was a Challenger Support. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in Zeng Rui¡¯s mind that they would win the fight in botne. They would stop Tang Bingyao before she could achieve anything with her Champion. The only variable Shanghai High School had to worry about in this game was the midne. They had to shut Lin Feng down.

    An Xin looked across the stage at Zeng Rui, smiling. She¡¯d seen her fair share of Champion Selects and knew exactly what Zeng Rui was up to. I¡¯m almost impressed. Decent n to ban out Lin Feng and beat Tang Tang inne. It can work, I suppose. Heh. If Lin Feng was going mid that is¡­ She giggled as she helped her team decide on the final Champion to round out their team.

    Game 1 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals:

    Shanghai High School (Blue) versus High School 13 (Red)Topne: Irelia versus Twisted FateJungle: Xin Zhao versus Rek¡¯SaiMidne: Orianna versus WukongAD-carry: Jinx versus TristanaSupport: Thresh versus Morgana

    After both teams had locked in their Champions, the yers had a minute to confirm their Summoners Spells and switch Champions around between the team members. High School 13 used this time to have Lin Feng and Chen Ze constantly switch their Twisted Fate and Wukong back and forth. The crowd watched it happen andughed. Westwind made a joke about it, saying how it would bite High School 13 in the bum if they didn¡¯t get it correct at thest second. And then thest few seconds of the Champion Select counted down. It wasn¡¯t allowed to switch the Champions around anymore. Chen Ze was ying Twisted Fate while Lin Feng was ying Wukong.

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. ¡°Are you guys seeing what I¡¯m seeing? Is this FORREALS?¡± The audience roared in reply. They were seeing the same thing he was. High School 13 had given the Twisted Fate, a midne Champion, to their Toner! And they¡¯d given Wukong, a topne Champion, to their Miner! Westwind clutched his microphone and shouted, ¡°WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Was it a mistake? IS IT? I KNOW! Let¡¯s get a close up on that Miner and Toner! Get them on the big screen!¡±

    The cameraman had the same idea as Westwind and was already in the process of doing that. Every yer had a camera on theirputer that was pointed at their face. The one for Lin Feng and Chen Ze were erged and broadcasted on therge screen. Chen Ze looked a little nervous, but not anxious, while Lin Feng was carelesslyughing about something. This wasn¡¯t how a team who¡¯d screwed up their Champion Select in the Finals of a big tournament would act. Everyone knew that.

    Silent Reed looked at therge screen, shaking her head, and said, ¡°That¡¯s just dirty. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re ying at here, but that¡¯s just dirty. They¡¯re sending their Miner top and their Toner mid. Let¡¯s just ignore that and focus on the otherne. Both Jinx and Tristana are strong meta picks. They can really pop off in teamfights with their resets. And Zeng Rui was allowed to choose his Thresh. I think that is a mistake by High School 13, though their Morgana pick is a strong counter¡­¡± she rambled on, but no one was really listening to her. The audience had their attention on therge screen, which still showed Chen Ze and Lin Feng.

    ?

    An Xin hade up with the n of sending Lin Feng to the topne and Chen Ze to the midne after spending some individual time with the members of High School 13¡¯s team. She¡¯d learned that Chen Ze wasn¡¯t just a good Toner, but also a good Miner. It was this little piece of information that formed the basis of the strategy she came up with for this first game in the Finals. She nced over at Zeng Rui and found him staring back at her, ring. She giggled and then said to her team, ¡°He looks mad. Good. Alright, the rest is up to you guys. Win this one.¡±

    Lin Feng struck his victory pose and said to An Xin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m really good at Wukong too!¡±

    An Xin looked over and happened to catch a glimpse of Lin Feng¡¯s screen. She smiled her murder smile and said, ¡°Are you going to y Wukong with those runes and masteries?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng turned back around to look at his screen and noticed An Xin was right. With only three seconds until the game was starting, he switched around his rune page and masteries. Then heughed and said, ¡°Woops! Almost forgot! That was close!¡± He was carefree, unworried about absolutely everything. His teammates stared at him in shock. One murder smile from An Xin was enough for them to never make the same mistake again. But it didn¡¯t seem to have that same effect on Lin Feng. It was almost as if he enjoyed it when she looked at him like that.

    An Xin ignored Lin Feng and turned her attention to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang, you¡¯ll have the hardest job of the team. Try your best at bot! We trust you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She knew that Shanghai High School¡¯s strongestne was their botne. Zeng Rui was a really good yer and it was incredibly difficult to y against him. She¡¯d never yed against a Challenger before, not that she knew of at least, and was both eager and terrified of this game. Eager to tackle her biggest challenge yet. And terrified to screw it up.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Tang Tang will carry us!¡± Lin Fengughed. ¡°She¡¯ll win thene easily!¡±

    ¡°Just make sure you win your ownne, you big idiot,¡± An Xin said, rolling her eyes.

    Lin Feng patted his chest and said, ¡°Consider it won!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± An Xin asked. Then she smiled her murder smile and said, ¡°If you lose, I¡¯ll have your ass.¡±

    The rest of High School 13¡¯s team felt shivers running up and down their spines. There was nothing worse than getting looked at like that by An Xin. They turned their heads away, pretending like they didn¡¯t hear or see the conversation between Lin Feng and An Xin. Anything was better than ending up in the middle of that. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t see it like that. He grinned at An Xin, who murder-smiled back at him. She walked off the stage, keeping eye contact, and set down next to Yang Fan and Ren Rou. Then she noticed Lin Feng mouthing something to her. She leaned forward, matching her mouth to his, until she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll crush this Irelia within five minutes.¡± She sighed. You big idiot¡­

 Chapter 210: A WOMAN CRIED AND WAS HURT, BUT SHE WAS A VILLAINESS WHO STUNNED MY CLONE!

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Shanghai High School¡¯s team loaded in on the bottom left of the map, where their blue fountain was located. They bought their starter items and went to their respectivenes. Zeng Rui pinged the Toner and said, ¡°Listen. You need to be careful. BE SMART! That raging dumbass that you¡¯re up against, he¡¯s cocky as shit. He¡¯s going to be aggressive the second he finds you inne, and he¡¯s going to keep being aggressive. You gotta be careful! Understand? It doesn¡¯t matter what else happens, we¡¯ll figure it out. But you gotta be careful and make sure Lin Feng doesn¡¯t get a kill. CAREFUL! If his Wukong starts to snowball, we¡¯re fucked. We¡¯ll end up losing the first game in this series!¡±

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner nodded at Zeng Rui. Then he started mumbling to himself, ¡°Gotta focus! Wukong¡¯ll be aggressive. Need to endure, survive. I got this! I¡¯m good! Just gotta focus and I got this!¡± He had his Irelia stop near her outer tower and wait for the first minion wave to arrive. He watched as Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong walked up all the way to the edge of his tower¡¯s range. Then he watched as the Wukong started spamming theugh emote and the taunt animation. He knew that Lin Feng was trying to bait him out, but he wasn¡¯t going to bite. His Irelia didn¡¯t budge, and eventually the Wukong started to lose interest. She stuck close to her tower and waited until her minion wave arrived and pushed Wukong back. He adhered to Zeng Rui¡¯s words almost religiously, only moving his Irelia out from underneath the tower when the Red and Blue minion waves shed in the middle of thene. He couldn¡¯t just hide under the tower forever, he had to get somest hits in and get some experience to level his Irelia. Otherwise he¡¯d just be dead weight during this game!

    Lin Feng smiled. He didn¡¯t really think his emote spam was going to bait the Toner out. But it was fun to do! He had to hold himself back from giggling the whole time he was doing it. When it failed, he decided to stop messing around and try something way more pro gamer. He sent his Wukong into the brush along the top wall of thene, and waited. The minion wave was fighting just a few steps away, and eventually the Irelia wandered out from the safety of her tower to get some experience andst hits. Lin Feng smiled again, and pressed down on his E key¨CNimbus Strike! His Wukong leapt forth from a springboard of clouds and dashed to the Irelia. At the end of his dash, Wukong whacked Irelia with his staff, and two shadows struck the minions around her. Then Wukong followed up with an auto attack, before retreating back to safety. The Irelia only managed to get a single auto attack on him in this exchange.

    This was the first volley in a game of cat and mouse that Lin Feng yed with the Toner from Shanghai High School. He¡¯d have his Wukong jump within attacking distance of the Irelia, and then jump out again. Sometimes he¡¯d get a poke or two in, and sometimes he wouldn¡¯t. Lin Feng maintained this while also simultaneously getting thest hit in on every minion around him. The Irelia was forced to a pitiful state, where she was constantly forced to split her attention betweenst hitting minions and protecting herself from Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong. It was too much for her to handle, and she started making tiny mistakes.

    Those mistakes were ringly obvious to Lin Feng. He noticed every single one, and how frequently the Irelia was making them. He kept up the pressure until the Irelia started to crumble. That¡¯s when he saw that the Irelia was ying far more defensively than she needed to, or should be ying. He nodded to himself, Irelia¡¯s on the defensive¡­ that¡¯s a weakness I can use! He waited for Nimbus Strike toe off cooldown and then used it to go in on the Irelia one more time. But this time was different. Instead of backing off after poking at her, he whacked her twice with auto attacks. The Irelia panicked and started backing away. But Lin Feng was relentless. His Wukong chased after the Irelia, getting a hit in every now and then. He chased Irelia right up to the edge of the Blue minion wave, and a little past it. Then he pulled an abrupt 180 and retreated. In this engagement, Lin Feng had done a lot more damage to the Irelia than she¡¯d managed to give his Wukong. But because he¡¯d gone in too hard and let the Blue minions target him, he¡¯d taken a few more hits than he should¡¯ve. At the end of this exchange, both Wukong and Irelia had lost approximately 25% of their health.

    Lin Feng and his Wukong went back tost hitting Blue minions. He¡¯d scared the shit out of the Irelia and amped up the pressure, while also getting in a good bit of damage. ¡°My journey¡¯s only beginning,¡± he mumbled to himself. Then he grinned. He genuinely loved saying Champion voice lines out loud. He knew it was childish, and he knew that people called him chunibyo for it. But he didn¡¯t care. He was the spirit of chuuni! More importantly, he¡¯d gotten exactly what he wanted from that exchange. The Irelia had lost arge amount of health, which made her that much easier to kill. He looked at the Irelia on his screen and said, ¡°I will be the best.¡±

    Wukong and Irelia were both melee Champions. If they wanted tost hit a minion, they needed to walk right up to the minion to attack it. This created a situation where the two Champions were constantly fighting each other before they even hit Level 2. Then, after hitting Level 2, this went to a whole new level. They now had double the numbers of skills to use, and twice as many options to outy their opponents. It turned into a dance of blows, with both sides trying to squeeze out an advantage.

    Lin Feng saw an opening! His Wukong used Nimbus Strike to dash to the Irelia and whack her, and then followed up with an auto attack. Then he started retreating back to his side of thene and minion wave. But the Irelia couldn¡¯t take being pushed around anymore. She chased after him, raining auto attack after auto attack. Lin Feng smiled, and had his Wukong zig and zag while continuing to run away. He let the Irelia think that he was being pressured, and pulled her past his Red minions. Right on cue, the Red minions started attacking her. This was the moment that Lin Feng was waiting for. Just as the Irelia slowed down to turn around and retreat, his Wukong went in with an auto attack. The Irelia froze in ce for a split-second, indecisive. She couldn¡¯t decide if she wanted to run back to trade an auto attack or continue running. Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong was just out of the Irelia¡¯s attack range. But unfortunately for her, she was not out of Wukong¡¯s attack range! She was the perfect distance away for a Crushing Blow! Wukong grasped his enchanted staff with both hands and raised it high above his head. Then he swung it down with all his might!

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡± Westwind eximed. He stood and leaned towards therge screen above the stage, his hand supporting him on the caster desk while the other clutched the microphone. ¡°Topne action! TOP LANE ACTION! Let¡¯s hear it for the two in topne! WOOOO! What a disy of skill! Absolutely phenomenal!¡±

    Silent Reed looked up at her co-caster and added, ¡°Lin Feng is surprisingly good at Wukong, for a Miner. Those were some really impressive mechanics! The way he¡¯s controlling the distance between them¡­ I can¡¯t fault Zeng Rui¡¯s Toner for losing that exchange.¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t hear the Shoutcasters saying his name or a word that they said about him. Nor did he hear the High School 13 student in the audience chanting his name. All his attention was focused on the game in front of him, and on making the Irelia look like a beginner at the game. He was toying with her and leading her like a puppet on strings with his Wukong¡¯s skills. But this was only the start. He grinned as he looked at his experience bar. Almost there. Wukong¡¯s most deceitful skill was Warrior Trickster. He could leave a dummy on the Rift and hide in stealth for a couple of seconds. The skill had limitless application potential, especially in the hands of Lin Feng. Think this is bad? Just you wait, darlin¡¯. It hasn¡¯t even begun to get bad yet. I¡¯m gonna have you wondering who let all these motherfuckin¡¯ snakes on this motherfuckin¡¯ ne!

    At 3 minutes and 40 seconds in the game, Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong hit Level 3 and learned Warrior Trickster. This skill was the primary differentiating factor between good Wukong yers and bad Wukong yers. It was THE most important skill in Wukong¡¯s toolkit, arguably more important than his ultimate skill. There was even a well-known quote from a skilled pro yer who climbed up to Challenger with Wukong as his main, a quote that endured as essential advice to anyone who wanted to get good with Wukong. ¡°A great fucking Wukong ain¡¯t determined by how many Champions he can hit with his ult. That¡¯s just a monkey spinning around with a stick, and no one gives a shit about that. A god-like Wukong doesn¡¯t give a shit about spinning. If you want to spin-to-win, y Garen. The measure of a great Wukong is in how well he can use Warrior Trickster to fool and bait enemy champions. And a real Wukong God can fool his teammates as well as his opponents with Trickster God.¡±

    The Irelia, on the other hand, was starting to run real low on health. She was ying more and more defensively, and was currently only using desurge tost hit minions. The skill allowed her to dash to a target and damage them. If she killed the target she dashed to, the cooldown on the skill would instantly reset. The Irelia used this to dash to a minion, get thest hit in, and then use the cooldown reset to quickly dash away to safety. She thought she was being clever and ying it safe, moving around too quickly for Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong to whack her. But she never realized that she was doing exactly what Lin Feng wanted her to do.

    Lin Feng waited until he found the perfect Red minion that was almost dead. He knew the Irelia would dash in with desurge to kill that minion, and he waited patiently for her to jump to the minion that was currently serving as the bait for his trap. Which the Irelia did. The instant she arrived at the minion, Lin Feng pressed down on the E key and sent his Wukong dashing in with Nimbus Strike! Then just before the attack from Nimbus Strikended, Wukong used Warrior Trickster to create a clone that attacked the Irelia! While the Irelia was busy with the clone, the real Wukong was hidden in stealth.

    The Irelia panicked when she saw Wukong barreling towards her. She used Equilibrium Strike, which stunned a target who had more health than her. It was a desperate attempt to buy herself a few more seconds to run away to safety. But unfortunately for her, she ended up stunning a clone. The real Wukong was currently invisible to her and in the process of walking behind her. The clone dissipated, and the Irelia figured out what had happened. But before she could do anything about it, an auto attack from the real Wukongnded on her back. Then he raised his enchanted staff high above his head and mmed it down on the Irelia¨CCrushing Blow!

    Ouyang shot to his feet, his arms up in the air, and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s my bro! Break her ankles! Kill that biiaatttchhh!¡± The High School 13 students behind him joined in, nearly half of the venue now calling Lin Feng their bro and demanding he kill the Irelia. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t hear any of this. He was stillpletely focused on his screen. He pushed towards Shanghai High School¡¯s outer tower, where the Irelia was now hiding underneath, and looked at the cooldowns on his skills. Heughed and said, ¡°Been waiting for this.¡± Then he pressed down on the D key¨Csh! His Wukong blinked forward and then dashed at the Irelia with Nimbus Strike. He followed up with a Crushing Blow, mming down his staff on the Irelia¡¯s head.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°FIRST BLOOD! High School 13¡¯s evil scheme is working! Their Toner got FIRST BLOOOOOOD!¡± Westwind cried out into his microphone. Then he winked at Silent Reed and added, ¡°Everyone, with me. Let¡¯s hear it for High School 13! One, two, WOOOOOOOO!¡±

    The audience shot up to their feet. They shouted and cheered and cried out in disbelief. High School 13 was winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! They didn¡¯t care that this was the first game in a best of five series, or that this was only the first kill in the first game. High School 13 had gotten a kill while Shanghai High School didn¡¯t, and that was all that mattered.

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    ¡°SWEEEEEEEET!¡±

    ¡°WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD! THAT WUKONG! WOOOW!¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE WINNING! WE¡¯RE ACTUALLY WINNING!¡±

    ¡°I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE THIS! WE¡¯RE¡­ OH MY GOOOD!¡±

    An Xin looked at the members of the team jumping around her, cheering with the crowd behind her, and smiled. Not too shabby there, Lin Feng. Nice to see that you¡¯re shaking off the rust, but this isn¡¯t even close to how good you used to be. I¡¯m expecting a lot more out of you! Now make thi¡ª Her thoughts were interrupted by the game announcer.

    ¡¶A Champion from the Red team has been in!¡·

 Chapter 211: WHOSE TOES ARE THOSE?!? That play was bananas! BANANAS!

    While the audience was watching the fight happening in the topne and getting hyped over that First Blood that Lin Feng picked up, there was another fight taking ce down in the botne. One far more fierce than the one that happened in topne. The bottomne was the weak link in High School 13¡¯s overall teamposition. Despite the fact that both Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong had improved greatly in the training before this tournament and during it, there was too much of a skill gap between them and Shanghai High School¡¯s botners. The botne was definitely going to be the hardestne to win for High School 13, even with all the experience and botne synergy that Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong gained.

    Thergest disparity in this botne matchup was between the Supports. Zeng Rui was a Challenger and one of the best yers at the high school level. Wei Dong, on the other hand, barely qualified for Diamond on days when he was ying at his absolute best. A difference in skill that great wasn¡¯t something that could be ovee through positive thinking and determination. But it could be ovee with help from everyone else on the team.

    Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong knew this was going to be a difficult game for them. They¡¯d nned for it, and spent most of their prep time before the Finals practicing defensive ys and strategies. The game n was simple. As long as they could keep things rtively even with Shanghai High School¡¯s botners and avoided getting killed, they¡¯d have some flexibility. But if they got rolled over quickly, then there wouldn¡¯t be much that anyone in the othernes could do to help them out. To maximize their defense and survivability, Wei Dong had gone with the champion Morgana. His job was to always be on guard and use Morgana¡¯s ck Shield to protect Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana from any crowd control spells aimed at her. Conceptually, it sounded easy. But in practice, it was anything but simple. Wei Dong had to urately predict where Zeng Rui was going to be and when he was going to use a crowd control skill in order to block it. Unfortunately, that was also where the difference in skill between Wei Dong and Zeng Rui was most pronounced.

    In the middle of botne, Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh squared away and faced the Tristana and the Morgana. Then he pressed the Q key¨CDeath Sentence! His Thresh sent a hook hurtling at Wei Dong¡¯s Morgana! Zeng Rui smiled to himself. He knew how this yed out in Wei Dong¡¯s head. It was the positioning that tricked poor Wei Dong into thinking that his Thresh hook wasing for the Tristana. So Wei Dong¡¯s Morgana had thrown up a ck Shield to protect Tristana, leaving herselfpletely open. Zeng Rui knew that Wei Dong was probably cursing himself and panicking, trying to switch the ck Shield over. But it was toote. The hook was already in Morgana. But Zeng Rui had no intention of pulling or killing the Morgana.

    Zeng Rui immediately pushed down on his Q key again, which made his Thresh dash towards the Morgana. That put him right in attacking range of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana. He hit her with an Exhaust, and yed her back down to the ground when she tried to Rocket Jump away. Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh created enough of an opening for Shanghai High School¡¯s Jinx to sh in and fire three grenades at the Tristana with me Chompers! One of them exploded underneath the Tristana, stunning her instantly. That was it. The Fat Lady belted out a mournful aria for the Tristana, as Thresh and Jinx piled on and killed her before the stun psed.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Tang Bingyao slumped back in her chair a little as her screen turned grey. You have been in! The message echoed in her head, shredding her confidence. She bit her lip and watched as Shanghai High School¡¯s boners chased poor Wei Dong¡¯s Morgana. Fortunately for them, he managed narrowly escape from between the jaws of death. But he had to blow his sh to do so.

    Wei Dong quickly nced over to Tang Bingyao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, that was my bad.¡± He¡¯d made two mistakes, one right after the other, which led to Tristana dying. The first was miscalcting where the Thresh hook was headed, and letting his Morgana get hooked. The second was panicking and trying to quickly switch the ck Shield onto himself. If he¡¯d figured out that Zeng Rui was targeting Tang Bingyao, he could¡¯ve saved her by giving her the ck Shield. He might¡¯ve died, but still would¡¯ve been better than the ad-carry dying.

    ¡°Mhm... It¡¯s fine,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, chewing on her lips. It¡¯s not fine. She looked at the bottomne. It was hard enough going in. Now that the Jinx had a kill and a full minion wave over her, it was damn near impossible. Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t know if she had it in her to turn this around. But if things kept up this way, she was going to get buried. She wouldn¡¯t just lose, she would get rolled over. Humiliated. No! She clenched her fists. I¡¯m not going out like this! Steely resolve burned in her eyes. I¡¯m not losing this!

    Tang Bingyao pressed down on the W key as soon as her Tristana respawned in the fountain. The little yordle aimed her cannon at the ground and fired off,unching herself into the air and towards herne. Then she ran as fast as she could. Tang Bingyao panned the camera over to the botne and watched the Jinxst hit yet another minion. That was one more she would have to catch up on. She bit hard on her lips and mumbled to herself, ¡°I¡¯m not losing this! Mhm!¡±

    Tang Bingyao reached her outer tower, where Wei Dong was waiting for her. Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners had zoned him out ofne. And they kept that going once she was back. She could barely get close enough to the Blue minions tost hit them. The Jinx kept pushing her further and further away by firing off long range missiles. Tang Bingyao knew how to y around that. Technically. The only thing stopping her from doing so was the Thresh. Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t even using any skills. He was putting a ton of pressure on Tang Bingyao simply by moving around in thene. She kept catching herself almost walking into a possible Death Sentence from him, forcing her to walk in a different direction. But the Jinx would be waiting for her there. No. At this rate¡­ Tang Bingyao was chewing on the inside of her cheek, looking lost. Her Tristana ran back and forth inne, not straying far from the outer tower, giving Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners a bigger advantage with every passing second. No! ¡°I won¡¯t give up,¡± she mumbled to herself. I just need to try harder! I¡­ I can¡¯t let the team down. Mhm.

    ?

    Everything was going great for Lin Feng in the topne. He had his Wukong pressure the Irelia while he chanted, ¡°Bring me a real challenge. Bring me a real challenge.¡±

    To that end, Shanghai High School¡¯s Irelia was attempting to bring him a real challenge. She was a good yer who climbed all the way to Diamond 1. Right now, though, she was trying everything she possibly could to prevent losing thisne. She¡¯d managed to get the minion wave all the way back to her tower, and then froze it just outside the tower¡¯s range. It was not an easy task to pull off, since Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong was doing everything possible to disrupt the wave freeze. But she managed to do it, and she also found a few opportunities here and there to attack Wukong.

    Her go-to trick was dashing to a minion near the Wukong with desurge and killing it. This reset the cooldown on desurge. Then she¡¯d auto attack the Wukong before using desurge to dash back to a minion who was closer to her tower. Then she¡¯d run underneath the safety of the tower, making it difficult for the Wukong to do anything back to her without risking a tower-dive death. And she also had her Equilibrium Strike ready and waiting as a card up her sleeve. If the Wukong ever tried to counterattack or trap her, she could just stun him underneath her tower.

    Lin Feng watched the Irelia dash back and forth, amazed at her mechanical prowess. ¡°Wow! So fancy!¡± he whispered to himself. Then he giggled a little before saying, ¡°Yeah! More of that! Push me harder! Make me work for it!'''' Irelia was ying her little trick wlessly. He couldn¡¯t engage her, because the only way he could was with a towerdive. Then she¡¯d just stun him and kill him. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not in a rush anyway. We can take it slow! The Irelia could try anything she wanted, she could pull every trick in the book, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. She could not change the fact that he was very much inmand of thene. But¡­ since I¡¯m not going to get any further with her right now...

    Lin Feng knew that getting another kill on the Irelia was going to be more than a little difficult right now. And it wasn¡¯t worth the risk. So Lin Feng decided to do what any good Toner would do in this situation. He started looking for opportunities elsewhere on the map. One of his summoner spells was Teleport, and he hadn¡¯t used it yet. More importantly, the Irelia had used her Teleport to get back intone after he killed her. That meant that her spell was still on cooldown, and she couldn¡¯t use it to follow him.

    Lin Feng panned his camera to the botne and spotted an opening. He asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Do the Jinx and Thresh have sh?¡±

    ¡°The Thresh still has his, but the Jinx doesn¡¯t,¡± Wei Dong replied.

    ¡°Perfect!¡± Lin Feng said, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ming bot!¡± But first, he had to do something about the minion wave in topne. He pushed it out hard, thawing and then shattering the minion wave freeze that the Irelia had worked so hard to create. Then he recalled back to base. He spent his gold to upgrade his items and then teleported to a ward in the botne.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Thresh and Jinx were pushing the minion wave in botne all the way to High School 13¡¯s outer tower. But they had no idea that Wei Dong had warded one of the brushes along the bottom side of the botne. Recently, Wei Dong had turned into somewhat of a specialist when it came to warding. He wasn¡¯t as mechanically gifted as other Supports nor was he the best shotcaller. But he was an expert when it came to cing deep wards for Teleport ganks. A red pir of light descended on the ward.

    Zeng Rui spotted it. He shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡± over his team¡¯s voice chat. Then started running back towards the Blue outer tower. The Jinxgged behind him, so he threw hisntern at her. She clicked it and dashed to his side. Zeng Ruimanded, ¡°To the tower! To the tower! I got this!¡± He then moved towards the brush to intercept the Wukong. The Teleport animation finished and a momentter, the Wukong walked out of the brush and towards him. But then the Wukong abruptly stopped walking and stood still.

    Zeng Rui pressed down on his E key¨Cy! Jinx was behind him, the Wukong was in front of him. It was beyond obvious. He is trying to get past me with Warrior Trickster! His Thresh sent a chain scythe ying forward, hoping to knock back and slow the Wukong who he thought was running past him in stealth.

    The audience could clearly see what was happening on therge screen above the stage. They were watching in spectator mode and could see Champions hidden with stealth. But they weren¡¯t watching an invisible Wukong running past Thresh. They were watching a Wukong stand in ce, tricking the Thresh into wasting his y!

    ¡°WHAT? That actually worked! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°Holy crap¡­ 300 IQ move right there!¡±

    ¡°WOOOWW! How even¡­ DANG!¡±

    ¡°That Wukong has over 9000 IQ!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHA! Best Support my ass! That Thresh SUCKS!¡±

    ¡°LOL! How do you even fall for that! What a noob!¡±

    ¡°DAYUM! WHAT A PLAY! That Wukong¡­ DAYUM!¡±

    Lin Feng pressed down on the E key¨CNimbus Strike! His Wukong leapt forth from a springboard of clouds and dashed in on the Thresh. Then he charged past the Thresh and mmed down on the Jinx¡¯s head with his enchanted staff¨CCrushing Blow!

    Zeng Rui reacted almost instantly. He had his Thresh turn around and throw his sickle at the Wukong¨CDeath Sentence! But Lin Feng saw thising too. He was even waiting for it. The moment the animation started, he mmed down on the W key¨CWarrior Trickster! His Wukong split into two, the clone recing the real body. The Death Sentence hit the clone, while the real Wukong was already pressing forward in stealth. Lin Feng grinned and said in his best impression of Wukong, ¡°Improve your skills! Then find me again.¡±

    The thundering¡­ Zeng Rui stared at his screen, his eyes wide in shock. He couldn¡¯t even finish his thought. This wasn¡¯t a dumbass move. Crap. Crap CrapCrap! He rushed to help the Jinx, though he¡¯d already used all his skills.

    Westwind jumped to his feet and clutched his microphone tightly in his grasp. ¡°DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU ALL SEE THAT?¡± He waited for a second. He allowed the audience to start cheering. But they barely did. There was somewhat of a stunned silence. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡± he shouted, which had the audience get a little rowdier. ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU!¡± That did it. A few people in the crowd shot to their feet and started cheering and whistling, which in turn saw more people getting up. Before long, more than half the crowd was up on their feet, throwing their arms around in the air and screaming at the top of their lungs, ¡°WIN-FENG! WIN-FENG!¡±

    Silent Reed wasn¡¯t one of them. She sat, stunned. ¡°This Wukong is nuts. Bananas. Crazy,¡± she mumbled. ¡°That was an insanely risky move to y. And he did it against Zeng Rui of all people! That¡¯s a once and then never again kind of move, if you ask me. Zeng Rui won¡¯t fall for it again.¡±

 Chapter 212: Monkey See, Monkey Kill, Monkey Dies

    Tang Bingyao watched Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong teleport into the brush. Then she watched him walk out of the brush and then stand still. She smiled a little when Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh airballed a skillshot, trying to hit an invisible Wukong that wasn¡¯t there. She didn¡¯t know what Lin Feng was nning next either, so she waited and looked for a cue. When Wukong used a Nimbus Strike to jump to the Thresh and then started auto attacking the Jinx, that was the sign she was looking for. Both of Shanghai High School¡¯s boners were far away from the safety of their tower. If she went in now, she could kill them! Lin Feng¡¯s gank was exactly what she needed to get back into the game. She could get back the kill she¡¯d given away to the Jinx and even the ying field out!

    She flicked her W key down¨CRocket Jump! Her Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired,unching herself up into the air and towards the Jinx. Then she threw a bomb at the Jinx and charged it up with her auto attacks. But just before it could explode and kill the Jinx, Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong got onest hit in. One that killed the Jinx. ISH-ISH-ISH-ISH! I WAS TOO SLOW! Mhm. Mhm. Should¡¯ve been quicker. But¡­ mhmmmm... LIN FENG STOLE MY KILL!

    While all this was going on, Wei Dong wasn¡¯t standing around with his hands in his pockets. His Morgana went for Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh, throwing out a Dark Binding. It was a skillshot, one that hurled a sphere of dark magic that rooted the enemy champion that it hit. Wei Dong was nning on holding Thresh in ce until Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao finished the Jinx off, and then the three of them would kill the Thresh. But Zeng Rui was too canny for that to work. His Thresh shed away to safety before the Dark Binding could hit, preserving his life. But he¡¯d also given up on his ad-carry.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Zeng Rui stared at his screen while the announcement from the game boomed in his ears. He¡¯d survived the gank, but his ad-carry was dead. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, High School 13 now had three Champions in the bottomne who were all at full health. Zeng Rui knew that his tower afforded him little to no protection right now. If the Wukong, Morgana, and Tristana wanted to, they could towerdive to get to him. There¡¯s nothing I can do to stop them from towerdiving to get to me¡­ I¡¯d die if that happens. Zeng Rui looked at the map again. High School 13 had three champions in botne and the Dragon was about to spawn. They can take Dragon now because they¡¯re virtually unopposed. But¡­ hm. Dragon might actually save me. There isn¡¯t enough time for them to kill me and then take Dragon. They¡¯re going to ignore me and go for dragon!

    If Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong decided to kill Thresh, they¡¯d have to towerdive to do it. They would eventually kill Thresh, but they¡¯d have to sacrifice quite a bit of health between the three of them to aplish it. More importantly, going after Thresh would give the rest of Shanghai High School¡¯s team enough time to mount a defense at the Dragon Pit. Between the health they¡¯d lose and the time they¡¯d give the other team to organize, going for Dragon after killing the Thresh was beyond risky.

    Lin Feng helped Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong push the minion wave toward the Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Then he pinged on the Dragon. Liu Yue figured out what was going down before the ping, and was already pathing towards the Dragon. Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong followed Lin Feng to the Dragon Pit. The four of them arrived at the same time, and started attacking the Dragon. Shanghai High School made the logical choice to let this one go. They didn¡¯t even attempt a teamfight at the Dragon Pit, that would¡¯ve been a suicidal move at this point in the game. And so, High School 13 peacefully killed the first Dragon with no opposition and secured the first Dragon Buff. All of their Champions now had additional attack damage and ability power until the buff expired.

    ¡°That¡¯s the first Dragon of the series to¡­ HIGH SCHOOL 13!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone, enjoying the immediate response from the High School 13 section in the crowd.

    Silent Reed shook her head and said, ¡°They got the Dragon buff, which is nice. But they also could¡¯ve killed Zeng Rui and the outer tower. That must be worth more gold, right? A kill and a tower. High School 13¡¯s Boners would also have a much easier time inne then. Now¡­ not so much. Zeng Rui still has everything under control.¡±

    Westwindughed and said, ¡°Wrong!¡± Then he turned to the audience and said, ¡°Show her how wrong she is! Shout with me¡­ WROOOONG!¡± He was having a lot of fun with the crowd reacting to his whims, and it only got more fun when he saw how annoyed Silent Reed looked. After messing around for a little bit longer, he decided to exin his analysis. ¡°Shanghai High School could¡¯ve frozen the wave near their inner tower if High School 13 had destroyed the outer tower. That would effectively kill any possibility of High School 13 winning this game. Their boners would not be able to push that far into botne without proper vision and pressure on the otherners. If they did go in that far, they¡¯d get caught in a pincer attack and killed. Or nked and killed. Or cut-off from their escape route and killed. If they went in, they¡¯d be dead. Taking Dragon instead of going after Thresh and taking a tower, that was a smart decision by High School 13!¡± He paused for a moment and then added, ¡°Still, this isn¡¯t going to magically make thene easier. Shanghai High School is still very much inmand.¡±

    ?

    Six minutes from the start of the game, Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong arrived back in the topne. Between ganking bot and the Dragon, he managed to hit Level 6 and unlocked his ultimate. He actually managed to get more experience on top of that from killing the Jinx and a few minions. Lin Feng looked at his experience bar and estimated that he was at least half a level up on the Irelia. ¡°This is great!¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat,ughing. ¡°I¡¯m really strong now, guys!¡±

    Lin Feng pushed the minion wave all the way to the Blue team¡¯s outer tower. The Irelia kind of let it happen, falling back the moment she spotted him. It was a departure from her more aggressive ystyle earlier. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and watched her suspiciously. What are you ying at? Setting up a gank, are we? Hm? That deduction seemed most likely. He guessed that the Xin Zhao was lying in ambush behind the Blue team¡¯s outer tower, waiting for him to towerdive the Irelia. He looked over at Liu Yue and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Come top, Liu Yue. Let¡¯s get a double!¡±

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler was hiding in thene behind the Blue team¡¯s outer tower. He stuck far enough back that High School 13 couldn¡¯t get vision on him. This was a little trick Zeng Rui had forced him to practice for months before he finally got the hang of it. Right now, he could position himself exactly a hair-width behind the edge of the opponent¡¯s vision. He said to the Irelia, ¡°Bait that Wukong. We¡¯ll stunlock him under the tower and kill him.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s kill that bastard,¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner grumbled. He waited for his tower to fire a st of energy at a caster minion on the edge of its range. One shot took away most of the monster¡¯s health. The Irelia desurged at it, killing it. Exactly like she¡¯d done before. There was nothing suspicious about it. And the Wukong fell for it, jumping at her with Nimbus Strike! The Irelia immediately activated Equilibrium Strike and shed at the Wukong to stun him. But just as her de connected with the Wukong in front of her, a second Wukong appeared right next to the one she¡¯d just hit. This second Wukong raised his enchanted staff high above his head and mmed it down on her. ¡°Shit!¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner cursed. The Wukong had tricked her. She had stunned his clone. Again.

    The Blue team¡¯s outer tower locked onto the Wukong and fired off an energy shot. Xin Zhao ran forward, rushing into range to activate Audacious Charge. But just before he could, he was stopped by Zeng Rui shouting over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°STOP! Don¡¯t go in. Retreat! Both of you, retreat!¡±

    Xin Zhao froze on the spot. Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler had learned a few things while ying with Zeng Rui. The most important lesson was to do exactly what the Team Captain told him to do. The moves Zeng Rui had them do sometimes sounded strange and counterintuitive. More often than not, Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler didn¡¯t know why he was doing something. But it always worked out in his favour. Zeng Rui had this uncanny ability to see things long before they happened. So when Zeng Rui told him to stop engaging Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong, he didn¡¯t hesitate or question it. His Xin Zhao froze and then backed up.

    The Wukong firmly grabbed his enchanted staff with both hands and held it out horizontally in front of him. Then he went into a wild spin¨CCyclone! The Irelia was knocked up into the air by the Monkey King wreaking havoc, the ruthless force knocking the health out of her! Then, out of nowhere, High School 13¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai appeared. She dug a tunnel from somewhere out of view and then shed to arrive underneath the Irelia. There, she Unburrowed, keeping her airborne for an additional second.

    The Irelia fell back to the ground with only a little bit of health remaining. She shed away, but the Wukong followed right behind her with a sh of his own. They ran past the Blue team¡¯s outer tower, up to the Xin Zhao, who was now forced to join the fight. The Irelia stopped here for a brief second. She turned around to help her Jungler, who charged at the Wukong. But the Wukong ignored the Xin Zhao and went straight for her. He raised his enchanted staff above his head, firmly clutching it with both hands, and smacked the Irelia¡¯s life out of her. One down. One to go. Lin Feng turned his attention to the Xin Zhao¡­ who was running away with his tail tucked between his legs.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng shook his head, unhappy despite the kill. He grumbled, ¡°If that Xin Zhao had dashed in earlier, I would¡¯ve gotten a double kill. Stupid Xin Zhao¡­¡±

    On the other side of the stage, Zeng Rui red at his Toner. He barked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I told you to retreat. Why would you stay and fight? If I say back, you back!¡± He took a deep breath and added, ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s fine. We only gave away one kill. Let¡¯s not make any more mistakes.¡± He had guessed correctly that the Rek¡¯Sai was waiting out of sight to help the Wukong, which was why he¡¯d told his Jungler and Toner to retreat. Unfortunately, the Toner didn¡¯t get the warning in time. Zeng Rui shook his head and quietly mumbled, ¡°That thundering dumbass is going to be a real problem now¡­¡±

    ?

    At 8 minutes, Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner exploited the difference in skill and poked Chen Ze¡¯s Twisted Fate down to a quarter of his health. Chen Ze retreated back to underneath his outer tower and was debating whether he should go back to base, or stick around a little longer. Shanghai High School decided to make the decision for him. Zeng Rui had his Threshe up from the bottom side Jungle, while the Xin Zhao came down from the top side Jungle, sandwiching the Twisted Fate. They sent him back to the fountain without losing anything.

    ¡°Oh boy, that was beautiful. BEAU! TI! FULL!¡± Westwind eximed, sitting on the edge of his seat. ¡°What a y by Zeng Rui. WOOO! That¡¯s a pro y right there! Come on, everyone, with me! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    Chen Ze looked at his grey screen and kicked against the back of his desk. The gank was so obvious in hindsight, but he¡¯dpletely missed it. And now Shanghai High School also destroyed the outer tower in the midne. ¡°I should''ve been more careful,¡± he apologized over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°I¡¯lle around mid for a gank in two minutes!¡±

    At 10 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong roamed to the midne. He stopped in the brush right above the midne and activated Warrior Trickster. His real body entered stealth, after which he closed in on the Orianna. She never even saw himing. He dashed at her from a springboard of clouds and directly linked his Nimbus Strike with a Crushing Blow, mming his enchanted staff down on her head. Then he held his enchanted staff out straight in front of him and started spinning around himself, each rotation a little faster than thest¨CCyclone! He knocked the Orianna airborne, shearing away at her health.

    Chen Ze had his Twisted Fate rush forward and selected the golden card from Pick a Card. This was a single target stun. His target was the Orianna. But he didn¡¯t link it properly with the Wukong¡¯s ultimate skill. The Orianna was still in mid-air when he stunned her. The two crowd control skills ovepped, making them less effective than they could¡¯ve been. The Orianna survived the stun. She broke free and shed away to the safety of her outer tower.

    Lin Feng only had eyes for the Orianna, for the bar of health above her head that was almost empty. He ran after her, ignoring the energy shots from the Blue outer tower. Ignoring his better judgement. He could only think about the thrill of the kill. He looked down at his skill bar. Nimbus Strike hade off cooldown. He pressed down on the E key to activate it. His Wukong leapt off a springboard of clouds towards the Orianna¡­

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh appeared from out of nowhere. He shed towards the Orianna and sent his chain and sickle ying forward, knocking the Wukong back mid-dash. Then he threw out his Death Sentence and called forth the Box, a prison of spectral walls. The Wukong was stunned, slowed, and unable to advance or retreat. He was stuck underneath the Blue team¡¯s outer tower until thest of his health disappeared.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Lin Feng scrunched his face as he looked at the grey screen on his monitor. ¡°Eh?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Since when was the Thresh there?¡±

    The Shanghai High School students in the audience finally had a reason to cheer for their team. They jumped up to their feet, making the same exaggerated celebrations High School 13¡¯s students had a couple of minutes earlier.

    ¡°ZENG RUI! ZENG RUI!¡±

    ¡°WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHA! Serves that cocky monkey right!¡±

    ¡°THE MONKEY IS DEAD! THE MONKEY IS DEAD!¡±

    ¡°The turn around! Siiiiick!¡±

    ¡°DEEEE, wait for it, SERVED!¡±

    An Xin turned around to look at the audience. One half was cheering, while the other half was quiet and looked shocked. She shook her head and facepalmed, mumbling, ¡°Lin Feng, you¡¯re a moron. An absolute, utter, ridiculous moron. Why do you always get so itchy for kills¡­? ¡±

 Chapter 213: KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL LIN FENGâ€”HIGH SCHOOL 13â€™s TEAM FALLS APART?

    The spectators on High School 13¡¯s side of the audience fell into a forlorn silence. They stopped all the cheering, the posters and signs dropped. In their eyes, Lin Feng¡¯s death was the beginning of the end. When his Wukong rampaged across the Rift at the start of the game, hope burned bright. They started to believe they had a chance at winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! They started to believe they could beat Shanghai High School! But it was just a sh. When Shanghai High School attacked and killed Wukong, all that hope went up in a puff of smoke.

    They looked around at each other, embarrassed and sheepish. It was stupid of them to believe they had a shot at taking the trophy home to their school. Everyone from High School 13 knew this was it. Their esports team had lost the advantage they had in the early game, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before they lost the game. Wouldn¡¯t be long until they lost the series. Then all of them would go home together and life would go back to normal. They¡¯d go back to being on the bottom. Back to being a terrible school. The energy from the audience died out, the substitutes for the team looked a little deted, and even the yers on the team felt their confidence waver. But the man at the center of it all wasn¡¯t even slightly bothered.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head andughed, ¡°Oh man! That was embarrassing!¡± He looked over to his teammates and continued, ¡°I got outyed HARD! Big oof!¡±

    Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong sat to Lin Feng¡¯s right. They stared at him,pletely forgetting that they were in the middle of the most important game they¡¯d ever yed. Both of them thinking the same exact thought. Lin Feng is hopeless! He¡¯s beyond help. Truly a lost cause. He doesn¡¯t even care that he made such a big mistake! Liu Yue and Chen Ze, sitting on Lin Feng¡¯s left, were in the same boat. They stared at their screens, stunned and speechless. Chen Ze finally broke the silence, ¡°I guess it wasn¡¯tpletely his fault. If the Thresh hadn¡¯t shown up¡­ I mean¡­ th¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no! Listen! I died and that¡¯s that!¡± Lin Feng interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t need to make excuses.¡± He looked back at his screen and nodded, ignoring the stares digging into him. ¡°Alright! Won¡¯t let that happen again! We still got this! Let¡¯s move on!¡±

    After the initial burst of cheering from the takedown on the Wukong died out, Westwind and Silent Reed pulled up a rey on therge screen to analyze what had just happened.

    ¡°There you see the Thresh pathing through his Jungle to ce wards.¡±

    ¡°And right here, we see the Wukong roaming towards the midne!¡±

    ¡°The Thresh was recalling back to base near the midne when Orianna got ganked.¡±

    ¡°He really was just in time to help the Orianna. That was so close. He wouldn¡¯t have made it without that sh.¡±

    ¡°Wukong didn¡¯t stand a chance from that point onward.¡±

    ¡°That was all skill, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Pure skill. Zeng Rui is one of the best yers in China. He has phenomenal mechanics and map awareness! You don¡¯t see this kind of skill everyday!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a Challenger, a real life Challenger. That was such a good y by Zeng Rui.¡±

    ¡°There you have it! Our analysis proves that that was pure skill by Zeng Rui! What a brilliant¡­ PHENOMENAL y!¡±

    Zeng Rui frowned. He ignored his teammates cheering him on over the team¡¯s voice chat. I got lucky¡­ I got lucky. He was having trouble epting the reality of what just happened. The outy didn¡¯t matter. Things like ying an opponent out of a dash and hooking them under a tower were second nature. It took him no effort or even thought to do it. That timing¡­ If I hadn¡¯t been near mid¡­ He just didn¡¯t want to ept that the entire y came down to luck. Pure luck. I didn¡¯t anticipate that gank! I failed at predicting what Lin Feng was going to do. That dumbass got one over on me, and that¡¯s what¡¯s pissing me off! The only reason I got that kill was luck! That¡¯s fucking disgusting! It¡¯s absolutely shameful that all of that came down to luck!

    Zeng Rui was a man of few words. He was stoic, controlled, and believed in himself and his teammates. He hated the word ¡®luck¡¯. The entire concept disgusted him! Only people who were bad at the game needed to rely on luck! He held himself and his team to a much higher standard. He could win a game on his own with skill and strategy. The only thing he relied on was careful nning! But in this particr instance, where he was being celebrated, he¡¯d failed himself. He failed to n and predict. The only reason things had worked out was because he got lucky. He just happened to be in the right ce at the right time. If he hadn¡¯t been, Orianna would¡¯ve died and the Wukong would¡¯ve been even stronger. But he was there, and he saved Orianna and took Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong down. What haunted him was just how easily it could¡¯ve all gone in the other direction. That¡¯s why he found luck disgusting. How did I miss that?

    ?

    Su Xue wrapped up her meeting with Huya TV as quickly as she could. Then she started streaming the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals. Thousands of viewers quickly jumped in to watch the game with her. As far as she could tell, the game was rtively even between the two teams. Even after Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong got killed. But when that happened, Su Xue gasped and asked her viewers how it even happened. They jumped in with many different theories, all of which boiled down to the fact that the Thresh had gotten lucky. But all of them believed in their Li¡¯l Bro and repeated that giving away one kill was no big deal at all. Especially since another Dragon would spawn in two minutes. There was going to be another massive teamfight at the Dragon Pit, and that¡¯s where Lin Feng would have his vengeance!

    ording to the consensus of the viewers on Sue Xue¡¯s stream, Lin Feng was a God at teamfights. He always had a way of somehow going 1v5 and winning. Some of them added that they didn¡¯t remember watching a single teamfight with Lin Feng where he didn¡¯te out on top. When this next teamfight rolled around, that¡¯s when Lin Feng was going to punish Shanghai High School and the Thresh for killing him in a y that was pure luck.

    ¡°Shhhh!¡± Su Xue suddenly said, shutting the viewers up. Lin Feng had just run into Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler.

    Wukong ran into Xin Zhao while he strolled around alone in the Blue team¡¯s Jungle. The Xin Zhao was running low on health after clearing Jungle camps. Lin Feng noticed and smiled. Xin Zhao had not yet realized that Wukong was nearby. Lin Feng activated Warrior Trickster, and his Wukong turned invisible.

    Wukong crept up on the poor, unsuspecting Xin Zhao. The Jungler was blissfully unaware that something was out of ce and still casually wandering about. Once Wukong got close enough to the Xin Zhao¡¯s back to pick the lice out of Xin Zhao¡¯s top-knot, he raised his enchanted staff high into the air. Then brought it down on Xin Zhao¡¯s head¨CCrushing Blow! Wukong immediately followed up with a wild spin with his staff held out, which knocked the Xin Zhao airborne. This was Wukong¡¯s ultimate skill, Cyclone!

    Xin Zhao had figured out that his life was in danger while he was up in the air. He tried to retaliate the moment his feet touched the ground again. He swept his spear out in a wide arc and knocked the Wukong away¨CCrescent Sweep!

    But Lin Feng knew the knockback from Crescent Sweep wasing. He¡¯d saved Nimbus Strike precisely for this moment, and it was here. Lin Feng pushed down on his E Key. Wukong dashed right back on top of the Xin Zhao, and then bashed his skull apart with a final Crushing Blow!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Oh yeah! Sweet!¡± Su Xue eximed when Lin Feng got the kill. ¡°It looks so easy when he does it! He¡¯s the best! Who was saying something about him feeding? Ha! What a joke.¡±

    ¡¸No joke no joke. He really gave away a kill earlier!¡¹

    ¡¸Lil bro is the best!!!1! He¡¯s just having fun! hahahahhaha¡¹

    ¡¸HE¡±S THE REALLL CHALLENGEER!!!!!!1!¡¹

    wl, that xin zhao is stupid¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸GRATS!!!!! WOOOOOO lil bro for the win BABBBEEHHHH!!!¡¹

    ¡¸sooooo easy¡­ pffttt. this a finals?wl¡¹

    ?

    The second Dragon spawned when the game timer hit the 12-minute mark. Solo kills, like the one Lin Feng had gotten two minutes ago from the Xin Zhao, didn¡¯t make a grand difference in the flow of the game. Teamfights had far more of an impact, and determined how the bnce between both teams tipped. Both Shanghai High School and High School 13 had gathered near the Dragon Pit. Both teams were cing wards to maximize vision while searching for that perfect opening to engage a teamfight. There were a few skirmishes as both teams pushed their luck trying to ce a deep ward on the opposing side of the map. The actual usefulness of these deep wards was up for debate though, since everyone knew where they were ced.

    Shanghai High School had also bought four vision wards. These were specifically meant to deal with Wukong, since they could reveal invisible Champions. They ced two of them on their side of the map. If Wukong tried to nk them, they would see him and know. They ced the other two wards as close as possible to High School 13¡¯s side of the map. But those two were quickly destroyed.

    While all of this warding and nning was going on, both teams were constantly throwing skillshots at each other to get some poke damage in. Beyond that though, Shanghai High School and High School 13 were deadlocked. Neither side was willing to force an engage. Both teams poked and danced around each other, hoping to bait someone on the other team into stepping over the line. But it hadn¡¯t happened so far, and both teams continued to look for an opportunity.

    Until Chen Ze¡¯s Twisted Fate took a single step too far in the wrong direction. A sickle shot out from the fog of war and hooked him.

    ¡°There¡¯s the engage!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. ¡°Threshnded the¡­ DEATH SENTENCE! This is it. The first. Big! TEAMFIGHT!¡± The audience fed on his energy, cheering and shouting for Zeng Rui.

    Thresh¡¯s Death Sentence had a second activation. After hooking a target, he could dash to them. Which is exactly what Thresh did. While flying towards Twisted Fate, he threw out antern behind him to Irelia. She clicked it and dashed after him. The two Champions appeared on top of Twisted Fate and started attacking him. Xin Zhao followed a step behind them.

    Chen Ze mmed down on the D key¨Csh! His Twisted Fate blinked away from Thresh, Irelia, and Xin Zhao. The rest of High School 13¡¯s team rushed to his aid, charging towards the three champions from Shanghai High School.

    Xin Zhao wasn¡¯t about to let High School 13 save their Twisted Fate though. He activated his ultimate and swept his spear in a wide arc that knocked the Champions from High School 13 back before they could get to their Twisted Fate. Then he charged at the Twisted Fate with Audacious Charge! The Twisted Fate¡¯s health was low after the initial engagement by Thresh and Irelia. When Xin Zhao¡¯s Audacious Charge hit Twisted Fate, it blew through thest of his health and killed him.

    Wei Dong pressed down on his Q key¨CDark Binding! His Morgana locked Xin Zhao down with her dark magic before he could escape. Liu Yue followed up with his Rek¡¯Sai, Un-burrowing underneath the Xin Zhao and knocking him up. But the crowd control was again not perfectlyyered. The skill effects ovepped with each other, instead of flowing sequentially. This allowed Xin Zhao to break free early and rush back to his team with way more health than he should have had. Morgana and Rek¡¯Sai chased after him, but Orianna intercepted and stopped them. Sheunched her Ball towards them and unleashed a powerful electromaic wave of energy with Command: Shockwave.

    Morgana shed away before the skill could hit. But Liu Yue couldn¡¯t get his Rek¡¯Sai out in time. He was pulled in towards the Ball, and separated from the rest of Highschool 13¡¯s team. He was a wounded and lone gazelle on the wilds of the Rift, and the Jinx and Irelia wasted no time pouncing on him. They hacked away at his health. The smell of blood also enticed Xin Zhao, who stopped fleeing despite his dwindling health and turned back to the fight.

    Everything was looking lost for High School 13. This teamfight was going disastrously. Shanghai High School got the kill on Twisted Fate and they couldn¡¯t even kill the Xin Zhao in return. But then, just as it started to look like the fires of Mordor were swallowing High School 13 up whole, a piercing ray of white light shone from a brush. ¡°A wizard is neverte, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.¡± A figure riding the clouds and d in heavenly battle armour charged into the battle with his enchanted staff! The Wukong dashed into the Xin Zhao and swung a staff down on his head¨CCrushing Blow! Killing blow!

    The audience was already up on their feet. Everyone in the venue was going crazy. Both teams had a chance in this teamfight! Westwind knew this too. He was out of breath from all the shouting, but still clutched the microphone tightly in his grasp and moved it so close to his mouth that he could almost taste it. Then he shouted in his loudest voice yet, ¡°WUKONG! WUKONG HAS ARRIVED!¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled when he saw the Wukong. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He used the Summoner Spell Exhaust, causing a crippling aura to wrap around the Wukong, while shouting over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kill the Wukong! He¡¯s exhausted! Kill him! Kill him!¡±

 Chapter 214: You spin me â€˜right round, baby. Right â€˜round like a record, baby.

    ¡°... he¡¯s exhausted! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!¡± Zeng Rui screamed into his headset. He poured every ounce of concentration he had into the screen. We lost Xin Zhao, but now we¡¯ll get to take Lin Feng and his Wukong out! Then we can wrap up the rest of this teamfight and get Dragon! GO!

    The four remaining Champions from Shanghai High School rushed towards Lin Feng¡¯s Wukong. Orianna, Jinx, Thresh, and Irelia. All locked in on the now exhausted Wukong.

    ¡°What an Exhaust! What. An. EXHAUST!¡± Westwind screamed into the microphone. Half of the audience was chanting Zeng Rui¡¯s name, agreeing with every positive thing Westwind had to say about their team captain. Westwind looked over the venue, grinning to himself, then continued, ¡°A perfect disy of pure skill¡­ AGAIN! He knew the Wukong wasing in. HE KNEW!¡±

    The Jinx was the first one of the four to get a lock on Wukong. She tossed out her me Chompers to root him down. Orianna followed up a split-secondter andunched her Ball at Wukong while the me Chompers still arched through the air. Just as the Ball elerated out from Orianna¡¯s hand, Irelia materialized and fired four spirit des at the Wukong¡ªher ultimate, Transcendent des! Three me Chompers, one Ball, and four Spirit des flew through the air together, all aimed squarely at the Wukong!

    Just as Wukong was about to be rooted, pulled, rooted again and pierced by the volley of skills thrown at him, he dematerialized and blinked through everything! Then he rematerialized closer to the Dragon Pit, and started running towards the rest of his teammates. Wukong had escaped a shower of death and was now running towards safety! Lin Feng predicted what would happen when he went in for the kill on Xin Zhao, and he was ready and waiting with his finger on the D-Key. He shed through everything headed at him in the millisecond before they connected!

    Silent Reed stood up for the first time in all the games she¡¯d casted at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. She grabbed her microphone and shouted, ¡°Zeng Rui isn¡¯t done! He¡¯s having his team chase the Wukong! OH! Look! Look at the Jinx! The Jinx!¡±

    The Jinx activated her ultimate skill. She loaded the Super Mega Death Rocket in her bazooka and fired it in the general direction of High School 13¡¯s team. It struck the Morgana, arge explosion sweeping out around her. Within the clouds of smoke and dust was a terrifying murder smiley. When the plume of smoke cleared, Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s fallen corpse was on the ground. The Jinx had picked up a kill! This in turn activated her passive skill¨CGet Excited! She got a boost in movement speed and raced after the Wukong, who had also been hit by the ssh damage from her Super Mega Death Rocket.

    The Orianna called her Ball back to her side. Then she cast Command: Dissonance! This skill damaged and slowed enemy Champions, but it granted ally Champions a speedburst. The Irelia and the Orianna made use of this speedburst to follow Jinx in chasing down the Wukong. All the while, the Morgana ran South through the river. No one chased after her. Wukong was the high value target. Not just in terms of gold, but also in terms of game objectives. After killing him, Shanghai High School could take the Dragon uncontested. That would put them in afortable lead.

    The Jinx had the Red Buff, which added a slow effect to her auto attacks. She caught up to the Wukong near the Dragon Pit and fired off a rocket at him, slowing him. ¡°Gotcha!¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carryughed over the team¡¯s voice chat. 3vs1, this Wukong is toast! ¡°I got him, guys! Gothim!¡± The Wukong turned left into the Red team¡¯s Jungle and towards the Blue Buff Camp. Shanghai High School didn¡¯t have any wards ced there, so they briefly lost vision of the Wukong.

    The Jinx ced down a ward in the Red team¡¯s Jungle to get vision on the Wukong again. He was just standing there, perfectly still. But Jinx, Irelia, and Orianna were so caught up in the chase and the heat of battle that they didn¡¯t stop to think or question why he was just standing there. They charged at the Wukong and started attacking him, until a voice boomed into their ears. ¡°Back, NOW!¡± It was Zeng Rui. He also started pinging for them to retreat and continued yelling over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Spread out! GET OUT OF THERE! He still has his ultimate! He still has his¡ª¡±

    Keikaku doori, thought Lin Feng while grinning. He¡¯d jumped into Shanghai High School¡¯s team to bait out their long cooldown skills, like Exhaust, then shed away to negate the effect of those skills. He made it look like he was desperate, as if he¡¯d made a terrible misy. But it was anything but that. Everything was within his control. He even paused ever so slightly while running away towards his Jungle to let the Jinx catch up and fire a rocket at him, slowing him. Then he cut their vision and used Warrior Trickster.

    ¡°He¡­ He¡­¡± Westwind muttered into his microphone. The audience was still cheering. It hadn¡¯t yet registered what was happening. The Shanghai High School students just saw their team chasing after the Wukong who was surely dying in the next few seconds. But Westwind was an expert of the game. He mmed his palm down on the desk and shouted, ¡°THE TURN AROUND! WUKONG IS THE BAIT AND THE SHOOTER!¡±

    Lin Feng wasser focused on the fight. His Wukong had split in two. The clone stood around as the three champions from Shanghai High School rushed up to it. The real Wukong ran towards the Jinx, Irelia, and Orianna under the cover of invisibility. His finger hovered over the R key. He pushed down lightly, stopping just before actuating the switch. ¡°Tang Tang, goGoGO! Let¡¯s win this!¡± Then he activated his ultimate. His Wukong whipped out his enchanted staff and held it out in front of him, then went into a wild spin¨CCyclone! The Jinx, Irelia, and Orianna were knocked up into the air.

    ¡°People, people!¡± Westwind shouted at the deafening audience. ¡°PEOPLE! Look at that outy! They¡¯re going to win! High School 13 is going to win this teamfight! Let¡¯s hear it for¡­ WIN FENG!¡±

    Silent Reed eximed, ¡°Westwind, look. Look! The Tristana!¡±

    Westwind turned away from the audience, who were screaming whatever he made them scream, and looked up at therge screen above the stage again. There he saw it. The Tristana, who hadn¡¯t been in the fight at all until now, was jumping in. ¡°Tristana! PeoplePeople! Let¡¯s hear it for¡­ TRISTANA!¡±

    Tang Bingyao was out of position when the teamfight started. She was forced to walk a long way around to join the fight, which she only managed to do after Chen Ze¡¯s Twisted Fate got killed. She¡¯d decided to hang back and wait for the right opportunity to jump in. That was now. Lin Feng had asked for her help! She pressed down her W key¨CRocket Jump! Her Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired,unching herself towards Lin Feng and the three yers from Shanghai High School. She then activated Rapid Fire. Her cannon¡¯s muzzle ignited with a zing fire, increasing her attack speed. Then she threw a bomb on the Jinx and charged it up¨CExplosive Charge! One auto attack was one charge. Each charge dealt exponentially more damage.

    After the third auto attack, Tang Bingyao activated Tristana¡¯s ultimate skill¨CBuster Shot! Her Tristana loaded a massive cannonball into her weapon and fired it at the Jinx. It dealt a ton of damage and also added the final charge to the Explosive Charge. The Jinx exploded.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao smiled, briefly letting go of her mouse to ball a fist. She wasn¡¯t going to lose this game, she was going to win it! The cooldown of Rocket Jump reset after getting the kill. She used it to jump on top of the Orianna, paying careful attention to the other Champions from Shanghai High School. Her finger hovered over the D key. I can¡¯t make a mistake. I have to win this. I have to¡­

    What he feared most happened in front of his eyes. Zeng Rui stared at his screen. For the second time this game, he was caught off guard. He¡¯d chased after the Wukong just like the rest of his team. He was the one who¡¯d give the order! It wasn¡¯t until the Wukong disappeared in the fog of war that he realized something was wrong. He didn¡¯t know why, or what was wrong. It¡¯d just been a feeling. This thundering dumbass! His entire team was caught out! He had to do something. If he could help just one escape, that would already be a massive aplishment. The Tristana was firing away at the Orianna. He aimed at her and pressed down on the Q key¨CDeath Sentence!

    Tang Bingyao pressed down on the D key¨Csh! She¡¯d been expecting the Death Sentence. Her Tristana disappeared as the sickle cut through the air. She¡¯d dodged it! I can do this! Mhm. I can! She took aim at the Orianna again, who was trying to run away. I¡¯ll kill¡ª

    Lin Feng had his Wukong leap at the Orianna. Then he raised the enchanted staff high above his head, clutching it tightly with both hands, and mmed down with shattering force¨CCrushing Blow! Killing Blow!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Tang Bingyao stared at her screen. He stole my kill¡­ Then she shook her head. Mnh-mnh. I¡¯ll kill the Irelia! She started firing at the Irelia, who was caught running back and forth between the Wukong and Tristana, lost as to what to do.

    Wei Dong arrived back in the fight. He hovered near the edge, far away from the Thresh and Irelia, yet close enough to protect Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana with a ck Shield. Morgana had arrived just in time!

    Irelia had finally chosen her target. She jumped on the Tristana with desurge and tried to stun her with Equilibrium Strike. But Morgana¡¯s ck Shield popped up just before Equilibrium Strikended, negating the stun. The Irelia¡¯s skill had been wasted, and was now on cooldown. Things just got worse for her from there. Since no stun was applied, Tristana used Rocket Jump to get some distance. The Irelia found herself locked between the Wukong and Tristana again, taking damage from both champions. She had to make a choice once again. Just like before, she decided to run down the Tristana. Wukong was a melee Champion, so chasing Tristana was her only way to get some distance from the Wukong. But it didn¡¯t matter. Her health was dropped quickly. She took an enchanted staff to the back of her skull, after which a cannonball smashed into her face and finished her off.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Tang Bingyao balled her fist again. Double kill. Mhm! Then she looked at the Thresh, who until now had been trying to help his teammates escape. He stood in the middle of the river, far away from Blue team¡¯s tower in the midne. Tang Bingyao smiled and pressed down on the W key¨CRocket Jump! This skill reset when she got a kill. The Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired,unching herself towards the Thresh.

 Chapter 215: A SCHOOL SHOOTINGâ€”Jinx mows down High School 13!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s jaw muscles pulsed with fury. He was incredibly frustrated with himself. I should¡¯ve seen thising. I should¡¯ve seen thising! But he hadn¡¯t. And as a result, his entire team died. He had lost his team the first teamfight against High School 13 in the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! He was so caught up in self-directed rage for this turn of events that he barely noticed the Tristana jumping towards him. But he didn¡¯t really care. There was nothing he could do, especially considering that his health was already really low from trying to save his teammates. He nced down at the minimap one more time, just to confirm. Mostly out of habit. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to reach the safety of a tower before she killed him. And even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t change things. The rest of his team was dead. So instead of worrying about how to preserve what little remained of his life, he started thinking about how to turn this game around.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·¡¶Aced!¡·

    ¡°WOOOO!¡± Westwind screamed into his microphone. ¡°What. A. Teamfight! Show me those High School 13 posters! Show everyone the posters!¡± And the High School 13 students happily obliged. They were on their feet, holding the posters up above their heads that read: ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13 CHAMPIONS!¡± A line that was screamed out over and over again by the other students, booming through the arena.

    Whistling, jeers, and boos. Shanghai High School did everything they could think of to shut High School 13¡¯s section of the audience up. But it had quite the opposite effect. The venue was far too small for the amount of people there. So anything they shouted was drowned out by everyone else that was shouting. All anyone could hear was a massive reaction to the teamfight win by High School 13!

    Silent Reed giggled and said, ¡°The Tristana picked up a very nice triple there, though Zeng Rui should¡¯ve tried harder to escape. Still¡­¡± She shook her head slightly before continuing, ¡°That fight was all Lin Feng. He won that fight for High School 13.¡±

    Westwindughed and said, ¡°That is WIN FENG for you! Right, guys?¡± He was trying to bait the audience into starting a WIN FENG chant to serve as the background to the rest of hismentating. Unfortunately, the audience did not bite and continued their unintelligible shouting and cheering. Westwind didn¡¯t care though, he was just thrilled to have the audience reacting to him. Any cheering and noise was good enough as far as he was concerned. He decided to continue whipping the crowd up, ¡°A crazy 3-man ult to win the fight! WIN FENG was the bait and the trap! HOW AWESOME WAS THAT?¡±

    An Xin was up on her feet, together with Ren Rou, Ouyang, and Yang Fan. They were cheering for the team, for Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao who¡¯d turned the losing teamfight around into a win. An Xin looked over her shoulder at the audience. The excited and happy expressions on their faces left her smiling. She turned back to look at Lin Feng and mumbled, ¡°Not bad, you blockhead. You won the match.¡±

    Zeng Rui knew, just like An Xin, that the game was as good as yed. He¡¯d prepared this teamfight specifically to deal with the Wukong who was the only real nuisance on High School 13¡¯s team up until that point. Everything was going as nned. They got a couple of kills and baited the Wukong into action. Then they used their high cooldown skills to burst him down before he could do anything. That was where his n fell apart. Zeng Rui stared across the stage at Lin Feng. Outyed by him¡­ He gritted his teeth and focused back on the game. His team needed him right now. They had toe together and find a way to stop the Wukong.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Zeng Rui cursed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He rarely cursed, but he really needed to vent out his frustrations. ¡°That went terrible, guys. Now we focus. We¡¯re going to shut that Wukong down.¡± But how¡­? I didn¡¯t see iting. That¡¯s the second time now where I didn¡¯t expect his next move. How is he doing this? Is he just really lucky? No. Once, maybe. But not twice.

    ?

    High School 13 got the clear lead after winning the teamfight and securing the second Dragon. But getting an advantage wasn¡¯t the same as winning the game. Shanghai High School started ying more defensively and made sure to give nothing away. For the next couple of minutes, this worked to great effect. High School 13 didn¡¯t achieve much more than widening the creep score gap with theirne opponents. Then High School 13¡¯s team recalled back to the fountain and bought the items they¡¯d been saving up for.

    At 18 minutes: High School 13 destroyed Shanghai High School¡¯s outer tower in the midne.

    At 20 minutes: Lin Feng helped Chen Ze pick up a kill on Shanghai High School¡¯s Orianna, after which they took down the inner tower in the midne.

    At 23 minutes: High School 13¡¯s team, with the exception of Lin Feng, killed Baron Nashor. Shanghai High School¡¯s team had vision of it, but they were too far behind to contest it and were instead pushing out the midne while they had the chance. The Jinx tried to steal Baron Nashor from the midne by firing off her Super Mega Death Rocket. The team that dealt thest hit got the reward for the kill. But she was too early. Her attack didn¡¯t do enough damage to kill therge purple wurm. High School 13 dealt the killing blow and secured the Baron Buff. All the while, Lin Feng had snuck around Shanghai High School¡¯s wards and arrived behind them.

    ¡°GoGoGo!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He was looking at the back line of Shanghai High School¡¯s team. All five were huddled up closely together in the midne. He grinned and pressed down on the E key, quickly followed by the R key¨CCyclone! His Wukong jumped at Shanghai High School¡¯s team and then started turning in circles, knocking everyone up in the air!

    Wei Dong was at the front of High School 13¡¯s team. He shed forward, straight into Shanghai High School¡¯s team and activated Morgana¡¯s ultimate skill¨CSoul Shackles! Chains of agony erupted out from her andtched onto the five Champions that were still Airborne from Wukong¡¯s ultimate skill. All the while, Tang Bingyao was firing away, helping her teammates blow Shanghai High School up.

    Chen Ze activated Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill¨CDestiny! The entire map was revealed to High School 13, with five all-knowing eyes appearing above the five Champions from Shanghai High School. Three died in the next few seconds, with Tang Bingyao picking up a triple kill. The other two broke the tethers connecting them to the Morgana before she could stun them. Lin Feng was chasing after the Irelia and almost had her. But the Jinx was about to get away. Chen Ze smiled and pressed down on his R key again¨CWarp Gate! The cards opened up a portal for the Twisted Fate, allowing him to step through time and space and arrive right in front of the Jinx. He¡¯d already selected the Gold Card from Pick a Card. It was the single target stun. The Jinx had used all her skills to escape this far. She got stunned by Chen Ze, and then killed by him.

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    It was clear that Shanghai High School¡¯s team had mentally tapped out after they lost the first teamfight. Thisst teamfight just underlined that fact. There was no scenario in which they should¡¯ve allowed the Wukong topletely blindsight them again, especially since they had vision on Baron Nashor and could see he wasn¡¯t there. But that wasn¡¯t something Lin Feng concerned himself with. He just wanted to win this game and move on to the next one. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this right now!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he started pushing into Shanghai High School¡¯s base. The rest of the team helped him, attacking the inhibitor tower followed by the inhibitor. They pushed towards the nexus and blew it up before Shanghai High School respawned.

    VICTORY

    ¡°V-V-VIC¡ªTOOOOO¡ªRY!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. ¡°Give it up for WIN FENG AND HIGH SCHOOL 13! WOOOOOO!¡±

    The High School 13 students in the audience happily obliged. Their team was up 1-0 in the Finals of the most important esports tournament in Shanghai! It was only one game, and their emotions had been yed with multiple times already. But still. They were up 1-0! Maybe. Just maybe, they could win this whole damn thing! That fickle hope red. Today was going to be their day! ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    The Shanghai Esports Association had invited several eliminated teams toe and watch the Finals. Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team was one of them. They sat together at the very front of the venue, stunned by the disy of pure strategy from High School 13. This game was nothing like the game they yed against High School 13. It wasn¡¯t a one man show with Lin Feng hard-carrying High School 13 to a win. This was a team effort. It wasn¡¯t LeBron James ying the whole game with the rest of the Cavs only there to fill out the numbers and pretend it was a team game.

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Jungler said, ¡°Wow, they¡¯ve gotten so much better¡­ It¡¯s like they¡¯re apletely different team¡­¡± His teammates agreed with him.

    Shanghai International¡¯s team was also invited to watch the Finals. They didn¡¯t really want to be there and they wanted to turn the invitation down. But Chu Fang was hosting the event, and Chu Fang was a big name in the professional League of Legends scene. Not just in Shanghai but in all of China. Showing up to the Finals was a fantastic opportunity to build a connection with him for Shanghai International¡¯s star yers. They had no choice but to ept the invitation. They grumbled andined about having to go the entire way there, but they did show up at the Finals. Now they were seated near Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team and watching the game.

    Yan Liang was stewing, forced to watch High School 13 y the Finals against Shanghai High School. This is physically painful to watch! I know exactly what to do! I already had a strategy to beat Shanghai High School ready! But I¡¯m up here¡­ IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ME DOWN THERE! I would¡¯ve won this game already if I was down there. ARGH! I don¡¯t know¡­ Why¡¯d it have to turn out this way? ISH! Just win already, Lin Feng! We¡¯ll have some dignity left if you win. I¡¯ll feel better knowing that we lost to the winners! But¡­ we still lost. I lost to Lin Feng. Is he a better miner than me? Miner¡­ toner¡­ whatever he is...

    Liu Zhengjie red at Tang Bingyao and mumbled under his breath, ¡°That stupid bitch got lucky again! How lucky can she get? Fucking hell! Just give me one game where she isn¡¯t so damn lucky. One game! Everyone¡¯ll see how shit she is! Fucking noob bitch whore! Only reason this slut seems good is cause Lin Feng¡¯ll do anything to keep her on his cock!¡±

    ?

    After a brief intermission, High School 13 and Shanghai High School¡¯s teams entered Champion Select for Game 2 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals. The two teams had switched sides and Lin Feng was back in the midne while Chen Ze went up top. There were no further changes from the first game. Shanghai High School stuck to the same tactic as they had before, banning out three strong midne assassins. This was to the surprise of An Xin. But she didn¡¯t say anything about it and instead focused on High School 13¡¯s team. Finally, both teams locked in their line-ups.

    Game 2 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals:

    High School 13 (Blue) versus Shanghai High School (Red)Topne: Rumble versus DariusJungle: Lee Sin versus RengarMidne: Lissandra versus OriannaAD-carry: Lucian versus JinxSupport: Thresh versus Morgana

    Perhaps the biggest surprise in this second game of the Finals was that Zeng Rui let High School 13 pick Thresh. He picked Morgana. Other than that, both teams yed strong Champions in the current patch. High School 13 was more focused on teamfights, with Champions like Rumble, Thresh and Lissandra offering powerful area of effect crowd control skills. While Shanghai High School was more focused on picking people off before it could ever get to a teamfight. It was going toe down to execution. The game went into the loading screen.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Shanghai High School decided to start the game with ane swap. Their Boners went to the topne and their Toner to the botne. This created a situation where the Toners from both teams had to y against two Champions, which was an impossible situation. But Darius had an easier time staying inne and getting experience than the Rumble.

    At 3 minutes: Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners were pushing the minion wave in the topne towards the Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Chen Ze was hiding underneath it, unable to pick up anyst hits on the minions. But he was still getting experience for being near the minions when they died. He thought he was safe farming like that. They were all still at Level 2 and didn¡¯t have nearly enough health to towerdive. That was, until the Rengar snuck into High School 13¡¯s topside Jungle and appeared behind the outer tower. He worked together with the Jinx and Morgana to kill the Rumble, perfectly trading aggro with the outer tower so that none of them died. First blood went to Shanghai High School.

    At 5 minutes: Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong failed at pressuring the Darius. They could push him back to his tower, but there he farmed up rtively safely. They tunnel visioned on the Darius, searching for a way to trip him up. The ward in the river wore off, but they didn¡¯t notice and stayed there for a few seconds longer than they should have. That was all the time the Rengar needed to sneak up on them. He jumped on the Thresh and helped the Darius kill him. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian got out, but that was little sce. Shanghai High School¡¯sne swap had worked out and left both High School 13¡¯s top and botne at a disadvantage.

    Shanghai High School was pulling ahead of High School 13 in these early minutes of the game. The onlyne that was doing decent for High School 13 was the midne. Lin Feng, as was to be expected of him, had gotten a small lead over the Orianna. That wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to make up for the losses High School 13 had sustained elsewhere on the map. And he couldn¡¯t exactly push for more. His Champion wasn¡¯t an assassin like Fizz, who could towerdive at Level 3. And Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner was ying Orianna who was one of the most defensive options avable in the midne. All in all, this game was going terribly for High School 13.

    At 7 minutes: Shanghai High School destroyed the hopes and dreams of all the High School 13 students in the audience. After taking down the outer tower in the topne, the Boners went down to the botne. But rather than walking up to the outer tower and defending it from the Lucian and Thresh, they walked into the river where they met up with the Rengar and Orianna. The four of them went down to the botne and nked Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong. Lin Feng still tried to help his Boners by Teleporting down. But there was little he could do. In the end, High School 13 lost all three Champions while only getting a single kill in return. Making things even worse, all three of those kills went to the Jinx. Seven minutes since this game started, and High School 13 was already tipping towards a loss.

 Chapter 218: Charmed, Flayed and Round-House Kicked!

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler started his pathing at the Krug Camp, exactly like he did in the previous two games. His Boners leashed the monsters and helped him kill them, which got his Elise to Level 2. Then the Boners went back to theirne to start farming minions. The Jungler started pathing to his Red Buff camp when Zeng Rui gave him a quiet warning over voice to be careful and keep an eye out for High School 13¡¯s Jungler.

    The Jungler from Shanghai High School made a mental note to double-check around his Blue Buff camp before he started attacking the Blue Sentinel. An Xin took her Lee Sin to the Blue Buff, we spotted him there on a ward right before the Jungle Camps spawned. He won¡¯t have enough health after that toe down and bother me at Red. I¡¯ll be fine. He arrived at Red Buff Camp and started attacking the Red Brambleback.

    High School 13¡¯s Lee Sin burst out of the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. ¡°Shit!¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler cursed. His Elise was taking a ton of damage from the Red Brambleback and she was in no position to fight Lee Sin right now. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Junglerined as he mmed down on his F key. His Elise shed away, just barely dodging Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave. He¡¯d managed to escape and avoid bing an early first blood. But he also lost all control of his own Jungle after clearing only a single Jungle Camp. ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Silent Reed blurted out before Westwind could say anything! She turned to look at her co-caster and continued, ¡°Wow! That¡¯s really good for High School 13. And really bad for Shanghai High School.¡±

    Westindughed and said into his microphone, ¡°The spider got squished! An Xin, High School 13¡¯s new Jungler, just made sure that Shanghai High School won¡¯t be doing any ganking in the first couple of minutes! Go High School 13!¡±

    To which arge section of the audience shouted back, ¡°Go High School 13! Go High School 13!¡±

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth. I can¡¯t watch everyone all the time! I warned him! I told him to be careful in the Jungle! I even told him that something felt off and that he needed to check around the camps before he started attacking the monsters! It was blindingly obvious that he didn¡¯t put as much emphasis as he needed to into those warnings. His Jungler got caught out and was forced to blow his sh. At least he didn¡¯t die. Zeng Rui nced at his Jungler and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°y safe. Focus on levelling up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Sorry about that. Will do,¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler replied, nodding.

    ?

    An Xin decided not to bother with chasing the Elise after she shed away. There was no point in it since Elise¡¯s health dropped low enough that she had to recall back to base for healing. An Xin knew that if she got too greedy for the kill and pushed further out while chasing the Elise, her Lee Sin would be in danger from either the Boners or the Miner from Shanghai High School. She also didn¡¯t see any point in taking that risk now that she¡¯d achieved what she wanted from this y. And an added bonus. Her Lee Sin attacked the Red Brambleback and killed it, taking Shanghai High School¡¯s Red Buff for herself. Then her Lee Sin left along the same route he used to get there. An Xin smiled, this jungle invasion went exactly as nned. She set her Lee Sin on a path to her own Blue Buff camp so he could attack the Blue Sentinel there. This is only the beginning.

    4 minutes into the game, Lee Sin had just finished killing the Red Brambleback on his side of the map. High School 13 was the Red Team, so the Red Buff Camp was located on the top side of the Jungle. An Xin nced at her minimap quickly, and then set her Lee Sin on a path towards the midne. I¡¯ve yed way too much with Lin Feng. He started setting up this gank before I even got to my Red Buff! From that one look at the minimap, An Xin knew that Lin Feng had started letting the Syndra push him back inne a minute ago. Because of that, the Syndra was now too far away from her outer tower to run away to safety!

    Lee Sin entered the midne through the brush right above thene and dropped a ward down right behind the Syndra. Then he used Safeguard to dash to that ward, and mmed his palm down on the ground to slow the Syndra¨C?Tempest!

    When Lin Feng saw An Xin ce a ward behind the Syndra, he had his Ahri up past the Blue Minions. He¡¯d almost gotten to the Syndra by the time Lee Sin used Tempest. Just as his Ahri entered into attack range, the Syndra quickly shed away. He kept running towards the Syndra, but he had his finger pushing the D key halfway down the whole time. There was only one way the Syndra could stop this gank, and that was with Scatter the Weak. This skill pushed back enemy Champions and minions. But more importantly, it synergized with Dark Sphere, another one of Syndra¡¯s skills, to create abo. If Scatter the Weak pushed a Dark Sphere into an enemy champion, then that champion would get stunned.

    That was thebo Lin Feng was expecting her to throw at his Ahri. That was what he was waiting for her to do. And just like he predicted, that¡¯s exactly what the Syndra did. She threw out her Dark Sphere and then sted it at his Ahri with Scatter the Weak. But Lin Feng was ready and pushed down on the D Key. His Ahri shed over the stun andnded right in front of the Syndra. Then she blew out a heart-shaped kiss¨CCharm! The Syndra fell in love with the Ahri! She lost control of her body and started walking towards the Ahri!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin pushed out with his palm, sending out a Sonic Wave straight at the Syndra who was still Charmed. After the Sonic Wave hit Syndra and marked her location, Lee Sin used the second half of this skill to dash towards her¡ªResonating Strike! He then started auto attacking her.

    While this was happening, Lin Feng ignited the Syndra. Then his Ahri auto-attacked Syndra once and then threw an Orb of Deception! It passed through the Syndra and then came flying back towards the Ahri, dealing magic damage both ways and whisking away thest of the Syndra¡¯s health.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°WOOO! WHAT A GANK!¡± Westwind cried out, mming his hand down on the desk. The audience screamed, howled and shouted. This was such a clean first blood! It lookedpletely effortless! Westwind turned to the crowd and clutched his microphone, shouting, ¡°High School 13¡­ FIRST BLOOD! Give it up for LEEEEEEEE SIN!¡±

    Silent Reed looked around the audience. Everyone was going crazy over the Lee Sin. She shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the Ahri. Lin Feng yed that really well. Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner could take a lesson or two from him.¡±

    There was another gank happening while the audience was still cheering for the first blood in the midne. This one was happening up in topne. The Elise had just finished killing the Gromp, the Jungle monster right next to topne, and saw an opening. The n was for her to help Darius attack Chen Ze¡¯s Dr. Mundo, and she started approaching stealthily. The Darius was attempting to maneuver Chen Ze into an optimal position for the gank. It would¡¯ve been a glorious kill and aeback moment for the Jungler from Shanghai High School. If he¡¯d noticed the ward that Chen Ze had ced near the River. But he didn¡¯t, and Chen Ze noticed the Elise creeping towards him.

    Right as the Elise got in position and started preparing her attack n, Chen Ze¡¯s Dr. Mundo shed away and escaped. If the Jungler from Shanghai High School hadn¡¯t already used his sh to escape from An Xin at the start of the game, he could¡¯ve used it to close the distance. His Elise could¡¯ve hopped on Dr. Mundo and immobilized him! But sh was still on cooldown. Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler could only watch impotently as Dr. Mundo escaped. The gank was a monumental failure. Not only had he not managed tond a single hit on Chen Ze, he also lost precious time he could have used to continue clearing Jungle camps and monsters.

    ?

    The start of Game 3 was exciting! The invasion, counter-ys, and ganks had everyone watching on the edge of their seats. But after those first few ys, both teams calmed down. Theners focused onst hitting minions and the Junglers farmed Jungle Camps. The first few minutes of this game had not been kind to Shanghai High School. So they opted for a more defensive strategy that focused on building a gold and level lead into the mid-game through farming. This was the smart choice because the yers on their team were individually more skilled than the yers on High School 13¡¯s team. With the exception of Lin Feng, who was currently doing better than their topne and botne in midne.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Ahri hit Level 6 at 6 minutes into the game, which unlocked her ultimate skill¨C?Spirit Rush! This skill granted Ahri three charges to jump in any direction and fire off an essence bolt. Lin Feng used it almost immediately. His Ahri jumped towards Syndra with the first charge. Then she used Charm! A magical heart hit the Syndra, and she started walking towards Ahri. The Syndra¡¯s slow, lumbering steps gave Ahri more than enough time to line up and fire her Orb of Deception! The Orb whacked Syndra in the face and continued forward before abruptly stopping. Then it went straight back towards Ahri¡¯s hands, whacking Syndra in the back of her head. But Ahri had also used Fox Fire right afterunching the Orb of Deception. This skill created three balls of enchanted me that would seek out the nearest target. The Fox Fire hit Syndra right before the second hit from Orb of Deception! Finally, Ahri used the second charge from Spirit Rush to jump up andnd right in front of the Syndra. The essence bolt from the skill ripped through Syndra, killing her!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The High School 13 students were in a frenzy! This was a solo kill versus Shanghai High School! A solo kill! Of course, this was their team picking up the kill. They were supposed to be impressed and cheering! There were many more, however, finding themselves cheering for High School 13. Amongst them were the coaches and yers from professional League of Legends teams watching the official broadcast online. Every single one of them was up on their feet, calling out Lin Feng¡¯s name. From Game 1 until now, Lin Feng was putting on a stunning disy of skill. This solo kill only underlined the fact that he was far better than any other yer on the Rift! He was so good that he even impressed the professionals!

    Lin Feng, of course, was still the same old Lin Feng. He was just having a good time ying the game he loved with the people he enjoyed spending his time with. He patted himself on the shoulder and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Hey, did you guys know? I¡¯m really good at Ahri too!¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    The story in the other twones was very different for High School 13. They weren¡¯t doing as well as Lin Feng. Especially the bottomne, where Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong were having a miserable time. The game went from bad to terrible when Shanghai High School¡¯s Elise came down for a gank. Tang Bingyao barely managed to escape. But she was forced to use all of her skills and her sh to manage that. And she only made it out after using every tool at her disposal because Wei Dong had jumped in to protect her. Which led to his death.

    An Xin clicked over to the bottomne when she heard the announcement. Wei Dong¡¯s Threshy dead on the ground. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne only had a sliver of health left and was currently recalling back to base. Then An Xin pressed the TAB key. Vayne was falling behind in kills and creep score to Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carry. I can¡¯t let this go on. She smiled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, Wei Dong, hold on. I¡¯lle around bot for a gank.¡±

    At 7 minutes, Wei Dong and Tang Bingyao arrived back inne. Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners had used thest minute to make thene impossible for them. The minion wave was frozen just outside of Shanghai High School¡¯s outer tower. Wei Dong looked at his minimap. An Xin was moving down the river, pinging to let them know they had to get ready for the gank. He hesitated before asking, ¡°Are we really doing this?¡±

    ¡°Yep! We are,¡± An Xin replied confidently. Then she added, ¡°Either you or Tang Tang go in first. Just stun one of ¡®em.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding and biting her lips. She focused her attention on the Nami and Jinx, her mouse hovering over one and then the other. I¡¯ll engage! I gotta win this! There was a slight hesitation in the movement of her mouse. She didn¡¯t know which Champion to go for. Do I¡ª

    Wei Dong had been ying with Tang Bingyao for a while now, and he¡¯d learned to stop asking questions. Whenever she told him to do something, he did it. And he¡¯d yed with the rest of the esports team long enough to trust in his teammates. Whenever one of them told him to do something, he did it. Regardless of what they were asking him to do and how he felt about it. Right now, An Xin had told him to engage, so that¡¯s exactly what he did. He lined up the skillshot and threw a Death Sentence at the Nami. He missed!

    Hmm? Tang Bingyao saw the opening before it was even there. The Nami sidestepped the Death Sentence. But in doing so, she left her back to the wall. Tang Bingyao pressed down on the Q key and then the E. Her Vayne Tumbled forward and then lifted the heavy crossbow from her back. She took aim at the Nami and fired! A thick, heavy bolt flew out and pierced the Nami, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the wall!

    Wei Dong pressed his W key¨CDark Passage! His Thresh threw a Lantern towards the river, right in the path of An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin! She clicked on it and her Lee Sin dashed towards the Thresh. Then Lee Sin ced a ward in front of the Nami and hopped towards it¨CSafeguard! He followed up with a sh to appear behind her and roundhouse kicked her towards Wei Dong¡¯s Thresh and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne with Dragon¡¯s Rage! Finally, he used his Sonic Wave to locate the airborne Nami and dashed out of the tower¡¯s attack range before it could hit him. It also conveniently positioned him right next to the Nami so he could keep attacking.

    Wei Dong had his Thresh use y to push the Nami further away from her outer tower, cutting off any possibility of escape. Lee Sin and Vayne rained attacks and skills down on the helpless Nami. From the beginning of this y up until now, there was literally nothing that the Nami could do. She was stunned,unched airborne, pushed, and pulled all while constantly taking damage. Just as one crowd control skill ended, another one was used to render the Nami defenseless and paralyzed against the onught. And then finally, one silver bolt too many pierced her! The three silver rings around the Nami exploded, ending her misery!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Calm! Stay calm! There was no point in him getting worked up over this. He got caught. The series of crowd control skills that hit him were too precise, brilliantly executed. I should¡¯ve expected that the Lee Sin woulde in for a gank! It¡¯s over though. Can¡¯t change the past, need to move on! I need to make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again. He looked at his grey screen and the fight that was still going on. A light descended on their outer tower. The Darius was teleporting in. But he wasn¡¯t there yet, while three Champions from High School 13 were. Shit. They¡¯re going to kill the Jinx. He shouted to his ad-carry over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go back to base! Retreat! They¡¯re going to towerdive you!¡±

 Chapter 217: Her Breasts Could Destroy Societyâ€”A Battle For the Banana Trophy!

    An Xin walked up the stage. The audience fell silent. They¡¯d watched her walk up those steps twice before, but this time was different. They could tell. The tension and focus had disappeared from her posture. There was a slight hop to her steps, her arms moving loosely by her side. She walked with purpose, with intention. The game always starts before the game starts. I know Zeng Rui¡¯s watching. The more confident I look, the more he¡¯s going to question himself! An Xin knew that the only way to beat someone like Zeng Rui was to turn his own strategies against him. And getting him so worked up that he lost his calm.

    Out in the audience, there was one student who had somethingpletely different on his mind as he watched An Xin walk across the stage. An Xin¡­ A pretty name for a pretty girl. EVERYTHING ABOUT HER IS CUTE! He watched An Xin walk across the stage without blinking. His eyes burned and watered, but he didn¡¯t want to blink and miss a second. She looks so stern¡­ So domineering... So hot! Butterflies danced in his stomach. His heartbeat jacked up to Mach 9, screaming out his adoration of this goddess with every beat. He could feel his heart beating in his eyeballs! He wanted to whisper the secrets from his screaming, beating heart into her ears. Mmmm¡­. her lovely ears. I¡¯d smell her hair as I whisper... Is this what love at first sight feels like?

    He bit down on his lips, forcing back the urge to get up and run to her. I wonder if her armpits are shaved? What would it taste like if I licked them? WAIT! No¡­. she¡¯ll think I¡¯m a creep! Maybe there¡¯ll be a chanceter¡­ He shook his head quickly to bounce all the deviant thoughts out and went back to staring at her. His face was stered with a foolish smile as wholesome dreams from puppy-dog love yed in his mind. Dreams of a future where he¡¯d wifed up An Xin. Three kids? Or four? No, definitely just three! And a nice summerhouse on the beach¡­ An Xin in a bikini¡­ NO!NO!NO! Not that! An Xin making dinner¡­ wearing just an apron with nothing underneath¡­ SHIT! I did it again! Not this! NONO! Wholesome, not degen! Think about waking up with her by my side, this is better. We¡¯ll go for long walks on the beach...

    As far as he was concerned, time itself had slowed down. He watched her raven ck hair billow out behind her as she walked. In slow motion. He could see the individual strands undting out in perfect detail. The ends wiggled and tickled his soul. I love her ck hair so much. I just want to bury my face in it! He licked his lips. He imagined her hair in such vivid detail that he could feel it brushing across his lips. He could almost taste it! His eyes moved down to her slender waist, and his heart stopped beating.

    Her lithe waist curved to the left, then curved to the right, all in slow-motion to his eyes. The afterimages he saw traced a sultry bessel function in the air. His pupils dted, and An Xin became even more radiant. His eyes continued further down, and he saw the curve from where her hips red out. That single, sexy curve tantalized him, stroking his already ardent passion! He was a tiger, roaming through a jungle wreathed in the mes of infatuation! And An Xin was the gazelle, one with lovely bounding hindquarters, he was stalking. In his mind, time held no meaning or purpose. He was locked in this single moment for all of infinity, and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around that sylphlike waist!

    Then all at once and with no warning at all, time went back to normal for him. The student saw his hand in front of him, reaching out for An Xin. He yelled out, ¡°H-hey Coach!¡± But his voice was drowned out by the din of the crowd. She can¡¯t even hear me! But¡­ can she feel me burning up here? Then he saw her skirt, with its hem that swished with every step she took. And time slowed down again. That waspletely eptable, as far as he was concerned. He could stare at her willowy legs all day, modestly ensconced in her thigh-highs. There was just something about thigh highs that drove him wild. And An Xin¡¯s legs in those thigh highs amped it up even more for him. There was just something about the way the svelte fabric silhouetted the lusciousness of her thighs, seducing and teasing him. An Xin is the girl of my dreams! She¡¯s my everything! I need her to know I¡¯m here! He called out again, ¡°AN XIN, AN XIN, OVER HERE!¡±

    Most of the audience was up on their feet, pping and cheering for Shanghai High School. Every attempt he made to get An Xin¡¯s attention was lost in all that pping and cheering. If she could hear me¡­ see me¡­ she¡¯d know what I¡¯m going through! She¡¯d see what she¡¯s doing to me¡­ and the¡ª He lost the ability to form words. An Xin had finally reached the steps to the raised tform where all the yers sat, and right before climbing up she turned around to smile and wave at the audience. He¡¯d finally gotten a good look at her face, and it took his breath away. Stole every rational thought and word and all coherence from him for an eternity. She¡¯s got such a pretty smile¡­ ARE THOSE DIMPLES? Dimples are so hot! And that white blouse that¡¯s almost too small¡­ Please let that button pop, please! Oh my god, her breasts will destroy society!

    He was just short of drooling as he pushed off the balls of his feet, trying to get a better look at her. At her skirt and her long legs that went on for so long that he couldn¡¯t see where they ended. Why is it so warm here¡­? Oh god, she¡¯s so sexy¡­ I just wanna¡­ I just wanna¡¯ rock her body! He looked around the audience, annoyed that their noise was the only thing keeping him and An Xin apart, and then back at An Xin. She¡¯s all the way over there, up on the stage. How do I get her to notice me? I need her to notice me! IF SHE JUST LOOKS AT ME ONCE¡­ I JUST NEED TO GET HER ATTENTION!

    There were only a few short minutes left before the start of the third game of the Finals! An Xin was climbing up the steps, and soon she¡¯d be done and sitting. The student knew he had to do something quickly. If I don¡¯t do something now, I might never see her again! I GOTTA DO SOMETHING! He started waving his arms, pping them in the air. But he realized right after he started that it wouldn¡¯t work. An Xin wasn¡¯t facing the crowd, so she couldn¡¯t see anything he was doing. I GOTTA GET HER TO TURN AROUND! BUT SHE CAN¡¯T HEAR ME BECAUSE OF THE CROWD! BUT I GOTTA GET HER TO TURN AROUND! HOW DO I MAKE HER HEAR ME? He saw his perfect future, his happiness, everything that he could have with An Xin and more, all disappearing with every second that ticked by. The door was closing.

    His desire for An Xin, his need to make her hear him and make her his, his fear that he¡¯d never get another shot at it again. All of thembined into an overwhelming drive that unlocked something deep inside him. Something primal. All of a sudden, he was above his own body and watching himself. He stood up on his seat. And then, just as his most distant ancestors had, he dered his intent to mate with An Xin by mming his chest with both fists. Then he bellowed out his primal call, one intended to both entice An Xin and scare away any others eyeing his woman! ¡°OOH! OOH! OOH! AH! AH!¡±

    An Xin stopped halfway up the steps. Did someone just make monkey noises? She turned around to look at the audience. What the fuck? She spotted a guy in the far back of the venue. He was standing on his chair and pounding his chest, making increasingly louder monkey sounds. What an idiot. But she still smiled. And as she continued to watch him go full-ape, she couldn¡¯t keep a straight face. An Xin started giggling, and quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Then she gave the monkey-guy a wink before turning back around and walking up to her team.

    There was a group of friends sitting in the front half of the arena, closer to the stage. They heard the monkey noises and turned around to see the guy standing up on his seat and beating his chest too. Then all of them pivoted back to An Xin to see her reaction. They saw her turn around and look at him, and then they saw her giggle! Their eyes widened when An Xin giggled! And then they saw her look straight at the monkey guy and wink! They looked at each other in utter disbelief. ¡°Did she jus¡ª?¡± one guy asked, to which the others nodded. ¡°She¡¯s really hot.... Well, if she¡¯s into that monkey shit...¡± All of them looked at each other for courage and confirmation. And then, all at the same time, they stood up on their seats and started pounding their chests just like the monkey guy. Then they also bellowed out their intent to mate with An Xin and their challenge to the first monkey guy! ¡°OohOohOoh! AhAh!¡± ¡°OH! OH! OH! OH! OH! OH!¡± ¡°OOOHHH! OOOHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!¡±

    Literally secondster, other guys in the audience made the connection that An Xin liked the monkey noises and chest pounding. A few here and a couple there jumped up on their seats and started pounding their chests. As far as these guys were concerned, gone was any divide or rivalry between Shanghai High School and High School 13. Guys on both sides of the audience were standing on their chair and beating their chests, united by a single factor. Their infatuation with An Xin.

    Then even more guys joined in, trying different variations of monkey noises to stand out from the ever-growing crowd of humanoid-apes. Some went Chimpanzee, others waved their arms around like Orangutans. A few heaved their sweaters and school uniforms off in an attempt to disy the abs that they¡¯d been working so hard on while waiting in queue for a League game. All of them continued pounding their chests, serenading An Xin in a symphony of monkey love. ¡°OOH! OOH! OOH! AH! AH!¡±

    The guys that went full ape in the madness of infatuation with An Xin, they represented a small portion of the audience. And they were a mix of High School 13 and Shanghai High School students. Standing on their seats, they pounded and smashed their chests, harder and harder. They were shouting their lungs out and their throats sore. The rest of the audience watched this happen, utterly confused as to why these students felt the sudden urge to act like this. It looked and sounded like the strangest standoff they¡¯d ever witnessed. But a standoff nheless.

    Students on High School 13¡¯s side of the audience noticed that their side was just a little less loud than Shanghai High School¡¯s side. And there were fewer guys standing on their seats. They thought about it, and put two and two together. They realized that some of their ssmates had regained their spirit, and were making these monkey noises to cheer their esports team on! It was another battle! They needed to show Shanghai High School that this loss in thest game had only bent their spirit, but not broken it! And so,pletely misunderstanding the purpose of why the first few guys went full ape, students from all over High School 13¡¯s side of the audience started standing on their seats and beating their chests. All while making loud monkey noise cheers for their esports team!

    ¡°Ooh aah ooh! Go Lin Feng! You¡¯re the best! OH! OH!¡±

    ¡°Ooh ah ooh ah! Tang Tang, carry this game! Ah! Ah! Ooooh!¡±

    ¡°Hoo hoo ha! Smash that topne, Chen Ze! HOO HOO!¡±

    Students on Shanghai High School¡¯s side weren¡¯t deaf, and they heard the monkey cheering from High School 13. They became equally fired up and decided their school wasn¡¯t going down without a fight either. Plus, the monkey sounds made a lot more sense to them whenbined with actual cheers. They also jumped up on their seats. And started pounding their chests, all while making monkey noise cheers!

    ¡°Ooh ah! Ooh ooh! Ah! Zeng Rui is the best! Ooh ooh! Ooh ah!¡±

    ¡°Ooh hoo ah! Shanghai High School gets the trophy! Ooh ooh!¡±

    ¡°Ooh ooh ooh ooh! Ah ah ah! We¡¯re gonna kick some High School 13 asses! Ooh!¡±

    Westwind looked out over the audience with a most confused expression. He nced at Silent Reed, who shrugged her shoulders. They¡¯d only just returned after their break between the games and had missed why everyone was making monkey sounds. Why are they doing this? What is happening¡­? They think this is a zoo or something? Or they forget that this is a League of Legends tournament? Do they think we¡¯re giving out a banana trophy? Wait-a-minute¡­ BANANA TROPHY! The instant that thought entered his mind, he started giggling and his eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed his microphone. Then he looked over at Silent Reed and winked at her, as if saying, ¡°Watch this!¡± Then he ced the microphone close to his lips and shouted, ¡°I see what y¡¯all are doin¡¯! You¡¯re having a monkey-sound face off! But who will officiate it? ME, ofcourse! In my possession I have the BANANA TROPHY! May the loudest monkey win! Ooh ooh! Ah ah!¡±

    Some students from Shanghai High School started pushing High School 13 students away. They¡¯d beenpeting with each other all evening. But that was about a game of League. They could only cheer their team on and hope for the best. But when it came to making monkey sounds, they could take the front stage and fight the battle! They shouted at their schoolmates who were still sitting toe and join, then ced their hands around their mouths and shouted in a joined effort to beat High School 13 in monkey-soundbat! ¡°OOH OOH OOH! AH AH!¡±

    High School 13 were still upset after losing the second game of the Finals. They felt like they had something to prove. So when Shanghai High School challenged them to monkey-soundbat, they were quick to respond. Every single High School 13 students got up on their seats. They started pounding their chests in a steady rhythm, shouting, ¡°OOH!¡± on the beat.

    The tournament officials had lost all control over the audience. A thousand high schoolers were standing on their seats, making monkey sounds. It looked ridiculous and it sounded stupid, but these high schoolers were really into it. Some were even getting aggressive about it. They were shoving and pushing and trying to take out the loudmouths on the other side. The officials were forced to intervene. They sent up a message to Westwind, cursing at him for making it a contest and telling him to put a stop to it.

    Westwind heard the message from his earpiece. He was sitting next to Silent Reed, both of them staring out over the audience with wide eyes of shock. The official spoke in Westwind¡¯s ear again, which was enough to wake him up. He grabbed the microphone and shouted into it, ¡°Alright, alright! That¡¯s about enough! We¡¯ve had our fun. WE¡¯VE HAD OUR FUN!¡± The audience barely heard him over the thundering noises of monkey-soundbat.

    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH! TONE IT DOWN!¡± Silent Reed yelled through the venue, her sharp voice booming through the venue and piercing into the ears of every single person in the audience. This finally had the desired effect. Most people stopped making a sound and looked up at the speakers, confused. Silent Reed continued, ¡°We¡¯re not at the zoo. Stop acting like monkeys. The third game of the Finals is about to start. Let¡¯s give both teams the respect they deserve. Sit your asses back down on your chairs and be quiet.¡±

    Everyone quickly settled down and started returning to their seats. Except for one lone student from High School 13. No one knew who this unknown hero was, and no one would ever know. But this man, this champion, continued to stand on his seat after everyone else sat down. And in that single hushed moment where everyone else was catching their breath, he bellowed out, ¡°BANANA TROPHY OURS! OOH OOH OOh AhAhahAhAH!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui watched An Xin walk up the stage. I wonder what you¡¯ve got prepared for this game. Don¡¯t let me down. He withdrew his gaze and focused back on his screen. There were a couple of minutes left before they would get into Champion Select for Game 3 of the Finals. Right now was usually when teams did somest minute tweaking to their strategy. But not him. He¡¯d decided on his gamen before the Finals had even begun and his teammates knew exactly what he expected of them. So he sat calmly and waited for the game to start, asionally ncing over at An Xin. You¡¯re good, I won¡¯t deny that. But it¡¯s up to the yers to execute your strategy. And those yers are really not good. You won¡¯t be able to beat me with them. But I hope that you will at least try and make it a little bit more difficult for us. That¡¯d be fu¡ª What? What are you¡­

    After walking up the stage, An Xin briefly talked with the yers on her team. Then Liu Yue got up from his seat,ughing, and wished her good luck before walking down the stage. She sat down on his gaming chair. She then started adjusting the settings on the keyboard and the movement speed of the mouse. Finally, she put on her headphones and looked ready to y. Not coach. y. An Xin was going to y in the Jungle! Zeng Rui was frozen in shock, while a massivemotion broke out in the audience.

    ¡°What the Teemo is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Did they give up? Is this a desperation move?¡±

    ¡°Why would they let their coach y in the Jungle? That just seems suicidal.¡±

    ¡°Just in,¡± Westwind spoke into his microphone. He was still thinking about the monkey sounds and was caught off guard. But he found his old rhythm again. ¡°Just in! High School 13 is making a substitution! It¡¯s official! Their coach is recing their Jungler! Look at that! How good does everyone think she is? I wanna hear you tell me SHE¡¯S VERY GOOD! WOOOO!¡±

    This substitution caused waves of surprise in the audience and in the chat of the official broadcast. Every viewer on every stream expressed their shock and confusion. Even the chat buffer slowed down, unable to handle the sheer volume of input. Everyone, except for the viewers on one stream. That particr chat was excited for what was about to happen. Su Xue and her viewers had been waiting for this moment! Su Xueughed and pped her hands in excitement when she saw An Xin sit down behind the screen. Then she looked straight into her camera and spoke to her viewers, ¡°Rememberst night? Lin Feng and BunBun are crazy good together! This is going to be great!¡±

    ¡¸oooooooomgggggggg it¡¯s bunbn!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I KNEW IT WAS HER! I told you guys! She was the one standing behind lil bro!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸show us that #BunFeng synergy!!!11¡¹

    ¡¸u guys saw her yst night? this gunna be soooooooo goood XDDD¡¹

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes and massaged his temples. That¡¯s three. I don¡¯t like today. The thundering dumbass got me twice, and now her¡­ He took a couple of deep breaths, calming himself back down. Then he opened his eyes and smiled. Surprises are part of life. I prepared for them. Stick to the n. Always stick to the n! He talked his teammates through Champion Select, reaffirming that they were sticking to the original n. Then, after locking in his Support, he looked over across the stage at High School 13¡¯s team. Let¡¯s see if you can change anything by putting yourself on the team¡­

    High School 13 picked the Champions as instructed to them by An Xin. Lin Feng was ying in the midne again, same asst game. Shanghai High School banned three of his favourite Champions, but there were many more he enjoyed ying, including assassin-type midne Champions. He picked one that could work really well together with Lee Sin, whom An Xin was ying in the Jungle. Both teams finalized their line ups and they went into the loading screen.

    Game 3 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals:

    Shanghai High School (Blue) versus High School 13 (Red)

    Topne: Darius versus Dr. Mundo

    Jungle: Elise versus Lee Sin

    Midne: Syndra versus Ahri

    AD-carry: Jinx versus Vayne

    Support: Nami versus Thresh

    An Xin chose to y Lee Sin, which evoked a strong reaction from the audience. The skill of a Jungler was often judged by their skill with Lee Sin. If you were a Jungler who wasn¡¯t very good at Lee Sin, you were a shit Jungler. It didn¡¯t matter if you were Challenger or Bronze. A good Lee Sin was a good Jungler. A bad Lee Sin wasn¡¯t a Jungler. This was true even in thepetitive scene. The best Junglers in the worldpared their Jungling skills by showing off what they could do with Lee Sin. And now, in this high school tournament, the coach from High School 13 substituted herself into the team and was going to y Lee Sin. There was no hiding behind a weak Champion. There were no excuses for a poor performance. Either she was a terrible Jungler and this was a disastrous decision by her, or she was a phenomenal Jungler!

    Zeng Rui frowned. Something didn¡¯t feel quite right. He nced over at High School 13¡¯s team. They didn¡¯t look nervous. They were calm, and Lin Feng was just as excited as he always was. Zeng Rui said over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Careful guys. Something feels off. Watch out for that Jungler.¡±

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Shanghai High School and High School 13 spawned on their respective fountains. They bought their starter items and went to theirnes. An Xin pathed towards the bottom side Jungle, where her Blue Buff Camp was located. There, she waited for it to spawn, motivating the others over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°This game is ours! Just y your best and I¡¯ll do the rest!¡±

    The Blue Sentinel spawned, but An Xin didn¡¯t attack it. Instead, she attacked the Gromp, therge toad in the Jungle Camp opposite of the Blue Buff Camp. Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong helped her kill it, making sure they didn¡¯t leech any of the experience. An Xin hit Level 2 and ran down the Jungle into the river. She trudged through the ankle deep water and entered the Blue team¡¯s Jungle. Her target was the Red Buff Camp. She walked along the wall of trees and stones around it and entered the brush adjacent to the opening. The Elise had already arrived and was attacking the Red Brambleback.

    Westwind clutched his microphone tightly in his grasp and shouted, ¡°Is this going to be the earliest First Blood in the entire tournament? Find out next time on RRIIISSSSEEEE!¡±

 Chapter 218: Charmed, Flayed and Round-House Kicked!

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler started his pathing at the Krug Camp, exactly like he did in the previous two games. His Boners leashed the monsters and helped him kill them, which got his Elise to Level 2. Then the Boners went back to theirne to start farming minions. The Jungler started pathing to his Red Buff camp when Zeng Rui gave him a quiet warning over voice to be careful and keep an eye out for High School 13¡¯s Jungler.

    The Jungler from Shanghai High School made a mental note to double-check around his Blue Buff camp before he started attacking the Blue Sentinel. An Xin took her Lee Sin to the Blue Buff, we spotted him there on a ward right before the Jungle Camps spawned. He won¡¯t have enough health after that toe down and bother me at Red. I¡¯ll be fine. He arrived at Red Buff Camp and started attacking the Red Brambleback.

    High School 13¡¯s Lee Sin burst out of the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. ¡°Shit!¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler cursed. His Elise was taking a ton of damage from the Red Brambleback and she was in no position to fight Lee Sin right now. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Junglerined as he mmed down on his F key. His Elise shed away, just barely dodging Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave. He¡¯d managed to escape and avoid bing an early first blood. But he also lost all control of his own Jungle after clearing only a single Jungle Camp. ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Silent Reed blurted out before Westwind could say anything! She turned to look at her co-caster and continued, ¡°Wow! That¡¯s really good for High School 13. And really bad for Shanghai High School.¡±

    Westindughed and said into his microphone, ¡°The spider got squished! An Xin, High School 13¡¯s new Jungler, just made sure that Shanghai High School won¡¯t be doing any ganking in the first couple of minutes! Go High School 13!¡±

    To which arge section of the audience shouted back, ¡°Go High School 13! Go High School 13!¡±

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth. I can¡¯t watch everyone all the time! I warned him! I told him to be careful in the Jungle! I even told him that something felt off and that he needed to check around the camps before he started attacking the monsters! It was blindingly obvious that he didn¡¯t put as much emphasis as he needed to into those warnings. His Jungler got caught out and was forced to blow his sh. At least he didn¡¯t die. Zeng Rui nced at his Jungler and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°y safe. Focus on levelling up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Sorry about that. Will do,¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler replied, nodding.

    ?

    An Xin decided not to bother with chasing the Elise after she shed away. There was no point in it since Elise¡¯s health dropped low enough that she had to recall back to base for healing. An Xin knew that if she got too greedy for the kill and pushed further out while chasing the Elise, her Lee Sin would be in danger from either the Boners or the Miner from Shanghai High School. She also didn¡¯t see any point in taking that risk now that she¡¯d achieved what she wanted from this y. And an added bonus. Her Lee Sin attacked the Red Brambleback and killed it, taking Shanghai High School¡¯s Red Buff for herself. Then her Lee Sin left along the same route he used to get there. An Xin smiled, this jungle invasion went exactly as nned. She set her Lee Sin on a path to her own Blue Buff camp so he could attack the Blue Sentinel there. This is only the beginning.

    4 minutes into the game, Lee Sin had just finished killing the Red Brambleback on his side of the map. High School 13 was the Red Team, so the Red Buff Camp was located on the top side of the Jungle. An Xin nced at her minimap quickly, and then set her Lee Sin on a path towards the midne. I¡¯ve yed way too much with Lin Feng. He started setting up this gank before I even got to my Red Buff! From that one look at the minimap, An Xin knew that Lin Feng had started letting the Syndra push him back inne a minute ago. Because of that, the Syndra was now too far away from her outer tower to run away to safety!

    Lee Sin entered the midne through the brush right above thene and dropped a ward down right behind the Syndra. Then he used Safeguard to dash to that ward, and mmed his palm down on the ground to slow the Syndra¨C?Tempest!

    When Lin Feng saw An Xin ce a ward behind the Syndra, he had his Ahri up past the Blue Minions. He¡¯d almost gotten to the Syndra by the time Lee Sin used Tempest. Just as his Ahri entered into attack range, the Syndra quickly shed away. He kept running towards the Syndra, but he had his finger pushing the D key halfway down the whole time. There was only one way the Syndra could stop this gank, and that was with Scatter the Weak. This skill pushed back enemy Champions and minions. But more importantly, it synergized with Dark Sphere, another one of Syndra¡¯s skills, to create abo. If Scatter the Weak pushed a Dark Sphere into an enemy champion, then that champion would get stunned.

    That was thebo Lin Feng was expecting her to throw at his Ahri. That was what he was waiting for her to do. And just like he predicted, that¡¯s exactly what the Syndra did. She threw out her Dark Sphere and then sted it at his Ahri with Scatter the Weak. But Lin Feng was ready and pushed down on the D Key. His Ahri shed over the stun andnded right in front of the Syndra. Then she blew out a heart-shaped kiss¨CCharm! The Syndra fell in love with the Ahri! She lost control of her body and started walking towards the Ahri!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin pushed out with his palm, sending out a Sonic Wave straight at the Syndra who was still Charmed. After the Sonic Wave hit Syndra and marked her location, Lee Sin used the second half of this skill to dash towards her¡ªResonating Strike! He then started auto attacking her.

    While this was happening, Lin Feng ignited the Syndra. Then his Ahri auto-attacked Syndra once and then threw an Orb of Deception! It passed through the Syndra and then came flying back towards the Ahri, dealing magic damage both ways and whisking away thest of the Syndra¡¯s health.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°WOOO! WHAT A GANK!¡± Westwind cried out, mming his hand down on the desk. The audience screamed, howled and shouted. This was such a clean first blood! It lookedpletely effortless! Westwind turned to the crowd and clutched his microphone, shouting, ¡°High School 13¡­ FIRST BLOOD! Give it up for LEEEEEEEE SIN!¡±

    Silent Reed looked around the audience. Everyone was going crazy over the Lee Sin. She shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the Ahri. Lin Feng yed that really well. Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner could take a lesson or two from him.¡±

    There was another gank happening while the audience was still cheering for the first blood in the midne. This one was happening up in topne. The Elise had just finished killing the Gromp, the Jungle monster right next to topne, and saw an opening. The n was for her to help Darius attack Chen Ze¡¯s Dr. Mundo, and she started approaching stealthily. The Darius was attempting to maneuver Chen Ze into an optimal position for the gank. It would¡¯ve been a glorious kill and aeback moment for the Jungler from Shanghai High School. If he¡¯d noticed the ward that Chen Ze had ced near the River. But he didn¡¯t, and Chen Ze noticed the Elise creeping towards him.

    Right as the Elise got in position and started preparing her attack n, Chen Ze¡¯s Dr. Mundo shed away and escaped. If the Jungler from Shanghai High School hadn¡¯t already used his sh to escape from An Xin at the start of the game, he could¡¯ve used it to close the distance. His Elise could¡¯ve hopped on Dr. Mundo and immobilized him! But sh was still on cooldown. Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler could only watch impotently as Dr. Mundo escaped. The gank was a monumental failure. Not only had he not managed tond a single hit on Chen Ze, he also lost precious time he could have used to continue clearing Jungle camps and monsters.

    ?

    The start of Game 3 was exciting! The invasion, counter-ys, and ganks had everyone watching on the edge of their seats. But after those first few ys, both teams calmed down. Theners focused onst hitting minions and the Junglers farmed Jungle Camps. The first few minutes of this game had not been kind to Shanghai High School. So they opted for a more defensive strategy that focused on building a gold and level lead into the mid-game through farming. This was the smart choice because the yers on their team were individually more skilled than the yers on High School 13¡¯s team. With the exception of Lin Feng, who was currently doing better than their topne and botne in midne.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Ahri hit Level 6 at 6 minutes into the game, which unlocked her ultimate skill¨C?Spirit Rush! This skill granted Ahri three charges to jump in any direction and fire off an essence bolt. Lin Feng used it almost immediately. His Ahri jumped towards Syndra with the first charge. Then she used Charm! A magical heart hit the Syndra, and she started walking towards Ahri. The Syndra¡¯s slow, lumbering steps gave Ahri more than enough time to line up and fire her Orb of Deception! The Orb whacked Syndra in the face and continued forward before abruptly stopping. Then it went straight back towards Ahri¡¯s hands, whacking Syndra in the back of her head. But Ahri had also used Fox Fire right afterunching the Orb of Deception. This skill created three balls of enchanted me that would seek out the nearest target. The Fox Fire hit Syndra right before the second hit from Orb of Deception! Finally, Ahri used the second charge from Spirit Rush to jump up andnd right in front of the Syndra. The essence bolt from the skill ripped through Syndra, killing her!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The High School 13 students were in a frenzy! This was a solo kill versus Shanghai High School! A solo kill! Of course, this was their team picking up the kill. They were supposed to be impressed and cheering! There were many more, however, finding themselves cheering for High School 13. Amongst them were the coaches and yers from professional League of Legends teams watching the official broadcast online. Every single one of them was up on their feet, calling out Lin Feng¡¯s name. From Game 1 until now, Lin Feng was putting on a stunning disy of skill. This solo kill only underlined the fact that he was far better than any other yer on the Rift! He was so good that he even impressed the professionals!

    Lin Feng, of course, was still the same old Lin Feng. He was just having a good time ying the game he loved with the people he enjoyed spending his time with. He patted himself on the shoulder and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Hey, did you guys know? I¡¯m really good at Ahri too!¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    The story in the other twones was very different for High School 13. They weren¡¯t doing as well as Lin Feng. Especially the bottomne, where Tang Bingyao and Wei Dong were having a miserable time. The game went from bad to terrible when Shanghai High School¡¯s Elise came down for a gank. Tang Bingyao barely managed to escape. But she was forced to use all of her skills and her sh to manage that. And she only made it out after using every tool at her disposal because Wei Dong had jumped in to protect her. Which led to his death.

    An Xin clicked over to the bottomne when she heard the announcement. Wei Dong¡¯s Threshy dead on the ground. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne only had a sliver of health left and was currently recalling back to base. Then An Xin pressed the TAB key. Vayne was falling behind in kills and creep score to Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carry. I can¡¯t let this go on. She smiled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, Wei Dong, hold on. I¡¯lle around bot for a gank.¡±

    At 7 minutes, Wei Dong and Tang Bingyao arrived back inne. Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners had used thest minute to make thene impossible for them. The minion wave was frozen just outside of Shanghai High School¡¯s outer tower. Wei Dong looked at his minimap. An Xin was moving down the river, pinging to let them know they had to get ready for the gank. He hesitated before asking, ¡°Are we really doing this?¡±

    ¡°Yep! We are,¡± An Xin replied confidently. Then she added, ¡°Either you or Tang Tang go in first. Just stun one of ¡®em.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding and biting her lips. She focused her attention on the Nami and Jinx, her mouse hovering over one and then the other. I¡¯ll engage! I gotta win this! There was a slight hesitation in the movement of her mouse. She didn¡¯t know which Champion to go for. Do I¡ª

    Wei Dong had been ying with Tang Bingyao for a while now, and he¡¯d learned to stop asking questions. Whenever she told him to do something, he did it. And he¡¯d yed with the rest of the esports team long enough to trust in his teammates. Whenever one of them told him to do something, he did it. Regardless of what they were asking him to do and how he felt about it. Right now, An Xin had told him to engage, so that¡¯s exactly what he did. He lined up the skillshot and threw a Death Sentence at the Nami. He missed!

    Hmm? Tang Bingyao saw the opening before it was even there. The Nami sidestepped the Death Sentence. But in doing so, she left her back to the wall. Tang Bingyao pressed down on the Q key and then the E. Her Vayne Tumbled forward and then lifted the heavy crossbow from her back. She took aim at the Nami and fired! A thick, heavy bolt flew out and pierced the Nami, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the wall!

    Wei Dong pressed his W key¨CDark Passage! His Thresh threw a Lantern towards the river, right in the path of An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin! She clicked on it and her Lee Sin dashed towards the Thresh. Then Lee Sin ced a ward in front of the Nami and hopped towards it¨CSafeguard! He followed up with a sh to appear behind her and roundhouse kicked her towards Wei Dong¡¯s Thresh and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne with Dragon¡¯s Rage! Finally, he used his Sonic Wave to locate the airborne Nami and dashed out of the tower¡¯s attack range before it could hit him. It also conveniently positioned him right next to the Nami so he could keep attacking.

    Wei Dong had his Thresh use y to push the Nami further away from her outer tower, cutting off any possibility of escape. Lee Sin and Vayne rained attacks and skills down on the helpless Nami. From the beginning of this y up until now, there was literally nothing that the Nami could do. She was stunned,unched airborne, pushed, and pulled all while constantly taking damage. Just as one crowd control skill ended, another one was used to render the Nami defenseless and paralyzed against the onught. And then finally, one silver bolt too many pierced her! The three silver rings around the Nami exploded, ending her misery!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Calm! Stay calm! There was no point in him getting worked up over this. He got caught. The series of crowd control skills that hit him were too precise, brilliantly executed. I should¡¯ve expected that the Lee Sin woulde in for a gank! It¡¯s over though. Can¡¯t change the past, need to move on! I need to make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again. He looked at his grey screen and the fight that was still going on. A light descended on their outer tower. The Darius was teleporting in. But he wasn¡¯t there yet, while three Champions from High School 13 were. Shit. They¡¯re going to kill the Jinx. He shouted to his ad-carry over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go back to base! Retreat! They¡¯re going to towerdive you!¡±

 Chapter 219: Purrr-fection and the Dragon!

    ¡¸HELL YEAH WE DID!!!! BUNBUN 6666666¡¹

    ¡¸GODLEE! Oh wait! GODDESS LEE! WAIT! NO! AHHH GET THE EYE BLEACH!¡¹

    ¡¸bunbun is da friggn best ¨¹¨¹¨¹¡¹

    Su Xue was watching the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament on her own stream. Her viewers were going bananas over An Xin¡¯s y in the botne, where she had picked off the Nami from under Red team¡¯s outer tower. Su Xue wasn¡¯t even remotely as excited as they were. She¡¯d slumped back in her chair and was nowining. ¡°She didn¡¯t even get the double kill!¡± That was the question Su Xue kept asking in her mind after the gank ended. There were three Champions there. They had killed Nami without losing any health at all, and they¡¯d done it quickly. It didn¡¯t make any sense at all to Su Xue. Why didn¡¯t she also kill the Jinx? It was so easy! Then she shook her head. Nah, nevermind! Forgot about that for now. This is a good chance to practice some livementating. I gotta make this fun! She perked back up and leaned closer into the microphone, ¡°That was great! Did you guys think our BunBun was this good? I know I¡¯m surprised! I yed with herst night and I could tell she was good at League. But that y... did you guys see that? Holy shit! My heart is still pounding! She forced a y out of nothing! Only our BunBun could pull something like that off!¡±

    ¡¸Of course we did. We ain¡¯t blind! Now get back tomentating! You still have to practice!!¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! share your deep insights with us, Maid Su!¡¹

    ¡¸hahahah, xue xue,, show us how much you know of this game Xdd¡¹

    ¡¸well give you some much needed feedback **wink wink**¡¹

    Su Xue read the chat and pretended to be annoyed. ¡°Who you callin¡¯ a maid? You¡¯re the maid!¡± This was all part of being a good streamer. She needed to let them see that she was reading their messages and reacting to what they said. If she just did her own thing and the chat talked to each other, there was no interaction. Then she giggled, waved her hand and cleared her throat. Su Xue waited for 30 seconds to let the chat cooldown. Let¡¯s see if all that work learning how to shoutcast got me somewhere.

    ¡°Hihi guys! Let¡¯s talk about this y a little! I¡¯ll break it down for you and tell you what I saw. It¡¯ll be so fun! Shoutcaster Su Xue, reporting for duty! First things first, I¡¯m going to say that I¡¯m a little sad they didn¡¯t go for a double kill. That would¡¯ve been so EXCITING, right? But I¡¯m guessing that all their skills were on cooldown right after they killed Nami. And with that Darius teleporting in¡­ retreating was probably the smart decision to make. They ended it on a high note and an absolute victory. If they went in on the Jinx while also trying to fight off the Darius¡­ it wouldn¡¯t have gone so well for them. Best case scenario, only one of them would die and add an asterix to that y. Worst case scenario, all of them end up dead and the y goes from a win to a loss.¡±

    Su Xue paused after she said all that to catch her breath. She didn¡¯t actually need the break, but it was a good way to let her viewers digest all of the information she threw at them. Then she took a sip of water and winked at the camera.

    ¡°Teehee! Everyone get all that? Ready to keep going? Okay! Let¡¯s talk about what happened during the gank. We¡¯ll break the whole thing down together. You guys keep an eye on me though, tell me if I get anything wrong or missed something important!¡±

    Su Xue leaned in a little bit closer to the camera and looked directly at it.

    ¡°So the whole thing started with Thresh and Vayne squaring up against Nami. Our BunBun was running down to botne. When she got close enough, Thresh went in and started the whole thing. He threw a Death Sentence right at Nami. We all thought he was going to hook Nami and pull her in. But then he missed! I thought the whole thing was going to go south when he missed! But it turns out that was part of the y. Nami moved to the side to avoid the hook, and THAT¡¯S WHEN THE PLAY ACTUALLY STARTED! I almost missed the moment when Vayne tumbled forward and pinned Nami to the wall with Condemn! They used the hook from Death Sentence to misdirect the Nami! HOW BRILLIANT WAS THAT?¡±

    Su Xue paused and shifted in her seat. Then she pulled her mic a little bit closer. This was a tactic she learned from other streamers to make sure everyone was still listening and not tuning her out.

    ¡°Once Nami got pinned to the wall, that¡¯s when An Xin arrived! BunBun! She dashed around so quickly I could barely see what she was doing. But back to this, Nami¡¯s pinned to the wall under her tower. That would¡¯ve been a problem for anyone else, but not An Xin! Lee Sin runs in and throws down a ward near Nami. Then he dashes to the ward with Safeguard. AND THEN IMMEDIATELY USES FLASH TO GET BEHIND THE NAMI AND REPOSITION HIMSELF SO HE¡¯S FACING VAYNE AND THRESH! That was the real centerpoint of the y. Now Lee Sin is standing there with the tower behind him and Nami in front of him. But he¡¯s also in the tower¡¯s attack range! Lee Sin kicks the Nami towards Vayne and Thresh, away from the tower. Then he uses Sonic Wave to mark Nami¡¯s new position and rushes out of the tower¡¯s range with Resonating Strike! Purr-fection!¡±

    Su Xue stopped to giggle at her pun. Then she licked her lips because she¡¯d managed to tickle them with all the purring. Her n was to end it with the wordy. But she decided that it wasn¡¯t a good conclusion. So she added, ¡°One mistake and she would¡¯ve died. She only survived because she linked everything together seamlessly! Those scrubs from Shanghai High School can¡¯t do anything to stop her! She¡¯s way too cute and too good at League!¡±

    ¡¸6666666!!!1!¡¹

    ¡¸thought for sure she ded. but then she dashed after the nami¡­. crazy¡¹

    ¡¸who cares about lil bro???? ALL WE NEED IS BUNBUN!!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸BunBun is so friggin cool. I mean¡­ I knew she was good, but that good? Man! I¡¯m so impressed¡¹

    ¡°Oh, look! They¡¯re showing us the yers!¡± Su Xue eximed. The official broadcast zoomed in on Zeng Rui looking annoyed. A few secondster, it switched to An Xin¡¯s smiling face. Then Wei Dong¡¯s mouth falling open in surprise. And finally, it showed Tang Bingyao. Her head was hung low, and she looked a little sad. Even. Su Xue didn¡¯t notice at first. She was only pointing at her screen and shouting, ¡°That girl right there! Her! She¡¯s the one Lin Feng keeps going out to see! It¡¯s her! Ha¡ª Uh? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    Tang Bingyao had gotten the kill! Her Vayne was the heroine of this gank! She should¡¯ve been celebrating. Or at least happy. But she didn''t look happy or excited. Instead, she was shaking her head and mumbling to herself. Then she looked aimlessly at her screen and the yers next to her. She looked downright miserable! Su Xue scratched the back of her head and mumbled, ¡°Did she eat something bad?¡± Then she shook her head andughed at the camera again. ¡°Anyway, see? I told you Lin Feng is a pervert! He chases after all the pretty girls! I think we should teach him a lesson about monogamy!¡±

    ¡¸Thats lil bro for you!! hahahahahha¡¹

    ¡¸She looks so sad!!! I really wanna go hug her and cheer her up :(((¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro has two GFs???? MY HERO! HERO!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro is livin the life! He has a maid and AT LEAST two girls by his side! sooooo jealous >.<¡±¡¹

    ¡¸Monogamy only for tha fugly bishs!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    There weren¡¯t many people in thepetitive scene who remembered An Xin. Most people in the Chinese esports scene didn¡¯t even know who she was. But Chu Fang was one of the select few who knew her and remembered her. An Xin was the Coach for Lin Feng¡¯s old team. She was right there with them, helping them get all the way to the Finals of the Season 1 World Championships. And she wasn¡¯t just a coach either. An Xin was right up there with the rest of Lin Feng¡¯s old team when it came to ying League of Legends.

    Chu Fang sat backstage, watching the game. His eyes were glued to the screen and his cheeks were red from the strain of the permanent smile stered on his face. An Xin and Lin Feng! ying together again! This is too good to be true! When An Xin ganked botne and pulled off a seamless y, he almost jumped up and started pping. But he remembered his position andposed himself, covering up his glee with a quick cough. Not very well though. It was not difficult to notice how proud he was of An Xin after that y.

    ¡°That¡¯s BunBun for you!¡± he eximed to no one in particr whileughing. Then his screen showed all five yers from High School 13. Lin Feng and An Xin were arguing about something. Chu Feng watched them and smiled. Waves of nostalgia washed over Chu Fang. This argument reminded him of all the arguments and fights those two had in the past. ¡°Haha! I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re still doing that! Hell will freeze over before those two stop bickering.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng panned his camera to the botne, confused, and blurted out, ¡°Huh? You did a tower dive in bot?¡±

    An Xin looked over at him and said, ¡°Yeah, I did. I told you I was going all out this game.¡±

    Wei Dong, still reeling and trying to piece together how they went from him missing the skillshot to killing, had no idea that Lin Feng and An Xin were talking. He didn¡¯t hear what was said. Or the tone of the conversation. The poor guy was just staring at his screen and awed by An Xin¡¯s awesomeness. Then he had to finally give voice to what he was feeling. Which is why he eximed, ¡°¡°Wow! BunBun, you¡¯re so good! That ult-sh was amazing! I had no clue you were that good!¡±

    Wei Dong was a nice guy. He wasn¡¯t trying to spark a fire with thatment. If he¡¯d known that a storm was brewing between An Xin and Lin Feng, he would¡¯ve stayed quiet. Not said anything at all. Ouyang had already warned him about how bad things got when Lin Feng and An Xin argued. It wasn¡¯t just a simple warning or a for-your-information moment. Ouyang had told him that getting in between Lin Feng and An Xin during a fight would get him killed. That was the one thing that Wei Dong didn¡¯t want to do. And somehow, that was exactly what he managed to do. Wei Dong was a truly unlucky soul.

    Lin Feng red at Wei Dong and said, ¡°Hey, hey! I can do that too! Just watch me, I¡¯ming bot!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes back and pped him down, ¡°Don¡¯t try to steal my spotlight! I know you¡¯re a glory whore! Go win in your ownne so you can tell everyone how good you are at everything. There¡¯s no one left for you to kill in bot. Who are you going to go for? The Darius? Who, by the way, you could¡¯ve stopped if you started going to top! But you didn¡¯t, so he teleported to botne to help his ad-carry! Or you going to do a towerdive and kill the Jinx? Or towerdive and kill them both? HAHAHAAH! YOU SHOULD DO THAT! Then you can tell everyone how you¡¯re really good at rushing in and dying! Actually... Go ahead, show us how you¡¯re going to kill them in bot.¡±

    Lin Feng had no goodeback. He stopped pathing to botne and grumbled for a bit. Then he went back to farming minions in the midne. He knew that An Xin was right.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner had tried to save Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami by teleporting to the botne. But he was toote. Nami had died before his Teleport finished channeling. He cursed at himself for being toote over the team¡¯s voice chat. But Zeng Rui assured him that the Teleport was still good. It had stopped High School 13 from towerdiving the Jinx, and he could also stop them from taking the Dragon. There was, however, one big downside to his Teleport. That stupid Mundo is freefarming minions in the topne while I¡¯m stuck dicking around here. I¡¯m not doing any god damned thing! How is this a good use of my teleport? It¡¯s a waste. Aplete fucking waste! I¡¯m going to be behind in experience and gold. How am I supposed to keep that stupid briefcase throwing monster from scaling?

    The game was still close in terms of gold, but the bnce was slowly tipping in High School 13¡¯s favour. Chen Ze was pulling ahead in the topne, and Lin Feng was doing the same in the midne. They were only ahead by a few minions, but that was big in the early game. The deciding factor here was that Shanghai High School lost a fight in the botne. The onlyne in which they¡¯d been winning.

    Zeng Rui lowered his head and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. I underestimated her. Shit. Why? How is she this good? It didn¡¯t make sense to him. An Xin is the coach! Not a real yer! A coach is supposed to be good at coaching and a yer at ying. Not both. She shouldn¡¯t be good at the game. Definitely not this good!

    He knew how valuable good coaches were. But the issue was that An Xin¡¯s skill made her vastly more valuable to the team as a yer. Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t understand why High School 13 made someone as good as An Xin into a coach. She¡¯s better than that other Jungler, dammit! He thought back to the professional teams Shanghai High School had practiced against over thest couple of months. She¡¯s better than all of them. Is she? It looks like it. She¡¯s like a professional Jungler¡­ Wait. Is that it? Is she their secret weapon? If that¡¯s the case, then we have to y more aggressively. Shut her down before she can set up another one of those ys. Maybe if we push her hard enough, she¡¯ll start making mistakes. We can shut her down if we push harder in the botne¡­ He took a deep breath and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Come gank bot in a minute.¡±

    ?

    At 9 minutes, Shanghai High School¡¯s Elise had roamed down to botne. Zeng Rui told her where High School 13 had warded, so she walked around them. Then Zeng Rui had her wait while he looked for the perfect moment to engage. That came only a couple of secondster when Vayne and Thresh moved too close together and a step too far forward. Zeng Rui activated his Nami¡¯s ultimate skill¨CTidal Wave! The Nami called forth a giant wave that surged towards the Vayne and Thresh, catching both of them off guard and knocking them up into the air.

    The Elise ran into thene and stopped in front of the Vayne. She waited until thest second before the Vayne hit the ground to hurl a Cocoon. Vayne was stunned!

    Zeng Rui caught up to the Vayne and Exhausted her. A debilitating aura fell over her, vastly hampering her stats. Then he ced a Vision Ward. Vayne could turn invisible with Tumble after using her ultimate¨C?Final Hour. Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t about to let that happen. While all of this was happening, Jinx peppered the Vayne with bullets from her minigun. The Vayne¡¯s health quickly plummeted until there was nothing left.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Wei Dong had been trying to do whatever he could to save Tang Bingyao instead of escaping what was a hopeless situation. After she died, he found himself facing three enemy champions alone with no way out. He started running to his outer tower, and the three champions from Shanghai High School chased after him. And somehow, against all odds, he managed to get underneath the tower. I-I survived? That was so clos¡ª

    Just as he started rxing under the safety of the tower, Shanghai High School¡¯s champions decided to towerdive. He was fighting for his life again! CrapCrapCrap! I gotta do some¡ª He panicked and started button mashing, activating every skill at his disposal with no rhyme or reason. He yed and threw out a Death Sentence, hoping just one of his skills would connect and help him maybe kill one of his attackers. But Shanghai High School was far too good for that. They juggled the turret¡¯s aggro and killed his Thresh. Then they retreated, victorious.

    ?

    The yers from Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s team were sitting at the front of the stadium. They heard the cheers erupt from the audience behind them, but didn¡¯t join in themselves. Their Support shook his head and said, ¡°That was a big mistake from High School 13. You really can¡¯t underestimate Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners.¡±

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Toner frowned and chimed in, ¡°That girl, Tang Bingyao, right? She¡¯s ying well. Just that herne is getting camped by the Elise. And the gap between the Supports is just too big. Such a shame. Could¡¯ve been a really interestingne.¡±

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Support nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. Maybe if this guy here¡­¡± He elbowed the Ad-carry sitting next to him. ¡°... had had the balls to ask her out instead of running away, he could¡¯ve taught her a thing or two. She might¡¯ve been good enough to y against Zeng Rui, haha!¡±

    Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s ad-carry slumped back in his chair, his face a deep shade of red, and mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t run away. I had somewhere to be. I¡­ I¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just busting your balls. Don¡¯t let ¡®em get to you,¡± Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s Miner said. He looked up at the stage and continued, ¡°If High School 13¡¯s botne is losing, it just means they¡¯re worse. A difference of skill between the Supports and the camping¡­ those are just excuses. You either win or you lose. That¡¯s all that really matters in the end.¡±

    High School 13 had just lost both Boners. The odds of them getting the first Dragon of this game weren¡¯t looking good either. But Lin Feng and An Xin weren¡¯t going to go down without a fight! Lin Feng engaged the Syndra in midne with a Spirit Rush. His Ahri dashed forward and blew a heart-shaped kiss at the Syndra to charming her.

    Just as the charmed Syndra started ambling towards Ahri, Lee Sin ran into thend. An Xin dropped a ward behind Syndra and hopped to it with Safeguard. Then Lee Sin unleashed Dragon¡¯s Rage to roundhouse kick Syndra into High School 13¡¯s tower.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Syndra was already 0/2/0. Thest thing the Miner wanted to do was die to Lin Feng yet again. He frantically clicked in an attempt to get away. The charm broke after what seemed like an eternity, and he shed. The Syndra blinked out of the tower range and moved towards the Red team¡¯s top side jungle. For that single second, he started to believe that he was going to escape! But then Ahri charged up to his Syndra again with Spirit Rush. Ahri had caught up to him! He saw the Ahri winding up and hurling her Orb of Deception. That Orb of Deception was thest thing he saw before his screen went gray.

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    Lin Feng let go of his mouse and keyboard and threw both his arms up while he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice! I told you guys! I¡¯m really good at Ahri too!¡±

    An Xin grimaced and replied, ¡°You¡¯re really good at stealing kills, is what you mean.¡±

    Lin Feng and An Xin started another argument, while in the background Westwind started up his spiel with the audience again. Zeng Rui watched all of it happen, grinding his teeth the whole time. He couldn¡¯t hear what An Xin and Lin Feng were saying. But he could guess. The joy,ughter, andck of tension that he could see told him more than enough. He clenched his fists, raging. He¡¯s snowballing again. She helped him snowball. She got him two kills. First that stupid Jungle invade and then the ganks. The midne. Botne. And now midne again. That¡¯s four ys and three kills all thanks to her. It shouldn¡¯t be like this.

    His team had just killed Vayne and Thresh and he wanted to take the Dragon. But now that their Miner was dead, it didn¡¯t seem like a good idea anymore. Shit! Ahri, Lee, and Mundo. We can¡¯t take them on and also fight the Dragon. We¡¯ll lose too much. Damn it! We can¡¯t take the Dragon. He took several deep breaths, fighting back the urge to yell at his Miner. Then he shook his head and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re giving up on the Dragon. Go back to farming yournes.¡± It¡¯s time to turtle. Our teamfight is stronger. We¡¯re the better team! Just gotta keep that Vayne down like we¡¯ve been doing and this is going to look like a 5vs4 in another 20 minutes. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll win. It¡¯ll work. We¡¯ll be fine!

 Chapter 220: Drowning in Self Doubt, Gasping for Hope

    ¡°WOOOO! What a level of ys! Phenomenal teamy by both sides!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. He looked out at the audience and then back at the screen above the stage. ¡°Now, some of you might not y that much League, so let Reed and me give you all a little insight into just how good this game is!¡± He turned to Silent Reed and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you kick it off? What¡¯s happening in the¡­ hmm, topne?¡±

    Silent Reed nced at her spectator screen and said into her microphone, ¡°Topne is an interesting match up. Darius versus Dr. Mundo. It¡¯s a time battle. Mundo is way scarier after he gets a couple of defensive items. You wanna go one of two extremes. Ignore his existence, or beat him down until he can¡¯t leave the fountain anymore! Looks like Shanghai High School is going with the first option. That makes it a question of how good this Mundo is. Can he annoy Shanghai High School enough to make them focus him down? But until Mundo gets those items, Darius is going to enjoy the advantage. His dunk to win style will be the far bigger threat for the next couple of minutes.¡±

    Westwindughed and responded, ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more! Exactly right! Alright, let¡¯s move on to anotherne. I¡¯m sure the crowd would love to hear what I think of the midne. RIGHT? RIGHT? I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOUUUU!¡± He grinned at himself, the audience still going along with him, and then continued, ¡°Lin Feng is ahead. That¡¯s right! You heard it here first! The guy on the killing spree is stronger than the one on a dying spree! High School 13 has the clear lead here! Now¡­ Drum roll¡­ Reed, talk us through the botne?¡±

    ¡°I think we just saw what it looks like in the botne. Zeng Rui is just so much better than High School 13¡¯s Support. You don¡¯t need to be an expert to see that,¡± Silent Reed started. She then took a long look at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to see the girl do well. We don¡¯t see enough female yers on the big stage. But Shanghai High School is just better in the botne.¡±

    Westwind nodded and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s okay! Because High School 13 has two female yers! Their ad-carry and their Jungler! Oh boy. Let me tell y¡¯all something. That Jungler. She¡¯s good. She¡¯s really, really good! Her ganks are what¡¯s keeping High School 13 in this game! But the Elise is also doing pretty well for herself, especially considering how painful the start of the game was for her. Taking everything into consideration, I¡¯m going to give a small edge to High School 13 in the Jungle!¡±

    Silent Reed giggled and said, ¡°That is why this game is so even! Top and bot are in Shanghai High School¡¯s favour right now, while mid and jungle are going High School 13¡¯s way. There really is no telling who¡¯s going to win this one. But I have a feeling that something is about to happen. Something big. Game deciding big. I¡¯m really looking forward to the fight that¡¯s going to turn this game in one team¡¯s favour.¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao sat behind herputer, beads of sweat popping up on her forehead. I need to be better. Mhm, better! She focused on the game, like she¡¯d seen Lin Feng do so many times before. The minions were losing health. Right before one died, she had her Vayne fire off a silver bolt. The minion was pierced and copsed to the ground. Another point added to her creep score. Her tally was steadily increasing, but she was stillgging behind Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carry. I can¡¯t lose. I have to be better! Maybe if I say the voice lines like Lin Feng does¡­ She thought of Vayne¡¯s quotes and mumbled under her breath, ¡°I bring swift death.¡± She cringed.

    No. No. Mnh-mnh! Tang Bingyao shook her head and kicked the back of her desk in frustration. ¡°Ah!¡± she groaned before shutting up again. I¡¯ve lostne in three games now. All three. I¡¯m losing. Losing. Again and again. I must be better. For the team¡­ For Lin Feng. Her mind distracted her just a bit too much. She missed a minion. No! She bit her lips, fighting back more and more against her own spiraling thoughts. In Game 1 I only got kills because Lin Feng gave them to me. He could¡¯ve gotten a penta if he didn¡¯t try to help me¡­ Then the second game I lost. We lost because of me. And now again. I¡¯m losing. I¡¯m losing¡­

    The only pressure Tang Bingyao felt was the pressure she was putting on herself. But it was suffocating. She could only think of the mistakes she¡¯d made, glossing over everything she had done right, and how she had to y better. She bit hard on her lips, the sweet taste of iron seeping onto her tongue. Stop. Stop thinking this. Focus. I just need to y better. I can¡¯t drag them down. I¡­ Mhm, I need to try harder. I won¡¯t drag Lin Feng and the others down. I can¡¯t disappoint him!

    Tang Bingyao focused on her screen. The game was 11 minutes in. Shanghai High School¡¯s Boners were pushing the minion wave towards the Red Team¡¯s outer tower. Jinx had taken out her bazooka and was firing off missiles, their ssh damage poking down at the Vayne and Thresh¡¯s health bars.

    I can¡¯t let this continue Tang Bingyao thought. The Jinx could just keep abusing her range and eventually force her back to base, dead or alive. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her hand was shaking, nervous. I have to y better and make something happen! I¡¯ll finally help the team! Mhm!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne was hit by another Jinx rocket while she was trying tost hit a minion from under her tower. I can¡¯t sit here. I have to move! She ignored the minions, letting her outer tower kill them, and fired off a silver bolt at the Jinx. I¡¯m going in! She moved forward, another Jinx missile taking a bite out of her health bar. She fired off a second silver bolt. The Jinx threw out her me Chompers in reflex. The three stun grenadesnded right in front of the Vayne.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s face lit up. Mhm. This was what she¡¯d been waiting for. She pressed down on her R key¨CFinal Hour! A dark aura wrapped around her Vayne, increasing her stats. Then she Tumbled forward, dodging the stun grenades and disappearing into stealth.

    Zeng Rui narrowed his eyes. He expected a move from the Vayne and here it was. There weren¡¯t many directions the Vayne could go in. Jinx¡¯s me Chompers and the wall of trees along thene forced the Vayne onto a small path. One, two... Now! Zeng Rui pressed down on his Q key¨CAqua Prison! His Nami manifested arge bubble of water and tossed it out in the path of the Vayne.

    Tang Bingyao was anticipating the Aqua Prison, ready to sh over it. Her Vayne disappeared from the exact spot the bubblended and reappeared a short distance away. But there was more to this sh than just dodging the stun. It also positioned the Vayne perfectly for a Condemn! She lifted therge crossbow from her back, aimed at the Jinx whose back was to the wall, and squeezed the trigger. A thick, massive bolt flew through the air and pierced the Jinx, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the wall. Stunned!

    ¡°We have an engage in bot! HIGH SCHOOL 13 IS GOIN¡¯ FOR IT!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. He was up on his feet, supporting one arm on the desk and clutching his microphone with the other. ¡°WHAT A FLASH-DODGE! INSANE! Is this going to be theeback? Maybe! MAYBE! Watch out for Tidal Wave! WATCH OUT!¡±

    Tang Bingyao had been so caught up in her own head that she forgot tomunicate with Wei Dong. She¡¯d engaged without telling him a thing. He chased after her, trying to catch up while being out of range to offer any support or help. ¡°Tang Tang! Wait! We don¡¯t have any wards in the river! Tang Tang!¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat as he pressed down on the R key¨CTidal Wave! His Nami called forth a giant wave that washed over the Vayne and Thresh, knocking them up into the air. Elise then walked out of the brush at the river entrance, which was only a few steps away from where the Jinx was stunned into the wall. She fired off a globule of webs at the Vayne¨CCocoon! The sticky webbings wrapped around the Vayne until they fit so tightly around her that she couldn¡¯t move at all anymore.

    Tang Bingyao felt her heart drop. The Jinx only had a little bit of health remaining. Just a few more hits. A few more! Please! She frantically clicked, chewing on her lips and shaking her head in refusal. I won¡¯t die. Mnh-mnh. But just because she didn¡¯t want to die, that didn¡¯t mean Shanghai High School would let her live. The Elise transformed arachnid form. She pounced on the Vayne and sunk her fangs deep into the Night Hunter¡¯s flesh¨CVenomous Bite! Then the Jinx broke free from the stun and switched to her minigun before firing off a close range Super Mega Death Rocket!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Tang Bingyao slumped back into her seat as her screen turned grey. Shit. She could feel vibrationse up from under the floor of the stage. She looked up past her screen and saw the audience. They were jumping and cheering. If she focused on it, she could even hear them. They were cheering for Zeng Rui, shouting at the top of their lungs that his Support was the best. I¡­ I¡­ She let go of her mouse and keyboard as her hands fell down past the desk and to her side. It took her everything she had not to let her head fall down on the keyboard. That was all my fault. I¡­ I should¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯m losing these Finals. I don¡¯t want to¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore.

    ¡°WOOOO!¡± Westwind shouted, enjoying the moment. Then, after waiting for the cheering crowd to quiet down, he turned to Silent Reed and said, ¡°So much for an even game. That girl in the botne is tilting hard! She had no vision and tried to 1vs2! These are the Finals of a big tournament, not some random solo queue game! I wonder what in the world she was thinking¡­¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head and replied, ¡°Yep. She¡¯s showing that she has skill. But why waste it like that? There were no wards. She didn¡¯t know where the Elise was. Her mechanics are so good! Bute on, you can¡¯t just go in 1vs2 when you don¡¯t know where the enemy Jungler is. That¡¯s justmon sense.¡±

    Back on stage, Zeng Rui nodded at his screen. At the Vayne¡¯s body. She¡¯s tilting. That¡¯ll make this game a lot easier. She won¡¯t be much of a threat and we can get a few more kills on her if she keeps falling for these obvious baits. We¡¯re going to need that for¡­ He turned his attention to the midne and frowned. ¡­ those two. Their mid-jungle synergy is really good. That¡¯s going to be a big problem. We have to do something about them. Soon preferably, or¡­

    ?

    Lin Feng pushed out thene and attacked the Blue Team¡¯s outer tower. The Syndra was desperately trying to hold it, but Lin Feng dodged all of her skillshots while hitting back with his own, The outer tower almost didn¡¯t have any health left, so the Syndra started retreating back towards her inner tower. Just then, An Xin appeared from the jungle entrance between the outer and inner tower.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner cursed as he mmed down on his D key¨Csh! His Syndra shed past the Lee Sin and towards her inner tower. There she kept running all the way back to her base and then thest bit to the fountain. She was terrified of the Ahri and Lee Sin, and scared that if she stopped running the two would catch up to her and kill her. ¡°These stupid¡­ Ugh! Sorry guys. I¡¯m trying, it¡¯s just. Shit! Sorry, that was close. I don¡¯t have sh anymore.¡±

    Lin Feng and An Xin didn¡¯t mind that their y in the midne didn¡¯t end with a kill. Forcing the sh and taking down the tower was more than enough. Besides, the Syndra was on a dying spree and wasn¡¯t worth much gold to begin with. The same couldn¡¯t be said about the Jinx. She was a nice, juicy target with a big bounty on her head. Lin Feng grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s go shut that Jinx down!¡±

    ¡°Sure, she¡¯s had enough fun,¡± An Xin replied.

 Chapter 221: You Me Her

    ¡¶Your team has destroyed a turret!¡·

    At 13 minutes, Lin Feng and An Xin had destroyed Shanghai High School¡¯s outer tower in the midne, while Shanghai High School had killed Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne. Both sides looked towards the Dragon. Lin Feng was the first to walk down the river towards the Dragon pit, with An Xin following right behind him. They dropped down wards near the river entrances to guard against any potential nks from Shanghai High School.

    Zeng Rui also decided to head for the Dragon pit. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Stop them at Dragon.¡± After which he had his Nami move up into the river. The Jinx and Elise followed right behind him, all three of them dropping down wards where they could. Zeng Rui didn¡¯t feel like getting blindsided again and kept hammering on the need for more wards. They arrived at the Dragon pit at the same time as Lin Feng and An Xin. Both teams started firing off skillshots at each other, looking for an opening or a y.

    ¡°This¡¯ll be interesting!¡± Westwind¡¯s voice boomed through the venue. ¡°Shanghai High School is the stronger team right now. 3vs2 and all! No way that Zeng Rui is going to give the Dragon to High School 13! Look at how they¡¯re only using poking abilities. They¡¯re saving all their crowd control for the engage.¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°This is going to be a feisty one! Fireworks and the whole shabingle! But they¡¯re patient. Shanghai High School is waiting for the Syndra to finally arrive! That¡¯s also giving High School 13¡¯s Vayne the time to respawn and join the fight again! It¡¯s just¡­ That Vayne is in a pretty bad spot right now. She must be feeling terrible.¡±

    Shanghai High School had a lot going for them in terms of kills and item advantages, especially between ad-carries. But it wasn¡¯t all good news for them. Their Jinx and Syndra, the two main carries, didn¡¯t have sh avable. They had to y a lot more carefully, because one misstep was it for them. So they sat in the back, hiding far behind their Darius and Elise, and waited for an angle to dash out some damage.

    At 13:50 minutes, all hell broke loose. High School 13 had retreated back into their own Jungle near the Blue Buff Camp. They yed around with the vision there, trying tond skillshots that Shanghai High School didn¡¯t seeing. An Xin finally fired off a Sonic Wave that connected with Shanghai High School¡¯s Elise. A pair of eyes and a half moon appeared above the Elise, covered in a blue radiance. Lee Sin knew exactly where his target was. He could dash towards her and attack!

    Lin Feng was getting bored with ying it safe. So, when An Xin hit the Sonic Wave, he shot up straight in his chair and shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice! Awesome! Go in! GoGoGoGO!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not deaf! Stop shouting in my ears!¡± An Xin shouted. One, she didn¡¯t need her ears blown off by Lin Feng. And two, she didn¡¯t need Lin Feng telling her to go in. She knew that perfectly well herself. She pressed down on the Q key to activate the second half of her skill¨CResonating Strike! The Lee Sin dashed towards the Elise. Then he ced a ward behind the Elise and hopped towards it¨CSafeguard! He was right in front of the Jinx, who didn¡¯t have her sh avable. But he did. He blinked past her, turned around, and sent her flying towards High School 13¡¯s team with a roundhouse kick¨CDragon¡¯s Rage!

    ¡°YEEEEEEEKUUUUUUUUUUUUH!¡± Lee Sin¡¯s voice boomed out from the speakers in the venue, quickly followed by the deafening cheers of the audience. It all happened so fast! One moment the two teams were trying to get some poke in on each other. The next, Jinx was flying over towards High School 13¡¯s team!

    ¡°Nice! We got her! Gimme the kill! Gimme gimme gimme!¡± Lin Feng eximed as he pressed down on his R key¨CSpirit Dash! His Ahri jumped forward, firing off an essence bolt at the Jinx who was still in midair. Then she aimed her Charm at the Jinx. Charmed! The Jinx was infatuated with the Ahri and started slowly ambling towards her like a love struck puppy. The Ahri activated her remaining two skills, Orb of Deception and Fox-Fire. The orb that Ahri always carried with her flew through the Jinx and then back again, while three Fox-Fires shot towards the Jinx and burned away what little remained of her health.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Shanghai High School lost their main carry before the fight had even started! This was a massive blow to team morale! Worse even, the Darius had shed forward to try and stop the Ahri. But not only did he fail to stop her, his sh was alsopletely wasted. Ahri¡¯s ultimate skill had three charges. She used one to get close to the Jinx, and the other two to run away from the Darius. Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner was cursing relentlessly at himself. He was so far out of position that his team couldn¡¯t help him. High School 13¡¯s Dr. Mundo was hurling cleavers at him, while Vayne started firing off silver bolts.

    The fight started at the Jungle entrance near the Red Team¡¯s Blue Buff Camp. It was a funnel point that Shanghai High School was afraid to step into. The Syndra moved forward, intending to help her team, but a Death Sentence came flying at her from the fog of war. By the time she saw it, she was already hooked. Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner followed the example of their Toner and started cursing over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Quiet and focus! Wait for my call to retreat.¡± Then he pressed down on the R key in an attempt to give his teammates a way out¨CTidal Wave! His Nami called forth a wave that surged through the funnel, knocking four High School 13 champions up into the air! Then she threw an Aqua Prison towards the fifth yer before turning around and running away. Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Now. Retreat!¡±

    The Elise followed closely behind the Nami and got away from High School 13. But the Syndra was still hooked by the Thresh and Darius was slowed by Dr. Mundo¡¯s cleavers. Neither was able to get away with their lives. Their screens turned grey and their Champions were sent back to the fountain. The teamfight was a resounding victory for High School 13, which was made even sweeter when they took the Dragon on the back of it. The first Dragon Buff granted bonus attack damage and ability power. High School 13 had turned their fortune in the span of one teamfight. They went from falling behind to being back in the driver¡¯s seat!

    Westwind shot up from his seat and shouted out, ¡°OH MY! Beautiful! That was absolutely stunning! STUNNING!¡± Then he moved his microphone to just above the caster desk. He raised his hand and then smacked it down as hard as he could. The microphone picked up the impact sound and sent it booming through the speakers in the venue, silencing the audience. He smiled and continued, ¡°This wasn¡¯t a High School 13 win. It wasn¡¯t! This was a Mid-Jungle win! That Ahri and Lee Sin are so good together! It¡¯s like they can read each other¡¯s minds! Their synergy is definitely over 9000!¡±

    Silent Reed asked, ¡°How many times is this now? Three? Four? I hope we get to see more of them. I¡¯ll never get bored of watching those two y. They¡¯re so good together¡­¡±

    ¡°Fourth. Must be the fourth time already! It¡¯s insane!¡± Westwind replied. He shook his head and continued, ¡°They¡¯re such a scarybo. Shit. That Lee Sin and Ahri are like a match made in Heaven! The best of the best! You can call them high schoolers all you want, but they look better than most professional yers! Watch my words, those two are going to make it big! I¡¯ll eat my shoes if they¡¯re not going pro!¡±

    Westwind and Silent Reed were saying what everyone else was thinking. From first time League of Legends viewers to professional yers and coaches, they all agreed that the way Lin Feng and An Xin were ying together was something special. Coaches from all the different professional teams were looking at their lineups and seeing how they could fit these two monster talents in. Because the way that Lin Feng and An Xin picked off the Jinx was a work of art, something that belonged in the LPL. They belonged in the LPL.

    Zeng Rui sat back in his chair, frowning. This game was entirely outside even his wildest predictions and expectations. I screwed up. My calctions are off. I didn¡¯t expect the thundering dumbass to be so good. I didn¡¯t expect that dumb coach to be so good. But we can work around that. I just don¡¯t know how to work around them when they¡¯re ying together. How do you stop¡­ that? Shit! How are they this good? It¡¯s ridiculous! That¡¯s what it is! Just¡­ how?

    Zeng Rui shook his head, his brain functioning at a hundred and twenty per cent. He had toe up with a method to deal with the Ahri and Lee Sin. Those two were too strong together. Dammit! They knew this. They knew! That Ahri is fed, she can blow up whoever she wants and the Lee Sin just helps with the engage! We can¡¯t win a fight right now¡­ He let out a deep, long sigh. And we¡¯ll lose thete game as well. When all champions are Level 18 and have five or six items, Dr. Mundo and Vayne are better than Darius and Jinx. Now orte game, it doesn¡¯t matter. They prepared for every perceivable situation and are now just bringing this win home. Did she really think all of this out? Shit! She¡¯s scary.

    Once Zeng Rui understood that the game was lost, he got very practical. He told his teammates it was over, and that they were going to drag it out for as long as they could, so that he could review their approach for the next game and double and triple check whether they needed to make anyst minute changes. I really dislike makingst minute changes. But I might have to. I can¡¯t be stubborn and refuse to see the problems. Something has to give, or we¡¯re losing the next game as well. Damn it. We lost. We lost again. Shit!

    Tang Bingyao and Chen Ze never got the chance to build the items they needed to be a threat in this game. Lin Feng and An Xin carried High School 13 to a win long before that. At 29 minutes, they forced another teamfight and aced Shanghai High School. Then they killed Baron Nashor and recalled back to base to spend their gold. A minuteter, they were storming down the midne and besieged Shanghai High School¡¯s base. The siegested exactly 20 seconds, when An Xin¡¯s Lee Sinnded another vital Sonic Wave. The resulting teamfight was a one-sided stomp. High School 13 lost one champion while acing Shanghai High School for a second time. Then they destroyed the inhibitor tower, the inhibitor, the nexus towers, and finally the Nexus. A red victory crest floated up over the screen.

    VICTORY

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Westwind cried out into his microphone. ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13 HAS DONE IT FOR A SECOND TIME! They¡¯re up 2-1 in the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! One more win! One more win is all they need to win the whole tournament! Who would¡¯ve thought? No one, right?¡± He chuckled before continuing, ¡°But here we are. MATCH POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL 13, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Silent Reed was on her feet as well and shouted, ¡°AMAZING! Beautiful! What a game by them! What a game by Lin Feng and An Xin! They carried this game so hard! They¡¯re really something special together. Oh m g. That was so impressive!¡±

    The audience was up on their feet, jumping and shouting for the two yers of the match. Lin Feng and An Xin¡¯s performance was so good that the rest of High School 13¡¯s team might as well not have been there! No one noticed the stunned expressions of Wei Dong and Chen Ze as they stared at the victory screen, deeply impressed by Lin Feng and An Xin. Nor did anyone Tang Bingyao bordering on the verge of tears. The audience only cared about Lin Feng an An Xin right now!

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    ¡°AN WINS! AN WINS!¡±

    ¡°BEST LEAGUE COUPLE EVER!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHH! Those two are soooooooo good!¡±

    ¡°Are we up? Are we really winning? Tell me, are we winning? Am I seeing this right? Ohhhh!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! No more losers! High School 13 is finally good for something thanks to Lin Feng and An Xin! You two are the best! WHAAAAAAA!¡±

 Chapter 222: Another Substitution?

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! The championship is ours! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ¡°YEAAAHHHH! Sing with me, bros! CRUSH! Crush every enemy! AND SEAL! Seal our victory!¡±

    ¡°Good job! You guys were all amazing! I¡¯m so happy!¡±

    ¡°That was a great game! BunBun and Lin Feng¡¯s perfect synergy carried us to the win. We might actually win this thing! We¡¯re going to be the Champions of Shanghai!¡±

    Liu Yue, Yang Fan, and Ren Rou were rooting for High School 13 to win, while Ouyang cupped his hands around his mouth and sang a victory song. High School 13¡¯s students in the audience fell silent, listening to the two team members and looking at the victory crest on therge screens above the stage. Thest hints of anxiety and fear that their club was going to eventually screw up disappeared and was reced with boundless joy. Lin Feng and An Xin had done it! The magic couple had not only won Game 3 in the Finals and brought High School 13 to championship point, they¡¯d also torn Shanghai High School apart at the seams! They left nothing of them whole!

    ¡°WE WON! We¡¯re going to win! We¡¯re going to win!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! With Lin Feng and An Xin, no one can beat us!¡±

    ¡°Look at Zeng Rui! Just look at him! We¡¯ve won! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°He looks like he saw a ghost! Man, he must be feeling shitty!¡±

    ¡°Lin Feng and An Xin are our magic League couple! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ¡°CRUSH THE ENEMY! SEAL OUR VICTORY! Let¡¯s fucking goooooo!¡±

    ?

    Shanghai High School¡¯s team retreated backstage after Game 3. But even here they could still hear the audience, a thousand voices booming in their ears. They could even feel the floor shaking from the audience jumping up and down. Zeng Rui looked at his teammates and said, ¡°I need some silence. I need to think.¡± Never in his wildest dream did he expect to find himself in this position. We¡¯re losing. We¡¯re going to lose! I¡¯m losing to that thundering dumbass! How can this¡­

    Zeng Rui shook his head until all distracting thoughts were gone. He sat down on a fold-up chair. Then he ced his elbows on his knees and rested his head on his hands. Think. Think! He rubbed his temples, focusing only on the game ahead of him. The external stimuli disappeared. His teammates disappeared.

    Zeng Rui found himself in a dark space with only himself. How did it get to this? I need to think of something to deal with those two¡­ But we dragged out the previous game just so I could think of how to deal with them. I couldn¡¯t think of anything! I always know how to win. There is always a way! How are they¡­ What are they¡­ His head was throbbing and his eyes were bloodshot. He could hear his teammates talking again and the faint sound of the audience in the background, but he ignored them. He grabbed his phone and started searching the inte. I need to find something. Maybe if I¡­ He didn¡¯t even know what search terms to put in, or where to look. He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. We can¡¯t deal with them. I can¡¯t deal with them. They¡¯re too good together. How are they so good?

    A tournament official walked up to Shanghai High School¡¯s team and informed them that the next game was about to begin and that they had to go back up on stage. Zeng Rui nodded and looked past the official. He saw the audience roaring and cheering outside. He didn¡¯t want to go and he could tell his teammates didn¡¯t want to go out there either. But they had little choice. Zeng Rui took two deep breaths, then raised his head and looked at his teammates. ¡°We¡¯re not giving up. This next game is ours. I¡¯ll tell you guys how as we go. Let¡¯s get back to theputers.¡± I still have time. Walk slowly to the stage. Take our time in Champion Select. There¡¯s still time to think of something. There must be something we can do, right¡­?

    ?

    The mood in High School 13¡¯s team waspletely different from Shanghai High School¡¯s. They were little balls of excitement and nerves. They were so proud of what they¡¯d achieved so far, while also being extremely nervous about the next game. Everything they¡¯d been working so hard for thesest two months was winding down to the final moments. They were one game away from winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! This was their Championship point! Their hearts were pounding in their throats. Beads of sweat were forming on their foreheads. And their hands were trembling.

    Chen Ze looked over at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Those Ahri ys though. You madman. That was awesome!¡±

    Lin Fengughed and pounded his chest. ¡°I know, right! I¡¯m really good at Ahri too!¡±

    ¡°Hey Hey!¡± Wei Dong interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about BunBun! Her Lee Sin basically won us that game single-handedly!¡±

    Chen Ze waved his finger at Wei Dong and shouted, ¡°Right! BunBun was the madwoman! We need a female Lee skin just for her! She was like a pro up there! That was double awesome!¡±

    An Xin shook her head, smiling, and said, ¡°We all did great. It was a team effort. And Lin Feng, learn some modesty, or else¡­¡± She raised her fist and reminded him of onlyst night when she¡¯d punched him in the face.

    Lin Feng, however, didn¡¯t make the connection between the fist andst night. But he did know what An Xin wanted to hear. Heughed and said, ¡°Ok ok, team effort. It was definitely a team effort!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at her four teammatesughing together. She watched Lin Feng and An Xin starting off another one of their little arguments, the murder smile already creeping up on An Xin¡¯s face. Tang Bingyao chewed on the inside of her cheeks and zoned her friends out and let the other sounds in. The cheering audience hit her in full force. They were chanting For High School 13. For An Xin. For Lin Feng. Not for me. I screwed up. I don¡¯t deserve anypliments¡­ I should¡¯ve¡­ If I didn¡¯t try and force a y, maybe¡­ She shook her head and tried to drown out the audience.

    After the audience was gone, her teammates¡¯ conversation entered her ears again. Tang Bingyao stared at the ground. ¡°Lin Feng, you¡¯re so good! And you were also great, BunBun! The best!¡± These were the words of Tang Bingyao¡¯s friends. None of thesepliments were directed towards her. I don¡¯t deserve any. She chewed harder on the inside of her cheeks, stamping her foot on the ground and blinking away a tear. Why can¡¯t I. I¡­ Maybe if I¡¯d done something different? Am I not good¡ª No! She shook her head, banishing thatst thought from her mind.

    Maybe Lin Feng could cheer me up¡­ Tang Bingyao looked wistfully at Lin Feng. He was sitting next to An Xin, their faces awfully close together. She frowned and her eyes felt moist. I can¡¯t be with him. She¡¯s his. They¡¯re so good together. It only makes sense. Tang Bingyao felt her chest physically hurting as thosest thoughts appeared. Then came the memories she had of the times she¡¯d seen Lin Feng and An Xin together.

    The first time An Xin arrived in ss¡­ Why did she have toe to our school?

    Last night, after the Semifinals, when they went home together. Why didn¡¯t he invite me to his ce?

    Laterst night, when they were streaming together. They looked so happy¡­ Everyone was saying what a great couple they were¡­

    Tang Bingyao wiped her eyes dry, and then her cheeks. Why am I crying? What do I care what he does with his life? It¡¯s not my life. She¡¯d long forgotten about the game and her disappointing performance. She was upset about that, no doubt. But seeing Lin Feng happy with An Xin hurt far more! I don¡¯t want to care. I don¡¯t care! He can do whatever he wants! Mhm! She looked up and saw An Xin looking at her. Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide. Did¡­ Did she see me cry?

    An Xin saw the pain on Tang Bingyao¡¯s face. It was the same pain she¡¯d seen the night before. You poor girl¡­ She took a deep breath and then waved for Tang Bingyao toe over. ¡°Tang Tang. Come, join us. The fourth game is about to begin and we need to go over our game n again. I made a couple of changes. I think you might like them.¡±

    Lin Feng turned to look at An Xin and said, ¡°Changes? Why not stay with the samep asst game? Our Mid-Jungle synergy is the best! We¡¯ll wreck them and win that trophy!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go with the same teamposition asst game! Shanghai High School couldn¡¯t do anything against us!¡± Wei Dong said, grinning.

    ¡°Right! Do you two have more deadlybos like the Ahri-Lee Sin one? I want to see something like that again! Madman and madwoman tearing the game up! Come on,e on, show us!¡± Chen Ze said with a big, carefree grin.

    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m the coach,¡± An Xin said sternly. Wei Dong and Chen Ze closed their mouths. Lin Feng tried toin some more, but was quickly shut down. ¡°We¡¯re going for another substitution this game,¡± An Xin said. She turned to look at Wei Dong and continued, ¡°You¡¯re sitting out. I¡¯ll y Support and we¡¯ll have Liu Yue back in the Jungle.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ sure,¡± Wei Dong mumbled. He got up from his seat and waved over towards Liu Yue, then halted. He turned back to look at An Xin and asked, ¡°BunBun, are you sure about this? You and Lin Feng were so good together¡­ I really want to win this tournament, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah! See? They also want to see us y together!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°Just stay in the Jungle! You can always y some duo queueter with Tang Tang if you really want to Support her!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and asked, clearly articting every word, ¡°Are you the coach, or am I? I am, right? Ok. So shut up.¡± She then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and smiled. ¡°Tang Tang, let¡¯s kick some ass together! Show everyone that two girls can beat eight guys.¡± Then she winked.

    ¡°Eight? W¡ª¡± Lin Feng barely got one word out when An Xin red at him. He ducked away and knew that An Xin was serious now, so he kept his mouth shut.

    Tang Bingyao sat in her chair, stunned. Why does she want toe down to botne and be my Support¡­ Is it to babysit me? Is she worried I¡¯ll feed again? She finally nodded and said, ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± But she¡¯s really good at jungling¡­ She looked up at An Xin and said in a near whisper, ¡°Are you sure you want toe Support? I think it¡¯d be easier for you to carry us in the Jungle. I mean, I¡¯ve lost bot three times now and we¡¯ve still won¡­ Maybe just stay in the Jungle and carry us from there.¡±

    ¡°Oh, please! You didn¡¯t lose. You were just in a hardne and you kept it at least even! Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ming to Support you and that¡¯s that,¡± An Xin said, leaving no room for discussion. She hesitated a moment before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me here. This is a serious strategy, and I y a pretty mean Support. Anyway, what do you say? Shall we show these boys how much better we are?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Your Jungle is way better. Why would you go Support¡­?¡± Lin Feng muttered.

    An Xin smiled at Lin Feng, balling her fists, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re really testing my patience. I¡¯ll punch you in the face and then I¡¯ll kick you in your balls if you don¡¯t shut up and do as I say. I¡¯m the coach, not you! If I say you jump off a bridge, I better see you jumping!¡±

    ?

    Shanghai High School¡¯s team walked back up on the stage and sat down behind theirputers again. A tournament official walked over and whispered something into Zeng Rui¡¯s ear. He looked over at High School 13¡¯s team and spotted the change. They had made another substitution. Their coach was now Support and their original Jungler was back in the Jungle. He gritted his teeth and mumbled to himself, ¡°What¡¯s she doing? What is her strategy? Is she just trying to mock me? Trying to get to me? Is that how she wants to beat me?¡±

    ¡°Uh, Captain?¡± a Shanghai High School teammate asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui looked up and nodded at his teammates. Then he said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I don¡¯t know what those guys are up to. They made another substitution¡­ Whatever. It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re sticking to our strategy as nned. There¡¯s no value in throwing things around now. Let¡¯s ban Lenc, Fizz, and Ahri.¡±

    The Champion Select went fast. High School 13 was ying on the Blue Team, while Shanghai High School was on the Red Team. They banned the Champions they didn¡¯t want to y against and picked the ones that fit their teampositions. Then the game went into the loading screen, allowing the audience to see the final line up for Game 4 of the Finals.

    Game 4 of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals:

    High School 13 (Blue) versus Shanghai High School (Red)

    Topne: Irelia versus Gragas

    Jungle: Jarvan IV versus Lee Sin

    Midne: Lulu versus Yasuo

    AD-carry: Vayne versus Kalista

    Support: Nami versus Leona

    High School 13¡¯s substitution was not announced to the audience yet. Some had noticed the line up change, but they weren¡¯t sure what that meant. Then came the loading screen and they could see what changed. An Xin¡¯s name was underneath the Nami¡¯s portrait, while Liu Yue was ying Jarvan IV in the Jungle.

    ¡°OH MY GOD! She¡¯s going Support! She¡¯s going Support!¡±

    ¡°Coach, Jungler, and Support? What is she? A queen of all trades?¡±

    ¡°An all girl botne! ALL GIRL BOT LANE! Show us that GIRL POWEERRRRRRRR!¡±

 Chapter 223: Feelings Realized! Will the Power of Love Prevail!?!?

    The audience couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. Conversations, discussions and arguments broke out between all of the High School 13 students in the audience! Some of them didn¡¯t understand why this change was even necessary. They argued and yelled at the stage about how perfectly in-sync An Xin and Lin Feng were during Game 3 of the Finals. Others yelled about how the two of them made Shanghai High School, who were the favourites for the title, look like beginners. But most of them were just upset by the change and nervous. They looked at each other and talked about how High School 13 only needed one more game to win the whole tournament! They wanted someone to exin what was happening, and none of them could. They moaned about how they thought they were going to be the Champions of Shanghai at the end of thest game!

    The change agitated High School 13¡¯s students because they were already picturing the trophy sitting in their school¡¯s trophy cab! But right as they started to taste victory, the esports team threw a curveball at them. The magical Mid-Jungle duo had been broken up! An Xin left the Jungle to Liu Yue and decided to hook up with Tang Bingyao as a Support in the botne.

    ¡°Crazy? Or crazy GOOD? Maybe she¡¯s an even better Support!¡±

    ¡°Calling it right now! Best Support China! Go Nami, gooooooo!¡±

    ¡°Show us that girl prowess! Guys have nothing on us! GIRLS WILL RULE THE WORLD!¡±

    ¡°Oh my sweet lord, this is sooooooo exciting!¡±

    Shanghai High School was just as surprised as High School 13¡¯s students. The team members had watched Zeng Rui struggle for thest half of the previous game and also during the subsequent break. Zeng Rui had looked lost, as if for the first time ever he didn¡¯t have the answer. He couldn¡¯te up with a strategy to beat the Mid-Jungle pair of Lin Feng and An Xin. And they¡¯d worried with him. They came to him with suggestions, which he wouldn¡¯t even listen to. But they still tried to help him. They wanted to do anything they could to help their team captain. But now they didn¡¯t need to worry about that anymore. High School 13 brought them the solution by changing strategy. They leaned back in their chairs, smiling, rxed.

    Zeng Rui, on the other hand, didn¡¯t share the optimism of his teammates. Something¡¯s wrong. What is she doing? He looked across the stage at High School 13¡¯s team. And at An Xin. Why do I have this feeling again? Last game was the same and then¡­ He shook his head and tried to rid that thought from his mind. Last game is yed. I need to focus on this game. If she wants topete with me for Support, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll just¡­ He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re going to win this one. I¡¯ll show her exactly how good of a Support I am.¡± I¡¯m going to beat her!

    Westwind sat at the caster desk, dead silent. It looked like he¡¯d left his tongue in the breakroom as he was staring at therge screen above the stage. They didn¡¯t just change their lineup, they also changed their strategy. He finally looked over at Silent Reed who was sitting next to him and nodded. Then he grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Looks like High School 13 has a different n in mind for this game. What do you make of this, Reed?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting. Very interesting,¡± Silent Reed replied. ¡°Honestly? I don¡¯t get it. They were so goodst game. They looked unbeatable! And now they change everything. Lin Feng who is by far their best yer even picked Lulu! Lulu is a Support Champion! She is the defensive choice in midne when you¡¯re afraid your team is going to lose! He¡¯s so much better than Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner. Why is High School 13 doing this?¡±

    Silent Reed knew the answer to her question perfectly well. She was merely creating a dialogue, something for the audience totch onto. She winked at Westwind, who grinned and answered, ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty obvious what they¡¯re going for! They¡¯re building a team around the Vayne! She basically has two Supports now! You know what we call this? The ¡®Protect-the-ad-carry¡¯!¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head and said, ¡°I believe you, but¡­ Ok, listen up here. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I really want the girl ying Vayne to do well. I really do. But if today¡¯s games are anything to go by¡­ I mean, it just¡­ It looks like a bad choice by High School 13. Maybe they got a little overconfident after the ease with which they won the previous game.¡±

    Westwind nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! Totally agree with you! I hope for High School 13¡¯s sake that this decision isn¡¯t going to bite them in the ass. Don¡¯t forget, this is the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! You wanna use your best lineup right now! If you wanna try something new, you do it in a practice game!¡± He shook his head a couple of times before continuing, ¡°Anyway, the Champions are locked in. Let¡¯s give it up for both teams one final time before we get into the game. Wooooo! High School 13!¡± He waited a moment to let the High School 13 fans cheer before shouting, ¡°Wooooo! Shanghai High School!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao, the girl at the center of all the upheaval, was not at all convinced of An Xin¡¯s gamen. I lost us the second game. And if it wasn¡¯t for Lin Feng and An Xin, we would¡¯ve also lost the first and third game. I¡¯m feeding! I¡¯m ying terrible! They shouldn¡¯t trust me. We can win this. They can carry us to a win! Why don¡¯t they just do that? I just¡­ I don¡¯t want to feed! They were in the loading screen. There was no going back and reassessing their strategy. Tang Bingyao knew this, but she still couldn¡¯t keep herself from asking over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°B-BunBun, are you really sure about this? Y-you¡¯ve seen thest three games. I¡­ I¡­¡± She lowered her head and sulked. I don¡¯t want to y Vayne and I don¡¯t want to keep feeding and I just want this Finals to end. I want to go home, mhm. I just want to¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know. Just let this end and let me forget it! I¡ª

    Tang Bingyao jerked her head up in surprise as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked up at An Xin, who was sitting next to her, and found the girl smiling at her. Tang Bingyao bit on her lips and wanted to say that she couldn¡¯t do it, but there was something in An Xin¡¯s eyes that kept her from doing that. She looks so confident. How can she be confident after everything that¡¯s happened? She knows how I¡¯ve been ying. Zeng Rui is just too good. I still need to practice more. Just let me practice some mor¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You have me! You saw itst night, right? I¡¯m a pretty good Support,¡± An Xin said. Then she leaned in closer and whispered in Tang Bingyao¡¯s ears, ¡°Plus, we can¡¯t have you embarrass yourself in front of Lin Feng, now can we?¡±

    ¡°N-no! You¡ª¡± Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide. She felt a stone drop to the pit of her stomach. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She knows! S-she knows! H-how? She looked over to her side, where Lin Feng sat. He was staring at his screen, mouthing something. H-he didn¡¯t hear her¡­ Please, please! Tell me you didn¡¯t hear her! She swallowed and turned back to look at An Xin. ¡°P-please, don¡¯t say¡­¡±

    An Xin ced a finger over her lips and shook her head, as if saying, ¡°I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡± Then she winked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Try your best! I know how good you are, and I know I¡¯m not asking too much of you. Now carry us to that trophy!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    High School 13 and Shanghai High School loaded onto the Rift. They bought their starter items at the fountain shop and moved down thenes. Both teams were happy to open with a normal start to the game; there were none swaps nor any jungle invades. The minion waves spawned from the Blue and Red nexuses and marched down thenes.

    Zeng Rui was ying Leona, a strong defensive Champion. She used herrge healthpool to apply pressure on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne and An Xin¡¯s Nami, allowing Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista an easier timest hitting minions. This is going well. That girl is a good support. But not that good. I can handle her. He nced at the Vayne, but then quickly looked back at the Nami. The Vayne is still the same. She won¡¯t be much to worry about. I need to focus on the Nami.

    The new match up in the botne led to both teams ying defensively. The Boners focused on farming minions and were very carefully feeling the other side out, searching for openings tond some poke damage. The mid and topne, on the other hand, saw a lot more action.

    In the midne, Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu was dominating the Yasuo. Lin Feng was a far better yer and Yasuo generally had a difficult earlyning phase against casters. Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu waved her wand around, firing off magic bolts of energy at the Yasuo. She didn¡¯t have much in terms of burst damage, but the constant damage from her ranged auto attacks stacked up. The Yasuo was forced away from the minions and missed out onst hitting them. Then he was forced back to hide underneath his tower. And finally Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu forced him to recall back to base.

    In the topne, the Junglers of both teams were looking to make a gank happen. This evolved into a 2vs2 skirmish. Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV and Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia were fighting against Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin and Gragas. Shanghai High School was the more experienced side, while Liu Yue and Chen Ze couldn¡¯t seem to agree on which Champion to attack, Shanghai High School focused down Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia. He was forced to sh away. Liu Yue shed right behind him, but not before forcing Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin to also sh away. In the end, Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia had to recall back to base, while the Gragas could stay inne. He got to free farm a full wave of minions, picking up the gold and experience, while the Irelia missed out on it.

    Back in the botne, everything was still even. The minion wave was frozen in the middle of thene, right below the river entrance. Both ad-carries, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne and Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista, were almost even in creep score and there also wasn¡¯t much of a difference in terms of health. But even though she was doing well right now, Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t feeling good. H-how much does An Xin know? Will she really not tell Lin Feng? Did she already tell him? She nced at Lin Feng, who wasser-focused on his screen. He doesn¡¯t know¡­ Does he? She pulled her eyes away from him and focused back on her screen. I can¡¯t worry about this now. Mhm! I have to focus on the game. Like Lin Feng! But¡­ What if he knows? W-what will he think? She shook her head and tightly clutched her mouse. Stop this! Stop this! Focus on the game! The game!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vaynest hit another minion. She was lining up for the next one, finding a better frame of mind. And then it was all gone again. She remembered what An Xin had said to her. ¡°We can¡¯t have you embarrass yourself in front of Lin Feng, now can we?¡± Her breathing became flustered. H-how does she know? Did Ren Rou tell her¡­ She looked over the edge of her screen at Ren Rou sitting in the audience. She wouldn¡¯t do that, would she? No. No. Stop this! Stop this, Tang Bingyao! She breathed out sharply and focused back on her screen. Mhm. BunBun is right. I don¡¯t want to embarrass myself in front of Lin Feng. Lin Feng¡­ She thought back to everything he¡¯d told her since they first met. She remembered his kind words full of passion and energy. He¡¯s always believed in me. He keeps saying how good I am¡­ She started smiling, finding it suddenly very easy to focus on the game. His words rang out in her mind.

    ¡°You¡¯re an amazing ad-carry!¡±

    ¡°Join my team! If we¡¯re teammates, I¡¯ll always have time for you!¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a dream, I¡¯ll lend you mine! You can keep it for as long as you want! No need to thank me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao felt all tension escape from her body. Her grip on her mouse loosened and she started breathing in long, calm breaths. She looked over at Lin Feng and felt her smile grow a little wider. I... I¡¯m going to impress you! I won¡¯t ever disappoint you again! I¡¯ll show you I can be the best ad-carry in the world! For you, I want to be the best ad-carry in the world! That¡¯s my dream. Mhm!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne was almost Level 3. She attacked a caster minion. Shanghai High School was still Level 2. Every small advantage was one. Shended a third auto attack on the caster minion. The three silver rings underneath it detonated and killed it. Almost immediately, she heard An Xin¡¯s voice over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, go in!¡± She nodded. ¡°Mhm!¡±

 Chapter 224: Confound Your Lousy Toll, Troll!

    Zeng Rui carefully watched every move of An Xin¡¯s Nami and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne. He spotted it right away when Tang Bingyao went a little more aggressive on a caster minion than normal. Preparing for an engage or just trying to get the level up? Doesn¡¯t matter which. He said over Shanghai High School¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kill that minion!¡± Then he had his Leona auto attack the one he¡¯d pinged, bringing its health down low enough so that Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista could kill it. ¡°Toote now,¡± he mumbled to himself as he watched Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne and An Xin¡¯s Nami reach Level 3. They were already running at him. He moved his mouse over the Vayne and activated Zenith de. His Leona aimed a sr image of her sword at the Vayne. It pierced its target and the Leona dashed towards the Vayne.

    An Xin had been waiting for the Leona to activate Zenith de. It was a brief moment in time where she knew exactly where the Leona was going to be; in mid-dash flying towards Vayne. The exact moment that the Leona¡¯s animation of Zenith de started, An Xin¡¯s Nami tossed a bubble of water right in front of the Vayne. Itnded on top of the Leona, breaking her dash and suspending her in midair.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona couldn¡¯t move nor cast a skill. She was helpless as Tang Bingyao moved past her, ignoring her. She was powerless as the Vayne fired a silver bolt at Kalista. Zeng Rui frantically pushed down on his mouse. Come on! Come on! Break! Shit! He didn¡¯t understand how the Nami had immobilized him mid-dash, but he didn¡¯t have time to think about that. I need to save my ad-carry!

    Tang Bingyao waited for a brief moment after shooting the first silver bolt. Where is the Pierce? Show me your move. She¡¯d yed Kalista a lot and knew how Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carry was going to respond. Hmm! The Kalista formed arge spear in her hand and leaned back, drawing extra power before hurling a fast moving spear¨CPierce! Tang Bingyao was ready for it. She Tumbled to the side before the spear could hit her and then fired off an empowered silver bolt. I¡¯ll win this! BunBun took care of the Leona, I¡¯m going to take care of Kalista! She¡¯s mine!

    Along the bottom side of the botne were three brushes. An Xin had ced a ward in the one closest to Red team¡¯s outer tower a minute before. Right now, a blue pir of light descended on it, signalling a champion teleporting in. Lin Feng announced his arrival over High School 13¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Guuuys! I¡¯m teleporting in for the gank!¡±

    The fight had broken out in the middle of the botne near the river entrance. Shanghai High School and High School 13¡¯s Boners had run at each other and away from the safety that their outer towers presented. They were now so far away from those outer towers that it became incredibly difficult to get back to them if something went wrong. An Xin knew all of this. It was partly why she¡¯d chosen to engage. Lin Feng wille bot. This is gonna be a 3vs2 where Shanghai High School can¡¯t get away. We got them.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista realized the fight was turning against them. She turned around and started running away. This inadvertently had her walking past the wall of stone and trees that separated the river, jungle, andne.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne shed forward with a mottled sh of light and then took therge crossbow from her back. She aimed it at the Kalista and pulled the trigger¨CCondemn! Arge bolt flew out and pierced the Kalista, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the wall. It was also the third boltced in silver. The three silver rings below the Kalista exploded and dealt true damage!

    ¡°WHAT A CONDEMN!¡± Westwind shouted, his voice booming through the speakers in the venue. ¡°The Vayne stunned the Kalista to the wall! The Vayne is good! Give it up for her! Wooooooooo!¡±

    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Silent Reed agreed, smiling. ¡°The timing was so good! She waited for Lin Feng to teleport and only then shed for the angle! She¡¯s going to get the double! She¡¯s getting the double! Come on, girl! You can do it!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu teleported into the brush closest to the Red team¡¯s outer tower. Tang Bingyao was right in front of him. He had his Lulu cast Help, Pix! on her. The purple butterfly called Pix flew over to Vayne''s side, giving her a shield and aiding her attacks. Lulu followed up with Glitternce, a bolt of magical energy that heavily slowed the still stunned Kalista.

    Tang Bingyao smiled. Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu and An Xin¡¯s Nami were Supporting her. Now she had to do her part. This is my kill! She had her Vayne auto attack the Kalista two more times before the stun broke. Then she Tumbled forward and shot the third silver bolt. The three silver rings below the Kalista exploded, dealing true damage, and depleted what little remained of her health.

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Tang Bingyao, An Xin, and Lin Feng wanted to chase after Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona next. But Zeng Rui was already too far away. He¡¯d given up on Kalista the moment that she got stunned. He¡¯d shed towards his outer tower and ran until he was under it. Then he had his Leona keep on running until she reached their inner tower. ¡°Shit!¡± he cursed, grinding his teeth. How did that happen? I knew the ward was there. I saw her ce it! But she hit me with her Aqua Prison. That¡¯s where it went wrong. I should¡¯ve been more careful. I knew she was good. I should¡¯ve seen thising! Ok, reset. Breathe. Calm down. Focus on the game and stick to the n. ¡°Stick to the n, guys,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He nodded at his screen and forced himself to take long, deep breaths until he was calm again.

    The High School 13 students in the audience shot up to their feet and threw their arms high in the air! Their team was winning the game, so they expressed their joy and bliss in the loudest roars they could muster.

    ¡°TANG TANNGGGGGG!¡±

    ¡°VVAYYYNNNNEEEEEEEEE!¡±

    ¡°CCCHHHHAAAMMMMMPPPPIIIOOOOONNNNSSSSSSSSSS!¡±

    ¡°TTAAANNNGGGG TANNGGGGG!¡±

    ¡°WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD WE¡¯RE WINNING!¡±

    Back on stage, Lin Feng was patting himself on the shoulder and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°That was a great teleport gank by me! I timed that perfectly!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Right. Because this was all you, and not at all Tang Tang who made the engage and got the angle for the Condemn. Also, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you trying to steal Tang Tang¡¯s kill!¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned foolishly. Then he said, ¡°Right! Shall we take the tower as well?¡±

    An Xin shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not. No need to rush this. Tang Tang and I are going to farm Shanghai High School¡¯s botne for a couple more kills. Isn¡¯t that right, Tang Tang?¡±

    I got the kill! I got the kill! Tang Bingyao was still cheering herself on when An Xin called out to her. She almost didn¡¯t hear it. But then she looked away from her screen and noticed the audience standing up on their feet and cheering for her. Her heart started racing, her chest was heaving up and down. I did it! I really did it! A wave of euphoria washed over her. I am good! This is how I¡¯m supposed to y! She heard An Xin calling out her name again and looked over at her friend. ¡°Uhh, right,¡± she said. ¡°The tower, right? Mhm. Let¡¯s leave it up.¡± Just one kill isn¡¯t enough. I need to carry this game! I want to carry this game! I¡¯ll show them how good I am!

    ?

    At 6 minutes, three different things happened in the fourth game of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament Finals. Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin was ganking the topne, Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV was ganking the midne, and Tang Bingyao was finally getting into the series in the botne. She stopped tilting and started showing just how good of a yer she really was.

    In the topne, Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia was pushing the minion wave towards Shanghai High School¡¯s tower. He was trying very hard to make the Gragas miss out on minions and fall behind in terms of creep score. But this also left him vulnerable to ganks, and more importantly, to the Gragas¡¯ ultimate skill. Right as Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia pushed the minions into Shanghai High School¡¯s tower range, Gragas hurled his cask at her. The Explosive Cask exploded behind her, the resulting force knocking her underneath the Red team¡¯s outer tower while also dealing a lot of magic damage.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin ran out of the Jungle and into the topne. He ced a ward next to the Irelia and hopped towards it¨CSafeguard! Then hebined his skills to deal as much damage to the Irelia. He first used Tempest, mming his fists down on the ground and slowing the Irelia with Cripple. He followed up with Sonic Wave, locating the Irelia so that he could dash after her if she chose to sh away. But it never got that far. The Gragas Body mmed into the Irelia and the outer tower fired an energy shot which killed the Irelia.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    In the midne, Lin Feng was having a great time on his Lulu. Shanghai High School¡¯s Yasuo was finding it increasingly difficult to even get out into thene. He only got to farm minions when Lin Feng was somewhere else entirely. So Lin Feng walked towards the river, pretending to go and help Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia in the topne. But when he was sure that the Yasuo didn¡¯t have vision on him anymore, he turned back around and hid in the brush next to thene, waiting for the Yasuo to push forward. Oh! This Yasuo is so greedy.

    Lin Feng waited a little longer until the Yasuo walked out into the middle of thene. Then Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu ran back intone. She shed towards the Yasuo, arriving next to him, and used her ultimate skill on herself. She rapidly grew several times in size, knocking the Yasuo Airborne¨CWild Growth!

    Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV came running out of the brush below the midne. He g-tossed onto the Yasuo, effectively extending the knock up. Then he auto attacked the Yasuo with Lulu¡¯s Pixie hovering over his shoulder, aiding his attacks. The Yasuonded back on the ground and tried to get away. But Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu and Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV dealt too much damage. Lulu finished the Yasuo off with her magical Glittence.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    In the botne, after picking up first blood, Tang Bingyao was finding her old, aggressive self again. She saw an opening and exploited it,nding an auto attack on Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona. She followed up with another auto attack, two silver rings appearing underneath the Leona. Then she Tumbled to the side, dodging the Leona¡¯s Zenith de, and fired a third auto attack. The three rings around the Leona exploded and dealt true damage.

    In this entire exchange, Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista didn¡¯t do anything. She¡¯d been too far away, which was the opening that Tang Bingyao had spotted. But the Kalista had arrived and threw a fast moving spear at the Vayne¨CPierce! Tang Bingyao, however, had seen this attacking from a mile away. She evaded it with great ease. All the while, never missing a singlest hit on the minions.

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth, seething. What the f.u.c.k is going on? Were they just toying with us? Why is she ying so much better than before? This isn¡¯t just a difference of Support! What¡¯s going on? He looked across the stage at Tang Bingyao, who waspletely focused on the screen in front of her. She isn¡¯tughing like the thundering dumbass and that coach-Jungler-Support-whatever¡­ Could this really be how good she was the whole time? Was she just really tilted? ¡°Shit,¡± he mumbled under his breath. It can¡¯t go on like this. We¡¯re losing the midne again. If we also lose bot, then that''s game. We¡¯ll lose the finals...

    ?

    At 7:30 minutes, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne was the first Champion in the botne to reach Level 6. Zeng Rui knew they had to do something to keep her down, like they¡¯d donest game. ¡°We¡¯re going in!¡± he said over his team¡¯s voice chat while pressing the E key¨CZenith de! His Leona projected a sr image of her sword towards the Nami. When the image faded, the Nami was briefly immobilized and the Leona dashed towards her.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin ran into the botne from High School 13¡¯s side of the Jungle. He threw out a Sonic Wave that connected with the Vayne. Then he used the second half of this skill, called Resonating Strike, to dash towards her. But right as he hit her, she disappeared.

    A dark aura wrapped around the Vayne as she activated her ultimate. Then she Tumbled and disappeared! The Lee Sin mmed his fists on the ground, revealing all that couldn¡¯t be seen by the eye¨CTempest! The Vayne reappeared right in front of him, with herrge crossbow aimed squarely at his face. Behind him was arge boulder. Before Lee Sin could even start contemting his next move, arge bolt pierced him and pinned him to said boulder. Another auto attack hit him, a second silver ring appearing around him.

    An Xin¡¯s Nami broke free from Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona. She rushed over towards the Vayne and threw an Aqua Prison at the Lee Sin. The bubble arced through the air andnded right on top of the Lee Sin at the exact moment that the stun from Condemn wore off. He was lifted off the ground again, this time suspended within a bubble! Another silver bolt hit him. A third silver ring appeared around him and set off an explosion of true damage!

 Chapter 225: Lead Secured

    ¡¶Red team¡¯s Lee Sin has been in!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOO! HIGH SCHOOL 13!¡± Westwind clutched his microphone, his knuckles white, and shoutcasted the y in the botne, ¡°What a kill! Condemn into Aqua Prison into a breathtaking kill by Vayne! Amazing! AMAZING!¡±

    ¡°AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!¡±

    ¡°GOOOOOOOOO TANG TANG! AN XIN! SWEEEEET!¡±

    ¡°DAYUM! That Condemn was s.e.xier that my s.e.x doll!¡±

    ¡°Girls are better at League than guys! CONFIRMED!¡±

    ¡°OOH OOH OOH! AH AH!¡±

    ¡°WAAAAAAAA! I want your autograph, Tang Tang!¡±

    High School 13¡¯s students and the neutral fans were being treated to an outstanding disy of skill by Tang Bingyao. Their cheers rocked the venue, despite therge part of the audience that waspletely silent. Shanghai High School¡¯s students sat back in their seats, staring at therge screen above the stage. Some of them mumbled their disbelief, while others argued that this simply wasn¡¯t possible. They spoke of how they were the team to beat and that they were supposed to win this tournament. There were a couple of students who started shouting that High School 13 was cheating! They made loud demands for an exnation as to why a Bronzie like Tang Bingyao suddenly got good enough to beat their Challenger-ranked botne!

    ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Silent Reed eximed. ¡°Amazing! You¡¯re right, Westie. The girls are doing amazing! I¡¯m giving them full style points for that y! Lee Sin had no idea what hit him!¡±

    Westwind nodded, smiling, and said, ¡°Them chicas are on FIRE! I gotta admit, I was a little worried about them during Champion select. But what do I know, right? They knew exactly what they were doing when they moved their coach from the Jungle to the Support role. She¡¯s doing great! Kind of like their Miner! Haha, she¡¯s the female Lin Feng!¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head and wagged her finger at Westwind. ¡°No, you can¡¯t say that,¡± she said. ¡°She¡¯s a really good yer-coach! Her jungling was great, and now she¡¯s showing the same finesse as a Support! And she¡¯s probably telling the team how to y the whole time! That¡¯s her skill, and that¡¯s what we shouldmend her for! But enough about her. Look at Tang Bingyao! She was struggling in thest three games! But it looks like she¡¯s finally pulled herself out of that slump! That y just now, the one where she Condemned the Lee Sin and picked up a kill on him, that¡¯s what makes peoplee to the stadium. I want to see more of that!¡± She looked at the stage and shouted a little louder than usual, ¡°YOU GO, GIRLFRIENDS!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao was stillser focused on her screen and holding her breath. She¡¯d gotten the kill on Lee Sin, but she wasn¡¯t out of danger yet. Shanghai High School¡¯s Leona and Kalista were both at near full health, while her health was running low. An Xin¡¯s Nami had already started backing away with only a sliver of health remaining. Can¡¯t let them get the kill. I can¡¯t! She watched every tiny movement made by Leona and Kalista as her Vayne ran back towards the Blue team¡¯s outer tower.

    The Kalista threw a fast moving spear¨CPierce! She Tumbled away from it, opening up a little bit more distance. The outer tower was right in front of her. And then she was under it. Safe! Tang Bingyao finally exhaled and took a rewarding deep breath in. Safe! I made it! I got away. The tension in her body disappeared and was reced by pure joy. I did it! Mhm! I won a 2vs3! I¡¯m winning! I¡¯m finally winning a game!

    High School 13 was up 2-1 in the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Tang Bingyao was part of the team that had won those two games. But they didn¡¯t feel like victories to her. There was a distinct difference between winning a game and getting carried to a victory. And she knew that she¡¯d been carried to those two wins rather than contributing to them. Lin Feng and An Xin had done all the carrying in those games. She¡¯d only been around for the ride and to fill out the numbers. Mhm! This time I¡¯ll carry and win!

    Tang Bingyao thought back to before the game started. She¡¯d felt so reluctant when An Xin ced all that trust in her. She¡¯d tried to argue that she wasn¡¯t good enough and that it really was a bad idea. BunBun was right. I can carry! Mhm! This feels great! She looked over at An Xin who was sitting next to her and smiled. I¡¯ll repay your trust with my best Vayne ever! She then turned back to look at her screen and took a long, deep breath. Mhm! Let¡¯s do this!

    ?

    Game 4 of the Finals for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament had only just begun. The kill score was 3-1 for High School 13 right now. Both their Mid and Botnes had a small advantage. But their Topne had unfortunately fallen behind. Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia was really struggling against Shanghai High School¡¯s Gragas. At first, she could still walk into thene andst hit minions. But as the Gragas grew stronger in terms of levels and items, he started pressuring her away from the minions. She found herself hiding under her own outer tower, afraid to get too close to him and falling even further behind.

    Silent Reed analyzed the Irelia¡¯s predicament and how it could devolve into a High School 13 predicament. ¡°The Gragas is throwing hisrge beer belly around thene after he got that early kill on the Irelia. He¡¯s at a point right now where he can crush the Irelia the moment she tries to do anything! This is a perfect example of how to turn a small advantage into arge one.¡± Silent Reed shook her head, pausing for a moment, and then continued, ¡°The Irelia must be so frustrated! She can¡¯t do a thing. But she also knows that if she doesn¡¯t do anything, she¡¯s going to be a non-factor in this game while the Gragas will basically count for two champions! That can really screw this game over for High School 13. One well ced Explosive Cask¡­¡±

    Westwind nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Totally right! Topne is a hard win for Shanghai High School. But what about the othernes? Come, travel down to the midne with me. Look at what that Lulu is doing. She¡¯s wrecking the Yasuo! It¡¯s f.u.c.k.i.n.g painful to watch! She can just Polymorph the Gragas into a useless critter and take him out ofmission for an entire teamfight! I don¡¯t think High School 13 has anything to worry about! If anything, Shanghai High School should be worried¡­¡± He shook his head while looking at therge screen. The camera moved to the botne. His eyes widened and he shouted, ¡°And it looks like they are worried! Look at Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona!¡±

    Zeng Rui had slipped away from the botne by faking a recall. He canceled the animation right before it finished channeling and then disappeared into the Jungle, where he met up with his Jungler. ¡°We¡¯re ganking mid,e,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he had his Leona run down a carefully nned route. I spent thest few minutes destroying their wards here. That thundering dumbass won¡¯t know what hit him! ¡°Stick close to me!¡± he reminded his Jungler.

    Meanwhile in the midne, Lin Feng was having fun. He didn¡¯t care that An Xin had forced him to y Lulu, who was a supportive control mage rather than the assassins he usually yed. I can y every champion. I don¡¯t care, I love it! He thought back to his old teammates in Season 1. Those guys liked to joke about my unfathomably deep champion pool. Haha, they¡¯re right! I¡¯m really good at every champion¡­ too! He smiled ruefully and mumbled to himself, ¡°I wonder how Tian Tian is doing. I should give him a call¡­¡±

    A new minion wave arrived in the midne. Lin Feng shook his head and focused onst hitting them, extending his lead over the Yasuo one minion at a time. Maybe I can force him to recall. He pushed a little harder, killing the minions as quickly as he could. Then he targeted the Yasuo and hit him with a Glittence. ¡°That¡¯s right! Go and run behind your tower!¡± Lin Feng said,ughing. Then he patted himself on the shoulder and added, ¡°Guess I¡¯m really good at Lulu too!¡±

    Shanghai High School was almost done setting up the gank in the midne. Zeng Rui asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Ready?¡± He was double and triple checking everything, making sure nothing could go wrong. When his Jungler and Miner replied that they were ready, he clicked in the middle of thene and then pressed down on the R key¨CSr re! His Leona called down a beam of sr energy on Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu, stunning her before she could do anything! Then she cast Zenith de to dash towards the Lulu.

    The Lee Sin hopped towards the Leona¨CSafeguard! Then he struck Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu with a Sonic Wave before dashing towards her with Resonating Strike. There, he waited for a moment, allowing the Yasuo to get in range for his ultimate skill. The stun on the Lulu was about to wear off. The Lee Sin couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, sending the Lulu flying towards the Yasuo¨CDragon¡¯s Rage!

    The Yasuo activated his ultimate skill¨CLast Breath! He blinked towards the airborne Lulu and suspended her in midair, hitting her with a flurry of shes before mming her back down to the ground. There, the Leona was already waiting with another stun to keep the Lulu immobilized. The three champions from Shanghai High School linked their crowd control skills seamlessly while also dealing damage.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Uh, where did that Leonae from?¡± Lin Feng mumbled as he stared at his grey screen. ¡°Hey! BunBun! Tang Tang! Where was the missing in action ping?¡±

    An Xin looked over at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We did ping. Repeatedly. You probably didn¡¯t hear it over thepliments you were giving yourself. You¡¯re really good at Lulu too, right? Well, if you really were, you wouldn¡¯t have died that. That was a noob move. I expected better from you.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head andughed the insults off. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. My bad! Anyway, Leona is here. Go make a y in bot already!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s Boners had recalled back to base when Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona started pathing towards the midne. This left Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista alone in the botne. She farmed the minions without having to worry about a thing. A new minion wave arrived and she started clearing it, trying to kill it as quickly as possible. ¡°One more minion, almost there,¡± Shanghai High School¡¯s ad-carry mumbled to himself. The Vayne should be back soon. He had his Kalista retreat just as the Vayne¡¯s summoner icon appeared on the minimap. She was back in thene. Time to back out. GoGoGo!

    Tang Bingyao was smiling when she saw the Kalista getting greedy for one morest hit. yers often forgot the bonus movement speed Vayne received when running towards an enemy champion. This bonus could be increased even further with the Vayne¡¯s ultimate skill¨CFinal Hour! Tang Bingyao activated it. An aura of darkness erupted out from the Vayne! She Tumbled forward for even more speed and chased after the Kalista.

    The entire audience was cheering, some for the kill in the midne and others for Tang Bingyao chasing after the Kalista. Tonji Affiliated High¡¯s ad-carry belonged to the second group. He had his fists clenched and his eyes locked onto therge screen above the stage. ¡°Come on,e on,e on!¡± He watched Tang Bingyao catching up to the Kalista and started grinning. ¡°She¡¯s got this! This is a kill!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne caught up to the Kalista. She fired an empowered silver bolt at the Kalista and quickly followed up with another silver bolt. Two silver rings appeared around the Kalista. Tang Bingyao had just upgraded her items in the fountain shop. One of these items was the Bilgewater Cuss, which had an active skill connected to it. A slow. Tang Bingyao used it on the Kalista, making the difference in movement speed evenrger. She shot a third silver bolt. The three silver rings around the Kalista detonated and dealt true damage!

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista saw her health bar plummet. That stupid Vayne is too fast! Come on. Why does the outer tower look so far away? Do I try and sh? Can I get out then? The Kalista was hit by another silver bolt, her health dipping below half. Shit yes! sh sh! She blinked forward with a mottled sh of light. For a moment it looked like she¡¯d gotten away. Then the Vayne also shed.

    The Red team¡¯s outer tower was getting closer and closer. Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista just needed a couple more seconds! I¡¯m going to make it! I have to make it! A third silver ring appeared around her, causing all three of them to explode. HealHeal! She used her second Summoner Spell to get some extra health. There was a slight dy between the explosion of the three silver rings and the dealing of damage. The Heal registered between these two moments, giving the Kalista just enough health to survive. Come on! I can make it! I¡¯m almost there!

    Tang Bingyao smiled as she watched the Kalista run straight towards her outer tower. She pressed down on her E key and mumbled, ¡°Condemn!¡± Her Vayne pulled therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. Arge bolt shot through the air and pierced the Kalista, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the tower! Vayne Tumbled forward and fired off an empowered silver bolt.

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Tang Bingyao hit down on her TAB key. It showed the scoreboard, including her K/D/A. 3/0/0! BunBun was right! I can do this! I¡¯m really good! Lin Feng was telling the truth! Mhm! I¡¯m going to beat that Kalista! Mhm! She clenched her fist and grinned. I can do this! I¡¯ll show them!

 Chapter 226: Confidence is the Mother of all Skill

    Lin Feng died in the midne while Tang Bingyao picked up a kill in the botne. But he didn¡¯t really care all that much that he¡¯d lost focus and given away a kill. He was ying Lulu, a supportive control mage. She didn¡¯t need gold to do her job; she just needed to be at the right ce at the right time to buff her allies. It was up to Tang Bingyao to do the carrying. A stark contrast from the first three games, where he''d been the one carrying.

    There was a brief respite in the game. Westwind used the time to talk the audience through what had just happened. He leaned into the microphone and said, ¡°It¡¯s starting to look like High School 13¡¯s protect-the-ad-carryposition is slowlying together. The Lulu is scaling pretty well in mid, despite giving away a kill. She¡¯s going to be a real nuisance for Shanghai High School. All she¡¯s gotta do is to use her ultimate on the Vayne and the Fat Lady¡¯s is going to sing. GAME OVER FOR SHANGHAI HIGH SCHOOL! Killing the Vayne before that happens is going to be a real challenge for Shanghai High School.¡±

    ¡°Talking about the Vayne,¡± Silent Reed interjected. ¡°She¡¯s ying really well this game! Look at her score! We¡¯re only 10 minutes into the game and she¡¯s already on a killing spree! She¡¯s ahead of Kalista and Leona is struggling to stay relevant. Shanghai High School needs to chain their crowd control skills together perfectly if they want to keep any hope of killing that Vayne alive!¡±

    ?

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying,¡± Lin Feng argued over High School 13¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Is that I actually helped the team by giving away that kill! Tang Tang wouldn¡¯t have gotten the solo kill on Kalista if it hadn¡¯t been for me forcing Leona toe to mid! So, you see, you guys should really be thanking me!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Thanking you? Are you stupid? You could¡¯ve forced that Leona toe mid and survived, if you¡¯d just put up a damn ward! Why didn¡¯t you ward yourne?¡± She red at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°And am I hearing this right? Are you really trying to take credit for something Tang Tang did? You screwed up and she made up for it by getting a solo kill! Solo. Kill. She did it all by herself! You didn¡¯t have any part in it. Yeesh, what a glory hog.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao agreed. ¡°He¡¯s shameless.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you two are teaming up! That¡¯s so unfair! Guys, help me out here!¡± Lin Feng whined. But neither Chen Ze nor Liu Yue replied. Lin Feng looked over at them but they ignored him. Liu Yue even went so far as to look away from him. He shook his head in disbelief and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys! Oh well, whatever. Tang Tang¡¯s Vayne is fed now. We can all y around her!¡±

    Across the stage, Zeng Rui had a simr thought to Lin Feng. Shanghai High School¡¯s focus was also going to be on the Vayne. ¡°Focus the Vayne first. She has to die before she can kill us,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. She¡¯s 3/0/0 and actually ying really well. Now that she¡¯s got her first big item, we can¡¯t stop her in the botne. And we can¡¯t take any risks either. If she gets anymore fed, we¡¯ll lose this game before the 20 minute mark! We can¡¯t lose this game! They¡¯re on match point. We have to shut her down!

    ?

    At 12 minutes, Shanghai High School and High School 13 were hovering around the Dragon pit. Shanghai High School was closer to the botne, and High School 13 was closer to the midne. They fired skillshots at each other right in front of the Dragon and tried to find an angle for an engage.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Gragas was the first to find an opening. He retreated out of the opponent¡¯s vision and then Teleported to a ward that was hidden in a brush behind High School 13¡¯s team. He came running out of the bush and charged toward Lulu with Body m. Then he linked it together with sh. His momentum was carried over as he blinked forward. His fat belly collided into Lulu and knocked her up. Then he hurled an Explosive Cask into the middle of High School 13¡¯s team. The cask exploded, and all five champions were sent flying in different directions. But the real purpose of the Explosive Cask was to st Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne back towards Shanghai High School¡¯s team, which is what it did.

    ¡°GO IN, NOW!!¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Yauso saw the airborne Vayne flying towards him. Sort of. What he actually saw were the blinking arrows that connected him to whatever Champion happened to be airborne. His instincts as a Yasuo yer responded automatically. He saw the arrows and hit R for his Ultimate with zero concern about where he was headed or where the airborne was. The mark of a true Yasuo. He blinked towards the Vayne with Last Breath and sliced her rapidly with his katana, which kept her suspended in the air. Then he unleashed a mighty sh that mmed her back down to the ground!

    The Explosive Cask had also knocked Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu in the general direction of Shanghai High School¡¯s team. The moment shended on the ground, she sped herself up with Whimsy and caught up to the Vayne. Then she cast Wild Growth on the Vayne! Vayne¡¯s body instantly doubled in size and knocked up the Lee Sin and Yasuo beside her. She also gained bonus health, which she desperately needed after all the damage she took from the initial engage.

    Tang Bingyao activated Vayne¡¯s ultimate skill¨CFinal Hour! A dark aura wrapped around the Vayne as she Tumbled away from the Yasuo, turning invisible. Then she circled around to the Yasuo¡¯s nk, getting the perfect angle for a Condemn! She took therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. Arge, heavy bolt flew out and struck the Yasuo. It lifted him off his feet and pinned him to the stone wall of the Dragon pit. Stunned!

    ?

    Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia and Liu Yue¡¯s Jarvan IV were knocked away from Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne by the Explosive Cask. But they did find themselves close to Kalista. The Irelia dashed at her with desurge! Jarvan IV followed with a g-tossbo and knocked her airborne. Then he came down on her with Cataclysm. He leaped at the Kalista and smashed down on the ground with such force that he terraformed the ground around him into an arena! The impact devastated her health.

    There was no follow-up crowd control after the knock-up, so Kalista could use her skills again as soon as shended back on the ground. She activated her ultimate, Fate¡¯s Call. This skill pulled an Oathsworn ally to her side. Then the ally couldunch themselves forward in any targeted direction.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona was called to the Kalista¡¯s side. He chose to throw himself at the Irelia and Jarvan IV, knocking both of them up into the air. Then he raised his sword and called down a Sr re on the two champions, stunning them!

    ?

    Tang Bingyao followed up on the Condemn on Yasuo with an empowered auto attack from Tumble. Then she shot another silver bolt. Three silver rings appeared around the Yasuo. They lit up and exploded, dealing true damage! She fired several more auto attacks and finished the Yasuo off. All the while, she was dealing with Gragas and Lee Sin attacking her.

    An Xin¡¯s Nami called forth a Tidal Wave and threw out an Aqua Prison. She healed the Vayne and tried to body block the skillshots. But Shanghai High School ignored her and focused down the Vayne.

    ¡¶Red team¡¯s Yasuo has been in!¡·

    ¡¶Blue team¡¯s Vayne has been in!¡·

    Shanghai High School shifted their attention to the other four yers from High School 13. Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu and An Xin¡¯s Nami dodged and weaved the attacks from the Lee Sin and Gragas. The two focused their own attacks on the Lee Sin. It wasn¡¯t much, but the damage from their skillshots added up. They ran past the Irelia and Lin Feng shield the Irelia bymanding Pix the purple butterfly to her side¨CHelp, Pix! Then he buffed the Irelia¡¯s stats with Whimsy.

    Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia broke free from the Leona¡¯s stun and jumped on Kalista again. He stuck close to the Kalista and ignored the Gragas and Leona that were trying to kill him.

    ¡¶Red team¡¯s Kalista has been in!¡·

    ¡¶Blue team¡¯s Irelia has been in!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu and An Xin¡¯s Nami were chasing after the Lee Sin, who¡¯d turned from hunter to hunted. His health bar was dropping fast, and the Lulu kept him slowed with Glittence. He only had to dodge it once to escape, but the Lulu never missed. He tried to get away with a ward-hop¨CSafeguard! But the Lulu was too urate with her use of skills. The Lulu and Nami continued attacking him until thest of his health was depleted.

    ¡¶Red team¡¯s Lee Sin has been in!¡·

    High School 13 had three champions surviving the teamfight; Lulu, Nami, and Jarvan IV. This is where the more strategic aspect of the game came into y. Jarvan IV was High School 13¡¯s Jungler, and he¡¯d survived the teamfight. And they had managed to kill Lee Sin, who was Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler. Whenever teamfights for the Dragon rolled around, the Jungler was the King and Queen. Junglers used the summoner skill Smite. A high damage skill that could only be used on minions and monsters. It was incredibly difficult to kill the Dragon or steal a Dragon kill without this skill. High School 13 had a living Jungler, and Shanghai High School did not. That decided the whole thing. High School 13¡¯s team moved on to the Dragon and started attacking it. Shanghai High School didn¡¯t bother attempting to contest, and pulled back.

    ¡°WHAT A FIGHT! WOOOOOO!¡± Westwind cried out. He raised his fist and shouted, ¡°That went back and forth and back again! But¡­ HIGH SCHOOL 13 CAME OUT ON TOOOOP. Let¡¯s give them a MASSIVE round of apuse! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Silent reed pped her hands and shouted, ¡°The way High School 13 kept their Vayne alive for so long was really special! The Nami and Lulu were phenomenal! That¡¯s how High School 13 won that fight! So, yeah, WOOOOOOO!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked up over his screen at the audience cheering for High School 13. And then he looked over at the two casters who sat on their raised tform. He couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but he could guess. ¡°They left the Vayne alive too long, that¡¯s why they lost¡­¡± Yes. They¡¯re right. We did lose because we couldn¡¯t burst that Vayne down. They¡¯re running a ¡®protect-the-ad-carry¡¯p. If we can¡¯t kill the Vayne, we lose. If we kill her, we win.

    Zeng Rui frowned. But how are we going to kill her? That''s the real question here. Our burst damage right now clearly isn¡¯t enough. Yasuo needs another item and Gragas has to get some more ability power. Then we should have enough damage to kill her, I think... His frown deepened. But this fight was alreadypletely in our favour. The Vayne didn¡¯t have sh or Heal and we got the drop on her! That was the best chance we had! In the next fight, she¡¯ll have her sh and Heal up. It¡¯s going to be really hard to kill her again. We need toe up with something before then.

    ?

    At 17 minutes, Shanghai High School and High School 13 were getting ready for the second Dragon, which was spawning soon. They started moving towards the Dragon pit and were looking to drop some wards down around the area. Shanghai High School¡¯s Kalista was the first to arrive. She walked through her own Jungle into the river below the Dragon pit. There, she walked right into Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne who was walking up from the botne.

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, surprised. What¡¯s she doing here? Half a secondter, she smirked. I can kill her! She pressed down on her R key. Final Hour! A shroud of darkness wrapped around the Vayne! She gained bonus movement speed from her ultimate skill and also from her passive skill when moving towards an enemy champion. Come on! Get in range! She fired the first silver bolt before Kalista could start retreating into her own Jungle. She followed up with a second auto attack. Two silver rings appeared around Kalista. Then Tang Bingyao used the active skill from the de of the Ruined King to slow the Kalista. Next was a third auto attack and a third silver ring that appeared around the Kalista. All three rings exploded, dealing true damage.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona and An Xin¡¯s Nami were too far away from the fight when it happened. They both shouted instructions over their teams¡¯ voice chats while rushing over to help their ad-carries. Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona was the first to arrive at the scene thanks to Kalista¡¯s ultimate skill¨CFate¡¯s Call! His Leona was pulled to her side, and then heunched himself toward the Vayne!

    Tang Bingyao knew this wasing, her finger already hovering over the D key. I can do this! sh! The Vayne blinked forward, straight through the Leona, causing thetter to overshoot and miss. Tang Bingyao then moved her finger over the Q key. Leona had another skill that could close the gap, Zenith de! The sr image of the sword projected out towards her Vayne. Tang Bingyao activated Tumble! She dodged the skill while also perfectly positioning herself for a Condemn on the Kalista. She pulled the heavy crossbow from her back and fired. Arge bolt flew out and struck the Kalista, sending her colliding into the jungle wall behind her!

    ¡°HOOOLY!! ARE YOU SEEING THIS? ARE YOU SEEING THIS?¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone.

    ¡°OH MY GOD! WOOOO! GO VAYNE!¡± Silent Reed cried out.

    The audience was also losing it. Tang Bingyao was doing what she didst game. A 1vs2. But this time around, there was somethingpletely different about it. It wasn¡¯t a move of desperation; it was a well calcted attack. She knew her skills. She knew what Shanghai High School had avable. And she was prepared to dodge everything she needed to dodge to get the kill!

    ¡°TANG TANG GANG BEST GANG!¡±

    ¡°GG TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD! TANG TAAAAAANG! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°SAVE MR. BARBIE! SATANBARBIE¡¯S HOLDING HIM HOSTAGE!¡±

    ¡°ANOTHER SOLO KILL! TANG TANG IS THE BEST!¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE WINNING! WE¡¯RE GOING TO WIN!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG FOR MVP!¡±

 Chapter 227: Itâ€™s All About Tang Bingyao

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re fighting!¡± Lin Feng shouted over High School 13¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Awesome! I¡¯ming in hot!¡± His Lulu was in the midne, which wasn¡¯t all that far from the Dragon pit where Vayne and Kalista were fighting. He sped down the river towards the fight, cheering Tang Bingyao on for the engage she found on the Kalista.

    Shanghai High School and High School 13¡¯s Toners both retreated back to their outer towers. They had Teleport precisely for these kinds of situations. The Gragas teleported to a ward at the Red team¡¯s Blue Buff Camp. He started channeling half a second earlier than Irelia, who teleported to a ward at the river entrance in the botne.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu caught up to Vayne. The Leona had just missed two of her skillshots, while Kalista was still pinned against the wall. He sent Pix over to aid the Vayne in her attacks¨CHelp, Pix! Then he threw a Glittence at Kalista!

    Tang Bingyao had her Vayne continue auto attacking the Kalista. Two silver rings appeared around Kalista. She was one auto attack from dying when the Gragas appeared from the Red team¡¯s Jungle. He Body mmed towards Vayne in a desperate attempt to save Kalista. But Tang Bingyao had kept Tumble just for this. Her Vayne dodged the Body m and fired an empowered silver bolt at Kalista.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tang Bingyao smiled. I got the kill! Then she focused back on the fight. Shanghai High School had four champions left alive, two of whom were trying to attack her. Well, one. She¡¯d seen Lin Feng cast Whimsy on the Gragas, polymorphing him into a useless critter. Why is the Leona sticking to the Gragas? Hmm, probably waiting for the Yasuo and Lee Sin to arrive. Where are they?

    Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia had arrived at the Dragon pit right around the same time the Gragas had. He¡¯d first ran towards Kalista, but she died too quickly. So he turned towards the little critter Gragas and dashed at him with desurge. Then she struck out hard with her des and stunned him¨CEquilibrium Strike!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona had little in terms of damage and he¡¯d already used most of his crowd control skills. He looked at his minimap and cursed. The Lee Sin and Yasuo were both running over from the base, where they¡¯d gone to buy some wards in preparation for the Dragon. His two teammates were too far away from the fight, he needed to buy them more time. His Leona only had one more crowd control skill avable, which was her ultimate skill. I need to at least hit the Vayne.

    Zeng Rui shouted over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get ready to pull back when I stun that Vayne!¡± Then he pushed down on the R key¨CSr re! He pointed his sword up into the sky and called down a beam of sr energy. The incredibly powerful force came quickly, smashing down onto the Vayne and Lulu. Stunned!

    An Xin¡¯s Nami was alsote to the fight because she¡¯d returned to the base to buy wards. But unlike the Lee Sin and Yasuo, she was already on her way back towards the botne when the fight broke out. She arrived right as Leona''s Sr re came down. Then she watched Leona and Gragas running away. Trying to escape? Watch this. She activated her Nami¡¯s ultimate, calling forth a Tidal Wave that came surging after the Leona and Gragas!

    The two champions from Shanghai High School were caught in the Jungle entrance. There was nowhere to escape to. The water towered over them and then came crashing down, knocking them down and then up into the air!

    The Vayne and Lulu broke free from the stun. They joined Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia in chasing after the Gragas and focusing their firepower on him. The Leona was a Support who¡¯d used all her skills. They could ignore her for now. des cut the Gragas, silver bolts struck him, and magical glitter stuck to him. His health disappeared.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Tang Bingyao was so focused that she didn¡¯t even hear the voice announcer. Herst attack on the Gragas was a silver bolt empowered by Tumble. She had done this not only for the extra damage, but also to get an angle on the Leona. She took therge crossbow from her back and fired. Arge, heavy bolt struck the Leona and pinned her to the Jungle wall behind her.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin and Yasuo finally arrived to the fight. They were about to jump in and help Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona escape, when their team captain¡¯s voice sounded out over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Back, you idiots! They¡¯re with five! Don¡¯t give them any more kills!¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at his screen, frustrated. All my skills are on cooldown. If they go in, it¡¯s no different from a 2vs5. We¡¯d just be feeding that Vayne even more kills! Dammit! He gritted his teeth as he watched onest silver bolt fly at his Leona.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    High School 13¡¯s students in the audience were stamping their feet on the ground and waving their arms over their heads. They were screaming about how Tang Bingyao had picked up a triple kill, and they were shouting about how they were only half a step away from winning the tournament! The students who¡¯d been given therge posters at the start of the series proudly held them up again.

    HIGH SCHOOL 13, CHAMPIONS!

    Westwind had been y-by-y shoutcasting the entire fight. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and screamed into his microphone, ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13! WOOOOO! Look at their students! They¡¯re certain of it! They¡¯re going to be the Champions of Shanghai! And man, I can¡¯t me them. Just look at that Vayne! She¡¯s 6/1/2! I don¡¯t know how Shanghai High School ns on killing her. Impossible if you ask me!¡±

    ¡°Not impossible,¡± Silent Reed disagreed. She looked at therge screen, which showed High School 13 taking the second Dragon of the game. Then a graph appeared at the bottom of the screen showing the stats of the two teams. High School 13 was 4,000 gold ahead. ¡°You see that gold difference, West? That¡¯s all on the Vayne. High School 13 is pumping all their resources into her. Shanghai High School can win this. They just have to shut her down.¡±

    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s an easy thing to do!¡± Westwind argued. ¡°Did we just watch the same fight? Or the one before that? Shanghai High School has been trying to shut the Vayne down all game! But look at her score! 6/1/2! She¡¯s unstoppable!¡±

    Silent Reed smiled. Awesome work, girls! Then she said, ¡°The Vayne is doing really good. And I really want to see the two girls from High School 13 winning. But let¡¯s be real here, West. If. And this is a very big if, Shanghai High School can instagib the Vayne, they¡¯ll win this game. It¡¯s doable. High School 13 can¡¯t getcent.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough, fair enough,¡± Westwind agreed. ¡°This game is still wide open! Shanghai High School has some incredible potential to pick off a target and burst them down. They just need to have their Gragas or Lee Sin working together with the Yasuo. Maybe have the Leona help with her crowd control for full effect. And then they also can¡¯t take too much damage from the rest of High School 13¡¯s team. And, and¡­ There¡¯s a lot of things that have to fall perfectly in ce for them.¡±

    Zeng Rui looked over the edge of his screen at the audience. He could feel the vibrations from their jumping, which was incredibly distracting. Then he nced sideways at his teammates. They looked lost. Can¡¯t me them. We¡¯re falling pretty far behind. But it¡¯s not over yet. We still have a chance. Just have to kill that Vayne. He nodded and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Keep your focus. We¡¯re one good fight from winning this.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°That was awesome! But we gotta y safe now! Tang Tang doesn¡¯t have her sh!¡± He looked over at Tang Bingyao sitting next to him and nodded at her. Then he continued, ¡°Me and BunBun will protect you. Chen Ze and Liu Yue, you two dive Shanghai High School¡¯s backline. Time to win this!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Ok.¡±

    An Xin smiled and suggested over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang still has a few minutes before her sh is up again. We¡¯ll wait for it toe off cooldown before we start another teamfight. Sounds good, guys?¡±

    An Xin had made it sound like a suggestion, but the others all took it as an order. They held back on the aggression and slowed down the pace of the game. Shanghai High School was more than happy with this arrangement. They would use every extra second to help their Gragas and Yasuo scale.

    There wasn¡¯t a whole lot that happened over the next several minutes. Both teams focused on farming minions and jungle camps, and staying far away from each other. But that didn¡¯t mean they were blind to good gank opportunities. Shanghai High School found two of them. The first happened in the topne, where Chen Ze¡¯s Irelia got a little toofortable farming under her tower. Lee Sin suddenly appeared behind her and roundhouse kicked her towards the Gragas, who followed up with his own ultimate. The Explosive Cask knocked Irelia halfway across thene toward the Red team¡¯s outer tower.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The second kill happened in the botne. Shanghai High School¡¯s Yasuo roamed down from mid, evading the wards High School 13 had dropped down, and burst into thene. Tang Bingyao and An Xin were warned by Lin Feng only seconds before. But the Leona was already engaging. She tried to hit Tang Bingyao with a sr projection of her sword¨CZenith de! But An Xin had her Nami body block for the Vayne. Tang Bingyao managed to escape on the back of that, but An Xin wasn¡¯t so lucky.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Two kills went to Shanghai High School, but that didn¡¯t change much for the overall game. Tang Bingyao was still strong and continuing to get stronger. But that didn¡¯t mean High School 13 could keep giving away kills. They started ying more carefully, waiting for the third Dragon to spawn. ¡°We¡¯re going to force the next teamfight,¡± An Xin said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ?

    At 23 minutes, the third Dragon was about to spawn. Shanghai High School arrived at the Dragon pit far in advance to set up a wall of vision. They couldn¡¯t back down from this teamfight. High School 13 absolutely couldn¡¯t be allowed to get a third dragon. Plus, they finally felt strong enough to challenge High School 13 in a teamfight. Yasuo and Gragas had both picked up kills in thest couple of minutes and upgraded their items with the extra gold. If they got the pick on Vayne, they could burst her down.

    ¡°It¡¯s about to go down!¡± Westwind shouted into his microphone. ¡°Shanghai High School has been wing their way back into this game! Gragas and Yasuo have the damage to one-shot Vayne!¡±

    Silent Reed giggled and said, ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that Shanghai High School is looking for the engage, right West? They need to get the pick on Vayne and win the teamfight on the back of that.¡±

    Westwind nodded and replied, ¡°Exactly! And this is going to be it as well! Whoever wins this teamfight will probably go on to win the game! It¡¯s do or die! Can High School 13 protect their Vayne for long enough? Or will Shanghai High School get the pick they need to finally turn this game around? They could force a potential Game 5! How exciting would that be!¡±

    The High School 13 students in the audience were shifting around on their seats, unable to contain their worries, nerves, and excitement. They talked amongst each other about everything the casters were saying, including remarks about their school winning the tournament.

    ¡°Just imagine,¡± one High School 13 student said to his friends sitting next to him. ¡°If they win this, we¡¯re the Champions! We might actually win!¡±

    ¡°Might? We¡¯re going to win!¡± one of his friends responded.

    ¡°But what if they catch Tang Tang? Didn¡¯t the casters just say how¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t say it! Positive thoughts only! We¡¯re going to win this! Our team can do this! Mark my words, we¡¯re going to be the best esports school in Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°I hope so, I really do¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up with your stupid pessimism! GO HIGH SCHOOL 13! YOU CAN DO IT, TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°Right! GO TANG TANG! WOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13, CHAMPIONS OF SHANGHAI!¡±

 Chapter 228: TangTang on the Edge!

    Only a minute to go until the third Dragon spawned, but the wheels in An Xin¡¯s head were already spinning as she considered what would happen two minutes into the future. One minute after the Dragon spawned. She knew this was going to be an important teamfight. This could be the fight that decides this game! That was the single overriding thought in her mind, and the motivation for all the decisions she¡¯d be making right now.

    An Xin told everyone on High School 13¡¯s team exactly where they needed to be on the Rift. And then told them to wait until she gave them the greenlight to drop their wards. Timing is everything here! She wanted to make sure that the timing of the warding was as precise as possible, so the entire team could know where Shanghai High School was at all times before this fight and what they were nning. This is it! I think we¡¯ve got it. But I still need to keep an eye out, can¡¯t let them nk us again. Not this time. She nced at Tang Bingyao sitting next to her and took a deep breath to calm down and still her nerves. Then she spoke to the entire team over voice chat, ¡°You guys ready? We cannot lose here! We can¡¯t afford to lose this Dragon or this teamfight! But we¡¯re not going to, right? They can¡¯t beat us here as long as we stay frosty and y smart! We¡¯re at the peak of our teamp right now! We¡¯re going to win!¡±

    An Xin stopped talking right after that, easing into a long, lingering pause. She wanted to make it clear to everyone that this was their best shot at winning this game. And the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Their teamposition gave them the advantage and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne already had 6 kills. ¡°But,¡± she finally continued. ¡°If we lose this one, that¡¯s all Shanghai High School needs to catch up. Their Yasuo and Gragas will only be harder to deal with. It won¡¯t be long before we can¡¯t beat them anymore. This is a race against the clock. So let¡¯s win this fight and then the game!¡±

    Chen Ze nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯ve already been getting stronger. It¡¯s getting harder and harder for me to go against the Gragas¡­¡±

    An Xin smiled and reassured her teammates, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not saying we can¡¯t do this. I know we can! I¡¯m just reminding you that it doesn¡¯t matter how well we did in the previous teamfights. We have to win this one!¡±

    Liu Yue gripped his mouse hard and said, ¡°Gotcha! Focus, focus! Focus! Let¡¯s win!¡±

    Lin Feng had beenughing and carefree for most of the night. He¡¯d even brushed off the kills he gave away with lighthearted jokes. But his trademark grin was nowhere to be found right now. He had his Lulu stick close to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne, panning his camera across the Rift to look for Shanghai High School¡¯s movements. The next y was going to be it. Months of hard work wereing to a head. But there was so much more hanging on this game than winning the tournament. He nced over at Tang Bingyao, worried. She¡¯d yed two bad games and truly tilted in the third one. But she got off to a good start this game. And she really is good at League! She can do this! Lin Feng nodded at himself but then frowned. Her being good and him being his cheerful self hadn¡¯t done her any good in the previous three games. That was when he realized something. He looked forlorn as memories of his own struggles surfaced. Just being nice didn¡¯t help me back then either. What would¡¯ve helped?

    Lin Feng chewed on his lips, thinking about what his teammates could¡¯ve done to help him back when he was struggling in the Season 1 World Finals. What could they¡¯ve done to help me? He shook his head. He didn¡¯t know the answer to that question. But he did know that his friend needed help right now. His help. He looked up at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Hey, Tang Tang?¡± He waited for her to look at him. Then he looked her in the eyes and continued, ¡°Pay attention to your positioning. Don¡¯t jump in right away. Stand back, wait for the right moment. Then you jump in and kill all of ¡®em. Everyone on Shanghai High School¡¯s team! Ace ¡®em! That¡¯s how we win this.¡±

    Tang Bingyao met Lin Feng¡¯s gaze, surprised. She found herself nodding at his words and saying, ¡°Got it,¡± before she even realized it. There was something different in the way he talked. He isn¡¯t grinning or joking. He looks so¡­ so serious. Right then she knew it. Their entire teamposition was built up around her. She had to do the carrying. And he trusted that she could and would carry the team. He¡¯s even ying a Support champion in the midne for me! She bit on her tongue and then repeated, ¡°I got this. Mhm!¡± Then she focused back on her screen. The Dragon was spawning in a couple of seconds. She had her Vayne stand behind Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu and waited for the teamfight to start.

    ?

    The Headquarters for the Hand of God organization was in Shanghai. In the heart of the esports capital of the world. Their League of Legends team had returned home two weeks earlier after getting knocked out of Worlds. That was also theirstpetition of the year. The yers were given some time off to enjoy a holiday before they started their pre-season preparations. But not everyone could just take a break from League of Legends and go to Hawaii for a month.

    The Hand of God headquarters had several gaming rooms for their yers to practice in. Nightsong sat behind aputer in one of them. He rxed in his gaming chair after having just won a solo queue game, though his head wasn¡¯t in it at all. The Finals¡­ No. The finals for the World Championship are going to happen tonight¡­ Season vs SSK. North America and Korea. And you¡¯re sitting here in Shanghai ying Solo Queue. Great work there, Nightsong! He rubbed his eyes, and then he looked at his own reflection in the monitor. ¡°TRASH!¡± Could I have yed better? Maybe, yeah. I¡¯m Nightsong! I fuck harder than anyone else out there! But¡­ would that have been enough? Nightsong leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. I¡¯m good. Hermes is good. Those two Koreans we brought in were pretty good. But are we really good enough? Are we as good as SSK? Am I as good as Rake? He sat up, opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the monitor again. ¡°TRASH! YOU¡¯RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BEAT RAKE! AND HE¡¯LL FUCK YOUR MOTHER AND MAKE YOU CALL HIM DADDY!¡± We shouldn¡¯t have been knocked out so early. Dammit! Why weren¡¯t we better?

    Nightsong shook his head and tried to focus on something else. He hovered his mouse over the y button on the League of Legends client and mumbled to himself, ¡°Should I y another game?¡± But he quickly discarded that idea. There¡¯s only one game I wanna be ying in. And I¡¯m not! He shook his head again and opened his web browser. Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything interesting happening on Huya. That¡¯s better than sitting here and sulking like a little bitch! Nightsong, get your head outta your ass! Stop being sad like a little girl who couldn¡¯t convince her big daddy to get her a lollipop! Do something else! DON¡¯T BE TRASH! DON¡¯T BECOME TRASH!

    The webpage loaded and showed two prominently featured broadcasts. The top one was for the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships. It was showing highlight reels and analysis for SSK and Season, and hyping up the crowd for the uing game. Nightsong clicked away from that and onto the other stream. The official broadcast of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He shrugged and waited for the stream to load. Alright Nightsong, you want to be a baby? Fine. Let¡¯s watch children y League. Maybe you¡¯ll feel better about yourself because you¡¯re better than them. Won¡¯t that be nice? ¡°When did I turn into the trash that I hate? I swear, look at me. I lost one game at Worlds and I¡¯m on the verge of sticking my dick into a wood chipper!¡±

    Nightsong stretched his back and nced at the game ying on his screen. Shanghai High School versus High School 13. Shanghai High School, I remember them. They had that Support who got offered a pro contract. He¡¯s probably better than I am now! ¡°Shit. That¡¯s pathetic, Nightsong!¡± He scratched his nose and thought about where he wasst year. There was no Worlds for him then. He was invited by the Shanghai Esports Association to make an appearance at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. I¡¯m way too good for those little kids. Of course I turned it down! Some of his friends had gone and told him how impressive Shanghai High School was. Promising and good one year and trash the next. Where have I heard that before? ¡°TRASH!¡±

    The spectator view turned away from Shanghai High School¡¯s team and focused on High School 13. More specifically, it zoomed in on the Vayne with Nami and Lulu hugging her. ¡°Huh,¡± Nightsong blurted out. Vayne was his favourite Champion. He knew more about her than anyone else, and he knew almost everyone who was good at her. There was really only one Vayne yer that came to mind that he didn¡¯t know. Could this be him? He thought back to a solo queue game he¡¯d yed more than a month ago. That Vayne from that random game¡­ he wasn¡¯t bad at all. He knew how to y. I never did find out who that was. Maybe it was a high schooler? That¡¯d exin why I don¡¯t know him. And if he is, he¡¯d definitely make it to the Finals of this tournament...

    Nightsong shook his head a few secondster. He didn¡¯t need more than that to know that this Vayne wasn¡¯t that Vayne. ¡°She¡¯s good, but not that good¡­¡± He was about to click away when something else caught his attention. Are these supports on steroids? Their vision is actually good! Nightsong, stop. Have you really sunk this deep? Are you really impressed with how a bunch of kids are warding now? What¡¯s next? You¡¯re going to think that this Lulu is the best fucking yer in the world or something? Jesus! Stop being this little bitch! No one likes little bitches! You fuck them fast and you fuck them hard! That¡¯s the Nightsong wa¡ª

    Nightsong¡¯s eyes went wide and he sat up straight in his gaming chair. ¡°WHAT!¡± The stream was following Lulu. The way she moves¡­ That is¡­ He rubbed his eyes and leaned a little closer to his monitor. Am I losing it? Is that it? How does this Lulu remind me of Hermes? She hasn¡¯t been hit by anything and she¡¯s just where she needs to be every time. There¡¯s always that little extra space. Is this really someone in high school? He fell back in his chair, amazed. ¡°I could¡¯ve yed that¡­ maybe. Nah, I¡¯d get outyed. I hate my life.¡±

    ?

    The third Dragon spawned. But neither Shanghai High School nor High School 13 had found the opening they were looking for. Some Champions ended up getting poked down more than others. Among them, Gragas was the first to recall back to base and recover his health. High School 13 used this window to exert more pressure on Shanghai High School¡¯s team, and attempted to force a teamfight before the Gragas could return.

    Zeng Rui smiled. He asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Ready?¡± To which the Gragas gave a quick, ¡°Yes.¡± Then Zeng Rui focused on the opposing team. High School 13 were going in for the engage. They fell for it. Good. He waited a couple seconds, letting High School 13 push them a little further back then, said over his team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Now.¡±

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Gragas had bought the Homeguard upgrade for his boots. This granted him 200% bonus movement speed that decayed over the next 8 seconds after leaving the base fountain. Most yers used this to run back tone faster, but there was another way to use this speed boost. Champions couldbine it with the Summoner Spell Teleport. The Gragas did just that. He teleported to a ward in High School 13¡¯s bottom side Jungle, right behind the Dragon pit.

    An Xin spotted the Gragas Teleport the moment that the red pir of light descended on the ward. She pinged the yellow retreat signal and yelled over High School 13¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Back! Back! The Gragas! BACK!¡± But she was already toote. She saw a mottled sh of light followed by a pure beam of sunlight mming down on her team. The Leona had engaged with a sh-ultimatebo skill!

    Westwind was up on his feet, leaning on the caster desk with one hand and clutching the microphone with the other. ¡°ENGAGE! ENGAGE! IT¡¯S THE ENGAGE!¡± he shouted out, failing to find any other words.

    Silent Reed leaned closer to her microphone and helped Westwind out. ¡°Shanghai High School found the engage! The Leona got a triple stun! They¡ª¡±

    ¡°THEY STUNNED THE VAYNE!¡± Westwind cried out. ¡°THEY GOT THE VAYNE! SHE¡¯S LOCKED DOWN! THE GRAGAS IS RIGHT THERE AND THE YASUO IS IN RANGE FOR HIS ULTIMATE SKILL!¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on the inside of her lips, trying not to curse at herself. She knew very well that she shouldn¡¯t have been caught by that Sr re. Focus! She activated Quicksilver Sash. This was an item with an active skill that removed all crowd control effects on her. A cleansing light washed over her, freeing her from the stun. Then she ran away into Blue team¡¯s bottom side jungle.

    An Xin activated her Nami¡¯s ultimate¨CTidal Wave! The Nami called forth a wave that crashed through the river and washed over Shanghai High School¡¯s team. All four champions were knocked up and unable to do anything for a good second. But there were five champions on a team and she had no way to block the Gragas that wasing at them from behind.

    The Gragas arrived in High School 13¡¯s Jungle. He charged after the Vayne at 200% movement speed, trying to catch her before she could reach the botne. The rest of High School 13 reacted and moved to intercept him. He Body mmed forward and shed. His momentum was carried over, and he collided right into Jarvan IV. He missed the Vayne by a hair¡¯s breadth. But he hadn¡¯t given up yet. He hurled his Explosive Cask over the Jarvan IV¡¯s head toward the Vayne.

    Tang Bingyao watched the Explosive Casking at her in slow motion. This was it. She had one shot, one opportunity. To seize what she wanted in one moment. She would capture it. I won¡¯t let it slip! Everything ground to a halt, except for therge cask. It was flying at her, her fingers refusing to press the buttons she needed to press. I have to get away! I can do this! I have to! The Yasuo will ult me if I get knocked up! I have to¡­

 Chapter 229: Female Leads are the Best!

    ¡­ sh! Tang Bingyao pressed the button. Vayne disappeared from the Rift just as Gragas¡¯ Explosive Cask fell down on the ground. An explosion of pink liquid and foam sshed out in every direction, sting away the enemy champions caught within its radius! Then Vayne reappeared on the Rift with a mottled sh of light. Dodged it!

    ¡°She dodged it! SHE DODGED IT!¡± ¡°The Graggy ult missed! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Tang Tang shed it! Oh my god! How!¡± ¡°Woooooo! Now win this fight!¡± ¡°PENTA! PENTA! PENTA!¡± ¡°Tang The Carry Bingyao!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wasser focused on her screen. Evading the Explosive Cask with sh was only the start. She activated her Vayne¡¯s ultimate¨CFinal Hour! A shroud of darkness wrapped around the Vayne, boosting her stats. She Tumbled towards the Gragas, who was suddenlypletely out of position, and fired an empowered silver bolt at him! A second one followed soon after. And then came the third. Three silver rings appeared around the Gragas. They lit up and exploded, dealing significant damage to his health!

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse. The fight wasn¡¯t going as nned. Gragas was below half health after only a few attacks and they¡¯d failed to knock up the Vayne! But there was no time to get angry or distracted right now. We can¡¯t get split up or Vayne will eat us alive! We need to get that knock up on her! He swallowed hard and then shouted over Shanghai High School¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lee, jump and ult the Vayne!¡±

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Lee Sin was already moving towards the tri-brush connecting Blue team¡¯s Jungle with the river and botne. He dropped down a ward at the Jungle entrance and hopped towards it with Safeguard! Just as hended, he used his Sonic Wave! A st of vibrating air from his fist raced towards Vayne, ready to mark her.

    Tang Bingyao knew the Sonic Wave wasing. And she also knew that she absolutely had to dodge it. This fight revolved entirely around her not getting knocked up into the air. I¡¯m doing it! Gragas¡¯ ultie is down. Now I have to stay away from Lee Sin. I can¡¯t let him get to me. I can¡¯t let the team down like that! He¡¯s going to try and dash at me. Be ready. Be ready! She spotted Lee Sin¡¯s skill animation and tapped down on her Q key. Her Vayne Tumbled to the side, dodging the Sonic Wave, and turned invisible.

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Jungler cursed. His Sonic Wave had missed and the Vayne was now invisible! I need to see her for my ultie! He ced a vision ward down in the tri-brush. The wooden base lodged itself into the ground. Two wings spread out from the sides. Then the gem at the top started radiating a pink light, revealing Vayne. Lee Sin¡¯s eyes went wide as he screamed out, ¡°Fuck!¡±

    There wererge boulders and walls of stones and trees everywhere in the Jungle. After Tumbling away from the Lee Sin, Tang Bingyao walked around him and lined up for the Condemn. She pulled out her heavy crossbow and fired! Arge, thick bolt collided into Lee Sin and pinned him to the jungle wall! Then she ignored him and turned back to the Gragas. I can¡¯t let him get his skills back off cooldown! I have to kill him now. Mhm!

    Lee Sin¡¯s interference had given Gragas just enough time to run away from the Vayne. But he was still in the middle of High School 13¡¯s team. Skillshots were being flung at him and he was trying to dodge them as best he could. He zigzagged past a g-tossbo from Jarvan IV. And ran straight into Nami¡¯s Aqua Prison. The bubble wrapped around him and lifted him up into the air. He was helpless, because skills and auto attacks could hit him while he was trapped inside the bubble. But he couldn¡¯t walk. Or walk out of it. Then the silver bolts came again. Three of them to be exact. Then he watched his health disappear.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Ren Rou jumped up and balled her fists, screaming, ¡°YES!¡± Then the tsunami of cheers from the audience mmed into her from behind. She shook her head and looked back over her shoulder. The audience was louder than ever before! And they were all screaming Tang Bingyao¡¯s name! ¡°Good job, Tang Tang,¡± Ren Rou mumbled, smiling.

    Ouyang had also jumped to his feet. He threw one arm around Ren Rou¡¯s shoulder and the other around Yang Fan¡¯s, forcing both of them to jump with him. Tears were streaming down his face as he yelled as loudly as he could, ¡°WE¡¯RE WINNING! WINNING! We¡¯re going to win the whole damn thing!¡±

    Yang Fanughed and also put his arm around Ouyang. ¡°Yeah, we are! Tang Tang is ying fantastically! She¡¯s going to bring the trophy home for us!¡±

    Wei Dong didn¡¯t jump up, but he was just as happy as the rest. If not happier. I knew I wasn¡¯t good enough for you, Tang Tang. Just look at you! You get a good Support and you¡¯re carrying so hard! You¡¯re so good at this game. It¡¯s a damn pleasure every game I get to y with you! He took a deep breath. Then he stood up, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°YOU GO GIRL!¡±

    Back on stage, Tang Bingyao was more focused than she¡¯d ever been. One down, four to go. She flicked her mouse, repositioning her Vayne, and started attacking the Lee Sin. He was still stunned, so he couldn¡¯t get to her. Why aren¡¯t his teammates helping him? Am I missing something? She nced over at the river to see what was happening over there and then smiled. He always has my back. I need to have his back too! Mhm! I have to kill Lee Sin fast!

    ?

    Lulu and Irelia hadn¡¯t dodged Gragas¡¯ Explosive Cask. They were knocked back in the direction of Shanghai High School¡¯s team. The Yasuo ran at them and then dashed through them, sweeping his katana out around him. This was abination of the skills Sweeping de and Steel Tempest. Then he struck out with his katana in a straight line¨CSteel Tempest! The third consecutive use of this skill was different. Winds howled around the Yasuo, screaming to be unleashed. Steel Tempest! He shed out with his katana and kicked up a whirlwind! It swept through Lulu and Irelia, knocking them up into the air! Then he activated his ultimate¨CLast Breath! He blinked toward the two airborne champions and kept them suspended in midair with a flurry of shes. Then he mmed them back down to the ground with one final blow!

    Lulu fell back to the ground. ¡°This is for you, Tang Tang,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. Then he shed into Shanghai High School¡¯s backline and cast Wild Growth on himself. Lulu¡¯s body exploded in size! She gained an additional pool of health while also knocking the Yasuo and Kalista Airborne! ¡°The Kalista! Focus the Kalista!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Chen Ze had started attacking Yasuo but quickly stopped. The Kalista was right in front of him. He dashed at her with desurge while simultaneously activating his ultimate¨CTranscendent des! Four spirit des appeared from beyond the veil and hovered above Irelia¡¯s shoulders. Then, at hermand, they all flew towards Kalista.

    Kalista started the game with an exclusive item. The ck Spear. She could use this on an allied champion to soul-bind them to her for the rest of the game. There were several perks that came with this connection. The most important one being Fate¡¯s Call. Kalista could pull her soulbound ally to her side, after which the soulbound ally could choose any direction to throw themselves in. Leona was the soulbound champion in this game.

    Leona morphed into spirit form as she was pulled in by Kalista. She waited half a second for Lulu and Irelia to be just where she wanted them to be, and then threw herself at them! Leona regained her body as she barreled into Lulu and Irelia, knocking them both up in the air! Then she Exhausted Irelia and mmed herrge shield against Lulu. The Shield of Daybreak left its target stunned!

    ?

    There was so much going on in the game that it was hard for the people watching to follow everything that was happening. They were practically watching two teamfights happen at the same time! Lee Sin was fighting against Vayne, Nami, and Jarvan IV in the Blue team¡¯s Jungle. Then there was another fight happening in the river. Yasuo, Leona, and Kalista were trying to kill Lulu and Irelia, so that they could help their Lee Sin. Multiple health pools were dropping fast. And it looked like either team could get aced at any second now. The audience fell silent in response to this, students from both schools afraid that the slightest distraction could see their team losing.

    Westwind and Silent Reed were doing their best to y-by-y cast the fight, but theirmentary became a jumbled mess. They were finding it difficult to focus on both fights at the same time and even caught themselves mentioning a Champion or skill that wasn¡¯t even in the game. This only added to the confusion for the people in the venue and those at home. But there were some more experienced yers who knew exactly what was going on. Nightsong was one of them.

    Nightsong was still watching the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. More specifically, he was paying close attention to Lulu. I¡¯m losing it! Look at that fucking bush midget go! I should call Hermes¡­ Nah. Don¡¯t do that, Nightsong. You¡¯re better than that. ¡°SHANGHAI HIGH SCHOOL IS ABSOLUTE TRASH! THEY JUST GOT TENTACLE-COCK-WHIPPED BY THAT LULU! High School 13¡¯s won this. I can¡¯t believe they let trash like Shanghai High School get all the way to the Finals.¡± He mmed his fist on his desk and said, ¡°I could¡¯ve done that too! Easy! sh in to block three champions and make sure Vayne only ever has to fight against one enemy¡­ Nah, I couldn¡¯t have. Fuck me hard.¡±

    ?

    Back in the game, Zeng Rui had to make quick decisions. Lulu and Irelia were blocking them from getting to Vayne. We need to get that knock up. I don¡¯t know how else we''re going to win this¡­ He shook his head. Every fiber in his body was telling him that they had to take the Vayne out as soon as possible. But he didn¡¯t see how they were going to get to the Vayne with Lulu and Irelia interfering. So he made the call. ¡°Kill the Lulu first!¡±

    Leona attacked Lulu with her sword, and Yasuo did the same with his katana. But most of the damage came from Kalista. She hurled her spirit spears at Lulu, impaling her. Lulu¡¯s health dropped fast as the number of spears lodged into her body increased from one to two to five! Lulu only had a small bar of health remaining. Kalista suddenly pulled back with her entire body, ripping out the spears! They dealt an escting amount of damage!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Irelia next! Irelia! Irelia!¡± Zeng Rui shouted over Shanghai High School¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Get Kalista! Get Kalista!¡± Lin Feng shouted over High School 13¡¯s voice chat.

    Chen Ze ignored his red-shing screen. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to make it out alive, but he was determined to take Kalista down with him! Leona tried to slow him, Yasuo¡¯s katana was cutting away at his health, and Kalista¡¯s spirit spears impaled him! But he kept hacking away at Kalista with his des. All the while, Vayne, Nami and Jarvan IV were killing Lee Sin in the tri-brush.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·¡¶Red team¡¯s Kalista has been in!¡·¡¶Blue team¡¯s Irelia has been in!¡·

    Yasuo ran straight for the tri-brush after killing Irelia. There, he shed past the Nami and Jarvan IV and dashed into Vayne with the Sweeping de-Steel Tempestbo! His katana cut through the Vayne, decimating her health!

    Westwind finally found his bearings again. ¡°WOOOO! For all the kills! WOOOO! Haha!¡± He quickly wiped away the sweat from his forehead and then shouted, ¡°Yasuo¡¯s damage is too damn high! He just killed Irelia and is still at almost full health! Can he get a veryte knock up on Vayne? He can still turn this fight around!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t let the high damage values from Yasuo get to her. Her hand-speed ramped up to over 300 actions per minute! There were far too many variables for her to calcte, so she let instinct take over. She dodged Yasuo¡¯s katana and fired back a silver bolt. Then she ran away before repeating this process again.

    One of Vayne¡¯s main items was de of the Ruined King. This item had an active skill linked to it that could drain health from a target and slow them. It¡¯d been on cooldown when the fight started, but there were now only a couple seconds left before she could use it again. Tang Bingyao nced at the item. 3, 2, 1¡­ She used the de of the Ruined King on Yasuo, draining his health and more importantly slowing him. Mhm! She started smiling, clicking even faster! I¡¯m winning! He can¡¯t catch up to me anymore! He can¡¯t catch me! I¡¯m going to win!

    Shanghai High School¡¯s Miner knew he was in trouble. He¡¯d been closing in on the Vayne, but just getting near her wasn¡¯t enough. He had to get on top of her and kill her, or she was going to kill him. Then he was hit by the slow. No! This can¡¯t be happening! I have to do something! ANYTHING! My next Steel Tempest is a knock up. Maybe if I kill vision and catch her off guard? No time to think. I have to try. He dove into the nearest brush, killing High School 13¡¯s vision of him, and then unleashed the whirlwind at Vayne. ¡°Eat this!¡±

    The audience cried out in surprise and Westwind shouted that Shanghai High School was finally going to get the knock up! But Tang Bingyao was far too good to be fooled by this kind of trick. She knew that the only reason that Yasuo had broken vision was to catch her off guard with a whirlwind. Before she could even see the attack, she Tumbled away from it.

    The whirlwind blew past Tang Bingyao,pletely missing her. She then focused back on Yasuo. He tried to get away, but there was no one like Vayne when it came to chasing down a target. She had multiple skills that granted her movement speed for running towards an enemy champion. One silver bolt hit the Yasuo. Then came a second. And finally a third. The three silver rings that appeared around the Yasuo detonated!

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    Zeng Rui had tried to save his Miner until the veryst moment. But Jarvan IV and Nami were too good at keeping him at bay. He finally started retreating after Yasuo died, but it was already far toote for that. He was deep in High School 13¡¯s Jungle and surrounded by three enemy champions. His teammates were shouting over the voice chat, telling him to please make it out alive. He just shook his head. We fucking lost it. That was our fight. How did she sh that Gragas ultie? Everything went wrong from there. We should¡¯ve never taken so long to kill Irelia and Lulu. But we couldn¡¯t just ignore them either...

    An Xin locked Leona up in an Aqua Prison. Then came Jarvan IV with his g-tossbo, knocking Leona up in the air. All the while, Vayne was shooting silver bolts. One, two, three... Boom! The attacks kept connecting and despite Leona¡¯srge healthpool, she died in a matter of seconds.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·¡¶Aced!¡·

    Tang Bingyao stared at her screen in disbelief. The audience was so loud that no noise-canceling headphones could block it. Her teammates were cheering her on over the voice chat. But it was all a distant background noise to her. She just stared at her screen. At her 10/1/2 Vayne KDA. Then realization set in. ¡°I-I did it. Mhm!¡± She smiled and balled her fist. I did it! I carried! Mhm! We won because of me!

 Chapter 230: A Triumph that Marked the End of the Beginning!

    ¡°TANG TANG GANG! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°WE WOOOOOOOOON!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you guys? Didn¡¯t I? Didn¡¯t I? Tang Tang is the best!¡±

    ¡°AWESOMESAUCE! EASY WIN!¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WIN! WIN! WIN!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG IS THE BEST! GOOOOOOO TANG TANG!¡±

    The audience couldn¡¯t get enough of Tang Bingyao after her quadra kill! They screamed her name at the top of their lungs! They begged and vowed to name their first born after her! And they pleaded for her to host a League seminar! Even some of the Shanghai High School students in the audience stood up and pped for her. Tang Bingyao had won their respect by persevering anding through for her team despite how badly the other games in the Finals went for her. They quietlyplimented her for being tilt-proof.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s teammates were just as hyped. Liu Yue unleashed a stream of verbal diarrheaplimenting and congratting here. Chen Ze gushed about how awesome she was for getting a quadra kill in a major tournament. And as Tang Bingyao looked over at Lin Feng, she noticed that his serious expression had evaporated. He was grinning again and gave her a double thumbs up! She started beaming. W-we won the teamfight¡­ I didn¡¯t let them down. I got a Quadra! She nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Mhm!¡± Then she pumped her fist up in the air and screamed, ¡°I¡¯m a really good ad-carry!¡±

    An Xin looked at Tang Bingyao and smiled. Then she winked and said, ¡°You are! That was so good!¡± I knew you had it in you! You¡¯re so talented at this game! You just needed a little confidence booster! I¡¯m so happy that you got this quadra kill! Now we can focus on ending this game.

    The happiness on High School 13¡¯s side of the stage waspletely different from the heavy silence shrouding Shanghai High School¡¯s team. After Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona died, all five team members had slumped back into their seats and were now just staring at their grey screens. The Jungler was the first to open his mouth. He said, almost in disbelief, ¡°We lost¡­ to them.¡±

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath. We¡¯ve lost. They had an answer for every strategy I came up with. Almost as if they knew what I was going to do before even I knew¡­ They outyed me, and now they just have to finish it. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re going to give this away. We lost¡­ I lost. But¡ª He opened his eyes and sat up straight in his gaming chair. We¡¯re not going to give up. We¡¯re never going to give up! He took another deep, long breath and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°That was it, guys. We lost. They¡¯d have to make a bunch of poor ys and mistakes in a row for us to have any chance of turning this around. And I highly doubt that¡¯ll happen. We¡¯ve yed three games against them, I know you¡¯ve got their measure now too. They¡¯re going to win. But. Let me be very clear here. That doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯re going to give up. I don¡¯t care how you feel right now. We came here to fight and that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re going to do! If they want to win, they¡¯re going to have to earn it! We¡¯re going to make it as hard as we possibly can for them! And even if we lose, we¡¯ll lose with our heads held high! We¡¯ll take pride in knowing that we yed our hardest out there and kept fighting until the absolute end!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports club members didn¡¯t stop screaming and cheering after Tang Bingyao¡¯s quadra kill, even when everyone else did. Their fellow students gave them odd looks and a few tried to shush them. But the club members had no intention of sitting around quietly, not when their school and their club was about to win its first real trophy! They tried to exin that the game had already ended. That High School 13 had won! They tried telling the other students that the Esports Team just had to y the game out for the official victory. But no one was listening. So they started shouting again, their voices so full of confidence that the other students started believing them.

    ¡°CHAMPIONS! WE¡¯VE WON! WOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°HIGH SCHOOL 13, CHAMPIONS! HAHAHA!¡±

    ¡°THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! OH MY GOD, THEY DID IT!¡±

    ¡°ARE WE REALLY DOING IT? YES WE ARE! YES WE ARE!¡±

    ¡°AHHHHHHH I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE THIS! WE¡¯RE GETTING OUR FIRST EVER TROPHY!¡±

    ¡°BRING THAT TROPHY HOME, TANG TANG!¡±

    Mr. Zhou, the club director at High School 13, sat at the front of the venue next to Ren Rou. He looked over his shoulder at the students screaming that they¡¯d won the Finals already. Then he turned back and looked at therge screen above the stage. We won? Why are they still ying then? I should¡¯ve really looked into what this game is¡­ He looked over at Ren Rou. She¡¯s going to fall off her seat if she leans any further forward. And¡­ is she crying? ¡°Uhh, Miss Ren Rou, excuse me? Can you tell me what¡¯s going on? Did we win already? Why are they still ying then?¡±

    ¡°HELL YEAH WE¡¯RE WINNING!¡± Ouyang shouted out before Ren Rou could say anything. He was lost in euphoria and hadpletely forgotten that he was talking to a teacher. ¡°Bro, bro, don¡¯t you see? Tang Tang has 10 kills! 10! And they also got the third Dragon! Shanghai High School has lost! Hahaha! They lost! We really won! We¡¯re getting the trophy!¡±

    Mr. Zhou¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. Then he smiled and asked, ¡°So they¡¯ve won? But they still have to y? How does that work?¡±

    Yang Fan threw one arm around Ouyang and pushed his sses back with the other. ¡°Basically. Yes, sir. In short, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne deals an intenselyrge amount of damage. Then you got Chen Ze, Liu Yue, and Lin Feng. They¡¯ve gotten enough gold to buy all the defensive items they need for their champions. They¡¯re unkible. So all they have to do now is stand in front of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne to protect her while she quickly kills every enemy champion. There¡¯s nothing Shanghai High School can do to stop them. We just have to push forward as a team and destroy the Nexus. Then the game will be officially over and we¡¯ll have won! Officially!¡±

    ¡°AND THE FINALS! WE ALSO WIN THE FINALS!¡± Ouyang shouted, mad with joy.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Mr. Zhou eximed. Then he started grinning uncontrobly and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. We¡¯re actually going to win something! I knew our school had to have some talented students! Ha! Maybe you guys can teach me how to y this game one of these days. I¡¯d like to learn it.¡±

    Ouyangughed and shouted, ¡°OF COURSE! US BROS WILL GET YOU TO DIAMOND! NO PROBLEM!¡±

    Mr. Zhou shook his head, smiling. This is what we¡¯ve been missing. A big win. Just look at these students. They¡¯re so happy! I didn¡¯t realize how much they needed this until now. I can¡¯t even be mad at him for not calling me sir. He nodded at Ouyang and said, ¡°That sounds good. Thank you, Ouyang. Let¡¯s watch them win first.¡± Then he looked back up at the screen, where High School 13 was pushing down the midne.

    ?

    An Xin knew exactly what the team needed to do to bring this game home. I just have to make sure we don¡¯t put ourselves in positions where we can blunder. We have to group up and keep Tang Tang alive! She looked at her four teammates sitting next to her and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, guys. We haven¡¯t won just yet. Our biggest mistake right now would be to lose focus.¡± She waited a minute to let that information settle in, then continued, ¡°But we¡¯re not going to make that mistake. I won¡¯t let you! We¡¯re going to team up and push down for objectives as a team. Protect Tang Tang and let her carry us!¡±

    At 26 minutes: High School 13¡¯s teamposition became unstoppable. Shanghai High School tried to put up a defense, but was pushed back even when hiding beneath their own towers. High School 13 destroyed the outer and inner tower in the midne, the botne, and finally also in the topne.

    At 28 minutes: High School 13 escorted and sheparded arge minion wave down eachne and unleashed them en masse on Shanghai High School¡¯s base. This forced Shanghai High School to choose between defending their base by killing the minions or giving up the base to try and stop High School 13 from taking Baron Nashor. Neither option was desirable. Zeng Rui attempted to do both. He sent his Jungler to try and steal the Baron, since whoever dealt the killing blow got the buff. Then he had the rest of the team defend their base from the minion onught. It was a hail mary that failed. High School 13 secured Baron Nashor and then killed Lee Sin.

    At 29 minutes: Shanghai High School had a difficult choice to make. Their Jungler was dead, High School 13 had the Baron Buff. Zeng Rui eventually decided that there was no scenario in which they could win a 4vs5 against High School 13 without Lee Sin. So he told his teammates to give up on defending the inhibitors. They were going to buy at the shop and prepare for a final stand at the Nexus.

    High School 13 remained careful. They stuck together as a group and took down the inhibitor towers and then the inhibitors methodically. An Xin led them from the topne to the midne and finally the botne. The towers fell and the inhibitors exploded, which allowed the Blue Base to start spawning Super minions.

    At 30 minutes: Lee Sin respawned and Shanghai High School¡¯s team was back to full strength. All five champions gathered around the two nexus towers and were busy killing the first Blue minion waves that had barreled into their base.

    High School 13 stopped out of range from Shanghai High School¡¯s Nexus towers. They were waiting for more minions to arrive. All five of them still had Baron Nashor¡¯s Buff. This didn¡¯t just grant stat bonuses to champions, but also to nearby minions. Melee minions, Caster minions, and Super minions all received a massive boost in strength as they arrived in Shanghai High School¡¯s base.

    Zeng Rui realized his team wasn¡¯t strong enough to repel the minions while also defending against High School 13. So he made the final decision to force an engage. He knew that this was exactly what An Xin wanted him to do. But he had no other choice. Shanghai High School engaged High School 13. And was ughtered.

    High School 13 killed all five Champions from Shanghai High School, an Ace. Tang Bingyao added a triple kill to her already phenomenal performance this game. Then they destroyed the Nexus towers and finally the Nexus itself. The red energy contained within exploded outwards and morphed into the victory emblem.

    VICTORY!

    ¡°WE WOOOOOON!¡±

    ¡°CHAMPIONS! YAAAAAAH YEAH AHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE THE CHAMPIONS!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHA! FUCK YEAH! WE¡¯RE THE BEST!¡±

    ¡°WE DID IT! WE DID IT! HOLY SHIT, WE DID IT!¡±

    ¡°OUR FIRST TROPHY EVER! WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°VIIICCCTOOOORRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!¡±

    The host of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament stepped onto the stage. He looked out over the cheering crowd and shouted, ¡°High School 13 are the Champions of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! They have defeated Shanghai High School 3-1 in the Finals!¡± He paused as a new wave of cheers rocked the venue. Then he continued, ¡°It¡¯s been an incredible journey for High School 13! They started this tournament at the bottom, withst year¡¯s disappointing performance weighing them down. We counted them out, but they came in looking for redemption! And THEY FOUND IT! They beat everyone in their path, all the big names along the way! They toppled Tonji Affiliated High in the qualifiers! They shredded Shanghai International in the seat-of-your-pants semifinals! But this underdog of a team wasn¡¯t satisfied with that! Nope! They didn¡¯t stop until they¡¯d beaten Shanghai High School in what I can only describe as the highest quality Finals matchup we¡¯ve ever seen here in the history of the tournament! Hate it or love it, the underdog¡¯s on top! They¡¯re going to shine until their hearts stop! Let¡¯s hear it for them! TO THE CHAMPIONS OF THE SHANGHAI 16 SCHOOL TOURNAMENT¡ªHIGH SCHOOL 13!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng shot up from his chair, threw his fist up in the air, and screamed, ¡°WE¡¯VE WON!¡±

    Liu Yue followed Lin Feng¡¯s example. He jumped to his feet and threw his hand in the air, shouting, ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡± Then he tried to give Lin Feng a high five, which ended in an awkward fist bump that sent An Xin into a fit of giggling. He dropped his hand back down and mumbled, ¡°Thanks for carrying me.¡±

    An Xin walked up to him and raised her hand. ¡°HIT ME, I want a high five too! p it as hard as you can!¡±

    Liu Yue hesitated briefly, but then grinned again. He raised his hand and high-fived An Xin¡¯s hand as hard as he could.

    ¡°We won. We actually won¡­¡± Chen Ze muttered, staring at the victory crest on his screen. He then looked over at Lin Feng, An Xin, and Liu Yue and repeated, ¡°We actually won. It¡¯s mad!¡± He got up,ughing incredulously, and gave Liu Yue a high five.

    Lin Feng suddenly pointed at the stairs up the stage. Ouyang was running up, followed by Yang Fan, Ren Rou, and finally Wei Dong. ¡°Hey! We won!¡± he shouted at them, throwing his balled fist up in the air again. Yang Fan jumped on Lin Feng and hugged him, a move he¡¯d seen footballers do on television, while Ren Rou and Wei Dong ran straight past Lin Feng to congratte Tang Bingyao.

    Ouyang didn¡¯t see his teammates anymore. Nor could he hear them. The moment that the victory emblem appeared on therge screen, all he could see was the trophy. WE¡¯VE WON! THE TROPHY IS OURS! He stopped in front of therge cup and wrapped his hands around the base. He then looked out over the audience and raised it up over his head, screaming, ¡°WE WOOOOOOOOOON!¡± He dropped to his knees, still holding the trophy above his head, and started weeping in joy.

    The other eight team members chased after Ouyang. Ren Rou was the first to arrive. She flicked his forehead and took the trophy from him. She then clutched it in her embrace before handing it over to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Here. You carried us. We got this trophy thanks to you!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at the trophy that was pushed into her hands. How did I get here? I was just sitting behind theputer and ying¡­ She saw her reflection in therge cup, and her friends celebrating around her. The game is over. We won. It was taking a while to process. She hadn¡¯t really noticed anything that¡¯d happened in thest few minutes. Ren Rou was suddenly hugging me. And then Wei Dong started saying all those things¡­ She looked up from the trophy at the friends around her and the audience further away.

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡°TANG TANG! TANG TANG!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t really know what to do. Then she heard Liu Yue and Lin Feng telling her to raise the trophy above her head. Above my head? She looked at therge cup in her hands. It''s so heavy. I didn¡¯t think it would weigh this much... The chanting cheer of her name from the audience mmed into her, and snapped her out of her head. Mhm! We won! She smiled and lifted up the trophy as high as she could. We won!

    Shanghai High School¡¯s team watched everything happen in absolute silence. No one was in the mood to say anything. They¡¯d lost the Finals and thest 10 minutes were excruciating because High School 13 hadn¡¯t made a single mistake. They looked in the direction of the exit, but didn¡¯t get up. They were waiting for Zeng Rui to tell them when they could leave.

    Zeng Rui was staring at his screen. I should¡¯ve done more. Maybe we could¡¯ve won if I hadn¡¯t underestimated them¡­ Then he shook his head and turned to look at his teammates. ¡°Sorry. I failed. Let¡¯s go and congratte the winners.¡± Then he stood up and walked to the center of the stage where High School 13 was celebrating their victory.

    Zeng Rui stopped a few meters away from High School 13¡¯s team and waited. I¡¯d also want to celebrate. They won. I can¡¯t be a good winner if I¡¯m a sore loser. He took a couple of deep breaths and waited, until he caught Lin Feng¡¯s attention. He nodded and Lin Feng walked over. He then extended his hand to Lin Feng and said, ¡°Congrattions! You were the better team today.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Thanks! Yeah, we were pretty good today! But you guys were great too!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this oue. Fair win to you guys. But next time, I¡¯ll be ready. And I won¡¯t lose again!¡±

    ¡°Is that a challenge? Are you challenging us? I love challenges!¡± Lin Feng eximed happily. Then he added, ¡°But you¡¯re going to need to be ready, it won¡¯t be easy to win against us! We¡¯re going to keep getting better!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head. Thundering dumbass. Then he looked over at An Xin who¡¯d walked over with the rest of High School 13¡¯s team. He nodded at her and said, ¡°You have my respect.¡± This time, you really do. You¡¯re so much better than I could¡¯ve ever expected. If I knew that yesterday¡­

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°You tter me. But I didn¡¯t win this game. Our ad-carry here did. She carried us.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and then turned to look at Tang Bingyao. I was even wrong about her. What happenedst game? She was suddenly so much better. He finally said, ¡°My apologies. I underestimated you. You yed an amazing ad-carry that game.¡±

    Tang Bingyao scratched her ear as her face turned red. She mumbled, ¡°T-thank you.¡±

    Lin Feng patted Tang Bingyao on the shoulder and grinned. ¡°I know, right? My Tang Tang is the best ad-carry ever! I keep telling her!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Your Tang Tang?¡±

    Ouyang forgot about winning the trophy, Yang Fan discarded the idea of adjusting his sses, Liu Yue held back a ¡°Woot woot!¡±, and Chen Ze instinctively took several steps back. Even Shanghai High School¡¯s yers found themselves backing away from An Xin, Tang Bingyao, and Lin Feng. There was a shared trepidation. No one wanted to be in Lin Feng¡¯s shoes right now. Or anywhere near him. So they slowly backed away.

    Tang Bingyao shook Lin Feng¡¯s hand off her shoulder, the tips of her ears turning red. Then she abruptly turned around and said to him, ¡°I¡¯m not yours!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯re master and disciple, remember?¡±

    Shanghai High School¡¯s yers stared at Lin Feng with wide open eyes. Then they took another step back, one of them mumbling, ¡°Is he crazy?¡±

    Liu Yue heard the question and nodded, ncing over at An Xin to make sure she didn¡¯t see him. Then he mouthed to the Shanghai High School yers, ¡°He is an idiot!¡±

    A thundering dumbass. Zeng Rui shook his head. Crazy. And crazy good.

    ?

    Chu Fang, vice president of the Shanghai Esports Association, had watched the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament backstage. And now he watched the two teams giving each other hands and talking with each other. He smiled. They¡¯re getting along. This is what I love to see. They¡¯re the ones who¡¯re going to represent the LPL in the years toe. Let them get to know each other now. Be friends. And Lin Feng is with them. BunBun. Zeng Rui. Even Tang Bingyao looks like she might make it! Here I was, a few weeks ago, worried that we only had Zeng Rui and that arrogant kid from Shanghai Internation¡ª

    RING-RING-RING! RING-RING-RING!

    Chu Fang got spooked by the sudden ringing of his phone. He took it out from his pocket and looked at the caller ID: Fang Hao. The boss? I wonder why he¡¯s calling? He epted the call and ced the phone to his ear. ¡°Hello, sir. I thought you were off on the weekend?¡±

    ¡°Evening, Chu Fang, Well, you know how it is. I always bring my work home with me!¡± Fang Hao chuckled. He was Chu Fang¡¯s superior, the President of the Shanghai Esports Association. ¡°I noticed that it was close to the end of the scheduled time for the tournament, thought I¡¯d check in with you. How¡¯s the tournament? Everything fine?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all good here. It just finished, actually,¡± Chu Fang replied. ¡°High School 13 beat Shanghai High School 3-1. It was a good series. Strong performance by both teams.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a surprise.¡± Fang Hao remarked. He was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°I¡¯d like to know a bit more about High School 13. Can you send me everything you have on them? And also add in what you have on Shanghai High School while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Uh¡­¡± Chu Fang hesitated. Sending everything I have on High School 13 also means sending the information on Lin Feng. I made a promise to the kid¡­ He smiled wryly. Can¡¯t really go and hide this. ¡°Alright, sir. I¡¯ll send you an email first thing when I¡¯m back at the office.¡±

 Chapter 231: Natterinâ€™ at the NetCow Cafe: Season vs. SSK!

    High School 13 finally had a reason to install a trophy cab in the school lobby. For the first time in the school¡¯s history, they had won an important tournament! Their esports club was the best in Shanghai! High School 13¡¯s students were jumping around, hugging their friends and strangers alike, and screaming their lungs out! They only grew louder when Chu Fang walked up on stage with arge cheque worth £¤80,000 in his hands.

    Chu Fang tried to silence the audience, so he could congratte High School 13. But no one was interested in what he had to say. He finally gave up and handed the cheque to Ren Rou. Then he nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯ve got a very talented team with you here. I¡¯m looking forward to what you guys are going to achieve.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°I know, right? This is a great team! We¡¯re going to win everyt¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough talking already! Hurry up! Hurry!¡± Ouyang interrupted. He shoved his smartphone in Lin Feng¡¯s face and shouted, ¡°Look at the man on the wall, bro! The clock, the clock. He¡¯s got a tiny half moustache! You know what that means? THE TIME IS NOW 9:47 P.M.! Worlds is starting in an hour! Let¡¯s make like a fox and skeeeeedaddle already! I don¡¯t wanna miss it!¡± Then he grabbed Lin Feng and started pulling him away.

    Ren Rou appeared behind Ouyang like the grim reaper. She flicked his ears and yelled, ¡°Manners, Ouyang! Manners!¡± Then she turned to look at Chu Fang and bowed apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. He¡¯s just super excited. And¡­¡±

    Chu Fangughed and said, ¡°Your friend is right, Worlds is starting soon. Alright, you kids go and have fun.¡± Then he looked at Lin Feng and added, ¡°We¡¯ll talk another time. Congrattions on winning the tournament!¡±

    Ren Rou and An Xin made several more apologies as they watched Ouyang run for the exit of the electronics mall together with Lin Feng and Yang Fan. Then they nodded to the rest of the team and they all hurried out after Ouyang. They pushed past their fellow students who were trying to congratte them, shouting apologies over their shoulders, and rushed out into the square outside. Where they saw Ouyang, Yang Fan, and Lin Feng hailing a taxi. They started running over to the boys, hoping to stop them before they could get in the cab.

    Ren Rou took a moment to catch her breath and then shouted, ¡°Ouyang! Don¡¯t go yet! I¡­¡± She ran up to him, panting and puffing, then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t go! I thought it might be fun to watch the Worlds Finals together! Maybe we can go to the NetCow Cafe...¡±

    Ouyang looked at her, surprised. Then he said, ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to watch Worlds together! Why else do you think I¡¯m trying to get three cabs? And check this, cheesewhiz, I even thought ahead and reserved a room for us at the NetCow Cafe two weeks ago! We can watch Worlds and celebrate our VICTORIIIIIIII! DEMMMACCCIIIAAAAA!¡±

    Ren Rou looked at Ouyang. Did he really use his brain¡­? She scrunched her eyebrows, trying to register what he¡¯d just said, before asking, ¡°Really now? You actually did something right? This is new. You usually mess everything up.¡± She clicked her tongue and added, ¡°This is a nice change of pace. Good job, Ouyang!¡±

    ¡°What? I mess what up?¡± Ouyang asked, confused. Then he grinned and said, ¡°Rou Rou, why you gotta be so rude? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m human too? When have I ever let you down? I¡¯d never let a fair damsel like yourself down! The Order of the ChivalBros forbids it! And I¡¯m the Sword-Saint BroKnight! The kinde¡ª¡±

    Ren Rou red at Ouyang and cut him off, ¡°Enough, you! Don¡¯t make me take back my words.¡±

    Ouyang was about to reply when Yang Fan interrupted him, ¡°Hello? If you two are finished, I found a third taxi! We should get going before they start running the meter up for standing and waiting. We¡¯ll meet up at the NetCow Cafe, ok?¡±

    There was a fast round of approval. All nine team members wanted to watch the World Finals together. There was just something special about watching sporting events together with friends. An atmosphere that made good ys great and great games perfect. They split up in groups of three and shoved themselves onto the backseats of the cabs. Then the three taxis drove off into the night.

    ?

    There was a long line of people in front of the NetCow Cafe. Every League of Legends fan in the world wanted to see the Finals of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships. It was the most watched esports event in the world! And although there was no Chinese representative in this Finals, the Chinese fans had gathered inrge numbers, rivaling the record set during the Semifinals match between KG and SSK! Inte cafes were at maximum capacity and those who didn¡¯t get in had gathered in small groups on the street, watching the official broadcast on their smartphones.

    Ouyang pushed through the crowd, shouting, ¡°Coming through! Coming through!¡± People turned around, annoyed, and by doing so left enough room for Ouyang to maneuver through. The rest of High School 13¡¯s team followed his example. They pushed and shoved their way to the entrance of the NetCow Cafe, where they were stopped by two bouncers. Ouyang smiled proudly at them and said, ¡°We have reserved a private room! It¡¯s under the name: Ouyang and his bros!¡±

    Ouyang leaned over towards the bouncers to scan the list they were holding. He spotted his name before they did and pointed it out. ¡°There! Right there! See? I told you I reserved a room!¡± Then he turned around to the others and said, ¡°We¡¯re in our usual room!¡±

    High School 13¡¯s esports team entered the NetCow Cafe. Their first stop was the bar. They ordered drinks, most of them alcoholic, and some snacks. Then they pushed through the jam-packed hall to the private rooms in the back. There were still a couple of minutes left until the World Finals were starting. Ouyang rushed to boot up theputers and get the stream going, while the others gotfortable and waited for the game to start.

    The official broadcast was brought up on the screen. Ouyang let himself fall down in his chair and rxed for a brief moment. Then he swirled around and asked, ¡°Yo. Who do you guys think is going to win?¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I think SSK has shown throughout the year that they¡¯re the better team. The probability is that they¡¯ll win it.¡±

    Chen Ze nodded and agreed, ¡°I think so too. Those Korean madmen are going to be really hard to beat.¡±

    Liu Yue raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Koreans are going to beat the Korean Killers? As if! I think Autumn is going to carry North America to a win!¡±

    Wei Dong shook his head helplessly. ¡°Yeah Liu Yue, I kinda want to see Season win too. I think we all want to see them win again. No one¡¯s rooting for those cocky Koreans. They¡¯re so smug and walk around like they already know they¡¯ll be winning it again. But they are really good. It¡¯s hard to see anyone beating them.¡±

    ¡°Wei Dong has a point,¡± Yang Fan added, adjusting his sses. ¡°Korea has been dominating the scene for years now. As nice as it would be to see someone else winning the title for a change. I do think that if anyone can beat them, it is Season.¡± He hesitated for a moment. Then he turned to An Xin and asked, ¡°You¡¯re the coach. What do you think? Who¡¯s going to Worlds?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± An Xin asked. She looked at the stream that was showing highlights of SSK¡¯s game versus KG in the Semifinals. The camera zoomed in on Rake¡¯s Lenc. An Xin looked at Yang Fan and said, ¡°I think SSK is going to win this one. Either 3-2 or 3-1.¡±

    Liu Yue interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Season is also really good! You are all way too hard on them! They stand a good chance of winning tonight! I think they¡¯re going to win!¡±

    An Xinughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Season is a strong team¡­ But SSK is stronger. Plus, Rake is at the top of his game right now. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him y better. Now that I mention it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a single Miner win against him inne this year.¡±

    No one had a response to that. An Xin was right. Rake was in the best shape of his life. There wasn¡¯t a single team that knew how to deal with him. He never had an off-day, and he always performed at a level that everyone else could only dream about achieving. The only sound in the room came from the official broadcast. The host was hyping up Rake. Everyone watched this in silence, until Ouyang eventually broke it. He¡¯d turned to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Yo, bro, you think Season can stop Rake?¡±

    Lin Feng was staring intensely at the image of Rake on the screen. But he didn¡¯t look scared or lost or anxious. His jaw was set and his eyes radiated determination, maybe even a little hope. But then he noticed that Ouyang was looking at him and dropped back to his normal affable self. Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, uh, I don¡¯t know¡­ Hm.... Uh, let¡¯s watch and see.¡± He looked at the stream and added, ¡°It¡¯s starting! We should pay attention!¡±

    ?

    It was Game 1 of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championship Finals! The fireworks started in Champion Select, where all six bans were targeted at Rake and Autumn. But these two were Emperors! If they couldn¡¯t y their favourite champion, they¡¯d just excel at another and make the opponent regret not banning that one!

    The game itself was even more exciting than the Champion Select! Everyone was sitting at the edge of their seats. For the first time this year, SSK was forced on the backfoot! Season came out with a strong n and grabbed an early advantage in the botne!

    But SSK wasn¡¯t going to take that lying down. They responded with a devastating Mid-Junglebo. Rake got several crucial kills in the midne thanks to ganks by his Jungler. And then the two of them started roaming around the map. They picked up kills in the topne and botne. They even caught Season¡¯s Jungler off guard in his own Jungle!

    Season put up a bigger resistance against SSK than any other team in the LCK 2015 Spring or Summer splits. It even looked like they might win at one point! But SSK got the important kills and managed to y around the objectives better. In the end, it was a lost teamfight around the Baron pit that gave SSK the opening to end the game. Season¡¯s Nexus exploded in the 32nd minute of the game.

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! SEE!¡± Liu Yue eximed. ¡°I told you guys! Season is really good! See how hard SSK had to try? I¡¯m telling you, Season really stands a chance!¡±

    ¡°YEAH!¡± Ouyang shouted. ¡°Season almost won that! That teamfight at the end was so close! They could¡¯ve beaten SSK! BROS! SEASON COULD¡¯VE BEATEN SSK! You know what that means!¡±

    ¡°That Season actually stands a chance of winning the Finals,¡± Yang Fan replied, adjusting his sses. ¡°I think so too.¡±

    ¡°Shhh!¡± Ren Rou shushed. ¡°The second game is going to start in a moment!¡±

    Game 2 of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championship Finals was far more exciting for the neutral fans than Game 1. This wasn¡¯t because of the champions who were banned and selected in Champion Select. Nor had it anything to do with the actual gamey. It was because this game was a 29 minute methodical masterss. Autumn showcased to the world just why he was the best Support in all of League of Legends. He led Season to a victory over SSK. The two teams were even again.

 Chapter 232: A Fire That Will Burn a Legend to Ashes!

    Season had put a stop to SSK¡¯s unbeaten streak! SSK¡¯s perfect run ended in the Finals! The entire world of League of Legends, with the sole exception of South-Korea, took to the inte to share the joy. They crashed forums and message boards! And they flooded the stream chats of the various official broadcasts.

    ¡¸SSK ISNT INRINSIBLE!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸korean killleeerrrrrssssssssssssss¡¹

    ¡¸SUCK ON THAT! stupid koreans and their ¡°eternal¡± reign¡­ NOOOBBBBSSSSSS¡¹

    ¡¸lololololol ssk sucks!!!!! NA BEST REGION IN DA HOLE WITE WORLLDDDD!!!11¡¹

    ¡¸were gonna winnnn woorrllddddssssssss SEASON <33333¡¹

    ¡¸ROFLMAO!!! HARHARHAR!!!! ssk nubs. Confirmed.¡¹

    Lee Dojae sat in a skybox high up in the Mercedes Benz Arena, scrolling through the stream chats from various regions. Why are these people so stupid? Can¡¯t they see that SSK is going to win this? He looked out the window at the venue down below, annoyed. 17,000 people here to watch SSK be World Champions¡­ And tens of millions fans all across the world to witness Rake step up to the top of the esports scene again! But Season wasn¡¯t giving him the show he wanted. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Autumn. He really is talented. They only won the previous game because of his Thresh hooks. Three in one teamfight¡­ That was fucking ridiculous! He pursed his lips, but then shrugged. Eh, whatever. It was just one good game from them. That won¡¯t be enough. I personally trained Han Seho. Rake will carry this. SSK will be world champion and the name Rake will be synonymous for best in the world again!

    Season wasn¡¯t nning to give Lee Dojae what he wanted. The yers sat behind theirputers,pletely focused. Their coach was talking them through the strategy for the next game, and telling them what to watch out for. His message was clear. If they wanted to win the Finals, and they did, then they had to win Game 3 and Game 4. They absolutely couldn¡¯t let SSK gather any momentum!

    Autumn tried to keep a calm expression and listen to his coach. But he couldn¡¯t get himself to. He looked over the edge of his monitor at SSK. At Rake. They haven¡¯t shown everything yet. We¡¯re going at it with all we¡¯ve got, but they¡¯re still holding back. His eyebrows twitched and he frowned. How do we win this? It¡¯s only going to get harder from here. We already threw everything we had at the first two games¡­ And we only won the second one. How are we supposed to win two more? Can we even win two more¡­? He bit down on his tongue and shook his head. It¡¯s going to be really difficult. But we can do it!

    Rake sat up straight in his chair with his eyes closed. Their coach had already informed them of the strategy for the next game, and now his teammates were chatting together about bratwurst, beer, and the Oktoberfest. He didn¡¯t participate. We¡¯ve had our fun. I won¡¯t let this go on. He took a deep, calming breath. Then his eyes shot open. Focused. He put his right hand on his mouse, feeling its weight in his grasp, and ced his left hand on the keyboard. It¡¯s time to end this.

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports team was watching the World Finals in a private room at the NetCow Cafe. SSK and Season had entered Champion Select. After a quick ban phase, which was again focused on banning Rake and Autumn¡¯s favourite champions, they started locking in champions. Season¡¯s first pick was Jarvan IV. Then SSK locked in Ahri and Lee Sin.

    Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide. He threw his chair around and shouted, ¡°Ahri and Lee Sin! SSK is copying BunBun¡¯s strategy! THEY¡¯RE STEALING OUR COMP!¡± He then turned back to look at the screen and continued, ¡°Bros¡­ They¡¯re ying our teamp! Rake and Mafa are going to y our teamp!¡±

    Liu Yuepletely forgot about wanting to see Season win Worlds. He nodded fervently and said, ¡°It¡¯s awesome! We¡¯re drafting the same champions as top, world ss pro teams! Lin Feng and BunBun are our very own Rake and Mafa! Woo!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°The Ahri-Lee Sinbo is really strong in the current meta. But it¡¯s also really hard to pull off. Then again, Rake and Mafa are arguably the best Mid-Junglebo in the world. And Rake is the best yer in the world. I really want to see how they¡¯re going to y this game.¡± He then turned to An Xin and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right. Those two are two of the best yers in the world. Rake the Emperor and Mafa the King. And it was to be expected that the best teams in the world would notice how strong the Ahri-Lee Sinbo is right now. I¡¯m kind of surprised we haven¡¯t seen it earlier.¡± She paused for a moment and then added, ¡°Rake and Mafa have been practicing thisbo for weeks now, so they¡¯re going to be a lot better at it than Lin Feng and me. I¡¯m also curious to see how they do. And how much better they are.¡±

    Lin Feng sat up straight in his chair, staring intently at the screen. ¡°Better for now,¡± he said to An Xin. He didn¡¯t smile, but he didn¡¯t look worried either. There was only the strong determination that radiated from his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to beat them.¡±

    ?

    The first two games had given Season fans all the hope they needed. They even started whispering about winning the world title. And Korean Killers became the most searched term on the inte. Then Game 3 happened. Rake¡¯s Ahri and Mafa¡¯s Lee Sin worked together wlessly. It was as if they were of one mind and body. They decimated Season in the midne, then went on to roam around the map, picking up kills everywhere.

    SSK hadplete control over Summoner¡¯s Rift after only 10 minutes. The yers from Season were afraid to even walk out of their base, terrified to get caught out by Ahri and Lee Sin. One Charm from Ahri was all it took to give yet another kill to SSK. This went on until the 26th minute, when SSK steamrolled Season¡¯s base and destroyed their Nexus.

    Back in the NetCow Cafe, Ouyang and Liu Yue sat next to each other with their mouths hanging wide open. They nced at each other and mumbled in unison, ¡°Wow!¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± Ren Rou said, dazed. Game 3 of the World Finals had looked like a typical solo queue game. As if two Challenger yers had created smurf ounts to toy around in Silver. It was an absolute ughter and simply painful to watch.

    ¡°Mhm. SSK is really good,¡± Tang Bingyao noted.

    An Xin nodded and then turned around to look at Lin Feng, who sat in the far back of the room. Are you ok? You haven¡¯t said a word¡­ She watched him sit there in silence, lost in his thoughts. He hadn¡¯t said a single word all game. An Xin bit on her lip, then shook her head and looked back at the stream. You¡¯ll get your revenge.

    ?

    The North American fans saw their hopes of an American World Champion evaporate in Game 3. Season had nothing to bring in from start to finish. Rake and Mafa demonstrated to the world what perfect synergy was! They tore Season apart with an absolutely stunning Ahri-Lee Sin disy! And they helped SSK steamroll to a 26 minute victory.

    ¡¸Come on, Season! You guys can do this! You have it in you! Just dig deep!¡¹

    ¡¸WERE THE KOREAN KILLERS! PLLSSSSSSS¡¹

    ¡¸ONE TIME! JUST ONE TIME! Please, God, I¡¯m begging you! Let Season win this!¡¹

    ¡¸we can do this! Just gotta belliieeeevvveeeeeeeeee!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Don¡¯t give those Koreans another win! COME ON SEASON! I¡±M ROOTING FOR YOU!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯ll get a tattoo of Autumn on my ass if Season win this!¡¹

    But all the support in the world wasn¡¯t going to carry Season to a win. SSK was just too good. Game 4 was almost an exact copy of Game 3. Rake and Mafa ughtered Season¡¯s Miner and then started terrorizing the rest of the map. Season had nowhere to go and soon found themselves pushed back into their base. But that didn¡¯t save them either. In the 26th minute, SSK destroyed Season¡¯s Nexus and crowned themselves World Champion!

    The League of Legends Season 5 World Championship Finals ended in a 3-1 victory for SSK. They became the first team in League of Legends history to win the World Championships two times in a row, with their staryer Rake achieving a record third world title!

    The Mercedes Benz Arena shook, but it wasn¡¯t an earthquake. The people in the stadium were just losing it! They were stamping their feet on the ground. They were jumping, dancing, and screaming their lungs out! There was a new world champion!

    ¡°SSK BEST IN THE WORLD!¡±

    ¡°RAKE MVP! BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD!¡±

    ¡°MAFA FOR EMPEROR!¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE THE BEST REGION IN THE WORLD!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°WORLD CHAMPIONS! WE¡¯RE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!¡±

    SSK¡¯s members shot up from their gaming chairs, throwing their arms in the air to celebrate. They had defended their world title! Then Rake led them across the stage to shake hands with Season, before walking over to the middle of the stage and bowing towards each section of the audience. A show of gratitude to everyone who¡¯de out to support them. And the final bow was toward the camera, to thank the tens of millions of people who¡¯d turned on the stream and were watching them.

    From his skybox, Lee Dojae finally let out a long held breath. There wasn¡¯t any real suspension at the end of Game 4, but he still got nervous. Now he smiled. I made the right choice. Han Seho is the perfect new Rake. Then he got up from his seat and mumbled, ¡°Good. Now there¡¯s only one more thing left to do.¡±

    ?

    The League of Legends World Championships host stood on the stage with a microphone in his hand. The audience had quieted down when he started talking, ¡°Riot Games has invited a special guest this year for the award ceremony! You may know him for his achievements that havended him a spot in the Esports Hall of Fame. He was the old team captain of SSK and also yed with the online handle Rake! Give a warm wee to Lee Dojae!¡±

    Lee Dojae smiled as he heard the audience cheer at the mention of his name. He looked at the Summoner¡¯s Cup in his hands. This is my moment. I¡¯m starting a new era of esports. From one Rake to the next! From legend to legend! My name will live on forever! He nodded at himself, then slowly walked up on stage, waving at the audience.

    The five main yers on SSK¡¯s roster stood in the middle of the stage, with the two coaches and substitutes behind them. All of them turned to look at Lee Dojae as he walked up on stage. They bowed towards him in respect and kept their heads down until he stood in front of them.

    Lee Dojae smiled a little brighter. Then he walked up to Han Seho and said, ¡°Good. You didn¡¯t disappoint me.¡±

    Han Seho bowed again and replied, ¡°I¡¯m d I met your expectations, sir.¡±

    Lee Dojae nodded and said, ¡°Then I¡¯m handing this, and everything thates with it, over to you.¡± He offered the Summoner¡¯s Cup to Han Seho. To Rake. I¡¯m giving it to myself.

    Han Seho took the Summoner¡¯s Cup and assured, ¡°I ept it. You can entrust everything to me.¡±He then turned away from Lee Dojae and looked at the audience. There was a brief pause, just long enough for the camera to focus on him. Then he raised the Summoner¡¯s Cup high above his head.

    The Summoner¡¯s Cup represented the passing of the torch from Rake Sr. to Rake Jr.. It was a moment that every Korean talk show had been hyping up towards! That every Korean esports fan had been waiting for! It was a reaffirmation that they were the best esports region in the world! No one couldpete against them! And the world had to know that! This entire award ceremony was orchestrated to give a single message to every other region and every other professional yer in the world: ¡°Korea is number one! The rest of you noobs have fun fighting for second best!¡±

    The camera focused on Han Seho and therge cup in his hands. Then it zoomed out and showed how the other members of the team gathered around their staryer and celebrated the victory. One by one, they took the trophy and lifted it up above their heads. They were World Champions! Again!

    Lee Dojae watched Han Seho celebrate the victory in the Finals of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships with the rest of SSK. He nodded at himself and smiled. I made the name. And I won with that name. Now you have it. Take good care of it! And remember, Rake will always stand at the top! I will always stand at the top! Don¡¯t ever let that change.

    ?

    Lin Feng watched every minute and every second of the League of Legends World Finals. How Rake destroyed Season¡¯s Miner. How Rake annihted Season. How Rake lifted up the Summoner¡¯s Cup! I¡¯m taking you down! Lin Feng clenched his fist and he started smiling. You¡¯re good. Really good. But I have time. And I have the talent to beat you! His smile grew into a wide grin. I lost. Yes. You beat me! But that was four years ago. Now I¡¯m back. A zing fire of determination ignited in Lin Feng¡¯s eyes! I¡¯ming for you!

 Chapter 233: Real Pros Donâ€™t Give Up

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    Lee Dojae had done something truly vile! He¡¯d used the Worlds award ceremony to show his supremacy to the rest of the world! Countless stream chats lit up with angry messages and questions about why Riot Games had allowed this! But this was only a cover to hide their despair. SSK had defended their world title. Rake had won Worlds for a record breaking third time. And there wasn¡¯t a single team in the world who looked capable of beating them.

    ¡¸Fuck¡­ It wasn¡¯t even close at the end¡­ ¡¹

    ¡¸SCREW THAT! FUCK THOSE STUPID COCKY ASSHATS!¡¹

    ¡¸how much did they pay riot for this stupid fucking show!>?!?!!¡¹

    ¡¸... ssk was the best. UCH i hate to admit it¡­. but they got this through their own hard work...¡¹

    ¡¸:CCCCC how we evah gonna win????????? iz hopeless guys :C just give up¡¹

    ¡¸Is there really no one who can beat them?¡¹

    Countless professional yers all around the world were also upset. They cursed and shouted and flung their monitors out of the window. But their anger didn¡¯t stem from Lee Dojae being an arrogant prick, though they all agreed that he was. Their anger was aimed at their inability topete against SSK. They¡¯d been practicing every day for years, yet they weren¡¯t even good enough to stand on the same stage as SSK. As a professional, as someone who considered themself as one of the best in the world, this was incredibly difficult and painful to ept.

    In Taipei, Taiwan. Read XIII was the Jungler for Assassins. He¡¯d yed in Season 5 Worlds and made it all the way to the quarterfinals, where he eventually lost to KG. But he¡¯d put in a strong performance. His team had done well. And they were overall happy with the result. Tonight, that changed for him. He¡¯d watched the Finals. More specifically, he¡¯d been analyzing how Mafa yed in the Jungle.

    ¡°FUCKING HELL!¡± Read XIII yelled as he threw his mouse across the room and shoved his keyboard off the desk. ¡°How the hell am I supposed topete against that? FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!¡± I¡¯m a King, just like Mafa! I should be just as good as he is! He gritted his teeth and mmed his fists down on his desk. ¡°FUCK!¡± He pulled at his hair as he looked back at the stream. It zoomed in on Mafa holding the Summoner¡¯s Cup. ¡°ARGHHHH!¡± He smashed his fist into the monitor, cracking the screen. How is he so much better than me? WE¡¯RE BOTH KINGS¡ª

    Read XIII suddenly had a moment of rity. The anger disappeared from his body as he copsed in his chair. No. I¡¯m no King. I¡¯m a fucking nobody next to him! He looked around the room at the damages he¡¯d caused. He sighed and said, ¡°Fucking hell. I train every fucking day, ever since I lost to Eleven during the Season 1 World Championships! All to get revenge on him¡­ And look where I¡¯m now¡­ What a joke. I¡¯mpeting against a guy ying in the LSPL. Maybe that¡¯s where I went wrong. Maybe I¡¯ve been focusing on the wrong person this whole time¡­¡±

    IN London, Ennd. Team Legend had watched the finals of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships together in their gaming house. They¡¯d started watching that night with a drink and some chips, just there to watch a good game. And that was how they still felt after the first two games. Both Season and SSK showed strong performances. Legend¡¯s yers pointed things out they noticed and chatted about aspects of the game that they should put more time and effort into. That could help them win next year.

    But that all changed in Game 3. And then Game 4. SSK was so much better than Season that it wasn¡¯t even funny anymore! It looked like professional yers giving a masterss to a group of high schoolers! Theughter and chatter died down. No one touched the chips or took a sip from their drinks. They just sat there, stunned.

    Legend¡¯s Jungler finally grabbed his beer and chugged it down. Then he slumped back in his gaming chair and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind Rake. Even Mafa is so insanely good. It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know, guys. I have no clue how to get that good¡­¡±

    No one said anything for the next couple of minutes, until Demon finally broke the silence. ¡°It¡¯s not just Mafa. Even their Toner¡­ That guy¡¯s awareness in teamfights is better than mine¡­ He might actually be better than me.¡±

    Phoenix shook his head and sighed. He took a sip of his beer and then said, ¡°Their Miner and Jungler. Their Toner, Support and ad-carry¡­ All five of them are phenomenal yers. And they only get better when they y together. They¡¯re the world champions for a reason. Even on our best day we can¡¯t beat them. Rip.¡±

    IN Shanghai, China. Hermes had joined Nightsong in the Hand of God headquarters right as Worlds was about to start. They¡¯d watched the games together and were now watching the rey together. During the first two games, they felt optimism. SSK and Season both looked beatable. There were openings and opportunities that the two of them felt confident they could exploit. But then Game 3 started. The dread they felt while initially watching it returned.

    Hermes leaned back in his chair and sighed loudly. ¡°Crap, Nightsong. Crap, that¡¯s how I feel.¡± He shook his head and looked back at the monitor. Then he continued, ¡°I thought it was back when we watched it live. But it only looks worse on rey. They¡¯re ying it perfectly. I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know, man. They¡¯re next level.¡±

    Nightsong stood up from his gaming chair and startedughing. ¡°We¡¯re idiots. You know that, right? We actually thought we couldpete against them! HA! WHAT A JOKE! You know it, Hermes. Screw SSK. We can¡¯t even beat Season! We¡¯re¡­¡± He gritted his teeth and felt his stomach contracting. We¡¯re not even good enough to beat Season! I was right. We¡¯re trash! TRASH! He snorted and then said, ¡°It¡¯s true. You know it, Hermes. I¡¯m the best ad-carry in China. And you¡¯re the best Miner¡­¡± He startedughing again, shaking his head, and continued, ¡°You know what¡¯s funny? Those guys, there, on screen? They probably think about us just like we think about high schoolers. FUCK MY FLACID DICK! WE¡¯RE TRASH! TRASH!¡±

    Hermes looked up at his friend. You¡¯re right. He pursed his lips. Then he shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯re David. Season is Goliath. And SSK is Kronos. Hahaha. Crap. Crap. Am I really saying this? Crap.¡± He took a long, deep breath, then continued, ¡°What do we do now? Continue training like nothing happened? What do we even train? Mechanics? Strategy? Champion pools? Team synergy? Awareness? Or do we just rece our coach and me it all on him?¡± He paused for a moment, then added in a quiet voice, ¡°Or maybe we¡¯re just not good enough¡­¡±

    Nightsong let himself fall down in his gaming chair. We¡¯re little kids next to SSK. We¡¯re the little kids¡­ He thought back to the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Back to the kids he¡¯d seen ying. They weren¡¯t half bad. That Lulu was actually really goo¡ª ¡°TRASH! SHUT YOUR UGLY PIEHOLE!¡± You¡¯re better than this. You¡¯re better than some stupid high schooler! You¡¯re going to lift yourself up and find a solution. That¡¯s what you do! You get better in the face of challenges. You don¡¯t give up like a pussy!

    Hermes looked up at his friend, spooked by the sudden outburst. But then copsed back in his gaming chair and looked at the stream, half hoping to see SSK losing. It was still Game 3. And SSK was still crushing Season. ¡°Crap,¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°Hey, Hermes?¡± Nighsong asked, looking over at his friend. ¡°What do you think? Will we get some new talent on the team? I really want to believe that we stand a chance. But¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ Well, just look at the screen! How are we going to beat them? And if we don¡¯t, then who? We¡¯re the best dickpping, tentacle-fucking badasses China has to offer! We¡¯re all there is!¡± He shook his head and added, ¡°I¡¯d just like to see us win for once. It doesn¡¯t even have to be me. Just a Chinese team is enough.¡±

    Hermes watched the end of Game 3 in silence. Then he finally turned and looked Nightsong in the eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll win. And if we don¡¯t, another Chinese team will. Someday.¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s team exited the NetCow Cafe well after 1 A.M. The Finals of the League of Legends Season 5 World Championships had ended up during a little over two hours. They decided to have an afterparty at their favourite barbeque ce around the corner before going home. It was the same ce they always went to after a big win or a drink too many. The original n was to go here to celebrate their victory at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, but the World Finals had dampened their mood. It had once more shown just how big the gap was between them, the best high schoolers in Shanghai, and the professional scene.

    Ouyang shook his head and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯d give up our win in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament for Season winning Worlds!¡±

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes back and said, ¡°If we¡¯re going by that logic, I¡¯d have rather given up our win for KG to win Worlds.¡±

    Ouyang groaned and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t care who wins, just not SSK¡­¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and interjected, ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. SSK is the best team in the world right now. You saw it. Season just isn¡¯t strong enough. And honestly, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any team in the world who can reallypete against SSK. We just have to learn to admit that.¡±

    An Xin took arge gulp of her soda as she listened to Yang Fan¡¯s analysis. She finally shook her head and said, ¡°This really didn¡¯te as a surprise. We knew from the start that Season was most likely going to lose. SSK is the better overall team. They have five very strong yers, each with deep champion pools.¡± She took another gulp of her soda and then continued, ¡°Now look at Season. Yes, they have Autumn. But what else? Their other yers are good, but not as good as the yers from SSK. And their Toner and Jungler have rtively shallow champion pools on top of that. That just makes them easy targets. SSK knew exactly what they were going to be up against and could prepare for those specific scenarios.¡± She shrugged and added, ¡°It was always going to be difficult for Season. SSK is just the better team.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I agree. SSK was the better overall team.¡±

    ¡°This is mad,¡± Chen Ze said, lowering his head. ¡°ording to you, no one can beat SSK¡­ They got the deepest champion pools, the best yers, and the best coaching staff, and I don¡¯t know what more! That¡¯s mad, right? What are they? Some kind of superteam?¡±

    Lin Feng had been lost in his own little world ever since the World Finals began. He didn¡¯t even really hear what his friends were talking about for most of the night. But when Chen Ze said the word ¡°superteam¡±, he suddenly was back in the present. He looked over at his friend and mumbled quietly, ¡°A superteam?¡± He smiled and nodded at himself. We had a superteam back in season 1. With me, Fatty, Eleven, those two in the botne¡­ And An Xin as our coach. We should¡¯ve been the best team in the world. We were! Worlds should¡¯ve been ours! And we were still getting better so quickly¡­ If we¡¯d kept going, SSK wouldn¡¯t have won tonight. I would¡¯ve made sure of that!

 Chapter 234: Feelings Settled; Decisions Made and Action Taken!

    Reader Squeaker:

    The esports club arrived at the barbeque ce much more glum than they intended. The original n was to celebrate their victory with grilled meat. But watching Worlds and the unstoppable might of SSK put a damper on things. They walked in quietly, everyone lost in their own thoughts about Worlds and SSK. But the smell of grilled meat and the happy atmosphere of the restaurant soon snapped them out of it. They all ordered, and soon the conversation turned to the food that was about to arrive. Then the food arrived and everyone started eating.

    Lin Feng grabbed a pork belly rib and gnawed on it. Grease stuck to his lips and his fingers were a saucy mess. But he couldn¡¯t care less as he took another bite. Superteam. Superteam. We were so good back in Season 1. Eleven and me¡­ Those were the days. Fatty and me¡­ He grabbed a piece of char siu and wolfed it down,pletely ignoring the conversation around him. I¡¯ma make a new team! A new superteam! Better thanst time! A 2.0!

    An Xin tried to follow the conversation Ouyang and Liu Yue were having, but found herself ncing over at Lin Feng. Are you also thinking about our old team? I think about those days all the time. We had something great! She closed her eyes as a touch of a smile appeared on her face. We had a top 3 in the world yer in each position! And we had you in the mine. I don¡¯t care what happened in those finals. You were the best. You really were. We lost, yes. But that was only because we got unlucky. You were the better Miner!

    The food at the barbeque ce tasted great, but An Xin wasn¡¯t really hungry. She tried to get out of her own mind and looked over at Ren Rou, who was talking about how the LPL never really achieved anything in the world of League of Legends. We did. People just forgot. We were great in Season 1! We would¡¯ve won, if we didn¡¯t get so unlucky. Our team was better than SSK! And that¡¯s an honest assessment. We were just better. But they got lucky. That was the difference. We lost because they got luck¡ª

    Lin Feng jumped to his feet and clenched his fists, shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys! We got this! We¡¯re going to win Worlds!¡± He wiped the grease from his lips with his sleeve. A fire burned in his eyes. He looked at his friends, each in turn, then proimed, ¡°Trust me! We¡¯re gonna climb to the top and win Worlds!¡±

    Ouyang shook his head and said, ¡°There he goes again. Bro, be a little realistic here. How are we going to win Worlds?¡± He sighed, letting his gaze fall down, and added, ¡°You¡¯re my bro. I don¡¯t wanna make fun of you. But you¡¯re kinda asking for it right now¡­ What? You think HoG or KG will win it next year? Did you forget how SSK stomped them?¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng and smiled. Then she interjected, ¡°HoG and KG aren¡¯t good enough. You¡¯re right about that, Ouyang. But why can¡¯t a new team rise up? Who knows, maybe there¡¯ll be a new superteam next season!¡±

    Ouyang was stumped for words. He just stared at An Xin and then finally argued, ¡°What''d ya mean, superteam? A team with five super yers who can magically beat SSK? Tell me, where should these super yerse from? The LSPL? Have you watched their games this season? They¡¯re dogshit! Nightsong is a million times better than all of those ad-carriesbined! You know, there¡¯s a good reason why those teams aren¡¯t in the LPL! And why we aren¡¯t winning Worlds¡­¡±

    An Xin shook her head and giggled. ¡°Who said anything about the LSPL?¡±

    There was a stunned silence. Everyone nced at each other but no one said anything. It started to turn a little awkward when Lin Feng suddenly mmed his hand on the table and shouted, ¡°There¡¯s my team! I¡¯m going to remake my team!¡±

    Ouyang pointed at Lin Feng and asked An Xin, ¡°Is this your superteam? Our challenger bro and hi¡ª¡± Wait. Hold on! Remake? He abruptly turned to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Yo. What do you mean, remake your team? When did you ever have a team?¡±

    Lin Feng smiled at Ouyang and shook his head. You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you, just like the Challenger thing all over again. I¡¯ll just have to show it to you. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. That¡¯s not important. All that matters is that we¡¯re going to win Worlds! I¡¯m sure of it!¡±

    Everyone startedughing and no one took Lin Feng seriously. Ouyang eventually raised a cup and proposed a toast to Lin Feng¡¯s new superteam! This evoked a second round ofughter, after which Liu Yue chimed in with a joke. Moreughter. Followed by another joke. They¡¯d known Lin Feng for a couple of months now, and had grown ustomed to his wild and impossible-sounding ims. But they appeared to have forgotten that each one had been realized. Him being a Challenger. Them winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. All of it came true.

    An Xinughed. Not at Lin Feng, but at his friends. She knew Lin Feng better than anyone. She knew exactly what he was capable of. And winning Worlds, he was capable of doing that. We¡¯re going to go back there. And this time, it won¡¯te down to luck. I have to get better, ande up with stronger strategies. There¡¯ll be nothing left to chance.

    Tang Bingyao was the only one who didn¡¯tugh. She looked at Lin Feng and knew he was serious; the determination in his voice told her that. He asked me to join¡­ I always said no. She pursed her lips and looked at her friend. Her best friend. Do I want to y League of Legends professionally? Do I want to do that with him? With BunBun? She nced over at An Xin and then nodded. I do. Mhm!

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s esports team feasted and celebrated at the barbeque ce until well after 3 A.M. They eventually paid the bill and started saying their goodbyes, until Lin Feng turned to look at An Xin. Everyone stopped talking. It was an almost reflexive move by now. They¡¯d seen this exact scenario y out many times before in just thest week! A circle spread out around the two. No one wanted to be caught in the crossfire!

    Lin Feng nodded at An Xin and said, ¡°Youing over to my ce again?¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°You¡¯re missing me already?¡±

    ¡°Missing? You? No,¡± Lin Feng denied, shaking his head. ¡°I just wanted to know if I had to sleep on the couch again¡­¡±

    On the couch? Wait¡­ Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide. His desire for thetest bit of gossip shed with his fear for An Xin. I need to know what happened the other day! Did he say something stupid while they were in bed together? WERE THEY IN BED TOGETHER? He was about to take a step forward when An Xin shook her head. She looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You worked hard today. The least I can do is let you get a good night¡¯s sleep in your own bed. I¡¯m going to take a cab home and sleep in my own bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Lin Feng replied. Then he turned around to look at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Tang Tang, let¡¯s walk home together!¡±

    Tang Bingyao chewed on her lips, thinking for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Hmm, sure.¡±

    Liu Yue had snuck over to Ouyang and pulled him to his side, whispering, ¡°Man, Lin Feng¡¯s so lucky. When he tires out one, he just moves to the next!¡±

    Ouyang grinned and replied quietly, ¡°BunBun says no, so he takes Tang Tang. Haha! My best bro always has a girl wrapped around his arm!¡±

    Liu Yue nodded and said, ¡°And they¡¯re both so pretty¡­ Out of all the girls in our school, he gets the prettiest two¡­ Three if you count his roommate. How the hell is he so good with girls¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! He should teach his bros the magic! Maybe we can also get some hot chicks!¡± Ouyang whisper-shouted, dreaming of a life with a hundred gorgeous girls fighting each other for a night with him.

    Liu Yue looked from An Xin to Tang Bingyao and then back at An Xin. ¡°I wonder which one he¡¯s gonna pi¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough, you two,¡± Ren Rou interrupted. She grabbed Ouyang by the ear and red at Liu Yue. ¡°Or maybe you want to speak up a bit, so BunBun can hear you?¡±

    Ouyang and Liu Yue froze. They slowly, very slowly, turned to look at An Xin. She was saying something to Tang Bingyao. And more importantly, wasn¡¯t looking in their direction. They still felt a chill run up and down their spines as they thought of An Xin¡¯s scary smile. They shook their heads and said to Ren Rou,

    ¡°NoNoNo, haha¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I¡¯ll shut up! I promise!¡±

    ?

    The streets were empty in the dark of night. The first winter chills lingered in the air and a white mist draped the street, refracting the light from thempposts to a yellow haze. Lin Feng walked with his hands buried deep in his coat and his shoulders raised to protect his neck from the cold. He watched Tang Bingyao hop over the cracks in the pavement in front of him, smiling.

    Tang Bingyao smiled. This feels right. She hopped over another crack and quickly nced back at Lin Feng, making sure he was there. I missed this. It feels like so long ago that we¡­ She shook her head. So much happened after BunBun transferred to our ss. And after I bought Lin Feng chicken cutlet¡­ She nced over her shoulder but couldn¡¯t make out Lin Feng¡¯s face in the dark. He¡¯s probably thinking about Worlds. He did seem a lot happier tonight, even after Rake won Worlds¡­ She shivered from the cold chill in the air and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Then she hopped over another crack and started smiling again. This feels right. He¡¯s behind me. He has my back. Hmm, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d miss this so much.

    The streetlights jumped to green as Tang Bingyao approached. There was almost no one else out on the streets. She skipped over the street, humming to a calm melody. I finally feel myself again. This feels great! Mhm! She slowed down a little and looked up at the sky. No stars tonight. She giggled and nodded. We¡¯ll be stars! I¡¯ve thought about it enough. Way too much. Rou Rou was right. He¡¯s a little clueless and I don¡¯t really know what it is I want either. If something happens, it happens. And if it doesn¡¯t, then so be it. Hmm-mm! It doesn¡¯t really matter if nothing happens. I quite like things the way they are. But¡­ I do want to stay by his side. I wonder if he still wants me to be his team¡¯s ad-carry¡­ I did carry in the Finals today. And he knew I would!

    Tang Bingyao abruptly stopped and swirled around. Then she tilted her head and asked, ¡°Lin Feng, are you really going to remake your superteam?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. He looked at Tang Bingyao who was suddenly standing right in front of him, surprised. Guess I got lost in my thoughts again¡­ ¡°Superteam? Oh!¡± he eximed. Then he nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! Of course!¡±

    Tang Bingyao opened her mouth, but then paused. Come on, say it. You can say it. She bit her lips, a nervous feeling in her stomach, and then said, ¡°Remember what you asked me before? I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Uh? What did I ask you?¡± Lin Feng asked, trying to figure out what was going on. Did I ask her something today? No. I don¡¯t think so. I told her to carry with Vayne, but that can¡¯t be it. Can it? What were we talking about again? Superteam? If I¡¯m rema¡ª He pped himself on the forehead and said, ¡°OHHH! You¡¯re talking about you being my team¡¯s ad-carry!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°Mhm!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and asked in confusion, ¡°But hadn¡¯t we already decided you were going to be the ad-carry?¡±

    ¡°Whuh?¡± Tang Bingyao mumbled. Did I¡­ No! She shook her head and said, ¡°No! You kept telling me yes and I said no! I never agreed to it!¡± She paused for a moment and then added, ¡°But now I do.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Lin Fengughed. ¡°So it¡¯s all good! Nothing¡¯s changed! You¡¯re the team¡¯s ad-carry!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng, speechless. Then she took a deep breath and then turned around. Hmpf! Stupid Lin Feng! She started hopping over the cracks in the pavement again with a little more aggression than before. I think I understand why BunBun beats him up so much¡­

 Chapter 235: Meeting Up with Tian Tian

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    Monday morning, the start of a new week at the Shanghai Esports Association. Fang Hao walked into the building and rode the elevator up to his office. He opened up the doors to his office and walked in. Then he looked around his office and asked, ¡°Back here already, eh?¡± He wasn¡¯t speaking to anyone in particr, or himself. He just wanted to break the silence in his office with some noise. Fang Hao walked over to his desk and sat down in his chair. Then he sighed and looked out the window. The weekend always goes by so quickly, and the week goes on for so long. I miss my bed already. How long is it going to be until I get two days off again? Weekends like the one that just passed were a rare urrence for Fang Hao. Those special weekends where he got two days off, he called those Golden Weekends.

    He looked at his desk, wondering if he should start clearing space for everything that was about to be piled on it. ¡°Hah, I miss my soft bed already.¡± He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to start.

    Fang Hao reclined against the soft, plush leather of his chair and closed his eyes. He was preparing himself mentally for what was about to start. This was the one moment of peace he got every morning in this office. In the next few minutes, people would start walking in and filling whatever space existed on his desk with documents. Piling them high. Then he¡¯d have meetings, phone calls, and constant reminders for what he had to check up on or provide input on. And any time in between all of that, he¡¯d have to spend it working on the never-ending pile of documents. Once he started working in the next few minutes, that¡¯s all he¡¯d be doing for the rest of the day until he went home.

    The life of an Esports Association President, eh? Not as morous orid back as you thought it was going to be, is it Fang Hao? You thought all the work was getting here and then you could sit back and rx. Turns out the work was just starting out! You sucker! Fang Hao thought to himself before rubbing the Monday Blues out of his eyes and getting down to work.

    Shanghai was known as the Capital of China¡¯s esports scene. Beijing also had a thriving esports scene, but it just wasn¡¯t aspetitive or as well-known as the Shanghai scene. The thirdrgest city with an esports scene was Guangdong. But the city and the esports scene had taken major hits in thest few years, and was nowhere near what was happening in Shanghai or Beijing. Together, the three Presidents of the Esports Associations from Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangdong decided all things concerning China in the international scene. They also decided the country¡¯s future in esports. Since Fang Hao was the President of the Shanghai Esports Association, he had as much power and influence as the President from the Beijing Esports Association. And significantly more influence and say in the country¡¯s esports future than the President of the Guangdong Esports Association.

    Fang Hao wielded nearplete authority when it came to China¡¯s esports scene. But with that great power came great responsibility, and the weight thates from such responsibilities. But Fang Hao did not mind that weight, or the stress that came with being President of the country¡¯s biggest esports association. Because this was the path he¡¯d chosen for himself, and he¡¯d willingly epted all of that.

    Fang Hao had devoted himself to esports from the very beginning. He¡¯d been one of the few people who saw the potential inpetitive video games, and worked to make sure China was ready to make a name for itself when the international scene came into being. He saw the potential in the Defense of the Ancients MOBA, but it didn¡¯t capture his heart. Then League of Legends came out, and that¡¯s where he saw China¡¯s future in esports. He poured blood, sweat, and tears into the Esports Association. Devoted himself to climbing up thedder until he was in a position where he could start influencing the scene. Then he continued to push until he climbed to the position he was in today as the President of the Esports Association. But for Fang Hao, this journey that he was on was not about fame, money, or authority. What he wanted more than anything was to spend his lifetime and his career cementing esports as a viable career path and internationalpetition. One where China was known as a force to be reckoned with. Fang Hao was one of those rare people who climbed to the top of the corporate side of esports with a pure love of gaming andpetition.

    And now that he had made it to the top, Fang Hao had one goal left to fulfill. Onest dream. That was the rise of the LPL under his leadership. Then he could finally rx, having aplished everything he set out to aplish all those years ago.

    Thinking about his dreams and the rise of the LPL naturally turned Fang Hao¡¯s thoughts to the Finals of the Season 5 League of Legends World Championships. The game that took cest Saturday. His mood immediately plummeted and he no longer wanted to get himself into a productive headspace. Instead, he stared through the giant ss windows of his office out into the city of Shanghai. Hm¡­ Season 5 Worlds¡­ It did not feel great when SSK won that championship trophy. Again. But I¡¯m not even mad at the LPL teams who made it all the way to Worlds. HoG, Dust, and KG all trained hard. They yed hard. It wasn¡¯t their fault they got knocked out. But still¡­ there has to be something I can do! I¡¯m so tired of Korea always winning! Why are we stuck in a ce where we¡¯re always behind them?

    Fang Hao regretted the fact that no matter what he did, the LPL could not ovee Korea. He started to wonder if the situation they were in today was his fault. Then he thought about the Season 1 World Championships. Season 1. Now that was a show! Our miracle team¡­ those guys tore through every other team in their path until they made it all the way to the Finals. Everyone thought China was worth shit back then. We only got a pity ticket to the World Championships. But we sure showed them! Until the very end. Where Korea managed to knock us back and win again. Fang Hao sighed as he thought back to those days. And how they had made it to the very end of the World Championships and then lost to Korea 2-3. The Korean team they lost to was equally amazing. It was disappointing that they lost the Championship Trophy by only a single game. But they had firmly cemented China as an Esports Powerhouse!

    Thinking back to that moment, and what happened after soured Fang Hao¡¯s mood even more. We made it to the very top back then! Everyone talked about us, the entire country was buzzing about esports. What did we do with all that energy? NOTHING! We didn¡¯t capitalize on the momentum that the miracle team generated for us at all! And since then¡­ well, since that one team and one Championship, we haven¡¯t even had a team get to the Finals. Not a single LPL team in the Finals in thest four years!

    Fang Hao sighed. ¡°What a pity. We were so close¡­¡± Then his thoughts turned to what happened at the end of the Finals. When Lee Dojae handed the Summoner¡¯s Cup to Rake at the end of the Finals. And made his speech about passing on the torch and the Dynasty of Rake. Dynasty of Rake¡­ an unbroken line of champions! Fang Hao smacked himself in the face when he remembered that moment and Lee Dojae¡¯s speech. ¡°What a moron! How could someone be that pretentious? And his whole passing-the-torch bullshit? Where did that evene from? This new Rake is a winner and an actual legend. When was Lee Dojae a legend while he yed as Rake? Is Lee Dojae delusional? Thinking he was the legend of his era? Back when that pretentious moron was ying DotA under the name Rake, the real legend was someone else! Lee Dojae was so far behind in second ce that no one even cared that he existed! Now he¡¯s up on stage spewing horseshit to rewrite history!¡±

    Fang Hao was known for being a calm andposed leader. Everyone thought of him as someone who calcted and thought before he spoke, and believed that he never lost his temper. But that wasn¡¯t always the truth. Fang Hao was calm and preferred resolving issues rationally more often than not. But even he had his limits, and a fierce temper that he constantly kept in check. His fuse was long and it took a lot to trip it. But it did happen every once in a while. Thest time that he could think of right now was back during the Season 1 League of Legends World Championships. He was only the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association back then, but that didn¡¯t stop him from going toe-to-toe with the bigwigs from the Global Esports Association. He went off on them and refused to back down until they agreed to let China¡¯s miracle team y. Fang Hao took great pride in his actions that day. He had stood up for and represented a team that counted on him, and that single action built a reputation for China in esports!

    As he thought back to that moment, Fang Hao chuckled at his younger self. But he didn¡¯t regret his actions that day at all. He¡¯d done what needed to be done for China¡¯s Esports Association, and he¡¯d continue doing what needed to be done to support the Shanghai Esports Association and China. But moments like that only existed in the past now. He¡¯d been unable to do anything to get the LPL past the barrier they¡¯d been stuck at for years. He shook his head to snap out of the thoughts of the past. The future is what matters! I need to do something for the LPL like I did for the miracle team back then!

    Fang Hao started working for the day. He flipped through the first file of documents on his desk and raised an eyebrow. Arrangements for the All-China University Tournament. Otherwise known as the Collegiate Cup. The sister-tournament to the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, but one that was meant for College and University level yers, rather than high school students. This tournament used to be held once a year as an annual event. But it had been changed to a bi-annual event starting this year. More opportunities topete would lead to better yers filtering into the LPL was the reasoning. A month from today marked the start of the next All-China University Tournament!

    Fang Hao looked through the details of this tournament and thought about Chu Fang again. As Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association, Chu Fang was the person that Fang Hao trusted the most. And a potential sessor once he decided he was done. Fang Hao had let Chu Fang handle the Shanghai 16 School Tournament entirely on his own. That was a rtively small event, but one that gave Chu Fang some much needed and valuable experience. Chu Fang did really well with the 16 Schoolpetition. I¡¯ve heard nothing but good things about it. Hm¡­ I should probably let him handle this next one too. He¡¯s going to need to know how all of them work if he¡¯s going to be President one day. Actually! Speaking of Chu Fang¡­

    Fang Hao remembered asking Chu Fang to send him information on the two teams that had made it to the Finals for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament this year. He turned hisputer on and checked his email. And the message from Chu Fang with a document containing the information he requested was sitting right there. Chu Fang¡­ what a responsible guy! He opened the PDF and skimmed over the names of the yers. Let¡¯s see who I¡¯m going to keep an eye on for the next few years. Hm¡­ WAIT! Fang Hao¡¯s thoughts froze when his eyes skimmed over a name on the list. He stood up so fast that his chair hit the back wall of his office. And he continued to stand there, staring at his screen in disbelief. Staring at the name in disbelief. The name of High School 13¡¯s Miner. ¡°L-lin. F-feng¡­? Lin Feng? LIN FENG!?

    A certain face popped into Fang Hao¡¯s mind. Could it be¡­ ? He quickly shook his head and took some deep breaths to calm himself down. ¡°No, it has to be a coincidence. It can¡¯t be, right?¡± But the possibility kept creeping back into his mind, refusing to disappear. His heart started racing. ¡±But what if it really is him!?¡±

    ?

    Monday afternoon in High School 13. The students had already sat through most of their sses. The excitement from winning the Shanghai 16 School Tournament two days ago had mostly died out. Life had returned to its normal routine pace of sses, assignments and exams.

    Lin Feng was stuck in ss and starting to doze off. His eyes were heavy and every blinksted longer and longer. Right as Lin Feng was about to drift off to sleep, his phone buzzed. The sharp vibration woke him up a little, and he checked his phone. A message from Tian Tian. That was exciting enough topletely wake Lin Feng up. He opened up the message and read it.

    Fatty:¡¸Lin Feng, what are you up to? I don''t have practice today! Wanna hang out? Get something to eat?¡¹

    After their knock out in the Semifinals of the Season 5 World Championships, KG returned to China. But they didn¡¯te home to mope around or go on vacation. They spent their time analyzing their games at Worlds, talking about what they needed to change up and what they needed to practice more, and setting up goals for next year¡¯s Worlds. It was a lot of work and many hours of team meetings. Tian Tian had been busy ever since he got home. Until now. The first thing he did once he got a chance to leave the gaming house for a bit was to message Lin Feng to see if they could hang out.

    Fatty wants to hang out? Lin Feng¡¯s face lit up. He immediately replied to Tian Tian¡¯s text.

    Lin Feng:¡¸Great! I¡¯ll take the train over. Then we can decide on a ce when we meet up!¡¹

    The two of them agreed to meet up after school and wander about until they found an inte cafe to hang out at.

    Once he finalized ns with Tian Tian, Lin Feng put his phone away. But he sat there with a happy smile on his face. Then he looked around to see what everyone else was up to, and found Ouyang staring at him. Lin Feng scratched his head, confused by the suspicious re Ouyang was giving up. He waited for Ouyang to say something, but nothing happened for a few awkward seconds. Eventually, Lin Feng decided to speak up. ¡°Uhm¡­ what¡¯s up, Ouyang? What¡¯s with the look?¡±

    Ouyang inched himself closer to Lin Feng and asked, ¡°YOU WERE TEXTING BRO! Who were you texting? I saw how you looked. The only time a bro looks that happy while sending a message is when he¡¯s texting a girl. I know that look! No bro has that much fun texting another bro. You were really into those messages!¡± Then he paused and whisper-yelled, ¡°YOU WERE TEXTING A GIRL!¡± He was loud, but not loud enough for the teacher at the front of the ssroom to hear him. It was a loud whisper. And, unfortunately, just loud enough for An Xin and Tang Bingyao, sitting ahead of them, to overhear. Both of them turned around to look at Ouyang and Lin Feng.

    The two girls had the same exact thought. Lin Feng was messing a girl¡­? They looked at each other, and then shook their heads. An Xin raised an eyebrow, and Tang Bingyao scrunched up her nose.

 Chapter 236: Duo-Queing Together

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    BRRIIIING-BRRIIING-BRRIIING

    The school bell rang, and Lin Feng immediately started packing up. He jammed his pencil case and textbooks into his bag as quickly as he could, got up from his desk, and ran to the door. But just before he could step through to freedom, he ran into An Xin. Blocking the door. She was standing right outside the ssroom door with her arms crossed. She looked at the startled Lin Feng and smiled.

    ¡°Slow down, Lin Feng. You¡¯ll run straight into someone rushing around like that. Speaking of which¡­ why are you running? And why are you in such a hurry? nning on meeting up with someone after school? Who is this new friend of yours that you didn¡¯t tell any of us about?¡± An Xin asked.

    ¡°Mhm! You didn¡¯t mention any ns to me either!¡± Tang Bingyao added. She was still at her seat in the third row, but all of her attention was on Lin Feng right now.

    Ouyang decided he needed to help Lin Feng out. Well, mostly. He also really wanted to hear what was going on and know who Lin Feng was going to see after school. Especially after he saw Lin Feng messaging in ss. He got up from his seat and started to walk over. But was jerked back towards his desk. Yang Fan had grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back. Ouyang looked back at Yang Fan, who still had a tight grip on his shirt, and said ¡°Lemme go! Bro Feng needs me!¡±

    Yang Fan gave Ouyang a serious re before intensely whispering, ¡°Have you lost your mindpletely? You really want to jump into the middle of that? You want me to let you jump into the middle of that?¡±

    ¡°Wha? Oh! OH! Yeah, no. Maybe not.¡± Ouyang replied, and then he quietly sat back down in his seat. I dodged a bullet there! I¡¯m a good bro, and I want to be there for Bro Feng¡­ but there¡¯s nothing scarier than two women. Two jealous women. And Bro Feng didn¡¯t ask me before he got himself into this mess! I would¡¯ve told him to be more careful, helped him out. But he decided to do his own thing! So, as a bro, I don¡¯t have any responsibility. What happens to Lin Feng is his own business. I¡¯m staying far, far, far away! This whole thing is his own fault anyway! Who decides to message a third girl in the middle of ss when they¡¯ve already got two girls in the same ss already? Bro Feng¡­ that man is either a legend or a moron!

    ¡°What? Oh! I¡¯m rushing ¡®cause I¡¯ve gotta get to the train! Hm¡­ To get to where Fatty is. I¡¯m going to meet up with him today. Hang out for a bit.¡± Lin Feng said, scratching his head. He didn¡¯t understand what the big deal was or why everyone was so interested in him hanging out with Tian Tian.

    ¡°Fatty?¡± An Xin asked, surprised.

    Lin Feng nodded in high spirits. ¡°Yeah! Fatty! You know, Tian Tian. God Roundy. Fatty! He¡¯s not practicing today and he¡¯s finally got some free time away from the House. So he messaged asking if I wanted to hang out today. I haven¡¯t seen him in forever! Actually, do you wannae too? You haven¡¯t seen him in a while either, and the three of us haven¡¯t spent time together in ages!¡±

    An Xin was the coach of Lin Feng¡¯s old team, so she was friends with Tian Tian as well.

    Ohhh! FATTY! So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on here! An Xin thought. Of course! That makes so much more sense! Where would this clueless moron meet a girl anyway? And he definitely wouldn¡¯t be texting a girl he met in the middle of ss! I¡¯m an idiot for even thinking that could be possible. LIN FENG TEXTING A GIRL! That¡¯ll be the day Rake decides to take up apetitive shooting game and give up on League! Of course he¡¯s texting Tian Tian, this all makes sense now. Then she remembered Lin Feng¡¯s invite. Those two haven¡¯t seen each other in four years. I should probably let them¡­ But she hesitated for a moment. She wanted to see Tian Tian also. Wanted to hang out together like they did before. Nah. I should let today be just about the two of them and I shouldn¡¯t meddle. We¡¯ll all hang out together in the future! She looked at Lin Feng again and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯d like toe¡­ but this was super sudden. I can¡¯t today, I gotta be home early. But I¡¯ll be there next time! ¡± An Xin made up a generic reason to excuse herself from the meetup today.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want toe? Why not? Wait! Hm¡­ why don¡¯t you want toe? Are you not feeling well? What do you have to do at home that you need to be there early? You can just call them and let them know, they¡¯ll understand! Wait¡­ you don¡¯t look sick.¡± Lin Feng asked. He couldn¡¯t understand why An Xin didn¡¯t want to spend time with two of her oldest friends. He was always nning to drag her along to meet up with Tian Tian. And he definitely did not buy her excuse that she had to be home early. It just didn¡¯t make sense to him. Then his eyes widened as he experienced a sh of insight. He knew what was going on with An Xin! He pped his forehead and yelled, ¡°OOOOHHHH! I GET IT NOW! Did old Aunt Floe to visit you?!¡±

    All the Senior ss 7 students that still hadn¡¯t left immediately looked over in Lin Feng and An Xin¡¯s direction. Shocked.

    An Xin froze. She¡¯d known Lin Feng for a long time, and was more than prepared for how clueless he could be most of the time. But every once in a while, he¡¯d pull something out that surprised even her. This was one of those times. She just didn¡¯t know how to react to Lin Feng¡¯s supposed epiphany. And then her face turned red. She took a deep breath and looked straight at Lin Feng. ¡°Hey idiot. Do you want to die!?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng saw An Xin¡¯s face after he asked her about ¡°old Aunt Flo¡±. He saw her face turn red. And then he heard the venom in her words. He knew, immediately, that he had messed up. He couldn¡¯t think of anything to make the situation better. And he knew better than to say anything more. That would only make the situation worse. He continued to look at An Xin¡¯s furious eyes for a few awkward seconds longer.

    Then he pivoted around and walked over to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang, do you want toe meet Fatty?¡± As far as he was concerned, Tang Bingyao and Fatty were both going to be on his new team. He saw no harm in introducing them to each other sooner rather thanter. They¡¯d have more time to get to know each other, and his team woulde together that much faster.

    Tang Bingyao was the only person other than An Xin in High School 13 who knew anything about Lin Feng¡¯s past. She also knew who Fatty was. KG¡¯s Top Laner and God Roundy, Tian Tian. And she knew that Tian Tian was Lin Feng¡¯s best friend. She also knew that their history was stormy, and this was the first time Lin Feng would be seeing Tian Tian after many years.

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head. She thought about going for a moment. She wanted to meet the God Roundy in person. More importantly, she wanted to meet Lin Feng¡¯s best friend. This isn¡¯t the right time for that. Mhm! She shook her head. ¡°No thanks. I have a lot of homework tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay. That¡¯s fine...¡± Lin Feng replied. He sounded a little dejected and disappointed. This was an exciting day and no one wanted toe with him! But he quickly perked up again. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± It didn¡¯t matter if everyone else was busy. He was going to meet Fatty today, and this was going to be their reunion after four long years!

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tian Tian had agreed to meet up in front of an inte cafe. Lin Feng arrived at the designated meetup location first, and waited for Tian Tian outside. After a few minutes, he spotted Tian Tian walking over from across the street. Tian Tain was trying to keep a low profile, and blend in with the crowd. But hisrge body made that impossible, and his attempts at blending in only made him more conspicuous.

    Lin Feng¡¯s face lit up when he saw Tian Tian, and he started waving his arms around wildly. ¡±Fatty! Fatty! Over here!¡±

    Tian Tian heard Lin Feng and looked around. He saw Lin Feng pping his arms around everywhere, and his face also lit up with joy. He ran across the crosswalk and sputtered to a stop right in front of Lin Feng. A little out of breath.

    ¡°LIIIN FEEEENG!¡± Tian Tian cried out with thest bit of air in his lungs. Then he had to pause to take a few quick breaths. Once he got his energy back up, he wrapped Lin Feng in a giant bear hug! Then he pulled down his face mask.¡±I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!¡± His chubby and ruddy cheeks jiggled with emotion, and tears started welling up in his eyes.

    Lin Feng chuckled. ¡°I missed you too, buddy! I miss you too! Hey, you even got fatter!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, haha¡­ I¡¯ve been eating a bit moretely.¡± Tian Tianughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. Then he looked Lin Feng up and down and said, ¡®¡°Lin Feng, you¡¯ve gotten taller!¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m really good at growing up too!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    After a few more minutes of excited small talk, they started trying to figure out what they were going to do today. Lin Feng had a rough n ready, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and y a few games together. Then I¡¯ll treat you to dinner! We¡¯ll have a feast!¡±

    ¡°Sure sure sure! That sounds great!¡± Tian Tian said while nodding excitedly. It didn¡¯t really matter what Lin Feng decided to do today, Tian Tian was always going to agree. It had always been like that between the two of them. Ever since they became teammates years ago. Lin Feng led, and Tian Tian followed. And he was fine with it being that way. It didn¡¯t matter to Tian Tian that he was the older one. Or that people made fun of him for being so easily led around. Following Lin Feng around was something he took pride in! He considered himself lucky to have a friend like Lin Feng who cleared the way for him!

    ?

    Tian Tian put his face mask back on before he walked into the inte cafe behind Lin Feng. The ce was crawling with League yers, many of whom followed thepetitive scene. He was God Roundy. An LPL legend who had recently yed in Worlds. Every single person in this inte cafe could recognize his face instantly. And if they did, they¡¯d start swarming all over him. That would make it difficult to hang out with Lin Feng in peace.

    Lin Feng understood the situation with Tian Tian without being told. He did his best to shield Tian Tian from view while they walked through the inte cafe. And then booked some game time for the two of them in a rtively remote corner of the inte cafe. They made their way to the corner and sat down.

    Lin Feng settled into his booth and started turning theputer on. While waiting for it to boot, he looked over at Tian Tian and said, ¡°Oh! Right! You remember BunBun, right? I thought I¡¯d bring her along today, but she had something important to do at home. She would¡¯ve been here right now if she wasn¡¯t busy!¡±

    ¡°BunBun!?¡± Tian Tian¡¯s eyes widened into saucers. ¡° BunBun? An Xin? BunBun¡¯s here too? You saw her today?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°YEAH! BunBun! She transferred over to the school I¡¯m at. Really recently! We¡¯re even in the same ss! And she¡¯s on the esports team with me! She even helped coach our school¡¯s team for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Wait! Before I forget, she told me to tell you that she said hi.¡±

    ¡°Wow? I haven¡¯t seen BunBun in forever. I miss her so much!¡± Tian Tiang said.

    Lin Feng waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine, she¡¯ll be here next time and we¡¯ll all hang out!¡± Then he paused for a second and added, ¡°... I¡¯ll bring Tang Tang along too, so you can meet her!¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang?¡± Tian Tian asked with a look of confusion. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Oh! She¡¯s also a ssmate. Same ss as me and BunBun! And she¡¯s a great ad-carry too! She was on the esports team with me at the 16 School Tournie! But listen! She¡¯s going to be the ad-carry for our new team!¡± Lin Feng exined excitedly.

    Tian Tian was surprised. ¡°A girl?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Tian Tian was intrigued and curious to know more about this phenomenal female ad-carry that he¡¯d never heard of before. ¡°If you say she¡¯s good, then she must be good. But I¡¯ve never heard of a Tang Tang before. Or any new female ad-carries. There aren¡¯t many girls who y that position well enough to bepetitive. Is Tang Tang a nickname? What does she look like?¡± As far as he knew, BunBun was the only unknown female yer in thepetitive scene. And the best female yer that he could recollect.

    ¡°What does she look like?¡± Lin Feng rubbed his chin. He racked his brains around this question, and answered, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s okay. About the same as BunBun!¡±

    If the boys from High School 13 heard what Lin Feng had said right now, they would have joined together to beat him into a bulb. They would have ripped his arms and legs off and kicked him until he resembled a tulip bulb! It was almost iprehensible! Lin Feng casually stating that two of the goddesses from their school were merely okay in his eyes!

    Lin Feng and Tian Tian had already opened their League clients and logged in. Lin Feng waved his hand and said, ¡°Forget about that for now! We¡¯ll y a few games first! We can talk about all this stuffter. We haven¡¯t duo-queued together in years!¡±

 Chapter 237: You Get One in Every Game

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    Lin Feng had lost his original ount, the one that he used to get all the way to the Season 1 World Championships. It was locked out, and he didn¡¯t feel ready to y on that ount again. He had made apletely new ount, a fresh one, on the Ionia server. Right around the time he started makingmentary videos with Su Xue on the Korean server.

    Ever since he made that ount though, he¡¯d been ying a lot of games every single day. It started out with games he yed for Su Xue¡¯s stream and with her in training. Then he started ying games with his friends in the NetCow Cafe. And he¡¯d put a lot of hours in during practice for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. On top of that, he also yed a ton of games by himself in solo queue. Especially after he saw how good Rake was in the Season 5 World Championships.

    Between all of these things that happened recently, Lin Feng had yed so many games in ranked queue on the Ionia server that his new ount had reached Challenger! And Tian Tian sitting next to him was KG RoundyRound! They were two of the best yers in the game about to wreak havoc on some unsuspecting yers in duo queue!

    There were millions and millions of people ying League of Legends every day in China. Most of them were stuck in Bronze, Silver or Gold; sometimes called elo-hell. A term that bad yers used as an excuse to exin why they couldn¡¯t climb thedder. But there were only 200 Challengers on each server, a hard cap put in ce by Riot Games. Of those 200 Challengers, many yed on professional teams and never went to an inte cafe. On the rare asion they did, everyone at the cybercafe would crowd around them to ask for autographs or advice on league or burning personal questions. And beg them to y their main champion, the one they rose to prominence with.

    Lin Feng created a lobby and sent Tian Tian an invite, then entered the queue. There weren¡¯t many yers at a matchmaking rank this high, so it took a couple of minutes to find a game. Lin Feng looked over at Tian Tian and asked, ¡°What roles do we want to y¡­ Hmm¡­ OH! I KNOW! How about you go Top and I¡¯ll Jungle!?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Tian Tian agreed. I¡¯m just happy to y with you again. It¡¯s been years since west yed a game together¡­ Years! You could¡¯ve said you wanted to go ad-carry, and I would have supported you! He smiled as old memories surfaced. But Top-Jungle is better. Just like the old days. No one could beat us when we yed Top-Jungle. That was so much fun!

    The queue popped. Lin Feng and Tian Tian clicked the ¡°Ready!¡± button and entered Champion Select. Then both of them, like trained professionals, typed a quick message and mmed down on the ENTER key.

    MapleInShrub:¡¸Jgl!¡¹KG RoundyRound:¡¸TOp pls!¡¹IllusoryFigLeaf: ¡¸t¡¹IllusoryFigLeaf:¡¸God Roundy!?!??¡¹Protector:¡¸Holy shit! havent seen you in ranked in forever!!¡¹Zabuza445:¡¸omg!!! Heyyyyyyy! pls add me as a friend after this game!¡¹

    The three random yers on the team were all incredibly friendly towards Tian Tian. He was the puffy, friendly face in the Chinese League of Legends scene that everyone loved. Even his opponents cheered for him when he made a good y! There was just something about him that made it impossible to dislike him. So when the three random yers saw one of their favourite yers in the game in Champion Select, they briefly forgot that they were Challengers themselves. They swarmed over Tian Tian like teenage girls meeting their idol. Topne was his. Jungle was for his friend. And they¡¯d do everything in their might to make this game his game!

    KG RoundyRound:¡¸Let¡¯s all just have fun!¡¹

    Lin Feng looked over at Tian Tian, who was smiling like a happy child, and grinned. They all love you, Fatty! Just look at the chat! You achieved so much after I left. Then he shook his head and turned his attention to the long list of Champions. Now, what to y, what to y¡­ He scrolled through the alphabetical list. Amumu? Nah, don¡¯t feel like it. Maybe Nidalee? Could be fun. Hmm¡­ He continued looking until he got to the r. Rengar. Yeah, let¡¯s y him! I haven¡¯t yed him in a while. When was thest time? Must¡¯ve been all the way back against that Rose streamer. Wonder if I made her quit after that¡­ He started grinning as he recalled how he¡¯d stood up for Su Xue and helped catapult her stream that night more than a month ago.

    It was Tian Tian¡¯s turn to pick a Champion. He nced through the champion list and clicked on the image of Riven. He didn¡¯t lock her in yet, but his teammates could see that he had her highlighted.

    Zabuza445: ¡¸RIVEN!!!! Yes yes!1!! y rivennn!!!¡¹IllusoryFigLeaf: ¡¸his riven is the best!!! Did you guys see his riven at worlds? My god that was amazing~~~¡¹Zabuza445: ¡¸IKR!!!! I bet that one game was enough for him to be a KING!!!!!¡¹Protector: ¡¸i read somewhere that the new list isnt updated yet coz riot is gunna make the list¡¹Zabuza445: ¡¸I READ THAT TOOO!!!! We just gotta wait a few more weeks. AND THEN. AND THEN! GOD ROUNDY IS GONNA BE CROWNED KING!!!!! WE¡±RE PLAYING WITH THE NEWEST KING GUYS!!!!¡¹IllusoryFigLeaf: ¡¸so deserved~~~¡¹KG RoundyRound:¡¸Uhh, thanks. But there¡¯s many good yers. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that good..¡¹Zabuza445: ¡¸DON¡±T BE SHY! YOU DESERVE IT!¡¹Protector: ¡¸yeah, your heca and riven were crazy good. Ive been tryin for a 5man ultie¡­ i dunno how you did that¡¹

    Tian Tian felt his face heat up. He never knew how to react topliments, not four years ago and not now. He just felt incredibly awkward when he became the center of attention. Thest few weeks, he hadn¡¯t even dared to go on social media. Everyone wasuding him. They were calling him the best Riven in the world. The best Hecarim in the world. And they were discussing which yer he was going to rece on the Seven Kings list. His go-to tactic in these situations was to look away and pretend his nose was bleeding.

    Tian Tian looked away from the chat, squinting his eyes far enough so that he couldn¡¯t see it anymore, and nced at which Champions were being locked in. It was Lin Feng¡¯s turn and he quickly locked in Rengar. Tian Tian frowned and turned to Lin Feng. ¡°You¡¯re going Rengar?¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled and said, ¡°Yeah! I wanna have some fun too!¡±

    He always came with the most random champions¡­ Tian Tian grinned and nodded. ¡°Ok! Let¡¯s carry this game together then!¡± Like we always did.

    Blue Team vs. Red TeamTopne: Tryndamere versus RivenJungle: Lee Sin versus RengarMidne: Syndra versus ZiggsAD-carry: Lucian versus JinxSupport: Nami versus Alistar

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner''s Rift!¡·

    [All] SpeedDemon (Lucian):¡¸This is a challenge to SliceSpike! Let your wallet do the talking!¡¹[All] LyricleRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸Good luck & have fun everyone!!!¡¹[All] Moody Steer (Syndra):¡¸sup roundy! Long time no see, dude. How bout you go easy on me this game? I really don¡¯t want to get my ass pounded likest time. That shit hurt for weeks! Haha!¡¹[All] KG RoundyRound (Riven):¡¸Haha! What are you talking about, Moody? You yed really well that game, it just wasn¡¯t enough¡¹

    The 10 yers had just spawned on the Rift, but the all chat was already blowing up. Lin Feng grinned as he read the messages. He pointed at the Lucian¡¯s message on Tian Tian¡¯s screen and said, ¡°Read that message! What¡¯s he even talking about? I love how every game always has that one guy who has to say something absolutely random!¡± Then he caught up to the exchange between Moody Steer and Tian Tian. Hmm, I know that name¡­ Oh! Isn¡¯t he the Miner for that LPL team¡­ Ah crap, why can¡¯t I think of their name? He pointed at the message and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the one from that LPL team?¡±

    Tian Tian nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a really nice guy. Their team has a lot of potential, I think.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled as he looked at the happy expression on his friend¡¯s face. Fatty really has been doing great! Then he turned his attention to the game. Minions had spawned and there were only a couple more seconds until the Jungle Camps would spawn. His Rengar was sitting next to the Gromp Camp, which was located in the Red Team¡¯s bot side jungle. Waiting, Lin Feng panned his camera to the botne. Their Boners aren¡¯t inne, so they¡¯re probably helping Lee Sin kill the Krugs. Then they go to the botne and Lee Sin goes for his Red Buff Camp. This should be fun!

    The Jungle Camps spawned. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar attacked the Gromp, and killed it with the help of his Boners. Then he ran past his Blue Buff Camp and into the river. Past the Dragon pit and into Blue Team¡¯s bot side jungle. Through the tall grass and around the backside of the Red Buff Camp. Then he stopped in the brush adjacent to the Red Brambleback.

    The Blue Team¡¯s Lee Sin was indeed fighting the Red Brambleback. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar waited, prowling in the brush. Lee Sin¡¯s health bar dropped below half. And then down to a third. Now! Savagery! Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar pounced on Lee Sin and brutally stabbed him!

    Lee Sin didn¡¯t try to fight. He shed away! And then he ran! But no one could escape from Rengar in the jungle. Unseen Predator, Rengar¡¯s passive skill, allowed him to leap at enemy champions every time he entered a brush or stealth. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar jumped after Lee Sin, then entered a brush before pouncing at his target again.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    [All] LyricleRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸Damn, I didn¡¯t see thating. Well yed.¡¹

    One of the big differences between higher and lower elo games was the mentality of yers. Most yers who reached the higher ranks had learned that raging in chat only impaired their gamey. From there it was a quick slope to losing the game. It was best to stay calm. To ept the screw up and to focus on the next y. But lower ranked yers usually didn¡¯t understand this logic. When they made a bad decision, they started searching for increasingly convoluted exnations as to why this wasn¡¯t their mistake. Why their teammates were the real reason that they lost the y. And then the game.

    Tian Tianughed and said to Lin Feng, ¡°That was a really nice invade!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lin Feng replied. Then he looked over at Tian Tian¡¯s screen and suggested, ¡°You should kill that Tryndamere too! I¡¯ll have your back!¡±

    Tian Tian scratched the back of his head and finally mumbled, ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try. But this Trynd is pretty good. I¡¯m not sure I can kill him already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just you. It¡¯s us! I¡¯ming top for a gank!¡± Lin Feng exined, grinning.

    Lin Feng recalled back to base to spend the gold for first blood and instructed Tian Tian to start pushing in the wave towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower. He then had his Rengar walk into his top side jungle to clear the Red Buff Camp, after which he walked up to the topne. Tian Tian had pushed the wave far enough, allowing him to walk intone unseen. He snuck into the first brush along the top side of thene. Then the second. And he finally stopped in the third. Fatty is pushing pretty hard right now. Lee Sin has to being for a gank soon. This is going to be fun! He grinned and said to Tian Tian, ¡°Set up the bait!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Tian Tian said. He had his Riven get a little bit too aggressive by walking past his minions to attack the Tryndamere underneath his own outer tower.

    The bait worked wlessly. Lee Sin appeared from thene and hopped towards the Tryndamere with Safeguard. Then the Tryndamere sliced through the Riven, his de spinning around and around.

    Tian Tian¡¯s Riven dashed away with Valor, opening his back to the Tryndamere. Mocking Shout! The Tryndamere bellowed out a deafening roar, slowing down the Riven! Then the Lee Sin fired off a Sonic Wave. But Tian Tian had seen thisbinationing from a mile away. He was already doging the Lee Sin¡¯s attack before it even came. Then he shed out with Broken Wings, jumping into the brush Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar was waiting in.

    The Lee Sin yer hesitated. His danger senses tingled. Something¡¯s off. This is God Roundy¡¯s Riven. He pinged the Tryndamere to retreat, but his warnings fell on deaf ears. Tryndamere charged head first into the brush, ready to finish off the Riven!

    Lin Feng¡¯s fingers glided over his keyboard. Savagery! His Rengar shed down on Tryndamere with his daggers. B Strike! A b wrapped around Tryndamere¡¯s legs and slowed him down. All the while, Tian Tian did what Riven was best at. Firing of a Ki Burst and then hacking away with her de until there was nothing left of her victim¡¯s health!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    The Lee Sin yer shook his head and grumbled a quietin, his hand hovering over the enter key. Do I say something? I shouldn¡¯t, but¡­ Dammit. He finally pressed down and wrote a message in his team¡¯s chat.

    LyricalRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸Dude, I told you to back¡­ ¡¹Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Fuck off. Jungle better, 0/1 Trashlee!¡¹

 Chapter 238: Look Mommy, Iâ€™m a Famous Online Troll!

    Bloodsucker belonged to a specific subset of the League of Legends yerbase. He¡¯d risen up to the top of the ranks and was a far better yer than any of his friends. When they found out how good he was at the game, they started cozying up to him. They were suddenly his best friends and wanted to y with him whenever he had some free time. Then they¡¯d tell him how good he was and how he was carrying them out of elohell. Thepliments boosted Bloodsucker¡¯s ego, until eventually he became convinced that he was the best yer in the entire game. Whenever he won a game, he told his teammates that they sucked and that they should thank him for carrying them. And when he lost, then it was never his fault. His teammates were to me.

    In this game, Bloodsucker was too eager to kill God Roundy¡¯s Riven. He failed to see the trap and walked his Tryndamere right into the brush where Rengar was waiting to kill him. Lee Sin had warned him, but he didn¡¯t like to listen to his teammates. He was convinced they were bad yers, and so they weren¡¯t worth his time or energy. But now he was dead. He got baited. He, the best yer in all of League of Legends! I DIDN¡¯T GET BAITED! If only this Trashlee hade for back up, we would¡¯ve gotten a double kill! And why is this Rengar so strong anyway? WHAT THE F.U.C.K! HOW BAD IS THIS LEE SIN? How did he already give a kill away? THIS IS F.U.C.K.I.N.G STUPID! WHY AM I ALWAYS STUCK WITH THESE STUPID F.U.C.K.I.N.G TEAMMATES? I always have to do everything myself¡­ This is going to be hard. I just gotta carry these trashyers.

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Would¡¯ve gotten the double if your useless ass wouldn¡¯t have been so busy being a whiny little bitch! Stop feeding that stupid Rengar!¡¹

    The Lee Sin yer was pissed. He red at his team chat and wanted nothing more than to respond to Bloodsucker. This f.u.c.k.i.n.g troll! I warned him! I WARNED HIM! He took a couple of deep breaths through gritted teeth. I can¡¯t argue with him. Must not argue. That¡¯s just going to get me more upset. Don¡¯t stoop to his level. Just y the game. Ignore that f.u.c.khead! He took one more breath and then exhaled loudly. Calm down. Just ignore top for a bit. He turned his attention to the othernes as he went back to his jungle to farm his jungle camps.

    ?

    The game was 6 minutes in. Lin Feng had just cleared his top side jungle and was looking for a gank opportunity, when he saw Tian Tian¡¯s Riven reaching Level 6. Trynd is still Level 5. Time to go top for another easy kill! He said to Tian Tian, who sat next to him in the cybercafe, ¡°Fatty, I¡¯ming for a gank! Push thene!¡± Then he had his Rengar sneak into the Blue team¡¯s top side Jungle.

    Tian Tian nced at the minimap while he started pushing the minion wave into the Blue Team¡¯s outer tower. ¡°Ok! We¡¯re going to dive him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He had his Rengar stop in the brush that opened into the Blue Team¡¯s topne right behind the outer tower. Then he flicked his screen and watched Tian Tian engage. Nice! Push him to me, Fatty! Lin Feng waited in the brush as Tian Tian¡¯s Riven unleashed all her skills on the Tryndamere, hacking away at him with her reforged de. Yes, yes. Push him my way. Haha! This Trynd is so predictable!

    Bloodsucker¡¯s Tryndamere got away from the Riven. He smiled as he stopped some distance behind his outer tower. Suck that, Fat Roundy! His Tryndamere had less than ten percent health remaining, but he¡¯d survived a towerdive by RoundyRound! What a f.u.c.k.i.n.g noob! I should go y professionally, maybe China would finally wi¡ª

    Lin Feng had waited patiently for the Tryndamere to walk into range of Unseen Predator, Rengar¡¯s passive skill that allowed him to leap at champions and minions from a brush. Too predictable. He clicked on the Tryndamere. His Rengar leaped from the brush and wed down onto the Tryndamere. Then, just as he was about to deal the killing blow, a pure and powerful green ki cut through the Tryndamere, shearing away thest of his health. Tian Tian¡¯s Riven had dealt the killing blow with Wind sh!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Lin Fengughed and eximed, ¡°Sweet! Topne is yours now!¡± He paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Fatty, you want to take the tower too? Or¡­¡±

    Tian Tian shook his head and said, ¡°Eh, not yet. I think it¡¯s better to keep it up a little longer.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and suggested, ¡°Then how about Ie gank him two more times? We¡¯d tilt him off the face of the earth!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think top is pretty much over,¡± Tian Tian said. He looked around the map and then asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you farm the Jungle a bit?¡±

    ¡°Farm the Jungle?¡± Lin Feng rubbed his chin and scanned his own Jungle. Nah, too boring. Then he looked at Blue team¡¯s Jungle and started grinning. ¡°Sure! That could be fun too!¡±

    Lin Feng had his Rengar go back into Blue team¡¯s top side Jungle and attacked the Gromp, which was the nearest jungle camp. All the while, grinning like a child who¡¯d gotten their hands on the cookie jar. This reminds me of Season 1¡­ What did they always say? Shit, can¡¯t think of the exact words¡­ Something like ¡®My jungle is mine and your jungle is mine too!¡¯ Watch me Lee Sin. Your jungle is mine now!

    The Gromp died. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar went to the Wolves Camp next, which was left of the Blue Buff Camp. Lin Feng attacked the two small wolves first before killing the big one, panning his camera around the map. Lee Sin is gonnae top for another gank. He has to if he wants his team to win! Or Fatty will just 1vs5 them. So I just have to be there waiting for him, hehe!

    ?

    There was a lull in the game for the next few minutes. Lin Feng farmed his own jungle and Blue Team¡¯s jungle, while also searching for Lee Sin. But he seemed to have disappeared from the map. After the failed gank in topne, he hadn¡¯t shown himself in anyne.

    Then at 9 minutes, Lee Sin made a gank in the midne and helped his Syndra kill the Ziggs. It was a fast kill in which both Blue team¡¯s Champions used all their skills. Lin Feng was farming the Gromp in Blue team¡¯s top side jungle, and was too far away to offer any help. But before he couldin about this, Lee Sin ventured into the top side¡¯s jungle. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar hid in a brush and waited for Lee Sin to walk by. And then he killed Lee Sin. There was no suspense to it. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar was stronger right now and the Lee Sin¡¯s skills were still on cooldown.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tian Tian had also found an opening in the topne. He pushed the minion wave into Blue team¡¯s outer tower and then activated his Riven¡¯s ultimate skill¨Cde of the Exile! A resplendent green light lit up around her, reforging her broken de! Then sheshed out with the first strike of Broken Wings! She followed up with the second and finally hacked down into the earth for the third, knocking the Tryndamere up into the air!

    Bloodsucker¡¯s Tryndamere only had a sliver of health remaining when he fell back to the ground. Undying Rage! His l.u.s.t for battle reached new heights just as a lethal sh of runic energy cut through him. The attack didn¡¯t kill him as red rage exploded from his body, turning him for a short period into a true immortal! Then he activated Ghost and used the bonus movement speed to run far away from Tian Tian¡¯s Riven.

    ¡°Lin Feng!¡± Tian Tian shouted.

    ¡°I GOT THIS!¡± Lin Feng hollered in reply. He pressed down on the R key¨CThrill of the Hunt! Rengar entered stealth as his eyes appeared above the Tryndamere who was now in between his outer and inner tower. Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar prowled through Blue team¡¯s top side jungle and then charged into the topne. He leaped at the Tryndamere and shed him down! SAVAGERY!

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Tian Tian smiled. ¡°That was great!¡±

    Lin Fengughed happily and said, ¡°That Trynd must be so mad! This is hrious! Oh! And I¡¯ve got 3 kills now too!¡±

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Trash Rengar.. Get off Riven¡¯s c.o.c.k. Can you be any more in love with this trash yer? F.u.c.k.i.n.g c.o.c.ksucker.¡¹

    Tian Tian¡¯s smile evaporated when he read the message in all chat. He didn¡¯t like to be insulted, but he hated it when his friends got insulted! ¡°This Tryndamere! Seriously, this is a Challenger game. Not Bronze,¡± heined. Then he hit the Enter key and started typing out a reply, until Lin Feng stopped him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Lin Feng said as he shook his head. Then he grinned and added, ¡°Look how bad we made him tilt! And it was so easy too! How about we pay him back for that message by killing him again?¡± Then he stared at the Tryndamere. You¡¯re such an idiot. So let me give you a special treatment. I¡¯ll set up a tent in topne and camp you until you rage quit!

    ?

    Lin Feng kept true to his word. He never left topne, except to buy items in the fountain. And the Tryndamere didn¡¯t learn from his mistakes. He kept going in on Tian Tian¡¯s Riven, and he kept getting killed by Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar. The Syndra and Lee Sin tried to help Tryndamere a couple of times, but quickly gave up on that. They realized that Tryndamere was a lost cause. He had tilted so hard that he couldn¡¯t distinguish right from left anymore. All he could do was feed another kill and then insult the entire team and their mothers.

    At 20 minutes into the game, Tryndamere had died a total of 8 times. Thest of which was by far the quickest and easiest death. He¡¯d been trying to get some gold by killing Jungle camps, when a wild Rengar jumped on him. He was dead before he even knew what happened. A slur of insults followed in all chat, followed by his teammates begging for him to stop typing.

    Lin Feng was having a great time in topne. He wasughing and joking with Tian Tian as they killed anyone who came to their topne. And whenever Tryndamere died, Lin Feng shouted, ¡°Another point on the rage-o-meter! Let¡¯s get another point! Rage more! Rage more!¡±

    The Blue Team tried to fight back against Lin Feng¡¯s Rengar and Tian Tian¡¯s Riven. But they weren¡¯t winning the othernes either. Little by little, they found themselves being pushed back. Topne lost its inhibitor after 23 minutes, and botne lost its inhibitor tower a minuteter. There was no more winning and finally after 25 minutes, the Blue team surrendered.

    The 10 yers were transported to the end game lobby. There was a chat here that everyone could see. And they all got front row seats to the Tryndamere blowing up another storm of abuse.

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸F.u.c.k.i.n.g trash shit ass teammates! All these f.u.c.ks know how to do is kiss ass to pros!¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸You dumb f.u.c.k retards might as well offer to suck his d.i.c.k!¡¹|

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Boosted f.u.c.ks!!!!¡¹

    FishyCat12 (Nami):¡¸r u on drugs or something!??!?!!?¡¹

    Moody Steer (Syndra):¡¸bro, you got your ass beat by Roundy before the Regnar even started ganking you. Grow up already, please¡¹

    SpeedDemon (Lucian):¡¸Why is it always the feeders who think they¡¯re the best yer in the world? Jesus, you¡¯re such a ming pile of shit, Tryndamere. Reportx9, pls¡¹

    LyricalRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸I f.u.c.k.i.n.g warned you for your first death! You could¡¯ve backed then and had a good game!¡¹

    LyricalRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸But no. You had to go in. And then you got f.u.c.k.i.n.g owned!¡¹

    LyricalRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸That¡¯s on you. Not us. YOU> WE LOST BECAUSE OF YOU!¡¹

    LyricalRifle (Lee Sin):¡¸My god. What are you? 12? Or just mentally unstable?¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Shut your ugly fat face lee¡­ Or stuff it like your dear shitty noob roundy does!¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸I bet you¡¯re just as fat a pig as that disgusting fatass is!!¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸What are you even sucking his balls for? he lost 0-3 to ssk like the fat noob he is..¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Your precious god of fast food is a f.u.c.k.i.n.g embarrassment to China!¡¹

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸GOD OF FAST FOOD! GOD OF FEEDING! GOD OF EVERYTHING THAT¡±S WRONG WITH THIS SHITTY F.U.C.K.I.N.G GAME!¡¹

    Lin Feng looked at Tian Tian after thatstment. His face had turned pale and his upper lip was quivering. Lin Feng could see it quivering under the mask. Tian Tian¡¯s eyes turned shiny and he blinked faster and faster as water pooled into them. Thosest fewments had really hit home, and Lin Feng could visibly feel how much they¡¯d upset Tian Tian. Lin Feng turned his head back to his monitor and narrowed his eyes. You can say whatever you want about me, I don¡¯t care. But you went way too far with Fatty! You crossed the line there. I¡¯m going to make you regret this! I don¡¯t know how yet. Or when, or where. But no one touches Fatty! I¡¯m gonna make you pay for this!

 Chapter 239: Dream the Impossible, but Donâ€™t Lose Yourself in the Process

    Bloodsucker was a troll. He loved to talk people down on the inte, just so he could feel better about himself. This rang especially true after having yed a bad game of League of Legends. A loss stung so deeply into his ego that he needed a release. So, like a trained professional, he hurled abuse at his teammates throughout the game and in the endgame lobby. But then they talked back to him. All four of his teammates ganged up on him and told him it was his fault they lost the game and that he could piss right off. That stung even worse than losing the game, because somewhere deep down he knew they were right. But he¡¯d never admit that. So he took the easy way out. Bully the fat kid.

    Tian Tian was one of the biggest names in all of League of Legends. But unlike many of his fellow professional yers, he didn¡¯t walk with his chest raised, full of confidence. He was about as far away from that as possible. He slouched, bit his lips constantly, and looked like a nervous wreck more often than not. And on top of that, he was the quiet fat kid. That made him the perfect target for Bloodsucker. Someone who didn¡¯t talk back, regardless of how much abuse was thrown at them. So Bloodsucker bullied Tian Tian until he left the endgame lobby. And then Bloodsucker sent Tian Tian a friend request, just so he could get a little more abuse in.

    Lin Feng sat next to Tian Tian in the cybercafe. He watched over his friend¡¯s shoulder as Bloodsucker sent the long string of messages, stewing. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot. He hadn¡¯t blinked once after the bullying started,mitting every message to memory. Then he muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll remember this. You¡¯re going to regret this, Bloodsucker.¡± He spit out thest word. You crossed the line so far that you can¡¯t even see it anymore! Bloodsucker. I¡¯ll remember your name. And I¡¯m going to find a way to pay you back for this! I¡¯m going to make you feel how shitty you make others feel with your words! AND THEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE!

    Tian Tian did what he always did when he got bullied. He tried to act like the words didn¡¯t hurt him, even though they destroyed what little confidence he did have. He chewed on his lips, forcing back the tears, and invited Lin Feng to another game. When his friend didn¡¯t ept the invite right away, he nced over. And his eyes widened. L-Lin Feng! His lips quivered as he muttered, ¡°L-Lin Feng, I¡¯m okay. I really am! D-don¡¯t get angry, please.¡± T-that guy was just a troll. There are so many of them¡­ And they always go away eventually if you just ignore them. I-I would know¡­ They always bully me. No, no. He shook his head and blinked a tear away. P-pretend it didn¡¯t happen. It didn¡¯t happen. Nothing happened. He looked back at Lin Feng, who looked like he was about to explode, his entire face red in rage. ¡°P-please don¡¯t get yourself in trouble for me¡­¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Tian Tian and forced the anger off his face. Then he smiled weakly. I can¡¯t ignore this. You¡¯re my friend. Friends stand up for each other. I¡¯m going to get Bloodsucker back for this. He¡¯s going to regret ever having said anything about you! But I know you don¡¯t like confrontation. So don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do it. You won¡¯t have to do a thing. He nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t get myself in trouble. Anyway, let¡¯s queue up for another game!¡± Now, how do I find this asshole? And how do I teach him a lesson he¡¯ll never forget?

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tian Tian yed their Top-Junglebination again in the second game. Tian Tian was still visibly upset at the start, but quickly forgot about Bloodsucker the Bully after Lin Feng helped him get a kill. From there, the two friends found their rhythm from the first game again. They were joking andughing andpletely decimating the Blue team. Towers fell and they were knocking on Blue team¡¯s base after only 15 minutes. Two minutester, they destroyed the top inhibitor. And another two minutester, they destroyed the Nexus and won the game.

    Lin Feng invited Tian Tian to a third game and started the queue. Then he looked over at his friend and said, ¡°I think I¡¯m going mid this game.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah! Ok, that sounds good,¡± Tian Tian replied.

    The two friends epted the queue and moved into Champion Select for the third time that day. They were on the Blue Team. Tian Tian chose to y Irelia in the topne, and Lin Feng went with Lenc in the midne. Then they went into the loading screen and got a look at their opponents. One of them was the midne champion Fizz. His Summoner ID was Bloodsucker.

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes widened and he asked in surprise, ¡°That Fizz, isn¡¯t he¡­?¡±

    ¡°The Tryndamere from the first game,¡± Lin Feng finished the sentence. Then he started grinning. This wasn¡¯t his happy-go-lucky smile, but something terrifying. You¡¯re going to regret what you did so badly. A fire zed in his eyes and he clenched his fists. ¡°What a coincidence that we see him again!¡± he said,ughing like a maniac. ¡°This makes it so much easier!¡±

    Tian Tian shivered, afraid to even look at Lin Feng. He felt a rage that was about to explode bubbling next to him. He ufortably moved in his seat, unconsciously inching away from Lin Feng. T-that Tryndamere has really done it. I¡¯ve almost never seen Lin Feng this upset¡­ He bit hard on his lips, fighting to find enough courage to look at his friend. But he couldn¡¯t get himself to. He let his eyes fall to Lin Feng¡¯s legs below the desk and mumbled, ¡°Uh, L-Lin Feng? A-are you sure you¡¯re okay? You sound and look¡­ I mean¡­¡±

    ?

    Breezy was one of 16 professional League of Legends teams thatpeted in the LSPL, the second highest league in China. They were too small for a headquarters in Shanghai, the esports capital of the world, and instead had a small gaming house in Guangzhou. Their gaming room was little more than a bedroom refitted with sixputers, one for each team member and thest one for the coach.

    Bloodsucker sat in his gaming chair, chewing on some gum and ying with his red curls. Shit, what a shitty game that was. He took a deep breath and then blew all the air from his lungs. At least I finally got myself to calm down a bit. But damn that Lee Sin¡­ Why do I always get these trolls? He shook his head and looked at his loading screen. Let¡¯s see who I¡¯m up against thi¡ª

    Bloodsucker¡¯s eyes went wide. He shot up in his seat and took a double take, then eximed, ¡°KG RoundyRound and¡­ MapleInShrub!¡± The initial surprise quickly disappeared and a smile that turned into full blownughter reced it. ¡°Haha! AWESOME! That f.u.c.k.i.n.g Rengar! Is he duoing with Roundy or something? Haha, whatever, I don¡¯t care. But I found him again! I can make him pay for that shit he pulled on me!¡± He jabbed his finger at his monitor and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll get you back for that, you hear me? Mid is my main role and my Fizz is the best in the LSPL! And probably the LPL! Maybe even at Worlds! I¡¯ll show you! Hahaha!¡±

    Bloodsucker was a rtively new face in League of Legends. He¡¯d started ying not too long ago, and quickly found out he had some real talent for the game. He breezed through Gold, tinum, and even Diamond. And when he finally reached Challenger, the professional team Breezy reached out to him and offered him a spot on their roster. They called him a big up ander, and he knew they were right. There¡¯s almost no one who can beat me when I really try! I always win! This is just one season in the LSPL. Then I¡¯ll move to the LPL and qualify for Worlds in the summer. And then I¡¯m going to show everyone that our region does have better talent than that fit f.u.c.k.i.n.g pig of a Roundy! 0-3¡­ What a f.u.c.k.i.n.g disgrace for a yer! The government should have him banished! He suddenly started smiling and mumbled to himself, ¡°Good thing I¡¯m ying on my second ount. I can tell that fat pig exactly what I think of him and no one will know it was me. Haha!¡±

    Bloodsucker focused on Tian Tian¡¯s Irelia in the loading screen and said, ¡°So what if you¡¯re a good Toner? I¡¯m a Miner! That¡¯s the only reason I couldn¡¯t carry thest game. And we only lost that game because my Miner was the single worst Syndra in Challenger I¡¯ve ever seen! She belonged in Gold or something!¡± Then he shifted his attention to the Lenc and smirked. ¡°But this game, I¡¯m Mid. My main role. And I¡¯m against this MapleInNoob Lenc. Haha, what a joke! I should bepeting against the likes of Rake and Phoenix! But this is awesome. I¡¯m going to show this camping bitch just how good my Fizz is. And how good I am!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc walked from the blue fountain to the midne and Bloodsucker¡¯s Fizz came from the red fountain. They taunted each other in the middle of thene until the minion waves crashed into each other at 1:45 minutes. Both yers were out for blood. They yed with absolute focus,st hitting every minion while also finding openings tond some harass. Thissted for a little more than a minute when Lin Feng¡¯s Lencpletely outyed the Fizz to secure first blood.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Bloodsucker stared at his gray screen in disbelief. His hand trembled and he muttered, ¡°D-did that just happen? I¡­ Maybe if I¡­¡± He couldn¡¯tprehend how he¡¯d just given away a solokill, so he just sat in his gaming chair, incredulous. Then his Fizz respawned as colour returned to his screen. He shook his head and had hiz Fizz run down the midne again. One mistake. No big deal. I got this!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t follow his usual Lenc tactic of killing the opposing Miner and then looking for a gank in one of the other twones. He recalled back to the fountain, bought items, and then returned tone. He continuedst hitting minions and waited for the Fizz toe back. Then he started looking for openings again. Every small and miniscule mistake by the Fizz was taken advantage of by Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc. And two minutester, he found the opening for a kill. Eat this!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Bloodsucker fell back in his gaming chair, stunned. What the f.u.c.k is happening? How is he¡­ He bit on his lips and shook his head. No. NO! I can¡¯t let this continue! Where is my f.u.c.k.i.n.g Jungler anyway? Why do I have another useless Lee? F.U.C.K.I.N.G HELL! He started pinging Lee Sin and furiously typed away at his keyboard.

    Bloodsucker (Tryndamere):¡¸Yo Lee! You could¡¯ve had two kills already! This Lenc keeps overextending? What the f.u.c.k are you doing? Stop jerking off in your f.u.c.k.i.n.g jungle! Come and kill this Lenc. F.U.C.K!¡¹

    Red Team¡¯s Lee Sin came for a gank a minuteter. He waited in the brush above the midne for Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc to overextend. All the while, he was forced to listen to a cacophony of pings as Bloodsucker was pinging him to engage.

    Lin Feng grinned. He had a ward in the brush that Lee Sin was hiding in. How nice of you to give me two kills! That¡¯ll make it so much easier to toy with this bully! He then straightened his shoulders and leaned a little closer to his monitor. Let¡¯s get this double kill.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc moved forward, seemingly overextending. Red Team¡¯s Lee Sin ran out of the brush and Bloodsucker¡¯s Fizz threw his ultimate skill. But Lenc was one step ahead. She dodged the Fizz ultimate by sidestepping it, then locked the Lee Sin down with her Ethereal Chains. The Fizz jumped at her, but she jumped away, dragging him with her under her tower¨CDistortion!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc didn¡¯t wait underneath her outer tower. She activated Mirror Image, replicating thest skill she used. Then she jumped back out, firing a Sigil of Malice at Lee Sin before the ssh damage from the jump killed him. Then she started auto attacking the Fizz, who¡¯d taken two energy shots from the outer tower. Her Sigil of Malice came off cooldown and she threw that in between her auto attacks, shearing away Fizz¡¯s health.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    Bloodsucker¡¯s eyes were twitching as he stared at his grey screen. That was three deaths now. And thisst one hurt so much that he temporarily forgot to take his anger out on his teammates. He just sat in his gaming chair, numb. When his Fizz respawned on the Red fountain, he rolled his shoulders and said through gritted teeth, ¡°My Fizz is the best. Your stupid Lenc just got lucky. I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

    At 8 minutes, Bloodsucker¡¯s Fizz arrived back inne. And thirty secondster, he gave away another kill. It all happened so quickly. He didn¡¯t even really know how it happened. The Lenc appeared out of nowhere, linked her skills together wlessly, and his health just vanished. Then that grating voice from the game announcer echoed in his ears, taunting him with Lenc¡¯s sess. His eyes looked lifeless as his entire body started trembling and shaking violently.

    ¡¶Unstoppable!¡·

    ¡°Unstoppable!¡±

    ¡°Unstoppable!¡±

    ¡°Unstoppable!¡±

 Chapter 240: Talk Shit, Get Hi

    Bloodsucker stared at his screen as it sprung back to life, vibrant colours recing the dull tones of grey. He knew it was only temporary, though he refused to admit it. He stubbornly guided his Fizz back to midne. All I need are a couple ofst hits. That¡¯ll see me right back into the game! I just need a few more¡­ a few more! He gritted his teeth. If it wasn¡¯t for this damned Lenc, I¡¯d be winning right now! Lenc was always there, cutting him off when he tried tost hit a minion or zoning him away from thene entirely. Then he¡¯d hide underneath his tower, the only ce where he could at least get the experience from the dying minions. But Lenc didn¡¯t even let him get experience. She baited him to use yful Trickster, the only skill that could help him escape, and then killed him with a sudden burst of magic damage. And then it started all over again. And again.

    At 17 minutes, Bloodsucker hadpletely given up on the midne. He didn¡¯t even want to look at it anymore. He had his Fizz move into the Red team¡¯s top side Jungle and attacked the Raptor Camp, which was adjacent to the midne. He could use yful Trickster tond some ssh damage and speed up killing the Raptors, but he didn¡¯t. Lenc was somewhere, he didn¡¯t know where. And if she came, he needed yful Trickster to escape. I just need a bit more gold¡­ a few more kills¡­ then I¡¯ll finally be relevant again! I¡¯ll sh¡ª

    A silhouette dashed over the jungle wall into the middle of the Raptor Camp, just as Bloodsucker¡¯s Fizz was about to kill the big one. Two Sigils of Malice mmed into Fizz, followed by Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains. Bloodsucker¡¯s screen shed red for a brief moment before it turned grey again. He never even got to use yful Trickster to escape. Lenc¡¯s burst damage was too high.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Bloodsucker pinched his mouse and lifted it up, searching for a wall to throw it at. Then he gritted his teeth and fought back that urge. ¡°FUCK!¡± He mmed the mouse back down on its pad. ¡°FUCK! FUCK! HE FUCKING DID IT AGAIN! HOW DID I NOT SEE HIM? FUCK!¡± He smashed down on the E key, his screen still grey, and shouted, ¡°PLAYFUL TRICKSTER! PLAYFUL TRICKSTER! JUMP, YOU STUPID FISH!¡±

    The game wasn¡¯t even 20 minutes in and Bloodsucker found himself at the same score as in his previous game, 0/8/2. But in his Tryndamere game, he was ying against God Roundy in his secondary role. He didn¡¯t like losing, but he could still ept that. But now he was ying his main role against some no-name Miner with his main Champion. He ground his teeth, ring at the Lenc. FUCK THIS GAME! AND FUCK THIS STUPID LEBLANC!

    Bloodsucker hurled a constant stream of abuse at his monitor, calling Lenc every bad word under the sun. But when his Fizz respawned, he didn¡¯t chase after her. There was something else he felt beside humiliation. Fear. This was the first time in his still rtively short League of Legends career that he¡¯d yed against someone who made him feel utterly andpletely helpless. I¡¯ve scrimmed against LSPL teams and yed against almost every big name on the Ionia server¡­ I didn¡¯t win every game, but that was never really my fault. They alwayse to gank me, and my Junglers usually help othernes¡­ Or my Junglers suck, like this one. He gave a fucking kill to the Lenc! But I should still be crushing her. How is she this good? Who is she? Where the fuck did shee from? God fucking dammit! He mmed his fist on his desk and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be the most talented Miner in China! I¡¯M SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT RAKE AND GET SOME HONOUR BACK FOR OUR REGION! ME! ME! ME! NOT SOME FUCKING RANDOM PLAYER IN SOLO QUEUE!¡± Then he slumped back into his seat, out of breath. He can¡¯t be better than me! HE ISN¡¯T BETTER THAN ME! I¡¯m the best! I¡¯m going to y at Worlds next year! I can¡¯t lose to some fucking nobody! I WON¡¯T!

    ?

    At 20 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was still hunting down the Fizz. But it became harder and harder to find him as he started refusing to even leave the base. Lin Feng looked around the map to take stock of the game. Botne was minding their own business, having what looked like a fun skirmish that went back and forth. And Tian Tian was steamrolling the topne after a slow start. Lin Feng smiled and shrugged. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll keep hunting the Fizz, all the way to the fountain if I have to. But maybe I can bait him out too¡­¡±

    [All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸Sooooo boring. Guess I shouldn''t have expected more after seeing your top¡­ lol¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸Maybe if you¡¯d stop spending so much time shittalking people, you could actually get a little good at this game¡­ Though I suppose you¡¯re really not all that talented...¡¹

    Bloodsucker grimaced in humiliation. He wanted to yell at Lenc that he did have talent. And that he was going to be the best Miner in the world! But he couldn¡¯t get himself to. It¡¯d sound ridiculous right now. Even he could see that. He took a deep breath and growled as he exchaled. Then he suddenly started smiling. You want to act cute? Ok. Fuck you.

    [All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)¡¸Me? Talking shit? Loool¡­ I haven¡¯t said anything. Oh, you meanst game?? That wasn¡¯t shit talking!¡¹[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)¡¸All I said was that KG lost 0-3 to SSK. And that that stupid fat pig was an embarrassment to all Chinese yers!¡¹[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)¡¸That isn¡¯t shit talking! I was only stating the facts! KG did lose! And Roundy did y like the fat pig he is! Is that not allowed anymore? You sensitive pussy! HAHAHAHAH!¡¹

    Lin Feng slowly nodded. Sure, keep at it. That¡¯s going to ease the pain for you. But I can state some facts too. He smiled as his fingers started gliding over his keyboard again.

    [All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸Oh, well, let me state some facts for you then.¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸It¡¯s a fact that you fedst game and showed that you have exactly 0 talent as a Toner.¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸And it¡¯s a fact that you¡¯re just as terrible in the midne.¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸Did you buy a boosted ount to look cool to your friends or something?¡¹

    Bloodsucker read thatst sentence, gnashing his teeth. Lin Feng had struck him where it hurt the most. He was proud of how good he was in the midne. And he liked how his friends looked up to him! I CLIMBED THE LADDER MYSELF! AND I AM A GOOD MIDLANER! It became harder to breathe as his nostrils red. He grabbed at his hair and wanted to pull, but kept himself from doing that at thest moment. Then he smashed his fingers down on his keyboard.

    [All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)¡¸you wanna y it that way? Ok, go for it! Have fun! But that doesn¡¯t change anything. KG IS STILL TRASH!!! THEY LOST 0-3! WHAT GOD ROUNDY???? HE¡¯S JUST A FAT PIG! A DISGRACE TO THE LPL! THAT SHAME WILL FOLLOW HIM FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE! HE¡¯LL NEVER MAKE UP FOR IT!!!!¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸You sure about that? Well...¡¹

    That message caught Bloodsucker off-guard, briefly recing anger with confusion. He scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°Sure about that? Yes I am. What the fuck is he talking about?¡± He started typing a response, but then stopped as Lenc sent another two messages.

    [All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸Actually, nevermind! That¡¯s got nothing to do with you anyway.¡¹[All] MapleInShrub (Lenc):¡¸You¡¯re just a boosted noob.¡¹

    ¡°W-wha¡ª¡± Bloodsucker erupted into a coughing fit. Lin Feng had dealt yet another stab to his already damaged ego. FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING FUCK! His vision grew dark as the world in front of him started twisting and swirling until he couldn¡¯t even see his monitor anymore. His head was buzzing and his entire body was trembling violently. He forced his eyes shut and bit down hard on his tongue. That brought back enough rity to his mind to move his hands. They mmed down on his keyboard and pressed the keys in a practiced rhythm, writing out increasingly vile and disturbing messages that were sent to all chat.

    ?

    The Red Team voted to surrender in the 22nd minute of the game. Their nexus exploded and the energy inside morphed into arge victory emblem for the Blue team. Lin Feng looked at his screen and shook his head. ¡°You know, Fatty? That Fizz was actually pretty skilled. Good awareness and great game senses.¡± He paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Think he might even be a pro yer.¡±

    Tian Tian looked over at Lin Feng in surprise and asked, ¡°A pro yer? Y-you really think so?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and exined, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just the little things, you know? The warding, map movements, roaming attempts, and other little things. It¡¯s the stuff you don¡¯t really see from the best solo queue yers, unless they¡¯ve yed professionally before.¡± He looked at Tian Tian and said in a serious tone, ¡°If he really is a pro, that makes this so much worse. The fact that he¡¯d say all those things? It¡¯s a disgrace.¡±

    Tian Tian let his gaze fall down to the ground. He was fidgeting with his fingers. I-if Lin Feng is right¡­ Another pro yer thinks about me like that? T-then what about the fans... M-maybe even Li¡ª

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Lin Feng said, interrupting Tian Tian¡¯s thoughts. Then he rubbed his stomach that growled in response. ¡°Man, I¡¯m starving! We¡¯ve yed three games and won three games. That¡¯s plenty, right? Yeah! Let¡¯s go get something to eat!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tian Tian sat down in a hotpot restaurant across the street from the cybercafe. Lin Feng grabbed a menu and started flipping through it, mumbling, ¡°Hmm, what to eat¡­ what to eat¡­¡±

    Tian Tian sat on the other side of the table. He was slouched back and fiddling his fingers underneath the table. L-lin Feng trusted in me. He believed I could win against SSK. B-but I let him down. I let everyone down. I-I should apologize to him. Maybe¡­ Maybe he¡¯ll forgive me. I-if he doesn¡¯t, I can understand that. I wouldn¡¯t want a loser on my team either¡­ He quickly wiped away a tear with his sleeve and then croaked, ¡°L-Lin Feng, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lin Feng looked up from his menu, confused, and blurted out, ¡°What? What are you sorry for?¡±

    Tian Tian wiped away another tear with his sleeve and tried to hide behind the menu. ¡°W-we lost 0-3¡­¡± he started with a hoarse voice. ¡°At W-w-worlds! T-that guy was right. I couldn¡¯t do anything for my team! I let everyone down! I¡­ I¡¯m a dissa... disha-poiintcheed jyuu gwaaaaaah!¡± He copsed onto the table and buried his face in his arms. He lost all control over his emotions and broke down, begging for Lin Feng¡¯s forgiveness through his sobs.

 Chapter 241: Struggles of the Mind; Food is the Escape!

    The first week of Worlds had been a big disappointment for KG and Tian Tian. And the second week was theplete opposite. Tian Tian had single-handedly carried his team to the knockout stage of the tournament. He¡¯d gotten a 5-man ultimate with Hecarim, and he¡¯d shown to the world just how good of a Riven yer he was. His fans had appeared from everywhere, flooding the onlinendscape with messages about his skills. They told everyone who wanted to listen that KG RoundyRound deserved to be crowned King, since he was the best Toner in the entire world!

    Tian Tian was proud of his performance in the second half of the group stage. He only felt more confident when he read the messages on social media. It¡¯d felt like the entire world, everyst human being walking this, had lifted him up onto their shoulders. Like they were all chanting his name. And most importantly, Lin Feng was at the head of them. Lin Feng was back in his life! And Lin Feng believed in him.

    KG made it all the way to the semifinals at Worlds. That was where they ran into SSK. Tian Tian knew this was going to be a far bigger challenge than any of the previous matches. But the fans were chanting his name, and he had Lin Feng by his side again. That sparked confidence. He¡¯d spent an entire week mumbling to himself about how Lin Feng believed in him and how he couldn¡¯t let his fans down. He hyped himself up and really started believing that his team stood a chance against SSK. But nothing could¡¯ve prepared them for that series. SSK was far better than he¡¯d ever imagined. KG got crushed and lost the series 0-3.

    No one med Tian Tian for the loss against SSK. His fans were still posting on social media, talking about how good his performance at Worlds had been. Even Lin Feng called him multiple times, expressing just how proud he was. But Tian Tian didn¡¯t feel proud. He felt guilty and responsible for the loss. I-if only I was better, like Lin Feng¡­ I-I could¡¯ve carried harder and won! Maybe then I wouldn¡¯t have let them all down¡­

    After returning to China, Tian Tian had barely gotten more than a couple hours of sleep each night. He kept tossing and turning in his bed, thinking back to the semifinals against SSK. Every mistake, no matter how big or small, yed on repeat in his mind. After which an alternate scenario popped up. One in which he didn¡¯t make that mistake. One where he ultimately won the series, and where his fans and Lin Feng were proud of him. Truly proud.

    And when sleep did get him, it was always the same nightmare. Lin Feng stood in front of him, looking him up and down, and said, ¡°Was that all you have in you? You couldn¡¯t even beat SSK? I¡¯m disappointed in you, Fatty. Maybe I should just leave again, just likest time. You weren¡¯t worthy then either.¡± Then he¡¯d wake up in a bed wet with sweat and tears, his stomach heaving and bile rushing up his throat. Lin Feng leaving him all those years ago was one of the worst days in his life, something he¡¯d med himself for. And now that Lin Feng was back, he was terrified that it¡¯d happen again.

    Tian Tian lifted his face off the table at the hotpot restaurant and wiped away the snot and tears from his face. Then he looked up at Lin Feng through water-blurred eyes and sobbed, ¡°L-Lin Feng, so-sor-sorry. I-I¡ª¡±

    Lin Feng knitted his brows and sternly said, ¡°Stop crying.¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s lips quivered. He covered his face with both his hands and tried to suck the tears back up into the tear nds. I-I¡¯ll try to stop crying. Just don¡¯t leave me again¡­ His elbows fell on the table and he rested his face in his hands, shaking his head. I-I want to stop crying! I¡¯m trying! P-please don¡¯t go!

    ¡°Hey, Fatty, look at me,¡± Lin Feng said. He waited for his friend to look up and then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. You didn¡¯t let me or anyone else down. You were fantastic at Worlds.¡±

    Tian Tian felt fresh tears pushing through the old. He rubbed his nose, trying to hide it, and mumbled, ¡°B-but, but I and SSK¡­¡±

    ¡°You lost to SSK 0-3, right? I know,¡± Lin Feng cut Tian Tian off. He looked Fatty in the eyes and said slowly, ¡°So what? That was one series, against the best team in the world. You think I could¡¯ve done any better than you?¡± Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have. You were really good.¡±

    Tian Tian shook his head, flustered, and argued, ¡°N-no way! If you were ying, you¡¯d have won! B-because you¡¯re the best yer in the world! I know you are! You¡¯re better than Rake! Y-you would¡¯ve won. A-and I lost! I let you down. Again!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Feng cut in. ¡°You didn¡¯t let me down. Not back then and not now. Rake is better than I am, for now anyway. I¡¯d have lost. But you were there, and you put up a fight. Just for that, I¡¯m proud of you.¡±

    Tian Tian bit on his lips and continued to argue, ¡°B-but didn¡¯t you beat that Fizz earlier? You said he was probably a pro yer¡­ L-look what you did to him!¡±

    Lin Feng waved his hand and countered, ¡°I said he might be a pro. We don¡¯t know for sure. Plus, he was being way too aggressive and I was ying on one of my best Champions. It was abination of different things that got me snowballing so hard.¡± He took a deep breath and then continued, ¡°And so what if he is a pro? At best, he¡¯s ying for some random LSPL team. The fact that I beat him doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    Tian Tian opened and closed his mouth. H-he¡¯s right. He was the best Miner in the world. E-even if he isn¡¯t as good as back then, beating some LSPL Miner should be easy for him¡­ B-but he only just came back and is already beating a professional yer! He looked away from Lin Feng and said, ¡°B-but¡­ but¡­¡±

    Lin Feng smiled at his friend and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to spare my feelings. I know I¡¯m not as good as I was back in Season 1. I¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡± He clenched his fist and added, ¡°But I¡¯m back. I¡¯m only going to get better. And when we¡¯re ready, we¡¯re going to win Worlds. You and I, together. And I¡¯ll finally beat Rake too!¡±

    Tian Tian looked up at Lin Feng, confused. H-he looks so confident. He sounds so sure of himself... He suddenly felt a jolt of surprise when he met Lin Feng¡¯s fiery gaze. H-he hasn¡¯t given up on me. He¡¯s still here! H-he hasn¡¯t left me again! A smile broke through his face of tears and snot and he nodded. ¡°Yeah! I believe in you! You can beat Rake! You¡¯re going to win Worlds!¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°We, Fatty, we¡¯re going to win Worlds! Anyway, I¡¯m starving! Quick, tell me what you want already! I¡¯ll go and order!¡±

    ?

    The waiter brought the hotpot and ingredients over to Lin Feng and Tian Tian¡¯s table, carrying a delicious smell. The two friends grabbed their chopsticks, licking their lips in expectation. Food was good for their nerves. It was the same now as it was back in Season 1, when they¡¯d clean out a whole kitchen the night before a big game. The waiter kept bringing more food, and the two friends wolfed it all down. In half an hour, they ate more than the average customer ate in an entire week.

    Tian Tian burped loudly and rubbed his stomach, pushing his seventh empty bowl away. ¡°Whew, I¡¯m stuffed! That was so good!¡±

    Lin Feng also rubbed his stomach in satisfaction, and replied, ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s what I call a feast!¡±

    The two friends grinned and then leaned back, giving the food time to digest in their stomachs. Their eyes started feeling heavy, the early signs of the after dinner dip. They were looking at each other, smiling and letting the fooda take them. Tian Tian closed his eyes and allowed his head to process everything that¡¯d happened. He¡¯d seen Lin Feng in the flesh for the first time in four years. He¡¯s still the same. I-I¡¯m so happy! Ahhhh! And this food was so good!

    ¡°Hey, Fatty¡­¡± Lin Feng said, breaking the silence.

    Tian Tian snapped out of his daze and looked at Lin Feng. ¡°Hm-huh? What?¡±

    Lin Feng looked up at the ceiling, counting the dirty dots and feeling a knot twisting in his stomach. I¡¯ve been putting this off for too long. I can¡¯t keep walking away from it. They were all my friends. And I walked away from them. They must hate me. But Fatty has been great¡­ He felt his throat sore up and knew that if he postponed this question any longer, he would never ask it.

    Tian Tian asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    I have to ask it now. Come on, Lin Feng. Put on your big boy pants. You¡¯ve been pushing this off long enough as it is. The knot in his stomach twisted even harder. He felt the urge to puke, but forced it down. He moved his lips around, but kept them firmly pressed together. Then he scratched his forehead, hiding his shame behind his hand, and mumbled, ¡°Tell me about Eleven, Autumn, and Silent. How are they?¡±

    Eleven was the Jungler of Lin Feng¡¯s Season 1 superteam, Autumn was the Support and Silent the ad-carry. But they weren¡¯t just his teammates. Lin Feng loved them like brothers. And he hated himself so incredibly much for walking away from them four years ago. He wanted to punch something, preferably himself, in frustration every time he thought back to those days. He¡¯d abandoned his brothers. And he¡¯d left them without any ability to contact him. I abandoned them. I let them down. He suddenly felt incredibly nervous. What if something is wrong with them? What if¡­ He spread his fingers just enough so he could see Tian Tian through them. I hope they¡¯re doing well. I hope that they can forgive me¡­

    ?

    Chu Fang walked through the hallways of the Shanghai Esports Association headquarters to the president¡¯s office. He knocked twice on the door before inviting himself in. This was thergest office in the building that gave a beautiful look over the center of Shanghai,rge windows covering two of the four walls. The president had added a reading corner to one side, with arge bookshelf backed up against the far wall. On the other side stood a single desk. Fang Hao, president of the Shanghai Esports Association, sat behind it, looking through some documents. Chu Fang raised his hand to his mouth and lightly coughed. ¡°Uh, sir? You were looking for me?¡±

    Fang Hao nced up from his work at Chu Fang. Then he nodded and said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Take a seat.¡±

    Chu Fang sat down with a straight back in one of the tworge chairs across the desk from Fang Hao. Then he waited for his boss to talk.

    ¡°The Beijing Esports Association sent an email earlier today. Did you see it?¡± Fang Hao asked. He searched through arge stack of papers and took one out from the middle of the pile. ncing over its contents, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s about the Winter Collegiate Cup.¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve read it.¡±

    Fang Hao nodded and said, ¡°Good. We¡¯re in charge of the preliminaries and the Finals. I want you to get in touch with your contacts and start setting everything up. When you have the basic infrastructure in ce, report back to me.¡±

    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Chu Fang epted. ¡°I¡¯ll have it ready for you by Thursday at thetest.¡±

    Fang Hao nodded in approval and then added, ¡°Oh right, one more thing. The guys in Beijing pushed for a small change. They want to invite the strongest high school teams from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to participate in the Winter Collegiate Cup. Since you organized the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, I think you have a better idea of which yers are potential candidates¡­¡±

 Chapter 242: Dreams Passed, Friendsh.i.p.s That Dont Last

    Chu Fang felt all the colour drain from his face. Potential candidates¡­ Shit. He¡¯s going to yell at me. Sweat prickled on his forehead and he felt a sudden chill in the air. He looked sheepishly at Fang Hao, who sat behind his desk calm as ever. Maybe he doesn¡¯t know. Just a coincidence. A shiver ran up and down his spine as he desperately tried not to show fear in his eyes. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong. I could¡¯ve told him about Lin Feng, but I didn¡¯t have to. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!

    Fang Hao ignored the sweat on Chu Fang¡¯s forehead and the worry in his subordinate¡¯s eyes. ¡°So,¡± he started. ¡°What do you think about inviting high schoolers to participate in the Winter Collegiate Cup?¡±

    Chu Fang forced himself to take deep, long, calming breaths. He finally looked up at Fang Hao and smiled. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯ll be a good chance for them to experience some higher levelpetition.¡± He paused for a moment, hesitating, then added, ¡°Besides, the Shanghai 16 School Tournament just finished, and I¡¯ve watched the final rounds myself. I know how strong all the high school teams are and which yers can participate at the university level.¡±

    ¡°Right, the Shanghai 16 School Tournament¡­¡± Fang Hao dragged the words, smiling slightly. ¡°Who won again this year? High School 13, was it?¡±

    Chu Fang felt his heart knocking against his ribs in an increasingly violent rhythm. He knows. He knows! Does he? It took all his self control to give Fang Hao a calm answer. ¡°Yes. They were the underdogs for a long time, but they suddenly looked very strong in the semifinals when they beat Shanghai International. Then they won 3-1 in the Finals against Shanghai High School. They have a few especially outstanding yers.¡± He recalled a certain promise he made. I¡¯m trying my best to keep it a secret, Lin Feng. But he¡¯s going to find out. One more question from him and he knows, if he doesn¡¯t already. He probably already knows. I sent him the information. I sent him the...

    Fang Hao nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Yes, yes, so I¡¯ve heard. Very outstanding. Oh, what was the name of their team captain again?¡±

    Chu Fang gulped. ¡°Ahem. Well, uh¡­ You know, it¡¯s¡­ Did you read my repo¡ª¡±

    Fang Hao mmed his fist down on his desk with such force that Chu Fang jumped up in fright. Then he shouted, ¡°YOU LITTLE SHIT! How long did you n on keeping this from me!? Huh! I thought I could trust you!¡±

    Chu Fang pushed himself back in his chair, as far away from Fang Hao as he could without offending his boss. He knows. Yep. He knows. I¡¯m done for. He¡¯s going to eat me alive. I¡¯m going to be demoted and he¡¯ll have me sweeping the floors. He knew this wasing the moment that Fang Hao had called him and asked for the information on High School 13. But somewhere deep down he¡¯d hoped his boss would nce over the information and miss it. He said, ¡°I can exin. Really! There¡¯s a good reaso¡ª¡±

    Fang Hao didn¡¯t care about an exnation. He cut Chu Fang off with a stare, then leaned forward and asked, ¡°Tell me. Is it really him?¡±

    Chu Fang froze for a moment. Then he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. It is him.¡±

    ¡°Maple,¡± Fang Hao mumbled. ¡°Maple¡­¡± He fell back in his chair and stared past Chu Fang at nothing. It¡¯s him. He said he¡¯d be back. But it¡¯s been four years, and he was just a little kid back then. He dide back! Maple is back! His eyes started beaming and his mouth moved of its own volition. ¡°He¡¯s back. Maple. Maple¡­¡±

    ¡°He is,¡± Chu Fang said. Lin Feng will understand why I had to tell Fang Hao. And I haven¡¯t really broken my promise. But I really don¡¯t want to end up sweeping the floors... He took a deep breath and then exined, ¡°I only found out myself during the semifinals. We spoke for a bit and he told me that he doesn¡¯t want everyone to know that he¡¯s back yet. So he asked me to keep his return a secret for a while longer¡­¡±

    Fang Hao waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine.¡± He then grinned and looked at his subordinate. It¡¯s been four long years. We haven¡¯t had any luck since he left¡­ This¡­ It feels unreal. But Chu Fang looks serious enough¡­ ¡°T-this isn¡¯t some borate joke, is it? It¡¯s really him? I swear I¡¯m firing you if this is all some stupid joke! Tell me. Is he really back? Is this Lin Feng really the Lin Feng? Maple?¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and confirmed once more, ¡°Yes.¡±

    Fang Hao was finally convinced. He looked at his subordinate and startedughing. Louder. Louder! ¡°HE¡¯S BACK! BACK! THIS IS GREAT!¡± He got up from his desk. He had the urge to throw up his hands and jump in the air. But he managed to stop himself. He lightly coughed and let himself fall back in his chair. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked at Chu Fang and said, ¡°That little punk! It¡¯s about time he showed himself again!¡±

    Chu Fang smiled. He understood exactly how Fang Hao was feeling, because that was also how he¡¯d felt when he found out. They¡¯d both been part of the League of Legends scene since Season 1. They were there when the LPL stillpeted for the world title. More importantly, they¡¯d both witnessed the raw talent and potential of Maple. He was far better than all the other talents they¡¯d scouted over the yearsbined. And now he was back.

    ?

    A train came rolling into the station. Lin Feng and Tian Tian were watching ite to a stop. Then Lin Feng turned to his friend and said, ¡°Fatty, you have to practice hard! And let me know when you¡¯re free again! I¡¯lle hang out and I¡¯ll bring BunBun and Tang Tang too!¡±

    Tian Tian nodded and said, ¡°I will! I¡¯m going to train really hard! Uhm, you should also do your best!¡± Then he suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°The Winter Collegiate Cup is happening soon. Are you going to participate?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. Then he grinned and shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t. That¡¯s a university tournament, right? I¡¯m still in high school!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Right,¡± Tian Tian mumbled. He scratched his head in embarrassment and apologized, ¡°I forgot you were still in high school¡­¡± He shook his head. W-why do I keep forgetting this? He¡¯s a few years younger than me¡­ 15 plus 4 is 19¡­

    Tian Tian¡¯s daytime job was being a professional League of Legends yer as the Top Laner for KG. But he also attended university. There was a special arrangement in ce for students ying professional sports. He was allowed to skip his sses and work on assignments on his own time. Then he had to report to his professor every couple of weeks. They¡¯d discuss where he was at and what he should do next. Thest time he¡¯d spoken with his professor was just a couple of days ago. Tian Tian thought back to that meeting and mumbled, ¡°I talked with my professor. He said I should join my university esports team¡­ I was thinking it might be fun to do if you were also ying¡­¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled and replied, ¡°How could they let you y? You¡¯re a professional yer! And you¡¯re the best in China too! The other teams might as well give up if you join!¡± Lin Feng took a deep breath and then added, ¡°Though it would¡¯ve been fun!¡±

    The train conductor blew her whistle, interrupting the conversation between Lin Feng and Tian Tina. Lin Feng looked behind him and saw the doors closing. He hopped on the train and shouted through the closing gap, ¡°Let¡¯s meet up again soon, Fatty. See you!¡± Then the doors closed. He waved at Tian Tian as the train started moving, his friend waving back at him. He smiled until the train left the station. And not a second longer. He stumbled to the nearest seat and fell down in it, everyst speck of joy disappearing from his face.

    Back in the restaurant, Lin Feng had asked Tian Tian about his old teammates. Tian Tian had hesitated at first, but Lin Feng had pushed for an answer. That was how he learned about how their other three old teammates were doing.

    Eleven was the only one still ying League of Legendspetitively. But circ.u.mstances had forced him to join a second-rate LSPL team, where his talent was going to waste.

    Lin Feng bit on his lips. ying in the LSPL is as good as quitting¡­ But at least he¡¯s still ying¡­ Autumn and Silent were the names of the Support and ad-carry of his old team. Both of them had quit thepetitive scene shortly after him. I abandoned them, and then they left. They left because of me.

    Autumn had returned to his hometown where he¡¯d opened a small cybercafe. He hadn¡¯t cut off contact, but he wasn¡¯t trying to keep the friendsh.i.p.s going either. Tian Tian had dropped by the cybercafe multiple times, and he¡¯d chatted with Autumn over the phone. But he was always the one instigating, and friendship was a two way street. He eventually gave up and contact between them slowly withered off.

    Lin Feng banged his head against the side of the train in a slow but steady rhythm. I tore our friendsh.i.p.s apart by leaving. They all stopped talking with each other after I stopped talking to them. After I left them¡­ I didn¡¯t even tell them that I was leaving. I was a terrible friend. The worst friend.

    Tian Tian hadn¡¯t had much to say about Silent, whose name fit him incredibly well. Silent never spoke much, even when the team was still together. But after Lin Feng left, Silent had mostly be a mute until he left through the backdoor just like Lin Feng had. Tian Tian had no clue what happened to Silent after that, except from little tidbits he heard from Autumn. Silent had apparently moved back in with his parents to help them with their family business.

    I guess they allnded on their feet, in their own ways¡­ I didn¡¯t ruin their lives. Lin Feng didn¡¯t believe it. He¡¯d abandoned them and broken up their friendship. And from what he could see, none of them were really friends with each other either anymore. They¡¯de together with a shared dream. To be the best and win the world title! That dream was gone. There was nothing left of it. They¡¯d given up, just like he had. All their long nights talking about bing the best and every long session, it was all a thing of the past. They¡¯d moved on, because he left them behind to fend for themselves. He was the glue that had kept everything together. And when he left, he tore the team apart. This group of brothers was now nothing more than strangers.

 Chapter 243: The New Normal

    Lin Feng stared out the window of the train, though it wasn¡¯t the scene of Shanghai that yed before his eyes. It was Season 1 again. His team had made it to the Finals of Worlds. They were sitting behind theirputers in a small room. He looked over to his left. Silent sat next to him and Autumn two seats over. They were focused but he could tell they were happy. Then he looked over at the two yers sitting to his right. Eleven and Tian Tian, both nervous and both excited. Lin Feng turned back to look at his own screen as An Xin yelled at him from behind to not get distracted. We were so happy! He smiled, grabbing his mouse with one hand and cing the fingers of his other hand on the keyboard. It¡¯s time to y! And win! This world title is ours!

    The smile disappeared from Lin Feng¡¯s face. We lost. We¡­ we lost. He remembered how he walked away after that loss. Everything that happened to his team after that point was a nk. But now Tian Tian had filled in that nk. Lin Feng found himself watching the events unfold before his eyes. The team looked lost without him. They kept staring at the seat in the middle, his seat. It was empty. Their expressions turned sour. Tian Tian reverted back to his normal self, wrecked by his nerves. I wasn¡¯t there to help him. I was the only one who knew how to help him. But I left him behind. I left him. And now¡­ and now¡­ Lin Feng quickly wiped away the tears from his face, and then blew his nose into his sleeve. Fatty would have achieved so much more if it wasn¡¯t for me¡­ He could¡¯ve been an Emperor. He¡¯d have multiple world titles under his belt! But I left him¡­ Lin Feng watched as Tian Tian got up from his seat and walked towards a group of strangers. They weed him, but his shoulders were slumped. I abandoned him¡­

    Lin Feng turned his attention back to the rest of the team. To Eleven. You were one of the best Junglers in the world. Screw that! You were the best Jungler in the world! Read XIII had nothing on you! You were supposed to stay! You were supposed to keep ying and helping the team with your great skills! No one could jungle like you! Lin Feng banged his head against the window in a slow, steady rhythm, quietly cursing himself. He closed his eyes, but the scene kept ying in his mind. Eleven got up from his gaming chair. He walked towards a team that was ecstatic to have him. A second-rate team in the LSPL. Of course they¡¯re thrilled to have you! You¡¯re the best in the world! They don¡¯t deserve you¡­ You¡¯re so much better than this! And if I hadn¡¯t left¡­ If only I¡¯d stuck around a little bit longer¡­ Maybe you wouldn¡¯t have left.

    There were only two people left in Lin Feng¡¯s vision. They were Autumn and Silent. Lin Feng turned around and desperately searched for An Xin, but she wasn¡¯t there. She¡¯d already left. I kept them all together. And when I left, it all fell apart. There was no team for her left to coach, so she left. Why would she stay? She was my friend. She was helping me! And I left her, just like I left the others. I left her too¡­ Lin Feng knocked his head a little harder against the window of the train, cursing himself for leaving his friends behind. I should¡¯ve been there for them!

    Autumn and Silent stood up together. There were teams literally begging for the duo to join. But they ignored them. Lin Feng was gone. Their team was gone. The dream was gone. And so they walked away from the scene. Two of the best yers, icons in their respective roles, disappeared. Lin Feng watched with bloodshot eyes as they strolled away, bing shadows of a time past. You two were so good together. Your ystylesplemented each other and everyone knew they were watching something special when the two of you yed¡­ You should¡¯ve never left! The game needs you! I¡­ I want to see you two y together again¡­

    Autumn was the most unique Support yer in the world. He had an aggressive ystyle, butbined that perfectly with a high level of unpredictability. It made it impossible for teams to prepare for him. But it was when he yed together with his ad-carry Silent that he stepped up to another level. Silent was the pony to Autumn¡¯s jockey. He yed steady and firm, focusing on his creep score but engaging when Autumn presented the opening. They were perfect together and no one could stop them.

    Lin Feng slumped back in his seat. We were so close to winning Worlds¡­ Our big goal, the dream that brought us all together, the one thing we were going to achieve together! And then I screwed up. I lost that Finals. Game 5, my loss. We would¡¯ve won if it wasn¡¯t for me. He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and fidgeted with his fingers. Tian Tian had told him his old teammates had all found their footing in life. They were moving forward. And he was supposed to be happy for them. But he couldn¡¯t get himself to feel happy. They were the best yers in the world. And now, almost no one remembers their names¡­ They should¡¯ve won the world title! If only I didn¡¯t hold them down! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

    Lin Feng shook his head furiously and punched the side of the train. ¡°AH!¡± He grimaced, rubbing his fist. Stop this. He forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. Why did they quit League? Did they just give up? We all had the same dream. We were going to win Worlds¡­ together. That was the dream. They spoke about it at length at every opportunity they got. We¡¯re going to win Worlds! We are going to win Worlds! A knot twisted in Lin Feng¡¯s stomach. He reached for it and hunched over. D-do they regret joining my team? Do they hate me for ruining our dream? I¡­ He chewed on his lip, but couldn¡¯t get himself to even finish the thought. His mind went nk, until a couple minutester a final thought hit him. Do they still want to win?

    ?

    Su Xue had spent much of the afternoon in the kitchen to prepare another delicious feast dish for Lin Feng. And it was delicious. She hummed happily as she sat across from him at the dining table, eager to see him dive in. He¡¯s going to love this! I made it just how he likes it! And it came out so well! Huh, why¡­ She first thought that he was looking at the food, but now she was starting to doubt that. He is looking down, but¡­ Is he looking down at hisp? ¡°Uhh, Lin Feng?¡± she asked, puzzled. ¡°Are you¡­ not hungry?¡±

    Lin Feng mumbled without looking up, ¡°Already ate.¡±

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Su Xue said, speechless. Then she red and shouted, ¡°You could¡¯ve told me that before I spent several hours working my ass off in the kitchen! You know how much work this was?¡± She wanted to continue shouting, but he wasn¡¯t reacting at all. Then she sighed and shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s with that glum look, Lin Feng? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I¡¯ll eat,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He reached for his chopsticks with one hand and his bowl with the other. It was still empty, but he didn¡¯t notice. He grabbed at the air in his bowl with his chopsticks and then took a bite. Chewing. Dazed.

    Not this again¡­ Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, annoyed. Then she wagged her finger at him and lectured, ¡°If there¡¯s something bothering you, say it already! Stop bottling it up all the time. You have friends around you who want to help you. But they can¡¯t if you won¡¯t tell them what¡¯s going on! Now tell me, what¡¯s got you down today!¡± Is this going to be a weekly thing? Why does he always have to bring the entire room down with his sulking? Did a girl say something mean to him or something¡­ Maybe I should call BunBun and see if she knows what¡¯s wrong this time.

    Lin Feng looked up at Su Xue through watery eyes. Then he rubbed his face and pped it a couple of times. The depression disappeared and he forced out his usual grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m okay! If something¡¯s bothering me, I¡¯ll tell you! Really! I¡¯m good!¡±

    My ass! Su Xue shook her head, frustrated. She finally sighed and asked, ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Really! I¡¯m sure!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± he continued. ¡°How are you? Did you stream today? Were the viewers nice to you?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s stream was her achilles¡¯ heel. Shepletely forgot about what they were talking about as her eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s going really well! I¡¯m getting hundreds of new viewers every day! And so many of them stick around! I get so many new followers and subscribers today! Oh! Oh! And donations! Donations too!¡± Then she pursed her lips and added, ¡°But the videos aren¡¯t going that great¡­¡±

    Su Xue had started makingmentary videos a while ago. She initially tried to make them with gamey provided to her by Lin Feng, but that didn¡¯t work out so well. It proved very hard to sound excited and give goodmentary when she didn¡¯t even fully understand what was going on on the screen. Lin Feng could get a penta kill and she¡¯d just sit there and stare, baffled by the moves that led up to the fight as well as the fight itself. So she ended upmentating on her own gamey, which she then sent to editor-in-chief Zuo You.

    Zuo You was incredibly talented at video editing. With a few simple touches, she increased the quality of Su Xue¡¯s video to such a level that she barely recognized it as her own video. And Su Xue was in love with the result. She hugged and thanked Zuo You a thousand times and was convinced that this video would get her more viewers than she could dream of! So she uploaded it to yMoreLoL, which was a video streaming website specifically for League of Legends gamey, and notified her stream followers to go and check it out.

    The initial response to the video was just as Su Xue had expected it to be. There were tens of thousands of views and thousands of likes and positivements. But after a few days, the video hit a teau. The views stagnated and the positivements were drowned out by negative ones.

    ¡¸another shittymentator joining on the bandwagon?¡¹

    ¡¸Who even uploads this crap...¡¹

    ¡¸at least add your facecam so we can look at your personalities¡­¡­...¡¹

    ¡¸FK THIS SHIT SUCKS!!1!!¡¹

    ¡¸Worst. Video. Ever. ¡¹

    ¡¸friggin bronze and silvers thinkin they canmentate vids of their own shitty gameywl¡¹

    ¡°See?¡± Su Xue said as she pushed her phone in Lin Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Look at all these messages! Stupid trolls have nothing better to do then make fun of my video!¡± She gritted her teeth, hesitating, but then finally added, ¡°Most of the positivements are from my stream fans. The negative ones are almost all from the people who watch on yMoreLol¡­ They don¡¯t seem to like it¡­¡±

    Lin Feng took the phone from Su Xue and read through thements. All the while, Su Xue keptining. First she argued that it was a lot more difficult tomentate videos than she expected. And then she said that most of the negativements were probably trolls who were just trying to look cool and that her video really wasn¡¯t as bad as somements made it seem.

    After a few minutes of this, Lin Feng shrugged and said, ¡°Eh, this is normal, isn¡¯t it? Everyone has something bad to say about newmentators. It¡¯s just how it works. But you got your viewers helping with goodments. And the video is really nice too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there! You just have to keep trying!¡±

    Su Xue pursed her lips, ready to argue. But she stopped herself from doing that and instead nodded. I know he¡¯s right. I have to keep pushing. It¡¯s just that¡­ No, he¡¯s right. She forced a smile and said, ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. It just would¡¯ve been nice if they all liked it. But yeah, I just have to make another one. Keep working hard and find the form that works. Yeah! I¡¯ll slowly get popr. I can do this!¡±

    ¡°I believe in you! You¡¯ll get super popr!¡± Lin Feng cheered. Then he added, ¡°Besides, nothing is perfect the first go. But this was really good. You¡¯ll only get better and those negativementers are going toe back next time and fall in love with your videos!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Well, hello mister optimistic. Where were you a minute ago, when I was having dinner with this moping sack of depression?¡±

    Lin Feng looked up and asked innocently, ¡°What? Me? I didn¡¯t look sad!¡±

    Su Xu threw her arms in the air and shouted, ¡°Whatever!¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! I wasn¡¯t sad!¡±

    Su Xue jumped to her feet and kicked her chair back. Then she leaned over the table and wagged her finger in Lin Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Now you listen to me, you little shit!¡± she shouted.

    Lin Feng looked at Su Xue and really smiled for the first time that evening. He nodded as Su Xue lectured him on how to be a good roommate, a good friend, and a good little brother. He listened to her at first, but when she started repeating herself, his mind drifted back to his old friends. Winter break ising up in another month and a half. I¡¯m going to visit the guys then. And I¡¯m going to apologize to each of them! Maybe we can even have a team reunion then! But first they deserve a proper apology. I left them. Sorry, Eleven. Sorry, Autumn. Sorry, Silent. I mean it.

    ?

    The biggest event of the year for High School 13¡¯s esports club had ended. They had won the first big prize for the school, and the winner¡¯s cup was ced in the brand new trophy cab. But that also meant that the team members didn¡¯t need to practice every day anymore. They suddenly found themselves with a lot of freetime. Or so they thought. They hadn¡¯t had much time for their studies over thest few months and they¡¯d fallen behind. More importantly, most yers on the team were in their senior year. So they threw themselves at their study books in preparation for the college entrance exams that wereing upter in the year.

    Ren Rou was the only member of the esports team who had more work to do than before. Every student in the school suddenly wanted to join the esports club after their victory at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. And Ren Rou was determined to ept them all. So she weed them to the club, taught them the game, and organized all kinds of activities that were fun for yers from all levels to participate in.

    There were, of course, numerous activities centered around the team members who had won the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. There was the ¡®y-a-game-with¡¯ event, where new members could y a game of League with their favourite yer on the team. Tang Bingyao was the one who yed most of these matches by a long shot. Everyone wanted to Support her, and they all asked her to y Vayne. Then there was the ¡®free coaching lessons by¡­¡± event. Ren Rou had exined to all the new members that the only reason the team won was because of the coaching they received from An Xin. The new club members hoped they could also quickly improve their skills by a few lessons from An Xin.

    Everyone on the esport¡¯s main team helped out, even Lin Feng. He grumbled andined. He argued that he had better things to do with his time. And he tried to sneak away when he thought nobody was looking. But all it took was a single re from An Xin for him to suddenly start volunteering to help organize activities or y with club members. And everyone understood why. There was something about the way An Xin smiled at Lin Feng that sent shivers down their spines. They unconsciously stepped away and held their breaths, terrified to get caught in the crossfire. All eyes would then turn to Lin Feng, begging him to do the smart thing. To do whatever An Xin wanted him to do. But he just never seemed to get it.

 Chapter 244: She Had my Heart, Wrapped in That Chain

    Ren Rou stood at the door of theputer scienceb, where the esports club held its meetings, with arge bowl in her hand. It was filled to the rim with small and carefully folded pieces of paper. She¡¯d spent all day preparing them for today¡¯s event. An exhibition match. The champions of Shanghai would y against the lucky few club members who won the raffle. Club members were in excited conversation with each other as they tested their luck. Most got an empty piece of paper. But exactly five times, someone waved a piece of paper over their head and shouted that they got a winning ticket!

    Waiting inside theputer scienceb were the yers of the team. Tang Bingyao, Liu Yue, Chen Ze, and Wei Dong were already sitting behind theirputers. They had opened their League of Legends clients and were now looking over their shoulders, weing the club members in various ways. Tang Bingyao just nodded at everyone who called out her name, and sometimes waved a little. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do. Liu Yue was theplete opposite of her. He waved at everyone, shouted out some names, and told them to get closer so that they could watch the game.

    But a League of Legends team has five members. The fifth yer for this exhibition match was standing a few steps away from theputer,ining. An Xin stood next to him. She was a beautiful and kind girl. And after the team¡¯s performance at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, every student in the school knew who she was. Guys crushed on her, girls wanted to be friends with her, and everyone would do whatever she asked of them, all because of her warm smile. There was, however, one exception. A lesson everyone quickly learned. Whenever Lin Feng said something asinine, her whole demeanor changed. The kindness took ce for a terrifying anger. And Lin Feng had clearly just said something stupid.

    The steady stream of club members entering theputer scienceb came to an abrupt stop. The room suddenly felt cold. Students started pushing back, frantic. They were shouting that it was happening again. ¡°It¡¯s the murder smile! THE MURDER SMILE!¡±

    An Xin looked over at Lin Feng. She tilted her head slightly, smiling her trademark smile, and asked, ¡°HMM? What did you say? Say it again, I dare you!¡±

    Lin Feng was the only guy in the entire school who didn¡¯t seem scared by An Xin¡¯s murder smile. ¡°Stop it, BunBun!¡± heined. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t threaten me! It¡¯s really unfair!¡±

    An Xin red at him and retorted, ¡°Oh? Is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes! It totally is!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand! I just said I didn¡¯t want to y this exhibition match!¡±

    ¡°Sit down and y,¡± An Xin ordered, leaving no room for discussion.

    Lin Feng grumbled and whined, but he also listened. He sat down behind theputer next to Tang Bingyao¡¯s and opened the League of Legends client. Then he leaned closer to Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Can you believe her? She¡¯s forcing me to y!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Hm?¡± After which An Xin leaned over Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and added, ¡°HMM?¡±

    Lin Feng grumbled some more but still logged into his League of Legends ount and joined the rest of the team in the lobby. All the while, Ren Rou had been trying to get everyone back into theputer scienceb, which she finally seeded at. The room was jam-packed with students a few minutester. And the five lucky students took ce behind the designatedputers.

    The esports club members started finding their confidence again when the warm smile returned to An Xin¡¯s face. They dared to move a little closer to the 10puters that were ced opposite each other in two rows of five. More specifically, they gathered behind Tang Bingyao and watched over her shoulder.

    Lin Feng still wasn¡¯t happy but stoppedining when they got into Champion Select. He loved League of Legends and this was just another opportunity to y the game. Besides. He looked over his shoulder at the students gathered there. Everyone is here to watch me y! I should pick a good carry and show them how good I am! Hmm, yeah! Let¡¯s go with Fizz! He flexed his mouse-hand and said to the student standing near him, ¡°I¡¯m really good at Fizz too!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz was up against a Gold yer¡¯s Orianna. And Lin Feng was showing off. He picked up an early kill two minutes into the game, and then another one a minuteter. There wasn¡¯t a single opportunity for a kill that he missed out on. And after five kills in 10 minutes, the game was as good as over. He could hear the students cheering behind him. For me! Haha! They¡¯re all here to watch me carry! An Xin was right! This is great!

    At 10 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz destroyed the mid outer tower.At 15 minutes: Lin Feng was roaming around the map in search for more kills, because the respawn time on the Orianna was too long. He got bored waiting for her.At 20 minutes: Lin Feng finally became Legendary, with 9 kills to his name.At 25 minutes: Lin Feng won his team the game by destroying the inhibitor in midne and then the nexus, while the rest of his team was still ying in their ownnes.

    Lin Feng sat back in his seat, grinning. Yup! How do you like that? My Fizz carried this game! We never even got to the teamfights or anything like that! I just pushed mid and won the game! Ha! I carried so hard that the rest of my team didn¡¯t even need to be there! He turned around to look at the students gathered there, only now listening to what they were saying.

    ¡°Tang Tang is the best!¡±

    ¡°She carried this game!¡±

    ¡°I wish I was as good as Tang Tang!¡±

    ¡°Did you guys see her at the Finals? I saw her there! She was so amazing! It¡¯s so cool we get to see her y from up close now!¡±

    ¡°I love your ystyle Tang Tang! You¡¯re so aggressive! It¡¯s perfect! I hope to one day be as good as you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lin Feng only now noticed that the club members hadn¡¯t gathered around him, but around Tang Bingyao. ¡°Eh? Why are you guys not cheering for me?¡± he asked, baffled.

    A few students briefly nced at Lin Feng before turning back to Tang Bingyao, but most didn¡¯t even seem to notice him. They were all focused on Tang Bingyao and talking to her about her Tristana. Her score at the end of the game was 7/0/5 and she¡¯d pushed all the way to the botne inhibitor tower. That was enough for the students to be convinced that she had done all the carrying, in no small part because they liked her more than Lin Feng. Not just because she was a nice, beautiful girl that they wanted to get closer to, but also because they didn¡¯t particrly like Lin Feng. He was the guy who first set An Xin off and then stomped on a Gold opponent.

    There was also another reason why the club members were more impressed with Tang Bingyao than Lin Feng. This was a result from the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, especially thest game because that was the game everyone remembered. The club members believed that Tang Bingyao had won them the Shanghai 16 School Tournament with her Vayne. She became immensely popr on the back of this. Every student knew her name, and even League of Legends fans from other high schools in Shanghai knew who she was. She was the only female ad-carry whopeted at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. And many people also argued that she was the best ad-carry at the tournament.

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t care much for all the extra attention she was getting. But she couldn¡¯t just sit and do nothing with everyone chanting her name. She looked over her shoulder at the crowd, smiling. This only invigorated the club members as they got louder and louder. Hm... What do they want? Should I get up and thank them? Uhh, hmm¡­ She finally got up and nodded and waved, thanking everyone foring to watch her y.

    The club members couldn¡¯t believe their luck. Tang Bingyao had heard them. And now she was speaking to them! They pushed their fellow students aside and crowded around her, asking her questions and telling her how much they admired her. There were girls asking how to get better at League of Legends and there were guys asking if she was going to do any more 1vs1 Love Confessions in the near future.

    An Xin winked at Lin Feng, who had found his way to her, and said, ¡°Wow, Tang Tang sure has gotten popr.¡±

    Lin Feng kicked a pen away and sulked, ¡°No one cheered for me¡­¡±

    An Xin chuckled and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried? If you aren¡¯t careful, someone might snatch her away from you!¡±

    ¡°Snatch her away?¡± Lin Feng asked, scratching the back of his head. Then he waved his hand and said, ¡°That won¡¯t happen! Tang Tang already promised to be our team¡¯s ad-carry! She won¡¯t join another team! You¡¯re worrying about nothing!¡±

    An Xin shook her head and rolled her eyes. ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s pointless talking to you.¡± Then she turned to some of the club members that had gathered around her and were asking questions about League of Legends and her lovelife. She smiled and started answering them, ignoring Lin Feng.

    Tang Bingyao received a lot of attention, but most of it was centered around League of Legends. This wasn¡¯t the case with An Xin. There were many guys who came to her and straight up asked her out on a date. She turned all of them down. But rather than being disheartened by this, the guys left with a smile on their faces. An Xin had somehow convinced them that it was really for the best that they wouldn¡¯t date, and that there was someone out there waiting for them. They just had to keep their eyes open for that special someone. But that didn¡¯t stop them from daydreaming about An Xin and wishing they could spend more time together. The regr student envied the esports club members, who got to see An Xin twice a week during club activities. And the esports club members envied the students from Senior ss 7, who could stare at An Xin all day from Monday through Friday. The entire school was infatuated with her.

    ?

    The next day, Senior ss 7 started the morning with Mathematics, after which they had English Literature. When the period bell finally announced a break, they turned to their friends and startedining about their grueling schedule. Ouyang was, as per usual, the loudest voice amongst them all. The students were usually annoyed by this. They¡¯d re at him or tell him to shut up. But this was one of those rare asions in which everyone agreed with him.

    Right then, a student from Senior ss 8 knocked on the door and poked his head through the door opening. The entire ssroom became quiet. All eyes fell on him. His face turned red as he held up a postcard and said, ¡°Uhh¡­ An¡­ An Xin? Uhh¡­ You, uhm, I¡­ I mean, you, me, and uhm¡­¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped to the floor. ¡°What? Is that another love letter?¡± he eximed. ¡°Hot damn! BunBun! Another one for you! Damn girl, they just keeping for you! How do you do this!?¡±

    Ren Rou red at Ouyang and snapped, ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°But Rou Rou¡­¡± Ouyang started before closing his mouth again. An Xin had stood up from her desk and was smiling at the student from Senior ss 8. Oh my god! How does she do this! It¡¯s that same smile every time! And then she¡¯s going to turn him down! And then that poor bro is going to be happy about it. Every single time! He watched her walk over to the ssroom door and mumbled, ¡°Poor guy.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°You¡¯re right if you mean that she¡¯s going to turn him down. Just look at him. He clearly has a few too many pounds on his body and those zits on his face aren¡¯t helping either.¡±

    Ouyang watched carefully how An Xin dealt with the student from Senior ss 8. He suddenly whisper-shouted, ¡°Look, look! She epted his letter! Maybe she does like him?¡±

    Yang Fan chuckled and shook his head. ¡°No, Ouyang. That¡¯s how she does it. She epts the letter and then tells them the bad news. Did you already forget what happened yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh, right. I forgot,¡± Ouyang replied. He turned back to see An Xin turn the guy down. He lowered his head and was clearly taking it hard. But then he looked back up at An Xin. Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide and he mumbled, ¡°H-how does she do that? He looks happy!¡± Then he shot up from his seat and shouted, ¡°BUNBUN! How did you do that? You turned him down, right? Right? Why is he so happy? He should be upset! He got turned down!¡±

    ¡°Ouyang!¡± Ren Rou shouted, ring at him before An Xin could.

    ¡°But Rou Rou,¡± Ouyang said, looking to start an argument. But when he saw the look in Ren Rou¡¯s eyes, he knew better than to keep talking. He closed his mouth and then zipped it with his hands. He followed up by locking it and finally he swallowed the key. Then he nodded at her, as if saying, ¡°See? I can¡¯t say a word!¡±

    An Xin walked back to her desk and sat down. She put the love letter at the corner and then reached into her backpack to grab something. This was also the moment in which Lin Feng lost to his curiosity. He reached over from his desk to grab the love letter while asking, ¡°BunBun, what did you two talk about? Can I read the lette¡ª AI!¡±

    An Xin had pped Lin Feng¡¯s hand away and said, ¡°Keep your hands to yourself! He wrote this for me! Don¡¯t be so nosy!¡± Then she giggled and added, ¡°Or are you jealous? Is that it?¡±

    Lin Feng pointed at himself and asked incredulously, ¡°Me? Jealous? No way! I was just curious! You know, I wanted to know what kind of idiot would get fooled by your looks!¡±

    An Xin stopped giggling. She clenched her fist and punched Lin Feng in the face. ¡°YOU IDIOT! I knew nothing good woulde out of your mouth! Jerk!¡±

    ?

    The dismissal bell rang at the end of the day. The students from Senior ss 7 packed their bags and streamed out of the ssroom. But Tang Bingyao stayed in her seat. She rummaged through her backpack and grabbed her wallet. Then she counted out £¤25, enough to buy two milk teas and a chicken cutlet, and stuffed it in her pocket. Finally, she waited for Lin Feng to walk up to her desk. This was their daily routine when there were no club activities.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lin Feng said, excited as always.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao replied with a nod. Then she got up and walked through the hallways and off the campus with Lin Feng. They walked down the streets of Shanghai until they arrived in front of a small little shop that served milk tea and chicken cutlet. She paused here and pulled the money from her pocket. ¡°Hey, uh, Lin Feng? I¡¯ve got some spare change¡­ Do you want to stop for some milk tea and chicken cutlet?¡±

    Lin Fengpletely missed the expression on Tang Bingyao¡¯s face. All he heard was the chicken cutlet, and from there that was all he could see and smell. He nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah! I want some! Thanks, Tang Tang! By the way, you sure do have a lot of spare change these days. But that¡¯s really good! More chicken cutlet for me! Haha!¡±

    Tang Bingyao walked into the shop and ced the order, listening to Lin Feng giving her a lecture on chicken cutlet and how to correctly prepare it. Then, when their portion was delivered, he pointed at it and shouted that that was exactly how it was supposed to look and smell. A bite and yelpter, he also noted that this was how it was supposed to taste. She smiled.

    The two friends left the shop and continued walking home, Tang Bingyao sipping on her milk tea and Lin Feng wolfing away the chicken cutlet. It wasn¡¯t until he had eaten more than half of it that he realized Tang Bingyao was walking next to him, and she had paid for the food. He sheepishly offered it to her and said, ¡°Uhh, Tang Tang, do you want some too?¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and shook her head. ¡°Mnh-mnh, I¡¯m good. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Lin Feng replied with a full mouth.

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t y her game of jump-the-cracks. She walked next to Lin Feng and looked up at him. How do I tell him? Do I just say it? Or am I supposed to hint at it? I don¡¯t know. Maybe? Or¡­ She nced in the distance, where arge intersection came in view. That was as far as they walked together every day. She bit on her lips. I have to say it now, or I won¡¯t say it at all. Mhm! She nodded at herself and then said, ¡°Uhmm, Lin Feng?¡±

 Chapter 245: I Know! The Introvert Wants a Big Party!

    Lin Feng stopped a few steps short of the intersection and turned to look at Tang Bingyao. What¡¯s got her all shivering? It¡¯s not that cold¡­ Well, it¡¯s cold. It¡¯s almost winter! Wait. No. Don¡¯t tell me this is about the food. Does she want me to pay? I offered her half! I only ate it all when she said that she didn¡¯t want any! He looked at Tang Bingyao and probed, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng, clenching her fists in her mittens. Then she nced at the stoplight at the intersection. Still red. I need to say it. It¡¯ll turn green soon. If I keep making excuses, I won¡¯t say it at all. Mhm! I¡¯ll say it! She bit on her lips and looked down at her feet. ¡°Uhm, Lin Feng?¡± she repeated. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She nced up at the stoplight again, waiting for it to turn green. Go to green! Go! Now! ¡­ Now! It jumped to green a few secondster, which was her cue. She looked up at Lin Feng and said, ¡°It¡¯s my birthday next month¡­ Oh! The light is green. You can¡¯t miss it, go! See you tomorrow! Bye!¡± Then she turned the corner and ran home.

    Lin Feng stared after Tang Bingyao, dazed. What? Then he shook his head and shrugged. That was probably nothing. Oh, I should go home! He crossed the street at the intersection and then walked thest bit home. Su Xue called out to him from the kitchen when he opened the front door, saying something about dinner. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure, his mind ying the scene with Tang Bingyao on repeat. I missed something. There was something there. Right? Was there? Maybe I¡¯m just imagining things. But that was a hint, right? I think so¡­ But what was she hinting at¡­ Her birthday¡­ Birthday¡­ Then he shrugged. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll think about itter. He went to his room and yed a game of League of Legends, waiting for Su Xue to call him for dinner. But still, something didn¡¯t feel quite right. He just couldn¡¯t put his finger on what that was.

    ?

    Su Xue looked at the feast she had prepared, proud of herself. That came out better than expected! Lin Feng is going to love it! Talking about that kid¡­ ¡°LIN FENG! DINNER¡¯S READY!¡± she shouted through the apartment.

    Lin Feng dashed out of his room and sat down at the dining table. His eyes went wide when he saw all the food and he said, ¡°This looks delicious! Can I? Can I?¡± He didn¡¯t even wait for Su Xue¡¯s nod. He put a chicken cutlet in his bowl and grabbed it with his chopsticks. Then he paused. Tang Tang¡­ What did she want? Birthday¡­ He put his chopsticks down and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not really hungry. Tang Tang bought me some chicken cutlet on the way home¡­¡±

    ¡°WHAT? AGAIN?¡± Su Xue blurted out. Then she threw her own chopsticks on the table and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the same thing every daytely! Wasn¡¯t I clear to you about this just the other day? I spend hours in the kitchen to prepare dinner for you! HOURS! What am I doing all that hard work for if you¡¯re not even eating it? I could¡¯ve spent that time streaming!¡± She clenched her fists and breathed in, trying to hold back the tears. She waved at the food and yelled, ¡°IS MY FOOD NOT GOOD ENOUGH? DO YOU NOT LIKE IT? IS THAT IT?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and exined, ¡°Of course I like your food! It¡¯s really good! But I can¡¯t help it that Tang Tang bought me milk tea and chicken cutlet on the way home. It was really filling. Maybe I¡¯ll be hungry again in a few hours. I¡¯ll just eat your food then!¡±

    Su Xue glowered at Lin Feng, a vein throbbing on her temple. ¡°You knew I was making dinner. You could¡¯ve told Tang Tang that I was making dinner. Or you could¡¯ve called me and told me you were having chicken cutlet. OR YOU COULD¡¯VE SAID SOMETHING WHEN YOU GOT HOME!¡±

    ¡°Well, you see, Tang Tang was treating me and I felt bad for not eating it. So it¡¯s not really my fault¡­¡± Lin Feng argued.

    Su Xue growled through gritted teeth, ¡°It is your fault. Don¡¯t try and shift the me on Tang Tang. This was all you!¡± She took a deep breath. Calm down. He is helpless. He is helpless. He doesn¡¯t understand it. He is an idiot. She forced a smile and asked, ¡°Why is she treating you so often anyway?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! She says she had some spare change! If I didn¡¯t eat the chicken cutlet, it¡¯d be a waste of food!¡± Lin Feng fired back. Then he grinned and continued, ¡°Besides, I couldn¡¯t say no! She was just trying to be nice!¡±

    That hit the wrong snare. Su Xue exploded and yelled, ¡°OH, IS THAT SO? THEN WHAT ABOUT ALL THE FOOD I MADE FOR YOU TONIGHT? HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO THAT?¡± She took short,boured breaths and closed her eyes. Deep breaths, Su Xue¡­ Deep breaths. Calm down. You can¡¯t hit him. That¡¯d be child abuse. And getting angry is bad for your skin. Yes I won¡¯t let him ruin my perfect skin. She took several deep, calming breaths and then asked, ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer me. Why does she keep buying you food?¡±

    ¡°How should I know? She just has a lot of spare changetely!¡± Lin Feng answered, finding nothing strange about it.

    She just happens to have a lot of spare changetely¡­? Su Xue shook her head. Oh, Tang Tang¡­ She knew what Tang Bingyao was trying to do. She¡¯d tried to do it herself too back in high school. It was so easy. Just find an excuse to get some alone time with your crush. Then offer him the food and smile cutely. He¡¯ll melt and stumble over his words as he asks you out on a date. But I never crushed on a blockhead like Lin Feng¡­ My god, how can he be so oblivious? I have to contact the Guinness Book of World Records one of these days. He deserves to be in¡ª

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Lin Feng suddenly shouted, interrupting Su Xue¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Tang Tang told me her birthday is next month!¡± Then he shook his head and added, ¡°I was really scared when she brought it up. She looked so embarrassed that I thought she was going to ask me to pay for all the food she bought me. I don¡¯t have that much money! Buying skins on League of Legends is expensive, you know! But¡­¡± He looked at Su Xue, uncertain. ¡°...maybe I should pay for it sometime? She always pays¡­ What do you think?¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and said, ¡°I swear, it¡¯s a miracle you get any girls to talk to you at all! You¡¯re an idiot. I¡¯m done. I¡¯m done. I can¡¯t talk to you right now. I just can¡¯t.¡± She gorged down the rest of the food in her bowl, shaking her head every few seconds, and then got up from her chair and walked to the kitchen to do the dishes.

    ?

    Lin Feng spent the hours after dinner on his homework and procrastinating. At 11 P.M. sharp he finished and nced over at the rm on his nightstand. I¡¯m not tired yet¡­ Maybe Su Xue is streaming? He got up and walked over to Su Xue¡¯s room, where he poked his head around the door. She is streaming! I¡¯ll just keep her somepany! She¡¯ll like that! He walked into the room and sat down next to Su Xue.

    ¡¸OH SHIIIIIIIZ is that lil bro!?¡¹

    ¡¸who¡¯s that guy?!?!?!?! does xuexue have a bf????¡¹

    ¡¸CREEP ALERT CREEP ALERT! THERE¡±S A CREEP IN SNOWFALL¡±S ROOM!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Could someone kindly exin to me who that guy is and what is going on? Thank you in advance.¡¹

    Su Xue looked over at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°You¡¯re done with your homework?¡±

    ¡°Yep! All finished!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He then leaned closer to Su Xue and waved at the camera. ¡°Hey guys! Long time no see! How is everyone?¡±

    ¡¸FENG FENG!!!! WELCOME BACK!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸ahhhhhhhhhh! haven¡¯t seen you in so long! missed you so much!¡¹

    ¡¸How¡¯s school, lil bro?¡¹

    ¡¸OUT WITH THE MAID! OUT WITH THE MAID!¡¹

    ¡¸the maid is tryna show off on korean server. But oh my lord she¡¯s bad. Like, no joke, i wanna hang myself!!¡¹

    ¡°What the¡­ HEY! I¡¯m not doing that badly!¡± Su Xue cried out just as her screen went grey again. She looked at the top right corner of the game client, which showed her KDA. Her Lucian was 2/5/4. She shook her head and mumbled, ¡°Well, I might be doing a little bad¡­ But that isn¡¯t my fault! I just wanted to y at a higher rank for my secondmentate video and since I¡¯m tinum on the Ionia server, I thought I could also y at tinum on the Korean server! Who knew the skill level would be so much higher here! You really can¡¯t me me for this! And I still got two kills!¡±

    ¡¸You can¡¯t even rank your Korean Gold ount to y¡­ Why did you think you could y in t? lel¡¹

    ¡¸just let lil bro take over. hell carry this for yaaaa¡¹

    ¡¸DONT FORGET TO GET HIM SOME WATER!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I wanna see Feng Feng carry DO IT¡¹

    Lin Feng turned to look at Su Xue and asked, ¡°Want me to take over next game? This one looks about over¡­¡±

    Su Xue pursed her lips but eventually relented. She said, ¡°Fine fine! y!¡± Then she red at her camera and said to her viewers, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to hear any of you threaten to unfollow me again!¡± She focused back on the game. It¡¯s lost. No point to keep pushing for it¡­ She sighed and started a surrender vote, which was unanimously epted by her team.

    Lin Feng quickly pushed Su Xue out of her gaming chair and sat down in it. Then he looked at the ount and flexed his fingers. Heughed and said, ¡°tinum on the Korean server? This is going to be so much fun! Watch me carry this game, guys!¡±

    ¡¸CARRY WITH YOUR LEBLANC!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸godleeeee i wanna see your godleeeeeee¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO >>>>> KOREANS HARHARHARHARHAR¡¹

    ¡¸feng feng is ying. Ez gg¡¹

    Su Xue sat down in the chair next to Lin Feng and smiled as she watched him bantering around with her viewers. We¡¯re the perfect duo. I¡¯m the cute face that tries really hard and he is the pure talent many people want to see. And when we get together, there¡¯s always something fun to see for the viewers. Jokes to make. He really helped me turn this one-person stream into a team-stream. And the viewers are loving it! She pretended to sulk when the viewers said something mean about her. And she got up and brought Lin Feng a ss of water as had be tradition. She didn¡¯t mind doing it. It was all part of the game. And she was winning. She rxed back in her chair and watched Lin Feng y. These are the days. I wish it could be like this for the rest of my life. That¡¯d be perfect.

    ?

    Lin Feng woke up the next morning with Tang Bingyao¡¯s message about her birthday still on his mind. He thought about it under the shower, while eating breakfast, and while walking to school. Why did she tell me that and then run away? She was just really embarrassed about it, but why? Does she normally not celebrate it or something? Maybe she didn¡¯t have a lot of friends to celebrate it with? No, that¡¯s ridiculous. She has so many friends! Guys keep approaching her! It wasn¡¯t until he walked into the ssroom and saw his friends that it started to make sense to him. Maybe she really wants to have a big birthday party but is too shy to tell everyone, so she confided in me! Right, so how do I go about this?

    Lin Feng mulled on that thought for the rest of the day, until finally the dismissal bell rang. I should just tell the others. They¡¯ll know what to do! He turned to Ouyang sitting next to him, then to Yang Fan sitting in front of him, and finally to An Xin sitting on the other side of him and said, ¡°Yo, guys! Guys! I need to tell you for Tang Tang that it¡¯s her birthday next month!¡±

    Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide. It took him a moment to recover and then he shouted, ¡°PARTYYYYY!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Next month already? That¡¯s pretty soon. We won¡¯t have much time to organize it.¡±

    An Xin leaned over from her desk and chimed in, ¡°Let¡¯s get started then. It¡¯s for Tang Tang, so we have to do it properly. We¡¯re going to throw her a big party!¡±

    ¡°YES! A PARTY! I¡¯M THE KING OF PARTYING!¡± Ouyang shouted, grinning. Then he patted his chest and said, ¡°All we need is 10 beer kegs and a ton of stic cups! Oh oh! Chen Ze and Wei Dong can help out too!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s do that! That sounds great!¡± Then he turned to Tang Bingyao who¡¯d just walked over and said, ¡°See? That was really easy to say, right? You don¡¯t have to be so shy, you can tell us! We¡¯re all friends here! Of course we¡¯ll celebrate your birthday! We¡¯d love to!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng, dazed. W-what¡­ How? Uh? What is happening. Then she mumbled, ¡°Uh, oh, uh¡­ thanks.¡± But she didn¡¯t look happy. She lowered her head and chewed on the inside of her cheeks. That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s not at all why I told you. I could¡¯ve told them. I¡¯m not that shy. I wanted to tell you¡­

    Ren Rou sat down on Yang Fan¡¯s desk, quietly following the conversation. And while everyone else was excited about the prospect of a big party, she was the only one who noticed Tang Bingyao¡¯s dejected response. She nced at Lin Feng and then back at Tang Bingyao before shaking her head. You poor girl. He¡¯s braindead, you know that. We talked about this. You need to spell it out for him, and even then he might not get it¡­ He¡¯s braindead. Don¡¯t let him drag you down with hi¡ª

    RING-RING-RING! RING-RING-RING!

    Ouyang turned to look at Lin Feng, confused. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts before asking, ¡°Who¡¯s calling you?¡±

    Lin Feng rummaged through his pockets and located his phone in his coat. He grabbed it and checked the Caller ID before scrunching his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Eh? Chu Fang? Why is he calling me? Wait. How does he even have my phone number?¡±

 Chapter 246: Letâ€™s be Best Friends!

    Lin Feng stepped out into the hallway and looked around for a quiet corner. School was out and there were studentsughing and shouting everywhere. He pushed against the flow of students, ncing at his phone to make sure that it was still ringing. Why would Chu Fang call me anyway? The Shanghai 16 School Tournament has ended and doesn¡¯t he have work to do? It¡¯s a normal work day... He searched around for some privacy, but couldn¡¯t really find it. His phone was still ringing, but wouldn¡¯t for much longer. So he epted the call and ced the phone next to his ear, using his free hand to plug his other ear. ¡°Heya, Chu Fang! Why are you calling? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Lin Feng,¡± Chu Fang said. ¡°You should be done with school by now, right? Do you have a minute to chat?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, school is out. I was about to head home,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°Why? What¡¯s up? Are you calling to buy me dinner? If so, then yes! I¡¯d really like some chicken cutlet!¡±

    Chu Fang chuckled and said, ¡°Oh, you cane over and I¡¯ll treat you to some food. But I live pretty far away. It¡¯s going to be way past dinnertime by the time you get here. Are you sure you can wait that long?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yeah¡­ Guess I can¡¯t...¡± Lin Feng replied, dejected.

    ¡°But I called today about something else,¡± Chu Fang continued. ¡°Have you heard about the Winter Collegiate Cup? It¡¯s basically the big brother of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Or the Shanghai 16 School Tournament for universities. It¡¯s a big tournament. Anyway, it¡¯s taking ce next month. Would you be interested in participating?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. The Winter Collegiate Cup? I was talking with Fatty about that just the other day! He grinned and said, ¡°Fatty made the same mistake the other day. I can¡¯t y in the Winter Collegiate Cup! I¡¯m still in high school, remember?¡± He paused for a brief moment, then added, ¡°But you knew that. We spoke at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Wait, is this one of those hypothetical questions? Then my answer is yes! It sounds like a really cool tournament with so many great yers! Of course I want to y in it!¡±

    Chu Fangughed and said, ¡°Never change, Lin Feng. Never change. And yes, I know you¡¯re still in high school. But no, this isn¡¯t some hypothetical situation. The Collegiate Cup used to be exclusive to university teams. But there were some changes made to the format of the tournament this year. One of those changes is that we¡¯re inviting three high school teams to join. One from each of the three big esports associations: Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. It¡¯s basically an opportunity for our most talented yers to get some early experience at the university level. So, are you interested?¡±

    ¡°Are you asking me if I want to y in the Collegiate Cup?¡± Lin Feng asked, ecstatic. ¡°Yes! YES! I¡¯ll be the best at the university level too! This is going to be awesome! We¡¯re going to beat everyone and be the best high school team and the best university team too!¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± Chu Fang interrupted. He waited for Lin Feng to stop talking and then exined, ¡°Yes, I want you to participate. Just you. This isn¡¯t High School 13 participating, but the best high schoolers from Shanghai ying. I¡¯ve been put in charge of drafting the Shanghai team. The team I have in mind right now consists of you in the midne and BunBun in the Jungle. And¡­¡± He paused and shuffled some doc.u.ments before continuing, ¡°...Tang Bingyao? The ad-carry on your team? I want her as the team¡¯s ad-carry. As fo¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh. That makes sense! I¡¯ll y in the midne!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll go and tell BunBun and Tang Tang right now about it! I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll want to y too! Talk to y¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! WAIT!¡± Chu Fang said. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up! Wait a second!¡±

    Lin Feng had already moved the phone away from his ear and was about to end the call when he heard Chu Fang cry out. He ced the phone back to his ear and asked, ¡°Huh? Did you say something? Is there something else? Didn¡¯t you call about the Winter Collegiate Cup? You told me about it already! I want to tell BunBun and Tang Tang the good news! They¡¯ll be so happy!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did say something and yes there is something else,¡± Chu Fang replied. ¡°I wanted to let you know what the full line up will be for your team. I drafted the Support and Toner from Shanghai High School. I ho¡ª¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine! Is that all? I¡¯m going to tell BunBun and Tang Tang then. By¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! Please! One more thing!¡± Chu Fang shouted. Then when the call stayed connected, he quietly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t hide it any longer. The boss¡­¡±

    Words entered Lin Feng¡¯s ears, but he didn¡¯t hear them. There was a loud banging sound that he couldn¡¯t quite ce. He stared at thest couple of students walking down the hallway. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hide it any longer.¡± He didn¡¯t need to ask what Chu Fang couldn¡¯t hide any longer. Fang Hao knows. I wanted to make a quiet return to the scene. I wanted to slowly work my way up. And then face everyone when I was ready for it. On my terms. But first I ran into Chu Fang at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and now Fang Hao also found out¡­ How much longer before the others find out? What if Rake finds out and sees me ying at a high school tournament? His heart mmed into his ribcage with every beat, his throat dried up, and he had to fight back the urge to run away. I can¡¯t do that! I won¡¯t do that again. I¡¯m not going to abandon my friends! And I won¡¯t let Fang Hao down again. But¡­

    ?

    Lin Feng walked back into his ssroom a couple of minutester. His friends were all still there, waiting for him. But he didn¡¯t see them, not really anyway. He was still lost in his own mind, trying toe to terms with what Chu Fang had just told him. And every time that he had a new thought about the situation, his facial expression changed with it.

    Ouyang had been barely able to contain himself for thest few minutes. Ren Rou had to almost physically restrain him from running after Lin Feng. But when he saw Lin Feng walking back into the ssroom, he couldn¡¯t stop himself any longer. He ran up to Lin Feng, threw an arm around his friend, and shouted, ¡°Best bro! What did the vice president of the Shanghai Esports Association call you for? Tell me! You can¡¯t keep secrets from me! That¡¯s against the bro code! Tell me!¡±

    An Xin looked past Ouyang¡¯s excitement and at Lin Feng. He looks like he saw a ghost¡­ What did Chu Fang say to him? She nodded at Lin Feng and probed, ¡°Are you ok? Did Chu Fang call with bad news?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and said, ¡°No. He actually had some really good news, I suppose.¡± He scratched the back of his head and exined, ¡°We¡¯re invited to y at the Winter Collegiat¡ª¡±

    ¡°THE WINTER COLLEGIATE CUP? NO WAY!¡± Ouyang cried out.

    Lin Feng nodded and continued, ¡°Yeah, BunBun, Tang Tang and me will be representing the high school team from Shanghai.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± An Xin asked, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really cool!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s mouth fell open a little, dor signs in her eyes. After learning how much prize money the Shanghai 16 School Tournament offered, she¡¯d done her research on other tournaments in Shanghai and China, including the university tournaments. The prize money increased exponentially at the university level! We don¡¯t even have to win. A good performance will already get us so much money. I¡¯ll have so much spare change! Mhm!

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ren Rou interrupted. ¡°Isn¡¯t that great news? Why were you looking so out of it a moment ago?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, well, you see¡­ That¡¯s because¡­¡± He rubbed the deep creases on his brow and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Nothing.¡±

    An Xin had been watching Lin Feng since he walked back into the ssroom, studying his constantly changing expressions. And she finally figured it out. Chu Fang told someone. But you don¡¯t look mad, I think. So did you already expect it? Was Chu Fang forced to tell someone? Maybe his boss? It¡¯d be hard to keep it a secret from Fang Hao after we won the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. That could be it...

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and asked Lin Feng, ¡°Right, so you, Tang Tang, and BunBun are ying. But that¡¯s only three. A team consists of five yers. Who are the other two yers on the team?¡±

    ¡°The other two?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re those two from Shanghai High School. Their Toner and Support!¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang had also called Zeng Rui to invite him to represent the Shanghai Esports Association. Zeng Rui had epted and informed Chu Fang that Zhang Hao, who was Shanghai High School¡¯s Toner, would also ept. This was the kind of opportunity no one wanted to pass up on. Now he sat in theputer scienceb at Shanghai High School, waiting for the rest of his team toe. When they did, he told them about his call with Chu Fang and that he and Zhang Hao were going to y at the Winter Collegiate Cup.

    Zhang Hao pointed at himself and said, ¡°Me? Sweet! Thanks for epting the invite on my behalf!¡±

    The other three yers from Shanghai High School¡¯s team were also very excited.

    ¡°That¡¯s awesome! You guys are going to y in a university tournament! That¡¯s almost at the professional level!¡±

    ¡°Cap and Hao Bro are going to y against university students! That¡¯s so cool! I wish they¡¯d also invited me...¡±

    ¡°Aghhhh! I¡¯m so excited just thinking about it! I can¡¯t imagine how exciting it must be for you guys! Just imagine! You¡¯re going to be ying against university students! That¡¯s, like, almost the professional level of League!¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and nodded at his teammates and he also felt some of their enthusiasm. But he wasn¡¯t nearly as excited. He sat down behind aputer and lowered his head. It is really nice that we¡¯re invited. You don¡¯t get these kinds of opportunities often, so I had to ept it. That much is obvious. This tournament is going to be a lot more difficult too. That¡¯s valuable experience. If I want to be a professional yer at some point, I need that experience. It¡¯s just¡­

    Zeng Rui frowned. He couldn¡¯t help but feel the pressure. If he was going to y, he wanted to win. And he was well aware of how good the teams at the Collegiate Cup were. He¡¯d watched them y before and recognized many name tags from the Challengerdder on the Ionia server. There was one name in particr that stood out to him. Samsara. This yer¡¯s real name was Sun Ruinian, a student at Zhejiang University. And he was the best ad-carry Zeng Rui had ever yed with in solo queue. When I y with him, the games are always so easy. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve lost a game ying together. But when I have to y against him, I suddenly have to try so hard. He knows just how to get me off my game. And he is only one of many. His team didn¡¯t even make it to the Finalsst year! There are so many really good yers who can make my life difficult.

    Zeng Rui pulled up a website on theputer in front of him and browsed through the list of yers who¡¯d participated in the previous Collegiate Cups. Know him, him, him, him, him, him¡­ I¡¯ve yed against so many of them. And they are on Challenger grade teams! At the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, we still had so many teams with not even Diamond line ups. There were tinum yers and worse¡­ But now we¡¯re going to have to beat Challenger level teams. I don¡¯t even think we can make it to the quarterfinals. It¡¯s going to be really difficult. But I really don¡¯t want to give up before we even start ying. It¡¯s just really hard to stay optimistic knowing how good the opponents are going to be.

    Zeng Rui leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. I¡¯m ying to win. I won¡¯t go there to be second, third, or anything like that. I¡¯ll have to lead our team to victory! That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do! He sat up straight and opened his eyes. They radiated with a zing determination! I¡¯m going to be the first high schooler to win a university tournament! It¡¯s going to be difficult, but if anyone can do it, it¡¯s me! I¡¯ve been at the top of Challenger for a long time now. And that girl from High School 13 in the Jungle is also really good. Zhang Hao is a strong Toner. That ad-carry from High School 13 also seemed good enough in the final game of the finals. We just have to keep her at that level consistently. That just leaves¡­ Zeng Rui gritted his teeth. He didn¡¯t want to say it. Now he could still pretend it wasn¡¯t true. But he also knew that wouldn¡¯t change anything. If he wanted to win, he had to do it with the team that Chu Fang drafted. He picked the thundering dumbass for the midne. He could¡¯ve picked anyone else. But no. He went with the thundering dumbass. I¡¯m going to have a headache.

 Chapter 247: Heâ€™s Back, Baby!

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    Lin Feng had taken the train to the Shanghai Esports Association''s headquarters. Once inside, he went up the elevator and then walked down the wide hallways until he stopped in front of arge wooden door. A que on it told him it was Fang Hao¡¯s office. He raised his fist to knock, but left it hanging in the air. He felt a knot in his stomach, and he eventually let his arm drop back down. Why wouldn¡¯t BunBune with me? And why did sheugh at me when I asked her toe with me! ¡°It¡¯s your mess, you clean it up.¡± He chewed on his lips and looked at the que on the door again. Below Fang Hao¡¯s name it read ¡®President¡¯. He was the vice president four years ago. Back when he helped me, even when it could cost his career. And then I walked away. He did all of that for me and I never did anything for him¡­

    It¡¯s Chu Fang¡¯s fault! He should¡¯ve never told Fang Hao that I was back. He promised me he wouldn¡¯t! But he did. It only took him a week to tell his boss about me! Lin Feng shook his head. He wasn¡¯t mad at Chu Fang. He understood very well that there was nothing Chu Fang could¡¯ve done about it. And that it was only a matter of time until Fang Hao would find out. I¡¯m just¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk with Fang Hao yet. I¡¯m not ready. I should¡¯ve been further. I want to show him that I¡¯m back, and that he wasn¡¯t wrong to trust me. But I¡¯m not that far yet. I just won a high school tournament and he wants someone who can fight against Rake. I¡¯m nowhere near that level yet!

    Lin Feng clenched his fist and raised it again. Knock. Knock. He gritted his teeth and pulled his hand back again, loathing himself. He did so much for me. I would¡¯ve never yed at Worlds if it wasn¡¯t for him. And now I can¡¯t even face him. I¡¯m a coward! A spineless coward! Stop! I can¡¯t keep doing this. It¡¯s only going to be harder to meet him. He took a deep, long breath in an attempt to calm himself down. I made a mistake. I should¡¯ve never walked away like I did. I let him down, just like I let my teammates down. But that was four years ago. I¡¯m four years older. He raised his fist up again. I can do this. Apologize to him and hope that he can forgive me for walking away. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, then let his fist fall against the hardwood door.

    There was a brief moment where Lin Feng thought he hadn¡¯t knocked loudly enough, but then Fang Hao¡¯s voice sounded from the other side of the door. ¡°Come in.¡±

    Lin Feng hadn¡¯t heard Fang Hao¡¯s voice in four years, but he couldn¡¯t be any more familiar with it. His knees went weak and he caught himself looking over his shoulder. The elevator is right there. I can still¡­ He grabbed his head and shook it. No! I won¡¯t run away again! I¡¯ll face the consequences. It¡¯s my mess. I have to clean it up. He grabbed the handle and then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

    Fang Hao¡¯s office was by far the biggest Lin Feng had ever seen. His mouth fell slightly open as he took it all in. This view¡­ Wow. He walked to the giant ss windows giving a breathtaking view of downtown Shanghai. The sun stood between two other high buildings, casting a golden glow into the office. Wow¡­ He stood there for a minute,pletely forgetting about why he was even here. Then he turned to look at the desk behind which Fang Hao sat. The knot was back in his stomach, his knees felt weak again, and he had to fight back the urge to run while he still could.

    Fang Hao didn¡¯t seem to notice Lin Feng. He was intently staring at a document on his desk. He traced his fingers over the information it contained. Then he reached for a pen and made a few scribbles on the edge of the document.

    Lin Feng looked down at the ground, his fingers interlocked in front of him, and nced up at Fang Hao every now and then. I won¡¯t run! But then what am I supposed to do? Do I say hi? Is he busy? Maybe I shoulde back some other time when he isn¡¯t so busy. Yeah, that¡¯s probably the polite thing to do. I¡¯lle backter when he isn¡¯t so bus¡ª

    Fang Hao ced the document in a folder and then pushed it to the side. He held the pen in his hand and was inspecting it with great attention before finally saying, ¡°So, you¡¯re back?¡±

    Lin Feng froze. Am I back? I¡¯ve never been here before. What does he mean? I¡¯m here, like he asked. Am I back? Back. Something connected in his mind. Wires uncrossed and connected, giving him a rare moment of irvoyance. He wants to know if I¡¯m back toplete my dream. He bit his lips, hesitating only briefly, and then firmly nodded and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m back.¡±

    Fang Hao raised his head and for the first time in four years looked at Lin Feng. He smiled and nodded. We can both still make our dreams happen. Then he grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back. And you¡¯ve grown taller, I see.¡± He pointed at the chair on the other side of his desk and added, ¡°Come, sit down. It¡¯s been too long. We¡¯ve got a lot of catching up to do. Tell me, how¡¯ve you been?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng and Fang Hao chatted about everything that had happened over thest four years. And as the sun disappeared behind Shanghai¡¯s skyline, the tense and nervous atmosphere in the room became warm and rxed. The two talked about their day to day lives and everything unrted to League of Legends. But that was also the only subject both of them were really interested in. It was finally Fang Hao who made the first move with a simple question. ¡°Did you watch the World Finals?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±

    Fang Hao shook his head and sighed. ¡°SSK is so strong. Han Seho, or Rake, is just getting better and better. And just when you think he can¡¯t possibly get any better, he does it again. Lee Dojae¡¯s antics aside, SSK deserved that world title. And it really hurts having to admit that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to him,¡± Lin Feng replied, determined. He looked Fang Hao in the eyes and continued, ¡°And then I¡¯ll surpass him.¡± He didn¡¯t leave any room for discussion. This wasn¡¯t a joke, nor light-hearted banter between friends. This was his conviction. Both his hands were clenched into fists. I¡¯m going to catch up to you, Rake. Just wait. I¡¯ming for you and then I¡¯ll get my redemption!

    Fang Hao would¡¯veughed if anyone else had said these words. But he knew Lin Feng. He knew the monstrous talent this young man possessed. So he just smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear. I believe in you.¡± I¡¯ve never met anyone as talented or as driven as you. The way you yed and trained in Season 1. The manner in which you could lift your entire team up a level, that was something special. We¡¯ve searched for someone like you ever since you left. We found some with a lot of talent, and others who were incredibly driven. But they never have it all. Not like you.

    But talent alone isn¡¯t going to win Worlds. You¡¯ve been away for four years. That¡¯s four years of catching up you have to do. Fang Hao shook his head and said, ¡°But I think it¡¯s a little early to talk about beating Rake. Let¡¯s focus on the Winter Collegiate Cup first.¡± He paused for a brief moment before continuing, ¡°Chu Fang should¡¯ve called you about that and given you the details, right? And he also should¡¯ve told you that your opponents aren¡¯t just the university teams but also the two high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou, right? Let me give you a bit of extra information. Beijing insisted on this change. I can only see them do this if they have a very strong and talented team ready. You shouldn¡¯t underestimate them. Or Guangzhou for that matter. All teamspeting are going to be very strong.¡±

    Fang Hao didn¡¯t hold any information back that might help Lin Feng, because this was going to turn into a battle for power between the three great esports cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. A fight for power. But let theme. I¡¯ll fight back. And our high school team is going to give them a nice surprise. We¡¯ve got the biggest talent League of Legends has ever seen. This little tournament is going to be an easy win for us! All their stupid tricks aren¡¯t enough to beat the absolute talent of Lin Feng! Ha! He grinned at himself before looking at Lin Feng again. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have Chu Fang send you all the information we have on the two teams from Beijing and Guangzhou. You should also get in touch with the rest of your team. You guys are going to need all the practice you can get. But that shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem, right? I heard from Chu Fang that you all know each other and are getting along great. So that¡¯s good.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re all good friends! Chu Fang drafted a great team! It¡¯s going to be a lot of fun to y together with Zeng Rui!¡±

    ?

    In an apartment building in Shanghai, Zeng Rui sat at the dinner table with his parents. He had his chopsticks in one hand and a bowl in the other. Then both fell to the table. A cold shiver ran up and down his spine, again and again. Drips of sweat appeared on his forehead. Something feels wrong. Very, very wrong. What just happened? He looked around him, searching for the source of his difort. But he couldn¡¯t find anything.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± his mother asked.

    Zeng Rui nodded, though he couldn¡¯t shake that ufortable feeling off. ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay.¡± Then he gritted his teeth as another cold shiver ran up and down his spine. This is the same feeling I got when the Miner from High School 13 said something really cringe. Don¡¯t tell me I can now feel it when he¡­ No, that¡¯s stupid. That can¡¯t be. Don¡¯t let this get to your head, Zeng Rui. He clicked his tongue as he grabbed his chopsticks back up. I still have to call him. I actually have to y on the same team as him. This must be some cruel joke.

 Chapter 248: We All Want to Smack Him

    <strong>Reader Squeaker:</strong>

    It waste at night. Zeng Ruiy on his bed, massaging his temples. Thest couple of hours he¡¯d found any excuse he could not to call Lin Feng. He¡¯d done his homework, mopped the floor in his bedroom, and even cleaned out his closet. I¡¯m going to have to ept this. I don¡¯t have to be his friend, just his teammate. We¡¯re on the same team now. He¡¯s a good yer and I¡¯m a good yer. Whoever we are outside of the game is irrelevant. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Even if he is the thundering dumbass. He took a long, deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and then let it all out. Ok, enough self pity. He grabbed his phone and punched in the number Chu Fang had given him.

    RING RING RING! RING RING R¡ª

    The call connected and Lin Feng¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s this?¡±

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Why am I making this so difficult for myself? I¡¯m better than this. He opened his eyes and replied, ¡°Zeng Rui.¡±

    ¡°Zeng Rui?¡± Lin Feng mumbled. Then he eximed, ¡°Oooh! Zeng Rui! Hey! How¡¯d you get my number? And why did you call? Do you want some League tips? I can give you some tips! When you y Support, you want to buy support items! That way, you can help your ad-carry carry! Hahaha! Uh, oh. Oh! Chu Fang must¡¯ve given you my number!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but he pushed himself through the strong annoyance he felt and asked, ¡°The vice president of the Shanghai Esports Association has informed you about the team, correct?¡±

    ¡°For the Winter Collegiate Cup?¡± Lin Feng asked. Then without waiting for an answer he continued, ¡°Yeah! He did! We¡¯re going to be teammates! Awesome, right? And you don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll carry you too!¡±

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes, trying to ignore his eyebrow that was twitching uncontrobly. Don¡¯t let him get to you. You¡¯re better than this. Say what you have to say and hang up. He took another deep breath and on the exhtion said, ¡°The tournament is next month and I don¡¯t want to get knocked out early because you dragged me down. So let¡¯s schedule a day and time to get together and get a headstart on our preparations for the tournament.¡±

    Lin Fengughed and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much! I¡¯m really good at the game too! We¡¯ll win the whole tournament! Trust me! I got this!¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡± Zeng Rui mumbled, dumbstruck. Win? Where the hell does this dumbass get all his confidence from? No. Don¡¯t ask him that. Don¡¯t give him the chance to say something stupid. Just stick to the script. Day, time and hang up. He said, ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re confident, but we still have to practice. Let¡¯s meet after school tomorrow. We can go to a cybercafe downtown and get a first training session in.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sounds good!¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°Tomorrow after school! It¡¯s a date!¡±

    Zeng Rui shouted through gritted teeth, ¡°With the team! We¡¯re going to practice with the team! Ok, that¡¯s all. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up. See you guys tomorrow.¡±

    Lin Feng said, ¡°Huh? Hey! I know you meant the team! That¡¯s what I meant too! And why the rush to hang up? Let¡¯s get to know each other a bit better! Have you done your homew¡ª¡±

    Zeng Rui ended the call and then turned his phone off. He slowly shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling. ¡°How in the world am I supposed to make this work? That guy is helpless. What¡¯s wrong with him? Why do I have to y with such a thundering dumbass?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng stared at his phone, speechless. He even forgot to take a bite from the chicken cutlet thaty on the desk in front of him. Then he turned to look at Su Xue, who sat next to him, and said, ¡°Why did he hang up so quickly? I just wanted to talk to him a little more!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Probably because the two of you barely know each other. Didn¡¯t you only meet himst week at the Finals? This phone call was probably the longest conversation you¡¯ve had with him¡­¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head, grabbing a piece of chicken cutlet and nibbling on it. Then he looked up at theputer on the desk, and the webcam fixed atop the monitor. ¡°Can you guys believe it?¡± he said to the camera. ¡°He just hung up on me! I didn¡¯t even get to ask him if he¡¯d finished his homework! It¡¯s just so¡­¡± He shook his head again.

    ¡¸soooooooooo crueeel! YOU! Not that whoever the fk that dude was¡¹

    ¡¸RIGHT! This is viewer abuse! Viewer abuse I tell you!¡¹

    ¡¸serves you right!!!!! eatin all that delicious food without offering us some!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸dont me lil bro¡­ the maid didnt offer us any! MAID! MAKE US SOME FOODDDDD!!!¡¹

    ¡¸yo, lil bro, maybe if you got him some food he mightve stuck around¡­...¡¹

    ¡¸why do you two keep tormenting me with all that delicious food? IM TRYNA LOSE SOME WEIGHT OVER HERE BUT NOW IM ORDERIN CHICKEN CUTLET AGAIN! FOR THE THIRD TIME TONIGHT!!!!!¡¹

    Su Xue smiled as she read through the messages. Maybe we can have a little get-together sometime and I can cook a big feast. That might be a fun thing to do. Maybe we can even do it in a restaurant! I could work in a real kitchen! Then she noticed Lin Feng absentmindedly chewing on a small piece of chicken cutlet. What¡¯s got him down? She hesitated for a brief moment and then asked, ¡°What did that guy call you about anyway? Your tournament is over, right? You won!¡±

    Lin Feng swallowed the piece of chicken cutlet and looked up at Su Xue. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because we¡¯re teammates now! We¡¯re going to y in the Winter Collegiate Cup next month, and he just called to n our first training session. But he¡¯s so serious about it. I don¡¯t know why. I told him that too! I¡¯ll carry them to the title! I¡¯m really good at winning tournaments too!¡±

    ¡°Oh I s¡ª Wait, what?¡± The Collegiate Cup?¡± Su Xue asked, surprised.

    ¡¸ you mean the national uni tournament!?¡¹

    ¡¸No way! Has lil bro be big bro? I feel like momma bear here, watching her little ones grow up. This, I¡¯m CRYIN CRYIN I TELL YOU! Please be our lil bro a lil longer!¡¹

    ¡¸uhhh¡­ I thought you were still in high school. How can you participate?¡¹

    Lin Feng took another bite from his chicken cutlet before exining, ¡°Yes, yes! That one! They made some changes, so now I can also y in it! They probably did it just so they could have me in it! I¡¯m really good at carrying my team to the title too!¡±

    Su Xue narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me that? That¡¯s amazing news! This is such a great opportunity for you! Did you call your mother already? You should tell her! I bet she¡¯d love to hear about it!¡±

    ¡¸i knew you were the best!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Damn, the Collegiate Cup! That¡¯s way more high level than a high school tournament!¡¹

    ¡¸I think my university¡¯s team is also ying in it! I¡¯ve heard there are a ton of really strong teams ying in the tournament. Most of the top teams are all full of super high elo yers! Don¡¯t underestimate them!¡¹

    ¡¸NO ONE CAN BEAT OUR LIL BRO! SECOND TROPHY INCOMING IN 3¡­ 2¡­ 1! WOOOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha! Can you imagine how crazy it¡¯d be if a high school team won the Collegiate Cup!!??!?! AMAZING!¡¹

    Lin Feng ignored Su Xue and read the chat instead, grinning brighter and brighter. He finally struck his trademark victory pose and proimed, ¡°I¡¯ll bring that trophy home! We¡¯ll beat all the university teams! And those two other high school teams! I¡¯m really good at winning too, you know!¡±

    ?

    The next day after school, the five members of the new Shanghai high school team met up at a cybercafe. Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao stood together on one side of a private room and Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao, and An Xin stood together on the other side. No one really knew what to do, what to say, or how to get started. They were strangers but also teammates. And not by their own choice. But the Winter Collegiate Cup was starting in a month and they had toe together as a team before then.

    Lin Feng was the one to finally break the awkward silence. He waved his arms around and said, ¡°Why are you all so quiet? We¡¯re teammates! And we¡¯re also going to be best friends! Right, right, introductions.¡± He pointed at himself with his thumbs and said, ¡°I¡¯m Lin Feng! My friends call me Lin Feng! And I¡¯m the best League of Legends yer in the world!¡± He then pointed at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°This is the ad-carry of my new superteam! You can call her Tang Tang!¡± He finally turned to An Xin and finished, ¡°This here is my oldest friend! She used to be round like a bun, so you can call her BunBun!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng before turning to look at Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao. She smiled and said, ¡°He¡¯s right about one thing. We¡¯re going to be teammates. For the next couple of months, anyway. Let¡¯s all get along as friends. You can call me BunBun.¡±

    Zhang Hao nced at Zeng Rui and then said, ¡°Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I¡¯m Zhang Hao, but my friends all call me Hao Bro. I¡¯ve been ying League for a while now and I¡¯ve been on Shanghai High School¡¯s team for two years, I think? Or was it three? I don¡¯t remember¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Nice to meet you, Hao Bro!¡± Lin Feng said, excited. Then he turned to look at Zeng Rui and grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to introduce yourself! We¡¯re already really good friends anyway!¡±

    Zeng Rui felt his eyebrow twitching again, just like it had the night before. Friends? Us? He took a deep breath. Don¡¯t argue. That¡¯s not going to get us anywhere. Just let him be. He nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡±

    Zhang Hao looked over at Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°You two are really good friends? Since when? Is that why you kept calling him a thundering dumbass? Because you were already friends?¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head and said, ¡°Drop it.¡± Then he turned to look at everyone and continued, ¡°All right, let¡¯s focus on preparing for the Winter Collegiate Cup. I would like to start by ying a couple of games to see where we¡¯re at.¡±

    An Xin smiled and agreed, ¡°I was also thinking that¡¯d be a good first step. It¡¯ll give us a chance to see how everyone mashes together.¡±

    Lin Feng jumped at the nearestputer and sat down. He shouted, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s y! Enough chit-chat!¡± Then he opened up his League of Legends client and clicked on the y button. ¡°Oh!¡± He looked over his shoulder and added, ¡°Who wants to y with me first? Get behind aputer already! I¡¯ll show you all how good my midne is!¡±

    ¡°y first?¡± Zhang Hao asked, confused.

    Zeng Rui red at Lin Feng and wanted to say something. But An Xin was a step ahead of him. She smacked Lin Feng in the back of the head and said, ¡°You idiot! We¡¯re ying a team game! Five versus five! We¡¯re not going to watch you duo queue!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm, dummy.¡±

 Chapter 249: Youâ€™re the Boss here; You get to call the Shots

    <strong>Reader Squeaker</strong>

    The five fresh new members from Team Shanghai sat down behind theirputers. They were nervous, excited, and more than anything worried. There was only a month left until the start of the Winter Collegiate Cup and there was still so much left to do. They had to learn how to y with each other and form team and yer synergies. Then they had toe up with strategies and practice those strategies. And they also still had a lot of room left to improve on an individual level. But all of this could only be trained in a game. So they entered the queue.

    Zeng Rui looked over at the other four yers and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s pick strong early game Champions. I¡¯m thinking something like Leona and Caitlyn in the botne.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm, ok.¡±

    Zhang Hao browsed through his list of Champions and asked, ¡°Is it ok if I go with Rumble then?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± An Xin said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll go Jarvan IV so that we have something beefy to support you guys. And Lin Feng, what about you go¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fizz!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and continued, ¡°I¡¯m really good at Fizz too! I¡¯ll carry this game!¡±

    Team Shanghai queued up for a team ranked game and soon found themselves in Champion Select, where they banned three champions. The other team fortunately didn¡¯t ban away any of the champions they wanted to y. So they locked in the Rumble, Jarvan IV, Fizz, Caitlyn and Leona. After which the game went into the loading screen.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner''s Rift!¡·

    At 2 minutes: An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV made an early gank in the midne, helping Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz pick up first blood on the Red Team¡¯s Yasuo.

    At 4 minutes: Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui pressured Red Team¡¯s Boners away from the minions. Then they waited for their opponents to get greedy for a minion or some poke damage. It was Red Team¡¯s Nami who made that mistake first. She walked a little too far forward, straight into Leona¡¯s Zenith de. Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona dashed to Nami as the sr projection of her sword disappeared. Then she mmed her Shield of Daybreak into the Nami and Ignited her! The Nami was stunned as an unquenchable fire burned away at her health bar!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Caitlyn shed forward to catch up to Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona. Then she aimed her gun at Nami and fired a piercing shot. Piltover Peacemaker! She followed up with a barrage of auto attacks, each one whittling away at the Nami¡¯s health until it bottomed out.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    At 6 minutes: Red Team¡¯s Evelynn walked up the river to topne. But she hadn¡¯t seen the vision ward in the brush near midne that gave her position away. Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz and An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV reacted immediately, charging up after her towards the topne.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble was battling Red Team¡¯s Irelia. An Xin had warned him that the Evelynn wasing and Lin Feng was pinging him to be careful. But he didn¡¯t retreat to the safety of his tower. He fought the Irelia and pretended he didn¡¯t see the Evelynning. Then, when she ran intone, he shed away towards his outer tower. By waiting so long, he¡¯d given Lin Feng and An Xin all the time they needed to reach the topne and kill the Irelia and Evelynn.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Team Shanghai won all threenes and pushed that advantage. Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui picked up several more kills in the botne before they destroyed the tower. Then they walked up to midne, where Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz was killing Red Team¡¯s Yasuo every time he returned tone. An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV also arrived in the midne, as did Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble. It was the start of the mid game. And also the end of a serious game. Team Shanghai¡¯s advantage was sorge that they didn¡¯t have to focus to win anymore. They started running around the map, sometimes as a team and sometimes not, constantly searching for more kills rather than pushing for objectives. Because of this, it took them 25 minutes to close the game out.

    Lin Feng was grinning when therge victory crest appeared on his scream. He turned to look at the others and shouted, ¡°That was great! I carried that game! But you guys all yed really well too!¡±

    Zeng Rui ignored Lin Feng and turned straight to An Xin. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked her.

    An Xin considered it for a brief moment and then replied, ¡°You share your thoughts first.¡±

    Zeng Rui gave his analysis. ¡°Our opponents were very weak, most likely not much higher than tinum. We should¡¯ve won this game within 15 minutes. And we were on track to do that in thening phase. That part of the game went decently enough for our first game as a team. But we fell apart in the mid game. Our teamfights were a chaotic mess. Everyone was just off doing their own thing, instead of pushing for objectives like we should¡¯ve.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng blurted, surprised. ¡°Was it really that bad? I thought our teamfights went pretty good! We won all of them!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and admonished him, ¡°Of course you thought it went great! You were off having fun by yourself! But this isn¡¯t the Lin Feng game! It¡¯s a team game and you barely ever fought with the team!¡± She then turned to look at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°I agree. We need to improve our teamwork. When ites to our engage timings, follow-up, and actual teamfighting, I see a lot of issues.¡±

    Zhang Hao looked from Zeng Rui at An Xin and back at Zeng Rui. Then he asked, ¡°Uh, can you maybe show us what you mean?¡±

    An Xin smiled, as if she were waiting for this question. ¡°Of course! That¡¯s why I recorded the game!¡± She opened the recording and scrolled through the game until she found an example of a bad teamfight. Then she pointed at her monitor and said, ¡°Take a look at this teamfight here. We¡¯re in the midne on our side of the map. Their outer tower is down and they¡¯re being defensive near their inner tower, waiting for us to push.¡± She turned to Lin Feng and said, ¡°And somehow, you found it necessary to trek through their Jungle and appear from behind their inner tower to towerdive the Ezreal.¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest and said, ¡°Yeah! Look at that beautiful dive! Boom, kill! I thought I yed that really well! And you guys were good too with the follow up!¡±

    An Xin shook her head, briefly stunned by Lin Feng¡¯s response. Then she red at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°No! You rushed into that fight before any of us were ready! We were so far away that we couldn¡¯t even see you! The only reason you didn¡¯t die is because Zeng Rui shed forward to throw down his Leona ultimate!¡±

    Lin Fengughed it off and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! I knew my good buddy Zeng Rui was in range for a sh-ultie, and I had full faith that he would! And look, he did!¡±

    Your good buddy? Zeng Rui¡¯s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He ground his teeth, trying to keep himself from shouting. Don¡¯t yell. It¡¯s not going to do anything. Just focus on the y. What went wrong. Why was it a bad y. He took a deep breath and then turned to look at Lin Feng. He said, ¡°You do realize that my sh came up two seconds before you engaged that Ezreal, right?¡±

    ¡°Woah, really?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°Perfect timing by me then!¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng and said slowly, ¡°That was luck. And there is nothing I hate more than winning because of luck. All we had to do was wait for Zhang Hao to group up with us. We would¡¯ve won that teamfight easily. As a team.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. ¡°Hao Bro wasn¡¯t with us?¡±

    Zhang Hao shook his head and said, ¡°No. I was trying to clear a wave in the topne when you engaged. So I ran mid to help. But by the time I got there, you guys had already won.¡±

    ¡°Ooooh! Woah, that¡¯s my bad then! I just saw the opening and went for it. I didn¡¯t think you were so far away. Woops!¡± Lin Feng apologized. Then he grinned and added, ¡°But we won, so it¡¯s all good. Right?¡±

    Zhang Hao frowned. What is wrong with him? We¡¯re trying to do something serious here and he¡¯s just making a joke out of it. He turned to look at Zeng Rui, who was just short from spewing fire, and his eyes went wide. Shit. He looks mad. Weren¡¯t they friends? How does that work? It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ He looked back at Lin Feng. How are we supposed to practice when he refuses to take this seriously? Is he always like this? How did we lose against him? He is so annoying!

    ?

    An Xin and Zeng Rui watched through the rest of the recording together, while asionally pointing things out to the rest of the team. The more they watched, the more apparent it became just how much went wrong in that one game and how much work they had to do in the next month.

    Zeng Rui was massaging his temples, fighting off a headache. There is so much we need to improve on. This was such a bad first game. And then the thundering dumbass just goes and makes jokes about it. I have to somehow get him to focus. We just have to tell him when to engage and when to back off. Maybe I can keep him in check like this. ¡°We need a proper shotcaller,¡± he suddenly blurted out. ¡°Someone who makes the ingame decisions and tells everyone what to do.¡± He then turned to look at An Xin and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re really good ating up with strategies and tactics before a match, and I think we should work on that together. But during the game, I think it¡¯s important that we have one main shotcaller. I¡¯d like that to be me. You can be the secondary shotcaller. Is that ok with you?¡±

    An Xin nodded and agreed, ¡°Sure!¡± It was a lot easier for a team to follow the instructions from one yer, rather than trying to do what three different teammates were yelling over the team¡¯s voice chat. And the Support was generally a great choice for shotcaller due to the nature of their champions. They had tond crowd control skills, which often started a teamfight. After which they protected their carries at the cost of their lives if they had to. And even after dying, they could keep shouting orders over the team¡¯s voice chat. It just made the most sense that Zeng Rui became the team¡¯s main shotcaller.

    Lin Feng watched An Xin and Zeng Rui discussing how the team was going to y. Why aren¡¯t they asking me for my input? I¡¯m the best yer on the team! I¡¯ve yed at Worlds! When Zeng Rui named himself the shotcaller and An Xin agreed, he couldn¡¯t keep himself back anymore. He pushed in between them and asked, ¡°Then what about me?¡±

    Zeng Rui turned to look at Lin Feng and coldly said, ¡°You focus on mid. Just sit in yourne and wait for me to make the calls.¡± Which was more of a response than An Xin gave Lin Feng. She simply pped her hands and said to the team, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve got that figured out, let¡¯s try it out in the next game!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner''s Rift!¡·¡¶First Blood!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶Triple kill!¡·¡¶An ally has been in!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶Triple kill!¡·¡¶Aced!¡·VICTORY!

    The changes brought about by Zeng Rui and An Xin had a direct impact on the team¡¯s teamwork. They won theirnes again, just more convincingly than in the previous game. More importantly, they crushed the teamfights. Their opponents couldn¡¯t get anything done, and by the end of the game they had only picked up a single kill.

    Lin Feng pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°This practice is going great! We¡¯re going to win the trophy! What¡¯s going to be our next tournament after?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked over at Lin Feng and nodded. ¡°Mhm, that was a good game.¡±

    Zhang Hao also found himself looking at Lin Feng. Or rather, staring. How can he be this stupid, and then y this well? If he had half a brain, it might actually be really fun ying together with him. Just two games and I feel like I¡¯ve learned so much! The fights he picks that I¡¯d never take. And he wins them! He always wins them! Even when I don¡¯t see any way to win a fight, he wins it. He finds the opening and makes use of it. It¡¯s so impressive. He turned his attention towards An Xin and mumbled under his breath, ¡°And she¡¯s pretty great too.¡± He finally looked at Tang Bingyao. And she meshes so well with Zeng Rui. We¡¯re looking really strong. He finally grinned and said, ¡°Yes! Maybe we can really win this!¡±

    An Xin shook her head, and Zeng Rui snorted.

    Zeng Rui looked at Tang Bingyao, Zhang Hao and Lin Feng in turn, then said, ¡°Win the trophy? We¡¯re not even close. If we y like this, we¡¯ll get knocked out in the first round. Look.¡±

    He opened up a webpage and waited for the others to gather around him. ¡°We¡¯re not just ying against yers from Shanghai. This is a national tournament. There are seven regions: East China, Central China, South China, Southwest China, North China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. Each of those regions is further divided into at least six differentpetitive leagues. And dozens of universities and colleges participate in every league.¡± He paused to let the new information settle in. Then he dealt the killing blow. ¡°We¡¯re not ying against a bunch of high schoolers like in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. We¡¯re ying against the best yers in all of China. We¡¯re going to be ying against Challenger teams! If we want to win this¡­¡± He turned to look at Lin Feng before continuing, ¡°We have to take this seriously, or we¡¯re just going to end up embarrassing ourselves.¡±

 Chapter 250: How to Train a Dragon Pretending to be a Thundering Dumbass

    Brand new professional teams needed months and months of practice before they couldpete at the highest level. This was because the yers needed to get attuned to each other. It wasn¡¯t any different for Team Shanghai, except that they only had one month to do this. An Xin and Zeng Rui understood the time crunch. So after the first practice, they¡¯d talked with each other and came up with a training schedule that would get the team to a level where they couldpete for the Winter Collegiate Cup.

    On the second day of practice, An Xin and Zeng Rui presented their training n. It was simple and straightforward. y a lot of League of Legends. Because more than anything, the team needed to y as many games together as they could to get attuned to each other. But they also had to learn from the mistakes they made. So An Xin would record the games and review them with the rest of the team, pointing out the mistakes and how they could¡¯ve been avoided. And finally at the end of practice, An Xin and Zeng Rui would sit down together to talk tactics and strategy.

    All five members from Team Shanghai liked this training n. They got behind theirputers and started practicing, quickly winning one game after the other. This was an unfortunate side effect of being a new team. They had to start fresh on the rankeddder. From the initial cement matches to tinum and beyond.

    It took Team Shanghai two more days of winning every single game to find some serious opponents. But this was far longer than Lin Feng could stay focused. He¡¯d enjoyed the first couple of games, but smashing Miners game after game became pretty stale. And in thest game of that day, he waspletely lost in boredom. I should tell Fatty that Chu Fang invited me to y at the Winter Collegiate Cup! He¡¯d love to watch me y! Maybe I can call him on the way home and tell him! Hmm, but what do I call our team? He needs to know which team to follow. He looked at the other,pletely forgetting they were in the middle of a game, and said, ¡°Hey! We haven¡¯t named our team yet! What should we call it? Shanghai Masters? Or Challengers! Shanghai Challengers! Or, or, The High Schoolers!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in a game,¡± Zeng Rui said. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and sighed, then added, ¡°Besides, Chu Fang registered us as Team Shanghai. That¡¯s our team name. Now will you please focus on the game?¡± Thundering dumbass.

    An Xin chimed in, ¡°Just focus on the training. Leave the rest to people with a brain!¡±

    ?

    At the end of the first week of practice, Team Shanghai had made remarkable progress. Their teamwork improved rapidly, which helped them further improve almost every other aspect of their game as well. But the biggest changes were happening in the botne. More specifically, Tang Bingyao was progressively getting better at the game. There was still so much potential within her that she had yet to tap into.

    Tang Bingyao had discovered early on that she was quite talented at League of Legends. But she never saw herself bing a professional yer. Then one day, while she was just ying games in solo queue, she was contacted by a representative from an elo boosting website, asking her if she wanted to work for them. They offered her quite a significant sum of money and she jumped on it. From then, she¡¯d boosted more ounts than she could count, most of them from Silver to tinum. She became really good at beating low elo yers. But she rarely ever yed against high elo yers, which had stagnated her progress.

    Everything changed for Tang Bingyao when she met Lin Feng. He was really good at the game. Far better than any other yer she¡¯d ever met. So good that she couldn¡¯t even tell exactly how good. And he wanted to teach her. The first thought she had was about money. Lots and lots of money, which she would make from boosting higher elo ounts. And then he taught her that there was more to League of Legends thanpleting orders and making a little money. He dragged her along, and she let him. Little by little, she found herself wanting to follow him. She joined the High School 13 esports team because he wanted her to y at the tournament. That was when everything started to change for her. She started ying the game far more seriously, and started improving because she wanted to be better for Lin Feng. She started improving her skills as an ad-carry. Then she started wanting to be better for herself.

    During the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, Wei Dong was Tang Bingyao¡¯s Support. He was a good yer, but he wasn¡¯t great. She learned a lot from ying with him, yet also saw the limitations. These limitations disappeared when she started ying together with Zeng Rui. He was exactly the type of yer Tang Bingyao needed to bring her game to a higher level. She was improving with every game that they yed together. It was to such an extent that Zeng Rui was activelyplimenting her just about every game.

    There was only one aspect of Tang Bingyao¡¯s game that Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t too happy about. It was something that stuck around from her elo boosting days, when she had to carry a game if she wanted toplete the order faster. And that was her choice of Champions. She preferred to y the most aggressive ones, like Draven and Graves. And while she was good at them, it greatly limited the team¡¯s options in terms of strategy and teampositions. So after one game where she yed in a particrly aggressive style, he turned to her and asked, ¡°Why do you always y these hyper aggressive champions? Don¡¯t you like to y something like Twitch? Kog¡¯Maw? Or other different types of ad-carries?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and looked at him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She thought about it a moment and then exined, ¡°It¡¯s easier to go in and kill them. I don¡¯t like having to run around and hide.¡±

    Zeng Rui rested his head on his hand and stared in the distance. He finally shook his head and said, ¡°That really limits our range of teampositions though. And it¡¯d be good for you too to getfortable on other champions too. You¡¯ll have an easier time ying against them inne. I think we should try having you y Twitch, or maybe even Kog¡¯Maw.¡±

    Tang Bingyao curled her under lip and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like ying them. They¡¯re ugly.¡±

    Zeng Rui stared nkly at Tang Bingyao. Ugly? He took a deep breath and started massaging his temples. I expected this from the thundering dumbass, but not from you¡­ But fine, whatever. If you don¡¯t feel like ying them, then don¡¯t. Let¡¯s put your preferences first and the team results second. He blew all the air out of his lungs, then pursed his lips and asked, ¡°But if we need you to y them, you will?¡±

    Tang Bingayo nodded hesitantly and said, ¡°Mm, if I really have to.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. That¡¯s good enough for now. I¡¯ll have you enjoy ying them if we need to. You¡¯re far more talented than I expected. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you. Then he turned to look at the other members of the team. Zhang Hao is just a good Toner. I knew that. It¡¯s good to have him here. I can always rely on him. And An Xin is just a really good coach. And her Jungling is far better than I expected. I only saw her y one game at the tournament, but that wasn¡¯t even her best game! I don¡¯t know how she does it. She finds ganks everywhere! It¡¯s really impressive.

    There were five members on the team. Zeng Rui finally looked at Lin Feng. I don¡¯t want to say it. I don¡¯t want to say it. But... He sighed. But it doesn¡¯t matter what I think about him. He is the best yer on the team. By far. His mechanics and awareness are something I¡¯ve only ever seen in professional yers. But his name¡­ Maple¡­ I¡¯ve looked up every professional yer in thest two years, and I couldn¡¯t find his name. Still, when I watch him y, there¡¯s something differentpared to the others. The way he approaches thening phase, the teamfights, everything he does is just that little bit different. I don¡¯t know how to exin it. But it¡¯s really good. I wish I had it.

    Zeng Rui nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Where did you learn those skills? Like, really? You¡¯re ying far better than any other non-professional yer I¡¯ve yed against.¡±

    Lin Feng looked over at Zeng Rui and grinned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m really good at mid too!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples again and finally shook his head. There¡¯s no way a professional team would ever ept someone like him. He¡¯s far too annoying.

    ?

    The second week of practice for Team Shanghai saw their teamwork rise several more levels. But they couldn¡¯t just practice. Rest days were just as important as training. An Xin and Zeng Rui had decided to take Wednesday afternoon off. Not by skipping the training, but by inviting their old teams from High School 13 and Shanghai High School to practice with them. Team Shanghai 1 yed against the brand new Team Shanghai 2. And then games with random lineups followed. It was a great few hours to unwind from a week and a half of serious practice.

    But the rest day couldn¡¯tst forever. After their friends went home, Team Shanghai got back to work. An Xin and Zeng Rui reviewed their strategies and more importantly their progress. It was impressive what the team had achieved in so little time. But there was one big problem. An Xin and Zeng Rui both saw it.

    Zeng Rui looked at everyone and sighed. ¡°We¡¯re still not good enough.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at An Xin and asked, ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Lin Feng quickly added, ¡°Yeah! What do you mean, not good enough? We¡¯re doing great!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head and exined, ¡°We have to y in the regionals first. Our region is East China, which coincidentally is the strongest region. Half of the quarter finalists fromst year came from East China.¡± He had a grim expression as he named them, ¡°Fudan University came in third, Zhejiang University fourth, Shanghai University of Finance sixth and East China University eighth. And there were two more teams that made it to the round of 16.¡±

    Lin Feng eximed, ¡°Wow! We¡¯ve got a strong region, huh!¡±

    East China wasposed of Shanghai, Fikoam and Zhejiang. All three of them were big esports cities. But Shanghai was the esports capital of the world. They had the most professional yers and some of the biggest talents all gathered together. It wasn¡¯t at all strange that the Winter Collegiate Cup preliminaries for East China were a lot more difficult than for the other regions. The high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou had aparatively much easier road to the main tournament.

    Zeng Rui looked gravely at Lin Feng and then Tang Bingyao as he said, ¡°If we¡¯re not prepared, we might get knocked out in the regionals. I¡¯m ying to win, and not to get knocked out in what is essentially a qualifier.¡±

    Tang Bingyao considered the new information and then asked, ¡°But if we make it through regionals, the rest should be easier, right?¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°The other regions also have strong teams. They just won¡¯t have had as much practice against really strong teams. So, yes, we¡¯ll have a small advantage. The main event should be a bit easier because of this, especially in the earlier rounds.¡±

    ¡°In the early rounds, yes,¡± Zeng Rui agreed. ¡°And then it¡¯ll be a lot more difficult. Don¡¯t get sloppy or think that we¡¯re there after the regionals. That¡¯s just the start.¡±

    Lin Feng had been listening to the conversation, incredulous. Why are they talking about which matches will be easier? Who cares about that! He finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore and said, ¡°We¡¯re going to win the trophy anyway! Who cares who our opponents are? We¡¯ll just have to beat them all! That¡¯ll be fun too!¡±

    Zeng Rui turned to Lin Feng and nodded. ¡°We want to win. And to do that, we have to be ready to beat everyone. We just aren¡¯t at that point yet. But I¡¯ve thought about something for that.¡± He paused for a moment and then continued, ¡°I reached out to the esports club from the Shanghai University of Finance and asked them if they¡¯d be interested in a couple of practice matches. They agreed to y us on the weekend.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up. He just about shouted, ¡°We¡¯re going to be scrimming against a university team? That¡¯s awesome! When are we ying? Saturday or Sunday? Tell me! I want to know!¡±

 Chapter 251: Best Manners is to Keep the Guests Waiting

    ¡°Oh, right, guys, before you go home,¡± Luo Yu said to his teammates from the Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s esports team. They were leaving the esports clubroom after a few hours of practice. He waited for them to turn back to him and then continued, ¡°We¡¯re scrimming on Saturday against Team Shanghai. They¡¯re the high school team from the Shanghai Esports Association that¡¯s ying in the Winter Collegiate Cup.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, what?¡± Xie Qing, the team¡¯s Support, blurted out.

    Qiu Le, who was the ad-carry of the team, looked at Luo Yu in confusion and said, ¡°Yeah, what the hell, man? Since when are high schoolers ying in the Collegiate Cup?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a new format,¡± Luo Yu exined. ¡°The three big esports associations are each drafting a team of high schoolers for the Collegiate Cup.¡±

    ¡°High schoolers?¡± Huang Yang, the team¡¯s Jungler, blurted out. ¡°Wait, hold on, stop, wait, what?¡± He looked at Luo Yu and said, ¡°You¡¯re joking with us, right? Joking. You have to be! Tell me if you¡¯re not, so that I can go call an ambnce because you¡¯re clearly sick in the head!¡± He waited to see if Luo Yu was going tough, but his friend didn¡¯tugh. What the f.u.c.k is going on? Why in the world would they invite high school teams? Why would Luo Yu ept scrimming against them? What the¡­ He took a deep breath and said, ¡°You¡¯re serious? The esports association is actually making high school teams join the Collegiate Cup? WELP, there goes the prestige of the tournament. They¡¯re letting a bunch of kids y in it¡­¡±

    Xie Qing finally came to his senses after the initial shock. He nodded at Huang Yang and said, ¡°Do those high schoolers have rtives in the esports association, or something? Maybe they¡¯ve got an uncle with a lot of money, or something? That¡¯s why this is the new format, right? Some c.o.c.ky kids using their money and connections to force themselves into the Collegiate Cup. I can¡¯t believe this. What a f.u.c.k.i.n.g joke!¡±

    Qiu Le looked from Luo Yu to Huang Yang and then back to Luo Yu. He finally said, ¡°I think Huang Yang here is right. Do we need to call you an ambnce? What is wrong with you? Why would you ept scrimming against a high school team. F.u.c.k me! What a waste of time!¡±

    ¡°Guys, please, let me exin,¡± Luo Yu said. He waited for his teammates to stop talking and then said, ¡°First off, I didn¡¯t ask to scrim them. They came looking for us. And yes, I agreed to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I knew it. I¡¯m calling the ambnce,¡± Huang Yang said as he grabbed his phone.

    ¡°Wait, wait, please. Let me exin,¡± Luo Yu shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not sick! Give me a damn minute to exin!¡±

    Huang Yang kept his phone in his hand and the touchscreen was alive. But he didn¡¯t press the buttons. He looked up at Luo Yu and said, ¡°Well, talk!¡±

    Luo Yu shook his head and smiled. ¡°The one who contacted me was Zeng Rui. He¡¯s the team captain of Shanghai High School, and he¡¯ll be ying on Team Shanghai in the Collegiate Cup. He¡¯s a really good yer. I¡¯ve yed a bunch with him in high Challenger. He is a good Support, guys. He was even a top 10 Challenger in the Ionia server at one point! So if he believes his team can y against us, then I have to believe that he actually has a strong team.¡±

    Xie Qing frowned and stared very intently up at the ceiling, mumbling, ¡°Shanghai High School¡­ Shanghai High School¡­¡± Then he suddenly looked back at his friends and said, ¡°That¡¯s where I remember them from! They¡¯re supposed to be a pretty strong team! I remember because some of my friends said that the Support on their team was scouted by an LSPL team! So¡­ that Support is Zeng Rui then?¡±

    Qiu Le raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°So what if he got scouted by an LSPL team? Luo Yu here has received an offer by an LPL team!¡±

    Luo Yu quickly added, ¡°As a substitute. But these guys aren¡¯t bad, guys. I¡¯ve looked into them. Zeng Rui and their Toner are from Shanghai High School. They¡¯re the guys from that team Xie Qing mentioned. And then they¡¯ve got three yers from High School 13. It¡¯s some random high school but they apparently have some pretty talented yers. I heard that they defeated Shanghai High School in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament this year.¡± He paused for a breath and then continued, ¡°Guys, we can¡¯t underestimate them just because they¡¯re high schoolers. These are five good yers. That¡¯s why I agreed to scrim against them.¡±

    Qiu Le and Xie Qing shrugged their shoulders in perfect sync, like a Support and his ad-carry were supposed to be. Then Qiu Le said, ¡°Whatever, man. Since you already agreed, let¡¯s humour them with a game or two.¡±

    Huang Yang snorted and said, ¡°Great! We¡¯re going to y against a bunch of brats. I¡¯m betting you they¡¯re really proud of themselves for winning that high school tournament. So let¡¯s kick them down and show them how big the difference is between a real university team and their shitty ass team.¡±

    ?

    It was Saturday afternoon. Team Shanghai had met up at the train station near the Shanghai University of Finance and were now walking thest bit to the campus. Zeng Rui took this opportunity to introduce their opponents. ¡°This is a really strong team. They came in 6thst year. Their staryer is Luo Yu, their Miner. He¡¯s a top Challenger. When I lookedst night, he sat at a little over 600 points! From what I heard, an LPL team approached him about a position as substitute. But he turned them down. That should give you guys an idea of just how good he is.¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes went wide and he mumbled, ¡°Invited to y in the LPL? That¡¯s so cool!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes also went wide, wide with dor signs. She was well aware of just how big the professional contracts were these days. Even substitutes made far more than she made elo boosting ounts. She nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. We have to beat them.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful! I already love it here!¡± He hadn¡¯t been listening to Zeng Rui, since his full attention was on therge buildings in front of him. They were therge square buildings from the Shanghai University of Finance. More impressively, there were beautiful beds of flowers all around them. There were trees shading paths lined with benches. And all of this came together at therge fountain,prising several blocks of cement, that stood in the very center of the grounds.

    Team Shanghai stopped in front of therge fountain. There were university students everywhere. Some were sitting on the benches, others were passing by, and a couple of pretty girls were standing next to the fountain. They were talking, giggling, and pointing at people walking by. And Lin Feng was staring at them. An Xin noticed it and raised her eyebrow. ¡°Are you talking about the school, or those girls over there? I can go up to them and get their numbers for you, if you want. You just have to say the word. I¡¯ll go right now. What do you think? Shall I go and ask them?¡± She took one dramatic step forward.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, then said, ¡°No, no need! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not interested in older women!¡±

    Zeng Rui ignored the exchange between Lin Feng and An Xin. He¡¯d quickly learned to stay as far away from them as possible whenever they got into another argument. So he took a few steps away from them and took out his phone. Then he looked up and searched around the square with his eyes. ¡°Guys, someone from the esports club ising to pick us up. She says she should be here in a minute. So let¡¯s wait for her here.¡±

    They didn¡¯t have to wait long. A female student walked up to them secondster and said, ¡°Hi, you must be Team Shanghai, right? I¡¯m Han Ying. Let¡¯s, uh¡­¡± She looked at the five members from Team Shanghai and then looked at Zeng Rui. ¡°I thought you said the team was here? Where are your other members?¡±

    ¡°Ye¡­ Eh¡­ Uhhh¡­¡± Zhang Hao mumbled in response. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes away from Han Ying. She¡¯s so pretty! Those ck leather boots are so hot! When she¡¯d walked up to them, it was like everything else in the world disappeared. There was only Han Ying. Her legs¡­ Her eyes! He smiled like a fool and nodded at her. Please talk again. Say something! Please! He nced at her eyes every few seconds, but was afraid she¡¯d look back at him. So he examined the rest of her face. That shawl hides most of her hair. But it looks so pretty on her. And I¡¯m sure her hair is just as pretty. Long and ck¡ª

    ¡°What other members?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused, interrupting Zhang Hao¡¯s thoughts.

    Zeng Rui followed Han Ying¡¯s gaze to Tang Bingyao and An Xin and realized the misunderstanding. He quickly exined, ¡°This is our team. The two girls here are members of the team.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ok,¡± Han Ying said with a smile. She looked at Tang Bingyao and An Xin again. Don¡¯t see that everyday. And they¡¯re supposed to be some good team? Didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have girls. Oh well, not my business. She shrugged and then pointed over her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The club is over there.¡±

    ?

    Han Ying led Team Shanghai into Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s esports clubroom. And when Lin Feng followed her in, his mouth fell open, speechless. This looked like a proper gaming room,pletely different from theputer scienceb they had to use at High School 13. ¡°Wow!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°They have a stage! And soundproof booths! And look at that LCD screen up there! This is so cool!¡±

    ¡°Mhm.¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°I wonder how much this all cost.¡±

    Hang Ying smiled and said, ¡°Right? It¡¯s beautiful here! We¡¯re really lucky to have such good facilities. I don¡¯t know how much it costs. But quite a lot I think. Well worth the money though, if you ask me. Anyway, I¡¯ll go let the guys know that you¡¯re here. Just wait and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Then she winked at Zhang Hao before leaving the room.

    Four of the five yers from Team Shanghai waited exactly where they stood. They barely breathed. Lin Feng was the only exception. He ran around the room, looking at everything and touching it too. Then he walked into the soundproof booth and shouted something, beforeing back out and asking, ¡°Did you guys hear me? What did I say?¡±

    ¡°An Xin red at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Just sit down and wait.¡± Then she turned to the others and said, ¡°This is taking them long. What¡¯s it been? Five minutes?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at his watch and nodded. ¡°Five minutes, yeah.¡±

    Five minutes turned to 15 and the yers from Team Shanghai got increasingly frustrated. Everyoneined and had something to say. Even Lin Feng. He looked at his phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s been 30 minutes! We could¡¯ve yed our first game by now! What are we doing waiting here? Let¡¯s just y a game!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and then back at his phone. Heined, ¡°We agreed to a time and ce. Their clubroom. At their university. We had to travel all the way here. And they¡¯re not here. This is rude. Just in rude.¡±

 Chapter 252: HA! You Fools! Girls Canâ€™t Play League!

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll have our second team y them,¡± Luo Yu said to his teammates. They were sitting in the room next to the university¡¯s esports clubroom, discussing what to do about the scrim against Team Shanghai. Qiu Li, Xie Qing and Huang Yang were already feeling apprehensive about ying a high school team. But after learning that the team had two girls on its roster, they outright refused to y them.

    Huang Yang said, ¡°Fine.¡± Then he looked at his watch and snorted. ¡°We¡¯ve made them wait half an hour. If we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ve already left. Haha! Oh, I¡¯ll send the guys from the second team a text.¡±

    Luo Yu stood up and walked past his teammates out into the hallway. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for them to follow as he strode to the next door over and ced his hand on the door handle. Only then did he nce over his shoulder to make sure his teammates were there. They were. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. And as he did his entire demeanor changed. He straightened his back, bing the tallest person in the room, and an air of confidence appeared around him. This was his arena. This was where he belonged.

    Just as fast as the confidence appeared on Luo Yu, itpsed. Han Ying had told them that there were two girls on Team Shanghai¡¯s roster, but it was only now that he really believed her. He had to take a second take and then searched for Han Ying to get confirmation. She nodded at his questioning gaze. So she was right. They do have two girls on their team. And, they¡¯re pretty! He felt his heart skip a beat. They¡¯re high schoolers. Control yourself! He scrunched his eyes and forced his surprise down. Then he scrutinized the two girls. Why do they have two girls on the team? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be the team representing the Shanghai Esports Association? Was this really the best roster they could form? It¡¯s good we¡¯re having the second roster y them. He forced himself to stop this line of thought. Don¡¯t think like this. Just because they¡¯re girls, doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re bad. Maybe they¡¯re really good. It¡¯s just¡­ You rarely ever see a high elo female yer. Let alone two of them. And they¡¯re both high schoolers! It just¡­ It doesn¡¯t make any sense. They can¡¯t be that good. Can they?

    Luo Yu shook his head ever so lightly and straightened his back again. This is my ce. He nodded at Zeng Rui with an apologetic smile and extended his hand. ¡°We¡¯re a littlete. My apologies. Something came up at thest minute that kept us busy.¡±

    Zeng Rui epted Luo Yu¡¯s handshake and calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. But next time, give us a head¡¯s up. Messages on Wechat are free. I don¡¯t like wasting my time.¡±

    Luo Yu nodded, smiling wryly. I know. I should¡¯ve sent you a message. But I didn¡¯t expect that discussion to take so long... He¡¯d yed with Zeng Rui on the Rift before and they¡¯d met in person on asion too. They were acquainted at the least, maybe even friends, and he was being anything but a friend. He wanted to say something about it, but his teammates beat him to the punch.

    Qiu Le narrowed his eyes. He looked over at Huang Yang and said loudly enough so that everyone could hear him, ¡°Can you believe these high schoolers, Huang Yang? I swear. Luo Yu told them we were busy. He even apologized! What more do they want? We should just tell them to piss off!¡±

    Huang Yang nodded at Qiu Le. Then he turned to look at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t like waiting, you can walk right outta here. We¡¯re not forcing you to stay. And also quit the tournament while you¡¯re at it. I can¡¯t believe the esports association invited high school teams...¡±

    Luo Yu coughed and nced over his shoulder, signalling his teammates to tone it down. Then he looked back at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°It was just an unfortunatebination of events. We screwed up, okay? And for that, I do apologize. Please don¡¯t take it personally.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°Ok. It happens.¡± He wasn¡¯t happy about it, but he also understood that there was nothing he¡¯d gain from pushing this matter any further. So he changed the conversation to the main topic. ¡°Since we¡¯re both here, let¡¯s scrim.¡±

    ¡°About that,¡± Luo Yu said. He hesitated briefly, ncing past Zeng Rui at the two girls. ¡°Well, there is a slight change of ns. We were talking about the scrim and felt it might be better if you guys y against our second roster first.¡± He hesitated for a brief moment, then added, ¡°We¡­ Since you guys only just formed your team, it seemed unfair to pit you against us right away. Our second roster is pretty good too and probably more at your level.¡±

    Zeng Rui puffed out his chest and stared at Luo Yu. He¡¯d had enough of the way they were being treated. He said, ¡°That¡¯s not what we agreed to. I very specifically asked to y against your main roster. And you agreed to that.¡±

    Luo Yu smiled wryly and exined, ¡°Er¡­ I know. I agreed to that. But the guys and I talked about it and we realized you guys were a new team. You don¡¯t have much experience ying with each other yet. We think you¡¯ll learn more from ying a game against our second roster. I think it¡¯s unfair to make you y u¡ª¡±

    Qiu Le interrupted Luo Yu with a loud snort. He red at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°What? Got a problem with it? Don¡¯t get ahead of yourselves because you won some silly high school tournament. Oh, wait, you didn¡¯t. You lost. Ha! Show some respect. Just be happy we¡¯re even here. Now stop wasting our time and y against our second team.¡±

    Zhang Hao had been holding himself back for more than 30 minutes now. But now he¡¯d finally had enough. He shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t screw with us!¡± He then took a short breath before continuing, ¡°We don¡¯t want your faked pity. We came here to y your main team and you agreed! Stop making these weak excuses! This is all bullshit and you know it! If you don¡¯t want to y against us, just say it so we don¡¯t have to waste our time here!¡±

    Huang Yang shrugged and said, ¡°So what if it¡¯s bullshit? What are you going to do about it?¡± He paused and nodded at An Xin and Tang Bingyao standing behind Zeng Rui. ¡°We initially nned to y against you ourselves, since Luo Yu had already agreed to. But then we heard you guys don¡¯t even have a serious team. I¡¯m not going to waste my time on ying around with a bunch of kids.¡± He snorted and added, ¡°You know you guys are crap. Just look at your lineup. Our second team will kick your ass, and you might learn something from that. So are you going to y, or what?¡±

    It was clear to everyone that Huang Yang wasn¡¯t impressed with Team Shanghai having two girls on their roster. The way he looked at them and then snorted in derision was telling enough. This was amon theme in League of Legends. There were many girls who yed the game, but very few of them reached apetitive level. The LPL didn¡¯t have a single team with a female yer on it. And it hadn¡¯t been any different in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, with the exception of High School 13. It was with this knowledge that it became very hard for Huang Yang to even consider the possibility of a woman being good at League of Legends. I won¡¯t entertain some fucking high school kids. We should be practicing against a good team and get ready for the Collegiate Cup!

    Tang Bingyao pursed her lips and frowned. This is just like the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They always talk and make fun about me being on the team, just because I¡¯m a girl. It¡¯s always, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a girl. She can¡¯t be good. This will be easy.¡± She red at Huang Yang. They just called him Huang Yang. Asshole. All people like him are assholes. Mhm! I¡¯m going to show him just how wrong he is!

    An Xin took apletely different approach from Tang Bingyao. She smiled, warm and friendly, and pretended as if it didn¡¯t bother her. But her hands tensed up and she grit her teeth. Every single time. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a girl! They must only have her around because she¡¯s a pretty face!¡± I¡¯m tired of it. Why can¡¯t a girl be good at League? It¡¯s this stupid mentality that makes girls not want to y. Or when they do y, pretend they¡¯re a guy. We always get singled out. It¡¯s never, ¡°Oh that dude looks like a buffoon, he must be bad at the game.¡± I¡¯ll make this stupid buffoon eat his words!

    ¡°Thanks for your ¡®consideration¡¯,¡± Zeng Rui said. He looked at Huang Yang and Qiu Le before turning back to Luo Yu. ¡°But we didn¡¯t ask for your ¡®consideration¡¯. We came to scrim against your main team. And that¡¯s the only team we¡¯ll be ying against.¡±

    Luo Yu was about to look over his shoulders at his teammates, but stopped himself at thest second. I¡¯ve been a terrible friend and host for long enough. It¡¯s time to start fixing that. He took a long, calming breath and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Zeng Rui. You asked for a scrimmage against our main team and I agreed. So that¡¯s what we¡¯ll be doing. We¡¯ve wasted enough time talking. Let¡¯s y a best of three.¡±

    ?

    To recreate the environment in which the Winter Collegiate Cup was being held, Luo Yu decided to use the soundproof booths for the scrim against Team Shanghai. He showed Zeng Rui and his teammates to their booth and exined how it worked before joining his teammates in their booth. They all turned to him and he could see in their eyes that they were about toin. He sighed and said, ¡°Come on, guys. It¡¯s just a best of three. And after we stomp them in the first game, we¡¯ll tell them to y against the second roster in the second game.¡±

    Qiu Le nced over at Team Shanghai and chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how rude high schoolers are these days. I wouldn¡¯t have dared to talk like that. They really deserve a good beating.¡±

    Huang Yangughed and added, ¡°This is going to be so easy. They¡¯ve got girls on their team! But whatever, we gave them a way out, they should¡¯ve taken it. Now I¡¯m itching to see their faces after the game.¡±

    Luo Yu sat down behind the middleputer, shaking his head. Zeng Rui should¡¯ve told me there are two girls on his team. I know he¡¯s good. We¡¯ve yed together plenty of times. But there just aren¡¯t many strong female yers. He can¡¯t have found two of them. It just doesn¡¯t make sense. And the other two didn¡¯t look all that impressive either, though I suppose looks say nothing about skill. Just look at God Roundy... Right, I need to focus. It¡¯d be really embarrassing if we lost here because we got careless. He looked at his teammates who were still making fun of Team Shanghai¡¯s line up. We have to focus, if only to keep Zeng Rui down. ¡°Guys, focus up. We¡¯re going to y against them like we would in a normal scrim.¡±

    Huang Yang snorted augh and said, ¡°You must be joking. They¡¯ve got two girls on their team! If we need to y seriously to beat them, we might as well drop out of the Collegiate Cup¡­¡±

    Xie Qing grinned and asked, ¡°Zeng Rui is the Support, right? So what are the girls going to be? Ad-carry and mid? That¡¯d be hrious! Imagine, two girls being the carries!¡±

    ?

    There was noughter or joking around going on in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao were both ring through the ss windows at Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team, while Zeng Rui and An Xin frowned, staring at their monitors.

    ¡°Assholes,¡± Zhang Hao said. He looked at his teammates and continued, ¡°Talking shit like we weren¡¯t even there. Who do they think they are?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. I don¡¯t like them.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, confused. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t get what the problem is. We could¡¯ve yed against their second team too.¡± He shrugged and continued, ¡°We would¡¯ve beaten them and then the main team too. Same result but double the games!¡±

    Zeng Rui turned to look at Lin Feng, stunned. Did he just say something sensible? He shook his head. No, that can¡¯t be. But it does make sense. He opened his mouth to say something. The words came slowly and were incredibly hard for him to say. But he did. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Lin Feng.¡± He felt a cold shiver rush up his spine. What did I just say!? He shook his head and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s crush them and see if they want us to y their second roster next.¡±

    An Xin smiled warmly at Lin Feng for perhaps the first time. Then she looked at the rest of the team and said, ¡°So we all agree, let¡¯s y our absolute best.¡± She then turned to Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°And you and I are going to make them pay for looking down on us. Screw them and every other guy who thinks girls can¡¯t y video games!¡±

 Chapter 253: Lin Fengâ€™s Development, A Steady Breakthrough

    The esports clubroom at the Shanghai University of Finance was jam-packed with students. News about the main roster scrimming against another teampeting at the Winter Collegiate Cup had circted around campus, drawing a lot of attention. But it was the argument between Luo Yu and Zeng Rui that created the bigger influx of students. Most didn¡¯t really know what happened, they only arrived when the sparks were already flying. But the university¡¯s second roster quickly filled in those nks. They stood at the front of the clubroom and were loudly talking with each other.

    ¡°These kids really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Did you hear that one guy talk to Luo Yu? Like they¡¯re equals! How did a high schooler get so cocky?¡± ¡°Lol. I heard they won some small high school tournament. That¡¯s probably why!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I remember when I was in high school. Our esports team sucked back then!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get what the Collegiate Cup organizers were thinking when they invited high schoolers¡­ It¡¯s a waste of everyone¡¯s time. They¡¯re just going to get knocked out in the first round of the qualifiers...¡± ¡°Eh, who cares? It¡¯s a nice warm-up match for whoever gets to y against them.¡± ¡°Real talk, though. Those two girls are hot as hell! Should I ask the one with the long ck hair out?¡± ¡°Dude¡­ They¡¯re high schoolers. Don¡¯t be a perv. And who cares what they look like? League isn¡¯t a beauty contest. It¡¯s a game of skill and teamwork!¡± ¡°Tsk. Such a shame we didn¡¯t get to y them.¡± ¡°How long do you reckon we¡¯d need to beat them? Five minutes? 10? ¡°Five. Tops.¡±

    Han Ying sat in the back of the room. She nced in the direction of the second team and briefly listened to what they had to say. Guys bragging. What¡¯s new? She turned to look back at her friends sitting around her. She¡¯d called them over after finding out that Team Shanghai had two girls on its roster. They were busy gossiping.

    ¡°Are those on the right really high schoolers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the guys from the second roster are saying. Didn¡¯t you just hear them?¡± ¡°Hehe! Can¡¯t you tell? They even look like little kids! But those girls are kinda pretty.¡± ¡°For high schoolers. I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re actually ying though.¡± ¡°Me too! I wonder if they¡¯re any good.¡± ¡°Check the guy in the middle out, the one with the messy hair. He¡¯s hot! What do you girls think?¡± ¡°That you like them young, haha!¡± ¡°I always knew you were a bit of a cougar! But that¡¯s why I love you so much. You like who you like!¡± ¡°You should go and get his number after the game. You¡¯re sexy. He¡¯ll fall for you in an instant!¡±

    Han Ying shook her head and giggled. Then she looked up at therge LCD screen that was affixed to the wall above the two rows of soundproof booths. Those two girls should be good, right? The esports association wouldn¡¯t choose them if they suck, I think? I hope they¡¯re going to do well. The screen showed the final champions being locked in, after which the game went into the loading screen. The lineup looks promising at least. Come on, girls! Win this one! It¡¯s about time a few girls entered thepetitive scene!

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Shanghai University of Finance (Red)Topne: Rumble versus FioraJungle: Sejuani versus Jarvan IVMidne: Yasuo versus Twisted FateAD-carry: Kalista versus TristanaSupport: Alistar versus Morgana

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The start of the game was rather uneventful. Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble went to the topne where he met Red Team¡¯s Fiora. They kept a distance from each other and waited for the first minion wave to arrive. It was a simr situation in the midne, while both botnes were empty; they were helping their Junglers clear the first camps of the game.

    An Xin yed Sejuani who was a brutal, unforgiving iceborn warmother. She rode across the Rift on her dr¨¹vask boar Bristle and wielded her True Ice il. But she wasn¡¯t an offensive-minded Champion. Sejuani was a tank, someone with a lot of health and defense and very little in terms of damage. So An Xin didn¡¯t follow her usual tactic of invading at Level 2. She instead focused on clearing her own Jungle.

    The crowd watching the game grew confused. They understood that Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t ying overly aggressive in the early stages of the game. But they couldn¡¯tprehend why their own team wasn¡¯t being more aggressive. And that confusion turned into dismay as they watched the game develop over the next few minutes. It wasn¡¯t anything like the one-sided stomp that they were expecting.

    Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team wasn¡¯t pulling ahead in the topne. Their Fiora was staying even with Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble. They weren¡¯t even really trying to damage each other, instead opting for farming minions. And this was already a far better resultpared to what was happening in the midne. Luo Yu couldn¡¯t seem to find any opening to attack Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo and was even forced to stand back. But most worrying was the botne. Qiu Le and Xie Qing were getting straight up bullied by Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar.

    Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana kept losing the trades against Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista, and his health bar was showing it. He grunted andined, ¡°Shit! Why is that ad-carry so aggressive? I can¡¯t do anything! And she¡¯s a girl! A GIRL! What the¡­¡±

    Xie Qing had his Morgana walk back and forth, searching for an opening to cast Dark Binding. But he couldn¡¯t find one. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista always hid behind a minion. I¡¯m basically useless here. All I can do is throw a few auto attacks that do virtually no damage. But that Alistar is doing a ton of work. He lets Kalista deal some damage and then Headbutts Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana away. Fuck, this is frustrating! It¡¯s like a 1vs2 for Qiu Le and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I could just as well not be here. Damnit! How is that Kalista so aggressive without making a mistake? It¡¯s so controlled¡­

    Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana took another chunk of damage. Xie Qing red at his teammate and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Stop trying to trade! You¡¯re going to give them a kill!¡± He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then continued, ¡°Can¡¯t you see? They¡¯re toying with you. And I can¡¯t help you. We need levels. Just focus on farming minions and try to take as little damage as possible. I¡¯ll keep looking to hit a Dark Binding, and I¡¯ll tell you when to engage again!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng was having a good time in the midne. He was actually really happy with how Team Shanghai hade together. An Xin and Zeng Rui were very serious about tactics, strategy, and shotcalling, which gave him the opportunity to wholeheartedly focus on improving himself in the midne. This is great! Finally an opponent who¡¯s actually good! I can see why an LPL team is interested in him. He really is quite good. But I¡¯m really good too! He grinned as he had his Yasuo dash through a minion to dodge a volley of wild cards from the Twisted Fate. There was a strong sensation flowing through his veins. A kind of tension that was exhrating. This is how it¡¯s supposed to feel! This is great! I¡¯m finally starting to get there again!

    Lin Feng took a deep, long breath in. He let the air fill his lungs as he looked at his monitor with a wide grin on his face. Then he slowly breathed out, the grin disappearing. He flexed his mouse hand and carefully ced his other hand over his keyboard. His eyes locked onto Luo Yu¡¯s Twisted Fate. One step at a time. Beat the opponent in front of you. No distractions. Just you and me. I¡¯m going to kill you.

    Several months ago, Lin Feng started to get back into League of Legends. It was the first time in four years that he took the game seriously. But he was far from being a top yer when he returned. And it didn¡¯t help that his initial games were against yers so far under his basic skill level that he really wasn¡¯t learning anything from them. He was just having fun ying with friends or on stream. But little by little, he started challenging himself. He climbed up the rankeddder and he joined High School 13¡¯s club team. Still, he rarely ever yed against truly good opponents.

    Luo Yu was a truly strong yer. Lin Feng was forced to focus on just the midne, and for the first time in a long time that came easy to him. Because he trusted his teammates. They were capable of winning their ownnes, and they could take the tasks upon them that he wasn¡¯t all that good at. And he trusted them to do that. I¡¯ve only got the obstacle in front of me. Something that was gone for four years suddenly returned to him. He didn¡¯t even realize it himself. It was the most miniscule aspect of his game, yet also one of the most important. It was the pressure that only the real Maple could put on his opponents.

    ?

    Luo Yu tightly gripped his mouse, sweat popping up on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and controlled his Twisted Fate, searching for an opening. Many yers believed that Twisted Fate was at a disadvantage inne versus Yasuo. But this was only true at the lower ranks. Luo Yu knew very well that a skilled Twisted Fate had every opportunity to outy a Yasuo. But no matter how he tried, he couldn¡¯t find that opportunity. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo didn¡¯t make a single mistake. Every trade he engaged was perfect, and his positioning was wless. Luo Yu bit on his lips. Zeng Rui said he was good. But what is this? How is this possible? I can¡¯t do anything! Everything misses! I¡¯m not even getting through his shield! This is insane! He has to make a mistake. I just have to find it. But he hasn¡¯t made one yet! How is he doing this?

    Luo Yu knew early on in Champion Select that he had to y against Yasuo. And he¡¯d prepared for just that. The n was simple. Yasuo was a melee-ranged champion, while Twisted Fate had ranged auto attacks. So all he had to do was let the Yasuo push the first wave and then freeze it right outside his own outer tower. That would force the Yasuo to stay back and miss out onst hitting minions, which in turn would see him getting ahead. From there it was going to be an easy game.

    But Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo didn¡¯t push the minion wave. He did something far more impressive. Before the first minion wave arrived in the midne, he blocked his minions¡¯ path ever so slightly. This resulted in them arriving inne a secondter. The wave was pushing towards Blue Team¡¯s outer tower because of this. And from there Lin Feng perfectly controlled the wave to never pass the halfway line of thene.

    If Luo Yu wanted tost hit minions, he had to move forward. He had to be the aggressive one. He had to leave himself open to potential ganks. All the while, Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo could farm minions and engage only when he chose to.

    Luo Yu stared at his screen, focused. I need to know where the Sejuani is. If she ganks, I¡¯m dead. And I need to somehow break this freeze. I can¡¯t keep pushing like this. I¡¯m ying right into his game. How is he even doing this? It doesn¡¯t make any sense! He should be the one pushing. He¡¯s ying a Yasuo! Yasuo¡¯s always push and go for their 0/10 power spike! Why is this one ying so defensively! And why¡­ He took a deep breath. Why is his defensive y putting more pressure on me than any aggressive style I¡¯ve ever yed against?

 Chapter 254: Everybody has a plan until they give away First Blood.

    Reader Squeaker:

    I was inspired by all the TFT hype happening in the Discord server, which I don¡¯t have ess to for the time being, to make this deration. I will cuck Devshard.

    -NotFortColors

    Much of Summoner''s Rift was covered in a thick, dark fog. Team Shanghai only had vision around their own structures, minions, wards, and champions. But none of them were inside Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s Jungle. They had no clue where Huang Yang¡¯s Jarvan IV was going to appear next. But simrly, Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team had no vision on An Xin¡¯s Sejuani either. Both teams were in the dark. Both Junglers were setting up the same gank. And the only ones who knew were the people in the university¡¯s clubroom watching the game on therge LCD screen.

    The students at the Shanghai University of Finance started to worry. Their team was facing a high school team, which should¡¯ve been an easy win. But the start of the game was anything but easy. Team Shanghai was pulling ahead, especially in the midne. And now Luo Yu was looking to do something about that. But little did he know that he was walking right into a trap!

    ¡°Back! BACK! RETREAT! GO BACK! DON¡¯T GO IN, LUO YU!¡±

    ¡°Luo Yu knows something is up, right? Tell me, he knows, right?¡±

    ¡°Are we really going to give away first blood? Please tell me they¡¯re baiting the high schoolers!¡±

    ¡°ShitShitShit! This is bad! Seju and Yasuo are way stronger right now! SHIT!¡±

    ¡°LUO YU! WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! BE CAREFUL!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had carefully kept the minion wave frozen on his half of the midne. His eyes drifted to the minimap every few seconds, scanning for signs of Jarvan IV and to see what was happening in the othernes. That was also how he noticed that An Xin was pathing towards the midne. His eyes narrowed. Let¡¯s set up a gank opportunity for her. He had his Yasuo stab out with his katana, piercing through two low health minions and killing them! A storm started brewing around Yasuo¡¯s katana. If he hit enemies twice in a row with Steel Tempest, a storm would gather around his katana, allowing him to unleash a tornado onto the Rift.

    Luo Yu grinned. Good. Killing two minions with your Steel Tempest. You finally made a mistake. About time. He nced at his minimap and saw that Huang Yang¡¯s Jarvan IV wasing to the midne for a gank. Huang Yang always knows just when to gank. This is good! I¡¯ll go up a bit and pretend tost hit that caster minion in the back. That should be believable enough, yeah? He clicked on the caster minion and his Twisted Fate walked forward.

    Huang Yang¡¯s Jarvan IV arrived in the brush right above the midne. He moved to the edge of the brush closest to Team Shanghai¡¯s side of the map, and then he waited for the Yasuo to move a little more forward. Come on. Go for that minion. Be an idiot. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Typical high schoolers. Don¡¯t even know how to ward. Let¡¯s punish him for that.¡± Heughed, still waiting. A little more¡­ Just a bit¡­ He mmed down on his E key and then his Q. Jarvan IV threw his standard down on top of Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo, then dashed towards it with Dragon Strike!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t panic when the g came down on him. He didn¡¯t think. He moved. Sweeping de! His Yasuo dashed through a nearby minion, avoiding the knock up from Jarvan IV, and then he dashed again toward Twisted Fate! There he stepped to the side, dodging Twisted Fate¡¯s Wild Cards before they were even thrown, and stabbed out with Steel Tempest! The katana piercedTwisted Fate as a storm gathered around the de.

    Huang Yang cursed over the team¡¯s voice chat as he chased after Yasuo. But with his gap closer on cooldown, he needed a few seconds to catch up. Luo Yu, on the other hand, wanted to open a gap with Yasuo. But he couldn¡¯t. Twisted Fate didn¡¯t have any mobility skills, except for sh which he wanted to save forter. So he threw an auto attack at Yasuo as he kited back towards his outer tower.

    Lin Feng shouted over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun! TF! TF!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± An Xin replied. She charged up the river into the midne. Twisted Fate was still a good distance away from her. And he was about to step inside the range of his outer tower. So she activated Arctic Assault! Sejuani charged forward, then disappeared with a mottled sh of light. She carried her momentum with her as she reappeared right on top of Twisted Fate, knocking him up into the air!

    ¡°Oh shit! What the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Woooooo¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dang! Ho¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bloody sweet bej¡ª¡±

    Lin Fengnded an auto attack on Twisted Fate, the storm still brewing around his katana. Then he cast Ignite. An unquenchable me burned on Twisted Fate¡¯s body, damaging him over time and more importantly reducing the effects of heals!

    Luo Yu had brought the Summoner Spells Heal and sh to the game. He had cast Heal the moment he got Ignited, greatly reducing its effect. Shit! Should¡¯ve used it earlier! It felt like an eternity had passed before his Twisted Fate finallynded back on solid ground. FLASH! Twisted Fate blinked towards his outer tower, arriving almost underneath it, and activated Pick a Card. Three cards appeared above his head. From left to right they were blue, red and gold. The blue lit up shortly before going dull. Then the red card lit up.

    Lin Feng¡¯s finger was already hovering over his D key. He¡¯d been in simr situations often enough to know how to y this. He shed after the Twisted Fate and then activated Steel Tempest. Yasuo swept his de out, unleashing the storm it contained. A tornado blew through the Rift, mming into Twisted Fate and knocking him up into the air!

    The red card dimmed above Twisted Fate¡¯s head and the gold card lit up. Luo Yu mmed down on his W key, his Twisted Fate still Airborne, and selected the Gold Card! Throw the card! Stun him! Twisted Fatended back on the ground. And with a flick of the wrist, he threw the Gold Card at Yasuo.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo wielded the air itself. He shed out with his de, conjuring up a wall of wind that blocked every projectile! Twisted Fate¡¯s Gold Card smashed into it and disintegrated! Yasuo then struck out with Steel Tempest and an auto attack.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Oh my god¡­ What¡­¡±

    ¡°Did he just? Huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn that was good! These high schoolers, dude! Fucking crazy!¡±

    ¡°DAYUM! Sick y!¡±

    ¡°Wut? What just happened? How did he get the kill?¡±

    Luo Yu stared at his grey screen, speechless. The Yasuo was still at full health when he dove the tower, so the energy shots had no chance of killing him. He walked away at half health. Then Luo Yu noticed Huang Yang was still chasing Yasuo. His eyes went wide and he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Back off, Huang Yang! The Sejuani is still there! They¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    Huang Yang gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°I know.¡± He still chased after Yasuo for a few more steps, but then stopped himself. He wasn¡¯t suicidal, or a bad yer. He was just very upset. He cursed over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Shit! How did they get so lucky ?We can¡¯t let them get away with this!¡±

    Luo Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly. Should¡¯ve seen thating. He yed so well and then suddenly hit two minions with Steel Tempest. It was such a small ¡®mistake¡¯. He took a deep breath. That wasn¡¯t luck, Huang Yang. He knew what he was doing. And exhaled. They nned it and executed it perfectly. I gave away first blood because I didn¡¯t think he was baiting me. I underestimated him. But I won¡¯t make that mistake twice! He focused back on his monitor as vibrant colours filled his screen once more. I have to win this.

    ?

    First blood happened in just under four minutes. The game quickly broke open. Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team was desperate to get a kill back. Huang Yang scanned across the map. Botne is pushing too far and the Alistar can just Headbutt me away. That¡¯s a waste of time. He looked at the topne. The Rumble and Fiora were fighting each other in the middle of thene. I just have to knock that stupid kid up. He probably doesn¡¯t know how to ward either. He ran up the river and found that Team Shanghai¡¯s Rumble had indeed not warded the river entrance to the topne. He g-tossed onto the Rumble and knocked him up. Then he helped the Fiora pick up the kill. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Show those little snots what we¡¯re all abou¡ª¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    An Xin¡¯s Sejuani had gone down to the botne after helping Lin Feng pick up the kill on Twisted Fate. There she helped Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista kill the opposing Morgana, while also forcing Tristana to Heal, sh and Rocket Jump away.

    ¡°Did you guys not ward? How¡¯d you die to that gank? You knew Sejuani was just mid!! Now they¡¯re one kill ahead again!?¡± Huang Yang said in frustration.

    Xie Qing pursed his lips and shook his head. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°They¡¯re not ying like high schoolers.¡± He stared at his monitor and waited for colour to return to the screen. They¡¯re outying us. That girl, the Kalista, she¡¯s more than 10 minions ahead of Qiu Le. And we can¡¯t touch her. That Alistar is always there protecting her. What are we supposed to do when I can¡¯t even hit a Dark Binding on her?

    ¡°They. Are. Little. KIDS!¡± Huang Yang shouted into his microphone. ¡°We can¡¯t lose to them! We just can¡¯t!¡±

    Qiu Le stared at his screen in shock, not even registering what Huang Yang was saying. He was just staring at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. The way she was moving around, constantly repositioning herself. The way she was always just in range tost hit a minion, while also staying out of range for him tond poke damage. The way she knew exactly how much damage she could do without taking a risk, and then backing away. Shit. ShitShitShit! I shouldn¡¯t have been so cocky. It doesn¡¯t matter whether she¡¯s a guy or girl! She¡¯s a really good ad-carry. And she¡¯s outying me! I¡¯m getting outyed. I¡¯m getting fucking outyed by a girl! She¡¯s fucking good! Damnit!

    ?

    Luo Yu¡¯s Twisted Fate hit Level 6 seven minutes into the game. He unlocked his ultimate, and grimaced. I need to have space to use my ultimate. It¡¯s useless to activate it when I¡¯m being pushed into my tower. And I can¡¯t walk forward or th¡ª

    An Xin¡¯s Sejuani suddenly appeared next to Twisted Fate. She¡¯d shed over the Jungle wall right underneath Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s outer tower. Then she charged into the Twisted Fate with Arctic Assault, knocking him Airborne.

    Lin Feng had watched An Xin approach the midne through the Red Team¡¯s Jungle. His mouse was already hovering over Twisted Fate and he was just waiting to activate his ultimate skill. LAAAAST BREATH! Yasuo dashed to Twisted Fate and suspended him in midair, unleashing a series of strikes. Then he hacked down on Twisted Fate, mming him back to the ground. He followed up by Igniting Twisted Fate, and throwing out a Wind Wall. The wall of air appeared just in time to block an oing Gold Card. It came, just as he¡¯d expected. He smiled and had his Yasuond one more Steel Tempest and auto attack before leaving the outer tower¡¯s attack range. That should be eno¡ª

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Luo Yu stared at his grey screen, stunned. A-again? He blocked my Gold Card twice now! How are his reflexes that fast? Did he know I was going to do it? But even if he did, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to react. There wasn¡¯t enough time! Unless he knew it wasing before the fight even started! Before I even knew where the Sejuani even was¡­ He stared at Yasuo who was back to farming minions in the midne. Did I really just underestimate him again after telling myself not to¡­?

    ?

    Shanghai University of Finance hadpletely lost the midne. Luo Yu recognized it and told Huang Yang to focus on the other twones. There was no point in ganking the Rumble, since Fiora was beating him already. So Huang Yang turned his attention to the botne. He did his best to evade the wards as he made his way down through the river.

    Zeng Rui was a really skilled and talented Support. His friends sometimespared him to Autumn from the North American team Season, and he agreed with their reasoning. Just like Autumn, he approached the game from a methodical point of view. There was nothing he liked more than to see a carefully nned n being perfectly executed. Part of this was cing his wards in the right spots at the right times. His careful attention to detail paid off right now as he spotted Huang Yang¡¯s Jarvan IV passing by the outer edge of a ward he¡¯d ced high up in the bottom side river. He nodded to Tang Bingyao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Careful, J4 ising.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I see,¡± Tang Bingyao replied. But she didn¡¯t back away. She stared at her minimap, at the ce where they¡¯d just caught vision of Jarvan IV. He¡¯s that annoying jerk from before! The one who made fun of us for being girls and high schoolers. She narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. We¡¯re ahead right now. Let¡¯s teach him a lesson. Mhm!

 Chapter 255: Can you Impregnate Kalista by Knocking her up?

    Zeng Rui had spotted the Jarvan IV walking down the river towards botne. He also noticed Tristana and Morgana attempting to freeze their minion wave ever so slightly. They¡¯re setting up for a gank. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it, if it wasn¡¯t for Jarvan walking by that ward. He looked over at Tang Bingyao and wanted to tell her that they should retreat. There¡¯s no point in taking this fight. We¡¯ve got the lead, let¡¯s steadily build on that. There¡¯s no need to risk it all on a random fight. But¡­ I know how she likes to y. She¡¯s good at these kinds of fights. He asked, ¡°Your call, Tang Tang. Fight or retreat?¡±

    ¡°Fight,¡± Tang Bingyao said over the team¡¯s voice chat without turning her head. She stared at the fog of war, around the area where Jarvan IV was. I can beat him. And I¡¯ll show that asshole that girls are just as good at League of Legends as guys! I¡¯m a good yer! Mhm!

    Zeng Rui hesitated for a brief moment but then nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± We¡¯re a team now. I can¡¯t force her to y my style. We need to find a middle ground on which we both excel. That means me trying her way, just like she¡¯ll try mine. He looked over at her. She looks focused and ready. Time to win this fight together, as a team, with skill.

    ?

    Xie Qing was ying Morgana, a strong Support mage with skills to lock opponents down and to protect allies. But since the start of this game, she¡¯d been utterly useless. And this was mainly his own fault. He¡¯d learned Dark Binding at Level 1. It was an aggressive choice that he believed would pay off. Their opponents were only high schoolers, after all. But these high schoolers were far better than he¡¯d ever expected. I should¡¯ve learned ck Shield at Level 1. Then I could¡¯ve made this damned Headbutt tactic from the Alistar useless! But by the time he learned ck Shield, the damage was already done.

    Xie Qing smiled, wickedly. He¡¯d been searching for an opening or mistake from Alistar or Kalista, but hade up empty. But now he finally found the opportunity he¡¯d been looking for. They¡¯ve kept us down long enough! It¡¯s about time we show them what we¡¯re all about! Huang Yang ising and when that minion in front of the Alistar dies, I¡¯ll get him! This is finally going to be our show!

    Kalista was the only Level 6 champion in the botne, and as such the only one with her ultimate skill unlocked. The rest of the champions were all Level 5. But Xie Qing wasn¡¯t worried about this. Kalista¡¯s ultimate provided utility, not damage. It was incredibly powerful in a teamfight, but not so much in this specific scenario. Of course, that was on the condition that Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team yed it right. Plus¡­ Xie Qing nced at his minimap. Seju just walked towards the top side of the map and the Rumble is being locked down by Fiora. There won¡¯t be any follow up from those high schoolers. This is going to be a 3vs2 for us.

    Xie Qing kept careful track of the minion maniption Qiu Le was exerting. Then, right as another minion was about to die, Xie Qing said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m rooting the Alistar. We¡¯re going in!¡±

    Qiu Le fired at the minion standing right in front of the Alistar. Before the cannonball killed the minion, Xie Qing cast Dark Binding. The dark magic flew over the grass, straight at the same minion. There was almost no gap between the cannonball draining thest of the minion¡¯s health and the Dark Binding flying past it and rooting the Alistar behind it.

    ¡°Nice one!¡± Qiu Le eximed, while activating Rocket Jump. His Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired. The recoilunched her into the air and she arced towards the Alistar,nding right within attack range. Then she activated Rapid Fire. mes erupted from the muzzle of her cannon and zed over its body, greatly increasing Tristana¡¯s attack speed. She ced an Explosive Charge on Alistar and charged its damage up by firing cannonballs at it. The bomb¡¯s pale yellow colour grew more and more intense, until it exploded after the fourth shot, dealing a frightening amount of damage!

    Kalista¡¯s passive skill was called Martial Poise. Whenever she auto attacked or used Pierce, she would lunge a short distance. Tang Bingyao used this method on minions to close the distance to Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana. And then she started auto attacking him, her spirit spears remaining lodged inside Tristana¡¯s body.

    ¡°Haha, she fell for it! She fell for it!¡± Qiu Le eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he added, ¡°Huang Yang, knock her up!¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Huang Yang replied. His Jarvan IV came running from the river entrance into the botne. Team Shanghai¡¯s Boners were near the edge of their outer tower¡¯s range. So he had to get the knock up right. He threw down his standard behind Kalista and then waited for half a second. When Kalista was lunging, she briefly had no control over the direction in which she went. That was his cue. He struck out with hisnce, hitting the standard, and then dashed towards it!

    The students watching the game in Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s clubroom erupted into cheers! Their team had been on the backfoot all game. But now for the first time it finally looked like things were about to change!

    ¡°Haha! They fell for it!¡±

    ¡°I knew that Kalista was being too aggressive! Good on Qiu Le and Xie Qing for noticing it!¡±

    ¡°A 3vs2! We¡¯re going to get the double kill and then WIIIIIIIIN!¡±

    ¡°That Alistar was so dumb. How could he get caught by that Dark Binding? What a noob!¡±

    ¡°Right? Even I could¡¯ve dodged that! And I¡¯m only t! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°I wonder if they saw the J-Four on the minimap. It looked like they might¡¯ve¡­ But then why engage?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re cocky high schoolers! That¡¯s why! Haha! We¡¯re going to win this! Serves those arrogant kids right!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista had used her ck spear on Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar at the start of the game. This created a bond between them at the spirit level. One that Kalista could activate with her ultimate skill. When Tang Bingyao saw Jarvan IV appearing from the Jungle, she quickly hopped back toward her tower. Good. The bait worked. Then she activated her ultimate, pulling Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar to her side and allowing his spirit to rest inside her body.

    Jarvan IV¡¯s Demacian Standard stuck in the ground between Kalista and the outer tower, and Jarvan IV was already flying towards his standard. But Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t worry; she smiled and pressed down on the D key. Kalista disappeared with a mottled sh of light right as the Jarvan IVpleted his g-tossbo. Then she reappeared under her outer tower. She¡¯d dodged the knock up! And the Jarvan IV now stood at the edge of the outer tower¡¯s range!

    It was time for Zeng Rui to make his y. He was still inside of Kalista¡¯s body in spirit form. The second part of Fate¡¯s Call, Kalista¡¯s ultimate, was all on him. He aimed at the Jarvan IV and barreled towards him! As he left Kalista¡¯s body, his Alistar regained its physical form. And then he mmed into Jarvan IV, knocking him up! He followed up with Pulverize! Alistar balled his fists and mmed them into the ground with every ounce of strength in his body. It carried such an immense force that Jarvan IV was hurled back up into the air before he evennded. Alistar then ran past Jarvan IV before turning back around and Headbutting Jarvan IV towards the blue outer tower!

    The outer tower targeted Jarvan IV and started firing energy shots at him, each consecutive one dealing more damage. Tang Bingyao hurled a fast moving spirit spear at Jarvan IV¨CPierce! And then followed up with auto attacks. Jarvan IV tried to run away, but his g-tossbo was still on cooldown. And to make matters worse, Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar cast Exhaust on him. A debilitating aura fell over him, decreasing all his stats including his movement speed! More and more spirit spears pierced his body and remained lodged there, until his health fell to 10%. Tang Bingyao activated Rend. Kalista ripped the spears out of Jarvan IV¡¯s body with a flick of her wrist, shearing away thest of his health!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    The game announcer¡¯s voice rang in Huang Yang¡¯s head as he stared at his grey screen, dazed. The gank had looked foolproof. A surekill. An easy way to get back into the game! He only had tond his g-tossbo and his Boners would do the rest! She was running away! Why¡­ He didn¡¯t know what to say or think. There was only a jumbled mess in his mind.

    The yers from the university''s second team fell silent. They stared at therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths, absolutely speechless. Just a moment ago, they were picturing the glorious scene of their team picking up two kills and then maybe a tower or the Dragon. They¡¯d already been saying as much to their friends around them. And now, now the university¡¯s main team lost the 3vs2. Jarvan IV died and it remained to be seen whether Xie Qing¡¯s Morgana and Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana could save their own skins.

    Zeng Rui nced at Tang Bingyao and smiled. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Good job.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded at him. Then she looked back at her screen, at Jarvan IV lying dead on the ground, and smiled. ¡°Mhm!¡±

    Zeng Rui also looked back at his screen and added, ¡°Let¡¯s focus.¡±

    Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui shifted their sights on Morgana and Tristana. They chased them down thene, until the two yers from the Shanghai University of Finance team reached underneath their outer tower. All the while, Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo and An Xin¡¯s Sejuani had run down the river and into Red Team¡¯s Jungle. They¡¯d arrived behind the botne¡¯s outer tower. Together with Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui, they towerdove Qiu Le¡¯s Tristana and Xie Qing¡¯s Morgana.

    An Xin¡¯s Sejuani was already strong enough to take a couple of energy shots from the tower and survive. And with the four of them together, they were more than strong enough to burst both Champions from the Shanghai University of Finance down. But Tristana still had her sh and Rocket Jump up. She jumped over the Sejuani and then shed away, reaching all the way back to the inner tower in a matter of seconds. Team Shanghai didn¡¯t give chase. They killed Morgana and then shifted their focus to the Dragon, which they killed uncontested.

    The spectators in the university¡¯s clubroom couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. Their team, one of the best university teams in all of China, was getting their asses handed to them by a high school team! More embarrassingly, the high school team had two girls on its roster! And both girls were ying better than their counterpart on the university¡¯s team! This went against everything the audience knew about the game!

    ¡°Those girls¡­ They¡¯re great!¡±

    ¡°Shit man¡­ Is this really happening?¡±

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my eyes¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re actually good!¡±

    ¡°Keep it up, girls!¡±

    ?

    Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s esports team was one of the best in all of China. But they¡¯d gone into this game vastly underestimating their opponents. This mindset was easy to fall into, and incredibly difficult to get back out of. But they were really good yers and they formed a very strong team together. They talked through the problems over the team¡¯s voice chat and recognized that they had to take this game seriously. This game was going to be a lot more difficult now than it should¡¯ve been, seeing that they were already at arge deficit. But the game had still only just begun. There was plenty of time to make up for their mistakes. And they were fully convinced that they had the skill to make up for those mistakes!

    Over the next several minutes, Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s esports team finally showed up. It started in the topne, where Fiora picked up a solo kill on Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble by beautifully outying him. This was followed up by Luo Yu showing to the world why teams from the LPL were scouting him. He found an opening to activate his ultimate skill, Destiny! The fog of war dispersed from the map. He could see everything and Teleport anywhere within arge circle around him. He chose the botne.

    ying cards spread out in a circle on the ground, opening a gate. Luo Yu¡¯s Twisted Fate stepped through it and appeared right next to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista, a Gold Card already hovering over his head. He threw it at her and stunned her, then killed her with the help of Liu Ye¡¯s Tristana and Xie Qing¡¯s Morgana.

    Luo Yu¡¯s timing was perfectly in-sync with the respawn timer of Dragon. Huang Yang was already waiting there for them. The four yers from the Shanghai University of Finance took the second Dragon of the game. The advantage that Team Shanghai had built up was quickly disappearing.

    Luo Yu stared at his screen, focused. He¡¯d made mistakes early on in the game because he didn¡¯t expect Yasuo to be all that good. Now he was trying his hardest to make up for those mistakes. And it was working. But there was still a way to go before they could think about winning this game. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We have to bring that Kalista down a bit more. Look for a chance to kill her again.¡±

    Huang Yang red at his screen. At the Kalista. He said, venom thick in his voice, ¡°Leave that to me. I¡¯ll get her!¡±

 Chapter 256: Two Damsels in Distress; Where is my Knight in Shining Armour!?

    "VanMyst Neeko is better with Blue buff, Jeweled Gauntlet, Deathcap. Prove me wrong. :¡¯ ^)"

    -FortColors

    The scrimmage against Team Shanghai was going anything but great for Shanghai University of Finance. They found out that this group of high schoolers did have what it took topete at the university level! But Luo Yu and his team weren¡¯t going to give up just because the game was a bit difficult to win. They gritted their teeth and gave it everything they had, slowly closing the gap that had been built up over 12 minutes by Team Shanghai. And by the 17th minute, Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team was back in it. The gold gap was reduced to only 3,000 gold, and one good teamfight couldplete the turn around!

    This teamfight had to happen around the Boners. The currentndscape of the game didn¡¯t really allow for another option. There was nothing really happening in the topne. Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble yed as defensively as he possibly could, and Team Shanghai didn¡¯t seem especially interested in helping him. His only goal was to build his core items, which he¡¯d finished a minute before, and keep the Fiora from snowballing any harder. So there was no way to force a teamfight here for Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team.

    The midne was the pr opposite of the topne. Luo Yu¡¯s Twisted Fate had fallen far behind Yasuo in both kills and minions. And he kept getting pressured harder and harder. The worst part was that Yasuo had destroyed his outer tower a few minutes earlier. So now he couldn¡¯t even stay inne, except for when Yasuo went back to buy items. But those few seconds weren¡¯t going to help Luo Yu get back into the game. He needed to find ways to initiate a teamfight and pick up multiple kills just to be relevant again.

    Luo Yu stared at his monitor and frowned. His Twisted Fate huddled next to the mid inner tower, the only ce where he felt somewhat safe. Who is this Yasuo? I don¡¯t remember seeing his name on the Challenger leaderboards. Maple¡­ Maybe he¡¯s new? He is only a high schooler, so I suppose that could be it. I need to look this up. He shook his head. What¡¯s me knowing who he is going to help? I¡¯ll just know that it¡¯s not some random yer but a Challenger who kicked my ass. No, his rank doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, all I need is to find a way to beat him. We can¡¯t lose this game! We¡¯re still the university''s main team! It¡¯d be way too embarrassing if we lose to a high school team.

    Luo Yu wasn¡¯t the only one starting to worry. No one on Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team wanted to lose this particr game. This was for their pride! They didn¡¯t see themselves ever leaving this booth if they lost, because then they¡¯d have to endure the contempt and mockery from their fellow students. Nor would they look at their phones, for the inte was far more cruel than their peers could ever be in person. It was with that knowledge that their faces burned red as they pushed everyst bit of their focus towards the game. If they wanted to walk out of this game with their heads held high, they had to not just beat these high schoolers, they had to stomp them!

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be a joke if we lose this,¡± Qiu Le mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat. He hit the TAB key and looked at the score. His Tristana was down on kills and almost 40 CS behind the Kalista. He mmed his fist down on his desk. ¡°FUCK!¡± He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°I want that Kalista dead! I¡¯m not going to lose to some high school girl!¡±

    ¡°Yes. She needs to die,¡± Huang Yang nodded slowly, furious. Hisst death was still fresh on his mind. Kalista had baited him, and then killed him. I got careless because she was a girl! He smacked his cheeks and focused on the game again. The Seju too, She messed with my Jungle pathing, and counter jungled the crap out of me.! He looked over the edge of his screen through the window of the soundproof booth. There are so many people watching. I won¡¯t let those two beat me in front of so many people! He looked at Qiu Le and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re going to kill her. Just keep vision on her. She¡¯ll make a mistake. We just have to be ready for it! I want to see her dead!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao cleared the minion wave in the botne and then nced at the minimap. The Red Buff was up. The first two were usually for the Jungler, but after that the ad-carry started taking them. So when the game clock said 17:45 minutes, she tracked into Blue team¡¯s bottom side Jungle and started attacking the Red Brambleback.

    Huang Yang had learned from watching professional teams that keeping tabs on when the various important monsters respawned could give the team a big advantage. Following this logic, he¡¯d paid close attention to the Blue and Red buff respawn times for the Blue team. He panned his camera towards Team Shanghai¡¯s Red Buff Camp and had his Jarvan IV run towards it. That should be up right about now. Let¡¯s hope Kalista is being greedy and taking it by herself.

    Huang Yang ced a ward in the brush right next to the Red Buff Camp, giving him vision of the monster. And of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista attacking it by herself. The Red Buff was at half health. Huang Yang smiled. He pinged on the ward and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tp, Fiora!¡± Then he dashed at Kalista with his g-tossbo!

    Tang Bingyao was fighting the Red Brambleback, but never lost focus. She scanned the map and noticed the Boners moving up into the river. Something¡¯s wrong. She focused her camera on Kalista and then nced at the minimap, searching for a sign of Jarvan IV. Then she saw him, jumping at her from the brush next to the Red Buff Camp. She shed away, dodging the knock up.

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Huang Yang cried out as he mmed on his R key! Cataclysm! His Jarvan IV leaped up into the sky, right above Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista, and then mmed down to the ground! He struck the ground with such force that it terraformed into a massive arena, locking the two Champions within!

    Luo Yu said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± Then he activated Destiny, Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate. The fog of war evaporated. Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team knew exactly where everyone on Team Shanghai was. There was no hiding from Twisted Fate¡¯s all-seeing eyes. He followed up with the second part of his ultimate, Gate! ying cards spread out in a circle around him, opening up a portal.

    The crowd watching the game in the clubroom, including the university¡¯s second team, erupted in cheers again! Their team had fallen behind early, but that made the game only that more interesting to watch! Especially since their team was making theeback happen!

    ¡°NICE! GET THAT KILL!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO! We¡¯re winning again!¡±

    ¡°KILL THAT BITCH!¡±

    ¡°SWEETNESS! YEAH!¡±

    ¡°DAYUM! The timing on that TF and Fiora! Crazy perfect!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget Huang Yang! He created that opportunity!¡±

    Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team had nned the gank perfectly. Not just because they found Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista alone and out of position, but also because they could have their Fiora Teleport in, while the opposing Rumble was stuck in the topne. Rumble had used his Teleport earlier to get back tone. This fight was the opportunity for Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team to close the gold gappletely!

    Fiora finished channeling her Teleport. She Lunged forward, closing the distance towards Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. Jarvan IV cancelled his Cataclysm to allow Fiora in. There was no escaping for Kalista, even without four walls locking her in. Fiora targeted Kalista with Grand Challenge, her ultimate skill. The four Vitals were revealed on Kalista. She stabbed at Kalista¡¯s heart, piercing the first Vital.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista was quickly losing her health. The Jarvan IV was hurting and now the Fiora, who packed quite some damage, was also shing away at her. But she didn¡¯t panic, or lose focus. She stared at her screen, refusing to blink, afraid to miss even the most minute detail. When her health dropped down to half, she used her Summoners Spell Heal. Her health was right back up. I¡¯m still alive. I won¡¯t let him kill me. Mhm! This isn¡¯t over.

    Luo Yu¡¯s Twisted Fate stepped through the portal and arrived right next to Kalista, a Gold Card already hovering over his hand. He targeted Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and¡ª

    An Xin had arrived to the fight. She charged forward, straight through a jungle wall, and mmed into Twisted Fate¨CArctic Assault! Twisted Fate was flung up into the air, cancelling his attack. An Xin then activated Sejuani¡¯s ultimate, cial Prison! Sejuani threw her b at Twisted Fate and froze him solid! An ice storm erupted around the Twisted Fate, slowing and damaging all nearby enemy champions!

    An Xin had thrown caution to the wind in a desperate attempt to save Tang Bingyao. And she¡¯d seeded in the initial charge. But thest two members from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team had arrived. Morgana cast a Dark Binding, rooting An Xin¡¯s Sejuani, and Tristana Rocket Jumped into the fight and then activated Rapid Fire. Her cannon¡¯s muzzle ignited, mes zing along its body. She fired cannonballs at Team Shanghai at a frightening speed!

    Tang Bingyao bit her lips. She was caught in a 2vs5. And the only reason it was a 2vs5 and not a 1vs5 was because An Xin charged in at the risk of her life. I can¡¯t let her down. And I won¡¯t let him kill me! Mm-hm! Her mouse clicks went faster and faster, each next one more urate than thest. She nced at her minimap. Come on. We need help. Please don¡¯t let them kill us like this! Her health was dropping fast. The Fiora was on her and one attack away from striking the fourth Vital on Kalista. If she seeded in doing that, arge healing field would appear on the Rift. Team Shanghai would lose if that happened.

    Right then, Zeng Rui arrived. He shed towards Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and then Headbutted the Fiora away before she could sh at Kalista¡¯s fourth Vital. And then a familiar voice sounded out over the team¡¯s voice chat. It was Lin Feng¡¯s. ¡°Tang Tang! Let¡¯s kill them all!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao activated her ultimate skill, Fate¡¯s Call! Kalista reached out towards Alistar, pulling out his spirit from his physical body and storing it in her own body.

    Zeng Rui waited a brief moment. Then his eyes flickered. Three Champions from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team were standing too closely together. He barreled towards them, his Alistar regaining physical form after erupting from Kalista¡¯s body. He mmed into Twisted Fate, Fiora and Jarvan IV! Then he balled his massive fists and mmed down with everyst ounce of power in his body. PULVERISE! The earth cracked beneath his fists and the three enemy champions around him were tossed up into the air again!

    Tang Bingyao smiled. This wasn¡¯t a game in solo queue, she was ying together with a team! Four other yers she trusted with her life! And they trusted her. They came to save her. They¡¯re all here! We¡¯re winning this! She nced at her minimap. There was only one more person she was waiting for. He was almost there. Luo Yu also saw this. His pupils shrunk. Fuck.

    ¡°Nice job, ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng shouted. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn!¡± The Twisted Fate, Fiora and Jarvan IV were still in midair. He targeted them with Yasuo¡¯s ultimate skill. Last Breath! Yasuo blinked towards the three enemy Champions and suspended them in midair. He followed up by shing at them with his katana. And again. And again! Then he raised his weapon high above his head and with all the power he could muster, he hacked down on the three champions from the university team. The immense force mmed them into the ground!

 Chapter 257: Role Swap

    Luo Yu stared at his screen, wide-eyed. W-where did hee from? He shook his head and mmed down on his keyboard. There was no n or tactic right now. He mashed all his fingers into the keyboard, hoping for something to happen. What that something was, he didn¡¯t quite know himself. All he knew was that there was a Yasuo on top of him that was emptying his health bar! Not like this! Not like thiiiis!

    Lin Feng wasfortable, rxed and in his element. He was surrounded by three enemy champions, but he wasn¡¯t the slightest bit worried. He aimed at Twisted Fate and activated Sweeping de inbination with Steel Tempest. He dashed through Twisted Fate and then swept his katana out in a circle around him! His de easily bisected Twisted Fate, whisking The Card Master¡¯s life away.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°One down!¡± Lin Feng cheered over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he cast Sweeping de again, this time aiming for the Fiora. He dashed to her and followed up with an auto attack. Steel Tempest was off cooldown again. So, he stabbed out straight in front of him and pierced through her! A storm brewed around his de. He turned away, and the Grand Duelist copsed to the ground. He set his sights on the next target, Jarvan IV.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Huang Yang clicked away frantically, not even considering helping his teammates. He knew he couldn¡¯t save them. E-Q! E-Q! E-Q! He kept mming the two buttons on his keyboard that would have his Jarvan IV perform the g-tossbo. Though rather than using it to engage, he wanted to escape with it. And then arge percentage of his health bar just disappeared, leaving him with less than 10%. ¡°W-WHAT!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao had just activated Rend. Her Kalista had pulled out all the spirit spears from Jarvan IV¡¯s body, damaging him and more importantly slowing him. She smiled and nodded. ¡°Mhm, kill him, Lin Feng!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really good at getting triple kills too!¡± Lin Feng replied over the team¡¯s voice chat,ughing. He chased after the slowed Jarvan IV, quickly catching up to him. Then he used the Sweeping de into Steel Tempestbo again. He dashed through the Jarvan IV and knocked him up. One auto attack. Two auto attacks. Steel Tempest! A wild storm gathered at the tip of his de again. It whined to be released. To take a life. Lin Feng released it, calling forth the storm that would take Jarvan IV¡¯s life.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    Tristana and Morgana were the only two Champions from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team who were still alive. But they were in Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungle, surrounded by four Team Shanghai Champions. The only fortunate part was that they¡¯d arrivedte to the fight, and as such were on the edge of it. They turned around and ran past the Red Buff Camp. Down a thin path walled in by trees and boulders. Towards the tri-brush connecting the jungle to the river and the botne.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Teleport had been on cooldown at the start of the fight. But it was finally avable. He had his Rumble teleport to a ward that was ced in the tri-brush where the Morgana and Tristana were running towards. ¡°I¡¯ming to help!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. His Rumble arrived before Tristana and Morgana did. He threw down his ultimate skill, The Equalizer! The rocketunchers on his shoulders fired six shots! They exploded on the Jungle floor, creating a wall of mes that dealt damage and applied a slow.

    Qiu Le saw the Rumble ultimate in time, and his Tristana still had Rocket Jump avable. She aimed her cannon at the ground and fired, its recoil hurling her into the air and over a wall into the Dragon pit. From there, he managed to escape. But Xie Qing didn¡¯t have any skills avable to jump over that wall. His Morgana was caught in the middle of Rumble¡¯s ultimate. And the Rumble was now running straight at her!

    ¡°Hao Bro! Wait up! Don¡¯t kill her! Give it to me!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He ran after the Morgana, trying to get to her before his teammates killed her. Morgana¡¯s health was dropping fast. ¡°My quadra, please!¡± Lin Feng yelled, spamming his E key. And then, just as it looked like he wasn¡¯t going to get the kill, Sweeping de finally activated. Yasuo dashed through Morgana, the damage of the skill killing her.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    The audience watching the scrim game in the university¡¯s esports clubroom felt their jaws collectively drop to the floor. Their team had engaged the fight. They¡¯d caught Team Shanghai¡¯s ad-carrypletely out of position. And they¡¯d somehow still lost. Zero kills. Four deaths.

    ¡°Oh, shit... That¡¯s game, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Pretty much. Gg to the high schoolers, I guess.¡± ¡°Dang! That was such a cool teamfight! That Ali setting up the Yasuo ultimate? So cool!¡± ¡°You think that ad-carry girl was baiting Huang Yang? Those high schoolers responded so quickly!¡± ¡°Fuck! You might be right! What if they baited that fight? Shit man, that¡¯d be fucking scary as fuck!¡± ¡°I know, right! They¡¯re good!¡±

    The yers from the university¡¯s second team looked over their shoulders, listening to the conversations behind them. Then they turned back to look at therge LCD screen above the stage. They weren¡¯t dreaming, or having a nightmare. Their team had really just lost that teamfight. They finally turned to look at each other, finding the same dismay in each others¡¯ eyes that they felt themselves.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ I thought they had them when Huang Yang got that pick on Kalista¡­ I thought we had them!¡± ¡°I know, man. I know. I thought so too. But how they turned that around¡­ I don¡¯t know, man. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Imagine if we¡¯d yed them. That would¡¯ve been far more embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°They can teamfight. And that Yasuo¡­ Such an overpowered shit champ!¡± ¡°Man, I wanna agree. But¡­ Let¡¯s face it, man. That Yasuo yed that perfectly. That entire team of high schoolers and girls somehow yed that fucking perfectly, man. I don¡¯t get it. Since when are we losing to a bunch of kids?¡±

    Hang Ying was watching the game in the back of the esports clubroom with a couple of her friends. The girls were excitedly chatting together. Because for the first time, a couple of girls were standing up against the guys, showing them that girls could y League of Legendspetitively!

    ¡°Those two girls are as good as the guys!¡± ¡°I still think that Yasuo is really cute¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, we¡¯ll get you his number after the games. But those two girls! Did you see how they yed that?¡± ¡°Right! They survived for so long! It looked like they were going to die several times! But they always just survived, and then the others came! That was so impressive!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe how good those two are! The guys got nothing on them!¡± ¡°I wanna y myself now! GO, GO, GIRL POWER!¡±

    Hang Ying smiled as she listened to her friends. They¡¯re right. The two girls did y that incredibly well. Huang Yang should¡¯ve never taken so long to finish them off. But they kept dodging the important skills. I don¡¯t know how they managed that. Just that they did! She looked at the two girls in the soundproof booth. She couldn¡¯t really make them out as they were hidden behind their screens, but she imagined them looking all serious and focused. It¡¯s so good to see girls beating those guys. That¡¯ll show them that girls can also y League! We¡¯re really not any worse! There just aren¡¯t as many girls ying, that¡¯s all. But we¡¯re just as good!

    ?

    The lost teamfight was a terrible result for Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. Not just because they lost the teamfight, but also because all four kills went to the Yasuo. Luo Yu chewed on his lips as he stared at Yasuo dashing through the minions in the midne and shook his head. He¡¯s the best yer on their team and he¡¯s ying the strongest carry champion of their team. If anyone else had gotten the kills, we might¡¯ve still stood a chance. But on him? It¡¯s over. We¡¯re done. He sighed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s give it a few more minutes, guys. See if that Yasuo gets too confident and throws, or if he keeps ying like he is¡­¡±

    The rest of the university¡¯s team agreed with Luo Yu. They yed the game, farming minions and looking for opportunities to make a y. But there was nothing they could do. Every time that they engaged a Champion from Team Shanghai, Yasuo would inexplicably appear out of nowhere. There was nothing they could do to stop him. They lost their towers in all threenes. Then they lost two inhibitors. And finally, 25 minutes into the game, Luo Yu led a surrender vote.

    DEFEAT!

    The yers from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s main team looked at their screens, lost. Their original n was to stomp some humility into Team Shanghai, and then hand over the reins to their second roster. But that seemed silly now. They¡¯d lost, and resoundingly so. Luo Yu nced over the edge of his screen at the yers from the second team. They were standing right in front of the soundproof booth. He could see their bleak expressions. There¡¯s no point in having them y. They know it and we know it. He chuckled self-deprecatingly and then turned to his teammates. ¡°Well, we got what we deserved for underestimating them. But now we know how good they are. We have to win the next game.¡±

    A heavy silence hung over the soundproof booth. They all knew Luo Yu was right, and mumbled as much. More than that, they were ashamed of themselves. Losing to a high school team was bad enough, but losing to a high school team after calling them out and poking fun at them, that was far worse. They didn¡¯t even want to step out of the soundproof booth, because then they¡¯d have to look at their fellow students. The thought alone was too embarrassing. So they gritted their teeth and joined the lobby for the next game.

    ?

    Theputer monitors in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth all read ¡®victory¡¯! Lin Feng was the first to jump up from his gaming chair, balling his fist and throwing it up into the air! ¡°We beat the university team!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao nodded, clenching her fist too and pumping it in the air.

    Zhang Haoughed and shouted, ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Then he noticed that both Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were punching the air. He looked at his hand and slowly balled it into a fist. Then he grinned and threw it up in the air. ¡°Hell yeah!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at his teammates and said, ¡°Good work, guys. Let¡¯s prepare for the next game now. I suggest we try a role swap this game.¡±

    Lin Feng left his hand hanging in the air as he turned to look at Zeng Rui. He asked, confused, ¡°A role swap? Why?¡±

    Yeah, why? An Xin observed Zeng Rui for a short moment before her eyes lit up. Oh! She started smiling and said, ¡°Alright, sounds good! Let¡¯s go with the role swap!¡±

    ?

    Luo Yu led his team through Champion Select. Nothing strange happened. The strongest Champions in the current meta were banned, including Yasuo, and they got to pick the lineup that they wanted for this second game in the best of three series versus Team Shanghai. But when the game moved to the loading screen, the confidence they¡¯d built up during thest few minutes disappeared again.

    Game 2

    Shanghai University of Finance (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)Topne: Gnar versus MundoJungle: Lee Sin versus Jarvan IVMidne: Orianna versus VeigarAD-carry: Jinx versus LucianSupport: Janna versus Thresh

    ¡°What the fuck are they doing?¡± Huang Yang blurted out.

    ¡°Wha-huh?¡± Xie Qing mumbled.

    The Champions Team Shanghai had chosen were strong Champions in their respective roles. They also came together nicely to form a powerful team. That wasn¡¯t what had Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team confused and caught off guard. It was who were ying the Champions that camepletely out of left field for them. Zhang Hao was still in the topne and Tang Bingyao in the botne as ad-carry, but everyone else had changed their roles. Lin Feng was now the Support, Zeng Rui the Jungler, and An Xin the Miner!

 Chapter 258: Losing Their Self Control in Anger!

    The goal of a scrimmage was to practice tactics and strategy, so it wasn¡¯t strange to see Team Shanghai try out different things. But there was a difference between trying out stuff and changing the entire lineup! What Team Shanghai did felt like a massive p in the face to Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team! As if their opponents were taunting them! Poking fun at them! And not taking the match one bit seriously. But there wasn¡¯t anything Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team could do about it, not after their painful lossst game. So they focused on their monitors, grimacing.

    Qiu Le narrowed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Their mid is now the Support, huh?¡± He turned to look at Xie Qing and continued, ¡°Xie Qing, we¡¯re gonna have to y the best game of our lives. Those high schoolers are looking down on us! Fuck! I¡¯m pissed! We need to beat some sense into them! And make them realize they can¡¯t look down on us!¡±

    Xie Qing red at the Thresh portrait on the loading screen. Maple¡­ I¡¯ll remember you. He then turned to look at Qiu Le. He snorted and said, ¡°Exactly! We¡¯re going to teach those brats a lesson they won¡¯t forget! It¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to make fun of us! This is so distasteful!¡± He turned back to his monitor and continued ring at Thresh¡¯s portrait. ¡°Yeah, kid, you¡¯re a good Miner. You beat Luo Yu. We were wrong and you are good. But just because you know how to y in the midne, that does not mean you can also y Support! They¡¯re two different roles, with different things you have to learn and master! We¡¯re here to help you practice, so at least show us some respect by ying your normal role! Shit! I¡¯ll show you what it takes to be a good Support!¡±

    Huang Yang nodded at Xie Qing and chimed in, ¡°We¡¯ll make those brats pay for being so cocky! I got your back!¡± He then turned to look at Luo Yu and asked, ¡°You should be ok in mid, right? I can put my focus on the botne, yeah?¡±

    Luo Yu nodded in affirmation. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± He stared at the portrait of the Veigar. Why does this feel likest game all over? Don¡¯t tell me she actually knows how to y mid¡­ If her mid is anywhere near as good as her Jungle, then I might actually need help from Huang Yang¡­ He took a long, deep breath, trying to calm the worries rampaging in his mind. He listened to his teammates, who were talking about smacking Team Shanghai down a notch. We¡¯re talking about stomping them again. This game is different, but it also feels exactly the same. Are we making the same mistake again?

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner''s Rift!¡·

    It didn¡¯t take long for Luo Yu to realize why he was so worried about this game. The role swap didn¡¯t weaken Team Shanghai. Quite the opposite, really. It helped them improve on their synergy so dramatically that they were ying better than in the previous game! And his teammates knew as much, a constant stream ofints flooding the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Luo Yu zoned the noise from his teammates out and focusedpletely on the midne. He was a Challenger. Teams from the LPL were watching him closely, and one of them had even reached out to him. There were very, very few Miners in all of China who could beat him. But one of them was apparently the Miner from Team Shanghai. A kid from high school had outyed him to such an extent that he never even really got into the game. He was still searching for himself, even after the second game had already started. And it wasn¡¯t any better now. She isn¡¯t him. But she¡¯s got some of his traits¡­ Her positioning, wave control,st hitting¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Where did these twoe from? I¡¯m missing CS and I can¡¯t even get any poke damage in. She¡¯s just outying me. I¡¯m even missing my abilities¡­

    Luo Yu took a deep breath and held it. He wanted to focus and win, but he wasn¡¯t just ying against the girl on Veigar; he was also ying against himself. I should be better than this. I¡¯m one of the best Miners out there. Why am I losing to that kidst game? Is he that good? Or am I just having an off-day? Is that it¡­ There was a constant buzz in his head, distracting him. All right. He puffed out all the air in his lungs. She¡¯s a good Miner. I need to ept that. Ignore everything else. Just focus on ying against her.

    An Xin sat in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, smiling. She had her Veigar walk back and forth,st hitting minions while also looking tond some poke damage on Luo Yu¡¯s Orianna. Mid, huh? This has been a while. Lin Feng always takes mid. But it¡¯s always fun when I do get to y here! Her smile grew wider and her eyes started shining. She moved her mouse and lightly grazed the buttons on her keyboard. Luo Yu is good. This is going to be double fun!

    ?

    The surprise Luo Yu felt in the midne wasn¡¯t anything like what Qiu Le and Xie Qing were experiencing in the botne. They¡¯d been fired up and wanted to teach Lin Feng a lesson. In their minds, he was a cocky high schooler trying to show off. But they soon found out just how wrong they were. Lin Feng was a far better Support than they¡¯d ever believed possible. And right now, he was schooling them and not the other way around.

    Four minutes into the game, Xie Qing¡¯s Janna pushed up to the middle of thene, creating room for Qiu Le¡¯s Jinx tond somest hits on minions. Thresh suddenly walked out of the middle brush along the bottom side of thene. He was on top of Xie Qing¡¯s Janna a momentter and yed her towards Red Team¡¯s outer tower, slowing her.

    Tang Bingyao had yed enough games together with Lin Feng to know exactly what to expect from him. She had her Lucian run forward before Thresh¡¯s y even connected with Janna, and then closed the final bit of distance with Relentless Pursuit. Lucian lifted his two relic guns and fired a double-shot at Janna! This was the effect of his passive skill. Every time he cast an ability, his next auto attack became a double-shot. Lucian took aim at Xie Qing¡¯s Janna again, this time shooting a Piercing Light through her! And followed up with another double-shot!

    Xie Qing¡¯s screen shed red, warning him of his Janna¡¯s low health. He mashed on his keyboard and had his Janna sh towards the safety of Blue Team¡¯s outer tower. She didn¡¯t run straight for her tower, instead taking a sharp turn left. He hasn¡¯t used his Q yet. I ne¡ª

    Lin Feng grinned and pressed down on his Q key¨CDeath Sentence! Thresh wound up his scythe and then threw it to Janna¡¯s left. As the scythe flew through the air, Janna walked right into the hook. He then threw hisntern towards Tang Bingyao before dashing at Janna with the second part of Death Sentence! He followed up by igniting Janna, an unquenchable me burning away at her health!

    Tang Bingyao clicked on thentern. Her Lucian dashed through the Dark Passage to arrive right next to Lin Feng. She targeted Janna with an auto attack, followed by Ardent ze. Lucian raised his relic gun and shot a missile at Janna! It exploded in a star shape. Then he raised both his guns and aimed at Janna for a double-shot.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. ¡°I made a great y there! And your follow up was ok too, Tang Tang!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding. She nced at Lin Feng and smiled. It¡¯s so much fun to y with you in the botne. We should do this more often... She¡¯d yed together with a lot of different Supports over thest few months. There were Wei Dong, who was far too defensive for her liking, and Zeng Rui and An Xin, both of whom were rather methodical in their approach. It always shed with her far more aggressive style, and she found herself having to adapt constantly. But when she yed with Lin Feng, she could be as aggressive as she wanted. And he was usually even more aggressive than her! He yed the exact kind of style that she loved the most! He¡¯s the best, mhm!

    The Boners in Shanghai University of Finance team¡¯s soundproof booth stared at their monitors, dazed and numb. It was only several minutes ago that they were discussing how they were going to stomp Thresh. The Miner who came to troll in the botne, that was how they initially saw him. And then he started pressuring them. Qiu Le found it hard to getst hits, and Xie Qing was forced to y more aggressively just to help his ad-carry stay even in creep score to Lucian.

    ¡°How the fuck did he hit that hook...?¡± Xie Qing mumbled.

    ¡°What do you mean? You walked right into it! You should¡¯ve just walked straight to the tower!¡± Qiu Le cursed, annoyed.

    ¡°I was dodging! It¡¯s like he knew where I was going to dodge!¡± Xie Qing argued.

    The same discussion was being held by the yers on Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s second team. They were watching the game on therge LCD screen in the university¡¯s clubroom. They could all tell that Xie Qing was trying to dodge. And they agreed none of them would¡¯vended that hook. They would¡¯ve thrown it in the wrong direction entirely. But this high schooler had hooked Xie Qing¡¯s Janna.

    ¡°What the hell! Man, is that Thresh cheating or something?¡± ¡°How can he? He¡¯s on ourputer¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me how he hit that hook!¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW! I DON¡¯T!¡± ¡°Right, man¡­ Because that was ridiculous! No one is that good!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a fucking cheater, I¡¯m telling you!¡± ¡°Yeap! That¡¯d exin so much!¡±

    ?

    Huang Yang had spent the first six minutes of the game farming his Jungle to get some levels and his first big item. Now he was ready to gank. He ran down the river and arrived in the botne just as Lucian was pushing the minion wave towards the blue outer tower. His Lee Sinnded a Sonic Wave on Lucian, locating onto his position, and then dashed at him with Resonating Strike!

    Tang Bingyao smiled. Zeng Rui was the Jungler for Team Shanghai this game and he spent most of his gold on wards. That was why she knew Lee Sin wasing long before he reached thene. And right now, after waiting for him to dash at her, she clicked on Thresh¡¯sntern that was waiting right next to her. She dashed at Thresh and pulled Lee Sin with her.

    Huang Yang¡¯s pupils contracted. He ced a ward down as fast as he could and hopped towards it mid-dash¨CSafeguard! And then Thresh¡¯s scythe hooked him. In the brief moment where he didn¡¯t have control over where his Lee Sin was going, Lin Feng¡¯s Thresh threw a Death Sentence and hooked him! ¡°WHAT THE¡ª¡±

    Lin Feng activated the second part of Death Sentence. He flew towards Lee Sin, whose skills were now on cooldown, and then yed him in the direction of Red Team¡¯s outer tower. ¡°Baited!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat,ughing.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV and An Xin¡¯s Veigar appeared at the river entrance in botne. An Xin twisted the edges of space to create a cage around Jinx and Lee Sin. Janna was too far away, unfortunately, and got away. Zeng Rui followed up with a g-tossbo, knocking Jinx and Lee Sin up into the air, beforeing down on them with Cataclysm!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian quickly dashed a short distance forward in a Relentless Pursuit! Then she ran thest bit to catch up to her teammates. Jinx and Lee Sin were both almost dead. More importantly, they were standing right behind each other! She took aim at them with both her guns. A piercing light fired from them, shooting through both of them and killing them!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ?

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao destroyed Blue Team¡¯s outer tower after 8 minutes. Jinx and Janna had already retreated back to their inner tower, too scared to get near the Boners from Team Shanghai. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t satisfied with just the outer tower. He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, let¡¯s keep pushing! We¡¯re going to take their inner tower too!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded at him and said, ¡°Mhm!¡± This was exactly what she¡¯d been thinking too. They¡¯re being so defensive. We just need to keep pushing as far as they let us. Maybe we can just take their inhibitor! Hm. The inner tower is more likely though. We can at least give it a try and see how far wee. She pushed the minion wave towards the inner tower and tried to get a few auto attacks on it, but was stopped by Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s Boners.

    ¡°Come!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat. His Thresh was already moving up towards the jungle right above them.

    Tang Bingyao had her Lucian follow after Lin Feng¡¯s Thresh, smiling. We still have to ward. And now we can do that and also take the jungle camps! I want to see that asshole¡¯s face after this! Hmpf!

    Xie Qing was listening to his teammates cursing at Team Shanghai¡¯s Boners while carefully following Lin Feng¡¯s Thresh to keep vision on them. And then he lost vision of them. Quickly followed by ament from Huang Yang that had him looking up. He was distracted and walked past a brush without getting vision on it. That was a big mistake. Thresh walked out of that brush and yed Xie Qing backwards into a spectral wall. This was one of the five walls from the Box, Thresh¡¯s ultimate skill, which applied a powerful slow. Xie Qing knocked himself in the forehead. I¡¯m fucked.

    Tang Bingyao appeared a momentter. She fired a Piercing Light at Janna and followed that up with a double-shot from her two relic pistols. Then she continued with Relentless Pursuit and another double-shot. The damage kept oning and Janna had no teammates or defensive structures nearby to hide behind. She threw the skills she had at Tang Bingyao, but that didn¡¯t save her. Janna¡¯s health plummeted and hit rock bottom.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    The words from the voice announcer echoed in the headphones from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. The four yers still alive had had enough. They were being toyed with, and they wouldn¡¯t have it like this any longer! There was no discussion about it. Everyone was on the same page. Huang Yang charged from his top side jungle down towards where Xie Qing¡¯s Janna died! Luo Yu¡¯s Orianna followed right behind him from the midne! And Gnar teleported to a ward that Qiu Le ced inside the bottom side jungle!

    Lin Feng saw the Gnar teleporting, Orianna running down into the jungle and Jinx running up into the jungle. ¡°Huh?¡± he mumbled. Then he chuckled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re angry.¡± He turned to look at Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°We should probably run¡­ Tang Tang, let¡¯s run! Now!¡±

 Chapter 259: Misdirection is my Maiden Name

    Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s clubroom was abuzz. Everyone had their eyes locked on therge LCD screen above the stage. Two yers from Team Shanghai were caught out in Blue Team¡¯s bottom side jungle! Qiu Le¡¯s Jinx ran at them from the botne, Gnar teleported in from the side, Huang Yang¡¯s Lee Sin came running from the top side jungle, and Luo Yu¡¯s Orianna charged into the jungle from the midne!

    ¡°GO GO GO! GET THAT SHUTDOWN GOLD!¡± ¡°We¡¯re finally getting some kills back! Serves them right for being so cocky!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way they¡¯re getting out of this, right?¡± ¡°HAHAHA! FINALLY SOME SWEET JUSTICE! SWEEEEEEEET JUSTICE!¡± ¡°Who do you think will get the kills? Jinx, right? Or maybe Orianna?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. All I care about is that we finally turn this damn game around and win! GO QIU LE!¡± ¡°DAMN RIGHT! We need to beat those high schoolers!¡±

    None of these roars prated the double ss of the soundproof booths. There were no distractions for Team Shanghai, only the game in front of them. Lin Feng flicked his mouse to look at his surroundings. His Thresh and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian were behind enemy lines. Four champions from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team were copsing on them. There were only two ways out of this situation. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao could either run into Blue team¡¯s base andmit sudoku, or they could fight a way through Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. Lin Feng chose to go with this second option. He said to Tang Bingyao over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Click myntern right after I hit the hook.¡±

    Lin Feng ced down his Lantern next to Tang Bingyao and then shed towards the Red Buff Camp. He walked into the clearing, pulling the string of hisntern to its maximum range. There he waited for a brief moment. He had no vision on the other side of the wall, but he knew when Orianna had left the midne. She should walk on the other side of this wall in 3, 2, 1¡­ He activated Death Sentence. Thresh threw his scythe over the jungle wall and hit a blind hook on the Orianna. ¡°Click it!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he activated the second part of Death Sentence, pulling himself towards Orianna.

    Luo Yu stared at his screen, dumbstruck. Then he quickly shook his head and pressed on the Alt and E keys! With alt he targeted himself and with E he cast Command: Protect! Orianna¡¯s Ball attached to herself, granting a shield! Luo Yu wanted to follow up with all his damage abilities. He wanted to kill the Thresh and Lucian! But before he could activate another skill, the edges of space warped around his Orianna and materialized in a cage of dark energy!

    An Xin¡¯s Veigar had followed Orianna into Blue team¡¯s bottom side jungle. Afternding the stun with Event Horizon, she unleashed her full damagebo! W! Q! R! Veigar called a great mass of dark matter to fall from the sky! Then he gathered dark energy at the tip of his staff and hurled it at Orianna with Baleful Strike! He finally unleashed his ultimate skill. PRIMORDIAL BURST! Dark magic gathered around his staff into a miniature star! He fired it at Orianna, the massive explosion of magic draining away nearly all of her health!

    Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao arrived in front of Orianna. She was still stunned and Veigar¡¯s damage had taken away 99% of her health. Both Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao clicked on Orianna, the kill stealing habit strong in both of them. It was Lucian¡¯s higher attack speed thatnded him the kill.

    ¡¶Unstoppable!¡·

    The university students spectating the match all fell silent. They stared at therge LCD screen in a daze. Team Shanghai¡¯s Boners werepletely out of position. By all rights, they should¡¯ve died! But not only did they survive, they even picked up a kill on their way out of enemy territory! The awareness required to make the right call and the skill to execute it wlessly was far beyond what these students were capable of.

    ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Did that just happen? Lol. What? How?¡± ¡°That hook on the Orianna. How did he know she was there?¡± ¡°Told you he was cheating! Tell me, how else could he hook Orianna?¡± ¡°Right! He¡¯s a cheater! Like maybe he can look five seconds into the future or something!¡± ¡°Idiot, stop reading so many webnovels¡­¡± ¡°But how else did he know where the Orianna was!? That was so crazy!¡± ¡°Probably because he saw her walk away from the midne. He just made an educated guess¡­¡± ¡°Bullshit! He¡¯s a cheater! HE HAS TO BE! NO ONE IS THAT GOOD!¡±

    Back in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng was patting himself on the shoulder. He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m really good at escaping too!¡± Then he turned to look at BunBun and added, ¡°That was a great save! You really helped us out there! I bet that really tilted them!¡±

    ?

    Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team had been pretty annoyed before the first game of the scrimmage even started. That annoyance grew further in the first game, where they gotpletely outssed by Team Shanghai. And now, in the second game, they lost it. Team Shanghai had changed their lineup, which felt like the biggest p in the face to Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. As if Team Shanghai were saying that Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team wasn¡¯t good enough to face Team Shanghai¡¯s main team.

    There were only 10 minutes yed in the second game, but Team Shanghai was already pulling far ahead. Their Veigar and Lucian especially were far stronger than their counterparts on the university¡¯s team. It was the breaking point for Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. They were raging and started making stupid mistakes, like taking fights they knew they shouldn¡¯t. But the tilt dictated their y, blind hatred for Team Shanghai causing them to run in every single hook Lin Feng¡¯s Thresh threw at them.

    After 15 minutes, Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team was at a 4,000 gold disadvantage. This difference grew to 6,000 in the following five minutes. It was clear to everyone watching that Team Shanghai was going to win. If this were a normal game, Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team would surrender. But this game was too important to them. They absolutely couldn¡¯t lose it! So they continued ying, continued making mistakes, and continued falling further and further behind.

    Team Shanghai spent the next 10 minutes destroying towers and two out of the three inhibitors from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team. They then took Baron Nashor, using the strong buff it gave to storm Blue team¡¯s base. The university team made theirst stance beneath the two Nexus towers. It was a short scuffle. A stomp, for it really couldn¡¯t be considered a fight. Team Shanghai got five kills, giving away none, and then destroyed the two towers.

    The energy in Blue team¡¯s nexus twisted and twirled, smashing against the ss cage that contained it. When Team Shanghai broke the barrier, this energy rushed out and morphed into the victory emblem. Team Shanghai had won the best of three series versus Shanghai University of Finance with a resounding 2-0!

    ?

    Team Shanghai walked out of their soundproof booth into an absolutely silent university clubroom. A hundred pairs of eyes were on them, but no one said anything. Then the door to the other soundproof booth opened. The yers from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s team walked out, their gazes steady on the floor. They walked up to Team Shanghai and shook hands with the yers, trying very hard to look away from their fellow students in the clubroom.

    Luo Yu shook Zeng Rui¡¯s hand and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Good game. You guys were the better team.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and replied, ¡°Thank you. You guys yed well.¡± But the smirk on his face told another story. ¡°Haha! We beat you! Suck on that!¡±

    Lin Feng walked up to Luo Yu and asked, ¡°Hey, you said something about your second team, right? Are we going to y a best of three against them next? Are they better than your team?¡±

    Everyone in the university¡¯s clubroom turned to look at five people who were trying to sneak away. The five yers from Shanghai University of Finance¡¯s second team stopped where they stood, their eyes shifting around. Then they scratched the back of their heads, whistled and looked up at the ceiling, pretending like they hadn¡¯t a clue why everyone was looking at them.

    ¡°Ah, u-uh, man, the weather sure is great today!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Oh, hey, there. Is that a cobweb? We should go and look for the janitor¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, his office is right around the corner. Let¡¯s just go and tell him¡­¡± ¡°Right! We should do that! Come, we don¡¯t have any time to waste!¡± ¡°Exactly! We can¡¯t let guests see how poorly this ce is kept. Let¡¯s go yell at the janitors!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at the members from the university¡¯s second team and said, ¡°Pff, what terrible acting.¡±

    An Xin winked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°See? What did I tell you?¡± She didn¡¯t wait for a reply and continued herself, ¡°That they were going to pay for underestimating us girls! Look at them paying!¡±

    ?

    Qiu Le watched the yers from Team Shanghai leave the clubroom. He then turned to his teammates and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the other two high school teams at the Collegiate Cup are going to be this good¡­¡±

    Xie Qing nodded wide-eyed and mumbled, ¡°I hope not¡­¡±

    Huang Yang scratched his forehead, using his arm to hide the embarrassment on his face, and said, ¡°Can¡¯t be. These five have to be the best. They just have to be. It can¡¯t be any other way. It can¡¯t be!¡±

    Luo Yu didn¡¯t join in the conversation with his friends and teammates. He watched the yers from Team Shanghai walk away until long after they¡¯d left the clubroom. I guess we should¡¯ve seen thising. I knew how good Zeng Rui was. If he came to me for a scrim, it was because he was confident in his team. We should¡¯ve never underestimated them! But how couldn¡¯t we? They had two girls on their team! You just don¡¯t see that inpetitive League¡­ You don¡¯t even see it in normal League! But it¡¯s good we found out about this now. The Winter Collegiate Cup is only a few weeks away. It¡¯s going to be interesting. We should prepare for anything.

    With a loud sigh, Luo Yu turned to his teammates and said, ¡°Alright, quit the moping. We learned a valuable lesson in this scrim. There is still plenty of time until the actual tournament. Let¡¯s take the lessons we can from today and focus on our training.¡± He paused for a brief moment and then continued, ¡°And when we y against them the next time, we¡¯re going to beat¡­ them¡­¡± Luo Yu suddenly turned back to look in the direction that Team Shanghai left in. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± he mumbled. Don¡¯t tell me they did the role swap in the second game just to throw us off? Was that just a tactic to keep us guessing at how they¡¯re going to y at the Winter Collegiate Cup? Are they thinking that far ahead? No¡­ It can¡¯t be. Or can it? Was this second game all a trick to throw us off?

    ?

    Team Shanghai was walking back to the train station, chatting about the scrimmage against the Shanghai University of Finance. The main topic was the role swap, with Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao guessing as to why they did it. Lin Feng suddenly smacked his head and shouted, ¡°I know! We wanted to hide how good we are!¡±

    An Xin nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Yep! You¡¯re right! For once. We did the role swap to prevent them from getting too much information on us!¡±

    Zeng Rui chimed in, ¡°Correct. They¡¯re our opponent in the East China regionals. That role swap was a smokescreen, because I didn¡¯t want them to use these two games to make a game n against us. I think it worked. They should have a nice headache.¡±

    Zhang Hao looked in surprise and shouted, ¡°Oh, I see! That makes sense!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. Smart n.¡±

    Lin Feng, on the other hand, shrugged and said, ¡°Eh, what does it matter? We¡¯re going to stomp them anyway!¡±

    Zeng Rui felt his eyebrow twitching again, something that was happening a lot in recent weeks. He gritted his teeth and wanted to punch Lin Feng, but he held himself back. He took a deep, calming breath and looked at Lin Feng. He always has a big mouth and he sounds like a thundering dumbass! But he also always wins. He¡¯s better than everyone else. And he¡¯s only getting better. I don¡¯t even know how exactly, but he¡¯s winning¡­ easier? I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s doing it, but he¡¯s far better than we are. He has a reason to be so confident. He shook his head. But that¡¯s no reason to be cocky. He should learn from BunBun. He finally said, ¡°In any case, we just have to keep practicing. The tournament starts on December 8th. That¡¯s in a week and a half already and we¡¯ve got a lot more room for improving.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°That¡¯s only a few days after Tang Tang¡¯s birthday! Her birthday is on the 4th of December! That¡¯s only a few days!¡±

    An Xin nced over at Lin Feng and mumbled, ¡°Idiot.¡±

 Chapter 260: Asking the Wife About a Gift For the Mistress

    Team Shanghai returned to their gruelling schedule of training every day! There was no rest for the wicked! The Winter Collegiate Cup was right around the corner and they were still a long way away from being able topete for the title. And that was exactly what they were going for. Anything less than winning the championship was uneptable! Not just for Team Shanghai, but also for Fang Hao and Chu Fang. They were well aware of how good Lin Feng was at League of Legends. If Lin Feng really gave it his all, they were convinced he would lead his team to the title.

    But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t thinking too much about practicing. He was celebrating the victory against Shanghai University of Finance together with Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao. That win was a big confidence booster, lifting the pressure right off their shoulders. Zeng Rui was fortunately a realist. He quickly put an end to the joy by reminding the team that the Shanghai University of Finance was only a top 8 team in China. ¡°We¡¯re not ying to get into the top 8. We y to win. Right now, we can¡¯t even win the regionals. There are two other teams in the East China region that are far better than the Shanghai University of Finance. You might¡¯ve heard about them before. They are Fudan University and Zhejiang University. I¡¯ve only seen them y in thest Collegiate Cup, but we should assume they¡¯re better now than they were then.¡±

    An Xin nodded along with everything Zeng Rui said. She spent much of her free time watching reys from the previous Collegiate Cup. And the rest of her free time went towards discussing what she¡¯d seen with Zeng Rui. She looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°The skill differences between those two and Shanghai University of Finance is really big. I don¡¯t think we can confidently beat them, or at all. It¡¯s a toss up really. A 2-1 result that could go either way. And remember, they only made it to the semisst year. I also watched the finals¡­ Those two teams were good.¡±

    ¡°Really? No! We can¡¯t let that happen!¡± Lin Feng eximed. Then he shook his head and continued, ¡°We have to practice harder! We¡¯re going to win this tournament! Top 4 means nothing!¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng, ready to erupt. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying! Thundering dumbass! Do you always have to be this stupid? Why can¡¯t you use your brain for once? He sighed and massaged his temples. Calm, calm. He finally looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Of course we want to win. But it¡¯s not easy. There can be only one!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Yeap. There can be only one! Now let¡¯s focus on our training.¡±

    It was the sign for everyone to sit back down behind theirputers. They then turned to look at Zeng Rui and An Xin, who started exining the strategy and tactics the team were going to practice next. Before long, they were putting the game n into action against Master and Challenger rank teams. And they won. They always won. The tactics looked perfect, the execution wless. No one could beat them! Lin Feng got excited again! But then An Xin and Zeng Rui hit the team with a dose of reality. Their opponents weren¡¯t tryharding, nor did they have a Lin Feng on their team. An Xin then pulled up a recording of the game and pointed out all the mistakes they made, so that they could learn from them.

    Team Shanghai used this method of nning, ying, reviewing, and adapting to improve as quickly as they could. They yed game after game, day after day. The only distraction to the monotony was their old teammates who would asionally drop by to watch the games. To be impressed. Both the yers from Shanghai High School and High School 13 were absolutely amazed by the immense progress Team Shanghai had made in only a few weeks of training.

    Ouyang was particrly stunned. He remembered High School 13¡¯s training regime for the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Back when they started, he was only Gold. But the training had helped him climb up thedder to tinum. That practice was just right for him. He understood what was expected of him and how he could improve. But when he listened to Zeng Rui and An Xin discussing tactics and then rying that to the rest of the team, he was drawing nks. The level of micro management was so high that he waspletely lost. But he could see that it worked. The team won just about every game! He smacked his forehead and said, ¡°Sweet Brosus! It¡¯s like I¡¯m watching my best bros bing a professional team! I bet the LSPL doesn¡¯t have anything on you! How are you all this good?¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°I told you! I¡¯m really good at League of Legends too! And the others are okay too!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng. She wanted to say something. HMM? What was that? I dare you to say it again! But Zeng Rui¡¯s old teammates and Wei Dong changed the topic before she could. Their eyes were on Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao.

    ¡°You two are ying so well together! It¡¯s like you two have been at it for years!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Boners with such good synergy!¡± ¡°You two are the perfect couple! Like a match made in heaven!¡± ¡°Right, right! Zeng Rui is the shield who holds down the fort! Nothing gets past him!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! And Tang Tang is the spear! She¡¯s sharp and deadly! No one can stop her! All perish in her way!¡± ¡°Uhh, yeah, something like what they said. You two are ying really well together!¡±

    Lin Feng was about to say something stupid, An Xin could see it. She raised her finger and grabbed his attention. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± she mouthed.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t entirely braindead. He swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. I¡¯m really good too! I Supported Tang Tang against a university team during our scrim and totally carried us to a win! You should¡¯ve seen my Support! I¡¯m really good at Supporting too! He instead grinned and said, ¡°Zhang Hao is also doing really well in the topne!¡±

    It was one of the most sensible things Lin Feng had said. Team Shanghai really was doing well. The botne was makingrge strides, but so was Zhang Hao in the topne. He was putting in better and better performances, and he almost never lost hisne matchups anymore. An Xin was doing even better. She was the quiet carry of the team, always arriving in time for a counter gank or to help a teammate pick up a kill. But the most impressive yer of the team was still Lin Feng. There was just something about the way he yed that was different from everyone else. No one on the team could quite exin how it was different, but they all knew they were witnessing something very special when he really started ying.

    Liu Yue suddenly sped Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and eximed, ¡°My god! I bet there¡¯s almost no one in the entire Collegiate Cup who can beat you guys! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°We just have to make sure that we beat the few teams who do stand a chance against us. It¡¯s not going to be so easy. We still have a lot more training to do.¡±

    ¡°BunBun is right! We have to beat everyone!¡± Lin Feng agreed. Then he struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°And we¡¯re going to beat them all! First ce will be ours! No one can stop us!¡±

    ?

    Tian Tian was back to work after his short holiday break following Worlds. The new LPL season was around the corner and he had to practice for that. But more time consuming were therge number of sponsorship events KG had lined up for him. He went from one event to the next and barely even had the time to call Lin Feng, let alone meet up with him for an afternoon of gaming. But he did want to talk with his best friend, so he eventually made the excuse that he had to go to the bathroom for a number two. Once inside, he took out his phone and dialed Lin Feng¡¯s number.

    The two good friends talked briefly about random subjects, until Lin Feng couldn¡¯t contain himself any longer and shared that he was ying in the Winter Collegiate Cup after all. ¡°Y-you¡¯re really going to y in the Winter Collegiate Cup?¡± Tian Tian asked, incredulous. ¡°That''s so unfair for everyone else, haha! You¡¯re the best yer in the world. Y-you¡¯ll easily win this!¡±

    ¡°I know, right? I think so too!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. ¡°Oh, right! Fatty? Remember Tang Tang? She¡¯s going to be our team¡¯s ad-carry. Well, her birthday is this weekend. We¡¯re giving her a big party! You should alsoe! It doesn¡¯t matter that you don¡¯t know her yet! You¡¯re going to be best friends when we make the team anyway!¡±

    Tian Tian sighed and said, ¡°Sorry. I-I can¡¯t. I¡¯m really busy. Maybe I can meet her some other time? When I¡¯m not so busy. I-it¡¯s all these sponsorship events¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Lin Feng replied, disappointment thick in his voice.

    Tian Tian didn¡¯t want to linger on this particr bit. His time with Lin Feng was short and he wanted it to be good. So he asked, ¡°What are you getting her? Y-you know, a birthday present.¡±

    Lin Feng forgot to reply to Tian Tian. He stared at the wall, utterly confused. A birthday present? Huh? Why would I have to give someone a birthday present on their birthday?

    ?

    ¡°Are you actually stupid?¡± Su Xue asked Lin Feng, who was wolfing down ate afternoon snack. ¡°What were you nning? Going to Tang Tang¡¯s birthday party to stuff yourself? A birthday party is to celebrate her birthday! Not to stuff yourself!¡± She rolled her eyes and lectured, ¡°Of course you need to bring a present! And you better put some thought into it! If I hear you bought her a gift card, I won¡¯t ever make dinner for you again! You need to get her a gift that means something to her!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, I see. I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± A gift that means something to her? What even is that? Where do I get that? Is there a special store for those kinds of gifts? Maybe I can search online for them.

    Su Xue noticed the confused look on Lin Feng¡¯s face. He looks like he really doesn¡¯t know. Is it really that¡­ She frowned and probed, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never given someone a birthday present before¡­?¡±

    Lin Feng stopped eating for a moment and looked at the food in his bowl. He finally said, ¡°I think I have, once. I gave BunBun something when it was her birthday when we were young¡­¡±

    ¡°You did? What did you get her?¡± Su Xue asked.

    Lin Feng smiled sheepishly and said, ¡°Oh, uh¡­ I gave her an eraser, I think? It was something like that! Something for school! But you can¡¯t me me for not remembering! It was all the way back in elementary school! That¡¯s just too long ago!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stupid. You¡¯re actually stupid,¡± Su Xue said. She stared at him, trying to think about what to say. She finally shook her head and asked, ¡°In what world does an eraser count as a birthday gift? How did that gift mean something to BunBun!?¡±

    BunBun! Lin Feng started grinning, a mischievous nce shining in his eyes. He ignored Su Xue and started nning out his next moves in his head. BunBun is great at buying gifts! She¡¯ll know what I should get Tang Tang! This is perfect! She¡¯ll know what a meaningful gift is too, so I won¡¯t have to look it up online!

    ?

    An Xin held her phone to her ear and listened to Lin Feng bbering on about needing help to buy Tang Bingyao a meaningful gift. Does he even know what meaningful means? She shook her head and asked, ¡°So you want me to help you pick out a birthday present for Tang Tang? Why should I?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how to pick one out myself!¡± Lin Feng replied, excited as always. ¡°You know I don¡¯t have any experience buying birthday presents!¡±

    An Xin curled her lips and asked, ¡°Oh, is that so? I seem to recall you have a lot of experience. Like back in third grade, when you got me an eraser¡­ That was a pretty meaningful gift, don¡¯t you think? Very meaningful.¡±

    Anyone could hear the thick sarcasm in An Xin¡¯s voice. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just anyone. He was someone special! Heughed and said, ¡°Yeah! I got you a birthday present back then! So now you can return the favour!¡±

    An Xin was speechless. Dumbstruck. Everything was a nk for a brief moment, and then a world of abuse flooded her mind. She forced herself to take deep, calming breaths. But they didn''t help. She only got more upset the longer she thought about it. I NEED TO PUNCH YOU!

    ¡°Please! BunBun! I need your help! I¡¯m no good with these things and you¡¯re the only one I can turn to! I¡¯ll even treat you to dinner as thanks! How does that sound?¡± Lin Feng begged.

    Dinner? An Xin¡¯s anger and rage disappeared, reced with a smile. Dinner sounds good. I¡¯d like that. But I can¡¯t let him know. He¡¯ll just think he did something right¡­ She said in a stern voice, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll help you. But only this once.¡±

    ¡°REALLY!?¡± Lin Feng eximed in excitement.

    ¡°Yes,¡± An Xin said. She then paused for a brief moment before adding, ¡°But you better treat me to some really fancy dinner after we get you a present for Tang Tang. And I swear, if it¡¯s not fancy, I¡¯ll make your life hell!¡±

 Chapter 260.1

    Hey guys! Rise Shanks, Devshard, and Sietse here! (Holy shit, we sound like we belong to an actual org when we include the Rise as a prefix to our names. Instant +25 to the cool modifier right there.)

    Okay. That mild bit of our usual nonsense aside, this is a mid-trantion interlude to have a serious conversation and gather some real feedback from you guys. We¡¯ve always been open with you guys about everything going on behind-the-scenes and keeping everything to do with Rise absolutely transparent. Obviously there are things that we cannot share because they deal with as a whole. But those things usually have very little to do with Rise so it doesn¡¯t matter in the grand scheme of things. The reason we¡¯re making this particr mid-trantion chapter is because we''ve been publishing Rise for almost 6 months now and there¡¯s a little bit of a troubling trend with the numbers.

    As most of you already know by now, we worked on Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed The World before Rise. And in all honesty, our release rate for Rebirth was god awful. For most of that trantion, we bounced between 3-5 chapters/week. And we didn¡¯t even do that at a regr release schedule. There would be some weeks where no chapters would show up for 5 days and then 3 chapters would drop almost one after the other. It was an absolute shitshow, and that is putting it mildly.

    With Rise, we¡¯ve been insanely regr. Unless something insane happens, there is a chapter released every single day. On the few asions where something insane has happened, we¡¯ve made announcements so everyone is aware. All in all, we¡¯ve made huge strides in the professionalism department. It would even be fair to say that Rise is much less of a shitshow.

    Here¡¯s the deal though. The numbers show that people actually liked us more when we were constantly f.u.c.k.i.n.g up and releasing fewer chapters on an absolutely unpredictable schedule. Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World averaged around 2,000,000+ pageviews every month. Not too shabby, right?

    When ites to Rise, we¡¯ve been doing abysmalpared to Rebirth despite improvements across the board. Just as a numbersparison, Rise has gotten 105,000 pageviews in February. We¡¯re a LONG way away from where we were with Rebirth (Dev Aside: PP got much smaller). And to make things even more confusing, Rise got 134,000 pageviews in January (Dev Aside: Smol PP lost 3 inches in 1 month, be even more smol. Sadbois :| ).

    Full disclosure, there is some fuzziness in the Rise pageviews because of how app views are counted and those views being excluded from the numbers that we have and all that. But regardless of app views or not, we¡¯re not even close to doing as well with Rise as we did with Rebirth. And as a fun coincidence to make this sting just a little bit more, thepleted trantion of Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World received 95,000 pageviews in February. Which is insane.

    So it is clear that something isn¡¯t working here. The problem is that we have no idea what that is. Which is why we¡¯reing to you guys. We legitimately do not know what we can change/improve on/issues to deal with to make Rise have simr reader numbers to Rebirth. And this is a weird ce to find ourselves in because we started this trantion out with the assumption that Rise was going to do insanely better than Rebirth did.

    We¡¯ve got a little questionnaire-type thing below. Three super simple questions. If you have anything extra to add, any thoughts or ideas beyond the questions, any otherments or concerns, feel free to throw those on. This is our 6 month trantion team-reader check in to figure out how we can make this novel and themunity around it bigger and more fun for everyone.

    Is what we¡¯re doing with Rise, the trantor thoughts, themunity, andmunity events working? (Super simple Yes/No question with a little expansion. Don¡¯t need to write essays or be super goddamned detailed. If we done f.u.c.k.i.e.d up, tell us where and we¡¯ll figure it out from there.)

    IF YES - Which one would you say we¡¯re doing especially well on and you¡¯d like to see more things in that direction.

    IF NO - What would you say isn¡¯t working for you?

    Have you rmended Rise to friends/acquaintances/other readers in themunity?

    IF YES - Did they like the rmendation and start reading Rise?

    IF NO - Is there anything that you¡¯d like to see improved with the novel that could get Rise to the point where you would strongly rmend it to friends/acquaintances/other readers in themunity?

    Did you find yourself losing interest in the novel at any point in the previous 260 chapters?

    IF YES - Do you recall around which chapters/arc this happened? (You don¡¯t have to be very specific. A general idea is plenty.)

    IF NO - Awesome! Don¡¯t need anything more after this.

    Rise Devshard here! Thanks for taking the time to read this and answering the questions/throwing some ideas out in thements for us. We¡¯re also looking in thements and avable on Discord if you guys have any questions or things you want cleared up. Plz help make smol PP big again! Seriously. Views/reader counts/subscriber numbers are literally the only way for content creators to have big d.i.c.k energy. We would like to walk around like we packing, and we need your help to figure out how to make that happen!

 Chapter 261: Oh! The Garen! Heâ€™s so big!

    Lin Feng ran to Su Xue¡¯s room and poked his head inside. ¡°Xue Xue! I¡¯m going out! Meeting up with BunBun! See youter!¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a reply as he charged to the front door. He quickly put on his shoes and grabbed his coat before mming the apartment door shut behind him. Then he ran down the stairs and through the streets, all the way to the subway station in downtown Shanghai where he¡¯d agreed to meet up with An Xin.

    Lin Feng looked around. Where is she? Why isn¡¯t she here yet? We agreed to meet up here right away! What¡¯s taking her so long! He tapped on his watch, double checking the time, then took out his phone and looked if there were any messages. There was no word from An Xin. It felt like she¡¯d disappeared from the face of the Earth. The minutes ticked by, each next one slower than thest. He impatiently walked back and forth, searching the crowd for a sign of An Xin. Come on! Where are you? Hurry up already!

    It was almost 30 minutester when Lin Feng finally spotted An Xin. He waved at her and shouted, ¡°BunBun! What took you so long? You¡¯re never this slow! I¡¯ve been waiting for 30 minutes! It¡¯s already six!¡±

    An Xin waved back at Lin Feng and walked up to him. ¡°Hey. Sorry. I couldn¡¯t decide what to wear and lost track of time.¡±

    ¡°What to wear?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He looked An Xin up and down. Is that jacket new or something? It looks fancy, but didn¡¯t she wear that to school the other day too? And I can¡¯t really see what she¡¯s wearing underneath¡­ Looks like a blouse and vest? What¡¯s so special about that? She always likes to wear a blouse and vestbo... He kept searching for an answer to his question, his eyes following down the curves of her body to her long, slender legs. That skirt is short, but it isn¡¯t all that different from the school uniform. Maybe it¡¯s her leggings? Did she worry that it¡¯s too cold for them? It is kind of chilly¡­ He scratched the back of his head and sheepishly asked, ¡°Uh, is it because you didn¡¯t know if it was warm enough for leggings? It¡¯s kind of cold, you know¡­¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng. She¡¯d known something was up when he looked confused. And she definitely knew something stupid wasing when he was inspecting her clothes. But he still managed to catch her off guard. She yelped, ¡°The leggings are warm!¡± She puffed in annoyance and continued, ¡°I won¡¯t argue with a blockhead like you! Come, we¡¯re going to find a birthday present for Tang Tang!¡±

    ?

    An Xin walked Lin Feng to the shopping district. She nced at him and noticed that he was looking at the shops they walked by in amazement. Go figure. He hasn¡¯t been here since moving to Shanghai. How typical. She nodded at him and asked, ¡°So have you thought about what you want to get Tang Tang? Is there anything specific you¡¯re thinking about?¡±

    ¡°Oh, me? Uhh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. What should I get her? What do people get for their friends¡¯ birthdays¡­? He suddenly stopped and said, ¡°Oh! Right! What about that mall in Pudong? You know, the one we went to for the tournament? They should have something! Let¡¯s go and see what they have!¡±

    An Xin chuckled and asked, ¡°You do realize that¡¯s an electronics mall, right? They sellputers, mice, keyboards and all of that stuff. Is your big n to buy Tang Tang a newputer?¡±

    ¡°Uh, hehe¡­¡± Lin Feng chewed on his lips, nervous. ¡°I guess aputer is too expensive¡­ But. But what about a keyboard or mouse? Those don¡¯t cost too much! Oh! Oh! I saw a really cool keyboard when we were there for the Finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! Right before the games! It had all different coloured lights on it! I really wanted to get it!¡±

    An Xin ced her palm on her forehead and took a deep breath. Then she said, ¡°We¡¯re here to buy a gift for Tang Tang, and not for you. Do you think she would like that keyboard?¡±

    Lin Feng was taken aback by this question. He looked at An Xin but didn¡¯t say anything. Would Tang Tang like the keyboard? I don¡¯t know... What does she like? Hmm...

    An Xin shook her head, smiling. He is so obvious. I should help him a little, or he¡¯ll never get there. She said, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng. Try this. Think about the kind of things Tang Tang likes. Maybe it¡¯s something she talks a lot about, or something you¡¯ve seen her look at in a store window. Just something that she¡¯s passionate about.¡±

    Lin Feng scrunched his eyes and stared with great difficulty into the distance. ¡°Hmmm¡­ What does Tang Tang like? What does Tang Tang like¡­?¡± He suddenly snapped his fingers and shouted, ¡°Oh! I know! She likes money! Does that count? Can I just give her some money?¡±

    An Xin moved her head forward as her mouth fell open. It took her a good few seconds to recover from her shock. Then she eximed, ¡°Of course not! Money isn¡¯t a birthday present! That¡¯s somethingzy people give to people they don¡¯t really care about!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and said, ¡°Ah, guess I can¡¯t give her money. It¡¯d be pretty convenient though¡­ Oh, I know!¡± He turned to An Xin and said excitedly, ¡°Tang Tang really likes League of Legends! And, and her favourite champion is Draven! I know just the gift for her! It¡¯s perfect! She¡¯ll love it!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to say that you want to give her a Draven skin I¡¯m going to smack you,¡± An Xin interrupted.

    Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders drooped down in defeat and the smile fell from his face. He asked, ¡°U-uh¡­ But I thought that was a pretty fun gift? It¡¯s something she¡¯s really passionate about!¡±

    An Xin closed her eyes and took a long, annoyed breath. Then she rubbed the back of her head, which had started to throb. He¡¯s going to give me a headache if I let this go on any longer. ¡°Enough. Expecting anything out of you was clearly a mistake! I¡¯ll think of something for you.¡±

    The defeated look disappeared from Lin Feng¡¯s face. He smiled brightly and said, ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t good at picking out gifts! That¡¯s why I called you! You¡¯re going to help me, right? Right!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be proud of that,¡± An Xin cut Lin Feng down. She looked into the distance for a brief moment and then added, ¡°You better treat me to an amazing dinnerter.¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°No worries! I know the best restaurants in Shanghai! I¡¯ll take you to one that¡¯s really, really good! You¡¯ll love it! Their food is the best! I wanted to go and eat there again anyway, so this is perfect!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Wow! This is so cool!¡± Lin Feng eximed, his eyes beaming. He was in a small League of Legends themed shop, browsing through a disy of figurines. ¡°BunBun! BunBun! Here! Look at the Sona! She¡¯s so big! And the Garen! He¡¯s also really big! Oh! Oh! Ezreal! They have Ezreal! And Jinx! There¡¯s a Jinx here! Look!¡±

    An Xin stood a few steps behind Lin Feng, letting him browse the different items. She smiled as he grabbed one figurine after the other, checking them out and shoving them in her face. She nodded and said, ¡°They¡¯re really big, yeah. Cool, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Feng said. Then he looked at An Xin and said, ¡°BunBun, you¡¯re the best! How did you find this ce?¡±

    An Xin¡¯s smile grew wider and she replied, ¡°Of course I¡¯m the best! What did you think?¡±

    Lin Feng had stopped listening again. His full focus was back on the figurines. He excitedly said, ¡°They¡¯re all so cool! Hey, there¡¯s a Graves over there! Ohhh! I really want that Pulsefire Ezreal! It¡¯s the coolest one! Oh, and this one too! This one too! Also that one!¡± He bit on his tongue and paused for a brief moment. Then he asked over his shoulder, ¡°Should I just buy a whole bunch of them?¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Are you buying them for yourself or as a gift for Tang Tang?¡±

    Lin Feng picked up a Jinx figurine and held it up to An Xin. ¡°I feel like Tang Tang will love¡ª¡±

    An Xin smacked Lin Feng across his face, a clear pping sound ringing out in the otherwise quiet shop. ¡°Stop fooling around! This isn¡¯t for you! It¡¯s for Tang Tang! Think, Lin Feng. Think! Would Tang Tang like this?¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his face in pain but didn¡¯t argue any further. He turned back to the disy and started earnestly searching for a gift. What would Tang Tang like? What would she like? This Darius¡­ No. I don¡¯t think so¡­ Maybe that Ahri body pillow? Eh¡­ Ooooh! He ran to another corner of the shop, which had bobbleheads of famous League of Legends yers. ¡°That¡¯s Fatty! BunBun! Fatty! Fatty! BunBun!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s eyes went wide. Everyone in the store had stopped with what they were doing and were now looking at Lin Feng. And from him they looked at her. She felt her face burn up, slightly embarrassed to be linked to Lin Feng right now. She tried to signal him to quiet it down a bit, but he just took it as an invitation to be even louder. He ran at her with a bobblehead in his hand and shouted, ¡°BunBun! BunBun! Look at this! It¡¯s Fatty! This is so cool!¡±

    An Xin tried her best to ignore the stares. But it felt like they were burning into her. She grimaced for a brief moment, then turned to Lin Feng and forced a smile onto her face. ¡°It¡¯s very cute, yes. But you don¡¯t need to show me everything. I¡¯ll look around a bit for myself. You go and search for a gift for Tang Tang. A bobblehead of Fatty is not a fun gift, by the way. Just saying.¡± She watched him run off again, this time going straight for another corner of the store. That warm smile returned to her face. I should¡¯ve known this would happen. He¡¯s just like a kid in the ballpark. It¡¯s kind of cute...

    ?

    Lin Feng eventually settled on two items. The first was the 18 centimeter Jinx figurine he¡¯d found at the very beginning. He was convinced that was the right gift for Tang Tang and An Xin didn¡¯t really fight him on that, though that had more to do with his other gift than anything else. He¡¯d found a Draven keychain that he fell in love with at first sight! Even as the girl behind the counter was wrapping it up, he was telling everyone who¡¯d listen that Tang Bingyao would absolutely love it and that it was the perfect gift.

    An Xin just shook her head. He put his mind to it and tried to think what she¡¯d like. They¡¯re meaningful gifts¡­ from a brainless idiot. But they¡¯re meaningful. Tang Tang will like them. She looked at the gift she¡¯d picked out herself for Tang Bingyao. It was a t-shirt with a teemo print on the front of it. I hope she¡¯ll like this¡­ The size should be right at least.

    Lin Feng suddenly grabbed the t-shirt from An Xin¡¯s hands and held it up. Then he eximed, ¡°That¡¯s really cool too!¡± His eyes started beaming again before he continued, ¡°BunBun! Buy me a t-shirt too! I saw a Blitzcrank shirt in the back over there! Come, I¡¯ll show you! It¡¯s really cool too!¡±

    An Xin didn¡¯t let Lin Feng drag her along. She stared at him and said, ¡°This is a birthday present for Tang Tang. Last time I checked, it¡¯s not your birthday yet.¡±

    The excitement vanished from Lin Feng¡¯s face. He prowled his lip and said, ¡°Oh, okay¡­ I understand. But!¡± His normal grin began to surface again. ¡°When it¡¯s my birthday, can you get me the Blitzcrank shirt? Come, I¡¯ll show you!¡±

    An Xin ignored Lin Feng and gave the t-shirt to the girl behind the counter. Then she said to Lin Feng, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that when it¡¯s your birthday.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Good! It¡¯s settled then! And I¡¯ll also get you something for your birthday! I won¡¯t forget about it!¡±

    My birthday, huh¡­? An Xin paused, staring off into the distance for a while. It wasn¡¯t until Lin Feng tapped her on her shoulder that she remembered where she was. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng took An Xin to a restaurant after they bought their gifts. Lin Feng¡¯s sense of direction was suddenly superb. He knew exactly which restaurant to go to for the most delicious food. Time flew by. And before they knew it, it was already 9 P.M. in Shanghai. The streetmps were on and bright lights shone from therge office buildings and shops all around them. Downtown Shanghai looked even more alive now than it did during the day.

    Lin Feng grabbed An Xin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thanks for today! You really saved me!¡±

    An Xin pursed her lips andined, ¡°I¡¯ve saved you so often now, and all I ever get in return is a thanks¡­¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°I also treated you to dinner tonight!¡±

    ¡°Because I told you that you had to take me to dinner,¡± An Xin countered, frowning.

    Lin Feng looked confused and asked, ¡°What else do you want me to do?¡±

    An Xin tilted her head and thought about it for a moment. Then she shook her head and said, smiling, ¡°Forget it. Just remember, you owe me for tonight.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Feng said, excited again. ¡°Just tell me what you want me to do and I¡¯ll do it!¡± He then looked up at the signs above the subway station. An Xin had to turn right to catch her way home, and he could run like he had on the way downtown or take the subway in the other direction back home. He looked at her and said, ¡°Really, thanks.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± An Xin replied with a smile. Then she winked and added, ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± Lin Feng repeated.

    ?

    An Xin took the subway home and walked thest bit. She turned her key in the lock and opened the front door. The moment she stepped inside, her mother poked her head into the hallway and said, ¡°An Xin! You¡¯re finally home!¡±

    Her father¡¯s voice followed soon after from the living room, ¡°It¡¯s almost 10! Where were you sote?¡±

    An Xin took off her shoes and lightly shook her head. Stupid dizziness. She then forced a smile and said, ¡°Nothing. I was just helping Lin Feng pick out a birthday present for a ssmate. He couldn¡¯t even do that by himself. He¡¯s really stupid.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s father, An Aang, appeared next to An Lin and replied, ¡°So it was Lin Feng¡­ I see... No wonder you¡¯re home a littleter than usual! How is he these days?¡±

    But before An Xin could reply, her mother butted in, ¡°Speaking of Lin Feng, it¡¯s been a while since he visited us. BunBun, tell him toe over for lunch or dinner! I¡¯ll make all of his favorite things to eat.¡±

    An Aangughed and added, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! We all know how much he loves your mother¡¯s sweet and sour salmon!¡± He shook his head before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone eat with such devotion. Your mother is right, tell him toe over for dinner next time!¡±

    An Xin nodded and replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll invite him and tell him you miss him.¡± She then stretched her back and yawned. ¡°Mom, dad, I¡¯m tired. I did a lot of walking with Lin Feng earlier, so I¡¯m going toy down on my bed for a bit.¡±

    An Aang looked at his daughter, worry quickly recing his smile, and said, ¡°Take a bath first. The hot water will help you. Your body has alwa¡ª¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay! I get it! Just let me lie down on bed a bit first. I¡¯ll take a bathter,¡± An Xin replied. Then she brushed past her parents and walked to her bedroom.

    An Lin turned to her husband and whispered to him, ¡°Can you go see if she really is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about her. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine,¡± An Aang said. ¡°She went out for a walk. That counts as exercise. That¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    ¡°But you know that she¡­¡± Mother An pursed her lips and turned to look at An Xin walking to her room. She took a long, deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯m just worri¡ª AN XIN!¡±

    An Xin was walking down the hallway when she felt her knees go soft. The dizziness red, dark swirls blocking most of her vision. She heard someone shouting loudly behind her, but it could just as well have been a church bell ringing. It was loud. And then it wasn¡¯t there anymore. She copsed to the ground and was gone.

    An Lin ran down the hallway screaming, ¡°AN XIN! AN XIN!¡± She threw herself at An Xin, grabbing her daughter with both arms and lifting her up. ¡°AN XIN! AN XIN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?¡± She felt for a pulse and pushed her daughter¡¯s eyelid open. ¡°AN XIN! WAKE UP! AN XIN!¡±

    Indistinct shouts started registering in An Xin¡¯s mind. She focused on them, clutching at them, slowly opening her eyes. I was out with Lin Feng¡­ And then¡­ Did I¡­? She moved around, her mother¡¯s shouts finally starting to make sense to her. I got home¡­ I¡¯m home. She looked up at her mother and then smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Can you stand again?¡± An Lin asked. ¡°Do you want me to help? Can I do something?¡±

    An Xin reached past her mother at the wall and slowly pushed herself up to her feet. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m good. I just need toy down for a bit.¡± She pulled herself free from her mother and then leaned against the wall again. She closed her eyes and tried to dispel thest bit of dizziness. Seems like I pushed myself too much¡­ I need to get some rest.

 Chapter 262: Everybody Loves Gossip!

    Winter wasing! The first day of December. The trees had shed their leaves weeks ago. Now, frost clung to the naked branches. The chill seeped into the buildings through the open windows at night, when the heating was turned down. Then, when morning came around, the high school students from Shanghai struggled to get out of their snug and warm beds and brace the cold. And even for those who did get up, going outside was a hard no.

    The weekend was the time to hang out with friends and y video games at an inte cafe. But that all came to a grinding halt. Some inte cafes even closed their doors due to ack of traffic. The cold weather was to me for all of this. It kept the fingers stiff, which made ying games at the highest level near impossible. And every gamer considered themselves at that highest level! They weren¡¯t about to let something like the weather ruin their rank! So they stayed at home, cuddling their Ahri body pillows, and yed mobile games, watched popr streamers, or browsed online forums for thetest gossip.

    There was one topic that was especially popr when it came to rumours and gossip. That was the Winter Collegiate Cup. New information was posted online every couple of hours, though none of it came from official sources. These were messages from people who imed they were close friends with someone of the organizers or the teams they were gossiping about.

    [+189,482] I¡¯ve heard from reliable sources that a historically dominant team has picked up an amazing new talent! I can¡¯t tell you guys which team it is, or who the yer is, but trust me! This is going to be something really special!

    [+131,652] There¡¯s a quarterfinalist team fromst year who supposedly said in an interview that they weren¡¯t impressed with the recent improvements of some of theirpetition. They¡¯re convinced that they can clinch the title this year! Find out which team made this bold im in the next issue of What Gamers Say!

    [+96,889] Shanghai University of Finance supposedly yed a scrim against a high school team! The reason? That high school team is going topete at the Winter Collegiate Cup! You heard that right! A HIGH SCHOOL team is ying at the COLLEGIATE CUP! You heard it here first from Leaping Asia!

    Each of these posts gained a lot of traction, but it was thest one that saw the most heated discussions. There were a lot of people calling Leaping Asia out for spreading such an outrageous rumour. Comments argued that the Collegiate Cup was for university teams only, as the name of the tournament implied. And that only really dumb people would believe something as ridiculous as high schoolers ying at the university level. But there were also people in thement section who enjoyed the thought of a group of high schoolers beating university teams. It just had a certain ¡®je ne sais quoi¡¯ to it. The overall consensus, though, was that no matter how enjoyable the idea of it might be, it just was too ridiculous of a rumour. No one really believed that the Chinese Esports Association would really invite high school teams to the Collegiate Cup. So it was brushed aside.

    Thatpletely changed on December 4th. There were only four more days until the start of the Winter Collegiate Cup. The Chinese Esports Association posted the participating teams from all seven regions on their official website. It included three high school teams. One representing the Beijing Esports Association, one representing the Guangzhou Esports Association, and thest one representing the Shanghai Esports Association.

    Leaping Asia became an overnight celebrity for his early rumour. Everyone badgered him with questions asking him if he had any more juice tidbits of information. They wanted to know how the Shanghai University of Finance had fared against the high school team. But Leaping Asia kept his lips tightly sealed. He refused to reveal who won, but did say that an educated guess could go a long way. Everyone took this as the university team having won. None of them believed for a second that a high school team was good enough topete at the university level. There was just a level of experience that the high school teams were missing, as well as the hardware and training to get the most out of their talent.

    After the initial explosion of messages died down and the people started to ept the fact that three high school teams were going to participate in the Winter Collegiate Cup, everyone started discussing this change to the format. Two groups of people quickly appeared. One camp believed that this move by the Chinese Esports Association was utter nonsense. They imed that the officials were clearly trying to make a publicity move and that it was this kind of money-thinking that would see the quality of the tournament sharply decline.

    The second group didn¡¯t take such a hard stance. More than anything, they argued that there might be a very good reason for the Chinese Esports Association to make this move. Perhaps, theymented, there were several especially talented yers in the pool of high schoolers and the Chinese Esports Association wanted to give these yers a chance to get experience at the university level.

    ¡¸I think it¡¯s kind of cool. You know? We get to see how good these high school teams are. Maybe they¡¯ll surprise us.¡¹

    ¡¸piss off noob. theyre high shcoolers! itz a waste of my time to watch em y!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸YUUPPPPP those kids gonna be in for a rough pounding¡¹

    ¡¸but they¡¯re representing the three big esports associations! They must have some skill, right?¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah! Maybe they¡¯re just really really really good! Who knows! I¡¯m excited to see this new format!¡¹

    ¡¸some people, like those two ^^^ should be sent to an institute for the mentally unstable!!!¡¹

    ¡¸idk man¡­ maybe they really are somewhat decent. Who knows? few more days and well see¡¹

    ¡¸I¡¯m just really disappointed by this move. The Collegiate Cup is always such a good tournament, because the quality is so high. I just fear that these high school teams are going to drag that quality down. I¡¯ll watch them and really hope I¡¯m wrong, but I think we all know the chances that I¡¯m right are nearly 100%.¡¹

    ¡¸y so negative? GO GO HIGH SCHOOLERS! win this tiny tourney!!!!!¡¹

    The fans of the different university teamspeting at the Winter Collegiate Cup all had their opinions and were eager to share those opinions with anyone who would listen to them. But the teams themselves stayed out of these discussions. There were some rumours from the weaker teams, ranging from curious to furious, but the stronger teams were radio silent. None of them said anything, even to their closest friends. This was because their focus was on preparing for the tournament. They simply didn¡¯t have the time to decide how they felt about having to y against high schoolers. Winning the tournament was all that mattered.

    ?

    The 4th of December! It was Tang Bingyao¡¯s birthday! She was turning 18 years old! Her friends had arranged a party at a hotpot restaurant Lin Feng had scoped out. He imed it had some of the best food in all of Shanghai, which he¡¯d determined after visiting far more restaurants than he should¡¯ve. And they¡¯d also invited all of Tang Bingyao¡¯s friends! There were the people from Senior ss 7, like Ren Rou, Ouyang, Yang Fan, and An Xin. Then there were her friends from the esports club, like Chen Ze, Liu Ye, and Wei Dong. And even the esports members from Shanghai High School¡¯s old team were invited!

    This was originally not the n, but a small incident a couple of days ago saw them suddenly invited. It was at the cybercafe, where Team Shanghai was practicing. Zeng Rui¡¯s old teammates hade to watch the games and were distracting enough that Lin Feng¡¯s mind wandered. He¡¯d suddenly gotten up from his seat and approached Zeng Rui. ¡°Hey! ZengZeng! We¡¯re throwing Tang Tang a birthday party on Friday! You guys should alsoe! We¡¯re all friends now, and the more the merrier, right!¡±

    Zeng Rui had wanted to refuse. He was getting friendlier with Tang Bingyao, but that was only in the setting of Team Shanghai. They didn¡¯t have any contact outside of it, which meant they weren¡¯t exactly friends yet in his book. But An Xin butted in before he could turn the invitation down. ¡°Yeah! You shoulde! We¡¯re on the same team and need to get morefortable with each other! This¡¯ll be a good way for all of us to bond more!¡±

    ¡°What BunBun says!¡± Lin Feng eximed. Then he added, ¡°Though I¡¯m already veryfortable with you! We¡¯re best buds!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his hands in front of him. This doesn¡¯t feel right. We¡¯re not real friends yet. I only know her from ying video games with her. I don¡¯t even know what her favourite colour is! We¡¯re not friends, just colleagues basically. I can¡¯t make it to interrupt her birthday party. That¡¯d be rude. He wanted to say as much, but Lin Feng had already turned to his teammates and invited them too.

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples. His teammates were looking at him, waiting for his answer. An Xin was smiling at him. She knows I have to say yes¡­ And¡­ He looked at Lin Feng. I hate that grin on his face so much! Damnit! He finally rxed his tense muscles and said, ¡°Fine. Fine. Let¡¯s all go together.¡±

    ¡°PARTEEEEEEEH!¡±

    ¡°Awesome! I¡¯m looking forward to it! We¡¯re going to have to look for a gift soon though!¡±

    ¡°I love parties. Love. Them!¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang will like this. You made the right choice, cap.¡±

    ?

    Everyone who was invited to Tang Bingyao¡¯s birthday party had gathered in a hotpot restaurant in downtown Shanghai. They sat with more than a dozen people around arge, round table, chatting happily. And Tang Bingyao stood at the center of this. She nodded at everyone as they all talked to her. And smiled. They¡¯re all here for me. They¡¯re really all here to celebrate my birthday!

    Tang Bingyao was a quiet girl with not a lot of friends. This led to her never really celebrating her birthday with friends. She usually chose to treat herself to a small, simple cake and enjoy that by herself. Or she¡¯d eat breakfast with her grandmother and celebrate it over a poached egg. But that was it. Until now, anyway. She looked at the people who¡¯d all gathered here to celebrate her birthday and her smile grew wider. I have so many friends! Real friends! They¡¯re here because they like me. They want to be here to celebrate my birthday!

    A warm feeling filled Tang Bingyao¡¯s chest. It was a strange sensation, something she hadn¡¯t really experienced before in her life. But she instinctively knew what it meant. I¡¯m happy. I want to be here, with all of them. Mhm! I¡¯m really happy that they¡¯re all here for me! She felt an emotional tear creeping into her eye and quickly wiped it away. I¡­ I need to thank them! Mhm! But how¡­ She looked around the table at everyone having a good time. And then she looked at her wallet. I did make a lot of money from the Shanghai 16 School Tournament... It felt strange in her stomach. She actually wanted to spend money on her friends. But she shook that thought away and got up from her seat. She then took her wallet out of her jacket and waved it around to get everyone''s attention. She announced ¡°U-uh. Today is my treat. Mhm!¡±

 Chapter 263: Itâ€™s Time for a Drinking Game! COLLEGIATE CUP! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!

    A dozen eyes turned to Tang Bingyao, a stunned silence falling over the private room in the hotpot restaurant. Everyone knew how much Tang Bingyao loved money. She wasn¡¯t cheap by any stretch of the word, but she did enjoy making money and didn¡¯t seem to particrly like spending it. Yet right now, in a situation where Lin Feng, Ren Rou, and Ouyang were going to foot the bill, she offered to pay for everything. No one knew what to say or do, Liu Yue¡¯s mouth even falling open.

    It was eventually Ouyang who broke the ufortable silence. He rose to his feet with a drink in his hand, which he raised up into the air while shouting, ¡°Come on, bros! We¡¯re celebrating Tang Tang¡¯s birthday! Let¡¯s sing for her! HAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TANG TANG! HAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TANG TANG!¡±

    Liu Yue was the first to follow Ouyang¡¯s example. He jumped to his feet and started singing just as terribly as Ouyang. Lin Feng followed next, belting ¡°...DEAR TANG TANG! HAAAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOO YOOUUUUUUUUUUU!¡±

    Tang Bingyao felt her face heat up as 14 of her friends had gathered together on her birthday, thrown her a party, and were now singing their lungs out for her! She smiled brighter than she ever had and raised her ss when the song finally ended. ¡°Mhm! Happy birthday to me!!¡±

    The door to the private room opened and several waiters pushed in carts of food. There was a wide variety of food, from the beefiest meat to the greenest vegetables. Everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks in anticipation, urging the waiters to hurry up without actually saying the words. The delicious smellsing from the tters made their stomachs growl. They wanted to eat!

    Ouyang was the first and loudest to dig in. He grabbed meat and ate it. Then he grabbed some more meat and ate that too. All the while, he was dry heaving when a single speck of green made it into his mouth. ¡°Bros, bros, listen! Meat is the food of kings! Real Junglers eat meat! Only meat! Think Rengar, Kha¡¯Zix, Nidalee! They hunt and then they feast on their prey! As for this green shit? You see this?¡± He wagged around a piece of cabbage. ¡°I feel sick just seeing it! Onlyme ass champions like Rammus eat this crap!¡±

    Ren Rou raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°You? A predator? Hah! More like the prey.¡± She turned to the others and continued, ¡°He promised that he¡¯d carry me in rankedst night, so we yed a few games. Guess who fed the enemy Jungler...¡±

    ¡°H-hey! Rou Rou!¡± Ouyang blurted out, his excitement copsing. He fell back into his chair andined, ¡°Don¡¯t just throw me under the bus like that!¡± He nced around him. Looks like they¡¯re all too busy with their own food. That saved me!

    Yang Fan and Chen Ze took an entirely different tactic from Ouyang. Picking out the meat from between the vegetables was too much work for them. Besides, there were plenty of vegetables that, when prepared correctly, were absolutely delicious. So they simply located everything that looked delicious and attacked. There was no hesitation. They ate everything. For if they weren¡¯t fast enough, someone else might beat them to the punch and get the best piece of food!

    There was one other person who stood out. Lin Feng. Everyone had heard about his eating habits at one point or another. Some of them had even witnessed it first hand. But it was still a sight whenever they got to see him again. He wentpletely quiet. Not a word slipped from his mouth. He barely breathed! His entire focus was on the food. And he wolfed it down! Every single piece of food that was within his reach ended up in his stomach. There seemed to be no limit to his hunger! Even a fully stacked Cho¡¯Gath, one of the biggest and fattest Champions on Summoner¡¯s Rift, would lose to him in a food eating contest!

    An Xin, the guys from Shanghai High School, and Liu Yue all stopped eating, their chopsticks halted in midair. They were staring at Lin Feng¡¯s eating frenzy, shocked. There were some horrified mumbles and whispers. None of them understood how he could eat like that. Their voices grew louder as they watched Lin Feng eat faster, until the entire room could hear them.

    ¡°Oh, snap! Lin Feng! Are you being starved at home?¡± ¡°How are you eating so fast! This is insane!¡± ¡°I-is he ok¡­?¡±

    Tang Bingyao sat to Lin Feng¡¯s right. She stared at him stuffing himself, feeling a deafening pang in her side. It was where she kept her wallet. I-I¡­ D-do I have to pay for all this? How is he eating this much? He is eating more than I eat in a week! Where is it all going? Uhmm¡ª¡±

    ¡°Idiot!¡± An Xin yelled at Lin Feng. She sat to his left and was ring at him, reaching out with her chopsticks and dropping a few pieces of Chinese cabbage in Lin Feng¡¯s bowl. ¡°Stop eating meat like a neanderthal! You also need some veggies!¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t the slightest bit fazed. He picked up Chinese cabbage and said, ¡°Sure, BunBun! I¡¯ll eat the cabb¡ª Oh, look at thatmb! Thatmb looks really good too! I¡¯ll just have that first!¡± He dropped the Chinese cabbage back, saliva drooling from his lips as he watched a waitress bring in a tter ofmb meat.

    The waitress was still putting the te withmb meat down on the table, when Lin Feng reached for it. He leaned over Tang Bingyao, trying to get to it. But it was just out of reach. He looked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Uh, eh, hehe, Tang Tang?¡± His eyes shifted between Tang Bingyao and themb meat.

    Tang Bingyao picked up two pieces ofmb meat and dropped them in the hotpot for Lin Feng. Then she turned to him and said, ¡°Hmm, for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Tang Tang! You¡¯re the best!¡± Lin Feng said cheerfully. He briefly hesitated before adding, ¡°You should take themb meat out as soon as it¡¯s cooked! Not a second longer! Or the others might snatch it away!¡±

    Everyone automatically recoiled back. They¡¯d seen and heard Lin Feng say stupid things often enough to know what was toe next. They all turned to look at An Xin, who was already ring at Lin Feng. The terrifying murder-smile appeared on her face. She then said, ¡°HMM? What did you say? Did you just tell the birthday girl that she has to cook for you? I dare you to say that again!¡±

    ?

    When everyone was more or less done with eating, Ren Rou tapped her nail on her ss and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re all done eating, let¡¯s give Tang Tang her presents!¡± She grabbed a beautifully wrapped present with arge ribbon on the top from her handbag and gave it to Tang Bingyao. ¡°This is from me, Tang Tang. Happy birthday!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She epted the gift and started unwrapping it, careful not to damage the ribbon. I wonder what it is. It¡¯s not super big, so maybe some make up? Hmm... She ced the wrapping paper to the side and held a small box in her hands, which she promptly opened. Insidey a beautiful crystal bracelet.

    ¡°Ohhh! That really suits Tang Tang!¡± Ouyangmented. He turned to Ren Rou and added, ¡°As expected from my Rou Rou! She has a real eye for presents!¡±

    Ren Roupletely ignored Ouyang. She waited until Tang Bingyao put the bracelet on. Then she started smiling and nodding in satisfaction. ¡°It does fit you perfectly! Great!¡±

    The others all gave their presents to Tang Bingyao one after the other. Ouyang got her a small pendant, Yang Fang a scarf, and the three guys from Shanghai High School had pooled their money together to buy Tang Bingyao a Mickey Mouse watch. Tang Bingyao epted all of them, the smile on her face growing wider and wider until it looked like she couldn¡¯t be any happier. And then Zeng Rui handed her his gift! She unwrapped it to find a high-end gaming mouse.

    Zeng Rui rubbed his nose awkwardly and ufortably. He coughed and said, ¡°I, uh, figured you¡¯d y better with a better mouse. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Lin Feng saw the mouse that would¡¯ve fit perfectly together with the keyboard he thought of buying. I really want that keyboard! And that mouse! I¡¯d be really good with those two too! ¡°Hey! ZengZeng! That¡¯s an awesome gift! I wanted to get her something like that too! Hey, how about you get me that mouse on my birth¡ª¡± He stopped himself when he caught the re from An Xin. Oh, right, Tang Tang! This is Tang Tang¡¯s birthday! We had to get her something meaningful!

    An Xin pushed Lin Feng aside and gave Tang Bingyao her gift. ¡°This is just a little something. I hope you¡¯ll like it!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she unwrapped the gift and found the Teemo shirt. Her eyes lit up. He looks so cute! Mhm! His tiny red goggles on his head! And that smile! It¡¯s perfect! She looked at her own shirt and then at the people in the room. She briefly hesitated before putting the Teemo shirt on over her normal clothes. ¡°It looks great! I love it!¡± she said. ¡°Thanks, BunBun!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me! Don¡¯t forget about me! There¡¯s still my gift! Last for best! Last for best!¡± Lin Feng butted in. ¡°My present is the best! Here, I got two of them!¡±

    Tang Bingyao epted the two gifts that were shoved into her arms. She looked at them, one big and one small. I wonder what he got me. Her hands trembled as she took therger of the two gifts and started unwrapping it. Please let it be something nice! She took the gift out of the wrapping and found that it was an 18 centimeter tall Jinx figurine!

    Ouyang startedughing. First quietly but very quickly very loudly. ¡°Lin Feng! Bro! Bro! Haha! You got Tang Tang a Jinx, haha! A Jinx figurine! Bro! That¡¯s so brilliant! They¡¯re both t-ch¡ª OUCH!¡±

    Ren Rou smacked Ouyang in the head. She turned to look at Tang Bingyao and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a really cute gift. I can tell that Lin Feng put a lot of thought into it.¡±

    Lin Feng excitedly said, ¡°Of course I did! It¡¯s for Tang Tang!¡± Then he turned back to Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°Tang Tang! Tang Tang! Open the next one now!¡±

    Tang Bingyao opened the second present at Lin Feng¡¯s urging. She fumbled with the wrapping, trying to preserve as much of it as she could. There was a keychain inside. She took it and held it up to get a closer look. That¡¯s Draven! My main champion! He got me a Draven keychain! It looks so nice! Mm-hm, it¡¯s perfect!

    The others also saw what Lin Feng had gotten Tang Bingyao. It wasn¡¯t just Ouyang now, all of them bursted outughing. They pointed at the keychain and started teasing Lin Feng.

    ¡°A Draven keychain is the cutest gift ever! Haha!¡± ¡°Of course Lin Feng gets her the Draven keychain! No one else would¡¯ve thought of that!¡± ¡°He got Tang Tang her main champion! So smart! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hehe! It looks so rough and manly, what a present for Tang Tang!!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t listen to what anyone else had to say about Lin Feng¡¯s gifts. Her eyes were locked on the Draven, sparkling. She grabbed her backpack and carefully attached the Draven keychain to it. Then she turned to Lin Feng, her cheeks flushed scarlet red, and said, ¡°Thank you! I-I really love your gifts. They¡¯re perfect, mhm!¡±

    There was a rare moment of shared understanding in the room. Everyone was in on it except for Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao. Their thoughts all merged into one. She doesn¡¯t care about the gifts, she cares that you gave her those gifts!

    Lin Feng grinned, happy. His eyes were beaming and he nodded fervently. ¡°Yes! Yes! Of course you like them! You know, I¡¯m really good at picking out gifts too!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao was officially 18 now, so it was only to be expected that they had to celebrate it with some alcohol. The original n sounded smart. Nothing would go wrong. But it always went wrong when alcohol was involved. It all started going wrong when Zeng Rui started talking about the Winter Collegiate Cup. The list of teams in the East China Region was online and he¡¯d read through it multiple times already. Now he felt the need toin about it and exin to everyone just how difficult it was for them to make it through the regionals, not to mention what¡¯de after.

    Lin Feng wouldn¡¯t hear anything about it. He ordered a round of shots and ced them in the middle of the table, except for one. That one he ced that one in front of Zeng Rui. He exined, ¡°We¡¯re here tonight to celebrate Tang Tang¡¯s birthday, and not to talk about the tournament! We can do that tomorrow! So whoever starts about the tournament has to take a shot! It¡¯s a fun drinking game!¡± Heughed and pointed at Zeng Rui. ¡°You talked about the tournament, now drink!¡±

    Ouyang and Liu Yue cheered Zeng Rui on, tempting him to y along. And he did. After someints, Zeng Rui grabbed the small ss and swallowed the clear liquid within. He retched but kept the alcohol in. ¡°This is disgusting! What is in it?¡± heined.

    ¡°Who cares?¡± Ouyang asked, roaring inughter. Then he called over a waiter and ordered a round of beers for everyone. It took only a few minutes before everyone had a pint in front of them. There were a few frowns and worried expressions. They were only 18. Most of them hadn¡¯t had more than a sip of beer and weren¡¯t sure whether they liked the bitter taste of it. But that thought was quickly forgotten. This was Tang Bingyao¡¯s birthday party! They were here to celebrate! They raised their sses and shouted, ¡°CHEERS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANG TANG!¡±

    Tang Bingyao cheered with the others and then took a small sip from the beer. Her eyes went wide and she wanted to spit it back out. This is really bitter! She was struggling to keep a straight face. Then she looked at the small sses with the clear liquid. Hmm¡­ ¡°Collegiate Cup.¡± She smiled and grabbed one of the small sses and downed it in one swift movement.

    The others stared at Tang Bingyao in shock. That onlysted for a moment, when they burst outughing and cheering.

    ¡°Tang Tang is amazing!¡± ¡°Nice! Shot, shot, shot!¡± ¡°She downed it! She downed it!¡± ¡°Another one! Another one!¡± ¡°I want one too! COLLEGIATE CUP!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t hear the sounds around her anymore. There was far more alcohol in that clear liquid than she expected. It burned on her lips and set fire to her lungs, until it twisted and twirled warmly in her stomach. The world in front of her started spinning and she heard herself giggling, though she wasn¡¯t quite sure why. W-what¡¯s happening? Is¡­ Is this drunk?¡¯

 Chapter 264: Thereâ€™s Something I Have to Ask; Something I NEED to Know

    A group of barely legal teenagers had far more alcohol in front of them than they should drink. So like the responsible adults they were, they started drinking. One shot was enough for Tang Bingyao to start feeling a little woozy. The other girls quickly moved around her, while the guys were too busy with bragging to each other about just how much beer they could drink before getting drunk. And this was quickly put to the test. But not before Ouyang made a fool out of himself. He¡¯d convinced himself that this was the perfect time to go and flirt with Ren Rou. Everyone watched him fail miserably. Ren Rou justughed at him and then turned back to Tang Bingyao, leaving Ouyang to walk back to his friends with his head hanging low.

    ¡°RIP!¡± Liu Yue shouted inughter. And the others joined in, showing their support for Ouyang with some well ced jokes and a few pats on his shoulder.

    Ouyang red at them, slightly annoyed. I need to drink these assholes under the table! That¡¯ll teach them! He nced at his bag in the corner of the restaurant¡¯s private room. I brought stic cups with me¡­ He started emptying the table and took out a bunch of red stic cups from his backpack. Then he ced them on the table and shouted, ¡°Brought them to y some beer pong with my bros!¡±

    One of the yers from Shanghai High School took a coin from his wallet and stood behind nine cups ced together. Then he threw the coin at the other nine cups on the other side of therge, round table. It fell in the stic cup that was filled with beer. ¡°Drink it!¡± the Shanghai High School yers told Ouyang.

    Ouyang¡¯s jaw dropped. He stared at the guy across the table and wanted to say something, but stopped himself as a second coin arced through the air and fell in a second cup. That same voice boomed in Ouyang¡¯s ears again. ¡°Drink it!¡± Ouyang¡¯s eyes went wide and he quickly moved his hands in front of him. ¡°We didn¡¯t start ying yet! We didn¡¯t start ying yet! I was going to suggest we make it a team game! My best bros against you and your bros! Should be fair, right!?¡±

    Yang Fan shook his head and said, ¡°Who told you to pick a fight¡­? And now you¡¯re asking us to go down with you? You know I¡¯ve never yed that game¡­¡± He mumbled a few moreints, but Wei Dong and Chen Ze had already joined Ouyang at the table. I can¡¯t let them do this by themselves. Our odds are practically zero with me, but it¡¯s better than sitting out. I¡¯ll just y one game. He joined the others at the table and said, ¡°But we¡¯re friends, so I have to help you.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t participate with the beer pong. He walked over to Zeng Rui and sat down next to his new Support, brightly grinning like he liked to do. ¡°Hey, ZengZeng! Let¡¯s have a drink together! Just you and me! We can get to know each other better! That¡¯ll be great for our team!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and raised an eyebrow. Then he shrugged and said, ¡°No thanks. I¡¯d rather think of a strategy for the¡­¡± He cut himself off before saying the words. But he knew he¡¯d said too much, he could see it in Lin Feng¡¯s eyes. Crap. He¡¯s going to make me drink.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes started shining with an evil light. A look that said, ¡°We both know what has toe next. And I¡¯ll be the only one enjoying it!¡± He winked at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°You talked about it that shall not be named! Drink! You know the rules! You have to take a shot!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at the small ss with the clear liquid inside. He then turned back to Lin Feng and said, ¡°The rules say that I cannot say the word. I don¡¯t remember it saying anything about hinting towards it.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°That¡¯s all the same! It that shall not be named was mentioned by you! Down the drink! Down the drink!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head but still reached for the ss. Then he threw the liquid down his throat, its burning sensation making him retch again. Shit, this stuff is disgusting! That was thest one. I won¡¯t have another one.

    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Lin Feng shouted,ughing. Then he grabbed his ss of beer and raised it to Zeng Rui. ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s have another toast! Come! Another toast!¡±

    Zeng Rui raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What are we toasting to this time?¡±

    ¡°Uhh? Duh! To Tang Tang¡¯s birthday of course!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Tang Bingyao had been barely capable of sitting on her chair, falling over every few seconds only to be pushed back up by her friends. She¡¯dugh and giggle and maybe even slur some words before falling over again. But that changed when she heard Lin Feng call out her name. It sobered her straight up. She looked at him and shouted, ¡°Yes! To my birthday of course!¡±

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao, and the two girls standing next to her. She probably shouldn¡¯t have another drink¡­ She¡¯spletely out of it. How much did she have? Only that shot and a beer, right? Did she not have enough food to eat or something¡­? He was suddenly pulled away from his thoughts by Lin Feng clinking a ss against his ss. Then he heard the thundering dumbass¡¯ voice, ¡°We clinked so now you have to drink!¡± He shook his head but raised the ss to Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Cheers!¡± Then he chugged the beer down before turning back to Lin Feng and asking, ¡°Happy?¡±

    ¡°YEAH! DRINKING BUDDIES FOREVER!¡± Lin Feng shouted, showing his own empty ss. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at keeping my alcohol too!¡±

    ?

    High School 13¡¯s guys were ying a third game of beer pong against Shanghai High School. Both sides were getting progressively drunk, and there were coins flying all around the room. Most didn¡¯t even get close to the stic cups anymore. To the side, Zeng Rui and Lin Feng were watching the beer pong while also chatting. They were talking like friends about League of Legends and alcohol. Tang Bingyao watched this all happen, not taking a single sip of alcohol as the next hour flew by. Slowly, the initial burst of drunkness started to settle and she could think straight again. They¡¯re all here for me! And they¡¯re having fun! I want to have fun with them! Mhm! She looked at Lin Feng and Zeng Rui and smiled. My Support and Lin Feng! Let¡¯s go to them first.

    Tang Bingyao got up from her seat and grabbed two full sses of beer. Carefully bncing them, she made her way over to the two guys. But it was difficult to walk right now, she nearly fell over and was about to drop the beer when Zeng Rui arrived at her side. He took the beers from her and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao said nodding. She grabbed one ss of beer from Zeng Rui and shouted, ¡°Toast with me! Toast! My best Support!¡±

    W-what? Another one? I¡­ Can I¡­ Zeng Rui stared at the beer in his hands. He heard Lin Feng arrive next to him, make a joke. It didn¡¯t really register. I wasn¡¯t going to have another drink. I don¡¯t like drinking too much. It just doesn¡¯t feel good¡­ But¡­ He looked at Tang Bingyao. She looks so happy. I can¡¯t say no, can I? He took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Do I really have to?¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°Of course you do! The birthday girl is asking you! That¡¯s why you have to! Even I know that!¡±

    An Xin caught up to Tang Bingyao and put a hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, Tang Tang,¡± she said warmly. ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much. Just take a sip. Please.¡±

    Lin Feng turned to look at An Xin. He pointed at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°ZengZeng here is a Challenger drinker! He can drink a full ss and then also finish Tang Tang¡¯s!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, looking from An Xin to Lin Feng, and then nodded. ¡°Mhm! Okay! ZengZeng finishes my beer!¡± She then clinked her ss against Zeng Rui¡¯s and said, ¡°Toast!¡± before taking a small sip.

    Zeng Rui grimaced. How am I getting in these situations? What is this? Did I do something wrong? Am I being punished for something? He took a deep, long breath, then smiled at Tang Bingyao and raised his ss. ¡°Happy birthday, Tang Tang.¡± But rather than drinking it all in one go, he took arge swig and epted Tang Bingyao¡¯s ss. I¡¯ll just finish themter...

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin and said, ¡°Hey, stay here with us! We were just chatting about that thing that shall not be named! ZengZeng here has some really cool ideas! Did you know¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao heard a lot of words, but they weren¡¯t making sense. She didn¡¯t even notice An Xin joining Lin Feng and Zeng Rui at the table. Her eyes were already on the other side of the room, where Ren Rou had just joined Ouyang to help him win a game of beer pong. I can¡¯t just toast Zeng Rui and Lin Feng. Everyone is here for me. I have to thank them all! Mhm! She grabbed another beer from the table and walked over to the game of beer pong.

    ¡°HEEEEY TANG TANG! HOW YOU!¡± ¡°DRINK! I WIN! DRINK!¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA! YOU LOSE!¡± ¡°BRO! BRO! BRO! I TOTALLY WON! BRO! COME ON!¡± ¡°NOOOOO WAY! TANG TANG, I WON, RIGHT?¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and nodded at the guys who even she could tell were all far too drunk. She raised her ss to Zhang Hao, who was the first to walk up to her, and they toasted and had a drink. Zhang Hao emptied his ss and Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t want to be left behind, so she took arger chug than she had with Zeng Rui. The others from Shanghai High School came up to her and they all toasted with her, each sharing a drink with her. Her ss of beer was empty within a minute.

    Ouyang approached Tang Bingyao with a new drink and said,ughing, ¡°I thought you were a lightweight drinking after earlier!¡±

    Yang Fan walked up next to Ouyang and chimed in, ¡°Clearly not! Look how she¡¯s drinking!¡± He then clinked his ss against Tang Bingyao¡¯s and added, ¡°Happy birthday, birthday girl!¡±

    An Xin was chatting with Lin Feng and Zeng Rui, while Ren Rou waspletely focused on winning the game of beer pong. Tang Bingyao was left to her own devices with a group of guys who were far too drunk for their own good. She kept clinking sses with them and drinking it empty. Her face was red and she couldn¡¯t stand up by herself anymore, leaning against whoever she was drinking with.

    Ouyang suddenly felt a chill. There was a brief moment of sobriety that hit him. He saw how much Tang Bingyao was drinking, and how she couldn¡¯t stand up straight anymore. The hell is this? Shit. Something¡¯s wrong. This feels all wrong. Did Dravene from the Rift and im her body or something? Since when can a girl drink like this? No! Shit! She can¡¯t! This is going wrong! He grabbed the beer from Tang Bingyao¡¯s hands under loud protest of everyone else and said, ¡°Bro, bro, I think you¡¯ve had enough. Just for now! Skip this one! Yes! Skip this one!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui leaned back in his chair and fought off the nausea and the darkness swirling in front of his eyes. But with Tang Bingyao having her focus on the others, he finally had some time to stop drinking. He called over a waiter and ordered some more food to fill his stomach back up.

    An Xin looked at Zeng Rui and smiled. ¡°I feel like I have to thank you. You¡¯re really putting a lot of work into this tournament.¡±

    Zeng Rui worked away some Chinese cabbage that was still on the table. I have, but that¡¯s what I always do. I like to do it like that. It¡¯s just how it works for me. He sighed and said, ¡°No need to thank me. I¡¯m only doing what¡¯s to be expected. If we want to win this tournament, we have to put in the time and effort. And more...¡±

    An Xin nodded and agreed, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s going to be very hard to win the Collegiate Cup. Very, very hard.¡±

    ¡°Practically impossible,¡± Zeng Rui corrected. ¡°I¡¯ve done my research. Looked into all the teams that made it to the Round of 16st year. We¡¯re not at their level yet. We¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not impossible, right?¡± An Xin said knowingly.

    Zeng Rui frowned. He turned to the table and grabbed a new ss of beer that had inexplicably appeared in front of him. He took a swig and looked at the white foam covering the deep yellow liquid. It should be impossible. But you¡¯re a far better yer and coach than I expected. And then there¡¯s Lin Feng¡­ ¡°Yeah,¡± he finally said. We do have some hope. Tang Tang needs to keep improving like she is. We need something special to happen with Zhang Hao in the topne. But with Lin Feng in the midne¡­ He shook his head. How can someone be that good? He downed his beer, forgetting his earlier promise to himself to stop drinking. Then he turned to An Xin and looked her deep into her eyes. He watched for every minute change in her expression, searched for something, though he didn¡¯t know what that something was. ¡°BunBun?¡± he finally said. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to ask.¡±

 Chapter 265: TAKE ME! MHM!

    There was a quote that Zeng Rui ced great stock in. It was a mantra, one that underlined his entire philosophy and thought process. ¡°Know yourself, know your enemy. A hundred battles, a hundred victories.¡± These words from Sun Tzu created the foundation for all of Zeng Rui¡¯s decision-making. He was the main shotcaller for the team, and he believed that there was no substitute for solid preparation. He watched every second of gamey he could find on their potential opponents. He analyzed their habits, their quirks, and their instincts. He memorized every mistake that they made over and over again.

    Zeng Rui learned what champions they¡¯d pick if they were nning ane swap at the start of the game. His approach was very different from what An Xin was doing. He wasn¡¯t making the strategies and ys for Team Shanghai. That was An Xin¡¯s job. His job was to learn everything about their opponents strategies, and be ready to face everything they could throw at Team Shanghai in the game.

    Knowing your enemy is important. But knowing yourself is just as important, Zeng Rui thought to himself. From all the work that he¡¯d put in, he had a good measure on the skill of their opponent. And his understanding of them grew with every passing day. The real problem is that I don¡¯t know Team Shanghai well enough. Can¡¯t make the right call if I don¡¯t know what the team can pull off. I need to know everything about everyone! That¡¯s the only way I can do what I need to do so we win regionals! I need to understand the team, my time, as well as I can. That¡¯s the only way we¡¯re getting through to the main tournament and beyond that!

    There were so many questions swimming around in Zeng Rui¡¯s mind. Questions that he kept asking himself. Questions that he could not answer.

    Should we do ane swap if the opponent does? Do we y offensively or defensively in this potential situation? If onene is at a disadvantage, can thatner make it on their own? Or do they need help? Whichnes should the Jungler focus on the most?

    Zeng Rui looked away from An Xin and towards Zhang Hao, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve yed with Zhang Hao for years. I know exactly how good he is and what to expect from him.¡± He nodded at Tang Bingyao before continuing, ¡°And I¡¯m getting a pretty good idea of just how good she is, and can be. By the time the Collegiate Cup starts, I¡¯ll have a firm grasp on her skill level.¡± He took a deep breath and turned to look back at An Xin. ¡°You¡¯re really good too. Your map awareness and gank timings are especially impressive. The only limiting factor for you would be your mechanics. But that doesn¡¯t change that you¡¯re a great Jungler. And that I understand you and how you y.¡± He finally shook his head as he nced at Lin Feng from the corners of his eyes. ¡°But him¡­¡±

    The thundering dumbass. The idiot with the big mouth who looked like he was just messing around. He was ying in randomnes and doing nothing particrly impressive. Zeng Rui grimaced. His initial observation on Lin Feng had clouded his judgement. He was finding it incredibly difficult to look past the thundering dumbass part. But despite his goofing around, he kept winning. He always won. Even in the games his team lost, he won. He even beat my Miner and became the most valuable yer of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Zeng Rui scratched the back of his head. The more I watch him y, the less sense it all makes.

    For the first time since Zeng Rui started ying League of Legends, he had to admit that he didn¡¯t understand a yer. Whether it be Lin Feng¡¯s mechanical skills or his vast champion pool, whether it be his awareness or positioning, whether it be his¡­ There wasn¡¯t a single aspect of Lin Feng¡¯s game that Zeng Rui truly understood. I¡¯ve now been ying with him on the same team, and even that hasn¡¯t helped! I can¡¯t even tell how he¡¯s improving. If he is! It just feels like he¡¯s getting better. But I don¡¯t understand how. What is it about him¡­

    Zeng Rui needed an exnation. He¡¯d tried talking with Lin Feng earlier in the night, but that hadn¡¯t gotten him the answers he was looking for. I hope BunBun can help me. I need this information to prepare for the tournament! The midne is maybe the most important position on the field. It¡¯s at the center of the map. And just look at the rankings. Rake, Phoenix, Moon, even Hermes! They¡¯re some of the best yers in the world and they¡¯re all Miners. A good Miner is the heart of the team, and it would be stupid if I gloss past that. He gritted his teeth, frustrated. All my work so far will have been for nothing if I can¡¯t understand how he works. I need to know how good he is, so that I can prepare for that!

    ¡°Zeng Rui?¡± An Xin asked, interrupting Zeng Rui¡¯s line of thought. ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked back at An Xin. He took a deep, long breath. I don¡¯t want to admit it. The thundering dumbass. He closed his eyes briefly. Pull yourself over this, Zeng Rui! You misjudged him and it¡¯s blinding you. Ask for help. Just ask her. He exhaled all the air from his lungs as his eyes shot open, determined. ¡°BunBun,¡± he said. ¡°I need to know. How good is Lin Feng?¡±

    An Xin chuckled and looked past Zeng Rui at Lin Feng, who wasughing about something with Ouyang. So he finally admits that he can¡¯t figure Lin Feng out. That was about time. She turned back to look at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I can¡¯t give you a definitive answer. But I can tell you this. No one at the Collegiate Cup is his match.¡±

    ¡°No one?¡± Zeng Rui muttered, his mouth falling open in shock.

    An Xin shrugged and exined, ¡°He¡¯ll win every match up in the midne.¡±

    Zeng Rui just kind of stared at An Xin, his mind in aplete mess. No one is his match? He¡¯ll win every match up? She¡¯s telling me that there¡¯s no one in the entire Collegiate Cup who can beat him in the midne? That¡­ She must be joking. Is she drunk¡­? He nced at An Xin, searching for a smile or anything else that might give away that she was joking. But he couldn¡¯t find anything to support that thought. It can¡¯t be¡­ There are yers from the LSPL who help their university teams! Those guys are actual professional yers! How can she say that Lin Feng will beat them? Is she saying that he¡¯s a professional yer? But I looked his name up! Maple! I searched online, but there was no professional yer by that name in the previous two seasons!

    An Xin watched Zeng Rui struggling. It¡¯s a lot. He¡¯ll need some time. But he¡¯ll see that I¡¯m right. She smiled warmly and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Everything you expect from him, he¡¯ll do. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Zeng Rui leaned back in his chair. He grabbed his ss of beer from the table, which was inexplicably full again, and took arge swig. He then shook his head and startedughing. It sounded so ridiculous to him that he couldn¡¯t keep a straight face any longer. If the thundering dumbass is actually that good. Ha! Winning the regionals is going to be easy! We might win the whole damn thing! I¡¯ll just be along for the ride! He shook his head and said, ¡°Alright. I hope you¡¯re right.¡±

    ?

    The festivities for Tang Bingyao¡¯s birthday party were quickly deteriorating. Everyone was too drunk for their own good, with shouting contests in one corner and coin tossingpetitions in the other. An Xin and Ren Rou were the only two who were still mostly sober. They looked at each other around 11 P.M. and nodded knowingly. It was time to put an end to this party. An Xin left to clear the tab while Ren Rou announced to everyone it was time to go home. This, of course, was met with heavy resistance.

    ¡°N-nu NO! I WANNA DRINK MORE! BEER! BEER! BEER!¡± "Yeah! Yeah! I wanna drink more! MORE SHOTS FOR EVERYONE! ANOTHER ROUND!¡± ¡°I can go all night! PARTY TILL THE SUN RISES!¡± ¡°AFTER PARTY! AFTER PARTY! WHERE WE HAVING THE AFTER PARTY!?¡± ¡°DRINKS AT MY PLACE! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    An Xin returned to the private room and was assaulted by the shouting contest. She wasn¡¯t having any of it. A smile that everyone there knew far too well spread on her face. Her lips curved upwards, but they read murder. She nced at the guys, meeting their eyes, and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Go home.¡± She briefly paused for dramatic effect and then concluded, ¡°Unless someone wants to argue with me.¡±

    It was like a cold gust of wind blew through the private room, sobering everyone right up. Be it Ouyang or the guys from Shanghai High School, no one dared to argue with An Xin. They obediently nodded, putting down their drinks, terrified to take even one more sip. The cold shivers that ran up and down their bodies kept them sober enough to find their coats and make their way to the exit of the private room, not forgetting to thank Tang Bingyao for a great party.

    Zeng Rui was the first at the door of the private room, ready to go home. He nced at An Xin. How can she get so scary? He shook his head and turned to look at his friends. ¡°Hurry up. We¡¯re leaving.¡± Then he turned to Tang Bingyao, who was sitting at the table wobbling back and forth. She drank way too much¡­ He shook his head and smiled at her. ¡°Thanks for this party, Tang Tang. It was great. We all really enjoyed it. Goodnight and see you tomorrow at practice!¡±

    The other four from Shanghai High School followed Zeng Rui¡¯s example, thanking Tang Bingyao for her birthday party. Then they said their goodbyes to everyone else before leaving the restaurant and going home. Ouyang, Yang Fan, Wei Dong, Liu Yue, and Chen Ze followed their example. They also said their thanks and goodbyes before leaving.

    Ren Rou looked at the four people still there, stopping at Tang Bingyao. What is she trying to do? Is she putting her coat on upside down¡­? ¡°Tang Tang?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you alright? Can you get home? Maybe we should call you a cab¡­¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯M GOOD! VERY GOOD! MHM!¡± Tang Bingyao replied cheerfully while waving her hands around and dropping her coat to the floor. Then she leaned forward to pick her coat up and stumbled to her knees. ¡°Woo! I fly so high like a G6! I¡¯m very good!¡±

    Ren Rou sighed and shook her head. ¡°The more you say and do, the more convinced I am that we can¡¯t possibly let you go home by yourself. Someone has to bring you home. Or call you a cab. One of the two.¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Well, at least she had fun, right Tang Tang?¡± She waited briefly for a response, but all Tang Bingyao gave were a few unintelligible shouts and yelps. Then she continued, ¡°She¡¯s just as out of it as the guys. But she¡¯s a girl. And even the guys went home together. We can¡¯t let her go by herself¡­ Oh! I know. Lin Feng can bring her home! They live close together anyway. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right Lin Feng?¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest and proimed, ¡°Sure! I¡¯m really good at bringing Tang Tang home too!¡±

    Tang Bingyao threw her coat on the ground again. Then she threw her fist in the air in an imitation of Lin Feng¡¯s trademark victory pose and screamed, ¡°YEAH! LIN FENG TAKE ME HOME! TAKE ME! MHM!¡±

    Tang Bingyao was drunk and Lin Feng was perhaps the single biggest blockhead in the entirety of existence. It was hard, damn near impossible, to be as idiotic as he was most of the time. But it were times like these, where everyone knew what was going on except him, that his idiocy really shined. He believed that Tang Bingyao was just happy that he was bringing her home. There was a thought in his mind arguing against it. He was actually convinced that Tang Bingyao was confident in his ability to bring her home. But Ren Rou and An Xin weren¡¯t as naive. They both froze when they heard Tang Bingyao¡¯s scream. They hesitated, nced at each other. And then An Xin smiled. She winked at Ren Rou and said, ¡°Lin Feng is a blockhead. He¡¯s literally too dense to figure out that there might be something more here. Or what Tang Tang just identally implied. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be a perfect gentleman. More than a perfect gentleman, honestly. Sometimes I think he was dropped on his head multiple times as a child. Don¡¯t worry though. She¡¯ll be fine, they¡¯ll be fine.¡±

 Chapter 266: Drunk and Dumber

    An Xin and Ren Rou walked out with Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao and watched them leave. Tang Bingyao was leaning on Lin Feng and stumbling every couple of steps. Until they disappeared into the night. Now the two girls were thest ones at the restaurant. An Xin turned away, almost rushed. She pulled her phone out and stared at the screen. The cab that would take her home was still a few minutes away. A faint drizzle fell from the sky. Cars sped by. And An Xin stood there inplete silence, waiting, even forgetting that Ren Rou was standing next to her.

    Ren Rou nced at An Xin from the corner of her eyes. At the new girl in ss. The girl with the perfect figure, which was only further enhanced by the current setting. The soft, orange glow of the street lights fell on An Xin¡¯s cheeks, highlighting her small chin andrge eyes. A cool wind breezed through her hair, flowing. She¡¯s so beautiful. It¡¯s no wonder that every boy at school is trying to get her attention. Even a few of the girls too! Stupid boys¡­ She shook her head, and the memory of a conversation with Tang Bingyao yed in her mind. It was at the NetCow Cafe, a couple of weeks ago. Tang Bingyao had told her that An Xin was better for Lin Feng. I can see why Tang Tang would think that. BunBun is really, really pretty. And she has a great personality. The more I think about it, the more I think she¡¯s perfect¡­ But you¡¯re perfect too Tang Tang! She looked down at her feet and sighed. But I can also understand why you think she¡¯s perfect for Lin Feng...

    Ren Rou pulled herself back to the present. She thought about how the night had gone and suddenly realised that she was giggling. I guess the alcohol did help to loosen Tang Tang up a bit. Maybe it even gave her some courage. She nced at An Xin again. Why did you insist on letting Lin Feng bring her home? Don¡¯t you mind them together? You do like Lin Feng, right? Do you? Ren Rou took a second look at An Xin. She looks happy, just a bit quiet, I think¡­? The questions mounted in Ren Rou¡¯s mind, until she couldn¡¯t keep them to herself any longer. She said, ¡°BunBun?¡±

    An Xin turned her head to look at Ren Rou and asked, ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Ren Rou chewed on her lips, considering how to best pose the question. But the words just weren¡¯ting to her. So she eventually went with the simplest version. ¡°Do¡­ Do you like Lin Feng?¡±

    There was a brief moment, almost imperceptible, that An Xin¡¯s expression faltered. But she quickly recovered. She forced a smile on her face and replied, ¡°Rou Rou, I thought you weren¡¯t going to get drunk! Did you lie to me? Did you have a few shots when I wasn¡¯t looking?¡±

    ¡°Drunk?¡± Ren Rou muttered, caught off guard. She shook her head. ¡°No. No. I¡¯m not drunk.¡± She looked at An Xin, too surprised by the random question to notice how An Xin was trying to change the subject. It also didn¡¯t help that this particr question had been floating through her mind for quite some time now. You two are childhood friends, sure. But there¡¯s something more going on, right? The way you treat him¡­ That¡¯s more than just friends.

    An Xin could physically feel Ren Rou¡¯s stare. She shivered and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ren Rou shook her head lightly and looked back out at the street. ¡°No. I¡¯m serious. Do you like him?¡± She briefly waited for an answer, but somehow knew nothing wasing. So she turned to An Xin and said, ¡°Please tell me the truth. Are the two of you really just childhood friends? You feel nothing for him? It¡¯s¡­ the way you are around him¡­¡±

    An Xin¡¯s smile broke. Her entireplexion fell apart. Just for a brief moment. An instant in time and space where everything ground to a halt. Then she forced that smile back onto her face. She shook her head and asked, ¡°Did you also ask Tang Tang this?¡±

    The question sounded so natural. Ren Rou waspletely caught off guard by it, once more failing to recognize how An Xin was shifting the topic away from herself. Ren Rou stammered, ¡°T-this¡­ Uh¡­ Well, you see¡­¡± She was trying to link the words together, but they were failing her.

    An Xin didn¡¯t pay attention to Ren Rou¡¯s reaction. She turned her head to look out at the empty street. ¡°I already know,¡± she said. She chuckled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve known since the first day at school, when she nced over her shoulder at me in the ssroom. That look of confusion and worry in her eyes when I greeted Lin Feng. I knew it right then.¡± She briefly paused before adding in a soft, warm voice, ¡°I know Tang Tang likes Lin Feng.¡±

    Ren Rou stared at An Xin, dazed. She knew? This whole time, she knew? But then¡­ what about her? Is she okay with it? She opened her mouth a couple of times, wanting to say several different things. But she kept closing her mouth right before the words came out. Then, just as it started to look like she wasn¡¯t going to say anything at all, she asked, ¡°Then what about you?¡±

    An Xin didn¡¯t directly reply. She watched a car driving past. Lin Feng and me, huh? I guess¡­ She looked down at the ground and slowly shook her head. ¡°Me?¡± She paused, hesitating, then continued, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, I guess. There is nothing going on between him and me.¡± She tried very hard to sound nonchnt. To not give anything away. But she knew Ren Rou was looking at her. And she knew that the smile on her lips wasn¡¯t a happy one. It was bitter, maybe even longing. She sighed. Crap.

    ?

    The cold breeze did Tang Bingyao a lot of good. She was still finding it hard to keep her bnce, but that was more so because she was also ying her normal game of jumping over the cracks in the pavement. It all felt right to her. Everything about her birthday was right. Perfect, even. Mhm! This is the best night of my life!

    ¡°Careful! You¡¯ll trip!¡± Lin Feng cautioned, watching Tang Bingyao almost crashing to the ground with every hop.

    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Tang Bingyao shouted. Then after another hop, she looked over her shoulder at Lin Feng and pumped her fist in the air. ¡°I¡¯m invinciiii¡ª¡± The sudden turn was too much for her. A dark swirl appeared before her eyes and she momentarily lost her bnce. Her knees wobbled and in the next moment she found herself sitting on the pavement.

    Lin Fengughed at theical sight, the alcohol flowing through his blood taking away all worry about Tang Bingyao having hurt herself. ¡°See! You¡¯re not invincible! I told you so!¡± He walked up to her, waiting for a reply from Tang Bingyao that didn¡¯te. He scrunched his eyebrows. Something felt off. ¡°Hey,¡± he said to her. ¡°You alright? You should be more careful!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked up at Lin Feng, rubbing her head painfully, and asked, ¡°Did you grow taller? Why are you so tall?¡±

    ¡°You fell. You¡¯re sitting on the ground,¡± Lin Feng replied, starting to realise something might be wrong. He went through his knees and reached out to her. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡±

    ¡°I fell?¡± Tang Bingyao asked. Her eyes suddenly went wide. She searched around and grabbed onto her bag. Then she dove in and took out the Jinx figurine. She looked at it, carefully inspecting every small detail. And only after confirming that it was still in mint condition did she breathe out in relief. ¡°This is your gift! I love it! It¡¯s the best!¡± she shouted, her drunken joy quickly returning to her.

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m really good at finding gifts too! Right?¡± Lin Feng said,ughing. He then reached out his hand and helped Tang Bingyao get back up.

    Tang Bingyao smiled and let herself fall against Lin Feng, tightly holding the Jinx figurine. ¡°I really love it. Thanks.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and was about to say something when he noticed the scratch on Tang Bingyao pants. He looked at her and said, ¡°You should be more careful! I can buy you a new figurine! I can¡¯t buy you a new ass!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked down at the Jinx figurine in her hand, then she vigorously shook her head. ¡°No! It¡¯s a gift¡­ from you! I need to take care of it! Mhm!¡± She ced it to her chest and hugged it, swaying from side to side. ¡°Oof, my butt hurts,¡± she suddenly mumbled, looking up at Lin Feng. ¡°Why does my butt hu¡ª Hey! Why are there two of you?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m double awesome, didn¡¯t you know?¡± Lin Feng responded,ughing loudly. Then he held up three fingers and asked, ¡°Here, how many fingers am I holding up?¡±

    ¡°ONE! TWO!¡± Tang Bingyao narrowed her eyes and reached out to Lin Feng¡¯s hand, feeling, counting, and then shouting, ¡°THREE! THREE FINGERS!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Maybe you¡¯re not as drunk as I thought!¡± Lin Feng eximed, surprised.

    Tang Bingyao pushed Lin Feng¡¯s hand aside and stared at him. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t see you. Need to be a bit closer.¡± She leaned forward, closer. Closer. She took another step and moved her head until she was only inches away from his. ¡°Mhm! I can see you!¡±

    Lin Feng reeled his head back and shouted, ¡°Hey! Tang Tang! What are you doing! Gah! You reek of alcohol!¡±

    ¡°Stay still!¡± Tang Bingyao pouted. She put her hand around Lin Feng¡¯s neck and moved his head closer to hers. ¡°Closer, just a little closer,¡± she mumbled to herself. When their noses almost touched, she added, ¡°Mhm! Perfect!¡±

    ¡°H-hey! Tang Tang! Your hands are freezing! What are you doing!¡± Lin Feng said, lightly struggling.

    ¡°Shh!¡± Tang Bingyao pouted. She red at him and added, ¡°Don¡¯t talk¡­ don¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok!¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°Jeesh. If I¡¯d known you were so bad with alcohol, I would¡¯ve never let you drink so much. You¡¯re way too drunk!¡±

    Tang Bingyao ignored Lin Feng¡¯s struggles, nor did she listen to a word he said. She just stared at him, smiling. Her touch on his neck became gentle as she said, ¡°I¡­ I have something to tell you!¡±

    ¡°H¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shush!¡± Tang Bingyao interrupted Lin Feng. ¡°I told you to shut up! Listen to me!¡±

 Chapter 267: When is the Wedding? Itâ€™s Time for a Lov...

    Lin Feng looked into Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes, her face right in front of his. He felt a shiver run down his body, but med it on the cold weather. ¡°But, but I¡¯m not talking,¡± he argued, confused. What¡¯s going on? Why is she right in my face? Do I have something on my face? Is there some food there¡­? He tried to move his hand, but Tang Bingyao pushed it back down, staring at him. ¡°Tang Tang¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still talking! I told you to shut up!¡± Tang Bingyao pouted, stamping her foot on the ground.

    Lin Feng shook his head. What is this? She¡¯s lost it! She¡¯spletely lost it! The alcohol has made her go crazy! He hesitated, considering to just stop talking. But then his mouth got the better of him. He muttered in a barely discernible voice, ¡°You really can¡¯t hold your booze at all. I ain¡¯t drinking with you again¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao lightly pinched Lin Feng¡¯s cheeks and red at him. ¡°Did¡­ did you say something? I told you to stop talking and listen to me!¡±

    Lin Feng slowly nodded, his eyes wide in horror. What does she want? Why is she doing this? I didn¡¯t do anything! I¡¯m really good at running home too! Let me go, please!

    ¡°Mhm! That¡¯s a good boy,¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Ok, ok. Listen. I need to tell you something. Ok?¡±

    Lin Feng kept nodding, pursing his lips together. Just tell me already¡­ I don¡¯t like this! I¡¯m really good at feeling ufortable too! And¡­ You¡¯re drunk!

    Tang Bingyao chewed on her lips, looking at Lin Feng¡¯s mouth. I can say it¡­ I can! Mhm! Say it! She felt butterflies lifting her stomach up and her cheeks ring scarlet. She said, ¡°I¡­¡±

    Lin Feng was still nodding. Yes, yes. You! You something! Move it along, please! It¡¯s cold! I want to go home and curl up under my nket! Did I mention that I¡¯m really good at curling up under my nket too?

    ¡°I¡­ I-I¡­¡± Tang Bingyao muttered. Her entire body began trembling and shaking. ¡°I¡­ I-I¡­¡± A dizzy spell assaulted her, making her vision spin and her eyes suddenly felt incredibly heavy. ¡°L-Ling Feng, I¡­ I¡­ I lov¡­¡± She trailed off before she could finish her sentence, her eyes closing and her face falling on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder.

    Lin Feng moved his head a bit to the side to try and get a look at what Tang Bingyao was doing, keeping his lips tightly sealed the whole way through. But after a good several seconds of nothing happening, except for soft snoring sounds, his impatience got the better of him. He lightly pushed her away and asked, ¡°What did you want to say? You lov what? What¡¯s that even mea¡ª Hey! Tang Tang! Wake up!¡± He shook her. At first gently, but then with a bit more force. ¡°Wake up, Tang Tang! Wake up!¡± But Tang Bingyao was already fast asleep.

    Lin Feng looked around at his surroundings. They were on their usual route. It was a little further until the intersection where they usually went their separate ways. ¡°Tang Tang! Come on! Don¡¯t do this to me! I don¡¯t know where you live! Please! Wake up! Wake up!¡±

    Tang Bingyao wrapped her arms around Lin Feng and buried her face into his neck, leaning on him with her full weight. She was smiling and mumbling incoherently.

    ¡°Aaaah! Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!¡± Lin Feng shouted. But there was no response. Tang Bingyao was fast asleep. He grimaced and shook his head, mumbling quietly, ¡°I¡¯m never drinking with you again!¡± What do I do with her now? I don¡¯t even know where she lives! Maybe I can call Ren Rou? But what if she¡¯s in bed already? I don¡¯t want to wake her up¡­ Is there a home phone number I should know? No¡­ Dammit. He nced at Tang Bingyao again. I can¡¯t leave her here either¡­ Can I? There¡¯s a bench over there¡­ He shook his head in frustration and mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    Lin Feng chewed on his lips, considering his option. He was desperately wrecking his brains on finding a solution, but nothing wasing to mind. He finally sighed. Fine, I¡¯ll take you to my ce. You can sleep it off¡­ He put his arm behind her knees and the other around her shoulders, and then lifted her up. ¡°I¡¯m never drinking with you again,¡± he grumbled as he started walking home.

    ?

    KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK! KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

    ¡°STOP KNOCKING! I¡¯M COMING!¡± Su Xue shouted. ¡°Seriously! How many times are you going to forget your keys!? Your memory is the worst! Bring your damn keys with you! I¡¯m going to sew them to your arms! You¡¯ll never forget them again!¡± She stopped in front of the door and pulled it open with all her might before continuing, ¡°Why can¡¯t you just remember to bring your damned ke¡ª¡±

    Su Xue stopped talking. Her mouth fell open. She stared at Tang Bingyao leaning on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder, barely conscious. ¡°W-what the¡­ Are you¡­ Did you¡­ Is she¡­¡± Did he bring her over for sex? Why did he forget his keys? I don¡¯t wanna know this¡­ OR SEE IT! She abruptly turned around and stomped away, only to stop herself halfway back to her room. She looked back over her shoulder and scrunched her eyebrows. ¡°Uh, Lin Feng?¡± She briefly waited to get his attention and then asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it her birthday? How did she¡­ How did the two of you end up like this? What happened?¡±

    Lin Feng struggled to carry Tang Bingyao inside and had her sit down on a stool. He then turned to look at Su Xue and exined, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s her birthday. We were celebrating with a few drinks, but she can¡¯t handle her alcohol at all! And she didn¡¯t warn us or anything! Well, then I had to walk her back home. But guess what? She passed out on me! Right there on the street! And she wouldn¡¯t wake up either! I don¡¯t even know where she lives and the others are probably in bed already!¡± He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°And, uhh, well, now we¡¯re here¡­¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes went wide. She rushed to the kitchen and came back secondster with a bucket. ¡°IN HERE!¡± she shouted at Tang Bingyao, whose eyes were opening, as she shoved the bucket into Tang Bingyao¡¯s arms.

    Tang Bingyao looked down at the bucket in her hands and then up to see where it came from. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Su Xue!¡± she eximed. ¡°Hiiiiii!¡± And then the bile and vomit came up from her stomach. She retched and puked into the bucket. The sour, rotten egg, disgusting smell of alcohol quickly filled the apartment. Then, seconds after puking everything out, Tang Bingyao fell peacefully back asleep.

    Su Xue shook her head and said, ¡°She¡¯s really drunk. Too drunk. Here, help me bring her to my room. She can sleep it off on my bed.¡± She stepped forward and hoisted Tang Bingyao up together with Lin Feng. They then brought the lightweight to Su Xue¡¯s bedroom and put her down on the bed. All the while, Su Xue¡¯s stream was running in the background.

    ¡¸where¡¯d xue xue disappear off to? Did she go out to buy milk?¡¹¡¸we¡¯ve been abandoned! FEELSBADMAN¡¹¡¸BABEH COME BECK!!!! YOU CAN BLAME IT ALL ON MMEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡¹¡¸did she go to get the door? did lil broe back or sumthing?¡¹ ¡¸I bet that¡¯s what happened. Lil Bro always forgets his keys when he leaves the house. Like seriously, remember to bring your keys with you, Lil Bro!¡¹

    The confusion, dismay, and all other negative messages disappeared suddenly when Su Xue entered the room. The chat shortly flooded with wee back messages, until they spotted Lin Feng and a girl they¡¯d never seen before. The new girl seemed non responsive, with Lin Feng and Su Xue putting the lifeless body down on the bed.

    ¡¸am i seeing things!? Is that another person!?!?!?!?!?¡¹¡¸uhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­. She ok?¡¹¡¸Looks passed out to me? ¡­...¡¹ ¡¸what¡¯s going? why would lilbro and xue xue bring body to the stream?????? this some sick cosy???¡¹¡¸SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!!! WE¡±VE GOT OURSELVES A BODY!!!¡¹¡¸oh shit, I¡¯ve seen this kind of intro before! LEMME WHIP OUT MY MASSIVE ¡­...¡¹¡¸intro my fat shiny ass! THIS A MURDER SCENE! THEY HIDIN THE BODY!!!!!¡¹

    Su Xue helped Lin Feng put Tang Bingyao on her bed, until she saw herputer in the mirror. ¡°Crap! I forgot to turn off the stream! Put her on the bed!¡± She let go of Tang Bingyao and rushed to theputer, where she clicked on a button to kill the stream. She then nced at the chat, browsing through the earlier messages andints. Fucking idiots! It¡¯s not a body! She shook her head and mmed down on the enter key

    EveningSnowfall:¡¸It¡¯s not a body, idiots! She¡¯s a friend who had too much to drink. We¡¯re just letting her sleep it off! DON¡¯T CALL THE POLICE!¡¹

    ¡°There, done,¡± Lin Feng said, exhausted. He let himself fall down on the extra chair Su Xue had in her room and stared at Tang Bingyao for a minute. Then he got back up and said to Su Xue, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I¡¯m heading off to bed too! I¡¯m exhausted.¡±

    ¡°Hey! HEY! STAY HERE! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE!¡± Su Xue yelled after Lin Feng as he left the room. But he wasn¡¯t listening. She grumbled a few moreints before turning around to look at Tang Bingyao. At least she¡¯s sleeping¡­ And it¡¯s probably for the best that I take care of her. She¡¯s far too drunk for anything with him¡­ She scrunched her eyebrows and chuckled. He¡¯s probably too stupid to even think about that. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s annoyed that he had to carry her here more than anything. But yeesh. Why do I always have to be the adult? I want to be the kid for once!

    Su Xue helped Tang Bingyao take off her freezing cold clothes and change into something warmer and morefortable. Then she put a thick nket over Tang Bingyao and walked to the kitchen. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll clean the puke up first, because there¡¯s no way the little shit has done that. And then I need to get Tang Tang a new bucket, just in case. And I should also put a warm cloth on her forehead, that always did wonders for me. Maybe I can make her some honey lemon tea as well. She¡¯ll like that if she wakes up during the night...

    It took Su Xue only a couple of minutes to cross everything off her to-do list. She then sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at Tang Bingyao. These kids are lucky to have me. I¡¯m way too nice to them. But look at her. She¡¯s so cute. I wonder what she¡¯s dreaming about¡­

    Tang Bingyao had rolled on her side and grabbed a pillow, which she was now tightly hugging. Every now and then, she¡¯d mumble a few words. But they were mostly intelligible, with the exception of ¡®Lin¡¯ and ¡®Feng¡¯. But judging by the smile on Tang Bingyao¡¯s face, Su Xue guessed it was a pretty good dream. She chuckled and shook her head. ¡°How does that stupid kid keep bringing girls home for a sleepover¡­? First BunBun and now Tang Tang! Does he like both of them? Maybe neither?¡± She suddenly started giggling. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll bring home a third girl! What was that other girl from his team called again? Rou Rou? Yeah, I think it was Rou Rou. I guess that¡¯d be kind of funny¡­¡±

 Chapter 268: The Walk of Shame

    Tang Bingyao woke up early the next morning. A ray of sun was shining in her face, something was smelling delicious, and she had a throbbing headache. ¡°Uch¡­¡± she groaned as she pulled the nket over her head. ¡°Stupid sun. Too bright.¡± She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sledgehammer that was mming against her head. The soft, warm bed almost made that happen. ¡°Mm-hmm¡­¡± But then her stomach responded to the food she could smell. She opened her eyes andined, ¡°Too early¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Bingyao yelped. Her eyes snapped openpletely and she pushed the nket away. ¡°Where am I?¡± She looked around the room, panicking. This isn¡¯t my bed. Uhmm¡­ Where am I? Where, where¡­ ¡°Ughh.¡± She rubbed her head painfully. Why does my head hurt so much? What happened? Did someone hit me? Did I get kidnapped!? ¡°Ugh. It hurts so much.¡± She closed her eyes again and rested her head back on the pillow. ¡°Ahh, so nice and soft.¡±

    Tang Bingyao pulled on the nket and curled up underneath. What happenedst night? It was¡­ Friday? Her eyes shot open again. It was my birthday! Birthday party. We went to the restaurant¡­ Food¡­ It was a blur in her mind. There wasn¡¯t a cohesive story, only random tidbits of information. And every time that she tried to tie them all together, her headache got worse. She groaned and mumbled, ¡°Never drinking again. Mhm.¡±

    We had a few drinks after dinner. I think¡­ Did the guys y a game? I sat, somewhere? Tang Bingyao was trying very hard to remember the events leading up to her waking up in a strange room. They all went home, I remember that. Except for¡­ Her eyes suddenly went wide. Something very specific came back to her. I went home with him. He brought me home. And then I stopped him and I¡­ I¡­ She was breathing quickly, worried, nearly hyperventting. I told him that I lo¡­ lov¡­

    It was that exact thought that jogged thest bit of Tang Bingyao¡¯s memory. A realization that gave her a fresh wave of rxation. I never said the full sentence. I passed out. I didn¡¯t say it! I didn¡¯t say it! She took the first deep, long breath of the morning. The headache suddenly didn¡¯t feel all that bad anymore and she even managed a small smile. It¡¯d have been way too embarrassing if I did tell him¡­ But I held myself back. BunBun is the right one for him, and not me. My body shut itself down before I could do something stupid. Mhm, good.

    Tang Bingyao needed a couple more minutes to convince herself that she really hadn¡¯t said the words and that that was for the best. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered about that particr part of the night. I passed out. And then I remember an apartment¡­ A girl¡­ Su Xue? Am I at his ce? Is this¡­ She pushed the covers off and looked around the room again. I¡¯ve seen this room before. This is Su Xue¡¯s room! I¡¯ve seen it on the stream before! She smiled in relief. I wasn¡¯t kidnapped.

    The strong smell of food reached Tang Bingyao¡¯s nose again, now grabbing her full attention. She nced at the door and then down at her clothes. W-what am I wearing!? These aren¡¯t mine! She pulled at the pink pyjamas she was wearing. They were exactly the type of pyjamas she never bought. It was pink with arge drawing on it. She twisted her head to get a better look at it. Jinx? Is this a Jinx pyjamas? She chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking around the room. I can¡¯t go out looking like this. What if Lin Feng sees me in this? Uh-uh. Where are my clothes?

    Tang Bingyao got up and searched around the room, but the only clothes she found were those in Su Xue¡¯s closet. Can¡¯t put those on without asking. That¡¯d be rude. Hmm¡­ She grimaced, considered, then slipped into a pair of slippers and carefully opened the door, peeking around the corner. No one here. What is smelling so good anyway? She sniffed and searched around the hallway. Is someone making breakfast? Does Lin Feng cook?

    Uch, my head. Tang Bingyao painfully rubbed her head, groansing from both her mouth and stomach. She looked back into the room and then out into the hallway again. Do I¡­? Hmm¡­ Maybe there¡¯s an aspirin for my head. Mhm. I¡¯ll go and see. She pushed the door open and walked down the hallway, following the smell of scrambled egg and bacon. It led her to the kitchen, where she found Su Xue toasting some bread.

    Su Xue looked up when she heard a sound and noticed Tang Bingyao poking her head into the kitchen. ¡°Oh, Tang Tang! You¡¯re awake! Perfect timing!¡±

    ¡°Please, not so loud,¡± Tang Bingyao whispered. She briefly paused to rub her head and then added, ¡°Morning.¡±

    Su Xue grinned and pestered, ¡°Drank a little much, eh? How are you feeling? Your head spinning right ¡®round?¡±

    ¡°Just a little,¡± Tang Bingyao whispered, embarrassed. She meekly continued, ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡±

    Su Xue shook her head, smiling brightly, and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Happens to everyone at one point. But maybe don¡¯t drink so much in the future. I¡¯m not going to be around every time to help you puke in a bucket and make you some honey lemon tea¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao froze up. ¡°P-puke?¡± she muttered. Her face flushed red. She chewed on her lips and stared at the floor. ¡°S-sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to. It just kind of¡­ I won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll never drink again... Sorry for everything. I can help clean up¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Rx a little!¡± Su Xue said, giggling. She then pointed at the pyjamas Tang Bingyao was wearing and continued, ¡°Those PJs fit you really well by the way. You look super cute!¡±

    Cute? Tang Bingyao looked down at the pyjamas she felt so ufortable in. Does it really look cute? She chewed on the inside of her cheek and shook her head. Will Lin Feng also think it looks cute? Her face heated up again. She looked down at her feet, trying to hide her embarrassment.

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Su Xue suddenly eximed. ¡°Before I forget, your grandma called! She¡¯d gotten the number from Ren Rou? Anyway, I told her you were sleeping here and that everything was good. But I think it¡¯s better if you go and give her a call. She sounded really worried.¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide and her stomach dropped. Nana! Ipletely forgot¡­ She nodded at Su Xue and said, ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll call her and let her know I¡¯m ok.¡±

    ¡°Do that. You should also go and wash up. The bathroom is right next to my bedroom. I already put a clean towel and new toothbrush for you there,¡± Su Xue responded. Then she lifted up her finger and added, ¡°Oh, and your clothes are still hanging out to dry. That¡¯ll be another few hours or so. Just wear my PJs for now. There¡¯s no puke on them, right? Oh, oh, also go and wake up Lin Feng when you¡¯re done with all of that. Breakfast should be ready by then and if you don¡¯t wake him up, he¡¯ll sleep till dinner.¡±

    Tang Bingyao froze, her body trembling and shaking uncontrobly. She gritted her teeth and rubbed her head. I fell asleep! He doesn¡¯t know what I wanted to say! Mhm! And these pyjamas look cute. Xue Xue said so. She tried to convince herself, though her stomach strongly disagreed. It felt like the inside of a washing machine, going ¡®round and ¡®round. Please be a blockhead. Please!

    Su Xue raised her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Worried you can¡¯t wake him up? I know.¡± She shook her head before continuing, ¡°He sleeps like a log. But there¡¯s a few ways to get him out of bed. One of them, hold on¡­¡± She searched around the counter for a bit before picking up arge cleaver. ¡°Just smack him with the dull side of this. Don¡¯t know what it is about this thing, but it has him wide awake in seconds. It¡¯s my go-to weapon these days.¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s worries disintegrated and were reced by shock and pure horror. She stared at Su Xue, speechless. That smile looks so much like An Xin¡¯s when she gets mad at Lin Feng! I don¡¯t¡­ She shook her head and said, ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll wake him up without that, that thing.¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao spent far more time in the bathroom than she usually would. Not because it was difficult to work the shower or because anything else took longer than normal, but because she was trying to find the courage to go to Lin Feng¡¯s bedroom. Su Xue had told her which door it was and she was now standing in front of it, her hand raised, ready to knock. She chewed on her lips. This is his bedroom. What if he figured it out? No, I would¡¯ve woken up in his¡­ No! Mh-mm! She shook her mind clear of that thought and knocked on the door. ¡°Lin Feng?¡± she quietly asked.

    There came no response from the other side of the door. Tang Bingyao knocked again, hoping that Lin Feng would wake up from this. But it looked like Su Xue was right. He slept like a log. After a third knock and still no response, she pushed the door open and poked her head inside. ¡°Hey, Lin Feng,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s morning. Su Xue wants you to wake up.¡±

    Lin Feng was fast asleep, dreaming about something that had him smiling. Tang Bingyao stepped into the room and called out to Lin Feng. He still won¡¯t wake up? She took another step and called out again. There was still no response. She repeated this process all the way until she found herself standing next to his bed. What do I do now¡­? She chewed on her lips, considering her options. She finally started poking him, jabbing her finger in his face, and said, ¡°Lin Feng. Lin Feng. Lin Feng. Wake up.¡±

    There was finally a response from Lin Feng. But not the one Tang Bingyao was expecting. Lin Feng pped Tang Bingyao¡¯s hand away, as though she were a mosquito, and grumbled, ¡°Go away, Su Xue. I wanna sleep. I¡¯m really good at sleeping too.¡±

    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s me,¡± Tang Bingyao said slowly.

    Lin Feng opened his drowsy eyes and turned to look at who was calling out to him. Then his eyes shot open. Tang Bingyao was standing next to his bed, her face hovering only a little above his. ¡°Tang Tang!¡± he yelped. ¡°Yeesh! You nearly gave me a heart attack!¡± He took a few exaggerated breaths, then looked at her and asked, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Morning. Uh, mhm, yeah. Su Xue told me to wake you up, so I came¡­¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his eyes and pushed his nket down. ¡°Oh, okay. Yeah. I¡¯ll get up.¡± He stretched out long and yawned. ¡°Man, I drank way too muchst night. Really shouldn¡¯t hav¡ª¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t hear a word Lin Feng said anymore. Her eyes were about to pop out of her sockets. Of all the things she worried about happening, this hadn¡¯t been one of them. Now it was. She always liked to wear pyjamas. Top and bottom. They werefortable. She never even considered that not everyone wore pyjamas. But Lin Feng clearly wasn¡¯t. He¡­ He¡­ THOSE ARE HIS BOXERS! ¡°IIIIIIIIIIII!¡± She reached out and grabbed the closest thing she could find, an Oxford dictionary, and threw it at Lin Feng. ¡°IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! YOU¡¯RE NAKED!¡±

    Time slowed down for Lin Feng. He saw the book flying his way. NOOOOOO! He tried to move his body, but it felt sluggish. And in the next moment, the dictionary fell on his balls. ¡°GAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue was sitting at the breakfast table reading a magazine, when Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked in. She asked without looking up, ¡°What was that scream all about, Tang Tang?¡± She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. Lin Feng too? She continued, ¡°Lin Feng? You¡¯re up early. Haha! I guess Tang Tang shoulde over more often! You¡¯ll never sleep in till dinner again!¡±

    Tang Bingyao felt her face heat up again. She looked down at her feet and mumbled, ¡°Uh-hmm¡­¡± She quietly sat down at the table and looked away from both Lin Feng and Su Xue.

    Lin Feng had apletely opposite reaction. He was screaming bloody murder and shouted, ¡°SHE THREW A BOOK AT ME! SHE THREW A BOOK!¡±

    Su Xue burst outughing. She looked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Good job! I hadn¡¯t thought about that yet! Which book did you use?¡±

    ¡°THE DICTIONARY! SHE THREW A DICTIONARY AT ME!¡± Lin Feng yelled.

    Su Xue frowned and asked, ¡°A dictionary. Is that all? What are you screaming so loudly for then?¡± She then winked at Tang Bingyao.

    Lin Feng rubbed his groin andined, ¡°It was a hardcover! SHE THREW IT AT MY BALLS!¡±

    Su Xue startedughing again, unable to contain herself. Tears crept from her eyes and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from saying, ¡°So you do have something down there!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nced at Lin Feng and then quickly turned away again. She feebly asked, ¡°Are you alright? Does it really hurt?¡±

    ¡°Does it really hurt? Yes it hurts!¡± Lin Feng shouted, massaging his balls. ¡°I¡¯m really good at feeling pain too!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s lips were trembling and she was forcing back tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±

    Lin Feng sat down next to Tang Bingyao at the table and looked at her. A painful smile appeared on his face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be ok, I think. But really, Tang Tang, please don¡¯t throw books at my private parts again. It really hurts.¡±

    Su Xue winked at Tang Bingyao and interjected, ¡°It¡¯s karma. He deserved it. Don¡¯t feel bad about it. He totally had that oneing.¡±

    Lin Feng wanted to retort, Tang Bingyao wanted to apologize, and Su Xue really wanted to bask in Lin Feng¡¯s misery, but they were interrupted when Lin Feng¡¯s phone started ringing. He grabbed it from his pocket and epted the call. ¡°Hello? Chu Fang?¡±

    ¡°Hey Lin Feng,¡± Chu Fang said. ¡°Morning. Do you have some time today? Together with the rest of the team. I want to watch you guys y a bit and I¡¯ve got some news I need to tell you guys about.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and replied, ¡°Oh, sure, of course! I think we¡¯re practicing anyway this afternoon. Is that good for you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that should be fine,¡± Chu Fang said. ¡°Just send me the time and location and I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his stomach, the smell of food distracting him from the call. ¡°Ok, ok. I¡¯ll let the others know. I¡¯ll also send you the info. Uhm, anything else?¡±

    Chu Fangughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re busy?¡±

    ¡°Well, breakfast¡­¡± Lin Feng started to exin. But Chu Fang cut him off. ¡°No worries! I¡¯ve got plenty to do here anyway. Just remember to send me the time and ce. I¡¯ll see you there!¡±

    ¡°Ok, see you there!¡± Lin Feng replied before hanging up. He then grinned and said to Tang Bingyao, ¡°You heard that, right Tang Tang? Guess he wants to see us practice! And something about some news...¡±

    Su Xue had been listening in, but only heard half of what Chu Fang said. She looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Who was that? Something about the Collegiate Cup? When is that starting anyway?¡±

    ¡°In a few days,¡± Tang Bingyao said, which was quickly followed by Lin Feng adding, ¡°December 8th. So on Tuesday, I think?¡±

    Su Xue rubbed her chin and said, ¡°Practice this afternoon, huh? Tang Tang¡¯s clothes should be dry by then, so that won¡¯t be an issue. But it¡¯s still a couple of hours before lunch.¡± Her eyes suddenly lit up and she suggested, ¡°Hey, I know! Tang Tang and I can y some duo queue on stream today! I¡¯m sure the viewers will love to see a¡­ continuation ofst night. I kind of had to stop that rather abruptly. And you need all the practice you can get before the tournament anyway! This is perfect!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also ying in the tournament! I should y too!¡± Lin Feng quickly mentioned. But Su Xue justughed at him. She said, ¡°I thought you were really good at League too? You don¡¯t need any practice. But if you want to be really good at being a maid too, you should get some practice in for that.¡± She giggled before continuing, ¡°It all adds up! Tang Tang gets some practice in with me and you get to practice your maid skills! This¡¯ll be great!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue turned on her stream and informed her most loyal viewers on her QQ group chat about it. The turnup was massive. Everyone and their mothers tuned in to watch this episode in the life of Su Xue. It was a direct result from the night before, when Su Xue went offline after cing the ¡®body¡¯ down on her bed. All her viewers were now letting Su Xue know how they felt about that. If she wasmitting a crime, they wanted in on it!

    ¡¸How could you leave us hanging like that! My feelings are hurt! HURT!¡¹

    ¡¸you think you can just close the stream whenever you want!? ANSWER MEE!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸How dare you let all your viewers down like that! You¡¯re not worth our support! UNFOLLOWWWWWW¡¹

    ¡¸mass reports for false advertising, lezzz gooooooooo X9999999999999 (so many viewers.l¡­.)¡¹

    The camera was still off. Su Xue yed around with the stream settings, until she got it right. The camera turned on and showed Su Xue and Tang Bingyao sitting behind theputer. Everyone recognized the ¡®body¡¯ that hade back to life. She was a beautiful girl wearing cute pink Jinx pyjamas. Their inner simps awoke and they flooded the chat with messages aimed at Tang Bingyao.

    ¡¸hey hey! Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Water Wraith!¡¹

    ¡¸SUP SEXY! You one of xuexue¡¯s friends? BFFs?¡¹

    ¡¸you y lol too? add me pls! we can duo queueue!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I luuuvvvvvvv your ponytail! your pjs pretty sexy too!!¡¹

    ¡¸whats your name? I NEEDA KNOW FOR RESEARCH!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸can i tell my friends about you??? pretty preasseeeeee¡¹

    Su Xue coughed and said, ¡°How about we stop this?¡± She then pointed at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°This here is Tang Bingyao. She¡¯s Lin Feng¡¯s ssmate. She¡¯s still in high school. Now stop being creeps!¡±

    ¡¸again!??!?!?!? How many ssmates does he have? WTFFFFFF¡¹

    ¡¸NUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!! tangtang!!!!!! add me on league plsssssss¡¹

    ¡¸I didn¡¯t realise. She looks very beautiful. Nice to make your acquaintance, mdy! *tips fedora*¡¹

    Su Xue deleted thest message with a trained flick of her mouse and temporarily muted the user who sent it. Then she smiled at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°You should say hi to them. Just look in the camera up there.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded, speechless. Not because of the chat messages, but because of the sheer number of viewers. She stared at that number going up and up. From hundreds to thousands of viewers! She finally said, ¡°Hi, hi. Uhmm, I¡¯m Tang Tang.¡±

    Lin Feng butted into the frame and shouted, ¡°Tang Tang is an amazing ad-carry!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and said, ¡°No one asked you anything! Hurry up and go pour us some water!¡± She then looked back at the camera and continued, ¡°You might remember Tang Tang from the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. She was the ad-carry on Lin Feng¡¯s team! She was so good! Oh, I know! How about she ys ad-carry for a couple of games and I support her?¡±

    ¡¸WOOOOOO YEAHHHHHHHH TANG TANG GOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸66666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸pls teach xue xue how to y, tangtang!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸legendary iing in 3, 2, 1¡­. NOOOWWWWWWW!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸dont carry xue xue too hard, or shes gonna lose a bunch of games again tonight¡­¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸screw that! I¡¯ll just not watch tonight! CARRY HARD TANG TANG!!!!!!¡¹

    Su Xue red as she read through a few of the messages, but overall she was pretty happy. She winked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°See? They¡¯re all excited to watch you y. Let¡¯s get into queue. You ad-carry and I Support. Sounds good, yeah?¡±

    Tang Bingyao sat up straight in her chair. They¡¯re all watching me. I can¡¯t let Su Xue down! Mhm! She was going to y on stream for the first time. She¡¯d never before yed with so many people watching her. That made this moment so much more scary. She couldn¡¯t let these viewers down. She had to show them something special! A truly good game! She grabbed her mouse and ced her fingers on the keyboard. Then she stared intently at her screen and said, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

 Chapter 269: 50 Viewer Andy

    "Shank''s opinion on chocte is officially beyond redemption and i wanna force feed him actually bad chocte to cure his abysmal taste"

    -Hyacen

    Chapter 269 - 50 Viewer Andy

    Tang Bingyao quietly watched Su Xue joking around with her viewers on stream. She spectated as Lin Fengined about how life was unfair and that he should be the one practicing together with her, only to be shut down by Su Xue. They¡¯re always like this. It¡¯s just like¡­ it¡¯s just like on stream. This is always what they do when I watch them. And now I¡¯m a part of it! She smiled and made a fist. I¡¯m going to show Su Xue how good I am! Mhm! I¡¯m going to y my best game! Maybe she¡¯ll invite me again then!

    And the viewers¡­ Tang Bingyao nced at the camera, briefly. Short enough that no one really noticed it. Then she quickly looked down at her hands again. She wasn¡¯t feelingfortable in front of the camera. There was something invasive about it that sent a creeping feeling up her spine. Thousands of people were watching her. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to look up. I can do this! I¡¯m going to carry! Mm-hm! I won¡¯t embarrass myself! I¡¯ma win!

    Lin Feng was just told off by Su Xue again, when he noticed Tang Bingyao hadn¡¯t said anything in a bit. He looked at her, noticed the difficult expression on her face, and grinned. He moved over to her and said, ¡°Hey, Tang Tang! Having a bit of a headache fromst night? I totally understand! No worries, you can go nap a bit more in my bed! I¡¯ll y a few games in your stead!¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t get the chance to respond. Su Xue smacked Lin Feng on the top of his head and shouted, ¡°Enough! I¡¯m ying with Tang Tang! Go and get me some water! And add some lemon to it!¡±

    ¡°Mhm! I have no headache! I¡¯m fine!¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding. She then turned to look at Su Xue and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s y!¡±

    Su Xue smiled victoriously and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear!¡± She clicked on the y button and the two girls went into the duo ranked queue.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the queue to pop. Su Xue and Tang Bingyao moved into Champion Select, where they called their roles and then locked in their Champions. As agreed upon before, Su Xue was ying Support. She wasn¡¯t great at the role yet, though she¡¯d dabbled a bit with ittely, but was confident that her Nami could impress Tang Bingyao. Another reason for her choice of Support was because Nami had great synergy with Draven, which was the Champion Tang Bingyao was ying, due to her strong crowd control and healing skills.

    Lin Feng was forced to watch Su Xue and Tang Bingyao lock in their Champions. Why does Tang Tang look so serious¡­? And she¡¯s ying Draven! That¡¯s her best Champion by far¡­ He scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Your opponents are going to be in for a rough time. Tang Tang¡¯s Draven is really good! I almost feel bad for them!¡±

    Su Xue nced at Lin Feng and replied, ¡°You don¡¯t feel bad for them. That¡¯d require you to have some level of EQ.¡± Then she turned back to look at her monitor which was showing League of Legends¡¯ loading screen. ¡°Let¡¯s see, who are we up against... That looks like a Lucian ad-carry. Huh?¡± She moved her mouse over Lucian¡¯s summoner name. ¡°Douyu TV Heartless? That sounds like a streamer name. Anyone know them? Is it a streamer?¡±

    ¡¸Wowaaa! I just looked him up! He is a streamer!¡¹

    wl, he looks like a nerd.... A dman ugly one! Hahahhahaha¡¹

    ¡¸CRUSH HIM XUE XUE! SHOW HIM WHO DA BEST STREAMER IS!!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸rough him up, hehe. This gunnnaa be fuuun!!!¡¹

    ?

    Online streaming services had grown exponentially in the previous several years. Newpanies popped up every day, looking to grab a piece of the pie. Huya TV, the tform on which Su Xue streamed, was one of the more popr ones. Then there were arge number of smaller streaming services. Douyu TV was one of those. It only had a fraction of the viewers that Huya TV pulled in every day and only the top few streamers on these smaller tforms made any kind of revenue.

    There were three tested methods to wade through the swamps of grassroots streamers and make it to prominence. The first of the three methods was through pure skill. It didn¡¯t particrly matter which game the streamer excelled at, just that they were among the very best. This was far from easy. For a game like League of Legends, it meant that the streamer had to be at least at the Master rank, preferably even higher.

    Another method was to be an entertainer. The streamer didn¡¯t need to worry about their gamey, because it wouldn¡¯t carry them to more viewers anyway. They were looking for the people out there who wanted to have augh, joke around, and be entertained. It was an incredibly difficult feat to be entertaining and it required no small amount of talent and hard work. In this sense, the first and second option were simr.

    There was a third option, though there were many people who looked down on this method. They would im it wasn¡¯t really ¡°streaming¡±. Not for the websites these ¡°streamers¡± were on, anyway. The streamers who made it big through this option did so purely based on their looks. They smudged their faces with half a dozenyers of makeup and flexed their muscles or showed off their impressive cleavages.

    And Heartless hated everyone who used any of these options to get a following! He believed he was the most talented League of Legends yer and that the jokes he made were absolutely hrious! And that as such he was the best of the first and the second option! Yet the people weren¡¯ting to his stream to watch his gamey or his entertainment. Horny idiots! He browsed through Douyu TV, which was the tform he streamed on. All the top streams are these stupid thots! With their makeup on and their fake ass b.o.o.b.s!

    Heartless was a grassroots streamer. He¡¯d been ying League of Legends for quite a while and reached Diamond 4, something he took great pride in. After doing some research, he decided to stream. And Douyu TV was the right tform for him. But it didn¡¯t go quite as he expected. People didn¡¯t flood his stream. He rarely ever had more than 30 viewers, with his record sitting at a measly 89. Horny kids watching thots because they can¡¯t get a girl themselves!

    It surprised absolutely no one that Heartless found it impossible to gain any kind of traction on Douyu TV, though he was blind to it himself. His skills at League of Legends were second rate, his entertainment value was sub zero, and he looked like a homeless person. The sole reason people stuck around in his stream was to make fun of him. They told him that he cut his hair himself with a mirror and scissors and that he could maybe get some more viewers if he hid himself behind threeyers of filters. And his reaction to those messages was absolutely hrious to the viewers. He¡¯d blow his top, screaming at his viewers and banning them.

    Heartless sat in his dorm room, hunched forward behind hisputer. There was a camera pointed at his face at just the wrong angle, showing off every ugly feature of his already not very pleasing face. But he liked this angle of his face. He nced at his second screen where he had the Douyu TV page open and grinned. Looking sharp again today! I¡¯m feeling lucky! Today I¡¯m going to hit 100 viewers! He suddenly frowned, annoyed. F.u.c.k.i.n.g trash stealing all my viewers! If I had b.o.o.b.s, I didn¡¯t need to work this hard! Douyu would put me on their frontpage in a heartbeat! They¡¯d probably pay me for it too! It¡¯s so unfair! But¡­ He nced at himself in the camera feed again. Looking sharp today!

    Alright! Time to hype the viewers up a bit! Heartless smiled, showing off his crooked teeth, and announced, ¡°This is it, guys! Today¡¯s the day! I¡¯m going to hit Diamond 3 and get 100 viewers!¡±

    ¡¸Ha. Dream on..¡¹

    ¡¸kek¡¹

    Heartless frowned andined, ¡°You guys should really be a little more optimistic! I swear, if I was one of those ugly thots, you¡¯d all be falling over me! All I¡¯m asking is some activity! Is that so much asked?¡± It was his go-to move. Comin. Whine. Bitch. And it was also the biggest reason he lost the few viewers he gained every stream. After thistest outburst, just one of many, there were another five people who left his stream for good. That was nearly half of the people watching him.

    ¡°Really? Leaving because I say the truth? Go watch their f.u.c.k.i.n.g shit streams! Good riddance!¡± Heartless yelled, frustrated. They know I¡¯m saying the truth! It just hurts their fragile egos! F.u.c.k.i.n.g simps! He¡¯d never stopped to think that maybe the problem wasn¡¯t something or someone else. That maybe he was the problem. But hecked themon sense to consider that.

    Heartless was a coward at his core. He had no problem badmouthing absolutely everything and everyone on his stream. His favourite victims were popr streamers, especially those he considered thots or e-girls, and the Douyu TV administrators. None of these people would ever tune in on his stream anyway. But the moment he got the opportunity to talk with an admin, he fell at their feet and kissed their toes. It was even more ridiculous the few times he showed his face in a QQ group chat from one of the famous streamers. He was without a doubt the biggest asskisser out there. But I only do that to steal their viewers! And if I get an admin to like me, I might get a slot on the frontpage! That¡¯d really see my stream get big. But those f.u.c.k.i.n.g thots just keep hogging up all the top spots!

    Two months of hard work. Heartless tried everything he could think of. But when he looked at the number of viewers, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as popr as he felt he should be. I swear! All I need is a feature on the frontpage and I¡¯ll take off! My stream is really good. I just need people to see it¡ª Huh? He looked at his streamchat. There were more people there than before. In fact, he couldn¡¯t remember ever having seen his chat move so quickly! What¡¯s going on?

    ¡¸GONNA GET REKT< MAAAATE¡¹

    ¡¸goodluck bud, ya gonna need it!!!¡¹

    ¡¸streamer vs. streamer!!!! SO EXCITIINGGGG!!!!! <333333¡¹

    ¡¸you get to y against a famous streamer!!!! this is your chance to make it bigg!!!! PLS DONT BE YOURSELF!!!!!!¡¹

    Heartless looked at his main monitor. He was on the loading screen for a game of League of Legends. EveningSnowfall? That sounds like a girl¡¯s name¡­ Am I ying against one of those stupid thots? He opened a new tab on his browser and searched for EveningSnowfall. There, Huya TV. He clicked on the link and opened the stream. A wheel spun on his screen, loading, loading, and then he saw it. Two pretty girls. He glowered and said, ¡°F.u.c.k.i.n.g thots! Oh my god! Look at that! See? SEE? What do I keep telling you guys? 6,000 viewers! I¡¯m telling you, they¡¯re all there jerking off to those tiddies! F.U.C.K ME! Those thots probably don¡¯t even know how to cast a skill! This is so unfair!¡±

    ¡¸y u mad bro??? gonna get ur ass kicked by some girls!!¡¹

    ¡¸HAHAHHAHAHA look at him getting mad XDDDDDD lil kid¡¹

    ¡¸he always so mad??? Dafuq is wrong with him?¡¹

    ¡¸Dude¡­. Those two aint ¡°thots¡±... They¡¯re great yers...¡¹

    ¡¸wow¡­ what a delusional toad¡¹

    ¡¸Lawl. Idiots gonna be idiots.¡¹

    Heartless read his streamchat and snorted. ¡°What am I so upset about? Let me tell you what I¡¯m so upset about!¡± He jabbed at his screen and continued, ¡°You see those two girls there? Those thots? That¡¯s what I¡¯m upset about! They¡¯ve got zero skill! They¡¯re trashy female streamers relying on their f.u.c.k.i.n.g looks to get viewers! I bet you guys they bought their ounts and are like Bronze or something!¡± He shook his head in frustration and eventually added, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they¡¯re sleeping with Huya admins for some extra views¡­¡±

    The streamchat lit up. There were almost a hundred viewers and all of them hade from Su Xue¡¯s stream. None of them were willing to let this small-time streamer talk about their Su Xue like this. Some started ming Heartless and were quickly banned from the channel. Others just left out of disgust. But Heartless didn¡¯t care about these viewers. Stupid white knights! I don¡¯t want any of you guys anyway! This is a stream for good viewers! Go asskiss for your f.u.c.k.i.n.g thots! Then he turned his attention back towards the loading screen. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the Draven and Nami, and mumbled, ¡°me your bad luck for getting matched up against me. I¡¯ll reveal to the world exactly how you two get your viewers!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Tang Bingyao was a bit nervous, while also fighting off the throbbing in her head. Breakfast had taken care of most of her hangover headache, but she still felt more than a little ufortable. Su Xue sat next to her, cheering her on. Su Xue is really nice and so cheerful. She smiled, ncing over at the stream chat. They¡¯re really nice too. Mhm!

    ¡¸GO TANG TANG!¡¹

    ¡¸Rek that other streamer!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro says your draven is amazing¡­ i really wanna seeee!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸draven is my favorite champion, but i can¡¯t y him :(((((( pls teach me sometime¡¹

    ¡¸maybe you can help the maid finally win a few games¡­ would be nice for a change!¡¹

    ¡¸Our xuexue isn¡¯t the brightest bulb of the bunch. You might needa carry her¡­ Well, not might. Definitely gonna have to if you wanna win this one¡­. Hehheeheh <333¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s viewers were excited to see Tang Bingyao y. But that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d go easy on Su Xue. They always grabbed every opportunity they got with both hands to make a joke about Su Xue. And she red back at them, unamused as always, andined, ¡°Oi! What¡¯s this all about! I don¡¯t need carrying! I¡¯m really good! You guys should be grateful for once and cheer me on!¡±

    ¡¸AS IF! AHHAHAHAHHA pls dont feed xuexue¡¹

    ¡¸dont be a deadweight maid xue¡¹

    ¡¸MASS UNFOLLOW IF SHE FEEDS!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS!¡± Su Xue yelled. She took a short, frustrated breath, then continued, ¡°I¡¯ll show you all how good I am! I¡¯m going to support Tang Tang so well that she carries even harder than she already would!¡± She then turned to Tang Bingyao and winked at her. ¡°Right?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm!¡±

 Chapter 270: AFK Ragequit

    The first minion wave shed in the bottomne. Tang Bingyao activated Draven¡¯s Spinning Axes. One axe started spinning, winding up for a powerful attack. Then Draven hurled it at a minion. The axe cleaved through the minion''s health bar before ricocheting backwards. Tang Bingyao had her Draven catch the axe. It was spinning again, winding up for another powerful hit. This time her target wasn¡¯t a minion, but rather Red Team¡¯s Support. The axe arced through the air before cutting into Leona. Then it bounced back and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven caught it again. The axe spun in his hand, winding up.

    Heartless was a decent enough yer. He kept his Lucian out of reach from the Draven, afraid of the damage from the Spinning Axes. But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t get any poke damage in. Lucian had a longer range and skills that reached even further. The main skill was Piercing Light! He aimed both his guns at a minion which stood exactly in line with Su Xue¡¯s Nami, and then pulled the trigger. A bolt made of pure light shot forward at the speed of light, killing the minion and shaving away at Nami¡¯s health!

    The early exchanges in this matchup kept thene even, though logic dictated differently. Lucian and Leona were a very strong early gamebination. This was because Leona had the crowd control to lock Draven down and give her Lucian all the time he needed to get his damage in. But this Draven wasn¡¯t just any Draven. This was Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven! She knew this Champion like no one else did. And she yed this matchup perfectly, dodging Leona¡¯s attempts to engage while constantly poking away at her health.

    Unfortunately for Su Xue, her Nami was far squishier than Red Team¡¯s Leona. Just a few Piercing Lights saw her health drop to below half and she was really feeling the pressure. It also wasn¡¯t helping that Lin Feng was breathing down her neck, watching her and makingments about every little misy she made.

    After another Piercing Light caught Su Xue¡¯s Nami, Lin Feng grinned. He leaned over Su Xue¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Xue Xue, you really need to practice on dodging Lucian Qs! We can work on that in our next training session! I¡¯m really good at hitting you with Lucian Qs too!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Su Xue yelled through gritted teeth. I¡¯m not a Support! I only practice ad-carry! And I¡¯m not even Diamond yet! This ad-carry is Diamond 4! What did you expect? Of course I¡¯m going to have a difficult time! But I¡¯m trying here! Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m trying?

    Blue letters popped up above all four Champions in the bottomne. Level up! All four Boners received a second skill, opening up a whole newbination of possible engages. Red Team¡¯s Leona was the first to make use of this. She projected an image of her sword at Su Xue¡¯s Nami and pierced her¨CZenith de! As the image faded, she dashed at the Nami!

    Heartless winked at his camera, smiling sinisterly, and said, ¡°Told you they suck! She¡¯s dead! Watch this!¡± He theatrically lifted his finger high above his keyboard and then pressed down on the E key, activating Relentless Pursuit! His Lucian dashed forward and raised both guns at Nami for a double-shot!

    Tang Bingyao was an expert Draven. Few in the world could match her. And in her countless games, she¡¯d faced more than her fair share of Leona¡¯s. This Level 2 engage was a staple Leona move. It was the famous Zenith de into Shield of Daybreakbo. Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t going to be fooled by it. She mumbled quietly, ¡°Stand aside.¡± Her Draven raised his two axes above his shoulder and then threw them forward at an angle. They shed through Leona, knocking her out of her dash!

    ¡°Nice! Thanks!¡± Su Xue eximed.

    Tang Bingyao pinged on Lucian and said, ¡°CC him!¡±

    Su Xue nodded. Focus, focus, Su Xue! She had her Nami throw an Aqua Prison at Lucian. Her target was stuck in the animation of his doubleshot. He couldn¡¯t move as the bubble of water arced through the air before wrapping around him and lifting him off the ground. The Lucian was immobilized!

    Tang Bingyao pressed on her Q key for a second time. One axe had been spinning in Draven¡¯s hand since the start of the game. The other axe now also started spinning. They went ¡®round and ¡®round, winding up for critical damage! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven charged at the Lucian and hurled an axe at him! She followed right up with the second axe! Both cleaved into Lucian, shaving away at his health, before bouncing back.

    Su Xue¡¯s Nami used her Summoner Spell Exhaust on Lucian. A debilitating red aura fell over him. His damage became pitifully low as did his movement speed! He was caught out between two enemy champions and his Leona was too far away to help him. Heartless¡¯ eyes went wide in shock. ShitShitShit! I needa run!

    Tang Bingyao chased after the Lucian while also catching her Spinning Axes. And when he tried to escape with sh, she smiled. Everything came together perfectly. Lucian shed towards Leona and Leona shed towards Lucian. All Tang Bingyao did was follow the Lucian with a sh of her own. She then threw one final Spinning Axe that cleaved away thest of Lucian¡¯s health.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Heartless fell back in his gaming chair, watching his screen lose all its vibrant colours. It became a dull grey. The game announcer¡¯s voice thundered in his head, reminding him of what had just happened. He¡¯d given away first blood to the Draven. I just said I was going to kill the Nami¡­ Then I ended up getting killed! He gritted his teeth, furious! This can¡¯t be real! THIS CAN¡¯T BE! ¡°F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K!¡± This was one of the worst things that could happen to him. He felt humiliated. He gritted his teeth and nced at the stream. Those f.u.c.k.i.n.g trolls that came from the thot¡¯s stream are making fun of me! Of f.u.c.k.i.n.g course! Stupid simps! F.u.c.kF.u.c.kF.U.C.K!

    Heartless suddenly turned to look straight into the camera. There was such hatred and venom in his gaze that it sent cold shivers down the spines of his viewers. He red like this for a couple of seconds before saying, ¡°That doesn¡¯t count! My Leona trolled there! I¡¯ll get back those kills! Watch me!!¡±

    ?

    Draven was a Champion that benefited more from early kills than almost any other champion. This was because of his passive skill that granted him bonus gold every time he got a kill. An early first blood was basically a death sentence for the opposing team. In this case, the Red Team. Heartless¡¯ team. And they were quickly notified of this death sentence. It was only two minutester that Tang Bingyao caught Lucian slightly out of position and punished him for it with an easy solo kill.

    ¡°WHAT THE F.U.C.K!¡± Heartless shouted, mming his t hand on his keyboard. ¡°This stupid Jungler can¡¯t evene to gank! F.u.c.k.i.n.g useless trash!¡± He shot forward in his chair, moved his mouse over the Jarvan IV, and started spam pinging him. ¡°YES YOU! YOU WASTE OF LIFE! GO DIE OR SOMETHING!¡±

    Red Team¡¯s Jarvan IV cleared several more Jungle camps before indeed going down towards the botne. Heartless¡¯ Lucian and the Leona didn¡¯t even need to prepare for the gank because of how far forward Nami and Draven were ying. It looked like the perfect opportunity.

    Jarvan IV appeared from the river entrance and engaged on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven right away. He threw down his standard behind her and struck it with hisnce for a g tossbo! But Tang Bingyao knocked him out of the dash with Stand Aside! More specifically, she hit him at just the right angle to push him into Nami¡¯s Aqua Prison.

    Lucian and his Leona Support wanted toe and help the Jarvan IV. But in front of them was a small army of Blue minions. They weren¡¯t sure what to do, hesitating for a brief moment. That was all the time Tang Bingyao needed to hack away at Jarvan IV¡¯s health until there was nothing left.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lucian finally joined the fight. Butcking both levels and items, he was freely offering Tang Bingyao a double kill. Draven¡¯s Spinning Axes cleaved away nearly a quarter of his health with each hit. His sh was still on cooldown. I¡¯m not dying to this again! I WON¡¯T NO! NO! Good.

    Red Team¡¯s Leona hit Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven with Zenith de. She dashed at the Draven and then mmed her Shield of Daybreak against him. The stun that followed gave Heartless all the time he needed to get away from the fight and retreat back to his outer tower.

    Tang Bingyao narrowed her eyes, forced to watch Lucian escape. But Leona was still right on top of her. I¡¯ll get you instead. Mhm! The stun broke. Her Draven moved, empowered by Blood Rush. Spinning Axes shed into Leona before ricocheting back into the air. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven caught them and then hurled them straight back at the Leona. Her health disintegrated.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Tang Bingyao clenched her fist and smiled. ¡°Mhm! Nice!¡±

    ¡°Great kills!¡± Su Xue replied,ughing.

    ¡¸TANG TANG 6666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸GOD DRAVEN!¡¹

    ¡¸what a stomp!¡¹

    ¡¸TANG TANG, CARRY US!¡¹

    ?

    The game in botne was over. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven was fed. There was no amount of ganks that could turn this back around. But Tang Bingyao and Su Xue weren¡¯t ready to take down Red Team¡¯s outer tower yet. They both wanted to show off their skills by killing theirne opponents a few more times. So they continued farming minions, waiting for Red Team¡¯s Boners to return tone.

    Su Xue nced at her minimap, confused. She mumbled, ¡°What is their Leona doing in topne? And where is their Lucian?¡±

    Tang Bingyao waspletely focused onst hitting the minions and catched Draven¡¯s Spinning Axes. She asked, ¡°Mhm?¡±

    ¡°Their Lucian,¡± Su Xue repeated. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since we killed him. It¡¯s been over a minute! Where is he¡­?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Maybe he ragequit!¡±

    Su Xue giggled and replied, ¡°You might be right! Tang Tang is really not going easy on him!¡±

    ¡¸lololololol, noob streamer rq¡¹

    ¡¸They should ban him if he actually did rage quit¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸These kinda of people shouldnt be allowed to y League.¡¹

    ¡¸RIPPERINO IN PEPPERONI! EZZZZZZZGGGGG¡¹

    The people watching the stream continued to joke about how Heartless had rage quit. Su Xue and Lin Feng joked andughed with them about it. But it was all just jokes. No one actually believed that Heartless had gotten so tilted that he quit ying. Until Tang Bingyao suddenly interrupted them by saying, ¡°Mhm¡­ I think he really did...¡± She pointed at the all chat on her monitor.

    [All] Jarvan IV:¡¸gg, 4v5, open mid¡¹

    [All] Leona:¡¸plz report Lucian, he rq¡¹

    [All] Darius:¡¸fuuuuuuuuck, im in my diamond promos too! why does this always happen!?¡¹

    [All] Ahri:¡¸rip, someone report his stream too pls thx x9¡¹

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open. She just stared at her screen for a couple of seconds before she muttered, ¡°What? He actually ragequit?¡±

    ¡¸Hahahaha! Tang Tang is a god!¡¹

    ¡¸she actually made the mad ragequit! Looool¡¹

    ¡¸666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸Its not nice of you to make people rq, tangtang! ¡­¡¹

 Chapter 271: ~_^ Two Girls Duoing in Diamond and having fun! ~_^

    Heartless¡¯ real name was Wang He. He was a student at East China University of Science and Technology. Right now, he sat behind his desk letting his rage take full control of him. He Alt F4¡¯d out of the game of League and gripped his mouse tightly, lifted it up, and then mmed it down on his desk. ¡°F.U.C.K!¡± he screamed, picking his mouse back up and mming it down again. ¡°F.U.C.K!¡± Something cracked as his mouse hit the wood of his desk for a third time. ¡°F.U.C.K F.U.C.K F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K ALL OF THEM! USELESS F.U.C.K.I.N.G TEAMMATES!¡±

    The loss against the two female streamers cut at Wang He where it hurt the most. He truly believed that the only reason his stream wasn¡¯t gaining viewers was because there were female streamers who hogged all the viewers by showing off their cleavage. And he¡¯d just lost against exactly this kind of streamer. Those f.u.c.k.i.n.g thots can¡¯t y for shit! F.u.c.k.i.n.g bullcrap! Wang He wouldn¡¯t be Heartless if he epted the loss of the game and of his viewers. He ground his teeth and punched his keyboard. F.u.c.k.i.n.g teammates! If they weren¡¯t so goddamn useless I wouldn¡¯t have lost this game! F.u.c.k!

    Wang He turned to his webcam and raged, ¡°It¡¯s those shitty-ass teammates! That stupid Leona! Why did she have to engage at Level 2? She got me killed! And then that Jarvan¡­ Don¡¯t get me started on the Jarvan! That piece of shit just threw his life away in that gank! Didn¡¯t he see we were stuck behind the minions? We couldn¡¯t do anything! Yet he just went in there all by himself and gave the f.u.c.k.i.n.g Draven a kill!¡± He took a moment to catch his breath, then continued on full tilt, ¡°And what were mid and top doing? Were they blind or something? Couldn¡¯t they see Draven was getting fed? What did they think? Just ignore and pretend it¡¯ll be fine? Idiots! They¡¯re all idiots! If they¡¯d been half decent yers, they¡¯de to the botne and helped me turn this fight around! We would¡¯ve gotten a kill or two on the Draven and shut that thot down!¡±

    There were still well over 50 viewers watching Wang He¡¯s stream, sticking around purely for the epic meltdown. And Wang He wasn¡¯t finished yet. He started jabbing his screen and screaming at his camera, spit flying everywhere. ¡°I SWEAR! You can¡¯t f.u.c.k.i.n.g climb in ranked because of all the brainless f.u.c.ktards! They gave that Draven four kills! What was I supposed to do? There¡¯s nothing I could do! She was too fed! The game was over! There is no f.u.c.k.i.n.g reason to keep ying! I did the only sensible thing!¡±

    ¡¸bro, you know you yed like shit too, right?¡¹

    ¡¸who¡¯s the dumbass who got hit by the nami Q first? loooool¡¹

    ¡¸hahahahha this is epic dude. Keep raging please. Gimme more of this sweet salt XD¡¹

    ¡¸Hahahahhahah¡­ man you suck¡¹

    ¡¸stop being a shit streamer. F.u.c.k.i.n.g own up to your shit. scrub¡¹

    ¡¸if you cant tell why that draven and nami get all the views, then you in for a harddddd time my very not friend¡¹

    ¡°You¡¯re all f.u.c.k.i.n.g blind!¡± Wang He shouted at his screen. He flicked his mouse and deleted every single message that had anything else than supportive words in them. Then he took it a step further, banning everyone whose messages he didn¡¯t like. ¡°I don¡¯t need noobs telling me shit! NO NOOBS ALLOWED IN THIS STREAM! And if you can¡¯t tell that those two thots were trash, you¡¯re a noob!¡±

    The people who were left in the stream after the ban purge were those who hadn¡¯t bothered to type in chat. But they¡¯d seen enough. Watching Wang He¡¯s epic meltdown was enjoyable for a bit, but it was growing stale. They hit the unfollow button or simply left the steam. There was nothing here worth seeing. None of them were nning toe back.

    Wang He saw the number of followers drop as did the number of viewers, until there was almost no one left. This only served to further infuriate him. In his mind, his stream was the best. They should be f.u.c.k.i.n.g happy to be here! It¡¯s their good fortune to see me y! He shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°FINE! F.U.C.K.I.N.G LEAVE! YOU THINK I F.U.C.K.I.N.G CARE? I DON¡¯T! GOOD F.U.C.K.I.N.G RIDDANCE! GO JERK OFF TO YOUR TITTY STREAMS! LOSER¡ª¡±

    The door to Wang He¡¯s dorm room suddenly swung open and a male student walked in. He had a big grin on his face and said, ¡°Yo, Wang He! Hear you¡¯re still streaming. How¡¯s it going, mister big time streamer? You getting more popr yet?¡±

    Wang He didn¡¯t know half how fast he had to close his stream. He then turned around to look at the male student andughed awkwardly. ¡°Oh, uh, heh. Hey, Hu Hui. It¡¯s going decent, I guess. Slowly growing every day. All I really need is to be featured once. I¡¯ll make it big.¡±

    ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all, man! I could hear you all excited from down the hallway!¡± Hu Hui said,ughing. ¡°Anyway, I came to let you know the team captain has called a meeting. Probably something to do with the Collegiate Cup. It¡¯s starting in a few days already. I¡¯m guessing he wants us to practice some more.¡±

    Wang He turned off hisputer with two fast clicks and then stood up. ¡°No worries. I was just done with streaming anyway. Let¡¯s go see what Zhu Feng wants from us.¡±

    The two friends left the dormitory together, casually chatting. The esports clubroom was in another building, and with the Collegiate Cup starting in only a few days, that was naturally where their conversation drifted towards. Hu Hui nodded at a few people walking by and then said to Wang He, ¡°Did you hear? There¡¯s three high school teamspeting in the Collegiate Cup. That¡¯s not all. It gets even better. There¡¯s a rumour going around that the high school team from Shanghai beat the Shanghai University of Finance 2-0 in a scrimst Saturday!¡±

    ¡°A high school team?¡± Wang He asked. He then snorted and said, ¡°Just a bunch of high schoolers. What¡¯s the big deal? I bet Luo Yu and those guys had some first years y for them?¡±

    Hu Hui shook his head and exined, ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard. Apparently the high school team yed against the main roster. They beat Luo Yu.¡±

    Wang He¡¯s stopped walking, surprised. They beat Luo Yu? That¡­ That can¡¯t be! Yeah, it can¡¯t be. He sneered and said, ¡°Then they were probably just sandbagging for the lols. Or their good members graduated? I don¡¯t know what you heard, but you really believe a bunch of high schoolers can beat that team? Piss off. I don¡¯t believe it. If they got really beaten, then they don¡¯t deserve to be the third ranked team in East China. We¡¯ll kick them off their pedestal!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao yed several more games together with Su Xue. They won each one of them. Not that it was much of a challenge. Tang Bingyao was practically a Master rank ad-carry, while she was duo queuing with Su Xue who was only tinum. That ced their shared rank somewhere in low Diamond. There wasn¡¯t a single ad-carry at this rank who could beat Tang Bingyao. Thatbined with her highly aggressive style of y, and she won games before anything could even happen in the top or midne.

    The viewers were loving every second of the stream. This more than made up for the sudden end to the stream from the night before. Tang Bingyao even started interacting with them a bit after the initial nerves wore down. She smiled and thanked them for theirpliments. She even cracked a few jokes and pointed out why their opponents weren¡¯t all that good.

    Su Xue was also happy, but for another reason entirely. She was constantly looking for ways to increase the poprity of her stream. One of the tricks she¡¯d been ying around with recently was the stream title. It could be used to trick unsuspecting people browsing HuyaTV to click on the stream. When they open the stream and see me, they¡¯ll keep watching! I just need to get them in here! And these titles are working great for that! She smiled, ncing at the stream title.

    ~_^ Two Girls Duoing in Diamond and having fun! ~_^

    This morning is really good! My viewer numbers are higher than ever before! For the first time, all by herself with only a little help from Tang Bingyao, Su Xue hit 10,000 viewers! She wanted to keep ying for hours and days and however long the number of viewers kept climbing. There were so many people here watching her and she hated to let them all down by going offline. But noon was fast approaching. Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng had to leave soon and she still had to make them lunch. So after yet another win, she turned to the webcam and said, ¡°Sorry, guys. That was thest one. I need to make lunch, and these two are heading out soon.¡±

    ¡¸TANG TANG, DON¡¯T LEAVE UUUS!¡¹

    ¡¸PRO GAMERS DON¡¯T NEED TO EAT!¡¹¡¸Have xue xue go cook! Tang Tang can stay and y a few more games of solo queue! Oh, how about having her duo with lil bro!¡¹

    ¡¸tang tang should set up her own stream! I¡¯m getting bored of watching xue xue anyway¡¹

    Su Xue narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°You can kiss her ass all you want! I don¡¯t care. But how dare you say you¡¯re bored with my stream!? I¡¯m right here! At least say it behind my back!¡±

    ¡¸I would, but my car only has half a tank of gas!¡¹

    ¡°You¡¯re not funny. I¡¯m not fat!¡± Su Xue yelled. Then she closed the stream, sending a few more messages in the chat. Her viewers loved to tease her. She would act mad. They would apologize. And the cycle repeated itself. She shook her head before getting up and going to the kitchen. She said to Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao, ¡°You kids do something. I¡¯m going to make lunch.¡±

    Lin Fengpletely ignored Su Xue. Something else entirely was on his mind. He looked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°I think they¡¯re right, Tang Tang! You should set up your own stream! That way, if we can¡¯t find sponsors for our superteam 2.0, we can just earn some money with that stream! Oh! Oh! And we can have BunBun stream too! We¡¯re going to make so much money!¡±

    Su Xue paused at the door to her room. She turned back around to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯re nning on making two girls work hard and earn money just for them to give it all to you? I dare you to tell that idea to BunBun.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai gathered at the cybercafe around 1 P.M. Zeng Rui had already prepared a chalkboard in their private room and An Xin was standing in front of it. She pped her hands together and smiled. ¡°Alright! Everyone¡¯s here! Let¡¯s get started with a warm-up game!¡±

    Lin Feng put his hand up in the air and, without waiting for his turn, said, ¡°BunBun! I came up with a great n! Listen. How about you and Tang Tang start streaming? Both a different stream! And then you give the money you make to me and I¡¯ll spend it on the superteam 2.0! Doesn¡¯t that sound great?¡±

    An Xin¡¯s expression fell. She looked at Lin Feng for a long, hard second. Her lips started curving upwards. Murder appeared in her eyes. But then she shook her head and turned to Tang Bingyao. Can¡¯t deal with that idiot right now. Her smile became kinder, the anger disappearing from her eyes. She asked, ¡°How are you feeling? A headache? You did get pretty wastedst night¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao felt her face heat up. She looked down at her feet and shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine. Thanks. My head doesn¡¯t really hurt. It won¡¯t affect my gamey.¡± She nced at An Xin from the corners of her eyes before quickly looking away. I¡¯m not telling anyone what happenedst night! Nothing happened! Mhm! Nothing happened! She nced at An Xin again. She can never know that I slept at Lin Feng¡¯s ce! She chewed on her lips, her heart racing and smashing into her ribs. Please don¡¯t say what happened, Lin Feng. Please keep your mouth shut!

 Chapter 272: High School Teams ROOOOOOOOOCK!!!

    Team Shanghai started the day after their drinking party with two casual games, just to flex their muscle memory. The games didn¡¯t take very long. Their opponents weren¡¯t very good and the statistics at the end of the match reflected as much. An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Well yed! Seems like we¡¯re still in decent form.¡±

    The long days of practicing and sleepless nights of researching their opponents was showing its results. Team Shanghai had reallye together as a team. They knew what to expect from each other and were able to y to each others¡¯ strengths. It even started to look like winning the Winter Collegiate Cup wasn¡¯t as crazy as it sounded just two weeks ago. The only real problem, the big limiting factor, was that most real teams didn¡¯t y in team ranked on the League of Legends client. They opted for practicing their tactics against a sister team or even apetitor, because that helped to increase the quality of their training. This was also the kind of training Team Shanghai needed to makerger strides in their training.

    Zeng Rui shook his head in annoyance and said, ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t been trying to find us some scrim partners either. But Luo Yu and his team are refusing to y against us again, and most others hang up before I can even ask them¡­ The few who do stay on the line, well, theyin that we¡¯re high schoolers. Like that¡¯s some kind of big issue.¡±

    Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao nodded in understanding, and An Xin had a few choice words for the situation as well. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t get why everyone was so worked up about this. He shrugged and asked, ¡°Why do we care? The regionals are starting in a few days. We¡¯ll get plenty of practice against university teams!¡±

    Zeng Rui grimaced. Somehow, the thundering dumbass is right again. I don¡¯t like how this is going¡­ He then nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve seen the schedule. Our first game shouldn¡¯t be too hard, and the rounds after that are rtively easy as well. We really need to use this opportunity to practice seriously.¡±

    There were a lot of universitiespeting in the Winter Collegiate Cup. Far more than made sense in a normal tournament setting. So to dwindle the numbers before it got to that point, there were various levels of qualifiers. This meant for East China that the Regionals started with preliminary rounds in Shanghai, Zhejian and Fujian. The top teams from these qualifiers would then duke it out at the regional level. And from there, the top four advanced to nationals. That was thest step. The final showdown for the ultimate honour of Winter Collegiate Cup Champions!

    An Xin wasn¡¯t really listening to Zeng Rui talk about their matchups. She¡¯d done the research as well and knew exactly who they were going to be up against. She checked the time and suddenly turned to look at Lin Feng. She said, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng. Chu Fang should be here any minute now, right?¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang arrived at the cybercafe where Team Shanghai was practicing. He stepped out of the cab with a briefcase and arge stack of documents under his arms. I¡¯m a littlete. But it should be fine. What room did Lin Feng say again? Was it 3? I think¡­ He turned his head and searched for a note within the pile of files. Yeah, 3. He walked into the cybercafe and then knocked on the door of private room 3.

    Lin Feng opened the door and said, ¡°Chu Fang! Hey! You¡¯rete!¡±

    Chu Fangughed and replied, ¡°Hey Lin Feng. Can Ie in?¡±

    Lin Feng stepped aside and let Chu Fang in, after which the rest of Team Shanghai stood up from behind theirputers. They turned to look at Chu Fang and slightly bowed, greeting, ¡°Wee, Vice President Chu!¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s good to finally meet all of you. How i¡ª¡±

    ¡°You look like a truck ran over you!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. ¡°Did you forget to sleep or something? You look terrible!¡±

    Chu Fang shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, Lin Feng. The Collegiate Cup is starting soon and I¡¯m in charge of most of it. I just rushed over from a meeting with a potential sponsor. Now I¡¯m here for a bit and then it¡¯s straight to the venue where the main event will be held and make sure everything is progressing as scheduled.¡±

    Zhang Hao looked at Chu Fang, impressed, and said, ¡°Wow. That sounds like a lot of work, Vice President Chu.¡±

    An Xin smiled and chimed in, ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound all that different from normal, does it? You always work hard!¡±

    Lin Feng finally processed what Chu Fang was telling him. He¡¯s really busy! He doesn¡¯t even have the time to sleep! He looked at Chu Fang and suggested, ¡°Maybe you should go home and get a quick nap! You really didn¡¯t need toe all the way here just to watch us y. Our practice is going great! We¡¯re going to win the tournament no problem!¡±

    Zeng Rui watched the exchange between Lin Feng and Chu Fang with both disapproval and confusion. He¡¯s talking to a senior! He should show some respect! This thundering dumbass sounds like he¡¯s talking to BunBun¡­ Or anyone else¡­ He always talks like¡­ Ughh! He scrunched his nose and watched Chu Fang. But why is he going along with it? Why is he talking so casually with Lin Feng¡­? It¡¯s like¡­ Do they know each other? Is that even possible? Where would they¡¯ve met? The Shanghai 16 School Tournament? But why would they¡¯ve kept in touch? No, something is fishy here.

    Chu Fang looked at Lin Feng and smiled. He¡¯s just like he was back then. So full of confidence. He reminds me of a bigger version of Maple. He exined, ¡°I know you¡¯re good, Lin Feng. I¡¯ve gotplete confidence in you and the rest of the team. That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here because you guys are representing the Shanghai Esports Association. It only makes sense that Ie and check up on you guys every now and then. And then I can report that back to the boss.¡± He suddenly raised his finger and turned to look at the others. He asked, ¡°You guys are in the middle of practice, right? Lin Feng mentioned something about that. How about I watch a game? Give me an impression of how good you guys already are!¡±

    Lin Feng shouted in excitement, ¡°You should watch me in the midne! I¡¯ll go Legendary in the next game, I¡¯m feeling it!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at Lin Feng, annoyed. Of course he¡¯s at it again. Can¡¯t he show some proper etiquette? He then turned to look at Chu Fang and replied, ¡°Of course. It¡¯d be our honour. We won¡¯t disappoint you, Vice President Chu.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai wanted to show off to Chu Fang. An Xin took on her role as coach, talking the team through their strategy and telling them which champions to pick and ban in Champion select. Then, when the five yers loaded onto the Rift, Zeng Rui took over. He gave the calls, following along the game n An Xin had just exined. He did this as well as he could, using the opportunity to show Chu Fang exactly how good Team Shanghai was. To prove to Chu Fang that it¡¯d been the right choice to invite him.

    The first 10 minutes of the game flew by. There was action in everyne, kill announcements following each other up in quick session. It was a true stomp. Team Shanghai was ughtering the opponents, leaving nothing of them untouched. The kills just kepting. Lin Feng was the first to go legendary, iming his 9th kill of the game in the 14th minute of the game. Tang Bingyao followed right behind him, iming the legendary status three minutester. The gamested another three minutes. At 20 minutes, the surrender feature unlocked. The enemy team unanimously voted to surrender.

    Chu Fang¡¯s smile grew wider and wider as he watched the game conclude. They¡¯re fantastic! Even better than I thought they¡¯d be! That Toner is doing pretty well and the ad-carry really is a lot more talented than I expected! Seems like their practice is paying off! He¡¯d had full faith in Team Shanghai beforeing here today. That was why he hadn¡¯te sooner. Why he left them to their own devices. But to see them reach this level of skill was outside of his expectations. They might actually win this tournament! They¡¯re going to be shocking a lot of people at the very least. That much is certain. None of those university teams knows what¡¯sing for them!

    There were five pairs of eyes turned towards Chu Fang, pulling him away from his thoughts. He took a deep breath, then gave a thumbs up and said, ¡°Fantastic, guys! That was great!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Thanks!¡±

    Zhang Hao stood up and bowed towards Chu Fang. ¡°Thank you, Vice President Chu!¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and said, ¡°This means a loting from you, Vice President Chu. Thank you!¡±

    This was the first time for these three to interact with Chu Fang. They knew who he was. He was the man behind the scenes. A real professional and veteran in the world of esports. To receive apliment from him meant incredibly much to them. So it wasn¡¯t strange to see them beaming with joy.

    And then there were Lin Feng and An Xin. They didn¡¯t really care about thepliments from Chu Fang. It wasn¡¯t anything new to them. They¡¯d heard those same words back in Season 1. Back then it wasn¡¯t just Chu Fang either. Other bigshots like Fang Hao were practically fighting over who could give the biggestpliments. So Lin Feng did what Lin Feng does best. He struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°Of course we did great! We¡¯re going to win the Winter Collegiate Cup!¡±

    Chu Fang smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m d to see you so confident. And I have to admit, after watching you guys y, I believe you actually stand a chance.¡± He suddenly paused. The smile vanished from his face. He looked seriously at Lin Feng and the others before continuing, ¡°But it won¡¯t be easy. There are many really strong teams. And I¡¯m not just talking about the university teams.¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Not?¡±

    An Xin raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Are you talking about the high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Chu Fang confirmed. He searched through the pile of documents he brought with him while saying, ¡°I gathered some information on those two teams. From what I can tell, they¡¯re going to be some of your toughest opponents in the entire tournament.¡±

 Chapter 273: High School Kids Canâ€™t Play League for Shit!

    High school teamspeting at a university tournament. The official reason was that these were some very talented yers who deserved to get the experience. But it was never that simple. In this particr case, it was a pissing contest between the three big Esports Organizations in China. Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai were using their high school teams to show who''s next generation was the best. A couple of old men in their big offices were betting on who had the best kids.

    The Shanghai Esports Association had given Team Shanghai two objectives to achieve during the Winter Collegiate Cup. The obvious goal was winning the entire tournament and showing that they were better than everyone else! But more importantly for the Shanghai Esports Association was that Team Shanghai beat the high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou. And if they never got to face those two teams, then they had to at least rank higher in the tournament.

    Chu Fang dropped the smile and pleasantries. He looked with a serious expression around the cybercafe¡¯s private room. He said, ¡°The high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou are actually really strong. They¡¯re far better than we initially expected.¡± He passed around a document, allowing the members of Team Shanghai to read through it, before continuing, ¡°On there you can see the information I gathered on the Beijing team. They have seven members on their team. From what I could find, they¡¯ve scrimmed against both Beijing U-Tech and China University of Political Science and Law. They won every game in both scrims.¡± He paused a brief moment and then added, ¡°Those two university teams were both quarter finalistsst year.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Zhang Hao asked with a shrug. ¡°We scrimmed against Shanghai University of Finance and kicked their asses! Sounds like we¡¯ve got nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Chu Fang shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. Don¡¯t start underestimating them. The Beijing team didn¡¯t even y with their main roster. Their strongest two yers were sitting out in those games. And they crushed both teams. I¡¯ve been told that they were really impressive.¡±

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes and massaged his temples. It was hard to get any information on them, since we didn¡¯t know much about them. I hoped that they were at most at the level of quarter finalists. But it sounds like I was wrong. He looked up at Chu Fang and said, ¡°We¡¯ve got our work cut out for us.¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± An Xin knew Chu Fang a little bit better than most others in the room. He likes to start with the good news¡­ She observed Chu Fang¡¯s expression briefly and then asked, ¡°What about the Guangzhou team?¡±

    Chu Fang smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°Yeah¡­ They¡¯re better than the Beijing team. A lot better, supposedly.¡±

    Long before esports there was the geek culture, which was little more than a group of Japanese animation, science fiction and video games enthusiasts. This culture grew faster in Guangzhou than anywhere else in China, quickly bing a part of the city¡¯s identity. Many people even called Guangzhou the first real cultural center of China! There were countlesspanies, likeic book publishers and streaming tforms, that had set up their base of operation in Guangzhou for this very reason. Yet Shanghai had overtaken Guangzhou in recent years to be the esports capital of the world. This was difficult to ept for the City of Nerds. And they were looking to bring esports back home!

    All of this background information was important for Team Shanghai, because it exined how Guangzhou¡¯s high school team had attracted some of the most talented high school yers from Korea. They¡¯d done this with their connections to bigpanies like Huya TV. Chu Fang took a deep breath and then asked, ¡°Have you guys heard about a yer called Goalie?¡±

    ¡°No? I¡¯ve never heard about him before. Is he a strong yer?¡± Lin Feng asked, puzzled.

    The other members of Team Shanghai didn¡¯t reply right away. They thought about it, because the name did sound familiar to them. It was eventually An Xin who made the connection. She raised her eyebrow and mumbled, ¡°Him? They actually got him?¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and exined, ¡°Yeah. They got him. Offered him a nice fat contract it looks like. He flew over from Korea and started attending a high school in Guangzhou approximately two months ago. His rank on the China server isn¡¯t all that high yet. But that¡¯s just because he hasn¡¯t spent much time on it. He mainly ys on the Korean server, where he has consistently been in the top 30 of the rankeddder. His peak was rank 7. And¡­¡± He turned to look at Lin Feng. ¡°...he¡¯s a Miner.¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes were wide. He stared dumbly at Chu Fang and mumbled, ¡°7th ce Challenger on the Korean server? What the fuck! That¡¯s so impressive! He¡¯s right up there with Rake! He¡¯s yed against Rake! How are we supposed to beat someone like that!?¡±

    Zeng Rui hadn¡¯t felt his eyelids twitch involentarily all day. But now they did. He finally remembered who Goalie was. Huya TV offered him a fat contract! That¡¯s probably what Chu Fang is talking about. But I haven¡¯t seen him stream thest few weeks. I was already wondering what happened¡­ I guess this exins it. He¡¯s been busy practicing with his team. Crap! I didn¡¯t expect that he could be on Guangzhou¡¯s high school team. All my predictions and expectations for the high school teams were wrong! I have to reconsider all of that! Why couldn¡¯t they let us know about this sooner? This is really screwing with our schedule! He grimaced and scratched his head. It¡¯s going to be so much harder to win now. Can we even win? Goalie is only a high schooler, but he has so much experience already! We¡¯re basically screwed in the midne!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t share any of the shock his teammates were feeling. He was a little bundle of joy! A true grin reaching from one ear to the other was somehow still growing wider on his face. His eyes were beaming in anticipation. He eximed, ¡°Goalie is a mid main? Nice! That should be so much fun! You know, I¡¯m really good at beating rank 7 Challengers too!¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Right. Just leave him to Lin Feng. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± She then nodded at Lin Feng and added, ¡°You might like to hear that Goalie is known for his Lenc and Fizz and all those hard-carry champions.¡±

    ¡°Sweet!¡± Lin Feng eximed. His grin was somehow reaching all around his head. ¡°This¡¯ll make it so much more fun to stomp him!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng in shock. Then a memory came back to him from the night before. It was his conversation with An Xin. She told me not to worry about it. Lin Feng was better than every other Miner at the Collegiate Cup. But that was before we knew about Goalie. He looked at An Xin, scrutinizing her every action. She¡­ she doesn¡¯t look worried? Is she? Is this all an act? Does she really believe Lin Feng can even beat Goalie?

    Lin Feng suddenly turned to An Xin and asked, ¡°Hey, how do you know so much about Goalie?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± An Xin mumbled. What¡¯s gotten into him? It usually takes him weeks to make any kind of connection, if he does at all! Why is he so sharp now all out of a sudden? ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She looked around for an answer and then exined, ¡°I saw him stream on Huya TV a while back. He was ying really well, so I remembered him.¡± She giggled briefly before adding, ¡°You know, not everyone is as short of memory as you. You couldn¡¯t remember him if you saw him y this morning! You¡¯re kinda like a goldfish.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, his grin faltering. He muttered, ¡°My memory isn¡¯t that bad.¡±

    An Xin smirked and said, ¡°Did you bring your house keys with youst night? Or were you stuck at the door and forced Su Xue to close her stream again?¡± She smiled knowingly before adding, ¡°Told you. Goldfish memory.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t fair!¡± Lin Feng protested. ¡°That¡¯s somethingpletely different! You see, the keys¡­¡± He stopped himself and red at An Xin. ¡°I don¡¯t have a goldfish memory!¡±

    ¡°Yes you do,¡± An Xin quickly countered.

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, quietly watching the childish quarrel between An Xin and Lin Feng. She zoomed in on An Xin, blocking out Lin Feng¡¯s attempt at a defense. She made himpletely forget about Goalie and how she knew him¡­ Did she do that on purpose? Am I seeing things? Hmm¡­ It feels like she did that on purpose. Mhm.

    ?

    Chu Fang brought a lot of explosive news. Team Shanghai continued talking about it until long after he left. They went over all the information on Team Beijing first. It was impressive. Team Beijing looked like an incredibly strong team. But Zeng Rui and An Xin weren¡¯t too worried. They only had to slightly adjust their preparations and expectations. There were some backup ns for a scenario like this, though. The real shock was the information on Team Guangzhou. The thought of having to go up against the brightest high school talent in Korea was daunting, suffocating and absolutely terrifying.

    After going over Team Guangzhou¡¯s information, they kepting back to Goalie. He was their staryer, the one Team Shanghai had to really prepare for. An Xin turned to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°How confident are you in beating him? Please, I need a serious answer.¡± I know how good you were. But I also know you¡¯re not there yet. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s really hard to see all the small things. How far along are you?

    Lin Feng shrugged and said, ¡°I won¡¯t lose to him. Honestly, perfectly serious, more serious than I ever am¡­¡± He grinned and assured, ¡°He¡¯s just the right opponent. It¡¯ll be a good challenge!¡±

    An Xin watched Lin Feng. Really watched him. Every small move he made, she caught. She listened to the rhythm in his voice and searched for any kind of defensive mechanism at work in his mind. But she found none of that. He¡¯s looking forward to it! It¡¯s giving me goosebumps! It¡¯s like four years ago all over again! Before every game, he was always so excited about beating a strong Miner! He¡¯s getting to that point again, mentally anyway. Good. She faintly smiled and said, ¡°Are you now? Well, that¡¯s good. Do your best. I believe in you.¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng in a daze. How can he be so confident? And why does BunBun just believe him? I just don¡¯t get it¡­ It doesn¡¯t add up. He yed professionally. That¡¯s the only thing that makes any sense. Maybe he went by a different name. I just¡­ I don¡¯t get it. This is the only exnation I can think of. How else can he be so confident about beating Goalie? He only got to Challenger a while back! He sighed loudly and shook his head. Then he suddenly looked very serious and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s prepare. The tournament is starting soon. We need to be ready.¡±

    Lin Feng started grinning again. He struck his trademark victory pose and shouted, ¡°YEAH! Prepare and then conquer the Collegiate Cup! High School 13 is getting its second trophy! We¡¯re going to fill the entire trophy cab!¡±

    Tang Bingyao imitated Lin Feng¡¯s victory pose and nodded. ¡°Mhm! Let¡¯s fill the trophy cab!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai spent the next few days practicing as much as they could, until Tuesday came around. It was the 8th of December. The Winter Collegiate Cup was officially starting. University teams from all around the country started in the first round of preliminaries, fighting against local opponents in an 8-team knock-out bracket. Only two teams from each bracket would advance to the next round. And then there were still far too many teams left. Just in the Shanghai League alone, there were five different local divisions.

    Team Shanghai¡¯s first round of preliminaries were being held at the East China Medical School. They agreed to meet up there at 5 P.M. sharp. Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao were a little early. They waited, impatient. Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao and An Xin werete. The two both had their phones in their hands, checking the time and looking if there were any messages. They were just about to call, when the thundering dumbass¡¯ familiar voice rang out. ¡°Hao Bro! ZengZeng! Look, look! I brought you guys egg crepes! Do you want one? You can¡¯t get hungry while ying! Here, take one! I brought enough for everyone!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelid started trembling. He put his hand over it and looked past Lin Feng, where An Xin and Tang Bingyao were both nibbling on their own egg crepes. He then shook his head and said, ¡°No thanks. We don¡¯t have the time toze around. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    There were signs on campus pointing Team Shanghai towards the ying hall. Lin Feng wanted to look around a bit, but Zeng Rui didn¡¯t allow that. He pulled everyone along, constantly reminding them that they were alreadyte and that they really had to hurry up. He kept this up until they entered the hall. That was when he turned to the others and said, ¡°We¡¯re in Group 2. It¡¯s a single-elimination, best of three series, and only the top 2 teams in each group advances. So we have to win everything.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°So we just gotta win two best of threes, right? Okay, got it!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°Who do we y first?¡±

    ¡°East China University of Science and Technology,¡± Zeng Rui replied.

    ?

    East China Medical School had pulled out all stops to create an impressive arena for the first preliminary round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. There were two soundproof booths for the yers and arge stage that could easily hold 300 people. And it was packed. Completely jam-packed. Many students from East China Medical School hade to watch the preliminaries of the Collegiate Cup. They were chilling in their chairs and gossiping about thetest news. They wereughing and joking about the teams that were terrible in previous editions and would probably be terrible again. And they wereining about having to sit through a high school versus university game.

    One guy in the audience suddenly stood up. He gazed past the stage to where Team Shanghai just entered the hall. ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted. ¡°Hey! Hey! Guys! Look! Over there! There! You see those kids? I think they¡¯re the high schoolers! Yeah! They¡¯re the high schoolers! That¡¯s the high school team!¡±

    The noise in the hall came to a grinding halt. 300 pairs of eyes turned around to look at Team Shanghai, scrutinizing them. And then amotion broke loose.

    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me, right? That¡¯s the high school team everyone has been talking about?¡± ¡°They look so young! Are they really good at the game?¡± ¡°Are those girls actually on the team¡­? Please tell me they¡¯re just there for moral support. PLEASE!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a good feeling with this¡­ They look like shit.¡± ¡°What a strange team¡­ Are those girls on the roster? Maybe there other two yers are on the toilet?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see them feed their asses off and make an embarrassment of themselves!¡±

    ?

    The first best of three series was between two teams from Group 1. The yers from Team Shanghai sat down in the yer seating area next to the stage and looked up at therge LCD screen that was suspiciously simr to the one at the Shanghai University of Finance.

    Zeng Rui nced at the two teams and then said to his teammates, ¡°The first match is between the East China Medical School and some other tech school.¡±

    ¡°We just have to win Group 2. What do we care about Group 1?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Zhang Hao wasn¡¯t listening to Zeng Rui or Lin Feng. He was ring at a couple of other yers who were sitting together a little distance away. He grumbled, ¡°Those damn shits are talking shit about us! Why do they keep saying we got in through our connections? What connections? I don¡¯t have any connections! This is so stupid! Just because we¡¯re the only high school team in the East China region, we get all this attention. Why can¡¯t they just shut up about us? I¡¯m not rich!¡±

    An Xin smiled, unconcerned, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. They¡¯re just salty that we¡¯ll knock them out of the tournament.¡±

    Lin Fengughed and chimed in, ¡°Yep! We¡¯re going to stomp them! I¡¯m really good at stomping people too!¡±

    ?

    East China Medical School won their best of three series in two quick games. The crowd was cheering. Their team had made it to the next round! They didn¡¯t even quiet down as the host stepped up on stage and announced the next game. ¡°Next up, we have East China University of Science and Technology versus Team Shanghai!¡±

    But when the words ¡®Team Shanghai¡¯ flowed from the host¡¯s lips, everyone stopped talking. All eyes turned towards the yers from Team Shanghai. Some were curious, others venomous. Tang Bingyao slumped back a little, while Zhang Hao wanted to stand up and fight all the angry res! But Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem to notice the reaction in the hall. He only paid attention to the host. It¡¯s our turn to y! Finally! He jumped to his feet and pumped his fist into the air, shouting, ¡°It¡¯s finally our turn! Let¡¯s stomp them!¡±

 Chapter 274: There is no such thing as Coincidence; Lesson Learned, Maybe?

    It was time for the first match in Group 2! The audience at East China School of Medicine were sitting on the edge of their seats! This was the moment they¡¯d all been waiting for! The high school team, representatives of the Shanghai Esports Association, were finally going to be put in their ce!

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it¡­ Why did the Shanghai Esports Association feel the need to add this, this group of kids to the Collegiate Cup? It just brings the level of the entirepetition down.¡±

    ¡°Were they bribed or something? You never see girls ypetitively¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess this ¡®Team Shanghai¡¯ came just for the lols¡­ Doubt they¡¯re going to take even a single game.¡±

    ¡°Doubt they¡¯re even going to get a single kill!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really just silly. No one¡¯s going to be having any fun with this matchup.¡±

    ¡°Serves those c.o.c.ky kids right for waltzing into this ce like it¡¯s theirs!¡±

    The yers from Team Shanghai heard themotion that broke out when they got up and walked towards their soundproof booth. It was the same reaction they kept getting wherever they went. They found it exhausting. Tang Bingyao shook her head, An Xin mumbled a few quietints, and even Lin Feng was clearly fed up with it. They¡¯re talking about us! But we¡¯re not bad¡­ We¡¯re going to crush this uni of science and techno! They¡¯re going to look like idiots... He grinned and said to An Xin, ¡°The audience is really good at being idiots too!¡±

    An Xin looked up at Lin Feng, surprised. Then she giggled and replied, ¡°Here, let me try something.¡± She puffed her chest forward and did her best imitation of someone in the audience, ¡°For real? Two girls ying? They must be so bad!¡±

    Zhang Haoughed and joined in with his own imitation of an audience member. ¡°I know, right! Can you believe it? Two girls ying!¡±

    ¡°A high school team at a university levelpetition? What is the Shanghai Esports Association thinking?¡± Zeng Rui said.

    Lin Feng chuckled, quickly bing more excited, and said, ¡°Nice one, ZengZeng! OhOhOh! I¡¯ve also got one¡ª¡±

    ¡°Maybe the rumours are true. Their parents bought them a spot in this tournament. Spoiled brats,¡± Tang Bingyao interrupted, smiling.

    The team arrived at the soundproof booth. Zeng Rui pushed open the door and then paused. He turned around to look at the rest of the team and said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough fun. Complete focus when we step in here. Let¡¯s show them how good we are.¡±

    Team Shanghai disappeared in the soundproof booth, but the audience didn¡¯t stop giving their opinions. They kept going on and on about how girls didn¡¯t belong on a team that was trying topete. And how high schoolers shouldn¡¯t act like they could beat university students. Thisst bit riled up the other teamspeting. They¡¯d kept mostly quiet while Team Shanghai could still hear them, but they now found themselves speaking up louder and louder.

    ¡°When those kids get 2-0¡¯d, they go home, right? We won¡¯t have to look at their stupid faces again?¡±

    ¡°Who knows¡­ Maybe their parents will also buy them into the next round...¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t do that! But boy will it be embarrassing for the Shanghai Esports Association when their team gets knocked out in the first game! Serves them right for pulling this shit! A high school team¡­ F.u.c.k.i.n.g embarrassing!¡±

    ¡°Money talks, my friend. If their parents just throw enough money at the tournament officials, I¡¯m sure they can get a second chance at Regionals.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll buy a spot at the main tournament from one of the teams that make it there.¡±

    ¡°Not gonna lie. I¡¯m kinda looking forward to seeing them getting stomped. That¡¯ll feelsgoodman!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, yeah! I can¡¯t wait to see that!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai were seated behind theirputers. From left to right, it was Zhang Hao in the topne, An Xin in the Jungle, Lin Feng in the midne, Tang Bingyao as the ad-carry and Zeng Rui as the Support. Their monitors showed the League of Legends client. They were currently waiting in a lobby for the game to move into Champion select.

    An Xin looked over the edge of her screen at the audience. She couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but she could guess. ¡°Hey, Tang Tang,¡± she said, turning to look at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s the same everywhere we go. It¡¯s always the same, ¡®girls can¡¯t y League¡¯ crap. I really want to make sure they don¡¯t say that again for the rest of this tournament. That¡¯d be nice, right?¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao nodded. She looked back at An Xin and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll prove them wrong.¡±

    An Xin smiled at Tang Bingyao. That¡¯s the spirit! Then she turned back to look at the audience. Her smile remained but the expression around it changed. Her eyes narrowed and she scrunched her nose a bit. It was her trademark murder-smile. ¡°Good. I dare them to ever look down on us again! We¡¯re going to make them see how good we are!¡±

    The game moved to Champion Select. An Xin took the reins, telling the team which strategy they were going for and instructing the individual yers on the team which Champions they were to y. She then exined her vision for the early game, to which Zeng Rui nodded. He was in charge of the game itself. And he knew exactly what she wanted to see. During their conversation about the game n, the client opened up the loading screen. Everyone could see the lineup for Game 1 in the best of three series between Team Shanghai and East China University of Science and Technology.

    Game 1

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus East China University of Science and Technology (Red)

    Topne: Gragas versus Fiora

    Jungle: Jarvan IV versus Kha¡¯Zix

    Midne: Lux versus Syndra

    AD-carry: Graves versus Jinx

    Support: Thresh versus Alistar

    ?

    The yers from East China University of Science and Technology sat in the soundproof booth that was right next to Team Shanghai¡¯s. Zhu Feng was their team captain and Miner. He sat behind the middleputer, switching between looking at his monitor and ncing at his teammates. ¡°We have a strange start to this game, guys,¡± he finally said. ¡°They¡¯re the representatives from the Shanghai Esports Association. And the rumours suggest they might be good. But¡­ It¡¯s really hard to believe that when you see their lineup.¡± He took a long, deep breath before continuing, ¡°We can¡¯t let that line of thought get to us! It doesn¡¯t matter how bad we think they might be. They¡¯re here because they have skill! That¡¯s what we have to believe! So we have to focus on this game!¡±

    Zhu Feng hit the right note. His teammates turned to him, all of them confused. The Jungler was the first to talk. He said, ¡°You gotta be kidding me! Focus? They¡¯re a bunch of high schoolers! How good can they possibly be?¡±

    ¡°Right! There¡¯s no way we¡¯re losing to them,¡± the Support chimed in. He then turned to his ad-carry and asked, ¡°Yo, Wang He, whaddya think?¡±

    But Wang He wasn¡¯t listening to his teammates. His gaze was focused on the loading screen. I thought I recognized her, but I brushed it off¡­ Shit! How is this even possible? He gritted his teeth in shock and disbelief. That¡¯s her! It¡¯s that girl! I yed against her the other day on stream¡­ Her Draven¡­ How is this even possible? This can¡¯t be a coincidence! It¡¯s stupid!

    ¡°Wang He! Wang He! Yo, bud! Tell us. Whaddya think?¡± the Support asked again.

    Wang He turned to look at his teammates and said, ¡°Uh, oh, uh, we should focus botne. Camp it please. We just need to shut down their botne! Yeah! Shut down their botne! That¡¯s how we¡¯ll win this quickly! Camp botne!¡±

    ¡°Uuuuh, huh?¡± the Jungler replied, confused. Wang He never asks for help¡­ Heins when he gets help¡­ What¡¯s wrong with him? He nced at Wang He, searching for an answer. Why does he look so pale? Is he sick or something? What¡¯s going¡­ Eh, whatever. He shrugged and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯lle around bot for a gank or two.¡±

    Wang He exhaled the breath he¡¯d been holding. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and stared at his monitor, scenes from a few days ago ying in front of his eyes again. She got lucky then! Not again! I¡¯ll f.u.c.k.i.n.g stomp on her stupid f.u.c.k.i.n.g Graves! He grinned and mumbled so quietly that only he could hear it, ¡°Alright, little girl. Let¡¯s see what you can do when I try a little.¡± He chuckled loud enough for his teammates to give him a couple of strange nces. But he ignored them. His eyes were on the Summoner ID below the Graves. You¡¯re probably their staryer too. The ad-carry. A strong girl. Sure, sure. Makes sense why the Shanghai Esports Association would build a team around you. Too bad I¡¯m going to kick your ugly ass out of here!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The game started without much fanfare. Both teams went with a normal start to thening phase and waited for the first minion waves at their outer towers. And even after the first real exchanges, things remained passive for the most part. Zhang Hao and hisne opponent were focused onst hitting minions, seemingly oblivious to each other¡¯s existence. Over in the botne, Wang He was scared of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves. He yed thene very defensively, giving upst hits just for some more safety, and waited for his Jungler Kha¡¯Zix toe down to the botne for a gank.

    The onlyne with any kind of action was the midne. Lin Feng was ying Lux against Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra. If both yers were roughly equal in terms of skill, this was a very fair matchup. But Lin Feng was the far better yer. He had a way of positioning himself at just the right angles tond both poke damage on the Syndra while also keeping a perfect creep score.

    Zhu Feng was getting more and more annoyed by the second. How is this Lux controlling the wave so perfectly? She¡¯s pushing me away without even doing anything! I don¡¯t get it! What in the world is happening!? He was forced to move his Syndra back again to dodge an anomaly of twisted light that was flying towards him. Her Lucent Singrity¡¯s keep hitting me! And never the minions¡­ How the hell is he freezing the minion wave here? Shitting shit! And I can¡¯t afford to get hit by it either. That just proc¡¯s her passive skill and makes her next auto attack against me deal more damage!

    ¡°Take this!¡± Zhu Feng suddenly eximed. He mmed down on his Q key. Syndra moved forward a bit and then conjured a Dark Sphere underneath the Lux. The dark magic exploded on creation and dealt ssh magic damage. Zhu Feng¡¯s expression dropped. He eximed, ¡°How the f.u.c.k.i.n.g dammit did she dodge that!¡±

    The Syndra¡¯s attack had looked wless. Lux was moving tost hit a minion, while Zhu Feng ignored a minion tond some poke damage with Dark Sphere. But not only did Lux get the killing blow on the minion, she also sidestepped the Dark Sphere and then fired an anomaly of twisted light at the Syndra! It exploded, slowing and damaging the Syndra.

    Zhu Feng watched his Syndra drop below half health, incredulous. ¡°How am I the one pushing the minion wave?¡± he mumbled. I can¡¯t even get near the minions anymore! He¡¯s frozen the wave right outside of his tower! If I move up there, they can just gank me... And if I sit back here, I¡¯m missing out on gold and experience! Either way, I¡¯m f.u.c.k.i.e.d! Screw it, I¡¯m just going to go back to base and get some extra health potions. I just have to y it a bit more aggressively when I get back to force her to go back to base as well!

    Zhu Feng retreated back to behind his outer tower and then pressed down on the B key. A blue light red around his Syndra as she started channeling the recall skill. It took a couple of seconds, but then she appeared in the fountain at the heart of Red team¡¯s base. Right then, An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV appeared in the midne and helped Lin Feng¡¯s Lux to clear the minion wave and push it into the Red Team¡¯s outer tower.

    What the f.u.c.k? I just¡­ I¡­ Zhu Feng felt numb. I lost so many minions there¡­ All that experience and gold¡­ It¡¯s gone. Gone! He shook his head in disbelief. Why didn¡¯t I bring Teleport? Shit! I need to get back tone and kill him! We need to get a kill on him, or I¡¯m just going to fall behind. He chewed on his lips for a moment, then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Hu Hui, if you see a chance,e and gank mid with your Kha¡¯Zix.¡±

 Chapter 275: An Understatement

    Team Shanghai grabbed a small advantage in the midne. Lin Feng¡¯s Lux put full pressure on Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra, while keeping his Blue minions where he wanted them. It was an expert bit of skill. But the rest of the game was stillpletely even. Hu Hui, Jungler for the East China University of Science and Technology, was looking to change that. He finished his initial Jungle path four minutes into the game. He then had his Kha¡¯Zix move towards the botne while announcing over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Coming bot for a gank!¡±

    The Support Alistar replied, ¡°I got this!¡± He waited for Hu Hui¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix to be rtively close to the botne and then shed forward, right on top of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves. Pulverize! Alistar smashed his two big fists down on the ground with all its power. The impact knocked Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves up into the air! He then charged past the Graves and turned around behind her. ¡°Watch this!¡± he said, grinning

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh shed towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower while all of this was going on. He threw hisntern to Tang Bingyao, opening up the Dark Passage. All Tang Bingyao had to do was click on thentern and her Graves would dash to safety. Zeng Rui informed her of that with a simple, ¡°Click it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm!¡± She then clicked on thentern 300 times in the next second. Graves had to have both his feet on the ground to dash at Thresh. He was falling back to the ground. There was a miniscule opening between himnding on the ground and the Alistar Headbutting him towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. Tang Bingyao needed to get the click in during that brief period of time to survive. All she had to do was click. Click! Click! CLICK! Her Gravesnded on the ground and then lost his footing again as Thresh¡¯sntern pulled him away to safety.

    ¡°Ah damn,¡± the Kha¡¯Zix yer muttered over East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s voice chat. ¡°That could¡¯ve been first blood. Probably should¡¯ve been.¡±

    Wang He didn¡¯t say a word. He just stared at his screen, numb. She¡¯s good. YesYes. The stupid thot knows how to y! But she should¡¯ve been the only one! How did that Thresh y it like that? Did he just get lucky? But that was a good y! Shit! Their Support can¡¯t be good! She was supposed to be the only good yer on their team! This can¡¯t be happening! It can¡¯t! F.U.C.K! He gritted his teeth. The more he yed against Team Shanghai¡¯s Boners, the more he realised that they were both better than he was. But that conclusion was quickly pushed away. He still saw himself as invincible. They just have the stronger duo! I need a better Support! That f.u.c.k.i.n.g thot is just getting carried! In fact¡­ If I¡¯d had a better Support, we would¡¯ve gotten that kill! Yeah! I¡¯d be up 1-0! All I need is a Support who knows how to y! Why am I stuck with this noob!?

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Wang He felt his hand twitch. He forcefully restrained himself from hitting the Enter key and typing a message, while also tightly pressing his lips down. NOT F.U.C.K.I.N.G AGAIN! I already lost to this f.u.c.k.i.n.g thot once! We can¡¯t let this happen again! I need to win this! This is supposed to be my redemption game!

    ¡°What happened?¡± Zhu Feng asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, cutting Wang He¡¯s thoughts short.

    The Toner, who was ying Fiora, replied, ¡°Got baited. I just used all my skills on the Gragas and then the J4 shows up behind me. Didn¡¯t have my sh anymore either, so she knocks me up and gives the kill to that Gragas. Just a stupid mistake from me. Won¡¯t happen again. Sorry, guys.¡±

    Zhu Feng nced at his Toner and shook his head. Come on, guys! I warned you about this! We can¡¯t go underestimating these kids! We¡¯ll lose this series if we do that! He grimaced but understood that arguing wasn¡¯t going to help his team. So he replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t let it happen again.¡±

    ?

    There wasn¡¯t much that happened in the next minute. Red team¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix had returned to his Jungle to clear some camps. But by the 6th minute of the game, he made his way through the river to the brush right above the midne. He waited for Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra to move up towards the middle of thene where Lux was farming minions.

    ¡°Now!¡± Hu Hui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He pressed down on his E key, making his Kha¡¯Zix Leap at the Lux.

    There was a Blue ward in the brush Kha¡¯Zix had been hiding in, showing Lin Feng exactly what his opponent¡¯s Jungler was doing. Yeah! Come at me! Lin Feng grinned when the Kha¡¯Zix made the Leap. That was a short moment in which Kha¡¯Zix couldn¡¯t dodge, locked in the jumping animation. Lin Feng¡¯s Lux stepped to the side and aimed a Light Binding at where the Kha¡¯Zix was about tond. The sphere of light flew in a straight line, wrapping around the Kha¡¯Zix right as hended and binding him.

    Right then, An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV and Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh walked into the midne from the bot side river brush. They aimed their crowd control on Kha¡¯Zix,pletely ignoring Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra. Zeng Rui¡¯s Threshnded a Death Sentence on the Kha¡¯Zix and An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV knocked him up with a g tossbo!

    Hu Hui saw his Kha¡¯Zix¡¯s health bar evaporate. He tried to sh away, but the crowd control skills from Team Shanghai were linked together wlessly. And then there was the Lux. She was auto attacking him, dealing the least amount of damage. But her Lucent Singrity, an anomaly of twisted light, was underneath him. It was waiting to be detonated. Ready to shear away thest of his health. F.u.c.k! I need help! He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Guys! Zhu Feng! Help me! DON¡¯T BACK AWAY! HELP ME!¡± He watched his health drop to almost zero. ¡°We can still turn this around!¡± But Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra didn¡¯te to help. She hid underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower.

    Lin Feng waited until he was certain his Lucent Singrity would im the Kha¡¯Zix¡¯s life. Then he pressed on the E key and activated the second half of the skill. The anomaly of twisted light detonated right underneath the Kha¡¯Zix.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Sweet!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then turned to An Xin and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°See? I told you! I¡¯m really good at Lux too!¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and smiled dangerously. ¡°Oh? That was all you? I see. Well I guess you don¡¯t need our help then. You can fend for yourself for the rest of the game.¡±

    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Zeng Rui chimed in.

    ¡°Uh, no no! You can keep ganking! Ganks are always good!¡± Lin Feng replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

    Team Shanghai had picked up a kill in the botne, securing the advantage there. Then they moved their attention to the midne where they helped Lin Feng pull further ahead of Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra. And it all went with rtive ease. The team members wereughing over the voice chat and there was a focused but rxed atmosphere in their soundproof booth.

    The same couldn¡¯t be said for the East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s soundproof booth. No one was talking there. They were staring at their screen, frustrated and angry. Just a few minutes ago, they¡¯d been joking about Team Shanghai being a high school team. A team with two girls on its roster. It really sounded like a bad joke to them. Yet now they found themselves running after the facts only a couple of minutes into the game.

    But from everyone on the team, Zhu Feng was struggling the hardest. Even worse than Wang He. Hisning phase got off to a bad start, which had annoyed him. But Hu Hui¡¯s gank was supposed to change that. He was supposed to be back in the game. Why did it go like this? Dammit! He gritted his teeth. His Syndra had survived, but that wasn¡¯t worth anything. I¡¯m the real loser here! STUPID! Lux gets her damn kill! Forces me to recall back to base AGAIN! And she¡¯s just happily spending all her spare gold! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! And there¡¯s not a damned thing I can do about it...

    The audience was just like the East China University of Science and Technology having a difficult time epting what they were seeing. The high school team consisting of three guys and two girls weren¡¯t losing terribly. That alone was enough to shock many of the students watching the game. But not only was Team Shanghai not losing the game, they were starting to pull ahead, picking up two early kills and building up a massive advantage in the midne.

    ¡°They really threw me off at the start¡­ It¡¯s just not often that you see two girls on a team. And they¡¯re both ying really well!¡±

    ¡°What the f.u.c.k is this! What are Zhu Feng and his boy doing? F.U.C.K.I.N.G START PLAYING!¡±

    ¡°This ain¡¯t looking too hot for Zhu Feng and Wang He...¡±

    ¡°They getting beaten by GIRLS! HAHAHAHA!¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on! Hu Hui, what¡¯s this? F.u.c.k.i.n.g y! STOP FEEDING!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re giving away the first game to make it more exciting? Has to be it, right?¡±

    ¡°YUP! No way Zhu Feng loses to a damn kid in the midne! I refuse to believe it.¡±

    ?

    Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra arrived back inne half a minuteter. The minion wave was frozen outside of the Blue outer tower. Goddammit! I can¡¯t even go up there for some CS! What the f.u.c.k do I do? Zhu Feng chewed on his lips and looked at the minions that were dying off in the distance. They were out of his reach. He wasn¡¯t even getting experience from them. I can¡¯t keep doing this! I¡¯m just going to be useless! STUPID! I need to at least get in range to get the experience. Just a little more forward. He had his Syndra walk forward, doing his best to dodge the skills from Lin Feng¡¯s Lux that were already flying his way. This stupid Lux! How the f.u.c.k does she keep hitting me? I just need to dodge it!

    The n worked for the next 30 seconds. Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra was getting more brazen by the second as he started noticing a certain rhythm in the Lux¡¯s attack patterns. Dodging the attacks became easier. Hehe, you¡¯re still just a kid. You gotta learn more tricks if you wanna beat me! I know exactly where you¡¯re attacking next! He stepped to the side and smiled. That¡¯s another missed Lucent Singrity! SCRUB! He had his Syndra push past the middle of thene tost hit a caster minion.

    Zhu Feng clicked on another caster minion. His Syndra was just out of reach. She floated forward and then started her auto attack animation. UH? It all happened too quickly. Zhu Feng was paying attention to the minion,pletely forgetting to keep his eyes on the Lux. He didn¡¯t see the Light Bindinging until it flew straight through his Syndra. The light binded her in ce. STUPID! STUPID! Zhu Feng frantically clicked away, smashing his D key to sh away, and hoped the Lux didn¡¯t have enough damage to burst him down.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lux moved forward and hit Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndray with an auto attack. It pred her passive skill, Illumination! The damage from Light Binding had charged the Syndra with energy and the auto attack ignited that energy for bonus damage! Then she followed up with Lucent Singrity! An anomaly of twisted light flew forward and spread out on the ground around the Syndra. Lin Feng¡¯s Lux detonated it and followed up with another auto attack. The skill pred Illumination and the auto attack ignited the energy!

    Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra was caught in the light binding for another second. Lin Feng grinned. Watch me st you away with this Final Spark! He pushed down on the R key. His Lux threw her staff up in the air and let it spin in front of her. She jumped up in the air and arched her back backwards. Then she summoned all the light energy she could muster and threw it forward, screaming, ¡°DEMAAAACIA!¡± A beam of pure light sted across Summoners Rift. It mmed through Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra, shearing away at her health and almost killing her!

    ¡°He¡¯s alive! He¡¯s going to live! LOOK!¡±

    ¡° FLASH AWAY! FLASH TO THE TOP JUNGLE! NOOO!¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T GO THERE! DON¡¯T!¡±

    ¡°GO TOP! TOP DUDE! TOP!¡±

    Zhu Feng was sitting in a soundproof booth,pletely focused on the screen in front of him. He didn¡¯t see or hear the audience screaming for him to watch out. All he knew was that he¡¯d survived the Lux¡¯s burst damage and that he now had to get away! So he chose for the fastest way home, straight towards his outer tower. And that was exactly where the Jarvan IV was waiting for him. Zhu Feng¡¯s eyes went wide. He stared numbly at the new arrival, then shouted, ¡°STUPID! SO F.U.C.K.I.N.G STUPID!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV appeared from Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. She ran into the midne and then dashed at Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra with the g tossbo. It was aimed perfectly. The Syndra was flung up into the air! Lin Feng¡¯s Lux caught up andnded a third auto attack, igniting the energy left behind on the Syndra from the Final Spark skill. Her health dropped to single digits. But An Xin wasn¡¯t leaving anything to chance. She activated her ultimate skill¨CCataclysm! Jarvan IV leaped up above the Syndra and then mmed down into the ground! He carried with him such force that the ground terraformed into an area! But he was the only one inside. Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra was already dead.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOW! WHAT WAS THAT!?¡±

    ¡°Are these high schoolers on steroids? HOLY DAMN!¡±

    ¡°WHAT THE F.U.C.K ARE YOU DOING ZHU FENG? THAT WAS SO OBVIOUS!¡±

    ¡°Get your asses into the game! You¡¯re losing to HIGH SCHOOLERS!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, I can¡¯t watch this. It¡¯s too painful. What a bunch of braindead idiots...¡±

    ¡°PLAY THE F.U.C.K.I.N.G GAME! STOP BEING SO C.O.C.KY! F.U.C.K!¡±

    ?

    Wang He listened to Zhu Fengin and knew exactly what was happening. It all felt far too familiar. This isn¡¯t f.u.c.k.i.n.g possible! I refuse to believe this! NoNoNo! NOOOOO! They¡¯re supposed to be shit! Just that girl was going to be half decent! Not as good as me but ok. JUST OK! The rest had to suck! He ground his teeth, fighting a losing battle against his own sanity. It was showing in his y. He clicked further left than he usually would, stepping out from behind the protection of a caster minion.

    Zeng Rui spotted the mistake straight away. He lined up a Death Sentence and threw it out. The scythe connected with Wang He¡¯s Jinx. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, on the Jinx!¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She kept her eyes locked on Red Team¡¯s Alistar while activating Quickdraw. Her Graves dashed forward and hit Jinx with an auto attack. She didn¡¯t activate a second skill. Her finger was lightly pressing down on the D key, waiting to activate sh.

    Red Team¡¯s Alistar tried to protect his ad-carry. He targeted Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves with Headbut. It was Alistar¡¯s go-to move. Headbut the opponent and then knock them up right away with Pulverise. But before he could try thisbo, Tang Bingyao shed past him. She then raised her triple barrel shotgun and took aim at the Jinx.

    Wang He froze. His mouse-hand refused to move and his keyboard fingers refused to press down. Fuuuuuuck! How did she do that? How! HOW! HOW!? He was forced to watch as Graves fired a Buckshot at his Jinx. Three bullets mmed into his Jinx! LET ME GET OUT! F.U.C.K.I.N.G THOT! PISS OFF! But his fingers wouldn¡¯t move.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves lifted his triple barrel shotgun again. He activated his ultimate skill. Coteral Damage! An explosive shell sted through the air and mmed into the Jinx. The resulting damage decimated her health bar!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh was still hooked to Wang He¡¯s Jinx. He now activated the second part of Death Sentence. Thresh dashed at Wang He¡¯s Jinx and then yed her back and Ignited her. An unquenchable me burned on Jinx¡¯s body and the y slowed her. Thisbination gave Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves all the help he needed to finish the job.

    ¡°DO SOMETHING!¡± Wang He screamed over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°ALISTAR!¡± But it was already toote. The game announcer¡¯s voice sounded in his ears.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Wang He watched his screen turn grey. This¡­ This¡­ It¡¯s like that stupid game from the other day all over again! God f.u.c.k.i.n.g dammit! This stupid thot is f.u.c.k.i.n.g beating me again! And¡­ He mmed his fist down on the desk in frustration. AND I CAN¡¯T F.U.C.K.I.N.G QUIT THE GAME! It took him everyst bit of constraint not to stand up and walk away. Or to start screaming.

    ?

    The game between Team Shanghai and the East China University of Science and Technology was only a little more than 6 minutes in, yet it looked like the game was already yed. Lin Feng was enjoying a big lead in the midne, while Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao were quickly pulling ahead of theirne opponents in the botne. This was everything the audience expected East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s team to do.

    ¡°How are these high schoolers this much better¡­?¡±

    ¡°What in the world is happening? This shit ain¡¯t making any sense!¡±

    ¡°Are there esports steroids? Those kids should be tested!¡±

    ¡°This is borderline insane¡­ The way those kids are ying¡­ F.u.c.k! It¡¯s impressive!¡±

    ¡°Holy sweet moly! That¡¯s a 3,000 gold advantage right there!¡±

    ¡°I know right¡­ Zhu Feng is gonna have a hard effin time!¡±

    Shocked, surprised, and confusedments sounded out in the hall. The audience wasn¡¯t really sure what was happening. They didn¡¯t understand how the university team was losing to a high school team. All they¡¯d been hearing about was how the university teams were going to be so incredibly much better than the high school teams that it wasn¡¯t even going to be funny. Reality was anything but that.

    It took highly skilled people to see just how vast the gap between Team Shanghai and the East China University of Science and Technology really was. There were several such individuals on the other teamspeting here today. From the small things like positioning to the bigger moves like ganks, Team Shanghai exploited every asset of the game to pull ahead.

    ¡°They¡¯re gonna win if it goes on like this¡­¡±

    ¡°No shit! This Team Shanghai is kicking Zhu Feng¡¯s ass. This could be a sub 20 minute game¡­¡±

    ¡°F.u.c.k, that¡¯d be embarrassing!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui nced at the game clock. It read 9 minutes. He looked at his minimap and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lin Feng,e roam bot.¡±

    Lin Feng panned his camera, nced at the state of the botne, and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± He then pushed out the minion wave in the midne and retreated to his own outer tower. It was a simple tactic to make the Syndra think he was recalling back to base to upgrade his items. Let¡¯s get some kills in bot too!

    Zeng Rui waited for Lin Feng to almost be in the botne before engaging on Wang He¡¯s Jinx. His Thresh shed forward and then yed the Jinx backwards. Red team¡¯s Alistar tried to protect his ad-carry by Headbutting Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh away, but by doing so yed the exact move Zeng Rui was waiting for. He smiled and pressed down on the Q key¨CDeath Sentence! Thresh threw his scythe at the Jinx and hooked her!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lux walked into the botne right as the Death Sentencended. He cast a Light Binding to root the Jinx and followed up with Lucent Singrity and Final Spark! An anomaly of twisted light flew towards the Jinx and glowed underneath her. Then the Lux threw her wand up into the air and made it spin in front of her. She jumped up herself, arched her back backwards and then pushed all the energy she could muster forward! Aser beam sted across the map, enveloping the Jinx and evaporating her health bar!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves had followed behind Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh. Shended an auto attack on the rooted Jinx and then sted thest of her health bar away with a Buckshot! All the while, An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV ran into red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle and arrived in the botne behind enemy lines. There, she stormed towards the outer tower and knocked the Alistar up with a g tossbo!

    ¡°Alistar! Alistar!¡± Zeng Rui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ignoring the game announcer telling them about Jinx¡¯s death.

    The Lux, Graves and Thresh charged towards Red team¡¯s outer tower and helped An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV kill the Alistar. Tang Bingyao picked up the kill on her Graves, after which all four yers from Team Shanghai made it out with their lives.

    ¡°Dragon! Go Dragon!¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat. And the other three followed behind him. They ran up the river to the Dragon pit and killed the monster, getting gold and a buff that gave them extra attack and magic damage. All of this only further extended their advantage over the East China University of Science and Technology.

    ?

    Wang He was going crazy. I CAN¡¯T DO THIS SHIT! SCREW BOT LANE! He¡¯d been ying in the botne for 14 long minutes. That stupid thot is more fed than I am! And that Thresh is better than my Alistar! And if it wasn¡¯t for that other thot and the stupid Lux constantly ganking me, I might even get some CS and win thisne! But I¡¯m only falling further behind! I need to do something! He panned his camera across the map, searching for anything that might help him. Then he paused on the midne. Well, f.u.c.k it all! If I can¡¯t get anything in the botne, I¡¯ll just go and get some CS in the midne! That Lux can¡¯t do anything to me. I just gotta dodge her Qs. Those stupid Light Bindings¡­ Any noob can dodge those!

    Wang He¡¯s Jinx arrived in the midne and started attacking minions. He got a couple ofst hits and pushed up further into thene. This is more like it! I¡¯m getting some gold and I¡¯ll be right back int¡ª His eyes went wide in shock. The Lux had appeared out of nowhere and shed towards him, throwing a Light Binding at him from point nk range! There was no way he could have dodged it. F.U.C.K! NOT AGAIN! NOT F.U.C.K.I.N.G AGAIN! He pressed on every button on his keyboard, trying to break the root faster!

    An auto attacknded on Wang He¡¯s Jinx, detonating the energy gathered on her from the Light Binding. Then the Lux attacked with Lucent Singrity and Final Spark. The two skills sted away almost all the health his Jinx had. But it very importantly didn¡¯t kill him. He grimaced. I¡¯ll just have to recall back to base again. F.u.c.k.i.n.g dammit! He mmed down on his F key, infuriated. The root broke and his Jinx shed away towards the safety of his outer tower. At least I¡¯m still alive. Unlike that idiot Zhu Feng! Feeding this noob Lux!

    And then, from over the Jungle wall below the midne, an explosive shell flew towards Wang He¡¯s Jinx and exploded in her face. The damage was massive. Wang He watched his screen turn grey again. But more painfully was the game announcer¡¯s message that followed. It echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of how the thot he hated so much was kicking his ass. How she was the better yer.

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

 Chapter 276: â€œIâ€™m really good at having your back too!â€

    East China University of Science and Technology hade into the Winter Collegiate Cup thinking they could make it all the way to the main tournament. They were convinced that they finally had what it took topete with the big teams. But that confidence disappeared and morale crashed after Wang He¡¯s death in the midne. It was just thetest instance of how their game against Team Shanghai was going. Terribly. They weren¡¯t just losing the game, they were getting schooled by a group of high schoolers!

    East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s soundproof booth was silent. The yers looked at their screens in numb horror. They knew what was happening. Zhu Feng nced at his teammates, chewing on the inside of his cheeks. We¡¯re losing. We¡¯re losing this. They¡¯re so much¡­ better. He took a deep breath and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Come on, guys! Next game will be ours. We just need to¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even get himself to finish his motivational speech. His words were all lies. He knew it and his teammates knew it too. It was so obvious how vast the chasm between them and Team Shanghai was that it wasn¡¯t even funny.

    The audience came to the same conclusion, as did the yers from the other teams present. Team Shanghai was the better team and was more than likely going to win this series. There wasn¡¯t much in terms of excitement, most people in the crowd remaining silent. They¡¯d made fun of the high school team by telling jokes about how Team Shanghai was going to get eliminated in the first round. But no one wasughing now. Team Shanghai disyed incredibly high individual skill levels. And now that the game was moving into the mid game, they proved that their map control and macro ability were of an equally high level.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to be a tough team to beat,¡± someone in the audience said. It was a notion that received a lot of agreement. Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t here to sightsee, they were here topete. To win this local division of the Winter Collegiate Cup and move on to the next round!

    ?

    ¡°40 seconds until the next Dragon,¡± Zeng Rui said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Get ready.¡± He was already on the move himself, clearing wards in the river around the Dragon pit and cing down wards of his own to gain vision.

    Zhang Hao nodded and said, ¡°Just pushing out this wave and then I¡¯ming down.¡± There were only a few more Red minions in the topne. He used his skills to kill them and then recalled back to base. Teleport is still on cooldown. I shouldn¡¯t have used it¡­ Ah, nevermind. He clicked towards the Dragon pit. There¡¯s still plenty of time. Let¡¯s go and help the team.

    The calmness and focus in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth waspletely missing in East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s soundproof booth. Zhu Feng watched his team¡¯s wards disappear in the bottom side jungle. We need to stop them! We can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing! But¡­ Dammit! STUPID! He sighed in annoyance. The Jungle was abination of small, winding paths and monster camps. It was suicide to walk into there without proper vision. All Team Shanghai had to do was wait in one brush and thennd their area-of-effect skills on the members of his team. Thresh¡¯s Q¡­ Lux¡¯s Q and ult¡­ J4¡¯s EQ¡­ They¡¯ve got all the skills to f.u.c.k us up. He shook his head and gnashed his teeth. But he finally made the only call he could make. ¡°We¡¯re giving up on the Dragon. Let them take it.¡±

    Zeng Rui was slightly surprised when he saw the opposing team giving up on the Dragon. They¡¯re not even trying to steal it? Do they really think some CS in mid and top is worth more? Though it is probably the right call. We¡¯re really far ahead. They made a fast call and followed it. That¡¯s something to remember. He turned to look at An Xin and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°They¡¯re decisive.¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Yep. Guessing they realised that it isn¡¯t worth the risk to contest this Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Nooooooo! Why would they do this to me?¡± Lin Feng whined. He curled his lips and added, ¡°And I just hit my power spike too!¡± His Lux had pulled so far ahead in experience and gold that she was an absolute monster. Her burst damage was so high that Red team¡¯s Jinx and Syndra would instantly die to it, while even the tanky frontline Champions would find it difficult to survive. Team Shanghai didn¡¯t even really need the rest of their team anymore. Just Lux alone could do the engage, the damage, and the cleanup!

    ¡°Good call to give up. That Lux is unkible.¡±

    ¡°I think they should just surrender¡­ This game is over. That Lux¡­¡±

    ¡°Look at her items! Oh my god! How did she get so strong this early?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ she¡¯s at almost 12 CS a minute. That¡¯s just insane¡­¡±

    ¡°That must be some kind of record, right? 12! Holy shit!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mental. Absolutely f.u.c.k.i.n.g mental! That Lux is just crazy strong right now!¡±

    ?

    The game was only 18 minutes in, but by the way Team Shanghai was pushing it felt more like the 35th minute. And the 12th minute for East China University of Science and Technology in terms of items. Zhu Feng gritted his teeth and nced at his minimap. We¡¯re all here defending our mid inner tower. All five of us. And those c.o.c.ky high school kids are pushing with only two! Lux and Thresh! Their Toner is pushing the topne and we can¡¯t stop him, because we¡¯ll lose mid if we do! And I don¡¯t even know where their Graves and Jarvan IV are. Probablying mid? Best to assume that. But the only one defending the Lux right now is Thresh. If we¡¯re ever going to do anything to get back into this game¡­ A jolt sparked in his stomach. He realised that this was probably theirst chance at aeback. He made the call and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We have to act now! Kill the Lux!¡±

    Zeng Rui was trying to keep up with Lin Feng¡¯s Lux, who just kept pushing and pushing. ¡°Lin Feng!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Don¡¯t push so deep! We need to wait for the others!¡±

    An Xin followed up by saying, ¡°Yeap! Wait for me and Tang Tang! We¡¯re almost there!¡±

    But Lin Feng didn¡¯t worry. He ignored the yellow retreat pings on his minimap and the sound they made in his ears. ZengZeng has my back. We¡¯ll win this. It¡¯ll be easy. He had his Lux auto attack a minion and said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ve got really good items! There¡¯s nothing to worry about!¡±

    Zhu Feng flicked his mouse, moving around the midne to make sure everything was in ce. Their Alistar was hiding in the Jungle, ready to sh over the wall and catch the Lux off guard. The rest of the team was in position to follow up on that. He smiled. We¡¯ll get him and then win the fight! Without the Lux, we can kill them! He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°GO!¡±

    There was a small nook in the entrance to the top side Jungle from the midne. Team Shanghai didn¡¯t have vision on it. But Lin Feng¡¯s Lux still walked dangerously close to it. The Alistar waited, waited, and then shed forward! He arrived right on top of the Lux with a mottled sh of light and activated Pulverize! He clenched his massive fists and raised them up high above his head. Then he mmed down on the ground with all the force in his body! The earth cracked and the two Champions from Team Shanghai caught in its radius were hurled up into the air! The Alistar used this brief period that the Lux was airborne to run behind her and then, as shended back on the ground, he Headbutted her towards the inner tower!

    ¡°OH SNAP! That engage!¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOOO! Let¡¯s f.u.c.k.i.n.g goooooo!¡±

    ¡°NICE-LA! We turning this around! Beat ¡®em high schoolers!¡±

    ¡°RIP the high schoolers! GOOOOOOOOOO ZHU FENG!¡±

    ¡°Is this the turn around?¡±

    ¡°They caught the Lux! She¡¯s gonna die! AND THEN THE WHOLE TEAM WILL DIE!¡±

    ¡°TURNTABLES TIME! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    The yers from East China University of Science and Technology moved into action. Hu Hui¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix leaped onto the Lux and cleaved her with his ws, while Wang He activated me Chompers. His Jinx took out her bazooka and fired three grenades! Theynded right underneath Lux, where they exploded! And rooted her!

    ¡°Nice!¡± Wang He eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He had his Jinx take out her minigun and switched to automatic. Bullets flew through the air and pierced Lux, shearing away at her health!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t panic. He stared at his screen, his fingers gliding over his keyboard. Jinx¡¯s me Chompers rooted his Lux to the ground. But he could still cast his abilities. He waited for a brief moment as the Kha¡¯Zix moved ever so slightly to line up with the Jinx. Then he cast Light Binding. A sphere of light flew through Kha¡¯Zix and then Jinx, rooting them both! He followed up with Lucent Singrity and Final Spark,pleting Lux¡¯s full damagebo!

    An anomaly of twisted light flew out from Lux¡¯s wand and covered a circle wide enough to encapste both the Kha¡¯Zix and the Jinx. Then Lux threw her wand up in the air and had it spin in front of her! She jumped up, arching her back backwards and gathering all the power she could muster! Then she unleashed it all! A massiveser beam sted through the Jinx and Kha¡¯Zix!

    The Jinx and Kha¡¯Zix survived the burst damage from Lin Feng¡¯s Lux for one reason only. Wang He managed to get off a Heal between the detonation of Lucent Singrity and the damage from Final Spark. But they were both at critical health. One more auto attack was enough to kill the Jinx, and two for the Kha¡¯Zix. But right then Zhu Feng¡¯s Syndra shed towards the Lux. She used Dark Sphere to set up for Scatter the Weak! I¡¯ll stun you! See how you dodge this!

    Lin Feng smirked. I¡¯m really good at baiting too! He pressed down on the ¡®2¡¯ key, activating the active skill on his item ¡®Zhonya¡¯s Hourss¡¯. The golden grains of time shed into existence. They wrapped around Lux and paused her very existence in time and space! She was untargetable and invulnerable for a brief period of time. For a valuable few seconds.

    ¡°HOLY SHIT! How? HOW!?¡±

    ¡°Did he n this all along? Was he actually baiting them?¡±

    ¡°F.u.c.k me, what a bait!¡±

    ¡°DAYUUUUM! Crazy ys by that Lux! Absolute madman!¡±

    ¡°I like him. Really f.u.c.k.i.n.g like him!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ?

    Time ground to a halt in the soundproof booth from East China University of Science and Technology. No one knew what to say. Theirst ditch effort had failed, and all because they forgot to take the item ¡®Zhonya¡¯s Hourss¡¯ into consideration. Zhu Feng hit himself in the forehead in annoyance. I should¡¯ve known. I should¡¯ve f.u.c.k.i.n.g known! STUPID!

    There was one yer on the team who was dealing harder with this loss than Zhu Feng, harder than the rest of his teambined. Wang He was staring at his screen, metaphorical smoke rising up above his head. Just a few seconds ago, he¡¯d been ecstatic. They¡¯d caught Lux out of position and were going to finally turn this game around! It all began so perfectly. Alistar got the catch, he got the root, and then Syndra arrived for the stun. It was the perfect n! It shouldn¡¯t have failed! It¡­ He gritted his teeth, a familiar anger appearing in his eyes. F.U.C.K.I.N.G BULLSHIT! ZHU FENG SHOULD¡¯VE LINKED THAT BETTER! HE WAS TOO LATE!

    The game had started terribly for Wang He. His Jinx was constantly forced to y on the backfoot, even after he¡¯d told his teammates that they should give him some help! But he didn¡¯t get the help he needed. And wherever he went, he died. If not in the botne, then in the midne. And then there was his creep score. He didn¡¯t even want to look at it. The game was 18 minutes in, yet he¡¯d only gotten 74st hits. That wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough. He needed at least double that number to bepetitive! THIS IS F.U.C.K.I.N.G BULLCRAP! WHY DOES IT ALWAYS GO LIKE THIS? WHAT THE F.U.C.K! I SHOULD¡¯VE WON THIS! I¡¯M BETTER THAN THAT STUPID THOT!

    They¡¯re only high schoolers. High Schoolers! They can¡¯t be this good. They aren¡¯t. I¡¯m just seeing things. Zhu Feng is having a bad game, that¡¯s why that Lux looks so good. That Lux¡­ Wang He took a deep breath. He needed to find an excuse as to why the Lux was so far ahead of everyone else. Even after roaming around to the botne and helping pick up kills there, she still breached 200 CS at 18 minutes. IT¡¯S F.U.C.K.I.N.G IMPOSSIBLE! Cheating! He must be cheating somehow. He has to be. You can¡¯t get 202 CS this early! IT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!

    WE HAD HER! WE F.U.C.K.I.N.G HAD HER! WHY DID ZHU FENG F.U.C.K UP!? Wang He waspletely losing it. His head was turning red and purple and his hands were trembling. I HATE THAT F.U.C.K.I.N.G BITCH! STUPID SHIT LUX! WE F.U.C.K.I.N.G HAD HER! SHE GOT KNOCKED UP!

    She should¡¯ve tried to escape! Why did she engage? No one engages 1vs5. She should¡¯ve ran away! That was the n. Chase her down. Kill her. And then kill the rest of the team! Why did she turn on us? That was just suicidal! But she isn¡¯t dead yet. She isn¡¯t¡­ Wang He stared at his screen, time slowly winding up again. He faintly heard Zhu Feng¡¯s voice in the background, ¡°BACK! NOW! BAAAACK!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui watched Lin Feng going in. Shit! Why doesn¡¯t he back? I told him he has to¡­ He gritted his teeth. No time. He made his decision and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re fighting this!¡± He then shed towards the still rooted Jinx and Kha¡¯Zix and whipped his chain and sickle backwards, ying them towards the approaching Jarvan IV and Graves.

    An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV was the next to arrive to the fight. She engaged on the Jinx and Kha¡¯Zix with her g-tossbo, knocking them up right as the root wore off. This gave Tang Bingyao¡¯s Graves enough time to get in range for her ultimate skill. She pressed down on the R key¨CCoteral Damage! Graves fired an explosive shell that smashed into the Jinx and sted away thest of her health, while also sshing damage onto the Kha¡¯Zix.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh had an easy target for his Death Sentence. The Kha¡¯Zix was still airborne and couldn¡¯t dodge. The scythe hooked the Kha¡¯Zix and Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh dragged him backwards. An Xin followed up with Cataclysm! Jarvan IV leaped up above the Kha¡¯Zix and then came back to the ground with such force that the earth terraformed into an arena! But there was no opponent inside this arena. Kha¡¯Zix had died on impact.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zhu Feng watched on in horror as his team¡¯s perfect engage ended in them giving away two kills without getting anything for it in return. It¡¯s over. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s over. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Retreat. Get out if you can.¡± He then took the lead, running away and giving up on his teammates and the inner tower.

    ¡°WOOOOO! That¡¯s game! THAT¡¯S GAME!¡±

    ¡°G f.u.c.k.i.n.g G!¡±

    ¡°How did they win that fight? SNAPPERINO!¡±

    ¡°I know! Crazy, right? So much luck for that Lux!¡±

    ¡°Dunno about that, mate. Did you see the yer cam? That dude did not look worried at all.¡±

    ¡°Shit. You¡¯re right! Look at the rey! He¡¯s grinning!¡±

    ¡°THE DUDE IS GRINNING! WHAT A CHAMP!¡±

    Therge screen above the two soundproof booths was showing the rey of thest fight. Right next to the minimap was the yer feed. Everyone was staring at it, including the yers from the other teams. The rey was shown a second time, and then a third. The yers in the yer seating area started discussing what they saw on the rey.

    ¡°Could it be¡­ No way. Did he let himself get caught on purpose?¡±

    ¡°No way¡­ Right? But that smile¡­ He looks scary.¡±

    ¡°Guys, guys. Those are high schoolers! HIGH SCHOOLERS! What crap are you all talking?¡±

    ¡°Right. High schoolers who are stomping Zhu Feng¡¯s team¡­¡±

    ¡°That Lux is f.u.c.k.i.n.g mental if he did that on purpose!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯LL EAT A ROCK IF THAT WAS ON PURPOSE!¡±

    ¡°If that was on purpose, then he¡¯d be some kind of LPL pro¡­¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng grinned and turned his head to look at Zeng Rui. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°My bait worked! Everything went ording to n! See, ZengZeng? I told you I hit my power spike!¡±

    Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t amused. He replied, ¡°Attack the inner tower.¡± He then took a couple deep, long breaths. No. I have to say something. He added, ¡°You do realise we would¡¯ve lost a big teamfight if we didn¡¯t follow up on your engage, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. Heughed and said, ¡°I knew you guys would follow up! That¡¯s why I engaged!¡±

    Zeng Rui felt his eyebrow twitching again. Thundering dumbass! I really want to strangle you! I¡¯m going to go bald because of you! Dammit! I¡­ He gritted his teeth and red at Lin Feng. As long as I have to y with you, all I¡¯ll be doing as a Support is running after you and wiping your ass!

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Seems like you still have that bad habit. Didn¡¯t I tell you to do something about that?¡± She nced at Zeng Rui and read the rage in his expression. Maybe I should say something¡­ She hesitated for a brief moment before adding, ¡°At least try to change a bit.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s there to be changed? It worked great back then and it¡¯s clearly still working great right now! Didn¡¯t you see that teamfight? We won it!¡± Lin Feng answered over the team¡¯s voice chat, puzzled. He shrugged and continued, ¡°You guys are my teammates. I can make these ys because I believe in all of you!¡±

    There was a rare moment ofplete silence in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. No one expected these words from Lin Feng. He said them as though it was the most normal thing ever. But it wasn¡¯t normal. It was easy to tell someone that you trust them. It was another thing entirely to actually trust them. The yers from Team Shanghai were doing this too. They told each other that they believed in each other, yet they didn¡¯t y like it. There was reservation and uncertainty in every y they made. And then there was Lin Feng, who went in deep behind enemy lines utterly unconcerned. ¡°I can make these ys because I believe in all of you!¡±

    Zhang Hao found himself looking at Zeng Rui. I¡¯m¡­ Waiting for him to give an answer. Why do I always do this? He nced at Lin Feng. He¡¯s right. Lin Feng is right. I¡¯ve always just done what Zeng Rui told me to do. I trusted him to make the right calls. But that isn¡¯t what Lin Feng is talking about. With Shanghai High School, we all trusted Zeng Rui to lead us. It was a one way street that we were all happy with. But we never trusted each other, or got his trust.

    What Lin Feng is saying, is that he trusts me just like I trust him. It¡¯s a back and forth. It¡¯s¡­ Zhang Hao smiled. This is how it should be. He nodded at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Well said! Don¡¯t worry about making crazy ys like that! I¡¯ve got your back!¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Zhang Hao. It was the second explosion that went off in his head. What Lin Feng suggested was an approach to the game he¡¯d never considered. Each team needs a shotcaller. A leader to tell the rest what to do! What he¡¯s saying¡­ No¡­ Or¡­ Yes? I¡­ He chewed on his lips. What if...

 Chapter 277: A Small Step for Lin Feng; A Massive Leap for Zeng Rui

    Zeng Rui was only in high school, but his League of Legends achievements were representative of someone much older. He¡¯d reached the top of the rankeddder in the Ionia server and became famous as an up ander Support. On top of that, he was the team captain of the Shanghai High School esports team. His team had won the 2014 edition of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, where he was voted the most valuable yer. And in 2015 they came in second ce. Professional teams were scouting him and he had even turned down an offer from an LSPL team. His talent at the game was undisputed.

    In all his time ying League of Legends, Zeng Rui stuck to one particr ystyle. What he strove for was the most logical and rational way of ying the game. He didn¡¯t like uncertainty, or leaving anything up to chance. A n had to be perfect, or it was worthless. He needed to have a grasp on every single variable in the game, which included his teammates. They had to listen to him, move as he instructed them to. And then he¡¯d make sure everything came together seamlessly. Just like Autumn! This is how Autumn ys! He¡¯s an Emperor and the only Support Emperor! So he must be doing something right. And it¡¯s always so nice to watch him y. It¡¯s so clean and methodical. That¡¯s how the game should be yed, right?

    Zeng Rui stared at his monitor. Team Shanghai had taken down the inner tower in the midne and was now recalling back to base to spend their gold. He did the same, moving through the actions though his mind was drifting. It all changed when I was put on Team Shanghai. That first training with the thundering dumbass¡­ He nced at Lin Feng who was grinning like always. His ystyle is everything I hate! He just does whatever he feels like and lets the rest of his team clean up his mess! We always have to clean up after him! It¡¯s impossible! You won¡¯t get anywhere ying like that! But... he does get somewhere. Every single time he gets there¡­ He even beat me in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. He¡­ He was better than me.

    The topne was the next part of the map that Zeng Rui wanted to focus on. He made the calls over the voice chat, but his mind wasn¡¯t really in the game anymore. Team Shanghai, his team, was so far ahead that losing wasn¡¯t really possible anymore. He makes me go crazy. My eyelids have been twitching almost daily since we started ying together. I just¡­ I can¡¯t control him! And I can¡¯t make him see that we need my level of control to win! Zeng Rui chewed on the inside of his cheeks. Hees up with the craziest tactics in the middle of a game. He only sticks to a game n as long as it makes sense to him. When he sees something that he believes is better, he just goes for it. He doesn¡¯t tell me or the others. He shes in and expects us to be there to support him! It¡¯s impossible!

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes. There wasn¡¯t a real need to pay attention to the game. East China University of Science and Technology was too far behind. Lin Feng¡¯s Lux alone was enough to win this game. So Zeng Rui had his team take down towers in an orderly fashion while thinking back to the many arguments he¡¯d had with Lin Feng over the past couple of weeks. I get mad. I try to argue with him. Make him understand how wrong he is. But he just never seems to take it seriously. He justughs it off and does something else entirely in the next game! Just now with that ridiculous engage on his Lux... He shook his head, exasperated.

    But¡­ Zeng Rui¡¯stest argument with Lin Feng was almost exactly the same as the one before that, and the one before that. But there was something this time around. Between theughter, jokes and brushing off the responsibility, Lin Feng said a couple of words that made Zeng Rui pause. ¡°You guys are my teammates. I can make these ys because I believe in all of you!¡± There was something about those words that surprised Zeng Rui. It was an approach to the game he hadn¡¯t considered before. He always makes stupid excuses for his own egotistical ystyle! Don¡¯t let yourself be fooled by him! But¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ It sounded so casual. Like he really believed it. He nced at Lin Feng and muttered to himself, ¡°Teammates¡­ You can make these ys because you believe in us¡­¡±

    What nonsense! This ispletely illogical! Zeng Rui shook his head and felt the urge to start arguing with Lin Feng again. But there was something about the way Lin Feng said those words that stopped him. He really believes it. That wasn¡¯t a joke. He looked actually surprised that we didn¡¯t understand him. Why does he think that¡¯s so logical? It¡¯spletely illogical! But¡­ Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath. He scrunched his eyebrows and rubbed his mouth. It¡¯s so simple and honest. How can he say it like that? It¡¯s just¡­ Why am I even considering this? He¡¯s just¡­ Argghhh! He¡¯s making sense again! Why? WHY! This doesn¡¯t make any sense! He isn¡¯t right! He¡­ He can¡¯t be! It¡¯s impossible!

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Nonsense.¡± It was his go-to response. But there was something hidden in that message, a small jump in his voice. Because no matter how much he wanted to disagree with Lin Feng, no matter how much everything he knew about the game told him that Lin Feng was being a thundering dumbass, there was something in the honest, almost childlike way in which Lin Feng said those words. ¡°You guys are my teammates. I can make these ys because I believe in all of you!¡± Maybe it does hold some merit¡­ And that ¡®maybe¡¯ sounded through in his voice. ¡°Nonsense,¡± he repeated.

    An Xin turned her head to look at Zeng Rui in surprise. They¡¯d just taken down Baron Nashor and were preparing for a final push to end the game. She was just waiting for him to make the call. Nonsense? She read his expression. He¡¯s been distracted ever since Lin Feng shed in. And now he¡­ She smiled. It all made sense. Looks like Lin Feng made you believe in him too¡­ He¡¯s good at that. You¡¯re not the first. This is the same thing that happened four years ago. He has a way of charming people into ying his style. A kind of game that relies so much on pure trust rather than a carefully nned strategy and game n. I know how difficult this is for you. I¡¯ve seen you prepare for the Collegiate Cup.

    ¡°Push mid inhib,¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    An Xin looked back at the game and had her Jarvan IV lead the charge. But she didn¡¯t really need to focus or try all that hard. The game was yed more than five minutes earlier. She had her Jarvan IV g-tossbo onto the yers from East China University of Science and Technology that were hiding underneath the inhibitor tower in the midne. She followed up with her ultimate skill. All the while, her mind wandered. I wasn¡¯t really part of the team four years ago. They called me the coach, and I did help them, but I was more of a spectator. I watched Lin Feng build that team from nothing. And he built it all on trust. He found the yers that fit his unique style of y. And I got to watch all of that happen. She smiled, reminiscing.

    Lin Feng¡¯s old teammates weren¡¯t always happy with the way Lin Feng yed. He had this weird habit of doing somethingpletely random in the middle of a game, forcing everyone else to adapt on the spot. The game n was gone and they suddenly found themselves struggling to keep up with him. Then, after the game was over, they¡¯d give him a piece of their mind. They scolded him and made him promise never to do something like that again. But that was part of Lin Feng¡¯s charm, the unique way in which he yed, and so he did it again in the next game.

    Tian Tian, Eleven, Autumn and Silent wouldin again in the next game. They¡¯d tell Lin Feng that he was a terrible team captain and that it was impossible to follow up on him when he kept changing their ns halfway through the game without informing anyone. But they followed up on him. They stuck by his side. And no one could put up any kind of resistance when they swept through the LPL. They were invincible. Lin Feng¡¯s style of y paid off every time. Theirints lost their vigor. The annoyance in their voices disappeared. They started to see the value in Lin Feng¡¯s approach and learned to y like that too.

    On their journey to the World Finals, Lin Feng¡¯s teammates became truerades. They had absolute trust in each other, which helped them grow to be some of the best yers in their respective positions. In that process, a bond took shape between them, one where they didn¡¯t need to talk to know what they needed from each other. It was a special situation where skill and trust came together to form an incredibly strong team.

    An Xin sighed and shook her head. They got so close. But in the end, they were all following Lin Feng. He was so young. Maybe too young¡­ He really took it hard in the World Finals. That wasn¡¯t fun to watch. He wasn¡¯t ying well and forgot the most important part on which his team was built. Trust. The trust his teammates had in him, but also the trust he should have in his teammates. He forgot about that. But now¡­ She looked at Lin Feng who was grinning while picking up a triple kill inside East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s base and smiled. But that¡¯s all in the past. He¡¯s back now. And he still has that special ystyle. He¡¯s better. All he needs is to find a group of¡­ A group of¡ª An Xin¡¯s expression froze.

    Team Shanghai was cheering over the team¡¯s voice chat. The Red Nexus had exploded and morphed into a victory emblem for Team Shanghai! She could hear thempliment each other, but it was more like background noise. She bit on her lips and nced from Tang Bingyao to Zeng Rui. He¡¯s already found two members for his new team. And then there¡¯s also Fatty¡­ It won¡¯t be long now until he gets his team together. I just hope¡­ She breathed in sharply to push back the tears that were wetting her eyes. I just hope it¡¯s still possible for me to watch him get all the way to the World Finals again. One more time, that¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for. Just one more. That¡¯d be great. She blinked away a tear. It rolled down her cheek and as it fell down she caught it in the palm of her hand. If only that were possible¡­

 Chapter 278: TOGETHER. APE. SMASH!

    Wang He stared at his monitor, numb. DEFEAT! They were the same letters from a couple of days ago when he lost to Tang Bingyao in solo queue. I-impossible! I lost to her again! This can¡¯t be! No! We were going to win the Regionals this year! We were finally going to make it to Nationals! This¡­ He didn¡¯t even feel angry anymore. Everything he¡¯d worked so hard for crumbled down around him. The long hours he spent practicing with his university team suddenly felt like the biggest waste of time in his life. ¡°W-we lost¡­ We lost to a bunch of high schoolers.¡±

    The other yers from East China University of Science and Technology weren¡¯t in much better shape. The game was over after Lux¡¯s y in the midne at 18 minutes, yet the gamested until the 26th minute. They couldn¡¯t surrender, it just wasn¡¯t done in this type ofpetition. So they yed those 8 minutes of pure torture, grinding their teeth and raging at the fact they were losing to high schoolers. Now the game was lost, morale was at an all time low, and they had to y again.

    Zhu Feng looked at his teammates and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, guys. We can¡¯t sit here and sulk. It¡¯s a best of three series. The next one is gonna be our game! We¡¯re going to win and kick their asses! Let¡¯s make everyone remember how good we are!¡±

    ¡°Just one more game,¡± Hu Hui grunted. ¡°One more game and we¡¯re out. Out in the first round is bad enough. But out against a high school team? No. Just no. We can¡¯t let this happen. We just can¡¯t!¡±

    Zhu Feng nodded and added, ¡°We can¡¯t! Now let¡¯s focus on the next game. Champion Select is about to begin. We¡¯re just going to have to y our best! We can still do this, guys! We¡¯re starting at zero again. Two wins, same asst game. Two wins and we¡¯re through.¡±

    ¡°Can we ban his Thresh?¡± Hu Hui asked. It got a quick round of approval from the rest of the team.

    That was how the Champion Select started. East China University of Science and Technology banned three strong defensive Supports, while Team Shanghai banned three powerful meta champions. Next up was locking in Champions. East China University of Science and Technology was on the Blue team this game, so they got first pick. They locked in Irelia. Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao were up next, locking in Orianna and Lucian respectively.

    Everything pointed towards a lineup that was simr to the first game. But that all changed when Zhang Hao locked in Fiora. He was normally a team-oriented Toner. This meant that he chose Champions that provided Support to his teammates. They were defensive Champions like Mundo, high utility Champions like Gnar, or even a teamfight monster like Rumble. What he never yed was the aggressive duelist. The kind of champion that won thene and kept on pushing until they destroyed the Nexus. But that was exactly the type of Champion Fiora was.

    There were a couple of raised eyebrows in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth at Zhang Hao¡¯s choice of Champion. But Fiora fit the strategy An Xin had decided on, so no one said anything about it. But that quickly changed when it was Zeng Rui¡¯s turn to choose a Champion. He nced at Lin Feng and chewed on his lips. I¡¯ve thought about it enough. That stupid thundering dumbass is right. It¡¯s impossible. It is! But he¡¯s right¡­ I need to trust them. We y aggressively... He scanned through the viable Support options for their game n and finallynded on Annie. She was a highly aggressive Support,pletely different from Zeng Rui¡¯s usual high health and strong crowd control skill type Champions.

    Lin Feng grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice choice, ZengZeng! You really want to set this game on fire, huh! st them away with your fire!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± Zeng Rui replied calmly. ¡°Annie fits our teamp the best.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Zeng Rui and tilted her head. She said, ¡°Mhm? You¡¯re lying.¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched but he kept his voice calm and steady. ¡°Incorrect. I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    Tang Bingyao raised an eyebrow and repeated, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    An Xin giggled just loudly enough for the others to look at her. She then winked at Tang Bingyao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on. Nothing wrong with getting a little pumped up every now and then!¡±

    ?

    Game 2

    East China University of Science and Technology (Blue Team) versus Team Shanghai (Red Team)

    Topne: Irelia versus Fiora

    Jungle: Rek¡¯Sai versus Lee Sin

    Midne: Ziggs versus Orianna

    Ad-carry: Jinx versus Lucian

    Support: Nami versus Annie

    The audience got excited when they saw the lineups for the second game. East China University of Science and Technology went with a safer teamposition that relied more on teamfighting in the mid andte game. It was the safe and expected choice after the first game. But Team Shanghai went fully on the aggressive! They picked powerful Champions, like Lee Sin who was the strongest early game Jungle, to win this game before it could even get to the mid game!

    ¡°What do you guys think? Another win for the high schoolers?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re getting a bit c.o.c.ky here¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Lol. You saw how good they were in the first game, right?¡±

    ¡°Still¡­ This seems like taking unnecessary risk¡­ If you lose you¡¯re out!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to them. They can lose one and still be in! Haha! Zhu Feng is the one who has to worry!¡±

    ¡°Annie to win the botne! Lee Sin in the Jungle! Fiora smashing in top! And then that f.u.c.k.i.n.g GOD in the midne!¡±

    ¡°WOOP WOOP! Win to Team Shanghai it is! WOOP WOOP!¡±

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The game started. Both teams went with normalnes and neither side was interested in invading the other team¡¯s Jungle. The first minion waves spawned and the whispers started sounding throughout the venue. This was a boring start to the game. But that all changed in the next couple of seconds. Completely unlike the start of the first game, Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora suddenly yed hyper aggressively! She Lunged at the Irelia every time the skill came off cooldown and dealt poke damage. This culminated into a beautiful kill at Level 3. Irelia underestimated how much damage Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora did and was punished for it.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    The audience barely had any time to cheer for this kill when the excitement continued in the botne. Pyromania was Annie¡¯s passive skill. After casting four spells, her next one would stun the target. Zeng Rui had charged Pyromania up and now waited in the brush for Blue team¡¯s Nami or Jinx to step out of line.

    Nami made the first mistake. She stepped a little bit too far forward in an attempt to dish out some poke damage on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian. Zeng Rui¡¯s Annie shed forward with a mottled radiance and cast Incinerate! A zing cone of fire spread out in front of Annie, stunning the Nami!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian followed up with Relentless Pursuit! She dashed forward and raised both her guns to fire a double shot at Nami. She kept both guns aimed at Nami to fire Piercing Light at her, and then another double shot. The burst damage was too damn high! Nami¡¯s health bar simply disappeared.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°The heck is going on? That¡¯s the second one already! It¡¯s not even five minutes!¡±

    ¡°Sweet jeezsuss! They¡¯re poppin¡¯ off for real!¡±

    ¡°The high schoolers really are gonna knock Zhu Feng out! Shit! Who would¡¯ve thought!¡±

    ¡°That Support and Toner are really f.u.c.k.i.n.g carrying this game¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like they took something after the first game¡­¡±

    ¡°F.U.C.K THEY¡¯RE GOOD!¡±

    But the most terrifying aspect of this abrupt change in Team Shanghai¡¯s ystyle was the fact that Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui were still the same as before. Just because they slightly altered their approach to the game, that didn¡¯t mean they lost their heads. Zhang Hao was ying as solidly as ever, though he was channeling that into a far more oppressive and overbearing manner than before. And Zeng Rui stillmanded over thene and the game with his cold, analytical approach. Because, as he realised, it was very much possible tobine the trust Lin Feng spoke about with the methodical ystyle he¡¯d mastered over thest couple of years.

    It went without saying that Lin Feng, An Xin, and Tang Bingyao were also ying at a very high level. Tang Bingyao found a rhythm in Zeng Rui¡¯s aggressive ystyle that hummed in perfect harmony with her own. The two yed better together than ever before, pushing until the Blue team¡¯s Boners were either dead or forced to recall back to their base to buy health pots!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin was running around the map. She fought the monsters in the Jungle Camps and only appeared to gank when East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s Jungler did. But she always appeared right when he did. It was like she knew exactly where he was. As if she were mirroring his Jungle paths. But it wasn¡¯tpletely simr either, because she was very much pulling ahead in experience and gold.

    There was one more yer on Team Shanghai. Lin Feng. He was the best yer on the map, just like in the previous game. His Orianna pressured Zhu Feng¡¯s Ziggs until she forced him back to hide underneath his tower. Lin Feng built up a lead in creep score, as well as in gold and experience. And the few times Zhu Feng¡¯s Ziggs tried to do anything about it, Lin Feng was always one step ahead. He dodged the attempts on his and countered with attacks of his own.

    ¡°How the f.u.c.k is that Ori that good!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mental. Just mental. F.u.c.k.i.n.g crazy!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°ZHU FENG IS GETTING BANGED IN THE ASS!¡±

    ¡°WOOP WOOOOOOOP!¡±

    ¡°Someone call an ambnce! Someone is getting stomped!¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hao waspletely focused on his screen. He¡¯d already pulled ahead of Irelia and was now looking to extend that lead. Get thest hit, deal some damage. Get thest hit, deal some damage. He looked for every opportunity to attack the Irelia, even if just with an auto attack. In this manner, he¡¯d already gotten her down to about half health. His eyes suddenly narrowed. She¡¯s too aggressive. He nced down at his minimap. Crap! My ward wore off! Shit, Rek¡¯Sai!

    Hu Hui¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai appeared from the river entrance in the topne. He dug a Tunnel and arrived underneath Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora. Un-burrow! The Rek¡¯Sai charged out of the ground and knocked Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora up into the air! Blue team¡¯s Irelia followed up to the gank. She dashed forward to strike Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora¨Cdesurge! Then she stunned him with Equilibrium Strike!

    An Xin saw the gank in the topne. As expected. She smiled and had her Lee Sin move up into the topne. That¡¯s why I was killing the Gromp. ¡°Zhang Hao,¡± she said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Fight! I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Oh, wow! I need to hurry if I want to get an assist! He¡¯s killing them both!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin ran into thene and fired a Sonic Wave at the Rek¡¯Sai, who was already below half health. The second part of this skill allowed her to dash at the marked target. Lee Sin flew forward with his leg in front of him, kicking the Rek¡¯Sai in the face for some extra damage. She then mmed her t palm down on the ground for a Tempest of damage!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora was already Level 6, unlocking her ultimate skill. Grand Challenge revealed the four Vitals on Rek¡¯Sai. If he hit all four of them, a healing field would appear on the ground. But there was another way to activate this healing field. And that was by killing the Rek¡¯Sai.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The healing field spawned on the ground. Zhang Hao¡¯s Fiora had lost nearly half of her health in the gank by Rek¡¯Sai, but now saw it shoot back up until it was full again. Blue team¡¯s Irelia wasn¡¯t so lucky. Her health was already below half at the start of the fight. Her Jungler was dead now too. She ran away and hid underneath her tower in a final attempt to survive, but that didn¡¯t stop Zhang Hao. He had his Fiora Lunge at the Irelia and finished her off with a couple of quick cuts and shes.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Zhang Hao grinned, almost looking a little like Lin Feng. It¡¯s so much easier when you¡¯ve got a Jungler that always has your back! BunBun really helped me get the kill on Rek¡¯Sai there before anything bad could happen! He nodded at An Xin and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thanks for that gank, BunBun! You just helped me win thene! I¡¯ve got this!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui was ying Annie. The way to y her was to make ys happen. This wasn¡¯t just limited to the botne. Zeng Rui scanned the minimap while putting pressure on Blue team¡¯s Boners. At 9 minutes, he saw an opening in the midne. Red team¡¯s Ziggs was pushing just too far out from underneath his outer tower. That¡¯s a mistake by the Ziggs! Lin Feng can¡¯t kill the Ziggs by himself. But¡­ He¡¯s waiting for me toe, isn¡¯t he? He knows I have toe¡­ Zeng Rui gritted his teeth but still made the move. He had his Annie run up the river and when he arrived in the brush right below the midne, he said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go in!¡± Then he shed forward and activated his ultimate.

    Annie¡¯s passive skill was active. Her next skill would stun whomever it hit! She threw her teddy bear up into the air. Fire suddenly zed from within it! Its eyes radiated a fiery energy as its body grew several times in size! And then it dropped down to the ground, smashing its feet onto the Ziggs. Stunning the Ziggs.

    ¡°Coming!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He pressed down on the D key, quickly followed by the Q and W keys. All the while, keeping his index finger hovering slightly above the R key. His Orianna appeared right in front of the stunned Ziggs with a mottled sh of light. He thenmanded his Ball to attack! It flew towards Ziggs andnded on top of him. Then it let out a pulse of dissonant energy, rupturing the Ziggs¡¯ health bar!

    Zhu Feng¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°STUPID! F.u.c.k!¡± he cursed, mming down on his W key¨CSatchel Charge! The exact moment that the stun broke, his Ziggs ced down an explosive charge underneath his feet. And then Zhu Feng pressed the W key again. The charge exploded, knocking Ziggs away towards his outer tower. For a brief moment.

    Lin Feng¡¯s finger fell down on his keyboard, activating Orianna¡¯s ultimate. Oriannamanded her Ball to send out a shockwave. The pulse of energy wrapped around the Ziggs, who was in midair, and pulled him back towards the Ball. Gotcha! Haha! Lin Feng clicked on the Ziggs. His Orianna threw out a fidget spinner. Its sharp edges cut away thest bit of Ziggs¡¯ health.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Lin Feng turned to look at Zeng Rui with a grin that reached from one ear to the other and said, ¡°Nice roam! See? Didn¡¯t I tell you, ZengZeng? This is far more effective! We should¡¯ve yed like this from the start!¡±

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t give Lin Feng the pleasure of being right. He ground his teeth and stared at his screen. I hate him so much. I hate him so much! Why does this thundering dumbass have to be right? Why can¡¯t he just be wrong about this? Yes. YES! I¡¯m feeling great! I¡¯m loving this, you stupid thundering dumbass! Dammit! I hate him. I hate him so much!

    While Zeng Rui had his Annie return to the botne, he nced at Lin Feng. He took a deep, long breath to calm himself down. Trust. It¡¯s all about trust with him. But he¡¯s right about that. There¡¯s something so¡­ so liberating about ying the game like this. I don¡¯t have to worry about what he might do. All I have to do is trust that he¡¯ll have my back. And he had. He always has. We have each others¡¯ backs. That¡¯s how you y. And together we win. That¡¯s teamwork. Why is this working so well? Why can¡¯t it just fail? He pinched his eyelids closed and took another deep breath. Because it works. Because it¡¯s a really good way of ying the game. He chuckled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s do that again.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai had the more skilled yers in each rolepared to the East China University of Science and Technology, and on top of that were the better team. They pushed for an overwhelming advantage in the threenes, while An Xin started to call Blue team¡¯s Jungle her home. All three outer towers from the Blue team fell before the 10th minute. And a few minutester, Team Shanghai found themselves in such amanding lead that it was hard to see them losing the game.

    It turned out that it wasn¡¯t just hard to see them lose this game, it was impossible. Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna had the items to burst down any Champion that came her way. And Lin Feng had enough mechanics to outy every second, third and fourth Champion that came at him to help their teammates. It wasn¡¯t any different in the othernes. Everyone kept pushing, brute forcing their way towards the East China University of Science and Technology¡¯s base.

    The 21th minute of the second game came around. Team Shanghai was pushing all threenes. Red minions were crashing into the blue inhibitor towers. East China University of Science and Technology team could only passively defend, and even then had to be careful not to give away a kill. They were too far behind. There was nothing they could do to turn this around anymore.

    ¡°F.U.C.K THIS BULLSHIT!¡± Wang He suddenly shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He mmed down on the Enter key and typed /ff.

    Zhu Feng bit on his tongue. He wanted to tell Wang He off for starting the surrender vote. This is an official tournament! We can¡¯t surrender! That¡¯s bad manners! We have to y this out! And we¡¯re still in it! If we can somehow win¡­ STUPID! He stopped himself. He knew they couldn¡¯t win. Two more green bars lit up, signaling that two teammates had agreed to the surrender vote. He let his head fall down. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s surrender,¡± he finally said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    The energy contained in the blue Nexus broke free. It twisted and turned and morphed into the victory emblem for Team Shanghai. It was game over for the East China University of Science and Technology. Team Shanghai was moving on to the next round after winning the first best of three series in a promising 2-0 fashion!

    VICTORY!

    ¡°A SURRENDER VOTE! THEY SURRENDERED!¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHA! The high school kids got Zhu Feng to surrender! This is brilliant!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, what a disgrace! Absolutely hrious!¡±

    ¡°SWEET LORD! GOOOOOO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    ¡°WOOP WOOOOOOOOP! HIGH SCHOOLERS FOR THE WIIIIIN!¡±

    ¡°GG to the high schoolers. They carried the shit out of that game!¡±

    ¡°F.u.c.k they were good¡­ Who¡¯s gonna beat them?¡±

    ¡°DID YOU SEE THAT? THEY SURRENDERED! HAHAHAHAHA!¡±

    ?

    Wang He walked out of the soundproof booth behind Zhu Feng. He slightly bent his knees, just far enough to hide his figure behind his team captain. He didn¡¯t want anyone to see him now. We¡¯re going to have to¡­ I¡¯m going to have to¡­ He nced across the room at the door of the other soundproof booth. Team Shanghai was walking out, cheering andughing. I¡¯m going to have to shake hands with¡­ with her. After everything I¡¯m going to have to¡­ He chewed on his lips, his stomach twisting in a knot and pulling tight. F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K! F.U.C.K!

    Zhu Feng looked over his shoulder and said to his teammates, ¡°Be nice guys. Good sportsmanship and all that. Just congratte them.¡± He grimaced before adding, ¡°I know.¡±

    The two teams shook hands. East China University of Science and Technology did the best to hide their shame and disappointment. Even when Lin Feng was telling them how much fun the games were, they just nodded and wished him good luck in the next round. It was especially difficult to face An Xin and Tang Bingyao. When they first saw them, they joked about the two girls. They told each other that the first round was in the bag, because Team Shanghai had two girls on their roster. But they were proven wrong about that in painful fashion. The two girls had torn them apart.

    Wang He nced past Zhu Feng at Tang Bingyao. He dreaded having to shake her hand. Please don¡¯t recognize me. Please don¡¯t recognize me. Please tell me you didn¡¯t watch my stream. You don¡¯t know who I am! Please tell me you don¡¯t know who I am! He didn¡¯t dare to meet her eyes, extending his hand to her and quietly mumbling a few congrattory words. Please don¡¯t recognize me. Please don¡¯t recognize me¡­

    Yuck. Why is his hand so sweaty? Tang Bingyao looked at Wang He, surprised and ufortable. A cold shiver ran up and down her spine. What¡¯s wrong with him? He gives me the creeps¡­ She squinted her eyes a bit. Do I know him? Mhm? Lin Feng was pushing her forward, dispelling those thoughts. She moved on to the next person in line and gave them a hand. ¡°Well yed.¡±

    Wang He nced over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao. She isn¡¯t looking back. Good. She didn¡¯t recognize me. She really didn¡¯t recognize me! She didn¡¯t! The short burst of excitement disappeared again. She didn¡¯t recognize me. She didn¡¯t recognize me¡­ He shook hands with the next person on Team Shanghai, but kept looking at Tang Bingyao. She¡­ She doesn¡¯t even know who I am. His shoulders slumped and he kicked against an imaginary pebble on the floor. The knot in his stomach tightened so hard that it tore him apart. I spent all day worrying about her and she¡­ she didn¡¯t even recognize me! SHE DOESN¡¯T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM!

    Wang He¡¯s world copsed around him. He stood in front of the soundproof booths. The audience was pping and cheering, his teammates were trying to push him along, and Team Shanghai was celebrating in the background. None of it registered in his mind. Why did I worry so much about her? I haven¡¯t even thought about the game. All I wanted to do was get my redemption against her¡­ She doesn¡¯t even know who I am! What am I doing here? I had a bad game, that was all. How did I turn that into this big storyline? He shook his head, listless. She doesn¡¯t even know who I am. I¡¯m such an idiot. Everything, it was all just in my head¡­ He gritted his teeth and looked at his teammates who were walking away, leaving him behind. I need to stop living in my head. ¡°Hey, guys!¡± he shouted after them. ¡°Wait for me!¡±

 Chapter 279: A Small Step for Lin Feng; A Massive Leap for Zeng Rui

    Team Shanghai was through to the next round of the first preliminary of the local division of the regionals of the nationals of the Winter Collegiate Cup! It was just the first step, but a good start was half the work. Zeng Rui looked at his teammates from Team Shanghai and said, ¡°We¡¯re going. East China University of Science and Technology is a stronger team than whoever we¡¯re facing in the next round. We don¡¯t need to spend our time watching them. East China Medical School is the only other team in our local division who¡¯s half-decent. But since they¡¯re in Group 1, we won¡¯t have to y them until Regionals anyway.¡±

    An Xin nodded and added, ¡°What Zeng Rui says. And also, it¡¯s pointless to worry all the time about our next opponent. Sometimes you just have to let go and rx a bit. I think this is a good time for that.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and suggested, ¡°I¡¯m hungry! Let¡¯s go celebrate our win over a lot of food!¡±

    ¡°Celebrate?¡± Zeng Rui asked, surprised. There is nothing to celebrate, you thundering dumbass! He shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ve only won the first round of the first qualifiers. What¡¯s there to celebrate?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯s there to celebrate¡¯?¡± Lin Feng countered. ¡°We won! That¡¯s worth celebrating! We¡¯ve taken our first step towards the championship! Of course that¡¯s something worth celebrating!¡±

    An Xin smiled and asked, ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re going to celebrate after every round?¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. Food after every round? That does sound good! He pped his hands together and said, ¡°That sounds like a perfect idea! It¡¯s a deal! We¡¯re going to celebrate every win with food! It¡¯s going to be delicious and a great boost to morale! Great idea, BunBun!¡±

    ¡°Enough, goldfish!¡± An Xin smacked Lin Feng on the back of his head. She then turned around to look at the others, a smile recing her annoyance with Lin Feng, and suggested, ¡°It¡¯s still early. I like the idea of having some dinner together. Just tonight. We¡¯re not going to do this every time we win.¡± She turned back to look at Lin Feng and added, ¡°And Lin Feng, I swear, if I hear a peep¡­¡± She raised her hand again.

    Lin Feng rubbed his head painfully and grumbled, ¡°What was that good for!? You just suggested the same thing I did! This is so unfair! And I¡¯m NOT A GOLDFISH!¡±

    Zhang Hao looked at Lin Feng, sympathetic. He always knows just how to say the wrong thing. Maybe he could use some advice¡­ He said, ¡°Lin Feng, maybe don¡¯t talk so much. She always hits you when you start saying things.¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at the exchange taking ce and shook his head. What is wrong with these people? How did I end up with them? What did I do to deserve this¡­? He finally waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, fine. We¡¯ll find a food stall and grab a quick bite to eat.¡±

    Tang Bingyao raised her hand and said, ¡°Mm-mhm. I want to sit down and eat.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Hotpot! Let¡¯s get some hotpot! I¡¯m really good at eating hotpot too!¡± Lin Feng eximed, walking down the pavement with the others from Team Shanghai.

    An Xin red at him and said curtly, ¡°Hotpot is too heavy. We¡¯re not having that again. Let¡¯s get something a little lighter.¡±

    Lin Feng looked a bit upset when everyone agreed with An Xin. But he got all excited again when they found a small restaurant. If he couldn¡¯t have a heavy dish like hotpot, he could just order a ton of light dishes! So he started ordering numerous dishes, soups and white rice. He grinned at the others, who were all shaking their heads, and proimed, ¡°Look! This isn¡¯t too heavy! I¡¯m really good at ordering light dishes too! And my metabolism is really good too!¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng. Her lips curved up into a smile and she narrowed her eyes. ¡°HMM? What was that? I dare you to say that again!¡±

    Lin Feng ignored the stares from his teammates and looked away from An Xin at his beverage. It was mango juice. I really want a beer¡­ He nced at Tang Bingyao. But she can¡¯t hold her alcohol at all. I don¡¯t want to have to carry her home again! That was such a hassle! Yeah, better to just not bring up alcohol. I¡¯ll have to get really good at not getting Tang Tang drunk too! He grinned again and then raised his ss. ¡°I know it ain¡¯t alco¡ª I mean¡­ Let¡¯s have a toast! We won today! Ganbei!¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡±¡°Proost!¡±¡°Skal!¡±¡°Sant¨¦!¡±

    Everyone clinked their sses and tookrge swigs from their fruit beverages. After which Lin Feng stood up and started shushing everyone. When they were all silent, he eximed, ¡°We¡¯re ying again in three days! And when we win that one, we¡¯re going to Regionals! And then we¡¯ve got the main tournament! So many more dinner celebrations! We¡¯re going to win the whole thing! I¡¯m really good at winning games too!¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng, a smile creeping up on her lips while bloody murder started glowing in her eyes. She said, ¡°HMM? Did you put alcohol in that drink? Or are you just that stupid? We¡¯re not even close to qualifying for the main tournament! Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself! Now sit your ass back down!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his eyelid, feeling it starting to twitch again. He said, ¡°The next round should be easy. But the Regionals are going to be tough. We might even run into Fudan or Zhejiang University. We¡¯ll have to be ready for that. Keep training and stay focused on the goal.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Zeng Rui?¡± Zhang Hao asked. He waited for his friend to look at him and then continued, ¡°I heard Fudan and Zhejiang University both invited coaches and analysts to help them prepare for this tournament. They were already some of the strongest teams in thepetition¡­ How are we expecting to do against them now?¡±

    ¡°So what if they did?¡± Lin Feng interjected, confused. He grinned and pointed at An Xin. ¡°We¡¯ve got a better coach and analyst!¡±

    Zeng Rui ignored Lin Feng and took a minute before answering Zhang Hao¡¯s question. They hired people to help them. Yeah, I know. But they didn¡¯t hire BunBun. Or me. We¡¯re both really good. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have an issue on that front. He finally said, ¡°We¡¯re good in terms of coaching. But¡­¡± He paused and made sure to catch Lin Feng¡¯s attention before continuing, ¡°Those teams have been ying together for far longer than we have. They have more experience at the big tournaments than we have. They have better scrimming partners. They have better facilities. They have a lot of things in their favour that we simply don¡¯t have right now. We need a lot more than some fancy strategy to beat them.¡±

    An Xin nodded and added, ¡°If we want to beat opponents at that level, we have to start by perfecting ourning phases. We have to win every singlene from here on out. Because if we¡¯re not ready to win against Fudan and Zhejiang in thene, then we¡¯re certainly not winning against them in the mid andte game. They have too much experience to let that happen.¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded along to An Xin and when she finished said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll work hard on improving myning phase! I¡¯ll give it my all!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and then pumped her fist in the air, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯ll win mynes!¡±

    Lin Feng looked from Zhang Hao to Tang Bingyao and then back at An Xin. He scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°So you¡¯re saying I have to carry you guys?¡±

    An Xin giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, and said, ¡°Sure. If you want to take it like that, you carry us!¡±

    Zeng Rui wasn¡¯tughing, or giggling. There is that serious look again¡­ He thinks he can really carry us? Who is he? He looked at Lin Feng, quietly observed him, and finally said, ¡°Only if you can carry the games by yourself.¡±

    Lin Feng waved his hand and replied inplete confidence, ¡°You guys should¡¯ve told me this earlier! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll carry! I¡¯m really good at carrying games too!¡±

    Thundering dumbass! Zeng Rui wanted to argue. Every little part of him wanted to argue. But he reeled himself back, forced himself not to go down that path. He nced at An Xin. You said he can beat every Miner. I¡¯ve never seen him lose in the midne. And he is always so confident. Why can¡¯t you guys just tell me what I¡¯m missing? What¡¯s so special that I can¡¯t know about it? Just tell me already! Can he really beat every Miner and carry all the games¡­?

    A phone started ringing, pulling Zeng Rui away from his thoughts. Everyone turned to look at Lin Feng, who was already searching around in his pockets and on the floor. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone? Where¡¯s my phone?¡± he mumbled repeatedly, until Tang Bingyao pointed at the phone buzzing on the table. ¡°Oh! There¡¯s my phone!¡± Lin Fengughed and answered the call, ¡°Hey! Chu Fang! What¡¯s up? Did you see us y? We totally wrecked them!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re through to the next round?¡± Chu Fang asked from the other side of the line.

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Yeah! We won! 2-0! It was super easy! Our next game is in three days!¡±

    Chu Fang replied, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Keep at it!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll keep going at it!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then struck his trademark victory pose before adding, ¡°We¡¯re going to win the entire tournament! Zero losses! Many wins! I¡¯m really good at winning too!¡±

    Chu Fangughed and said, ¡°Good, good! I¡¯ll be looking forward to that. And when you guys make it a little further, I¡¯ll make sure toe and cheer you on in person!¡±

    ¡°You get to see me carrying again! Just like before!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing.

    ?

    Chu Fang was in Fang Hao¡¯s office at the headquarters of the Shanghai Esports Association. His phone call with Lin Feng was yed on speaker, so that Fang Hao could also listen to everything being said. After the connection broke, the two men looked at each other. They knew Lin Feng and how happy he liked to act, especially when things were going right. Fang Hao was eventually the first to talk. ¡°Good,¡± he said.

    Chu Fang nodded and said, ¡°Sounded like he was pretty confident. It¡¯s good to see him like this again.¡±

    Fang Haoughed and replied, ¡°The happy little kid.¡± He grinned before continuing, ¡°But it¡¯s too early to celebrate. All I want is to see him return to his real form. This is only a university tournament. It¡¯d be terrible if he lost.¡± His expression suddenly fell. He gazed out of the window and took a deep, long breath. He finally added, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not enough though. It¡¯s taking him too long to get back to form.¡±

    Chu Fang didn¡¯t reply right away. He sat back in his chair and followed Fang Hao¡¯s gaze out of the window, looking out at the night sky of Shanghai. What Lin Feng is doing is great for anyone else. We¡¯d be jumping around with someone that talented. But¡­ This is Lin Feng. This is Maple we¡¯re talking about! He was already ying in the World Finals when he was only 15 years old. And now, at 19, he¡¯s ying in a university tournament. It is slow. It isn¡¯t going fast enough. The new season is going to start soon and before we know it, Worlds is back. Where will he be? We need him back on his game! We need Maple! Some high school kid having fun at a university tournament is worthless to us. Come on, Lin Feng! Find your rhythm again. We need the real you to step up. Help everyone remember the wonderkid from Season 1! We know you can do it. You just¡­ You need to do it already. Step up! He breathed in long and deep, then let it all out. But he¡¯s still just a kid. Can we really ask so much from a kid? Isn¡¯t that what we did four years ago too? And that¡¯s when he left. It was too much pressure. He chewed on his lips and finally asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re asking too much from him? Maybe we should just be happy that he¡¯s on his way back¡­¡±

    ¡°I know we should be happy. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t,¡± Fang Hao replied. He then shook his head and continued, ¡°But who else can do what he can? Do you know anyone who¡¯s as talented as he is? Absolutely anyone out there who has what it takes to beat Rake? Because I don¡¯t. I can¡¯t think of a single yer here in Shanghai who has even half of his talent.¡±

    Chu Fang had no response to this. They both knew that Lin Feng was still just a kid who liked to act as such. But hidden behind that yful exterior was a monstrous talent. Zeng Rui is good, but not that good. Tang Bingyao is good, but not even close to that good. BunBun¡­ They¡¯re all great yers. But they¡¯re not Lin Feng. He is just so much better. And ites so easily to him. It¡¯s¡­ He shook his head. We need Maple.

    Fang Hao stood up from his seat and walked over to the window. He looked at the busy streets below and said, ¡°There¡¯s no one else. We both know it. It has to be him. It can only be him. I wish, I really do wish that there was someone else. Someone who could share the burden with him. But there just isn¡¯t. He is so far above everyone else that we can only turn to him. When he gets rolling, there¡¯s no stopping him. That¡¯s the Lin Feng¡­ We need Maple, it¡¯s that simple.¡±

    Chu Fang slowly nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    Fang Hao chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Of course One had to be the one to find this kid. It takes talent to find talent, or something inspirational like that. One was so good in his active years. He still is. It almost sounds like a fairytale when you think about it. China¡¯s biggest talent finds an even bigger talent! And we¡¯ve got front row seats. I just really hope Lin Feng can do half of what One did for the Chinese esports scene.¡±

    ?

    The second best of three for Team Shanghai took ce on Friday. The team traveled to East China Medical School after their sses ended and waited for their turn to y. The audience was a bit more on their side because of the spectacr fashion in which they beat East China University of Science and Technology in the first round. And this second best of three series wasn¡¯t any different. Their opponents just weren¡¯t good enough. Team Shanghai won theirnes and from there carried the two games to quick victories. Both games ended on the 20-minute mark, one by a unanimous surrender vote and the other by a destroyed nexus. With this series in the bag, Team Shanghai secured their spot in the next round of the tournament. The East China Regionals.

    Every local division concluded around the same time. Reys of all the games were uploaded to the tournament website, giving a first glimpse into the strength of the teams still in it. This opened up the possibility for teams to prepare for the next round by working through the avable data from their potential opponents. They could search for weak spots ande up with tactics to counter a team¡¯s favoured Champions.

    Every teampeting in the East China Regionals was doing this. And while researching, they also looked at the games from Team Shanghai, who¡¯d made it two rounds further than most people expected. It quickly became evident why Team Shanghai had made it to Regionals. They were a far better team than anyone initially expected. From individual skill to team synergy, they were better at every facet of the gamepared to their opponents.

    Rumours started floating around that Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t just ying in the Winter Collegiate Cup to get experience at the university level, but topete at the university level. People startedparing their games with those from Fudan University and realised that Team Shanghai had the raw skill to make it to the main tournament. This was a very important discovery, because that was where it became region versus region.

    In the Regionals of the Winter Collegiate Cup, the teams from East China duked it out between themselves to see who would move on to Nationals. But once there, they wanted to make sure that the teams from East China made it as far as possible. So they trained together and gave each other feedback and ideas. Anything that might be of help to see the teams from East China make it a step further in the main tournament. This was especially important this time around because their best team in the previous edition only made it to third ce.

    The condescending tone disappeared when people discussed Team Shanghai. They didn¡¯t talk about the high school team or about the team with two girls on its roster, but about a team who could potentially make it to Nationals and achieve a great result for East China.

    ?

    The teams in East China weren¡¯t the only ones reviewing the games from Team Shanghai. The high school team from Beijing, Team Beijing, had gathered in a conference room at the Beijing Esports Association. There was arge projection on the wall, showing the rey of the third game yed by Team Shanghai. It was a fast game, where the differentnes beat their opponents with rtive ease. There was a lot of action, and somehow it all ended in Team Shanghai¡¯s favour. But the members from Team Beijing quickly lost interest. If they wanted to watch some random team stomping another random team, they could do that anywhere. There was nothing about this game that really stood out to them. And it was the third one of its kind.

    Team Beijing¡¯s manager was Fan Yuan, a 28 year old man with short, ck hair. He was one of the three Vice Presidents from the Beijing Esports Association. He pointed a couple of things out on the projection with his ruler and kept on talking throughout the entire rey, not once looking at the members of the team. When the rey finally ended, he turned to look at them and asked, ¡°So what do you guys think about Team Shanghai?¡±

    There were a couple of shrugs and one team member was picking his nose. They really didn¡¯t care about Team Shanghai. If these games proved anything, it was that there were better things to waste their time on.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Fan Yuan shouted. He pointed his ruler at the team members and said, ¡°We¡¯re having a team meeting! Pay some attention! Tell me what you guys think about Team Shanghai!¡±

    It was the substitute Toner who eventually replied. He snorted and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know? What do you want us to say? You saw the games, right? They look like shit. What are we wasting our time on them for?¡±

 Chapter 280: Get off Your Lazy Ass!

    The Beijing Esports Association had assembled a team of seven talented yers for the Winter Collegiate Cup. None of these yers needed any experience at the university level. They could skip straight to the LSPL! And that was precisely why the Beijing Esports Association had recruited them. Because only with a lineup like this could they clinch the Winter Collegiate Cup title and show to the Guangzhou and Shanghai Esports Associations that they were the strongest and most talented region in all of China!

    Team Beijing had yed a good number of games, including scrimmages against university teams and the first couple of games in the Winter Collegiate Cup. They won each of those games convincingly, quickly bing a terrifying opponent for the other teamspeting. But what really threw the teams in North China off was that Team Beijing was ying with their B lineup. Their two star yers, the Miner and Toner, hadn¡¯t yed a single game yet! This was a tactic the Beijing Esports Association hade up with in preparation for the main tournament. No one would know just how good they were until it was already far toote to do anything about it!

    The substitute Toner looked at Fan Yuan, the team¡¯s manager, and shrugged. He nced at his teammates and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys think, but¡­¡± He pointed at the rey they were watching on the projector. ¡°That Toner is shit.¡± Why do I even need to spend time on this? I¡¯m a Master in the Ionia server! And that Zhang Hao? Yeah, that dude is like Diamond¡­ His Fiora sucked hard. F.u.c.k.i.n.g waste of my time watching this!

    Fan Yuan nodded and said, ¡°Thanks for sharing your insights.¡± He then turned to the others and asked, ¡°What about you guys? Anything to add to that?¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry stretched his back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He yawned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Those Boners are a terrible match. It doesn¡¯t really matter how good they are individually, they can¡¯t y together for shit. All I could see were the ring mistakes they kept making because ofmunication issues. If they y like that? We don¡¯t even have to try.¡±

    Fan Yuan pped the ruler in his palm. He took a deep breath, looking at each of the team members in turn. ¡°Stop this. Sit up straight. Watch the footage.¡± He pped the ruler behind him, where the beamer was projecting the rey of Team Shanghai¡¯s game against the East China University of Science and Technology for a second time. ¡°Look at what they¡¯re doing right! We¡¯re not going to underestimate them! We¡¯re going to study them, and then when we y them, we¡¯re going to tear them apart!¡± He narrowed his eyes and added, ¡°Don¡¯t forget. They beat Shanghai University of Finance 2-0 a while back. That¡¯s a strong team.¡±

    ¡°The way I see it,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Support started. He pushed his sses up the rim of his nose, irritated, and then looked straight at Fan Yuan. ¡°The way I see it, Team Shanghai tricked them. Their Support is Zeng Rui, yeah? He¡¯s a Challenger and I¡¯m guessing the captain of the team. He has a decent idea about shotcalling. Not at all strange that they won against the Shanghai University of Finance. And that university team most likely underestimated Zeng Rui¡¯s team as well. There really isn¡¯t a whole lot to it. Zeng Rui used the little skill he has to trick Shanghai University of Finance. I don¡¯t see why we need to spend time on this.¡± He chuckled and added, ¡°Can¡¯t wait to kick that noob¡¯s fat ass though.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry nced at his Support, surprised. What¡¯s got him all worked up? He never talks this much¡­ And what the f.u.c.k was thatugh? But, hmm, a Challenger Support? Team Shanghai is better than I expected then. We shouldn¡¯t underestimate any Challenger. Fan Yuan is right to tell us we need to prepare. He looked at his Support and asked, ¡°Zhang Hongyi, how good do you think he realistically is? A Challenger is impressive. We can¡¯t just push that aside.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi turned his head to look at his ad-carry and snorted. How good? Not good enough to worry me! I would¡¯ve also been Challenger by now if there isn¡¯t a hard cap of 200 yers! I¡¯m at the top of Master! Screw that noob¡¯s fat ass! He finally said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I got this.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler looked at his two Boners and said, ¡°If Zhang Hongyi says so, let¡¯s assume that he¡¯s got it. He¡¯s been ying a ton of duo queue at the top of Master, so he¡¯ll have plenty of experience against Challengers. Let¡¯s forget about that Support for now. What about that Miner? That guy actually looked good.¡±

    The substitute Miner raised his eyebrows and moved his lips around. I¡¯m a Master. He can¡¯t be that much better than me¡­ Right? F.u.c.k me. He is. That dude yed that far too well. He looked at the footage, which was still ying, and said, ¡°He ys hisne really aggressively. I¡¯m not sure I can beat him in the early game¡­¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Yu Ping said. He sat at the back of the room, leaning back in his chair with his feet on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll y against him.¡±

    Fan Yuan looked at Yu Ping, who was Team Beijing¡¯s main Miner, and smiled. He looks confident. Good. We know how good our opponents are and he is still so confident. And no one knows a thing about Yu Ping! This n is going to work out great! He nodded at Yu Ping and said, ¡°Good. I¡¯ll leave that to you then.¡±

    Yu Ping snorted. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to entertain Fan Yuan with a response. What a pathetic waste of time! Team Shanghai? Team Shangshit! I hope they get knocked out before we have to y them. Then I can focus on Team Guangzhou. On Goalie. His annoyed expression became a little bit tense. He narrowed his eyes and flexed his jaw. Goalie. Show me what a Rank 7 Korean Challenger is worth. I finally want to test my skills. Please make it fun. I don¡¯t want to win this tournament without any challenge.

    ?

    Team Guangzhou was going through a simr preparation as Team Beijing. They¡¯d gathered at the Guangzhou Esports Association and were watching the reys from Team Shanghai. The two coaches paused the videos on therge LCD screen every now and then to point out a couple of things, but they otherwise watched the games in silence. And in boredom. They came to the same conclusion Team Beijing had. There was a lotcking in the gamey from Team Shanghai. The only person on the team that looked on top of their game was the Miner. But Team Guangzhou had Goalie in the midne.

    One of the two coaches turned to look at Goalie. He was a small and thin youth with a sickly paleplexion. And his small, beady eyes were easy to miss. The coach asked, ¡°What do you think about that Miner? Will he be a problem?¡±

    The interpreter sitting next to Goalie tranted the question to Korean. Goalie looked at the interpreter in confusion and then turned to the coach and raised an eyebrow. There was a spark in his eyes that was easy to miss due to how small they were. But the smirk on his lips said it all. He replied to the interpreter in Korean, though everyone could guess what he was about to say.

    ¡°He says,¡± the interpreter tranted into Chinese. ¡°That he won¡¯t waste any more of his time on this Miner. This Lin Feng has no real skill. Goalie says he can beat him on his worst off day with three fingers in his nose.¡±

    Goalie noticed how the interpreter raised three fingers and suddenly scrunched his nose. He moved his head back and forth and then raised his hand and ced it behind his back. Everyone could guess what he meant. He was saying that he only needed one hand to beat Lin Feng. He then said in broken Chinese, ¡°Easy.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai was making the most out of the little time they had to prepare for the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. They were still only a newly formed team and really needed every second they could get to work on their synergy and n out strategies. This was further reinforced by the minor setback due to Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao changing their approach to the game. It made them better yers, but it¡¯d take time to adjust the team¡¯s strategies and synergies to these changes. So they practiced every afternoon, meeting up at the cybercafe after school and only going home for dinner.

    Lin Feng went through the motions. School in the morning, practice with Team Shanghai in the afternoon and walking home with Tang Bingyao around dinner time. Su Xue was waiting for him at home every night, dinner usually already on the table. They¡¯d share a quick bite together, after which he went to his room to do his homework. The night ended with him joining Su Xue on her stream, ying a couple of games with her or her viewers.

    Before Lin Feng could grow toofortable in this rhythm, it was interrupted. He¡¯d just finished his homework and was about to have fun with Su Xue on stream, when his phone started ringing. Who;s calling me thiste at night? He reached for his phone and checked the caller ID. His eyes went wide in shock. He double-checked the caller ID, just to be sure. Then he smashed on the green phone icon and ced the phone next to his ear. ¡°Sir!¡±

    ¡°SIR!¡± Lin Feng repeated a secondter impatiently. He moved the phone from his ear again and checked to make sure the call was still connected. It was. He was on the phone with One, his mentor, the most famous yer in world esports! There were many people out there trying to make a name for themselves, like Han ¡®Rake¡¯ Seho or the older Lee ¡®Rake¡¯ Dojae, but none of them reached the ill.u.s.trious height of One. He was renowned worldwide as the best yer in the famous massive online battle arena game DotA! He was the first name added to the Esports Hall of Fame! He was everything Lin Feng aspired to be! It¡¯s One! One is calling me! One! One!

    ¡°Sir, sir! Are you there?¡± Lin Feng asked for a third time.

    ¡°Hey, hey? Can you hear me?¡± One asked. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m in Thand. The signal is pretty terrible here.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s good! The connection is good! I can hear you!¡±

    ¡°Good! That¡¯s good!¡± One said. ¡°I heard you¡¯re ying in the Winter Collegiate Cup? How¡¯s that going?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I am! We won the first round! And the second round!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. ¡°We crushed the opponents! It went really well! I guess I¡¯m still really good at winning games too! Oh, I think we¡¯re going to the Regionals next!¡±

    One chuckled and asked, ¡°You¡¯re winning the tournament, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am!¡± Lin Feng replied, almost sounding insulted by the question. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you down! We¡¯re going to win this tournament easily!¡±

    ¡°Good, good,¡± One said. He breathed in sharply and looked out the window of his vi at the beautiful green scenery outside. Winning a university tournament when he was the best yer in the world. He yed at the World Finals! And now he sounds excited about winning a university tournament¡­ How the mighty have fallen, hehe. He shook his head and moved his lips around. But he really needs to start challenging himself. He won¡¯t learn anything from this. Hmm¡­ Can I help him somehow? What could I make him do? He looked at hisputer, which had the League of Legends client open. I could do that¡­ The season is almost over. Somest minute climbing of thedder could challenge him¡­ Yeah, that¡¯ll work. He smiled and asked, ¡°Did you know that thepetitive ranked season ends in a month on the Korean server?¡±

    ¡°I guess?¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°Why?¡±

    One ignored Lin Feng and continued, ¡°The top ten Challengers in the Korean server are being tracked live until the season ends. Right now, Rake has got three ounts in that top 10. First, second and ninth. And it would be one, two and three if there were more hours in a day. You know how good he is. The entire top 10 could be his if he had the time and energy to go for it.¡±

    Lin Feng listened to One, his usual grin disappearing. He stared at hisptop and chewed on the inside of his cheeks. I know. I know. I know he¡¯s ying really well! He¡¯s the best yer in the world! I¡¯m nowhere near good enough to be ying against him yet. I need more time! A lot more time! But he¡¯s using that same time to get better himself! It¡¯s difficult! I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s really difficult! Maybe I¡¯m not good¡­ I¡¯m good enough, but maybe there isn¡¯t enough time¡­ Heughed at himself. He shook his head andughed at himself. Here I was all happy about beating some Diamond yers in a university tournament¡­ What am I doing? Am I really happy about this!? Those guys were never my opponents! I¡¯m way too good for that level! It¡¯s not even¡­ It¡¯s not even worth my time. I¡¯m only falling further behind Rake. All the time I¡¯m spending messing around, Rake is getting better! And better! AND BETTER!

    Lin Feng was breathing faster and faster, biting on his lips in frustration. I¡¯m letting myself get distracted! My goal isn¡¯t this Collegiate Cup! I want to be the best yer in the world! And I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m satisfied by beating a couple of Diamond yers! That won¡¯t help me improve! There is only one thing I should be focusing on. To get back to my original level. Get on the level of the Four Emperors! Screw these damn qualifiers! They mean nothing! I need to stop letting myself get so happy about winning them! It¡¯d be a disgrace if I lost them! These teams are bad. I¡¯m so much better that I don¡¯t even have to try to win! He knocked himself on the forehead. ¡°Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!¡± While I¡¯m here having fun, Rake is working hard to be better! I need to get my head in the game! I¡¯ll never get to his level like this!

    One breathed out loudly, interrupting Lin Feng¡¯s thoughts, and asked, ¡°That Miner from Team Guangzhou? Goalie? You know who I¡¯m talking about?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Feng replied, dejected.

    One continued with a second question, ¡°He peaked at Rank 7 on the Korean Challengerdder, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Feng repeated in the same dejected voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to beat him, right?¡± One asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Feng said, still dejected.

    One paused for a brief moment before saying, ¡°Alright. Then I have a job for you. Something that might actually push you. Before this whole Winter Collegiate Cup ends, I want you to climb up to Challenger on the Korean server. And. You¡¯re not stopping when you get there. You¡¯re going to surpass Goalie¡¯s peak and then break into the Top 5.¡±

    Lin Feng stuttered a few incoherent words, speechless. Top five? Top five in the Korean server? Can I? That is right up there at the top! Rake is there! I¡¯d have to y against Rake¡­ and, and I¡¯d have to beat him! I can¡¯t get to the top five if I don¡¯t y against Rake! Unless I only y when he isn¡¯t around. But he¡¯s always ying¡­ I¡¯ll have to y against¡­

    ¡°What?¡± One interrupted. He chuckled and asked, ¡°Think you can¡¯t do it?¡±

    The messagended. Lin Feng clenched his phone and gritted his teeth. He breathed in deeply, letting the air fill his lungs, and then breathed every negative emotion out of his body. Hisptop stood on his desk. He nced at it, determined. ¡°I can do it. Of course I can do it! I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll get to the top of Challenger on the Korean server before the Collegiate Cup is over!¡±

 Chapter 281: Comparing Torches; Mine is Bigger!

    The Korean rankeddder was the mostpetitive one in League of Legends. Professional yers from every region visited Korea just to have a shot at reaching Challenger on this server. And most of them failed. They got to Master and then found out why it was so difficult to get any higher. Pure, raw talent. There were so many outstanding yers on the Korean server that the level of each game was far above the worldwide average. Even the Ionia server, the mostpetitive server in China, couldn¡¯te close in prestige to the Korean server. Yet One threw Lin Feng at it as if it were nothing.

    Lin Feng still held his phone close to his ear, but he wasn¡¯t talking or listening. His eyes were focused on hisptop and he was chewing on his lip. He wants me to hit Top 5 Challenger? Can I even do that? I know the rankings¡­ Back in the day, yeah, but I¡¯m not there yet. I¡¯m not anywhere near to that point yet. Chinese professional yers are better than I am right now. And most of them can¡¯t even make it to Challenger on the Korean server! What am I going to do?

    Chinese yers challenged themselves to climb the Korean rankeddder every season. They wanted to prove to their Korean rivals that there was some talent in China. That there was hope for China on the international stage. That the League of Legends world wasn¡¯t centered around Korea! But they never got all that far. The Chinese yers who reached all the way to Master were proud of themselves, and the couple who made it to Challenger were either professional yers or yers being scouted by professional teams. But none of them ever made that final step into the Top 10. It was just too difficult to beat the many talented yers on the Korean server.

    Top 5, Top 5¡­ Collegiate Cup and Top 5¡­ Where am I going to find the time to even do that? Can I even do that? But I told One¡­ Lin Feng chewed on his lip, biting off a thinyer of skin. His stomach dropped and he grimaced. I wanted to take it one step at a time. Slowly make my way back to the top. But One¡¯s right. I can¡¯t do it like this. There¡¯s no challenge for me here. The Collegiate Cup is just another tournament where I don¡¯t really have to try. I can just¡­ I can take it easy. It doesn¡¯t matter if I screw up a bit, because I can just turn it aroundter¡­ He scratched his forehead, tense. I can¡¯t go on like this. I need to challenge myself sooner orter. One is right. I need to fight. And the Koreandder is probably the best bet for that!

    Something swirled in the pits of Lin Feng¡¯s stomach. His heart started racing faster and faster, pounding against his ribs. He felt his face heat up. A real challenge! And One gave it to me. He trusts me. He believes I can do it! He believes I still have it! Lin Feng closed his eyes and tried to push the rush of adrenaline down. One trusts in me! I¡¯ll repay him with results! Top 5 Challenger? Ok. Yes. I¡¯ll do it! It¡¯ll be hard. But I¡¯ll do it!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes shot open. A new fire burned in them. He tossed the Winter Collegiate Cup to the back of his mind. What am I getting all worked up about a university tournament? I made it all the way to the world finals! I need to remember why I¡¯m evenpeting. To find good teammates and to start building a team! But it¡¯s not to get back in form. I need to do something else for that. This might just be that something! The Koreandder¡­ He took a deep, long breath and closed his eyes again. Rake. Rake will be there. I¡¯ll have to y against him if I want to make it to the top of Challenger. I¡¯ll have to y against him¡­ I¡¯m not good enough yet¡­ He chewed off a second bit of skin from his lips and then suddenly mmed his palm against his head. NO! I¡¯ll face him! I¡¯ll y against him, with him, whatever! It¡¯s not a big tournament. It¡¯s practice. I need to get better, and to do that I need to face better yers. He nodded, confident, and said to One, ¡°I can. And I will.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear,¡± One said,ughing. ¡°Oh, right,¡± he added. ¡°Do you have a Korean ount?¡±

    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. I was so caught up about beating Rake¡­ My ount isn¡¯t Challenger yet. It¡¯s going to be really hard just to get there. He said, ¡°Well, I do. But it¡¯s not in Challenger yet. I can get to the top of Master, but someone needs to lose their Challenger spot for me to take it¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that won¡¯t do. There isn¡¯t enough time for that,¡± One agreed. He briefly paused and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll just give you my Challenger ount.¡±

    Give a Challenger ount? The words went off like a bomb in Lin Feng¡¯s mind. Give a Challenger ount? GIVE? He muttered a few incoherent words, trying to make sense of it. A Challenger ount is super expensive! It¡¯s way better to just buy something in t for $5! How can he just borrow me a Challenger ount? That¡¯s insane! I don¡¯t have that much mon¡ª

    ¡°Of course,¡± One interrupted Lin Feng¡¯s thoughts. ¡°If you fail to reach the Top 5, I¡¯ll just take my ount back. But how about this. If you do make it to the Top 5, the ount is yours to keep.¡±

    ...my ount. Lin Feng finally understood what One was implying. One has a Challenger ount? Is he ying again? He actually made it to Challenger on the Korean server? How is he still that good!? He was so good at DotA, but that was DotA and this is League! How can he still be this good? He¡¯s better than I am right now¡­ He breathed unevenly and his head started swirling. ¡°D-do you¡­ Wait! DID YOU¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve kept you up for too long. You¡¯ll need every second you can get. I¡¯ll send you the ount information in a bit. Just gotta change the password around,¡± One said over the phone. ¡°Oh, and kid, don¡¯t let me down.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, too dazed to realise One couldn¡¯t see his response. Oh, and kid, don¡¯t let me down. Don¡¯t let me down¡­ Lin Feng¡¯s hands were trembling. He¡¯s passing his ount on to me. His hard work. I have to pick up and carry on for him! One is giving me a real test! To prove to him that I¡¯m good enough to pick up where he left! He balled his fist and grinned. I have the talent! He knows I do! But I have to move forward. I can¡¯t keep taking the safe route. The Top 5 on the Korean server is just the first step. I¡¯ll do it. For One. For myself. I¡¯ll do it. He nodded to himself again and then said, his voice trembling, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I mean, I won¡¯t.¡±

    One chuckled when he heard the response. Good. It sounds like he understands what this means. He¡¯s going to have to try really hard, but he can do this. He just has to want it. Anyway, that settles that. He said, ¡°Something else entirely, I heard BunBun moved to Shanghai? You two are on the same team then, I take it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied, rediscovering his usual grin. ¡°We¡¯re on the same team in the Collegiate Cup! She¡¯s our coach and the Jungler! It¡¯s amazing! Just like the old times! She¡¯s a really good coach!¡±

    ¡°Huh? She¡¯s jungling?¡± One asked in surprise. Did she jungle before? He shook his head and moved past it before Lin Feng couldtch on. ¡°Sounds like she¡¯s still a great coach then! Hey, do me a favour. Tell her to give the missus a call. She¡¯s been asking about BunBun a lottely.¡±

    ¡°Five? You mean five? The missus is Five, right? Right?¡± Lin Feng eximed, excited. ¡°How is Five? Are you two on your honeymoon right now? Is she having a good time? How is Five?¡±

    ¡°Hey! Her name isn¡¯t Five!¡± One interrupted. He briefly paused to breathe and thenined, ¡°That¡¯s Mrs. One! We¡¯re engaged now! Ha! If she hears you call her Five, she¡¯ll give you a spanking! And a couple of jabs too!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Lies! She¡¯d never do that! Five is way too nice for that! She¡¯s the best! How is she doing? Did she ask about me too? What did she say when I won the Shanghai 16 School Tournament? Did you watch it with her?¡±

    One listened to another minute of Lin Feng badgering him with questions before giving up. He shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re hopeless. You know what, I¡¯m hanging up. Talk to youter.¡± He put the phone away from his ear and could still hear Lin Feng firing off questions. That kid. He shook his head and chuckled, ending the call. He¡¯ll understand. One then leaned back on his sofa and looked at the television that was ying Lin Feng¡¯s most recent game at the Winter Collegiate Cup. I wonder if he can do it. I hope he can. It¡¯d be fun to see him up there with Rake again.

    One closed his eyes and thought back to the Season 5 World Finals. Lee Dojae really went all out with that award ceremony. That was quite the thing. ¡®Passing on the torch¡¯, haha! I like it. It has a nice ring to it. Would be kind of cool if Lin Feng can help me do something like that. But¡­ He chuckled and shook his head. That kid is still far away from getting there. But I¡¯m in no rush. There¡¯s still plenty of time to make that happen. I¡¯ll pass my torch onto him eventually. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get there. And my torch is way bigger than Lee Dojae¡¯s torch!

    The next couple of minutes were spentughing about Lee Dojae¡¯s torch. But then One narrowed his eyes. Lin Feng needs time. He¡¯s nowhere near ready to face Han Seho again. Rake¡­ Lin Feng just isn¡¯t there yet. And I wouldn¡¯t mind letting him take his sweet time. It¡¯s just¡­ He took a deep breath and shook his head in annoyance. The Chinese esports circle isn¡¯t going to be so patient. They¡¯re going to find out soon enough that he¡¯s back and then they¡¯re going to push him. I just need to give Lin Feng a couple of pushes right now, so that when ites to that, he¡¯s ready. Besides, it¡¯s not like a little bit of added pressure is bad for the kid.

    Oneughed as he remembered the excited tone in which Lin Feng told him about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament a while back. And how excited he now sounded about beating two university teams. He¡¯s having a good time and slowly making his way back. That¡¯s his way. We should respect that. But he¡¯s also going out of his way to not really push himself. A university tournament? That¡¯s just too easy for him. Top 5 on the Koreandder. He can do it and it¡¯ll also be an actual challenge. He might even start losing some games and remember what that¡¯s like. And he¡¯ll have to y with and against Rake. Against Rake¡­ He nodded and mumbled, ¡°That¡¯ll be good for the kid.¡±

    The television mounted on the wall in One¡¯s living room yed scenes of Lin Feng toying around with a random Miner. One shook his head and mumbled, ¡°No challenge, no growth. He needs to put himself out there. Just not so much that he breaks again. I¡¯ll have to make sure those esports guys don¡¯t try and push him too hard.¡± He continued watching the screen that switched focus from Lin Feng to An Xin. One rubbed his chin and wondered, ¡°That girl, did she always Jungle? I don¡¯t recall her ever Jungling¡­¡±

 Chapter 282: Iâ€™m Okay

    There were a lot of universities looking for a spot at the main tournament of the Winter Collegiate Cup. And only a limited number of spots. But to give everyone a chance, the tournament went through local divisions in seven different regions before moving on to Regionals. To fit all of this into the schedule, the tournament officials were forced to move through the different phases at a very high speed. Only days after the local divisions ended, the numerous university teams gathered together to y the first round of Regionals. The format was a 32 team bracket which yed down until there were only four teams remaining.

    It¡¯d take a few days to get through the first round of Regionals, but that didn¡¯t stop every team in East China from attending Day 1. This was a rare opportunity to watch their potential future opponents y. They could see the team dynamics off the Rift, as well as how their rivals yed together on the Rift. From how they argued inside their soundproof booths to how their Champions moved in the game.

    There were two teams in the East China Regionals that were so much better than thepetition that their spot in the main tournament was almost guaranteed. They were Zhejiang University and Fudan University. This made the fight for the other two spots at the main tournament that much more frantic. But in this edition of the Collegiate Cup, it didn¡¯t stop there for East China. Rumours had started spreading that there was another team that was distinguishing itself from thepetition, stepping up above everyone else. They were voted online as most likely to clinch a spot at the main tournament! And it was a team no one expected; the high schoolers from Team Shanghai!

    The footage of the local divisions had made its rounds around the variouspeting universities. Everyone had seen how Team Shanghai had two girls on their roster, and how they stomped on their opposition in their local division. It was thisbination that confused the university teams here today. They didn¡¯t really know what to expect from Team Shanghai. So in an effort to be ready for anything, they all paid special attention to Team Shanghai on Day 1 of the East China Regionals.

    The venue for the East China Regionals was simr to the one at the East China Medical School, where Team Shanghai had yed its first two rounds. University students and League of Legends fans had gathered on the stage and were watching the first series of the day with one eye and the yers from Team Shanghai with the other.

    ¡°You see them sitting there? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I saw the reys but it¡¯s just hard to believe it was them. Ya know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be really damn annoying if they are that good¡­ That¡¯s another spot gone!¡±

    ¡°We got lucky to get this far. But, uch, I really wanna make it to the main tournament now¡­¡±

    ¡°Fat chance with Fudan and Zhejiang taking two of the spots.¡±

    ¡°And Team Shanghai¡­ Those kids over there. I really wonder if they can replicate their performance from their local division. They were bloody good!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not. Let¡¯s hope not.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai sat together at the front of the venue, close to the soundproof booths. They were looking around, catching almost everyone in the venue looking at them rather than at therge LCD screen disying the first series. It was very off putting and Zhang Hao especially made more than a fewments about it,ining that it felt incredibly creepy to have everyone staring at them. He finally had had enough of it and turned to look at the others. He said, ¡°I really want to win this. That¡¯ll make them stop looking! I hope¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Lin Feng interrupted,ughing. ¡°We¡¯ll win this! I¡¯m really good at carrying too! The midne is mine!¡±

    An Xin curled her lips and said, ¡°Egomaniac.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm. You¡¯re shameless.¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and felt a throb at the back of his head. He¡¯s going to give me a headache again! What¡¯s wrong with him? Where does he get his confidence from? We¡¯re ying a strong team today! We need to be on our A-game! He narrowed his eyes. And I¡¯m going to be the one carrying. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. We¡¯ll see who ys best.¡±

    Thest few days had been different for Team Shanghai. The trust that wascking before was slowly seeping into their game. And with that trust came a newfound confidence. They were a team that was preparing to win the Winter Collegiate Cup, a sentiment even Zeng Rui dared to speak out loud! Yet right now they were still in the qualifiers. They all agreed that none of these teams could make them try. Not really, anyway. And they were eager to prove that, both to themselves and to each other.

    ?

    The first opponent Team Shanghai had to beat at the East China Regionals turned out to be a familiar name. It was East China Medical School. They had reached the Top 8 at Regionals in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup and were looking to improve on that achievement. They¡¯d trained very hard thest couple of months and had made several improvements to their roster. The two best of three series in the local division went as expected for them. They were easy wins. Now they were looking to continue that streak at Regionals.

    But the East China Medical School had the misfortune of facing Team Shanghai in the first round. They were put under immense pressure from the first minute in the first game all the way until thest second of the second game. Team Shanghai was simply the better team in every aspect of the game.

    Lin Feng dominated the midne throughout the series. He pushed hisne opponent around and grabbed up solo kills on several asions. One time, he even got close to picking up a penta kill in a fight he started all by himself. The other twones weren¡¯t doing any worse. Zhang Hao was crushing hisne opponent while Zeng Rui was setting Tang Bingyao up for double kills every couple of minutes. And whenever East China Medical School tried to send their Jungler to help ane out, An Xin matched his movements and made sure that Team Shanghai came out ahead.

    The audience didn¡¯t know what they were seeing. They expected some kind of spectacle, but the kind where two strong teams were fighting each other for all they were worth! This wasn¡¯t anything like that. This was a one-sided stomp. There wasn¡¯t a second in the series where it looked like East China Medical School had any chance of getting even a single kill.

    ¡°BEJEBUS! How good are those kids!?¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOO! Uh. Why am I cheering for them? PLEASE LOSE!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! PLEASE LOSE! WE DON¡¯T WANNA PLAY AGAINST YOU!¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! GoGo Lin Feng! If anyone can, YOU CAN!¡±

    ¡°This is just silly. How good are they? My god¡­¡±

    ¡°HOLY SHIT TAP WATER TASTES LIKE SEWAGE!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve got that third spot. Everyone on their side of the bracket is properly f.u.c.k.i.e.d.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe our team is losing to some high schoolers¡­¡±

    The regr audience weren¡¯t the only ones impressed by how Team Shanghai was ying. Even the yers from Zhejiang University and Fudan University nodded in respect. They knew a good team when they saw one. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in their minds that Team Shanghai was going to qualify for the main tournament, which ced them in a peculiar situation. On the one hand, they wanted the East China region to do well. Training together with Team Shanghai was a logical next step. Yet at the same time, they also needed to prepare a strategy against Team Shanghai in the event they had to y each other at the main tournament.

    ?

    Su Xue had brought her good friend, and video editor, Zuo You with her to watch Team Shanghai y in the first round of the East China Regionals. After Team Shanghai won their first series, the two girls walked up to Lin Feng and greeted him. Zuo You did this by waving her arms around, her bright red hair distinguishing her from everyone else at the venue, and shouting, ¡°Good job, kiddo! That looked pretty damn good!¡±

    Su Xue curled her lips in disapprovement and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nice to him. It¡¯ll go straight to his head!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and argued, ¡°I did almost get a penta with my Fizz. I deserved thatpliment!¡±

    Su Xue wanted to say something, get into a typical argument with Lin Feng, but stopped herself. Let¡¯s not do this in front of his friends. She smiled at the other four yers from Team Shanghai that approached and said, ¡°Congrattions on that win! It was really nice! I loved that triple kill you got Tang Tang! Oh! I was thinking that we should celebrate this victory with some food!¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Zuo You eximed before Lin Feng could. She grabbed her purse and waved it in front of Lin Feng, adding, ¡°Let¡¯s GoGoGO! It¡¯s my treat! You guys deserve it after that performance! We need to celebrate this win! Come!¡±

    ¡°YEAH! BROS! FOOD!¡± Ouyang shouted from a short distance away. He pushed himself through a few people until he arrived next to Lin Feng. He then raised his arms and continued, ¡°Us bros need to celebrate this massive win! And we can¡¯t turn Zuo You down either! Bros gotta give their bro¡¯s chicks face! Isn¡ª AAAJJJ!¡±

    Ren Rou grabbed Ouyang by his ear and pulled him away, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this swine¡¯s behaviour. Please forgive him.¡±

    The other old teammates and ssmates from Lin Feng also arrived. Liu Yue was at the front of them. He¡¯d heard the words food and quickly pulled out his phone, which he now held in front of Zuo You¡¯s face. ¡°Here! LookLookLook! There¡¯s this really good restaurant! It¡¯s right around the corner! See these reviews? They¡¯re all super woot woot! I¡¯ve been wanting to go forever! Wanna go here?¡±

    Zuo You looked at Liu Yue and giggled. ¡°Sure. Sounds good. You lead the way. We¡¯ll go have our celebratory dinner there!¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡± Liu Yue shouted. He stuffed his phone away and started leading the way, saying over his shoulder, ¡°Keep up! Keep up!¡±

    Zeng Rui watched Liu Yue running away. Seriously, how do I always get in these situations? I need to go over the footage from today¡¯s games¡­ And I just know I¡¯m not going to have time for that because they¡¯re going to drag me along. Again! He nced at Lin Feng, who was talking with Su Xue and trailing after Liu Yue. The thundering dumbass will look over his shoulder and go, Oh, ZengZeng¡­ He grimaced, hating himself for using the nickname, and shook his head. Screw it! Celebrating every win it is! No point in trying to argue with him. He caught up to An Xin and matched her speed. ¡°Hey, BunBun,¡± he said. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t get anything done. He smiled and turned his head to look at her. ¡°I came up with a n for Champion Selectst night. Six different teamps fit into it. Can you take a look and tell me what you think?¡±

    An Xin looked at Zeng Rui and replied. ¡°Sure. I can do that.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and handed An Xin a sheet of paper that was scribbled full with letters and drawings. ¡°Thanks. Here.¡±

    An Xin reached out to grab the paper and touched it with her fingers. Zeng Rui let go, expecting her to have it. But she didn¡¯t. The sheet slid from An Xin¡¯s grasp and fell to the ground. ¡°Oh, sorry! My bad!¡± Zeng Rui quickly said. He reached down to grab it, but An Xin beat him to it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± An Xin said, reaching out to grab the paper from the floor. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Come on. Not now. Please not now. She gritted her teeth and tried to pinch the paper between her fingers. But that only made her hand tremble. The sheet of paper slipped through her fingers again. Please! She closed her eyes and reached out with her other hand too. Just work for me. Grab the paper. Please.

    Tang Bingyao had been walking behind An Xin when the piece of paper fell. She stopped walking and tilted her head. Why did she drop that? Mhm, probably nothing. She shrugged and was about to walk around An Xin when she noticed it. An Xin¡¯s hand trembled. Tang Bingyao narrowed her eyes. Why is her hand trembling? She can¡¯t grab the paper? What¡ª Her eyes went wide. She can¡¯t pick up the paper! She crouched down next to An Xin and put an arm around her friend¡¯s shoulder. She asked worriedly, ¡°BunBun, are you okay? Do you need some help?¡±

    An Xin bit on her lips and pinched her eyes closed. She ignored Tang Bingyao and focused as hard as she could on her hand. Please! She pinched the sheet of paper with everything she had and finally managed to hold on to it. Why does this¡­ She grimaced and quickly put the paper away in her pocket. Her hand rxed again. An exhausted breath escaped her lips. She could feel Tang Bingyao standing beside her and Zeng Rui in front of her. Act natural. You¡¯re okay. Just tell them¡­ She opened her eyes and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tang Tang. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m okay, really.¡±

    You¡¯re lying, was what Tang Bingyao wanted to say. But she stopped herself after ncing around. Zeng Rui stood next to them and Lin Feng had stopped walking too. If she¡¯s trying to hide it¡­ She¡¯s trying to hide something. What is she... Tang Bingyao bit on her tongue and nodded at An Xin. I won¡¯t say anything. That¡¯s your choice. Her stomach heavily disagreed, but she pushed herself to say, ¡°Mhm¡­ Okay. If you say so.¡±

 Chapter 283: A Facade Masked by Celebration

    Zuo You looked around the table at the members from Team Shanghai and the few other people she remembered from the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. They¡¯re Lin Feng¡¯s friends. I don¡¯t forget faces. Her job back in her old role was to suck up to people. And she was very good at it. She smiled and nodded at herself. All right! Time to get this party started! I¡¯ll show these kids why the boss used to pay me so much money! She nced at Tang Bingyao and An Xin. And we need to celebrate a little extra for you two. Girls beating thosepetitive boys! I love seeing that! Serves those dumbasses right for saying girls can¡¯t y games! Shut them right up! You two were fantastic!

    ¡°Hiiiiiiiiii!¡± Zuo You said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She stood up and raised her ss, arge pint of beer, and said, ¡°Today was a great day! We saw Tang Tang and BunBun here carry you guys to the next round, once more proving that girls are just as good as guys!¡± She winked at Tang Bingyao and An Xin and added, ¡°Did Lin Feng tell you girls I¡¯m a diehard feminist? And I¡¯m also a League addict! I love nothing more than to see girls do good at League! Watching you two y today was a dreame true! It was fantastic!¡±

    Lin Feng looked from Tang Bingyao to An Xin and back to Tang Bingyao. He then mumbled, ¡°I think I yed really good too¡­¡±

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and was about to say something, but Zuo You was faster. ¡°You were also great! Your Fizz gave me shbacks to that time you helped me out with my coworker! And you looked so much better! But anyway¡­¡± She raised her ss a little higher. ¡°I just wanna congratte all of you on a series well yed! GRATS!¡±

    ¡°GANBEI!¡±

    ¡°PROOST!¡±

    ¡°SKAL!¡±

    ¡°ROUND OF 16 NEXT!¡±

    Everyone raised their cups and drank them empty! One big swig, as was tradition! The alcohol flowing through their veins boosted their social skills, opening up a night of fun andughter! That was how Zuo You had imagined it, anyway. She nced around the table, confused. Why did they all order soft drinks Aren¡¯t they 18? Why don¡¯t they get the good stuff? I¡¯ve never had to socialize with¡­ sober people¡­ ¡°Uhh¡­¡± She briefly hesitated before asking, ¡°Why are you guys all drinking soft drinks? Aren¡¯t you all legal? Don¡¯t tell me you guys don¡¯t like beer. You know there are other alcoholic drinks, right? If you don¡¯t like beer, you can just get some wine or even something sweet like a breezer¡­¡± She trailed off, stopped by the wide-eyed looks of horror around her.

    Ren Rou and Ouyang were shaking their heads, terrified. ¡°No! NO!¡± was what they were trying to say without spelling out the words. It was their best attempt to keep the booze away from Tang Bingyao without telling her to her face that she was not a fun drunk. Everyone felt like this, all in their own ways trying to convey the message to Zuo You. The memory of Tang Bingyao¡¯s birthday party was still fresh in their minds. And they knew for a fact that they enjoyed herpany better when she was sober.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and looked around the table. Why is no one saying anything? Oooooh! They¡¯re ying a game of ¡®don¡¯t say the words¡¯! He grinned and nodded at Zuo You, grabbing her attention. He then pointed with his eyes at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Bad stuff happens when the alcoholes out.¡± He pointed with his head at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°We¡¯re not drinking!¡±

    Zuo You scrunched her nose and looked at Tang Bingyao. She asked, ¡°Bad stuff? What does that even mean? Is Tang Tang bad with the alcohol? Or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Not just bad!¡± Lin Feng eximed, forgetting all about the game. He shouted, ¡°She¡¯s terrible! You don¡¯t know what happenedst time! But it was terrible! She became thispletely weird pers¡ª AJJHHH!¡± He abruptly turned to look at An Xin and yelled, ¡°BunBun! What did you hit me for!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao slumped back in her seat, trying to hide from the others. They can have alcohol if they want. I can just not have any. Mhm. What happened at my birthday party that they don¡¯t want to drink with me anymore? Why are they all looking at me? Did I do something¡­ She bit on her tongue and wanted to disappear. It wasn¡¯t that bad, was it? I just¡­ Lin Feng had to carry me home, but¡­ Oh my god, he had to carry me to his ce. Her face heated up. She scratched her forehead, trying to hide her embarrassment behind her arm, and mumbled, ¡°N-no! It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s¡­ I just¡­¡±

    Tears wetted Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes. She inhaled sharply, trying to draw them back. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t let them see you cry. She chewed on her lips, the inside of her cheeks and her tongue. Her stomach was tied in a knot and she really wanted to get up and run away. I can¡¯t run away. No running. Mm-mhm. I can¡¯t look at them again then. They¡¯re still my friends. She took a deep breath and finally said, ¡°I just had a little too muchst time we drank. Mhm.¡±

    Zuo You looked at Tang Bingyao and then at the others around the table and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you people? Socially inept freaks!¡± She turned back to Tang Bingyao and smiled warmly. ¡°Hey, Tang Tang. Don¡¯t worry about it. That happens to the best of us. It¡¯ll be a fun story in a few years. Here,e, have a drink and let¡¯s just have fun! Ignore those insensitive assholes!¡±

    ?

    The waiters brought the food out and with that came the return of the lively atmosphere. The delicious smells made everyone forget about Tang Bingyao and alcohol, and even Tang Bingyao herself sat up a little straighter again. But it wasn¡¯t until Lin Feng grabbed a chicken wing that everything returned to normal. He clutched it tightly, then punched it up into the air and dered, ¡°We¡¯re going to win the Collegiate Cup!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°This is the first time high school teams arepeting. If you guys win, that means you¡¯ll be the first ever high school team to win a university tournament.¡±

    Ouyang nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, yeah! Our bros are gonna win this! They¡¯ll be the first high school team to win the Collegiate Cup!¡±

    Zhang Hao took a big swig from his drink, pineapple voured, and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already reached the Top 16 at Regionals. I think the only two teams who can stop us now are Zhejiang and Fudan. We¡¯ll win against everyone else!¡±

    ¡°TTSSSSSSK!¡± Zuo You replied. She giggled and continued, ¡°Have some confidence! I saw you y today. Fudan and Zhejiang are shit! You guys can totally beat them! And it¡¯ll be super fantastic when Tang Tang and BunBun carry you to Nationals!¡±

    Lin Feng quickly chimed in, ¡°And me! I¡¯m really good at wrecking university teams too! Who cares about their names!?¡±

    Zeng Rui felt the nagging throb at the back of his head again. She¡¯s just as bad as he is. They¡¯re like some overconfident twin-duo-something¡­ Thundering dumbasses¡­ He took a deep breath and exined, ¡°Zhejiang University and Fudan University are strong teams. It¡¯ll take a lot of careful nning to beat them.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses again and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯re very strong. I¡¯ve watched some of their games. But I¡¯ve also seen you guys y. I think you guys stand a good chance. It¡¯s winnable.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s winnable!¡± Ouyang shouted. ¡°These are our bros! They¡¯re the best! It¡¯s gonna be an easy win! HOORAH FOR OUR BROS!¡± He raised his ss and drank it empty.

    An Xin hadn¡¯t said much of anything all night. She looked around the table and smiled. They¡¯re all happy. That¡¯s good. But I¡­ She gritted her teeth and took a long, deep breath. This is too much for me right now. ¡°Guys¡­¡± She waited for everyone to look at her before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not feeling great. I think I¡¯m going to go home and get some rest. You guys celebrate. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight.¡± She got up from her seat and grabbed her stuff. Then she looked at everyone, an apologetic expression on her face, and said, ¡°I¡­¡± She paused and took another deep breath before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Everyone looked at An Xin in surprise. They hadn¡¯t even really noticed how absent she¡¯d been until now.

    ¡°Are you okay? Get some sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, go home and rest a bit. I hope you feel better in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to call you a cab?¡±

    ¡°Is there anything we can do for you?¡±

    Su Xue looked at An Xin. She looks a little pale. Is she really ok? She chewed on her lips and listened to the others wishing An Xin a speedy recovery. No. We can¡¯t just let her go home like this. She nudged Lin Feng, who was sitting next to her, and whispered, ¡°Hey, bring her home. Make sure she¡¯s ok.¡±

    Lin Feng felt Su Xue nudge him and vaguely heard what she was saying, but wasn¡¯t really paying attention to it. His eyes were locked on An Xin. What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I should¡­ He chewed on his lips and rubbed his stomach. What did Su Xue say¡­? He turned to look at her and finally connected the dots. Bring An Xin home. That¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling. ¡°Hey, BunBun?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows, surprised. Him? She smiled at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just been a long day. I need to rest a bit and I¡¯ll be as good as new!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Lin Feng replied. I can¡¯t let her go home like this. It feels all wrong. I¡¯m going to send her home! He got up from his seat and grabbed his own coat. ¡°Hold on. I¡¯ll bring you home!¡±

    An Xin paused. She turned to look at Lin Feng, confused. You¡¯ll bring me home? Did you just decide to bring me home all by yourself? That¡¯s so not you¡­ But it¡¯s a nice change. She smiled and briefly considered it, but then shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice of you to offer. But there¡¯s no nee¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bringing you home,¡± Lin Feng cut her off. He put on his coat and wished the others a good night.

    An Xin bit on her lips. I don¡¯t want¡­ She shook her head and closed her eyes. ¡°Fine. Fine.¡± She allowed Lin Feng to grab her arm and walk her out of the restaurant.

    Tang Bingyao watched this happen from her seat at the table. She hadn¡¯t said anything through this entire scene, except for a quick goodnight. There was no jealousy that led her to act like this, but rather worry. Something¡¯s wrong with BunBun. I saw her hand tremble when she took that piece of paper from Zeng Rui. That really happened. She¡¯s not okay. She¡¯s lying about something. What¡¯s wrong? Is there something I can do? Mhm. I¡¯ll have to ask. When I get her alone, I¡¯ll ask. Mhm!

    ?

    It wasn¡¯t far to the subway station, which was where An Xin wanted to go. Lin Feng offered to call her a cab multiple times, but was quickly shut down each time. When they arrived in front of the subway station, An Xin stopped and tried to pull free from Lin Feng¡¯s arm. She smiled at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You brought me far enough. I can go the rest of the way by myself.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded slowly, but didn¡¯t let her go. He looked at her and asked in a tone that was far more serious than he usually spoke, ¡°BunBun. Are you really okay?¡±

    An Xin forced a smile and nodded. ¡°Idiot. I told you I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m really, really, really okay. Ok? I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why does it feel like you¡¯re lying to me then?¡± Lin Feng asked, doubtful.

    ¡°Lying? Since when can you tell when someone is lying?¡± An Xin asked sarcastically. Please let me go. Please.

    Lin Feng nced past this attempt to change the topic and repeated, ¡°Are you really okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m sure! Drop it!¡± An Xin said, annoyed. Drop it and go!

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Feng asked again. Something is feeling wrong. Why does this feel wrong? Can I really let her go alone? ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°REALLY! REALLY! REALLY! I¡¯M FINE!¡± An Xin yelled, quickly bing very angry. I can¡¯t hold this up! GO AWAY!

    Lin Feng chewed on his lips and looked An Xin up and down. He finally asked, ¡°Really?¡±

    I need to look strong. An Xin suddenly stood very straight. She raised her fist and smacked Lin Feng on the head. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot! I said I¡¯m fine, so I¡¯m fine! Now I¡¯m going to go before I miss my train. Stop following me! Goodnight!¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his head in pain, but didn¡¯t leave. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright. Alright. Call me if anything happens. Please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. I know. I¡¯ll call you if anything happens. Now go!¡± An Xin said, shooing Lin Feng away.

    Lin Feng let An Xin push him away. He walked a few steps away from the subway station, but then stopped and turned back around to look at An Xin. He said, ¡°BunBun. I¡¯m serious. Are you really okay?¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng, the dark of the night hiding the tears popping up in her eyes. I¡¯m not. She chewed on the inside of her cheeks and blinked away a tear. He looks actually worried. I should tell him... No. No. She shook her head and said quietly, ¡°Really. Please don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and then turned around and walked away. This feels wrong. This feels all wrong. But I can¡¯t force her if she doesn¡¯t want me to stay. It¡¯s just¡­ He stopped after only taking three steps and turned back around again. An Xin was walking down the stairs into the subway station. He called out after her, ¡°BunBun? Are you sure? Are you really okay?¡± But she didn¡¯t answer him. She kept walking until she disappeared from his view.

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you,¡± Lin Feng mumbled, scratching the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m just worried¡­¡± But An Xin was gone. She won¡¯t like it if I go after her. She¡¯ll just smack me and tell me to go away¡­ He pursed his lips and, though his stomach was moving around and twisting tightly into a knot, he walked away.

    An Xin nced over her shoulder, searching for Lin Feng. He left. Good. She finally let the tension on her body drop. Her hand started trembling violently and the world swirled darkly before her eyes. She leaned against the wall and tried to stay on her feet. That was too much. I pushed myself too far. I shouldn¡¯t have let hime with me. I just need to¡­ I need to rest. She let her knees rx, falling semi-controlled to the floor. There, she leaned against the walls and closed her eyes. I just need a bit of rest.

    It waste at night and she was in a subway station. An Xin knew she couldn¡¯t sit here for long. So after only a couple of seconds, she forced herself back to her feet. Every movement of her body cost her a lot of energy. Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead. Just keeping it together was asking a lot from her. She took slow, deep breaths, trying to stay calm. The sound of a train arriving came from deeper in the station. I need to hurry to catch the train¡­ A bead of sweat rolled down her face. She felt it make its way around her eye and down her cheek, before rolling over the edge of her chin. It fell to the ground and she reached her hand out.

    There was the faintest sound of the drop of sweat hitting the palm of her hand. But in An Xin¡¯s mind it sounded like thunder. It echoed and it smashed against the walls of her sanity. It was a painful reminder of the situation she was in. Her heart trembled. Just this much is already pushing it. I don¡¯t know how much more I can¡­ She bit on her lips, fresh tears watering her eyes.

 Chapter 284: This is the Dream Life

    The ill.u.s.trious person known as One was a 28 year old man living in Chiang Mai, Thand. He¡¯d bought a small vi on the outskirts of the city where he lived together with the woman of his dreams. Just the thought of her awoke that warm, happy feeling in his stomach reaching up to his heart. He was napping on the couch in his living room, vaguely listening to the soundsing from the television. The faint sound of a door creaking suddenly pped in his ear like thunder. He shot up straight and ruffled his puffy hair to look somewhat representable. Then he looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. I love you.

    Five had wrapped a white bath towel around her chest and was brushing her long, ck hair. ¡°Hey, sweety. Anything fun on tv?¡±

    The words didn¡¯t register. One just stared at Five and counted his lucky stars. It¡¯s like God put an Angel on Earth just for me. You¡¯re perfect. How you look and who you are. There¡¯s nothing else, no one else in the world as perfect as you are. I didn¡¯t believe perfection existed, until I met you. On that day, I wanted to give you my heart. I wanted to tell you everything and give you everything! You have no idea how happy I feel just to be near you! He bit on his lips and shook his head a bit, smiling. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°The tv,¡± Five repeated, nodding at therge television affixed to the wall. ¡°Is it fun?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that,¡± One replied. He scratched the back of his head andughed awkwardly. ¡°Uh, yeah, I guess?¡± He nced over his shoulder and then quickly back at Five. He looked into her dark obsidian eyes that were so bright, and he smiled. He just smiled. Smiled and stared into her eyes. You¡¯re perfect in every way! But your eyes, your eyes are something else entirely. There is such a strong life shining in them! I just¡­ Nothing is difficult when I look in your eyes. I just want to take you in my arms and hold you! ¡°You¡¯re as pretty as the first day I met you,¡± he said before even realising he did.

    Five giggled and said, ¡°I was going to ask your opinion on some new clothes I bought the other day, but¡­¡± She ced her finger on the rim of her towel, just above her b.r.e.a.s.ts, and seductively moved it around the edge. Then she winked and m.o.a.ned, ¡°But it seems you¡¯re more interested in something else.¡±

    One breathed saliva down the wrong hole. He lurched forward, coughing loudly into the couch. F.u.c.k I love her! His eyes teared and his lungpipe hurt, but he forced the coughing down. He looked back up at Five, smiling again, and said, ¡°Please¡­ You know that I love everything you wear! And that I also love it when you don¡¯t wear anything at all!¡±

    ¡°You smooth criminal!¡± Five replied, giggling. She blew One a kiss and added, ¡°Pointless to ask your honest opinion anyway. You¡¯ll say anything for s.e.x!¡±

    One and Five weren¡¯t just looking to spend the rest of their lives together, they¡¯d already spent a short lifetime together. The two met each other on thepetitive stage of DotA, where they fought together on the same team. They quickly became the most famous esports power couple in the world. Two legends at the game. And when One eventually took the crown of best in the world, Five was right beside him. She was his Queen, not just in name but also in merit. She was the best female DotA yer and had, just like One, eventually received a ce in the Esports Hall of Fame.

    Five let One coax her into sitting down next to him. She wrapped the towel a little tighter around her, her buttocks nted firmly on the soft leather of the couch. I should get changed. He¡¯s just looking for some¡­ And he¡¯s dirty! I¡¯m finally clean after a nice shower¡­ I¡¯m not going to get dirty again! ¡°Nope! Not happening!¡± Five said decisively when One reached over to kiss her. ¡°When was thest time you showered!? I¡­ I think I should go and put some clothes on!¡±

    ¡°What? I showered this morning! Here, smell! Don¡¯t I smell great?¡± One said as he leaned over again, nting his lips on her. They¡¯re so soft¡­ He moved his hand along her side and reached lower, but she quickly pped him away.

    ¡°Nope! Not happening,¡± Five repeated.

    ¡°A,¡± One replied. He then grinned and threw his arm around her shoulders, looking back at the television. The two sat there like that for a good few seconds, until One said, ¡°Right. I called Lin Feng the other day.¡±

    ¡°Lin Feng?¡± Five asked, surprised. She turned to look at One and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken with him in ages! How is he doing these days? You said he was ying again a bit, right? How¡¯s that going?¡±

    One smiled and exined, ¡°He¡¯s doing alright. A bit slow, but that¡¯s okay. He¡¯s trying to find his old form again, just isn¡¯t going about it too fast. So I gave him a little push. You know, my Korean ount we sometimes y on. I¡¯m kind of excited to see what he¡¯s going to pull off on that.¡±

    ¡°A little push? Your Korean League ount?¡± Five said, her eyes growing wider. ¡°We got your ount to Challenger! What, are you going to tell him to get to the top of thedder and y a few games against Rake!?¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± One replied,ughing.

    Five giggled and asked, ¡°You sure that''s the reason? It has nothing to do with you being so bad that you need me to carry you? Was it too embarrassing to ask me for help?¡±

    One rubbed his nose and grimaced. ¡°Well, uhm, you know¡­ That¡¯s just not fair! We duo queue! I¡¯m just as valuable! Plus, this is for his own good. He¡¯ll never catch up to that Korean kid if he doesn¡¯t challenge himself a little. Ande on, he¡¯s pushing himself by ying some university tournament... He isn¡¯t going to learn anything there!¡±

    Five watched One in silence as he argued why the little push he gave was all in Lin Feng¡¯s best interest. She eventually nodded and said, ¡°Sounds like you know what you¡¯re doing. Eh, he¡¯s a good kid. If anyone can do it, it¡¯s him.¡±

    Oneughed and said, ¡°We¡¯ll see, we¡¯ll see! Right now I¡¯m just hoping he can stay in Challenger. It would really suck if my ount drops back down to Master. Took us way too long to get to Challenger¡­¡±

    ¡°You know...¡± Five said. She winked at One and continued, ¡°If you¡¯re so worried about your ount dropping ranks, how about you give him my ount. It¡¯s also in Challenger. Doesn¡¯t that sound like a good n? Yeah! Come, let''s call him and tell him the good news!¡±

    ¡°No, no! He needs my ount!¡± One quickly countered. He leaned a bit closer to Five and continued, ¡°I gave him your number and told him to give it to BunBun. She should call you soon. I¡¯m sure you can find someone to carry your ount.¡±

    ¡°BunBun? How is she?¡± Five asked. Then she giggled and added, ¡°Those two are still together, huh?¡±

    One nodded and said, ¡°They are. Even on the same team! And she¡¯s ying on the team too this time. Just¡­¡± He looked at the television and mumbled, ¡°Just for some reason she¡¯s ying in the Jungle¡­ Hey, hun. My memory is pretty bad these days. Did BunBun used to main Jungle?¡±

    ¡°Jungle? No, I think that was her least yed role. Why would she be ying in the Jungle?¡± Five replied, equally puzzled.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± One mumbled in response. ¡°It¡¯s strange. I wonder why she chose to y in the Jungle. There must be a reason for it, I guess?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had returned to the restaurant after seeing An Xin off. There he enjoyed another hour of entertainment with his friends before going home together with Su Xue. When they got to the front door of the apartment, Su Xue opened it because Lin Feng had forgotten his keys again. He quickly brushed past her and said, ¡°Thanks, Su Xue! I¡¯m going to do my homework!¡±

    A lot of Lin Feng¡¯s free time went to ying League of Legends. But he never forgot to do his homework. The first thing he did every day aftering home was blitzing through his homework. It didn¡¯t matter to him if he lost sleep over it, or if he missed out on some League of Legends because of it. He had to finish his homework first. This time that meant studying for an uing Mathematics test and writing a short story for his English Literature ss.

    It was already nearing midnight when Lin Feng put his pen down. ¡°Finally! That took long, but¡­¡± He looked at his homework. It was all done. ¡°I¡¯m really good at doing homework too!¡± He grinned and then closed the doc.u.ment he had open on hisptop. League of Legends¡­ The shortcut for the League of Legends client was the first thing that drew his attention on the homescreen. I should get started on that. I¡¯m going to need all the time I can get if I want toplete One¡¯s challenge.

    Lin Feng connected to the inte through a proxy server and opened the Korean League of Legends client. Then he took out his phone and opened his WeChat conversation with One. There, as promised, was the ount information. I wonder what ount One got me. Did he really climb to Challenger himself? Of course he did! He¡¯s One! Lin Feng typed in the information and logged in. The League of Legends client loaded him to the front page. He looked at the right top corner where it showed the Summoner Name.

    CN?HOOK2

    CN?HOOK2! Lin Feng had prepared himself for the possibility that this was One¡¯s ount. But this ount was so much more than just a random ount One boosted to Challenger! CN?HOOK2 was the online handle of One¡¯s second ount back when he yed DotApetitively. Everyone back then knew that it was One¡¯s ount! And they might still! I have to do the name proud!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes were wide and his stomach twisted into a tight knot. His breathing was short and raggard. One gave me his ount! This is really his ount! I promised One to get his ount to Top 5. But¡­ This is his ount! This isn¡¯t just some random ount or some random name¡­ This is his name! His name! Lin Feng felt his heart smashing into his ribcage, his mind as messy as the hair on his head. His name. I promised to get his ount to Top 5 Challenger. But this is really his ount! He has given me his name! I¡¯m ying on his ount! I¡¯m the legend¡­ I can¡¯t let him down. I can¡¯t, absolutely can¡¯t let him down. Lin Feng stared at his screen, a fire zing in his eyes. I won¡¯t let him down. Top 5? Screw that! This ount is going to the top of thedder! I¡¯m going to be the best!

 Chapter 285: One More Game!

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t queue up for a ranked game right away. This is One¡¯s smurf! One ranked on it! I¡­ His hand trembled slightly. I need to know. His mouse moved away from the y button and towards the profile button in the top right corner. He clicked and a new page loaded. It showed the recently yed matches. Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide in shock. So many wins! They¡¯re all wins! Wins everywhere! It¡¯s green, green, GREEN! It¡¯s a Challenger ount! How is he getting all these wins!? Lin Feng scrolled through the recent match history, a perfect field of 10 wins. Wait, huh? Annie? Thresh? Why is he ying Supports? What¡¯s going on? One is a Miner! He scrunched his nose and moved his head back, confused.

    Lin Feng opened up his browser and went to a League of Legends summoner statistics website. There he typed ¡®CN?HOOK2¡¯ in the search bar. Come on, show me already! Why is it taking so long!? Go faster! Faster! Ah! The page loaded and showed him a detailed analysis of the games yed on the CN?HOOK2 ount.

    Some of the most impressive statistics appeared on Lin Feng¡¯s monitor. CN?HOOK2 was a rtively new ount that yed all its games in duo queue together with an ount called CN?DancingShoe. Lin Feng recognized this name right away. He knew it almost as well as he did CN?HOOK2¡¯s. Five! That¡¯s Five¡¯s ount! One is duoing with Five! They¡¯re ying together! Oh¡­ Now I¡¯m ying on this ount, so they can¡¯t duo¡­ But One gave it to me! I have to try my best!

    Lin Feng scrolled through CN?HOOK2¡¯s statistics. Wow! One still has it! There are so many wins! He¡¯s winning everything! How isn¡¯t he Top 1 Challenger yet? All these wins! There were a total of 90 games yed in duo queue. And nearly all of them were victories. It was only once the ount hit Challenger that a couple of losses started appearing. But even then, One and Five were climbing fast! They¡¯re so good! If the Koreans knew about them, they¡¯d be shitting their pants! One will pound them hard! He¡¯s the best! All those analysts saying Korea is the best, they don¡¯t know One! He¡¯s still at the top! He¡¯s still so good! He¡­ He¡­

    Lin Feng took a long, deep breath. He browsed through the statistic website for another 10 minutes, letting the reality of the situation settle in. This is such a strong ount. It went straight to Challenger in only 73 games! That must be like a record! And even in Challenger he barely loses anything! I can¡¯t screw that up! I won¡¯t! Lin Feng balled his hand into a fist, his eyes zing in determination. I¡¯m going to make One proud! This ount is going to go on a massive win streak! I refuse to lose even a single game! Top 5? SCREW THAT! He pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°Watch me climb, One! I¡¯ll make you proud!¡± He then tabbed back into the League client and entered the queue.

    ¡°Hmm, what to y, what to y,¡± Lin Feng mumbled to himself. I can¡¯t y Support like One has been doing. If I want to carry and reach the top of Challenger, I need to carry. So I¡¯ll y Mid. The queue popped and he entered Champion Select. He smiled as he went through the practiced motions of banning and picking Champions. I¡¯m going to go mid every game and carry everything! For One, and for myself.

    ?

    Lin Feng was in the loading screen, waiting for his first game to start. He¡¯d locked in Yasuo, one of his best Champions right now, and had to y against an Ahri. ¡°Let¡¯s see what rank you are,¡± Lin Feng mumbled while tabbing out of the League client and looking up the Ahri¡¯s statistics. Master? That¡¯s all? I¡¯m ying against a Master Mid? My Yasuo is getting better. There¡¯s no way a random Master can test me. This game will be easy! He smiled and tabbed back into the game.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    At 4 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo received the help from his Jungler Jarvan IV to pick up first blood on Ahri.

    At 6 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo picked up a solo kill on Ahri.

    At 8 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo roamed to the botne, where he worked together with his Boners to secure a kill and an assist.

    At 10 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo followed after Ahri who was trying to help her Jungler gank the topne. He turned the gank around singlehandedly, picking up two kills and an assist. His score was a staggering 5/0/2 with a 96 creep score!

    Lin Feng¡¯s teammates were getting carried so hard by Lin Feng that they used abination of Korean and broken English to write a couple of messages in team chat. They thanked him for carrying them and even gave him a couple ofpliments, which was quite an achievement. Koreans rarely ever had anything nice to say about Chinese yers on their server. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t care about any of these messages. They weren¡¯t worth his attention, because they didn¡¯t mean anything. He was stomping on a Master yer. That was still too easy for him. Just this much doesn¡¯t mean anything. I need to y against Challengers! Against the top Challengers! And so he kept ying,ser focused on the game.

    At 20 minutes: The outer and inner towers in the midne were already destroyed. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo pushed up thene all the way to the inhibitor tower. The Red team¡¯s Ahri and their Jungler Rek¡¯Sai were defending it. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo attacked the Red minions twice with Steel Tempest, a storm quietly brewing at the tip of his de. Then he unleashed the tornado onto the Rift! It blew through Ahri and Rek¡¯Sai, knocking them both up into the air!

    ¡°Last Breath!¡± Lin Feng shouted. His Yasuo blinked to Ahri and kept both Red team Champions suspended in midair. He attacked with a flurry of shes before mming them back down to the ground! The damage was massive! Two more auto attacks finished Ahri off and a Steel Tempest did the same to Rek¡¯Sai. Then Lin Feng destroyed the inhibitor tower followed by the inhibitor.

    At 24 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo destroyed Red team¡¯s Nexus with the help of his teammates. The energy contained within the crystal exploded outwards and morphed into the victory emblem. The all chat blew up withpliments for Lin Feng from his teammates, and salty messages from his opponents about reporting the Ahri for feeding. Lin Feng ignored all of this. He clicked out of the game and checked the League Points he gained for his win. 17 LP! The focus disappeared from his face, making ce for his usual grin. I¡¯m really good at gaining LP to¡ª He stopped himself and forced the grin away. This was an easy game against a weak Miner. I need to stay focused.

    ?

    Lin Feng was so focused on the game that everything else around him disappeared. There was only him and his Champion. He yed a second game. Hisne opponent was a little bit better this time around. They were Challenger and ying Fizz. But Lin Feng still crushed them all the same. He knew the ins and outs of Fizz. Nothing this Korean Challenger threw at him could surprise him. It took him 32 minutes to close the game out. His teammates were impressed with him again. He¡¯d hard-carried them to victory.

    The third game followed quickly after the second. And it yed out in much the same fashion. Lin Feng¡¯s opponent in the midne was a Challenger who yed an assassin type Miner. Those were simply in the meta, so it came as no surprise to Lin Feng. But he excelled at exactly this type of Champion. He went with Ahri this game and shut Red team¡¯s Yasuo down. Then he stomped the othernes and carried his team to a win. It was his third victory of the night.

    Lin Feng slowly took a deep breath and then yawned. He stretched out long and rubbed his eyes. What time is it? He nced at his phone and nodded in surprise. Two in the morning? Those games didn¡¯t take that long, did they? I got school tomorrow. I should probably¡­ But I also kind of want to y another game¡­ Just one mo¡ª Hmm? He looked over his shoulder at the door. There were footsteps on the other side, followed by a soft knocking sound.

    ¡°Lin Feng?¡± Su Xue whispered. She knocked on the door again and then pushed it open. She poked her head through the opening and looked into Lin Feng¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Are you still up, Lin Feng? I saw the lights¡ª¡± Su Xue pushed the door open, revealing her pink Jinx pyjamas, and looked at Lin Feng sitting behind his desk. She said, ¡°Why are you still up? Don¡¯t you have school tomorrow? Do you know what time it is? It¡¯s almost 2 A.M. young man!¡± She nced past Lin Feng at the screen of hisptop. ¡°League?¡± She narrowed her eyes and continued, ¡°You¡¯re still up because you¡¯re ying League? You little addict! Turn that off and go to bed! I don¡¯t want to spend all morning tomorrow trying to wake you up! I swear, I¡¯m gonna use the sharp end of my cleaver on you one day!¡±

    Lin Feng leaned on the back of his chair and said, ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°To bed or a beating! Your choice!¡± Su Xue interrupted, ring at Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and mumbled, ¡°Oh, uhm, I¡¯ll go to bed¡­ in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Did I stutter?¡± Su Xue asked. She wagged her finger and ordered, ¡°You¡¯re turning off yourptop and going to bed right now, young man!¡±

    ¡°Ah,e on! Don¡¯t be like this!¡± Lin Fengined. I just want to y one more game! I¡¯ll wake up fine in a few hours! He turned his chair around and blinked a couple of times, imitating An Xin¡¯s puppy eyes. He then ced his hand together in front of him and begged, ¡°Please, please! Just let me y one more game! One more game! That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking you!¡±

    Su Xue stamped her feet on the floor and yelled, ¡°You¡¯re an addict! You¡¯re acting like an addict! You know that real professional yers value their rest! A good night¡¯s sleep is¡­¡± She shook her head in frustration. STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THOSE DAMN PUPPY EYES! I NEED TO BE MAD AT YOU! She pinched her eyelids shut and yelled, ¡°TO BED WITH YOU!¡± But she couldn¡¯t stop herself from opening her eyes and ncing at him. Damn those puppy eyes! She chewed on her lips and finally caved, ¡°Fine. One more game. But this is yourst game! No more excuses after this!¡±

    ¡°Okay! I promise! This¡¯ll be myst game!¡± Lin Feng eximed, excited. I¡¯m feeling good and focused! This is how it should be! Just a few more games! I need to feel this state! Get back into it! I can¡¯t quit now! This is gonna be goo¡ª His stomach growled and rumbled.

    Su Xue rubbed her forehead and shook her head. ¡°Jeez, what¡¯s gotten into you? Even your stomach is protesting against you ying this much! Fine, fine, whatever. I guess you¡¯re hungry, right? Let me just call for somete night delivery. They¡¯re used to staying opente just for you anyway¡­¡± She sighed to herself. I finished my stream¡­ Might as well stick here and watch him y hisst game. Then I can also make sure that he actually does go to bed. Uch¡­ Tomorrow is going to be terrible. How will I get him out of bed in time for school? I¡¯m not his mom, dammit!

    ?

    Lin Feng was a habitualte night snacker. It was so bad that the local chicken shop stayed opente just for him. It didn¡¯t take more than five minutes before the doorbell rang. Su Xue got up and went to pay for the chicken cutlet, octopus balls and soda. When she got back to Lin Feng¡¯s room, she sat down next to him and looked at the League client. Lin Feng was already in the queue. He should get into a game in no time! And knowing him, he¡¯ll carry it to a win in 15 minutes! It¡¯s okay. He¡¯ll be in bed before 3! She smiled and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grabbing the chicken cutlet and sinking his teeth into the tender meat. He swallowed it down and was about to take a second bite when he looked up at Su Xue. He said, ¡°They¡¯re really fast these days!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s because I paid extra for express delivery! And probably because they keep a portion ready just for you. We order almost every single night! You do know eating thiste is bad for your health, right? We really need to stop doing this!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and asked, ¡°Is it? I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Yes it is! You don¡¯t eat 12 hours after breakfast! That¡¯s justmon sense!¡± Su Xue countered. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. I¡¯m too young to be a mother¡­ Why do I feel like I¡¯m his mother? He¡¯s 19! But he acts just like a little kid most of the time! She shook her head and said, ¡°You kids don¡¯t seem to care about your bodies at all! I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still alive sometimes¡­¡±

    Lin Feng reached for the octopus balls and popped one into his mouth. He sunk his teeth in the crunchy outside, and then he yelled! ¡°AAAH! HOT! HOT! HOTHOTHOT!¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Su Xue screamed. She grabbed the soda and clicked the can open, all the whileining, ¡°I told you to be careful! I always tell you to be careful! But nooooo, you have to go and get your tongue burned! Here, drink this!¡± She pushed the can to his lips and tipped it slightly to let the cold liquid flow into his mouth. ¡°SLOW DOWN! Slow it! You¡¯re going to choke! Oh my god! How stupid are you!¡±

    ¡°The soda is good! Thanks for feeding me!¡± Lin Feng said, grinning again. He then grabbed the chicken cutlet and took another bite from it. ¡°Mhhmmm! Delicious!!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head, but knew better than to argue. She kept ncing at Lin Feng, making sure he didn¡¯t do anything else that required her intervention, then grabbed her own chicken cutlet and nibbled at it. ¡°It is good,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯m going to get fat if I keep eating this with you¡­¡±

    Lin Feng swallowed another big bite and briefly paused to say, ¡°You can just not eat it and give it to me¡­¡±

    ¡°Like it¡¯s that easy!¡± Su Xueined. She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and whined, ¡°You don¡¯t get how hard I have it! I smell this delicious food every night, so of course I¡¯m hungry! I want to eat it! But then¡­ Then I look at the new up anding streamers.¡± She shook her head and grimaced. ¡°You know that 90% of them are female? And they¡¯re all really pretty! They must be using some kind of filter, but still. It¡¯s so unfair! They¡¯re getting all those views with their looks! I¡¯m working really hard here to create something special and they juste barging in with their b.o.o.b.s fitted in clothes three sizes too small!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re losing viewers?¡± Lin Feng asked, surprised.

    ¡°NoNoNo! I¡¯m doing good! I¡¯m still getting more viewers. But still!¡± Su Xue eximed. ¡°I should be getting more!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and looked at his League client. The queue still hadn¡¯t popped, something that wasn¡¯t strange. There were only a few hundred this high on the rankeddder. The game needed to find 9 of them at the same time for a match. ¡°Oh!¡± he suddenly said. ¡°How are your videos doing? Going any better yet?¡±

    The gloominess disappeared. Su Xue sat up a little straighter and a smile blossomed on her face. She said, ¡°Yeah! I was just about to tell you about that! The second video got a much better reception than the first! There are still some idiots who don¡¯t like it and the usual trolls and mers in thements. But who cares about them? There are many more who like my videos!¡±

    Lin Feng swallowed another piece of chicken cutlet and shrugged. ¡°There are always mers and trolls. Best to ignore them. You shouldn¡¯t worry about them. Just keep making more videos! You¡¯ll find an audience who loves them!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and replied, ¡°I won¡¯t let the trolls get to me! No worries! Not like I can let that happen! I want to be the biggest streamer in China, remember? There¡¯ll always be trolls¡­¡± She shook her head and looked at Lin Feng¡¯s monitor. ¡°What¡¯s got you all pumped up to y tonight anyway? Are you in your promos or something? Is that why this queue is taking so long?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m in Challenger. There aren¡¯t any promos.¡±

    Su Xue nodded along, nodded, nodded, and then her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. ¡°CHALLENGER? Did you just say Challenger!? This is the Korean client! I thought your ount wasn¡¯t in Challenger yet! How are you in Challenger already? This is so unfair! How did you get to Challenger this quickly!? I look away for one second and you¡¯re suddenly ying in Challenger? This is so unfair! No! I don¡¯t believe it! You¡¯re lying! You have to be!¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and opened his profile page. He then pointed at where it showed his rank. ¡°See? Challenger. I¡¯m not lying to you.¡±

    ¡°W-w-w-w-w-w,¡± Su Xue muttered. W-w-w-w-when did he get to Challenger? She grabbed Lin Feng by the shoulders and shuffled him around, yelling into his face, ¡°Tell me! When did you get Challenger! There are like only five Chinese yers in the Korean Challenger! AND THEY¡¯RE ALL PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS! When did you get there! Are there 6 now? Are there? Tell me! TELL ME!¡±

    ¡°Eh, what? No, no,¡± Lin Feng replied, shaking his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to Challenger myself. A friend lent me his ount.¡±

    Su Xue blinked a couple of times and then slowly repeated, ¡°A friend lent it to you¡­?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and added, ¡°Yeah, he wants me to get it to the Top 5.¡±

    The way in which Lin Feng was talking was far too casual. Top 5 on the Korean rankeddder was something even the best professional yers from China couldn¡¯t achieve. They were lucky just to get into Challenger! That was what Su Xue had read online, anyway. She stared from Lin Feng at hisptop and back at him again. ¡°W-w-w-w¡­¡± She grabbed her soda can with trembling hands and downed cold liquid. Then she took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Su Xue. What¡¯s got her all worked up? Maybe she didn¡¯t hear me? ¡°I said,¡± he repeated slowly, articting every word overly clearly. ¡°I need to climb to the Top 5 of the Korean rankeddder.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open. She closed it with her hand, only for it to fall open again when she moved her arm away. She then felt her own forehead before reaching out and feeling Lin Feng¡¯s forehead. Something is wrong. Either I¡¯m really, really sick and losing it¡­ Or he is! That has to be it! He stayed up toote too much and now he¡¯s sick! His mom is going to kill¡ª

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lin Feng cut in.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to see which of us is running a fever!¡± Su Xue replied. There¡¯s no way I heard that correctly! Top 5 in Korea? There hasn¡¯t been a Chinese yer who managed to get to the Top 10! This is ridiculous! Something is going on here! Who has the fever! She wanted to reach out and feel Lin Feng¡¯s forehead again, but was stopped by Lin Feng shoving her away.

    The queue had popped. Lin Feng¡¯s gaze became serious and he said, ¡°Enough. I need to focus.¡± He didn¡¯t listen to Su Xueints and focused on Champion Select. He was first pick on the Blue team. That meant that he could ban three Champions. Hmm, who do I ban? I could¡­ He shook his head before the thought could even take shape. Three random Champions. I need to practice against the best! He banned Skarner, a rarely yed Jungler. Then he glossed through the list and banned Cho¡¯Gath, a Toner and sometimes also a Miner. People rarely ever touched him. And finally he also banned Galio, a Support Champion who was in dire need of a rework.

    Su Xue took the time Lin Feng used to go through banning three Champions to look at who else was on his team. Maybe I¡¯ll r¡ª Her mouth fell wide open. She pulled on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and shouted, ¡°OH MY GOD! CN?WuGuang! THAT¡¯S CN_WuGuang! You know who that is? Do you? Do you!? That¡¯s Lightless Heart! LIGHTLESS HEART!¡±

    Lin Feng pushed Su Xue¡¯s hand away, annoyed, and asked, ¡°Who is that?¡±

 Chapter 286: Youâ€™re a Thief; Iâ€™m no Thief!

    There were different kinds of streamers. Some relied on their good looks, others on their gamey, and still others on the gamey of others! FatMelon belonged to thisst category. He kept close tabs on when professional yers were in solo queue and would then spectate their matches. His current stream was following CN?WuGuang who was better known as Lightless Heart, the Miner for the LPL team Dark Glory. He was widely epted as the second best Chinese Miner, only behind Daybreak Hermes, and his team had made it all the way to the yoffs in the previous LPL season. Dark Glory almost even made it to Worlds, but lost that hope to Dust.

    FatMelon nced at his viewer count. It had stabilized at well over 100,000 viewers after the previous game. Perfect! I could get like 300k if I show Rake, Moon, or one of those guys. But there are others already doing that. I¡¯d have to be better than all of them. I was the first with following Chinese yers on the Korean server though. Hehe. Best to stick to this. It¡¯s more than exciting enough! Look at Lightless here! He¡¯s ranked 176th on the Korean server! That¡¯s basically the highest out of any Chinese yer! Now just to hype it up a bit more¡­

    FatMelon winked at his camera and said to his viewers, ¡°We¡¯re going to see another game by Lightless Heart! He¡¯s still ying on the Korean server! Will it be another stunning victory? What Champion will he pick in the midne this time? STICK AROUND AND FIND OUT!¡±

    ¡¸Lightless was freaking awesomest game!¡¹

    ¡¸yo no kidding, even the korean challengers cant do anything against our pros¡¹

    ¡¸WTF was that teamfight shit though? FUCKIN NUTTY !!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸shittin good what you mean, yeah? My lord those dudes over there in the Koreand are so much better than us!¡¹¡¸Their solo queue is, anyway. Ionia is shit next to that!¡¹

    ¡¸DEFFEFUCKINGNIVETILY higher quality than on Ionia !1!1!!!¡¹

    FatMelon read the response he got in chat and grinned. His n when he started streaming had worked. Chinese fans were fed up with the Korean yers iming they were the best in the world. But it was also a widely epted fact that the Koreans were the best in the world right now. And that the Korean server was the mostpetitive in the world. That also meant that there was nothing more exciting to many Chinese yers than seeing their fellow brethreny waste to Korean opposition and rising up the ranks in Korean Challenger!

    Individual skill, roams, teamfights, coordination¡­ These Koreans are better at everything. FatMelon shook his head. There was no point in worrying about this. I should be happy! It¡¯s getting me all the viewers I could ever want! I¡¯ve got more than a hundred thousand people tuning in when I stream just to watch Chinese pros y on the Korean server! He took a deep, long breath and read through his chat messages again. A hundred thousand people all came here to watch me spectate a game! I¡¯ve made it big! I am a sess!

    FatMelon kept an eye on Lightless¡¯s ount. Queue in Challenger could take several minutes, which gave him all the time he needed to really hype up his audience for the next game. He pulled up the Korean rankeddder and scrolled down to 176th. ¡°Just a bit more till he finds a game, guys! While we¡¯re waiting, let¡¯s take another look at the rankeddder! You all saw how he jumped to 176th after the previous game! But look at this! If we assume he gets the same LP again, he¡¯s going to jump up all the way to 174 if he wins again! Imagine that! We¡¯re going to have a Chinese yer ranked 174th!¡±

    Just as FatMelon was about to continue with another tidbit of information, the queue popped for Lightless. FatMelon clicked on the spectate button and his stream showed Champion Select. CN?WuGuang was third pick on the Blue team.

    ¡¸Hey ! Look at first pick!¡¹

    ¡¸Whaaaaat! Check the summoner name!¡¹

    ¡¸CN?HOOK2? WHAT ABOUT IT?!?!??!?¡¹

    ¡¸A FELLOW COMRADE!¡¹

    ¡¸holy shit11111 weve got more challengers/////////¡¹

    ¡¸wowsers!!! CHINA TAKING OVER KOREAN SOLO QUEUEUUEUEUE!!!!!¡¹

    FatMelon was an entertainer. He cared more about the response in chat than about the actual game itself. And right now, his chat was losing it over the yer in first pick. He looked at the name and raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Is that another pro?¡± he mumbled to himself. I don¡¯t know who he is. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s Hermes¡¯ name¡­ Hmm¡­ He does have the CN prefix. Has to be Chinese. He looked at the camera and said, ¡°Looks like you guys are right! Another Chinese yer! But I haven¡¯t the faintest clue who this is...¡± He shook his head before adding, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a new alt ount. The ount does look pretty new. It only just got to Challenger. Who knows! But this is great news! It means we have another Chinese yer climbing the Korean rankeddder!¡± He smirked. Great for my stream! I found him first! I¡¯ll get so many views from this!

    ¡¸maybe it¡¯s hermes alt???¡¹

    ¡¸you think? WHat i heard was that hermeS doesnt y on the KOrean serever¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸THIS IS A CALL TO ALL HUYADETECTIVES! FIND OUT WHO DIS IS!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸maybe its some troll korean making fun of us¡­¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸NO WAY! He has to be Chinese! HAS TO BEEEE!!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    The headquarters of the Dark Glory gaming organization was located in downtown Shanghai. It was already deep into the night, but the lights were still on in the gaming room. More specifically, one monitor illuminated the room. Lightless sat in his gaming chair with his feet on the edge of the seat. ¡°One more game. This is thest one,¡± he mumbled to himself. He was currently sitting in Champion Select and looking at the names of his teammates. His eyes narrowed and he muttered, ¡°CN?HOOK2¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen that name before. Have I? Maybe I have¡­ He looks Chinese¡­ I wonder who...¡± He looked around the dark room, then shrugged and pressed down on the Enter key. No point in guessing when I can just ask him.

    CN?WuGuang:¡¸Hey first pick. Do I know you?¡¹

    Lightless Heart waited. And he waited. He¡¯s banning Champions¡­ Maybe he didn¡¯t see it? I mean, why wouldn¡¯t he even reply? He¡¯ll reply. Hum... He¡¯ll reply.

    ?

    ¡°Look at the chat! LIN FENG! LOOK AT THE CHAT!¡± Su Xue screamed right next to Lin Feng¡¯s ears, jabbing at the screen with her greasy finger. ¡°Tell him! Say something! He¡¯s a real life pro! Oh my god! I can¡¯t believe you get to y with a real life pro! This is so cool! Tell him something!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his cheek and said, ¡°I mean, what is there to say? I don¡¯t know him. That¡¯ll be the end of that conversation. So why bother?¡± He shrugged and started browsing through the list of Champions. Who shall I y? Hmm¡­ I could go for something like Lenc. But that¡¯s dangerous in first pick. And I don¡¯t really feel like it. What to y¡­ Oh! His cursornded on Lissandra. She was an Ice Mage with high damage and powerful crowd control skills. I¡¯ll pick her! He clicked on the icon and then locked her in.

    ¡°W-what did you just do?¡± Su Xue mumbled, staring at Lin Feng in horror. Then she smacked him on his head and shouted, ¡°You stole midne from Lightless! YOU STOLE MID LANE!¡±

    ¡°What the! Oww! That hurts!¡± Lin Fengined, rubbing his head painfully. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal anything! I¡¯m first pick! That means I get to pick whatever I want! I don¡¯t even know who he is! Why would I trust him to carry from the midne? No. The only one I trust in the midne is me! So I¡¯m going mid!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Isn¡¯t talking, hum?¡± Lightless mumbled to himself. ¡°Guess he isn¡¯t who I thought... Oh well.¡± He shrugged and was browsing through a list of Miners, considering which one he wanted to y, when he noticed CN?HOOK2 locking in Lissandra. His eyes widened in surprise and he slowly nodded. ¡°Another mid main, hum? Okay, okay.¡± His surprised expression morphed into a smile. ¡°I guess that narrows the scope down a bit. I should be able to guess who he is¡­ Just need to see him y a bit first.¡±

    Lightless waited for his turn to pick and read the team chat. Every role was imed except for the Jungle, so he limited his search to Junglers. I haven¡¯t yed around in the Jungle much after the changes in the team¡­ Should be fun to show off what I can do. And I guess it won¡¯t hurt to brush up my Lee Sin a bit, hehe. That¡¯ll also give me a good vantage point to watch this CN?HOOK2 a bit more. Hum¡­ Just gotta camp the shit out of midne. He locked in Lee Sin and adjusted his Summoner Spells, runes, and masteries while waiting for the game to load up. ¡°He must have reached Challenger only recently. I would¡¯ve ran into him before otherwise. Who has been ying a ton of rankedtely? Or who hasn¡¯t, I guess. Hum...¡±

    ?

    ¡¸hooooly shit who the fck is this HOOK2!!!????!¡¹

    ¡¸is he fcking blind!?!??!/1?¡¹

    ¡¸wooooooow he actually stole mid from lightless :OOOOOOOO does he think he¡¯s a better mid or something¡¹

    ¡¸WAY TO SCREW OVER YOUR OWN TEAM! NOOOBB!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Watch him feed. If he feeds, I swear¡­. FUCK I WANNA SEE LIGHTLESS MID!¡¹

    FatMelon hadpletely different thoughts from the people posting messages in his chat. He shook his head and said to his camera, ¡°I think you guys are jumping to conclusions here! Who knows how good this CN?HOOK2 dude is? He did make it all the way to Korean Challenger! And look at his match history! It¡¯s almost all wins! Let¡¯s give him the benefit of the doubt!¡± Let¡¯s do that, hehe. Maybe it really is Hermes! I¡¯ll get rich!

    FatMelon shook his head and threw that thought away. Hermes doesn¡¯t y on the Korean server. Don¡¯t get your hopes up! He turned his attention back to the Champion Select and shifted the topic away from CN?HOOK2 and back to Lightless. ¡°Look! Lightless is Jungling! We¡¯re getting to see him in the Jungle again! His Lee Sin is great!¡±

    Lightless Heart was originally a Jungler before making the switch to the midne midway during the previous season. He was just far more talented in the midne, and the opportunity presented itself after some internal tumult in Dark Glory. It¡¯d worked wonders, with the team going further than ever before and only just failing to qualify for Worlds. But that wasn¡¯t to say he was a bad Jungler. Anything but. His skills in the Jungle were right up there with the best Chinese Junglers.

    FatMelontched onto this tidbit of information and hyped, ¡°We all remember Lightless¡¯ Jungling skills! Let¡¯s see if we can get any cool Mid-Junglebos! Some real Chinese synergy! I can totally see those two carry the game together!¡±

    ¡¸idk¡­. still think it would¡¯ve been better to have lightless on mid¡¹

    ¡¸Seriously! Who the fuck does this hook2 guy think he is? WHy the fuck would he steal mid????¡¹

    ¡¸fking noobs! IM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Maybe fatso streamer dude is right and this hook guy knows what he¡¯s doing...¡¹

    ¡¸I hope¡­ but dude. what are the odds of that happening????//¡¹

    ¡¸pls gimme a good game! Plsssss im staying upte for this!¡¹

    ?

    Su Xue tugged on Lin Feng¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Hey, hey, are you serious? This is Korean Challenger! Not Ionia¡­ If you lose yourne, people are going to rip you to shreds! You know there are always people watching these games! Here, watch!¡± She grabbed her phone and went to HuyaTV. There she quickly found FatMelon¡¯s stream, which was showing the Champion Select that Lin Feng was in. ¡°See!? And there are a hundred thousand people watching! They¡¯re going to eat you alive! You can¡¯t just snatch mid from a real pro! Oh no, I can already see the clips online¡­¡±

    Lin Feng just shrugged and grinned. He said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry. I¡¯ll carry this game! I¡¯m really good at carrying games too!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng and saw the pure confidence in his gaze, felt it in his words. She took a deep, long breath and browsed through thements on FatMelon¡¯s stream. Most of them were talking about how CN?HOOK2 was going to feed. But if Lin Feng is this confident... Maybe I should believe in him? I can just watch, and if something does happen, I¡¯ll be here for him. Yeah. I¡¯ll make sure nothing happens to him! I¡¯ll be here for him!

    Lin Feng felt the weight of his mouse in one hand and the brief resistance from the keys against the tips of his fingers. He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath in. I can do this. You¡¯re wrong to worry, Su Xue. A few hours ago? Maybe. But not now. I¡¯m good enough to carry in Korean Challenger. I am right up there with the pros. He breathed out and opened his eyes again. Laser focused. Nothing could distract him. Every second he was finding a little bit more of his old self. I¡¯ll be back where I was, and then get better! An inferno of confidence zed in his eyes as the loading screen appeared on his monitor.

    Team Lin Feng (Blue) versus Random Koreans (Red)Topne: Darius versus IreliaJungle: Lee Sin versus Jarvan IVMidne: Lissandra versus OriannaAd-carry: Jinx versus LucianSupport: Nami versus Leona

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The game started without much fanfare. Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra and Red team¡¯s Orianna were both control mages that needed items to deal damage. So they ced their main focus onst hitting minions. But that didn¡¯t mean they forgot about each other. Orianna¡¯s Ball kept flying at Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra, and he kept dodging it. All the while, he fired back shards of pure ice. His health remained high, while Orianna¡¯s health started dipping a little bit lower with every exchange.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra took the lead and forced Red team¡¯s Orianna to retreat back to her outer tower. But she had enough skill to make sure Lin Feng couldn¡¯t freeze the minion wave. It pushed towards Red team¡¯s outer tower, forcing Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra to move further and further forward if he wanted to getst hits on the Red minions.

    Su Xue sat next to Lin Feng on the edge of her seat, biting her nails. Her eyes shifted all around, beads of sweat popping up on her forehead. Top! Top! What¡¯s happening in top? Are they doing ok in bot? And where is Lightless!? Oh, he¡¯s in the Jungle. But he isn¡¯t ganking! What if J4 is ganking? Where is J4? JARVAN! Her eyes went wide and she shouted, ¡°Careful! Jarvan IV has to gank ane soon! He mighte mid!¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lin Feng replied calmly. His eyes were trained on his screen as he kept pushing the minion wave towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. That¡¯s why I¡¯m pushing. To make Jarvan gank in the midne. He just needs to hurry up. Where is that guy¡­ He nced at the gametime. Three minutes in. It should be now. I just need to push a little bit more.

    Red team¡¯s Orianna let herself be pushed in, waiting patiently for the Jarvan IV toe and gank. And when the Jarvan IV arrived in the brush right above the midne, she made her move. She ran forward andmanded her Ball to attack Lissandra! This was also the cue for the Jarvan IV, who charged into the mine and dashed at Lissandra with his g-tossbo!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes narrowed. The change in movements from the Orianna gave the gank away before it happened. He shifted his attention towards the top of thene, from where the Jarvan IV appeared. Focus. Calm. Wait for the g. He had his Lissandra wait for Jarvan IV to ce down his Demacian Standard, and then dodged the knock up from the g-tossbo by side stepping it. His finger gently pressed down on the Q key¨CIce Shard! Lissandra gathered magical particles of ice into a sharp chunk and hurled it at the Jarvan IV! It smashed into him, damaging and slowing him!

    Several pings resounded in Lin Feng¡¯s ears. Lee is finally here. About time. Jarvan IV was right on top of his Lissandra after dashing at him with the g tossbo. This opened up Lissandra¡¯s second skill for use. Ring of Frost! A wave of piercing cold energy exploded out around Lissandra! Everything caught within was frozen stiff! Red team¡¯s Jarvan IV was rooted!

    The Red minions were all fighting Blue minions at Red team¡¯s outer tower. Jarvan IV stoodpletely out in the open in the middle of thene. Lightless¡¯ Lee Sin punched the air, sending a discordant wave of sound flying forward! It connected with Jarvan IV, revealing him. Lee Sin activated the second part of the skill, Resonating Strike! He dashed at Jarvan IV, giving him a quick kick, and then mmed his palms down onto the ground! Cripple! A st of foreign energy prated Jarvan IV through the soles of his feet and slowed his movement speed!

    Jarvan IV panic-shed. His health was down to thest few percentages and one more skill would kill him. But that also meant shing in this situation was the wrong decision. Both Lissandra and Lee Sin still had their shes up and could chase him whenever they wanted to. But they didn¡¯t need to. Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra ran after Jarvan IV and quickly got in range to cast an Ice Shard. Still hampered by the slow, there was nothing Jarvan IV could do as the chunk of solid ice mmed against his armour and sheared away thest of his health.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡¸fckkkkkkkkkkk that was a nice turn around¡¹

    ¡¸holy shit, r we sure those two aren¡¯t duoing? That was so liit!¡¹

    ¡¸66666666¡¹

    ¡¸LIGHTLESSS!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸that was so sick! SO SICK! SUPER SICK!¡¹

    ¡¸Those Koreans got baited HAAARRRRDDDDH HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH¡¹

    FatMelon pped his hands and shouted, ¡°That was great! PERFECT! HA! We found ourselves a new great Chinese yer on the Korean server! Did you guys see the Lissandra root to let Lightless Q in!? It felt like they were on voice chat! Maybe they¡¯re duo queuing! What do you guys think? And! And! Jarvan IV shed away! Hahaha! He shed! He shed! Liss and J4 didn¡¯t sh! He did! They didn''t!¡±

    Lightless¡¯ reaction was almost simr to that of FatMelon and his viewers. He hadn¡¯t expected much from CN?HOOK2. All he noticed at first was the Lissandra putting herself in a dangerous situation. It didn¡¯t take a rocket scientist to realise that Jarvan IV wasing for a gank. But it was the way in which the gank yed out that caught Lightless by surprise. Hum¡­ That Lissandra never looked out of control. Like she¡¯d nned that all along. Interesting... He chewed on his lips and finally mumbled, ¡°Is he an old Lissandra main maybe?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng nodded and evaluated, ¡°This Lee Sin is pretty half-decent! That was some super okay follow up there! Not bad! Not bad at all!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Duh¡­ He¡¯s a professional yer! His team ys in the LPL! And he saved your ass! If he didn¡¯te to help you out, the Orianna wouldn¡¯t have backed right away and you would¡¯ve died!¡±

    Lin Feng waved this usation away and concluded, ¡°Nobody cares about what might¡¯ve happened! Only what happened matters! I got first blood! The rest is irrelevant! And from now¡­ I¡¯m good. I won¡¯t need any more help.¡± He smirked. I¡¯ll show everyone just how good I am. All one hundred thousand of them! This Orianna is just another yer that isn¡¯t Rake! I will beat her. I¡¯m going to stomp her so hard that she¡¯ll uninstall the game! And then I¡¯ll carry the game!

 Chapter 287: A One Sided Bromance is no Real Bromance

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Lightless was in the middle of clearing a Jungle Camp when the message sounded out in his ears. Hum? He moved his camera to the midne and found Lissandra clearing Red minions on top of Orianna¡¯s dead body. What happened? He rubbed his chin and mumbled, ¡°That Liss got a solo kill on Ori? How did she do that? Ori still had her sh...¡± He shook his head in disbelief and added, ¡°Must¡¯ve really caught her off-guard. Crazy.¡±

    The people watching FatMelon¡¯s stream hadn¡¯t missed what happened in the midne. FatMelon was interested in the Lissandra from the very start. Another Chinese yer on the Korean Challengerdder meant another business opportunity for him. So when he noticed Lissandra engaging on the Orianna, he pivoted his camera away from Lightless and showed his viewers how Lissandra butchered Orianna. His eyes went wide in shock over the next couple of seconds. This Lissandra is so good! He grinned and eximed, ¡°Oh my god! Did you guys see that? Did you guys see that? HOLY SWEET MOLY!¡±

    ¡¸whittle ori down. throw some ice at her. kill her. EASYYYY PEEASSSYYY LEMON SQUEEEZYY¡¹

    ¡¸bloody hell, mate! The way Lissie over there used her ultie, like a friggin tomb of ice!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸66666666¡¹

    ¡¸Mad props to that liss! She knew exactly how much damage she had and linked that perfectly together with her CC!!!¡¹

    ¡¸LISSIE BEST LISSIE! CHINA>>>>>>KOREANNOOBSS!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸thats one for the boooks!!!!! SICK!!!! y. fucking mental! X.X¡±¡¹

    FatMelon nodded along to his chat while quickly working his software to pull up a rey of the fight. ¡°Let¡¯s look at this one again! This deserves some extra attention!¡± he said, grinning. This¡¯ll help me set up for following that Lissandra! Everyone is going to want to watch her! I just gotta hype her up properly!

    ¡°Here we go!¡± FatMelon eximed to the camera. He then focused on the rey andmentated, ¡°Lissandra hits Level 6 right there! See how the Orianna is already low on health? But that doesn¡¯t matter when Liss shes in!

    ¡°Frozen Tomb! WOOOO! Liss uses her ultimate to seal Orianna in a tomb of ice! Orianna can¡¯t move or do anything, while Liss just keeps on firing ice magic at her! Damn! This Chinese Lissandra is gooooood!

    ¡°Oh! Orianna shes away! But¡­ THE LISSANDRA SAW IT COMING! Hahaha! She cast her only movement skill, cial Path, in the right direction! Orianna shed towards it! This was too easy for Lissandra! But damn, what a y! WHAT A PLAY!¡±

    ¡¸that final ice shard was soooooo bm! Hahahah XDDDD¡¹

    ¡¸66666666666666¡¹

    ¡¸SHOW MORE LISSIE PLAYS PLSPLSPSLPSLSPSLPLS!!!!!¡¹

    FatMelon watched the response in his chat and grinned. His eyes read money. Lots and lots of money. This Lissandra is so good! It¡¯s like I¡¯m dreaming! CN?HOOK2, eh? You¡¯re going on the list! I¡¯ll make sure you get a few highlights, especially if you keep ying like this! It would be even better if I can figure out who you are¡­ Just imagine if you¡¯re someone like Hermes! I¡¯ll get hundreds of thousands more viewers! He turned to look at the camera and said, ¡°What an amazing guy that is¡­ I really wanna know who he is! Do any of you have a clue?¡±

    ¡¸sounds familiar¡­ but im not sure...¡¹

    ¡¸psure that¡¯s a dota smurf¡­ shit it¡¯s been like 10 years¡­. So long¡¹

    ¡¸I WAS STILL WEARING DIAPERS 10 YEARS AGO!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸a dota smurf?!¡¹

    ¡¸European pancakes >>>>> shitty american small obese pancakes¡¹

    ¡¸DOTA IS THE BEST MOBA! 1V1 ME!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Su Xue jumped from her chair in Lin Feng¡¯s bedroom and shouted, ¡°That was great! You just solo killed a Challenger! A Korean Challenger!¡± She reached for Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders and shook him back and forth. ¡°A KOREAN Challenger!¡± She smiled. I knew he was good. But. But. He¡¯s beating Korean Challengers! Korean Challengers! Oh my god! Oh my go¡ª She suddenly noticed the half eaten chicken cutlet on Lin Feng¡¯s desk. He hasn¡¯t finished his food? Since when doesn¡¯t he¡­ Oh! He¡¯s too focused! I can help him! She reached for the chicken cutlet and stuffed it into Lin Feng¡¯s mouth, saying, ¡°Here! Eat this! You need to keep your energy up! Eat. Eat!¡±

    Lin Feng kept his eyes on his monitor. He opened his mouth and let Su Xue stuff it full with food, but he didn¡¯t let it distract him. His breathing remained calm and steady and his hands never stopped moving. ¡°Tasty,¡± he said.

    ¡°Good! Eat it all!¡± Su Xue replied, smiling. I can help him! I just need to help him stay in the zone! Maybe I should get a portable potty in case he needs to¡­ She shook her head and looked at the food again. There isn¡¯t too much left and he¡¯ll need all the energy to stay on his game. She chewed on her lips and then said, ¡°How about this! If you get more kills like that, I¡¯ll prepare you something else!¡± He¡¯s beating Korean Challengers! Oh my god! Oh my god!

    Lin Feng was slightly distracted. Food was a big part of his life. His eyes remained on the screen but he asked, ¡°Do assists count?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! Assists count!¡± Su Xue eximed. She leaned closer towards the screen to get a better view and continued, ¡°Just show me more amazing ys! And win the game! Win it! I wanna see you win!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded slowly. I need to win. I¡¯m going to win! All the way to the top of the leaderboards! And I¡¯m also getting food as a reward! This is great! He grinned for a brief moment, but then the focus returned. Focus. Stay focused.

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra pulled far ahead of the Orianna, both in terms of creep score and kills. It came to the point where there really wasn¡¯t any value for Lin Feng to stay in the midne any longer. So he started to look around the map, searching for opportunities to help his team grab a bigger advantage. His camera stopped on the topne.

    Blue team¡¯s Darius was being pushed in by Red team¡¯s Irelia. Lightless¡¯ Lee Sin was moving up the river to help his Toner out. Lin Feng searched around the map. Where is their Jungler? If he goes top¡­ He¡¯s going top. I¡¯ll go top. Lin Feng had his Lissandra push out the minion wave in the midne and then sneaked up the river. Every few seconds, he moved his camera up towards the topne to see how the gank was progressing. Knew it.

    Lightless¡¯ Lee Sin and Darius chased after Red team¡¯s Irelia. But rather than retreating to her outer tower, she waited for Lee Sin to throw his Sonic Wave before jumping on Darius! She dodged the skillshot and then attacked Darius with Equilibrium! Her de hacked down into Darius and stunned him! Right then, Jarvan IV rushed out of Red team¡¯s Jungle into the topne and g tossed at Darius and Lee Sin,nding the double knock up! He followed up with his ultimate skill¨CCataclysm! He leaped up at Darius and then mmed down into the ground with such ferocity that the earth terraformed into an arena! All four Champions were locked up inside!

    Lin Feng couldn¡¯t help himself from grinning. They¡¯re making it too easy for me! His Lissandra arrived in the topne and cast cial Path! A w of ice broke through the earth and moved towards Jarvan IV¡¯s arena! Lin Feng pressed down on the E key again to activate the second part of this skill. His Lissandra blinked towards the ice w, arriving right between Irelia and Jarvan IV! Ring of Frost! She raised her arms with a sudden ferocity, calling forth every particle of ice hidden within the ground. They wrapped around the Jarvan IV and Irelia and rooted them!

    ¡°Another frozen corpse,¡± Lin Feng mumbled, his finger pushing down on the R key¨CTomb of Ice! Pirs of ice shot out of the ground and immobilized Irelia! The ice wrapped around her skin and drained away her health. All the while, Lissandra attacked Jarvan IV with Ice Shard. They exploded on his armour, smaller bits and pieces smashing into Irelia behind him!

    Lin Feng was purposely switching between attacking Irelia and Jarvan IV. The double is mine. I¡¯ve got enough damage. Doesn¡¯t even matter what the other two do. He nced at Darius and Lee Sin. Just hope they¡¯re not going to try and killsteal this¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter. I got this. He smiled and pressed down on his Q key for one fine Ice Shard. The attack mmed into Jarvan IV again, before the remaining bits and pieces drained away thest of Irelia¡¯s health. One attack, two kills.

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t stop to celebrate. He pinged on the outer tower while having his Lissandra clear the Red minion wave that was marching into the topne. His two teammates understood the message. They helped him kill the minions and then the three of them attack the outer tower.

    Lightless¡¯ Lee Sin followed right behind Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra. The yer in question sat behind hisputer in Dark Glory¡¯s headquarters, smiling. This guy is awesome! It¡¯s so refreshing to y with a Miner like him! Reminds me of ying with my teammates! I don¡¯t need to say a thing, he just knows what I want to do! Hum¡­ I just have to follow him and I¡­ I can actually... He shook his head and chuckled. I feel like I can trust him. Trust someone in a solo queue game. Kind of ridiculous¡­ and funny. He shook his head again and pressed down on the Enter key.

    CN?Wuguang (Lee Sin):¡¸Good job, Lissandra!¡¹

    There was again no reply for Lightless. But where it was a conscious choice the previous time, this time Lin Feng didn¡¯t even see the message. Su Xue was stuffing him with more chicken cutlets and telling him how great he was, and he was just trying to keep his eyes on the game. In this process, his happy-go-lucky approach resurfaced a little. He grinned and let go of his mouse to pound his chest. ¡°This game is in the bag! See? I told you I¡¯m really good at roaming too!¡±

    ?

    The Red team had lost the midne and also the topne after Lin Feng¡¯s roam there. Blue team¡¯s Darius got the advantage he needed to pressure the Irelia away from the minions. But the same couldn¡¯t be said about the botne. The Red team was dominating that part of the map. This was inrge part due to Bowie, the ad-carry for the Red team. He was a famous yer on the Korean solo queuedder who was currently ranked 116th, but he¡¯d peaked in the Top 50! More impressively, he was scouted by a team in the NLB, the second division in Korea!

    Bowie sat behind his desk grumbling quietints at his monitor. His Lucian was 2/0/1 and up 26 CS on Blue team¡¯s Jinx at only 10 minutes into the game. Yet he was losing. More urately, his team was losing. It¡¯s that guy again! He¡¯s¡­ Bowie gritted his teeth. He¡¯d recognized the name CN?HOOK2 in the loading screen and knew his team was in trouble. I thought he was a Support! But¡­ He did y a couple of Mage Supports¡­ He took a deep breath and then mumbled, ¡°Frick!¡±

    There weren¡¯t many yers Bowie remembered in solo queue. Most just weren¡¯t good enough to gain his attention. But CN?HOOK2 was one of few exceptions. ¡°CN?HOOK2 and CN?DancingShoes, I remember you two. The Boners who rekt me!¡± He red at the Lissandra andined, ¡°I thought you were a frigging Support! What are you doing in the midne!?¡± He¡¯d yed against CN?HOOK2 more than a week ago. It was just a single game, but he still got goosebumps when he thought back to that match. They were so good¡­ So frigging good! They rekt me in the botne! I couldn¡¯t do anything against them! They were just so in sync. It was... frigging friggity!

    Bowie forced himself to calm down through long, deep breaths. But images from that lost game against CN?HOOK2 kept appearing in his mind. And it wasn¡¯t just that game¡­ I looked them up! They had so many wins! I had to double and triple check! Frigging insane! How the frig do they keep winning? I got recruited by an NLB team, and I¡¯m better than any LPL ad-carry¡­ Including that frigging Nightsong! Who the frig can they be? Why can¡¯t I find any information about them? He shook his head, frustrated. They could make it all the way to the Top 10 on thedder with the way they were ying! How can they not be pros!?

    ¡°Why is CN?HOOK2 not ying Support?¡± Bowie mumbled to himself. He scrunched his nose andined, ¡°And why is he winning so hard in the frigging midne!?¡± This is frigging stupid! I can¡¯t let him win this game! I¡¯ll ssh some red on all those green victories of his! Maybe they¡¯re Koreans with some sick humour? No. No one would be that stupid! We can¡¯t let anyone with that prefix get to the top of the Koreandder! I¡¯m going to stop him right here! He gripped his mouse tightly, focusing on pushing away Blue Team¡¯s Jinx in the botne. I just need to focus and pull really frigging far ahead! Really frigging far! Because that stupid Lissandra already is. Darnit!

    Bowie tapped himself on the head and grumbled, ¡°This is going to be a hard one. But I¡¯m not going to let some Chinese nobody beat me again! Or professional yer, who cares? I¡¯m going to beat him!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue tapped on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder, worried. She pointed at the minimap in the bottom right corner of the screen and said, ¡°Red team¡¯s botne is winning really hard! I think they¡¯re pretty good! You need to stop them! If they get any further ahead, you¡¯re going to lose!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if their Boners are doing good.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re too far ahead?¡± Su Xue asked. Oh! His Toner is also ahead! And Lightless is ying Lee Sin! She moved around in her seat in excitement and said, ¡°Oh, oh! Is it because your Toner is really strong? And with the Lee Sin, you guys can kill the Lucian at the start of the fight! Is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°Lee Sin is pretty good. And we¡¯ve got a nice synergy going on!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Of course he¡¯s good. That¡¯s Lightless! He¡¯s the best yer of Dark Glory! You should be happy that he let you go mid!¡±

    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Lin Feng retorted. ¡°I picked Mid. He didn¡¯t have any say in it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse! He¡¯s a famous Miner!¡± Su Xue eximed.

    ?

    FatMelon¡¯s stream went from following Lightless¡¯ journey in Korean solo queue to fanboying for CN?HOOK2. Everyone wanted to know who this mysterious yer was, but they didn¡¯t want to take their eyes away from the game either. FatMelon was just like his viewers, forgetting to even check his chat most of the time.

    ¡¸this lissandra is awesome¡¹

    ¡¸lissie has best awareness and roams! 666666¡¹

    ¡¸LISSIE >>>>> LIGHTLESS MID! FIGHT ME!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸where the effin ff did this lissandra pop up from? Did anyone confirm if this is that smurf from the DotA guy?¡¹

    ¡°WaitWaitWAIT!¡± FatMelon suddenly eximed. He held his hands up and shushed his viewers. ¡°Botne! Botne!¡± He moved his camera and focused on the teamfight that broke out in the botne 14 minutes into the game.

    Red team¡¯s Leona got the jump on Blue team¡¯s Boners with her ultimate. She called down a Sr re that mmed into Lucian and Nami, stunning both of them! In the brush at the bottom side of the botne, a pir of red light descended. Irelia was teleporting in! And Jarvan IV was charging down into the botne from the river entrance!

    Lightless had expected the gank in the botne and was already on his way. He pinged his Boners to let them know that he was only a couple of seconds behind them!

    FatMelon took his spot asmentator. He grabbed his microphone and ced it against his lips, shouting, ¡°A huge fight in the botne! Lightless is almost there! Darius is teleporting in! IT¡¯S GONNA BE A 4v4!¡±

    ¡¸LIGHTLESS SHOW YOUR JUNGLE SKILLS!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸CARRY EM NUBS LIGHTLESS!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸lightless best JUNGLER IN KOREA!!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Gawd¡­ soooooo boring!¡¹¡¸Tomb Raider King is so much better than this shit...¡¹¡¸has the advantage of a god-tier trantor like MiracleRifle!¡¹¡¸Not this Shanks scrub >.>¡¹

    ¡¸OMGOMGOMGOMGOGM FIGHTFIHGTFIHGT!!!1¡¹

 Chapter 288: Youâ€™re the Beat to my Heart, the Oxygen to my Lungs and the Whisper to my Soul

    FatMelon leaned forward in his gaming chair and was just short from shoving the microphone into his mouth. He y-by-ymented on the fight in the botne, ¡°Blue team¡¯s Nami and Jinx are stunned by Leona¡¯s ultie! Red team¡¯s Irelia is teleporting in, in, in! She¡¯s there! And now she¡¯s on the Nami hacking away with her de! That¡¯s an Equilibrium Strike! The Nami gets slowed right after the stun disappears! AND THE JINX FLASHES THE ZENITH BLADE!¡±

    ¡¸SSIIIIIIICKK!!!!! Hwo did she dodge that? Aaaaaaaaahhhh Im losing tittt!!11!¡¹

    ¡¸sheee llivveeesssssss WTTTTFFFFF HOWWWWWW¡¹

    ¡¸JINX IS GREAT! JINX IS GREAT! 666666¡¹

    ¡¸WHAT A FLASH! WOOOFNOANSFINAF¡¹

    FatMelon wasn¡¯t a very high level yer and the gross of his viewers were stuck in Silver or Gold. They hadn¡¯t the faintest idea about the intricacies of a high level fight. All they saw was Jinx shing away to dodge Leona¡¯s Zenith de, and for that they celebrated. But Lightless wasn¡¯t sharing in their happiness. He clicked down on his mouse with a little bit more aggression, unconsciously hoping it would make his Lee Sin run faster, and cursed, ¡°No, idiot! Why sh? Jarvan is just going to knock you up now and kill you! What a stupid panic-sh!¡±

    The Champions on the Rift couldn¡¯t feel the emotions of their Summoners. Lee Sin ran at the same speed as before and couldn¡¯t reach the fight faster than Jarvan IV. Lightless was forced to watch as Jarvan IV threw down his Demacian Standard and struck out at it with hisnce¨CDragon Strike! The two skills connected, making Jarvan IV dash forward! The Jinx was out of range, but a sh fixed that. Jarvan IV carried all the momentum with him and threw Jinx up into the air! He followed up by casting Cataclysm, leaping at Jinx with such force that he terraformed the earth around her into an arena!

    ¡¸NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸ded jinx jinx is ded, kek¡¹

    ¡¸wtf! Did you guys see that J4 g toss shbo! In-fucking-saaaaaaannneeeee!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸WHAT A FLASH! NUWONFNENGOIEGNJS¡¹

    ?

    Bowie was ying Lucian. The gank in the botne inrge part his handiwork, coordinated by him through a series of pings. Those pings right now were focused on the Jinx as he shouted at hisputer, ¡°Focus the ad-carry! Get that Jinx! Get her!¡± His teammates couldn¡¯t hear his shouts, but his pings got the message through. Irelia ignored Nami and dashed at Jinx, while Jarvan IV kept stabbing at Jinx with hisnce!

    ¡°Just a little more! Just a bit!¡± Bowie mumbled, his fingers gliding over his keyboard. Lucian raised his two relic guns and fired a beam of Piercing Light at Jinx! His passive skill Lightslinger activated. He aimed at Jinx and fired a doubleshot! Then he dashed forward, relentlessly pursuing after Jinx, and raised both guns for another doubleshot!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¸rip jinx¡­.. Lightless too¡­ he toote¡¹

    ¡¸darius and lightless bothte to the fight¡­ go figure. NOOB JINX!¡¹

    ¡¸why did jinx not save her sh?????? Stupid nubs...¡¹

    ¡¸FK! DON¡±T LET THEM GET BACK INTO THE GAME!!!!!¡¹

    ¡°NOOOOO!¡± FatMelon cried out. He panned his camera, searching for Lee Sin and Darius. ¡°They¡¯re toote! Nami is still in the middle ofne! Lightless has lost the damage dealer! HE HAS LOST THE DAMAGE DEALER!¡±

    FatMelon was about to go into an exnation why this y was so detrimental for Lightless¡¯ team when he noticed that the Blue team didn¡¯t give up. He quickly pushed the microphone closer to his mouth and continued, ¡°Lightless hasn¡¯t given up! He¡¯s going in! Safeguard to the Nami! He¡¯s next to Leona! AND HE¡¯S HIT HER WITH A SONIC WAVE! HERE IT COMES! ROOUUUUNND HOOUUUUUSE KIIIIICK!¡±

    After Lightless used Safeguard to dash to Nami, he activated Sonic Wave followed by Dragon¡¯s Rage! His Lee Sin marked Leona and then struck her with a powerful roundhouse kick! She couldn¡¯t keep her feet on the ground, flying off into the distance! Jarvan IV was right behind her. Leona hit him with such force that he was hurled up into the air! It didn¡¯t slow her down. She flew further and crashed into Irelia and Lucian, knocking both of them up into the air!

    FatMelon felt beads of sweat popping up on his forehead. He quickly wiped them away, money signs shining in his eyes. ¡°FOUR PEOPLE! HE HIT FOUR! FOUR WITH ONE ULTIE!¡± he eximed, his viewers flooding the chat with simr messages. His throat felt dry, but he ignored it. These high hype moments were when he made the most money! He grinned and shouted, ¡°Now¡¯s the time! Send your gifts! Give your power to Lightless!¡±

    The viewers reacted straight away. They threw their money at FatMelon in the form of subscriptions, donations, and gifts. A hundred thousand people emptied their pockets, lost in the hype! This was the kind of excitement they came to see! And somehow, FatMelon always managed to deliver! He always found the most impressive games and the best ys.

    ?

    Leona was still marked by Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave. Lightless activated the second half of his Q skill. His Lee Sin dashed at Leona and then mmed his palm down on the ground! A Tempest of qi swept out around him, striking all four Red Champions and permeating into their bodies! The rogue energy wreaked havoc and Crippled them!

    Darius strode over into the botne and swept out with his axe to Apprehend Irelia and Lucian! They were caught by the axe¡¯s hook and pulled towards him. He then grabbed his axe with both hands and channeled all his power into a wide swing! Decimate! He spun around and cleaved through the air. But Irelia and Lucian shed away before the axe could cut them.

    ¡¸WE GOT THIS BOOYYZYZZZZZ EASY WIN EAZY GAMEEE¡¹

    ¡¸chase em!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸blood for the blood gods, skulls for the skull throne!¡¹

    ¡¸we gunna win this un!¡¹

    FatMelon didn¡¯t consider himself a good yer. But after watching so many high elo games, he did believe that he had some understanding of what was going on. He looked at the fight and then read his chat. He shook his head and said, ¡°No. Lightless should give up. That¡¯s still a 3vs4! Red team¡¯s cooldowns will be down soon and then they¡¯ll just kill the Nami and then Lightless and Darius. Look, Lightless has stopped attacking. He¡¯s going to ba¡ª¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± FatMelon eximed. He saw the pings and flicked his camera upriver. Lissandra was moving down the river and closing in on the botne. ¡°Lissie ising! LISSIE IS HERE! We have to fight it! Go in, Lightless! GO IIIIIIIN!¡±

    ¡¸dat timing!!!! GOOOOOO LISSIEEEE!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸get the killllssssss!!!! WOOOPP WOOOOPPPPP!¡¹

    ¡¸Where¡¯s that idiot who always has his idioms ready? GIMME A STUPID IDIOM!¡¹

    ¡¸somethingsomething¡­ lost fight won fight, harharhar¡¹

    ¡¸It¡¯s like having a mattress right under you when you fall over trying to squat on the toilet and take a shit!¡¹

    ¡¸xDDD youre the hero we need but not deserve¡¹

    ¡¸LUCIAN BE SHITTIN HIS PANTS RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Lightless smiled when he heard the pings. He nced at his minimap and confirmed what he already suspected. This Lissandra is great! Hum, always there when you need her! I should have her tryout for Dark Glory! We¡¯d be great together! I¡¯ll even go back to the Jungle! He grinned and shook his head. Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to say this¡­ He¡¯s ying better than I am. The thought came as a shock to Lightless. He shook it away and focused on the game. Lissandra was in the botne and about to engage. He just had to follow up and help her secure the kills. I¡¯ve yed so many games in Korean Challenger. But I¡¯ve never met anyone like her. CN?HOOK2¡­ What a yer!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra sent forth an ice w! It carved a cial Path across the Rift, until Lissandra appeared on the far end of it. She intercepted the retreating yers from the Red team! Her appearance was too sudden. No one reacted before she flung her arms up into the air, calling forth the ice around her and mming it into the four Red Champions, rooting them with the Ring of Frost! She followed up with her ultimate! A Frozen Tomb of ice shot up from the ground below Lucian and locked him up inside!

    Lightless had his Lee Sin chase after Red team¡¯s Champions, using the dash from Safeguard to close the gap faster than Nami and Darius could. ¡°Nice going!¡± he shouted at his screen. ¡°Let¡¯s clean this up, Lissandra!¡± He didn¡¯t care that she couldn¡¯t hear him. He was just feeling great. The synergy he had with Lissandra was something he didn¡¯t have with anyone else. It¡¯s like she knows exactly what I want to do, and then she helps me do that! She¡¯s always there for me! Hum¡­ This is great! He grinned and threw out a sucker punch to knock the health out of Leona. This is the feeling!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra packed a ton of damage after her earlier kills. Her ice magic froze away the life from Lucian! An Ice Shard then mmed into Irelia and depleted thest of her health! The smaller chunks of ice knocked into Jarvan IV and imed his life! Only Leona was still alive. But she was caught out between two enemy Champions with no skills avable to escape. She ran towards her outer tower, but fists and ice magic whittled her health down until there was nothing left. Her corpse fell to the ground well before ever reaching the outer tower.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶Triple kill!¡·¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°That¡¯s a win in the botne! Didn¡¯t you say something about the botne?¡± He turned to look at Su Xue andughed. Then he opened his mouth and nodded at Su Xue to feed him another bite of chicken cutlet.

    Su Xue felt numb, dazed, shocked! She grabbed some food and shoved it into Lin Feng¡¯s mouth, her mind going haywire. He got a quadra in Korean Challenger¡­ A QUADRA! Oh my god¡­ Oh my god! A quadra! She fed Lin Feng more chicken cutlet and shook her head in disbelief. ¡°A quadra, you actually got a quadra¡­¡± She looked at the food in her hand and the rest on the desk. Then she grabbed it all, including what she¡¯d bought for herself, and fed it to him. ¡°You deserve this! I¡¯ll go and make some more! You eat it all up! Eat it!¡±

    ?

    The more than a hundred thousand people watching FatMelon¡¯s stream lost it. They absolutely andpletely lost it. They expected a brilliant performance from Lightless. That was why they¡¯d tuned in. But they got so much more than just a Lightless show. The Chinese Lissandra in the midne was putting on a clinic!

    ¡¸Hahaha! This is the best! Two Chinese yers hard carrying in Korean Challenger!¡¹

    ¡¸I know right! Who said China has no talent!? KOREA HAS NO TALENT!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸were gonna be best region!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Lawl. Suck that cocky shitheads! china>>>>>>>koreascrubs¡¹

    ¡¸cant believe how hard theyre carrying, just wow¡¹

    ¡¸lissie and lightless needa duo queueueu!!!!!¡¹

    It wasn¡¯t just the viewers having a good time watching the stream, Lightless was also having a good time ying the actual game! The more he yed together with Lissandra, the more fun he was having! He was ying Lee Sin, who was a strong early game Champion that fell off hard in the mid tote game. His real prowessy in the ability to set up for his teammates. To work together and seize opportunities that otherwise wouldn¡¯t exist. But to do any of that, he needed teammates who understood him. This Lissandra understands me! I¡¯m stuck with yers who don¡¯t know what to do half the time. Some follow up halfheartedly. But it¡¯s so rare to find someone like this lissandra¡­ this CN?HOOK2, he just knows exactly what to do! he ys so incredibly well!

    Lightless chuckled and mumbled to himself, ¡°I wonder who this guy is. CN?HOOK2, hum¡­ I know it from somewhere, I must. Just, I don¡¯t remember. Who is it?¡± He wanted to send a message in team chat again, but held himself back. He hasn¡¯t replied to anything yet. Probably doesn¡¯t want to reveal who he is. I¡¯ll let him have that and just enjoy this game. He nodded and smiled. I really want to know who you are though. But¡­ Having fun in this game is still more important. I¡¯ll bug you after the game! We can chat then!

    ?

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t care about the stream that Su Xue sometimes showed him on her phone, nor what Lightless was typing in chat. He was ying this game with two goals on his mind and he wouldn¡¯t let his focus from that waver. The first goal was the one he¡¯d given himself. To push himself and keep getting better. And then there was the task One had given him. He had to reach the Top 5 on the Korean rankeddder. I can¡¯t let One down! And I can¡¯t let anyone think poorly of the name CN?HOOK2 either! I¡¯m going to hit the Top 5 and then keep climbing! This name deserves to stand at the top! That¡¯s what I¡¯m going for!

    CN?HOOK2 was one of the names that One used for his secondary ounts. This waspletely different from how Lee Dojae gave Han Seho the online handle Rake. Lin Feng didn¡¯t take over the CN?HOOK2 ount to carry on the legacy of a name. Because to him and to One, names didn¡¯t matter. He thought back to a conversation he¡¯d had with One years ago. A legacy isn¡¯t about something flimsy like a name. It¡¯s about the spirit that¡¯s hidden behind it. Don¡¯t try and be me. Be you. You¡¯ll create your own legend, just like I have, and everyone will know you for it.

    Every time that Lin Feng thought back to that conversation, his heart started racing again. One has always believed in me. He still does! He says I can create my own legend! I will do that! I¡¯ll keep pushing myself and get better! His eyes zed with an unquenchable fire. This little challenge? Getting to the Top 5? Easy. Consider it done. I¡¯m going to be doing so much more! I¡¯ll be a legend!

    ?

    The game was still moving forward. Team Lin Feng was destroying Team Random Koreans. Lin Feng¡¯s Lissandra was so far ahead that he had both the damage and the health to kill everyone who came at him. And when the Red team tried to y around him, he just chased after them. He helped his teammates and yed in near perfect sync with Lightless¡¯ Lee Sin. Most of all, he was having a good time.

    Lightless was in a simr state of mind. There was no real pressure for him when he yed in solo queue, nothing like the pressure he felt in professional games anyway. But there was usually the problem of teammates who didn¡¯t know how to y with him. This Lissandra did know how to y with him. He yed without hesitation and knew that Lissandra had his back. And that brought with it a kind of joy he rarely felt. He smiled and yed. He had the time of his life! Until the 20th minute. The Red team was so far behind that when the ability to surrender opened up, they took it with both hands. Lightless¡¯ camera was pulled over to the Red Team¡¯s base just in time to see their nexus explode. A blue victory crest floated up on his screen.

    VICTORY

    Lightless only noticed now how he was sitting on the edge of his seat. He let himself fall back in his gaming chair and just stared at the monitor for a good couple of seconds. ¡°We won¡­?¡± he mumbled. ¡°We already won¡­?¡± Games almost never end this quickly! These Korean Challengers never give up! Why did they have to give up now¡­ He frowned and shook his head. ¡°Would¡¯ve been nice if I got to y a little more. This was a fun game.¡±

    ?

    ¡¸EZGG! hahaha! We won!¡¹

    ¡¸LOLLOOLOLOLOL 20min ff hahahahha¡¹

    ¡¸EASY GAME EASY LIFE!¡¹

    ¡¸what a motherfucking game!¡¹

    ¡¸shit that was satisfying!!¡¹

    ¡¸GG NOOBS¡¹

    FatMelon shook his head,ughing, and said, ¡°You guys got it all wrong! Those Koreans weren¡¯t noobs! They¡¯re some of the best yers out there! It¡¯s just that our two Chinese yers were the real stars! They were just way more awesome! We kicked those Korean butts!¡±

    ¡¸yep yep, we¡¯re just too awesome!¡¹

    ¡¸hahaha! Lightless and thathook2 were 6666666666!¡¹

    ¡¸the mid-jungle synergy was off the wall!¡¹

    ¡°I¡¯m still curious to find out who that is, though,¡± FatMelon mumbled more to himself than to his viewers. But this question was also something his viewers had been trying to answer. Now that the game was over, they could finally focus their attention on CN?HOOK2 and figure out exactly who he was!

    ¡¸Hey, didn¡¯t somebody say they were going to look up CNHook2¡¯s profile?¡¹

    ¡¸anyone look him up yet????¡¹

    ¡¸who is he? DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO HE IS!!! I NEEDA KNOW¡¹

    ¡¸Where are the streamdetectives!?!??!?!?¡¹

 Chapter 289: Mr.Lin, I Donâ€™t Feel so Good...

    Lightless grinned when he saw the endgame lobby. He won and more importantly he gained 13 League Points! Hum, would¡¯ve really liked to see that gamest a little longer. ying with that Lissandra was really nice! I want to do that again! He clicked on CN?HOOK2¡¯s profile and sent a friend request. A couple more games tonight would be nice. And maybe some more tomorrow¡­ Some duo queues with him and my rank will go up fast! That¡¯ll be great! Hum¡­ What¡¯s taking him so long? He canceled the friend request and sent it again. Maybe he just didn¡¯t see it¡­

    Five minutes came and went. Lightless sat behind hisputer in the dark gaming room from Dark Glory, waiting. Just waiting. Why isn¡¯t he epting my friend request? Everyone always wants to add me! I¡¯m the best mid in China after Hermes! He should want to add me! Why isn¡¯t he¡­ Lightless clicked through CN?HOOK2¡¯s profile page, but that didn¡¯t help either. He grimaced and mumbled, ¡°Everyone always wants to y with me!¡± Hum, he just didn¡¯t see my friend request. He just didn¡¯t see it. Our synergy was too good! He¡¯ll want to y with me! He canceled the friend request and sent it for a third time. Come on, just look at your friend requests and ept it!

    The clock ticked deeper into the night, but CN?HOOK2 wasn¡¯t epting Lightless¡¯ friend request. And Lightless did not enjoy that. He chewed on his lips and shook his head. He just doesn¡¯t see it. He just¡­ Hum, I really wanted to y a couple more games with him! Our Mid-Jungle sync was insane! That never happens! Just a few more games. Please add me! ACCEPT! ACCEPT!

    Lightless clicked around, refusing to go into another game on the off-chance that CN?HOOK2 was going to ept his friend request. After browsing around the profile page in the League client, he found himself going to a League of Legends statistic website and searched for CN?HOOK2 there. His jaw dropped down and he moved closer to the monitor, blinking away the exhaustion of a long day of League. The most yed Champions on CN?HOOK2¡¯s ount were Thresh, Blitzcrank, Annie and Leona. These Champions had one thing inmon. They were all Supports. Holy shit! What? What are all these wins? How the fuck is this possible! Hum? Why are all these Champions Supports? Only thest few games are mids. Is he a Support main? Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s a Support main¡­ His Mid is so good!

    ¡°Impossible. Impossible,¡± Lightless mumbled as he clicked on a random match history. Hum? He¡¯s ying with another CN prefix yer here... He clicked on another match history and found the same name. He¡¯s duoing a bunch with this CN?DancingShoes? Ad-carry and Support¡­ Hum¡­ That makes it less crazy. Just a bit. Maybe... If he¡¯s duo queuing then I guess it¡¯s possible to win this much. They just both have to carry really hard. Still really damn impressive, but not as impressive. Yeah. It¡¯s not that impressive to win every game in duo queue! I can do that too! Screw him and this stupid friend request! He canceled the friend request, and then sent it again. Dammit! I just want to y another game with you!

    Lightless moaned andined for another couple of minutes, mindlessly browsing the League statistics website. But the more he looked through CN?HOOK2¡¯s ount, the better he started to feel. The initial knock to his ego subsided. This guy is beating all the high level yers on the Korean server! Duo queue or not, that¡¯s really impressive! I wonder who those two are. Hum¡­ CN?HOOK2 and CN?DancingShoe, I probably know them. Hermes and Nightsong? They could maybe pull this off? But¡­ He scrunched his nose and scratched his forehead. Why do I feel like even those two aren¡¯t good enough? No, no. They can! They¡¯re good enough to do that. Yes. Hermes and Nightsong. Has to be the two of them. Even though Hermes doesn¡¯t y on the Korean server¡­ But it¡¯s the only exnation that makes sense! Yes! He grimaced and shook his head. It didn¡¯t make any sense to him. None of it.

    ?

    Between Lightless and FatMelon¡¯s viewers, there were more than a hundred thousand people wondering about the identity of CN?HOOK2. But none of them would link it to Lin Feng. They could find out that the name was one of the aliases One used all those years ago. But at this point, it could be anyone behind the monitor. And Lin Feng wasn¡¯t intent on helping these people figure it out. After he finished hisst game of the night, he shooed Su Xue out of his room. School was starting in only a couple of hours and he still wanted to get some sleep. He didn¡¯t even bother to brush his teeth, taking his clothes off haphazardly and throwing himself down on his bed.

    The rm rang and buzzed Lin Feng awake only a few hourster. He pushed his eyes open, groggy, and stretched out long. ¡°Uch, too early. I wanna sleep,¡± heined, mming down on his rm until it finally stopped making a sound. Then he turned around to get another few hours of sleep. He closed his eyes and smiled. Just a little longer. A few more¡ª

    The door to Lin Feng¡¯s bedroom swung open. Su Xue stood in the entrance wearing her pink Jinx pyjamas. She held a meat cleaver in her hand and rhytmically rapped the dull side of the de against her palm. ¡°Are we getting up, or do I need to help you again?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going! I¡¯m going!¡± Lin Feng yelped. ¡°I¡¯m up already! I¡¯M UP!¡± He jumped from his bed and threw his clothes on. His normal hairstyle was the fresh out of bed style, so he didn¡¯t see a reason to put more effort into that. He rushed to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then grabbed a sandwich before running out of the door and to school. But at the corner of the street he paused and looked back up at the apartment. He grinned and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m really good at dodging cleavers too!¡±

    ?

    The first bell rang when Lin Feng bolted into the ssroom. He said a quick apology to the teacher and sat down at his desk in the back of the ssroom. ¡°Hey,¡± he said to Ouyang and then he turned around to An Xin¡¯s desk and repeated, ¡°Hey!¡± Huh? Where¡¯s BunBun? She¡¯s neverte...

    The teacher started the ss, demanding everyone¡¯s attention. She reminded the students that the college entrance exams wereing up and that this was the most important test in their lives. That they absolutely couldn¡¯t let anything or anyone distract them right now! And Lin Feng took that to heart. He turned his attention to the teacher following the Tang Bingyao approach. I¡¯ll earnestly listen to everything the teacher says! That works for Tang Tang, it¡¯ll also work for me! I¡¯m really good at imitating people too! It was his only option to get a good score. Because between the Winter Collegiate Cup, the Korean rankeddder and streaming with Su Xue, there was practically no time to also do his homework.

    Most students in Senior ss 7 didn¡¯t share the same devotion as Lin Feng. They were distracted by the empty desk in the back of the ssroom. It was strange to call in sick so close to the college entrance exams. This was the single most important test in their lives! It decided if they were going to be professional cleaners or doctors! Yet An Xin was apparently sick enough that she gave up on these valuable few hours of ss! Quiet whispers buzzed through the ssroom. Their messages werergely simr. ¡°Where is BunBun?¡±

    The teacher asked a question, pulling everyone¡¯s attention back to the front of the ssroom. It was a difficult one. The kind that Tang Bingyao or An Xin would usually answer. But An Xin wasn¡¯t in ss. Her warm, soothing voice wouldn¡¯t sound out from the back of the ssroom. Nor would the students get to hear her happyughter during the breaks. She wasn¡¯t there to answer their questions in between sses either. It was quiet in the ss. No one answered the teacher¡¯s question, not even Tang Bingyao who was ncing over her shoulder at An Xin¡¯s desk.

    ¡°An Xin called in sick,¡± the teacher finally said. ¡°Her mom said she¡¯ll be back in two days. Now, can someone please give me the answer to my question?¡± She paused briefly before adding, ¡°Focus! This is important!¡±

    ?

    It was early in the afternoon. The winter sun rose over the buildings, casting its golden glow into Senior ss 7¡¯s ssroom. It reflected off the dust particles fluttering in the air and pushed away the cold air. Students were fighting off the drowsiness, listening to their teacher drone on and on about English Literature. Snoring sounds asionally rang out, until the teacher caught Ouyang sleeping. He received a lecture on going to bed on time and how paying attention in ss set him up for a bright future.

    The teacher turned back to face the chalkboard. She grabbed some chalk and wrote down how weird the word weird was spelled. It was so dull that even Tang Bingyao was finding it difficult to keep her focus on the lecture. She chewed on her pen and tilted her head at an angle where she could both look at the teacher and nce at An Xin¡¯s desk at the back of the ssroom. What¡¯s going on with BunBun? Yesterday she couldn¡¯t even grab some paper and now she¡¯s sick? Something is wrong. Something has to be wrong. But what? Why won¡¯t she tell us? Is she afraid? What can I do? Mhm¡ª

    ¡°OUYANG! WAKE UP!¡± the teacher yelled, waking everyone up. ¡°If I hear you snoring one more time, you¡¯re going to the principal¡¯s office!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± Ouyang argued, sleep crust thick on his eyelids. He quickly wiped it away and added, ¡°I¡¯m paying attention! I am! You were talking about weird being weird!¡±

    ¡°You got lucky,¡± the teacher said. She shook her head, exasperated, and turned back to the chalkboard. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s go on with the lecture.¡±

    Ouyang grinned and nudged Lin Feng with his elbow. He leaned in closer and whispered, ¡°Did you see that, bro? Got out of that nicely, huh? I¡¯m Challenger at sleeping in ss!¡±

    Lin Feng blinked a couple of times, trying to stay awake himself. He looked over at Ouyang and nodded a couple of times before turning back to look at the chalkboard. Weird. Yes. Weird is weird. Right. That¡¯s where we were¡­

    Ouyang nudged Lin Feng again and nodded at An Xin¡¯s desk. He whispered, ¡°What¡¯s going on with BunBun anyway? She sick? She looked finest night. What do you think? Did she just sleep in and get her mom to call her in sick?¡± He nced at the teacher, making sure she wasn¡¯t ring at him again, before continuing, ¡°She even joined us at dinnerst night! I mean, she wasn¡¯t all that talkative or anything, but no one is always. Right? She looked perfectly healthy! When did she get sick?¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and mumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring her homest night?¡± Ouyang asked. He pricked his finger in Lin Feng¡¯s side and continued, ¡°Did she tell you something? Do you know something? The bro code states that you can¡¯t hide anything from a fellow bro! If you know something, you have to tell me! Wait, wait! She wasn¡¯t feeling great! That¡¯s what she said right before leaving! She must¡¯ve told you more, right? Tell me what she said!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his nose and stared at An Xin¡¯s empty desk. Something felt wrongst night. But she said she was fine¡­ She said she was fine! I left her at the subway station¡­ But her mom called the school, so BunBun got home safe. She didn¡¯t look fine. That¡¯s why I kept asking! But she wouldn¡¯t tell me! What can I do when she won¡¯t tell me what¡¯s wrong? I can¡¯t do anything if she won¡¯t tell me! He grimaced and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She told me she was fine. Just tired¡­¡± There was something more going on! Even I could tell! But what is it? Why wouldn¡¯t she just tell me? And what is this stupid feeling in my stomach? Am I hungry¡­? He ruffled his hair again and focused his attention on the chalkboard. I¡¯ll call her to check up on herter. Maybe that¡¯ll help my stomach...

    ?

    The dismissal bell rang and the students from Senior ss 7 packed their bags and left the ssroom, except for the yers from High School 13¡¯s esports team. Yang Fan swirled around in his chair, while Ren Rou and Tang Bingyao walked over to Lin Feng from the front of the ssroom. All of them looked at An Xin¡¯s empty desk and then at Lin Feng.

    ¡°Maybe she caught a coldst night when going home,¡± Ouyang suggested. ¡°It¡¯s been really cold outside, but the sun makes it feel warm! Maybe she just wasn¡¯t dressed properly and got cold! Detective Ouyang has cracked the case!¡±

    Yang Fan shook his head. He adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Doubt it. She didn¡¯t look sick yesterday and she had plenty ofyers of clothes on. But she did say she wasn¡¯t feeling too great at dinnerst night.¡±

    Ren Rou nodded and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not a cold, then it has to be something more serious, right? What if she¡¯s really sick¡­¡± She looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Do you know something? Is she¡­ physically healthy? Like, is there something we just don¡¯t know about? Something that happened years ago and is still bothering her or something? Do you know something?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and replied, ¡°No. She¡¯s never been sick a day in her life!¡± He paused and scrunched his nose. Never? That doesn¡¯t feel right. She has been sick¡­ Has she? Why can¡¯t I remember? It feels like I¡¯m forgetting something...

    ¡°How about we visit her?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and argued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s the right approach. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong. Who knows, maybe she really just needs rest. What if we go there and interrupt her rest? She¡¯ll need to recover longer! Let¡¯s not do that to her.¡±

    Ren Rou nodded and added, ¡°What Yang Fan says. But we can¡¯t do nothing either. How about¡­¡± She turned to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Lin Feng, how about you give BunBun a call? Ask her if she¡¯s alright and tell her that we¡¯re all worried about her and want to know if she¡¯s ok. Then let us know what¡¯s going on, ok?¡±

    Ouyang jumped from his chair and threw an arm around Ren Rou. He then turned back to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°What Rou Rou says! You and BunBun have been friends forever! She has to tell you! Just ask her and then report back to us! That¡¯s the broway!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, watching Ren Rou p Ouyang away, and finally said, ¡°Yeah. Okay. I¡¯ll give her a call.¡± I was going to call her anyway. I hope she¡¯s okay. But¡­ Why do I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something? I should know this¡­ He chewed on the inside of his cheeks. I feel like I know what¡¯s going on with her. Dammit, Lin Feng! THINK! What is it?

    ?

    The next round in the Winter Collegiate Cup was only a couple of days away. Team Shanghai was still a new team that above all needed time for the individual yers to grow closer ande together as a team. So even though An Xin was home sick, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao met up with Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui at the cybercafe. They would simply have to focus on the aspects of their game that didn¡¯t rely on An Xin¡¯s Jungling.

    ¡°Where is An Xin?¡± Zeng Rui asked. ¡°Did she have to go to the toilet?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s sick,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, frowning.

    Zeng Rui looked at his three teammates, and then at the empty chair and the fifthputer that was turned off. He grimaced slightly before saying, ¡°That¡¯s not great. I received the information for the Round of 16. It¡¯s a bit different from the previous round. There are four groups, and two teams from each group move on to the next round. We¡¯re in Group A together with Zhejiang University¡­¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Zhang Hao cursed. ¡°Do we have to y them right away? What are we going to do without BunBun?¡±

    ¡°No, not right away. But we¡¯re facing them soon enough,¡± Zeng Rui answered. ¡°As for your second question¡­¡± He looked at his teammates and sighed. I don¡¯t know¡­ But we need her. The most likely situation is us having to y Zhejiang in the quarters. They¡¯re going to make it to Nationals or we are. We need to be ready for them. And we can¡¯t prepare for that without BunBun! We need her here for this! What are we going to do if she doesn¡¯t get better in time? Do we need to find a recement! We already don¡¯t have a lot of time and I still gotta deal with the thundering dumbass! He chewed on his lips and grimaced. Shit! This is really bad. Really fucking bad!

    Zhang Hao slumped back in his gaming chair and mumbled, ¡°I just hope BunBun is going to be okay. But it¡¯d be nice if we could also win, you know?¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and took a deep, calming breath. He said, ¡°We have to do our best. Four or five of us, we have to y our best and give it our all!¡± He turned to Lin Feng and added, ¡°Make sure to call her. We need to know what we¡¯re up for. If she isn¡¯t good to y, we¡¯ll have to find a recement asap.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°I will call her tonight! And I¡¯ll let you guys know! Don¡¯t worry too much, you¡¯ve still got me! I¡¯m really good at carryin¡ª¡±

    ¡°Too,¡± Zeng Rui finished the sentence. ¡°Yeah, yeah, we know. But we need our coach and Jungler to win. Just call her and find out how she is and when she¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded a bit slower than before. I know¡­ I know. Just trying to lighten the mood a little. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s okay. She has to be! She¡¯s BunBun! She¡¯s always there for me! We need her now, so she¡¯ll be there for me again! It¡¯s how it always goes! It¡¯s how it has to go! He took a deep breath and said, ¡°Okay. I will.¡±

 Chapter 290: Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

    Just because An Xin wasn¡¯t at the cybercafe for practice that didn¡¯t mean Team Shanghai could afford it to ck off. Zeng Rui decided on a strategy and the four members sat down behind theirputers. But they all knew something integral was missing. The glue that kept the parts together. An Xin knew where to gank, and arrived exactly when she needed to. She was the helping hand in many teamfights, always with a calm and confident smile. Now they had to y with aplete stranger who most likely didn¡¯t have any of these qualities.

    Junglers were the metronomes of their teams. And Team Shanghai looked lost without their Jungler. Zeng Rui worried about An Xin¡¯s health. Not just for her wellbeing, but also for the effect her absence had on the team¡¯s preparations going into the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. It was simr for Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao, who wereparing every move of the recement Jungler with An Xin. And this stranger in their Jungle wasn¡¯t anything like An Xin. Hecked the pressure, the awareness¡­ hecked everything that made a Jungler good.

    There was only one yer on Team Shanghai that didn¡¯t seem all too caught up in An Xin¡¯s absence. Lin Feng. He was ying out of his mind. Team Shanghai went into five matches and came out victorious each time, and all because of him. His Zed, Lissandra, Orianna, Fizz, and Twisted Fate all achieved the Legendary status. He stomped on the midne and then roamed across Summoner¡¯s Rift. Thenes that were losing suddenly found themselves with a few kills and breathing room. Double and triple kills were the norm for Lin Feng, one penta kill even sting across Summoners Rift! Lin Feng was singlehandedly winning the games. He didn¡¯t even need his teammates.

    Zhang Hao threw his hands up in the air after the fifth victory. ¡°Fuck!¡± he eximed. ¡°I yed like shit again! Fuck!¡± He grimaced before turning to Lin Feng and saying, ¡°Damn dude. You¡¯re ying out of your fucking mind today! These games are all about you carrying us. Fuck I¡¯m bad!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, thanks!¡± Lin Feng replied, scratching the back of his head. These guys were just Master on the Ionia server. This isn¡¯t enough to challenge me. It¡¯s nothing like the games fromst night¡­

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng and shook his head. He¡¯s insane today! Every time I thought he couldn¡¯t possibly carry any harder, he just had to prove me wrong. What got into him? It was¡­ The thundering dumbass carried every single game! I yed ok. Just. O. K. And he carried so hard! He is so much better than the rest of us¡­ He ys so aggressively, but it always works. And he knows it will. He turned to look at the empty chair, the one An Xin was supposed to be sitting in, and grimaced. This reminds me of what you told me, BunBun. He¡¯s only getting back in form. He¡¯ll only get better. He forced himself to rx his shoulder and take a deep, long breath. At this pace, the thundering dumbass is going to be too good for any of us¡­ I¡¯ll be useless to him. No. I won¡¯t let that happen. I need to work harder. He chewed on his lips and mumbled under his breath, ¡°I hope you¡¯re okay. We need you.¡± He then looked back at Lin Feng, who was grinning and his usual jovial self. He doesn¡¯t look worried at all. Is BunBun not all that sick? I really hope I¡¯m worrying for nothing.

    Lin Fengughed with Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao, he chatted a bit with Zeng Rui, and the team had a long discussion about how to move forward. But he didn¡¯t particrly care, because it wouldn¡¯t change anything for him. They were going to win the Winter Collegiate Cup. That was where his line of thought ended and he started thinking about his other goals. Ones that put actual pressure on him, like reaching the Top 5 on the Koreandder. The pressure is actually helping me! One was right! I really had to push myself a bit more! This university tournament wasn¡¯t enough. How I yedst night. And even today! It¡¯s One¡¯s push that got me into the right frame of mind! And I¡¯m already feeling better! This is so much easier! But I can¡¯t slip up. I can¡¯t bezy orcent again. Realistic and hardworking. If I get distracted, I¡¯ll be right back where I started. That¡¯s why¡­ He nced at An Xin¡¯s empty chair. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t let it bother me that you¡¯re not here. I want you to be here. I need you here! But I also need to y. I need to win and get better!

    ?

    Lin Feng walked home together with Tang Bingyao after practice. Hegged a little behind her, watching as she carefully stepped over the cracks in the pavement. Why isn¡¯t she hopping? And why is she so quiet and looking at the ground? Is it because she wasn¡¯t ying her usual game today? Maybe I should tell her that we won anyway, so it¡¯s fine? Would that help¡­?

    Tang Bingyao suddenly stopped walking, causing Lin Feng to almost walk into her. She turned her head and looked at him, then asked, ¡°Why were you ying so well today?¡±

    ¡°Hu-what?¡± Lin Feng replied, surprised. He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s because I was always good at the game.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± She chewed on her lips, briefly considering how to rephrase the question, and then asked, ¡°Everyone is worried about BunBun. It reflected in our gamey. But you didn¡¯t y any worse. You yed better than usual. Are you not worried about her¡­?¡± Her eyes went wide when she heard how her question came out and she shook her head. I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I didn¡¯t mean to make it sound like I¡¯m using him of not caring! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing! I¡¯m just¡­ I don¡¯t know! Please don¡¯t be mad! ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mea¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He looked down at the pavement and breathed in deeply, grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m worried. I¡¯m worried about BunBun.¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Then why ar¡ª¡±

    Lin Feng cut Tang Bingyao off with a wave of his hand and said, ¡°But BunBun¡¯s health and League practice are two separate things. I¡¯m worried about her, but that doesn¡¯t mean I should drop everything else and stop functioning. I need to focus on what¡¯s right in front of me. At the training, that was League. If I can¡¯t even do that, I¡¯ll just end up disappointing myself and everyone I care about. Including BunBun.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I get that,¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding. I know that¡¯s the rational approach. But that doesn¡¯t help with this sick feeling in my stomach! How do you ignore that? Do you not feel it? It¡¯s pushing up to my throat and I can¡¯t do or think! ¡°Mhmm, I get that. I do. But¡­¡± She chewed on her lips and tried to find the words.

    Lin Feng smiled and assured, ¡°BunBun is a lot tougher than you¡¯re giving her credit for. Don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯s always been super healthy! You won¡¯t get her down and you never have to worry about her! She¡¯ll be here smiling and happy and ying the game with us again in no time!¡± Keep smiling. Show her that you¡¯re confident. Don¡¯t let her know that you worry. BunBun, please tell me you¡¯re alright. Tell me I¡¯m wrong and that you¡¯re healthy!

    ¡°Mhm, ok,¡± Tang Bingyao replied.

    Lin Feng looked at her and then at the strangers passing by. My gamey today was just a result of what happened the other night. The muscle memory was always there. I was really good back then. I just had to find that state again. One helped me with that. The extra pressure is helping me get back in that state of mind that helped me get to the world finals four years ago. They just don¡¯t know that I was always this good, so it looks more impressive. But it¡¯s normal, for me anyway. He chewed on his lips and started walking again, staring off into the distance. But why do I keep telling everyone that BunBun is super healthy? Has she always been? I¡­ Dammit why can¡¯t I remember this!? I should remember this. It¡¯s about BunBun! I need to be there for her! Just like she¡¯s always there for me.

    Lin Feng shook his head and felt the knot in his stomach tightening. You¡¯ve always been there for me! Always. From the moment we first met, you had my back. You stood up for me when I didn¡¯t. You helped me through everything. I could alwayse to you. You can¡¯t be sick. It¡¯s just not possible. It¡¯s not. Please don¡¯t be sick. You can¡¯t be sick! I want you to be here! I want to see your smile and help me out when I don¡¯t understand something! He closed his eyes and was surprised to feel something wet at the corner of his eyes. He breathed in deeply. You have to be alright, BunBun. No matter what, you have to be alright! You just have to be! You are! You always are! You¡¯re always super healthy! Yeah! He exhaled and looked over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao. He said, ¡°BunBun is always healthy! She¡¯ll be fine! You don¡¯t have to worry about her! She¡¯ll be okay!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng arrived home just as Su Xue put the steaming dishes for dinner on the table. She dragged him to sit down and try out hertest attempts at a delicious meal. But he wasn¡¯t feeling it. He yed with his chopsticks and took a couple of small bites. Why do I think BunBun is always fine? That¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s always there for me, but¡­ There was something. Why can¡¯t I remember it? What was it? He ced down his bowl and chopsticks and knocked himself on his head a couple of times. ¡°Remember it. Stupid brain, remember it,¡± he mumbled.

    Su Xue watched Lin Feng hitting himself and raised her eyebrows. What¡¯s got him down tonight? My food isn¡¯t that bad, is it? No it¡¯s not! And he eats anything. Her eyes suddenly went wide. Please don¡¯t let it be another episode¡­ She looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong tonight? Is my food that bad?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°No, the food is good. It¡¯s just¡­ I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something. Or can¡¯t remember it? A memory from years ago¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Su Xue muttered. She looked at him and joked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal for you? You forget everything! I had to glue the house keys to your forehead! You¡¯re the goldfish!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head slowly and mumbled, ¡°No, no. I think it was something important.¡± He got up from his seat and said, ¡°Let me help you clean this up.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for her answer as he gathered the bowls and brought them to the kitchen. Then he wandered off to his bedroom and let himself fall down on his bed. What was it? Why can¡¯t I remember what it was?

    Lin Fengy on his back and stared up at the ceiling, feeling the touch of his phone in his hand. I should remember what it was. She always has my back. It¡¯s the least¡­ He grimaced. It¡¯s noting back. I¡¯m just going to call her! He brought the phone in front of his face and dialed An Xin¡¯s number. Then he ced the phone to his ear and waited for the call to connect.

    ¡°Hello?¡± An Xin asked.

    Lin Feng hadn¡¯t realised how tense he¡¯d been all day, until his body rxed when he heard her voice. She sounds fine! See? She¡¯s fine! There¡¯s nothing to worry about! She¡¯s always healthy! ¡°Hey, BunBun! It¡¯s me! Lin Feng!¡± he replied.

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s you! I could see when you called! Did anyone ever tell you how dumb you can be? But what¡¯s up?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his forehead and answered, ¡°Well, nothing I guess¡­ You weren¡¯t at school or practice today and everyone was worried. They wanted to know if you were okay, but didn¡¯t want to bother you at home¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± An Xin said. She briefly hesitated before exining, ¡°I was just feeling a little under the weather. You know how my mom and dad get. They overreacted when I told them and they had me stay home. I wanted toe to school in like the third period, but they made me stay home. Apparently they even called the school to request sick leave¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, the teacher told us! So that¡¯s really all there is?¡± Lin Feng asked, pushing back his worries with a grin. His voice grew excited with each next word. ¡°So nothing is wrong? You¡¯re fine? You¡¯re really fine! Everything is ok! You¡¯re always healthy!¡±

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°Yep! I¡¯m in perfect health! I might be back in school tomorrow already! And if I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be at practice. Talking about practice, how did that go without me?¡±

    ¡°I did super well!¡± Lin Feng eximed, excited. An Xin had sessfully diverted the topic. Lin Feng droned on about how he¡¯d carried the games and how the random Jungler was a terrible yer. Then he briefly talked about how the others yed and finally he told her about how they were in Group A and how they had to y against Zhejiang University in one of the next few rounds.

    ¡°Zhejiang, huh?¡± An Xin remarked. ¡°We¡¯ll have our work cut out for us then. Zeng Rui thinks we¡¯re ying them in the quarterfinals?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s what he said!¡± Lin Feng replied. He grinned and continued, ¡°It¡¯s going to be easy! We¡¯re going to stomp them and qualify for the main tournament! We just have to win the quarterfinals! There are no semis or finals! Top 4 go to Nationals! AndAndAnd I¡¯ve gotten a lot better too!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Oh? Is that so? You sound really confident.¡± She giggled and continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t go Legendary next game, you¡¯ll have to treat me to dinner as punishment!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± Lin Feng eximed, patting his shoulder. ¡°Oh! Did I tell you about my call with One yet? I don¡¯t think I did. Hmm¡­ Right! So One called me the other day and I answered. He made me y in Korean solo queue on his old ount! I have to climb all the way to the Top 5 on it! Cool, right!?¡±

    An Xin asked in surprise, ¡°He wants you to climb to the Top 5 on the Korean solo queuedder?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I just said, yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He then added, ¡°But he gave me CN?HOOK2! I can¡¯t just get to the Top 5. That¡¯s not good enough! I have to get Top 3 or first ce! I have to make One proud!¡±

    An Xin smiled and remarked, ¡°You sound more and more confident with every word. How far do you think your ego can inte?¡±

    Lin Fengpletely misheard An Xin. How far to him meant how far up the rankeddder. He pumped his fist in the air and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to hit the Top 5 easy! One asked me to do it and I won¡¯t let him down! I¡¯m going to hit the Top 5 and then continue for the Top 3 and first ce!¡± He suddenly stopped rambling and added, ¡°Right! One told me that Five really misses you. Asked if you could give her a call sometime.¡±

    ¡°Five?¡± An Xin asked in surprise. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to her in so long. Yeah. I¡¯ll call her. Of course! Just send me her number and I¡¯ll give her a call tonight!¡± She then changed the topic back to League of Legends and advised, ¡°You¡¯ve got the right mind. But you need to focus on the meta Champions! Fizz, Lenc and Twisted Fate are all the rage right now. And Anivia is also popping back up again. Pick or ban them. You shouldn¡¯t give them to the opponent, even if you want to practice against those Champions. You have to y this seriously, or you¡¯re going to end up doing stupid things!¡±

    Lin Feng listened to An Xin giving him advice, nodding along to everything she said. I know all of this! I could be ying ranked now! BunBun is fine! I don¡¯t need to worry about her! She¡¯s helping me again. This is how it should be! Everything is alright! Everything is¡­ She changed the topic. He scrunched his nose and ruffled his hair. Why did she¡­? Something is wrong.

    An Xin hadn¡¯t stopped talking. ¡°The Korean pros usually get on after 10 P.M. That¡¯s when they get home from practice with the team. You should y before then to have an ea¡ª¡±

    ¡°BunBun,¡± Lin Feng interrupted.

    An Xin paused and asked, ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not lying, right?¡± Lin Feng asked. ¡°You¡¯re really alright? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you? Is everything okay? Are you doing ok? Is there anything going on I should know about? Please tell me! I want to help you!¡±

    The line went silent. An Xin didn¡¯t have a reply prepared for this question

 Chapter 291: An Illusory Fig Leaf of Relief

    ¡®Twas the evening of the new moon, and the night sky was dotting with twinkling stars. Below that sky was the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, with all its bright lights. But throughout the city were quiet residential areas, illuminated by the pale-yellow glow of streetlights. These neighborhoods were quiet and peaceful, a stark contrast from the noisy downtown streets. It was nice, the fact that such warmth andfort could be found in a forest of reinforced steel and concrete.

    That¡¯s what An Xin was thinking about as she spoke to Lin Feng on the phone. She could see it all from the window in her room, high up on a skyscraper. Something about talking to Lin Feng always made her feel calm and peaceful. Cosy, even. Just like those neighborhoods woven through Shanghai. Until he asked her that question.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t lying to me, right?¡±

    That question was a cold wind, sucking away all the warmth and cheer from the conversation. You aren¡¯t lying to me, right? The question echoed and lingered inside An Xin¡¯s mind, hammering away at the cheerful fa?ade she was trying so hard to maintain. Threatening to break apart the lie she crafted so well that even she started to believe it. Trying to break the box in her mind where she¡¯d hidden away something she didn¡¯t even want to tell Lin Feng. You aren¡¯t lying to me, right?

    There was a long silence after Lin Feng asked her that. A long silence that An Xin needed to consider what she was going to do. Should I tell him? Do I want to tell him now? How¡­ An Xin opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again. I expected this! I should¡¯ve been ready! I¡¯ll tell him! She cleared her throat with a little cough. And then said, ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Not now. I¡¯ll tell himter. This isn¡¯t the right time¡­ She sounded calm and collected, and threw the question right back at him withplete confidence. Like she had no idea what Lin Feng was even talking about. It was perfect. Except for the slight crack in her voice at the beginning, that¡¯s what betrayed her.

    Lin Feng asked again, ¡°How sick are you? Are you actually okay?¡±

    An Xinughed. She put everything into thatugh, trying to make it sound reassuring and like she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Then she said, ¡°I told you that already, didn¡¯t I? Let me say it slowly since you¡¯re having trouble understanding. I¡¯m. Perfectly. Fine. REALLY! Everything is peachy! Look, you¡¯ll see me at practice tomorrow evening. You¡¯ll see that I¡¯m fine. Why would I even lie to you about that? What reason could I possibly have to hide something important from you?¡± She paused right after that to let it sink in. Then she continued, ¡°There is absolutely nothing wrong with my body. I¡¯m fine¡­ Ask some of the other boys at school, they¡¯ll tell you I¡¯m pretty fine too!¡± Sheughed and paused again. Waiting for Lin Feng tough with her at the joke she just made. When he didn¡¯t, she started talking again, ¡°Lin Feng, tell me this. Have you ever seen me get sick? Ever? Nope! I¡¯m the one that was always running around taking care of you every single time you caught a cold. You¡¯re the one that¡¯s always getting sick!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head and muttered, ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true¡­ But¡­ Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know. Something doesn¡¯t feel r¨CNo, not that. Why do I get the feeling that you¡¯re hiding something?¡±

    An Xin smiled. But it was a sad smile. This guy is such a blockhead and oblivious to everything. But this he picks up on? Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡°Stop overthinking! When has that ever done you any good? You think you can figure out everything that¡¯s going on, Sherlock Feng? You sure you¡¯re smart enough for that? You trying to pretend you¡¯re Tang Tang now?¡±

    Lin Feng smiled. Now that An Xin was back to making fun of him and throwing out roasts, it seemed like everything was okay. He felt the knot in his chest loosening. But it didn¡¯t disappear entirely. Lin Feng thought about everything for a couple of seconds, and decided to ask onest time. ¡°Are you really okay?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°You have to promise. You swear¡­?¡±

    An Xin hesitated. Then she started to say, ¡°I promise¡­--¨C¡°

    Lin Feng cut in before she could finish. ¡°Okay! I believe you! See ya at practice tomorrow! We need to get as much work in as possible before the next game. Oh! Oh! Remember to call Five!¡±

    An Xinughed. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll call Five! I remember! Bye now!¡±

    Lin Feng ended the call. An Xin¡¯s fine¡­ I think. He believed An Xin. She wouldn¡¯t keep something important from him. But¡­ There was still a knot in his chest and the lingering feeling that he¡¯d forgotten something important. Something that was right in front of him andpletely obvious. He just couldn¡¯t figure it out. He thought about it for a couple of minutes, and decided not to bother lingering on it for now. It¡¯ll put itself together in my head. I need to distract myself with something else! With that thought, he pulled his books out and started his homework.

    An Xin still had the phone in her hand after the call ended. She quietly lowered herself onto her bed and sat there with her head down. Silent. Her hand turned white and started shaking from the grip she had on her phone. Lying to you¡­ I didn¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to. I tried so hard not to! But I just couldn¡¯t tell you everything, Lin Feng. Please forgive me for lying to you! I just wanted to hide this for a little bit longer, I¡¯m sorry. Please let me keep this illusion going for just a bit longer¡­

    ?

    School started on the next day. An Xin wasn¡¯t there in the morning. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t too worried about this, since she told him that she would be at practice in the evening.

    Evening finally rolled around and Team Shanghai met up at the inte caf¨¦. And An Xin was there, just as she said she would be. Everyone on the team breathed a sigh of relief that An Xin was well enough to practice. They ran up to her and started asking her questions.

    ¡°BunBun, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    An Xin replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m perfectly fine now! Sorry for worrying everyone¡±

    ¡°See! What did I say guys? BunBun is always fine! It¡¯ll take a gori to knock her down!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at An Xin up and down. She looks fine. Okay. We can get back on track now! He nodded stiffly at her before saying, ¡°Good! Now we continue practicing! We¡¯ve only got two more days until the Round of 16 starts.¡±

    An Xin nodded back at him with a smile. Then she said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t just sitting around doing nothing for thest two days. I¡¯ve been thinking and I came up with a lot of strategies. For today¡¯s practice, I want to try something different.¡±

    Something different? Zeng Rui cocked an eyebrow and stared at An Xin. She wants to try something different two days before we y? Is she serious? He continued to stare at An Xin, and she stared right back. Her smile didn¡¯t falter even a little bit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Zengy! Nothing is going to change on your end. Well. Not much will change. I¡¯m just going to try a new style of jungling. Something different! You¡¯ll see when we get into the Rift.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai jumped into another intense training session.

    An Xin started showing the rest of the team the new Jungle-y and strategy that she came up with. Her new style of jungling. And it started with changing her champion pool up. Her old pool of champions consisted of Lee Sin, Jarvan IV, and Rengar. All three were phenomenal Jungle champions. But An Xin really popped off when she yed Lee Sin and Jarvan IV. But she had decided to abandon her well-known Lee Sin and Jarvan IV forpletely different champions.

    The new champions she decided to y were Rek¡¯Sai, Evelynn, and Nunu. These champions had to be yed very differently. Lee Sin and Jarvan IV were all about mechanics. The new champions An Xin wanted to y with relied more on map awareness and nning rather than mechanical ability.

    Lin Feng noticed the change immediately. And was also the first toin about her new champion pool. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you ying Lee Sin, BunBun? Why are you ying easy champions like Nunu and Evelynn?¡± Easy wasn¡¯t the best word to describe those champions, but it was the one that made the most sense to Lin Feng. As far as he was concerned, An Xin had fantastic mechanics and it would be a waste for her not to take advantage of that. Nunu and Evelynn would not allow An Xin to showcase her mechanics.

    Zeng Rui also noticed An Xin¡¯s decision to go on a parallel ystyle. Lin Feng isn¡¯t wrong. Lee Sin is deadly with An Xin¡¯s mechanics. It is an advantage that we shouldn¡¯t throw away. But this could also work for us if she can pull it off. She has the map awareness for it. He decided to speak up, ¡°Hang on Lin Feng. This is not a bad idea at all. If An Xin expands her champion pool and adds apletely different y style, it¡¯ll give us far more flexibility in the teamps we can run. It also expands the strategies we can try out. More importantly, everyone knows about An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin already. When we go up against opponents like Zhejiang and Fudan, this¡¯ll be one more ace up our sleeves.¡±

    Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao nodded, agreeing with Zeng Rui¡¯s assessment. Lin Feng looked confused and nced at An Xin quickly. Then he looked back at Zeng Rui and agreed with the change. Lin Feng nced at An Xin onest time before he started ying again. Lost in thought.

    Team Shanghai continued training and honing their gamen for the rest of the evening. And then they said their farewells and went home.

    Except for Lin Feng. After the team session ended, he continued to y. But he was ying on his Challenger ount on the Korean server. He¡¯d been secretly climbing on this ount. Every night, he¡¯d y at least five games to steadily raise his LP before going home.

    ?

    Two days flew by with Team Shanghai training every single night. In the blink of an eye, it was 5:30 PM on Saturday. The East China Regionals were about to start. Team Shanghai was in Group A, so they were scheduled to y in the first match. The other team in Group A was Zhejiang University, the team that had gotten fourth ce in the previous Collegiate Cup. The team that had Samsara, a God-tier AD-Carry. They were scheduled to y the second match.

    Thirty minutes before the start of the East China Regionals Round of 16. The spectators were just starting toe in to take their seats. The stage lights were buzzed to life and flooded the entire venue with color. The air was electric. The tension palpable before the teams had even taken their ces. The giant LCD screen above the stage was counting down the time until the games started. Everything about this particr stage dazzled and added to the hype. From the stage to the seats to the custom-ordered gaming chairs, keyboards, mice. Even theputers added to the ambiance, with shing LEDs and lights.

    The seats at the venue were divided into two distinct sections. Red and Blue. Even the stage lights dancing over each section were different, highlighting thepetitive vibe. As the audience filed in, they took the seats on the side of the team they wanted to support. People were getting ready with their signs and starting to n out their cheering strategies. Most of the audience was male, but there were a few girls here and there.

    Once most of them had taken their seats, the giant speakers boomed to life. Epic battle music thumped in the chests of the people who hade to watch, amping them up even more. In 20 minutes, the awesome games that everyone hade to see would finally start! Every single team that had climbed this far into the tournament was great! Every single game promised pure adrenaline.

    This year was especially exciting because of Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and Shanghai University of Finance had made it back into the Round of 16. They were well-known teams that had yed wellst year. But a lot of the excitement was reserved for Fudan University and Zhejiang University. Inst year¡¯s Collegiate Cup, these two teams had ced 3rd and 4th respectively. That was the furthest that the East China region had ever gotten in thest Collegiate Cup. And neither of the two teams had given up. They spent thest year pushing themselves further and getting better. Now they burned withpetitive ambition to im the championship.

    More importantly, the audience wanted them to win. They wanted to see the Collegiate Cup brought back to East China!

    ¡°Fudan got unlucky in the semifinalsst year, that¡¯s all. They could have totally made it to the Finals and they were good enough to win the whole thing!¡±

    ¡°Well, you can say the same thing about Zhejiang! They¡¯re definitely better than Fudan. But they got unlucky in the semifinals too and had to yst year¡¯s champions. That¡¯s why they¡¯re stuck in second tier with Fudan.¡±

    ¡°Zhejiang? OMG! The Captain of Zhejiang¡¯s team is soooo hot! He¡¯s their AD-Carry! And I heard he¡¯s also one of the top Challengers on the Ionia Server! He¡¯s so intense! I wish he¡¯d look at me like that just one time. My heart would stop but it¡¯d be so worth it.¡±

    Thatstment came from a pretty girl in a cute Teemo hat. But the sentiment was echoed across most of the female fans who hade to watch the East China Regionals. They were all here for Samsara, the AD-Carry from Zhejiang University.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s team captain, Sun ¡®Samsara¡¯ Ruinian, wasn¡¯t only known for his superb skills as an AD-Carry. He was handsome and charming as well. Great gamey packaged in such an exquisite container made the hearts of the female fans squeal with glee.

    Sun Ruinian was 181 centimeters tall with sharp eyebrows and deep, ck eyes that sparkled like the night sky. He had a great personality too, friendly and polite to everyone. The man oozed charm, and a single smile stole the hearts of many maidens.

    ¡°So what if he¡¯s a little good looking? It¡¯s not like that helps you win a tournament¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not only hot! He¡¯s Hangzhou¡¯s best AD-Carry too! If you think you can do better, go ahead and try!¡± The girl in the Teemo hat screamed back.

    The male student who made the firstment was jealous. When the girl in the Teemo hat gave him a verbal smackdown, he had noeback. He couldn¡¯t im to be a better yer than Sun Ruinian, nor was he as handsome as Sun Ruinian. But he had to say something so he mumbled, ¡°Yeah, well, so what? He¡¯s good and good-looking. Big deal. Team Shanghai has TWO pretty girls on their team and they¡¯re amazing too! I¡¯ll bet their AD-Carry Tang Bingyao is just as good as Sun Ruinian! She¡¯s probably better! And she¡¯s way better looking than him!¡±

    ?

    Zhejiang University and Fudan University were clearly the crowd favorites in the East China Regionals. They were also the obvious front-runners. Both teams had won the Regionalsst year and advanced all the way to the semi-finals of the Collegiate Cup. Everyone assumed the same thing would happen again this year. But an interesting twist made itself known in the form of a dark horse. Team Shanghai, the representatives of the Shanghai Esports Association.

    Before the start of the Collegiate Cup, Team Shanghai was a literal unknown. All of the other University teams and even the fans assumed that a team formed from all high school yers was a novelty. Something to give high school yers experience for when they got to the real University teams. No one assumed that they would be a real contender. All of that changed after the first round of the Qualifiers. Team Shanghai proved themselves not only to be a real team, but also one that could upset what was a stagnant pool of teams and winners.

    Every team in East China had heard about the scrims Team Shanghai yed against Shanghai University of Finance by now. They¡¯d discussed it extensively, and they were still talking about it. No one thought Team Shanghai would do as well as they did. Nor did they believe that Team Shanghai was capable of blowing Shanghai University of Finance out of the water. But that¡¯s exactly what happened. And the news had trickled all the way down to the fans.

    When Tang Bingyao and Team Shanghai got mentioned again, a group of students from Tonji University who hade to watch the Round of 16 started talking about them.

    ¡°Even Shanghai University of Finance got 2-0¡¯d by them¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean that Team Shanghai is at least good enough to make it to the quarterfinals of the Collegiate Cup?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to judge or buy into the hype. How do we know that Shanghai University of Finance didn¡¯t lose on purpose? They could have used it as a chance to y some mind games on the other teams. Think about it. How could a team that made it to the quarterfinals inst year¡¯s Collegiate Cup get rolled over by apletely unknown team so easily?¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re better than Shanghai University of Finance. Big deal! Even if they¡¯re good enough to make it to the quarterfinals, so what? It doesn¡¯t matter at all. Team Shanghai is in Group A. So is Zhejiang University.¡±

    That statement rang out in the minds of all of the spectators. Team Shanghai was in the same group as Zhejiang University. Only one of the two teams could advance past the regional quarterfinals, and everyone knew that it would not be Team Shanghai.

    ?

    The whole team from Zhejiang University sat together at the very front row of the spectator stand. At ground level in a special area reserved for official yers and teams. Sun Ruinian, the AD-Carry and Captain, spoke to the rest of his team, ¡°Unless somethingpletely unexpected happens, Team Shanghai is going to win this game. We¡¯ll be up against them in the Top 8. So pay attention and see how they y.¡±

    Sun Ruinan had also done his research on Team Shanghai. He was confident that they were good enough to win this game and advance to the next round. And he was confident that his team could beat them in the Top 8.

    They¡¯ll make it to the next round, but that¡¯s as far as they¡¯ll go¡­ Sun Ruinian thought to himself while nodding. They¡¯re a great team. This is just bad luck. They cannot win against us. He had watched both of the previous matches that Team Shanghai yed and was impressed by the skill they disyed. As good as they are, they just aren¡¯t ready to beat us yet. Maybe in a few years, after they y a few more tournaments and get more experience. It¡¯s going to be tough battle when we¡¯re up against them in the quarterfinals. We can¡¯t afford to underestimate them or take it easy. But Zhejiang¡¯s going to be the team that wins!

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s eyes lit up withpetitive fire. This time, his team was aiming for the championship! They would not be stopped! Not again! Then he thought about Team Shanghai¡¯s yers and smiled ruefully. I feel a little bad for Team Shanghai. We¡¯ll be cutting their Collegiate Cup run short here, and they¡¯re good enough to deserve more games. But there¡¯s nothing that can be done. The thought that his team might lose never crossed his mind. Zhejiang University had ced fourth in thest Collegiate Cup. Both him and his team had gotten stronger in the year since then, and they were aiming for higher than fourth!

    ?

    15 minutes before the start of the first match in Group A. Team Shanghai had already gathered in the lobby backstage. They were waiting to be called up to the stage to take their seats. Zeng Rui used the time to talk to the rest of the team about the research he¡¯d done.

    ¡°Zhejiang University¡¯s Captain is their AD-Carry, Sun Ruinian. He goes by Samsara in-game. He¡¯s a Challenger on the Ionia Server and he¡¯s also the best AD-Carry in all of Hangzhou¡± Zeng Rui paused to flip the page in the small notebook he carried around with his notes. He also massaged his temples for a couple of seconds, and then continued reading. ¡°ording to everything that I¡¯ve been able to find about their team, Zhejiang University is somewhere between a B and a B+. Sun Ruinian¡¯s individual skill as an AD-Carry is rated at B+.¡±

    Zhen Rui paused again to look at the rest of his team. ¡°All of this information is based onst year¡¯s stats. We don¡¯t know if Zhejiang University as a whole has improved as a team afterst year¡¯s Collegiate Cup. But I can tell you from what I¡¯ve seen, Sun Ruinian has most certainly gotten better.¡± He flipped to another page in his notebook and nced at what he¡¯d written down. Then he looked up at Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao. ¡°Hm. He¡¯s probably an A- now.¡±

    Zeng Rui looked straight at Tang Bingyao as he said those words. Everyone understood what he meant by that. Zhejiang University was going to be a tough opponent for Team Shanghai. But most of the pressure was going to be on botne. And even more specifically on Tang Bingyao. She had improved considerably, and very quickly too. And she was still getting better with every game they yed. But she had not gotten to the point where she was better than the best AD-Carry in Hangzhou, Sun Ruinian.

    Tang Bingyao nodded. Slowly. Then she asked, ¡°Zeng Rui, what¡¯s all this B+ and A- stuff mean? You didn¡¯t exin your rating system. Mhm! I know he¡¯s better than me, but I don¡¯t know how much better.¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples again. ¡°Sorry. Let me exin how this works. A yer or team rated at a C+ or higher is considered to be at the semi-professional level. Above that, we have B and higher. That means that the team is a real contender for the Collegiate Cup championship. B+ means that the yer is skilled enough to be a star yer on B rated teams like Fudan or Zhejiang. He¡¯s good enough to carry on teams that are already really good. Understand?¡± Zeng Rui paused to make sure that everything was clear. He saw Tang Bingyao nod at him, and then continued on.

    ¡°An A-, that means that the yer has already passed the threshold of the amateur scene and is at the level of a professional yer.¡±

    Zeng Rui exined all of this calmly. There was no excitement, no dramatic ir, nothing. Every word was spoken in apletely detached tone. It didn¡¯t sound like he considered any of this to be extraordinary or shocking. But his frank delivery did very little to soften the implication of what he¡¯d just said. Team Shanghai was going to be up against an AD-Carry who was at the professional level in the quarterfinals of the East China Regionals. And all of that pressure was going to be on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulders!

    Lin Feng thoughtfully rubbed his chin after Zeng Rui¡¯s exnation. ¡°Hm. So that¡¯s what you meant. I didn¡¯t know either. Good thing Tang Tang asked.¡± He thought about it for a couple of seconds longer and started to get curious. He snapped his fingers at Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°Hey! Wait. ZengyZeng, what grade would you give yourself?¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched. Thundering dumbass. But he quicklyposed himself and calmly replied, ¡°Last year, I would probably say that I was at a B+. As for where I am right now¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t have enough information toe to a definitive conclusion on that.¡±

    For anyone else, a grade of B+ would be cause for celebration. Zeng Rui was still only a high school student, and he was only a step away from being as skilled as a professional yer. And that wasst year. He¡¯d grown since then and gotten even better. Zeng Rui was unquestionably a genius at the game. But it was not worth much for the current situation that Team Shanghai was in.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good enough,¡± Zeng Rui coldly stated. ¡°There is no reason for us to believe that I can do anything about botne in the game against Zhejiang. Even if I had gotten to the point where I could say that I was A- now, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. I¡¯m a Support main at the end of the day. Zhejiang University has Sun Ruinian as their AD-Carry. What I can do against him is limited. At the base level, I won¡¯t be able to exert as much pressure as I did in our previous games. This is going toe down to Tang Tang, and if she can hold her own against Sun Ruinian.¡±

    This was as close to sugar coating something as Zeng Rui could possibly get. He didn¡¯t want to throw so much pressure at Tang Bingyao before the game even started. But he did need to get the message across as nicely as he could. The truth was that he wanted to say something very different. He wanted to say that if Tang Bingyao couldn¡¯t hold her own against Sun Ruinian, then they could not win. Botne would be Team Shanghai¡¯s weak link, and would get targeted by Zhejiang University. And that was enough of a disadvantage to cost them the game.

    To make it even simpler, the botne would be the crucial factor that decided the game between Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai. And all of it revolved around the matchup between the two AD-Carries.

    Tang Bingyao bit her lips. Hard. She had aplicated expression on her face as she processed all of this and the weight settled on her. Then she nodded at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best! Mhm!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded back at her before continuing, ¡°Tang Tang¡¯s probably a B grade AD-Carry right now.¡± He looked at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°You¡¯re a C+ Toner.¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s expression crumpled into disappointment with a hint of shame. In all fairness to him, a C+ was already very high for an ordinary high school yer. In Shanghai High School¡¯s team, he was the second best yer after Zeng Rui. But when it came to Team Shanghai, he was one of the weaker links. Especially whenpared to teams like Zhejiang University or Fudan University, where all of their yers were at B- or higher.

    Zeng Rui turned to An Xin next. He frowned before saying, ¡°BunBun¡­¡± He paused after he said her name. Zeng Rui was hesitating because he found himself having trouble giving An Xin¡¯s skill an honest evaluation. Even though they¡¯d yed so many games together on top of all the training and practice sessions, something told him that he could not see her true skill at the game just yet. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say somewhere between a B+ and A-¡­ maybe? ¡°I can¡¯t figure out where BunBun stands urately, but I can say that she¡¯s higher than a B.¡±

    An Xin wasn¡¯t the only person Zeng Rui had difficulty getting a read on. There was one person that he absolutely could not see through at all. He looked at Lin Feng for a couple of seconds, not saying a word. This thundering dumbass of a Miner¡­ what would he be?

    Lin Feng noticed Zeng Rui ring at him and asked, ¡°Me?¡± Lin Feng pointed at himself. ¡°You¡¯re trying to figure out my grade?¡± He waved his hand andughed, ¡°I¡¯m really good at getting graded too! I¡¯m definitely an A+. But ZengyZeng, your grading system kinda sucks. Everybody gets an A! The standards are way too low.¡±

    The vein on Zeng Rui¡¯s forehead throbbed. This thundering dumbass things my standards are too low? MY STANDARDS ARE TOO LOW? Sun Ruinian is Hangzhou¡¯s best AD-Carry! He¡¯s the Captain for Zhejiang University¡¯s Team! AND I ONLY GAVE HIM AN A-! How the hell is that too low of a standard? Wait. Is he just trying to make fun of me?

    The truth here was that Zeng Rui was wrong about his standards, and Lin Feng was beingpletely sincere. But Zeng Rui didn¡¯t know that.

    An Xin nced over at Lin Feng and smiled. She didn¡¯t say anything to Zeng Rui or the rest of the team. But she was thinking along the same lines as Lin Feng. Zeng Rui¡¯s system is great. But it¡¯s limited. It only works if you¡¯re trying to rank yers from the amateur level to the base professional level. Beyond that, it has no value.

    The system used to evaluate and rank yers in the professional scene waspletely different, and it was based on a percentage system.

    The base professional yer threshold was 70%. This was what Zeng Rui determined to be an A- in his system. But this was where the ranking started for professional yers. It was not the ceiling. Or even close to the top.

    Between 80-90% was where the real stars of the professional scene grouped up. All seven of the Seven Kings where somewhere at this tier.

    Beyond 90%, that was reserved for yers at the pinnacle of the professional scene. Each of the 4 Emperors were beyond 90%.

    Back in Season 1, when Lin Feng was at his prime and stood at the same level as the current Four Emperors, he was also beyond 90%. One, his most respected mentor and coach, had given him a score of 95%. The same score that Han ¡®Rake¡¯ Seho, Sovereign among the Four Emperors, received.

    ?

    This entire conversation was chronologically out of order. Zeng Rui and the rest of Team Shanghai were talking about the team they¡¯d be ying against in the Top 8. That was the next round. But in the next ten minutes, Team Shanghai was about to y the first game in the Round of 16. They had yet to win that game. They had not even started that game. But everyone spoke as if it was a forgone conclusion.

    Disregarding an opponent in a major tournament and casually speaking of the game after that was rude and insulting. But sadly, that was the reality of the situation that Team Shanghai was in at the moment. Team Shanghai¡¯s opponents in the Round of 16 was Fuzhou Tech from the Fuzhou League. They had also made it to the East China Regionalsst year, but they were a mediocre team at best. ording to Zeng Rui and An Xin, Fuzhou Tech was the perfect opponent to test out their new strategies.

    ?

    Five minutester, the first match in Group A of the Round of 16 started. Team Shanghai versus Fuzhou Tech!

    Following a wave of cheers, both two teams walked up to the stage and sat down in front of theirputers.

    Sun Runian, seated in the spectator stands with the rest of his team from Zhejiang University, watched every yer on Team Shanghai closely. And focused on the game that was about to be yed. Team Shanghai¡­ I want to see exactly how good these high schoolers are!

 Chapter 292: Mr. Iâ€™m Too Good for This World

    It was gametime! Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech sat down behind theirputers in the two soundproof booths and double-checked their settings. The hundreds of spectators in the stands were spending thesest couple of minutes until Game 1 specting about the final oue of the best of three series. Many of them were rtively new topetitive League of Legends and hadn¡¯t the faintest clue who either of Team Shanghai or Fuzhou Tech were. But there were also some who¡¯d attended the previous edition of the East China Regionals. One of them turned to a friend and asked, ¡°Fuzhou Tech got this farst time around too, right?¡±

    ¡°Think they might¡¯ve even made it to the quarter finalsst year. It¡¯s a bit fuzzy¡­ But from what I recall, they were on a roll,¡± the friend responded.

    ¡°Fuzhou is a pretty decent team then? Are they gonna win this one?¡± someone else asked.

    The friend nodded and exined, ¡°Yeah, I think they were pretty good. If I¡¯m not wrong, they went down against Fudan in quarters. And Fudan was like the best team. Oh shit! I remember now! That was a pretty exciting series too! Fuzhou made it really difficult for Fudan, almost took a game even! They really should¡¯ve made it to semis¡­¡±

    ¡°You must be dreaming!¡± a random audience member butted in. He sat a row behind the friend and leaned forward to join the conversation. Then he continued, ¡°Semis? Fuzhou in semis? Dream on! No way! Only the really big teams make it to semis. Think Fudan, Zhejiang and Shanghai University of Finance! Fudan was just trolling around a bit in that series. They¡¯re like a gazillion times better than Fuzhou Tech!¡± He shook his head andughed before adding, ¡°A little team like Fuzhou Tech? They were lucky to get as far as they did. Bunch of noobs.¡±

    The audience had gone mostly quiet, many people either listening or joining in on the conversation going on. One of those joining in was Han Ying. She attended Shanghai University of Finance and was a member of its esports club. She was also the one who¡¯d weed Team Shanghai on campus and witnessed the 2-0 KO Team Shanghai dealt to Luo Yu¡¯s team. If our team is one of the big three, then what about Team Shanghai? They destroyed Luo Yu! That Miner was a freak! We never did get his phone number after how that yed out¡­ She giggled and then said, ¡°Team Shanghai might win this series then. They beat Luo Yu 2-0 a few weeks back in a scrim. It was a really one-sided series. Team Shanghai yed that really well!¡±

    There were many people in the stands who refused to follow Han Ying¡¯s line of thought. They didn¡¯t know Team Shanghai and had never seen them y. The only fact of interest to them was that Team Shanghaiprised five high schoolers, two of whom were girls. Their limited view on League of Legends consisted of their experiences in solo queue and the matches they watched on television. Neither spoke very highly of high school students or female yers. That alone was reason enough to toss any notion of Team Shanghai actually being good aside.

    ¡°Just a bunch of fucking kids!¡±¡°How good can they really be?¡±¡°Fuzhou Tech has an Ionia Master Miner! Try and beat him, damn high school kids!¡±¡°He¡¯s a real life B Miner! And then you got the noob at Team Shanghai!¡±¡°Noob high schooler better surrender if they know what¡¯s good for them!¡±¡°I should¡¯ve skipped today¡­ Boring matches. Fuzhou is just gonna stomp those high schoolers!¡±

    There were also people in the crowd who¡¯d attended the earlier rounds Team Shanghai had yed in. They¡¯d watched the high school kids tear through strong lineups of university teams! And they could hardly believe what they were seeing in those rounds. They¡¯d mumbled and whispered with each other during those games, trying toprehend what was going on. It didn¡¯t make sense to them that high schoolers could be that good! But seeing is believing. And right now, as a direct result from those earlier rounds, they were on the Team Shanghai bandwagon!

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a stomp for sure! But Fuzhou won¡¯t do any of the stomping!¡±¡°You noobs seen Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner y? He¡¯s a fucking god!¡±¡°The Lin Feng guy is A+++! He¡¯ll wreck that B scrub from Fuzhou Tech! Mark my words!¡±¡°And they also got a really strong Support! He¡¯s a crazy good Challenger on the Ionia server!¡±¡°Don¡¯t forget about their Jungler either! Her ganks were outta this world!¡±¡°They¡¯ve got such a strong team. Fuzhou won¡¯t know what hit them!¡±

    The former teammates from Team Shanghai had alsoe to attend this round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. They¡¯d kept quiet, and even shrunk back a little when they heard the sheer ferocity with which some students vocally assaulted their friends. But after the first couple of positivements rang out, they found their confidence again. Led by Ouyang, they all jumped to their feet and shouted in support of their team!

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°IF ANYONE CAN, LIN FENG CAN!¡±¡°ZENG RUI BEST SUPPORT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WOOOOORLD!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI ALL A+++!¡±¡°What Fuzhou Tech? BUNCH OF NOOBS!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN IS BETTER THAN ME!¡±

    ?

    The organizers of the Winter Collegiate Cup had hired some of the best casters they could find in Shanghai for Regionals. There were different duos for the different phases of the tournament. And for the Round of 16, they¡¯d invited Silent Reed and Rollfire. Silent Reed was an up ander working for Breaking Esports, a game mediapany, and had left a great impression after her work with Westwind at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. Her co-caster was Rollfire. He was a rather famous individual in the scene as a second-rate caster with a lot of experience. The invitation to cast at the Winter Collegiate Cup was a given for him.

    But Rollfire wasn¡¯t at all happy about how it yed out for him. He red at the teams preparing for the games in the soundproof booths and then nced at Silent Reed before quickly looking away. I should¡¯ve declined the offer! What is this shit? Are they trying to make me mad!? I¡¯m far too good for a game like this! A FUCKING HIGH SCHOOL TEAM! I have to cast a stupid fucking high school game! This is so far beneath me that it isn¡¯t even funny! At least give me a game in the quarter finals! That¡¯s the kind of games where I belong! I¡¯m a professional caster! Not some stupid rookie like this one here. He nced at Silent Reed again, his nose twitching in anger.

    Rollfire was introduced to Silent Reed a few hours earlier. He¡¯d cast games with many pretty faces before, but she still caught his eyes. So while he usually expected people to recognize him and take the initiative to greet him, he went out of his way to greet her. To start a conversation with her. To have a little fun before the games started. But she didn¡¯t reciprocate to his gestures. She¡¯d nodded at him and then turned away to talk with someone else.

    Bitch. You fucking slut! It¡¯s just because I¡¯m a second-rate caster, right? If I was a first-rate¡­ I¡¯m basically a first-rate caster dammit! I¡¯ll get the qualifications for it soon enough! And what are you? YOU¡¯RE NOTHING! NOTHING! Rollfire was steaming in rage, his knuckles white and his teeth clenched. You¡¯re just a pretty face, that¡¯s all you¡¯re good for! You should be happy to be here and cast with me! You stupid, stupid, FUCK ME! I don¡¯t deserve this shit! I should be casting the quarter finals! This stupid fucking bullshit! I¡¯m way too¡ª

    The audience started cheering and therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths jumped to life. Game 1 of the East China Round of 16 was already getting underway! Fuzhou Tech and Team Shanghai had locked in their Champions and they were in the loading screen, waiting for the game to start!

    Game 1 of the East China Round of 16Fuzhou Tech (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)Top: <strong>Mundo</strong> versus <strong>Darius</strong>Jungle: <strong>Jarvan IV</strong> versus <strong>Evelynn</strong>Mid: <strong>Lux </strong>versus <strong>Yasuo</strong>AD-Carry: <strong>Tristana</strong> versus <strong>Lucian</strong>Support: <strong>Morgana </strong>versus <strong>Thresh</strong>

    Silent Reed looked at the lineup for both teams and said into her microphone, ¡°Pretty standard lineups, as we expected. Except, oh! That¡¯s strange. Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler is ying Evelynn! We¡¯ve seen her y Lee Sin and Jarvan IV before, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever seen her on Evelynn! I wonder what brought about this change?¡±

    Rollfire snorted and replied, ¡°Evelynn? What a stupid choice. She reliespletely on positioning. There are so many ways this can backfire. I don¡¯t see how this is a viable option at this level of y.¡±

    What¡¯s got him going? Silent Reed nced at her co-caster. Is he mad or something? He looks angry. What¡¯s got into him? She shook her head and focused back on the lineups. I¡¯ve seen that An Xin y quite a few Champions, but never the Evelynn type¡­ I wonder why. Maybe she was just saving it? Right, I¡¯m casting! She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen her y before and she was really good! I think she knows what she¡¯s doing.¡±

    Rollfire snorted. Good? Piss off. She¡¯s a dumb high schooler trying to show off. Or whatever. What the fuck am I even doing here? Why am I stuck casting this dumb ass game? They should be inviting me for the fucking main tournament! I¡¯m too good for this! He looked up at therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths and noticed the names of the teams. Team Shanghai. Representatives of the Shanghai Esports Association. My boss. The assholes who hired me to do this stupid shit! He kicked against the back of his desk and grumbled under his breath, ¡°Might as well just quit. Stupid shit. If these dumb high schoolers win, I¡¯m quitting. I¡¯ll quit this stupid ass profession!¡±

    Silent Reed nced at her co-caster, watching him grumble. What¡¯s he saying? Why isn¡¯t he casting? We need to cast! She tried to catch his attention without making it too obvious, but he didn¡¯t see it. Idiot! Why can¡¯t you be more like Westwind? He knew how to hype a game up! She smiled at the thought and then said, ¡°Looks like the game has loaded! It¡¯s Fuzhou Tech on the Blue team versus Team Shanghai on the Red team! Let¡¯s go in!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    An Xin started her Jungle path on the Blue Buff Camp. She killed therge golem with the help of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian and Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh while ncing around the map. Mid looks gankable. It just needs a little push. She said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng. I¡¯ming mid right after the Red Buff for a gank. Get ready.¡± She then had her Evelyn run to the other side of the Jungle to attack the Red Brambleback.

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll be ready to kill Lux!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing.

    The yers from Team Shanghai knew better than to entertain Lin Feng. They ignored him and focused on their respectivenes. An Xin¡¯s Evelynn attacked the Red Brambleback and killed it almost four minutes into the game. ¡°Coming now,¡± she said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Lin Feng had been preparing for the gank by manipting the minion wave. He¡¯d focused on attacking Lux, causing her health bar to drop, and then baited her into attacking a minion instead of his Yasuo. The minion wave slowly pushed towards Red Team¡¯s outer tower and Lux was forced to push further and further forward to getst hits. This was an incredibly dangerous move with Evelynn on the opposing team. Evelynn was the Mistress of the Shadows. She was invisible unless she walked over a vision ward or entered within range of an enemy Champion or structure. But An Xin was good enough at the game to maneuver her way into the midne and behind Lux unseen.

    Lux pushed forward tost hit a minion and stay even in creep score with Yasuo right as Evelynn arrived in the midne. A storm was already brewing at the tip of Yasuo¡¯s de. Lin Feng activated the third cast of Steel Tempest! Yasuo swung his de forward,manding a tornado to st over the Rift! It blew through Lux and knocked her up into the air! Yasuo followed up by dashing through a minion to close the gap with Lux and then attacked again with Steel Tempest! His de cut through Lux and sheared away at her health! All the while, An Xin¡¯s Evelynn stepped out of stealth and shed twice at the Lux with Ravage! She followed up with a constant stream of Hate Spikes! Thorny shadows erupted from the ground and cut through Lux¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    Silent Reed jumped up from her seat and clutched the microphone, shouting, ¡°BEAUTIFUL! What a perfect nk by Evelynn! It was all timed down to perfection! There was no chance to escape for the Lux!¡± She nced at Rollfire. Come on, say something! I can¡¯t be Westwind and me! Cast! You¡¯re supposed to be good!

    But Rollfire was in no mood to cast. He nodded and mumbled, ¡°Yeah. Nice gank. Yeeey for Team Shanghai.¡± I just talked shit about the Evelynn and now she lucks her way into a sessful gank! What is this bullshit? I should be casting the quarter finals! Not this crappy round! His eyes were bloodshot and his hands were trembling. I have to cast with this stupid disrespectful girl and now the stupid audience is also cheering for the stupid high school team and, and¡­ He knocked his hand on the table and bit down on his lip. I¡¯m quitting! I¡¯m not degrading myself by casting these low ranked games! I¡¯m really going to do it!

    ¡°Did the Lux forget she was up against an Evelynn or something¡­?¡±¡°Why was she ying so aggressive¡­?¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOOOO!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! LIN FENG IS THE BEST!¡±¡°It was so obvious that both Junglers were going to gank¡­ Why in the world be so aggressive?¡±¡°That Lux is stupid. Practically giving the game to Team Shanghai!¡±¡°What a massive misy by Fuzhou¡­¡±¡°GOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIIIIIN!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Rollfire or the audience that could tell that Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner had overextended, even his teammates had noticed as much. They nced at their Miner and asked him why he didn¡¯t y that more defensively. But the Lux yer didn¡¯t agree with his teammates. He shook his head and exined, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! Really! That wasn¡¯t my fault! It¡¯s because of this Yasuo! I think he¡¯s trolling me or something! It was so troll! I don¡¯t know what else to say! I got confused by his trolling! This isn¡¯t my fault!¡± He breathed in and chewed on his lips before adding, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll y better.¡±

    ?

    Sun Ruinian from Zhejiang University¡¯s team was watching the game from the yer seating area. Therge LCD screen above the stage showed the game in spectator mode, meaning that he could see the Evelynn through the shadows cloaking her. And he also saw Lux moving forward for ast hit at just the wrong time before giving away first blood. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°What are you doing, mid? y it safe! It¡¯s an Eve Jungle. What did you expect? You can¡¯t let her get behind you too easily!¡± He moved his lips around for a bit and eventually added, ¡°The Yasuo yed it well though.¡±

    Yasuo was a melee Champion while Lux was a ranged caster. This gave Lux a big advantage in the early game, where she just had to sit back andnd her skills and auto attacks on Yasuo. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just any Yasuo. He didn¡¯t let himself get harassed and struggle to keep his health up. He learned Sweeping de at Level 1 and continuously dashed through the minions, looking for openings tond some poke damage on Lux.

    The aggression increased with Yasuo¡¯s level. When he unlocked Steel Tempest at Level 2, he dashed through Lux and swept his de out at her. Winds gathered at the tip of his de. He would dash away through a minion behind him and get a second cast of Steel Tempest on a minion. Then, as the storm brewed at the tip of his de, he dashed through ast minion to throw the Lux off guard and then blew a tornado at her!

    Champions had low health at the early levels and minions could deal substantial damage. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo was hemorrhaging health with this early game aggression. The Lux failed to hit any of her abilities and got constantly hit by his, yet her health wasn¡¯t any lower than his. But this was eptable, because Lin Feng wasn¡¯t employing this tactic to get a kill on Lux. His goal was to annoy her until she made a mistake. And that was exactly what happened. She grew irritated with the Yasuo, made a couple of mistakes withst hitting minions, and tunnel visioned so hard on him that shepletely forgot about Evelynn.

    Sun Ruinian looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and then up at therge LCD screen. He said, ¡°The Yasuo is good. We can¡¯t underestimate him. He won the midne with that little y.¡± I wonder what Zou Cheng thinks about him. He nodded at the man sitting next to him and asked, ¡°What do you think? Is this guy B+? Better? How much better do you think? Can you beat him?¡±

    Zou Cheng was Zhejiang University¡¯s Miner. He knitted his brows and watched the Yasuo y. He¡¯s good, really good! But I¡¯m also really good! He said through gritted teeth, ¡°He¡¯s alright. I¡¯m confident in myself.¡±

    Sun Ruinian nodded and looked back up at the screen. It¡¯s only first blood. Maybe I¡¯m seeing things. Let¡¯s see how this game ys out beforeing to any conclusions. We¡¯ve got time to prepare. But I saw the reys¡­ He¡¯s good. Really good. B+ at minimum. Probably better. Just a question of how much. We¡¯re going to have to be careful about him.

    ?

    Tang Bingyao was focused onst hitting minions, constantly keeping an eye open for an opportunity tond some poke damage on Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Tristana or Morgana. Her Lucian was the stronger ad-carry in the early game and she had to make use of that if she wanted to bring this game home. Zeng Rui was speaking in her ear, constantly telling her what to do. Which minion to hit, when to pause, and how to position. Mhm. I got this. I¡¯m good. I got this.

    At 4:30 minutes, Zeng Rui found the opening. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go in!¡± He then had his Thresh walk towards the Tristana. A minion protecting the Tristana was one auto attack from dying. The bullet from Lucian¡¯s gun was already in midair. Everything pointed towards Zeng Rui going for the Tristana. And Fuzhou Tech believed as much. Tristana didn¡¯t wait to find out and Rocket Jumped away, while she also received a ck Shield from Morgana to protect her against crowd control. But Zeng Rui was never going for the Tristana. It was all a trick to get a clear line on the Morgana. Thresh¡¯s scythe flew through the air and hooked the Morgana.

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm!¡± She had her Lucian follow after Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh with Relentless Pursuit! This activated Lucian¡¯s passive skill. He raised both his guns at Morgana and fired a doubleshot! He then attacked with Piercing Light! Both guns were still aimed at Morgana as a beam of light sted through her, followed up by another doubleshot!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Morgana shed away, trying to get in range of the Tristana to get a heal and survive. But the Tristana had run too far away already and Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t give her any time to turn around. Lucian shed after Morgana and fired two more auto attacks to im the kill.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WHAT A HOOK!¡± Silent Reed eximed. She clutched the microphone and brought it close to her mouth, a little trick she¡¯d picked up from Westwind, and continued, ¡°That was some great skill by Team Shanghai! And I have a juicy bit of intel! This ad-carry and Support were on opposing teams before this tournament! Look at how they¡¯vee together! Team Shanghai is really pulling ahead here!¡±

    Rollfire wouldn¡¯t hear anything about it. He shook his head and argued, ¡°That was just a bad y by Fuzhou Tech. This should¡¯ve never ended in a kill. Everyone could tell that that Thresh was just baiting Morgana to use her ck Shield on Tristana. He was clearly going for the squishier target, which is the Morgana. I can¡¯t believe how easily Fuzhou Tech fell for this very obvious y. But well done to Team Shanghai for showing some basic tactics.¡±

    The people in the crowd weren¡¯t nearly as invested in talking down the yers from Team Shanghai as Rollfire was. There were a couple of halfheartedments about how Rollfire had a point and several more people arguing that it wasn¡¯t obvious to them at all that Thresh was setting up a bait. Most people, however, were simply cheering for a beautiful y.

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! TEAM SHANGHAI IS THE BEST!¡± ¡°TANG TANG! YOU¡¯RE AMAZING!¡±¡°What a y by Team Shanghai! Their mid and bot have already won!¡±¡°Are they going to win top too now?¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Sick Thresh hook! Absolutely mental! Impressive as fuck!¡±

    Rollfire red at the audience, annoyed. You idiots can¡¯t even tell how bad these teams are ying! What¡¯s worth watching here? Even I could¡¯ve yed that better! And I¡¯m no great yer. Only goes to show how terrible these two teams are! They shouldn¡¯t be in the Collegiate Cup¡­ Or, better even, I shouldn¡¯t be asked to cast these crappy games! I should be casting the main tournament! He tried to breathe his annoyance away, but it wasn¡¯t working. There were still people in the audience doubting him or ignoring him altogether, and his co-caster kept ncing at him too. I¡¯ll show them how stupid they are! Stupid idiots! They don¡¯t know shit!

    ¡°You see that Evelynn?¡± Rollfire asked Silent Reed. ¡°See how she only managed to force a sh from Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Mundo in the topne when that y in bot went down? She¡¯s basically been useless otherwise, except for the early y in mid. Doesn¡¯t look like she knows how to y the Champion at all! How can Fuzhou Tech not be abusing this?¡±

    Silent Reed looked at Rollfire and shook her head, exasperated. First you make me do all the casting and now you¡¯re bitching about something you don¡¯t even need to bitch about? Can you be anymore of a man-child? She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then asked, ¡°Please, tell me more.¡±

    Rollfirepletely missed the sarcasm in Silent Reed¡¯s words. All he heard was an invitation to talk more. Heughed and exined, ¡°See, it¡¯s very simple. Team Shanghai isn¡¯t ying Evelynn like you¡¯re supposed to y her! Her strength isn¡¯t in clearing Jungle camps, which is what she¡¯s doing. You want to use her invisibility in the early game to get a lot of map pressure! Force the other team to y defensively and help allnes get ahead!¡± He briefly paused to make sure he had everyone¡¯s attention before continuing, ¡°Her initial gank in the midne was good. That¡¯s exactly how you¡¯re supposed to y Evelynn! But look at what she¡¯s done since¡­ Nothing! Absolutely nothing! There isn¡¯t even any pressure on Fuzhou Tech! She¡¯s, pun intended, invisible. I think that girl should practice ying this Champion a bit more before she pulls it out in a real tournament. She¡¯s going to get punished for it.¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Silent Reed replied. She looked at therge LCD screen and added, ¡°The way I see it, we¡¯re only a few minutes into the game and she helped two of hernes while the thirdne is doing great on its own. Why can¡¯t she get a bit of experience in the Jungle as well?¡± She nced at Rollfire and tried not to smile when she saw the red-hot anger on his face. Annoying idiot!

 Chapter 293: Casters Bickering and Missing Great Plays

    Rollfire and Silent Reed were arguing about An Xin¡¯s Evelynn. They questioned her moves and pointed out aspects of her game that were subpar. The audience nodded along, slowly letting their focus be pulled away from the game. All they knew was Evelynn. Her every move was scrutinized and judged by Rollfire. Silent Reed would say a couple of words in An Xin¡¯s favour. But An Xin¡¯s Evelynn simply wasn¡¯t all that impressive. The audience agreed with Rollfire andpletely missed what happened in the game until the voice announcer sted through the speakers.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°A KILL!¡± Silent Reed eximed in reflex. Huh? What happened? Where did the kill¡­ She looked up at therge LCD screen that was already showing a rey of the fight, including the voice chat from Team Shanghai. She said into her microphone, ¡°Let¡¯s watch the rey!¡±

    At 7 minutes into the game, Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh wandered up the river towards the midne. Blue Team¡¯s Lux didn¡¯t have sh avable after using it a little earlier. Nor did she have wards to protect herself from the gank. Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh walked into thene and hooked her with a Death Sentence. Then he reactivated the skill to dash at her. ¡°Go in, Lin Feng!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat as he yed Lux backwards.

    y briefly knocked a Champion up. This allowed Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo to target Lux with Last Breath! He blinked on top of the Lux and suspended her in midair! Then he erupted with a flurry of shes, his sharp de cutting through Lux¡¯s health bar! For the final attack he raised his katana high above his head before hacking down on Lux and mming her to the ground!

    Lux had a sliver of health remaining. She ran away and threw out a Light Binding behind her. The cage of light flew in a straight line at Yasuo, who dashed through a nearby minion to both dodge the skill and line up for Steel Tempest! He stabbed out with his de and nicked her! Then he targeted Lux with the Sweeping de into Steel Tempestbo! He dashed through her and swept out in a wide arc with his katana!

    The voice announcer¡¯s kill message rang out, followed by Lin Feng saying over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice job, ZengZeng! That was a great roam! But you didn¡¯t need to. I would¡¯ve killed her anyway!¡±

    The rey ended and the game on therge LCD screen returned to real time. Silent Reed sat at the caster desk, ncing at Rollfire to see if he had something to say. Do something! Anything! Open that stupid mouth of yours! She shook her head, annoyed. Fine! I¡¯ll do it all by myself! She forced a smile and shouted, ¡°WOOOOO! What a y! What a y! The Thresh found the opening where Fuzhou Tech wouldn¡¯t suspect him to make a y in the midne. And¡­ WOOOOO!¡±

    Silent Reed breathed in, trying hard to hype herself up. Why can¡¯t this guy help me? Fuck this! She breathed out and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve got some juicy intel on this Thresh! He¡¯s a Challenger on the Ionia server! That would exin how he makes these perfect ys, don¡¯t you think, Rollfire?¡±

    Rollfire shrugged and replied into his microphone, ¡°It was a good roam. But let¡¯s be honest here. That kid in the midne was right. Lux is ying far too aggressively for the situation. Thresh or no Thresh, it would¡¯ve been a kill.¡±

    The yers from Zhejiang University were sitting in the yer seating area, trying their hardest to watch the game between Fuzhou Tech and Team Shanghai. But there was amentator who through hisck of talking distracted them constantly. They nced over their shoulders at the caster desk and then back at therge LCD screen showing the game.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that caster? Why is he so annoying?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know. Really killing the mood though. Maybe it¡¯s his time of the month...¡±¡°Dunno, but he¡¯s being a massive dick. He should eat one!¡±¡°To be honest, I thought the Thresh roam was really impressive. I didn¡¯t see iting.¡±

    Sun Ruinian listened to his teammates and then nced over his shoulder at Rollfire. They¡¯re right. He¡¯s a dick. Just because you don¡¯t like a team doesn¡¯t mean you should talk them into the ground¡­ Show some sportsmanship, dick. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Let him be a dick. We won¡¯t be like that. We¡¯re going to give Team Shanghai the attention they deserve. And from the looks of it, that¡¯s a lot. We¡¯re going to be up against them in the quarters if it goes on like this. Hmmm¡­ He watched Zeng Rui move and reyed the previous roam that led to killing Lux in his head. He cross referenced that information with his own experience ying with and against Zeng Rui on the Ionia server. He was a B+ Supportst year, and he¡¯s only getting better. A lot better. Talking about general game skills, not role specific, he might even be as good as I am. That makes him at least an A-! No one should look down on yers that good, especially not Dickfire at the caster desk. He nced over his shoulder at Rollfire again, annoyed.

    ?

    Rollfire red at therge LCD screen, his nose twitching. An organizer had just told him through his earpiece that he had to tone it down. Who cares what the fuck they want! They put me on this stupid game! He gritted his teeth and shook his head. Fuck! I need this gig. I can¡¯t make them too upset. I¡¯ll just tone it down a bit. Find my spots. Mock them when I can! He nodded and grabbed the microphone. He said, ¡°Looks like Fuzhou Tech has got their work cut out for them. But that might all change really quickly! Jarvan IV is going to the Blue Buff Camp and Lux is doing the same. If she gets the Blue Buff, she¡¯ll have all the mana to harass the Yasuo. Even the midne isn¡¯t over yet! This game is still wide open!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Oh! There!¡± Silent Reed eximed, pointing at therge LCD screen. Right. They can¡¯t see what I¡¯m pointing at. Sheughed a bit and then said, ¡°Evelynn is moving towards Blue team¡¯s Blue Buff Camp as well! It looks like she¡¯s going to invade! Oh my god, there¡¯s a Red ward in the brush there! She has full vision on the Blue Buff Camp! It¡¯s going to be an invade! Will she get the steal!?¡±

    ¡°SHE¡¯S GOING TO STEAL IT!¡±¡°Such perfect timing by that Eve!¡±¡°That is such a dirty ward she ced there!¡±¡°This is so impressive. Go steal the Blue Buff!¡±¡°GoGoGo Evelynn!¡±¡°Best ward on the Blue Buff Camp ever!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s friends from High School 13 were also in the stands cheering her on. Liu Yue jumped to his feet and eximed, ¡°BunBun is going for her ssic invade! This is going to be so much fun! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Rollfire made a big mistake looking down on BunBun. He¡¯ll get a good hard p in his face for his arrogant words. Our BunBun is a Super Challenger in the Jungle!¡±

    Ren Rou nodded and chimed in, ¡°Serves him right for being mean to BunBun! She¡¯s the best Jungler at our school!¡±

    ¡°She totally is!¡± Liu Yue replied,ughing. He then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°Our BunBun is the best Jungler! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    Ouyang grinned and jumped up to his feet. He wrapped one arm around Liu Yue and threw the other up in the air, screaming, ¡°BROPHINA! BROPHINA, TEACH THIS DUMB IDIOT ON THE CASTER DESK HOW TO JUNGLE!¡±

    The caster desk was ced right next to the stands. Silent Reed looked into the crowd at the young man who¡¯d managed to shout over everyone else and then turned to look at Rollfire. He¡¯s steaming! He¡¯s losing it! I can see the smokeing from his ears! She ced her hand over her mouth and tried very hard to stop herself from giggling. I can¡¯t do this. Stay professional. Don¡¯tugh at him! Don¡¯tugh at him! She took a deep breath and focused back on the game. ¡°Evelynn is already closing in on the Blue Buff! She has perfect vision on it! And she¡¯s pinging on it! Is this for the Yasuo? Are they looking to do something more than steal the Blue Buff!?¡±

    Therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths zoomed in on the Blue team¡¯s Blue Buff camp. Jarvan IV was attacking the Blue Sentinel and Lux had arrived to attack it as well. They looked oblivious to Team Shanghai¡¯s Evelynn standing off to the side in stealth. This was one of the advantages Evelynn brought to the game. She was invisible unless revealed.

    Sun Ruinian raised an eyebrow and nodded. Impressive. She has her timings down. And these are the kinds of ys you¡¯d expect to see from an Evelynn. I¡¯ll have to re-evaluate her. Didn¡¯t expect her to y like this after watching her farm the Jungle before. And after Dickfire telling us how bad she is... He nced over his shoulder at Rollfire and shook his head. What a dick.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they know! I don¡¯t think they know the Evelynn is right there!¡± Silent Reed eximed. ¡°They don¡¯t have a clue! Oh my god! What a mistake! WARD! PUT DOWN A VISION WARD!¡±

    Rollfire snorted and said, ¡°That¡¯s a mistake by Fuzhou Tech. And it looks like they¡¯re going to get punished for it. That Evelynn gave them a false sense of security early on and now they don¡¯t see the obvious Blue steal. If that was the n all along by the high school kids, then that is somewhat impressive¡­¡±

    ¡°Holy shit shit shit! It¡¯s going to be a steal!¡±¡°PLACE DOWN A VISION WARD! YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU!¡±¡°I can¡¯t watch this. Lux has the vision ward in her inventory! She just has to ce it down!¡±¡°PLEASE LUX! STOP BEING SO COCKY! PLACE THE WARD!¡±¡°Tell me when it¡¯s over! I don¡¯t wanna see this!¡±¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t have applied to Fuzhou Tech! Now I¡¯m stuck supporting this shit team!¡±¡°Oh my god! Look at the Yasuo. He¡¯s going to help Eve¡­¡±

    The Blue Sentinel steadily lost its health until there was only a sliver remaining. Lux cast Lucent Singrity! An anomaly of twisted light wrapped around the Blue Sentinel and charged him up with electricity! She moved forward to auto attack the monster and discharge the electricity. But this small gap between the skill and her auto attack was too big. An Xin¡¯s Evelynn revealed herself from stealth and targeted the Blue Sentinel with Smite. A monstrous hand mmed into the Blue Sentinel and imed its life!

    ¡°SHE STOLE IT! THE EVE STOLE THE BLUE BUFF!¡± Silent Reed eximed. And the crowd reacted to her, just like they had to Westwind. People jumped to their feet and threw their arms in the air! They cheered and screamed in Team Shanghai¡¯s support! Silent Reed smiled and shouted, ¡°The high schoolers are winning! AND THE YASUO! THE YASUO!¡±

    ?

    ¡°What the fuck happened there?¡± Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Support asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    The Lux yer snarled, ¡°The Eve¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes yes! But why didn¡¯t you ce a vision ward down? You have it in your inventory!¡± the Support continued.

    ¡°Well, tha¡ª¡±

    ¡°WATCH OUT FOR THE YASUO!¡± the Jarvan IV yer interrupted.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo appeared around the outer wall of the Blue Buff Camp, right near Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Lux. The Lux retreated back along the wall towards Jarvan IV and cast a Light Binding behind her! It was a panic reaction. Yasuo had the skill Wind Wall. He cut upwards with his sword,manding the winds to protect him! The Light Binding disintegrated before it reached Yasuo!

    ¡°Sweeping de,¡± Lin Feng mumbled as he pressed down on the E key quickly followed by the Q key. His Yasuo dashed through the Lux and then swept out around him with his de! Steel Tempest! Gusts of wind gathered around the tip of his de, a storm slowly brewing. Jarvan IV was in range and Yasuo cast Sweeping de again to dash through his next target! He then linked this skill with Steel Tempest for a second time! His katana swept through Jarvan IV and a storm gathered at the tip of the de!

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing? Why is he dashing away from the Lux?¡± Silent Reed asked. She moved the microphone a bit closer to her lips and looked out at the audience. ¡°Does he want to kill the tanky Jarvan IV?¡±

    ¡°Maybe those early kills got to his head,¡± Rollfire chimed in from the side. He grinned and continued, ¡°Now he won¡¯t get either of them! He threw away a surefire kill!¡±

    Therge LCD screen showed exactly what Rollfire predicted. Jarvan IV used his g tossbo to get away from the Yasuo, jumping over the wall next to the Blue Buff camp and running away together with Lux! ¡°See?¡± Rollfire asked,ughing. ¡°He forgot to take Jarvan IV¡¯s skill cooldowns into ount! Now both Jarvan IV and Lux are getting away!¡±

    ¡°WHAT A MISPLAY!¡±¡°This is going to cost them¡­¡±¡°They could¡¯ve had both of them!¡±¡°Maaaaan, so embarrassing!¡±¡°I wouldn¡¯t wanna be in their booth right now, haha!¡±¡°Kids gonna be kids.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng smiled. It¡¯s too easy at this level. Just too easy. He¡¯d ced down a ward along the edge of the Blue Buff Camp on his approach. Now he had perfect vision as Lux and Jarvan IV tried to run away together. They were practically standing on top of each other in the thin pathways of the Jungle. Lin Feng nced down at his skill bar. He¡¯d cast Steel Tempest twice in a row already. His next attack wouldunch a tornado. He pressed down on his Q key and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m going in! Give me the follow up!¡±

    Yasuo swept his katana forward, unleashing terrifying winds onto Summoners Rift! They gathered together and spun around each other, forming a massive tornado that barreled through the Jungle! It chased down Lux and Jarvan IV and hurled them up into the air! This unlocked Yasuo¡¯s ultimate skill, Last Breath! He Blinked towards the two Airborne Champions and kept them suspended there, attacking them with a flurry of strikes! Then he raised his katana high above his head and hacked down with all his might! Empowered by wind and with the help of gravity, he mmed Lux and Jarvan IV back to the ground!

    An Xin¡¯s Evelynn shed over the wall separating her from the fight and then cast her ultimate on Lux and Jarvan IV! Agony¡¯s Embrace! Venomousshers erupted from the ground and impaled Lux and Jarvan IV, hampering their health and draining their movement speed!

    Lux was on the brink of death after eating these attacks. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo struck her with Steel Tempest. The clean cut of the de sheared away the remainder of her health. He followed up with Sweeping de, dashing through Jarvan IV and then struck him with an auto attack! Steel Tempest came off cooldown a secondter and a clean cut pierced Jarvan IV! His health bar emptied out!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡°THEY GOT THE DOUBLE KILL! YASUO GOT THE DOUBLE!¡± Silent Reed eximed, smiling. They¡¯re so much better than during the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! It¡¯s really fun to see them progress! ¡°GO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    ¡°HOLY SHIT! WOOOOOOO! DOUBLE KILL!¡±¡°WHAT A GOD! YASUO IS A LEGEND!¡±¡°YASUO HAS HIT HIS POWER SPIKE! HE HAS HIT HIS POWER SPIKE!¡±¡°Oh my god! How did he hit both of them!?¡±¡°I NEARLY PISSED MY PANTS! YASUO IS MY NEW HERO!¡±¡°Eve did bloody well as well!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ¡°Tell us what you think!¡± Silent Reed said to Rollfire. Let¡¯s have a little fun here! Annoy this annoying ass! She giggled and continued, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that amazing? And you were totally mistaken! He didn¡¯t let them get away!¡±

    Rollfire red at Silent Reed and felt his nose twitching again. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t see what you¡¯re trying to do! You¡¯re trying to get my rating down so that you get more invitations to cast games! But it won¡¯t be that easy! This was just a lucky y! Or skilled¡­ He moved his lips around and furrowed his brows. Fuck me! Why couldn¡¯t he miss that tornado? All he had to do was miss that damn tornado! He opened his mouth to say something, but then saw Silent Reed giggling again. He could also hear the crowd cheering in the background. They don¡¯t want to hear anything from me. They¡¯re already fired up. He took a deep breath and closed his mouth. Fuck, I¡¯ll get back at you for this!

    ?

    Sun Ruinian watched the rey on therge LCD screen in silence. His teammates were cheering for the Yasuo and Evelynn, as was everyone else in the venue. But he didn¡¯t have the time for that. That Yasuo knew what he was doing from the start. He needed a bit of luck to have Jarvan IV and Lux stack on top of each other. But everything else¡­ His mechanical abilities, judgement, confidence¡­ how is it all so good?

    Sun Ruinian nced at Zhejiang University¡¯s Miner and pursed his lips. Shit. That Yasuo is better than our Miner. A lot better. I can only give so much credit to luck. That y was all Yasuo. Luck or no luck, he got the two kills. And this wasn¡¯t even the first time this game! What rank wou¡ª

    Goalie. Sun Ruinian looked through the ss of the soundproof booth at Lin Feng. We gave Goalie an A+. He¡¯s the best of the best. No one is as good as he is in the midne in this tournament. If the rest of that teames together, they might even win this entire tournament! He nced up at therge LCD screen again. But this Yasuo. He mightpare to Goalie¡­ He knitted his brows and mumbled, ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m looking too hard into this. Maybe there was some luck and he¡¯s only A-... Only A-, what am I saying? We can¡¯t beat that.¡± He chewed on his lips and shook his head. I need toe up with something to deal with him. We can¡¯t expect to y our game and just magically beat him. He¡¯s good. Really good. Too good.

 Chapter 294: Iâ€™ma Have a Fish Steak Sandwich

    Chu Fang was in charge of the East China Regionals, so he was present at the event. And he was also in charge of Team Shanghai, so he watched their games. Right now, he sat in a private room backstage in front of arge tv screen that showed the game between Fuzhou Tech and Team Shanghai. Staff members were walking into the room and asking him to sign off on things, but he brushed them away. His full attention was directed towards the screen, towards Lin Feng. Maple. He smiled and balled a fist. He¡¯s good! Much better than thest time I saw him y! I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll take him much longer to reach Goalie¡¯s level. That¡¯s a good start for him. And from there we can push him to the real top!

    Thest weeks since Chu Fang had rediscovered Lin Feng came to mind. He lost a lot of his skill during his four year hiatus. I really wasn¡¯t too impressed with what I saw¡­ Chu Fang shook his head and grinned. But he was the best. And he still is the most talented yer I¡¯ve ever seen! If we use the normal grading system, Maple would¡¯ve hit anywhere between 95% to a perfect score. And Lin Feng hasn¡¯t dropped that far down. Some things you just don¡¯t forget. I¡¯ll give him a solid A right now. Yeah, I think that¡¯s a fair grade.

    The system to judge a yer¡¯s skill level was incrediblyprehensive. Lin Feng¡¯s ability in some aspects had declined sharply over thest few years, his game mechanics being one of them. But there were other aspects of the game that he didn¡¯t unlearn. He knew like no other how to roam around the map, follow up on engages and control the flow of the game. They were the aspects of the game that many professional yers were still struggling with, yet he¡¯d mastered them. This was why he could still y at the highest level despite his break from the game.

    Chu Fang was in an incredibly good mood. Some of these things juste so easy to him! As if it¡¯s second nature! So many pros struggle with learning how to roam their entire career, yet he just knows how to do it! It¡¯s those little things that he¡¯s just so good at! And then there also is¡­ He turned his attention to therge tv screen which was currently focused on the midne.

    A storm was brewing around the tip of Yasuo¡¯s de. Lin Feng had dashed through to one minion! Sweeping de¡¯s cooldown was almost zero. He just couldn¡¯t target the same minion twice. He didn¡¯t want to. There was another minion closer to the Lux. He had his Yasuo dash through that minion and clicked on the Lux, his finger lightly pressing down on the D key.

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Lux panicked. She saw the fed Yasuo dashing towards her and knew she was dead if he got on top of her. Light Binding! She cast a sphere of light that flew straight towards the Yasuo!

    Lin Feng was ready for the Light Binding. He cast sh. Yasuo disappeared with a mottled sh of light, then reappeared on top of the Lux. He activated Steel Tempest. The storm brewing at the tip of the de was unleashed onto the battlefield! Winds howled and raged,unching Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Lux into the air! And then Yasuo used his ultimate skill. Last Breath! He blinked to the Lux and suspended her in midair! Then he unloaded a flurry of strikes on her before mming her back to the ground! The unquenchable me from Ignite started burning on Lux¡¯s skin and a sharp cut from Steel Tempest pierced her body!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The audience erupted into cheers! Lin Feng had achieved a solo kill on the Lux! And he got away with zero damage dealt to him! It was especially the dodging of the Light Binding that evoked a strong response from everyone watching. That wasn¡¯t just limited to the spectators, but also to other teamspeting in the tournament. Even the yers from Zhejiang University were feeling the heat. Their Miner, Zuo Cheng, started to realise that beating Lin Feng might actually be impossible, while Sun Ruinian began to reevaluate his earlier assessment of Lin Feng¡¯s skill level.

    Chu Fang grinned when he heard the cheers and startedughing when he saw the stunned expressions from Zhejiang University¡¯s yers on a second screen. That¡¯s right! His game senses and awareness are slowlying back! He¡¯s getting better and better by the game! But what¡¯s even more important are his mechanics! No one had better mechanics than him! And they¡¯reing back to him! We¡¯re getting to see the real Maple mechanics again! He¡¯ll stand on the Rift and be invincible again! Just like we nned!

    ¡°Maybe we can push him a little harder,¡± Chu Fang mumbled. He was better than Phoenix back in Season 1. Only Rake could put up some kind of resistance! But Lin Feng¡­ Maple was the best! He just was! We need that yer back so that China can finally grow into one of the big regions! He chewed on his lips and tapped his fingers on the table next to him. With the way he¡¯s improving, I don¡¯t really see anyone in this tournament being much of a problem for him. Even that Goalie guy won¡¯t be his match. It would help if everyone knew how good he is. They might prepare harder¡­

    Chu Fang shook his head and frowned. That Miner from Fuzhou Tech might be a Master on the Ionia server and a B grade Miner, but that¡¯s just not enough to make Lin Feng really try. And it also doesn¡¯t help that the rest of Team Shanghai is also doing great. If Lin Feng doesn¡¯t really get pushed, he won¡¯t show exactly how much he¡¯s capable of. It¡¯s a shame, really. Goalie won¡¯t know how good Lin Feng is and won¡¯t prepare for that. He¡¯ll be screwed. I kind of¡­ I really want to see a fully prepared Goalie take on Lin Feng. He sighed and focused back on the game.

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo was fed. There wasn¡¯t a single yer on Fuzhou Tech¡¯s team safe from him. But the other yers from Team Shanghai were also ying at an incredibly high level. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian and Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh decimated their opposition in the botne and destroyed the outer tower 13 minutes into the game. They then rotated to the midne and helped Lin Feng get another kill on Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner followed by finally destroying the outer tower. Lin Feng had kept it up until now, just so that he could farm a few more kills on Lux.

    An Xin also found the flow of the game, and of her Champion. Evelynn was the mistress of the shadows. There were so many potential ys An Xin could make with this Champion, because Evelynn could move around the map invisible. And that was exactly what An Xin started doing. Whenever Fuzhou Tech got the idea of teaming up to try and fight Team Shanghai, she would find a nk on them. Then she¡¯d engage on them from behind, bursting their backline down and distracting them from the follow up by the rest of Team Shanghai.

    The audience didn¡¯t understand what had changed. They mumbled questions about the Evelynn that started the game farming Jungle camps like a noob yet was now finding the perfect angle for every attack. There was only more confusion in the responses. No one knew what to say. They didn¡¯t have the answer. Most of all, Rollfire didn¡¯t have an answer. He sat quietly at the caster desk, letting Silent Reed hype everyone up for the next beautiful engage orchestrated by An Xin¡¯s Evelynn!

    ¡°Get ready, I¡¯m going in!¡± Became the staple sentence for An Xin when she¡¯d found the gank. The other yers from Team Shanghai knew that when those words arrived over the team¡¯s voice chat, they didn¡¯t need to wait any longer. They could rush forward and jump at Fuzhou Tech¡¯s team! The ensuing teamfights were clean victories. Everyst one of them.

    The game time hit 20 minutes and the surrender option became avable. But this was a tournament with serious money on the line. Fuzhou Tech wasn¡¯t willing to surrender, arguing over their team¡¯s voice chat that they still had a chance at aeback as long as their nexus was alive. They finally agreed that they just had to y the game ultra-defensively and hope for Team Shanghai to make enough mistakes for them to catch back up. More importantly, the longer a game went on, the fewer mistakes Team Shanghai could permit themselves to make. Because there was a maximum level and maximum number of items each Champion could buy. Once those were reached, it was only a matter of time until the other team caught up.

    But the game never reached that point, because Team Shanghai didn¡¯t make any mistakes. Zeng Rui made sure of that. He guided his team from one tower to the next, pushing for objectives rather than kills. When the Dragon spawned, the team was preparing something in the twones bordering the dragon pit. And after ying the Dragon, they¡¯d go back to taking down towers. Fuzhou Tech lost their outer towers and inner towers. They tried to protect their inhibitor towers and inhibitors, but Team Shanghai was too far ahead.

    At 25 minutes, Team Shanghai made the final push into Fuzhou Tech¡¯s base. They were buffed by Baron Nashor and a powerful pink-purple aura flowed through their minions, bolstering their stats! It was overkill. Fuzhou Tech was torn apart, after which their Nexus towers and finally the Nexus itself were destroyed. The energy that exploded from the nexus morphed into the red victory screen for Team Shanghai.

    VICTORY

    ¡°WOOOOOO!¡± Silent Reed screamed her throat dry. She shoved the microphone halfway into her mouth and shouted, ¡°THAT IS 1-0 FOR TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    Rollfire stared at the screen, numb. H-how is this even possible? How did these fucking kids¡­ He took a deep breath. A staff member reminded him through his earpiece that he had a job to do. So he grabbed his microphone and cheered, ¡°Team Shanghai won this game! Yeeeey!¡±

    ¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN IS THE BEST JUNGLER EVER!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Fuzhou Tech got wrecked by a bunch of high schoolers! HAHAHA!¡±¡°That Yasuo! HOLY FUCKING GOOOOOOOD!¡±¡°GO GO! GO GO! TEAM SHANGHAI! YAY!¡±¡°Lux spread her legs for that yasuo! LOL!¡±¡°HAHA! Didn¡¯t know Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner was into hentai shit!¡±

    Sun Ruinian ignored the cheering crowd behind him and the ring shoutcaster at the caster desk. His entire being was focused on Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. More precisely, on the Miner. That dude¡­ Lin Feng? He isn¡¯t A-. He¡¯s an A, maybe higher. Hard to tell from this game. Fuzhou Tech just isn¡¯t good enough. Fuck! I want to be happy that there¡¯s a talented Miner. It¡¯s just¡­ We need to y against him! He shook his head and nced at the Miner on his team. Zuo Cheng isn¡¯t that good. We¡¯re going to have to find a strategy to deal with this Lin Feng. But it¡¯s not just that either.

    Sun Ruinian turned his attention to Zeng Rui and grimaced. Zeng Rui has also gotten a lot better. He¡¯s right up there with that Miner, maybe a little bit worse. But still. He¡¯s a good yer that¡¯s going to require a lot of nning on my part. He bit on his lips and looked at An Xin. And then there¡¯s that girl. Her early game Jungling wasn¡¯t anything impressive. We can beat that. But then¡­ He shook his head. I don¡¯t really get what happened in the mid game there, but it¡¯s like she woke up and decided to y a little. I¡¯ve got no clue how good she actually is. Maybe it was just luck and leaning on that Miner to carry her. But if any of that was real skill, then we¡¯re in deep shit.

    ?

    There was a little downtime between the first and the second game. The yers from Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech were given the chance to take a toilet break and unwind for a couple of minutes. What the organizers did during this time was having the casters reflect back on the game while ying highlights on therge LCD screen. Silent Reed took charge in this. She smiled and said into her microphone, ¡°Team Shanghai really deserves some congrattions for that massive win! What a disy of skill!¡± She turned to look at Rollfire and continued, ¡°After a questionable start, Team Shanghai¡¯s Evelynn really fell into her roll. What do you think, Rollfire? I know you had a few choice words for her early on.¡±

    Rollfire bit back. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re trying to do! But I won¡¯t let you get to me! He forced a smile onto his lips and replied, ¡°You¡¯repletely right. The start was really rough for her, which I pointed out. But it¡¯s like she could hear me and took my advice to heart. She worked really hard to turn things around and by the end of it she looked pretty decent.¡±

    ¡°I think pretty decent might be underselling it a bit,¡± Silent Reed argued. She giggled and added, ¡°Pretty damn goo¡ª¡±

    ¡°However,¡± Rollfire interrupted. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Fuzhou Tech got toofortable with how the Evelynn yed early on. They should¡¯ve set up a proper line of vision to stop that Evelynn from getting all those nks on them. Had they done that, who knows, maybe they¡¯d have won.¡±

    Silent Reed looked at Rollfire and raised an eyebrow. Why can¡¯t he ever say something positive? It¡¯s like he¡¯s got a personal vendetta against Team Shanghai. He¡¯s not even trying to hide it! She shook her head a little and said, ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve got a point about Fuzhou Tech¡¯s warding. If they¡¯d invested more gold into vision wards, they could¡¯ve stopped a lot of these engages by Evelynn. But I¡¯m not sure if that alone would¡¯ve been enough for them. The Yasuo was the real carry here.¡±

    Rollfire chuckled and concluded, ¡°Let¡¯s just hope Fuzhou Tech has learned from this first game. I¡¯m hoping to see a stronger performance from them in the next game. Then they might actually punish that Jungler for the ring holes in her ga¡ª¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough of that!¡± Silent Reed interrupted. She pointed at therge LCD screen and continued, ¡°Looks like we¡¯re getting ready for the second game between Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech! The series right now is 1-0 for Team Shanghai! Let¡¯s see if they can bring this best of three series home, or if we¡¯re going to an all deciding Game 3!¡±

    Game 2 of the East China Round of 16Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Fuzhou Tech (Red)Top: <strong>Gnar </strong>versus <strong>Rumble</strong>Jungle: <strong>Fiddlesticks</strong> versus <strong>Rek¡¯Sai </strong>Mid: <strong>Zed </strong>versus <strong>Fizz</strong>AD-Carry: <strong>Ezreal </strong>versus <strong>Kog¡¯Maw</strong>Support: <strong>Leona </strong>versus <strong>Alistar</strong>

    Silent Reed looked up at therge LCD screen and read through the line up. Then she mumbled, ¡°Fiddlesticks? What? Why?¡±

    A confused buzz murmured through the audience. Even the other teamspeting didn¡¯t know what to make of this choice of Champion. Fiddlesticks wasn¡¯t a bad Champion, but he wasn¡¯t particrly strong in the current meta either. His entire kit relied on him getting off a good ultimate. But a well organized team could n for this and y around it. This was the main reason why his winrate in low elo games was incredibly high, yet he was almost never picked in the higher ranked games. And it was unheard of to pick him inpetitive y.

    ¡°Jungle fid? Did they lose a few too many brain cells?¡±¡°Oh god, those high school kids got cocky¡­¡±¡°What the hell are they thinking? Do they want to lose!?¡±¡°What bm! Holy sweetness! Gimme some of that!¡±¡°Fuzhou Tech better wrecks them for this!¡±

    Rollfire smiled a smile that didn¡¯t get anywhere near his eyes. He grabbed the microphone and said, ¡°Team Shanghai has chosen to go with Fiddlesticks Jungle! He¡¯s a strong Champion that can easily ace Fuzhou Tech¡¯s team! He¡¯s a pentakill Champion! It¡¯s just¡­¡± He paused briefly before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s just that Fuzhou Tech only has to cancel or evade Fiddle¡¯s ultie to make that Championpletely useless! And there¡¯s nothing Fiddle can do about it!¡±

    Silent Reed bit on her lips and then argued, ¡°He is not often seen in high ranked games. But that doesn¡¯t make him a bad Champion.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not bad. I¡¯m not saying that,¡± Rollfire fired back. He shook his head and continued, ¡°It¡¯s just that when you y against a well prepared team, the threat a Fiddlesticks brings is greatly reduced. And we should be able to assume that the teamspeting at the Winter Collegiate Cup have at least reached that level of skill. But I guess it alles down to whether Fuzhou Tech can sort out their warding problems. Keep vision on the Fiddle and he¡¯s useless.¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Silent Reed said. She nced at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Why would they pick Fiddlesticks? He¡¯s such a strange champion to go with. Do they have something specific in mind? I don¡¯t get it¡­ They must have a n for this, right?

    Rollfire chuckled and said, ¡°I was talking about Fuzhou Tech needing to sort their warding out, and now they¡¯re getting to show us right away if they have learned from their mistakes! If Fuzhou Tech messes up again, they only got themselves to me for a terrible ending to this tournament. But let¡¯s face it, they should be a strong team for making it this far. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ll figure out how to ward properly.¡±

    ?

    Everyone was confused about An Xin¡¯s choice of Champion. Even Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t feeling it. He knitted his brows and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, you sure about this?¡± Fiddlesticks isn¡¯t in a great ce right now. It¡¯s just how the meta works. We should be focusing on other Champions. That¡¯ll also help us prepare for games further down the road. Why are we wasting a game to y with Fiddlesticks? I don¡¯t get how this is going to help us as a team, even if we win the game.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! I¡¯m pretty good at Jungle Fiddlesticks too!¡± An Xin replied, forcing a smile forward. Zeng Rui needs to know about the game n. I¡¯ll just guide him through what he needs to know...

    There was a strange silence. An Xin was clearly holding back,cking her usual insightful exnation. It was painfully obvious to Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao that An Xin wasn¡¯t telling them something, but Lin Feng didn¡¯t notice this. His focus was on the loading screen, which showed the lineup for the game. Fizz? FIZZ! He grinned and tapped his finger on Zhang Hao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°HaoBro! HaoBro! Do you see that? Those idiots picked Fizz!¡± Heughed and added, ¡°I¡¯ma have a fish steak sandwich!¡±

 Chapter 295: The Good, the Bad, and the Stupid

    Fuzhou Tech was in a terrible mood after the disappointing loss in Game 1. But they could change their fortunes right away! The Winter Collegiate Cup¡¯s Round of 16 was a best of three series. They were down one. Now it was time to go up two! The five yers sat behind theirputers in the soundproof booth, eager. And Silent Reed had the perfect vantage point to see this from the caster desk! She held her microphone close to her mouth and said, ¡°Just look at the yers from Fuzhou Tech! So serious! So ready for this game! Oh, and look! We¡¯re loading in!¡±

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI IS GOING TO QUARTERS! WOOT WOOT!¡± ¡°They really are if Fuzhou Tech doesn¡¯t bounce back from that abysmal performance. I¡¯m honestly stunned that they¡¯re still willing to show their face¡ª¡±¡°WOOOOOO! FUZHOU TECH GONNA GET BACK INTO THIS!¡±¡°Please let this be a more entertaining match to watch!¡±¡°Us neutrals want some spectacle! OR DRAMA! DRAMA IS GOOD TOO!¡±

    The yers from Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech spawned on their respective fountains and spent the 500 starting gold in the shop. This was the moment Silent Reed chose to move the focus away from the Fiddlesticks discussion and towards the matchup in the midne. She said into the microphone, ¡°Last game was a fierce battle in mid with two strong yers going head to head! Team Shanghai won that round, so Fuzhou Tech is certainly looking for redemption! That Fizz pick is plenty proof of that! And don¡¯t forget that their Miner is a Master on the Ionia server!¡± She waited for the crowd to respond and then continued, ¡°But we¡¯ve all seen what Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner can do on an assassin! The real question now is if his Zed is as good as his Yasuo!¡± She turned to look at Rollfire and asked, ¡°What do you think? Does this Zed have the skill to outy Fizz like he did in Game 1? Or will something else happen?¡±

    Rollfire knitted his brows and looked at therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. His Yasuost game actually looked pretty decent. Better than that Lux anyway. I¡¯m not going to make myself look like a fool again! This game I¡¯m going to be the hero and show the Shanghai Esports Association why I¡¯m too good for this stupid series! I¡¯ll make them regret not putting me on a better game! He smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Technically, Zed versus Fizz is a pretty even matchup. It¡¯s all going toe down to skill.¡± Those damn kids got lucky in the first game. But this time they¡¯re going to make a mistake. Fiddle is proof enough! And when those stupid representatives of the stupid organizers screw up, I¡¯ll be ready to jump on it! Make the bestmentary by ming those jackasses who put me on this stupid noob game! It¡¯d be even better if the Zed is the one screwing up. Talking about Zeds¡­ He grinned and added, ¡°I don¡¯t know how many of you guys remember, but there used to be a Zed main on Zhejiang University¡¯s roster. He was a Kage! I wonder how this Zed will measure up to him.¡±

    Kage was the highest rank title for masters of the shadows in the popr manga series Naruto. And Zed just happened to be a master of the shadows himself. So Chinese League of Legends fans used Naruto¡¯s ranking system to rank Zed yers. The lowest rank was Genin, followed by Chunin, Jonin and finally Kage. Right now, Rake was recognized as the strongest Zed yer in the world. His outstanding achievements during the 2014 OGN Summer yoffs on Zed had cemented that position. He was the real Kage. But there were plenty of other strong Zed yers who¡¯d been given the Kage title by their fans. One of them was the former captain of Zhejiang University¡¯s esports club.

    The yers from Zhejiang University¡¯s team looked at each other when Rollfire mentioned the Kage from their university. The Jungler asked, ¡°He¡¯s talking about Shi Hang, right?¡±

    Zuo Cheng who was the current Miner for Zhejiang University nodded and said, ¡°He is! He¡¯s talking about the Captain! Captain Shi Hang is my idol! I¡¯m still watching back videos of his Zed and trying to y just like him!¡±

    Sun Ruinian smiled and chimed in, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s Shi Hang for you. His Zed is unbelievably good.¡± Shi Hang, you made us who we are today. You were the first all the way back in Season 1 to start about League. You made the esports club at our university. And then you went on to be a professional yer! One of the best in all of China! He shook his head and grimaced. But why did you have to retire so early¡­? You still have so much more to give! Graduating from university can wait! You can be a professional yer again! Sun Ruinian breathed in and smiled. But whatever you choose to do, we¡¯ll always remember you for all the good you¡¯ve done for our university!

    ¡°His Zed is the best!¡± Zuo Cheng continued, excited. He turned to look at Sun Ruinian and added, ¡°If Shi Hang wants to y, he just needs to say the words! I¡¯ll sit out! He can have my spot! Oh man, I so badly want to see him y again! I¡¯ll be the waterboy! Benchwarmer! Anything just to see him y again!¡±

    The other members from Zhejiang University¡¯s team all nodded and spoke out their agreement with Zuo Cheng¡¯s statement. They¡¯d talked about this subject more than a few times over thest couple of months, especially in the period following their elimination from the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup. It wasn¡¯t that they weren¡¯t happy with Zuo Cheng. He was a great Miner and won them many games. But he wasn¡¯t Shi Hang. If Shi Hang had yed on their team, they believed that they¡¯d have won the entire tournament.

    Sun Ruinian scrunched his nose and sighed loudly. ¡°Forget it, guys. He¡¯s not interested. I¡¯ve asked him about it too many times already. His answer is always the same. This tournament is kiddy stuff to him. And he¡¯s right. He was one of the best professional yers in the LPL! Even if he¡¯s taken a break frompetitive y, he still has the skill to cruise through this tournament! We¡¯d just be along for the ride.¡± He looked at his teammates and concluded, ¡°So let¡¯s stop daydreaming. Professional yers, former or current, won¡¯t ever bother with a tournament at this level. We¡¯re a kiddy league to them. You guys know how good Shi Hang is. You know what I¡¯m saying is true. So let¡¯s focus on what we can control, our skill. Now, let¡¯s watch this game.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech had bought their starters items and were now heading down their respectivenes. Team Shanghai opted to go with ane swap. Zhang Hao went to the botne with his Gnar to face off against Kog¡¯Maw and Alistar, while Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal and Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona went to the topne to fight Rumble.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand thisne swap,¡± Rollfiremented from the caster desk. He knitted his brows and continued, ¡°Kog¡¯Maw is very strong in thete game, but weak early on. Leona and Ezreal can really shut him down and make him irrelevant before getting strong enough. Gnar can¡¯t do that. I¡¯m really struggling to see the point of thisne swap.¡±

    Silent Reed felt just as confused as Rollfire. She stared at therge LCD screen and guessed, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re really afraid of the Rumble getting one over on the Gnar? I mean, if he gets ahead, that¡¯ll make it really tough for Team Shanghai to contest the first dragon. Rumble¡¯s ultimate skill is just perfect to win fights at the Dragon Pit!¡±

    Rollfire raised an eyebrow and nced at Silent Reed, but he didn¡¯t react to her assessment. I won¡¯t give you the pleasure of lucking your way into a correct guess!! You¡¯re WRONG! The high school kids are being dumbfucks! I just hope Fuzhou Tech will finally punish them for it! It¡¯s about time these representatives of the Shanghai Idiots Association get knocked down! He narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to therge LCD screen. I¡¯ll just wait for the¡ª DAMMIT! NOT AGAIN!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner had picked Fizz as a direct result from what happened in the first game against Team Shanghai. He was convinced he got duped into losing by a trolling Yasuo. So he went with an aggressive Champion in Fizz who could push and punish the type of yer he believed the Yasuo, or Zed in this game, was. But the start of thening phase went anything like he¡¯d expected. How did he get the minion wave to freeze right outside of his tower!? We¡¯re barely a minute into thening phase! And he keeps hitting those damn Shurikens! They¡¯re impossible to hit! How do I keep walking into them? Does he know where I¡¯m going to dodge or something? NoNoNo! Stop this! Focus and beat this troll! He¡¯s just trolling!

    The Blue and Red minions were in a fierce struggle just outside Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Melee minions were shing swords while caster minions fired their magic from the backline! Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner watched this y out and gritted his teeth. I¡¯m missing out on CS if it keeps going like this! The Junglers should still be clearing their camps. It¡¯s a little bit risky, but I need to act now! I need to break this freeze open! Fuck! He moved his mouse over the nearest Blue minion and clicked on it. His Fizz started running towards it.

    Lin Feng was slowly getting back in his old groove. He¡¯d spotted the movement patterns from Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner in the first game and applied that knowledge to the second game. Every time Razor Shuriken came off cooldown, he activated the skill. His Zed threw a shuriken in a straight line and each time it connected with Fizz, shaving away at his health! And then, just like in Game 1, Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner crossed the midway section of thene without having ward coverage. Lin Fengughed and said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°He really fell for it again? He really fell for it again! ZengZeng, go in!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Zeng Rui replied over the team¡¯s voice chat.¡°NOT AGAIN! GO BACK FIZZ! GOOOOOO BACK!¡±¡°Shit! I can¡¯t watch this. That Leona roam is so dirty!¡±¡°How did that Fizz not learn from the previous game? Jesus!¡±¡°RETREAT FIZZ! DON¡¯T DO THIS!¡±¡°Oh my god, he¡¯s falling for it again¡­ What a fucking noob!¡±¡°FUCK ME! What¡¯s wrong with this dude? Is he trolling?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Level 1 roam!¡± Silent Reed cried out from the caster desk. She grabbed her microphone and moved it close to her mouth. ¡°Leona timed this roam perfectly! Fuzhou Tech won¡¯t know what hit them! It¡¯s going to be first blood in the midne again!¡±

    Rollfire was steaming in rage next to Silent Reed. Why can¡¯t they fucking ward? How stupid is this Fizz!? He said through gritted teeth, ¡°It¡¯s going to be really hard to escape from this roam for that Fizz.¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona had walked down the river from the topne and arrived in the midne just as Fizz ran forward to break the minion freeze. Zeng Rui had his Leona charge at Fizz and cast Exhaust on him! A debilitating energy wrapped around Fizz and drained away most of his stats! His movement speed slowed to a crawl and he was forced to use the only escape ability he had. sh. But Zeng Rui was prepared for this. He shed right after Fizz and then mmed his shield into the Fizz. Shield of Daybreak! It rammed into Fizz with such power that it stunned him!

    ¡°Nice!¡± Lin Feng cried out over the team¡¯s voice chat. Hest hit a caster minion, which brought him to Level 2, and then learned Living Shadow! This skill allowed him to ce a living shadow of himself in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± he shouted as he activated the skill. A Living Shadow appeared right next to Fizz. Lin Feng then used the second part of this skill, switching positions with his shadow! He cast Ignite on Fizz! An unquenchable me burned away at Fizz¡¯s health bar! Zed followed up with an auto attack, his sharp de dealing a ton of damage, before finishing the job with a Razor Shuriken!

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    The crowd erupted with cheers! Their voices boomed through the venue and mmed into the ss of the soundproof booths! And it wasn''t just the regr audience members who were impressed. Even the yers from Zhejiang University were in awe. More specifically, their Support was deeply impressed with Zeng Rui¡¯s gank. He eximed, ¡°That roam! Holy crap that was beautiful! The way they set up the topne to make it seem like nothing was going on! Wooo that was impressive!¡±

    Zuo Cheng looked at therge LCD screen, entranced. He saw how Zed broke the minion freeze after picking up the kill and bit on his lips. ¡°That Fizz just lost so much there. If that death wasn¡¯t bad enough, losing out on all those minions is going to hurt real bad! This is looking rough for him already.¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked from therge LCD screen to Zuo Cheng and felt his stomach drop. That y looked good and Zuo Cheng looks worried. He chewed on the inside of his cheeks as he turned back to look at therge LCD screen. Is he better than an A- Miner? A? How good is this Miner? Shit! How are we going to beat them? That Miner is better than Zuo Cheng! We need, we need¡­ He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. We need Shi Hang. We¡¯re not going to win without him.

    ?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal froze the minion wave in the topne. She could hold her own against a Rumble the first few levels because of her ranged attacks. This was also what allowed Zeng Rui to make the roam to the midne. But freezing a minion wave wasn¡¯t as easy as Lin Feng often made it look. She tried to manipte the minions to the best of her ability and the freeze persisted for a good while. But between Rumble trying to disrupt it and making small mistakes herself, the Blue minion wave grew in size. More and more Blue minions ughtered their way through the Red minions until Tang Bingyao couldn¡¯t hold the freeze anymore. A massive wave of minions started marching from the Blue outer tower to the other side of thene.

    Tang Bingyao pursed her lips and tightened the hold on her mouse. I can¡¯t let Rumble get all this gold and experience! I just got a nice head start. Mhm! I¡¯m going to stop him! I¡¯ll push him away from the minions and make him retrea¡ª

    ¡°Get ready, Tang Tang. We¡¯re circling around,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    An Xin added, ¡°I¡¯ll engage!¡±

    ¡°Almost there!¡± Lin Feng chimed in.

    The Blue minions charged at Red team¡¯s outer tower, unafraid of death. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal followed right behind them, firing skills and auto attacks at the Rumble to keep him from gettingst hits on them. And then, right as the minions mmed into the outer tower, An Xin, Lin Feng and Zeng Rui walked into the topne.

    An Xin¡¯s Fiddlesticks got close to the Rumble and cast Terrify on him! Nightmarish illusions incapacitated Rumble for a second, which allowed Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona tond an easy Zenith de! A sr projection of her sword pierced through Rumble and Leona dashed at him! Then she mmed her Shield of Daybreak into him! Stunned!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed jumped in with his Living Shadow and then attacked with his Razor Shuriken and the des attached to his gloves! It dealt a lot of damage, even this early in the game. Rumble¡¯s health dropped fast. But they were fighting Rumble right underneath his tower. The turret locked onto An Xin¡¯s Fiddlesticks and fired an energy shot at her. She had to move out of range before a second one could hit, which caused the tower to shift aggro onto Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona. He ran away before the tower could attack him. As did Lin Feng¡¯s Zed, because Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal had fired a Mystic Shot at the low health Rumble! The damaging bolt of energy whizzed through the air and knocked Rumble out cold!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WHAT A TOWERDIVE!¡± Silent Reed shrieked at the top of her lungs. ¡°Team Shanghai did it all perfectly! Fuzhou Tech didn¡¯t know what hit them! And now with Rumble dead, Team Shanghai can take the top tower! That¡¯s just going to make life so much harder for Rumble! Where¡¯s he going to go? Is Fuzhou Tech going to follow along with thene swap now? They really have to do something if they wanna stay in this! It¡¯s their tournament life that¡¯s on the line here!¡± She turned to look at Rollfire and asked, ¡°What do you think? You have to admit that that was a beautiful y, right!?¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Rollfire replied. He took a long, deep breath and added, ¡°It was a good towerdive.¡± Those words were incredibly difficult for him to say. It was him admitting that Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t just a team of high school students who didn¡¯t know how to y the game. That instead they were a team that couldpete against university teams. That the game he was hired to cast wasn¡¯t all that terrible after all. That the Shanghai Esports Association hadn¡¯t screwed him over. He gritted his teeth and red at therge LCD screen. It¡¯s not over yet! Yeah, that 4 man copse was impressive. Yeah they juggled the tower aggro correctly. And yeah they baited Fuzhou Tech well enough. And yeah there was no way Rumble could escape that. But that was just one gank! Or two now. But the game has only just begun!

    Silent Reed was getting used to the little input Rollfire was giving in this series. She nced at him but decided against mentioning it. I¡¯ll just do the best I can! I¡¯ll be Westwind and me! She grabbed her microphone and shouted, ¡°Team Shanghai has the initiative again! But we haven¡¯t seen too much from the Fiddlesticks yet. I¡¯m really curious to see how they¡¯re going to y with him! He¡¯s such a niche Champion! But with how Team Shanghai is ying, they must have something special nned for him!¡±

    Rollfire didn¡¯t entertain the audience or Silent Reed with his opinion on the Fiddlesticks. But he clenched his fist under the table until his knuckles were white and gritted his teeth. You think they got a n to use that Fiddle? Piss off! Yeah, Team Shanghai¡¯snes are doing well and it might look like they¡¯re winning now, but this is still a 5vs5 game! And that Fiddle is basically useless! Just wait until Fuzhou Tech sets up their line of vision! That Fiddle pick is going to look stupid then! Fuzhou Tech is going to fight their way back into this game after this minor setback and secure a win! Then we¡¯re going to an all deciding Game 3 and the Shanghai Idiots Organization will find out that their team is also a group of cocky idiots!

 Chapter 296: I can Seeeeee Yooouuuuu

    Lin Feng sat behind hisputer in the soundproof booth. Over the bezel of his monitor he could see the crowd cheering. He smiled. It¡¯s only a small tournament. The stage will grow. Time to give them a little taste of me! He looked back at his screen. His Zed was one minion away from reaching Level 6 and unlocking his ultimate skill. Fizz is at least three minions from a level up. This is my window! He stuck to his normal movement path and moved tost hit a caster minion. Just make it look like it¡¯s nothing. He grinned and ced his finger on the Ctrl and R keys. Thebination of the two buttons let him learn a new skill and pushing the R key again would activate his ultimate skill.

    Zed cut through the caster minion¡¯s health with his ded gauntlet! Lin Feng pressed down on the keys, his fingers gliding over the keyboard in practiced motion. Death Mark! Four shadows dashed at Fizz and marked him! Any damage dealt to Fizz in the next three second would deal an additional burst of damage. Zed switched positions with one of the shadows! He then cast another Living Shadow, both of them imitating the skills the main body cast. Too easy! Lin Fengughed as he used Zed¡¯s two damaging abilities. Shadow sh! All three versions of Zed shed out around them, cutting into Fizz and hemorrhaging his health! He followed up with Razor Shuriken! The three Zeds all threw a razor sharp shuriken that sheared away at Fizz¡¯s health bar! And finally, the mark triggered. A portion of all the damage Zed just dealt to Fizz was repeated!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°IT¡¯S A SOLOKILL IN THE MID LANE!¡± Silent Reed cried out into her microphone. She stared at the screen with her eyes wide open. How did he get so good!? He¡¯s way better than in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! She shook her head and continued, ¡°ZED KILLED FIZZ!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°OH MY SHIT! WHAT A PLAY!¡±¡°SNAP! That was fucking insane!¡±¡°Holy MOLY! What the pepperoni!¡±¡°I can¡¯t believe this! He just¡­ WOOOOO!¡±¡°SICK! FUCKING SICK!¡±

    Rollfire red at the LCD screen. Come on stupid Fuzhou Tech! Do something! ANYTHING! Start winning this game! He suddenly started smiling. He grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate just yet! Look at what¡¯s happening in the botne! They¡¯re copsing on the Gnar!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Gnar was struggling to keep his own in thene swap. He had to fight against an Alistar who couldnd strong crowd control skills and a Kog¡¯Maw who absolutely couldn¡¯t be given any kills. Kog¡¯Maw was a hyper-carry. It was almost impossible to stop him once he got a couple of kills under his belt. But he first had to get those kills, and against a Gnar that was incredibly difficult.

    Gnar was partly a ranged Champion. This gave him a lot of wiggle room in ane swap situation. He could sit behind his tower and Hop around if the opponent tried to engage him, throwing out auto attacks. And then there was Mega Gnar. When his rage meter filled up, Gnar transformed into arge monster with monstrous damage, health and crowd control skills! It was so difficult to y against thisbination of skills all in one Champion that right after his initial release, Gnar had an almost 100% ban rate in professional League of Legends. It wasn¡¯t until several months down the line that people learned how to y against him. Mini Gnar was slippery, but vulnerable. The trick became to bait out Mega Gnar, retreat and wait for Gnar to transform back to his original form, and then jump on him!

    Fuzhou Tech employed this very tactic. Kog¡¯Maw and Alistar harassed Zhang Hao¡¯s Gnar and made him fight for everyst hit on a minion. This filled up Gnar¡¯s rage meter a little at a time. All the while, Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Jungler had his Rek¡¯Sai move through the Jungle in the direction of the botne. He cleared camps and knew roughly how many seconds he had until he had to arrive in the botne.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Gnar transformed into Mega Gnar! He gained a massive stat boost and held free reign over thene as Kog¡¯Maw and Alistar retreated! But the transformation onlysted for a little while. The rage meter bottomed out and Mega Gnar reverted back to Mini Gnar. Right then, Rek¡¯Sai arrived in the botne. He worked together with Alistar and Kog¡¯Maw to chase down Gnar all the way under Blue team¡¯s outer tower. They didn¡¯t stop there. They knew they had the damage. The three Champions from Fuzhou Tech dove Gnar under his outer tower. They linked their crowd control abilities together perfectly and allowed Kog¡¯Maw to free fire his way to his first kill of the game!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°And they got the turnaround kill!¡± Rollfire eximed, grinning. Finally! Now keep building on this! I don¡¯t even care anymore! Just beat these stupid representatives of this stupid organization and let this stupid bitch next to me who was hired by the same stupid organization be wrong!

    ¡°That was a sweet towerdive!¡±¡°Fuzhou Tech is finally doing something back!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO! FUZHOU TECH IS BACK IN IT BOYS!¡±¡°I¡¯M FROM FUZHOU TECH!¡±¡°Fuzhou Tech to win it all!¡±

    Sun Ruinian sat at the front of the stands, right next to the stage on which the soundproof booths stood. He nced over his shoulder at Rollfire and rolled his eyes. Dickfire is going at it again. What a dude. He shook his head and looked back at the LCD screen showing the game. Shi Hang is the best Zed in China, I¡¯m sure of that! But this Miner is also ying a really mean Zed. They might even be at a simr level... Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner is really, really good. He looked at Gnar¡¯s corpse lying underneath his outer tower. Zuo Cheng can¡¯t win the midne. He just isn¡¯t good enough. We have to recognize that and look further. We need to find something to abuse. Every team has their weak link. For Team Shanghai, that is their Toner. That Gnar is not all that good. C+ grade at best. Maybe worse. I need to watch him some more. If we can create a tactic to focus him and pull ahead from there, we might not even need to worry about their Miner. We can win the game through the topne!

    ?

    Zhang Hao kicked against the back of his desk, frustrated. He grimaced and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry. That was my bad. Shouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± I¡¯m the worst yer on the team. I know that! That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been working so hard to improve! I need to get better for the team! They need me to hold my own! And then I give away a kill to the one Champion that absolutely can¡¯t get fed! Why can¡¯t I improve like Tang Tang? Or y like Lin Feng!? Why are they just getting so much better while I¡¯m struggling to improve at all! I need more time but I don¡¯t have any time! And every training I see them pulling further ahead of me! What am I, HOW am I supposed to kee¡ª

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± An Xin said over the team¡¯s voice chat. She nced at Zhang Hao who sat next to her and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just one kill and Kog is still weaker than Tang Tang¡¯s Ezreal. That¡¯s all thanks to you. You¡¯re doing a good job.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm. I have more CS. You¡¯re doing good to keep him down.¡±

    ¡°What are you guys even worrying about?¡± Lin Feng asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, confused. ¡°You have me! I¡¯m ying Zed! HaoBro can feed that Kog¡¯Maw 50 kills and it won¡¯t matter! I¡¯ll just assassinate him before he can get any damage off! One shot! BOOM! KILL!¡±

    An Xin shook her head. Idiot. But then she giggled and added, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me. My Fiddlesticks is really good, you know!¡±

    Zhang Hao looked at the yers sitting next to him and felt the muscles in his shoulders rx a bit. They¡¯re right! Lin Feng¡¯s Zed can Death Mark Kog¡¯Maw and kill him. He already has two kills and is only getting stronger! And if BunBun gets a Fiddle ultimate on the Kog¡¯Maw, he¡¯s dead too! It doesn¡¯t even change anything if there are four other yers from Fuzhou Tech around! She¡¯ll just kill them all! It¡¯s okay! The rest of the team has my back! I just have to work my ass off to have their back as well when they need it! Trust! It¡¯s all about trust!

    ?

    The situation was very tense in Fuzhou Tech¡¯s soundproof booth. They were struggling to stay in the game, and their tournament life was on the line this game! The shotcaller on their team was their Jungler. He was ying Rek¡¯Sai and keeping an eye out on everything that was happening. He¡¯d talked to his team about their failure to properly ward during the first game and how they had to change that around this game. But their ward coverage at only 8 minutes into the game was abysmal. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We gotta care for the Fiddle! Don¡¯t forget to ward, guys! Buy vision wards and normal wards, and ce them down! I want to see a wall of vision in the river and our Jungle!¡±

    The yers from Fuzhou Tech agreed and started looking for opportunities to recall back to base and buy wards. All the while, their Jungler kept reminding them of their gamen. ¡°Fiddle has hit Level 6 for sure by now. Aside from the Zed, he¡¯s their biggest threat. But we can make himpletely useless if we get our wards down! Just like in thest game! If we¡¯d warded properly, they would¡¯ve never stolen the Blue Buff and won the game on the back of that! I don¡¯t want to see us making the same mistakes again! Let¡¯s focus on this! The longer we drag this game out, the stronger we¡¯re going to get! They need to find the jump on us, and not the other way around! And they can¡¯t find that engage if we have a strong wall of vision set up! We¡¯re winning this game!¡±

    Over the next minute, Red wards started popping up around the map. The fog of war was slowly being dispelled from Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Jungle. They knew exactly what was going on there and even had a decent idea about what was going on in the river. This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the audience or the casters. Rollfire especially was thrilled to see Fuzhou Tech taking his advice to heart. Heughed and said through his microphone, ¡°A good wall of vision will keep the Fiddlesticks away! This game is very much in the grasp of Fuzhou Tech!¡±

    The yers from Zhejiang University¡¯s team were finding themselves agreeing with Rollfire. The Jungler nodded and said, ¡°At least Fuzhou Tech knows what they¡¯re doing. It¡¯s fine that they¡¯re a little bit behind right now. They just need to keep up vision and drag the game out. They¡¯ll win this, fed Zed or not.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± the Toner agreed. ¡°Zed and Fiddlesticks are the two carries for Team Shanghai as it stands. And Fuzhou Tech can eliminate Fiddle through warding alone. Use Alistar for Zed and this is going to be an easy win for Fuzhou Tech in thete game. Maybe sooner if they give Kog¡¯Maw as much farm as possible and help him scale faster.¡±

    The audience had been discussing Fiddlesticks on and off since the Champion was locked in. The consensus was that they really wanted to see a good Fiddlesticks ultimate. But with the way the game was progressing, that oue was starting to look less and less likely. Rollfire was one of the few people greatly excited by this development. He sat up straighter in his chair and was actually engaging with the audience for a change. ¡°I can hear your murmurs! And let me kill the dream! No, it¡¯s not happening! Fuzhou Tech has their line of vision up! Fiddlesticks won¡¯t get a good ultimate off! And if Team Shanghai tries to force anything here, Fuzhou Tech has the perfect lineup to counter them! This game is quickly changing!¡±

    ¡°Maybe Fiddlesticks can bait Fuzhou Tech into a dragon fight?¡±¡°Right! Fuzhou Tech¡¯s dragon vision isn¡¯t that great! Fiddle can get his ultie off there!¡±¡°That¡¯s like the perfect spot for his ultimate too! Fuzhou Tech won¡¯t be able to escape!¡±¡°Shit, I really want to see that happen now!¡±¡°Didn¡¯t you guys hear what Rollfire said? It¡¯s not happening!¡±¡°He¡¯s been wrong before! Please let him be wrong again! I want to see a good Fiddle ultie!¡±

    The game clock continued ticking. It struck 9 minutes when Team Shanghai gathered around the Dragon Pit. They waited and even walked through a couple of wards from Fuzhou Tech on purpose. But Fuzhou Tech didn¡¯t bite. They ignored the Dragon and the potential fight with Team Shanghai, and instead focused on farming minion and jungle camps elsewhere on the map.

    ¡°A sensible choice!¡± Rollfire eximed from the caster desk. He looked out over the audience and exined, ¡°You might think that Fuzhou Tech has a strong team to contest Dragon with Rumble and Fizz. But you can¡¯t forget that Kog¡¯Maw hasn¡¯t scaled yet. He needs levels and items. Contesting this Dragon is an unnecessary risk for Fuzhou Tech. By giving up on it they aren¡¯t losing out on much while also not opening themselves up to the risk of a Fiddlesticks ultimate! They need to use this time to farm and scale. There will be more Dragons to contest. Fuzhou Tech will get their shot!¡±

    Silent Reed knitted her brows and said, ¡°That¡¯s how the game is shaping up. Fuzhou Tech is showing some really strong decision making here!¡± Come on Team Shanghai! Prove this asshole next to me wrong! She blinked, surprised. Wow! I started cheering for Team Shanghai just because of how annoying Rollfire is! But please prove him wrong! I don¡¯t want to see him be right! You guys are just as capable of seeing the bigger picture as Fuzhou Tech! Please tell me you have a n in mind! I want to see you win!

    ?

    ¡°Take Dragon,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°If they don¡¯t want to fight, we¡¯ll just take the fight to them. Let¡¯s see how much they¡¯re willing to give up. We¡¯re going for the mid tower next. And BunBun, start taking their Jungle Camps. We¡¯re going to make them put up a defense somewhere!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°That sounds good! Let¡¯s see how long their patience willst!¡±

    Team Shanghai followed the goals set by Zeng Rui. They took the Dragon at 9:40 minutes and they destroyed the outer tower in the midne 40 secondster. An Xin¡¯s Fiddlesticks disappeared into Fuzhou¡¯s Jungle and started iming camps, while the rest of the team moved around the map in search of their next objective. The scale was slowly tipping in Team Shanghai¡¯s favour, but Fuzhou Tech wasn¡¯t giving up. They evaded fights at all costs and focused on scaling up their Fizz and Kog¡¯Maw. And little by little, it was working. Team Shanghai didn¡¯t get the push they really wanted and Fuzhou Tech was digging itself deeper and deeper into the game.

    The yers from Zhejiang University watched the game develop from their seats in front of the soundproof booths. And the more they watched, the more they found themselves agreeing with Rollfire. The Support raised an eyebrow and noted, ¡°It¡¯s looking pretty bad for Team Shanghai. They¡¯ve got the outer towers and some Jungle Camps, but what more can they realistically get? The inner towers are easier to defend because they¡¯re closer to the base. And Fuzhou Tech is just farming minions.¡±

    The Jungler nodded and said, ¡°It looks like Team Shanghai is pushing their lead. But really they¡¯re desperate to find an opening. They¡¯re fighting a battle against time! And in the entire game so far, Fiddlesticks hasn¡¯t found a single opening for his ultimate yet! That¡¯s pretty bad for them. If they can¡¯t find something soon, they¡¯re out of this game. It¡¯s going to end up being a 4vs5 game where Fiddlesticks ispletely useless! And Kog¡¯Maw will just shred through Team Shanghai¡¯s lineup!¡±

    Sun Ruinian listened to his teammates but didn¡¯t participate. He stared at therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths and tapped his chin in a slow, steady rhythm. This can¡¯t be it from Team Shanghai, right? They didn¡¯t expect to just get an opportunity thrown at them, right? That Miner is too good toe unprepared! Something is going to happen, I can feel it. How are they going to force this y? What do they have in mind? They really can¡¯t afford to let that Kog¡¯Maw or Fizz get too much stronger. It¡¯s going to be so hard toe back from that. He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and looked through the ss windows of the soundproof booths. They still look calm, I think. They must have something prepared.

    Back on the caster desk, Rollfire was having the time of his life. The audience was following along with everything he said and they were now all convinced that Team Shanghai was doomed to lose this game. Let¡¯s just add a bit more to it. I will make this stupid organization regret putting me on this dumb game! He grinned and said through the microphone, ¡°Team Shanghai is done for if they don¡¯t push for the win right now! They can try and push for little advantages all they want, it won¡¯t matter a thing in thete game! Fuzhou Tech¡¯s team ising online! They¡¯re getting the levels and items and will soon turn this game around! Just watch Kog¡¯Maw rip through Team Shanghai¡¯s Zed and Fiddlesticks! It¡¯ll happen! Trust me!¡±

    Silent Reed bit on her lips. He can¡¯t be right! Stupid asshole! But it looks like, it looks like he is¡­ She closed her eyes for a brief moment to settle the turmoil in her stomach. Then she shed them open and said, ¡°You¡¯re right! Team Shanghai needs to end the game as soon as they can! Fuzhou Tech is slowly catching up. One decisive fight is all that Team Shanghai needs here to finish it and im the series! It¡¯s a very open game that can go either way!¡±

    Rollfire sneered and asked, ¡°Force an engage? Ha! As if!¡± He turned to look at the audience and shouted, ¡°It¡¯d be a wonderful story to see the underdog high school team win it all! But that¡¯s just not realistic. This isn¡¯t the little kids league they usually y in. This is the Collegiate Cup! Expecting your opponent to screw up isn¡¯t a tactic that is going to work here! Team Shanghai screwed themselves over in Champion Select and they are feeling the pain now! Fiddlesticks simply doesn¡¯t fit in the meta, nor in Team Shanghai¡¯s teamposition! And Fuzhou Tech is ying a lot better than in Game 1. They¡¯re wing their way back from an early deficit and will soon get theplete turnaround fight! And then, then!¡± He briefly paused, drawing all attention towards him, and then added, ¡°And then we¡¯re going to an all deciding Game 3!¡±

 Chapter 297: Shutting up Dickfire

    Fuzhou Tech had given up on defending their outer towers and were even willing to give up onrge parts of their Jungle. They recognized that Team Shanghai was stronger right now, but they also knew that they were stronger in thete game. All they really needed was time. And when their line of wards was set up and they had a good idea of where Team Shanghai was at all times, they started feeling some confidence again. The mood in their soundproof booth lifted and they were actively talking with each other, discussing their next move.

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Turtle. Sit back. Scale. Grow strong. We got this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± the ad-carry replied, scanning the map for minions to kill.

    The Toner chimed in, ¡°I¡¯m fine giving up a couple of minions in the topne here. If either of you need it to hit your powerspikes faster!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to ward,¡± the Jungler reminded the team. ¡°We need to keep an eye on that Fiddlesticks. If he gets an ult on us, it¡¯s all over.¡±

    ¡°What about the second Dragon?¡± the Support asked. ¡°Are we challenging it?¡±

    The Jungler shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. There¡¯s still a few minutes before it spawns. We¡¯ll decide when it¡¯s about to spawn.¡±

    The game approached 12 minutes. After losing their mid outer tower, Fuzhou Tech also lost their bot and top outer towers. But they ignored the announcer¡¯s voice and instead focused on the parts of the map where they did still hold control. There were Jungle Camps to clear and minions to kill. Each kill on them brought Fuzhou Tech one step closer to their power spike. One step closer to turning the game around.

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner had his Fizz recall back to base and spent his gold. ¡°Oh!¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°I¡¯m a lot closer to hitting my power spike than I thought. I¡¯m almost there! I think I can take out the Ezreal in the next teamfight! Just a little more, guys! We got this!¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Fuzhou Tech¡¯s ad-carry asked. He looked at his creep score and items and added, ¡°I need a bit more. Maybe six minutes. But we¡¯ll have the advantage when we get to thete game!¡± He nced at his teammates and smiled. Rek¡¯Sai and Rumble are a strong frontline. Then we¡¯ve got Fizz who can jump to their backline and kill the Ezreal. And their Zed can¡¯t jump on me because Alistar is next to me to protect me! I¡¯ll free fire and kill all of them! This is going to be our game! We¡¯re going to win this! We have to win this! Keep vision on that Fiddlesticks and we got this!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner and ad-carry were on the same wavelength. Both had their cameras panned on the Fiddlesticks. The Miner reminded everyone over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We can¡¯t let Fiddlesticks get an ult on us! Keep your guard up.¡± One Fiddlesticks ultie and we¡¯re out. We can¡¯t go out now! Not to this team! We¡¯re ready to make it to the main tournament!

    The Support from Fuzhou Tech chuckled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°What are you worrying about? Look at our vision! We know exactly what they¡¯re doing! And what they¡¯re doing is slowly pushing towers and stealing some Jungle Camps. Big fucking deal! The Fiddlesticks isn¡¯t getting the jump on us and we¡¯re slowly fighting our way back into this game! And when we¡¯re back in, we¡¯re also winning. It¡¯s easy!¡±

    ¡°Right! We got this! They¡¯re searching for an engage but we aren¡¯t giving it to them! This is going to be a win for us! We just need to keep ying,¡± the ad-carry agreed.

    ?

    The yers from Fuzhou Tech already saw themselves getting back into the game, while Rollfire was saying pretty much the same at the caster desk. The audience found themselves agreeing with him, quietly conversing with each other. No one understood why Team Shanghai went with Fiddlesticks this game. They told each other it was obvious that Fiddlesticks wouldn¡¯t get a good ultimate skill off, and they argued how it was possible for a team that showed so much skill in the previous game to fall t on their faces in this game.

    But An Xin and Zeng Rui were far more prepared than most people in the audience realised. An Xin had exined to Zeng Rui how they were going to get a good Fiddlesticks ultimate in a private message before the game even started. And now it was time to share that information with the rest of the team. An Xin smiled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°You¡¯re up, Lin Feng.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn? Really?¡± Lin Feng asked, growing excited.

    An Xin giggled and answered, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s your turn. Fuzhou Tech has let their guard down and we¡¯ve taken everything they were willing to give away for free. Now it¡¯s about time we shut down that Kog¡¯Maw and end the game.¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at his monitor. His Leona was standing on the fountain in their base. It¡¯s all going toe down to him. BunBun told me to trust him. I know I have to trust him. I have to trust in the thundering dumbass. How did I get myself in this situation? He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and closed his eyes. Why is this so difficult for me to trust him? He opened his eyes again and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Yes. You lead the charge. If you see the opening, go for it. We¡­ we will follow up.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes started shining. His entire face lit up with joy! He nced at the minimap and eximed, ¡°Alright! Follow me!¡±

    ?

    At 13 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was sitting in the river brush right above the midne. Fuzhou Tech was slowly pushing further and further out from their base to kill minions and Lin Feng just knew someone was about to make a mistake. He panned his camera towards the Red topside Jungle. There were several Blue wards there, revealing the Raptor Camp. Where are they? They should be here already. Come on! HA! KNEW IT!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Rumble was searching for minions or monsters to kill. His team had vision of their entire Jungle and they hadn¡¯t seen anyone from Team Shanghai enter, so he felt safe enough to attack the Raptor Camp. But right as he engaged, four blood red shadows dashed at him from all around! They ced a Death Mark on him.

    Lin Feng had used Zed¡¯s ultimate skill on Rumble! Death Mark allowed Zed to dash at his target and mark them. He followed up with throwing a Razor Shuriken and Shadow shing with his ded gauntlets! Then he Ignited Rumble, an unquenchable me tearing through Rumble¡¯s health bar!

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Rumble eximed. He smashed down on his keyboard to activate sh. His Rumble disappeared towards the Red Buff Camp. But in his panic, he forgot to look at his minimap. Fiddlesticks had walked through Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Jungle and just arrived right where Rumble reappeared. An Xin¡¯s Fiddlesticks targeted the Rumble with Terrify and then started sapping his life away with Drain!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed ran towards the Rumble that was walking aimlessly in terror! He auto attacked Rumble twice before the Death Mark triggered. A portion of all the damage Zed dealt to Rumble over thest three seconds was repeated, decimating Rumble¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    An Xin nodded and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Not bad. Could¡¯ve done without the killsteal.¡±

    ¡°What killsteal?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He narrowed his eyes and continued, ¡°That was totally my kill! I got the pick and dealt the damage!¡±

    Sun Ruinian watched the game on therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths. He chewed on his lips, listening to the audience cheering and the shoutcasters arguing with each other. Something has changed. That Zed. Something about the way he¡¯s ying. It¡¯s like he upped the tempo of the game by himself. How is he doing this? Was he just dicking around until now?

    ?

    Zeng Rui and An Xin had told Lin Feng to stop thinking a few weeks ago. They exined to him that they would make the decisions and that he just had to follow them. Right now, An Xin had taken that restraint away from him. Lin Feng was allowed to think and he was allowed to y as he liked. The rest of the team would follow him. And that change brought Lin Feng to life. He searched around the map, his eyes zing with excitement, and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Outer towers are gone, so let¡¯s take the inner towers! Mid first!¡±

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Kog¡¯Maw and Alistar were defending the mid inner tower when they noticed Lin Feng¡¯s Zed killing minions and pushing thene. The Kog¡¯Maw yer smiled. Nice! Keep pushing those minions here! That¡¯s more free farm for me! And I have Alistar with me, so you can try and ult me all you want, it won¡¯t work! Alistar will just knock you up and then we¡¯ll kill you! He had his Kog¡¯Maw move forward a bit andst hit a minion. This is so perfect! I just need a little bi¡ª

    Lin Feng grinned and pressed down on his D and R keys. Zed disappeared from the map, crossing arge distance through the shadows, and only reappeared when four blood red shadows dashed at Kog¡¯Maw and marked him with the Death Mark!

    ¡°ZED WENT IN!¡± Silent Reed cried out into her microphone, her voice sting through the venue speakers.

    Rollfire¡¯s eyes went wide and he screamed, ¡°IMPOSSIBLE! THAT¡¯S SUICIDE!¡±

    Lin Feng pressed down on the R key again. Zed had left behind a Living Shadow when dashing at Kog¡¯Maw, and now jumped back to his original position. But Fuzhou Tech wasn¡¯t about to let him go. In their eyes, he¡¯d overextended far too deeply and his sh was on cooldown. Alistar shed forward and then targeted Zed with Headbutt to close the gap and Pulverize to knock him up into the air!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Fizz appeared from Red team¡¯s base and activated his ultimate! Chum the Waters! He tossed a fish at Zed that stuck to its target, slowly swimming in circles around him while a portal to the ocean opened up beneath him! Fizz followed up with Urchin Strike! He dashed through his target and dealt arge amount of magic damage! A shark suddenly jumped through the portal knocking Zed up into the air again and taking arge bite out of his health bar!

    ¡°THEY¡¯RE GOING TO KILL THE ZED!¡± Rollfire hollered into his microphone, responding to the gasps sounding out from the audience.

    But Lin Feng didn¡¯t worry. He knew exactly how much health his Zed had and what he and his team were capable of. This y was stillpletely within his control. He smiled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°ZengZeng! Stun them!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯M TRYING!¡± Zeng Rui yelled. YOU SHOULD¡¯VE SAID SOMETHING! He gritted his teeth and mmed down on his D key. shing forward was the only way to close the gap. He knew I had to sh. He fucking knew! Zeng Rui was looking between the Fizz and Kog¡¯Maw, deciding which one to target with his ultimate. A split second decision, but Fizz made it easy. When he shed, the Fizz panicked. He hopped away with yful Trickster and jumped right on top of Kog¡¯Maw. How¡­? Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He activated Leona¡¯s ultimate skill. Leona raised her sword and called down a Sr re! The st mmed into Kog¡¯Maw and Fizz and stunned them both!

    ¡°Just like I nned!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. He waited for his Zed to fall back to the ground and then cast Living Shadow! A new shadow appeared in front of Zed and he quickly switched positions with it to arrive next to the Kog¡¯Maw again! Then he threw a Razor Shuriken and shed at him with Shadow sh!

    Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai dug his way into the battle. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BACK! BACK! KOG! CAREFUL! KILL THE ZED!¡±

    ¡°FIDDLE! FIDDLE!¡± Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Miner suddenly screamed.

    All eyes were drawn towards the minimap. Not just the yers from Fuzhou Tech saw the Fiddlesticks charging up his ultimate skill, the people in the audience noticed it too. As did Rollfire. His eyes went wide and he shouted into his microphone, ¡°They lost sight of the Fiddlesticks! He¡¯s ulting! The Fiddlesticks is going in!¡±

    The Jungler from Fuzhou Tech panned his camera towards the top side Jungle. His heart mmed into his chest and his throat dried out. He hoarsely shouted, ¡°THE FIDDLE IS ULTING! BACK! BACKBAAACK!¡±

    Fiddlesticks was a scarecrow. He stood in the topside Jungle, right above where the fight was happening in the midne. There was only a wall of trees separating him from the fight. But his ultimate, Crowstorm, allowed him to jump that wall. He raised his arms and struck a T-pose.

    It felt like time froze. Fuzhou Tech¡¯s Fizz, Rek¡¯Sai, Alistar and Kog¡¯Maw were all gathered together. They wanted to run, to escape, to have saved their abilities and knock the Fiddlesticks away! But they¡¯d used their abilities on Zed, and failed to kill him. Rek¡¯Sai had used his movement skill to enter the fight and Fizz had used it to escape from Leona but was still stunned by her. Alistar and Kog¡¯Maw both had sh. They used it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to escape the range of the Crowstorm.

    The distant cries from a murder of crows arrived. Fiddlesticks jumped over the wall and opened the portal of ck death and damnation! The crows appeared and flew around within Fiddlesticks'' sphere of control! He drained everything of their life while the crows dove down and attacked everything that was still living! Fuzhou Tech¡¯s health bars disintegrated!

    Kog¡¯Maw¡¯s sh carried him to the edge of the Crowstorm. Several ticks mmed against his health, but he got out alive! The inner tower was right in front of him and he was almost safe! But then Ezreal¡¯s Trueshot Barrage washed over him! The powerful barrage of energy sheared away at his health until there was almost nothing left! I GOT OUT! I GO¡ª A Razor Shuriken struck him from behind.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    The Kog¡¯Maw yer stared at his grey screen, numb. He could see the fight that was still going on. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal had jumped in and was firing bolts of energy, helping the Fiddlesticks who was already dealing massive amounts of damage with his ultimate skill. And then there was Leona running interference and Zed jumping around his shadows. ¡°We lost. This¡­ We¡­ No. Please. NO!¡±

    Fiddlesticks had cast Terrify on Alistar and then Drain! Even his defensive ultimate skill couldn¡¯t save him! His health bar dropped and dropped and bottomed out! But not before Rek¡¯Sai died. She never got to buy items with magic resist or a lot of health. She died within seconds to the murder of crows.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°THE FIDDLE GOT A DOUBLE KILL!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO! HAHAHA! WHAT AN ULTIE!¡±¡°GET EATEN BY CROWS! HAHA!¡± ¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN IS THE BEST!¡±¡°HOLY SWEET MALONY! CHRIST! WHAT A FIGHT!¡±¡°I thought for sure Team Shanghai was fucked!¡±¡°DAMN! THEY CRAZY GOOD!¡±

    The fight was over. Fuzhou Tech had lost Alistar and Rek¡¯Sai to Fiddlesticks¡¯ ultimate and Lin Feng¡¯s Zed had in Kog¡¯Maw. Fizz was the only survivor. He¡¯d escaped the Crowstorm and was now running away through his bottom side Jungle. Zed was hot on his heels, and Lin Feng had the patience to wait for Fizz to make the mistake. And then Fizz cast yful Trickster to hop over a Jungle Wall. Lin Feng grinned and mouthed, ¡°Got you now.¡± There was a brief moment when Fizznded where he couldn¡¯t dodge. Lin Feng had his Zed cast a Living Shadow over the wall and followed up with Razor Shuriken! The Living Shadow imitated the skill and threw the shuriken exactly where Fizznded.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The crowd erupted in a second round of cheers, with Silent Reed hyping them on and Rollfire sinking back in his chair. Sun Ruinian watched all of this, pure horror ying in his eyes. That Zed even shut up Dickfire¡­ What the fuck was that? How did he¡ª What happened? He went from a decent Zed to¡ª How did Team Shanghai y that fight that well? Everything just worked perfectly together! They couldn¡¯t have done that any better if they¡¯d tried it a thousand times! And they basically ended any hope Fuzhou Tech had to turn this game around! It¡¯s over. It¡¯s really over. Team Shanghai is moving on to the next round. All they gotta do is y this one out! We still have to win our games, but then, then we have to y against them. We have to y against that Zed. How?

 Chapter 298: This Team is Worthy of my Presence

    Fuzhou Tech believed that all they had to do to win this game versus Team Shanghai was to keep their eyes on Fiddlesticks. Know his moves and take preemptive measures to stay far away from him! This method worked wlessly for the first 12 minutes of the game. There wasn¡¯t a single instance where Fiddlesticks could use his ultimate. But that all changed around the 12 minute mark. More specifically, Zed changed. One pair of eyes on him suddenly wasn¡¯t enough anymore. He ran around the map, half of the time using the shadows to cloak his movements. And when he did appear, it was with two sharp des. He brought chaos to the game. And it was within this chaos that Fiddlesticks thrived.

    There was nothing Fuzhou Tech could do once Fiddlesticks cast Crowstorm. They were caught with their pants down. Team Shanghai killed them and then went on to destroy the mid inner tower, inhibitor tower and inhibitor. After which they turned around and made their way to the dragon pit to take the second Dragon of the game. And finally, they recalled back to base to spend all the gold they¡¯d earned in thest few minutes. All the while, the yers from Fuzhou Tech stared at their dull grey monitors, waiting for their death timers to run out. It was this calm after the storm that allowed the audience to breathe out and digest the carnage they¡¯d just witnessed.

    ¡°No way. No fucking way! How did they lose four Champions there? They didn¡¯t even kill Zed! They didn¡¯t even kill Zed! How is that even possible? They all jumped on him! How did he survive¡­?¡±

    ¡°Fuzhou Tech is out. They¡¯re done for. It¡¯s over for them! I spoke with their Jungler the other day and he told me they were going to make it to Nationals! And now they¡¯re out this early! That¡¯s going to sting so badly! But what a fight! What a fight! WOW!¡±

    ¡°No kidding! I don¡¯t know what that was. I thought for sure Zed was dead when he did whatever the fuck that was! Did you see him sh-ult that Kog¡¯Maw? How does that even work? And then he just jumped right out before going back in and getting a double kill! Insane! Mental! NUTS!¡±

    ¡°That could¡¯ve been over at the very start of that fight. All Alistar needed to do was respond in time. But at the same time, can¡¯t really me him that he didn¡¯t. That Zed came out of nowhere and was gone before anyone even knew what the fuck just happened. But still¡­ if Alistar had responded in time, he would¡¯ve killed Zed. And then, then Fuzhou Tech would be the one winning this game¡­¡±

    ¡°Not really. Never mattered if Zed survived. He was just the decoy to create an opening for Fiddlesticks. Fuzhou Tech lost the moment theymitted four yers on Zed. That was when they lost sight of Fids and let him cast his ultie.¡±

    Sun Ruinian nced over his shoulder at the audience and listened to what they were saying. Then he turned his head to look at the casters, who were surprisingly quiet. The initial shock he felt from Lin Feng¡¯s engage and Team Shanghai¡¯s follow up settled down a bit. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes. That guy is right. The fight was over when Zed engaged. He created the chaos his team needed. Team Shanghai knew it from the start. All they needed was a bit of chaos to throw this deadlock wide open. They yed that so well.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler sighed loudly, drawing the full attention from his teammates, and said, ¡°I guess that¡¯s it for Fuzhou Tech. Team Shanghai is moving on to the quarter finals.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± the Toner replied. And the Support chimed in, ¡°Just look at that gold gap! Zed alone can probably 1vs5 them at this point¡­¡±

    Zuo Cheng hadn¡¯t heard a word his teammates were saying. His eyes were locked on therge LCD screen and his mind was in aplete mess. T-t-that¡­ What. That. It¡­ Zed. He opened his mouth, his jaw trembling, and mumbled, ¡°S-so strong¡­¡±

    Sun Ruinian nodded to this and said, ¡°Really strong. That was impressive.¡± He looked at Zuo Cheng and grimaced. All of Team Shanghai yed that really well. Leona with the follow up, Fiddle with his ultimate, Ezreal with the damage, Gnar¡­ I guess Gnar wasn¡¯t even there. But Zed. That Zed. He suddenly shivered, a cold spike pinning into his back. He sat up a little straighter and found himself staring at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. B+, A-, A¡­ I just keep having to reevaluate him. Every time I underestimate him. And this is just in a single series! There¡¯s something wrong, very, very wrong about that guy! He¡¯s too good! He doesn¡¯t belong here! He looked down at his hands that were shaking, then balled them into fists and pushed them against his thighs. Calm down. Just calm down. Take a deep breath. He breathed in, filling his lungs with air, then blew it all out. But he couldn¡¯t find any rxation. I¡¯ve seen Shi Hang y so many games. He¡¯s really good! But is he this good? Would he have yed this fight just as good as that Zed? Who is the better Zed yer? He shook his head, incredulous. This Zed is so good that I¡¯mparing him to Shi Hang¡­ I¡¯mparing him to an actual professional yer!

    ?

    An Xin and Zeng Rui had given Lin Feng free reign over the game at 12 minutes. Since then, he¡¯d picked up a kill on Rumble and a double kill on Kog¡¯Maw and Fizz. That all happened within 3 minutes, but it set the tone for the remainder of the game. He spent the gold reward from the kills on finishing two items, further increasing the gap in stats with the yers from Fuzhou Tech, and went on a murder spree.

    ¡¶Dominating!¡·¡¶Godlike!¡·¡¶Legendary!¡·¡¶Legendary!¡·

    The announcer¡¯svoicecked the supetives for Lin Feng¡¯s Zed. He didn¡¯t even need his ultimate to assassinate Kog¡¯Maw or Fizz, neither having enough health to survive a basic Living Shadow into Shadow sh and Razor Shurikenbo. As for the tankier members on Fuzhou Tech, it wasn¡¯t all that different. Zed tore through their health bars, sometimes with and other times without his ultimate skill and Ignite. He killed them all, repeatedly.

    But Fuzhou Tech refused to give up. This was theirst chance to make it to the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. They persevered beyond the 20th minute, arguing that only Zed was fed and that the rest of Team Shanghai didn¡¯t really amount to much. It was a flimsy excuse. They knew it and they knew their teammates knew it too. But it was enough to keep them going. That was, until Lin Feng¡¯s Zed dropped all pretenses and simply walked into Fuzhou Tech¡¯s base to 1vs3 Fizz, Kog¡¯Maw and Alistar. The rest of Team Shanghai was pushing the topne. Zed was all by himself taking on three members from Fuzhou Tech. And he won. The voice announcer called out the triple kill and momentster Fuzhou Tech surrendered.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was running towards the inhibitor tower in the topne, about to towerdive the two Champions from Fuzhou Tech still alive, when his camera suddenly panned towards Red team¡¯s nexus. Therge crystal exploded and the energy inside burst out! Large red letters popped up onto his screen.

    VICTORY!

    The second game in the best of three series between Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Techsted 23 minutes. It was another decisive victory by Team Shanghai, who were moving on to the quarter finals of the Winter Collegiate Cup East China Regionals! The audience had long forgotten about their annoyances with the fact that Team Shanghai was a high school team. They only saw a strong team putting on a phenomenal performance, and that deserved respect. Their cheers rocked the venue!

    The original yers from High School 13¡¯s esports team were also in the venue. They were on their feet, leading the celebrations for Team Shanghai! It wasn¡¯t until their voices were hoarse that they calmed down a little. Ouyang turned to look at his friends andughed. He said, ¡°We won! We actually won! See, what did I tell you guys? Lin Feng is a Challenger on the Ionia server! This bro never doubted him!¡±

    Ren Rou giggled and said, ¡°You always believed him? Even when you wouldn¡¯t let him join our esports team?¡± But then the smile disappeared from her face. She looked at a group of five sitting right in front of the soundproof booth and continued, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about their next round. They¡¯re probably going to go up against Zhejiang University. That might very well be the best team in East China!¡±

    Wei Dong, Chen Ze and Liu Yue looked at Ren Rou and then each other. All joy from the victory over Fuzhou Tech disappeared. They started biting their lips and chewing their nails, but didn¡¯t say anything. They didn¡¯t know what to say. Zhejiang University was one of the strongest teams in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup everyone around them kept saying. And in their minds, Team Shanghai was still just a high school team. There was a certain amount of respect the former High School 13 members had for the status of a university team.

    Liu Yue looked down at his shoes and muttered, ¡°Everyone keeps saying we don¡¯t stand a chance against Zhejiang University. Those guys aren¡¯t even in the quarter finals yet! But no one doubts they¡¯ll beat their opponents. And then us¡­ I wonder if we really don¡¯t stand a chance against them.¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I won¡¯t say that we don¡¯t stand a chance at all. I¡¯ve watched Zhejiang University y, and yes they¡¯re good, but they aren¡¯t invincible. When Ipare them with how our team yed today, I¡¯m thinking we have about a 30% chance of winning.¡±

    ?

    Sun Ruinian had his eyes closed and was focused on his breathing, until his hands stopped shaking and the cold shiver disappeared from his neck. Then he got up from his seat and said to his teammates, ¡°It¡¯s our turn. Come.¡±

    The other yers from Zhejiang University got up from their seats and followed behind Sun Ruinian towards the empty soundproof booth. They walked with straight backs and steady steps, neither too fast nor too slow but just right to show to the audience how full of confidence they were. This round was just another they had to get through on their way to Nationals. Because anything less was beneath them.

    ¡°Look! Those five down there! That¡¯s Zhejiang University¡¯s team!¡± ¡°Oh my god! Sun Ruinian is soooo hot! HAVE MY BABY!¡± ¡°They look so calm! Their opponents must be shitting their pants right about now!¡± ¡°I think they are! Hahaha! Look over there, those five! Haha!¡±

    ¡°It is time for the second best of three series in Group A!¡± Silent Reed announced from behind the casters desk. She held the microphone in front of her mouth and continued, ¡°Over there we have Zhejiang University! I don¡¯t think we need any introduction for them, but let¡¯s give them one anyway! Their captain is Samsara, or Sun Ruinian, one of the best ad-carries at the university level! He led his team all the way to the semifinals in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup! And they almost made it to the Finals!¡± She briefly paused to shake her head and then added, ¡°But University of Science of Technology Beijing¡ª Wow, that was a mouthful! Let¡¯s go with USTB from now on! Anyway, USTB was too strong for them then. It was a big disappointment for the sky-high goals of this team! But they¡¯ve had 6 months to prepare! They¡¯re more ready than ever!¡±

    Rollfire smiled when he saw the second game he was hired to cast. Now this is a series that has my name written all over it! Zhejiang University is a real team! Heck yeah! He grinned and grabbed his microphone. He then stood up and leaned on his desk before saying, ¡°You¡¯re right on that, Silent Reed! Such a shame that they went out too. They almost beat USTB! But they haven¡¯t sat idly by thesest few months. I have it from good sources that they¡¯ve all improved tremendously! Did you know that Sun ¡®Samsara¡¯ Ruinian even made the massive leap from B+ to A-? He¡¯s practically at the professional level! I don¡¯t think anyone here can beat this handsome monster of an ad-carry! Let¡¯s give it up for Zhejiang University!¡± He paused to let the audience cheer before eventually adding, ¡°... And whoever they¡¯re ying.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai sat down in the yer seating area at the very front of the venue to watch Zhejiang University¡¯s games. Zhang Hao was ying with his fingers nervously, while Tang Bingyao became even more quiet than usual, her eyes trained on Sun Ruinian. Zeng Rui looked at his two teammates and saw the nerves and worry in their every motion. Then he turned to look at the other two members on his team. An Xin looks her normal self. I can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s thinking with that smile. He shook his head and turned to look at Lin Feng and then furrowed his brow. What¡¯s the thundering dumbass doing? Is he thinking really hard or something? Why is he scratching his forehead? Why¡­ Why am I still surprised by all the stupid shit he does? I should be used to it by now.

    Lin Feng felt the burning gaze from Zeng Rui and nced over at his teammates. ¡°ZengZeng!¡± he said, excited. But Zeng Rui only nodded, so he turned back to look at the soundproof booth in which Zhejiang University¡¯s team had taken ce. He tapped on his forehead with one hand and ruffled his hair with the other. Zhejiang University¡­ It¡¯s been nagging me for days now! Why does it sound so familiar? Do I know someone from there? That has to be it, right? Why can¡¯t I think of it? I¡¯ll figure it out! He shook his head and turned to look at Zeng Rui who had started talking to Tang Bingyao.

    Zeng Rui pointed at Sun Ruinian and said, ¡°He¡¯s a solid A-. y close attention to him. He¡¯ll make the jump to the professional scene soon.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding. Zeng Rui says I¡¯m a B right now. When I¡¯m ying my game, I can hold my own against B+ ad-carries. But I need to get better! A real A grade yer is a professional yer! This guy is practically a pro already! I need to watch him y and learn from him! There are many yers who never make it to A grade! You need something special for that! If I want to be on Lin Feng¡¯s superteam, I need to find that something special! I need to get even better! Mhm! She nced at Lin Feng and raised her eyebrow. What¡¯s gotten into him anyway?

    Lin Feng had briefly listened to the exchange between Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao before delving back into his mind. I¡¯m sure of it! I know someone from Zhejiang University! Who is it? Where do I know them from? Maybe if I can figure that out I know. Aghh! This is so annoying! Why can¡¯t I remember this? Stupid memory! Just tell me who I know from Zhejiang University. Zhejiang University. Zhejiang University. He shook his head, annoyed. Think!

    ?

    The series between Zhejiang University and Stepping Stone University was a massive one-sided beatdown. Zhejiang University was just far better, so much so that people in the audience only found themselves cheering for one team. The first gamested 18 minutes, the second making it to minute 20 before Stepping Stone University surrendered. The cheers of the Zhejiang University fans in the audience drowned the venue. It was too easy. Zhejiang University was just far too strong.

    ¡°Zhejiang! Zhejiang! Zhejiang!¡± ¡°Woooooo! What a game!¡± ¡°So fast! Zhejiang! Zhejiang!¡± ¡°I attend Zhejiang University! Best uni in all of China!¡± ¡°Gee-gee to Stepping Stone University! Well yed!¡± ¡°Goooooo Zhejiang! All the way to the Championship title!¡±

    Silent Reed sat at the caster desk, smiling. This wasn¡¯t so bad in the end. A lot better since Zhejiang started ying. She nced at Rollfire and then back at the game. I can finally cast! She giggled and said, ¡°That was something! What a disy of pure skill by Zhejiang University! They dismantled Stepping Stone University! It was a little hard to watch at times, to be honest. But this gives us some real hope!¡± She briefly waited, drawing in curious gazes from the audience, before continuing, ¡°East China is the esports region in China, yet we haven¡¯t won the Collegiate Cup for quite a while now. It¡¯s about time that changes! And Zhejiang University is looking like the team who might just bring about that change! If they keep ying like they are, I think we have a real shot at winning the Winter Collegiate Cup!¡±

    Rollfire grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Ourst win was four years ago. Back then, it was also Zhejiang University who clinched the win! And that was all thanks to their former team captain, Shi Hang! The man doesn¡¯t need an introduction, we all know him as the best Miner from China from Season 2! But his recement is starting to look just as impressive!¡± Rollfire hadpletely forgotten about his anger and was even starting to enjoy casting this second game with Silent Reed. He smiled and continued, ¡°Like Silent Reed just said, it looks like Zhejiang University has a real shot at winning this edition of the Winter Collegiate Cup! East China is back baby!¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang sat in his private room backstage. The games were finished but he was still watching the videofeed, listening to what the casters had to say. They¡¯re right. Shi Hang was something else. Such a top talent. And now they¡¯ve got Sun Ruinian. He isn¡¯t quite as good, but he¡¯s still a phenomenal yer. If this was any other year, they would¡¯ve made it to the main tournament. And then they¡¯d have made it to the Finals and maybe even won it all. He pursed his lips into a smile and lightly shook his head. But this time Lin Feng is ying. Maple is in the house! He grinned at himself. Sun Ruinian can be A- all he wants, he still falls well short of Lin Feng. Even Shi Hang fell short of Lin Feng. He might¡¯ve won the Collegiate Cup, but he never beat Lin Feng. It¡¯s funny how I still remember thempeting way back. A couple of times, in fact. And it was always Lin Feng who came out on top. Maple really was the best! Still is.

 Chapter 299: Iâ€™m Not a Goldfish!

    There was no one who paid as much attention to the games from Zhejiang University as Tang Bingyao. Not even Rollfire. She zoned everything out. All she saw was the game ying on therge LCD screen. But even then, she wasn¡¯t watching the bird¡¯s eye view when it was focused on the topne or midne. She was only paying attention to the Boners. To Sun ¡®Samsara¡¯ Ruinian. He¡¯s good. He¡¯s so good. Zeng Rui is right. He¡¯s far better than I am! Everything he does, it just¡­ Mhm. It looks perfect! She chewed on the inside of her cheeks and moved her head from side to side. He¡¯s an A- ad-carry Zeng Rui says. I¡¯m B. Maybe B+ on a very good day. But I¡¯m not A-.

    There was an intrinsic difference between B and A grade yers. It was a vast chasm separating the cheerful amateur from the real professional. Tang Bingyao stared at the minimap on therge LCD screen throughout both games. She watched Sun Ruinian carry the first game on Tristana and the second one on Jinx. It¡¯s something about the way he ys. It looks so clean and effortless! She briefly nced at Lin Feng before turning back to look at the LCD screen. Kind of like how Lin Feng always makes his ys work. Mhm! There is something there that I¡¯m not seeing. I¡¯m missing something. She nodded at herself and breathed out. They¡¯re better. Just a lot better. I¡¯ll hold my own against any ad-carry in B grade. But Sun Ruinian? He¡¯s better than I am. I can¡¯t beat him. I might not even be able to stay even against him inne!

    Tang Bingyao had felt pressure before, like in the finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. But the pressure she felt back then and right now were on apletely different scale. I wasn¡¯t always winning the botne in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, but I could see the differences in skill. I knew I was better, even if I didn¡¯t always y better. And maybe in the finals I wasn¡¯t exactly better¡­ But I could see how good my opponent was! But him? Sun Ruinian? I can¡¯t even tell how good he is. He is so good that I just don¡¯t know how much better he is! Everything he does just looks perfect!

    Another rey started on therge LCD screen. It was a teamfight in Game 1 of Zhejiang University versus Stepping Stone University. The game was 17 minutes in when both teams gathered around the Dragon Pit. They threw skillshots at each other and were searching for an engage. Zhejiang University found the opening first and jumped on it. More specifically, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana Rocked Jumped on it. She dodged the crowd control skills thrown her way, killed the low health targets first, and then kited back while killing the high health targets. It was a wless fight where she never stopped firing cannonballs into Stepping Stone University¡¯s team.

    Tang Bingyao ced her hand over her chest, feeling her heart smashing into her ribcage. He¡¯s so good! Mnh-mnh, I can¡¯t beat him. I can¡¯t. He¡¯s too good! That was such a beautiful fight! It looked like he was dancing through them! How do you y against that? What can I do against him? We¡¯re ying against them in the next round, and I can¡¯t beat him! I¡¯m going to lose and I¡¯m going to¡­ She clenched her fists and tensed her jaw. I can¡¯t lose! But how can I not lose when I have to y him¡­?

    Zeng Rui noticed how quiet Tang Bingyao was and saw the twisting expressions on her face. From serious to worried to something he couldn¡¯t quite exin. What¡¯s going on in her mind? Is she that worried about Sun Ruinian? He looked from Tang Bingyao up at therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths. He¡¯s good, Tang Tang. Yes. He¡¯s very good. There are only a handful non professional yers in all of China who can beat him! But he¡¯s been practicing for years! He¡¯s been ying together with his team and training nonstop, while we only started ying together a few weeks ago. Your first tournament game was like two months ago! It¡¯s normal you¡¯re worse than him. But that¡¯s just right now! You¡¯ll get better than him! Don¡¯t forget that it¡¯s already frightening enough that you got so good so fast! He looked down at his hands before asking, ¡°What do you think about him?¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t take her eyes off the screen as she replied, ¡°He¡¯s good. Really good.¡± He isn¡¯t just really good either¡­ She pursed her lips and then added, ¡°He¡¯s better than me.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and replied, ¡°They have a strong team. Their Jungler is a B+ grade yer and their otherners are all somewhere in the B grade. But their botne is their bestne.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°I¡¯m not expecting you to reach Sun Ruinian¡¯s level in the next few days. I just wanted you to see how good he is, so that you can prepare yourself for our series against them. He¡¯s going to be your toughest opponent yet. You need to be ready for that.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded slowly and mumbled, ¡°Mhm, okay.¡±

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at the yers from Zhejiang University who were sitting a short distance away from them. He massaged his temples. Tang Tang can¡¯t catch up to him. We¡¯re going to have to find a way to y around that. Our best odds are to ban out every ad-carry he likes to y and then aim for ane swap. But that¡¯s easier said than done. If they see iting and also do ane swap, Tang Tang will still be stuck in a 2vs2 against him. And I don¡¯t see her winning that. He¡¯s far better than she is. It¡¯s going to be a real challenge.

    Zeng Rui leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling of the venue hall. I knew this was going to happen. We all knew it from the start. Thest round in Regionals is going to be harder than the start in the main tournament. There are just too many strong teams in East China. And we haven¡¯t had enough time to prepare for that. We¡¯re so far away frompeting against a team like that. They aren¡¯t even the strongest team either. But they could be, and we have to watch out for that possibility. He closed his eyes and thought about Shi Hang. Zhejiang University still has their old team captain. He¡¯s a student there, so he¡¯s eligible. If he decides to y, we¡¯re screwed. He already was an A+ Miner four years ago. Luckily I heard he¡¯s busy with graduate school and not interested in ying. But what if he does decide to? What are we supposed to do then? Having to figure something out for Tang Tang and Sun Ruinian is difficult enough. Zhang Hao will also need some help. If the midne also struggles¡ª

    ¡°Man, I heard Zhejiang University¡¯s captain was good, but this good?¡± Zhang Hao said, drawing the attention from his teammates. He shook his head and continued, ¡°He has to have basically reached the level of their previous team captain, right? Do you guys think Sun Ruinian is going to go professional just like their old team captain did? You know, AyDeeCee¡ª¡±

    ¡°THAT¡¯S IT! THAT¡¯S HIM!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and put an arm around Zhang Hao¡¯s shoulder, shouting, ¡°That¡¯s where I remember Zhejiang University from! AyDeeCee! I remember him! I was sitting here trying to think why Zhejiang University sounded so familiar, but it was all because of AyDeeCee! Thanks HaoBro, you¡¯re the best!¡±

    Zhang Hao turned to look at Lin Feng in surprise and asked, ¡°You know AyDeeCee?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Lin Feng replied. Then he grinned and added, ¡°I don¡¯t just know him. I yed against him, and beat him!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s mouth fell open and he stuttered, ¡°R-really?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Back in Season 1! I kicked his ass!¡±

    Zeng Rui red at Lin Feng and wanted to shout at him. Thundering dumbass! What is this nonsense!? You were like 15 in Season 1! How are we to believe you beat a professional yer back then? Did you even y League!? He forced himself into long, calming breaths before turning to An Xin and asking, ¡°Did he finally break? I know he has issues. But this¡­ even for him this is crazy.¡±

    An Xin smiled and shook her head. She replied, ¡°No. He¡¯s telling the truth.¡±

    He, he¡¯s telling the truth? The words smashed into Zeng Rui¡¯s ears like a battering ram. His head fell forward and his mouth open. He stared at An Xin with round eyes before slowly turning to look at Lin Feng, stunned in shock. He, he, he, he, he¡­ He, he, he¡­ He felt a cold shiver run up and down his spine, until he finally muttered, ¡°H-he what?¡±

    An Xin exined, ¡°Lin Feng¡¯s telling the truth. He yed against AyDeeCee and he won. I actually don¡¯t think he lost a single game to that guy.¡± She then looked past Zeng Rui into the distance, her eyes zing over. The first LPL season. AyDeeCee got bullied out of the botne by Silent and decided to switch to the midne. There he was the best yer, very shortly. He beat every Miner in China except for Lin Feng. Lin Feng schooled him! But Lin Feng... Maple only yed League professionally for a bit. AyDeeCee stuck around for a while longer and became the best Miner again. He was never as good as Maple though.

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t hear another word. Nor did he see what was going on around him. The world before his eyes started spinning, dark spots clouding his vision. Breathe. Keep breathing. BREATHE! He tried to calm himself down, but the shock was just too much. I thought I prepared for everything! I¡¯ve even been looking into how AyDeeCee has been yingtely and considering different tactics to face him! We can¡¯t beeat him, I know that. We¡¯re just not good enough. But that¡¯s okay. He is China¡¯s best Miner from Season 2. He even yed back in Season 1! Yet now, now, now the thundering dumbass ims he beat AyDeeCee? It¡¯s not possible! It¡¯s not! He shook his head and turned to look at An Xin. Why couldn¡¯t she just tell me that he¡¯s lying? Just tell me that I misheard it! My ears aren¡¯t working normally! This doesn¡¯t make any sense! How can he¡­ How can¡­ He nced at Lin Feng and felt his eyebrow twitching. How can this be real? I saw him y all the way at the start of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! It didn¡¯t look that impressive! He was the thundering dumbass! How can he have beaten AyDeeCee? How!?

    Lin Feng looked from Zeng Rui to Zhang Hao and back at Zeng Rui. He nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! I know him and beat him! Those games were so much fun!¡± He then turned to look at An Xin and added, ¡°Who said I have a goldfish memory!? I remember him! I knew I remembered him!¡± My memory isn¡¯t so bad! I remembered him! AyDeeCee! What was his real name again? Hang something¡­ Ah whatever, I don¡¯t care! He was the founder of Zhejiang University¡¯s esports club! See? I do remember things! And, and¡­ and I haven¡¯t seen him in so long. I wonder how he is.

    The name was the key to arge number of old memories. Lin Feng traveled back in time to four years ago, reliving his run-ins with AyDeeCee. I remember that he used to be an ad-carry! That¡¯s how he won the Collegiate Cup! The first edition! He was the first to win it! And he was an ad-carry during that time. A really good one too! It wasn¡¯t until he became a professional yer that he made the switch to the midne. Lin Feng started grinning. Everyone always asked him why he switched to the midne and he would never tell them why. But a couple of us knew! He was practicing in solo queue and kept being matched up against Silent! They yed 11 games in three days. And he lost 11 times! Silent kicked his ass so hard that he ran away to the midne! It was so funny to watch him rage quit the ad-carry position!

    Silent¡­ crap, I miss you dude. Lin Feng grimaced and felt his stomach in turmoil. But he pushed that down and smiled, proud. We had such a good team. Silent was the best ad-carry in China and one of the best in the world! He made AyDeeCee rage quit his role! And then there was Eleven in the jungle. He was better than Read XIII and basically the best in the world! Then we had Autumn in Support and there was just no one better than him. He shook his head and grinned. Toner Fatty. He was one of the best and still is. His performance at Worlds this year was so cool to watch! We were all amazing! Our team, every part of it, was perfect! There weren¡¯t any better yers out there! We had the actual best team!

    Lin Feng suddenly looked at the yers sitting around him. Zhang Hao was still recovering from the shock, Tang Bingyao was staring at therge LCD screen, and Zeng Rui and An Xin were quietly talking about something. He bit on his lips and shook his head. We were all amazing. We were the best! But now¡­ This team isn¡¯t that team. That team is gone. They are gone. I left them. I don¡¯t even know where Silent is! I want to see them again. I miss them. But what do I even tell them when I see them again? How do I face them after everything I did? I was the worst friend.

    ?

    The China Esports Association and its branches uploaded the footage of the Round of 16 from the various regions to their website. This allowed other teams to check out their potential opponents in the next round, which added a whole new dimension to the games. One of the teams who made a lot of use of this feature was Team Beijing. Fan Yuan, the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association, had gathered his yers in an empty room and showed them reys of the games from Team Shanghai and also from Zhejiang University. He then asked the yers, ¡°We¡¯ve seen the games. One of these two teams is making it to the main tournament. Tell me what you guys think about them. Talk me through Team Shanghai¡¯s games first.¡±

    The yers from Team Beijing shrugged their shoulders and one of them said, ¡°They were okay, I suppose. It looked better than their games in the previous round. Maybe they improved a bit? Eh, it¡¯s whatever really. Just that much isn¡¯t going to put any pressure on us.¡±

 Chapter 300: Beat him Back Into the Coffin he Came Crawling out From

    Team Shanghai showcased by far their strongest performance in the Round of 16 series versus Fuzhou Tech. But they were still a new team with clear weak spots. Their teamwork left a lot to be desired and the individual yers weren¡¯t necessarily the best in their role either. Zhang Hao in the topne was quite clearly one of the weakest Toners in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup, and though Tang Bingyao had a lot of untapped potential, she was only average right now. That left Zeng Rui, An Xin and Lin Feng. Zeng Rui was an uncontested A- Support. Everyone recognized that. But An Xin and Lin Feng were new to the Shanghai scene. No one knew them beyond the few games they¡¯d seen. And in those games, An Xin had yed a strange method that lookedcking, while Lin Feng had a habit to be better than hisne opponent without actually looking all that much better.

    Fuzhou Tech was the strongest opponent Team Shanghai had faced in the Winter Collegiate Cup. But just like in the previous rounds, they yed at a level right above their opponents and beat them. There were no shy ys, except from Lin Feng at the end of the second game, and nothing that stood out in particr. So it wasn¡¯t all too surprising that Team Beijing didn¡¯t think too much about Team Shanghai.

    Team Beijing was a team of monstrous talents handpicked by the Beijing Esports Association. They were the best yers from their region specifically recruited to beat the teams from the Shanghai and Guangzhou Esports Associations. And Goalie belonged to Team Guangzhou. The Beijing Esports Organization learned about Goalie early on, and so they knew they needed a lot more than just a university level team.

    Zhejiang University was a solid B team. It could be argued that Sun Ruinian lifted them up to a B+ grade, though not everyone agreed with that notion. But Team Beijing was indisputably B+ grade. In most years, this was enough topete for the title. And odds were that it was enough this time around as well. But Fan Yuan, the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association, wasn¡¯t satisfied with his team. He looked at the individual members in the office room, one at a time, before lecturing them. ¡°Stop underestimating your opponent,¡± he said before turning his back to them and looking at the projection of the reys on the wall. He then pped his ruler against it and continued, ¡°These five yers are handpicked by the Shanghai Esports Association! They have beaten every opponent they¡¯ve faced so far! And odds are that we have to y against them in the main tournament.¡±

    Fan Yuan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Our main roster consists of a B grade yer, two B+s and two A-s. We have no Goalie in the midne, but we¡¯ve got a strong team. Probably stronger than Team Shanghai. But not when we can¡¯t even be bothered to take our opponents seriously. Team Shanghai has strong yers. We need to¡­ How do I get through their egos? He turned to look back at the seven yers from Team Beijing and said, ¡°Nothing good wille from looking down on them. All I¡¯m asking is to consider their strengths and be ready to y against them, and beat them.¡±

    A chuckle sounded in the quiet room. One of Team Beijing¡¯s members shook his head and said, ¡°You really think they¡¯re going to make it to the main tournament? With that team? They¡¯re ying Zhejiang University next, right? The way I¡¯m seeing it, Zhejiang University has the better team. We just watched both games. Zhejiang University looked far more convincing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d put my money on Zhejiang University. We should focus on them,¡± another team member chimed in.

    The other yers from Team Beijing all agreed. They started talking about the Zhejiang University versus Stepping Stone University game,mented on how Sun Ruinian had truly reached A- grade in the ad-carry role, and argued that with the line-up Zhejiang was sporting they really couldn¡¯t be disregarded. Gradually, the arrogant and derisive undertone disappeared from their conversation and was reced with respect. Zhejiang University was a strong team and deserved their full attention.

    ¡°True, true. Zhejiang University is indeed a strong team,¡± Fan Yuan agreed, nodding. I finally have their attention now. Good. We¡¯ll focus on Zhejiang University first. He continued, ¡°Zhejiang University won the first Collegiate Cup four years ago. Their founder became one of the best professional yers in League of Legends, though he quit years ago. Ourtest intel on him says he¡¯s focusing on his studies.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°But that also means he¡¯s still at Zhejiang University. Which means he is eligible to y. You might¡¯ve heard his name before. AyDeeCee.¡±

    Fan Yuan had joined the Chinese esports scene midway Season 2. He was a young man eager to show his worth and climb the ranks of the Chinese Esports Association. To that end, he¡¯d spent every waking minute of his life learning everything there was to learn about China¡¯spetitive League of Legends scene. We were all still learning back then. There was just so much to do and not enough time to do it in. He had briefly nced at the data from before Season 2, but quickly cast that aside. He¡¯d reasoned that yers from the past weren¡¯t going to help China win, only active yers could do that. And the most famous active yer in Season 2 was AyDeeCee. He was a phenomenon! It was actually exciting to go and watch games back then just because he was ying! I still remember how high we graded him. 81%! All this talk about B grade yers and A grade yers¡­ At 80%, you transcend that rating system and truly step into the realm of a professional yer! AyDeeCee took that step years ago! He was in a realm of his own! If he really starts ying again¡­ He shook his head and turned to look at Yu Ping. I wonder if Yu Ping can beat him. Doubt it. Even after all this time, I doubt Yu Ping can beat AyDeeCee. He sighed and said, ¡°Yu Ping, prepare to y against AyDeeCee, just in case.¡±

    Yu Ping raised an eyebrow. Why would I need to prepare for him? He hasn¡¯t yed in years... He grinned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I¡¯d love to show my skills off against him.¡± He paused for a moment, then shrugged and added, ¡°He¡¯s an old man from Season 2. It¡¯s Season 5. Almost 6. This is our season.¡±

    ?

    Team Guangzhou had moved to a luxurious apartment building that the Guangzhou Esports Association had rented just for them. It was their little, veryrge gaming house. They were gathered in the main training room together with their coaches and were reviewing the games yed in the East China Regionals. More specifically, they were talking about Zhejiang University and discussing the possibility of AyDeeCee stepping in to lead Zhejiang University to the main tournament.

    Goalie listened to what his interpreter told him and then turned to look at his coach with a nk expression. He slowly enunciated, ¡°Ay. Dee. Cee?¡± Then he grinned and shrugged, before leaning over to his interpreter and whispering a message in Korean.

    The interpreter turned to look at the coaches and tranted, ¡°Goalie says he remembers that someone with that name yed all the way back in Season 2, maybe even Season 1? He calls them a ¡®relic of the past¡¯. We¡¯re now in a ¡®new¡¯ period of League of Legends that doesn¡¯t care about ¡®old fame¡¯. Goalie also says that¡­¡± He briefly paused and turned to look at Goalie, who nodded at him. He bit on his lips before saying, ¡°Goalie also says that if AyDeeCee reallyes back, that he¡¯ll ¡®beat him back into the coffin he came crawling out from¡¯.¡±

    The two coaches both looked at Goalie who was still smiling. His pale, starved face created a terrifying expression. They almost recoiled back, but eventually just shook their heads. They were epting of the confidence bordering arrogance, mostly because Goalie was one of the most talented yers in all of League of Legends. His teammates, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care one bit for Goalie¡¯s antics. They were used to the strange things he said and of the fact he spent so much time behind hisputer that he skipped more than a few meals. If anything, it motivated them to train harder too, just to be worthy to y together with him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ve got Goalie! What¡¯s some old bloke gonna do?¡± ¡°Lawl! Is Zhejiang University going to cast Dead Rite to bring AyDeeCee back to life?¡±¡°Did that guy even y in thest three years? How good can he really be?¡±¡°What Goalie said! A relic of the past! He shouldn¡¯te back. He¡¯ll just stain his legacy!¡±¡°I hope that old fart stays in his retirement home! The young rule now!¡±

    ?

    A loud sneezing sound boomed through a dorm room in Zhejiang University. Shi Hang, a 25 year old man, rubbed his nose clean on his sleeve andined, ¡°What the hell is going on? I¡¯ve been sneezing all day! Is someone talking about me, or am I just getting sick?¡± He looked out of the window over an almost empty square down below. The coldness that winter brought carried people inside and made them turn on their heater. Shi Hang wasn¡¯t any different. The temperature in his room was so high that he wasn¡¯t even wearing a sweater, just a clean white t-shirt.

    Shi Hang walked to his fridge and took two bottles of beer out. He looked over his shoulder and asked, ¡°Want one?¡±

    The other person in the room, sitting on the edge of a seat fiddling with his fingers, was Sun Ruinian. The ad-carry from Zhejiang University¡¯s esports team chewed on his lips and shook his head. ¡°No thanks.¡±

    Shi Hang shrugged and put one beer back. Then he grabbed a knife and took the cap off his beer. He took arge swig and walked back to the small couch in his living room. There, he let himself fall down and put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. ¡°So, what led you here?¡± he asked. ¡°Looking to mooch food off of me again?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Sun Ruinian replied, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m not here for that¡­¡± He pursed his lips and looked at the man sitting across from him. Would people stille to our esports club if they saw you like this? You know you¡¯re the most popr guy at our university, right? Everyone wants to join our esports team because of you! They don¡¯t even care about Rake or Hermes, they only talk about you! They¡¯re proud of being part of the esports club you founded!

    Shi Hang took a second sip from his beer, a special brew that had a salty bitterness to it. He let out a satisfied burp and leaned further back in his chair. Sun Ruinian, Sun Ruinian. He grinned a bit and nodded to himself. I did well recruiting him. He¡¯s a great yer and when I couldn¡¯t be bothered with the club anymore, he happily picked everything up for me. I don¡¯t have to do anything anymore. And he¡¯s doing really well. We¡¯ve got more than 500 members and are the university¡¯s biggest club! Sure, many join because of me, but Sun Ruinian is making the right s for that!

    The smile suddenly disappeared from Shi Hang¡¯s face. He moved his lips around and observed Sun Ruinian, disgruntled. But the number of members and how it¡¯s going at the university is one thing, beingpetitive is something else. We used topete. Reallypete. But since I left the team, we¡¯ve been falling behind. We haven¡¯t won the Collegiate Cup even once since I won it. We didn¡¯t even make the Finalsst year! That was a damn disgrace! How could they get knocked out in the semis? It¡¯s below us. He took another swig from his beer and shook his head. What¡¯s next? We don¡¯t even make it to semis? Are we going to drop out in Regionals? Fuck that! Sun Ruinian has a lot of talent, and he¡¯s got the right attitude. But something is clearly missing. What did we have when we won? We had me. I was A grade back then, closing in on A+. I was better than Sun Ruinian is now. Far better. He¡¯s talented and all, but he¡¯s just not good enough. We need more!

    ¡°I¡¯m really not here to mooch food off of you!¡± Sun Ruinian repeated, a cold shiver spiking down his spine. Why is he looking so mad? Did I do something wrong? What did I do wrong? He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and yed with his fingers, nervous. He¡¯s the founder of our esports club and I¡¯m screwing up. But when I do something wrong, he¡¯s always really blunt about it. If I screwed up, he would¡¯ve told me already, right? What am I supposed to¡­ I should talk. Maybe I can convince him to join our team... He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Then he opened his eyes to look at Shi Hang and said, ¡°We won the Round of 16 yesterday. The quarter finals are up next. We can qualify for the main tournament again.¡±

    Shi Hang took arge sip from his beer and looked at Sun Ruinian, uninterested. ¡°Quarterfinals? Still the East China Regionals, right? That¡¯s hardly worth mentioning. The only thing I care about is that you win that tournament. Come back to me when you have.¡±

    Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly andined, ¡°You make it sound so easy, but it¡¯s not. It really isn¡¯t.¡±

    Shi Hang raised an eyebrow and snorted. He said, ¡°I won it four years ago, didn¡¯t I? So let¡¯s just assume I have a pretty decent idea about the skill required. And you guys? You aren¡¯t that much worse than we were back then. So what¡¯s the deal? Why aren¡¯t you winning?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not you!¡± Sun Ruinian eximed. He bit on his lips and looked down at his shoes. I¡¯m trying, I really am! But I¡¯m not you! You¡¯re better. Even back then you were already far better than I¡¯m now. Not just as an ad-carry but also as a shotcaller and team captain. He took a deep, long breath before saying, ¡°You know, if you help¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Shi Hang cut Sun Ruinian off. He shook his head and added, ¡°Stop this. You keep trying it and I keep saying no. It¡¯s starting to annoy me. I yed in the LPL, you know that right?¡± He briefly paused to let his words settle in, then shook his head and continued, ¡°How can I possibly lower myself to y in this kiddy league? Everyone will make fun of me. And they would have every right to! I¡¯m too good to y in that tournament. That¡¯s the end of it.¡±

    I know, I know! That¡¯s what you keep saying! Sun Ruinian rubbed his eyes and sighed, tired. He argued, ¡°Yes, but have you seen the teamspeting this time? They¡¯re far better than befo¡ª¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Shi Hang asked, curling his lips into a frown. ¡°They brought in kids, yeah? From high school? And you¡¯re telling me they¡¯re better than you are? What? You want me toe and show those kiddies the skills of an actual professional yer? Do you really not hear how ridiculous that sounds?¡±

    Shi Hang looked at Sun Ruinian and kept shaking his head. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t paid any attention. I know about the three high school teams. Team Beijing looks decent. B+ maybe? You can beat them. I don¡¯t see an issue there. And then there¡¯s the Guangzhou team as well. I read something about a Korean import. What was his name again? Goalie or something, right? He¡¯s the best yer in the tournament? A+?¡± Shi Hang was still shaking his head and started grinning. ¡°You do realise that my ¡®grade¡¯ is far above A+, right? This whole grading system, it¡¯s for amateur yers. It¡¯s for university students, and not for real professional yers. Do you really not see how weird it would look if I stepped in? Sure, nothing is stopping me. But nothing is stopping God Roundy from ying either, is it? But is he ying? No, of course he isn¡¯t! He¡¯s a professional yer! This is an amateur tournament! Can I beat Goalie? Of course I can! Jesus! But I¡¯m not going to lower myself to that level. I¡¯m just not. And that¡¯s the end of that.¡±

    Sun Ruinian nodded in understanding. I know all of that! I know! It doesn¡¯t make sense for you toe back and help us! But we both know how good our¡­ how good my team is. We¡¯re not good enough to win this tournament. We¡¯re just not! And yes, I get why you don¡¯t want to y. But with you, we¡¯d win! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here again to try! I have to! He bit on his lips and wanted to argue, but held himself back.

    ¡°Right,¡± Shi Hang finally said. He took a quick sip from his beer and wiped the foam from his lips before asking, ¡°Who are you guys ying in the next round anyway?¡±

    Sun Ruinian grinned. Here ites. He¡¯llugh at me. He¡¯ll call me useless. He shook his head and said, ¡°The high school team from the Shanghai Esports Association. Team Shanghai.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? And they¡¯re the team you want help with?¡± Shi Hang asked, worried. He sat up straight in his chair and even took his feet off the coffee table. He continued, ¡°You mean you have to y against the team handpicked by the Shanghai Esports Association. Shit, they made it all the way to the quarter finals? They must be really good! You better not underestimate them. I want you guys to beat them¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t keep the facade up and startedughing. He leaned back again and said, ¡°That was a joke, if you didn¡¯t catch on. I don¡¯t know how good they are, but since I haven¡¯t really heard anything about them, I¡¯m sure you guys are better. Easy qualification for the main tournament, right?¡±

    Yep, there it was. He made fun of the team I think we might lose to. What do I do now? Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll do our best. I¡¯m not going to underestimate them, because if we don¡¯t give it our all, I¡¯m not sure we can even beat them. I actually don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to beat them.¡±

    Shi Hang frowned in honest surprise and asked, ¡°What? Are they actually good?¡±

    Sun Ruinian nodded and exined, ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re surprisingly good. Their ad-carry and Toner are easy enough, but the other three members¡­¡± He briefly paused to take a deep breath and then continued, ¡°Their Support is Zeng Rui. He¡¯s an A- Support. He¡¯s good, but not unbeatable. Then there is their Jungler. An Xin. I¡¯m not sure what to think of her. Her gank timings and pathing gave me the chill¡ª¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± Shi Hang interrupted. An Xin? He sat up straight for real this time and looked Sun Ruinian in the eyes. ¡°An Xin? The yer in their Jungle is called An Xin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s her name. I can show you,¡± Sun Ruinian replied, confused. He looked at Shi Hang doubtfully and asked, ¡°Is something wrong? Do you know her or something?¡±

    Shi Hang waved his hand and said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine. Go on. Where were you? Just their Miner, right? What¡¯s so bad about their Miner?¡± He raised his beer bottle and let the light fall on the ss. Just a bit left. He put it to his lips and emptied its contents into his mouth.

    Sun Ruinian nodded slowly and said, ¡°Yes. Their Miner. That¡¯s the real problem. The others are good, but I can see how good they are for the most part and I cane up with a way to beat them. Then there is their Miner¡­ I don¡¯t know. The way he was ying, there just was something about it¡­¡± He shook his head and raised his shoulder before continuing, ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s far better than Zuo Chong. I really don¡¯t know what to do about this Lin Feng¡ª¡±

    The bottle of beer slipped from Shi Hang¡¯s hand and fell on the ground, while the beer in his mouth went down the wrong pipe. He coughed violently and spit out the beer across his table, spraying Sun Ruinian. Tears sprung in his eyes from the pain, but he didn¡¯t notice it. The shock was too great. LIN FENG? He coughed, choked, and couldn¡¯t see much through the ck spots clouding his vision. But he still jumped up and over the coffee table. He then grabbed Sun Ruinian by the shoulders and shouted into his face, ¡°WHAT? LIN FENG!?¡±

 Chapter 301: ReAl GaMErS DOnâ€™t SlEEp

    Sun Ruinian stared wide-eyed at Shi Hang. What the¡­ He wiped the spit and beer from his face and looked down at his wet t-shirt. He said, ¡°Huh? What the? Why did you¡ª¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head and hurried to the kitchen. He came back a momentter with some napkins and shoved them into Sun Ruinian¡¯s hands, saying, ¡°Here. Clean yourself!¡±

    ¡°O-ohkay?¡± Sun Ruinian mumbled, confused more than anything. He shook his head and used the napkins to dry his face and catch the drips of beer rolling down his neck. What just happened? What came over him? Why did he spit at me? Was it something I said? All I said was something about that Miner. Was something special about that? He looked back up at Shi Hang, who was standing in front of the coffee table and staring at the wall. What¡¯s got into him? I¡¯ve never seen him lose it like that! He chewed on his lips for a brief moment and then asked, ¡°Uh, Shi Hang? You okay?¡±

    Shi Hang abruptly turned his head to look at Sun Ruinian and then smiled. He waved his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good.¡± He then searched around his pockets before spotting something on the floor. A pack of cigarettes. He grabbed it and took one out with trembling hands. ¡°Lighter, lighter,¡± he mumbled while searching around and pulling a lighter from his pocket. He ced the cigarette between his lips and lit it before turning back to look at Sun Ruinian and asking, ¡°Repeat that. Who is their Miner?¡±

    Sun Ruinian pinched his nose. Why is he smoking? He knows I can¡¯t stand the smell! And why is his hand trembling? What is wrong with him? He bit on his lips before replying, ¡°Lin Feng. That¡¯s what the document says.¡±

    Shi Hang took the cigarette from his mouth and clenched his hand into a fist to stop it from trembling. The cigarette crumbled and ash fell down on his pants and the carpet, but he didn¡¯t react to it. He didn¡¯t even notice it. HOLY FUCK! LIN FENG!? Could it really be him? The Maple? That kid was only 15 back then, so that makes him what, 19 now? It could really be¡ª

    ¡°D-do you know him?¡± Sun Ruinian asked, careful.

    ¡°Know him?¡± Shi Hang muttered. Then he startedughing uncontrobly. ¡°Know him? Know him?¡± There are tens of thousands of people with that name just in Shanghai. But a Lin Feng and An Xin ying League together? There can be only one! There is no such thing as coincidence! Everything about it screams Maple! He¡¯s 19, so high school age. And if anyone could stomp Sun Ruinian, it is him. He sucked hard on his cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs before breathing it out in a perfect circle. He then shook his head and walked to the bathroom, saying over his shoulder, ¡°Give me a bit. Gonna take a piss.¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang sat down on the toilet, the cigarette hanging from his lips, and stared at his phone. The smartscreen was showing a name and phone number. Chu Fang. If anyone knows what¡¯s up, it¡¯s him. He always knows everything. He closed his eyes and grabbed his stomach. Why am I so nervous suddenly? It¡¯s just a phone call! He grinned and shook his head before pressing down on the call button. He then just about pushed the phone into his ear and waited for the call to connect. It did a brief momentter. He shouted into the little microphone, ¡°Chu Fang! It¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°Shi Hang? Hello,¡± Chu Fang replied, confused. ¡°Why are you callin¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is it him?¡± Shi Hang interrupted.

    ¡°Is it him? Who? What are you tal¡ª¡± Chu Fang stopped himself and then changed to a different question. ¡°Did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is it him?¡± Shi Hang asked again.

    There was a short silence on the line. A moment that felt like itsted forever. But then Chu Fang¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    The phone slipped from Shi Hang¡¯s hands and fell to the ground. His entire body trembled and his mind turned to mush. It¡¯s him. It¡¯s really him. Oh my god, he¡¯s back. He¡¯s back! Sun Ruinian has to y¡­ Holy shit! He nced down at his phone and mindlessly reached down to grab it. Then he just stared at it, stunned. Four years. You left for four years. I thought you¡¯d nevere back. But you¡¯re back! It was about time! I¡¯ve been waiting for you! He deeply breathed in and on the exhale ced the phone back to his ear. He said, ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡±

    Chu Fang asked, ¡°Do you want his number?¡±

    Shi Hang thought about it for a moment but then shook his head. He replied, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll see him soon enough.¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang stared at his phone, dazed. He¡¯d ended the call with Chu Fang a couple of minutes earlier, but still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock. He grabbed a new cigarette from his pocket and ced it between his lips. Then he took out his lighter and lit a small me. The strong taste of tobo filled his mouth as smoke flowed down into his lungs. Lin Feng¡­ He closed his eyes, recalling events from years ago. I first found out about League right when it was released. A couple of my friends were also into it and we even convinced the uni to let us form a club. Then the Chinese Esports Organization announced the Collegiate Cup. That was our first chance at yingpetitively. Of course we jumped at it! And we won. Of course we won! We were great! I was the best ad-carry in the entire tournament! He shook his head and smiled. I really wanted to be the best ad-carry, and I thought I could be. But that quickly changed after I got a taste of the realpetitive scene. My ad-carry skills weren¡¯t really all that. I still remember those games against Silent. I got destroyed by him! That¡¯s when I knew I could never y ad-carry at the highest level.

    A thick cloud of smoke filled the small bathroom, but Shi Hang didn¡¯t pay any attention to it. He barely even noticed it. I got so upset when I yed him, because I knew I¡¯d never be that good. He was just so much better! But I wasn¡¯t bad at the game. I just hadn¡¯t found my role. He helped me realise that I had to look at the other positions. That¡¯s when I found out that the midne is far better for me. In the midne, I was the best! He rocked his head back and forth and bit on his lips. For a very brief moment, anyway. Then he came. I¡¯d never seen anyone quite like him. Never have. He was just so much better than everyone else. He shook his head andughed. ¡°Lin Feng, Lin fucking Feng.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Shi Hang shook his head again and sighed. He took another puff from his cigarette before tossing it in the toilet bowl. ¡°What am I doing? I¡¯ve be old.¡± He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, then walked back into the living room where Sun Ruinian was still waiting for him. He won¡¯t stand a chance against Lin Feng. No one does.

    Sun Ruinian looked over his shoulder at Shi Hang, concerned. What¡¯s gotten into him? Was something wrong with his beer? But beer doesn¡¯t really go bad, right? Just tastes more like water when it gets old? Or maybe he had some bad takeout food again¡­? He probed, ¡°You feeling okay?¡±

    Shi Hang waved the question away and instead asked, ¡°You¡¯re ying against Team Shanghai next? Against Lin Feng, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Sun Ruinian answered slowly. ¡°We are. Why?¡±

    Shi Hang nodded and said, ¡°Good. You get your wish, I¡¯ll y. Make the arrangements.¡±

    Sun Ruinian felt his jaw drop. He stared at Shi Hang and didn¡¯t know what to say. What? Huh? What? He? Did he just say he¡¯s going to y? Shi Hang is going to y? We¡¯ve been asking him for months to help us out! Years! And he always says no! It¡¯s always kiddy league this and kiddy league that! He always talks about losing face, and now, now, now he wants to y? He¡¯s going to y!? He blinked a couple of times. We have peopleing to Zhejiang University just for a chance of ying League with Shi Hang! They practically worship him! We all do! And now he¡¯s going to y for us again! With him on the team, screw Team Shanghai, we¡¯re going to win the whole damn thing! Shi Hang is a former pro! He¡¯s far better than anyone else ying at this tournament! We¡¯re going to win! We¡¯re going to win!

    Shock morphed into joy, then morphed into bliss, and finally morphed back into confusion. Sun Ruinian looked at Shi Hang and searched for an exnation in his friend¡¯s face. He was lecturing me only 10 minutes ago. It was beneath him to y in the Collegiate Cup. Even if we lose without him, it¡¯s beneath him. And now he suddenly wants to y? What changed? Lin Feng. Their Miner. That¡¯s when it happened. He changed when I mentioned that name! What is so special about that kid? He asked in an uncertain tone, ¡°Shi Hang, you always said no. Until I mentioned Lin Feng¡­ Is it because of him?¡±

    No, that¡¯s ridiculous! Sun Ruinian shook his head and looked away. Lin Feng was in middle school when Shi Hang was a professional yer. How can the two of them possibly know each other? They can¡¯t have any history, can they? But¡­ He scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Shi Hang replied, shaking his head. He walked to his fridge and continued, ¡°Just take care of the paperwork for me. Oh, and you¡¯re going to want to put me down as your Miner.¡± He shook his head again and opened the fridge to grab another beer, mumbling, ¡°Fate really works in mysterious ways¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take care of the paperwork,¡± Sun Ruinian replied. He then scrunched his nose and asked, ¡°What was thatst bit?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Shi Hang replied. He turned around to look at Sun Ruinian and continued, ¡°Anyway, this is looking like it¡¯s going to be the most difficult Collegiate Cup yet. You can forget about Goalie. He is ying. That¡¯s the only yer we should be worrying about. And since he is ying, I can also y.¡± He shook his head and grinned. I thought he quit for good. It¡¯s been four years. But he¡¯s back! I wonder how many people know. Hmm, since no one has talked much about Team Shanghai, I guess there is almost no one who knows. The Shanghai Esports Association is really dirty inviting him to y at a university tournament. But this is a great opportunity for me to wee him back to the scene!

    Shi Hang looked at Sun Ruinian and asked, ¡°What are you still doing here? You got what you wanted! I¡¯ll y in that silly little tournament. Now get your ass outta here and practice! Practice your ass off and then some! You guys need to get a lot better, fast! If you drag me down, I¡¯ll have your ass!¡± He grabbed Sun Ruinian¡¯s coat and threw it at his friend. Then he opened the front door and kicked him out.

    After closing the door, Shi Hang leaned with his back against it and stared out the window on the other side of the room. The sun was disappearing in the distance, itsst rays shining into the room. He¡¯s back. Maple is back. There¡¯s going to be a massive reaction in the world of esports. And I just got myself first row seats. This is gonna be good!

    ?

    A former professional yer had discerned Lin Feng¡¯s identity as Maple. Shi Hang had yed against Lin Feng in the midne on multiple asions and the two had be good acquaintances over those games. But that was four years ago. In the present, Lin Feng had only briefly thought about Shi Hang before focusing back on more important matters. There was the quarter final match against Zhejiang University in the Winter Collegiate Cup that he had to prepare for with Team Shanghai, and more importantly he wasn¡¯t anywhere near the Top 3 on the Korean Challengerdder yet.

    One had challenged Lin Feng to reach the Top 5 on the Korean Challengerdder. The fact that One asked him to do it was enough for Lin Feng to really try. But when One gave him the CN?HOOK2 ount, that determination grew to a whole new level. It didn¡¯t matter how difficult it was and how long he had to try, he would seed! And then some!

    There were 200 yers on the Korean Challengerdder and Lin Feng started at the bottom. After the first round of wins, he found himself ranked 170th. This was a phenomenal result and something that most Chinese yers would find great pride in. But it was nowhere near enough for him. He had to climb higher, and he had to do it a lot faster too. The end of the season was fast approaching and the games ahead of him were only going to be more difficult.

    Lin Feng stared at hisputer screen that showed the Top 10 on the Korean Challengerdder. Top 2. Both of them are Rake. He somehow found the time to get two ounts all the way to the top. And his third is only a few ranks below! That just shouldn¡¯t be possible! He has to win almost every single game to get that far! I can¡¯t do that. He grimaced and slumped back in his chair a bit. He¡¯s so much better than I am. But I¡¯m not giving up! I¡¯m going to y! I¡¯m going to win! I¡¯m going to get better and kick him off his throne! I¡¯m the best! He jumped up from his seat and pumped his fist in the air, eximing, ¡°YEAH!¡±

    An rm beeped. Lin Feng nced over and saw the time. 11 P.M. already? I promised Su Xue I¡¯d let her watch. He grabbed hisptop and walked through the hallway to Su Xue¡¯s bedroom. From far outside, he could already hear her voice. ¡°Enough, enough! Stop this! I¡¯m busy tonight! I told you guys at the start! I¡¯ll make it up some other time! Hey! I¡¯ve already made up for it plenty of times! Don¡¯t act like I never stream until 2 or even 4 A.M! I do that all the time!¡±

    Lin Feng pushed the door to Su Xue¡¯s bedroom open and walked in. He ced hisptop down on her desk and nced at the long string of messages flooding her chat.

    ¡¸wooah woah woah! Xue xue, why are you ending the stream so early!¡¹

    ¡¸didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d stay upw tih s us until 3!¡¹

    ¡¸xue xue, you¡¯ve changed!¡¹

    ¡¸ReAl GaMErS DOn¡¯t SlEEp¡¹

    ¡¸something fishy is going on! I can smell it!¡¹

    ¡¸brothers, it¡¯s time to mass unfollow!¡¹

    Su Xue red at her camera and said, ¡°You guys have had enough fun! I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. Good. Night.¡± She clicked on the button to end her broadcast and closed the tab, not even bothering to read thetest string of messages that were mentioning Lin Feng. She then turned to look at Lin Feng, changing her re into the brightest smile, and asked, ¡°Are you ready? Did you finish your homework? Come on, hurry hurry! Faster! I wanna see you y! Plug in your charger and log into the Korean client! I want to see you y!¡±

 Chapter 302: Proud Momma Su Xue

    It was only the other day that Su Xue had walked in on Lin Feng ying on the Korean server. She didn¡¯t think much of it initially. Then she saw his rank. He was ying in Challenger! Every fiber in her body had screamed in shock! She wasn¡¯t an especially talented League of Legends yer herself. The intricacies of high level ys werepletely lost on her. But she knew from the many online discussions she¡¯d read that Korean Challenger was far morepetitive and hardcore than Ionia Challenger! And to the best of her knowledge, Lin Feng was only an Ionia Challenger. So when she found out that he had been given a Korean Challenger ount, her brain short-circuited.

    The next couple of minutes were a blur for Su Xue. All she remembered was that she¡¯d sat down in a chair next to him to recover from the shock. Then, when she started feeling a little better again, she¡¯d grabbed her phone and looked up the CN?HOOK2 ount. The statistics she found were another massive blow to her already fragile mind. Whoever had carried the ount to Challenger had done so in basically the minimum number of games required with an exceedingly high KDA! And while she was still recovering from this new information, Lin Feng calmly told her that his goal wasn¡¯t to just sit at the bottom of Challenger, but to fight his way to the top of thedder! Top 5 at the minimum!

    Chinese yers, even professional ones, weren¡¯t good enough to reach the top of the Korean rankeddder. There were only a few who could make their way into the Top 100! But Lin Feng exined to Su Xue in his usual excited tone that he was going to reach the Top 5 and then push for the Top 3 and maybe even higher! She didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, sitting in her chair and mindlessly nodding along to whatever he said.

    After a short discussion, Lin Feng convinced Su Xue to let him y one more game that night. She¡¯d ordered some food and watched him y. That was when she slowly overcame her shock. She witnessed a level of skill that she didn¡¯t know how to exin. Lin Feng was beating Korean Challengers, and it didn¡¯t look like he was having any trouble in doing so! He was getting kills and pushing for objectives, which was enough to convince her that just maybe he was good enough to climb the Korean Ladder. She stopped worrying about how impossible it was for Lin Feng to reach the Top 5, and instead started thinking about how amazing it was going to be when he hit it! She was convinced that he¡¯d be the most famous Chinese yer and that every League of Legends fan in the world was going to be talking about him!

    Su Xue nned to have a first row seat for Lin Feng¡¯s rise to fame. She wanted to watch every second of his ascension on the Korean Challengerdder! He told her when he was going to y again and she¡¯d looked at her schedule. It was normal stream time for her. But she could make up for time lost streaming, while she would only get one chance to see Lin Feng rise to the top of the rankings. So she told him that she¡¯d end the stream early and that he coulde to her room with hisptop to y.

    The time had arrived. Su Xue had turned her stream off and Lin Feng was sitting next to her. But he wasn¡¯t ingame yet. He was taking his sweet time setting up hisptop. She couldn¡¯t take it any longer, already jumping in her chair from excitement. There were a few more seconds of silence before she erupted, ¡°GoGoGo! I want you to climb at least another 10 spots tonight!¡± She pped him on his back and added, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we have some food here after you win the first game! Then you can recharge and go again!¡±

    Lin Feng queued up for a ranked game, then turned to look at Su Xue and said, ¡°Food? Sweet! I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    Su Xue sat on the edge of her seat, intensely staring at the queue. But when the queue still hadn¡¯t popped two minutester, she slumped back in her chair a bit. She said, ¡°Ah, if I could stream your games¡­ Just imagine how many viewers I would get. A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand¡­?¡± She shook her head in regret. He only has a month to climb to the top of Challenger. And he also has to y his tournament and do his homework and go to school. And. And. He needs to focus on his games. Streaming will just distract him. And I want to sit here and watch him y! She clenched her fist under the table and nodded. I¡¯ll make sure no one can distract him!

    ¡°You can stream it if you want to,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°I¡¯ve yed with so many people watching, what¡¯s a few viewers on a stream? I won¡¯t get distracted by something like that.¡±

    ¡°No! Nope!¡± Su Xue tly refused. She wagged her finger and continued, ¡°Climbing thedder is the most important thing right now! You only have a month! Everything else can wait until then! That includes my stream.¡± She looked at his screen and noticed his friends list. She pointed at it and asked, ¡°Right! Didn¡¯t Lightless add you? Did he say anything?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and replied, ¡°I think so? I epted his friend request earlier and I saw a bunch of messages from him, I just kind of forgot to read them.¡± He opened the chat log with Lightless and read through the messages together with Su Xue. It looked like an interrogation. Lightless was asking Lin Feng if he was a professional yer, if they knew each other and so on. All these questions were aimed in one direction, to find out Lin Feng¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Oh, oh!¡± Su Xue blurted out. She jabbed at Lin Feng¡¯s monitor and eximed, ¡°He¡¯s online! Lightless is online!¡±

    ?

    The only light in the Dark Glory gaming room came from a single monitor. Lightless sat behind theputer, thinking about ying a couple of games on his Korean ount. He opened the client and logged on. Before he even knew it, he was checking his friend list. He¡¯s online! One is online! Shit, is it really him? Is this really the One from DotA? Hum, that would exin so much! And he epted my friend request! He chuckled and shook his head. What am I doing? Why am I fanboying over someone I don¡¯t even know? Who knows, maybe this guy is someone else entirely. He could¡¯ve just stolen the name¡­

    Lightless¡¯ run in with CN?HOOK2 the other night had left him thoroughly confused. Whenever he met Chinese yers on the Korean server, they always went out of their way to add him to their friends list. So he¡¯d taken it upon himself to find out just who was behind the CN?HOOK2 ount. His initial searches didn¡¯t yield any results. But when he trudged his way through 14 pages on a Baidu search, he found an article from five years ago. It was a piece on the most famous esports character in China. The author had gathered all the data he could find about One to exin just why One was the best. And in the middle of all that data, there was a mention that one of the alternate ounts One sometimes yed on was CN?HOOK2.

    I never bothered with former professional yers. Don¡¯t think I can name anyone from Season 1. Hum, maybe AyDeeCee, but he yed in Season 2 more than 1. Lightless stared at his monitor, ying with a stress ball. But there are a few names everyone knows, like One. You can¡¯t not know him! He was the best yer in DotA and the best esports yer to evere from China! And now he¡¯s ying League! He¡¯s on my friend list! Well, I think, anyway. It might still be someone else. But who else could be that good? Just look at his match history!

    Lightless stared at his friend list, at that single name at the very top. CN?HOOK2, CN?HOOK2¡­. He epted my friend request, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m already happy he epted my friend request! Hum! I¡¯m not upset that he¡¯s ignoring me, though I would really like to get a response from him. Just a few words to let me know if it¡¯s really him! Could it be him? Yes, it has to be! He smiled and his eyes lit up with joy. One epted me as a friend! I can see when he¡¯s ying! And he¡¯s going into a game right now! I can watch him y! Fuck it that he won¡¯t respond to my messages! Maybe I¡¯m being too annoying or something. Hum! That might be it! I¡¯ll be quiet to him and just watch him y! I wonder how far he¡¯s going to climb! I get to watch him climb!

    ?

    The queue popped. Lin Feng clicked ready and was moved to Champion Select, where he called the midne. He waited for his turn and then locked in Viktor. This was a mage Champion who was gaining poprity after thetest patch. Even professional yers were picking him up again and it started to look like he might get featured in the next LPL season. His early game was eptable with strong wave clear and high poke damage. But it was the mid andte game where he really started to shine. He could do frightening bursts of area of effect damage to tear through his opponents!

    Su Xue looked curiously at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you y Viktor before. Do you know how to y him?¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and patted his chest. He replied, ¡°My Champion pool is really deep. My Viktor is good!¡± And before Su Xue could argue with him about that im, he added, ¡°Just watch.¡±

    Su Xue nodded and turned her attention back to the screen. The yers from both teams locked in their Champions and they moved into the loading screen. There she saw 10 Champion portraits and nine of them had the Challenger border. Her eyes went wide and she pushed against Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder, shouting, ¡°They were all Challengersst season too! You¡¯re ying against really experienced yers!¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯re experienced! We¡¯re ying in Challenger!¡± Lin Feng replied, his eyes locked on his monitor.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the game to load. Lin Feng¡¯s Viktor spawned in the Blue team¡¯s fountain, where he bought his starter items. He then walked out of the base towards the outer tower in the midne. The minions followed behind him a bit more than a minuteter. They charged down thene with their weapons raised and shed against their opponents!

    Lin Feng clicked around the midne at a frightening pace. He was making countless micro changes to his game to manipte the minion wave and have it push slightly towards his Blue outer tower. His opponent was Varus, a Champion who relied on his long range arrows to deal damage. I¡¯m not going to let him free farm from under his tower. All I have to do is let the minion wave push my way and force him out of safety. He¡¯lle for the minions, and then he¡¯ll open himself up to a gank! He grinned and balled his hand into a fist around his mouse.

    At 4 minutes, Varus fell for Lin Feng¡¯s n. He overextended. The Jungler on Lin Feng¡¯s team, Vi, also saw this happen. She was already close to the midne and quickly ran over. Once there, she charged up Vault Breaker! She ran into thene while gathering power in her fist before unleashing the vault shattering punch! The momentum behind this strike carried her forward!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Viktor shed, appearing right next to Varus with a mottled sh of light. He then conjured chaos magic into a heavy gravitational field underneath Varus, slowing him! There was a brief moment of time in which Varus could escape before the stun hit. But right then Vi smashed into him and knocked him off his feet! A second burst of gravity suddenly mmed down on Varus! It pulled him towards the middle of the Gravity Field and stunned him! Lin Feng¡¯s Viktor followed up first with Ignite, an unquenchable me draining away Varus¡¯ health bar, and then Death Ray! Viktor¡¯s robotic arm pointed a finger at the ground. A beam of pure chaos shot out and cut a straight line through the ground and Varus!

    ¡¶First blood!¡·

    ¡°NICE!¡± Su Xue eximed. She mmed her t palm on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and added, ¡°That was a perfect y!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, not even distracted by the burning sensation from the p. He waspletely focused on the game right now. Got the kill. Now push thene, back to base and get the item advantage. There¡¯s nothing this Varus can do anymore. My poke is only going to hurt more and he¡¯s going to be pushed far behind his outer tower!

    The next couple of minutes were all Viktor. He zoned Varus away with Gravity Field, which had arge enough radius to push Varus one way or the other. And knowing where Varus was going, Lin Feng had his Viktor follow up with a Death Ray. The chaos beam became nearly impossible to dodge and burned away at Varus¡¯ health bar.

    At 7 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Viktor was Level 6. He¡¯d unlocked his ultimate skill and was searching for an opening tond the killing blow. But Varus was ying far too defensively. He didn¡¯t take a single step out from behind his outer tower. If he isn¡¯ting to me, I¡¯ll just have to go to him! I got him down to half health, onebo should be enough to kill him! Lin Feng grinned and pressed down on the D key¨Csh!

    Viktor shed forward and ced down a Gravity Field underneath Varus! Gravity mmed down on Varus and hampered his movement speed! Then a Death Ray tore through him followed by Chaos Storm! Viktor conjured a singrity on the field which interrupted skill channels and periodically exploded with chaos damage! Half health turned into no health before Varus could even sh away!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°You got him! You got him again!¡± Su Xue cried out. Her hands were trembling from pure joy! She went on, ¡°You¡¯re ying Viktor so aggressively! He looks so much more dangerous like this! The pros should watch you y him! Maybe Lightless is watching you and taking notes!¡±

    ?

    Lightless leaned back in his gaming chair and stared at his screen, incredulous. It was showing the game that CN?HOOK2 was ying. What a kill! That was yed perfectly! I couldn¡¯t have done that any better myself! That¡¯s One for you! He shook his head and smiled. Viktor isn¡¯t an assassin like Annie, Syndra or even Ahri. His burst damage isn¡¯t that strong and he isn¡¯t as good at sticking to targets either. It takes far more skill to y Viktor. But when you¡¯ve got that skill, like One obviously does, you can make these ys! Hum, this is so exciting! His timing and damage calction are just perfect! And he¡¯s doing it like it¡¯s nothing!

    ¡°Hum, that settles it,¡± Lightless mumbled. Viktor is all about calcting damage and possible next moves. The opponent can make these calctions just like Viktor can. It alles down to skill. This game is in Korean Challenger! Varus is really good! But this Viktor is so much better that he can get a solo kill like that! The amount of precision and skill that takes! That¡¯s why this has to be One! Hum he¡¯s good!

    Lightless grinned and said, ¡°CN?HOOK2, you¡¯re One. It all adds up. One was the best DotA yer, and DotA is just another MOBA like League of Legends. If he has been practicing a bit, I can see him win everything. There are so many skills that are transferable between the two games. Insane to see he¡¯s still better than most of the active professional Miners out there though. What a guy. Hum, what a hero!¡±

    ?

    The delivery guy brought the chicken cutlet Su Xue had ordered practically as the Nexus exploded and the victory emblem appeared on Lin Feng¡¯s monitor. He didn¡¯t queue up for another game right away, instead greedily reaching out for the hot food and sinking his teeth in the soft, tender meat. This is delicious! He grinned and licked the grease from his lips, before looking back at his screen. He furrowed his brows. I¡¯ve improved so much since ying on this ount, so why is my stomach twisting into a knot again? Why does it feel like this is still not enough? Is it the Winter Collegiate Cup? AyDeeCee? He bit on his lips and shook his head. He isn¡¯t ying, probably. But it won¡¯t hurt to get a lot better before then! I¡¯ll just have to win every game! He grinned again and clicked on the ¡®y¡¯ button.

 Chapter 303: Everyone Fights Against Their Own Struggles

    Chapter 303 - Everyone Fights Against Their Own Struggles

    The soft yellow glow of a tablemp shone down on the dark wood of a desk. Zeng Rui sat hunched over his notebook, scribbling down everything he believed could help Team Shanghai get an edge over Zhejiang University in the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. There was a cleanyout in his notebook. He started with a basic strategy, after which he would delve into the strengths and weaknesses of the different team members within the specific strategy. And then he¡¯d continue with opportunities and solutions to potential problems. He gathered far more information than they¡¯d ever use.

    Zeng Rui put down his pen and fell back in his chair, exhausted. He slowly massaged his temples to fight the light headache pounding at the sides of his head. I¡¯m exhausted. Mentally drained. Why is this so much moreplicated than my homework? He nced at a different notebook neatly ced at the corner of his desk. I spent two hours after dinner working on my homework, from 7 to 9. I felt fresh. It was easy. And then I spent two hours working on¡­ this. He shook his head and grimaced. Draft phase, early game map rotations, teamp synergies, general y¡­ I¡¯ve looked at everything! I know Zhejiang University¡¯s strengths, I know how they y when they win ane and also what they do when they¡¯re losing ane! I have more information on them than most professional coaches would bother with!

    Zeng Rui shook his head and sighed loudly. My research into our opponents is why we¡¯ve been doing so well in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. I was prepared for everything! But there¡¯s a massive difference between preparing for a game against Shanghai International or Zhejiang University... Zeng Rui closed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Hah, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui flipped back a couple of pages and then traced his fingers over the many lines of his writing before stopping on one particr section. Team Shanghai¡¯s weaknesses against Zhejiang University. Tang Tang is a B grade ad-carry and Samsara is an A- grade ad-carry. The solution is simple. I have to make up for that difference and help Tang Tang stay even inne. Difficult, but doable. He traced his finger over the next couple of lines detailing exactly how he was nning to help Tang Bingyao and references to different teamps and scenarios. He finally stopped on the next weakness. Zhang Hao in the topne. He¡¯s a good yer at the high school level, but there¡¯s just something missing when we look beyond that. He¡¯s a C+ grade at best. That¡¯s just not good enough. Zhejiang University¡¯s Toner is a B grade yer. There really isn¡¯t anything we can do about that. BunBun can babysit him, but that won¡¯t help the team as a whole. We¡¯re going to have to ept that topne is lost. The othernes just have to do better.

    Zeng Rui turned the page of his notebook and searched through his work until he found a header that read ¡®Team Shanghai¡¯s strengths¡¯. He frowned and moved his lips around. The thundering dumbass. How good is he exactly? I still don¡¯t know. A grade or better. But that¡¯s good enough for now. Zhejiang University¡¯s Miner is a much weaker than that. If we y around Lin Feng, we have a real shot at winning this series. It¡¯ll juste down to whether he can carry hard enough to make up for Zhang Hao¡¯s loss in the topne. But that should be easy enough, so long as he doesn¡¯t do something crazy again like that idiotic Zed engage against Fuzhou Tech! He got so lucky with that one. Lucky that we were there!

    Anger blossomed in fiery tendrils from within Zeng Rui¡¯s stomach and burning its way through his body. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Calm it! Nothing goodes from acting on impulse! Lin Feng is carrying. We win. The end. He forced a smile and went to the next strength. BunBun. Her I can trust. She¡¯s basically the best yer on the team. Not just for what she does during the game, but more than anything how she helps us outside the game. The way she coaches and the trust she builds up with the others¡­ With her on the team, I think we have at least a 70% chance of bringing this series home. Maybe even more if the thundering dumbass ys his best game!

    But why do I feel like I¡¯m missing something? Zeng Rui rubbed his stomach and scrunched his nose. He glossed over his work again and reverified every bit of his analysis. It¡¯s right! Everything is here! I even have a section on the possibility of AyDeeCee stepping in! I doubt he will, but it can¡¯t hurt to consider the possibility. It¡¯ll be hard, but BunBun said Lin Feng could beat him. Then why, why am I feeling like this? Why does it feel like something is wrong? He suddenly grimaced and shook his head. Is this what it means to be nervous? Is that it? Am I just nervous about our match against Zhejiang University? He shook his head again. No. That¡¯s not it either. BunBun. Why am I thinking about her again? She hasn¡¯t been on her A-game since she got sick, but she¡¯s still really good. Well, most of the time anyway. Hmm¡­ He scratched his chin and looked out the window behind his desk. She has been acting a little strange. There have been a few things here and there. She¡¯s just good at hiding it. Is something wrong with her? That could be an issue¡­

    ?

    The An family had an apartment in one of the highrise buildings in the center of Shanghai. An Xin sat in her room that had a beautiful view of the city. Moonlight spilled in through the open window and cast a shadow behind her. She was calmly staring at her monitor, which showed the end game lobby of a League of Legends game. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The corners of her lips dropped and her head fell ever so slightly forward. Another loss. I just can¡¯t y like I used to. My Lee Sin is¡­ isn¡¯t what it used to be.

    An Xin was ying on her Korean ount, hovering between Master and Challenger. By all rights, this was a very high ranked ount. But it wasn¡¯t anywhere near where An Xin felt like she could be. She opened her eyes and sighed loudly. ¡°It¡¯s just not enough,¡± she mumbled to herself. Then she clicked to the endgame lobby and looked at her statistics. It¡¯s just not enough. I¡¯m nowhere near where I used to be! This game would¡¯ve, should¡¯ve been a win! I made six minor slip-ups and two major mechanical blunders! I can¡¯t make those if I want to y at the highest elo! This isn¡¯t even near my top either... At most, at most I¡¯m ying at two thirds of where I was before.

    Four years ago, when Lin Feng took his break from League of Legends, An Xin continued ying. She yed for years and became one of the best yers on the rankeddder. Not just in China, but also in Korea. She had fought her way all the way up to the Top 10 at one point. But since her name didn¡¯t have the Chinese prefix, no one knew. That all happened before she was diagnosed. Back when she could still fully use her hand. An Xin opened her eyes and looked at her mouse hand. It was slightly trembling and just holding onto the mouse put a strain on her body. I was so good, far better than most professional yers! I yed against the best yers in the world all the time and beat them! But then, then this happened. She threw her hand up in the air. And now I can¡¯t even get close to my mechanical skills from back then! I¡¯m practically useless like this...

    An Xin had never told anyone about her achievements in League of Legends. She enjoyed the anonymity. Even Lin Feng wasn¡¯t aware of just how high she¡¯d climbed. But that was all in the past. She struggled to pinch her mouse, the veins in her hand pushing through her skin. They even look dead! She pinched her eyes closed and sucked back the tears. They look grey and sickly! Why won¡¯t my body send more blood there!? Stupid body! She kicked against the back of her desk, frustrated. I¡¯ll never get back to where I was! I won¡¯t be that good again, just because my body won¡¯t function like it should! This is so unfair!

    The tears were bing hard to hold back. An Xin stood up from her gaming chair and jumped on her bed. She grabbed the nkets and wrapped them around her, then buried her head into her pillow. This is so unfair! Why does my body have to be this stupid? Can¡¯t I just have a normal body? I just want to be healthy! Why can¡¯t I have a chance to y League like I know I can!?

    ?

    Zhang Hao balled his hand into a fist and punched up into the air, shouting, ¡°Yes! Another win!¡± He grinned and felt his entire body trembling from excitement. ¡°Phew! That was so close! But I won it! That¡¯s another 13 League Points!¡± He clicked on his profile and looked at his match history. He¡¯d yed three games tonight in Ionia Master. The first was a loss, but the next two were both victories. He nodded and said, ¡°Sweet! I¡¯m doing great today! At this rate, I might finally get to Challenger!¡±

    The excitement quickly died down when Zhang Hao said thatst word. Challenger. He¡¯d been dreaming for years to reach that high on thedder. But it was too difficult. He wasn¡¯t good enough. I need to get better. The team depends on me not screwing up! That¡¯s bad enough. Even Tang Tang is quickly getting a lot better than I am! I¡¯m still only a C+... If I don¡¯t improve to a B grade yer, what can I really do for the team? I¡¯m just going to hold them back! He gnashed his teeth and mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the weakest link! The others are all training so hard to win, and then there¡¯s me! They¡¯re getting better and I, I¡¯m just not. I¡¯m Master while they¡¯re all Challengers! I need to be a B grade before our game against Zhejiang University! One way or another!¡±

    Every time he said their name, Zhang Hao felt a massive pressure weigh down on him, suffocating him. Zhejiang University. He pursed his lips and pushed back against every fiber in his body that was screaming at him to give up. They¡¯re thest opponent before the main tournament! We have to make it to the main tournament! We won¡¯t lose because of me! I¡¯m not going to let that happen! He suddenly shouted, ¡°I want to win! I want to win so badly!¡±

    Zhang Hao pressed his hand against his chest, feeling his heart beating in rapid excitement. We¡¯re ying to win the whole tournament! Winning! He tried to calm himself down a bit by regting his breathing, but just the thought of winning a tournament of this magnitude had his heart smashing into his ribcage. He chewed on his tongue and entered the ranked queue again. His eyes burned with determination as he vowed, ¡°Zhejiang¡¯s Toner is B grade. I¡¯m C+. I¡¯m going to be a B- grade yer before we y! I¡¯ll show everyone that I¡¯m not the weak link! I¡¯ll help the team and at the very least I won¡¯t lose myne! I¡¯m going to beat that guy!¡±

    ?

    Tang Bingyao pushed the door to her bedroom open and walked in. It was a small, almost empty room. Her bed was to one side and had seen better days. There was some wear and tear in her sheets that revealed the yellow mattress and pillow, and the only thing remotely eye-catching was a pink cartoon bear nket. Just that the colours were faded. Next to her bed stood a wardrobe, missing a drawer and one door and standing at an angle. Thest piece of furniture in her room was her desk. It was empty except for an oldmp and a Jinx figurine.

    It¡¯s so cold. Tang Bingyao shivered as she walked over to her window. It was closed, but she could still feel a breeze slipping through the cracks. I really need to do something about this, sometime¡­ She chewed on the inside of her cheeks as she closed her curtains, which didn¡¯t really close anymore because a part of the rails was broken. She then took out her pyjamas from her wardrobe before curling up in her bed and hiding under her nkets. Hmm, I need to save up for a new mattress too, but the nket is still nice and warm. She smiled a bit as she pulled the nket up to her chin.

    Tang Bingyao stared up at her ceiling, patches of paint only partly connected to it. Also that¡­ Mhm. She closed her eyes and focused on other things. I finished my homework, so that¡¯s all good. Grandma took her meds and is in bed. I¡¯ll make her a nice breakfast in the morning. She took a deep breath, nerves slowly grabbing a hold of her. She started scratching her neck and chewing on her tongue. We¡¯re ying against Zhejiang University next. I have to y against Sun Ruinian next. He¡¯s so good. But we need to win this tournament! How am I not going to feed against him? He¡¯s so much better than me!

    The sounds of a car mming the horn followed by sirens came from outside Tang Bingyao¡¯s bedroom. She pulled the nket over her ears and tried not to think about that and instead about the uing quarter finals match against Zhejiang University. I¡¯m going tone against Samsara! And I don¡¯t care how good he is, I¡¯m going to beat him! Mhm! She clenched her nket in her iron grip, fighting back the anxious, almost nauseating feeling in her stomach. I don¡¯t want to be a burden to the team and Lin Feng! But it¡¯s more than that. I want the team to lean on me! I want to be the carry! I want to help Lin Feng win!

    The thought of his name was enough to flush Tang Bingyao¡¯s cheeks red. Thest hints of coldness were sted away by the sudden heat Lin Feng¡¯s name carried with it. She reached her arm out from underneath the nket and searched for something on the floor, relyingpletely on touch. It was her very own ¡®nightstand¡¯. When her fingers wrapped around something cold and hard, she smiled. She traced her fingers around the edges before holding the item up right in front of her face, the weak moonlight burning through her curtains enough illumination to make out the rough shape of it. I love this Draven keychain. Mhm! I¡¯m going to fight for you! I¡¯ll show everyone how good I really am! Samsara has nothing on me! With you by my side, I¡¯ll always win! For you¡­ For you I want to win. You trust me. I won¡¯t let you down. I don¡¯t care who we¡¯re ying next, or how good they are, I¡¯ll give it my all. All for you.

    Tang Bingyao held the Draven keychain with both hands and ced it close to her chest. She smiled and nodded at herself. I¡¯m not going to let you drag me along. I¡¯ll stand on my own two feet! Mhm! I¡¯m going to stand by your side and pull my weight! And together we¡¯re going to win it all! First up Zhejiang University, then the Collegiate Cup, and after that whatever game you want to win next!

    ?

    The quarterfinals of the East China Regionals were being held exactly seven days after the Round of 16. The eight teams gathered at the venue again, as did the many fans that were hoping to witness some high quality gamey. Every round was a direct elimination. And every next round, the matchups were bound to get more exciting. This was especially true for the quarterfinals in East China. Zhejiang University was taking on Team Shanghai, who were a far stronger team than the fans originally expected.

    The audience was loudly discussing and arguing about the potential oue of this best of three series. Many said that Zhejiang University was the strongest team, while Team Shanghai used abination of skill and luck to make it as far as they had. But there were others, led by Ouyang, who noted that everyone kept underestimating Team Shanghai and that Team Shanghai kept proving them wrong. But this discussion took a sharp turn when a tournament official walked up on stage with a microphone and announced, ¡°There has been a change to Zhejiang University¡¯s roster. Shi Hang is recing Zuo Cheng in the midne. Zuo Cheng will stay on as a substitute.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not April 1st, is it?¡±

    ¡°Are they for real? Is this for real? AyDeeCee is going to y?¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, Zhejiang University actually did it? They¡¯re going to let a professional yer on their team? What bosses!¡±

    ¡°AyDeeCee is ying? We¡¯re going to get to see AyDeeCee? SWEEEEEEEET!¡±

    ¡°What the¡­ Do they have no shame?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Can you believe it? They fucking recruited a professional yer to beat a high school team!¡±

    ¡°OH MY GOD! AYDEECEE IS GONNA PLAAAAAAAY!¡±

 Chapter 304: This is Gonna be Good

    Zhejiang University had convinced Shi Hang to y for his esports club in the Winter Collegiate Cup! A former professional yer stooped down to y with amateurs! The news spread through the channels and sent everyone in East China into a massive uproar! There were many questions about the authenticity of the news. But with the tournament organizers delivering the news, there wasn¡¯t much to argue about. Shi ¡®AyDeeCee¡¯ Hang was going to y at the Winter Collegiate Cup!

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Zhejiang University actually did this. Shi Hang¡¯s ying? Really?¡±

    ¡°I know right? Fucking unbelievable! Since when are pros wee!? What¡¯s next God Roundy is going to y for his university? Just imagine! The Collegiate Cup would be stupid! The organizers should¡¯ve never allowed Shi Hang to y!¡±

    ¡°AyDeeCee did quit way back in like Season 2, or was it 3 already? I don¡¯t remember. Anyway, he hasn¡¯t yed at the highest level for years. Maybe the organizers took that into consideration? That has to be it, right? They can¡¯t start epting real pros to y at this tournament?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all fun and all, but what about the other teams? Just look at Team Shanghai! Those kids worked their asses off and showed some really promising performances to make it this far. It was always going to be hard for them to beat Zhejiang University. But now with AyDeeCee? It just became impossible. Geegee, I guess¡­¡±

    People in the audience had called their friends and posted on social media when the news of AyDeeCee ying for Zhejiang University was released. It didn¡¯t take more than 15 minutes before a new flood of people looked to push their way into the venue. All of them wanted to watch the man, the myth, the legend! Shi Hang! Founder of the Zhejiang University esports club! Most valuable yer of the first edition of the Collegiate Cup! Victor of the first edition of the Collegiate Cup! University yer gone professional! The des were too many to count. Shi Hang hadn¡¯t just won a lot of games, he had won the hearts of all university students in China! And now, after three years of absence, they got the opportunity to watch him y again!

    The venue filled up. All the seats were taken, the stairs were full and even more people were pushing their way in through the entrance. They didn¡¯t even care about finding a seat anymore. Therge LCD screen above the stage was high enough that it could be seen from anywhere in therge hall and big enough for everyone, even those at the very back of the hall, to clearly see what was going.

    ¡°Can you believe how lucky we are? Shi Hang got given an 81% by the Chinese Esports Organization! 81%! That¡¯s fucking mental! And now he¡¯s ying at a uni tournament! Shit we¡¯re lucky!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, 81%?¡±

    ¡°How do you not know this? Noob. Whatever. That¡¯s the grading system the Chinese Esports Organization uses for professional yers. Basically, our whole system with the C, B, A grading, right? Well that¡¯s just for amateur yers. The real high level pros are beyond A+ and then you start looking at this percentage thing. Daybreak Hermes, yeah? He¡¯s 87.5%!¡±

    ¡°So AyDeeCee or Shi Hang is almost as good as Hermes? Doesn¡¯t that put him like right below the Seven Kings? What the fuck is someone like that doing at a university event? That¡¯s kinda stupid if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°Now you get it! That¡¯s what we¡¯re all saying! It is stupid! But at the same time¡­ We¡¯re going to get to see Shi Hang y again! A real pro yer dude! We¡¯re gonna see him y! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so exciting about it¡­ Why would a pro do this? He¡¯s bullying Team Shanghai! Those kids worked so hard and now they have to y a pro? What the fuck!¡±

    ¡°Eh, whatever. Who knows why a pro does things? I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just here to enjoy the games and then hopefully some drama!¡±

    The other teamspeting sat in stunned silence after the news was revealed. They forgot to do anything while the audience behind them exploded. But finally some started talking. yers expressed their frustration with Zhejiang University. Theyined that it wasn¡¯t fair to field a former professional yer and that it was bad sportsmanship. Many more started discussing how this change was going to affect Zhejiang University¡¯s team. They agreed that without Shi Hang, Zhejiang University was a solid B grade team, maybe even B+ grade. But with Shi Hang in the midne, they argued that Zhejiang University could reach as high as A grade. Not just because of Shi Hang¡¯s skills as a Miner, but also for his skills as the team¡¯s captain. He was said to lift the level of his entire team up with his presence alone!

    Everyone in the yer seating area eventually turned their attention to Fudan University¡¯s team. Aurous, a former team member from Fudan University, had made it as a professional yer and was currently on the main roster of an LPL team. The intention from the teams was clear. They wanted Fudan University to contact Aurous and have him contact Shi Hang to figure out what was going on. It didn¡¯t take much pushing. Fudan University wanted to find out the truth as much as the others. Their team captain sent Aurous a text message, and Aurous replied that he was on the case.

    ?

    Aurous was in the middle of a game of League when he received the text message. He wanted to ignore it and focus on the game, because his team was losing. But from the corner of his eye he caught a few keywords. He scrunched his nose and scratched his neck. Shi Hang is ying where? What? He nced at his monitor, which was a dull grey and would be for another couple of seconds, and then reached out for his phone and read the string of text messages. Shi Hang is ying in the Collegiate Cup? Wut? Did he lose it? He looked at his screen again. His team was losing across the board. The game was still winnable, but it would take a lot of effort and even that might not be enough. He shrugged and mumbled, ¡°Screw this game.¡± Then he hit the Enter key and typed /surrender. The vote went four against one. The game camera panned to his Nexus and he watched it explode.

    Aurous barely noticed the Defeat message on his screen. His eyes were trained on his phone as he was scrolling through his list of contacts, searching for a name he hadn¡¯t thought about for quite a while. He finally found it and pressed the call button. Then he ced the phone to his ear and waited for the call to connect.

    Shi Hang epted the call shortly after and said, ¡°Yo¡ª¡±

    ¡°What the hell, dude!¡± Aurous eximed. ¡°The hell? You¡¯re actually ying in the Collegiate Cup!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shi Hang replied. Then he casually added, ¡°I¡¯m at the venue right now. ying in a bit.¡±

    Aurous fell silent for a brief moment, caught off-guard by the calm reply from Shi Hang. He finally shook his head and shouted, ¡°The hell are you doing!? You¡¯re a former pro! What the hell are you doing at that stupid tourney? Are you drunk? Is that it? Did you wanna bully some noobs because you drank too much? Seriously, wake the hell up! You¡¯re a former pro! Just, just don¡¯t.¡±

    Shi Hang chuckled and replied, ¡°So what if I¡¯m ying again? Whatcha you gonna do about it? Hey, I know! How about you go and y for Fudan! You¡¯re still studying there, right? It can be like old times again! But if you¡¯re not up for it, I¡¯ll just bully your little noobs! It¡¯ll be fun!¡±

    ¡°Fuck off! Seriously, what¡¯s going on? Why are you doing this?¡± Aurous asked through gritted teeth. Shi Hang is one of theziest bastards I know! There¡¯s no way he¡¯d y just because. What the hell is he thinking? He breathed in and closed his eyes. What could possibly have him join the uni team to y at that tournament? He breathed out and said, ¡°We¡¯re friends, right? Be straight with me. Why are you ying?¡±

    There was another silence. Aurous even checked his phone after a couple of seconds to make sure the call was still connected. But then Shi Hang¡¯s voice finally came through the small speaker. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t say. I¡¯m helping someone keep a secret. Well, I think I am. Anyway, I can tell you this. Come and watch, or even sub in for Fudan University, because you¡¯re not going to want to miss this. It¡¯s gonna be good.¡±

    ?

    There were 20 minutes to go before the East China Regional Quarterfinals would officially start. The tournament staff was running around backstage, double and triple checking everything. Chu Fang watched them move about, a clipboard in his hand. And everytime someone came up to him, he checked the next thing off his list.

    ¡°Lights good!¡±¡°Audio check!¡±¡°Stream is live!¡±¡°Inte is stable!¡±¡°All four teams ying tonight are backstage!¡±¡°First two teams will go up on stage in five minutes!¡±

    Chu Fang looked down at his list. We¡¯re good to go. The guys have done a great job! He looked down at a monitor to his side that showed the livestream. It gave a good view of the crowd, sometimes zooming in on someone who¡¯d dressed up as a League of Legends Champion. Two casters were talking in the background, hyping on the audience by telling them about the match-ups. This is all looking great! Even that guy is doing good right now! He grabbed his walkie-talkie and said, ¡°Good work, everyone! I¡¯ll treat y¡¯all to dinner after the games are over tonight!¡±

    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re the best!¡±¡°Thanks!¡±¡°Free dinner! Awesome!¡±¡°Can we go to the sushi bar around the corner?¡±¡°SUSHI!¡±

    Chu Fang smiled as he looked back down at his clipboard. In big bold letters at the top of page two it read the first series of the day. Zhejiang University versus Team Shanghai. Shi Hang versus Lin Feng. I wonder if Fang Hao is right. Is Shi Hang really going to make aeback because of Lin Feng? His eyes zed over as he recalled his conversation with Fang Hao a couple of hours earlier.

    ?

    Chu Fang walked into Fang Hao¡¯s office to report on the developments at the Winter Collegiate Cup. He looked at his boss, who was working on one of many piles of documents on his desk, and said, ¡°The only big thing to report is that Zhejiang University sent in the paperwork for Shi Hang. Looks like he¡¯s going to y for them. He knows Lin Feng is ying for Team Shanghai.¡±

    Fang Hao looked up from his work and asked, ¡°Shi Hang is actually going to y again? That¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and continued, ¡°He is. I seriously started to believe he was done with League. It¡¯s been three years since he retired frompetitive y. I really thought he was throwing everything he had into his studies. But it looks like he couldn¡¯t stop himself froming back after he learned about Lin Feng.¡±

    Fang Haoughed and said, ¡°Graduating school isn¡¯t a bad choice for most people. It gives them a career path and is far more secure than trying to be a professional yer in any sport, really. But...¡± He briefly paused to turn his head and look out of the window. He then continued, ¡°But there¡¯ll always be some who dare to abandon the safe route to chase their dreams. Shi Hang is just like Lin Feng in that regard.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Chu Fang said. He looked at his boss, searching for the meaning behind the words. Just like Lin Feng? The only thing that can mean is¡­ His eyes widened and he asked, ¡°Do you really think¡­ Are you really saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Fang Hao replied,ughing. He looked at the sun high up in the sky and continued, ¡°AyDeeCee is just like Lin Feng. They¡¯ll both be looking to make theireback. The LPL is going to be a lot of fun very soon.¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang was pulled back to the present by his walkie-talkie. A member of staff had a question. He answered and then let his mind drift again. Fang Hao thinks AyDeeCee is going to make aeback¡­ I really want to see that! Him and Lin Feng were so talented, are so talented! There just wasn¡¯t as much money in the scene when they were crushing it, not to mention that they were still really young back then. But they¡¯re a bit older now! Even if they haven¡¯t yedpetitively for years, they¡¯ve got the talent to make it back to the top!

    Another thought struck Chu Fang. He furrowed his brows and looked up at the ceiling. So many people quit thepetitive scene after Lin Feng left. AyDeeCee is just one of them. But there¡¯s also Silent and Autumn just to name two. What if they¡¯de back? And we have Eleven who¡¯s doing random stuff in the LSPL, but what if he came back to his old form? What if all the talented yers from then came back for a second round? Just thinking about it! A smile blossomed on his face before crumpling again. It¡¯s such a shame AyDeeCee and Maple are ying each other right now. This could¡¯ve been the Championship game! They shouldn¡¯t have yed each other until the very end! What are the other games going to look like¡ª Wait! Lin Feng will have to show off just how good he is if he wants to win this! Everyone will finally get to see just how good he is! If he makes it to the next round, no one can underestimate him anymore! The other teams are only going to try harder and maybe we¡¯ll see a few more familiar names step up! This could be very interesting! He grinned and mumbled, ¡°This is gonna be good!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai was waiting backstage for the tournament officials to send them up on stage. But when the tournament official walked up to them, it wasn¡¯t to tell them about the start of the game but about a change in Zhejiang University¡¯s lineup. He told them that Shi Hang was recing Zuo Cheng in the midne. This elicited a strong response from Team Shanghai.

    Zeng Rui slumped back in his chair, staring at the tournament official in disbelief. Is that why I got that uneasy feeling the other day? Because of AyDeeCee filling in? Why is this happening? This isn¡¯t fair! He was a professional yer! How do they expect us to beat him!?

    Zhang Hao¡¯s reaction was fiercer. He jumped to his feet and shouted at the tournament official, ¡°What the shit! This is stupid! How can we beat a former professional yer?¡± He then shook his head and fell back in his seat, mumbling, ¡°We¡¯re fucked. It¡¯s over. Shi Hang is ying¡­ We were going to lose anyway. Zhejiang University was the better team, and now they¡¯re like a professional team. What do they think we are? We¡¯re just high schoolers! ying at the university level is enough to push us! But winning against a real pro? That¡¯s just impossible! It¡¯s over. It¡¯s over... We haven¡¯t even started ying, but it¡¯s over. It¡¯s so over! This is so unfair!¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on her lips and nced at Lin Feng. AyDeeCee is a mid main. Lin Feng is going to have to face him. She nodded at herself. Mhm! I promised that I was going to stand shoulder to shoulder with him! He wasn¡¯t going to carry me, we¡¯re supposed to carry together! Now I can prove that to him! I have to beat Sun Ruinian and help him beat AyDeeCee!

    A giggle sounded, breaking the tense atmosphere. The yers from Team Shanghai turned to look at An Xin. She covered her mouth with her hand and winked at Lin Feng. She said, ¡°Well, this is all your fault. It only seems fair you have to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°His fault?¡± Zhang Hao blurted out. This sentiment was shared by Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui, their expressions of confusion saying more than words ever could.

    But Lin Feng didn¡¯t look surprised or confused. He grinned in his excited way and said, ¡°So he came out of retirement just for me?¡± He startedughing before adding, ¡°Wow! I never expected he would actually do that! He¡¯s giving me a ton of face! I¡¯ll make sure to thank him!¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Zeng Rui asked, his eyelids twitching. What is wrong with him? This is even crazy for him! Doesn¡¯t he realise how absolutely fucked we are? Shi Hang yed in the LPL! He was the best Miner from China in the early seasons! Everyone knows how good he is! Why doesn¡¯t the thundering dumbass realise how fucked we are!? He red at Lin Feng and gritted his teeth. So what if you beat him a couple of games in solo queue way back in Season 1? That doesn¡¯t make you the better yer!

    An Xin stopped giggling. She looked at Lin Feng, waiting for his eyes to meet hers, and asked, ¡°Do you think you can win against him? Are you up there yet?¡±

    Lin Feng pursed his lips but then shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not up there yet.¡± He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I¡¯m far from it. But this is the best test I could dream of! He is exactly the kind opponent I need to be ying against! His eyes shed open and zed with determination! He nodded at An Xin and said confidently, ¡°But I¡¯m going to y against him and give it my all! You guys worry about the rest, leave him to me!¡±

 Chapter 305: An Old Fox Need Learn No Craft

    Stands were erected in a half circle around the main stage. Two soundproof booths stood on it, each equipped with fiveputers, and there was a small area between the soundproof booths. This was where the evening¡¯s host stood with a microphone held in his hand. He waited for the audience to quiet down and then announced, ¡°The first game tonight is Zhejiang University versus Team Shanghai!¡± Boisterous roars rang out throughout the venue in response, forcing the host to pause. He pped and smiled, and then when the audience had calmed down again continued, ¡°Zhejiang University needs no introduction. Joined by former professional yer AyDeeCe¡ª¡±

    The audience lost it. They went absolutely wild, screaming and shouting Shi Hang¡¯s name. And in response Shi Hang waved to the audience and led his team up the stage. He nodded at the host with an apologetic smile and then had his teammates line up in front of the soundproof booth. They bowed towards the audience and then turned their attention to the host.

    ¡°This year is a little special for the Collegiate Cup,¡± the host said into his microphone. ¡°Not only is this the first Winter edition, this is also the first time that high school teams have been invited. One of those high school teams is ying here tonight. They are the representatives of the Shanghai Esports Association! Let¡¯s give them a warm wee! Here is Team Shanghai!¡±

    A small section of the audience cheered and shouted words of support, but most remained silent. That, however, quickly changed when Shi Hang started apuding for Team Shanghai as they made their way up the stage. The crowd went wild in a second round of feet stomping and screaming! The venue rocked and even the voice booming through the speakers couldn¡¯t get a word in.

    Team Shanghai lined up in front of the other soundproof booth. They looked out at the crowd and bowed in respect to thank everyone foring out and supporting them. Then everyone turned their attention back towards the host, except for Lin Feng and Shi Hang. The two old friends, while turning their heads to look at the host, noticed each other. Their gazes locked. Lin Feng grinned and waved. There was a short dy, but then Shi Hang¡¯s lips parted into a smile that reached from one ear to the other and he nodded in reply.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Support noticed Lin Feng waving and then Shi Hang grinning and nodding. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and whispered to Sun Ruinian, ¡°Does Shi Hang know that kid?¡±

    Sun Ruinian nced at his Support and raised his eyebrows a bit, just enough to get the message across. Shh! Not now! He then smiled and looked back at the host. This is not the time. But, but, damn! I also want to know! Why wouldn¡¯t Shi Hang tell me? I suppose he has a good reason for that. Yeah, we¡¯ll find out eventually. Now we have to focus on the game. We¡¯re going to have to beat Team Shanghai. And Shi Hang made it sound like that¡¯s not going to be easy¡­ I wonder why...

    Shi Hang heard the whispers next to him and felt the many eyes staring at him. Everyone knows me. I¡¯m the former pro who¡¯se to help his team win the tournament. If only they knew¡­ He nced back at Lin Feng, who was now talking with his teammates. If only they knew how ridiculous Team Shanghai¡¯s lineup is. Between their Jungler and Maple alone, they¡¯ve got a team that can win this entire tournament! And then people say I¡¯m the bully! Heughed and shook his head.

    The host finished announcing the match and instructed the two teams to enter the soundproof booths and get ready for the games. Shi Hang nodded and walked his team into the booth. He sat down behind the middleputer, which was where the Miner always sat. He looked at his Jungler and Toner to his right and Sun Ruinian and his Support to his left. They all look happy and rxed, even Sun Ruinian doesn¡¯t look all that worried. I told him this wasn¡¯t going to be easy! I should¡¯ve told them about Lin Feng, about Maple. Should I have? I don¡¯t know. But this definitely isn¡¯t the time to scare the ever living shit out of them. He sighed loudly and then nodded at Sun Ruinian and said, ¡°You¡¯re in charge here. Go with whatever n you had in mind, I¡¯ll adjust to it.¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked at Shi Hang and chewed on the inside of his cheeks. He¡¯s not looking chill, or calm. He was worried from the start. Shit. Shit! A knot twisted in his stomach and pulled tight. We¡¯re overlooking something here! Why won¡¯t he tell us what it is? Could it be¡­? He turned his head to look across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Does it have to do with Lin Feng? Shit, worrying now isn¡¯t going to do us any good! He shook his head and turned back to look at his teammates. He said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with our original n. Time to win this series!¡±

    Shi Hang let Sun Ruinian and closed his eyes to block everything out for a couple of seconds. I finally get to duke it out with Maple again! I¡¯ve had to wait for four years, but here we are again. I¡¯m getting a chance to y against him again! He hasn¡¯t yed in years and he probably isn¡¯t the same yer he was back then, but he¡¯s still Maple! He wouldn¡¯t dare to disappoint me! His eyes shed open! The uninterested borderingzy expression was gone. He grabbed his mouse with one hand and ced the other gently on his keyboard. Show me the real Maple!

    ?

    The yers from Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai were preparing for their best of five series, which created a brief moment in which the audience wasn¡¯t cheering until their lungs gave out. They looked through the thick ss windows into the soundproof booths and watched Shi Hang. Someone suddenly shouted, ¡°Damn! Never thought I¡¯d get to see Shi Hang y again! I still remember his games from four years ago! Yep, that¡¯s right! I started getting into League because of Shi Hang! There were posters all around campus about the Finals, so I went to watch. Let me tell you guys something. His ad-carry was freaking ah-mazing!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t his ad-carry only pretty decent?¡± someone else in the audience asked. ¡°I heard he got way better after switching to the midne. And he¡¯s ying in the midne today too, right?¡±

    The student from Zhejiang University nodded and replied, ¡°He got way better! And now we also have Sun Ruinian who is an A- ad-carry! We¡¯ve basically got two freaking pro level yers on our team! This Winter Collegiate Cup is ours! We¡¯re unbeatable!¡±

    Team Shanghai¡¯s friends and ssmates from Shanghai High School and High School 13 were also at the venue to watch the series between Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai. They looked in the direction of the two people talking and grimaced. It was a rare moment where all of them were linked together by the Broforce through their shared emotional state of horror.

    Ouyang finally couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut any longer. He rapped his hands on his knees andined, ¡°Ahh, CrapCrapCrap! Why did AyDeeCee have to sub in? We¡¯re fucked! It¡¯s over! This is so unfair for Lin Feng and the gang! They¡¯re getting cheated here! How are we supposed to beat AyDeeCee? This, this i¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop freaking out!¡± Ren Rou admonished Ouyang, pping her palm against the back of his head. She red at him and said, ¡°The game hasn¡¯t even started yet! Stop being so negative¡­¡± She turned to look at the others before continuing, ¡°That goes for all of you! Let¡¯s give them some positive vibes!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I¡¯ll root for them. But winning? They might have stood a chance if Shi Hang didn¡¯t sub in. But with him ying¡­?¡±

    Ren Rou wanted to argue and fight back against what Yang Fan was clearly implying, but the strong sense of defeating from all around her made her pause. She looked at the three from Shanghai High School. Their heads hung low and they were biting on their lips and clenching their fists. She leaned in a bit closer and could hear them repeat the same few words. ¡°So unfair. This is so unfair.¡± She looked at the others from High School 13. They¡¯re all down. They¡¯ve all given up. She looked at the stage and into Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. I hope they haven¡¯t given up. You guys have to fight!

    Loudughter rang out from a different section of the stage. Ren Rou turned her head to look at where it came from and spotted a familiar face. Zuo Cheng? The previous Miner from Zhejiang? What¡¯s heughing abou¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯ve got this! We¡¯re going to the main tournament!¡± Zuo Cheng eximed for everyone to hear. He looked around the stands and continued, ¡°Shi Hang never stopped being a monster at the game! We¡¯re finally going to get to watch him y! This is so cool! We¡¯re going to see the team captain crush Team Shanghai!¡±

    ?

    The game moved to Champion Select. Zeng Rui¡¯s gaze was locked on his screen, grimacing. We¡¯re going to have to y against AyDeeCee! He actually, he actually stepped in! This was outside of my calctions. It¡¯s ridiculous! They shouldn¡¯t allow a former professional yer in a university level tournament! But they have. We¡¯re going to have to y against him. Lin Feng will have to y against him. And the thundering dumbass has apparently yed against him before. He should know how to y against him. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Are there any specific bans you want?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and answered, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can stick to the original n you and BunBun came up with. Just leave Shi Hang to me.¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng for a couple of seconds, but eventually nodded. Maybe this is the only way to do this. If Lin Feng can really beat AyDeeCee¡­ I don¡¯t see another way, except for trusting¡­ Zeng Rui closed his eyes and shook his head. It¡¯s the only way. I have to trust him. Why is this so difficult for me to trust him? He grimaced and then turned his attention back to the Champion Select, instructing over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. Ban Jinx, Yasuo and Thresh...¡±

    ?

    The two casters for the Quarterfinals of the East China Regionals were Silent Reed and Rollfire. The Shanghai Esports Organization initially didn¡¯t invite Rollfire back after his embarrassing performance during the Fuzhou Tech versus Team Shanghai series in the Round of 16, but were forced to call him at thest minute. Their first choice got sick 30 minutes before the start of the series and Rollfire was the only caster avable in such a short timeframe. So he found himself back at the caster desk together with the inexperienced Silent Reed.

    Rollfire red at therge LCD screen, steaming with rage. If I didn¡¯t need the money and exposure, I would¡¯ve never epted this! Those idiots from the Shanghai Esports Organization only had me as a back up? I deserve so much more than this! I¡¯m a second rate caster! They should¡¯ve invited me first! Not that other idiot! And now I have to fucking cast their stupid representative team again with this stupid bitch who wouldn¡¯t even talk to me! Arrghhh! He looked at the names of the yers up on the screen. At least I get to cast AyDeeCee. That¡¯s the only positive take away from this! Casting a real professional yer does fit my status as a second rate caster! I hope he crushes Team Shanghai! Fuck the Shanghai Esports Organization!

    Silent Reed nced at the caster sitting next to her. Why him again? I thought they said I didn¡¯t have to cast with him again! He was so useless! She bit on her lips and then turned her head to look up at therge LCD screen. I¡¯ll just ignore him. That¡¯s what I should¡¯ve donest time. I¡¯m just going to cast the game and make it fun for the audience! Just like Westwind would¡¯ve! She smiled and said into the microphone, ¡°Both teams have picked their Champions! We¡¯re moving into the loading screen. Let¡¯s take a closer look at which Champions are on the Rift in this first game of the best of five series between Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai!¡±

    Game 1 of the East China Regional Qualifier

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Zhejiang University (Red)Top: Lissandra vs. RumbleJungle: Jarvan IV vs. Rek¡¯SaiMid: Varus vs. AhriAd-Carry: Ezreal vs. VayneSupport: Alistar vs. Leona

    Rollfire grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Thene we all care about is clearly the midne! This game is the return of a real former pro! AyDeeCee is ying Ahri on the Red team! She¡¯s a Magic assassin with a ton of mobility! There is so much potential to outy your opponent with a Champion like that. It¡¯s gonna be good. Varus on the other hand¡­¡ª¡±

    ¡°Varus is also a really good Champion!¡± Silent Reed interrupted. She¡¯d quickly opened a search on Baidu on the Champion and read from that, ¡°He was initially meant to be yed as an ad-carry in the botne. But we¡¯ve seen him being yed more and more in the midne! He isn¡¯t an S-tier Champion, like Fizz or Lenc, but he¡¯s still a solid pick with strong poke and great wave clear! What Lin Feng wants to do is farm up and scale in the early game. Then, when the mid game hits, he wants to use the long range on Piercing Arrow to snipe down enemy health bars from far away!¡± She quickly scrolled down the Baidu page before continuing, ¡°If he gets fed, Varus can two shot frail targets with Piercing Arrow! And on top of that, he also has one of the most powerful crowd control ultimates in the game! It¡¯s called Chains of Corruption! He fires the chains at one Champion, and then they jump to nearby Champions, chaining all of them to the ground!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct, very correct,¡± Rollfired agreed. Then he grinned, though his eyes were spitting fire, and added, ¡°Those are indeed all the strong points for Varus! But you can¡¯t forget to mention his one big weakness! He has zero movement abilities! That makes him very vulnerable, especially to ganks! And when you¡¯re up against a former pro that might bite you in the back, that¡¯s a dumb choice of Champion. AyDeeCee just has to shut Varus down early and this game will be a 5vs4! Varus won¡¯t be a threat. He won¡¯t have the attack damage to snipe down any health bars!¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°That''s what I wanted to end with. Varus is weak against early ganks and he¡¯s also not great against high mobility targets. His arrows shoot in a straight line. Ahri can jump around them with her ultimate skill, and also use her ultimate to jump on him. It looks like AyDeeCee has the clear Champion advantage in this matchup.¡±

    Rollfire nced at Silent Reed and smirked. I didn¡¯t even have to say it. She knows. Varus sucks in this matchup! Which means I¡¯ll finally get to see these stupid kids lose a game! This is sweet justice! That Lin Feng kid carried his team through the Round of 16, which waspletely ridiculous! Fuzhou Tech should¡¯ve beaten him! But now he has to face a former professional yer. He¡¯s going to get destroyed! The green mes of misfortune zed in his eyes. Lin Feng might be a good Miner, but he¡¯s no match for Shi Hang! He¡¯s going to lose this so badly! And I get to cast it! I get to tell everyone that the Shanghai Esports Association¡¯s representatives are getting stomped! This is just perfect!

    ¡°Varus into Ahri? What the fuck is Team Shanghai thinking?¡±"They¡¯re screwed. Screwed I tell you! Shi Hang¡¯s going to beat him so hard!¡±¡°I wonder if it¡¯s a misclick? Maybe Team Shanghai wanted to y something else? Like Viktor?¡±¡°You might be onto something there! What idiot ys Varus into an Ahri? That¡¯s just asking for trouble! It makes way more sense if that was supposed to be Viktor!¡±¡°He¡¯s gonna get eaten alive¡­ That Varus is going to get fucking eaten alive!¡±

    Most people in the audience were just confused by the choice of Champions in the midne. A small section of the crowd burst outughing. They were the members of Zhejiang University¡¯s esports club. When they saw the lineup for the game, they turned to each other and congratted their team for winning Game 1. They all agreed that Shi Hang was going to stomp Team Shanghai in 20 minutes or less!

    And then there were the friends and ssmates from Team Shanghai. They had slumped back in their seats and given up on the first game. Theughtering from Zhejiang University¡¯s section inbination with what the casters were saying was enough to convince them that their team was going to lose. Ren Rou looked at the long faces around her. They all look so nervous and anxious just because of what others are saying. But when has our team ever lost!? We need to have some fate! She bit on her lips and looked at therge LCD screen. I want to cheer them on, it¡¯s just¡­ Lin Feng has to y against AyDeeCee...

    ?

    Lin Feng looked over the rim of his monitor at the stage. They¡¯re probably talking about my Varus pick, because it¡¯s a bit off-meta right now. But what do they know! A real pro can make any Champion work! I¡¯ll show them how strong Varus is against Ahri! He then nced across the stage at the other soundproof booth and grinned. Shi Hang, I¡¯m not back where I was. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m good enough to beat you yet. But that only makes this more exciting! Show me everything you¡¯ve got! The voice announcer sounded in his ears and he turned his attention back to his screen. It¡¯s time to y!

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University opted to go with a normal start to the game. The Boners moved down to the botne and the Toners to the topne. But all attention was focused on the midne. Varus walked out from his base and towards his outer tower, while Ahri did the same from the other side of the map. They waited underneath the safety of their towers for the first minion waves to arrive.

    At 2 minutes, six Blue and six Red minions charged into the midne and started exchanging blows at the exact center of the map. Lin Feng¡¯s Varus and Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri both learned their Q skills, respectively Piercing Arrow and Orb of Deception, then moved forward. But rather than attacking each other, they started running around the midne. They moved back and forth and left and right, feeling each other out and establishing their zones of control. All the while, they kept their eyes on the minions and fired auto attacks at them when they were at theirst stretch of health.

    Lin Feng looked at Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri and observed every minute change in her y. He smirked. You¡¯re ying far safer than I remembered. You¡¯re not going easy on me, are you? He then forced the smirk back and focused on the dying minions. Just like the Ahri, he got sessfulst hits on all three melee minions, leaving only the three casters from both sides alive. Lin Feng had his Varus take a small step forward, feigning focus on the caster minions to get a shot off at Ahri. But Shi Hang had seen through it and had his Ahri move back.

    ¡°Piercing Arrow!¡± Lin Feng mumbled. The longer this skill was charged, the greater the distance the arrow could travel. But Lin Feng was very close to Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri. He pressed the Q key and let go right away. Varus raised his bow and fired a thick, massive arrow that pierced through the caster minions and flew straight at Ahri!

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes and, rather than dodging, responded with Orb of Deception! Its range was slightlyrger than the minimum range of Piercing Arrow. The orb that always floated by Ahri¡¯s side suddenly flew forward, straight at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus! It smacked through him, taking a bite out of his health bar! Then it continued a short distance before turning around and flying back towards Ahri. On its way back was Varus again! But Lin Feng knew this wasing and animation-canceled the recovery of his Piercing Arrow to move out of the way.

    Both skillshots hit their target. Lin Feng¡¯s Varus and Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri lost a small chunk of health. It looked like a simple exchange that could be seen at any level of League of Legends. The two yers simply exchanged skill for skill. But Lin Feng and Shi Hang sat up a little straighter in their chairs. A smile yed on the corners of their lips and they gripped their mouses a little tighter. This short exchange gave them far more information than anyone else could glean from it. It confirmed to them that, even after so many years away from the professional scene, they both still possessed the instincts and senses of a top level professional yer!

 Chapter 306: A Dance, A Waltz, A Duel Between Masters

    Shi Hang stared at his monitor. He¡¯d just had his first exchange with Lin Feng, and he was surprised. I can hardly tell you took a four year break! Prediction, reaction, animation cancelling¡­ you yed that perfectly! It¡¯s like back then! All those idiots talking about Goalie being so good. They¡¯re all stupid! This. This right here is what it¡¯s all about. This focus is something you don¡¯t even see consistently in the LPL! He nodded and smiled. This is exactly why I wanted to y you. For this feeling in my stomach! The thrill of the fight! I¡¯m all tense from just that one exchange!

    Thest couple of years were all about university for Shi Hang. He¡¯d yed League of Legends casually, but never with the focus or attention required to y the game at the highest level. It was only after facing Lin Feng again that he found that old state ofplete focus. That ce where nothing existed except him and his opponent. The smile on his face grew brighter and he nodded happily. I¡¯m impressed! Nice work, Maple! It¡¯s a good thing I was expecting you to be, well, you! I could¡¯ve died there if I¡¯d yed it differently! There was a spark in his stomach, a moment of lightness, the thrill. But this is just the beginning. This is going to be more and more intense! I¡¯ll slowly ramp things up a notch! Let¡¯s see how much of your old form you¡¯ve gotten back, Mr. Former #1 Mid in China!

    ?

    The audience expected a dull earlyning phase in the midne, and so voiced their surprise when Shi Hang and Lin Feng went at each other from the get-go. They mumbled to each other how Varus was supposed to farm up and scale in the early game, and that it was the easiest to do that by ying defensively. Some argued that maybe Lin Feng wanted to show off against Shi Hang. And for all they were concerned, he seeded doing that. Shi Hang was the former professional yer and one of the best Miners China had ever seen! He was supposed to pull ahead right from the start. But the first exchange in the midne ended in a draw. Confused and surprised shouts rang throughout the venue.

    Back in the game, Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri and Lin Feng¡¯s Varus leveled up. They unlocked their second skills and used that to up the tempo of thene. Ahri¡¯s magic was flying through the air, barely missing the minions and urately hitting Varus, who in turn fired his arrows. They too blew past the minions and pierced Ahri! Every next wave they pushed harder, searching for the limits. And then they hit Level 3. Their dance evolved into a Waltz as they unlocked their third main skills.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Varus raised his bow and pulled back the string. There was no arrow resting on the string, but when he let loose 13 sharp red bolts flew up into the air! The Hail of Arrows rained down on Ahri, blighting thend under her and slowing her movement speed! Lin Feng then smashed down on the Q key¨CPiercing Arrow! Come on! Varus raised his bow and pulled back. A thick, massive arrow was fired at Ahri, smashing through a magical heart that was flying towards Varus and prating its target!

    Shi Hang hadn¡¯t tried to escape the range from Hail of Arrows, because it also presented an opportunity. Varus was briefly stuck in animation. Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri stepped ever so slightly to the side to find the perfect angle and then cast Charm! She blew a kiss. A magical heart took shape and flew between the minions before smashing into Lin Feng¡¯s Varus, charming him! Varus walked lovestruck towards Ahri, blind to the Orb of Deception piercing through him and the three mes from Fox-Fire bombarding him!

    Varus¡¯ health bar dropped. But he was an ad-carry while Ahri was a mage. There was a distinct difference in how they dealt damage. His damage relied far more on auto attacks than hers. The effects from Charm wore off. He¡¯d walked towards Ahri under its effects and was now standing right in front of her. He raised his bow and fired an auto attack! Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri turned around and ran towards her outer tower. He chased after her and kept shooting arrows. By the time Ahri reached her outer tower and Varus was forced to retreat, both Champions had lost about half their health bars.

    ¡°What a fight! They hit all their skillshots! THEY HIT ALL THEIR SKILLSHOTS!¡± Silent Reed eximed from behind the caster desk. She caught her breath for a brief moment and then continued, ¡°The midne is getting really heated! We¡¯re only four minutes into the game and we¡¯ve already seen a game worth of action in the midne!¡±

    Rollfire gritted his teeth, then grabbed the microphone and said, ¡°Shi ¡®AyDeeCee¡¯ Hang pulled ahead early in that exchange¡ª¡±

    ¡°And Lin Feng made it even again!¡± Silent Reed finished the sentence. She pumped her fist into the air and shouted, ¡°What a fight! What a fight! This promises so much for the rest of the game! Can you imagine!? 30 minutes of pure action like this! WOOOOOO!¡±

    Rollfire just nodded to this. He nced at the audience and chewed on his lips. They can all see it. We¡¯re all feeling the same way! How can AyDeeCee not be winning this already!? He¡¯s the pro here! HE SHOULD BE WINNING THIS! Rollfire turned his head to look at therge LCD screen. Varus and Ahri were still alive, exchanging blow for blow. I know you retired a few years ago. Bute on! You were a professional yer! Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t beat some stupid high school representative from the Shanghai Stupid Organization! Kill that stupid kid! Show them why you were a real pro! People called you the best Miner in China for fucks sake! Do you really expect me to believe that that stupid kid is just as good as you, a former pro!?

    ?

    The audience only wanted to see the midne. Lin Feng¡¯s Varus and Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri were exchanging damage quicker and quicker. More impressively, they were timing their movements so urately that they always had just enough time to switch targets at thest second tond ast hit on a minion and keep their perfect creep score going.

    ¡°Look at them going! Oh my god! I thought the early game was gonna be boring! It usually always is with a Varus! But those two clearly didn¡¯t get the memo! Look at them going ham! They¡¯re going fucking ham! My god, I¡¯ma piss my pants!¡±

    ¡°How does that even work? Even when that Varus gets Charmed, he doesn¡¯t miss minions! It¡¯s like they magically stop dying when he gets Charmed! How are they ying this good? It¡¯s like I¡¯m watching an LPL game!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re on the same wavelength, man. Look at them going at it full aggro! They¡¯re both just pushing andst hitting and pushing and pushing and man I can¡¯t fucking breathe anymore! There¡¯s just too much action!¡±

    The people in the crowd unconsciously shifted forward in their chairs until they sat at the edge of their seats. They held their breath and stopped blinking, showing undivided attention for the game ying on therge LCD screen. Lin Feng and Shi Hang just kept upping the aggression. And each time they did, they lessened the wiggle room. They were ying to the maximum potential of their Champions, only one small mistake away from dying. But the two yers didn¡¯t look worried in the slightest, they looked excited even.

    ?

    In Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng sat behind his monitor. He was in a great mood, grinning brightly. You haven¡¯t let me down, Shi Hang! Or do I call you gramps? You are kind of old already! I thought that might make you worse, but it didn¡¯t at all! Your grading is still at like 80%! Maybe a bit higher even! This is exactly the kind of game I wanted to y! Thank you!

    At 5 minutes, the Red minion wave in the midne pushed towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower. When they arrived within the turret¡¯s range, it came to life and targeted the nearest minion. A powerful ball of electricity shot towards the minion, just as Lin Feng¡¯s Varus raised his bow and nocked a thick,rge arrow. The Piercing arrow shot from the bow and pierced the minion, killing it before the energy shot could, and then kept flying until it struck Ahri!

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyes went wide. I can¡¯t believe you fell for that! He shook his head once and then tapped on the E and D keys. E was Charm. The animation of Ahri blowing a kiss in Varus¡¯ direction started. But before it could finish, sh activated. It carried her a short distance through time and space, cing her to Varus¡¯ side. There were no minions between Ahri and Varus here. A magical heart flew straight towards Varus!

    ¡°AHRI¡¯S GOING IN!¡± Rollfire cried out on the caster desk. He watched the Charmnd on the Varus and then continued, ¡°That¡¯s the former pro for you! He used the animation from Piercing Arrow against Varus! WOOOOO!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Varus fell in love with Ahri. He couldn¡¯t see danger anymore, the strong desire to be close to Ahri pulling him towards her. From the side, Red team¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai dug a path into the midne and towards Varus. Then she shed towards Varus, who was still under the effects of Charm, and Unburrowed! She wed her way out from underground and knocked Varus up into the air!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri unleashed her fullbo on Varus! She started with Ignite, the unquenchable me sticking to Varus and burning away at his health bar! Then she summoned three Fox-Fires that floated around her and searched for a target. They found that target in Varus, flying towards him and shearing away at his health! And Ahri finallymanded the orb by her side to fly out towards Varus and then back to her. The Orb of Deception sapped away Varus¡¯ health!

    Silent Reed grabbed her microphone and ced it against her lips. She shouted, ¡°First blood! This is going to be first blood for AyDeeCee!¡±

    ¡°AYDEECEE! WOOOOO!¡±¡°GEE GEE!¡±

    Zhejiang University had engaged Lin Feng¡¯s Varus underneath his outer tower. Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri was sticking to the outer edge of the turret¡¯s range, but Rek¡¯Sai was within its range. An energy shot fired at her! Her health dropped, and right then An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV arrived from behind the outer tower! She threw her standard down behind Rek¡¯Sai and struck out towards it with hernce! The g-tossbo saw her dashing at Rek¡¯Sai and knocking her up into the air!

    Jarvan IV, Rek¡¯Sai and Varus were stacked on top of each other. It was hard to target Varus, who finally broke free from all the crowd control. Ahri hit him with an auto attack, and then he shed away. Varus reappeared behind his outer tower, far out of range from Ahri and Rek¡¯Sai, with a mottled sh of light!

    Liu Yue jumped up from his seat in the stands and cried out, ¡°Nice save, BunBun! WOOT WOOT!¡± He turned to look at Ouyang and said, ¡°I love her jungling! We can learn so much from her! Do you get how she does that? She¡¯s always right there! I wish I was that good!¡±

    Ouyang pped and cheered for An Xin¡¯s timely arrival to save Lin Feng. He then turned to look at Liu Yue and replied, ¡°I told you, bro! BunBun is the best Jungler! Zhejiang will never get past her!¡± He jabbed Liu Yue in the side with his elbow and added, ¡°You should watch closely how she does that! Maybe you can learn a thing or two from brophina and apply that to your own game! Just imagine how cool it¡¯d be if you had her awareness!¡±

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes and shook her head. She looked at Ouyang from the corners of her eyes and asked, ¡°I thought you were also a Jungler? What, are you suggesting you don¡¯t need to learn from BunBun? Last night¡¯s games would suggest differently¡­¡±

    ¡°Rou Rou!¡± Ouyang eximed. He stared at her wide eyed, then scratched the back of his head andughed awkwardly. He exined, ¡°Well, you see, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Uhmm¡­ That¡¯s because I know my limits! I¡¯m not talented enough! Right, right! BunBun is too good! A normal pleb like me can¡¯t learn from her! I¡¯m just not good enough for that! Us normal plebs need to know our limits!¡±

    ?

    The moment that Shi Hang saw the Jarvan IV appear from behind the blue team¡¯s outer tower, he said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Retreat. We can¡¯t kill Varus with him here. The tower shots are too strong.¡± He clicked towards the middle of thene, his Ahri following hismands. Then he moved his camera back to Blue team¡¯s outer tower. Red minions were still shing against the tower, allowing him to see thest ticks of Ignite eat away at Varus¡¯ health. He shook his head. It¡¯s not enough. One more tick¡­ Yeah. He¡¯s got 109 health remaining. Unfortunate that the Jarvan arrived. We would¡¯ve gotten first blood otherwise. That Jarvan¡­ He narrowed his eyes and moved his attention away from Varus and towards Jarvan IV. I miscalcted. My focus was entirely on Lin Feng. I forgot about An Xin, I forgot BunBun is also ying. I knew she was a good strategist and analyst, but I never really saw her y. He breathed out loudly through his mouth. Should¡¯ve seen thising. Her Jungling skills are pretty good. That save wasn¡¯t luck. She knew. I¡¯ll have to keep that in mind.

    Across the stage in the other soundproof booth, Lin Feng leaned back in his gaming chair and theatrically put the back of his hand against his forehead. He eximed, ¡°Whew! I almost died there!¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Don¡¯t forget who you¡¯re ying against. He won¡¯t let you get away with stupid slip-ups!¡±

    ¡°No worries!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing her concerns away. He suddenly stopped and scrunched his eyebrows. Then he turned to look at An Xin and said, ¡°Though you were a littleter than I expected there. If you¡¯d EQ-shed we could¡¯ve gotten the kill on Rek¡¯Sai. The tower was even helping us!¡± He chewed on his lips and frowned. Did I miscalcte that? I knew Rek¡¯Sai wasing, but BunBun was right behind me. We both knew the gank wasing! I figured she was just waiting for the right engage. Why was shete? She¡¯s always on time! This is so unlike her...

    An Xin pursed her lips and closed her eyes. Why can¡¯t he be stupid and clueless when you need him to be¡­? She opened her eyes and forced a smile onto her face. She then shook her head and said, ¡°Forget it. Just y more safe from here on out. Thene is going to be a lot more difficult now.¡±

    ?

    Rollfire sat behind the caster desk with a satisfied smile. He leaned back a little and said into his microphone, ¡°AyDeeCee used his sh there, but that¡¯s a small price to pay for forcing Varus back to base. Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner is gonna lose a wave and a half worth of gold and experience, which means he¡¯s going to reach Level 6 after AyDeeCee.¡± His lips curved up a little higher and he narrowed his eyes before adding, ¡°That means we might see AyDeeCee jump straight in for the kill at Level 6!¡± He leaned forward and looked over the rim of the caster box into Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. That¡¯s a former top pro right there! He didn¡¯t get the kill, but he got all the advantages! He¡¯s got the initiative in the midne and he can pull that into a win now!

    I hate it when he¡¯s right! Stupid asshole! Silent Reed red at Rollfire and shook her head. But he¡¯s right this time, dammit! She took a deep breath and then said, ¡°You¡¯repletely right! Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner is in a tough spot right now! And when AyDeeCee hits Level 6, Varus is going to be in a world of pain!¡±

    Liu Yue looked from the casters back to therge LCD screen and muttered, ¡°He¡¯s too good. How is this fair? Why would they let a former pro join this tournament¡­ Lin Feng is just going to lose if it keeps going like this¡­¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°Lin Feng is ying really well. He was actually keeping up to AyDeeCee until that gank. But that gank is the only reason the midne got to this situation. Maybe if BunBun can get a good gank off, we¡¯ll see it turn even again. Wh¡ª¡±

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Ouyang jumped to his feet and pulled Liu Yue up with him. He pointed at therge LCD screen and shouted, ¡°HaoBro got the kill! WOOOOOO!¡±

    The old teammates from Zhang Hao also jumped from their seats and threw their arms in the air. They shouted and cheered for the kill in topne. Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra, with the help from An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV, had picked up a kill on Zhejiang University¡¯s Rumble!

    ?

    ¡°Good job,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    An Xin smiled and nodded in agreement. She added, ¡°That was a good y, Zhang Hao. Nicely yed!¡±

    Zhang Hao scratched his nose to hide his joy, embarrassed. He replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thanks. But it was all thanks to your gank, and I think their Toner underestimated me!¡±

    Lin Fengughed and shouted, ¡°I knew HaoBro was the bes¡ª¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Lin Feng asked. He panned his camera to the botne and saw Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal dead on the ground. ¡°Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao gripped her mouse tightly and bit on her tongue. Her stomach twisted into a knot and blobs of ck started spinning in front of her eyes. I misyed that so hard! I gave Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne a kill! The one game where Lin Feng needs me to step up, and I make a bad y! Why couldn¡¯t I just do it right!? Just this one time!

 Chapter 307: Iâ€™m Not Salty, YOUâ€™RE SALTY!

    Tang Bingyao stared at her screen, lost. I misyed that, but Sun Ruinian is just so good. Mhm, far better than, than me¡­ She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. I knew he was better. I¡¯m only B grade and he¡¯s A-. Zeng Rui exined it all to me. Within a grade it¡¯s possible to jump around. My awareness, teamfighting ability and some other things are at B grade or lower. Only my mechanics andning ability are good enough that I can y against B+ grade yers. But I need to be good at everything to get to B+ and from there I need something extra to get into the A grade rankings. Mnh-mnh. I¡¯m nowhere near that. Sun Ruinian is just too good for me right now. She slumped back in her chair and opened her eyes. Her screen was still a dull grey, thest few seconds of her death timer counting down.

    Sun Ruinian is even better at the things I¡¯m good at. What did I expect? Helping Lin Feng? I can¡¯t even beat this guy! The dull grey colours vanished from her screen and the vibrant greens and blues jumped back in. But Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t back in the game yet. Enough! If I want to help Lin Feng, I need to be better! Mhm! She bit on her lip and forcefully nodded once. She then sat up straight again and tightened the grip on her mouse. Back tone and, uhm, how did I screw up?

    The fight scene yed before Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes again as her Ezreal walked back tone. Leona tried to jump on me with Zenith de. I saw iting so I used Arcane Shift to jump away. Ah, yeah, that was my first mistake. Jumping away was fine, but I jumped toward the wall when I knew I¡¯m up against a Vayne. How could I make that mistake!? She breathed in and then blew her frustration out in a short burst. That was the screw up! Sun Ruinian got the angle for Condemn. And from there I was perma-stunned. Leona shed on me, exhausted me, stunned me before Condemn wore off¡­ She nced at Zeng Rui before quickly turning her attention back to her screen. Her Ezreal was almost at the outer tower in the botne. He tried to save me. But I screwed up. There was nothing he could do there. He must be upset¡­

    Zeng Rui was also reying the fight scene, considering the implications from his point of view. This sucks. He shook his head almost imperceptibly. Tang Tang isn¡¯t even ying poorly! She¡¯s maybe even better than usual! But Sun Ruinian isn¡¯t just good. He¡¯s really good! He¡¯s¡­ Zeng Rui closed his eyes and bit on his tongue. He¡¯s better than I considered in my prognoses. I fucked up in my preparations. There aren¡¯t many amateurs, if any, who can y Vayne at the level he¡¯s disying right now. He opened his eyes and narrowed them. But I¡¯m also very good. I can adapt to this. Botne will be ours. Still, that doesn¡¯t change my real worry... He panned his camera over to the midne just as Ahri engaged on Varus again. His hands started trembling as a chill ran up and down his spine. Shit! I¡¯m only watching it and I get the chills! He isn¡¯t just A+, he¡¯s a real professional! Dammit! This is ridiculous! How could they let him y? He¡¯s a pro!

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at Lin Feng. The thundering dumbass¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him this focused. Usually he has some stupidment ready when I look at him. He chewed on his lips and fought back the nausea he was feeling in his stomach. I actually feel sick from the nerves! This game is alling down to him! If he can¡¯t hold his own against AyDeeCee, if he doesn¡¯t beat the actual professional yer¡­ He blew out the breath he didn¡¯t even realise he¡¯d been holding. We need him to beat AyDeeCee if we want to win this series!

    ?

    Silent Reed held the microphone close to her mouth and analysed, ¡°That botne fight was really something. Sun Ruinian is so good! The way he used his mechanics and reflexes to pick up that kill there¡­¡±

    Rollfire smirked and replied, ¡°He¡¯s practically a pro! It wouldn¡¯t surprise me one bit if a professional teames knocking for him after this tournament is over. But for this game specifically¡­¡± He paused briefly, grinning, then added, ¡°A Vayne getting early kills is a death sentence. Team Shanghai is done for in the botne.¡±

    ¡°Midne might be decided soon too!¡± Silent Reed eximed. She pointed at therge LCD screen that was focused on the midne and continued, ¡°It¡¯s 8 minutes in! Ahri and Varus both have their ultimates. One of them has to use it soon, right!?¡±

    It was as if Shi Hang was waiting for Silent Reed to say this. He nced at his cooldowns and then at thene. The Blue and Red minions were fighting each other in the middle of thene. Varus was standing behind them. His sh is still on cooldown and mine ising up in a few seconds. I have to time this right. A few seconds, that¡¯s all I have. Two, three...

    Shi Hang pressed down on the R key and activated Spirit Rush! Ahri dashed forward, a burst of fire flying at Varus and striking him. There were still minions between them, so she jumped a second time, arriving right next to Varus! Varus raised his bow and fired his ultimate skill at her¨CChains of Corruption! Two glowing purple ribbons flew through the air, twisting around each other and releasing a dark glow. Shi Hang smiled, his finger pushing down on the D key. Ahri shed through the Chains of Corruption and then blew a kiss at Varus!

    A magical heart manifested in the air and mmed into Varus! He was charmed! Shi Hang followed up with Ahri¡¯s full damagebo! His Ahri targeted Varus with Ignite, the unquenchable me sticking to his body and burning away at his health! She then cast Fox-Fires, three honing blue mes appearing around her. They locked onto Varus. Ahri continued with Orb of Deception! Shemanded the orb that floated by her side to m into Varus! Orb and fire intertwined andbined to shear away at Varus¡¯ health!

    Shi Hang grinned. Got you now! He theatrically lifted his left hand up before pushing down on the R key to activate the third and final charge of Spirit Rush. His Ahri dashed away from Varus, an essence bolt appearing by her side. It locked onto the nearest Champion within range. That was Varus. The essence bolt flew towards him. It couldn¡¯t be dodged or blocked.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Rollfire jumped up from his seat and leaned in close to his microphone, screaming, ¡°AyDeeCee picked up the kill! It¡¯s a solo kill in the midne! AyDeeCee has done it! He killed the kid from Team Shanghai! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°HE DODGED THE VARUS ULTIMATE!¡± Silent Reed shouted. ¡°That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t engage when he hit Level 6! He wanted to wait for sh! Oh my god! That¡¯s some next level ys!¡±

    Rollfire turned his head to look at Silent Reed and grinned. He pulled the microphone from its stand on the desk and ced it close to his mouth. He said, ¡°Of course they¡¯re next level ys! A real professional yer is making them! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°AAAYYYY DEEEEE CEEEEEEEE!¡±¡°OMG THAT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO COOL!¡±¡°DEM AHRI MECHANICS! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°THAT¡¯S SOME MATRIX LEVEL REACTION SPEED!¡±¡°GOD DAMN! THAT WAS SEXY AS FUCK!¡±¡°OH SNAP! SICK PLAY! SICK!¡±

    But not everyone in the audience was excited to see Shi Hang pick up the kill. Team Shanghai¡¯s friends and former teammates had slumped back in their seats, their fears of Lin Feng losinging true. But also the otherpeting teams in the yer seating area were quiet. They were all staring at therge LCD screen, grimly. One of them eventually said what they were all thinking, ¡°How do they expect any of us to beat that¡­? Fuck! Why don¡¯t they just give Zhejiang University the trophy right now!?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng stared intently at his screen as it lost its vibrant colours and turned to a dull grey. His Varus copsed to the ground, dead. He¡¯s good. Way better than I expected. But that¡¯s fine too! The fire zing in his eyes intensified. He grinned and rolled the tension out of his shoulder. He¡¯s ying really good! GOOD! I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way!

    A single kill could open the flood gates, it could break the camel¡¯s back, it could end thene. The victor could push his advantage, force his opponent to y defensively, force his opponent to make mistakes, force his opponent to fall further and further behind until they were powerless to fight back! But it didn¡¯t have to go like that. A single kill wasn¡¯t necessarily enough to decide who would win thene. When Lin Feng¡¯s Varus returned to the midne, he didn¡¯t hide behind his tower nor did he let Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri toy around with him. He focused on his control over the minions, making sure they never fought too far from his tower. And hended thest hit on every single one of them.

    Shi Hang sat behind hisputer in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, smiling. He pushed with his Ahri to exert his will over the minion wave, trying to make them crash into Blue team¡¯s outer tower. But Lin Feng¡¯s Varus fought back. Maple, Maple, Maple¡­ It¡¯s good to see you¡¯ve still got that unshakable confidence! The worst thing a yer can do when they¡¯re behind is tilt. We all know that, but it also still happens. Even to the best of us! But when you stay calm, there is always a chance to get back into it. You need to hold strong, patiently farm and wait for the opening to strike back. But you know all that! His eyes narrowed and he smirked. Your only problem is that you¡¯re ying against me. The me right now is good enough to not give you any opportunity to get back into this game! And you can¡¯t rely on me underestimating you either! I know exactly how good you are. Still. Still I wonder if you¡¯ll find a way. He grinned and nced through the thick ss of his soundproof booth to where Team Shanghai was sitting. I¡¯d be sorely disappointed if you don¡¯t at least try.

    ?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal lost a lot from her death in the botne. Not only did Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne get the gold from the kill, he also managed to make Ezreal lose two full minion waves worth of gold and experience. And he used that gold and level advantage to takeplete control of thene. Tang Bingyao tried to fight and take back control, but all that achieved was her missingst hits on minions and bing progressively annoyed with herself.

    Zeng Rui nced at Tang Bingyao and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Stay calm, Tang Tang. Just y it safe. We¡¯ll win this.¡± He looked back at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne and his Leona Support. That Leona is B- grade. I knew he wasn¡¯t good. That is our opening in the botne. But we won¡¯t get to use that if Tang Tang tilts. She needs to calm the ef down! She¡¯s ying Ezreal! It¡¯s so easy for her to escape, as long as she doesn¡¯t stick too close to the walls... He added, ¡°Avoid the walls.¡±

    Ok, situation update. Zeng Rui panned his camera across thene. They¡¯re inplete control. Vayne has the item and level advantage, nothing we can do about that. Leona is looking to engage on Tang Tang, and she might find that opening if Tang Tang really starts tilting. So I can¡¯t engage on Vayne, because I have to be there to Headbut Leona away before she can get on Tang Tang. That locks me down, but I also have to ce wards or leave ourselves susceptible to ganks¡­ He breathed out loudly and moved his camera around thene again. What¡¯s there we can use? How can we buy some breathing room. The minions are pushing. They¡¯re going to hit our tower. Then we¡¯ll have to push...

    It was looking like the botne was going to slip so far out of Team Shanghai¡¯s control that Zhejiang University would win the entire game just by pushing the botne down. But right then, arriving precisely when she meant to, An Xin said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Bot, get ready. I¡¯ming from their Jungle. We¡¯re taking down the Vayne first.¡±

    An Xin pulled Zeng Rui from his thoughts and brought him back into the game. He nced at his minimap and then ordered, ¡°Tang Tang, get ready.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯m ready!¡±

    ?

    Zhejiang University was pushing hard in the botne, pressing Team Shanghai back against their outer tower. This left them open and vulnerable to ganks. So Leona had worked together with Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne to set up a wall of vision high up in the river and in Team Shanghai¡¯s bottom side Jungle to warn them early about potential ganks. Neither of them, however, expected An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV to find her way undetected into Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. She ran between the trees, past the Blue Buff Camp and Krog Camp until she arrived in the tri brush right behind Zhejiang University¡¯s outer tower.

    Therge LCD screen was showing the game in spectator mode. Everyone in the audience could see An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV sneak her way into Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungle, somehow dodging all the Red wards. So did Silent Reed. She leaned in towards her microphone and said, ¡°Wow! Are you all seeing that? Look at Jarvan IV! He¡¯s got some kind of sixth sense! How did he avoid all of those wards!? Zhejiang University doesn¡¯t have a clue he¡¯s there!¡±

    Rollfire nodded and in a rare moment of consideration for Team Shanghai chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s like she¡¯s ying the game on spectator mode! The way she dodged those wards is showing a really high level of awareness!¡±

    The y was set. An Xin was ready. She nced at botne, where Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao had been pushing Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne and the Leona back after letting the minion wave copse into their tower. This was enough to make the two from Zhejiang University vignt. But not vignt enough to expect a gank from behind them.

    An Xin said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go in now.¡± She then had her Jarvan IV walk up to the corner of the jungle closest to the botne. There, she shed over the wall of trees and boulders. The outer tower briefly targeted her, but not long enough to fire an energy shot.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar shed forward and then targeted Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne with his Headbutt into Pulverisebo! Alistar aimed his horns at Vayne and thenunched himself at her! He smashed into Vayne with such immense force that she was knocked off her feet and started flying backwards! But right then he balled his massive hands into fists and smashed them into the ground! He pulverised the earth and the resulting shockwave knocked Vayne up into the air!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal fired a Mystic Shot at Vayne! The damaging bolt of energy sheared away at Vayne¡¯s health! Then she spotted Leona raising her sword. It was the start of the animation for Zenith de. She activated Arcane Shift! Ezreal teleported towards Vayne and sent a honing bolt of energy after her!

    ¡°Retreat! BackBack!¡± Sun Ruinian shouted over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat. I¡¯m dead. My sh is on cooldown. GET OUT!

    An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV g-tossboed on Vayne, knocking him up right as he was about to fall back down to the ground. Ezreal fired auto attacks that bit into Vayne¡¯s health bar, and Alistar smashed his big fists into Vayne. Zhejiang University¡¯s Support knew he couldn¡¯t save Sun Ruinian. He clicked on his outer tower and shed. Leona blinked a short distance and ran the rest of the way. She was halfway towards her outer tower when Zhejiang University¡¯s Support heard the voice announcer screaming into his ears.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡°Nice kill, Tang Tang!¡± An Xinplimented.

    ¡°Yeah, nice work,¡± Zeng Rui agreed. He then pinged on the Dragon pit and added, ¡°Let¡¯s get Dragon!¡± He didn¡¯t wait for an answer as he had his Alistar run up the river and into the Dragon pit, where he started clearing wards to take away vision from Zhejiang University.

    An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal followed right behind Alistar. The three of them engaged the Dragon. It fought back, spitting fire at them. But the three were more than strong enough to take it down. Zhejiang University didn¡¯t try to contest. With Leona having blown her sh to retreat and Vayne dead, they didn¡¯t have the strength to fight for it.

    ¡¶The Blue Team has in the Dragon!¡·

    Zeng Rui breathed out in relief. After Tang Bingyao had given away a kill, he¡¯d started to worry more and more and more. Every small mistake suddenly started looking big, because Sun Ruinian was making the most out of it. But we bided our time and found our way back into it! We¡¯re almost back to even now! Tang Tang is getting that second chance! She can¡¯t screw this¡ª He shook his head. No, that¡¯s not right. We can¡¯t screw this up.

    ?

    ¡°YES! That¡¯s it, Tang Tang!¡± Ren Rou eximed, throwing her arms up in the air. The crowd around her was doing the same. She looked at them, a feeling of weightlessness rising up from her stomach and swirling at the lower end of her ribcage. People are cheering for us! They¡¯re saying Tang Tang and BunBun are ying good! Even that guy caster said it! Everyone is finally supporting us! A smile blossomed on her face. She nced at her new friends from Shanghai High School hugging each other and dancing, yelling Zeng Rui¡¯s name. She then turned her head a little to look at Ouyang and Liu Yue. They¡¯re so loud that Tang Tang and BunBun might even hear them!

    Ren Rou pped and joined her friends around her in a ¡®Team Shanghai¡¯ chant. Yang Fan, Wei Dong, Chen Ze¡­ Everyone¡¯s here. It¡¯s like we¡¯re part of the team! We¡¯re the hardcore fans! She giggled, quickly moving her hand to cover her mouth. Uh? She noticed a section of the crowd from the corners of her eyes who weren¡¯t cheering. They sat on their seats, staring at the people around them. Aren¡¯t those the guys from Zhejiang University? Oh my god, they¡¯re so mad! They¡¯re so mad! That makes this so much better! She tugged on Ouyang¡¯s shirt and said, ¡°Look at them over there! They¡¯re so mad!¡±

    Ouyang turned his head to look at Ren Rou and then followed her outstretched hand to the esports club members from Zhejiang University. His excitement morphed into schadenfreude. He startedughing and tapped Liu Yue on the shoulder. He then pointed at the club members from Zhejiang University and shouted, ¡°LOOK AT THOSE GRUMPY FACES!¡±

    The audience had just quieted down a bit, making Ouyang¡¯s shout sound that much louder. They all turned to look at him and then followed his outstretched arm to look at the esports club members from Zhejiang University. A couple of people started grinning as whispers and murmurs sounded through the crowd.

    Zuo Cheng turned his head to look at Ouyang and narrowed his eyes. He said, ¡°Yeah, yeah, your Jarvan IV gank was good. I¡¯ll give you that!¡± He then snorted and amped his voice up before continuing, ¡°So what? A kill and a Dragon. Big fucking deal! Vayne is still better than Ezreal. Vayne outscales Ezreal. And maybe you didn¡¯t get the memo, but we¡¯ve got a former pro in the midne! We¡¯ve got this game in the bag!¡±

 Chapter 308: Real Pros can Slow Time to Dodge Skillshots

    Qiu Yijie was the Miner for Fudan University. He sat at the front of the venue in the yer seating area and nced over his shoulder at the crowd behind him. Everyone had shifted their attention to therge LCD screen that was showing the fight in midne. It was the showdown between Lin Feng from Team Shanghai versus Shi Hang from Zhejiang University! And the audience made it very clear who they believed to be the better of the two. Qiu Yijie turned his head away from the crowd and listened to what his teammates were talking about.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what a professional Miner looks like¡­¡± Fudan University¡¯s Support muttered.

    Fudan University¡¯s Jungler nodded and added, ¡°My gawd! I¡¯d choke so hard if I had to y against AyDeeCee! He¡¯s contesting Varus for every CS!¡±

    ¡°You guys are wrong about one thing,¡± Qiu Yijie interjected. He shook his head and grimaced before exining, ¡°I¡¯m an A- Miner, right? Means I¡¯m basically the lowest possible pro. Sorta. Shi Hang over there? AyDeeCee. He¡¯s not A-, or A at all! They look at him in percentages. He¡¯s the best of the best in China! Youpare him to the likes of Lightless, maybe even Hermes! Don¡¯t make the mistake of thinking about AyDeeCee like some random Miner from the LSPL¡­ That¡¯d be dumb.¡±

    Qiu Yijie ignored the stares from his teammates as he turned his attention back to therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. They consider me at the level of a pro. But what the fuck would I do against him? My Ahri stinks next to his! He nodded and concluded, ¡°Seems like Shi Hang hasn¡¯t stopped ying the game all these years. He might not have yed professionally, but there¡¯s no way in hell he¡¯s still this good after just straight up quitting! He probably practiced hard in solo queue to keep some of his skills. We gotta be careful. He¡¯s still right up there with the best!¡±

    Fudan University¡¯s Jungler looked from Qiu Yijie up to the LCD screen and then back at Qiu Yijie. The cap looks way serious! He eximed, ¡°Oh shit! My gawd! Kiddy Lin Feng bashed his head into a rock solid wall this time, ey? He can be whatever grade he wanna be, AyDeeCee is better! That¡¯s right, right?¡±

    Qiu Yijiye nodded absentmindedly. His eyes were locked on the LCD screen. On Varus. He knitted his brows. Gotta give it to that Varus, he¡¯s ying great. Don¡¯t think I could hold my own against AyDeeCee after giving away a kill, but he¡¯s up there doing it! Too bad that won¡¯t be enough. He¡¯s still ying against one of the best pros ever. You don¡¯te back from a deficit against them. They¡¯re too good to let that happen! Unless, unless you¡¯re not just having a really good game on your Varus and are actually better than Shi Hang¡­ He clicked his tongue and shook his head. Nah, that¡¯s impossible.

    ?

    Rollfire shook his head, incredulous. What is this Varus doing? He¡¯s practically asking to get his ass kicked! He grabbed the microphone from its stand and said, ¡°Shi Hang is using his kill advantage to pressure Varus, but Varus isn¡¯t having any of it! He¡¯s trading blow for blow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s ying this very cleverly!¡± Silent Reed jumped in. She pointed at the LCD screen and continued, ¡°See how he¡¯s hiding behind the minions? Ahri can¡¯t Charm him like that! And whenever he uses his skills, hest hits minions and also attacks Ahri! All in one go! It¡¯s brilliant!¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s a kill down,¡± Rollfire argued. He shook his head again and added, ¡°He¡¯s ying far too aggressively for someone who¡¯s a kill down! If he keeps this up, he¡¯s just gonna give another kill to AyDeeCee! He needs to sit back and scale up!¡± He turned his head to look into Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. What kind of idiot are you!? You have no mobility! NIL! ZILCH! ZERO! And you¡¯re ying against an Ahri! Her ultimate skill gives her three dashes! THREE!

    But Lin Feng wasn¡¯tparing Champions in this manner. He knew that each Champion had its strengths and weaknesses. Mobility was just one of many variables. He stared at his monitor,ser focused. Each minion¡¯s health appeared before his eyes. He knew how much damage his minions dealt and how many seconds he had before he had tost hit the next minion. He nced at Ahri. She still has 15 seconds on her ultimate. sh is down a bit longer. Enemy Jungler hasn¡¯t shown himself in a bit¡­ Too obvious! I got this! He grinned and inched towards his monitor. He tapped his fingers on his keyboard and grasped his mouse a little tighter.

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang was almost jumping with joy. He smiled and felt his heart thumping in his chest. Most yers would¡¯ve given up after that first kill. Even most pro¡¯s would¡¯ve! But not only are you still fighting, you¡¯re even contesting me forne control! This really brings me back¡­ He smirked. What did we always say back in the day? Sometimes, all the midnees down to is guts!

    You were the best. No question. Shi Hang nced at the soundproof booth from Team Shanghai. You were the invinciblener! You have no clue how happy I am to see you still got that fire! He shook his head and grinned, tingles rapping against the back of his neck and down his shoulders. I watched you y at Worlds. I was cheering you on when you yed against Phoenix in the semis! Fuck! Just thinking about it has my heart racing all over again! The way you crushed him was something straight from some fairytale!

    Shi Hang breathed in and then sighed loudly. It¡¯s too bad. That was then. Right now, all I see is the spirit. It¡¯s not enough. You need to have the strength to back it up. Show me that you¡¯ve still got that too! He nced at his minimap and noticed Rek¡¯Sai pathing towards the midne. Time to turn this up another notch. He looked at Varus and smiled. Don¡¯t let me down, Maple. Show me more. I don¡¯t want to beat you just like this. I want a real fight!

    ?

    At 9 minutes, the Red minions were pushing into Blue Team¡¯s outer tower in the midne. Shi Hang nced at his health bar. Half health. That¡¯s fine. Then he looked at Varus. Specks of green jumped into being around him. He¡¯s also at half health and he just popped hisst health potion. Good, good. He finally turned his attention to the Red minions, isting one specifically. Its health was low and it was slightly more towards the back of the minion wave. He¡¯ll have to run forward a bit to get it. That¡¯ll be my engage.

    Shi Hang ced his index finger on top of the R key and ever so lightly pushed down. His mouse was hovering over the Red minion he had isted. He didn¡¯t have to wait long. Lin Feng¡¯s Varus ran forward to get thest hit. Shi Hang pressed down and activated Spirit Rush! Ahri dashed towards the minion, an essence bolt coalescing next to her before shooting at Varus! She then raised her hands to her mouth and blew Varus a kiss!

    ¡°IT¡¯S THE ENGAGE!¡± Rollfire cried out. He clutched his microphone and shouted, ¡°AHRI IS ENGAGING! AHRI IS ENGAGING!¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAH SICK!¡±¡°WOOOO!¡±¡°SHIIIIIIIIIT!¡±

    The casters and the audiencecked the insight and awareness required to see this ying. They saw the Rek¡¯Sai pathing towards the midne and were expecting her to lead in a gank, but that was all. To someone like Lin Feng, though, it was painfully obvious an engage wasing. He knew exactly where Rek¡¯Sai was, a ward he¡¯d ced earlier in the Jungle revealing her. She dug a tunnel underneath the Jungle wall towards him. He smirked, just smirked. Really? You really think I¡¯ll fall for this again? I thought you knew me better than that, Shi Hang!

    One would never stopughing at me if I fell for this again! Time slowed down in Lin Feng¡¯s eyes. He stared at the monitor, calcting exactly where the Charm wouldnd and where Rek¡¯Sai would Unburrow to try and knock him up. His mouse was already moving towards the optimal location. Then he clicked down on his right mouse button. Gotcha! Time resumed at its normal pace. Varus lowered his bow, cancelling his auto attack, and started running again.

    Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri arrived in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. A magical heart manifested in the air and flew towards him! But it flew to where Varus was preparing to auto attack, and not the three steps to the left which he¡¯d taken since! The Charm missed its target!

    Silent Reed lunged towards her microphone. She pressed it almost into her mouth and shouted, ¡°HE DODGED IT! HE DODGED THE CHARM!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, how!?¡±¡°Holy shit! He dodged it!?¡±¡°Wut¡­?¡±

    ¡°Rek¡¯Sai ising in hot!¡± Rollfire eximed. He leaned closer to his microphone and added, ¡°She¡¯s gonna sh! There it¡ª¡±

    One mottled sh of light was followed up by another! Rek¡¯Sai appeared right beneath where Varus had been only a moment ago and Unburrowed! She wed her way out from underground and smashed against the air! The knock up intended for Varus missed! He had escaped with a sh towards his outer tower!

    Rollfire¡¯s mouth fell wide open. The microphone slipped from his hand and ttered on the caster desk, a sharp ring sting through the speakers! But no one in the audience seemed to notice. Their eyes were on therge LCD screen and their mouths were just as far open as Rollfire¡¯s.

    ¡°H-he dodged that too!?¡±¡°Both? He dodged both? How!¡±¡°I didn¡¯t even see the Charming!¡±¡°D-did he¡­ Did he predict all that?¡±¡°God. He¡¯s a god! HE¡¯S A FUCKING GOD!¡±¡°He¡¯s really just a high schooler? Really? HIM?¡±¡°What the¡­ How? Just how?¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! LIN FENG IS THE BEST!¡±

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyebrows twitched and his scalp tingled. There was no time to think. Everything was happening too quickly. But in that exact moment, he knew he fucked up. Oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT!

    Lin Feng waspletely prepared for the gank when it happened. He knew exactly how he was going to y it. There was no dy between his ys, from dodging the Charm to shing the Unburrow to now casting his ultimate skill! His Varus raised his bow and fired Chains of Corruption! Two ribbons of baleful, blight energy rushed straight at Ahri! They wrapped around Ahri and rooted her to the ground! Then they started searching for another victim. Rek¡¯Sai was within their range. The Chains of Corruption duplicated, a second set firing from Ahri at Rek¡¯Sai, rooting her too!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri had arrived within the outer tower¡¯s range when she dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. The idea was to dash back out after unleashing her full damagebo and iming his life. But now she found herself rooted. She was unable to activate the second dash from Spirit Rush. Blue Team¡¯s outer tower had locked onto her and was charging up for an attack. Then an energy shot fired at her! This was followed by Varus unleashing his full damagebo!

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyes were wide open. ShitShitShit! He clicked away and smashed on the R key, frantic! He watched Varus raise his bow and fire a Hail of Arrows. They rained down on his Ahri, as Varus was already charging up for his next attack. Piercing Arrow! A thick, massive arrow releasing a blightful aura shot at Ahri! SHIT! The arrow pierced Ahri and dealt a devastating amount of damage!

    ¡°TURNAROUND KILL!¡±¡°TABLE-TURN-TURN AAAAH!¡±¡°SIIIIIIIICK!¡±¡°IS HE GONNA GET IT!?¡±

    Lin Feng nced at his minimap. He¡¯d pinged the Ahri and told Tang Bingyao to cast her ultimate at the moment of engage. Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri still had a bit of health remaining and there was less than a second remaining on the root from Chains of Corruption. But Lin Feng had calcted all of that. That was why he needed the help from Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal. More specifically, he needed Ezreal¡¯s Trueshot Barrage which was already flying across the map. The crescent-shaped beam of energy sped into the midne and cleaved through Ahri and then Rek¡¯Sai!

    The root wore off. Ahri still had a fraction of health remaining. She activated Spirit Rush and dashed away! But not before therge ball of energy that had gathered at the top of the outer tower fired at her. Nor before Lin Feng¡¯s Varus targeted her with a final auto attack. Ahri activated the third and final dash from Spirit Rush, trying to get even further away, but the energy shot and auto attack followed after her. And then they hit her.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WHAAAAAAAAT!?¡±¡°OH MY GOD! OH MY GOOOOOD!¡±¡°HOOOOLY WHAT!?¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°THIS IS MAAAD!¡±

    ¡°Good job!¡± Zeng Rui cried out over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then nodded at Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°You too!¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and rxed the grip on her mouse a little. ¡°Mhm! Thanks!¡± She breathed out in relief and mumbled to herself, ¡°YES!¡± It hit! She suddenly noticed how her heart was mming into her ribcage and how her hand felt mmy and sticky. Beads of sweat had popped up on her forehead. She nced at her teammates, who were all focused on their monitors, and quickly wiped her face dry.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t hear Zeng Rui congratte him nor did he notice Tang Bingyao¡¯s nce. Hisplete focus was on the game. Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri was dead, but the Rek¡¯Sai was still in front of him. The female monster had a little more than half of her health remaining. He moved his cursor over her and clicked the right mouse button. Varus raised his bow and fired an auto attack.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler focused his attention on Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. He¡¯s got like half health and he doesn¡¯t have much health anyway. He nced at his inventory and smiled. Plus I¡¯ve got my boots and I¡¯ve finished my first defensive item. I can kill him! I¡¯ll get revenge for Shi Hang! He had his Rek¡¯Sai run at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus! She charged forward and tried to attack, but Varus kited his way backwards through the minions. Goddammit! How are those stupid minions not slowing him down? WHY ARE THEY SLOWING ME DOWN!? He narrowed his eyes and clicked on Varus again. Attack him for fucks sake! Stupid minions!

    ¡°What the fuck? He¡¯s ying Varus! How¡¯s he kiting her like that?¡±¡°He¡¯s ying Varus like he¡¯s some kind of Vayne or Draven! Nuts!¡±¡°He¡¯s doing it damn perfectly though! Look at that! That Rek¡¯Sai must be tearing his hair out!¡±¡°Holy shit! He¡¯s even using the minions to block Rek¡¯Sai! Haha! This is insane!¡±¡°What is this kid? That¡¯s a fucking textbook example of perfect kiting!¡±¡°A monster! He¡¯s a fucking monster! He killed Shi Hang!¡±¡°HE IS STILL AUTO ATTACKING! HOW!?¡±

    The outer tower fired an energy shot at Zhejiang University¡¯s Rek¡¯Sai just as she finally got in range of Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. Her high health helped her tank it. She then activated Queens Wrath to boost the damage of her next three basic attacks and chomped into him with Furious Bite! Varus¡¯ health dropped sharply and fell below 10%! Rek¡¯Sai followed by striking out with her ws for a second auto attack!

    ¡°What?¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler suddenly eximed. His eyes went wide and he muttered, ¡°He still had Heal?¡±

    Varus¡¯ body lit up with a green rejuvenating glow! His health jumped back up to 30%! He then pulled away from Rek¡¯Sai and lifted his bow, firing another auto attack! The outer tower was supporting him from the rear. It had charged up another energy shot and fired it at Rek¡¯Sai!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler knew he couldn¡¯t kill Varus anymore. He¡¯d die first to the tower. So he gritted his teeth and had his Rek¡¯Sai run away from the outer tower. Varus kept firing auto attacks at her, but she had enough health left to tank through those. More importantly, she had the higher movement speed. She got out of the tower¡¯s range and then out of Varus¡¯ range. I got out! At least I got¡ª His eyes went wide. Varus had raised his bow. The arrow resting on the string was charging up with a brilliant crimson light! NO! SHIT! NO! Dodge and weave! Dodge and weave! He had his Rek¡¯Sai move left and then right again. She went a bit more to the right and then straight. Right, left! Dodge and weave!

    Lin Feng was breathing calmly behind his monitor. His finger was pressing down on the Q key, charging up Piercing Arrow. Its range increased faster than Rek¡¯Sai could run, and soon she fell within his attack range. He moved his mouse a little to the left and then a little to the right. He paid attention to the rhythm in Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s dodge and weave tactics. Then he smiled and let go of the Q key.

    The fully charged Piercing Arrow shot from Varus¡¯ bow! The winds howled as it pierced through the air, heading straight for Rek¡¯Sai! It was as if she were being pulled towards it! She turned left at thest moment and walked straight into the arrow¡¯s path! It mmed into her and knocked life out of her!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    The entire venue was silent. Everyone, from the people in the audience to the staff members backstage, were staring at the two lifeless corpses on the various TV screens. The esports club members from Zhejiang University sat with hunched backs and their mouths wide open. Even the casters didn¡¯t know what to say or do. Silent Reed had never casted a game with real big names before. She was thrilled to cast Shi Hang winning. But she never expected the famous professional yer to die. She was opening and closing her mouth, trying to say something. That was still a better reaction than Rollfire. The shock was so much for him that he slumped back in his seat, except that he was already sitting on the edge. When he leaned back, his buttocks moved forward and off the chair. The loud sound of flesh hitting wood rang out through the venue.

    A lone voice suddenly erupted from the audience, reverberating through the roof of the venue. ¡°HOOOLY FUCKING SHIT! THAT WAS AMAZING! WHAT A MOTHERFUCKING GODLY VARUS! WOOOOOOOOOOO! LIIIIIN FEEEEEEEENG!¡± Ouyang had jumped to his feet, his hands wrapped around his mouth for extra volume. ¡°YOU STOMPED A PROFESSIONAL PLAYER! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    Ren Rou¡¯s first instinct was to p Ouyang and shut him up. But that wasn¡¯t what she did. She looked up at him and smiled. Then she jumped up from her seat and punched her fists up into the air, yelling, ¡°LIIIIIIIN FEEEEEEEENG!¡±

    Ouyang looked around at his friends who were just sitting, numbly staring at the LCD screen. He shook his head and then grabbed Liu Yue and Yang Fan by their shoulders. He shouted, ¡°CHEER FOR THEM!¡±

    It was the shove the friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai needed. Not just Yang Fan and Liu Yue, but all of them found themselves getting up to their feet. They stamped down on the ground in a steady rhythm, threw their arms up in the air, and shouted, ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    Little by little, the people in the audience started to find their bearings again. It wasn¡¯t long before they all jumped to their feet and started cheering. The ground shook and their voices sted against the thick ss windows of the soundproof booths, making them tremble!

    ¡°WHAT A COMEBACK! WOOOOOOW!¡±¡°VAAAARUUUUUUUUS!¡±¡°OH MY GOD! HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE, WHAT THE, AAAAAAAAAH!¡±¡°DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT? DID YOU? DID YOU?¡±¡°HOW DID HE TURN THAT AROUND? HOW?¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIN!¡±¡°THEY BEAT A FORMER PRO! THEY BEAT A FORMER PRO!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°HE BEAT SHI HANG! HE BEAT AYDEECEE!¡±

    The yers from the other six teams stillpeting at the Winter Collegiate Cup forgot to cheer entirely, deaf to the thundering sounds mming into them from behind. They stared at therge LCD screen, stunned speechless. Then they turned to look at each other. For a rare moment, there was no separation between the various teams. They were all looking at each other, searching for the one amongst them who could exin what just happened.

    ¡°Zhejiang University had the perfect gank there. How did he do that? He walked out of Ahri¡¯s Charm! I didn¡¯t even see she was going to jump on him there, but he canceled his auto attack to dodge it! How did he see that?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It, it looked perfect! I thought the Varus was dead. I¡­ I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t make sense. It just¡­ It doesn¡¯t add up! How, how did he know? How did he dodge all of that? And that Heal at the end? Just, what the fuck!?¡±¡°Who the hell is that kid? That isn¡¯t some random A grade. There is no fucking way in Heaven or Earth that a fucking A grade Miner could make that y happen! Just how fucking good is he!?¡±

    There were only a few people in the entire venue who knew who Lin Feng was. Shi Hang was one of them. He stared at the dull grey colours on his monitor, watching Varus farm minions on top of his Ahri¡¯s corpse. Fuck yeah! He grinned and suddenly felt warm tears in his eyes. FUCK YEAH! That was the real you! Wee to the game, Maple! You were the one I want to y against! Now show me more of this! Make me fight! Make me give it my all! He balled his hand into a fist and clenched it tight. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±

 Chapter 309: Look at my Skills, My Skills are Amazing!

    Zhang Hao was just about jumping in his chair, barely keeping his attention on his monitor. He had his Lissandra retreat to her outer tower and then recalled back to base. He finally couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He threw both of his fists up in the air and shouted, ¡°YOU GOT THE DOUBLE! SWEET!¡± He leaned forward to look around An Xin at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°That was such an awesome turn around kill! The way you sidestepped the Charm and then shed the Rek¡¯Sai! It was, it was... WOW!¡±

    ¡°I was sweating for you there!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He shook his head andughed, his heart mming into his ribcage. ¡°That was so tense! I thought for sure you were dead like five times!¡± He kept shaking his head, incredulous. Lin Feng is ying against a pro! I thought for sure he was going to lose! How the fuck was he going to win against an actual, real life, former pro! But he is! HE¡¯S WINNING! Holy shit! He just outyed a professional yer! HE OUTPLAYED A PROFESSIONAL PLAYER! He clenched his fist and shouted, ¡°You outyed a professional yer, dude! Oh my god! You outyed AyDeeCee!¡± You¡¯re amazing! Shit, you¡¯re so amazing! What was I even worried about? You always win! You even stomp pros!

    An Xin watched Zhang Hao losing it and giggled. She winked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°He¡¯s right, that was a nice job. You didn¡¯t even need me for that one.¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Good job!¡± Tang Bingyao chimed in. She then nced at Lin Feng, her lips curling up and forming small dimples in her cheeks. Her eyes started beaming in a mix of envy and joy and tinges of red painted the tips of her ears. I knew you could do it! You always do it! Mhm! You¡¯re the best!

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at Lin Feng. The thundering dumbass went and did it, somehow. That was way too risky. If he¡¯d died, we¡¯d have lost the game right then and there! But it¡¯s always like this. He does the weird shit that can lose us a game! It just always works out for him¡­ He always makes it work. He shook his head lightly and said, ¡°Well done. Keep it up and we can win.¡± He then turned his attention back to his monitor. His Alistar had just arrived back in the botne. Top is doing well, mid is doing better again and bot, well we¡¯re sort of even right now. Plus we got the Dragon! Can we actually win this one? We might...

    Lin Feng was usually the first to congratte himself for a good y. He always jumped on any and everypliment that came his way. More often than not, he¡¯d evenin when people didn¡¯t give him the recognition he felt he deserved. But not right now. Thepliments flew right by him. His eyes were locked on his monitor. On Ahri. Her corpse disappeared from the midne. She¡¯s respawned. He bit on his lips and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thanks, but it¡¯s not enough. Shi Hang is way better than this.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai had a good couple of minutes in their first game against Zhejiang University. Eachne had found some manner in which they picked up a kill to fight their way into the game. But that was far from enough. Zhejiang University was one of the best teams in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup. They had the better Toner and the better ad-carry. More importantly, their team had been ying together for years, and Shi Hang switching in didn¡¯t change much in that regard. He was more than good enough to adapt to his teammates at this level of y.

    At 11 minutes, Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler found his way to the topne to help Rumble pick up a kill on Lissandra. Zhang Hao had grown too confident after his own kill and especially after watching Lin Feng pick up the double kill in the midne. He overextended and couldn¡¯t retreat to safety before his health bar bottomed out. The topne started shifting back into Zhejiang University¡¯s favour.

    At 13 minutes, Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri pushed the minion wave in the midne and then roamed to the botne for a gank. Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao werete to react. They were forced into a rushed retreat. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal used Arcane Shift into sh to blink arge distance and also had to blow Heal just to survive. And even then she only survived because Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar sacrificed himself by Headbutting Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne away. Zhejiang University killed Alistar, then went on to destroy the outer tower in the botne before turning their attention towards the Dragon and killing it.

    Rollfire sat at the caster desk with the biggest grin possible on his face. He couldn¡¯t be happier with how the game was developing. Those stupid representatives are losing! HA! Now to y it¡­ He breathed in deeply and then sighed loudly into the microphone. He waited a brief moment before saying, ¡°That was a perfect roam by AyDeeCee, exactly what we expected from a professional yer! There¡¯s just nothing Team Shanghai can do about him. He¡¯s too good.¡± He shook his head, then grinned and added, ¡°Though it has to be said that Varus should¡¯ve reacted a little faster there.¡±

    Silent Reed scrunched her eyebrows when she heard Rollfire¡¯sst remark. She turned to look at him and then asked, ¡°Reacted faster? What?¡± She was so surprised by hisment that it took her brain a moment to process it. Then she shook her head and exined, ¡°Varus is a Champion that has to farm and scale up, like we discussed before the game. He¡¯s nothing like a high mobility assassin like Ahri who is known for roaming around the map and getting kills.¡± She quickly pulled out her phone again and opened the Baidu page detailing Varus before adding, ¡°Varus has to do two things. Push thene when Ahri disappears and put pressure to make here back. Then he also has to warn his teammates that she¡¯s missing from thene. He can do that with a ¡®careful¡¯ ping or by warning them over voice chat.¡±

    ¡°You read that out perfectly!¡± Rollfire said,ughing. ¡°That guide is really helping you out, ey?¡± He chuckled for a bit before adding, ¡°Varus indeed wants to scale up to be ready for teamfights and for sieging the opponent¡¯s base. But he can¡¯t just let the Ahri run free either. And this isn¡¯t just any Ahri. This is AyDeeCee!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng stared at his monitor, frowning. I can beat Shi Hang all I want, but I need to beat their entire team. Maybe I can do that in solo queue. It is what I basically did at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament... But Shi Hang, no, he¡¯s far better than any other Miner I¡¯ve yed against recently. He isn¡¯t some average yer. He¡¯s good. I can¡¯t carry this game 1vs5 with him on their team. He chewed on his lips. If I want to beat him, I need to throw all my attention on the midne. I won¡¯t have the spare bandwidth to look at the othernes and help them out too.

    The midne was full of action. Lin Feng was fighting Shi Hang and pushing him back. But then Shi Hang would roam the map, find Tang Bingyao or Zhang Hao slightly out of position, and pick up a kill. Every time he leaves, hees back stronger. I can push. But I can¡¯t help Tang Tang and Zhang Hao survive his roams. Varus just isn¡¯t the Champion for that! How can I help them¡­?

    Lin Feng panned his camera across Summoner¡¯s Rift. But he was forced to focus back on the midne. I can¡¯t. I just can¡¯t take my focus off the midne! I need all my focus here to beat Shi Hang! He gritted his teeth, frustrated. Then he narrowed his eyes. I promised them to leave Shi Hang to me. I¡¯ll win the midne. That¡¯s what I told them I¡¯d do, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do! There just isn¡¯t more I can do. The rest is up to them. He forced a smile on his lips, though his eyes didn¡¯t show joy. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re bad either! They¡¯re my teammates and I fully trust them! They can win! Yeah! I trust them and they can win! I just need to trust them!

    ?

    The third Dragon was spawning in the dragon pit at 19:45 minutes. Both teams started setting up their wards in the river a minute earlier. But it was Zhejiang University who dictated when and where the wards were ced. They were moving around as five and pushing Team Shanghai around, keeping them far away from the Jungle entrance across the dragon pit.

    The scoreboard read 6 kills for Team Shanghai to 8 for Zhejiang University and the gold difference was only 2,000 in Zhejiang University¡¯s favour, but the game wasn¡¯t anywhere near as even as this score would suggest. The 2,000 gold discrepancy came almostpletely down to Sun Ruinian and Tang Bingyao. Vayne was strong and had hit her power spike, while Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal was struggling to get the items needed to start bing a threat.

    Ouyang sat on the edge of his seat in the stands. He was looking from therge LCD screen above the stage, down to the soundproof booths, before turning his head to look up at the casters. And finally, fidgeting with his fingers, he turned to look at his friends. He asked, ¡°They¡¯re setting up for a teamfight, right? We¡¯re getting into the teamfight phase of this game. This is gonna be it, yeah?¡±

    Yang Fan nodded. He pushed his sses up the rim of his nose and replied, ¡°It indeed looks like it. And it¡¯s not looking too great for our team. Tang Tang is too far behind Sun Ruinian. And BunBun spent quite a bit of time helping Zhang Hao, but they failed to keep Rumble down. His ultimate will hurt. Lin Feng is basically the only one who¡¯s really strong right now. And even he is only just as strong as AyDeeCee¡­¡ª¡±

    ¡°Come on, guys! Don¡¯t be so down!¡± Ren Rou eximed. She looked at the long faces around her and continued, ¡°This is Lin Feng we¡¯re talking about! He carries every game he ys! He¡¯ll carry this teamfight! And I¡¯m sure BunBun will have something special nned! Tang Tang will also definitely find a great angle to deal damage! We¡¯re going to win this!¡±

    Yang Fan chuckled and shook his head. He replied, ¡°I want to believe you. I really do. But the facts are telling a different story.¡±

    ?

    At 20 minutes, Zhejiang University had gathered up as five in Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. Team Shanghai was waiting for them just down the river. Both teams were walking back and forth, searching for an opening to engage. Zhejiang University¡¯s Leona suddenly shed forward and raised her sword up to the sky. She called down a Sr re! The sh of brightness from the sun mmed down on the Rift! When the explosion settled, three stunned members from Team Shanghai were revealed. Jarvan IV, Alistar and Lissandra.

    Rumble followed up on Leona¡¯s engage with The Equalizer! He clicked a button on his mechanical suit and fired six rockets from the missileunchers on his back! They arced through the sky and exploded in a straight line on the ground, right on top of Leona¡¯s ultimate! Jarvan IV, Alistar and Lissandra were engulfed in a wall of mes that damaged and slowed them!

    Shi Hang had his Ahri move along the long wall separating Red team¡¯s Jungle from the river. He watched the action happening in the river and grinned. Where are you going, Ezreal? He activated Ahri¡¯s ultimate skill. Spirit Rush! Ahri dashed through the Jungle wall into the river and appeared right in front of Ezreal! She blew Ezreal a kiss, a magical heart manifesting in the air and smacking against Ezreal! Charmed!

    Everything in the world disappeared before Ezreal¡¯s eyes, except for Ahri. She became his everything! His knees felt weak as he stumbled in her direction. Fox-Fires hit him and burned his skin, as did the unquenchable mes from Ignite! But he didn¡¯t feel pain, only love. The Orb of Deception punched through him, sapping the life out of him! Then it turned around behind him to hit him for a second time, but he didn¡¯t even know this was happening. He only knew he wanted to be closer to Ahri.

    Spirit Rush! Shi Hang pressed down on the R key for a second time. His Ahri dashed back across the wall into Red team¡¯s Jungle. He panned his camera to look at the Ezreal, whose health dropped down to single digits. Thest tick from Ignite will do that!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The other yers from Zhejiang University charged out from their Jungle and engaged Team Shanghai! Rumble and Leona shed with Jarvan IV, Lissandra and Alistar, while Rek¡¯Sai dug a tunnel underneath them to arrive right in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Varus!

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and cursed, ¡°Crap!¡± He punched down on his R key! Varus raised his bow and fired Chains of Corruption at Rek¡¯Sai! The two purple glowing ribbons wrapped around Rek¡¯Sai and rooted her to the ground! Then they started multiplying, searching for other Champions to jump to. But there was no other Champion from Zhejiang University in range. Varus followed up with Hail of Arrows! More than a dozen arrows rained down on Rek¡¯Sai and blighted the ground beneath her!

    All the while, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne fired silver bolts at An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV. There was nothing Team Shanghai could do to stop him. Ezreal was already dead, Lin Feng was being blocked by Rek¡¯Sai, and the other three Champions were still stunned. Every third bolt, the silver rings around Jarvan IV detonated and dealt true damage! His health dropped quickly and it wasn¡¯t long before he copsed dead to the ground.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne picked up the second kill of the fight right as the stun from Sr re finally wore off. Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra cast her ultimate skill on herself! Ice spires shot from the ground and encased her in a Frozen Tomb! The freezing coldness healed her while it damaged the nearby Champions from Zhejiang University. Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne and the Leona were quick to escape its range, but Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar made sure that Rumble couldn¡¯t run away. Hebined Headbutt and Pulverise to close the distance and then m Rumble up into the air!

    A Piercing Arrow suddenly shot through the air and pierced Rumble! His health dropped by a third! The freezing temperature also continued to bite into his health bar! Zhejiang University tried to save their Rumble, but Zeng Rui was running interference with his Alistar. Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne and Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri decimated Alistar¡¯s health bar, and Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra did the same to Rumble!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The root from Chains of Corruption wore off. Rek¡¯Sai could run at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus again, though the blighted ground hampered her movement speed. Lin Feng kited Rek¡¯Sai, retreating into Blue team¡¯s Jungle. He nced at the fight in the river. Zhang Hao is the only on¡ª

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    They¡¯re all dead. I can¡¯t turn this around. Best I can do is kill this Rek¡¯Sai and escape! Lin Feng focused on Rek¡¯Sai, attacking her while also running back towards the inner tower in botne. Rek¡¯Sai had arge healthpool, but Varus¡¯ Piercing Arrows did an astonishing amount of damage! Her health dropped, yet she clung to him in a desperate attempt to slow his escape. Lin Feng shook his head lightly. You¡¯re not nearly good enough for that!

    Lin Feng panned his camera to check where Ahri, Vayne and Leona were and then quickly focused back on Rek¡¯Sai. He jumped back and forth, calcting exactly how much space he had to maneuver around. Vayne is going to get here first. She¡¯d kill me. A bit faster! His fingers glided over his keyboard. His Varus pulled back the string on his bow and charged up another Piercing Arrow. Lin Feng suddenly narrowed his eyes. Her cooldowns! He had Varus turn around and ran towards Rek¡¯Sai! Right then, Rek¡¯Sai dug a Tunnel! She passed underneath Lin Feng¡¯s Varus and Unburrowed behind him! Good! Now back! He had Varus turn around again and released the Piercing Arrow that was still charging. The thick, massive arrow pierced Rek¡¯Sai!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    The audience erupted into deafening cheers! They pped their hands, stamped their feet and screamed their lungs out! The ground was shaking, the ss from the soundproof booths trembling and spit was flying through the air!

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°OH SHIIIIIT!¡±¡°CRAAAAZY!¡±¡°AAAAAAH PINCH ME!¡±¡°INSAAAAAAANE!¡±¡°HE GOT AWAY! OH MY GOD!¡±

    ¡°WOOO! What a great fight! That was a work of art!¡± Rollfire hollered into his microphone. He grabbed it from its stand and shouted, ¡°Zhejiang University¡¯s engage was perfection! The way theybined the Leona ultimate and Ahri nuke on Ezreal¡­ WOOOOOO! They¡¯re really bringing their A+ game today!¡±

    ¡°That Ahri killed the fight before it even started!¡± Silent Reed chimed in. She shook her head for a bit and then added, ¡°I¡¯m surprised Team Shanghai still managed to pick up two kills there. They fought back well after such a disastrous start!¡±

    Rollfireughed and replied, ¡°Two irrelevant kills! Rumble was already behind. He wasn¡¯t worth much. And Rek¡¯Sai did her job, being a meat shield and making that Varus irrelevant! Zhejiang University won it all there! And now they also got the Dragon on top of that! WOOOOO! What a fight!¡±

    Silent Reed nced and Rollfire and pursed her lips. He¡¯s loving it. The asshole is loving it! It makes me want to hate it! She shook her head. Don¡¯t be so weak! He¡¯s casting! Do the same! Cast the game! It¡¯s a good game! She smiled and said into her microphone, ¡°Zhejiang University pulled themselves into a massive lead there! All they have to do now is end it!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng pressed down on the B key. Blue circles started burning around Varus, rising up around him before carrying him back to the fountain. He knitted his brows and turned his attention to the gamescore. 8-12. They got four kills there. Tang Tang died again too! He clenched down on his mouse. There was nothing I could do there! Tang Tang was dead before the fight even started, and the rest got caught by the Leona ult! Dammit!

    They know I¡¯m the only threat on the team right now, so they¡¯re staying far away from me! Lin Feng closed his eyes, pressing the P key to open the shop and buying items in practiced motion. They sacrificed Rek¡¯Sai, knowing full well she could keep me busy until the end of the fight. I couldn¡¯t do anything to help Tang Tang, or the others! Shi Hang and Sun Ruinian aren¡¯t stupid. They just hang back and make sure I can¡¯t root them with my ultimate! He took a deep, long breath. Besides, Shi Hang is good. He can sh out of my ultimate if he¡¯s watching out for it. I¡¯d need ZengZeng to get a good knock up on him¡­

    Lin Feng opened his eyes and pressed down on the Tab key. It showed more detailed information about the 10 Champions on the Rift and the current state of the game. He scrunched his nose and slowly shook his head. They¡¯ve got so much engage with Leona, Rumble and even Ahri. And what do we have? A Jarvan IV engage? ZengZeng¡¯s Alistar? That¡¯s nothingpared to what they have! We¡¯re falling behind and we can¡¯t really force what we want to force! He bit down on his tongue and let his shoulders drop a bit. I actually have to really try. We might not win this game! I haven¡¯t felt like this in, in years!

    Tang Bingyao sat next to Lin Feng. She didn¡¯t notice his reaction to the teamfight. Her mind was focused entirely on her death at the very start of the fight. I¡¯m not good enough! That was another misy by me! How many is that now? Three? That¡¯s what¡¯s costing us the game! It¡¯s me! I¡¯m the reason we¡¯re losing this! She bit down hard on her lips, frustrated and dejected. My Ezreal ispletely useless! He doesn¡¯t deal any damage, even when he¡¯s alive!

    No! Stop this! Mnh-mnh! Tang Bingyao shook her head and gritted her teeth. Don¡¯t me the Champion! It¡¯s not his fault! I¡¯m the reason! I¡¯m just not skilled enough! If I was, I would¡¯ve gotten an advantage in the early game, bought a defensive item to survive Ahri¡¯s burst, and then carried the team to a win! This could¡¯ve beenpletely different if I hadn¡¯t given away those kills at the start! Now Vayne is far too strong for me. I can¡¯t do anything right! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m dragging them down again¡­

    Worst of all¡­ She closed her eyes and fought back the urge to scream out her annoyances. Worst of all, I don¡¯t even know how toe back! What am I supposed to do in this situation? I can¡¯t just sit back and take it, right? Do I force something? What can I force? How would I even start with making aeback here¡­? She opened her eyes and turned to look at Lin Feng. What would you do?

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng, with An Xin sitting next to him on the other side. But she didn¡¯t see An Xin struggling. Didn¡¯t see how An Xin¡¯s hand was trembling. Didn¡¯t see the pain written on An Xin¡¯s face. And An Xin was struggling. After her screen turned grey, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. In, and out. In, and out. She tried to rx and let the tension slip from her hand, but that just made the trembling worse. She quickly ced her other hand over her mouse hand and nced at the others around her. They didn¡¯t see. They didn¡¯t see. Nowe on, stupid hand! Work! She put more pressure on her hand, trying to get a strong grip on the mouse, but right then a sharp jolt shot up from her hand. She winced in pain and bit her lips.

    Tears welled in An Xin¡¯s eyes from the pain. Her stomach pulled into a knot as she nced at her teammates again. I can¡¯t tell them. I can¡¯t show them that something is wrong! We¡¯re in an important series. They¡¯ll just get distracted by it and we¡¯ll lose! I won¡¯t let that happen! She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and noticed the deep frown on his face. You¡¯ve been through so much already. I won¡¯t let you suffer any more! I won¡¯t let you worry about me! I know how much you¡¯ve sacrificed and I also know how you¡¯ll do anything to help your friends! You¡¯re an idiot like that! That¡¯s why I can¡¯t tell you. I won¡¯t tell you¡­ I can¡¯t tell anyone!

    An Xin lowered her head, letting her long hair fall over her face and hide the pain in her eyes. Lin Feng is counting on me. I can¡¯t let him down, not now! She flexed her stomach to pull the knot out and pinched the tears out of her eyes. It¡¯s just a small re-up. I can fight through it. This is nothing. You can do it, An Xin! She breathed in deeply, gathering all the pain, worries and frustrations, before letting it all out in a long sigh. It¡¯s not going to be great. It¡¯s going to hurt. But I won¡¯t give up now! He¡¯s counting on me! So what if my hand is trembling a bit? I can ovee this!

    An Xin forced a smile onto her face and threw her hair back over her shoulders. She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lin Feng.¡±

    Lin Feng turned to look at An Xin, finding her smiling at him with her familiar smile, and asked, ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s now or never. This game is hard, but it¡¯s not over yet. The next teamfight has to be ours, though. That¡¯s why we need to find it and y it on our terms!¡± An Xin exined.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head, hesitating for a brief moment, and then grinned. He balled his hand into a fist and said, ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll force a teamfight!¡±

    ?

    Rollfire didn¡¯t expect Team Shanghai to have the mental fortitude to fight back after the lost teamfight at the dragon pit. He¡¯d expressed as much to the audience, who mumbled their agreement. But as he was looking at therge LCD screen, he recoiled in surprise. ¡°Huh?¡± he muttered into his microphone. He then shifted around in his seat a little and noted, ¡°Looks like Team Shanghai still has some life in them. That Alistar is looking for something!¡±

    It was 21 minutes into the game, a minute after the dragon fight. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal was in the botne, farming minions at her inner tower. But Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar wasn¡¯t with her. He¡¯d followed Zhang Hao to the topne. There he hid in a brush and waited for Zhejiang University¡¯s Rumble to get in range. Rumble didn¡¯t see the ganking. He was caughtpletely off guard when the Alistar jumped from the brush and mmed him up into the air with Pulverise! Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra followed up on Alistar¡¯s crowd control with Frozen Tomb! Ice spires shot from the ground and locked Rumble up! She then cast Ice shard! Chunks of ice mmed into Rumble!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°NICE!¡± Silent Reed eximed. She giggled and added, ¡°We can¡¯t underestimate Team Shanghai just yet! Don¡¯t forget that Zeng Rui is an A- yer! He¡¯s right there at Sun Ruinian¡¯s level!¡±

    Rollfire nodded and said, ¡°That was a nice roam by Alistar. Unfortunate that their carries don¡¯t have that kind of awareness¡­¡±

    ?

    The game clock kept ticking. Lin Feng fought against Shi Hang in the midne, his Piercing Arrows bing progressively more urate. At 22 minutes, he forced Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri to retreat back behind her outer tower and recover her health. That was the moment Lin Feng had been waiting for. A grin spread on his face, reaching from one ear to the other. He nced at An Xin and shouted over the voice chat, ¡°BunBun, follow up!¡± He then pressed down on the D and R keys! Varus shed past the outer tower and fired the Chains of Corruption at Ahri from point nk range! He rooted her to the ground!

    ¡°Got it,¡± An Xin replied. She chewed on her lips, nced briefly at her hand, and then focused herplete attention on the game. He needs me. I¡¯m going to be there for him!

    Varus was a Champion who relied on his long range to bring down a Champion¡¯s health bar. He preferably never got in range of his opponent. So when the audience saw Lin Feng shing towards Shi Hang, ignoring Red team¡¯s outer tower, they shifted in their seats and their eyes went wide with shock.

    ¡°Da fuck is he doing!?¡±¡°Man, so aggro!¡±¡°HOOOOOOH! Will you look at that!¡±¡°Maddening! Varus is cray-cray!¡±

    Silent Reed could almost feel the doubt in the air. She nced at the stands where everyone in the audience had something to say about this engage. But she¡¯d seen enough games from Team Shanghai and previously High School 13 to know they weren¡¯t ones to tilt. She focused on the minimap and spotted Jarvan IV running through Red team¡¯s Jungle. ¡°Oh, oh!¡± she eximed, pointing at therge LCD screen. ¡°The Jarvan IV is ganking! That¡¯s why he engaged! It¡¯s a gank!¡±

    The Chains of Corruption rooted Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri to the ground. An Xin gritted her teeth and activated Jarvan IV¡¯s ultimate skill¨CCataclysm! Jarvan IV leaped at Ahri and then smashed down on her with such force that he terraformed the earth into an arena! He then brandished hisnce and struck at Ahri with the sharp end! All the while, arrows permeating a baleful energy struck Ahri, ripping away at her health!

    Shi Hang pressed down on his R key. ¡°Break already!¡± he mumbled. The root from Chains of Corruption kept his Ahri immobile. Her health was dropping quickly and he needed to dash out with Spirit Rush fast if he wanted to survive. Dash and stop Varus! BREAK! The root wore off. Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri dashed out of Jarvan IV¡¯s Cataclysm. She then briefly turned to look at Varus and blew him a kiss! A pink-red heart manifested in the air and flew towards Varus!

    Lin Feng grinned. His Varus was underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower. It had targeted him and fired the first energy shot already. If he got Charmed, he¡¯d die. But that was also why he fully expected the Charm toe. He was already moving out of the way before the animation even finished! Therge heart blew past him and missed himpletely. All the while, An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV used Ahri¡¯s animation to jump on her with a g-tossbo and knock her up into the air!

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyelid twitched. What!? She¡¯s ying faster than before! Was she hol¡ª FUCK! His Ahri was still in the air and out of his control when a w of ice came tearing through the ground!

    ¡°I¡¯m also here to follow up!¡± Zhang Hao announced over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, grinning. He pushed down on the E key for a second time to jump towards the ice w that was right next to Shi Hang¡¯s Ahri. He then moved his mouse over the Ahri and activated his ultimate! Ice spires erupted from the ground and pierced Ahri, locking her up in a Frozen Tomb!

    Zhang Haoughed and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡±

    ¡°THEY¡¯RE KILLING AYDEECEE!¡±¡°WOOOOO! GO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°KILL THE PRO! KILL THE PRO!¡±¡°THEY¡¯RE DOING IT! THEY¡¯RE REALLY DOING IT!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Great timing, HaoBro!¡± He had his Varus move past the outer tower and towards the Jungle entrance. There was a small opening there where he was still in thene and in range to attack Ahri, but where the tower couldn¡¯t hit him. He linked his skills together with Zhang Hao and Jarvan IV, paying careful attention to Ahri¡¯s health bar. Frozen Tomb is almost wearing off, still a bit of health left¡­ He chuckled, his fingers gliding over his keyboard.

    Varus raised his bow and pulled back the string. He aimed up in the air and let go. More than a dozen arrows flew through the air before raining down on Ahri! Varus followed up with a quick auto attack. Then he pulled back the string of his bow with more power than before. A thick, massive arrow appeared. The winds started howling as more power gathered around the bow. Then the Piercing Arrow shot through the air and pierced Ahri!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zhang Hao grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Great engage, Lin Feng! That was so cool! I saw you going and just knew I could make it in time!¡± The adrenaline was pumping through his veins and he was going mad with pride. Heughed loudly before adding, ¡°We stomped that pro! Serves him right for getting careless around us!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Yeah! Serves him right! Now let¡¯s take their towers!¡±

    An Xin smiled and nodded along to Lin Feng and Zhang Hao¡¯s excited conversation, hiding the stabbing pain in her hand. How much longer can I hold on for? That g-tossbo hurt so much... I can¡¯t do that too much. She nced at her hand and forced herself to breath in deeply. But I¡¯m not going to sit here and whine! I came to y, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing! She breathed out and focused her attention back on her monitor. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can do this for. But I¡¯m going to make the most out of every second!

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang rubbed his neck. He looked at his dull grey screen and sighed. Seems like they have more on their team than just Maple. I got a bit carried away with my match against him that I forgot about the others. Time to stop doing that. We need to win this game. He turned to look at Sun Ruinian and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re really thinking abouting back into this game. Like we¡¯re gonna let that happen. SunSun, let¡¯s end this game!¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked at the minion wave in the botne. He¡¯d pushed it out before recalling back to base and now Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal was attacking it. She¡¯s still trying so hard. Gottamend her for trying even after being so far behind¡­ He then nodded and replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Got it. Lemme get this Big Fucking Sword and we can end it.¡±

    ?

    At 25 minutes, the fourth Dragon of the game spawned. Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University got into position to fight for it. But Zhejiang University was clearly stronger. They pushed Team Shanghai down the river and back into the tri-brush going into their Jungle. It was the perfect chokepoint for Leona to cast her ultimate. A Sr re mmed down onto the brush and stunned An Xin¡¯s Jarvan IV and Zeng Rui¡¯s Alistar!

    Team Shanghai tried to fight back. They unleashed all their skills on Leona, who was the first from Zhejiang University to jump into the fight. And they did deal enough damage to kill her. But not before the rest of Zhejiang University¡¯s team arrived. Zhejiang University simply dealt far more damage and shredded through Jarvan IV and Alistar¡¯s health bars. They could push for more kills, the three surviving Champions from Team Shanghai already retreating, but decided to instead take the Dragon. That was going to give them the bigger advantage.

    Lin Feng shook his head, forced to have his Varus run away again. It¡¯s like the previous teamfight all over again. We¡¯re just not strong enough. I can¡¯t carry these kinds of fights¡­ He panned his camera around the map and kept shaking his head. There¡¯s nothing we can do here.

    Zeng Rui stared at the different shades of grey on his monitor. Caught again. It¡¯s just too difficult! Ahri and Vayne are fed. And then they have Rumble and Leona! There¡¯s just nothing we can do about it! He nced at Tang Bingyao who was sitting next to him. Her Ezreal still hasn¡¯t hit his power spike yet either. She just keeps running after the facts. All the farming she did just isn¡¯t enough! Vayne is too strong. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s all against us this game. He bit on his lips before finally saying over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re going to turtle. Fight only under our towers and grind this game out.¡±

    ?

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°We¡¯ve got Alistar, Lissandra and Varus. They¡¯re all great for defending a tower! And then there¡¯s also Ezreal. He isn¡¯t great, but he¡¯s okay! I can see what our team is going for here and it might work!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Our bros are gonna win this one!¡± Ouyang cheered. He clenched his fists and added, ¡°Watch them make theeback!¡±

    Wei Dong pointed at therge LCD screen and said, ¡°Look at that! Zhejiang tried to attack the tower in the topne but is now backing away! Lin Feng¡¯s Varus is really dealing so much damage with those Piercing Arrows!¡±

    ¡°They might really do it!¡± Liu Yue eximed. He moved to the edge of his seat, wrapped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    Yang Fan traced his finger across the frame of his sses. He frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. There, see that? Zhejiang University is pushing the differentnes. They¡¯re going to keep switching between thosenes and will look for an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t find one!¡± Ouyang eximed. Heughed and added, ¡°Those are our bros up there! They¡¯re way too good to screw up like that!¡±

    ¡°YEAH! We¡¯re winning this!¡± Liu Yue chimed in.

    The friends and teammates from Team Shanghai started building up their own confidence, pointing to the LCD screen and exining to each other just how their team was going to pull a win out of this game. Their arguments were fueled by passion. It wasn¡¯t long before their attention was on each other, and not on therge LCD screen. Theypletely missed as the game reached 27 minutes. Theypletely missed Sun Ruinian Condemning Tang Bingyao¡¯s Ezreal against the inhibitor tower. And they only realised Tang Bingyao got caught out again when the game announcer¡¯s voice boomed through the venue speakers.

    ¡¶A champion has been in!¡·

 Chapter 310: Who Needs Teamwork When Youâ€™ve got the THUNDERCOCK!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s death in the botne allowed Zhejiang University to breach Team Shanghai¡¯s base. They took the inhibitor tower and then the inhibitor. Super minions spawned from the Red Nexus and charged through the botne to Team Shanghai¡¯s base, making it that much more difficult for Team Shanghai to defend. Worse even, the super minions marched down thene furthest away from Baron Nashor. Zhejiang University made full use of this, manipting the minion waves in such a way that Team Shanghai had to choose between giving up on their base or on Baron Nashor.

    The game was 34 minutes in when Zhejiang University, boosted by the Baron Buff, attacked the mid-inhibitor tower. Their minions were empowered and their own stats were also increased. Rumble fired The Equalizer on top of the tower, six rockets lighting the ground up in a zing inferno! He forced Team Shanghai back and opened the way for Zhejiang University to push forward! And they never stopped pushing. They took down the mid inhibitor and then the top inhibitor! Red super minions spawned from their Nexus and marched down thenes, pushing into Team Shanghai¡¯s base!

    Team Shanghai tried to put up ast stance at their Nexus towers, but they didn¡¯t even have the strength to stop the Baron Buff empowered minions. Zhejiang University walked all over them, picking up a double and triple kill before destroying the Nexus Towers and finally the Nexus! The crystal shook and trembled under the barrage of attacks, until the first cracks started showing. Blue energy kept within the Nexus mmed against the cracks and then broke free! It twisted and warped to form a victory crest for the Red team.

    VICTORY!

    The crowd erupted in cheers! But no one was as loud as the esports club members from Zhejiang University! Their hero was carrying them to a win, and they wanted everyone to know how much they respected him!

    ¡°SEE? SEE!? I TOLD YOU! Shi Hang is gonna carry us!¡±¡°With him and Sun Ruinian, there¡¯s no one that can beat us! We¡¯re going to win the Regionals and then we¡¯re going to win the main event as well! Zhejiang University is going to be the best League uni in China again! Just like 4 years ago!¡±¡°I feel a little bad for the kids¡­ HAHA! Who am I kidding? I FEEL FUCKING FANTASTIC!¡±¡°One high school team down, two to go! This is our tourney!¡±¡°It¡¯s so cool that Shi Hang is back! I hope he¡¯s going toe by the esports club again too!¡±¡°SHIIIIIIII HAAAAAANG!¡±

    Most people in the audience, led by the esports club members from Zhejiang University, were losing themselves in celebration! But there was a small subsection who only pped a bit. They sat slumped in their chairs, looking around at the people shouting and screaming. Pained. Lost. Defeated. Shi Hang¡¯s appearance had put a damper on their hopes of seeing Team Shanghai make it to the main tournament. Ren Rou had forbidden them to give up. She¡¯d told them to keep believing! But in the face of overwhelming strength, they found their confidence waver.

    Liu Yue fell back in his chair and muttered, ¡°Zhejiang is just too strong.¡± He threw his arm around andined, ¡°Why did they allow Shi Hang to y? He¡¯s a former pro! Everyone knows it¡¯s unfair! And we just saw it¡­ Lin Feng can¡¯t beat him. Even Lin Feng isn¡¯t that good!¡±

    ¡°The hell are you talking about!?¡± Ouyang shouted. He pointed at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see his double kill!? He¡¯s just as good as AyDeeCee! Hell! My bro is better!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wei Dong agreed. He nodded and added, ¡°Lin Feng¡¯s Varus was great! He was at least as good as AyDeeCee¡¯s Ahri!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°He was staying even with Ahri. But just that was already very impressive. We didn¡¯t lose this game because of him. We lost this game because Zhejiang University outssed us as a team. Whether we like it or not, Zhejiang University has individually better yers who¡¯re also better together as a team. There isn¡¯t anything we can do to magically change that. Unfortunately.¡±

    ?

    There was a heavy silence in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Zeng Rui nced around him at his teammates. They¡¯re all in their own world. Even the thundering dumbass looks like he¡¯s actually thinking about something! Whatever that might be¡­ He massaged his temples, a slight throbbing at the back of his head. I guess they all know. There¡¯s nothing we can do. No matter how much I want to be positive and win this, we just aren¡¯t good enough! That¡¯s the simple reality of the situation! It isn¡¯t fun to admit, but someone has to. He nced at Lin Feng again and grimaced. He did hold out against AyDeeCee, that was a nice surprise. But the rest of us? We all lost. The Rumble had a bigger impact on the gamepared to Zhang Hao, as did the Rek¡¯Saipared to BunBun¡­ Leona somehow was super on point with her ulties as well¡­ She did more for Zhejiang than I did for us. A B grade was better than me. That¡¯s what happened. And Sun Ruinian... I mean, I knew it from the start. Tang Tang just isn¡¯t at that level yet. She has the talent, but she needs a lot more time to realise her full potential.

    Tang Bingyao had put her elbows on the desk and was leaning her head in the palms of her hands, hiding the tears she was fighting back. Don¡¯t cry! Don¡¯t make it worse than it already is! You yed a terrible game!! You¡¯re the reason we lost! She bit tightly on her lips and closed her eyes. If apologizing did anything, I would! But they¡¯re just going to say that it¡¯s fine. It isn¡¯t fine! We lost because I fed that Vayne! It was my fault! She scrunched her nose and sucked in a sharp breath to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Don¡¯t cry! Don¡¯t cry! It will only make it worse! And if you want to apologize, do it by showing them in the game how sorry you are! By beating Sun Ruinian! Actions speak louder than words! Mhm! They do! She sat up a little straighter in her chair and took several long, deep breaths. Yes! She forced a smile and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

    The silence in the soundproof booth weighted down on An Xin like a heavy boulder. She wanted to do something about it, but she knew that she couldn¡¯t. She tried to grab the water bottle next to her but her right hand wouldn¡¯t work with her. Come on, stupid hand! WORK! She breathed in sharply and closed her eyes. Then she gave up. She reached over with her other hand and took the bottle. Her right hand fell limply by her side. She took arge gulp from the bottle and let the water wet her dry mouth. She then put the bottle back, a single tear escaping through her closed eyelids. I can¡¯t even hold a stupid bottle! Why is it ring up so much today? Can¡¯t it just leave me alone for a bit!? I need to y this series!

    An Xin leaned her head back against the gaming chair, exhausted. It required her full attention just to have her hand do what she wanted it to, not to mention the general feeling of unwellness and dizziness on top of that. I¡¯m sick and it¡¯s not getting better. I can¡¯t keep doing this! But I won¡¯t let them worry! Not now! Later. I¡¯ll tell themter. Maybe. Right now I need to focus on the game! She bit on her lips. I need to focus on my own gamey. I can¡¯t also coach them and pay attention to everything they¡¯re doing. If I want to finish this series, I need to limit my gamey to just me. She breathed in long and deep before sighing loudly. I need to lower the strain on my hand and recover while I can. But I can only do that if¡­ She nodded at herself. Lin Feng will have to take over. We¡¯re gonna need him to step up.

    When An Xin opened her eyes again, she noticed that Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao were all staring at Lin Feng. She grimaced. They know it¡¯s up to him. They know. She then forced a smile and said, ¡°We¡¯re gonna need you¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lin Feng said. He looked up at An Xin and then turned his head to look at the other three. He grabbed his mouse with one hand and ced his other hand on his keyboard. He repeated, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± There wasn¡¯t his usual grin nor was he cracking jokes that only he found funny. He rolled his shoulders and looked at his monitor, then said in the most serious tone they¡¯d ever heard him talk in, ¡°It¡¯s fine. That was only one game. We¡¯re going to win the next one.¡±

    ?

    The second game in the best of five series between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University got underway. The teams switched sides for this game, with Team Shanghai ying on the Red team and Zhejiang University on the Blue team. Both teams were clear on the Champions they wanted to ban. It only took a couple of seconds each time to ban Mordekaiser, Yasuo, Zed, Rumble, Vayne and Thresh.

    Both teams quickly locked in their Champions, until it was the fifth and final pick for Team Shanghai. Team Shanghai knew Zhejiang University¡¯splete lineup, they knew they were up against an Evelynn in the Jungle. Lin Feng turned his head to look at An Xin and asked, ¡°What are you waiting for? Pick your Lee! He fits our teamp and he counters Evelynn!¡±

    An Xin gritted her teeth and moved her mouse to hover over Lee Sin¡¯s summoner portrait. I can hear you, you stupid goldfish! But I don¡¯t know if this is smart¡­ She nced down at her hand and moved the sleeve of her sweater a little further over it. I want to help him! If I can¡¯t even y Lee, I might as well step out and let Liu Yue y for me! She closed her eyes and clicked on Lee Sin. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll y him,¡± she replied over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai had both locked in their Champions. They had a minute to make anyst minute changes to their Runes, masteries and Summoner spells before the game moved to the loading screen. This was when the game started ying on therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths, showing the lineup to the audience!

    Game 2 of the East China Regional Quarterfinals

    Zhejiang University (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)Toner: Gnar vs. DariusJungle: Evelynn vs. Lee SinMiner: Ezreal vs. FizzAd-carry: Lucian vs. JinxSupport: Leona vs. Nami

    Rollfire leaned towards his microphone and said, ¡°After thest game I think we all want to focus on the midne again! AND LOOK AT THAT! AyDeeCee has brought out his mid Ezreal!¡± He paused for a brief moment tough and then continued, ¡°Mid Ezreal is really strong and really difficult to pull off! But if anyone can pull it off, AyDeeCee can! I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll give us a good show!¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t forget about Fizz either!¡± Silent Reed shouted into her microphone. She turned to look at Rollfire and said, ¡°I casted this Miner in a different tournament and saw him y on Fizz there! Let me tell you something, his Fizz is good! In fact¡­¡± She paused briefly, smiling. I¡¯ll use your stupid ass pause, ass. ¡°I don¡¯t recall a single game he lost when ying a magic assassin! He¡¯s an absolute monster on them! I can totally see him win this matchup!¡±

    Rollfire looked at Silent Reed and raised an eyebrow. He replied, ¡°You¡¯re quite liking the Fizz pick, ey? I believe you, I believe you. That Lin Feng is a great yer! I think we can all agree on that. He¡¯ll make it professional if he keeps developing like this, I fully believe that! But we¡¯re ying a team game and he picks Fizz!¡± The corners of his lips curled up into a mocking expression. He continued, ¡°His Varus was great, but his team let him down. Now he picks Fizz. It kind of feels like he¡¯s thinking of solo carrying this game! And I mean, I¡¯d be all for that! Show me those skills!¡± If you have them, which you don¡¯t. AyDeeCee will kick your ass! Hehe!

    ¡°KILL THE FIZZ! KILL THE FIZZ!¡±¡°ZHEJIANG 2-0!¡±¡°YOU CAN BEAT HIM, LIN FENG!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! EZREAL GOING 0-2!¡±

    ?

    It was silent again in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Everyone was looking at Lin Feng, who had his eyes closed. He had his hands on his mouse and keyboard and the game music from the loading screen was ying in his ears. Game 1 was a loss. It was disappointing and we maybe could¡¯ve won it. But it¡¯s over. It¡¯s time to move on and focus on Game 2! I now know how they y and how good Shi Hang is! He hasn¡¯t gotten any worse! He took a deep, long breath. But I¡¯m also getting back there! And I was a lot better than him! Maybe he¡¯s just the opponent I need right now! So what if he¡¯s a bit better than me right now? That just means I have to try a bit harder!

    Lin Feng opened his eyes and smiled. All I can do is try my best, and that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do! I¡¯m going to win myne and pin him down under his outer tower! Sparks shed in his eyes as his smile crept up into a wide grin. This is a best of five series! One loss means nothing! I¡¯m going to win this! And I¡¯ll let everyone know exactly how good I am! He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re gonna win this. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhang Hao replied. But he was the only one. An Xin, Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui hesitated. They looked at Lin Feng and then back at their monitors. They eventually nodded.

    The mood in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth waspletely different from Team Shanghai¡¯s. They had Shi Hang back on their team and he¡¯d helped them win the first game. It only underlined their beliefs that with him on the team, no one could beat them! They were leaning back in their gaming chairs and joking about how they were going to end the second game within 20 minutes. That joke specifically set Shi Hang off. He red at the Jungler, who¡¯d made it, and said, ¡°You little shit! Don¡¯t getcent now!¡± He then turned to look at the rest of the team and continued, ¡°Team Shanghai won¡¯t go down that easily! We had to fight hard for that first win, and it¡¯s only going to get harder! Focus on the damn game or we¡¯re going to lose this!¡±

    Shi Hang ignored the apologies from his teammates and focused back on his monitor. On Fizz¡¯s summoner portrait. The anger vanished from his face and was reced with a smile. Fizz, huh? Looks like you¡¯re going to go all out! I¡¯ll happily return the favour in kind! He smirked. I like your idea, Maple. Snowball mid and win the game. It often works for you. But don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna let you get fed! Try me!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re starting the game with a regrne set up!¡± Silent Reed said into her microphone. She watched therge LCD screen, which focused on An Xin clearing Red Team¡¯s Blue Bluff Camp with the help of Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao. She continued, ¡°The Junglers are focusing on clearing the two important camps first! The Blue and Red Buff camps!¡±

    Liu Yue sat in the stands next to Ouyang and Chen Ze, scrunching his nose. He scratched his neck and asked, ¡°Why isn¡¯t BunBun invading? What¡¯s she going to the Red Buff for? She always invades with her Lee Sin! And she¡¯s ying against an Evelynn! This is such an obvious invade!¡± He chewed on the inside of his cheek and knitted his brows. I¡¯ve watched her y almost daily for thest month! She loves to do the Level 2 invade! It¡¯s her thing! Why isn¡¯t she doing it now? Am I missing something? No I¡¯m not! She¡¯s ying against Eve! What the fuck! That¡¯s such an easy kill! Why isn¡¯t she going for i¡ª

    Ouyang pped Liu Yue on the shoulder and said, ¡°The hell do you know! You clearly haven¡¯t paid enough attention to all the times brophina taught you how to Jungle!¡± He pointed at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth and continued, ¡°They¡¯re ying Zhejiang! You know that, right? They¡¯re crazy good! Odds are that they know the Level 2 gank ising and are preparing to counter her! She saw through that and is making their effort go to waste! Have some faith in our BunBun! She¡¯ll stomp them!¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Liu Yue replied. He then turned his attention back to therge LCD screen.

    The game was three minutes in. An Xin had killed the Red Brambleback and imed its buff. Boosted by the Blue and Red Buff, she roamed to the topne. Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius was having a hard time against Zhejiang University¡¯s Gnar. He was sitting underneath his tower and even there he couldn¡¯t get a lot of farm. Gnar just kept auto attacking him from a distance. It¡¯s like Zhejiang is daring me to gank top! Sure, I¡¯ll take first blood!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin ran through the tri-brush below the topne into the river. There she walked up into thene and cast Safeguard on a minion right next to Gnar! Lee Sin dashed to the minion and then mmed down on the ground with an open palm¨CTempest! A shockwave spread out around him to locate all nearby opponents! But Gnar had already shed away. An Xin ran after him, past the minions until there was a clear line of view between them. She then aimed her mouse at Gnar and activated Sonic Wave! Lee Sin pushed out with his arm, sending a discordant wave of sound flying after Gnar!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Gnar had opened up quite some distance between himself and Lee Sin through the sh. Then he saw Lee Sin running after him and knew the Sonic Wave wasing. He shook his head and chuckled. Too obvious, too damn obvious. He waited for Lee Sin¡¯s animation and then Hopped away.

    ¡°What great timing for a gank!¡± Rollfire eximed from behind the caster desk. He then leaned forward, smiling, and added, ¡°But this Lee Sin really needs to work on her mechanics a bit more. You can¡¯t miss those skillshots if you wanna y Lee!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Silent Reed added. She looked down into Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and frowned. I¡¯ve seen her Lee at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. She¡¯s way better than this! What¡¯s going on with her? Is the pressure getting to her? I hope she can find her normal form soon¡­

    ¡°SHIT!¡± Ouyang yelled through the venue. He threw his arms up in the air andined, ¡°That was so close! Why does this Gnar have to have those ninja reflexes!?¡±

    Liu Yue nced at Ouyang before turning back to the screen. He scratched his nose and knitted his brows. That seemed not very great¡­ He shook his head. I¡¯m probably just too used to seeing her hit everything! Ouyang is right! He nodded and said, ¡°Such a shame! I thought she had first blood in the bag there!¡±

    Inside Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, An Xin slumped back in her gaming chair a little. She pretended to feel a scratch on her right hand, just so that she could steady it with her left. Then she sighed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, Zhang Hao. My bad.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng barely registered how An Xin didn¡¯t evade at Level 2 or how she failed her gank in the topne. Hisplete focus was on the midne. Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal was a ranged Champion, meaning he had a rtively easier time in the early game to get some poke damage in while alsost hitting minions. But Lin Feng refused to givest hits away for free or y defensively. He worked hard on manipting the minion wave and had it slightly push his way.

    The Blue minions were ever so lightly thrown off by Lin Feng¡¯s intervention, and ended up attacking a caster minion. Its health dropped and Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal was forced to take several steps forward if he wanted to get thest hit on it. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, waiting for the exact moment that Ezreal¡¯s auto attack animation started. Then he targeted Ezreal with Urchin Strike! His Fizz dashed through Ezreal and stabbed out with his trident!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Evelynn had taken her normal Jungle path, from the Blue Buff Camp down to the Red Buff Camp and then into the river. From there she could go to the bot or midne. But at Shi Hang¡¯s order he went to the midne. And right as he arrived, Fizz jumped in on Ezreal. He grinned and mumbled, ¡°Perfect!¡±

    Lin Feng was in the middle of three Blue minions. Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal had teleported a short distance away with Arcane Shift and now Evelynn also jumped on him. He grinned. Want me to run? No Chance! He sat up a little straighter in his gaming chair and counted cooldowns. Where is the Mystic Shot? Where is th¡ª There! He cast yful! His Fizz leapt up and stuck his trident into the ground. He leaned on his trident, juggling his bnce, and briefly became untargetable!

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes. His years of experience ying at the highest level of Leaguebined with his knowledge on Fizz kicked in. He¡¯s not backing off! That crazy bastard is going in for the kill! If he¡¯s going in¡­ He nced at his health bar. He knows he can do the damage! The Fizz was alreadying down, which was the second half of his E skill. Trickster! He was going to ssh onto the ground and deal damage! Shi Hang smashed down on his keyboard. FLASH AWAY! His Ezreal disappeared with a sh of mottled light.

    Most yers would sh away towards the safety of a tower. But Shi Hang knew that and knew that Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz could follow him there and kill him. That was why he didn¡¯t sh away towards his outer tower, but to the side where Evelynn was! This, in turn, was all predicted by Lin Feng. He pressed down on the D key and shouted GOTCHA!¡± His Fizz shed after Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal and sshed on the ground right on top of the two Champions from Zhejiang University! The damage from Trickster cut sharply into Ezreal¡¯s health!

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Shi Hang eximed. He frantically clicked away and nced at his skillbar. Everything¡¯s on cooldown! Dammit! He saw right through that! Now I¡¯m away from my tower and slowed!

    Rollfire was y-by-y casting the fight in the midne. But just when he wasuding Shi Hang for a phenomenal sh, Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz followed up. His mouth fell open and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. What the hell¡­ HOW!? How? How¡­?

    ¡°One beautiful sh got followed up by another!¡± Silent Reed eximed, taking over from Rollfire. She pushed the microphone against her lips and shouted, ¡°Fizz is still on the Ezreal! This has to be first blood! It has to be!¡±

    ¡°NO WAY! HOW DID HE DO THAT!?¡±¡°POSEIDON TO THE RESCUE! WOOOOOO!¡±¡°SICK FLASH! MEGA COOL!¡±¡°Oh my god¡­ Oh my fucking god! Did he just¡­? He just¡­ HE FUCKING FLASH-FOLLOWED!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned, clicking in a fast rhythm on Ezreal. Every good Fizz picks up their first kill at Level 3! If you can¡¯t even do that, don¡¯t y Fizz! This is my kill! He activated Fizz¡¯s third main skill, Seastone Trident! A blue aura wrapped around his weapon, empowering his basic attacks and adding a bleed effect to it! Evelynn attacked him, as did Ezreal, but neither had crowd control skills and he still had more than half of his health remaining. First blood is mine! You ain¡¯t getting away! He targeted Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal with Ignite! An unquenchable me zed to life on Ezreal¡¯s skin, burning away at his health bar! Bleed damage from Fizz¡¯s empowered auto attack stacked on top of that!

    Shi Hang recognized he wasn¡¯t going to survive. He tightened the grip on his mouse and said over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kill him! We need first blood!¡± He kited through the minions, trying to break open a gap between his Ezreal and Fizz. Shit! He¡¯s gonna get me! He added, ¡°Don¡¯t let him survive!¡±

    Lin Feng had his Fizz strike out with his trident for a second and a third time! Ezreal¡¯s health was dropping sharply and soon reached critical levels. Trying to escape? Don¡¯t think so! Lin Feng was sitting on the edge of his gaming chair, clicking on his mouse faster and faster! His Fizz chased after Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal, ignoring the damage he was taking from Evelynn. His screen shed red! Fizz had dropped below 20% health! Kill! Fizz stabbed out with his trident!

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·¡¶You have been in!¡·

    A low buzz went through the venue. The audience had been sitting on the edge of their seat during the fight in the midne. Some were already up on their feet. But when the game announcer¡¯s voice sted through the venue speakers, everyone jumped! They roared, their voices mming against the wall before being knocked back at them! And they went on to beat that sound with an even louder wave of thunderous cheers!

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°OOOOOOOOOOH!¡±¡°AGAIN! HE DID IT AGAIN! WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°INSAAAAAAAANE!¡±¡°WOOT WOOOOOOOOOT!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t until a good bitter that the initial burst of cheers died down far enough for Silent Reed to make herself be heard again. She was jumping with excitement and screamed, ¡°WOOOO! I knew his Fizz was good, but oh my god! OH MY GOD! He outyed AyDeeCee! HE DID IT AGAIN! JUST LIKE IN GAME 1!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right! Shit! It¡¯s like I¡¯m watching an LPL match!¡±¡°Look at my arms! LOOK! I¡¯VE GOT GOOSEBUMPS!¡±¡°That kid is stomping AyDeeCee! HOW IS HE STOMPING AYDEECEE!?¡±¡°He¡¯s better than Hermes! Calling it now! He¡¯s better than Hermes!¡±¡°Who recorded it? CLIP IT AND PUT IT UP ONLINE!¡±¡°That sh, holy shit! THAT FLASH! Did you guys see that? OH MY FUCKING GOD!¡±

    Rollfire¡¯s mouth hung open, dazed speechless. There wasn¡¯t a single thought in his mind, just pure shock. Everything about that y by Fizz was perfect. The representative of the Shanghai Esports Organization had outyed AyDeeCee. A cluttered mess of images flitted before his eyes, reminding him of how Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner had yed in the Round of 16. Wh¡­ Ho¡­ Uh¡­

    On stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, the Evelynn yer kicked against the back of his desk, frustrated. He bit on his lips and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, cap. I didn¡¯t expect him to do that. Shit! He got first blood! If only I had¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Shi Hang interrupted. He turned his head to look at the Jungler sitting next to him and smiled. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You yed that well.¡± He turned back to look at his monitor, grinning. You son of a bitch! You got me! I knew it wasing and you still got me! Damn you!

    Sun Ruinian nced at Shi Hang sitting next to him. What¡¯s gotten into him¡­? But then he quickly shook his head and focused back on the botne. Another time. I need to focus. I can¡¯t let him down!

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s screen was a dull grey. There were a few more seconds until he respawned, so he panned his camera to take stock of the othernes and the Jungle. He shook his head. Still not enough. They need me! I need to pressure him more and snowball faster! He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the air topletely fill his lungs. Three, two, one. He breathed out and his eyes shot open, determination zing in them! So that¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do! I¡¯ll show everyone just how good my Fizz really is!

    When Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz returned tone, he started working on manipting the minion waves again. He very delicately made them push towards his outer tower, forcing Shi Hang to overextend if he wanted to get thest hits. The fifth minute turned into the sixth. Another minion wave arrived in the midne. I¡¯m gonna hit Level 6 soon. He nced at his minimap. Leona is missing and Eve can be anywhere. But that doesn¡¯t matter. I just have tond my skills and get the kill!

    Several Red minions were ganging up on a Blue melee minion. Lin Feng had his Fizz walk towards it, smiling. Such an obvious feint if you know it! But he¡¯s preparing to gank me, so he shouldn¡¯t know! He arrived next to the minion, which also ced him within range to cast Urchin Strike on Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal! Fizz dashed through Ezreal, striking out with his trident! Right then, the melee minion died and Fizz leveled up! Lin Feng learned Chum the Waters and threw it at Ezreal!

    A small fish stuck to Ezreal and swam around him, a portal to the deep ocean opening up beneath him. Shi Hang cursed, ¡°Shit! 5 seconds!¡± He activated Arcane Shift! His Ezreal teleported a short distance. But the fish stuck to him, as did Fizz with yful/Trickster!

    The portal opened uppletely. The small fish was bait for Megalodon! The massive monster jumped out of the water and knocked Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal up into the air! Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz followed up with Seastone Trident empowered auto attacks! Thebination of damage decimated Ezreal¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Kill him!¡± Shi Hang eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then shook his head and looked at his dull grey screen. Again. He got me again! I¡¯m dead without sh. But we were setting up for a gank anyway, and he blew through his skills to get me. Evelynn and Leona will get him. This isn¡¯t much of a setback. We¡¯re both losing out on minions and experience. Just that¡­ Just that he has two kills and I have zero. He grinned and turned his head to look at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. He mumbled, ¡°Nice work, Maple.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Sun Ruinian asked, confused. He nced at Shi Hang and added, ¡°Did you say something to me?¡±

    ¡°No. No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Shi Hang replied. He chuckled and added, ¡°Focus on the game.¡± He then turned to look back at his monitor. Well, you did make one thing pretty clear, Maple. I can¡¯t deal with your Fizz. But you can¡¯t deal with my teammates. They¡¯re killing you again. We both got two deaths. He shook his head,ughing. 5 seconds. If you¡¯d engage 5 secondster, I would¡¯ve gotten the kill! But you¡¯re still dead. You might¡¯ve even gotten away if my teammates didn¡¯t show up. Heh, that brings me back. He nced across the stage again at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. You handpicked your teammates back then. They were all phenomenal. I wonder, did Chu Fang let you do the same this time? Did you handpick this team? I hope they are. He chuckled again. I really want to see how good they are now! Let¡¯s see who¡¯s got the better team!

 Chapter 311: Hello Darkness, Where are my Friends?

    ¡°IT¡¯S HAPPENING IN BOT LANE!¡± Rollfire screamed into his microphone. He leaned over the edge of the caster booth, looking at the audience down below, and continued, ¡°Sun Ruinian has been poking Jinx down! He¡¯s forced Nami to blow through her mana! This is it! Eeey!¡±

    Silent Reed bit on her lips and looked at therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. Come on, Tang Bingyao! She forced a smile to her lips and said into her microphone, ¡°Team Shanghai can still get out of this! There¡¯s no ganking. They just need to see that they can¡¯t push their luck he¡ª¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Leonanded a Zenith de on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx! The sr image of her sword took solid form and Leona dashed forward! She then bashed Jinx with Shield of Daybreak! Stunned! Sun Ruinian¡¯s Lucian dashed at this opportunity with Relentless Pursuit! He then raised both guns and fired a doubleshot at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx! He followed up with Piercing Light!

    Jinx didn¡¯t have a mobility skill, making her very vulnerable to opponents like Leona. Tang Bingyao had to rely on her positioning and reflexes to dodge the skill shots. When she failed to do that, she needed her Support. But Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami had spent all her mana healing Jinx everytime she took poke damage from Sun Ruinian¡¯s Lucian. Right now there was nothing Zeng Rui could do. He gritted his teeth as he made the decision to retreat. He clicked away from the fight and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Stall them.¡±

    Tang Bingyao didn¡¯t hear Zeng Rui in time. She¡¯d been pressing down on her D key repeatedly, waiting for the stun to break. I¡¯ll get out! Mhm! I¡¯m gonna survive this! The stun broke and she shed in the direction of her outer tower. Zeng Rui¡¯s message finally got through to her. Shit! I¡¯m gonna survive! She clicked next to her outer tower and did everything she could to survive. She blew her summoner spell Heal and took the shortest route to the outer tower! But Sun Ruinian stuck to her. He perfectly matched her movements and found the openings to hit her with auto attacks. Her health dropped until there was nothing left.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Tang Bingyao closed her eyes and fought back to urge to m her fist on the desk. Killed again! It¡¯s my fault again! I lost the previous game and now, now¡­ He¡¯s so good! Why is he so good? She opened her eyes and looked at the dull grey colours on her monitor. Her eyes went wide. No. No! She had tried to escape, but in doing so drew Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners towards Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami. They were now towerdiving her. Leona is tanky enough to survive the energy shots from the tower and Sun Ruinian has the damage. Zeng Rui has no mana¡­ I should¡¯ve known! I should¡¯ve known! That¡¯s why he told me to stall! I killed him! A double kill! I gave Sun Ruinian a double kill!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Zeng Rui grimaced when his screen turned grey, but he held his breath. Right before Lucian¡¯s doubleshot had killed him, he¡¯d recovered enough mana to cast Aqua Prison. The bubble flew through the air and sshed over Leona! She was wrapped up inside the bubble and lifted off the ground, suspended within the outer tower¡¯s range! Come on! Let it be enough! The energy shots from the tower smashed into Leona and drained away her health! Please!

    But the effects from Aqua Prison didn¡¯tst long. Leona was falling back to the ground. Zeng Rui was biting hard on his teeth and his eyes were as wide as they could be. Two more! TWO MORE! Another energy shot mmed into Leona and knocked her down to a sliver of health. But she¡¯d regained control of her body and was now running away. She¡¯s going to get away...¡ª His mouth fell open. Oh my god¡­ Yes! Thank god! Zhejiang University¡¯s Leona got blocked in her escape by a Red minion, causing her to stay inside the outer tower¡¯s range just long enough for a final energy shot to hit her.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°It¡¯s a dou-dou-dou-double kill!¡± Rollfire cheered.

    Silent Reed chimed in, ¡°Wooooo! What a fight! And Team Shanghai even got a kill back at the end! Such a clutch Aqua Prison!¡±

    ¡°SICK ENGAGE BY LEONA!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Sun Ruinian better ad-carry than Nightsong!¡±

    ¡°But what about that Jinx that got caught out again?¡± Rollfire asked, shaking his head.

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. That was unfortunate for them.¡±

    Wei Dong turned his head to look at the casters and frowned. He then turned back to his friends from High School 13 and said, ¡°It was¡­ They¡¯re right¡­ We¡¯re only 7 minutes in and that Lucian already picked up a double. It¡¯s going to be so hard for Tang Tang¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be down!¡± Ren Rou fired back. She looked at him and added, ¡°We¡¯re going to win this one! Positive vibes! Positive energy!¡±

    ?

    An Xin breathed in deeply and watched the botne. They¡¯re both dead. Lin Feng can get all the kills he wants, we can¡¯t do anything if the other twones lose. I need to do something! She moved her camera to the topne. Zhang Hao is low on health, but¡­ But¡­ She pursed her lips and had her Lee Sin run towards the topne. Gnar isn¡¯t full health either. If I y this right, I can help Zhang Hao win this fight!

    Lee Sin ran into the topne from the river entrance. Just like a few minutes earlier, he dashed at a minion with Safeguard and then mmed his t palm down on the ground! A tremor shook the earth, revealing everything directly surrounding Lee Sin! But Gnar had used Hop to jump away. An Xin responded to this by running past the minions until she had a clear line of sight and then activated Sonic Wave! Lee Sin pushed his fist forward. A discordant wave of sound shot at Gnar and revealed him!

    ¡°BunBun, careful!¡± Zhang Hao shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. But An Xin had already activated Resonant Strike. Her Lee Sin dashed at Gnar just as Evelynn appeared for a countergank. Damn! I gotta go help her! I have to save her! He gritted his teeth and then had his half-health Darius run into thene.

    An Xin looked at the situation. Health wise we¡¯re about the same¡­ About. But Gnar¡¯s rage meter is filling up. He¡¯ll be unkible in a couple of seconds. She bit on her lips and breathed in sharply. We can¡¯t win this. We need to escape! She nced at Zhang Hao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Don¡¯te! Back off...¡± The strain from judging the situation to warning Zhang Hao was too much for her body. Her vision started to spin with small pecks of darkness appearing everywhere. She closed her eyes and then opened them again.

    Zhang Hao shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get away, BunBun!¡± He then had his Darius charge into the fight and used Apprehend! Darius swept up Evelynn and Gnar with his axe¡¯s hook and pulled them to him!

    Gnar¡¯s rage meter was filling up quickly. He needed just another two seconds. His Evelynn Jungler bought him that time by casting Agony¡¯s Embrace! Spike shadows shot up from the ground beneath Darius and Lee Sin! They struck for a ton of damage and also hampered their movement speeds! That gave Gnar the time he needed tond one final auto attack and fill up his rage meter.

    Gnar was a small yordle with a small health pool, until he became enraged. Then he grew into a terrifying monster with a massive health pool! Mega Gnar grabbed a loose boulder from the ground and tossed it at Darius and Lee Sin! He then followed up with his ultimate skill. GNAR! He swiped out with his ws over the ground and threw everything around him against the wall along the topne! Several minions were caught and died on impact! Darius was flung against the wall and stunned! Only An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin escaped. She¡¯d shed away at just the right time.

    An Xin had her Lee Sin run away towards Red team¡¯s outer tower, panning her camera over the fight. I killed him. He was fine and then I came for the gank. I pushed him into engaging and now he¡¯s dead. If I was my normal self, we would¡¯ve won this fight. If I was half my normal self, I would¡¯ve used my ultimate to kick Gnar and Evelynn away! But I¡¯m not! Dammit I¡¯m not! My hand hurts, I feel sick to my stomach and now Zhang Hao is dead because of me! Why now? Why does this have to happen? I just want to y this stupid game! Just let me y!

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived underneath the outer tower and Zhejiang University didn¡¯t chase after her. She pressed down on the B key to recall back to base and then closed her eyes. FUCK! Why did it have to re up tonight? Why couldn¡¯t it wait another day!? I just¡­ I just want to y! I want to help the team win. But right now, right now I¡¯m costing them the game¡­ She grabbed onto her mouse hand and pinched it. Work you stupid thing!

    Zhang Hao scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Sorry guys, my bad. I got a little stupid there. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    It¡¯s not your bad, it¡¯s my bad! But I can¡¯t say that. An Xin bit down on her tongue to keep herself from telling everything that was going on with her. We¡¯re going to lose. I¡¯m pushing myself so hard! I¡¯m nauseous, feeling dizzy and I¡¯m ying like shit! And we¡¯re also losing! Botne is done, topne is done too now! It¡¯s just Lin Feng! He¡¯s the only one! We can¡¯t win this with just him! We¡¯re, we¡¯re losing because of me¡­ If only I could stop this stupid hand from being stupid! She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. I need to calm down. I need to calm down.

    ?

    At 10 minutes, both Miners had all their skills off cooldown. Lin Feng nced at his minimap and spotted Evelynn passing over a vision ward. Bot. She won¡¯t be here in time. He then looked at the other twones. Everyone is in theirnes. No one can interrupt us. He finally turned his attention back towards Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal. We¡¯re in the middle of thene. This is gonna be tricky. But I¡¯ve got the damage. I got this!

    Lin Feng had his Fizz walk up to a minion andst hit it. He then moved to another one, inching closer towards Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal until he was in range to cast Urchin Strike! Fizz dashed through Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal and attacked with his trident! He followed up with Chum the Waters! He pushed his trident forward and threw a fish at Ezreal!

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes and pressed down on the E key¨CArcane Shift! His Ezreal teleported a short distance away! The fishnded on the ground behind him and a portal to the deep sea started opening up. Too obvious, Maple! I expected better of¡ª Fuck! Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz had leaped onto the pole of his trident with yful. He¡¯s going to jump on me! Where do I sh to? What will he not expect? Maybe if I just back!

    ¡°Is he going to¡­?¡±¡°No way, right? Right?¡±¡°I mean¡­¡±¡°NO WAY!¡±¡°NO FUCKING WAY!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz was falling back to the ground with the second half of his skill, Trickster! You¡¯ll show me. You¡¯ll show¡­ Ha! Lin Feng saw the direction in which Shi Hang shed and followed right after it. His Fizz appeared underneath Blue team¡¯s outer tower and sshed down on Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal! Ignite! Seastone Trident! Lin Feng¡¯s fingers glided over the keyboard and he clicked on his mouse at exactly the right moments to start and cancel the animations of his auto attacks.

    Fizz tore through Ezreal¡¯s health bar! The unquenchable mes from ignite burned on Ezreal¡¯s body and blood flowed from the wounds left behind by the Seastone Trident! But Shi Hang remained calm. He cycled through his own skills and relied on Ezreal¡¯s auto attacks to whittle down Fizz¡¯s health bar as well. And though he didn¡¯t pack the same damage as Fizz, the outer tower¡¯s energy shots made up for that difference.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°One for one in the midne!¡± Rollfire yelled into his microphone. He shook his head, incredulous, and added, ¡°This kid is going ham on the former pro! He doesn¡¯t show any respect! He just goes in and he actually picks up the kill!¡±

    No one in the audience was concerned right now with what Rollfire had to say, or what Silent Reed added afterwards. Everyone was on their feet, screaming support for their favourite team! The esports club members from Zhejiang University yelled that only their Shi Hang could¡¯ve made such a clutcheback after getting jumped on by a Fizz! Friends and teammates from Team Shanghai were shouting back that Lin Feng had the skills to push around a professional level Miner! And all the other people were jumping in the stands cheering for the incredibly high level ys in the midne!

    Inside Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang leaned back in his gaming chair and sighed loudly. He then shook his head and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s been forever since I was pushed this far.¡± He grinned and nced past his teammates at the soundproof booth on the other side of the stage. You¡¯ve still got it, Maple. You do.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t taking his death as calmly as Shi Hang was. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and his breathing was uneven. He inched closer to the edge of his seat and tightened the grip on his mouse. They were all small adjustments, but they were the kind he usually never made. He didn¡¯t have to, because in thest few months he¡¯d never once been forced to really try. My teammates are losing and even An Xin isn¡¯t turning it around! But we need to win! We can¡¯t lose this! I promised to win the Collegiate Cup, so I have to win it! But we¡¯re not going to win like this. We need something more! What we need is the old me! I need to do more! I know I can carry harder and I have to start doing that! I¡¯m gonna carry this game way harder!

 Chapter 312: All By Myself, Donâ€™t Wanna Be...

    It was the 10th minute of the game. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx was using her rocketuncher to bomb down minions from afar, and even then she was being incredibly careful not to get caught within Leona¡¯s range. She stood under her tower in botne with Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami next to her, who was healing her while also threatening Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners with Aqua Prison. This was enough to keep Sun Ruinian¡¯s Lucian and the Leona from towerdiving, until Evelynn showed up.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Leona shed forward and cast her ultimate skill! A Sr re came down from the sky and mmed down on top of Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami! It stunned her! But it missed Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx. She¡¯d shed away when she saw Leona¡¯s sh animation. And she didn¡¯t look back. She ran straight for her inner tower and even there didn¡¯t stop running.

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    The game announcer¡¯s voice echoed in Tang Bingyao¡¯s head. She bit on her lips and panned her camera back towards the outer tower. Zeng Rui¡¯s Namiy dead next to it. Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners and Jungler had killed him and were now attacking the outer tower. I can¡¯t defend it! Mnh-mnh. But we can¡¯t just give it away either! Where are¡­ She panned her camera to look across the map. BunBun is in the top half Jungle and Zhang Hao doesn¡¯t have much health. I can¡¯t really bother Lin Feng either. He¡¯s ying against a pro! A pro! I¡¯m gonna have to¡­ Her shoulders dropped and she breathed out loudly. I¡¯m gonna have to give up on the tower and focus on farming. She looked back at the botne and watched Zhejiang University destroy the outer tower, after which they turned their attention to the Dragon.

    ¡¶The Blue Team has in the Dragon!¡·

    Rollfire grabbed the microphone and ced it to his lips. He shouted, ¡°Sun ¡®Samsara¡¯ Ruinian is doing it again! A perfect towerdive! A kill, a tower and the Dragon! Zhejiang University is killing it!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOO!¡±¡°Nice work, Samsara!¡±¡°Show them who¡¯s boss!¡±¡°Zhejiang to the main tournament!¡±

    Silent Reed looked at the audience and then at Rollfire. Gloating asshole! Why does he have to be right!? She grimaced but then leaned towards her microphone and said, ¡°Zhejiang is ying this game really well! Team Shanghai¡¯s botne is having a really hard time! And that¡¯s only gonna get worse now that Zhejiang¡¯s Boners have the first Dragon buff which gives them more attack damage and ability power!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai spent the next six minutes of the game ying very defensively. Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius hid underneath his tower and took a beating from Gnar. His tower¡¯s health was dropping and it wouldn¡¯t take much longer before it fell into ruin. But there wasn¡¯t anything he could do to stop the Gnar. He wasn¡¯t confident in winning the 1vs1 and there was always an invisible Evelynn who could be waiting for his engage right next to Gnar. This threat also extended to the botne. When Team Shanghai didn¡¯t have vision on Evelynn, she could be absolutely anywhere on the map!

    An Xin nced at her teammates in the soundproof booth before turning back to look at her monitor. She sighed. I¡¯m ying Lee Sin and I¡¯m having less of an impact than the Evelynn¡­ I¡¯m the worst Lee Sin. She shook her head and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°The Dragon is spawning soon. We need to do something before this game goespletely out of our control. Let¡¯s try and fight for it.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and replied, ¡°We can¡¯t back down from this!¡±

    It was the 17th minute when the Dragon spawned. Team Shanghai returned to base to stack up on wards and spent the rest of their gold to increase the quality of their items. They then ran towards the Dragon pit through their bot side Jungle. Once they got in the river, Zeng Rui instructed where to ce down wards. More importantly, he told them when to ce the wards. He kept the team closely together and made sure that Zhejiang University couldn¡¯t get the jump on them.

    Zhejiang University was taking a simr approach. The game had moved into the teamfight phase and the first real teamfight could determine the rest of the game. No matter how far Team Shanghai was behind, one bad engage from Zhejiang University could see them get right back in it. So Sun Ruinian took the lead in warding and firing skillshots at Team Shanghai, following the same approach as Zeng Rui.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna happen. It¡¯s gonna happen any minute now!¡± Rollfire shouted into his microphone. He was sitting on the edge of his seat and leaning over the caster desk, staring at the screen. Win this, Zhejiang! Kick those little asses and beat the Shanghai Stupid Organization!

    Silent Reed nced at Rollfire and shook her head. He looks like some evil viin¡­ She giggled and then said into her microphone, ¡°Zhejiang has the better items, but I believe this fight can still go either way! Whoever gets the right engage is well on their way to winning this fight and then the game!¡±

    The situation inside the game grew progressively tense with the second. It was two minutes since the Dragon had spawned. Both teams had ced every ward in their inventory and had cleared away as many wards from the other team as possible. Right now, they were facing off in the river. Zhejiang University was moving around above the Dragon pit and Team Shanghai pushed out from the Red team¡¯s Jungle.

    There was only one Champion on the Rift who could fire high damage skillshots from a distance, and that was Shi Hang¡¯s Ezreal. Ezreal gathered energy at the tip of his hand and turned that into a damaging bolt! Mystic Shot! He fired in the general direction of Team Shanghai and hit Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx! Or Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius! Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions were gathered so closely together that it was practically impossible for him to miss. He kept firing at them, making full use of the skills short cooldown period, and forced Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx to use their health potions.

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We can¡¯t keep getting hit by those Mystic Shots! We¡¯ll be forced to back before we even fight!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm, sorry. I¡¯ll dodge better.¡±

    Zhang Hao grimaced and said, ¡°Yeah, sor¡ª¡±

    ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He spammed the red warning ping on the map and shouted, ¡°LEONA!¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Leona shed forward. She then raised her sword up to the sky and called down a Sr re! The sun shot a pulse of fire down that mmed into the center of Team Shanghai¡¯s team! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx and Zeng Rui¡¯s Nami were caught at the center. They were both stunned! Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius and An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin were also caught in its range, but were far enough away to only get slowed.

    ¡°Fight!¡± Shi Hangmanded over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Gnar had built up his rage meter. The small yordle suddenly grew several times in size and became a monster with sharp fangs! A mottled burst of light wrapped him up and carried him into the middle of Team Shanghai¡¯s team! He jumped up on its hindlegs and then swept his ws over the ground, growling, ¡°GNAR!¡± The immense force knocked everything back! Jinx, Nami and Lee Sin were hurled against the wall along the river! Stunned on impact!

    ¡°Kill them!¡± Shi Hangmand over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat. He then pressed down on the R key¨CTrueshot Barrage! His Ezreal jumped up in the air and drew a bow from pure energy! An arrow fell on the string and gathered a yellow, destructive energy around it. Ezreal let the string go. The low whistling sound of the arrows was followed by a powerful barrage of energy that swept over Jinx, Nami and Lee Sin!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Evelynn ran straight towards the three stunned Champions from Team Shanghai and cast Agony¡¯s Embrace! Shadow spikes erupted from the ground and pierced Jinx, Nami and Lee Sin! All the while, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Lucian ran from the backline towards the action and even used Relentless Pursuit to close the gap.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes narrowed when he saw Lucian running forward. His fingers hovered over the keys he needed and he nced at everything else that was happening in the game. This is all I can do. He took a deep, long breath, then pressed down on the Q key¨CUrchin Strike! Fizz dashed through Lucian and struck out with his Trident! A fish then spun around the trident. Chum the Waters! Fizz hurled the fish at Lucian! It started swimming around its target, a portal to the deep blue opening up beneath it!

    ¡°FIZZ IS GOING IN! HE¡¯S GOING IN!¡± Silent Reed cried out from behind the caster¡¯s desk.

    ¡°HOLY SHIT! Why isn¡¯t he backing? BACK DUDE! BACK!¡±¡°HE¡¯S CRAZY! YOUR TEAM HAS LOST! BACK!¡±¡°OMG! I can¡¯t watch this! I CAN¡¯T!¡±

    ¡¶A Champion has been in!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Fizz can engage all he wants. Zhejiang has already won this!¡± Rollfire shouted into his microphone. He grinned and added, ¡°Look at that beautiful double kill from AyDeeCee! WOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¶A Champion has been in!¡·

    Team Shanghai¡¯s Jinx and Nami were the first to die. An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin followed shortly after. It was then that the portal to the deep blue openedpletely. Megalodon smelled the bait and jumped out of the water! He mmed Sun Ruinian¡¯s Lucian up into the air and bit into his health bar!

    ¡°Careful, Sun!¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Support eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He hovered his mouse over Fizz and cast Zenith de! Leona cast a projection of her sword at Fizz!

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. yful. Fizz nted his trident into the ground and hopped onto the pole, temporarily bing untargetable! Leona¡¯s Zenith de shot past him! He then pushed off the pole and fell back towards the ground right on top of Lucian!

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s eyes were wide in shock. A cold shiver ran up and down his spine! He mmed down on his keyboard! FLASH! FLASH! A mottled sh of light wrapped Lucian up and carried him through space and time before spitting him back onto the rift a short distance away! Yes! He sighed loudly, relieved.

    Lin Feng¡¯s lips curled up. He pushed down on the D key. Didn¡¯t Shi Hang warn you? Oh well. Fizz followed after Lucian and fell down right on top of him! The ssh damage ripped through Lucian¡¯s health bar! Fizz then struck out with an auto attack.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Lin Feng furrowed his brow and nced at the rest of the teamfight. They¡¯re all dead. HaoBro also died. We lost. We¡¯ve lost this teamfight! Dammit! We lost! I only got a single kill! He shook his head. NO! It¡¯s not over! I¡¯m still alive! I¡¯m going to carry the shit out of this teamfight! He looked at the Champions from Zhejiang University and locked onto Evelynn. HaoBro at least did a number on her! I¡¯ll get her first!

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Sun Ruinian fell back in his chair. His screen had turned grey. I fucked up! Shit! I should¡¯ve never shed there! What if I¡¯d shed¡­ What if¡­ Shit! He panned his camera to look at the rest of the fight. At least we¡¯ve won this one. Fuck! How did that Fizz sh right on top of me there? How the fuck did he do that!?

    ¡°Kill that Fizz,¡± Shi Hang said over the team¡¯s voice chat. His Ezreal gathered destructive energy with his glove before firing the Mystic Shot at Fizz! And the rest of his team followed his example. Leona, Evelynn and Gnar all unloaded their abilities onto Fizz!

    Lin Feng watched all the attacks shing on his monitor, about to m into his Fizz and kill him! He waited for a brief moment. Then he activated the item Zhonya¡¯s Hourss! Golden grains of sand wrapped around Fizz and froze him in stasis! He became invulnerable and untargetable! Skills shed through him, but nothing struck!

    ¡°Oh snap! Crazy timing on that Zhonya¡¯s!¡±¡°Is he gonna do it?¡±¡°No way, right? Maybe?¡±¡°His skills are still on cooldown though¡­¡±¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But he might¡­?¡±

    A golden Fizz stood lonesome in the river. Four enemy Champions had gathered around him, waiting for the golden grains of sand to disperse. Lin Feng gazed at his screen,pletely focused. Zhonya¡¯s is wearing off. Eve is the best target. Urchin Strike is off cooldown. A couple more to get yful/Trickster back. Seastone Trident and Ignite are there. I can kill her and then I need to somehow dodge¡­ a lot.

    Lin Feng chuckled and shook his head. He knew. The effects from Zhonya¡¯s Hourss wore off. Zhejiang University started firing skillshots at him again! But he still made the first move. Fizz dashed through Evelynn and struck out with his trident¨CUrchin Strike! He then activated Seastone Trident! A blue aura wrapped around the weapon, empowering it and adding a bleed effect to his auto attacks! He followed up with an auto attack and Ignite! The three sharp points from the trident pierced Evelynn and caused bleed damage, while the unquenchable mes from ignite started burning on her skin!

    A massive boulder mmed into Fizz! It was Gnar¡¯s Boulder Toss. That was followed quickly after by Ezreal¡¯s Mystic Shot! The damaging bolt of energy mmed into him! Fizz managed to get another auto attack off on Evelynn before the Shield of Daybreak from Leona stunned him. Gnar¡¯s ws sliced through his health bar, as did Leona''s sword! And Ezreal¡¯s energy attacks shocked away what little health he had left.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·¡¶Blue team has scored an Ace!¡·

    Lin Feng watched his screen lose its vibrant colours. A dull grey reced it. But he kept his eyes on the monitor. On Evelynn. Focused. The bleed effect from Seastone Trident imed another hit on her health, followed by the continuous damage from Ignite. It¡¯s enough. It¡¯s fucking enough! It¡¯s, not enough¡­ He grimaced. Thest tick from Ignite killed Evelynn, but he couldn¡¯t find any happiness in the game announcer¡¯s voice booming across Summoner¡¯s Rift. We lost the teamfight. I wasn¡¯t enough to win it¡­

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOO! ZHEJIANG WITH THE ACE! ZHEJIANG WITH THE ACE!¡± Rollfire eximed into his microphone. His voice boomed through the venue and was responded to with an eruption of cheers! A symphonie of screams and shouts rocked the venue!

    Silent Reed watched the LCD screen and bit her lips. Zhejiang University is so good! How are they so much better? Why couldn¡¯t Team Shanghai be that good? She shook her head and grabbed the microphone. She then waited for the sound in the venue to die down a bit before saying, ¡°Lin Feng fought really hard for that double kill! But in the end, it wasn¡¯t enough. Zhejiang University has shown us how much more important teamwork is than individual skill! They imed an ace on the back of a perfect engage! The way they work together so seamlessly, it¡¯s hard to see anyone beating them!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai still had some hope of turning the game around before the teamfight at 19 minutes. But after getting aced, that all changed. There was a heavy silence in their soundproof booth, only interrupted by Zeng Rui giving an order every now and then. But he knew just like the others that this game was over. We don¡¯t have the teamp to turtle, our defensive Champions aren¡¯t nearly strong enough to stop an engage from Zhejiang University, and there¡¯s really nothing we can do to turn the tides here. The thundering¡­ Lin Feng can¡¯t even turn this around. He¡¯s carrying us so hard, and we¡¯re fucking up. Fuck! He shook his head and frowned. It¡¯s an official tournament game. We can¡¯t make it to surrender. But all I really want to do is move on to the next game. It¡¯s still a Best of 5. If we can use the break to figure something out, then maybe...

    Team Shanghai kept ying. Lin Feng picked up a couple more kills, somehow finding yers from Zhejiang University out of position wherever he went. But his Fizz couldn¡¯t 1vs5. The rest of his team was defending the base and were getting towerdove constantly. Inhibitor towers fell, followed shortly after by the inhibitors. Super minions spawned and marched down thenes. And it was in the 27th minute eventually that Zhejiang forced the final push. They attacked Team Shanghai under their Nexus towers and scored another ace.

    DEFEAT!

 Chapter 313: Popping Pills Is Not Cheating!

    Zuo Cheng stood in front of Zhejiang University¡¯s esports club members, leading the chants like a conductor. ¡°Zhejiang!¡± he screamed at them. And they replied, ¡°Champions!¡± The rest of the audience had stopped celebrating Zhejiang University¡¯s second win over Team Shanghai and were now waiting for the third game, but Zuo Cheng wasn¡¯t ready to stop yet. He nced over his shoulder a couple of times and just smiled, proud. That¡¯s the cap for you! Best yer in the world! Such a shame he quit pro League¡­ If he starts again, hell yeah! He¡¯d win the LPL no problem!

    Zuo Cheng leaned back against the railing that separated the normal stands from the yer seating area and sighed loudly. He shook his head and said, ¡°Guys, guys. What did I tell you guys? With cap on the team, we¡¯re invincible! Team Shanghai? Team Guangzhou? Any of those other potential champions? Screw them all! We¡¯ve got the cap!¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah! Shi Hang is gonna carry us to a win!¡±¡°We¡¯re gonna have an invincibles run!¡±¡°If Sun Ruinian is the tiger, Shi Hang is the wings! He¡¯ll lift us up and send us flying to victory!¡±¡°AyDeeCee gonna wreck Goalie! Hahaha!¡±¡°They might as well give us the trophy already! This is ourpetition!¡±¡°The return of the KING!¡±¡°Shi ¡®AyDeeCee¡¯ Hang carrying the shit out of these games!¡±

    The section of the audience upied by Zhejiang University students was loud and proud. Everyone else could clearly hear them sting over all other conversations. Heads turned and whispers and murmurs rang out through the stands. Everyone agreed that Zhejiang University was putting on a great performance and that with the way they were ying, winning the championship seemed incredibly likely. Then they turned their heads to look at the section with Team Shanghai fans, who were slumped back in their seats and staring at their feet.

    ¡°It must suck to be them right about now.¡±¡°I just feel bad for them¡­ Imagine getting this far and getting all hyped, and then having to y a pro yer! It¡¯s still stupid I think!¡±¡°Maybe the Shanghai Esports Association can give them a trophy for most effort, or something like that! They really deserve something with the show they¡¯re putting on for us here!¡±¡°Here¡¯s to hoping they take at least one game from Zhejiang!¡±¡°Fat chance with AyDeeCee ying¡­¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang sat in his private room backstage watching therge tv screen that showed the audience. He was biting on his lips and furrowing his brows. How did this happen¡­? Did I push Lin Feng too hard? He scratched the side of his head and looked at a different screen that showed a rey of Game 1. I knew Zhejiang was a strong team and was going to be a lot better with Shi Hang, but I also thought I knew how good Team Shanghai was! Did I make a mistake? They¡¯re 2-0 behind after only an hour of ying. One more game and they¡¯re out! Maple isn¡¯t going to learn much from this! He won¡¯t be back...

    Chu Fang breathed out loudly and shook his head. Was I too impatient? Is that it? Am I pushing him too hard? Is Zhejiang going to kick him out early because I pushed him too hard? I thought he could still carry, that the added pressure from ying against Shi Hang would bring the best out of him! We need him better! We need him back to his old self! We need Maple! I only told Shi Hang that the Maple was back so that Lin Feng could get a real challenge! Why did I do that? He clenched his fist and hit himself on the knee. No! This isn¡¯t too much! Is it¡­?

    A staff member knocked on the door and another tried to reach Chu Fang through the walkie talkie, but he didn¡¯t notice them. His full attention was locked on the screen that was now showing a rey of Lin Feng picking up a solo kill on Shi Hang. He¡¯s good! He¡¯s picking up solo kills on Shi Hang! But that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not enough! It¡¯s not enough. Team Shanghai is going to get knocked out and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it! It¡¯s already far toote to do something about it! I should¡¯ve never allowed Shi Hang to y! He bit on his lips and stared at the yercam at the bottom of the screen. I need you to make aeback! Turn this around! Please! We can¡¯t have you dropping out now! We need you to win this and then quickly move on to the professional scene!

    ?

    The yers from Zhejiang University were rxing in their soundproof booth, waiting for the third game to start. There wasn¡¯t a single trace of worry to be found, with even the usual cautious Sun Ruinian leaning back in his gaming chair. He turned to look at Shi Hang and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you jumped in here. These games are going so smoothly with you on the team!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± the Jungler added,ughing. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Shi Hang!¡±

    The Toner nodded and chimed in, ¡°Your Ezreal dude, like holy shit! That was in-fucking-sane!¡±

    ¡°It was! You kept the Fizz down early and made himpletely useless after thening phase!¡± the Support said.

    Shi Hang took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Careful, guys. This isn¡¯t over.¡± He then turned his head to look across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. I¡¯m only ying here because of you, Maple. You¡¯re still good. Even after your four year break, you¡¯re matching me inne! That¡¯s damn impressive! He knitted his brows and curled his lips. But it¡¯s not enough. It just isn¡¯t. Your team is worse, simple as that. Your top and ad-carry are way worse and your Jungler isn¡¯t doing all that hot either. They¡¯re costing you these games. Still, the real Maple, the one from four years ago, the one that kicked the everloving shit out of me? He would¡¯ve carried these games! That Maple would¡¯ve found a way to help his teammates win theirnes and carry the game!

    ¡°Maple, Maple, Maple¡­¡± Shi Hang mumbled. His teammates nced at him, but he ignored them. He was still staring across the stage at Lin Feng. You¡¯re the sessor to One, you were the best Miner in China, you made it all the way to the World Finals! This is a kiddy tournament! So what if it¡¯s me you¡¯re ying against? You can kick my ass any day of the week! I know you can! I felt it four years ago! He breathed in deeply and narrowed his eyes. You¡¯re Maple! You¡¯re better than this! So much better! If this is really all you got? Then it¡¯s for the best you lose. With just this skill, you¡¯re not going to get very far. You won¡¯t even get close to where you got before! Come on, man! Give me a real show! Give me a good asskicking!

    ?

    There was a 15 minute break between each game. Team Shanghai used the first few minutes just sitting behind theirputers, staring at the post game lobby that exined exactly how badly they¡¯d lost the second game. Zeng Rui finally got up from his gaming chair and said to the others, ¡°Come. We¡¯re going to the backstage room.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that. Nothing good is going toe from sitting here,¡± An Xin replied, nodding.

    The five from Team Shanghai left the soundproof booth, the cheers for Zhejiang University mming into them, and quickly made their way off the stage to the small break room backstage. There was a table with a couple of chairs. The only real difference with the soundproof booth was that they couldn¡¯t look at the post game lobby. But Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao still sat down and stared into the space in front of them, lost.

    ¡°It¡¯s over, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhang Hao mumbled.

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding.

    Zeng Rui looked at his two teammates and gritted his teeth. It¡¯s not over until¡­ He breathed in and then sighed loudly. Are we really going to get knocked out of the Collegiate Cup here? After all of our hard work? We were so close to the main tournament! This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to end! He nced at Lin Feng from the corner of his eyes. What¡¯s he thinking anyway? Since when has he ever shut up? Stupid thundering dumbass!

    Lin Feng stood off to the side, leaning with his shoulder against the wall and staring at his feet. It¡¯s not their fault we¡¯re losing this game, it¡¯s mine! It¡¯s all my fault! I am better than this! What¡¯s stopping me? Why can¡¯t I y like I did four years ago? What¡¯s missing!? I was good enough to beat Shi Hang and still help my teammates! And now, now I¡¯m struggling to beat Shi Hang inne! I basically went evenst game! One for one. One for one. One for fucking one! He shook his head, frustrated. What do I do? What can I do to beat Shi Hang and help my teammates? They need me if we want to win this! But what can I do? What can I possibly do to make this work¡­? He grimaced, tapping his fingers on his forehead. I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t fucking know!

    An Xin stood at the door of the backstage room. She looked from Lin Feng at the other three and then back at Lin Feng again. He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s given up yet¡­ He hasn¡¯t given up yet! But he¡¯s struggling. I can see he¡¯s struggling! I know that look better than anyone! He needs me! She took a long, deep breath and then walked up to Lin Feng. She forced her lips to curl upwards and her eyes to start shining. She then straightened her back and said, ¡°We¡¯re still in it, right?¡±

    Lin Feng raised his head to look at An Xin, then slowly nodded. He looked back down at his shoes and moved his head around, chewing on his lips. He finally opened his mouth, hesitating briefly, and replied, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m not good enough yet. If it was the me from four years ago, we¡¯d be 2-0 up right now¡­¡±

    An Xin raised an eyebrow, surprised. That idiot! She narrowed her eyes and felt anger and annoyance intertwine and burst forward. Why does he always have to throw everything at himself!? This is a team game! How many times do I need to remind him!? She bit on her lips and then focused on her breath. He¡¯s putting all that pressure on himself again. Why can¡¯t he see that he has us? We¡¯re all here, together! She looked up at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than enough. Stop putting all that pressure on yourself. How many times do I need to remind you? Lin Feng? Look at me. You¡¯ve got me here. There, see those three sitting over there sulking? You have them. We¡¯re all here, together, as a team!¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his eyes before looking at his teammates. I know you guys are all trying! I do know that! He closed his eyes and said, ¡°I know, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. No buts,¡± An Xin interrupted. She looked him straight in the eyes and continued, ¡°You need to stop doing this. You¡¯re not Superman. You¡¯re Lin Feng. You¡¯re Maple. You¡¯re human. If you keep putting all this pressure on yourself, it¡¯s going to be like four years ago all over again! You¡¯re going to burn yourself out and you¡¯ll leave the team with one more thing to worry about!¡± She ced her hand on his shoulder and smiled before adding, ¡°You¡¯re not alone. You¡¯re really not! You have us. Let us in.¡±

    Lin Feng looked back into An Xin¡¯s eyes, a knot twisting tightly in his stomach. I know. I know! I know all of that! And I want to! But...

    An Xin stared intently into Lin Feng¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°League of Legends is a team game. You¡¯re never going to win it all by yourself. Remember how you picked us, all four of us, as your teammates? The least you can do is to actually view us as your teammates. Trust us!¡± She stopped for a brief moment before concluding, ¡°You remember how you trusted Fatty? Eleven? Silent and Autumn? You remember the way you guys yed together? We¡¯re the same. We¡¯re your teammates. Trust us like how you trusted them!¡±

    The knot uncurled in Lin Feng¡¯s stomach. The pent up breath escaped and frown disappeared from his face. He nkly looked at An Xin and nodded. She¡¯s right. She¡¯s right¡­ I did it again. Just like back then, just like against Shanghai International, just like¡­ I keep doing this! When I heard Shi Hang was ying, I lost trust in my teammates. I knew they aren¡¯t at that level, so I wrote them off. And then I decided that I have to do it all myself! But I don¡¯t. That¡¯s not how to win at this game! Solo carrying is just stupid! I¡¯m only making it harder on myself by doing that! He balled his hand into a fist and curled his lips upwards. It¡¯s not my responsibility, it¡¯s ours! All of us! And if we y together, use each others¡¯ strengths, we can win this! We can!

    An Xin let go of Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and smiled. That¡¯s what I wanted to see. She then turned to look at the other three and said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t wanna go out like this, right? Right?¡± She waited for the lost and dazed expressions from Tang Bingyao, Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui to focus on her before continuing, ¡°We¡¯re two games down. So what? This is a best of five. As far as I¡¯m concerned, we yed two warm-up matches and are now going in for the real deal!¡±

    ¡°You want to reverse sweep this¡­?¡± Zhang Hao asked.

    An Xin raised an eyebrow. Guess that wasn¡¯t enough¡­ She ced her hand before her mouth and giggled, then said, ¡°Oh, another thing. You see this idiot over here? He thinks we lost those two games because of him. You know, because he couldn¡¯t carry you guys hard enough. He¡¯s seeing us as dead weight!¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Zeng Rui blurted out. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, thundering dumbass! You¡¯re not some kind of messiah! Arrogant shithead!¡±

    Zhang Hao shot up to his feet and mmed his fist on the table. He turned to look at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°Yeah! What Zeng Rui says! What do you take us for? Jesus Christ, you arrogant dick!¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on her lips and nced at Lin Feng. He yed with Fatty, he¡ª Mnh-mnh! I want to y with him, not get carried by him! She narrowed her eyes and nodded. ¡°Mhm! What they say!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and bit on his tongue. It¡¯s not like that at all! Or maybe, just a little bit¡­ He grimaced. They¡¯re right.

    An Xin suddenly pped her hands, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention again, and said, ¡°Alright! I say a punishment is in order for him! We¡¯ll have to think of something fitting. But let¡¯s worry about that after we win this series!¡±

    Zeng Rui snorted and replied, ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to win the next three.¡±

    Zhang Hao added through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if we don¡¯t pull a reverse sweep here! I¡¯m going to fucking carry your sad ass, Lin Feng!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao hummed. She clenched her fist and nodded. I¡¯m going to show him that I can face an A grade! I¡¯m going to beat Sun Ruinian and show him!

    Lin Feng waspletely caught off guard by the intense reaction from his teammates. He looked at them in turn, finding a fire zing in their eyes. Maybe I was wrong¡­ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the air fill his lungs. His eyes suddenly shot open, zing with that same determination! He breathed out and said, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! I¡¯m loving this! You guys are right! I¡¯m the ass! It¡¯s all of us together! Let¡¯s win this!¡±

    An Xin nodded and smiled. Good. Morale is back. That just leaves me¡­ She looked at her teammates and said, ¡°We¡¯ve still got a few minutes before the next game starts. You guys head back to the soundproof booth, I¡¯ll be there in a bit. I just need to go to thedies¡¯ room. Be right back!¡±

    ?

    An Xin walked into the washroom with her purse strapped around her shoulder. She checked the stalls to make sure no one else was there before she walked up to a faucet and turned the water on. She then reached into her purse and retrieved a cup and several vials with medication, which she ced down in front of her. Just a bit. It¡¯ll help, the doctor said. I shouldn¡¯t, though¡­ It¡¯s too early. She looked up into the mirror, her reflection staring right back at her. But I promised Lin Feng. I made a promise! I¡¯m not going to give up now!

    An Xin filled the ss with water, then took the medicine her doctor had prescribed her and swallowed it all. A few minutes and I should feel better. This should be enough to get me through three more games! Why didn¡¯t I do this at the start? Maybe we wouldn¡¯t have had to¡­ She bit on her lips and shook her head. I shouldn¡¯t at all, but¡­ But I made a promise and I¡¯m keeping it!

    The sounds of people talking came from the entrance to the washroom. An Xin¡¯s eyes went wide and she quickly stuffed her medication back into her purse. She then turned her head and smiled at the two women who walked into the washroom before turning back to look at her reflection in the mirror. Why can¡¯t it just all work out for once? Why does it always have to go like this? I know what the doctor said! I KNOW! BUT I JUST WANT¡ª She closed her eyes and forced herself to take long, calming breaths. All I want is to y with him, just for a little longer. That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking. She shook her head and then walked out of the washroom, the whispers from the two girls reaching her ears.

    ¡°That¡¯s the girl from Team Shanghai, right?¡±¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s their Jungler.¡±¡°Did you see all that medication she stuffed away?¡±¡°Are you thinking drugs?¡±¡°Maybe something to help her focus? Some Adderall...¡±¡°I wonder if they do drug tests¡­¡±

    ?

    An Xin pushed the door to the soundproof booth open and walked in. She flexed her right hand a bit and smiled. This should work. It will! She then looked at the others and said, ¡°Let¡¯s give it our best! We¡¯re going to win this one! Starting with Champion Select!¡±

    Zhang Hao grinned and shouted, ¡°Heck yeah!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at An Xin and then at Lin Feng. I¡¯ll show them how good we can be! Fuck the thundering dumbass! He¡¯s the dead weight! He put on his headphones and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re going to be banning Fizz, Yasuo and Ahri!¡±

    Lin Feng looked up from his screen and raised an eyebrow. Is he really mad? Ah, whatever, maybe it¡¯ll help his y! He grinned and said, ¡°Sounds good! I¡¯ll y Lenc then!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to y ate game teamp with some early game potential,¡± Zeng Rui continued, ignoring Lin Feng. He turned to look at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°Mundo for you.¡± He then turned to Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°Something like Vayne for you.¡± He nodded at An Xin and said, ¡°Something strong for you, Rengar maybe?¡±

    An Xin nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯ll work!¡±

    ¡°And as for you?¡± Zeng Rui said, ring at Lin Feng. Thundering dumbass picking what I wanted him to pick, dammit! He glowered and concluded, ¡°Yeah, Lenc.¡±

    Both teams locked their Champions in and it didn¡¯t take long before they moved to the loading screen. Therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths shot to life and showed the audience the lineup for Game 3 in the best of five series between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University!

    Game 3 of the East China Regional Quarterfinals

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Zhejiang University (Red)Top: Dr. Mundo vs. IreliaJungle: Rengar vs. MaokaiMid: Lenc vs. OriannaAd-Carry: Vayne vs. JinxSupport: Leona vs. Janna

 Chapter 314: Oh Lord of Cliffhangers, What Have you Done!?

    ¡°OH YEAH! YOU WANTED HEAT? WE GONNA BRING THE FIRE!¡± Liu Yue screamed when he saw Lin Feng pick Lenc for midne. He knew just how good Lin Feng was with this Champion. skill on this Champion. Everyone at High School 13 had heard of Lin Feng¡¯s insane Le nc skills by now. The story of how Lin Feng crushed a potential esports club member who was Diamond ranked at tryouts had turned into a school legend. Liu Yue pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°We¡¯re winning this 10,000,000% guaranteed!¡±

    Ouyang grinned. Sort of. It was a grin through teeth clenched in excitement as his entire body trembled and shook. His knuckles turned white from his tightly balled fists. This gonna be good! He looked left and then right, searching for someone to share his excitement with. He finally said, ¡°About goddamn time! Best bro is gonna carry this one! This is theeback! I swear on my great grandma¡¯s grave! His Lenc is gonna tear through Shi Hang! He¡¯s gonna teach those arrogant shitheads and their pro cheater a lesson they won¡¯t be forgetting!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and analyzed, ¡°It appears Lin Feng is going to pop off this game. It is 99% likely that he will, as Ouyang so nicely put it, tear through AyDeeCee!¡±

    Ren Rou nced at Yang Fan, surprised. Then she grinned and turned her attention to a different section of the audience. It was where the students from Zhejiang University were sitting. They won¡¯t know what¡¯ll hit them. This is going to be so sweet!

    ?

    Shi Hang sat behind hisputer, his gaze locked on the Lenc pick. His Lenc. His¡­ Nerves fluttered in his stomach and tied it into a knot. He nced past his teammates at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. His Lenc¡­ He grimaced and lightly shook his head. I¡¯ve been having so much fun ying against for thest two games that Ipletely forgot to prepare for... Well. This.

    The four other yers from Zhejiang University didn¡¯t notice that Shi Hang¡¯s bodynguage changed or that his mood waspletely different. Theyughed when they saw that Lin Feng had locked in on Lenc. Then they quipped at each other about how Lin Feng seemed to really enjoy ying Ability Power assassins in the midne.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler said. He shrugged and continued, ¡°He yed Fizzst game and lost to Shi Hang. Eh, he did fine at the start, sure. But once we got into the second half of the game? He didn¡¯t do much of anything!¡±

    Zhejiang¡¯s Supportughed and said, ¡°With Shi Hang as our Miner, there¡¯s nothing that kid can do! 3-0, here wee!¡±

    Shi Hang looked at his teammates and couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling. If only you guys knew who he is. If only you guys knew about his Lenc¡­ He startedughing and shaking his head. Lenc was Maple¡¯s signature Champion! No one, absolutely no one could beat his Lenc! He bit on his lips and sunk back a bit in his gaming chair. I have to y against Maple¡¯s Lenc. ying against his Fizz was hard enough... but now it¡¯s Lenc. Now he¡¯s serious. Heughed again, helpless. Fuck. Fuck it. I¡¯ll do what I can. It¡¯d be really embarrassing if I feed, but¡­ I mean¡­ He raised his shoulder and shook his head again. This is Maple¡¯s Lenc. What can I do? The only saving grace here is that I don¡¯t have to worry about his teammates. They just aren¡¯t good enough to keep up with him. Shi Hang rolled his head and flexed his shoulders. We¡¯re up 2-0 because his teammates aren¡¯t great. If he had the teammates from his old team¡­ No. Scratch that. If all he had was Autumn, I¡¯d have never agreed to y. I¡¯d be running so fast that they wouldn¡¯t even see me! Just the two of them, we¡¯d get our asses kicked! It¡¯s really crazy how strong his old team was. Two yers in the Top 10 of the world! Shi Hang grinned. He grabbed his mouse with one hand and ced the fingers of his other hand on his keyboard. Thank god I don¡¯t have to y any of them on top of Maple. His current team is a fantastic handicap for him!

    ?

    Zeng Rui sat in his gaming chair, looking at his screen while also ncing at Lin Feng. I¡¯m fucking done with you! Egotistical asshole! Yeah, you¡¯re ying great! Fuck, you¡¯re going even against AyDeeCee! But that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re suddenly shit! We¡¯re all good! We¡¯re a strong team! You need to get your head out of your ass and be a teamyer! He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about bot. Just focus on midne. Tang Tang and I¡¯ll take care of things down here.¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared intently at Jinx¡¯s portrait on the loading screen. What he says! Mhm! We¡¯re going to win the botne! Screw everything else! She nodded, more to herself than anyone else.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about top either, Lin Feng!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He balled his fist and continued, ¡°Even if I have to cling to his leg and scream for my mommy, I won¡¯t let him get away from me! I don¡¯t give a single fuck about his B-whatever-grade! I¡¯ll keep him down! Trust me.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and nodded, and then suddenly scrunched his nose. He turned to look at An Xin and said, ¡°BunBun, will you be fine ying Rengar? Thest two games¡­¡±

    An Xin tilted her head to look at Lin Feng. Her lips were still smiling, but she¡¯d narrowed her eyes. A cold chill swept through the soundproof booth as she said, ¡°OH? Are you doubting your teammates again? Weren¡¯t the others clear? Do I have to repeat them!? Don¡¯t worry about Top. Don¡¯t worry about Bot. Don¡¯t worry about Jungle! You nitwit! If you feed, I swear!¡±

    Tang Bingyao, Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao unconsciously pushed themselves away from Lin Feng and An Xin. They knew better than anyone what could happen next. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t argue back for a change. He just scratched his head and said, ¡°Ok, ok! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m best at Lenc! I¡¯ll win mid!¡± He then turned his attention to his monitor. His right hand wrapped around the mouse, his thumb lightly pressing against the side of it. He then moved his left hand to hover right above his keyboard. His pinky finger moved first, tapping down on the Q key. His ring finger followed, pressing the W key. His middle finger then pushed down on the E key. Good. He gazed at his screen, narrowing his eyes just enough to block everything else ou, and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s give ¡®em hell!¡±

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner''s Rift!¡·

    The game announcer¡¯s voice boomed through the speakers in the venue. Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions spawned on the blue fountain in the bottom left corner of the map and Zhejiang University¡¯s Champions spawned on the red fountain on the other side of the map. They bought their starter items and then made their way out of the base down the variousnes and into the Jungle.

    Rollfire held his microphone close to his mouth and said, ¡°What a pick from Team Shanghai! They went with Rengar! The Jungler who¡¯s been struggling on Lee Sin goes with another mechanical heavy Champion! She really wants to go all out in this final game!¡±

    ¡°Hoh, hoh, hoh!¡± Silent Reed countered. She shook her head and replied, ¡°Who says this is the final game? I¡¯m saying this game is all Team Shanghai¡¯s! Definitely! Because how sweet would it be if we get to cast another three games? An epic five game series! Just imagine!¡±

    Rollfire grinned. Trying so hard to kiss Shanghai Stupid Organization¡¯s ass, huh? Well, that¡¯s one way to get invited to cast again. Being an actually good caster might also help. But we both know you suck at that! He nodded at himself and then said, ¡°I feel like if we wanted to get a Game 4, Team Shanghai should¡¯ve gone for something else. Maybe something like that Fiddlesticks from before!¡±

    Silent Reed sighed loudly into her microphone, spooking herself. She shook her head and focused her attention on therge LCD screen. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s just get into the game! Looks like we¡¯re starting with a normalne setup! Rengar is starting on the Red buff and Maokai on the Blue buff!¡±

    An Xin had Rengar kill the Red Brambleback, smiling. She tapped her fingers on her mouse and felt them reacting like she wanted them to. The meds are finally kicking in! This is good! I can y like this! I can finally do what I normally do! Her smile turned brighter as she panned her screen towards the top-side Jungle from the Red team. Level 2 invade on their Red Buff! Yeah!

    An Xin¡¯s Rengar stalked through the Jungle, running between brushes down a practiced path. He dodged the wards and vision from Zhejiang University and slipped into the brush next to Red team¡¯s Red Buff Camp. Maokai had just arrived and was attacking the Red Brambleback. He was slowly whittling its health down, while taking substantial damage himself.

    An Xin smiled. He isn¡¯t expecting me at all. I can just wait. She watched Zhejiang¡¯s Maokai fight until the Red Brambleback was down to half health. First blood! She clicked on Maokai! Rengar leapt from the brush and struck out with his ws!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler hadn¡¯t expected the gank at all. His eyes went wide and he mmed down on the D key before he even realised he had. A mottled sh of light wrapped around his Maokai and carried him a short distance. But Rengar followed right behind him with a sh of his own. ShitShitShit!

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°OH MY GOOOOOOOOD! WOOOOO!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! FIRST BLOOD FOR BUNBUN!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE TURNAROUND!¡±¡°SICK GANK! HAHAHA!¡±

    Inside Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, An Xin breathed out and rxed. She then turned to look at Lin Feng and teased, ¡°Watch out. I¡¯ve already got a lead on you.¡±

    ?

    Zhejiang¡¯s Toner raised his brows and turned his head to look at his Jungler. He shook his head and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Really, dude? Really? How the heck did you get caught there?¡±

    The Support sat all the way on the other end of the long desk. He leaned back a bit to look at his Jungler and added, ¡°Be a little careful! Shit! You wanna y against a fed Rengar or something?¡±

    Sun Ruinian narrowed his eyes and interrupted, ¡°Guys. Focus! Don¡¯t be careless, please.¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Sorry, guys¡­¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler shook his head and kicked against the back of his desk. He grimaced and continued, ¡°I just¡­ Fuck! I really didn¡¯t see iting! She was so bad thest two games! Why the fuck is she suddenly invading? Dammit! I should¡¯ve been more careful. One ward would¡¯ve helped me survive there. And I even panic-shed. Seriously, I¡¯m stupid. Sorry, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Shi Hang scrunched his nose and tilted his head. This feels, it feels wrong. He¡¯s on Lenc and after that Lee Sin, she goes with Rengar? It¡¯s all wrong. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Calm it. That Rengar is more aggressive than before, so let¡¯s be ready for it. Get some wards up and don¡¯t rush back to your Red Buff. She might still be there.¡±

    Maple. Maple, Maple, Maple. Shi Hang focused his attention back on the Lenc he was ying against in the midne. She always stood behind you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever actually seen her y. The girl with the pigtails. Everyone knew her. She was the genius! But she never yed. She just followed after you. I¡¯m starting to get really curious to find out just how good she is. He grinned and narrowed his eyes. I saw that kill on Maokai. But I was toote. I couldn¡¯t copse on her. She yed that really well. If she starts ying like that¡­ It¡¯ll be interesting again!

    ?

    ¡°Well, that was a great invade by Rengar!¡± Silent Reed said into her microphone. She shook her head and continued, ¡°Such a nice first blood! I¡¯m really impressed! And look at this.¡± She pointed at therge LCD screen, which showed Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler carefully entering his Jungle and cing wards in every brush, and continued, ¡°Rengar has already returned to her own Jungle. But Zhejiang¡¯s wards didn¡¯t catch her, so they¡¯re probably thinking she¡¯s still in their Jungle! It¡¯s such a nice y!¡±

    Rollfire grabbed his microphone and argued, ¡°Nothing wrong with being careful! See how they¡¯re cing down wards and getting up some good vision around their Jungle? That¡¯s exactly what Fuzhou Tech should¡¯ve done to stop Team Shanghai in the previous round! Then it¡¯d be Fuzhou Tech facing off against Zhejiang University here today!¡±

    Silent Reed turned her head to look at Rollfire, annoyed. Shut up! She breathed out loudly and then leaned back towards her microphone. She said, ¡°Enough about that! Let¡¯s see how the othernes are doing! We¡¯re starting with the topne where we have a Dr. Mundo versus Irelia matchup!¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hao waspletely focused on his monitor. I can¡¯t beat him in a 1vs1. He¡¯s the better yer. But I don¡¯t have to fight him! I just need to farm and not give anything away. No one beats Mundo in thete game! I¡¯ll throw cleavers at them all day and all night! He grinned and activated Infected Cleaver! His Dr. Mundo hurled his cleaver at Irelia! The attack didn¡¯t just deal damage, but also slowed Irelia. It slowed her enough that she missed ast hit on a minion! Hehe! That¡¯s the way! I¡¯ll make her missst hits and win thisne!

    Dr. Mundo was a purple monster who took great pleasure in watching his victims suffer. It was to such an extent that when he hit a target with his Infected Cleaver, he healed himself a little bit. Zhang Hao used this to keep his health up while interrupting Irelia. I just gotta y it safe. Throw cleavers and get CS! And then I just need to look for opportunities to make a Teleport Gank! He nodded at himself and smiled. I¡¯m not going to drag the team down this game, no matter what!

    ?

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sun Ruinian mumbled. He scrunched his nose and turned his head to look at his Support. He asked, ¡°You seeing that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Support replied. He shook his head and added, ¡°I¡¯ve tried to hit her with my Howling Gale twice now, but both missed. She¡¯s suddenly dodging my skills!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sun Ruinian responded. Something has changed. That Vayne is ying far better than in the previous two games. It isn¡¯t even just dodging the Howling Gales. Those things take time to charge up. It¡¯s not so hard to dodge. But she¡¯s also cancelling my Jinx¡¯s auto attack animations! Every time I try to go in for some poke, she knows exactly how much range I need and makes sure I don¡¯t get that. He chewed on his lips and nced at the soundproof booth across the stage. It¡¯s like I¡¯m ying a different yer. She¡¯s actually good this game¡­

    In Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Tang Bingyao sat on the edge of her gaming chair. She was leaning forward, close to her monitor, and was clicking rapidly on her mouse. Mhm! I can do this! WinWinWin! The Lin Feng way! My mechanics and reflexes are the best! Go full on them! Auto attack! Range! Dodge! Mhm! I got this! She kept making the smallest adjustments to her positioning, just enough to stop an auto attack from Jinx while still getting thest hit on a minion. She yed it perfectly, herplete focus on her Vayne.

    Zeng Rui nced at Tang Bingyao and smiled. That¡¯s more like it! You¡¯re great! He then looked back at his monitor, at the minimap in the bottom right corner of his screen. BunBun ising down for a gank. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, get ready.¡±

    An Xin pinged on the Janna and added, ¡°Kill Janna first.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She nced at the minimap and judged how long it would take An Xin¡¯s Rengar to arrive inne. Then, just at the right moment, she pushed forward.

    Zhejiang¡¯s Janna saw the change in Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne right away and cast Howling Gale! A storm started brewing on the Rift, slowly gaining in power until it erupted into a powerful tornado! It carved a path straight ahead!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne Tumbled to the side and the Howling Gale sted past her. Another dodge! She looked at Janna and Vayne who were already running away, and knew she had time. Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona had shed through the Howling Gale and arrived right in front of Janna. He¡¯d followed up by smashing his Shield of Daybreak into her! Janna was stunned!

    Tang Bingyao had her Vayne walk towards Janna and fired an empowered auto attack! She then ran past Janna, firing a second silver bolt! And finally, when the angle was just right, she activated Condemn! Vayne pulled therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger! A thick, massive bolt shot at Janna and pierced through her! Janna got knocked off her feet and pinned to the wall behind her! A third silver ring appeared beneath her and exploded for massive true damage!

    ¡°Almost there!¡± An Xin said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat.

 Chapter 315: Stay Calm and Fight on!

    Sun Ruinian closed his eyes for a brief moment and then shook his head. Janna is dead. No point in trying to help her. That¡¯ll just get me killed as well. He nced up at the river entrance and saw Rengar running into the botne. His Jinx was too far into thene, and Janna was even more out of position and stunned. Sorry, friend. This is all I can do. He pressed down on the E key to activate me Chompers! Jinx threw down three grenades to block Rengar from running straight at Janna! She then turned around and ran towards her outer tower.

    An Xin¡¯s Rengar stopped chasing Janna and instead went after Jinx! She knew that she wouldn¡¯t catch up. Jinx had too much of a head start for that. But it allowed Rengar to enter the brush along the bottom side of the botne. While in a brush, his passive skill Unseen Predator became active. It applied a leap effect to his auto attacks, increasing their range!

    Sun Ruinian grimaced and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Don¡¯t sh. Rengar is in the brush.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Sorry,¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Support replied. He looked at his monitor. A b came flying from the brush Rengar was hiding in and slowed his Janna right after the stun from Condemn wore off. Not like I¡¯m gonna run away anyway¡­ Maybe I can get the Leona to take the kill¡­ He had his Janna run at the Leona, carving a path through the minions, and stuck close to Leona in the hopes she would make the mistake of auto attacking him.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne auto attacked Janna. Each silver bolt applied a stack to Janna, and every third stack caused all three stacks to explode! The true damage ripped through Janna¡¯s health bar. Rengar and Leona were nearby, making sure she couldn¡¯t escape. And finally Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vaynended the killing blow!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    An Xin giggled and said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°That was a nice engage, Zeng Rui!¡± She then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and winked before adding, ¡°And a great follow up from you!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at An Xin and raised an eyebrow. This wasn¡¯t anything special. Typical gank. You pressured Jinx away and I got the stun on Janna. This isn¡¯t worth a singlepliment! He then turned his head to look at Lin Feng and narrowed his eyes. Want to see real skills that are worthpliments? Just wait! I¡¯ll show you them!

    ¡°Mhm! Thanks!¡± Tang Bingyao replied to An Xin, smiling.

    ?

    Shi Hang¡¯s mouse hand felt mmy and cold chills ran up and down his spine. How is his Lenc so much better than his Fizz? What is this!? He clicked around the midne, focusing so much on his positioning that he barely registered the caster minion in the back dying to a minion. He blinked. Shit! He¡¯s too good! We¡¯re only five minutes in and al¡ª

    Shi Hang distracted himself with his thoughts. He made a small positional error, giving Lin Feng an angle for the engage. Lin Feng¡¯s fingers were already pressing down on the buttons of his keyboard. His Lenc jumped on top of Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna with Distortion! Magical damage sshed out around Lenc as she followed up with Sigil of Malice! She projected a sigil that dealt damage and marked Orianna! And finally she cast Ethereal Chains.

    shFLASH! Shi Hang¡¯s eyes went wide, his fingers moving purely on instinct. A sh of light wrapped around his Orianna and carried her a short distance away before dropping her back onto the Rift. Right behind her, the Ethereal Chains shot past. Shit! That was close¡­ If they¡¯d hit¡­ Shit, I¡¯d be dead!

    ¡°WOOOOOO! SICK FLASH!¡±¡°That¡¯s a pro yer for you right there! He actually has the reaction speed to dodge a point nk Lenc E!¡±¡°How does that even work!? Did he recognize the animation? Or was it more like expecting it wasing? I just¡­ Fuck! I wish I was that good!¡±¡°Haha, yeah! He¡¯s a god! AyDeeCee won¡¯t die to such an obvious LB trick!¡±¡°AyDeeCee take my energy!¡±

    Shi Hang had his Orianna retreat towards her outer tower and waited for Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc to reactivate Distortion. He held his breath. His eyes were pried open wide. Sweat dripped down his forehead. And then he let go. Lenc jumped back to her original position with the second cast of Distortion. Thank god. Shi Hang had his Orianna move forward again, searching for the maximum range at which he couldst hit minions without getting jumped on by Lenc. He then shook his head and chuckled, incredulous. What the hell got into him? His Lenc is insane! If he¡¯d hit those chains¡­ Shit! I need to pay more attention! I can¡¯t let him get fed on Lenc! He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. I need to y better.

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng sat in his gaming chair. His back was straight, his hands were moving as if by themselves, and his eyes were locked on the monitor in front of him. There were no distracting thoughts or voices. All he saw was what Lenc saw on the Rift. He was her. The dy between yer and Champion disappeared. Struggles with his focus dissipated. Every move he made was just right. His Lenc, he was wless.

    ?

    The Toners spent the first couple minutes of the game fighting on their ind in the topne. Zhejiang¡¯s Irelia was the stronger dueler, but Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo didn¡¯t let her duel him. He sat within his outer tower¡¯s range and threw Infected Cleavers at her. She didn¡¯t have ranged skills to counter this tactic. Slowly but surely, her health dropped. It all came to a head in the sixth minute. Zhang Hao judged he had enough damage, so he left his tower¡¯s range and chased after Irelia! She turned around and ran away aftering to the same conclusion.

    Zhejiang¡¯s Irelia ran through the topne, dodging and weaving the Infected Cleavers that were hurled after her. But they applied a slow on hit. And after she got hit the first time, it became practically impossible to dodge the next. She was slowed and attacked. Her health dropped. Suddenly, a sh of light wrapped her up and carried her a short distance forward!

    Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes and activated his own sh! Dr. Mundo appeared right on top of the Irelia again! But in doing so, he also arrived within range of Red team¡¯s outer tower. Two more hits. That¡¯s all I need! I¡¯ve got enough health for this! COME ON! He charged forward! Q! Dr. Mundo hurled another Infected Cleaver at Irelia!

    Zhejiang¡¯s Toner grinned. This is my tower! Idiot! He had his Irelia dash at Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo with desurge and then activated Equilibrium Strike! Irelia raised her des high above her head and hacked down onto Dr. Mundo! It dealt a ton of damage, and more importantly stunned him! Eat that! He grinned brighter when the first energy shot fired from the outer tower and mmed into Dr. Mundo! Stupid cleaver throwing son of a bitch!

    Irelia was right on top of Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo, trying to kill him before the stun wore off. But Dr. Mundo was a Champion with a vast pool of health. The stun broke and he still had a good bit of health remaining. Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo struck out with an auto attack and then threw a final Infected Cleaver! Shit! I gotta get outta he¡ª

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Ay, hot damn! So close!¡± Zhang Haoined to himself, annoyed. But then he started grinning. But I got the kill! Fuck yeah! Shitty B grade yer! Get your ass kicked by my awesome C+++ skills! I¡¯ll just keep throwing cleavers at you! See how you¡¯re gonna like this game!

    ?

    ¡°Time toe mid for a gank, Mao,¡± Shi Hang ordered over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat. He nced at the game clock. Almost 7 minutes in. We¡¯re both Level 6. If Lenc jumps on me, she has the damage to kill me. Maple knows. Of course he does! So he¡¯s going to jump on me and try to kill me. Shi Hang smiled and looked at his minimap, where he saw Maokai making his way to the brush right above the midne. That¡¯s why we need to be ready for it. He¡¯ll go in and then we¡¯re gonna turn it around! All we need is to lock him down before he gets his fullbo off on me!

    The Blue and Red minion waves were fighting in the middle of thene. Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna walked up tost hit a melee minion. This was the exact move Lin Feng had been waiting for. He narrowed his eyes and moved his mouse over her. He then pressed down on the W key followed right away by the R key! Lenc distorted time and space to jump forward,nding in the middle of the minion wave! She then Mimicked Distortion for anotherrge jump andnded on top of Orianna! Massive ssh damage ruptured Orianna¡¯s health!

    ¡°Lenc is going in! SHE¡¯S GOING IN FOR THE KILL!¡± Silent Reed cried out into her microphone. She leaned forward and shouted, ¡°BUT IT¡¯S A BAIT FROM SHI HANG! A BAIT! LOOK AT MAOKAI!¡± She briefly paused to catch her breath before adding, ¡°AND RENGAR! RENGAR IS ALSO INCOMING!¡±

    Shi Hang had expected the engage by Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc. He cast Command: Protect on himself right away! Orianna¡¯s Ball flew back to her side and formed a protective shield around her! She followed up with her ultimate skill! Command: Shockwave! A powerful electromaic storm started raging around her Ball! It swept out and pulled everything within the immediate vicinity towards her! All the while, Zhejiang¡¯s Maokai had run into the midne and cast Twisting Advance! He contorted into a mass of moving roots and dashed at Lenc!

    Lin Feng smiled. I win. He cast Ignite on Orianna before activating the second half of Distortion. Lenc blinked away, back to the spot from which she¡¯d cast the original skill. The electromaic storm from Orianna¡¯s ultimate missed her entirely, while Maokai kept flying after her all the way towards Blue Team¡¯s outer tower.

    Shit! Shi Hang¡¯s eye twitched. The gank was a failure. He looked at his Orianna. Her health bar was down below half and the unquenchable mes from Ignite were whittling that down further. I can¡¯t cha¡ª The eyes of a predator opened above his Orianna¡¯s head. Rengar!? RENGAR!

    An Xin¡¯s Rengar had turned invisible with Thrill of the Hunt! His ferocity stacks built up to the max, empowering his next skill! When he got close to Orianna, he activated Savagery and leapt out from the shadows at her! He followed up by throwing a B and then hacking into Orianna with an empowered Savagery! She was slowed and her health bar dropped, while Rengar¡¯s attack speed increased! He attacked her with his de and finished with a loud Battle Roar! A soundwave mmed into Orianna and killed her!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°A KILL! RENGAR DID IT!¡± Silent Reed screamed into her microphone. She turned to look at the audience and screamed, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN RULES!¡±¡°SWEET MOTHER! THAT RENGAR DAMAGE!¡±¡°SICK PLAY! JEEEEEEEE!¡±¡°Holy sweet damn! INSAAAAAANE!¡±¡°RENGAL DOIN¡¯ IT! LOOOOOOOOL!¡±¡°THEY SMACKIN¡¯ THE PRO! FUCKING UNREAL!¡±

    Rollfire stared at therge LCD screen with his eyes and mouth wide open, dazed. How¡­? That¡­ What? That speed! He shook his head and used his hand to close his mouth. What the hell happened with Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler? Since when is she that good? She linked that perfectly! It¡¯s like she read that Lenc¡¯s mind for a gank! And now they¡¯ve got the Maokaipletely out of position too¡­ FUCK! FUCKFUCK FUCK FUCK!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc was hit by Maokai¡¯s Twisting Advance. She was locked down for a brief moment as Maokai returned back to his original form. And then she broke free. Lin Feng smiled, activating both Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains! His Lenc waved her staff and ced the sigil on Maokai, after which a set of chains shot out from her and wrapped around him! They set off the sigil for a burst of damage and slowed him!

    Zhejiang¡¯s Maokai tried to run away, but couldn¡¯t open up enough distance before the secondary effect from Ethereal Chains activated. The chains had wrappedpletely around him and locked him to the ground! Lenc cast magic at him from behind. And right in front of him, standing between him and Red Team¡¯s outer tower, was An Xin¡¯s Rengar!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc and An Xin¡¯s Rengar tore through Maokai¡¯s health! He didn¡¯t have sh up and no other abilities off cooldown that could help him escape. Even with hisrge health pool, there was nothing he could do. It was eventually Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc whonded the killing blow with a Sigil of Malice.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°That¡¯s the lead!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat, satisfied. He then nodded at An Xin and added, ¡°Great Rengar mechanics! Good job!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Like I need you to tell me. My Rengar has always been great!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his nose and nced at An Xin. Then he chuckled. Maybe she was just not in the right headspace thest two games. This is the BunBun I know! She¡¯s back! This is great! He looked back at his monitor, and more specifically at the minimap. ¡°We should take Dragon,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll push bot ande,¡± Zeng Rui replied.

    An Xin giggled and concluded, ¡°Great! This Dragon is ours then!¡±

    ?

    The yers from Zhejiang University were visibly upset. The third game of this best of five series had started terribly with an early kill for An Xin¡¯s Rengar. And from there, she went on to get an assist in the botne and now a kill plus an assist in the midne! The game wasn¡¯t even 8 minutes in and she was already sitting on a KDA of 2/0/2!

    Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler punched his desk andined over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°When did their Jungler learn to jungle!? She was terrible in the first two games? What the hell happened to her!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We need to focus,¡± Sun Ruinian replied. He then nced at Shi Hang and frowned. She even got the jump on him? How¡­?

    Shi Hang was staring at his monitor. At the dull grey colours. Their coordination has really improved¡­ No, no. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s more that¡­ It¡¯s more that she¡¯s suddenly gotten a lot better! The way she¡¯s ying right now, I was already dead when those eyes popped up! This is actually kind of worrying¡­ He knitted his brows and opened the game scoreboard. She¡¯s 2/0/2. If she gets anymore fed, she¡¯ll snowball the entire game! We¡¯re gonna lose if it goes on like this!

    ¡°Alright guys, ytime is over,¡± Shi Hang said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He continued, ¡°First things first. Pink wards. Buy them, lots of them. We need to know where that Rengar is at all times. Then¡­¡± He turned his head to look at his Toner. ¡°... I¡¯ming for a gank together with Maokai. I need you to start shoving topne. Be ready to towerdive that Mundo.¡± He finally turned to look at Sun Ruinian and paused. I¡¯ve taught you everything. I know how good you are. And you¡¯re good enough to carry this. I¡¯ll leave the botne to you. He smiled and concluded, ¡°Do what you need to do in bot. Don¡¯t let the Vayne scale.¡±

    ?

    At 7:40 minutes, Zhejiang¡¯s Irelia finished pushing the topne. A big Red minion wave had gathered in front of Blue team¡¯s outer tower and was now pushing into its range. She followed behind them and focused her attention on auto attacking the tower, ignoring Dr. Mundo. This threw Zhang Haopletely off. He was so confused that he threw an Infected Cleaver at her, instead of considering the possibility of a gank happening.

    Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna and Zhejiang¡¯s Maokai walked into the topne from the Blue team¡¯s Jungle. They were right behind Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo. Maokai locked onto him with Twisting Advance. He contorted to arge root and locked Dr. Mundo down! Shi Hang had his Orianna¡¯s Ball travel with Maokai and activated her ultimate, Command: Shockwave, to disce Dr. Mundo!

    The damage quickly piled up. Zhang Hao tried to ward off the gank, tried to get at least a kill back, but he was Dr. Mundo. He didn¡¯t deal very much damage, and he hadn¡¯t bought nearly enough defensive items to tank the assault from three enemy Champions.

    Shi Hang had his Orianna¡¯s Ball attack Dr. Mundo, while ordering over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Back away, Mao. We¡¯ve got this.¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Maokai ran towards the edge of the outer tower¡¯s range right as another energy shot hit him. The damage was negligible to hisrge health pool. He then waited for a brief moment, ncing back to see Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna and the Irelia destroying Dr. Mundo¡¯s health bar, before running out of the tower¡¯s range. ¡°Good gank, guys!¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡¶An ally has in a Champion!¡·

    ¡°Push the tower,¡± Shi Hang ordered, smiling. Good! We¡¯re winning top from here on out! He looked at his minimap and nodded, satisfied. Sun Ruinian will take care of the botne as well! He panned his camera over the midne, and paused. He gritted his teeth and felt his stomach twist into a knot. That just leaves the mess in mid. What the fuck did I think not banning Lenc? I know he¡¯s a monster on her! It¡¯s fucking unfair that someone can be that good on a Champion! Riot should ban him from ying her! He shook his head. I should¡¯ve seen iting. And now I¡¯ll have to find a way around it. We¡¯re gonna y around her. Make her irrelevant, just like the wards will make Rengar useless! Yeah, that¡¯s it. We just gotta stay the hell away from his Lenc! And the Rengar...

 Chapter 316: I Wish This Series Would Never End

    Zeng Rui nced at his minimap and said over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat, ¡°They went top. No possible ganks bot. This is our chance.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡± She nced at her experience bar and smiled. I need to stop worrying so much and just y! Mhm! That¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do! I¡¯m going to y! Be the person Lin Feng first saw in the NetCow Cafe! She said, ¡°Zeng Rui, I¡¯m one minion from 6. Can you get that one?¡± She then pinged on the Red melee minion next to Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona before focusing her attention on Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners.

    Zhejiang¡¯s Janna noticed a sudden change in Vayne¡¯s movement pattern. She isn¡¯t going for the minion. She¡¯s running straight at Sun Ruinian! Janna moved her wand to call forth a Howling Gale! The winds started gathering in front of her, slowly gaining in power! I¡¯ll knock her right back! The Howling Gale blew forward and carved a path through the Rift!

    Tang Bingyao expected the Howling Gale. The whole reason she was pushing before hitting Level 6 was to make Janna use it prematurely. Nice! She nced at Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona who smited the melee minion with the help from a Support item. The item sucked away the experience and then shared it between Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne. A blinding radiance erupted from Vayne! Level 6! Tang Bingyao learned her ultimate skill and activated it! Final Hour! She then had her Vayne Tumble to the side, dodging the Howling Gale and disappearing into the shadows!

    Vayne ran towards Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx and then raised her crossbow to fire an empowered silver bolt! The arrow shot from the string, after which Vayne would lower her crossbow. It was the final part of the auto attack animation. But Tang Bingyao canceled it by clicking on her mouse button! Vayne¡¯s arm jumped to its normal position faster than it normally would and then she raised it again for a second auto attack!

    Sun Ruinian narrowed his eyes and grimaced. She¡¯s stronger than me right now because of that kill on Janna earlier. I can¡¯t fight this. I need to¡­ RUN! He pushed down on the E key and activated me Chompers! His Jinx raised her bazooka and fired three grenades! Theynded on the ground in front of her and started cackling, searching for a victim! Jinx then turned around and ran away towards her outer tower!

    Tang Bingyao smiled and pressed the D key. Knew you¡¯d do that. You always do! A mottled sh of light carried her Jinx past the me Chompers before cing her back onto the Rift. She then arced around Jinx and found the angle for Condemn! Vayne raised therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger! Arge, heavy bolt flew out and pinned Jinx to the wall behind her! The third silver ring appeared beneath her feet, setting off an explosion of true damage!

    ¡°Nice sh!¡± Zeng Rui eximed in a rare show of emotion. He nced at his experience bar. Almost 6. One more¡­ He saw a melee minion that was about to die and shed at it with his sword! Perfect! We got this! He cast sh and had his Leona followed after Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne!

    ¡°Good job, ZengZeng! Keep going!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui narrowed his eyes and replied, ¡°I know.¡± He then activated Zenith de. His Leona projected a sr image of her sword that pierced through the air, shooting straight at Jinx!

    FuckFuckFUCK! I¡¯m dead! Sun Ruinian was biting on his lips, waiting for the stun from Condemn to wear off. He saw the Zenith de flying towards him. I CAN¡¯T GET HIT! FLASH! There was a miniscule gap between the moment that the stun wore off and the Zenith de would hit his Jinx. He managed to find it. The light carried Jinx away a small distance. Sun Ruinian shook his head and sighed loudly. I got¡ª

    I got this! Perfect! Zeng Rui never even considered the possibility of Zenith de hitting. It was a distraction tactic. His Leona already raised her sword to the high heavens and called down a Sr re! A ze from the sun mmed down on Summoner¡¯s Rift! It smacked Jinx to the ground and stunned her!

    Tang Bingyao wanted to kill Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx before the stun from Sr re wore off, but Zhejiang¡¯s Janna ran interference by casting Exhaust! A debilitating energy wrapped around Vayne and hampered all her stats! Tang Bingyao bit on her lips and focused her full attention on Jinx. Not letting you go! I won¡¯t! She kept firing auto attacks, until the third silver ring appeared beneath Jinx and set off an explosion of true damage! But Janna had designated Vayne as the Eye of the Storm! A gale blew to life around Vayne and protected her from the damage!

    Zeng Rui watched the stun about to wear off and grimaced. I¡¯ll have to step into tower range¡­ I will. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Push! We¡¯re killing her!¡± He then had his Leona charge at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Vayne! The Red team¡¯s outer tower targeted Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona and fired an energy shot! He ignored the damage while casting Ignite on Jinx! The unquenchable mes burned away on Jinx¡¯s skin! He followed up with Shield of Daybreak and stunned her right as the stun from Sr re wore off!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne broke free from the Exhaust! Jinx¡¯s health was down to thest few percentages and there were two silver rings floating around her. Tang Bingyao smiled and pushed down on the Q key¨CTumble! Her Vayne made a somersault towards Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx and fired an empowered auto attack! A third silver ring wrapped around Jinx! It set off a chain reaction in which all three silver rings exploded and dealt massive true damage!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tang Bingyao smiled brightly and leaned back in her gaming chair. I did it! I act¡ª

    ¡°DON¡¯T STOP! JANNA IS ALIVE! GOGOGO!¡± Lin Feng cried out.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Bingyao mumbled, confused. ¡°But she¡¯s under the to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Go! That dum¨C¡± Zeng Rui stopped himself and took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Lin Feng is here.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc appeared from Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle! She dashed at Janna with Distortion! As the ssh damage tore through Janna¡¯s health bar, a Sigil of Malice took shape above her head and two Ethereal Chains wrapped around her body! The chains set of the sigil, dealing a ton of damage! Janna¡¯s health evaporated and she was rooted to the ground! One auto attack would finish her off!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide as she saw Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc jump in and then jump back out again. Zhejiang¡¯s Janna was rooted and had only 50 health remaining. He¡¯s giving me¡­ She nodded and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Mhm! Thanks!¡± She then had her Vayne run forward and fire an auto attack.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Janna stared at his grey screen. He finally mumbled, ¡°What the hell¡­?¡±

    Sun Ruinian just shook his head, his eyes wide in shock. What the hell was that? How did that Lenc just appear? How did they just happen to both hit Level 6 at just the right time? How¡­ Since when are they this good? It¡¯s like we¡¯re ying against a different team! This is¡­ This is shit!

    Up on the caster desk, Rollfire had spent the seconds before the fight in botneuding Zhejiang University for their gank in the topne. Now, he fell into a silent daze and let Silent Reed take over. She clutched the microphone tightly in her fist and moved it to her mouth. She shouted, ¡°A tower for a tower! And a kill for TWO KILLS! Team Shanghai fights back! They¡¯re taking the tower in botne and now have the clear advantage there!¡±

    Up in the stands, Yan Fang adjusted his sses and said, ¡°That caster is right. We¡¯ve got the advantage in bot. Tang Tang is doing great this game! Her Vayne is going to be a real monster!¡±

    Ouyang clenched his fists and shouted, ¡°Hell yeah! I knew second brophina was great! Didn¡¯t I always tell you guys how good Tang Tang is? All the way back when we had to y Senior ss 8, I said she was the best! But you guys didn¡¯t believe me then! Believe me now? Ha! She¡¯s doing super great!¡±

    Liu Yueughed and cheered, ¡°Tang Tang is amazing! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Sun Ruinian, I needed you to¡­ He shook his head. Can¡¯t me this on you. It¡¯s not your fault that we¡¯re ying against Maple. It¡¯s not your fault that he¡­ He breathed out loudly. It¡¯s not your fault that he can lift the level of his entire team up. Even I didn¡¯t think he could do it to this extent after the first two games. But this is exactly the strength of Maple. And then he shows up in bot to secure the second kill and the tower. It¡¯s, it¡¯s¡­ He breathed in deeply and let it all out again. He then opened his eyes and chuckled. It¡¯s going to be real fucking hard, but I¡¯m not giving up!

    ¡°Yo, guys,¡± Shi Hang said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He waited for a brief moment and then continued, ¡°We¡¯re a bit behind. Top is good, so let¡¯s focus on that. We need to y it safe everywhere else. Just farm it up. Botne needs a freeze near their inner tower. And we all need to help Mao ward his Jungle. Keep eyes on Lenc and Rengar at all times! Don¡¯t lose them! We¡¯re gonna y the long game!¡±

    This was the first game in which Zhejiang University, both with and without Shi Hang, was pushed back all tournament. But they¡¯d yed plenty of training matches in this exact scenario. They retreated from the variousnes in practiced motion and slowly built up their line of wards. That wall of vision was also a divide they didn¡¯t cross.

    In the topne, Irelia clung to her tower. If the minion wave pushed past it, she left thene and farmed the monster camps in the top side Jungle.

    In the midne, Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna farmed the minions near her outer tower. And when the Red minions pushed out into thene, he left hisne to farm monster camps in the Jungle.

    In the botne, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx froze the minion wave right outside his inner tower. His Janna Support was hovering nearby, but she concerned herself with keeping vision on the entire bottom half of the map. She was losing experience doing this, but that was an eptable loss because it meant more experience for Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx. And the faster he hit Level 18, the better.

    Rollfire leaned back in his chair at the caster desk. He put the microphone on his chest and said, ¡°That¡¯s Zhejiang University for you! They¡¯re showing some real quality here! Their team is great in thete game, so they¡¯re forcing the game to get there. They¡¯ve killed all action and are just farming now. It doesn¡¯t even matter if they lose a Dragon, or two! This game is all theirs when they get their Champions to Level 18!¡± He nced at Silent Reed, who was leaning forward in her seat watching the game, and grinned. Stupid bitch, show me what you got! Tell me how Team Shanghai is gonna win this one! They¡¯re ¡°oh so good!¡± right? Right, they¡¯re not! He stretched his head before continuing, ¡°That brings me to Team Shanghai. Eh, there isn¡¯t much to say about them. They¡¯re ahead and doing good! Thumbs up to them! But¡­ But they¡¯ve got a Rengar Jungler. You guys ever seen a Rengar be relevant in the ultrate game? I haven¡¯t. She¡¯s gonna fall off hard.¡±

    Dickfire is at it again! What a shocker! Silent Reed rolled her eyes, annoyed. She then grabbed her microphone and said, ¡°Say what you will, but that Rengar is fed. She just needs to find an opening. Maybe two. And then it¡¯s game over for Zhejiang University.¡±

    ?

    At 12 minutes, An Xin checked the minimap. I¡¯ve been keeping track of the wards¡­ It should¡­ She narrowed her eyes and had her Rengar slip into Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. Ward here and there. If I wait here for a few more seconds¡­ She went through her mental notes, remembering exactly where she saw the wards go down. Got it. They won¡¯t see iting. That Jinx is still farming. An Xin giggled. Her Rengar had arrived at the jungle wall separating the botne from the Jungle.

    Thrill of the Hunt! An Xin¡¯s Rengar disappeared, stalking its prey from the shadows! The eyes of the predator shed to life above Jinx¡¯s head! Rengar leaped over the Jungle wall at her! She followed up with Savagery! The five ferocity stacks empowered the attack as Rengar cut into Jinx with his sharp de! He then let out a Battle Roar and threw a B! The cooldown on Savagery had already reset. She cut down again, the massive damage tearing away Jinx¡¯s health!

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Sun Ruinian sunk back into his chair, his screen having turned a dull grey. What the¡­ What was that? He shook his head and looked at the damage table. That Empowered Savagery did more than 60% of my health as damage! What the fuck!? How did Rengar get this¡­ He bit on his lips and shook his head again. This good¡­ She tricked us. This is a different yer. The first two games¡­ We need to adapt. He took a deep breath and turned to look at his teammates. He waited for a bit, but then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, guys. I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°Not your fault,¡± Shi Hang interrupted. He looked at his teammates one by one and continued, ¡°They¡¯re good. That Lenc? Insane. That Rengar this game? Also really good. We need to focus and y our damndest! We can¡¯t give them anymore.¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, An Xin raised her head to look past her monitor at the crowd behind. She could see them jumping up and down, and smiled. This is what he loves. And I¡¯m here, ying with him! I can still do it! I¡¯m ying with him and helping him! This is what I want! The smile disappeared from her face and was reced by a frown. I wish this series would never end.

 Chapter 317: There is no Right or Wrong Way, Just Two Phenomenal Players

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°RENGAR CARRY!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN BEST JUNGLER CHINA!¡±¡°JINX GOT OBLITERATED!¡±

    There were eight teams stillpeting in the East China Regionals. Two of them were up on stage, and the other six were watching the games from the yer seating area at the front of the venue. All six of them were rooting for Team Shanghai, just because they didn¡¯t want to have to y against Zhejiang University and their former professional yer in the next rounds. So when they saw Rengar perfectly time the wards in Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungle and evade all of them, they shot to their feet and cheered in support of Team Shanghai!

    One yer said, ¡°Holy crap! The way that Rengar dodged the wards and then instagibbed Sun Ruinian? That was intense as fuck! She moved around so perfectly! It¡¯s like she¡¯s ying on spectator mode or something!¡±

    ¡°Lawl,¡± another yer replied. He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°That Rengar is good. But she¡¯s also fed. That was such a typical Rengar ultie. Still, very slick! And they¡¯re beating AyDeeCee¡¯s team, so that¡¯s always good.¡±

    ¡°Lethal woman!¡± someone chimed in,ughing. He shook his head and said, ¡°She¡¯s been ying great all game. I really wonder what they fed those kids during the break. Sure as hell seems to be working out for them. Wonder if they can keep this up¡­¡±

    A Fudan University yer said, ¡°They better! I want to see them obliterate Zhejiang University! Screw Zhejiang for having a former pro y for them! It¡¯s stupid!¡±

    ?

    At 13 minutes, the second Dragon spawned. Team Shanghai started moving towards it, with Zeng Ruimanding their exact approach. He had them ce wards and move as a group. But Zhejiang University wasn¡¯t there to contest the cement of wards. Zeng Rui still had the team move around carefully, expecting Zhejiang University to try and make a move. Then the Dragon spawned and there was still no sign of Zhejiang University¡¯s team, so he made the call to attack the Dragon. It was right then that Zhejiang University appeared on the minimap, attacking the mid outer tower.

    Lin Feng looked at the outer tower going down andined over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We should stop them. They¡¯re taking my tower! Who wants to help me!?¡±

    ¡°Leave it,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He shrugged and continued, ¡°Just let them take it. We get the big objective, they get a smaller one¡­ It¡¯s clear they¡¯re just trying to drag this game out. And I say, let them. We¡¯ll keep thempany.¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°Right. My Rengar isn¡¯t the bestte game Champion. But we¡¯ve got Dr. Mundo and Vayne. Those are two of the strongestte game Champions in the entire game! Zhejiang has got somethinging for them if they think that we¡¯re scared of goingte against them!¡± She briefly paused before concluding, ¡°The only way we¡¯re losing this now or in thete game is if we make some seriously big errors.¡±

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Sun Ruinian came to the same conclusion. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We can¡¯t actually keep dragging this out forever. We¡¯ll end up losing if we do.¡±

    No one said anything. Sun Ruinian turned his head to look at his teammates. I can buy some defensive items to stop the Rengar from killing me, but then I don¡¯t have the damage to kill Dr. Mundo. And if I get the damage to kill Mundo¡­ It¡¯s a stupid situation where nothing works! I guess they know¡­ He finally turned his attention to Shi Hang and continued, ¡°You know it. We all do. We can¡¯t keep dragging this out. We need to find something.¡±

    Shi Hang took a deep breath and nodded. He replied, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We do. I was hoping to find them slipping up. In thete game, it doesn¡¯t take much to turn a game around. If their top or adc screw up, we gut them¡­¡± He paused and looked at his teammates. But then there¡¯s Maple. He won¡¯t screw up. He sighed and agreed, ¡°Yeah, we need to find a good fight soon.¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang was watching the Team Shanghai versus Zhejiang University best of five series in a private room backstage. There were severalrge monitors in front of him, giving him a perfect view of everything going on. And right now he looked at one monitor in particr that showed Lenc and Orianna on opposing ends of the midne. Maple and AyDeeCee¡­ Fucking legends! He grinned. This is what people want to see! We¡¯re going to make bank if we get both of them back into the professional scene!

    Team Shanghai¡­ A chill went up Chu Fang¡¯s spine when he turned his focus towards the five of them. I thought I screwed up there for a second, that I pushed him too hard¡­ But I didn¡¯t! Ha! I was right! I didn¡¯t push him too hard! I knew he could do it! And he is! This is the reaction I wanted to see from Maple! He¡¯s on his signature Champion destroying the midne and lifting his entire team up a couple of levels! He looked at An Xin¡¯s Rengar and at Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona. Two great yers who are finally showing how good they are in this series! This is exactly the response I wanted to see from them! He finally turned his focus to Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne. And then there¡¯s those two. The two weak links, who are anything but weak this game! They really stand a chance to win when they y like this!

    Chu Fang breathed in deeply, letting the air flow into his lungs, and closed his eyes. But just being good won¡¯t be enough to beat AyDeeCee. Lin Feng knows. I wonder if he told the others¡­ He turned his attention back to the two Champions in the midne. The oppressive Lenc versus the controlling Orianna. Even the Champions match their approaches to the game. Lin Feng will push and make life impossibly hard for Zhejiang University, but then there¡¯s Shi Hang¡­ AyDeeCee¡­

    Chu Fang looked down at his feet and shook his head lightly. Shi Hang was never ane specialist. His goal early on was to not fall behind. And then, when the y got into the mid game or eventer phases, he started toe alive. Like a steam engine! He has this crazy ability to find small gaps in the opponent¡¯s game and wedge them open into full blown errors! He even did that against professional teams! He turned his attention back towards Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao. Team Shanghai has those two. All it takes is one small mistake from either of them¡­

    Zhejiang University has a strong front line, good controlling Champions, high damage¡­ They¡¯ve got everything that makes a great team! Chu Fang shook his head and chuckled. This game is Team Shanghai¡¯s to lose. But they shouldn¡¯t think they¡¯re there yet. Shi Hang knows exactly what he needs to do to turn this around, and knowing him, he¡¯s just patiently waiting for the opportunity to present itself! All he needs is one 3,000 elo Orianna ultie and Zhejiang University wins the game. And the series.

    ?

    Silent Reed grabbed her microphone from its stand on the caster desk and moved it in front of her mouth. She waited for a lull in the audience and then said, ¡°We¡¯re almost 19 minutes into the third game between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University! The third Dragon is a couple of seconds from spawning. My spidey senses are telling me this is going to be it for Zhejiang University! They¡¯re either going to find their way back into the game through a teamfight at the Dragon pit, or they¡¯re going to lose this game!¡±

    Rollfire nodded and added, ¡°That sounds about right. Zhejiang University really needs to find the engage here, because there is only so much they can allow Team Shanghai to take. A third Dragon, that just might be too much. Best if they take this fight. Yeah, best if they do.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Silent Reed replied, smiling. ¡°And we can already see the teams starting to move in the direction of the Dragon pit! Wards are going to start popping up everywhere soon!¡±

    ¡°And then we¡¯ll get a great teamfight!¡± Rollfire concluded. He stared at therge LCD screen through narrowed eyes. I¡¯ve been wrong too damn much. Every time I say something in support of Team Stupid¡¯s opponents, they lose. Maybe it¡¯s the caster curse. I¡¯m going to be the second Prophet Stone! Hehe. That¡¯llnd me my firstrate credentials! He leaned in towards his microphone and said, ¡°Maybe Team Shanghai will win this one.¡±

    Back in the game, Team Shanghai was hovering around the Dragon pit. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne walked along the wall of trees and boulders. Just on the other side was Red team¡¯s Jungle. There were two openings into the river. Her Vayne ran between them, going just far enough to cast some vision inside. And it was when she ran into the opening leading towards the Blue Buff Camp that she bumped into Zhejiang University''s Janna.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went open wide in shock. She expected the entire team from Zhejiang University to be there, but she realised a brief momentter that she could only see Janna. A pick! This¨C Mhm! She clicked on the Janna and started chasing after her!

    Zeng Rui noticed Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne running into Zhejiang¡¯s Jungle on his minimap. He looked around the map and then shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Keep going! I¡¯m right behind you!¡± He then had his Leona chase after Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Support clicked on his mouse, frantic. He searched around, looked at where his teammates were. FUCK! FUCK! He mmed down on his Q key! A Howling Gale blew to life and carved a path through Red team¡¯s Jungle!

    Tang Bingyao smiled when she saw the Howling Gale. Always the same direction! She had her Vayne Tumble to the side and evaded the Howling Gale! Vayne¡¯s passive skill kicked in. She was moving towards an enemy Champion and received bonus movement speed for that! It only took a few steps before she fired an empowered silver bolt at Janna!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona was right behind Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne. When the Howling Gale came at him, he couldn¡¯t dodge it since Leona didn¡¯t have a movement skill. So he shed through it! His Leona reappeared on the other side and then projected a sr image of her sword that pierced through Janna¨CZenith de! She dashed at Janna and followed up with Shield of Daybreak! She mmed her shield into Janna and stunned her!

    ¡°I¡¯m smelling a kill!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. No one had noticed that he¡¯d slipped into Red team¡¯s Jungle through the other entrance. There was only the wall around the Blue Buff Camp separating him from Zhejiang University¡¯s Janna. ¡°DISTORTION!¡± His Lenc jumped over the wall andnded right in front of Janna! An eruption of magical energy swept out around her!

    ¡°Oh shit! Oh shit! OH SHIT!¡±¡°Team Shanghai bringing this game home!¡±¡°What a dumb mistake by Janna! Really¡­¡±¡°If Janna didn¡¯t get caught there¡­ That¡¯s game. Gg!¡±¡°G-fucking-g! Boring as fuck ending! Man, I really wanted to see Rengar do some more cool shit!¡±¡°We barely even saw the Lenc! Come on! Drag it out Team Shanghai! Don¡¯t finish it here!¡±

    Most people in the audience were cheering for Team Shanghai or upset that the game looked decided by this pick. But there was one group who were still full of hope. They were the esports club members from Zhejiang University. Zuo Cheng stood in front of them. He pointed at therge LCD screen and shouted, ¡°SEE CAP THERE? HE¡¯LL TURN THIS RIGHT AROUND! GOOOOOOO CAP!¡±

    ¡°GOOOOOOO CAP!¡±¡°AYDEECEE TAKE MY ENERGY!¡±¡°WE¡¯RE GONNA WIN THIS! 3,000-ELO ORI ULTIE INCOMING!¡±¡°Zhejiang for the wiiiiin!¡±¡°MAKE THEM EAT YOUR BALL, CAP!¡±

 Chapter 318: Surrendering is not the same as Giving up!

    ¡°Janna, run to me! Top, teleport to the Blue Buff!¡± Shi Hang ordered over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the three Champions from Team Shanghai chasing into Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d defend that far up, or jump in without any vision, Maple! You have no clue where we are! What if we were waiting right there and just baiting!? He pursed his lips and locked his camera on Orianna while his Champion ran out of Red team¡¯s base and into the Jungle. But Janna still has her skills and they¡¯re split up! This is exactly the opportunity I needed! We can turn this around! He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Yo, guys. We can win this. We can win this!¡±

    Zhejiang¡¯s Janna ran past the Blue Buff Camp! Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc jumped on her from the side, but she ignored him just like she was ignoring Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne chasing her from behind! A red pir of light suddenly lit up next to them! Magical energies gathered and heralded the arrival of a new Champion!

    Rollfire reached for his microphone and screamed, ¡°IRELIA! IRELIA! She¡¯s teleporting in!¡±

    ¡°THERE! A BLUE PILLAR!¡± Silent Reed cried out. She jabbed at therge LCD screen with a finger and continued, ¡°Dr. Mundo is alsoing! Team Shanghai¡¯s Support dropped a ward down and now Mundo is also teleporting in!¡±

    The burst damage from Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc saw Janna¡¯s health fall below 20%. Two more auto attacks from Vayne would kill her. So would another hit from Lenc¡¯s skills. Yet Shi Hang hadn¡¯t given the greenlight for her ultimate. Zhejiang¡¯s Support gritted his teeth and then mmed down on the F key! A mottled sh of light blinked Janna out of existence and repositioned her a short distance away!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne and Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc chased right after Janna, but Zeng Rui paused. He tilted his head for a brief moment. Why did she not ult? This¡­ His eyes went wide. ¡°Shit! BACK!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. THIS IS A BAIT!

    ¡°ORI IS COMING! ORI IS COMING!¡±¡°AyDeeCee gonna set the Rift on fire!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Zhejiang 3-0!¡±¡°EASY GAME, EASY LIFE!¡±

    Shi Hang smiled. His Orianna ran through the winding path that led to the Blue Buff Camp. She passed by Janna and thenmanded her Ball to attack! This is oureback! I just need to find the right ultimate! One ultimate to rule them all! Orianna¡¯s Ball flew through the air and mmed into Vayne, Lenc and Leona! And right in the middle of those three Champions was a pir of blue light that was moments away from teleporting in Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo!

    The friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai were hopping on the edge of their seats! They were staring at therge LCD screen and chewing on their nails! And then they saw Orianna¡¯s Ball moving into exactly the right location for a perfect Command: Shockwave. They felt their hearts drop. Their shoulders slumped and they held their breaths.

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Ouyang eximed. He pulled on his hair and shouted, ¡°ShitShitShit! We¡¯re fucked! Totally screwed! It¡¯s over! Noooooooo! Why? Whyyyyyyyy?¡±

    Liu Yue started breathing faster and faster. He clenched his fists until his knuckles were white and screamed, ¡°GET OUTTA THERE! ORIANNA IS GONNA ULT! GET OUTTA THERE!¡±

    Back in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, everyone saw the Orianna Ball flying towards them. Zeng Rui continued to tell everyone to back, though he couldn¡¯t do much himself. His Leona didn¡¯t have sh and she didn¡¯t run faster than Orianna¡¯s Ball moved. But his Leona was a defensive Champion with a big health pool. He could survive the ultimate. Lin Feng and Tang Tang need to get away! We lose if they get hit!

    Zhang Hao was in the same situation as Zeng Rui. He too yed a defensive Champion in Dr. Mundo who could survive the initial burst of damage from Orianna¡¯s ultimate. LIN FENG AND TANG TANG! His eyes went wide in shock. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°The Ori Ball! Ori ultie!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. Just like four years ago. Shi Hang knows just when to cast his ultimate! But this one is too obvious. It won¡¯t even catch Tang Tang off guard! He ced his finger on the W key and put a bit of weight on it. He then waited.

    Orianna¡¯s Ball came to a stop between the Champions from Team Shanghai. Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna then sent themand to her Ball. Shockwave! A sharp change of pressure exploded around the Ball! It swept out and over the four Champions from Team Shanghai, and then it came back to pull everyone within its range towards the Ball!

    And¡­ Distortion. Lin Feng¡¯s finger pushed the rest of the way down on his W key. His Lenc cast the second half of Distortion. She jumped back to the other side of the Blue Buff Camp wall, far away from Orianna¡¯s ultimate!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes were wide and her hands were shaking. She flicked her mouse to the side and mmed down on her keyboard! FLASH! FLASH! GET OUT THE WAY! A mottled sh of light wrapped around her Vayne just as the shockwave tried to carry her towards Orianna¡¯s Ball. Vayne disappeared from Summoner¡¯s Rift, traveling through time and space to arrive a short distance away from the Command: Shockwave attack!

    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±¡°Holy shit!¡±¡°What a dodge! DAMN! What a crazy dodge!¡±¡°MAD!¡±

    Gasps and murmurs came together and climaxed into a thundering explosion of sound! The audience was on their feet, celebrating the teamfight victory for Team Shanghai! The friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai weren¡¯t any different. Dodging an Orianna ultimate skill was almost synonymous with winning a team fight in League of Legends, they all knew that.

    Ouyang jumped to his feet and punched his fist up into the air. He shouted, ¡°NICE BRO! DAMN! NICE!¡±

    Liu Yue nodded, grinning, and yelled, ¡°WOOT WOOT! WE WIN! WE¡¯RE RIGHT BACK IN IT!¡±

    ¡°YEAH! GO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡± Ren Rou cheered. She looked up at Ouyang and Liu Yue, who were now hugging each other, and smiled. Heck yeah! She wrapped her hands around her mouth and shouted, ¡°Win the fight now! Win the fight!¡±

    In Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Tang Bingyao stared at her screen, dazed. I¡­ I¡­ She hadn¡¯t moved her mouse far enough and had shed towards Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna. But because Zhejiang University¡¯s team was so split up, there was no one else near them. They were in the middle of the Jungle with walls everywhere. Don¡¯t run, kill! Mhm! She activated Condemn! Her Vayne pulled therge crossbow from her back and took aim. She then squeezed the trigger. Arge, heavy bolt shot out and pierced Orianna! It lifted her off the ground and pinned her to the tree behind her!

    Shi Hang¡¯s pupils constricted and his stomach lurched. She stunned me! Oh shit! I¡¯m stunned! SHIT!

    ¡°Nice job, Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then grinned and added, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a sec!¡± Lenc¡¯s ultimate skill allowed her to Mimic thest skill she¡¯d used, which in this case was Distortion! Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc ran along the wall of the Blue Buff Camp until she was in range to Distort onto Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna.

    Mimic: Distortion! Lin Feng¡¯s fingers glided over his keyboard. His Lenc jumped towards Shi Hang¡¯s Orianna! A violent storm is mana sshed out around her when shended! It tore through Orianna¡¯s health bar! Lenc followed up with Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains! The chains wrapped around Orianna, trigger the mark from Sigil of Malice! Orianna took another burst of damage, while the Ethereal Chains rooted her to the ground right when the stun from Condemn wore off! All the while, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne unloaded silver bolts on Orianna. Each hit caused a silver ring to appear beneath Orianna¡¯s feet. And when the third one appeared, all three exploded for massive true damage!

    ¡¶Rampage!¡·

    Silent Reed grabbed the microphone and shot to her feet. She eximed, ¡°THEY GOT AYDEECEE! THEY GOT AYDEECEE!¡±

    ¡°They did¡­¡± Rollfire mumbled, stunned. ¡°They actually did¡­¡±

    The strong difference in response between Silent Reed and Rollfire was reflected in the audience. Most people were up on their feet, screaming in support of Team Shanghai. Ouyang and Liu Yue were the loudest. They led the ¡°Tang Tang is Great!¡± cheers. And then there were the esports club members from Zhejiang University. Their mouths were open and there was shock in their eyes. Zuo Cheng almost fell over the railing he was leaning on. His captain, the yer he looked up to the most in the entire game, got outyed by a team of high schoolers. He opened and closed his mouth and finally shook his head. W-what¡­?

    When the initial burst of cheers died down and everyone started to focus back on the game, Ren Rou rose to her feet and shouted at the top of her lungs, ¡°Who said our ad-carry was mediocre? Huh? HUH? She just outyed your cheating ass pro yer! Our Tang Tang is the best ad-carry in all of China!¡±

    Some people in the crowdughed. Some joined in and mocked the esports club members from Zhejiang University. But most focused back on therge LCD screen. The teamfight was still going on. After killing Orianna, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne got jumped on by Zhejiang¡¯s Irelia. She¡¯d activated her ultimate skill earlier to deal some more damage to Orianna, and it was still active. So she Tumbled away. Her Vayne disappeared into the shadows and she opened up some distance from Irelia. Then she took aim and fired a silver bolt!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Toner narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He clicked down harder and harder on his mouse, frustration showing through in his actions. His Irelia chased after Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne, but he couldn¡¯t catch up to her. Silver rings appeared beneath Irelia¡¯s feet. One, two¡­ The third one appeared and caused an explosion of true damage! Fucking, stupid, bullshit, ridiculous, stupid, shitShitShit!

    ¡°BACK! BACK! What are you doing, dude? Back!¡± Shi Hang shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He shook his head, incredulous. What the fuck got into them? Why don¡¯t they¡ª He closed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Shit, toote now.¡±

    In their attempt to chase down Tang Bingyao¡¯s Vayne, Zhejiang¡¯s Irelia and Janna had moved in the same direction. They were now standing on top of each other. Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona stood a couple steps away from them. She¡¯d raised her sword to the sky and called down a Sr re! The brilliant ze of sunlight mmed down on top of Irelia and Janna! They were both stunned!

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s Jinx was hiding behind his inner tower when the fight broke out. It took him time to walk along the Jungle wall and into the Jungle. All the while, he moved with extreme caution. The team didn¡¯t have vision on Rengar and he vividly remembered what happened the previous time that they lost vision of Rengar. He bit on his lips and looked at his minimap. Come on, where are you you stupid cat? He took a deep breath. Irelia and Janna needed his help. He entered the Jungle. A pair of monstrous yellow eyes appeared above his head.

    Silent Reed was leaning on the caster desk, inching closer towards therge LCD screen. She held the microphone close to her mouth and shouted, ¡°RENGAR ULT! Rengar is on Jinx! How did he get there? I didn¡¯t even know he was missing!¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t join the fight but ran around the fight,¡± Rollfire said into his microphone, annoyed. He gritted his teeth and breathed out loudly. Stupid representatives of the stupid organization have to be stupid good! He closed his eyes and added, ¡°She knew her team had the damage after they got the jump on Orianna, so she focused on what Rengar¡¯s do best. This.¡±

    A lion¡¯s roar rang out across the Rift as a shadow appeared mid dash! Rengar jumped on Jinx and cut into her with his sharp de for an empowered Savagery! He followed up by throwing a b and then hacked into Jinx with another Savagery!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    An Xin smiled and let the tension slip from her hand. I did it. We won this one. She moved her fingers and nced at her hand. It¡¯s working, for now. Good. I can help the team win like this. It just needs to stay like this, then everything is perfect!

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Sun Ruinian threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. I couldn¡¯t do anything! What the hell was that!? He shook his head and looked at his dull grey monitor. In the middle of the screen was a box that showed which Champion had killed him, which skills were used and how much damage those skills had dealt. He read through the data and chuckled. Ridiculous. Fucking stupid! 0.6 seconds? Really? I survived for a grand 0.6 seconds!? Stupid! Aaargghhh!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Sun Ruinian eximed. I came to help Irelia and Janna and now we¡¯re all dead! I should¡¯ve just¡­ Shi Hang told us to back and I just had to go in! I should¡¯ve listened and retreated. Maokai got out fine, because he listened. If I¡¯d listened, Rengar wouldn¡¯t have yet another kill! And this Vayne picking up a triple kill¡­ Dammit! He sighed loudly and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, Shi Hang. I should¡¯ve listened.¡±

    Shi Hang nced at his mentee and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Happens to the best of us.¡± He then looked back at his monitor and lightly shook his head. But it shouldn¡¯t happen. He should¡¯ve seen what was happening and backed away. I should¡¯ve seen what was happening¡­ Rip.

    ¡°Ok, guys, listen up,¡± Shi Hang suddenly said. He looked at his teammates and then pointed at his monitor. He continued, ¡°They¡¯re taking the mid outer. Then they¡¯re moving on to the inner, the inhib tower and finally the inhibitor itself. We¡¯ll have revived by then, teamed up and will have to defend our Nexus towers. They¡¯ll back away then and make a quick stop at the Dragon pit on their way back to their base.¡± He took a deep breath, waiting a couple of seconds to let Team Shanghai prove his prediction.

    Sun Ruinian looked at the five from Team Shanghai taking down the outer and then the inner tower. He finally turned his head to look at Shi Hang and asked, ¡°Are we not going to defend? Or what are you trying to say¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m saying we¡¯re not going to defend,¡± Shi Hang replied. He shook his head and exined, ¡°We can¡¯t beat them right now. We were already far behind. And right now, they¡¯ve got everything. They¡¯ve even breached our base. There is nothing for us to gain by continuing to y this game. Let¡¯s ept this loss and move on to the next one. Let¡¯s surrender.¡±

    ¡°But this is an official tournament. You fight until¡­¡± Sun Ruinian started to argue, but then he stopped. What¡¯s the point of fighting on? We¡¯ve lost this one. Shi Hang¡¯s got a point there. We won¡¯t gain anything from ying this out. We¡¯ve lost. ept it and move on. Focus on winning the next one. Sitting through the end of this will only make us annoyed when that stupid Rengar jumps out of fucking nowhere again! He grimaced and said, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    At 21 minutes, Zhejiang University¡¯s Nexus warped and twisted with chaotic energy before exploding into a pile of rubble! The red energy shot up into the air and morphed into arge victory crest for the Blue team!

    VICTORY!

    ¡°What? They surrendered? Why?¡±¡°Already? The game is only 20 minutes in! What the fuck!¡±¡°Are they mad? Why they hafto be mad? Is only game!¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­ This game wasn¡¯t over, was it?¡±¡°They must be like the first team to surrender a game in the Collegiate Cup!¡±¡°L. O. L! This shit is hrious! Surrendering? Hahaha!¡±

    Silent Reed nced at Rollfire, confused. He just looks mad. Why does he always look mad? Maybe if he shaved his eyebrows off¡­ She giggled and then turned her attention back to the game. She leaned towards the microphone in front of her and said, ¡°Seems like Zhejiang University has given up on this game. They were far behind and I suppose they felt it was impossible to get back from that. I¡¯m not sure about that, but you have to give some credit to their decision making¡­ Yeah, they make a choice and stick to it! That deserves some apuse¡­¡±

    ¡°Team Shanghai won. They won, right? Zhejiang surrendered¡­¡±¡°It¡¯s 1-2! Team Shanghai has a chance again!¡±¡°Is this going to be a reverse sweep!?¡±¡°Team Shanghai won! THEY WON!¡±¡°HOLY SHIT! TEAM SHANGHAI BEAT THE PRO PLAYER TEAM!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! TEAM SHANGHAI IS THE BEST!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TWO MORE WINS TO GO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI KICKING THE PRO OUT!¡±

    While the audience recovered from the initial shock and surprise and started cheering for Team Shanghai¡¯s victory over Zhejiang University, a heavy silence fell over Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. Shi Hang said in his gaming chair, staring at his screen. His four teammates were all looking at him. None of them said anything. They waited for a better exnation. But Shi Hang wasn¡¯t giving one. He scratched the back of his head and nced across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. What happened to them? They got so much better from one game to the next! If we yed that game out, our morale would¡¯ve taken an even bigger hit than it already has! Surrendering was the only option to keep us in the race! Now we need to move on and win the next one! Holy shit. If they continue to y like this¡­ He shook his head and his eyes were wide open. Shocked, dazed andpletely caught off guard. I¡¯m actually seeing us lose this¡­

 Chapter 319: Lin Feng Stupid, Lin Feng Happy, Lin Feng Fucking Brilliant!

    Team Shanghai had retreated backstage. But where they were sulking and quiet the previous time they were here, now they were smiling,ughing, cheering! Zhang Hao kept moving his balled fists up and down and Tang Bingyao was hopping and nodding in excitement! Only Lin Feng didn¡¯t look happy. He bit on his lips and frowned until he finally said, ¡°Why did they surrender so quickly? I was just getting going!¡±

    An Xin smiled at him and said, ¡°Pretty obvious why, don¡¯t you think? You¡¯re the self-proimed staryer of the team here, you should know.¡± She briefly paused and winked at him before exining, ¡°It¡¯s because the match was over. Dragging it out wasn¡¯t going to win them the game.¡±

    ¡°BunBun is right. If they kept dragging, all they¡¯d be dragging is their morale. Down it goes,¡± Zeng Rui chimed in. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°They¡¯re not beating us when their morale is low. So they surrendered. It makes perfect sense.¡± He turned his head away and then smiled. And I finally yed a good game too! Serves that thundering dumbass right for writing us off! Fuck yeah! This is how I like to y! It was so much fun to stomp their asses! And to see them surrendering really made it perfect!

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head andughed. He said, ¡°I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped when I picked Lenc. No one beats my Lenc! She¡¯s invincible!¡± He then took a deep breath and looked at his teammates. They did great too. He grinned and added, ¡°Right, right! You guys were all super great too!¡±

    Everyone turned their heads to look at Lin Feng, confused. They were used to Lin Feng patting himself on the back. They knew he always looked at himself in the mirror. It was part of his charm. But he rarely ever gave awaypliments, unless An Xin pushed him to. Yet right now, without anyone telling him to do so, heplimented them for a game well yed. It was a massive confidence booster!

    Zhang Hao leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to look at Tang Bingyao. He said, ¡°That triple at the end was so cool! The way you shed out of the Orianna ult! Oh my god! I thought for sure you were gonna get caught! I was screaming so hard!¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled, tints of red dying her cheeks, and replied, ¡°Mhm, thanks. You did well. Everyone did well.¡±

    ¡°BunBun,¡± Zeng Rui said. He shook his head and chuckled before continuing, ¡°That Jinx dive at the end was great! I can only imagine how tilted Sun Ruinian must be right now! This is so great!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°You¡¯re suddenly talkative. But we shouldn¡¯t lose our heads here. It was a good game and everything fell right in ce for us. Everyone deserves massive props for that! Now we need to look forward to the next game!¡± She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°And what better way to start that than by asking Vain Feng here if he still doesn¡¯t trust us! So, do you? Trust us, I mean.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s grin withered. He breathed in deeply through his nose and closed his eyes. BunBun was right. She always is! I keep falling back in this stupid habit of making a mountain out of a molehill! Every little setback I stop thinking and just fall back to the only thing I know. Me. But I trusted Fatty. I trusted Autumn and Silent. And Eleven! We were so good because I had faith in them and they in me! This team isn¡¯t that team. These guys aren¡¯t that good! But our opponents aren¡¯t that good either. I¡¯m down at their level. It¡¯s about time I ept that. And it¡¯s about time I put some faith in my teammates! He opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Hao. He looks nothing like Fatty, but he¡¯s trying so damn hard just like Fatty always did! He nced at Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui. She can¡¯t even look me in the eyes and he just looks mad¡­ But they¡¯re great together! He finally turned his head to look at An Xin. And you, you know me too well. He breathed out loudly and then said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys. I was a terrible teammate. Sorry.¡±

    Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao looked at Lin Feng in a daze. Of everything they were expecting him to say, this wasn¡¯t one of them. There was no grin on his face and no mocking tone in his voice. He looked honest, and sounded the part. An Xin was the only one who didn¡¯t look surprised. She just smiled. Good boy. We¡¯re not changing a habit overnight, but this is a good start.

    Lin Feng took another deep breath before adding, ¡°It was my fault. It was. But not because I didn¡¯t carry hard enough. It was because I didn¡¯t have enough faith in all of you. And that¡¯s just terrible. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll work hard to change that.¡±

    ¡°Dude!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He looked at Lin Feng with his eyes wide open and shook his head. He continued, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go all serious on us here! We know you¡¯re not some narcissistic asshole! Just chill! We¡¯re good! All good!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng, chewing on his lips. He just¡­ The thundering dumbass¡­ Can I still call him that? He grimaced and shook his head. I was mad, yeah! But I was mad at myself, not you! You were right! I was ying like shit! A B grade Support was having a bigger impact on the game than me! Shit! And now you¡¯re apologizing? No. No! He said, ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. For not pulling my weight. You woke me up. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry? Mhm?¡± Tang Bingyao looked from Lin Feng at Zhang Hao and finally Zeng Rui. Why are they¡­? What was¡­? Was he serious? And since when is he apologizing? Did something happen? Did BunBun tell him something? But when could she have done that? I was here the whole time! Maybe when we got off stage? The crowd was so loud! And they were cheering for us! They were all cheering for us!

    ¡°Oh, you guys aren¡¯t mad?¡± Lin Feng asked. He scratched the back of his head andughed, awkward. I guess¡­ Eh. He shrugged and started grinning again. He then balled his hand into a fist and punched up into the air, shouting, ¡°Good! Perfect! Of course you guys are all good! I picked you! Now we¡¯re gonna win this series and then the national championship! Wooooo!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head. There we have him again. The thundering dumbass saying stupid ass shit. He took a deep breath and then said, ¡°You think we¡¯ve already won? We haven¡¯t even qualified for the main tournament yet! Let¡¯s take it one step at a time here.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao chimed in. She nodded and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t count your chickens before they hatch!¡±

    Lin Feng waved their worries away and said, ¡°That¡¯s easy! You guys just keep yournes in check and I¡¯ll stomp mid! I got this!¡± He then closed his eyes and calmed himself down. Team game. It¡¯s a team game. This isn¡¯t me versus Shi Hang, no matter how much fun that would be! This is Team Shanghai versus Zhejiang University! And Team Shanghai is better! We just are! He opened his eyes and looked at his teammates. Together, we can!

    ¡°Guys,e here,¡± Lin Feng said. He ced his hand in front of him and waited for An Xin, Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao to join him. He then continued, ¡°On three. We¡¯re gonna sweep the rest of this series!

    ¡°One, two, three¨C¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE GONNA SWEEP THE REST OF THIS SERIES!¡±

    ?

    Zhejiang University spent the 15 minute break between the third and fourth game reviewing everything that went wrong in the previous games. They¡¯d hired an analyst who had joined them in the booth and was working them through the various key moments in the game. It started with the early Jungle invade from An Xin¡¯s Rengar and ended with the scattered teamfight that ended up losing them the game. The more the yers from Zhejiang University looked back at Game 3, the bigger the hit was to their morale. They could all see the mistakes, and they all knew these were mistakes they usually didn¡¯t make. Yet in the previous game, overconfidence had slipped in.

    Shi Hang had warned Zhejiang University¡¯s team multiple times throughout the first two games to watch out for growing too confident in their own game. He¡¯d exined to them that Team Shanghai was a strong team, and that even with him as a former pro on the team, they weren¡¯t guaranteed victory. But it was exactly thebination of winning the first two games and having the former pro AyDeeCee on their roster that led to the overconfidence that Zhejiang University was now suffering from. And though their analyst exined to them why they were being overconfident, it was difficult for them to change their view.

    Throughout the entire speech by the analyst, Shi Hang didn¡¯t once interrupt him. He sat behind hisputer and stared at his monitor, focused. Sun Ruinian looked at this from the side, finding himself more than a few times distracted by it. Why does Shi Hang look so serious? He¡¯s ying against a high school kid! A¡­ He shook his head. That kid is going even inne. That kid is winning! That kid is the entire reason Shi Hang even¡­ He turned his head to look at the soundproof booth across the stage. The yers from Team Shanghai were getting settled behind theirputers again. Is it really all because of that kid that Shi Hang came back to the team? What is so special about that kid? What is it Shi Hang isn¡¯t telling us!?

    ¡°We can¡¯t let them win this game!¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s analyst said. He looked at the five members of the team and continued, ¡°I want you guys to ban Lenc and Rengar. It¡¯s obvious we don¡¯t have an answer for those two right now. And then you guys need to y at the level from the first two games again! Get this win and we¡¯re through to the main tournament!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±¡°We can do this!¡±

    The yers from Zhejiang University all turned their attention to their monitors. Game 4 was seconds away from moving to Champion Select. The teams switched sides after each game, which meant that Zhejiang University was ying on the Blue Team this game. When they got into Champion Select, they banned Zed, Lenc and Rengar. Then they locked in Yasuo. Team Shanghai was up next. They locked in Morgana and Master Yi.

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng pumped his fist up into the air and shouted, ¡°We¡¯ve won! We¡¯ve already won this game! BunBun and I have yed thisbo so many times, no one can beat us when we y it!¡±

    ?

    Therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths shed to life! Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai had locked in their Champions for the fourth game of this best of five series and were now waiting in the loading screen for the game to start.

    Game 4 of the East China Regional Quarterfinals

    Zhejiang University (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)Top: Fiora versus DariusJungle: Jarvan IV versus Master YiMid: Yasuo versus MorganaAd-carry: Kog¡¯Maw versus LucianSupport: Alistar versus Braum

    Silent Reed leaned closer to her microphone and said, ¡°That Morgana pick in the midne looks like a direct response to the Yasuo pick by Zhejiang University! I wonder if they picked it to counter Yasuo? She certainly has some abilities that counter Yasuo. Her Tormented Soil doesn¡¯t get blocked by Yasuo¡¯s Wind Wall and her ck Shield stops her from getting knocked up by his tornadoes!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ There is some decent reasoning behind that, Silent Reed,¡± Rollfire replied. He knitted his brows and looked at therge LCD screen, then continued, ¡°Is Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner nning to y it safe? Morgana can sit back and farm rtively safely and she does scale up very nicely! But Yasuo also bes a monster if you don¡¯t watch out for him!¡±

    Rollfire looked down at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and moved his lips around. This stupid kid is ying great on his AP assassins! Why would he change that up now? The only reason I can think of, no matter how much I hate admitting it, is that there is a n in y here. He picked Morgana for a reason. I¡¯m not going to make a fool out of myself during this game! He picked Morgana for a reason! Probably to scale and win teamfights in thete game? I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m not going to say anything stupid! I won¡¯t give the Shanghai Stupid Organization that satisfaction!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The first few minutes of the game were rather straightforward. Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t looking to make any shy ys. An Xin¡¯s Master Yi farmed the camps in his Jungle while the yers in the threenes focusedpletely on farming minions. And on the other side of the map, Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler was so concerned with a possible invade from An Xin¡¯s Master Yi that he didn¡¯t even consider invading himself. He carefully moved through his Jungle, cing down wards in every brush.

    At 4 minutes, Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo ughtered the Red minions in the midne and helped the Blue minion wave push towards the Red team¡¯s outer tower. When his minions marched into the tower¡¯s range, he turned around and started running away.

    ¡°Leaving? Already?¡± Lin Feng blurted out. He then grinned and added, ¡°As if! FLASH!¡± A mottled sh of light carried Morgana past the Blue minions! She reappeared right in front of Yasuo and cast Dark Binding! The dark magic flew at Yasuo and bound him in ce! She followed up with Exhaust and Tormented Soil! A debilitating energy fell over Yasuo and sharply cut into his stats, while a cursed shadow spread beneath his feet and ate away at his health bar!

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi ran into the midne from the top side river! She activated Wuju Style! Master Yi¡¯s sword started glowing green, increasing its attack damage! He then swept out at Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo! The de cut through Yasuo and kept going! When its momentum ended, Master Yi twisted the sharp side around and cut back the other way! It struck Yasuo again!

    Shi Hang¡¯s screen shed red. Shit! 20% health left! sh already! The dark magic binding him copsed and his Yasuo broke free! He was still on Red team¡¯s half of the midne, so he shed away towards his outer tower!

    This was exactly what An Xin had been waiting for. She smiled and pushed the Q key¨CAlpha Strike! Master Yi teleported across the battlefield with blinding speed! He became untargetable as he caught back up to Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo and attacked him!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jarvan IV came running out of Blue team¡¯s Jungle into the midne. He shed forward and dashed at Master Yi with his g tossbo! But Lin Feng expected this move. He cast ck Shield on Master Yi! Dark purple magic shrouded Master Yi and protected him from all crowd control skills! The knock up from Jarvan IV¡¯s g-tossbo had no effect. An Xin¡¯s Master Yi continued chasing after Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo and attacking him, until his health bar bottomed out.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Wow¡­ That easy? What happened?¡±¡°That just happened, right? That really just happened? AyDeeCee gave away first blood!?¡±¡°HOLY SHIT! TEAM SHANGHAI LET¡¯S GOOOOOO!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°OH MY LORD! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?¡±¡°DAYUM! SO NASTY!¡±

    The friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai were sitting in their seats, too stunned to celebrate the first blood. Liu Yue was the first to recover from the shock. He suddenly startedughing and said, ¡°What a crazybo! Lin Feng pokes, pokes, then engages! And when he has Yasuo locked down, BunBunes in with her Master Yi! Lin Feng then casts ck Shield on her and she bes virtually unstoppable! This is so cool!¡± He jumped to his feet and wrapped his hands around his mouth, then shouted, ¡°Team Shanghai for the win! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng kept pushing and farming minions in the midne after Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo died, until halfway through the fifth minute. He¡¯d gathered enough gold and Shi Hang was trying to freeze the minion wave. So he recalled back to base, spent his gold, and then ran into the bot side Jungle. He followed the winding path and came across An Xin¡¯s Master Yi near the Blue Buff Camp. She followed behind him and together they ran into the river and then down bot.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners had warded the brush in the river entrance. But it was already far toote for them to retreat when Lin Feng¡¯s Morgana and An Xin¡¯s Master Yi were spotted by it. Lin Feng cast ck Shield on An Xin¡¯s Master Yi and shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, I choose you!¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± An Xin replied, rolling her eyes back. Her Master Yi was already in the botne. Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners were running away, desperate. But they were on Team Shanghai¡¯s side of thene. Master Yi closed in on Kog¡¯Maw and then cast Alpha Strike! He teleported around the map, attacking the minions in his way, beforeunching a final strike on Kog¡¯Maw!

    Sun Ruinian repeatedly clicked on his mouse. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°ShitShit! Protect me! PROTECT ME!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Support replied. He shook his head and continued, ¡°But that stupid ck Shield! I can¡¯t do anything! My crowd control skills won¡¯t do shit!¡± What do you expect from me!? Look at that ck Shield! You know I can¡¯t do anything! It¡¯s useless! And that stupid shieldsts way too long! What¡¯s the Morgana doing bot anyway!? Why is Morgana bot!?

    Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao were a bit away from the action. Tang Bingyao used her Lucian¡¯s Relentless Pursuit to close the distance, but Zeng Rui needed to be faster. His Braum brought crowd control to the fight which could stop Zhejiang University¡¯s Boners from escaping under their outer tower. So he shed. A mottled sh of light erupted on the Rift! Braum blinked forward and then dashed at An Xin¡¯s Master Yi with Stand Behind Me! Winter¡¯s Bite! Braum propelled freezing ice from his shield that struck Alistar and slowed him!

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi hacked away at Kog¡¯Maw¡¯s health bar! Kog¡¯Maw was a Champion without movement skills and he¡¯d already used his sh earlier. Master Yi easily kept up with him and one final attack killed him!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi shifted her focus towards Alistar. Braum¡¯s Winter¡¯s Bite wasn¡¯t just a slow. The Champion affected by this skill would get stunned if they were hit by three more attacks! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian caught up and fired a doubleshot right as An Xin¡¯s Master Yi shed out with her sword! They stunned Alistar! Four Champions from Team Shanghai then ganked up on Alistar and unloaded their abilities on him!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIN!¡±¡°GIRLS BETTER GAMERS THAN GUYS!¡±¡°THE UNSTOPPABLE YIIIIIIIIII-HAAAAAAAA!¡±¡°EASY GAME, EASY LIFE!¡±¡°THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS ARE STOMPING THE FORMER PRO! HAHAHA!¡±

    Inside Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang narrowed his eyes. He¡¯d panned his camera to the botne and watched the four yers from Team Shanghai pushing into the bot tower after An Xin¡¯s Master Yi got the double kill. I should¡¯ve seen thating faster. But I still warned them! They should¡¯ve backed faster! They¡­ I underestimated his teammates. Maple, Maple, Maple¡­ Well fucking yed! Ipletely underestimated them! Was this your n all along? Help raise our morale in the first two games just to make the drop in the third game hit that much harder? Gotta give it to you. Nice n. It¡¯s working incredibly well! He grinned and shook his head. Shit, I want to win this! I just came to y against you a bit. But look at me here! I want to try! You¡¯re making me allpetitive again!

 Chapter 320: THIEF! TANG TANG IS A THIEF!

    Master Noob was amon nickname for Master Yi. yers all across the world called him this because of the low level of skill required to y him. He had no skillshots or anyplicated abilities. All he had was a sword and abilities that increased the damage of his sword. The yer merely had to right click on an opponent and face-m the Q, E and R keys. And then when their Master Noob was in danger of dying, they could just heal his health right back up with the W skill Meditate.

    Despite all of this, Master Yi was almost never yed in high ranked games. There was a simple exnation for this. Crowd control. It was Master Yi¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel. Once he got stunned by a Leona Sr re or rooted by Maokai¡¯s Twisting Advance, there was nothing he could do. The opponent would decimate his health bar and kill him before he could ever attack them.

    An Xin knew all of this before she locked in Master Yi. But she also knew that she had the awareness to not put herself in a situation where Master Yi¡¯s weaknesses could be exploited. Better even, she had Lin Feng on her side. His Morgana¡¯s ck Shield was the best failsafe in the game for Master Yi. She made full use of it as she slew Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo in the midne for first blood, and then to pick up a double kill in the botne. Her Master Yi was unstoppable right now.

    At 7 minutes, An Xin¡¯s Master Yi and Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum ran up the river towards the midne. Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo spotted them well in advance. He¡¯d been pushing the minion wave towards Red team¡¯s outer tower and now started retreating. An Xin smiled when she saw this. You haven¡¯t met my Yi yet! Wait¡­ You have! She pushed down on the R key, activating Hignder! Master Yi suddenly moved with unparalleled agility! He used the bonus movement speed to race into the midne and then targeted Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo with Alpha Strike! He teleported towards Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo, ying three minions on his way!

    Shi Hang gritted his teeth. Shit! I should¡¯ve seen thising! I can¡¯t push this far¡­ He shook his head and ced his pinky finger over the Q key. Then he hesitated. What¡¯s the point¡­? ck Shield stops all crowd control. And she¡¯s picked up so many kills already¡­ His screen shed red. 20% health. Ah great, Braum¡¯s here too! I¡¯ll just...¨C Shit! He pushed down on the Q key to activate the third cast from Steel Tempest. The storm brewing at the tip of his de was unleashed onto the Rift! A tornado carved a path straight through Master Yi and Braum! But only Braum was knocked up into the air. Master Yi¡¯s sword shed back and forth. Two more auto attacks. Shi Hang breathed out loudly. I¡¯m dead.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?¡±¡°HOLY SHIT! She¡¯s wrecking AyDeeCee! She¡¯s destroying him!¡±¡°Former pro for a reason¡­ Losing to a Yi,wl.¡±¡°This shit is crazy. Crazy! They¡¯re walking all over Zhejiang University!¡±¡°That Yi has some skill!¡±

    Shi Hang let his head fall forward as his screen turned grey again. I died twice seven minutes in¡­ What is this game? I¡¯m a former pro for fucks sake! I shouldn¡¯t let myself get caught to these stupid tricks! Why do I keep letting myself get tempted into pushing the minion wave? Freeze it! All I need to do is freeze it near my tower! Well¡­ He grinned and shook his head. That was before. That Yi has so many kills now, he can probably just jump on me under my tower. And with the damn ck Shield¡­ Ah, fuck me!

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Fengined over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun! You already got the first kill! Why did you have to take this one too? I wanted it!¡±

    An Xin tilted her head and looked at Lin Feng. Her lips curved up into a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. She asked, ¡°HMM? Did you say something? Want to repeat that?¡±

    ?

    There were six other teams next to Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai who were stillpeting in the East Shanghai Regionals. They had all gathered in the yer seating area at the front of the venue. The strongest team here was Fudan University. They¡¯d made it all the way to the main tournament in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup. And they were also the loudest opposition when Zhejiang University announced that they had added Shi Hang to their roster.

    Qiu Yijie was Fudan University¡¯s team captain. The first two games between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University went as he¡¯d expected. But that all changed in the third game, which was a victory for Team Shanghai. And right now, only seven minutes into Game 4, Team Shanghai was pulling ahead again. He narrowed his eyes and watched the rey of thest fight on therge LCD screen. This Yi-Morganabo is really dirty. And clever. Dirty and clever. They¡¯re making up for each others¡¯ weaknesses. Maybe we can apply some version of this to our own game as well...

    Fudan¡¯s Support sighed and said, ¡°This Master Yi is unstoppable¡­ It¡¯s like what those cringe people say. See god, kill god. Meet devil, y devil¡­¡±

    ¡°Hot damn!¡± Fudan¡¯s Jungler eximed. He turned his head to look at the Support and continued, ¡°You¡¯re super right! Zhejiang¡¯s practically lost this game!¡± He nodded at Qiu Yijie and asked, ¡°Right? What do you think?¡±

    Qiu Yijie looked from his Jungler up to therge LCD screen and then nodded. He replied, ¡°Pretty much. Zhejiang really got yed. That Yi-Morganabo is nasty. The Master Yi appears right when he needs to and he always has that ck Shield on him. Zhejiang can¡¯t do anything, not even with AyDeeCee.¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang rxed back in his chair and closed his eyes, smiling. Lin Feng and BunBun have way better synergy than I expected! This is so good! They got everything working together just in time! It¡¯s all worth it now! Having him y against Shi Hang really was a great decision by me! I just wonder¡­ He opened one eye and nced at one of the monitors on the table in front of him. It showed the feed from the camera¡¯s aimed at the yers¡¯ faces. I wonder how Shi Hang is going to deal with it. He¡¯s been looking a little annoyed.

    In Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang sat up straight and rolled his shoulders back. That stupid Yi¡­ He narrowed his eyes and tapped on his mouse. Maple and Eleven formed a great duo. They had some of the best synergy I¡¯ve ever seen! But this girl, she isn¡¯t nearly as good as Eleven was, but her synergy with Maple¡­ Fuck it¡¯s good! Was it always this good? There were still a few more seconds until his Yasuo would respawn on the fountain. He nced across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. At An Xin. Was she always this good? She was just the coach! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Was their coach also a world ss yer? He chuckled and shook his head. No way. That¡¯d be ridiculous.

    ?

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi ran up and down the river, putting pressure on all threenes. It didn¡¯t take long for Team Shanghai to push their way through the first line of Zhejiang University¡¯s defense. Outer towers started to fall and the game moved towards the middle stage. Both teams teamed up and began looking for opportunities to start a winning team fight!

    At 16 minutes, the second Dragon spawned. Both teams gathered around it and started cing down wards, taking down enemy wards and firing skillshots at each other! But Team Shanghai had pulled far ahead in this fourth game. An Xin¡¯s Master Yi in particr was incredibly fed. She nced at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m just going in.¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡± Lin Feng replied. He cast ck Shield on An Xin¡¯s Master Yi and then ran straight towards Zhejiang University¡¯s front line. They were standing in front of the Dragon pit. I just have to¡­ Lin Feng grinned. Skillshots were flying at his Morgana when she suddenly disappeared with a mottled sh of light. She reappeared in the center of Zhejiang University¡¯s team. SOUL SHACKLES! Morgana unleashed the full force of her Celestial power as she unbinded her wings and hovered above the ground! Chains of dark pain shot out from her andtched onto the Zhejiang University Champions around her!

    And then we¡¯ve got Zhonya¡¯s Hourss! Lin Feng grinned as he activated the item. Golden grains of sand fell from the sky and stuck to Morgana, putting her in stasis. The soul shackles had slowed all five Champions from Zhejiang University!

    ¡°IT¡¯S A 5-MAN ULTIMATE!¡± Silent Reed cried out into her microphone. She clutched the microphone tightly and shouted, ¡°FIVE MAN ULTIMATE!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! WIN FEEEEEENG!¡±

    There were two ways to break Soul Shackles. The first was to kill Morgana, which was currently impossible. The second method was to break free from them by running far enough away. But the five from Zhejiang University only had 3 seconds to get away before the slow turned into a stun. They focusedpletely on breaking the soul shackles by running away, and in doing so they also ran away from each other. The gap between the front and backline grew bigger. An Xin¡¯s Master Yi used this to her full advantage. She targeted Kog¡¯Maw with Alpha Strike and teleported towards him!

    The team fight erupted into chaos! Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum activated cial Fissure! He grabbed his shield with both hands and raised it high above his head. Then he mmed it down onto the ground! A fissure broke open in the ground straight ahead! A freezing power broke free from underneath the earth¡¯s crust and knocked all enemy Champions above it up into the air! All the while, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian had activated his ultimate skill¨CThe Culling! He raised both weapons and aimed in the general direction of Zhejiang University¡¯s team, after which he started squeezing the triggers again and again and again!

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi shed at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Kog¡¯Maw with an empowered auto attack! It drained nearly 20% of his health bar! The Hignder skill granted Master Yi bonus attack speed! Before Sun Ruinian¡¯s Kog¡¯Maw could react, a second auto attack brought him down to nearly half health! And then the secondary effect from Morgana¡¯s Soul Shackles activated! Sun Ruinian¡¯s Kog¡¯Maw was stunned, powerless as An Xin¡¯s Master Yi cut away thest of his health bar!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Sun Ruinian eximed as he threw his hands up in the air. His screen had turned a dull grey. He looked at the rest of the fight. Jarvan IV and Fiora got away from the Soul Shackles at least¡­ Shit! That Morgana ultimate! She got all five of us and stunned three! We screwed this up so hard!

    Back in the game, An Xin¡¯s Master Yi turned his attention to Zhejiang¡¯s Fiora. He auto attacked her with frightening speed, each next hit taking arge cut out of her health bar! A string of damage values floated up above Fiora¡¯s head.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi had taken a couple of hits from Zhejiang¡¯s Fiora while killing her. Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV now g-tossed at her to finish the job! But she countered with Meditate! Master Yi started floating above the ground as a green aura zed to life around him! His health recovered quickly while he took only a fraction of the damage he normally would!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius finally arrived at the fight. He used Apprehend! Darius swept up Jarvan IV with his axe¡¯s hook and pulled him back! He followed up with a Crippling Strike, cutting through Jarvan IV¡¯s crucial artery! And he finally struck out with Decimate, winding up his axe and shing out in a circle around him!

    An Xin watched Jarvan IV¡¯s health drop until there was only a little remaining. Time to pull a Lin Feng! She smiled and pressed on the Q key¨CAlpha Strike! Her Master Yi teleported to Jarvan IV, cutting through Yasuo and Alistar who were in her path, and shed him open!

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Alistar finally broke free from the Soul Shackles stun! He targeted Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius with the Headbutt into Pulverizebo! He dashed at Darius and hit him with his horns! Then, before Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius was knocked back, Alistar mmed his fists down on the ground and knocked Darius up into the air!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo blinked towards Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius and suspended him in mid air¨CLast Breath! He then unleashed a flurry of strikes, each shearing away at Darius¡¯ health bar, before raising his katana high above his head! The winds howled as he gathered all his power at the tip of his de! And then he hacked down!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Darius mmed into the ground and his health dropped to below 20%! The unquenchable mes from Ignite clung to his skin and zed! Yasuo¡¯s sharp sword cut through him again and Alistar mmed a fist down on his head!

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Zhang Hao stared at his screen and held his breath. Come on, guys! Finish it off! We got this! Come on,e on,e on! He tapped his fingers on the desk and leaned a bit closer to his monitor, ignoring the dull grey colours on his screen. We got this! Kill the stupid cow and that Yasuo! WE GOT THIS!

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi, Lin Feng¡¯s Morgana and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian all attacked the Alistar. They tore through his high health bar, and even his ultimate skill that reduced the damage he took wasn¡¯t enough to stop thebined force of these three Champions! It was eventually An Xin¡¯s Master Yi who imed the kill with a final auto attack.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    ¡°PENTA! PENTA! GIVE US A PENTA!¡±¡°GO YI! GOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°OMG! OMG! OMG! THIS IS IT! A PENTA!¡±¡°THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS GETTIN¡¯ A PENTA!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°SIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Master Yi targeted Shi Hang¡¯s Yasuo with Alpha Strike! He teleported and cut into Yasuo¡¯s health bar and followed up with an auto attack! It did far more damage than Tang Bingyao expected it to. She¡¯d nned to help An Xin take Yasuo down and then back away to let An Xin pick up the penta kill. But Master Yi¡¯sbo was enough to bring Yasuo to an inch of his life. And that was right when a Piercing Light fired from Lucian¡¯s guns.

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    The audience stopped cheering. Their mouths fell open and they just stared at therge LCD screen. All of them had been hyped to witness the pentakill, something rarely seen in League of Legends. But right at thest moment when it looked all but secured, Tang Bingyao stole the pentakill away from right underneath An Xin¡¯s nose!

    Ouyang pped his palm against his forehead and mumbled, ¡°Why, Tang Tang¡­? Why would you do that? You stole BunBun¡¯s penta!¡±

 Chapter 321: Stealing Panties and Driving Through Red

    Stealing panties and driving through red, they¡¯re just two of many actions that are heavily frowned upon in society. There arews specifically written to stop people frommitting these heinous acts! But the long arm of thew isn¡¯t all-epassing. This bes especially evident in a game of League of Legends. There aren¡¯t many rules in this game, or moral routes people are expected to follow. But there are a few. And right at the top, as the single most importantw in all of League of Legends, it says: ¡®Thou shalt not steal a pentakill from thine fellow yers.¡¯

    Tang Bingyao hadmitted the eternal sin! She had stolen the pentakill that was rightfully An Xin¡¯s! She fell back in her chair and stared at her monitor, lost. W-what¡­ Why did I¡­? The game announcer¡¯s voice still echoed in her head. Aced¡­ Aced¡­ It should¡¯ve been BunBun¡¯s pentakill! She chewed on the inside of her cheeks and nced at An Xin. Is she mad? She is. She has to be! I¡¯d be mad! Mhm! That was a penta! Her penta! And I stole it! I¡­ I¡­ She blinked away a tear and breathed in deeply. I stole it! Shit! She felt a knot twisting in her stomach and pulling tight. I have to¡­ She turned her head to look at An Xin and said, ¡°Ah¡­ Uhm¡­ BunBu¡ª¡±

    ¡°NICE WORK, TANG TANG!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. He patted Tang Bingyao on the shoulder and continued, ¡°That was great! You stole BunBun¡¯s penta! I couldn¡¯t have done that any better myself! I was trying, but you actually did it! That was such a beautiful killsteal!¡± He briefly paused and scratched his nose. Then he opened his eyes wide and added, ¡°I taught you how to killsteal! So this indirectly is also my killsteal! This is even better!¡±

    An Xin shook her head and chuckled. She then pped Lin Feng on the back of his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this idiot, Tang Tang. It was a good kill secure. Yasuo might¡¯ve escaped if you didn¡¯t get thatst hit in there.¡± She smiled and added, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s just a penta.¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open a little. She¡¯s not mad at me? Why isn¡¯t she mad at me? I stole her penta! I¡­ She muttered, ¡°But I stole¡­¡±

    ¡°My penta? Yeah, maybe,¡± An Xin replied. She then shook her head and continued, ¡°But really, you did the right thing there. Pentakills are meaningless. They don¡¯t help you win the game. Kills do. Yasuo might¡¯ve gotten away if you didn¡¯t kill him there. Or maybe he got a kill and then died. But thanks to you he died before he could try anything else. This is the best oue.¡±

    Lin Feng watched the exchange between the two girls and scrunched his eyebrows. He scratched his ear and said, ¡°Hey! What the¡­ If I¡¯d stolen your penta, you would¡¯ve lost your shit! Why are you suddenly all nice? This ispletely unfair!¡±

    An Xin tilted her head a bit to look at Lin Feng and raised an eyebrow. The corners of her lips rose, yet there was no sparkle of joy in her eyes. She said, ¡°HMM? Did you say something? Say it again! I dare you!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I dare!¡± Lin Feng argued back. He threw his hands up in the air andined, ¡°Whenever I steal a penta from you, you lose your shit! You get all mad at me! But when Tang Tang does it you¡¯re all nice? This ispletely unfair! You¡¯re discriminating against me! Is it because I¡¯m a guy? You¡¯re being racist because I¡¯m a guy! That¡¯s it!¡±

    An Xin shook her head, incredulous. She then chuckled and replied, ¡°No. I¡¯m treating you differently because you¡¯re a massive idiot. Such an idiot that I can¡¯t begin to exin the depths of your stupidity or the width of your idiocy!¡± She briefly paused before asking, ¡°Is that enough of an exnation for you?¡±

    Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao sat on the far ends of therge table in the soundproof booth. They leaned back in their chairs and looked at each other. Their minds linked up as they tapped into the BroForce. A lover¡¯s quarrel! Those two are in love with each other! Best for us to stay out of this!

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at his monitor again. The corpses from Zhejiang University¡¯s Champions were strewn across the riverbed. He smiled in excitement. Sweet! We¡¯ve basically won this game! We¡¯re gonna win this game and then we¡¯re going to Game 5! Who would¡¯ve thought that after Game 2? I didn¡¯t! Damn! We¡¯re going to force an all deciding Game 5! Against AyDeeCee! We¡¯re forcing a final game against a former pro here! Shit we¡¯re good!

    ?

    Qiu Yijie sat at the front of the venue in the yer seating area. The audience was losing their minds behind him, their cheers mming against the back of his head. But he was numb to it. His gaze was locked on therge LCD screen. On the five bodies from Zhejiang University. They¡¯re actually pulling it off. The high school kids are going to force a fifth game. This isn¡¯t just some joke anymore¡­ They¡¯re forcing AyDeeCee to a fifth game! This is insane! He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°You were right. Zhejiang¡¯s losing this one.¡±

    Fudan University¡¯s Jungler turned his head to look at his team captain in surprise. ¡°What?¡± he asked.

    Qiu Yijie nced at his Jungler and repeated, ¡°You were right. Team Shanghai is forcing a fifth game here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Fudan¡¯s Jungler eximed. He scratched the back of his head, grinning, and said, ¡°Kinda hard to believe, don¡¯t you think? Everyone had written those high school kids off already. And here they are, smashing AyDeeCee himself! Just imagine the stomp it would¡¯ve been without AyDeeCee! It¡¯s crazy!¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah. Crazy is the right word.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai reached a point where An Xin¡¯s Master Yi could 1vs5 Zhejiang University as long as she had Morgana¡¯s ck Shield on her. And on top of that, they had four more Champions that were all ahead of their counterparts at Zhejiang University. Zeng Rui guided the team from objective to objective. They took down the Dragon, outer towers, inner towers, and finally Baron Nashor. Buffed by the giant purple worm, Team Shanghai dove Zhejiang University¡¯s base and carried out a ughter! Five kills. Zero deaths.

    Team Shanghai took down the midne inhibitor tower and inhibitor at 27 minutes. There were still enough Blue minions on their side, so they pushed for the Nexus towers. Master Yi and Lucian shredded through the health bars on those two towers. The structures fell into ruin and Team Shanghai focused their firepower on the Nexus, while the yers from Zhejiang University were still waiting to respawn on their fountain. But that never happened. The Nexus crystal exploded. The blue energy contained within broke out through the cracks and shot up into the sky, where it morphed into the victory emblem for Team Shanghai!

    VICTORY!

    Silent Reed turned her head to look at Rollfire and grinned brightly. How about that, you piece of shit!? She grabbed the microphone from its stand on the desk and ced it in front of her mouth. She shouted, ¡°WOOOOOOO! What a game by Team Shanghai! They just keep getting better every game! What an absolute joy to watch them! From 2-0 behind to now 2-2! Are they going toplete the reverse sweep? Are they going to beat Shi Hang!?¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI TAKE MY ENERGY!¡±¡°REVERSE SWEEP IT! REVEEEERSE!¡±¡°Drive me to Miami baby!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN BEST JUNGLER!¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Rollfire replied. He shook his head and said through gritted teeth, ¡°But one thing is for sure. Team Shanghai deserved this win.¡±

    It was a good while before the audience calmed down. When they finally did, their focus shifted to Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. One person said, ¡°Is Team Shanghai really gonna reverse sweep Zhejiang University? How is this even possible? Zhejiang¡¯s got AyDeeCee! How are they not stomping those kids from Team Shanghai!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! This is ridiculous!¡± someone else chimed in. They shook their head and said, ¡°Did AyDeeCee get that much worse? I mean, it doesn¡¯t look like it. He¡¯s still kicking ass from what I can tell. But Team Shanghai is still beating him... They¡¯re ying out of their minds! That Miner-Jungler duo¡­ Abso-fucking-mental!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the ad-carry!¡± the first person added. He continued, ¡°She¡¯s pretty fly as well! But damn, I can¡¯t believe it. This is cray-cray! You know, before this series when we heard AyDeeCee was ying, I thought for sure Zhejiang University was going to win the entire tournament! And now¡­ Now they¡¯re almost out! They¡¯re on the brink of elimination! Can you believe it!? They might get eliminated in the next game!¡±

    ?

    There was a thundering silence in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. The five yers sat in their gaming chairs, slumped back. They didn¡¯t look at their screens, but rather down at their feet. It was only two games ago that they were up 2-0 and morale was at an all-time high. The third game did a number on their morale. Yet it was theplete stomp they suffered in Game 4 that caused their morale to hit an all-time low.

    Sun Ruinian looked at his teammates and finally mumbled, ¡°What¡¯s happening, guys? How are we losing this¡­?¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t.¡±

    The three other team members from Zhejiang University looked at their two captains. Sun Ruinian was their star yer and one of the best ad-carries in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup, yet he was struggling against the girl from Team Shanghai. Every bit of intel they¡¯d gathered before the series suggested that Sun Ruinian should win hisne, but he wasn¡¯t. And that didn¡¯t even begin to exin what was happening in the midne. Shi Hang, the former professional yer, was at best going even against Lin Feng. Their two best yers were losing. Their entire team was losing.

    Shi Hang breathed out loudly and said, ¡°Guess I do know. We underestimated them.¡± He shook his head and chuckled. Maple, Maple, Maple¡­ I worried about you. So much so that I apparently forgot to look at the rest of your team. I figured my team was good enough to handle them. I was wrong. This team isn¡¯t my team. Just like your team isn¡¯t yours. I wish we were. That would be a fun series!

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Sun Ruinian asked.

    Shi Hang turned his head to look at his teammates and frowned. He said, ¡°What do you mean, what do we do? We fight! We¡¯re going to give it everything we got and we¡¯re going to kick their asses! Come on, guys! Just because we¡¯ve lost two games doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re out! We would¡¯ve won by now if that were the case! 2-0 up, remember? Let¡¯s quit bitching and win this fifth game!¡± He then turned his head to look across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. It¡¯s been years since I found myself in a situation like this. But I¡¯m not going to let you walk all over me again! I¡¯m gonna give you hell! The only way you¡¯re getting your reverse sweep is bypletely outying me!

    ?

    Team Shanghai didn¡¯t retreat backstage after the fourth game. They stayed in the soundproof booth and stared at their monitors. All of them were sweating nerves. The entire series against Zhejiang University was an uphill battle. Each game was a desperate attempt to not get eliminated. Yet now they were in the all-deciding fifth game. They weren¡¯t ying to stay in the series anymore, they were ying to win it. They felt apletely different kind of pressurepared to the previous games.

    Zhang Hao was drumming his fingers on the desk and stared at the monitor showing the endgame lobby. He kept mumbling to himself, ¡°We won another one! One more to go! We won another one! One more to go! We won another one! One more to go!¡±

    Zeng Rui tightly gripped onto his mouse. His heart was mming into his ribcage! We can do it! We can really do it! We¡¯re going to beat Zhejiang University and then win the Winter Collegiate Cup! Just one more game! All we have to do is win one more game against Zhejiang University! This is going to be it! Do or die! Oh shit, I don¡¯t want to screw up! Please let me y like I did in thest two games¡­ Wait, no! I will y like that! Yes, I definitely will! I¡¯m going to carry the botne and help Tang Tang be Legendary! He clenched his fist and smiled. Time to give it my absolute all!

    An Xin and Tang Bingyao nced at each other and smiled. They could read the nerves in each others¡¯ expressions. And then they found their gazes drawn to Lin Feng. An Xin saw the man she wished to y every game with. But she also saw the limited opportunities she had to do the things he loved with him. I need to make the most out of the time I have left! Every game is special! They¡¯re all finals! For me, with him...

    Tang Bingyao saw in Lin Feng a dream. The hope of bing someone bigger than an elo-booster. He¡¯d shown an entirely new world to her, but she was still only standing in the doorway. It was about time she took a step inside. Mhm! I want to y my game! That¡¯s what he first saw and liked! I¡¯ll show him how much I¡¯ve improved! She put her hand in her pocket and felt the cold metal of her Draven keychain press against her skin.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t notice the two girls looking at him. His eyes were locked on his monitor. On AyDeeCee. I never want to lose again! What happened in Season 1¡­ Never. Never! Never! He shook his head. This isn¡¯t a college tournament anymore. I¡¯m not Lin Feng from Team Shanghai. In this game, against AyDeeCee, I¡¯m Maple. This is myeback announcement to him! I¡¯ll show him¡­ I¡¯ll show everyone exactly how good Maple still is! And that I¡¯ll be back to get my redemption! Just wait, Rake. I¡¯ming! He clenched his fist and punched the air, shouting, ¡°YEAH!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Look at that!¡± Silent Reed eximed. She pointed at therge LCD screen that was showing the Champion Select for Game 5 and continued, ¡°We¡¯re getting a good view of Champion Select! We¡¯ve got Team Shanghai on the left side! They¡¯re the Blue team again this game! And on the right side, the Red team, we¡¯ve got Zhejiang University!¡±

    Rollfire nodded and said into his microphone, ¡°We¡¯re in the ban phase right now! Both teams get to ban three Champions. One each turn. Let¡¯s see¡­ Morgana ban! We¡¯ve got the Morgana ban! That must mean no more Master Yi!¡±

    ¡°I think so too!¡± Silent Reed chimed in. She added, ¡°Oh, oh, look! Ahri ban! And now Yasuo! They¡¯re really going all out with thsoe midne bans! Fizz! Veigar? Why would they¡­ And Anivia? Well, that¡¯s five midne bans!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rollfire scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Lenc is open.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh!¡± Silent Reed smiled and shouted, ¡°Zhejiang is really daring here! They¡¯ve left Lenc open! Team Shanghai¡¯s got first pick too! Are we gonna see another Lenc performance from Lin Feng? Pretty please, yes please!¡±

    The friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai were all sitting on the edge of their seats. Liu Yue turned his head to look at the others and said, ¡°That girl caster is right! Lin Feng can pick Lenc! I really wanna see his Lenc again!¡± He then wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°WOOT WOOT! WIN FENG CARRY US!¡±

    Yang Fan adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°The most likely scenario here is Lin Feng locking in Lenc. His Lenc is of a really high quality. He¡¯s shown he can beat AyDeeCee with her too. When he picks her, they¡¯ll have all but secured a win in Game 5. This is the chance to make it to nationals!¡±

    Inside Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Zhang Hao leaned forward to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Shall I pick Lenc for you?¡±

    Lin Feng turned his head to look across the stage at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. He hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head and said, ¡°No need. Pick for anotherne.¡±

    ¡°You can lock in Lee Sin for me,¡± An Xin said.

    Zhang Hao nodded and said, ¡°Ok.¡± He then clicked on Lee Sin¡¯s summoner portrait and locked him in.

    Rollfire¡¯s eyes went wide. He shook his head and mumbled into his microphone, ¡°Lee Sin¡­? Her Lee from Game 2 waspletely underwhelming! Why is she¡­? I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°They must have a good reason!¡± Silent Reed offered. But the confusion slipped into her voice. Why are they doing this? We¡¯ve seen her Lee Sin! Well, today¡¯s. I know she¡¯s good at Lee, I¡¯ve seen it! But¡­ Why today? Your Lee was not great in Game 2 and you were great on the other Champions! Just¡­ She took a deep breath and shook her head. What do I know? She¡¯ll have a ¡ª

    ¡°LEBLANC! IT¡¯S THE LEBLANC PICK!¡± Rollfire shouted. He jumped to his feet and held the microphone close to his lips before continuing, ¡°Zhejiang University has locked in Jungle Elise and MIDLANE LEBLANC! AYDEECEE IS GOING ON LEBLANC!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Silent Reed cried out. She leaned closer to therge LCD screen and added, ¡°AyDeeCee is pulling out all the plugs! He¡¯s taken the Lenc from Lin Feng! Was this their n all along!?¡±

    Most people in the audience were so focused on the possibility of Lin Feng locking in Lenc that they werepletely caught off guard when Zhejiang University locked her in. But a small group of fans jumped to their feet and started screaming and shouting. They were the esports club members from Zhejiang University. Zuo Cheng was at their head. He wrapped his hands around his mouth and yelled, ¡°CAP¡¯S LEBLANC IS THE BEST! THE KID MADE SHI HANG MAD! TEAM SHANGHAI IS GONNA GET WRECKED! MID LANE IS A WIN!¡±

    In Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui stared at his monitor. He felt his eyelid twitching again. That¡¯s AyDeeCee¡¯s Lenc, shit! SHIT! Why didn¡¯t we pick Lenc first!? We should¡¯ve! We¡­ We! ¡­ He sighed and shook his head. We¡¯re risking it all for¡­ What if AyDeeCee beats Lin Feng now!? He turned his head to look at Lin Feng. Huh? His eyes went wide in surprise. Is¡­ Is heughing?

    Lin Feng grinned brightly. So you¡¯re looking to challenge me with your Lenc, eh? Nice try! Want some redemption for Game 3? Fat chance! He turned his head to look across the stage at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. Haha! You¡¯re even¡­ He shook his head and waved, mouthing, ¡°Good luck!¡±

    Shi Hang waved back at Lin Feng, his eyes zing with determination! Your Lenc is great! But don¡¯t think mine is any weaker than yours! I¡¯m just as good, if not better! And I¡¯m going to kick your ass in this game! I can¡¯t let my firstpetitive game in three years be a loss! I have to win this! I¡¯m going to beat you, Maple! He chuckled. Man, that fossil from Fudan is going tough his ass off if I lose this. I really can¡¯t lose this!

    It was Team Shanghai¡¯s turn to choose their second and third Champion. They locked in Irelia for the topne and Blitzcrank in the Support role. Next up was third and fourth pick for Zhejiang University. They went with Tristana and Braum. And finally Team Shanghai got to pick their fourth and fifth Champions to round out their team.

    Tang Bingyao asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Can I¡­ Uhm¡­ Can I y Draven?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Of course you can! I want you to y your mostfortable Champion! I believe in you!¡±

    ¡°YoYo, ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He leaned forward to look past Tang Bingyao at Zeng Rui and continued, ¡°Pick me my Champion! This is the one!¡± He raised his arms to shoulder height, pushed his lips forward and narrowed his eyes. Then he said in the lowest voice he could, ¡°The unseen de is the deadliest!¡±

 Chapter 322: Run Baby, RUUUUUUUUUUN!

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! It is time for Game 5 of the Quarterfinals match between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University at the East China Regionals!¡±

    Game 5 of East China Regional Quarterfinals

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Zhejiang University (Red)Top: Irelia vs. Jarvan IVJungle: Lee Sin vs. EliseMid: Zed vs. LencAd-Carry: Draven vs. TristanaSupport: Blitzcrank vs. Braum

    Rollfire looked at therge LCD screen and said, ¡°That¡¯s quite a bit of attack damage on Team Shanghai. Scratch that. That¡¯s all attack damage! There is no Champion on their team with ability power! That is really risky in a Game 5!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Silent Reed chimed in. She scrunched her eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°I wonder why¡­¡±

    ¡°Pretty straightforward if you ask me,¡± Rollfire replied. He turned his head to look at Silent Reed and lectured, ¡°Full attack damage teams are strong in the early game. They rely on outright beating the opponent! But it also means that when Zhejiang starts buying defensive items, all they need is armour. Lots and lots of armour! They canpletely ignore all magic resist items! That¡¯s a massive advantage!¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°If it gets to thete game, yeah.¡± She then tilted her head, listening to the mumbles and murmurs from the audience. Are they talking about the midne? She nced at therge LCD screen. At the Zed and Lenc summoner portraits. Guess it makes sense. Shi Hang is the former pro. Right! He¡¯s the former pro! She grabbed her microphone and continued, ¡°What about the midne though? Zed versus Lenc! A sh between titans! The best high schooler versus the former pro! They¡¯ve been going toe-to-toe all four games! Do you think Game 5 will be even better!?¡±

    ¡°It might,¡± Rollfire replied calmly. He looked at the two soundproof booths. The thick ss windows gave him a good view of the yers. They all look so calm¡­ I get that Shi Hang looks calm, but¡­ He narrowed his eyes. How is that kid so calm? This feels wrong. It¡¯s like this every time! He looks calm, I say something about him going to lose, and he fucking wins! Every. Single. Time! But not this time! He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Zed is a strong pick against Lenc. Both are high skill Champions! Shi Hang is the former pro and certainly has the skill to pull this off! But¡­¡± He took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°But that kid has been ying fantastic! We can¡¯t write him down.¡±

    ¡°Damn right!¡± Ouyang eximed from his seat in the stands. He waved at the university students around him and continued, ¡°Screw all these guys and their negativity about my bro Lin Feng! What do they know? Yeah yeah, Shi Hang the pro. But we¡¯ve got WIN FENG!¡±

    Yang Fang adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°They¡¯re right, though. I don¡¯t want to say it, but it¡¯s true! Lin Feng is really, really good! But he¡¯s not a professional yer! What experience does he have in a fifth game!? None! But Shi Hang has yed these kinds of series at the highestpetitive level in China! Just that alone¡­ I don¡¯t see how¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, bitch off with your negative vibes!¡± Ouyang eximed. He pointed at therge LCD screen and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s our bro up there ying a former pro! If we lose faith in him, what does he have left? We can¡¯t lose faith in him! We¡¯re gonna cheer him to a win!¡±

    Liu Yue got up to his feet and looked around the stands. Most people were talking with each other in quiet voices about how Shi Hang was going to beat Lin Feng. Broyang is right! Lin Feng needs us now more than ever! He wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°WOOT WOOT! WIN FENG, KICK SOME ASS!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right!¡± Ren Rou said through gritted teeth. She looked at Ouyang and then at the others around her. She continued, ¡°Everyone is saying Shi Hang will win because he¡¯s the former pro! But what do they know? Screw them! Lin Feng is the best yer I know!¡±

    Ren Rou got up to her feet and dragged Yang Fang up with her. She said, ¡°He needs us now more than ever! We¡¯re cheering him on!¡± She then nodded at Liu Yue and shouted, ¡°WIN FENG, KICK SOME ASS!¡±

    Yang Fang adjusted his sses and was about to argue when he felt someone wrap their arm around his shoulders. He turned his head and looked straight at Ouyang¡¯s grinning face. He mumbled, ¡°Uh¡­? Ouyang?¡±

    Ouyang nodded at Yang Fang and shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°WIN FEEEEEENG!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at Lin Feng and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°What can we do to help you out in mid?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He then grinned and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about mid! I¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯ll just kick some ass!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelid started twitching again and he clenched his fists. Thundering dumbass! Don¡¯t worry? DON¡¯T WORRY? Of course I¡¯m going to fucking worry! This is the fifth game! If we win this, we¡¯re moving on to nationals! What do you mean, don¡¯t worry? Screw you! I¡¯m going to worry! I want to win this, dammit! He breathed in deeply, letting the air flow into his lungs and some rity into his mind. It¡¯s ridiculous! You¡¯re ying against one of the best Chinese Miners ever! Where do you get this confidence from? Fuck! How did you even beat him in the first four games¡­? He exhaled loudly through his mouth and looked at his monitor. That¡¯s right. He¡¯s been winning in mid four games in a row now. He is winning! Does that mean¡­ Can I trust him? He bit on his lips and scrunched his eyebrows. He¡¯s an asshole, a thundering dumbass and so many more things! But he¡¯s not a liar. Not so far I know, anyway. And he has been holding his own in mid.

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and smiled. She said, ¡°You sure are confident! This sounds like you don¡¯t need my help! Alright, that settles it! I won¡¯t gank mid this game!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked past Lin Feng at An Xin and shook his head. How can she still make jokes at a time like this? She¡¯s the one¡­ What does she know? Why won¡¯t they tell me? I need to know what is going on! This is ridiculous! How is he winning against a former pro? How is he this confiden¡ª

    ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡± Lin Feng replied, patting his chest. He winked at An Xin and added, ¡°Watch me, I¡¯ll beat him all by myself!¡± He then turned his attention back to his monitor and calmed his breathing down. At the start of this series, I wasn¡¯t sure. But now I am! I can feel it! I¡¯m slowly getting back to my old skill level. I¡¯m past A+ and into the percentage rankings! Only a little more. I¡¯m going to get there! And Shi Hang... He focused on Lenc¡¯s summoner portrait and narrowed his eyes. You¡¯re going down!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Zhejiang University decided to start Game 5 with ane swap. Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana and Braum made their way to the topne, while their Jarvan IV made his way to the botne. Zeng Rui spotted this early when Jarvan IV walked over a ward. He narrowed his eyes and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, they¡¯rene swapping. Come bot after Red. We¡¯re gonna kill that Jarvan IV!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Silent Reed eximed. She stood up from behind the caster desk and said, ¡°LOOK! They¡¯ve gone with ane swap! Zhejiang University initiated thene swap! Why are they doing that? Isn¡¯t Sun Ruinian the better ad-carry? Is he worried that he can¡¯t beat this Draven with his Tristana?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Rollfire replied. He snorted and exined, ¡°Draven is pretty damn strong in the early game, while Tristana is ate game hyper carry. Zhejiang is just looking to help Sun Ruinian get a better start to the game! Nothing weird about thisne swap!¡±

    Back in the game, Tang Bingyao had her Draven run to the botne. She waited for the first minion wave to arrive and then followed behind it intone. Spinning Axes! Her Draven started spinning the axe in his right hand. ¡®Round and ¡®round it went. BunBun ising for a gank. Jarvan IV is gonna be defensive probably. Best y here is to do the normal push. Mhm! Freeze the first two minion waves and then push hard on the third! She smiled and targeted the first minion that was about to die. Draven threw his Spinning Axe! It cleaved into the minion, iming its life, and then ricocheted! Tang Bingyao had her Draven take one step to the side to catch the axe! Mhm! This is it!

    Tang Bingyao settled into a steady rhythm with her Draven. She¡¯d yed this particr towerdive scenario many times before. She knew exactly at how much health each minion could die. It all felt right to her. She smiled,fortable. Worries and other distracting thoughts disappeared. Right now, she was one with Draven. She was spinning the axes in her hands and she was ying the minions!

    Every little aspect of a Champion that normally held Tang Bingyao back as a yer disappeared when she yed Draven. This Champion was her to the core. Everything about ying him just felt right to her. Mhm! This is it! I¡¯m feeling it! She nced at the minimap. BunBun is taking the Red Buff. Just a bit more... She¡¯s timing it well! I¡¯ll have the wave ready when she gets here and Jarvan IV should be in thene by then as well!

    ?

    Lin Feng was in a state of absolute focus. He knew there was no hiding in the Zed versus Lenc match-up. It was one of pure skill. People online liked to argue that one was better than the other, but their arguments only held up in lower elo matches. At the top of thepetitive scene, Zed and Lenc were equally strong Champions that were equally hard to master. I¡¯m gonna be better than Hermes¡¯ Zed and Shi Hang is gonna be worse than Rake¡¯s Lenc! This game is gonna be fun!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc moved forward tost hit a minion. She waved her staff and fired the auto attack. Animation cancel! Lenc transitioned into the start of the animation for Sigil of Malice! The skill mmed into Lin Feng¡¯s Zed, dealing magic damage and cing a sigil on him! But right then a Razor Shuriken flew at her and cut sharply into her health bar!

    ¡°Dammit! Still too slow¡­¡± Shi Hang mumbled. Maple is too good for a trick like this. He grinned. That was to be expected though.

    Lenc was Lin Feng¡¯s signature Champion. He knew her better than almost everyone elsebined! One key bit of information was the range on Lenc¡¯s Sigil of Malice. It was rtively short. So when she wanted to use it in the early game, she had to walk forward. Lin Feng had used this knowledge to spot Shi Hang¡¯s intention to cast it! He also knew that Zed¡¯s Razor Shuriken was just as powerful at Level 1. So he¡¯d made the decision to trade blow for blow.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. This is all nothing new for you, Shi Hang! You know all of this! Just a bit of poke here and a bit of poke there. We keep poking and then when we hit Level 2, that is when it really starts! A few more minions and we¡¯re there. I¡¯ll jump on you! Watch me!

    ?

    ¡°Zed¡¯s going in at Level 2,¡± Qiu Yijie said. He looked at his teammates from Fudan University and continued, ¡°He¡¯s got the stronger Level 2 and this kid from Team Shanghai doesn¡¯t look scared one bit.¡±

    Fudan¡¯s Jungler nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, most likely. Zed¡¯s Level 2bo deals more damage than Lenc¡¯s. But he needs to get the jump on Shi Hang to pull that off!¡±

    ¡°You think that kid can¡¯t get the jump on Shi Hang?¡± Qiu Yijie asked. He nced at his Jungler and shook his head before continuing, ¡°Have you been watching this series? That kid has been getting the jump on Shi Hang four games in a row now! Just watch. At Level 2 he¡¯s going to dash forward with Living Shadow and then throw a double Razor Shuriken! Lenc will have to Distort away and he wins the trade.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Fudan¡¯s Support asked.

    ¡°Then Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc is forced to take an early deficit,¡± Qiu Yijie replied. He shook his head and added, ¡°But that¡¯s just Level 2. When they hit Level 3, the entire dynamic of the matchup changes agai¨C¡±

    ¡°YoYo!¡± Fudan¡¯s Jungler interrupted. He pointed at therge LCD screen and shouted, ¡°Look!¡±

    Qiu Yijie followed his Jungler¡¯s arm to the minimap. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Looks like Zhejiang University is expecting the Level 2 engage from Zed.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was one minion away from hitting Level 2. Shi Hang¡¯s gotta back away now, or I¡¯ll kill him! He¡¯s¡­ He narrowed his eyes. Shi Hang is greedy for hitting Level 2 as well! That minion is it for him! I¡¯ll punish him right away! He paused for a brief moment, giving Shi Hang the time to run towards the minion andst hit it. He then grinned and clicked on the minion in front of him. His Zed shed out and a radiance blossomed out around him! Level 2!

    Lin Feng learned the W skill Living Shadow and cast it! Zed projected a Living Shadow of himself a short distance in front of him! He followed up with Razor Shuriken! Both the shadow and Zed himself threw shurikens that sliced through Lenc! Zed then swapped ces with his Living Shadow and auto attacked Lenc with his sharp de!

    Lenc¡¯s health dropped all the way down to below half! Lin Feng¡¯s finger hovered over the D key. Now you¡¯re going to Distor¨C Why isn¡¯t he¡­? He nced at the minimap and noticed that Braum was missing in the topne. His eyes went wide. SHIT! A TRAP! Right then, Lenc attacked his Zed with a Sigil of Malice!

    Lin Feng flicked his mouse and pressed the D key! A mottled radiance wrapped around Zed and carried him a short distance away from Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc! Behind him, Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains chased after him. But the sh bought him enough distance. Shit, that was lucky! If he¡¯d learned Distortion¡­ If I¡­ Focus! You¡¯re not out yet!

    Zhejiang¡¯s Braum came running out of the brush above the midne, with Elise right behind him. He dashed at a minion with Stand Behind Me, and followed up with Winter¡¯s Bite! He propelled freezing ice from his shield at Lin Feng¡¯s Zed!

    Lin Feng pressed down on the S key! His Zed stopped all movements! The freezing ice from Winter¡¯s Bite shot past right in front of him! But this slight pause gave Elise the time she needed to catch up! She got in range when Zed started running again and cast Cocoon! A web of silk shot from her fingers at Zed!

    Lin Feng pressed on the S key again! His Zed stopped all movements! The Cocoon flew past right in front of him! Pff! He clicked next to his outer tower! Zed started running again. Will they give up? He nced behind him. And sighed. Shi Hang is focusing on the minions again. Gank is over. He shook his head and breathed out loudly through his mouth. That was so close.

    ¡°WOOOOOOO! SICK DODGE!¡±¡°How the hell did he get away there¡­?¡±¡°DOUBLE DODGE!¡±¡°They both fell for the same trick¡­ Shit that was clean!¡±¡°In-fucking-saaaaaaaaane!¡±¡°So brutal! I bet Zhejiang is sooooo pissed right now! Hahaha!¡±

    Ouyang stared at therge LCD screen, dazed. He mumbled, ¡°H-he got away? He got a-away¡­?¡±

    Liu Yue turned his head to look at Ouyang, dazed. Then his eyes went wide. He grabbed Ouyang by the shoulders and shouted, ¡°He got away! Lin Feng got out! What a y!¡±

    Ouyang looked at Liu Yue and his mouth fell open. Lin Feng did get away! He did! Oh my god! He wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°Dirty fucking strat, Win Feng!¡±

 Chapter 323: DRAVENâ€™S AXES HUNGER FOR BLOOD!

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He stared at his monitor and shook his head. Should¡¯ve seen thating! I should¡¯ve! Braum was gone from top! He was either farming Jungle with Elise or ganking with Elise! How can I be this stupid!? Dammit! That was almost a big mistake! He breathed in deeply, allowing the air to fill his lungs. I didn¡¯t even see the Ethereal Chainsing¡­ That was luck. I shed away because of the gank. That¡¯s the only reason I dodged those chains. They were fucking perfect! He exhaled loudly through his mouth. Fuck me!

    Across the stage in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang grinned and shook his head. So close! Almost had you there, Maple! You would¡¯ve been in for a miserable time if I got first blood there! He chuckled and focused back on his monitor. He had his Lencst hit a minion, nodding. Gotta say, your reaction speed there¡­ How was it that fast? You dodged a point nk E! Those chains should¡¯ve been impossible to dodge! Was there something else¡­ He chewed on his lips. That was either luck or you¡¯re much, much closer to the old Maple than you made me believe in the previous couple of games!

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes. I can¡¯t risk it. I have to assume this is his real skill. He nodded at his Jungler and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Make a circle ande back mid, Elise. We¡¯re going for another gank. We have to shut Ma¨CWe have to shut the Zed down.¡±

    Sun Ruinian turned his head to look at Shi Hang and raised an eyebrow. Ma? Ma-what? Maverick? Shit, I can¡¯t get distracted now! He focused back on the game in front of me, chewing on his lips. Ma¡­ Ma¡­ Master? Heh! Nah.

    ?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven was together in the botne with Zeng Rui¡¯s Blitzcrank. Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV still hadn¡¯t shown himself. This was a typical approach in ane swap. The solo Champion would farm in the Jungle and wait for the minion wave to copse into his tower. Which was about to happen very soon.

    The third minion wave arrived in the botne. This wave was different. The third wave was led by a cannon minion! They were stronger units that also gave more experience and gold when killed! Tang Bingyao changed her approach. Instead of onlyst hitting, she had her Draven throw his Spinning Axes constantly until all Red minions were dead!

    Arge Blue minion wave marched towards Red team¡¯s outer tower! Zhejiang University¡¯s Jarvan IV had been waiting for this moment. He¡¯d started the game by helping his Jungler and then he went on to kill the Gromp Camp in the Jungle. Therge frog took arge bite of his health bar. So while waiting for the minion wave toe, he¡¯d sat in the tri-brush behind his tower waiting. Now he walked to his tower and started soaking up the experience, still careful to stay back. He was up against a Blitzcrank. One hook could kill him.

    Zeng Rui frowned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°He¡¯s ying this really safe.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. But if we get him¡­ Mhm! She nced at Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°Can you get him with a sh-hook?¡±

    Zeng Rui turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao and opened his eyes wide. He replied, ¡°I can. You sure you can do this?¡±

    ¡°MY AXES HUNGER FOR BLOOD!¡± Tang Bingyao screamed back.

    The unexpected enthusiasm from Tang Bingyao made Zeng Rui nce at her for a second. Then he looked back at his screen and observed the Jarvan IV¡¯s movements. He finally said, ¡°Alright.¡± He then flicked his mouse, pressed down on the D key, flicked his mouse again and finally mmed down on the Q key! A mottled sh of light carried his Blitzcrank a short distance to the side, creating a gap between the Red minions through which he could hit Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV. Blitzcrank raised his arm and fired! His fist shot out and grabbed onto Jarvan IV, then pulled him back!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven hurled a Spinning Axe at Jarvan IV! Its sharp edges cut into Jarvan IV and then ricocheted! She moved to the side and threw a second Spinning Axe while catching the first!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Blitzcrank redirected all the excess energy body towards its fist, overcharging it! Jarvan IVnded in front of him and he punched Jarvan IV! The bolt of electricity shook Jarvan IV and knocked him up into the air!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Toner cursed, ¡°FuckFuckFuck, fuck me!¡± He hammered his fist down on his keyboard, trying everything he could to get away. His team had given him one job going into this game. To not give Draven any kills. Yet right now, another Spinning Axe cut arge slice out of his health bar! FLASH! JUMP! DASH! ANYTHING! His Jarvan IVnded back on the ground with less than half of his health remaining. He shed away and then threw down his Demacian Standard in front of him! Dragon Strike! He stabbed at his standard with hisnce to pull himself towards it!

    Tang Bingyao smiled and pushed down on her E key¨CStand Aside! Her Draven raised both axes above his shoulders and then threw them at a curved angle! They flew straight at Jarvan IV and knocked him out of his g-tossbo mid dash!

    ¡°OH MY GOOOOOOD!¡± Silent Reed cried out. She jumped up to her feet and grabbed the microphone. She then screamed, ¡°A PERFECT STAND ASIDE BY DRAVEN! FIRST BLOOD! THIS HAS TO BE IT!¡±

    An Xin said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice one!¡± Her Lee Sin then appeared from behind Red team¡¯s outer tower. She engaged Jarvan IV with Sonic Wave! Lee Sin fired a discordant sound wave and located Jarvan IV¡¯s exact location. He followed up with Resonant Strike, dashing at Jarvan IV! And finally, she dashed at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven with Safeguard!

    Tang Bingyao nced at An Xin before quickly turning her focus back to her screen. She¡¯s giving it to me! She nodded and ran into the Red outer tower¡¯s range. Jarvan IV had one more bar of health. One auto attack was going to do it. She ignored the energy shot that came flying her way and hurled the final Spinning Axe!

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°FIIIIIRST BLOOOOOOOOOD!¡±¡°LEAGUE OF DRAAAAAAVEN!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! TANG TANG IS THE BEST!¡±¡°HOLY SHIT! They actually got first blood!¡±¡°THEY¡¯RE DOING IT! THEY¡¯RE KNOCKING OUT ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY!¡±

    ?

    At five minutes, Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise had made her circle and found herself back in the river brush right above the midne. She looked at thene while waiting for Shi Hang to give her the go ahead. Lenc and Zed were fighting in the middle of thene, exchanging blows perfectly betweenst hitting minions. Somehow, they were both the yers with the highest creep score on their respective teams. How are they doing this? That Draven is practically getting free farm in the botne and still they¡¯re both ahead of Dra¡ª

    Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc jumped at Lin Feng¡¯s Zed! Magic gathered at her feet and when shended, it sshed all around her! She followed up with Ethereal Chains! They fired at Zed and wrapped around him! Alright, alright¡­ Shi Hang watched his screen,ser focused. His finger hovered over the D key. Where are you shing to, Maple? He narrowed his eyes when the mottled sh of light appeared. THERE! He pressed down on the D key! The same mottled sh of light now wrapped around his Lenc and carried her after Zed!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide. He shouted, ¡°Shit! He got me!¡± The unquenchable mes from Ignite started burning on his Zed¡¯s skin. Elise then ran out from the brush above the midne. The secondary effect from Ethereal Chains activated and rooted him. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc fired a Sigil of Malice at him!

    The root from Ethereal Chains didn¡¯tst long, but it was enough for Zhejiang¡¯s Elise to catch up and fire an easy Cocoon. The web of silk wrapped tightly around Lin Feng¡¯s Zed and kept him in ce while Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc finished him off with a few more auto attacks!

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Huh, interesting¡­ Lin Feng watched the colours of his screen fade away to different shades of grey. He moved his lips around and nced across the stage at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. Are you really nning to camp me this game? Is that how you think you¡¯re going to win this series? That¡¯s an interesting twist. He grinned. Bring it!

    ?

    The caster desk was ced on a raised tform. Rollfire sat behind it, watching the game on therge LCD screen just like everyone else. Nice kill, AyDeeCee! He grinned and said into his microphone, ¡°That kill just now by Shi Hang was crucial! They sacrificed a lot to get an early advantage and now it looks like it might pay off!¡±

    Silent Reed shook her head and argued, ¡°You¡¯re missing what¡¯s happened in the botne. And what¡¯s happening in the topne. The three man gank bot got the Draven rolling. And over up in top, that Irelia noticed very quickly that Braum was missing. She¡¯s been pushing thene and farming minions! The difference between the Draven and Tristana and the Irelia and Jarvan IV is in both cases falling in Team Shanghai¡¯s favour.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Rollfire replied. He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see if the focus on mid is worth it. But it¡¯s clear Zhejiang is giving up a lot to help Shi Hang get ahead. Which is kind of strange by the way. Since when does the former pro need help to beat a high school kid?¡±

    ¡°Told you he was good,¡± Silent Reed said, smiling.

    ?

    Zeng Rui panned his camera to the midne. He said he¡¯d¡­ Thundering dumbass! He gritted his teeth and clicked on the topne on his minimap. Braum is there helping Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana push thene. Zhang Hao¡¯s got no vision a bit further down the river either¡­ Shit, this might be¡­ He warned over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zhang Hao, Elise might being to towerdive you. There¡¯s no vision on the tri-brush behind you!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Zhang Hao replied. He had his Irelia retreat under her outer tower and gauged the reaction from Zhejiang University¡¯s Braum and Tristana. When they didn¡¯t charge right after him, he ran into the tri-brush to face-check it! It was empty. Elise wasn¡¯t there. Heh! That was lucky! Heughed and said, ¡°We¡¯re all good here!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and turned his attention back towards the midne. He said not to worry. But that was before they started camping him! Elise has only shown herself mid and Braum has spent more time helping Shi Hang than Sun Ruinian! He¡¯s getting camped hard! Maybe¡­ He shook his head. He¡¯ll just say the sa¡ª

    ¡°I remember someone saying they¡¯d be fine in the midne?¡± An Xin asked over the team¡¯s voice chat. She nced at Lin Feng and smiled before adding, ¡°Looks like someone was talking big. Need some help after all? If you ask me really, really nicely, I might just find an opening toe and help.¡±

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at An Xin and narrowed his eyes. Heined, ¡°That didn¡¯t count! This isn¡¯t my fault! Who knew Shi Hang was going to y dirty? They¡¯re camping the crap out of me! And I¡¯m still doing great! They¡¯re wasting so much time here and getting almost nothing!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± An Xin asked. She raised an eyebrow and concluded, ¡°Guess I really won¡¯t help you out then. You can fix that mess you made all on your own!¡±

    Vibrant greens and blue returned to Lin Feng¡¯s screen. He patted his chest and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t worry about mid! I said I¡¯ll handle it, so I¡¯m handling it!¡± He then grabbed his mouse with one hand and ced his other hand on the keyboard. Alright, let¡¯s get on with this!

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°If you say so. I¡¯m eagerly looking forward to it!¡±

    Zeng Rui frowned and interjected, ¡°You should gank mid at least once. We don¡¯t want Lenc to get fed.¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± An Xin replied curtly. She shook her head and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll help the other twones get ahead.¡± She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and winked before adding, ¡°Besides, he said he¡¯s fine. I trust him.¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc hit Level 3. With her three main skills unlocked, she had nothing to fear from Zed anymore. On top of that, she was also a kill ahead. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc started to throw her weight around, pressuring Lin Feng¡¯s Zed so far back that he started to miss out on somest hits. Hehe! This is the least I should do. If I couldn¡¯t even do this, all my old friends wouldugh their asses off! But he is ying awfully defensive. I thought at least he was going to put up some kind of resistance¡­ He scrunched his eyebrows and tilted his head. Is he that scared of another gank? He grinned. Good. He should be!

    Lin Feng looked from the midne down to the minimap and up to the midne again. He then moved the camera around the midne, searching for any signs of an iing gank. All the while, he was also trying to push back against Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc so that he could getst hits on the minions. Everythingbined proved too much. He took several Sigil of Malice into Distortionbos from Lenc and at 6 minutes, his health was so low that he was forced to recall back to base. He lost an entire wave worth of gold and experience.

    ¡°Well, that settles it! Lenc is hitting Level 6 first!¡± Rollfire remarked. He shifted in his seat and smiled. Good! That¡¯s gonna be another kill for Shi Hang! He¡¯ll carry this game! GoGoGo! He grabbed the microphone from its stand on the caster desk and moved it close to his lips. He then said, ¡°Shi Hang is far in the lead in mid now. And if Elisees around for another gank, we might just witness the end of Zed this game!¡±

    ¡°SHE IS!¡± Silent Reed cried out, pointing at therge LCD screen. Zhejiang¡¯s Elise was making her way through the river and trying to find an angle to gank Lin Feng¡¯s Zed from. But she passed by a ward and got spotted.

    Rollfire shook his head and said, ¡°That was unfortunate for Zhejiang. If that ward wasn¡¯t there, that Zed would¡¯ve never seen this ganking! He saved himself by cing that ward a bit earlier! But that still means that he¡¯s losing out on even more gold and experience! He¡¯s just going to continue falling further and further behind with the way this game is going!¡±

    ¡°Screw you, Dickfire!¡± Ouyang shouted from the stands. He red at the male caster and continued, ¡°That Zed is my best bro! I¡¯ll tell you that he won¡¯t fall behind! He¡¯s gonna kick AyDeeCee¡¯s ass right when that Elise stops camping the ever living hell out of the midne!¡±

    Yang Fang adjusted his sses and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ouyang. I understand your frustration, but the caster is right. Lin Feng is falling behind. And those ganks, fair or not, are making it harder and harder for him to catch up. Just a bit more and that Lenc gets so far ahead that she¡¯ll snowball the game. I hope BunBun can go mid for a gank soon. She¡¯ll know how to turn midne into a winningne!¡±

    ?

    Zhejiang University had put an end to thene swap. Sun Ruinian and his Support went to the botne, while Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV went to the topne. He arrived there 7 minutes in. He pushed up into thene andst hit a low health minion.

    Zhang Hao raised his eyebrows andughed. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°He didn¡¯t even try to ward¡­? Okay.¡± He then dashed at Jarvan IV with desurge and stunned him with Equilibrium Strike!

    ¡°We¡¯ll just get him now,¡± An Xin replied. She had her Lee Sin run out from the tri-brush below the Red team¡¯s outer tower and dashed at Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia. She followed up with Tempest! Her Lee Sin mmed his t palm on the ground, sending a wave of energy through the ground and up Jarvan IV¡¯s feet! When it invaded his body, An Xin detonated it with Cripple!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia was a level up on Jarvan IV, as was An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin. Together, they dealt a ton of damage to the Jarvan IV who hadn¡¯t gotten any gold from the botne. Before the stun from Equilibrium Strike wore off, Irelia¡¯s de imed Jarvan IV¡¯s life.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Sorry, guys,¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Toner mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat. He stared at the grey colours on his screen and gritted his teeth. I¡¯m getting camped so fucking hard here! This is such an unfair game! Can¡¯t they just let me get some farm in!?

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise pinged on the midne and said, ¡°Shi Hang! I¡¯ming mid for another gank!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Shi Hang replied. Hest hit one more minion and then retreated to ce some wards in the river brushes below and above thene. He won¡¯t see thising. I think¡­ He panned his camera and watched Lin Feng¡¯s Zed push the minion wave back from under his tower. Yeah, he doesn¡¯t see iting.

    Shi Hang took his time to ce his wards in just the right location, giving Lin Feng a couple extra seconds to push the wave. Hehe! He just keeps pushing! Is he going to push it all the way to my outer tower? He waited a few more seconds, until he couldn¡¯t justify being away any longer, then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°In we go!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was in the middle of the midne. Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise appeared from the river brush beneath thene and ran straight at him! And Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc came at him from the opposite side! Shi Hang grinned, his fingers gliding over his keyboard! W! Q! R! E!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc jumped towards Lin Feng¡¯s Zed with Distortion! Magic energy gathered around her feet and sshed out around her when shended! She followed up with Sigil of Malice and Mimic: Sigil of Malice! The second sigil detonated the first and tore through Zed¡¯s health bar! And finally, she fired the Ethereal Chains at Lin Feng¡¯s Zed!

    Lin Feng grinned. His finger was resting on the R key. He gently pressed down. Death Mark! His Zed ced down a Living Shadow and then disappeared. The Ethereal Chains shot through the Living Shadow but couldn¡¯ttch onto it. Four blood red shadows suddenly materialized around Lenc! They dashed at her and ced the Death Mark on her!

    ¡°OH MY GOD! IT¡¯S THE TURN AROUND! HE¡¯S GOING FOR THE TURNAROUND!¡±¡°I KNEW HE SAW IT COMING! I KNEW IT!¡±¡°HOOOOOOOLY SHIT! WHAT A LEGEND!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT! WIN FENG STOMPS THE PRO!¡±

 Chapter 324: Breaking Spider Ankles with the Ninja Jukes

    Rollfire stared at therge LCD screen showing Game 5 between Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University. He watched Lin Feng¡¯s Zed counter Lenc¡¯s ultimate with Death Mark. His eyes grew wider and his mouth slowly fell open. H-how¡­? The cheering crowd around him sounded muffled, distant. His heart mmed into his ribcage. He¡­ He¡ª

    ¡°IT¡¯S THE TURNTABLES!¡± Silent Reed cried out. She grabbed her microphone and shouted into it, ¡°ZED WITH THE TURNTABLES!¡±

    Four blood red shadows, each with Zed¡¯s distinct features, had jumped into existence around Lenc! Then they dashed at her! Their shadow des stabbed into her and connected at the heart! The connection drew them all into the center as they became a crimson mark wrapped around Lenc¡¯s heart! Death Mark!

    Death Mark was Zed¡¯s most important skill. It read the damage Zed dealt to the target over the next three seconds and imitated that for a portion of the damage! Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. Lenc had cast Distortion to jump on him. There was a magic circle at the ce she jumped from. Living Shadow! Zed stabbed in the direction of the magic circle! Shadows erupted from his skin and shot forward! They gathered into a dark mass, imitating Zed¡¯s distinct features!

    There were two Living Shadows on the map, one at the location where Lin Feng had cast Death Mark from and the other being the one he¡¯d just created. They both perfectly imitated Zed¡¯s moves! Lin Feng had his Zeds throw Razor Shurikens at Lenc! The sharp edges of the (shadow) weapons cut through Lenc and sheared away at her health! He followed up with Ignite! Unquenchable mes zed into existence on her skin and started burning her health away!

    Shi Hang gritted his teeth and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get him!¡± He then mmed down on his W key! Lenc reactivated Distortion and reappeared on the location she¡¯d first cast the skill from!

    Lin Feng¡¯s fingers glided over the keyboard in practiced motion. He pushed down on the W key for the second activation of Living Shadow! Zed traveled through the shadows and took his Living Shadow¡¯s ce! He followed up with Shadow sh! Zed swept out around him and unleashed a burst of shadow that damaged Lenc! Then he struck at her with an auto attack!

    FuckFuckFuck! Shi Hang squinched his eyes and cast sh! A mottled radiance of light wrapped around his Lenc and carried her a short distance towards her outer tower! Behind him, he saw Zhejiang¡¯s Elise finally making her way around the minions to get a clean shot at Zed. Cocoon already! Root him! ROOT HIM!

    Lin Feng held onto his sh for a brief second. Just long enough for Elise to cast Cocoon. When he saw her start the animation for the skill, he pushed down on the D key! A veil of light shrouded Zed and carried him towards Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc! The Cocoon missed! The outer tower locked onto Lin Feng¡¯s Zed and fired an energy shot! Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc waved her staff and struck him with an auto attack! And he countered with an auto attack of his own before he suddenly disappeared.

    Shi Hang closed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Shi Hang opened his eyes again and saw his screen turn a deathly grey. The Death Mark had detonated and killed him. He panned his camera all the way across the midne towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower, where Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was. We didn¡¯t even get him¡­ The tower was hitting him, Elise would¡¯ve killed him¡­ Should¡¯ve hit her Cocoon! He pursed his lips and shook his head. But Death Mark ces a Living Shadow at the location where the skill is cast. That¡¯s why he could jump on me like that. He always had an out. Elise should¡¯ve been waiting for him there. She shouldn¡¯t have tried to chase him under our tower after she missed her Cocoon. He just jumped away. Rip!

    ¡°FUCKING NINJA REFLEXES!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°YOU GO KID! YOU FUCKING GO!¡±¡°OH MY GAAAAAAWD!¡±¡°Did he just¡­? YEAH HE FUCKING DID! WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°HOLY EFFIN¡¯ SHIT! What was that!?¡±

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University sat at the front of the venue. The cheers behind him mmed against the back of his head, but he was deaf to them. He stared at therge LCD screen and shook his head. He just shook his head, incredulous, and muttered, ¡°What the, what the, what the¡­¡±

    ¡°WHAT A KILL!¡± Fudan University¡¯s Jungle eximed. He patted Qiu Yijie on the shoulder and continued, ¡°You see that? Dayum! Now that¡¯s a real Zed if you ever seen one!¡±

    A yer from one of the other teams turned his head to look at Fudan University¡¯s Jungler and chimed in, ¡°I know right!? Who ever said Lenc is better than Zed? They haven¡¯t watched this game! Zed is the strongest! Oh my god that was so clutch!¡±

    ¡°Hard agree!¡± Fudan University¡¯s Jungler replied,ughing. He looked back at therge LCD screen and sighed loudly. He finally said, ¡°Zed got camped so hard! Zhejiang did everything to keep him down! But look at him now! He just got the kill WHILE GETTING GANKED! What a fuckin¡¯ boss!¡±

    In a different section of the stands, the club members from Zhejiang University were sitting inplete and absolute silence. They were staring at their team¡¯s soundproof booth, shocked. In the previous four games, there were reasons and exnations why Shi Hang wasn¡¯t hard-carrying the midne. But not this game. Zhejiang University had spent a ton of their early game resources to shut down Zed. They¡¯d let their othernes fall behind just to keep Zed down! Yet right now, Zed didn¡¯t just survive thene, he was winning it 1 versus 2!

    Zuo Cheng was Shi Hang¡¯s number one fan. He became a Miner purely because he wanted to be like Shi Hang. He attended Zhejiang University just to have a chance to meet his idol! In his mind, there wasn¡¯t a single yer in all of League of Legends who was better than Shi ¡®AyDeeCee¡¯ Hang! Until now. He grimaced. How good is that kid!? How is he¡­ He took a deep, long breath. He¡¯s winning. That kid is actually beating Shi Hang from behind! How is this even possible? Who is this kid!? What the fuck!

    Back in Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang bit on his lips. Our gank was good. You don¡¯t just dodge that! The Elise Cocoon, the sh, the¡­ The amount of skill you need to stay calm and calcte all of those eventualities is insane! There is practically no one who can¡­ He grinned and shook his head. Then he looked across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. That¡¯s right. Almost no one. But I¡¯m not ying against just anyone. I¡¯m ying against the genius wonderkid himself! And he¡¯s getting better way too quickly this series! I¡¯m the damn stepping stone all over again! He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. I¡¯m getting exactly what I asked for! I wanted to wee him back to the scene, and what better way than to get my ass handed to me by him? This is, this is exactly as it should be! He suddenly narrowed his eyes and focused back on his screen. But just like four years ago, I¡¯m going to fight for every inch!

    ?

    At 9 minutes, Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise made her way to the topne. Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV and Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia were fighting in the middle of thene. Elise charged into thene from the river brush and cast Cocoon! A web of silk flew towards Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia! But he dashed at a minion with desurge and dodged it! Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV expected this. He dashed at Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia with a g-tossbo and knocked him up into the air!

    Irelia was knocked up into the air, auto attack and skill shots mming into her! Zhang Hao bit on his lips and judged the distance to his outer tower. I can make it! I have to! I can¡¯t let the team down now! He nced at the minimap and saw An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin running up the river. I just need to stall this a little longer! His Irelianded back on the ground. FLASH! A veil of light carried Irelia a short distance towards her outer tower!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise and Jarvan IV charged after Irelia! All the way across thene and under Blue team¡¯s outer tower! Elise entered its range first and took aggro. An energy shot smashed into her! But together with Jarvan IV, she dealt enough damage. Irelia was down to thest few percentages. Elise suddenly transformed into a menacing red and ck spider! Venomous Bite! She lunged at Irelia and sunk her teeth into Irelia¡¯s skin!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Right when the kill announcement rang out, Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler mmed down on the E key¨CRappel! His Elise ascended into the air and became untargetable! She then locked onto a minion that was out of tower range and descended on it!

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it! ZHEJIANG! WOOOOO!¡±¡°Nice gank!¡±¡°Sweeeeeeet!¡±¡°WE¡¯RE WINNING THIS! WE ARE! REALLY!¡±

    Rollfire smiled and said into his microphone, ¡°You can tell Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler is a top level Elise! He calcted that perfectly! He knew he had the damage to get the kill and the health to survi¡ª¡±

    ¡°LEE! LEE!¡± Silent Reed interrupted.

    Back in the game, An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin ran into the topne through the river entrance. Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise was already a good bit into thene, running towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV was following right behind her.

    An Xin smiled and mumbled, ¡°You two ain¡¯t getting away!¡± She had her Lee Sin dash at a Blue minion with Safeguard! Elise was to her right and Jarvan IV to her left. She followed up with Sonic Wave! A discordant wave of sound mmed into Jarvan IV and located him! She then briefly waited, just long enough for Jarvan IV to run past her.

    Dragon¡¯s Rage! An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin hit Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV with a powerful roundhouse kick! The force knocked him off his feet and sent him flying away! He soared through the air and mmed into Zhejiang¡¯s Elise! The collision decimated what little remained of Elise¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    An Xin activated the second half of her Q skill! Lee Sin dashed at Jarvan IV with Resonating Strike! He followed up by mming his open palm on the ground! A wave of energy swept across the ground and up Jarvan IV¡¯s feet! Lee Sin then made a fist and set the energy off! Cripple! Jarvan IV¡¯s movement speed dropped sharply! An Xin smiled. D-d-d-double! She right clicked on Jarvan IV. Her Lee Sin clenched his fist and punched!

    ¡¶Double Kill!!¡·

    ¡°M-M-M-MADNESS!¡±¡°WOOT WOOT!¡±¡°HOLY SHIT! SHE GOT THE DOUBLE! SHE GOT THE DOUBLE!¡±

    Silent Reed looked at the audience losing it. They were up on their feet, yelling and screaming. She balled her hand into a fist and smiled. Every y that goes against Zhejiang is a good y, if only to shut dickfire up! She grabbed the microphone and shouted into it, ¡°So, so beautiful! Lee Sin is looking for redemption for Game 2, AND SHE IS FINDING IT! Team Shanghai is on top right now and Lee Sin has got a big, fat sack of gold!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Rollfire mumbled. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. How is this possible? Is this still the same yer from Game 2? Her Lee Sin sucked balls in Game 2! Why is she suddenly making all these shy ys? This can¡¯t be real! It can¡¯t be! The Shanghai Stupid Organization must be behind this! They have to be! She can¡¯t improve this much in a single series! And she¡¯s just a girl from high school! She¡¯s way too young to be this good at the game! FUCK ME!

    Back in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, An Xin looked at her monitor and grimaced. She had her Lee Sin push the wave to copse into Red team¡¯s outer tower and then recalled back to base. Guess I can y at my normal level. All it takes is double the prescribed dosage of meds. That¡¯s not so bad, is it? She bit on her lips and shook her head. Yes it is. I¡¯m taking medicine in amounts I shouldn¡¯t take them in to get a short burst of energy! That¡¯s not right! I need to, I need to¡­ She nced at Lin Feng, who wasser focused on his screen, and breathed out loudly. I need to be at my best so I can y with him.

    ?

    At 11 minutes, Zeng Rui¡¯s Blitzcrank recalled back to base. Zhejiang¡¯s Braum retreated back to his outer tower and pretended to do the same as Blitzcrank, leaving the two ad-carries to continue their contest for the highest creep score. But Braum didn¡¯t recall back to base. He ran through his team¡¯s Jungle, following the path Zhejiang¡¯s Elise had set out for him, and met up with her in Blue team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. They were right behind Blue team¡¯s outer tower in the midne.

    Shi Hang looked at his minimap and saw that his Jungler and Support were in position. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Here we go. Remember, damage!¡± He then had his Lenc push the wave he¡¯d been building up into Blue team¡¯s outer tower!

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. Again? He lightly pressed down on the R key, ready to dodge the crowd control skills that were going toe his way. And as he expected, Lenc jumped on him with Distortion! The ssh damage cut into his health bar! But he waited, patient. Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains followed soon after. He pressed down on the R key! Zed disappeared and four blood red shadows dashed at Lenc from all sides!

    ¡°Now!¡± Shi Hang shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat! He then pressed down on his own R key. Mimic: Ethereal Chains! A second set of chains shot from Lenc and struck Lin Feng¡¯s Zed! They wrapped around him and slowed him!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise and Braum charged at Lin Feng¡¯s Zed and attacked him with all their abilities! Every extra second he lived there were another dozen ways in which he could outy them, so they didn¡¯t bother with crowd control. All they worried about was dealing enough damage! They fired every skill they had at him! Zed¡¯s health bar evaporated!

    Lin Feng gritted his teeth and mumbled, ¡°Dammit, not again!¡±

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°So unfair, so unfair!¡± Lin Fengined as he watched his screen turn different shades of grey. He continued, ¡°Shi Hang knows he can¡¯t beat me, so he keeps having his goons gang up on me! It¡¯s so unfair!¡±

    An Xin giggled and teased, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to handle mid by yourself? I seem to recall you saying that you didn¡¯t want any help! It¡¯s a littlete to startining now!¡± She then nced at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take their top tower while they¡¯re mid.¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied, ¡°Okay!¡± He then had his Irelia push the minion wave into Zhejiang University¡¯s top outer tower. Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV retreated straight away, sticking to the defensive ystyle he¡¯d adhered to all game. An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin showed up a few secondster, and together the two of them destroyed the first tower of the game.

    ¡¶Your team has destroyed a turret.¡·

    ¡°Then again,¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat, rubbing his chin. ¡°I guess we did get a tower because of my death! That¡¯s basically my tower! I¡¯d say I did a great job there! That was a good trade!¡±

    ¡¶Your turret¡­ has been destroyed.¡·

    ¡°Or not,¡± An Xin replied. She shook her head and continued, ¡°If you¡¯d just backed in time. You know¡­¡± She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and winked, smiling.

    ?

    Shi Hang grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Great work, guys. Kill plus a tower for a tower. That Lee is strong right now and we¡¯re still a bit behind, but we¡¯re catching up quick.¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Junglerughed and said, ¡°With your Lenc, we¡¯re gonna win this one easy! You¡¯re up two kills!¡±

    Shi Hang nodded and rolled his shoulders, rxed. Good. Closing the gap. We just need to kill Zed a few more times and they¡¯llpletely lose their early game advantage! By the time they catch up again, we¡¯ll be Level 18 with full items! We¡¯ll have had the time to buy armour to counter their full attack damage team. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re getting back into this by then! Just a few more minutes of focus on the mid¡ª

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    ¡°What?¡± Shi Hang blurted. He nced at the list of Champions and saw Tristana¡¯s name greyed out. His eyes went wide and he quickly panned his camera to look at the botne. There he found Tristana¡¯s corpse on the ground, with Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven farming minions on top of it.

    Shi Hang turned his head to look at Sun Ruinian and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sunny-boy, what¡¯s going on? You got solo killed?¡±

    Sun Ruinian replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Yeah. Wanted to get ast hit in. Didn¡¯t think she¡¯d jump on me so fast! And when I tried to Rocket Jump away, she somehow knocked me out of it! Fuck! This shouldn¡¯t have happened. My bad.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Zhejiang University that was surprised by the solo kill in the botne. Everyone in the venue was as well, including the video director! He quickly scrambled through his footage to find what¡¯d happened. When he got the rey, he put it up on therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. The audience could finally see Draven solo killing Tristana!

    ¡°Oh shit! Sun Ruinian got waaaaay too greedy there!¡±¡°He should¡¯ve never gone for thatst hit! He was just asking for it at that point!¡±¡°That Draven really went for it though¡­¡±¡°Of course he did! It¡¯s Draven! If you don¡¯t jump on it like that, are you even a Draven?¡±¡°Yeah! She¡¯s a Draven!¡±¡°LEAGUE! OF! DRAAAAAAVEN!¡±

    Ouyang stood up from his seat in the stands and pointed at the esports club members from Zhejiang University. He shouted, ¡°SUCKS TO BE ZHEJIANG FANS RIGHT NOW!¡± He grinned and added, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have let her pick her main. She¡¯s the manliest Draven out there!¡±

    Several people red at Ouyang, but no one replied. They looked at each other and whispered about Shi Hang dying to Lin Feng in the midne only a few minutes earlier. Then they mumbled about how Sun Ruinian was the next to fall victim to Team Shanghai.

    Zuo Cheng looked at his friends and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s like Team Shanghai is trying to make a point! I¡¯m better than your mid. I¡¯m better than your ad-carry. What¡¯s next? You¡¯re gonna beat our Jungler?¡± He threw his hands up in the air, frustrated.

    Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth:

    Zeng Rui raised an eyebrow in surprise and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Good catch, Tang Tang!¡± He was still making his way back to the botne when Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven got the solo kill on Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana. But he¡¯d seen the entire fight, and he was smiling. Her Draven is so good! The way she timed that Stand Aside! I don¡¯t know many yers who can pull that off like she just did!

    Lin Feng grinned and shouted, ¡°Nice going, Tang Tang! Your Draven just keeps getting better! This is great!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nced at Zeng Rui and then turned her head to look at Lin Feng, smiling. I killed Sun Ruinian! I solo-killed the A grade ad-carry! I¡¯m only a B, but I¡¯m getting better! Soon I can stand next to Lin Feng! Mhm! I¡¯m going to y with him! She looked back at her screen. At her Draven. All I need is Draven! As long as I¡¯ve got my Draven, no one can stop me! Mhm!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth:

    Shi Hang looked at the Draven and narrowed his eyes. Two kills on Draven now. With Draven¡¯s passive, that makes for three kills worth of gold. That¡¯s a pretty big snowball for a Champion like that! We can¡¯t let this go on! They¡¯re still full attack damage. We just need armour. But if Draven gets fed, no amount of armour will save us! He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Something has to be done about that Draven. She¡¯ll be a headache. I¡¯lle bot for a gank.¡±

    Sun Ruinian nodded and mumbled in reply, ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±

    Shi Hang nced at Sun Ruinian and moved his lips around. I know how good you are, Sunny-boy. You¡¯re great! I taught you myself! And still¡­ He looked back at his screen. At Draven. Somehow, Lin Feng found yers who are just as crazy as he is! The Lee Sin suddenly getting better after the second game, and now their ad-carry is also all outta nowhere beating us? We have to end this! He looked at his Lenc and smiled. We¡¯re lucky that I¡¯ve got two kills. I¡¯ll just go bot and help Sunny-boy get back into this!

    ¡°Sorry guys. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± Sun Ruinian mumbled. He shook his head and gritted his teeth. That Draven¡­ Tang Bingyao was so much worse in the first two games of this series! And then she just started getting better! I didn¡¯t even notice it at first! Just a few things here and there, and then suddenly she solo kills me! Can someone actually improve that much in a single series? Or was she just fighting her nerves this whole time? Is she only now ying at her actual level? If that¡¯s it¡­ Shit! Where did the Shanghai Esports Association find these freaks!?

 Chapter 325: When I grow up I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be DRAVEN!

    Shi Hang started his League of Legends career as an ad-carry because he was drawn to the monstrouste game potential of the role. Toners were often bruisers, Supports were Supports. Junglers provided utility and Miners were a mix of control and burst damage. But ad-carries carried. With every next item, they boosted their attack damage and attack speed. The longer the game ran, the scarier they became. And once it was thete game, or even the ultrate game, they decided the oue of a match. Their positioning, their ability to stay clear from crowd control and their skill to get as much damage in as quickly as possible meant victory or defeat!

    Shi Hang pushed down on the Tab key and looked at the game scoreboard. That girl¡¯s Draven is up kills on Sunny-boy¡¯s Trist and she¡¯s also starting to pull ahead in CS! We¡¯re losing this! It¡¯s just like¡­ Just like¡­ He shook his head and grimaced. It¡¯s just like it was for me way back then. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ He looked across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Don¡¯t tell me this is a repeat of four years ago.

    Four years ago, Shi Hang yed ad-carry for Zhejiang University in the Collegiate Cup. He was the staryer of the team and led them to the first championship trophy! After which he turned his attention to the professional scene. He yed at the highest level and improved constantly, until he met Lin Feng¡¯s ad-carry. Silent destroyed me! 11 games in three days and I never got anywhere! He just beat me and beat me and beat me even harder! He shook his head and chuckled. And now, Maple is back. He¡¯s got a new ad-carry. And she¡¯s¡­ It is like four years all over again! It¡¯s just that Sunny-boy is the ad-carry this time! He nced at Sun Ruinian. Come on, son! Take the fight! Beat her!

    Silent, though¡­ Shi Hang shook his head and moved his lips around. The Chinese superteam from Season 1! Maple in mid. Silent and Autumn in bot. The way Silent never said a word and then just wrecked you, that was something else! Shit, what I¡¯d give to y against him again! I wonder what he¡¯s up to these days¡­ He nced across the stage at Lin Feng again. I haven¡¯t kept up with most people from back then. But that kid should know. I¡¯ll ask him about it after the series is over.

    Shi Hang turned his attention back to the screen in front of him. He narrowed his eyes. But first I¡¯m going to win this series! Let¡¯s hard carry this shit!

    ?

    ¡°Pretty sensible what Zhejiang University is doing here,¡± Rollfire said from behind the caster desk. He looked at the audience and continued, ¡°They¡¯ve lost their top tower, so they have their Jarvan IV freeze thene on his side of the map. He¡¯s ying defensively and making sure he isn¡¯t giving that Irelia any more advantages. Then we have the midne where it¡¯s just a back and forth, not much difference between the two yers. And finally we have the botne¡­ Zhejiang knows they can¡¯t afford to give that Draven any more kills. They also know the Draven can 1vs2 them right now. So they¡¯re sitting back and farming. When the minions push too far forward, they just stop and stay behind. It¡¯d be stupid to risk the game over a fewst hits.¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Draven is too strong right now! It¡¯s virtually impossible for him to lose the 1vs2, not to mention the 2vs2! Even if he makes a huge misy somehow, I still don¡¯t see him losing it! And remember, Zhejiang University constantly has to worry about that Blitzcrank. One hook and they¡¯re done!¡±

    Rollfire squinted his eyes and looked at the minimap. He noted, ¡°We¡¯re 13 minutes into this fifth game and neither team has made a y for the Dragon yet. I think the next big fight will happen somewhere around there. In mid or bot. Probably bot if it¡¯s up to Zhejiang University. I think they¡¯d like to get thatne back in their control.¡±

    Silent Reed looked at therge LCD screen, her eyes opening wide. She then nced at Rollfire and raised an eyebrow. That¡¯s exactly what they¡¯re doing now! That was spot on! You barely even said it and they started to do it¡­ She shook her head and said, ¡°Looks like they can hear you! Look! Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc is moving down to the botne! And there! Braum and Tristana are actively pushing! They¡¯re going to fight Team Shanghai¡¯s Draven!¡±

    ¡°Team Shanghai doesn¡¯t see it!¡± Rollfire eximed. He leaned forward and added, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI IS ENGAGING! They¡¯re walking right into the trap!¡±

    Ouyang couldn¡¯t sit still any longer. He jumped to his feet and screamed, ¡°WARD!¡± He then turned his head to look at his friends and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t they tell something is up? How do they not know this!? Their ward just ran out! They won¡¯t see Shi Hanging at all! This is so bad!¡±

    Yang Fang adjusted his sses and said, ¡°BunBun always has a perfect eye for detail. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s perfectly aware.¡± He briefly hesitated before adding, ¡°But Zhejiang University is ying this really well.¡±

    Liu Yue nced at his friends and shook his head. He clenched his fist and punched the air, shouting, ¡°THEY KNOW! I KNOW THEY DO! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    Therge LCD screen showed Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc walking through the river entrance into the botne. She cast Distortion! A magic circle appeared beneath her feet andunched her forward! There was still a small distance between her and Draven, so she followed up with Mimic: Distortion! Another magic circle appeared on the ground andunched her forward!

    Tang Bingyao narrowed her eyes. Just like Zeng Rui told me. She flicked her mouse, waited briefly, then activated Stand Aside! Her Draven raised his two axes above his shoulders and then threw them at an angle! They flew through the air and knocked Lenc out of her second jump!

    ¡°STAND ASIIIIIIIDE!¡± Silent Reed cried out into her microphone.

    Two pirs of light, one blue and the other red, descended on the botne. Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia and Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV were teleporting over! And Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was running down the river from the midne! He was only a couple of seconds behind Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc!

    Lin Feng nced at the botne and said, ¡°We fight this!¡±

    ¡°Lenc first!¡± Zeng Rui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then mmed down on the Q key¨CRocket Grab! His Blitzcrank raised his arm and fired his hand at Lenc!

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes. His fingers glided over his keyboard. W! His Lenc jumped back to the location she cast the first Distortion from! The hook from Blitzcrank missed! Shi Hang followed up by pressing the R key! His Lenc blinked to the position from where she cast Mimic: Distortion! He then targeted Draven with Sigil of Malice followed by Ethereal Chains!

    ¡°BRILLIANT MECHANICS BY AYDEECEE!¡± Rollfire hollered into his microphone.

    Tang Bingyao looked at her monitor, calm. She saw Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc jumping back towards her and knew he was now in range to attack her. From the other side, she also saw Zhejiang¡¯s Braum running at her. She watched him jump up into the air and then m his shield down on the ground. A fissure rapidly spread on the ground with bursts of ice exploding upwards! The Sigil of Malice connected with her Draven, and the Ethereal Chains were right behind it! FLASH!

    The cial Fissure failed to knock Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven up into the air and Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains failed to connect as well. Draven had disappeared! A mottled sh of light suddenly appeared next to Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc. Draven stepped out from it! Shi Hang¡¯s pupils constricted. He flicked his mouse and smashed the buttons on his keyboard. FUCK! She saw iting! This really is Silent all over again!

    ¡°NICE ONE!¡± Zeng Rui cried out over the team¡¯s voice chat. He was hopping up and down in his gaming chair and clicking far more aggressively on his mouse than usual. He ordered, ¡°Lenc! Lenc!¡±

    ¡°Holy. Freaking. SHIT! THAT DODGE!¡±¡°NO FUCKING WAAAAAY! DRAAAAAAVEN!¡±¡°OH MY GAAAAAWD! HOW!? HOW!¡±¡°That dodge. Damn! DAMN!¡±¡°In-fucking-SAAAAAAAANE!¡±

    Silent Reed grabbed her microphone and clutched it tightly as she moved it to her lips. She looked at therge LCD screen, ncing down at the soundproof booths constantly, and shouted, ¡°Irelia and Jarvan IV! They¡¯re teleporting in! THIS IS A 4 versus 4! A 4 VERSUS 4!¡±

    Back in the game, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana was flying through the sky! She¡¯d wanted to follow up on Shi Hang¡¯s engage. But that engage had failed. ShitShitShit! I needa get away! He didn¡¯t one shot Draven! FuckFuckFUCK! He looked up the river. And Zed¡¯s here too! I need to get out of here! They¡¯ll just kill me! When his Tristananded on the ground, Sun Ruinian had her turn around and run away!

    ¡°Why the rush? Come, stay a little longer!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He sent his Living Shadow towards Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana and swapped positions with it! He was about to follow up with Death Mark when Tristana raised her cannon at him and fired her Buster Shot! A massive cannonball mmed into him and sent him flying backwards!

    ¡°Wooow! Nice reflexes!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then grinned and added, ¡°But it¡¯s whatever. I¡¯ll just attack someone else!¡± The Buster Shot had delivered him right in front of Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc! DEATH MARK! His Zed disappeared as four blood red shadows appeared around Lenc and dashed at her! They struck her, the four shadows pouring into her body and cing the death mark on her!

    Shi Hang shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Cover me!¡± He then had his Lenc run up thene to the Jungle wall and shed over it! Behind him, Zhejiang¡¯s Jarvan IV dashed at Draven with the g-tossbo and followed up with Cataclysm! He leaped up in the air and then came down with such force that he terraformed the ground into an arena!

    Tang Bingyao looked at her minimap. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc had disappeared in the Jungle. She lost vision on him. There were two paths he could take. Did he go left or right¡­? She had her Draven hurl a Spinning Axe at Jarvan IV, hoping that Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc would give away his location in Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. A ping suddenly shed on her minimap. Her eyes went wide. Lin Feng! She pushed down on the R key! Draven raised his two axes above his head and threw them forward with all his might! They spun ¡®round and ¡®round like a Whirling Death! They carved through the ground, through the Jungle wall, and finally through Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc! MHM!

    ¡¶Killing spree!¡·

    Zeng Rui nodded and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Nice work, Tang Tang! Jarvan IV next!¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and right clicked on Jarvan IV. Her Draven hurled a Spinning Axe, which cleaved into Jarvan IV¡¯s health bar before ricocheting. She repositioned to catch the axe while also throwing another one! Jarvan IV had used his gap closers to jump on her. He had nothing left to get away. She threw several more Spinning Axes until his health bar bottomed out.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana had run away from the fight after almost getting jumped on by Lin Feng¡¯s Zed, while Zhejiang¡¯s Elise never even joined the fight. That just left Zhejiang¡¯s Braum who was now stuck in the middle of four enemy Champions. He tried to run away, to buy some time, but between three powerful damage dealers in Draven, Zed and Irelia, as well as Blitzcrank¡¯s crowd control, there was no escaping for him.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed sent his Living Shadow forward and followed up with Razor Shuriken! The shadow shuriken flew through the air and hit Braum from behind! It sheared away thest of Braum¡¯s health.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Dragon, Dragon!¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat. And everyone listened. No one interrupted him, or made a joke about how Lin Feng had stolen a triple kill from Tang Bingyao. They remainedpletely focused because there were still two Champions from Zhejiang University alive, including the Jungler who could try and steal the Dragon! But Zhejiang¡¯s Elise didn¡¯t show herself. Team Shanghai slew the Dragon uncontested.

    ¡¶The Blue team has in the dragon!¡·

    ¡°WOOT WOOT!¡±¡°SIIIIIICK!¡±¡°BROPHINA CARRY!¡±¡°EASY GAME!¡±¡°HIGH SCHOOLERS BETTER THAN PRO PLAYERS!¡±¡°CONFIRMED!¡±

    ¡°Draven is getting the MVP award for that fight! WOOOOOOOOO!¡± Silent Reed screamed into her microphone. She stood up and leaned on the caster desk before continuing, ¡°Draven dodged absolutely everything! Lenc and Braum tried everything they had! But Draven somehow dodged everything! EVERYTHING! WHAT A FIGHT BY THE GIRL!¡±

    Rollfire slumped back in his chair and shook his head. He mumbled just loud enough for the microphone to pick it up, ¡°Uch, yeah. That Draven did alright.¡±

    A single sentence to kill the mood. Everyone in the stands stopped pping, cheering and screaming for Tang Bingyao¡¯s double kill. They turned their heads and looked at the caster desk. They stared at Rollfire and shook their heads, incredulous.

    ¡°The fuck is he on? ¡®Alright¡¯? What the fuck!¡±¡°NICE CASTING, BRO! Fucking dipshit!¡±¡°Seriously! What the F is wrong with that guy?¡±¡°They should fire him right now!¡±¡°Just alright? Piss off, Dickfire! That was some insane skill!¡±¡°Yeah! I couldn¡¯t have yed that any better than that Draven did!¡±¡°Way to kill the mood! Moodkiller!¡±¡°I hope you get food poisoning!¡±

    In Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Shi Hang grinned and shook his head. Yep, I jinxed it. Totally jinxed it! The moment I start thinking about Silent, she goes and ys like Silent! What in the world was that dodge¡­? He sighed loudly and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Welp, that went shit.¡±

    Sun Ruinian pursed his lips and stared down at his desk. How is that Draven this good? She fucked up so hard in the first two games! This just isn¡¯t¡­ Fuck! I need her to go back to how she yed before! He punched his desk and shouted, ¡°Fuck!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Sunny-boy,¡± Shi Hang said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He nced at his teammate, at his mentee. There¡¯s nothing you could¡¯ve done there. He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°You¡¯re right to be upset. At this rate, we¡¯re gonna lose. But they yed that fantastically. That¡¯s it. Nothing more to it. We can do that too! And we¡¯ve got the strongerte game team! We¡¯re going to dig ourselves into this match and w our way to a win!¡±

    Sun Ruinian turned his head to look at Shi Hang and nodded. He replied, ¡°Alright... Alright.¡±

 Chapter 326: Zeng Rui Organizes his Pitch-Perfect Teamfight

    Chapter 326 - Zeng Rui Organizes his Pitch-Perfect Teamfight

    Team Shanghai had the clear lead. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven alone was practically enough to shut down Zhejiang University¡¯s entire team! But that didn¡¯t make Zhejiang University any less dangerous. They had some of the most skilled yers in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup on their team. So rather than pushing for a quick victory and leaving their backs open to a counterattack, Team Shanghai chose to consolidate their gains. They all returned to base to stock up on wards and started setting up vision all around the map. Then they continued with manipting the minion waves in their favour, draining experience and gold away from Zhejiang University.

    Zeng Rui had his Blitzcrank trail behind Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven, but his attention was all over the map. He made sure that the wards were ced where he wanted them, and noted down the times at which they would disappear. When he was satisfied, he said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, now we focus on scaling. BunBun is the only one who doesn¡¯t worry about that. She¡¯ll be looking for openings to abuse.¡±

    Nice! Zeng Rui rolled his shoulders back and smiled. This is my way of ying! Slow and methodical! And I¡¯ve even got the thundering dumbass doing what I ask him to! Perfect! Zhang Hao knows how to do this in the topne, so he¡¯ll do better. And I¡¯ll keep Tang Tang here in check. This is my game! I know this! And I¡¯m finally getting to show it! He panned his camera to look at An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin, who was running through the top side river. And with her creating pressure, Zhejiang won¡¯t know what hits them! Just a few minutes of this to get that full item advantage, maybe more, and then we start pushing down towers! We¡¯ll wait for the next Dragon. Maybe make a y around Baron¡­ Great! I love this!

    An Xin had her screen showing Zhejiang University¡¯s top side Jungle. Zhejiang¡¯s Elise walked through the ward in the tri-brush near the topne. She narrowed her eyes. That Elise isn¡¯t going top. So¡­ Krugs? Yeah. She knew Zhejiang University had a ward in the tri-brush, so she couldn¡¯t enter the Jungle through there. She instead had her Lee Sin run into the Baron Pit. The back wall of it connected with Red team¡¯s top side Jungle. She ced a ward on the other side and dashed at it with Safeguard!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin was on a small path in the Jungle. The Red Buff Camp was to her right and a wall of trees and boulders to her left. Behind that wall was the Krug Camp. An Xin narrowed her eyes. She walked down the path and turned left when the wall stopped. A perfect U-turn. And on the other side, Zhejiang¡¯s Elise was fighting the Krugs! She was in spider form and her health bar was hovering at just above half health!

    ¡°Too easy,¡± An Xin mumbled. Her Lee Sin had the level advantage, he had the item advantage, and he had the better yer controlling him. She pressed Q and her Lee Sin punched out a discordant soundwave that mmed into Elise! Resonating Strike! He dashed at Elise and then mmed his t hand on the ground! Tempest! A shockwave erupted around him, sending a foreign energy into Elise¡¯s body! He followed up with an auto attack and then activated the foreign energy with Cripple! It exploded and hampered Elise¡¯s movement speed!

    The quick damagebo from Lee Sin tore through Elise¡¯s health bar! He hit her with another auto attack and she found herself with less than 15% health remaining! Her sh was off cooldown. Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler was about to activate it, but Shi Hang stopped him. Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler nced at the former professional yer, dumbstruck. My death is worth less than wasting sh? Stupid ass¡­ Shi Hang says it. He gritted his teeth and kept his finger hovering over the D key. I should just push it. I can still get away! I, I can¡¯t. He grimaced when Lee Sin started the animation for Dragon¡¯s Rage, and he closed his eyes as the powerful roundhouse kick killed him.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°CARRY ME LEE!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Sick skills! That Elise got obliterated!¡±¡°Lee gonna carry this whole game!¡±¡°She just knew! How did she know!? She ran straight for that Elise!¡±¡°MAD SKILLS! MAAAAAAD!¡±

    Silent Reed watched the crowd lose it and then nced at Rollfire. She giggled. He¡¯s losing it! If he gets any angrier, he¡¯s going to explode! She grabbed her microphone and screamed into it, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± She then briefly paused before continuing, ¡°Who said something about Draven being the MVP? They clearly haven¡¯t seen this Lee! This Lee is even fedder! DOUBLE MVP! I¡¯M CALLING FOR A DOUBLE MVP! GIRLS CARRYING TEAM SHANGHAI TO NATIONALS!¡±

    Saliva went down the wrong pipe. Rollfire lurched forward and coughed. Tears sprung in his eyes and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He pinched his eyes closed and wiped his mouth. When he could finally talk again, a stinging pain stuck in his throat, he croaked, ¡°True. True. Lee Sin is strong. Early game. Late game, he falls off.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Silent Reed replied, grinning. I feel soooooooo not bad for you! She turned her attention back to therge LCD screen, ready to analyse the kill on Elise in more depth, when her eyes opened wide. She shouted into her microphone, ¡°BOT LANE! BOT! ANOTHER FIGHT!¡±

    Zeng Rui noticed Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana get more and more confident. After every nextst hit, she would take a more aggressive approach, lingering dangerously close to overextension. He smiled. Yeah, just a little more to the right. Just do it! A bit more. Yeah, take that minion. Think we¡¯re being scared for another gank! His finger was already resting on the Q key and he moved his mouse to where Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana was walking to. Just a bit¨C He pressed down on the Q key. ROCKET GRAB! His Blitzcrank lifted his arm and fired his hand at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana!

    Sun Ruinian mmed down on the S key! His Tristana stopped walking! Blitzcrank¡¯s Rocket Grab shot past her an inch from her face! Did you really think I was that stupid? He shook his head and activated Rapid Fire. His Tristana¡¯s attack speed increased and she fired at the low health Blue minions! Why did you think I was building up a big wave of Red minions? Or why I wasn¡¯t killing the low health Blue minions? I can¡¯t believe you fell for it! He nced at Shi Hang and nodded. Shi Hang was right. I thought it was too obvious, but he said it wasn¡¯t. He was right.

    Tristana¡¯s skill Explosive Charge had a passive aspect to it. It added an explosion effect to every killing blow. Every minion she killed exploded into a thousand little pieces that mmed into the allied minions and Champions around it and dealt ssh damage! Sun Ruinian made full use of this to tear through all the Blue minions within seconds! There was suddenly a double Red minion wave and zero Blue minions in the middle of the botne! Sun Ruinian grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Jump!¡±

    ¡°SHIT! BACK!¡± Zeng Rui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao chewed on her lips. Mhm! I know! She clicked next to her outer tower. Her Draven turned around and started running away.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Braum dashed at the Red minion closest to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven with Stand Behind Me! He followed up with his ultimate skill, jumping up into the air and then mming his shield down on the ground! A cial Fissure spread out before him! Freezing ice erupted from the ground and knocked Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven up into the air!

    Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired¨CRocket Jump! She arced through the sky andnded on top of Draven! She followed up with an auto attack and Explosive Charge! A cannonball mmed into Draven while a small bomb appeared above his head! The next four attacks against Draven would charge the bomb up to deal massive damage!

    Tang Bingyao right clicked on Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana. Her Draven hurled a Spinning Axe that cleaved through a good portion of Tristana¡¯s health bar before ricocheting! I can still kill them! 1vs2¨C

    ¡°Mid¡¯s missing!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao nced at her minimap. Toote. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc jumped into the botne with Distortion and followed up with Mimic: Distortion! She flicked her mouse and cast Stand Aside! It workedst time. I¡¯ll make it work again! Mhm! Her Draven raised his axes above his shoulders and threw them at an angle!

    Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc got knocked out of her jump by Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven! But Shi Hang knew it wasing this time. He cast Sigil of Malice while the interrupt was still active and waited with Ethereal Chains just long enough to see how far he had to flick his mouse. All the while, Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana Rapid Fired away! And she finished off with Buster Shot. A massive cannonball mmed into Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven and shut her down!

    ¡¶Shutdown!¡·

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes went wide. He looked at the three Champions from Zhejiang University and gritted his teeth. Dammit! I gotta¡­ He mmed down on the D key! His Blitzcrank shed away towards the Blue team¡¯s outer tower and then went into Overdrive!

    ¡°Don¡¯t chase,¡± Shi Hang said over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat. He nodded at his Boners and continued, ¡°Nice work, guys. Let¡¯s take their tower next. We¡¯ve got the minions here.¡±

    Lenc, Tristana and Braum attacked Blue team¡¯s outer tower together with a dozen minions. They tore through the health of the structure and destroyed it in only a couple of seconds!

    ¡¶Blue Team¡¯s turret has been destroyed!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°IT¡¯S THE C-C-COMEBACK!¡±¡°THEY HAD TO SHUT YOU DOWN!¡±¡°EASY WIN ZHEJIANG! GET FUCKED TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°Holy moly! What a y!¡±¡°Oh my gosh! There goes their advantage!¡±

    Rollfire shot to his feet and grabbed his microphone. He moved it to his mouth, grinning brightly, and shouted, ¡°Zhejiang University with a beautiful y! If you look at their teamp a little more closely, they do seem to counter Draven pretty hard! With Braum and J-4, they¡¯ve got crowd control for days! They just need to get the engage right, like they did here! Then there¡¯s nothing Draven can do! Fed or not!¡±

    Silent Reed grimaced and nodded. Why does he have to be right? Ass! She took a deep breath and then said, ¡°Tristana got so much from that as well! It wasn¡¯t just the gold from a normal kill¡­ She also got the shutdown bonus gold as well as the gold for destroying the tower! She¡¯s so much closer to her hyper carry potential now!¡±

    ?

    At 19 minutes, the second Dragon spawned. Zeng Rui had prepared for it over the previous few minutes. Blue wards were everywhere around the Dragon pit. They had perfect vision. They knew exactly where Zhejiang University was. And Zeng Rui used that information to predict what they were going to do next. He had his teammates position themselves ording to those predictions. Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was off to the side, while the other four would meet Zhejiang University head on. Lin Feng could then jump on the backline to one shot Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana while the rest of the team focused down Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc. Perfect! We¡¯re going to win this right here!

    Zhejiang University charged through their bottom side Jungle as a team. They ran past the Blue Buff Camp and stormed into the river! There they engaged Team Shanghai! Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc jumped at them with Distortion! Jarvan IV followed up behind him with a g-tossbo into Cataclysm! And Elise cast Cocoon! The web of silk hit Blitzcrank and rooted him!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was hiding in the Red bottom side Jungle in the brush connecting to the botne. When he saw Zhejiang University¡¯s team pass by, he cast Living Shadow! The shadow manifested across the Jungle wall and he then had his Zed travel the shadows to take his Living Shadow¡¯s ce! Tristana was right in front of him on the other side of one more Jungle wall. Death Mark! Zed disappeared and four blood red shadows appeared around Tristana! They dashed at her and ced the Death Mark on her! Right then, when Lin Feng was about to unleash his full damagebo on Tristana and take her out, Tristana shed away and Braum targeted him with Exhaust. The debilitating energy fell over him and caused his stats to drop!

    This ain¡¯t great¡­ Lin Feng grimaced. He panned his camera to look how the rest of the fight was going. Tang Bingyao¡¯s got a kill on Elise¡­ But she¡¯s dead. ZengZeng is dead. Haobro¡­ BunBun might get another kill before dying¡­ He shook his head and pressed on the R key again. His Zed jumped back to where he¡¯d cast Death Mark from. Then he ran deeper into Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle until he found a rtively safe location to cast recall from. That was a bust.

    Lin Feng panned his camera to the Dragon pit. Zhejiang University didn¡¯t even try to look for him. They killed his four teammates, losing only Elise and Jarvan IV in the process, and then moved on to kill the Dragon. We¡¯re falling behind. If Tang Tang¡­ If BunBun¡­ He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. We need to y better as a team, or we¡¯re going to lose this. I need to trust them. I can¡¯t do this by myself. Trust them, trust them!

    ?

    Rollfire watched the audience cheer with a big grin on his face. He leaned back in his chair and took a deep, long breath. Aaaah! This is more like it! Show them who¡¯s boss, AyDeeCee! He soaked himself in the screams and shouts supporting Zhejiang University. And when they started to die down, he moved the microphone to his lips and said, ¡°Zhejiang is tipping the scale back in their favour! Like I mentioned earlier, once Zhejiang University gets into this game, they win. It¡¯s that simple. Tristana has hit her power spike and Shi Hang was a monster from the start! This is game over for Team Shanghai!¡±

    Silent Reed pursed her lips and scrunched her eyes. Please don¡¯t let it end like this! DO SOMETHING! You can do it, kids! If only to shut this ass next to me up! She breathed out all of her frustration from having to co-cast with Rollfire. Then she grabbed her microphone and said, ¡°Zhejiang is doing a lot better, true. But to say this game is over, isn¡¯t it a bit early for that? Just look at Lee Sin. He¡¯s still strong. One good ultimate from him and we¡¯ve got ourselves a Team Shanghai victory!¡±

    Rollfire turned his head to look at Silent Reed and grinned. He exined, ¡°Yeah, with the dream engage. All he needs is that perfect 5 man ultimate. The kind you almost never see. Remember how everyone lost it when God Roundy did it at Worlds? That¡¯s the kind of ultimate you¡¯re looking for here!¡± He shook his head andughed. Then he continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not kid ourselves here. This Lee Sin is ying great, but she¡¯s no professional yer! And she sure as hell isn¡¯t the Uncrowned Eighth! She might try to do the amazing Lee Sin y, but I¡¯ll bet that Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana will Buster Shot her away before she can even get to the backline!¡±

    ¡°NO WAY HE¡¯S RIGHT!¡± Ouyang eximed. He shot to his feet and pointed up at the caster desk, shouting, ¡°FIRE THAT BIASED ASSHOLE!¡±

    Liu Yue jumped up to his feet and threw his arms in the air. He screamed, ¡°YEAH! FIRE HIM!¡±

    Yang Fang looked up at his friends and shook his head. He adjusted his sses and said, ¡°Sit down, guys. He isn¡¯t wrong¡ª¡±

    ¡°ISN¡¯T WRONG? ISN¡¯T WRONG MY ASS!¡± Ouyang yelled. He turned around to look at Yang Fang and shouted, ¡°WHAT¡¯S WRONG WITH YOU?¡±

    ¡°Nothing wrong with me,¡± Yang Fang calmly replied. He looked up at his friend and exined, ¡°Zhejiang has one Exhaust. They just have to save that for Zed. Lin Feng can¡¯t one shot one of their carries when he¡¯s exhausted. Now Zhejiang¡¯s only worry bes Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven. Between Braum, Jarvan IV and Lenc, they can take care of her.¡±

    ¡°What about BunBun though!¡± Liu Yue eximed. He waved his arm at therge LCD screen and continued, ¡°She¡¯s fed too! She can still carry us!¡±

    Yan Fang adjusted his sses and grimaced. He said, ¡°Like¡­ Like Dickfire said. If she gets a World-level kind of ultimate off, we¡¯ll win. But chances are she won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s be real here,¡± Wei Dong interrupted. He looked at his friends and continued, ¡°These are our friends from school. We¡¯re ying at a uni tourney. It¡¯s already great they can participate! This is such a great experience for them! They forced a former professional yer to a Game 5! That enough is something to be proud of. But winning¡­¡±

    ¡°Fuck you all and your negative asses!¡± Ouyang eximed. He shook his head and shouted, ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! We¡¯re bros! Bros stand up for each other! They support each other! AND THEY NEVER FUCKING GIVE UP! GET TO YOUR FUCKING FEET AND CHEER! TEAM SHANGHAI IS GONNA WIN!¡±

    Liu Yue wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI IS GONNA WIN! WOOT WOOT!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui stared at his screen. At the dull grey colours reminding him about how the fight he nned had gone wrong. His general redictions were spot on. But he¡¯d made a couple of miscalctions. I thought Braum was going to jump in together with Lenc! That¡¯s such a strongbo! Lenc jumps and Braum follows with Stand Behind Me! But he waited for Lin Feng. He knew. Somehow. He breathed in deeply and said on the exhale, ¡°Shit.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°The Braum Exhaust is pretty annoying. I can¡¯t kill Tristana while it¡¯s up.¡±

    Zhang Hao chimed in, ¡°No good in me jumping on their backline either. They¡¯ll just ughter Tang Tang even faster!¡±

    Tang Bingyao frowned and replied, ¡°Lenc deals so much damage and then there¡¯s Jarvan jumping on me every chance he gets and I also have to watch out for the Elise Cocoon! And what if Braum jumps in next time because we don¡¯t expect it? I need double shes¡­ Triple...¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and mumbled, ¡°But dragging this game isn¡¯t going work either¡­¡±

    ¡°So let¡¯s stop dragging it out then,¡± An Xin said, smiling. She waited for everyone to look at her and then continued, ¡°Tristana shed away from Zed. Jarvan IV shed on Tang Tang. They all used all of their skills to win that teamfight! Sure, they got us. They¡¯re far closer to us than before. Our window is quickly closing. But it¡¯s not over! We¡¯re still stronger, for a bit longer!¡± She took a long, deep breath and concluded, ¡°I¡¯ll make the engage. You follow up on me.¡± She then turned to Lin Feng and added, ¡°You just jump on Trist.¡±

    ?

    It was the 21st minute of the fifth game. Team Shanghai gathered together and started pushing the midne. Zhejiang University¡¯s outer tower was still at almost full health. Rollfire chuckled and said into his microphone, ¡°Oh? Looks like Team Shanghai is going for onest try. Gotta give it to them, the timing works. Draven, Zed and Lee all have their shes up. Zhejiang doesn¡¯t.¡±

    Silent Reed nodded and chimed in, ¡°Yep! This is Team Shanghai¡¯s best opportunity! They just need to find the engage fast! This can¡¯t drag on for too much longer!¡±

    Rollfire smirked and retorted, ¡°Easier said than done. Let¡¯s see if Zhejiang University actually gives them the opportunity. And whether Team Shanghai has the skill to seize it!¡± He paused briefly and then added, ¡°You¡¯re right though. Team Shanghai does have a chance to win it here. But that¡¯s maybe a 1% chance. Beyond that? This is a Zhejiang University win.¡±

    In Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth:

    Sun Ruinian nced at his teammates and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Gather mid and y it safe. If they dive us, we win this fight. Plus it¡¯s not like they have any long range skillshots. Every extra second we get, is a second closer to our win.¡±

    Shi Hang turned his head to look at Sun Ruinian and smiled. He didn¡¯t give up. He fought. And now he¡¯s back in the game. Just like I taught him! He nodded and added, ¡°If Blitz pulls any of you guys, we¡¯ll engage. I just need Braum to protect me. Knock Zed and Lee up if they try to dive. Let¡¯s bring this game home!¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Support replied. He then sighed loudly and mumbled, ¡°Just a shame my Exhaust is on cooldown¡­¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We don¡¯t need Exhaust to beat them. All we need is the knock up.¡± He turned his head to look back at his screen and narrowed his eyes. All we really need is for me to kill Draven before he can deal any damage. Then we can all focus on Maple. That¡¯s going to be the real challenge here.

    In Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth:

    Zhang Hao stared at his screen and scrunched his nose. He had his Irelia stand outside of the mid outer tower¡¯s range, looking for a way in. But Team Shanghai was almost entirely melee range, and even their ranged Champion Draven didn¡¯t have much in terms of range. Zhang Hao shook his head in frustration and he said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Our range is too short. We can¡¯t attack the tower! We¡¯re just losing health like this!¡±

    Zeng Rui had his Blitzcrank run back and forth, searching for an angle to cast Rocket Grab! But there were no openings, and the pressure he put on Zhejiang University wasn¡¯t enough to push them away from the tower. He grimaced and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, this is pointless. They¡¯ve got the range advantage. All they need to do is to keep poking us down until we have to back. And then we still need to back before they jump on us and kill us. This isn¡¯t going to work¡­¡±

    ¡°It is going to work,¡± An Xin replied. She narrowed her eyes and continued, ¡°Just be patient a little longer. I¡¯m going to engage. When my Q hits, be ready.¡± She waited for the Red minions to die. There was a brief opening between the wave dying and the next one arriving. She had a clear shot on Zhejiang University¡¯s front line. I have to do this, now! No time to hesitate! She pushed down on the Q key¨CSonic Wave! Her Lee Sin punched a discordant soundwave forward! It mmed into Zhejiang¡¯s Elise! An Xin smiled and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m going in!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin dashed at Zhejiang¡¯s Elise with Resonant Strike!

 Chapter 327: BroForce Code #1: You Always Believe in Your Bros!

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyes went wide. There wasn¡¯t time to think. He ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sunny-boy, back!¡± He then had his Lenc step away from the Lee Sin, who was underneath the mid outer tower, before adding, ¡°Stun the Lee! We focus him! Focus him!¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise was standing next to the Red outer tower in the midne. Lee Sin was dashing at her with Resonating Strike! Cocoon! COCOON! Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler mmed down on his keyboard! Elise aimed her hands at Lee Sin and fired a web of silk!

    An Xin smirked. The animation for Cocoon only confirmed what she suspected. But Elise was never her target. She was just a means of getting into Zhejiang University¡¯s backline! She ced a ward next to Elise and activated Safeguard! Lee Sin made a sudden turn mid-dash! The Cocoon shot past him and hended at the ward! Braum and Tristana were right in front of him.

    Shi Hang grimaced and shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Sun Ruinian mmed down on his keyboard and activated sh! A veil of light fell over his Tristana and carried her a short distance away from An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin! He grinned and nodded at himself. You ain¡¯t getting on me this easy! And now you¡¯re screwed! Braum¡¯s Winter¡¯s Bite will slow you and then we¡¯ll stun you and kill you! Gee-gee.

    An Xin ignored the freezing ice that smashed into her Lee Sin and slowed him. She took a deep breath. Don¡¯t fail me now. She pressed down on the R key and waited for a brief moment before following up with the D key. The R key activated Lee Sin¡¯s ultimate skill, Dragon¡¯s Rage! He raised his foot and prepared to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick! Right when the skill was about to connect with Braum, a mottled sh of light picked Lee Sin up and dropped him on the other side of Braum! Dragon¡¯s Rage connected! The immense force knocked Braum off his feet and sent him flying backwards! He smashed into Elise and knocked her up! Then he smashed into Lenc and knocked her up too! And finally he mmed into Jarvan IV for a third consecutive knock up!

    ¡°HOOOOOOLY SHIT! FOUR MAN LEE ULT! FOUR MAN LEE ULT!¡±¡°SHE DID IT! OH MY GOD SHE DID IT!¡±¡°DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU!?¡±¡°WOOT WOOT!¡±¡°SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE! WE¡¯VE GOT FOUR BODIES!¡±¡°FIVE IF YOU INCLUDE DICKFIRE!¡±

    Rollfire didn¡¯t hear what the audience said. Hisplete, dazed focus was on therge LCD screen. H-how¡­ T-this¡­ IMPOSSIBLE! THIS ISN¡¯T POSSIBLE! HOW! HOW!? He grabbed his hair and shook his head in desperation. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?

    Silent Reed nced at Rollfire and giggled. This makes it so much better! She then jumped to her feet and threw her fist up in the air. She screamed, ¡°LEE SIN WITH THE GODLY ULT! LEE SIN MVP! TEAM SHANGHAI WITH THE REVERSE SWEEP! WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Shi Hang grimaced, a cold chill running up and down his spine. ShitShitShit! Bad! So fucking bad! But we can¡¯t back down. We can¡¯t! He shook his head and ordered over Zhejiang University¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Focus Draven! InInIn!¡±

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. BunBun told me to jump on Trist, but¡­ He pressed down on the R key and activated Death Mark! He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lenc first! Screw Trist! Focus Lenc!¡± His Zed disappeared from the Rift as four blood red shadows, each carrying Zed¡¯s distinct features, appeared around Lenc. They dashed at her and cut into her heart! Their essence flowed into Lenc¡¯s body and formed the Death Mark!

    Shi Hang bit on his lips. Ignore Zed! He cast sh to get away from Zed and close the distance with Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven! He followed up with Sigil of Malice and Mimic: Sigil of Malice! Lenc waved her staff and two magical energies mmed into Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven! The first ced a sigil on Draven and dealt a bit of damage. The second detonated the first sigil and dealt massive damage!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven lost two thirds of her health! Her stomach started to twist into a knot. Her hand trembled a bit. But then she shook her head. I¡¯m ying Draven! She cast sh! A brilliant light wrapped around her Draven just as Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains flew at her! The light carried her a short distance through time and space. The Ethereal Chains missed. She appeared on the Rift again on the other side of Lenc! She followed up with an auto attack! And then another one! And another one! Spinning Axes cleaved into Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc, decimating her health bar!

    Zhang Hao had his Irelia dash at Elise with desurge. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m going i¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang!¡± Zeng Rui interrupted.

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She focused on the screen. Jarvan IV threw his standard down behind her. He¡¯s going to jump on me and Lenc still has Distor¨C Lenc and Jarvan IV both jumped at her. She narrowed her eyes and activated Stand Aside! Her Draven raised his Spinning Axes above his shoulders and threw them at an angle! The left one knocked Jarvan IV out of his dash, and the right one did the same to Lenc!

    Death Mark was about to trigger. Lin Feng¡¯s Zed flung a Razor Shuriken at Lenc! The damage brought her down to below 10% health! A portion of that damage was added to the damage for Death Mark, just like the auto attack and Shadow sh from before were. The Death Mark triggered and Lenc¡¯s health bar exploded!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Braum finally crossed the distance to the front line. He aimed at the yers from Team Shanghai and cast his ultimate skill! cial Fissure! He jumped up into the air and raised his shield above his head. Then he mustered all his strength and mmed it down onto the ground! A cial Fissure spread on the ground! It carved a path through Team Shanghai¡¯s lineup! But only Irelia and Blitzcrank were knocked up by it. Lin Feng¡¯s Zed used the second part of his ultimate to blink away, and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven activated Blood Rush for a sudden burst of speed! She outran the cial Fissure!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven hurled a Spinning Axe at Jarvan IV! The weapon cleaved into its victim before ricocheting! Draven ran forward and caught the axe! But not before hurling a second one at Jarvan IV! There was no one from Zhejiang University who could interrupt her right now. One, two, left, left. One, two¡­

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Blitzcranknded back on the ground after being knocked up into the air by Braum¡¯s cial Fissure. He went into Overdrive and charged at Jarvan IV. He then sent arge amount of energy into his fist and knocked Jarvan Airborne with Power Fist! And finally he unleashed his ultimate! Static Field! Electricity erupted around him and destroyed Jarvan IV¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Nice one!¡± An Xin eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. She then focused back on Zhejiang University¡¯s Elise, while also juggling tower aggro. One more hit and I¡¯ll leave it to Zhang Hao! She looked at Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia who had jumped on Elise after falling back to the ground! His des decimated Elise¡¯s health bar! He got this! She nced at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana and chewed on her lips. Just a question of how to get her¡­

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia auta attacked Elise until she was down to thest few percentages. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m getting her! I¡¯m getting her! BLADESURGE!¡± His Irelia dashed at Elise and killed her!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Sun Ruinian lost oversight of the fight for a brief moment. Everyone was dying around him and skillshot animations caused his screen to sh with colours! A yellow hand suddenly flew at him! Shit! Fuck! W! W! He activated Rocket Jump! Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired! But she barely had lift-off when Blitzcrank¡¯s hand wrapped tightly around her waist. Sun Ruinian closed his eyes. Fuck!

    ¡°IT¡¯S THE GOD HOOK!¡±¡°WHAT A BLITZ HOOK! OH MY GOOOOOD!¡±¡°IN-FUCKING-SANE!¡±¡°HOW DID HE HIT THAT!?¡±¡°THROUGH THE MINIONS AND EVERYTHING! HOT DAMN!¡±¡°BRILLIANT! FUCKING BRILLIANT!¡±¡°HE STOPPED THE ROCKET JUMP! HE STOPPED THE ROCKET JUMP!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven hurled a Spinning Axe at Sun Ruinian¡¯s Tristana! It cleaved a quarter of his health and then ricocheted! She followed up with another Spinning Axe! And one more to finish the job.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tang Bingyao then turned her attention towards Zhejiang University¡¯s Braum, who was already under attack by the others from Team Shanghai. She smiled and nodded. He can¡¯t escape! Everyone is on him! But I want the kill! Mhm! She narrowed her eyes. Both real des and shadow des cut into Braum. Lee Sin and Blitzcrank were punching Braum with their fists! And Tang Bingyao waited. Patiently. Heh! Now! She right clicked on Braum. Her Draven hurled a Spinning Axe at Braum. It cleaved into him and emptied his health bar!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·¡¶Aced!¡·

    ¡°They, they won,¡± Silent Reed said, dazed. She blinked and looked at therge LCD screen. She repeated, ¡°They, they won¡­¡±

    ¡°HECK YEAH WE WON!¡± Ouyang screamed through the quiet venue. He turned his head to look at his friends and said, ¡°What did I say? What did I tell you guys? You never stop believing in your bros! They¡¯re the best!¡±

    Liu Yueughed. He jumped to his feet and shouted, ¡°WOOT WOOT! TEAM SHANGHAI TO VICTORY!¡±

    Silent Reed turned her head to look at the stands, where Ouyang and Liu Yue were the only two celebrating the ace by Team Shanghai. Team Shanghai won. They won. They won! Her eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet! She then grabbed the microphone from its stand and shouted into it, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI WON THAT FIGHT! FIVE KILLS! ZERO DEATHS! WHAT A BRILLIANT FIGHT!¡±

    The audience slowly woke up. People turned their heads from therge LCD screen to Silent Reed and back to therge LCD screen. They nodded and some started mumbling. The mumbles grew louder, from confusion and shock to amazement. It wasn¡¯t long before the first fans got up to their feet. And the venue finally rocked.

    ¡°ACE! ACE! IT¡¯S THE ACE!¡°TEAM SHANGHAI HAS WON! THEY CAN PUSH FOR THE WIN!¡±¡°ALL HAIL LEE SIN! WHAT A LEGEND!¡±¡°That was so freaking cool!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°OH MY GOOOOOOOD! SOOOOOOO COOL!¡±

    The yers from Fudan University sat at the front of the venue in the yer seating area. They were slowly shaking their heads in disbelief. The Jungler was eventually the first to open his mouth. He said, ¡°My gawd! Such a sick Lee ult! That won them the game! I¡¯m telling you! That won them the game!¡±

    Qiu Yijie turned his head to look at his Jungler and nodded. He agreed, ¡°They won. Yeah.¡± He then looked back at therge LCD screen and frowned. That Lee ult was perfect! Timing, awareness, mechanics, everything about it was perfect! It would¡¯ve made the top 10 ys of any season in the LPL! That Jungler¡­ She¡¯s ying at the professional level right here! How is this possible¡­? How is she this good?

    Qiu Yijieughed. He shook his head andughed, incredulous. Thank fucking God we didn¡¯t have to face them in the quarters! There¡¯s no way we would¡¯ve won this! We¡¯ll y them in the semis or the finals of the East China Regionals, but that¡¯s whatever. We¡¯ll have secured our spot at Nationals by then. But holy hot damn! How the fuck do you beat that team? Even AyDeeCee failed! He looked down at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. It¡¯s a shame AyDeeCee is getting knocked out here though. It¡¯s so cool to see him y again!

    ?

    Team Shanghai had a minion wave and five attack damage Champions. After scoring the ace, they focused down the outer tower in the midne. It fell within seconds. There was still half a minute until Zhejiang University¡¯s team respawned. They pushed for the inner tower and destroyed it within 10 seconds. The minion wave marched on to the inhibitor tower. All five yers from Team Shanghai stuck with it. They destroyed the inhibitor tower and then the inhibitor.

    ¡°They¡¯re up soon, back,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then panned his camera across the map and scrunched his eyebrows. Super minions are spawning and marching down the midne, Zhejiang is still respawning, and we¡¯ve got a full attack damage team. We can take the Baron down and there¡¯s nothing they can do about it. If theye, we stall and the minions end the game! His eyes went wide and he added, ¡°Baron.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. He had his Zed run into Red team¡¯s top side Jungle, past the Red Buff Camp and to the Jungle wall. He jumped over it with Living Shadow and then attacked therge purple worm named Baron Nashor! This was the strongest monster on the map. And it granted a massive buff to the team that killed it!

    ¡°Do we need to ward here?¡± Tang Bingyao asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, pinging red team¡¯s top side Jungle.

    ¡°I¡¯ll watch out, but doubt it,¡± An Xin replied, smiling.

    In Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth, Sun Ruinian turned his head to look at Shi Hang and asked, ¡°Are we going to try and contest?¡±

    ¡°No. Forget it,¡± Shi Hang replied over the team¡¯s voice chat. He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°We¡¯re just giving them another five kills if we go now. They¡¯re full attack damage. The Baron will die in seconds. We need to stay calm and find an opportunity. Just like before. We just have to stop them again.¡± He exhaled loudly. Like hell they¡¯ll give us another opportunity though. Shit me. This is a loss, ain¡¯t it? Dammit!

    ?

    At 24 minutes, Team Shanghai had in Baron Nashor, recalled back to base to spend their Gold and gathered up in the topne. They pushed for the inner tower with their minions. Baron Nashor¡¯s buff granted bonus stats to the five Champions, and it also strengthened nearby minions. Team Shanghai sted through the top inner tower. When they arrived at the inhibitor tower, Zhejiang University¡¯s team showed up to defend. Four of them, anyway.

    Lin Feng had been watching his minimap and smiled. They¡¯re letting Tristana kill the super minions in mid! So normal and so stupid! He had his Zed sneak through the Jungle to get to the midne. He managed to keep his approach hidden for just long enough. When he got into Zhejiang¡¯s base, he burst into action! Living Shadow! Zed ced a Living Shadow a short distance in front of him and took its ce! He followed up with Death Mark! Four blood red shadows dashed at Tristana and marked her! Razor Shuriken! Shadow sh! Ignite!

    Sun Ruinian saw the Zed¡¯s approach toote. His Tristana was down to 30% of her health before he reacted. He mmed down on the W key! Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired! She arced through the air towards the fountain! Then she ran! PleasePleasePlea¡ª

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Dive them!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat!

    Zhejiang University¡¯s team was already backing away from the top inhibitor tower. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc used Distortion and Mimic: Distortion to jump away and Jarvan IV used his g-tossbo! They got to their fountain and lived. But Braum and Elise didn¡¯t have these kinds of skills. They were caught by Zeng Rui¡¯s Blitzcrank and An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin. A barrage of crowd control locked them in ce and left them powerless as Tang Bingyao¡¯s Draven tore through their health bars with Spinning Axes!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was attacking the Nexus towers while all of this was happening. The first one fell when the rest of Team Shanghai joined him. It wasn¡¯t much longer before the second one also fell. Zhejiang University¡¯s Lenc and Jarvan IV came from the fountain again, looking to stop this final push by Team Shanghai. But they were just two versus five Champions and a dozen minions! It didn¡¯t take long before the Nexus cracked and exploded. Red energy poured out! It twisted and turned before morphing into a victory emblem for Team Shanghai!

    VICTORY!

    ¡°THEY HAVE DONE IT!¡± Silent Reed cried out. She clutched the microphone so tightly that her knuckles turned white and screamed, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI WITH THE REVERSE SWEEP! THEY¡¯VE MADE IT TO NATIONALS! TEAM SHANGHAI BEATS ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°GOOD GAME TO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°MAD PROPS! BEATING THE FORMER PRO!¡±¡°BLOODY MENTAL! HOLY SHIT THEY WON!¡±¡°THEY FUCKING WON! WOOOOOO!¡±¡°SWEEEET SWEEEET VICTOOORY!¡±

    Every neutral fan was up on their feet, cheering for Team Shanghai. The esports club members from Zhejiang University didn¡¯t join this celebration. They got up from their seats and quietly left the venue. That left the friends and former teammates from Team Shanghai. They weren¡¯t celebrating. They were sitting in their chairs, stunned. Shocked. In disbelief.

    Ouyang put his hands over his mouth and muttered, ¡°W-we won? We beat Zhejiang University? Our bros did it?¡±

    Liu Yue nodded, tears of joy flowing from his eyes. There was a prop in his throat as he shouted, ¡°Woot woot!¡±

    Ren Rou wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded. She said, ¡°Yeah, we won. We, we won!¡±

    ¡°We really did!¡± Ouyang eximed,ughing. He turned his head to look at Yang Fang and added, ¡°See? I told you so! I TOLD YOU SO! WOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Yang Fang adjusted his sses and smiled. Heughed and said, ¡°We did! I was wrong! They won! We¡¯re going to the semis of the East China Regionals and they¡¯ve now also qualified for the main tournament!¡±

    ?

    The yers from Zhejiang University slumped back in their chairs. They stared at their screens and shook their heads. Sun Ruinian finally said, ¡°H-how did this happen? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±

    Zhejiang¡¯s Support continued, ¡°We even had Shi Hang with us! We were supposed to win the entire tournament! We were going to¡­¡±

    ¡°They reverse swept us,¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler mumbled. He shook his head, incredulous, and added, ¡°It¡¯s not even the main tournament and we¡¯re out already! This is our worst result ever!¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked at his teammates in turn before stopping at Shi Hang. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down, and then exhaled. All my hard work. All those hours preparing! FOR SIX MONTHS! Six long months! It¡¯s all down the drain! Worthless! The corners of his lips dropped and tears appeared in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and swallowed down the prop in his throat. We even got Shi Hang back! I convinced him after trying for so long! How¡­ How must he feel? This was the kiddy league for him. The kiddies beat him¡­ His first match is against a high school team and he lost¡­ He shook his head. No! We lost it! He lost because of us! I¡¯ve humiliated him! I¡­ I¡­ Huh?

    Shi Hang shook his head and chuckled. He said, ¡°Reverse swept, huh? Haven¡¯t had that happen to me in a long ass time!¡± He turned his head to look across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and nodded. He grinned and said, ¡°I hate losing, but I would¡¯ve been really disappointed if I won this series. You got me good, kid! Seems like you still have some talent left in you!¡±

 Chapter 328: Very Important Information; Must Know

    Zeng Rui stared at the victory emblem floating on his screen. We won. We¡¯ve won! His eyes were wide and he shook his head, slowly, steadily. We did it! We actually did! He massaged his temples and chuckled. We won! We beat Zhejiang University! He turned his head to look at his teammates. Oh shit! We reverse swept Zhejiang! We won! Holy shit! Oh my god! We won! We beat them! WE BEAT THEM! He continued shaking his head again, slowly, steadily, incredulous. I¡¯m actually tired! This was so exhausting¡­ like a real tennis match! We fought them for several hours and they almost knocked us out multiple times, but we fought! WE FUCKING FOUGHT FOR IT! He clenched his fists and moved them up and down. AND WE FUCKING DID IT!

    When Zeng Rui finally realised that his team had won the best of five series against Zhejiang University, he calmed down a bit. He stopped shaking his head and took a couple long, deep breaths. He then looked at his teammates and smiled. We did it! All of us, as a team! It just took us two games to warm up. But then, Tang Tang and I did great in the botne. Zhang Hao held his own in the topne. And then¡­ He looked at An Xin and nodded. And then you carried us like I know you can! But I know you could do this at the solo queue level. To pull it off against a team with a former professional yer on it¡­ When he thought about Shi Hang, his focus was unconsciously drawn to Lin Feng.

    Zeng Rui watched Lin Feng jump up and down and try to hug An Xin and Tang Bingyao. He listened to An Xin saying something about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and that Lin Feng was still an idiot. Zeng Rui grinned. And you¡­ You¡­ You thundering dumbass. What the actual fuck, dude! What in the world possessed you this series? You yed against a former professional yer! And not only did you not lose, you went even with him in the first two games when we lost you the game. He briefly hesitated. Then he exhaled loudly. And you fucking stomped him in thest three games! You beat a professional yer! Without you¡­ Without you, we would¡¯ve lost this series in Game 3!

    ¡°I¡¯m the best!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. He patted himself on the back and continued, ¡°See? What did I tell you guys? Leave mid to me, I¡¯ll carry! And that¡¯s what I did! I carried so hard on my Zed!¡±

    The smile disappeared from Zeng Rui¡¯s face. He narrowed his eyes. Fuck! I forgot he¡¯s the thundering dumbass for a moment there! We didn¡¯t win because of him! We won despite him! Stupid thundering dumbass and the stupid shit he always yells! Thank god we¡¯ve got BunBun! At least she knows how to knock some sense into that hopeless¡­ He grimaced and shook his head. No! Not right now. He can celebrate however he wants. He deserves it. We all do. He clenched his fists and smiled. We won! We actually beat Zhejiang University and won!

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng said. He pointed at An Xin and continued, ¡°Your Lee ult in thatst fight was really damn good too!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Oh? Apliment from the one and only goldfish? I feel honoured!¡± She briefly paused before adding, ¡°Then again, I suppose I was pretty goodpared to whatever it was you were doing in the early game. All those deaths! They just kept getting the jump on you under your tower and killing you¡­¡±

    ¡°That only happened like once!¡± Lin Fengined. He narrowed his eyes and shouted, ¡°And I¡¯m not a goldfish!¡± He then started grinning again and looked across the stage at Zhejiang University¡¯s soundproof booth. He continued, ¡°I only care that we won! Because I wanted to win and because Shi Hang must be so super pissed right now! We reverse swept him!¡± Heughed for a few seconds before he fell silent. He looked at An Xin and said, ¡°BunBun. Thank you.¡±

    An Xin raised an eyebrow, but then smiled. She said, ¡°I¡¯ve always got your back. Always. Which reminds me! I¡¯ve been cleaning up your mess for so long now. You owe me. A ton!¡±

    ¡°I do?¡± Lin Feng asked, scratching the back of his head, confused.

    An Xin smirked and said, ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re the goldfish! Yeah, you do. And I¡¯ll be collecting one of those favours very soon. Remember to cover for me.¡±

    ¡°Cover for you? Soon? What?¡± Lin Feng asked. What¡¯s she on about¡­?

    ?

    Zhejiang University and Team Shanghai shook hands under the wild apuse of the audience. There was far too much noise to have any kind of conversation. And the yers from Zhejiang University weren¡¯t at all in the mood to have a friendly chat either. They quickly turned around and left, with the exception of Shi Hang. He told his teammates that he¡¯d catch up with themter and then walked off the stage with Team Shanghai. He nodded at An Xin and said, ¡°Jeez, BunBun! Wouldn¡¯t have hurt if you showed us some mercy! That Lee ult kicked us straight out of the tourney!¡±

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°Of course I couldn¡¯t show you mercy! It¡¯s a tournament! And I distinctly recall you almost 3-0ing us! If I didn¡¯t make that great y, you would¡¯ve won!¡± She turned to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin, confused. Why would she ask me? I would¡¯ve carried the game with or without her ult¨C His eyes lit up! OhOhOh! She needs me to back her up right now! I¡¯ll do that! Yeah! He nodded and said, ¡°Yep! Yep! What she says! Exactly!¡±

    Shi Hang exhaled loudly andined, ¡°Such crappy luck though. I can¡¯t believe we had to y you guys in the quarterfinals! Why couldn¡¯t it be the semis? Now we didn¡¯t even qualify for the main tournament¡­¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have yed if it wasn¡¯t for this idiot here, right?¡±

    Shi Hang scratched the back of his head and smiled. He replied, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I guess. Damn, BunBun! You¡¯re still the same! No one can win an argument against you!¡± He then turned his head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re back? You¡¯re finally back, eh?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his nose and replied, ¡°Yep! I¡¯m back!¡± He chuckled and added, ¡°Good to see you again! You yed okay!¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Zhang Hao interrupted. He¡¯d walked behind Shi Hang, An Xin and Lin Feng, listening to them talk. He now looked at Lin Feng, incredulous, and asked, ¡°You two really know each other?¡±

    Zeng Rui stood next to Zhang Hao. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he leaned forward a bit and looked at Shi Hang for a reply. Shi Hang came to us! He might really know the thundering dumbass! He might really know¡­

    Shi Hang raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, ¡°What, you don¡¯t know? Didn¡¯t he tell you?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡± Zhang Hao blurted, confused.

    Shi Hang looked at An Xin, who slowly shook her head. He then turned back to look at Lin Feng and eximed, ¡°Dude! Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t even tell your teammates that you¡¯re Maple!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head andughed. He mumbled, ¡°Right. Guess I never did tell them¡­¡±

    Maple? Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and moved his lips around. It sounds familiar, somewhere¡­ Somewhat¡­ Hmm¡­ I did always find it strange how he ys, and BunBun told me he was the best Miner at the Collegiate Cup! That was before Shi Hang joined, but he just beat Shi Hang! And they¡¯re talking like they¡¯re good friends! He nced at Shi Hang. So they met each other before? That was three or four years ago. Season one and two¡­ Solo queue?

    Zeng Rui felt in his pockets for his smartphone and pulled it out before shaking his head. Nah. Can¡¯t be solo queue. You don¡¯t be best friends just because you y a couple of games together in solo queue! And those games don¡¯t matter anyway. It doesn¡¯t add up with how they¡¯re talking. It¡¯s far too friendly! That just leaves the real tournament stage¡­ Maple, Maple¡­ The name¡­ He unlocked his phone and searched for ¡®Maple¡¯ and ¡®League of Legends¡¯ to help jog his memory.

    The thundering dumbass was in middle school in Season 1. So he was 16 in Season 2? Maybe they yed against each other then? Zeng Rui shook his head. It¡¯s just so unlikely. I know everything about Season 2 and I don¡¯t remember there being a Maple in Season 2! But still, that name¡­ Why does it sound so, so... Zeng Rui looked at his phone. There weren¡¯t many results. He changed his searchterms to add ¡®Season 1¡¯ to it and clicked on search. A single entry popped up. His eyes went wide. Maple. Maple! He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°MAPLE!? The, the, the...¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Zeng Rui in surprise and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve heard about me?¡± He then grinned and added, ¡°That¡¯s great! Then I don¡¯t have to exin everything! That saves me a ton of work!¡±

    Shock turned to rage for Zeng Rui. The vein on his forehead bulged and he narrowed his eyes. You asshole! You fucking asshole! You¡¯re Maple? THE MAPLE? And you didn¡¯t think that was important information to tell us!? You didn¡¯t think that information could¡¯ve saved me many hours of headaches!? You think that it doesn¡¯t matter that you didn¡¯t tell us? We¡¯re teammates! We should have each others¡¯ backs! You keep talking about trust! How can we do that when we don¡¯t even know who you are! And now you just want to brush it off? FUCK YOU! YOU SON OF A BITCH! He raised his fist, then shouted out in frustration! He pulled on his hair and shook his head. He¡¯s fucking Maple! The wonderkid from Season 1! The best yer from China! Everyone knows the wonderkid! The one who fucking quit after only a season! The one whose identity was never fucking revealed! And now. You fucking shithead!

    Zeng Rui took a deep breath and mumbled, ¡°Oh my god.¡± He looked down at his feet and shook his head. I¡¯ve watched the rey of his game against Phoenix in the semifinals of Worlds so many times! The way he yed that¡­ Oh my god, he¡¯s Maple. Lin Feng. Thundering dumbass. This guy was the best Miner in China! He went even with Rake! He¡¯s the only yer to ever look strong against Rake!

    Zeng Rui loved League of Legends. He spent every free minute of the day theorycrafting or working on his game. He¡¯d watched thousands of professional games! A part of him was absolutely furious with Lin Feng right now for hiding this information. But then there was another part of him that realised he was standing next to a true great of the game! Someone he¡¯d idolized for years! He felt his heart mming into his ribcage. The thundering dumbass is Maple! He¡¯s the wonderkid! Of course AyDeeCee knows him! Maple beat AyDeeCee multiple times! They yed each other in the LPL finals of Season 1! He turned his head to look at BunBun and nodded. No wonder she was so confident. No wonder Zhejiang University didn¡¯t feel bad about fielding Shi Hang! We have a far bigger monster on our team! This Collegiate Cup probably means nothing to him! We, we¡¯re the cheaters¡­

    ¡°U-umm¡­ Zeng Rui?¡± Zhang Hao said. He briefly hesitated before asking, ¡°Who¡¯s Maple?¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head. He was in no state to respond, so he just shoved his phone in Zhang Hao¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Here. Look. Read.¡±

    An Xin looked at Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao and shook her head. He should¡¯ve told them. Oh well, his choice. She smiled and said, ¡°You two,e with me. Let¡¯s go. Give these two guys here some time to catch up.¡± She then pulled them away from Shi Hang and Lin Feng.

    Shi Hang looked at Lin Feng and grinned. He asked, ¡°So, what happened there? After Game 2, I mean. You suddenly started ying way better!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and replied, ¡°Oh, yeah, right. I¡¯m still just getting back into form. Every game a bit better, you know?¡±

    Shi Hang startedughing. He said, ¡°You little punk! Beating me is ¡®just getting back into form¡¯ for you? That¡­ That¡¯s exactly the kind of thing I¡¯d expect you to say!¡± He paused for a brief moment and shook his head. Then he continued, ¡°I asked you this four years ago when you beat me and I¡¯ll ask it again now. Where in the world did a freak like youe from? I couldn¡¯t beat you back then, and I can¡¯t even beat you right now!¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting good again!¡±

    Shi Hang continued, ¡°But it¡¯s not enough yet. You¡¯ve got a way to go.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. That¡¯s what everyone keeps telling me. That¡¯s what I can see myself too! If I want to beat Rake, I have to get so much better first! I¡¯m nowhere near that level! I¡¯m not even at the level of some other Miners here in China! I need to get better! He replied, ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    Shi Hang looked at Lin Feng and frowned. If he returns, when he returns, he¡¯ll have a big bull¡¯s eye on his back. Everyone will want to beat the wonderkid! They¡¯ll all want their shot at beating Maple! And an LPL with him will be so much morepetitive than one without him¡­ He sighed and asked, ¡°What are you gonna do about the name? Sticking to Maple? Or are you going to go with something new and hope people won¡¯t remember you?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He eximed, ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to keep my old name!¡±

    Shi Hang smirked. Thought so. There¡¯s no way you were going to ditch your old name. But that¡¯s not going to be easy. There won¡¯t just be the people looking to challenge you. There are going to be so many fans who expect you to win everything! They¡¯re going to bombard you with attention and in the current scene, fan interaction is so important! There will be so much pressure on you from every direction! And right now, you¡¯re not anywhere near the level required to hold your own ingame, let alone whatever happens outside of the games! He shook his head and said, ¡°Just be sure to take care of yourself.¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his face and smiled. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be far better than I¡¯m right now when I do return. Uh, no! Wait! I¡¯ll be better than I was four years ago! I¡¯ll be the new and improved Maple 2.0!¡±

    Shi Hangughed. He put his arm on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll be looking forward to your glorious return to fame!¡±

    ¡°Uhm, sorry, by the way,¡± Lin Feng said, rubbing his nose. He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°You guys got knocked out because of me. If I didn¡¯t y, you might¡¯ve made it all the way to the Finals¡­¡±

    Shi Hang rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°Oh please! With me on the team, we would¡¯ve won the entire damn tournament if it wasn¡¯t for you!¡±

    Lin Fengughed awkwardly and asked, ¡°The rest of your team, they¡¯re not too upset, are they?¡±

    Shi Hang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. I personally taught them! If they can¡¯t get over this series, then I haven¡¯t done my job well. And if that¡¯s the case, they¡¯ll never amount to anything in League of Legends! Setbacks are normal. You take them in stride. Just like your team did after the first two games today!¡± He grinned and continued, ¡°Speaking of which, you¡¯ve got a pretty nice team. BunBun is obviously very good. But that Support looked promising too. And the ad-carry wasn¡¯t half bad either. She¡¯s got potential!¡±

    ¡°Of course she does!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. ¡°I picked her! I picked all of them!¡±

 Chapter 329: I Will be First! No Me! NO, ME! ME! ME! MEEEEEE!

    Shi Hang looked at Lin Feng and grinned. Where have I heard him say this before? Oh, that¡¯s right! This is exactly what you said to me after the LPL Finals four years ago! Back when we didn¡¯t even know if a Chinese team would qualify for Worlds! When no one thought we had the skill! Except you. You always believed in yourself and your team! He chuckled. You handpicked your team, so they were the best. Such simple logic. It sounds stupid! But man was it true. Fuck me were they amazing! Those guys... Shi Hang shook his head and sighed. They were pretty damn amazing! Almost as good as you were. He nodded at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you. How¡¯s Silent doing these days? Have you talked with him recently?¡±

    Lin Feng stopped smiling. He took a step back and looked down at his shoes. He fiddled with his fingers and mumbled, ¡°Uhm¡­ Eh¡­¡±

    Shi Hang looked at Lin Feng, confused. He asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... Even you don¡¯t know?¡± I know it¡¯s been four years, but you guys were inseparable! You should¡¯ve at least stayed in contact, right? You don¡¯t just stop being best friends from one day to the next! And even if you don¡¯t hang out all that much anymore, you still keep tabs on each other, right? Wait¡­ If you¡¯re nning to make aeback, wouldn¡¯t you want to do that with your old teammates? Yeah, why are you even ying with this team? You¡¯ve got your old team! Those guys are way better!

    Lin Feng bit his lips, his heart mming into his ribcage. Shi Hang doesn¡¯t know. No one told him I was the one who walked away. That I broke off all contact for four years. That the reason I¡¯m not in touch with my old teammates is because I made it impossible for them to reach me! How is Silent doing these days? I want to know that too! But even Tian Tian doesn¡¯t really know¡­ He took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I heard he quit League, but beyond that, I, I just don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know he quit,¡± Shi Hang replied. He then exhaled loudly and continued, ¡°It¡¯s such a shame. Silent and Autumn were absolutely phenomenal yers! Even if they haven¡¯t yed the game in years, with how good they were, they¡¯ll still be at the top of the LPL! It¡¯s such a big loss for the LPL that you three all quit!¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, just nodded for nearly a minute. Then he finally said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I know. If I get the chance, I hope to see them again. I really want to know how they¡¯re doing too.¡± He took a deep, long breath. I want to see them again! I want to see them y League again! Maybe even with me, if they forgive me¡­ It¡¯s just, just not the same without them! My current team is great, but my old team¡­ The four of them¡­ He shook his head and closed his eyes. I shouldn¡¯t think that far ahead. What if they¡¯re mad at me? He chewed on his lips, his stomach twisting and turning. I¡¯d already be happy if I can just meet them in person again and apologize for the dogshit person I was! I want to apologize to them for everything I did! How I lost them the Finals! How I abandoned them! How I¡­

    ¡°Ah, forget it!¡± Shi Hang eximed,ughing. He patted Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Us old farts get stuck in the past too much! No point in doing that! Heck, you¡¯re still in high school! Old man Feng going to high school!¡± Heughed a bit before continuing, ¡°Anyway, how is this return to the pro scene going to look like for you? Jumping straight into the LPL? Or are you going to take a different route?¡±

    Shi Hang suddenly narrowed his eyes. He wagged his finger and said, ¡°The Collegiate Cup! That¡¯s where you start! And you better win it! You knocked me out of this stupid tournament! Your return to the pro scene is great and all, but you knocked me out! My firstpetitive game in years and you knocked me straight out! If you don¡¯t go on and win the main tournament before going back to the LPL, I¡¯ll have your ass!¡±

    Lin Feng stared at Shi Hang, surprised. Then he grinned and struck his victory pose. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! We¡¯re going to win! That trophy ising home with me!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Shi Hang replied. He smiled and continued, ¡°Big talking from a little guy like you! Eh, you¡¯re not that little anymore. Kinda tall now! But I¡¯ll be looking forward to it! And if I don¡¯t see youing back with that trophy, I¡¯lle looking for you to smack some humility into you! Which is super easy now that you live in Shanghai! I¡¯m in Hangzhou! That¡¯s only 30 minutes with the train!¡± He grinned and suggested, ¡°We should have some beers sometime soon! And don¡¯t you dare say no! You¡¯reing and you¡¯re getting wasted with me! For old time¡¯s sake!¡± You might be the wonderkid on the Rift, but I¡¯ll show you who the beer pong wonderkid is!

    ¡°Beers? Drinking?¡± Lin Feng muttered. He scratched the back of his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m alright with drinking. But if you¡¯re looking for a drinking buddy, I know someone! Tang Tang is great with alcohol! She¡¯ll drink you under the table!¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang?¡± Shi Hang remarked in surprise. Who is¡­ Oh! He turned his head to look at the yers from team Shanghai on the other side of the hall and said, ¡°Oh! That ad-carry girl on your team? The small one? You¡¯re telling me she can hold her alcohol? Haha! I wanna see that!¡±

    Lin Feng brightly smiled and turned to look at his teammates. He then waved at them and shouted, ¡°Tang Tang! Tang Tang! Shi Hang says we should get together sometime and have a couple of drinks! What do you say? Are you in?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng, puzzled. She tilted her head and said, ¡°Okay?¡± He wants to drink with me again? I thought... She shook her head and smiled. He wants to drink with me again! She nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Sure!¡±

    ¡°Uh, Lin Feng?¡± Shi Hang interrupted. He pointed at Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao, who both looked on in horror, and asked, ¡°Why are those two looking at us like that?¡±

    Lin Feng chuckled and replied, ¡°Oh, nothing! They¡¯re just happy that we¡¯ll all go drinking together again!¡±

    Shi Hang raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s not that you¡¯re trying to get one over on me here? Because that¡¯s the feeling I¡¯m getting here. If I knew them any better and they looked at me like that, then¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m totally serious! It¡¯ll be fun! Trust me!¡± Lin Feng interrupted, grinning.

    Shi Hang looked at Lin Feng and narrowed his eyes. He said, ¡°Alright, sure¡­¡± He then looked at his watch and continued, ¡°I should probably go look for my teammates. They¡¯re waiting somewhere here for me.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll see youter! We¡¯ll go drinking together sometime!¡± He suddenly scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°Oh, uh, what about you? Are you going to y again?¡±

    Shi Hang shrugged and said, ¡°Who knows? I might. We¡¯ll see what the future has in store for me.¡±

    The two former professional yers looked at each other knowingly. Season 1 was all about China versus Korea. They were the strongest two regions in the world. The LPL quickly rose to fame during that period, leaning on the legacy of Maple and the skills of AyDeeCee and several other professional yers. But Season 2 didn¡¯t be what the Chinese fans wanted for it to be. The big names, the ones that drew people to the stadium, that made people empty their schedules just to watch them y, those yers quit the professional scene.

    The best Chinese League of Legends yers from Season 1 all quit in Season 2, with Tian Tian being the only noteworthy exception. And all of them, without exception, were in their prime when they quit. They still had long and bright careers ahead of them. But they quit. They left the scene. And they left behind a mishmash of second rate yers.

    Three yearster, in Season 5, the LPL was one of the weaker regions in the world. It needed fresh blood. But fresh didn¡¯t necessarily mean new. If the yers of old, the real monsters, returned to the scene, then the LPL was almost certainly going to make a massive leap in the worldwide rankings!

    Lin Feng smiled and said, ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the LPL!¡±

    Shi Hangughed and fired back, ¡°With your slow ass speed, I¡¯ll be the one waiting. Don¡¯t make me wait too long! I might get bored and quit again!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng walked back to his teammates waving his phone at them. He shouted, ¡°Ouyang just texted me! They¡¯re gonna get some barbecue skewers to celebrate our victory! Let¡¯s go join them! You guys in for it? Ren Rou and the others are all joining!¡± He turned to look at Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui and added, ¡°Even the three from your old team are tagging along! What do you say, you guys in?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and An Xin smiled, but Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao didn¡¯t respond. They just stared at Lin Feng with their eyes wide open.

    Lin Feng looked at the two and asked, ¡°What? Do I have something on my face?¡± He rubbed his cheeks and lips clean, but that didn¡¯t get a response either. Whatever¡¯s got them all weird like this? His phone buzzed again. He checked and saw it was Ouyang asking where he was. Eh, whatever. Time for food! He grinned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go celebrate already! I¡¯m starving!¡± He then turned around and walked away.

    Zhang Hao looked at Lin Feng, moving his head up and down. He held Zeng Rui¡¯s phone in his hand. On it was an article about China¡¯s best Miner, the mysterious individual who¡¯d shocked the entire world with a stunning performance at the highest stage of League of Legends. The World Championships. He thought about Lin Feng and then the person described in the article. Then he looked at Lin Feng. He tried to match the two people in his head, intertwine them, make them one. But he couldn¡¯t. It was all too much for him. The fact that Maple stood before him. That he was on Maple¡¯s team. That he was getting taught by the best yer China, and arguably even the world had ever seen! It was all too much for him. The phone slipped from his hand and fell on the ground. But he didn¡¯t notice it. His mind was a mess. He stared at Lin Feng with wide open eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he opened his mouth. His lips shivered. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°M-maple?¡±

    Zeng Rui was a step further in the ing to terms that Lin Feng is Maple¡¯ process than Zhang Hao. He was finally convinced that Lin Feng was Maple. I always wondered what I was missing about the way he yed. He did things I didn¡¯t¡­ Things I don¡¯t understand. And they always work out! All those little things. The way he ys¡­ There is something so strangely good about it! Him being Maple actually exins so much! But¡­ He gritted his teeth and red at Lin Feng. He clenched his fists until his knuckles were white. Maple or not, he¡¯s still a thundering dumbass! He deserves no praise! He deserves a beating! BunBun was right all along!

 Chapter 330: If youâ€™re free for the rest of the night, come to my room Lin Feng.

    It waste at night. Su Xue sat behind herputer chatting with her viewers when someone loudly knocked on the front door. She nced over her shoulder, surprised. Who could tha¨C Don¡¯t tell me¡ª

    ¡°SU XUUEEEEEEEE! I¡¯M HOOOOOOOOME!¡± Lin Feng shouted while smashing his fist against the front door.

    ¡°I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here! Stop knocking!¡± Su Xue rushed down the stairs and opened the front door.

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    ¡°I can see that. I¡¯m not blind. Or deaf,¡± Su Xue replied. ¡°Why are you banging on the door anyway? You have a key! Just USE YOUR KEY TO OPEN THE DOO¡­ you forgot your key again, didn¡¯t you?¡± This kid... he definitely forgot to take keys. Again. Even after I¡¯ve told him a billion times now to take them when he goes out. Ah, why do I even bother? It doesn¡¯t even matter if I tell him, remind him, yell at him. No matter how often I tell him, he¡¯s just going to skip out the door without his keys. Getting him to remember his keys is harder than climbing to Challenger! This might be the best case scenario though¡­ As long as his keys are safe at home, he¡¯s not going to leave them somewhere else. Or lose them over and over. Half of Shanghai will have a copy of our keys if he takes them out of the house! Yeah! Let¡¯s just let this go.

    Su Xue stood at the doorway with her hand on her forehead while she considered all of this and talked to her. Finally, she sighed and looked at Lin Feng to ask, ¡°Did you eat already?¡±

    ¡°I did! I had BBQ skewers?¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, and you didn¡¯t think about me at all, did you? I would¡¯ve liked some skewers. So inconsiderate!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh. Are you hungry, Su Xue? Let¡¯s get some chicken cutlet delivered!¡±

    ¡°... Didn¡¯t you just tell me about eating BBQ skewers!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still hungry!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god! You¡¯re always hungry, you porky little fatass!¡±

    The two continued bickering back and forth as they walked into the living room. Once they arrived, Su Xue turned to look at Lin Feng and didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds. Then she raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°So, how¡¯d your game go today? Did you guys win?¡±

    Lin Feng smiled and pushed his hair back before replying, ¡°Yep! We reverse swept them 3-2! I was really awesome in Mid too!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So it was all you? The mine hard carry?¡± Su Xue asked while grinning at him. ¡°I might be wrong here¡­ but wasn¡¯t it BunBun¡¯s Lee Sin ult that won the fifth game for you guys?¡±

    ¡°BunB...Oh. OH! You watched the stream of the tournament?¡± A surprised Lin Feng asked after he put the pieces together in his head.

    Su Xue snorted. ¡°No. I read your mind. Of course I watched the stream! But I didn¡¯t watch because I wanted to! I didn¡¯t think I even needed to watch. I was sitting in solo queue, getting ready to y a few games. But Water Wraith and the rest of the viewers kept going on about how you were ying and how we should watch. They got so annoying about it that I finally gave up trying to argue and pulled the tournament stream up!¡± She looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°A reverse sweep? What does that even mean? You lost two games at the start and finally got your act together to win the next three? What a fancy way of saying that you were in trouble and managed to get it together at the very end. Is that something really worth bragging about? If you were really good, you would¡¯ve shown me a clean sweep.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. Then he brightly smiled and said, ¡°Oh, I wanted to do that too! Next time, I guess!¡±

    ¡°Agh, why are you so damn cheery about everything all the time?¡± Su Xue looked away, defeated by Lin Feng¡¯s sickeningly overpowering positivity and optimism. ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. Anyway, if you don¡¯t have anything else to do tonight,e to my room.¡±

    Wait. WAIT. WAIT! That sounds wrong! That sounds like I¡¯m asking him... Su Xue realized how her words could be misinterpreted and quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m still streaming right now. When I told the viewers I was going to get the door for you, they started raving about wanting to see you.¡± Then she sighed with dissatisfaction. ¡°Seriously, why do I feel like they¡¯re more your fans than mine. I¡¯m supposed to be the streamer here!¡±

    ¡°Oh, everyone¡¯s waiting for me!?¡± Lin Feng asked, already used to Su Xue¡¯sints. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a second!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue¡¯s stream had recently grown, and she¡¯d be even more popr. She wasn¡¯t a small streamer by any definition of the term back in the day. She always managed to hover somewhere between 20,000 to 30,000 viewers every time she went live. But recently, the Huya TV admins had featured her stream on the front page several times. The exposure had skyrocketed her viewership, and now she was pulling in 40,000 to 50,000 viewers regrly. There were even days when she peaked at 60,000 viewers! Su Xue had be well-known as a streaming personality and was now as big as LovelyRose! But hermunity was very different from the one that LovelyRose built. Su Xue¡¯s viewers were much more loyal and significantly more invested in her. If LovelyRose picked a fight with the Su Xue of today, the entire incident would have gone down a very different path.

    For tonight¡¯s stream, Su Xue had 48,000 viewers. All of whom were sitting there talking amongst themselves when Su Xue left to let Lin Feng into the house. A bunch of the newer viewers had no idea what was going on.

    ¡¸huh, where¡¯d snowfall go?¡¹¡¸yeah, what¡¯s she doing! I came to watch a stream, not an empty room!¡¹¡¸who¡¯s she getting the door for, her boyfriend?¡¹¡¸fuck! Didn¡¯t she say she was single! I feel betrayed!¡¹ |¡¸sum1 ppin that?!?!?!? PeepoSadgePepeCri¡¹¡¸WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS! SU XUE OURS!¡¹¡¸That¡¯s right! No man cane between us and Su Xie!¡¹

    Thankfully, Su Xue¡¯s long time viewers there to exin the situation.

    ¡¸No, she didn¡¯t lie. Xuexue is still single. Can you imagine a girl like her getting a boyfriend? Hahahahha¡¹¡¸she went to open the door forndy¡¯s nephew!¡¹¡¸right, Lin Feng is also our lil bro!¡¹¡¸Who LiFeng? Landd newophew th boyfrien?>>>!!¡¹¡¸No! Lin Feng is the Landy¡¯s nephew!¡¹¡¸WHO THE LANDLADY? SHE CUTE????????¡¹¡¸SHOW US THE LANDLADY! MILF POWAHHHH!¡¹¡¸Su Xue has a little brother?¡¹

    The newer viewers grew more confused as this went on.

    ndy¡¯s nephew? Who the hell cares?¡¹¡¸Exactly! We want maturendy stream!¡¹¡¸SHOW MOMMYMILKERS!¡¹¡¸lil bro? When did a lil bro pop up? The hell are you guys talking about?¡¹¡¸ommmmmg, i¡¯m so lost.¡¹

    While the viewers in the chat were going back and forth, Lin Feng entered the room and ran over to theputer and sat down in front of the screen. He shed a bright smile and waved at the camera. ¡°Hey guys! Long time no see! Heard you were missing me!¡±

    The longtime viewers ignored the neers and enthusiastically greeted Lin Feng back.

    ¡¸lil bro is baaaaaaaaaack!¡¹¡¸we missed you! It¡¯s been too long, but we watched your match today! You were so 666666666666!¡¹¡¸you actually beat a former pro! We¡¯re so proud of you!¡¹¡¸hehehe our lil bro is our lil pro! We always believed in your mid! Gj gj!¡¹¡¸gratz on making it to the semis, you¡¯ve qualified for the main tournament right!?¡¹

    As Lin Feng happily interacted with the chat, Su Xue came back into the room with two sses of water. She looked at the chat and curled her lips. ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t get what you guys are so happy about.Didn¡¯t he almost lose?¡±

    The chatpletely ignored her.

    ¡¸lil bro, y a game for us!¡¹¡¸we had to sit through a game of xuexue feeding her ass off as an ad-carry, we need to watch you to cleanse oru minds!¡¹¡¸y a game with Zed! We saw how great your Zed was in the tournament! Those were some sick moves!¡¹

    Sui Xue grimaced. ¡°... Hey guys, I¡¯m still here, you know? I¡¯m not air!¡±

    With the viewers begging him, Lin Feng agreed to their request right away. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll y a game!¡±

    Many of the new viewers started protesting the swap. They¡¯d only just started watching and weren¡¯t there when Su Xue yed the stream of the East China Regional quarterfinal earlier, so they had no idea who Lin Feng was and how good he yed.

    ¡¸why we swapping!? This is bullshit!¡¹¡¸she was ying just fine earlier, y we switching?¡¹¡¸make xuexue stay, i love her!¡¹

    The long time viewer immediately drowned out the dissent.

    ¡¸if you¡¯re new, then don¡¯t talk¡¹¡¸just watch lil bro, you¡¯ll know what we mean once you see him y¡¹¡¸stop thinking with your smaller heads for once, this isn¡¯t that kind of stream!¡¹

    Lin Feng cracked his knuckles and smiled. ¡°Zed, huh? Alright, a Zed game it is!¡±

    Before long, Lin Feng got into a game.

    This Zed game waspletely different from the tournament one. His opponent wasn¡¯t a former pro like Shi Hang, but rather an ordinary Diamond 5 yer. They also happened to be ying Twisted Fate, one of the Miners that Zed hard countered.

    Lin Feng picked up his first solo kill on Twisted Fate at 3 minutes, then another at 5 minutes. The one-sided ughter continued until he became Legendary at 15 minutes. He was having the time of his life. The long time viewers were enjoying all the dazzling Zed ys, and the newer viewers werepletely stunned.

    ¡¸woah! What was that Zed y?!¡¹¡¸that backline dive on the ad-carry was beautiful!¡¹¡¸this is diamond right? He¡¯s stomping diamonds like they¡¯re bronzies!¡¹¡¸god zed! Master ninja!¡¹¡¸okay, I take it back! I don¡¯t to watch xue xue! I want to see him keep ying!¡¹

    Lin Feng managed to quickly convert many of the new viewers into fans. Most of them had mainly tuned into the stream because of how pretty Su Xue was on webcam. It was a reflex click upon seeing a cute girl. But now the stream offered so much more. With Lin Feng showing off fantastic gamey and Su Xue sitting on the side being pretty, they got the best of both worlds in one stream!

    The corner of Su Xue¡¯s lips twitched in irritation. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourselves! I¡¯m a gamey streamer, not some pretty vase to be enjoyed in the background!¡±

    ¡¸shut up maid!¡¹¡¸yeah maid! Refill lil bro¡¯s water!¡¹¡¸Get as good as lil bro, and then we¡¯ll talk!¡¹

    Su Xue gritted her teeth. ¡°You ungrateful bastards! I was going to surprise you all with something mind blowing big, but nevermind! Once I get huge from this, I¡¯llugh at all your faces instead!¡±

 Chapter 331: It is THIS Big!

    Lin Feng clenched his fist and pumped it up in the air. He shouted, ¡°WIN! See how good my Zed is?¡± He grinned and watched the red energy explode from the Nexus and morph into the ¡®Victory¡¯ emblem. My Zed is way too good! Way too good¡­ I should 1vs1 Shi Hang on stream one of these days! Then I could show them just how good my Zed exactly is! Yeah! That¡¯d be fun!¨C Right, XueXue and something big¡­ He turned his head to look at Su Xue and asked, ¡°What big news? What were you talking about?¡±

    ¡¸YEAH! cant just make us hot like this! TELL US OR WE RIOT!¡¹¡¸dont be mad with us, were just dumb viewers who are far too curious¡­. NOW TELL US!¡¹¡¸tell me tell me tell me tell me¡¹¡¸I wonder what it could be about¡­ You guys think she got engaged or something?¡¹¡¸LOL, with who??? What guy would wanna date her when she streams 20 hours a day????¡¹¡¸ME! ME! I WOULD! MEMEMMEMEMEMEME!!!!¡¹

    Su Xue looked at the camera and gave a fake, sarcasticugh in response. She then sat up a little straighter and raised her nose. She said, ¡°A Huya admin contacted me. He said he wants to discuss something important with me. When I asked him what it was about, he said it had to do with my stream and that it was a massive opportunity! Like¡­ THIS big!¡± She reached her hands out as far as she could.

    ¡¸huya dude thinkin he has a big dick. Lololololol¡¹¡¸xuexue getting trolled by huya¡­..¡¹¡¸our xuexue is waaaaaaaay too innocent¡¹

    Lin Feng raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Is that all? Didn¡¯t he tell you what the big news is? So you don¡¯t really have big news? Just a Huya admin telling you he has big news for you¡­?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s smile froze. The corners of her lips slowly fell a brief momentter. She then scratched the back of her head and said, ¡°Uhh, well¡­ Yeah. But he told me it was really big and that I¡¯d be super happy with it!¡±

    ¡¸this is big news!? my gawd why did i get all excited for this crap¡­.????¡¹¡¸XueXue, you¡¯re really too gullible! Just because they tell you it¡¯s big doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s actually big news!¡¹¡¸so an admin wants to chat with you (in person????) about something big he has for you??? Oh poor xuexue, you¡¯re so gullible!¡¹¡¸xuexue is too pure for the inte, that''s why I watch her. She¡¯s like a cute, little, very stupid puppy!¡¹

    Su Xue rolled her eyes back and said, ¡°Fine. Whatever! You guys keep roasting and trolling and bitching all you want! I don¡¯t care about any of you!¡± She shook her head and mumbled, ¡°Sheesh, just wanted to share the good news that Huya has something big for me¡­¡±

    ¡¸ah okay, I understand it! YOU¡±RE DUMPING US FOR THIS HUYA DUDE!!!!!¡¹¡¸Wooow! Getting cocky right away just because some dude told you he has something big for you, huh? I get it! You don¡¯t want us anymore! FINE! WE DON¡±T WANT YOU EITHER! PACK IT UP¡¹¡¸YEAH! weve been far too nice to her! She¡¯s gotten cocky time to put her back in her ce!¡¹¡¸fellowrades, new and old, follow me into mass reporting and mass unfollowing! Teach the maid who has the power here!¡¹¡¸We hold the power!¡¹¡¸YOU¡±RE OUR SLAVE STUPID MAID!!!1!!!¡¹

    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Su Xue yelped. She threw her hands up in the air andined, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? I¡¯m sorry! Okay? I¡¯m sorry! Sheesh! I would never throw you guys away! I love you all! We¡¯re one big family here! You¡¯re all my brothers and sisters!¡± She looked into the camera and smiled and blinked, like a puppy. She then said, ¡°Come oooooon! Please, don¡¯t leave me! I wouldn¡¯t ever leave you guys! Pleaaase!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue fell back in her gaming chair after turning her stream off and sighed loudly. She shook her head andined, ¡°Those god damn viewers are such a pissy bunch! Who did they learn this shitty behaviour from!? I bet you that other streamers don¡¯t have such ungrateful bastards watching them!¡±

    ¡°But your stream is getting really big!¡± Lin Feng countered. He clicked on the match history and glossed through it. Another round of all wins! Won three at the end on Zed there as well! But still¡­ I need to y against better yers¡­ He shook his head and said to Su Xue, ¡°You¡¯ll be the number 1 female streamer on Huya soon! That¡¯s really impressive you know!¡±

    ¡°Yep! I know!¡± Su Xue replied, smiling. She then grabbed a cardboard crown from a pile next to her desk and put it on. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll be the queen of Huya!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at her, confused. Then he grinned. He struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°And I¡¯ll be the king!¡±

    ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Su Xue replied. She shook her head and continued, ¡°You¡¯re the stream¡¯s little bro! You can be a prince or something!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned awkwardly. He said, ¡°Oh, yeah, guess you¡¯re right. Right! So what did that Huya admin want from you anyway? You really don¡¯t know?¡±

    Su Xue shrugged and exined, ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t know. I told the stream what he told me. It¡¯s supposedly really good news and will help my stream get really big though. So I¡¯m kinda really excited for it!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. Makes sense¡­¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He then nced at the clock on the wall. His eyes went wide. He grabbed his phone to double check the time. He then turned to look at Su Xue and eximed, ¡°Hey! Isn¡¯t it delivery time? I want a chicken cutlet!¡±

    Su Xue followed Lin Feng¡¯s gaze to the clock. Oh my god! It¡¯s already 2 A.M! Takeout? She pinched her eyes closed and said, ¡°You want food now? It¡¯s 2! You¡¯ve got¡­ I don¡¯t know! Something in the morning, right? You need to go to bed and sleep! No one can function on no sleep! What do you think? That I go to bed at 4 and then wake up at 6? No! I go to bed at 4, wake up at 6 to make you breakfast, and then go back to bed! Humans need their sleep! You need to sleep!¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and argued, ¡°I only have a couple more weeks to climb to the top of the Koreandder! I can catch up on sleep when I¡¯ve done that! Now I need to y!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open. She stared at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°You¡­ you still want to y? Tonight? Didn¡¯t you just y a whole tournament earlier today? Well, technically yesterday¡­¨C And the games on stream too! Haven¡¯t you had enough¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine!¡± Lin Feng said, grinning. He downed the ss of water in front of him and then struck his victory pose. He shouted, ¡°It¡¯s time to PLAY!¡± He continued grinning and kept his eyes wide open. Yeah I¡¯m tired! Yeah I wanna sleep! But this isn¡¯t the time to sleep! I want to know how much I improved from those games against Shi Hang! And I need to y more on the Korean server anyway! I¡¯ll y at least one game! That¡¯s one game closer to the Top 3! I know One only said Top 5, but I¡¯m going for the Top 3! That just means I need that much more time! I have to y more! More! MORE!

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng through narrowed eyes. You¡¯re not fooling me, you punk! You can barely keep your eyes open! But¡­ She pursed her lips. I do really wanna see you y on the Korean server... Maybe you get to y with Lightless again! How cool would that be! Just one game. Yeah! I¡¯ll let you y one game! That¡¯ll be fine! She smiled and said, ¡°Alright. One game. I¡¯ll go call the chicken ce around the corner. Be right back!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue walked back into her room with a stic bag in her hand. Steam was rising up from it, as was the strong smell of chicken. She put the bag down on the desk next to Lin Feng and looked at his screen. Her eyes went wide. He¡¯d already logged onto his Korean ount and was waiting in queue. But what drew her attention was a private message chat that was blinking on the bottom of the client. She grabbed Lin Feng by his shoulder and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Lightless! He¡¯s messaging you! Lightless is messaging you!¡±

    Lin Feng hovered his mouse over the chat and mumbled, ¡°Oh, him again?¡± He opened the chat box and read the messages.

    CN?Lightless:¡¸Heeeeey! You down for a duo?¡¹CN?Lightless:¡¸I can y jungle!¡¹CN?Lightless:¡¸It¡¯d be a real honour to y with a legend like you again!¡¹

    Su Xue stared at the chat, stunned. Shocked! Lin Feng a legend? W-what? Since when¡­? She nced at Lin Feng and then back at the chat with Lightless. A legend? What is this about? Lightless ys in the LPL! Who does he think Lin Feng is!?

    Lin Feng looked at the messages that just kept oning and shook his head. Guess he thinks I¡¯m One. Eh, don¡¯t wanna y with him right now anyway.

    CN?HOOK2:¡¸I¡¯m good.¡¹

    ¡°What...?¡± Su Xue mumbled. She looked from Lin Feng to the now closed chat and back at Lin Feng again. Has he lost it? He has, hasn¡¯t he? She grabbed Lin Feng by the arm and pointed at hisputer screen. She said, ¡°What are you doing? Why did you close the chat? That¡¯s Lightless! Didn¡¯t I tell you who that is? He¡¯s a pro! He ys in the LPL! Why would you say no to him? He can help you win! He¡¯s a mid main, but he¡¯s also a really good Jungler! I told you thisst time! Before he became a mid main he was a Jungler! Why wouldn¡¯t you wanna duo with him!?¡±

    Lin Feng brushed Su Xue¡¯s hand off and exined, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who he is. I prefer to y solo queue. Plus, I want to do this climb solo.¡± He focused his attention on the client. I promised One that I¡¯d reach the Top 5! So I¡¯ll be the one doing that! I won¡¯t rely on anyone else! Duo queuing is cheating!

    ?

    The period between the World Championships and the start of the new season was the off-season for League of Legends. The professional teams had no specific games to work towards, so they focused on general practice. Beyond that, most yers had no team responsibilities. They spent their time watching movies, ying other video games or going outside into the cold winter weather.

    It was 2 A.M. Light was still burning in the Dark Glory gaming room. Two yers from the team were watching a movie, and there was one other yer present. Lightless. He sat behind his ownputer some distance away. He looked at his screen, at his chat with CN?HOOK2 and grinned. Hum¡­ Could¡¯ve guessed One wouldn¡¯t want to duo queue with me. But he epted me to his friends list! That¡¯s already a huge honour! Now I can spectate him! I wonder how many people have that privilege! Maybe I¡¯m his only friend on the Korean server!

    Lightless¡¯ eyes were locked on the screen when CN?HOOK2 entered his first game. Mid Lulu! That¡¯s such a risky pick in solo queue! He¡¯s basically relying on his teammates not being dogshit! Hum¡­ But this is Korean Challenger! He clenched his fists. Come on, One! Show ¡®em!

    The next hour flew by. Lightless felt his heart mming into his ribcage, faster and faster! The Lulu game was impressive. CN?HOOK2 carried his team to a convincing victory. He moved into the next game, this time opting to y Ezreal in the midne. The early game was a little bit rough. There were a couple of openings and a couple of missed opportunities. But when the mid game came around, Ezreal hit his power spike. CN?HOOK2 carried his team to a second win.

    It was the third game where CN?HOOK2 finally hit a wall. Lightless kept shaking his head the entire game. Holy crap his Fizz is good! Laning, roaming, mechanics, especially mechanics! They¡¯re all better than mine! This dude could jump straight into the LPL and be one of the top Miners! Fucking legend! Retired from the pro scene of a different MOBA so many years ago, yet he¡¯s still ying at the top level! And isn¡¯t he like 30 already? How is he this sharp at that age!? Hum¡­ Unreal! He watched One beat a Korean professional yer in the midne. But it wasn¡¯t enough. He lost the game. One¡¯s teammates were useless this game! And those Koreans were pros¡­ That didn¡¯t help.

    Lightless rolled his shoulders back and mumbled, ¡°Alright, next game. Get some revenge for that loss, bud!¡± he rubbed his hands and smiled. Show me¡­ Twisted Fate! Yeah! Nice!

    The game didn¡¯tst long. CN?HOOK2¡¯s Twisted Fate dominated hisne and at Level 6 after unlocking his ultimate skill, he started dominating the bot and topne as well. The gamested 21 minutes. Lightless¡¯ eyes were open wide in shock. Hum¡­ Yep! That does it. That fucking does it! He nced at his two teammates watching another movie before turning his attention back to his screen. He shook his head and breathed in deeply. I can¡¯t let myself fall behind a retired yer! One is an absolute legend! No one was as good as he was at his prime! But he¡¯s like 30 years old now! He¡¯s well past his prime and he doesn¡¯t even ypetitively anymore! I¡¯m not going to be worse than him! Hum! I¡¯ll just have to up my training schedule and try even harder! He nodded and clicked on the ¡®y¡¯ button. Enough watching. Time to practice!

 Chapter 332: Hey Bestie, Now Donâ€™t be Mad

    ¡°Boom!¡± Lin Feng shouted,ughing. He rxed back in his chair and breathed out. It¡¯s almost morning already! I feel like I¡¯ve run a marathon¡­ But shit! Those games were great! Finally some strong opponents, especially in that third game! That was fucking awesome! He took the ss of water Su Xue had filled for him from the desk and drank it empty. ¡°Haaaah!¡± he eximed. ¡°So good!¡±

    Su Xue sat next to Lin Feng, scrolling through the Korean Challenger Ladder. She hit the refresh button several times, waiting for the results from the previous game Lin Feng yed to be added. It finally did. She pushed the phone in front of Lin Feng¡¯s face and shouted, ¡°Look! Look! You¡¯re almost in the Top 100! If you hadn¡¯t lost that one game¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh, losses are part of the game,¡± Lin Feng replied. He grinned and continued, ¡°Can¡¯t win everything! That¡¯d be silly! And those two I was ying against? The Mid and Top? Those two were really good!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng and shook her head. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Of course they were good! You¡¯re in Korean Challenger! You¡¯re ying against the best yers in Korea! And those two specifically¡­ She breathed out and opened her eyes again. She lectured, ¡°Of course they were good! Those two y in the OGN! That¡¯s the highestpetition in Korea! They y against Rake!¡±

    Lin Fengughed awkwardly and mumbled, ¡°I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°You guess?¡± Su Xue asked. I wanna punch him! She breathed in deeply and said, ¡°You were ying against Seo! He¡¯s a really famous Miner! Yet you beat him! You beat him inne! If it wasn¡¯t for the Lissandra, who by the way is also an insanely strong yer¡­¡± She shook her head and sighed before continuing, ¡°FAC?Ason is one of the best Toners in the entire world right now! He carried really hard on his Lissandra! But somehow¡­ somehow you actually put up a fight against him! You made him tryhard!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and said, ¡°Yeah, he was pretty good. But we could¡¯ve won it! If only I got to the backline in that teamfight at the end! But Lissandra locked me down with her ultimate before I could kill them.¡± He stared at his screen and mumbled, ¡°The OGN really has a lot of strong yers, huh?¡± Just like Rake in Season 1¡­ All these Koreans are so good! You can never underestimate them! But that¡¯s exactly what I need right now! This is perfect! They¡¯ll help me get good again so much faster! And all I have to do is keep queuing up for more games! Right, enough time wasting! He clenched his fist and shouted, ¡°Again!¡±

    ?

    The Shanghai Esports Organization announced the semi finals matchups for the East China Regionals early the next day. This game wasn¡¯t technically part of the Winter Collegiate Cup. All four remaining teams had already qualified for the main tournament. The semi finals and finals for the East China Regionals were yed purely for pride and bragging rights. And more importantly, to get some extra practice in before the main tournament.

    Team Shanghai got matched up against the Shanghai University of Finance. This was the same team they¡¯d yed their first scrim match against all those weeks ago. This was the team who tried to get out of the scrimmage when they learned Team Shanghai was a team of high schoolers and girls. This was the team that got stomped in that particr scrimmage. And it was the memory of that scrimmage that lingered with the yers from both teams. Team Shanghai looked forward to the semi finals, ready to repeat their earlier feats against the Shanghai University of Finance. And the Shanghai University of Finance dreaded this uing semi finals series.

    The Shanghai University of Finance had reached the quarter finals of the main tournament in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup. This time around, they¡¯d qualified for Nationals again. They were one of the strongest teamspeting. But the differences at the top were big. They held little hope of beating a team like Fudan University or Zhejiang University.

    Luo Yu was the Miner and team captain of Shanghai University of Finance. He gathered his teammates and looked at them. They¡¯re all thinking the same. We¡¯ve lost. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re beating those damn steroid kids! He lightly shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, guys. We¡¯ve all seen their series against Zhejiang University. Those kids are good. Really good! But we¡¯ve qualified for Nationals. The oue of this series doesn¡¯t matter. So let¡¯s go in without any pressure and just have fun.¡±

    ?

    The semi finals was a best of five series. Three games were all it took. Team Shanghai came in calm and rxed. They yed far below their capabilities, but it was still more than enough to deal with the Shanghai University of Finance. They qualified for the Finals, in which they would face Fudan University.

    The university students who came to spectate the series between Team Shanghai and the Shanghai University of Finance were rather disappointed. There was never any real tension, nor were there phenomenal ys. It was quick and clean.

    ¡°Team Shanghai is looking unstoppable after their series against Zhejiang University. I don¡¯t see anyone beating them right now. Fudan is going to get m-dunked!¡±¡°Yeah. I guess. Fucking mental how good those kids are! I couldn¡¯t spot a single mistake in these three games against Luo Yu¡¯s team! They made the Shanghai University of Finance look like the high school kids! Man, who would¡¯ve thought three weeks ago¡­¡±¡°Haha! If you¡¯d asked me a few weeks ago who to bet on, I would¡¯ve said Luo Yu had a good chance to win in East China! I really thought they improved a lot! But shit! Team Shanghai is so much better! This ain¡¯t even funny!¡±¡°I¡¯m feeling for Fudan. This can¡¯t be fun for them, knowing you have to y against a bunch of high schoolers, and knowing they¡¯re going to kick your asses!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai had won the quarterfinals to qualify for the main tournament of the Winter Collegiate Cup. They¡¯d won the semi finals of the East China Regionals and were going to y Fudan University in the Finals! These were both things to celebrate, but Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t celebrating. They practiced in silence at the inte cafe. The difort was palpable. And Lin Feng, the culprit of all this, was the only one who didn¡¯t notice it. An Xin let it go on for a few days until she¡¯d had enough of it. She pulled Lin Feng aside and said, ¡°Your stupid ass screwed with our team dynamic! You¡¯re ruining our chances of winning!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Me? What?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. ¡°What did I do?¡±

    An Xin raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°What do you think? My god you¡¯re stupid! Think! For once in your life, use that brain of yours! You¡¯re the one who wanted to keep his identity hidden! You didn¡¯t even tell Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao! How do you think they feel after learning about it from Shi Hang? It didn¡¯t evene from you! And when they were looking at you for an exnation, you brushed them off! Some friend you are.¡± She sighed loudly and asked, ¡°How do you think they¡¯re feeling?¡±

    ¡°How they¡¯re feeling?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, rubbing his chin. He replied, ¡°Excited to get to y with me? I would be!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± An Xin eximed. She punched Lin Feng against his shoulder and shouted, ¡°Get over yourself! No! That¡¯s not how they¡¯re feeling!¡±

    ¡°No? Then what?¡± Lin Feng asked, scratching the back of his head.

    An Xin breathed in deeply and exined, ¡°They¡¯re at a loss! They don¡¯t know what to do or say to you! Before, you were just someone who was good at League to them, and a friend. Now you¡¯re neither! You¡¯re not just good at League, you¡¯re Maple! And you¡¯re not their friend, because you lied to them about who you are!¡±

    Lin Feng raised his hand and protested, ¡°I never lied about who I am!¨C¡±

    ¡°You kept it hidden from them. It¡¯s the same,¡± An Xin cut him off. She red and continued, ¡°These two suddenly learn that they¡¯re ying with not just any former professional yer, they¡¯re ying with the best one¨C WIPE THAT STUPID SMIRK FROM YOUR FACE! Oh my god¡­ Ok. They don¡¯t know how to act, okay? They don¡¯t know what to say or what to think! It¡¯s abination of trying to digest the information while also trying to find their ce in the team and their ce as your friends! And while they¡¯re trying to figure this all out, you¡¯re acting like everything is normal!¡±

    ¡°But every¡ª¡± Lin Feng started.

    ¡°NO! Not everything is normal!¡± An Xin interrupted. She punched him for a second time, ignoring how Lin Feng painfully rubbed his shoulder, and continued, ¡°It¡¯s anything but normal! You¡¯re going to act how you should! Show some consideration to them! Let them know that you¡¯re still just you, a raging fucking idiot goldfish! My god!¡± She threw her hands up in the air and walked away.

    ?

    Zeng Rui sat behind aputer in the inte cafe going over the footage from Team Shanghai¡¯s semi finals series against the Shanghai University of Finance. He yed certain bits again and again, all the while scribbling down things in his notebook. Something is just off about this series. We won cleanly. And it looks clean. But there was something missing¡­

    ¡°ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng shouted through the inte cafe.

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes. Not him. Not now. Please go away. Please go awa¡ª

    ¡°ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng shouted again, running across the hall to theputer Zeng Rui sat at. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Zeng Rui. Then he said again, ¡°ZengZeng!¡±

    Zeng Rui turned his head abruptly to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°What?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and replied, ¡°Oh, uh, nothing really. I just wanted to ask if you¡¯re okay.¡±

    If I¡¯m okay¡­? Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng, confused. He then turned his head further and saw An Xin standing near the entrance of the inte cafe. Oh. BunBun talked to him. Should¡¯ve seen thising¡­ So he wants to know if I¡¯m okay? Maple...¨C No! He¡¯s still just the thundering dumbass! The one who deserves a good punching and¡­ He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He¡¯s fucking Maple! I watched his game against Phoenix at the Season 1 Worlds again... They really y the same! And it¡¯s so good! I don¡¯t get how¡­ How¡­ He shook his head.

    Lin Feng looked at Zeng Rui, asionally ncing at An Xin. Why is he so quiet? Did I say something wrong? I don¡¯t know¡­ He ruffled his hair and said, ¡°Uh, are you angry with me? You know, that I didn¡¯t tell you that I¡¯m Maple and all.¡±

    Zeng Rui breathed in deeply and replied, ¡°No.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. He put his hand on Zeng Rui¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Good! I knew you¡¯d understand! See, I didn¡¯t think it was important! I mean, it was so long ago and I¡¯m not nearly that good anymore! What¡¯s the point in getting hung up on the past? It¡¯s pointless! So anyway, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯d like it if we can be like before! Best friends and teammates!¡±

    Best friends¡­? Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng, incredulous. He opened his mouth, a million things to saying to mind, but eventually only said, ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°That was so easy!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He patted Zeng Rui on the back and said, ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand!¨C Wait, this is too easy. Is it?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked Lin Feng in the eyes and asked, ¡°What do you want me to say? What is there I can possibly say here? You tell me.¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin for a while and then said, ¡°You could tell me how you¡¯re actually feeling! I don¡¯t know, tell me about how you were a big fan of mine and that since finding out that I¡¯m Maple you suddenly feel this big pressure because you¡¯re ying on the same team as your idol!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider the more Lin Feng spoke. He finally snorted and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He added, ¡°I thought you would! I was really famous before, you know? Like really, really famous!¡±

    ¡°Just shut up you thundering dumbass!¡± Zeng Rui eximed.

 Chapter 333: Lin Feng Is Human for a Day

    Zeng Rui stared at hisputer monitor. Lin Feng still sat next to him, going on and on about his time as Maple, but he didn¡¯t listen. He was caught in a different quagmire. Sure, I felt some pressure when Shi Hang said you¡¯re Maple. But that was just the first hour, day¡­ Maybe a week, I don¡¯t know. Bute on! What did you expect? You almost won it all! Every Miner in China wants to be half the yer you were! Of course I felt pressure! That¡¯s only natural! He shook his head and sighed. That was when I realized you are on our team. You and me? We¡¯re ying together. I¡¯ve got the best Miner in all of China on my team! You think I feel pressure? Piss off! I¡¯m happy, because with you I can see us actually winning this Winter Collegiate Cup! He chuckled. I thought Zhejiang was going to win the tournament because they had AyDeeCee sub in for them. I was calling them cheaters for doing that! Turns out, we¡¯re the cheaters because we¡¯ve got you!

    ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good¡­¡± Zeng Rui mumbled. He nodded at Lin Feng and added, ¡°You can go tell BunBun that we¡¯re all okay. All okay.¡±

    Lin Feng jumped to his feet and said, ¡°I knew we were okay! Okay, I¡¯ll go tell BunBun!¡±

    Zeng Rui watched Lin Feng run away and shook his head again. What a thundering dumbass. He gets happy about the strangest things and he looks like a damn kid half the time! But he¡¯s Maple. Fucking Maple! We¡¯ve got the best former professional yer ever on our team! We¡¯re going to win the Winter Collegiate Cup! And we¡¯ll be the first high school team to do it! He clenched his fist and smiled. That¡¯ll look great on my resum¨¦ if I ever do go pro!

    Zeng Rui nced at An Xin who was chatting with Lin Feng. I¡¯m actually more upset with you, BunBun, than I am with that moron. You knew. You always knew. That¡¯s where your confidence in him came from. You knew from the very beginning that he was Maple, and you didn¡¯t tell me. Telling me not to worry is not the same! I get you were keeping his secret for him, but I really should¡¯ve known¡­ And we both know how the thundering dumbass is! He would never think of saying it himself! He¡¯s too stupid for that! And you knew that! You knew! Yet you didn¡¯t say anything¡­ What else aren¡¯t you saying¡­?

    Zeng Rui shook his head in frustration. Whatever. I¡¯m not going to guess the truth anyway. He turned back to his screen and continued watching the rey of the semi finals series against the Shanghai University of Finance. His screen was focused on the Leona he yed that game. Maybe it is pressure that I¡¯m feeling. But it isn¡¯t pressure because I¡¯m ying with Maple, but more like pressure because I don¡¯t just wanna get carried by him! I want to be an equal member on this team! He grimaced. But when I look at these reys, when I see how I y andpare it to what he¡¯s doing¡­ I¡¯m just not anywhere near him! I need to do more for the team! I have to!

    A coupleputers over, Zhang Hao stared at his own monitor. He¡¯d listened to the exchange between Lin Feng and Zeng Rui. He¡¯d watched the expressions on Zeng Rui¡¯s face. And he¡¯d recognized them as his own. I need to get better! I¡¯m ying with goddamn Maple! I can¡¯t let him down! I won¡¯t be a deadweight on this team! He won¡¯t carry me! I¡¯ll help him to carry harder! This is going to be a team effort! He grinned and balled his hand into a fist. HECK YEAH! I¡¯M PLAYING WITH MAPLE!

    Zhang Hao clicked on the ¡®y¡¯ button on his client and went into another game of solo queue. It only took a couple of seconds to find a match. He moved to Champion Select and called the topne right away. Hmm¡­ What do I practice? My Irelia? Something aggressive, that¡¯s what he likes! Yeah, Irelia it is! I¡¯ll practice her! He locked in Irelia when it was his turn and muttered to himself, ¡°I¡¯ll get better, climb higher, and make Maple proud! He¡¯ll want me on the team¨C Oh shit! I¡¯m freaking Maple¡¯s teammate!¡±

    ?

    Aurous was a student at Fudan University. He was also the Jungler for Light Dynasty, a team that yed in the LPL. He dialed Shi Hang¡¯s number and waited for the call to connect. When Shi Hang answered, he shouted, ¡°Hey, you! What the hell is going on? First you decide to y in that damn kiddy tournament and then you lose to a bunch of high schoolers? The hell you thinking?¡±

    ¡°That it was a good game,¡± Shi Hang replied, chuckling.

    ¡°A good game? A GOOD GAME?¡± Aurous eximed. He clutched his phone, nearly breaking it, and continued, ¡°Seriously, what the fuck!? I got a text saying you guys got reverse swept? And that wasn¡¯t even the most surprising text I got! You know people are saying you got stomped by a high school kid? That¡­ Team Shanghai, I think? Their Miner actually beat you?¡±

    Shi Hangughed and replied, ¡°Yeah, guess he did. But the first two games I was definitely the better Miner in the mid andte game! Eh, don¡¯t think too much about it. I already told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m helping a good friend of mine keep a little secret, so there really isn¡¯t anything I can tell you. Sorry. You¡¯ll have to find someone else to tell you who he is.¡± He briefly hesitated before adding, ¡°And why I¡¯m not upset.¡±

    Aurous gnashed his teeth and cursed, ¡°Goddammit you shameless bastard! I always tell you every secret I¡¯ve got! And didn¡¯t I treat you to dinner just the other day? From what I recall, you pinky-promised me that you¡¯d pay me back! Well, I¡¯m collecting! Give me the juicy details! Who is this kid? Why are you not mad? Or tell me that you lost to him on purpose, and if you did why! What the fuck! This just doesn¡¯t¡­ What the fuck!¡±

    ¡°Not happening,¡± Shi Hang replied,ughing. ¡°Ah,e on, bud. We¡¯ve known each other for so long already! Are you really going to y this card on me? Give me a break! Actually, you know what? I¡¯ll offer you another secret, how about that? Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Another secret?¡± Aurous blurted. He briefly hesitated but then asked, ¡°What secret?¡±

    Shi Hang said, ¡°You¡¯re still ying for Light Dynasty, right?¡±

    Aurous rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°You know I am. I¡¯m not you. I don¡¯t randomly retire. Now stop changing the topic and tell me that secret! Either of them, or both! I don¡¯t care anymore, I just wanna know a secret!¡±

    Shi Hang chuckled and exined, ¡°Wasn¡¯t really changing the topic, just giving you some hints. But I¡¯ll spell it out a little clearer. I¡¯m thinking abouting back to the professional scene.¡±

    Aurous¡¯ hand trembled. He stared at the wall on the other side of the room with his eyes wide open and stuttered, ¡°Wait, what? You? Really? When? On my team? But we have a Miner! What...¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself! I said I was thinking about it! Still just thinking. But it¡¯s been three years and my old bones are itching. That game against Team Shanghai¡­ against that kid? Yeah, I wanna y again,¡± Shi Hang answered. I¡¯ll get to the LPL before Maple does, and I¡¯ll wait for him there! He grinned and said, ¡°Kinda have to make aeback to give an old friend a wee home party.¡±

    ?

    There was no League of Legendspetition during the holidays in the second half of December. The East China Regionals picked back up in the first week of January. It was time for the Finals between Team Shanghai and Fudan University! The Shanghai Esports Organization had rented arger venue for this game and sold out all 2,000 seats in a matter of minutes! Everyone wanted to witness the high schoolers from Shanghai beat theirst opponent to im the title of best from East China!

    ¡°This series is gonna be so good! I¡¯ve put all of my savings on Team Shanghai! They¡¯re gonna stomp Fudan so hard!¡±¡°Idiot¡­ You know that¡¯s illegal, right? You better make sure no one finds out, and that you get your money back! Someone just scammed you probably!¡±¡°But Team Shanghai is gonna win! Trust me! I¡¯ve watched all the games from both teams! I¡¯ve examined them and considered all possible oues! Team Shanghai is winning this series. I¡¯m 100% sure!¡±¡°Sure. Your n sounds 100% foolproof. Idiot.¡±

    The Finals of the East China Regionals got off to an exciting start. Team Shanghai lost the topne and went even in the botne. But after a gank from An Xin in the midne, Lin Feng pulled ahead. His Yasuo snowballed. Soon he roamed around the map and picked up kills everywhere. The game moved to an early mid game in which Team Shanghai took full control of the game. They destroyed Fudan University¡¯s nexus after 21 minutes.

    ¡°Told you! See? Team Shanghai is the best! They¡¯re gonna win!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI ARE THE BEST!¡±

    The second game was almost an exact copy of the first one. The Blue team lost top and went even in the botne. But they camped the midne as much as they could until they grabbed the advantage. They forced the game into the mid game and from there worked hard to finish it. In this game, Fudan University was the Blue team. They beat Team Shanghai in 23 minutes.

    ¡°What? Fudan won that game? And Team Shanghai looked kinda¡­ Kinda shit!¡±¡°The fuck was their Miner doing? I¡¯ve never seen him y so poorly!¡±¡°What about their ad-carry? She was just lucky that her Support hard-carried herne to stay even!¡±

    Team Shanghai regained some form in the third game. They came out with a teamposition that heavily relied on An Xin and Zeng Rui to roam around the map and pick the yers from Fudan University off. This worked far better than anyone expected. Team Shanghai was up 7 kills by the 7th minute, and they won the game in the 20th minute.

    ¡°WOOOOOO!¡±¡°That¡¯s more like it! LET¡¯S FUCKING GOOOOOOO!¡±¡°That Lee and Blitzbo was so strong! Crazy dude! Fudan has to ban those Champions!¡±¡°I¡¯m gonna be a rich man! WOOOOOO!¡±

    Game 4 was another short game. Team Shanghai lookedpletely out of it. They lost all threenes and An Xin even lost control of her Jungle to Fudan University¡¯s Shaco. The first tower fell 6 minutes in, and the first inner tower followed 3 minutester. Fudan University kept pushing all threenes. Team Shanghai was forced back until they were standing on the fountain and watching Fudan University destroy their Nexus.

    ¡°HOLY HOT DAMN! A GAME 5! WE¡¯RE GETTING ANOTHER GAME 5!¡±¡°THIS SHIT IS SO FUCKING TENSE! DAYUM!¡±¡°Come on Team Shanghai! Win this! I NEED YOU TO WIN THIS! MY MONEY!¡±¡°Fudan really stepping up their game here! They¡¯re actually looking stronger than Team Shanghai!¡±¡°I¡¯ll eat my shoe if Fudan loses the fifth game!¡±

    The fifth and final game of the East China Regionals Finals was by far the most exciting game. Both teams pulled everything out of the closet to win. There were constant skirmishes in everyne! Through the back and forths, the game stayed rtively even. The first tower fell 15 minutes in and from that point onwards everyone started to gather up as a team. They fought 5vs5. Team Shanghai scored the first ace, which was countered a few minutester by an ace from Fudan University. Team Shanghai destroyed an inhibitor and Fudan University followed up with destroying two inhibitors.

    The game was 35 minutes in. All 10 Champions were Level 18, and the carries had the maximum amount of six items. One mistake by any of them meant the end of the game. Both teams had gathered up around Baron Nashor¡¯s pit. They were firing skillshots at each other, until Fudan University found the engage. They jumped on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx who¡¯d walked too far forward, and killed her.

    Lin Feng as the only other remaining carry on Team Shanghai tried to turn the fight around, but he got caught by a stun. He was the second yer from Team Shanghai to die. And it also meant a lost teamfight for Team Shanghai. An Xin, Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao ran away. Fudan University let them and instead killed Baron Nashor, iming its buff. And with that buff, they charged down the midne, destroyed Team Shanghai¡¯s inhibitor and finally also destroyed Team Shanghai¡¯s Nexus. Fudan University beat Team Shanghai 3-2 in the Finals of the East China Regionals!

    ¡°WOOOOOO! I KNEW FUDAN WAS BETTER!¡±¡°My money! MY MONEY!¡±¡°HOLY SWEET DAMN! SICK PLAYS!¡±¡°Team Shanghai copsed under the pressure! That¡¯s the only exnation for that disy at the end¡­¡±¡°That was so crazy bad by them! But well fucking yed by Fudan University!¡±

    ¡°ACHOOO!¡±

 Chapter 334: Period Drama

    Team Shanghai met up at the NetCow Cafe the day after the lost Finals to Fudan University to continue their training schedule for the Winter Collegiate Cup main tournament. But there wasn¡¯t a whole lot of ying going on. Everyone looked at Lin Feng, who was loudly sneezing. His nose was red and his eyes were watering. He muttered, ¡°Damn colds! Uch, I hate them!¡±

    An Xin red at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s your own fault for not wearing a coat! I told you¡­¡± She shook her head and gave Lin Feng a ss of water and some cold medicine. She offered, ¡°Here, take this. It¡¯ll help you feel a bit better. But how about you listen to me the next time when I tell you it¡¯s too cold outside to walk around in a t-shirt? It¡¯s almost freezing! You need to wear a coat or you get¡­ well, sick.¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and coughed a bit. He then blew his nose in his sleeve and argued, ¡°The weather was kind of warmst week! It only got cold thest few days, and that came out of nowhere! Plus, when was thest time I got sick? Like years ago!¨C¡± He lurched forward and sneezed again.

    ¡°Take the medicine already! God, how did you survive this long?¡± An Xinined. She rubbed her forehead and continued, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t here¡­¨C¡±

    ¡°Do you have any other meds with you?¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He held the white tablet up and added, ¡°This one tastes terrible!¡±

    An Xin narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Swallow it!¡±

    Lin Feng pouted andined, ¡°Nurses are supposed to be nice to their patients¡­¡±

    An Xin¡¯s lips curved up while her eyes narrowed to two small slits. She said, ¡°HMM? Are you going to drink it or are you going to make me force it down your throat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drink it, I¡¯ll drink it! Jeesh¡­¡± Lin Feng replied. He then threw the tablet into his mouth and gulped it down with the water.

    Zeng Rui watched the well-rehearsed exchange between Lin Feng and An Xin, shaking his head the entire time. When he judged they were finally done, he said, ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate Lin Feng got sick. He really wasn¡¯t on his game yesterday. And the same holds true for Tang Tang. Both our carries were out sick. They yed well below their usual skill level.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and continued, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one who yed shit, Tang Tang also yed shit! She was even worse than I was! Hey, Tang Tang! You also need to take this medicine! It¡¯ll help you get good again!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked down at her shoes, hiding the dark shade of red on her face. I-I was on my period! It¡¯s not my fault it hurt so bad! It was just a bad month! And I already apologized for it! What more¡­ I-I¡­

    An Xin red at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°Show some consideration for her! You¡¯re not a woman! You don¡¯t know how hard it is to focus when you¡¯re on your period! Really! There is blood everywhere and it hurts so much! The fact she could y at all while on her period was impressive enough! You should be grateful she even came out of bed yesterday! God! I wish guys could feel how bad a period hurts! And we have to deal with it every month again!¡± Her chest went up and down in frustration, her breathing raggard. She clenched her fists until her knuckles were white and yelled, ¡°You should thank her that she yed all five games as well as she did! I bet if you had a period, you wouldy in bed and cry like a little baby!¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and mumbled, ¡°Okay, okay. Sorry¡­¡±

    An Xin shouted out in frustration and then said, ¡°Seriously! Whoever said that idiots can¡¯t get colds hasn¡¯t met you! And you better hope this won¡¯t happen again for you! If I catch you doing something stupid to the detriment of the team again, I¡¯ll punch some sense into you!¡±

    ?

    After ying a couple of games, Zeng Rui stopped the team from ying any more. He gathered everyone around him and opened a webpage. He then pointed at it and said, ¡°Look. Most of the teams who are going through to the main tournament have been announced. There¡¯ll be 36 teams in total. Some of the big names from the previous edition are there, like Fudan University, Beijing U-Tech, China University of Political Science and Law and Nanjing University.¡± He briefly paused to scroll down the list to the very bottom and then continued, ¡°As you guys can see, the high school teams from Beijing and Guangzhou also qualified for the main tournament. Chu Fang already warned us about this, but it seems he was right. We need to be careful about them.¡±

    Zeng Rui browsed to a different page on the China Esports Organization¡¯s website and said, ¡°We don¡¯t know which team we¡¯re up against in the first round, but we do know where we¡¯ll be ying. The organizers just announced that the venue for the main tournament is in Guangzhou. They¡¯ve also said that they¡¯re covering the costs for flying all the teams that have qualified in. So we¡¯ll be going to Guangzhou soon.¡±

    ¡°Guangzhou?¡± Lin Feng asked. His eyes lit up and he eximed, ¡°That sounds awesome! I¡¯ve always wanted to go there!¡±

    An Xin shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s what you saidst time you went¡­¡±

    ¡°I never went to Guangzhou!¡± Lin Feng argued.

    An Xin rolled her eyes and exined, ¡°Yes you did. Back in Season 1. You had a tournament there.¡±

    ¡°Shit, you¡¯re right!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He smacked his forehead and continued, ¡°I remember now! We were going all around the country searching for tournaments to y in!¡± He shook his head andughed before adding, ¡°We actually took the train to Guangzhou because we couldn¡¯t afford ne tickets! And that hostel we stayed in was so bad! Even Silentined about it, and he never talks! OhOh! And that inte cafe! It took Autumn and Eleven like an hour of haggling for the owner to let us practice for free! And then he got so pissed when Fatty and I ordered food!¡±

    ¡°And rightfully so,¡± An Xin butted in. She said, ¡°You didn¡¯t have money to practice but you did have money to buyrge piles of food¡­¡±

    Lin Feng ignored An Xin¡¯sments and continued, ¡°But it was so much fun! It was a real journey! We lived on the little tournament money we made! We rented tiny apartments, ate rice gruel and cup noodles¡­ those were the days! We had to put in so much effort just to get to y that everyone tried so much harder to be good! The pros from Season 1 are the best of all Seasons!¡±

    Zeng Rui listened to Lin Feng recounting the events withplete attention. He¡¯d read up about the life of a Season 1 League of Legends professional yer. But hearing it from someone who¡¯d experienced it was still different somehow. It gave life to the words he¡¯d read. Only the best and most motivated yers would go to those lengths! The average skill level must¡¯ve been so high in those days! Now we need coaches and fancy gaming rooms and, and¡­ He shook his head, impressed. The best yers from Season 1 are still the best today. I wonder if Lin Feng will get back there too¡­ He actually yed Rake! That series was so cool! If he can get that good again¡­ Even Hermes isn¡¯t that good!

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°Everything is so different these days! Free ne tickets, hotel rooms, food¡­ The China Esports Association is paying for everything! This is great! I can eat all I want!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelid twitched. He bit on his lips and closed his eyes. Right. Still the thundering dumbass.

    ¡°Alright, enough reminiscing,¡± An Xin interrupted. She looked around the private room at the other yers from Team Shanghai and said, ¡°We can¡¯t be careless like we were against Fudan. The teams at the main tournament are all the best of the best. We need to be ready for that.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and chimed in, ¡°Agreed. And from the data I¡¯ve been able to gather, it looks like the average skill level of the 36 remaining teams is substantially higher than it was in the previous edition of the tournament. I already named a few of the big names before. If we have to y against any of them, it¡¯ll be just as hard as our series against Zhejiang! Maybe even harder.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°And beyond everything else, we absolutely cannot underestimate Team Beijing and Team Guangzhou.¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s almost no information on Team Beijing. Someone is pulling some strings to make sure that their recent games aren¡¯t uploaded online. Really a petty move.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Zeng Rui said. He massaged his temples and exined, ¡°They¡¯ve also been ying mostly with their second roster. So we really don¡¯t have a clue about how good they are. They made it to the main tournament, though. That says something. Again, their road to the main tournament was easier than ours. East China is simply the mostpetitive region. But that doesn¡¯t make the other regions are weak. Long story short, we absolutely cannot underestimate them!¡±

    Zhang Hao listened carefully and when he found a lull, he asked, ¡°Then what about Team Guangzhou? Do we have any information on them?¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and replied, ¡°We actually do. They don¡¯t care about hiding their games. Seems like they¡¯re pretty confident in themselves.¡±

    An Xin nodded and chimed in, ¡°I saw the results of their Finals in the South China Regionals. They won 3-0. Quite a convincing win too from what I read.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re strong,¡± Zeng Rui agreed. He continued, ¡°Their staryer is Goalie. We all know that he¡¯s good. He made it all the way to the Top 7 on the Korean Challengerdder! Histest rating was A+, but who knows how good he exactly is! Though I¡¯m not too worried about him¡­¡± He pointed at Lin Feng. ¡°... We¡¯ve got him.¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest and said, ¡°Exactly right! You guys can leave mid to me! I¡¯ll score some goals against Goalie!¡±

    Zeng Rui turned to Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°A bigger concern is their botne. They decided to bring in another Korean import. I don¡¯t know too much about this one, but from what I did manage to gather it looks like he¡¯s an A grade ad-carry. So Tang Tang and I are going to have to figure out a way to beat them. Only positive point from that is that Team Guangzhou doesn¡¯t have a lot of time to practice with him.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    ¡°When did Chu Fang say that? Why didn¡¯t he tell me? Why is this the first I hear of this!?¡± Lin Fengined.

    ¡°Rememberst night when he called to see if we were okay after our loss?¡± Zeng Rui asked. He then chuckled and continued, ¡°You know, when you were hungry and tossed your phone to me before walking away in search of a food ce? Yeah, that¡¯s when he told us.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°I did that¡­? Sounds like me¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui breathed in deeply, gathering up all his bubbling frustrations, and exhaled. He then asked, ¡°So I¡¯m guessing you also don¡¯t remember what happened to Zhejiang University? Chu Fang told you about that while he still had you on the phone!¡± He waited for a brief moment to see Lin Feng shaking his head. He then said, ¡°You¡¯re really something¡­ Your head has more holes in it than Swiss cheese!¡±

 Chapter 335: A Case of Lovesickness

    Zeng Rui turned back to hisputer and browsed through the Winter Collegiate Cup subpage on the China Esports Association¡¯s website. He stopped on the list of qualified teams and said, ¡°See how there¡¯s 34 teams here? And then, when I scroll down a bit further, you see what it says here?¡±

    Lin Feng leaned in and read the words out loud, ¡°Wildcard teams.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He turned back to the others and continued, ¡°The China Esports Association kept two wildcards for the teams with the most impressive performances that didn¡¯t manage to qualify for the main tournament. And after Zhejiang University''s series against us, they were technically knocked out while also basically being sure of getting one of the two wildcard tickets.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like a second life!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He clenched his fist and pumped it up into the air. He said, ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get to y against Shi Hang again! That¡¯d be awesome!¡±

    An Xin pushed Lin Feng aside and looked at the list open on the webpage. She said, ¡°Looks like the other wildcard was given to Beijing International Studies University. Didn¡¯t they get knocked out by Team Beijing?¡±

    ¡°They did,¡± Zeng Rui confirmed.

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°The high school teams are too good! The China Esports Association needs wildcards to get their uni teams to move on!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm! We¡¯re good!¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang walked into the esports clubroom at Zhejiang University. The other yers from the team had already gathered there and were waiting for him. He smiled at them and said, ¡°Got some good news for you guys! I just spoke with Chu Fang and he said he secured a wildcard for us! You guys will get a chance at redemption in the main tournament!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just saw it on the website,¡± Sun Ruinian said. He then shrugged and mumbled, ¡°Screw that.¡±

    Shi Hang looked at Sun Ruinian, surprised. This kid isn¡¯t happy? What¡¯s gotten into him¡­? He looked at the other members from Zhejiang University¡¯s team, each of them slumped back in their gaming chairs and sulking. What¡¯s gotten into all of them? He raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What? You guys not happy with this? It¡¯s supposed to be good news! Cheer up a bit!¡±

    ¡°Cheer up for what, cap?¡± Zuo Cheng asked. He chewed on his lips for a bit and eventually added, ¡°It¡¯s just a pity spot. Why should we be happy about that? We lost. We got eliminated. We don¡¯t deserve to go to the main tournament.¡±

    Shi Hang looked at the team members, surprised. Then he grinned and said, ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve got a prideful bunch over here!¡± He turned around to the other people in the clubroom and loudly said, ¡°Look guys, we¡¯ve got a bunch of sulking divas over here! Watch them in all their glory! Woo!¡± He looked back at the team members and added, ¡°Getting a bit lucky to even out the bad luck of drawing Ma¨C Team Shanghai is too much for your fragile egos, huh?¡±

    Zuo Cheng stared at his fingers, Sun Ruinian looked at a poster up on the wall, and the others were looking at each other.

    The happy expression disappeared from Shi Hang¡¯s face. He narrowed his eyes a bit and said, ¡°You are thinking far too highly of yourselves! This is what you call pride? What bullshit! What¡¯s your pride worth? I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s worth jackshit! You¡¯re being offered a second chance and you¡¯re bitching that you haven¡¯t earned it? Piss off!¡±

    Zuo Cheng chewed on his fingers, Sun Ruinian slumped deeper into his chair and found another poster to look at, and the others tried to push their gaming chairs slightly behind their team¡¯s Miner and ad-carry.

    Shi Hang watched them, one by one, and then asked, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s always sunshine and rainbows? Do you really believe it¡¯ll always go your way? No fucking way! It never does! You¡¯ll face setbacks again and again! And then, once in a blue moon, there¡¯ll be a second chance. You fucking grab onto that with all your might and hold on!¡± He briefly paused to search for a reaction, one that didn¡¯te. He continued, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a little something. The first professional team I signed with? They had me sitting on the bench for the first month! You know what I was thinking? What I was hoping for every fucking week? That they¡¯d give me a chance! Just once! I didn¡¯t care if it was out of pity or whatever! Just let me get up on that stage and prove myself! Show to them that I am good enough to be on the main roster and not just some substitute!¡±

    Shi Hang looked at the yers before stopping at Sun Ruinian. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve pampered you guys too much, as has the university with all this fancy equipment! Back in Season 1, any pro yer would kill for a chance to y! Pride be damned! You hope for that opportunity! That chance or whatever you wanna call it! And when ites? You better damn well hold onto it! Pull with all your fucking might and y! Because that¡¯s what we want! To y!¡± He briefly paused to gather his thoughts and then continued, ¡°Do you guys have any idea what things we like back in Season 1? We created the foundation for what is now the Chinese League scene! Through our hard work, through our never giving up mentality, through everything we did, you now have a nice gaming room and sponsors throwing money at you! You guys have no clue what it means to fight! You¡¯re expecting people to just give you everything! And when it doesn¡¯t go exactly your way? You be these fucking diva-bitches! Get some grip on yourselves! You¡¯re not the next best talent! You barely even qualify to make it professional, if at all! You want to act all big and special? Fucking win Worlds first! Until then, I better not see this behaviour again or you¡¯re out of here. I won¡¯t have this diva-shit in my club!¡±

    The yers from Zhejiang University didn¡¯t say anything. They sat in their expensive gaming chairs and looked at the expensiveputers around them. Behind them were two soundproof booths, another expensive investment made by the university. Their analyst wasing byter to talk them through a game he¡¯d watched so they didn¡¯t have to. All they had to do was y the game to practice and get better.

    Shi Hang breathed deeply. Looks like they got the message. Time to throw them a lifeline. His lips curved up just a bit as he said, ¡°I know you guys. I¡¯ve taught you everything I could! You¡¯re better than this. Does it suck that we got knocked out? It better! I¡¯d be furious if this loss didn¡¯t mean anything to you guys! But this wildcard? It¡¯s an opportunity. And you grab onto opportunities with both hands!¡± He sighed loudly before adding, ¡°And if you really feel that humiliated? Just y your damndest and win! Prove to yourself and everyone else that you belong at the main tournament! Win games and beat the teams that did qualify the normal way! You¡¯re more than good enough to do that.¡±

    Shi Hang nodded at the team members and concluded, ¡°Your move now.¡± He then turned around and walked to the door of the esports clubroom. When he got there and put his hand on the handle, the team members finally talked. They shouted after him,

    ¡°You¡¯re right! We¡¯ll do our best!¡±¡°We won¡¯t let you down!¡±¡°We¡¯re going to show everyone that we¡¯re still a contender for the title!¡±¡°We¡¯ll make you proud!¡±¡°Come and watch us y! You¡¯ll be proud of us!¡±

    Shi Hang paused for a brief moment and smiled. Stupid kids. I already know. You guys are far too talented to let me down. He nced over his shoulder and gave them a thumbs up. Then he pulled the door open and walked out. Now it¡¯s time for me to stop babysitting them. I¡¯ve got my own things going on¡­ He grabbed his phone and read the email he¡¯d just received from Team Rapids¡¯ management. Guess I¡¯m back. Season 6 is starting soon and I¡¯ve got myself a spot on an LPL team¡¯s main roster. That was easy. Now the hard part. I need to train and get back into form and also form some synergy with those guys! He grinned and mumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long, Maple. I¡¯m only back for you.¡±

    ?

    Su Xue was streaming like she did every day, yet she also wasn¡¯t. The stream was on and there were tens of thousands of people watching her y a game of League of Legends. It was just that she was missingst hits on minions and getting caught out far more often than she usually did. She gritted her teeth and tried to focus, but her eyes kept getting drawn away to a message she had open on her other screen.

    CatFish (Huya Admin):¡¸If you¡¯re interested, let me know. We¡¯ll get it moving asap.¡¹

    I¡¯m really interested! And it is such a big opportunity! But¡­ Su Xue bit on her lips as she missed anotherst hit on a minion. I¡¯d also have to give up so much. Everything would change! I... I don¡¯t know¡­ What should I do¡­?

    ¡¸I can¡¯t wait for the new season to start! AYDEECEE IS BACK BABBEEEHEHHH!!¡¹

    ¡¸I HEARD TOO! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOGM!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸hes my idol! maybe i can be good like him soon!!!!!1!¡¹

    ¡¸stream so boring we chatting bout aydeecee¡¯s return¡­ anyones got some webpage I can read more about it??¡¹

    ¡¸Yeah¡­ What the fuck¡¯s up with this streamer girl? Thought she said she was here to provide quality gamey...¡¹

    ¡¸THAT¡±S WHAT THEY ALL SAY BEFORE SHOWING SOME DEEP CLEAVAGE!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸do they look bigger than usual??!?!/1/?¡¹

    Su Xue didn¡¯t see the messages. Her focus was on the conversation she¡¯d had with the administrator from HuyaTV. They¡¯d offered her a great deal. One she really couldn¡¯t turn down. Yet at the same time, it meant change and it meant having to give up on certain things. She wasn¡¯t sure if she was ready for that. She bit her lips and turned her head back to look at the game she was ying. Huh? Dead again? What¡­ I¡¯m ying like I¡¯m in Silver again! Dammit, Su Xue! Get a grip of yourself! You¡¯re streaming, focus on that! The thing with Huya can wait forter! I¡¯ll go chat with Zuo You tomorrow! Until then, no more distracting thoughts!

    ¡¸she kinda looks heartbroken if ya ask me¡­.¡¹

    ¡¸Lawl. Maybe Lil bro broke up with Her.¡¹

    ¡¸Shit! That could be it! I¡¯ve always told you guys those two looks to close together! OMG IS THAT THE BED!??!?!?!??¡¹

    ¡¸..... wow¡­.. wtf are you horny fuckers thinking¡­¡­.. Damn stream chat, always those damn horny trolls¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸suresure¡­ lotsa trolls. but she does really look outta it. Maybe it really is lovesickness?¡¹

 Chapter 336: Itâ€™s a Lonely Road to the Top

    Su Xue focused on the game. Her Jinx respawned in the fountain with a score of 0/5/1. I really need to do something! I¡¯m like one of those hot tub streamers I hate so much! The othernes are doing okay! We can still win this. All I need to do is focus! Really focus! She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, and then she caught a nce of her second monitor. The message was still up there. Damnit! She turned her second monitor off and focused on the game in front of her.

    ¡¸Think guys, think! Why else would xuexue be so distracted these days!¡¹

    ¡¸it¡¯s cause she¡¯s fallen in love!¡¹

    ¡¸but dude, we all know xuexue. She never leaves the house! all she does is stream all day every day! It¡¯s not like she ever goes outside to meet guys!¡¹

    ¡¸i mean¡­ she is isnt getting any younger¡­ aren¡¯t most women her age married and raising children???? and like, she isnt ugly? i dunno¡­ seems like theyred be plenty dudes looking to knock her up and tie her down for life¡¹

    ¡¸mhm! Mhm! Yeah! No one wants to be single forever!¡¹

    ¡¸forreal? You guys actually think she found a boyfriend or something!?¡¹

    ¡¸who do you guys think the boyfriend is? Like you guys said earlier, she¡¯s pretty much at home every day. There aren¡¯t that many guys in her life, right? ¡¹

    ¡¸hahahah, maybe it¡¯s that barista at her local coffee shop, or maybe the guy who bags her groceries at the supermarket! Oohh, maybe she likes them older! Like the silver fox types. Old, widowed, and hot as hell! Who know? She could¡¯ve met one downtown and soothed his lonely heart!¡¹

    ¡¸nonono! You¡¯ve got it all wrong. Xuexue has been ordering delivery a lottely! My money¡¯s on the delivery boy!¡¹

    ¡¸my moneys still on lil bro¡­ and the bed there in the back of her cam is THE BED!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸what!? No way! IIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLL¡¹

    ¡¸IS THAT EVEN LEGAL!? YOU CRADLE SNATCHER! ¡¹

    ¡¸ayaiyaiyai¡­. So this is what you kids call brother sister love these days¡­?¡¹

    ¡¸Got us some bama love story developing right here!!!!!¡¹

    Jinx fired a rocket at the Red Nexus! The energy within exploded up into the air! It morphed into a Victory emblem for Su Xue¡¯s team. She clenched her fist and mumble-shouted, ¡°Yes!¡± She then turned her second monitor back on and read through the stream chat she¡¯d missed. W-what!? Every next line that popped up was worse than the previous one. W-what are they thinking!? She shook her head and yelped, ¡°Shut up you idiots! I¡¯m not dating Lin Feng! Oh my god! I look away for one second and you guys go off making these crazy usations! I¡¯m not dating Lin Feng nor am I dating the delivery boy! I¡¯m not dating anyone!¡±

    ¡¸hahahahhaha sure you keep saying that. we defitivenely believe you!¡¹

    ¡¸Lawl. Then exin why you suck this hard! Thought you wanted to show us quality gamey...¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re just worried about you, Su Xue. You¡¯re our love and our life!¡¹

    ¡¸ya distracted as fuk! TELL US WHY!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GAWDDDDDD YOU SUUUUUUCK! wat lucky boi who get you harharharharhahra¡¹

    ¡¸were just a lil worried about our favourite streamer! Don¡¯t me us!¡¹

    Su Xue read through the chat and shook her head, smiling. Idiots. They say all these obscene and stupid things, but then they also say all these nice things! They genuinely care about me! And they¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been really out of it ever since that whole Huya thing. I should tell them¡­ She pursed her lips and then said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯m fine, really! I¡¯ve just been thinking about my future as a streamer recently. How do I say it? Something big came up, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to go for it or not. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been so out of it. I¡¯m just thinking about what I should do¡­¡±

    ¡¸what!? Your future!? YOU LEAVING US!?!??!?!¡¹

    ¡¸something big!? Is that the thing you were talking abouts time!? with the whole huya big news thing?¡¹

    ¡¸Tell us the details if you can! If it¡¯s important, the more people you talk to, the better!¡¹

    ¡¸Will this affect us???????¡¹

    ¡¸Something big as in switching tforms? I heard a lot of streamers have been leaving Huyately... Are they treating you badly or something?¡¹

    ¡¸don¡¯t worry, xue xue! If you¡¯re nning to leave, just let us know! We¡¯ll follow you over! You don¡¯t have to worry about losing poprity! No matter where you¡¯re streaming, we¡¯ll still give you our full support!¡¹

    ¡¸yep yep! Don¡¯t panic! We¡¯ll support any decision you make!¡¹

    ¡¸We¡¯re here for you, not for the tform!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸we¡¯re with you forever!¡¹

    ¡¸Never Gonna Give You Up!¡¹

    ¡¸Never Gonna Let You Down!¡¹

    Su Xue smiled brighter and brighter. You idiots! I¡¯m not going to leave Huya! But I love you all! You¡¯re like family to me! I¡¯m so happy that all of you are here to watch me! All my work over the past few months has paid off so much! She breathed in deeply and then said, ¡°Thanks, guys. I mean it, thanks! Without all of you, I could¡¯ve never gotten this far! Don¡¯t worry, whatever I decide, it¡¯s what I believe is best for all of us. And when I do decide, you guys will be the first to know!¡±

    ¡¸What ya guys think? We give her a pass for sucking donkey ass today?¡¹

    ¡¸Yupyupyupyup! ~~~~~~ no mass unfollow today!¡¹

    ¡¸LOVE YOU SU XUE! NEVER CHANGE!¡¹

    ¡¸were waiting for the good news!!!!! let us know when you know asap plsplsplsplsplspsl!!!¡¹

    ?

    It was Wednesday afternoon. Lin Feng was still in ss when Su Xue left the apartment to meet up with Zuo You at a small coffee shop downtown. There were a few businessmen having lunch and a barista hovering around them, smiling. Su Xue pushed the door to the establishment open, causing everyone inside to turn their attention to her. Some only briefly, while other nces lingered. Su Xue nodded at the barista and then looked to a table next to the window. She¡¯s got a new badass red hairstyle! She smiled and waved.

    ¡°Hi! You¡¯re finally here!¡± Zuo You eximed. She waited for Su Xue to walk over and then said, ¡°Lookin¡¯ good! All the guys over there are checking you out! Want one or want me to beat them up?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s face went red. She quickly sat down across from Zuo You and whisper-shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t do that! You know I hate it when you do that!¡±

    Zuo You shrugged and said, ¡°Just saying you look really hot in that midi skirt. They were all staring at your ass for a reason. How high do those boots go anyway? All the way up to your knees? Ah, whatever, they look good.¡± She briefly hesitated but then added, ¡°And expensive. Guess the streaming business is really good for your wallet...¡± She shook her head and smiled. Then she nodded at Su Xue and added, ¡°I¡¯m really liking your new hairstyle too! Shoulder length really works for you! It really makes your face pop! You¡¯re looking so much better and also more confident than a few months ago! It¡¯s like you stopped trying to hide!¡±

    Su Xue bit on her lips and then mumbled, ¡°Thank you.¡± She nced around the coffee shop. Smooth jazz music yed in the background, the businessmen were passing around some documents and the barista was walking over towards them.

    ¡°Can I get you two anything?¡± the barista asked.

    ¡°Coffee. ck please,¡± Zuo You said, smiling.

    Su Xue turned to look at the barista and asked, ¡°Could I have some tea? Thanks.¡± She then looked back at Zuo You, waiting for the barista to leave, and then said, ¡°Still don¡¯t look as good as you¡­ Did you dye your hair a new shade of red? And that white blouse with that super short skirt and those stilettos just looks so good on you! I don¡¯t like how it looks on most people¡­ I even tried it myself! But it looked terrible! And then I see you wearing it and it looks so good! I¡¯m always super jealous when I see that!¡±

    ¡°Aww, I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t look terrible on you!¡± Zuo You replied. She then asked, ¡°So what was so urgent that we had to meet right away? I cancelled a date for you!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and giggled. She said, ¡°You have a new date every day! Anyway, yeah, so the other day this admin from HuyaTV messaged me. I told you about it, remember?¡± She briefly waited for Zuo You to nod and then continued, ¡°Well, he first told me how impressed he was with how quickly I grew my channel and that Huya is very happy to have me on their tform. Then he went on to say that he wanted to ¡®strengthen our rtionship¡¯. He wouldn¡¯t say exactly what it meant in detail, but the big picture is that HuyaTV is looking for three female streamers to represent their tform. I¡¯d be one of them. He promised me my own recording studio, more promotions for my material and more opportunities to expand.¡±

    Zuo You¡¯s eyes grew wider with every promise Su Xue mentioned. When Su Xue finished, she yelped, ¡°Oh my god! Su Xue! That¡¯s amazing!¡±

    Su Xue slowly nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I think so too. It¡¯s just that I would have to move to Guangzhou for¡ª¡±

    ¡°What!? You¡¯re moving to Guangzhou!?¡± Zuo You eximed.

    ¡°If I ept the offer, yeah,¡± Su Xue replied.

    Zuo You looked at her friend. You made it! I didn¡¯t believe in you, but the kid was right! You¡¯d make it big! And look at you now, they¡¯re offering you everything you could ever want! What is there to think about!? She licked her lips and said, ¡°This is good news! Why are you sounding so unhappy...?¡±

    Su Xue grimaced and replied, ¡°It is a really good offer. And I heard from Ol¡¯ ck¨Che¡¯s got some friends high up at Huya¨Cthat this is a big initiative by HuyaTV topete against the newer up anding streaming tforms. Apparently there are some others with girls stealing all the business. So Huya is spending a ton on this. They really need this to seed, so they¡¯re going all out.¡±

    Zuo You knitted her brows. She doesn¡¯t look all that happy¡­ She moved her lips around for a bit and finally said, ¡°This is a really big deal for you! But don¡¯t let money decide. They¡¯ll probably make you stay in Guangzhou. Are you okay with leaving everything you¡¯ve built up here behind? I know most of your stuff is online, but you¡¯ve also got your friends here. And Guangzhou is far away. Too far to meet up for some coffee...¡±

    Su Xue bit on her lips. She slowly nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the thing. You, Lin Feng¡­ My other friends¡­ My whole life is here in Shanghai. But you¡¯re probably right. I also think they¡¯re gonna ask me to stay in Guangzhou. I¡¯m almost sure of it! I¡¯m just not sure if that¡¯s what I want. It¡¯s like¡­ The deal is too good to turn down on one side, but on the other I don¡¯t really want to leave my friends behind¡­¡±

 Chapter 337: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

    The barista walked over with the coffee and tea. Su Xue watched the motions of the woman, distracted. HuyaTV has their headquarters in Guangzhou, they¡¯ll make me move there if I take this deal. But I kind of really like my life here in Shanghai! I stream a ton, but I also go outside! Maybe not as much as I should, but still! I go outside! I have friends I meet up with and hang out with! All of that would disappear. I¡¯d be in a ce where I don¡¯t know anyone¡­ again. When did Ie to Shanghai? A year ago? No, can¡¯t be. Has to be less, right? She bit on her lips and lightly shook her head. It took me months just to get settled! I jumped through jobs and barely made any friends untilter! If I move to Guangzhou, I¡¯d have to do that all over again! And this time, I¡¯ll have a job that requires my full time and then some attention! How am I even supposed to meet anyone like that? But the offer, it¡¯s so good! I can¡¯t just turn that down...

    Zuo You winked at the barista and said, ¡°Thanks.¡± She nodded at Su Xue and added, ¡°From her too.¡±

    The barista smiled and walked away. Su Xue didn¡¯t notice it. She was stuck in her own mind. Her lips moved soundlessly. What do I do? I should ept the deal, right? It¡¯s too good to say no to! Ol¡¯ ck was really jealous about it too! But¡­¡ª

    ¡°Hey, girl,¡± Zuo You said. She looked at Su Xue and continued, ¡°What do you want? And I don¡¯t want you to think about this. What¡¯s the first thing thates to mind. What do you want?¡±

    Su Xue bit on her lips and shook her head. She mumbled, ¡°My stomach churns when I think about what I want¡­ I love my life here! With you, with Lin Feng, with everyone! I don¡¯t wanna leave that behind, but I also don¡¯t want to turn this deal down! I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Zuo You leaned on the table and said, ¡°Remember when you told me you¡¯d started streaming? When I told you you were trying something that was most likely going to fail because there were so many others¡­ I¡¯m rambling, but you get the point, right? You knew what you wanted! To be the biggest, most famous streamer! Now you have that opportunity! This is a real opportunity to be the biggest streamer out there, Su Xue! Isn¡¯t this deal exactly what you¡¯ve been working towards for the past six months?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mind went nk. Every distracting thought was gone and she just stared at her friend. She¡¯s right. This is what I have been working towards! Then, why am I hesitating? What¡¯s there to hesitate¡­ She bit on her lips and watched the steam rising from her teacup. I don¡¯t like change and it¡¯s all so sudden. Maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m worrying so much about this! Maybe I just need to push myself through this. It is a great deal! I¡¯ll have every chance to be the biggest streamer on Huya!¡ª

    ¡°HeyHey! This really isn¡¯t all that difficult!¡± Zuo You eximed. She sipped from her coffee cup and continued, ¡°This is an exclusive contract with HuyaTV! Do you know how few people in the world get this kind of offer? You and two others! In the entire world! You and two others! What¡¯s there to hesitate or think about? Shanghai isn¡¯t that great! And it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll stop being best friends! I¡¯ll fly over all the time! And with your streaming thing, you¡¯re not poor anymore either!¡± She suddenly stopped herself and mumbled, ¡°Wait¡­¡± She tilted her head and looked Su Xue in the eyes before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is it because of him? Are you really hesitating because of him? I know he¡¯s on your stream a lot, but it¡¯s your stream! You¡¯re the streamer! Those viewers are there for you, not him!¡±

    ¡°You stupid! No! NO!¡± Su Xue yelped, shaking her head. She grabbed a small spoon and swirled her tea and whispered, ¡°Maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°No. No. No!¡± Zuo You said, her eyes growing progressively wider. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fell for him! Please don¡¯t tell me you fell in love with him! He¡¯s still a kid!¡±

    Su Xue scrunched her eyebrows, surprised. Whu? Love him? ¡°No!¡± She yelped. She shook her head and continued, ¡°No! That¡¯s not it at all! It¡¯s more like¡­¡± She turned her head to look out of the window and exined, ¡°You know when thendy came to my door and told me I¡¯d have to live with him? Well, I was really upset back then. I liked my life as it was. But I didn¡¯t have any money and had lost my job, so I needed some help. Thendy knew that, so she helped me out.

    ¡°Lin Feng barged into my room that first night. I think he wasn¡¯t even in the apartment for 10 minutes when he showed that he has no personal boundaries. And I was really mad with him. But he was also so, so pure and innocent? He just wanted to have fun. And I think it was infectious. He brought something to my life and to the stream I wascking before. He taught me how to, how to just have fun! You¡¯re right, it is my stream. The viewerse for me. But I could¡¯ve never gotten to this point if it wasn¡¯t for him. And my viewers always ask when he¡¯sing on again. He is a big part of my stream.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not even just that. Yeah he¡¯s a big part of my stream, but I can get over that. My viewers will get over it if he doesn¡¯t appear anymore. They¡¯ll understand. I might lose a few of them, but most will stay. I¡¯ll still have one of the biggest streams out there.¡± She sighed loudly and continued, ¡°But he¡¯s not just a co-streamer, and he¡¯s not just my roommate. He¡¯s, he is¡­ He is my friend, my little brother, the person I wake up early for every day just to make sure he gets to school on time. The kid who forgets his keys. The guy who loves and appreciates my food more than anyone else in this world! I¡¯m not in love with him. I¡¯m not! Not in the way you¡¯re thinking, anyway. But I do love him, like a little brother. He¡¯s my family, and I don¡¯t want to leave him behind¡­ I, I think I want to stay with him.¡±

    Zuo Youughed awkwardly. Don¡¯t love him, but you do¡­ Great work, XueXue! She looked at her friend lovingly and said, ¡°You can¡¯t make your decisions based on other people. Think about yourself here, XueXue. What you want for yourself. Regardless of everything and anyone else. It doesn¡¯t matter if you ept or decline the offer. But make that decision because you want to take it or turn it down, not because you worry about someone else.¡±

    Su Xue nodded and smiled. She said, ¡°Thanks.¡± She then breathed in deeply and looked at the passing traffic outside the coffee ce. What do I want¡­ What do I want? I just don¡¯t know. Stay I guess? Or go? Maybe¡­ ¡°Uch!¡± she eximed. She then shook her head and concluded, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I just don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ?

    It was almost 7 P.M. Su Xue had finished preparing dinner half an hour ago and was now sitting at the table, impatient. Where is that little shit? Did he stay out to eat again!? He better not...¨C She turned her head to look at the hallway, listening to a key turn in the lock. Finally! She waited for the door to open and then shouted, ¡°You¡¯rete! Take your shoes off, wash your hands, and get in here! The food is getting cold!¡±

    ¡°Coming,ing!¡± Lin Feng shouted from the hallway. He stamped on his heel to take one shoe off and repeated the process for the other one. He then ran to the kitchen and sprinkled some water on his hands before rushing into the dining room. Smells so good! Su Xue is the best cook! He sat down at the table and looked at all the food Su Xue had prepared, grinning. ¡°So good!¡± he said while filling his bowl with some red braised pork and stir fried beef. Then he dug in.

    Su Xue watched Lin Feng devour the food and chuckled. I¡¯d have to miss this¡­ She grimaced and asked, ¡°Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm?¡± Lin Feng replied with a full mouth. He looked at her and opened his mouth to say something, when she cut in and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk with a full mouth!¡± He nodded and swallowed the food down, then asked, ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡±

    Su Xue chewed on her lips until she asked, ¡°If you had an opportunity presented to you. Something that could change your life and help you achieve everything you¡¯d ever dreamt of. But by epting it, you¡¯d also have to give up on a lot of things you really don¡¯t want to give up on. What would you do?¡±

    ¡°What would I do?¡± Lin Feng asked, scratching the back of his head. He then shrugged and answered, ¡°ept it of course!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯d have to give up on things. A price to pay¡­¡± Su Xue argued.

    Lin Feng shook his head decisively and exined, ¡°There¡¯s always a price to pay. But it¡¯s your dream! You don¡¯t give up on your dream because things be a bit difficult! You think it was easy for me back in Season 1 to make it to Worlds? We didn¡¯t have any money! There were no sponsors! We ate the cheapest food and stayed in the cheapest hostels! And if we lost a tournament, we didn¡¯t have money even for that! But we didn¡¯t give up on our dream of reaching Worlds! We sucked it up and kept working for it!¡± He grinned and added, ¡°So what if you gotta give up on a few things? You¡¯re getting the chance to reach your goal and make your dream reality! That¡¯s worth everything!¡±

    Su Xue scrunched her eyebrows, surprised. What¡¯s gotten into him? Since when does he actually sound mature¡­? Who is this person and what did they do with the real Li¨C She shook her head and grimaced. Stop this, Su Xue! Stop making jokes to think about something else! He¡¯s right. Zuo You is right. They¡¯re all right! I¡¯ve got this amazing opportunity to achieve my dream! I¡¯ve always talked about wanting to be the biggest streamer! Zuo You and Lin Feng have spent so much time helping me get there, and now I have the chance to actually get there! She chuckled. I¡¯m really stupid! Really, really stupid! This was never a question. I have to take this. She breathed in deeply, trying to stop her heart from mming into her ribcage, and then breathed out. She looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Thanks, I needed that. Also, I¡¯ming with you to Guangzhou.¡±

    ¡°You are?¡± Lin Feng asked in surprise. He then grinned and shouted, ¡°Awesome! Are youing just to cheer me on? That¡¯s so nice of you! I knew you were the best! We¡¯re gonna win the whole tournament! You¡¯ll get to cheer me on in every round and then watch me lift the trophy!¨C¡±

    ¡°No, you idiot!¡± Su Xue interrupted. She red at him and exined, ¡°I¡¯ve got a meeting there with HuyaTV about my future with the tform. I might be one of their faces!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai met up at Pudong Airport at 7 A.M. on January 12th 2016. It was the day they were going to fly to Guangzhou for the main tournament of the Winter Collegiate Cup. There were two extra people with them. The first was Chu Fang, who was the vice president of the Shanghai Esports Organization. He was the team¡¯s manager officially and would apany them on the trip. The second person was Su Xue who had a meeting with the executives from HuyaTV.

    Lin Feng pointed at Su Xue and shouted, ¡°I brought Su Xue with me! She¡¯s gonnae and cheer us on all the way to the Finals!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Su Xue replied. She red at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°I told you, I have stuff to do in Guangzhou! But if I¡¯ve got time, I mighte and watch you guys y some.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Lin Feng eximed. He patted his chest and continued, ¡°Told you she was gonnae and cheer us on!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Nice to have you join us!¡± She looked at Su Xue and smiled. When I grow up, I wanna be like her! She¡¯s so pretty and she ys League for a living! And she makes so much money ying League too! She¡¯s got tens of thousands of people tuning in every time she goes live! If I could get that many viewers, life would be so much easier!

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°The more the merrier. Good to have you with us!¡±

    The group went through the motions at the airport. Dropping off their bags, going through security, getting to the gate early and waiting to board the ne. They eventually sat down in their seats and felt that brief moment of weightlessness as the airne took off.

    The nended at Guangzhou Airport a good two hourster. Team Shanghai got their luggage and took a cap to the 4-star hotel they¡¯d be staying at. Chu Fang had chosen this particr hotel because of how close it was to the Tianhe Stadium, the venue for the Winter Collegiate Cup. They checked in and went to their two person rooms. Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao took one room, An Xin and Tang Bingyao another and Lin Feng and Chu Fang thest one. As for Su Xue, she got her own room.

    Team Shanghai met back up in the lobby downstairs after dropping their bags off at their rooms. Lin Feng looked around, grinning, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat! I¡¯m really hungry! Fatty told me about this really great restaurant that¡¯s right near here! It¡¯s got Canton style special dishes! I really want to go try it out! Who¡¯s with me?¡±

    An Xin smacked Lin Feng on the back of his head and said, ¡°No. We¡¯re going to register at the tournament venue first.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and added, ¡°I want to check out the venue¡¯s facilities. It¡¯s good for us to familiarize ourselves with the ce before ying there. It helps take the edge off.¡±

    Zhang Hao put his hand up and asked, ¡°We might also see our potential opponents, right? The other teams will also have to check in! Maybe some are there when we go!¡±

 Chapter 338: Whoâ€™s That Girl With the Ponytail?

    Chu Fang led the members from Team Shanghai and Su Xue through the streets of Guangzhou to the Tianhe Stadium. Buildings rose up into the clouds around them, blocking the view ahead, until they walked past thest block. A massive sportingplex covering several blocks appeared before them. There were multiple buildings and a beautiful walkway leading towards the central structure. This was the stadium. It had more than 50,000 seats and hosted arge variety of games, from track and field to football to League of Legends.

    Chu Fang pointed at the Tianhe Stadium and said, ¡°See that there? That¡¯s the Tianhe Stadium! We hosted the Asian Games there a few years ago! It¡¯s really quite impressive from the Guangzhou Esports Association that they managed to rent this location. And it looks nothing like it normally does either! They retrofitted the entire inside to create the best esports experience! I¡¯ve seen some photos and it¡¯s quite frankly amazing what they did with the ce!¡±

    The group crossed the street and entered the Tianhe Sports Center. A long walkway led to the stadium. Lin Feng ran across the pavement, dangerously close to the pond in the middle of the walkway. He looked at a star-shaped building to his left and then at the stadium itself. He eximed, ¡°This ce is huge! This is so cool! We¡¯re really gonna y there?¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and replied, ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°This is so big!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He shook his head, incredulous, and added, ¡°It¡¯s far bigger than the ce we yed Fudan University in! You can¡¯t evenpare the two!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked past his teammates at the massive structure and smiled. This is the stage! I¡¯m really going to y there! How many people can it hold? It has to be in the tens of thousands! Tingles pricked in his neck. He looked at Chu Fang and said, ¡°The Guangzhou Esports Association really went all out here. This is crazy!¡±

    ¡°They did,¡± Chu Fang agreed. He went on, ¡°They¡¯ve been working on this for over a month now to create the best esports environment imaginable! From what I heard, they went well beyond their budget for this!¡±

    An Xin mumbled, ¡°Really impressive.¡±

    The group reached the end of the walkway and entered the stadium. After going through several long hallways, they walked onto the field. Stands rose up all around them. More were ced where originally there was grass. And in the middle of the stadium stood a raised tform with a stage and two soundproof booths. Bright, multicoloured spotlights illuminated all of this, bringing the entire scene to live.

    Lin Feng grinned andughed. He shouted, ¡°This is so awesome!¡± He then ran up on stage and looked through the polished ss screens into the soundproof booths. There were five of the highest quality gaming chairs ced behind the desk on which were five top of the line gamingputers, streamlined ergonomic mice and brand new mechanical keyboards.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He shook his head and continued, ¡°This isn¡¯t just fancy, this is insane! I bet that gaming chair costs more than my entire gaming setup at home!¡±

    Tang Bingyao hadn¡¯t said a word the entire way. She just stared at everything around her, stunned by the riches of it all. This is all so expensive! All for the tournament I¡¯m ying in! I¡¯m going to y on thatputer! Mhm! I¡¯m good! Really good! They spent so much money for me to y on thatputer! She smiled and mumbled, ¡°So much money¡­¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. He clenched his fist and pumped it up into the air, shouting, ¡°So much money! This is the perfect practice field! Imagine how good we¡¯d be if we could always practice here! We¡¯d be the best team in the entire world!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°It is far better than what we have at the NetCow Cafe. Yes. Alright, we¡¯ve seen it. Let¡¯s go and sign up.¡± He turned to look at Chu Fang and asked, ¡°Where do we go for that?¡±

    Chu Fang smiled and replied, ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ?

    The registration period for the Winter Collegiate Cup was drawing to a close. Most teams had alreadye in the day before when registration opened. When Team Shanghai arrived backstage, there were only six teams with their managers remaining. Chu Fang took the IDs from Team Shanghai¡¯s members and walked up to the desk to sign them in. The team members themselves stayed back and watched the backstage area.

    Lin Feng nodded at the other teams and said, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re about to leave.¡±

    An Xin followed Lin Feng¡¯s gaze and nodded. She smiled and said, ¡°They got here before us. We might be thest team to register! Hmm, I don¡¯t see any of the famous teams here¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, most teams signed up yesterday I¡¯m guessing.¡± He then looked at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°The ones at the door are Wuhan University. Those that just left are from Southwest China University of Politics and Law. And that group right over there, they¡¯re Guizhou Tech Institute.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Zeng Rui, surprised. She mumbled, ¡°Wow! You recognized all of them?¡±

    Lin Feng chimed in, ¡°Yeah! How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°The official website has pictures of the teams and yerspeting. I memorized them,¡± Zeng Rui replied.

    ¡°You memorized them? Why?¡± Su Xue asked in shock. She shook her head, incredulous, and mumbled, ¡°He has some crazy photographic memory or he¡¯s just nuts like¡­¡± She pushed her lips together and smiled.

    Zhang Hao patted his chest and dered, ¡°That¡¯s the captain for you! He has the best memory out of everyone I know! He remembers everything! When we prepare for a game, he would always know everything about our opponents! Their favourite Champions, weaknesses, the whole works!¡±

    Chu Fang returned to the team with their IDs just in time to hear Zhang Hao. He handed the IDs back and grinned. Yep! Zeng Rui is a monster when ites to preparation. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve had our eye on him. Well, that and the fact he¡¯s a very talented Support.

    Lin Feng covered his mouth with his hand and gasped in surprise. He then eximed, ¡°That¡¯s awesome! So you only have to read a textbook once and then you get a perfect score on your exams!?¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied, ¡°Yep! He always gets the top grades!¡±

    Lin Feng exhaled loudly through his mouth and said, ¡°I wish I had a superpower like that! I spent so much time on my homework... Just imagine how much more time I¡¯d have for League if I only had to read the textbook once!¡± He turned to look at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°I know! ZengZeng, how about you take my exams for me!? And also do my homework! I¡¯ll repay you by carrying you even harder ingame!¡±

    Zeng Rui rolled his eyes back and replied, ¡°Piss off. Do your own homework.¡±

    ?

    Not everyone had a photographic memory like Zeng Rui. But it didn¡¯t take one to recognize Team Shanghai. The other teams at the venue spotted them from a mile away. Team Shanghai didn¡¯t just have the youngest members, but they were also the only team with female yers on their roster.

    ¡°Those girls there, the three of them, that must be Team Shanghai, right?¡±¡°Must be. They¡¯re the ones with girls on the team.¡±¡°But I thought they only had two? Why are there three? Is there another team with girls on the roster?¡±¡°Don¡¯t think so¡­ Maybe it¡¯s their coach or something?¡±¡°Could very well be. Damn, I still can¡¯t wrap my head around the fact they actually beat Zhejiang. And with AyDeeCee ying no less! Did you guys see that series?¡±¡°Hot damn I did! That was such an assclencher! Had me sweating from Game 3 to the end!¡±¡°Insane how good all these high school teams are¡­ If you¡¯d asked me a few weeks ago if just one of them would make it through, I would¡¯ve called you crazy! Yet all three of them qualified and won basically everything they could win!¡±

    It was hard to miss everyone staring at them. Tang Bingyao turned her head away from them and mumbled, ¡°They¡¯re all looking¡­¡±

    Chu Fang smiled and said, ¡°Of course they are! Three high school teamspete for the first time in a university tournament and all three make it all the way to the main tournament! It¡¯d be strange if they weren¡¯t curious about you guys.¡±

    Lin Feng struck his victory pose and said, ¡°Look at them! They look so scared! I bet you they¡¯re terrified of the possibility of having to face us! They know we¡¯re far too good!¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Zeng Rui interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your bragging.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Guangzhou were in a separate room backstage. It had tinted ss windows, allowing them to look out but stopping others from looking in. All five of the yers, their two coaches and the interpreter were there. They¡¯d just finished a meeting and were now looking at thest few teams registering for the tournament. When one of the coaches recognized Lin Feng, he pointed and said, ¡°See that kid over there? He¡¯s Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner. He¡¯s the one that beat AyDeeCee.¡±

    ¡°Him? Seriously?¡±¡°He defeated AyDeeCee? How?¡±¡°Look at him jumping around! He looks like a fucking idiot!¡±¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover, but oh boy¡­¡±¡°We can¡¯t underestimate him too much, guys. He still beat AyDeeCee, though that might¡¯ve been because AyDeeCee was out of form or something. I really don¡¯t get how he did it¡­¡±

    Goalie didn¡¯t listen to his interpreter trying to keep up with what the Chinese teammates were talking about. He rolled his shoulder back and frowned. Why do they care if this kid beat some former pro? Any Korean Master could¡¯ve done the same! This isn¡¯t anything impressive. Other than Hermes, the Chinese don¡¯t have any Miner worth my time. It¡¯s just¡­ He shook his head, regretful. It would¡¯ve been nice to test my skills against an old legend. AyDeeCee was once a strong Miner. Too bad he decided to return to the LPL. Then again, he lost to this high school kid. He ain¡¯t worth that much anymore. Probably just a waste of my time. He smiled, mockingly, as he turned his attention to Lin Feng. I¡¯ll just have to stomp on you a bit and prove to everyone that this AyDeeCee oldie is nothing special anymore!

    Seo was the new Korean import for Team Guangzhou. He yed in the ad-carry position. He pointed through the window at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that girl with the ponytail?¡±

    The interpreter looked at Seo and replied in Korean, ¡°She¡¯s the ad-carry for Team Shanghai. You¡¯ll be ying her, Seo.¡±

    Oh? Seo¡¯s lips curved up. He licked his finger and flicked his blond dyed hair. She¡¯d be a nice addition to my ¡®done¡¯-list! He grinned and traced his hand down his chest and to his stomach, feeling the grooves of his abs. All the girls love my body! She¡¯ll fall for me easily! He winked at Goalie and said, ¡°I call dibs on her!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai left the Tianhe Stadium and followed Lin Feng¡¯s nose to the restaurant he¡¯d mentioned earlier. They had their fill, agreeing that the food in Guangzhou did in fact taste different than what they usually had in Shanghai. And they all voiced their pleasant surprise at how good everything tasted. When everyone had had their fill, they paid the bill and returned to their hotel. Chu Fang informed them that the Guangzhou Esports Association would send them an emailter to announce the brackets for the tournament. Beyond that, there wasn¡¯t anything to do until the tournament started.

    Chu Fang nodded at everyone and said, ¡°You guys had to get up really early this morning to make it to the airport on time. If you¡¯re tired, this is your chance to take a nap. Make sure you¡¯re all well rested before the tournament starts! The brackets should be avable when you wake up again.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s gather back here before dinner. I¡¯ll go see if there¡¯s an inte cafe nearby we can use to practice tonight.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Chu Fang, confused. He scratched the back of his head and mumbled, ¡°But I¡¯m not tired. I¡¯m not tired at all!¡±

 Chapter 339: â€œWhy are you so infectious Step-Feng?â€

    Chu Fang turned his head to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You just ate more than two families eat in a week! How are you not tired? Let that after dinner¡­ after lunch dip settle in and go nap!¡±

    Tang Bingyao covered her mouth and yawned. She rubbed her eyes, tired, and said, ¡°Yeah, after lunch dip. I¡¯m tired. I think I¡¯m going to nap. See you guys tonight¡­¡± She smiled a bit and then walked away to the elevator, yawning again. I couldn¡¯t sleep at allst night! I shouldn¡¯t have been so nervous¡­ It was just flying! There wasn¡¯t anything special about it. But¡­ She yawned again. It was my first time.

    Su Xue blinked and shook her head. Why are yawns always so infectious!? She covered her mouth and yawned, then said, ¡°Looks like I¡¯m also ripe for a nap. See you guys!¡± She then ran after Tang Bingyao and shouted, ¡°Tang Tang! Hold the elevator for me!¡±

    ¡°For me too!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He quickly nodded at Chu Fang and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t get much sleepst night. I¡¯ll also take a nap!¡±

    Lin Feng watched everyone leave, frowning, andined, ¡°You guys suck! All of you! Do I have to go out by myself now?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll tag along,¡± An Xin interjected.

    The usual grin reappeared. Lin Feng struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°Awesome! Come! Let¡¯s go find a ce to eat!¡±

    ¡°But we just ate¡­¡± An Xin muttered, speechless.

    ¡°I¡¯m still hungry!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then grabbed An Xin by the arm and pulled her with him, babbling, ¡°Comee! Don¡¯t you hear my stomach growling? I¡¯m super hungry! I¡¯m almost starving!¡±

    ¡°But we just ate¡­¡± An Xin muttered again.

    Chu Fang watched the two leave, relieved. Thought for a second there that I¡¯d have to tag along with him. We can¡¯t have Lin Feng go out by himself. Knowing him, he¡¯ll get himself into trouble and that can¡¯t happen! Everything from here on out has to go perfect! Especially with him. We need him to beat Beijing and Guangzhou. The rest doesn¡¯t matter, just that he beats those two teams! And then preferably wins the tournament. He smiled and shouted after Lin Feng and An Xin, ¡°You kids have fun! Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng dragged An Xin through the streets of Guangzhou. Several familiar sights jogged his memory and he started to find his way around. Then he stopped. He looked around at skyscrapers all around them and eximed, ¡°Wow! BunBun! Guangzhou has changed so much! That big building over there? I don¡¯t remember it! And over there! Wasn¡¯t that building a different colour? It all looks so different! And there are so many people! Where did all these peoplee from!?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°You idiot. Of course it¡¯s even bigger and more beautiful! It¡¯s been four whole years! You know how long that is?¡±

    Lin Feng paused to look at An Xin. Four years¡­ It has been long. With the guys, with Fatty¡­ He suddenly grinned and said, ¡°So I was on the phone with Fatty the other day and we were talking about the best small restaurants in Guangzhou. We based it on the reviews and the ces we¡¯ve been to. But that¡¯s not enough! We need to taste every ce to confirm our choices! So how about we go to every restaurant on the list and try out their food!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not getting fat for you,¡± An Xin blurted. She shook her head and added, ¡°You¡¯re already calling me BunBun¡­¨C¡±

    ¡°Because you looked like a bun!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He threw his hands up in the air andined, ¡°Why won¡¯t you eat with me? You¡¯re not fat anymore! I wanna go eat! Why did you evene along if you didn¡¯t want to go eat with me!?¡±

    An Xin shook her head and smiled. She looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°To sightsee. I want to walk through the city with you! Maybe visit a museum! y a game at the arcade! I just want to have fun and explore the city!¡±

    The grin disappeared from Lin Feng¡¯s face. He stared at An Xin, stunned. ¡°No,¡± He said, slowly shaking his head. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t like sightseeing! If that¡¯s what you want to do, then just let me go back to the hotel! I¡¯ll try out their restaurant and see if it needs to get added to our list!¡±

    ¡°Nope, you¡¯re not going back,¡± An Xin replied. She grabbed Lin Feng by the arm and started walking again, saying, ¡°You dragged me here, so we¡¯re going. I¡¯ll drag you the rest of the way if I have to!¡±

    ¡°The rest of the way where?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    An Xin shrugged and said, ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Lin Feng grumbled quietints for the next 10 minutes as An Xin led him through the streets of Guangzhou until they arrived in themercial district. The already crowded streets became even busier. Shop owners were selling their wares and pedestrians would randomly stop in the middle of the road to look at something for sale behind a window. Lin Feng¡¯s eyes opened wide. He screamed, ¡°No! NO! I don¡¯t wanna! NO! Let me go! BunBun! Let me go! I wanna go back!¡±

    ¡°Not happening,¡± An Xin replied, smiling. She stopped in front of a perfume boutique and smelled the different fragrancesing out from the store. She winked at Lin Feng and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go in here! I wanna see what they have!¡±

    ¡°You can go in. I¡¯m going back!¡± Lin Feng shouted, pouting.

    An Xin grinned and pulled Lin Feng inside. She winked at the people watching them and then whispered to Lin Feng, ¡°They¡¯re all watching you, wondering what a pretty girl like me is doing next to a cryboy like you. You want them to think that about you?¡±

    ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He huffed and said, ¡°I just wanna go back to the hotel!¡±

    Everyint Lin Feng threw at An Xin made her smile grow bigger. She pestered him for the next half an hour, going from one shop to the next, each progressively worse for Lin Feng. She finally stopped in front of a Victoria¡¯s Secret and said, ¡°Shall we go in¡ª¡±

    ¡°NO! NO! NO!¡± Lin Feng screamed. He pulled his arm free with actual force and shook his head. He looked around in search of an escape. WhereWhere, anywhere! I need to¡ª His eyes lit up. He pointed at a w machine outside a small store and said, ¡°There! I wanna go to that shop! Please? Can we not go in¡­¡± he grimaced and pointed at the Victoria¡¯s Secret. ¡°... here?¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng, still smiling. Guess I teased him enough. She nodded and said, ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go to the¡­ w machine. Why do you even like a w machine anyway? Aren¡¯t you a bit old for that?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and pointed at a sign above the machine. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t you see that sign? It¡¯s a League of Legends w machine!¡± He then ran towards it and pushed his face against the ss. They¡¯re plushies! There is Ashe! And Ahri! That¡¯s Lenc! He turned to look at An Xin and shouted, ¡°They¡¯re League of Legends plushies! I was right! It really is League of Legends! They look amazing too!¡±

    An Xin caught up to Lin Feng and looked through the ss at the plushies. She said, ¡°The Ashe one is really cute.¡±

    Lin Feng pulled up his sleeve and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you!¡±

    Each attempt cost £¤2. Lin Feng threw the money in and grabbed the joystick. He then moved it, trying his best to aim, before sending the w down to grab the prize! The w moved down and wrapped around the Ashe plush. It started pulling her up. Lin Feng leaned closer to the ss and whispered, ¡°Come on,e on!¡± And then the Ashe slipped from the w¡¯s grasp and fell back down. ¡°Aw,e on!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Lin Feng felt around in his pockets and took out some more money. He threw it into the machine and eximed, ¡°Again!¡± He grabbed the joystick and aimed for the Ashe. The w went down. It was a monumental miss. Lin Feng groaned andined, ¡°So close! I thought I had it!¡± He turned to look at BunBun and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any more cash on me. Do you have¡­¡±

    ¡°You suck at this, you know?¡± An Xin replied, smiling. She then took out her wallet and gave Lin Feng some money. He grabbed the cash from her and threw it into the machine to buy four more attempts. And he failed four more times. The only constion was that on a particrly poor attempt, he grabbed a different plushy. It was a Garen. He took it from the machine and gave it to An Xin, saying, ¡°Here.¡±

    An Xin examined the plushy from every angle beforeining, ¡°This is Garen¡­ I wanted Ashe.¡±

    Lin Feng pursed his lips and kicked against an imaginary rock. He mumbled, ¡°I¡¯lle back for that Ashe plushy! Trust me! Just take the Garen for now! But we¡¯re going toe back here and I¡¯mma bring all my money to get you that Ashe!¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng and smiled. Why is he so nice today¡­ She hugged the Garen and said, ¡°With your goldfish memory and our full schedule, I doubt you¡¯ll remember it. Guess I¡¯ll have to learn to like this Garen.¡± She then winked at Lin Feng and suggested, ¡°Wanna get a pastry? I still got my card.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and added, ¡°You alwayse so well prepared! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you!¡±

    ?

    It was almost 6 P.M. when Lin Feng and An Xin returned to the hotel. They took the elevator up to the 23rd floor and walked over to their rooms that were opposite each other. Lin Feng swiped his keycard to unlock the door and pushed it open. A wave of noise mmed into him. He furrowed his brows and looked into the room. Chu Fang was sitting at a table with the team and Su Xue, talking about something. Lin Feng asked, ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡±

    Chu Fang looked up and said, ¡°Good. You¡¯re back. I was about to call you.¡±

    An Xin looked over her shoulder into Lin Feng¡¯s hotel room. She raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked up from his phone and said, ¡°The Guangzhou Esports Association posted the brackets for the first round of the tournament online.¡±

    ¡°We got super lucky!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He turned his phone to show Lin Feng and An Xin and continued, ¡°We got matched up against Guangzhou Tech Institute! The game is in two days!¡±

    ¡°Guangzhou Tech?¡± An Xin asked. She tilted her head and looked up at the ceiling for a brief moment before asking, ¡°They¡¯re the third ce team from South China, correct?¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and exined, ¡°Correct. They¡¯re a B grade team. They¡¯re a weak team. We shouldn¡¯t have any trouble beating them.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯ve already practically qualified for the next round?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Zeng Rui looked up at Lin Feng and frowned. He then slowly shook his head and replied, ¡°We haven¡¯t. Until we¡¯ve beaten them, we aren¡¯t in the next round. And just because we¡¯re better on paper doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll show that ingame. We have toe prepared.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Beyond that, we also need to pay attention to the other teams.¡±

    Chu Fang lifted his hand and said, ¡°Someone couldn¡¯t count, so there might be a few more teams than there should be. After the first round, we move on to an in-between round before going to the Round of 16. The half of 36 is 18 and we need 16 teams. So four teams will be drawn at random from the winners in the first round. Then when we¡¯ve got 16 teams, the real thing starts.¡±

    Lin Feng waved his hand and replied, ¡°Who cares? We¡¯ll just win both series and move on to the Round of 16. Easy enough!¡±

    Zeng Rui closed his eyes and massaged his temples. You, you, you thundering dumbass! It¡¯s not all that easy! We can get matched up against the winners fromst year in that ¡®in-between¡¯ round if we¡¯re unlucky! Our tournament could be over then and there! Stop taking everything so damn, so damn... He took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging emotions. Don¡¯t let him get to you. Don¡¯t let him get to you. He took another deep breath and said, ¡°Something else entirely. I got contacted by Sun Ruinian. He¡¯s asking if we want to scrim tonight.¡±

    Chu Fang chimed in, ¡°Zhejiang University was a lot less fortunate with their draw. They¡¯re up against the China University of Political Science and Law. Those guys nearly knocked out Fudan Universityst year! It was a super close 5-game series! And the bad news doesn¡¯t end there for Zhejiang. They also have very little time to prepare. They¡¯re ying in the second group tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°A scrim, huh?¡± Lin Feng mumbled, rubbing his chin. He then pped his hands and said, ¡°Sure, why not! But I¡¯mma count this as doing Shi Hang a favour!¡±

    Zeng Rui snorted and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already agreed. We need a strong scrim partner to practice. Zhejiang is a great team for that.¡±

    Su Xue looked up from her phone at Lin Feng and An Xin. She scrunched her nose. Why is BunBun hugging that Garen? Wait, where did she get it? It looks great! I want one! She pointed at the Garen plushy and asked, ¡°That looks so cute, BunBun! Where did you get it?¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Lin Feng got it for me from a w machine.¨C¡±

    ¡°After the scrim I¡¯m going back there and getting the Ashe!¡± Lin Feng interrupted.

    Zeng Rui looked up at Lin Feng and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. After the scrim. Until then I want you focused!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University met up at an inte cafe at 7 P.M. The yers from both teams nodded and looked at each other but didn¡¯t really say anything. That all changed when Lin Feng grinned and stepped forward. He grabbed Sun Ruinian¡¯s hand, shook it and said, ¡°Long time no see!¡±

    ¡°Whu?¡± Sun Ruinian blurted. He looked down at his hand in surprise. What just¡­ He shook his head and pulled his hand back. He then turned to look at Chu Fang and bowed. He said, ¡°Thanks for agreeing to this scrim request on such short notice.¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You guys are a strong team. This scrim will be great practice for us too!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Where¡¯s Shi Hang?¡± Lin Feng interrupted.

    Sun Ruinian looked back at Lin Feng and exined, ¡°He joined a team thatpetes in the LPL, so he won¡¯t be ying for us anymore. But we¡¯ve got a strong team, even without him! We won¡¯t be easy to beat!¡±

    The yers behind Sun Ruinian all nodded. They stared down theirne opponents, fires of determination zing in their eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to make it all the way to the end!¡±¡°We¡¯ve got this, for the cap!¡±¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll show everyone why we deserve to be here!¡±¡°For Shi Hang!¡±

    Chu Fang looked at the yers from Zhejiang University and smiled. Looks like they took their loss against Team Shanghai pretty well. Shi Hang sounded worried the other day that these guys might sulk and give up, but they¡¯re not looking like that at all! Guess he was worried about nothing. These guys look like they¡¯re here to win! It¡¯s great to see them with so much confidence! This will be great for the East China region!

    ¡°Let¡¯s y already!¡± Lin Feng suddenly shouted. He looked at everyone and continued, ¡°Why aren¡¯t we ying yet? What are we just standing around here for? Let¡¯s y!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai and Zhejiang University yed a total of six games. All of them were close, with minimal differences deciding the oue of the match. Yet it wasn¡¯t anything like their series in the quarterfinals of the East China Regionals. The yers from Zhejiang University were ready. Prepared even. They yed to the best of their ability and really pushed Team Shanghai to fight for all they were worth. As for Team Shanghai, Tang Bingyao had practically breached the A- grade, An Xin wasn¡¯t experiencing any re ups and hadn¡¯t for thest couple of weeks, and Lin Feng was better than everyone else.

    The midne difference resulted in the series ending in four wins for Team Shanghai and two for Zhejiang University. Both teams learned a ton. Zhang Hao was initially losing hard in the topne. But with the help from An Xin, it became pretty even between the two of them and Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler and Toner. Down in the botne was another very even battle that went back and forth between the games and during the games. The onlyne that wasn¡¯t all too exciting was the midne. Lin Feng was far better than Zuo Cheng. Something that was of incredible value to Zuo Cheng.

    When they were all done, Lin Feng clenched his fist and raised it up to his head. He said, ¡°You guys were great! If you y like that tomorrow, you¡¯re gonna make it to the next round easily! Maybe you¡¯ll even make it all the way to the Finals if you keep ying like that!¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Just remember that we¡¯ll knock you out in the Finals and im the Championship Trophy!¡±

 Chapter 340: Sun Ruinian, Sun Ruinian, Heâ€™s Brighter Than the Sun!

    It was the next morning that the Winter Collegiate Cup: The Main Tournament officially started! Lin Feng couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. He was up before the sun came up and sped down to the dining hall to wolf down a massive breakfast. By the time he finished his morning routine, the rest of the team and Su Xue also came down to the dining hall. Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t ying on the first day, but Zeng Rui made it a point that they had to watch every game. And the first series started at 7 A.M.

    When Team Shanghai arrived at the Tianhe Stadium, there was already a long line of fans looking to buy tickets and watch the games. Chu Fang led Team Shanghai past the crowd and into a side entrance. They walked through the backstage area and then walked out onto the grass field. The multicoloured lights were shing around the stadium and the first two teams had taken their ces in the soundproof booths. Chu Fang pointed to a specific corner right in front of the stage and said, ¡°That¡¯s the yer seating area right there.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, uh-huh,¡± Lin Feng replied, though he wasn¡¯t looking at where Chu Fang was pointing. His eyes were locked on thergest LCD screen he¡¯d ever seen. It was showing the Champion Select for Game 1 of the match between Wuhan University and Harbin Institute of Technology. His mouth fell open and he mumbled, ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s so big!¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°The Guangzhou Esports Association really went all out. Chu Fang wasn¡¯t kidding!¡±

    ¡°Come,¡± Zeng Rui interrupted. He led the team members to their seats and then continued, ¡°Pay attention to the games. Watch for what happens. Either one of them could be our opponent in the next round or the round after. We¡¯re going to be prepared for that.¡±

    Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao nodded and focused theirplete attention on therge LCD screen.

    The first game between Wuhan University and Harbin Institute of Technology was incredibly even. Neither team pulled ahead in thening phase and neither team managed to get a favourable engage for a teamfight in the mid game. It wasn¡¯t until the veryte game, nearly 50 minutes in, that Wuhan University found the opening they¡¯d been looking for. They pounced on it, scored the ace, and closed out the game.

    The oversized speakers on both sides of the stage boomed with a victory song as the audience leaped to their feet and celebrated the first game in the main tournament. Thissted for a good few minutes until the two teams went into Champion Select for the second game.

    ¡°Who do you think will win this one?¡± Zhang Hao asked.

    Zeng Rui nced at the notepad he was scribbling on and replied, ¡°Wuhan.¡±

    Su Xue nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! Their ad-carry looked really strong in that first game! He was the one who spotted that opening there at the end!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked up from his notepad at Su Xue and exined, ¡°Wuhan¡¯s a B grade team. Their staryer is indeed their ad-carry. He¡¯s a famous Challenger on the Ionia server. During the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup, the analysts ranked him at B+. But from the looks of it, he¡¯s at the very edge to the A- grade now.¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. We¡¯re all always trying to get better.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and mumbled, ¡°Mhm, yeah.¡± She then focused her attention on therge LCD screen. I need to watch him! I¡¯m also almost A grade. Or I am already¡­ It¡¯s close! Maybe I can see something in his game that can help me!

    The second game got underway. It waspletely different from the first. Wuhan University had shaken off the nerves that kept them back in the first game and were now ying at a level befitting their status. All threenes won, with the botne pushing towards the inner tower at only 9 minutes in. When the game reached the 20th minute, Wuhan University was destroying Harbin Institute of Technology¡¯s base. It only took a few more minutes to close it out.

    ¡°As expected,¡± Zeng Rui said.

    ?

    There were still more people entering the stadium when the second match of the main tournament started. This series was between Zhejiang University and China University of Political Science and Law. Two greats in the university scene. Both had made it very far in the previous edition of the tournament and the audience knew exactly who they were.

    ¡°Zhejiang! Zhejiang! Zhejiang!¡±¡°China Pol is gonna win this one!¡±¡°Without AyDeeCee, Zhejiang is really making it hard on themselves!¡±¡°They¡¯re both B+ grade! It¡¯s gonna be a good one!¡±¡°I¡¯ma sit at the edge of my seat for this one. Woooooo!¡±

    On the left side was China Pol. Five yers sat behind theputers in the soundproof booth, steady gazes on their screens. They¡¯d worked hard over the past six months to make up for getting knocked out in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup by Fudan University. The team captain looked at his teammates and said, ¡°We¡¯re not letting these damn teams from East China walk all over us! It¡¯s time for payback! This is what we¡¯ve been working so hard for! Let¡¯s show them how much we¡¯ve improved!¡±

    The Miner grinned and added, ¡°Without AyDeeCee they ain¡¯t shit!¡±

    Across the stage in the other soundproof booth, the yers from Zhejiang University sat up straight in their gaming chairs. Ready. Focused. Rxed. Sun Ruinian looked at them and said, ¡°Last night¡¯s practice was great. Now let¡¯s show Shi Hang how good we really are. These guys we¡¯re up against? They won¡¯t stop us. We¡¯ll use them to show everyone we belong at this stage!¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah!¡± the Toner replied.

    The first game got underway. It was a terrible start for Zhejiang University. China Pol invaded Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungle and picked up three kills, losing no one. On the back of those three kills, they won thening phase in the mid and botne. That gave them enough of an advantage to push them into a rtively easy mid game. They pushed their weight around and finally after 32 minutes they closed it out. Zhejiang University¡¯s nexus exploded, the fans in the crowd cheered, and China Pol was up 1-0 in this best of three series.

    Sun Ruinian exhaled through his mouth and closed his eyes. This is just one game. We lost a bit of focus at the start there. Just nerves. These are just nerves. He took another deep breath and then opened his eyes again. He looked at his teammates and smiled. ¡°Alright,¡± he started. ¡°That wasn¡¯t great. But now that we¡¯ve had a game to get rid of the nerves, we can finally start ying.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°We need to win this, guys.¡±

    The other yers from Zhejiang University all nodded. They gripped their mice a little tighter and flexed their keyboard hand. Then it was time for Game 2. It was a bit different from the first game. Zhejiang University looked like a different team, and it all started with Sun Ruinian. Rather than ying a strong but calm game, he went on the aggressive. He knew he was the better yer and he showed it. His Lucian dashed around thene, dodging skillshots and pulling the triggers on his two pistols. Light bullets lit thene up and China Pol¡¯s Boners died multiple times.

    Zhejiang University won all threenes in the second game. They pushed this advantage into the mid game, winning team fight after team fight and iming the Dragon and Baron Nashor. It was with the Baron Buff that they also pushed to finish the game. A purple aura increased their stats and also the stats of their nearby minions. China Pol tried to defend, but ended up getting aced. Zhejiang University imed the second game of the series.

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°SUN RUINIAN, SUN RUINIAN, HE¡¯S BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN!¡±¡°GOD DIGGITY DAMN!¡±

    In only the second series of the day it went to an all deciding Game 3. The yers from Zhejiang University and China Pol hyped themselves up and got into Champion Select. Both sides went with an early gameposition that relied heavily on winning theirnes. Zhejiang University was the one who won thosenes. From there, it wasn¡¯t really a game anymore. They needed some time to destroy the towers and win the game, all the while China Pol desperately tried to defend, but they¡¯d basically secured their victory in thening phase. Led by Sun Ruinian, Zhejiang University didn¡¯t make any mistakes. After a thrilling series, they moved on to the next round by knocking out China University of Political Science and Law 2 to 1.

    Tang Bingyao stared intently at therge LCD screen and mumbled, ¡°So good¡­ Sun Ruinian yed so good!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°That second and third game? Yeah, he yed out of his mind good.¡±

    An Xin smiled and chimed in, ¡°He¡¯s almost as good as you are, Tang Tang!¡±

    Tang Bingyao felt her cheeks heat up. She shook her head and replied, ¡°Mnh-mnh. He¡¯s better. The way he yed thatst teamfight in the second game? When he got that quadra with his Tristana? I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve done that. He yed really strong. If I¡¯m about A-, then he is at least A.¡± She moved her head back and forth before adding, ¡°Maybe even A+.¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair, grinning, and said, ¡°You guys are right! That wasn¡¯t bad at all! Shi Hang has done well teaching Sun Ruinian!¡±

    ?

    There were a few more matches in the morning, but none of them were especially interesting for Team Shanghai. The only one Zeng Rui had them pay specific attention to was when Shenyang Institute of Technology came up to y. They were the runners up in the previous edition and showed everyone why. They crushed their opponents and moved on to the next round after only 40 minutes of gamey.

    Zhang Hao stared at therge LCD screen and mumbled, ¡°They¡¯re even better than Zhejiang¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He looked at everyone and said, ¡°I hope we all understand that we need to pay close attention to this team.¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. It kind of feels like we¡¯re watching one of those soap dramas, you know? We¡¯re the main characters watching all these side characterse and go!¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± An Xin said, shaking her head.

    It was in this fashion that the morning drew to a close. Team Shanghai left the stadium and took a cab to a restaurant. They had a quick lunch, after which Zeng Rui made them hurry back to the Tianhe Stadium for the afternoon matches. Su Xue didn¡¯t tag along for these games, though. She waved Team Shanghai off and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got my meeting with HuyaTV! Enjoy the games!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± An Xin said. She smiled and added, ¡°Goodluck with your interview!¡±

    Lin Feng struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re going to stomp the interview!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, incredulous. Then she chuckled and replied, ¡°Thanks! See you guyster!¡± She watched the yers from Team Shanghai get in their cab and waved them off. She then hailed a cab for herself and went to the HuyaTV headquarters.

    The HuyaTV headquarters were located in the center of Guangzhou. Su Xue stood in front of therge building and looked up at the massive ss panels. She mumbled, ¡°Wow! So impressive¡­¡± She chewed on her lips and took a deep breath, then she walked through the revolving door and into the building. When she saw the interior, her eyes went round in surprise. This all looks so clean and professional! I love it! And they want me to work here! She smiled and nodded at herself.

    After receiving a visitor tag from the receptionist, Su Xue walked around the entrance hallway and looked at the other people there. Many of them were men in expensive suits. But there was also a group of young women dressed in short skirts and low cut shirts. She watched them, chewing on her lips, and felt her heart mming against her ribcage. Harder. Faster. They look like streamers¡­ I think¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Shit I forgot her name but I¡¯ve definitely seen her on the frontpage before! Shit! Her stomach twisted into a knot. They¡¯re all dressed the same! Is Huya going to ask me to also wear those kinds of clothes? I really don¡¯t want to¡­--

    ¡°Excuse me, Miss Su,¡± a man said to Su Xue. He waited for her to turn around and then continued, ¡°If you could follow me please.¡±

    Su Xue nodded and followed behind him. They took the elevator up to one of the top floors and walked through several long hallways before stopping in front of a room. The man opened the door and pointed inside. He said, ¡°Miss Su, please take a seat. Zong Yao will be with you shortly.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thanks,¡± Su Xue replied. She walked inside and sat down at the small wooden table. There were only two chairs and she chose the one that let her see the door. She waited for a few minutes when a man in his 30s walked inside. She recognized him as Zong Yao, the HuyaTV admin she¡¯d been in contact with. He sat down across from her, smiled at her and said, ¡°We¡¯ve talked a few times over QQ already. It¡¯s good to finally meet you in person, Miss Su. I¡¯ve already given you a rough gist of the situation. Have you had time to think about the offer?¡±

    Su Xue chewed on the inside of her cheek, caught off guard by how to the point Zong Yao was. He sounded far more chilled on the QQ chat? And he only gave me a rough idea. Am I supposed to reply to that? Or did he forget that he didn¡¯t tell me more¡­? I¡¯ll just¡­ ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She briefly hesitated but then said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it a lot, yeah. I think I have a decent idea of what you¡¯re asking me, but I¡¯d like to know a few more details before making my decision.¡±

    Zong Yao smiled and replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Miss Su. We aren¡¯t trying to cheat you here. Our goal is to grow together! You¡¯ll get the full package! We will help you with everything! And I¡¯m not just talking about promoting your HuyaTV channel here. We¡¯d like to see you expand into different markets as well!¡± He briefly paused, smiling a little brighter, before he continued, ¡°You¡¯ve already had a go at making video¡¯s correct? So we want to help you out with that! What we will do is basically to help you with promoting the videos and adding in s. You¡¯ll also be interested to know that we¡¯ve partnered up with several gamingpanies recently. That means early ess to new video games, guest appearances on popr programs, you name it! Better yet, we can even get you casting positions in official League of Legends tournaments! Just think about how many people will see your face! And in the description of these streams, there¡¯ll be links to your channel. Everyone will find you!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open a bit. A lot of what Zong Yao told her she already expected, but hearing him say it was still a shock to her. She wanted to say something, but Zong Yao raised his finger and interrupted, ¡°Now for the important part.¡± He briefly paused and made sure he had Su Xue¡¯s full attention. Then he continued, ¡°When you grow big enough, we¡¯ll organize fan meetings for you! We¡¯ll open a webshop for you and help you create your own merchandise! After, of course, helping you create your brand! You¡¯ll sell tens of thousands of ¡®Su Xue¡¯ T-shirts!¡±

    Su Xue lightly shook her head. It¡¯s too much! I don¡¯t get it! They¡¯re giving me so much! What are they getting out of it? And why me? I¡¯m not even that big! There are other streamers far bigger than me! Why me¡­? She took a deep breath and asked, ¡°This all sounds really tempting, but I¡¯m just¡­ Can I ask why you chose me?¡±

    Zong Yao smiled and replied, ¡°Because of your endless potential of course! You¡¯ve grown from nothing to tens of thousands of concurrent viewers in only a few months! You know how many streamers manage that?¡± He made a zero with his fingers and continued, ¡°None. Just you. And it still looks like you¡¯re growing quickly! Sure there are other streamers out there who have more viewers right now. But in a few months from now? In a year from now? We can see you blow them away with far greater numbers! You should know, your audience retention rate is one of the highest on all of HuyaTV! And the same is true for your conversion rate for followers and subscribers!¡±

    The sudden burst ofpliments caught Su Xue off guard. Her face heated up and she slumped back in her chair a bit. She looked down at the table and smiled. I¡¯m really doing good! I knew my stats were okay, but he¡¯s saying they¡¯re some of the best! That¡¯s like, like so much more than just okay!

    Zong Yao gave half a minute for the information to settle and then asked, ¡°Do you know why this is?¡±

    Su Xue looked up at Zong Yao and mumbled, ¡°Why this is¡­?¡± She looked back down at the table and bit on her tongue. What is this for a question? How am I supposed to answer? Whatever I say, I¡¯m going to sound like a narcissistic bitch! ¡®Because I¡¯m so good¡¯ or ¡®because no one is as much fun as me¡¯...

    Zong Yao didn¡¯t wait for an answer. He continued, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re genuine. A lot of streamers sit behind their camera and y a role that is specifically aimed at making money. You¡¯re not like that. You¡¯re yourself, even if that means you don¡¯t make that quick buck. And people connect with that. They connect with you. They form a kind of kinship that runs far deeper than the artificial rtionships a lot of streamers build up with their fanbase. That¡¯s why your retention and conversion numbers are so high. Because consciously or unconsciously, people can tell the difference.¡±

    Su Xue waved her hands and said, ¡°No, no! I¡¯m not better than other streamers! They¡¯re also doing good! I was just trying to build amunity that I¡¯d want to be a part of myself, and, and¡­--¡±

    Zong Yao winked at Su Xue and interrupted, ¡°Miss Su, I see so much potential in you. Will you please consider my offer?¡±

    ?

    It was alreadyte in the afternoon when the host of the Winter Collegiate Cup announced the eighth game of the day. Team Beijing, the first high school team to y in the main tournament, was facing off against Nanjing University. When the audience heard this, they sat up a bit straighter in their seats. The announcement that three high school teams werepeting in this university event had initially led to a lot of resistance from both fans and the university teams. But after all three high school teams qualified for the main tournament, most people became excited to watch them y.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Team Beijing scrim against the best teams from North China and beat all of them?¡±¡°Not just the scrims. They won the North China Regionals!¡±¡°Damn high schoolers¡­ Those kids are on steroids or something!¡±¡°No kidding. It¡¯s like they¡¯re all A grade teams!¡±

    The discussions in the audience suddenly came to a stop. Everyone had done a bit of research on the three high school teams. They knew the yers. And they could now all see that Team Beijing was not ying with their strongest line up! They were ying with the same team that had helped them win the North China Regionals! A murmur went through the crowd.

    ¡°Are they for real? What the hell! This is the main tournament!¡±¡°Holy shit! It¡¯s the same line up as the regionals! They¡¯re ying with their subs!¡±¡°Two subs, right? Damn! They¡¯re so cocky!¡±¡°I don¡¯t think their real Toner and Miner have yed a single game this entire tournament!¡±¡°Do they really think they¡¯re that much better than Nanjing?¡±¡°Maybe this is their best line up and they¡¯re just saying those two are their subs¡­?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked over his shoulder at the stands rising up behind him. He listened to the discussion, knitting his brows. He finally turned back around and mumbled, ¡°They¡¯re not being cocky. More like, they know exactly how good they are and how good their opponents are. They know they won¡¯t need their best yers for this series.¡±

 Chapter 341: Leave me Alone, Creep

    The North China region from which Team Beijing came didn¡¯t have as many top grade teams like East China had. But they did have U-Tech Beijing, current Champions of the Collegiate Cup. Team Beijing had yed against U-Tech Beijing in the grand finals for the region and won in a thrilling best of five series that went all the way to the fifth game! And even in that series, Team Beijing used their substitutes in the top and midne. No one had ever seen just how good this team was with their main roster.

    Zeng Rui sighed and said to his teammates, ¡°That¡¯s the advantage of a strong roster. Even their ¡®weaker¡¯ team can win everything.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and agreed, ¡°Mhm, they look really strong.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget there was nothing at stake in those grand finals,¡± An Xin interjected. She looked at Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao who all wore dejected expressions. They¡¯re just a strong opponent! Don¡¯t look so down just because we lost our finals! She forced a smile on her lips and continued, ¡°U-Tech Beijing didn¡¯t really try either. Just like how it went in our finals, with Lin Feng and Tang Tang both being sick. Those series weren¡¯t important. Right now. These series. They are important. So let¡¯s not worry about what happened in the finals and focus on this game!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Look! I¡¯m wearing a coat! I won¡¯t get sick again!¡±

    His teammates shook their heads and were about to focus back on the game when Chu Fang spoke up. He looked at them and said, ¡°Zeng Rui is right about one thing. Pay careful attention to this match. Team Beijing might be our biggest opponent in the entire tournament.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Nanjing University sat behind theirputers, staring at the screens with tense expressions. Their coach had reminded them before the game that they werepeting in the Winter Collegiate Cup, and that everyone was waiting for a university team to finally show just that by beating one of these high school teams. He¡¯d shown them footage from Team Beijing and exined to them with which tactics they could be that team.

    The team captain looked across the stage at the other soundproof booth. Why are they still ying with their substitutes? Do they really think so little of us? He chewed on his lips, his stomach in turmoil. We¡¯ve watched them y and we¡¯ve identified weaknesses. But we¡¯ve also been assuming that they¡¯d field their strongest line up! That¡¯s wrong. Those tactics are worthless now. We need to adapt. He sighed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°So they don¡¯t think much of us, huh?¡±

    ¡°Fuckers!¡± the Toner cursed. He red across the stage at Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth and continued, ¡°Fuckers won¡¯t even take us seriously! We came in 11th in the previous Collegiate Cup! We¡¯re one of the strongest teams!¡±

    ¡°Exactly right!¡± the team captain said. He looked at his team members, one at a time, and continued, ¡°We¡¯re one of the best teams in this tournament. And those guys ¡­¡± he pointed across the stage. ¡°... they¡¯re not taking us seriously. We¡¯re going to make them pay for that!¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, cap,¡± the Support replied. He focused on his screen and asked, ¡°What tactic are we going with?¡±

    The team captain took a deep breath. I don¡¯t know¡­ Hmm¡­ Honestly¡­ He nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go with our original n. Okay early game team that grows stronger and stronger theter we go.¡±

    Nanjing University picked their Champions, as did Team Beijing. They loaded onto the Rift and bought their starting items. The 10 Champions walked down thenes and waited for the minion waves to spawn, neither side looking to invade. And then it all went so fast. Team Beijing made ys in everyne. They forced Nanjing University to make mistakes and capitalized on them every single time. Team Beijing won everyne, and then they won the game. There was no suspense to it.

    Nanjing University¡¯s team captain looked over the edge of his monitor at the massive stadium and at the crowd jumping and cheering. He shook his head, dejected. They should be cheering for us right now. We should¡¯ve won this one! If only¡­ He sighed. They¡¯re so much better than we expected. He looked at his teammates, each of them visibly sharing the same emotions he felt, and said, ¡°Come on, guys. We can¡¯t give up! Let¡¯s go with strongners in this game. Beat them inne and do to them what they did to us! We¡¯re going to force that third game!¡±

    The Toner nodded and said, ¡°Fuck yeah! We¡¯ll show them!¡±

    Both teams knew how they wanted to y the second game. They flew through Champion Select and it wasn¡¯t long before 10 new Champions spawned on Summoner¡¯s Rift. Nanjing University went with the early gameposition and Team Beijing was doing the same. Fast and aggressive. Both sides went at it. There wasbat from the first to thest minute of the game. A game thatsted 17 minutes. It was aplete stomp.

    The yers from Nanjing University slumped back in their gaming chairs. The red ¡®Defeat¡¯ message floated on their monitor. They¡¯d lost to Team Beijing 0-2. They were out of the Winter Collegiate Cup. After only two short games in which they failed to show half of what they were capable of, they could fly back home and start preparing for the next edition.

    Nanjing University¡¯s team captain grimaced and said, ¡°Better luck next time¡­¡± He then sighed and shook his head. What fucking monsters! Where did the Beijing Esports Organization find these kids!?

    ?

    Sun Ruinian sat with his teammates from Zhejiang University in the yer seating area. The game between Team Beijing and Nanjing University had juste to an end. There was one more match on the first day of the main tournament, but he didn¡¯t care about that. He was just staring at the screen, shocked. Stunned. How¡­ How are they this good? This isn¡¯t even their main roster! They¡¯re ying with substitutes! I don¡¯t even know if we can confidently beat this team! How are we¡­ He gritted his teeth and shook his head. I¡¯m not letting Shi Hang down! If we have to y against them, we¡¯re going to win! I just have toe up with a tactic for it!

    ¡°What¡¯s up with all these damned high school teams!¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Support eximed. He threw his hands up and continued, ¡°I thought Team Shanghai had enough freaks! But it looks like Beijing found even bigger freaks! Where do they find these kids? Why are none of them in university yet!?¡±

    Zhejiang¡¯s Toner nced at his Support and then mumbled, ¡°Can we even beat those guys from Team Beijing¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course we can!¡± Sun Ruinian said. He looked at his teammates and narrowed his eyes. He continued, ¡°We aren¡¯t some weak team, guys. Just because we lost a few times doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re suddenly shit! These are some strong teams, yes. But we¡¯re fucking strong too! Can we beat them? You bet we can! We¡¯re going to practice our damndest and win this whole tournament! We¡¯ll prove to Shi Hang and everyone else that we belong on this stage!¡±

    The speech had the desired effect. Sun Ruinian smiled when he saw the expression from his teammates lift. He then turned back to look at therge LCD screen. And frowned. Can we beat them? If Shi Hang was here, we could, I¡¯m sure of that. But without him? With this team¡­? He sighed and shook his head. We¡¯ll have to give it our all. And we¡¯ll probably need to get lucky as well.

    ?

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°They¡¯re actually not half bad! That Thresh Support-guy was pretty decent even! I¡¯d score his hooks at about half as good as mine!¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and shook her head. Always bragging¡­ She then smiled and noted, ¡°Their Support was pretty solid on his Tresh. His Nami in the first game was strong too.¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and interjected, ¡°Zhang Hongyi.¡± He looked at the others and continued, ¡°That¡¯s his name. The Support, I mean. Zhang Hongyi. He¡¯s a senior student at Beijing Chaoyang High School #4. A Master on the Ionia server, though he¡¯s closer to a Challenger than a Master. His grade is about B+ to A- and he specializes in aggressive Supports.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes went wide and he said, ¡°Wooow! It¡¯s so cool how much you remember! Did you read about him once too? Do you do this for everyone we y against? Hey! Do you also know what every opponent¡¯s favourite food is?¡±

    Zeng Rui clenched his fists until the white showed on his knuckles and exined, ¡°There¡¯s some history between me and Zhang Hongyi. It¡¯splicated. Too much to go into right now.¡±

    Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows. History? Complicated? Too much to go into? His eyes lit up and he eximed, ¡°I wanna know! Thest game is boring anyway! Just tell me! Tell me!¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head.

    There was a short moment of silence. Lin Feng stared at Zeng Rui waiting for a response. More and more impatient. He was about to say something, when Tang Bingyao stood up and asked, ¡°Uhm, where¡¯s the restroom?¡±

    Chu Fang pointed at the backstage area and said, ¡°Down there and then in the corridor to the left. There are signs, you won¡¯t miss it.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Be careful. The match is about to end and it¡¯ll be busy. We¡¯ll wait here for you.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Guangzhou were also present at the Tianhe Stadium on the first day of the main tournament. They were sitting on their spots in the yer seating area, watching thest game of the day. The three Chinese yers weren¡¯t paying much attention, though. They were still talking about the previous game in which Team Beijing showed an overwhelming performance.

    Team Guangzhou''s Support said, ¡°Team Beijing is looking really strong¡­ Can¡¯t believe that was with their second roster too!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler eximed. He shook his head and continued, ¡°I really wonder how strong they are when they¡¯ve got their best Top- and Miner ying!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner shrugged and said, ¡°What if it¡¯s all just a trick? You know, that they¡¯ve been ying with their main roster this whole time and that the two who¡¯ve been sitting out are the real substitutes?¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support chuckled and replied, ¡°You do make a strong point. I don¡¯t believe they¡¯re so cocky that they won¡¯t field their strongest team in the main tournament! Even by our standards that¡¯s way out there!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach rxed back in his chair and smiled. Good kids. They¡¯re just the right amount of arrogant! This is such a strong team! I might not y League, but I know sports. I¡¯ve worked in sports all my life! We¡¯ve got the best team and we¡¯ve got the best yers! He nced at Goalie and Seo and grinned. Especially with those two. Koreans are just better than Chinese yers right now. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the environment in which they grow up or what, but they¡¯re better. Our team is better. He nodded at the three Chinese yers and said, ¡°You guys are right. Team Beijing does look strong. They might very well turn out to be our strongestpetition in this entire tournament! But even if they are, what¡¯s there to worry about? I don¡¯t believe for a second they¡¯ve got a stronger team than ours.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner replied.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach turned to Goalie and asked, ¡°What do you think? About Team Beijing I mean.¡±

    Goalie looked at his interpreter, listening to the trantion. He then grinned, his sickly pale skin looking like it was about to crack, and replied, ¡°A bunch of trash. I can wreck their Miner with one finger on the keyboard!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach chuckled and then turned to look at Seo and asked, ¡°What about you, Seo? Think you¡¯ll have any problems down in bot?¡±

    Seo moved his hand through his blonde dyed hair while listening to the interpreter. He then replied in Korean, ¡°These guys have never seen a good ad-carry in their lives.¡± He stood up from his seat and added, ¡°Waste of my time to think about these teams. I¡¯mma take a piss.¡± He then walked away, shaking his head. Why do I have to y against all these shitty yers? I don¡¯t care about beating some scrubs at League! Fuck that shit! The only reason I even epted this offer is because of all the Chinese hotties! There are so many of them and they spread their legs right away when I mention I¡¯m a Korean Challenger! Hehe! The guys back at home are going to be so jealous when I show them who I all did!

    ?

    Tang Bingyao stood in front of the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Team Beijing is really good. Really, really good! And because they made sure the footage of their games wasn¡¯t uploaded, we didn¡¯t know they were this good until now! This is so unfair! They¡¯re basically cheating! But Chu Fang said it was some server error¡­ She bit on her lips. Mnh-mnh! I¡¯m not going to give up!

    Tang Bingyao sighed loudly and muttered, ¡°Why do they have to be so good?¡± She shook her head as she walked out of the restroom. Their Support was just on another level! He looked like Zeng Rui but then more aggressive, more like me! Mhm! Maybe¡­ She shook her head. Zeng Rui is the better Support. And I¡¯m the better ad-carry! We¡¯ll win the botne! And with Lin Feng in the midne, we¡¯ll win that too. MHM! We¡¯re going to beat them! She smiled and looked around her. The long concrete corridors of the Tianhe Stadium felt cold to her. She shrugged and looked at the far end of the hall where she saw someone walking in her direction. She squinted her eyes a bit and then chuckled. He looks like a girl! Is he a trap? Look at his hair! Why did he dye it like that? He¡¯s like¡­ like one of those magazine models! I really don¡¯t get what girls see in those guys! That hair just looks so stupid! I like the unkempt, just out of bed, dark hair way more! Kind of like¡­ Lin Feng. She smiled.

    On the other end of the corridor, Seo walked towards Tang Bingyao. He grinned and mumbled, ¡°They¡¯re so easy! It¡¯s like they¡¯ve never seen anyone with any kind of talent befo--¡± He stopped himself and looked across the hall. Is that¡­? He squinted his eyes, and then they opened wide. It¡¯s her! It¡¯s that cutie from yesterday! She¡¯s the one from Team Shanghai! SWEET! It¡¯s like it¡¯s meant to be! God¡¯s put us together here! He nced up and nodded. Thanks! He then looked back at Tang Bingyao. Really looked. She¡¯s so hot! The way that t-shirt shows her tits, hehe! The Blitz raising his hands to hold ¡®em tits up, hehe!

    Seo licked his lip and flicked his hair back. Game time! He ran up to Tang Bingyao and winked at her. He then leaned towards her and said, ¡°????, ??? ? ? ??? ??? ADC ??. ???? ??? ??? ???¡±

    Tang Bingyao took a step back and frowned in disgust. I-is he trying to smell me? She looked at Seo, shook her head and mumbled, ¡°Leave me alone, creep.¡±

 Chapter 342: Get away from Tang Tang, you creep!

    Seo scrunched his eyebrows. Why is she stepping away from me¡­? Oh! He shook his head and grinned. How stupid! I keep forgetting they don¡¯t learn Korean in school here! Such a hassle, but¡­ She¡¯s cute enough! He raised his hands up apologetically and said in broken Chinese, ¡°I am Seo. Ad-carry Challenger from Korea now in Guangzhou. You are pretty. Very cute. I like your looks.¡±

    Tang Bingyao raised her eyebrows in surprise. He¡¯s a Korean Challenger¡­? Guangzhou? Her eyes turned round and she covered her mouth with her hand. He¡¯s the new ad-carry for Team Guangzhou! They got a new Korean import! Mhm! We finally got another girl ying in this tournament! This is great! She giggled and replied, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Seo felt his heart jump in joy when Tang Bingyao started giggling. Knew she¡¯d like me! Tell them you¡¯re a Korean Challenger and you¡¯re in their panties! Now to seal the deal! Add her to my list! He ¡®casually¡¯ leaned against the wall and smiled what he believed to be his most charming smile. He said, ¡°Friends? You, me, coffee?¡±

    Friends? Coffee? Tang Bingyao stopped giggling and looked at Seo again. I don¡¯t like coffee¡­ She shrugged and said, ¡°No thanks. Bye.¡± She then walked past Seo and back towards the stands.

    Seo stared at the air in front of him, stunned. No? Did she just say no? Did she turn me down? He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to follow her. No one turns me down! I¡¯m far too goodlooking for that! All girls love me! Oh! He chuckled. She¡¯s just ying hard to get. Almost forgot about that y because the girls here are so easy! Alright, Seo, she doesn¡¯t want to look too eager to jump into bed with you. You just gotta push her in that direction. Just y along and make her think it¡¯s her choice. Takes a bit more skill, but she¡¯s pretty cute. Yeah, I¡¯ll take the extra effort for her! He rushed after Tang Bingyao and stopped her. He then said, ¡°Is okay. Where you want to go? No coffee? Maybe PC Cafe? y League? I carry you to Challenger!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Seo, annoyed. Her stomach churned and she lightly shook her head. I said no¡­ Why is he still bothering me? She bit on her lips and said, ¡°No, thanks. Leave me alone, please.¡± She then tried to push past him.

    ¡°???? ? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ? ???? ?,¡± Seo said as he grabbed Tang Bingyao by the shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and continued in broken Chinese, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude. I¡¯m kind.¡±

    ¡°Let go!¡± Tang Bingyao eximed. She tried to pull free, but Seo only tightened his grip on her shoulder. Tears jumped in her eyes. She shouted, ¡°Ao! You¡¯re hurting me! Let go of me!¡± She tried to shake herself free, her eyes darting across the hall searching for someone who could help her. Why is he doing this? Just leave me alone! I don¡¯t wanna! Go away! Piss off! Please, someone! Some-- ¡°BunBun!¡±

    A minute earlier, An Xin had got up from her seat in the yer seating area and excused herself to go to the restroom. She¡¯d walked past the crowd into the backstage area, following Chu Fang¡¯s directions. When she got into a corridor, she saw two people standing close together. Uch, get a roo-- Her eyes went wide when she heard Tang Bingyao¡¯s voice, and even wider when she saw the girl was Tang Bingyao. Tang Tang! TANG TANG! She raced across the corridor and pushed Seo from behind and shouted, ¡°Get away from Tang Tang, you creep!¡±

    The push wasn¡¯t hard, but Seo hadn¡¯t expected it. He let go of Tang Bingyao and stumbled a few steps before refinding his footing. He turned around to look at An Xin and said in Korean, ¡°What the fuck! You bitch!¡±

    An Xin ignored Seo, herplete focus on Tang Bingyao. She put her hand on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Tang Bingyao sucked back the tears, though a few still escaped and rolled down her cheeks. She nodded and mumbled, ¡°Mhm, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± An Xin said with a warm smile. She then turned around to look at Seo. Her lips remained the same but all kindness disappeared from her eyes. They narrowed, furious. She said in perfect Korean, ¡°You disgusting pig! What do you think you were doing!?¡±

    Seo recovered from his initial burst of shock and got a good look at An Xin. He nodded, satisfied. She¡¯s cute too. And she speaks Korean! That makes this so much easier! Alright, game face on! He smirked and said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything. I was just having a friendly chat with your friend here.¡±

    ¡°A friendly chat?¡± An Xin asked. She nced over her shoulder at Tang Bingyao who was trembling on her knees and then looked back at Seo. She said, ¡°Does she look like she was having a fun chat? Does she? I¡¯ll tell you what it looks like to me. It looks like you were trying to assault my friend. Now I¡¯m sure the organizers wouldn¡¯t like to learn about this. Don¡¯t you think? They might even feel the need to send you back home. But my friend is already upset and I don¡¯t want to make her think about this more than necessary. So here¡¯s the deal. You piss the fuck off and never even look at her again!¡±

    Seo paled, his eyes round and wide. He stared at An Xin in shock. This was the first time someone called him out like this. It was the first time since arriving in Guangzhou that a woman didn¡¯t respond to his advances. His stomach was in turmoil and he didn¡¯t know what to do. He moved his lips around and shook his head a bit, and finally he mumbled, ¡°Sorry.¡± He then turned around and strode away, muttering, ¡°Stupid bitches! Who the fuck do they think they are! Better hope I don¡¯t see them in the tournament! I¡¯ll fucking stomp them!¡±

    ¡°HMM? Did you say something? Come back, say that to my face!¡± An Xin yelled after Seo. He looked back over his shoulder at her, scared. He then sped up and pushed open the first door he found. The women¡¯s restroom. But he didn¡¯t care or notice. He rushed inside and stopped. Fucking crazy bitches! What the fuck was wrong with that one! Holy shit, her eyes! Fuck her! I¡¯ll show her!

    An Xin turned back to look at Tang Bingyao and smiled. She said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Tang Tang. He¡¯s gone.¡±

    Tang Bingyao slowly raised her head and looked up at An Xin. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her mascara was murky after she wiped it all around her eyes. She tried to smile but also to stop crying. She finally mumbled, ¡°Thank you, Bunbun. Thank you! I¡­ I didn¡¯t know you speak Korean.¡±

    An Xin hugged Tang Bingyao and whispered, ¡°Just a few words. I picked it up while travelling with Lin Feng four years ago.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding.

    ¡°Are you okay, Tang Tang?¡± An Xin asked, worried. ¡°Did he hurt you anywhere? If he did anything to you, we¡¯re going right to the tournament officials.¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay. It was just really scary. He was suddenly there and there was no one else and then and then, and then¡­¡± Tears appeared in her eyes again. She huped and the crying followed. She said between the tears, ¡°And then he grabbed me and I thought, I thought¡­¡±

    An Xin hugged Tang Bingyao tightly and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s okay Tang Tang. He¡¯s gone. I¡¯ve got you. I¡¯m here for you.¡± She then nced over her shoulder at the end of the corridor and narrowed her eyes. What an asshole! Team Guangzhou, huh? When there¡¯s one rotten apple, there¡¯s probably more... She mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll show those assholes!¡±

    ¡°BunBun, please, don¡¯t!¡± Tang Bingyao said weakly. She shook her head and added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause any problems¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± An Xin replied. She looked at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°He assaulted you. Don¡¯t ever speak up for him. He doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s lips quivered. She mumbled, ¡°I-I¡­ I just don¡¯t want to cause any trouble¡­¡± She briefly pressed her lips together and then added, ¡°Thank you for helping me, BunBun. I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done without you.¡±

    An Xin chuckled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. We¡¯re friends! I wasn¡¯t going to let some creep bother you! We¡¯re here for each other!¡± She briefly paused, her expression dropping, before adding, ¡°But Tang Tang¡­ Let¡¯s not tell Lin Feng what happened. If he finds out¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°... he will make a big scene out of it.¡±

    Tang Bingyao wiped her eyes dry and nodded. I just want to forget this! No one has to know! She shook her head and weakly said, ¡°Let¡¯s just pretend this never happened...¡±

    An Xin put her hands on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulders and looked her friend in the eyes. She slowly said, ¡°We¡¯re not going to pretend this didn¡¯t happen. It happened. We just won¡¯t tell Lin Feng. We¡¯ll use a different route to make that asshole pay for what he did to you!¡± A smile creeped on her face, though it didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. She continued, ¡°He¡¯s the ad-carry for Team Guangzhou, right?¡± Tang Bingyao nodded and An Xin went on, ¡°So we¡¯ll show him how worthless he is on the Rift. The way he treated you? He probably doesn¡¯t think much about girls. Let¡¯s make sure to camp the everloving shit out of that guy! We¡¯ll make him go 0-10 and thenugh at him in all chat. We¡¯ll make him regret this so hard!¡±

    There was a fire behind An Xin¡¯s words. Tang Bingyao found herself nodding and clenching her fists. She nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Sounds good! We¡¯ll stomp him!¡±

    ?

    Seo stayed in the restroom for nearly 15 minutes, grumbling and kicking against the toilet stalls. When he finally calmed down a bit, he sshed some water in his face and looked in the mirror at his reflection. You¡¯re fucking hot! Those girls don¡¯t know what they¡¯re missing out on! They could¡¯ve had the best threesome in their lives! He nodded at himself and then left the restroom. He walked down the corridor, his expression dropping again. Fucking bitches! Stupid fucking bitches!

    When Seo arrived back at the seats for Team Guangzhou in the yer seating area, he was kicking imaginary pebbles and ring at everyone. The coach noticed it and asked, ¡°Seo, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±

    Seo let himself fall down on his chair and waved the coach away. He said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He then looked at the stage and gritted his teeth. Those fucking bitches! I can get any girl I want! What do they think makes them so special? I¡¯ve had far prettier girls! Stupid bitches! And that second one in particr! How dare she challenge me!? I¡¯ll fucking show her! When I meet her on that stage¡­ He grinned. When I meet those two on that stage? I¡¯m going to make them regret that! I was just flirting! What is wrong with those bitches!?

    ?

    Lin Feng waved at An Xin and Tang Bingyao when they walked back to their seats and shouted, ¡°You two took forever! What kept you?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°There was a line at the restroom. Think some girl clogged the toilet¡­¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao added, nodding.

    ¡°You guys missed the ending of the game,¡± Zeng Ruiined.

    Lin Feng grinned and interjected, ¡°It was a boring game! You guys didn¡¯t miss anything!¡±

    Zeng Rui red at Lin Feng but then shook his head. Not worth the effort. Won¡¯t argue with him. No arguing with the thundering dumbass! Don¡¯t do it! He breathed in deeply and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the hotel. The games are over and the exit will be crowded soon.¡±

    ¡°Hotel¡­?¡± Lin Feng looked at Zeng Rui, confused. He then shook his head and said, ¡°No way! It¡¯s time for dinner! I¡¯m starving!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at Lin Feng and replied, ¡°We¡¯re going back to the hotel because your roommate is there. Remember how we--¡±

    ¡°Right! Right! I almost forgot!¡± Lin Feng interrupted,ughing. He nodded at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°ZengZeng, you¡¯re the best! Man, I really wonder how Su Xue¡¯s meeting went! Maybe she¡¯s already working for HuyaTV!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai and Su Xue arrived back at the hotel at almost the same time. They ran into each other in the lobby. Lin Feng ran up to Su Xue and was about to greet her when he noticed that she didn¡¯t look excited. He scrunched his eyebrows. Does she look anxious? She¡¯s fidgeting with her fingers¡­ she only does that when she¡¯s stressing again! He said, ¡°Hey¡­ Uh, what¡¯s wrong? Did the meeting not go well?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, hey Lin Feng,¡± Su Xue replied. She looked at Lin Feng and the others from Team Shanghai behind him before adding, ¡°It went okay I guess.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Su Xue, puzzled. He asked, ¡°Just okay? What does that mean?¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and exined, ¡°The talk was fine. Basically I just have to sign the contract now.¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! You¡¯re going to be a really big streamer now! Congrattions!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and chimed in, ¡°Mhm! Congrattions!¡±

    Su Xue nodded absentmindedly. It went great. I got everything I wanted and I can stay in Shanghai with Lin Feng and Zuo You and my other friends. I¡¯ll just stay here for a few weeks to receive some onsite training from professionals. Which is also really good! She chuckled and said, ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s good, all good I guess. Just. Just. Huhh! The HuyaTV executive told me he¡¯d gotten me a great opportunity to cast some games in this ¡®super big¡¯ tournament.¡±

    ¡°A caster?¡± Lin Feng asked. His eyes lit up and he continued, ¡°That¡¯s amazing! You¡¯re going to cast real professional games then! That¡¯d be so cool!¡±

    Su Xue sighed and exined, ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about. What if they make me do a professional game? I¡¯m no caster! I sometimes dabble a bit with it on stream for fun. But I¡¯m no caster! I don¡¯t know nearly enough about professional y-- Or even about the Champions! I¡¯ll just end up making a fool out of myself! Everyone will see me make a fool out of myself! Then they¡¯lle to my stream tough at the fool¡­¡±

    An Xin smiled andforted, ¡°Your stream casting is really good! I bet you the HuyaTV executive saw that and knew you were perfect for a casting gig!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Su Xue curiously and asked, ¡°Do you know what games you will be casting?¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and replied, ¡°No, they haven¡¯t told me yet. They said they¡¯d have more information about that tomorrow night. All I know is that it¡¯ll be in the Winter Collegiate Cup--¡±

    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Lin Feng eximed. He tugged on Su Xue¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Really? Really!?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Lin Feng, everyone from Team Shanghai perked up from this bit of information. They stared at Su Xue and were about to start asking questions, when Chu Fang said, ¡°Right. The Guangzhou Esports Association has a partnership contract with HuyaTV. That also extends to us actually. It¡¯s how we got the Shanghai 16 School Tournament to y on HuyaTV¡¯s frontpage.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. He struck his victory pose and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Just imagine how cool it would be if you get to cast our games! You can tell them all how good I am! And how you know that I¡¯m really good!¡±

    Su Xue shook her head and muttered, ¡°Who would want to do that¡­?¡±

 Chapter 343: Are There Really Two Girls on Team Shanghai? Yes, Yes There are

    Su Xue nced at Lin Feng and watched his reaction. Hehe! It¡¯s so much fun to tease this stupid kid! Of course I want to cast Team Shanghai¡¯s! Those are the easiest games! I know how half your team ys and the rest I¡¯ve also seen before! It¡¯d be perfect if I got to cast your game! I really don¡¯t want to cast some random team though¡­ She giggled for a brief moment before recovering her pout. Keep the act up! Make him believe you! I¡¯m casting in the Round of 16. Team Shanghai just has to get there and then, with a tiny bit of luck, I¡¯ll get to cast their game! Hehehe!

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯ll do great! I believe in you! You¡¯re the best caster!¡±

    Su Xue breathed in deeply, then exhaled loudly through her mouth. She said, ¡°Sure¡­ I guess, maybe¡­ Let¡¯s just take it one bit at a time, I guess¡­¡± She shook her head. All I need is to get to cast Team Shanghai and this¡¯ll be fun! But I still don¡¯t know all the Champion skill names¡­ I¡¯ll need to do some research before the game and find out about the yers on both teams, AndAndAnd¡­ The list of things she would have to do before casting her first game became longer the more she thought about it. Her heart started pounding in her ribcage. Do I really want to¡­? Yeah! Come on, Su Xue! This is a chance most streamers can only dream about! Stop being so pessimistic! Best case scenario you get to cast Team Shanghai! Worst case, you gotta cast some random team, and you will make that fun!

    Zhang Hao watched Lin Feng and Su Xue and said to no one in particr, ¡°We¡¯ll have to win our first round first¡­¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Zhang Hao. Zeng Rui nodded and replied, ¡°Correct. Our opponent is the 3rd ced team from the South China Regionals, the Guangzhou Institute of Technology.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stomp them!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Zeng Rui nodded and continued, ¡°That¡¯ll be our goal, yes. We want to end this series as quickly as possible so as to give as little information away as possible.¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s simple enough. All we have to do is stay focused and give it our all! But we can¡¯t give away our tactics. So we¡¯ll have to give it our all on the weakest of our strongest tactics!¡±

    Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows and said, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound easy at all!¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± An Xin said. She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and exined, ¡°For you that means that you pick a Champion and that you stomp yourne with that Champion.¡±

    ¡°Nice!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He patted himself on the chest and continued, ¡°That¡¯s something I can do! No problem! Just tell me the Champion and I¡¯ll win myne asap!¡±

    Zeng Rui watched the exchange between Lin Feng and An Xin quietly. Personal skill is unimportant. Anyone can see that in every game. We¡¯re not going to y worse¡­ Typical the thundering dumbass thinks we would though¡­ He shook his head and chuckled. He then breathed deeply and closed his eyes. We want to use as little tactics and strategy as possible. The more we can rely on individual skill in these first rounds, the more information we can hold back and keep hidden. Then when we face an actual strong opponent in theter rounds, they won¡¯t know what to expect. He sighed loudly. Then again, we¡¯ve got Maple on our team. He¡¯s known for stomping the opponent. If we can get him to focus and really tryhard on this series, we won¡¯t have to give away any tactics. That¡¯d be perfect!

    ?

    Su Xue joined Team Shanghai for dinner at a restaurant Lin Feng had selected. They enjoyed a small feast, after which they went to an inte cafe for another scrimmage with Zhejiang University. The two teams sat opposite each other, with Su Xue watching the game on spectator mode. To practice her casting, she¡¯d told them.

    The scrimmage went well for Team Shanghai. They yed seven games against Zhejiang University and won five of them. By the end, the yers from Zhejiang University were speechless. They just stared at their screens, at the 21 minute loss, and shook their heads.

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Support finally muttered, ¡°Did, did you guys get even better¡­?¡±

    Sun Ruinian scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°If you guys y like this tomorrow, then Guangzhou Tech is going to be in for a bad, bad time¡­¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s what I keep saying! We¡¯re going to 2-0 stomp them!¡±

    Su Xue ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Always with the bragging!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then grinned and added, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel right when I don¡¯t.¡±

    ?

    It was the second day of the main tournament. There were another nine matches on the schedule today. Team Shanghai was the second team to y in the afternoon. A lot of people were looking forward to it. So much so that the interest for the first game that afternoon dwindled and disappearedpletely when it became obvious that it wasn¡¯t going to be a spectacr match. A murmur swept across the stands and the yer seating area.

    ¡°Team Shanghai is up next. The second high school team! I wonder how good they really are¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the only high school team who didn¡¯t win their Regionals. But then again, East China is the mostpetitive region. You can¡¯t really expect them to win that.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the footage? They never even tried in the finals against Fudan University! Neither side did, really. It was such a dumb series!¡±

    ¡°But they beat Zhejiang University with AyDeeCee, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the word on the street, yeah. They won 3-2 is what I¡¯ve been told.¡±

    ¡°Not just that. Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner beat AyDeeCee. For real! I watched the rey! It really happened! I¡¯ll bet all my money on it if anyone here wants to!¡±

    ¡°Damn¡­ All these high school kids. Freaks! All of them!¡±

    There were two subjects in the League of Legendsmunity that drew in every fan¡¯s attention. The first was pro yer gossip. Many people said they hated gossip, but no one could resist the urge to read more about it and talk more about it. The other was female League of Legends yers. It wasn¡¯t strange toe across them in solo queue. Some guys even yed specifically to meet girls in solo queue. And when they didn¡¯t find them, they¡¯d get upset and take to social media toin to their friends and anyone who¡¯d listen that there are no girls ying League of Legends. But where there were quite some female yers in solo queue, very few decided to ypetitively. An Xin and Tang Bingyao were two exceptions. So when the fans spotted the two girls walking up on stage together with the rest from Team Shanghai, a second wave of murmurs swept across the stands.

    ¡°Daaaamn! Look at them! They¡¯re so hot!¡±

    ¡°Sick! You never see girls up on stage! I really wanna see them y!¡±

    ¡°Wow! Shit dude! I totally thought you guys were pranking me! Two girls! Pinch me!¡±

    ¡°Do they stream? Anyone know if they stream? Can I watch them somewhere?¡±

    ¡°All you horny idiots forget the most important thing! Are they any good?¡±

    ¡°OF COURSE THEY ARE! IDIOT! THEY BEAT ZHEJIANG!¡±

    ¡°Right, right. Still. You just don¡¯t see girls. Can¡¯t help but wonder if they¡¯re really all that good¡­¡±

    ¡°Remember Team Mermaid? The all-girl team? Everyone was saying how good they were, until they actually watched them y. They were hot, definitely. But fuck me did they suck at the game!¡±

    ¡°Oh shit! I totally forgot about Team Mermaid! What happened to those girls? I wanna watch them again!¡±

    ¡°But not to y, right¡­? Because they were awful. Absolutely dreadful!¡±

    ?

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler nodded at Team Shanghai entering the soundproof booth and said to Seo, ¡°Hey, dude. Ain¡¯t that the girl you fancy? I think I might fancy her too. You still fancy her? Or can I have a go at her?¡±

    The interpreter quickly tranted the message to Korean. But Seo wasn¡¯t listening. He was staring at Tang Bingyao and An Xin through narrowed eyes. You fucking bitches! All I did was flirt a bit and then the two of you¡­ Especially the stupid one there¡­ He gritted his teeth in anger. They¡¯d humiliated him! And they¡¯d turned his fun pastime into a constant reminder of that humiliation!

    ¡°Yo, Seo, anyone home there?¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler asked, waving his hands in front of Seo.

    Seo shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Go fancy that bitch.¡± His eyes never left An Xin and Tang Bingyao. They¡¯d hurt his pride. All he felt right now was anger fueled by humiliation. I¡¯ll teach you two bitches a lesson you won¡¯t forget! I¡¯m one of the best ad-carries in Korea! You two should respect me! BITCHES! He mmed his fist down on the armrest and shouted, ¡°FUCK!¡±

    ?

    Team Beijing sat some distance away from Team Guangzhou in the yer seating area. Their attention wasn¡¯t on Tang Bingyao. It was on Zeng Rui. Team Beijing¡¯s Toner grinned and asked Zhang Hongyi, ¡°Hey bud, which one is their team captain? You know, your favourite Zeng-guy.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi narrowed his eyes. He pointed at Zeng Rui and replied, ¡°Him. Third from the back.¡±

    Fan Yuan was the manager for Team Beijing and the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association. He ignored the friendly banter going on between a few members from the team and instead turned to look at the two Miners. He said, ¡°Sun Lei, Yu Ping, you two pay careful attention to Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner. We can¡¯t underestimate him after he beat Shi Hang. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it wasn¡¯t. Just make sure you two are prepared to y against him.¡±

    Sun Lei rolled his shoulders and smiled. I¡¯m a B+ Miner on a bad day. There are so few Miners better than me in this entire tournament. Sure that Lin Feng looked good on the footage we watched, but I¡¯m still just the substitute! Yu Ping is way better than me! There¡¯s no way Lin Feng can beat Yu Ping! He nodded and replied, ¡°Mr. Fan. Please stop worrying so much. You¡¯ll go grey and bald! I¡¯m confident I can y against this Lin Feng. And even if I can¡¯t, Yu Ping will stomp him.¡±

    Fan Yuan frowned and said, ¡°I told you to pay attention. Stop tooting your horn. How many times do I need to repeat myself? Know your own skill and, very importantly, know your opponent. Watch him. Dissect him. Make sure that when you y him, there¡¯s nothing he can do that¡¯ll surprise you.¡± He shook his head and sighed before adding, ¡°He beat AyDeeCee. Respect that fact. He is good! So please, entertain me. Watch him. Dissect him. And make sure that if we do end up going against them, you beat him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Sun Lei replied, annoyed.

    Fan Yuan turned his head to look at a different section of the yer seating area. Chu Fang, Chu Fang, Chu Fang¡­ My old rival! I specifically requested to be put in charge of this team because I heard you were in charge of Team Shanghai. We¡¯ll have another fun game on our hands. You versus me. Me crushing you! Proxy style! I¡¯ll show you that your Shanghai branche is terrible! Beijing, that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about!

    Fan Yuan shook his head and turned back to look at his team. He said, ¡°They came in second in East China and their Miner beat AyDeeCee. We cannot afford to be careless.¡± He then nodded at Yu Ping and continued, ¡°I believe in your skills. But I don¡¯t just want you to beat Lin Feng, I want you to crush him! This isn¡¯t about winning a game in minute 50, this is about stomping them and winning within 20 minutes! I trust you can do that.¡±

    Yu Ping nodded and replied, ¡°I understand.¡± He then looked up at the stage. The two teams were sitting in the soundproof booth and therge LCD screen above showed Champion Select. He stared through the ss panels of the soundproof booth at the person sitting behind the middleputer. So you¡¯re Lin Feng. And you defeated AyDeeCee, huh? Here I was worrying about Goalie not being enough of a challenge for me! I really hope you can give me a challenge! Please, please make me try. Make it interesting.

 Chapter 344: Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Burn!

    The host of the tournament walked up on stage. He looked out at the stands. At the morefortable, more luxurious section on the field below the stage and at the simpler seats up in the actual stands. He smiled and brought a microphone to his lips. He then started talking, his voice booming from the speakers installed all throughout the venue. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! League fans from all ages and genders! We¡¯ve gathered here today for the second day of the first round of the Winter Collegiate Cup! The two teams here behind me have fought for months to secure this spot! They¡¯re excited to y! We¡¯re excited to watch them! So let¡¯s give them a warm wee! Team Shanghai! Wooo! And Guangzhou Institute of Technology! Woooo!¡±

    The crowd weed the two teams and spurred them on to y their best through a cacophony of cheers and pping! They then all focused their attention on therge LCD screen. It showed Team Shanghai on the left side as the Blue team, and Guangzhou Tech on the right as the Red team.The crowd weed the two teams and spurred them on to y their best through a cacophony of cheers and pping! They then all focused their attention on therge LCD screen. It showed Team Shanghai on the left side as the Blue team, and Guangzhou Tech on the right as the Red team. The first bans wereing through. Team Shanghai chose to take Irelia out and Guangzhou Tech replied by banning Lenc. And their second ban took out Fizz.

    Lin Feng sat inside the soundproof booth, looking at the League client on his monitor. ¡°Huh!¡± Lin Feng remarked. He scratched the back of his head and added, ¡°Are they focusing me?¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at Lin Feng and said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Then they wasted those two bans.¡± He turned back to look at his monitor and chuckled. If they knew they¡¯re ying Maple, they wouldn¡¯t waste these bans on Miners. Maple was known for his endless champion pool! You can¡¯t ban him out. He¡¯s Maple! Fucking Maple! The thundering dumbass-- He shook his head and nced at Lin Feng again. He scrunched his nose. There¡¯s that look again. He almost looks happy! His favourite Champions are out but he¡¯s just getting more and more fired up. I guess that¡¯s good for us.

    The ban phase concluded and the pick phase began. Team Shanghai got the first choice since they were the Blue team. They picked Lee Sin for An Xin. Guangzhou Tech got the next two picks. They chose Jungle Rengar and Top Gragas. It was Team Shanghai¡¯s turn again. They selected their Toner and ad-carry, respectively Jarvan IV and Lucian. Then Guangzhou Tech locked in their next two Champions. Caitlyn for the ad-carry and Twisted Fate for the Miner.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin and grinned. He pointed at his screen and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°TF? That¡¯s so funny! He couldn¡¯t have picked a worse Champion!¡±

    ¡°What Champion are you ying?¡± Tang Bingyao asked, tilting her head.

    Lin Feng clenched his fist and pumped it up into the air. He replied, ¡°Annie!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and chimed in, ¡°Since our goal is to win on skill, Annie is a good choice. Like we talked aboutst night.¡± He then hovered his mouse over Thresh. I¡¯ll pick Thresh. He goes on Annie. He gets fed. He carries the game. And I¡¯ll support him. I¡¯ll help him do that. He nced over the rim of his monitor at the crowd in the Tianhe Stadium. People can watch this game all they want. All they¡¯ll learn is that the thundering dumbass is a better Miner. We won¡¯t reveal any tactics!

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The 10 Champions spawned on the Rift. They bought their starting items and ran down thenes to their respective outer towers. Then they waited. It would take until the second minute before the first minion wave arrived. Those minions spawned from the Blue and the Red nexus and marched down thenes, fearless.

    When the first minion wave arrived in the midne, Lin Feng had his Annie tag along with them. She hopped to the middle of and conjured a spark. It blew to life into a small me that flew at a minion and burned them. She then waited half a second, just long enough for Twisted Fate to arrive in thene, before casting Disintegrate! Another spark ignited in her hands. But this time, she grew the me before hurling it at Twisted Fate! The ball of fire mmed into him and dealt magic damage!

    Annie had the superior rangepared to Twisted Fate. Lin Feng abused this perfectly. He focused onst-hitting minions with his auto attacks, and every time Disintegrate came off cooldown, he hurled a ball of fire at Twisted Fate! All the while, Twisted Fate tried to get inst hits without getting constantly harassed. But he couldn¡¯t do both. Lin Feng didn¡¯t let him. His health dropped lower and lower, until it dropped below half. He was forced to back away a bit and give up on somest hits.

    An Xin had started in the bottom side Jungle. At 2:40 minutes into the game, her Lee Sin slew the Red Brambleback and imed its Red Buff. This buff bolstered her damage and added a slow effect to her auto attacks. Junglers usually would go to the top side Jungle and kill the Blue Sentinel next. But An Xin headed straight for the midne. She arrived in the river brush right below thene a couple of secondster and looked at thene--

    ¡°One second!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°I¡¯ll set you up!¡±

    An Xin replied, ¡°Okay.¡± She then watched Lin Feng¡¯s Annie walk toward the top side of thene. Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Twisted Fate responded by moving down to the bottom side of thene, keeping distance from Annie. Lin Feng thenst hit a minion. Annie reached Level 2 and learned Molten Shield! A shield of fire appeared around her, as did a swirling vortex. Annie¡¯s passive skill was activated. Her next skill would also stun!

    ¡°Now!¡± Lin Feng shouted. He then mmed down on his keyboard. A veil of light fell over Annie. She traveled a short distance and appeared right in front of Twisted Fate, her hands already moving to conjure a ball of fire. Disintegrate! The spell mmed into Twisted Fate and stunned him!

    A discordant wave of sound flew into thene from the river brush! This was Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave! It struck Twisted Fate, unlocking the second part of this skill, Resonating Strike! Lee Sin dashed at Twisted Fate and then mmed down his fist on the ground with Tempest! A shockwave erupted outwards, a foreign energy entering Twisted Fate¡¯s body. Lee Sin then clenched his fist to trigger Cripple! The foreign energy exploded and slowed Twisted Fate!

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Miner grimaced and cursed, ¡°FuckFuckFUCK!¡± He mmed down on his keyboard, hitting every key that had a skill connected to it. Just the feeling of his fingers touching the keys made him feel like the stun would break faster. It, of course, didn¡¯t. His Twisted Fate hemorrhaged health. The unquenchable mes from Ignite were now also burning on his body. ¡°FuckFuckFUCK!¡± The stun finally broke. He shed away. Lee Sin shed after him and hit him with an auto attack. Another tick from Ignite. ¡°FUCK!¡±

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°OH MY GOOOOOOD! WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°He made that look so easy!¡±¡°That gank was just perfect!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Miner slumped back in his gaming chair, staring at the dull grey monitor in front of him. What the fuck is this? How¡­? He shook his head and took a deep breath. This isn¡¯t right. It¡¯s all wrong! How did he¡­ FUCK! We should¡¯ve paid more attention! We should¡¯ve realised when he beat AyDeeCee¡­ FuckFuckFUCK! He gritted his teeth. This is going to be impossible. This matchup was already stacked against Twisted Fate. But now... now I can¡¯t even farm! I¡¯m falling behind at Level 1! Something needs to change¡­ He took another deep breath and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I need help.¡±

    ?

    At 4 minutes, Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Rengar finished with his starting Jungle path. He arrived at the topne, where Zhang Hao¡¯s Jarvan IV was pushing back Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Gragas. Rengar didn¡¯t have a lot of ganking potential before Level 6, but he still ran into thene through the river and charged at Zhang Hao¡¯s Jarvan IV. It was a 2 versus 1. Everything about it was in Guangzhou Tech¡¯s favour. And Zhang Hao realised this. He didn¡¯t stick around to fight. He shed away, making it impossible for the two from Guangzhou Tech to catch up to him, and waited underneath his outer tower for Rengar to go away.

    Meanwhile in the botne. An Xin and Zeng Rui were finding each other perfectly. They moved like one, switching between securingst hits and getting in some poke damage. This led to the Boners from Guangzhou Tech hiding underneath their outer tower. And still Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui were pushing.

    An Xin spotted this and made her way down to the botne. She ran into the river and then ventured inside Guangzhou Tech¡¯s bottom side Jungle. She said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get ready. When I¡¯m in the tri brush behind their outer tower, we¡¯re going in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He looked at his minimap, double checking that Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Rengar wasn¡¯t anywhere near. Still hovering in the topne. Good. He then looked at the Red minions. A new wave had arrived a couple seconds earlier and Tang Bingyao was killing it quickly. There were only two caster minions left alive. When those two die¡­ He waited for Tang Bingyao tond thest two auto attacks, nced at his minimap to confirm An Xin was in position, and then he shed.

    A mottled sh of light wrapped around Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and carried him to right underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower. Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Janna and Caitlyn stood too closely together. y! Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh whipped his chain and sickle backwards, lifting Janna and Caitlyn off the ground and knocking them back! Caitlyn was right on top of him. He aimed at her and threw the point nk range Death Sentence. The chains wrapped around her.

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s ad-carry gritted his teeth. He moved his mouse, clicking frantically, and pressed down on the D key repeatedly. sh already! The crowd control from Thresh kept him locked down for a brief moment. It allowed the Lucian the time to dash forward and fire a double shot, then following up with a Piercing Light and another double shot! And it allowed the Lee Sin to dash at him with Sonic Wave into Resonating Strike.

    The crowd control from Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh wore off from Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Caitlyn. She still had a bit of health remaining. Enough to try and escape. She shed away and ran towards her inner tower! But Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian shed after her. Light bullets flew through the air and pierced her. They drained her health. And she finally copsed to the ground.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    The three Champions from Team Shanghai were between the outer and inner tower. Blue minions were attacking the Red outer tower, underneath which Janna was floating around. Zeng Rui made the call to go in. Thresh, Lee Sin and Lucian dove the tower for a second time to kill Janna. Energy shots fired from the tower. At these early levels, the damage was high. Janna protected herself with a shield. She tried to drag it out, to get a kill back. But Zeng Rui and An Xin juggled tower aggro and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian imed the killing blow.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Oh shit! Again!?¡±¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Haha! This is nuts! Guangzhou Tech lost mid and bot within 5 minutes!¡±¡°Oh boy, time to surrender!¡±¡°DON¡¯T GIVE UP! KEEP PLAYING!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng grinned at his monitor and mumbled, ¡°Walkin¡¯ right into it, walkin¡¯ right into it!¡± He clicked on his mouse and lightly tapped the keys on his keyboard. ¡°Just one more and you¡¯re walkin¡¯ right into it!¡±

    At 6:30 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Annie hit Level 6. And she stood right in front of Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Twisted Fate. And a hazy vortex swirled around her. Annie threw her teddy bear up into the air and yelled, ¡°TIBBERS!¡±

    Fire ignited within the teddy bear! It pumped through its plush veins and burned in its eyes! The small teddy bear grew into a massive monster in midair! Then gravity started doing its work. Tibbers mmed into the ground, right on top of Twisted Fate, and stunned him! He followed up by swiping at Twisted Fate with its massive ws! All the while, Annie cycled through her skills. Sparks of fire from her auto attacks hit Twisted Fate! Fireballs from Incinerate mmed into him! The unquenchable mes from Ignite burned away at his health bar!

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Miner panic-shed. A veil of light carried his Twisted Fate back towards his outer tower. But he failed to see that Lin Feng¡¯s Annie was already halfway there, or that the burn damage from Ignite would kill him, or that Tibbers had higher movement speed and could both tank the tower and catch back up to him. It was a wasted sh. Annie was the first to catch up. Disintegrate was back off cooldown. She conjured the ball of fire and flung it at Twisted Fate.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Rengar ran into the midne from the topside river. He hurled a B at Annie to root her, but Lin Feng saw iting thanks to the ward that revealed Rengar¡¯s gank early. He stepped to the side and then clicked on thentern that Zeng Rui, who¡¯d just arrived himself, threw at him. He then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s take the Dragon!¡±

    ¡°One step ahead of you,¡± An Xin replied, giggling. Her Lee Sin was already in the Dragon pit and engaged the Dragon while Lin Feng and Zeng Rui moved down the river to join her. Down in the botne, Tang Bingyao killed thest minion of the wave before also joining them.

    There wasn¡¯t anything Guangzhou Tech could do to stop Team Shanghai. Twisted Fate was dead, so he couldn¡¯t give vision on the Dragon pit with his ultimate. More importantly, the Boners and Rengar were split up. It was very easy for Team Shanghai to jump on Rengar and nuke him before turning around to kill the Boners if Guangzhou Tech tried to engage. So they had to give up on the Dragon. They had to stay in theirnes, farm minions, and grit their teeth when the game announcer¡¯s voice rang across the Rift.

    ¡¶The Blue team has in the dragon!¡·

    Stunned gasps sounded throughout the stands, followed by a low murmur. Most people had seen highlights from Team Shanghai. But watching a couple of highlights wasn¡¯t the same as seeing a team actually y. Most people in the audience whispered about how they were expecting an even game, how they wanted to see a good fight. But they all agreed this wasn¡¯t a good fight. This was a stomp by Team Shanghai.

    From the first minute of the game, Team Shanghai took the lead. They got the almost solo kill early on in the midne, something that simply shouldn¡¯t happen at this level of y. It went from bad to worse for Guangzhou Tech when their gank in the topne failed, only for Team Shanghai¡¯s gank in the botne to seed. They¡¯d fallen far behind within five minutes. And now, only 7 minutes into the game, their Miner gave away a real solo kill. On the back of it, Team Shanghai secured the Dragon, its buff only further widening the gap.

    Team Beijing watched the game from the yer seating area at the front of the venue. Zhang Hongyi who was the team¡¯s Support looked through the ss panels of the soundproof booth at Zeng Rui and snarled. This Janna is useless! Guangzhou Tech is shit! How can they give everything away so easily? This is ridiculous! He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°This is a shit game. Guangzhou Tech doesn¡¯t belong at the Winter Collegiate Cup.¡±

    Yu Ping, Miner for Team Beijing, nced at Zhang Hongyi and then back at therge LCD screen. He narrowed his eyes. Zhang Hongyi is right. This isn¡¯t even a game. Annie got so far ahead early on that it¡¯d take skill to lose! There¡¯s nothing I¡¯m going to learn from this game! That Miner won¡¯t be pushed to try. Shit, this is annoying. Just show me if you¡¯re going to be good or not! I hope their next round opponents are better.

    ?

    At 9 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Annie pushed the minion wave into Red team¡¯s outer tower. He then retreated and walked down through his Jungle to the botne. He announced his arrival over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Get ready, I¡¯m almost there!¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Right! I nearly forgot! TF ising too I think! But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve got this! Just back off-- OhOhOh! Wait! Not like that! ZengZeng! You have to be ready to throw me antern!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched and gritted his teeth. Shit! I¡¯m not stupid! He shouted, ¡°Shut up! I know! Seriously, who shot calls like that!?¡± He shook his head when he suddenly noticed a red light descend from the sky. It mmed down onto the ground and whirled in a circle. Teleport! Teleport! He ordered, ¡°Zhang Hao, you alsoe! The Gragas is Teleporting in!¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Got it--¡±

    ¡°Tang Tang, you back!¡± Zeng Rui continued. He then narrowed his eyes. The all-seeing eye from Twisted Fate was already hanging in the air. He could teleport down to the botne any second. The cards spread on the ground. A gate opened. Zeng Rui activated Death Sentence! His Thresh wound up his sickle and chain before throwing them! They sliced through the air and struck Twisted Fate right as he stepped through the gate!

    ¡°Holy hot damn! What a hook! That was amazing!¡±¡°Shit shit! Look! Twisted Fate had a gold card! Thresh stopped him from using the gold card on Lucian!¡±¡°Wow! How did he do that! He reacted so quickly!¡±¡°Damn impressive! That¡¯s some high level skill right there!¡±¡°This is gonna be a full on team fight! GO GUANGZHOU TECH! YOU¡¯VE GOT THIS!¡±¡°GO GO GUANGZHOU TECH! TURN THIS BACK AROUND!¡±

    Tang Bingyao pressed down on the D button to activate sh. A mottled sh of light wrapped Lucian up and carried him towards her outer tower. She then flicked her mouse around and held it over Twisted Fate before activating Lucian¡¯s ultimate--The Culling! Lucian raised both his guns and started squeezing the trigger. Again. And again. And again. Light bullets spew out from the guns and pierced Twisted Fate, draining his health bar!

    The two Toners arrived in the botne. Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Gragas Body mmed into Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and knocked him up! And Zhang Hao dashed at Twisted Fate with his g-tossbo! Which missed. The root from Death Sentence wore off just in time for Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Twisted Fate to sh away from the g-tossbo! The gold card still hovered above his head. He took it from the air and threw it at Jarvan IV, and stunned him!

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Janna cast Eye of the Storm on Caitlyn, granting her a shield and bonus attack damage. She then called forth a Howling Gale and sent it flying towards Jarvan IV! Before the stun from Twisted Fate¡¯s Gold Card wore off, Jarvan IV was knocked in the air. All the while, Caitlyn used her long range to fire auto attacks at Jarvan IV!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh was below half health and Zhang Hao¡¯s Jarvan IV was as well. Four yers from Guangzhou Tech were attacking them, while Tang Bingyao had to cancel her ultimate and wasn¡¯t doing any damage. It was very hard to reposition with The Culling, making it useless after Twisted Fate shed away. It looked like Team Shanghai was going to lose the fight and Zeng Rui started to analyse potential ways to escape, when Lin Feng¡¯s voice sounded in his ears. ¡°Lantern! Lantern! Lantern me in!¡±

    It was the voice of the thundering dumbass. The voice that had brought Zeng Rui so many headaches, so many sleepless nights. But right now it sounded like salvation. A smile appeared on his face. He threw thentern behind him with Dark Passage, waited briefly for Lin Feng to click on it and dash to his side, and then shed forward. He arrived right between Twisted Fate and Caitlyn, and he carried Lin Feng¡¯s Annie there with him.

 Chapter 345: A Battle of the Stomps!

    Gasps rolled from the audience like a wave and mmed against the soundproof booths in which the yers from Team Shanghai and Guangzhou Tech sat. Murmurs and whispers that grew increasingly loud followed. Guangzhou Tech held the absolute advantage in this first teamfight of the game. Their Champions had more health, and they had more Champions. Yet rather than retreat, Zeng Rui shed in. And he brought Annie with him.

    Yu Ping from Team Beijing narrowed his eyes. I see. Thresh¡­ Zeng Rui, he¡¯s decent.

    Goalie from Team Guangzhou felt a jolt shoot through his body. His chest flexed and he moved back in his chair. Then he stopped and shook his head. He moved back forward and rxed. That ain¡¯t a bad y. Compared to all the other thrash I¡¯ve seen, these two ain¡¯t half bad.

    Up until then, there was a calm focus inside Guangzhou Tech¡¯s soundproof booth. Their Miner was telling them which Champion from Team Shanghai to focus on and counting down the important crowd control skill timers. Even when Zeng Rui shed forward, their first reaction was to focus on him. Then they saw Annie. And panic followed. She came flying at them, tightly holding onto her little teddy bear Tibbers.

    Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Jungler saw the Annie first. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Annie! ANNIE!¡±

    ¡°Janna, ult! ULT!¡± Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Miner screamed.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Anniended right next to Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh in the middle of the botne. In front of him, gathered tightly together, were Twisted Fate, Caitlyn and Janna. Lin Feng grinned and mumbled, ¡°Summon Tibbers!¡± He pressed the R key, which caused Annie to toss her teddy bear up into the air. The spark of life within the teddy bear zed to life! It rapidly grew into a several meters tall bear with mes wreathing its body! More importantly, the vortex that¡¯d been swirling around Annie disappeared. It was the visual effect from her passive skill which signified that her next spell wouldnd a stun. This spell.

    Tibbers fell down to the ground. Its feet smashed into the hard packed earth! A shockwave swept out and stunned Twisted Fate, Caitlyn and Janna! From behind Tibbers, Annie gathered the magical essence around her and focused it in a cone in front of her. Then she lit it up. Incinerate! Fire zed out in front of her and burned away at the health bars of the three enemy Champions!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Twisted Fate had lost hisne and was behind in both items and levels. He didn¡¯t have nearly enough health or magic defense to survive the fiery ws from Tibbers or the inferno Annie unleashed. His health bar was the first to run empty. Next to him, Caitlyn wasn¡¯t faring much better. Her health bar was practically empty. Tibbers turned its focus to her, itsrge w swiping away at her health! And from behind Tibbers, Annie was ying with fire again. She conjured the fire into a ball and hurled it at Caitlyn--Disintegrate!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    The stun effect on Janna finally wore off. She cast Monsoon. A magical storm brewed to life around her! It knocked back Thresh and Annie while its soothing nature healed Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Gragas and herself!

    There was too much happening too quickly. Guangzhou Tech had lost all oversight of the fight. Thest order from their team captain was to attack Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh, so that was what Gragas did. He Body mmed into the Thresh and then threw his Explosive Casket on top of him! But while the voice announcer congratted Guangzhou Tech with the kill on Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh, there wasn¡¯t anything to celebrate. That was because the Explosive Casket had not only killed Zeng Rui, but it had also knocked Annie back towards Janna.

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Thanks, Gragas! Could¡¯ve never gotten this kill without you!¡± His fingers were already gliding over his keyboard. He had his Annie fire auto attacks, which were just smaller Disintegrates, andbined that with Disintegrate. It didn¡¯t take more than a couple of seconds to finish Janna off.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    There was only Gragas left from Guangzhou Tech, and he¡¯d used his movement abilities. Zhang Hao also knew this, so he activated Cataclysm! His Jarvan IV leaped up above Gragas and then came down with such force that he terraformed the earth into an arena! The two Champions were locked inside together. Lin Feng¡¯s Annie and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian arrived right outside of the arena and attacked Gragas from there. Lucian with light bullets and Annie with fire. It was this fire that eventually dealt the killing blow.

    ¡¶Quadra kill!¡·

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±¡°Yeah¡­¡±¡°How, what, no, huh, damn!¡±¡°They just¡­ Yeah, they just¡­¡±¡°Team Shanghai kicked some ass! They kicked some ass!¡±¡°Yeah they did! YEAH!¡±¡°Woooooo!¡±¡°WOOOOOO!

    The yers from Guangzhou Tech stared at their screens in horror. They¡¯d lost the teamfight, resoundingly. Four deaths and one kill. And that kill was on Team Shanghai¡¯s Support, the least valuable target. Four yers turned their heads to look at their team captain, waiting for his guidance. But their team captain didn¡¯t have the answer either. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Focus mid! Kill Annie!¡±

    On the other side of the stage, inside Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui came to a simr idea. He pinged on the outer tower in the midne and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Rotate mid. We¡¯re going to push!¡±

    The death timers 10 minutes into the game weren¡¯t all that long, but they were long enough for Team Shanghai to rotate from the botne to the midne and take the outer tower. Then they kept pushing until they arrived at the inner tower. That was where the yers from Guangzhou Tech were waiting. They stood underneath their tower and fired skillshots at Team Shanghai.

    Right above the inner tower was a wall of trees and behind that was the Jungle. An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin ran back and forth there, patiently waiting for an opportunity. It didn¡¯t take long until Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Rengar made an error. He walked a bit too close to the wall. An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin fired a Sonic Wave! It struck Rengar and revealed him to Lee Sin! This unlocked Resonating Strike! Lee Sin dashed at Rengar! He followed up by cing a ward behind Rengar and hopping towards it with Safeguard!

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived right in front of Twisted Fate. She activated Dragon¡¯s Rage! Lee Sin lifted his foot off the ground and prepared to attack Twisted Fate with a roundhouse kick! Right then, a mottled sh of light carried Lee Sin to the other side of Twisted Fate. The roundhouse kick struck Twisted Fate and sent him flying! He mmed into Rengar, knocking him up, and then kept flying further!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Annie was waiting at the spot where Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Twisted Fate wouldnd. A vortex swirled around her. When Twisted Fate was still immobile but in range, she activated her full damagebo! Summon Tibbers! Incinerate! Disintegrate! Fire enveloped Twisted Fate and killed him.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Jarvan dashed at Rengar with his g-tossbo just before the earlier knock up could wear off. All the while, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Lucian fired light bullets at Rengar. He suddenly lifted both his guns and aimed at Rengar. A Piercing Light fired from then, shearing away at Rengar¡¯s health bar! He followed up with a double shot.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Take the inner tower,¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    In the yer seating area, Chu Fang grinned and said to Su Xue, ¡°That¡¯s a win.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Su Xue eximed, clenching her fists in excitement. The sound of the crowd cheering behind her sent goosebumps down her spine. That was such a nice y! I wish I could¡¯ve casted this game!

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Annie was so fed, so far ahead of all other Champions, that it became impossible for Guangzhou Tech to fight back. Following his lead, Team Shanghai destroyed towers all across the map and breached Guangzhou Tech¡¯s base by the 15th minute. There were still five minutes before Guangzhou Tech could surrender, but it never came to that. Team Shanghai finished the game in only 18 minutes.

    There was a short break between the games. This gave Guangzhou Tech some much needed time to calm down and think of a new tactic to deal with Team Shanghai. When the two teams got back into Champion Select for the second game, Guangzhou Tech did what everyone expected them to do. They banned Annie and two more Miners they¡¯d seen Lin Feng y. What they didn¡¯t know was that Lin Feng¡¯s Champion pool was deeper than the Mariana Trench. He picked Ryze and was as happy as ever.

    Lin Feng looked at his teammates and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°The game is starting! Let¡¯s finish it faster than the first one!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Zhang Hao replied, clenching his fist.

    At Level 2, An Xin¡¯s Sejuani ganked the midne and helped Lin Feng¡¯s Ryze secure first blood on Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Ahri.At Level 6, Lin Feng¡¯s Ryze caught Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Ahri off guard and picked up a solo kill.At 10 minutes, Team Shanghai was pulling ahead in all threenes and were 4,000 gold ahead.At 15 minutes, The gold difference had increased to 6,000 and Team Shanghai had taken down two towers and killed the Dragon.At 23 minutes, Team Shanghai destroyed Guangzhou Tech¡¯s Nexus and moved on to the next round in the Winter Collegiate Cup!

    Su Xue stared at therge LCD screen, her mouth hanging open. Oh my god! This is the most one-sided stomp ever! It would¡¯ve been so easy to cast this! I wouldn¡¯t even have to know anything about the opponents! All these casters did was talk about how good Lin Feng is! I can do that! Then I don¡¯t have to worry about the fact that my game knowledge is really subpar. I know next to nothing about match-ups, tactics, strategy¡­ She chewed on her lips. I don¡¯t want to say somethign stupid. They¡¯ll start calling me Prophet Stone version 2 or something stupid like that! Stupid fans will find something to bitch about! Why do I have to¡­ She shook her head and took a deep breath. I can do this! I want to do this! I just¡­ I don¡¯t want to suck. I want to be good at it! And with Lin Feng ying, I can be good at it! He¡¯ll carry me through the things I¡¯m bad at!

    Chu Fang nodded at Su Xue and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Su Xue looked at Chu Fang and mumbled, ¡°Huh, wha--¡± She shook her head, the question finally registering, and replied, ¡°Oh! I think they yed really well! I would really like to cast Lin Feng¡¯s games! It¡¯s so easy to make predictions. I just have to say that Lin Feng will win! He always does!¡±

    Chu Fang smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, looks like he does.¡±

    A new wave of cheers mmed into Chu Fang and Su Xue. They looked up at the stage and realized why. Team Shanghai had walked out of the soundproof booths and thanked the audience for their support. They then turned to the yers from Guangzhou Tech and shook their hands in a sign of good sportsmanship. And finally, they walked down the stairs and joined Chu Fang and Su Xue.

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°The n worked perfectly! Did you see it, Su Xue? I carried them just like we nned!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and took a long, deep breath. He said, ¡°Yes. We executed that well. I don¡¯t think the other teams got much, if any, information out of us.¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hongyi, Support for Team Beijing, sat with his teammates in the yer seating area. He looked over his shoulder at the stands behind him, ring. He heard all the shouts of support for Team Shanghai, and the fervent discussions about how lucky Team Shanghai was to have such talented yers. He ground his teeth in frustration and muttered, ¡°Fucking Zeng Rui! That fucking¡­¡±

    Yu Ping nced at his teammate and shook his head. Zhang Hongyi shouldn¡¯t get so angry. That Zeng Rui¡­ He yed good. But that doesn¡¯t change much. We¡¯re better.

    A short distance away from Team Beijing were Team Guangzhou¡¯s seats. Seo sat there, ignoring the chatter from his teammates and ring at Tang Bingyao and An Xin. He refused to blink, staring at them. And when they finally looked over in his direction, he smiled and ced his finger to his throat. Then he drew a line.

    Tang Bingyao frowned and tugged at An Xin¡¯s sleeve. She whispered, ¡°BunBun¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I saw,¡± An Xin replied. She shrugged and added, ¡°He really is a piece of work.¡± She then put a hand on Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°Just ignore him. He isn¡¯t worth our time or worry.¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t hear the chat between Tang Bingyao and An Xin, because something had caught his eyes. He looked at the yers from Team Beijing. More specifically, at Zhang Hongyi. Why is he looking so mad? Is he looking at me? What did I do!? Wait, no¡­ He isn¡¯t looking at me! He¡¯s looking at¡­ He turned his head to follow Zhang Hongyi¡¯s ring stare. ¡­ Zeng Rui?

    ¡°Yo! ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng said. He pointed with his head at Zhang Hongyi and asked, ¡°I think that guy is looking at you!¡±

    Zeng Rui shrugged and calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just the look of a sore loser.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai rxed back in their chairs and unwinded from the pressure of their first match in the main tournament of the Winter Collegiate Cup. But Zeng Rui didn¡¯t allow them too much rest. He pointed out several things in the next game and then warned them they all had to pay attention for the game that came after. That was one of the most important matches for them to pay attention to, because Team Guangzhou was ying.

    When it was time for Team Guangzhou to go up on stage, the audience went wild. They were in Guangzhou and Team Guangzhou were the winners of the South China Regionals. With their two Korean imports, many people said they were one of the main contenders for the Championship title. More importantly, this was their homeground. Their family, their friends, everyone they knew was in the stadium to cheer them on. They were one of the few teams with a sixth yer.

    Therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths zed to life. It started ying highlights from Team Guangzhou¡¯s earlier rounds while the yers were getting settled. The casters were analyzing the match up from a skybox in the stadium. And Zeng Rui was pointing out small things he¡¯d noticed in Team Guangzhou¡¯s y that happened to pop up on therge LCD screen.

    Team Guangzhou and JiangXi University moved into Champion Select. They went through the ban phase, picked the Champions they wanted to y, and finally loaded onto the Rift. That was when it became clear that it really didn¡¯t matter which Champions eight of the ten yers had chosen. This game was the Goalie and Seo show.

    Seo went with Sivir in the first game. He yed against Lucian, which was a decent match up for him. Lucian relied a lot on his skills and Sivir had a skillblock spell. This was an advantage he abused perfectly. Lucian from Jiangxi University never got into the game. In fact, he spent more time on the fountain than on the Rift. Yet that wasn¡¯t the most shocking development of the game. That feat was reserved for the midne, where Goalie¡¯s Ahri wiped the floor with Jiangxi University¡¯s Zed.

    The first gamested 22 minutes. It was a stomp. The Team Guangzhou fans were up on their feet cheering, while everyone else sat in their seats in shock. A few of them mumbled and muttered their surprise at how much better Team Guangzhou looked than they had in the video footage from the Regionals. Some replied that this was perhaps a fluke, that the second game would be more even.

    The second game wasn¡¯t ¡®more¡¯ even. It was another 22 minute stomp. The only difference was the Champions on the Rift. Just like in the first game, Seo and Goalie carried the game. Seo proved to everyone that Tristana wasn¡¯t just ate game Champion, especially when she got a few kills early on, and Goalie showed that his Lenc was one of the best in the entire world. The audience didn¡¯t know how to reply. Some were up on their feet cheering, others were sitting in their chairs reeling in shock.

    Sun Lei was the substitute Miner from Team Beijing. He was usually confident in his own skill, and he hadn¡¯t yet lost a single match up in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup. But after watching Goalie y, he was trembling in his seat. He shook his head repeatedly and muttered, ¡°W-what was that? That Goalie, he¡­ He¡­ He¡¯s insane!¡±

    Yu Ping the Miner from Team Beijing slowly nodded. He narrowed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. Sun Lei is right. That was an impressive performance. I don¡¯t care how good that Lin Feng from Team Shanghai is, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s better than Goalie. Goalie is my biggest opponent this tournament!

    The reactions of shock that didn¡¯t just sound from the stands but also from the yer seating area also extended to Team Shanghai. Zhang Hao was muttering about how it was impossible to beat this team, while Zeng Rui said they just had toe up with a good n. An Xin agreed with this assessment and Tang Bingyao nodded along to it all, asionally ncing at Seo. Lin Feng was the only one who didn¡¯t look concerned. He wore his usual happy-go-lucky grin and eximed, ¡°That was a great game! I can¡¯t believe Goalie ys Lenc as well! And he really wasn¡¯t bad on her!¡± He scratched the back of his head and added, ¡°Just a shame he isn¡¯t a bit better. That could¡¯ve been a fun game for me¡­¡±

 Chapter 346: Taking a Break From League by Playing League

    Seo trailed behind his teammates as he walked down the stage at the Tianhe Stadium. His gaze was locked on Tang Bingyao and An Xin. He slowly went down the steps while scratching his throat and smiling. I¡¯ll get you two bitches! You¡¯re dead! Both of you! When we y, I¡¯ma show you what it means to be a Korean Challenger! You¡¯re gonna learn why everyone says we¡¯re the best! And then¡­ His smile grew wider. Then I¡¯ll have you beg on your knees for me to take you!

    Lin Feng sat with his teammates in the yer seating area. He¡¯d been looking at Goalie¡¯s pale face, excited. Now he nced behind Team Guangzhou¡¯s Miner at the rest of their team, until he finally noticed Seo. He scrunched his eyebrows and said, ¡°What¡¯s that guy doing? Does he have an itch or something? And why¡¯s he smiling like that at us? He looks like a creep!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and mumbled, ¡°Mhm!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Team Guangzhou¡¯s ad-carry. Seo,¡± An Xin exined, smiling. She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and added, ¡°But don¡¯t worry about him. You just focus on Goalie.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded slowly. Then he clenched his fist and pumped it up in the air. He shouted, ¡°No need! He¡¯s clearly challenging us! I¡¯ll take his challenge! I¡¯m going to stomp Goalie and him both! Actually¡­¡± he ruffled his hair. ¡°... I can y ad-carry too. There¡¯s something about his face¡­ I just wanna stomp him!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zeng Rui interjected.

    ¡°What Zeng Rui says,¡± An Xin said. She then turned her head to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°You want to beat him, right?¡±

    ¡°MHM!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding fervently. She stared at Seo and narrowed her eyes. I¡¯ll show him! Mhm! His Korean Challenger status doesn¡¯t mean anything! I¡¯m better than that!

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and sighed. That Seo is definitely better than Tang Tang. But not by much, and Tang Tang is getting better. If she has a good game, anything is possible! More importantly, their Support is B+ at best judging from these two games. That¡¯s far worse than me. Worst case, we go even inne. Best case, BunBunes around for a gank and we carry the entire game before the thundering dumbass can! He took a long, deep breath and said, ¡°Bot is for me and Tang Tang to worry about. You stay away from it.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and mumbled, ¡°Are you guys sure? I mean¡­ I can ad-carry a game. I¡¯m really good at--¡±

    ¡°SHUT IT!¡± An Xin yelped. She red at Lin Feng and lectured, ¡°Goalie is Team Guangzhou¡¯s best yer. By far! You¡¯re going to focus on the midne and beat him! I don¡¯t want to hear another word about boting from you! Mid! MID!¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok!¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ?

    Team Shanghai had dinner at the third ranked restaurant on the list Lin Feng and Fatty had created. The main reason for this high ranking was the chicken cutlet, a must have dish for any restaurant Lin Feng visited. He ordered it as hors d¡¯oeuvre, appetizer, sd, main course and dessert. And when the waiter came around to ask if they were enjoying the food, he asked if his main course portion could be bigger and if they could add a scoop of chicken cutlet voured ice with the chicken cutlet.

    No one else was especially hungry watching Lin Feng eat. They prodded their food with their chopsticks and took a couple of small bits. When Chu Fang¡¯s phone vibrated, he dfully grabbed it and checked it. His eyes lit up as he read the message. He then looked up at the team members from Team Shanghai and said, ¡°I just got a message from the organizers. We are not drawn for the next round, which means we get to skip straight to the Round of 16!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°The four teams that got drawn will y tomorrow--¡±

    ¡°AWESOME!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and said, ¡°That means we¡¯re free the whole day tomorrow! We can go and explore Guangzhou! I can get the Ashe plushy! And there¡¯s still so many restaurants I have to visit! You know this is only the second best chicken cutlet ce!?¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes grew wide. Calm, calm. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Stop. Even if we don¡¯t y, we¡¯re still going to watch the teams that do. And I also want to get in some practice. There won¡¯t be much free time.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s phone started buzzing and shing with lights, pulling everyone¡¯s attention towards it. She grabbed it from the table and looked at the message. She then sighed andined, ¡°That was a message from Huya¡­ They¡¯re saying that I have to wait another day. They¡¯ll tell me when the match ups for the next round are announced. So tomorrow afternoon I think?¡± She groaned. Just get it over with! Make this suffering end! If you¡¯re going to make me cast some game between two teams I don¡¯t know, just tell me so I can start cramming! I¡¯ll learn their yers and their champions and the way they y and with Lin Feng I can ask him questions and then maybe I won¡¯t¡­ Argh!

    ?

    Lin Feng dragged everyone out of the restaurant and down a busy street. He¡¯d spent thest 10 minutes convincing them that they could take a night off and that they could continue practicing the next day. He argued that a rest day was just as important, if not more important than a training day. It was when An Xin nodded to this argument that Zeng Rui epted that they wouldn¡¯t go practice with Zhejiang University again.

    Lin Feng looked around him at the buildings rising high up into the sky. I think it was left here, or right? Uhm¡­ He nced over his shoulder at An Xin, who smiled and pointed right with her head. He grinned and shouted, ¡°We¡¯re turning right here! It¡¯s right over here!¡±

    The group walked into themercial district of Guangzhou. There were shops on both sides of the street. Vendors were announcing their goods and shy boards drew many eyes. But Lin Feng ignored all of this. He walked straight towards a small shop at the far end of the street. Outside of the shop stood a w machine with League of Legends plushies inside.

    Zeng Rui shook his head and asked, ¡°Did we really skip training so that you could get a plushy¡­?¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Su Xue mumbled. She looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°How old are you? Are you really this excited about a w machine¡­?¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t listening to what the others said. He grabbed a bill from his pocket and waved it in the air. He said, ¡°I came prepared! I brought enough for 10 tries! That Ashe is mine!¡±

    The group gathered around the w machine and watched Lin Feng operate the machine. They watched him grab nothing, grab one of the few plushies that wasn¡¯t League of Legends themed and grab two League of Legends themed plushies. But neither was Ashe. They then saw his shoulders drop, his smile turning upside down.

    Lin Feng let his head drop forward and quietly asked, ¡°Any of you guys got some spare change?¡±

    Zhang Hao shook his head, Zeng Rui ignored Lin Feng and walked over to Chu Fang to discuss something rted to the Winter Collegiate Cup and An Xin just shook her head. Su Xue pulled out some money and smiled. But she didn¡¯t let Lin Feng y. She pushed him aside and gave the machine a try herself. She failed at both her attempts and gave up. Finally, there was just Tang Bingyao left. Lin Feng looked at her, expectantly.

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and pushed her lips together. He really seems to want this. And I¡¯ve got¡­ She grabbed her purse and checked how much money she had left. I still have a bit. Should I¡­? She nced at Lin Feng and saw the hope in his eyes. She bit on her lips, something swirling in her stomach. Mhm. For him. She took out the money and said, ¡°Here. This is all I have.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grabbed the money and added, ¡°I¡¯ll get you one!¡±

    Lin Feng failed the first time. And the second time. But on his third attempt he got a League of Legends themed plushy. It was a small Lulu. He grabbed it, frowning. Sulking. He gave it to Tang Bingyao and muttered, ¡°Here¡­¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng withrge eyes and said, ¡°Woah! Nice! You got four of them! I never get any from these stupid machines! Those ws are rigged!¡±

    Lin Feng frowned andined, ¡°But I didn¡¯t get the Ashe. I really wanted the Ashe¡­¡±

    Zhang Hao leaned in for a closer look and said, ¡°You were trying to get the Ashe? Dude¡­ She¡¯s in the corner! Those are impossible to grab! You¡¯re never going to get that one!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stepped closer and looked through the ss panels into the w machine and nodded. She said, ¡°Mhm. Zhang Hao is right. You can¡¯t get that one.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Feng asked. He kicked against the machine andined, ¡°That¡¯s the only one I wanted¡­¡±

    An Xin shook her head. That idiot. Why is he still thinking about that? I told him it¡¯s fine! She breathed out loudly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s look around some more! There is so much to do here!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had forgotten about the Ashe plushy shortly after leaving the w machine behind and spent the next hour having fun with his teammates. Now, back at the hotel, he was entering his gaming mode. He looked at Chu Fang and asked, ¡°Do you have aptop for me? I need to rank.¡±

    ¡°Rank? Now? Isn¡¯t it about time to go to bed?¡± Chu Fang replied, confused. He added, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one saying you guys needed a rest day? You were whining about it every second you didn¡¯t have food in your mouth during dinner!¡±

    ¡°For the team, yeah,¡± Lin Feng said. He shrugged and added, ¡°But I made a promise to One and I will keep it. If I don¡¯t, he¡¯ll get mad at me again.¡±

    ¡°One?¡± Chu Fang blurted. He stared at Lin Feng and repeated, ¡°One?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, One! I promised to climb the Koreandder. Do you have aptop for me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah I do,¡± Chu Fang replied. He walked over to his suitcase and retrieved aptop from it. Promised to climb the Koreandder? What does he want Lin Feng to do? Get to Challenger? No, that¡¯s too easy, right? This is One! The best yer ever! He won¡¯t be satisfied with Challenger. How high does he want Lin Feng to go¡­?

    Lin Feng grabbed theptop from Chu Fang and sat it down on the table. He then sat down behind it and booted it up. The screen shed to life and he was already moving the mouse to start the League of Legends client.

    Chu Fang sat down next to Lin Feng and looked at the screen. At the username Lin Feng typed out. CN?HOOK2? Oh shit! That¡¯s¡­ He said, ¡°That¡¯s One¡¯s ount!¡±

    ¡°Yup!¡± Lin Feng replied. He nced at Chu Fang and continued, ¡°One is lending me his ount. But he told me the ount is mine if I can get it to top 5 in Korean Challenger!¡±

    ¡°Top 5?¡± Chu Fang muttered, his eyes wide in shock. ¡°That¡¯s insane! I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single Chinese yer who¡¯s ever managed to get to the Top 5 yet! We¡¯ve had a few who got high up there, but Top 5? That¡¯s right next to¡­ next to him.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s doable. The only big constraint is time. There isn¡¯t much time left.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Chu Fang replied. He chuckled and shook his head. Other Chinese yers are all talking about their skill and how it¡¯s too hard to get to the Top 5, yet this kid here is talking like it¡¯s just a matter of time¡­ Well, then again he is Maple. If anyone is good enough to get that high, it¡¯s him. And with how far he¡¯s alreadye¡­ He might really get up there! How amazing would that be!? We can finally make those Koreans shut up for once! Show them that we¡¯ve also got some really good yers!

    ?

    Lin Feng yed on the Korean server from China. From a hotel. The inte wasn¡¯t great and the distance meant that the connection was always going to be worse. He yed with a rather hightency. But he didn¡¯t let that get to him. He yed Ryze, a Champion that didn¡¯t rely on skillshots, and won the first game with great ease. He mumbled, ¡°Not great, but I can make this work. Just a bit ofg. I¡¯ll just ignore it.¡± He then clicked on the y button and queued up for a second game.

    A soft knocking sound came from the door. Lin Feng nced over and said, ¡°Chu Fang, can you check who it is?¡±

    Chu Fang grinned. Delegating, huh? He said, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Then got up from his chair and opened the door to An Xin.

    An Xin had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still damp and she smelled ofvender. She wore the hotel¡¯s bathrobe and a pair of slippers. She smiled at Chu Fang and said, ¡°Hi!¡±

    ¡°BunBun?¡± Chu Fang said, surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping either?¡±

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°I just got out of the shower. Tang Tang is already sleeping and I¡¯m not feeling tired yet, so I figured I¡¯de and see if you guys were still up.¡± She pointed past Chu Fang at Lin Feng and added, ¡°That guy never sleeps.¡±

    Chu Fang chuckled and said, ¡°That sounds about right.¡± He then nodded at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°He just got into another game. You join him. I¡¯ll go walk down the hallways for a bit.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s eyes went round and her cheeks burned red hot. She yelped, ¡°Chu Fang!¡±

    Chu Fang just grinned and brushed past An Xin. He said over his shoulder, ¡°You two have fun. Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, See you,¡± Lin Feng said, absentmindedly. His focus was on his monitor, which was disying Champion Select.

    An Xin closed the door of the room behind her and walked up to Lin Feng. She looked over his shoulder at the screen and asked, ¡°What are you doing? ying ranked?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah. Getting into my second game.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± An Xin mumbled. She pointed at the Korean characters on the client and asked, ¡°Is this the Korean server? And that name¡­ Wait, this is One¡¯s ount! You¡¯re still doing that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Feng replied. He then shook his head and grumbled, ¡°The inte here sucks though. It¡¯s almost impossible to y with this ping!¡±

    An Xin sat down next to Lin Feng and replied, ¡°Take it as a handicap. It¡¯ll be good training for you.¡±

    ¡°But it makes climbing so much harder,¡± Lin Feng argued.

    ¡°But it¡¯s good for you,¡± An Xin argued back.

    Lin Feng nced at her and started, ¡°But--¡± But stopped when he saw her shaking her head. He bit on his lips, holding back the arguments that were appearing in his mind, and finally asked, ¡°Right, didn¡¯t Five give you her ount? Did you y on it yet? I¡¯ve checked it a few times, but I never see you on it. I think I¡¯ve got you on my friendslist too!¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± An Xin muttered, caught off guard. I still didn¡¯t tell him about my¡­ condition. It¡¯s been okaytely, but I really can¡¯t do anything extra, like ying on that ount. Do I¡­ She closed her eyes and said, ¡°The inte at home is pretty badtely. I can¡¯t y with that much ping.¡±

    ¡°Damn inte,¡± Lin Feng replied. He shook his head and continued, ¡°If only it would work like it should for once! If it wasn¡¯t for my promise to One, I wouldn¡¯t be forcing through this damn ping either! Like, look at that! It¡¯s over a hundred!¡±

    ¡°Are you going toin about that all game long?¡± An Xin asked.

    Lin Feng nodded and said, ¡°Probably, yeah. Look at that ping! Would you not? I¡¯m telling you, I can stomp this Ezreal without thistency. But now? Now I¡¯ll have to actually try to stomp him!¡±

    An Xin watched Lin Feng¡¯s Ryze walk from the fountain to thene. Watched himnd every singlest hit, despite the hightency, and saw how he was forcing the Ezreal back. He¡¯s still too good. Except earlier¡­ She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and paused. He was trying so hard for that Ashe¡­ She finally said, ¡°Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lin Feng replied.

    An Xin took a deep breath and then asked, ¡°At the w machine earlier, were you doing that for me? Getting the Ashe, I mean.¡±

 Chapter 347: Return of the Cleaver

    Lin Feng flicked his mouse and pressed a quickbination of keys on theptop¡¯s keyboard. An Xin¡¯s question barely registered in his mind, and the hesitation in her voice escaped him entirely. He had his Ryze kill another minion while also dodging a skillshot from Ezreal and then said, ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t you say you liked the Ashe plushy? That¡¯s why I wanted to get you it.¡±

    An Xin stared at Lin Feng, her eyes round and wide. She chewed on her lips, hesitating, and eventually mumbled, ¡°I just kinda said it¡­¡±

    ¡°But I promised you I¡¯d get it, so I have to get it,¡± Lin Feng replied, his gaze locked on his monitor.

    An Xin felt the corners of her lips tugging upwards. She put her hand on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and rested her head on it, her heart racing in her chest. You idiot. Only when you¡¯re ying League do you not have the spare space of mind to think of something stupid to say. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°I would¡¯ve really liked it--¡±

    ¡°Ah! So close! Damn dy!¡± Lin Feng eximed. His Ryze had just hit Level 6. He¡¯d activated his ultimate and engaged on the Ezreal. But there was a short dy between each of his skill activations. He got the initial root on Ezreal, but the subsequent gap meant that he couldn¡¯tplete his usual damagebo before the root broke and Ezreal shed away. Lin Feng shook his head and focused back on farming minions. He then replied to An Xin, ¡°Yeah. I really tried too. Just isn¡¯t my day I think. Look at how I¡¯m ying! It¡¯s so bad¡­¡±

    ¡°You big idiot,¡± An Xin said, her voice soft.

    Lin Feng nced at An Xin and he yelped, ¡°Hey! What are you doing!? Why are you leaning on me! And why am I an idiot? What did I do!?¡±

    An Xin sat up straight again and narrowed her eyes a bit. She replied, ¡°You¡¯re a big idiot because I say you are. What? Are you going to tell me I can¡¯t call you a big idiot?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bullying me! You¡¯re a bully!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    ¡°So what? Are you gonna stop me?¡± An Xin asked.

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin and suddenly chuckled. He nodded at hisptop and said, ¡°Want to duo with me? The here is so bad¡­ It¡¯d be way easier to carry these games together!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± An Xin replied. She shook her head and added, ¡°I already took a shower. I¡¯m going to bed soon.¡±

    Lin Feng recoiled in surprise. He mumbled, ¡°Showering? What does that have to do with League? Can you only y it dirty?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s got everything to do with League and with everything!¡± An Xin replied. She wagged her finger at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°After I shower I go to bed! That¡¯s just how it works! Speaking of which, you should also go to bed. We still have to get up early tomorrow to watch the two games!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡± Lin Feng said, waving An Xin¡¯s suggestions away. He looked at her, searched her body, then scratched the back of his head and asked, ¡°I thought you brought yourptop? Where is it? Go and get it! Let¡¯s y a game! Just the one!¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± An Xin said. She crossed her arms and added, ¡°Don¡¯t wanna!¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hao looked at the wall separating his room from Lin Feng¡¯s room and chuckled. He turned to look at Zeng Rui and Chu Fang and said, ¡°Wow! Those two are really going at it.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Again.¡±

    Zeng Rui knitted his brows and noted, ¡°Are they talking about duo queuing? Are they ying League? Why?¡±

    ¡°They always remind me of a married couple¡­¡± Zhang Hao mumbled. He looked at Chu Fang and asked, ¡°They¡¯re childhood friends, right? Have they always been like this?¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and replied, ¡°Yes. They met in kindergarten or something. But I only met them back in Season 1. Lin Feng was, well, Maple. Team captain and Miner of his team. BunBun was the coach.¡± Chu Fang chuckled as he thought back to those times. He continued, ¡°Those two would argue like this all the time back then. We always joked about how they were like a married couple. I guess some things never change.¡±

    Zhang Haoughed and said, ¡°I know right! When we first met them, well like met them, you know? Not when we yed them in the school tournament but when we got onto the same team. When we met them then, Zeng Rui and I both thought that they were a couple!¡± He scratched his head and added, ¡°And then we¡¯ve got Tang Tang added into the mix¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded, staring at the wall. Those three and their weird love triangle¡­ I just hope there won¡¯t be any broken hearts during this tournament. I don¡¯t want them suddenly ying poorly. But it¡¯s been going well so far. I¡¯m sure they can keep going for a bit longer. All they have to do is not fight! Like they are¡­ He chewed on his lips. It¡¯s so hard to tell if they¡¯re actually mad with each other or just messing around! BunBun ps him all the time too¡­ So annoying! I wish they would just make a decision already.

    Chu Fang chuckled and replied, ¡°Tang Tang is also falling for Lin Feng? That boy sure is lucky. I wonder who he¡¯s going to choose. Or if he ends up marrying the game.¡± Heughed for a bit before adding, ¡°Probably thest one.¡±

    ?

    It was early the next morning. Su Xue walked out of her hotel room and took the elevator down to the floor where Lin Feng and them were. When the doors opened, she heard screamsing from the far end of the hallway. She scrunched her eyebrows and followed the sounds. Is that¡­ Lin Feng? What¡¯s gotten into him?

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get up! Why do we have to get up so early to watch these matches? Can¡¯t we just watch the reyster? We aren¡¯t even ying! I¡¯m tired! Let me sleep! I just wanna sleep for another 15 minutes! I¡¯ll join you guyster!¡± Lin Feng cried out. He grabbed his covers and pulled them over his head before continuing to shout, ¡°Just go without me! It won¡¯t make a difference anyway! I¡¯ll carry you guys to the next round!¡±

    Su Xue walked into the room and saw everyone gathered around Lin Feng¡¯s bed. An Xin was trying to pull the sheets off and telling Tang Bingyao to go get a basin filled with cold water. Tang Bingyao in turn stood there, stuck in ce, hesitating. Su Xue looked at Zhang Hao and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t get up,¡± Zeng Rui replied. ¡°yed League all night and now¡­¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°Oh! Here, let me,¡± Su Xue said. She brushed past Tang Bingyao and stopped next to Lin Feng. His head pushed against the nket. She tapped there and asked, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng? Do you want me to go and get a cleaver from the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up! I¡¯M UP!¡± Lin Feng shouted. He let go of the nket, causing An Xin to lose her bnce. But he ignored her curses as he jumped out of bed and pushed past Tang Bingyao to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready in a minute! Just a minute!¡±

    The others from Team Shanghai turned to look at Su Xue, surprised. She scratched her head in response and exined, ¡°He doesn¡¯t like to go to school either¡­¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai ran up the walkway to the Tianhe Stadium half an hourter. Zeng Rui took the lead, yelling over his shoulder that they were going to bete and that the first game was starting in only a couple of minutes. At the back,gging a good bit behind the rest, Lin Fengined that he was still tired and that he wanted to go back to bed.

    Su Xue paused and waited for Lin Feng to catch up to her. She then walked next to him and said, ¡°Who told you to stay up sote? I keep telling you you have to go to bed earlier! It¡¯s like this every morning! Here.¡± She gave Lin Feng a steamed meat bun and added, ¡°You always forget to eat in the morning, somehow. You¡¯re lucky you¡¯ve got me.¡±

    Lin Feng grabbed the bun from Su Xue and sunk his teeth into it. He chewed on it and swallowed it, letting everyone hear his satisfaction. When he¡¯d worked away the food, he looked at Su Xue and grumbled, ¡°I still don¡¯t get what¡¯s so important about these matches. Why do we have to watch them? I won¡¯t learn anything from watching them y! It¡¯s a waste of time!¡±

    Zeng Rui stopped at the entrance to the stadium and turned around to look at Lin Feng. He said, ¡°We will learn from watching them y. We¡¯ll know their tactics, which we can use inter rounds. Now hurry up.¡± He then walked into the stadium straight to their seats in the yer seating area.

    The Tianhe Stadium wasn¡¯t even half-filled. Lin Feng looked around the stands andined, ¡°Even the fans aren¡¯t here! No one cares about these two matches! They¡¯re between four bad teams!¡±

    ¡°There are no bad teams. Now sit down and shut up. We¡¯re going to watch,¡± Zeng Rui concluded. He sat down and looked up at therge LCD screen. It was showing the Champion Select for the first game.

    ?

    The yer seating area was almost entirely full. Every teampeting hade to watch this ¡®in-between¡¯ round in which the remaining 18 teams were reduced to 16. More specifically, they¡¯de to find out who they might y in the next round. Any and every bit of information could help them find the perfect tactic and strategy to beat their next opponent. So too Zhejiang University.

    Zuo Cheng looked at his teammates and said, ¡°I just hope we don¡¯t end up facing Team Shanghai. That Lin Feng¡­¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°Anyone else and we¡¯ll be fine. But them? No.¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Sun Ruinian replied. He nodded and added, ¡°It¡¯d be some really bad luck if we have to y them. Our scrimmages against them were plenty proof of that.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Zuo Cheng eximed. ¡°That Lin Feng! I don¡¯t think I even went even against him in a single match! Even when I got help, I still lost! The way he ys¡­ I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s just something about it that makes it impossible to y against! And it looks so easy, right? It doesn¡¯t look all that special! Until you have to y against him. Then you suddenly realize that it¡¯s impossible to beat him¡­¡±

    ¡°You think he¡¯s better than Goalie and Yu Ping? Those two from Team Guangzhou and Team Beijing?¡± Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler asked.

    Zuo Cheng nodded and replied, ¡°Definitely. 1,000,000 per cent!¡±

    Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly and chimed in, ¡°He did beat Shi Hang¡­ Honestly, I¡¯d rather face U-Tech Beijing or one of the other big ones than any of the three high school teams. Those kids are just insane!¡±

    ?

    The yers from Fudan University were also watching the games at the Tianhe Stadium. They were in quiet discussion about the teams they could draw for the next round and which ones they wanted to y against. Their team captain, Qiu Yijie, didn¡¯t participate in this discussion. He wasn¡¯t even listening. He stared past his teammates at the group from Team Shanghai. At their Miner. Lin Feng.

    Qiu Yijie had received a call from Aurous a couple of days ago. Aurous was also a student at Fudan University and had yed on the university¡¯s esports team before going professional. He told me to be careful about Team Shanghai. That we should pray that we don¡¯t meet them and that if we do that we have to give it our all¡­ And that the rest depends on luck¡­ What was that about? We beat Team Shanghai in the East China Regionals finals. I know they didn¡¯t look quite on their game, and their Miner was sniffing, maybe sick, but that can¡¯t make that much of a difference, right?

    ¡°Yo, Captain, what do you think? You wanna y Team Shanghai?¡± Fudan¡¯s Toner asked.

    Qiu Yijie looked at his teammates and shook his head. He replied, ¡°No. Aurous sounded serious. He wouldn¡¯t tell me why, or rather he said that he didn¡¯t know either. But he did say that Shi Hang knows something and that it has to do with Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner. There is something about that kid. I¡¯m not sure if we want to find out what that is by ying against them. Let¡¯s just hope we don¡¯t see them again until we reach the finals.¡± He turned his head to look back at Lin Feng again. Aurous said that Shi Hang values the kid higher than he does Aurous! That¡¯s just¡­ What¡¯s so special about that kid? He nced at the yers from Team Guangzhou and then the yers from Team Beijing. I thought those two teams were going to be strongest at this tournament, but from the way Aurous was talking¡­ I don¡¯t know what to think anymore. He took a long, deep breath. If Aurous takes the effort to call me just to warn me about this Lin Feng¡­ Yeah. That¡¯s serious. I¡¯ll take him seriously. We¡¯re going to be watching Team Shanghai.

    ?

    The other university teams stillpeting didn¡¯t have the information the yers from Zhejiang University and Fudan University had. They judged Team Shanghai on the games they¡¯d seen and concluded that Team Guangzhou and Team Beijing were simply better. But there was one thing everyone agreed on. The high school teams weren¡¯t here to gain experience, they¡¯de to win.

    Fan Yuan was the coach for Team Beijing. He looked at his yers and said, ¡°It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t meet Team Guangzhou this early on in the tournament. We¡¯re a strong team, true. But with their two Korean imports, they¡¯re really strong too. I rate them at at least A grade. They¡¯ve also got the home field advantage. The crowd basically counts as the 6th man on their roster.¡± He paused briefly and then continued, ¡°But if we do end up drawing them, I want you guys to be careful. Any other team, you guys can do whatever. But against Team Guangzhou, I want you guys to be careful.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi, Support for Team Beijing, nodded and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll make the real finals match happen this early. I just hope we get matched up against Team Shanghai.¡± He looked towards Team Shanghai¡¯s section in the yer seating area. He then sneered and added, ¡°I¡¯m itching to knock those noobs out.¡±

    There was a simr conversation happening in Team Guangzhou¡¯s camp. Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach got the attention of the yers and said, ¡°Your only real opponent in this tournament is Team Beijing. They¡¯ve been hiding their best yers, so we don¡¯t even know just how strong they are. I don¡¯t want you guys to hold anything back against them!¡± He then chuckled and added, ¡°I, of course, haveplete confidence in our team. I don¡¯t think Goalie and Seo won¡¯t have any problems carrying us to an easy win. Still, I¡¯d rather we draw a weak opponent for the next round.¡±

    Goalie grinned and replied, ¡°No need to worry. All teams here are weak.¡±

    Seo nodded and mumbled, ¡°Yeah.¡± He then looked in the direction of Team Shanghai, narrowing his eyes. He slowly said, ¡°I just hope that the weak opponent is Team Shanghai. Getting rid of a high school team will be great for the Guangzhou Esports Association, and that team is the obvious first target. I¡¯ll stomp them! Easy win for us!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng listened to Zeng Rui exining to the rest of the team that they didn¡¯t want to face Team Guangzhou or Team Beijing in the next round. He scratched the back of his head, confused. A few minutester, he couldn¡¯t keep listening any longer. He asked, ¡°Why are you worrying so much about ying them in the next round? We¡¯re going to win the whole tournament, so we¡¯ll y them at some point anyway. Why not just get them out of the way?¡±

    Zeng Rui sighed loudly and exined, ¡°Because if we y against an easier opponent now, we can hide more of our tactics for stronger opponents at ater stage of the tournament. For example, if Team Beijing and Team Guangzhou get matches against each other, we only have to beat one of them. That¡¯s one less opponent for us to make a specialized tactic for. Then there¡¯s also--¡±

    ¡°Who cares! We¡¯ll win anyway!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He pumped his fist in the air and added, ¡°You guys have got me!¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°When you talk like that, we only start to worry more.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! What BunBun says.¡±

    ¡°Hey! What does that mean!?¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    Su Xue rolled her eyes and exined, ¡°That whenever you go off on one of your rants, you end up screwing up something. That¡¯s the joke¡­ and the truth. God, this really isn¡¯t any fun when you¡¯ve got to exin it. Justugh next time!¡±

    ?

    The two matches finished at noon. Lin Feng was already itching on the edge of his seat, rubbing his stomach and shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s lunch time! I¡¯m hungry! There¡¯s this restaurant that Fatty and I talked about that has the perfect lunch for when you¡¯re really hungry! Their sizes are the biggest in all of Guangzhou!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, speechless, and finally muttered, ¡°But I got you several meat buns already¡­ How are you hungry again?¡±

    ¡°I just am!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He got up from his seat and started walking towards the exit, just like everyone else in the stadium. Su Xue got up in practiced motion and followed closely behind him, as did Chu Fang. But the others weren¡¯t as fast. Chu Fang looked over his shoulder and saw them mixed with several other teams. He then turned to look at the other seats on the grass and the stands above. Everyone was being led to the same exit. Shit! It¡¯s going to get way too crowded! He shouted after Lin Feng, ¡°Hey! LIN FENG! Slow down! Wait for the others! It¡¯s going to get really crowded! Let¡¯s go as a group!¡±

 Chapter 348: Sheâ€™s on the Ground; Maiden in Distress

    Screams and shouts rang out at Exit #1 at the Tianhe Stadium. That day, there weren¡¯t enough fans to fill the stands. But the Guangzhou Esports Association still had a broadcast to air. So they¡¯d gathered everyone together in one section, right between Exits #1 and #2. The former was the fastest way to reach the car park and also to get to public transit, and it was also the exit through which the yers left. So when the day''s matches came to an end, everyone coalesced here.

    Fans hurried off the grass into the exit hallway. From up the stairs, the second group of fans flooded Exit #1. And then there were also the yers from 18 teams looking to leave. They pushed into the hallway and crowded it. People couldn¡¯t walk normally anymore. They had to slow down, speed up, jump aside. Their difort quickly grew into annoyance, small outbursts of aggravation happening left and right.

    ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re walking!¡±¡°Stop pushing me!¡±¡°Coming through! Coming through!¡±¡°Calm down dude! Can¡¯t you see how busy it is? Just stop shoving me!¡±¡°My bus is leaving in five! Let me through please!¡±¡°STOP PUSHING ME!¡±

    Chu Fang looked over his shoulder at Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui, then back ahead at Lin Feng and An Xin. Fuck! We¡¯re getting split up! This is going to be annoying! He shook his head and rushed after Lin Feng, shouting, ¡°LIN FENG! LIN FENG!¡±

    Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows and stopped. Two people bumped into him from behind, cursed at him and pushed past him. He ignored them and looked over his shoulder. Who¡¯s calling my name?-- Oh! Chu Fang!

    ¡°What a mess!¡± Chu Fangined. He reached Lin Feng and An Xin and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go back and find the others. I don¡¯t want to lose anyone in this big mess and we¡¯ve already lost them! Whose brilliant idea was it to lead everyone to the same exit?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there really are so many people!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°And they all look so annoyed! At us?¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Because we¡¯re standing still in the middle of the exit. How about we do what Chu Fang says and find the others?¡±

    ¡°There you guys are!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He pushed past a few more fans and then stopped next to Lin Feng before he continued, ¡°You two were suddenly gone! It was impossible to keep up! I saw Lin Feng¡¯s birdnest hair stick out here and¡­¡± He paused to breathe and then concluded, ¡°that¡¯s how I found you!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Lin Feng blurted. He ruffled his hair and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t birdnest hair! It¡¯s fresh out of bed!¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng and raised her eyebrow, smiling. She said, ¡°Really? Huh, who knew! Anyway, it¡¯s really packed here. Zhang Hao, do you know where the others are?¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re a bit back there.¡± He waved in the direction he came from.

    Chu Fang looked at the trio and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go find them.¡± He then took the lead, pushing against the flow of people.

    ?

    The members from Team Guangzhou were also trying to leave the stadium through Exit #1. But just like everyone else, they were caught up in the jam. The coach yelled that they were the yers from Team Guangzhou and to please give them some space. But everyone was screaming andining and no one was listening.

    Goalie looked at all the people around him. I hate this. There¡¯s too many people! He tapped on his interpreter¡¯s shoulder and told him to walk in front of him, and to have his other teammates walk around him. They did what he asked of them, creating a small space in the crowded exit where he could walk freely. Good. This is more like it.

    While the three Chinese yers from Team Guangzhou were helping Goalie, Seo was off on his own grumbling. He hated it that random strangers were touching him and were bumping into him. After a particr hard shove in his back, he cursed in broken Chinese, ¡°Get the hell out my way! Assholes!¡±

    ¡°Piss off, idiot!¡±¡°You move away!¡±¡°Hurry up already! My god! So fucking slow!¡±

    Seo shook his head in frustration. Everywhere he looked people looked mad and annoyed. And the more he looked, the more it felt they were mad and annoyed with him. As if they were all ring at him. The hell is wrong with all these people!? Can¡¯t they tell it¡¯s too busy? They should let the teams leave first and the fanse after! What idiot came up with the idea to let the teams exit with the normal people? We¡¯re better than them! Fuck it! Fuck it all! I don¡¯t care anymore! If they wanna shove me, I¡¯ll shove them! He picked up his speed, broadening his shoulders and preparing for impact, and yelled, ¡°Move! Walk faster! Legless!¡±

    A couple of people in front of Seo were the trio Tang Bingyao, Zeng Rui and Su Xue. They were struggling to keep their feet on the ground, the wave of fans nearly lifting them off their feet and carrying them through the exit. Tang Bingyao was struggling the most with this. Everyone around her was taller and bigger. She wasn¡¯t anywhere near strong enough to stand up to them. The best she could do was expect the push or shove and react to it in advance.

    Zeng Rui nced at Tang Bingyao every couple of seconds and asked, ¡°Tang Tang, are you okay? Is there something I can do to help?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked up at Zeng Rui and nodded. She said, ¡°Mhm! It¡¯s fi--¡± A sudden shout rang out from behind her. Then she felt two hands firmly press against her back and push her forward. Huh!? Her upper body moved but her legs didn¡¯t follow. The ground was getting closer. She reached out with her hands and they hit the stone tiles. They scraped over it as her elbows buckled and she fell. Her head banged on the ground, but it was a burning sensation on her palms that she felt first. Then came a sudden shock from her pinky finger--first from a foot standing on it and then from that foot pushing off of it.

    Tears appeared in Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes. She pulled her hand back and caressed it closely to her chest. Another foot hit her, this time against her shoulder. I¡¯m going to die! This is it! I¡¯m going to die! They¡¯re¡­ I¡¯ve seen this on television! People fall in a crowd and they get trampled! She instinctively wrapped her hands around her head as thick,rge teardrops rolled down the side of her face onto the stone tiles on the ground. I never did tell Lin Feng¡­

    Zeng Rui jerked his head to the side when he heard the screams. He saw a push and Tang Bingyao falling to the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, three people bumping into him. They cursed at him, but he didn¡¯t hear it. He pushed them aside and forced his way back to where Tang Bingyao was lying on the ground. ¡°TANG TANG!¡± He reached down and grabbed her by her arm, then lifted her straight up. He said, ¡°Tang Tang! Come on! Help me here! Stand up!¡±

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!?¡± Su Xue screamed. People finally paused. They looked at her and then at Tang Bingyao. It was as if they only now realized someone had fallen. Su Xue pushed her way to Tang Bingyao and yelled, ¡°Are you all fucking blind? Can¡¯t you see she fell? What the fuck are you all doing? Help her up! Jesus! What¡¯s wrong with you people?¡± She then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Are you okay, Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao wiped away the tears from her eyes and mumbled, ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Su Xue looked Tang Bingyao up and down and said, ¡°How is this fine? Your knees are open, there is blood all over your face, your hands are a mess¡­ This isn¡¯t fine!¡± She grabbed Tang Bingyao and felt around her face. The blood came from a small cut on her eyebrow. She then moved down to the hands and knees, checking everything and making sure Tang Bingyao really was fine.

    Zeng Rui let go of Tang Bingyao and turned his attention to the crowd that was gathering around them. He shouted, ¡°Who did that? What idiot pushed her? Where did he go?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m sorry,¡± a man apologized. He rubbed his back and continued, ¡°Someone hit me in the back and I stumbled on my feet. I didn¡¯t mean to shove her to the ground. It was an ident, I swear! It was the guy behind me. He shoved me!¡±

    Zeng Rui knitted his brows. I did hear someone scream before Tang Tang did. That could be¡­ He looked past the guy who¡¯d just apologized and narrowed his eyes. There he spotted someone who was looking around with wide, round eyes and trying to push his way through the crowd and away from Tang Bingyao. That¡¯s him! Zeng Rui shouted, ¡°Hold it! Don¡¯t even think about slipping away after what you did!¡±

    Seo met Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes and bit on his teeth. Dammit! SHIT! I just got a bit annoyed! It was just a little shove! This was nothing! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! It was just that stupid bitch¡¯s fault for being so tiny! Fuck it! FUCK THEM ALL! I don¡¯t deserve this! I did nothing wrong! Right. I did nothing wrong. He straightened his back and broadened his shoulders. Then he snorted. Stupid Team Shanghai. They got what they deserve.

    Zeng Rui had locked onto Seo and recognized him right away. He narrowed his eyes and he said in English, ¡°So it was you, Seo.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Seo asked in English.

    ¡°What do I want? What do I want!?¡± Zeng Rui said. He looked at Seo and continued, ¡°You just pushed someone! Tang Tang here could¡¯ve been seriously hurt! And you just want to leave?¡±

    Seo briefly paused, considered his options, then shrugged and replied, ¡°Did you see me push anyone? I didn¡¯t. It was busy, very crowded here. I was just trying to stay my ground, like everyone else. Are you telling me I can¡¯t do that?¡±

    The man who bumped into Tang Bingyao red at Seo and shouted, ¡°Dude! You were literally just behind me! You fucking pushed me! What are you lying about? It was clearly you! Everyone here saw you do it!¡±

    There was a growing group of people who¡¯d stopped trying to leave the Tianhe Stadium and had gathered in a circle around Tang Bingyao and the others. They started whispering, murmuring, growing louder and louder as they tried for their voices to be heard.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy they¡¯re pointing at the ad-carry from Team Guangzhou?¡±¡°He definitely is. I think he¡¯s the only one with that colour hair!¡±¡°Can¡¯t you see? He¡¯s obviously Korean. There are like only two in the entire tournament!¡±¡°And he shoved that girl? Jesus! What a fucking asshole!¡±¡°Some people¡­¡±¡°Can¡¯t believe he won¡¯t even admit it. What a piece of shit!¡±

    ¡°It not my fault!¡± Seo shouted in his broken Chinese. He didn¡¯t understand thenguage perfectly. But the fingers pointing at him and the tone in which the people were talking said plenty. He knew they were ming him. He shook his head and said in broken Chinese, ¡°Someone push me! From behind. Not my fault. ident!¡±

    Zeng Rui snorted and replied, ¡°That¡¯s why you were trying to run away, right? Because you are innocent. That¡¯s what all innocent people do. They run away from the crime.¡±

    Seo red at Zeng Rui and said in English, ¡°I told you, it was an ident. I can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t believe me. That¡¯s very much a you problem. Now piss off!¡± He flicked his hair and smiled at the people who¡¯d gathered around him in what he believed to be a show of his innocence. Why does this guy have to make such a big deal out of it? Nothing happened! Plus it¡¯s her own fault for not eating enough. If she had just a bit more meat to her bone, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen there! Or she could¡¯ve gone after the initial group of people left! Yeah, this isn¡¯t my fault! It¡¯s her fault! She shouldn¡¯t have been there!

    Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath. He then looked Seo in the eyes and said, ¡°I want you to apologize to my friend.¡±

    Seo snorted. He asked, ¡°Apologize? For what? I didn¡¯t do anything! It was an ident! I told you that! Or is your English so bad that I need to repeat it for you? Maybe you¡¯re just deaf! Go back to school or something!¡±

    ¡°Seo,¡± Goalie said. He¡¯d finally arrived with the rest from Team Guangzhou. He continued in Korean, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Seo nodded at Zeng Rui and replied in Korean, ¡°This idiot is bitching about an ident. Says he wants me to apologize. I told him I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but he just keeps bitching about it!¡±

    Goalie listened and then shrugged. He turned to his interpreter and said, ¡°Tell the coach he can handle this. It¡¯s not worth our time.¡± He then looked at Seo and added, ¡°Those kids are just scared of how good we are. They know they can¡¯t beat us on the Rift, so they¡¯re trying to get us disqualified. Don¡¯t let it get to you.¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach listened to a quick exnation from the interpreter and then turned to look at Zeng Rui. He said, ¡°Seo exined to us that it was an ident. It was crowded. Things happen. No one meant it. How about we just drop this and move on?¡±

    ¡°An ident?¡± Zeng Rui asked,ughing incredulously. He continued, ¡°Did you see it happen? It¡¯s like me punching you in the face right now and then calling it an ¡®ident¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not how you talk to me,¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach interjected. He said, ¡°Seo exined what happened. He wouldn¡¯t lie. I say we put an end to this charade and move on with our day.¡±

    Su Xue had been standing to the side, tending to Tang Bingyao rather than arguing with Seo. But she¡¯d heard it all, and she¡¯d had enough. She pointed at Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach and yelled, ¡°Put an end to it? What¡¯s wrong with you! Your guy screwed up! He pushed her to the ground! All we asked for is an apology and that¡¯s too much?¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach looked at Su Xue and said, ¡°Seo is a special guest from Korea. Are you really going to do this? Make his first experience in China terrible by using him of something he didn¡¯t even do? He got pushed, lost his bnce, and in the process your little girl fell. Boohoo. Now let¡¯s all be civil here and stop making a scene.¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach, incredulous. Boohoo, be civil? What¡­? Anger was bubbling within him, metaphorical steam rising from his head. He was about to explode when a voice sounded out behind him.

    ¡°Sorry! Make way! Make way! Coming through! Let me through!¡± Lin Feng yelled as he pushed through the crowd, leading An Xin, Chu Fang and Zhang Hao to Tang Bingyao.

    When they got inside the circle that had formed around Tang Bingyao, An Xin rushed up to her friend and asked, ¡°Tang Tang, what happened?¡±

    Tang Bingyao wiped her eyes with her sleeve again and took a deep breath. She then pointed at Seo and said, ¡°He pushed the guy behind me who then bumped into me and I fell to the ground¡­¡±

    Lin Feng looked around at the situation, half-listening to Tang Bingyao until she said she¡¯d fallen on the ground. He finally turned to look at her and noticed everything that was wrong. The scrapes on her knees, the blood on her face and hands, and the way that she was holding her pinky finger. A jolt went through him. Like the shock of being stabbed--or the feeling of suddenlying awake in an unfamiliar ce, frightened by a sudden noise. A visceral clenching of the stomach. A sudden racing of the heart. Every piece of you alert, looking for justice. He said in a voice unlike his own, cold and forced, ¡°What did he do?¡±

 Chapter 349: The Greatest Injustice at the Winter Collegiate Cup

    Zeng Rui gritted his teeth in anger. Those fucking assholes! He looked at Lin Feng who was seething with rage. Su Xue had stepped forward and was holding him back. I was already losing my temper! And I¡¯m the calm one! He noticed Chu Fang stepping forward and stepped towards him. This is gonna spiral out of control if something doesn¡¯t happen soon! Keep your cool, Zeng Rui! Come on! Be the leader! He exhaled sharply and then said, ¡°Tang Tang is right. He¡­¡± he pointed at Seo, ¡°... pushed the guy behind Tang Tang on purpose. Look at Tang Tang! This isn¡¯t normal! And all we asked for was an apology! But that¡¯s already too much for that asshole!¡±

    Chu Fang knitted his brows. He looked at Team Guangzhou¡¯s coach and said, ¡°Coach Yin, right? What¡¯s going on here?¡± He then turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao. There were four people huddled around her, blocking him from seeing the full extent of her injuries. But he judged by their reaction that she wasn¡¯t too hurt. Still, this isn¡¯t great. Far from it! We¡¯ve got to y the Round of 16 tomorrow! If nothing else, the shock of this might hamper her! How could it have gotten this far!?

    ¡°Vice President Chu,¡± Coach Yin said, smiling. Keep smiling. Keep smiling. Seo made a mistake, but that¡¯s besides the point right now. We¡¯re ying tomorrow and the team needs to be in optimal shape for that. Take the pressure away from him. Let him focus. I¡¯ll let Chu Fang be mad at me. Just need to be a bit careful. I need to show him some respect. He briefly grimaced before pushing forth an apologetic smile. He exined, ¡°You saw how busy it got here. The organizers really didn¡¯t think it through. We were all just trying not to get shoved to the ground and fighting for our own spot. Seo just got caught by someone else, lost his bnce and that¡¯s how all of this happened. Now let¡¯s not make a big fuzz out of it. We¡¯ve both got games to y tomorrow, let¡¯s focus on that instead.¡±

    Chu Fang scratched his head and replied, ¡°You heard what my yers are saying. They seem to think Seo did it on purpose, and I don¡¯t know them as liars.¡± He nodded at Seo and continued, ¡°Plus, he does look guilty.¡±

    The smile disappeared from Coach Yin¡¯s face. He pushed his chest forward and narrowed his eyes. Nice approach won¡¯t work, huh? Go figure. Idiots from Shanghai! But this needs to end here. We¡¯re not going to bow down in front of so many people! He said through gritted teeth, ¡°You just got here. You haven¡¯t the faintest idea what happened! Stop listening to those damn kids trying to act like something happened here. I¡¯m telling you, my team members didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯m done with this charade.¡± He turned to his team members and ordered, ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, one more thing,¡± Zeng Rui interjected. He looked at Coach Yin and chuckled in rage. You piece of shit! He took a deep breath and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t see it either. You weren¡¯t here. All you know is what Seo told you--¡±

    Chu Fang put his hand on Zeng Rui¡¯s shoulder and shook his head. He whispered, ¡°Enough.¡± He then looked back at Coach Yin and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t here. I didn¡¯t see it happen. Fortunately, we¡¯ve got CCTV recording everything happening here. Let¡¯s go to the backroom and watch back the footage of what happened. We¡¯ll take it from there. Sound eptable?¡±

    Coach Yin narrowed his eyes further and tried toe up with an argument, but couldn¡¯t think of one. He then turned to look at Seo, who was following the conversation through the interpreter, and asked with his eyes if he really had pushed Tang Bingyao. Seo¡¯s violent reaction to the mention of the CCTV footage said it all. Shit. SHIT! Why does this have to happen? Dammit! I can¡¯t let this go on. We can¡¯t have this show in front of so many people! Dammit Seo! Why did you¡­ He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he smiled at Chu Fang and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to review the footage for something so small. Seo here didn¡¯t mean for any of this to happen. He was just feeling anxious and he might¡¯ve--in his panic--pushed the people around him away. ustrophobia is a serious issue. We shouldn¡¯t take it lightly. Now, please, drop it. This isn¡¯t helping any of us.¡±

    ¡°Look at her,¡± Chu Fang said, pointing at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Look at her! You tell me, does that look normal to you? Is that something that just happens? You want me to drop this? How? We¡¯re going to have to take her to a doctor most likely!¡±

    Coach Yin raised both his eyebrows and asked, ¡°What do you want me to say? I just told you. It was an ident, and idents happen. It is very unfortunate for your yer that this happened to her, but that¡¯s really not one of my concerns. What else do you want me to say?¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯re sorry!¡± Zeng Rui interrupted. ¡°I want your ad-carry to say that he¡¯s sorry for what he did to my teammate!¡± He turned to look at Seo and added in English, ¡°Tell her you¡¯re sorry!¡±

    Seo red at Zeng Rui and shouted back, ¡°FUCK YOU! I told you it was an ident! Fuck off, whiny bitch!¡±

    Coach Yin reached out to Seo and shook his head. He mouthed, ¡°Quiet.¡± He then turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and red at him before saying to Chu Fang, ¡°Let this go, Chu Fang. The Guangzhou Esports Association invited Seo to y for us. He¡¯s from Korea and our guest here in China. If you¡¯re going to keep forcing this issue, there¡¯ll be a lot more people unhappy with you than just me. Nothing happened here. Now stop making a scene. It reflects poorly on all of us.¡± He waved around him, showing that all of us included the fans who¡¯d gathered around them.

    The fans weren¡¯t expecting to be pulled in like that. Nor did they like it. It was very obvious that Coach Yin insinuated that forcing this issue would reflect poorly on all Chinese people. They started voicing their disagreements.

    ¡°My big fat ass! What the fuck is wrong with you? All we want is an apology!¡±¡°I¡¯ve seen people getting protected before, but this? Holy shit! You guys are cunts!¡±¡°Who the fuck cares if he¡¯s Chinese, Korean or Dutch? He fucking shoved that girl to the ground! He needs to apologize for that! Stop fucking acting like nothing happened! WE ALL SAW IT HAPPEN!¡±¡°Are you trying to give him immunity or something? What¡¯s next? Are you going to say he needs to get a free win each series because he¡¯s special like that?¡±¡°STOP BUTTFUCKING YOUR PLAYERS!¡±¡°Coach Yin, Coach Yin, his heart is a trash bin!¡±¡°COACH YIN, COACH YIN, HIS HEART IS A TRASH BIN!¡±

    Su Xue had redirected Lin Feng¡¯s anger into care. Care for Tang Bingyao. He held her hand and lightly pushed to see where it hurt the most. She kept a straight face until he touched her pinky finger on her right hand. She grimaced and recoiled. He then inched closer to her face and searched for where the blood wasing from. It was a small cut just above her eyebrow and it had already stopped bleeding. He wiped away the blood with his shirt and then turned his head to look at Seo. His anger came rushing forth again. He slowly asked, ¡°Are you really not going to apologize?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tugged on Lin Feng¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Please, Lin Feng¡­ I-I¡¯m fine. I just want to go home. Let¡¯s go back to the hotel¡­¡±

    An Xin held Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash, Lin Feng. Please.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t,¡± Lin Feng assured. He let go of Tang Bingyao and walked up to Coach Yin and asked, ¡°Your guest?¡±

    Coach Yin frowned and replied, ¡°Yes. He¡¯s our guest. Treat him with some respec--¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve traveled to quite a few countries myself. The people there? They never gave me any kind of special treatment,¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He turned his head to look at Seo and said, ¡°You think being a guest means the rules don¡¯t apply to you? That you can just do whatever you want and not face the consequences? What¡¯s next? Do we need to fall on our knees and thank you for your presence? Of course we won¡¯t!¡±

    Lin Feng bit on his lips and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He then opened them again and looked at Coach Yin. He continued, ¡°Rtionships aren¡¯t one way streets! Yes, he¡¯s a guest here and we¡¯re the host. You¡¯repletely right! We should be polite and weing. But him? That piece of shit over there?¡± he pointed at Seo ¡°He should be respectful. He should be everything he¡¯s not. And nothing of what he is. I¡¯ve met many foreigners and I¡¯ve be good friends with plenty of them, including Koreans. You know what they all have inmon? They¡¯re decent, better than decent human beings who know how to show each other respect. But you were talking about something reflecting poorly on us. Please, enlighten me. What exactly is reflecting poorly on us, all of us? The fact that you¡¯re being a ss A asshole, or that he¡¯s a Triple S-hole?¡±

    ¡°Y-y-you little brat!¡± Coach Yin yelled. His jaw trembled in rage. He pointed at Lin Feng and shouted, ¡°Who taught you your manners!? You need to learn to respect your elders! This is no way to talk to me!¡±

    ¡°My parents taught me my manners,¡± Lin Feng countered. He looked Coach Yin in the eyes and said, ¡°They taught me to only show respect to those who deserve it. You? You don¡¯t. I will ask you again. Will you, both of you, apologize to my friend?¡±

    Coach Yin was caughtpletely off guard by Lin Feng¡¯s eruption. His mouth moved but there weren¡¯t any wordsing out. This gave the interpreter enough time to trante the exchange to Seo, whose expression turned progressively venomous. He red at Lin Feng and said in English, ¡°Fuck off! I don¡¯t apologize to trash like her or you!¡±

    ¡°Alright. So be it,¡± Lin Feng said. He then suddenly looked Seo straight in the eyes and added, ¡°You better hope you don¡¯t draw us in this tournament. I¡¯ve remembered your face, and I¡¯ll make sure no one else will after I¡¯m done with you.¡±

    Chu Fang¡¯s eyes went round. Oh crap! Don¡¯t start threatening them! I know you mean inside the game, but not everyone knows you only think about League! He hurriedly said, ¡°Come,e, let¡¯s go! They¡¯re not worth it.¡± He then turned around and started walking away.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Goalie said. He stepped out from behind Coach Yin and looked at Lin Feng. He then said through his interpreter, ¡°You¡¯re Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner? I hope you have the skill to back up those big words.¡± He licked his rose lips and added, ¡°Plus, you¡¯ll be ying me, not Seo.¡±

    Everyone recognized Goalie. The fans started whispering about who he was and about how high he¡¯d climbed the Korean Challengerdder. Even Zhang Hao couldn¡¯t stop himself from taking a step back. Goalie was a legend at the Winter Collegiate Cup, the Guangzhou Esports Association had made sure of that. But all of this went lost on Lin Feng. He looked at Goalie, raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°And you are?¡±

    Goalie¡¯s pale face looked even paler than normal. His eyelids twitched and he clenched his fists in anger. He moved his lips, trying to fire back at Lin Feng but failing toe up with the words to do so. The silence was painful. It thundered in Goalie¡¯s mind. He felt the stares from the fans around him. They were burning on his skin. And still no words woulde from his mouth. Coach Yin eventually put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him towards the exit. He walked away with the rest of his team, still furious, still thinking about a rebuttal.

    ¡°Ooooooooh snap!¡±¡°Holy damn! And here I thought Goalie was cocky! Hahaha!¡±¡°What a burn! Oh my god! That must¡¯ve hurt so bad! Oh my god!¡±¡°Fucking satisfying as fuck! Did you see his expression!? Haha!¡±¡°He''s still going to feel those burns tomorrow!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai returned to the hotel and took the elevator up to their rooms. Tang Bingyao and An Xin went to their room while the rest gathered in Lin Feng¡¯s room. There they discussed what they were going to do the rest of the day. Chu Fang promised to lodge aint against Seo but warned them that the Guangzhou Esports Association was hosting the event and that odds were that nothing woulde from it, and Zeng Rui briefly went into possible training sessions which all depended on how Tang Bingyao felt.

    It was half an hourter that Tang Bingyao opened the hotel room door and walked in. Five pairs of eyes focused on her and everyone in the room asked, ¡°How are you?¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and said, ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m okay. Thanks¡±

    An Xin frowned and interjected, ¡°You¡¯re not fine. The scrapes aren¡¯t a big deal and it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve got a concussion. But your pinky finger is not alright. That¡¯s definitely going to affect your gamey! You should really see a doctor for it!¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head and argued, ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. Really! It won¡¯t affect my gamey too much! It¡¯s just my right hand! I don¡¯t need to use that finger--¡±

    ¡°But it will affect your gamey,¡± Zeng Rui interjected. He took a deep breath, going over their options, and finally decided, ¡°Tang Tang, you¡¯re going to take it easy during practice tonight. I want you to rest your hand as much as possible. Hopefully it¡¯s just a scare and you¡¯ll feel better in the morning.¡±

    Zhang Hao banged his fist on the table and cursed, ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s all Seo¡¯s fault! That asshole wouldn¡¯t even apologize! Tang Tang said she was fine, so I didn¡¯t worry too much. But if I¡¯d known this¡­¡± He raised his fist and continued, ¡°I would¡¯ve given him the same handicap!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and added, ¡°And it¡¯s not just Seo! It¡¯s their entire team! Their coach, interpreter, that kid that looks way too pale, all of them are scumbags!¡± She then turned to Lin Feng and continued, ¡°You really got through to them at the end there, though. That was nice to see.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and red at the wall. He said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just told them the truth. If we draw them, I¡¯ll make them regret everything they¡¯ve done!¡±

    ¡°What Lin Feng says,¡± Zeng Rui agreed. He nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll teach them a lesson they¡¯ll never forget.¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui decided that Team Shanghai was going to take the afternoon off to give Tang Bingyao some time to rest. He exined to the others that a little bit of rest could do wonders and that if it didn¡¯t, she could still go and see a doctor then. Either way, practice was off. Everyone returned to their own rooms leaving Lin Feng and Chu Fang behind.

    Chu Fang closed the door and then turned around to look at Lin Feng. He frowned and said, ¡°The Guangzhou Esports Association is always like this. They¡¯re the mostpetitive out of all three main branches from the Chinese Esports Association. But they¡¯re also unscrupulous. Winning is the only thing they care about, and it doesn¡¯t matter how many toes they have to step on to get there. That¡¯s also why they bought those Korean yers rather than nurturing their own talents. It¡¯s a terrible habit.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°That coach we met earlier? His name is Yin Wei. He¡¯s one of the worst when ites to that. I heard he¡¯s also the one who went to Korea to convince both Seo and Goalie to move to China just to help him win this tournament.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Lin Feng said. He shook his head and chuckled. ¡°So he¡¯s one of those people, huh?¡±

 Chapter 350: No One Saw It Coming

    Chu Fang ground his teeth in annoyance. Yin Wei was the exact type of person he disliked. I spent years searching high schools and universities for talented yers. Those I found I trained. I gave them opportunities and I helped them find each other! I did everything I could to help raise the Chinese esports scene! And then you¡¯ve got these people like Yin Wei who care nothing about actually improving the Chinese esports scene. All he cares about are his personal victories, and there isn¡¯t a length he won¡¯t go for them! Recruiting those Koreans and defending Seo is just another instance of that. It¡¯s everything that¡¯s wrong with the Guangzhou branch!

    Lin Feng took a long, deep breath and said, ¡°I get that a coach wants to defend his yers. But isn¡¯t there a line up to which they defend their yers? What Seo did¡­¡± He shook his head in frustration and continued, ¡°There¡¯s no excuse for it!¡±

    ¡°He is a real piece of work, that Seo,¡± Chu Fang said, frowning. ¡°We¡¯re not blind. His expression had guilt written all over it, yet he kept denying it! Such a nasty personality¡­ Sure doesn¡¯t help that he¡¯s got Yin Wei and probably the entire Guangzhou Esports Association behind him, enabling this behaviour. Who cares that he¡¯s a guest from Korea? That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ve got a free pass to being an asshole! If all Koreans were like that¡­¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve met quite a few professional yers from Korea back in Season 1. None of them were like Seo. They were easy to get along with and down to Earth. Even Han Seho¡­¡± He briefly paused, pushing down the powerful emotions intertwined with this name, and continued, ¡°Even he isn¡¯t a bad person. People see him and they think he¡¯s an asshole because of the way he looks at others. But that¡¯s not true at all. It¡¯s just that he knows he¡¯s better than everyone else and has pride in that. That¡¯s perfectly normal! But beyond that? The person behind the yer? He¡¯s a cool dude! When I lost¡­ When I lost to him, we shook hands and he told me that I was the first person who really pushed him. What I¡¯m trying to say is that he showed respect, something these two Koreans from Team Guangzhou are clearlycking.¡±

    Chu Fang chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s like with dogs. When a small one sees a big one, they start barking. They jump up and try to look big and scary. But in the end, they¡¯re small and weak. All they¡¯ve got is their big mouths--¡± He suddenlyughed and added, ¡°Which reminds me of Season 1 Worlds. Remember that European Miner? What was his name again¡­ Well, anyway, remember how he was trash talking you to everyone who would listen? And then you gave him the option to apologize or the ¡®I¡¯ve remembered your face, and I¡¯ll make sure no one else will after I¡¯m done with you¡¯! Just like today!¡±

    ¡°And then I beat him the next day!¡± Lin Feng chimed in,ughing.

    Chu Fangughed loudly and said, ¡°Youpletely stomped him! I still remember that sour look on his face by the end of it all. Oh, right! You were gone so soon after that that you might¡¯ve missed the fallout. So, his teammates were actually really upset with him, as was the management. They kicked him off the team and no other team has epted him since. You really made sure no one recognizes him anymore!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his eyes and asked, ¡°Did I really do that¡­?¡± He squinted his eyes and tried to think really hard, but the memory wouldn¡¯te back to him. He then shrugged and said, ¡°Anyway, I really do hope we get to y against Team Guangzhou in the Round of 16!¡±

    ?

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Seo yelled. He squished a stic cup in his hand and then threw it against the wall of their practice room at the Guangzhou Esports Association headquarters. ¡°FUCK!¡± He red at the people around him, his teammates, the interpreter and coach Yin Wei and cursed in Korean, ¡°These fucking Chinese donkeys! How dare that ugly ass demand me to apologize! And in front of so many people! I DIDN¡¯T EVEN DO ANYTHING! FUCK HIM!¡±

    Seo heaved in loud bursts, infuriated. He mmed his fist down on the dark leather of the couch and continued, ¡°People were pushing into me and I was just pushing back! I never even touched that girl! I NEVER EVEN TOUCHED HER! How can they me me for that? I didn¡¯t do anything! And what were they even bitching about? There was nothing wrong with her! Just a few scrapes! Who the fuck cares! She probably didn¡¯t even feel it!¡±

    The Chinese yers from Team Guangzhou looked at the interpreter, trying to figure out what Seo was saying. But the interpreter just shook his head and mouthed, ¡°Please don¡¯t ask. Please don¡¯t ask.¡±

    Seo narrowed his eyes and said with a chuckle, ¡°That ugly kid will remember my face, huh? Of course he will! Look at me!¡± He ground his teeth in anger and continued, ¡°And then he said he¡¯ll make sure no one else will remember my face? Ha! As if! Screw him! Fuck! I really wanna y against him now! If we do get matched up against him, I¡¯ll smash that stupid whiny bitch in bot and then go mid and camp his ugly ass until he¡¯s 0/20!¡±

    Goalie didn¡¯t hear Seo¡¯s outburst. He was stuck in his own head, listening to Lin Feng¡¯s voice echoing in his mind. And you are? And you are? And you are? He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. You really had to go and pretend you don¡¯t know who I am, huh? I¡¯m the best Miner in this entire tournament! There is not a single worthy opponent here! YOU KNOW THAT! But that¡¯s alright too. You want to y it like this? Okay. Okay. I¡¯ll show you the vast chasm that separates scrub like you with first rate talents like me!

    Yin Wei sat behind his desk, ying with his phone. He¡¯d made several calls and sent a couple of texts to employees working on the Winter Collegiate Cup. Now he had to wait, patiently, something he wasn¡¯t great at. Those rude, snot nosed brats! And the biggest brat is that Brat Fang! Just because he¡¯s a little bit more important than me, because for some stupid reason the Shanghai Esports Association is ¡®better¡¯, he thinks he can shove me around! He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. I¡¯ll show him! No one pushes me around! I really hope the draw is a sess! We¡¯ll y your stupid Shanghai team and beat them! And on the back of that I¡¯ll be more important than you! I¡¯ll have you fired and make sure you never do more than making coffee ever again!

    The phone buzzed in Yin Wei¡¯s hands. He mmed his thumb on the device and unlocked it. He then opened the message and read it. His lips curved up. Followed byughter. The others in the room all turned to him, but he didn¡¯t notice. He wasughing until tears ran down his face. It wasn¡¯t until a few minutester that he pointed at his phone and shouted, ¡°Now that¡¯s what I call sweet karma! We¡¯re ying them! We¡¯re ying them!¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang was watching Lin Feng y on his CN?HOOK2 ount when his phone buzzed. He felt around inside his pockets, trying to find the device without missing a moment of what was happening on screen. Lin Feng was ying Yasuo in the midne against Twisted Fate. The game was still rtively. Theg is really a big handicap! I don¡¯t think I could y at half my normal skill with it, yet he¡¯s still ying in Challenger! It¡¯s insane! He nced at his phone before looking back at theptop screen, then turned back to look at his phone.

    ¡°The brackets are out!¡± Chu Fang eximed a brief momentter. ¡°And we¡¯re ying Team Guangzhou! It really happened!¡±

    Lin Feng briefly paused; he stopped breathing, his hands stopped moving and every thought stopped. Then he moved. He flicked his mouse over a minion and cast Sweeping de on it. His Yasuo dashed through it and then also through the next minion Lin Feng clicked on. He followed up by thrusting his katana forward, cutting through two minions! Wind particles gathered at the top of his de, a storm brewing. He needed one more Steel Tempest before he could unleash the storm.

    Twisted Fate ran back towards his outer tower and activated Pick a Card. He then chose the Gold Card, a single target stun. When Yasuo was almost upon him, he turned back around and threw the card.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo swept his de up in front of him. The wind gathered around it and burst upwards to form a wall! The Gold Card mmed into the wind wall and lost its power, fluttering up and then falling down to the ground. Yasuo then thrust out with Steel Tempest again. The storm brewed at the top of his de. STEEL TEMPEST! He swept his de forward. A tornado appeared in front of him and carved a path through Summoner¡¯s Rift!

    Twisted Fate couldn¡¯t escape in time. The wind lifted him off his feet, after which Yasuo blinked on top of him with Last Stand and kept him suspended in midair. A flurry of strikes cut away at his health bar, until thest one--powered by the winds--mmed him down to the ground! All the while, the unquenchable fires from Ignite burned on his skin. When his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled and he copsed. Dead.

    Lin Feng chuckled and mumbled, ¡°Good.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Beijing also received the news that Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai were ying against each other in the Round of 16. The Winter Collegiate Cup was a tournament for the best university team, but this time it was also a contest between the three main branches from the China Esports Association to see who had the best yers. This was going to be the first showdown for that. And Team Beijing was skipping straight to the finals of that contest.

    Yu Ping, Team Beijing¡¯s main Miner, sneered and said, ¡°What luck. Now we don¡¯t have to take the trash out ourselves! Team Shanghai is better than I expected, but it would¡¯ve still been a waste of my time to y against them.¡±

    Coach Fan Yuan chuckled and added, ¡°It¡¯s quite a coincidence. I wasn¡¯t expecting this matchup until the quarters or even semifinals.¡± He then turned to look at Zhang Hongyi and continued, ¡°You must be disappointed, though. Didn¡¯t you want to face that Zeng Rui yourself?¡±

    Zhang Hongyi shrugged and replied, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to me. I just want to see that bastard lose.¡± Though it would¡¯ve been great if I could be the one pping that bastard out of the tourney. I¡¯ll have to settle for watching him get pped.

    ?

    Chu Fang gathered everyone from Team Shanghai while Lin Fengpleted his game of League. When everyone, including Su Xue, was in the room, he shared the news. Team Shanghai was going to y against Team Guangzhou in the Round of 16.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ awesome!¡± Zhang Hao cried out. He grinned and continued, ¡°We actually drew them! This is perfect! We can teach them a lesson for what they did! Shit! I¡¯m still so angry for what they did to Tang Tang!¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and said, ¡°Good. Good. It¡¯s about time we go all out. We¡¯re going to teach them some humility.¡±

    Chu Fang noted, ¡°You¡¯re all pretty pumped up, huh?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! I hate them! I¡¯ll do my best at bot! My hand doesn¡¯t really hurt too much anymore either!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Seo is their ad-carry. You better show him what real skill looks like!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! I will!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s the right attitude! We¡¯re going to give it our all tomorrow and crush Team Guangzhou!¡±

    The initial burst of excitement from learning about their next opponents died down a bit. Su Xue spotted this and coughed to get everyone¡¯s attention. She then said, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to report too. Huya got back to me and informed me I¡¯m casting two matches in the Round of 16. One of them is yours.¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°Today is full of coincidences!¡±

    ?

    The sun had yet to rise above Guangzhou¡¯s skyline when a long line of people gathered outside the Tianhe Stadium. The Round of 16 was starting a littleter and no one wanted to miss out on this. They pushed through the six entrances, bought breakfast at the concession stands, and found a ce high up in the stands. Down on the field were the more expensive seats, but even those were filled well before the first game started, as was the yer seating area.

    When the sun finally rose over the rim of the Tianhe Stadium, bathing the field in golden rays, the Guangzhou Esports Association posted the brackets for the Round of 16 online. Most of the biggest names didn¡¯t y each other, though there were still several matchups that promised an exciting fight. One of them in particr. Team Guangzhou versus Team Shanghai.

    A buzz went through the Tianhe Stadium. Scattered voices grew in power and number. Everyone discussed this matchup. Not just because of the fact these were two high school teams that both looked like they could be the first high school team to win a university tournament, but also because of what happened the day before. The incident between Seo and Tang Bingyao itself hadn¡¯t been filmed, but the fallout afterwards had been. And most fans in the stadium had watched the rey of it at least half a dozen times by now.

    ¡°First they have that whole thing yesterday and now they¡¯re ying each other?¡±¡°Looks like a lot of coincidence! But all the better! We get a real match!¡±¡°They¡¯re both pissed, so they¡¯ll both really want this win! It won¡¯t just be tactics, it¡¯ll also be that something extra!¡±¡°I wonder who¡¯s going to win this one¡­¡±¡°Who cares? It¡¯s gonna be a real show! We¡¯re getting a real show!¡±¡°I¡¯m so happy I bought tickets for today! This is going to be one of the best series all tournament!¡±

    The discussions leaked from the audience to the otherpeting teams in the yer seating area. All of them looked in the direction of Team Shanghai and Team Guangzhou, whispering amongst each other about which team they believed would win. Or rather, which team they wouldn¡¯t have to prepare for in the next round.

    After a lot of arguing and going back and forth, most teams reached the same conclusion. They really wanted to see Team Guangzhou getting knocked off their high horses. But at the same time, Team Guangzhou clearly had the skill to sit on their high horses. Odds were they were going to win and Team Shanghai would go home early.

    The deciding argument for a lot of teams went: ¡°Team Guangzhou¡¯s got Goalie and Seo. Who does Team Shanghai have?¡±

 Chapter 351: A Real Confidence Booster

    Su Xue joined Team Shanghai in the yer seating area. In person, not in mind. She chewed her lips and fidgeted with her hands, deaf to the people around her. What if I¡¯m a terrible caster? What if I say something stupid? There are so many people here and even more watching online! All of them will see me screw up! Those people are vultures! They¡¯ll jump on it and make fun of me for the rest of my life! I¡¯ll have to quit streaming and move to some hamlet in the middle of nowhere! Her stomach contracted and she felt nauseous. There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t know about this game. I don¡¯t know anything!

    Lin Feng patted Su Xue on her shoulder, pulling her from her spiralling thoughts, and said, ¡°Stop worrying so much! You stream to 50,000 people all the time! This stadium can¡¯t even hold that many people right now! This is going to be easy for you!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng and smiled. She replied, ¡°I know, I know. But when I stream it often still feels like before, you know? When I had like 50 viewers? I¡¯m still chatting with everyone and I know so many people! I don¡¯t just know their names but I know who they are! And they know me¡­ That connection is missing here. If I say something stupid¡­¡± She shook her head and asked, ¡°But enough about me! Shouldn¡¯t you also be worrying? You¡¯re ying against Goalie! I heard he¡¯s really good!¡±

    ¡°Goalie? He is?¡± Lin Feng asked,ughing. He shrugged and added, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to it. We¡¯ll go up on stage when it¡¯s our turn, and we¡¯re 3-0ing them.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, mister big mouth!¡± Su Xue replied, rolling her eyes back. She then asked, ¡°You do know they¡¯re like the favourites for the entire tournament, right? I was looking into them yesterday and everyone online is talking about them!¡±

    Therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths up on stage shed to life. It showed the Champion Select for the first game of the first match of the Round of 16! Zeng Rui told Lin Feng to focus, but he ignored that and continued, ¡°We will win. Easy. And it¡¯s okay, XueXue. You will do great too! Just be yourself. Remember all those times youmentated me ying? For your videos in the beginning and also when I was just ying solo queue? Your viewers loved that! That¡¯s all you have to do here! They will all love you! Just keep doing your thing!¡±

    Su Xue looked into Lin Feng¡¯s dark eyes and focused on the small brown dot just off the center in his left eye. She breathed out a breath she didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d been holding and smiled. Just smiled. He¡¯s right. What am I even worrying about? HuyaTV hired me because I¡¯m good at this! They don¡¯t want just anyone with just any type of casting. They wanted me. I just have to be me! And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m totally in the dark either. I know Team Shanghai better than everyone else! The only thing I don¡¯t know¡­ She asked, ¡°What about my analysis of the game? I¡¯m just not experienced with that¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? Easy!¡± Lin Feng replied. He grinned and exined, ¡°So here¡¯s what you do. You tell them that Team Guangzhou is a very cocky, arrogant team who believe that relying on Korean imports will win them the game. Then you go on to say that this is a stupid conjecture made by stupid people. You tell everyone that actual skill decides the game, and that there¡¯s nobody with more skill than me ying this tournament! Then you finish it off by saying that I¡¯ll hard-win mid by the 10th minute and that we¡¯ll destroy their nexus by the 20th minute.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°Easy, right?¡±

    Su Xue stared at Lin Feng for nearly a minute before her mouth finally moved and a sound came out. She muttered, ¡°You sure sound confident¡­¡± She took a long, deep breath and moved her lips around. Then she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll repeat that, word for word. But if you don¡¯t live up to it, you can bet your tiny ass on it that I¡¯m taking you down with me!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and pumped his fist into the air. He replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll hard-carry these games, I promise!¡± He turned his head to look at Team Guangzhou¡¯s yers and continued, ¡°I already told you. I will teach that guy a lesson he¡¯ll never forget. After today, no one will remember him.¡±

    ?

    Ever since entering the Tianhe Stadium earlier in the morning, Seo had been staring at Lin Feng in anger. He glowered and mumbled curses. I don¡¯t even care about that stupid girl. She isn¡¯t even all that pretty! I can do so much better than her! But you, you fucking asshole! How dare you mess with me like that! What you did to me yesterday¡­ that¡¯s unforgivable! I¡¯ll make you regret being born!

    Seo nced at therge LCD screen and watched the first seriese to an end. It was one game closer to the Team Guangzhou versus Team Shanghai series. He grinned. I can¡¯t wait to y against your arrogant ass, asshole! I¡¯ll stomp your girl and make her cry just like she did yesterday! And then we¡¯ll have to make sure to also teach you a valuable lesson. Namely that I¡¯m better than you. I am better than you! He nodded at Goalie and said, ¡°Give it everything you¡¯ve got today. Make that asshole wish he was never born!¡±

    Goalie snorted. He didn¡¯t particrly care about Seo¡¯s feelings or his desire for revenge. But he did care about the humiliation he¡¯d suffered at Lin Feng¡¯s hands. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and narrowed his eyes. Who am I? I¡¯ll show you who I am! You think you¡¯re all that because you beat some has-been second rate idiot like AyDeeCee? Ha! What a joke! I y against Rake in solo queue all the time! That¡¯s the difference between you and me! I y with the best and you y with noobs! Just you wait. When we y, I¡¯ll show you exactly how far apart we are! I¡¯m so much better than you that you can¡¯t even see me from down there!

    ?

    Su Xue looked across the row of seats at the members from Team Shanghai and said, ¡°This series is about to end. I¡¯m¡­ I guess all of us are up next. I need to go backstage and prepare.¡± She ruffled Lin Feng¡¯s hair and added, ¡°Goodluck! I want to cast you guys to a win!¡±

    Lin Feng pulled his head away from Su Xue, then smiled. He pounded his chest and said, ¡°Leave it to me! You focus on casting and I¡¯ll make sure we win!¡±

    Su Xue giggled and replied, ¡°I won¡¯t hear any bragging until after the series! Remember, I¡¯m going to say what you told me to! You better not make me regret it!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. His teammates wished Su Xue goodluck and she turned around and walked away. He looked after until she was almost out of earshot and then shouted, ¡°YOU GOT THIS!¡±

    Su Xue looked over her shoulder and smiled. She mouthed, ¡°Thanks!¡± Then she disappeared around a corner. She walked along the long corridors of the Tianhe Stadium and up several stairs until she arrived at a specific door in the backstage area. Behind it was the lobby for casters. I got this! You got this, Su Xue! She nodded at herself and then pushed the door open.

    The room wasrger and busier than Su Xue expected. There were people from the Guangzhou Esports Association walking around with clipboards, making sure everything was going ording to schedule. There was a corner with different outfits and two people hard at work there, there were several visagistes and then there were the other casters. HuyaTV had hired 7 women and 1 man to cast eight games. Su Xue was the only one given two games. On top of that, there were the professional casters hired by the Guangzhou Esports Association. And all of them, except for the two casting the current series, were here.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Su Xue mumbled. There are so many people here! And the girls, they¡¯re all so pretty! She looked around the room again and spotted several people looking back at her. Shit! They know I don¡¯t belong here! I¡¯m not a caster! They can see it! They can¡­ She forced herself to take a deep breath and smile. I¡¯m a caster! HuyaTV hired me. Stop being so miserable, Su Xue! You¡¯ve got this. She nodded at herself and then walked into the room, waving at the people looking at her and saying, ¡°Hi!¡±

    One woman wearing a low cut dress nced at Su Xue and replied, ¡°Hello. You are¡­?¡±

    ¡°Su Xue! Nice to meet you!¡± Su Xue introduced herself. She then raised her finger and added, ¡°Oh! EveningSnowfall I mean!¡±

    Several women perked up and turned their heads to look at Su Xue. But they didn¡¯t greet her, or look especially weing. They red at her and started whispering with each other, making sure that all Su Xue could hear was that they were talking about her. It was the woman in the low cut dress that eventually spoke up. She raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Is whatever that is ¡­¡± she pointed frantically at Su Xue¡¯s clothes. ¡°... what you¡¯re wearing?¡±

    ¡°This?¡± Su Xue asked, confused, pointing at her own outfit. ¡°Yes? Is something wrong with it?¡± She looked at the women in the caster lobby. They all snickered and she could hear them making fun of her outfit; they made sure of that. She looked down at her outfit, deted. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my outfit, right? Why are they making fun of it? Zuo You helped me pick it out! She said that I don¡¯t need to wear something super revealing¡­ that something more like me would fit me better... She felt her heart mming into her ribcage and a prop was forcing its way up her throat. Compose yourself. Compose yourself, Su Xue! They¡¯re just being mean! Don¡¯t listen to them! Zuo You said I look great!

    ¡°So¡­¡± the woman in the low cut dress started. She walked up to Su Xue and looked her up and down, walking around her. She then asked, ¡°What¡¯s so special about you that Huya gave you two matches?¡±

    ¡°She must¡¯ve slept with some higher up,¡± another woman chimed in.

    ¡°Sucked a big, fat cock!¡± a third said.

    ¡°N-no!¡± Su Xue yelped. She shook her head frantically and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do any of that! I don¡¯t know why! They just asked me to do two!¡± She bit on her lips and sucked back the tears that had appeared in her eyes. The door behind her suddenly felt very close and very safe. She took a step back. I can¡¯t do this! Everyone¡¯s expecting so much from me and I¡¯m not good! I don¡¯t know anything about League! I just sit behind myputer and stream for fun! Not because I know things!

    The cheering from the crowd sounded in the distance. One of the Guangzhou Esports Association staff members walked in and announced that the series had ended. He turned to Su Xue and said that she was up next and to get ready. She just stared at him, numb. Her knees felt weak and she wanted nothing more than to walk away. She felt trapped between the vicious res from the other girls on one side and her boss on the other side. They¡¯re going to make me¡­ And those girls¡­ If I¡­-- Her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. She took it out and looked at it and breathed.

    Lin Feng (12:05 P.M.):¡¸You can totally do this, XueXue! I believe in you!!!¡¹

    Su Xue smiled as she pictured Lin Feng¡¯s cheerful expression. She thought about how he¡¯d cheered her on and how he believed in her. Then she startedughing. Sheughed away the ugly res, the whispers and every other form of negativity. It felt liberating. I can do this! And I¡¯m gonna do great! She texted Lin Feng a thank you and then said to the staff member, ¡°Mic me up!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng watched the host walk up on stage, clenching his fists. The audience behind him was still cheering for the 3-1 victory from Wuhan University over Nanjing University. He ignored that. What wasing up next was the only thing he cared about. He kept focused on the host as he said, ¡°It¡¯s our turn! You guys ready? Everyone feeling good? Ready to shock everyone and show them that we¡¯re the team to beat!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! We¡¯re going to win this one!¡±

    The host stopped in the middle of the stage. The multicoloured lights faded away until there was only a single beam of white light illuminating the host. He held a microphone up to his mouth and said, ¡°This edition of the Collegiate Cup is a bit special. For the first time ever, it¡¯s taking ce in winter. And much more importantly, for the first time ever, high school teams have been invited!¡± He paused to let the audience cheer, then continued, ¡°There were many questions wondering if these teams were good enough topete at the university level. I think all three teams have proven that much. Right now, I think we¡¯re all curious to see just how far they can go! But, unfortunately, for one high school team the road ends here. Today.¡±

    Blue and red lights suddenly shed around the stadium until focusing on the yer seating area. The blue lights illuminated Team Guangzhou and the red lights Team Shanghai. The host shouted, ¡°This is it! We have the high schoolers representing the Guangzhou Esports Association facing off against the high schoolers representing the Shanghai Esports Association! The former esports capital of the world is looking to reim its ce by beating the current esports capital of the world! Give it up for these 10 phenomenal yers! We wee to the stage TEAM GUANGZHOU AND TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    The audience cheered, louder and louder. The yers from Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai rose from their seats and walked to opposite ends of the stage. There they ascended the steps. Each time their feet hit the ground it sounded like the audience found a new breath and screamed and shouted even louder. It carried the yers up on stage as they made their way to the soundproof booths. One more moment they enjoyed the sounds, then the yers from both teams started entering.

    Lin Feng and Goalie were thest two outside the soundproof booths. They looked across the stage at each other. Goalie smiled, confident, and drew a line across his neck with his finger. Lin Feng burst outughing. He shook his head and walked into the soundproof booth. He then closed the door behind him, cutting off all distracting sounds.

    The yers from Zhejiang University watched this all happen from their seats in the yer seating area. Zhejiang¡¯s Jungler turned his head to look at his teammates, worried, and asked, ¡°Do you think they can win?¡±

    Zuo Chengughed. He replied, ¡°Yes, of course I think Team Shanghai can win. I think they will win! That Lin Feng? He¡¯s the real deal. There is no way that that shitty Goalie can beat Lin Feng!¡±

    Sun Ruinian slowly nodded and mumbled, ¡°Whatever happens, this is gonna be a special match.¡±

    ?

    The caster desk was separated from the stands, unlike those at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament and the East China Regionals. Su Xue looked through the ss window down at the stage, smiling. Zephyr, her professional co-caster, sat behind her at the caster desk and kept reminding her that there was nothing to worry about and that he¡¯d casted with girls from HuyaTV before and that he knew how to best help her. She didn¡¯t care. All worries about casting were gone. Now she just felt tingles and excitement for what was toe. She was going to cast Lin Feng!

    Su Xue walked around the table and sat down next to Zephyr. I¡¯m feeling great! No, better even! I¡¯m feeling better than I ever have! This is exactly what I¡¯ve wanted! Who would''ve guessed! A few months ago I only had a dozen viewers and now I¡¯m going to cast a game for like a hundred thousand people! This is everything I¡¯ve been working so hard towards! And it¡¯s amazing! She took a long, deep breath and then said, ¡°Thanks, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m ready for this. Let¡¯s cast the shit out of this series!¡±

    Zephyr nced at Su Xue and nodded slowly. He replied, ¡°Alright. We¡¯re up in a few. The yers are getting in the lobby. Another minute and they¡¯ll be in Champion Select. When that appears on the LCD screen--you can see that on this screen over here--that¡¯s when we start.¡±

    ¡°Right now it is!¡± Su Xue eximed a couple of secondster. She leaned in towards the microphone and said, ¡°We¡¯re getting ready for Game 1! This is the Champion Select!¡± She briefly paused, watching the screen, stunned. Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai fired bans in rapid session. More surprisingly, they left open several coveted picks. She continued, ¡°That¡¯s odd. Lin Feng and Goalie are both known for their Lencs. Howe she isn¡¯t banned?¡±

    Zephyr grinned. He grabbed his microphone and shouted, ¡°Obviously because Team Guangzhou is looking to pick her! First pick is for them and they¡­ LOCK HER IN! Goalie is going to y Lenc the Deceiver!¡±

 Chapter 352: The Time of Punishment Has Begun

    Su Xue stared at her monitor in shock. T-that¡¯s¡­ that was supposed to be Lin Feng¡¯s Lenc! She mumbled, ¡°He snatched her away¡­¡±

    Zephyr who was co-casting the series between Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai nced at Su Xue and asked into his microphone, ¡°Snatched away? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°O-oh, right,¡± Su Xue replied,ughing awkwardly. I¡¯m not streaming. These people don¡¯t know Lin Feng like my viewers do¡­ They probably don¡¯t even know that Lin Feng is super good at Lenc! She looked at the microphone and briefly hesitated. It wasn¡¯t quite what she was used to in her usual set up, but it wasn¡¯t all that different either. She leaned in and said, ¡°So Lin Feng, Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner I mean, he¡¯s got quite a few Champions he¡¯s good at. But Lenc is definitely at the top of that list! That¡¯s why I was a little surprised to see Champion Select go down like this.¡±

    Zephyr looked at Su Xue and smiled. Finally a co-caster who¡¯s done her work! Well done. He then said into his microphone, ¡°Ahhh, I see! So we¡¯ve got two Lenc mains here! Lin Feng will know exactly how to counter her then! This could be a very exciting game!¡± He briefly paused, long enough to let this line of discussion end, and then asked Su Xue, ¡°You¡¯re from Shanghai, right? Have you watched any of the East China Regionals games? Do you know a bit about Team Shanghai? You know, stuff most other people wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Uhhh, yeah, you could say that¡­¡± Su Xue replied, hesitantly. She licked her lips and smiled. Know them a bit? I live together with Lin Feng! BunBun has stayed over at our ce and Tang Tang has even slept in my bed! I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much I don¡¯t know about these kids! But I can¡¯t say that. That¡¯d be unprofessional. Hehe, Tang Tang did look cute in my Jinx pyjamas! She shook her head and said, ¡°But let''s focus back on Champion Select. Looks like Team Shanghai is replying to the Lenc pick with Gragas and¡­ Talon!?¡±

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s Talon!¡± Zephyr chimed in. He flipped through a notebook he kept on the caster desk and then continued, ¡°He¡¯s a strong Champion, just like Lenc is. But where Lenc is ranged, Talon has melee auto attacks. There¡¯s no hiding for him. If he wants to get a high creep score, he¡¯ll have to go all in. This is promising to be an explosive midne!¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm!¡± Su Xue said, nodding. I¡¯ve seen Lin Feng y Talon before! We yed it together on stream! His Talon is so good! It¡¯s right up there with his Zed and Lenc! He does all these weird things that don¡¯t make any sense and then suddenly he¡¯s Legendary! She clenched her fist and shouted, ¡°Lin Feng from Team Shanghai is weing Goalie¡¯s challenge! This is going to be a great fight!¡±

    ¡°Look at that!¡± Zephyr suddenly eximed. He pointed at his monitor and continued, ¡°Team Guangzhou¡¯s second pick is Draven! They¡¯re really going at it! First Lenc and now Draven! They¡¯re both really strong early game Champions that canpletely snowball a game! It¡¯s clear that that¡¯s exactly what Team Guangzhou is nning to do in this game!¡±

    Su Xue scrunched her eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She then took a double-take of her monitor. Something strange is going on here. If it was just Lenc, okay. But Draven? I¡¯ve been researching Team Guangzhou and Seo all nightst night! I don¡¯t remember him ever ying Draven! But Tang Tang does y Draven. It¡¯s her favourite Champion! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are those stupid assholes trying to beat us-- uhm, Team Shanghai, with our-- uh, Team Shanghai¡¯s favourite Champions? What a bunch of arrogant pricks! Screw them. Seriously, screw them! I hope they get their asses whooped!

    ?

    Lin Feng sat in a gaming chair in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Zhang Hao and An Xin sat to his left and Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao to his right. He looked from them back to his screen and then back at them again. He scratched the back of his head and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re BMing us right away, huh?¡±

    ¡°Their ad-carry, yes,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He then shook his head and continued, ¡°But not Goalie. He¡¯s known for his AP assassins, like Lenc. Their tactic every game so far has been to gank Mid early and help Goalie snowball, followed by Goalie tagging along with his Jungler to roam around the map. You--¡±

    ¡°Ah, whatever. It¡¯s fine!¡± Lin Feng interrupted, waving his hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what they¡¯re going to try, I¡¯ll stomp them all the same!¡±

    Zeng Rui opened his mouth to respond, but then paused. He nced at Lin Feng and chewed on his lips. The thundering asshole¡­ He¡¯s got that look. I know that look. He nodded and replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Are you ready too? Is the hand all good yet?¡±

    Tang Bingyao reflexively grabbed her hand and winced a bit. Her pinky wasn¡¯t alright. It wouldn¡¯t affect her gamey too much, but there was damage there that needed time to heal. She gritted her teeth. I won¡¯t give up now! I¡¯m going to beat that jerk! She forced a smile and replied, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯m good!¡± She then moved her mouse over Corki, a helicopter pilot with unlimited ammo, and locked him in.

    ?

    Collegiate Cup Round of 16Team Guangzhou (Blue) vs. Team Shanghai (Red)

    Top: Irelia vs. LissandraJungle: Jarvan IV vs. GragasMid: Lenc vs. TalonAD-Carry Draven vs. CorkiSupport: Thresh vs. Braum

    Therge LCD screen showed the lineup for the first game in this best of five series. Su Xue and Zephyr talked the fans through the different Champions and the records each yer had on said Champions. The game finished loading. The blues, greens and greys from Summoner¡¯s Rift revealed themselves. The spectator camera focused on Blue team¡¯s base, where the five Champions from Team Guangzhou spawned.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The game got underway. The yers bought their starting items and moved down thenes and into the Jungle. They warded along the river and then retreated back to their own sides. Su Xue watched this happen, her heart beating fast every time opposing Champions got near each other, but nothing happened. She finally grabbed her microphone and said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯re starting without any invades happening. Both Junglers are starting on the bottom side of their Jungle! And in the midne¡­ they¡¯re already fighting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! The minions aren¡¯t even there yet!¡± Zephyr eximed. He raised an eyebrow and added, ¡°Lenc definitely holds the advantage at Level 1. Her range just makes the difference. What¡¯s this Talon doing!?¡±

    ¡°Staying even, I guess¡­?¡± Su Xue mumbled. She scratched her cheek and analyzed, ¡°Lenc indeed has the range advantage. All she has to do is walk away and keep firing auto attacks at Talon. The only way to retaliate for Talon is to jump on Lenc, but that¡¯s incredibly dangerous this early on in the game. Without his ultimate, he really has no way to escape if things turn south. All Goalie has to do isnd Lenc¡¯s Ethereal Chains¡­ But the minions are here! The minions are here! And they¡¯re somehow still even!¡±

    Zephyr nodded along and concluded, ¡°That was exactly what I was going to say! Perfect analysis, EveningSnowfall! One more thing, though. I think we really want to see what the Junglers are going to do this game. If one Miner gets a good gank early on, that could decide thene right there.¡±

    ?

    Qiu Yijie, Fudan University¡¯s Miner and team captain, sat in the yer seating area with his teammates. He rxed back in his seat and looked up at the massive LCD screen, listening to thementary from EveningSnowfall and Zephyr. As he listened to them, he started shaking his head. He said to no one in particr, ¡°Wrong. Wrong, wrong. A lot of these ¡®counters¡¯ only hold true in lower ranked games. At this level, between Lenc and Talon, ites down purely to skill.¡±

    EveningSnowfall¡¯s voice sted from the speakers installed all around the stadium. ¡°Lenc¡¯s Sigil of Malice and Talon¡¯s Rake have the same range. If she wants to use this skill for poke, which many Lenc¡¯s like to do, she will first have to bait Talon to use Rake...¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Qiu Yijie mumbled. Even at Level 1 Talon isn¡¯t behind. It alles down to skill. If he can throw his daggers when Lenc uses her sigil, he does more damage. But Lenc can then follow up with an auto attack which he can¡¯t. And that¡¯s how they end up even. He watched his understanding of the match up y out on the LCD screen, with both Lenc and Talon losing a portion of their health. Level 3 should be fun though, when they¡¯ve got their main three skills unlocked.

    ?

    Goalie sat up straight in his chair and cracked his neck. You¡¯re really disappointing me with your Talon. Show me some skill! When we hit Level 3, I win. Do something like a good Talon would before then! Come on! CHALLENGE ME! He had his Lenc move forward, just a bit too far. Do it!

    Lin Feng nced at his experience bar. There was still a bit to go to Level 3. The current minions weren¡¯t enough to get there. He smiled. Let¡¯s have some fun with you! He flicked his mouse over a minion and cast Cutthroat! Talon blinked behind the minion and cut its throat! Lin Feng¡¯s finger was already on the W key. He flicked his mouse over Lenc, who was right in front of Talon, and pressed down on the key. Rake! Talon threw out a number of daggers! Then he pulled on the strings attached to them to get them back!

    The blink from Cutthroat into Rake was too fast for Goalie to respond to. But the second half of Rake, where the daggers flew back, wasn¡¯t. Goalie cast Distortion! His Lenc jumped to the side, just out of reach from the daggers. She then waved her staff and cast Sigil of Malice on Lin Feng¡¯s Talon!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Talon was in the middle of enemy minions and didn¡¯t have any escape skills. He had to run back, all the while Goalie¡¯s Lenc auto attacked him. The damage was minimal, but it added up. By the time he retreated back behind his own line of minions, Lenc had dealt as much damage to him as he had to her.

    ¡°That was beautiful!¡± Zephyr eximed from behind the caster desk. ¡°That was a textbook exchange right there! The way Lenc dodged the second half from Rake there! That¡¯s how you win this matchup!¡±

    Su Xue nodded, glowering, and chimed in, ¡°Correct. Goalie yed that¡­ well. Really well. He baited out the engage, got the dodge with Distortion and from there it¡¯s all Lenc. Talon can only run away and eat the damage and hope that he gets back to his outer tower before he dies. It¡¯s really hard for the Talon to beat Lenc here early on. He really needs his ultimate! When he¡¯s got his ultimate skill at Level 6, everything changes! But he has to get there without dying¡­¡±

    ¡°Talon is really lucky there that Lenc¡¯s auto attacks don¡¯t nearly hurt as much as, well, Talon¡¯s!¡± Zephyr said,ughing.

    Su Xue nced at him and nodded. Underneath the table she clenched her fist. Come on, Lin Feng! Don¡¯t let this asshole beat you! I know how good you are! Show it to everyone else as well!

    While Su Xue was worrying that Lin Feng might not beat Goalie as easily as he¡¯d made her believe he would, Lin Feng himself was smiling in excitement. He looked at his screen, at the Lenc, andughed. Thank you for making this fun! I won¡¯t underestimate you. And I will smash you!

    ?

    At 4 minutes, both Miners hit Level 3. Goalie had been expecting this, and had been preparing for it by freezing his minion wave outside his outer tower. There was nothing Lin Feng could do about it. Talon¡¯s only ranged attack, which was sometimes the only way to secure thest hit on a minion, was Rake. This was a cone attack. When he hit multiple minions and Goalie¡¯s Lenc did not, the minion wave would start pushing towards the Blue outer tower. From there it was an easy feat to freeze the minion wave.

    Lin Feng found himself in an awkward situation where he could only watch from a distance as Blue minions died. He got the experience, but he didn¡¯t get the gold. This situation couldn¡¯t persist. Goalie¡¯s Lenc would gain the gold advantage, use it to buy items and then kill him. So he gritted his teeth and decided to push. One quick engage to break the freeze and make the Red minions crash into Blue team¡¯s outer tower.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler, Jarvan IV, was waiting in the brush right above the midne. He knew Lin Feng¡¯s Talon had to break the freeze. This was exactly what they¡¯d prepared for in their practice run the night before. So when he saw Talong run up thene, he briefly waited, waited, then he ran out from the brush and into the midne!

    Jarvan IV¡¯s reveal was Goalie¡¯s go-sign. He mmed down on his keyboard, linking Lenc¡¯s skills together. His Lenc jumped towards Lin Feng¡¯s Talon, crossing the Red minions. She followed up with Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains! The sigil struck Talon and appeared above him, waiting for the Ethereal Chains to set it off.

    Lin Feng pressed down on the D key! Light shed into existence around Talon and carried him a short distance back towards his side of thene. The Ethereal Chains behind him failed to connect! He started running towards his outer tower.

    Jarvan IV wasing from his left and threw his standardnded right in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Talon. Then dashed towards it. Lin Feng smiled, pressing down on the S key. Talon stopped, stood dead still. Jarvan IV flew past him and missed the knock up. ¡°Perfect,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He then had his Talon run thest bit back towards his outer tower. He escaped the gank with minimal damage taken.

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Zephyr eximed. He opened his eyes wide and shook his head, mumbling, ¡°What was that¡­ How¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Lin Feng for you!¡± Su Xue blurted out! She grinned and continued, ¡°He had to dodge both the g-tossbo from Jarvan IV and the Ethereal Chains from Lenc toe out alive there! And that¡¯s exactly what he did! The sh was good, but that pause was brilliant! That Jarvan IV got duped so hard!¡±

    Lin Feng stared at his screen and grimaced. Talon isn¡¯t the best early on, especially with ganks¡­. And now I don¡¯t have sh either. I¡¯m gonna have to be a bit more careful. I just have to be patient. When I¡¯ve got sh back, I¡¯ll also be Level 6. It¡¯ll get really fun then!

    ?

    While Jarvan IV failed his gank in the midne, An Xin ganked the topne. She had her Gragas run up the river, past a ward. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia spotted her and turned around. She didn¡¯t evenst hit a dying minion as she instead ran back towards her outer tower. But An Xin expected this. She kept running and then activated Body m! Gragas¡¯ fat frame barreled forward! Irelia was still a good way away. So she shed. A veil of light fell over Gragas and carried him, as well as his momentum, a short distance. He then mmed into Irelia and knocked her up!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra cast cial Path! A w of ice broke through the ground and carved a path across the Rift! When it arrived underneath the knocked up Irelia, Zhang Hao reactivated the skill. His Lissandra blinked to the w¡¯s position and then raised her hands and screeched, ¡°Ring of Frost!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia fell back to the ground only to find spikes of ice shoot from the ground into her feet, rooting her! Gragas threw a barrel at her and drank another one empty. The first exploded and the second boosted Gragas¡¯ next auto attack! Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia saw her health drop. But the root from Ring of Frost didn¡¯tst long. She still had some health remaining. She shed away. But right then, just as she appeared on the map again, chunks of ice mmed into her and drained the final bit of her health bar.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Nice gank, BunBun!¡± Su Xue eximed. She pumped her fist into the air and added, ¡°Team Shanghai has got the lead in top now!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, nice gank! Uh, BunBun¡­?¡± Zephyr said, confused. He nced at Su Xue, asking for an exnation with his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, uh, right,¡± Su Xue replied. She coughed awkwardly and exined, ¡°Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler. I meant An Xin! Yes. Yes! An Xin¡¯s Gragas did a brilliant E-shbo to knock Irelia up! From there it was an easy kill. Irelia really wasted that sh.¡±

    Zephyr grinned and chimed in, ¡°That was a great y indeed! And I have to say, EveningSnowfall, props to you! You¡¯ve really done your homework! You sound like you know everything about Team Shanghai!¡±

    Su Xueughed ufortably and said, ¡°I guess, a bit. It¡¯s nothing, really!¡±

 Chapter 353: You start by giving them a false sense of security

    The yer seating area was split up between regions, which meant that Fudan University and Zhejiang University were sitting right next to each other. The yers from both teams were rooting for Team Shanghai, and right now were apuding Zhang Hao for picking up first blood on Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia in the topne. But then their joy fell t again. They turned their attention back to the midne and furrowed their brows. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t winning. In fact, the gank earlier by Jarvan IV had put Goalie in the driving seat.

    Zuo Cheng mmed down on the armrest of his chair and shouted, ¡°Lin Feng beat cap! I can¡¯t even get anything going against him! There¡¯s no way this asshole from Korea can! It¡¯s all due to that J4 gank! That¡¯s it! Damn gank!¡±

    Qiu Yijie nced at the Miner from Zhejiang University and slowly shook his head. He then turned back to look at therge LCD screen and scrunched his nose. ¡°This is a tough one,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Goalie can y as aggressively as he wants, and that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Screw him!¡± Zuo Cheng eximed. He clenched his fists and continued, ¡°I know how good Lin Feng is! We¡¯ve been scrimming against them! You guys don¡¯t know; you only yed him when he was sick. But I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯s so much better than Goalie! I don¡¯t believe for a second he¡¯ll give anything away against that asshole from Korea!¡±

    Qiu Yijie nced at Zuo Cheng and smiled. He said, ¡°I hope so.¡±

    ¡°You hope so? You hope so!?¡± Zuo Cheng shouted. He pointed at therge LCD screen and continued, ¡°You see how he¡¯s staying inne even without sh? Goalie is trying so hard but he can¡¯t even force Lin Feng to recall back to base! I¡¯m telling you! Lin Feng is the best!¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm,¡± Qiu Yijie replied, nodded. ¡°I hope so.¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui sat behind hisputer, staring at his screen, every muscle tense. Draven and Thresh was abination he often yed with Tang Bingyao. He knew exactly how to attack with that duo, how to y thene to his hand. But he¡¯d forgotten how difficult it was to defend against it. His entire focus was drawn towards protecting Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki, rather thannding poke, putting pressure or cing down wards. We¡¯re losing it like this. Their Jungler was in mid, but did he go top? Or is heing bot? I need to find an opening and check, but Tang Tang is squishy right now and Draven hurts. He always hurts, that¡¯s why Tang Tang loves ying him! Dammit! They¡¯re good.

    Tang Bingyao sat next to Zeng Rui. She nced at her pinky finger and winced. Stop hurting! I need to focus! She looked back at her monitor. They were in the middle of thene fighting overst hits. She suddenly noticed that the Red minion she was hiding behind was about to die. Behind that minion stood Thresh, already winding up his Death Sentence. She nced at Draven and saw the blue swirl beneath his feet and the crimson hue around his hands. Blood Rush! He¡¯s engaging on me! They¡¯re-- She flicked her mouse to the right, her pinky finger dragging over the mouse pad. She yelped in surprise and pain, then clenched her teeth and shed. The mottled sh of light carried her Corki away from Thresh¡¯s Death Sentence.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Tang Bingyao mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui forgot to breathe. Every muscle in his body stood tense. He cast ¡®Stand Behind Me¡¯ on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki. His Braum jumped to Corki and raised his shield just as a Spinning Axe came flying at Corki. It cleaved into his shield but the damage was negligible. Behind him, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki retreated safely. He breathed out and said, ¡°Stay focused. Focus.¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm! Sorry,¡± Tang Bingyao repeated. She had her Corki go back into thening, ncing at the game clock at the top right corner of her screen. 6 minutes in and we¡¯re up 1-0. We¡¯re struggling, but we haven¡¯t given Draven any kills yet. There isn¡¯t really a problem unless Draven gets a kill. Her Corki fired a missile from his helicopter, iming the life of a Blue minion. I lost a few minions, but that¡¯s fine. I can--

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh shed forward and yed Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki and Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum backwards with his scythe and sickle. Draven was following right behind him, boosted by Blood Rush. A Spinning Axe was already hurling through the air, aimed at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki. Up from the river, Jarvan IV rushed into thene and dashed at Braum and Corki with his g-tossbo.

    ¡°RUN! RUN!¡± Zeng Rui hollered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao was already doing as much, straining her right hand for a second time in a minute. She activated Valkyrie! Corki went into overdrive, flying a short distance and dropping bombs to create a trail of fire behind him! The bot outer tower came closer, closer! Until an axe knocked Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki out of his skill. Tang Bingyao deted. Seo had just used her trick of using Stand Aside to knock someone out of a gap opener/closer against her.

    ¡°Oh my god! Did you see that Stand Aside!? Corki is a goner!¡± Su Xue eximed at the caster desk.

    Zephyr nodded and continued, ¡°Corki didn¡¯t get anywhere and doesn¡¯t have sh either! Jarvan IV is on him and auto attacking and Thresh will have his Death Sentence back in a moment! Draven is also just free hitting her right now¡­¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at her monitor. It was still vibrant shades of blue, green and grey. But she knew that was going to change. At the corner of her screen, she saw Zeng Rui running back to the outer tower. He knew too. She bit on her lips and clicked on Draven. Her Corki fired a missile, dealing a little bit of damage. A final Spinning Axe then cleaved into her Corki. Her screen faded to a dull grey. The voice announcer boomed through her headphones.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ?

    Lin Feng was struggling in the midne. He was behind on two minions of experience, which had happened due to Jarvan IV¡¯s gank earlier. And though he wasn¡¯t at risk of dying right away, his health was dropping lower. He focused on his screen and counted minions. Goalie¡¯s Lenc was going to hit Level 6 soon. When she did, she could kill him. He had to be ready for that moment and thread the thin line between recklessly giving away a kill and staying as even as possible with Lenc.

    Lin Feng miscounted by a single minion. Goalie¡¯s Lenc hit Level 6 and cast Distortion. She jumped underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower, on top of Lin Feng¡¯s Talon. She followed up with Sigil of Malice into Mimic: Sigil of Malice, the second one setting off the first one. The unquenchable mes from Ignite started burning on Talon¡¯s skin. And finally came the Ethereal Chains, fired from point nk range. Lin Feng didn¡¯t have sh or any other skill to escape. He still tried to sidestep the skill, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The chains connected and slowed him. A brief momentter, they locked him down with another pop of damage.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡°WOOOOO!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone, followed by the audience cheering until their lungs gave out.

    Su Xue watched this, stunned. She nced at a screen showing Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Lin Feng was taking a deep breath, but didn¡¯t look upset to her. She then focused on a different monitor that gave a look into Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth. Goalie was grinning. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. What is this! You were going to stomp yourne by minute 10!-- Shit! I¡¯m casting! She took a deep breath and then cheered, ¡°Woooo.¡±

    Zephyr waited for the audience to quiet down a bit before saying into his microphone, ¡°Team Guangzhou are turning it around! From 0-1 down to 2-1 up! They¡¯re really showing the value of the two Koreans on their team! Goalie and Seo are killing it!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Su Xue said, nodding slowly. ¡°This is looking bad for Team Shanghai. Lenc and Draven need those early kills to snowball. They¡¯ve now both gotten those kills¡­ This game is going to spiral out of control if it goes on like this.¡± She clenched her fists until her knuckles were white and stared at the monitor showing into Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. You promised me! You promised me that you were going to stomp those arrogant assholes! Make them pay for what they did to Tang Tang! I¡¯ll whoop your ass if you don¡¯t follow through on it! Please! Show everyone the real Lin Feng!

    ?

    Lin Feng sat behind hisputer, grinning. The worried thoughts from Su Xue didn¡¯t reach him, nor did the cheers from the crowd or the analysis brought by the casters. He knew he was dead the moment Lenc hit Level 6. It was a small mistake, but one he knew was possible and he was willing to make. He could¡¯ve recalled back to base earlier and yed it safe, but that just wasn¡¯t his style. Goalie yed aggressively and was forcing Lin Feng to match him on mechanics. That was a challenge Lin Feng was happy to take.

    The dull grey colours faded away from Lin Feng¡¯s screen. Vibrant blues, greens and greys reced it. Lin Feng moved his head to the rhythm of a song stuck in his head, grinning. Goalie was an A+ yer. Goalie was one of the most talented yers and could be one of the top few yers in the world given time. But Lin Feng was better. He knew he was.

    The gank from Jarvan IV was expected to Lin Feng. An Xin had even asked him if he wanted her to stick around mid and help him out, but he¡¯d refused that. Falling behind a bit before Level 6 was fine. After getting his ultimate skill, everything was going to change. Goalie Lenc could be up a kill and some CS, it wouldn¡¯t change a thing. When he hit Level 6, thene was going to be his.

    Lin Fengughed. When ites down to mechanics, no one beats me. No one. Come at me, Goalie! Show me everything you¡¯ve got! Make me fight for this! And whatever you do, don¡¯t make it too easy, because I really want to enjoy how hard I¡¯m going to stomp you! I can¡¯t wait to wipe that cocky smirk off your face!

    ?

    At 8 minutes, Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia farmed minions underneath her outer tower. Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra had taken full advantage of the bonus gold from first blood. He had the item advantage and range advantage and used this to whittle Irelia¡¯s health down to below a quarter. Right now, he was watching her while keeping an eye on his skills. More specifically, on cial Path. He counted down the seconds until it came off cooldown. When it finally did, he cast the skill.

    A w crafted from ice broke through the ground, smashing up rocks and dirt! It carved a path straight ahead towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower! When the w reached Irelia, Zhang Hao cast the second half of the skill. His Lissandra blinked to the w and then cast Frozen Tomb on Irelia! Spires of ice ruptured from the ground and pierced Irelia, locking her up! He followed up with an Ice Shard and Ring of Frost! The freezing temperature and chunks of ice drained Irelia¡¯s health until it ran empty.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Nice!¡± Zeng Rui eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Good work!¡±

    Zhang Hao was beaming with joy. He replied, ¡°Thanks! I can¡¯t believe how badly the Irelia yed that! Like she thought I wouldn¡¯t towerdive her! She really underestimated me there! I had plenty of damage to kill her and get out of the tower¡¯s range! I only took like two tower hits! That was nothing and I got the kill! Topne is mine! I¡¯m really ahead now! I¡¯m helping!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zeng Rui is right, that was a great y. Great job, Zhang Hao!¡± She briefly paused, panning her camera over the threenes, then added, ¡°Get ready in bot, I¡¯ming in a few.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡±

    An Xin finished clearing the Wolf Camp in the bottom half of Red team¡¯s Jungle. She then moved towards the Jungle exit that led into the river. There was a ward near the Dragon pit and another one closer down to the botne. Those were the ones she knew about. She stayed above them, hovering dangerously close to a ward at the midne, and snuck into Blue team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. She then had her Gragas run along the back of the Dragon pit until she arrived in the tri-brush right above Blue team¡¯s outer tower.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners never saw An Xining. They were pushing their advantages by pushing the minion waves into Red team¡¯s outer tower and forcing Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki to missst hits. When they finally spotted An Xin, she was already right behind them, Body mming towards them! Seo activated sh just in time. The veil of light fell over him and carried him past the Body m and back towards his own outer tower. But the Thresh wasn¡¯t so lucky. He got knocked up into the air, after which the three from Team Shanghai made short work of him.

    ¡°Fucking noob!¡± Seo yelled over the team¡¯s voice chat. He red at his Support and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sh that? Fuck!

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support stared at his dull grey screen. He didn¡¯t know what Seo had said, he didn¡¯t speak Korean, but he could hear the venom in the words. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Sorry, my bad.¡±

    ¡°What can I do with a Support like this!?¡± Seo eximed, throwing his hands up in the air. He then focused on his screen again and made sure the three from Team Shanghai didn¡¯t continue to chase after him.

    At the caster desk, Su Xue jumped up and shouted, ¡°WOOOOO! Nice going, B-- An Xin! And Corki got the kill! That¡¯s Tang T-- Bingyao for you!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and said, ¡°That was a great gank by Gragas! Team Shanghai¡¯s bot isn¡¯t out of danger yet, but they¡¯re back in fighting shape! I feel it¡¯s safe to say that bot is officially even again! This can still go either way!¡± He briefly paused and then continued, ¡°But I don¡¯t get why this Gragas isn¡¯t going mid. Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner clearly needs help against Goalie¡¯s Lenc. Why isn¡¯t Gragasing to help him¡­?¡±

    The Team Shanghai fans in the audience had been asking themselves the same question. But it was now that Zephyr had said it out loud that others also started joining in. A murmur swept through the crowd, quickly gaining momentum.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Why is Gragas ignoring mid?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know. Doesn¡¯t make any sense! Their Jungler is a girl and their Miner a dude¡­ Maybe something happened and they¡¯re now mad at each other? That does sound like something typical that might happen¡­¡±¡°They better put their personal problems aside if they wanna win. There¡¯s no way Talon is getting back in thisne after that solo kill from Goalie!¡±¡°Talon was basically screwed the moment Jarvan IV came for that gank at the start. Gragas should¡¯ve been there for the countergank. That¡¯s how they could¡¯ve stopped this. Now they¡¯re just spiralling out of control.¡±¡°Goalie is an A+ yer. Maybe it¡¯s just a difference in skill. I don¡¯t know. But Team Shanghai needs to do something before Lenc takes off and solo carries this game!¡±¡°Lenc¡¯s going in!¡± Zephyr cried out, interrupting the conversation taking ce in the stands. ¡°Arge minion wave is crashing into the midne and she¡¯s going to jump in with Distortion¡­ Now!¡±¡°Mid is dead again¡­¡±¡°That¡¯s our Goalie, he¡¯s built diff¡¯rent!¡±¡°I STAN TEAM GUANGZHOU!¡±

    Goalie¡¯s Lenc jumped underneath Red team¡¯s outer tower with Distortion. The ssh damage smacked into Lin Feng¡¯s Talon and set off the Sigil of Malice already on him. The explosion of magic drained Talon¡¯s health down to below half! Goalie smiled. Ethereal Chains into Mimic: Ethereal Chains to finish the kill and show everyone what a stupid noob this dog is! He pressed down on his E key. Lenc waved her staff, chains materializing around her and firing towards Talon!

    Lin Feng¡¯s fingers were paused on his keyboard, waiting for those chains. When they came, he started linking together his skills. He started with Cutthroat! Talon blinked behind Lenc, dodging the Ethereal Chains, and dug his dagger into her back. He followed up with Rake! A volley of daggers cut through Lenc, then he tugged on the strings attached to the daggers to pull them back. He then finished hisbination with an auto attack and Ignite! Unquenchable mes zed to life on Lenc¡¯s body and sapped her health away!

    Goalie¡¯s pupils constricted and a chill ran up and down his spine. He cursed, ¡°Fuck!¡±

 Chapter 354: Mhm! This is my show!

    Red Team¡¯s outer tower activated. Energy gathered at the top of the tower, locking onto Goalie¡¯s Lenc and firing at her! Goalie mmed down on his W key and his Lenc retreated back to where she jumped from. He followed up with Mimic: Ethereal Chains! A second set of chains manifested around Lenc and shot at Lin Feng¡¯s Talon!

    Lin Feng was in his element. This was a battle of mechanics and reaction speed. And when it came to those two things, there was no one in the world better than him! He pushed the D key to sh. A ball of light wrapped around Talon and carried him through time and space, past the Ethereal Chains, and spit him back onto Summoner¡¯s Rift right behind Goalie¡¯s Lenc.

    A second chill ran up and down Goalie¡¯s spine. He searched for the F key to sh back to his outer tower, but Talon¡¯s Shadow Assault came first. A ring of des swept out around Talon, a number of them slicing through Goalie¡¯s Lenc! Fuck! Goalie gritted his teeth, his monitor shing a dangerous red. He watched his Lenc briefly go invisible as her passive activated. Then there were two Lenc¡¯s. I need to trick that stupid dog! Throw him his bone! Goalie smiled and had the real Lenc stand still while the fake one ran back towards the Blue Team¡¯s outer tower!

    Lin Feng looked at the two identical Lenc¡¯s and felt it was too easy. You still have sh and that one running away isn¡¯t using it. Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Come on¡­ make it a little hard at least! He shook his head and then clicked on the Lenc that hadn¡¯t moved. His Talon dug a dagger into her!

    ¡°Fucking dog!¡± Goalie eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He banged his fist on his keyboard. Several buttons were pushed hard enough to activate, including the F key. A mottled sh of light wrapped Lenc up and carried her a short distance. She reappeared underneath Red Team¡¯s outer tower. The tower locked onto her and charged up for an energy shot. Behind her, Talon appeared. The energy shot smashed into her face while the cold, hard steel from a dagger plunged into her back.

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Goalie stared at his dull grey screen, furious. His stomach clenched and he bit so hard on his lips that he drew blood. Different shades of humiliation dyed his sickly pale face. He breathed in short bursts, ncing at his teammates and then over the rim of his monitor at the cheering crowd in the stands. His mind was a swirling dark mess with only a single coherent thought. THAT FUCKING DOG!

    At the caster desk, Su Xue shot up from her chair. She grabbed the microphone and screamed into it, ¡°NICE KILL! NICE KILL!¡± She mmed her palm on the desk andughed. Then she added, ¡°That¡¯s Lin Feng for you! He¡¯s the best Miner I¡¯ve ever seen! He¡¯s even better than the Korean Goalie!¡±

    The audience stared at therge LCD screen in silence, stunned. They knew how good Goalie was and they believed there was no one else as good as him. Not in the Winter Collegiate Cup, anyway. So when Lin Feng outyed Goalie from a kill behind, something broke. Their minds needed readjustments and that was exactly what Su Xue offered them. They got up to their feets and started pping, apuding.

    ¡°That Talon actually outyed Goalie¡¯s Lenc! He actually¡­ Oh my god!¡±¡°How did he dodge those chains? They¡¯re like undodgeable! You know how fast theye at you? You know the kind of reaction speed you need to dodge those? That¡¯s¡­ Jesus, that was good!¡±¡°Give us a close up of Goalie¡¯s face! I wanna see him rage and tilt! Pleeease!¡±¡°Woooooo! Team Shanghai! TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    Su Xue took a long, deep breath, allowing her to soak in the cheers from the crowd. She gazed at her monitor showing Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and smiled. Thanks, Lin Feng! That¡¯s exactly what I needed. She leaned closer to her microphone and said, ¡°Lin Feng¡¯s reflexes and mechanics are really the best I¡¯ve ever seen. Even Goalie can¡¯t match up to them!¡±

    Zephyr looked at Su Xue and nodded, impressed. He chimed in, ¡°No doubt about it! That was a shockingly brilliant y by the kid from Team Shanghai. And the midne is right back to even! Fighting your way back from behind like that, that¡¯s damn impressive!¡±

    Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth:Lin Feng looked at Lenc¡¯s corpse on his screen and grinned. Are you really this stupid? Did you really think I would give up after one death? Did you really believe I would just let you jump on me and kill me whenever you felt like it? How stupid are you! It was so painfully obvious you wereing for me!

    ¡°Nice one!¡± Zhang Hao eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao nodded and chimed in, ¡°Mhm! Good job!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at his teammates, grinning, and said, ¡°Thanks!¡± He then turned back to look at his screen. He narrowed his eyes and he said, ¡°But I¡¯ve only just begun!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth:Seo scrunched his eyebrows and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Goalie? What the fuck?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Goalie yelped. He nced at his teammates, all four of them staring at him in shocked surprise, and said, ¡°I hit the wrong button! That¡¯s it! It was just a small mistake! Have you never made a mistake? Now let me focus! I have a dog to kill!¡± He gazed at his monitor and narrowed his eyes. He¡¯s better than I expected. Better than every other Miner I¡¯ve yed against in this entire tournament so far! But that¡¯s fine too. It¡¯s good! There wouldn¡¯t be any fun if I just won it all without trying. I need to try a bit and then I¡¯ll still kick this dog¡¯s ass!

    ?

    At 10 minutes, Lin Feng nced at bot and top. Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui were being pushed back towards their outer tower and Zhang Hao had just forced Irelia to recall back to base. Good. Looking good. There wasn¡¯t any immediate danger to thenes, nothing Goalie could take advantage from. So Lin Feng had his Talon fall back and recalled back to base to upgrade his items.

    There were three Blue minions in the topne left. Zhang Hao had his Lissandra push forward into the emptyne to kill them. The sound of a ping echoed in his headphones. He nced at the minimap and saw that Lenc was missing in the midne. I¡¯ve still got some health left. And I¡¯ve also got my cial Path. She cane and I¡¯ll be fine. He threw an Ice Shard at the minions, killing two of the three.

    There came a second ping. This one was on Zhang Hao¡¯s topne. He scrunched his eyebrows and was about to argue that he had time to back when he saw it. An Xin¡¯s warning sounded distant as he saw the Teleport animation on the brush behind him. Goalie¡¯s Lenc then appeared from the river entrance. There were two enemy Champions between him and his outer tower and his health was below half. When did she ce that ward? How did she get that!? ShitShitShit!

    Zhang Hao cast cial Path. An icy w ripped through the ground and carved a straight path ahead. When it was at the end of its power, he reactivated the skill to blink towards the hand. That was a mistake. Goalie¡¯s Lenc had waited for that exact moment, that fraction of a second where Goalie knew exactly where Lissandra would be, and cast Ethereal Chains. They shot from Lenc andtched onto Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra, locking her down!

    The teleport finished and Irelia appeared from the brush along the top side of thene. She dashed at Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra and hacked at him with her des. From the other side, Lenc cycled through her other skills. The damage mounted up and before the root from Ethereal Chains broke, Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra fell.

    Zhang Hao stared at his dull grey screen in surprise. The voice announcer reminded him that he¡¯d overextended. It exined to him in just four words that he¡¯d screwed up.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡°Wow!¡± Zephyr eximed. He shouted into his microphone, ¡°What a close match! It¡¯s crazy!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and continued, ¡°Lenc has picked up the kill too! She knew how hard it was to get something from mid, so she went and found an opening top! Great y!¡± She then nced at the monitor for Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and mouthed, ¡°Come on, Lin Feng. Kick some ass!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Shit! Sorry, guys,¡± Zhang Hao apologized over the team¡¯s voice chat. He grabbed his hair and added, ¡°I didn¡¯t know she had that ward there. I didn¡¯t see her ce it¡­ I should¡¯ve known when you pinged mid¡­¡±

    An Xin shook her head and grimaced. She said, ¡°It¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t get anything back for it either. We should¡¯ve taken Dragon¡­¡± She nced down at the botne. Usually, when the opponents sent their Miner top and had their Toner Teleport to the topne, it was the perfect time to force a y around the Dragon pit. But Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui were struggling, and then there was Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler who couldn¡¯t be far away. Forcing a dragon y was too risky. She chewed on her lips for a bit and then asked, ¡°Are you two OK in bot?¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s tough. We can¡¯t find any openings to fire back at them.¡±

    ¡°Recall to base and get full health,¡± An Xin ordered. ¡°We¡¯ll see if we can do something when you two get back.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded, and together with Zeng Rui pushed against Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners. They killed the Blue minions and then turned back to their outer tower. There they recalled back to base. When their Champions arrived on the fountain, Tang Bingyao let go of her mouse and shook her hand, biting her lips. It¡¯s hurting¡­ Why does it have to hurt? Can¡¯t it just¡­ stop hurting? I just want to y this series!

    Zeng Rui looked at Tang Bingyao, worried, and asked, ¡°You alright?¡±

    Tang Bingyao quickly nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯m okay!¡± She gritted her teeth and put her hand back on her mouse. Then she had her Corki fly back tone. She moved her pinky finger up and down, pushing the Tab key and forcing herself to look at the game¡¯s stats to try and take her mind off the dull pain radiating from her finger. We¡¯re just over 10 minutes in. I¡¯m at 81 minions and my pinky-- She shook her head and blinked the thoughts about her pinky away. Then she focused her gaze back on the game statistics. Seo. That asshole. His Draven is at 84 minions. It¡¯s almost even. We¡¯ve also both got one kill. But he¡¯s got the advantage because of the bonus gold he gets from his passive for a kill. Still, that¡¯s not a lot and my pinky-- No! Stop this! Stop thinking about it! Focus on the asshole who did this! You¡¯re ying against him! You need to beat him and make him suffer where it hurts him the most! Mhm!

    ¡°Tang Tang, Zeng Rui, if you guys see an engage, go for it! I¡¯ve got Teleport and Irelia doesn¡¯t!¡± Zhang Hao said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui nced at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°If you find an opening, go for it. I¡¯ll follow up on your engage.¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared at Seo¡¯s Draven. red at him. There weren¡¯t many people she hated--truly hated, but Seo was on top of that list. She wanted nothing more than to make him suffer, and she knew that the best way to do that to him was by beating him in a game of League. He kept going on about his Korean Challenger this and his Korean Challenger that. I¡¯ll show him that his Korean Challenger doesn¡¯t mean shit! Mhm! That¡¯ll show him! A fire lit in her eyes. It zed determination. She nodded at Zeng Rui and replied, ¡°Mhm! Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    ?

    Anger, frustration and all other distracting thoughts had disappeared from Seo¡¯s mind. Right now he was ying League of Legends. It calmed him. He watched his Draven throw the Spinning Axes, mesmerized. How they went round and round in his hand, how they cleaved into minions and how they ricocheted back for him to catch. He would asionally watch his two opponents. Corki and Braum. But never more than a nce. They simply weren¡¯t good enough to require more than that.

    A ping sounded in Seo¡¯s headphones and it shed on his minimap. He clicked on it and saw Jarvan IV, his Jungler, running down the river. I guess he¡¯sing for a gank. He really should learn how to say that in Korean. That would make this so much easier. He shook his head and grinned, then focused back on hisne. The ping was, in the end, all he really needed.

    Corki and Braum pushed forward. Seoughed when he saw it. It¡¯s like they¡¯re asking me to kill them! As if they know Jarvan ising to gank! He scrunched his eyebrows, taking a brief moment to trante what he wanted to say to Chinese, and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thresh, follow! Not get away!¡±

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Zephyr eximed. He pointed at his monitor and continued, ¡°Look at that! EveningSnowfall, look! Draven¡¯s going in! That¡¯s Blood Rush and he just activated his second Spinning Axe! And up there in the river, that¡¯s Jarvan IV! Team Guangzhou ising to finish the job in bot!¡±

    Su Xue looked at the screen that was focused on the botne. She then squinted her eyes and searched the minimap. It¡¯s going to be a big fight! She reached for her microphone, nearly knocking it over, and shouted into it, ¡°It¡¯s going to be a big fight! Look up there! Su Xue¡¯s Gragas is also running bot AndAndAnd the teleport! That¡¯s Lissandra! HaoBro ising down!¡±

    Tang Bingyao hesitated. Zeng Rui barked at her over the team¡¯s voice chat, asking her what she was doing. Asking if they were engaging or backing off. That was quickly followed by Zhang Hao saying he was already teleporting and that if she didn¡¯t want to fight, to say so fast so that he could cancel his teleport. She breathed faster. Faster. Faster! A Spinning Axe cleaved into her Corki and Thresh shed on top of her and yed her backwards!

    Everyst bit of tension suddenly slipped away from Tang Bingyao¡¯s body. She rxed, the determination in her eyes burning away every trace of worry trying to burrow its way into her mind. She nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! ZengZeng, on me!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s mouse was already hovering over Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki and his finger on the W key, waiting for Tang Bingyao¡¯s decision. He pressed down and cast Stand Behind Me! Braum leaped at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki. Right then, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki shed towards Seo¡¯s Draven. Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum followed after her andnded in front of her, raising his shield to protect her!

    ¡°Hoooly shit! The turn around! It¡¯s gonna be a turn around!¡± Zephyr eximed in shock.

    Su Xue clenched her fists and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s more like it! Tang Tang is really good at ying aggressively! There is no one who¡¯s better at engaging like this than she is! And the rest of her team knows exactly how to follow up on this! Just look at how Zeng Rui cast Stand Behind Me at just the right time! Their teamwork is immacte!¡±

    Seo¡¯s eyes opened wide. Something felt wrong. It was a feeling that appeared in the pit of his stomach, slowly whittling its way up. A visceral clenching. Wrong! So wrong! It¡¯s all wrong! She shouldn¡¯t! She can¡¯t! He shook his head, faster and faster! This is all wrong! He flicked his mouse away from Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki and towards his outer tower, then clicked. I need to get out!

    Tang Bingyao smiled and said, ¡°Q! Q!¡±

    Zeng Rui aimed at Seo¡¯s Draven and cast Winter¡¯s Bite! His Braum projected ice from his shield! The chunks mmed into Draven and slowed him! More importantly, it applied the first of four stacks necessary to stun Draven!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki fired an auto attack, triggering the second stack on Draven! She then activated the Gatling Gun on Corki¡¯s helicopter, a hail of bullets piercing Draven, and bombarded Draven with a Phosphorus Bomb! She continued with an auto attack and then fired an empowered missile with Missile Barrage!

    Tang Bingyao was a Draven expert. She knew exactly how much damage he could take and how much damage he could deal. There was maybe no one who knew this better than her. Corki¡¯s burst is enough to beat Draven! Especially when we¡¯ve got the stun from Concussive Blow! And with Gragas and Ireliaing too, it doesn¡¯t even matter if they get a gank! Mhm! We¡¯re winning this! We¡¯re gonna kill that jerk-- She suddenly narrowed her eyes and flicked her mouse to the side, then decisively clicked.

    Seo was screaming over his team¡¯s voice chat everything he knew in Chinese to get across to his Support and Jungler what it was he wanted. But they didn¡¯t seem to understand him. The Thresh took several more seconds than he should¡¯ve to line up for a Death Sentence. And when he finally did throw it, the Corki had had enough time to sidestep it. Seo looked at the three stacks from Concussive Blow and then at Corki again who was right in front of him. He knew the next auto attack wasing. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He was going to get stunned.

    ¡°Stupid girl! Fuck her!¡± Seo yelled over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then added, ¡°Protect me! Protect!¡±

 Chapter 355: Itâ€™s Not Supposed to be Like This

    Draven was stunned and Corki and Braum were attacking him in the middle of the botne. Around the bottom ring of thene were three brushes. Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra finished teleporting to the one on the far left, closest to the Blue outer tower. Above thene, the ground dropped, giving way to a river. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jarvan IV emerged from here, spear in hand.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh was caught, awkwardly, on Red team¡¯s side of the botne. He¡¯d missed his Death Sentence on Corki and now had to run the distance. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Corki! Get the Corki!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler replied. He pressed down on his E key and then the Q. His Jarvan threw his standard up in the air. It arced over the Corki and nted firmly in the ground. He then stabbed his spear at the standard with Dragon Strike! When the spear and standard connected, they glued together. A strong force pulled on Jarvan IV¡¯s arms and he held on tightly as the standard pulled on the spear.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes opened wide. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang!¡±

    Tang Bingyao moved when the first syble from Zeng Rui¡¯s cry boomed in her ears. She pressed the W key to activate Valkyrie! The engine of Corki¡¯s helicopter revved up. He gained height and speed as he flew away from Jarvan IV, dropping a trail of bombs behind him. They exploded into a zing inferno and burned at Jarvan IV¡¯s health bar!

    All the while, Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra cast cial Path. The w of ice tore through the earth straight towards Seo¡¯s Draven. And when the w was upon him, Lissandra activated the skill again. She blinked in right when the stun from Concussive Blow wore off. She then raised her hands up in the air and shrieked, ¡°Ring of Frost!¡± A shockwave of ice sted out from her and froze Draven stiff again!

    Corki¡¯s ultimate skill was called Missile Barrage. He slowly charged up long range missiles which he could then fire. His distance from Seo¡¯s Draven was too great for an auto attack. But it was just in range for a Missile Barrage. The missile flew through the air, narrowly missed two minions, and then exploded on Draven. It destroyed what little remained of his health bar.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler gritted his teeth, struggling to ignore the shouting and yellinging from his team¡¯s voice chat. He knew Seo was mad, he didn¡¯t need to understand Korean to hear that. And he knew Goalie was also frustrated. Not just with Seo, but also with him and their Support for not saving Seo. He pressed down on his keyboard harder than he usually would and activated Jarvan IV¡¯s ultimate skill--Cataclysm! His Jarvan IV leaped up above the Corki and then fell back down to the ground. Letting gravity take over, his heavy armour pulling him faster and faster, he mmed down with such force that he terraformed the earth into an arena!

    ¡°Jarvan IV! Jarvan IV!¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zhang Hao nodded and had his Lissandra run at Jarvan IV. He stopped at the edge of the arena, pressing against the earthen wall, and cast Frozen Tomb! Spire of ice erupted from the ground and pierced Jarvan IV! They dealt terrifying magic damage and immobilized him! Lissandra followed up with an auto attack and then Ice Shard! A small chunk of ice mmed into Jarvan IV, followed by a farrger chunk. All the while, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki unloaded every bomb and missile aboard his helicopter until he imed Jarvan IV¡¯s life!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh witnessed this all go down. At first he was trying to catch up to Draven, then to Jarvan IV, and finally he realized there was no saving either of them. He ran straight past Jarvan IV while Corki was dealing thest few auto attacks and went for the safety of his outer tower. Until suddenly the ground disappeared beneath his feet. A cold aura seeped in his bones, followed by a terrifying force knocking him up in the air!

    Zeng Rui grinned. He¡¯d cast Braum¡¯s ultimate--cial Fissure--just in time to stop Thresh from retreating. He ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thresh! Thresh! Thresh!¡±

    Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao did as he said. They ran at the knocked up Thresh and attacked him. He fell back to the ground and tried to run. But three enemy Champions were on his heels, missiles and ice mming into his back and draining his health bar. He reached his outer tower and he thought for a second that he might actually make it out alive, barely. But what followed was a long range missile fired by Corki, iming his life.

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    ¡°Triple! Triple! Triple! Triple! Tang Tang triple! Triple!¡± Su Xue screamed, beyond herself. She looked at Zephyr and then pointed with her head at the monitor, as if asking ¡®did you see? Did you? Did you?¡¯. She then leaned back into her microphone and yelled, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    Zephyrughed, infected by Su Xue¡¯s excitement, and shouted into his microphone, ¡°WOOOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIN!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°SICK OUTPLAY!¡±¡°GO TEAM SHANGHAI GO! GOOOOOOO!¡±¡°HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF ALL! STOMP THOSE KOREANS!¡±¡°Gimme some of what those casters are having!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Zephyr and listened to the crowd losing it. I-I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have been so excited for Team Shanghai! I¡¯m a caster! I need to be impartial! She chewed on her lips, waiting for the cheers to die down a bit, and then analysed, ¡°It was a really well coordinated counter-engage by Team Shanghai.¡±

    ¡°Felt to me like they knew the Jarvan IV wasing for a gank, even though there weren¡¯t any wards to reveal him,¡± Zephyr chimed in.

    Su Xue nodded and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve watched a ton of games from Team Shanghai. Zeng Rui, their Support, he¡¯s really on top of these things. So often he just knows where the opponent is and what he can and can¡¯t do. I¡¯m guessing that he expected the gank and prepared for the countergank.¡±

    Zephyr nced at the monitor showing Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and concluded, ¡°That¡¯s some really high level support right there if that¡¯s true. Either way, phenomenal y by Team Shanghai! That Corki is crazy fed now! She¡¯s 4/1! No one¡¯s gonna stop her anytime soon!¡±

    ?

    Sun Ruinian sat in the yer seating area watching the game on therge LCD screen, stunned. People had always looked up to him for his skills as an ad-carry. His peersuded him and fans called him the seconding of Shi Hang. They liked to exaggerate. He didn¡¯t believe he was that good. But he did know that he was one of the best, if not the best ad-carry at the Winter Collegiate Cup and that he had a good, realistic chance of going professional. He slowly shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Tang Tang¡­ That¡­ That was something else!¡±

    Zuo Cheng looked at his ad-carry and team captain and said, ¡°I know right! Her Corki is great! I didn¡¯t even know she yed that Champion!¡±

    ¡°The level of talent she has,¡± Sun Ruinian started. ¡°Her feel for the game¡­ You can see her getting better every game! I felt it during our scrims against them, and now I¡¯m seeing it happen ingame.¡± He nced at Zuo Cheng and continued, ¡°You saw how she was being pushed back earlier, yeah? That wasn¡¯t for show. She was being pushed back. And then it¡¯s like she flipped a switch. Suddenly we see the Tang Tang who can beat me¡­¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm! Mm-mhm!¡± Zuo Cheng replied, nodding. He added, ¡°That¡¯s probably game. I don¡¯t see Team Guangzhou wing themselves out of this one.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Sun Ruinian agreed.

    ?

    ¡°What the hell happened there!¡± Goalie eximed in Korean. He turned his head to look at Seo and continued, ¡°We¡¯re here to show these dogs what real yers look like! How can you die to them?¡±

    Seo glowered, watching Team Shanghai secure the first Dragon of the game on his dull grey monitor. He argued through gritted teeth, ¡°It¡¯s these damn teammates! How is it my fault that Irelia wasted her Teleport? We gave Lissandra a free gank! And what about you? Why aren¡¯t you carrying harder? You¡¯re going even at best!¡±

    ¡°At least I¡¯m not losing!¡± Goalie countered. He then looked back at his screen and narrowed his eyes. This Talon¡­ He¡¯s good. I can¡¯t even jump in to deal some poke damage and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve hit an Ethereal Chain in a few minutes now! He just keeps on dodging them! This wasn¡¯t supposed to go like this! I was going to show him what a real Lenc looks like! DAMMIT!

    Seo red at his screen through simrly narrowed eyes. He coulde up with a thousand and one excuses, some of which might convince everyone around him. But it wouldn¡¯t convince him. Somewhere deep inside, he knew why he lost that fight. Because he¡¯d been too careless. Lissandra getting the jump on him should¡¯ve never happened. That was all on him. He clenched his fist and resisted the urge to punch his screen, or teammate.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Goalie said in Korean. ¡°We still need to win this.¡± He briefly paused, switching to the few words of Chinese he¡¯d picked up during his time in China, then ordered, ¡°Freezenes, farm. Jarvan IV, Irelia, gank me!¡±

    ?

    At 12 minutes, Irelia slipped away from herne. She ran down the river, past the Baron pit, and then turned left into Red Team¡¯s topside Jungle. Jarvan IV was already waiting for her there. They walked to the small alcove right next to the entrance into the midne. Here they waited for the order from Goalie, who was pushing a minion wave into Red team¡¯s outer tower.

    Zephyr leaned in towards his microphone and said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got a 3 man towerdiveing right up!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t gank Lin Feng,¡± Su Xue mumbled. Wait, casting! She smiled and added, ¡°Lin Feng is really good. And he¡¯s on Talon! I¡¯m thinking that he¡¯ll outy Team Guangzhou and get out ahead in this gank!¡±

    Goalie gave the order. Irelia dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Talon with de Surge and Jarvan IV dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Talon with his g-tossbo. From the other side of the outer tower, Goalie jumped in with Distortion! He followed up with Sigil of Malice andpleted hisbo with a set of Ethereal Chains!

    Lin Feng saw the skills as if in slow motion. Two were dodgeable. Ethereal Chains and the g-tossbo. Those were also the two skills that would kill him if he got hit by them. He flicked his mouse to the side and activated sh. A veil of light fell over his Talon and carried him a short distance, just far enough to dodge the skills from Lenc and Jarvan IV.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jarvan IV followed his failed g-tossbo with his ultimate--Cataclysm! He leaped up above Lin Feng¡¯s Talon and then came down on him with such force that he terraformed the ground into an arena! He locked himself, with Talon and Irelia inside, while Goalie¡¯s Lenc could fire her skills from outside.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. The outer tower had targeted Irelia, making her his easiest target. I¡¯ming for you! He had his Talon blink behind Irelia and then shed her throat! He followed this Cutthroat up with an auto attack, the wounds causing Irelia bleed damage! And then he cast his ultimate. He threw arge number of daggers out around him, using the brief moment of confusion as the daggers cut through all three Champions attacking him to disappear into the surroundings.

    ¡°That¡¯s Shadow Assault! Talon¡¯s cast his ultimate!¡± Su Xue shoutcasted.

    Zephyr continued, ¡°Team Shanghai is copsing on mid! Liss, Grag and Braum are alling!¡±

    Su Xue nced at the minimap before quickly focusing back on the fight. She clenched both her fists and said, ¡°This might be another 3-0 for Team Shanghai!¡±

    Goalie stared at his screen,ser focused. ¡°Care!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. Then he ced a vision ward on the ground. A pink shroud exploded outwards and revealed all that was hidden. Talon¡¯s shadow slowly formed and then the Champion himself did. Goalie smiled and cast Mimic: Ethereal Chains! The illusory chains struck Talong and wrapped around him.

    Lin Feng grimaced. Ah, crap! I got hit. Guess I¡¯m still not there for a 1vs3 against these guys. He shrugged the disappointment off and focused on what he could do. Kill Irelia. The energy shots from the tower and his attacks had whittled her health down and the root from Ethereal Chains wouldn¡¯te into effect for another second. He stopped dodging, stopped trying to survive. His fingers glided over his keyboard as he activated Rake, Noxian Diplomacy, and the second half of his ultimate skill. Talon threw a cone of daggers in front of him. They sliced through Irelia! He followed up by plunging his hand de into Irelia! And he finished it off by tugging on the strings of all the daggers around him. They came flying back, cutting through Lenc, Jarvan IV and Irelia.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶You have been in!¡·

    ¡°Haaah!¡± Lin Feng eximed, letting go of his mouse and keyboard. He rxed back in his gaming chair and chuckled. His screen had turned grey and the announcer reminded him that he had really died. But that was fine. He got the kill on Irelia. More importantly, Lenc and Jarvan IV were out of position and the rest of his team was copsing on them. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get ¡®em, boys!¡±

    Zeng Rui focused on the game. He ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zhang Hao. Lenc first! Lock her down!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. His Lissandra was right above the midne. cial Path! An icy w tore through the ground and paved the road to Lenc! When it was almost upon her, Zhang Hao reactivated the skill. Lissandra blinked towards the icy w and then cast Frozen Tomb on Lenc! Ice spires shot up from the ground and pierced Lenc, locking her up within the outer tower¡¯s range!

    Goalie started trembling and shaking. His teeth chattered in pure rage. His nose twitched, as did his eyebrows. He clenched his fist and yelled, ¡°Fucking dogs!¡± But he couldn¡¯t move his eyes away from the screen. He watched Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra attack him with an Ice Shard. Then, just as the stun from Frozen Tomb was about to break, Lissandra froze him to the ground with Ring of Frost. The tower¡¯s energy shots were dealing too much damage. ¡°FUCKING DOGS!¡± he screamed.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Zuo Cheng said. He looked around him, hesitated for a brief moment, then leaped to his feet and shouted, ¡°WOOOOOOOO TEAM SHANGHAI! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    Sun Ruinian nced at his Miner andughed. He said, ¡°You¡¯re right, he won that fight 1vs3. Practically, anyway. He kept them upied long enough for the rest of his team to copse on them. The Jarvan IV is also dead.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Zuo Cheng replied. He grinned and continued, ¡°This was only to be expected! He beat the cap! What¡¯s this damn Koreanpared to the cap? A NOBODY!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jarvan IV was thest one alive. He ran back where he came from, Red team¡¯s topside Jungle. His teammates were screaming in his ears in Korean, Chinese and anothernguage he didn¡¯t recognize. He tried to ignore them and focused on the minimap. There was arge number of wards revealing the surrounding area. He saw the Lissandra and Brauming from the midne. His own Support, Thresh, was running through Blue team¡¯s top side Jungle towards him. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get to the Baron pit and Lantern me out of he--¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Gragas Body mmed over a Jungle wall into Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jarvan IV and knocked him up into the air. She then drank an entire barrel empty to power herself up and attacked with ferocious might--Drunken Rage! She then retrieved another barrel and rolled it towards Jarvan IV. A momentter, it exploded.

    ¡°Hahaha! That Gragas! Jarvan IV had no clue what wasing for him!¡±¡°Jarvan IV was already looking at the Baron pit! Sucks to be him!¡±¡°Team Shanghai turning another fight around!¡±¡°Woooooooo!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh arrived in the Baron pit and threw hisntern, trying to help Jarvan IV. But when Jarvan IV started running again, an Explosive Cask sent him flying away from thentern and towards Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra and Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Heughed and threw an Ice Shard at Jarvan IV! From beside him, Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum cast Winter¡¯s Bite. He propelled ice from his shield that mmed into Jarvan IV. He then ran up to him andnded an auto attack. An Xin¡¯s Gragas did the same, as did Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra. The four attacks activated Braum¡¯s Concussive Blow. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jarvan IV was stunned. He died secondster to another Lissandra Ice Shard.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Nice!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He then turned his head to look at An Xin and added, ¡°Thanks. Couldn¡¯t have done this without you.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and chimed in, ¡°Yeah! Not bad, not bad at all, BunBun!¡±

    ¡°Not bad? Bad like you with your two deaths?¡± An Xin countered,ughing.

    ¡°Wow! Rude! I got three-man dived, okay?¡± Lin Feng argued. He then grinned and added, ¡°I did keep them busy long enough for you guys to catch up. That has to count for something.¡±

    ?

    Goalie slumped back in his gaming chair. The initial burst of anger dissipated. He was frustrated with his teammates, but more than that, he¡¯d lost. His n for this game was to pick Lenc and stomp Lin Feng. But he¡¯d lost. He¡¯d lost. He stared at his screen, shaking his head. A good gank that was executed well ended in a 1 for 3 trade. Not because they screwed up, but because Lin Feng was better. His opponent was better. He leaned forward and hit the Tab key. Top was snowballing, bot was 4/1 and he wasn¡¯t winning mid either. It¡¯s not supposed to be like this! I was supposed to crush him and show that stupid dog what real skill looks like! We were going to make them all look and feel useless! How¡­ How did it get here? Why are we losing? We haven¡¯t lost anything yet! How are we losing this game so hard!?

 Chapter 356: Win lane, lose game?

    Goalie gritted his teeth in frustration. How do I say this in Chinese? Why can¡¯t these three idiots learn some Korean? That¡¯d make this so much easier. He nced at his teammates bar Seo and briefly closed his eyes, remembering the characters he¡¯d practiced over thest six months. He then breathed out and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Not give up us. Top bad. Focus. Focus!¡±

    Team Guangzhou epted they were behind. The overbearing arrogance disappeared from their game as they took a more defensive approach. This was especially evident in the topne, where Irelia stopped trying to contest Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra for every CS and instead stuck close to her outer tower.

    At 15 minutes, Zhang Hao was forced to push all the way to Blue team¡¯s outer tower to getst hits on Blue minions; his Red minions killed them otherwise. He nced down at his minimap. There were wards in the river and the Jungle, covering his nks. But he still didn¡¯t feelfortable, a chill running up and down his spine. He lightly pressed on the E key, ready to escape across a cial Path.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia let a couple of Red caster minions attack her, just enough for her health to drop below Lissandra¡¯s. She then cast desurge on one of the caster minions, killing it. That reset the skill. She Targeted Lissandra and cast desurge again, followed by Equilibrium Strike! She hacked her de down on Lissandra and stunned her!

    Goalie¡¯s Lenc appeared on Zhang Hao¡¯s minimap. He ran past the brush in which the Red ward was and into thene. Distortion! Lenc jumped and then she mimicked Distortion for a second jump! She arrived next to Lissandra before the stun could break and cast Ethereal Chains! They sprung into life around her and fired at Lissandra, twisting around her and immobilizing her!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He pressed on the E key and mumbled, ¡°cial Path! E! E! E!¡± Each next word was filled with more hurry and a bit louder. He clicked frantically and tried to sh away. But he couldn¡¯t move. He could only watch on, helplessly, as Irelia and Lencbined their highest damage skills to empty out his health bar.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Zephyr leaned over the caster desk, clutching onto his microphone, and shouted, ¡°Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! This hasn¡¯t been Team Guangzhou¡¯s game, at all. But it¡¯s these few moments that show they do have the skill! What a beautiful kill!¡±

    ¡°Wooooooo!¡± Su Xue eximed, pumping her fist into the air. She nced at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and saw Zhang Hao deting a bit but not much else of a response to his death. They¡¯ve still got it all in their control. It¡¯s just one death, and it¡¯s on HaoBro! She smiled and analysed, ¡°Team Guangzhou correctly identified Lissandra as a threat they had to shut down. Zhang Hao was getting really far ahead and if he was allowed to keep going like that, he would¡¯ve taken over the game singlehandedly! Now he has to be a little bit more careful again! But the kill went to Goalie, which doesn¡¯t help the Irelia much.¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± Zephyr suddenly shouted. He pointed at the monitor and continued, ¡°Everyone, shut up! Stop cheering! LOOK! They¡¯re fighting in bot!¡±

    When Goalie appeared in the topne, Lin Feng started moving towards the botne. And by the time the voice announcer informed everyone about Zhang Hao¡¯s death, Lin Feng arrived at the river entrance to the botne. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Engage!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm!¡± She then pressed the W key, which was imitated by Corki. He revved up, flying higher and faster, and dropped bombs down behind him! This was Valkyrie, a gap closer skill. His helicopter slowed down in front of Draven, followed by Corki pushing another button on his dashboard. This one activated the Gatling Gun on the underside of his aircraft. Bullets pierced Draven and decimated his health bar!

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh ran through the minions to get a clear line of sight on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki. But before he could get that, Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum jumped in front of Corki with Stand Behind Me and raised his shield defensively in front of him. Hunkering down behind it, Corkibined auto attacks with his Gatling Gun while also hurling a Phosphorus Bomb at Draven.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Talon ran into the botne and then blinked behind Draven with Cutthroat. He put his free hand around Draven¡¯s chest, then ced his dagger to Draven¡¯s throat and put pressure on it as he drew it across. He followed up with an auto attack, digging his dagger into Draven¡¯s back, and then with Rake! He threw several daggers that sliced through Draven and then tugged on the strings connected to them, pulling them back.

    Seo tried to escape. To get away from the Corki and Talon. But Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum had hit him with Winter¡¯s Bite, which applied the first stack of Concussive Blows. Corki¡¯s auto attacks added two more stacks and Talon added the fourth and final stack. Seo¡¯s Draven was stunned. He nced at his Thresh Support, who was backing away, and snarled. Fucking dogs!

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡¶Unstoppable!¡·

    ¡°And that¡¯s how you do it!¡± Su Xue shoutcasted. She turned her head to look at Zephyr and continued, ¡°That was some burst damage from Corki and Talon, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Zephyrughed and replied, ¡°Holy damn yeah! That was great! And Corki¡¯s got her fifth kill! She¡¯s unstoppable!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIN!¡±

    ¡°GIMME YOUR ENERGY! GIMME YOUR ENERGY!¡±

    ¡°THAT¡¯S OUR TANG TANG, SHE BUILT DIFF¡¯RENT!¡±

    ¡°THAT SHIT WAS BUSSIN¡¯ BUSSIN¡¯!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at his cooldowns. He hadn¡¯t yet used his ultimate skill or sh or Ignite. He looked at his minimap, considered his options briefly, then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, with me!¡± He then walked up into the river, feigning a retreat to the midne, then curved back and snuck into Blue team¡¯s bot side Jungle.

    An Xin saw Lin Feng¡¯s Talon move on her minimap and smiled. She¡¯d practiced this exact tactic repetitively with Lin Feng, and to great sess. She replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Coming!¡±

    Zephyr scratched his eyebrow and muttered, ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Oh shit!¡±

    ¡°Oh shit indeed!¡± Su Xue replied,ughing. She pointed at the monitor and continued, ¡°This is a tactic those two really love to use! I¡¯ve seen them y it so many times I can¡¯t even remember how many times! But it¡¯s a lot! So, what they do is like this. See that brush there, the one next to the Krug Camp? Yes! The one separating the botne from the Jungle, exactly! So what they do is they sit in there and wait for the ad-carry toe back. And then they kill him again! It really tilts people!¡±

    The audience listened to Su Xue¡¯s exnation and watched Lin Feng and An Xin move into position. There were a couple of people in the yer seating area who nodded along, namely those from Zhejiang University. They¡¯d experienced this tactic firsthand. They talked with each other about it, the people around them picking up on it and sharing that with those around them. The information spread out like a wave and before Seo had even respawned, everyone was talking about how he was going to die again when he walked back tone.

    ¡°Oh my god! Those kids are so dirty! That¡¯s such a nasty tactic!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel bad for Team Guangzhou¡­ Even if those Koreans are dicks!¡±

    ¡°NOT! That¡¯s what you meant to add at the end right? That you don¡¯t feel bad for those dicks!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Can¡¯t wait to see him die again! Did you see that video of what he did to that girl from Team Shanghai?¡±

    ¡°Right! That was him! Oh shit, I hope so badly that he¡¯s gonna get camped so hard that he won¡¯t get off the fountain anymore!¡±

    ¡°Make them surrender at 20! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ?

    Seo stared venomously at his grey screen. More specifically, at his outer tower. It was at full health only a couple of seconds ago. But right now, three yers from Team Shanghai were destroying it. They¡¯d forced his Thresh Support to retreat to their inner tower too. He felt the anger and humiliation evolve into a form of rage he¡¯d never felt before. His mind was a swirling mist of darkness, the only interruption being her face. He saw the blood staining the left side of her face as she held onto her pinky, and he wanted to punch her! He wanted to make her hurt so badly! It¡¯s all her fault! It¡¯s all because of her! She was an arrogant bitch when I was so nice to her and asked her out! And then the next day she falls on the ground and mes me! IT WASN¡¯T MY FAULT! IT WASN¡¯T! I DIDN¡¯T DO ANYTHING!

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    The voice announcer echoed in Seo¡¯s ears. His eyes turned red and his hand was shaking. That. Fucking. BITCH! I¡¯m gonna kill her! I¡¯M GONNA KILL HER! The death timer ran out. His Draven spawned on the fountain. He moved his camera towards the botne and clicked. He panned his camera a bit further to where Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki was farming minions. Zeng Rui¡¯s Braum hovered around, disappearing in the Jungle every couple of seconds. He¡¯s just warding probably. Doing Support things. I¡¯ll kill her! When he moves away, I¡¯ll kill her! I¡¯LL KILL HER!

    Seo¡¯s Draven left the base and ran past his inner tower. There was a Jungle entrance to his left, and then another one right after that. That second one was a brush. It nagged at his mind. There was something about that tall grass. He squinted his eyes and looked at it, until Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki appeared on his screen. The brief moment of rity was gone. Hatred was all that was left. He threw down a ward in the brush as was habit and then clicked on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki. I¡¯ma force her to back, then farm up a bit and then I¡¯ma stomp her! I¡¯ma stomp her and kill her and make her-- His eyes went wide in shock. WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING THERE!?

    Lin Feng grinned, beating imaginary drums, and shouted, ¡°GoGoGooo!¡±

    Seo still had sh avable, never having been able to use it in the previous fight. He mmed down on his keyboard. A veil of light wrapped around his Draven and carried him back towards his inner tower.

    An Xin waited briefly, just long enough to see where Seo¡¯s Draven shed to. Then she activated Body m and sh! Gragas recklessly charged forward with immense momentum as a mottled sh of light wrapped around him. It carried him and his momentum a short distance, dropping him down right in front of Seo¡¯s Draven. His big frame then mmed into Draven and knocked him up! Gragas followed up with his ultimate skill! He threw an Explosive Cask behind Draven. The force unleashed by the explosion sent Draven flying straight towards Lin Feng¡¯s Talon!

    Lin Fengughed andmended, ¡°Nice one, BunBun! Thanks for giving me the kill!¡± His fingers were already gliding across his keyboard, perfectly linking together his skills to deal as much damage as quickly as possible. From Cutthroat into Rake into Noxian Diplomacy and finally Shadow Assault! Daggers cut into Draven and sliced through his back and his chest! They drained his health bar until there was nothing left of it!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Seo stared at the different shades of dull grey on his screen. Dead. Again. Corki stood on top of his body farming minions, almost as if teasing him. His hand started trembling so violently that he kept knocking against the table, but he didn¡¯t feel or hear it. His mind was ovee with rage. There were no more coherent thoughts. Only hatred. Hatred for the girl who¡¯d turned him down. Hatred for the girl who¡¯d pushed him away. Hatred for the guy who imed no one would remember him after this series. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill all of you!¡± he growled.

    Su Xue fell back in her chair andughed, incredulous. She pointed at the screen and wanted to ask something, only to realize Lin Feng wasn¡¯t there sitting next to her. Right, I¡¯m not streaming. I¡¯m casting! She reached to the caster desk and grabbed the microphone. She moved it to her lips and shouted, ¡°WOOOOOOO! Just like I predicted! The dirty y by Team Shanghai worked perfectly! They¡¯ve got another kill on Draven!¡±

    Zephyr sat in his chair, stunned. It wasn¡¯t until he heard Su Xue talk that he remembered he was also casting. Going into this series, he¡¯d been informed that Team Guangzhou was the better team. That this was going to be the Team Guangzhou show and that it was up to him to hype that up. But this wasn¡¯t the Team Guangzhou show. This was the Team Shanghai show! He shook his head, incredulous, and said, ¡°Draven has spent so much time on the fountain that even if Corki wasn¡¯t like a million kills ahead, he¡¯d still be levels ahead of Draven! This is crazy! Team Shanghai is manhandling Team Guangzhou!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOO! GET CAMPED, BITCH!¡±

    ¡°When a movable object meets an unstoppable force!¡±

    ¡°How does that feel? Knowing you can¡¯t buy yourself a win!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re soooo camping that Seo for what he did. Did you guys see that video!?¡±

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOOOOO!¡±

    ?

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Nexus was still in one piece. Technically, they were still in the game. But it was bing increasingly obvious that they¡¯d lost. Team Shanghai had such amanding lead that they could force objectives. Dragons were theirs and they also took down the mid and top outer towers. Team Guangzhou didn¡¯t even try to contest. None of them had the health to tank an unstoppable Corki!

    ¡°Team Shanghai is ahead and now that we¡¯re getting to teamfights, we can see that Team Shanghai¡¯s teamposition is also far better,¡± Zephyr analysed from the casters desk. ¡°They¡¯ve got Braum and Gragas in the frontline. And Lissandra is basically a third frontline unit with how tanky she is right now. Then consider Talon and Corki¡¯s damage and it¡¯s hard to see Team Guangzhou achieving anything.¡±

    Su Xue leaned towards her microphone and continued, ¡°Team Guangzhou put all their eggs in the ¡®win thene, win the game¡¯ tactic. But they lost theirnes. Take Draven. He¡¯s useless at this point! And then there¡¯s Goalie¡¯s Lenc. What she needs to do at this stage of the game is find ways to pick off Corki or Talon! And she can probably nuke them down if she gets on top of them. But how is she going to get on top of them? Team Shanghai has Braum and Gragas who can both knock her away, and then there¡¯s also Lissandra who can lock Lenc down in a Frozen Tomb!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and took over, ¡°You¡¯ve hit the nail on its head, EveningSnowfall! This game is as good as over! The Nexus might still be standing, but Team Guangzhou isn¡¯t going to magically turn this around. They needed to win this in the early game. Even if they drag this game out, their teamposition is so much worse for teamfights that it really doesn¡¯t even need to be mentioned.¡±

    ?

    The game passed the 20 minute mark. Team Shanghai methodically took down towers and secured the Dragon for a third time. Zeng Rui left nothing to chance. He made everyone buy wards, told them where to ce those wards, and called when and where to engage enemy Champions. They took a couple of small fights, picking up a couple of kills. But Team Guangzhou rarely fought back, instead choosing to retreat all the way back to their Nexus towers.

    At 27 minutes, all three inhibitor towers and inhibitors were destroyed. Super minions were marching into Team Guangzhou¡¯s base. Zeng Rui watched that, then nced at the health bars of his teammates. They weren¡¯t topped off. He briefly hesitated before saying, ¡°We¡¯re going to take the Baron, recall back to base and then push to finish.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just finish it here?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. ¡°We¡¯ve been dragging it for so long already¡­¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng who said directly to her left and then past him at Zeng Rui. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s good to take it slow and push for a certain win.¡± She briefly paused, waiting for Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders to droop, and then continued, ¡°But let¡¯s end this one. There¡¯s nothing they can do.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin, surprised. He then grinned and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Zeng Rui pursed his lips but relented. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll wait for the next wave of super minions and then finish this game.¡± He leaned forward and looked across the line ofputers at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°You ult Lenc. Lin Feng and Tang Tang will just deal damage. I¡¯ll have my ultie ready ¡­¡± he nodded at An Xin, ¡°... and if anything goes wrong, you ult them all away and we escape.¡±

    An Xin winked and replied, ¡°Will do.¡±

    ¡°The wave ising! Let¡¯s finish this!¡± Lin Feng eximed, excited.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra carved a cial Path and blinked towards the icy w when it was on top of Goalie¡¯s Lenc. He locked her up within the Frozen Tomb. Lin Feng followed right behind him, blinking behind Seo¡¯s Draven and then activating Shadow Assault! Talon threw des out in a circle around him, slicing through all five Champions from Team Shanghai! Tang Bingyao¡¯s Corki stayed at a distance and fired a Missile Barrage!

    Health bars dropped fast and Team Shanghai scored an ace before the super minions did any damage. They then turned their attention towards the Nexus towers and finally the Nexus itself. Cracks spread on the Nexus as steel and magic mmed into it. The crystal broke and the energy within exploded up into the sky, where it morphed into a Victory emblem for Team Shanghai.

    VICTORY

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI TAKES THE LEAD!¡± Su Xue cried out into her microphone. ¡°They¡¯re up 1-0 against the favourites from Guangzhou!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡± Zephyr screamed. ¡°WHAT A GAME! WHAT. A. GAME!¡±

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIIIIIIIIN!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°SICK GAME! SIIIIIIIICK!¡±

    ¡°GIMME MORE! GIMME MORE! I WANNA SEE MORE OF THIS!¡±

    ¡°Those kids are so good, DAYUM!¡±

    ¡°Korean imports are worth only this little!¡±

    ¡°TEAM GUANGZHOU GOT WRECKED BY GIRLS! HAHAHA!¡±

    The yers from Team Beijing sat in the yer seating area, stunned. The cheers from the audience mmed against their backs, forcing them up on their feet. Their hands moved as if on their own volition, pping and apuding Team Shanghai.

    Sun Lei was the substitute Miner for Team Beijing. He rubbed his eyes and muttered, ¡°D-did that really just happen? Why didn¡¯t Goalie carry? Is he sick or something?¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry stared at therge LCD screen above the stage and mumbled, ¡°What about Seo¡­ What was he doing¡­?¡±

    ¡°But Seo is just a Korean Challenger, Goalie is a Top 10 Korean Challenger!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Support eximed. He shook his head and continued, ¡°He got a lead at the very start. I¡¯ve never seen him fail to push that advantage into a win! How did he not win this game¡­?¡±

    ¡°Teamp,¡± Yu Ping replied. He looked around at his teammates and exined, ¡°Like the caster girl said. Team Shanghai countered Team Guangzhou¡¯s teamp. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± He then turned his head to look at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and added, ¡°But it does look like I underestimated their Miner. He did better than I expected.¡±

 Chapter 357: So Obvious; Everyone is Stupid

    Yu Ping¡¯s voice drifted through the stunned silence that was the yer seating area. Everyone was staring at therge LCD screen in disbelief. For thest couple of weeks, the Guangzhou Esports Association had gone to great lengths to promote their team. To show to everyone exactly how skilled Goalie was and that there was no one who could beat him. Until now, no one had beaten him. But this first game against Team Shanghai changed all that. Lin Feng¡¯s Talon never looked in trouble against Goalie¡¯s Lenc. Not really, anyways.

    ¡°Teamp. That¡¯s all there is to it,¡± Shenyang University¡¯s team captain mumbled. He repeated it, this time with a bit more conviction. ¡°Teamp. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± He looked away from therge LCD screen at Yu Ping. He¡¯s right. This is all teamp. He let go of the breath he¡¯d been holding and said, ¡°Teamp. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Teamp! That¡¯s all there is to it!¡± another yer shouted. He got up from his seat and looked around at the others in the yer seating area. He continued, ¡°Lissandra was the perfect counter for Lenc! And even if that failed, they had Braum protecting Corki. And if even that failed, they still had Gragas with his Explosive Cask! They had everything to deal with Team Guangzhou¡¯s team! The guy over there is right! Teamp! That¡¯s all there is to it!¡±

    Zuo Cheng from Zhejiang University listened to the discussion and looked at the yer who was exining his understanding of what happened. And heughed, long and loud. The people around him stopped arguing and all turned to look at him. He looked back at them and said, ¡°You blind fools! Did we watch different games or something? Goalie got schooled!¡±

    ¡°Goalie¡¯s an A+ Miner!¡± someone argued. ¡°He¡¯s almost in the percentage ranking! People of his skill level y in the LPL and might even make it to Worlds! Are you really trying to say this Lin Feng from Team Shanghai is better than Goalie? Don¡¯t be ridiculous! It was a fluke, at best!¡±

    Another yer nodded and chimed in, ¡°Did you guys see how much help that Lin Feng got? If it wasn¡¯t for Lissandra and Braum helping him out, he would¡¯ve never gotten so far ahead! Team Comp! Definitely! It was definitely that!¡±

    Sun Ruinian watched the yers around him argue about Lin Feng¡¯s exact level of skill and about how Team SHanghai had secured this first win against Team Guangzhou. He chuckled and shook his head. All these guys know about Team Shanghai is that Zeng Rui is a decent enough yer on the Ionia server. He¡¯s the only one from their team who¡¯s made a name for himself. And then there¡¯s the four question marks. No one knows a thing about them, except that Lin Feng beat AyDeeCee. But what¡¯s that when youpare it with all the hyping up that the Guangzhou Esports Association has done for Team Guangzhou? They¡¯ve been shouting that Goalie is some kind of God! He sighed and said to Zuo Cheng, ¡°Drop it. It¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re blind!¡± Zuo Cheng argued. He turned his head to look at Sun Ruinian and continued, ¡°You saw that game! Lin Feng was getting ganked and didn¡¯t get any ganks! Yet he still won! That¡¯s skill! He¡¯s better than Goalie! But these¡­ these idiots can¡¯t see it!¡±

    Loud protests erupted around them. Two yers even broadened their tiny shoulders and flexed their miniscule biceps, trying to look intimidating. Sun Ruinian pulled Zuo Cheng down and smiled apologetically at them. It sussed the situation. He then turned his head to look at Zuo Cheng and quietly exined, ¡°What did you expect? These guys have been under the impression for months that their biggest opponent this year is going to be Goalie from Team Guangzhou. Every game until thisst one has only confirmed that impression. And now, suddenly, they see someone ying better. Of course they¡¯re looking for excuses! What did you expect?¡±

    ¡°But Lin Feng was clearly better¡­¡± Zuo Cheng mumbled, deted.

    Sun Ruinian smiled and replied, ¡°Yeah, he was. We know that and those guys ¡­¡± he pointed at everyone in the yer seating area. ¡°... they know it too. They¡¯re just not willing to admit it yet. Give it two more games. They¡¯ll change their tunes.¡±

    ?

    Zephyr pulled off his headset and leaned back in his chair, throwing his feet up on the desk. He nced at Su Xue sitting next to him and said, ¡°What a game! Who would¡¯ve thought that Team Shanghai was gonna pull that crazy win! Nice job on all the research by the way!¡±

    Su Xue took her own headset off and ced it carefully in front of her, making sure the wires didn¡¯t get twisted. She then turned her head to look at Zephyr and smiled. She replied, ¡°Thanks! I was really nervous there at the start, but I think I got the hang of it after those first few ys! It was a fun game to cast too! There was just so much happening all the time!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky one,¡± Zephyr said,ughing. He rolled his neck and continued, ¡°Pretty straightforward action. There basically wasn¡¯t a dull moment we had to fill and there weren¡¯t anyplicated teamfights either. Kind of surprised by that to be honest with you. Mostly with Goalie. He¡¯s the one who usually leads Team Guangzhou. But that kid did not look on his A+ game there. I don¡¯t know what it was, but he just looked out of it! I¡¯m really hoping he¡¯ll be back to his normal self next game. ¡®Cause, I mean, someone of his status should really be beating every Miner he¡¯s up against in this university tournament.¡±

    Su Xue fought hard to keep the snort back. He really thinks Goalie is better than Lin Feng? How? She shook her head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought Lin Feng yed it pretty well. I can totally see him beat Goalie again in the next game!¡±

    Zephyrughed and replied, ¡°Sure, sure. Whatever, I¡¯ma take a piss. I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±

    Su Xue watched Zephyr get up and leave the broadcast room, biting her lips to stop herself fromughing. Only after he closed the door behind him did a smile creep up on her face. He really believed what he was saying! He really thinks Goalie is better than Lin Feng, even after that game! This is going to be so fun next game! She nced at the monitor showing Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. The five yers she knew so well were sitting in a circle, discussing something. They¡¯re probably preparing their tactic for the next game. Come on, guys! Lin Feng! You can do this! Show everyone how good you are! I¡¯m rooting for you!

    ?

    Coach Yin barged into Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, furious. He looked around the room at the five team members and shouted, ¡°What the fuck was that!? I thought you guys said you had this! You were going to beat them with their own Champions? You got your fucking asses kicked!¡± He paused, forcing himself to take a couple of deep breaths, then continued, ¡°Goalie, what the fuck? That Lin Feng is trash! I watched it all with my own two eyes! That kid can¡¯t y for shit! All he did was farm and wait for the rest of his team to carry him! I don¡¯t give a fuck that he beat AyDeeCee or whatever. He¡¯s not a staryer. You are a staryer, Goalie. Live the fuck up to that!¡±

    The interpreter strung together a quick summary from Coach Yin¡¯s outburst. He looked at Goalie, waiting for a response. But Goalie wouldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. He sat behind hisputer, staring at his screen. Furious himself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that a second time,¡± Coach Yin continued, barking. ¡°I want to see a focused team that is trying to win! We¡¯ve got two Korean Challengers on our team for fucks sake! How are we losing to four no-namers and that Support idiot from the Ionia server? Get your heads in the game!¡± He focused on Goalie and concluded, ¡°Goalie. Pick a Champion you¡¯re good with. Lead the team like I know you can. Show everyone how good you really are! I know you¡¯re better than this! Nowe on!¡±

    Goalie closed his eyes as he listened to the interpreter finally catching up to Coach Yin. He nodded and mumbled, ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡± But his mind was somewhere else. He nced across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and scrunched his eyebrows. Who is that kid? How¡­ I was careless and got upset because he annoyed me yesterday. But still, he was good. There were a few moments where I felt like I was even ying against Rake-- He shook his head violently, then pped it for good measure. Don¡¯t be stupid. You underestimated him and he was a bit better than you expected. Readjust. Calm down and focus. I¡¯m the best yer at this tournament. He looked over his shoulder at Coach Yin and said in broken Chinese, ¡°I beat him. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I wanted to hear,¡± Coach Yin said. He then walked past Goalie and stopped behind Seo, who was staring at his feet, and asked, ¡°Now you want to tell me what the fuck was going on with youst game? I thought you were a Korean Challenger. You looked like a boosted Challenger. Did that girl on Team Shanghai boost you? That it?¡± He briefly paused and then asked, ¡°Are you really telling me she¡¯s better than you are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯M BETTER THAN HER!¡± Seo screamed. He mmed his fist down on the desk and repeated, ¡°I¡¯M BETTER THAN HER!¡±

    ¡°Then show it,¡± Coach Yin replied.

    Seo gritted his teeth, white hot fury dying his face. He slowly nodded and said, ¡°I will. I will beat her. Crush her. Make sure no one remembers her face! Her ugly ass face!¡±

    ?

    After a brief interlude, the yers from Team Shanghai and Team Guangzhou got installed behind theirputers again and moved into Champion Select for Game 2. Therge LCD screen above their soundproof booths shed to life and revealed to the audience the six banned Champions. Team Shanghai had gone for three meta Champions, while Team Guangzhou banned Lissandra, Braum and Talon.

    ¡°Looks like Team Guangzhou doesn¡¯t want a repeat fromst game,¡± Zephyr said into his microphone, his voice carried through the speakers to the audience.

    Su Xue nodded and chimed in, ¡°Yeah! Three Champions from the previous game are banned!--¡± She stopped herself when Team Shanghai locked in their first Champion. Riven. She scrunched her eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°Riven? Is HaoBro really going with Riven¡­?¡±

    Haobro? Zephyr nced at Su Xue, confused. He nced through his notebook at the names from Team Shanghai. Oh! He leaned towards his microphone and said, ¡°That does look like a Riven top! Zhang Hao is Team Shanghai¡¯s Toner, so he¡¯d be ying her!¡±

    ?

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner sat up straight in his gaming chair. A chill was still running up and down his spine, reinvigorated every time he thought about how Coach Yin had barged in after their loss in the previous game. We can¡¯t lose again. We won¡¯t! We¡¯re going to beat these noobs! Starting with this stupid Toner! ¡°Hmm, Riven, huh?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Let me show you just how much better I am than you! You only won because of Gragas! But this game, this game is going to be mine!¡± He then clicked on the summoner portrait of Fiora and locked her in.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler looked at Goalie and asked, ¡°Who? Lee Sin?¡±

    Goalie looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s Champion. Riven¡­ Why would they pick her first¡­? He took a long, deep breath and then replied, ¡°Lee Sin.¡±

    Team Shanghai were up next for their second and third pick. They went with Sejuani who was a tanky Jungler and Kalista who was one of Tang Bingyao¡¯s best ad-carry Champions.

    It was Team Guangzhou¡¯s turn again to pick two Champions. Seo informed his Support he wanted something defensive, so the Support locked in Leona. He then nodded at Goalie and asked, ¡°You want to pick now or want me to go first?¡±

    Goalie shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Won¡¯t change my pick anyway.¡± He moved his mouse over Fizz and locked him in.

    Zephyr grabbed his microphone and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Fizz in the midne! Goalie is sticking to what he¡¯s familiar with, ability power assassins!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really curious to see what Lin Feng is going to y,¡± Su Xue replied absentmindedly. Her focus was still on the Riven pick. HaoBro never ys Riven. He doesn¡¯t like the style! But Lin Feng does! Are they going tone swap? Or-- She finally realized it, her eyes growing wide. She leaned in towards her microphone and said, ¡°What if¡­ what if that Riven pick is a mid Riven?¡±

    ?

    Lin Fengughed when he saw the Fizz pick. He leaned back in his chair and mumbled, ¡°Fizz, hmm? A bit interesting. Could be fun.¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and shook her head. Doofus. She then turned her head around to look at Zhang Hao and asked, ¡°What you wanna y against Fiora?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Zhang Hao started, hesitating. He finally replied, ¡°Mundo. Yeah, I¡¯ll go with Dr. Mundo. That way you don¡¯t really have to gank myne. I¡¯ll be able to hold my own.¡±

    ¡°That makes our team really AD heavy,¡± Zeng Rui noted. He mulled over it briefly and then added, ¡°I¡¯ll go with Morgana. That way, we¡¯ve still got some AP.¡±

    Su Xue jumped up from her chair, forgetting to grab the microphone, and shouted, ¡°I was right! I¡¯m right! That¡¯s Riven mid!¡±

    ¡°But¡­ How?¡± Zephyr asked, surprised. ¡°What kind of teamp is this? Are you sure Riven is going mid? What if this is some weird Morgana mid and Riven top and Mundo Support? Or maybe it¡¯s Riven Support? She does have her Ki Burst for some crowd control¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obviously Riven mid!¡± Su Xue countered, grinning. Just wait until you see Lin Feng¡¯s Riven! You¡¯ll get it then!

    ¡°Team Zephyr or Team EveningSnowfall? Who is going Mid? ce your bets here!¡±¡°Has to be Morgana, right? You want that AP damage and she won¡¯t get much damage if she¡¯s going Support!¡±¡°Full AD teams have been bing the vour of the month, so who knows¡­¡±¡°Yeah, I guess. Still, weird ass team.¡±¡°Maybe their n is to confuse Team Guangzhou into a surrender?¡±¡°LOL. That¡¯d be brilliant! Imagine Team Guangzhou surrendering ¡®cause they don¡¯t understand Team Shanghai¡¯s teamp! Hahaha!¡±¡°Right!? But let¡¯s be realistic here. This has to be a stomp by Team Guangzhou. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re losing to that whacky ass team from Team Shanghai!¡±

    Back in Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Goalie and Seo were caught up in a simr discussion as the rest of the crowd. But they only had 70 seconds to decide on their final pick. With 20 seconds left to go, Goalie turned to look at Seo and said, ¡°We¡¯ll stick with our original n. Doesn¡¯t matter what they do. Lock in your Champion. And Seo?¡± He briefly waited to get his ad-carry¡¯s full attention and then continued, ¡°Calm down a bit. y like I know you can.¡±

    Seo closed his eyes and breathed in. He then opened his eyes, locked in Vayne and then breathed out. He replied, ¡°Got it. I will.¡±

    ?

    Zephyr turned his head and looked at Su Xue. He muttered, ¡°Oh my god, you were right¡­ You were right! It really is Riven mid! It¡¯s really Riven mid!¡±

    Su Xue smiled and replied, ¡°Lin Feng has yed Riven before all the way back in the high school tournament he yed. That was long ago, but it was really good back then! So I thought maybe¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Zephyr eximed. He shook his head and continued, ¡°You¡¯ve done more than just some homework. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve watched every single game Lin Feng has ever yed!¡±

    Su Xue giggled and replied, ¡°You could say that.¡±

    Back in Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Goalie narrowed his eyes. Riven, huh? First Talon and now Riven? You¡¯re trying to take the piss out of me, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing. First acting like you don¡¯t know who I am and now taking the piss out of me! But don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you do that. I¡¯ll show you what I do to people who look down on me! He gripped his mouse and tightened his grip just the right amount. Then he ced his other hand on the keyboard, feeling the touch of the keys against his fingers.

    Over in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, An Xin looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re ying Riven, you should be fine, right? I won¡¯t need to gank?¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair, grinning, and said, ¡°Yep! Just camp bot! Or top¡­ You can leave mid to me!¡±

    ?

    Winter Collegiate Cup, Round of 16, Game 2

    Team Shanghai (Blue) versus Team Guangzhou (Red)Top: Dr. Mundo versus FioraJungle: Sejuani versus Lee SinMid: Riven versus FizzAd-carry: Kalista versus VayneSupport: Morgana versus Leona

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The Champions from both teams spawned on the Rift. Starter items appeared in their inventory and then they walked towards their respectivenes. There were no early invades, with both teams throwing some wards down in the river but otherwise staying near their outer towers. This gave Zephyr and Su Xue a few extra minutes to discuss the unexpected matchup in the midne.

    Zephyr leaned towards his microphone and analysed, ¡°Riven is a rtively good pick against Fizz. She doesn¡¯t have much to worry about, especially early on. If Fizz tries to jump on her, she can just stun him with Ki Burst. And from there, well, Fizz should be happy if he escapes with his life! But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s hopeless for Goalie. Fizz has this great skill called yful/Trickster. If he times it just right, he can hop on top of his pole and dodge the stun. Then he suddenly wins. It¡¯s really the first game all over. We¡¯ve got a skill matchup in the midne!¡±

    Su Xue nodded along with Zephyr¡¯s analysis. She then grabbed her microphone and said, ¡°Right, right, I totally agree! You¡¯ve given a great analysis! But¡­¡± She dragged the pause, making everyone want to hear what she had to say next. Then she continued, ¡°I predict Lin Feng is gonna stomp Goalie and win hisne in the first 10 minutes of the game!¡±

 Chapter 358: Just Cause Thereâ€™s a Goalie, Doesnâ€™t Mean You Canâ€™t Score!

    Real Riven yers learned Broken Wings at Level 1, and Lin Feng was a real Riven yer. When the first minion wave marched past the outer tower into the midne, he followed along with them. Red minions came from the other side of thene. Lin Feng focused on them, ignoring Goalie¡¯s Fizz trailing behind the Red minions. He watched their health bars drop and zoomed in on a melee minion in the front. Two more attacks to kill it. Broken Wings! Riven swept out with her de and then, before the animation from Broken Wings could finish, hacked at the minion with an auto attack!

    ¡°Oooh!¡± Zephyr said into his microphone. He leaned in closer to his monitor and watched Lin Feng¡¯s Riven continue into the 2nd part of Broken Wings. It was again perfectly linked together with an auto attack to im a minion¡¯s life. He continued, ¡°Oooh! That¡¯s one fastbo there! This Lin Feng looks like a Riven main!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and added, ¡°You see how he backs away after every skill? He¡¯s doing that to make sure the minions don¡¯t start focusing him and also to keep some distance from Fizz! What he¡¯s doing there, that¡¯s real big brain!¡±

    On screen, Lin Feng¡¯s Riven finished her Broken Wingsbo with its third and final cast. She leaped up into the air, both hands locking around the handle of her weapon, and then hacked down! The minions underneath her de were knocked up into the air! She then struck the lowest health one with an auto attack and killed it.

    ¡°He¡¯s looking like a boss on that Riven! Goalie is just sitting back there!¡±

    ¡°When I try to do that on Riven, I just get attacked and killed¡­ Why isn¡¯t Goalie attacking?¡±

    ¡°Because that Riven is good! Can¡¯t you see how he¡¯s animation canceling perfectly there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so easy not to notice that. But what he¡¯s doing up there? That¡¯s some real skill!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Riven one-trick pony and even I can¡¯t link it together that well!¡±

    ?

    Goalie stared at his monitor. red at it. Your Riven is half decent. But you think you¡¯re going to win this game by showing off thatbo? Is that your n for this game, to scare me off with your CS ability? Fucking dog! I¡¯ll show you what I think of your Riven! He nced at the bottom corner of his screen and confirmed he needed one more minion kill to hit Level 2. Lin Feng¡¯s Riven had already gotten to Level 2.

    A blue caster minion was about to die. Goalie had his Fizz thread through the field of minions and arrived exactly in time tond the final attack on the caster minion. It died and he hit Level 2. Urchin Strike! His Fizz dashed through Riven and struck out with his trident! While he did that, he learned his second skill: yful/Trickster.

    Goalie narrowed his eyes and pressed the E key. His Fizz mmed his trident into the ground and jumped on top of it just as Riven shouted out a Ki Burst! Green energy exploded through the ground around and between them, but it stopped just short of Fizz¡¯s trident! Goalie smiled. Shitty reaction speed there, dog. He then flicked his mouse and cast the second part of his E skill¡ªTrickster! Fizz jumped off his trident back towards his side of thene. Water sshed around him when hended, dealing damage to the nearby Blue minions.

    Lin Feng¡¯s finger hovered over the Q key. He wanted to dash after Goalie¡¯s Fizz and return the poke, but hesitated. Something tingled at the back of his mind, an itch that gave enough difort for him to think twice. He nced at his minimap and chewed on his lips. Their Lee is going to be somewhere here soon. I¡¯ll be ready for that instead.

    The yers watching the game from the yer seating area visibly rxed. Most of them were pretty vocal about Goalie being the better Miner, but few had actually believed those words. It wasn¡¯t until now, when Goalie showed faster reaction speed than Lin Feng, that they started to believe Goalie was the better yer.

    ¡°Knew it. I just knew it! Goalie just had an off game! Yes. That¡¯s all that was!¡±

    ¡°I know right!? I was like, no way,st game. This looks like the Goalie I know again!¡±

    ¡°Team Guangzhou is still the team to watch out for! Yes. Totally!¡±

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University listened to the people around him and shook his head. They¡¯re just trying to convince themselves. They would learn so much more if they watched the game andpared it to their own and learned how to improve from that. Oh well... He turned to look at his teammates and said, ¡°Watch what happens carefully. We¡¯ve seen him y. He never holds back unless there¡¯s something to gain from it. Feels like that something is gonna happen soon.¡±

    ?

    At 4 minutes, the minion wave in the midne was pushing towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. Goalie smiled, proud of himself. His Fizz was Level 3 and could now deal enough damage to scare Riven. All he needed was a good gank. He nced at his minimap. His Jungler was already waiting in the brush right above the midne. Now I just need to bait him. Make him waste his skill-- Heughed. He didn¡¯t even need to ask for it. Riven swept out with her de and cleaved three melee minions. This was the first cast from her Broken Wings.

    ¡°FightFight!¡± Goalie shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He moved his mouse over Lin Feng¡¯s Riven and activated Urchin Strike! His Fizz dashed at Riven and pierced her with his trident! From above, he saw Lee Sin ce down a ward and hop towards it with Safeguard, quickly closing in on Lin Feng¡¯s Riven. Goalie smiled wickedly. You¡¯re dead! Stupid dog!

    Zephyr reached for his microphone and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the gank! Team Guangzhou has got the first gank again! Just likest game! But this one looks like it might be a kill! RIVEN MIGHT DIE!¡±

    Lin Feng breathed slowly, calmly. This was the second time Goalie¡¯s Fizz engaged him. The first time, on purpose, he¡¯d waited a brief moment before casting Ki Burst. That trick paid off now. Fizz nted his trident in the ground and hopped on top of it, expecting the Ki Burst. Lin Feng grinned. This Goalie is so predictable! He waited for the Fizz toe back down with the second part of the skill while also giving Lee Sin the time to get a bit closer. Then, right before Fizz sshed down on the ground, he activated sh. A veil of light fell over his Riven and carried her a short distance straight towards Lee Sin.

    ¡°He¡¯s going all in!¡± Su Xue eximed. She leaned towards the microphone and continued, ¡°Riven is going for the kill on Lee Sin!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s crazy! He¡¯s nuts! Why isn¡¯t he running!?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s mental! He¡¯s insane! He could¡¯ve escaped!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sick! He¡¯s delusional! Why didn¡¯t he run when he could¡¯a!?¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin was fully expecting Lin Feng to try and escape. So much so that when Lin Feng jumped on him, he jumpscared. His hands refused to move and he just stared at his screen, watching Lin Feng¡¯s Riven sweep her de at him and cleave him! In the distance, he could hear Goalie say something. What¡¯s he saying¡­? He blinked and focused on the voice. ¡°FIGHT! IDIOT! DO SOMETHING!¡± It shook him awake. His hands moved back into action. He flicked his mouse over Lin Feng¡¯s Riven and cast Sonic Wave! A discordant sound wave flew from point nk range at Riven!

    Lin Feng was ready for the Sonic Wave. He¡¯d been watching Lee Sin¡¯s every motion, searching for the activation of the skill. When he saw it, he activated Valor! His Riven dashed to the side, a shield wrapping around her, and dodged the Sonic Wave!

    ¡°H-how¡­¡± Zephyr mumbled into his microphone, ck jawed.

    Su Xue chuckled and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s Lin Feng for you! And just wait until Bu-- An Xin shows up at just the right time!¡±

    Everyone in the stands and down on the grass focused on the minimap. An Xin¡¯s Sejuani was running towards the midne, just like EveningSnowfall had said. Shock stunned them dead silent. The blowing of the wind and the sound of traffic off in the distance together with the ingame sounds sting from the speakers was all anyone could hear at the Tianhe Stadium.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven jabbed her broken sword in the air and shouted, ¡°Ki Burst!¡± A green energy shot out on the ground around her! Ittched onto Lee Sin¡¯s feet and stunned him! She then hacked at Lee Sin, while Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BUNBUN!¡±

    An Xin chewed on her tongue which stuck slightly out of her mouth. Her Sejuani was further away than she¡¯d have liked. She ran out from the top side Jungle and ran towards the outer tower in the midne. Above her was arge boulder and above that the brush from which Lee Sin had appeared. I¡¯m almost in range, almost¡­ She flicked her mouse and timed the stun from Ki Burst. I need to go now! She tapped twice on her keyboard, first to cast Arctic Assault and then sh. Her Sejuani charged forward as a mottled sh of light wrapped around her. It carried her a short distance through time and space. She kept her momentum and mmed into Lee Sin, knocking him up into the air!

    An Xin breathed out and nced at Lin Feng. That was close. He was faster than I expected¡­ Faster and better. She breathed out again, loudly. Then she chuckled and said, ¡°No need to yell. I¡¯m always here at your beck and call, you know that.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing, clicking on Lee Sin. His Riven brandished her de and hacked and cut and stabbed at him!

    Zephyr shoutcasted, ¡°And another auto attack! And another! Lee Sin¡¯s health is at critical levels! A few more hits and that¡¯s the kill! Can he stop this!?¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin fell back to the ground. Goalie was shouting in his ears, telling him to sh away. He gritted his teeth and mmed the buttons on his keyboard and clicked on his mouse! But Lin Feng¡¯s Riven linked her skills together too well. All this time, she¡¯d been holding onto the third and final cast from Broken Wings. This one contained a knock up effect. Before Lee Sin¡¯s feet could touch the ground again, he was knocked up again!

    Lin Feng calcted the damage he still needed to do to kill Lee Sin. It¡¯ll be close. If he shes in time¡­ No point in risking it. He cast Ignite on Lee Sin as the Jungler from Team Guangzhou came tumbling back down to the ground. Unquenchable mes lit up on Lee Sin¡¯s body and burned away his health bar! It secured the kill, but not before Lee Sin shed away. Onest act of panic and confusion.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°HAHAHA! HE GOT IT! HE GOT THE KILL!¡±

    ¡°AND THE PANIC FLASH! HE EVEN GOT THE FLASH!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! DOIN¡¯ WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN!¡±

    ¡°Fuck me that was intense. What an outy! WOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°Think I pissed my pants! This game is so exciting!¡±

    ¡°AND I JIZZED IN MY PANTS! YEAH I JIZZED IN MY PANTS!¡±

    ¡°Goalie is screwed!¡± Zephyr eximed. He grabbed his microphone and leaned back in his chair before continuing, ¡°Just look at that! Riven never cared about killing Fizz there! He just wanted the double buff from Lee Sin! I feel so bad for Goalie right now¡­ ying in a solone against an opponent with double buff is the worst experience ever!¡±

    Su Xue smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s Lin Feng for you! Knows exactly how to win hisne, and then wins it! His skills were great there! But let¡¯s not forget about An Xin! She arrived exactly in time! If she¡¯d been a secondter, Lee Sin would¡¯ve escaped!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Zephyr replied. He shook his head and continued, ¡°That Lin Feng actually kept the third cast from Broken Wings all the way until the end there. If Sejuanie had been a bitter? He would¡¯ve just knocked Lee Sin back up and waited for her. That¡¯s what makes it all the more impressive!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes went wide open in surprise. I-I didn¡¯t even think about that¡­ She nced at Lin Feng and shook her head, incredulous. How is he so good? She then smiled and balled her hand into a fist. Good kid! You didn¡¯t let me down! You made me proud! She took a long, deep breath and then said, ¡°Riven¡¯s got the lead in mid! I bet Goalie is stewing real hard on that! But there¡¯s nothing he can do right now! He¡¯s going to need all the help he can get from his teammates if he wants to turn this game back around!¡±

    ?

    Most people in the audience didn¡¯t y League of Legends at the highest level. They just enjoyed watching it, letting themselves be informed about the quality of a y by the casters. The people in the yer seating area watched the game a bit more analytically. But when it came to Lin Feng¡¯s kill on Lee Sin, even they were simply mesmerized by the y. They let themselves get carried away by the casters, cheering for Team Shanghai and a beautiful kill!

    There were only a couple of yers not celebrating this kill. They sat in their seats, silent. Stunned. They were the handful that understood just how much skill it took to do what Lin Feng just did. One of them was Yu Ping. He slowly shook his head, his breathing a bit faster than usual. If I were ying Riven there, I could¡¯ve dodged the Fizz thing. No problem. And the Lee Sin Sonic Wave isn¡¯t that hard to dodge with Valor or sh either. And then¡­ then I¡¯d have retreated. How¡­ How did he even get the idea of going in for the kill? How did he know he had enough damage? How did he know to keep the third strike from Broken Wings until the end there? How did he¡­ How, how, how¡­ He looked through the ss panels of Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth at Lin Feng. Was that just cocky? Or did you know? Did you calcte everything and¡­ That can¡¯t be. Even I¡­ He breathed in, trying to calm himself down. If that¡¯s the real you, then I¡¯m fucked. I need to do something¡­ Think of something!--

    ¡°Nice!¡± Zhang Hongyi shouted next to Yu Ping, interrupting his thoughts. ¡°Kill him! Kill him!¡±

    Yu Ping nced at his teammate and then followed his gaze up to therge LCD screen. It was showing the botne. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona hadnded a Zenith de on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and dashed at her. Before she couldnd a stun with Shield of Daybreak, a ck Shield wrapped around Kalista and protected her from crowd control. But the engage from Leona¡¯s was only a diversion. A trick to force Zeng Rui into using his ck Shield.

    Seo¡¯s Vayne ran past Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and Tumbled to get the angle on Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana for Condemn! She then pulled therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. A thick, massive bolt shot through the air and struck Morgana, lifting her off her feet and pinning her to the wall behind her! Stunned!

    A silver ring appeared beneath Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana, followed soon after by a second one. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona also appeared in front of him, waiting for the stun to wear off, ready to prolong it with Shield of Daybreak.

    Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang! Get out! I¡¯m dead!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She had her Kalista run past Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana and back to the outer tower. In her headphones, she heard the sound of an arrow striking Morgana followed by the explosion of true damage from the three silver rings beneath Morgana¡¯s feet.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona mmed her shield into Morgana right before the stun from Condemn wore off. This gave Seo all the time he needed to auto attack. Silver rings appeared beneath Morgana one after the other. Every third, they exploded and dealt true damage. And then he killed her.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zeng Rui grimaced watching his screen turn grey. He then turned to look across the long desk at An Xin and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Vayne burned her sh there. A gank would be perfect.¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± An Xin replied, smiling.

    ?

    An Xin took a Jungle path that led her past a few camps to the botne, where she arrived at the same time as Zeng Rui did. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners had been pushing Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista after Zeng Rui died and were because of that overextended. Zeng Rui had his Morgana run into thene, past the protection of his minions, while An Xin¡¯s Sejuani appeared in the botne from the river entrance above.

    ¡°They¡¯re doing it! It¡¯s gonna be a kill!¡± Su Xue shouted into her microphone!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and waited briefly. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners were too far away from their outer tower to escape. So rather than try and both survive, Leona body blocked the three from Team Shanghai and helped Seo¡¯s Vayne escape. Zephyr then said into the microphone, ¡°And that was a quick and easy kill. Team Guangzhou practically gave that to Team Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 2-1 again! Team Shanghai is in the lead!¡± Su Xue cheered.

    Zephyr nodded and said, ¡°Right now the difference is all with the Junglers. That gank in bot was a good, decisive gank. But while we focused on that, another gank happened in the topne. It was slow andcklustre and Team Guangzhou didn¡¯t get anything out of it. That¡¯s 0-2 in ganks for Team Guangzhou and 2-0 for Team Shanghai. That¡¯s the real difference.¡±

    The gank in the topne failed because Zhang Hao was ying defensively on an already tanky Champion. Ganking him was never going to work unless he grossly misyed or if Team Guangzhou came with three Champions or more. But Lee Sin revealing himself in the topne did allow for other ys to be made elsewhere on the map. More specifically, in the midne. Lin Feng raised his eyebrows in surprise and mumbled, ¡°Oh? Lee is top? Odd¡­¡± He then shrugged and smirked and said, ¡°Guess I¡¯m getting another kill.¡±

 Chapter 359: Climbing the Pits of Despair

    Goalie was trying his best tost hit minions underneath his tower, frustrated. This second game against Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t going anything like he imagined it¡¯d go. The gank that was supposed tounch him into a convincing lead had backfired. We were 2 against him! How did he stay so calm? Why didn¡¯t he try to run? Everyone runs! How did that fucking dog ignore me to kill the stupid Lee Sin? FUCK! He gritted his teeth, ring at the waves and fire flowing below Riven¡¯s feet. They were the visual representation for the Blue and Red buffs. One lowered skill cooldowns and the other added a burn effect to every auto attack. Two buffs to change the entire dynamic of thene.

    The fact that Riven was a kill up was bad enough for Goalie. It made it far more difficult to win thene. Yet at the same time it was also still winnable. But a Riven powered by the Blue and Red buffs was invincible. One well executedbo by her could kill him. That was why he sat under his tower, grumbling, trying to get a couple ofst hits while staying as far away from the Riven as he possibly could. But even underneath his tower, protected by its powerful energy shots, he didn¡¯t feel safe.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was the first to hit Level 6. Goalie knew it wasing, but it still stung at his ego when it happened. He felt his stomach clench and the faint taste of bile traveled up his throat and swirled in his mouth. How the fuck am I supposed to fight this fucking double buff dog!? Maybe if I have my ultimate and catch him off¡­ But then I first need my ultimate. Level 6¡­ He nced at his experience bar that was almost full. Just one more minion, then I recall and buy another stupid ass ring to get some more damage. It¡¯ll put me behind in the long game, but if I can get something from it¡­ Yeah. And when I get back, that double buff will be gone!

    Goalie watched the minions that were fighting at the edge of his outer tower¡¯s range. Three blue caster minions fired their magic at Red caster minions. One of them had fallen to low health. Just that one. Then I back. Goalie hovered his mouse over the caster minion and cast Urchin Strike. His Fizz dashed through it and sheared away thest of its health with his trident! A small sh of light zed around Fizz. The level up animation! Great! Now I--

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven moved. She dashed forward with Valor and fluidly continued with the first sh from Broken Wings. Goalie¡¯s eyes went round in shock. His entire being screamed at him to escape before Riven could cast Ki Burst and stun him. He mmed down on his E key--yful! Fizz nted his trident in the ground and hopped on top of it. Right then, with Fizz sitting far above the ground safe from a potential Ki Burst, Goalie realized his mistake. Fuck. FUCK! That fucking dog baited me!

    Most people in the stadium didn¡¯t notice Goalie had fallen for Lin Feng¡¯s trap. All they saw was an exchange between the Miners without much actual damage done. Even Zephyr and Su Xue at the caster desk thought as much. But there were several people in the yer seating area who understood what was going to happen next. Qiu Yijie from Fudan University was the first of them to say it out loud. ¡°Goalie used his E too early. Lin Feng can tower dive him now.¡±

    Lin Feng sat up a little straighter, grinned a little brighter. He mumbled just loud enough for his teammates to hear, ¡°Oh, you messed up bad!¡± He licked his lips as his left hand glided across the keyboard, pressing various keys with urate precision.

    Goalie¡¯s Fizz jumped off his trident back towards his tower. When he did, Riven chased after him and activated her ultimate skill. de of the Exile! Runic energy, the representation of her sheer willpower, burst out from her body! It reforged her broken de and boosted all her stats! Fizz sshed down on top of her and dealt some damage. In the distance, the outer tower was charging up an energy shot. She ignored both, stabbing at Fizz and following up with the second cast from Broken Wings--another sweep of the de! She then raised her weapon up to the sky and screamed, ¡°Ki Burst!¡±

    Green, runic energy exploded out around Riven! It swept across Fizz and stunned him! Riven followed up with another auto attack, cancelling the end of the animation with the activation of Wind sh! This second part of her ultimate skill gathered the excess runic energy on her de and gave it the weapon¡¯s sharp property. She then released the energy. It cut through the air. It cut through Fizz! His health bar almost disintegrated!

    Riven grasped her de with both hands and raised it up above her head. She then jumped at Fizz with the third cast from Broken Wings and hacked down on him! The sheer power contained within this attack knocked Fizz up into the air right as the stun from Ki Burst wore off! There, as he dangled in the air, Riven stabbed him with her de. Twice.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    There was a stunned silence in the Tianhe Stadium. The audience stared at therge LCD screen, shocked. Gobsmacked. Then, from the speakers installed all around the stadium, Su Xue¡¯s voice sted. ¡°YEEEEEES! YOU DID IT! YOU LITTLE PUNK, YOU DID IT! YOU SOLO KILLED THAT ARROGANT ASS!¡±

    Zephyr turned his head to look at Su Xue. He covered the microphone with his hand and asked, ¡°Little¡­ punk? Arrogant ass? What?¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s joy fell t. Her eyes grew wide and round as she slowly turned her head to look at Zephyr. She bit on her lips and asked, ¡°Did I really just say that¡­?¡± Her face red when Zephyr nodded. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! I¡¯m a caster! I have to be impartial! I¡¯m the impartial judge here! I can¡¯t take sides! She smiled and said into her microphone, ¡°Uuuh, what I meant, yeah, I was just channeling my inner high schooler! That¡¯s it! That was my best inner high schooler! You know how those high school kids are!¡±

    Zephyr covered his mouth to stop a burst ofughter. He then leaned in towards his microphone and said, ¡°Well, that was some high school cheer, EveningSnowfall! But you¡¯re right! The high schooler did it! He got the solo kill! And what a solo kill that was! Did you see iting? I didn¡¯t! The way he just towerdove there? Absolutely amazing!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡± Su Xue cheered, smiling ufortably. Please tell me no one heard that! Yeah, everyone was too busy cheering for Lin Feng! She nodded at herself again and then added, ¡°That was a fantastic disy of skill by Lin Feng from Team Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°That dive was sick! OH MY GOOOOOD!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG! DOING WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN!¡±¡°Fucking insane! In-fucking-sane!¡±¡°I didn¡¯t even see that mistake from Fizz! How did that guy¡­ HOLY SHIT HE¡¯S GOOD!¡±¡°Some LPL level skills right there! That guy¡¯s going pro!¡°WIN FENG TO THE LPL! WIN FENG TO THE LPL!¡±

    The yers from Zhejiang University found themselves on their feet, cheering for Lin Feng and Team Shanghai. Leading them was Zuo Cheng. He¡¯d wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ¡°See? SEE? I TOLD YOU ALL! Lin Feng is waaaay better than Goalie! He wrecked Goalie! Look at that! Look at that! Did you guys see that? He solo killed Goalie in a towerdive! HE TOWERDOVE GOALIE AND GOT THE KILL!¡±

    Chu Fang, Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Organization, looked around the yer seating area at the yers from various teams who were up on their feet cheering for Team Shanghai. Then he looked at those still seated and found most of them pping and apuding. He grinned, gratified. He¡¯s doing it! We¡¯ve got ourselves Maple! The guys from Guangzhou and Beijing won¡¯t know what hit them! How stupid are they thinking they can beat us. We¡¯ve got Maple!

    The coaches from Team Beijing and Team Guangzhou watched the rey of Lin Feng¡¯s kill on Goalie on therge LCD screen, shocked. Team Beijing¡¯s coach kept ncing at Yu Ping and tried to figure out who between him and Lin Feng was the better yer and if there was something he could do to help his team. But his team wasn¡¯t ying right now. He still had time toe up with a solution. That wasn¡¯t the case for Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou. He was pulling on his hair, desperate, and cried out, ¡°How is that kid this good!? How is he beating Goalie!? I found Goalie in Korea! He made it all the way to the Top 10 Korean Challengerdder! How did the Shanghai division find someone even better! How is this possible!?¡±

    In Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Goalie sat behind hisputer, seething. The dull grey colours stung, but not as much as the people he could see cheering over the rim of his monitor. They were all cheering for a solo kill on him. He gritted his teeth and mmed his fist down on the desk. I hate him! I hate him so much! So fucking much! I¡¯ma kill that dog! I¡¯ll show him! I¡¯m gonna, gonna, gonna¡­ ¡°Aaargh! I¡¯ve never been this humiliated!¡± He yelled in Korean. His teammates nced at him but he ignored them. He red at Lin Feng¡¯s Riven and mumbled, ¡°You watch your back. Sleep with an eye open. I¡¯m going to get you!¡±

    ?

    Only 8 minutes into the game, Team Shanghai held amanding lead. Mid was practically lost for Team Guangzhou and bot was struggling. But top was still rtively even. So when the opportunity for a gank presented itself, they jumped on it. Goalie¡¯s Fizz snuck away from the midne and joined Lee Sin in the tri brush behind Blue Team¡¯s outer tower.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo was throwing cleavers at the minions there, passively farming. When he walked a bit close to the wall of trees and boulders separating thene from the Jungle, a fish flew at him. Hit him. It started swimming around him, a portal opening beneath. A dark shadow appeared from the depths, waiting for the portal to grow big enough.

    After casting his ultimate skill--Chum the Waters--Goalie¡¯s Fizz dashed at Dr. Mundo with Urchin Strike! Lee Sin joined behind him with a Sonic Wave into Resonating Strike! From the other side of the tower, Fiora Lunged into the fight, stabbing Dr. Mundo with her rapier! That was when the portal beneath Dr. Mundo fully opened and Megalodon jumped out, knocking Dr. Mundo up in the air and mauling him!

    Dr. Mundo was known for his high health bar and frightening regenerative abilities. More specifically, his ultimate skill called Sadism was basically a second health bar! But there was a very clear counter to this. Ignite. The unquenchable mes didn¡¯t just burn away at his health bar, they also lowered the efficacy of health regeneration skills and abilities! Goalie¡¯s Fizz cast Ignite, then followed up with yful! He stabbed his trident in the ground and hopped on top of it, stopping the outer tower from firing energy shots at him. When the tower switched aggro to Lee Sin, he hopped back down from his trident with Trickster, activated Seastone Trident to empower his basic attacks and dug the three prongs from his trident in Dr. Mundo!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Tower, tower!¡± Goalie ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, the hints of a smile appearing on his face. Getting a kill on Dr. Mundo wasn¡¯t the same as getting revenge on Lin Feng¡¯s Riven. But it was something. A lifeline to help him get back into this game. He smiled and panned his camera across the map. Down in the bottom side river, Team Shanghai was countering their y at top by taking the Dragon, but he¡¯d expected as much. He¡¯d be disappointed if they hadn¡¯t done that. This is all going as I want it to go. This is how it should be! Now all that remains for me to do¡­ He zoomed in on the Riven and gnashed his teeth. All that remains is to kill that dog!

    ¡°Woooo! A kill in top on Mundo!¡± Su Xue eximed, smiling. I¡¯m impartial!

    Zephyr nced at Su Xue and then said into his microphone, ¡°Team Guangzhou got the kill on Mundo and the top outer tower from that gank. But Team Shanghai used that opening to take the Dragon. That¡¯s a pretty standard trade.¡±

    ¡°I think we also can¡¯t forget about what¡¯s happening in the midne,¡± Su Xue added. She pointed at her monitor and continued, ¡°Lin Feng¡¯s Riven has almost destroyed it. That isn¡¯t a direct advantage, but it could prove importantter on. And. On top of that, we can¡¯t forget that Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners backed away real quick when their team made the y in top. Imagine what could¡¯ve been if they stuck around!¡±

    Zephyrughed and said, ¡°A beautiful skirmish is what could¡¯ve been! But slow and steady is the game n for Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners this game! And who can me them? Vayne is a Champion that only gets stronger as the game progresses. He¡¯s perfectly happy letting this game drag on to the ultrate game!¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm!¡± Su Xue agreed.

    Zephyr¡¯s deduction was spot on. In Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Seo had retreated deep under his outer tower, far away from a possible gank by Team Shanghai. He¡¯d moved his camera towards the Dragon pit and watched Team Shanghai y the creature, steaming. Calm, calm. Goalie¡¯s right. I need to be calm. I¡¯m ying Vayne. Late game! I¡¯ll be the hyper carry in thete game. I¡¯m one kill up. This is only going to get better! I¡¯ll make those¡­ those¡­ He closed his eyes and forced himself to take deep, long breaths. Stay calm. Don¡¯t call them names. That¡¯s just going to work you up-- FUCK THOSE BASTARDS! I¡¯M GONNA KILL THEM ALL AND MAKE SURE NO ONE REMEMBERS THEIR FACES! He mmed his fist on the desk in frustration.

    ?

    There was a short lull in the game. The yers from both sides returned to farming their respectivenes and the Jungle. But this could neverst long. Topne waspletely in Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora¡¯s control. But at the same time, Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo was tanky enough where he could survive everything she tried. He simply clung to a defensive position halfway up hisne and farmed minions. If Fiora tried to push, she''d be susceptible to a gank from An Xin¡¯s Sejuani; if she didn¡¯t, she¡¯d fall behind in levels due to lost experience. So she had to take a different tactic. More specifically, she roamed down to the midne for a gank.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was pushing so hard in the midne that Goalie could only ce his Fizz defensively next to his outer tower. Even then, the tower only had a couple of auto attacks worth of health remaining. Goalie chewed on his lips and grumbled quietints, clicking around his tower furiously. That all changed when he nced at his minimap and saw Fiora running down the river. A smile crept onto his face. The slightest opening is all I need! Thanks Fiora! He smashed down on his keyboard to activate Chum the Waters! His Fizz stabbed his trident forward to fling a fish at Riven! It hit Riven and started swimming circles around her, a portal to the deep opening beneath her.

    ¡°A GANK! A GANK! THEY¡¯RE GONNA GET THE RIVEN!¡±¡°FINALLY A COMEBACK KILL! LET¡¯S GOOOOO!¡±¡°WE¡¯RE FROM GUANGZHOU AND WE¡¯RE PROUD!¡±¡°TEAM GUANGZHOU, LET¡¯S FUCKING GOOOOO!¡±

    Zephyr chuckled and said into his microphone, ¡°Sounds like we¡¯ve got some fans from Guangzhou in the stadium with us today! Let¡¯s give it another one for Team Guangzhou!¡±

    ¡°Team Guangzhou! Woooooo!¡± Su Xue eximed, cringing. It feels all kinds of wrong to cheer for Team Guangzhou¡­ But I¡¯m impartial! No one is more impartial than I am! I¡¯ll hype up both sides and then cheer nice and loud when Lin Feng wins!

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. He counted the seconds until Megalodon would jump at him through the portal to knock him up and how long until Fiora would arrive in thene--a ward had revealed her seconds earlier. He ced a finger on the D key. shing was the only way to escape the initial engage. He turned hisplete focus to Goalie¡¯s Fizz. You¡¯ll jump on me first, won¡¯t you? You¡¯re impatient like that.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora arrived in the brush right above the midne and the portal to the deep beneath Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was growing wider. Goalie couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Riven with Urchin Strike and followed up with yful! He hopped on top of his trident and waited to see where Lin Feng was going to escape to, ready to sh after him.

    Fiora was in thene and almost upon Lin Feng¡¯s Riven and the Megalodon could jump through the portal at any moment. Yet Lin Feng didn¡¯t sh. He waited, patient. Careful. Then it all happened. A mottled sh of light wrapped around Goalie¡¯s Fizz as he guessed the direction in which Lin Feng was going to escape, the Megalodon jumped out from the water and Fiora Lunged at Lin Feng¡¯s Riven! And Lin Feng shed. A veil of light fell over his Riven and carried her a short distance towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. Behind him, Fiora stabbed Megalodon who failed to knock up Lin Feng. And even further behind him, Goalie¡¯s Fizz had shed the wrong direction.

    ¡°OH MY GOD! HE JUST¡­¡± Zephyr cried out. ¡°HE JUST DODGED IT ALL!¡±

    Su Xue clenched her fist, her knuckles white, and shouted, ¡°THAT¡¯S LIN FENG FOR YOU!¡±

    ¡°HOLY DAMN!¡±¡°OH MY GOOOOD!¡±¡°DID HE JUST? YEAH HE DID!¡±¡°BEJEBUS!¡±

    Goalie¡¯s eyes twitched and his mouse hand trembled. He nced up towards his outer tower where Riven was. How did he¡­? He just¡­ His mind was numb, his passive self taking control over his body. He clicked towards Lin Feng¡¯s Riven, though all his skills were on cooldown.

    Lin Feng was in his element. He was ying a high mechanical Champion and relied on his high mechanical skills to outy not one but two Champions. His fingers glided over his keyboard in practiced motion and he moved his mouse in short bursts with frightening uracy. There were two targets in front of him. Two victims. He grinned as he activated de of the Exile!

    A thick hue of runic energy appeared around Riven. It reforged her de and boosted her stats! She followed up by jumping towards Fiora and Fizz and sweeping out with her de! This was the first cast from Broken Wings and brought her exactly in range for a double stun! Riven pointed her reforged de up at the sky and shouted, ¡°Ki Burst!¡± Green energy exploded outwards and smashed into Fiora and Fizz! Both were stunned. She then cast Ignite on Fizz while also stabbing at him with an auto attack!

 Chapter 360: It all Rests on his Shoulders

    Goalie stared at his screen, unblinking. He watched the mes from Ignite burning away at his health. Riven swept at his Fizz with her de, the second cast from Broken Wings. The next one would knock him up. Her reforged de¡¯s damage was too high and after another auto attack, his screen started shing red. He gritted his teeth and nced down at his skill bar. There were four big icons, three for his main skills and the fourth for his ultimate. They were all greyed out with a timer counting down until he could use them again.

    I can¡¯t outy him. I¡¯ve got nothing¡­ I¡­ I need help. I need help dammit! Goalie looked at Fiora who¡¯d cast her ultimate skill--Grand Challenge--on Lin Feng¡¯s Riven. This skill revealed the four vitals on Riven. Fiora needed to hit all four of them to summon a healing field. If she can get the healing field up, then Riven can attack me all she wants. She won¡¯t kill me! He licked his lips and said in broken Chinese, ¡°Fiora! Ult vital! Attack healing field!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner nced at Goalie who sat to his left. He¡¯d grown used to the broken Chinese over the previous couple of months. More than that, they¡¯d built a type of understanding. He¡¯d learned how to best support Goalie to bring the best out of him. Right now, that meant supporting him in getting a kill on Riven. And the best way to do that was by giving Goalie some health so that he could survive long enough to get that kill. He replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯m trying. I am! But the way this Riven moves? I don¡¯t know, I just can¡¯t get it¡­¡±

    Zephyr leaned over the caster desk, pushing the microphone to his lips. He shoutcasted, ¡°Riven is so quick on her feet! So nimble! Look at how she¡¯s just toying with the Fiora! This is amazing! How is she doing this?¡±

    ¡°Fiora can¡¯t get more than 2 vitals! She won¡¯t get her healing field up in time!¡± Su Xue eximed, clenching her fists until the knuckles were white. Come on, Lin Feng! Show them!

    ¡°Damn right!¡± Zephyr continued. ¡°Team Guangzhou is really trying to shut this Riven down here, but it¡¯s looking like it¡¯s toote. And now-- WATCH THAT!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned. He¡¯d forced Fiora to walk to his right to try and stab at the third vital, while Fizz was to his left. He then activated Valor! His Riven dashed through Fizz, after which she turned around and raised her de over her shoulder. Green, runic energy gathered on the de and gained its sharp property. Wind sh! Riven swept out with her de and fired the energy wave at Fizz and Fiora! She followed up with the third cast from Broken Wings, grabbing the hilt of her weapon with both hands and raising it above her head. She then leaped at Fizz and hacked down on him!

    ¡¶Killing Spree!¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner ground his teeth. Goalie was yelling into his ears in abination of broken Chinese and Korean, but the message came across. He was pissed. Very, very pissed. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner closed his eyes for a brief moment. I can run but Goalie will get even worse then. He wants to get a 1 for 1 trade and if I get those four vitals and the healing field¡­ His eyes shed open and he clicked on Riven, then pressed down on the Q key--Lunge!

    ¡°He¡¯s still going in! He¡¯s still going in!¡± Zephyr eximed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he see the Sejuani? SHE¡¯S RIGHT THERE!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora Lunged at Riven and then ran after him, past the middle of thene and towards Blue Team¡¯s outer tower. He forgot about his minimap, or the cooldowns on his skills. All he could hear was Goalie yelling at him and all he could see was Riven taunting him by merely being alive. He only noticed An Xin¡¯s Sejuani when she barreled into him with Arctic Assault and knocked him up. He then got hit by her cial Prison. A snowstorm mmed into him and froze him stiff! Stunned.

    ¡°Sweet!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he kepting!¡± He had his Riven stop running away and turned around to face Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora again. Then he auto attacked her. His Riven¡¯s de hacked, cut and stabbed Fiora, whittling down her health until it ran empty.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO! WIN FENG WIN FENG!¡±¡°THE DOUBLE! IT¡¯S THE FREAKING 1VS2 DOUBLE KILL!¡±¡°That outy was fucking sick! Like holy hot diggity damn! Can you believe that?¡±¡°I need to see those two from Team Guangzhou raging! They gotta be raging right about now, right!?¡±¡°BEST RIVEN IN KOREA! WE¡¯VE GOT OURSELVES THE BEST RIVEN IN CHINA AND KOREA AND THE WORLD! WOOOOOO! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°The way that Riven linked together her skills. How she animation cancelled and knew just how to position herself to keep the Fiora from pring her ultimate¡­ Like, just, how? How did she do that? How is that kid that good? He could be in the LPL! Heck, he can probably make it to Worlds!¡±

    Yu Ping sat in the yer seating area together with his teammates and coaches from Team Beijing. He nced at them, listened to them gulping in awe, and sunk far away into his chair. He wished to be invisible, to get far away from anyone who knew him. Because he knew they would ask him what he thought about this y by Riven, and he knew they were going to ask him if he could do the same. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­ What that Riven just did¡­¡± He looked back at therge LCD screen and then down at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. What that Riven just did was insane. There¡¯s no one that good¡­ Except for him.

    ?

    At 13 minutes, Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler and Support decided that they had to help mid. Goalie was starting to lose really badly. To the point where it looked like the game might be lost because Riven could start pushing towers. So the two snuck through Blue team¡¯s Jungle, evading Team Shanghai¡¯s wards and arrived in the midne.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin ced a ward down behind Riven and hopped towards it with Safeguard! He followed up with his ultimate skill--Dragon¡¯s Rage! He lifted his foot high above the ground and then borrowed the strength of a Dragon as he struck Lin Feng¡¯s Riven with a roundhouse kick! There was so much force behind the kick that Riven was sent flying backwards!

    Goalie smiled, barely. He knew where Riven was going tond and he knew Riven didn¡¯t have her ultimate back up yet. He cast Chum the Waters. A small fish flew towards where Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was going tond. And hit Riven as shended. A portal began opening beneath Riven, the shadow of Megalodon appearing in the deep beneath.

    ¡°Ah crap!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He shook his head, his fingers gliding over his keyboard. He activated de of the Exile! Runic, green energy reforged his de and boosted his stats! He followed up with Broken Wings, sweeping his de out towards Lee Sin! He continued with the second cast from Broken Wings and then the third before finishing thebo with a Wind sh!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°HE GOT THE KILL! HE GOT THE KILL!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone. He shook his head, incredulous, and added, ¡°He got the kill!¡±

    The portal to the deep beneath Lin Feng¡¯s Riven opened wide enough for Megalodon to jump out! The enormous shark knocked Riven up into the air and took arge bite out of her health bar! Right then, Leona raised her sword to the sky and called down a Sr re! The smouldering heat mmed down on Riven and stunned her! Leona followed up with the Exhaust, its debilitating red aura washing over Riven, and left the rest to Goalie.

    Goalie¡¯s Fizz dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Riven with Urchin Strike, stabbing him with the trident. He followed up with Seastone Trident to empower his auto attacks and Ignite. Unquenchable mes started burning on Riven¡¯s skin, while the auto attacks with the trident dealt a ton of damage.

    The stun from Sr re was about to wear off, so Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona cast Shield of Daybreak! She mmed her shield into Riven and stunned her again! All the while, Goalie¡¯s Fizz continued attacking Lin Feng¡¯s Riven, cycling through his skills until he killed Riven.

    ¡¶Shut Down!¡·

    ¡°Aaah, that¡¯s no fun,¡± Lin Fengined. He looked at his dull grey screen and shook his head. He then shrugged and added, ¡°Whatever, I got a kill. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Across the stage in Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth there was an odd atmosphere. The Jungler and Support cheered for the kill, but Goalie didn¡¯t join them. He just stared at his monitor, at the dead Riven. I got the bonus gold for the shutdown. But what¡¯s the point? What¡¯s that going to do for me? We won that fight because we had three Champions throw all our skills and Summoner Spells at him, and he still got a kill! I¡¯ve got a bit more gold now, but so what? So what¡­? He felt a cold chill run up and down his spine, tickling his nerves. He didn¡¯t even have sh or Ignite up. Next fight he will have those again as well! Then what? He¡¯ll dodge my ultimate or Leona¡¯s ultimate and then we¡¯re fucked. Fucked. FUCK!

    ?

    The second Dragon of the game spawned and at 14 minutes Team Shanghai moved to take it. The yers from Team Guangzhou started gathering to try and contest. The Support Leona was cing wards to get vision and Seo was searching for angles to pick someone off. But then Goalie¡¯s voice sounded over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let them. No fight.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Seo asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m stronger now!¡±

    ¡°Riven, sh and Ignite,¡± Goalie exined in his broken Chinese.

    The three Chinese yers from Team Guangzhou had learned early on not to challenge Goalie on his calls. So when he told them to let Dragon go, they focused back on what they were doing before. But Seo wasn¡¯t quite there. He was proud of his rank as a Korean Challenger. He was proud of his skill! And though he recognized Goalie was a better yer, he didn¡¯t believe the difference was all that big. He gnashed his teeth and looked at the Dragon pit. Leona had warded deep enough so that he could see Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista hurling spears at something in the fog of war. They¡¯re taking the Dragon and we¡¯re¡­ We¡¯re¡­

    Seo nced at Goalie and saw the twitching eyelid, the slightly raised nose and the narrowed eyes. He also doesn¡¯t like it. But he knows we can¡¯t win it. Maybe¡­ He hit the Tab key and looked at Team Shanghai. At the 5/1/0 Riven. FUCK! I didn¡¯t realise mid was going this bad! How the¡­ I need a Quicksilver Sash! The active skill on it lets me cleanse stuns. The Riven will one-shot me without it. I need five more minutes. That¡¯s all I need! Five minutes! Then I¡¯ll get my QSS and I¡¯ll wreck that stupid fucking Riven and tear that ugly ass grin off his beggar face!

    ¡¶The Blue Team has in the Dragon¡·

    ¡°Dragon to Team Shanghai!¡± Su Xue cheered. She smiled and analysed, ¡°That¡¯s two Dragons now for Team Shanghai. And they¡¯ve also got the mega fed Riven! I don¡¯t see how Team Guangzhou is going to fight themselves back into this game¡­¡±

    Zephyr turned his head to look at Su Xue and analysed, ¡°That¡¯s not entirely impossible. Riven is clearly fed. Team Guangzhou needs to find a way to get someone on their team just as fed. Now this obviously isn¡¯t going to happen by ganking mid. We¡¯ve seen what happens when they try that. And I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s smart to gank top either. Dr. Mundo is just so tanky. It¡¯s going to take so much time and resources to kill him. I don¡¯t see how that¡¯d be worth it. But the botne¡­¡± He briefly paused for dramatic effect and then concluded, ¡°There are possibilities in bot. And a fed Vayne? Ain¡¯t no one stopping a fed Vayne. Not even Riven.¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Su Xue replied. ¡°I just don¡¯t see botne suddenly losing so hard after staying even for the better part of the previous game and this one.¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hao was farming minions in the topne with his Dr. Mundo. He felt in his element. Mundo was a Champion with a lot of health and regeneration. More specifically, his low cooldown ultimate allowed him to regain all his health in a matter of seconds. The first couple of levels were a challenge, because he didn¡¯t have the items or skills avable to survive. But at this stage of the game, nearly 16 minutes in, it would take more than just Fiora to kill him. So he pushed hisne, killed minions, and drew attention to him and away from the othernes. I can just run and the others can scale faster! I¡¯m ying grea-- He suddenly spotted Fiora, who he thought was recalling back to base, teleporting. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Careful! Fiora is teleporting somewhere!¡±

    A red pir of light fell down on the botne behind Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes went wide in shock. They were pushing into Red team¡¯s outer tower. He knew it was dangerous, but he thought he¡¯d cleared the wards behind them and he had vision on the river. When did they get that ward there? How did I miss that!? I can¡¯t miss-- He gritted his teeth and mmed on his keyboard, casting ck Shield on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. He then ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Back! Retreat!¡±

    ck Shield would protect Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista from crowd control skills for five seconds. The only way to break it was with magic damage. But with Fizz in the midne, Team Guangzhou didn¡¯t have that magic damage. Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡± She then moved her mouse hand, grimacing at the pain from her pinky, and had her Kalista run back towards the Blue team¡¯s outer tower.

    Team Guangzhou knew there was no point in casting crowd control skills on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista right now. But the bottomne was long and Zeng Rui had cast ck Shield early. It would take more than five seconds to get away. So Leona ran after Kalista and counted down the seconds, quietly mumbling them. Five¡­ Four¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ He pressed the E key--Zenith de! A sr projection of Leona¡¯s sword pierced Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista! It solidified and pulled Leona in, who then mmed her shield against Kalista and stunned her with Shield of Daybreak!

    Zeng Rui panned his camera around the botne. Lee Sin appeared on a ward in the river, running down. Behind them, Fiora almost finished her teleportation and Zhang Hao couldn¡¯t stop her. What can we do? BunBun is too far away and Lin Feng is busy in mid¡­ He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Ult me Tang Tang!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. She repeatedly pressed down on the R key to cast Fate¡¯s Call. When the stun from Shield of Daybreak was about to wear off, Leona raised her sword to the sky and called down a Sr re! Come on, faster! Don¡¯t let it be perfect! She kept pressing the R key but now also added in the D key to sh away. Then, right when the sr re mmed into the ground, a veil of light wrapped around her while Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana turned to spirit form and entered her body.

    The sh carried Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista away from the stun. Leona and Vayne were a fair bit behind her now, with Lee Sin near them. There was only Irelia who could kill her now. She tightened the grip on her mouse, ignoring the pain ring in her pinky. ¡°Knock Irelia up!¡± she said to Zeng Rui.

    Zeng Rui aimed at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia. This was the second part of Kalista¡¯s ultimate. He could fire himself, like a human cannonball. And whoever he connected with, they¡¯d get knocked up! That should give Tang Tang enough time to get away. The others are far enough awa-- His stomach dropped. Seo¡¯s Vayne had a movement speed bonus when moving towards enemy Champions. And she also still had sh. She¡¯s dead. Tang Tang is dead. He moved his mouse away from Irelia and more towards his outer tower and activated the second part of Fate¡¯s Call.

    Seo¡¯s Vayne found the angle on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. He took therge crossbow from his back and squeezed the trigger, Condemning Kalista to the wall behind her. GOT YOU NOW, BITCH! STUPID, STUPID, CUNT! He breathed faster, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had her now. He knew it. Her health dropped from his silver bolts. Every third, a small explosion hit her with true damage. Seo smiled, grinned. Laughed. ¡°See who¡¯ll remember your face now, you whining ass bitch!¡±

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Sorry, Tang Tang,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°I saw Vayne get the angle and knew there was nothing I could do.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s fine.¡± She then put her hands beneath the desk and carefully rubbed her painful pinky. This isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m now dying because of this¡­ Maybe-- No! I¡¯m not giving up! Am. Not.

    Lin Feng grinned and asked, ¡°He wasted his sh, right? I¡¯ll put him back in his ce! Right after we take their inner tower!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re pushing for the inner?¡± An Xin asked, watching the minimap. Team Guangzhou was pushing to take the bot outer tower after killing Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. And she was in the midne with Lin Feng, pushing the wave and moments away from destroying the outer tower.

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    ¡°Help!¡± Goalie shouted over Team Guangzhou¡¯s voice chat. ¡°They keep push!¡±

    Seo nced at his Miner and replied in Korean, ¡°Just hold it for a bit longer. We¡¯ve almost got bot. Almost¡­¡±

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was incredibly fed. Her high attack damage meant that she could take a tower down incredibly quickly. The Blue minions marched at the mid inner tower and started attacking it. Goalie¡¯s Fizz was hovering in the distance, but didn¡¯t dare to get too close. Between Riven and Sejuani there were so many stuns that he¡¯d just die if he got too close.

    Goalie nced at his minimap again. He wanted to scream at his teammates. The midne inner tower was so much more important than the botne outer tower. One gave the opponent control over the Jungle and the other was an out of the way tower no one really cared about. He gritted his teeth and mouthed, ¡°Idiots!¡± He watched his teammates running towards the midne, but knew they were far toote. ¡°Idiots. All of them.¡±

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    ¡°Good call by Team Shanghai!¡± Su Xue said. She leaned closer to her microphone and continued, ¡°They knew bot was lost, so rather than protecting it they took something far more valuable in mid!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and exined, ¡°My co-caster here ispletely right. The midne inner tower is just so much more valuable than the outer tower in bot. And it¡¯s not like Team Guangzhou could keep pushing bot either, because then Team Shanghai would¡¯ve just taken the inhibitor tower and inhibitor.¡± He briefly paused and then continued, ¡°On a positive note for Team Guangzhou, at least Vayne is scaling now. He¡¯s got that kill he needed. Now what he really needs is to get a few more. Buy that QSS and outy the Riven. It¡¯s a steep task, I know, but it¡¯s the only way for Team Guangzhou to win this one.¡±

    ?

    Seo looked around the map and took stock of the game. They were 17 minutes in and only the Riven was really fed. He also understood that he was the only one who could realistically stop the Riven, especially with the tower in mid destroyed. Goalie¡¯s gonna be pissed. But sucks to be him. He got his towers destroyed! Bot is still going great! I¡¯m doing great! I can push these minions and then I¡¯ll finally have enough money to buy a Quicksilver Sash! Watch that Riven try to stop me then! He clicked on the minions, his Vayne¡¯s high attack speed allowing him to tear through them. When all minions of thetest wave were dead, he retreated to the brush between his inner and outer tower--just to be safe--and started recalling back to base. He opened the shop and typed out ¡®Quicksilver Sash¡¯ in the search bar.

    ¡°SEO! SEO!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°SEO! RIVEN!¡± Goalie yelled.

    Seo scrunched his eyebrows and closed the shop window, annoyed by the many ¡®retreat¡¯ pings booming in his ears and shing on his minimap. What are those guys-- OH SHIT! His eyes grew wide and round. Riven was running straight at him! He nced down at the recall timer. Three more seconds to finish the cast. Not enough! He looked at his inner tower and then searched where his teammates were. No one was nearby. It was just him and Riven. Fuck¡­ Fuck! FUCK FUCK FUCK! He narrowed his eyes, his stomach clenching so much that it hurt. FUCK! WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT NOFACE, UGLY BEGGAR GUY COME FROM!?

 Chapter 361: My Pinky Hurts! It Really, Really Hurts!

    Lin Feng hummed to the rhythm of Riven¡¯s boots hitting the mossy grass of the Jungle. To his left was a Camp of wolves, to his right the big Blue Sentinel. And straight ahead of him, past the confines of the Jungle and into the botne, stood a lone brush. Five more seconds till I get him. He grinned. Oh Vay-ayne! Come out,e out wherever you are! He clicked on the brush and then tapped on the Q key for the first cast of Broken Wings!

    Riven swept out with her broken de, covering a slightlyrger distance than she did running. A wave of minions marched her way from Red team¡¯s inner tower. She ignored them and went straight for the brush. When she was only a couple of steps away from it, she cast de of the Exile! Green, runic energy erupted from her body! It coated her skin, boosting her stats, and it reforged her de! She followed up with the second cast from Broken Wings, swiping out with her de and arriving at the brush.

    Seo watched death approaching. Hopeless. His anger turned into rage and reached such levels that there wasn¡¯t a clear thought left in his head. Darkness yed at the edge of his vision and his heart kept mming against his ribcage. He jabbed at the E key, making his Vayne pull therge crossbow from her back and squeezing the trigger. A thick, massive bolt pierced Riven and pushed her back. But there was no wall or structure behind her, nothing to pin her to. She dashed straight back at him with Valor. He jabbed at his keyboard harder, more frantic.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven raised her sword and shrieked, ¡°Ki Burst!¡± Energy seeped out from her feet and shot out around her! It grabbed onto Vayne¡¯s feet and locked her in position! Riven followed up with Wind sh into the third cast from Broken Wings! A sharp wave of energy cut through Vayne right as Riven hacked down on Vayne and knocked her up! She then continued with an auto attack, and another.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zephyr shook his head and said into his microphone, ¡°There was no escaping that. Riven is so fed. It¡¯s ridiculous how much damage she does. Even sh wouldn¡¯t have saved Vayne there.¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm! Mm-mhm!¡± Su Xue agreed, nodding. She then added, ¡°But it¡¯s not the damage part that was impressive here. It was finding the opportunity that was impressive! Lin Feng knew just when to roam through Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungle to get to Seo before his Vayne couldplete the recall! That¡¯s really good timing!¡±

    ?

    Summoner¡¯s Rift had the Dragon and Baron Nashor, and this game also Riven. Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was levels ahead of everyone else and he also had more items than anyone else. Team Guangzhou knew they had to stay far away from him if they held any hopes of turning this game around and winning it. That was precisely what Goalie exined to his teammates. He forbade them to fight Riven and instructed them to look for opportunities to catch the other members, those not fed, out of position.

    At 19 minutes, Tang Bingyao had her Kalista run to the midne to catch a wave of minions for some extra gold and experience. She didn¡¯t have vision on Goalie¡¯s Fizz, but believed she was close enough to her outer tower in case he did appear. She underestimated Fizz¡¯s speed and damage.

    Goalie¡¯s Fizz charged into thene and activated his ultimate--Chum the Waters! A fish struck Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and started swimming around her, a portal to the deep opening up beneath her feet. Fizz followed up with yful into Trickster, pole vaulting to cross the gap between him and Kalista. He then targeted Kalista with Urchin Strike, dashing through her and piercing her with his trident!

    The portal to the deep opened wide enough for Megalodon to jump up and take a bite out of Kalista! Seo¡¯s Fizz stood at the edge of the portal, his trident glowing from the effects of Seastone Trident! He jabbed at Kalista, each empowered attack shearing away at her health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Tang Bingyao looked at her dull grey screen and slowly shook her head. She mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°My bad. I thought I could get away¡­¡±

    At 19:30 minutes, Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana was moving through the bottom half of the river, cing down wards. He nced at his minimap and searched for where Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions were. Fizz is still mid and their Jungler is top. I should be fine to ce a ward in their Blue Buff Camp. If I can just get it in the brush next to it¡­ He nced at the midne again, then had his Morgana slip into Red team¡¯s bottom side Jungle.

    Seo had spotted Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana cing wards, and smiled. The clouds of swirling darkness in his mind spread apart just far enough for him to find that singr sparkle of light. An opportunity; a chance to get back into this game. He had his Vayne hide in the brush next to the Blue Buff Camp and waited for Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana to go too deep. They always do.

    Zeng Rui kept ncing at his minimap, double and triple checking that no one was moving in his direction. Nothing showed a potential copse on him. So he pushed onwards, deeper into Red team¡¯s Jungle until he was right in front of the brush next to the Blue Buff Camp. He breathed out, relieved, and ced down the ward. It revealed Vayne. Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes grew wide and round and he mumbled, ¡°Shit!¡±

    Seo¡¯s Vayne Tumbled to the side, dodging Morgana¡¯s Dark Binding. He then made full use of his Vayne¡¯s passive skill that boosted his movement speed while chasing an enemy to run after Morgana. He grinned. Yeah, you use that ck Shield! Good, good. I¡¯ll just wait it out. No worries. You can¡¯t get away from me! Yes, yes! Cast your Soul Shackles! Do it! He had his Vayne stop running as the Soul Shackles flew his way. They only reached so far around Morgana. All he had to do was let the distance between them grow a bit, just enough to make the magical shackles miss him, and then he continued the chase--his boosted movement speed allowing him to catch back up to her.

    Silver bolts struck Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana. Every third was followed by an explosion of true damage. Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana ran into the river. Team Shanghai¡¯s botne outer tower was destroyed, but the one in the midne was still up. So he took a right in the river and ran up, shouting over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Help! Help!¡± But there was no one around to help him. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista had died in mid and An Xin was on the wrong side of the map.

    Seo¡¯s Vayne caught up to Morgana and then passed by her, just enough to get the angle. There was the wall from the Dragon pit behind Morgana. Vayne raised therge crossbow from her back and squeezed the trigger. The thick, massive bolt pinned Morgana to the wall. Another round of silver bolts followed.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Sun Ruinian from Zhejiang University watched therge LCD screen and shook his head. The fans behind him were cheering for their team from Guangzhou and the casters were further boosting the hype. All of them were focused on the kill and how Seo had dodged the Dark Binding and kept his Condemn until the ck Shield wore off. But there was something else entirely that kept Sun Ruinian¡¯s attention. His mechanics are great, no doubt. He is a Korean Challenger. But his awareness. To know to wait in that brush there. That¡¯s difficult to deal with. He nodded and said to no one in particr, ¡°This guy¡­ Seo¡­ We can¡¯t underestimate him.¡±

    ?

    Zephyr reached for his microphone and said, ¡°That¡¯s now twice in as many minutes that Team Guangzhou catches Team Shanghai out of position! All the while staying far away from Riven! I have to say, the game is getting closer. If this happens another time or two, we¡¯ll find it back to even.¡± He briefly paused to nce at the statistics and then continued, ¡°We¡¯ve basically got Riven versus Fizz and Vayne. Kalista is kind of useless at this point. If Fizz and Vayne get scale a bit more, we¡¯ve got ourselves a real series!¡±

    ¡°Except¡­¡± Su Xue replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think Kalista is all that useless. Sure she got caught there and she isn¡¯t as fed as Riven or Fizz or Vayne. But that doesn¡¯t make her useless! If Team Guangzhou focuses all their attention on Riven, she¡¯ll still be doing a ton of damage to them!¡±

    ¡°Right. If,¡± Zephyr agreed.

    Down in the yer seating area, Yin Wei from Team Guangzhou leaned back in his seat. For the first time in this series, he felt in control. His two Korean imports were getting kills and their only opposition was a fed Riven. He smiled wickedly. It¡¯s just the Riven, like the caster-guy said! Goalie and Seo versus that stupid kid from Shanghai! This is going to be our win! There is no way those two lose to that kid! They¡¯ll catch up and surpass him and then all those kills your stupid Riven has won¡¯t mean anything! My team is going to win this game and the next two! We¡¯re going to the quarterfinals and you can go back on your ne and go home!

    ?

    Zeng Rui said through gritted teeth, ¡°I knew something was off. But I couldn¡¯t see it¡­ Sorry guys, my bad. We really can¡¯t let that Vayne get much stronger.¡±

    ¡°My bad too,¡± Tang Bingyao added over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°I really thought I could get away faster, but it¡¯s just¡­¡± She bit on her lips and sucked back the tears gathering at her eyes. A lump filled her throat. I have to tell them. I can¡¯t y three more games¡­ She continued, ¡°My¡­ My pinky. It hurts. I don¡¯t know if I can¡­¡±

    An Xin looked at the minimap and saw Team Guangzhou moving towards the Dragon pit. She nced at Lin Feng who was staring intently at his screen. He can carry this. She nodded at herself and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tang Tang. Don¡¯t worry. Don¡¯t strain yourself. If it doesn¡¯t go, it doesn¡¯t go. Until then, we¡¯re going to end this game asap. Right, Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡¶Red Team has in the Dragon!¡·

    Lin Feng panned his camera down to look at the Dragon pit. The yers from Team Guangzhou were walking away from it. He narrowed his eyes and replied, ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s end this. We¡¯ll force this. Hmm, Okay! Help me push top!¡± He pinged on the inner tower in the topne, while he had his Riven sneak into Team Guangzhou¡¯s top side Jungle and towards the brush right next to the Red Buff Camp.

    An Xin and Zhang Hao responded to Lin Feng¡¯s pings. They pushed through the top tower and marched together with the minions towards the inner tower. The n was simple. Get the towers in exchange for the Dragon. And if Team Guangzhou tried to defend it by running towards the inner tower, they¡¯d run past Lin Feng.

    ¡°Oooh!¡± Zephyr eximed at the caster desk. He looked at his monitor that showed the game in spectator mode. He saw exactly where everyone from Team Shanghai and Team Guangzhou was. More specifically, he saw four yers from Team Guangzhou recalling back to base to run to their topne from there, while Lee Sin was running through the top side Jungle to the topne.

    Su Xue smiled and said into her microphone, ¡°That¡¯s gonna be a kill! Calling it right now! Lin Feng is going to get another one!¡±

    Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou hit himself on the head, repeatedly. ¡°God dammit! You stupid noob! ce a ward! Throw a Q! Don¡¯t go into the damn brush blind! You can¡¯t see what¡¯s in there! STOP RUNNING! DON¡¯T-- Oh my god. You learned nothing¡­¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin ran through the Jungle and straight into the brush that Lin Feng was hiding in. In his hurry, he wasn¡¯t even looking at his Lee Sin. His camera was focused on the top inner tower. His screen suddenly shed Red and his teammates started barking at him over the voice chat. He hit Spacebar, centering his camera on his Lee Sin, and saw Riven hack away thest of his health.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler stared at his dull grey monitor, embarrassed. Humiliated. He¡¯d made such a rookie mistake. An unforgivable error. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ If I¡¯d¡­--¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Goalie interrupted. He looked at the Jungle and forced long, deep breaths. Riven didn¡¯t need to use anything there. And they¡¯ve got Mundo and Sejuani to attack the tower. Those two are so tanky that they can just towerdive us. The three of them are just far stronger and then there¡¯s the crowd control from Riven and Sejuani¡­ We can¡¯t fight them. We just can¡¯t¡­ He shook his head and said in broken Chinese, ¡°We retreat. Base.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Riven moved through the Jungle and came out behind Team Guangzhou¡¯s inner tower. Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo and An Xin¡¯s Sejuani barreled into tower range from the other side. They were pretending to engage on Team Guangzhou, and it had the desired effect. Team Guangzhou retreated fast, giving away their tower, giving away an important game objective which would allow Team Shanghai to close out the game faster.

    Zephyr said into his microphone, ¡°That was a good disengage from Team Guangzhou. The Condemn from Vayne probably saved his life! Just¡­ I find it strange that Riven didn¡¯t use her ultimate. Neither did Sejuani. Dr. Mundo is the only one who did and his ultimate has such a short cooldown that it¡¯ll be up before the next fight anyway!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thinking this was all nned,¡± Su Xue agreed. She looked at the monitor showing the game and continued, ¡°Look how they made Fiora sh and Leona burn her Exhaust. Those are long cooldown skills. Team Shanghai really got the most out of this without wasting any cooldowns basically. It¡¯s a really cool y if you ask me!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Nice work,¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat. His Morgana had respawned on the fountain and he was now looking around the map, searching for their next objective. He eventually continued, ¡°I think we maybe should attack botne next. I don¡¯t think we can attack their inhibitor towers yet.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Zhang Hao asked. He turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and continued, ¡°You think it won¡¯t be enough with my ultimate? I can tank that tower for days! We just need Lin Feng to kill them all and he won¡¯t need days! Seconds will be enough for him!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He shook his head and exined, ¡°Two reasons. One. They¡¯ve got Vayne. He can meld through your health bar. The tower might not be scary to you, but that Vayne definitely is! And two. Vayne has Condemn. Leona has two stuns. Lee Sin has his Dragon¡¯s Rage. They all have skills that can limit Lin Feng¡¯s movements. At the outer and inner towers, thates less into y because there¡¯s more room to maneuver. But the inhibitor tower has far less room and more walls to think about! Lin Feng will just get perma CC¡¯d and killed if we dive.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm. But what do we do then?¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and replied, ¡°Like I said, I think bot--¡±

    ¡°Baron! That¡¯s it! We¡¯re doing Baron!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He grinned and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll force them toe and stop us, because with Baron they can¡¯t defend their base. And when theye, I¡¯ll penta them!¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°I like the sound of that.¡±

    Zeng Rui felt the faint twitching of his eyelid. I¡¯m the shotcaller! Me! Dammit! DAMMIT! He gritted his teeth. Why does his n have to make more sense¡­? Why didn¡¯t I decide on it¡­? He shook his head and agreed, ¡°That might be better, yeah. You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±

    ?

    The yers from Team Shanghai all recalled back to base. Zhang Hao had his Dr. Mundo running down the botne to split-push. The goal was to drag attention away from Baron Nashor while the rest of the team set up vision there. And in case he was needed, he had his Teleport avable and could join them in seconds. The others all bought wards and vision wards and started warding the entire top half of the map.

    ¡°They¡¯re nning to force Baron! They have to be!¡± Zephyr said into his microphone. ¡°It¡¯s such a bold move! But it makes sense! They can¡¯t push the base, so they¡¯re going to force Team Guangzhou to leave their base! Shit! The more I think about it, the more sense it makes! What a brilliant move by Team Shanghai!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and chimed in, ¡°If they get the Baron, they win the game! There¡¯s no way Team Guangzhou can stop them when they¡¯ve got the Baron Buff!¡± She clenched her fists under the caster table and mouthed, ¡°Come on, Lin Feng! Finish this! I know you can!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing that Team Shanghai needs to keep in mind,¡± Zephyr continued. ¡°And that¡¯s that Team Guangzhou isn¡¯t as far behind as they were a couple of minutes ago. Fizz and Vayne are both big threats damage-wise, while Team Shanghai only really has Riven. Sure, they¡¯ve got some tanky units in Sejuani and Dr. Mundo, but beyond that? I don¡¯t know, EveningSnowfall. I think Team Guangzhou might actually win this one if they y it well.¡±

    Su Xue chuckled and replied, ¡°Fat chance.¡±

 Chapter 362: This is the End

    Five Champions stood at the outer boundary of their base. The yers from Team Guangzhou were all looking at their team captain, waiting for his word. Goalie looked at his minimap and grumbled. Everything was going wrong, and just when they needed to scale a bit more to win this game, Team Shanghai forced their hand again. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°We fight.¡±

    Team Guangzhou moved into action, bringing all the wards they could carry. Seo and Goalie also bought two scrying orbs. The first was used to reveal the Baron pit. It confirmed Team Shanghai hadn¡¯t yet started fighting the strongest boss monster. The second scrying orb was used to gain intel on the top side of the Jungle, near the Wraith Camp. It exposed Morgana and Sejuani, who started retreating.

    Goalie said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We push. Leona, vision ward here ¡­¡± he pinged on the brush that connected most of the top side Jungle with the midne. ¡°... and ward here, here and there.¡± He continued pinging on the top side Jungle, pointing out every brush and nook he wanted vision on. All the while, Leona had her Oracle Lens active, revealing the wards from Team Shanghai which the others from Team Guangzhou destroyed.

    Goalie watched his minimap and panned his camera around the map. We need to y this right. It¡¯s still a bit early, but if we y this right¡­ We just need to get that Riven down fast. He took a long, deep breath and then said in broken Chinese over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Leona no exhaust. No fight her. Drag, drag, drag!¡± He then turned his head to look at Seo and continued in Korean, ¡°I want you to stay back. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t get damage off at the start of it. We just need to make sure Riven doesn¡¯t get that initial jump on you. From there I trust you can outy them all?¡±

    Seo nodded, ring at his monitor. He replied, ¡°I can and I will!¡± He ground his teeth and clenched his fists. I¡¯m gonna get the stupid Kalista bitch first and then that Jungler one. I don¡¯t care what her Champion is! Their team sucks! They all fucking suck! Suck! SUCK! SUCK--

    ¡°Remember! Biggest threat Riven!¡± Goalie reminded everyone over the team¡¯s voice chat. He exined, ¡°She damage, others not. I kill Kalista.¡±

    ?

    Zephyr shifted around in his seat at the caster desk, nervous. Excited. He leaned towards his microphone and said, ¡°Team Guangzhou hase out of their base! And like I predicted, Team Guangzhou is quite strong! Team Shanghai agrees and decides to give up control over Team Guangzhou¡¯s top side Jungle!¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Su Xue replied. She pointed at the botne and continued, ¡°Team Shanghai still has Dr. Mundo pushing the botne. Of course they aren¡¯t engaging a 4vs5! Just wait until Team Guangzhou has to respond to the Dr. Mundo!¡±

    Zephyr looked at the minimap and smiled. He grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°This is gonna be good! Fiora is meeting Mundo in the botne! Both Champions have their Teleport up! It¡¯s gonna be a game of who is the better Teleporter! This could be the game-deciding teamfight and it looks like it¡¯s all going toe down to who gets the drop on the other team with a brilliant Teleport!¡±

    Su Xue nodded with her eyebrows raised. ¡°True, true,¡± she said. ¡°Very possible. Yes. Or, and hear me out here, this fight will be won by the best yer! I won¡¯t be naming names, but I¡¯m foreseeing a certain yer winning this fight all by him¡­-- er, or herself!¡±

    ¡°Now that! That would be something to watch!¡± Zephyr eximed,ughing.

    ?

    An Xin pressed the Tab key and looked through the most recent item upgrades on Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions. She then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lin Feng, don¡¯t engage this one. Vayne¡¯s got a Quicksilver Sash. She¡¯ll just cleanse your stun. Let us engage first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°I was nning to just jump their backline and kill them all! And I don¡¯t really care if Vayne has a QSS or not¡­ I¡¯ve got sh and Ignite! He isn¡¯t surviving!¡±

    An Xin shook her head and rolled her eyes, then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and continued, ¡°Tang Tang, I need you to be careful too. Fizz or Fiora is going to jump on you. Save your ultimate for when that happens. Be ready to outy them. Just that bit more and then you can rest your finger a bit, okay?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡±

    An Xin looked past Tang Bingyao at Zeng Rui and was about to give him his tasks, when he beat her to it. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep my ck Shield ready for Riven. We can¡¯t lose her.¡±

    Zhang Hao looked at his teammates, his Dr. Mundo farming in the botne, and suggested, ¡°If you guys get a few deep wards back up, I¡¯ll try and Teleport behind them. Once I get their attention, Lin Feng can jump in and win the fight!¡±

    ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± An Xin replied, nodding. She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°What do you think? Easy enough right? Hack sword, get kills, win fight. Even a goldfish like you can do that!¡±

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and breathed in, staring at his monitor. We¡¯ve yed around long enough! I¡¯m going to make those guys remember my promise to them! No one will remember who they are! He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°No worries! Penta killing right up!¡±

    ¡¶The Blue Team has destroyed a Turret!¡·

    ¡°Nice work, Zhang Hao!¡± An Xin eximed. She smiled and added, ¡°Just keep pushing to the inner tower now! See how far you can get!¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah! But I can¡¯t really push the next tower. Fiora is there and I can¡¯t lose too much health towerdiving her or I won¡¯t be able toe aroundter¡­ I think I¡¯ll just throw cleavers at her from outside tower range. Be a nuisance and all!¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm,¡± Lin Feng replied, though he wasn¡¯t really listening to Zhang Hao. He was slowly entering the zone. The scrying orb Team Guangzhou had used earlier had dropped a ward inside the Baron Pit. He used the first two casts from Broken Wings to move towards it and destroy it. Then he moved to the wall at the far back of the Baron pit and activated the third cast from Broken Wings. His Riven leaped over the wall and hacked down on the Jungle ground beyond!

    Summoner¡¯s Rift appeared inside Lin Feng¡¯s mind. A perfect visual representation. He nced at the minimap and filled in where Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions were, and then what he knew about Team Guangzhou. Fiora is in bot. Then we¡¯ve got Leona and Lee trying to get vision at the river entrance right below the Baron pit. They can only do that if Fizz is nearby for protection. Vayne can¡¯t be too far away either, probably back a bit¡­ Hmm, she¡¯s doing the Wraith Camp. A bit of extra gold and it¡¯s right next to the river entrance.

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and noticed the focus with which he was staring at his monitor. She asked, ¡°Are you seeing a nk?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lin Feng replied. He shook his head and exined, ¡°They¡¯re ying it really safe. If I go in right now, you guys won¡¯t be able to follow up in time. And 1vs4 is suicidal, even for me!¡± He continued scanning the river and the top side Jungle. He tried out possibilities in his mind and considered their chances of sess. Wait. Wait. He panned his camera over the Red Buff Camp and scrunched his eyebrows. He asked, ¡°Anyone know if they warded Red?¡±

    Zeng Rui frowned and said, ¡°You want to go all the way around there? That¡¯s even further away from us! How are we supposed to follow up on that?¡± He shook his head and pinged on the Jungle entrance where Lee Sin and Leona were. He continued, ¡°If we start pushing them here, they¡¯ll know something is up. They¡¯re going to be searching for you. It won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t worry about pushing!¡± Lin Feng replied. Heughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll engage. You guys just follow up from there!¡±

    ¡°Wowowow! Look at Riven! What¡¯s she doing there!?¡±¡°Haha! What the fuck! He¡¯s gone sightseeing in Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungle!¡±¡°Holy shit! She¡¯s going for the nk! That¡¯s sick if she can pull it off!¡±¡°No way that¡¯s gonna work. She¡¯s far too deep! What¡¯s she thinking!?¡±¡°When Team Guangzhou sees her, they can just switch to her¡­ This ain¡¯t gonna work¡­¡±¡°Fuck me, what a waste! They could¡¯ve just done a 5vs5 and won it!¡±

    ¡°Oh boy, oh boy!¡± Zephyr eximed. He pushed his microphone against his lips and said, ¡°Look at that Riven! Some balls she¡¯s got! But you know something? I think it¡¯s brilliant! Team Guangzhou has been trying to get wards in their Jungle, but they¡¯ve had to prioritize a path towards the Baron pit and that brush Riven is in is really out of the way! They¡¯ve got no idea she¡¯s in there! Imagine if Vayne goes there to ward it! That¡¯d be game over!¡±

    Su Xue clenched her fists and mumbled, ¡°Do it, Lin Feng! Get them!¡± She then reached for her microphone and said, ¡°Just imagine a Riven suddenly jumping your backline from behind you! This is totally gonna work!¡±

    ¡°Eeeh,¡± Zephyr replied, hesitating. He shook his head and exined, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can think about two clear problems. First off, Riven is way too far away from her teammates. If Team Guangzhou gets the engage¡­ Well, you get the idea. On top of that, Team Guangzhou is going to realize Riven is missing. It¡¯s pretty damn obvious she isn¡¯t with the rest of her team.¡±

    ?

    Goalie moved his lips around, panning his camera across the river. Where¡¯s Riven? We haven¡¯t seen her¡­ Last we saw of her, she cleared the ward in the Baron pit¡­ He narrowed his eyes and moved his camera towards the Baron pit. You can jump the wall and then you can go to the Red Buff Camp and continue to nk us¡­ He chuckled and shook his head. Yeah, you¡¯re that kind of yer. Alright, two can y that game! You wanna circle behind us? Let¡¯s make youpletely irrelevant! He ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Go in! ENGAGE!¡±

    Fiora retreated just far enough behind her inner tower so that Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo didn¡¯t have vision on her. She then panned her camera to a ward that was ced inside Team Shanghai¡¯s top side Jungle and started teleporting towards it. A red pir of light descended on the ward which was in Team Shanghai¡¯s fog of war!

    Zephyr jumped to his feet and leaned over the desk, leaning on it with one hand and clutching the microphone with the other. He shouted, ¡°Fiora is getting the nk! Team Shanghai hasn''t got a clue!¡±

    ¡°See!? Told you so! Riven is way out of position! Now Team Guangzhou easily wins this!¡±¡°Mundo doesn¡¯t know! He isn¡¯t teleporting! Oh my god, MUNDO! MUNDO! TP!¡±¡°This is going to be a 5vs3! Shit! I¡¯m almost feeling bad for Team Shanghai!¡±¡°They¡¯re gonna lose this one because of Riven! Feels fucking bad man!¡±¡°Gg to Team Guangzhou! We¡¯ve got ourselves a series!¡±

    ¡°Kalista! Kalista! Kalista!¡± Goalie ordered over Team Guangzhou¡¯s voice chat.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona suddenly shed into the river and pointed her sword up at the sky, calling down a Sr re! The beam of light mmed down on top of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and An Xin¡¯s Sejuani, stunning them both!

    Lee Sin hopped to a ward in the river with Safeguard and then struck out with his fist--Sonic Wave! A pressurized st of air shot forward and struck Sejuani! Resonating Strike! He dashed at Sejuani and gave her a swift kick!

    Goalie¡¯s Fizz was too far away from the fight, so he shed forward to bridge the gap. He followed up with Chum the Waters! Fizz threw out a small fish that struck Kalista! It started swimming around her, a portal to the deep opening up beneath her! A shadow moved in the depths of the water.

    Zeng Rui warned over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang! Go mid! Fiora is behind us! Escape mid!¡± He stopped thinking about protecting Lin Feng¡¯s Riven and started worrying about helping Tang Bingyao survive. He had his Morgana cast her ck Shield on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and then ordered, ¡°Zhang Hao! Teleport!¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Zhang Hao replied. He stopped walking and teleported to the ward closest to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista. Any n about finding a nk was gone out of the window. The only important thing right now was to make sure that Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista survived the initial engage.

    Tang Bingyao waited for the fish from Fizz¡¯s Chum the Waters to hit her. She then activated her Quicksilver Sash! A cleansing light wrapped around Kalista and both broke the stun from Leona¡¯s Sr re as well as freed her from the fish! She then followed Zeng Rui¡¯s orders, running towards the midne.

    ¡°Kalista broke free from everything!¡± Su Xue eximed into her microphone. She sat up a bit straighter and continued, ¡°She had the QSS and broke free! But Fiora is still behind her! She¡¯sing from behind! This is bad! This is all kinds of bad for Team Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°WOOOO! SHE¡¯S STILL DEAD!¡±¡°GET HER, FIORA!¡±¡°COME ON, KALISTA!¡±

    Zeng Rui flicked his mouse towards Team Guangzhou¡¯s Morgana and tapped the Q key. A Dark Binding conjured from dark magic struck Fiora and rooted her! Zeng Rui then shouted, ¡°Run, Tang Tang, run!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin and Fizz were right on top of An Xin¡¯s Sejuani. She didn¡¯t think, just smashed the R key! cial Prison! Sejuani threw a True Ice b at the two from Team Guangzhou. It struck Lee Sin and froze him in ce. But Goalie had cast yful just in time for his Fizz to hop on top of his trident and use the brief moment of invincibility to dodge both the effects and the damage of the cial Prison!

    ¡°He dodged it! He dodged it!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! He dodged it!¡±

    ¡°Those reflexes! DAMN!¡±¡°HOW!? HOW!?¡±¡°That was¡­ WOW!¡±

    Goalie stared at his monitor, unblinking. Focused. You first, Kalista. He watched Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista sh away from him, very much like he expected. It was what he¡¯d been waiting for before casting the second half of his E skill. Trickster! His Fizz hopped off his trident towards Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista! He followed up with Urchin Strike, dashing through her and stabbing at her with his trident! He then cast Ignite on Kalista, the unquenchable mes zing to life on her skin, before activating hisst remaining skill. Seastone Trident! An aura wrapped around his trident and boosted its power!

    An Xin barreled forward with Arctic Assault, trying to reach Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and help her survive. But in her rush, she paid no attention to Seo¡¯s Vayne appearing in the river, not her position right next to the Jungle wall. A thick, massive bolt mmed into her, knocked her off her feet and then pinned her to the wall. She was stunned!

    ¡°Team Shanghai is getting destroyed!¡± Zephyr eximed. He shook his head, incredulous, and continued, ¡°They¡¯re getting torn apart! They¡¯ve looked so good all game, but this fight is all about Team Guangzhou! They¡¯ve practically won already!¡±

    Su Xue bit on her lips and nodded. She said into her microphone, ¡°Hmm. It was a good engage by Team Guangzhou. A 5vs3. There isn¡¯t much Team Shanghai can do to stop that. Dr. Mundo just arrived. But I don¡¯t see that changing much either¡­ Lin Feng, where are you?¡±

    Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t shotcalling like he usually did. This fight wasn¡¯t his. He hadn¡¯te up with the tactic, nor with the scenarios in case of a fallout. He was in the dark, unsure of what to do. An Xin nced at him and saw him struggle. She grimaced and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zhang Hao, pin Fiora down! Good! Zeng Rui, you, stop trying to help Tang Tang. She¡¯s dead. Focus on their backline. Lock down what you can. Damage control. Damage control!¡± She finally turned her head to look at Lin Feng and urged, ¡°Lin Feng, I need you to hurry! It¡¯s almost toote!¡±

    ¡°Almost there!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He had his Riven run past the Wraith Camp towards the river. The yers from Team Guangzhou were just ahead of him, not paying any attention to him at all. He pressed the R key to activate de of the Exile! Green, runic energy burst from Riven¡¯s body! It coated her skin, boosting her stats, and reforged her broken de! Lin Feng then locked onto Seo, his grin broadening. He lightly tapped the keys with his left and tightened his hold on the mouse, mumbling, ¡°We¡¯ve only just begun!¡±

 Chapter 363: Let the River run red with Their Blood!

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support looked at his screen, flicking around his mouse to check every corner of the battlefield. Fiora ising from Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungle. She¡¯ll intercept Team Shanghai¡¯s Sejuani. Goalie will kill their Kalista near the midne and there¡¯s nothing Morgana can do to stop them. Mundo is just throwing cleavers in the middle of the fight. Annoying, but¡­ Riven, Riven¡­ He searched around the map, until he noticed a summoner icon appearing above him on his minimap. His eyes grew wide and round. Shit! He¡¯s behind us! Behind us! He shouted through trembling lips, ¡°B-b-behind us! Riven is behind us!¡±

    Seo had his Vayne continue auto attacking An Xin¡¯s Sejuani while ncing at the minimap. So that¡¯s where you are! Finally! It¡¯s time to show you who the better yer is! Now that I¡¯ve got my Quicksilver Sash¡­ His lips curled up and he narrowed his eyes. I¡¯ma kill you so hard! NO ONE WILL REMEMBER YOUR FACE! He squeezed his mouse until it squeaked and groaned, then pinged on the Riven and shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Leona! Intercept! Stun Riven!¡±

    Zeng Rui saw Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona stop attacking An Xin¡¯s Sejuani and start running towards Riven. He nced at Tang Bingyao¡¯s health bar. It was dropping fast and would soon run empty. BunBun is right. I can¡¯t save Tang Tang. Toote to do anything for her. But Lin Feng¡­ The thundering¡­ He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang! Ult me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista had linked her fate with Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana at the start of the game. She now used that link to pull Morgana¡¯s soul into her body with Fate¡¯s Call! This was the first part of Kalista¡¯s ultimate skill. The second part allowed Morgana¡ªZeng Rui¡ªto hurl herself in any direction!

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona and Vayne were stacked on top of each other for a brief moment as Leona passed by on her way to intercept Lin Feng¡¯s Riven. Zeng Rui narrowed his eyes and clicked on his mouse. Morgana¡¯s soul shot from Kalista¡¯s body! Bone, muscle and flesh grew around her soul, reforming her body midflight! She then barreled into Leona and Vayne and knocked them both up into the air! She followed up with Chains of Agony. Her wings unfurled and she hovered above the ground as she released the full force of her Celestial power! Chains forged from darkness and pain shimmered into existence around her andtched onto Vayne and Leona!

    ¡°Nice going!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat, grinning. His Riven was on the water¡¯s edge, while Vayne and Leona were in the middle of the river. The chains wrapped around them slowed them, and would stun them shortly. Lin Feng cast Valor and followed up with Broken Wings! His Riven dashed into the river and swept out with her de, cleaving both Vayne and Leona!

    Seo felt his stomach clench, physically hurting him. He wanted to scream and yell, but he gritted his teeth. He bit his tongue. Morgana¡¯s Chains of Agony would stun him soon. He could cleanse that with his Quicksilver Sash, but then there was Riven who could stun him with a Ki Burst. I just have to outy him! Outy him very hard! Show him how much better I am than him! That¡¯ll show him and everyone else! He smiled just a bit and activated the Quicksilver Sash. A cleansing light broke the dark chains as a dark shadow fell over Vayne. Final Hour! Vayne gained attack speed and, more importantly, gained an invisibility aspect to Tumble. She used that to disappear into the shadows before Riven could stun her.

    ¡°Wanna run? Lol,¡± Lin Feng mumbled, grinning. He dropped down a vision ward to reveal the invisible. ¡°Gotcha!¡± He said with a smirk as he locked onto Vayne. He had his Riven move towards her with the second cast from Broken Wings. It was another sweep of the debined with a short dash, simr to the first cast. He followed up with the third cast from Broken Wings. Riven grabbed the hilt of her de with both hands and leaped forward! She raised her reforged de above her head and hacked down on Vayne, knocking her up into the air! And finally, while Vayne was in midair, Riven gathered the excess runic energy on her de and swept out! Wind sh!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    ¡°Two amazing kills by the Miners!¡± Zephyr eximed into his microphone. He chuckled in disbelief and added, ¡°They both took out the ad-carry on the opposing team! I can¡¯t believe this!¡±

    Su Xue nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, yeah, look. Look!¡± She pointed at the screen. An Xin¡¯s Sejuani had lost quite a bit of health to Seo¡¯s Vayne. The others from Team Shanghai now all turned to her. Fiora Lunged past Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo to get to her, Goalie¡¯s Fizz ran back up the river towards her and Lee Sin was already on top of her! ¡°BunBun¡¯s in trouble! She¡¯s gonna get focused down! They¡¯re gonna kill her!¡±

    An Xin grimaced. In her attempt to help Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista earlier, she got caught by Seo¡¯s Vayne and Condemned against the river wall. It was basically arge boulder that ran from the edge of the midne to a fair bit into the river. She was at the far edge and dashed into Blue team¡¯s Jungle, trying to draw Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions away from Lin Feng¡¯s Riven. He had to survive. Fizz, Lee Sin and Fiora chased after her, round the boulder and onto the jungle pathway that led to the midne. ¡°Ready?¡± she asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Lin Feng nced at his skill bar. There were still a few more seconds until he could use Broken Wings again. He replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Almost! ¡­ Almost! ¡­ GO!¡±

    An Xin activated sh. A veil of light fell over Sejuani and carried her back across the boulder into the river, where Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was waiting. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora shed after Sejuani and Goalie¡¯s Fizz used yful/Trickster to jump after her. Both of themnded in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Riven, who swept at them with the first cast from Broken Wings. He continued with the second cast.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora activated Grand Challenge on An Xin¡¯s Sejuani! It revealed the Four Vitals! If she got the kill, that would spawn a healing field which would see her survive the Riven. Which would help Goalie¡¯s Fizz survive. She Lunged to the side, away from Fizz. She then stabbed Sejuani, striking one of the four vitals! She continued running until she was behind Sejuani and stabbed again. Two vitals were down! If I can get thest two, I don¡¯t even need to kill her! I¡¯ll get the healing fiel-- A red, debilitating energy fell over her, hampering all her stats. Shit¡­ SHIT!

    Lin Feng ignored Fiora running around An Xin¡¯s Sejuani trying to spawn the healing field. Fizz was an assassin whose skills were on cooldown. He was harmless for another couple of seconds. It was far more important to take him out right now. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and grinned. You¡¯re already dead! Broken Wings! His Riven grasped her weapon with both hands and raised it above her head as she leaped at Fizz! She then hacked down on him with such force that he was knocked up into the air! She followed up with an auto attack, and another!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    Goalie¡¯s pupils constricted. He sat there in Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth watching his screen turning different shades of dull grey. Over the rim of his monitor, he could see the audience jumping and cheering. He could almost hear their screams. ¡°GG TO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡± ¡°GOALIE SUCKS!¡± ¡°GOALIE IS THE WORST MIDLANER EVER!¡± ¡°KOREANS ARE A JOKE!¡± ¡°HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD? HA! WHAT A JOKE!¡± He started breathing in short, fast bursts. His heart mmed into his ribcage and sweat stood guard on his forehead. How¡­? How? How!? HOW!

    ¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·

    Goalie blinked and forced himself to look at the teamfight. Fiora had killed An Xin¡¯s Sejuani and the healing field spawned. Lee Sin had walked around the boulder and dashed to Fiora¡¯s side with Safeguard. Goalie licked his lips, fighting the swirling sickness in his stomach, and nodded. We¡¯re still in it. Still in it. We can¡¯t give up now. They¡¯ve got the health and her ultimate is down! He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kill Riven! Kill her!¡±

    Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou sat in the yer seating area. He saw what Goalie saw. An opportunity. Team Shanghai was really just Team Lin Feng. And Lin Feng¡¯s Riven had most of her skills on cooldown. Coach Yin shot up to his feet and shouted, ¡°KILL RIVEN! KILL HER! WE WIN IF YOU GUYS KILL HER! WE WIN!¡±

    Back up on stage, Lin Feng was grinning brightly. His first kill was Seo and his second Goalie. They were the ones he wanted to kill first. Now he could have fun with the rest from Team Guangzhou. He rolled his shoulder and took a long, deep breath. Lee is going to try and hit me with a Sonic Wave and then there¡¯s Leona¡¯s Zenith de that should be off cooldown. He moved his fingers across his keyboard, feeling the pressure of several keys in particr. E left, then hit S. Stop. Move back and dodge it all! He chuckled, waiting for the animation from Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave. There. He had his Riven dash towards the left with Valor. He then stopped and took a step right back. A sr image of Leona¡¯s sword pierced the air where he just stood. Dodged it all!

    ¡°Holy fuck! Can you guys please hit a single skillshot!?¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat. He breathed out in frustration. The healing field disappeared. The brief moment in which they held the advantage was quickly closing. They had to get Riven now! ¡°Get him! Fucking get him already! MOVE!¡±

    ¡°I am! I am!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler replied. But he didn¡¯t have to move. Lin Feng¡¯s Riven was already on top of him, hacking at him with her auto attacks. Each swipe, each stab, each cut took a surprisinglyrge nick out of his health bar. FuckFuckFuck! Why is she so strong? Why did Goalie have to feed her!? Where is Leona? Why isn¡¯t she here already!? He nced up the river where Leona was running from. Her Zenith de earlier had been from the maximum range. Fuck me!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo and Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana were also both still alive. Zeng Rui was blocking Leona from getting to Lin Feng, while Zhang Hao had his Dr. Mundo hurl Infected Cleavers at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Toner looked at it and gritted his teeth. We can¡¯t get Riven like this. He flicked his mouse over towards Morgana and mumbled, ¡°Screw it! I¡¯ll just get her!¡±

    Lin Feng raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw Fiora giving up on Lee Sin. ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy then,¡± he mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat, barely audible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back, bro!¡± Zhang Hao replied,ughing. He had his Dr. Mundo throw another Infected Cleaver at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin, which applied a slow effect. ¡°He can¡¯t run away now! Get the kill!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Thanks, HaoBro! Knew I could count on you!¡± He nced down at his skill bar. His ultimate had a long cooldown, but his other skills were counting down to thest few seconds or already avable. He then looked at Fiora and Leona. I¡¯m getting my penta! My penta! He grinned and clicked on Lee Sin one more time. Riven cut him down with her de.

    ¡¶Triple Kill!¡·

    Su Xue had jumped to her feet after the first kill. Right now, she was dancing. Cheerleading for Lin Feng. She chanted into her microphone, ¡°Win Feng! Win Feng! Who¡¯s getting the penta? Win Feng! Win Feng!¡±

    Zephyrughed and added, ¡°That dodge of the Sonic Wave and Zenith de was mad! Yeah, I¡¯ll get on board with you!¡± He got up to his feet, followed in her rhythm, and shouted, ¡°Win Feng! Win Feng!¡±

    The speakers boomed his name across the venue. He was the hero of this game. The chant spread around the stands and it wasn¡¯t long before everyone was shouting, ¡°Win Feng! Win Feng! Who¡¯s getting the penta? Win Feng! Win Feng!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Fiora dodged a Dark Binding with Lunge, which was an impressive feat. But the audience didn¡¯t seem to care. Nor did they change their tune when Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona mmed her Shield of Daybreak into Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana to stun her. Even when the voice announcer informed the fans that after killing Sejuani, Fiora picked up a second kill on Zeng Rui¡¯s Morgana, no one cheered for her. They were all cheering for the Riven who was running up on Fiora from behind. The Riven who used the dash from Valor to close the distance, who used a Ki Burst to stun both Fiora and Leona and who stabbed and hacked away with abination of auto attacks and Broken Wings casts to y Fiora!

    ¡¶Quadra Kill!¡·

    ¡°WHO¡¯S GETTING THE PENTA?¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WHEN¡¯S HE GETTING THE PENTA?¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Leona had a big health bar and all her skills had some form of crowd control. She turned around and started running, hoping that would be enough to save her. And for a brief moment, she believed it would. Riven¡¯s skills were on cooldown, so she didn¡¯t catch up right away. But there was still Dr. Mundo. He threw an Infected Cleaver at her, and slowed her. Before the slow could break, another Infected Cleaver struck her. All the while, Lin Feng¡¯s Riven caught up and started to hack at her armour.

    Lin Feng grinned, his eyes shining brightly. His teammates were cheering him on over the voice chat. They all knew what wasing. He nced down at his skill bar. Broken Wings was almost back off cooldown. Let¡¯s end this in style! He chuckled and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Thanks, HaoBro. I¡¯ve got this now!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡± Zhang Hao replied,ughing. He then stopped throwing Infected Cleavers at Leona.

    Lin Feng pressed down on the Q key--Broken Wings! Riven swept out with her de, shearing through Leona¡¯s health bar! Before the animation ended, she already followed up with an auto attack. It was the famous animation cancetion! She then swept out with her de for a second time andbined it again with an auto attack! Leona¡¯s health bar dropped to single digits. ¡°Broken ...¡± Lin Feng shouted,ughing. Riven gripped her broken sword with both hands and leaped at Leona. ¡°... WIIIIIIIINGS!¡±

    ¡¶Penta Kill!¡·

    ¡°HE¡¯S DONE IT! HE¡¯S DONE IT! PENTA PENTA PENTAAAAAAA!¡± Su Xue squealed. She bounced up and down in excitement. She looked at Zephyr and then at the monitor showing Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. She quickly wiped a few tears from her eyes and then shouted, ¡°He did it! Lin Feng really did it! He said he would, and he did! He really did!¡±

    Zephyr watched the reaction from Su Xue, smiling. Feels good to cast a game like this, huh? He nodded and then ced his microphone against his lips. He shouted, ¡°And that¡¯s an ace for Team Shanghai! What a teamfight! From looking lost to a penta kill! A PENTA KILL! WOOOOOOOOOO, WIN FENG!

    ?

    Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou fell back into his chair. He stared at therge LCD screen above the stage, at the rey of the teamfight. His team started the fight exactly right. They were getting back into the game and were at a point where they could take a fight on their terms. And that was how this fight had looked. They got the jump on Team Shanghai¡¯s ad-carry and pinned down Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler. From there it should¡¯ve been an easy fight. They should¡¯ve cleaned up. H-how¡­ How did we lose that? How did it turn out so poorly?

    The rey focused on Lin Feng¡¯s Riven as she ran around the Red Buff Camp, past the Wraith Camp and into the river. That. That¡¯s where it went wrong. Coach Yin shook his head in disbelief. How is that Riven this good? It shouldn¡¯t¡­ I scouted across the world for the best yers in this age bracket and found Goalie! I personally visited him and convinced him to join our project! He was supposed to be the best! He was the best! How¡­ Where¡­ Where did this Lin Fenge from? Who is he? He turned his head just far enough to look at Team Shanghai¡¯s spot in the yer seating area. Chu Fang, Chu Fang¡­ Where did you find him? How did you keep him hidden? Who is he? Who!?

    Chu Fang didn¡¯t notice Coach Yin looking at him. His undivided attention was focused on therge LCD screen. More specifically, on Maple. This brings me back all the way to Season 1. The way I always got so nervous watching him y! How he made my heart race and how he made me wish for him to kick ass! And then he does! He always does! This is so amazing to watch! I get to see him rise up the ranks again! I get to see the legend of Maple firsthand! I¡¯m there! And he¡¯s getting there again too! If he ys like this¡­ Screw this tournament, he¡¯s right back up there with Rake! He clenched his fists and mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how far you¡¯ll go this time!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng hit the recall button and then looked around him at his teammates. He grinned brightly, searching for theirpliments. He finally eximed, ¡°Ha! My Riven is still so good!¡±

    ¡°You got the penta! You got the damn penta!¡± Zhang Hao replied,ughing in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! You turned that right around and got the penta!¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head to look at Lin Feng and smiled. She said, ¡°Mhm! That was really amazing!¡±

    Zeng Rui mumbled through gritted teeth, ¡°Yeah. Grats.¡±

    ¡°Grats? What are we congratting him for!?¡± An Xin asked. She raised her eyebrows and continued, ¡°What did he turn around? If he didn¡¯t go for a stroll through their Jungle, we would¡¯ve won that fight from the start!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and replied, ¡°Well, eh, you see, we won! Right? We won the teamfight and I got the penta! Who cares about the specifics? I got my penta!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything stupid for the next few minutes so that we can win the game!¡± She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng, caught his eye, and smiled. She mouthed, ¡°Good job.¡±

    ¡°BunBun is right,¡± Zeng Rui said. He looked at his teammates and continued, ¡°We should finish this one. Let¡¯s take Baron and then push.¡±

    Team Shanghai didn¡¯t have to worry about Team Guangzhou stealing Baron Nashor from them. Most yers from Team Guangzhou were still dead when Team Shanghai engaged therge, purple wurm. The Baron buff boosted the stats from Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions, widening the gap with Team Guangzhou even further. And on top of that, the Baron Buff also buffed nearby minions.

    Zeng Rui took on his role as shotcaller again. He guided Team Shanghai to the botne where they took the inner tower. Then he had Zhang Hao¡¯s Dr. Mundo split push in top while the rest stayed in bot toy siege on the inhibitor tower. Team Guangzhou was powerless to stop them. The inhibitor tower and inhibitor in botne were the first to fall, quickly followed by those in the topne. Super minions spawned from the Blue Nexus and marched to Team Guangzhou¡¯s base.

    An army of Blue minions led by Super minions battered Team Guangzhou¡¯s base, while the five Champions from Team Shanghai aced Team Guangzhou one final time. There was no suspense to the fight. It was a stomp in its truest form. The Nexus towers were the next to fall. Everyone then shifted their focus towards the Nexus itself. Its health dropped quickly until the first cracks showed on therge crystal. The energy contained within mmed against it and broke out momentster. It twisted and spun in midair before morphing into the victory emblem.

    VICTORY!

 Chapter 364: NetCow Cafe Nostalgia

    ¡°Holy shit! Dude! Holy shit! Did you see that? Did you?¡± Zuo Cheng asked his teammates from Zhejiang University. He then leaned over his Toner and shouted to the yers from Fudan University, ¡°Dudes, dudes! Holy shit! Did you see what a beast Lin Feng is? What a beast! Damn! Did you see how he stomped Goalie? That was intense as all shits! That penta at the end there? I thought for sure he wasn¡¯t going to get it, but then he did!¡±

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University stared at therge LCD screen above the stage. It was showing the game¡¯s highlights and all of them featured Riven. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°I knew they were good. But¡­ But there¡¯s good and there¡¯s this. How did he¡­ That penta at the end? Wow!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, it''s¡­ yeah,¡± Sun Ruinian agreed. He looked at Zuo Cheng and said, ¡°Shi Hang warned us about him--¡±

    ¡°As did Aurous us,¡± Qiu Yijie interjected.

    Sun Ruinian nced at the Support from Fudan University and then continued, ¡°Shi Hang and I guess also Aurous... Two Miners from the LPL are telling us to watch out for that kid from Team Shanghai. We should¡¯ve seen thising, yet somehow I still find it hard to believe. He didn¡¯t just beat Goalie. He stomped him!¡±

    Zhejiang University and Fudan University were both from East China and had yed against Team Shanghai already. They had a level of understanding about Lin Feng. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the otherpeting teams or the fans up in the stands. They were in shock. The team hyped up to be the eventual Champions were on the brink of being knocked out.

    Murmurs swept through the audience. There was a distinct difference between being told a team was good and seeing them being good. They¡¯d all heard about how Lin Feng had beaten AyDeeCee and how Team Shanghai had bested Zhejiang University. But it wasn¡¯t until this series against Team Guangzhou that it started to dawn on people just how good Team Shanghai was. Fans andpeting teams alike started to agree with each other that Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t some underdog and that they weren¡¯t some dark horse appearing out of nowhere, they were realpetitorspeting for the championship title, and they had been since the very start of the tournament. They were the team to beat.

    Fan Yuan was the manager for Team Beijing. He was sitting with his team in the yer seating area, listening to the lively discussion around him. He finally turned his attention to Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and focused on the yer standing at the center of all this. Lin Feng. Who are you? He chewed on his lips and scrunched his eyebrows. I thought I knew who you were. We watched you y against Zhejiang University. We prepared for that level of y! And then. Then you do this? Goalie isn¡¯t some random Miner in Bronze, yet you made him look like that¡­ He shook his head, troubled. How could I have underestimated you this much¡­? I should¡¯ve known better¡­

    ¡°I think¡­¡± Fan Yuan started, dragging it out until his team members all turned to look at him. ¡°I think we need to stop making jokes about how bad Team Shanghai is and start to really worry about them.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi stared through the ss windows from Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth at Zeng Rui with bloodshot eyes. What is this bullshit!? Your useless ass should¡¯ve been knocked out by now! Dammit! He replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Stupid Koreans can¡¯t get anything right.¡±

    ¡°Fan Yuan is right,¡± Yu Ping said. His stomach clenched when the words left his mouth. It was difficult to admit, because it wasn¡¯t Team Shanghai that impressed him, or worried him. He looked at Lin Feng and narrowed his eyes. Those Riven mechanics were so damn smooth. Everything just worked out. It always does for you, somehow. I need to admit that maybe it isn¡¯t luck. Maybe you¡¯re actually that good. He rubbed his face and groaned. Why is it so hard to admit? He¡¯s better than me. He is better than me. Fuck! He quietly added, ¡°He¡¯s good.¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang leaned back in his chair, rxed. Smiling. There was a short break between the games. That was the opportunity a coach had to redirect his team and prepare them for what wasing next. But Chu Fang wasn¡¯t the coach for Team Shanghai, he was the manager. He took care of everything outside of League of Legends, so that when Team Shanghai had to y, they were at their best. It was different for Manager/Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou. He was very much hands on. And that was what Chu Fang was enjoying right now. He watched the metaphorical smoke rising up above Coach Yin¡¯s head and heughed as Coach Yin kicked a chair and then stormed up onto the stage.

    ¡°Poor guy doesn¡¯t know what hit him!¡± Chu Fang said to no one in particr. He then turned his attention to Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Through the ss panels he watched his team huddle up in a circle. They¡¯re looking good in this series. And with Zeng Rui and BunBun taking care of the coaching part, there¡¯s nothing for me to worry about. I can just¡­ He nced back at Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, where Coach Yin was visibly screaming and yelling at his yers. I can enjoy the show. He startedughing loudly.

    ?

    Zeng Rui looked at the faces from his teammates that were so close to his. A shiver ran up and down his body. This was a level of intimacy he wasn¡¯tfortable with. But he also understood how it helped team morale, so he pushed through his own struggles and focused on the job ahead. He said, ¡°Team Guangzhou is probably tilting hard right now. Let¡¯s push this third game and secure the win.¡±

    Zhang Hao raised his head and looked across the stage at Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth. Heughed and said, ¡°They are tilted! Look at their coach! He¡¯s losing it--¡±

    ¡°Come on, focus,¡± Zeng Rui interrupted. He turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°You were struggling at the end there. Are you good to go one more game?¡±

    Tang Bingyao bit on her lips and looked down at the ground, gently caressing her painful pinky. I¡¯m not letting the team down! I¡¯ll push through it! Mhm! She looked up at Zeng Rui and mumbled, ¡°I think¡­ Yeah, maybe. Mhm.¡±

    ¡°What about Lin Feng¡¯s n?¡± An Xin asked. ¡°The one fromst night.¡±

    Lin Feng nced at An Xin and then started grinning. He clenched his fist and replied, ¡°Yeah! We haven¡¯t punished them nearly enough! We should go with my n! I told you it¡¯s a great n! Imagine their faces when we stomp them! They¡¯ll be so mad!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes grew wide and round. I¡­ I thought¡­ That was just a joke, right? You don¡¯t really n on¡­ He looked at An Xin with a mix of confusion and worry and asked, ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would I joke about that?¡± An Xin asked. She shrugged and added, ¡°I think it¡¯s a fun n. Let¡¯s go with it!¡±

    ¡°You sure¡­?¡± Zeng Rui asked.

    An Xin nodded. She winked at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯ll work out. Trust us!¡±

    ?

    Zephyr sat back down at the caster desk and rolled his shoulders. He looked at Su Xue next to him and smiled back at her. ¡°You ready?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Su Xue replied, excited. She pointed at the monitor and added, ¡°I think they¡¯re about to start!¡±

    Zephyr turned his attention to the main monitor and nodded. He replied, ¡°They¡¯re all in the lobby. They¡¯ll start any-- There we go! It¡¯s starting!¡± He nced at the camera in front of them. A small red light started flickering on it. They were live again. He grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°We¡¯re back for the third game between Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai! And what a series this has been so far, don¡¯t you agree, EveningSnowfall?¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm! Mm-mhm!¡± Su Xue replied, nodding. ¡°Team Shanghai is showing Team Guangzhou every corner of the Rift! And I can¡¯t begin to imagine how Team Guangzhou feels after that penta kill in the previous game! They were looking like they were going to make aeback and then, well, boom! All their chances were gone because Lin Feng got a penta kill on his Riven!¡±

    ¡°And what a penta kill that was!¡± Zephyr continued. He shook his head and said, ¡°It sent chills down my spine! I got goosebumps from that penta! That was the best penta and the best y of the tournament so far! Huh, it might even be the first penta of the tournament. I wonder if we¡¯ll get another one¡­¡±

    Su Xueughed and said, ¡°Me too! I can¡¯t wait to see Lin Feng get another penta!¡± Her eyes grew round as she heard her own voice in her headphones. Shit! I need to stop doing that. She shook her head and looked at therge monitor. She pointed at it and said, ¡°Look! They¡¯re racing through Champion Select!¡±

    Zephyr looked at Su Xue and chuckled. He then turned his head to focus on the monitor and replied, ¡°They really are. Bans are done and they¡¯re almost-- They¡¯re through Champion Select! That was the fastest I¡¯ve seen in a while! Let¡¯s see who they¡¯ve all picked...¡±

    Round of 16 Winter Collegiate Cup, Game 3

    Team Guangzhou (Blue) versus Team Shanghai (Red)Top: Irelia versus RumbleJungle: Lee Sin versus Jarvan IVMid: Twisted Fate versus MorganaAd-carry: Tristana versus KalistaSupport: Thresh versus Braum

    ¡°That is a surprise!¡± Zephyr said into his microphone. ¡°Look at that mid pick from Goalie! Twisted Fate! Now, mind you, Twisted Fate isn¡¯t a bad pick. He¡¯s a very strong pick even! But Goalie is known for his AP assassins. He hasn¡¯t yed anything but AP assassins this entire tournament! Until now!¡±

    Su Xue grabbed her microphone and took over. She said, ¡°It looks like the pressure is getting to them! They know they need to change something if they want to win. Looks like this is theirst ditch effort to turn the tides and get a game back against Team Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait! Hold up!¡± Zephyr suddenly said. He scrunched his eyebrows and looked at his screen again. Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai were in the loading screen. There were two rows of five Champions. Beneath each Champion portrait stood a Summoner Name. He focused on the names below Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions and muttered, ¡°An Xin is ying in the midne, Zeng Rui in the Jungle, Lin Feng as ad-carry and Tang Bingyao the Support? What?¡±

    ¡°Are they crazy!?¡±¡°Hahaha! I love this! The disrespect!¡±¡°Imagine if they beat Team Guangzhou like this? I¡¯ll bet you those guys from Team Guangzhou will uninstall the game and tell their friends they never even yed anyway!¡±¡°It would be hrious if Team Shanghai won. But¡­ What if they lose? Why would they risk this? Isn¡¯t this just giving Team Guangzhou a way back into this series?¡±¡°Cocky kids will be cocky kids. Hopefully they¡¯ll learn some humility from this game.¡±

    Su Xue smiled. She¡¯d been there the previous night when Lin Feng came up with the idea. This is something only Lin Feng coulde up with! She pushed the microphone against her lips and said, ¡°I have some secret information. Earlier, before this series, I spoke with Team Shanghai and they told me about this strategy. They made me promise not to say a word about it unless they used it. So I can tell you guys now¡­--¡±

    ¡°Tell us!¡± Zephyr eximed. He looked at Su Xue and added, ¡°What is the strategy!?¡±

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much to it,¡± Su Xue exined. She giggled and continued, ¡°Lin Feng and An Xin are very good yers. They can y multiple roles. So as for this game? The n they have going in? It¡¯s to confuse their opponents and make their opponents underestimate them! And if I look at Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth¡­¡± she pointed at the monitor which showed the yers from Team Guangzhou furiously arguing, ¡°... look at them! I think Team Shanghai¡¯s n is working! Team Guangzhou is going to be so upset that they forget to pay attention! By the time they do, they¡¯ll realize that Team Shanghai isn¡¯t being cocky. All they¡¯re doing is putting on a good show!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui nced past Lin Feng at An Xin, then looked back at his monitor. At his Jarvan IV. How did I let them talk me into this? Why am I ying Jungle¡­? I¡¯m a terrible Jungler! I only know the normal pathing and I do know where to ward and everything, but I¡¯m not BunBun! I don¡¯t have her awareness! I don¡¯t know when to be where and I don¡¯t know exactly how hard I can push these Champions! I don¡¯t even know about the Champions in thenes I¡¯m ganking! I¡¯m the Support! I¡­ I need to Support in the Jungle. Yeah. I can do that. He nced at An Xin again. I get why we¡¯re doing this. We kind of had to¡­

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s finger injury was causing her enough trouble that she couldn¡¯t y her best game. And even her best game wasn¡¯t enough to beat Seo. She simply wasn¡¯t that good yet. Zeng Rui chewed on his lips and slowly nodded. Tang Tang needs rest. She can y Support. It doesn¡¯t require as many quick movements and with Lin Fe-- Maple as ad-carry, we¡¯ve got nothing to worry about. Even if he¡¯s half as good an ad-carry as a Miner, he¡¯ll still crush Seo. But what about BunBun? He grimaced and looked at Twisted Fate¡¯s summoner portrait. Goalie is still a very talented Miner. Lin Feng can beat him, of course he can! He¡¯s goddamn Maple! But BunBun isn¡¯t Maple¡­ Can she¡­?

    ¡°Why do you look like you need to poop?¡± Lin Feng asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard the question. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and found a pair of eyes looking straight at him. He mumbled, ¡°Uh, me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah you!¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°Oooh!¡± He smacked his forehead andughed. He said, ¡°You¡¯re worried! You always worry! But you¡¯ve got nothing to worry about! I¡¯m a really good ad-carry and BunBun is a great Miner! She¡¯s definitely better than that Goalie anyway!¡±

    An Xin looked past Lin Feng at Zeng Rui and smiled. She nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s right, you know? I¡¯m not as good as he is, but I¡¯m at least as good as Goalie. I can guarantee you that much.¡± She turned her head back to look at her screen. At Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate. She narrowed her eyes. I¡¯m kind of sad that I didn¡¯t use my Korean ID for this tournament. Now Goalie won¡¯t recognize me¡­ Oh well, maybe he¡¯ll remember me when I y against him. I did leave a deep impression on him. She giggled. I doubt he¡¯ll ever forget about that.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The announcer¡¯s voice sted through the headsets from Team Guangzhou. The five yers sat behind theirputers, tense. They were 2-0 down in this best of five series. And the main n going into this third game was to y better. That was what Coach Yin had demanded from them.

    The three Chinese yers stared at their screen, upset. They were ying their best, they were giving it their all, they were trying everything in their power to win theirnes and beat Team Shanghai! But they were getting outssed. It was that simple. And on top of that, to make it so much worse for them, Goalie and Seo were both furious. From the start of the series until now, they were steaming with rage. There was nothing fun about this match against Team Shanghai for the three Chinese yers. They gritted their teeth and clicked their mice, mad.

    Goalie was furious. He wanted to kill Lin Feng! He ground his teeth, ring across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. You son of a bitch! Do I really look that easy to you? Did you get bored? Is that it? Did you get bored? Did you want to give someone else the pleasure of beating me because I¡¯m bad? FUCK YOU I¡¯M NOT BAD! I¡¯m not bad! He closed his eyes and mmed his hand on the desk. FUCK! Fight me! Fucking fight me! I¡¯ll show you who sucks! I¡¯ll beat you! He growled in Korean, ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for this humiliation!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll both make him fucking pay!¡± Seo eximed. He pushed his hand against his twitching nose, trying to make it stop. He then pointed at Lin Feng and shouted in Korean, ¡°You think you¡¯re all amazing because you¡¯re good at Mid? You think that alone is enough to be a good ad-carry? Or do you think I suck? Is that it? Are you saying I suck? FUCK! You really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL YOU!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had his Kalista run down the botne, past the inner tower and towards the outer tower. He then nced at Tang Bingyao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we duo¡¯d. Remember the NetCow Cafe how we always stomped our opponents? That was fun! Let¡¯s do like we did then!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding. ¡°I¡¯d like that!¡±

 Chapter 365: Flash Cooldown is 5 Minutes

    An Xin clicked around the midne, constantly ncing at the minimap, mumbling the presumed location of Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin to herself. He started Red I think¡­ I would, anyway. So I just need to hover near the top side of thene, as far from the Red Buff Camp as possible. He won¡¯t gank me then. Perfect! She smiled and targeted a melee minion. Her Morgana conjured some dark magic and flung it at the minion, killing it. This is more like it. People always underestimate Miners who y Morgana. ¡®Oh, Morgana is a Support, she isn¡¯t a Miner!¡¯ She shook her head and giggled. Morgana is one of the best Mine champions, if you know how to y her!

    ¡°That girl!¡± Zephyr eximed from the caster desk. He shook his head and continued, ¡°She¡¯s ying solid¡­ Rock solid! NOW WAVE YOUR HEADS IN THE AIR LIKE YOU JUST DON¡¯T CARE IF YOU GOT THAT REFERENCE!¡±

    Su Xue turned her head to look at Zephyr and shook her head. Really? Really¡­? She then giggled and replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? She¡¯s amazing! Look at that first minion wave! She got all six minions and Goalie missed one! She¡¯s already seized the advantage!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and said into his microphone, ¡°The creep score advantage is cool, but what I¡¯m really finding¡ª Look! There she does it again! It¡¯s like she knows exactly where Lee Sin is! Did you see how at the start of thene she was hovering towards the top because Team Guangzhou¡¯s Red Buff Camp is on the bot side? She knew Lee Sin started there! And now that Lee Sin is moving towards his Blue Buff Camp on the top side of the Jungle, she¡¯s positioning herself in the right half of herne, the side that¡¯s closer to botne!¡±

    ¡°Oh shit! That caster-dude is right! She¡¯s really ying on the right side of herne now!¡±¡°She¡¯s so cool! I wanna y like her and be good at Jungle and mid!¡±¡°Team Shanghai is the coolest team with the coolest yers!¡±¡°And here I thought Team Guangzhou was gonna win this series¡­ Boy, was I wrong!¡±

    Su Xue clenched her fists in excitement and shouted, ¡°Woooo! BunBu¡ªMorgana! I knew she could hold her own against Goalie! She¡¯s even winning!¡±

    ¡°Eh, winning?¡± Zephyr asked, scrunching his eyebrows. He turned his head to look at Su Xue and said into his microphone, ¡°She¡¯s got a nice start to the game, we can all see that. But winning? It''s a little too early to say that. We¡¯re only 2 minutes into the game. Let¡¯s wait and see what happens!¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm! Mm-mhm!¡± Su Xue replied, nodding. She then added, ¡°She¡¯ll win. Just keep watching. We¡¯ll see her win!¡±

    ?

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Want me to gank mid, Goalie?¡±

    Goalie red at the Morgana on his screen. He watched every tiny movement she made and grinded his teeth. This stupid, stupid¡­ He forced himself to take a deep breath. She does know how to y mid. And she knows exactly where and when a Jungler can gank from. With the way she¡¯s positioning herself, ganking would be a colossal waste of time. He pinged Lee Sin, who was running towards the river brush directly above the midne, to retreat. A sharp sound beeped in their headphones and a yellow ping shed on the minimap. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Ganking now-Waste of time. Later.¡±

    ¡°Rodger-dodger,¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler replied. He then looked around his map. His pathing through the Jungle had included a gank. One that was now off the table. This messed up all of his original timing and nning. Just very slightly. But it was enough to snowball into something bigger if he wasn¡¯t careful. Get into it! Come on! He shook his head and focused on his Jungle camps. Wolves and then Wraiths? Yeah, that¡¯ll work.

    Goalie felt his stomach contract. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then opened them again to stare at Morgana. Something¡¯s off. It¡¯s like¡­ have I yed against her before? No. No, that can¡¯t be. He gritted his teeth and breathed in deeply. Keep it together, Goalie. All I need to do is farm to Level 6 and then start making a real impact on the game. I¡¯ll carry it from there! He nodded at himself and breathed the pent up breath and frustration out.

    ?

    Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t feeling toofortable in the Jungle. He understood the basics and he followed them to a tee. But there was something that felt wrong about what he was doing. Like he didn¡¯t belong in the Jungle. Come on, ZengZeng¡ª His eyes grew wide and round and he nced at Lin Feng. Zeng Rui! Rui! He focused on the minimap, trying to push that mishap out of his mind, and noticed that Goalie was pushing against An Xin¡¯s Morgana. He asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Do you want a gank mid?¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m good!¡± An Xin replied, smiling. She nced at her minimap and advised, ¡°Lee was near mid from the top side. He¡¯ll be ganking top soon. Go counter that.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. If I can help Rumble pick up an early kill, that¡¯ll really help the team. BunBun is right, I should go top. He nced at the botne and asked, ¡°Bot is good, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Lin Feng replied. He grinned and added, ¡°We¡¯re all good! Tang Tang and I are about to stomp ourne!¡± He then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Right? Right!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded, distracted. Lin Feng talked a lot and she usually just let him talk while focusing on the game herself. Right now her focus was on protecting Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista with her Braum. He¡¯s jumping around so fluently on his Kalista. I need to keep running around just to stay near him and then I also need to push away the Boners from Team Guangzhou¡­ That stupid Seo¡­ Wait, what did Lin Feng ask again? Something, something, right? She nodded and mumbled, ¡°Mhm!¡± She then focused back on the botne, barely registering Zeng Rui¡¯s acknowledgement.

    Kalista and Braum were generally considered weaker than Tristana and Thresh at every stage of the game. But this was only because Kalista required such a high level of skill that there were very few yers who truly excelled at her. Lin Feng was one of the few who possessed the mechanical skills to bring out Kalista¡¯s true potential. This potential camergely down to her passive skill¡ªMartial Pose. When attacking with an auto attack or the skill Pierce, Kalista lunged a short distance. Lin Feng expertly used this to hop in and out of range to attack Thresh and Tristana without allowing them to fight back.

    Tang Bingyao squinted her eyes and held her breath every time Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista jumped forward. She had her Braum follow, ready to jump in. Ready to provide what assistance she could. The Boners from Team Guangzhou were far too focused on Lin Feng, giving her some room. She found a gap between the minions and cast Winter¡¯s Bite! Her Braum propelled a jet of ice that struck Thresh and slowed him!

    ¡°Nice engage, Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He had his Kalista lunge forward byst hitting a minion. The experience from the kill brought him to Level 2 and he learned Rend, which allowed him to pull out the spears his Kalista had lodged in enemy champions for further damage. He then hurled a spear at Seo¡¯s Tristana and lunged to the side, narrowly dodging Thresh¡¯s Death Sentence. ¡°Woo, close!¡± Lin Feng said,ughing. He then hurled an empowered spear at Thresh with Pierce and used the lunge from Martial Pose to get in range and follow up with an auto attack.

    Two spears were lodged in Thresh¡¯s body and he had two stacks of Concussive Blow on him. Two more would stun him. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support gritted his teeth and clicked back towards his Blue outer tower. A third spear struck him as he turned around, and a fourth stunned him when he tried to run away. ¡°Seo!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Seo narrowed his eyes. But rather than focus his attacks on Kalista, he auto attacked a caster minion. That fucking beggar! Who does he think he is? The botne is my territory! PISS OFF! He ground his teeth in anger and humiliation. He knew very well that trading auto attacks with Kalista wasn¡¯t going to do any good. His Tristana had to hit Level 2 to level the ying field first. So he fired another two auto attacks on the caster minion to kill it. I¡¯ll get you! Just you wait! I¡¯ma get you, you fucking fugly stupid beggar! I¡¯m going to send your homeless ass back to the cardboard box you call a house!

    Lin Feng knew he couldn¡¯t kill the Thresh. Both of Team Guangzhou¡¯s Boners still had all their Summoner Spells avable. So rather than pushing further, he lunged back after the stun from Concussive Blow took effect. When his Kalista was out of Tristana¡¯s range, Lin Feng activated Rend. His Kalista clenched her fist in a sudden burst, pulling on her telekic link with her spears! They wrenched out of the minions,, they wrenched out of Seo¡¯s Tristana and, most importantly, they wrenched themselves out of Thresh.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh lost a little more than half his health in that exchange. He was forced to use his health potion, putting him at a distinct disadvantagepared to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum. He grimaced and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°SORRY?¡± Seo screamed over voice chat. He abruptly turned his head to look at his Support and shouted in Korean, ¡°Can¡¯t you even hit a damn Q? How stupid are you? Trash! No! You¡¯re more useless than trash! You¡¯re a fucking useless waste of trash!¡± He sighed loudly. Furiously.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support didn¡¯t speak Korean. He didn¡¯t know what Seo said, but he did hear the anger in his ad-carry¡¯s voice and understood the frustration. He felt a simr frustration. This series against Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t going anything like they¡¯d imagined it would. We¡¯re losing. Losing! And then I miss a simple Death Sentence! I need to start hitting them or we¡¯re done for! Goalie and Seo are our star yers, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can sit still and be useless! I need to Support them! I will! He nodded at himself and tightened his grip on his mouse. I will!

    Seo didn¡¯t pay his Support any further attention. He just stared--red--at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum and then back at Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. How am I not winning these trades? I¡¯m Tristana and he¡¯s Kalista. I¡¯m supposed to be winning thisne! I¡­ I¡­ He breathed in long and deep and briefly closed his eyes. How is he better than her? How is he getting auto attacks in when I can¡¯t? How is he doing this? It shouldn¡¯t be possible. I can¡¯t be¡­ He nodded, faster and faster. He then opened his eyes and stared straight at Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. You camped the shit out of me when you were ying mid. Now you want to fuck with me by ying ad-carry? Piss. The fuck. Off! You think I¡¯ma let you toy with me? FUCK OFF! FUCK! OFF!

    ?

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin ganked the topne at 4 minutes. He dashed at Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble with Resonating Strike and worked together with his Irelia to whittle his health down. Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV ran into thene a couple of secondster. He dashed at Lee Sin and Irelia with his g-tossbo and knocked them both up. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lee! Lee!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s hand was trembling from the nerves. He was ying at a stage he¡¯d never yed at against an opponent who was supposed to be stronger, yet his team was at matchpoint. He used his mespitter and intended to push past Irelia towards Lee Sin. But then his screen shed red. His health had dropped below 20%. Shit! I¡¯m going to die! What do I¡­ He bit on his lips and hesitated, his Rumble¡¯s mespritter spraying fire on Irelia and auto attacking her.

    Shit! I¡¯m gonna die! I¡¯m gonna die! I¡¯m dead! Zhang Hao¡¯s heart was mming against his ribcage. All he saw was his health falling down. I don¡¯t want to give them first blood! I can¡¯t! I need to get away! He nced back at his Red outer tower, shaking his head in panic. sh! FLASH! A veil of light wrapped around his Rumble and carried him a short distance towards his outer tower. But Irelia followed right behind him. She then attacked him with her de, and again.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin had lost most of his health and mimicked Zhang Hao¡¯s sh. Zeng Rui in turn mimicked the sh from Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia and then continued attacking Lee Sin. Lee Sin had more health remaining than Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble did when he shed, but the distance to his outer tower wasrger for Lee Sin than it¡¯d been for Zhang Hao. This gave Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV all the time he needed to strike his opponent down.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    When the voice announcer boomed in his ears, Zeng Rui nced at Zhang Hao and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you focus on Lee Sin with me?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Zhang Hao replied, grimacing. ¡°I panicked. My screen started turning red and I thought that if I shed away, I could survive and then you could get the kill. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ?

    The fight in botne raged back and forth. Both sides made small missteps, forcing them to use their health potions. It was around the 5th minute of the game that both sides had nothing left. Their health bars were running low and reason dictated that they had to recall back to base and restock on health potions and recover their health bars. But neither side did that. They kept pushing, kept searching for openings to abuse, kept trying for the kill.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and mumbled, ¡°Interesting. He isn¡¯t half bad. Nothing like Silent mind you. Nor Shi Hang from four years ago¡­ But still, he isn¡¯t half bad.¡± He chuckled and added, ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t stomp him all the same though!¡± Hmm¡­ I do have to pay some attention here. Our wards have run out... Our wards have run out. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lee is ganking bot. Look out, Tang Tang.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. She then briefly hesitated before asking, ¡°Want me to go back to base and grab some wards?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we gi,¡± Lin Feng answered,ughing. ¡°Lee Sin¡¯ll be here before the wards run out. Besides, if they think they can take this fight, let them think that! It¡¯ll make it that much more fun when we stomp all over them!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Seo was grinning. Laughing. He red at Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and mumbled under his breath, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re better than that fugly bitch. Way better¡­ You¡¯re beating me in CS! But that won¡¯t mean much once you die to this gank. And you¡¯re too stupidly arrogant to even notice it!¡±

    ¡°Push, push!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler said over the team¡¯s voice chat as he had his Lee Sin run up the botne, making sure to stay far enough back so that the Red minions from Team Shanghai couldn¡¯t spot him.

    ¡°GoGoGo!¡± Seo shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Support nodded. He had his Thresh run forward all the way towards Team Shanghai¡¯s side of thene and then threw his Lantern behind him with Dark Passage! He waited a brief moment, just long enough for Lee Sin to click on it, and then shed. A veil of light fell over his Thresh and carried him a short distance forward, right on top of Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. y! He whipped his chain and scythe back and knocked up and slowed Kalista! He followed up with Death Sentence.

    Lin Feng chuckled when he saw Thresh¡¯s sh and grinned when he saw Lee Sin flying in right after. He hit an auto attack on Thresh and lunged to the side, dodging the Death Sentence. There was a short cooldown for his passive. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin used this to mark him with Sonic Wave. But that was exactly what Lin Feng wanted. There¡¯s no way he can resist. And¡­ here¡­ we¡­ go! He mmed down on his D key--sh! A mottled sh of light wrapped around Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and carried her towards her outer tower. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin had activated Resonating Strike and was now flying after her, unable to control his movements.

    ¡°Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. When Lee Sinnded inside the range from the outer tower, she had her Braum hit him with Winter¡¯s Bite! Freezing ice was propelled from his shield and applied a slow and the first stack for Concussive Blow!

    ¡°Oh my god! That¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Su Xue eximed. She leaned towards her microphone and continued, ¡°She dodges the hook and then tricks Lee Sin into tower range! Oh my god!¡±

    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Zephyr mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Wow!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista threw a spear at Lee Sin before he evennded, lunging further underneath her tower. She followed up with another one, applying the third stack for Concussive Blow. What followed was a brief moment in which Lee Sin could sh, in which he could escape. But he¡¯d used his sh in the topne. He couldn¡¯t escape. And then the third spear struck him and applied the fourth and final stack of Concussive Blow. He was stunned underneath the enemy outer tower.

    Red team¡¯s outer tower charged up and then fired an energy shot at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin! Outside the tower¡¯s range, Tristana and Thresh were trying to run interference, to draw away attention from Lee Sin and allow him to escape. But the outer tower, as well as Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao, ignored them. They all focused their full attention on Lee Sin. Until his health dropped to thest few percentages. That was when Lin Feng mumbled, ¡°Rend!¡± His Kalista clenched her fist to pull on the telekic strings attached to her spears. The spears were ripped out from Lee Sin, the subsequent damage killing him!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

 Chapter 366: Losses Build Personality

    Zhang Hongyi leaned back in his chair and bnced it on two legs, smiling. He pointed at therge LCD screen above the stage and said to his teammates, ¡°They¡¯ve got Goalie and Seo and¡­ whatever the fuck that Thresh is. It honestly feels like an insult to Seo that he¡¯s expected to y together in the botne with such a useless Support.¡± He then nced at his ad-carry and added, ¡°If I ever y like that, please kick me off the team.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Yu Ping muttered. He stared at therge LCD through narrowed eyes. That Kalista¡­ Lin Feng. He is so much better than everyone else I¡¯ve seen in this tournament. He¡­ He¡¯s a challenge. He¡¯ll make me try. He smiled and took a long, deep breath. ¡°That Thresh engage wasn¡¯t bad,¡± he said to his teammates. He shook his head and continued, ¡°What that Kalista did was just really impressive. Dodging that Death Sentence? That requires incredibly quick reflexes and extremely sharp mechanics. Pay attention to him.¡±

    The coach from Team Beijing looked at his team members and smiled, satisfied. I¡¯ve been trying to make them see this since the start. I¡¯ve been telling them to be careful about Team Shanghai! But they never respected my opinion. They kept saying that I worried too much and that they could win with their eyes closed¡­ He chuckled. I feel like I should be mad or annoyed or something else than happy. But I¡¯m just d that Yu Ping makes them take Team Shanghai seriously now. Hmm, we¡¯re really lucky we didn¡¯t draw them this round. That would¡¯ve been ugly.

    ?

    There was such an intense burst of rage that exploded in Seo¡¯s head when Lee Sin died that he couldn¡¯t think anymore. Words spewed from his mouth in Korean, English and broken Chinese, but he hadn¡¯t the faintest clue as to what they were. He¡¯dpletely lost control over his body, stuck within the darkness in his mind. Then that darkness zed with light. He squinted his eyes in reflex and looked for the source. A single head. A fresh out of bed look. An angry grin. What followed were the words that kept haunting him. They echoed through his mind and with each repetition, another identical head appeared in his mind.

    ¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±¡°No one will remember your face!¡±

    Seo screamed in fear. There were a hundred Lin Feng¡¯s in his mind, pointing at him with their illusory hands and repeating those same words over and over and over. ¡°No one will remember your face!¡± ¡°No one will remember your face!¡± Seo shouted in defiance, ¡°YOU¡¯RE LYING! THEY WILL REMEMBER ME! THEY WILL RECOGNIZE MY FACE!¡±

    ¡°Seo¡­ Seo¡­ Seo!¡±

    Seo faintly heard someone calling his name in the distance. He grabbed his head and shook it wildly. He then looked around at where he was, until he met Goalie¡¯s worried stare. ¡°Huh?¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°Seo,¡± Goalie said again over the team¡¯s voice chat. He looked at his teammate and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ?

    ¡°Zeng Rui, wanna help me kill Goalie?¡± An Xin asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui looked at the midne and replied, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡±

    An Xin smiled and waited for the expected push from Twisted Fate. Before yers recalled back to base, they liked to kill as many minions as they could so as to minimize the number they¡¯d miss out on while away fromne. And having just hit Level 6, this was also the optimal time for Twisted Fate to start disappearing from the midne, whether that be to recall back to base or to roam around the map and use his ultimate skill to teleport to the top or botne for a gank. All he had to do was mix it up a bit and force Team Shanghai to keep guessing at what he was doing.

    At 6 minutes, Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate started pushing the minions. Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV was sitting in the brush above thene, waiting for the ¡®go¡¯-signal from An Xin. That came a few secondster when An Xin shed forward and cast her ultimate skill--Chains of Agony! Morgana fired dark crimson chains at Twisted Fate! They wrapped around him and slowed.

    ¡°Now!¡± An Xin ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s fingers started gliding over his keyboard. His Jarvan IV threw down his standard behind Twisted Fate and dashed at it with Dragon Strike! He barreled through Twisted Fate and knocked him up, which gave Morgana enough time to pull the chains tight and stun Twisted Fate!

    An Xin¡¯s Morgana called upon her Celestial power to torment the soil underneath Twisted Fate. She followed up with a barrage of auto attacks; wisps of dark magic that struck Twisted Fate. All the while she was holding onto her Dark Binding, waiting for the stun from Chains of Agony to wear off. Right before it did, she cast the Dark Binding and extended the crowd control. Combined with Jarvan IV¡¯s auto attacks, she killed Twisted Fate before this root could wear off.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO! SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT!¡± Su Xue eximed into her microphone. She turned her head to look at Zephyr and continued, ¡°Did you see? Did you see? She did it! She killed him! What a beautiful engage! She shed right into him and stunned him and there was nothing he could do about it! SHE KILLED HIM!¡±

    Zephyr looked at Su Xue and chuckled. Man, I love her energy! He then reached for his microphone and shouted, ¡°WOOOOOOO indeed! What a brilliant engage by Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler-turned-Miner! The ultimate into the Dark Binding was timed perfectly! And then there was the g-tossbo from Jarvan¡­ That was executed so perfectly!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so cool!¡±¡°She destroyed Goalie! Hahaha!¡±¡°WOOOOO!¡±¡°SIIIIIKE!¡±¡°Holy cowerina! How is Team Shanghai this good!?¡±

    ?

    Goalie looked around the soundproof booth at his teammates. Seo was grumbling and the three Chinese yers were caught in an awkward silence. He stared at his screen and gritted his teeth. Seo and I are supposed to be the leaders. But he¡¯s tilting off the face of the Earth and I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m struggling. We¡¯re almost out! I have to do something. I¡¯ve got my ultimate now, so I can do something. He panned his camera towards the botne. Seo needs to get back into this. If we can get a good gank there and get some kills¡­ He nodded to himself and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Gank bot. Irelia teleport with me behind tower. Lee Sin gankne.¡±

    At 9 minutes, Team Guangzhou was ready. Lee Sin had snuck into the third of three brushes along the bottom edge of the botne and Seo¡¯s Tristana and his Support were pushing into Team Shanghai¡¯s outer tower, forcing Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum to defend. More importantly, Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh had snuck a ward into Team Shanghai¡¯s bottom side Jungle which gave Irelia a target to teleport to.

    Goalie double checked to make sure everything was ready. When he saw Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan run over a ward in the top side river, he made the call. ¡°Gank!¡± He then activated his ultimate skill--Destiny! Eyes zed to life above the five Champions from Team Shanghai, revealing them. They were all exactly where Goalie expected them to be. He followed up with the second part of his ultimate--Gate! Cards spread below his feet and opened a portal to the brush behind Team Shanghai¡¯s outer tower in the botne.

    ¡°It¡¯s a 5 man gank bot! A 5 man gank bot!¡± Zephyr shouted into his microphone. ¡°Irelia is teleporting! Look! And Goalie is going in and Lee was already there waiting!¡±

    Su Xue nodded, casting a worried nce into Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Come on, Lin Feng! Do something! Outy them! She then leaned towards her microphone and said, ¡°This looks bad for Team Shanghai. Looks like Team Guangzhou is going to pick up a double!¡±

    There was no hesitation from Lin Feng when he saw what was happening. He pressed the R key to activate Fate¡¯s Call. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum transformed into soul form and flowed into Kalista¡¯s body. Lin Feng then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Tristana! Tang Tang, Tristana!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, nodding. She thenunched her Braum towards Thresh and Tristana and barreled into them! The sheer force knocked the two Champions from Team Guangzhou up into the air! Tang Bingyao used this moment of crowd control to activate her ultimate skill--cial Fissure! Her Braum jumped into the air and raised his shield above his head, gathering all his strength, before mming it down into the ground! A fissure tore open and freezing coldness spewed out, knocking Thresh and Tristana higher up into the air!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista hurled an empowered spear at Seo¡¯s Tristana with Pierce, using the lunge to close the distance. He followed up with an auto attack and then another. Tristana and Threshnded back on the ground and Thresh threw a Death Sentence at him, but he saw iting. Lunging back and forth he dodged it. But he couldn¡¯t dodge the knock back from Tristana¡¯s Buster Shot. Therge cannonball sent him flying back towards his outer tower, from where Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate and Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia wereing.

    Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate wielded a Gold Card, which was a single target stun. When Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista was finally in range he threw it at her and stunned her! He then shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kalista! Kalista! Focus!¡±

    Seo grinned. Spears were sticking out from his Tristana, but he was alive. I¡¯ll make sure no one remembers your face! Stupid beggar ugly face! He activated Rocket Jump! His Tristana aimed her cannon towards the ground and fired,unching herself towards Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. Some ssh damage and an Explosive Charge and you¡¯re gonna be dead--

    Each yer could bring two Summoner Spells with them. Most ad-carries went with sh and Heal, but in this game Lin Feng had opted for sh and Cleanse. When the Gold Card stunned him and Tristana jumped at him, he grinned and activated Cleanse. Every bit of crowd control affecting him broke. He threw a spear at the flying Tristana and used the lunge to get away from Irelia and Twisted Fate.

    Seo¡¯s eyes grew wide and round. There was arge number of spears lodged into his Tristana, and that number was growing. Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista wasn¡¯t stunned, like she was a moment ago. His low risk Rocket Jump suddenly became high risk. He looked down at his skill bar but found sh on cooldown, as well as Heal. FuckFuckFUCK! He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Help! Something do! GOALIE!¡± But there wasn¡¯t any time to do anything. Kalista clenched her fist and pulled on the telekic link she had to her spears. They tore out from Tristana''s body and dealt massive damage!

    ¡¶An ally has been in!¡·

    Goalie pursed his lips tightly together and felt his heart leap. ¡°Focus Kalista!¡± he repeated over the team¡¯s voice chat again. He threw a volley of Wild Cards which struck both Braum and Kalista. His teammates followed up on him and used their skills to attack Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. But Goalie couldn¡¯t get himself to focus. He knew the gank was over and he knew that Team Shanghai¡¯s ad-carry knew as much. He went full for Seo. The one guy who needed the kills more than anyone. That dog went for Seo and got him! Dammit! This is bad! This is really bad! Seo needed this kill for his confidence! Now¡­ He nced at Seo who sat to his left. I hope he can keep his mind in it.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°Wooooo Team¡­ Shanghai!¡± Zephyr shouted into his microphone. He shook his head and continued, ¡°Team Guangzhou got the double kill there, and both kills went to Goalie. But in that 5 man gank, Team Shanghai¡¯s ad-carry somehow picked up a kill. That alone means they won that gank in my books!¡±

    ¡°And look at mid and bot!¡± Su Xue chimed in. She pointed at her screen and said, ¡°See when Team Guangzhou pushed bot? Well, Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungler went top and helped the Rumble push and Morgana in the mid has also been pushing. They didn¡¯t get a tower, but they got close to getting a tower!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and said into his microphone, ¡°Yeah, yeah! But if we look at that¡­ Well, look at bot. Team Guangzhou just destroyed the outer tower and now it¡¯s looking like they¡¯re going to take the Dragon! That¡¯s quite valuable¡­--¡±

    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s a tower and Dragon? That¡¯s nothing!¡± Su Xue countered. She then frowned and added, ¡°But Team Guangzhou did get a lot from that gank, even if they lost their ad-carry in the process. Team Shanghai needs to do something back.¡±

    ?

    ¡°Wowie! Talk about overkill¡­¡± Lin Feng muttered. He turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I wonder what we did to make them so angry. Do you know, Tang Tang?¡±

    ¡°Mnh-Mnh,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, shaking her head, smiling.

    ¡°What?¡± Zeng Rui blurted. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know what you did? Maybe it¡¯s because you pushed so hard on bot that you forced them to do something! And now we lost Dragon¡­ If you hadn¡¯t pushed them this hard, they would¡¯ve focused somewhere else instead of trying to hard-force this in bot...¡±

    An Xin shrugged and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°It¡¯s just a little setback and we really didn¡¯t lose all that much. Better yet, they yed their hand. We now know what to look out for next time and, much more importantly, thisbination of skills is on cooldown for the next 5 minutes! So let¡¯s abuse that as much as we can!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Ready to get some kills? Full aggro mode!¡±

    Tang Bingyao smiled and said, ¡°Mhm! Full aggro mode!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at his teammates and slowly nodded. There isn¡¯t much Lin Feng can do. He¡¯s just a Kalista. He can¡¯t roam like a Jungler can, nor can he track major skill and spell cooldowns like I can. I¡¯ve trained all my life for this! For this moment! He focused on the portraits from Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions and wrote a list in his mind, denoting their skill and spell cooldowns and how he could abuse that the most. BunBun was right! I can apply the skills I learned from Supporting in the Jungle! I just have to do it!

    ?

    At 11 minutes Zeng Rui had his Jarvan IV sneak into Blue team¡¯s bottom side Jungle. He walked past the backside of the Dragon pit towards the botne, where Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh and Tristana were fighting against Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum and Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista in the middle of thene. They spotted him when he walked into the tri-brush at the edge of thene and started retreating, but he knew it was already toote. More specifically, Thresh didn¡¯t have skills avable to escape.

    ¡°Trist has Rocket Jump; focus Thresh!¡± Zeng Rui ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Bingyao replied, having her Braum jump in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista with Stand Behind Me and then following up with Winter¡¯s Bite! Braum propelled freezing ice from his shield and slowed Thresh!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV ran into thene and then dashed at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh with his g-tossbo. He nced at Seo¡¯s Tristana and confirmed that she Rocket Jumped away right away, leaving Thresh behind to die. As expected. Now to let Lin Feng pick up the kill. But that won¡¯t be hard¡­

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista flung spears at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh that remained lodged in his body. When his health bar fell down to dangerous levels and there were a dozen spears lodged in his body, she cast Rend! The spears were torn out by a swift pull on the telekic link she had with them and dealt massive damage!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Wooooo! WIN FENG!¡± Su Xue eximed. She smiled and added, ¡°That was such a greatbination of skills again! Those three from Team Shanghai know exactly how to y together! It¡¯s like they¡¯ve been ying with each other for years!¡±

    Zephyr nodded and said into his microphone, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. They are great together! Also, want to know something else? While we were all looking at the fight in bot, Lee Sin tried to gank mid again! And he failed again too! How many fails is that now? He forced Morgana to blow her sh, I guess that¡¯s something. But this Lee Sin really, really, needs to step up his ganking game.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi from Team Beijing sat in the yer seating area, shaking his head in frustration. He muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­ How stupid is Team Guangzhou? How can they get such a shitty Support and also such a terrible Jungler? This is such an easy win for them if their Support and Jungler were even half decent¡­¡±

    ?

    Goalie bit on his lips and narrowed his eyes. This is insanity! How can I not find any openings? She¡¯s ying this matchup so perfectly! It¡¯s so¡­ so much like back¡­ He shook his head. I¡¯m only going to waste my time worrying about her and her stupid perfect game. My ult ising off cooldown in a few. I¡¯ll just gank¡­ He nced around the map and spotted Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV walking through a ward towards the topne. Oh, ganking top? Let¡¯s turn that around. He smiled and fell back just enough to drop away into the fog of war for Team Shanghai. He then ran up into the Jungle and stopped behind the Blue Buff Camp.

    At 14 minutes, Zeng Rui ran into the topne, which was pushed towards the Blue outer tower, and dashed at Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia with his g-tossbo! Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble followed right behind Zeng Rui, casting his ultimate skill in sync with Zeng Rui¡¯s ultimate! The damage stacked up and killed Irelia before Goalie could respond.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Goalie smiled. They¡¯ve used all their skills. Such overkill! But that¡¯s perfect. He nced at Lee Sin who ran into thene and engaged the Jarvan IV and Rumble. And now they¡¯re staying to fight. Brilliant! How did we ever lose a game to them¡­? He activated his ultimate skill--Destiny! The map was revealed to him, but he ignored that as he activated the second part of his ultimate--Gate! Cards spread beneath his feet and formed a portal that carried him into the topne!

    Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate was holding a Gold Card when he arrived in the topne. He threw it at Rumble and stunned him! He followed up with a volley of Wild Cards that cut through Rumble and Jarvan IV! Lee Sin supported him, using his ultimate to roundhouse kick Rumble into Jarvan IV and knocking both of them up. That bought Goalie the few seconds he needed to cycle through his skills and deal damage. Enough damage to kill Rumble.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV was caught in the middle of the topne without any skills avable. He¡¯d used all of them to kill Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia. He looked at the Lee Sin and Twisted Fate and grimaced. They were attacking him and he was trying to get away, but he knew there was no escaping this. ¡°Sorry, guys,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°This one¡¯s on me.¡±

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

 Chapter 367: A Preponderance of Passive-Aggressiveness

    Zhang Hongyi from Team Beijing wasn¡¯t cheering with the other people in the Tianhe Stadium. He reclined back in his chair andughed. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s the useless kind of y that Zeng Rui is known for!¡± He turned his head to look at Yu Pin and asked, ¡°Did you see that gank? You really want to worry about this team with a yer like him? He¡¯s so far up his own ass that he can¡¯t even tell he¡¯s smelling shit anymore!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler leaned forward, smiling schadenfreude, and chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s karma for you! They¡¯re going to lose because that moron thought he could just Jungle, like it doesn¡¯t require any skill¡­ News sh, it does! Jungling isn¡¯t easy! It takes practice and skill and talent! That dude has none of it!¡±

    Yu Ping nodded, slowly. He looked down from therge LCD screen at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Through the ss panels he could see five heads full of hair popping up above the monitors. They aren¡¯t reacting like Team Guangzhou¡­ Are they really not tilting? They should have tilted from that top gank. Mid failed at preventing Twisted Fate from using his ultimate and the Jungler made a horrendous gank¡­ He nced at his teammates and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into them, but it¡¯s pretty obvious they aren¡¯t ying their main roles. Dangerous game they¡¯re ying¡­¡±

    The cheers and apuse for Goalie¡¯s gank in the topne quieted down enough in the stadium where the yers in the yer seating area could hear the members from Team Beijing discussing the game. Most nodded in agreement, then started chatting with their own teammates about how it did indeed look like Team Shanghai was throwing this game by ying a suboptimal teamposition. But there were a couple of teams, specifically those who yed against Team Shanghai before, who knew the sheer raw talent that Lin Feng possessed.

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University looked around at the people making fun of Team Shanghai and muttered, ¡°Lin Feng got a pentast game and these guys are already making fun of him. Guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. They hate it that he got a penta and they¡¯re just hoping it was a fluke. But writing him off this game, that¡¯s just dumb. He¡¯s ying ad-carry. Give him untilte game, when he can start carrying.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s shown his skills already too,¡± Sun Ruinian added. ¡°The teamfights are going to be really interesting. I can see him carrying them hard, kind of like how he carried from the midne¡­ with a penta.¡±

    Zuo Cheng clenched his fists and said, ¡°That Morgana, the girl? She¡¯s ying quite well too to be honest. She¡¯s better than I am, I think¡­ But I mean, she¡¯s going even with Goalie! How many Miners can do that? Two! Her and Lin Feng!¡± He wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards the stage, ¡°GO BUNBUN! KICK ASS!¡±

    ?

    Zephyr repositioned in his chair and watched the monitor. For the first time in three games, there was a real lull in the game. Team Guangzhou knows they can¡¯t fight Team Shanghai right now because of the Morgana and Rumble ultimatebo, but Team Shanghai doesn¡¯t have the Champions to force a-- Wait, I need to say this, not think it. He grabbed his microphone and turned his head enough where he could see both Su Xue and the monitor. He said, ¡°The second Dragon is spawning in a couple of seconds, but it¡¯s already obvious Team Guangzhou isn¡¯t going to contest it. How about you run us through why, EveningSnowfall?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Su Xue replied, cheerful. She looked at the monitor and nodded at herself. I know why! It¡¯s because Team Shanghai has Morgana and Rumble-- Talk! I need to cast! She coughed, then smiled and analyzed, ¡°That¡¯s because Team Shanghai has Morgana and Rumble! These two Champions have skills that are especially hard to deal with in the early mid game, which is around now, the 15th minute of the game! Team Guangzhou is probably going to wait this out for another 5 to 10 minutes, so that they can get enough gold and buy some magic resist.¡±

    The Dragon spawned and Team Shanghai moved towards the Dragon pit as a unit. They warded and searched looking for potential ces where the teamfight might start, but Team Guangzhoupletely ignored the Dragon. They stayed in theirnes and continued to farm minions, allowing Team Shanghai to take the Dragon uncontested.

    Zephyr said into his microphone, ¡°EveningSnowfall is absolutely right! A little extra bit of analysis also shows us that Team Shanghai doesn¡¯t really have a Champion to engage. Sure they¡¯ve got Jarvan IV, but then what? He can towerdive and no one can follow up. What they really need is something like a Leona or a Lee Sin. Or something else like that. Too bad they don¡¯t. The bnce of this game is starting to tip towards Team Guangzhou.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Su Xue mumbled, frowning. She continued, ¡°It looks like Team Shanghai is going to try and push midne now though! And the mid outer tower is almost down! It is down! They just tore through that! Oh my god that came out of nowhere!¡±

    ¡°Thosest two hits it needed,¡± Zephyr replied,ughing. He then pointed at the monitor and added, ¡°But see there? Now they¡¯re at the inner tower and Team Guangzhou has put up their defenses. There¡¯s nothing Team Shanghai can do here but waste their time. They¡¯ll recall back to base in a bit without having gained anything.¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV couldn¡¯t do anything but look menacing in front of Team Guangzhou¡¯s inner tower. He stared at his monitor and watched Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista hurl spears and An Xin¡¯s Morgana conjure some dark magic, but neither did much damage. He sighed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun¡¯s sh is on cooldown, so her sh-ultbo isn¡¯t going to work, and I don¡¯t think we can towerdive this¡­¡±

    Zhang Hao nced at his minimap and replied, ¡°I would really like to get that wave in topne¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re right,¡± Zeng Rui mumbled. He shook his head and ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s fall back. Zhang Hao go get the wave in top, Lin Feng get bot.¡± He had his Jarvan IV run into his own Jungle and started clearing Camps, starting with the Wolf Camp and then going up to the top side Jungle to take on the Wraith Camp. All the while he kept his eyes locked on his minimap, searching. Thinking. This is a tough game¡­ I¡¯m not a Jungler and Tang Tang isn¡¯t ying great as Support either. Well, she isn¡¯t a Support to begin with and her pinky probably hurts a lot right now. BunBun¡¯s a great Miner and all¡­ but she¡¯s not like the thundering dumbass and we¡¯re really missing his ir right now. We need him to do something¡­

    Zeng Rui panned his camera towards the botne, where Lin Feng was farming minions a couple of steps in front of his inner tower. Why are those two Boners from Team Guangzhou letting him push a bit¡­? He panned his camera towards the midne, a sensation he couldn¡¯t yet ce swirling in his stomach. Twisted Fate is still mid. His ultimate is up soon, but he¡¯s still¡ª His eyes grew round and wide. ¡°GANK! BOT! GANK! GANK!¡± he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Arge red, yellow eye appeared above each of Team Shanghai¡¯s Champions, the telltale sign of Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill--Destiny! Zeng Rui clicked on the botne inner tower, frantic. Run you stupid Jarvan! Get down there! He ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zhang Hao! Get down there! Help Lin Feng! BunBun, you too! Tang Tang! Where is Tang Tang? Why is she in base? Get to Lin Feng! HELP LIN FENG!¡±

    Lin Feng let his hand go off his keyboard and scratched the back of his head. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Guess I¡¯m fucked, eh?¡± He chuckled and ced his hand back on his keyboard. Twisted Fate teleported in behind him and Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia was teleporting on a Blue minion. And now¡­ He nced at his skills. Most were off cooldown, but none were going to save him from a four man dive. His teammates weren¡¯t close enough to save him either. Crap.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh shed forward and yed Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista backwards, then threw a Death Sentence that connected. From behind him, Tristana Rocket Jumped into the fight and on the far side Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate was running in with a Gold Card in his hand. Theybined their crowd control skills well enough that Lin Feng couldn¡¯t move at all, and he chose not to use Cleanse. He didn¡¯t believe he could escape even if he did. The damage stacked up and before Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia finished teleporting to the botne, Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista died to Seo¡¯s Tristana.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡°WHAT A GANK!¡± Zephyr eximed into his microphone. He briefly paused, his full focus on the game, then added, ¡°And it¡¯s not over yet! Braum has arrived! He hits Twisted Fate with Winter¡¯s Bite! Twisted Fate is slowed! Rumble finished his teleport! He¡¯s using his mespitter! Are they going to get the return kill?¡±

    Su Xue sat on the edge of her seat, nervous. She clutched her microphone with both hands and screamed, ¡°Morgana is alsoing down! Team Shanghai can turn this around! Twisted Fate took a couple of hits, they might kill him! The others know! Look, there! Tristana Rocket Jumped away and Thresh is running! Irelia is with them too! It¡¯s just Twisted Fate in the back and he¡¯s slowed by the Winter¡¯s Bite from Braum!¡±

    ¡°Aah. But they¡¯ve got Thresh,¡± Zephyr said. He clicked his tongue and continued, ¡°He just has to throw¡ª Yep, there, see? He just throws hisntern, Twisted Fate clicks it, and they¡¯re gone. They got the kill and they got out. Beautiful gank. Like I said, beautiful.¡±

    ¡°WOOOO! GOALIE!¡±¡°AAAAND HE SCORES!¡±¡°Team Guangzhou looks like a different team¡­ They look strong!¡±¡°Goalie and Seo going to carry hard now!¡±¡°Can¡¯t believe how stupid Team Shanghai was to change their lineup¡­¡±¡°Who even picks Morgana mid? Such a troll pick,wl.¡±

    The cheering for Team Guangzhou didn¡¯tst long, especially not in the yer seating area. Team Shanghai¡¯s changes between the second and the third game were too significant. The otherpeting teams started arguing again that they¡¯d never seen such an arrogant group of kids and that they were getting what they deserved; an assbeating.

    Zuo Cheng looked around him at his fellowpetitors and grimaced. He said to his teammates, ¡°I want to tell them wrong! I know how good Lin Feng is and how good BunBun is and how good¡­¡± He shook his head and sighed. ¡°Team Guangzhou ispletely dictating the pace of the game at this point. They¡¯re picking off yers from Team Shanghai where they can and beyond that they¡¯re just waiting for their Tristana to scale. This is going to be a very ugly game for Team Shanghai if things keep going¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Sun Ruinian agreed. He took a long, deep breath and said, ¡°Team Shanghai needs to be ready to counter Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate. They can¡¯t just let him move around and do what he wants. If they still want to win, that¡¯s what they need to do.¡±

    ?

    ¡°We can¡¯t drag this, guys. We can¡¯t!¡± Zeng Rui said over the team¡¯s voice chat, worried. He nced at An Xin from the corners of his eyes, hiding the skepticism. She isn¡¯t the thundering dumbass. She isn¡¯t fucking Maple! And I don¡¯t even think Maple can force a y here! How can he? It¡¯s Morgana! She is the most passive thing ever! That¡¯s why she¡¯s a Support! She¡¯s a Support! He breathed in and forced himself to calm down. BunBun said it¡¯d be fine. She doesn¡¯t look worried now, so why should I worry? Why am I worried? When have they ever let me down? Never! Right. But what do we do? What should I do? I¡¯m the shot caller and I¡¯m all out of ideas¡­ I just don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know¡­ Shit I hate this feeling! I need to be in control! This isn¡¯t control! This is¡­ Dammit!

    ¡°The third Dragon is spawning in a minute,¡± Lin Feng said. He then scratched the back of his head andined, ¡°They keep focusing on me, so damn annoying. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like ying ad-carry. It¡¯s just too squishy and I can¡¯t peel like I can with my Miners! But I should be good after the next fight. I just need a few more items. Just a little bit more, and then I¡¯ll carry this game for you guys!¡±

    Zeng Rui felt his eyelids twitch. Where does he always get his confidence from? Comining one minute and then casually talking about carrying in the next! What is this ridiculousness? It¡¯s stupid and it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ He did get a pentast game. He looked across the long desk at his teammates. Lin Feng looked a more serious version of his usual cheerful self, Tang Bingyao was nodding and Zhang Hao was visibly trying to look happy. BunBun¡­ What¡¯s going on with you? He looked at her, searched her expression and posture for a tell, but came up empty. She looked like a nk te. There was no frown or smile on her face, nor any tension in her shoulders. She looked calm, yet not rxed. What¡¯s going on in her head?

    ¡°Okay,¡± Zeng Rui said. ¡°Dragon. Move. Ward. Let¡¯s do our thing and fight for it.¡±

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t need to say the words. Everyone was already moving, working together without needing him to tell them how to exactly move. He¡¯d told them often enough; they knew what he wanted. He smiled when he saw it, then focused. He panned his camera and searched for Team Guangzhou¡¯s yers, and then he looked for openings they might abuse and how to counter them.

    The Tianhe Stadium buzzed to life. Thest few minutes of gamey, aside from a gank on Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista, had been rather dull. Nothing really happened because Team Guangzhou yed it so defensively that it was impossible for anything to happen. But on therge LCD screen, all the fans and otherpeting teams could see the movements from both teams around the Dragon pit. Team Shanghai was throwing around their weight, getting in the wards they wanted. But Team Guangzhou was there too, searching for a way in.

    Zhang Hongyi from Team Beijing grinned,ughed. Cried from joy. He said to his teammates, ¡°Team Guangzhou¡¯s already won this one! That¡¯s what Team Shanghai gets for exploring the depths of their ass cavity to such an extent! Goalie¡¯s fed, Seo¡¯s getting there and that Morgana is more useless than my two year old cousin on Zed!¡±

    ?

    Goalie said over the team¡¯s voice chat in broken Chinese, ¡°Wait. Near Dragon.¡± He then turned to look at Seo and continued in Korean, ¡°We¡¯ll let them set up their vision. We¡¯ve got my ult for our vision. And if they¡¯re stupid enough to actually start Dragon, we¡¯ll pile on them and win.¡±

    Seo chuckled and replied, ¡°Sounds good. Lee and Irelia can jump the backline and we can crush their frontline and then we¡¯ll crush their hopes of making it to the next round and then we¡¯ll crush their faces!¡±

    ¡°Good. Throw a Scrying Orb on the Dragon pit for me,¡± Goalie said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Seo replied. He nced down and ced a Scrying Orb on the Dragon pit, revealing the powerful monster and Braum and Jarvan IV from Team Shanghai. He shrugged and continued attacking the minions in the midne, saying, ¡°Looks like they haven¡¯t started yet.¡±

    ¡°Be ready. Soon now,¡± Goalie said.

    Seo nodded and had his Tristana kill thest Red minion in the midne. He then clicked towards the Dragon pit. His Tristana walked through the brush below the midne into the river. He knew there were Champions from Team Shanghai near the Dragon pit, but he couldn¡¯t see them right now. He scrunched his eyebrows. Shouldn¡¯t one of them be in front of me? I don¡¯t¡ª His eyes shot open. SHIT! I need to ward the bru¡ª His stomach dropped. A Dark Binding appeared from the brush to the left in front of him. SHIT-FUCK!

 Chapter 368: The Flow of Decisions

    Su Xue leaned over the caster desk and watched the Team Guangzhou versus Team Shanghai game on therge monitor in front of her. Her chest brushed against the microphone stand, but she barely registered the sensation. Nor did she notice how she was holding her breath. Her full attention was on the game. On Seo¡¯s Tristana walking into the river and on An Xin¡¯s Morgana waiting for him in a brush. She pushed the microphone to her lips and shouted, ¡°Q! Q! Q! Seo¡¯s gonna get hit¡ª¡±

    Morgana¡¯s Dark Binding, a dark crimson orb, flew out from the brush and at Tristana. There was practically no time to respond. But Seo responded anyway. Years of practice and intuition helped him skip the thought process as he flicked his mouse and clicked. His Tristana abruptly changed the direction she was running in and the Dark Binding harmlessly flew past her.

    ¡°Give vision!¡± Seo shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Goalie cast his scrying orb on the brush the Dark Binding flew out from. A blue ward fell from the sky and nted itself in the brush, revealing An Xin¡¯s Morgana hiding within. He replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get her!¡±

    Seo smiled wickedly. He threw a bomb at Morgana with Explosive Charge and built up its damage through auto attacks. His smile then grew into a bright grin as An Xin¡¯s Morgana chose to fight him. You stupid, arrogant bitch! You think I¡¯m a pushover just because you pushed me over? Keep dreaming! Yeah, cast your Tormented Soil and throw your auto attacks! You think those will kill me? You stupid, stupid bitch! You¡¯re so stupid!

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t Morgana running? You don¡¯tpare auto attacks with an ad-carry¡­¡±¡°She missed her Q, what¡¯s she gonna do? This is painful to watch!¡±¡°PLEASE BACK! BAAAACK!¡±¡°Come on, girl! Don¡¯t be foolish! Back off already. He¡¯s going to kill you!¡±

    The bomb from Explosive Charge exploded! It dealt arge amount of damage to An Xin¡¯s Morgana, dropping her health to below half! This was finally the moment that An Xin chose to turn away from Seo¡¯s Tristana and to run towards her teammates closer to the Dragon pit. But Seo didn¡¯t let her get away. He activated Rocket Jump, and his Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground below her feet and fired. The recoil from her weaponunched her up into the air, arcing over Morgana andnding on the other side of her!

    Zephyr grabbed his microphone and shouted, ¡°Buster Shot! BUSTER SHOT! IT¡¯S-- BLACK SHIELD! MORGANA DODGED THE BUSTER SHOT WITH HER BLACK SHIELD! SHE DIDN¡¯T GET KNOCKED BACK TOWARDS THE OTHER CHAMPIONS FROM TEAM GUANGZHOU! SHE¡¯S STILL ALIVE! SHE¡¯S STILL ALIVE!¡±

    Inside Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, Goalie said through gritted teeth, ¡°You knew she still had ck Shield up! What are you doing!?¡± He shook his head in frustration and nced at the minimap. The rest of them are at the Dragon pit. She¡¯s closer to us here and she¡¯s almost dead. If we kill her fast¡­ He ordered in broken Chinese, ¡°In now!¡±

    Goalie had his Twisted Fate run into the river while activating Pick a Card. A blue card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head, then was reced by a red card a brief momentter until finally the gold card appeared. He selected it and stopped right in front of Morgana. Thresh and Lee Sin ran past him and engaged An Xin¡¯s Morgana, but he waited, counting down the final second until her ck Shield would wear off.

    Su Xue nted her free hand on the caster desk and pushed onto the tips of her toes to get even closer to the monitor. Her heart mmed into her ribcage. BunBun! Why!? WHY! She looked from the rest of Team Shanghai to Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate holding the Gold Card and shrieked into her microphone, ¡°SHE¡¯S IN DANGER! DANGER!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for Morgana¡­ Rip.¡±¡°Man! Why did she not just back off? Why¡­?¡±¡°That was a great engage by Seo though!¡±¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Why would she y it like this¡­? Something¡¯s off¡­¡±¡°She just got a little overconfident after the previous two games.¡±¡°RIPPERINO MORGARINO!¡±

    Seo cackled as he watched the other yers from Team Shanghai rushing over to help An Xin¡¯s Morgana. You stupid fools! She fucked up! And now you¡¯re all going to die! He clicked on the Morgana, repositioning himself closer to his teammates. A few more auto attacks to kill her and then the rest will be here. We¡¯ll kill them all! And I¡¯ll finally make sure that no one will remember that ugly beggar¡¯s face!

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, things were quiet except for the constant clicking of mice. An Xin nced at her minimap, gouging how far away her teammates were and how much longer it would take them to reach her. She then turned her attention to Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions. Four of them had run from the Blue team¡¯s Jungle through the funnel into the river. They¡¯re all here and I¡¯ve got no time left. She cast sh and followed up with her ultimate skill.

    Bright light wrapped around An Xin¡¯s Morgana and teleported her a short distance into the middle of Team Guangzhou. She then undid the chains locking away her power. Celestial power burst from her, lifting her off the ground as two wings spread from her back! Soul Shackles manifested and started coiling around her before firing at all nearby enemy Champions!

    Goalie¡¯s eyes widened in shock. His heart jumped and his fingers moved to both throw his Gold Card at An Xin¡¯s Morgana while also trying to sh away. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Kill her! Kill! KILL!¡±

    The yers from Team Guangzhou activated their highest damage abilities to finish off Morgana and break the slow that would soon turn into a stun. A myriad of colours representing various skills and attacks illuminated the river, while grains of sand fluttered down from the sky and stuck to Morgana¡¯s skin.

    ¡°ZHONYA¡¯S!¡± Su Xue eximed at the caster desk. ¡°SHE CAST ZHONYA¡¯S!¡±

    The grains of sand wrapped Morgana up until they revealed only her outline. They then turned golden, cing Morgana in stasis and making her invulnerable and untargetable! Skillshots flew right through her and other abilities were canceled! Nothing and no one could damage her right now.

    Zephyr shook his head, incredulous. He stared at his microphone for a few seconds before saying into it, ¡°Wow! Wow! What a y by Morgana. She somehow baited four yers from Team Guangzhou, including their two carries, and stunned all of them with her Soul Shackles. For all of you watching from home, hoping to learn a thing or two? This, right here¡­¡± he pointed at the monitor in front of him. ¡°... this is what a high level y looks like¡ª¡±

    ¡°And it isn¡¯t over yet!¡± Su Xue interrupted. ¡°Look! Backup has arrived!¡±

    In their attempt to kill Morgana rather than run out of her Soul Shackles¡¯ range, four Champions from Team Guangzhou were stunned by the chains. Backup then arrived for Team Shanghai. Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV dashed at Seo¡¯s Tristana with his g-tossbo and knocked him up! Behind him, Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista drew Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum into her body with Fate¡¯s Call, after which Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum hurled himself at Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate and knocked him up into the air!

    Lin Feng grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°ZengZeng, get TF first! Leave Trist be!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at Lin Feng, ring. He replied, ¡°I¡¯m the shotcaller.¡± He briefly paused, pursing his lips, then added, ¡°Fine, Twisted Fate first.¡± He hovered his mouse and activated his ultimate¡ªCataclysm! His Jarvan IV leaped up above Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate and then came down on him with such force that he terraformed the earth into an arena!

    ¡°Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat while having his Kalista hurl spears at Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate. He didn¡¯t have to say more; Tang Bingyao understood him. She nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm! On it!¡± She then stopped attacking Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate and dashed over the arena wall with Stand Behind Me! She looked at the fight. Twisted Fate is as good as dead. The other three will break free from their stun soon. If I move over here¡­ Here, yeah, mhm! Here I can knock them all three up!

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, gouging how much more damage was needed to kill Twisted Fate andparing that to how much longer the stun from Soul Shackles would persist. He then grimaced. We won¡¯t kill him in time, even with¡­ He sighed and activated Rend. His Kalista telepathically pulled on the spears lodged in Twisted Fate¡¯s body and tore them out!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here!¡± Zhang Hao shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Just a bitte, but I¡¯m here!¡± Heughed and activated his Rumble¡¯s ultimate skill¡ªThe Equalizer! His Rumble tapped several buttons on his construction and fired a volley of missiles thatnded in a straight line over the Champions from Team Guangzhou, setting the ground on fire!

    The stun from An Xin¡¯s Morgana wore off. Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh, Lee Sin and Tristana could run again. They could finally try and escape. But right then, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum mmed his shield onto the ground with such force that it opened a fissure! Freezing coldness spewed out from it and knocked Thresh and Lee Sin up into the air! Seo¡¯s Tristana was the only one to escape the skill, dodging it with a well-timed sh. He followed up by auto attacking An Xin¡¯s Morgana, clicking frantically, hoping that would help him kill her faster. Bright lights shed on his screen, skills mmed into his Tristana and he continued attacking An Xin¡¯s Morgana. Come on,e on,e on! DIE ALREADY YOU STUPID, UGLY WHORE!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Seo rxed back in his chair, smiling. His screen turned dull grey and his team lost the teamfight, but he¡¯d gotten a kill back. He chuckled and rubbed his hands together, ncing across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Fucking killed her! Heck yeah! Now I have to take care of the others! I¡¯ll kill them all and I¡¯ll make sure no one remembers their faces! Not like anyone wants to remember their ugly ass faces anyway¡­

    ¡°SEO! WHAT THE FUCK!¡± Goalie shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Seo nced at Goalie and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What? What!? What do you mean ¡®what¡¯?¡± Goalie replied. He red at Seo and continued, ¡°You forced us into that engage! Look at your screen! Look at it! Do you see that? They killed you and they killed me. Irelia is still in top for whatever fucked up reason and Thresh and Lee are going to be dead in 3, 2¡­ now. Great. We gave them four kills and for what?¡±

    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± Seo scratched his nose, using his palm to hide his smile. At least I got a kill! I killed that stupid bitch!

    ¡°You¡¯re fuckingughing! STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!¡± Goalie yelled. He grabbed his hair and continued, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? This is the third game! We¡¯re down 2-0! We were getting back into this game! We were going to win this! What the fuck, dude!? Why? WHY?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, why? I fucking killed her, didn¡¯t I?¡± Seo countered, glowering. ¡°It was a good fight for us! We got her down and should¡¯ve finished her! Why didn¡¯t you sh? You all had your shes and everything up, right? Why didn¡¯t you escape her skills? At least I killed her!¡±

    ¡°Oh my god! I can¡¯t¡­¡± Goalie stopped himself from saying more by biting on his lips. He then forced himself to take a long, deep breath before mming his fist on the desk. He finally shouted, ¡°They¡¯re gonna do Baron and then what? Huh? How are we going to win then!?¡±

    ?

    Su Xue clutched her microphone with both hands and cheered, ¡°WOOOOOO! TEAM SHANGHAI WON THAT! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    Zephyrughed and added, ¡°That looked scary, but¡­ FOUR FOR ONE! WOOOOOOO! They wrecked Team Guangzhou! What a crazy turnaround!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI IS LIFE!¡±¡°BEST MORGANA WORLD!¡±¡°MORGANA MID NEW FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH!¡±¡°SIIIIIIIICK MORGANA ULTIE!¡±¡°WOOHOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Zuo Cheng felt goosebumps on his body as he turned around and looked up at the stands. There were more than ten thousand people on their feet, stamping and cheering for Team Shanghai. All of them were screaming An Xin¡¯s name, because it was her bait that started the fight and her ultimate that decided the fight. This is it! This is what¡¯s so special about ying League and mid! You make that one y that decides the fight and probably the game and then this! I wish she could see them! He turned back around and looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Through the ss panels he saw the top of An Xin¡¯s head poking out above herputer¡¯s monitor. He clenched his fists and shouted, ¡°YOU GO GIRL!¡±

    ?

    Zhang Hao turned to look at An Xin and said, ¡°Wow! That was such a cool bait! You totally had them!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm! That was really good!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡± An Xin replied, cheerful. She then pinged on the Baron pit and said, ¡°Forget about Dragon. They¡¯re down four yers and you guys are only missing mee. I won¡¯t do too much damage to the Baron anyway, so this is only better. Go take it.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°BunBun is right. Baron. Let¡¯s go. If Ireliaes, just ignore her. She can¡¯t do anything to us.¡±

    Following Zeng Rui¡¯s order, Lin Feng, Tang Bingyao and Zhang Hao had their Champions run up towards the Baron pit. Therge purple wurm gave the most powerful buff to whoever killed it, but it was also the strongest monster on Summoner¡¯s Rift. It had a monstrous health pool and the green saliva it spit out burned through Champion health bars. But between Braum and Jarvan IV, Team Shanghai had enough high health Champions and with Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista they also had the damage. Before Team Guangzhou¡¯s Champions respawned, Team Shanghai took down Baron Nashor!

    ¡°That¡¯s game!¡± Su Xue said into her microphone, smiling brightly.

 Chapter 369: Xuenatics and Fengtastics

    ¡°No¡­ No¡­ No¡­¡± Zhang Hongyi muttered, shaking his head. His eyes were wide in shock and his face drained of all colour. ¡°No¡­ This can¡¯t be¡­¡± He bit the inside of his mouth and pinched himself to make sure he wasn¡¯t having a nightmare. His stomach contracted and he felt like puking. He¡¯d been enjoying himself immensely this third game, because Team Guangzhou was finally winning. Because Zeng Rui was screwing up in the Jungle and because An Xin was screwing up in the midne. But An Xin didn¡¯t screw up in the previous fight. She wasn¡¯t the terrible yer he¡¯d made her out to be. He nced at his teammates, but they weren¡¯t looking at him. He breathed out in relief. Why did I have to open my big mouth? Why did I have to make fun of Team Shanghai? No, wait. Wait. He narrowed his eyes slightly. How did they do that? How did she do that? Has she been¡­ Is she good?

    Yu Ping scratched his forehead and looked down at the ground. Mechanics, awareness, judgement¡­ Just a single fight, but she¡¯s shown she has it all. She isn¡¯t just a good Jungler, but also a good Miner. She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s a good yer. A really good one. I can¡¯t look down on her or on him. Those two, An Xin and Lin Feng, hmm¡­ He moved his lips and took long, deep breaths. He then looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and nodded. They¡¯re at least as good as I am. Their teammates... I don¡¯t really have to worry about them. But those two¡­ Those two I need to watch out for¡ª

    ¡°Lol! Look at Coach Yin!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler said to his teammates.

    Yu Ping shook the worries about Team Shanghai from his mind and looked in the direction of Team Guangzhou¡¯s area in the yer seating area. He grinned and asked, ¡°What is he doing?¡±

    ¡°Losing it!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler replied,ughing.

    Coach Yin sat at the edge of his seat, pulling his hair. He shook his head and then struck himself across the cheek. He shouted, ¡°I¡¯m dreaming! I¡¯m having a nightmare! This is a nightmare! Goalie and Seo wouldn¡¯t let me down! We¡¯re winning! SOMEONE TELL ME WE¡¯RE WINNING!¡± He looked around at the other teams, everyone staring at him. ¡°TELL ME! ONE OF YOU! TELL ME! TELL ME I¡¯M SEEING THINGS! TELL ME MY TEAM IS WINNING!¡± He then put his head on his hands and let the tension slip from his body. Why is this happening to me? What have I ever done to deserve this? Why can¡¯t those two do what I¡¯m paying them to do¡­? Why? Why¡­?

    ?

    The yers from Team Guangzhou were distraught by the previous teamfight. Lee Sin and Irelia forgot to open the fountain shop and spend their gold, while Thresh mindlessly clicked on items he didn¡¯t have enough money for to buy. Yet he kept clicking, only registering he wasn¡¯t buying the item but not understanding why he couldn¡¯t buy it.

    Seo stared at his monitor, smiling and nodding. I did it! I did it! I killed her! I¡­ I¡­ The smile disappeared. The dull grey colours faded away, ring into the vibrant blues and greens of life. His Tristana had revived on the fountain tform. I died. She baited me. She¡­ He shook his head abruptly. NO! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER! IT WAS A GOOD FIGHT! IF THOSE IDIOTS HAD FLASHED HER ULTIE AND IF¡­ IF¡­ He clenched his fists, trying to ignore the visceral clenching of his stomach. I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER!

    At the very back of Seo¡¯s mind, a small voice nagged him. ¡°No one will remember your face.¡± ¡°No one will remember your face.¡± It grew in power with every repetition. Seo grabbed the sides of his head and pulled down. He wanted to cry, to disappear, to wake up from this nightmare. But it wouldn¡¯t end; it only got worse. His skills at League of Legends, the ones he was so proud of were beingughed at. His opponents never even regarded him as a real threat. He was their stepping stone. He blinked his bloodshot eyes and growled, ¡°People will remember my face!¡± He then grabbed his mouse, feeling the curves of the slick design, and ced his other hand on the keyboard. ¡°Fight,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°We need to fight and win this!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re doneughing?¡± Goalie asked, ring at Seo. You fucking idiot! Bonehead! Nipoop! You¡¯re losing us this fucking game! Why do I have to put up with trash like you!? The Guangzhou Esports Association promised me capable teammates! He forced himself to take a long, deep breath, and then exhaled in a loud sigh. He continued, ¡°They¡¯ve got Baron. We¡¯re going to have to defend for the next few minutes and hope they can¡¯t end the game.¡±

    ¡°AND WE WILL!¡± Seo shouted, his nostrils ring. ¡°I¡¯ll make that fucking bitch regret everything! I¡¯ll kill her again! I¡¯LL FUCKING MURDER HER!¡±

    Goalie nodded slowly as he turned his attention back to his monitor. He panned his camera all the way to Team Shanghai¡¯s base. There, hidden in the fog of war, An Xin¡¯s Morgana respawned. He scrunched his nose and stared at the thick fog hiding her from him. You let me getfortable for 20 minutes. You never slipped up in midne. But because you kept letting me gank the othernes¡­ Was this your n all along? Did you make me underestimate you so that we¡¯d fall for your bait? And now you¡¯ve got Baron¡­ Are you actually so good that you knew how much you¡¯d be giving up in terms of kills and calcted it¡¯d be worth it if you got this bait to work? He shook his head. No, that can¡¯t be. Because if it is, then your midne skills are far better than your Jungling skills. You can¡¯t be that good. You just can¡¯t!

    ?

    Team Shanghai recalled back to base after they killed Baron Nashor. An Xin¡¯s Morgana was waiting for them there and together they ran down the midne. When they arrived at their inner tower, the voice announcer informed them that Team Guangzhou had killed the Dragon.

    ¡°Oh, right! We forgot all about the Dragon!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± Zeng Rui countered. His eye twitched in annoyance as he exined, ¡°We want to make full use of the Baron Buff, so we gave up on Dragon.¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and mumbled, ¡°Could¡¯ve just taken it. Whatever! Let¡¯s take their base!¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Yep, we¡¯re taking their base! Let¡¯s siege them with our very shitty siege team!¡±

    It was only a few minutes earlier that Team Shanghai had tried to push down the midne and take down the inner tower. But because their teamposition didn¡¯t have good wave clear or long range attacks, they failed. This time, they were boosted by the Baron Buff. This allowed them to take the mid inner tower with no trouble at all. Especially because Team Guangzhou didn¡¯t manage to recall in time after killing the Dragon to defend it. But when it came to the inhibitor tower, Team Shanghai ran into the same issue as before. Their team just wasn¡¯t any good at sieging.

    An Xin watched Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista lunging around, switching between attacking Blue minions and the tower when possible. This isn¡¯t going to work. The Baron Buff will wear off long before we even get half the tower down. We need something special¡­ Hmm¡­ She had her Morgana drop back a bit and looked at the inhibitor tower.

    The yers from Team Guangzhou had huddled around it and were trying to kill the Red minions as quickly as they could. The melee minions weren¡¯t difficult, because they were in range. The caster minions were a bit more difficult, because Team Guangzhou had to make sure Team Shanghai wouldn¡¯t catch them when they moved in front of their inhibitor tower. And finally there was the cannon minion, firing cannon balls at the inhibitor tower from outside its range.

    An Xin smiled and had her Morgana move into position. She then aimed her mouse and waited. That ad-carry is far too aggro. He¡¯s going to¡ª Seo¡¯s Tristana walked forward to attack the cannon minion. An Xin¡¯s Morgana cast Dark Binding! The dark crimson orb flew at Seo¡¯s Tristana!

    Seo¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock and fear. He smashed down on his W key, having his Tristana Rocket Jump away to safety! But behind him was Lee Sin trying to offer support. Lee Sin got caught by the Dark Binding and was rooted. He then got jumped on by Team Shanghai. It was a swift and decisive move, finished off by Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista ripping out the spears lodged in Lee Sin¡¯s body with Rend!

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Team Guangzhou¡¯s Jungler cursed as his screen turned different shades of dull grey. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Goalie grimaced, ignoring the string of curses Seo spewed over the team¡¯s voice chat. We¡¯re done. We can¡¯t defend this. Maybe¡­ He shouted over Seo¡¯s voice, ¡°Retreat! Back we protect Nexus!¡±

    Lin Feng watched Team Guangzhou¡¯s yers retreat and grinned. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°They¡¯re running! Let¡¯s chase them!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± An Xin replied. She pinged on the inhibitor tower and the inhibitor and continued, ¡°We¡¯re taking the inhibitor tower and the inhibitor and then we¡¯re rotating bot. I don¡¯t think we can finish them under their Nexus towers and we need to make the most out of this Baron Buff.¡±

    ?

    Team Rapids had their headquarters located in Shanghai. Shi Hang practically lived here, training day and night in an attempt to form synergy with his new teammates. But an important part of training was to know when to focus and when to chill out. Right now was a moment to rx and unwind from a long day of practice. Shi Hang rxed in his chair, his fingers intecing behind his head, and watched the game between Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai. He mumbled to no one in particr, ¡°Team Guangzhou has onest chance to win this. It¡¯s a small one, but it¡¯s there.¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler walked into the gaming room and heard the end of what Shi Hang said. He walked over towards his new Miner and asked, ¡°What¡¯s there?¡± He then looked at Shi Hang¡¯s screen and saw the Winter Collegiate Cup live stream ying. ¡°Oh?¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re watching the Collegiate Cup? I heard your old team made it to the Round of 16, right?¡±

    Shi Hang nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not watching them right now. This is the game between Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai.¡±

    ¡°I heard something about that!¡± Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler eximed. He shook his head and continued, ¡°Can¡¯t believe they did that. Why call it a uni tourney and then invite non-uni teams? Seems stupid to me. But whatever. They do them.¡±

    Shi Hang smiled. He looked over his shoulder at his new Jungler and said, ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. A couple of these yers could give us a run for our money.¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ Jungle raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°You¡¯re telling me they¡¯re at the LPL level? I mean¡­ if they are, then why aren¡¯t they ying in the LPL? Seems like you-- Wait! I remember now! You yed one game, didn¡¯t you? And you lost that!¡±

    ¡°Yup, I sure did,¡± Shi Hang replied. He chuckled and exined, ¡°I lost against Team Shanghai. Their Miner straight up beat me.¡±

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler eximed. He looked at the screen again and saw that the Red team was Team Shanghai. He pointed at it and said, ¡°That¡¯s them!¡± He then grabbed a chair and sat down next to Shi Hang, asking, ¡°That Morgana is the one who beat you?¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head and exined, ¡°No, it¡¯s the Kalista. But that Morgana is pretty damn good too.¡±

    ?

    There were more than 100,000 people watching the official broadcast of the Winter Collegiate Cup. Many of them were regr League of Legends fans who usually yed the game themselves and only tuned in for the important matches in the big tournaments. When it came to the Collegiate Cup, those fans were mostly university students looking to see how their peers were ying. Next to the stream was the chat function, which allowed the viewers to share their opinions and banter.

    ¡¸these two high school teams are pretty good!¡¹

    ¡¸KOREANS GETTING SCOOLED HAHAHHAHAHHRHHRAHRHAAHA¡¹¡¸+1 to that bro! FUCK IMPORTS! MADE IN CHINA ALL DAY BAAAAABY!¡¹¡¸What¡¯s that Morgana skin called?¡¹¡¸I ASKED MY CRUSH ON A DATE AND SHE LAUGHED IN MY FACE¡¹¡¸F¡¹¡¸FFFFFFFFFFF¡¹¡¸MORGANA IS THE MANLIEST STANLIEST STAN!!!!!!!¡¹

    There was also a second type of viewers. They made up nearly a quarter of all the viewers and called themselves the Xuenatics or the Fengtastics. None of them cared particrly about the game. There were only two things in the world that they did care about: Lin Feng and Su Xue.

    ¡¸Hahah! GOOOOO LIL BRO! WOOOO! CAARYYYYMEEEEHOOMMEEEEE¡¹¡¸lil bro is life! I¡±D GIVE HIM MY KIDNEY!!!!¡¹¡¸y the maid no give lil bro water? he need his water, lemon voured!¡¹¡¸What is this shitty ass spectator camera? Don¡¯t they know we only care about Lin Feng? SHOW US LIN FENG!!!!¡¹¡¸TELL EVERYONE YOU¡±RE THE MAID, XUEXUE!!!!¡¹¡¸the impartial very not partial xuexue is soooooooo cute! She should do this in her vids!!¡¹¡¸XUEXUE BEST CASTER COLEGIATE CUP!¡¹¡¸I NEED MORE XUEXUE IN MY LIFE!¡¹¡¸and gimme another dose of win feng¡¹

    The stream chat flooded with so many messages that it was difficult to read even the shorter ones before they disappeared. But rather than slowing down the typing, the viewers saw this as a reason to double their efforts, typing more and faster. They forgot all about the game between Team Guangzhou and Team Shanghai as their focus waspletely drawn towards the chat.

    ¡¸Oh shit! WOOD!!! You¡¯re here too!? ¡¹¡¸HAHAHA AOILIBRO IM HERE! SNOWFALL ARMY!¡¹¡¸WATER WRAITH, MOST FATEFUL VIEWER, REPORTING FOR DUTY!!!!¡¹¡¸futalover, you¡¯re here too! Can¡¯t miss a good part without you!¡¹¡¸GOD OF FLAMES! IT¡¯S Me!¡¹¡¸Everyone¡¯s here! This is great! The more the merrier!¡¹

    ?

    Goalie nced at the gametime and forced a smile. They don¡¯t have the Baron Buff anymore and we need another minute to get our mid inhibitor back. He panned his camera towards the midne, where Irelia was fighting the Super minions. She was on the job because she had Teleport, allowing her to join the rest of the team if a fight were to break out. Goalie then moved his camera towards the botne. They¡¯d lost the inhibitor tower, but the inhibitor was still standing. They¡¯ll get that. But not as long as we keep them busy here in top. He centered his camera on his Champion again. His team was fighting back against Team Shanghai¡¯s assault of the topne inner tower.

    ¡°You good?¡± Goalie asked Seo over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Seo replied through gritted teeth, ¡°My Trist is strong. We just need to get the fight. I¡¯ll carry and kill those ugly shits! AND¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Goalie interrupted. He straightened his back and added, ¡°You can rage after we win. Now focus.¡±

    Seo breathed loudly in and then blew it out in frustration. But he nodded and replied, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Goalie moved his camera to Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and narrowed his eyes. We need to take her out first. She¡¯s their entire damage. All the other Champions are just there to Support. If I can get the jump on her and kill her¡­ We can still win this. This can still be our game and we can still win this series. But we¡¯ve only got one chance to pull this off. We can¡¯t afford any more screw ups. This is that single moment where everything has toe together. And I need to make that happen! I will make that happen! He smiled and nodded at himself, then turned his head to look at his teammates and said, ¡°Follow my lead. Now we fight!¡±

    Zephyr leaned towards his microphone on the caster desk and said, ¡°Team Guangzhou can¡¯t afford to drag this out much longer. Two inhibitors down is usually considered the point of no return and it¡¯s getting really damn close to that. The minions are pushing towards their inhibitor in the botne and their top inner tower is also going to fall if nothing changes.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± Su Xue replied, nodding. ¡°Team Guangzhou needs to be proactive here! They have to find a nk with an Irelia or Twisted Fate teleport. But I don¡¯t think Team Shanghai is going to give them that chance. They¡¯re too good for that!¡±

    The Blue Sentinel respawned in Blue team¡¯s Jungle. Zeng Rui pinged on it and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Can you help me, Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°Sure, ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng replied. He then had his Kalista follow behind Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV. After hurling a couple of spears at the Blue Sentinel, he noticed the Gromp had also respawned. While I¡¯m here¡­ Might as well. He walked to the camp directly opposite the Blue Buff Camp and attacked therge frog. A red and yellow eye suddenly appeared above his head, followed by the animation of Twisted Fate¡¯s portal opening a bit further down the Jungle path Lin Feng was in.

    ¡°TWISTED FATE HAS FOUND THE FLANK! HE¡¯S GOING IN!¡± Su Xue cried out into her microphone.

 Chapter 370: DIE YOU LITTLE BITCH

    A pir of blue light mmed down on Blue team¡¯s Blue Buff Camp! Zeng Rui, whose Jarvan IV was fighting the Blue Sentinel, felt his heart stop. ¡°Irelia! Irelia is teleporting in! Where¡¯s TF?¡± he asked over Team Shanghai¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°On me,¡± Lin Feng replied, calm.

    Zeng Rui panned his camera towards Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista, who was still fighting the Gromp, and then a bit further up to where Twisted Fate was teleporting to. He then moved his camera down and spotted Thresh running past his inner tower and towards the Jungle. Fuck! They¡¯re nking us! I need to save Lin Feng! We need him alive! He nced at his skill and grimaced. He¡¯s too far away. I need to¡­ He sighed and then had his Jarvan IV dash towards Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista with his g-tossbo.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh saw Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV dashing towards Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and knew there was a chance there. His fingers glided over his keyboard as he linked several skills together. A mottled sh of light carried his Thresh past the yers from Team Shanghai and into his top side Jungle. He followed up with a Death Sentence, his scythe flying over a Jungle wall andtching onto Jarvan IV at the end of his dash animation. He then threw hisntern behind him with Dark Passage, waited just long enough for Lee Sin to click it and finally activated Death Sentence again, pulling himself towards Jarvan IV and Kalista!

    ¡°OH SHIT! KALISTA IS IN DANGER!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone. He stared at the monitor in shock and added, ¡°JARVAN JUST KILLED KALISTA!¡±

    Su Xue looked at the fight and searched the minimap for a way in which Team Shanghai could turn this fight around. But she came up empty. She chewed on her lips and said, ¡°Maybe if they can get their Braum and¡ª¡± The rest of the sentence was stuck in her throat.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh activated his ultimate skill¡ªThe Box! Five spectral walls rose up from the ground and caught Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV within. He followed up with y, sweeping his chain and scythe backwards. It caught both Kalista and Jarvan IV, lifting them off their feet and ying them into the spectral wall. The wall applied a powerful slow effect.

    Team Guangzhou¡¯s Lee Sin came flying in with Thresh¡¯sntern. When he hit the ground, he ced a ward behind Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and hopped towards it with Safeguard. He followed up with his ultimate skill--Dragon¡¯s Rage! He raised his foot and struck Kalista with a roundhouse kick! There was so much power behind the kick that it knocked Kalista up into the air and sent her flying into the spectral wall on the opposite side of the box. Right where Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate happened to be.

    Zephyr shot up from his seat at the caster desk and yelled into his microphone, ¡°They got him now! They got Kalista! He kicked her right at Twisted Fate! This is gonna be a stun and then a kill!¡±

    Below the stage in the yer seating area, Chu Fang sat at the edge of his seat and leaned closer towards therge LCD screen above the soundproof booths. He clenched his fists and mumbled, ¡°Come on¡­ Come on¡­ Come on! Don¡¯t screw up now¡­ Don¡¯t screw up now!¡±

    In a different section of the yer seating area, Coach Yin looked theplete opposite of the worried Chu Fang. He was grinning and trembling with excitement, mumbling, ¡°Come on! COME ON! DO IT! KILL HER! KILL THAT KALISTA AND FINISH THE GAME!¡±

    Back in the game, Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate ran down the Jungle path until Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista was kicked towards him. He threw the Gold Card he was holding and followed up with a volley of Wild Cards, both skills striking Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista at the same time.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista was stunned. Twisted Fate stood in front of her, auto attacking with ying cards. Behind her, Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia finished teleporting and was running to join the fight together with Thresh and Lee Sin. Zeng Rui was trying to run interference there with his Jarvan IV, but Team Guangzhou simply ignored him. The other three Champions from Team Shanghai were in the topne, separated from the fight by a Jungle wall they couldn¡¯t run through. They hesitated, deciding whether to run around it left or right, or to sh over it. All the while, Seo¡¯s Tristana was auto attacking them.

    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ It¡¯s over¡­¡± Su Xue muttered into her microphone, distraught.

    Zephyr nodded and continued, ¡°Definitely is! They¡¯re almost on Kalista and when she¡¯s¡ª¡± His eyes grew wide and round when he saw a cleansing light wrap around Kalista. The stun was broken. And then a second light wrapped around Kalista. This one teleported her a short distance, dropping her back onto the Rift behind Twisted Fate! Zephyr clutched his microphone tightly and shouted, ¡°OH MY GOD! CLEANSE! CLEANSE! HE CLEANSED IT AND THEN FLASHED!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth fell open. She stared at the monitor, incredulous, then mumbled, ¡°H-he¡­ He escaped?¡±

    ¡°OH SHIT HE DID! HE ESCAPED!¡±¡°WOW! HE EVEN DODGED THE LEE Q WITH THAT FLASH!¡±¡°HOLY LORD! WHAT THE EFFIN EF!¡±¡°HE STILL HAD CLEANSE!? WHAT THE FUCK!¡±¡°DAMN! FUCK ME! WHAT A FUCKING CLUTCH CLEANSE!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista started throwing spears at Twisted Fate, each one lodging itself into his body. But Kalista didn¡¯t have a stun. She had to run after Goalie¡¯s Twisted Fate as he looked to close the distance with his teammates. Thresh and Lee Sin had used most of their skills, so Lin Feng didn¡¯t worry about them. Irelia on the other hand hadn¡¯t used any of her skills yet.

    ¡°Tang Tang!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao nced at Lin Feng and smiled. Now it¡¯s time to y hard! Ignore the pinky, ignore the pinky, mhm! She replied, ¡°Pull me!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista pulled Braum¡¯s spirit in with her ultimate skill¡ªFate¡¯s Call! The second part of the skill was up to Tang Bingyao. She aimed her mouse at the four Champions from Team Guangzhou and clicked. Her Braumunched himself at them, regaining his physical form, and barreled into them! He knocked them up and followed up with his own ultimate skill¡ªcial Fissure! He smashed his shield down into the ground, tearing a rift open and causing freezing air to erupt upwards and knock the four Champions from Team Guangzhou up into the air again!

    Goalie¡¯s eyes were wide and round in fear. He¡¯d misjudged how quickly they could kill Kalista, and now Braum was there. FUCK! FUCKING DOGS! He ground his teeth and searched for Seo who was still busy attacking Rumble. He isn¡¯t getting a kill there either anytime soon. FuckFuckFuck! I need to survive! We can¡¯t win if I die here! He mmed down on his keyboard, trying to activate sh the moment his Twisted Fate fell back on the ground. But right then, just before his Twisted Fate had both feet on solid ground again, a Dark Binding hit him and rooted him!

    ¡°Ooooh! Nice one, BunBun!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    ¡°Just kill him already,¡± An Xin replied, smiling.

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°On it!¡± He then activated Rend. His Kalista pulled on the telekic link with the spears lodged inside Twisted Fate¡¯s body and pulled them free! They shattered Twisted Fate¡¯s health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Goalie¡¯s death boomed in Seo¡¯s ear and continued echoing, as if mocking him. His heart leaped up into his throat and cut off air from reaching his lungs. He widened his bloodshot eyes and felt his nose and eyelids twitching. The most intense hatred he¡¯d ever felt coursed through his veins. He red at Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill them all! And I¡¯m going to make you watch!¡± He then nced past Kalista at Jarvan IV, whose health was down considerably after trying to protect Kalista. You first.

    Seo¡¯s Tristana aimed her cannon at the ground and fired. The recoil lifted her off her feet and sent her flying over the Jungle wall where shended right next to Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV. A fire started burning at the edge of her cannon as she activated Rapid Fire. And then she fired. Again and again. Cannonballs battered Zeng Rui¡¯s Jarvan IV and sheared away at his health bar! Buster Shot! Tristana loaded a massive cannonball and fired! It smashed into Jarvan IV and went straight through him!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°WOOOOOO! WHAT A KILL!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone. He nced at Su Xue and added, ¡°And that also resets her Rocket Jump!¡±

    Su Xue nodded with her eyes wide open. She was trying to find the words, constantly reminding herself to be impartial. But then she spotted Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble casting his ultimate skill on top of Team Guangzhou. She smiled. Nice HaoBro! Help Lin Feng win this one! She then said into her microphone, ¡°That was a beautiful kill! But that Rumble ultie is also a great response by Team Shanghai!¡±

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°TEAM GUANGZHOU! WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°TEAM GUANGZHOU!¡±

    Seo had his Tristana Rocket Jump back over the Jungle wall and started auto attacking Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble, when An Xin¡¯s Morgana shed the other way. She arrived at the Gromp Camp where Lee Sin, Thresh and Irelia were trying to get through Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum to kill Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. She nced at Seo¡¯s Tristana and nodded. He¡¯s still in range. She then smiled and activated her ultimate skill--Soul Shackles!

    Morgana unfurled her wings as she tapped into the full potential of her Celestial power! It radiated from her, lifting her off the ground as dark crimson chains manifested around her. They fired at the four Champions from Team Guangzhou andtched onto them, tightening around them and restraining their movement speeds!

    ¡°What a beautiful ultimate!¡± Su Xue eximed. She leaned over the desk, letting her emotions carry her casting. ¡°Team Guangzhou is done for! This is all Team Shanghai! That ultimate seals it! Lin Feng is going to kill Lee Sin, Thresh and then Irelia and Team Guangzhou is going to look stupid as they try to make something work!¡±

    Zephyr nced at Su Xue and raised an eyebrow. I like her. Casters in the LPL are all expected to be dry and monotone and ¡°objective¡±, and because only those types of casters get hired, you see it happen at these kinds of tournaments too. But what we really need is the type of casters they have over in Europe and America, the kind who knows how to hype up a crowd! He nced at a monitor showing the crowd. Everyone was up on their feet, everyone was screaming and everyone was having a good time. He nodded at himself and smiled. Yeah. She¡¯s right. This is how you¡¯re supposed to cast. He pushed his microphone to his lips and shouted, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI FOR THE WIN! WOOOOOOO! LIN FENG PENTA! I¡¯M CALLING IT RIGHT NOW!¡±

    ¡°MORGANA MASTERCLASS!¡±¡°KALISTA PLAYING LIKE A BAWS!¡±¡°SEO GONNA GET WRECKED!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±

    Yu Ping felt like he was knocked in the back of his head by the cheering crowd behind him. He rubbed his head and stared at therge LCD screen in shock. She¡¯s their substitute Miner¡­ Yet she¡¯snding these crucial four man ults like they¡¯re nothing! It¡¯s fucking perfect every time! How is she doing this!? How are they this good? How¡­ How did we not see thising¡­?

    Back in the game, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum propelled freezing ice from her shield--Winter¡¯s Bite! It hit Lee Sin and applied the first stack from Concussive Blows. The second, third and fourth hits followed soon after, two of them dealt by Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista and one of them by An Xin¡¯s Morgana. Stunned, Lee Sin couldn¡¯t escape the onught of spears that pierced him. His health bar dropped until it ran empty.

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    Seo growled when the voice announcer boomed in his ears. He ground his teeth and clicked on his mouse more forcefully, as if that¡¯d increase the damage of his auto attacks. DIE! DIE! DIE! YOU STUPID UGLY RUMBLE! DIE! His stomach clenched. He needed Tristana to get the kill faster, because Morgana¡¯s Soul Shackles had a secondary effect. A stun. And if he got stunned, it was game over.

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble was almost dead. Two more auto attacks. Seo already started smashing on the W key for Rocket Jump, hoping that pressing it would make it go off early. KIIIIIIIILL!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    ¡°WOW!¡± Zephyr eximed. He shook his head, incredulous, and continued, ¡°What a timing on that Rocket Jump! He jumped out of the Soul Shackles right before the stun went off! Look! Irelia and Thresh are stunned! But Seo¡¯s Tristana got out!¡±

    The Tormented Soil from Morgana dealt continuous damage to Team Guangzhou¡¯s Irelia and Thresh. On top of that, she also attacked Irelia with auto attacks, as was Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum. But the two of them together weren¡¯t dealing nearly as much damage as Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista was. She was lunging back and forth, hurling spears at Irelia. When Pierce came off cooldown, she threw the empowered spear for a bit more damage. Irelia¡¯s health dropped sharply until Lin Feng¡¯s Kalistanded the killing blow. The stun from Soul Shackles never even wore off.

    ¡¶Triple Kill!¡·

    ?

    ¡°WOOO!¡± Shi Hang eximed, throwing his arms up into the air. He grinned and added, ¡°Fucking knew it! His ad-carry is just as good as Autumn¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Autumn? The Support from America?¡± Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler asked.

    Shi Hang turned his head to look at his new teammate andughed. He exined, ¡°No, not that one. I¡¯m talking about the one all the way back from Season 1. Hmm¡­ Thinking about it¡­ Have you ever heard about him? No one seems to remember Season 1.¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler shrugged and replied, ¡°That was back in Season 1. I know there was some wonderkid or something? Eh, that was then. I didn¡¯t go professional to learn history.¡±

    Shi Hangughed and turned his attention back to the stream. Come on, Lin Feng! I¡¯m over here waiting for you. Win this series already and get your ass back into the LPL!

    ?

    ¡°Seo¡­ Seo!¡± Goalie shouted over Team Guangzhou¡¯s voice chat. ¡°SEO!¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Seo asked, annoyed.

    ¡°You need to kill him. Stay calm. Kill that Kalista. We need to kill her now or we lose,¡± Goalie exined.

    Seo looked at the fight happening in the Jungle and grimaced. His Tristana was in the topne, momentarily safe. But he knew Goalie was right. He had to take Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista out before she had the time to regain her health. Morgana and Braum are busy with Thresh. Kalista¡¯s back is open and she only has like a third of her health left. This is it! I¡¯ve got a double already and that¡¯s gonna be a penta! I¡¯m going to be the star! The real MVP! THE MIGHTIEST DICK...err... DUCK! Screw Goalie! I¡¯m the best yer in this game! He smiled at that thought and then had his Tristana run through the tri-brush into the Jungle, arriving right behind Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. Then he screamed at his monitor, ¡°DIE YOU LITTLE BITCH!¡±

 Chapter 371: HEY! TEAM GUANGZHOU! WELL PLAYED BUDS! GREAT GAMES! STRONG WORK!

    The long des of grass rose up high around Seo¡¯s Tristana, hiding her from view. She raised her cannon, aimed it at Kalista¡¯s back and squeezed the trigger. The cannonball shot from the muzzle and mmed into Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista! It was a critical hit! She took a step forward and fired again! Another cannonball mmed into Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista!

    ¡°KALISTA IS DEAD! SEO¡¯S GONNA KILL HER!¡± Zephyr screamed into his microphone. ¡°TWO MORE HITS! OR A CRIT!¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes were wide open in horror. NoNoNo! Her jaw trembled as she stuttered into her microphone, ¡°Y-y-you got this, Lin Feng!¡±

    Lin Feng breathed out calmly. He¡¯d kept an eye on Seo¡¯s Tristana the entire fight. He saw it when she killed Jarvan IV and also when she killed Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble. He knew, though the fog of war hid it from view, that she was most likely going to try and get to him through the tri-brush. More than anything, he believed in his skills and in his teammates. He had his Kalista hurl a spear at Tristana and then used her passive to lunge towards the tri-brush. During that brief mid-dash moment, he pinged on Tristana to alert Tang Bingyao.

    Tang Bingyao felt her entire body go stiff when she heard the ping and saw Seo¡¯s Tristana. She¡¯d been so focused on killing the Thresh that she hadn¡¯t thought to look behind her. But then instinct took over. She flicked her mouse towards Seo¡¯s Tristana, who¡¯d walked out from the tri-brush, and cast Winter¡¯s Bite. Her Braum propelled ice from his shield! It struck Tristana, slowing her and applying the first stack of Concussive Blows.

    Seo snarled at his monitor, furiously clicking his keys. His Tristana fired another cannonball at Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista. CritCritCrit! COME ON, WHY DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING CRIT!? He wanted to throw his mouse through the ss panels of the soundproof booth, but kept himself from doing that. A crit would¡¯ve killed Kalista. Now he needed to hit her one more time. KILL THE STUPID BEGGAR! He clicked on Kalista. His Tristana raised her cannon again.

    Lin Feng licked his lips as he had his Kalista fire another auto attack. Her passive skill--Martial Pose--added a lunge to each auto attack. He used that to disappear into the tri-brush. It killed the line of sight with Seo¡¯s Tristana and it canceled Tristana¡¯s auto attack. He then threw an empowered spear with Pierce to apply the third stack of Concussive Blows, and followed up with another auto attack! It applied the fourth stack of Concussive Blows and stunned Seo¡¯s Tristana!

    ¡°Oh my god¡­ Oh my god!¡± Su Xue said. She beganughing her worries and nerves away and continued, ¡°He did it! He got her! He really got her!¡±

    Zephyr looked at Su Xue and smiled. Damn, she¡¯s got some great energy! He then looked at the audience and listened to them. They were up on their feet, screaming out their joy. They need some direction. Let me give it to them! A Su Xue! Heughed and shouted into his microphone, ¡°WHO DO WE WANT?¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±

    Zephyr felt the chills run up and down his spine when the audio from the stadium exploded into his headset. He grinned and added, ¡°WHEN DO WE WANT HIM?¡±

    ¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±¡°NOW!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista was revealed to Seo¡¯s Tristana when he attacked her from the brush. The moment the stun wore off, Tristana could kill her. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t nning to let that happen. He counted down the time he had until the stun wore off and then the time it would take to load a cannonball and fire. Right before Seo¡¯s Tristana could kill him, he activated Rend. His Kalista pulled on the telekic links with the spears lodged inside Tristana and pulled them free.

    ¡¶Quadra Kill!¡·

    After getting the double kill and finding Kalista¡¯s back open, Seo had started to picture himself as the staryer of this match. He was going to get the penta kill, he was going to secure this win, and he was going to win Team Guangzhou this series! His teammates wouldud him. Every single woman inside this stadium would fawn over him. Most importantly, Tang Bingyao and An Xin would drop to their knees before him. And he would turn them down! He would show them exactly how little they meant to him! But all of that ground to a halt when he saw his screen turn grey. His dreams came crashing down around him and were reced with hundreds of identical faces. Theyughed at him and told him that no one was going to remember his face. LIN FEEEEEEENG! I¡¯M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU!

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Gimme the penta! I want the penta! Give it to me!¡±

    An Xin nced at him, smiled and said, ¡°Of course we¡¯ll help you. That¡¯s only good manners.¡± She already had her Morgana chasing after Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh and when she found the angle, she cast a Dark Binding. The dark crimson orb flew through the air and struck Thresh, rooting him to the ground.

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! I¡¯ll help!¡± She then had her Braum dash in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista with Stand Behind Me, functionally disabling all of Thresh¡¯s crowd control skills that could impede Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista.

    Lin Feng grinned brightly as he had his Kalista hurl spears and lunge after Thresh. The chase went past the Gromp Camp, the Blue Buff Camp and down the Jungle path leading to Team Guangzhou¡¯s base. But before Team Guangzhou¡¯s Thresh could get to the safety his base provided, a final spear pierced his back and imed his life.

    ¡¶Pentakill!¡·

    ¡°He did it! He did it! He did it!¡± Su Xue rambled into her microphone. But no one paid much attention to her; they were too busy cheering. Up on their feet, even those at home, they were jumping and dancing and screaming until their lungs gave out! Lin Feng hadn¡¯t just given them a pentakill, he hadn¡¯t just given them a good series, he¡¯d given them a great series and two pentakills!

    ¡¸6666666¡¹

    ¡¸WIIIIIN FEEEENNNGGGGGGG!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸LIL BRO HARD CARRY! WHERE HIS WATER? GO RUN MAID XUE!¡¹

    ¡¸I feel a tear in my eye. What beauty this man produces! He¡¯s everything and more! Talking about more¡­ Want to see more of him? Want to see the legend y in thefort of his own home? Want to know what he¡¯s up to in solo queue? Tune in to EveningSnowfall and watch him make an appearance! He¡¯ll force her to buy him food and get him water! She¡¯s the maid and he¡¯s her boss! *wink wink*¡¹

    ¡¸PEEENNNTTTTAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!1¡¹

    ¡¸HOLY SHIT THEY REKT GUANGZHOU!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸GET FUCKED GOALIE AND SEO! GET ABSOLUTELY FUCKED IN THE ASS!¡¹

    ¡¸how is he that good¡­.??????? How the fuck did he survive that? Tristana shoulda had him¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸COZ HES LIL BRO! HE CAN DO WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN DO! HES SUPER LIL BRO!!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸Shit dude¡­ I got a little hard for that penta...¡¹

    ¡°He¡¯s done it again,¡± Shi Hang said,ughing. He shook his head and added, ¡°Just like the old days. He goes off and does something ridiculous and somehow makes it work. Gets a damn penta as ad-carry¡­ Crazy kid!¡±

    ¡°No kidding¡­¡± Team Rapids¡¯ Jungle muttered. He watched the livestream, incredulous, and asked, ¡°That Kalista is the one who beat you, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shi Hang replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever won against him.¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ Jungler looked at Shi Hang, waiting for an exnation that wasn¡¯ting. He finally asked, ¡°How much do you know about him? Do you know where he came from? Who he is? He can¡¯t be new to the scene, right? He¡¯s too good¡­ Any LPL team would be happy to pick him up!¡±

    Shi Hang grinned and said, ¡°Secrets are meant to be kept. Sorry bud.¡± He then zipped his mouth close and swallowed the key.

    ?

    Chu Fang from Team Shanghai cheered with everyone else, proud of his team. He then looked at Coach Yin from Team Guangzhou andughed. Look at you! You look like a sack of shit! Always with that big mouth bragging about yourtest victories. What are you going to brag about now? How you got these useless shits from Korea because you couldn¡¯t be bothered to put in the effort to find and nurture Chinese talents which, by the way, is in your job description? Serves you right! I hope they get rid of you. He looked away from Coach Yin and back at therge LCD screen, smiling.

    After Team Shanghai won the teamfight, they went straight to the midne where super minions were attacking the two Nexus towers. Lin Feng¡¯s Kalista, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Braum and An Xin¡¯s Morgana helped the super minions in taking down the two towers before Team Guangzhou could respawn. When they moved on to the Nexus, Twisted Fate spawned on the fountain. He charged at them and tried to stop them, which he seeded at. The three from Team Shanghai turned their attention to him and killed him. Then they focused back on the Nexus and destroyed it before anyone else could respawn. The blue energy broke free from the nexus and morphed into the victory screen.

    VICTORY!

    Su Xue lost any semnce of impartiality that she still had. She tightly clutched the microphone and screamed, ¡°WE WOOOOOON! WE WOOOOOOOOON! TEAM SHANGHAI CLEAN SWEEPS TEAM GUANGZHOU AND ADVANCES TO THE QUARTERFINALS!¡± She turned to look at Zephyr, lost in joy, and added, ¡°LIN FENG DID IT! HE WON!¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui rxed in his gaming chair and breathed out the tension from his shoulders. He smiled and said, ¡°Good job! Good job! Yes!¡±

    ¡°That was great!¡± Lin Feng cheered,ughing. He turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and added, ¡°See? I told you so! I¡¯m a great ad-carry!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Idiot. It was a team effort.¡± She then smiled and added, ¡°Great work, everyone!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, BunBun¡­¡± Zhang Hao replied. He was grinning from ear to ear as he added, ¡°Lin Feng did get two pentas. Two pentas! When have you ever gotten two pentas like that? Shit, I really wanna see those guys from Team Guangzhou tilt! Can you imagine what they must look like right now?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked across the stage into Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, where mice and keyboards were flying around and people were just short from fighting each other. She smiled and said, ¡°Mhm! Look!¡±

    The five yers from Team Shanghai huddled around the far end of the soundproof booth which was the closest to Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth across the stage. They stood there, watching Team Guangzhou lose it. And when it finally looked like things were cooling down a bit, Coach Yin walked in and everything started from scratch again.

    Zhang Haoughed and said, ¡°Guess we¡¯re not shaking hands?¡±

    ¡°Come,¡± Zeng Rui finally said. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see Chu Fang.¡± He then opened the door to the soundproof booth and held it open for the others. Together, as a team, they walked to the front of the stage and bowed to the tens of thousands of fans at the stadium and the hundreds of thousands of fans watching from home. They then walked down the stage and into the yer seating area, where they received congrattory words from several teams before finding their own seats.

    Chu Fang smiled brightly and said, ¡°Good work out there! I¡¯m really proud of you all!¡± He then nodded at Team Guangzhou¡¯s soundproof booth, from which the yers and Coach Yin emerged, and continued, ¡°You guys should¡¯ve seen Coach Yin¡¯s reaction when Lin Feng got that second penta. It was the best thing ever! I think I saw the exact moment a part of him died!¡±

    Zhang Haoughed and replied, ¡°He did look pretty mad! Oh, look! Look! They¡¯reing down! They¡¯reing down! Hey! HEY! TEAM GUANGZHOU! WELL PLAYED BUDS! GREAT GAMES! STRONG WORK!¡±

    Coach Yin nced at Zhang Hao and then mumbled something over his shoulders. The yers from Team Guangzhou all turned their heads away from Team Shanghai and hurried after Coach Yin in the direction of the stadium¡¯s exit.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s this? Are they really going to act like they didn¡¯t hear me?¡± Zhang Hao asked, stunned. He then snorted and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you leave your big dicks on the nightstand this morning? I thought you guys had some balls! Guess you were wimps after all¡­¡± He shook his head and loudly said to his teammates, ¡°I thought they were supposed to be good¡­ What a letdown.¡±

    It was thest bit that made Coach Yin pause. He turned his head to re at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°You little pie--¡± He took a deep, long breath, trying to contain his humiliation-turned-fury, and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t push me. You won¡¯t like what happens.¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled and asked, ¡°Kind of how you don¡¯t like what happened after Seo pushed Tang Tang, right?¡±

    ¡°Call it karma,¡± An Xin chimed in.

    Coach Yin wanted to scream! He wanted to yell at them that he¡¯d make sure they would never get the support from the Chinese Esports Association again! He almost did, but then Lin Feng opened his mouth and said, ¡°Korea really has a ton of amazing yers. You¡¯re not wrong there.¡±

    ¡°Uh?¡± Coach Yin blurted out. His anger rxed a little, part of it reced with confusion. He wanted to ask what Lin Feng meant, when Lin Feng continued to exin himself, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you can just take some random yers from Korea and expect to win. The Chinesepetitive scene hasn¡¯t fallen that low. How about the next time you go to Korea to find yers, you scout out some actually talented yers, rather than opening the Challengerdder and throwing darts?¡±

    Coach Yin looked at Lin Feng, but rather than argue he turned around and shouted at the interpreter, ¡°DON¡¯T TRANSLATE THAT!¡± He then grabbed Seo and Goalie by their arms and pulled them away, adding, ¡°Come, we¡¯re going. Now! Come! GoGoGO!¡±

    Chu Fang bit hard on his teeth to force back theughter. He then turned to Lin Feng and the others and said, ¡°Come. We should go too. Nothing good¡¯s gonnae when Seo and Goalie hear what Lin Feng just said.¡±

    ?

    Su Xue ran out of the Tianhe Stadium and straight at Lin Feng who was waiting for her with the others. Sheughed and hugged him and said, ¡°You were great! That was such an amazing series! Those two pentas! I thought for sure you were dead at the end there with the Tristana but then you cut vision by going into that brush and just¡­ just¡­ Aaaaaaaaaah! You were great!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Yeah, I know right! I am great!¡± He ignored the res and stares from his teammates and continued, ¡°But I¡¯m also really hungry. And we can¡¯t possibly not celebrate this win! So look¡­¡± he pulled out his phone and opened the restaurant ranking list he¡¯dpiled with Tian Tian. ¡°... I say we go to this one. It¡¯s Korean Barbecue! Get it? Korean Barbecue! Because we just roasted two Koreans! You know, Goa--¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, we know,¡± An Xin interrupted. She shook her head, smiling, and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Lead the way.¡±

    Lin Feng walked out in front of the rest and showed them where to go. After he¡¯d orientated himself, he looked over his shoulder at Su Xue and asked, ¡°How was the casting anyway?¡±

    Su Xue smiled and replied, ¡°It was great! I had so much fun and I wasn¡¯t nervous at all! I even tried to be impartial, though that didn¡¯t really work out¡­ Team Guangzhou is just such a toxic team! It¡¯s really hard to cheer for them. But I tried!¡±

    An Xin winked at Su Xue and said, ¡°With the way you interact with your viewers and how you cast when Lin Feng is ying a game I never doubted your casting ability for a second! You didn¡¯t have any reason to be nervous! You¡¯re really good at this kind of stuff!¡±

    ¡°What BunBun says! I said that too! Before, remember? I told you it¡¯d be easy for you!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He then paused, nearly causing Zeng Rui to walk up against him, and asked, ¡°Hey, XueXue? Did you remember to brag about me like I asked you to?¡±

    ¡°What was there to brag about? You got two pentas!¡± Su Xue countered. Sheughed and added, ¡°I tried to be impartial¡­ But I think that at some point I might¡¯ve gotten carried away a bit and be slightly partial towards you guys. Though¡­ It wasn¡¯t too much either I don¡¯t think. Zephyr said I did great too!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! That¡¯s because you¡¯re good at this. Like BunBun said.¡±

    Su Xue was beaming with joy, glowing even. She suddenly raised her finger and said, ¡°That reminds me. Remember how I said I¡¯m casting two games? The second one is the one with Team Beijing. It¡¯s after lunch I think? Or the second one after lunch? I need to check the schedule again¡­ But yeah! I¡¯m casting the other high school team too!¡±

 Chapter 372: My Riven is bigger and better than your Riven

    The high school teams were stealing the show at the Winter Collegiate Cup. But it wasn¡¯t until Team Shanghai¡¯s win over Team Guangzhou that the fans became really invested in finding out which high school team was the best. Or more specifically, which branch from the Chinese Esports Association had nurtured the biggest talents. They were sitting at the edges of their seats, waiting for the show to continue, waiting for Team Beijing to take to the stage and cleansweep Chongqing University in a simr fashion as Team Shanghai had done to Team Guangzhou.

    The yers from Team Shanghai also found their way back to the stadium after a long lunch. They¡¯d eaten their bellies full with the Korean Barbecue and fell down on their seats, letting the after lunch dip overtake them.

    Chu Fang looked at them and chuckled. He said, ¡°You guys can rx until tomorrow morning. We¡¯ve got a flight back to Shanghai to catch at 10 A.M.¡±

    Lin Feng''s eyes grew round and wide when he heard Chu Fang. He looked between Zeng Rui and An Xin andined, ¡°Ah, why! Why do we have to spend ourst day watching these games? It¡¯s totally not gonna be worth it! Let¡¯s go and do something else!¡± He got up from his seat but was pulled back down by An Xin. ¡°Okay, okay! I get it! We¡¯re watching!¡± he said, then continued grumbling while looking around, searching for something to pass the time. ¡°Uuuh¡­¡± he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Where is Team Guangzhou? Are they noting to watch these games?¡±

    ¡°¡®Cause they got knocked out of course!¡± Zhang Hao replied, chuckling. ¡°You really think they¡¯d have the face toe back here? Even if they wanted to, they¡¯re probably worried everyone willugh at them when they get here!¡± He briefly paused, grinning, then added, ¡°I totally would.¡±

    Lin Feng sighed loudly and said, ¡°I see. How boring.¡±

    ¡°No one likes a whinebaby,¡± An Xin said, smiling. She winked at Lin Feng and added, ¡°Su Xue is casting. You can enjoy listening to her!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin and shrugged. He replied, ¡°She talks my ears off at home already. Why would I want to listen to her cast?¡±

    ¡°Right. Right. You two are living together. You¡¯re living with a cute, beautiful, famous streamer¡­¡± An Xin said, narrowing her eyes while the corners of her lips arced up. ¡°How lucky you are. Think of all the guys dreaming to be you! What do you think they¡¯d be willing to pay to switch ces with you for a night?¡±

    ¡°Who would wanna pay for that!?¡± Lin Feng eximed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

    Zhang Hao looked from Lin Feng at An Xin and back at Lin Feng again, a cold shiver running up and down his spine and goosebumps spiking on his arms. She¡¯s doing that thing again! The murdersmile! Lin Feng, you idiot! Stop looking around and look at her! She¡¯s mad! She¡¯s mad! Oh no, she¡¯s mad! Why am I not looking away? I need to look away! I¡¯m not part of this conversation! Look away Zhang Hao! Don¡¯t look at them! Look away! He grabbed his chin with one hand and pushed, forcing himself to look up at the stage. I¡¯m not listening! Totally not listening!

    Zeng Rui was a step faster than Zhang Hao. He turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao, away from An Xin, and said, ¡°Sooo Tang Tang! How about that pinky of yours?¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Yeah,¡± Tang Bingyao replied, looking down at her pinky and cradling it. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine. Just bruised I think. It doesn¡¯t really hurt that much right now.¡±

    Chu Fang watched Lin Feng and An Xin get up to their usual antics and how the other three yers on the team quickly diverted their attention elsewhere. He shook his head andughed. Just like the old times. You do something that makes BunBun go all special BunBun mode and the others don¡¯t know how quickly they need to get away. It¡¯s good seeing this again. I¡¯ve missed it.

    ?

    The first game of the afternoon was so incredibly boring that half the audience would¡¯ve fallen asleep if it wasn¡¯t for Su Xue¡¯s fantastic and energetic casting. She managed to turn a boring game into something exciting by giving personal anecdotes and background stories about the yers from thepeting teams. The fans were actually on their feet, cheering loudly for Beijing International Studies University when they won their Round of 16 match 3-1.

    Some people were more invested than others. But least invested of them all was Lin Feng. He yawned and said, ¡°Su Xue was okay there.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nced at Lin Feng and shook her head. She said, ¡°Mnh-mnh. She wasn¡¯t okay. She was great!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a natural,¡± Zhang Hao agreed. ¡°The way she just keeps talking and never shuts up, it¡¯s like she¡¯s been casting all her life! And it¡¯s also not just talking for the talking, but she actually has things to say! I had fun listening to her!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°Her analysis throughout all four games was on point too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s starting to look like a professional caster. The way she and Zephyr bounce off each other also helps. It¡¯s like they were made for each other,¡± An Xin chimed in, smiling.

    Lin Feng yawned again and mumbled, ¡°So tired¡­ What¡¯s next? Oh! Team Beijing is up next, right? Maybe that game will be more fun to watch!¡±

    ?

    The host walked up on stage and waited for the audience to quiet down a bit. He then raised his microphone to his lips and said, ¡°After a fantastic game earlier today between Team Shanghai and Team Guangzhou, it is now time for the third high school team to make their appearance! Give a round of apuse for Team Beijing!¡± He waited, allowing the crowd to cheer, before he continued, ¡°Their opponent is a veteran of the scene! A team we¡¯ve seen much of in the previous editions! Five guys looking to make it all the way to finals! Let¡¯s give them a warm wee! Here is Chongqing University!¡±

    In the yer seating area, Zeng Rui narrowed his eyes when he saw the five from Team Beijing making their way to the soundproof booth. He said, ¡°They¡¯re ying with their main roster.¡±

    Zhang Hao nced at Zeng Rui and then looked back at Team Beijing. He asked, ¡°So the guy at the front is their real Toner and the one in the middle their Miner? What¡¯s his name again? Yu Ping, right?¡±

    An Xin nodded and said, ¡°Yea¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sweet!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He clenched his fist, pumped it into the air and said, ¡°Now we can finally see how good they really are!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and chimed in, ¡°Mhm! I wanna see it.¡±

    Chu Fang took a long, deep breath before turning his head to look for Team Beijing¡¯s manager. Fan Yuan¡­ You couldn¡¯t sit still any longer, huh? Team Shanghai finally woke you up a bit. You¡¯re going to show that Team Beijing is at least as good. Or you¡¯re going to try too. Tough luck. We¡¯ve got Maple. Who¡¯ve you got? That¡¯s right. Nobody.

    ?

    Yu Ping sat down behind hisputer. It stood in the middle of a row of fiveputers. His Jungler and top sat to his left and his Support and ad-carry to his right. He smiled and breathed out, calm. Over the rim of his monitor he could see the crowd cheering. This is my stage. We¡¯ve yed around long enough. It¡¯s time to show everyone what we¡¯ve been holding back.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler put on his headset and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We can¡¯t let those guys from Team Shanghai hog the spotlight! That¡¯s our ce! Let¡¯s show them what we¡¯re really all about!¡± He nced at Yu Ping before adding, ¡°Do your best, Yu Ping! I¡¯ll do my best to Support you!¡±

    Yu Ping took a deep, long breath before he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Of course we won¡¯t worry! There¡¯s nothing to worry about!¡± Zhang Hongyi eximed. He narrowed his eyes, then chuckled and said, ¡°Everyone is so focused on Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner¡­ both of them¡­ that they forgot to look at the rest of the team. Team Shanghai is a one man team! We¡¯re a five man team! We¡¯ll show everyone what a real team looks like! And in the process hopefully kick Zeng Rui¡¯s ass out of this tournament. That¡¯d be the best--¡±

    ¡°Focus,¡± Yu Ping interrupted. He looked at Zhang Hongyi and added, ¡°One game at a time. We¡¯re going to beat Chongqing University first and then we¡¯ll see who we have to y next.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Zhang Hongyi replied, nodding. ¡°I¡¯m focused! Look!¡± He leaned in towards his monitor and put his hands on his mouse and keyboard. ¡°See? Ready!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Junglerughed and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s y then! For the win!¡±

    ¡°For the win!¡± The other four from Team Beijing replied in unison.

    ?

    ¡°Holy what!?¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He looked at the time on his phone and shook his head, incredulous. ¡°How does this work? How are they up 2-0 already? It hasn¡¯t even been an hour yet!¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and analysed, ¡°That change in top and mid actually made a big difference. They always looked strong. But with their main roster? They look stronger than Team Guangzhou to me. Yeah, I think they¡¯re better than Team Guangzhou, quite visibly.¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°Team Guangzhou was all about Goalie and to an extent Seo. Looks like Team Beijing is more about being a team. But not only are they more like a team, Yu Ping is even just as good as Goalie! Maybe, just maybe, even better.¡±

    It was difficult topare Goalie and Yu Ping because their ystyles differed so much. Where Goalie was the attack specialist, the yer who always made the ys, Yu Ping was the all-round yer. There wasn¡¯t anything he was clearly the best at, but every facet of his game was at such a high level that it was incredibly difficult to catch him making mistakes, or even to force him into making mistakes.

    Lin Feng yawned again and said, ¡°He¡¯s worse than I expected¡­ Eh, whatever.¡± He shrugged and then turned to look at Zeng Rui. A smile appeared on his face and he asked, ¡°So ZengZeng¡­ I seem to remember you and that Support¡­ What was it again¡­ He looked dirty at you, right? Right! What was his name? I could swear you told me at some point¡­ And his ystyle, his ystyle is like yours! It¡¯s like you two are twins! Tell me more about him! I need to hear the gossip!¡±

    Zeng Rui felt his eyelid twitch. He nced at Lin Feng and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know him. Stop asking.¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°You know he¡¯s right, Zeng Rui. Team Beijing¡¯s Support is about as good as you are and your ystyles are very simr. You¡¯re both around the A- grade? Maybe going towards A¡­¡±

    ¡°Goddammit!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He looked at his teammates and continued, ¡°Why is everyone this good? Why can¡¯t it be like at the Shanghai 16 School Tournament where I was like the best Toner! Now I¡¯m just trying not to be the worst¡­ And now that guy from Team Beijing¡­ He¡¯s better! He just is! Did you guys see him? FUCK!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got me, HaoBro! I¡¯ll carry you!¡± Lin Feng said,ughing. But that didn¡¯t do much to cheer Zhang Hao up. He let his shoulders droop and kept shaking his head, mumbling, ¡°I just need to get better. Get better before the next round and be ready for¡­ this.¡±

    Chu Fang grimaced and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t stop there. The Beijing Esports Association hired two professional coaches to train the team. I guess we really should support you guys more. It¡¯s¡­¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°Look!¡± Zeng Rui interrupted. He pointed at therge LCD screen and continued, ¡°They picked Riven. They¡¯re going Riven mid, I¡¯m sure of it!¡±

    ¡°Riven mid?¡± Zhang Hao asked, stunned. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng, as was everyone else. They all stared at him, waiting to see how he¡¯d respond.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Oh? He¡¯s copying me? NICE! You know what they say! Copying is the best form of ttery! Yu Ping is totally in love with me!¡±

    ¡°What? No¡­¡± An Xin replied, incredulous. ¡°How did you¡­ No, no. Nevermind.¡±

    Tang Bingyao leaned closer to An Xin and whispered, ¡°He knows they¡¯re trying to provoke him, right?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng jumped up to his feet with the rest of the audience who were celebrating Team Beijing¡¯s victory. He pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°He only got a quadra! I got a penta! He sucks and I¡¯m the best!¡±

    ¡°Quadra, penta, who cares?¡± Zeng Rui said. ¡°Point is that they stomped all over Chongqing University. We¡¯re going to need to watch out for them. Their main roster is much stronger than I expected it to be.¡±

    ¡°You know Zeng Rui is right,¡± An Xin said to Lin Feng. She smiled and added, ¡°They really aren¡¯t half bad. You might actually have to try.¡±

    ¡°Hey, kids, not to be rude or anything,¡± Chu Fang interrupted. He pointed at the exit and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s go now before it gets busy again¡­¡±

    There was no hesitation. After what happened to Tang Bingyao, no one from Team Shanghai wanted to get caught in a busy hallway. They rushed for the exit and beat the crowd to it. When they arrived at the long walkway up to the stadium, they finally stopped. Lin Feng put his foot on the water running down the center of the walkway and An Xin told him to stop ying, while the others were debating what they were going to do next.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Zeng Rui! What a coincidence running into you here!¡± Zhang Hongyi said.

    Zeng Rui turned around to find Zhang Hongyi walking over together with his teammates. He narrowed his eyes and replied, ¡°Zhang Hongyi.¡±

    Chu Fang looked past the yers at Fan Yuan who was the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association. He said, ¡°Fan Yuan.¡±

    ¡°Chu Fang,¡± Fan Yuan replied.

    Chu Fang hesitated but then said, ¡°Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Fan Yuan replied.

    The awkwardness persisted and turned into the most ufortable silence. Both teams stood there eyeing each other, until Lin Feng finally grew bored from ying with the water and turned around. He looked a bit confused and then said, ¡°Oh! I know you guys! You¡¯re Team Beijing! You guys yed great, but not as great as us!¡± Heughed and then turned to look at Chu Fang and asked, ¡°When are we going?¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Chu Fang said. He led the yers from Team Shanghai away, ncing over his shoulder to see what Team Beijing was doing. When he was confident they were out of earshot, he turned to Lin Feng and whispered, ¡°If you guys draw Team Beijing, please do me a favour and smash the everloving shit outta them!¡±

 Chapter 373: Logistics & A Small Interlude

    The second Team Beijing got back to their hotel, Fan Yuan gathered his team together to tell them, ¡°Make sure you think about everything you saw today! We have to crush Team Shanghai! Don¡¯t hold back, don¡¯t underestimate them, don¡¯t take any chances. We¡¯re going in hard and we¡¯re going to win! We have to win, no matter what!¡±

    Everyone on Team Beijing nodded slowly, not saying a word. Except for Zhang Hongyi. He coldly stated, ¡°That is obvious. All of us watched their match this morning. Two pentakills. One with Riven and another with Kalista. This is not an opponent that we can take lightly.¡±

    Yun Ping¡¯s eyes shed with apetitive gleam as he took a deep breath. ¡°Of course we have to win! The Collegiate Cup belongs to us! We have to take it home!¡± Going up against someone who had defeated Goalie hadn¡¯t discouraged him at all. Quite the opposite. It fanned and stroked hispetitive spirit, firing him up. He¡¯d even picked Riven in Game 3 in an attempt to send a message to Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner. You think you¡¯re hot shit because you can y Riven in mid? So can I! We¡¯ll figure out who¡¯s better between us on the Rift, and settle things once and for all!

    ?

    ¡°Thank god that¡¯s finally over! I¡¯m beat!¡± Su Xue eximed while sighing as she fell into her soft bed. It had been a long day of shoutcasting for her. After the match finished, she left with Team Shanghai and ate dinner with them before returning to the hotel. As shey there in bed, with Team Shanghai talking and celebrating in the background, her thoughts wandered back to the day. Today was amazing! Wait-wait-wait! Thinking about it is going to get me excited again and then I won¡¯t be able to sleep. We¡¯re all getting on the flight back to Shanghai tomorrow at 10AM. I need to wake up! But today was a really good day. Lin Feng and his team got through to the quarterfinals!

    The day truly had gone well. Not just for Team Shanghai, but also for Su Xue. She¡¯d had a phenomenal debut as a professional caster. But the celebration for Team Shanghai¡¯s victory had not died down just yet. Or ended, in Lin Feng¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°My brothers! The night is still young and we are ALIVE! And everyone knows that there ain¡¯t no party without an afterparty! And that the afterparty is better than the party! WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE! WITH A MEAL!¡± Lin Feng enthusiastically suggested.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just eat dinner¡­?¡± Zhang Hao asked, muttering in shock.

    Lin Feng looked at Zhang Hao, prating him with sudden seriousness. ¡°Zhang Hao! Is there only one game in a match? No! Are we all one trick ponies who can only y a single champion? No! So why do we limit ourselves to a single meal to celebrate? We¡¯re going for number 1, the top spot, the Collegiate Cup. And beyond that! Because all of us dream of being at the top. Is there any reason for that dream to be limited by the rules set by others about single dinners? Or a set number of meals? NO! The meal that we ate, the match that we just won, that was only the appetizer! It doesn¡¯t count as a celebration meal! We must continue to celebrate and continue to have reasons to celebrate as we chase our dream! WE EAT BECAUSE THAT IS OUR ASSAULT ON THE COMMONPLACE AND THE ORDINARY! WE EAT BECAUSE WE NEED TO FUEL UP AS WE RUN AFTER OUR DREAM! And we celebrate as we eat every meal. Zhang Hao, how could you possibly think that we would celebrate only once over a single meal?¡±

    ¡°... Sure. But didn¡¯t we celebrate at lunch?¡± Zhang Hao said.

    An Xin facepalmed as Lin Feng delivered his confusingly inspirational monologue. And then cut into the conversation before Lin Feng delivered another speech. ¡°Hao Bro, ignore this idiot. There¡¯s only two things in life that he understands and cares about. Food and League. If he¡¯s not ying League, he¡¯s eating. And if he¡¯s not eating, he¡¯s ying League. He¡¯s the kind of guy who considers every meal of every day a celebration, and constantly wishes for greater heights of culinary delight. There¡¯s no reasoning with him.¡¯

    Zeng Rui put his hand on Zhang Hao¡¯s shoulder and nodded in agreement with An Xin¡¯s words.

    Chu Fang chuckled. ¡°Alright guys. Looks like our little stay in Guangzhou is over. Everyone¡¯s worked hard. When we get back, get as much rest as you can. Once the Quarterfinals start, this tournament will only get more and more tense.¡±

    ¡°No worries! The championship is ours! I can already taste the victory meal we¡¯re going to have once we win!¡± Lin Feng said as he thrust his fist into the air.

    Chu Fang looked stunned for a brief second. Then said, ¡°Lin Feng, I believe the expression is taste victory¡­¡± Lin Feng looked at Chu Fang, puzzled. ¡°Taste victory? I¡¯ve never tasted victory. The food that we have after winning is pretty good. What does victory taste like? Why didn¡¯t we get it today?¡±

    This was the point where An Xin had enough. ¡°Forget the Championship, you still have exams to worry about,¡± An Xin said. Dousing Lin Feng¡¯s excitement and insatiable hunger with cold water. But not him alone. That single sentence snapped everyone back to reality.

    Team Shanghai had left for Guangzhou on January 12th. Yesterday was a Friday. And after Friday came Saturday, which was today. The 16th of January. After Saturday came Sunday, the 17th of January. This meant the end of the weekend. They could no longer afford to take it easy and decide if they were kicking it in the back seat or kicking it in the back seat. No, no. The date was significant because it meant that they were already halfway through the school year. Anding up on January 25th were exams. The most dreadful period for all high schoolers across China! In a very real sense, they did not want this weekend to end.

    ¡°What? Argh! Exams!? No! No! No! I wanted to celebrate and eat! Not think about exams that I don¡¯t want to take!¡± Lin Feng shouted and started throwing a fit.

    Chu Fang, An Xin, and the rest of Team Shanghai were more than ustomed to Lin Feng¡¯s fits of impotent autistic rage. They ignored him and continued the conversation.

    ¡°Our exams are on the 25th, which is perfect timing. Zeng Rui, how about you? When are your exams?¡± An Xin asked.

    ¡°On the 24th. We take them a day earlier than you guys, ¡± Zeng Rui replied.

    ¡°Excellent!¡± An Xin said. Then she continued, ¡°The quarterfinals start on the 28th. Our exam schedule and the tournament schedule works out well. Perfect. We¡¯ll do it just like we did this time. I¡¯ll buy the ne tickets and get in touch with you guys when the timees. Then we¡¯ll be off to Beijing!¡±

    They continued to work out the details while Lin Feng wallowed in existential dread over the uing exams. Eventually, everything was set in stone. Team Shanghai started to wind down. The conversation mellowed and lulled. And then, Su Xue¡¯s phone started ringing.

    She fumbled around for her pocket and pulled it out to see who was calling. And then sat bolt upright in bed. ¡°It¡¯s from Huya!¡± The person on the other side of the line was the Huya TV executive Su Xue had spoken to before, Zong Yao.

    Su Xue hurried up from the bed andposed herself quickly before answering. ¡°Hello, hello! Su Xue here. This is Mr. Zong, right?¡±¡°Yes, Mr Zong! Today was great! I had so much fun shoutcasting for the matches! And doing both matches was no trouble at all, really! I appreciated the opportunity.¡± ¡°Hm? My schedule? I have a flight back to Shanghai at 10AM tomorrow morning. Other than that, nothing besides streaming. Why?¡±

    No one besides Su Xue could hear Zong Yao¡¯s side of the conversation. But right after Su Xue asked why he wanted to know her schedule, her eyes jolted open wide. An expression of shock was frozen on her face. She was so surprised by what Zong Yao asked that she couldn¡¯t speak for thirty seconds. Then she mumbled something quickly into the phone and hung up. Then she turned around to look at Team Shanghai and squeaked, ¡°I¡­ I don¡ª I can¡¯t believe what just happened!¡±

    Team Shanghai looked at her, curious and concerned about what had transpired on that call to leave Su Xue in such a state!

 Chapter 374: Lin Feng Lost!

    Su Xue stood there, phone still in her hand and halfway up to her face, looking shocked. The silence stretched on as everyone waited for her to tell them what happened. But she said nothing. Eventually, Lin Feng got up from his bed and asked, ¡°Su Xue, what happened? What did Huya call you for?¡±

    Su Xue had aplicated expression on her face. She looked at Lin Feng and opened her mouth to exin. And then closed it again. Then she shook her head to clear her mind. Finally, she answered. ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m not going home with you guys tomorrow. That call was from Huya¡­ One of the executives that works there. I¡¯ve mentioned him before to you guys, right? Zong Yao. He¡­ Well. He¡­¡ª¡±

    ¡°Su Xue, did he ask you to do something inappropriate? We won¡¯t stand for that, and you don¡¯t have to worry about Zong Yao either! The Shanghai Esports Association is no paper tiger! Tell me if you need help!¡± Chu Fang cut in. He¡¯d noticed how distraught Su Xue was and started to get concerned.

    Su Xue looked at Chu Fang for a few seconds. Then sheughed. ¡°No, no, no. Guys! It''s nothing like that! This is really good! Oh god! I¡¯m so, so, so sorry guys! I couldn¡¯t believe what just happened and I needed a minute to process it all. Mr. Zong Yao is a really nice person! He called to tell me that everyone loved my shoutcasting! So much so that they want me as the shoutcaster for two more matches tomorrow!¡±

    Zong Yao exined the entire situation to Su Xue on the phone. Right after asking her to be the shoutcaster for two more matches. But she was so stunned and thrilled by the unexpected news that she couldn¡¯t understand it at the time. During the Round of 16 match today, Huya had run multiple surveys to find out which shoutcaster the viewers liked best. And Sue Xue had won by andslide! Over 68% of the viewers who participated in the survey had voted for her! Zong Yao had also told her some of thements left by participants in the survey.

    ¡°If Evening Snowfall is shoutcasting, I¡¯m watching!" ¡°Evening Snowfall is the real dark horse talent discovered in this tournament!¡± ¡°Best shoutcaster was definitely Evening Snowfall! Kappa! Kreygasm!¡± ¡°EveningSnowfall Pogchamp! She was great! Man, today¡¯s matches were exciting, but she managed to hype me up even more. Seeing her getting so excited on the desk¡­ BibleThump!¡± ¡°EveningSno¡¯s got a great personality. Great face too! And she knows the game!¡±

    Zong Yao had obviously selected the most positive and nicestments. But the rest of the responses were along the same lines. The audience loved Su Xue! Her unique shoutcasting style, drawn from her experience as a streamer, had resonated with something in all of the viewers. Her sheer poprity was an unexpected development though. Huya TV¡¯s management reacted quickly though, and decided to let Su Xue be the shoutcaster for two more matches. Then they asked Zong Yao to get in touch with her to confirm that she¡¯d be there.

    All of Team Shanghai cheered when they heard the good news. The victories kept rolling in today. An Xin walked over to give Su Xue a hug and said, ¡°Congrattions! This is such great news! You¡¯re going to be amazing tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Phenomenal work, Su Xue! This is going to take you up to a whole different level!¡± Zeng Rui called out. And then he let out a little chuckle. ¡°Heh-heh! I guess this means¡­ you¡¯re Huya¡¯s little pogchamp now heh-heh!¡±

    Chu Fang smiled. ¡°Indeed! Zeng Rui understands exactly what this means. Huya is going to start paying a lot more attention to you now. You¡¯ll get even more chances to go up on stage and show the world what you can do. This is a hard-won opportunity that most people can¡¯t even dream of grasping. Make sure you take advantage of it. Congrattions!¡±

    After being cheered on by the members of Team Shanghai, Su Xue was also fired up. So much so that she punched her fist into the air, like Lin Feng usually did, and said, ¡°Hell yeah! Yeah! I¡¯m going to kill it tomorrow!¡±

    Lin Feng, who had been suspiciously lowkey with her cheering, inched his way closer to Su Xue and asked, ¡°This is such great news, right guys? How about we go get something to eat and celebrate?¡±

    Everyone turned to Lin Feng and shouted in unison, ¡°No!¡±

    ?

    Everyone in Team Shanghai got up at 7AM the next morning and washed up. Their flight was at 10AM, and they needed to get into a cab and get to the airport. Su Xue also got up to see them off. Because she was staying at Huya TV¡¯s request, they¡¯d be taking care of her new travel arrangements.

    The n was simple. Everyone on Team Shanghai would wake up in the morning and get ready to go. Then they would all meet up in the lobby, say goodbye to Su Xue, and be on their way home. The airport was 40 minutes away from their hotel. An Xin and Zeng Rui had made sure to include a buffer for anything unexpected. There was no way they would miss their flight.

    What An Xin and Zeng Rui didn¡¯t ount for was Lin Feng. When Team Shanghai gathered in the hotel lobby, he wasn¡¯t there. They looked around and did another headcount just to make sure.

    ¡°1, 2, 3, 4, 5¡­. Lin Feng! Where did Lin Feng go!?¡±

    No one on Team Shanghai had any idea where Lin Feng was. Neither did Su Xue. After a few tense minutes of checking with each other, no one could remember seeing Lin Feng in their room. Or walking down with them. Which made this even more puzzling. After all, this was Lin Feng. Not Kuroko. He was always making noise or eating or doing something. Chu Fang decided to run back up to their hotel rooms to look for him again. Just in case Lin Feng was still sleeping under some nkets or in the bathroom. But it was fruitless. Lin Feng was nowhere to be found!

    This dy caused by Lin Feng made An Xin furious. ¡°Bloody hell! He¡¯s been so calm for thest few days that we let our guard down. How did he manage to get lost without any of us knowing?! Does he hate it when everything goes well for a change?¡± Then she took a deep breath and fixed her hair. She thought about where Lin Feng could have gone and how to track him down while she did this, and came up with an idea. An Xin walked over to the front desk of the hotel and spoke to the receptionist for a bit. The receptionist confirmed that someone matching Lin Feng¡¯s description left the hotel with his luggage a little bit earlier.

    ¡°He left¡­ with his luggage?!¡±

    Everyone was dumbstruck.

    ¡°Where the hell could he have gone!?¡±

    ¡°Mhm! The airport! Did he decide to go on ahead to the airport? Without us?¡± Tang Bingyao asked.

    An Xin shook her head. ¡°That just doesn¡¯t make any sense. We were all going to leave together. We made sure he knew the n. I made sure he knew the n. Why on earth would he randomly decide to go off to the airport alone? Besides, he would have told one of us if he had some reason for leaving early.¡± An Xin pulled out her phone and dialed Lin Feng¡¯s number as she spoke. A momentter, she got an automatic response that the other line had no signal or that the phone was turned off.

    Su Xue facepalmed. ¡°I know what happened. It''s Lin Feng. He¡¯s always ying or reading something on his phone until he falls asleep. So he never charges it at night. He always forgets to plug it in before he nods off! He probably forgotst night too!¡±

    Chu Fang frowned. ¡°This isn¡¯t good. If we can¡¯t get in touch with him, we can¡¯t confirm where he is. If he didn¡¯t head to the airport ahead of us, we won¡¯t be able to meet up with him.¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples. ¡°Thundering. Dumbass.¡±

    Team Shanghai had no other option but to sit down in the hotel lobby and wait for Lin Feng toe back. Or contact them somehow. All they could do was sit there and pray that Lin Feng showed up in time for them to leave. And so, they waited. Until 7:20AM.

    And there was still no sign of Lin Feng.

    Chu Fang wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead and said, ¡°Alright guys! We can¡¯t sit here and wait any longer. We¡¯ll miss the ne if we do. Let¡¯s go to the airport and see if Lin Feng is there. If he isn¡¯t, you guys head back to Shanghai and I¡¯ll go look for him. Hopefull¡ª¡±¡°I could bring him back with me, Chu Fang! I¡¯m staying here for another day anyway. If he¡¯s not at the airport, I¡¯ll find him before the matches and then bring him back to Shanghai with me. Once he realizes that he missed the flight, he¡¯lle looking for me anyway.¡± Su Xue said, interrupting Chu Fang.

    Everyone reluctantly nodded. It didn¡¯t make sense for the entire group to miss the ne. Especially since Su Xue was staying behind. They started gathering their luggage while An Xin called a cab. And then Zhang Hao noticed someone walking into the hotel lobby. ¡°Guys! Look! LIN FENG! Isn¡¯t that Lin Feng?¡± he eximed while pointing.

    Everyone looked up and at the person Zhang Hao was pointing towards. It was Lin Feng. With his luggage on his back, a tray of soymilk in one hand, and a bag of steamed buns in the other. He¡¯d heard Zhang Hao yelling his name and looked over to find everyone from Team Shanghai. So he started waving the bag of steamed buns at them happily. ¡°Wow! Everyone¡¯s already down here and ready to go? Nice! You guys didn¡¯t eat breakfast yet, right? I went out for food, and I brought more than enough for everyone! Let¡¯s eat!¡±

    Everyone was speechless.

    Su Xue had murder in his eyes and she gnashed her teeth, ¡®I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Him. He is dead, one of these days. I¡¯m going to kill him dead!¡±

    Zeng Rui expressionlessly nodded in agreement.

    An Xin shed her murder smile at Lin Feng. ¡°When we get back home, I¡¯m going to beat the stupid out of him.¡±

    ?

    Now that Lin Feng was back and the entire group was ready to leave, Chu Fang breathed a sigh of relief. But there was no time to eat the breakfast that Lin Feng brought back. They needed to get to the airport as quickly as possible. ¡°Guys! I called two cabs to take us to the airport. They¡¯re outside! Eat in the car! We need to go now!¡± Chu Fang said as he shepherded them out of the hotel and into the cabs.

    Chu Fang and An Xin hauled Lin Feng into a cab with them, where they forced him to sit in the middle. Where they could keep an eye on him. As the cars left for the airport, Chu Fang checked his watch to make sure they would arrive in time. Then he looked at Lin Feng. ¡°Lin Feng, don¡¯t do something like this again. You had us all worried sick.¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Um, sorry. I wanted to send a text, but my phone was dead!¡± Then he held up two steamed buns in his hands. ¡°I got you guys breakfast though!¡±

    An Xin stared at Lin Feng, her lips curving into a faint smile. ¡°Did you really go out to buy breakfast? Nothing else?¡±

    Lin Feng looked down before mumbling his answer. ¡°Yeah! You know me! I¡¯m Lin Feng and I like food! Only went out to get breakfast. Haha!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t do anything else while you were out?¡± An Xin asked.

    ¡°Nope!¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± An Xin said, but her expression said she didn¡¯t believe him at all.

    ?

    After an uneventful cab ride, Team Shanghai finally arrived at the airport. Then they went through security and checked in for the flight. They¡¯d made it just in the nick of time. All of them sat at the departure gate, waiting for boarding to start, and rxed.

    Nothing more happened, and the ne started boarding 30 minutester. Team Shanghai got on the ne and started sitting down. Lin Feng and An Xin ended up sitting next to each other. And since they were all on the ne and waiting for it to take off, Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao decided it was a good time to catch up on some sleep. Especially since they had to wake up early to make this flight.

    Lin Feng was wide awake and bored. So he pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons before looking down at it sadly. ¡°Oh no! The battery is still dead¡­¡± Then he turned to An Xin and asked, ¡°BunBun, let me y with your phone?¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes. ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so selfish!¡±

    ¡°Idiot! The ne¡¯s about to take off! Our phones are supposed to be off right now and we¡¯re not allowed to have them out!¡±

    ¡°Oh, rodger-dodger¡­¡±

    Suddenly, An Xin smiled at Lin Feng and asked,¡°But we can talk right now. Be honest! Where did you go this morning?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes widened. And then they started spinning as he tried to look everywhere except at An Xin while replying, ¡°I told you. I went out to buy breakfast!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°Really now? That¡¯s so curious! I spoke to the receptionist at the hotel. That¡¯s how I found out that you left the hotel with your luggage. But you know what else she told me? That she saw you leaving at 6AM. We all know that you came back with the steamed buns at 7:20AM. So¡­.. that means that it took you an hour and twenty minutes to buy some breakfast. Did you go out and make the steamed buns yourself? Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? Are you trying to turn this BunBun into a steamed bun with all the hot air you¡¯re blowing?¡±

    Lin Feng looked like a deer in headlights. He knew he¡¯d been caught.

    An Xin continued staring at Lin Feng, waiting for him to spill the beans.

    Finally, Lin Feng folded under the pressure and confessed, ¡°Alright, alright! You win!¡± He looked around carefully, then took his bag out from under his seat. While he opened it, he turned to An Xin and said, ¡°You have to keep this really secret! I was going to give this to youter on¡­ I swear! Just don¡¯t tell Chu Fang and the others. They¡¯ll be so mad if they find out what I was doing.¡±

    An Xin slowly nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. I¡¯ll keep your secret. Now show me what it is that was so important that you woke up at 5:30AM to go get? And almost made us all miss this flight. What did you go get?¡±

    Lin Feng pulled something out of his bag and put it on An Xin¡¯sp. As she looked at it, her eyes popped open in surprise.

    It was the super cute Ashe plushie doll! The exact same one that she said she wanted a few days ago!

 Chapter 375: A Flight to Remember

    The engines on the airne rumbled to life. The flight attendants walked down the aisles reminding people to stow their tray tables and put their seats into the upright position. The cabin filled with noise as the airne got ready to take off. But An Xin heard none of that. None of the noise could prate the peaceful atmosphere that had settled over the back row, where she sat with Lin Feng. With the Ashe plushie on herp. As she looked at it, her heart beat fast and slow at the same time with light trembles of joy.

    Lin Feng waited a couple of seconds for An Xin to say something. But she remained silent, and he mistook that for confusion. He picked it up off herp and waved it in her face, oblivious to everything else in his excitement. ¡°Look! It¡¯s the Ashe you wanted! Remember? You said you wanted it! It¡¯s the exact same one. I helped you get it!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s face flickered with aplicated expression. ¡°You went all the way there just to get me this Ashe plushie? So early in the morning?¡± she asked quietly and softly. So softly that the question was barely audible over the hum of the engines.

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s why I set my rm for 5:30 AM! I really lucked out! My phone had just enough power for the rm. It died right after I left the hotel. And then I got even more lucky and got the Ashe doll. It only cost me £¤20!¡±

    An Xin stared at the big grin on Lin Feng¡¯s face and the Ashe. She bit her lips to keep herself from smiling. ¡° You¡¯re an idiot. I didn¡¯t want it that much. Why did you have to go out of your way to get it?¡± She rebuked him, but there wasn¡¯t a hint of me in her gaze.

    ¡°But I promised you I¡¯d get it! A man keeps his promise!¡± Lin Feng said.

    Lin Feng had said almost the exact same words to An Xin before back at the hotel. Now, he¡¯d kept his promise and brought her back the Ashe plush. He¡¯d backed up his words with action.

    ¡°Here, take it!¡± Lin Feng stuffed the Ashe plush in An Xin¡¯s arms. ¡°See, I told you I¡¯d get it! Hahahaha! I¡¯m really good at w machines too!¡± He smiled brightly.

    An Xin epted the Ashe plush and held it in her embrace. She buried her head into it, hiding the expression in her eyes as she softly whispered, ¡°Thanks.¡± She hugged the plush tightly, as if she wasn¡¯t willing to let it go, as if the thing she was hugging wasn¡¯t only the plush.

    An Xin slightly bit her lips as she silently muttered the word, ¡°Idiot¡ª "

    "Hey, look! There''s fireworks!" Lin Feng interrupted, jabbing his finger across An Xin''s face to point out of the small airne window.

    "You idiot!" An Xin yelped, pushing away the arm that was in her face. She then looked out the window and her eyes went wide and round. Her heart stopped beating slow. Or fast. It was stuck in her throat. Her voice trembling, she mumbled, "L-L-Lin Feng... That''s not... That''s not fireworks! THE PLANE IS ON FIRE! THE PLANE IS ON FIRE!"

    More people started noticing the fire burning at the second motor on the left wing. There was that first moment, brief as it was, in which the airne turnedpletely silent. No one spoke. No one even breathed. They only stared at the ck flumes twisting and twirling around the red tongues of me.

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and looked around the cabin, at the strange calmness of it all. He asked, "Isn''t it supposed to¡ª"

    "NO IT''S NOT!" An Xin screamed.

    Everyone turned to look at An Xin. They knew she was right. And as if to confirm it, oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, the warningbels went on and the captain''s voice sounded over the inte system, "We''re experiencing some light turbulence. Please return to your seats, put on the oxygen masks, and stay calm. Thank you for traveling with Amazing Airlines."

    A couple of people listened. They raced for their seats, pushing aside those in their way, and strapped themselves in so tightly that the polyester of the belt cut into their skins. But most never made it back to their seats. They stood there, staring at the fire that was trying to jump to the motor closest to the cabin, petrified. A particrly sturdy woman copsed to the ground. Fainted from fear. But no one watched her, even noticed her.

    "I can smell it! I CAN SMELL IT!""IT''S IN THE CABIN! IT''S GONNA GET INTO THE CABIN!""AAAAHHH!""WE''RE ALL GOING TO DIE!""I DON''T WANNA DIE!""SMOKE! I CAN SEE SMOKE! IT''S GETTING INTO THE CABIN!"

    Stewardesses ran along the left isles, urging people to return to their seats. Begging them. The airne shook. No one was listening; everyone saw their lives flitting past their eyes. A primal fear gripped them, tightened around their necks and stopped the flow of reason between their minds and the rest of their bodies.

    The captain''s voice sounded over the inte system again, "We''re experiencing some small issues. Nothing we can''t handle. We''re going to make an emergencynding. Please return to your seats, and thank you for flying with Amazing Airlines!"

    People paused again, until the next strike of turbulence. A few lost their footing while a couple of others started moving. Through the screaming and the sobbing and the bodies that''d given up already, they pushed their ways towards the emergency exits. They tried to unlock the doors, but a half dozen fail-safes ensured that couldn''t happen. Turbulence tried to knock them off their feet, but their grips on the emergency doors made sure that wouldn''t happen. And then logic twisted. The emergency exit near the front of the airne flung open.

    An Xin sat in the back, petrified, holding Lin Feng''s hand tightly in her own. She couldn''t tear her eyes away from the burning wing, but she could feel from the sweat in her hands and the trembling and shaking that Lin Feng was just as scared as she was. Maybe even more. And then the air got knocked out of her due to the sudden change of pressure in the cabin. A jolt shot through her body. <em>Where''s my Ash... Lin Feng... </em>She pinched in Lin Feng''s hand, making sure he was still with her. And smiled. It became hard to breathe, impossible. Specks of ck swum in her vision. Her thoughts slowed down as she could feel the airne losing altitude, fast. Far too fast.

    "We''re going to die... We''re going to die..." Lin Feng mumbled quietly. "There is still so much... There are still... I never even got to say sorry to my friends..."

    An Xin tore her eyes away from the burning wing. She pushed through the darkness trying to im her and the strong smell of burning stic trying to knock her out, and reached both arms around Lin Feng. She hugged him. Pulled him close. She whispered in his ear, "At least we''re together. Just you and me." Thest thing she saw was the back of his neck. She pushed her nose closer to him, smelling his fear and finding some sce in it. <em>I''ll miss you. Sorry we never got to go back to Worlds...</em>

    ?

    The engines on the airne rumbled to life. The flight attendants walked down the aisles reminding people to stow their tray tables and put their seats into the upright position. The cabin filled with noise as the airne got ready to take off. But An Xin heard none of that. None of the noise could prate the peaceful atmosphere that had settled over the back row, where she sat with Lin Feng. With the Ashe plushie on herp. As she looked at it, her heart beat fast and slow at the same time with light trembles of joy.

    Lin Feng waited a couple of seconds for An Xin to say something. But she remained silent, and he mistook that for confusion. He picked it up off herp and waved it in her face, oblivious to everything else in his excitement. ¡°Look! It¡¯s the Ashe you wanted! Remember? You said you wanted it! It¡¯s the exact same one. I helped you get it!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s face flickered with aplicated expression. ¡°You went all the way there just to get me this Ashe plushie? So early in the morning?¡± she asked quietly and softly. So softly that the question was barely audible over the hum of the engines.

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s why I set my rm for 5:30 AM! I really lucked out! My phone had just enough power for the rm. It died right after I left the hotel. And then I got even more lucky and got the Ashe doll. It only cost me £¤20!¡±

    An Xin stared at the big grin on Lin Feng¡¯s face and the Ashe. She bit her lips to keep herself from smiling. <em>Wait. I know this. I know¡ª </em>Her eyes grew wide and round. She turned away from Lin Feng and looked out of the window. The airne was getting ready for takeoff. <em>It''s going... We... </em>"THE PLANE IS GOING TO EXPLODE! IT''S GOING TO EXPLODE! GET OFF THIS PLANE! IT''S GOING TO EXPLODE!" she screamed as loudly as she could, jumping from her seat and already pulling Lin Feng with her to the exit. "LET US OFF! LET US OFF! IT''S GOING TO EXPLODE!"

 Chapter 376: Rebirth of the Maple Who Rose to Fail His Exams!

    The engines on the airne rumbled to life. The flight attendants walked down the aisles reminding people to stow their tray tables and put their seats into the upright position. The cabin filled with noise as the airne got ready to take off. But An Xin heard none of that. None of the noise could prate the peaceful atmosphere that had settled over the back row, where she sat with Lin Feng. With the Ashe plushie on herp. As she looked at it, her heart beat fast and slow at the same time with light trembles of joy.

    Lin Feng waited a couple of seconds for An Xin to say something. But she remained silent, and he mistook that for confusion. He picked it up off herp and waved it in her face, oblivious to everything else in his excitement. ¡°Look! It¡¯s the Ashe you wanted! Remember? You said you wanted it! It¡¯s the exact same one. I helped you get it!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s face flickered with aplicated expression. ¡°You went all the way there just to get me this Ashe plushie? So early in the morning?¡± she asked quietly and softly. So softly that the question was barely audible over the hum of the engines.

    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s why I set my rm for 5:30 AM! I really lucked out! My phone had just enough power for the rm. It died right after I left the hotel. And then I got even more lucky and got the Ashe doll. It only cost me £¤20!¡±

    An Xin stared at the big grin on Lin Feng¡¯s face and the Ashe. She bit her lips to keep herself from smiling. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot. I didn¡¯t want it that much. Why¡¯d you have to go out of your way to get it?¡± She wanted to yell at Lin Feng for being foolish, but her heart just wasn¡¯t in it. And her rebuke wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit harsh.

    ¡°I made a promise! I gave you my word that I would help you get it! A real man always keeps his promise!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    An Xin smiled at Lin Feng¡¯s deration. He¡¯d said the same thing earlier, back at the hotel. An Xin¡¯s heart fluttered and warmed that he had cared enough to remember his promise to her and had gotten her the Ashe plushie.

    ¡°Here, take it!¡± Lin Feng stuffed the Ashe in An Xin¡¯s arms. ¡°I told you I¡¯d get it and I got it! Hahahaha! I¡¯m really good at w machines too!¡± He smiled brightly.

    An Xin epted the Ashe plush and hugged it tightly. She buried her face in it, to hide her blush as she softly whispered, ¡°Thanks.¡± She kept hugging the soft plushie, but it was clear that she wanted to hug Lin Feng and couldn¡¯t at the moment. So she hugged the Ashe as tightly as she wanted to hug Lin Feng.

    An Xin slightly bit her lips as she quietly muttered the word, ¡°Idiot.¡±

    ?

    The Collegiate Cup¡¯s Round of 16 had yet to end, but all of Team Shanghai¡¯s members had returned home. In a truly shocking twist, their ne had taken off andnded with no issues. There were no prophetic visions, An Xin was not stuck in a time loop where she was forced to solve issue after issue to find the best timeline, and there were no motherfucking snakes on that motherfucking ne. It was just an ordinary ride on an airne, followed by the usual hustle and bustle of disembarking from the ne.

    Now that they were back home, Team Shanghai would spend the next couple of weeks buried in textbooks as they prepared for their uing exams. Even Lin Feng, who¡¯d beenining the most earlier, had no option but to study. He simply didn¡¯t have enough time to do anything else. After returning to school, he didn¡¯t even have the time to chill with Ouyang, Yang Fang, and the others so he could tell them what happened in Guangzhou. And neither did they. Everyone in High School 13 was busy studying and tense about these uing exams. And so, Lin Feng returned to school and dove head first into studying.

    An uneasy and thick tension had descended over the hallways of High School 13. There was no happy chatter or jokes. There was only one thing on everyone¡¯s mind and one topic worth not talking about. That was the exams. There were a few hushed whispers in the halls, but that was about it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only got a week left to live! My parents are going to kill me after these exams!¡±

    ¡°Samsies! We gotta ace them! There is no other option!¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t crush these exams, we¡¯ll get crushed instead!¡±

    Everyone was nervous. Well, almost everyone. Lin Feng retained his cheerful obliviousness and optimism. ¡°I¡¯m gonna ace this exam! If this were a webnovel, I¡¯d be the protagonist! And there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to fail because the hero always triumphs! You¡¯ll all see! I¡¯m really good at exams too!¡± He boldly dered, fighting back against the unseen but palpable tension in the air. And then he buried himself in his textbook.

    Even as he studied, Lin Feng knew in the back of his mind that he was the protagonist. This is my story, and I¡¯m not going to be stopped here! These exams aren¡¯t an obstacle, they¡¯re a stepping stone! And I¡¯m not going to be defeated by a step! I¡¯m going to face this exam head-on and sweep through it like I do with everything else! No mere exam will stop my rise!

    This delusional level of self-confidence that Lin Feng had wasn¡¯t entirely unwarranted. While he believed that his confidence came from his own patented Trynadamere problem solving method and Nasus study methodology, and that he was protected by protagonist plot armor, none of those things contributed much. The real ace up Lin Feng¡¯s sleeve was that he had An Xin and Tang Bingyao to help him out.

    An Xin and Tang Bingyao were excellent students. They were just as good at school as they were at League of Legends. In fact, Tang Bingyao was well-known for being one of the smartest girls at school and a bookworm. An Xin was equally intelligent, and could coach someone through studying just as well as she could coach them in League. And she¡¯d gotten Lin Feng through exams before.

    Since he had both of these girls supervising and helping him through studying, Lin Feng didn¡¯t have to worry too much about getting through his exams. Neither did Ouyang, who also had the advantage of Tang Bingyao and An Xin simply because he was Lin Feng¡¯s deskmate and remained in close proximity. And speaking of Ouyang, he¡¯d asionally try to get Lin Feng to talk about what happened in Guangzhou. Whenever he could get away with it because both the girls were distracted or away. Even though Ouyang was focused on the uing exam, the story of how Team Shanghai defeated Team Guangzhou 3-0 was too legendary to ignore. Not just for Ouyang. Everyone in Lin Feng¡¯s ss wanted to know what happened. It was a wee study break, and everyone leaned in to listen as Lin Feng recounted what happened to Ouyang.

    ?

    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s so awesome! You riggity-riggity-rekt them!¡± Ouyang eximed when Lin Feng finished his story. ¡°You made those douchenozzles your bitch! That¡¯s exactly what Team Guangzhou deserved! Did you throw in a ¡®I, your father, have schooled you¡¯? Because what¡¯s the point in spanking them like that if they don¡¯t call you Daddy after?¡±

    Ren Rou smacked Ouyang in the back of the head. But a soft one. She secretly approved of it all. ¡°Yeah. That Seo is a raging jackass. He hurt our Tang Tang! Unforgivable!¡±

    Ouyang rubbed the back of his head where Ren Rou whacked him. But he was too excited by the story to focus on it for long. He asked Lin Feng, ¡°Bro! You yed Riven, right? How¡¯d it go! Tell us all about that! Did you really get a pentakill at the end?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I hard-carried that game with my Riven and got a penta! It was great! Ask BunBun! She¡¯ll tell you how great I did that game.¡± Lin Feng said. He turned to An Xin and said, ¡°BunBun, I hard-carried with Riven and got a penta, right? Tell them!¡±

    An Xin didn¡¯t even bother looking up from her book as she casually replied, ¡°Oh, is that what happened? Sorry, I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    And speaking of An Xin, neither she nor Lin Feng brought up the Ashe plushie after they got back toi Shanghai. It was a private moment between them, and their secret alone. As far as everyone else was concerned, nothing had changed between them. An Xin interacted with Lin Feng exactly as she did before. She continued to make fun of Lin Feng every chance she got, and smacked him down whenever he did something stupid. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, the incident with the Ashe doll never happened. But for An Xin, it was a treasured moment.

    Since An Xin hadpletely ignored him, Lin Feng turned to Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang! Tang Tang! Help me out here! Tell them I got a penta, and that I¡¯m not lying.!¡±

    Tang Bingyao waspletely focused on studying. Only after Lin Feng pestered her a few more times did she raise her head and nodded. ¡°Mhm? Who¡¯s lying?¡±

    Ren Rou rolled her eyes. ¡°Everyone is busy studying! Stop bothering Tang Tang and An Xin! You guys need to stop gossiping like olddies and focus on your studying too!¡± Then she walked back to her desk and got back into her books.

    Lin Feng¡¯s cheerful smile faded and he looked gloomy. ¡°But I really am telling the truth¡­¡±

    ¡°Broheim! I believe you, bro,¡± Ouyang said, and smacked Lin Feng on the back. Then he inched closer and continued, ¡°So¡­ since we¡¯re best bros and I believe you about your pentakill and all that¡­ how about being a bro back and letting me copy your answers for the English practice exam?¡±

    ¡°Huh? There was an English practice exam?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Ouyang looked at Lin Feng in surprise. ¡°What? Did you really not know? We¡¯re supposed to hand in our answers tonight!¡±

    ¡°I forgot!? I think!? Did I even know about the English practice exam? Oh no!¡± Lin Feng cried out. Then he immediately started working on it.

    Sitting at the neighbouring desk, An Xin raised her head and smiled. Well, at least some things never change. Lin Feng is still an idiot. But every once in a while, a very thoughtful and sweet idiot. My idiot¡­ An Xin continued to smile that secret smile as she went back to studying.

    ?

    Su Xue flew back to Shanghai from Guangzhou two days after Team Shanghai left. But the night before she left, Zong Yao, the executive from Huya TV, invited her to a dinner with a few other well-known streamers and shoutcasters who were from Guangzhou. That had been a big night for Su Xue. It was her foot in the door. She was now officially a part of the shoutcaster circles.

    Once Su Xue got back to Shanghai, she started streaming again. And told her viewers all about her experience as a shoutcaster and the dinner. ¡°Guys! The dinner went so well! Mr. Zong Yao introduced me to everyone and told them how much all the viewers liked my shoutcasting! It didn¡¯t hurt that all the other streamers and shoutcasters saw the matches I wasmenting on and how great I was. They were all so friendly! You guys wait and see, I might be a really famous professional shoutcaster one day!¡± Su Xue dered to her streamer.

    It goes without saying that her viewers were happy for her. But they were even more happy to have an opportunity to roast her and bring her back down to earth.

    ¡¸Oh deer! Is she getting big-headed or did they feed her too much?¡¹¡¸Snofell gettin fat? ¡¹¡¸Dreans are em-t calories! she must be eating her feelings again!¡¹¡¸xuexue! You¡¯re already really famous with us! You don¡¯t need more that me, bb!¡¹¡¸she¡¯s bronze at league, but a Challenger at pipe dreams¡¹¡¸Maid-chan dreaming of seducing domineering CEO and bing Misteress!¡¹¡¸tsk tsk, I almost believed her¡¹

    After returning from Guangzhou, Su Xue resumed her regr streaming schedule, which included a daily session of roasting by her viewers. Truthfully, though, all of them were happy to see her face on stream again, and they were d that her journey as a shoutcaster was going smoothly.

    The fact that Su Xue¡¯s viewers had spammed the Collegiate Cup livestream¡¯s chat with phrases like, ¡°SNOWFALL ARMY¡±, ¡®The maid is surprisingly good at casting too!,¡± and ¡°Su Xue is a streamer too! You can check her out here!¡± was proof enough of their support.

    Su Xue was also aware of this. So, she didn¡¯t get mad when she saw her chat roasting her. ¡°I see you guys really missed me when I was gone for the past few days, huh?¡±

    ¡¸u were gone?!?!?¡¹¡¸Masters don¡¯t notice when the maid is gone!¡¹¡¸I missed you like a hiker misses a wet sock!¡¹¡¸We wanted to watch lil bro win! But you showed up there too!¡¹¡¸we missed lil bro more!¡¹¡¸yeah! Get lil bro to stream his ranked games some more!¡¹¡¸maid, stop hogging all the liemight!¡¹

    Su Xue finally had enough and rolled her eyes. She said, ¡°Hey, your ¡®lil bro¡¯ is busy right now. He¡¯s a high school senior, you know? He has exams to worry about!¡±

    ?

    Speaking of which, Lin Feng waspletely swamped with homework these past few days, so much so that he had no time for anything else. Not even a free meal. Once Lin Feng got back to Shanghai, Shi Hang, the newly recruited Miner of Team Rapids, had called him up to invite him out to dinner.

    ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t make it! I have homework!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Shi Hang asked, surprised. He refused a free meal!? Lin Feng. Turning down a free dinner? OH! OH! ¡°Hahaha! Right, you have exams, don¡¯t yah? I thought ya were sick for a second there. Can¡¯t see you turning down food otherwise. But no wonder. Or maybe this is a miracle. We should put the news up everywhere. Dark Horse League Talent Lin Feng turns down food to study! Easy 25 million view video! Hahahahahaaha! It''s tough, being a highschooler. Ain¡¯t it, son? ¡±

    Lin Feng ignored Shi Hang¡¯s taunts and hung up, but Shi Hang quickly called him back.

    ¡°Hey wait, real talk for a moment. S6 is about to start soon. I¡¯m still trying to get used to the new meta. Want to y some duo queue with me?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded. ¡°Sure, just do my homework and take my exams for me!¡±

    ¡°...¡± Shi Hang rolled his eyes and hung up this time. High schoolers these days, ain¡¯t no reasoning with them.

    Lin Feng thought about what Shi Hang had said after the call. Despite being busy with studying and homework, Lin Feng had kept an eye on what was going on with the new season. The meta was going to change with Season 6. Apart from the release of another marksman and the previously teased Aurelion Sol, Lin Feng had also read about several old champions getting a rework.

    The one that caught his attention the most was Graves. The Ouw was getting a huge change.

    ?

    Graves was a grumpy looking man puffing on a big cigar and firing 9mm bullets from his shotgun. This suboptimalbination resulted in him not being nearly yed as often as Riot Games wanted to see, so they decided to change him up. The first of two major changes was his ammo. The 9mm bullets were reced with shotgun shells, and since his shotgun was a double-barrel, he could load two shells at a time. What he lost in firing consistency to this change, he gained in power. His auto attacks did more damage and now had a spray effect and knockback effect. Beyond his auto attacks, his Buckshot skill also needed a change. The suboptimal version saw him fire three bullets in a cone from a double-barrel shotgun, which wasn¡¯t very effective. That was why Buckshot was reced with End of the Line. Graves could fire two shells from his double-barrel shotgun that morphed together into an explosive shell and would fire straight ahead! After two seconds or when the shell struck terrain, like a tree or a tower, it would explode.

    The changes to this champion were interesting enough that An Xin relented and let Lin Feng sidetrack her into a conversation about it instead of studying. ¡°He¡¯s not going to be a viable ad-carry anymore, Lin Feng. You can¡¯t y Graves as an ad-carry when he can¡¯t auto attack consistently. This rework doesn¡¯t make much sense to me. Unless¡­¡±

    Lin Feng jumped in before An Xin finished her thought, ¡°Its about skill, BunBun! If you¡¯ve got skill, I think he¡¯s very yable as an ad-carry.¡±

    An Xin shot him a look. ¡°Not everyone is Maple, dingus. Bnce changes and reworks are supposed to make champions more yable for everyone across all tiers! Not just the best yers!¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. You win. He¡¯s not an ad-carry. I¡¯ll y him in mid! The changes make him way more fun!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± An Xin read through the changes to the champion again and calcted how much damage the new Graves could do and how much damage he could take. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s good for midne. But¡­ he looks like he¡¯d be great as a Jungle champion. Early game damage that scales better than Lee Sin!¡±

    ?

    The rest of Team Shanghai had kept up with the new patch notes as well. When they all met up at the inte cafe to blow off some steam and get a little practice in, all of them started talking about the changes to Graves.

    ¡°Do you guys think this is a buff or a nerf for Graves?¡± Zhang Hao asked. He was unsure about how to interpret the changes listed in the new patch notes.

    Lin Feng jumped in immediately. He¡¯d been talking about this with BunBun for a day now. ¡°I think it¡¯s a buff, but it looks like you won¡¯t be able to y him as an Ad-Carry anymore.¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, perplexed. ¡°Mhm? Not an Ad-Carry anymore?¡± She¡¯d yed a few games with the new Graves recently, and noticed how much more difficult it was to y with Graves. And how awkward it was to wait for Graves to reload after firing two shots.

    An Xinughed. ¡°Very astute, Lin Feng! Did you figure that out all on your own? You¡¯re not just telling them what I said yesterday? But he is right, guys. The new Graves is looking like a Jungler.¡±

    ¡°We can test it out ourselves,¡± Zeng Rui suggested. He had his own opinions about the changes for Season 6. Especially the massive buff to ad-carry champions. If Season 5 was the League of Top Lane, Season 6 was shaping up to be the era of Ad-Carry dominance.

    ¡°The botne is going to be even more important now,¡± Zeng Rui remarked. For a support main like him, this was both good and bad news. The good news didn¡¯t need to be borated, but the bad was because it meant the botne was going to be even more chaotic.

    Lin Fengughed and patted Tang Bingyao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So Tang Tang has to try even harder. She¡¯s going to be our carry in the future!¡¯

    Tang Bingyao nodded firmly. She¡¯d understood what was happening after reading the patch notes, and she¡¯d also experienced how much stronger champions like Corki and Ashe were on the new patch.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the Collegiate Cup is going to continue with the Season 5 patch. We won¡¯t get to y with the new changes,¡± Lin Feng said with a sigh. Then his smile perked right back up. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Once we win the Collegiate Cup, we¡¯ll get to y the new patch in other tournaments!¡±

    An Xin rolled her eyes. ¡®Idiot. How about we focus on the Collegiate Cup first before thinking about other tournaments?¡±

    ¡°No need! We¡¯ll win for sure! I¡¯m the protagonist, remember? I can¡¯t lose!¡±

    An Xin narrowed her eyes and smiled. ¡°Oh, is that so? You can¡¯t lose? Why does the hero need to sit around studying then? I''m guessing that you¡¯re all prepared for the exams, right? Maybe because you already took them in a previous timeline and then went back to the past to set things right? What¡¯s this webnovel called again? Rebirth of the Maple Who Rose to Fail His Exams?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s expression immediately changed and he grumbled. ¡°Hey, BunBun! Don¡¯t bring that up!¡±

 Chapter 377: A RAW

    Note by Sietse: This Chapter is the promise Devshard made to ReapingHunter. For a further exnation, scroll down to the Trantor Thought. Or go to thement section on Chapter 376 and read up on that.

    January 25th-26th was judgement day for all the students from High School 13!

    The exams had arrived!

    A cloud of gloom appeared to hang over the entire school, bearing on the students so hard that it was difficult to breathe.

    Exam proctors walked into the examination rooms carrying huge, massive stacks of papers in their hands and expressionless looks on their faces.

    A momentter, the bell signalling the start of the exam rang, which was quickly followed by the sound of students scribbling down on their papers with their pens.

    After morning exams were over, there was a brief intermission before the students walked back into the examination rooms for their afternoon exams.

    This pattern repeated itself the next day.

    The tension that filled the examination rooms was more intense than a crucial Baron at 50 minutes into a game of League of Legends.

    Even during the rest period between exams, all the students had tense expressions on their faces. They were in no mood to chat with their friends, except to double and triple check whether their answers to particrly difficult questions were correct. And then their worry focused on the next exam.

    This intense examination period continued on untilte in the evening on the second day.

    The two days of exams were finally over.

    The sun was already setting over the horizon when the students from High School 13 left school grounds. All of them breathed a shared sigh of relief as smiles started surfacing on their faces.

    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s over!¡±

    ¡°Holy crap, that was hell! I never want to do that again!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Freedom! FREEDOM!¡±

    ¡°Now we can sit back and rx!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s winter vacation! Winter vacation is here!¡±

    The sound of cheering students gradually filled the school grounds.

    After walking out of the exam room, Lin Feng happened to see An Xin and Tang Bingyao walking out. He waved and smiled at them and said, ¡°BunBun, Tang Tang! Let¡¯s head to the inte cafe and y some games of League!¡±

    ?

    Tonight, all the inte cafes near High School 13 were destined to be packed with all the students that just finished their exams.

    Ouyang had already gone out of his way to book a 12-person room at the NetCow Cafe in advance. All of Team Shanghai¡¯s friends and former teammates, which included members from High School 13¡¯s team and Shanghai High School¡¯s, gathered together for arge meet-up.

    Ouyang struck a pose and shouted in the middle of the private room and dered, ¡°No one talks about exams tonight! We¡¯re gonna y till we pass out! Sleeping is for losers!¡±

    In the next second, Ouyang was smacked in the back of the head by Ren Rou. She said, ¡°Get your foot off the seat! People have to sit there! Why aren¡¯t you cleaning it up!?¡±

    Ren Rou then turned to everyone else and said with a bright smile, ¡°But shitty Ouyang is right for once. Let¡¯s all enjoy ourselves tonight!¡±

    She was immediately met by cheers of approval from the dozen-plus people in the room.

    The 12-person room had 12puters in total. Lin Feng still found the gathering to be too small for his tastes, but people could take turns ranking together. Besides, chatting and spectating from the sidelines was also pretty entertaining.

    After all, it was winter vacation!

    With exams no longer looming over them, anything and everything was eptable!

    Liu Yue inched over to Lin Feng¡¯s side and asked with a face brimming with excitement, ¡°Hey, is it really true that you got two pentakills against Team Guangzhou!? Isn¡¯t Goalie supposed to be some kind of pro level Miner? But you stomped him? Like he was some kind of noob!?¡±

    After hearing about Lin Feng¡¯s exploits during the Collegiate Cup Round of 16, Liu Yue¡¯s worship of Lin Feng grew even deeper. The only reason it didn¡¯t reach levels of fanaticism was that he was a Jungle main. All evening, he kept asking Lin Feng for advice about how to y Graves in the Jungle.

    Chen Ze and Wei Dong were also there. After chatting for a while, Wei Dong asked Lin Feng, ¡°Hey, when¡¯s your next match happening? It¡¯s probably soon, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup! We¡¯ll be flying to Beijing on the 28th. They¡¯ll be doing the draws on that day, then the quarterfinals officially start the next day,¡± Lin Feng replied with a smile.

    Chen Ze couldn¡¯t help but look at Lin Feng enviously. He said, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯re in the quarterfinals now. It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s in Beijing, or we would¡¯ve definitelye to cheer for you guys.¡±

    Ouyang inched over to Lin Feng¡¯s side and eximed, ¡°Chen Ze is right!¡± He briefly paused before nudging Lin Feng and asking, ¡°Hey, the Shanghai Esports Association is paying for everything, right? Do you think you could help us get some ne tickets to Beijing too?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head and replied, ¡°Oh, sure¡­ I¡¯ll ask!¡±

    Not far away, An Xin rolled her eyes. She turned to Tang Bingyao and Ren Rou and said, ¡°Tang Tang, Rou Rou, let¡¯s ditch these idiots and y a match together!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s ears perked up and he immediately shouted. ¡°Hey! I want to join too! Wait for me!¡±

    ¡°Join my ass! Focus on winning the current game we¡¯re ying right now!¡± Zeng Rui shouted.

    Zhang Hao had an anxious expression on his face. ¡°Dude, you just spent a whole teamfight sitting in the fountain. Without your midne, we almost ended up losing the fight.¡±

    Lin Feng snapped back to his senses. ¡°Oh right! Hahaha! I almost forgot I was in a game because I was so busy chatting! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ming to carry you guys!¡±

    ?

    After ying League till 2 AM in the morning, everyone finally called it a night and left for home.

    As usual, Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao walked home together.

    The warm glow of the streetmps scattered over the sidewalk. It was also fairly chilly tonight. However, Tang Bingyao was skipping happily along the pavement as she chatted with Lin Feng about thetest changes that came with the arrival of Season 6.

    ¡°I think you can still keep ying Graves ad-carry!¡±

    ¡°Eh? No way. He¡¯s definitely gonna be yed in the Jungle from now on!¡±

    ¡°Mhm. But what I¡¯m saying is that he can still be yed in bot!¡±

    ¡°Sure he can, but it¡¯s too much of a waste. If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s make a bet. Once Season 6 officially starts, Graves is definitely going to be yed in the Jungle!¡±

    ¡°Mhm! Okay, it¡¯s a bet! But what are we betting?¡±

    ¡°Ten chicken cutlets!¡±

    ¡°Ten?¡± Tang Bingyao¡¯s expression instantly froze, as she unconsciously reached out to protect her purse. After hesitating for a moment, she stuck out three fingers and said, ¡°Ten is too much. How about three chicken cutlets?¡±

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. ¡°Three, huh? Let¡¯s go in the middle and say five!¡±

    Tang Bingyao thought for a moment, then firmly nodded her head and said, ¡°Alright, five!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s expression immediately brightened after his sessful negotiations. He smiled and replied, ¡°You¡¯re going to lose for sure!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked up at the Shanghai nightscape and cheerfully smiled. She said, ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure!¡± The bet itself didn¡¯t actually matter. She was just happy that she would get to share a meal together with the person she liked. In her mind, she¡¯d already won.

 Chapter 378: The Fickle Minds of Viewers

    ¡°SUUUUU XUUUEEEEE! I forgot my keys again!¡± Lin Feng shouted, rapping his fist against the hard wood of the front door.

    Su Xue nced over her shoulder and then shook her head. Again? How does he keep doing it¡­ It almost feels on purpose¡­ She took a long, deep breath and then looked at her camera. ¡°Hey guys¡­¡± she started, ncing at the chat. Oh, they already know. Guess they can hear him too. ¡°Yep. That¡¯s Lin Feng,¡± she said. She then got up from her gaming chair and walked towards the front door.

    ¡°SUUUUU XUUUEEEEE! Open the door please!¡± Lin Feng yelled at the door, ignoring the neighbour looking through the window a couple doors over and shaking her head.

    I should just let him wait. Yep. Gonna make him wait. Su Xue smiled as she skipped into the kitchen and started ying with her favourite cleaver. It¡¯s so nice and sharp and it always gets him out of be¡ª

    ¡°SUUUUU XUUEE¡ª¡±

    ¡°YES YES! I¡¯M COMING! OH MY GOD CAN YOU SHUT UP FOR ONCE!?¡± Su Xue eximed. She pulled the front door open and grabbed Lin Feng by his shirt, then dragged him inside. She shut the door behind him and then turned her head to look at him through narrowed eyes. She slowly said, ¡°Everyone could hear you! They¡¯re going toin to Chu Yishu, and you know who she¡¯s going toin to? Me!¡± She jabbed a finger on her chest and continued, ¡°Me! She¡¯s going to call me up, again, and ask me if I¡¯m locking you out! Is that what you want!?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Uh, sorry. Sorry. I just kinda thought you liked opening the door for me¡­¡±

    ¡°No. No I don¡¯t,¡± Su Xue replied, shaking her head. ¡°What made you think I like to be interrupted mid stream? You¡­¡± She gritted her teeth and shook her head. Nope. Not gonna let him get to me. I¡¯ll get to him! She smiled and said, ¡°Come, we¡¯re going to my room. The viewers are asking for you. They want to see you Jungle Graves all night long! And I know you¡¯ve got holidays, so don¡¯t even think about going to bed!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning to sleep anyway!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He brushed past Su Xue and said over his shoulder, ¡°And I¡¯ve been itching to y the new Graves too! They wouldn¡¯t let me at the inte cafe earlier¡­¡±

    ¡°How mean of them,¡± Su Xue replied, smiling. She watched Lin Feng stride towards her room and clenched her fist. Good. With him¡­ Yeah. She closed her eyes and took another long, deep breath. With him here, it¡¯ll definitely be a sess!

    Hundreds of thousands of people had tuned in to the Winter Collegiate Cup and watched the games with Su Xue casting. And then, when all those viewers opened the chat to say how good she was, there were tens of thousands of people spamming her streamlink. This resulted in Su Xue¡¯s stream seeing a big spike in viewer numbers, shooting past the 100,000 mark and going up even higher. Su Xue wanted to leave a good impression on all these new viewers. She could try and do that with her own skill, but she knew she wasn¡¯t the best yer; Lin Feng was the best. With his skill and hermentary, all these new viewers would fall in love with her stream and stick around, she was sure of it!

    Su Xue walked back into her bedroom. Lin Feng was already sitting in her gaming chair, chatting with the viewers. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, then leaned over him to read the stream chat.

    ¡¸LLIILLLL BROOOOOOOOO¡¹

    ¡¸Long time no see bud! MISSED YA!¡¹

    ¡¸TEAM SHANGHAI MIDLANER! HE BEAT GOALIE AND NOW HE GONNA JUNGLE GRAVES!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸he¡¯s our young master the emperor and xuexue¡¯s his maid! GET HIM SOME WATER MAID!¡¹

    ¡¸lil bro, you sure jungle Graves is gonna be cool? I seen a bunch of them¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡¹

    ¡¸THEY SUCK! NEW GRAVES SUCKS! BRING BACK OLD GRAVES! RIOTRIOTRIOT¡¹

    ¡°They¡¯re right, you know?¡± Su Xue said to Lin Feng, pointing at the chat. ¡°We¡¯ve seen a couple of Jungle Graves¡¯ already and they all sucked¡­ hard. Like, really hard. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve seen a single Jungle Graves that looked even a little decent¡­¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and patted his own back. He said, ¡°Don¡¯tcha worry! This is just some low elo games! I can y Veigar Jungle or¡­ or Yorick ad-carry and still win!¡±

    Su Xue giggled and replied, ¡°Yorick doesn¡¯t even have ranged attacks. He just¡­ he just hits people with his shovel¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned and continued, ¡°That¡¯s how easy it¡¯ll be! I¡¯ll hit them with my shov¡ª shotgun and send them back down to t!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng yed Jungle Graves exactly like An Xin yed Jungle Lee Sin. He took the Red Buff and then went straight into his opponent¡¯s Jungle. There he waited for their Jungle Evelynn to show herself at her Red Buff Camp and then he waited a bit more. He watched Evelynn lose health auto attacking the Red Brambleback. When her health fell below half, he fired an auto attack followed by the explosive shell from End of the Line! He continued with a second auto attack, then dashed for a quick reload of one shell with Quickdraw! One final auto attack secured the kill.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    The next 20 minutes were simr to this first exchange in the sense that Lin Feng¡¯s Graves ran around the map and shot Champions like they were minions. He picked up kills and made the new Graves look like the most overpowered Champion to have ever set foot on the Rift. His final score was a staggering 17-1-3.

    Su Xue sat next to Lin Feng quietly, having long forgotten she was there tomentate. Her jaw hung wide open and when the victory screen showed she muttered, ¡°My god¡­ I-I didn¡¯t know¡­ Is he really that strong?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Yep! He¡¯s awesome! You saw his high damage, right? Like how I kept blowing them up? It was so easy! And then, you saw how I wasn¡¯t even buying much damage but also armour and magic resist? Yeah, see, when you buy that, he can even be like a semi-tank! A TANK THAT DOES A TON OF DAMAGE! He¡¯s so cool! So, so cool!¡±

    ¡¸NEW GRAVES OP AS FUCCCKKKKKKKK¡¹

    ¡¸nerf iing¡¹

    ¡¸what did riot think releasing such an op champion¡­. you see how he just rekt the enemy? MAD¡¹

    ¡¸sick¡­ SO SICK! Kappa¡¹

    ¡¸Tell the maid to get you some water!!!¡¹

    ¡¸YoYoYoYo, FENGBRO! WIN FENG! PLAY HIM IN ADCARRY! GO ADC ON THAT GRAVES!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I WANNA SEE ADC!!!!! SHOW US ADC GRAVES!¡¹

    ¡¸adcarry graves op as fuck tooooooo????¡¹

    Su Xue sighed loudly with false exasperation andined, ¡°Two days! I¡¯ve been back for two days and I¡¯m the maid again. AGAIN! You little shits keep demoting me to maid whenever Lin Feng is around! Can¡¯t you guys just, for once, support me? Maybe I wanna y too!¡±

    ¡¸know ye ce stupid maid!!!¡¹

    ¡¸I THINK LIL BRO¡±S GLASS IS EMPTY! WHERE HIS LEMON WATER!?!?!??!!?!¡¹

    ¡¸Y U NO ORDER HIM CHICKEN CUTLET YET!??!?!?!??!¡¹

    ¡¸the delivery guy must feel lonely¡­ she hasnt ordered from him in weeks...¡¹

    ?

    The next two games Lin Feng yed Graves in the ad-carry role. He pointed out to Su Xue what the strengths of the new Graves in the botne were and how to y around the reload time after every two auto attacks. He showed her how to retreat while also dealing damage with a Quickdraw dash and how to abuse the terrain to fire a quick End of the Line. Bit by bit, Su Xue took over the analysis from Lin Feng, pointing out which ys he was going to make before he even made them. She started smiling and leaned closer to the screen, excited. And by the end of the game, she was EveningSnowfall, the caster that many of the new viewers came to see.

    Lin Feng nced at Su Xue and grinned. ¡°Alright!¡± he said to the camera. ¡°That¡¯s three wins in a row now. I think it¡¯s about time I chill for a game.¡± He then turned his head to look at Su Xue and asked, ¡°Hey, how about you give it a go? Try the new Graves in bot!¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng, unsure, and asked, ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± Lin Feng replied. He grinned and added, ¡°I¡¯ll Support you! It¡¯ll be fun!¡±

    Su Xue nodded, faster and faster until she¡¯d convinced herself she wouldn¡¯t make aplete fool out of herself on Graves. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s do it!¡± she replied. She then turned to look at the camera and continued, ¡°You guys will get to see how good I really am as an ad-carry now that I don¡¯t have some random Support!¡±

    Lin Feng got up from the gaming chair and ran to his bedroom to grab hisptop. Su Xue watched him go and then spent the next couple of minutes chatting with her viewers, hyping them up for the game toe while Lin Feng set himself up next to her. And then they yed. Lin Feng yed the Support-style that Su Xue had grown sofortable with. He was always there when she needed him to and he always made the ys she didn¡¯t even know she wanted him to make. Thest of her nerves slipped away and by the tenth minute of the game, she sat on the edge of her gaming chair furiously clicking on her mouse and shouting orders.

    ¡°WardWardWard! WARD!¡±

    ¡°Aaaaah! They¡¯re diving me! SAVE ME! SAVE ME!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill steal! Give me, GIMME! NICE!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Too easy! We¡¯re so good together!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah! Just like that! I like it just like that!¡±

    ¡°Sweet! Awesome! Perfect! VICTORY!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue ended the stream at 4 A.M. When the camera was off, she leaned back in her gaming chair and yawned and stretched and closed her eyes for a bit. She could hear Lin Feng unplugging hisptop cables and gathering his things. Guess he¡¯s going to forget to brush his teeth again, and¡­ She asked with a sigh, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng?¡± She turned her head and opened her eyes to look at him, then continued, ¡°No sleeping until you¡¯ve brushed your teeth, washed your face and¡­ And I think that¡¯s it. Oh! And put on your pyjamas!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh! Uh-huh!¡± Lin Feng replied, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll do it right after putting myptop¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± Su Xue interrupted. She stood up, grabbed him by the arm and continued, ¡°You¡¯re just going to fall asleep when you see your bed. Put yourptop down. Come. We¡¯re going to brush our teeth first.¡± She then pulled Lin Feng down the hallway to the bathroom andined, ¡°You¡¯d be a slobbering mess without me, you know that right? You would be locked out of the house, forget to shower, smell like shit and sleep on the street in the rain¡­ So you would shower, I guess...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°So what if I sometimes forget to brush my teeth? It happens! It¡¯s like 4 A.M. and I¡¯m tired! When I see my bed, it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s just so easy toy down for a few minutes. And then I open my eyes and it¡¯s suddenly the next day!¡±

    Su Xue smiled and pushed the door to the bathroom open. She waited for Lin Feng to enter and then followed behind him. ¡°Oh, that has me thinking,¡± she said. ¡°Before you left for Guangzhou, you always finished the night on the Korean server¡­ How¡¯s that going? You still ying on there?¡±

    Lin Feng rinsed his toothbrush and put some toothpaste on it. He then nced at Su Xue and asked, ¡°What? Sorry, wasn¡¯t listening¡­¡±

    ¡°The Korean server. Are you still ying on there?¡± Su Xue asked for a second time.

    ¡°Oh! Yeah! Yeah, it¡¯s going,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Su Xue scrunched her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Wait... Like, really? I thought you were too busy with the exams and everything. Where did you find the time to y on the Korean server? When!? Why didn¡¯t you tell me!? We could¡¯ve streamed a couple of those games! How far are you already? Are you still climbing?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and said with his mouth full of toothpaste, ¡°Hmm! Doin¡¯ good. Rank 34.¡±

    ¡°34? Thirty. Four!? Really!?¡± Su Xue eximed, shocked. Her eyes grew wide and she continued, ¡°That¡¯s almost top 30! You¡¯re already almost in the top 30? That¡¯s so fast!¡±

    Lin Feng rinsed his mouth, gurgling, and spat the toothpaste out before turning to Su Xue and saying, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay I guess. I would¡¯ve liked to be a bit further. There isn¡¯t much time left and this is basically the hard part where I¡¯ve got to y really well.¡± He briefly paused before adding, ¡°But I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for a response from Su Xue and left the bathroom, heading for his bedroom. Heading for bed.

    ?

    Golden rays of sun shone through Lin Feng¡¯s bedroom window and the smell of food came in from the door. Lin Feng opened his eyes and stretched out long. He nced at his rm clock and saw that it was already well past noon. He grinned and mumbled, ¡°No more exams. I can finally sleep in. This is the life!¡± He pushed the nkets off and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He then got dressed and walked into the dining room, where Su Xue was already waiting for him with a fully prepared lunch.

    Su Xue looked up from her magazine at Lin Feng and smiled. She said, ¡°Morning, sleepyhead. Here, have some lunch.¡± She watched him dig in and only then sit down and giggled. When he refilled his te for a third time, she asked, ¡°So what¡¯s on the schedule today? Are you meeting up with Tang Tang and BunBun?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re flying to Beijing tomorrow already for the next round and Zeng Rui wants us to get as much training in before then as possible. So we¡¯re going to get some games in and train.¡± What Lin Feng didn¡¯t tell Su Xue was that he was also going out to dinner tonight. With an old friend.

 Chapter 379: Lin Fengâ€™s Going on a Date!

    Su Xue stretched out in her chair and yawned loudly. She could hear Lin Feng running around the apartment looking for his things and getting ready. And just when it looked like he had everything, he double checked his bag and thought of something he¡¯d forgotten. Another round of running followed, until he stood with his bag in front of her and said, ¡°I¡¯m out! See ya!¡±

    ¡°Face mask?¡± Su Xue asked.

    Lin Feng halted. He bit on his lips and tapped his chin, then pped himself in the face and put his bag down again. ¡°Woops!¡± he said before running to his bedroom again and getting his facemask. When he got back, he looked at Su Xue and said, ¡°I¡¯m out! See ya for real this time!¡±

    ¡°Keys?¡± Su Xue asked.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes grew round and wide. ¡°Uhhh,¡± he stammered, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Guess I can¡¯t forget those¡­ heh, heh.¡± He felt around in his pockets, then ran back to his bedroom and threw it upside down in search of his keys.

    ¡°Lin Feng?¡± Su Xue loudly said through the apartment. She waited for his head to pop around the door, then pointed at the fruit bowl on the table and said, ¡°I think you threw them in there a while back.¡±

    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s where I left them! Ipletely forgot!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grabbed his keys and before turning to look at Su Xue. He grinned and said, ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m out for reals this time! See ya!¡± And then he sprinted for the front door.

    Su Xue smiled and replied, ¡°Have fun. See you tonight¡ª¡± She could hear the front door m shut. Guess he¡¯s gone. Heh! She looked at the dishes on the table before turning towards her bedroom. Nap a bit more and then clean, or clean and then nap? I¡¯ma hate myself when I have to clean after waking up. But I¡¯m so tired¡­ Why do I always have to go so over the top with food? I spent 3 hours this morning cooking for the kid and he was done in 3 minutes! She chuckled and gathered the bowls and chopsticks. Love to see how excited he gets though. Clean and then nap and then another long night of streaming! Yush!

    ?

    Team Shanghai had to prepare for the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. That meant that during practice there was no goofing around with the new Graves. Everyone yed in their normal roles on the Champions they needed to practice for the different strategies and teamps An Xin and Zeng Rui hade up with. And after every game, the two of them would sit the rest down and go over every aspect of the game, both big and small, and point out what went well and what they still had to work on. It was a long day of hard work.

    The sun was gone by the time Team Shanghai finished. They¡¯d yed a total of 9 games, each followed by lengthy discussions about what worked and what didn¡¯t work. Lin Feng listened for a good while, even contributed a bit here and there, but eventually he felt they were overthinking things. He believed that intuition and trust weren¡¯t something you could n; they were skills that had to be honed through practice. So when Zeng Rui went on another tangent about how Tang Bingyao could trust him following one of three set paths when he pinged on the right side of the bottomne, he put his hand up and asked, ¡°Do you know who we¡¯re ying against yet, ZengZeng?¡±

    ¡°Uh, what? I¡­ What?¡± Zeng Rui said, his train of thoughts copsing.

    ¡°The Winter Collegiate Cup,¡± Lin Feng said. ¡°Who are we ying next?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng and narrowed his eyes. He said, ¡°I was just exining to Tang Tang¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t n for everything! Just trust her! She¡¯s got this!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He then turned to look at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Right?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded slowly and replied, ¡°Mhm¡­ I think. Yeah.¡±

    Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath and massaged his temples. We need to be ready and, and¡­ He turned to look at An Xin, who was smiling that knowing smile at him. I went on for too long, didn¡¯t I? He nced at the clock on hisputer and saw that it was already well past 6 P.M. Oh. Time really did fly. Maybe we should break¡­ He took another deep breath and then said, ¡°The next round is the quarterfinals. Eight teams are remaining. There is us. And then there¡¯s Team Beijing, the Beijing University of Science and Technology, Shenyang University of Engineering, Fudan University and Zhejiang University. They made up the top 4 in thest Collegiate Cup. The other two teams are Wuhan University and China University of Political Science and Law.

    ¡°Now the teams we really need to watch out for¡­ First of all there is Team Beijing. We saw them y in Guangzhou and they were really strong. That Yu Ping who got the quadra on the Riven¡ª No, Lin Feng, I don¡¯t care if you got a penta. He got a quadra and his team is strong. We¡¯re going to take them seriously. Anyway, where was I? Right! We also need to watch out for U-Tech Beijing and Shenyang University. The others aren¡¯t weak teams either, but these three are looking to be our biggestpetition,¡± Zeng Rui concluded.

    Tang Bingyao nodded and asked, ¡°How strong do you think they are? Like A-? If I y well¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head and replied, ¡°No. I¡¯m expecting them to have hit grade A. That means that their ad-carries are going to be really good, as will their Toners and every other yer on their teams.¡± He briefly paused and looked at his four teammates before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult, guys. We can¡¯t getcent. We need to train as long and as hard as we can and hope that that is enough to get the advantage over these guys.¡±

    ¡°Zeng Rui is right,¡± An Xin said. She smiled and continued, ¡°We really need to work hard to be ready for the next round. But we¡¯ve already yed a lot today. How about a break for dinner? We can order some takeout and just chill a bit, then practice some more when we¡¯re done eating.¡±

    ¡°Chicken cutlet! Ain¡¯t I right, Lin Feng!?¡± Zhang Hao suggested,ughing.

    Lin Feng grinned, but then scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°Uh, yeah¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve already got ns tonight. And¡­ well, since its getting kindate, I really need to start heading over there!¡±

    An Xin raised her eyebrows and looked at Lin Feng, who was throwing his things into his bag, hurried. He always looks excited when there¡¯s food on the menu and now he¡¯s refusing food and still looks excited! He¡¯s going to get food. But with whom? And where? Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll figure it outter. She sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s okay. The rest of us can still eat together and then practice some more.¡±

    ?

    Shi Hang had spent every minute of every hour he wasn¡¯t practicing with his new team spamming Lin Feng¡¯s phone, asking Lin Feng to please go out to dinner with him. That was how Lin Feng experienced it, anyway. But Lin Feng had good reasons to turn Shi Hang down. ¡°I can¡¯t! I¡¯ve got exams and I can¡¯t screw them up!¡± ¡°BunBun will get really mad with me if I don¡¯t study with her and Tang Tang!¡± ¡°They¡¯re forcing me to sit in between them and then they both grab my arms!¡± ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m in shackles here!¡±

    When the exams for High School 13 had ended, Lin Feng no longer had any excuse to refuse. But he also really didn¡¯t want to have dinner with Shi Hang alone. He just couldn¡¯t understand the appeal of two people eating together. No matter how he looked at it, it always looked boring. A man and a woman, or two men or two women¡­ Thebination didn¡¯t matter; all that mattered was that when he saw them sitting together at their table, staring deep into each other¡¯s eyes, they always looked so bored! He wasn¡¯t going to let that happen between him and Shi Hang, so he invited Tian Tian toe as well.

    Tian Tian was more than happy to tag along, mostly for the food but also to see two of his old friends again. He was already waiting at the restaurant with Shi Hang when Lin Feng appeared around the corner. A smile blossomed on his face. His heart skipped a beat. ¡°LIN FENG!¡± he hollered, waving.

    ¡°FATTY!¡± Lin Feng shouted back.

    The two old friends, best friends, ran at each other. Fatty¡¯syers of fat jiggled up and down with every step until he embraced Lin Feng in a big bearhug. He said through heavy breaths, ¡°LIN FENG! I¡­ I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!¡±

    ¡°Missed you too, bud!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He¡¯d chatted a bit with Tian Tian over thest couple of weeks. But due to his exams and Tian Tian¡¯s busy schedule, it wasn¡¯t much more than a ¡°Hi¡± here and a ¡°How are you¡± there.

    Shi Hang chuckled and said, ¡°Now kiss!¡±

    ¡°No way! We ain¡¯t gay!¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. He let go of Tian Tian and looked past him at Shi Hang. He asked, ¡°I heard you¡¯re back on Team Rapids. What¡¯s it like to y for your old team again? Happy to see all your friends from back then again?¡±

    Shi Hang raised his shoulders and replied, ¡°Not really seeing much of them, to be honest. Most of them quit. There¡¯s only like two guys left in upper management, but I never really knew them. My team is all new.¡±

    ¡°So you get to make new friends!¡± Lin Feng cheered.

    Tian Tian nodded and added, ¡°Lin Feng is right! Y-you need to make friends. Knowing each other well and trusting each other is what really makes a team!¡±

    Shi Hang rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. That¡¯s enough out of you two. I invited you guys to talk about the good old times, not to nag me about my new teammates!¡±

    The trio walked into the restaurant and started by ordering dessert. Tian Tian argued that it was healthy to start a meal with icecream and Lin Feng was more than happy to follow with that belief. They spent the next couple of minutes chatting about the old times, but then the topic shifted to current events. The new LPL season had started together with the release of the Season 6 patch. Shi Hang and Tian Tian had even yed their first match against each other and they would go at each other again a couple of dayster.

    Tian Tian poked the icecream with his chopsticks and said, ¡°Team Rapids is a lot stronger this season. T-they¡¯re not at KG¡¯s level yet, but they¡¯re good. Once Shi Hang gets settled in, I-I can see them making it all the way to the top 4! Think of that! B-both of us at Worlds this year!¡±

    Shi Hang waved his hand and replied, ¡°It¡¯s still far too early to tell! I¡¯m just trying to fit in with the team right now. We¡¯ll have to see how that pans out before we start thinking about qualifying for Worlds.¡± He briefly paused, his lips curling up and his eyes starting to shine, and then added, ¡°But I¡¯ll try and be the best Miner in China again! And qualifying for Worlds would be really cool!¡±

    Lin Feng snorted and said, ¡°Until I get back. Then you¡¯re back to second best!¡±

    ¡°You worry about getting back first!¡± Shi Hang replied,ughing and winking at Lin Feng.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tian Tian chimed in. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°When are youing back? I¡¯m still waiting. I guess you first have to win your tournament, right? How far are you now? Quarterfinals yet? Or still Round of 16?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Quarterfinals! We did really well in the Round of 16 and stomped Team Guangzhou! You should¡¯ve it! I got two pentas! Now we¡¯re just a few matches away from winning the tournament!¡±

    Shi Hang clicked his tongue and said, ¡°What are you bragging about? You¡¯re the one, the only, you¡¯re mister legendary himself! What? You wanna tell me Maple is proud of winning some damn uni tournament? Come on, dude, you¡¯re better than that. I¡¯d worry more about not winning. I mean, you¡¯re Maple. If you lose, just think about the stain on my legacy! Me losing to some random nobody in a uni tournament!¡±

    Tian Tian snorted inughter, the beer in his mouth fighting its way up his nose and out. He yelped in pain and grabbed his nose, then startedughing again. Tears appeared in his eyes as he pointed at Lin Feng and then at Shi Hang. He said, ¡°S-stain on Shi Hang¡¯s legacy! Lin Feng poops on Shi Ha¡ª Haha!¡±

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but then started grinning again. He rubbed his chin, acting like he was thinking long and hard, and finally said, ¡°I think we might have some trouble, yeah. It¡¯s like¡­ We don¡¯t have the most bnced team and Team Beijing does. Tang Tang in bot is still getting better and better, but she isn¡¯t up there yet, you know? And then we¡¯ve got our Toner, HaoBro. He¡¯s a great dude but he¡¯s just not the most talented yer ever. I think he¡¯s going to have a really hard time against Team Beijing¡¯s Toner. And then it¡¯s going toe down to me to pick up the ck in bot and top while I also have to win mid¡ª Wait.¡± He turned his head to look at Tian Tian and asked, ¡°Are you busyter tonight?¡±

 Chapter 380: Go-God-Goo-Goddd-Goâ€”

    Lin Feng, Shi Hang, and Tian Tian got to the NetCow Cafe. Lin Feng led them inside and to the private room reserved by Team Shanghai. He banged on the door a couple of times before opening it and barging in, ¡°Hey guys! Look who I brought back here!¡±

    Lin Feng walked in first as the rest of Team Shanghai stopped what they were doing and looked at the door. Shi Hang followed Lin Feng in. The team looked mildly surprised, but they already knew Shi Hang from the East China Regionals. Shi Hang casually waved at them in greeting and then moved further into the room. Then Tian Tian squeezed into the room and looked at the rest of Team Shanghai nervously. He put up his hand, a bit awkward, and said, ¡°H-hey.¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes grew round and wide. He stared at Tian Tian and stammered, ¡°Go-God-Goo-Goddd-Go¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey Fatty,¡± An Xin said, smiling. She got up from her chair and threw her arms around him, pulling him close for a hug. She continued, ¡°Long time no see. How¡¯ve you been?¡±

    ¡°B-bunBun!¡± Fatty replied as An Xin hugged him. The pressure and reassurance of the hug released some of the tension in his body and a little of his anxiety. ¡°It has been forever since west saw each other! I¡¯m good! H-how are you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s good too!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He then looked at the others in the room. At Zhang Hao still stammering in shock, at Zeng Rui slowly shaking his head and mumbling something iprehensible and at Tang Bingyao who was looking back at him with her head slightly tilted. He grinned and said, ¡°Guys, meet Fatty! He was my Toner way back in Season 1! We yed at Worlds together! Oh! We watched him y at Worlds with KG a couple of months ago! He looks just the same in real life as he does on camera, don¡¯t you think!?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked up at Lin Feng and scrunched his eyebrows. Fatty? Did he just call God Roundy¡­ Of course he did. Thundering dumbass. He shook his head and chuckled at the strangeness of it all before turning to look at Tian Tian and saying, ¡°It¡¯s an honour to meet you, Tian Tian. I still remember that Hecarim five man ult you pulled off at Worlds. That was¡­ That was immense.¡±

    ¡°T-thanks!¡± Tian Tian replied, smiling meekly. ¡°Oh, but you can call me Fatty. You¡¯re Lin Feng¡¯s friend and Lin Feng¡¯s friend is my friend!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded in understanding and said, ¡°Hi Fatty! It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±

    Zhang Hao heard a ringing in his ears, deaf to the conversation going on around him. He stared at Tian Tian, his throat dry and his heart mming into his ribcage. T-t-that¡¯s God Roundy! GOD ROUNDY! GOD ROUNDY IS IN THIS ROOM! HE SAID HI TO ME! I¡¯M IN THE SAME ROOM AS GOD ROUNDY!

    An Xin looked over her shoulder at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°Hey, Zhang Hao, you still with us? I think Fatty might be here to help you out a bit.¡± She turned her head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Lin Feng replied. He put a hand on Tian Tian¡¯s shoulder and exined, ¡°So listen¡­ Fatty over here doesn¡¯t have to practice with his team tonight. Which gave me a brilliant idea! I brought him over here so he could coach HanBro for a bit. Throw out some tips and pearls of wisdom. With a little bit of training from Fatty, HanBro¡¯s going to get so much stronger! Our team is going to level up, and it¡¯s going to be easy when we¡¯re up against Team Beijing!¡±

    Zhang Hao pointed at himself and stammered, ¡°M-m-me? He came here¡­ to help me? God Roundy is here... for me?¡±

    Tian Tian nodded and said, ¡°Y-yeah. I heard you could use some help.¡±

    Zhang Hao started smiling, brighter and brighter. He asked again, ¡°Me?¡± And when Tian Tian nodded again, he startedughing. He got up from his gaming chair, ignoring his trembling legs as he walked up to Tian Tian and shook his hand. He continued, ¡°Thanks¡­ Thank you! Thank you! I¡¯d love that! I can¡¯t even believe this is happening! I¡¯m getting a personal coaching session from God Roundy! Oh my god! You¡¯re God Roundy! God Roundy! You don¡¯t know this but I¡¯ve watched all your videos! You¡¯re the reason I started ying topne! The way you y it¡¯s just¡­ Oh my god! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re really here! To help me!¡±

    Shi Hang nudged Lin Feng, winked and said, ¡°Think you might have somepetition there.¡± Before Lin Feng could argue with him about that, he added, ¡°Anyway, what about me? Fatty¡¯s here for HaoBro, who am I here for?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you?¡± Lin Feng asked, rubbing his chin in careful consideration. He then grinned and said, ¡°You can¡¯t really help me, but¡­ What about bot? You used to ad-carry! Help Tang Tang and ZengZeng out while they y in botne! They can learn a ton from you!¡±

    Shi Hang clicked his tongue andined, ¡°Man, I¡¯m a mid main now. Didn¡¯t you hear that I quit ying ad-carry ages ago?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I remember,¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. ¡°I¡¯d never forget the games that made that happen!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Shi Hang eximed. ¡°Rude!¡± He then chuckled and added, ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t be much help teaching you how to y mid. I¡¯ll see if I can help Tang Tang and the Support out in bot.¡±

    ¡°Zeng Rui,¡± Zeng Rui introduced himself, sticking out his hand. ¡°Thanks for helping us.¡±

    ?

    The private room at the NetCow Cafe had fiveputers ced against the wall. Team Shanghai took ce behind theirputers, just like they would in a tournament game. Zhang Hao sat to the far right, next to him sat An Xin, then Lin Feng and finally Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui. Tian Tian got a chair and sat down behind Zhang Hao, while Shi Hang pulled up a chair between Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui. When everyone was in position, Lin Feng pumped his fist into the air and shouted, ¡°IT¡¯S TIME TO D-D-D-DUEL!¡±

    Team Shanghai got into their first game. Lin Feng and An Xin yed their usual game, strong and confident. Then there were Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui. Shi Hang was pointing things out to them, giving tips and sharing everything he knew about the botne. It gave them a massive boost of self confidence while also increasing both their personal skill levels and their botne synergy. And finally there was Zhang Hao. He was a nervous wreck. His body was tense and his gamey was disastrous.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, God Roundy!¡± Zhang Hao apologised. He shook his head and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I¡¯m not usually this bad! Well, I¡¯m not good either. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m good like you are! I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m usually not this bad! I can y decently! I even got to Master on the Ionia server! But it¡¯s really hard and, and¡­¡± His breathing turned into hyperventting and his vision started spinning.

    Tian Tian looked at Zhang Hao and noticed how stressed he was. The nerves were eating away at HanBro. Tian Tian knew exactly how it felt. Because he had to fight through that same gnawing anxiety all the time. He then nced at Lin Feng and felt a calmness wash over him when he breathed out. I was freaking out at Worlds, and then Lin Feng called. He told me everything would be alright, and it really was! Just hearing his voice¡­ Hearing someone say they believe in me¡­ He breathed in and said on the exhale, ¡°I-it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re more like me than you think. I also stress a lot. L-Lin Feng knows. Back at Worlds, I almost missed a game because I was stressing so much. Just try and calm down¡­¡± He nced at Lin Feng before adding, ¡°A-and I believe in you, HanBro!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s hands stopped moving. He turned his head around and looked at Tian Tian, searching for something and finding it in a nod from Tian Tian. I never thought pros get nervous¡­ They always y so well! But if even he gets nervous¡­ He said he almost missed a game! His vision stopped spinning and he got a hold of his breathing again, though they still came in short and fast bursts. He finally said, ¡°Thanks. I needed to hear that.¡±

    The game was almost over by the time Zhang Hao found his confidence. But he carried that newfound confidence over into the next game. He started ying at the level he knew he could y at, and then began improving, putting to practice every bit of information Tian Tian gave him. And by the time Team Shanghai got into their third game, he even started asking Tian Tian questions, actively looking for the help he was being offered.

    ?

    The impromptu coaching session came to an end at 10 P.M. Tian Tian and Shi Hang both had early training sessions the next morning, so they wanted to sleep at reasonable hours. Zhang Hao thanked Tian Tian a thousand times over until Lin Feng closed the door to the private room behind him, leaving with the two active professional yers.

    Zhang Hao turned to look at his other teammates and said, ¡°Can you guys believe that? I just got coaching from God Roundy!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and added, ¡°Mhm! And we from AyDeeCee!¡±

    Outside the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng waved Tian Tian goodnight as he drove off in a cab. Shi Hang walked up from behind him, having just bought a new pack of cigarettes. He lit one up and said to Lin Feng, ¡°Man, you really know how to find them. That Tang Tang girl really is something. Her reflexes and mechanics are really good, even for LPL standards!¡±

    ¡°I know right!?¡± Lin Feng eximed, grinning. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it when I saw it the first time either!¡±

    Shi Hang nodded and said, ¡°At this speed, it won¡¯t be long til you make it to the LPL.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s forter. I¡¯ve got a couple of things I need to do first,¡± Lin Feng replied. He nced at Shi Hang and continued, ¡°I need to win the Collegiate Cup, cause I don¡¯t wanna poop on your legacy¡­ Heh! And then I also need to climb to the top of the Korean Challengerdder¡­ before the start of Season 6.¡±

    ¡°The top of the Korean Challengerdder? What?¡± Shi Hang blurted in surprise. ¡°By the start of Season 6? Hasn¡¯t Season 6 already more-or-less started? Thedder hasn¡¯t been reset yet, but the season rewards have been given out already. Why would you still care about your rank?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and exined, ¡°I don¡¯t really care about end of the season rewards. It¡¯s just that I promised One that I¡¯d climb to the top of the Korean Challengerdder. I want to keep that promise, but I¡¯ve only got like a week left and I also need to practice for the Win¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on, hold on, hold on!¡± Shi Hang interrupted. He grabbed Lin Feng by his shoulder and stared straight at him. He then asked, ¡°One? The One?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Lin Feng said, confused.

    ¡°You¡¯re climbing the Koreandder for One?¡± Shi Hang asked. He felt his heart rate going up and butterflies swimming around in his stomach. One! The most legendary yer ever! Shit, I wish I was so close to him¡­ The things I could learn from him. If I can be half the yer he was one day¡­ He shook his head, stunned.

    Lin Feng shrugged, wryly, and said, ¡°One gave me a Korean Challenger ount and told me to climb. He told me to get into the Top 5. I was going to show him I could make it to the Top 3! But I just don¡¯t have enough time! With my exams and the Winter Collegiate Cup¡­ It¡¯s just really hard to find time for everything!¡±

    Shi Hang breathed in long and deep. He then sighed loudly and said, ¡°Top 5? Jesus. That¡¯s a you and One kinda thing. Only you two can make those crazy things happen.¡± He briefly paused, shaking his head repeatedly, before asking, ¡°Where are you at now?¡±

    ¡°Not even in the Top 30¡­ Still a few ces off,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°It¡¯s those stupid exams! Without the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Top 30?¡± Shi Hang interrupted, gasping. He jabbed his forehead with his finger and said, ¡°You¡¯re nuts. Both of you are! Top 30 is insane enough already and you¡¯re still not satisfied! You two are both monsters! Still¡­ You¡¯re right. It¡¯s going to be really hard to hit the Top 5 before thedder resets. You basically need to stomp OGN pros every game.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, prowling, and replied, ¡°Yeah. That.¡±

    Shi Hang noticed the drop in Lin Feng¡¯s demeanor, from his usual smile disappearing from his face to his shoulders slumping by his side. He hurriedly said, ¡°But I¡¯m sure you can do it! One wouldn¡¯t give you an impossible task. I¡¯m sure he believes in you, and if anyone can do it, it¡¯s definitely you.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and replied, ¡°I know!¡± His shoulders rose up again and his usual grin appeared back on his face. He pumped his fist in the air and proimed, ¡°I¡¯ma win the Collegiate Cup and get to the Top 5 on the Korean Ladder! Just watch me!¡± He then scrunched his eyebrows and asked, ¡°I watched a bit from the LPL the other day, with Team Rapids ying¡­ Why weren¡¯t you ying?¡±

    Shi Hang shrugged and exined, ¡°I¡¯m still new to the team. We¡¯re still working on meshing me in with the others. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get my shot and I¡¯ll make sure I won¡¯t need a second shot. I¡¯ll im the starting position in no time. Actually, with a bit of luck, I might already get to y in our next game against KG.¡±

    Lin Fengughed and replied, ¡°I¡¯d love to see that!¡±

    ¡°I bet,¡± Shi Hang said. ¡°You better be cheering for me though. I¡¯ll make sure to put on a show!¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai met up with Chu Fang the next day at Pudong Airport. They got a flight to Beijing at 9 A.M. and safelynded two hourster. Lin Feng pulled a brand new list of restaurants from his pocket and showed it to everyone, exining which restaurants they had to check out and which one he wanted to start with right away. They went there for an early lunch, much to Lin Feng¡¯s delight. After which they walked to the hotel, where they checked in and retreated to their rooms.

    ¡°Be back here at 5 P.M.¡± Chu Fang reminded everyone as he saw the doors to the different rooms close. He then shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Kids these days really should work on a healthier sleeping schedule. Talking about¡­¡± He turned his head around and looked into the room he was sharing with Lin Feng. Lin Feng was sitting behind a desk with hisptop open. Chu Fang squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°Are you in Champion Select already? When¡­ Why¡­ Are you not tired?¡±

    ¡°No time,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Chu Fang walked over and looked at the screen. He asked, ¡°ying on the Korean server again?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and exined, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m so close but there¡¯s no time left! I need to y every second that I can!¡±

    Chu Fang shook his head and said, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it¡­ Top 5 Korean Challenger. Only One would ask something so absurd. Anyway, what rank are you at now?¡±

    ¡°34,¡± Lin Feng replied.

    ¡°34?¡± Chu Fang muttered, shocked. His eyes grew round and wind and he covered his mouth with his hands. What the hell! He was like Top 100 back in Guangzhou! How did he get so high up!? He had exams! How did he even find the time to y at all! Shit¡­ Shit! He might actually do it! He might actually reach the Top 5! He¡¯d be the first Chinese yer to ever do that. He¡¯d be right up there with Rake¡­ Oh my god, I can already imagine the waves that¡¯s gonna cause! Every team is going to try and figure out who he is, and when they do¡­ He chuckled. Everyone will know, soon enough.

 Chapter 381: Food, League, Friends. In that Order

    Chu Fang shook his head and said, ¡°Fuck me.¡±

    Lin Feng looked up from hisptop and asked, ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°This game. The one you¡¯re ying,¡± Chu Fang exined, nodding at theptop. ¡°You¡¯re carrying hard in Korean Challenger and then you get matched with¡­ whatever that ad-carry is.¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and replied, ¡°Can¡¯t win them all. Two wins and a loss isn¡¯t half bad. Just a shame that I¡¯ll lose so much LP from one loss. That¡¯s going to take another game to make up for¡­¡±

    Chu Fang watched Lin Feng. How he sat up straight in his chair, his shoulders engaged and his hands moving smoothly. How he licked his lip a bit early in thening phase and how he scrunched his eyebrows when thisst game moved to the teamfight stage. How his breathing remained calm and even, even when his teammates screwed up and lost him the game. This is the staple of Maple. He¡¯s all fun and games until it gets serious. The first two games he was stillughing, but thisst one¡­ This was Maple, even if he did lose. He can do it. He¡¯ll make the top 5! And when he does¡­ Life¡¯s gonna be good! He grinned and nced at his watch. His eyes then grew wide. ¡°Shit!¡± he eximed. ¡°Lin Feng, end the game. It¡¯s over anyway. We need to go! It¡¯s almost 5!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Feng replied, looking up at Chu Fang again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call BunBun and the others,¡± Chu Fang said, pulling out his phone and stabbing his finger at the touchscreen. He nced at Lin Feng and added, ¡°Just surrender and put yourptop away. We¡¯re leaving in 30 seconds!¡±

    ?

    The Beijing Esports Association had made an attempt to replicate the grand scene from Guangzhou. But they didn¡¯t have the location. The Chaoyang Sports Centre that they eventually went with was simr in size to the Tianhe Stadium, but itcked in capacity and aesthetics. But to the yers from Team Shanghai, it was still a stunning sight. The soundproof booths in which they were going to y were of the highest quality, with top of the lineputers and gaming chairs.

    ¡°So cool!¡± Zhang Hao eximed.

    ¡°I know right!?¡± Lin Feng chimed in. He looked around and continued, ¡°Look at all those people running around just so we can y our game! They¡¯re all working for us basically!¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and narrowed her eyes, her lips curving up. She asked, ¡°Working for us? Are you going to ask them to bring you foo¡ª¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± An Xin said. She then turned her head to look at Chu Fang and asked, ¡°Everyone here is working for the Beijing Esports Association?¡±

    Chu Fang nodded and exined, ¡°Correct. The Collegiate Cup, like the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, is a tournament organized by the Chinese Esports Association. The Guangzhou branch took care of the phase in Guangzhou and Beijing is now in charge for the final stage of the tournament here. And we were responsible for the East China Regionals. It¡¯s always like this.¡±

    ¡°OhOhOh!¡± Zhang Hao interjected, putting his hand up. He waited for everyone to look at him and then continued, ¡°I heard¡ª read that the Beijing Esports Association is also giving the trophee! Their boss is, I mean! He¡¯s like the biggest big shot in the Chinese Esports Association people are saying on the interwebs! He¡¯s going toe and give us the trophy when we win!¡±

    Lin Feng stopped, his feet locked to the ground and his eyes growing round and wide. Tang Bingyao bumped into him from behind, but he didn¡¯t notice it. He slowly turned his head to look at Zhang Hao and opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, when Tang Bingyao groaned and asked, ¡°Why did you stop?¡±

    ¡°Eh, oh¡­¡± Lin Feng scratched the back of his head,ughing awkwardly. He looked around at his teammates and pursed his lips together. I¡¯ll just not say it! That¡¯s the easier way! BunBun also likes to keep secrets, and if she does, I should too! He grinned in his usual cheerful way and said, ¡°My leg felt a little numb, so I tried to shake it out by standing still! Sorry! Big woops!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Tang Bingyao mumbled, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He¡¯s only ever like this when¡­ She chewed on her lips and tilted her head. He isn¡¯t hiding something again, is he? Mnh-mnh! He wouldn¡¯t! ...Would he? She narrowed her eyes and searched Lin Feng¡¯s demeanor for an exnation, but the moment was gone. He was his normal self again. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on this¡­ Mhm!

    Chu Fang sighed loudly and lectured, ¡°Dammit, Lin Feng! I told you to take a nap! But you sat in that ufortable chair all afternoon ying League! It¡¯s no surprise your leg is numb! Is your back hurting too? Do we need to hire a chiropractor to crack your back?¡±

    ¡°N-no-No-Nooo,¡± Lin Feng replied, shaking his head. ¡°No cracking my back! I still need to y League!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll go to bed early and sleep it off then?¡± Chu Fang continued.

    Lin Feng nodded confidently and patted his chest. He replied, ¡°Scout¡¯s honour!¡±

    An Xin watched it all y out quietly from the sidelines. She shook her head and mumbled almost imperceptibly, ¡°Idiot.¡± She then took a long, deep breath. They don¡¯t know what¡¯s bothering you. But I¡¯m not them. You¡¯re not hiding it from me, Lin Feng. I know how you feel. How you really feel.

    ?

    The Beijing Esports Association hadn¡¯t prepared the draw for the quarterfinals yet. So after registering, Team Shanghai left the venue and wandered through the streets of Beijing. They eventually stopped in front of what looked like a back alley. Lin Feng pointed inside and told them there was a really good restaurant just hiding around the corner. He got a couple of worried looks, but everyone followed him. What they found was a patio with a half dozen tables and some of the best food they¡¯d eaten to date.

    With full stomachs, Team Shanghai left the small restaurant and went in search of an inte cafe to practice. Zhang Hao asked if they were going to scrim against Zhejiang University again, but Zeng Rui exined that since the odds were high they had to y Zhejiang University, it was better not to practice against them. An Xin chimed in that they had to keep a couple of aces up their sleeves.

    Team Shanghai found an inte cafe with a free private room and started their practice. They logged into their League ounts and then turned to An Xin, waiting for her speech. She gave a couple of ideas she wanted to try out, followed by some personal tips. They then started their first game of the night, during which Zeng Rui took the reins and told the team how he wanted them to y. A second game followed soon after. And it was during this second game that Chu Fang received the message they¡¯d all been waiting for.

    Chu Fang showed his phone to the others and said, ¡°Look! We know who we gotta y against!¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Lin Feng asked, turning his head away from the game he was ying. He continued, ¡°That was quick! Who are we ying? WhoWhoWho?¡±

    ¡°Not the worst draw¡­¡± Chu Fang mumbled. He took a deep breath and then said, ¡°Our opponents are the runners-up from the previous edition¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shenyang University,¡± Zeng Rui interrupted.

    Chu Fang nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, really. They¡¯re strong no doubt, but at the same time they¡¯re no Team Beijing or U-Tech Beijing. This is pretty much the best average scenario for us.¡±

    ¡°What are you guys bitching about?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused. He looked at the pensive expressions of Chu Fang and Zeng Rui and then said, ¡°Who cares about some second rate team? We¡¯re ying for the championship title. If we start worrying about this shitty team, then why are we even here!? I say we stop worrying and start stomping!¡±

    An Xin giggled behind her hand and said a momentter, ¡°Lin Feng is right, you know? We stomped Team Guangzhou and Shenyang University is only a bit worse than them. So we should just stomp them too!¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to stomp them,¡± Zeng Rui said. He took a deep, long breath and massaged his temples before adding, ¡°But we need to practice and be prepared to stomp them. Just saying it won¡¯t make it happen. So how about we stop chatting and start focusing on the game we¡¯re ying right now!? They¡¯re in our base because we¡¯ve been sitting in the fountain!¡±

    ?

    It was the 28th day of the year. A Thursday. Su Xue woke up to her rm buzzing. She opened her eyes, drowsy and looked at the time. 8 A.M. Why did I¡­ Why am I getting up at 8? Oh! Right! SHIT! She jumped from her bed and ran to the bathroom, rambling, ¡°Brush my teeth under shower. A bit of soap. Some quick makeup. Nothing fancy. Quick bite to eat. Just a sandwich. ShitShitShit! Where¡¯s my phone? Did the game start yet? Did it start. Shower first. First a shower, Su Xue.¡±

    Su Xue had her toothbrush in her mouth and the shower was heating up. She threw her pyjamas on the floor and took one step into the shower cabine when she paused. Do I¡­? Yeah I do. She got out again and hurried through the apartment to get her phone. On the way back to the bathroom, she searched for a stream of the Winter Collegiate Cup and finally confirmed Lin Feng wasn¡¯t ying yet. U-Tech Beijing was ying against Wuhan University, and they were 2-1 up.

    Soap and toothpaste washed down the drain as Su Xue jumped out of the shower cabine. She grabbed a towel and, still wet, ran through the apartment to her bedroom to search for her clothes. Loud cheers sounded behind her and she knew U-Tech Beijing had just won their series. Lin Feng was up next. She still had to have breakfast, get dressed, open her stream¡­ ¡°Shit! I¡¯m never going to make it!¡± sheined. She then chewed on her lips, hesitating briefly, before running back to the bathroom to grab her phone and order some chicken cutlet. Lin Feng lives on this stuff, so it can¡¯t be too bad, right?

    Su Xue finally sat down behind herputer, dressed and with a chicken cutlet, steam twisting and twirling up. She turned her stream on and announced on her various social media she was live. Viewers started streaming in, from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands. When there were more than 40,000 with her, she clenched her fists and shouted, ¡°GO LIN FENG! TO THE FINALS! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¸AYYYYY LIL BRO FOR THE CARRY!¡¹

    ¡¸SHOW US THE WIN FENG LIN FENG!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸sooooo excited! I never get up before noon, but TODAY I DID!!!!¡¹

    ¡¸this gonna be liiiiiiiit!!¡¹

    ¡¸POGGERS¡¹

    ¡¸gunna be a 3-0 stomp. Who wanna bet me? I do $10k on WIIIIIIIN FENG AND THE GANG!!!¡¹

    ¡°Shut up, shut up! It¡¯s starting!¡± Su Xue said to the camera.

 Chapter 382: Weâ€™re not Arrogant, Weâ€™re Just Superior!

    The two shoutcasters for the Team Shanghai versus Shenyang University match sat on a raised tform next to the stage. They had a great view into the soundproof booths of both teams, but they were really only staring at Team Shanghai. More specifically, they were looking at Tang Bingyao and An Xin.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe it. Just can¡¯t,¡± said the male caster into his microphone. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the East China Regionals highlights. I¡¯ve watched the main event in Guangzhou. I know Team Shanghai has girls on their team. And I know they¡¯re a good team. But¡­ They¡¯ve got girls on their team, yo.¡±

    The female caster giggled and said, ¡°Maybe if I¡¯d tried a bit harder at bing better at League, I¡¯d be sitting there now!¡±

    ¡°Got that right, PufPuf,¡± the male caster replied,ughing. He then focused on therge LCD screen above the stage and continued, ¡°But let¡¯s focus on the game. Both teams banned some Champions¡­ Looks like Shenyang is trying to ban all of Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner¡¯s Champions¡­ Both teams picked pretty normal Champs¡­ Really nothing special.¡±

    PufPuf scratched her eyebrow and said, ¡°Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner ying a control mage is pretty off. We usually see him on an assassin. And then their Jungler got Lee again. She seems to really like her Lee. What do you think, TheBrawnster?¡±

    TheBrawnster snorted and replied, ¡°Half the time the opponent loves it when she picks Lee too.¡± He briefly paused, grinning as the audience responded to his quip with loudughter. Everyone has seen the highlights of her failures. It¡¯s a hit on Baidu! He then continued, ¡°I don¡¯t get it though. Why does she keep insisting on picking Lee? What¡¯s so special about him? What¡¯s he bringing that she can¡¯t get from another Champ, preferably one she¡¯s actually good at!?¡±

    ¡°Wish I knew. Wish I knew¡­¡± PufPuf replied with a sigh. ¡°But it¡¯s crazy they got this far while that Lee just keeps failing.¡±

    ¡°Well, worst case¡­¡± TheBrawnster started. He then paused, waiting for the response from the audience before adding, ¡°Worst case we get to see a really hot girl failing spectacrly at a Champion. That ain¡¯t too bad, am I right? I am, yeah!¡±

    A second wave ofughter rolled through the audience. Most of the people in the stadium were Beijing natives, and they were proud of that fact. It wasn¡¯t to the extent of arrogance, but they did feel a certain superiority over the rest of China. And when someone tried to challenge them on that, they would argue that Shanghai might be the so-called esports capital of the world and that Guangzhou might be massive in the esports world, but that the Chinese Esports Association still chose to locate its headquarters in Beijing. Because Beijing was the best. But Team Shanghai couldn¡¯t hear this argument, and so the audience couldn¡¯t exin this to them. That left them with only one other course of action and that was to make fun of Team Shanghai.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got two teams in the quarters! What do they have?¡±¡°Fudan, Zhejiang and them so that¡¯s¡­¡±¡°Fudan and Zhejiang don¡¯t count. They suck and will be out this round 100%!¡±¡°They¡¯re just like the other Shanghai teams, all just relying on luck! They ain¡¯t got no skill!¡±¡°Lel! How can ye be good with two grils on the team? SCRUUUUBS!¡±¡°Time to watch some tits jiggle!¡±¡°JIGGLE THEM TITS FOR US!¡±¡°We ain¡¯t gonna get a good game with two shitty teams, so give us some entertainment!¡±

    ?

    Collegiate Cup QuarterfinalsTeam Shanghai (Blue) vs. Shenyang University (Red)Top: Maokai vs. DariusJungle: Lee Sin vs. GragasMid: Orianna vs. ZiggsAd-Carry: Tristana vs. JinxSupport: Thresh vs. Janna

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The first game in this best of five series started. The casters were hyping everyone up and the audience was responding to them with loud cheers and screams. But the game didn¡¯t get off to a hot, fiery start. There were no big early invades or shy engagements. Both teams yed it safe. They ced defensive wards along the river to protect themselves from an invade and then waited behind the protection of their defensive structures.

    Minions spawned and marched down thenes. They shed against their counterparts halfway towards the opponent¡¯s base. And the Champions from Team Shanghai and Shenyang University walked up to get thest hits on the minions. There was a silence that felt oppressing. Like the calm before a storm. The audience stared at the minimap, waited for the Junglers to make their first move.

    That first move happened in the 4th minute of the game. Shenyang University¡¯s Gragas had cleared his Blue Buff Camp, followed by the Red Buff Camp and now snuck into the brush right below the topne. He waited for a couple of seconds, allowing Zhang Hao¡¯s Maokai to push forward a bit more, and then he Body mmed into thene!

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Maokai lookedpletely out of position. Shenyang University¡¯s Darius pulled Maokai towards him with Apprehend and together with Gragas started attacking him. But An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived for a countergank. She dashed in with a Sonic Wave into Resonating Strike and then mmed her fist down on the ground to Cripple Darius and Gragas!

    ¡°Oh shit! Look at that!¡± TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone. ¡°Lee with the counter! They¡¯re getting Darius low fas¡ª sh! Darius had to sh away!¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s not over!¡± PufPuf shrieked. She pulled her microphone a bit closer and continued, ¡°Gragas is still on Maokai! Look at that healthbar! It¡¯s dropping, dropping, dro¡ª FLASH! ANOTHER FLASH! This time it¡¯s Maokai! It¡¯s a sh for a sh!¡±

    ¡°Pfooh!¡± TheBrawnster said. He shook his head and added, ¡°What a fight! What a treat! More of that, please! No kills but plenty of action!¡±

    The action stayed with that one gank to the disappointment of the audience. Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna in the midne had a battle for the highest creep score with Shenyang¡¯s Ziggs, neither side showing much interest in each other. And down in botne there was a back and forth with no real winner. Tristana and Thresh were weaker in the early game, but held the defensive edge which was enough to keep thene even.

    ¡°YAWN! Action please! ACTION!¡±¡°Why did I get up for this? 5 minutes in and still no kills! Fucking shit yers!¡±¡°We need a Beijing team to show them how a real team ys!¡±¡°U-Tech¡¯s game earlier was far more exciting! Why can¡¯t we have another series like that?¡±¡°Pfffff¡­ BORING!¡±¡°So sleepy¡­ Someone get me some coffee. A cold venti.¡±

    The yers from Team Beijing sat in the yer seating area right below the stage, watching the game. They weren¡¯t trying to convince whoever would listen of their superiority; they were watching the game with their full attention. This to the great relief of their manager. He looked at them rather than at the game and smiled. It took me some time, but fortunately they see it now. Team Shanghai is a real opponent. We need to prepare for the eventuality that we have to y against them. And then we can show that we¡¯re superior!

    Zhang Hongyi red at therge LCD screen. His hatred for Zeng Rui tried to consume him, but he didn¡¯t let it get that far. Instead, he used it to fuel himself. He forced it to help him focus as he watched every minute movement and prepared himself for the possibility of ying against Team Shanghai. Fucking Zeng Rui and his stupid ass team! I¡¯ll kick you all down to where you belong! Screw you especially, Zeng ¡°Stupid¡± Rui!

    Next to hatred sat thepetitive spirit. Yu Ping breathed slowly and watched the game through narrowed eyes. From time to time he nced down at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, observing Lin Feng. His stomach leaped. He picked sh and Ignite. You only pick sh and Ignite when you want to make the ys. He¡¯s going to make the ys on¡­ Orianna. She¡¯s a control mage. How is he going to force a y?

    ?

    Lin Feng briefly closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were focused. The game was 6 minutes in and he was one minion from hitting Level 6. He nced at the creep score and saw he was 10 ahead. More importantly, he¡¯d also used Orianna¡¯s Ball to deal a bit of damage to Ziggs whenever possible. He¡¯s down to half, we¡¯re both hitting 6 in the next few minions and he isn¡¯t backing¡­ They¡¯re gonna be ganking. Just Gragas. The others are in theirnes. I can take that! He grinned as he ced his index finger over the D key and lightly pushed down, patient.

    TheBrawnster grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Ziggs is in real danger now! Ori is hitting¡ª Has hit Level 6! She just needs to ult him and then throw the Ignite down and it¡¯s a solo kill! Just think of how embarrassing that¡¯d be!¡±

    ¡°WaitWaitWait!¡± PufPuf shrieked, pointing at the minimap. ¡°Look! Gragas ising! Ziggs is just staying there to bait Ori! They¡¯re gonna gank and kill her! Shenyang University with the perfect bait!¡±

    Shenyang University¡¯s Gragas snuck into the brush right above the midne. He ran to the side closest to the Blue Team¡¯s outer tower and then pinged on Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna. Ziggs ran forward and he did too. He ran out from the brush, covering a short distance before activating Body m! Gragas threw himself forward! A mottled sh of light fell over him and carried him and his momentum towards Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna!

    ¡°E-FLASH! E-FLASH!¡± TheBrawnster shouted.

    Lin Feng breathed out, grinning. He watched it y out precisely as he¡¯d expected. The gank came. Ziggs ran forward, away from Red Team¡¯s tower, and threw a Hexplosive minefield at him while Gragas tried to immobilize him with a Body m. And now we sh. He pressed down on his keyboard. A veil of light fell over his Orianna and whisked her away right when she would¡¯ve been hit by thebination of spells. The briefest moment of silence followed. Tension. Waiting to see where she was going. Then she was dropped back on the map. Right on top of Ziggs.

    The casters, streamviewers and people in the audience couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. They were all waiting to see where Lin Feng was going to escape too. But he wasn¡¯t retreating; he was pressing forward. Ever onwards. Most people didn¡¯t know how to react, but Su Xue did. All the way back in Shanghai, she was streaming the game and casting it for her viewers. She clenched her fist and made Lin Feng¡¯s trademark victory pose before shouting, ¡°HOLY SHIT! HE¡¯S PULLING A WIN FENG! HE¡¯S PULLING A WIN FENG!¡±

 Chapter 383: Lee â€œBrokenShinâ€ Sin

    Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna cast Command: Dissonance! A burst of energy pulsed out from her Ball and mmed into Shenyang¡¯s Ziggs! It dealt a ton of damage, but more importantly also applied a slow. Lin Feng followed the attack up with an Ignite on the Ziggs, its mes ticking away life as it zed!

    Zigg¡¯s health dropped from 50% to below 20, causing Shenyang University¡¯s Miner¡¯s screen to sh red. Shenyang¡¯s Miner felt his muscles tense up. He knew Orianna still had her ultimate and he knew it would kill his Ziggs. So he shed. His Ziggs disappeared with a mottled sh of light, and as he did Orianna¡¯s Ball started moving too. What the¡­ Shenyang¡¯s Miner stared at his screen, dumbstruck. Orianna¡¯s Ball moved to the precise location his mouse was hovering over.

    Lin Feng activated Orianna¡¯s ultimate skill¨CCommand: Shockwave! A powerful shockwave of electromaic energy swept out! It washed over Ziggs and pulled him towards the epicenter! That was where the damage registered. It was far more than what little Ziggs had left. His body copsed to the floor. Dead.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°Wow! That¡­ Wow!¡±¡°Holy cow! Did he just¡­?¡±¡°These Shanghai folks are Cray cray in the head head!¡±

    There wasn¡¯t time to celebrate, action was still ongoing! Lin Feng¡¯s Orianna was stuck on the Red team¡¯s side of thene, with Gragas blocking his path of retreat. But before Gragas could even begin to make life difficult for Lin Feng, An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived. She ced a ward down in the middle of thene and hopped towards it, then fired a discordant wave of energy at Gragas¡ªSonic Wave!

    Shenyang¡¯s Jungler gritted his teeth. His Gragas was quickly losing health. He still had two abilities off cooldown, but neither was going to im a kill before he¡¯d die himself to thebined damage from Orianna and Lee Sin. Making him feel worse were the voices of his teammates telling him to back off, to give up on this gank. They reminded him he¡¯d failed and that he was outyed by Lin Feng. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± he replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, annoyed. ¡°Look! See? I¡¯m backing! I won¡¯t give Ori a double kill and double buffs. Jeesh!¡±

    PufPuf scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and said into her microphone, ¡°What? Why isn¡¯t Lee Sin using Resonating Strike on Gragas? They can get the double here! Get the double! Why aren¡¯t you going in for the double!?¡±

    ¡°Now this. This I can believe,¡± TheBrawnster said into his microphone. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the highlights from the East China Regionals and this is exactly the type of y you¡¯d expect from this Jungler. She looks good, good, and then she reminds you why she isn¡¯t all that in the end. Don¡¯t get me wrong, she¡¯s pretty damn decent. Definitely good enough for this type of game. But when she has to y a real opponent, like a Beijing team¡­ Man, she¡¯s gonna have it rough.¡±

    ?

    A minute went by in which not much happened. Shenyang University started ying more defensively, with theirners ying in reach of their outer towers and their Jungler farming his camps, in response to the losing first blood. Team Shanghai tried to break Shenyang University¡¯s defensive formation, prowling for opportunities. And it was in the 8th minute of the game that An Xin found one.

    TheBrawnster scratched his neck and said into his microphone, ¡°Uh? Lee is ganking bot I guess? Yo, what¡¯s she seein¡¯ there? The minion wave is pushed way up towards Shenyang¡¯s side of thene. She¡¯ll need a crazy good Thresh hook if she wants to get anything there. I¡¯d bet she¡¯d get more from just farming camps like the Gragas is doing.¡±

    An Xin pinged on Shenyang¡¯s Jinx and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°y Janna. Let¡¯s see what we can get there.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He pushed through the Blue and Red minions towards Janna, ignoring the damage from Jinx¡¯s semi-automatic machine guns. He followed up by whipping his chain and scythe backwards with y, knocking Janna up and towards him!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s movements sent a clear message that An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin wasing for a gank. Shenyang University¡¯s Boners didn¡¯t want to be in thene when that happened. Jinx shed towards her outer tower and arrived within its range, while Janna cast Howling Gale! A small storm started brewing at the base of her staff and quickly gained in power before it erupted into a tornado! It carved a path through the map, knocking Thresh and Tristana up into the air! She then turned around and floated towards her outer tower!

    PufPuf clutched the microphone tightly in her hand and shrieked, ¡°SO NICE! A crucial Janna Q to stop the gank! Lee¡¯s is Leeseless now! Haha!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin rushed out from the river brush and fired a Sonic Wave at Janna! Resonating Strike unlocked, allowing her to dash at Janna. But An Xin waited for a brief moment, smiling. Put down your Chompers! Throw them down!

    Shenyang¡¯s Jinx did exactly what An Xin wanted her to do, she threw down Jinx¡¯s me Chompers in front of Janna. If An Xin tried to dash through them, she¡¯d get caught by them. Her Lee Sin would get stunned and from there it wouldn¡¯t take Shenyang University much effort to kill her. But An Xin knew all of this. She smiled brighter as she ced down a ward next to the me Chompers, hopped to it with Safeguard and then activated Resonating Strike. Her Lee Sin dashed at Janna who was now near Jinx! She then shed past Jinx and activated Dragon¡¯s Rage! Lee Sin struck Jinx with a roundhouse kick, kicking her off her feet and sending her flying through Janna and towards Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh!

    Zeng Rui¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°Wow!¡± he eximed, watching Jinx flying straight at him. ¡°Oh, right,¡± he added, his pinky finger pushing on the Q key. His Thresh swung his scythe ¡®round and ¡®round, charging it up, before hurling it at Jinx and catching her mid air! Zeng Rui followed up with Ignite, summoning the unquenchable mes to drain away Jinx¡¯s health!

    ¡°Tang Tang!¡± An Xin said shortly over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Tang Bingyao nodded and replied, ¡°Mhm!¡± She had her Tristana activate Rapid Fire, the muzzle of her cannon erupting into mes to boost her attack speed, and Rocket Jumped on top of Jinx! She then started firing away. Cannonball after cannonball mmed into Jinx and knocked the health right out of her!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    TheBrawnster stared at his screen with wide open eyes. It wasn¡¯t until Janna had shed away and the trio from Team Shanghai started attacking the outer tower that he finally grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Wow. Just¡­ Wow! I was wrong. That simple. I ain¡¯t no prophet and this sure as hell proved that. What a y, my fuckin¡¯ god! Those Lee mechanics? Dash-Q¡¯ing like that? Shite! That was pretty damn sick. And yo, what¡¯s even sicker is how it all looked like one fluid motion! She never even really reached the ward! She was already flying at Janna before the hop finished!¡±

    ¡°Like she curved her dash or something! Like in that movie with the curving bullets, right? Right?¡± PufPuf interjected, excited. She leaned closer towards the screen and continued, ¡°That girl can y! She makes me wanna main Jungle!¡±

    The audience got up on their feet for the first time this series and apuded Team Shanghai¡¯s y in the botne, half-heartedly. They were still convinced that Beijing was superior to Shanghai in every sense of the word, but they also had to admit that An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin was second best after them.

    Sun Ruinian looked over his shoulder at the audience¡¯s response and grinned, bitter. He then turned his attention to the various teams in the yer seating area watching therge LCD screen. They were all staring, different versions of shock on their faces. He nodded, grimacing, and said, ¡°There¡¯s something about that team. I don¡¯t know what it is; Shi Hang probably does. But there¡¯s something about them¡­ Every time we y them and every time we watch them y, they¡¯re better. Better, better, better¡­ Every single time. I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re supposed to beat them. Let¡¯s just hope we don¡¯t have to go up against them, I guess¡­¡±

 Chapter 384: Sometimes You Gotta be the Dick; Other Times You Choose to Be

    ¡°Yo, Yo, Yo! TheBrawnster here with another great episode of the Winter Collegiate Cup!¡± TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone. He winked at PufPuf sitting next to him at the caster desk before continuing, ¡°We¡¯ve got ourselves two non-Beijing teams here, but you know they¡¯re trying! Team Shanghai¡¯s tryin¡¯ a bit better here right now and Shenyang is just kinda falling behind.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not all!¡± PufPuf chimed in with her high pitched voice. She turned to face TheBrawnster and analysed, ¡°Team Shanghai has got thete team powerp! Maokai and Thresh bring utility and tankiness, Orianna brings one of the most powerful crowd control skills in the entire game with her ultimate and then¡­ Do I even need to mention Tristana?¡± She briefly paused for dramatic effect, and then yelled, ¡°Tristana the hypercarry! When she gets tote game, there¡¯s no stopping her!¡±

    ¡°OhOhOH!¡± TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone. ¡°10 minutes in and it¡¯s looking like Team Shanghai is about to make a y in mid! Let¡¯s focus on the big ass screen above the stage and watch this y out.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin ran down the river towards the midne. The brush there was warded, revealing her location to Shenyang¡¯s Ziggs. ¡°Lin Feng!¡± she said over the team¡¯s voice chat, while her Lee Sin ran into thene and fired a Sonic Wave at Ziggs.

    Lin Feng grinned and cast Command: Protect! Orianna sent her Ball to Lee Sin and ced a shield on him. It continued following Lee Sin as he dashed at Ziggs with Resonating Strike. This opened the next y in Lin Feng¡¯s ybook. He watched his screen carefully for the activation of Ziggs¡¯ Explosive Satchel, with which Ziggs could jump away to safety. When Lin Feng spotted the start of the animation, he cast Command: Shockwave! A powerful shockwave of electromaic energy exploded out of the Ball! It washed over Ziggs and pulled him out of his dash and towards the epicenter!

    ¡°Watch me! Watch me!¡± Lin Feng eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat,ughing. He theatrically lifted his finger and then pushed down on the W key to cast Command: Dissonance! That was just the right amount of damage needed to finish the Ziggs. But before his Orianna cast the skill, An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin hit Ziggs with a roundhouse kick and sent him flying straight into the afterlife.

    ¡°Woops,¡± An Xin said, smiling.

    ¡°BunBun! You stole my kill! That was a killsteal!¡± Lin Fengined. He pursed his lips and red at An Xin, then continued grumbling, ¡°Why would you do that? I had the kill. That kill wasn¡¯t even worth anything to you¡ª¡±

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and winked. She said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough out of you. We still need to win this. Bit more focus, bit less trolling.¡± She then pinged on the Dragon pit and added, ¡°Time to rotate and take Dragon. Bot team, push that wave in and let¡¯s go.¡±

    TheBrawnster nodded, impressed. He raised his microphone to his lips and said, ¡°Ye know? Ye know? I hate to say this. You guys know me, you know I know us Beijing peepz are the best! But. Its gotta be said¡­ Team Shanghai is ying a pretty mean game here. Get a kill and then Dragon and suddenly BOOM they¡¯re 3k gold ahead!¡±

    ?

    The advantage Team Shanghai had over Shenyang University was mostly concentrated in the midne and Jungle. Lin Feng was on the fast track to bing an absolute monster and An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin was right behind him. Shenyang University responded to this by putting all their focus on the midne, making sure Lin Feng couldn¡¯t pull any further ahead in terms of kills. He was allowed to farm and that was it. But they couldn¡¯t put that same kind of pressure on An Xin. She slipped right outside the ward coverage from Shenyang University, farming Jungle camps and looking for opportunities to gank.

    At 14 minutes, An Xin spotted an opening in the botne. She snuck into Red team¡¯s bottom side jungle near the midne and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Get ready. I¡¯ming for a gank bot.¡±

    Team Shanghai had destroyed Shenyang University¡¯s outer tower in the botne a couple of minutes earlier. Shenyang¡¯s Jinx was currently farming minions somewhere between the ruins of her outer tower and her inner tower, while Shenyang¡¯s Janna floated into her Jungle to drop down a couple of wards and get some more vision.

    ¡°Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!¡± Zou Cheng cried out from the yer seating area. He was jumping on his chair and said to Sun Ruinian next to him, ¡°Look at the Lee Sin roam! It¡¯s perfect! A perfect roam! It¡¯s gonna be another kill! This game is over for Shenyang!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived at the Gromp Camp. Directly behind it was a wall of trees and boulders and behind that was the botne where Shenyang¡¯s Jinx was farming minions. An Xin rolled her shoulders once and breathed slowly. She gripped her mouse a bit harder and then her fingers started gliding across her keyboard.

    Lee Sin ced a ward across the wall and hopped towards it with Safeguard! He followed up with a Sonic Wave! It was a straight line skillshot. In front of him stood a minion and behind that minion was Jinx. So he smote the minion with Smite and watched the discordant wave of sound m into Jinx! A silver sigil appeared above her, unlocking Resonating Strike! Lee Sin activated this second part of his Q skill and dashed at Jinx! And finally he activated Dragon¡¯s Rage and shed behind her, roundhouse kicking her towards Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh who was already lining up the Death Sentence!

    ¡°Oh my god!¡± PufPuf shrieked into her microphone.

    ¡°Oh my fuckin¡¯ god!¡± TheBrawnster added. He shook his head, incredulous. ¡°Wow!¡±

    PufPuf nodded and said, ¡°This is a prettymon skill in solo queue. But to do it on the big stage? Wow!¡±

    TheBrawnster nodded with wide open eyes and muttered, ¡°The balls on that girl. Damn. She¡¯s making mine feel small!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana Rocket Jumped on top of Shenyang¡¯s Jinx as a fire zed from the muzzle of her cannon. She started Rapid Firing cannonballs, tearing through Jinx¡¯s health bar. Zeng Rui didn¡¯t even have the time to y, nor did Jinx have the time to sh before Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana loaded a massive shell in her cannon and fired her Buster Shot!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Most of the people in the audience were locals. They¡¯d apuded for Team Shanghai before, but their feeling of superiority had stopped them from cheering. That all changed now. It started with a few but soon everyone was up on their feet, throwing their arms in the air and cheering for Team Shanghai at the top of their lungs.

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°THAT LEE! OMG!¡±¡°SHE¡¯S SOOOOOO GOOD!¡±¡°KIIIIIIIL!¡±¡°IT¡¯S THE DRAGON¡¯S RAAAAAGE!¡±¡°MVP MATERIAL RIGHT THERE! WOOOOO!¡±

    Zeng Rui breathed out loudly in a short burst. He turned his head to look at An Xin and said, ¡°BunBun, what¡¯s gotten into you? You¡¯re on point!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded and chimed in, ¡°Mhm! That was really nice twice now!¡±

    An Xin nced at Zeng Rui and winked. She replied, ¡°Thanks. Come, let¡¯s take their Blue, it¡¯s about to spawn. We¡¯ll back to the fountain after that.¡± She then turned her head to look at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°What about you? Got mid yet?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. While An Xin ganked bot, he¡¯d kept the pressure up in mid. Shenyang¡¯s Ziggs was refusing to fight him, which allowed him to focus his full attention on farming minions and attacking the outer tower. That outer tower was now almost destroyed. It needed just a few more hits and with no one defending it, that wouldn¡¯t take longer than it took An Xin to kill the Blue Sentinel.

    An Xin showcased a very high level of control over the game. This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the many people in the audience. They were all League fanatics and they could all see a great y when it presented itself. Their pretentious attitudes slipped up a bit. They forgot for a brief moment that they were superior and viewed An Xin as their equal.

    ¡°That Lee Sin is carrying so hard! I bet she could do what As couldn¡¯t!¡±¡°I thought that Miner was their staryer. He¡¯s the one who beat Goalie, right?¡±¡°Yeah he did. But, man, didn¡¯t you watch that series? Go back and watch it, it was great! Anyway, that girl¡ªthe Jungler¡ªshe yed mid in the third game and she smashed it!¡±¡°Fuck yeah! Her Morgana ults were killing!¡±¡°She¡¯s such a good yer! It¡¯s crazy! I wish my girlfriend could y like that!¡±¡°Maybe if you start jerking with both hands your ¡®girlfriend¡¯ can be!¡±¡°Don¡¯t get distracted! Stop getting distracted! Focus on this girl¡­ The Lee! She¡¯s a damn goddess!¡±¡°She should be the official League Goddess!¡±¡°Petition Riot and if they say no WE RIOT!¡±

    ?

    It was the 17th minute of the game. Team Shanghai had pulled ahead in every facet of the game and Shenyang University¡¯s team was desperate. The Dragon spawned and that gave them an opportunity to get something back. So they ran towards it as a team, dropping wards down left and right, and hoped Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t waiting for them there.

    Team Shanghai wasn¡¯t. Shenyang University got into the Dragon pit and engaged the Dragon. For a couple of seconds, it looked like they might even get the Dragon. But then they spotted Lee Sin walking over a ward and a blue light descended behind them, signaling the use of Maokai¡¯s Teleport. They knew they couldn¡¯t take the fight, even with Team Shanghai out of position. The Dragon had too much health remaining too. So they made the call to retreat, running back the way they came as quickly as they could.

    ¡°Stop them!¡± Zeng Rui shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Zhang Hao replied, pressing on his F key hoping that would make him Teleport faster.

    There was a rare moment of panic in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Zeng Rui saw a chance to end the game, but it was slipping from his control. And he dragged everyone down into his pit of worry. Until An Xin¡¯s voice sounded over the team¡¯s voice chat. She sounded like an angel descended from the Heavens. A goddess, even. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got this.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin arrived at the Jungle entrance through which Shenyang University was trying to escape and fired a Sonic Wave into the fog of war. It hit Gragas. ¡°I¡¯m going in. Follow up on me, Lin Feng,¡± An Xin said as she pushed down on the Q key to activate Resonating Strike.

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Got it! You can count on me!¡± His Orianna was only a few steps behind An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin. And after years of ying together, he knew exactly what she was going to do. All he had to do was make sure that his Orianna¡¯s Ball was in the right ce to hit the Command: Shockwave.

    TheBrawnster grabbed his microphone from its stand and shouted into it, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI IS GOING FOR THE WOMBO COMBO!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin dashed at Gragas, ced a ward down behind him, hopped towards it with Safeguard and finally turned around with a roundhouse kick! Dragon¡¯s Rage! The kick packed so much power that it lifted Gragas off his feet and sent him barreling into his teammates, knocking them up one by one!

    Four yers from Shenyang University were knocked up, briefly immobilized. An Xin had done her part. The next bit was up to Lin Feng. His Orianna¡¯s Ball hovered above the ground in the middle of the four yers from Shenyang University. A powerful shockwave of electromaic energy swept out! It washed over the four Champions and pulled them towards the epicenter! She followed up with Command: Dissonance! A second pulse of energy swept out! And for a final bout of damage Orianna cast Command: Attack!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Shenyang¡¯s Jinx and Ziggs were dead right away, while Gragas and Darius lost most of their health. Janna was the only one still at full health, having shed away earlier to dodge Lee Sin¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Rage. But she was across a wall in the Blue Buff Camp, too far away from the fight to be of any help. The yers from Team Shanghai weren¡¯t. One by one they arrived and jumped in. Zhang Hao¡¯s Maokai was the first in and the first out, sted away by Gragas¡¯ Explosive Cask. But that left Tang Bingyao¡¯s Tristana free to jump in and fire away!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s gotta be it!¡± TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone. ¡°Team Shanghai with the four kills and somehow, through all of that, Lee Sin survived! She¡¯s the real MVP of this game!¡±

    ¡°Yiiiiii!¡± PufPuf shrieked, cheering. She turned her head to look at TheBrawnster and said, ¡°Sexy Dragon¡¯s Rage, sexy Ori ult and sexy Trist damage! Team Shanghai is the sexiest team of the Winter Collegiate Cup! Oh, and it¡¯s game.¡±

    ?

    The game was over, but Team Shanghai still had to finish it out. They did that with Zeng Rui¡¯s trademarked methodicalness. Slow and steady. They farmed minions, took down towers and yed around Baron Nashor. It was only with a lead big enough where Lin Feng could practically 1 versus 5 that Zeng Rui made the call to push for Shenyang University¡¯s Nexus. There was no contest by Shenyang University. No real one, anyway. They were simply too far behind. Their Champions fell like weeds to a weedwacker and their Nexus exploded shortly after.

    VICTORY!

    In Shenyang University¡¯s soundproof booth, the team¡¯s Miner shook his head and mumbled, ¡°What a dick move. They could¡¯ve ended it at 20 minutes but they just wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Shenyang University¡¯s Jungler shrugged and replied, ¡°We¡¯ve seen them do this before. Don¡¯t mind them. Don¡¯t let it get to your head. We need to focus on the next game. Let¡¯s punish them for dicking around with us like this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Fuck them!¡± Shenyang University¡¯s ad-carry eximed. He continued through gritted teeth, ¡°Fucking low blow to draw a game out like that!¡±

    ?

    The second game was a near repeat of the first. In fact, a viewer could rewatch the first game and join any conversation about the second game. The biggest difference was that Lin Feng yed Viktor, who was really just another control type mage, rather than Morgana. Everything else was the same, from getting the early lead to drawing it out to nearly 30 minutes before finally finishing the game in spectacr fashion.

    This course of events didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Fan Yuan who was the Beijing Esports Association¡¯s vice-president. He stared at therge LCD screen with a gloomy expression and said to his team, ¡°I expected so much better from Shenyang¡­ They came in thirdst year for fucks sake! Can they really not even take a single game? How disappointing. They¡¯re basically giving Team Shanghai a free pass to the semifinals¡­¡±

    Zhang Hongyi nodded and added, ¡°How sad.¡±

    ¡°Uh, guys?¡± Yu Ping said, turning his head to look at his teammates. He waited to get their attention and then pointed at therge LCD screen and asked, ¡°Why¡¯s that Miner ying a Control Mage all of a sudden? He only yed assassins back in Guangzhou¡­ What¡¯s he trying to pull?¡±

 Chapter 385: A Stomp for the Ages

    Everyone on Shenyang University¡¯s team was more than aware of Lin Feng¡¯s skill with Assassin-type mine champions. Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just good at ying Assassin-type mine champions. He wasn¡¯t just a strong yer on them. He wasn¡¯t just dominating, unstoppable and legendary. Nope. He was something else entirely¡ªHe was a force of nature!

    But Lin Feng had a few good reasons for going the Control Mage route in the series against Shenyang University. First and foremost among those reasons was that Shenyang¡¯s Miner wasn¡¯t anywhere near good enough to make Lin Feng really try. He didn¡¯t need to y his best or even his second best Champions. But rather than goofing around on his favourite Champions, Lin Feng decided to practice with Champions he didn¡¯t regrly y. There were two goals this served. First off, he wouldn¡¯t reveal just how good he was at his favourite Champions to the otherpeting teams. And secondly, it deepened his Champion pool for his Korean ount. He only had a few more days left to climb the final spots and to ensure he won every game he yed, he had to be able to pick the optimal Champion for every situation.

    Shenyang University didn¡¯t have the luxury of holding back. They had their backs pushed against the wall, loaded guns aimed at them. And the entire situation was their fault, because they weren¡¯t ying near the level they knew they could. It just took them two full games to realize that. Between the second and the third game, they took a small break and walked away from the stage to reset their mental. They walked around the stadium and watched the fans, listened to the cheers and reminded themselves why they were here, what they were here for. To win!

    When Shenyang University returned to theirputers, they were ready. Reinvigorated. They recognized that with Lin Feng ying Control Mage-type Champions, thete game was nearly impossible to win. That just meant that they had to win it early. So they chose Champions that excelled at thening phase. They also recognized that the mine wasn¡¯t ane they could ever win, and that Team Shanghai¡¯s topne was their weakest link. So they used the topne to kickstart their othernes.

    Zhang Hao didn¡¯t see ite. He was just feelingfortable enough in the series to pick Ryze, ate game Champion. But Ryze had no escape mechanics and a very small health pool during thening phase. In the first 5 minutes of the game, he was killed three times. Two of those deaths were to Shenyang¡¯s Toner who was ying Fiora. And a fed Fiora was dangerous.

    Shenyang University made full use of their Fiora. They helped her pull further and further ahead and by the 14th minute, the 4,000 gold advantage they enjoyed was almost entirely on her. She ran around the map and through Team Shanghai¡¯s Jungle. She killed Tang Bingyao, Zeng Rui and An Xin. She went in one versus four and dove towers whenever she felt like it. The only times she grew cautious, the only times she retreated, was when Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu came close to her. That was the one fight she didn¡¯t want to pick.

    It took Shenyang University until the 30th minute to get the confidence they needed to take on Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu. They wereying siege on the inhibitor tower in mine, with a boost from the Baron Buff, when Tang Bingyao made a slight positional error. Fiora noticed and Lunged. She dove the tower and took Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx out with a flurry of attacks, spawning a Healing Field. Shenyang University made full use of that to take out the rest of Team Shanghai, Lin Feng¡¯s Lulu included. From there it was an easy win. They took down the inhibitor tower, inhibitor, nexus towers and finally the nexus. The Blue energy within broke free and morphed into the victory emblem for them.

    VICTORY

    ¡°WOOOOOO!¡±¡°WE¡¯VE GOT A REAL GAME ON OUR HANDS NOW!¡±¡°FRIGGIN FINALLY! WAS ABOUT DAMN TIME!¡±¡°SHENYANG FOR THE WIIIIIN!¡±¡°MASSIVE PLAYS BY FIORA!¡±

    Sun Ruinian sat in the yer seating area with his teammates from Zhejiang University. He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Shenyang¡¯s good. This is what I remember them like. When they get going, they¡¯re just so good at coordination and map-wide ys. It¡¯s really killer.¡±

    Zou Cheng sighed in disappointment and said, ¡°Why is Lin Feng ying Support mids? He went Lulu for fucks sake! What did he expect would happen? He doesn¡¯t do any damage! He just flutters around all useless and his team is nothing without him! They need him to carry! Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s a team game. I know. I know. Really, I do! But what did they expect? They¡¯ve got a tanky Jungler with Sejuani and then they put their worst two yers on Ryze and Jinx. It¡¯s like they wanted to lose this game!¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Sun Ruinian replied. He looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth and added, ¡°One thing¡¯s for certain though. If Lin Feng yed Lenc or Fizz, this game would¡¯ve been over.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying!¡± Zou Cheng eximed.

    Zhang Hongyi sat a couple of rows away from Zhejiang University. He nced at them and then back at therge LCD screen above the stage. He chuckled and said, ¡°What a bunch of idiots. Talking like Team Shanghai¡¯s got this in the bag. I don¡¯t see it. How can they possibly win with Zeng ¡®SucksAlot¡¯ Rui? Scrubs!¡±

    Yu Ping shook his head and breathed out loudly. Zhang Hongyi needs to stop worrying so much about that Support. We¡¯ve got our work cut out for us if we need to y Team Shanghai. Their Miner¡­ Those guys from Zhejiang are most likely right. If he ys Lenc or Fizz, this series is over.

    ?

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Alright, that was enough fun for one day. Let¡¯s just end it here.¡± He turned his head to look at An Xin and continued, ¡°BunBun, camp the shit out of top. Get HaoBro to Legendary! I¡¯ll do the same in mid and ZengZeng will help Tang Tang do the same in bot! We¡¯ll go triple Legendary and smack some asses!¡±

    Zhang Hao grimaced and replied, ¡°I¡¯m really so¡ª¡±

    ¡°Uh, no you¡¯re not,¡± An Xin interrupted. She red at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°It¡¯s DimFeng¡¯s fault that you fell so far behind. He was just messing around and pinging way toote whenever Shenyang¡¯s Miner went to gank top. But he¡¯s right about one thing. We need to win this next one. Let¡¯s y our best.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao agreed, nodding vigorously.

    ?

    In the fourth game of the series between Team Shanghai and Shenyang University, Team Shanghai yed the Red team. That meant that they had thest pick in Champion Select. Lin Feng waited to see Shenyang¡¯s University¡¯s line up, grinned, and locked in Fizz. He clenched his fist and mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s time to rock ¡®n roll!¡±

    Everyone across the globe who knew him, knew what wasing next. Su Xue was jumping up and down in her chair, both relieved and excited. Her viewers were losing it, spamming her chat to show their adoration for Lin Feng. Even Yu Ping, who¡¯d only watched Lin Feng y and had never evene across him in solo queue, shifted in his chair. He knew he was in for a good show.

    At 4 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz picked up first blood on Shenyang¡¯s Twisted Fate.

    At 6 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz hit Level 6 before Shenyang¡¯s Twisted Fate did. He used this advantage to jump on Twisted Fate and kill him, all the while watching the movements from Shenyang¡¯s Lee Sin who was running into thene. Lin Feng timed his cooldowns perfectly and ran around thene with such precision that Lee Sin couldn¡¯t hit a single kill. And then Lin Feng picked up the double kill.

    At 8 minutes: Lin Feng tagged along with An Xin on a trip to the topne, where they towerdove Shenyang¡¯s Rumble. He picked up the kill. It was his third of the game.

    At 10 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz swam through the river to the botne, where Shenyang¡¯s Lee Sin tried to gank Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui. He helped to turn the gank around, picking up two kills and an assist, bringing his score to an impressive 5/0/1.

    At 18 minutes: Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz picked up another solo kill on Shenyang¡¯s Twisted Fate. It was his eighth kill of the game and the voice announcer broadcasted this by calling him Legendary!

    ¡°Dude¡­ Da fuck? What¡¯s this game?¡±¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ That Fizz¡­ Holy mother of my father who bangs my brother, he¡¯s so good!¡±¡°Feels like I¡¯m watching a game of solo queue¡­ There¡¯s no teamwork or anything, just a hard carry by Fizz.¡±¡°Pretty sure he doesn¡¯t even need his teammates. Haven¡¯t seen a stomp this bad in months!¡±¡°My fucking god! Shenyang has fallen far. They¡¯re getting solo¡¯d by a fucking high schooler! They¡¯re losing all face!¡±¡°They¡¯re already toothless, might as well be skinless¡­¡±

    TheBrawnster shook his head, incredulous, and muttered, ¡°Yo, yo, yo! TheBrawnster here to tell you that Shenyang sucks massive dongs! I guess¡­ Jesus, what a game. What happened to them? They looked so good in Game 3 and then¡­ Well, this. Whatever this is.¡±

    ¡°I know right!¡± PufPuf shrieked. ¡°It¡¯s like they gave up!¡±

    Chu Fang chuckled. He could hear the gasps and murmurs from the audience behind him and he could see the pure shock in the people around him. What they were witnessing wasn¡¯t a university level Miner outssing another university level Miner. What they were witnessing was a stomp so hard that it felt like Lin Feng was Rake and Shenyang¡¯s Miner a 600 Bronze nobody. Chu Fang grinned and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re not yet where you were. But it¡¯s good to see you try, because you¡¯re still really damned good when you try. More than good enough to beat any team here, anyway.¡±

    20 minutes after the game started, Lin Feng decided it was time to end Shenyang University¡¯s suffering. He¡¯d destroyed their hopes and dreams 15 minutes earlier, but now their Nexus copsed too. The energy within broke free and morphed into the victory emblem. He grinned and looked over the rim of his monitor at the fans¡ªhis fans¡ªwho were on their feet and cheering. ¡°For me,¡± he mumbled.

 Chapter 386: Winner Gets to Lose to Lin Feng

    After U-Tech Beijing, Team Shanghai was the second team to qualify for the Winter Collegiate Cup Semifinals. They did that by beating Shenyang University 3-1, a surprising result to many. Sure, the fans had watched the highlights from the East China Regionals. And yes, they¡¯d seen the highlights from Guangzhou where Team Shanghai stomped the Korean wonder duo of Seo and Goalie into the ground. But they always had an excuse ready, a reason why Team Shanghai¡¯s aplishments weren¡¯t ¡®all that¡¯. ¡°AyDeeCee hasn¡¯t yed for years, what did you expect?¡± ¡°Goalie is just having an off day.¡±

    The series against Shenyang University was the final drop in the bucket. It got rid of thest few doubters. No one argued any longer about whether or not Team Shanghai belonged at the Winter Collegiate Cup. After not just beating, but crushing the third ranked team from the previous tournament, Team Shanghai more than deserved to be recognized. They were the team to watch out for. They were the ones to beat.

    The usual haughty Beijing locals forgot about their superiorityplex. A powerful urge drove them to silence as they waited for Team Shanghai to exit their soundproof booths. It was a strange moment fueled by pure admiration. They watched the door to the soundproof booth open. Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao walked out and they stayed quiet. An Xin and Zhang Hao walked out and they stayed quiet. And then Lin Feng walked out. A roar so powerful that it shook the entire stadium on its vestiges exploded from the audience. It mmed into the yers from the otherpeting teams, sending shivers up and down their spines, before hitting Team Shanghai.

    Zhang Hao gasped at the crowd and muttered, ¡°Wow!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s mouth dropped open. She meekly muttered, ¡°F-for us?¡±

    ¡°For him,¡± An Xin said, pointing at Lin Feng with her thumb. ¡°Always for him.¡±

    Lin Feng looked up at the audience and grinned. He waved and shouted, ¡°Thanks! Thanks! I know right! My Fizz is amazing! I totally carried that game!¡±

    An Xin sighed and mumbled, ¡°Idiot.¡± She then pulled Lin Feng by his arm and said to him, ¡°Come,e. The guys from Shenyang are waiting to shake our hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh right!¡± Lin Feng replied. He followed An Xin towards the middle of the stage.

    The yers from Shenyang University greeted the yers from Team Shanghai, forced smiles on their faces. They bowed towards Team Shanghai and their Miner said, ¡°You were the better team today. Congrattions and good luck in the next round.¡±

    Team Shanghai returned the bow and thanked Shenyang University for their good luck wishes. They then turned to look at the audience and bowed towards them. It was the moment the fans had been waiting for. Lin Feng was giving them his attention. They chanted his name, ¡°Lin Feng! Win Feng! Lin Feng!¡±

    ?

    The second half of the Quarterfinals were yed that same afternoon. First up were Team Beijing and China University of Political Science and Law. Team Shanghai sat in the yer seating area and were eager to watch this series. This far in the tournament, their odds of drawing either team for the next round grew exponentially, and every bit of information on their opponent could mean the difference between winning and losing.

    Zeng Rui pulled out a notebook and flipped to a specific page. The top of the page read ¡®Team Beijing, Preparations¡¯. To him, there wasn¡¯t a question about who was going to win, but how Team Beijing was going to win. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the yers walk up on stage and then scribbled down that Team Beijing was ying their strongest lineup. He then flipped to the next page and held his pen ready to write down every small detail he noticed.

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and scrunched his nose. Why¡¯s he doing this? He always has that notebook on him and he¡¯s always scribbling stuff down. And it¡¯s definitely not notes for a webnovel about a group of high schoolers who y League! And the more he writes, the more he¡¯ll have to exin at practice! When the realisation hit him, he groaned loud enough for his teammates to look at him. Shitshitshit¡ªSHIT! He smiled like a peasant with a toothache and assured them everything was all right. He then nced at Zeng Rui again. Still writing. So weird¡­ He¡¯s like Four!

    Four! Lin Feng smacked himself on the forehead and eximed, ¡°How could I forget!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and tilted her head. She asked, ¡°Hmm? Forget what?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Hm. No, nevermind. Its nothing!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He then scratched the back of his head and chewed on his lips. That¡¯s who ZengZeng reminds me of! How did it take me this long to see the resemnce? Am I blind o? I¡¯m so stupid sometimes! But I definitely need to introduce ZengZeng to Four! That¡¯ll be so much fun! Yush! I¡¯ma do that! Right after this series, maybe¡­

    The first game between Team Beijing and the China University of Political Science and Law started. And ended 20 minutester. Team Beijing was simply the better team. They crushed theirnes and then the game. And it was in simr fashion that they won the second and third games of the series. None of themsted for more than 20 minutes.

    ¡°Hot damn!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°They¡¯re out for blood!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh, uh-huh!¡± Zhang Hao agreed, nodding. He turned his head to look at Lin Feng and replied, ¡°They¡¯re like making a statement after your Fizz game! Trying to show they¡¯re better!¡±

    Lin Fengughed and said, ¡°They can try! But my Fizz is still better!¡±

    An Xin smiled and suggested, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re trying a bit harder because they¡¯re ying on home ground. They can¡¯t disappoint their fans.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Feng replied, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°I guess that makes sense too¡­¡±

    ?

    One series remained in the Winter Collegiate Cup Quarterfinals. It was an East China party, with Fudan University and Zhejiang University fighting for the fourth and final spot in the Semifinals. The two sides had yed against each other in practice and official matches countless times. They were evenly matched and showed as much in this series.

    Zhejiang University started the first game by invading Fudan University¡¯s Jungle at Level 1 and picking up a kill on their Jungler. That set Fudan University a bit behind and they never managed to w their way back from that. They eventually lost the first game after 50 minutes of ying. And then they turned it around on Zhejiang University in the second game, copying Zhejiang University¡¯s Level 1 invade and iming the win after 50 minutes.

    The third game of the series was all Fudan University. They got the better Champions in Champion Select and managed to let that advantage dictate the oue of the game. But then they started to realise they might win this series. Their nerves got the better of them and they fumbled up the fourth game of the series, basically giving it to Zhejiang University for free.

    It all came down to the all deciding fifth game. Both sides fought for all they were worth. It was a bitter struggle that went back and forth. Both teams slipped up. Both teams made beautiful ys. And in the end it was Fudan University who drew the longest straw. They won a teamfight at the Baron pit, and rather than killing Baron Nashor, they charged down the midne, took down the inhibitor tower, inhibitor, nexus towers and the Nexus before Zhejiang University respawned.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. ¡°That was crazy! Absolutely great! Did you guys see how good Fudan yed that? They knew they had the chance to finish it! I would have stuck to Baron, but they went and finished the game! That was so cool!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Yeah, Zhejiang University is really missing AyDeeCee. But Fudan¡¯s Miner yed way better than in the previous rounds. He was almost as good as Goalie!¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Zeng Rui said, browsing through his notebook before stopping on a specific page. He traced his finger over his scribbles and read, ¡°Qiu Yijie, Miner and team captain for Fudan University. A- grade yer, bordering A grade. Can reach A+ grade on a good day. Still improving.¡±

    ?

    Aurous was a student at Fudan University and the Miner for the LPL team Light Dynasty. He was also a good friend of Shi Hang. After he watched his University beat Shi Hang¡¯s, he grabbed his phone and waited for the call to connect. And then he blurted, ¡°Told you! Fucking told you! Didn¡¯t I tell you? We¡¯re the best! We werest year and we are this year too!¡±

    Shi Hangughed and replied, ¡°Yeah yeah, you beat us. Grats mate! Fudan yed that really well. And the Qiu guy yed really surprisingly well that series.¡±

    ¡°I know! I know! I trained him myself, of course he¡¯s great!¡± Aurous said, proud. ¡°You know, in a couple of years when I retire, I n on having him follow in my footsteps! He¡¯s already an A grade Miner. Just give him a bit more time and he¡¯s right up there with me and you and the other good Miners! He can already stand his ground in the LSPL no problem! I¡¯m sure of it! And better yet, you lost! Fudan is the best! We¡¯re gonna be the champions!¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head and replied, ¡°I know Light Dynasty isn¡¯t doing too hot, but isn¡¯t it a little low to get so excited over winning some kids'' tourney?¡±

    ¡°The kids¡¯ tourney you yed in!¡± Aurous fired back,ughing.

    ¡°I did! It was fun,¡± Shi Hang replied, chuckling.

    ¡°Yo, dude. What the fuck?¡± Aurous said. He briefly paused and then asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you fighting me here? You should be mad that I¡¯m gloating! Come on, you know the game! I gloat, you get mad; you gloat, I get mad. And then we get a beer!¡±

    Shi Hang shrugged and said, ¡°Don¡¯t matter who won this round. Fudan or Zhejiang¡­ You know, usually we have a shot of winning the tournament. There¡¯s still excitement, you know? But this time¡­ Heck, you guys might reach the Finals if you get a lucky draw. But you won¡¯t win the Finals. And it¡¯s kind of difficult to get mad when I know how hard you¡¯re gonna get your asses kicked.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Aurous asked. He scrunched his eyebrows, thought for a few seconds, and then continued, ¡°Is this Shi ¡®SuperMysterious¡¯ Hang? Come on, can¡¯t you just tell me? It¡¯s that kid, right? Lin Feng? Tell me who he is already! I¡¯m dying from curiosity here! I need to know! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!¡±

    ¡°Nope. You¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Shi Hang replied,ughing like Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

    ?

    The president of the Chinese Esports Association sat behind his desk in the Beijing headquarters. There was a stack of files on his desk detailing the four teams stillpeting for the Winter Collegiate Cup. The bottom four files were on the teams, and the top file was on Lin Feng. His name was highlighted with bright red ink and the president was staring at it. He knew.

 Chapter 387: The Mystery of CNHOOK2

    The Winter Collegiate Cup Quarterfinals drew to a close. The fans turned off their streams, left the message boards and went home from the stadium. But they wouldn¡¯t be bored waiting for the Semifinals to start, because there was always more League of Legends to go around. More specifically, the 2016 LPL Spring Split had started. The best teams in China were ying against each other again on a weekly basis, constantly adapting to thetest patch. And there was something even more exciting going on beyond just that. Something that was drawing far more discussion among the fans. The return of AyDeeCee to Team Rapids.

    There were online forums dedicated to Shi Hang, where his fans gathered and discussed their love for their idol.

    ¡¸IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII HES BACKKKKKK¡¹¡¸I still can¡¯t believe it¡­ He¡¯s really back. AyDeeCee is back!¡¹¡¸Best yer China ever had! We¡¯re going to return to our Season 1 prime!¡¹¡¸ITS BETTER THAN HAVIN A WET DREAM!!!!¡¹¡¸I¡¯m so excited to see how good he is these days!¡¹¡¸Pplughed at me for my AyDeeCee bodypollw but Ialwysa knew!¡¹¡¸Go watch the highlights from the East China Regionals! He subbed in a game there!¡¹

    But not everyone was happy with AyDeeCee¡¯s return. There were those who were jealous of his skill and envied all the attention he was getting. And then there were those who were upset that AyDeeCee was stealing the limelight from their favourite Miners.

    ¡¸bet ye its just publicity stunt¡¹¡¸HE COULD BE MY FUCKIN GRANPA!!!!¡¹¡¸We should send a cane to the LPL. Give it as a wee back present! HARHARHAR¡¹¡¸HERMES>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> aydeecee¡¹¡¸He was a great yer back in the day. Now prolly he sucks donkey balls¡¹¡¸Cant wait to see him get FUCKING REKT111111¡¹

    From there it devolved into a pointless argument that went on for days. Some people grabbedrge buckets of popcorn and an ice-cold beer to enjoy the drama, while others furiously typed on their keyboards.

    ¡¸Lolololol, noobs thinking hermes is good BEST JOKE OF 2016!!!¡¹¡¸whose got the popcorn? i need moaaarrrrrr¡¹¡¸Let¡¯s be real here, guys. Daybreak Hermes is a good Miner. But that¡¯s just it. He good, not great.¡¹¡¸Moon and Phoenix are great. Rake is God. Hermes is the court jester!!!!¡¹¡¸LMAO BEST DRAMA EVVAAAHHHHHH :pepeugh:¡¹¡¸china sucks¡­¡­...¡¹¡¸hermes ¡¹¡¸aydeecee <>¡¹¡¸I¡±LL FUCKING FIGHT YOU! I LIVE ON 742 EVERGREEN TERRACE! COME FIGHT ME!¡¹¡¸lol, can you believe that ^^^^^^ guy? XD¡¹

    The HermBuds were up in arms. They were furious and livid that people dared to besmirch the name of their general. Their emperor.

    ¡¸THATS TOTALLY DIFFERENT YOU CANT COMPARE HERMES WITH RAKE¡¹¡¸Did you not watch Worlds? Hermes beat an emperor!!! He¡¯s got the skill!¡¹¡¸hes right up there with moon and phoenix!!!!!¡¹¡¸FUCKING BOOMERS GETTING ALL SMUG just ept that aydeecee sucks babyballs!¡¹¡¸King Hermes will soon be crowned EMPEROR HERMES!!!¡¹¡¸THIS IS HIS YEAR!¡¹¡¸EMPEROR HERMES! EMPEROR HERMES!¡¹

    There was a small group of fans reading the online forums who¡¯d been following the League scene from the beginning, way back during Season 1. They vividly remembered how it was back then.

    ¡¸kids talking big¡­ back in season 1 at the height of China¡¯s League presence, there was no Hermes¡¹¡¸^that. And AyDeeCee wasn¡¯t the best Miner either. He was second best¡¹¡¸you kids dont know because of how hard the Chinese Esports Association tried to erase the past, but...¡¹¡¸But we had an emperor. We had a guy who could beat Phoenix and who could fight Rake¡¹¡¸Remember the name. Maple. He is the best. THeres no on else but him. HE GOATCHAMP¡¹¡¸Man what I¡¯d give to see him y again¡­ that dude was something else. The way he just won...¡¹¡¸Getting goosebumps just thinking about him! MAPLE IS MY HERO!¡¹

    ?

    There was a second post that started garnering more and more attention. It was a post detailing the Chinese yers on the Korean Challengerdder. The rivalry between South Korea and China was intense. So much so that the Korean Challengerdder had turned into a battleground; one that had to be conquered by the Chinese yers. But no Chinese yer had managed to do that yet. No one had evene close. In fact, most of the yers from China who made it to Challenger on the Korean server were fighting desperately to hold on to their rank and not slip back to Master.

    Fans argued that if their personal heroes from the LPL were to y on the Korean server, they could make it to the Top 10 in Challenger. But professional yers generally didn¡¯t have the spare time to worry about their rank in solo queue, especially not on a server with hightency. And so the great shame had persisted for years, with no one looking like they might break it. Until now. The CN?HOOK2 ount was climbing up thedder and quickly approaching the Top 10.

    ¡¸CNHOOK THE HERO WE DESEERRVVEEEEE¡¹¡¸did you see him y that viktor the other day? my god hes good!¡¹¡¸I wonder who he is...¡¹¡¸has to be like hermes, right? Yeah, has to be.¡¹¡¸He went from 250 to 30 WITHIN A MONTH!!!!!!! HOW!?!??!?!??!?!¡¹¡¸You know what that means, right? RIGHT RIHGIHTIHRIHIHGITIHITHIHANHAIHAHH!H!!¡¹¡¸HES GONNA CLIMB TO THE TOP!!!!¡¹¡¸HES GONNA BEAT RAKE!!!!!¡¹¡¸HES GONNA BRING PRIDE TO OUR NATION!!!!!¡¹¡¸HES GONNA GET FACES FOR US ALLL!!!!!!¡¹¡¸LONG LIVE THE HOOK2!!!!!!¡¹

    Season 5 had officially ended and Season 6 had started in most regards. But the rankeddders hadn¡¯t reset yet. The Koreandder would reset at the end of the week, giving CN?HOOK2 a few more days to make it to the top. It was that time pressure that made it so much more exciting to the Chinese League of Legends fans. They clicked on the refresh button with sweaty palms and were scouring the inte for livestreams, desperate to witness how high CN?HOOK2 would climb before thedder reset.

    ¡¸How far do you think he can go?¡¹¡¸Top 20?¡¹¡¸NO WAY DOWNER! TOP 10 AT THE LEAST!!!!!¡¹¡¸getting a bit ahead of yourself there¡­ top 30 is already he impressive¡¹¡¸but just imagine¡­ top 5! OR TOP 3! UP THERE WITH RAKE! OMGOMGOGMOGM!!!¡¹¡¸guysguysguys, shut up for a second. Listen. We need to find out who he is! Where are the detectives!?!?¡¹¡¸whoever he is, he¡¯s gonna make the koreans maaaaaad¡¹¡¸its gonna be soooooo good tough at the koreans after he hits the top 3!!!!¡¹¡¸yeah yeah. But WHO IS HE!?!?!?!?¡¹¡¸HE¡±S OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR! HE¡±S WHAT WE DESERVE!!! A TRUE HERO!!!¡¹

 Chapter 388: Lin Feng Saps An Xinâ€™s Lifeforce Away for Better League Results

    Lin Feng sat on an office chair at a tv table, ying League of Legends on hisptop. It was the best he could manage in the hotel he was staying at. ¡°Just a bit more, almost there. Almost there¡­¡± he mumbled to himself,ser focused on his screen. He almost didn¡¯t hear the door to his room opening or An Xin walking in. He briefly nced at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Just checking in on you,¡± An Xin replied. She pulled a second office chair over and sat down next to Lin Feng, then leaned towards him to look at his screen. ¡°Oh?¡± she said. ¡°Still on your Korean ount, I see.¡±

    Lin Feng replied, ¡°I have to¡ª¡± He suddenly narrowed his eyes a bit and stopped listening to An Xin. The game he was ying had started slowly with aning phase that saw no winner. Moving into the middle game, both teams started fighting more and more aggressively for game objectives. Towers fell and Dragons were in. And then, right when An Xin walked into the room and Lin Feng lost his focus for just a moment, the opponent engaged Baron Nashor. ¡°I have to focus,¡± he finished.

    A ward revealed the Baron pit to Lin Feng¡¯s team, showing them that all five opponents were there fighting the big, purple worm. Two yers from Lin Feng¡¯s team hovered around the entrance to the Baron pit. They were searching for a way to stop the enemy from ying Baron Nashor, or at least to buy their teammates some time to arrive. It looked like a losing battle for Lin Feng¡¯s team.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz ran through the midne and up into Red team¡¯s Jungle. The opponents were huddled against the back wall, creating as much distance as they could from the entrance and the two Champions from Lin Feng¡¯s team there. But that left them vulnerable from behind.

    When Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz arrived behind the baron pit, he cast his ultimate skill¨CChum the Waters! A small fish flew at Red team¡¯s Lucian and started swimming around him, a portal to the deep opening up beneath him. It grew in size and a dark shadow could be seen swimming in the depths below. Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz then dashed through Lucian with Urchin Strike! He followed up with Seastone Trident, empowering his basic attacks! Megalodon jumped from the water and knocked Lucian and two more enemy Champions up into the air! Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz continued by dealing an auto attack and then nting his trident in the ground and hopping on top of it¨Cyful!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Three crowd control skills hit where Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz was. But on top of his trident, he was untargetable. Lucian died and Lin Feng focused his attention on the other carry on the opponent¡¯s team. Ziggs. He hopped down on Ziggs and dealt ssh damage with the skill Trickster! That also made him targetable again. Two more crowd control skills flew at him.

    Lin Feng smiled. He nced at Zhonya¡¯s Hourss in his inventory and activated it. Golden grains of sand rained down from the sky and stuck to only Fizz, cing him in stasis. The crowd control skills shot right through him and disappeared. Lin Feng took a deep breath and mumbled, ¡°... And now my teammates help.¡±

    The two teammates from Lin Feng who were at the Baron pit entrance finally reacted. They charged at their opponents and unleashed their full damagebos. Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz left stasis a brief momentter. He cast Ignite on Ziggs and followed up by auto attacking Ziggs with his still empowered trident!

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Lin Feng¡¯s opponent lost its two carries and was getting attacked not only by Lin Feng and his teammates, but also by Baron Nashor. It didn¡¯t take much effort to kill all of them, Lin Feng picking up one more kill in the process. His team then shifted their focus towards Baron Nashor and killed it, iming its buff.

    This y hurled Lin Feng¡¯s team in front in every aspect of the game, and before long they were knocking on the enemy¡¯s base. Inhibitor towers fell, followed by inhibitors. Super minions spawned and marched down thenes, assisting Lin Feng¡¯s team as theyy siege on the Nexus towers. And finally, after another ace, Lin Feng¡¯s team destroyed the two Nexus towers and the Nexus to win the game.

    VICTORY!

    Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his neck. He then looked at An Xin and asked, ¡°What were we talking about again? Something about¡­¡±

    ¡°About the fact you¡¯re still ying on the Korean server,¡± An Xin said, smiling. She nodded, impressed, and added, ¡°You¡¯re in pretty good form from the looks of it. How many have you won so far today?¡±

    ¡°I think, uhm, I don¡¯t¡­¡± Lin Feng started. He scrunched his eyes and nose, thinking really hard, before sighing and opening his character page. It showed five wins in thest five games, three of which were from the day. He stuck up three fingers, and said, ¡°Three.¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng. She noticed how his back wasn¡¯t quite as straight as it usually was and how the grin on his face didn¡¯t have that lively energy it usually had. Is he flexing his shoulders¡­? She asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t three wins good? And you¡¯re pretty high up on the Korean Challengerdder too!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ I guess,¡± Lin Feng replied, grimacing. ¡°It¡¯s just. You see, I¡¯ve only got a few more days left and still so far to go! Look at this! Look! I¡¯m only Rank 24! And how long do I have left? Tonight just a bit, but not too much because we lost so much time eating!¡±

    ¡°And whose fault was that?¡± An Xin interjected, giggling.

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem to notice her joke. He put up a second finger and continued, ¡°Then there¡¯s tomorrow. The next day we¡¯ve got the semis, so I can¡¯t y until we¡¯re through to the Finals. Which are two dayster. Which means I only have the day before Finals to get all the way to the Top 3! You know how little time that is? That¡¯s like¡­ two days and four nights!¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°From what I recall, One wanted you to reach the Top 5. You¡¯re now Rank 24, so that means you¡¯ve got 19 ranks to go. That¡¯s not too bad, especially not for someone as good as you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, usually,¡± Lin Feng replied. He leaned back in his chair again and sighed, annoyed. He then shot up from his chair and flung his arms at hisptop. ¡°But do you know what they¡¯re doing?¡± he blurted. ¡°They¡¯re banning my Champions! They¡¯re camping myne! They¡¯re trying to make my life impossible! It¡¯s like they know they¡¯re ying against me in Champion Select, but they can¡¯t know that! Why are they only banning my Champions!?¡±

    An Xin pulled Lin Feng back down on his chair and ruffled his hair. She winked at him and said, ¡°What did you expect, silly? Did you think One would give you an easy challenge? This is a test. Show One and everyone else you¡¯ve still got it.¡±

    Lin Feng pulled himself free from An Xin¡¯s grasp and grinned a bit brighter than before. He clenched his fist and said, ¡°I know! That¡¯s why I can¡¯t waste even a second! I need to get into my next game and win again! Maybe I can hit the Top 20 tonight! That¡¯d make my life so much easier!¡±

    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re motivated,¡± An Xin said, winking. She then briefly paused, hesitating, before asking, ¡°Oh, right, that reminds me. You heard it too, right? The Beijing Esports Association¡¯s President is going to present the championship trophy to the winners of the Winter Collegiate Cup.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes grew round and wide. He slowly turned his head to look at An Xin and replied, ¡°Oh? That so? I might¡¯ve heard something simr¡­¡±

    An Xin narrowed her eyes and smiled. She said, ¡°I remember a little bit of something. Hmm, what was it again? Something, something,st name Lin. Right! There¡¯s you, Lin Feng, and then there¡¯s the president of the Beijing Esports Association Lin¡ª¡±

    ¡°He is? Wow! Hahaha!¡± Lin Feng interrupted, awkward. He turned his head away from An Xin and focused on his screen right as the queue popped. He pointed at the pop up notification and said, ¡°Look! Look! Game! I need to focus! Game! I need to y!¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± An Xin replied, giggling. She then got up from her chair and added, ¡°This chair is terrible. I don¡¯t get how you sit on it for so long. I¡¯m gonna go for a walk and then sleep. Good luck with your games and see you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good! Yeah, yeah! Goodnight! Bye! Close the door behind you!¡± Lin Feng said, staring at his screen.

    At the door, An Xin turned around onest time. Lin Feng still wasn¡¯t looking in her direction. She smiled and mouthed, ¡°Idiot.¡± And then she closed the door behind her. The strain of the day was too much. She knew it the moment she got up from the office chair, and now it hit. Her knees buckled and her legs went limp. She lost bnce and fell to the floor, catching herself on the door handle. She bit down hard on her teeth and closed her eyes, forcing herself back up and leaning against the wall for support. Breathing heavily, she searched for the strength in her legs and then for her bnce.

    ¡°BunBun?¡± Chu Fang asked, worried. He¡¯d just walked out from Zeng Rui¡¯s room and saw An Xin pulling herself up on the door handle. ¡°Are you okay? Is Lin Feng not letting you in?¡±

    An Xin took a long, deep breath, gathering herself. She then lightly pushed herself off the wall and turned her head to look at Chu Fang. She forced a smile on her lips and said, ¡°You know him, probably caught up in a game of League. And then when I wanted to turn around and go to bed I kicked myself against the back of my foot and stumbled.¡±

    Chu Fang looked at An Xin and shook his head. He said, ¡°Be careful, BunBun. We need you in top condition for the next two rounds. Uh, do you want to say goodnight to Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°NoNo!¡± An Xin replied, waving her arms. She smiled a bit brighter and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt him. I know how focused he is on reaching the top of the Koreandder, and he¡¯s almost there! I¡¯ll just go to bed and I¡¯ll see him in the morning.¡± She briefly paused and then added, ¡°Thanks, Chu Fang.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Chu Fang replied. He looked at her again and scratched the side of his head. She stumbled while standing still¡­? How? But she looks okay¡­ He moved his lips around for a bit before finally saying, ¡°Alright, if you say so. Just be a bit more careful, okay? Now get some rest and don¡¯t forget to brush your teeth!¡±

    An Xin bit on her teeth and walked across the hallway to her room, showing to Chu Fang that she was okay. She then twirled around victoriously and said, ¡°I never forget!¡±

    After Chu Fang entered his room, An Xin turned back around and looked at her door. She reached out to it with her right hand and touched the handle, tried to grab it, but no sensation was registering in her mind. She bit on her lips as tears appeared in her eyes. It¡¯s back. I¡¯ve lost the feeling in my hand again. It went so well. It¡¯s been more than a month since thest time I had it this bad. But now¡­ She shook her head, trying to get rid of the tears. She then tried to open the door again, but her right hand wouldn¡¯t cooperate. No! NO! It felt like the world copsed around her again, just like when the doctor had first diagnosed her and exined to her what it meant for the rest of her life. I won¡¯t let this rule my life! I WON¡¯T!

 Chapter 389: Climbing & Pulling Back the Veil

    The rm buzzed next to Lin Feng¡¯s head. He tried to open his eyes and groaned,ining, ¡°Too bright! Too early! Grownups crazy.¡±

    Chu Fang walked out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Lin Feng and shook his head. He said, ¡°You¡¯re doing this to yourself trying toplete that crazy challenge from One. Everyone else is sleeping in today.¡±

    ¡°I know, yeah. I know,¡± Lin Feng croaked as he pushed himself up. He blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room, searching for hisptop and the desk it stood on. When he found it, he crawled-and-walked towards it and pulled himself into the office chair.

    ¡°Lin Feng?¡± Chu Fang asked. He waited until Lin Feng looked at him before continuing, ¡°There¡¯s breakfast in the lobby. Grab something for breakfast before you start ying.¡±

    Lin Feng nodded and got up, then stumbled to the door in his underwear. He mumbled, ¡°Yup. Smart. Food always wakes me up.¡±

    ¡°Lin Feng!¡± Chu Fang shouted. He waited again until Lin Feng turned around, then threw a t-shirt and some shorts at him. ¡°At least wear this if you¡¯re going down.¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head and blinked. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the t-shirt sticking to his chest. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± he said, scratching the back of his head andughing awkwardly. ¡°Thanks, Chu Fang!¡± He then jumped into his clothes while opening the door and bolting down the hallway to the stairs. Something about rubbing his eyes had done the trick. He was awake. And hungry. He ignored the elevator, worried it would take longer, and ran down the stairs. Four flights of stairster, he burst into the lobby and filled three tes. When he couldn¡¯t possibly carry anything more, he bolted out of the lobby and back up the stairs, mumbling to himself, ¡°I¡¯ll eat while I¡¯m in the queue. Can¡¯t miss a second! Can¡¯t miss a second!¡±

    Back in his room, Lin Feng sat down behind hisptop, the drowsiness from beforepletely reced by pangs of hunger from a rumbling stomach. He booted up hisptop while stuffing two steamed buns in his mouth. BunBuns, hehe! Aaaah! So good! I need more!

    The blue light of hisputer illuminated the room. Lin Feng opened the League client and queued up. ¡°Come on,e on,¡± he mumbled impatiently. ¡°Find a match already! Find a match!¡±

    Lin Feng spent the next five hours ying League of Legends. He won the first game of the day. But then he lost the next two games. His ount dropped down to Rank 26, but he remained calm. Losing was part of the game. His game was the only thing that mattered in solo queue, and his game was on point. He was pitted against Korean professional yers in nearly every game and he won hisne every game, even when his favourite Champions were banned and the opponent got a counter pick on him.

    Calmness permeated his entire being and the conviction that he could climb to the Top 5 pulsed from his heart through his veins. Lin Feng yed better and better, carrying harder and harder. Victories started stacking up and his rank went up. He checked his next target on thedder after every game and he chased them down. From Rank 26 to 25, 24¡­ 20, 19.

    The door to Lin Feng¡¯s room opened and An Xin poked her head around the corner. She said, ¡°Hey, addict. We¡¯re having lunch. You done yet?¡±

    Lin Feng looked up from his screen, surprised. When he saw An Xin, he grinned and said, ¡°Uh, yeah! I guess so. Just finished a game actually! I¡¯m Rank 19 already!¡± He then yawned and stretched out long before adding, ¡°Wow, I¡¯m beat! It feels like I¡¯ve been at this all day! How do people do it? You know, work from 9 to 5? I don¡¯t think I could ever do that!¡±

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°Idiot. Come.¡±

    ?

    Chu Fang joined Team Shanghai for lunch. He watched his team eat and shook his head. He groaned and moaned. He looked absolutely miserable.

    Zeng Rui eventually couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He¡¯d gotten to know Chu Fang a lot better recently, since the two often talked tactics while Lin Feng was ying League of Legends in his hotel room. He looked up at Chu Fang and said, ¡°Just say it.¡±

    ¡°That obvious, huh?¡± Chu Fang said, chuckling. He shrugged and exined, ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve got your attention. Here¡¯s the thing. I received word from the Beijing Esports Association. I know who we¡¯re ying in the next round and it¡¯s not pretty. Or rather, it feels staged. But whatever. So, yeah, we¡¯re ying against Fudan University. U-Tech Beijing and Team Beijing are going to face each other.¡±

    An Xin looked up from her bowl and said, ¡°That isn¡¯t too bad? Why are you acting like it is¡­?¡±

    Chu Fang shrugged and said, ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to see an all East China finals. That would¡¯ve been a great show! But I guess this is fine too.¡±

    ¡°We have to be careful,¡± Zeng Rui interjected. He waited for everyone to look at him before he continued, ¡°Fudan¡¯s performance was on point in their game against Zhejiang just the other day. They¡¯ve gotten better since we yed them in the Finals of the East China Regionals. Let¡¯s schedule a training session this afternoon. I want to be prepared for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lin Feng blurted. His eyes grew round and wide as he stared at Zeng Rui. He asked, ¡°Training?¡± And when Zeng Rui nodded at him, he emptied his te and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go! No time to waste! We need to hurry!¡±

    ¡°Aside, aside, asideMake way, make way, make wayWe are in an incredible hurry!¡±

    ?

    The news about the Semifinals draw of the Winter Collegiate Cup also reached Aurous that same afternoon. He pushed his training with Light Dynasty aside and called Shi Hang. When the call connected, he shouted, ¡°Hey! Yo! Did you see?¡±

    ¡°What did I see?¡± Shi Hang asked. He added slightly annoyed, ¡°You know it¡¯s training time right now, right? I¡¯ve got a big game tomorrow and I need to do well. I don¡¯t have time to shoot the shit¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare to hang up on me!¡± Aurous shouted. He loudly breathed a few times before continuing, ¡°Fudan drew Team Shanghai.¡±

    Shi Hang¡¯s attitude changedpletely. He forgot all about his training and startedughing. It started with a low grin and slowly turned into a hysterical, snortingughter. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath again. He then said, ¡°WELP! F for Fudan! GG!¡±

    The vein on Aurous¡¯ forehead bulged. He gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re a jerk, you know that? Now tell me about that guy on Team Shanghai! Who is he? You¡¯ve kept me in the dark long enough. My team is ying them now. Let me help them with info!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Team Shanghai? Whatever are you talking about?¡± Shi Hang asked in faked confusion.

    Aurous snorted and barked, ¡°Fuck off with the bullshit! I know it¡¯s someone on Team Shanghai! OUT WITH IT!¡±

    There was silence on the line. Aurous almost couldn¡¯t stop himself from yelling at Shi Hang again. But just as he opened his mouth, his friend¡¯s voice sounded in his ear. ¡°Fine, fine. I don¡¯t want you to try and strangle me over the phone. That¡¯d be embarrassing for both of us. And it¡¯s not like you knowing is going to change anything. There¡¯s really nothing you can do. But yeah, I¡¯ll stop hiding the truth from you. You kno¡ª¡±

    ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING TELLING ME OR NOT!?¡± Aurous screamed into his phone.

    Shi Hang chuckled and said, ¡°Remember I told you when I joined for that one series it was because of one person?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Tell me already,¡± Aurous replied, impatient.

    Shi Hang grinned and revealed, ¡°It¡¯s their Miner. The one who beat me. He is the reason I stepped in. He is the reason I didn¡¯t feel bad about stepping in.¡±

    ¡°Their Miner? Really?¡± Aurous asked, doubtful. He looked at theputer in front of him that showed the lineup of Team Shanghai. ¡°Lin Feng? That him? What¡¯s so special about him?¡±

    Shi Hangughed and said, ¡°Yeah, I guess they did keep his name pretty well hidden back then. But maybe you¡¯ve heard it somewhere? Doesn¡¯t it sound just a bit familiar?¡±

    ¡°Familiar?¡± Aurous repeated. He scratched his chin and took a couple of seconds to think about it. He then shook his head and said, ¡°No, not really, no. Just tell me, dude. Come on. Don¡¯t be a douche! I don¡¯t know any Lin Fengs in thepetitive circle. Just tell me who he is.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re almost there!¡± Shi Hang said. ¡°He did y professionally. But not this season orst. Or the one before that.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, asshole!¡± Aurous eximed. He took a deep, long breath and then continued, ¡°Alright. So not this season orst, so then what? Season 3? 2?¡±

    ¡°Getting there, getting there,¡± Shi Hang replied,ughing.

    Aurous sighed loudly and said, ¡°DUDE! I only started ying towards the end of Season 2! I don¡¯t even remember half the things from back then! In what world do you see me remembering whatever the fuck happened in Season 1? That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying, right? Season 1? Who the fuck still knows that? That¡¯s like ancient history! I don¡¯t watch the History Channel!¡±

    Shi Hang bit a new burst ofughter back and replied, ¡°Ah, buddy, I didn¡¯t know you were wearing your girlfriend¡¯s panties. You really shouldn¡¯t do that. It gets your balls all squished up and you turn into this raging dickless-hole! Anyway, think back. We all know a little bit about Season 1 and this Lin Feng belongs to that little bit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, a little bit,¡± Aurous mumbled, his mind working overture. He mumbled, ¡°We all know about Season 1 Worlds. The best Chinese team ever. You had Tian Tian in top and Eleven in the Jungle. Then you had those two in the botne¡­ Didn¡¯t that one kick your ass? Right and then they, they¡ª No. No. NoNoNo!¡±

    Shi Hang chuckled and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°No, no. No! NoNoNo! No. No! NO!¡± Aurous muttered. ¡°No. No! It can¡¯t be. No, that can¡¯t be. It can¡¯t. Don¡¯t tell me. No, I don¡¯t believe you!¡± He briefly paused before asking, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Shi Hang replied.

    Aurous trembled, his entire body shook. His jaw dropped to the floor, as did his phone. He sat there for a few minutes, just staring at his screen in shock. There, ck on white, was that name. Lin Feng. Maple. Maple! He finally reached down and grabbed his phone. He ced it against his ear and said, ¡°He was that young? I heard things, but¡­ And now¡­ Collegiate Cup? He, this, why? Why would he¡­ Is heing back? Is he going pro again? Are we finally¡­¡± His shock from learning who Lin Feng was and the realization that his Fudan University team hadn¡¯t the slightest chance of beating him disappeared as quickly as it came and was reced with a trace of hope and excitement. He smiled and asked, ¡°Is heing back? I want to y against him.¡±

    Shi Hangughed and replied, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯sing back. And it¡¯s starting to look like it won¡¯t be much longer now.¡±

 Chapter 390: Be More Like the Thundering Dumbass

    Team Shanghai rented a private room in an inte cafe. The yers sat down in a half circle around Zeng Rui who pulled out his notebook and licked the tip of his finger. He counted the pages with his thumb before opening the notebook and scanning the page. He then moved his head around in hesitation, looked up at his teammates, and then flipped to the next page.

    Lin Feng tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. He watched Zeng Rui flip to the next page for a third time and grimaced. He grabbed his phone and checked the time, then looked up at Zeng Rui again, who was still focused on his notebook. He finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer and said, ¡°Come on already! Tell us what we¡¯re doing!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked up at Lin Feng, distracted, and slowly massaged his temple. He moved his lips around for a bit and then said, ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal. I¡¯ve watched all of Fudan¡¯s games. Twice. I can only conclude¡­ well, they¡¯re strangely simr to Zhejiang University. The ystyle for both teams is damn near identical at times. Both of them go with very strong teamps, and that¡¯s also their weakness. It takes them until the mid game, when teamfights be more prevalent, to start building momentum.

    ¡°We are the perfect counter to that strategy. Tang Tang¡¯s aggressive ystyle will let us gain an early advantage, BunBun is one of the best early game Junglers I¡¯ve ever seen, and then, well¡­¡± Zeng Rui stopped and shrugged. He then nodded at Zhang Hao and continued in a different direction, ¡°You might have a bit of trouble in the topne. But that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just have BunBun camp up there. Fudan can focus you all they want, they¡¯re not getting anything with the two of you there to hold it down.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Zeng Rui. Waiting, expectantly. But Zeng Rui stopped talking and was now looking through his notebook, flipping through his notebook in an excruciatingly slow manner. Lin Feng chewed on his lips for a couple of seconds until he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He blurted, ¡°What about me? You didn¡¯t say anything about me? What¡¯s your n for me?¡±

    Zeng Rui nced up from his notebook and took a long, deep breath. What do you think? You¡¯re Maple! Isn¡¯t it clear what you¡¯re going to do? You¡¯re going to carry us, because no matter how good I am, no matter how well Tang Tang ys, regardless of everything BunBun and Zhang Hao pull out of their assholes, it¡¯s never going to get anywhere near what you can do. But if I tell you that, you¡¯re going to be insufferable for the rest of the day. Thundering dumbass. He sighed and said, ¡°Qiu Yijie is a solid Miner. The general consensus is that he¡¯s reached the A grade and that he can hold his own against most professional Miners. But you¡¯re not most Miners. You¡¯re Maple.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°You¡¯re calling me good, right? You¡¯re right! I¡¯m really good! I¡¯ll beat him!¡±

    Zeng Rui briefly closed his eyes and breathed in, allowing the fresh air to clear his thoughts. He then opened his eyes again and smiled. He replied, ¡°Just win mid. Alright, enough chattering. I¡¯ve got a couple of strategies here that we¡¯re going to practice.¡±

    ?

    Team Shanghai practiced from lunch until dinner. The time they spent queuing up, Zeng Rui exined everything that went wrong in his opinion and how he wanted to see the team members improve. And when it was finally time for dinner, he suggested that they continue ying. He said they would just order some chicken cutlets to eat while in queue for the next game.

    Lin Feng was the first to agree to this suggestion. He¡¯d been ying since early that morning, but he still wanted to keep going. When Chu Fang told him that ying League of Legends for 10 hours in a single day wasn¡¯t the most healthy habit, he shrugged it away. And when An Xin exined to him that this was why the rest of the team had taken the morning off, heughed and replied that he had important League business he¡¯d had to take care of that morning.

    Team Shanghai yed through dinner, but despite Lin Feng¡¯s excitement, the quality of his y saw a sharp decline. He started messing up in the midne, failing to warn his teammates when something was happening and even cost them a game. That was when Zeng Rui stopped. He looked at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You¡¯re not fine. You can say you are, but you aren¡¯t. You need to rest for tomorrow. We¡¯re ending practice tonight.¡±

    ¡°But I can still y!¡± Lin Feng argued. ¡°That was just a little slip up there!¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng, her lips curving up but her eyes remaining steady. She said, ¡°HMM? Just a little slip up? You fell down a waterslide. That''s how hard you fucked up that game! Now stop. Rest. We need you on point tomorrow.¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin. He wanted to argue. But when he looked past her at the worried look from Tang Bingyao, he paused. He looked back at his screen and opened the detailed analysis of the game. His damage dealt was low, his damage received high, his wards ced low¡­ His stats were all moving in the direction he didn¡¯t want to see them go. He grimaced and muttered, ¡°Okay. Fine. We can take a break.¡±

    ¡°Not a break,¡± Zeng Rui said. He looked at Lin Feng and corrected, ¡°We¡¯re ending practice tonight. And we¡¯re going to rest. Go and sleep, Lin Feng. We need you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll get some rest!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be in great shape tomorrow!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng ran up the stairs at the hotel while the rest of his team waited at the elevator. He reached the fourth floor before the others and burst into his room. The curtains were closed already and his bed was made. He pulled his clothes off in a half-run and then jumped on bed. rm, rm. Set the rm! He grabbed his phone and set an rm for half an hourter. He then let his head fall on the pillow and closed his eyes. I¡¯m still young! I can y all night and be fine in the morning! I¡¯ll just rest for a bit and then I¡¯ma y all night long and get to the top of the Korean rankeddder!

    Chu Fang walked into the hotel room a couple of minutester and found Lin Feng already in bed. He smiled and shook his head. Crazy kid. He sat down on his bed and turned on the smallmp on the nightstand. It gave just enough light for him to read a webseries on his phone. Joshua was still getting used to his new life as a truck. But the pavement the mega ants had made for him made his life much easier thesest few weeks. He could drive between Sardonia and Grelsh in half the time with half the effort and there were no real life and death moments like usual. It seemed like the dangerous monsters didn¡¯t like the smell of tar¡­

    The buzz of an rm rang. Chu Fang looked up from his phone, confused and annoyed by the interruption. He searched for the source and spotted Lin Feng¡¯s phone shing brightly. Why is Lin Feng¡¯s phone¡­ His eyes grew round and wide and he slowly shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Lin Feng opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. He turned his phone rm off and then looked at the time. LEAGUE! He was wide awake, the thought about the Koreandder having a simr effect a bucket of ice cold water would¡¯ve had. He jumped up from his bed and turned the lights on.

    Chu Fang looked at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Are you really going to¡­?¡± Lin Feng nodded at him, answering the question. He continued, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s smart? A good rest is important for your health. And you need your health to y League. Didn¡¯t Zeng Rui tell you to sleep tonight?¡±

    Lin Feng sat at the small table and turned hisptop on. He nced over his shoulder while waiting for it to boot up and said, ¡°I did rest! And now I need to y. I promised One I would get to the top of the Korean rankeddder and I won¡¯t get there if I just sleep all night. I need to y and y and y and use every free minute I have to get to the top!¡±

    Chu Fang shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Ain¡¯t no rest for the wicked.¡±

    ?

    Money don''t grow on treesI got bills to payI got mouths to feedThere ain''t nothing in this world for freeI know I can''t slow downI can''t hold backThough you knowI wish I couldOh, no there ain''t no rest for the wickedUntil we close our eyes for good

    ?

    A powerful buzz swept through the Chinese League of Legendsmunity. CN?HOOK2 had be the single most discussed topic on the different forumboards. It was even higher up there than the LPL games and Shi Hang¡¯s return to professional y. Within minutes of CN?HOOK2ing online and entering the queue, everyone in China who cared about League of Legends found out. They left work early, called in sick, skipped their homework, and searched online for a ce to watch the epic ascension of the Korean Challengerdder by a Chinese yer.

    ¡¸CN?HOOK2, he¡¯s online again!¡¹¡¸FUCKING FINALLY!!!!!!! It¡¯s already 9 PM! I¡¯ve been waiting allll dayyyy!!!¡¹¡¸RANKRANKRANRANKRA TELL ME HIS RANK NOW SOMEONE TELL ME¡¹¡¸17! He¡¯s already rank 17!¡¹¡¸he needs one more win to get to 16! He¡¯s getting so close to the top 10! just imagine OH MY GOOOOD!¡¹

    It didn¡¯t take long for news of CN?HOOK2 ying a game on the Korean server to reach the various gaming houses from the LPL teams, including Dark Glory. Lightless Heart was streaming a game on the Ionia server, chilling with his viewers after a long day of practice with his team, when he found out. Viewers were talking about CN?HOOK2 in his stream chat. He read the conversation and got so distracted by it that he forgot to y his game. If it¡¯s really One, how awesome would that be? One is showing to the world that he still has it and that there¡¯s no Korean who can stop him! Humm¡­ Fuck me I wanna watch this too!

    Lightless looked at his camera and smiled. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a small surprise for you guys. Wanna watch CN?HOOK2 y live? Let¡¯s go!¡± He logged out from his Ionia server ount and opened his Korean client. There he opened his friends list and at the very top it showed CN?HOOK2 with the tag ¡°ying solo queue¡±.

    The 30,000 viewers in Lightless¡¯ stream lost their minds. They spammed his chat and then their phones and different message boards. It didn¡¯t take long for word to go round, only the time it took for Lightless to load into the game and spectate CN?HOOK2. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese League of Legends yers stopped with what they were doing. There were so many of them that abandoned their games that it even became difficult to find a game on the Ionia server. All of them joined Lightless¡¯ stream and flooded his chat.

    ¡¸CN?HOOK2!? ITS HIM ITS HIM ITS HIM!!!!!¡¹¡¸OMGGGGG!!!! LIGHTLESS KNOWS HIM! THEYRE FRIENDS!!!!¡¹¡¸does that mean hook is someone on dark glory?¡¹¡¸YEAH! LIGHTLESS TELL US! IS HE YOUR TEAMMATE?!?!?!?!?!?¡¹¡¸TELL US!,DO YOU KNOW HIM!¡¹¡¸do you also know what hes doing? like what his goal is? is he going to try and beat rake for number 1 spot??¡¹¡¸how far do you think he c an go before thedder resets? hes only got like two more days, right?????¡¹

    Lightless didn¡¯t see the chat. Just like most of his viewers, he was mesmerized with CN?HOOK2. He clenched his fist and licked his lips, mumbling, ¡°Come on,e on. Win! Carry the game. I know you can!¡± He nced at his second monitor, tabbing out of his streamchat and opening the Korean Challengerdder rankings. 17. He already hit 17! Holy what the fuck! I¡¯ve been watching him when I can thest few days, but this¡­ How in the world¡­ FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH! He grinned and shouted, ¡°FUCK YEAH!¡±

    A yer from Dark Glory sitting behind aputer on the other side of the gaming room looked up from his screen. He nodded at Lightless and asked, ¡°You okay?¡±

    Lightless chuckled and replied, ¡°Yeah! All good here, all good here¡­ All fucking great and fantastic! SWEET!¡± He ignored the strange look from his teammate and focused back on his screen. Sure, we don¡¯t have any super top pro¡¯s in China right now. We don¡¯t have some fancy Emperor like Europe, America and¡­ Korea do. But that doesn¡¯t make us shit either! We¡¯ve got our legends, even if they haven¡¯t yedpetitively in a long time. He clenched his fists until the white showed on his knuckles. We¡¯ve got One! The best ever! Even after so many years of not ying, he just hops on the Korean server and goes all the way to the top! He¡¯s the only legend we need! FUCK YEAH! He¡¯s making the Koreans look like shit! This is the best thing ever! Better even than winning a game in the LPL!

    ?

    Zeng Rui sat in his hotelroom, massaging his temples. Zhang Hao sat next to him, scrolling through a forum post about CN?HOOK2 andmenting, ¡°Look at this, Zeng Rui! Lin Feng¡¯s just won another game! He¡¯s already Rank 13!¡± He turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and continued, ¡°I thought he was supposed to sleep early. Wasn¡¯t that why he ran so fast up the stairs? But he¡¯s been online for hours now! He hasn¡¯t slept at all!¡±

    Zhang Hao continued talking and Zeng Rui continued not listening. He was staring at the wall and massaging his temples. The thundering dumbass yed for more than 10 hours and then when he was supposed to take a break, he ys some more. I want to be mad at him. I so badly want to be mad at him. But it¡¯s just¡­ how is he still climbing? He¡¯s beating Miners from the OGN every single game! These are the best guys from Korea! How is he beating them every single game? He hasn¡¯t yed Rake yet, but that¡¯s about the only one he hasn¡¯t yed yet! How is he beating all of these guys after ying all day already?

    Zeng Rui took a long, deep breath and nodded at himself. It took me a while, Lin Feng. All I saw in you was a thundering dumbass, someone so retarded they couldn¡¯t possibly be any good at League of Legends or anything in life really. But I was wrong. I looked at your cover and wrote your story for you, and that says more about me than it does about you. I can see it now, your story. It¡¯s one of persistence. One of pure willpower. When the rest of us give up or feel like we need to rest, you keep going. You keep fighting. You don¡¯t stop and you never give up. He nodded at Zhang Hao and asked, ¡°You tired?¡±

    ¡°Not particrly, no?¡± Zhang Hao replied, confused.

    ¡°Good,¡± Zeng Rui said. He got up from his bed and grabbed hisptop from his suitcase. He then nced at Zhang Hao and asked, ¡°What are you waiting for? Grab yourptop and get ready. If the thundering dumbass can give it his all, then so can we. We¡¯re not going to let him down.¡±

 Chapter 391: Peaking in High School

    U-Tech Beijing were the defending champions of the Collegiate Cup. But the tournament taking ce this winter was not going well for them. They qualified to the main tournament in second ce behind Team Beijing, who hadpletely outssed them in every part of the game. They¡¯d made it all the way to the Semifinals, where they were up against Team Beijing again. This was supposed to be their redemption for what happened during the qualifiers. They¡¯d spent countless hours researching Team Beijing. They hired analysts from professional teams to help them develop new strategies against Team Beijing. The entire team had even taken a semester off from their University courses to get in as many practice hours as they possibly could. They fought so hard, and got so far. But in the end, it didn¡¯t even matter.

    The yers from U-Tech Beijing got up on stage at 9 A.M. The fans in the Chaoyang Sports Center cheered in support. The five from U-Tech Beijing usually took a moment to acknowledge this support, but not this day. For on this day, their eyes were on the soundproof booths and their minds were filled with the countless hours of practice that had led to the conclusion that they simply weren¡¯t up to the task of beating Team Beijing. They were going to lose their title. They believed that, anyway.

    Fifteen excruciating minutes passed in which the yers from U-Tech Beijing sat behind theirputers, waiting for the host to finish announcing them. They looked at each other for moral support, but no one knew how to offer that. Because they were winners; they didn¡¯t know how to deal with loss. When they entered the lobby, their team captain sighed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s just give it our all, guys. Those kids over there¡­¡± he nodded with his head towards Team Beijing. ¡°... They¡¯re just kids. Maybe the pressure will get to them and we can cheese our way through this.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re basically a top LSPL team¡­¡± U-Tech Beijing¡¯s Jungler muttered, defeated.

    U-Tech Beijing¡¯s team captain grimaced and responded, ¡°And we¡¯re basically an LSPL team.¡± He briefly paused, letting that bit of information settle in with his teammates. He then continued, ¡°Those guys at the bottom in the LSPL, they don¡¯t give up. Despite their odds, despite everything and oftentimes everyone being against them, they don¡¯t give up. They go up on stage and they y their damndest! We need to do that today. Not to win this series, but to prove to ourselves that we are, in fact, an LSPL worthy team. Let¡¯s show everyone we have that backbone. And if Team Beijing messes up? We¡¯re winning this.¡±

    U-Tech Beijing¡¯s ad-carry nodded, at first slowly but then faster. He grinned and clenched his fist and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ve been so focused on how to beat them and realising we can¡¯t beat them when they go all out that we¡¯ve lost the bigger picture. No one is at their best every series. Upsets do happen. When we give it our all in this series, the worst case scenario is that we give up. Not fighting at all, that would be a shame.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± U-Tech Beijing¡¯s Toner eximed. He narrowed his eyes, smiled and said, ¡°My stomach is going crazy, and not because I just had coffee! My arms are shaking and look, just look at my hands! They¡¯re trembling like crazy! But that¡¯s good, that¡¯s fine. I like this feeling. We might go down, but we¡¯ll go down fighting. FOR U-TECH!¡±

    ¡°FOR U-TECH!¡± the four other members from U-Tech Beijing echoed their Toner.

    ?

    TheBrawnster grabbed his microphone and said, ¡°Yo, yo yo! It¡¯s your boy TheBrawnster here, bringing you this amazing semis with his best girl PufPuf!¡± He turned to look at PufPuf and continued, ¡°Yo girl, whatcha thinkin¡¯ ¡®bout this series?¡±

    ¡°Only that it¡¯s gonna be ah¨Cmazing, of course!¡± PufPuf shrieked in her high pitched voice. She smiled and asked, ¡°You must be so excited to be here! You get to cast two Beijing teams!¡±

    TheBrawnster nodded, grinning. He said, ¡°It¡¯s an honour, really. I¡¯m a proud Beijing local myself and to see two title contenders fighting it out for a spot in the finals¡­ I can¡¯t begin to tell you how great this feels! Just a shame it¡¯s only the semis. I¡¯ve seen the other two teams¡­ Let¡¯s just say Beijing has the most talent. This could¡¯ve made for a great Finals!¡±

    PufPuf giggled and replied, ¡°I sense some of that famous Beijing superiority there! But you¡¯ve got every right to! Beijing really has two of the best teams with U-Tech Beijing and Team Beijing! Oh, oh! Enough talking!¡± She turned her head to look at the camera, paused briefly for dramatic effect, and then shrieked, ¡°Let the games begin!¡±

    The first game was full of fireworks. Team Beijing started with a Level 1 invade, catching U-Tech Beijing¡¯s Junglerpletely out of position. The kill went to Yu Ping¡¯s Fizz. He recalled back to base and bought a second Doran¡¯s Ring. That gave him a big edge over hisne opponent, which culminated in a kill at Level 3. A few minutester, U-Tech Beijing tried to put a stop to Yu Ping¡¯s Fizz. But the gank went wrong very fast when Yu Ping dashed towards a minion and used it to reach Level 6. He unlocked his ultimate skill and when megalodon jumped through the portal and knocked both Champions from U-Tech Beijing up into the air, the game was as good as yed. Team Beijing was up 1-0.

    Team Beijing carried their momentum from the first game into the second. Their Top- and Boners found a boost in confidence after watching Yu Ping carry them to an easy win, and they used that confidence to make ys they would usually hesitate on. But U-Tech Beijing didn¡¯t let Team Beijing walk all over them. They retreated, allowed towers to fall, and used a turtle strategy to get themselves mentally into the game. Not to win the second one, that one was quickly slipping from their grasp, but to be ready toe out swinging in the third. They managed to drag the second game for nearly 50 minutes, when Yu Ping found an opening and helped Team Beijing ace U-Tech Beijing. Team Beijing went up 2-0.

    U-Tech Beijing found their stride in the third game, while Team Beijing felt their nerves tickling them just enough to put them off bnce. U-Tech Beijing¡¯s Miner realised that there was nothing to gain in the midne, because Yu Ping was just too good. So he roamed bot and top and helped thosenes get the advantage they needed to beat theirne opponents. When the teamfights came around in the mid game, U-Tech Beijing was far enough ahead to beat Team Beijing to every major objective. Including at 34 minutes when they slew Baron Nashor. That boost was the final push U-Tech Beijing needed to close the game out.

    The third game was a wakeup call for Team Beijing. Mistakes they usually never made had slipped in and Yu Ping was furious with his teammates over that. He admonished them in the short break between the games and warned his teammates to be ready for the next game. And ready they were. The fourth game was the strongest performance by Team Beijing up to that point in the entire tournament. They rose to a new level entirely as they deconstructed U-Tech Beijing. It only took them 27 minutes to destroy the towers, kill the Baron and ace U-Tech Beijing on top of their fountain. Team Beijing won the Semifinals against U-Tech Beijing convincingly with a 3-1 final score!

    TheBrawnster shouted into his microphone, ¡°WOOOOOO! What a performance, yo! Fuckin¡¯ sick! These two teams, you know, LSPL WORTHY! I¡¯M WAITING TO SEE ALL OF THEM GO PRO!¡±

    PufPuf nodded and shrieked, ¡°U-Tech¡¯s team is a bit older, but Team Beijing¡­ Oh my god! Can you believe it? They¡¯re high schoolers! They¡¯re, like, BARELY LEGAL!¡±

    TheBrawnster looked at PufPuf andughed. He then said into his microphone, ¡°Barely legal indeed. These 18 year old kids are throwing the Chinese esports scene upside down! I can tell you all one thing, I¡¯M A PROUD BEIJING LOCAL! We¡¯re gonna get some mad talent flooding the LSPL, the LPL and holy damn, we¡¯re gonna win Worlds one of these years! I¡¯ve said it! Beijing has the talent! WE¡¯RE GOIN¡¯ TO WORLDS!¡± He briefly paused, putting his hand to his chest to feel his heart mming against his ribcage. The voice from a staff member sounded from his earpiece, reminding him about the second Semifinals. He scratched his head andughed awkwardly. He coughed and continued, ¡°Yo, yo! I almost forgot! Beijing isn¡¯t the only talented side here! We¡¯ve got another semifinals and another high school team! Stick around because right after lunch we¡¯ve got another great series lined up! Fudan University and Team Shanghai from East China are going to fight for the second Finals spot! It¡¯s gonna be sick!¡±

    ?

    It was 2 P.M. when the yers from Fudan University, under the loud apuse of the audience, walked up on stage and took ce in their soundproof booths. They were in a good mood, all five of them. They¡¯d practiced with Zhejiang University, rehearsed their different tactics and analysed every game from Team Shanghai. Fudan University¡¯s Toner looked at his teammates and said, ¡°Alright, guys! We¡¯ve got this! I¡¯ll stomp that Zhang Hao guy just like I did in the East China Regionals Finals and then we¡¯re going through!¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah!¡± Fudan University¡¯s Support cheered.

    Qiu Yijie nodded and was about to reply when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Crap! Forgot to turn that damn thing off. He shook his head and grabbed his phone, ncing at the screen to see what the message was about.

    Aurous:¡¸Yo kid. Good luck with the game. Just remember, there¡¯s no shame in losing. Try your best and keep your head up.¡¹

    Qiu Yijie scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°What?¡± He started typing a response and then paused, hesitating. Why does it sound like he thinks we¡¯re going to lose? Why would he say this right before our game? Am I misreading this? Does he mean something¡ª

    ¡°You ready, cappie?¡± Fudan University¡¯s Jungler asked over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Qiu Yijie looked up and nodded. He turned his phone to silent and put it away, then focused on the screen. Of course there¡¯s no shame in losing¡­ Why would he¡­? He shook his head and grabbed his mouse. Don¡¯t think about it. The gamese first and then I can ask him what the hell that message was about. He nced at his teammates and asked, ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready to rock ¡®n ROLL!¡± the yers from Fudan University replied, grinning.

    Qiu Yijieughed and shouted, ¡°Just like the Regional Finals! We¡¯re going to win this series!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui was giving a few more instructions to his teammates. But it all took too long for Lin Feng. He kept ncing at the time on his monitor and shifted around in his gaming chair. ¡°What is it?¡± Zeng Rui asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, annoyed. ¡°Is this too boring for you, Maple?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that!¡± Lin Feng replied. He scratched the back of his head and continued, ¡°It¡¯s just. Eh, you see¡­ Uhm, I still need to finish climbing the Korean Rankeddder. So the faster we get this series over, the faster I can go back to that!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at Lin Feng, incredulous, and muttered, ¡°W-what?¡±

    An Xin shook her head and said, ¡°Idiot.¡±

    Zhang Hao turned his head and looked at Lin Feng. He yed all day yesterday, and all night! He yed when we were already in bed and when we got up in the morning he was ying again! And now look at him! He¡¯s still all fired up! He wants to y! He really wants to get going! How is he so calm? I wish I could be that excited and that... unworried? Worryfree? Shit it must be great to be the Maple! He nodded, grinning, and eximed, ¡°He¡¯s right! Lin Feng is right! LET¡¯S GET GOIN¡¯! WE GONNA WIN THIS SERIES! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ?

    Qiu Yijie slumped back in his gaming chair and pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked at the text from Aurous again and sighed loudly. What the fuck just happened? It went so fast¡­ It all happened so fast¡­ It¡¯s over. We¡¯re done. The blink of a fucking eye and we¡¯re out. That¡¯s how it feels. It feels like I blinked and suddenly BOOM I¡¯M OUT! DAMMIT! How did this happ¡ª He focused on his phone. Aurous was typing something.

    Aurous:¡¸It¡¯s okay, kid. No shame in losing to him.¡¹

    Fudan University¡¯s Toner put his hand on Qiu Yijie¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Come, bud. It¡¯s okay. Shit happens. Let¡¯s go and congratte them.¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded, despondent. He held his phone in his hand and read the two messages from Aurous again and again, letting his teammates walk him up on stage. When he arrived in the middle of the stage, he bowed to the yers from Team Shanghai. His teammates turned around and started walking away, but he remained where he was. Team Shanghai was already moving to thank the audience, but he reached out his hand towards Lin Feng and asked, ¡°Do you know Aurous?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Qiu Yijie in confusion and asked, ¡°Who?¡±

    Qiu Yijie shook his head and replied, ¡°No, no one. Sorry. Congrattions.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and clenched his fist. He said, ¡°You yed really well! With a bit more practice, you can make it pro! Keep at it!¡±

    ¡°Qiu Yijie,e,¡± Fudan University¡¯s Toner said, pulling his team captain away from the stage.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Qiu Yijie replied to his teammate. He followed them off the stage, but then paused. He turned around and looked at Lin Feng again, at the kid grinning brightly and waving at the crowd as if he¡¯d done it a thousand times before. Everyone else looks ufortable and nervous. What is it about him¡­? He read the messages from Aurous again and shook his head. We lost 3-1, but I lost 4-0 to him¡­ How did he do that? I got stomped!

    ?

    Aurous looked at his chat with Qiu Yijie, waiting for a reply from his student. Come on, kid. I¡¯m watching the stream. I know you¡¯re looking at my messages. Just say you¡¯re okay. You got wrecked by Maple. And I would¡¯ve got wrecked by him too. Just like Shi Hang got wrecked. He breathed out loudly and called Shi Hang. When the line connected, he said, ¡°3-1. Could¡¯ve¡ª Would¡¯ve been 3-0 if his teammates didn¡¯t screw up that second game. Knowing who he is and watching him y¡­ I really wanted to see Fudan win this year...¡±

    ¡°Ah, cheer up!¡± Shi Hang answered,ughing. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a downer! It was a great show Maple put on! Isn¡¯t it something else when you watch him y? I¡¯ll tell you, it¡¯s a real experience to y against him! You should try it!¡±

    Aurous clicked his tongue in annoyance and said, ¡°Hey, jackass! Can you let me sulk for a minute here? My team just got knocked out! We lost because of one damn yer who shouldn¡¯t even be ying on a high school team!¡±

    ¡°Well, technically¡­¡± Shi Hang started, chuckling. He then continued, ¡°It¡¯s okay, bud. I¡¯m here. You can vent to me for a bit and I¡¯ll pretend to listen.¡±

    ¡°Jackass,¡± Aurous replied. ¡°Why do you sound so rxed anyway? Don¡¯t you have a big game today? Or did you y already? Shit. You did, didn¡¯t you? How did it go? Did you beat KG?¡±

 Chapter 392: Itâ€™s About How Hard You Can Get Hit and Keep Movinâ€™ Forward

    Shi Hang was in Team Rapids¡¯ gaming room. Two of his teammates were ying duo queue on theputers and another teammate came walking in munching on some chips. Shi Hang watched them and sighed. We could¡¯ve done better. I¡­ I probably should¡¯ve done a bit better. He took a deep, long breath and then said over his phone to Aurous, ¡°Yeah, we yed earlier today. Lost.¡±

    ¡°You lost?¡± Aurous asked, surprised. ¡°You never lose! You¡¯re bloody AyDeeCee! What happened? Did you fuck up? Or was it a team thing?¡±

    Shi Hang looked at his teammates and chuckled. He shook his head and said, ¡°Nah, the team yed alright. I¡¯ve just been out of it for too long. The new meta feels strange to me and I need a bit more time to adapt. Give it another week, two tops! Our teamwork and coordination will get up there and then we¡¯ll be the team to watch out for!¡±

    ¡°So it was you who screwed up! Pity, dude. That¡¯s a damn pity,¡± Aurous teased. He briefly paused, thinking about the high bar Shi Hang put up for himself and the damage fans could do to the mental fortitude of even the most talented yers, and continued, ¡°Hey, bud? Don¡¯t let it get to you. This was your first match and it was against KG right off the bat! No one expected you to win this one. You¡¯ll get more chances. Just chill and¡­ You might wanna steer clear from social media for a couple of days¡­ You know. The fans.¡±

    Shi Hangughed and said, ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He then cleared his throat and continued, ¡°For you know, the heart of a fan is fickle. One moment, they love you. They want to have your babies and they worship you like a God, maybe even build a shrine in your name! But in the next moment, when you feel the spark of divinity that will grant you immortality, they tear it away from you! They strip you of everyst bit of confidence you have! And then¡­ Then they call you a steaming pile of trash and throw you in the gutter! They¡¯ll charge you with the murder of their hopes and dreams and have you hanged it! That is the way of the fickle fan.¡±

    Aurous snorted inughter. He replied, ¡°I love you, man. I fucking love you. That¡¯s brilliant! But, for real. Don¡¯t check your social media. I¡¯m betting the fickle fans are already stalking you and waiting to unleash their fury on you!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Shi Hang agreed, grinning. He nced at his Toner who was still chewing chips and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know the pressure and I wouldn¡¯t havee back if I didn¡¯t think I could handle it. That said¡­ Holy damn was Roundy good. That dude hard-carried the game with his Fiora. Seriously, we couldn¡¯t stop him. We tried, but we couldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯re a raging idiot. You know that, right?¡± Aurous snapped. ¡°Stopplimenting everyone you y against! Your fans don¡¯t care about who you y against! They care about the high hopes they have for you. You know that theye to the stadium to watch you hard-carry a game, right? Speaking of which, who are you ying next? Ready to get a pentakill against them and show everyone that you still have what it takes to be the best Miner in China?¡±

    Shi Hangughed and replied, ¡°You¡¯re going to love this! Next game is the one where I get to show to everyone that I still have what it takes to be up there with the best Miners of China! Wanna know why? ¡®Cause we¡¯re ying Hand of God!¡±

    ¡°Fuck me. For real? HoG?¡± Aurous blurted. He breathed out loudly and continued, ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel nervous for you here, bud. KG first and now HoG? You¡¯re ying against the best two teams right off the bat! And if you lose against HoG too, everyone will decide for you that you suck¡­ The fickle fan and all that¡­ Can¡¯t believe that you have to y against Hermes this early. He¡¯s a proper King! You have no luck whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°You worry too much,¡± Shi Hang said, calm as ever. ¡°It¡¯s not the ideal situation. I would¡¯ve liked to ease into it a bit more. But I¡¯m okay with this too. Let the fans doubt me and drag my name through the dirt if that¡¯s what they want to do. I¡¯ll show them that I still belong up there with the best Miners. Oh, and Aurous? You can trust me on this. I¡¯m going toe out swinging against Hermes.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s rm buzzed before the sun came up. He¡¯d slept for only a few hours and he refused to give himself more rest than that. Not until he¡¯d achieved One¡¯s challenge, anyways. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and groaned as he pushed himself off the bed. He wasn¡¯t a morning person in any sense of the word and usually needed the smell from Su Xue¡¯s breakfast to fully wake up.

    ¡°Why am I doing this¡­¡± Lin Feng mumbled to himself as he squinted his eyes to the bright light from the bathroom. ¡°Right. Top 5, Top 5, Top 5¡­¡±

    Lin Feng took a quick shower, brushed his teeth andbed his hair. He then rushed down the stairs to the lobby, where breakfast was being served. On most days, breakfast was the highlight of his day, matched only by dinner. But he couldn¡¯t care less about it right now. He only had two days left to reach the Top 5 of the Korean Challengerdder, and in those two days he also had to practice with his team for the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals and y in the Finals. It was a lot, even for him.

    The next few hours came and went. A blur of wins and losses on Lin Feng¡¯s mind. The Top 20 on the Korean Challenger Ladder was different. Everyone there knew him, and everyone there yed League of Legends at the highest level. He had to y at the best of his ability, and even that wasn¡¯t enough in a portion of his games. But his climb didn¡¯t stop and by the time it was lunch, he¡¯d reached Rank 14.

    Chu Fang decided to take Lin Feng out to a small restaurant a few blocks from the hotel for lunch. And some much needed fresh air. The others from Team Shanghai were already there, having spent the morning exploring the city. Theyughed and joked with each other and enjoyed the food. But Lin Feng heard nothing they said or tasted anything he ate. His mind was still on the Korean Challenger Ladder.

    After lunch, Zeng Rui decided that Team Shanghai needed to practice for the Finals against Team Beijing. Lin Feng grimaced but agreed. He knew Zeng Rui was right and that it would do the team good to get together onest time before the Finals and confirm their tactics and strategy. But that also cut into his time on the Korean Challenger Ladder. So when he finally got home after dinner, he sat back down behind hisptop and continued ying through most of the night.

    ¡°Hey, Lin Feng,¡± Chu Fang said. He put a hand on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been going all day again. How about you take a break? The Finals are tomorrow and your teammates are counting on you.¡±

    Lin Feng nced over his shoulder at the worried look in Chu Fang¡¯s eyes and grimaced. He knew Chu Fang was right, but he also knew that he was currently only sitting on Rank 11 of the Korean Challenger Ladder. He still had a long way to climb before he reached the Top 5. He hesitated, moving his mouse between the y again and log out buttons.

    ¡°Come on, Lin Feng,¡± Chu Fang repeated. ¡°It¡¯s bedtime.¡±

    Lin Feng sighed and nodded. He clicked on the log out button and then turned hisptop off, saying, ¡°Uh, okay. Fine. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve only got one day left to get to the Top 5 and tomorrow we¡¯ve got the Finals and I still need to do so¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Chu Fang interrupted. He looked Lin Feng in the eyes and continued, ¡°You¡¯ve got this. You know you do. Trust in yourself.¡±

    Lin Feng looked back at Chu Fang, stunned. His mind was briefly pulled away from the Korean Challenger Ladder. He found a brief moment in which the worries about making everyone proud and happy slipped from his mind. It brought a calming serenity. He smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re right!¡± He clenched his fist, grinning, and continued, ¡°Who cares if it¡¯s just one more day? I¡¯m Maple! I¡¯m going to win the Collegiate Cup tomorrow and then I¡¯m going to hit the Top 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder! And there¡¯s no one who can stop me!¡±

    ?

    The president of the Beijing Esports Association had requested the files on the four Semifinalists a few days earlier. He¡¯d nced at the five documents before the Semifinals. Four were about the teams and their members. None of them were of particr interest to him. They were strong teams with good yers, but theycked the ir that made something special. Except for one yer. Lin Feng had his own document. The president leaned on the banister of his balcony and looked at the document again. He mumbled, ¡°Lin Feng. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

 Chapter 393: Pills and Gunpowder; Overdose and Terrorist Attack?

    There were 3,000 League of Legends fans at the Hongkou Stadium. Many more had called in sick from work and school and were sitting at home glued to their televisions. They felt their hearts mming against their chests from abination of excitement and expectation. Today was the day. It was the faceoff between AyDeeCee and Hermes! Two of China¡¯s best Miners were going head to head and they both had something to prove! AyDeeCee wanted to announce his return to thepetitive scene by beating then King Hermes. And Hermes was looking to solidify his position as the undisputed number 1 Miner from China!

    The offseason had gone well for Team Rapids. They went from a bottom team to an expected title contender by upgrading their roster. But after the first few games, they found themselves back where they¡¯d spent so much time in Season 5. At the bottom of the LPL. It wasn¡¯t unexpected. They yed KG and were outssed by God Roundy. But the fickle fans only cared about the team¡¯s ranking, and they were already starting to put pressure on Team Rapids through a social media outrage.

    Team Rapids¡¯ coach looked at his team. They were sitting in a small room backstage, making their final preparations for their game against HoG. He chewed on his lips and got up from his seat, then started walking from one end of the room to the other and back again. Management is already putting pressure on me! They know we need time and they promised me time, but it¡¯s only the second week and they¡¯re already forgetting all their promises! We just need some more time! It takes time to make a new¡­ He grimaced and turned his attention to Shi Hang. He¡¯s got it. He¡¯s still got it. But the team needs to adjust to that, dammit! He sighed loudly and shook his head. I can¡¯t imagine the pressure he must be feeling. The posts online alone¡­ He walked up to Shi Hang and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You alright?¡± he asked. ¡°Your nerves I mean. I hope it¡¯s not too bad?¡±

    Shi Hang looked up at the coach and smiled. He replied, ¡°You coached me back in Season 2 and now again. Do I look that nervous to you?¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ coach looked at Shi Hang, pierced the calm look in his eyes, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t fool me, Shi Hang. You might fool the others with that perfectly calm smile, but not me. I¡¯ve seen how you get when you y¡­ You know who. I know how you get when you¡¯re serious.¡±

    Maple. The name appeared in Shi Hang¡¯s mind and he looked at his phone. That kid¡¯s ying his own finals. I really can¡¯t wait to see him up on this stage again. He nodded at his coach and said, ¡°Well, it is King Hermes I¡¯m up against today. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m alright.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Team Rapids¡¯ coach said. He then paused, chewing on his lips. Hesitating. He finally asked, ¡°Do you think you can beat him? He is a King¡­¡±

    Shi Hangughed loud enough for his teammates to look at him. He looked back at them before turning his attention back to his coach and said, ¡°I¡¯m AyDee--fucking--CEE! That King ain¡¯t got shit on me! What? Huh? You sayin¡¯ you don¡¯t trust me?¡±

    Team Rapids¡¯ coach looked at Shi Hang, stunned. He looked past his old friend at the other yers on the team. They were all staring at Shi Hang. He shook his head and said, ¡°Sometimes, you really are an idiot. You know that, right? But yeah. Yeah. I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s all I needed to hear,¡± Shi Hang replied. He got up from his chair and waved for his teammates to gather around him. They made a small circle and put their hands in the middle. He looked at them, one at a time, and gave them each a nod. He then said, ¡°We¡¯ve all seen HoG kicking ass at Worlds. We¡¯ve seen them do well in their scrims and they won their first rounds in the LPL. They¡¯re a team in form. But we¡¯ve got a team just as strong as them! We¡¯re title contenders just like them! It¡¯s about time we show that to the fans and, more importantly, to ourselves! FOR THE TEAM!¡±

    ¡°FOR THE TEAM!¡± Shi Hang¡¯s teammates echoed.

    ?

    An Xin sat on the sofa in her hotel room, cradling her hand. She wasn¡¯t currently experiencing any real pain or problems with it, but there was this voice at the back of her mind trying to convince her she was. She pinched the areas that were especially sensitive whenever it red and grimaced in pain. They¡¯re going to need me on my best game. I can¡¯t screw up. This might be myst tournament with Lin Feng¡­ Every game could be thest. I have to enjoy this. I need to create memories now before it¡¯s toote. She closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping on her hands.

    A knocking sound came from the hotel room door, followed by Chu Fang reminding her that it was already 1:30 P.M. and that they were going to the stadium soon. An Xin wiped her eyes and looked around the room. I can¡¯t let it happen again. Not today. I can¡¯t. She got up and walked over towards her backpack, dreadfully slow. I need to be prepared. Just likest time. Yeah. She got a few pill bottles from her bag and carefully divided the medication in stic cups, counting how many more days worth of medicine she had.

    ¡°Just likest time. It worked finest time,¡± An Xin mumbled to herself as she stared at the little stic cups. There was enough medicine tost her well beyond the end of the week. She grimaced and poured it all in the same cup. She then walked to the bathroom and filled another cup with water. Just this once. This should work. I won¡¯t have problems if I do it like this. She put the pills in her mouth and hesitated. Her stomach contracted. She knew this was a bad decision. But it was a decision she was willing to take if it meant ying at least one more time with Lin Feng. She closed her eyes and forced the pills down her throat with the help of some water.

    Tang Bingyao walked into the hotel room and said, ¡°BunBun, are you still here? We¡¯re¡ª¡± She stopped, her eyes growing round and wide. There, right in front of her, was An Xin¡¯s bag and several empty bottles of pills. ¡°BunBun? BunBun!?¡± Tang Bingyao shouted, running into the bathroom. ¡°BUNBUN!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, shh. Shh. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m okay,¡± An Xin said, pushing her finger to her lips. She then brushed past Tang Bingyao and stuffed the pill bottles in her backpack. After which she looked back at Tang Bingyao and exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Tang Tang. It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve just not been feeling my best self, so I went to the doctorst week. He gave me a few pills to take and I just took thest few. That¡¯s all. But, uhm¡­ Could you do me a tiny favour? Can you not tell the others? I¡­ I really don¡¯t want them to worry. You know how Lin Feng gets.¡± She smiled and winked.

    Tang Bingyao nodded slowly, shocked. When she saw the pills, her first thought was that An Xin had taken an overdose. There were so many pill bottles that it was difficult to think of anything else. She blinked a couple of times and only then noticed how fast her heart was beating. It took another couple of breaths for the pulse of adrenaline and worry to settle. She then looked at An Xin. If she says she¡¯s fine¡­ She looks okay, I think? I¡¯m not a doctor. If the doctor says she needs to take so many pills... But if it¡¯s nothing big, then why does she need so many pills? What doctor just gives out pills like that? What kinds of pills are they? She opened her mouth, but paused. There were so many questions she wanted to ask that she didn¡¯t know where to start.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to bete!¡± An Xin said, hurried. She grabbed Tang Bingyao by the arm and dragged her out of the room and towards the elevator where Lin Feng was already waiting for them. He was waving at them, shouting at them in the way that was so recognizably ¡®Lin Feng¡¯. An Xin smiled and waved back, then leaned a bit closer to Tang Bingyao and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s our little secret.¡±

    ?

    It was 2 P.M. when the doors to the Chaoyang Sports Center closed. The fans had found their seats and the teams were being introduced up on stage. Chu Fang sat right below the stage next to his rival from the Beijing Esports Association, Vice President Fan Yuan. The entire thing with high school teams joining the Winter Collegiate Cup was a y by the three branches of the Chinese Esports Association to prove who was nurturing the most talented yers. Thatpetitiveness spilled over into hostility as the two vice presidents red at each other, instead of cheering for their teams.

    ¡°We¡¯ll smash you!¡± Fan Yuan told Chu Fang through a twitch of his eyelids.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna wreck you!¡± Chu Fang replied through a small shake of the head.

    The smell of gunpowder didn¡¯t just hover around Chu Fang and Fan Yuan, but also between the two teams up on stage. They stood across from each other while the host was introducing the individual members, highlights from them ying on therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths. But they weren¡¯t interested in the highlights or the cheers from the crowd. Zhang Hongyi and Zeng Rui weren¡¯t, anyway. They were ring at each other with such hatred that it was almost palpable.

    Yu Ping took a page from Zhang Hongyi¡¯s book and looked intently at Lin Feng, narrowing his eyes and trying to draw his opponent¡¯s attention. But Lin Feng was oblivious to it. He looked around the stage and waved and smiled at the fans until the host informed the two teams they could enter their soundproof booths. He then grinned at Yu Ping and said, ¡°Good luck!¡±

    Yu Ping narrowed his eyes until they were almost closed and mumbled, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The two teams entered the soundproof booths and got settled behind theirputers. They were given 15 minutes to get their gaming chairs just right and to configure the ingame settings so that they were exactly as they wanted them to be. The casters used this time to go over both teams again, pointing out the strong and weak points from both sides.

    When the fifteen minutes were up, the audience went silent. Therge LCD screen above the stage revealed Champion Select and a live feed from the two soundproof booths. The host walked up on stage one more time and said into his microphone, ¡°The moment is finally here. These are our finalists of the Winter Collegiate Cup! TEAM SHANGHAI AND TEAM BEIJING! And they¡¯ve already picked their Champions for Game 1!¡±

    Collegiate Cup Finals, Game 1Team Shanghai (Blue) vs. Team Beijing (Red)

    Top: Rumble vs. DariusJungle: Evelynn vs. GragasMid: Varus vs. Ahri Ad-Carry: Jinx vs. LucianSupport: Braum vs. Leona

    Yu Ping narrowed his eyes. Lin Feng had picked in Varus a very immobile and vulnerable Champion. It was a Champion who didn¡¯t see much gametime either, having only been picked once in the entire main tournament. ¡°Gragas, camp mid,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°We¡¯re going to shut him down.¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng nodded at An Xin and said, ¡°Counting on you here, BunBun!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you?¡± An Xin asked, smiling. She then winked at him and teased, ¡°You know, it¡¯s very unbing for a man to always lean on the fairer sex. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got you. I¡¯ve always had you. Just leave the counter ganks to me.¡±

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at An Xin and grinned. He then replied, ¡°Thanks! Just help me scale and this is gonna be easy!¡±

 Chapter 394: Everyone Saw it Coming, Except for the Victim

    Yu Ping closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Varus is the diametrical opposite of Ahri in terms of ystyle. He is an immobile, attack damage Champion who wants to snipe down opponents from a distance, while my Ahri is an in-your-face ability power assassin. But the first couple of levels will be skill based, especially since he went with Cleanse. But after Level 6¡ª

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    Yu Ping opened his eyes and smiled. He mumbled, ¡°But after Level 6, I¡¯ve got my jumps and then there¡¯s nothing he can do to me anymore. I just need to get there without falling behind.¡± He turned his head to look at his teammates. They were all focused on their screen, clicking their mice to buy items and have their Champions move down the differentnes. They¡¯ve got this. I need to make sure I do too, because this game is going toe down to mid. If I take out Varus, we win the 5 vs 4 that remains. He clenched his fist and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Standard opening.¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng bought his starter item and then had Varus run towards the midne outer tower. Hmm¡­ Winter Collegiate Cup. Teamy. But I first need to win myne. I¡¯m ying against an Ahri and Yu Ping is a decent enough Miner. I have to be focused. Her Charm can kill me and after Level 6 positioning bes far more important because of her ultimate. I¡¯ve got Cleanse, but that is to make a y and not to escape from one. He panned his camera towards the Red team¡¯s Blue Buff Camp, which was hidden from him by the fog of war. Their Gragas is most likely starting here, which means I need to hover closer towards the top of myne at the beginning and then slowly rotate towards the bottom side as he runs up for his Red Buff¡­

    The minions marched into thene and started fighting each other at the halfway point. Lin Feng had his Varus join them, firing arrows at minions while keeping an eye on Ahri. He paid close attention to her movements, searching for habits and potential mistakes.

    She just needs to¡ª Lin Feng suddenly narrowed his eyes. Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri had stepped forward tost hit a caster minion. He pressed down on the Q key, making Varus pull on his bowstring, charging up for an attack. And then he waited, patiently. The range of the shot kept increasing, so Ahri couldn¡¯t outrun it. When the two minions between Ahri and Varus were almost dead, Lin Feng released his finger. A crimson blight arrow pierced through the minions, killing them, and then prated Ahri!

    Lin Feng grinned and rolled his shoulders. It was pivotal for Varus to hit these long ranged Piercing Arrows if he wanted to win thene. They were the primary damage dealers of his kit. Lin Feng rolled his neck and mumbled, ¡°Not too shabby. Looks like I¡¯ve still got it today.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng pressured on thene, pushing it forward to Red Team¡¯s outer tower. The first minute since the Jungle Camps had spawned passed, so he started repositioning towards the bottom side of thene. He continued pushing the minion wave from there while also keeping an eye on the top side brush. I¡¯m pushing it. We¡¯re 4 minutes in. It¡¯s about time for Gragas toe in for a gank. If he¡¯sing mid. Hmm¡­ He clicked on his minimap, moving his camera towards the topne. He followed up right away with the spacebar to focus his camera back on Varus. The topne was revealed to him for less than a second, but it was long enough to give him an idea about the way in which Team Beijing¡¯s Darius was pushing thene. Lin Feng repeated this process to check on several locations on the map, until he spotted Gragas. He¡¯s mid, just a bitte.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas ran into the midne from the top side brush. He aimed at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus with Body m and used sh to cover a bigger distance. Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri followed up on Gragas with a sh-Charmbination. The manifestation of pure love in the form of a pink heart flew at Varus, forcing him towards Gragas.

    Chu Fang heard the audience erupt. There was such power behind their cheers that it felt like a knock to the back of his head. He grimaced and looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, clenching his fists until his knuckles were white. Come on, Lin Feng! Don¡¯t let them get you! COME ON!

    The gank came as no surprise to Lin Feng. He¡¯d prepared for it before the game even began. The skills from Gragas and Ahri wereyered well enough that he had to use his sh to get away from them. The veil of light fell over his Varus, carrying him back towards his outer tower just as the Body m and Charm arrived where he stood a moment ago.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas pped his hands together and eximed over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Damn! So close! I thought for sure we had him!¡± He shook his head in disappointment and added, ¡°I was so hoping he¡¯d let your Charm hit him and Cleanse it and then try to run away¡­ Then I could¡¯ve knocked him right up! But he shed. Sadge.¡±

    Yu Ping nced at his Jungler and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We got his sh and he¡¯s missing a full minion wave at least, that¡¯s plenty.¡± He then turned his attention back towards his screen. He narrowed his eyes and focused on Varus. You would¡¯ve never gotten hit by the Gragas Body m. You knew this wasing, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re a far better yer than he¡¯s expecting you to be. We¡¯ve all watched you y¡­ But that pressure you put on your opponent¡­ Seeing it and experiencing it are two entirely different things. This is going to be a real challenge. He smiled when thatst sentence appeared in his mind. He nodded and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re exactly what I¡¯ve been searching for.¡±

    ?

    The fans, the caster and even the yers had most of their focus on the midne. They all knew that the oue from thatne would for arge part determine the oue of the entire game. That wasn¡¯t to say nothing happened in the othernes. Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao were trying as best as they could to stay even with Team Beijing¡¯s Boners. But their choice of Champions, Braum and Jinx, wouldn¡¯t start shining until they had their first items. Team Beijing countered this with their Leona and Lucian pick. These two Champions were very strong from the first minute of the game.

    Zhang Hongyi was grinning, excited. He said to his ad-carry, ¡°We¡¯ve got this! Zeng Rui sucks! I¡¯m goin¡¯ in!¡± He then had his Leona dash in on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx, who countered the engage by stunning Leona. But the time Tang Bingyao spent defending against the Leona was time Team Beijing¡¯s Lucian used to get in some damage on her. She retreated back towards her outer tower safely, but lost a bit of health.

    Zhang Hongyiughed and shouted at hisputer, ¡°If that¡¯s all you got, you better start packing, SUCKER!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Zeng Rui grimaced. I should¡¯ve jumped faster there and given Tang Tang a shield. She wouldn¡¯t have lost so much help. It¡¯s just¡­ I used that shield a few seconds ago. It was still on cooldown. He massaged his temple. Focus, Zeng Rui. Focus! He nced next to him at his teammates, all four of them staring at their screen. Like them. Focus. Don¡¯t let Zhang Hongyi get to you. He took a deep, long breath and then asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Zhang Hao. How you holding up?¡±

    ¡°Holding up so far,¡± Zhang Hao replied, tense. ¡°Not sure how long I can handle this though¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded and said, ¡°Do your best. BunBun won¡¯t have much time to help you. Just stick to your outer tower if you have to.¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡± Zhang Hao agreed.

    ?

    At 5 minutes, Gragas returned to the midne for another gank. He waited in the brush above thene for Lin Feng¡¯s Varus to walk within range of the skill. But Varus never got close enough. Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler grumbled, waited a bit more, and then activated Body m. His Gragas barreled into thene, stopping just short of Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. And behind Varus he discovered An Xin¡¯s Evelynn. His eyes grew round and wide and he cursed, ¡°Fuck!¡±

    ¡°Back!¡± Yu Ping ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat, using a defensive Charm to stop Lin Feng and An Xin from engaging.

    All the way over in Shanghai, Su Xue sat behind herputer. Her stream was running and she was watching the Winter Collegiate Cup broadcast with her viewers. When Gragas engaged, her heart rate sped up and she put her hands to her mouth. And after the gank failed, she breathed out in relief. She wiped her forehead and eximed, ¡°PFEW! That was so close! Did you guys see?¡±

    ¡¸thank god he¡¯s still alive! bunbun really saved him there¡¹¡¸GRAGAS PUT A TENT IN MID!!¡¹¡¸Y NO COUNTERKILL!?!?!? COME ON LIL BRO¡¹¡¸they just knew the gank wasing! How did they know? Bunbun sat there for a good 10 seconds early!!!!¡¹

    Back in Beijing, Lin Feng eximed, ¡°Told you they want me dead!¡± He then grinned and continued, ¡°Good thing I knew this wasing and had you sit behind me! No way I¡¯d fall for such an obvious n! I¡¯m way too good for that. Right! Speaking of which, you can go take the Wraith Camp, but¡­ get back here after. They¡¯re gonna try this again in like a minute.¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng and winked at him. She replied, ¡°Won¡¯t it be easier if I just stay with you then? Nice and tight and since I¡¯m invisible, no one will see it! All they¡¯ll see is you kis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Lin Feng interrupted. He pinged on top of his Varus and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve got a n! Come, sit here! Right on top of me! Don¡¯t leave! You¡¯ll love this!¡±

    ?

    At 6 minutes, Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri reached Level 6. Yu Ping chewed on his tongue and scrunched his eyes. I could engage. Varus is still Level 5 after missing that minion wave after the first gank. He does have Cleanse. That might screw me over. Shit, I can¡¯t think about this for too long. I need to do something. He pursed his lips and moved his head left and right and finally clicked next to his outer tower. His Ahri followed themand and retreated, then started recalling back to base. I¡¯ll just recall for now. When I get back, I¡¯ll look for an opening to kill him.

    Evelynn was a Champion who walked the shadows. She only revealed herself when she attacked or used a skill. She¡¯d been sitting in the midne, patiently waiting. Yu Ping couldn¡¯t see this, but the audience could. They were growing progressively confused about this choice by Team Shanghai, especially when she didn¡¯t leave even after Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri recalled back to base.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Eve doing?¡±¡°She¡¯s just sitting there¡­ Did her mouse stop working or something?¡±¡°A bug? Something like that? She¡¯s stealing all the experience from Varus!¡±¡°This is gonna ruin mid for Lin Feng!¡±¡°GO AWAY EVE! LET VARUS GET EXPERIENCE!¡±¡°Are they trolling¡­?¡±

    There were only a few people in the audience who were starting to see what was happening. They were the experienced and high ranked League of Legends yers, like Qiu Yijie from Fudan University. He was watching the Finals together with his teammates and Zhejiang University. He shook his head and said, ¡°Eve¡¯s ying the long game¡­ That kind of patience is so impressive.¡±

    Sun Ruinian shook his head and added, ¡°It is. Yu Ping is going to be in for one nasty surprise.¡±

    Back in Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth, Yu Ping scrunched his nose and tilted his head. The minion wave is gone. Why is he still Level 5? Did I forget about a minion? Maybe it happened when Eve ganked before? In which case he needs three more minions at the most. That¡¯ll be it. He grinned when he noticed Lin Feng¡¯s Varus continuing to push despite his Ahri returning back to thene. He¡¯s trying to get those three minions. Too greedy! I¡¯ll make you pay for that!

    ¡°Gragas. Mid. Now!¡± Yu Ping ordered over the team¡¯s voice chat. He then focused on Lin Feng¡¯s Varus and narrowed his eyes, mumbling, ¡°Now you¡¯re trying to back, huh? Toote. Far toote. Watch this!¡± He pressed on his R key, activating Spirit Rush!

    Lin Fengughed when he saw Ahri dashing towards him. He charged up a Piercing Arrow and aimed at a caster minion behind Ahri. The crimson blight arrow shot through Ahri and then the minion. The experience from killing the minion brought Varus to Level 6. He learned Chains of Corruption!

    Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri dashed a second time with Spirit Rush and arrived right in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. She followed up by blowing a kiss at Varus. Charm! Yu Ping¡¯s fingers were gliding across his keyboard, activating Ahri¡¯s damage abilities Orb of Deception and Fox-Fires. But there was no one faster than Lin Feng when he knew exactly what his opponent was doing. He fired Chains of Corruption at Ahri, paused for a brief moment to let the Charm hit and then cleansed its effect. After which he sidestepped the Orb of Deception.

    ¡°W-what?¡± Yu Ping muttered. He clicked on Lin Feng¡¯s Varus, making Ahri auto attack him.

    Lin Feng grinned. He cast Hail of Arrows, and while his Varus took aim he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°BunBun, I CHOOSE YOU!¡±

    Yu Ping felt his stomach drop. He stared at the Evelynn stepping out from the shadows. It finally all made sense to him. That¡¯s why it took him so long to hit Level 6¡­ FUUUCK!

 Chapter 395: The Blind Arrow

    Yu Ping squeezed his mouse in frustration. Tendrils of corruption clung to his Ahri and rooted her to the ground. A blight-tipped arrow pierced her. Varus was an attack damage Champion, making his auto attacks far more potent than hers. That alone wasn¡¯t enough to kill Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri though. That also wasn¡¯t why Yu Ping was grinding his teeth and punching his keyboard. It was An Xin¡¯s Evelynn. She was there the whole time, wasn¡¯t she? That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t hit Level 6 on thest wave. She was soaking up half of the experience! I should¡¯ve seen something was up, but¡­ But¡­ But I was too busy trying to bait him!

    An Xin¡¯s Evelynn ran up to Ahri and shed with her two razor sharp ws. She followed up with Hate Spike, a thorn of malice that prated through Ahri¡¯s chest! Her ws then lit up with a baleful, purple aura. They defied physics as the skill Ravage moved them up again and across Ahri¡¯s chest!

    ¡°Break already!¡± Yu Ping cursed at his screen. He was frantically clicking next to his outer tower and smashing his R key for the third and final cast of Spirit Rush. The tendrils of corruption glued to his Ahri started dissipating. His Ahri still had a bit of health remaining. Hope reignited. He saw on his minimap that Gragas was almost in the midne to help him escape. I¡¯m gonna get out! SPIRIT RUSH!

    Lin Feng¡¯s Varus hadn¡¯t stood still after rooting Ahri. He¡¯d started walking at her and past her, only stopping to hit another auto attack. When Ahri dashed past him and back towards her out tower, heughed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°See how obvious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± An Xin replied. She followed after Ahri with sh and auto attacked her another time before stopping. She added, ¡°You finish it. I¡¯m going to block Gragas.¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He clicked on Ahri again. Varus pulled back the string on his bow and then let go. A blight-tipped arrow pierced Ahri and killed her.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    On the casters desk, FourEyesChan pushed his sses up the rim of his nose and grabbed his microphone. He shouted, ¡°WHAT A DIRTY TRICK! DISGUSTING! ¡­ But fuck me if that wasn¡¯t a beautiful kill. Don¡¯t you think, Cherry?¡±

    Cherry was the female co-caster for the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals. She smiled and replied, ¡°Woooo! Nice trap!¡±

    ¡°Come on, Yu Ping! Show them the Beijing way!¡±¡°What the fuck? SO DIRTY! YUCK!¡±¡°Can¡¯t cheer for this crap. DIRTY TRICKS! DIRTY TRICKS!¡±¡°Beijingers don¡¯t need cheap tricks!¡±¡°WOOOOO YU PING!¡±

    Zou Cheng from Zhejiang University looked behind them at the audience. People were up from their seats, jeering Team Shanghai. He shook his head and said to his teammates, ¡°Those guys are in for a rough awakening.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler added,ughing. ¡°I still get goosebumps when I think back to that game we yed against them. Yu Ping is going to be in for a bad fucking time. Lin Feng¡¯s Varus is insane!¡±

    Sun Runian nodded and chimed in, ¡°Shi Hang kept him down for quite a bit in the early game. But then¡­ Well, you guys were there. You know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Toner muttered.

    ?

    Su Xue sat on the edge of her seat. Each movement from Lin Feng got an excited response from her. And when he killed Ahri for first blood, she jumped to her feet and struck his trademark victory pose. It was this genuine joy that saw close to a hundred thousand people tuning into her stream. She lifted their days.

    The game reached the 9th minute and Su Xue was hopping around on her gaming chair. ¡°Look. Look!¡± she shouted, pointing at her screen. ¡°Our lil bro is at 84 CS and that stupid Ahri is stuck at 71! He¡¯s got such a big lead in only 9 minutes!¡±

    ¡¸thats our lil bro for you!!!! BEST PLAYER EVAAHHHHH¡¹¡¸hed be further ahead if it wasnt for the gragasing mid 24/7/365!!¡¹¡¸Can¡¯t believe Li¡¯l¡¯ Bro didn¡¯t even kill the Gragas yet. He¡¯s definitely underperforming today.¡¹¡¸THIS SERIES IS GONNA BE SIIIIIICKK! LOOK AT LIL BRO KICKIN ASS!!!¡¹

    ¡°No. No!¡± Su Xue screamed. She put her hands over her face and pulled down, stretching her skin. ¡°NO! GET OUT, LIN FENG! GET OUT!¡± She stared at her screen in horror. Varus was an immobile Champion and Team Beijing knew this. Their Gragas snuck towards the midne again, this time evading Team Shanghai¡¯s ward coverage by sneaking into their Jungle. Lin Feng was pushing his wave when Gragas appeared behind him. Ahri jumped at him and Charmed him.

    ¡°CLEANSE! FLASH! DO SOMETHING!¡± Su Xue screeched. But Lin Feng did neither. He instead had his Varusst hit a few more minions while dodging skillshots until a final Spirit Rush dash from Ahri slew him.

    ¡°Why? Why¨Cy¨Cy?¡± Su Xue weeped. She flung her arm at the screen and cried out, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he just ¡ª¡±

    ¡¸coz he was dead anyway...¡¹¡¸varus has low health. He got the most out of that...¡¹

    ¡°SHHHH!¡± Su Xue interrupted. She pointed at her screen and continued, ¡°Look. Look! They¡¯re fighting in bot! Looks like BunBun came for the gank and HaoBro teleported down from top!

    ¡°Darius is following after HaoBro, but Tang Tang¡¯s Jinx put down her me Chompers! That¡¯s a stun on Darius!

    ¡°They¡¯re killing Lucian! It¡¯s everyone on Lucian!

    ¡°NICE! BRAUM HIT THE GLACIAL FISSURE! HE KNOCKED UP LUCIAN AND LEONA! THEY¡¯VE GOT NOWHERE TO GO!

    ¡°TANG TANG GOT THE KILL! TANG TANG¡¯S GOT THE KILL! WOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¸NICELAAAAAA!!!¡¹

    Su Xue pressed her finger to her mouth and shouted, ¡°They¡¯re still going! Shhhh! They¡¯re still going!

    ¡°Look! Darius gave up! He¡¯s running away and they¡¯re letting him¡­ BECAUSE THEY¡¯RE ON THE LEONA!

    ¡°LEONA¡¯S HEALTH IS GOIN¡ª TANG TANG WITH THE DOUBLE KILL! OH MY GOD! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, TANG TANG! WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¸WOOOOOO TANG TANG AND BUNBUN POWUUUUR!!!!¡¹¡¸GRILLLLLZZZZZ FOR THE WINNZZZZZZZZ¡¹¡¸lil bro was just keeping gragas busy. 300iq y right there!¡¹¡¸did ya guys see the braum ultie? Holy hot diggity damn! Crazy sexy!!!!!¡¹¡¸LPL SUMMER SPLIT CHAMPIONS! CALLING IT NOW!!!¡¹¡¸people dont r3sp3ct haobro enough. the dude neverins and always supports¡¹¡¸HAOBRO FOR THE WIN!!!!¡¹¡¸IZ A T34MG4M3!!!! TEAM SHANGPIONS!!!!!¡¹

    ?

    Zhejiang University and Fudan University were sitting next to each other in the stands. Both their Junglers were staring at therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths and shaking their heads. After the previous bout of action, the game calmed down a bit. More specifically, the Jungler from Team Beijing and An Xin returned to farming their Jungle. But An Xin yed the invisible Evelynn. Even when she was farming in the Jungle, Team Beijing didn¡¯t know where she was. For all they knew, she was sitting in one of thenes like she¡¯d done in the midne before.

    ¡°My god. This is brutal,¡± Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler mumbled.

    Fudan University¡¯s Jungler nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on it. Gragas not showing himself inne means he¡¯s not inne. Probably just farming minions. But that Eve not being inne? She¡¯s putting as much pressure on Team Beijing as she would when ganking. It¡¯s that psychological warfare-thing here. And Team Shanghai is running away with it!¡±

    Zhejiang University¡¯s Jungler chuckled and replied, ¡°BunBun is ying Eve to her full potential. He impressive!¡±

    Sun Ruinian listened to the conversation with a half ear, most of his attention focused on the game. He suddenly scrunched his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Do you guys think Team Shanghai is going to drag this game out? They¡¯ve got the early lead and the strongerte game team. It¡¯d make sense. But we¡¯ve seen Lin Feng. He doesn¡¯t really enjoy dragging a game out.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not going to drag. They won¡¯t have to,¡± Qiu Yijie replied. He pointed at therge LCD screen and continued, ¡°See how Gragas just walked over a ward there? It¡¯s pretty obvious he¡¯s going to take his Wraith Camp.¡± He briefly paused, watching the developments on the screen, and then said, ¡°Yep. Like I said. See An Xin and Lin Feng moving there?¡±

    Inside Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Fengughed and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°See? Told you guys that Gragas was gonna screw up! I knew it the moment he started ganking mid! Come on, BunBun! Hurry up already!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m there,¡± An Xin replied. ¡°Engage.¡±

    Lin Feng took a deep breath and then pressed down on the R key! Chains of Corruption shot from Varus¡¯ bow and rooted Gragas to the ground. An Xin¡¯s Evelynn ran past Varus and engaged Gragas with a Hate Spike! A dark crimson spike manifested in the air and pierced Gragas¡¯ heart!

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler yelped in surprise when the Chains of Corruption hit him and cursed when the Hate Spike pierced him. He hadn¡¯t expected the gank at all. But he yed Jungle Gragas, and Jungle Gragas had a ton of health. The blight-tipped arrows from Varus and shes from Evelynn tore through his health bar, but he remained calm. He knew the root would wear off before he died. His fingers rested on the keys for Explosive Cask and Body m. The first skill was to knock Evelynn away and the second was to get away himself.

    The root from Chains of Corruption wore off. Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas hurled the Explosive Cask and sent An Xin¡¯s Evelynn flying away. He then Body mmed away, deeper into his Jungler. Suckers! Wasted all your damned abilities to kill me. Look at me now! I¡¯m still alive! Hahaha! SUCKER¡ª

    The audience cheered when they saw Gragas make his escape. They cheered louder when An Xin¡¯s Evelynn was knocked away too far to catch back up. But then the camera zoomed in on Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. A purple halo pulsed around his hand as he pulled on the string of his bow. The Piercing Arrow grew thicker andrger. The audience fell silent. They leaned forward, their hearts beating loudly. Varus released the string. The arrow shot forward! It pierced through a wall of boulders and trees, flew through Team Shanghai¡¯s fog of war, and finally connected with Gragas.

    ¡¶The Blue Team has in an enemy!¡·

    Cherry put her hands before her mouth and eximed, ¡°Oh my god! Oh my god!¡±

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and nodded. He forgot for a couple of breaths about his job as a caster, just like how the crowd forgot to cheer. But then it all came back to him. He grabbed his microphone and shouted, ¡°WOOOOOOOO! WHAT A SNIPE! THAT¡¯S SOME CRAZY ACCURACY! AND HE DID IT THROUGH THE FOG OF WAR!¡±

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO! WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°HE HIT GRAGAS THROUGH THE FOG OF WAR!¡±¡°9000IQ PLAY RIGHT THERE! What am I saying¡­ OVER 9000!¡±¡°HOOOOOOLY SHITE!¡±

    Sun Ruinian felt a shiver run up and down his spine. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m going to get PTSD from this guy. Just when you think you got away, he¡¯s there with a perfect arrow. How does he keep hitting them like that? It¡¯s like he¡¯s got an aimbot? Is he hacking? Is that it? Is that how he¡¯s hitting these impossible shots? He didn¡¯t even know where Gragas went!¡±

    Qiu Yijie chuckled, helpless. He nced at Sun Ruinian and replied, ¡°Trust me. It¡¯s worse when you¡¯re up against him inne. The dude¡¯s insane.¡±

    Chu Fang sat a short distance away from the teams from Zhejiang University and Fudan University. He was grinning andughing. Every couple of seconds, he caught himself ncing at Fan Yuan. Hehe! He looks so mad! These idiots kept begging to have the tournament changed to allow high schoolers! They really thought they were going to get one over on our Shanghai department. But there¡¯s no one better than me at nurturing talent! Well, that and the fact Lin Feng is back¡­ Hehe!

    ?

    Yu Ping hit the Tab key and looked at the state of the game. He grimaced. We¡¯re behind. Everyne is losing. It can¡¯t go on like this. They¡¯ve got Varus and they¡¯ve got Jinx¡­ Plus with Evelynn and Rumble they do have ability power damage¡­ We¡¯re fucked in thete game. This cannot drag. He pursed his lips and took a deep, long breath. He then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We can¡¯t drag this out, guys. Either we force a teamfight and we win this, or we¡¯re screwed.¡±

    ¡°We could force a fight at Dragon,¡± Zhang Hongyi suggested.

    Yu Ping panned his camera and looked at the Dragon pit. He sighed. Their Rumble has got his ultimate and their entire team is alive. We¡¯re asking to get fucked in the ass here. But what choice do we really have? If we don¡¯t do anything, then we¡¯re losing in minute 40 while having felt helpless since minute now. He shook his head and said, ¡°Guess we could. Maybe if we y it just right¡­ We need to make sure the Rumble can¡¯t get his ult off.¡±

    ¡°I could keep him away,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner said.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try and do that,¡± Yu Ping agreed. He then pinged on the Dragon pit and said, ¡°Gather up!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows. He scratched his chin and tilted his head from one side to the other. He then pointed at his screen and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°You guys seeing this? They¡¯re running towards the Dragon Pit? Are they stupid¡­?¡± He shrugged and added, ¡°Oh well. If they want a fight, let¡¯s give them a fight!¡±

 Chapter 396: TangTang WARP SHINKAIII!

    ¡°A Piercing Arrow for you!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat,ughing. He pressed on the Q key and held it, charging up the skill for increased range. When he let go, the arrow shot across arge distance and struck Team Beijing¡¯s Lucian!

    ¡°And a Piercing Arrow for you!¡± Lin Feng continued after the skill came back off cooldown. He pressed the button again, held it to charge it up, and then let go. Another arrow shot through the air, this time piercing Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas.

    ¡°And a Pier¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. We get it,¡± An Xin interrupted. She nced at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°You want to pierce everyone on Team Beijing with your love arrow. Right?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded, grinning. ¡°I just don¡¯t get it,¡± he said. ¡°Why would they try to fight us at Dragon? We¡¯ve got Rumble and I just got the Blue Buff, so I¡¯ve got unlimited fire power!¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t know you¡¯ve got blue. Well, they didn¡¯t anyway,¡± An Xin replied. She then looked at her screen which showed the Dragon Pit and paused for a brief moment. She then added, ¡°They know they won¡¯t beat uste game. This is their final act of desperation. Either they win this fight and get back into the game. Or they lose it and it¡¯s game. From their perspective, it¡¯s better to do it like that than to sit back and wait for minute 40 when they¡¯ll eventually lose.¡±

    Zeng Rui pinged on the Dragon Pit and interjected, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the fight. BunBun is right. This is their do or die attempt. We¡¯re going to make sure they die.¡±

    ¡°Not to worry!¡± Zhang Hao eximed. He looked next to him at his teammates and continued, ¡°You¡¯ve got my Rumble ult! I¡¯ming right away!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at the items in her inventory. Her Jinx was starting to be a real threat. I can show them how good I am now! Mhm! She nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ming too!¡±

    ?

    Yu Ping ground his teeth in frustration. Every time an arrow came, it found a target. He lost a bit of the control he usually had over himself and ordered louder than usual, ¡°Find those damn wards! They¡¯ve got them somewhere! We need to kill his vision or he¡¯s going to kill us!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi threw his hands up in frustration and replied, ¡°I am searching! But there are no wards here! He¡¯s hitting those arrows blind! I¡¯m telling you. NO WARDS HERE!¡±

    Another Piercing Arrow whizzed out from the fog of war. Yu Ping flicked his mouse and had his Ahri sidestep the attack. But his ad-carry wasn¡¯t as fast. The arrow struck Lucian and imed a third of his health bar.

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Zhang Hongyi cursed. He pinged on his ad-carry and continued, ¡°Jesus, what¡¯s wrong with you today? You¡¯re ying like shit! Start dodging those damn arrows! It¡¯s not that hard! Click your stupid mouse and dodge!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry replied through gritted teeth. His screen was shing red. One more arrow would kill him. I¡¯m trying to dodge! But there¡¯s no time to react! I can¡¯t see him or where he¡¯s shooting from! The arrows jump out of the fog of war! What do you want? Have me go all the way to the back and sit there waiting for Evelynn to nk us and kill me? I¡¯m not doing that!

    ¡°Guys, stop,¡± Yu Ping said. He narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Where is their Rumble¡­?¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Toner grimaced and replied, ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop him. He¡¯s teaming up with the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fucking say so!?¡± Yu Ping cursed. ¡°Shit, okay. So all five of them are presumably below us. We don¡¯t have vision on any of them. They can run right around the corner at the bottom of the river and charge at us. We need to run¡­¡± He shook his head and corrected, ¡°We need to fight. Get down here Darius.¡±

    ¡°Almost there!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner responded.

    ?

    The Dragon Pit was located in the bottom half of the river. It was an alcove carved into Blue Team¡¯s Jungle, with the only entrance being in the river. All five Champions from Team Beijing stood there, indecisive. They couldn¡¯t see Team Shanghai anywhere, even with the extended vision from their wards. They had a decent idea of where Team Shanghai was hiding, but they couldn¡¯t see them.

    A bit further down the river was an entrance into Blue team¡¯s Jungle. It was a sharp corner, which created a good spot to hide behind. All five Champions from Team Shanghai were waiting there, closely packed together.

    Lin Feng looked at the fog of war clouding the Dragon pit. Team Beijing had destroyed all wards from Team Shanghai. He nced at Zeng Rui and said, ¡°ZengZeng, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go in!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the shotcaller,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He briefly paused, his eyelid twitching, and then added, ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± He shed across the wall and arrived right in front of Team Beijing. He followed up with Braum¡¯s ultimate skill. Braum jumped up into the sky, raised his shield above his head, and then came down with the power of a thousand ice moons! A cial Fissure spread out in front of him, and a burst of cold air knocked Team Beijing¡¯s Lucian and Leona up into the air!

    ¡°HaoBro, you next!¡± Lin Feng shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°HaoBro¡¯s on the job!¡± Zhang Hao replied,ughing. Rumble¡¯s ultimate skill was an area of effect skill, simr to Braum¡¯s cial Fissure. The big difference was that where Braum¡¯s skill went more in the direction of crowd control, Rumble¡¯s skill also dealt a lot of damage. His Rumble cast The Equalizer! Six missiles fired from his contraption and exploded over the cial Fissure! A fire started burning!

    Team Beijing¡¯s Lucian was already at low health and was now also knocked up and receiving burn damage. His health bar was almost empty. He smashed on his D key repeatedly, trying to sh away the moment his feet hit the ground again. But Varus¡¯ Chains of Corruption rooted him before that could happen. Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry stared at his screen, despondant, as it turned to grey.

    ¡¶You have been in.¡·

    Yu Ping fought two battles. One was versus Team Shanghai and the other against the frustration he felt towards his ad-carry. Idiot! How many times do we need to remind you to watch your damn positioning!? We¡¯re fucked. Fucked! All I can do¡­ He looked at Team Shanghai and narrowed his eyes. If I can dash in, kill Varus and dash back out¡­ He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re going in. Support me. Varus first!¡± He then dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus with Spirit Dash and threw all Ahri¡¯s abilities at him!

    ¡°WOOOOO!¡± Cherry screamed into her microphone at the caster desk. ¡°Yu Ping is gonna kill Varus!¡±

    FourEyesChan chimed in, ¡°Finally!¡±

    Therge pink heart kissed Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. He became enamored with Ahri, even while the Orb of Deception and Fox-Fires tore through his health bar. In the distance, Team Beijing¡¯s Leona raised her sword up to the sky and called down a Sr re on Varus. And through all of this, Lin Feng smiled. He remained calm, patiently baiting Team Beijing into using their most powerful crowd control skills. When the Sr re was about to hit him, he pressed F into D. A cleansing light helped him see Ahri for the devilish fox she really was and the veil of radiant light that followed carried him away from the Sr re!

    Yu Ping ordered through gritted teeth, ¡°Stick to him.¡± He then cast Spirit Rush for a second time, dashing after Lin Feng¡¯s Varus.

    Zeng Rui had stuck close to Tang Bingyao to protect her. But when Yu Ping dashed at Lin Feng for a second time, leaving his team far behind him, Zeng Rui saw the opening. He dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Varus with Stand Behind Me and followed up with Winter¡¯s Bite! A chunk of freezing air mmed into Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri and slowed her! He then cast Exhaust on Ahri! The red, debilitating energy wrapped around her and made her all but useless.

    Yu Ping smiled. His Ahri had used her abilities. She wasn¡¯t going to deal a lot of damage with or without Exhaust. He pinged on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx, who was left undefended, and ordered, ¡°Take her out! FAST!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler replied over the team¡¯s voice chat. He Body mmed towards Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx and then tossed his Explosive Cask at her!

    ?

    Su Xue was streaming the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals from her apartment in Shanghai. When she and her hundred thousand viewers saw Team Beijing shift their focus towards Tang Bingyao, she screamed, ¡°NoNoNONONONOOOOOO! TANG TANG!¡±

    ¡¸TANG TANG NOOOOOO¡¹¡¸how dare they y our goddesss! LETS KILL EM ALL!!!! CRUSADDEE TANGTANGGANG!¡¹¡¸why did braum run away? what a shit support¡­.¡¹¡¸plsplspslplss someone save tang tang!!!¡¹¡¸i cant watch this. i just cant. someone tell me what happens¡¹¡¸SHE HAS FLASH! SHE HAS FLASH! FLASH IT! FLLLAAAASSSSHHHHHHHHH¡¹

    ?

    Tang Bingyao wasser focused on the fight. ZengZeng is gone and¡ª The Explosive Cask flew through the air, about to burst. It was going tond behind and knock her into Team Beijing. The world ground to a halt. She finally got a glimpse into how Lin Feng yed the game. Several different options yed out before her eyes.

    If I get hit, the force will knock me at the Darius and I¡¯m dead. Can¡¯t do that.

    If I sh forward, I sh on top of Darius. Can¡¯t do that either.

    If I sh sideways, I won¡¯t clear the range because of the wall next to me. That won¡¯t work.

    But if I sh back, I¡¯m so far away from the fight that I can¡¯t hel¡ª Unless¡­ What if I fire my Super Mega Death Rocket and kill Ahri? That would activate my passive skill and boost my movement speed. Then I can¡­ Mhm! That¡¯s it! That¡¯s it!

    Time resumed for Tang Bingyao. She went against all her instincts and shed away from the fight. Her Jinx disappeared with a mottled sh of light and reappeared on the other side of the Explosive Cask. The pink liquid burst and sent her flying away! She pressed on the F3 button to center her camera over Lin Feng¡¯s Varus. It didn¡¯t matter where shended; she just had to know where Ahri was. Still Exhausted. 2¡­ 1! MHM! She pressed the R key and the SUPER MEGA DEATH ROCKET shot across the river straight at Ahri where it went up in a fiery explosion!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Did she just¡­?¡± Cherry mumbled into her microphone at the caster desk.

    FourEyesChan pushed his sses up the rim of his nose and said, ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Yeah, she just did that.¡± He briefly paused and then added, ¡°Wow! That¡¯s the trademark of any LPL ad-carry! Stunned me right into silence! WOW!¡±

    ¡°Wow indeed! Crazy¡­¡±¡°Those reflexes... How in the world¡­?¡±¡°MOST BADASS BITCH IF YOU EVER SEEN ONE!¡±¡°Jinx is a crazy bitch¡­ yer matches Champion! WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°SIIIIKE! BEST PLAY BY AN AD-CARRY 2016!¡±

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at Tang Bingyao and grinned.

    Tang Bingyao nced at Lin Feng and mumbled, ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Lin Feng grinned brighter and said, ¡°You know how nice that was, right? That was so nice! Reminds me of Silent! You channelled your inner Silent there! I knew you had it in you! I¡¯m lovin¡¯ it!¡±

    Tang Bingyao forgot about her Jinx running towards Team Beijing. She turned her head to look at Lin Feng, suddenly feeling very warm. D-did¡­ Uhm¡­ I did good? Mhm! I did! Like Silent! He¡¯sparing me with the best ad-carry to have ever yed! He¡¯s¡­ He is... She smiled and mumbled barely audibly, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right, you know?¡± An Xin said. She winked at Tang Bingyao and added, ¡°That was a great y. I was really confused when you shed away from the fight. That¡¯s so not like you. But then you hit that rocket and¡­ Lin Feng is right. That was reminiscent of Silent. That was a fantastic y and an even better sho¡ª¡±

    ¡°WE¡¯RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TEAMFIGHT! DAMMIT!¡± Zeng Rui screamed over the team¡¯s voice chat. His eyes were bloodshot as he clicked on his mouse with increasing fury. ¡°WE¡¯RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TEAMFIGHT!¡±

    ¡°ZengZeng!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°My ears! Jeesh! We¡¯ve already got two and look¡­¡± He charged up a Piercing Arrow and released it, piercing Gragas and Darius. ¡°I¡¯ve got them both! We¡¯ll kill them!¡±

    ¡°Just focus,¡± Zeng Rui said, staring at his screen.

    Team Shanghai stopped chatting and channelled their attention towards the teamfight. There were still three Champions from Team Beijing alive, but they¡¯d used their strongest crowd control abilities and didn¡¯t have the damage to kill anyone from Team Shanghai. Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx fired at Gragas with her minigun while Lin Feng¡¯s Varus fired arrows from his bow. An Xinshed out with her sharp nails and Rumble activated his mespitter. All the while, Zeng Rui had his Braum running between Gragas and Darius and slowing them both.

    Zhang Hongyi looked at the fight, the corner of his lips twitching. He focused his camera on Zeng Rui and narrowed his eyes. You. Little. Chickenshit! If my ad-carry wasn¡¯t such a braintard this game, we would¡¯ve won this fight! It¡¯s all because of that stupid ass Varus and his longshots¡­ FUCK! He clicked away from the fight. No one cared about his Leona. She was irrelevant in this game. He was irrelevant. ¡°FUCK! WE LOST! FUCK!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Rumble got thest hit on Gragas and imed the double kill, after which Team Shanghai turned their attention on Darius. They chased him down and killed him. Leona got away, but she wasn¡¯t worth chasing. Not with a Dragon ready to be taken, anyway. Team Shanghai took the Dragon and then recalled back to base to spend all the gold they¡¯d just earned.

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into the microphone, ¡°That¡¯s game. The Nexus is still standing, but Team Beijing has basically lost this game.¡±

    Cherry nodded and added, ¡°I don¡¯t see theming back from this one. It would take something truly special.¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked up at the speakers from which the casters¡¯ voices boomed and shook his head. He mumbled, ¡°Something phenomenally terrible would have to happen. Like a meteor or an EMF wave. Or Team Shanghai suddenly getting sick¡­¡±

 Chapter 397: The Tilting Man

    A game of League of Legends wasn¡¯t over until one Nexus exploded. It was a simple fact that led to discussions that were still going strong five years after the game¡¯s release. One side of the argument said that there was always a way back; no game was truly lost until the Nexus exploded. They continued to exin that the biggest reason why it often felt like a game was over before the Nexus exploded was because people gave up. But the ¡®loss¡¯ in someone¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t the same as the ¡®loss¡¯ on the board, and the one on the board wasn¡¯t absolute until the Nexus exploded.

    The other side of the argument exined that there was a point in the game where the game was still going on, but where there was no way in which the losing side could win unless the winning side made severalrge mistakes. These mistakes, this side argued, had to be of such magnitude and specificity that they only came to pass in less than 1 percent of all games in which the opportunities presented themselves. This percentage went down the higher the rank of the yers on the board. So while the game wasn¡¯t truly over, it was over in every other sense of the word.

    This same argument broke out on the stands in the Chaoyang Sports Center. A group of people from Beijing refused to see that Team Beijing was losing. They pointed out possibilities they believed were there and argued that if Team Beijing exploited those opportunities, they could still win the game. Everyone else agreed there was a way for Team Beijing to win this first game of the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals against Team Shanghai, and that was by casting a curse on Team Shanghai that forced them to make arge number of mistakes.

    Team Beijing hadn¡¯t hired a witch and there was no cultivator who exited his closed door cultivation for them. They were forced to rely on their own ability. And their own ability simply wasn¡¯t enough in this game.

    To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Team Shanghai didn¡¯t screw up. They yed like they had all tournament. Calm and precise. They abused the long range from Varus to besiege the tower. When his arrows that never missed their mark culled the ranks from Team Beijing, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Jinx moved in range of the tower and started firing with her minigun. She shredded through the protection of the tower and destroyed it in seconds.

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into his microphone, ¡°My god. This is one of the most one sided games I¡¯ve ever had to cast. Team Shanghai could send their Toner, Jungler and Support to the loo! Between Varus¡¯ long ranged arrows that absolutely always smash their mark and Jinx just tearing through the towers¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say or how to cast this game. There¡¯s really nothing to say, other than that congrattions are in order for Team Shanghai. They¡¯ve dismantled Team Beijing. Well and truly dismantled them.¡±

    ¡°Mm-mhm!¡± Cherry mumbled, nodding. She looked at her microphone, trying to think of something to say but noting up with anything. She finally leaned forward and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hope Team Beijing can put up a better fight next game. But for this one¡­ We¡¯ve got just a couple more seconds to go I think. They¡¯ve already got two inhibitors.¡±

    ¡°And they just aren¡¯t stopping!¡± FourEyesChan said. ¡°They just keep going and going and with the blue buff Varus never has to stop and because Team Beijing isn¡¯t getting any gold they can¡¯t buy the items they need to stop him either. It¡¯s hopeless. It¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Good game to Team Shanghai¡­¡±¡°Great game for a Team Shanghai fan. Not so great for quite literally everybody else¡­¡±¡°GIVE THE NEUTRAL FAN A BETTER SHOW PLEASE!¡±

    VICTORY!

    ?

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler turned to his teammates and said through gritted teeth, ¡°I know you told us to stay calm, Yu Ping. I know this. And I wanted to¡­ I was going to! Bute on! You saw that game! We were all there, huddling behind our stupid ass towers! You know why it ended up like this? Let me tell you why. It¡¯s because Riot didn¡¯t fucking nerf Varus! Everyone knew he was op as all fucks! Why didn¡¯t they nerf him? Just exin this to me. Why didn¡¯t they nerf him?¡±

    Yu Ping closed his eyes and replied, ¡°Please¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, I know!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler eximed. ¡°You¡¯re right. You are, Yu Ping. We could¡¯ve banned Varus. We probably should¡¯ve! It¡¯s on us. I just feel frustrated about it, you know? It¡¯s such an obvious overpowered Champion. And that''s why they won the game.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi ground his teeth and growled, ¡°Zeng Rui got so fucking lucky. We had him in bot and then the stupid Varus and his stupid arrows¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Stop this,¡± Yu Ping said. He looked around at his teammates and continued, ¡°Listen, guys. Yeah we lost. Yeah Varus was strong and destroyed us. We failed to shut him down early and paid for it. But it wasn¡¯t just the Varus. Stop tunneling on him. This was a team effort by Team Shanghai¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah right,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry mumbled.

    Yu Ping red at his teammates and said in a louder, moremanding voice, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Evelynn camping mid, Varus would¡¯ve never gotten strong like he did. If it wasn¡¯t for Braum, the Jinx would¡¯ve never gotten as strong as she did. If it wasn¡¯t for Braum and Rumbleyering their ultimates perfectly, we would¡¯ve never lost the fight at the Dragon pit that badly. If it wasn¡¯t for the Jinx getting kills and being far better than the B+ grade people say she is, we would¡¯ve never lost as badly as we did.¡± He briefly paused and looked at his teammates for a bit. He then continued, ¡°See how it wasn¡¯t just Varus? See how it was a team effort in which each individual yer contributed a vital part to Team Shanghai¡¯s victory in that game? Yes, you¡¯re right. By the end of it, it was just Varus harassing us and Jinx shredding towers. But to get to that point, it took a full team effort. Stop tunneling on the oue and start analysing how they got there. If we want to win this series, we need to get over this Varus and improve together. As a team.¡±

    The yers from Team Beijing stared at Yu Ping. The anger and frustration they felt towards Lin Feng¡¯s Varus slowly dissipated. One by one, they started nodding. And when they were all nodding, faster and faster, Zhang Hongyi was the first to open his mouth and say what they were all thinking, ¡°You¡¯re right, Yu Ping. You always are. That¡¯s why you¡¯re the best. Yes. We¡¯ll stop tunneling. It was a team effort. Even¡­¡± He took a deep, long breath and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Even Zeng Rui contributed to that victory.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Yu Ping said. He then focused his attention on his screen and added, ¡°Then let¡¯s get ready for the next game.¡± And time to make that asshole on his Varus pay! How dare that jerk underestimate me¡ªME!¡ªby picking some weak early game Champion!

    ?

    FourEyesChan grabbed the microphone from its stand on the caster desk and brought it to his mouth. He said, ¡°Both teams have had a couple of minutes to unwind from the¡­ theck of action in game 1 if I¡¯m being honest here. Let¡¯s hope we get to see some more fireworks in game 2!¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re in Champion Select!¡± Cherry eximed. ¡°Team Beijing is the Blue Team in this second game of the Finals, which means they¡¯ve got the first ban¡­ EVELYNN! THEY BANNED EVELYNN!¡±

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°Smart ban. She helped Varus get through the early game. Which makes me wonder if Varus is going to be their next ban.¡±

    ¡°First up is Team Shanghai though! And they¡¯re banning¡­ Thresh!¡± Cherry said into her microphone.

    ¡°AND VARUS! IT¡¯S THE VARUS BAN!¡± FourEyesChan yelled into his microphone.

    ¡°They really did it! They banned Varus!¡±¡°SCAREDY CATS! MEOW, MEOW!¡±¡°CHICKENS! POCK, POCK, POCK!¡±

    In Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth, Yu Ping looked at his screen through narrowed eyes. They got the first choice of Champion and they went with Nidalee for their Jungler. Next up was Team Shanghai with two picks, then them again and then Team Shanghai again. It was in this round that Team Shanghai picked their Miner. Twisted Fate. He fucking did it again. This motherfucker. This little piece of shit! Yu Ping nced across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Are you really trying to say I¡¯m so bad that you can¡¯t even be arsed to take a decent early game Champion? You think I¡¯m such a bad yer that you can get by ying another weak early game Champion? Well. FUCK YOU! FUCK. YOU! He gritted his teeth in frustration and locked in Ahri. I¡¯ll FUCKING SHOW YOU!

    Zhang Hongyi nced at Yu Ping and asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he supposed to y something more aggressive? Like Riven or Fizz?¡±

    ¡°He. Was,¡± Yu Ping replied, grinding his teeth.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler interjected, ¡°Huh? Nocturne? Theirst pick is Nocturne?¡±

    ?

    Winter Collegiate Cup Finals, Game 2

    Team Beijing (BLUE) vs. Team Shanghai (RED)

    Dr. Mundo vs. IreliaNidalee vs. NocturneAhri vs. Twisted FateEzreal vs. SivirJanna vs. Thresh

    ¡°Here we have it! The lineup for the second game!¡± FourEyesChan said into his microphone.

    Cherry nodded and added, ¡°And this is the first time we¡¯re seeing Nocturne I think! With Twisted Fate and Nocturne, Team Shanghai¡¯s got two global ultimate skills! Just imagine what they can all do with that!¡±

    FourEyesChan grimaced and replied, ¡°A whole lotta things. None of which are promising of an enjoyable game for anyone but Team Shanghai. We can only hope that Yu Ping learned his lesson mid and shuts the Twisted Fate down early.¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Cherry agreed. ¡°If Twisted Fate and Nocturne are allowed to get going¡­ Well, that¡¯d be game, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It would,¡± FourEyesChan mumbled.

    Sun Ruinian from Zhejiang University sat in the stands, listening to the discussion between the casters. He shook his head and said, ¡°Yu Ping didn¡¯t learn his lesson. If he had, he wouldn¡¯t have picked Ahri.¡±

    Zou Cheng grinned and chimed in, ¡°He looks like a tilting man!¡±

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University nced at Zou Cheng and replied, ¡°Can¡¯t me Yu Ping. It¡¯s hard not to tilt against Lin Feng. The way he ys... We both know how it feels to feel so goddamn powerless. Like it doesn¡¯t matter what you do, he¡¯ll stomp you anyway. But yeah¡­ Yu Ping looks like a tilting man.¡±

 Chapter 398: IReallySuck-Strategy

    ¡°NO TILTING!¡± Yu Ping shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. He looked to his left at Zhang Hongyi and the ad-carry, then turned his head to the other side and looked at his Jungler and Toner. They were all staring at their screens with scowls of frustration. He continued, ¡°It¡¯s just TF and Nocturne. Nothing to worry about. We¡¯ve got 8 minutes to make them absolutely worthless!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi replied through gritted teeth, ¡°And worthless we will make them! Show that ass in mid how good you are!¡±

    Yu Ping nodded and said, ¡°I will. I will show him exactly how wrong he is in underestimating me!¡± He briefly paused to look around at his teammates before adding, ¡°But I can¡¯t do this alone. All of us need to shut them down.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler took a deep breath and agreed, ¡°Yes. And we will. I¡¯ll make sure the Nocturne is useless! Screw his nightmares!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll kick their Toner¡¯s ass!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner chimed in. He clenched his fist and continued, ¡°Let me show everyone how bad that guy really is!¡±

    Yu Ping smiled and said, ¡°We got this!¡±

    ¡°WE GOT THIS!¡± the other yers from Team Beijing shouted.

    ?

    An Xin asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Will you be alright in mid? You know they¡¯re gonna camp you.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯m me!¡± He scratched the back of his head briefly before adding, ¡°But yeah, I know. Ahri again and this time I don¡¯t have Cleanse¡­¡±

    Twisted Fate was a Champion who was rtively weak during the early game phase. His strength came from his ultimate skill, which gave him vision of all opponents and allowed him to teleport anywhere in arge area around himself. The most obvious way to correct this weak early game from Twisted Fate was to y with a strong Jungler who would gank and put pressure on the midne. But Nocturne wasn¡¯t a strong Jungler like that. Nocturne needed to hit Level 6 before he became a threat. This gave Team Beijing a window of 6 to 8 minutes to shut Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate down and keep him out of the game.

    This information wasn¡¯t some grand secret privy to only the most elite yers. Everyone knew it, from the Bronze yers in the stands to Yu Ping on Team Beijing¡¯s side of the stage. The first 8 minutes of the game were going to decide who was most likely to win the game.

    But the first few minutes of the game came and went without first blood happening. Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate sidestepped the Charms from Ahri and dodged the spears Nidalee hurled at him. He was practically ying a 1 versus 2 in the midne, and he still refused to fall behind. Lin Feng was so good at dodging the pokes, traps, and ys from Team Beijing that it felt like nothing was really happening at all.

    Yu Ping¡¯s jaw pulsed as he furiously clicked on his mouse. Twisted Fate was on the other side of thene, hovering near his outer tower. At least you¡¯re not on Varus. Your poke on Twisted Fate sucks inparison! He smiled a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. He then nced at the scoreboard. They were five minutes into the game already. His smile fell t and he narrowed his eyes a bit more. Your poke sucks and I¡¯m ahead by 7 CS! But that¡¯s not nearly enough to shut you down! At this rate¡­ ¡°Nidalee,¡± he said over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler asked.

    Yu Ping continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to hit Level 6 on the next wave. Come mid again. Actually, go around. Come from behind his tower.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler nodded and said, ¡°On it.¡±

    At 6 minutes, Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri hit Level 6. He learned Ahri¡¯s ultimate skill, Spirit Dash, and activated it. Ahri dashed at Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and blew a kiss at him! The power of love manifested into the form of a heart and flew towards Twisted Fate. Ahri winked at him, teasing.

    Lin Feng expected the Level 6 engage. He was more than ready for it. He shed away from the Charm, dodging it, and activated Pick a Card. A blue card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head, followed by a red card. Ahri followed up with a second dash from Spirit Rush and cast ignite on him. Right then, the gold card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head. Lin Feng pressed the W key again and hurled the Gold Card at Ahri. It hit her before she could cast her Orb of Deception or Fox-Fires and stunned her.

    ¡°NOW!¡± Yu Ping hollered over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Nidalee had snuck into Team Shanghai¡¯s bot side Jungle. She moved through the brushes until she appeared in the midne, between the inner and outer tower. She followed up with Javelin Toss! Arge Javelin flew through the air, gaining in power the further it flew, and hit Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate at max range! Nearly half of Twisted Fate¡¯s health disappeared! She then cast Aspect of the Cougar! The amazonian Champion transformed into a cougar and pounced at Twisted Fate!

    FourEyesChan leaned over the caster desk and shouted, ¡°SHE¡¯S GOT IT! THEY GOT TF! TAKEDOWN! TAKEDOWN! NIDALEE HAS FATALLY WOUNDED TWISTED FATE! HE¡¯S GOT TO DIE NOW!¡±

    ¡°Kill her!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Yu Ping grinned and replied, ¡°Of course.¡± He cast Spirit Rush for the third time and dashed underneath Team Shanghai¡¯s outer tower. He followed up with Orb of Deception and Fox-Fires! The powerful magic hit Twisted Fate and killed him.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ¡°EAT THAT, SUCKER!¡± Yu Ping shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, cheering. He nodded at his Jungler and added, ¡°HECK YEAH! We got him!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi smiled and said, ¡°Nice work! Keep it up!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng groaned andined, ¡°How was I supposed to survive that? They dove me! If only I had Cleanse¡­¡± He shook his head for a bit, annoyed. He then turned his head to look at An Xin and asked, ¡°How much longer? When are we online?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Not much longer now. And stop yapping, you got through the first 6 minutes without giving away a kill. They¡¯re screwed.¡±

    ¡°But they killed me¡­¡± Lin Feng started. He then took a deep, long breath and added, ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±

    ?

    Yu Ping pushed out thene after killing Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and then recalled back to base to spend his gold. When he came back tone 7 minutes into the game, he continued where he left off by pushing thene towards Red team¡¯s outer tower. Because the more pressure he put on Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate, the morest hits he would miss and the smaller the impact of his ultimate skill was. I¡¯ll just keep pushing a bit more. Nocturne cane soon, but I¡¯ve got the area warded and I¡¯ve got Charm and sh. I can get out. I only need to worry about keeping Twisted Fate locke¡ª Huh? Wait. Where? He narrowed his eyes and searched for the Nocturne, which was the only exnation he coulde up with as to why Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate had activated Pick a Card.

    Zhang Hongyi happened to notice the hesitation from Yu Ping and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Just back.¡±

    Yu Ping replied through gritted teeth, ¡°What if it¡¯s just a trick to get me to back?¡±

    ¡°THERE! THERE!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler shouted, pinging on the minimap. ¡°SHE¡¯S THERE!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s Nocturne had reached Level 6 and learned the ultimate skill Paranoia. It was a skill that caused paranoia by turning day into night and reducing the vision of all enemy Champions to a small area around them. She then activated it. Darkness fell over Summoner¡¯s Rift. But it was the second part of the skill that made the darkness so much more terrifying. An Xin¡¯s Nocturne could fly at opponents within arge area around her. She smiled and focused on Yu Ping.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Zhang Hongyi asked.

    ¡°Not top,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner replied.

    ¡°Mid. I know it,¡± Yu Ping said through gritted teeth. ¡°Goddamn mid.¡± He had his Ahri run away, casting Orb of Deception for a small boost to her movement speed. It was enough to get away from Twisted Fate¡¯s Gold Card. The shadow of Nocturne appeared on top of him. KNEW IT! She flew at him and struck at him with her shadow ws! He countered with sh, travelling a short distance towards his outer tower! He then turned around, waited for An Xin to follow him with sh, and cast Charm! Try and kill me now, bitch!

    A pink heart flew at Nocturne. It was a physical apparition of love! An Xin¡¯s fingers glided across her keyboard. She first cast Shroud of Darkness! A protectiveyer appeared around her and nullified the effect of Charm! You¡¯re ugly! She continued with Unspeakable Horrors! Nocturne snuck its way into Ahri¡¯s mind and uncovered her greatest fears! He then started ying them on repeat, forcing her to watch them until she was ovee with so much fear that she lost control over her body!

    Lin Feng activated Twisted Fate¡¯s ultimate skill. Destiny revealed where all the yers from Team Beijing were, and Gate allowed him to teleport arge distance. He used the second part of his ultimate to teleport right behind the feared Ahri, a Gold Card still hovering above his head. When he stepped through the Gate, he grabbed the Gold Card and threw it at Ahri! The card hit her just as the fear from Unspeakable Horrors wore off and stunned her. He followed up with Wild Cards and an auto attack. Arge number of ying cards flew through the air, their sharp edges cutting through Ahri and decimating her health bar!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    FourEyesChan leaned over the caster desk and screamed, ¡°WOOOOOOOO! THAT¡¯S IT! RIGHT THERE! THAT¡¯S IT!¡±

    Cherry giggled and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the Twisted-Turnebo! They¡¯re online! Team Shanghai is online! GG!¡±

    ¡°Oh damn! What the¡­¡±¡°I thought for sure Ahri would get out¡­ She had Charm and sh!¡±¡°Nocturne was really fast with the spell shield there. That was kinda very impressive.¡±¡°WOOOOO TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°The tilting man is probably tilting hard right now!¡±¡°They really tried to stop TF in the first 5 minutes of the game. But like¡­ That kill was the only thing that really happened¡­¡±¡°They should¡¯ve tried harder I think. Aside from that kill, TF was never in any real danger¡­¡±

    Qiu Yijie from Fudan University recoiled in pain, grimacing. He watched the screen and listened to the conversations around him and shook his head. ¡°I know this pain,¡± he muttered. He then looked at Zou Cheng and continued, ¡°He¡¯s tilted. We both know it. The pressure Lin Feng can put even when behind¡­ And then that happens. All your hard work¡­ Just gone. Gone.¡±

    ¡°That was so, so disgustingly AWESOME!¡± Zou Cheng replied. He grinned, shaking his head, and added, ¡°Fuck he¡¯s good! How did he do that? 6 minutes of pure defense! And then he just gets the kill¡­¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked at the two Miners and analysed, ¡°We didn¡¯t focus on mid until just now, because there weren¡¯t any fireworks. But we really should¡¯ve been watching. Look at how even he is with Ahri. He was ying a 1 versus 2ne! Yet he yed it so perfectly that it looked boring. He made it look boring. 1 versus 2 with a weak early gamer versus strong early game Champions¡­¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve given up on trying to understand how he does that. It¡¯s¡­¡± He breathed in deeply and then let it all out through his mouth before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s insane. What¡¯s even crazier is that I¡¯mparing him to Hermes and I can¡¯t help but think he¡¯s better¡­¡±

    ¡°I know right!¡± Zou Cheng eximed, grinning.

    The audience was cheering and the casters were simrly losing their voices. There was only one ce in the stadium that was quiet, and that was Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth. Yu Ping¡¯s teammates were staring at their screens, trying very hard not to look at him. But they could still feel his anger and frustration. It was so thick in their soundproof booth that it turned tangible.

    Yu Ping looked at his screen, at the different shades of ck and white, and ground his teeth. Every notion of embarrassment morphed into anger, which cast a bigger and denser cloud in his mind. He squished his mouse between his fingers, ignoring the squeaking and groaning soundsing from it. SHIT! FUCK FUCK, FUCK! I knew Nocturne was Level 6! I KNEW IT! I GODDAMN KNEW IT! Why did I think I could escape? How did I convince myself that I could escape? HOW STUPID AM I? I SHOULD¡¯VE WAITED FOR MY ULTIMATE! Why? WHY? Why did I let this happen? Now we¡¯re fucked! FUCKED! He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. In, out, in¡ª ¡°FUCK! FUCK FUCK, FUCK!¡± he screamed.

    Across the stage in Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth, Lin Feng patted himself on the back and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Got ¡®em first try! Easy like I said!¡± He had his Twisted Fate recall to base to spend his gold and get back on even ground with Ahri. When he walked back into thene, he continued, ¡°This is what I like to call the IReallySuck-strategy! I act like a weak puppy and look at them cutely and give them this false sense of security. And then¡­ BAM! We win. Oh, BunBun,e gank mid again soon!¡±

    ¡°You absolute donkey!¡± An Xin replied. She red at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°Your IReallySuck-strategy is a wed strategy! What strategy gets you killed to win!?¡±

    ¡°Mine!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He then scratched the back of his head and added, ¡°Yeah, shouldn¡¯t have gotten killed earlier¡­ That was a woopsie moment.¡±

    ?

    At 9 minutes, Team Beijing¡¯s Nidalee snuck through the Jungle like a cougar. She bypassed Team Shanghai¡¯s wards and appeared behind Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia who was pushing thene. But Zhang Hao didn¡¯t notice it. He was focused onnding poke on Dr. Mundo. Until a spear hit him and his health bar dropped by arge amount. He flicked his mouse and spotted Nidalee. His eyes grew round and wide and he muttered, ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡¶You have been in!¡·

    Zhang Hao looked at his grey screen and grimaced. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Sorry, guys. I didn¡¯t see her. She just¡­ I thought with the Mundo and¡­ It shouldn¡¯t have happened, my bad. Sorry.¡±

    Zeng Rui replied, ¡°You underestimated Nidalee and Mundobined. Mundo¡¯s got the slow and Nidalee, when she hits her spear, does a lot of damage. You need to be ready for that. Pay more attention to your wards and when you see her approach, just back. You don¡¯t need to outy them, you just need to y a steady game.¡±

    ¡°Understood! Thanks,¡± Zhang Hao replied, nodding.

    Lin Feng grinned and interjected, ¡°HaoBro! Why the long face? Cheer up and keep pushing top! BunBun and I wille top in a bit and help you get a kill!¡±

    ?

    At 10 minutes, Twisted Fate and Nocturne both had their cooldowns avable. Zhang Hao was pushing the topne with his Irelia and forcing Dr. Mundo to hide underneath his tower. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Ready!¡±

    ¡°Paranoia!¡± An Xin shouted.¡°Destiny!¡± Lin Feng continued.

    Darkness fell over Summoner¡¯s Rift! Nocturne flew across the map at Dr. Mundo and struck him with his shadow des! Following behind him was Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate, a Gold Card in his hand. Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia dashed in as well! The three of them unleashed every skill they had! They dealt so much damage that it didn¡¯t matter that Dr. Mundo had a massive health pool, or that his ultimate helped him regain health, or that the outer tower was attacking them. They tore through his health bar within seconds and it was Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate whonded the killing blow.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Oops!¡± Lin Feng said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He scratched the back of his head, grinning and apologised, ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to take the kill.¡±

    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t,¡± An Xin replied, her voice filled with sarcasm.

    Zhang Haoughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay! Don¡¯t worry about it! Thanks for helping me!¡±

    Across the stage in Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth, the Toner smashed his fist on the desk and cursed, ¡°What the fuck am I supposed to do there!? I was underneath my tower! They jumped on me anyway! That stupid Nocturne-TFbo is broken! Just like the Varus! Those assholes are just ying broken Champions!¡±

    Yu Ping took a deep, long breath. He closed his eyes and repeated to himself to stay calm, to stay cool, to stay collected. He then opened his eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s easy, guys. All we need to do is roam ourselves. If we keep talking and know what¡¯s going on, the rest can respond by roaming and making ys. We can counter this Nocturne-TF ridiculousness!¡±

 Chapter 399: When Everyone Tells you you Canâ€™t

    Between the first game and the start of the second game, Team Beijing looked like a terrible team. It started to seem like luck was the biggest factor that saw them make it to the Finals of the Winter Collegiate Cup. But nothing was less true than that. They had a team full of incredibly talented yers, most of whom were better than their counterparts on Team Shanghai. This was most evident in the topne and to a lesser extent in the botne. But even Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler could give An Xin a run for her money in every aspect of the game except for map awareness. It was only Yu Ping in the midne who was vastly outssed by Lin Feng.

    Yu Ping started to realise that the biggest factor holding Team Beijing back in their series against Team Shanghai was him. He wanted to duel Lin Feng and beat him. But he couldn¡¯t; he wasn¡¯t good enough. He gritted his teeth and looked around the map. I need to ept that I can¡¯t beat him. He¡¯s on Twisted Fate, so he¡¯s not even looking to beat me either. Fine. Yep. Focus. Topne¡­ I can¡¯t do much there. Mundo is holding his own. They need to gank him and even that is kind of risky. He¡¯ll hold his own. What about bot¡­ Hmm¡­ That girl is good, but we¡¯re better. If we can get a few kills on her and then use that strength to get Mundo a kill or two, then it doesn¡¯t matter how strong Twisted Fate is. He grimaced and closed his eyes briefly. We need to y around him. I need to put my ego aside for a moment and stop tunneling. The way to win this game is to y around Twisted Fate, so let¡¯s do that!

    Yu Ping opened his eyes and looked at the top right corner of the screen. 12 minutes in. They¡¯re going to gank again soon. Worst case, we either countergank or find a gank in the otherne. Best case, they don¡¯t gank. He nodded at himself and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°We¡¯re making a y bot. Ping me the wards, Nidalee.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler pinged the red wards he¡¯d spotted in the river and Zhang Hongyi pinged those around the botne and wrote their timers down in the game chat. Yu Ping pretended like he was recalling back to base, and then snuck away from the midne and started making his way to the botne. He found a part of himself he¡¯d lost during the first game. A calmness and rity of his mind. A rhythm that matched his style. His Ahri danced through the river and arrived in the botne without Team Shanghai noticing it until it was already far toote.

    ¡°TANG TANG!¡± Zeng Rui yelled over the team¡¯s voice chat. He pinged the yellow retreat sign and continued, ¡°AHRI!¡± He then shed away and tossed hisntern at Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir.

    Zhang Hongyi smiled when he saw the panicked reaction from Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh. His fingers were already gliding across his keyboard, activating skills. A mottled sh of light sucked his Janna from Summoner¡¯s Rift and spit her back out on the far side of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir. Janna then surrounded herself in a magical storm and threw Sivir away from Thresh¡¯s Lantern and towards Blue team¡¯s outer tower!

    This discement from Monsoon left Tang Bingyao briefly incapable of activating skills. Yu Ping used this opportunity to dash at her with Spirit Rush and Charm her. All the while, Ezreal attacked her with his skills and auto attacks. Thebination of damage brought Sivir¡¯s health down to thest few percentages when the effects from Charm finally wore off. Tang Bingyao still tried to run, but Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri dashed after her with Spirit Rush.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Cherry cheered into her microphone, ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±

    FourEyesChan smiled and added, ¡°That¡¯s more like it! Let¡¯s go Team Beijing!¡±

    ¡°Fucking finally! We¡¯ve got a game on our hands!¡±¡°WOOOOOO!¡±¡°More of this please! Show them Shanghai Suckers who the best team is!¡±¡°BEIJING RUUUUUULES!¡±¡°WHOOP DEE DOODLE DOO!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi watched Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh escaping towards the Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower and clenched his fist, smiling. ¡°Heck yeah!¡± he eximed. He looked around at his teammates in the soundproof booth and continued, ¡°Heck yeah! We did it, boys! Fucking got the better of that piece of shit Zeng Rui! Let¡¯s push thisne and destroy his shitty tower!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Yu Ping cut in. He breathed in and smiled, then nodded and said, ¡°Good job. We got the kill. But we don¡¯t need to take the tower so quickly. Just freeze thene and I''ll gank again in a few minutes with Nidalee.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi chuckled and replied, ¡°Sure. That also works.¡± He looked at his screen, more specifically at Sivir¡¯s corpse, and added, ¡°We kill her one more time and this game is ours. Doesn¡¯t matter what Twisted Fate and Nocturne do, when we get their bot and top down, we win.¡±

    ?

    Zeng Rui waited underneath the Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower for Tang Bingyao to return to thene. In that time, he was forced to watch Team Beijing freeze the minion waves just outside of Blue team¡¯s outer tower. ¡°That¡¯s not great,¡± he mumbled over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°They¡¯ve got the lead and we¡¯re falling behind here.¡±

    Tang Bingyao chewed on her lips, her heart mming high up in her chest. I won¡¯t fall behind! I won¡¯t let that happen again! This Finals is going to be mine! Game 1 and now Game 2! Mhm! ¡­ But we need to break that freeze. The bitter taste of iron filled her mouth from biting on her lips too much and too hard, but she ignored it. Can¡¯t we just break it¡­? We can try! She nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s break their freeze.¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head and replied, ¡°We can¡¯t. They¡¯ll gank us the moment we pass the halfway point of thene. Let¡¯s stay back and take the Gromp Camp.¡± He panned his camera towards the topne and breathed out through his mouth. ¡°Their Mundo is staying even with Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia too¡­¡±

    Zhang Hao grimaced and said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my bad. Sorry, guys, I¡¯m really trying here. It¡¯s just¡­ I can¡¯t really push because I¡¯m afraid of the Nidalee and when you don¡¯t push against a Mundo, he can just heal himself back up with his ultimate¡­ It¡¯s really annoying!¡±

    An Xin looked at Zhang Hao and smiled. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine. Actually, you know what? Thene is going to push your way anyway. How about you let it push and then freeze it outside of your Outer Tower? When Mundo pushes, I¡¯ll gank.¡±

    Lin Feng ruffled his hair and mumbled, ¡°Sounds like you guys have got it covered. Guess I¡¯ll just keep farming in mid then.¡±

    ?

    At 14 minutes, Yu Ping had his Ahri recall to the fountain. He opened the shop and bought her her next item upgrade, then moved his camera across Summoner¡¯s Rift while having his Ahri run towards the botne. Hmm, I think it¡¯s about time¡­ Top is okay and Twisted Fate is just farming in mid¡­ Yeah. He pinged on the botne and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Come, Nid. We¡¯re ganking bot.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler nodded and replied, ¡°On it!¡±

    ¡°Top, top!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner suddenly shouted. He pinged on the topne and continued, ¡°Nocturne is here! Gank bot now! She can¡¯t get to bot that fast! Her ultimate can¡¯t reach that far yet!¡±

    Yu Ping scrunched his nose briefly and thenughed. He replied, ¡°Well, that¡¯s perfect! Now we don¡¯t have to worry about her either! Get that gank going! I¡¯m almost there!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi chuckled and said, ¡°The trash Thresh don¡¯t have sh!¡± He then had his Janna float towards Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and cast Zephyr on him! Janna¡¯s elemental hit Thresh and slowed him!

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir threw her Boomerang de at Janna in retaliation and prepared to follow up on that, but she was stopped by Zeng Rui who cried out, ¡°TANG TANG! RUN! NIDALEE IS HERE!¡± She nced at her minimap and her eyes grew round and wide. Mnh-mnh! I don¡¯t wanna retreat! But¡­ She chewed on her lips and then activated her ultimate skill. On the Run granted Sivir and nearby allies a massive movement speed boost. She then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Come!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Zeng Rui replied through gritted teeth. The slow from Zephyr had thrown him off just enough to confuse him. A Howling Gale was flying at him right now. He tried to sidestep it with the movement speed boost from Sivir, but he was too slow. The strong winds lifted his Thresh off his feet and knocked him up into the air! Fuck, no!

    Zhang Hongyi smiled, enjoying every second of knocking Zeng Rui up. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°He¡¯s got no sh! KILL HIM!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler arrived in the botne and cast Javelin Toss! She then changed to cougar form while the javelin flew towards Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh! Next to her, Team Beijing¡¯s Ezreal fired auto attacks and skills at Thresh! And from behind Blue team¡¯s outer tower, Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri also arrived in the botne! Theybined their damage, most of it focused on Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and a small portion on Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir.

    Zeng Rui forgot to breathe. He pursed his lips in frustration and clicked with far too much power on his mouse. I¡¯m dead! I¡¯m already dead, Tang Tang! Stop trying to save me! He ordered, ¡°Tang Tang, get out! Just back away! Get to safety! There¡¯s no value in both of us dying here!¡±

    ¡°We can both get out alive,¡± Tang Bingyao mumbled, defiant. She looked at the fight and where the yers from Team Beijing were. Ahri was still too far away and Nidalee would catch up soon. Ezreal was the only one who was really on top of them. We can still get out. Mhm! Both of us!

    ¡°We can¡¯t!¡± Zeng Rui argued. ¡°GET OUT!¡± He then pressed on his R key to activate The Box! Five spectral walls rose up around Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh, the sounds of howling ghostsing from them. Two walls broke down when Ezreal and Janna ran into them. It slowed them and gave Tang Bingyao the space she needed to escape. He shouted, ¡°Please! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m dead? RUN!¡±

    Tang Bingyao shook her head and said, ¡°We can both¡ª¡±

    ¡¶An ally has been in.¡·

    Ezreal¡¯s ultimate skill was a powerful barrage of energy missiles called Trueshot Barrage. The missiles had shot through Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and killed him. They then continued and smashed through Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir! Sivir¡¯s health dropped down to below half.

    ¡°Now they get you too,¡± Zeng Rui said with a loud sigh.

    ¡°No they won¡¯t!¡± Lin Feng interjected. He grinned and theatrically lifted his left finger before pressing down on the R key. He continued, ¡°I¡¯m finally in range! I¡¯ming down! Destiny!¡± All-seeing eyes appeared above the heads of all five Champions from Team Beijing.

    ?

    Su Xue sat behind herputer, chewing on her nails and mumbling, ¡°Come on, Tang Tang. You can do this. If anyone can, you can! Come on, girl! You¡¯ve got this! I believe in you. We all be¡ª¡± She jumped up from her gaming chair when Lin Feng activated his ultimate and screamed, ¡°HE¡¯S COMING! LIN FENG IS COMING IN WITH HIS TWISTED FATE! LET¡¯S GOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¸GO LIL BRO!¡¹¡¸tangtang¡¯s at her outer tower! theyre gonna have to towerdive to kill her!!!¡¹¡¸lil bro can get them both ez EAZYYYYYYY¡¹¡¸KILL THEM BEFORE AHRIS THERE PLEASEEEEEE¡¹¡¸IF ANYONE CAN, LIL BRO CANNNNNN!!!!!!¡¹¡¸GIMME THE C! GIMME THE U--- I MEAN O!!!!¡¹¡¸we can dooo thizzzzzzz¡¹¡¸omgomgomg CARE FOR AHRI! CARE FOR AHRI!¡¹

    ?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir arrived underneath her outer tower. But because she¡¯d allowed Team Beijing to keep chasing her, they didn¡¯t give up. They kept pressing, even when Lin Feng activated his ultimate skill. Team Beijing¡¯s Nidalee, with a shield from Janna, tanked the energy shots from Read team¡¯s outer tower. Towers could only attack one Champion at a time, allowing Ezreal to get in range and keep dealing damage without taking any.

    Lin Feng grinned and shouted, ¡°ALMOST THERE!¡± He clicked next to the outer tower. A deck of cards spread on the ground and the magic of the cards channeled into a gate that opened above it. Twisted Fate stepped from it into the botne holding a Gold Card. ¡°Now, let¡¯s kill Ezreal first,¡± Lin Feng mumbled. He had Twisted Fate move towards Ezreal, then suddenly mmed on his S key and continued by stepping to the side.

    FourEyesChan¡¯s eyes grew round and wide. He muttered, ¡°Wow!¡±

    Cherry nodded slowly, speechless.

    Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri had dashed in with Spirit Rush and cast Charm at Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate! But before she¡¯d even cast it, Lin Feng had already started dodging it, as if he knew it wasing and where it wasing. After dodging the Charm, he ran at Ezreal again and threw the Gold Card! It stunned Ezreal on top of dealing a ton of damage!

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into his microphone, ¡°Wow! Just¡­ Wow! He just¡­ Wow!¡±

    Lin Feng smiled when he saw Tang Bingyao throw boomerangs at Ezreal and then focused on his own Champion again. He pressed the Q key and cast Wild Cards! Twisted Fate threw a cone of cards that cut through Ezreal in the middle and Ahri and Janna on the sides! Only Nidalee from Team Beijing managed to dodge it by shing away. He then started throwing auto attacks at Ezreal. The first three attacks did minimal damage because he was an ability power Champion and his damage came from his skills. But the fourth card triggered Stacked Deck, a skill that added a magical damage property to his next card!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

 Chapter 400: Do the Lin Feng!

    ¡°Man. Man, oh, man!¡± Qiu Yijie said, amazed. He looked at therge LCD screen above the two soundproof booths and shook his head. ¡°Man¡­¡±

    Zou Cheng from Zhejiang University nodded vigorously and replied, ¡°I know, right!? That positioning, holy smokes! It¡¯s superb with a capital B!¡±

    Qiu Yijie rubbed his chin and asked, ¡°How does he do that? He makes it look so easy¡­ But if I¡¯d been the one ying? In the Finals of the biggest tournament at this level ofpetition? With tens of thousands¡­ maybe even hundreds of thousands of people watching? I wouldn¡¯t have even seen the Charm until it hit me.¡±

    ¡°No one would¡¯ve,¡± Sun Ruinian chimed in. He shook his head and continued, ¡°Because no one would¡¯ve considered teleporting down there and taking the fight. That dude knew what was up from the start. Did you see how he waited before teleporting in? There was a short pause before he went. I¡¯m thinking he did it to bait them underneath the tower.¡±

    ¡°ShitShit! Guys!¡± Zou Cheng eximed. He pointed at the screen and said, ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! Sivir is in trouble!¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir had lost most of her health trying to help Zeng Rui survive. Team Beijing initially engaged Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate, but when they failed to burst him down, they turned their attention back to Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir because her auto attacks could do a ton of damage in a prolonged fight.

    Yu Ping used the second dash from Spirit Rush to get past Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and arrive in front of Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir. He followed up with Fox-Fires and Orb of Deception! Three magical mes manifested around Ahri and shot towards Sivir together with the orb! They finished what little health she had left.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Oooooh, shiiiiit!¡± FourEyesChang hollered into his microphone. He clutched it tightly in his fist and continued, ¡°They¡¯re turning around the turn around! It¡¯s a turn-turnaround!¡±

    Cherry giggled and screeched, ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Yu Ping narrowed his eyes and used the third and final cast from Spirit Rush to jump away from the outer tower. W-what!? That did no damage! Each Spirit Rush generated magical friction that manifested into a powerful magic attack. The previous one had helped him kill Sivir by dealing a significant amount of damage. But on his way out, that same attack dealt almost no damage to Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate. He smashed on the Tab key and paused. His entire body stopped for a brief moment, and then he shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°CARE! HE HAS MAGIC RESIST!¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler cursed. His Nidalee and Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri were both ability power Champions. And their team¡¯s sole attack damage Champion, Ezreal, was dead. It was worse even for Team Beijing, because Ezreal had the Red Buff when he died. Upon death, this buff got transferred to Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate.

    Lin Feng looked down at his skill bar and grinned. Just a few more seconds. He ran after Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri and threw a card at her. The damage it dealt was secondary. What Lin Feng cared about was applying the slow from the Red Buff, because since Ahri used her ultimate she didn¡¯t have any other escapes left. He followed up with a second card, counting down thest second of Pick a Card¡¯s cooldown. And he then activated the skill.

    A Blue Card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head¡­

    A Red Card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head¡­

    The audience, the casters and the people at home, everyone knew what was going to happen. They sat on the edge of their seats, expectant. Some even forgot to breathe, mumbling a version of, ¡°Come on, kill him!¡±

    A Gold Card appeared above Twisted Fate¡¯s head. Lin Feng selected it and threw it at Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri! There was no running from it. Even Janna¡¯s shield from Eye of the Storm did little more than negate some of the damage. Twisted Fate stunned Ahri! He followed up with a fourth auto attack, triggering Stacked Deck for bonus damage! He then threw a volley of cards with Wild Cards! Their sharp edges cut into Ahri and sheared away her health!

    Yu Ping shouted through gritted teeth, ¡°Kill him already!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler eximed. He threw his arm up and continued, ¡°But what can I do? He keeps dodging every fucking spear I throw at him! It¡¯s like he fucking knows where I¡¯m throwing them before I even throw them! How the fuck is he doing this!?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ Just kill him!¡± Yu Ping shouted, frustrated.

    ?

    ¡°Dodge it, dodge it, dodge it!¡± Su Xue chanted. She leaned over her desk, her nose almost pushing into her screen. When Lin Feng dodged another spear from Nidalee and then hit Ahri with an auto attack, she jumped in joy! Her screen almost fell over and she yelped from her nose hitting the monitor. But the shocked surprise onlysted for a moment, intense joy overwhelming all her other sensations. She smiled and cheered, ¡°LIL FANCY FEET BRO! WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡¸YOU CAN DO IT LIL BROO!!!! GET THE QUADRA!!!¡¹¡¸sick dodge game!¡¹¡¸hows he keep dodging all em skilzzzz?????¡¹¡¸with his stanly ass manly skilllzzzz OBVIOUSLY!!!¡¹¡¸FK ME HES GOOD¡¹¡¸LIL BRO MASTERCLASS!!!!!!!!¡¹¡¸we can dooo thizzzzzzz¡¹¡¸omgomgomgomg kill ahri plzzzzzzzz¡¹

    ?

    Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate was well clear from his outer tower. They were in the open, he and three Champions from Team Beijing. They seemed to realise this. More specifically, after missing another spear, Nidalee changed to her cougar form and pounced at him! But he just grinned. Don¡¯t make this too easy, please. He looked around the botne and realised he was very close to the bottom ring, where there were three brushes. He ran towards the one nearest to him and briefly paused, waiting for Nidalee to cast a skill. When she did, he stepped inside the brush and killed vision, canceling Nidalee¡¯s skill.

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± Lin Feng mumbled, grinning.

    Zeng Rui said through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t joke. Focus!¡±

    Lin Feng nced at Zeng Rui and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ZengZeng! I¡¯ve got this! Watch me!¡±

 Chapter 401: The God of Microplay

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler felt his heart mming against his ribcage. His head hurt and the stage was spinning. He suddenly felt incredibly thirsty. Where are Yu Ping and Zhang Hongyi? Why aren¡¯t they¡ª FUCK! HOW¡­ He gritted his teeth and tensed his stomach as he held his breath. He had his Nidalee run into the same brush that Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate had just disappeared into and got vision on him again. He thennded an auto attack. COME ON! He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°HELP!¡±

    ¡°TRYING! I¡¯M TRYING!¡± Yu Ping shouted back. He ground his teeth in frustration and punched down on his keyboard, knowing perfectly well that his skills were all on cooldown. I need my Charm and I need to hit it. All I need are a few more second¡ª

    ¡°Coming!¡± Zhang Hongyi said. He had his Janna float towards Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and targeted him with an auto attack. He then added, ¡°Howling Gale ising off cooldown in a few more seconds!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler strained his eyes to keep them open and focused on Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate. He tried his best to spot every minute movement by Twisted Fate and adapt to it. I¡¯m going to hit my next skill! I have to hit it! Pounce on him, swipe, amazonian form and heal, and finish it off with a Javelin Toss. YeahYeahYEAH! He smiled and nced at his skill bar. Pounce had cooled down and was avable again. He activated the skill. His Nidalee leaned back on her back paws and then pushed off, leaping towards Twisted Fate!

    Hehe! Lin Feng stuck his tongue out a bit and bit down on it as his hands moved in practiced patterns. He¡¯d counted Nidalee¡¯s cooldowns and knew exactly when the Pounce was most likely toe. More precisely, he started dodging the skill before Nidalee even used it. He did this by pressing the S key and stopping all movements and then running back towards Nidalee, resulting in her jumping over him! Thebopletely missed!

    FourEyesChan shook his head and said into his microphone, ¡°Wow! Wow! I don¡¯t have the words. Just¡­ Wow!¡±

    ¡°AGAIN! HE FUCKING DID IT AGAIN!¡±¡°HE¡¯S THE HERO WE NEED!¡±¡°GOD OF MICROPLAY!¡±¡°DAYUM!¡±

    Cherry opened her eyes wide and counted the number of clutch dodges Lin Feng had made since the start of the fight on her fingers. She then said into her microphone, ¡°I think that¡¯s five. The Ahri Charm, Nidalee spears and now the Pounce¡­ Five times! Oh my god! FIVE! If I was in Nidalee¡¯s shoes, I¡¯d hit F4 and uninstall the game!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler blinked a drop of sweat from his eyelids and flicked his mouse around. Curses ran through his mind and he felt more embarrassed than he¡¯d ever felt in his life. But they were still in a 3 versus 1! He wasn¡¯t going to give up just because he missed a few skillshots. He clicked on Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and attacked with a Swipe of Nidalee¡¯s ws! Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri was right next to him and fired the Orb of Deception at Twisted Fate.

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just counting the cooldowns for Nidalee¡¯s skills. He was keeping track of everyone¡¯s cooldowns. As far as Lin Feng was concerned, there could be no surprise attack from any Champion on Team Beijing. He was moving to counter them before they even began. This time he did so by running towards Nidalee, eating the Swipe and seeing his health drop below 20 percent. But the Orb of Deceptionpletely missed him. He then turned around and threw a volley of cards! The Wild Cards were aimed perfectly. They shredded Nidalee¡¯s remaining health, then went on to hit Janna and Ahri!

    ¡¶Double Kill!¡·

    The audience burst into a fresh wave of cheers when the voice announcer boomed across the stadium. Fan Yuan who sat right below the stage gnashed his teeth in frustration. He banged his fists on his armrests and shouted, ¡°HOW IS HE NOT DEAD? YOU FUCKING USELESS SHITS! YOU WERE HIRED TO WIN THIS TOURNAMENT!¡± He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down, reminding himself they were just high schoolers. Until he remembered how they¡¯d underestimated Team Shanghai in the early stages of the tournament. I told them! I fucking told them! How many times did I warn them that Team Shanghai was the team to watch out for? Before they even made it to the East China Regionals, I told them to be careful! Team Shanghai is handpicked by the Shanghai Esports Association! They were never going to suck! GODDAMN USELESS SHITS! I WARNED THEM! I FUCKING WARNED THEM!

    A short distance away from Fan Yuan was Chu Fang. He pped his hands and cheered with the rest of the audience. But as much as he looked a part of the audience, he wasn¡¯t. For he knew who Lin Feng really was. What he was watching wasn¡¯t just a good League of Legends yer making a beautiful outy. He was watching the return of Maple. Just the thought of the games from four years ago gave him goosebumps. But to see the man himself ying again at a level that only a few yers ever reached, that was something else entirely.

    Chu Fang had long forgotten about the littlepetition between the three branches of the Chinese Esports Association. Before the series against Team Beijing began, he worried about that. But when he saw who came to y, when he saw Maple again, everything else seemed so insignificant. There were tears in his eyes and his throat felt dry. He wiped his mouth and mumbled, ¡°Oh my god. Oh my god! This is him. This is Maple! He¡¯s back!¡±

    Chu Fang started smiling and thenughing. He clenched his fists and jumped around. He looked at the fans around him, listened to them cheering Lin Feng¡¯s name, andughed even harder. He shouted, ¡°WELCOME BACK! LEAGUE OF LEGENDS HAS MISSED YOU!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Please get him. PLEASE!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat.

    Yu Ping nodded slowly and replied, ¡°Trying. Trying!¡± He stared at Lin Feng through bloodshot eyes. I¡¯ve still got a bit more health remaining. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s enough! And he¡¯s got what? 100 health left? Fuck that! We got this! We can do this! COME ON! COME FUCKING ON! CHARM GET OFF¡ª ¡°CHARM!¡± he screamed into his microphone while aiming with his mouse and activating the skill.

    Lin Feng breathed calmly. His teammates were all staring at him. The two yers in the topne had even stopped ying to watch this fight. But Lin Feng noticed none of that. He was mumbling the cooldowns and when he knew Ahri¡¯s Charm wasing, he started moving. His Twisted Fate had a bit more than a hundred health left. If the Charm hit, that¡¯d be it. He stepped left right when Ahri blew her kiss. And he chose the right direction to dodge. The pink heart flew past him and missed him.

    Cherry¡¯s mouth fell open and she stared at her screen, incredulous. She said into her microphone, ¡°Again. AGAIN! HE DID IT AGAIN! ANOTHER DODGE! OH MY GOD! HE DID IT AGAIN!¡±

    FourEyesChan shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Wow¡­ How¡­ Wow!¡±

    ¡°1 versus 4. EASY GAME!¡±¡°HE JUST KEEPS DODGING!¡±¡°HOW IS HE DOING THIS!?¡±¡°THIS IS FUCKING UNREAL!¡±¡°HOW DOES HE KNOW?¡±¡°Is he aimbotting? How is this even possible¡­?¡±¡°FUCK, HE¡¯S GOOD!¡±

    Yu Ping¡¯s pupils shrunk. ¡­ How? Every bit of anger, hatred and pure fury escaped from his body. Thest bits of hope sunk to the pit of his stomach and he just stared at his screen for a brief moment, numb. Then he remembered where he was. What he was ying for. He shook the daze off and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Howling Gale, when?¡±

    ¡°NOW!¡± Zhang Hongyi shouted triumphantly. His Janna arrived right in front of Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and cast Howling Gale! The storm started brewing at her feet and quickly picked up size and pace. There was no time or space for Lin Feng to sidestep this. ¡°We¡¯ve got him! Finish him off!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s index finger had been resting on the D key for the entire fight, ready and waiting for that one skill he needed to dodge but couldn¡¯t. That moment was now. He shed. A mottled sh of light sucked him away from Summoner¡¯s Rift and spat him back out again a short distance away. The Howling Gale missed himpletely.

    Zhang Hongyi stared at his screen, numb. He watched Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate throw a Stacked Deck empowered ying card at Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri. The voice announcer then boomed in his ears. ¡°TRIPLE KILL!¡± His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he managed to utter, ¡°H-h-he still¡­ He still had sh!?¡±

    ¡°I-I thought he used it already¡­¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler mumbled.

    Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry added, ¡°Me too¡­¡±

    Yu Ping ground his teeth, staring at his grey screen, and then shouted, ¡°WELL CLEARLY HE DID NOT! FUCK! FUCK!¡±

 Chapter 402: My Spirit is Lost

    FourEyesChan said into the microphone, ¡°Well,dies and gents, that¡¯s one way to mentally murder your opponents. What Twisted Fate just did there?¡± He shook his head and then continued, ¡°That was soul crushing to watch. And if anyone wants to know what a soul crushed opponent looks like, just look at Team Beijing¡¯s Janna.¡±

    Zhang Hongyi¡¯s Janna stood still and watched Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate escape with about a hundred health remaining. She could¡¯ve tried to chase him and might¡¯ve even gotten the kill in the end, but Zhang Hongyi wasn¡¯t in the space of mind for that anymore. He sat behind hisputer in apletely silent soundproof booth and stared at his screen through hazy eyes, numb. His spirit was lost.

    Cherry started counting all the instances of Lin Feng dodging a skillshot for a third time. She added the charms and Orb of Deception from Ahri, the Howling Gale from Janna and the various skillshots from Nidalee. She finally shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough fingers for this. I¡¯ll need my toes if I want to count how many skillshots Twisted Fate dodged there.¡± She chewed on her lips for a bit and then added, ¡°I think we¡¯re all a bit stunned here. But¡­ But what else can we be? The level of y Twisted Fate just showed us? That¡¯s so far above and beyond everything else we¡¯ve seen at the Collegiate Cup¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say. Maybe, woooo? Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. Woooo!¡±

    The audience sat in their seats, stunned. They couldn¡¯t believe what they¡¯d seen, and hadn¡¯t the faintest clue how to process it or react to it. It was only after Cherry woo¡¯d for Team Shanghai that a couple of people found themselves blinking and turning their heads to look around the stands. They then squared their shoulders and started pping. A few turned to many and from the initial low rumble erupted a cacophony of apuse!

    ¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°HE¡¯S BLESSED BY THE GODS!¡±¡°Hah! There¡¯s no best team this year, there¡¯s only a best yer! WIN FENG! WIN FEEENG!¡±¡°That¡¯s one way to eliminate the opposition¡­ G-fucking-G!¡±¡°PLEASE GIMME DANCE LESSONS, WIN FENG!¡±¡°THOSE DODGES! WHAT THE FUCK!¡±¡°NEVER CLUTCHED MY BUTT SO TIGHTLY!¡±¡°IIIIIIII! HAVE MY BABY!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue grabbed a ss of sake and clinked it against her camera, shouting, ¡°WOOOOOOOOO! TRIPLE KIIIIIIIILL! WIN FENG FOR THE WIIIIIIIIN!¡±

    ¡¸66666¡¹¡¸BEST TF IVE EVER SEEEEEENNNN!!!!!¡¹¡¸WHEN WE GETTING LIL BRO SEMINAR ON STREAM!??!?!?!?¡¹¡¸WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! LIL BRO BEST BROOO!!!!¡¹¡¸im a master and he makes me feel like aplete noob¡­..¡¹¡¸JESUS FUCKING >>>>>>> HOWS HE THIS GOOD? WTFFTFFF AARGGHHHH¡¹¡¸SSIIIICCKCKKKKKKK!!!!! INSANE PLAYZ BY THE LIL BROOOOO¡¹¡¸omgomgomg how the fuck¡­ IN FUCKING SAAAAANE!!!!¡¹

    ?

    ¡°You could¡¯ve helped me get the kill on Mundo, you know,¡± An Xin said over the team¡¯s voice chat. She nced at Zhang Hao and giggled. I know. It¡¯s hard to believe what Lin Feng sometimes does. She winked at him and asked, ¡°You okay there?¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s mouth hung open as he stared at Lin Feng, incredulous. He finally asked, ¡°How¡­? What¡­ How did you get the triple there? It was a 4 man gank and Tang Tang and Zeng Rui died! You did that 1 versus 4! You¡­ You¡­ WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE! I know you¡¯re Maple, but¡­ WHAT THE FUCK!¡±

    An Xin giggled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a little ridiculous, right? They should really nerf him a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He red at An Xin and continued, ¡°They can¡¯t nerf me!¡±

    An Xin was there when Lin Feng had his Season 1 Worlds run. She knew how good he was, and how special it was when he yed at his level. But because she¡¯d seen and experienced it before, it didn¡¯t hit nearly as hard for her as it did to the rest of Team Shanghai, who were pressed with their noses against the facts. Lin Feng was so much better than them that there really was noparison.

    Tang Bingyao stared at her grey screen. More specifically, she was looking at the corpses of Ezreal, Ahri and Nidalee. Her teeth chattered. H-how¡­? I tried to y it like he would, but¡­ But¡­ She breathed in deeply, forcing back the tears that were trying to appear in her eyes. H-he can y aggressively, because he can do¡­ that. That¡¯s why Zeng Rui wanted me to retreat. Mhm. He knew I don¡¯t have the skill to do what Lin Feng does¡­ I¡­ She sniffed and mumbled quietly, ¡°Nice gank.¡±

    Lin Feng put his thumbs up, grinning, and said, ¡°Nice baiting them there! That was some great thinking!¡±

    Tang Bingyao chewed on her lips and nodded. I was just trying to¡­ I didn¡¯t think¡­ She breathed in and mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Zeng Rui put his hand on his chest and felt his heart battering against his rib cage. He¡¯d watched the fight and he¡¯d been convinced a dozen times that Lin Feng was dead. Yet every time Lin Feng made the crucial sidestep. At every junction, Lin Feng made the correct call. Zeng Rui lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. So this is what it feels like to y with a world ss yer. The thundering dumbass¡­ that¡¯s me, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m the idiot. I didn¡¯t see just how good¡­ How did he¡­? He sniffed and said, ¡°That was¡­ That was probably the best outy I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°Thanks, ZengZeng!¡±

    ?

    There was a heavy silence in Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth. No one knew what to say or do. Zhang Hongyi was still staring in front of him at nothing in particr, the fast beating of his heart booming in his ears like explosions. Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler, ad-carry and Toner weren''t much better. They were trying to find an exnation, a reason why everything happened.

    ¡°No way¡­¡±¡°How did he just go 1 versus 3 us?¡±¡°This can¡¯t be happening¡­¡±

    But their mumbles were ignored by the others. They were the ramblings of lost souls. yers who were trying toe to terms with what just happened, knowing perfectly well that there was nothing they could say, do or think that would dampen the impact. The fight ended with two kills for three deaths. That wasn¡¯t disastrous; it happened all the time in teamfights. But it was the way in which it went down. The pure skill from Lin Feng that left them sopletely helpless that they¡¯d lost every bit of fight in them.

    However,pared to Yu Ping, the rest of Team Beijing was rtively well off. Yu Ping sat behind hisputer with slumped shoulders. His anger and rage were gone. He¡¯d gone into the series believing he was the better Miner. When Lin Feng went with a strongte game Champion in Varus, he felt offended. And when Lin Feng did it again in the second game with Twisted Fate, he was truly upset. But that was all healthy inpetition. It made him a stronger and more motivated yer!

    Yu Ping sighed and shook his head. I¡¯m not the better yer. I¡¯m not even close to how good he is. I should¡¯ve known. I should¡¯ve known. Fan Yuan warned us. He told us to watch out for Team Shanghai. But how could anyone be as strong as us? How could there be another team with such a well-rounded lineup? Team Guangzhou looked interesting enough, but was ultimately boring. And Team Shanghai looked like the weaker team. Lin Feng¡­ He closed his eyes, but the hint of anger that he associated with the name didn¡¯t appear. His spirit was lost. Lin Feng never looked that good. He just¡­ He just won. Even after the first game, I still felt like I could y against him and beat him. The difference felt so small! And then we got off to such a good start in this second game! We were beating him and he needed the Nocturne to get a kill! He needed¡ª

    He didn¡¯t need Nocturne at any point. Yu Ping scratched under his eye and grimaced. He never needed any help. He just went into a 1 versus 4 and outyed us sopletely¡­ What¡¯s left to do or say? Just¡­ What¡¯s the point? He¡¯s so much better than I am that there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop him. He¡¯s so much better that even with our entire team we can¡¯t stop him! His teammates don¡¯t matter. They never did! It¡¯s all him! People can yap all they want about how League is a team game. That¡¯s only the case when teams are evenly matched. There¡¯s no evenly matched here. One team is a university level team and the other is a high school level team. And the third team is a single yer who¡¯s ying at the World Championship level.

    Yu Ping sighed again and then asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Where did hee from? Who is he?¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng grinned and dered, ¡°I¡¯m fed! I¡¯ve got all the gold in the world and now I can spend it to buy whatever item I want!¡±

    ¡°Get Zhonya¡¯s,¡± Zeng Rui suggested.

    ¡°Great idea!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He opened the shop and bought Zhonya¡¯s Hourss. It was an expensive item most yers didn¡¯t get until the 20 or even 25 minute mark. But Lin Feng bought it 15 minutes into the game. The active skill from this item granted him another method to dodge skillshots and evade crowd control. It made it that much harder for Team Beijing to do anything against him. He clenched his fist and said, ¡°Time to close this baby out!¡±

    Tang Bingyao pressed the Tab key and looked at the game score. Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate had the highest kills/deaths/assists ratio with his 5/1/0 score and he had the highest creep score. She chewed on her lips and snuck a nce at him. You¡¯re so far ahead that you can solo carry this game now. That¡¯s what I wanted to do. That¡¯s why I yed so aggressively! I didn¡¯t bait them for you¡­ I was trying to do what you do, without your skills. It just doesn¡¯t work without your skills¡­ She put her hand under the table and clenched it. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m giving up! Mhm-mhm!

 Chapter 403: Remember the Name

    It was the Grand Finals of the Winter Collegiate Cup. No matter how Team Beijing felt about it, they couldn¡¯t just give up. ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungle eximed! He looked at his teammates and continued, ¡°So what if we lose this game? We aren¡¯t losing to Team Shanghai! We¡¯re losing to their Miner! So screw him! Who cares about him? I don¡¯t!¡±

    Zhang Hongyi turned his head to look at his Jungler and said, ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler clenched his fist and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°I don¡¯t care that their Miner is the best yer! So what if he takes first? Good for him! Whatever! But we¡¯re going to take second, ahead of Team Shanghai! Forget about him! Let¡¯s focus on the others and get some kills!¡±

    ¡°Huh!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Toner replied. He looked at his teammates and continued, ¡°He¡¯s right! Let¡¯s show everyone we¡¯re better than Team Shanghai! Screw their Miner!¡±

    Yu Ping gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. You guys can ignore him. But it won¡¯t be that easy for me¡­ He took a deep, long breath and asked, ¡°Then what about me?¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler grinned and suggested, ¡°Just abandon mid! Screw that guy! Let¡¯s go and win the othernes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Zhang Hongyi eximed. He looked at his teammates, grinning, and added, ¡°Give me some help to kill Zeng Rui again!¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler said. He then nodded at Yu Ping and asked, ¡°You alsoing?¡±

    Yu Ping nodded slowly and mumbled, ¡°Yeah. I guess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler eximed, forcingughter into his voice.

    ?

    At 17 minutes, Team Beijing¡¯s Toner, Miner and Jungler were missing. An Xin moved her camera around the map and asked over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Where are they¡­? This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ Where did they go? Lin Feng is pushing mid and Zhang Hao is pushing top¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re scared of me!¡± Lin Feng suggested.

    An Xin nced at him and replied, ¡°Haha. So funny.¡± She then turned to look at the others and continued, ¡°I¡¯m serious. Where are they?¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide. He shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°They¡¯re here! Bot! No way Shitty Zhang ys like this when there isn¡¯t a gank waiting!¡±

    Lin Feng grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to d-d¡ª¡±

    ¡°LIN FENG!¡± An Xin screamed. She red at him with her murder smile and asked, ¡°Do I need to repeat myself? HMM?¡±

    ¡°Jeesh!¡± Lin Fengined. ¡°I was just going to say that I¡¯ve got Teleport and HaoBro also has his TP up. ZengZeng should just bait them into tower diving to try and kill him and Tang Tang¡­¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at the scoreboard and nodded. He replied, ¡°I like that idea. See this ward?¡± He pinged on a ward in the second brush along the bottom side of thene. ¡°If both of you teleport there when they engage. BunBun? What if youe through thene?¡±

    An Xin smiled and said, ¡°I do like the sound of that! On my way!¡± She had her Nocturne walk into the botne and stopped in the brush between the Inner and Outer Tower. With her ultimate, she could reach the fight from there. ¡°In position!¡±

    Zeng Rui nced at Lin Feng and Zhang Hao and asked, ¡°You two?¡± When he received the nod from Zhang Hao and the thumbs up from Lin Feng, he turned back to look at his screen and took a deep, long breath. ¡°Okay,¡± he mumbled. He then clicked forward, allowing his Thresh to malposition.

    In Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth, Zhang Hongyi almost jumped up from his chair. He pointed at his screen and shouted, ¡°He fell for it! I knew he was bad! I knew it! Hah! GoGoGo!¡± He then had his Janna use Zephyr. A skill that allowed Janna to summon an air elemental that she could send at an enemy champion to deal some damage and also slow them. The air elemental flew straight at Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh and slowed him!

    Team Beijing¡¯s Nidalee, Dr. Mundo and Ahri all ran into thene! They met up with the Ezreal and Janna. Together, all five of them unleashed their skills on Zeng Rui¡¯s Thresh! Different kinds of magic, bolts of energy, javelins and cleavers flew through the air! Everythingbined tore apart Thresh¡¯s health!

    But no one in the stadium was cheering for Team Beijing. A few mumbled how unfair this game was for Team Beijing, but most remained silent. The shoutcasters sat quietly at their desk, shaking their heads. They could almost feel the pain Team Beijing was about to suffer.

    Zeng Rui waited for thest possible moment and then shed away, forcing the five Champions from Team Beijing to follow him. It pulled them away from the safety of their Outer Tower and right into the middle of the botne. That was where Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri dealt the killing blow.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    There was the briefest moment of euphoria on Team Beijing¡¯s side of the stage. And then darkness fell over Summoner¡¯s Rift. It was a thick darkness that the yers from Team Beijing could only see each other¡¯s Champions as they huddled together in the middle of thene. A shadow of terror lit up below Yu Ping¡¯s Ahri. He was marked by Nocturne and Nocturne was flying at him! But the nightmare was only just beginning for Team Beijing. Completely unbeknownst to them, Lin Feng¡¯s Twisted Fate and Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia were teleporting into thene right below them. And in front of them, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Sivir cast On the Hunt, boosting the movement speed of all nearby allies!

    FourEyesChan shook his head and said into his microphone, ¡°I mean¡­¡± He shrugged and turned his head to look at Cherry.

    Cherry looked back at him and massaged her forehead. She then breathed out through her mouth and said, ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡°Two more to go and this nightmare is over,¡± FourEyesChan said. He then chuckled and added, ¡°Nocturne is a nightmare, but it¡¯s kind of funny how he¡¯s also a nightmare in this game.¡±

    Cherry smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m trying to enjoy this. I really am. It¡¯s a beautiful y by Team Shanghai. But it¡¯s just so¡­¡± She sighed loudly and continued, ¡°It¡¯s just so hard to watch this. I can feel the pain Team Beijing must be feeling. This is¡­ Yeah, I feel bad for them.¡±

    ¡¶Triple kill!¡·

    FourEyesChan nodded and said into his microphone, ¡°Same.¡±

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·¡¶Aced!¡·

    The teamfight ended with Team Shanghai picking up 5 kills versus one kill for Team Beijing. But it was never really a fight. It was a one-sided ughter. Any notion Team Beijing still had about trying to y around Lin Feng disappeared. Between his ultimate skill and Teleport summoner spell, they couldn¡¯t get anywhere where he couldn¡¯t go. They didn¡¯t surrender, that just wasn¡¯t done at thepetitive level, but they gave up resisting. They watched Team Shanghai take the Dragon and take their towers. They put up something of a defense when Team Shanghai besieged their base. But without the conviction, theycked teeth, and they crumbled. Team Shanghai breached their base, destroyed their inhibitors and finally also their Nexus.

    VICTORY!

    ?

    Lin Songshi walked into the skybox in the Chaoyang Sports Centre reserved for the highest ranked officials from the Chinese Esports Association. He was their boss, the president of the entire esports in China, a rank he¡¯d started to work towards more than 10 years ago when the esports scene was still in its infancy. He walked past the only other person in the room and stopped in front of the window that gave a full view of the stadium. ¡°How far are we?¡± he asked over his shoulder.

    Zhou Wei was one of the three vice presidents from the Beijing Esports Association. He fixed his tie and bowed deeply before replying, ¡°Sir, everything is ready. The trophy is backstage and I¡¯ve taken the liberty to draft a¡­ two speeches for you. Do you wish to take a look?¡±

    Lin Songshi saw the score on therge LCD screen above the stage. 2-0 for Team Shanghai. One more game to win¡­ Not much of a surprise. He turned around to look at Zhou Weihe and said, ¡°No need. I probably won¡¯t be using it anyway.¡±

    Zhou Wei nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s just like you, President! You¡¯re great at doing these kinds of things impromptu!¡±

    ¡°Enough asskissing,¡± Lin Songshi said. He then nodded behind him at therge LCD screen above the stage and asked, ¡°Almost over, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sir! Yes, sir!¡± Zhou Wei replied. ¡°Team Shanghai is up 2-0. Looks like they might win this.¡±

    Lin Songshi smiled and said more to himself than to Zhou Wei, ¡°Fan Yuan was so convinced his team was going to win. I can already imagine the look on his face right about now.¡±

    Zhou Wei chewed on his lips and considered how to reply for a bit before saying, ¡°He was. But I think that had more to do with his rivalry with Chu Fang. You might know him as Shanghai Esports Association¡¯s vice president. Fan Yuan told me before the series he was really looking forward to beating Chu Fang...¡± He scratched the back of his head and then continued, ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised if I¡¯m being honest here, sir. I thought Fan Yuan had a strong team. Their chances of winning were pretty high if you asked me. But Team Shanghai hase out swinging in these Finals.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Lin Songshi mumbled. He turned back towards the window and leaned on the handrail. He then narrowed his eyes and looked at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. It was too far away for a good look, but he didn¡¯t need a good look to recognize Lin Feng. It might¡¯ve been a good chance for Fan Yuan if it wasn¡¯t against that kid. Maybe I should¡¯ve done something when I saw his name before the Quarterfinals¡­ He breathed out through his mouth and mumbled inaudibly, ¡°Easy win for him.¡±

 Chapter 404: Show Him Hell!

    FourEyesChan leaned back in his chair and put the microphone stand on his chest. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone saw thising. Barely an hour in and Team Shanghai is up 2-0 against Team Beijing.¡±

    ¡°You know what that means!¡± Cherry cheered, giggling.

    FourEyesChan nodded and replied, ¡°That means it¡¯s Championship Point for Team Shanghai! One more game and they¡¯re the new Collegiate Cup Champions!¡±

    Cherry looked out over the stadium at the fans sitting in their seats waiting for the third game and asked, ¡°You enjoy analysis and predictions for these games, right? What are you expecting to see in Game 3?¡±

    ¡°I do!¡± FourEyesChan replied. He adjusted his sses and analysed, ¡°Team Shanghai is on the Blue Team next game, so let¡¯s start with them. We¡¯ve seen in the previous two games that this team is centeredpletely around their Miner. Their Bot and Toners do try and make something happen, but there is such a big qualitative difference between them and their Miner that as the game progresses, they find themselves relying more and more on their Miner. The Jungler is clearly aware of this fact and helps her Miner pull ahead when really needed, like she did with Eve during Game 1.

    ¡°Usually, Team Beijing would have an advantage here. It¡¯s clear what Team Shanghai¡¯s strong point is and that gives you the idea that you know how to beat them, right?¡± FourEyesChan briefly paused, waiting for Cherry to nod in agreement, and then continued, ¡°Right. But that isn¡¯t the case here in my opinion. The reason for that is that Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner is so much better than everyone on Team Beijingbined. Even if they try to stop him, this Lin Feng will just 1 versus 5 them. Which brings me to the conclusion of my analysis. Team Beijing is fucked. Team Shanghai, and mostly Lin Feng, is too good. They¡¯re going to walk away with Game 3.¡±

    Cherry smiled and said, ¡°As insightful as ever! Thanks FourEyesChan! And it looks like you¡¯ve talked right through the break! I can see both teams getting ready in the lobby. We¡¯ll be getting into Champion Select in a couple of seconds!¡±

    Down in the stands, Qiu Yijie shook his head. He finally looked at his friends from Zhejiang University and said, ¡°Those shoutcasters are right for once. With Lin Feng¡­¡±

    Zou Chengughed and shouted, ¡°HE¡¯S THE VERY BEST!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng yawned loudly and said, ¡°Boy, I could really use a nap!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in Game 3, Lin Feng,¡± Zeng Rui replied with a frown.

    Lin Feng waved Zeng Rui¡¯s worries away and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m on it! Carry time!¡± He then leaned back in his chair and watched his team enter Champion Select. We start with a couple of bans. Who wanted Zeng Rui to ban again? Ah, doesn¡¯t matter. Right! He was going after the Ahri! Something about it being a strong Champion from Yu Ping. And Fizz¡­ Huh? Why are they banning Varus, Eve, Twisted Fate¡­? Like I don¡¯t know how to y any other Champions! Idiots.

    Team Shanghai got the first pick. They went with Lee Sin for An Xin. The next two picks were for Team Beijing. They went with Rengar the Jungle Cat and Janna the Floating Support. Team Shanghai was up again. They decided on Kalista and Leona for their second and third picks.

    Lin Feng yawned again. He pped himself in the face a few times and mumbled, ¡°Wake up! Just one more game to win this whole thing.¡± He blinked a few times while Team Beijing chose their third and fourth Champions. The third one was Gragas, which didn¡¯t get any response from Lin Feng. But when he saw the Lenc fourth pick, he sat up straight and squared his shoulder. That¡¯s more like it! He¡¯se out to y! He grinned and clenched his fist and said, ¡°Since he wants to y, let¡¯s y!¡±

    Zhang Hao and An Xin turned their heads left and Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui turned their heads right. They all stared at Lin Feng, surprised. The previous two games were for the most part hard carries by Lin Feng. They were under the impression he was already trying. Zeng Rui opened his mouth and wanted to remind Lin Feng to stick to the strategy, but then closed it again. We don¡¯t need strategy if he¡¯s going to y even better¡­

    ¡°The time hase for me to stop holding back!¡± Lin Feng announced, pumping his fist up into the air. He looked around at his teammates and continued, ¡°I shall no longer limit myself with weak early game Champions! I¡¯ll give this man the face he deserves! I¡¯m going to go all out on one of my favourite Champions!¡± He then focused on his screen and shouted with a big grin, ¡°Yasuo the Unforgiven! I CHOOSE YOUUU!¡±

    ¡°Wowowow! That ain¡¯t no weakner! That¡¯s Yasuo!¡±¡°He¡¯s just going to change his ystyle? Why? He was wrecking Team Beijing with his Varus and Twisted Fate. I get that they were banned, but couldn¡¯t he have gone something like Viktor?"¡°Were you watching the same games I was? Did you see his microy? Did you not hear when everyone was calling him the god of microy? Those are mechanics! HEAVENLY MECHANICS!¡±¡°He does look heavenly¡­¡±¡°And Yasuo is one of the more mechanic-heavy Champions. If he can show the level of y he did on Twisted Fate on Yasuo? Oh boy, this gonna be good!¡±¡°Lenc is also all about mechanics! This is going to be the ultimate mechanics matchup!¡±¡°THIS IS GONNA BE A FEAST FOR OUR EYES! A FEAST I TELL YOU!¡±¡°MY EYES WILL BE FULL AFTER THIS GAME!¡±¡°LIKE A GOOD MEAL! YUMMIE YUMMIE!¡±

    In Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth, Yu Ping grimaced. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Of-fucking-course. Now he goes with his normal Champions! WELP! At least I get to y against him going all out one more time¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so down!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler said over the team¡¯s voice chat. He looked at Yu Ping and continued, ¡°Maybe we¡­¡±

    Yu Ping looked at his Jungler and smiled. He shrugged and replied, ¡°We both know what¡¯s going to happen. Remember what he did with Twisted Fate? He just needs to do that again and we¡¯re out. We¡¯ve lost, pretty much. Let¡¯s just ept that. But we¡¯re not going out without a fight! He¡¯s going to have to earn it!¡± He gripped his mouse tightly and looked at his screen. He took a deep, long breath and then let all his frustration and anger escape through his lips. ¡°You know?¡± he asked. He then looked around at his teammates and continued, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter who he is. He¡¯s better than all of usbined. The pressure is off for us. Let¡¯s go in and show him hell!¡±

    The other yers from Team Beijing looked at their captain and hesitated. They understood just as well as he did that they needed more than a miracle to turn this series around and win it. So rather than worrying aboutplicated strategies and other such things, they focused on what they did have control over. To have fun. To y a game of League of Legends as best as they could and enjoy it. They clenched their fists and shouted, ¡°SHOW HIM HELL!¡±

    Yu Ping narrowed his eyes and focused on Yasuo¡¯s portrait. Show me how good you really are.

    ?

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    The yers from Zhejiang University and Fudan University sat on the edge of their seats. Zou Cheng couldn¡¯t tear his eyes from therge LCD screen above the stage as he asked, ¡°How long do you think Yu Ping can hold Lin Feng off?¡±

    Qiu Yijie nced at Zou Cheng and replied, ¡°7 minutes?¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Sun Ruinian said. ¡°5 minutes tops.¡±

    Fudan University¡¯s Jungler shook his head and asked, ¡°How are you guys this sure? Yeah he won the first two games. But is he really that good that you don¡¯t even think there¡¯s a possibility of Yu Ping winning thisne?¡±

    ¡°Lol!¡± Zou Cheng replied,ughing. He still wouldn¡¯t move his eyes from therge LCD screen as he exined, ¡°You don¡¯t get it. You haven¡¯t yed against him. It doesn¡¯t look too impressive most of the time, though it did look he impressive on the Twisted Fate. But really, it don¡¯t look all that special most of the time. That is, until you y against him. Then you suddenly find yourself with your back against the wall and a gun in your mouth! There¡¯s nothing you can do and everything you try to do just backfires! The way that he ys? Fuck me! I¡¯ve never yed against anyone else who could put out that much pressure!¡±

    Qiu Yijie pointed at therge LCD screen and said, ¡°There. Just watch.¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo had reached Level 3. He¡¯d unlocked his three main abilities and used them to up the aggression. He dashed through a minion and then another to arrive in front of Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc! Steel Tempest! He thrust his Katana and pierced Lenc!

    Lenc retaliated by casting Distortion and jumping away from Yasuo! She followed up with Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains! The mark from Sigil of Malice appeared above Yasuo¡¯s head. It needed another skill from Lenc to explode. The chains shot at Yasuo, looking to do just that. But Lin Feng was faster. He pressed the W key, and his Yasuo¡¯s katana shed out horizontally with such speed that it created a Wind Wall! The Ethereal Chains smashed into it and missed.

    Qiu Yijie chuckled and said, ¡°Saw that? How he came out ahead in that fight? Looked pretty standard, right? Trust me, that wasn¡¯t standard. He¡¯s thinking 10 moves ahead and ying 5D chess. This was just a preparation for what¡¯s toe. Maybe forcing Yu Ping to drink a health pot is going to matter in a bit. We¡¯ll see. I don¡¯t get it myself yet, but you¡¯ll see. And it¡¯ll be crazy.¡±

 Chapter 405: There are two Groups: Lin Feng and the Rest

    An Xin nced at her hand and smiled. This medicine is killer! It always works when I really need it to! She then turned her head slightly so she could look at Lin Feng. I¡¯m ying with you. With the real you! Her smile brightened and goosebumps ran down her arms. This is everything I ever wanted. She took a deep, long breath and focused on her screen. The game was in its fifth minute and she was running towards the topne on her favourite Champion. She scrunched her eyebrows and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Looks like their Gragas forgot to ward. Bait him, Zhang Hao.¡±

    Zhang Hao nodded and replied, ¡°Let me screw up a bit here! I need 10 seconds tops! They think I suck anyway!¡±

    An Xin giggled as she had her Lee Sin hide in the brush right below the topne. She moved her camera up a bit and watched Zhang Hao move his Lissandra forward tost hit a minion, and by doing so drawing aggro from a few other minions. He then ran back quickly and kept running until the minions stopped attacking him. When he came back towards the minions, he had less health than Gragas and his minions were ill-positioned. An Xin shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly convincing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at screwing up like this. I like to pretend it¡¯s a gift,¡± Zhang Hao replied,ughing.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas fell for the trap. He Body mmed into Lissandra and followed up with Barrel Toss. But right then, An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin appeared from the brush while Lissandra stunned Gragas with Ring of Frost! From there it was a pure 2 versus 1. Gragas never really had a chance. It was Zhang Hao in the end who picked up the kill.

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    Team Beijing¡¯s Toner threw his arms up and cursed, ¡°Goddammit! Goddammit!¡± He shook his hand and banged his fist on the desk. ¡°Fuck! FUCK! How did I let myself fall for that? It was so obvious! Come on, idiot! Don¡¯t be such a fucktard!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, bud,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler said. He forced a smile on his face and then turned his head to look at his Toner. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just a small setback. But we¡¯ve grown used to those, huh?¡± Heughed, awkward. He then continued, ¡°I can¡¯t really do much pre-6 either. Just, I don¡¯t know, try to y it safe. Stay behind the tower and all that stuff. It¡¯s not ideal, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s all we can do,¡± Yu Ping finished through gritted teeth.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler nodded and said, ¡°What Yu Ping says.¡±

    ?

    Su Xue clenched her fists and cheered, ¡°BunBun with the assist in top! Her Lee is sooooooo amazing! Did you guys all see that?¡± She looked at the camera and through it imagined the hundred thousand plus people sitting behind theirputers watching her. She smiled and continued, ¡°When she ys Lee, it¡¯s game over! Team Beijing doesn¡¯t stand a chance!¡±

    ¡¸BunBUn 6666666!¡¹¡¸ITS THE GODDESSLEEE¡¹¡¸LIL BRO AND HIS HAREM GOING TO WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!!¡¹¡¸bunbuns lee makes lee look so much better than he really is¡¹¡¸TOO GOOD! TEAM SHANGHAI TOO GOOD!¡¹

    ?

    The broadcasting director had a rey of the fight in the topne y when the sound from the live version announced that a kill happened somewhere. He cut the rey and the camera moved in a frenzy across the screen, searching for the corpse. It stopped a few momentster on the midne. Lenc¡¯s corpsey on the ground.

    FourEyesChan stared at his screen and muttered into his microphone, ¡°What? How! They¡¯re not even Level 6 yet! How the hell did he get a solo kill on Lenc!?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡± Cherry eximed.

    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK! SHOW US A REPLAY!¡±¡°REPLAY!¡±¡°REPLAY!¡±¡°How in the world did he pick up that kill!?¡±¡°REPLAY PLEASE!¡±¡°REPLAY OR RIOT!¡±¡°REPLAY OR RIOT!¡±¡°REPLAY OR RIOT!¡±¡°REPLAY OR RIOT!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it from good sources,¡± FourEyesChan started. He briefly paused for the audience to quiet down a bit and then continued, ¡°That we¡¯re getting a rey in t-minus 3, 2¡­ NOW!¡±

    Everyone watching the Winter Collegiate Cup Finals turned their attention to the rey. It showed Yasuo and Lenc in the midne. They were both low on health, but Yasuo still had his health pot. He chugged it down and a green, rejuvenating aura appeared around him.

    A new wave of minions arrived in the midne. Yasuo dashed through a minion to arrive in front of Lenc and stabbed forward with his katana! A storm started brewing on the tip of his de. But his health was still rtively low. Low enough that Lenc thought she could kill him. She ced a Sigil of Malice on him and tried to trigger it with Distortion!

    ¡°OH MY GOD!¡±¡°HOW THE HELL!?¡±

    Yasuo dashed through another minion to put enough distance from Lenc that the ssh damage from Distortionpletely missed him. By doing so, he also stopped the Sigil of Malice from triggering. Lenc followed up with Ethereal Chains, hurled in the direction Yasuo was moving. But Yasuo swiped his de up,manding the winds to form a Wind Wall. The Ethereal Chains mmed into the Wind Wall and disintegrated, after which Yasuo burst through the Wind Wall, dashed through Lenc and hit her with the second cast from Steel Tempest! Winds danced around the length of his de!

    ¡°HOLY SHIT!¡±¡°DAAAAAMN!¡±

    The damage triggered Lenc¡¯s passive. A clone of her appeared on the map. It started running away, while the real one waited for an opportunity. Yasuo didn¡¯t fall for the trick. He didn¡¯t chase the clone and instead hit the real one with an auto attack. Lenc then panic shed, confirming that the one Yasuo was attacking was indeed the real one.

    Yasuo shed after Lenc and arrived underneath Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower. It targeted him and charged up an energy shot. He ignored it and stabbed out with a third Steel Tempest. The winds gathered along his de flew out onto Rift as a gust! It carved a path through the grass and knocked Lenc up into the air! He then auto attacked her and Ignited her. An energy shot from the Tower hit him. Because of the health from the potion he popped earlier, he survived. Barely. The Tower charged up for another shot. He hit Lenc with one more auto attack and then dashed away through a minion.

    The unquenchable mes burned Lenc, searing through thest few dregs of her health. The audience watching the game went silent. They knew the oue of the fight, but they were still enthralled and on the edge of their seats as they watched what happened. It was the final tick from Ignite that killed Lenc. And back inne, Yasuo cleared his minion wave before recalling back to base.

    Qiu Yijie looked around the stands. Everywhere he looked, people were up on their feet and cheering. These Beijing locals who were so negative about Team Shanghai at the start of the series had forgotten about thatpletely. As far as they were concerned, Team Beijing didn¡¯t even exist anymore. There was only Team Shanghai for them. He shook his head and then said to his teammates and the yers from Zhejiang University, ¡°That¡¯s what I meant. 5D chess. The way that he ys here, it¡¯s¡­¡± He shrugged. There were no words to describe what he wanted to say.

    Sun Ruinian nodded and added, ¡°Yep. Such a clean kill. What¡¯s there to say? He¡¯s better than everyone elsebined at this tournament¡­ He doesn¡¯t belong at this level.¡±

    Zou Cheng pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°WIN FENG IS GOING TO THE LPL! WIN FENG TO THE LPL!¡±

    ?

    Cherry grabbed her microphone and said, ¡°Pfooh! We¡¯ve had an exciting 2 minutes! But now we¡¯ve had a bit to cool down from that. Let¡¯s take stock of the game here. FourEyesChan, take it away!¡±

    FourEyesChan smiled and analysed, ¡°We¡¯re 7 minutes into this game! Team Shanghai has taken an early lead this game. They got first blood up in top, ane they¡¯re winning right now, and a solo kill in mid. Which means they¡¯re up 2 kills to zero. There¡¯s also a botne in League of Legends, but the four yers down there are on their own little ind. I haven¡¯t seen anything worth mentioning from them yet.¡±

    Cherry giggled and added, ¡°This is all about the Yasuo! And a little about the Jungle and topne¡­ But look at Yasuo! He¡¯s up 10 CS already! That¡¯s almost 2 full waves! We¡¯re only 7 minutes in here! That¡¯s a lot! And at this rate¡­ Lenc is going to get killed again, I¡¯m telling you!¡±

    ¡°Not so fast!¡± FourEyesChan replied. He adjusted his sses and continued, ¡°Look in the river. Rengar is Level 6 anding in for a gank! Maybe he can turn the midne back in Team Beijing¡¯s favour!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo dashed through two minions to arrive in front of Lenc. He stabbed out at her with Steel Tempest, and the winds gathered along the length of his de yet again. Right then, a red exmation mark appeared above his head. A gank? Sweet! Lin Feng grinned and narrowed his eyes, breathing slowly. Calm. The game slowed before his eyes. He saw the start of the animation for Ethereal Chains and dodged it by dashing through a minion. Rengar is al¡ª

    A primal roar cut through the air! Rengar appeared from the shadows and pounced on Yasuo! He threw an empowered B mid-jump! It was coated in a thickyer of magic that added a root effect! The b spun around its axis, again and again.

    Lin Feng flicked his mouse and pressed the W key. His Yasuo¡¯s de shed out horizontally and created a Wind Wall! The B flew straight into it and was stopped by the power of the winds, falling down to the ground.

    ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Cherry screeched. ¡°HE BLOCKED IT!¡±

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said, ¡°That¡¯s some next level y!¡ª¡±

    ¡°IT¡¯S NOT OVER YET!¡± Cherry screamed. She jumped up from her seat and pointed at the screen, continuing, ¡°Look! LOOK! THERE! LEE SIN IS COMING FOR A COUNTERGANK! IT¡¯S THE TURNTABLES!¡±

 Chapter 406: Two Do Make a Team

    Yu Ping knew that Lin Feng would outy him. He¡¯d hoped that Rengar¡¯s gank could help his Lenc get back into thene, but he¡¯d yed enough against Lin Feng in thest two games and the start of this third game to know that the chance of sess was slim. What he didn¡¯t expect was for An Xin¡¯s Lee Sin to be waiting in the brush below the midne for a countergank. His eyes grew round and wide and he cursed, ¡°Fuck! Help me!¡±

    An Xin sat behind her monitor and nced at her right hand. One big y. I got this. She focused back on her monitor and took a deep, long breath. ytime is over! She clicked on a nearby minion and cast Safeguard! While her Lee Sin dashed towards the minion, her fingers glided across her keyboard and she flicked her mouse towards Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc. Sonic Wave! Lee Sin fired a pressurized st of air at Lenc! But instead of dashing at her, he shed towards her! He followed up with his ultimate skill, kicking Lenc away from her Outer Tower! To close the distance to Lenc this time, Lee Sin used Resonating Strike! Lee Sin came in with a strong flying kick! His foot mmed Lenc in the face and reduced her health to thest few drops. Then he gracefullynded and mmed his palm on the ground!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    Yu Ping¡¯s mouth fell open. He stared at the different shades of grey on his screen and mumbled, ¡°What the¡­¡± He looked around the soundproof booth at his teammates and continued, ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± But his teammates didn¡¯t have the answer. They looked back at him and shook their heads, incredulous.

    At the casters desk, FourEyesChan leaned towards his microphone and shouted, ¡°SHE KILLED HIM! LEE KILLED LEBLANC! THAT WAS SO FAST! WOW!¡±

    Cherry sped her hands over her mouth and said, ¡°Oh my god! Thatbo!¡±

    ¡°How the fuck did Lee do that!?¡±¡°Lenc couldn¡¯t do anything! She was dead before it even finished!¡±¡°I BLINKED AND MISSED IT! SHOW A REPLAY ON SLOW MOTION PLEASE!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°Was Lenc bugged? Where is her passive¡­?¡±¡°LEE KILLED HER SO FAST THAT HE BROKE THE GAME!¡±¡°GOOD GAME TO TEAM SHANGHAI! JUST FF, YU PING!¡±

    Zou Cheng from Zhejiang University scratched the back of his head and asked Sun Ruinian, who sat next to him, ¡°How did BunBun do that? Why didn¡¯t Lenc¡¯s passive work?¡±

    ¡°It did work,¡± Sun Ruinian replied with a sigh. He shook his head and chuckled, then exined, ¡°You saw how she held her Q second-cast and shed towards LB?¡± He waited for Zou Cheng to nod and then continued, ¡°The Sonic Wave marks Lenc, which makes her passive practically worthless. That ultimate kicked most of the health out from Lenc¡¯s health bar, which did proc Lenc¡¯s passive. But because of the Sonic Wave, BunBun knew exactly where the real Lenc was.¡±

    Qiu Yijie leaned forward to look at Zou Cheng and chimed in, ¡°It was really a fantastic y.¡±

    ¡°Watch!¡± Fudan University¡¯s Jungler interrupted.

    Back in the game, Lin Feng had used the time An Xin needed to kill Lenc to strike Team Beijing¡¯s Rengar with a Steel Tempest. It was the second one, and the winds danced along his de. He paused, briefly, just long enough for An Xin to kill Lenc. But not so long that Rengar could escape. He then activated Steel Tempest for a third time. Yasuo swung his de and unleashed a tornado upon Summoner¡¯s Rift! The strong winds chased down Rengar and knocked him up into the air! This was the opening needed for Yasuo''s ultimate skill¨CLast Breath!

    The instant Rengar got knocked up, Lin Feng hit R. Yasuo vanished and appeared right next to the Rengar, who was just hitting the peak of the knock-up and about to fall back down to the ground, a leap so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye. Yasuo unleashed a flurry of strikes with his katana into Rengar¡¯s flesh, each one keeping him in the air a little bit longer. Every slice of the de cut deep into Rengar¡¯s health bar. Then to top it all off, Yasuo unleashed a powerful slice right into the middle of Rengar¡¯s body that sent Rengar plummeting back down to the ground! And into the arms of a waiting Lee Sin, who added a few brutal auto-attacks to Rengar as he staggered back up. Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo jumped down to the ground and also started auto attacking Rengar. His de that cut Rengar¡¯sst ties to life.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    FourEyesChan clicked his tongue and said into the microphone, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s rough. Team Beijing gets hit again with a massive setback! Their gank in mid ended with both their Jungler and Miner dying, and on the back of that Team Shanghai picks up an uncontested Dragon. It¡¯s really bing hard here to see Team Beijing making aeback.¡±

    Cherry sighed loudly into her microphone and chimed in, ¡°Lenc needs to win those early trades. If she doesn¡¯t have her core build finished by the end of thening phase, she¡¯ll have a very difficult mid andte game.¡± She grimaced and added after a brief moment, ¡°I mean, if she can¡¯t burst down the important targets, then what use does she really have?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not give up so quickly,¡± FourEyesChan argued. He moved his head around for a bit before continuing, ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s looking pretty bad for Team Beijing. But, very importantly, it isn¡¯t all bad. Their Lenc has a decent creep score and Team Shanghai¡¯s ad-carry isn¡¯t doing all that outstanding herself. It¡¯s gonna be hard. But if Lenc ys this perfectly, then she should technically have enough damage to burst down Team Shanghai¡¯s Kalista.¡±

    Cherry giggled and shook her head. She looked at FourEyesChan and calmly waited for him to finish his analysis. When he did, She leaned towards her microphone and said, ¡°And then there¡¯s Yasuo.¡±

    FourEyesChan grimaced and nodded. ¡°Yep. Then there¡¯s Yasuo,¡± he said.

    ?

    The game was going for 14 minutes when An Xin turned her head to look at Lin Feng and said, ¡°Come, we¡¯re going for a walk.¡±

    Lin Feng looked back at An Xin and scrunched his eyebrows. He replied, ¡°What? A walk? We¡¯re ying...¡±

    An Xin shook her head and smiled, then pinged on the Jungle entrance right below the midne. ¡°Here,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re going to walk here.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng eximed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so!¡± He then had his Yasuo retreat to the far edge of Yu Ping¡¯s vision and started recalling. He timed this perfectly with a new waveing. They pushed a bit towards Red team¡¯s outer tower and killed the vision of Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo right before the recall ended. He then cancelled the recall and followed An Xin into Red Team¡¯s bottom side Jungle.

    An Xin said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Push them to their Tower.¡±

    ¡°Already on it,¡± Zeng Rui replied. He looked at the botne. They¡¯d been pushing Team Beijing back for thest couple of minutes already. The new wave that arrived pushed thene towards the middle a bit, but after Tang Bingyao killed the first few minions with her Kalista, thene started pushing into Team Beijing¡¯s tower again.

    An Xin and Lin Feng arrived in the brush right behind the botne outer tower. An Xin nodded at Lin Feng and said, ¡°You wait here and be ready.¡±

    ¡°Aye aye!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. He theatrically raised his finger and added, ¡°Ready to press the button!¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± An Xin said with a smile. She then focused on her screen and breathed out through her mouth. Another time! For good measure! She smiled a bit brighter as she ran into the botne. Team Beijing¡¯s Jinx retreated a step too far behind her Outer Tower. An Xin reacted to this with a perfectly timed and aimed Sonic Wave! She followed up with Resonating Strike! Her Lee Sin kicked Team Beijing¡¯s Jinx in the face, then stepped behind her and hit her with a roundhouse kick! There was so much power behind thisst attack that Jinx flew backwards!

    Lin Feng grinned when he saw Jinx flying. He didn¡¯t activate his ultimate right away. The reason being that Jinx was on a collision course with Team Beijing¡¯s Janna. ¡°BOOM!¡± Lin Feng eximed,ughing. He then cast Last Breath! Jinx and Janna were in the air right next to each other when Yasuo blinked next to them and suspended them in midair! He unleashed a flurry of strikes on them, shing away at their already dwindled health! He then hacked them down to the ground and finished hisbo off with a Steel Tempest that pierced both Champions!

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    Zou Cheng jumped to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°WIIIIIIIIN FENG! WIIIIIIIIN FENG!¡± He was so loud that it sounded over all the other cheers and shouts, and then it gained in volume as the other people in the audience started copying him.

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG! WIN FENG!¡±

    Sun Ruinian looked around him at the audience and shook his head, smiling. ¡°Incredible,¡± he said. ¡°Simply incredible.¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded and added, ¡°That¡¯s got to be game.¡±

 Chapter 407: They Watch me Ridinâ€™, They Hatinâ€™

    Zeng Rui pressed the Tab key and looked at the game score. Lin Feng is so far ahead¡­ Hmm¡­ This might be perfect for a split push. He¡¯s got everything to make it out alive, and he¡¯s Maple¡­ Zeng Rui nodded at himself and then said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Let¡¯s do a split push. Lin Feng, you push the topne. Everyone else,e mid. We¡¯ll pressure ¡®em there.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Feng replied. He recalled back to base and spent the gold he gained from his most recent double kill. He then moved his camera towards the topne and took stock of the situation. Both Towers are still standing and there¡¯s no one there to defend them. That¡¯ll be easy enough. He grinned and clicked in the middle of thene, ordering his Yasuo to start running there.

    Over in the midne, the four other Champions from Team Shanghai gathered. They had Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra, An Xin¡¯s Lee sin and Zeng Rui¡¯s Leona for crowd control, and then there was Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista to deal damage. This lineup was tanky enough that as long as Team Beijing didn¡¯t get the drop on Tang Bingyao, they could fight a prolonged battle. This was crucial for Zeng Rui¡¯s split push strategy.

    Zeng Rui watched his teammates follow his directions and smiled. Good. He then panned his camera towards Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower and paused there, waiting for Team Beijing¡¯s response. A couple of secondster, all five Champions from Team Beijing revealed themselves in the midne. He grinned and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°It¡¯s working! Lin Feng, do your thing in top!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo arrived in the topne. He engaged the minions that were fighting in the middle of thene. With his high level and quality items, Yasuo tore through the minions. His minions continued their march towards Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower, which was down to half health. Lin Feng had his Yasuo follow behind them, making sure that a minion stepped within the Tower¡¯s range first. So long as a Champion didn¡¯t attack another Champion underneath a Tower, the Tower would target the first minion or Champion to walk within its range.

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into the microphone, ¡°Yasuo is an attack damage Champion. You can see that on the Top Tower right now! Just look how much damage he¡¯s dealing to it! Three more hits and it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s down! Top is down!¡±

    ¡°Team Shanghai¡¯s got the Outer Tower in the Topne! And their Yasuo isn¡¯t stopping! He¡¯s pushing towards the Inner Tower!¡±

    Lin Feng nced at the game timer as he approached the Topne¡¯s Inner Tower. Only 16 minutes? Man I¡¯m fed! They really went all out in giving me everything I could ever need in this game! Heh! But let¡¯s take this up a notch. He grinned and clicked beyond the Inner Tower. His minions got within the tower¡¯s range first and drew its aggro. They then started attacking it. But Lin Feng had his Yasuo run past them and didn¡¯t stop until he reached the edge of Team Beijing¡¯s base. There he waited for the next minion wave from the Red team to arrive. And when they came, he killed them. This strategy saw his minions dying to the tower, which was missed experience for Team Beijing, while he was getting full experience for killing the Red minions. All the while, the Tower lost health.

    Cherry pushed the microphone against her lips and said, ¡°Team Beijing can¡¯t let this go on! They¡¯re being pressured in mid but they have to do something or they¡¯ll lose their base to Yasuo!¡±

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and exined, ¡°There¡¯s two things a team can do in this situation. The first is to force a fight in mid. Now, you don¡¯t need me to exin how bad that n is for Team Beijing right now. Between Lissandra, Lee Sin and Leona, Team Shanghai¡¯s got all the crowd control they need. That leaves Team Beijing with only one course of action. They¡¯ve got to send someone top to deal with Yasuo. The question is, who?¡±

    Zeng Rui closely followed every movement made by Team Beijing. He spotted it when their Lenc and Gragas disappeared into the fog of war and counted the seconds it took for them to reemerge. When those seconds drew on, he warned over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Lin Feng, twoing top for you. Gragas and Lenc. Be careful. You can retreat if you need to.¡±

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at Zeng Rui and grinned his usual grin. ¡°Dontcha worry!¡± he replied. ¡°They can¡¯t kill me! Not those two alone. If that¡¯s all they¡¯re sending, I¡¯ll just take this tower down and a double kill!¡± He then focused on his screen and had his Yasuo abandon the assault on the Red minions. Yasuo ran over to help his Blue minions destroy the Inner Tower. Its health steadily dropped, one attack at a time. Lin Feng scrunched his eyebrows and scratched his nose. ¡°They¡¯re taking forever,¡± he mumbled.

    ¡¶A turret has been destroyed!¡·

    The Inner Towery in ruin and Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo stood next to it. Lin Feng looked towards Team Beijing¡¯s base and then down at their Jungle. ¡°Uh, ZengZeng?¡± he asked over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°Where they at?¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at the topne, confused. They should be there by now. Or are they trying to nk us in mid? Hmm¡­ That doesn¡¯t make any sense eith¡ª

    ¡°Oh! They¡¯re here!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He grinned as he watched Team Beijing¡¯s Gragas run out from the Jungle while a new Red minion wave arrived next to Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and mouthed, ¡°Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do¡­¡± Lin Feng flicked his mouse to his left and clicked. Yasuo ran to the side and sidestepped Gragas¡¯ Body m. He followed up with Sweeping de, dashing through Gragas who¡¯d thrown a Barrel Roll at his previous location.

    FourEyesChan moved his head forward, incredulous. He slowly shook his head and muttered into his microphone, ¡°How¡­? How does he keep doing that? He just dodged two skills again!¡±

    ¡°It happened so fast that I almost missed it!¡± Cherry eximed. ¡°That Barrel Roll¡­ He dodged it before it even came! That was crazy!¡±

    Yasuo stabbed out with his de and pierced Gragas¡ªSteel Tempest! The winds generated by this attack coiled around the length of his de. He continued with an auto attack when Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc ran out from the Jungle. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and flicked his mouse to the other side of his Yasuo. There were a couple of minions there. He selected one and dashed through it just in time to dodge Lenc¡¯s Distortion!

    ¡°That¡¯s 3! He¡¯s up to 3 already!¡±¡°IS HE GONNA DO ANOTHER MICROGODPLAY!?¡±¡°SHOW US THE MICROGODPLAY!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    Lin Feng licked his lips. Gragas and Lenc were both at full health when they started this fight. Two attackster and Gragas had only a bit more than half of it remaining. But there were still many skills between Gragas and Lenc that all had the potential of killing Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo. Which only made it more fun for Lin Feng. He grinned and cast Wind Wall! His Yasuo¡¯s de shed out to form the barrier. Lenc stood behind him and fired a Sigil of Malice at him. Just in time, heh! Lin Feng had his Yasuo dash through the Wind Wall. The Sigil of Malice followed behind him, but when it made contact with the Wind Wall it disintegrated. More importantly, he was back in front of Gragas again. STEEL TEMPEST! Yasuo stabbed Gragas with his katana again. The intensity of the winds coiled around the length of his de grew.

    Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc recast Distortion to return to her original location on Gragas¡¯ side of the Wind Wall. He gripped his mouse as tightly as he could, the stic groaning, and aimed at Lin Feng as best as he could. He then narrowed his eyes, trying his best to ignore his heart mming into his chest. He knew this was going to be it. If he hit the Ethereal Chains, they could win this fight. But if he missed, then all of their crowd control was basically gone. Stop jumping around so much! Stand in front of me, dammit! He chewed on his lips and kept moving his mouse around, until his finger pushed down on the E key. Chains manifested in the air around Lenc and shot towards Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo!

    When Lenc started casting Ethereal Chains, the left side of her body jerked forward. Lin Feng spotted this tiny detail and reacted to it before the chains had even materialized. He took one step to the other side from Gragas and then cast Sweeping de! His Yasuo dashed through Gragas and arrived on the other side of the Wind Wall again! Behind him, the Ethereal Chains hit the Wind Wall and disintegrated. And another, and another, and another bites the dust, ¡°YEAH!¡±

    FourEyesChan took his sses off and started cleaning them with his shirt, mumbling, ¡°How? Someone exin to me how he¡¯s doing this? It doesn¡¯t make sense. It doesn¡¯t! How is he dodging these skillshots!? Nothing, nothing has hit him yet. NOTHING!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just that good,¡± Cherry mumbled.

 Chapter 408: From LSPL Prospects to Quitting League; The Power of One Man

    Yu Ping startedughing. He threw his hands up in the air, hopeless, and eximed, ¡°Fuck me and fuck us all! What the fuck!¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler shouted over the team¡¯s voice chat. ¡°You two can still kill him!¡±

    ¡°Tell me how. Please,¡± Yu Ping countered. He raised his shoulders and added, ¡°Because I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Toner suddenly shouted, ¡°GOT HIM!¡± He then pressed on the R key as Yasuo dashed through a minion at him. An Explosive Cask appeared and tumbled around in the air for a brief moment before falling down towards the ground. The pink liquid within bubbled, looking to escape. The cask then hit the ground right as Yasuo hit his third cast from Steel Tempest, sending a tornado at Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc.

    Cherry¡¯s eyes opened wide and she screamed, ¡°THEY GOT HIM! THEY GOT HIM!¡±

    ¡°KILL HIM!¡±¡°GET HIM!¡±¡°FINALLY A KILL!¡±

    The pink liquid exploded from the cask with such force that it lifted Yasuo off his feet and sent him flying backwards! But Lin Feng didn¡¯t worry about that, nor did he worry about Gragas running at him. His eyes were focused on the tornado from Steel Tempest. It carved a path across the ground before it mmed into Yu Ping¡¯s Lenc and knocked her up into the air! Gotcha! Lin Feng waited for his Yasuo to hit the ground and then cast Last Breath! Yasuo blinked above Lenc and suspended her in midair! He let loose on her a flurry of strikes before one final hack sent her crashing down towards the ground!

    Lenc¡¯s health dropped to critical levels causing her passive to activate. She briefly disappeared from the Rift as a mirror image took her ce. There was just one second during which Lenc was invisible; it was the timeframe Lin Feng had to distinguish real from fake. He threw down a vision ward to reveal the invisible Lenc. GOTCHA AGAIN! Heughed and stabbed at her with his katana.

    ¡¶Unstoppable!¡·

    Yu Ping shook his head,ughing helplessly. He turned his head to look at his teammates and pointed at his grey screen. He then said, ¡°See? Haha! I can¡¯t even be mad anymore! This is just stupid. This guy is taking our towers and then beating us 1 versus 2! What¡¯s there left to do? He could win this entire tournament by himself! Is he even a high schooler? He looks like a damn pro! I¡¯m telling you guys, this is just stupid.¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler nced at Yu Ping and said, ¡°Stop this. Gragas is still alive and we¡¯re still trying to hold on in mid. Let us focus!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Yu Ping replied.

    Team Beijing¡¯s Toner grimaced and cursed, ¡°Fuck! FUCK!¡± He gritted his teeth and muttered, ¡°He attacked me first. He already had me down¡­ FUCK!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo never stopped dashing through minions and attacking, even after killing Lenc. He was ying a 1 versus 2 and he wouldn¡¯t stop until he¡¯d killed both. The fight had started with him attacking Gragas and throughout the fight he¡¯d used Gragas to jump around and build up stacks for Steel Tempest. That had brought Gragas down to a quarter of his full health bar. On top of that, Gragas had used all of his skills except for sh.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes when the mottled sh of light carried Gragas away towards his base. You ain¡¯t going anywhere! He nced at his own base and saw a new wave of minions spawning. Perfect! He then had his Yasuo run after Gragas and waited for the new wave of Red minions toe. When he got in range of them, he dashed through them to close the distance to Gragas. He ignored the inhibitor tower and caught up to Gragas deep inside Team Beijing¡¯s base.

    ¡°AND ANOTHER ONE, AND ANOTHER ONE, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!¡± Lin Feng loudly sang over the team¡¯s voice chat as he dashed through Gragas and hit him with Steel Tempest. A storm brewed at the tip of his de. The cooldown on the skill was only a few seconds. Lin Feng waited it out, allowing Gragas to run away again, and then send the tornado after Gragas.

    ¡¶Double kill!¡·

    ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Cherry shrieked from the caster desk. ¡°HE DID IT AGAIN!¡±

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into his microphone, ¡°I sound like a broken record, but¡­ Wow! WOW! FUCKING WOW! He chased Gragas into Team Beijing¡¯s base! IN THE FINALS OF THE WINTER COLLEGIATE CUP!¡±

    Cherry threw her hands up in the air and screamed, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°WIN FENG, WIN FENG, DOES WHAT NOBODY ELSE CAN!¡±¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡°HOW THE FUCK DOES HE KEEP DOING THIS!?¡±¡°THIS IS INSANE!¡±¡°MAD SKILLS!¡±

    ?

    Lin Songshi leaned on the handrail in the skybox, watching the game through the ss windows. Zhou Wei stood next to him and muttered, ¡°This Yasuo¡­ Where did hee from? He¡¯s amazing! The way he¡¯s dodging and kiting and killing and¡­ And¡­ He¡¯s so good!¡±

    Lin Songshi nced at his employee and then turned his focus back on Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. He replied, ¡°That kid, yep, he¡¯s still got some of that old spunk.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Zhou Wei asked in surprise. He looked at Lin Songshi and narrowed his eyes. You sound like you know him¡­ Where do you¡ª His eyes grew round and wide. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Lin Feng and Lin Songshi¡­ Lin, Lin, Lin¡­ OF COURSE! ¡°YOU¡¯RE FAMILY!¡± he shouted far more loudly than he intended to.

    ¡°That we are,¡± Lin Songshi replied. He briefly paused and then added, ¡°He¡¯s my nephew.¡±

    Zhou Wei stared at Lin Songshi in shock. ¡°Y-your nephew? Why didn¡¯t you¡­¡± He shook his head. Don¡¯t argue with the President. He¡¯s still my boss. Keep your calm. He took a deep, long breath and tried to think of something to say. Something professional. But his mind was nk. He finally asked, ¡°Since when do you have a nephew who ys League at this level? Why didn¡¯t you tell us anything about him!? Imagine what he could¡¯ve done for Fan Yuan if you¡¯d brought him to Beijing! We would¡¯ve won this tournamen¡ª¡±

    ¡°When did you start getting into League of Legends?¡± Lin Songshi interrupted.

    Zhou Wei scratched the back of his head, counting back the years he¡¯d spent on League of Legends, and said, ¡°I think it was halfway through Season 2 when I made the switch from DotA.¡±

    Lin Songshi turned his head to look at Zhou Wei and smiled. He said, ¡°You probably know who my nephew is then. Think about it. You¡¯ll figure it out.¡± He then focused back on the game between Team Shanghai and Team Beijing and added, ¡°This should be about done.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng had his Yasuo retreat from Team Beijing¡¯s base and said, ¡°See? Nothing to worry about!¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°That was nice!¡±

    ¡°That was great!¡± Zeng Rui added. He smiled and continued, ¡°Good job! You actually got both of them! That makes this next part so much easier!¡± He nodded at Zhang Hao and said, ¡°You teleport top and help push for the inhibitor tower!¡±

    Zhang Hao panned his camera towards the topne where the Blue minions were already attacking the inhibitor tower. He clicked on the one taking the energy shots from the tower and cast Teleport! The Blue minion was frozen in time and space as Lissandra locked onto him and started teleporting. This had as a bonus effect that while the inhibitor tower kept firing energy shots at it, the minion didn¡¯t take any damage. It made it that much easier for Team Shanghai to take the inhibitor tower down. All the while, An Xin, Tang Bingyao and Zeng Rui made sure that the three remaining yers from Team Beijing couldn¡¯t recall back to base to protect their tower.

    Team Beijing was forced to watch on as Lin Feng and Zhang Hao destroyed the inhibitor tower followed by the inhibitor. Team Beijing¡¯s base was breached! More importantly, Team Shanghai¡¯s Nexus received a boost which allowed it to start spawning super minions in the topne.

    Qiu Yijie sat in the stands and said to his teammates from Fudan University and his friends from Zhejiang University, ¡°I¡¯m going to sound like a broken record, but that¡¯s got to be game.¡±

    Zou Cheng from Zhejiang University turned his head to look at Qiu Yijie and asked, ¡°What do you think? Are they going to surrender?¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded and replied, ¡°You usually never surrender inpetitive y. But when it¡¯s going like this¡­ They might, yeah.¡±

 Chapter 409: Fighting Till The End

    Zhang Hongyi spoke through clenched teeth, ¡°Welp. That was our top inhib. Great!¡± He turned his head to look at his Jungler who sat a few seats over and asked, ¡°Tell me! What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°We defend bot,¡± Yu Ping said before Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler could. He looked at his screen and grimaced. They got our top inhibitor. Super minions are going to spawn, so we can¡¯t defend our Inner Tower. We¡¯ll have to try and keep our base¡­ He took a deep, long breath and ordered, ¡°We¡¯re too weak to defend our Inner Tower. Let¡¯s try our best to defend our base. We¡¯re going down fighting!¡±

    Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler looked at Yu Ping and smiled. He nodded and added, ¡°What Yu Ping says. These are the Finals! Fuck giving up! Never surrender! And all that stuff. You know¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s just try and have a bit more fun ying this game while itsts.¡±

    Yu Ping snorted and shook his head. He said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°Fun. Right.¡± He then looked over the edge of his screen at the crowd in the stadium and added, ¡°We¡¯re not going to keep ying for the fun of it. There¡¯s nothing fun about this. But there are people sitting out there PAID to watch these Finals. For them¡­ We gotta put on a show for them! Or as much of one as we can manage.¡±

    The other four from Team Beijing all looked over their screens at the audience who were for the most part up on their feet, cheering. They knew Yu Ping was right. But it was difficult to keep ying and give the audience something to watch when they knew deep down that the series was already lost. When they knew that it was a single yer was demolishing them. Instagibbing them, even.

    FourEyesChan sat at the caster''s desk and leaned towards his microphone. He said, ¡°Team Beijing has no answer for Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner! But it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re giving up quite yet! They¡¯re sitting in their base, but they¡¯re very clearly not giving up!¡±

    Cherry was the co-caster. She sat next to FourEyesChan and followed up by saying, ¡°We all know the rule of thumb: A game isn¡¯t lost until two inhibitors have fallen. In 99 percent of games, that¡¯s the point of no return.¡±

    ¡°Cherry here is right!¡± FourEyesChan said. He smiled and continued, ¡°Team Shanghai might have the Yasuo-Leebo. They might have Lissandra and Leona for insane crowd control. Heck, they even got Kalista who despite not having done anything worth mentioning is getting pretty damn strong!¡± He scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what point I was trying to prove¡­¡±

    Cherry giggled a bit ufortably and replied, ¡°Me neither¡­¡±

    ¡°A MIRACLE!¡± Fan Yuan shouted at the speaker nearest him. He sat right below the stage, grounding his teeth in frustration and anger. His team was losing and was worse, far worse, was that Chu Fang sat next to him. Stupid Chu Fang with his stupid grin! I want to smash that grin into the ground! Make him regret¡­ Fucking dipshit Chu Fang! Asshole supreme! He breathed in, hoping the fresh air would calm his nerves, and then turned his attention towards Team Beijing¡¯s side of the stage. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white and mumbled, ¡°Come on, guys! Yeah it might take a miracle, and then another, and maybe one more. And then Team Shanghai also has to screw up a couple of times¡­ in a row. But it¡¯s not over! Our Nexus still stands! We can still win this! We can still get back into this series and win! I can still beat Chu Fang and show that dipshit that I¡¯m the best!¡±

    ¡°How you enjoying the series, Fan Yuan?¡± Chu Fang shouted from a couple of seats over.

    Fan Yuan felt his eyelids twitch and his nostrils re. It took him every bit of self constraint to keep his eyes on Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth. I will not entertain him. I won¡¯t let him see me like this. I won¡¯t! He flexed his stomach and chest and forced the muscles in his face into a smile. It looked fake and ufortable, but it was the best he could manage. He turned his head to look at Chu Fang and replied, ¡°Your team is doing well, Chu Fang. Congrattions on finding such a talented bunch.¡± His stomach contracted and he swallowed down the sour taste of bile. I won¡¯t give him the satisfaction. I WON¡¯T!

    ?

    Team Shanghai gathered in the botne at Zeng Rui¡¯s order and waited for a minion wave. When the Blue minions marched towards Team Beijing¡¯s inner tower, they followed along. They found the inner tower undefended and between Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista took it down in a couple of seconds. The five from Team Shanghai then pressed on towards Team Beijing¡¯s inhibitor tower. This was where they found all five members from Team Beijing hiding behind their tower.

    Lin Feng nced at Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°What do we do now? Fight!?¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded slowly. He observed how Team Beijing was defending and said over the team¡¯s voice chat, ¡°See how Gragas keeps going top to clear the Super minions?¡± When his teammates replied affirmative, he continued, ¡°Alright. So, when he gets back, they all huddle around their tower. And we¡¯ve got Zhang Hao on Lissandra and me on Leona. Here¡¯s what we¡¯re doing¡­¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s Lissandra ran into the fog of war right on the edge of Team Beijing¡¯s base. Team Beijing tried to ce a ward there, but it was destroyed by Team Shanghai. Zhang Hao waited for Gragas to return to the botne and help his team defend against Team Shanghai. This was his cue. He cast cial Path! A w of ice tore through the ground and towards Team Beijing¡¯s Inhibitor Tower! Team Beijing didn¡¯t see it until it suddenly appeared right beneath them. It was already toote by then as Lissandra blinked towards the w and cast her ultimate on herself! Spires of ice shot up from the ground and locked her up in a Frozen Tomb, slowing the Champions from Team Beijing!

    This engagement that Zhang Hao just pulled off had two goals. The first was to apply the slow effect and the second was to serve as a distraction. Because while Team Beijing was trying to react to Lissandra¡¯s Frozen Tomb, Zeng Rui had his Leona call down a Sr re! Slowed and distracted, Team Beijing failed to respond to it. All five of them were caught in the st radius and stunned.

    An Xin was up next. She had her Lee Sin punch out a pressurized st of air that connected with Janna! She followed up with Resonating Strike, dashing at Janna, and then ced a ward behind Janna and hopped towards it with Safeguard! Standing behind all five Champions from Team Beijing who were huddled so closely together, she positioned for the perfect angle and then activated Dragon¡¯s Rage! Lee Sin hit Janna with a roundhouse kick that sent her flying into the four other members from Team Beijing, knocking them all up into the air!

    Next up was Lin Feng. Yasuo¡¯s ultimate skill was only avable on airborne Champions. But the more important aspect for this particr fight was that when there were multiple Champions knocked up in a small area, his ultimate skill gained an area of effect element. Lin Feng cast Last Breath! Yasuo blinked towards the five Champions from Team Beijing and suspended them in midair! He followed up with a flurry of strikes before raising his katana high up above his head and hacking down with the power of the wind!

    The entire time, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista was hurling spirit spears at the Champions from Team Beijing. She¡¯d bought an item that turned all of her auto attacks into attacks that hit all nearby enemies, which meant that all Champions from Team Beijing had arge number of spears sticking from their bodies. When they came back down to the ground, she pulled those spears out with Rend! Two Champions died right away, and three more followed shortly after when Lin Feng hit them with a single Steel Tempest!

    ¡¶Aced!¡·

    FourEyesChan adjusted his sses and said into his microphone, ¡°Oof. Oof.¡±

    Cherry looked at him and raised her eyebrows. She then grabbed her microphone and shouted, ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI! WOOOOOOOO! IT¡¯S A 5-0 ACE! THEY ACED TEAM BEIJING INSIDE THEIR BASE! WOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    ¡°HOLY MOLY CAMERONI!¡±¡°WOOOOOOOO!¡±¡°THAT WAS CRAAAAAAZY!¡±¡°THAT¡¯S GAME! GG! TEAM SHANGHAI CHAMPIONS!¡±¡°MY GAWD! THAT WAS AMAZING!¡±¡°FIVE MAN ULTIES INTO FIVE MAN ULTIES! DAYUM!¡±¡°SIIIIICK!¡±

    Qiu Yijie chuckled and said, ¡°I feel like a broken record here, but that¡¯s game. It¡¯s over now. Just a few more seconds. They can finish this before Team Beijing even respawns!¡±

    Sun Ruinian breathed out through his mouth and replied, ¡°Not just this game. It¡¯s been like this all tournament. Sure, it sometimes looked close. But was it really? I don¡¯t think so. It was never close. Whenever Lin Feng ys¡­ And I mean actually ys and not just goof around¡­ Well, yeah. You guys get it.¡±

    ¡°We certainly do!¡± Zou Cheng eximed in excitement. He pumped his fist in the air and shouted, ¡°WIN FENG IS THE BEST!¡±

    Qiu Yijie nodded. He then turned his head to look at Team Beijing¡¯s soundproof booth and added, ¡°Gotta give it to them, though. They kept fighting till the end.¡±

 Chapter 410: I CANâ€™T HEAR YOOUUUU!

    FourEyesChan stood up from behind the caster desk and grabbed his microphone from its stand. He then walked towards the monitor that showed the final moments of the Championship game between Team Shanghai and Team Beijing. ¡°This is it,¡± he started. ¡°The final moments!¡±

    ¡°Take us through them!¡± Cherry cheered.

    FourEyesChan looked over his shoulder at Cherry and smiled. He then pushed the microphone to his lips and shouted, ¡°Thest few moments! Team Shanghai has scored an ace! A perfect one! Five kills, zero deaths and four perfect ultimates!

    ¡°They¡¯re taking down the tower in t-minus 3¡­ BOOM! IT¡¯S DOWN! ONTO THE INHIBITOR!

    ¡°ANOTHER BOOM! GOD THIS IS GOING FAST! THEY¡¯VE TAKEN THE SECOND INHIBITOR!¡± He paused for a moment to catch his breath and then continued, ¡°That¡¯s the second inhibitor. It¡¯s the point of no return, and it really looks like that in this game! Team Beijing is all dead! They¡¯ve got more than 20 seconds left to respawn! AND TEAM SHANGHAI KEEPS PUSHING!

    ¡°SUPER MINIONS FROM THE TOP LANE AND NORMAL ONES FROM THE BOT LANE ARE TAKING TOWER AGGRO FROM THE TWO NEXUS TOWERS! AND TEAM SHANGHAI KEEPS PUSHING!

    ¡°ONE TOWER DOWN AND THE SECOND ONE¡­ FOLLOWS NOW! IT¡¯S JUST THE NEXUS LEFT! A FEW MORE SECONDS AND THEN WE¡¯VE GOT OUR NEW CHAMPIONS!

    ¡°THE NEXUS HAS EXPLODED! THAT¡¯S THREE IN A ROW! WE¡¯VE FOUND OUR NEW COLLEGIATE CUP CHAMPIONS! TEAM SHANGHAI WINS 3-0 FROM TEAM BEIJING IN THE GRAND FINALS OF THE WINTER COLLEGIATE CUP! GIVE IT UP FOR THEM! GIVE IT UP FOR THEM!¡±

    Cherry pumped her fist in the air and screamed, ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO!¡±

    The audience was slow to follow. They¡¯de into the series expecting Team Beijing to win, and though the games they watched suggested the opposite there was still a part of them that believed Team Beijing would turn it around. But Team Beijing didn¡¯t turn it around. The series was over. Team Shanghai had won.

    ¡°It¡¯s over. Huh?¡±¡°I thought Team Beijing was supposed to be¡­ better?¡±¡°An off day maybe?¡±¡°Something else?¡±¡°They beat U-Tech! How can they be bad?¡±¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡±¡°How did this happen¡­?¡±

    FourEyesChan looked from the casterbox out over the stands and saw the confused reaction from the audience. He shook his head and smiled. I get how you guys feel. All my research showed Team Beijing would win. We were all¡­ None of us were expecting Team Shanghai to be this good. But they were¡­ Are. And they deserve loud apuse! He put the microphone to his lips again and shouted, ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOOUUUU!¡±

    A part of the audience recovered from the surprising conclusion of the grand finals and started cheering. But many more were still arguing with each other about how it was possible that the series had ended like this. FourEyesChan focused on those people and shouted louder than before, ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOOUUUU!¡±

    It was the push that the audience needed. They briefly discussed the ys they¡¯d cheered for over the past three games, most of which were for Team Shanghai. More specifically, for Lin Feng. They all agreed that his performance was of such high quality that there really wasn¡¯t anything Team Beijing could¡¯ve done. He was just that much better. After that discussion swept across the stands, people rose to their feet and cupped their hands around their mouths. They started shouting,

    ¡°TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°TEAM SHANGHAI!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±

    Up on stage were the two soundproof booths. Team Beijing sat in the one to the right. The five team members were silent. They sat behind their monitors and stared at their screens, trying to understand what just happened. From the moment they became aware of Team Shanghai many months ago until the start of the Grand Finals a few hours ago, they never once considered the possibility of losing.

    ¡°I knew they were good,¡± Team Beijing¡¯s Jungler mumbled. ¡°But this good¡­?¡±

    Yu Ping rested his head in his hand, defeated. I was looking for a challenge. All tournament long, I¡¯ve been demanding a challenge. I¡¯ve been looking down on every other Miner. And why shouldn¡¯t I have!? I beat them all! All of them, except him. His stomach clenched so hard that it hurt. He bit on his teeth and tried to move his head up and look at the audience, but he couldn¡¯t get himself to do so. Shame pushed down on him and it took everything he had not to copse. I got what I asked for. A challenge. A real one. And I wasn¡¯t anywhere near ready for it. Maybe¡­ Maybe Goalie was the challenge I should¡¯ve been looking for¡­

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Team Beijing¡¯s ad-carry asked meekly.

    Zhang Hongyi turned his head and looked across the stage at Team Shanghai¡¯s soundproof booth. Those assholes are celebrating and¡­ GODDAMMIT! He replied through gritted teeth, ¡°We go out on stage and we congratte those bastards. Fucking Zeng Rui and his stupid luck! It¡¯s like solo queue all over!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, congratte,¡± Yu Ping mumbled.

    The second soundproof booth belonged to Team Shanghai. The mood inside was entirely different from Team Beijing. After the victory emblem appeared on his screen, Zhang Hao pushed his gaming chair back and leaped at Lin Feng. The two fell to the ground, but Zhang Hao didn¡¯t care. He had tears of joy in his eyes and screamed, ¡°WE WON! WE WON! HAHA! YOU SAID WE WOULD AND WE DID! WE BEAT THEM! WE FUCKING WON!¡±

    Lin Feng yelped in surprise, just for a moment. He then looked up at Zhang Hao and the rest of his teammates and grinned. ¡°Of course we won!¡± he eximed. ¡°We¡¯re the best!¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and Zhang Hao on the ground and chewed on her lips. Butterflies were flying around in her stomach and a sudden force of impulse made her drop to her knees and join the hug. She cheered, ¡°Mhm! We won! We really did!¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at the three on the ground and fought against the voice in the back of his mind telling him to join them. He hesitated long enough for An Xin to walk over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, confused.

    ¡°Good work,¡± An Xin said with a smile. ¡°I know how hard you¡¯ve worked. And I want you to know that all of this¡­¡± she waved around the soundproof booth and then at the audience in the background. ¡°... none of this would¡¯ve been possible without you. You made it work.¡±

    Zeng Rui smiled, a tear in his eye. He looked out through the windows of the soundproof booth at the audience. They¡¯re cheering for us! We did it! We really did! He stood up and replied, ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it. We all work¡ª¡±

    ¡°ZENGZENG! COME IN HERE!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He¡¯d gotten back up to his feet at some point and now jumped at Zeng Rui and hugged him. ¡°We did it! WE WON!¡±

    Zeng Rui let it happen. Lin Feng first and then Zhang Hao and Tang Bingyao next. And finally An Xin joined in. He jumped with the four of them, going against every instinct in his body, and enjoyed every second of it.

    ?

    Team Shanghai went through the motions of the post game sportsmanship habits. They left their soundproof booth and walked up to the middle of the stage, where Team Beijing was waiting for them. The ten yers bowed to each other, after which they bowed towards the audience to thank them for their support. When this was all done, both teams left the stage.

    Chu Fang was waiting for his team at the bottom of the steps. He gave them a thumbs up and said, ¡°You guys did great! I¡¯m so proud of all five of you! And it was super extra sweet because Fan Yuan was super salty! You guys should¡¯ve seen his face! It was priceless! Actually, you know what? WE¡¯RE CELEBRATING!¡± He nodded at Lin Feng and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve got the list. Where are we going!¡±

    Lin Feng pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and traced his finger down a list of options. He stopped at one halfway through and said, ¡°This one! It¡¯s got hot pot! I want hot pot! Oh, oh! This one is a special hot pot because it¡¯s the traditional coal-fire Beijing-style hot pot! Let¡¯s go, go, goooo! I wanna eat it right now!¡±

    ¡°Uh, Lin Feng¡­¡± Zhang Hao interjected. He licked his lips and then said, ¡°There¡¯s still the award ceremony¡­¡±

    An Xin put a hand on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and winked at him. She asked, ¡°There is indeed. Don¡¯t tell me you forgot? You remember, the President of the Chinese Esports Association is presenting us with the trophy!¡±

    Lin Feng turned stiff. He scratched the back of his head and mumbled, ¡°Uhh, but celebrating¡­¡±

    Chu Fang scrunched his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the trophy?¡± Zeng Rui added.

    Lin Feng forced a grin on his face and replied, ¡°No, no! I want the trophy! I just forgot! Haha! Yes, that¡¯s it! I forgot! Totally forgot! Trophy, yeay!¡±

    ?

    The award ceremony began half an hourter. Zhou Wei, Vice President of the Beijing Esports Association, walked up on stage and introduced the shared third ranks Fudan University and U-Tech Beijing. Both teams walked up on stage and epted a medal and thanked the Chinese Esports Association for hosting the event and the audience foring out in such numbers to support them.

    Zhou Wei gave the two university teams a couple of minutes with the microphone before taking it back and thanking them for participating. He then introduced Team Beijing and congratted them with their second ce. But Team Beijing wasn¡¯t looking all too happy. The time they had to wait for the award ceremony to begin was long enough for the adrenaline to subside. They felt the pain of the loss, made worse by Fan Yuan who¡¯d yelled and screamed all the way up until they walked back on stage. Zhou Wei looked at them and grimaced. Fan Yuan will get over it when he finds out who Lin Feng is. Bloody Maple. Of course they were gonna lose!

    After Team Beijing left the stage, Zhou Wei brought the microphone to his mouth and said, ¡°For this next part, we¡¯ve got something a little more special.¡± He pointed at Team Shanghai and instructed, ¡°Team Shanghai,e up on stage please.¡± He waited for them, under the loud apuse of the audience, to walk up on stage and then continued, ¡°This edition of the Collegiate Cup was special in several ways. We felt like it¡¯s only appropriate that the award ceremony reflects that! That is why I won¡¯t be the one offering the trophy to our Champions, but the President of the Chinese Esports Association will! Let¡¯s give a warm wee to Lin Songshi!¡±

 Chapter 411: MVP

    Lin Songshi walked out onto the stage amid thundering apuse, cheering, and chants of ¡°WIN FENG!¡± There were two prizes that he needed to award. The first was the Championship Trophy for the Collegiate Cup. The second was the MVP award. When Lin Songshi walked out onto the stage, he already had the Championship Trophy in his hands. He held it out to the crowd to hype them up even more, and they responded with even louder cheering and apuse.

    And as the cheering of the crowd reached a crescendo, Lin Songshi delivered the Championship Trophy into the waiting hands of Chu Fang.

    Chu Fang epted the trophy and made a respectful bow. ¡°Thank you, Mr. President.¡±

    Chu Fang wanted to jump up and down with the trophy held high. He wanted to scream and cheer. But he had to contain himself and remain somewhat stoic. The person standing in front of him was Mr. Lin Songshi, the President of the Chinese Esports Association. The highest authority in the Association and the most respected. Even Chu Fang¡¯s boss, Fang Hao, needed to be respectful in front of Lin Songshi.

    The respect that Lin Songshimanded didn¡¯t juste from his position as President of the Chinese Esports Association. It was hard earned through aplishments, work, and seniority. Lin Songshi was several tiers above Fang Hao in the Chinese Esports Circles.

    Lin Songshi was essentially the behind-the-scenes counterpart to One. Just as One was considered the greatest yer in the history of Chinese Esports, Lin Songshi was considered the greatest person working behind the scenes. From DotA to League of Legends, Lin Songshi worked tirelessly toy the foundation of Chinese esports and then build it up to the heights that it had reached today. It was not an exaggeration to say that without Lin Songshi¡¯s efforts, there would be no Chinese Esports scene today.

    For all of these reasons and more, Chu Fang had just as much respect for Lin Songshi as he did for Fang Hao. If not more. Which is why Chu Fang stood on that stage with the Championship Trophy in his hands, trying not to dance around with joy like a giddy school boy. Unfortunately, the struggle of containing that much exuberance was taking a toll on Chu Feng, who stood there looking like he was severely constipated in the lights of the stage and the shes of cameras.

    Lin Songshi looked at Chu Fang, who was starting to turn red from attempting to contain his joy and excitement, and smiled. Chu Fang is truly going to regret all of the pictures from this event in the morning. He smiled again as he thought about all the memes this moment would generate on the discussion boards for League of Legends. Then he warmly pped Chu Fang on the shoulder and said, ¡°You picked an excellent team. Well done!¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the kind words, Mr. President!¡± Chu Fang said, deeply moved by thepliment. Today could not have gone any better for Chu Fang, and he basked in the joy for a brief moment. A very brief moment. What Lin Songshi said next sucked all the air out of Chu Fang¡¯s lungs, the joy from his heart and the warmth from his blood.

    Lin Songshi looked past Chu Fang at the five yers on Team Shanghai for a second, before looking at Chu Fang again. ¡°Hm. Hm¡­ I must say that your choice of yers was¡­ a surprise. Yes. Very surprising. ¡± He smiled amicably after saying those words, and he pped Chu Feng on the shoulder again. But there was something in his tone and the way he chose his words so carefully that left Chu Feng feeling very uneasy.

    A surprise? What does he mean? Chu Fang¡¯s eyes widened as his brain kicked into turbo to figure out the hidden meaning behind Lin Songshi¡¯s words. Lin Feng! It¡¯s gotta be that! Did he figure out who Lin Feng is already? Does he have enough information to figure it out? It¡¯s possible! Even though Lin Songshi hadn¡¯t formally taken over the Chinese Esports Association in Season 1, Maple was too famous not to know. The thin veil hiding Lin Feng¡¯s true identity had been pierced! Even though Maple/Lin Feng disappeared for many years and hadn¡¯t been heard of or spoken about among the newfrogs, his legacy lived on among those important enough to remember. Lin Songshi definitely knows that Lin Feng is Maple! There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t know!

    ?

    Right before travelling to Beijing for the Finals of the Collegiate Cup, Chu Fang and Fang Hao sat down for a serious conversation. Chu Fang was concerned that there were several people in the Beijing Esports Association who were capable of figuring out that Lin Feng was Maple. So he decided to ask Fang Hao what to do to try and prevent that. And also what to do if Lin Feng¡¯s identity was leaked out regardless.

    The reply that he got from Fang Hao over these concerns was strange. Fang Haoughed it off and looked amused that Chu Fang was even worried about this. Fang Hao reassured Chu Fang by saying, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this at all. You¡¯ll see. Everything will sort itself out organically once you get to Beijing.¡± Then Fang Hao chuckled again.

    Chu Fang was utterly confused by this bizarre and cryptic reply. He could not understand what Fang Hao was saying or why Fang Hao didn¡¯t seem to care. If we don¡¯t worry about it, who will?

    ?

    That entire conversation and Fang Hao¡¯s odd nonchnce shed through Chu Feng¡¯s mind as he stood on that stage. Is this what Fang Hao meant? That Lin Songshi would sort everything out? But if that¡¯s the case, why do I feel so uneasy about Lin Songshi¡¯s words? Something isn¡¯t right here...

    But before Chu Fang could fully process his thoughts, the awards ceremony moved on. After the Championship Trophy, there was still the MVP Award that needed to be handed out. An MVP Award that unquestionably belonged to Lin Feng. There were no doubts about that in anyone¡¯s mind.

    It was Lin Feng¡¯s skills that made Team Shanghai¡¯s victory possible in the Finals today. His performance was spectacr in all three games. And on all three champions that he yed. There literally was not a single person that could say that his Varus, Twisted Fate, or Yasuo had been anything short of spectacr.

    Even the yers from the other university teams, such as U-Tech Beijing and Shenyang University, all agreed that Lin Feng was already at the level of LPSL yer. Perhaps even higher than that! Some even imed that he was at the point where he could go toe-to-toe with the real professional yers in the LPL!

    The audience also unanimously agreed that the MVP Award deserved to go to Team Shanghai¡¯s Miner. There were so many shy ys from Lin Feng in the Finals that they couldn¡¯t even remember all of them. But the ones that stood out as particrly special even among all his god-tier ys were the runaround Varus triple kill and the stunning Yasuo split-push double kill in Topne. Those two ys alone were so fantastic they could make it into the Top 10 ys, if not Top 3 ys, of all time in the history of the Collegiate Cup.

    When Lin Feng was dered the MVP of the game, the audience stood up to stomp their feet and cheer even louder.

    ¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±¡°WIN FENG!¡±

    <strong>¡°WIN FENG!¡± </strong>stomp-stomp<strong>¡°WIN FENG!¡±</strong> stomp-stomp<strong>¡°WIN FENG!¡± </strong>stomp-stomp

    They chanted and cheered so loudly that the entire arena echoed with cries of ¡°WIN FENG!¡± This was the greatest acknowledgement that any yer could receive.

    ?

    Lin Songshi walked up to Lin Feng with the MVP medal on beat with the thundering chorus of WIN FENG. The hype was indeed real, and the air fizzled with electricity.

    Up on the stage, however, things were different. The air was thick, but not with hype or adrenaline or joy. The air was thick with tension and awkwardness between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi. And that tension grew exponentially with every step towards Lin Feng that Lin Songshi took. Until they were right in front of each other. Lin Songshi looked down at Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng was looking down at the ground for a few seconds. Then he cleared his throat and raised his head to look Lin Songshi in the eyes. He forced an awkward smile, knowing that there were hundreds of eyes on them right now.

    Lin Songshi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change when he met Lin Feng¡¯s eyes. He put the medal around Lin Feng¡¯s neck and patted him on the shoulder. Then he said, ¡°So. You¡¯re back now, eh?¡±

    That was all the confirmation Chu Fang needed. His eyes started twitching violently. He knows! He knows Lin Feng is Maple!

    Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao, and the rest of Team Shanghai didn¡¯t find this turn of events surprising at all. They already knew that Lin Feng was Maple. As far as they were concerned, it was more than expected that the President of the Chinese Esports Association knew who Lin Feng was and would recognize him.

    Except for An Xin. She stood there watching the interaction between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi with the corners of her lips curving up into a faint knowing smile.

    Lin Feng¡¯s expression froze at the question. Then he slowly nodded, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back.¡± His bodynguage and demeanor was nearly identical to how it was when he reunited with Fang Hao.

    Lin Songshi calmly stared into Lin Feng¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Oh? What changed? Why did youe back?¡±

    That question took the members of Team Shanghai by surprise and left thempletely stunned.

    Huh? Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes went wide in shock.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s face turned to stone as he started analyzing everything about Lin Songshi and Lin Feng.

    Chu Fang was beside himself with confusion and concern. Why are you asking that!? What do you mean by that!?

 Chapter 412: Rise

    Maple. That name held a special significance to everyone who was involved in the Chinese Esports scene back during the League of Legends Season 1 World Championships. That name was enshrined in all their hearts.

    Back then, Maple was the unquestionable number one Miner in all of China. He was also the Captain of the strongestpetitive League of Legends team in China. He was the first to lead a Chinese team all the way to the World Championships. Once there, he defeated many powerful European and North American teams to make it all the way to the Finals. Teams who were all considered real contenders for the Finals and the eventual Championship. During these battles, Maple proved that he was truly a world ss yer who could go toe-to-toe with Han ¡°Rake¡± Seho, and other yers of that caliber. Maple broke records, won titles, and had a nearly endlessundry list of aplishments.

    For all of the old Chinese yers who were around to witness his meteoric rise, Maple represented hope. Especially these days, when China was still suffering from a string of defeats in the most recent World Championships. Maple was a dream, an idle fantasy that many of these old yers ruminated on frequently these days. They wondered if China could rise again, if the genius Miner Maple would return to once again create a miracle.

    When people like Chu Fang, Fang Hao, and Shi Hang saw Lin Feng¡¯s return, saw Maple¡¯s return, they were both ecstatic and brimming with anticipation to watch him pull off another miracle. Maple was the herald of a new and glorious era of Chinese Esports. Which is exactly why Chu Feng was so concerned about someone prematurely figuring out who Lin Feng was prior to the Finals of the Collegiate Cup. And also why Lin Songshi¡¯s question and tonepletely threw Chu Feng off.

    None of the tension up on stage was apparent to the audience members below. They were still cheering and screaming ¡°WIN FENG!¡± as they celebrated the end of a truly electrifying Collegiate Cup. Lin Songshi wasn¡¯t wearing a microphone, so no one could hear his conversation with Lin Feng besides the members of Team Shanghai who were standing on stage with them.

    The tension and awkwardness between Lin Songshi and Lin Feng intensified as the question hung in the air between them. Lin Feng looked at the ground again as he considered how to answer. Why did Ie back? I didn¡¯t want toe back. For years. I didn¡¯t want to be back at all. But¡­ I have a dream now! I have a reason for all of this! Lin Feng was silent as he considered everything that happened since the Season 1 World Championships to this moment. And then he finally had an answer to Lin Songshi¡¯s question. He looked up with fire in his eyes and said, ¡°To rise! I¡¯m going to climb over my regrets, my mistakes, my past, and everyone else in my way! I¡¯m going to get to the very top and grab my dream!¡± His tone was calm, but the determination in his voice was unmistakable. After he finished answering, he raised his fist into the air.

    The audience, stillpletely unaware of what was going on stage, went wild and cheered Lin Feng on even more as they saw the gesture.

    ?

    Rise above his regrets?

    Zeng Rui, Tang Bingyao, Zhang Hao, An Xin and Chu Fang all heard Lin Feng¡¯s answer, and that was the single thought on all their minds. They heard Lin Feng say he wanted to rise above his regrets, and they thought they understood what that meant. Lin Feng regretted his defeat at the hands of Han ¡°Rake¡± Seho back during the Finals of the Season 1 League of Legends World Championships. The Finals where he lost 2-3. As far as they understood, what other regrets could a yer like Maple have? It was simple and straightforward in their minds.

    Lin Songshi, on the other hand, understood somethingpletely different from Lin Feng¡¯s answer. He looked down into Lin Feng¡¯s eyes with a thin, mocking smile and asked, ¡°Oh? You think that this is your moment to take to the skies? That you¡¯ll prove yourself and rise? You think you can make them remember you and rise? You think you can push through hell and rise?¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes widened out of shock when Lin Songshi first started speaking. But they narrowed and flickered with rage by the end. He didn¡¯t know much about the President of the Chinese Esports Association, but any respect he had for Lin Songshi was on the verge of disappearing. What the fuck is this guy on? He should be happy that Lin Feng ising back! Instead, he¡¯s standing there making fun of MAPLE like a douche!

    The lines on Zeng Rui''s forehead grew deeper and deeper with every word that came out of Lin Songshi¡¯s mouth. He¡¯s crossing the line here¡­ President of the Chinese Esports Association or not, he¡¯s definitely way over the line¡­ But something isn¡¯t right here. Why would someone of Lin Songshi¡¯s position and status speak to a yer like that? Especially during an Awards Ceremony in full view of the public? He¡¯s responsible for maintaining the image of the Chinese Esports Association. Not to mention his own. I¡¯m missing something here.

    The same thoughts ran through Chu Fang¡¯s head at the moment. As far as he knew, Lin Songshi was someone that conducted himself with the utmost grace to avoid disgracing the name of the Chinese Esports Association. More importantly, everything I¡¯ve heard about Lin Songshi from the old days to today always talked about how supportive he was to yers. I can¡¯t think of a single time when Lin Songshi talked down to someone like this! SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG HERE, CHU FANG! DO SOMETHING!

    ?

    Lin Feng and Lin Songshi continued their conversation, ignoring the reactions of everyone else up on the stage.

    After Lin Songshi¡¯s biting words, Lin Feng paused. Then he shook his head slowly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure-sure,¡± he answered honestly. He paused for a brief half a second, then added, ¡°But I¡¯m still going to try!¡± His tone contained unwavering determination and confidence.

    Lin Songshi¡¯s mocking smirk turned even more severe, and the look in his eyes turned sharp and piercing. ¡°Oh? Because you won this¡­ Collegiate Cup Championship? Now Maple is back and ready to knock down Rake?¡±

    Lin Feng continued looking Lin Songshi right in the eyes and replied, ¡°Of course not. Just keep watching. You¡¯ll see!¡±

    The tension in the air between them continued to intensify. But the initial awkwardness shifted towards aggressiveness. The heat was palpable. This was most definitely not a conversation between someone receiving an award and someone presenting an award. Everything about this exchange was strange. It looked more like an argument between a disapproving elder and a rebellious teenager than a very public award ceremony on a stage in front of a roaring crowd of spectators.

    Chu Fang and the other members of Team Shanghai were stunned and confused. But it was clear enough that they didn¡¯t have enough information to butt into this situation, so they stayed out and continued to let it y out.

    Lin Songshi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he red down at Lin Feng.

    Lin Feng met Lin Songshi¡¯s gaze without backing down, his eyes filled with a rare intensity and the stubbornness apparent on his face.

    After a few seconds of this, Lin Songshi blinked and looked over at the other members of Team Shanghai. All traces of the mockery and anger from a few moments ago werepletely gone and he had a kind and polite smile on his face. ¡°All of you yed fantastic in your games today! Congrattions on winning the championship! You absolutely deserve this victory and trophy!¡±

    Zhang Hao, Zeng Rui, and Tang Bingyao were taken aback by this sudden shift and warmth. They quickly mumbled out thanks and fell silent.

    Then Lin Songshi look at An Xin. His expression softened, and his smile became wider as he said, ¡°BunBun, your Lee Sin in thatst game was fantastic.¡±

    An Xin smiled. ¡° You¡¯re ttering me, Uncle Lin! But thank you!.¡±

    Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao, and Tang Bingyao were shook. All three of their eyes popped open at the same time. And they all had the same exact thought running through their heads. BunBun and Lin Songshi know each other?!?

    Lin Songshi smiled and continued addressing An Xin, ¡°I must say, I was very surprised to see you here. Never would I have expected to see you ying in this tournament.¡±

    An Xin smiled. ¡°Haha! Yeah, Lin Feng. He dragged me into this, and someone needs to look after him.¡±

    Lin Songshi turned his attention back to Lin Feng. His expression rxed a little, and he asked, ¡°Would you like toe to dinner with me tonight? We can catch up and continue discussing your¡­ ns.¡±

    The twists and turns and surprises from this brief Award Ceremony were too much for Zhang Hao. His eyes turned vacant and zed over. He had fainted standing up.

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s jaw dropped.

    The vein on Zeng Rui¡¯s forehead throbbed violently and his eyelid started twitching again.

    Chu Fang¡¯s expression was also filled with shock.

    Lin Feng had gotten into an intense exchange with Lin Songshi, one that had not been resolved or exined, thirty seconds ago. And now the President of the Chinese Esports Association was inviting him to dinner! As far as most of Team Shanghai understood, they understood nothing of what happened in thest few minutes. Nothing made sense!

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes sparkled after hearing the word dinner. The thought of food hadpletely changed the atmosphere between him and Lin Songshi. But then he quickly shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯d never turn down a meal¡­ but I¡¯m already going to go get hotpot with BunBun and the rest of the team. We always celebrate winning with a meal!¡±

    Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes almost popped out of his sockets. My god! Lin Feng, you actually refused an invitation from the President of the Chinese Esports Association! That takes some balls! Shit, I hope he doesn¡¯t get offended¡­

    Lin Songshi politely chuckled at Lin Feng¡¯s refusal and smiled, ¡°That¡¯spletely fine. My apologies. I should have considered that you¡¯d want to celebrate with your team and made ns already. But aside from that, you still won the Collegiate Cup Championship. Congrattions on this victory.¡±

    Lin Feng politely nodded and replied, ¡°Thanks, Uncle.¡± His tone held no sincerity or warmth.

    Chu Fang, Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao, and Tang Bingyao were floored again. U-UCNLE!? The word exploded in their ears and minds like a bomb.

 Chapter 413: Waiting for Tonight

    ¡°Thanks, Uncle.¡±

    That was thest thing that Lin Feng said to Lin Songshi. Lin Feng had said those words with no emotion whatsoever just as the audience erupted into a final round of apuse and cheers. The din from the crowd was more than loud enough to drown out the words. But the words, however muted, exploded when they hit the rest of Team Shanghai¡¯s ears.

    Zhang Hao, who had only just recovered from the odd conversation between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi and returned to his senses, was once again floored. This time, his eyes didn¡¯t ze over. They closed. Whatever it was that just happened at this Award Ceremony, it was too much for Zhang Hao¡¯s mind to handle and he shut down. He swayed back and forth slowly before finally leaning over and resting against a stony Zeng Rui, eyes still closed.

    Zeng Rui did not notice Zhang Hao. He was ying back everything that just happened and trying to piece it all together. Uncle. Uncle! Now everything makes sense! That thundering dumbass¡­ how many more secrets is he hiding from me? I didn¡¯t know he was Maple¡­ and apparently, I didn¡¯t realize that Lin Songshi was his Uncle. The President of the Chinese Esports Association! Lin! Lin Songshi and Feng. Why is this a surprise to me? It should¡¯ve been obvious from the minute they were on stage together! But what¡¯s with all the friction? I can understand why Lin Songshi is a little upset with Lin Feng over leaving after Season 1. That¡¯s logical enough. But what happened between them that pissed Lin Feng off to this degree? I need to research everything that happened during the Season 1 World Championships! Hm¡­ Why¡­ why is Zhang Hao sleeping on my shoulder?

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s jaw dropped. Then closed. Then she waved at Lin Songshi and said, ¡°Bye Uncle!¡±

    The briefest look of confusion showed up on Lin Songshi¡¯s face when he heard Tang Bingyao calling him Uncle. But he politely smiled and waved farewell back.

    Chu Fang¡¯s eyes glimmered with disbelief for a few seconds. And then his bodynguagepletely changed. Uncle! Of course! Chu Fang¡¯s shoulders rxed as exhaled everyst drop of tension. His expression was peaceful. This revtion, shocking as it was, seemed to be enough for Chu Fang to attain enlightenment. This is what Fang Hao meant when he said everything would sort itself out organically! HE KNEW! HE KNEW THAT LIN SONGSHI WAS LIN FENG¡¯S UNCLE! That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t worried about the Beijing Esports Association figuring out that Lin Feng was Maple! Because the President of the Chinese Esports Association already knew Lin Feng was Maple!

    The only one on Team Shanghai who was unperturbed by all of this was An Xin. She stood there calmly with the same smile on her face the entire time. She already knew about Lin Songshi, and none of this was a surprise to her.

    Lin Songshi finished waving goodbye to Tang Bingyao after she called him ¡°Uncle¡±. He gave her a fleeting puzzled nce and then motioned to the Host that it was time to conclude the Awards Ceremony and dere the end of the Collegiate Cup. Then he turned to look at the audience and gave them a goodbye wave before walking off the stage.

    That was it. Team Shanghai had the Collegiate Cup trophy, and Lin Feng had the MVP medal around his neck. The Awards Ceremony had ended.

    The Host walked back onto the stage and screamed out to the crowd, ¡°Let¡¯s give our new Champions onest round of apuse! Congrattions, Team Shanghai! You¡¯ve done it! You¡¯re the new Champions of the Collegiate Cup! There were a lot of people who doubted you. Many who dismissed each of your victories on luck or circumstance or trickery. But you proved all of them wrong and advanced step by step until there was no one left!¡±

    The entire stadium erupted into cheers, apuse, random cries of ¡®WIN FENG!¡¯, and odd monkey noises from a corner of the stadium.

    It had been a long month and a half for Team Shanghai. From the local qualifiers to the regionals and then finally the main tournament. And in between, they had to take their exams. Thest few weeks had been a blur of endless practice sessions, strategy meetings,te night chicken cutlets, and high-tension league matches against the best teams and yers outside the professional scene. But it had finally ended, and now they could go home with victory in their hearts. The Collegiate Cup was finally over, and Team Shanghai had seized the championship!

    ?

    Just as the Finals for the Collegiate Cup wrapped up at the Chaoyang Sports Centre in Beijing, an important LPL match also concluded in Shanghai.

    Team Shanghai had stunned countless spectators by defeating Team Beijing and iming the Collegiate Cup Championship. But the LPL Season 6 Sprint Split match that had just taken ce at the Hongkou Stadium in Shanghai left half the yers in all of China in shock.

    The match was between Team Rapids and HoG. The game was a fierce 37 minute sh between the two teams.

    Team Rapids and Hand of God were evenly matched in mostnes. The Toners fought all through thening phase but no clear winner came out and Nightsong threw his big dick around, yet couldn¡¯t get the edge he needed to carry the game. It all came down to the midne, where AyDeeCee yed against Hermes. It was a pure skill matchup in Lenc versus Zed. Both Champions were assassins and both champions relied entirely on the mechanics of their summoner.

    The earlyning phase had no clear winner. Shi Hang and Hermes threw everything they had at each other, they made the most breathtaking ys, but ultimately neither side could get the all important first kill. Because that was what they needed. Both their Champions didn¡¯t really start shining until they got a few kills under their belt. It was eventually Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc in the 8th minute who picked up the first kill. Hermes stepped away from his minions and got punished for that right away. Ethereal Chains rooted him to the ground, after which a full damagebo from Lenc killed him.

    That first kill set the tone for the rest of the match. Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc got the items she needed before Hermes¡¯ Zed. Shi Hang used this to his advantage, pushing Hermes around and forcing Hand of God¡¯s Jungler toe to the midne. All the while, he had his Jungler hiding near his Outer Tower, waiting for the countergank. It was a perfect outy by Team Rapids. They got the countergank, yed it perfectly, and two more kills went to Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc. From there on out, it was a stomp. He¡¯d gained such an advantage in gold and items that Hermes¡¯ Zed was forced to abandon the midne. And every time Hermes¡¯ Zed tried to return to the midne, Shi Hang killed him.

    Shi Hang showed everyone in China that he was still at the top of his game. He proved all the naysayers wrong. That he still had a lot left to give. By the 15th minute of the game, he¡¯d gotten his 5th kill. 10 minutes after that, his Lenc was dered Legendary. Hand of God was struggling to defend, because Shi Hang¡¯s Lenc could jump their backline whenever he felt like it. And there was nothing they could do to stop him. He dealt too much damage and Lenc was far too mobile to be locked down.

    At the 35th minute of the game, Hand of God pushed theirnes out and rushed the Dragon in a final desperate attempt to make something work. They engaged the Dragon and tried to kill it, until the voice announcer informed them that Nightsong had died. They moved their cameras and found Nightsong¡¯s corpse, with no sign of his killer. Lenc had jumped in and then back out again. She then waited for her skills toe off cooldown again while her teammates ran over, before fighting the 5 versus 4 and winning it convincingly.

    Team Rapids breached Hand of God¡¯s base 10 seconds after scoring an ace. They destroyed the Mid Lane Inner Tower, then the inhibitor behind it, and one of the Nexus towers. Then they took a small break to kill Nightsong, who had just respawned, once again. After that, they took out the second Nexus Tower. Once the tower was down, Team Rapids started attacking Hand of God¡¯s Nexus. And they destroyed it just as the remaining Champions from Hand of God respawned. It was a decisive victory led by Shi Hang and his Lenc. Shi Hang had just beaten the King Hermes.

    ?

    Team Rapid¡¯s Coach had watched the entire game backstage. And when his team won, he lost his mind from the sheer overwhelming joy. He jumped around screaming ¡°OH MY GOD! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE WON! IT WAS AMAZING! DID YOU GUYS SEE SHI HANG? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! IS THIS A DREAM? NO! IT CAN¡¯T BE! THE LAST TIME I FELT THIS MUCH JOY IN A DREAM WAS WHEN I DREAMED THAT MY WIFE DIDN¡¯T LEAVE ME AND THAT DIDN¡¯T FEEL AS GOOD AS THIS DOES! THIS IS REAL! WE WON!¡±

    The Coach had dedicated his life to ESports, and specifically League of Legends. He poured everything he had into Team Rapids. So much so that his wife had left him. She dered that their marriage wasn¡¯t a real one since he¡¯d spent thest 8 months sleeping at the Team Rapids headquarters. It had devastated him, but changed nothing in his resolve to push Team Rapids to new heights. He¡¯d bet everything on Shi Hang and brought him back into the professional scene and Team Rapids. Even then, the Coach wasn¡¯t certain about Team Rapid¡¯s chance for victory in this match against HoG. But all doubt had vanished now! This victory was the turning point for Team Rapids and himself! He was so delusional with joy that he convinced himself that his wife might take him back.

    ¡°WE WON! Hahahah! I TOLD YOU ALL THAT AYDEECEE WAS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH! WE WON! SHE¡¯LL LET ME COME HOME AGAIN NOW! We actually did it!¡± Team Rapid¡¯s Coach cried out. He wasn¡¯t just happy for himself or for his team. Most of his joy came from the fact that his old friend of many years, Shi Hang, had done well. The debut game that Shi Hang yed for Team Rapids against KG had not gone well at all. Team Rapids had lost. But the worst part was that his performance in that game was average at best. Shi Hang was forced to bear an onught of criticism from fans tomentators to analysts to critics.

    But Shi Hang proved all of them wrong with this victory! He¡¯d shown every single person who called him a hasbeen that he could hold his own, even against China¡¯s current number one Miner and the only King in the country, Daybreak Hermes!

    Team Raid¡¯s Coach wanted to call and message every single person who imed that Shi Hang was well past his prime and couldn¡¯tpete in today¡¯s professional scene. But he couldn¡¯t, so he settled for yelling at one of the assistants backstage responsible for technical maintenance. ¡°YOU STILL HAVE THE BALLS TO CLAIM THAT AYDEECEE IS A RELIC? You want to keep talking about how Shi Hang peaked in Season 1 and can¡¯tpete with the professionals in Season 6? LISTEN TO ME! Someone like Shi Hang, who managed to w his way to the top back in those days, you can¡¯t underestimate them! My wife underestimated me, and now she¡¯s probably twisting the bedsheets in regret! AYDEECEE IS BACK HOME NOW AND SOOON I WILL BE TOO!¡±

    Among the cheers and apuse of the audience, Team Rapids¡¯ members walked down from the stage.

    Shi Hang had just returned backstage, when Aurous, who had alsoe to watch today¡¯s match, ran over and slung his arm over his shoulder. ¡°Hahaha! WAY TO POP OFF, QUEEN! You even beat Hermes! How¡¯s it feel to be you again?¡± He was clearly happy and excited for his old friend.

    Shi Hang shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I did alright. Hermes¡­ eh, he was careless during the early game. Probably didn¡¯t think he needed to try against me after that game with KG. If he was really going all out from the start, it would¡¯ve been way tougher to win today¡¯s game.¡±

    Aurousughed and pinched Shi Hang¡¯s cheek. ¡°So modest and coy! If you keep this up, you¡¯ll catch the eye of some CEO¡¯s son and he¡¯lle sweep you off your feet! What does it matter if Hermes underestimated you and yed carelessly at the start? This is Hermes we¡¯re talking about! Even if he yed carelessly, how many yers do you think there are in China who could¡¯ve caught that and taken advantage of it? Be proud, sweet AyDeeCee! Even if you don¡¯t have a real bust, your booty more than makes up for it! You snowballed your advantage and hard-carried the game!¡±

    Shi Hang smiled. God damn Aurous! I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯mughing at his nonsense or if I¡¯m happy about winning today¡¯s game now. But it was a good day. I¡¯m back!

    With this match, Shi Hang had proved that he was one of China¡¯s top Miners. He¡¯d finally announced his return.

    Shi Hang suddenly stopped smiling and grew thoughtful. He looked at Aurous and asked, ¡°Hey. Do you know if the Collegiate Cup ended?¡±

    Aurous was puzzled by the question. This sweet untouched chrysanthemum just beat a King¡­ and he wants to know what¡¯s going on at the Collegiate Cup? Aurous looked at Shi Hang for a brief second before replying, ¡°Yup. It just ended. Team Shanghai beat Team Beijing 3-0.¡± He waved his out dramatically and continued, ¡°But why are we worried about what¡¯s going on in some tournament for the next generation? They¡¯re still ripening, forget about them. We should be talking about you! Everyone said that you¡¯d gone rotten. And then you go an win against HoG! You, my friend, are still very ripe and plump. With how amazing your Lenc was today, I¡¯d even say that you¡¯re¡­ bursting with springtime firmness. Hahahaa! I¡¯m 100% sure that anyone and everyone who ys League in China will be talking about your Lenc. You¡¯re going to be just as hot on the forums are you are in real life!¡±

    Shi Hang bonked Aurous on the head to calm him down a little. Then he raised an eyebrow and smiled at his friend. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡±

    Aurous stared at Shi Hang, baffled by the turn of events. ¡°What? Something else happened? What do you know? Tell me everything! ¡±

    Shi Hang turned around to look at the stands. At all the spectators still cheering. His eyes flickered with a strange light as he took it all in. Then he said, ¡°You¡¯ll find outter tonight.¡±

 Chapter 414: The Elephant in the Room

    The Collegiate Cup had ended and the Stadium emptied. Team Shanghai decided to celebrate their victory with a meal, and they went straight to the restaurant from the Stadium. And so,ter on that evening, the members of Team Shanghai found themselves gathered around a traditional Beijing style Hot Pot.

    But there was no yelling around that table, no sshing of hot broth, no stealing of various bits of meat from each other¡¯s tes. The atmosphere was strangely subdued. They didn¡¯t look like a group of people who were celebrating winning a major tournament. If anything, Team Shanghai looked like Team Beijing. It was not a dinner ravished with the vigor of victory. They were eating like this was their sad constion prize for having gotten all the way to the Finals and losing. Everyone on Team Shanghai picked up meats and vegetables and ced them into the broth. They took out bits of cooked food and put it on their tes. And they ate whatever food was on their tes. But every action was stiff and mechanical. Not a single person savored the food, or looked like they were enjoying thepany. An awkwardness hung heavy over the entire team, and they were all stealing nces at Lin Feng before looking at each other. No one said anything.

    The elephant in the room was, obviously, more of Lin Feng¡¯s backstory that was revealed during the Awards Ceremony. No one on Team Shanghai understood how to process it or what to make of the revtion. The President of the Chinese Esports Association was Lin Feng¡¯s Uncle! It was hard to believe and beyond shocking!

    Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao, and the others were still shook and reeling from trying to put all of this together. This entire day felt like an odd dream to them. First they won the Collegiate Cup, then they learned more of Lin Feng¡¯s incredible history. Not only was he Maple, one of the giants who built the Chinese Esports scene, but his Uncle was the President of the Chinese Esports Association. Lin Feng apparently belonged to some enormous and secret Esports Dynasty! The sheer coincidence was inconceivable.

    Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao looked at each other, at theplex mixture of emotions and questions swirling in each other¡¯s eyes. Every day revealed new information and raised new questions about Lin Feng. But foremost was the rtionship between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi.

    Zeng Rui gave Zhang Hao a strong look and slightly shook his head to say no. Don¡¯t bring it up, Zhang Hao! I want to know about what¡¯s going on between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi too, but not now. Don¡¯t do it! The way they talked to each other at the Awards¡­ that was not normal. There¡¯s obviously bad blood between them and we don¡¯t know enough about this situation or how it affected Lin Feng to bring it up. Don¡¯t say anything! Zeng Rui moved his head from side to side again while staring at Zhang Hao the whole time. Zhang Hao nodded. He¡¯d understood what Zeng Rui was trying tomunicate, and started eating whatever food was in front of him again.

    Tang Bingyao noticed Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao looking at each other and nodding. She knew what they were thinking about because she was thinking the exact same thing. She looked at Zeng Rui and then quickly looked at An Xin, and back to Zeng Rui. He nodded back. Tang Bingyao, Zeng Rui, and Zhang silently agreed that they¡¯d go find An Xinter to learn more about Lin Songshi and Lin Feng.

    On the other side of the table, Chu Fang was mulling over the same thing. Lin Songshi and Lin Feng¡­ this could exin a lot of what happened during the Season 1 World Championships. But Lin Feng is clearly mad at Lin Songshi for something, and Lin Songshi wasn¡¯t particrly warm towards Lin Feng. There¡¯s a lot more to this story¡­ I need to figure it out before it bes a problem. Lin Feng¡­ no. Maple ising back and that¡¯s going to change everything for us! I need to talk to Fang Hao and find out what he knows about the situation between Lin Feng and Lin Songshi. He already knew something like this was going to happen. I need to find out what I can to make sure nothing gets in Lin Feng¡¯s way!

    Everyone around the table continued to eat quietly while ncing at each other from time to time, and then looking at Lin Feng when they thought he wouldn¡¯t notice. This elephant in the room had be an unofficial and unasked for member of Team Shanghai.

    The elephant was clearly making everyone ufortable. Except for Lin Feng. He was calm but quiet as he ate his food. It was out of character for him, but in a different way from everyone else. Lin Feng didn¡¯t look disturbed or angry or upset. He didn¡¯t even notice everyone else¡¯s expressions or their quick nces and silent conversations. He didn¡¯t even notice them looking at him. By all appearances, Lin Feng didn¡¯t seem to notice that the elephant in the room existed and made no attempts to borate on what happened at the Awards Ceremony or answer the questions swirling around in his teammates¡¯ minds. He just quietly buried his head in his food and ate quickly.

    And that was the weirdest part of the night. Lin Feng always ate quickly, but he ate with gusto and joy. None of that was present at this moment. None of Lin Feng¡¯s customary delight at eating delicious food was on disy. He wasn¡¯t yelling or celebrating. It didn¡¯t even look like he knew what he was eating. This was one of those rare few moments where food was not important to Lin Feng. He was not eating because the vors tickled his taste buds and warmed his heart. He was eating today to replenish his energy. Because he had one more difficult task to aplish before this night ended.

    Lin Feng still had to climb the Korean Challenger Ladder and make it into the Top Five. That was the only thing on his mind during this dinner. He nced at a clock while reaching for some more food, and his chopsticks paused for a moment in mid-air. Pure unadulterated intensity shed in his eyes for a moment as he thought, Not much time left! But I gave One my word that I¡¯d get this done, so I¡¯m going to get this done! I don¡¯t break promises!

    ?

    Team Shanghai returned to their hotel immediately after dinner. Chu Fang dropped them all off and left to finish the final few administrative details required for the end of the Collegiate Cup. Lin Feng went straight to his room. It was 7 PM. Lin Feng sat down in front of hisptop and logged into the CN?HOOK2 ount on the Korean Server. He clicked on the profile page for the ount and checked his ranking on the Ladder. He was still sitting in 11th ce. A single step away from the Top 10.

    Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. He waspletely focused now, and the intensity in his eyes continued to grow sharper. Alright. Let¡¯s get started!

    Lin Feng clicked on the y button and started his final summit to the very top of the Korean Challengerdder.

    ?

    6 PM. League of Legends yers across China were all glued to their screens, talking on every League forum and chat about the LPL match that had just taken ce that afternoon. Obviously, the focus of the conversation revolved around Team Rapids and AyDeeCee.

    AyDeeCee¡¯s second match after his return to the LPL created aplex swirl of emotions in all of these League enthusiasts. An old yer, someone who hit his prime four years ago and retired from the Esports scene hade back and proven that he was just as good today as he was back then! The veterans in themunity glowed in nostalgia and pride that one of their own hade back, and the newfrogs couldn¡¯t help themselves from developing a new respect for AyDeeCee and the rest of the yers from that era.

    That said, it was only a single match. The victory didn¡¯t have much impact on the fate of either team over the course of the entire Spring Split. But that wasn¡¯t the important thing here. No one on the League forums really cared much about the oue of the match or the Spring Split.

    The important thing was that they had witnessed the return of another top yer! There was another star Miner in the LPL now, and the overallpetitiveness of the LPL would rise! None of this was up for debate.

    But there was a question rted to it that was currently being hotly debated on the forums. Exactly how good was AyDeeCee? As far as the tier list went, Daybreak Hermes was at the top. He was S-Tier, China¡¯s number one Miner. There was no one else up there with him. In the A-Tier, there were a few Miners from the other top LPL teams.

    That tier system was the center of the debate. ording to one camp, AyDeeCee logically belonged to the A-Tier. But there was a newly emerged camp that believed that AyDeeCee belonged in the S-Tier, right alongside Hermes. An even more vocal faction within that camp argued that the title of China¡¯s Number One Miner now belonged to AyDeeCee because he now appeared to be even better than he was four years ago.

    Unfortunately, these people were in the minority. After all, this was only one game. It was too early to tell anything. Even if AyDeeCee had yed an amazing Lenc today, that was far from enough to earn him the title of Number One.

    Hermes had only earned the title after proving himself to the entire world and bing China¡¯s sole King..

    And so, the debate between these two camps raged endlessly across the League Fan Sphere. Interestingly enough, there was a neutral faction between both camps that came to amon understanding. They believed that AyDeeCee had proven that he was one of the top Miners in China, and that he was possibly close to, if not already at, the same level as Daybreak Hermes. This was the ultimate Fence-Sitting Faction.

    The entire night would¡¯ve been devoted to this debate. If something more interesting didn¡¯t happen at 7PM that distracted every League enthusiast, fan, and yer across China.

    ¡¸CN?HOOK2 IS ONLINE AGAIN!¡¹¡¸EVERYTONE COME WATCH!¡¹¡¸CN?HOOK2 IS CONTINUING HIS CLIMB ON KOREAN CHALLENGER!¡¹¡¸WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR????????? HE¡¯S STARTING HIS FIRST GAME ALREADY!¡¹

 Chapter 415: Hope Youâ€™re Watching, One

    Thest two seasons of League of Legends had some interesting lore between China and Korea. No yer from China had managed to climb into the ranks of the Top 10 on the Korean Challenger Ladder. It had turned into a pride-motivated gauntlet for Chinese yers. A few yers hade close, but no one had ever shattered that ceiling. At least, no one that the League fans and enthusiasts in China had heard about.

    Then came CN?HOOK2. When he first started to climb, it generated some mild interest. But nothing significant. Over the years, others had started out strong and fizzled out as they got closer and closer to that imprable ceiling. But then something new happened. CN?HOOK2 didn¡¯t slow down at all. If anything, he elerated as he moved through the Korean Challenger Ladder. Faster and faster, until he was pressed up against that ceiling at Rank 11. A single step away from making it into the Top 10. That got everyone¡¯s attention. There was suddenly a Chinese yer who had a realistic shot at breaking into the Top 10 of the Korean Challenger Ladder. The first one in two seasons! This charged up every League fan in China and filled them with sweet anticipation!

    CN?HOOK2 smashing through the ceiling was the cherry on top of this already exciting day. AyDeeCee¡¯s Lenc earlier in the day was enough to get most of the fans hyped. Regardless where they felt he belonged on the tier list, he was another strong Miner. That was enough to make everyone happy and excited. Another strong Miner meant that the LPL as a whole would be stronger.

    A stronger LPL could do much better and prove that China was a region to be feared on the world stage when they shed against North America, Europe and Korea! And that¡¯s what made CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb even more exciting and worthy of attention. The match between HoG and Team Rapids was only a sh between two domestic teams.

    CN?HOOK2, on the other hand, was single-handedly challenging the dominance of the Koreans! He was taking on some of the strongest yers in the world and winning! And now he would be facing the current crop of the best yers in the world in an attempt to nt China¡¯s g atop that mountain!

    This wasn¡¯t just a single guy climbing to the top of an ELOdder for the Chinese fans. This was a battle of David against an army of Goliaths!

    ?

    But there was more to the story of CN?HOOK2. Obviously, there was some regional pride tied into it. And everyone wanted to see an underdog win. But there was an aura of mystery surrounding the yer behind the moniker of CN?HOOK2. No one knew who he was beyond the Rift. No one knew where he hade from, what his goal was, or anything else about him beyond what was avable on the CN?HOOK2 profile page. He had simply appeared and started climbing. In the beginning, his climb was a passing rumor. Then it gained steam and interest. But more people watching and talking about CN?HOOK2 provided no new answers. Just more spection.

    It was a hotly debated topic on the Chinese League of Legends forums. Fans poured over highlight videos and tried to determine who he was byparing his decision-making and ystyle to other well-known yers. Others attempted to dissect CN?HOOK2¡¯s in-game messages to find clues to his identity. There were countless theories, blind guesses, and confidently incorrect statements made. Entire video channels had popped up to discuss the theories, conspiracies, and recap all the posts that were made on the various channels. It was also a constantly featured segment for streamers on HuyaTV. But no one hade close to unmasking CN?HOOK2¡¯s identity.

    One of the streamers determined to discover the truth of CN?HOOK2 was Lightless Heart. He felt that he was on the edge of discovering the truth and blowing the whole mystery wide open.

    At 7:03 PM, Lightless Heart went live on his stream. But he wasn¡¯t nning on ying any League at all today, Ranked or otherwise. He immediately logged into his Korean ount on League of Legends and scrolled over to CN?HOOK2 on his friend list.

    ¡°Tonight¡¯s a special night, guys. We¡¯re not ying. We¡¯re just going to spectate CN?HOOK2¡¯s games and watch him do the impossible! CAN HE DO IT? I DON¡¯T KNOW BUT I¡¯m GOING TO FIND OUT WITH YOU GUYS! Who¡¯s excited?¡± Lightless Heart dered to 200,000+ viewers.

    His stream chat erupted with excitement as messages of support flooded in, along with even more viewers. A truly pleasing twist of fate had made it so that Lightless Heart was the only streamer that had CN?HOOK2 added as a friend! When the news got out, many people on the forums abandoned the walls of text that they were crafting and flocked over to Lightless Heart¡¯s stream!

    It was obviously way more exciting to watch CN?HOOK2 y rather than waiting and refreshing a static page of game stats.

    For Lightless Heart, this day was special. He didn¡¯t care about the viewers or the numbers. None of his excitement or enthusiasm was yed up for the audience either. On this night, for this stream, Lightless Heart wasn¡¯t a League streamer. He was a fan, watching a pivotal moment in history unfold. Especially after he¡¯d gotten a clue that led him to what he believed was CN?HOOK2¡¯s identity. Lightless had zero doubts in his heart or mind that this truly legendary figure could break into the Top 10 on the Korean Challenger Ladder.

    I wonder how high he¡¯s going to climb? If it really is him¡­ Top 10¡¯s a low estimate. He¡¯s going to get there and keep going. All the way to the t¡ª! Lightless stopped himself from finishing the thought. He didn¡¯t want to even say the words in his head, for fear of jinxing it. He didn¡¯t want to guess and be disappointed. He wanted to watch and savor the anticipation of what was going to happen.

    ?

    Around the same time, Hermes and Nightsong were sitting in front of aputer in the HoG Gaming house. Even though they had lost their match today, neither of the two pros looked demotivated or dejected. It was honestly too trivial for them to bother with. They were top yers who yed on the world stage a couple of months ago. The loss against Team Rapids wasn¡¯t enough to shake up their mental.

    But they did look restless and excited as they watched Lightless¡¯ steam. Even Hermes and Nightsong wanted to watch CN?HOOK2 y and climb. There was something about him that called out to both Hermes and Nightsong. And both of them thought they knew the yer behind CN?HOOK2. The two of them had started ying professionally in Seasons 2 and 3, after carving their own paths through the esports scene. Both of them knew the stories and lore behind China¡¯s most legendary yer. And as they watched CN?HOOK2 y, they saw the storiesing to life.

    The answer was so shocking that the two didn¡¯t dare to confirm it.

    Nightsong sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Fuck me with the Emperor¡¯s Dragon dick! It can¡¯t be, right? You really think it¡¯s¡­ him?

    Hermes nodded once. Then in a solemn, almost reverent voice, he said. ¡°He¡¯s using the tag CN?HOOK2. I¡¯m at 90% that it¡¯s him.¡± Even China¡¯s current number one Miner watched with an awe reserved for divinity, his eyes shining brightly. I can¡¯t believe he ys League too! What a god! He¡¯s actually good enough to reach the top of the Korean Challengerdder! And... he¡¯s a Miner! Like me! I need to see how good he is¡­ I need to see how good I can be! I¡¯m going to remember this night forever!

    ?

    Aurous, on the other hand, was lucky enough to have a friend who knew the identity of the yer behind the CN?HOOK2 ount. Unlike Lightless, Hermes, and Nightsong.

    That same evening, Aurous dropped by the Team Rapids Gaming House to visit Shi Hang, and started looking for him. The other members on Team Rapids were busy ying ranked games or their own streams. The entire gaming house was filled with the din of random screaming,munication, and hyped up exmations.

    After walking into the house and popping into random rooms to say hello to the other members of Team Rapids, Aurous found Shi Hang sitting in front of aputer in the corner of a room and walked over to him.

    ¡°Aurous! When¡¯d you get here?¡± Shi Hang said as he noticed Aurous walking in. He pulled a chair over for Aurous and motioned for him to sit down. ¡°Come on,e on, sit!¡±

    Aurous sat down in a huff and asked, ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m here! But this is a little¡­ confusing. You had me biting my nails in suspense the entire way over here, now you¡¯re excited to see me¡­ but you¡¯re telling me to sit down in a chair. You sure we wouldn¡¯t be more¡­fortable on a couch? Or a bed? I could help you celebrate youreback with a eback¡± of my own, you know? If that¡¯s not the surprise you called me over for, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±

    Shi Hang facepalmed and red at Aurous. Then he asked, ¡°Have you not been paying attention to the forums?¡±

    ¡°What? The forums? You asked me here to talk about what¡¯s going on in the forums¡­? Sweet Shi Hang, you really don¡¯t know how to pick ripe fruit, do you? But yes, I do have a smidge of an idea what you¡¯re talking about. Are we going to talk about CN?HOOK2 climbing the Korean Challenger Ladder?¡± Aurous replied. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper and got much more serious, ¡°I talked to Nightsong about it earlier today. He and Herm think the person ying the ount is One. They¡¯re probably watching him y on Lightless¡¯ stream right now. ¡±

    Aurous paused for a moment, then looked at Shi Hang. ¡°Is that the surprise you wanted to tell me? No¡­ that can¡¯t be right. You were talking to me about CN?HOOK2 before the forums popped off about him! Wait! Do you know something else!?¡±

    Shi Hang shrugged and smiled. ¡°I do. Nightsong and Hermes are right. That ount belongs to On¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! WHAT!? REALLY!?¡± Aurous gasped.

    ¡°Let me finish before you blow your load. Like I said, the ount belongs to One. At least it used to,¡± Shi Hang continued. ¡°But right now, someone else is using it. You know who he is, since you just watched him y. The person climbing the Korean Challenger Ladder on that ount right now is Maple.¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. A few more hours is all I¡¯ve got! I need to win! I can only win dammit! Time to break the limiter! He grinned and opened the League client. CN?HOOK2 was currently at 11th in the ranking. He needed to climb 6 more ranks before the end of the day. ¡°ALRIGHT!¡± he shouted. ¡°LET¡¯S PLAY!¡±

    A burning desire sparked a fire and a desire to y that Lin Feng hadn¡¯t felt in years. Everything fit. His opponents tried to ban his Champions, they camped hisnes and did everything they could to stop him from climbing any higher. It even felt like his teammates didn¡¯t want to win; that wasn¡¯t to say they wanted to lose, they just didn¡¯t y like they wanted to win.

    Lin Feng yed Fizz in the first game. It was one of his favourite Champions and one he felt incrediblyfortable on. He knew exactly how much damage he could deal, how much he could take, and how to make his cooldowns work just right for him. He showed this in the third minute of the game when he picked up first blood with a solo kill on his opponent in the midne. An early kill for an assassin like Fizz was all he needed to win the game. He pushed his advantage and only got further ahead. After iming kills on hisne opponent and their Jungler, he started roaming. The Toner died twice to him in thening phase and he picked up five kills in the bottomne. That was also when the game ended, because the opponent surrendered.

    The second game was much like the first. The only real difference was that Lin Feng chose to go with Zed in this game instead of Fizz. But while Zed and Fizz were very different Champions with very different skills, they were both assassins with high mobility. More importantly, they both relied heavily on the mechanics of the summoner. Lin Feng used his mechanics to set himself apart from the nine other yers on the Rift. He first beat his opponent in the midne and then started roaming across the map again. No one was safe from him. Each kill gave him more gold which sponsored his high cost items, items his opponents couldn¡¯t afford.

    Lin Feng took a slightly different approach in the third game. He felt like ying Viktor, so he did. Viktor wasn¡¯t quite as strong in the early game, though with Lin Feng ying it was hard to tell. He got the early kill just like he had in the previous two games. The big difference was that Viktor didn¡¯t really start shining until the mid game. So Lin Feng allowed the game to get to that stage for the first time. Both teams gathered in the midne 25 minutes into the game and fired skillshots at each other. Lin Feng observed this and waited patiently for his opponents to move too close to each other. When they did, he shed towards them and hit them with the area of effect stun. He threw his area of effect ultimate on top of that and fired his single target skills at the high health targets. The voice announcer didn¡¯t even have the time to call the triple and quadra kills before she got to scream, ¡°PENTA KILL!¡±

    Three games and three wins. Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and grinned. He clenched his fist and mumbled, ¡°Nice going! I finally did it! Top 10! 9th even! Just a few more ces to go! I got this! I just have to win everything! WIN! WIN! WIN! I GOT THIS! HECK YEAH!¡± He squared his shoulders and put his hand on the mouse again. He then moved it until it hovered over the y again button and pressed it. ¡°I hope you¡¯re watching me, One.¡±

 Chapter 416: Mapleâ€™s Riseâ€”(1)

    From the second Champions were summoned onto the Rift to when the Nexus shattered, each of Lin Feng¡¯s ranking games on the Korean server took about 30 minutes. As far as games went on the Korean Challenger solo queue, this wasn¡¯t fast or slow. But for all of the Chinese League fans and yers who were paying attention to CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb, these games stretched out to eternity and felt like they were taking ages to end.

    An insanelyrge number of fans and yers who decided to stay on the forums instead of watching the streams joined the F5 Gang, constantly refreshing the Korean Challenger Ladder page every minute to see if CN?HOOK2 had won the game he was currently ying.

    For every single one of the Chinese League fans, each refresh was apanied by a wave of anxiety that bordered on panic. They knew the single undeniable truth of League of Legends. Even if CN?HOOK2 was a God-tier yer, it was impossible to end every game in 15-25 minutes. Not even the Four Emperors could manage something like that.

    This was the solo queue at the Challenger ELO on the Korean server. There was no one in the world who could carry and win in every single game at this level of y. This was the undeniable truth of ranked games, especially at the Challenger rank. And this was also why so many of the Chinese yers rooting for CN?HOOK2 were nervous and anxious. The waters of the Korean Challenger solo queue ran deep and dark, and there was no telling who would emerge to end CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb.

    An announcement hade from Riot Korea stating that the rankeddder would be reset at midnight Korean time. All previous rankings from Season 5 would be reset for the start of Season 6. Korea ran an hour ahead of China. Which meant that CN?HOOK2 had 5 hours left to keep climbing.

    And there was a single question that permeated through the entire Chinese League of Legends zeitgeist. How high can CN?HOOK2 climb in the time left? Everyone watching CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb asked themselves and each other that question. But there was no way to know for sure what would happen as the seconds ticked down to the rank reset. The only thing that could be done was to wait until CN?HOOK2 yed hisst game.

    ?

    <strong>One win.</strong>

    <strong>Two wins.</strong>

    <strong>Three wins. </strong>

    Every game that CN?HOOK2 won sent waves of excitement and celebration throughout China! And now that he¡¯d managed to win three games in a row, the tension was palpable in the air for every fan of League of Legends.

    The forums were getting stomped on just as hard as the Korean Challenger yers that Lin Feng had just defeated. The thread tracking the Korean Challengerdder and CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb was receiving hundreds of newments every second.

    ¡°He won!¡±

    ¡°First game win!¡± ¡°GUYS [email protected] JUS WON!¡± ¡°We already know. He¡¯s ying his second game now trash.¡±¡°GG GET BETTER INTERNETS!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t even refresh fast enough wants to talk about challenger smh.¡± ¡°Another win!¡±¡°Second game stomped! CN?HOOK2 can¡¯t be stopped!¡± ¡°CN?HOOK2 won his first game on krn server!¡± ¡°WE KNOW MORON HE¡¯S WON HIS SECOND GAME TOO!¡± ¡°CN?HOOK2 won three games in a row! He¡¯s rank 9 now!¡± ¡°CN?HOOK2 RANK 9!!!!!!¡± ¡°TOP 10 FOR CHINA!¡±¡°Everyone that¡¯s watching this, I hope you¡¯re healthy and your lives are filled with joy and happiness!¡±¡°STFU¡± ¡°FKIN SPAMMER¡± ¡°BAN¡±¡°I just made RMB 4000st week working for Baidu from thefort of my own home! Follow to find out how you can too!¡± ¡°SPAM¡± ¡°SPM¡± ¡°BAN¡± ¡°BAN¡±

    ?

    Beyond the forums, there was another hub for people invested in CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb, and that was Lightless Hearts¡¯ stream. He had managed to reach 790,000 viewers, a stone¡¯s throw away from 800,000, and people were still trickling in as they found out about what was going on in the League sphere and that Lightless Heart¡¯s stream was the only ce where they could spectate CN?HOOK2¡¯s games.

    Lightless Heart was a phenomenal Miner and a great streamer. There was no doubt about that. But even for him, this kind of viewership was absurd and a once-in-a-lifetime event. Lightless Heart was closing in on a million concurrent viewers, something almost unheard of in the streaming space. But considering the circumstances, it made sense. Lightless Heart was the only person in all of China who could spectate and stream CN?HOOK2¡¯s games. Most of the viewers had only shown up when they found out that they could watch CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb on the stream, and there was arge chunk who were watching a livestream for the very first time in their lives.

    That¡¯s how exciting this moment was for everyone in China who loved League and gaming. It was a pivotal moment in Chinese League history, and they wanted to be a part of it in some small way. That¡¯s how important CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb on the Korean server had be to China.

    ¡¸omggggggg 666666666666¡¹¡¸this orianna is so godly!¡¹¡¸first stream gang!¡¹¡¸who is CN?HOOK2???¡¹¡¸hook2 is freaking amazing!¡¹¡¸No idea who he is but I wana marry him!¡¹¡¸Get in line hoe! I¡¯ll be his first concubine!¡¹¡¸goddam, i cant believe he won that, even after how bad the early game!¡¹¡¸i have his kids and make my own league team!!!!!!!!!¡¹¡¸u want my kids instead?!?!? send pics!¡¹¡¸i¡¯m getting goosebumps all over! All his games are so exciting!¡¹¡¸66666666666666¡¹¡¸CHINA NUMBA 1!¡¹

    The stream¡¯s chat was impossible to read. Messages flooded in faster than the servers could handle them, and the chatgged. But that didn¡¯t stop all the viewers from constantly throwing something up at the wall of text, even if reading them was impossible. Everyone wanted to leave a mark on this moment, carve their names to say that they were there.

    Lightless was equally as excited as his chat. His eyes sparkled as he watched CN?HOOK2. He¡¯s ying even better than before! Three wins in a row already!

    ?

    ¡°Old Maple¡¯s in good form today,¡± Shi Hang said as he clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Good form?! That kid is on fire!¡± Aurous eximed. Then he looked at the stream, looked back at Shi Hang, and then back to the stream. He nodded silently with aplicated expression on his face as he tried to put something together in his mind. Finally, he looked at Shi Hang and asked, ¡°Alright. Be straight with me here. Exactly how good is Maple right now? He beat you in the East China Regional Quarterfinals, right? 3-2? And that was before this¡­ He¡¯s had even more time to grow and get back to where he was in Season 1. Does that mean he¡¯s even better than you right now? Fuck! Hermes is going to have to step aside the day that kid returns to pro y!¡±

    Shi Hang shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. My win against Hermes today doesn¡¯t mean a damn thing. It was one game, I was in good form today and Hermes was a little careless. Beyond that, there were a lot of different variables that worked out in my favor. The way I figure, I think I¡¯ve got maybe a 40% chance of beating Hermes if we go up against HoG again.¡± Shi Hang paused for a moment and looked straight into Aurous¡¯ eyes before continuing. ¡°If Maple were still at his prime, Hermes would be nothing. Maple would absolutely blow Hermes away. But right now? He¡¯s not there yet. He¡¯s still not good enough yet.¡±

    Aurous blinked slowly as the weight of that statement sunk in.

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyes flickered with an obscure light. ¡°Lin Feng is still shaking off the rust. He¡¯s slowly getting back into form and bing Maple. I don¡¯t know how far along he is in that or how much of his old skill he¡¯s gotten back¡­ but I do know that he¡¯s still far away from being back at the very top.¡±

    ?

    Back in Team Shanghai¡¯s hotel room in Beijing, Lin Feng waspletely unaware of all the excitement his climb was generating or all the attention he was getting. None of that mattered to him. There was only one thought in his mind. CLIMB!

    He was nning on starting his fourth game. He hit the button to start the queue, and then grabbed a cup of water on the table and drank all of it. Then he took a deep breath and focused back on the screen, waiting for the queue to pop.

    And while he waited, he reflected on his own condition. I feel great right now. Better than I have in a long time. All those hours of practicing, the scrims, and the tournament games, that was exactly what I needed! I¡¯m starting to feel more like myself than I have in a long time. I¡¯m even better than I was when I yed Shi Hang right now. But¡­ it¡¯s not enough. I¡¯m not where I need to be yet. My mechanics are better and I¡¯m faster. But not fast enough. Not yet. I need more to get to the next level!

    All of the games that Lin Feng had yed and the hours he¡¯d put in had induced a quantitative change in his level of y, but not a qualitative one yet. He still had a long road to travel before he evolved into the yer he used to be.

    Then a match was found and Lin Feng epted. The game started and ended 36 minutester. After three wins in a row, Lin Feng had finally lost one. His first loss of the evening.

    ?

    Over a million Chinese League fans and yers moaned in despair when CN?HOOK2 was defeated in his fourth game. That single loss was enough to knock CN?HOOK2 back down to 10th ce on the rankeddder.

    On Lightless¡¯ stream, the setback sent chat into spasms of agony and anger.

    ¡¸Ripperoni¡¹¡¸hook2 yed so well that game too!¡¹¡¸he even solokilled ziggs early with viktor! Garbo teammates!¡¹¡¸yeah, they¡¯re shit! If he had better teammates,this game would¡¯ve been a win!¡¹

    ?

    Lin Feng was still calm andposed after losing his first game of the night. He was unfazed by the defeat. You win some, you lose some. That¡¯s how this works. Losing ispletely normal. The game is built to make sure you can¡¯t win every game unless you¡¯re so good that you can solo-carry. And¡­ where I¡¯m at right now, I can¡¯t carry a game at the top of Challenger alone. This is fine, I¡¯m not done yet!

    Lin Feng closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his eyebrows for a couple of seconds. Then he opened his eyes again, and they burned even more intensity with fighting spirit!

    Nothing is going to stop me from keeping the promise I made to One!

 Chapter 417: Mapleâ€™s Riseâ€”Part II

    Over on Lightless Heart¡¯s stream, they were watching CN?HOOK2¡¯s 5th game, where he was ying Zed in the Mine. CN?HOOK2¡¯s opponent was a Korean yer named Clue, who was ying Lenc. The viewers on Lightless¡¯ stream immediately recognized the name and chat went into an uproar over it.

    ¡¸It¡¯s Clue!¡¹¡¸I can¡¯t believe it! Is Hook2 gonna be able to win this!?¡¹¡¸Korea bringing out the bgi guns to stop hook2!!!!!!!!!¡¹¡¸they doin our boi hook dirrtyyy!¡¹¡¸crap, such bad timing too!¡¹¡¸is there really a good time to get cockblocked????¡¹¡¸Hook gonna cuck Clue¡¹¡¸Yesyesyesyesyesy! Hook gonna give Clue a clue!¡¹

    Lightless was just as stunned as his viewers that Clue was ying against CN?HOOK2. ¡°Yeah¡­ this is definitely going to be a tough game, guys! Or maybe not! Let¡¯s see what CN?HOOK2 can pull out against Clue!¡±

    Clue was currently ranked 15th on the Korea Challenger Ladder, which already made him a great yer. But he was far more well-known for being the Miner on a professional NLB team. Not only was he a professional yer, he was one of the top-rated Miners in the NLB and considered to be good enough to hold his own against some of the OGN Miners.

    Lightless Heart shook his head and pped his cheeks to get himself back into a streamer mindset. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right guys. Clue is ranked 15th on the Korean Challenger Ladder. But he¡¯s also a professional yer on an NLB team. For those of you that have no idea how the Korean League scene works out, they¡¯ve got two divisions. NLB stands for NiceGame League of Legends Battle, which is a tournament hosted by NicegameTV Company. It¡¯s considered the 2nd division or minor league for the professional scene.

    ¡°OGN, on the other hand, is the OnGameNet Champions League. This is another tournament hosted by OnGameNet, and it¡¯s considered to be the 1st division or premier League for teams to y in. This is also the tournament where teamspete to win tickets for the League of Legends World Championships!¡± ¡°There¡¯s two ways for teams to get into the OGN. The first is to qualify for the league during the two qualifier rounds. The second is to win in the NLB and automatically receive a ticket for the next OGN. It also gets a lot moreplicated with sub-tournaments hosted within the NLB, but that¡¯s not really important for now. What you guys need to know is that Clue is a professional yer, and one that¡¯s good enough to fight for one of Korea¡¯s spots in the World Championships! This is going to be a true test of CN?HOOK2¡¯s abilities!¡±

    ?

    Back in Team Rapids¡¯ gaming house, Aurous frowned. ¡°Shit! Your boy Lin Feng pulled a bad straw this time. He¡¯s up against Clue. This isn¡¯t going to be an easy game for him to win.¡±

    ¡°Clue? Never heard of that dude. How do you know who he is?¡± Shi Hang asked while looking straight at Aurous.

    Aurous nodded, his expression grave and tone serious. ¡°I definitely know him. Light Dynasty yed a few scrims against some of the NLB teams. Clue was one of the Miners we faced.¡±

    ¡°And? How¡¯d it go? Or are you going to keep ying up the suspense for the imaginary audience in your head?¡± Shi Hang asked.

    Aurous wryly smiled. ¡°Alright, alright. Clue was pretty good. Our miner was getting pushed back more. During thening phase at least.¡±

    Shi Hang cocked an eyebrow. ¡°He¡¯s that good? On an NLB team? Light Dynasty¡¯s Miner is somewhere at the bottom as far as LPL Mine yers go¡­ but even then. He¡¯s still an LPL yer. Beating him inne isn¡¯t a small aplishment. Neither is an NLB team pushing an LPL team around. What is happening over in Korea, Aurous?¡±

    Aurous sighed. ¡°The Koreanpetitive scene is intense. They¡¯ve gotten stronger than ever. Honestly, it¡¯s a little scary. The NLB is supposed to be their secondary league for amateurs and yers looking to gain enough experience to break into the primary division, but their standards are insanely high. Underestimating a team from the NLB these days is a mistake. Some of the NLB teams regrly beat OGN teams...¡± His voice contained hints of helplessness and mncholy as he trailed off.

    Shi Hang narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention back on the stream. He slowly opened his mouth and said, ¡°He¡¯s strong. But I doubt this Clue will be able to get any sort of advantage in this game.¡±

    ?

    Back in Team Shanghai¡¯s hotel in Beijing, Lin Feng¡¯s expression was still calm and his eyes were still shining brightly as he heard the announcer¡¯s voice ring through his headphones.

    ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·

    That small audio clip and the words it contained flipped a switch. Lin Feng¡¯s eyes zed with intensity and fighting spirit! Tonight, nothing would get in the way of his climb.

    ?

    The game started. Lin Feng¡¯s Zed was on the Blue Team, up against Clue¡¯s Lenc on the Red Team. Thening phase started with a few pokes back and forth between Lenc and Zed as Lin Feng and Clue felt each other out. And then the pokes grew into progressively more intense fights as both Champions pushed for an early advantage.

    4 minutes after the start of the game, the Red Team¡¯s Jungler, Lee Sin decided it was time to roam into the Mine to gank Zed and secure an early roll for his teammate Lenc. By the time he arrived, Zed and Lenc were already deep into a heated tussle to im first blood.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Zed brought forth a Living Shadow, a clone formed entirely of shadows. The Living Shadow was in front of Lenc, and Zed was behind her. A perfect pincer! Then Zed used Razor Shuriken! Both Zed and the Living Shadow sent a shuriken out that sliced through Lenc and tore through her health.

    Then Lin Feng tapped the W key to recast Living Shadow, which allowed his Zed to switch ces instantly with the Living Shadow! His Zed was now directly in front of the Lenc. Zed stabbed into Lenc with a quick auto attack, then shed out in a wide circle with his metal ws¡ªShadow Slice!

    Just as the attack animation for Shadow Slice ended, Lin Feng used Ignite on the Lenc. The fires from the Summoner Spell ticked away thest few drops of Lenc¡¯s health!

    ¡¶First Blood!¡·

    ?

    The viewers on Lightless¡¯ stream held their breath as they watched the fight between Zed and Lenc unfold, and then they all cheered as CN?HOOK2 managed to secure first blood by killing Lenc. But their joy was very short-lived.

    In all the excitement, no one noticed Red Team¡¯s Lee Sin creeping up into mine and then pouncing on the dangerously low-health Zed just as Lenc died. CN?HOOK2 had no chance of survival, and his Zed was killed in short order by Lee Sin.

    ¡°Alright guys, that was a 1 for 1 exchange between the two teams. Zed died to Lee Sin, but CN?HOOK2 still came out ahead despite the 1 for 1.¡± Lightless exined to his stream. ¡°Zed got the kill and First Blood. Lenc only managed to get an assist because Lee Sin did the cleanup there. This means that Zed got more gold. It¡¯s a small advantage, but CN?HOOK2 is still in danger. Both Zed and Lenc burned their sh in thatst exchange, which is a neutral change. But Zed is now more vulnerable to another gank, and the Lee Sin also got gold for that kill. Lee Sin is probably going to roam into mid again!¡±

    ?

    Lightless was either a prophet or an extremely skilled analyst. 6 minutes had psed since the start of the game. Both Zed and Lenc had respawned at the fountain and gotten back to theirnes to dance the dance of death once again. Which is when Lee Sin decided it was time to scurry over to the mine for another gank, just as Lightless predicted.

    Now, this was probably not the smartest decision that Lee Sin had made. He¡¯d just finished clearing out a few monster camps, and his health had taken a bit of a beating. But for some unknowable reason, Lee Sin had enough confidence in his ability to sessfully gank Zed that he still roamed over to the mine. He flew out of the top side river brush where he¡¯d been hiding and dashed in with Safeguard.

    Lee Sin¡¯s dash ced him right in front of Zed. And then he sent a Sonic Wave flying out!

    ?

    Back in Beijing, Lin Feng watched Lee Sin fly out of the brush with middling health and smiled a small smile. Then he watched the Lee Sin dash over and throw out a Sonic Wave, and his smile widened. Just before the projectile of waves connected with his Zed, Lin Feng pushed down on the R key to activate Zed¡¯s Ultimate¡ªDeath Mark!

    Zed¡¯s Ultimate, Death Mark, was an interesting ability. It rendered Zed untargetable for a brief instant and then caused Zed to dash over to the closest enemy champion. Right before the dash, four Living Shadows would converge on the enemy champion in question and ce a Death Mark on them. Three secondster, the mark would trigger and repeat a portion of the damage Zed had dealt to that enemy champion.

    And since Zed was now untargetable, Lee Sin¡¯s Sonic Wave missed entirely. And four blood-red Living Shadows converged onto Lee Sin to ce a Death Mark on him from all four cardinal directions!

    A bright red mark appeared over Lee Sin¡¯s head just as Zed dashed up to his face. But Lin Feng¡¯s situational awareness tingled. Instead of attacking Lee Sin, he pressed down on his R key again. His Zed dashed back to his original position, just barely avoiding the Ethereal Chains snaking towards him from Clue''s Lenc!

    Now that the danger from Lenc was narrowly avoided, Zed threw a Living Shadow out that dashed over to Lee Sin. Then both the Living Shadow and Zed threw out Razor Shurikens that sliced the air as they whirled towards Lee sin! But before they could connect, Lenc jumped at Zed using Distortion.

    Lin Feng, now so focused that it appeared that the Lenc was moving in slow-motion,nguidly tapped the W key to recast Living Shadow. The Razor Shurikens sliced through Lee Sin, and his Zed switched ces with the Living Shadow. Zed had avoided the ssh damage and pin-down by Lenc while also positioning himself in front of Lee Sin!

    Zed stabbed Lee Sin with an auto attack, then shed out in a circle with Shadow sh. He continued thebo with a second auto attack, and then a third. All of this had taken ce in the three seconds since the Death Mark was ced on Lee Sin. Now that three seconds had expired, the Death Mark triggered and repeated a portion of all of the damage Zed had done to Lee Sin. Which, coincidentally enough, just happened to be enough damage to whisk away thest of Lee Sin¡¯s health.

    ¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·

 Chapter 418: CNHOOK2 take my energy _

    ¡°Did you all see that? CN?HOOK2 anticipated that the Lee Sin woulde back to mid for another kill and waited for it! Then he yed it perfectly to get a turn around kill!¡± Lightless screamed into his microphone. He pped his thigh and said, ¡°What a beautiful outy on Lee Sin!¡±

    The hundreds of thousands of people in Lightless¡¯ stream chat also erupted with excitement, flooding the chat with walls of text.

    ?

    In the gaming house of an NLB team in Korea, Clue¡¯s eyelids twitched as he watched Zed dance through the gank and a 2v1 to kill the Lee Sin on his team. Goddammit! I don¡¯t know who this CN?HOOK2 is or where he came from, but this guy is way more difficult to deal with than I thought he¡¯d be. I can¡¯t be reckless anymore or treat this as a casual game. I gotta give it all I¡¯ve got or I¡¯m going to turn into a doormat for him to walk all over!

    Can I still turn this around? I was careless at the start¡­ careless enough topletely lose the early game. Now that Zed has two kills¡­ can I stille back? Or have I lost the minepletely?

    ?

    15 minutes from the start of the game, Lin Feng¡¯s Zed had a KDA of 4/1/1.

    Lin Feng¡¯s forehead was unfurrowed, his breathing was slow and regr, and his expression waspletely calm. He yed with perfect precision and machine-like efficiency. His hands never stopped moving, and the sound of his mouse clicks and keyboard taps created an entrancing rhythm.

    By the 20 minute-mark, his Zed was 6/1/2. And at 27 minutes, Lin Feng and the Blue Team secured the victory.

    ?

    Everyone following CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb on the forums cheered and celebrated when they refreshed the Korean Challengerdder page to see the end result of the game. The people following on Lightless¡¯ stream were also ecstatic! More importantly, the number of concurrent viewers on Lightless¡¯ stream had climbed to more than 1 million viewers! His chat was impossible to keep up with as messages flooded in at a breakneck pace from so many people.

    At present, CN?HOOK2 had won four out of the five games that he yed and League fans all over China were losing their minds.

    ?

    However, this ranked climb was still far from over for Lin Feng. He continued onto his 6th game of the night, and this time he was ying Jayce. A mine Champion who was known as the Defender of Tomorrow. Jayce¡¯s weapon was the Mercury Hammer, forged from Hextech. And it could switch between the Mercury Hammer form and the Mercury Cannon form.

    By the time his 6th game hit the 10 minute mark, Lin Feng had already solo-killed the opposing Orianna twice.

    At 18 minutes, Lin Fengpletely decimated the opponent¡¯s ranks in a teamfight around the Dragon Pit. And when the game timer hit 32 minutes, Lin Feng had won another game! He was on another win streak with two consecutive victories!

    In the hotel room, Lin Feng took another sip of his water and closed his eyes for 10 seconds. That brief respite was all he needed. After taking a deep breath, he dove right back into the battlegrounds of Summoner¡¯s Rift for a 7th game.

    A 7th game where he was, once again, victorious! Lin Feng had reestablished his win streak with a hat trick!

    ?

    At this moment, let alone the casual League yers watching CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb, even the pro yers watching Lightless¡¯ stream werepletely blown away by his incredible gamey and perseverance!

    ¡°PFOO!¡± Lightless eximed. He shook his head, incredulous, andughed loudly. ¡°See?¡± he asked towards the camera aimed at his face. ¡°See? I knew it was going to be hard and it looked like CN?HOOK2 was gonna get sniped Korean style. But he¡¯s way too good to let that happen!¡± He paused to read his stream¡¯s chat before continuing, ¡°That¡¯s back to Rank 8 for our Chinese Secret Agent! He¡¯s even closing in on 7th!¡±

    ¡¸did you ever get this close???¡¹¡¸you tried to climb to top 10 too right?!?¡¹¡¸tell us how hard it is!!!!¡¹¡¸do you think its hermes??¡¹¡¸Do you know who it is?¡¹¡¸What odds do you give him?¡¹

    Lightless looked at his chat and smiled. What odds would I give One? A solid 1. If anyone¡¯s going to do it, it¡¯s him. But that doesn¡¯t make it any easier¡­ He grimaced and closed his eyes, thinking back to a time where he tried to achieve the same goal. I failed. I was never good enough. But then again, I¡¯m not one. He opened his eyes and said to his viewers, ¡°We can¡¯t celebrate too early. This is the time that the Korean professional yers log on to y a game. If he gets matched up against someone like Rake¡­ Well, rip I guess. But it might not even take professional yers. Like some of you said, I tried to do the same a year ago. I got together with a friend of mine and we duo queued, which by the way is far easier than climbing solo. But when we got deep into the top 100, everyone started going against us. Literally everyone. The pressurebined with everyone being against you? That was too much for me. I went on a big ass losing streak. I just hope CN?HOOK2 won¡¯t fall for the same trap.¡±

    ?

    CN?HOOK2 won his 8th game and reached Rank 7. He was doing what everyone else dared only dream. They spammed different forumboards and the various streams that were talking about Lin Feng¡¯s games. But there was only one stream that was showing the live gamey. That was Lightless¡¯ stream. Everyone in China with ess to the inte tuned in and many of them flooded his chat with their excitement.

    ¡¸666666666666!¡¹¡¸Omg, he actually won again!¡¹¡¸Fucking hell! Nobody can stop hook2! Hahaha! ¡¹¡¸Is he gonna climb all the way to rank!? It¡¯s gonna happene!¡¹¡¸God! It¡¯s a new god of league¡¹¡¸Hook2 is my idol!¡¹

    Lightless read through his chat, but he couldn¡¯t share the same excitement with his viewers. All they¡¯re seeing is another win. Three wins, a loss and then a four game win streak. That sounds impossible at this level. But it¡¯s also 9 full games. That takes a lot out of you. Thisst game especially. It was like his teammates were ying against him too. The amount of mental resilience that asked of him¡­ He can¡¯t keep this up. It just isn¡¯t possible. Maybe he should take a short break¡­ Just then it¡¯s going to be so much harder to hit the Top 5¡­ If that¡¯s even his goal. Probably is. Right. Streaming. He smiled at his camera and cheered, ¡°Yeay for CN?HOOK2!¡±

    ?

    ¡°Ah,e on!¡± Lin Feng yelled at hisptop screen, throwing his arms up in the air. ¡°What the fuck was that!?¡± He groaned as he was forced to ept the loss. It only took my teammates 18 minutes to screw up so hard that¡­ He breathed in, letting the air fill his lungs. No excuses. I could¡¯ve yed that better. I should¡¯ve carried harder. He breathed out and tried to let every hint of irritation escape from his body with it.

    Lin Feng gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Fuck!¡± He shook his head and then said to his screen, ¡°How did this Kha¡¯Zix give their Lee Sin 3 kills in 7 minutes? How does that even work!? And this ad-carry? What is wrong with them!? How do you only have half the CS of yourne opponent? This is Challenger, not Challenged League!¡±

    Lin Feng mmed his hand down on his desk in frustration. Frustration aimed at himself and not at his teammates. He knew solo queue was all about the individuals. And he knew there were going to be good games and bad games. And downright terrible games. There were always going to be games that he simply couldn¡¯t win or games where he had to try so hard that the question became if it was worth the effort it would take to win. But those were the simple truths of solo queue. ¡°I¡¯m better than this,¡± he mumbled to himself, clicking through the menus and finding he¡¯d dropped back to Rank 8. ¡°I¡¯m better than this, dammit! But I¡¯ve only got a bit more to go and I still need so many points to get to Rank 5!¡±

    ?

    The people following Lin Feng¡¯s ascent of the Korean Challenger were far more upset than Lin Feng was. New posts appeared on the different forumboards and Lightless¡¯ stream was lighting up with the most obscene curses, all of which were directed at Lin Feng¡¯s teammates. Lightless¡¯ moderators were working overtime, trying to distinguish the good from the bad messages.

    ¡¸fuck! Were hook2¡¯s teammates brain dead or something?¡¹¡¸I¡¯ve never seen someone feed so badly in Challenger!¡¹¡¸how did that kha¡¯zix and kog¡¯maw even get out of bronze! Can you even buy boosted ounts in Challenger!?!¡¹¡¸I HOPE THEY DIE¡¹¡¸dox them someone goo doxx tehm.¡¹¡¸they had to be doing it on purpose! There¡¯s no way! ¡¹

    Lightless raised his hands and said, ¡°Guys, guys, cool it. Please.¡± He then focused on his screen again, because CN?HOOK2 was in queue again. Dammit, One! This isn¡¯t like you! Everyone else is too busy with your teammates, but I¡¯m here to watch you. Do you really not see how tired you are? You¡¯re slipping up! This is a game you would¡¯ve won three hours ago! But¡­ I get it. The time crunch. You¡¯ve only got two hours to go. He grimaced and said to his viewers, ¡°Looks like he¡¯s going into his next game. Let¡¯s give him some positive vibes and energy!¡±

    ¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹¡¸¤Ä CN?HOOK2 take my energy ? ¤Ä ?_? ?¤Ä¡¹

    The gamested just short of 30 minutes. Lightless shook his head the entire time. He¡¯s not tilted, or not ying like he is anyway. But he isn¡¯t ying at the level we saw earlier tonight. He¡¯s making silly mistakes and his ys are slower. And of course he is! He¡¯s been ying these high intensity games all day! It¡¯d be strange if he wasn¡¯t exhausted! It¡¯s just¡­ Fuck! I want to see you win, man! Refind yourself, for all of us. Please!

    ¡¸two losses in a row?????¡¹¡¸DID HE LOSE IT!?!?!?!?! HE NOW ALSO SUCK!!!????¡¹e on! Where are the win streaks from ebfore! Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s tilted from that loss earlier?¡¹¡¸crap, if he¡¯s actually tilted, it¡¯ll be hard to keep climbing!¡¹¡¸nooooooo y u do tis to meeeee?!?!??!??!!??¡¹¡¸I STAY UP LATE FOR YOU! YOU WIN GAMES FOR ME! OR YOU PAY ME! YOU CHOOSE!¡¹¡¸:C I just wanna see him win¡­.¡¹¡¸Hes climbing thedder like I do the stairs¡­ I dont get up my stairs QQ¡¹

    ?

    Lin Feng rubbed his eyes and repressed a yawn. I should¡¯ve won thatst game. It¡¯s¡­ He sighed and shook his head. I¡¯m not even frustrated. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m tired. He blinked a couple of times, finding it progressively more difficult to open his eyes again. Maybe I should just take a nap¡­ What time is i¡ª ¡°No nap! No nap!¡± he eximed, his eyes growing round and wide. ¡°Shit! Where did the time go!? I¡¯ve only got a bit longer to go! It¡¯s almost over and I¡¯m losing! ShitShitShit! Drink and y!¡± He reached for his ss of water and took a sip from it, then scrunched his eyebrows and looked at the ss. Oh¡­ Empty.

    ¡°Here, drink this.¡±

    The voice sounded like that of an angel to Lin Feng. It caused tingles in his neck as his exhaustion disappeared. He looked up at An Xin who was offering him a ss of water and smiling at him. He smiled weakly back at her.

    An Xin shook her head and pushed the ss into Lin Feng¡¯s hands. She said, ¡°Working hard like usual, eh? Oh, wow wow! Don¡¯t drink that all in one go! You¡¯ll have to go to the toilet in the middle of your next game. We wouldn¡¯t want that, now would we?¡± She smiled brighter and winked at him. ¡°You got this, Lin Feng.¡±

 Chapter 419: Is There a Better Waifu than An Xin?

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin through bleary eyes and said, ¡°Thanks, BunBun.¡± When he heard what he said, he scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°BunBun? Huh?¡± He looked at An Xin again and then asked, ¡°BunBun! When did you get here? Why aren¡¯t you in bed? It¡¯ste! You should get some sleep!¡±

    An Xin giggled and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t see you sleeping either. Why should I sleep?¡±

    Lin Fengughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. He exined, ¡°We¡¯ve been ying in the Collegiate Cup for months, and then we had to fly to Guangzhou and Beijing. We practiced all the time and also had to study for our exams¡­ I kind of figured that after the hotpot earlier everyone was going to knock out early. Especially since, you know, we¡¯ve gotta get up early in the morning for our flight back home.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I have to go to bed but you get to stay up?¡± An Xin asked.

    Lin Feng shook his head and exined, ¡°I want to go to bed! But I also need to keep my promise to One and the rankeddder is about to reset soon! I have to y!¡±

    An Xin pointed at Lin Feng¡¯s screen that showed he¡¯d lost his previous game and said, ¡°You won¡¯t reach the Top 5 if you¡¯re losing¡­¡± She put her hands on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°How many games have you yed already?¡±

    Lin Feng opened his match history page and scrolled down a bit before replying, ¡°I think 10? Looks like 10, yeah.¡±

    An Xin shook her head and said, ¡°No wonder you look like a zombie. No one can y at their best for so many hours! And it¡¯s even longer if you count the Finals and this morning!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Lin Feng replied. ¡°I know. I know! But I just don¡¯t have enough time. Thedder is almost resetting! If I don¡¯t get to the Top 5 before then, my promise to One¡­ I¡­ I¡ª¡±

    ¡°You have to keep it,¡± An Xin finished the sentence. She looked at Lin Feng and smiled. ¡°I know you have to keep it. And I wasn¡¯t telling you to stop either.¡± Not that anyone could stop you at this point¡­ Everyone in the world could line up and tell you one at a time, or together in one loud scream, tell you to take a break and you wouldn¡¯t listen. That¡¯s your stubbornness, or persistence¡­ either one depending on your results, I guess. But that¡¯s also how you fight to the top, and get to the top. So¡­ She put her hands on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders and started giving him a massage. She whispered into his ears, ¡°Just rx for a bit. Drink the water and let me give you this massage. You can continue afterwards, okay?¡±

    Lin Feng chewed on his lips and mumbled, ¡°B-but¡­ There isn¡¯t the time¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shh, shh, shhhh!¡± An Xin whispered into his ears, tracing the back of her hand over his shoulder des. ¡°You¡¯ve been ying nonstop for too long already. Everyone needs a break every now and then. Just a couple of minutes. It¡¯ll do wonders. Trust me, Lin Feng. Trust me.¡±

    Lin Feng wanted to argue, but she was putting just the right amount of pressure on his back and shoulders. It rxed his body more than he¡¯d expected it to and he started to realize that he had been putting a lot of tension on his body. He nced over his shoulder at An Xin who was still smiling at him and smiled back at her again. ¡°Okay,¡± he finally mumbled.

    An Xin moved her hands up the sides of Lin Feng¡¯s head and paused at his temples, putting a bit more pressure as she moved her fingers in small circles. She then continued up, moving across his brows before sending her index fingers down to his be. She increased the pressure again there as her fingers made small circr movements.

    Lin Feng moaned and said, ¡°BunBun, I forgot how good your massages are. They bring me back to Season 1¡­¡±

    ¡°Just rx and enjoy,¡± An Xin said, happy. I gave you a massage every day back then. Back when you had to give it your all every game and I did my best to give you some relief¡­ That¡¯s part of the reason we grew so close. That¡¯s part of the reason I want to y together with you so badly. The memories that started ying before her eyes were vibrant and full of colour for a couple of seconds, but then they turned a dullish grey. She remembered the words her doctor told her. How she¡¯d never again get full use from her hand. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts! She pursed her lips and then said, ¡°I was reading some forum earlier and everyone was going crazy about you. There are thousands of posts and millions ofments talking about you! There are people streaming just to analyze your ranks! Everyone in China is talking about you!¡±

    Lin Feng opened his eyes wide and asked, ¡°Huh, really!?¡±

    ¡°Very really,¡± An Xin answered.

    ¡°Well, I am Maple!¡± Lin Feng said with a grin.

    An Xin nodded and replied, ¡°You are.¡± She then breathed in deeply and breathed out through her mouth. Her smile disappeared, though her hands kept moving in practiced motion. I¡¯d offer to help you, you know that. But One wants you to do this alone. You can¡¯t get any help. Those people talking about you online, they don¡¯t know that. They just think you¡¯re trying too hard. She gritted her teeth. I want to help you. I really do! You might not know, because I never told you, but I hit the Top 10 on the Korean Challenger Ladder early on in the season. But that was then¡­ Now I¡¯m down to the Top 30 and barely holding on. She let her head fall forward a bit, keeping it just shy from Lin Feng¡¯s head, and looked at her right hand. That was before the¡­ That was when I thought we could still go to Worlds together when you returned to the game. I knew you would and I was preparing for it! And then¡­ then¡­ She sucked in a breath of air to force back the tears appearing in her eyes. Then my stupid hand happened. Why? Why¡­?

    ¡°Hey, BunBun?¡± Lin Feng said.

    An Xin raised her head and blinked away a tear. She asked, ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up?¡±

    Lin Feng stretched his back and took another sip from his water. He then turned his head to look at her and said with his usual cheerful expression, ¡°I think I¡¯m good again! I feel a lot better! Thanks to you.¡±

    An Xin let go of Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders and replied, ¡°Okay. Keep your promise to One.¡±

    ¡°I will!¡± Lin Feng eximed, clenching his fist and pumping the air. He entered the queue and asked over his shoulder, ¡°BunBun, time?¡±

    An Xin looked over Lin Feng¡¯s shoulder at the clock on his screen and said, ¡°There, look. It says 11:10 P.M. which means it¡¯s almost midnight here.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not midnight in Korea yet!¡± Lin Feng replied, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ve still got 3 hours left! That means I¡¯ve got time for 6 more games if I¡¯m fast enough!¡± He clicked on his profile while waiting for the queue and continued, ¡°I¡¯m at Rank 8 right now. The goal is Top 5. Given how many points I need to get there¡­ Hmm¡­ If I win five in a row and also win the sixth if I need to¡­ Yeap! If I win everything, I will make it! It¡¯s still doable!¡±

    An Xin asked, ¡°You need to do what other professional yers have failed at, and you¡¯ve only got like 6 games to do it in. Are you up for it? Are you ready to y more and win everything? Do you think you can do it?¡±

    ¡°Not one bit!¡± Lin Feng replied,ughing. He looked over his shoulder at An Xin and continued, ¡°But I¡¯m gonna try all the same! One gave me this task and I¡¯m going to see it through to the end! Three more hours of League. No rest! AND IT¡¯S STARTING NOW!¡± The queue had popped. He clicked on the ready button and was moved to Champion Select.

    An Xin pulled up a seat and sat down next to Lin Feng. She winked at him and said, ¡°And I¡¯m going to stay and watch. Cheer you on and make sure you make it!¡± She forced a smile on her face. It hurt incredibly much to do so, but she wouldn¡¯t show him how weak she felt. It wasn¡¯t until he focusedpletely on his screen that she let her expression fall. She chewed on the inside of her lips and focused on taking deep, long breaths. I want to be there for you. No. I want to be here with you, ying. Shoulder to shoulder. As a team. Just you and me. But that won¡¯t ever happen. I¡¯ll be¡­ I¡¯ll be forever this. The girl who sits by your side and cheers you on. Maybe I should start the fanclub, because that¡¯s all I¡¯ll ever¡­ She closed her eyes and mumbled barely audibly, ¡°Stop this. Stop thinking like this! You¡¯re better than this!¡± She then nced up at Lin Feng to make sure he hadn¡¯t heard her. When she saw his eyes were still on his screen, she sighed. Good. He can¡¯t find out.

 Chapter 420: Make Momma Proud

    Lightless sat behind hisputer in Dark Glory¡¯s gaming room, streaming CN?HOOK2¡¯s ascent of the Korean Challenger Ladder to over a million viewers. But thest few minutes had been tense. After two losses, CN?HOOK2 didn¡¯t immediately jump into another game. There was a long pause during which Lightless didn¡¯t breathe. Or say much. In which his viewers barely dared to type! Everyone was waiting to see what would happen next. And then, it did. CN?HOOK2¡¯s name turned yellow again, and in small letters under his name it read ¡®in queue¡¯. Lightless smiled at the camera and said, ¡°He had me worried there for a second, not gonna lie. Thought he might give up¡­ But was I wrong! Look at that! He¡¯s in queue again! I¡¯m thinking he went to grab some water to clear his head, maybe throw some on his face, and he¡¯s going right back at it! Let¡¯s watch him win again!¡±

    ¡¸WOWZERS! AGAIN! DUDES MY NEW HEROOOOO¡¹¡¸11 games¡­. this is his 11th game¡­ wtf. he a robot?¡¹¡¸AT LEAST A CHINESE ROBOT! CHINESE RULEEZZZZZZZZ¡¹¡¸Here¡¯s to hoping his teammates ain¡¯t dogshit this game.¡¹¡¸no way! cant be that unlucky! NORMAL TEAMMATES PLEASEEEEEEE¡¹¡¸i really hope he wins!!!¡¹

    Lightlessughed and said to his viewers, ¡°You guys are the weirdest people ever. First you¡¯re all screaming about how he got tilted and gave up. I think I even saw someone iming they heard from sources¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°... that CN?HOOK2 threw hisputer out of the window! So ridiculous! He just needed a little break. We all do after a few bad losses. Take a step back, breathe deeply, and get right back to it! And that¡¯s what we¡¯re seeing here!¡±

    ¡¸lol knew that guy was full of shit! I told you guys he was a stupid troll saying he knows CN?HOOK2¡¹¡¸but like CN?HOOK2 never said anything! how were we to know?????¡¹¡¸He yed 10 games already! This is his 11th! You see LPL pros do that shit? Of course you dont! Only crazies do!¡¹¡¸TONIGHT IS A LONG AND BITTER BATTLE! MAY THE BEST CN?HOOK2 WIN!¡¹¡¸maybe he should take a longer break¡­ is five mins really enough?¡¹¡¸yeah¡­.. five mins is like nothing!!! TAKE A FEW MORE MINUTES BUD! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!¡¹

    ¡°Yep,¡± Lightless said, frowning. ¡°Five minutes is very short. Hardly enough for most people. But look at the clock. He¡¯s got less than three hours to go to get all the way up to wherever he¡¯s aiming for! If he starts now, he can y a few more games. That¡¯d be enough to reach the Top 5! Honestly...?¡± He briefly paused and looked straight at the camera. ¡°Honestly, I think that¡¯s his aim here.¡±

    ¡¸Top 5 his aim¡­¡­...¡¹¡¸How is that even possible??? Hesonly got a few more games left at the TOP OF KOREAN CHALLENGER!!!!!¡¹¡¸it¡¯s not gonna happen. It can¡¯t¡­. no one is that good¡­.¡¹¡¸TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! BAN THE DOWNERS! HOOKS GOT THIS!!!!!¡¹¡¸fuck me¡­ I really wanted¡­.. less than 3 hours just isn¡¯t enough. Maybe if he started sooner¡­. next season...¡¹¡¸SCREW THAT! HE CAN DO THIS! HE CAN FUCKING DO THIS! GOOOOOOOOO HOOK!!!¡¹

    Lightless read through the chat and smiled. He nced at his monitor which showed that CN?HOOK2 was currently in Champion Select. If there¡¯s anyone that can do this, it¡¯s One. He smiled and said to his viewers, ¡°It¡¯s going to be really tough. But I¡¯ve got a feeling here. This little twinkle in my chest. I think that he might have what it takes. I think¡­ that he just might¡­ PULL IT OFF!¡±

    ?

    Su Xue was back in Shanghai, inside her apartment, reading through the forums on one screen while watching Lightless¡¯ stream on the other. She¡¯d considered streaming herself. Lin Feng would¡¯ve happily added her to his friends list. But her viewers didn¡¯t know Lin Feng was CN?HOOK2 and she felt that rather than trying to exin it to hundreds of thousands of people, it would be less stressful to host Lightless and watch his stream instead.

    Lightless had just exined how Lin Feng would have to win the next few games if he wanted to reach the Top 5. She knew that was Lin Feng¡¯s goal. Thanks to Lightless she also knew that Lin Feng could still reach that goal. ¡°But another win streak? That¡¯s so unfair! If it wasn¡¯t for those stupid teammates¡­ He should get some kind ofpensation for those teammates! Like some extra LP! Something to give him a buffer in hisst few games before server reset! Stupid game!¡± she grumbled.

    But Su Xue didn¡¯t give up. She furiously typed away, downvoting the naysayers and cheering Lin Feng on with everything she had. Her heart was up in her throat, mming, and she constantly had to remind herself to keep breathing. Then the game began. She stopped typing. Her eyes were drawn to Lightless¡¯ stream. She clenched her fists and mumbled, ¡°Come on, kid! You can do this! I know you can! Make momma proud!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng sat in the hotelroom behind hisptop. An Xin sat next to him. He couldn¡¯t see her, but he could feel her calming presence. It was a feeling he¡¯de to love during Season 1. She was always there, always by his side. Just knowing she was there for him, with him, helped him. The nerves and frustrations that were bothering him before had disappeared. An Xin was right. I did need a short break. And her massages are the best! He smiled and ced his hands on his keyboard and mouse.

    The game announcer weed him to Summoner¡¯s Rift in Korean. His Fizz spawned on the fountain and he opened the shop to buy his starting items, like he¡¯d done so many times before. But something was different in this gamepared to the previous one. This game felt like 4 years ago. There was only excitement and expectation, the strong desire to keep moving forward and push through everyone in his way! This was where he belonged! This was where he was the best version of himself! He grinned and nodded at his screen. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± he eximed.

    ?

    Lightless jumped from his seat multiple times that game. His viewers were losing it in chat. CN?HOOK2 started with an early kill at Level 3 on the opponent Twisted Fate, after which he went straight down to the botne where he picked up a double kill. From there the game was yed. CN?HOOK2 yed at such a high level that it didn¡¯t even matter what his teammates did. He carried them. He carried the topne with a couple of kills. He carried the botne. And he drew the opponents Jungler towards the midne where he won multiple one versus two¡¯s. The gamested 25 minutes, but it was yed in those first three minutes.

    ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Lightless said. He shook his head and continued, ¡°Un. Be. Lie. Va. Ble.¡±

    ¡¸THATS OUR BOY!!!! WOOOOOOOO¡¹¡¸WHAT DID HE TAKE IN THAT BREAK? MY GOD WTFFFFFFFF¡¹¡¸best goddamn yer in the world. i dont see rake doing that¡¹¡¸OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD¡¹

    Lightless nodded and said, ¡°Yes. Oh my god. That was insane. It¡¯s the 11th game of the night and somehow he¡¯s ying better than in all of his previous gamesbined¡­ Wow!¡±

    ?

    Lin Feng turned his head to look at An Xin and smiled. He said, ¡°One down!¡±

    An Xin smiled back at him and replied, ¡°That wasn¡¯t half bad.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Lin Feng eximed with his trademark grin. He then turned his head back towards hisptop. The grin disappeared from his face as he forced himself through a few cycles of deep, long breaths. ¡°Five more to go. I need to y,¡± he mumbled while clicking on the ¡®y again¡¯ button.

    Lin Feng picked Lenc in his 12th game of the night. His Lenc and Fizz were always very simr, which became clear to everyone watching as the game progressed. When he taught Lenc her third primary skill, he jumped on the opponent Ahri, predicted where she was shing away too, locked her down with Ethereal Chains, and finished her off with abination of auto attacks and Ignite. After which he went straight down the river towards the botne. His own Boners didn¡¯t even see himing. None of the 9 other yers realized it, until he appeared in the botne by jumping on the Lucian and Zyra. They were both squishy targets who were dueling with Jinx and Janna. Lin Feng didn¡¯t have to do much, but what he did, he did perfectly.

    The gamested 29 minutes, a few minutes longer than the previous game. Lin Feng had to carry a bit harder, but he did that all the same. The Nexus exploded and the victory emblem floated on his screen. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. ¡°Two down, four to go,¡± he mumbled more to himself than to An Xin. He then squared his shoulders and clicked on the ¡®y again¡¯ button. ¡°No time to lose!¡±

    An Xin looked at Lin Feng but didn¡¯t say anything. She just smiled and looked at the Korean Ladder. He¡¯s Rank 7 already. He¡¯s doing it. I¡¯m watching him doing it!

    Lin Feng soon found himself in the next game. This time around he went with Annie. But unlike the previous two games, he didn¡¯t get first blood within three minutes and he also didn¡¯t get a double kill in the botne. He scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, ¡°Their Miner and ad-carry are good.¡±

    ¡°Of course they are,¡± An Xin replied. She winked at Lin Feng and continued, ¡°That Zed is a semi-pro currently sitting in 9th on the rankeddder and that ad-carry is on the main roster of an OGN team. What? You thought you were just going to walk all over everyone?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Feng eximed. He nced at An Xin and added, ¡°This just makes it more fun!¡± He then focused back on his game, his finger tapping in a calm but fast rhythm. He forced his opponent to call in the help of their Jungler and then baited them into giving him a double kill. But that wasn¡¯t enough to win this game. His Boners were struggling against the professional Kog¡¯Maw.

    Thening phase came to an end after Kog¡¯Maw destroyed the botne¡¯s outer tower. Lin Feng grimaced slightly and his touch on his mouse increased. Just for a moment. Then his mind cleared. He grinned and focused on the game. He epted that his teammates were outssed by the opponent, and he started ying with that in mind. When the first teamfight happened, he knew they would lose. So rather than fight for a win, he fought to minimize their losses. Kog¡¯Maw still got four kills.

    Lin Feng took a deep, long breath. His teammates died, but his Annie was the only one on a killing spree. She was the only one worth any real money. And she¡¯d survived. They had to give up on the Dragon, but he kept an eye on Baron Nashor. I just need to find the right engage before my teammates do their thing¡­ Get the Kog¡­ Patience.

    The second teamfight went down much like the first. Lin Feng¡¯s teammates were trigger happy. Their Jinx especially decided to engage with her minigun rather than using her long range bazooka. Lin Feng¡¯s team lost another big fight and were fortunate that they killed the opponent¡¯s Jungler. It was the only thing keeping them from taking Baron Nashor.

    But while the game looked bad, though everything looked to be going against him, Lin Feng remained calm. He knew the game was far from over. His Annie was fed from thening phase and his teammates weren¡¯tpletely useless. With the right engage, they could win.

    The minutes dragged on. The pressure on Lin Feng continued to grow. Every game had to be a fast win if he wanted to get the six he needed for that Top 5 spot. When the game reached the 35th minute, Lin Feng¡¯s opponents forced a teamfight at the Baron pit. His teammates were walking straight into the bait, because if they didn¡¯t, the opponent would take the Baron and win the game. Lin Feng didn¡¯t run head first into the fight. He looked at the curves in the wall surrounding the Baron pit and estimated where their Kog¡¯Maw was most likely positioned. When his teammates walked into the trap, he shed across the Baron pit wall and arrived right behind Kog¡¯Maw.

    ¡°TIBBERS, I SUMMON YOU!¡± Lin Feng hollered behind hisptop, causing An Xin to jump up from her chair in fright. ¡°What the fuck!¡± she eximed, but Lin Feng wasn¡¯t listening to her. He was just grinning, his fingers gliding across the keyboard activating skills.

    Annie threw her teddy bear up into the sky. It grew rapidly in size, fueled by mes. What fell to the ground was a massive monster. It stunned Kog¡¯Maw who was then incinerated by mes. Annie pushed forward andnded a second stun on Zed, who¡¯d jumped to the backline after assassinating Jinx. He hadn¡¯t noticed Annie. He arrived in front of her and gave Lin Feng the double. And from there, Lin Feng kept pushing. He got a quadra kill, his Jungler picking up the fifth, after which he turned his attention towards his opponent¡¯s base.

    It was a race. Death cooldown versus speed. Lin Feng¡¯s team didn¡¯t have their ad carry, but they did have a fast tower killer in Irelia. They took down the inhibitor tower in the midne with the help of arge minion wave and pushed for the inhibitor. His teammates started to back away, but Lin Feng kept pinging on the Nexus towers until they followed him. He pressed the tab key and counted the seconds. The first nexus tower fell and they just had a few more to go. The second fell and Kog¡¯Maw respawned. Lin Feng pinged on the Nexus. His teammates attacked it, while he moved towards Kog¡¯Maw and stunned him. Zed respawned next and dashed in. He killed Irelia and Janna was the next one to die. But Lin Feng lived. He used his skills while auto attacking the nexus. His minions helped him. And he won.

    Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and breathed out loudly through his mouth. ¡°PFOOH! What a game. That was a tough one,¡± he finally said. ¡°Alright! Next one! No time to lose!¡±

    An Xin sat next to Lin Feng, speechless. It took her all of the next game, which was a fast 20 minute victory, to recover from her shock. She tugged on his shirt and asked, ¡°How did you know you had enough time to finish the Nexus?¡±

    Lin Feng looked at An Xin confused and said, ¡°What? They were all dead!¡±

    ¡°Not this game, you stupid! Last game!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. They were all dead!¡± Lin Feng repeated. He then scratched the back of his head and added, ¡°I guess it was a bit closer than I would¡¯ve liked it¡­¡±

    An Xin shook her head, incredulous, and mumbled, ¡°No. No. It was good. Really good.¡±

    Lin Feng patted his chest and replied, ¡°I know! I¡¯m really good! Four games down, two more to go! Oh, and look! I¡¯m already Rank 6! So close! I should have enough time, right? RightRight?¡±

    An Xin smiled and replied, ¡°Yeah, you do. You¡¯ve got an hour. Bit more actually. Four minutes to be precise. Find a game fast and you got this!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Lin Feng replied while smashing the ¡®y again¡¯ button for the fifteenth time that night.

    ?

    In Hand of God¡¯s gaming house, Nightsong and Hermes were watching Lightless¡¯ stream. Hermes moved his hand across his mouth and mumbled, ¡°He¡¯s amazing. He¡¯s¡­¡± He shook his head, unable to find the words to say how he was feeling.

    Nightsong moved his hand around, scratching an itch on his chest, digging at the edge of his nose and rubbing across his cheek. He chewed on his lips and stared at the screen, his heart mming so hard against his ribcage that it felt like he would break a rib soon. He finally said, ¡°He¡¯s doing it. He¡¯s actually doing it! Forget about DotA and everything he did there, he¡¯s got the skill to y in the LPL! He¡­ He¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got a bigger dick than you, yeah,¡± Hermes finished the sentence.

    Nightsong abruptly turned his head to look at Hermes and eximed, ¡°HEY! Not funny!¡± He then looked back at his screen and chewed on his lips again. ¡°He¡¯s in queue again,¡± he mumbled. ¡°He¡¯s going for it again. He¡¯s almost there. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s doing this. FUCK! I want him in the LPL.¡±

    Hermes nodded and said, ¡°Me too, buddy. Me too.¡±

 Chapter 421: Canne he do it?

    Hermes sat behind theputer he shared with Nightsong in Hand of God¡¯s gaming house. They were both inching towards the screen, eager to see if CN?HOOK2 had enough time left to y and win two games at the top of the Korean Challenger Ladder. But they also both realized how steep of a challenge it was. They¡¯d yed at the highest level for quite some time and often spent most of their days working on something League of Legends rted. That was why they, better than anyone else, understood the physical and mental toll that came with ying consecutive games at this level, and the pressure that CN?HOOK2 was under.

    Nightsong shook his head and frowned. He said, ¡°It¡¯s gonna be tougher than getting your Mum into bed, that¡¯s for sure. Only someone like¡­¡±

    Hermes chuckled and replied, ¡°Losing some of that energy, huh? Stunned to silence?¡± He then pursed his lips and shook his head before continuing, ¡°But you¡¯re right. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t get it. He just yed 11 games in a row and needs another 2. And he¡¯s gotta win both of them. How can anyone stand straight knowing that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just it¡­¡± Nightsong mumbled. He hit his fingers as he said, ¡°Normal training, scrims, tournaments, streams, fan meetups¡­ I can keep going! We do them all every day all day! We can because we trained for it! And because there is the mixup. We don¡¯t train all day. We don¡¯t scrim all day. We don¡¯t y dicking tournaments all day! FUCK!¡±

    Hermes sighed. He turned his head to look at Nightsong and said, ¡°He¡¯s yed 11 games and won 8 of them. He¡¯s grinding so hard and worst¡­ or best. I don¡¯t know anymore. Best of all, yeah. Best of all, he¡¯s looking better than he did five games ago. He¡¯s just getting better and better and better!¡± He briefly paused before adding softly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°NO ONE CAN!¡± Nightsong eximed. He grabbed Hermes by his shoulders and looked his friend deep in the eyes. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU SEE? THAT¡¯S IT!¡± he shouted, spittle spewing from his lips. ¡°HE¡¯S A BOT! WE¡¯VE GOT OUR VERY OWN ALPHA ZERO! THAT¡¯S WHY HE¡¯S BETTER THAN YOU AND ME! HE¡¯S NO MAN! HE¡¯S A MACHINE!¡± He turned back to look at the screen and grinned. He clenched his fists andughed. ¡°That¡¯s it. That¡¯s gotta be it. No one¡¯s better at banging out straight wins than me, except if that someone is using some illegal support. Yep. that¡¯s it. I¡¯m telling you. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ?

    Aurous was still keeping Shi Hangpany in Team Rapids gaming house. But while Shi Hang was sitting at the edge of his seat with a big grin on his face, he slumped back in his chair a bit. He nced at his friend and said, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. How are you so excited? He¡¯s yed 11 games! 11! In a fucking row! AFTER PLAYING THE FUCKING FINALS OF THE COLLEGIATE CUP! BEFORE WHICH HE EVEN PLAYED MORE! HE¡¯S BEEN PLAYING FOR SO LONG¡­ FUCK!¡±

    Shi Hang turned his head to look at his friend and shook his head a bit. He exined, ¡°You weren¡¯t there in Season 1. I guess it makes sense you don¡¯t understand. Actually¡­¡± He briefly paused to look back at his screen and make sure Lin Feng hadn¡¯t found a game yet. He then continued, ¡°Let me give you an idea of what it was like for him back in Season 1. Maybe then you¡¯ll understand that if anyone can do it, it¡¯s gonna be him.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, talk!¡± Aurous replied, nodding.

    ¡°Here goes,¡± Shi Hang started, keeping one eye on his screen. ¡°Back in Season 1, Lin Feng¡­ Or Maple¡­ You get it. Anyway, he qualified for Worlds with his team, right? Here in China, we were fucking proud of him. They were basically the wildcard team, the team no one outside of China had ever heard of. But they qualified for Worlds, so they flew to London and were excited to start ying against the other top teams in the world.

    ¡°When they got in London, they weren¡¯t really weed. They were the wildcard team. You know how it¡¯s at Worlds these years. Everyone makes fun of the wildcard teams. It wasn¡¯t any different back then. You had the Europeans and Americans who thought they were the shit. And then you had those douches from Korea. Assholes those guys. They all thought they were better than some wildcard team. None of them respected Maple, much less his team.

    ¡°Lin Feng and his teammates. Oh! And An Xin, you¡¯ve seen her y. But they started looking for scrim partners to prepare for Worlds against the best. Everyone ignored them. They didn¡¯t even get a single message back. No ¡®sorry, but we¡¯re busy¡¯ or anything like that. Justplete radio silence. But they still had to practice. They had to be in the best form of their lives for Worlds! So they contacted me and some of the other top yers and asked us if we could be their scrim partners.

    ¡°Most of us had jobs or school. League of Legends wasn¡¯t what it is now. There wasn¡¯t big money in it yet. We couldn¡¯t tell our teacher or boss that we had to take a sick day to help a friend get better at ying a game. They¡¯d haveughed at us! Right in the face! So we had to do our normal stuff during the day and y with them at night, which wasn¡¯t great for them. They had to adjust their entire sleeping schedule just so they could get more time to practice against us. They were pulling the most insane days, just to get those few extra hours of training in¡­

    ¡°And they neverined. They never asked us if we could take that sick day, or skip that ss. They thanked us again and again. They persevered. They pressed on. Fuck! I remember the day of the semis. I yed basically all night against Maple! We did full team scrims but also 1v1s. That was fucking awesome. And then, when most people would be too tired to think straight, he went up on stage to y against fucking Phoenix! You know what happened then.¡±

    Aurous stared at Shi Hang with his eyes wide open. He nodded unconsciously and muttered, ¡°He smashed him. Maple smashed him.¡±

    Shi Hang grinned and said, ¡°Exactly! So when you ask me why I¡¯m confident that Maple¡­ Lin Feng will win the next two games and make it into the Top 5, that¡¯s why. I¡¯ve seen him pull this off before. I know him. And I know that if there¡¯s anyone who can do this, it¡¯s him. Because fuck me he¡¯s good.¡±

    Aurous grinned and was about to agree to that when Shi Hang frowned and continued, ¡°There¡¯s one thing that¡¯s got me a bit worried though. He hasn¡¯t yed Rake yet and I don¡¯t see him online. But he also hasn¡¯t yed Moon yet and he did just log on. They¡¯re both in queue. I believe Lin Feng can beat him. I really believe he¡¯s that good. But that won¡¯t be an easy game. That won¡¯t be the 20 minute game he needs. It¡¯ll be a 50 minute game and he won¡¯t have time to hit that Top 5. And that would fucking suck.¡±

    ?

    Lightless had several big names on his friends list. One he was particrly proud of was Moon. The one million+ viewers on his stream saw it when Moon logged on, and they watched Moon enter the solo queue. Before Lightless could say anything¡ªnot that he had too¡ªhis viewers lost it. They smashed away at their keyboards as a massive wave of messages flooded the chat.

    ¡¸NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT¡±S MOOOONN FUUUCKKMEEEEEE¡¹¡¸NOT NOW!!! WHY NOW!?!??!?!??!?!?¡¹¡¸FUCK! Whats next? Rake gonnae too??!?!??!?!?!¡¹¡¸maybe he can beat moon?¡¹¡¸QQQQQQQQ WHY THIS BAD LUCK!?!?!?!?!?!??!?¡¹¡¸PLS NO MOON! PLS NO MOON! PLS NO MOON!¡¹¡¸HOOK THE RIGHT FISH! MOONFISH ARE BAD FISH!¡¹¡¸Press F to Pay Respect.¡¹¡¸FFFFFFFFF¡¹¡¸RIPPERINO FFFF¡¹¡¸NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU¡¹¡¸FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF¡¹¡¸fffff¡¹¡¸F¡¹¡¸FFF¡¹

    ?

    An Xin sat next to Lin Feng in the hotel room, scrolling through different online forums on her phone. When she read the news about Moon logging on and getting into the solo queue, she raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Hey, Lin Feng?¡± She briefly waited for his attention and then continued, ¡°Looks like Moon¡¯s trying to snipe you.¡±

    Lin Feng paused for a moment. It felt like even his heart slowed to a stop. His mind went nk as the darkness of despair was tugging at his consciousness. But then he grinned. He rxed his shoulders and sighed loudly. ¡°Got it,¡± he replied. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The queue popped a few secondster. Every yer had to click the ready button; it was a mechanism Riot Games had put in ce to make sure everyone was still behind theirputer. Lin Feng moved his mouse over the button and without pause clicked it. He nced at An Xin and asked with a bit of excitement in his voice, ¡°So? Is he in it?¡±

    An Xin looked at her phone. It was ying Lightless¡¯ stream which was currently zoomed in on Lightless¡¯ friends list. CN?HOOK2 was in Champion Select and Moon was still in queue. ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s still in queue.¡±

    Lin Feng shrugged and said, ¡°Okay, guess not then.¡± He then narrowed his eyes and stared at his screen. I need to win this one fast. I can¡¯t beat Moon in 20 minutes. Maybe 30¡­ He took a deep, long breath. If they¡¯re sniping me now, they¡¯ll snipe me next game as well. I need to buy myself as much time as possible. Fizz. The Champion wasn¡¯t banned, though Lenc, Yasuo and Ahri were. Good. I¡¯ll go with her. I¡¯ll stomp them like I did earlier¡­

    The game started a few minutester. Lin Feng bought Doran¡¯s Ring, which was the normal starter item for an ability power Champion. He then went tone and yed at a level of aggressiveness he hadn¡¯t shown before that game yet. He pushed his opponent into making mistakes and by Level 2 he imed first blood. He pushed the wave out and recalled back to base, where he bought a second Doran¡¯s Ring to give himself that all important power boost. When he returned tone, his opponent was there waiting for him. And he continued right where he left off. He pushed and put pressure and killed his opponent a minuteter. He then roamed top where he caught the opponent¡¯s Toner and Jungler. He killed them both. He had 4 kills before reaching Level 6. It was disastrous for his opponent. It was a deficit they couldn¡¯te back from.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Boners weren¡¯t particrly great, nor was his Toner or Jungler. It didn¡¯t feel to Lin Feng like they were particrly try-harding either. But he never stopped to care about that. He just kept doing what he did best. Getting kills and securing objectives. The midne was the first to fall, followed by the topne. The opponent tried to force him into teamfights, but he simply ignored that, allowing his teammates to die just so he could split push to victory.

    At 26 minutes, Lin Feng¡¯s Fizz destroyed the second inhibitor of the game. His opponent was still trying to draw him into a teamfight, but he never took the bait. When his opponent finally realized they had to do something to stop, it was toote. He was in their base. He was taking down their Nexus towers. And he finally took down their Nexus. All the while, his teammates in their inability to do much of anything useful were doing a perfect job at distracting the opponent which gave Lin Feng all the time he needed to win the game.

    The fifteenth game of the night was a victory for Lin Feng. He had a bit more than 30 minutes left before the ranks would rest and he was one victory shy from breaching the Top 5. He turned his head to look at An Xin and grinned. He said, ¡°Five down. One to go. LET¡¯S FUCKING GO!¡±

    ¡°My ears!¡± An Xin yelped, reaching for her ears. She then smiled and added, ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 422: The Moon Emperor

    After the results of CN?HOOK2¡¯s 13th game came out, the yers on the forums erupted into another wave of cheers. He¡¯d managed to win five games in a row after hitting a bit of a rough patch! And he was single-digits away from bing Rank 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder!

    The best part of the night was that CN?HOOK2 still had a little over a half hour before the server shut down and the rankeddder was reset. That was enough time for <b>one</b><b>more game</b>. If CN?HOOK2 managed to y and win that game before the server mmed shut, he¡¯d end his run firmly in the Top 5 Challengers on the Korean Server!

    The millions of League of Legends fans across China sat at the very edges of the seats with trembling thighs. The finish line was right in front of their eyes! The light at the end of the very dark tunnel that this gauntlet had be. CN?HOOK2 would smash through the kimchi ceiling for all of China!

    More importantly, everyone invested in CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb felt an incredible weight lift up off their shoulders when CN?HOOK2 didn¡¯t have to y against Moon in hisst game. It was terrifying good luck. Because the Moon Emperor was a truly daunting opponent. Despite the fact that everyone in China wanted to be the wind at CN?HOOK2¡¯s back and not the spit in his face, no one believed that he could stand a chance against the Moon Emperor. As long as CN?HOOK2 didn¡¯t have to y Moon in his final game of the night, he¡¯d break into the Top 5 and smash the Korean Gauntlet.

    But just as the League fans across China rxed and celebrated, the lightning of misfortune struck and travelled leagues through copper wires damn near instantaneously. Just as CN?HOOK2¡¯sst game finished, the Moon Emperor¡¯s game also ended.

    Moon yed Talon in the Midne. 20 minutes after the start of that game, he¡¯d gotten 8 kills without being killed in return. Legendary. By the 28th minute, he¡¯d carried his team to victory. And now he was back in the queue, looking for another game to y. At the same exact time that CN?HOOK2 was looking for his final game of the night.

    ?

    Moon, or the Moon Emperor, was just as well known as Rake was among the Chinese League of Legends Community. He was Korea¡¯s second Emperor, and had demolished more than enough LPL teams on the World Stage. Even Daybreak Hermes, who¡¯d gone up against and beaten Moon before, had lost to him more often than he¡¯d won. Moon was the lowest ranked Emperor, but that didn¡¯t mean much at all. He was still one of the best Miners in the whole world and a truly strong yer whose name struck fear in the hearts of many.

    Right now, CN?HOOK2 had achieved deity-status. Countless Chinese League yers, streamers, and fans worshipped him and believed in the miracle that he was currently aplishing. But despite that reverence and worship, even they didn¡¯t believe that CN?HOOK2 could triumph against Moon. There were Gods above gods, after all. The best case scenario here, the one that they all hoped and prayed and wished would happen, was if CN?HOOK2 didn¡¯t face the Moon Emperor at all.

    Just like anyrge inte-basedmunity, people wasted no time at all typing out walls of text in forum threads stating their opinions and armchair analysis of the situation.

    ?

    In Dark Glory¡¯s Gaming House, Lightles Hearts watched the conversation unfold both in his chat and on the forums. He silently contemted the issue in his own mind. <i>The Moon Emperor¡­ Man, these guys have no idea what they¡¯re talking about. If CN?HOOK2 queues up a littleter just to avoid getting matched up against Moon, that¡¯s such a bitch move! There¡¯s no way THAT GUY would do that. Just waiting five minutes in these final few minutes is acknowledging the superiority of Moon as a yer and CN?HOOK2 admitting that he¡¯s the weaker yer on his own. Without a fight! What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do! Even if CN?HOOK2 gets into the Top 5 that way, it¡¯ll always be with an asterix¡­</i>

    Before Lightless could finish his thoughts and organize them so he could convey them to his viewers, a simr view started sparking its way through his chat. Apparently, his viewers had gotten there on their own, just as he did.

    ¡¸<i>What, fuck off! That¡¯s the coward¡¯s way out!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Yeah! This is why you losers will never get girls!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lol, so if Moon is online, does that mean Hook2 has to wait until Moon is in a game to start queuing up every time?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>how¡¯s that any different from admitting that you¡¯re shit!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>What if Moon wants to snipe him? Does that mean Hook2 just won¡¯t y?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>That¡¯s way too humiliating!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>You guys this my boi Hook2 scared of Moon? Or Rake?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Even if he loses to Moon, he¡¯ll still walk away with his head held high!!!!!!!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>You wantto bring shame to this miracle like you brought shame to your family????</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Do u stp wanking bcuz ur scared ur daddy might wake up to piss and see your catepiller dick???!!!</i>¡¹

    However, this newly formed faction of viewers who believed in honorable y and the better sentiment immediately received fierce pushback from the viewers who believed that making decisions logically was better.

    ¡¸<i>Are you all idiots? This is called being smart.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Get fucking real. Do you know who Moon is!? HES AN EMPEROR!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>did anybody say anything abotu doing this every game. Hook2 is only one game away from hitting Rnank 5. If he bumps into Moon, he¡¯s screwed!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>If hook2 loses and fails to get into the top 5, that means all his hard work tongith went to waste!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>would you guys be okay with that?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>If he juswaits 2 mins, we¡¯ll have Top 5! Moon can¡¯t do anything!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Who knows when a chance like this wille around again? We gotta be smart about this and make it happen while the sun is out!</i>¡¹

    The two factions warred endlessly in the chat, both sides picking up more and more steam as viewers swayed to one side of the fence or the other. Neither camp was willing to back down.

    Until Lightless Heart spoke up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of all of this? What do you guys think? Why do you think Hook2¡¯s working so hard to climb tonight, ying right up until the server shuts down? You think it¡¯s about a number? Top 5? Top 8? Top 10? This ain¡¯t about reaching some arbitrary rank or number! It¡¯s never been about that! All of that ispletely meaningless! This is to prove that a Chinese yer can also y with the best in the world! It¡¯s to show everyone that our style of League of Legends is just as good! Now, you¡¯re talking about Hook2 avoiding a fight with Moon? Just to reach Rank 5? You¡¯ve got your priorities mixed up, and you don¡¯t even understand why Hook2 is out there fighting to get you guys!¡±

    In an instant, the stream chat became quiet.

    Lightless¡¯ gaze flickered with aplicated expression as he looked at CN?HOOK2¡¯s name on his screen. <i>None of this matters anyway. He¡¯s not looking at us or letting us weigh in on this decision. Nah, nah. The only thing that matters here is the choice he¡¯s going to make¡­</i>

    CN?HOOK2 still showed up as ¡®Online¡¯ on Lightless¡¯ friends list. For the time being, it didn¡¯t show any signs of changing. And countless League fans across China watched that indicator along with Lightless, anxiously waiting to see what decision CN?HOOK2 would make. Would he cower or would he face the Moon Emperor head-on?

    ?

    Back at the hotel room in Beijing, An Xin checked the forums on her phone again and turned to Lin Feng, her eyes twinkling and a faint smile in the corner of her lips. ¡°Moon just finished his game too. Looks like he¡¯s about to queue up for another match. Do you want to wait?¡±

    She asked the question that everyone watching CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb across China kept asking online and in their minds. It wasn¡¯t really her question though. Truth be told, An Xin already knew the answer without even asking.

    ¡°Wait? For what?¡± Lin Feng asked, puzzled. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time! There¡¯s no point in wasting more just to get out of a game with Moon. I¡¯ll y who I gotta y, and I¡¯ll face them with everything I got. It doesn¡¯t matter who they are anyway, I just need to win!¡± He appearedpletely unconcerned as he moved his mouse and clicked resolutely to start queuing up for another game.

    A few secondster, Lin Feng found a match and entered Champion Select. This was the 14th game of the night, his final and most important one. The finale for CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb on the Korean Server!

    The summoner names of the ten yers on the two teams appeared on the left and right sides of the screen, and Lin Feng scanned through them quickly. Moon¡¯s name wasn¡¯t on his team. Then he looked at the opposing team, and his eyes stopped when he read the name of the yer in fourth pick.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see him tonight¡­¡±

 Chapter 423: Hooked on Orionâ€™s Belt

    It was a big moment for everyone following CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb when he decided to queue up for his next game immediately instead of trying to wait out the Moon Emperor in an attempt to avoid a fight. All of the League fans across China erupted with excitement. The people who didn¡¯t want to see CN?HOOK2 tarnish his climb felt vindicated, and even the people who thought it was the logical thing to do burned with excitement. Because, at the end of the day, who would willingly back down from a fight at a moment like this if they had a choice? There wasn¡¯t a single person in China who would make that choice, if they were in CN?HOOK2¡¯s shoes right now.

    Deep in their hearts, they knew that waiting out the Moon Emperor was admitting defeat! There was no reason to throw their pride away only to get a number. Rank 5 was not worth losing honor and face. All of them knew that if they were CN?HOOK2 and seeded in getting to the 5th rank by avoiding Moon, they¡¯d be dissatisfied with the rank. The climb would always be tinged with regret.

    But none of that happened! CN?HOOK2 queued up immediately and proved he wasn¡¯t a coward! Everyone watching felt their hearts ze with excitement and their spirits refreshed, with all the anxiety caused by the appearance of Moon washed away.

    ¡¸<i>Hell, yeah! This the roflstomp we waiting for!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>So what if it¡¯s an emperor? Who cares if it¡¯s Korea¡¯s second best Miner? SHOW HIM WHAT U GOT!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Give em hell hook2! Never run away from a fight!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>BRING IT OOOOOOOON!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>LETTTTTSSSS GOOOOOO!</i>¡¹

    The hype was real, so was the shit-talk. But it was really just a fragile band-aid over the pit of worry and anxiety that many of the viewers felt over the thought of their hero, CN?HOOK2, going up against the Moon Emperor. If it actually happened, it would sour one of the greatest nights of their lives. CN?HOOK2¡¯sst game of the night would be a loss and the yer that they thought was a God would be proven to be an ordinary mortal like them. If that happened, what would they do? Wait for another God to rise from their ranks?

    They watched as CN?HOOK2 entered into Champion Select for his next game. Over a million pairs of eyes on Lightless¡¯ stream scanned over the Summoner Tags of the yers on both teams. In a fortunate twist of fate, the fear that gnawed at the hearts of the viewers and whispered terrible predictions in the back of their minds was not realized. Moon wasn¡¯t on the Blue Team! And he wasn¡¯t on the Red Team!

    For a brief instant, the people in the stream erupted into cheers. And then that instant came to an abrupt end when they noticed the Summoner Tag of the yer in fourth pick on the Red Team. That¡¯s when all the cheering came to a screeching halt, and chat fell into a deathly silence.

    Even Lightless had nothing to say as his eyelids twitched violently and a chill ran down his spine. But he did have a thought. <i>Well¡­</i><i>shit. This is bad!</i>

    ?

    Back in HoG¡¯s gaming house, Nightsong¡¯s gaze flickered with mixed emotions as he looked at the yer that everyone was looking at. He sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Fiddle-fucking-frag! God dammit. It¡¯s not that cocksucker Moon! But why¡¯d this guy have to show up now? He¡¯s got nothing better to do? Got tired of jerking himself off or learning KPOP dance moves? What a fucking whore monger!¡±

    ¡°Hm.. this isn¡¯t the worst case scenario, Nightsong¡­ but it¡¯s far from ideal,¡± Hermes remarked with a grave expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be queuing up for a game at this time either.¡±

    ?

    Over in Team Rapids¡¯ gaming house, Aurous snapped out of his daze and cursed, ¡°That bastard! He sniped Maple on purpose! I know he did! Shi hang, he did, didn¡¯t he!?¡±

    Shi Hang¡¯s expression was equally twisted in rage. Just like everyone else, he was initially relieved when he didn¡¯t see Moon on the opposing team. Then he felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach when he saw the yer in fourth pick. Going up against Moon might have turned out badly for Lin Feng. But the yer that did show up wasn¡¯t any better.

    Orion. The star Miner for OGN team Warrior. He was a member of the Seven Kings and considered to be just below Rake and Moon. If Moon was the second best Miner after Rake, then Orion was third.

    ?

    On Lightless¡¯ stream, all the viewers felt a chill in their hearts when they saw Orion¡¯s name. They were left in stunned silence for a long time.

    ?

    Inside Fate¡¯s gaming house somewhere in Seoul, Korea, Moon looked at the names of the yers in his game and didn¡¯t see CN?HOOK2. He shook his head, the disappointment clear on his face. <i>A pity. I got online tonight just to meet him too.</i>

    Moon then pulled up his browser and checked the Korean League forums. He slowly nodded.<i>Well, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯d like to see how he does against Orion.</i>

    ?

    Orion was sitting at hisputer in theWarriors¡¯ gaming house when he saw that CN?HOOK2 on the opposing team. His lips curled into a faint smile. <i>Sucks to suck, Moon! I got to him first! </i>

    Orion¡¯s expression remained calm, but he slowly sat up straight in his seat. Slowly, the aura around him swelled out. It was as deep aaand as unfathomable as the ocean, forming a formless pressure. <i>A 5-game win streak? Getting to Rank 5? Sorry bud, but I¡¯ll c-c-c-c-cbo breaker that all right now!</i>

    ?

    The people following CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb across China sat aghast at this truly rare coincidence. It was almost inconcievable that a person could get so lucky and unlucky at the same time. What other exnation could there be for missing the second best yer in all of Korea while on the razor¡¯s edge, only to bump into the third best yer in Korea?

    Be it Moon or Orion, an Emperor or a King, both were frightening God-tier opponents who could easily make most yers give up before the game even started. Every League fan across China struggled toprehend how two Titans surfaced right at the end of CN?HOOK2¡¯s epic climb. And then a single shared thought went through all of their minds. <i>Is this the end for CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb? </i>

    The obvious answer, the only one that made sense, was that this was the end. Except no one wanted to ept that answer or even think about it. No one wanted this to be the end of CN?HOOK2¡¯s run.

    For Shi Hang, Aurous, Limitless, Nightsong, Hermes, and all the other pro yers watching the livestream, the mental debate was even worse. As professional yers, all of them understood exactly how good of a Miner Orion was and what a tremendous obstacle he was for CN?HOOK2¡¯s run. Compared to the Moon Emperor, Orion was equally skilled when it came toning and mechanics. What Orioncked, if that was the right word, was a little bit of skill in things like teamfighting, map awareness, and overall macro y.

    Those things that Orion was inferior to Moon in, those were all requirements for professional y. Because map awareness, teamfighting, and macro became much more important when two teams faced each other in a tournament and the bigger picture determined the oue. When it came to solo queue, that was a different story entirely. Orion wasn¡¯t ying with his team in the solo queue, and there weren¡¯t grand strategies developed by professional coaches in the solo queue.

    When it came down to it, there was a good chance that Orion was even better than Moon when it came to the solo queue!

    ?

    Back in the hotel Team Shanghai was staying at, Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao were huddled over aptop. Neither of them had gone to bed early. Instead, they were watching Lightless¡¯ stream and following Lin Feng¡¯s climb.

    ¡°D-damn, why¡¯d he pull Orion?¡± Zhang Hao asked, his voice cracking. ¡°Do you think Lin Feng is good enough to beat a King?¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyebrows scrunched together and canyons formed on his forehead as he considered the question. But he remained silent for a long time, unable toe up with an answer. He couldn¡¯t answer because he was asking himself the same question and struggling with it. <i>Can he win..?</i>

    In the room next door, Tang Bingyao had already gotten out of the shower and was lying in bed in her pyjamas with herptop. She was also watching Lightless¡¯ stream. But unlike the other viewers who were worrying about CN?HOOK2, her eyes were sparkling with confidence. <i>Mhm! If it¡¯s Lin Feng, he can definitely beat Orion! That King or whatever is nothingpared to Lin Feng! </i>

    At the same time, Lin Feng and An Xin were together in the other room.

    An Xin nced at Lin Feng and remarked, ¡°Looks like this is going to be a tough game.¡±

    Lin Fengughed. ¡°Oh? You think so? Hahaha! I know it¡¯s going to be a tough game, but that¡¯s what makes this fun!¡±

    When it was time for the fourth pick on the Red Team to lock in their champion, Orion locked in Zed. The Master of Shadows.

    Then, it was the turn of Blue Team¡¯s fourth and fifth picks to select their champions. Lin Feng, who was in fourth pick, didn¡¯t hesitate at all and locked in his champion. Yasuo, the Unforgiven! He took a deep breath as the fire in his eyes zed to life. <i>So what if I¡¯m up against a King? I¡¯ll crush him too!</i>

 Chapter 424: 34 Minutes

    34 minutes.

    34 minutes before the servers for League of Legends Korea shut down.

    34 minutes before the Korean Challenger Ladder Rankings finalized for the season.

    34 minutes before CN?HOOK2 epic challenge of the Korean gauntlet ended.

    With over a million hopeful and tense eyes watching, CN?HOOK2 started his final game of the night. A game that he needed to finish in 34 minutes.

    ¡°We¡¯ve seen a lot of miracles from CN?HOOK2 tonight, that¡¯s for sure! But this one¡­ I don¡¯t know, guys. He¡¯s on that razor¡¯s edge and there¡¯s no telling how this could go. We don¡¯t know much about the yers on the other team¡­ or the yers on his team. But all 10 yers in this game know that there¡¯s only 34 minutes left. There¡¯s a definitely chance that they could drag this game out just to stick it to CN?HOOK2. It¡¯d be a bitch move andpletely tarnish Korea¡¯s reputation in the League scene, but you never know how these things will y out. All we do know is that CN?HOOK2 is right up against that wall¡­. ¡± Lightless said to his viewers. And then he frowned. <i>I know HE pulled off some crazy shit back in the DOTA days. Things beyond miracles. But this¡­ this might be beyond even him. There¡¯s too many variables here, too many things that can go wrong. </i>Lightless shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts and addressed his stream again. ¡°If this game ends up taking long¡­ or if they stall him out¡­ Even if he does win, CN?HOOK2 won¡¯t hit Rank 5.¡±

    Lightless was absolutely right. All of the viewers on his stream understood that there was no way to tell how this game would go, and that uncertainty only added to the pressure. CN?HOOK2 needed to defeat Orion, a World-ss Miner and named King, and also win the game before the Ranked Ladder reset. Nearly everyone watching the game understood that they would suffocate and crumble under that much pressure and weight.

    But there was something awe-inspiring about watching CN?HOOK2 stand tall against all that pressure. He was doing something that none of the viewers could ever aplish. Or even dream of aplishing. And considering that he was doing it after grinding out game after game for hours with almost no break time, that elevated CN?HOOK2 to even greater heights in their hearts. The insane number of games he¡¯d yed on this night would leave even the most hardcore professional yers exhausted to the point of passing out. But CN?HOOK2 stood there, unwavering, against the most fearsome opponent he¡¯d faced so far in the most important game of his climb!

    ¡°Shit. Herm? How many ways can you fuck a duck and still cook it?¡± Nightsong asked his old friend without moving his eyes from the stream.

    The question startled Hermes enough that he asked, ¡°What? Just¡­ what? Nightsong, you say some strange things and I usually know what you mean. But this¡­ I genuinely have no idea what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    Nightsong sighed before replying, ¡°Your thoughts, Herm! On what¡¯s going on with CN?HOOK2 and Orion! The shit that we¡¯re watching! There¡¯s so many ways this can y out and I¡¯m wondering what his chances are! How is that not fiddle-fucking-obvious?¡±

    Hermes rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered what to say. Nightsong understood that in a game like the one about to be yed, with two Miners of that caliber, the only person that could urately judge which way it would go was another World-ss Miner and fellow King like Daybreak Hermes. No one else, professional yer or not, could y out the possibilities and predict what could happen in this game.

    Hermes closed his eyes and continued to think for another minute. Then he opened them and said, ¡°CN?HOOK2¡¯s got a 30% chance of winning? Maybe? If it were me, and I was going into this game after already having yed 13 games straight, I¡¯d maybe have a 30% chance of winning. That¡¯s being optimistic about it. But that¡¯s for me. If CN?HOOK2 is really <b>him</b>¡­ then even I¡¯m not sure what the probability is here. There¡¯s no way to tell with that guy. But I know that there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be ying at my best in this game.¡±

    Inside the Team Rapids¡¯ gaming house, Shi Hang and Aurous were deep into the same exact conversation as Nightsong and Hermes.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s ying at his best or not right now! Lin Feng is <b>resilient</b>, and almost alwayses through when he¡¯s in a pinch,¡± Shi Hang stated confidently. He had absolute faith in Lin Feng.

    Aurous frowned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how good he was! You said he wasn¡¯t back to peak Maple yet! And there¡¯s no way you can say for sure that he¡¯s still going strong. No shot. He¡¯s yed 13 games before this one and he¡¯s had no time to rest or reset mental. There¡¯s literally no shot that he¡¯s ying at peak energy. Even if he goes in strong and looks good in the first few minutes of the game, he¡¯ll start falling off as he gets more and more tired. There¡¯s no way you can say for sure that won¡¯t happen, right? Let¡¯s not forget that he¡¯s ying against Orion right now, who is still fresh. I¡¯d say that even Hermes in peak condition has a 50-50 chance against Orion!¡±

    Shi Hang had nothing to say. He knew that Aurous was right. The argument here really wasn¡¯t about Lin Feng¡¯s mental or physical state. That mattered somewhat, but it paled inparison to the biggest determinant factor for this game. Lin Feng¡¯s opponent was Orion. A King and the 3rd best Miner in Korea.

    Shi Hang took a deep breath and tried to keep the worry he felt off his face. <i>This really is going to be a tough game to win. The Lin Feng from four years ago, when he was Maple, he¡¯d have no problem against Orion. But the Lin Feng of today? Has he gotten enough back to take on someone like Orion¡­ ?</i>

    All 10 yers in the game locked in on their champions and moved into the loading screen.

    <b>Blue Team versus Red Team</b>

    Top: <b>Lulu </b>vs. <b>Rumble</b>

    Jungle: <b>Sejuani </b>vs. <b>Gragas</b>

    Mid: <b>Yasuo </b>vs. <b>Zed</b>

    Support: <b>Thresh </b>vs. <b>Janna</b>

    Ad-Carry: <b>Tristana </b>vs. <b>Jinx</b>

    Lin Feng closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, exhaling slowly after each one as he prepared himself mentally for this final game. He could feel An Xin, still calmly sitting next to him and gazing at him warmly. His solepanion on this climb up the Korean Challenger Ladder. He could feel what she was thinking. <i>This is thest game. Are you confident you can win? </i>

    Lin Feng thought about the question on An Xin¡¯s mind. <i>Can I win? Am I confident that I can win? I honestly have no idea if I can win this game. But that doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯m not going to sit here second-guessing myself over getting into this game. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m up against Orion, Moon, or anyone else! I¡¯m going to keep my promise to One!</i>

    <i>Orion¡­ the only way I¡¯m going to beat him inne is if I go all out. No, no, no! I gotta pull out even more! All out plus! Orion¡¯s known for being an aggressive Miner. He¡¯s going to go in for the kill the second we¡¯re inne¡­ and that¡¯s the best kind of fight. No tricks, no fancy strategies and overthinking. We¡¯ll be fighting each other with pure skill to decide who is better!</i>

    <i>That¡¯s what this game is going to be. A straight and fast slugfest! That¡¯s a good thing too. With Orion setting the pace, there¡¯s no way this game is going to drag out. This is going to be a 15 minute game! </i>

    The two teams loaded into Summoner¡¯s Rift as Lin Feng steeled his mental state, and when the Korean Announcer¡¯s voice rang out to wee them into Summoner¡¯s Rift, he opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and readied himself for battle. This was his moment and he was going to do whatever it took to keep his word to One! He was all fired up and the intensity of his spirit raged out through his eyes. What almost no one knew, from Lightless to all his viewers to the professional yers watching, or expected was that this was when Lin Feng was at his best!

    The number of people that understood where Lin Feng was at right now could be counted on a single hand. One of those people was currently inside KG¡¯s Gaming House, nervously watching the Lightless steam of CN?HOOK2¡¯s game. Tian Tian.

    Tian Tian sat there watching the Champions load into Summoner¡¯s Rift, alternating between a small smile of joy at his friend¡¯s triumphs and nervous shivering. Then his phone started ringing, which startled him and made him fall back in his chair. Tian Tian quickly got up and took his phone out of his pocket to answer it.

    ¡°Yo? AYO! Say something! Hello? Hello? FATTY!? You there? It¡¯s Read XIII! I hear you breathing loudly. Can¡¯t you talk?¡±

    The caller was the star Jungler and Team Captain of Taiwan¡¯s Assassins, Read XIII.

    Tian Tian tried to gather his breath andposure after the fall and answer. But before he could get a word in, Read XIII started asking another question. ¡°Anyways. Listen. I¡¯ve got something to ask you. Are you watching that Hook2 climbing on the Korean Server? He¡¯s on Lightless Heart¡¯s stream. It¡¯s all over the forums too. Pretty much everywhere. All the other streamers are trying to figure out how to rebroadcast the Lightless¡¯ stream. Anyways. That Hook2 guy, is that Maple?!¡±

    Just as Tian Tian had gotten his breath back, the question knocked it out of him all over again. ¡°Huh, u-uh. H-h-hm. Uh¡­¡± The suddenness of the question caught him off guard. But he quickly gathered himself and said, ¡°It is¡± with a nod.

    Read XIII¡¯s voice grew even louder. ¡°HOLY SHIT! IT REALLY IS HIM!? FUCK! I thought it was One in the beginning, but then I realized¡ªwait, that don¡¯t sound right. He definitely couldn¡¯t be assed to do something so annoying. Then I figured it out! Lightbulb! Lightning-on-the-brain! I thought about Maple! Who else would be this bananas? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This is nuts! That kid is even crazier than me!¡±

    Read XIII¡¯s mouth was firing off like a cannon, not pausing in the slightest. He waspletely lost in his excitement.

    ¡°H-hey, calm down. Breathe!¡± Tian Tian muttered, still confused and bewildered.

    Read XIII changed the subject again. ¡°Hey, I wonder how far Maple¡¯s gonna climb? Wait. Well, shit. He¡¯s only got enough time for this one game. God damn! He¡¯s even facing Orion!? This¡¯ll be a tough match! Hey Fatty, do you think Maple can win?¡±

    Tian Tian paused for a moment, then forcefully nodded. ¡°He¡¯ll win! ¡°

    ¡°Huh? How are you so sure?¡± Read XIII asked, surprised.

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes looked back at the stream, pride and joy shining through them. ¡°Because moments like this one are when Lin Feng is at his strongest!¡±

 Chapter 425: Dead Heat

    <b>¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·</b>

    The game started. All Champions were summoned onto Summoner¡¯s Rift and ran to their respectivenes. CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo met Orion¡¯s Zed in the Midne before the first minion wave spawned. They danced around each other, poking and testing each other¡¯s defenses. And then the first wave of minions arrived, announcing the start of thening phase. Yasuo and Zed continued to poke at each other while getting thest hit on every minion.

    And then, 3 minutes after the start of the game, the Junglers on both teams decided to roam over to the midne for their first ganks. By the time they arrived, Yasuo and Zed were already at each other¡¯s throats, deep in the middle of an intense sh! Zed¡¯s health was dangerously low after taking sh after sh from Yasuo¡¯s de. But Zed¡¯s Razor Shurikens gave Yasuo just as much damage back. When both Champions were on theirst legs, Zed shed back towards his tower to avoid a Whirlwind from Yasuo¡¯s de headed right for him!

    CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo saw an opening. He shed forward and then seamlessly dashed through one of the Red Team¡¯s minions with Sweeping de and arrived right in front of Zed with a graceful spin of his Steel Tempest. Before the attack ended, Yasuo also managed to Ignite the Zed. Onest auto-attack was all that was needed to cleave this first life from Zed.

    <b>¡¶First Blood!¡·</b>

    But CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo did note through the exchange unscathed. Zed¡¯s Razor Shurikens and auto-attacks managed to reap the vast majority of Yasuo¡¯s health. And in the seconds before he died, Zed managed to Ignite Yasuo. And the Ignite continued to burn away at the dregs of Yasuo¡¯s health after the Zed¡¯s death, until Yasuo also died.

    <b>¡¶An Ally Has Been in!¡·</b>

    The two Junglers who served as witnesses to this first battle both backed away into their respective jungles, clearly unsure about how the rest of this game would y out.

    ***

    Despite the fact that this was only the first exchange of a game that only started three minutes ago, it was more than enough to thrill and shock the million viewers on Lightless¡¯ steam. They were allser-focused on the stream with goosebumps spreading across their bodies. Just this first taste had told them that this game would be the stuff of legend.

    The first real fight of the game in the Mine, the first cross of swords between CN?HOOK2 and Orion, had ended in aplete draw. Yasuo and Zed were even in terms of kills, deaths, and minions killed so far. Both of them had even used up both of their avable Summoner Spells.

    All of the viewers watching the stream were spellbound by the action. That included Lightless Heart, who said nothing for the duration of the fight. He just watched. And then when Yasuo and Zed both died, he jumped up out of his seat and eximed, ¡°Hot damn! The pace of this game is even faster than the LPL! I¡¯m calling it right now, folks! This game, this is going to be all about the Mine. That¡¯s it! On one side, we¡¯ve got the mysterious CN?HOOK2! He¡¯s charged all the way to Rank 6 on the Korean server in a single night and shows no signs of slowing down! On the other side, we¡¯ve got Orion. A King and Miner for the OGN team Warrior! These two are going to slug it out, and whoeveres out on top is going to win this game! We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s happening on the othernes right now, or the Jungle! But that doesn¡¯t matter, because what¡¯s going on in the Mine is what the absolute peak of League gamey looks like!¡±

    ***

    The first fight was just as thrilling for An Xin, who watched the whole thing unfold from her seat beside Lin Feng inside the hotel room in Beijing. Her eyes sparkled with appreciation as she yed it over in her mind.

    <i>That was beautiful to see. Everything was timed so perfectly it could¡¯ve been choreographed. Orion waited until his Jungler¡¯s Gragas arrived, and then had his Zed use Living Shadow¡¯s position switch to dash over to Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo. Then Zed engaged with Razor Shurikens. Just as that attacknded, Gragas rushed into the Mine and shed forward tond a Body m on Yasuo. Again, perfect. The stun from Body m locked Lin Feng¡¯s Yasuo down, creating an opening for Zed and Gragas to wail on him. </i>

    <i>The whole thing was nned and executed precisely. It would¡¯ve worked too, if Blue Team¡¯s Jungler Sejuani had also not arrived at the perfect moment to save Yasuo. She shed forward and started an Arctic Assault just as the sh ended. The Arctic Assault sent her charging into Zed, knocking him up and ending the Zed-Gragas gank on Yasuo. </i>

    <i>Sejuani charging in managed to distract Gragas for the tiniest moment. That tiny bit of distraction was more than enough to change the timing of Gragas¡¯ Barrel Roll. He still used the skill, but the stun on Yasuo ended before the barrel could hit. That was enough ck for Lin Feng to avoid the barrel by dashing to Orion¡¯s Zed with Sweeping de. </i>

    <i>Orion wasn¡¯t slow at all though. The second the knock up on his Zed from Sejuani¡¯s Arctic Assault ended and he saw Yasuo dashing towards him, he reacted instantly with another Razor Shuriken. But Lin Feng blocked that with Yasuo¡¯s Wind Wall. And then he followed up with a basic attack into Steel Tempestbo. That was the second Steel Tempest. Lin Feng used the skill again to send a Whirlwind rushing at Orion¡¯s Zed to knock him up, which would¡¯ve ended the fight if not for how quick Orion¡¯s decision-making was. Orion decided to back away and create some distance by shing back towards his Outer Tower, which also let him avoid the Whirlwind from Yasuo¡¯s de. He would¡¯ve survived, if there wasn¡¯t a perfectly ced Minion between him and Yasuo. </i>

    <i>Yasuo went in again with the Sweeping de into Steel Tempestbo again, this time following up with an Ignite and an auto attack. That killed Zed. And then thest tick of Zed¡¯s Ignite managed to kill Yasuo.</i>

    <i>It all sounds so simple when I y it out in my head like that. But all of this happened over seconds! The reflexes and mechanics both Lin Feng and Orion just disyed though¡­ Nothing about that was simple. Everything was done so precisely, and both of them managed everything from timing to distance to skill cooldowns perfectly! </i>

    <i>Orion! He really does live up to his reputation as a King. His Zed is absolutely wless! More importantly, he managed to stay calm and make optimal decisions in the middle of such a chaotic and fast battle. Literally, the most optimal! He never gave up for a second and managed to keep everything perfectly even!</i>

    <i>As for Lin Feng¡­ </i>

    An Xin stopped thinking about the fight and turned to face Lin Feng. She studied his face and then continued her train of thought. <i>Lin Feng was just as brilliant! He¡¯s been ying all day, and he¡¯s still just as quick and focused as Orion is right now!</i>

    An Xin saw tiny droplets of sweat forming on Lin Feng¡¯s forehead as he continued to y. She smiled. <i>What a blockhead¡­ he¡¯s already going all-out and the game has just started. But I haven¡¯t seen him like this in a long time. A very long time. But when he gets like this, he¡¯s almost never lost a game. Except that one time against Rake during the Season 1 World Finals¡­ Hm. That doesn¡¯t matter though. Lin Feng isn¡¯t up against Rake. He¡¯s ying Orion. There isn¡¯t going to be a second exception!</i>

    ***

    ¡°Fucking nine hells! Spank me with Lux¡¯s wand cause I gotta be dreaming! A Yasuo that isn¡¯t ying recklessly and actually ying with strategy? I didn¡¯t think that was even possible! Did it really happen? You say that right, Fatty? You saw Yasuo getting the turnaround?¡± Read XIII screamed into his headset as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

    The fees for calling internationally were too expensive, so Read XIII and Tian Tian switched to QQ and started watching the game together.

    ¡°Maple! That bastard! Just how much of his form has he recovered? He¡¯s going even with fucking Orion! ORION! He yed against high schoolers for a couple of weeks, and he¡¯s already this close to being at his prime again!?¡± Read XIII screamed at Tian Tian. Then he took a deep breath to calm down and continued, ¡°Listen, listen! We¡¯ve yed against Team Warriors in so many games. I don¡¯t even remember how many times. And I¡¯m the Captain of Assassins! I¡¯ve yed against Orion, I¡¯ve studied him, I¡¯ve tried toe up with strategies to beat him for a while now. I can tell you, FOR A FACT, that Orion deserves to be a member of the Seven Kings. His mechanics and skills really are the best in the world! I know EXACTLY how good Orion is!¡±

    Read XIII stopped again to gather his thoughts and some air. ¡°Lemme tell you this, Fatty. The scary part of this game isn¡¯t Orion. The scary part is that Lin Feng was evenly matched with Orion in thatst fight. We both know how much of an advantage even a tiny fraction of skill makes at this level of y. LIN FENG WAS DEAD EVEN WITH ORION! NEITHER OF THEM HAD THE ADVANTAGE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS, FATTY? That rotten son-of-a-whore Maple is already at the level of a King! A KING! Is he going to be an Emperor again next week?¡±

    From Read XIII¡¯s point of view, if Maple had already recovered to the level of a King, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he reached the level of an Emperor again!

    ¡°Fuck! How many years has it been since he left pro y? Hees back yesterday, ys in a few high school tournaments against kids who couldn¡¯t hope to ever beat him, and suddenly he¡¯s at the level of a King again? That¡¯s nuts! I¡¯ve literally got sweat running down my balls and making them stick to my thighs! Complete balls to the wall nuts! ¡° Read XIII muttered. ¡°Fuck! He¡¯s making all of us from the old days look bad! We¡¯ve all been working our asses off for the past four years, and then the Amazing Fucking Maple pops up to make it look like we¡¯ve all been standing still!¡±

    Tian Tian ignored Read XIII¡¯s rambling and continued focusing on the stream. A momentter, he shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of his form he¡¯s recovered, but I can tell that he¡¯s still far from where he was at his prime. As for how strong he is now¡­ that¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    ***

    That was the real question that everyone watching Lightless Heart¡¯s stream pondered after thatst fight. Exactly how strong was the mysterious CN?HOOK2? It was beyond obvious that he was an expert and unusually skilled. Everyone understood that before this final game started. But the fight between CN?HOOK2 and Orion hadpletely shaken everyone¡¯s perspective. CN?HOOK2 had gone toe-to-toe with a King and ended it in a draw. That was something that no one had expected. And no one knew what that even meant. The first three minutes of this game raised more questions than it answered.

    Lightless Heart fell back into his chair after his impassioned speech to his viewers. The implications of the fight didn¡¯t hit him in the excitement. But once it did, his heart skipped a beat. There was one question screaming and echoing through his mind right now, drowning out every other thought. <i>Does this mean that the LPL has another King? Another King Miner besides Daybreak Hermes?</i>

    Daybreak Hermes¡¯ eyes flickered with mixed emotions as he considered the same question, and he hesitateding to a conclusion.

    Shi Hang and Aurous looked at each other, at the shock and doubt in each other¡¯s eyes, and asked each other the question at the same time.

    ¡°Just how strong is Lin Feng right now?¡±

    ¡°Just how strong is CN?HO¡ªno. Just how strong is Maple right now?¡±

    Apart from An Xin who was sitting next to Lin Feng, there was only one other person that really knew the answer.

    Los Angeles, California, United States.

    On the top floor of a five-star hotel, a beautiful woman was sitting against the window. Her hair draped down her shoulders, exposing one half of her slender neck.

    The woman was looking at her phone. Suddenly, she raised her head and looked at the young man standing next to her and smiled. ¡°It looks like Lin Feng¡¯s climbing the Koreandder tonight. He¡¯s ying his final game. It¡¯s all they¡¯re talking about on the forums. If he wins this one, he¡¯llplete that task you gave him!¡±

 Chapter 426: Master and Disciple

    There wasn¡¯t a single person following CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb tonight who knew why he popped up all of a sudden, or why CN?HOOK2 was grinding so hard. There were theories, all of which were wrong. Even the professional yers following had no idea that the events on this night all started because of a challenge issued by a master to his disciple. They also had no idea that CN?HOOK2¡¯s extraordinary determination was anchored by a promise between that same master and disciple.

    And almost none of them had an idea of who this Master and Disciple were, or what their backgrounds were. If all the people following the climb on the forums and Lightless Heart¡¯s stream knew the lore of this Master and Disciple and the history between them, they¡¯d have fallen out of their chairs out of sheer shock.

    The Disciple was the former number one Miner in all of China back in Season 1. A legend at the time who was considered equal to Rake, and who had gone toe-to-toe with Rake all the way to the very end. The Master was one of the most decorated yers in Chinese Esports and someone who hadid the foundation of the entire scene. Lin Feng and One.

    There was only one person who could get Lin Feng to push himself this far in an attempt to climb the Korean Challenger Ladder, and that person was One.

    And right now, One had flown all the way from Thand to Los Angeles with Five to continue their honeymoon. It was Five who had checked the League forums on her phone and noticed all the ruckus about CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb. She knew that Lin Feng was constantly on One¡¯s mind, regardless of how aloof he pretended to be about the whole thing. Five also knew that One was definitely thinking about the challenge he¡¯d given Lin Feng and wondering how it was going. That was her primary reason for checking the League forums for any news about Lin Feng, and then bringing it up to One.

    The second that Five brought up Lin Feng, One perked up immediately and moved a little closer to her so he could see her phone. Then he looked at Five and said, ¡°Oh? He¡¯s still trying toplete that little task? I thought he¡¯d given up already. But it¡¯s prettyte in China, ain¡¯t it? He¡¯s ying hisst game?¡±

    Five looked up at One with a knowing smile. <i>It¡¯s so cute how he pretends not to care. He thinks I don¡¯t notice him trying to read my phone¡­ </i>She nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s veryte in China right now. But your little student hasn¡¯t stopped ying all night. He¡¯s been on a roll too. Started out with a three game win streak, but that got broken. He rallied and went on a four game win streak after, and then got knocked out of it again. Lots of people on the forums lost hope around then, but then Lin Feng came back even stronger than before! But this is thest game of the night and the climb. If he wins this one, he¡¯ll be in the Top Five.¡±

    One¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Oh? So this is really thest game that he can y and the one game that he absolutely needs to win to beat my challenge? Hahahahaha! Kid is cutting it real close! Or maybe I¡¯m just such a fantastic mentor who gave his student a perfect task.¡±

    Five red at One for a few seconds before shaking her head in exasperation. ¡°Well, the great and all-knowing One didn¡¯t ount for what¡¯s happening right now.¡± Five held her phone up to One¡¯s face before continuing, ¡°Read that! It¡¯s all they¡¯re talking about on the Chinese League forums right now. He¡¯s ying Orion in thisst game!¡±

    One nced through the posts on Five¡¯s phone quickly. But he remained perfectly calm and shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked back at Five and casually replied, ¡°Orion? That little dork from Korea? What¡¯s the problem here? Why is everyone so surprised that Lin Feng is up against a King? This is apletely normal and expected turn of events. He¡¯s supposed to be facing stronger and stronger opponents as he climbs higher on the Korean server. I would¡¯ve found it strange if he didn¡¯t run into a King on this climb. Now that¡¯d be something to get all riled up about on the forums! I¡¯d have been on the forums myself talking about how my idiot apprentice got unusually lucky.¡±

    Five blinked slowly as she processed what One had said. Then she nodded once and stared right into One¡¯s eyes. ¡°You seem very confident that Lin Feng is going to win? You¡¯re not worried about him at all? What if this goes wrong and it¡¯s too much for him to handle? You remember what happenedst time¡­¡±

    As Five trailed off, One awkwardly coughed and answered before she could continue, ¡°I remember, I remember. If he were up against Moon, I¡¯d be a little worried. If it was Rake, I¡¯d have been very worried. But right now? I¡¯m chillin¡¯ like a viin. He¡¯s only up against Orion. I don¡¯t think this is going to be a problem at all. ¡±

    Five¡¯s eyebrows flew up as her face fixed itself into an expression of shock and surprise. ¡°What? Are you being serious right now? No bullshit? You really think that Lin Feng can win against Orion? This isn¡¯t just you being an arrogant little turd? Be realistic about this! I know how amazing Lin Feng was in his prime and how much of a prodigy he is¡­ but he¡¯s only just started toe back. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s recovered enough of his old skill to be equal to a King yet! That¡¯s just not pos¡ª¡±

    One put a hand on Five¡¯s shoulder and shook his head. ¡°Lin Feng is doing alright. He¡¯s shaking a lot of the rust off and regaining the skill he had four years ago fast. He¡¯s doing it faster than I thought he would, too. But he¡¯s not at the point of being equal to a King. Yet.¡±

    Five opened her mouth to ask a question, and then closed it before any words coulde out. She cleared her throat and then asked, ¡°What? He¡¯s not? What? Then why¡¯d you just say¡­?¡±

    Oneughed. ¡°Oh, that. Don¡¯t stress the details. Just trust me. He¡¯s definitely going to win this game.¡±

    One gave Five a cocky smile. Then he looked out the window at the Los Angeles skyline, his eyes slowly bing unfocused as he lost himself in his thoughts.

    <i>Five¡¯s right. This was a hard road that I had Lin Feng walk down. Breaking into the Top Five on the Korean Challenger rankings¡­ that¡¯s difficult enough to do normally. There¡¯s millions of yers who spend years trying to pull that off. But I made it even harder for Lin Feng by adding a deadline. But he can handle this. I know he can! </i>

    <i>The regr trash yer can¡¯t handle grinding out game after game of League. I doubt any of the current professional yers could even handle ying this many games at the Challenger level in a row. But Lin Feng can do it. That¡¯s what makes him special. He can y a tournament and then y game after game in a desperate climb while racing against time! Just like Five said, he¡¯s always been a prodigy. The kid instinctively understands the mechanics and flow of the game in ways that most other people can¡¯t. He¡¯s never needed any help with that stuff. </i>

    <i>But something broke inside the kid¡¯s head back then¡­ That¡¯s the first thing that we need to fix. He can get everything back on his own just by ying. But until he learns to be resilient against pressure, it¡¯s not going to make a difference. We¡¯ll just be ying out the past again. That¡¯s what all of this is meant to do for Lin Feng! </i>

    <i>All of this pressure that Lin Feng is feeling right now, it¡¯s an artificial recreation of what he felt back then. He¡¯s racing against time while fighting against an opponent who matches him in skill. An opponent that he¡¯s not quite sure that he can beat. All while trying not to let me down. It alles down to this one game. Exactly like it did back then. This is the pressure that he needs to bring out his potential. This is the pressure he needs to feel and deal with to break that block in his head. </i>

    <i>And he¡¯s tired right now too. There¡¯s no way not to be after ying so many games in a row. But all of those games had a point. He¡¯s gotten stronger after each one. This challenge was meant to forge Lin Feng into what he was always supposed to be. He¡¯s been hammered and tempered with every single game, bing stronger and stronger. By winning and losing, he¡¯s learned that he can bounce back better. Right now, he¡¯s exactly where he needs to be to realize his potential.</i>

    <i>If I know anything about my blockhead of an apprentice, he¡¯s at his peak state mentally right now. I¡¯ve only seen him get this serious one time, and that was when he yed against Rake all those years ago. Now that he¡¯s there again, nothing is going to stop him! Definitely not that dork Orion. </i>

    One¡¯s eyes refocused and he grinned ear-to-ear as he continued to look out the window. The light of the morning sun warmed his face. Then he yelled out to the world, ¡°That kid is my disciple. My apprentice! He¡¯s going to shoulder the next era of Chinese Esports as my chosen sessor! There¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to lose here!¡±

    Five watched as One¡¯s shoulders squared up and the old intensity zed in his eyes. She felt her heart beat faster as One¡¯s spirit roared to it¡¯s former heights and felt the pressure of his aura pushing down on her. The room itself started to feel smaller as One¡¯srger-than-life charisma eclipsed it. That¡¯s when Five understood that she wasn¡¯t looking at One, her husband, anymore. She was looking at 001. The Legend who carved an era of Chinese Esports with his hands. She understood why he was so confident in Lin Feng. Because he was 001, and the disciple he had hand-picked and trained would not be defeated!

    While One and Five talked, Lin Feng continued to y his final game of the night. His forehead had beads of sweat rolling down it, and the tension coiled and rolled through his body. It was clear that Lin Feng was finally starting to feel the weight of all the pressure bearing down on him, more so than he had in any of his previous game. The Lin Feng ying this game was not the normal happy-go-lucky Lin Feng that all his friends and teammates hade to know. This was a drastically different person, a Lin Feng who had not been seen in four long years.

    This Lin Feng was awakened and brought out because of the opponent he was ying against. Orion was an opponent that Lin Feng couldn¡¯tugh away or recklessly believe he could beat easily. And Lin Feng absolutely needed to beat Orion and win this game! His eyes burned with the fierce intensity of his spirit and he could feel his blood pounding harder and harder against every artery and vein in his body. Lin Feng could feel the pressure of the game pushing down on him and he could feel his spirit rising to push back against that pressure, pushing back more and more until everything equalized into a single moment of perfect rity.

    Lin Feng knew this feeling. He¡¯d felt like this before, a very long time ago. His fingers tapped the keys with perfect timing and precision, without conscious thought. His hand moved the mouse in concert, directing his Yasuo right where the Champion needed to be. He acted and reacted without thought or hesitation.

    The pressure of the climb, of all the games that he yed that night, the difficulty of facing Orion in this game, and his need to win, all of it hammered down on Lin Feng until it forced him to grow to a new level. He was on top of the world right now, and there was nothing that could bar his path!

    Lin Feng¡¯s evolution happened just as the game hit the six minute mark. Both Miners had hit level 6. But neither was willing to force a reckless engagement. They cautiously danced around each other until the minion wave had been cleared, and then slowly retreated back to their Outer Towers to recall back to their respective bases.

    After healing up at the fountain and buying items, Lin Feng immediately rushed out of the base toward the Botne!

 Chapter 427: Orion You Glad to be CN?HOOK2 in this Deadlock?

    ¡°What¡¯s this? It looks like Yasuo¡¯s heading to the botne!¡± Lightless eximed.¡±I think he¡¯s going in for the gank! This is going to be good, guys!¡±

    There were over a million viewers watching Lightless Heart¡¯s historic stream, and they sent the chat buzzing with excitement and anticipation. The sh between CN?HOOK2 and Orion, only minutes ago, still continued to drown them in fear and hopelessness. Because it was clear that there was no way to pull one over on a yer of Orion¡¯s caliber. That was the truth behind facing a King. Despite CN?HOOK2¡¯s incredible skills and gamey, none of the viewers believed that it was possible for him to gain any advantage at all against Orion inne.

    They were absolutely convinced of this after watching CN?HOOK2 and Orion poke at each other over thest few minutes until Zed and Yasuo both hit Level 6. It was obvious that both yers were absurdly skilled, and evenly matched. Yasuo and Zed ducked and weaved through the Mine, trying to predict each other¡¯s next move and timing their abilities to where their opponent might be. It was a breath-taking dance upon the edge of a knife. One slip meant certain death.

    Sitting on the edge of their seats, wondering when that one slip would happen, if it would happen, that was more than the viewers could handle. The thought of CN?HOOK2 making a slight mistake that Orion would capitalize on to deal a mortal blow wrapped cold tendrils of fear around their hearts. It wasn¡¯t a great feeling, and they made their sentiments known in the chat. Sitting through more agonizing minutes of this that stretched onto eternity was torture for all of the viewers.

    And then the game changed. CN?HOOK2 decided to roam to the Botne, and relief washed over all of the viewers. As far as they were concerned, the opponents in the bottomne were far easier for CN?HOOK2 to deal with than Orion. Which meant that was ane where he could get ahead of Orion and break the stalemate in Midne.

    It wasn¡¯t that the yers in the bottomne were bad. They were all skilled at League and climbed to the very top of Challenger on the Korean server. But all of the games CN?HOOK2 yed this night showed the viewers that most of those yers posed no threat to CN?HOOK2! The viewers also understood by this point that CN?HOOK2¡¯s map awareness and roam-sense was impable. If he decided to roam to the Botne, it meant he knew there was an opportunity there. And now that he¡¯d decided to avoid ying an indefinite stalemate with Orion, this game was now winnable!

    Lin Feng sent his Yasuo running down the river towards Botne. Then he pinged to let the AD-Carry and Support on his team know that he wasing in for the gank. Then he slowed his Yasuo¡¯s pace as he waited for Thresh and Tristana to create an opening for the engage.

    When Tristana and Thresh saw the pings from Yasuo and understood that he was roaming down to Botne for a gank, they started making changes to draw the Champions from the opposing team into a trap. First they started controlling the minion wave. They slowed the pace of their auto attacks until they stopped doing any damage to the enemy minions. They waited until an enemy minion was about to die before they attacked it to get thest hit. This pushed the wave back from the center of thene towards the Blue Outer Tower. And slowly pulled the enemy Jinx and Janna towards the Blue Team¡¯s side of Botne.

    When the game timer hit 6:40, Yasuo arrived in the Botne. He positioned himself behind the Blue Outer Tower and waited for an opening. Thresh understood that he¡¯d be the one starting the engage, and pinged on top of Jinx. Then Thresh used Dark Passage and tossed antern over to Yasuo. Touching thentern would instantly pull Yasuo over to Thresh¡¯s side. Without pausing to give Jinx and Janna time to react, Thresh shed right at Jinx andnded on top of her, initiating the fight with a y. He whipped his chain and sickle at Jinx in an attempt to knock her back further towards Blue Team¡¯s side of thene while also slowing her! And just as the attack animation for y started up, Yasuo grabbed thentern that Thresh had thrown out earlier and was instantly pulled to his side.

    Jinx was no slouch though, and didn¡¯t sit there waiting to die. She reacted just as quickly and shed backwards just as Thresh unleashed his y, which allowed her to avoid the attackpletely! Then she turned around and started racing towards the Red Outer Tower, while simultaneously throwing out her me Chompers behind her. The Chompers would either ensnare Yasuo and Thresh as they chased after her, or force them to walk around the trap. Either way, they would buy her precious seconds to get away from her attackers.

    Janna, Jinx¡¯s Support, also reacted quickly to the gank. She sent a Tornado flying out at Thresh and Yasuo with Howling Gale, hoping to dy their pursuit even longer. Then Janna used Zephyr to summon an air elemental and sent it flying out at Yasuo to apply a slow on him.

    As all of this happened, Lin Feng remained calm. He saw the Tornado from Janna howling towards his Yasuo, with the air elemental from Zephyr following quickly behind it. But to Lin Feng¡¯s eyes, they moved slowly. Almost unbearably slowly. Lin Feng¡¯s mouse flew across the table and his fingers blurred across the keyboard as he went into action. First, his Yasuo dashed to a nearby enemy minion with Sweeping de topletely avoid Janna¡¯s Tornado. Next, his Yasuo¡¯s de shed out horizontally to create a Wind Wall. The air elemental from Zephyr helplessly crashed into it and dissipated into a gentle breeze. Finally, he used another Sweeping de to dash towards Janna and stabbed at her with a Steel Tempest!

    Jinx, noticing that Janna was in mortal danger, turned around and fired a sma shell at Yasuo with her shock pistol Zapper. The sma round, in addition to doing damage, also applied a slow. If it hit, it would give Janna enough time to recover and get away from Yasuo.

    Lin Feng saw the attack, and again it moved slowly for him. He watched the sma round from Zapper move towards his Yasuo frame-by-frame. In the state he was in, Lin Feng had more than enough time to react. Which he did quite easily by having his Yasuo dash to a nearby enemy minion with Sweeping de. An enemy minion that was coincidentally very close to the Jinx!

    Yasuo used yet another Sweeping de to dash straight into Jinx! Then he shed into the Jinx with a basic attack. Just as the basic attack ended, Yasuo pierced through Jinx quickly with a Steel Tempest and then shed out yet again with a basic attack. And then, Yasuo finished thebo with another Steel Tempest. This was the third cast of Steel Tempest, so the winds gathered around Yasuo¡¯s de whirled out at Jinx, knocking her up into the air!

    This was the condition needed for Yasuo¡¯s Ultimate¡ªLast Breath! It could only be used on enemies who were knocked up. Just as Jinx hit the highest point of her aerial ascent, Yasuo blinked over to her with Last Breath. Then he unleashed strike after strike on the helpless Jinx, each one holding her airborne for a little bit longer. Finally, Yasuo finished the attack with a downward sh that sent Jinx flying back down to the ground. Before the Jinx could get up, Yasuo gracefullynded down right beside her and beheaded her with a final basic attack!

    <b>¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·</b>

    While Yasuo had been busy with Jinx, Thresh and Tristana had not sat idly by. Thresh had followed right behind Yasuo and locked the Janna down. This gave Tristana the time needed to burst Janna down and kill her.

    <b>¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·</b>

    The chat on Lightless¡¯ stream erupted into fervent cheers as all of the viewers celebrated! It was a beautiful y to watch, and they¡¯d been awestruck by CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo. The positioning, the dashes with Sweeping de, the precise application of Steel Tempest to maximize the knockup, all of it had been beautiful to see. And to top it all off, the gank had helped Blue Team secure two kills! One of those kills went to CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo, which meant he had a small advantage that he could build into a snowball over Orion! Just as they started to celebrate the fact that CN?HOOK2 had finally found a decisive edge over Orion in the chat, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again.

    <b>¡¶An ally has been in!¡·</b>

    The chat wentpletely silent.

    Lin Feng quickly panned his camera over to the Topne to see what happened. Lulu, the Topne Champion for Blue Team, had just been killed.

    When Lin Feng decided to roam into the Botne with his Yasuo, Orion decided to take his Zed into the Topne for a gank. From the look of things, Red Team¡¯s Rumble and Zed had ganged up on her and forced her back all the way to the safety of her Outer Tower. Then Rumble and Zed decided to dive into the Tower¡¯s range to kill her. And it was Orion¡¯s Zed who had gotten the kill.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. <i>Orion¡¯s got just as much map awareness as I do right now. As expected of a King. That roam into Topne was smart. Let¡¯s see¡­ the only thing that¡¯s changed now is that Rumble has a significant CS advantage in Topne. I got a kill and Orion got a kill, so we¡¯re still going to be roughly even in the Midne. Alright. That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s keep this going a little bit longer. </i>

    The next few minutes of gamey would prove Lin Feng¡¯s assessmentpletely correct. The Midne had turned into aplete stalemate.

    Yasuo and Zed were locked in a frantic dance in the center of the Midne, neither budging an inch as they continuously probed each other for openings that weren¡¯t there. Both Champions poked at each other while simultaneously trying to bait the other into making a mistake. But that didn¡¯t happen, and they slowly whittled down each other¡¯s health. The pace in the Midne was frantic, with even the most minute of details bing significant as CN?HOOK2 and Orion searched for that decisive moment that would break the stalemate they were caught in.

    As the health of both of the Champions slowly dropped lower and lower, every sh and minor poked provoked greater tension. Every single person watching Lightless¡¯ stream held their breaths as they stared at their screens, afraid to blink and miss the decisive moment.

    Then all of them noticed Red Team¡¯s Gragas slowly creeping towards the Midne for a gank, and they tensed up further as they worried about CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo getting caught and killed. But before despair couldpletely grip the chat, Blue Team¡¯s Sejuani also started roaming up into the Midne. The general atmosphere of the chat pulled aplete 180 as all of them turned hopeful that Sejuani would help CN?HOOK2 create an opening that would allow him to kill Orion¡¯s Zed.

    As the chat alternated rapidly between hope and despair, between the best case scenario and the worst case one, fast enough to give themselves whish, Red Team¡¯s Gragas stepped back from the Midne and back into his Jungle. Sejuani also couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to enter and also went back into her own Jungle. Chat erupted into confusion as neither of the oues they were predicting yed out.

    Lightless Heart noticed the straight confusion afflicting his viewers and smiled. He decided to clear things up for them, ¡°Guys! What are you even thinking here? Look at those two! You think Orion is a shit yer who is hardstuck at bronze? The guy is a King! And CN?HOOK2 is just as good as Orion. When you get to the level these two guys are at, you can easily predict where the enemy jungler is going to gank from and you adjust for that. More importantly, Orion and CN?HOOK2 are watching each other extremely closely. Any slight change in behavior from either of them would be instantly noticed by the other. Neither of them can set up a gank without the other figuring it out. That¡¯s why the two Junglers backed away. If Gragas had gone in, he would¡¯ve died. The same thing applies to Sejuani. The smartest move in that situation was to back away instead of attempting to force a gank and failing. Especially given the fact that Yasuo and Zed are both extremely mobile Champions who are difficult to catch.¡±

    While Lightless Heart spoke to his viewers, Yasuo and Zed continued to poke at each other and farmed minions. The only time the frantic dance between the two Miners found a brief interlude was when they back away to ce wards down. And then it started up again at the same intense pace.

    Yasuo and Zed¡¯s creep scores slowly increased, with neither one pulling ahead of the other. Eventually, the game hit the 10 minute mark and both of them recalled back to base to heal up and buy items. Then they returned to the Midne again. Their deadlock continued to rage.

    More than a million viewers in Lightless Heart¡¯s chatined about how their nerves were fried from all the pressure and how they were soaked in sweat. They talked to each other about how they would¡¯ve already tried to force an opening if they were in CN?HOOK2¡¯s shoes. Or how they would¡¯ve slipped up and gotten killed by now. All of them knew that maintaining a deadlock at this level of y for this long was well beyond an ordinary yer. It took nerves of absolute steel, and none of them could pull it off.

    Lightless Heart noticed the conversation taking ce in his stream chat, and his expression turned serious. ¡°They¡¯re not going to drag it out much longer, guys. Right now, both Yasuo and Zed have their shes and Ignites off cooldown. And they¡¯ve got more than enough damage to kill each other. This is it. We¡¯re about to see this deadlock break and find out who is going to win this game!¡±

 Chapter 428: Death Marks and Last Breaths

    ¡°Orion¡¯s gonna go in right now! I¡¯m telling you, Fatty, he¡¯s going to try something!¡± Read XIII screamed into his headset. He was still in the QQ call with Tian Tian, watching Lightless¡¯ stream of CN?HOOK2¡¯s final game from the Assassins¡¯ Gaming House in Taiwan.

    Tian Tian nodded once before replying with a rare seriousness, ¡°I see it. But I know Lin Feng. And knowing him¡­ he¡¯s probably nning on making a move too! Both Lin Feng and Orion have an opportunity here¡­ The real question is who is going to grasp that chance first.¡±

    Read XIII cleared his throat and grimaced. ¡°Listen to me, Fatty. Assassions has gone up against Warriors plenty of times, I said that already, right? I¡¯ve gone up against Orion enough times to understand him. He¡¯s a rotten bastard and a prick. Out of all the Miners I¡¯ve seen, he¡¯s unique. Little shitter has a micropenis and he¡¯s constantly ovepensating for it with aggression. That¡¯s his personality and his ystyle. Just an aggressive asshat.¡±

    The Midne was the shortestne on Summoner¡¯s Rift, and the one with the highest experience because it took less time for the minion waves to arrive. In high ELO games and in professional y, Miners almost never attempted taking down their counterparts alone. It was simply too risky. If something went wrong during the engage, or they went in too deep and got nked by the Jungler who came in for a gank, recovering from that was nigh impossible. The only time a yer would attempt to make such a reckless decision is if they hadplete and utter confidence in their skills and mechanics.

    Orion was a unique Miner who possessed both the confidence and recklessness required to attempt a y like that. He was the only one in the current circle of World-ss Miners would would consistently attempt to solo kill hisne opponent in an evenly matched situation. And shockingly enough, Orion¡¯s sess rate at the y was insanely high. He had honed his skills to the point where theypensated for the risk.

    The topic hade up in an interview with Orion. His reply was, ¡°What? You think I¡¯m being too aggressive? You wanna know why I y so recklessly? OH! You think it¡¯s risky to go in like that, yes? Haha! Who told you it was risky? One of these analysts that sit around talking about what we do because they figured out they couldn¡¯t y as good? Hahahaha! Listen! Apart from Rake, because he¡¯s just a monster, there ain¡¯t a single Miner I can¡¯t win against! It¡¯s not a risk when I know I can win, you feel me?¡±

    That interview summed up everything that went on in Orion¡¯s head during a game. If he decided to go in for the kill, it was because he knew he could get the kill. There was no risk in his mind. And he had justified his supreme confidence on multiple asions. Even the Moon Emperor had been solo killed by Orion in the past on a few rare asions.

    Tian Tian considered Read XIII¡¯s assessment of Orion for a minute. Then he said, ¡°I-hm. I-I¡¯m not¡­ What I mean is, I don¡¯t know Orion that well. Definitely not as well as you know him. But I know Lin Feng! I believe in Lin Feng! He can take Orion. Back in his prime, when everyone knew the name Maple, Lin Feng wasn¡¯t scared of anyone! He¡¯d always go in for the kill and he¡¯d always get it. Orion might be confident, but Lin Feng is more confident than him! I know this for a fact!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, Fatty. Simmer down. I know you believe in Lin Feng. If anyone¡¯s got a shot at taking that arrogant son of a whore Orion down a few pegs, it¡¯s Maple.¡± Read XIII took a deep breath and then continued, ¡°Zed versus Yasuo. Ninja versus swordsman. Fuck, it¡¯s like I¡¯m watching an old school Japanese film!¡± He looked at the match-up in mid and muttered, ¡°If those two really are about to go at it soon, we¡¯re gonna be in for one fucking hell of a show!¡±

    ¡°Tension is definitely building up to something,¡± Hermes said with a quick nce at Nightsong. ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say what¡¯s going to happen¡­ or who is going toe out on top. Both Zed and Yasuo have more than enough damage to kill each other, which makes this a question of skill. Which one of the two is the better yer¡­ that I don¡¯t know. But¡­,¡± Hermes paused for a moment to look at Nightsong again. His eyes flickered with mixed emotions. ¡°If I was ying this game right now, I¡¯d give myself a 40% chance of beating Orion in this scenario. Less if he¡¯s the one to make the first move and set the tone of the fight.¡±

    Nightsong rubbed his eyes. ¡°Well. Shit. Yup. Shit. I don¡¯t know why we expected anything different from Orion. He¡¯s an angry little dog. Constantly yipping and trying to prove he¡¯s just as big as the other dogs. I¡¯m actually surprised that he¡¯s held back this long, especially after what happened at the start of the game. That should¡¯ve gotten him all riled up. But for such a yippy little shitter, he¡¯s not all bark and no bite. Hisning and mechanics are really at the highest level. Man¡¯s got a big dick and he wants the world to know it. You know what I¡¯m really curious about, Herm? If these two really go at it, I wonder what choice Hook2 is going to make.¡±

    Lin Feng was indeed at a fork in the road, and he needed to pick one of two possible paths. He watched Orion¡¯s Zed and understood exactly what was happening. Lin Feng knew exactly what Orion wanted to do, he could read it in every move that Zed made. Orion wanted a fight. And Lin Feng had to decide if he was going to give Orion that fight, or if he was going to continue the deadlock in the Midne. Fight or wait for his Jungler to arrive for a gank. Fight or wait for the rest of his team to scale. Lin Feng continued to watch Zed as he considered the options.

    <i>I could keep things even with Orion long enough for everyone else on my team to catch up. That¡¯s not even that hard. But it¡¯s slow. Too slow. Every second counts right now. I need to end this game quickly before the rankeddder closes! That makes the choice very simple. </i>Lin Feng took a deep breath and the fire in his eyes zed with ferocity. <i>Alright Orion! You want to see which of us is more skilled? That¡¯s fine by me! Nothing would make me happier than making you regret this moment!</i>

    11 minutes since the start of the game. Gragas was spotted in front of the Baron Pit, walking up the river. He was trying to gank Top, but his advance was discovered thanks to one of the wards that Blue Team had ced down. Lulu, the Topne champion for Blue Team, immediately noticed and started backing away to safety.

    CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo immediately moved to the top side river brush in the Midne to drop another ward down, and cautiously started to move back into thene to continue farming minions.

    It was precisely at this moment that Lightless Heart remembered that he was a streamer, and that there were more than a million viewers watching his stream right now. He cleared his throat quickly and started talking to his viewers. ¡°That was a smart move by Yasuo right there. The ward that he just put down gives him enough vision to look out for Gragas, who could very realistically double back and gank Mid instead. At this level of y, everyone has phenomenal map awareness. Right now, Gragas is probably aware that Lulu is starting to back up. So he¡¯s also aware that his gank was spotted by a ward somewhere and that it¡¯s going to fail, and he¡¯s starting to consider other options. If he goes down to Mid, Yasuo is in real trouble. Gragas has both Explosive Cask and sh up right now. Even though CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo is a super mobile Champion, there¡¯s a high probability of death with a sessful gank from Gragas! But CN?HOOK2 considered all of that and put the ward do¡ª¡±

    Lightless Heart immediately stopped talking. Just as Yasuo returned to the middle of thene after cing the ward, Zed sent a Living Shadow out at him. Then Zed switched ces with the Living Shadow to arrive right in front of Yasuo!

    Lightless¡¯ eyes flew open as he screamed, ¡°IT¡¯S STARTING! This is the big fight we¡¯ve all been waiting for!¡± His chat was dead silent as everyone focusedpletely on the game.

    Orion¡¯s Zed went in immediately after switching ces with the Living Shadow. He shed into Yasuo with an auto attack.

    CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo didn¡¯t back down. He retaliated with a swift Steel Tempest, and then chained that into a Sweeping de to dash to a Red Minion standing behind Zed. As soon as Yasuo reached the Red Minion, he threw up a Wind Wall behind him, right between him and Zed!

    Just before Yasuo started dashing to the Red Minion with Sweeping de, Zed had started to cast Razor Shuriken. Right as Yasuo reached the Red Minion, both Zed and his Living Shadow threw out crimson red shurikens. But the Wind Wall that Yasuo had thrown up blocked the shuriken thrown by Zed, and Yasuo quickly sidestepped around the shuriken thrown by the Living Shadow.

    The chat in Lightless Heart¡¯s stream erupted into cheers.

    Orion¡¯s pupils constricted in front of his monitor. Both his shurikens had been avoided!

    ¡°That was beautiful!¡± Hermes cried out.

    ¡°Yasuo can get the kill here!¡± Read XIII eximed in the QQ call with Tian Tian.

    After avoiding both of Zed¡¯s shurikens, Yasuo dashed back to Zed with another Sweeping de! He had closed the gap between them before Zed could react, and stabbed out with Steel Tempest again. Yasuo de pierced through Zed just as he started backing away with a critical hit! Zed¡¯s health dropped precipitously as he ran away in an attempt to create some distance. At this point in the fight, Yasuo had the advantage with more health.

    Zed¡¯s Living Shadow was still on cooldown, so his only option was to retreat on foot. Unfortunately, Yasuo was just a little bit faster and caught up to the fleeing Zed. Yasuo¡¯s de bit into Zed with a basic attack and then a second Steel Tempest. Winds gathered and raged along the length of Yasuo¡¯s katana.

    Zed kept retreating towards his Outer Tower, and Yasuo kept chasing him. Then Yasuo dashed to a Red Minion just in front of Zed with Sweeping de,pletely cutting off Zed¡¯s escape. Yasuo turned around to face Zed and shed out with a third Steel Tempest! The winds that had gathered along the length of his katana flew out towards Zed as a whirlwind.

    The whirlwind howled and raced towards Zed. But just as it reached him, Zed disappeared! He had activated his ultimate ability¡ªDeath Mark. The whirlwind raced past where Zed used to be and then fell apart into a harmless breeze. Four blood red Living Shadows converged on Yasuo from the cardinal directions and left an ominous crimson mark on his body!

    ¡°Orion managed to turn it around!¡± Lightless cried out, his face paling. ¡°Yasuo can¡¯t use his ultimate now. Orion¡¯s seized the upper hand in this fight!¡±

 Chapter 429: Three Seconds

    Zed¡¯s ultimate ability was Death Mark. As far as most yers were concerned, this ability allowed Zed to dash to an enemy champion to ce the eponymous death mark on them. Once the mark was ced, Zed had three seconds to deal as much damage as possible to the marked enemy champion. After the three seconds psed, the mark would trigger and deal a portion of the damage Zed had done to the enemy champion again. Simple.

    But Orion was not a yer who could be clumped in with the ordinary masses. He was someone who understood that the most important part of Zed¡¯s ultimate was the small effect that most other yers ignored. At the moment of activation, Death Mark rendered Zed untargetable. What untargetable meant in practice was that any skill or attackunched at Zed that had yet to make contact before Death Mark was activated would notnd on Zed once Death Mark was activated. That brief window of absolute invincibility was the most potent weapon in Zed¡¯s Arsenal.

    And it was that window of invincibility that Orion used to allow his Zed to dodge the whirlwind that had flown off from Yasuo¡¯s sword with the third cast of Steel Tempest. If that whirlwind had hit, Zed would¡¯ve been knocked up and triggered the condition for Yasuo¡¯s ultimate¡ªLast Breath. That would¡¯ve been the end of the fight. Yasuo would have hacked through Zed¡¯s health and gained the upper hand. That was what all of Yasuo¡¯s moves up until this point in the fight led toward.

    But Orion had mentally yed out all of CN?HOOK2¡¯s moves before they had happened, and prepared a counter-strategy in the middle of the fight that would decide this entire game. And then he executed it wlessly,pletely turning things around! With Death Mark, Orion¡¯s Zed had not only broken Yasuo¡¯s onught, he¡¯d also positioned himself to bring the fight back to Yasuo.

    Lightless Heart¡¯s stream chat was inplete disarray as more than a million viewers tried to express their frustration, disappointment, fear, and also begrudging respect for Orion. Pulling something like this off not only required skill beyond that of an ordinary gamer. It took an unshakeable mental state, iron will, and balls of steel.

    When it came to the professional yers, the faces of Hermes, Nightsong, Read XIII, Tian Tian, Shi Hang, and Aurous all showed disappointment and sadness. All of them instinctively understood the situation better than the viewers, and it shattered the fantasy that had been building up deep in their hearts. The mechanics and reflexes required to perfectly time a Death Mark and dodge an almost point-nk whirlwind from Yasuo¡¯s sword were extremely high. But for a King like Orion, this was a very low threshold to clear. They were all watching the game in real time, but Orion was ying the game several seconds ahead in his mind.

    In a single move, Orion had forced all of them to acknowledge that reality was a cruel mistress and that there was a clear difference between ordinary yers and those who had risen to the point where they were named Kings.

    As the four crimson Living Shadows converged onto his Yasuo, Lin Feng¡¯s eyes flickered with a sharp light. His hands on his mouse and keyboard never stopped moving. The whirlwind missing Zed did not phase him in the slightest. Lin Feng already predicted that would happen even before he had his Yasuo let the whirlwind loose. His eyes narrowed. <i>This is fine, no big deal at all. I figured that¡¯s what Zed would do. There¡¯s no way it¡¯d be this easy to outy Orion. He¡¯s probably sitting there smiling about how he managed to turn things around on my Yasuo. I lost the advantage, sure. But that doesn¡¯t mean anything. Orion¡¯s not the only one who can think a few steps ahead. This battle is far from over!</i>

    Yasuo dashed to a nearby Red Minion with Sweeping de as the four crimson Living Shadows started to converge on him. The Living Shadows followed him, and ced the death mark on him when he arrived at the minion. Then they dissipated, and Zed appeared right in front of Yasuo. His metal ws ripped into Yasuo with a basic attack.

    Yasuo stood his ground and retaliated with a powerful Steel Tempest. It pierced through Zed and wounded him critically!

    Zed¡¯s health was running low, but had not yet reached the point where Zed felt he was in danger. He stayed to sh at Yasuo with another basic attack. The death mark Zed had ced on Yasuo had not yet triggered, and Zed was trying to maximize his damage. Right as the attack ended, Zed lit Yasuo up with the unquenchable mes from Ignite!

    Orion smiled. He¡¯d timed everything perfectly. The damage ticks from Ignite would also be added to the death mark when it triggered. His smile grew colder and more menacing. <i>You¡¯re</i><i>dead! Done! Kaput! You¡¯re already a goner! You just don¡¯t know it yet! </i>

    ¡°The Ignite is out!¡± Lightless eximed. The million+ people in his stream gasped along with him.

    Back in Shanghai, Su Xue was also nervously watching the stream and biting her thumb. <i>Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is bad! Lin Feng is actually in danger now!</i>

    Lin Feng had his Yasuo sh out with a basic attack that connected with Zed. The instant the attack hit Zed, Lin Fengmanded his Yasuo to take a small step back to cancel out the rest of the attack. Then his Yasuo shed out with another basic attack.

    Sweat ran down Lin Feng¡¯s face. But the fire in his eyes continued to ze brightly, and he showed no signs of slowing down at all. If anything, he was getting faster. This game, and this fight with Orion¡¯s Zed, had fired him up from head to toe! He¡¯dmitted himself mind, body, and soul to this fight! <i>I¡¯m going to keep going until the end. Either I die or Zed dies, but I¡¯m not stopping! Orion is ungodly strong. I haven¡¯t yed against someone who was this hard to beat until now. He¡¯s so good that it¡¯s making my skin tingle. But this is so exciting! The more I y against him, the more charged up I get! It¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯ve been walking around chained and contained this whole time and right now they¡¯re finallying off! </i>

    Being pushed to the very edge by Orion after ying so many games tonight forced Lin Feng to dig deep into himself to find a new strength. One that he wasn¡¯t even sure he had. But he¡¯d found it, and it pushed Lin Feng¡¯s skills and mental state to a peak that he¡¯d never experienced before. Right now, Lin Feng felt invincible. He felt like his old self, back when he was in his prime. And in this newfound state, Lin Feng knew that he could not lose!

    Lin Feng moved his Yasuo a small step to the side to evade a Razor Shuriken from Zed¡¯s Living Shadow. But he couldn¡¯t evade the one that was thrown by Zed at the same time. Yasuo¡¯s health dropped from the hit, but Lin Feng still wasn¡¯t worried or looking for an escape route. He had his Yasuo stab into Zed with another Steel Tempest. As the katana pierced Zed, winds gathered along the length of the de and waited for the right moment to be released.

    ¡°Yasuo¡¯s tornado is up again!¡¯ Zed is backing off! Yasuo¡¯s E is still on cooldown! He can¡¯t dash in and knock Zed up!¡± Lightless franticallymented over the fight ying out in the Midne. ¡°Yasuo¡¯s dashing away to a minion! He¡¯s putting some distance between him and Zed! He¡¯s¡­.!¡±

    The million+ people in Lightless¡¯ stream watched Yasuo whip back around to face Zed andsh out with a third Steel Tempest. One that sent the winds along the de screaming out as a whirlwind that flew straight at Zed!

    ¡°Is it going to hit this time!?¡± Lightless cried out.

    But then a dazzling mottled light wrapped around Zed and he disappeared. Zed had used sh just before the whirlwind connected, allowing him to dodge the knock up at the veryst second!

    The viewers in the stream who were about to celebrate too early felt their cheers caught at the back of their throats. Their faces paled, and their expressions sunk. The words ¡°Orion is too strong!¡± rolled through the chat on the stream. And the statement was not incorrect. This was the second whirlwind from Yasuo¡¯s Steel Tempest that Orion had managed to dodge at thest second in one fight. A single thought ran through the collective mind of many of the viewers, <i>is this the skill of a King? </i> Despair boiled throughout the stream chat.

    Zed reappeared a short distance away, and then immediately sent forth a Living Shadow towards Yasuo. Just as the Living Shadow reached Yasuo, Zed switched ces with it. Then he went in to gouge Yasuo with a basic attack.

    But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t even slightly fazed by the turn of events. He¡¯d predicted that Orion would use sh to dodge the whirlwind. And that Zed would immediatelye back in to try and add more damage to the death mark counter. Lin Feng had his Yasuo dash away to another Red Minion with Sweeping de just as Zed started winding up for his basic attack. By the time Zed shed out, Yasuo was already gone. Zed¡¯s metal ws sliced through empty air.

    <i>You think it¡¯s over? </i>Lin Feng thought as his eyes roared bright with his fighting spirit. <i>Not even close! </i>He had his Yasuo dash back to Zed with another Sweeping de, and then sliced into Zed with a basic attack that he chained into a Steel Tempest! Yasuo hadnded another critical hit on Zed!

    But Orion didn¡¯t care. His eyes lit up and his lips curled into a cruel smile. <i>There¡¯s only a second left before the death mark gets triggered. That¡¯s more than enough time to get a little bit more damage in. Then you¡¯re done! Hook2 will only be remembered as someone I beat down!</i> Then he looked at the item he¡¯d built out over the course of this game, the Ravenous Hydra. A giant axe that could be used to add 60% extra damage to a basic attack or ability. <i>This is the perfect cherry to put on the death mark sundae!</i> Orion activated the Ravenous Hydra, and had his Zed use Shadow sh!

    But before the Ravenous Hydra empowered Shadow sh could make contact with Yasuo¡¯s flesh, Lin Feng pressed down on the D Key. His Yasuo shed away before Zed¡¯s attack could connect! Lin Feng had read Orion like an open book.

    ¡°HE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGED IT!¡± Lightless cried out,pletely losing hisposure as a seasoned streamer and veteran professional yer. Right now, Lightless Heart was the same as the rest of his viewers. Someone who loved League of Legends. And he reacted to it like he was a kid watching his idol ying the game.

    Hermes was also deeply moved.

    Nightsong shot up from his seat in excitement.

    Aurous¡¯ jaw cked open.

    Shi Hang startedughing loudly and eximed, ¡°That¡¯s Maple for you!¡±

    Over in Korea, Orion¡¯s pupils constricted as his eyes popped open in disbelief. All of his previous confidence shed away from him, and it was reced by a deep, icy fear that pricked into his bones. A fear he hadn¡¯t ever felt before while ying League of Legends.

    After shing through Zed¡¯s empowered Shadow sh, Yasuo turned around. He used Sweeping de to dash to a red minion standing next to Zed, and unleashed the mes of Ignite upon Zed once he arrived. Then Yasuo stabbed out with a Steel Tempest that flowed into a basic attack, and stepped slightly to the side to cancel out the follow-through on the basic attack. Then he spun around with a second basic attack!

    Before Yasuo could do anything else, the death mark looming over his head triggered. Three seconds had finally psed, and all the damage that the death mark had absorbed in these frantic three seconds was unleashed. By the time the death mark disappeared, Yasuo had 16 points of health left. He was literally inches away from death.

    But Yasuo remained standing, and there was nothing Zed could do about it anymore. He had copsed lifelessly to the ground as the death mark unleashed its wave of damage over Yasuo. In this battle between the Winds and the Shadows, the Winds hade out on top. The deadlock in the Midne had been broken, and Yasuo was the victor! Lin Feng had triumphed over Orion!

    <b>¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·</b>

 Chapter 430: Tilting Powerspikes

    <b>¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·</b>

    The announcer¡¯s voice rang out, confirming that CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo had killed Orion¡¯s Zed. But all of the viewers on Lightless Heart¡¯s stream remained frozen in shock. Over a million people simply could not believe or understand what they had just seen. Everything that happened over thest three seconds in this duel between two Midne gods happened so quickly that no one could process the series of actions that had taken ce.

    The fight had blown all of their minds. And it was important to remember that most of these viewers had seen many LPL games recently. Including the amazing sh between Hermes and AyDeeCee that had happened just earlier this afternoon. But none of those games could hold a candle to what they had just witnessed. This was a dance of move and counter-move, of action and reaction, all while standing on a razor¡¯s edge. This was what a 1v1 between two Miners looked like at the highest level!

    Slowly, almost tentatively at first, the chat on Lightless Heart¡¯s stream stirred to life. The viewers registered their shock, admiration, confusion, and excitement over the fight. Then the flood gates broke and the chat roared to life. The people on the League of Legends forums, on the other hand, wasted no time putting up clips of the fight. There were already posts detailing the actions and decision-making that Orion and CN?HOOK2 went through during the whole thing. Long posts detailing analysis andparisons to previous fights were already starting to go up.

    Lightless¡¯ eyes were still wide open with undisguised shock and admiration. <i>My god! I know I was looking forward to seeing what Hook2 could pull out in this fight¡­ but¡­ oh my god! I never thought his Yasuo would be this good! Or that he¡¯d pull¡­ whatever that was against Orion! </i>

    ¡°What. A. God!¡± Hermes eximed. He sucked in a cold breath of air. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this, Nightsong. If I was ying Yasuo against Orion¡¯s Zed there, it would not have gone that way at all. I would not have been able to kill Zed. Hook2 stomped all over Orion with nothing but pure mechanics! Now we know that Hook2 can go toe-to-toe with a King! That¡¯s a confirmed fact now.¡±

    ¡°God damn¡­ did that really just happen¡­?¡± Aurous stared at theputer screen inplete shock. No words could describe the emotional storm raging through him right now. After a while, he finally calmed down. But he still couldn¡¯t hide the tremor in his voice. Or the conflicting emotions in his heart. ¡°Maple¡­ he¡¯s already this strong. When he returns to pro y, even Hermes will fold like a cheap deck of cards!¡±

    Shi Hang smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that. It¡¯s more that Lin Feng¡¯s been pushed and backed into a corner harder than anything he¡¯s dealt with in thest few years. He¡¯s turned into a berserker. Actually! He¡¯s turned into Tryndamere! Everything is being pulled out of him right now and he¡¯s unstoppable for a short time. But he can¡¯t keep this up consistently. Orion really does have terrible timing. Challenging Maple tonight, at the very end of the line. Idiot was basically begging to get his ass kicked!¡±

    In Asssassins¡¯ gaming house in Taiwan, Read XIII finally recovered from his shock. ¡°Fucking hell! I knew it! Maple really is a freak!¡± he eximed, his entire body trembling with excitement. ¡°Fuck fuck fuck! How the fuck is he so good! He¡¯s been gone for 4 years. Then as soon as hees back, he ys an insane number of games in a row in Korean Challenger and tops that off by shitting on a King! What is that about!? That¡¯s not something a retired yer should be able to do! Fuck! He¡¯s getting way too good way too quickly!¡±

    Tian Tian had a big wide grind on his face. He answered, ¡°I TOLD YOU! No one can beat Lin Feng!¡±

    Tian Tian was the only one who always believed in Lin Feng and was confident that he woulde out on top. Even when everyone else doubted his chances in this game and lost hope. Tian Tian¡¯s belief in Lin Feng didn¡¯t stem from the fact that they were former teammates. No. It came from an unshakeable truth deep within Tian Tian¡¯s heart that Lin Feng was always the strongest. In the face of that firm belief, nothing else mattered. Certainly not Orion. Or the Four Emperors. Or even Rake himself. Tian Tian knew that by the end of it all, Lin Feng woulde out on top!

    Back inside the hotel room in Beijing, Lin Feng decided to push out the minion wave after taking Zed down. His Yasuo took out two red minions with auto attacks, and then the next blue minion wave arrived. He watched as his minions pushed out all the way to the Red Outer Tower in the Midne, and then pulled his Yasuo back to the Blue Outer Tower. Then Lin Feng started to recall back to base. He only allowed himself to rx when his Yasuo was finally back in the safety of the Blue base, and exhaled a long pent up breath.

    An Xin smiled and gently put her hand on Lin Feng¡¯s shoulders soothingly, ¡°That was a great fight. You were amazing, Lin Feng!¡±

    The praise meant the world to Lin Feng, and his face lit up with a tired smile. ¡°It was something else. Fighting Orion was not easy, at all. He¡¯s probably the strongest yer I¡¯ve gone up against since starting toe back. I had to go all out and then pull out something extra! If I made the tiniest mistake or I was just a touch too slow¡­ I would¡¯ve been killed. But I won, An Xin! I won!¡±

    An Xin smiled and patted his shoulder twice. Lin Feng finally rxed enough to hear his own thoughts. <i>I won! That¡¯s all that matters here. Not just that fight, either. I¡¯ve pretty much won this game. </i>Lin Feng looked at Zed¡¯s corpse in the Midne. <i>From here on out, Orion isn¡¯t a threat. Now it¡¯s time to focus up and win this thing!</i>

    14 minutes from the start of the game, both Yasuo and Zed were back in the Midne and poking at each other. Orion was ying much more cautiously and all of his earlier confidence was gone. Gragas, the Red Team¡¯s Jungler, decided to roam into the Midne for a gank. He hid in the bottom-side river brush until the right moment, and then shed forward and dashed into Yasuo with a Body m. Thebo knocked Yasuo up into the air. But Gragas wasn¡¯t done yet. He threw an Explosive Cask at the knocked up Yasuo and sent him flying back!

    Orion was ying more carefully now, but that didn¡¯t mean that he hadpletely given up. He sent his Zed in to follow up on Gragas¡¯ attack, and Orion decided not to hold back at all. Zed went in with his ultimate¡ªDeath Mark! Four crimson Living Shadows converged onto Yasuo and left an ominous red mark over his head.

    The situation looked dire for Yasuo. But he created some distance by dashing to a red minion behind him with a Sweeping de. But this was a tactical retreat, not a frantic one. Yasuo pulled back to create an opening. And Blue Team¡¯s Sejuani and Thresh rushed into that opening when they arrived in the Midne secondster. They were counter ganking!

    Sejuani charged into Zed with an Arctic Assault and knocked him up into the air! Yasuo seized the opportunity presented by the knock up to unleash his ultimate¡ªLast Breath! He blinked over to Zed who was still flying up into the air and unleashed a rapid flurry of attacks with his katana. And then finished thebo with a final downward sh that mmed Zed back to the ground.

    Before Zed could get back up, Thresh was already there and waiting with a Death Sentence. His chain and sickle wrapped around Zed to lock the battered ninja down and stun him. Yasuo gracefullynded down near Zed and immediately shed out with an auto attack. Then he pierced Zed with a Steel Tempest that seamlesslyboed into an auto attack. Next came another Steel Tempest that critically injured the already wounded Zed. That was more damage than Zed could handle, and he fell lifelessly to the ground.

    While Yasuo and Thresh teamed up to sever Zed¡¯s connection to the mortal ne, Sejuani had not been idle. She¡¯d been keeping Gragas busy and away from Zed. And once Zed died, Sejuani locked Gragas down with a cial Prison. Then Thresh, Yasuo, and Sejuanibined forces to beat Gragas to death. The final blow was delivered by Yasuo¡¯s katana, giving him the kill.

    <b>¡¶Double kill!¡·</b>

    The chat on Lightless¡¯ stream erupted into waves of cheering, interspersed withments about how Yasuo had finally be fed, how Orion had been killed twice in a row, and how CN?HOOK2¡¯s victory was on the horizon.

    Over in Seoul, Moon was sitting in Fate¡¯s Gaming House and watching Orion¡¯s game dispassionately. Eventually, he sighed, shook his head and looked away. The oue of this game was more than clear to his eyes. <i>Orion¡¯s tilted¡­ </i>

 Chapter 431: One Final Gamble

    17 minutes on the game timer. The Dragon Pit.

    Both the Red and Blue teams gathered there for a team fight, feeling each other out. The tension was palpable. But neither team found an opening to engage. It turned into another deadlock, with both teams attempting to bait each other into breaking formation.

    Then, all of a sudden, it started. Blue Team¡¯s Thresh found an opening. A blind spot behind the wall of the Dragon Pit that ced him within attack range of Jinx. Thresh made the decision to go for it and initiated the fight with a Death Sentence. His chain and sickle whirled through the air and wrapped around Jinx! But instead of pulling Jinx to him, Thresh used the skill again to pull himself towards Jinx and Janna. And when hended in front of them, he knocked the bottomne duo for the Red Team up with y!

    Yasuo was ready and waiting. The second that Jinx and Janna got knocked up by Thresh¡¯s y, he blinked over to them with his ultimate¡ªLast Breath! Then he unleashed a flurry of shes on both Jinx and Janna before sending them flying back down to the ground with a mighty downward sh of his katana. And Lulu and Sejuani waited right below where Jinx and Janna were plummeting to the ground to receive them. They were soon joined by Thresh, who arrived just as Yasuonded.

    Four Champions from Blue Team¡ªThresh, Yasuo, Sejuani, and Lulu¡ªganged up on the helpless Jinx and Janna. Thebined and focused damage quickly killed Jinx first, and Janna followed her into death soon after.

    While this was happening, Orion sent his Zed deep into the Blue Team¡¯s backline to try and kill their AD-Carry, Tristana. Which is why Tristana could not join the assault against Jinx and Janna. She was too busy trying to escape from Zed. Once the other four Champions from Blue Team finished with Janna and Jinx, they started chasing after Zed in an attempt to rescue theirrade Tristana.

    But before they got far, Gragas popped out of the brush in the river and barrelled straight into Thresh with a Body m. He followed up with an Explosive Cask and shredded what was left of Thresh¡¯s health. The surprise ambush resulted in the death of Thresh. But the other three Champions from Blue Team pounced on Gragas and tore him to shreds. They achieved vengeance for Thresh.

    Still. Gragas, the Jungler from the Red Team, had aplished what he set out to do. He dyed the rest of Blue Team long enough for Zed to continue pursuing Tristana. Unfortunately, the sacrificial y did not work out. Tristana managed to escape from Zed using abination of her skills, sh, and Heal. Zed found himself empty-handed and wallowing in impotent rage in the Midne.

    At the end of it all, the team fight at the Dragon Pit boiled down to a 3-1 trade between the two teams. Thresh had valiantly lost his life, but his sacrifice allowed the Blue Team to take out Jinx, Janna and Gragas. Which also made it possible for the Blue Team to easily kill the now uncontested Dragon and secure the buff for themselves. The bnce of the game had shifted. The scales were starting to tip towards the Blue Team.

    ***

    The Warriors¡¯ Gaming House in Seoul, Korea. Orion¡¯s forehead dripped with cold sweat. He watched Tristana run to safety, well past the point where his Zed could reach her. Then he nced over at Yasuo, clenching his mouse so tightly that the stic creaked. <i>This is a problem! That stupid Tristana slipped through my fingers. When the next fight rolls around, she¡¯s probably going to get Quicksilver Sash from the shop. God dammit! Once she gets that item, we can¡¯t lock her down with any crowd control skills. There¡¯s also buffs and protection from her Support, Lulu, to deal with. Shit! Shit! Shit! Diving the backline and taking out Tristana is going to be significantly more difficult now. Fuck! </i>

    <i>Then there¡¯s that Yasuo to worry about. Hook2. He¡¯s getting fed hard and bing a nightmare during team fights. This situation is spinning way out of control! All this because I was stupid enough to get tilted and lose my chill after that duel with Yasuo. </i>

    With that thought, Orion¡¯s mind reyed the memory of that fight. When it got to the point where Yasuo outyed him, Orion felt a chill running down his spine. <i>Be honest here, Orion! You underestimated this Hook2, whoever he is. You can tell yourself that it¡¯s not your fault for underestimating him. You can tell yourself that you didn¡¯t think there was anyone in China beyond Daybreak Hermes who couldpete with you in terms of skill and mechanics. You can tell yourself that the whole thing was so far outside of what you expected that you can¡¯t be med for it. But none of that matters. You let your guard down and underestimated your opponent, and you lost. That¡¯s on you! </i>

    ***

    Lin Feng, on the other hand, had far less on his mind. As his team¡¯s advantage snowballed, he grew calmer and any distracting thoughts in his mind faded. He waspletely focused on the game in front of him, and the way he yed as Yasuo grew even more stable. With his newfound Zen state of mind, Lin Feng left no openings that his opponents could exploit.

    <i>We¡¯re ahead right now. But it¡¯s not an overwhelming advantage and this is Korean Challenger. At this level of y, a turn-around is always possible. Especially considering I¡¯m ying against Orion. He¡¯s more than good enough to turn this whole game around from a small mistake. But time is running out¡­ </i>

    <i>Wait! No! Yes. I¡¯m running out of time. But that¡¯s no reason to starting taking unnecessary risks and ying sloppy. Finishing the game quickly is important. But winning this game is necessary! </i>

    With that thought, Lin Feng¡¯s eyes shed with a sharp light. <i>I¡¯m going to keep this going until victory is mine!</i>

    ***

    Lightless Heart looked at his camera and spoke to all the people watching, ¡°This has been one of the highest intensity games I¡¯ve seen in a while! So much has happened and so quickly. It¡¯s a lot to take in, so let¡¯s do a quick recap of the state of the game right now! Just the highlights so you guys all have the same big picture overview that the yers do. So at 19 minutes, the entire Blue Team grouped together and ran it down Midne. They took out the Red Team¡¯s Outer Tower and then continued to push until the Inner Tower fell too. Then they split up.¡±

    ¡°Two minutester, that¡¯s 21 minutes on the game clock, Blue Team managed to take out the Red Inner Tower in the Topne. At this point in the game, Red Team was pushed back onto a defensive footing. Blue Team managed to expose the inhibitors in both Top and Midnes. If either of those inhibitors falls, then Red Team is in some serious trouble.¡±

    ¡°But Blue Team didn¡¯t push forward to take one of those inhibitors. Instead, they fell back and went over to the Dragon Pit. Since Red Team was scrambling to make sure the Blue minion waves didn¡¯t take out one of their inhibitors, it was basically uncontested. Blue Team managed to secure another Dragon at 23 minutes!¡±

    ¡°ALL IN ALL, OUR HERO HOOK2 AND HIS TEAM HAVE A GIGANTIC LEAD!¡± Lightless screamed at the over-a-million viewers on his stream. ¡°Right now! Well. Right now, Hook2 has pretty much won hisst game of the night and secured his ce in history. But¡­¡±

    ***

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a lot of time left,¡± Shi Hang said, ncing at Aurous. They were still in the Team Rapids Gaming House, watching the stream.

    Aurous frowned and nodded in agreement. He pointed at his watch and said, ¡°10 minutes. He¡¯s gotta end the game in 10 minutes or he won¡¯t make it. The rankeddder will reset. If Orion or anyone else on the Red Team tries to drag this game out beyond 10 minutes, all of this will be for nothing. Even if he wins, it won¡¯t count. ¡±

    Shi Hang¡¯s eyes shed with a sharp light. ¡°I know it. You know it. He definitely knows it. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s thinking about it right now, trying to figure out how to make use of every second he has left! If I know Lin Feng at all, then everythinges down to this next teamfight!¡±

    ***

    23 minutes since the start of the game. Red Team started to pivot to a defensive strategy. They¡¯d given up on maintaining control over most of their jungle and started setting up a perimeter of defensive wards around their base.

    ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d notice that you¡¯re stalling for time?¡± Lin Feng muttered as he narrowed his eyes. His gaze flickered with cold intensity for half a second as he ran through the options in his mind. Then he came to a decision and burst into action. He pinged on the pit where Baron Nashor had spawned. This location was simr to the Dragon Pit, but on the other side of the map towards Topne. There, the powerful Baron Nashor waited for Champions to challenge and defeat him.

    As soon as he sent the ping, Lin Feng muttered, ¡°Fine! You don¡¯t want toe out? Well, I¡¯ll just force you out!¡±

    ***

    Over in Taiwan, Read XIII had just gotten up and left to make some instant noodles. He was back five minutester, just as Lin Feng dropped a ping on the Baron. Read XIII dropped his noodles and grabbed his headset. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK?! Why is he trying to force Baron this early? This is beyond crazy aggressive! He¡¯s baiting himself and his entire time into a pincer attack! They¡¯ll be stuck with the Baron at their backs and Orion in front of them! What the fuck is he thinking, Fatty?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only choice!¡± Tian Tian replied in the QQ voice call. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to let the game drag out, the best way to force them out is by making a y for Baron! Orion¡¯s team can¡¯t just let them take Baron uncontested, because it¡¯s game over if they do. They¡¯re going to have toe out of their base and try to stop Lin Feng¡¯s team. Which is what he wants. He¡¯s trying to win the game with the next team fight!¡±

    Read XIII was doubtful. ¡°Red Team switched over to Scrying Orbs. They can see him. Which means¡­ If Maple doesn¡¯t actually start Baron, there¡¯s no way they¡¯lle out. If this game drags out for another few minutes, it won¡¯t count!¡±

    Tian Tian remained unfazed. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Trust Lin Feng! He already knows all of this and he¡¯s got a n! I know he does!¡±

    ***

    Red Team¡¯s Jinx dropped a Scrying Orb down on the Baron Pit at 24 minutes. The Orb revealed all the Champions from the Blue Team. Locked in battle with Baron Nashor.

    Orion¡¯s eyelids twitched, a slight chill running through his spine. <i>Well, I¡¯ll be damned! Looks like Hook2 is way more decisive than I realized. Why do I keep underestimating him? Stupid! But now he¡¯s left us with no choice at all. Even if he¡¯s just baiting us, we have to go down and try to stop them. But this ain¡¯t a risk-free gamble that he¡¯s making, trying to force Baron this early! Hook2 thinks he¡¯s Kaiji or something. It¡¯s a stupid gamble to try and end the game faster! But this gamble¡¯s going to cost you, Hook2! I¡¯m going to use this opportunity topletely turn this game around!</i>

    ***

    Lin Feng¡¯s n was simple. He knew that pretending to start Baron wouldn¡¯t work. The Red Team wouldn¡¯t go for a bait that obvious. He also decided that the whole pageantry of the Baron objective was pointless. Setting up vision and clearing out wards wasted too much time, and that was the one thing he didn¡¯t have enough of right now. Besides, there was no point in doing that. He already knew where all the Red Team Champions were, and he was doing this to bring them to him. So he wasn¡¯t really concerned about a surprise ambush happening. Which meant there was only one real option here.

    Lin Feng decided he would just go for it and start Baron for real. He sent his Yasuo right at the giant worm-like monster and started shing into it. The rest of the Blue Team followed him. Because they were forcing this fight earlier in the game than it was meant to be done, they weren¡¯t doing significant chunks of damage to Baron Nashor. It was slow going. But they also had Lulu¡¯s protection and Sejuani tanking, so they also weren¡¯t taking too much damage.

    With this approach, Baron Nashor¡¯s health steadily declined. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t actually care if they took down Baron or not. That wasn¡¯t even remotely his concern. His focus was on the minimap on the bottom right corner of his screen. The Red Team¡¯s Champions had popped up on one of his wards, and they were rushing towards the Baron Pit!

    An Xin, who had been quietly watching the entire game, finally opened her mouth and softly said, ¡°This is thest fight, right Lin Feng? Are you ready?¡±

    Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Yeah. This is going to be thest fight.¡±

    An Xin was more than aware that Lin Feng only answered the first part of her question. But she said nothing and continued to watch quietly.

 Chapter 432: -No One is Promised Tomorrow

    Literally no one watching could have ever imagined that a single game in the solo queue could be this intense. Or nerve-wracking. But they all sat at the edge of their seats with spasms of unease following every heartbeat as they watched CN?HOOK2 try to bait out the Red Team from their base by rushing Baron. And when they saw the Red Team rushing out of their base, hooked on CN?HOOK2 gambit, the uneasy beating of their hearts turned into palpitations.

    The tension was thick. For the viewers. For the yers in the game. Everyone involved across geographic and digital boundaries, united by this one moment in this one game, held their breaths. Time itself slowed down, with every frame and every second dragging on for an eternity.

    24 minutes and 30 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 30 seconds until the deadline for the Koreandder. Blue Team¡¯s relentless assault on Baron Nashor was starting to work. The monster¡¯s health had fallen below 30%, and it looked as if they would seed in taking it down. Meanwhile, the Red Team was rushing through the top half of their jungle in a desperate attempt to reach the Baron Pit before the monster fell.

    24 minutes and 40 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 20 seconds until the deadline for the Koreandder. Red Team¡¯s Champions had made it all the way to the River, and they were closing in on the Baron Pit. Both Red and Blue Team were locked in a desperate race against each other and time. The Blue Team¡¯s attacks continued to whittle away at what little remained of Baron Nashor¡¯s health. But the real question was if Red Team would get to the Baron Pit in time to stop Blue Team from bringing the Baron down.

    24 minutes and 45 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 15 seconds until the deadline for the Koreandder. Red Team¡¯s Gragas led the charge towards the Baron Pit. When he got close enough, he sent a barrel rolling forward to the Baron Pit. When it got close enough to Blue Team, he exploded it with another cast of Barrel Roll. Janna was right behind Gragas, and she followed up on the barrel with a Howling Gale! The rest of the Red Team was grouped up behind and around Janna.

    When Gragas¡¯ barrel rolled into their vision, all five members of Blue Team immediately ceased their assault on Baron Nashor. They managed to back away right before the barrel exploded, avoiding all damage from it. Then they split apart and Janna¡¯s Howling Gale passed through the gaps in their ranks.

    Sejuani charged out of the Baron Pit first with Arctic Assault and shed mid-charge. When she came out of the sh, she was right in the middle of the Red Team! She collided with three of their Champions and knocked them up into the air!

    Yasuo followed Sejuani out of the Baron Pit, and immediately dashed over to Gragas with Sweeping de. As hended, his de pierced into Gragas with a Steel Tempest! Winds coiled and roiled along the length of the de as this second Steel Tempestnded on Gragas. The first stack of Steel Tempest was built up right before Red Team arrived at the Baron Pit, when Yasuo used the skill on Baron Nashor.

    Gragas attempted to retaliate and hold Yasuo and Sejuani back. But before he could, he was hooked by a Death Sentence from Thresh. The Red Team was nowpletely exposed!

    Yasuo rushed past the hooked Gragas and right into the heart of the Red Team. But just as he got there, he was enveloped in mottled yellow light as he shed forward right into the Red Team¡¯s backline. When he arrived, he dashed to Jinx with Sweeping de. But mid-dash, Yasuo used Steel Tempest. The dash turned into a whirl of steel and wind, one that sent a point nk whirlwind at both Jinx and Janna. The whirlwind made contact and knocked both Champions up into the air!

    Now that Janna and Jinx were up in the air, Yasuo could unleash his ultimate¡ªLast Breath! He blinked over to the knocked up champions as they hurtled through the air and unleashed a flurry of shes on both of them! Then he knocked them back down to the ground with a final downward sh, andnded gracefully beside them. A quick session of auto attacks sliced through both Jinx and Janna¡¯s throats. The wandering samurai took a brief second to appreciate the mournful flute-like noise as thest of the wind in their lungs escaped through the cuts he had made.

    <b>¡¶Double Kill!¡·</b>

    As the Announcer¡¯s voice rang out, Yasuo¡¯s moment of quiet contemtion ended. He readied his de once more and dashed at Gragas with a Sweeping de. A quickbination of shes and thrusts granted Gragas a quick and merciful death.

    <b>¡¶Triple Kill!¡·</b>

    Now that Gragas was down, Yasuo¡¯s de hungered for the blood of Zed. He looked for the ninja that had be his rival for much of the game, and found him far away. When the battle started, Zed immediately rushed Blue Team¡¯s backline and went for Tristana with single-minded determination. It was obvious that Tristana escaping his ws earlier had enraged him. Zed shed right into Tristana and unleashed a lightning fastbination of all his skills, followed by an Ignite. It was more than the poor squishy Tristana could handle, and she sted off into the afterlife.

    Yasuo and Zed red at each other, across the battlefield littered with bodies and attacks flying back and forth that the river had be. But Yasuo had already cut down three of the Red Team¡¯s Champions, while Zed had only managed to take out Tristana from the Blue Team. Zed understood that he was hopelessly outnumbered, and that he had no hope of winning this team fight. With onest look filled with pure murder at Yasuo, Zed disappeared into the Red Team¡¯s Jungle.

    Yasuo hesitated for a brief moment as he decided if he would chase Zed into the jungle or not. And then Lulu intervened by casting Wide Growth on him. Yasuo grew in size and gained bonus health. That snapped Yasuo out of any thoughts of a reckless chase, and he turned his attention to the final enemy Champion from the Red Team left on the field. Rumble.

    All the fury Yasuo felt about Zed slipping through his fingers was unleashed on the hapless Rumble. He did notst long before slipping into the sweet embrace of death.

    <b>¡¶Quadra Kill!¡·</b>

    CN?HOOK2¡¯s gambit hadpletely paid off! This team fight at the Baron Pit was an overwhelming victory for the Blue Team at 4-1. But far more important, the Red Team¡¯s base was now exposed. Zed alone could not defend the entire base.

    The Blue Team abandoned their attempt to bring Baron Nashor down and immediately pushed down the Midne into Red Team¡¯s base. They destroyed both the Inhibitor Tower and the Inhibitor in the Midne, which let super minions spawn in thatne. Defending would now be significantly harder for the Red Team. Then the Blue Team ran over to the Topne and destroyed the Inhibitor tower in thatne!

    27 minutes on the game timer, with 5 minutes left until the deadline for the Koreandder. After destroying the Inhibitor Tower in the Top Lane, the Blue Team rolled back down to the Baron Pit in a serious attempt to bring Baron Nashor down. This time they were sessful. With the Baron Buff secured, the Blue Team decided to make one final push into the Red Team¡¯s base.

    Enough time had psed for all of the Red Team¡¯s Champions to respawn, and another team fight broke out. This one went along the same lines as the team fight in the Baron Pit. Except the Blue Team managed to take out all five Champions on the Red Team in a 5-1 trade.

    <b>¡¶ACE!¡·</b>

    28 minutes on the game timer, with 4 minutes left until the deadline for the Koreandder. Led by Yasuo, the Champions from Blue Team had destroyed the Red Team¡¯s Inhibitor in the Topne. Waves of minions led by a super minion were now streaming into the Red Team¡¯s base from twones! The Blue Team had then managed to take out two of the Red Team¡¯s Nexus Towers!

    29 minutes on the game timer, with 3 minutes left until the deadline for the Koreandder. The Blue Team destroyed the Red Team¡¯s Nexus!

    <b>VICTORY!</b>

    ***

    Lin Feng looked at the time as the victory crest floated up on his screen. <i>Three minutes left! I did it! I finished the game in time! I kept my promise to One, and that¡¯s all that matters right now¡­</i>

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to check the Korean Challengerdder to know that he¡¯d aplished the goal that he¡¯d set out for tonight. Besides, he couldn¡¯t even if he wanted to make sure. The second the game ended, all of Lin Feng¡¯s strength and energy vanishedpletely. He slumped back in his chair, exhausted and utterly spent. But his face was locked into a satisfied smirk as his eyes closed.

    Before An Xin could even start to congratte him on his victory, Lin Feng passed out in his seat. She looked at him with a gentle smile and pride in her eyes. Then she got up and walked over to him. An Xin ruffled his hair and softly spoke into his ear, ¡°Good job. Now sleep. You deserve to rest. You worked hard, Lin Feng. You don¡¯t know this, but One is going to be happy and proud when he hears about this. I¡¯m happy too. I haven¡¯t seen you like this in a long time¡­¡±

    ***

    Seoul, Korea. The Warriors Gaming House. Orion¡¯s head hung low as the red Defeat crest hung over his screen. As he contemted the loss, his expression was inscrutable.

    <i>I¡­ lost. Obviously, it¡¯s impossible for anyone to win every game in solo queue at the Challenger level. Especially on the Korean server. But¡­ Ipletely lost when it came to the 1v1 in the Midne. CN?HOOK2pletely outyed and defeated me.</i>

    Orion took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. By the time it ended, he was calm. Orion was a King and one of the top Korean yers. A single loss in a solo queue game was not enough to make him tear his hair out and throw a fit. It stung, that was for sure. But it wasn¡¯t enough to shake his confidence.

    With a cooler head, Orion reyed the previous game in his head and paused on pivotal moments as he studied CN?HOOK2. <i>Hm¡­ this could be a problem. CN?HOOK2 probably isn¡¯t an LPL yer right now because I¡¯ve never seen or heard of anyone that ys like him. But he¡¯s definitely got more than enough skill to match up with China¡¯s best Miners right now. He¡¯s also raw and unpolished¡­ definitely not a professional yer. Yet.</i>

    <i>CN?HOOK2. I¡¯ll remember him. If he enters the professional scene, then the OGN is going to have a truly formidable opponent to contend with. I lost today. But I know that I¡¯m going to see him on a real stage one day. When that dayes, I¡¯m going to be ready! I¡¯m not going to hold back at all! CN?HOOK2 I¡¯m going to take this win back from you when it matters more!</i>

    This wasn¡¯t just empty bluster in an attempt to console himself. The truth was that Orion had not gone all out in this game. As a King, one who was ranked just below Moon and Rake, Orion was a significantly more dangerous opponent than he had let on during this game.

 Chapter 433: Main Character

    While Orion contemted a future where he would face CN?HOOK2 as an LPL yer and steeled himself to redeem the loss, all of the League enthusiasts and fans across China were more concerned with the short term. For them, all that mattered was that CN?HOOK2 had won! Everything else faded for them as they lost themselves in the joy of the moment. This entire night had been tense. So tense that all of them were afraid to hope. But CN?HOOK2 had persevered despite their doubts, and he¡¯d made their wildest dreame true. That was all that they were thinking about.

    As soon as the Red Team¡¯s Nexus was destroyed, all of the viewers on Lightless Heart¡¯s stream rushed over to the Korean Challengerdder page and started refreshing. They wanted to see the rankings the second it updated. And then it happened. They all saw it in thest minute before the rankeddder reset. CN?HOOK2 was firmly and definitively in the Top 5.

    In an interesting twist of fate, it was Orion who was originally at Rank 4. His loss in thest game made his rank drop. So not only was CN?HOOK2 in the Top 5, he managed to leapfrog over Orion into Rank 4! It was, quite literally, better than what all of the over a million viewers on Lightless¡¯ hoped would happen. And they were ecstatic about it.

    ¡¸<i>66666666666666666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>He¡¯s number 4! Number 4!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>The manman, HOOK2 ACTUALLY DID IT!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>what a goooooooood! Hahaha!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>inte brethren, pinch me! Tell me i¡¯m not dreaming!</i>¡¹

    Even Lightless Heart got caught up in the moment and excitement. He threw his fist up into the air and eximed, ¡°HE DID IT GUYS!¡± As far as Lightless Heart went, this was more than about a number on a list. When this night started, he already held a deep respect for CN?HOOK2. But that respect was based on what he¡¯d heard about the yer behind CN?HOOK2 during a time when he wasn¡¯t part of the professional scene. Watching CN?HOOK2 y and persevere through the night solidified Lightless Heart¡¯s respect. Not only that, the admiration that Lightless Heart felt for CN?HOOK2 grew by severalyers!

    ***

    ¡°Fuck! He actually did it! That motherfucker actually pulled it off!¡± Read XIII cried out, unable to control the shock in his heart. He continued, ¡°How many games has he even yed tonight? WAIT-A-MINUTE! Didn¡¯t he just get done ying in the Collegiate Cup Finals today? How? How, Fatty, HOW?! On top of all of that¡­ he even managed to spank that son of a bitch Orion around! How can he be this much of a god already?!¡±

    Tian Tian smiled at Read XIII¡¯s reaction. ¡°I told you! I knew that Lin Feng was going to win the whole time! But this isn¡¯t even close to his peak. Lin Feng¡¯s got a long road to travel before he¡¯s really back.¡±

    Read XIII crushed. ¡°God damn! That wasn¡¯t even his best? When he actually gets back to 100%, we¡¯re all gonna be fucked. He¡¯s gonna make us all look like soyboy cucks!¡±

    Tian Tian¡¯s eyes sparkled. He dered the truth he¡¯d nurtured in his heart for a long time now to both Read XIII and the world, ¡°Lin Feng is the strongest Miner in the world!¡±

    ***

    Aurous was on the same wavelength as Read XIII over in the Team Rapids¡¯ Gaming House. He looked at Shi Hang and frowned. ¡°Maple¡¯s already on Orion¡¯s. When hees back to the LPL¡­ is there anyone who can stand in his way? No wonder Qiu Yijie lost to him. That kid isn¡¯t human! If he gets any better than this, he¡¯s going to be on the same ne as Moon, Phoenix, and Autumn!¡±

    Shi Hang¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. We¡¯ll only really know once he steps up onto that stage and ys against them in a tournament setting. That said¡­¡± He turned his attention to the chat going crazy on the stream and his smiled widened, ¡°He¡¯s definitely be the main character and the hero of China¡¯s whole League scene tonight.

    ***

    Shi Hang called it perfectly. The name CN?HOOK2 was pretty much everywhere for the rest of the night and a few days afterwards. The epic climb up the Korean Challengerdder and the final push in a single night turned into a legend that people continued talking about for a very long time.

    It was inevitable. CN?HOOK2 climbed up what was possibly the world¡¯s mostpetitivedder with a phenomenal, almost unbelievable, win rate. And on top of that, he¡¯d gone up against and defeated a King in his final game! There was nothing else people wanted to talk about. CN?HOOK2 had actually achieved the dreamiest of fantasy runs that every League yer nurtured deep in their hearts.

    Setting aside the nigh impossible achievement, the mystery surrounding CN?HOOK2 was another thing that propelled the discussion forward. No one knew who he was, or what he was nning to do. People across the forums spected about how CN?HOOK2 was a brand new professional yer making an entrance into the scene. Others believed that he was trying to prove his qualifications to enter the LPL with this climb on the Korean server. And there was another camp that epted CN?HOOK2¡¯s entry into the LPL as a foregone conclusion, and spected about how there was now another potential King besides Daybreak Hermes.

    But it was all spection. None of them had any answers.

    ***

    Fan Yuan, one of the three vice-presidents of the Beijing Esports Association, was sitting in a bar somewhere in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. He nursed the drink in his hand with a gloomy expression on his face. It was odd that someone connected to the Esports scene was sad on this particr night, when the rest of China was celebrating. But Fan Yuan was not caught up in the excitement, or even a little bit cheerful. Instead, he was ruminating on the loss that the team he put together, Team Beijing, suffered earlier in the afternoon. Not only had his team lost in the Finals of the Collegiate Cup, they were defeated 3-0 in a clean sweep by Team Shanghai.

    It was aplete and utter humiliation. Both for the team and for Fan Yuan personally. As he sat at the bar and thought about the smug look on Chu Fang¡¯s face in the afternoon, the anger in his heart burned. Or it was actual heart burn. Fan Yuan suffered from acidity, and he hadn¡¯t eaten much today. He hadn¡¯t had much of an appetite. First because his team was ying in the Finals. And then because his team had lost in the Finals.

    Fan Yuan grimaced at the person sitting across from him. Zhou Weihe, another one of the vice-presidents of the Beijing Esports Association. Zhou Weihe couldn¡¯t offer his colleague much besides sympathy andpany. But he understood exactly how Fan Yuan was feeling right now. Zhou Weihe knew about the tension between Fan Yuan and Chu Fang. He was even one of the few people who knew the initial source of the conflict between the two. It was trivial, not even worth mentioning. But that tiny spark grewrger andrger over time, until it turned into the full-blown battle of today.

    <i>This littlepetition between the three branches of the Chinese Esports Association during the Collegiate Cup¡­ this was supposed to be Fan Yuan¡¯s chance at getting back and Chu Fang. With a healthy p on top of that. But Fan Yuan was the one that got taught a lesson instead. Poor guy must be writhing in humiliation, </i>Zhou Weihe thought and sighed.

    What made it worse was that Fan Yuan had bragged to Chu Fang about how much better Team Beijing was before the Finals. And then Team Beijing suffered an embarrassing and utter defeat.

    Fan Yuan took another swig of his drink and mmed his ss down on the table. He looked up at Zhou Weihe with flushed cheeks and said, ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve been friends for a long time, right? Can you tell me why I¡¯ve got such shitty luck!? I finally got a chance to show off in front of Chu Fang, to prove that I was better than him¡­ I definitely had a team that was Collegiate Cup Champion material! But we still ended up losing so badly! Where did Chu Fang get those yers! Why the hell was Team Shanghai so strong!?¡±

    Zhou Weihe remained silent. He recalled his conversation with Lin Songshi and the shocking truth that he had learned.

    After a while, Zhou Weihe¡®s eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, ¡°Fan Yuan, the loss today¡­ Well. You losing¡­ there was nothing surprising about that. ¡±

    Fan Yuan eyes popped open wide. Then they turned red. ¡°What!? Now you¡¯re going to make fun of me too!?¡±

    Zhou Weihe shook his head. ¡°Listen to me. Team Beijing was good enough to win the championship. You¡¯re not wrong about that. But Team Shanghai was definitely much better than Team Beijing. If there weren¡¯t any confounding variables, Team Beijing would¡¯ve won for sure. But Team Shanghai was absolutely the stronger team!¡±

    Fan Yuan coldly chuckled. ¡°Stronger? What? Are you talking about their Miner? Yeah, I won¡¯t deny that. I never thought some nobody would actually be able to beat Yu Ping.¡± His voice contained a hint of self-mockery. Even though he said this, he still couldn¡¯t believe that Lin Feng had carried his team to victory purely. He couldn¡¯t believe that Lin Feng was that skilled. After all, if that were true, it meant Team Beijing never stood a chance in the first ce.

    Zhou Weihe shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. That Lin Feng isn¡¯t a nobody. He¡¯s much better than you could¡¯ve ever imagined, and you probably already know of him and about him. You just don¡¯t know that you know it yet.¡±

    Then Zhou Weihe leaned over and told Fan Yuan everything that he¡¯d learned about Lin Feng. He told Fan Yuan exactly who Lin Feng was. Once he finished, a stunned silence fell over the table.

    Fan Yuan was in a daze, his eyes flickering with disbelief as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°He, he¡¯s¡­ t-that kid¡­ Oh my god¡­¡±

    Zhou Weihe looked around the table, then quickly put his finger over his lips. He said with a serious expression, ¡°This stays between us. The President doesn¡¯t want any of this getting out.¡±

    Fan Yuan immediately shut his mouth. At the same time, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine. He understoodpletely now. There was nothing odd about the fact that Team Beijing lost. Fan Yuan knew that against Lin Feng, Team Beijing never had a shot at winning.

 Chapter 434: A Conversation About the Future

    A few stars still twinkled bright in the night sky above Beijing, cutting through all of the lights and smog that cast a haze over the city. And on this night, they flickered over the skyscraper that housed the Chinese Esports Association. It was a monumental edifice, one that towered over the rest of the buildings in the area. A testament to the growth and newfound importance of Esports. But most of the building was dark. All of the staff that worked there had gone home for the night, so there was no light shining through any of the windows. Except for the very top floor. Light could still be seen through the windows of the office of the President.

    Inside the office was Lin Songshi. The President of the Chinese Esports Association. He was still at his desk, looking through nning documents and proposals. He typed out a few final notes before saving the document. Then he picked up his pen to jot down a few quick notes. Once he was done, Lin Songshi put the pen down and slowly massaged his temples with his fingertips. The stress and weight of his responsibilities was evident on his shoulders. And the exhaustion was clearly visible on his face.

    Lin Songshi was no stranger to the necessity of the longte nights in the office. In thest few years, it had turned into the norm rather than a rare urrence. The authority and glory that came with the mantle of President of the Chinese Esports Associate also came with a heavy burden. Over thest two years, Chinese Esports burst to prominence and mainstream awareness and it continued to expand rapidly. Lin Songshi had noints about the momentum esports was building up, nor did he think the growth was something to be sad about. But it meant that he absolutely could not becent or start rxing. His current mission and purpose was to make sure that any issues that popped up while the brand new esports industry continued to expand and mature were dealt with in a swift and thorough fashion. Lin Songshi dedicated his entire being to making sure that the foundation of Chinese Esports was solid, rather than being chained down and anchored by poor management and the resultant chronic issues. Even a single mistake could have repercussions down the line and send the whole thing tumbling down like a house of cards, and that was an oue that Lin Songshi would not tolerate.

    With that thought in his head, Lin Songshi got up from his seat and slowly walked over to the window. He sped his hands behind his back and looked out at the twinkling city beyond, fighting back against the inky ckness of the night, with a stone face. One line of thought circling around in his mind over and over again. <i>Not enough!</i>

    Lin Songshi was one of the first people in China who saw the potential involved in esports, and a pioneer in setting up the industry. He¡¯d spent most of his life until now building the Chinese esports scene to where it was today, and built up an entire generation of yers and organisations. But it still was not enough. In actuality, it was very far from being enough.

    There was a single dream, a hope, that captivated Lin Songshi and many others in the Chinese esports industry. This dream was the light that everyone involved in Chinese esports collectively ran towards. That hope was that the LPL would some day surpass North America, Europe, and even Korea to be the most respected and flourishing region in all of esports in the world! But this was a distant dream, and one that was not easily aplished. Even after nurturing an entire generation and years of hard work, the LPL was still a minor yer in the international scene.

    As he stood at that window, Lin Songshi tried to figure out what needed to be done to keep the LPL moving toward the grand dream. <i>What do we need right now? Another generation of yers? A group who can stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before them and reach for even greater heights? Or another yer who can represent two generations at the same time? Someone who can rally the old guard and then push past them to show the new generation everything that could be possible?</i>

    Lin Songshi considered the potential paths forward and his options, and searched for an answer in the dark horizon beyond the city. And then in the middle of this, he stopped himself and the look in his eyes changed. <i>All of this aside, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m not satisfied with the LPL¡¯s current growth. It is beyond questioning that the LPL is on the right track. What we need right now, more than anything else, is for both the old generation of established yers and the new emerging generation of yers to work together to cement their ce in esports! But that task¡­ it goes without saying that the heavy lifting is going to fall on the next generation. </i>

    As he thought about the next generation, Lin Songshi closed his eyes and lowered his head. Then, he slowly raised his head again and opened his eyes again to stare out the window. At the bustling city out in front of him. Then he raised his head up to look at the few stars twinkling in the sky, while his eyes flickered with aplicated expression. Thinking about the next generation pushed his thoughts back from the future to the present, to the development that rocked and exhrated the entire Chinese esports industry.

    A yer by the name of CN?HOOK2 had appeared to challenge the Korean server, and triumphed over them in what could only be described as a meteoric rise. CN?HOOK2 yed through the night to make esports history. Right now, thousands of people online were trying to discover the identity of the yer behind the handle of CN?HOOK2. From casual yers to professional organisations to streamers and inte news outlets. Everyone wanted to figure out who CN?HOOK2 was, and several parties were absurdly motivated to be the first to find out. But up until now, no one had been able toe up with anything conclusive. It was all conjecture and theorycrafting.

    But Lin Songshi was not one of them. He happened to be one of the select few in all of China who knew the truth behind CN?HOOK2.

    ***

    After standing in front of the window for a long time, Lin Songshi finally decided what he wanted to do. He pulled out his phone and made a call. To a number he had not dialled in years. After a few rings, the call connected.

    The voice of a young man boomed from the phone, ¡°Old Man Lin? What¡¯s the call out of the blue? It¡¯s 3AM for you, ain¡¯t it? Why are you still awake? Is everything alright?¡±

    Lin Songshi remainedposed as he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He alsopletely ignored all of the questions and calmly asked, ¡°That Hook2 ount. It belongs to you. Am I wrong about that One?¡±

    There was silence on the other side as One froze up for a second. Then an awkward cough to break the tension. One finally replied shortly after, ¡°Oh, yeah. Right on the money. Can¡¯t pull one over on you, Old Man Lin.¡±

    Lin Songshi nodded to himself and continued, ¡°So the person ying on that ount tonight was Lin Feng?¡±

    One coughed again, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Lin Songshi considered what to say next for a few seconds before asking, ¡°Did you put him up to this?¡±

    There was no hesitation from One as he replied, ¡°Correct.¡±

    After that, the call faded into a tense silence for a long minute. Finally, Lin Songshi took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Lin Feng deciding toe back, was that also your doing?¡±

    Once again, there was no hesitation in One¡¯s reply, ¡°Nope. I had nothing to do with that. I didn¡¯t even know about it until he told me. Coming back was his choice. It was entirely his own.¡±

    There was silence on the call again as Lin Songshi considered what he wanted to say. A momentter, he opened his mouth again and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want him to return.¡±

    One paused for the first time since he picked up the call from Lin Songshi. Then he smiled. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t want him back? Are you telling me this as the President of the Chinese Esports Association? Or are you saying you don¡¯t want Lin Feng back in the game as his Uncle?¡±

    Lin Songshi had no reply. This was the question currently raging in his mind. As the President of the Chinese Esports Association, he knew the aplishments and potential of the legendary yer Maple. He knew, better than almost anyone, how deep the well of Lin Feng¡¯s potential was. As someone tasked with nurturing and paving the future of Chinese Esports, he had no reason to get in the way of Lin Feng¡¯s return. In fact, it would solve the problem he¡¯d been grappling with all night. If Lin Feng were toe back, despite being retired for years, it would give the scene the new blood it so desperately needed. More importantly, Lin Feng could be a bridge between the old generation and the new one.

    Lin Songshi was rock solid in his judgement that Lin Feng would be one of the key pirs of the next generation. Lin Feng¡¯s achievements as CN?HOOK2 tonight, which had shocked yers across Asia, was proof enough that he had it in him.

    One remained respectfully quiet as Lin Songshi pieced his thoughts together. But after a while, One rubbed his chin and spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s a real conundrum, ain¡¯t it? As the President of the Chinese Esports Association, you know that an outstanding yer like Lin Feng is exactly what the LPL needs to face thising era. But as his Uncle, you probably want to see him focus on school. You want him to study hard for the college entrance exams, get into a good university so he can get a job, and then live a quiet and stable life. You don¡¯t want him caught up in this dream that trapped so many other people. A dream that all of them have failed to grasp. But the real question is how you¡¯re going to reconcile those two hats you wear, and which path you¡¯re going to nudge Lin Feng down.¡±

    When Lin Songshi remained quiet, One chuckled and continued, ¡°From society¡¯s point of view, a career in esports is hardly respectable. But when has that ever stopped any pro yer from chasing their dream? The stage, the glory¡­ to them, it¡¯s all worth it. Ain¡¯t that right?¡±

    Lin Songshi¡¯s fingers squeezed his phone. Eventually, he broke his silence with a bitter chuckle and said, ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. This dilemma, it¡¯s a tough nut to crack. You don¡¯t know how much trouble it was four years ago, when I convinced Lin Feng¡¯s parents to let him y. Or all the pain after that¡­ It¡¯s going to be a lot worse this time, One. Everyone still remembers what happened four years ago, and they¡¯re going to be worried it¡¯ll happen again. Now you¡¯re telling me I have to convince Lin Feng¡¯s parents again?¡±

    Oneughed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s family. What can you do? But Lin Feng is very different now. He¡¯s not the same person that he was four years ago. Right now, he just needs time. Trust me, he¡¯ll get even stronger. Didn¡¯t you hear all the buzz about his climb up the Koreandder tonight?¡±

    Lin Songshi nodded. ¡°I did. He even managed to beat Orion in hisst game.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! That kid¡­ he managed to surprise me with that. He¡¯s progressing and growing faster than I predicted,¡± One replied. ¡°As long as he keeps this up, it won¡¯t be long before he can really seed me.¡±

    Lin Songshi had a thought expression on his face. ¡°He still has one huge obstacle in front of him, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    One calmlyughed. ¡°He does, but that works out for us. As long as Lin Feng has a powerful rival as a goal, it¡¯ll motivate him to get better even faster. Push him further and further and draw out all of his potential. Besides, that kid over in Korea has probably already caught onto the fact that there¡¯s thunder on the horizon.¡±

 Chapter 435: Glimmers of Future-Past in the Present

    When CN?HOOK2 fought his way into the Top 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder, it caused an uproar in the Chinese League of Legendsmunity. But that uproar wasn¡¯t limited to just China. It also sent waves of shock that reverberated through Korea¡¯s League of Legends scene.

    The fact that a Chinese yer made it all the way to the Top 5 on the Korean server was only mildly newsworthy. And that was only because it had not happened in a very, very long time. But CN?HOOK2 legendary climb through the night had so many things happening thatpounded that single aplishment into something greater. It wasn¡¯t just that a Chinese yer made it to the Top 5 on the Korean server, it was that a Chinese yer yed so many games in the Challenger queue in one night and pulled off multiple multi-game win streaks. And then to top it all off, CN?HOOK2¡¯s final game of the night and climb was against the 3rd best Miner in all of Korea, Orion. Then, in that game, CN?HOOK2 had defeated Orion.

    All in all, the events of that night forced the League fans in Korea to collectively gasp. It was all they could talk about since it happened. And yet, despite all the discussion, there were still many of them who found all the rumors of what transpired that night difficult to believe. Most of their scepticism revolved around the fact that a nobody from China managed to beat one of the best Miners in the OGN. As far as they were concerned, that was impossible. And since that was impossible, there was no way the rest of the rumors could be true.

    But all the rumblings from the sceptics were quickly quashed. Recordings and clips of CN?HOOK2¡¯s games found their way to the Korean League forums,pletely crushing any theories about the falsehood of the climb. But the most important clip was that of the game-defining 1v1 that happened between CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo and Orion¡¯s Zed at Level 6. That clip managed to render all of the sceptical voices speechless.

    That single short clip was watched and rewatched thousands of times. Most people could not get over the epic nature of the duel between Yasuo and Zed. Comments repeatedly spoke of how it looked more like the climax of a martial arts movie than a gamey clip! The sheer amount of skill disyed by both Miners was nothing short of mind-blowing either! For everyone watching the clip, that single duel was just as exciting as an exchange in the OGN Summer Finals.

    And at the end of that intense duel, it was CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo who defeated Orion¡¯s Zed. There was no way that anyone in the Korean League sphere could refute that fact, and it shocked them damn near senseless. The idea of a Chinese yer, one they¡¯d never even heard of before, defeating Orion in terms of pure skill was one that never even crossed their minds until now. Orion was a King, and no one had heard of CN?HOOK2. And so, there was a single question that echoed through the Korean League Community. That question happened to be the same one that was being asked in China. Who exactly was the mysterious CN?HOOK2, and what was he nning to do next?

    And in due course, the news of CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb and spectacr match against Orion made it all the way to the Warriors¡¯ Gaming House in Seoul, Korea. Orion¡¯s teammates read through all the discussion online and watched the clips that were floating around the forums with a little bit more interest than everyone else. One of their own had been involved, and had a first-hand experience ying against the mysterious CN?HOOK2. So they gathered as much information as they could online and talked amongst themselves for a while before finally walking over to Orion¡¯s room to ask him about the game and CN?HOOK2.

    The first wave of questions revolved around the game itself and that Orion had lost. Orion¡¯s teammates were concerned that something was going on with one of their star yers, or if the defeat caused him to lose confidence in himself. Both oues were not good for the team as a whole. But Orion remained calm and steady in the face of those questions, which reassured his teammates. In fact, he was soposed that it was clear that being defeated in CN?HOOK2 had no effect on him at all. And since their concerns about Orion were squared away, the rest of the Warriors team started asking him about CN?HOOK2. That¡¯s when Orion¡¯s breezy nonchnce broke and he turned much more serious.

    Orion stood up and addressed his teammates, ¡°Alright. Here¡¯s my read on CN?HOOK2 from ying him. He¡¯s really good, that much should already be obvious to you guys. As far as I can tell, he¡¯s unquestionably a top level yer in terms of both pure skill and mechanics. As far as his y style goes¡­ he¡¯s aggressive. Super aggressive, to the point where it¡¯s oppressive. I found myself being pushed down by the amount of pressure from him. But¡­¡± Orion paused to gather his thoughts. What he wanted to say next wasn¡¯t based on anything concrete he¡¯d analysed or could state based on evidence. It was a feeling, something pure and simple in his bones. He looked his teammates in the eyes and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me how or why, but¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s one of the Miners we know of in the LPL. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s even in the LPL!¡±

    Over in the Fate Gaming House, Moon had gone through all the clips posted online and independently arrived at the same conclusion as Orion. Now, Moon was an Emperor. It was not an exaggeration to state that his perception and insight into the game, as well as his ability to read other yers, was at the highest degree possible in Korea. And it was this insight that Moon used to analyse CN?HOOK2, despite not ying against him in a game during the climb. Moon had managed to pick up quite a few clues about CN?HOOK2 between the steam of the final game and the clips floating around online. And now, he was turning those insights over in his mind to see if he could figure out the bigger picture.

    <i>Let¡¯s think about this¡­ CN?HOOK2. I watched how he yed against Orion, and his game was unique. First thing to note is that he¡¯s from China, which means LPL. Except¡­the y style isn¡¯t one that¡¯s used by any of the current LPL Miners. Or any of the former ones that I¡¯ve yed against or seen footage from before. That means the only conclusion here is that CN?HOOK2 isn¡¯t a professional yer. He¡¯s not in the LPL. If I¡¯m not wrong about Orion, he¡¯s figured that much out too. </i>

    <i>CN?HOOK2 isn¡¯t in the LPL and he¡¯s currently not a professional yer. That¡­ that¡¯s a problem.</i>

    The second Moon pierced through some of the mystery surround CN?HOOK2, seeds of caution bloomed in his heart and his thoughts zoomed towards the big picture and the World stage.

    <i>CN?HOOK2¡¯s y style is something we haven¡¯t seen before, and it¡¯s one that poses a real threat to the current meta in the professional scene in a global sense. It¡¯s got the potential to really shake things up¡­ maybe evenpletely end Korean dominance. That is a problem!</i>

    These days, the entire professional esports industry around League of Legends had embraced a sort of global meta. The various regions all practised a particr style of game y, and the World stage was built around countering the region-specific y style. The Koreans embraced a style that was best described as controlled aggression. North America and Europe leaned into a much more conservative game that was heavily dependent on scaling and reaching end-game builds. China had originally started out with an aggressive style of y. But over thest few years, they¡¯d pivoted to a more conservative and defensive style of y. One that dulled the original aggression considerably, and imitated the NA and EU flow.

    This shift towards conservative, low risk gamey was what led to the current dominance of the Korean region in League of Legends. It was absurdly easy for the Korean teams to deal with that overarching strategy, and they¡¯d perfected the counter-ys during the previous seasons. It was this global meta that CN?HOOK2 had the potential to disrupt, as far as Moon saw things. And that was what dominated his thoughts.

    <i>This alles down to China. The current set of teams at the top of the LPL all abandoned an aggressive y style that could topple any of the Korean teams for whatever reason. If I had to guess, it¡¯s because they gave up hope that someone could beat Rake and decided to focus more on profits for now. Not the most far-sighted n, but one that¡¯s been working towards Korea¡¯s benefit.</i>

    <i>But if more yers like CN?HOOK2 start popping up¡­ that¡¯s going to be a problem. The LPL is going to be significantly more difficult to deal with. No. That¡¯s wrong. They¡¯re going to be exponentially more difficult to beat¡­</i>

    <i>Right now, I haven¡¯t even yed against CN?HOOK2 in a game, but I already know that I don¡¯t want to go up against him. Or another yer like him. The silver lining here is where all of this started. At least CN?HOOK2 isn¡¯t a professional yer, which means there¡¯s currently no chance of running into him in a game that matters. Nor is there any chance of his y style changing the current meta. But it is something that I need to keep an eye on. </i>

    <i>And there¡¯s still one more question that needs to be figured out in all of this. How it is even possible for someone like CN?HOOK2 to exist in this era of esports? Someone that good, yetpletely unknown? This wasn¡¯t a slowly gathering storm. There were no warning signs on the horizon. There was no CN?HOOK2¡­ until he suddenly showed up. Who exactly is CN?HOOK2 and where did hee from? </i>

    The identity of CN?HOOK2 was the question at the heart of it all. For all his thoughts, Moon ended up joining the scores of people in the League of Legendsmunity across Korea in China as he pondered the answer to that question. Unlike China, where a few knew the identity of CN?HOOK2, there was no one in Korea who could prate that mystery. With one notable exception.

    And that single notable exception was currently sitting in the training room at the SSK Gaming House. It waste into the night, but there was still one man seated in front of aputer, alone in that training room. There was no tension in his shoulders or anxiety in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t in the training roomte at night because he needed to be there. He was there because he wanted to be there, and he radiated a calm confidence. Every cell and pore in his body oozed the supreme surety that came with being at the very peak.

    His demeanour was the natural state of the strong, the aura that came with being an apex predator. He needed no acknowledgment from anyone else to tell him that he was at the very peak, nor did he need to bleat his achievements out in order to be recognized. The rxed arrogance that permeated every fiber of his being was one that was both earned and universally acknowledged as correct.

    This man, who sat alone in that training room, wore a metaphorically grand cape woven with awards, des, and aplishments. He was hailed as the unquestionably best Miner in the entire world, known far and wide as the team captain of SSK, and revered as the God Emperor of the Four Emperors.

    He stood at the very apex of global esports as the conqueror who carved the bloody path to the current era of Korean dominance in Esports. And his name was Han ¡®Rake¡¯ Seho.

    Right now, Rake was at aputer in the training room. His face waspletely expressionless, an imprable fortress that betrayed none of his thoughts. The only thing that offered some clue as to what was going on in his mind was the video ying on the screen in front of him. A rey of a game from the Korean Challenger queue. More specifically, a rey of the game between CN?HOOK2 and Orion.

    This was not a game that held any real significance. It wasn¡¯t a match between two professional teams at the top of any league, it had no bearing on the World Championships, and ultimately affected nothing beyond some silly regional rivalry. There was nothing in this game that should have been of value or interest to Han ¡®Rake¡¯ Seho. Doing something like this was aplete waste of time for him, especially considering the level he¡¯d reached in League of Legends. On any other day, Rake would have yed a ranked game of his own or gone to bed early instead of watching such a trivial game. And yet, Han Seho watched the game between CN?HOOK2 and Orion from start to finish.

    This game stood out to Rake¡¯s eyes for a simple reason. CN?HOOK2. It was a name rang with familiarity, and dredged up a memory from deep inside Rake¡¯s mind. CN?HOOK2 was a handle that his mentor, and the first yer who wore the mantle of Rake, Lee Dojae had spoken to him about.

    And now, because of that conversation, Rake knew who was ying behind CN?HOOK2. Another legend from the same era as Lee Dojae. Rake was curious about this yer from a time before him, simply because this rival of his mentor had managed to attain even greater status and acim in global esports than he currently had.

    But Rake wasn¡¯t interested in what the legend behind CN?HOOK2 achieved in the previous era of esports. His interest was in seeing how a titan of that era yed today. More than that, Rake wanted to measure himself against the top of the previous generation. So he clicked on the rey and watched with razor sharp eyes, taking in everything about the yer behind CN?HOOK2.

    And as he watched, his reason for watching changed. Something about the way that CN?HOOK2 yed felt familiar to Rake. In his mind, he could see himself remembering counter-moves to CN?HOOK2¡¯s Yasuo, like he¡¯d yed against CN?HOOK2 before. Somewhere deep in his mind, Rake knew that he¡¯d seen this yer before and that he¡¯d yed against him.

    By the time the game ended, Rake knew that the identity of CN?HOOK2 was not his mentor¡¯s rival from a previous age. But his soul continued to scream out that he knew CN?HOOK2. Rake dug deep into his memories, through years and thousands of games, trying to find the answer that his heart told him was there.

    Then, all of a sudden and with no warning at all, Rake¡¯s eyes widened! The normally tranquil waters of his emotions rippled with surprise. <i>It¡¯s him¡­ ?</i>

 Chapter 436: Sleep

    N?HOOK2¡¯s electrifying climb was a constant drip of adrenaline into most yers in China and Korea. But while they obsessed over all of the games and the mystery surrounding CN?HOOK2¡¯s identity, the yer behind the ount waspletely unaware of the waves he¡¯d generated. Lin Feng had passed out as soon as his final game of the night ended. He didn¡¯t even have time to check the Korean rankeddder to find out where he ended. All he knew was that he¡¯dpleted the task that One set out for him, and that was all that mattered. Lin Feng didn¡¯t even remember how he ended up in bed. All he had were foggy, distorted, non-linear memories of someone dragging him from the chair he was in to the bed. He remembered a wet cloth wiping his face, and the sensation of being tucked in. And then after that, he had nothing. He was out like a light, deep asleep, his mind and bodypletely worn out by the stress of the day.

    And he continued to sleep well into the next day. Lin Feng¡¯s stupor was only broken at lunch time, when An Xin managed to get him awake enough to drag him to the table to eat. But he was barely there and functioning on autopilot. The Lin Feng from yesterday and the Lin Feng at the table today were two very different people. Today¡¯s Lin Feng waspletely lifeless and didn¡¯t even notice the food he was eating. Or that he was eating. That in itself was the most unusual thing, because there were very few things that Lin Feng loved more than food. His chopsticks moved in slow motion between the food in front of him and his mouth. And he was clumsy with them. Some of the food fell back into his bowl, but Lin Feng never even noticed. Whatever food did make it into his mouth, he slowly chewed and swallowed without any indication that he¡¯d noticed how it tasted.

    Zhang Hao had been waiting in a state of constant, unrequited excitement for Lin Feng to finally wake up. He wanted to congratte his friend and celebrate with him, especially since this was a once in a lifetime event. Zhang Hao had yed on the team that had won the Collegiate Cup, and then his teammate had gone up against some of the best League yers in Korea that very night ande out on top. The excitement pounding in his veins and the vague ideas of how to properly cherish this moment rendered him nearly incoherent. And he¡¯d been waiting all morning for Lin Feng to wake up and turn all of those vague ideas into reality. But when Lin Feng finally did wake up and came down to lunch, reality turned out to be a ssh of ice-cold water on Zhang Hao¡¯s head. <em>What happened to himst night? He doesn¡¯t even look like he¡¯s alive! I said good night to Lin Feng after the Collegiate Cup ended, and now I¡¯m looking at Zombie Feng trying to eat like a human! What does a person have to go through in a single night to turn into¡­ whatever this is?</em>

    Zhang Hao tried to get a grip on his shock as he noticed how tired and broken Lin Feng looked that afternoon. All ns of partying had beenpletely dashed. He didn¡¯t even know what to say, renderedpletely speechless by the turn of events and the sh between expectation and reality. When Zhang Has finally did manage to form words, all he could say was, ¡°Lin Feng¡­ Y-you alright there? Are you still alive? Please be alive!¡±

    There was enough concern and distress in Zhang Hao¡¯s voice that it forced Zeng Rui to nce up at Lin Feng. He frowned and shook his head from side to side once before looking back down at his bowl. But before he resumed eating, Zeng Rui tly stated, ¡°He¡¯s still alive. There¡¯s nothing wrong with him. Lin Feng pushed and overworked himself to an extreme degree, and now he¡¯spletely exhausted. He¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±

    With those words out of the way, Zeng Rui started eating again. But he continued the conversation with himself in his mind. <em>It really isn¡¯t surprising that Lin Feng is exhausted. He spent yesterday ying in the Finals of the Collegiate Cup and then the rest of the night ying ranked game after ranked game against skilled opponents. No. Not just skilled opponents. He yed game after game against opponents who constantly grew more cautious and wary of him with every single game. I don¡¯t know why Zhang Hao is so shocked that Lin Feng is tired right now. After something like that, any other person would sleep for a day or two. </em>

    <em>What is surprising is how well he did in that state. I¡¯ve always known that Lin Feng is a monster. But this much of a monster¡­?</em>

    Tang Bingyao, on the other hand, continued to watch Lin Feng with concern. She decided to do something to help Lin Feng out, and offered him her mango juice. ¡°Lin Feng¡­ Lin Feng! You want to try some of this? It¡¯s mango juice and it¡¯s got a lot of sugar. It¡¯ll give you energy and wake you right up! Mhm!¡±

    Lin Feng stared at her with dead, unfocused eyes. Unwilling to give up, Tang Bingyao carefully held out her ss to him and moved the straw into his mouth. Lin Feng gulped the whole ss down, and continued to pull on the straw after it was all gone. Unfortunately, the mango juice was not very effective for Lin Feng¡¯s current situation. His eyes continued to droop shut andpletely shut as he continued to try to drink from the empty ss.

    An Xinughed at what was going on in front of her and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s leave him alone for now. We¡¯ll let him get some more rest once we¡¯re on the ne. This idiot¡­ he tried to exceed his own limitations or whateverst night. Ended up pushing himself too hard and now he can¡¯t function anymore. He really just needs to sleep it off.¡± Then she helped Tang Bingyao pull her ss away from the still sleep-gulping Lin Feng.

    Over on the other side of the table, Chu Fang look at Lin Feng withplete admiration. He was one of the first few people who had learned that CN?HOOK2 climb through Korean Challenger ended at Rank 5. He reached over to pat Lin Feng on the back and said, ¡°He really did manage to exceed his limitations. All that hard work¡­ It waspletely worth it! Did any of you ever imagine that you¡¯d be sitting here with someone who managed to make it into the Top 5 on the Korean server? I don¡¯t know how Lin Feng pulled it off, but he¡¯s finally brought some hope to Chinese League of Legends!¡±

    Chu Fang continued to look at Lin Feng with a mixture of fondness, admiration, gratitude, astonishment and hope in his eyes. <em>All that hard work¡­ What Lin Feng didst night, that¡¯s not something that could¡¯ve been aplished with hard work alone. I can¡¯t even count how many yers from China, from talented younglings to professional yers, have attempted to break through Korea¡¯s ceiling. I can¡¯t recall thest time someone from China managed to do this either! This boy¡­ he managed to win the Collegiate Cup Championship and got ranked 5th out of all the Challenger-level yers on the Korean server in a single day! I couldn¡¯t have asked for a more perfect conclusion for all of this. Now we go home as champions!</em>

    After they finished lunch, everyone from Team Shanghai gathered their belongings and piled into cars to go to the airport. Lin Feng fell asleep the second he got into the taxi and slept all the way to the airport. Then he fell asleep again as they waited to board their ne. And once they had finally gotten onto the ne, Lin Feng fell into a deep sleep the second he was plopped down onto his seat.

    For the rest of Team Shanghai, this was the most stressful trip they¡¯d taken thus far. Getting Lin Feng from the car all the way into the ne required coordination and nning from every member of Team Shanghai, with at least two of them constantly supporting and leading Lin Feng all the way to his seat. Every time Lin Feng fell asleep along the way, it was more and more difficult to wake him up for the next part. But somehow, they¡¯d finally made it onto the ne with Lin Feng, and now they could rx.

    The flight from Beijing to Shanghai took two and half hours, and Lin Feng was asleep for all of it. When the ne finallynded at Pudong Airport, Team Shanghai¡¯s brief respite ended. It took almost all of them to shake Lin Feng awake and pull him up from his seat. Then Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao cleared the way ahead while An Xin and Tang Bingyao supported and pulled Lin Feng down the aisle and off the ne. It took significantly longer than any of them had nned, and was aplished with considerable difficulty. But they eventually did get Lin Feng off the ne and out of the airport.

    Once they were outside, the members of Team Shanghai decided to go their separate ways and take different cabs to their houses. Except for Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng, who were headed in the same direction and sharing a cab. And getting Lin Feng into a car was the first thing that had to be done before the rest of Team Shanghai could consider going home.

    Zeng Rui called a car and Zhang Hao helped support and shove Lin Feng into it. Before Tang Bingyao could climb in after Lin Feng, An Xin pulled her aside. She looked worried as she stared at the still groggy Lin Feng. Then she looked at Tang Bingyao and said, ¡°Tang Tang, listen, you¡¯re going to have to drop thisatose idiot off at his house first. If he tries to walk home from your ce, we have no idea where he¡¯ll end up or what kind of trouble he¡¯ll stumble into.¡±

    Tang Bingyao looked at Lin Feng and then back at An Xin before nodding. ¡°Mhm! Okay!¡±

    Tang Bingyao got into the car next to Lin Feng. In the brief time between him getting into the car and her conversation with An Xin, Lin Feng hadpletely fallen asleep again. As the car started moving, Tang Bingyao stared at Lin Feng¡¯s face and saw the exhaustion carved into it. She felt a dull ache in her heart.

    ¡°Lin Feng¡­ You really did push yourself, didn¡¯t you? I don¡¯t know how you even did it all. I waspletely exhausted after the Finals of the Collegiate Cup. I got back to the hotel, showered, and fell asleep the second my head hit the bed. But you¡­ you stayed up and yed game after game on the Korean server. And you won most of those games! How did you do that¡­?¡±

    Lin Feng, stillpletely asleep, didn¡¯t reply to anything she said. It was unclear if he¡¯d even heard her words. But Tang Bingyao continued to watch him sleep and then bit her lips. Her eyes zed with determination. <em>I need to get stronger! Mhm! I need to get strong enough to stand next to Lin Feng and share his burdens! Mhm! I¡¯m going to get strong enough that Lin Feng can lean on me when he needs help next time! Mhm!</em>

    The cab bumped and bounced down the poorly maintained roads of Shanghai, and the cabin could not keep out the ring horns and bustle of the city. But none of that was enough to disturb Lin Feng, who remained fast asleep. Tang Bingyao remained quiet and lost in her own thoughts.

    Soon enough, the cab pulled up outside Lin Feng¡¯s building. Tang Bingyao tried to gently nudge Lin Feng awake, but it didn¡¯t work. Soon she started shaking him roughly and yelling, ¡°Lin Feng! Wake up! Wake up! We¡¯re here! You gotta wake up¡­¡±

    After a tense minute, Lin Feng finally opened his eyes. Slowly. He looked at Tang Bingyao with unfocused eyes and asked, ¡°Wha¡ª? Ooo-oh? We¡¯re home?¡± Then he looked around and blurry recognition of his surroundings showed up on his face. He slowly nodded, and then tried to get out of the car. But he was clumsy and it took him several tries to open the door. Once he finally got it open, he slumped back in his seat and looked at Tang Bingyao. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Tang Tang. Good night! Bye bye!¡±

    But after he said that, Lin Feng closed his eyes for 30 seconds and then tried to lurch out of the cab. Tang Bingyao watched him with evident concern on her face and said, ¡°How about I walk you to the door?¡±

    Lin Feng shook his head. ¡°Its¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­ there¡¯s just the stairs. I¡¯m¡­ really¡­ good¡­ at¡­ climbing¡­ stairs!¡± And with those words, Lin Feng fell out of the cab at an awkward angle and tried to stand up. Which made him stumble and tumble onto the sidewalk.

    Tang Bingyao quickly got out of the car and helped Lin Feng get up onto his feet. Then she supported him while looking at the sleep-walking Lin Feng with distress in her eyes. ¡°Mhm! I believe that you¡¯re really good at climbing stairs. But I think it¡¯s best if I walk you to the door anyway!¡±

    The doorbell chimed through the apartment that Su Xue and Lin Feng shared. Su Xue was still in her pyjamas and in her room at the time. She quickly slipped into her fuzzy slippers and walked out of her room to open the door. As she walked towards the door, she started yelling at it, ¡°Lin Feng! How many times do I have to tell you not to forget your keys!? Every single time you leave! What are you going to do if I¡¯m not home? Or if I¡¯m not avable to open the door! Next time, I swear! I¡¯m not going to open the door and leave you outside! You hear me, Lin Feng! This is thest time!¡±

    Then she opened the door, and her eyes popped open at the sight of Tang Bingyao struggling to hold Lin Feng up. Once he had gotten up the stairs, Lin Feng had decided the floor outside the apartment was close enough to fall asleep again. Su Xue covered her mouth with her hand in shock. Then she looked at Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Tang Tang? What happened to Lin Feng?¡±

    Tang Bingyao was clearly struggling to keep Lin Feng on his feet, but she tried to exin the situation to Su Xue anyway, ¡°Lin.. Feng¡­ He¡¯s really exhausted! Didn¡¯t¡­ Didn¡¯t think he could climb the stairs! Mhm! So I helped him get up here! Mhm!¡±

    Storm clouds raced across Su Xue¡¯s face as her expression darkened<em>. Now this is over dramatic and extra. This little punk can¡¯t climb the stairs on his own? Since when? </em>But she still moved to Lin Feng¡¯s side to help Tang Bingyao support him.

    The two girls shoving and pulling him from side to side managed to rouse Lin Feng enough that he forced his eyes open. He saw his own living room and his sleepy brain processed that as him being home. He muttered, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m home. I¡¯m going to take a little nap now¡­¡± Then he kicked off his shoes outside the apartment and stumbled into the house. It was unclear if he noticed that Su Xue and Tang Bingyao were there at all.

    Su Xue watched him stumble into the house and started yelling, ¡°Hey! Hey! Idiot! You¡¯re going the wrong way! That¡¯s the kitchen! Not your room! You¡¯re going into the kitchen, Lin Feng! This idiot¡­ he hasn¡¯t been home for ten seconds and he¡¯s already causing trouble. What a hassle! Tang Tang, thank you so much for helping get him home! You can go home now, I¡¯ll take care of him.¡±

    Su Xue took another minute to properly thank Tang Bingyao and say goodbye. Once Tang Bingyao got back into the cab and left for her house, Su Xue closed the door and turned around to see Lin Feng. He had passed out on the sofa in the living room. As Su Xue watched, Lin Feng hugged one of the cushions and muttered in his sleep. She walked over to the sofa and stood over him. ¡°Are you seriously that tired? Lin Feng! Go to your room and sleep!¡± Su Xue was yelling, but her tone was amused.

    Lin Feng buried his head deeper into the cushion and muttered, ¡°N-no¡­ too tired. It¡¯s fine here. Veryfortable. Just let me small nap, I¡¯ll moveter.¡±

    Su Xue sighed. ¡°Why are you so exhausted? Did you not sleep wellst night?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no sleep Feng. I yed allst night. Game after game. Needed to keep my promise to One. I did it though. Just very exhausting.¡± Lin Feng replied.

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes went wide. <em>Oh! That¡¯s right! I can¡¯t believe I forgot about that! He was ying on the Hook2 ount all night!</em> Now that she remembered, Su Xue stared at Lin Feng fast asleep on the couch, lost in her thoughts.

    <em>This is CN?HOOK2! The yer who rocked everyone who is even slightly interested in esports and League of Legends in China! The person who caused waves through Korea! And right now, he¡¯s asleep on the sofa and refusing to go back into his room to sleep like a small child.</em>

    Su Xue had trouble reconciling those two separate mental images together. Then she broke into a smile. <em>It really is so easy to forget because of all the amazing things Lin Feng has done and will do¡­ but he¡¯s really just a kid at the end of the day.</em> She smiled again at Lin Feng, a warm nurturing smile. Then she said, ¡°Alright, alright. You can sleep on the sofa if that¡¯s what you want. I¡¯ll go get you a nket, we wouldn¡¯t want you to catch a cold.¡±

 Chapter 437.1: Identity â€“ (1)

    After falling asleep on the sofa, Lin Feng didn¡¯t stir for the rest of the day. Afternoon turned to evening and evening turned to night, but Lin Feng continued to sleep. Finally, he woke upte into the night from the sound of his stomach grumbling.

    Lin Feng rubbed his face and opened his eyes. Before he could wonder why he¡¯d been asleep on the sofa or why he was hugging a cushion, his stomach clenched and growled. Any and all thoughts swirling around in Lin Feng¡¯s mind werepletely obliterated by the pangs of hanger. He rubbed his stomach and frowned. <i>I¡¯m hungry. Yup. Definitely hungry. I remember¡­ lunch. In Beijing! Well, it was sort of lunch. I was so tired that I don¡¯t remember what I ate, but I didn¡¯t eat much. Never thought the day woulde around when I¡¯d be too tired to eat, but here we are.</i> Lin Feng nced out the window at the darkness beyond. It was night in Shanghai. <i>I guess I slept through dinner after we got home too¡­</i>

    Lin Feng sat up on the sofa and started to wake himself up fully. He rolled his shoulders, they were still tight and sore. <i>All those gamesst night really did wear me out mentally and physically. I haven¡¯t felt this drained in years!_</i> His stomach growled again, this time louder and with greater intensity. <i>All those games drained my stomach too. I¡¯m starving! I¡¯m so hungry I could eat an entire horse. Not that there are any horses in Shanghai¡­ I wonder if horses taste good?</i> Lin Feng¡¯s stomach rumbled again in protest.<i> Right. Forget horses. You need food right now, Lin Feng. And you know what food would be best right now? Chicken cutlet!</i>

    Just the thought of his favorite chicken cutlets was enough to jolt Lin Fengpletely awake and jumpstart his digestive system.<i> Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum! Chicken cutlets¡­</i> Lin Feng started drooling from the images of chicken cutlets floating through his mind. He jumped up from the sofa and stretched out, and walked towards Su Xue¡¯s room. Once he got to her door, he could see the lights in her room streaming out from under the door. Lin Feng opened the door a little bit and poked his head in to see what she was doing. Su Xue was sitting at herputer. That was enough for Lin Feng to start yelling. ¡°Su Xuuuueeeeeeeeee!¡±

    Su Xue was at herputer, streaming. More specifically, she was in the middle of ying a ranked game andpletely focused. When Lin Feng started screaming her name, it startled her enough to make her jump in her chair. But she quicklyposed herself and turned around to nce at him. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re finally awake?¡±

    Lin Feng pushed the doorpletely open while nodding. Then, he walked into the room and pulled up a chair next to Su Xue. That put him squarely inside the webcam¡¯s frame and onto the screens of the viewers on the stream. And when the viewers on Su Xue¡¯s stream saw Lin Feng, they erupted with excitement!

    ¡¸its lil broooooooooo!¡¹

    ¡¸Lil¡¯ Bro Feng! We missed you!¡¹

    ¡¸wee baaaaaaaaaaack! You p that Beijing booty>>>>?¡¹

    Lin Feng waved at all the viewers in the chat and gave them a wide smile. Then he turned to face Su Xue and said, ¡°I¡¯m so hungry, Su Xue¡­ please¡­ I need food.¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re hungry? What a surprise! No shit you¡¯re hungry. What did you think was going to happen when you slept past dinner? I tried to wake you up too! I yelled and told you toe to dinner so many times and you refused to wake up! Now you¡¯re sitting here telling me you¡¯re hungry like it¡¯s somethingpletely unexpected. Obviously, you¡¯re hungry. It¡¯d be weird if you weren¡¯t hungry. What is it that you want me to do about it?¡± Su Xue held Lin Feng¡¯s eyes with annoyance written across her face. Lin Feng slowly started wilting, withering away to a pitiable state from the hunger that racked his body. Su Xue saw him suffering, and her expression softened along with her voice. ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re hungry, but there¡¯s no food in the house right now. I¡¯ll order some takeout for you, how about that?¡±

    Lin Feng nodded slowly while clutching his stomach. Su Xue started to giggle, but quickly tamped it down before he could notice. She had just started a new game and was currently in Champion Select, waiting for the other yers to pick their champions, so she had more than enough time. Su Xue grabbed her phone and started ordering food through a delivery app. While she did that, Lin Feng started talking to the viewers on the stream.

    Lin Feng had not been seen on stream very frequently these days because of all the games involved in the Collegiate Cup, along with Team Shanghai¡¯s practice sessions and his exams at school. They hadn¡¯t seen him at all over the past few days when he was in Beijing for the Finals of the Collegiate Cup. Now that he was finally back and on stream again, the viewers were ecstatic to have their old friend back.

    ¡¸<i>Li¡¯l bro! You finally done with the collegiate cup now?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>i caught the stream yesterday! You¡¯re the champion! Congrattions!!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>6666666666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>aweeeeeeeesssssoooome!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>hahaha! we always knew you were going to win!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Nobody can beat our lil bro!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>u stomped on them so hard!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>congratttttttssssssssss!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>WIN FENG! WING FENG! WIN FENGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng scratched his head as he read through all the messages. <i>What are these guys talking about?</i><i>The Collegiate Cup? Oh! Right! That was yesterday! Ipletely forgot about ying in the Finals and winning! I was so caught up in trying to live up to the promise I made One that Ipletely forgot about the Collegiate Cup and winning. If I¡¯m being honest here¡­pared to the games on the Korean server, the Collegiate Cup was a piece of cake. Mmmm¡­ I could eat some cake right now. Cake would be so good!</i>

    Su Xue finished ordering the food and put her phone down just in time to see the conversation taking ce in her chat. She smirked and smugly said, ¡°Oh? All of you are getting worked up about the fact that Lin Feng won the Collegiate Cup? I guess that¡¯s pretty cool, if you¡¯re impressed by something that small. But you guys don¡¯t know the half of it. If you had any idea what your little bro did after winning the Collegiate Cup, you¡¯d lose your mi¡ª¡± Su Xue stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at the chat to make sure no one heard what she was almost about to leak. <i>Ohthankgod! They¡¯re all so busy fawning over Lin Feng that none of them paid any attention to what I was about to say! </i>Su Xue exhaled as pure relief washed over her.

    <i>I definitely cannot let that slip again. If anyone found out that Lin Feng was CN?HOOK2¡­ it would blow minds across China! My viewers would get lost in the avnche of attention that would follow something like this leaking out! </i>

    Since they were just waiting for the food to be delivered, Su Xue decided to continue the ranked game she was now ying. But the viewers on her stream had no interest in her gamey at all. They were all focused on Lin Feng and talking to him about the Collegiate Cup and what was going on in the League scene. And before long, the conversation turned to CN?HOOK2 and his climb up the Korean Challenger Ladderst night.

    ¡¸<i>maaaan, that hook2 is a god!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸Did you see any his games on streamst night li¡¯l bro?¡¹

    ¡¸<i>LIN FENG! THERE¡¯S HIGHLIGHTS ON THE FORUMS TOO!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>I wonder where he came from??? </i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>I can¡¯t believe someone came out of nowhere and went even with Orion!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>evenm my ass, he fucking whooped orion¡¯s ass!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>yeah, those yasuo mechanics were freaking next level!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lil bro tell us your thoughts!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>yeah! whatchu think of him lil bro???</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>who is he lin feng///////?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>spillll the deeeets!!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng smiled ear to ear as he read the chat. Then he started talking back, ¡°Yeah, I heard! Hook2 is pretty amazing, isn¡¯t he? Pulling win-streaks at the top of Korean Challenger¡­ that¡¯s really something. And yeah! His Yasuo was god-like in hisst game against Orion. You guys think my Yasuo is just as good? But Hook2¡­ that guy really is the best, isn¡¯t he?¡± Lin Feng¡¯s smile somehow managed to growrger and beam more as he talked to the stream chat about CN?HOOK2. But he never gave anything away. For all intents and purposes, Lin Feng maintained a straight face through the entire conversation, except for a twinkle in his eyes that the webcam couldn¡¯t capture.

    Su Xue looked away from her game for a moment and at Lin Feng while he was attempting to pull off the performance of a lifetime for her viewers. She rolled her eyes. <i>This¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say. How much of a narcissist is this kid? Seriously, how thick is his skin? He¡¯s sitting thereplimenting himself without batting an eyelid or showing an ounce of shame! I have no words. None!</i>

    Su Xue jumped back into her game, but she continued to think about Lin Feng. <i>I gotta admit that hisst game of the night was amazing though. Especially when he went up against Orion alone and won! I got goosebumps when I was watching it alonest night. And when he finally won thatst game and climbed into the Top 5¡­ I had tears in my eyes. </i>

    As she thought about everything she feltst night, Su Xue blushed a little from embarrassment. She stole another nce at Lin Feng. <i>If I didn¡¯t know this little shi¡ª if I didn¡¯t know Lin Feng was CN?HOOK2, I¡¯d be right there with stream chat talking about how amazing Hook2 is and telling Lin Feng that I was one of Hook2¡¯s die hard fans afterst night¡­</i>

    <i>Still¡­ </i>Mixed emotions ran through Su Xue¡¯s eyes and mind. <i>I know Lin Feng is CN?HOOK2, and I know a lot more about this situation than all of those people online. I talked to him about the CN?HOOK2 ount, and he mentioned that it wasn¡¯t his. He told me that someone gave it to him. That made me curious so I started looking into the name¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to think about what I found. Should I ask Lin Feng about it? </i>

    The name CN?HOOK2 initially meant nothing to Su Xue. She knew almost nothing about the Chinese esports scene before she started ying League of Legends, and was still learning about the entire history. League of Legends was the first MOBA that Su Xue had ever yed, so she knew next to nothing about the other games and the esports scene surrounding them. But when Lin Feng told her that someone gave him the ount, she grew curious and started investigating through the inte. What she found rocked her mind and shattered everything she thought she knew about Lin Feng. Even someone as brand new to esports andpetitive gaming as Su Xue had heard of the legendary yer One and his aplishments. It was impossible not to hear of that name in China, not after the unforgettable mark he¡¯d left on the history of global esports.

    <i>CN?HOOK2 belongs to One! And he gave his ount to Lin Feng! What does that mean? How does Lin Feng know One? And if One is close enough to Lin Feng to give him an ount¡­ how close are they? </i>Su Xue¡¯s thoughts grew chaotic and her gamey turned sloppy and unfocused. But she didn¡¯t notice. She couldn¡¯t think about the game because there was a single question screaming around in her mind.

    <i>Who exactly is Lin Feng?</i>

 Chapter 438: Identity â€“ (2)

    When Lin Feng had first shown up at her door and imed to be a Challenger on the Ionia Server, Su Xue did not believe him. She could still recall that evening when Lin Feng joined her on her stream for the very first time. <i>Of course I didn¡¯t believe him back then! Why would I? Who would¡¯ve believed a im like that from some strange kid who appeared out of nowhere with the Landy? I thought he was just trying to look cool in front of me! ¡®I¡¯m a Challenger on the Ionia Server, Su Xue!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m really good at League of Legends, Su Xue!¡¯ It was too much of a stretch to be true! But since then¡­ well, he was way better at League than I was at the time. I figured he was just good at the game, but I still didn¡¯t believe everything he imed about his past! But in the weeks and months that followed¡­ Hm. I guess I always knew that there was something mysterious about Lin Feng.</i>

    As Su Xue spent more and more time with Lin Feng, she started to pick up on little details that just didn¡¯t make sense, and she started to think there was more to Lin Feng than she knew. But Lin Feng never appeared to be more than the average high school kid most of the time, and Su Xue wasn¡¯t the kind of person who stuck her nose into other people¡¯s business when they didn¡¯t want it. Besides, she was content with her rtionship with Lin Feng and didn¡¯t want to jeopardise that. He¡¯d gone from an unwanted roommate to an unwanted nuisance to her little brother, and she cherished her time with him. Even if he did drive her crazy in one way or another every single day.

    On top of all of that, her streaming career was taking off and that took most of her time and energy. So even when she had noticed the small hints that there was something mysterious and strange about Lin Feng, she never bothered asking about it.

    And now, she was kicking herself mentally for being so passive. <i>I can¡¯t pretend there isn¡¯t something strange going on with Lin Feng anymore, and I need to know the truth! It¡¯s odd that he¡¯s this good at League of Legends, there¡¯s no getting around that. His skills are at an absurdly high level, way beyond any normal high school kid. Even his whole ¡®I¡¯m a Challenger on the Ionia Server¡¯ thing doesn¡¯t make sense. Now that I think about it, that¡¯s not even that rare. There¡¯s plenty of high schoolers across China who are at Diamond 1, Master, and Challenger rank. There¡¯s thousands of them! But Lin Feng¡­ he¡¯s not just a regr Challenger yer.</i>

    <i>There¡¯s no way that a normal high schooler who is normally good at League of Legends can y and win through the Finals of Collegiate Cup, and then go on to climb into the Top 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder in the same day! And let¡¯s not forget that Lin Feng did that by beating Orion, a top Korean professional yer, in hisst game of the night! That¡¯s not something that a high school kid can do! Even in the LPL, there¡¯s only a few professional yers that can pull something like that off. So who exactly is Lin Feng?</i>

    Su Xue¡¯s head started spinning as she tried to put together all the facts that she¡¯d learned about Lin Feng during their time together into a picture that madeplete sense. She¡¯dpletely forgotten about the game she was ying, and didn¡¯t even notice that she was being zoned out of thenepletely. Pings from her teammates wentpletely ignored, and she waspletely unaware of the discussion about forfeiting the game that was taking ce in her team¡¯s chat.

    Su Xue¡¯s mind was focused on other parts of Lin Feng¡¯s life right now. <i>There¡¯s also the fact that he knows so many people in the Chinese Esports scene. Even Chu Fang, the Vice President of the Shanghai Esports Association, knew who he was and they have a tight rtionship. Oh! OH! He also knows the new Miner for Team Rapids! The one that just came back from retirement. AyDeeCee! How does an ordinary high school yer get to know people like that? And Lin Feng doesn¡¯t just know them, they¡¯re close to him. All of them know Lin Feng, but not the Lin Feng I know. They have a history with him. </i>

    This wasn¡¯t the first time that Su Xue thought about Lin Feng¡¯s past and wondered about his identity. There were days when she started to feel herself believing his loud ims that he was a former professional yer. But then Lin Feng would act like Lin Feng, and she¡¯dugh at herself for being silly and dismiss the whole thing from her mind. No matter how many times Su Xue thought about it, there was just no way that it was possible. But she thought about it again right now. <i>Maybe he really was a professional yer¡­? Wait! NO! Lin Feng is in his third and final year of high school. If he really was a pro, when did he start ying? When he was in his first year? Or his second year? There¡¯s no way that he¡¯d be this unknown if he was a pro a couple of years ago. Forget me hearing about him, someone in my stream chat would¡¯ve known who he was and the rest of the chat would¡¯ve picked up on that and put it on st! The only way he could¡¯ve been a pro and be unknown today is if he started ying in middle school, and that¡¯s just not possible. There¡¯s no way. But¡­ what else exins everything about Lin Feng? Was he really a professional yer? Was this kid telling me the truth the whole time, and I refused to believe him¡­? </i>

    As her team¡¯s Nexus exploded, Su Xue was starting to doubt everything that she considered true about Lin Feng. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice the Defeat that sshed across her screen.

    Su Xue decided the game she had just lost was going to be herst game of the night. It was starting to gette, and she wasn¡¯t in the right headspace to continue ying anyway. Su Xue shared a few parting words with her viewers, bid them a good night and then ended her stream. It turned out to be perfect timing too, because the delivery guy arrived at her door right as she stopped streaming for the night.

    Su Xue got up from herputer and went to the door to grab the food. She took it over to the dining table, where Lin Feng was already waiting, and unpacked it. Then the two of them sat down for theirte night snack. Lin Feng started wolfing down his chicken cutlet the instant it was within range of his mouth.

    Su Xue watched him tear apart the cutlet and smiled, but her thoughts remained in chaos. She slowly walked to her seat at the dining table, across from Lin Feng, and sat down. She started nibbling at her food, very slowly. She honestly had no interest in eating. But every few bits of food, she looked up from her te to quickly nce at Lin Feng, and then looked back down. Lin Feng was too absorbed in his food to notice any of these nces or looks. He didn¡¯t even notice that Su Xue wasn¡¯t eating. Which is something that Su Xue did notice. She gave Lin Feng around 5 minutes to realise something was up and ask her about it, and gave up when it became clear that he wasn¡¯t going to look up from his chicken cutlet long enough to see that she had something she wanted to say to him. Su Xue cleared her throat and asked, ¡°Lin Feng?¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s attention was stillpletely on his chicken cutlet, and he didn¡¯t even look up as he replied, ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Su Xue took a few seconds to gather her thoughts and decided to plunge into what was bothering her, ¡°The ount you were ying with on the Korean Server, CN?HOOK2. You said someone gave that ount to you, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lin Feng answered, food in his mouth.

    ¡°So I¡¯ve been wondering¡­ well, what I mean is do you mind if I ask¡­ who gave you the ount?¡± Su Xue carefully asked.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lin Feng finally looked up from his food and replied, ¡°He¡¯s someone I really respect and admire!¡±

    Su Xue took a deep breath and fought the urge to facepalm. <i>Of course he¡¯s someone you really respect and admire! EVERYONE in China respects and admires him! You¡¯re being stupid, Su Xue! What did you expect out of Lin Feng when you asked him such a vague question? You need to get to the point. This is Lin Feng, he¡¯s not going to mind. You just need to ask him a straight question and he¡¯ll answer like a normal person. </i>Sheposed herself and gathered her courage before asking, ¡°¡­ and that someone. Well¡­ is his name One?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Feng replied right away, not hiding anything.

    But that answer made Su Xue¡¯s heart stop for a few beats, and she felt a weight settle on her chest. She literally did not know how to react after having all her suspicions confirmed. <i>I knew it! I was right, it really is him! It really is THE One! Oh my god! Everything I read online waspletely true. I don¡¯t know what to say. Lin Feng knows One! He was ying on One¡¯s ount!</i><i>Wait¡­ Lin Feng was ying on One¡¯s ount¡­ Why would One give Lin Feng his ount? Why would he ask Lin Feng to do something so obviously impossible?</i>

    ¡°Lin Feng¡­ so, you and One¡­ you two know each other¡­?¡± Su Xue asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Lin Feng looked at Su Xue, puzzled as to why she needed to ask such a dumb question.

    Su Xue¡¯s cheeks flushed red, but she gnashed her teeth and suppressed her nervousness and embarrassment. She finally asked the important question, ¡°So, when you told me you used to be a pro, you weren¡¯t lying?¡±

    Lin Feng opened his mouth and took another big bite of his chicken cutlet, but the piece was still hot. So, he breathed out and replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not lying. Didn¡¯t I say that before? Just search up the name Maple. I was really popr back then!¡±

    Lin Feng, as always, waspletely oblivious to how shocking the information he¡¯d casually thrown at Su Xue was considered. What he¡¯d just said would have made the heads of every old League of Legends fan and yer across China explode. It had been a long time since Maple and One held the limelight, and esports were not as popr back then as they were today. But the real gamers all knew the lore, and all of them would¡¯ve killed to be sitting where Su Xue was sitting right now. But none of that factored into Lin Feng¡¯s mind. To him, this was boring and obvious. Something of little consequence or value, like he was telling Su Xue how he¡¯d gotten a C on a test.

    It was so nonchnt that Su Xue had no choice but to nod along and mutter, ¡°Oh! Okay, alright. I¡¯ll just go¡­ and read up about Maple. Got it¡­¡±

    Su Xue was still too stunned to think clearly. But a few secondster, the gears in her mind started spinning again. Su Xue¡¯s eyes popped wide open as she finally remembered. <i>Maple¡­ I¡¯ve heard that name before. WAIT! MAPLE!? </i>Su Xue rocked back and forth in her chair and covered her ears with her hands, like a bomb had just gone off in her mind. Her eyes started to roll and the room was spinning. She screamed out, ¡°YOU¡¯RE THE MAPLE!?¡±

    Su Xue had only started ying League of Legendsst season; right before Lin Feng showed up at her doorstep. At the time, she didn¡¯t know much about the lore of League Esports. When Lin Feng had first mentioned that he used to be Maple, she didn¡¯t know that name or what it meant. But when she started looking into the name CN?HOOK2, she found an article that also mentioned Maple.

    The article was about the greatest yers of all time in Chinese esports history. Obviously, One was extensively mentioned in the article, and that was where Su Xue found out that he also used to y on the alternate ount CN?HOOK2 while abroad. The writer of the article concluded One¡¯s section by stating that One was a yer who defined an entire era in esports history.

    Su Xue continued reading the article to learn about the other yers who built the foundation of esports in China. That was where she found a section on Maple. The writer spoke about how Maple was the most likely yer to lead the future generation of Chinese esports, and how he was One¡¯s sessor. Then he went on to list all of Maple¡¯s achievements, none of which were insignificant. The article spoke about how Maple was the number one Miner in all of China and the team captain for the only Chinese team that qualified for the Season 1 World Championships. Then it went into detail about how Maple triumphed over many strong European and North American teams at Worlds. There was a paragraph about how Maple managed to utterly defeat Phoenix, who was undefeated until that match. And then the article went on and on about how Maple went toe-to-toe with Rake and took him all the way to Game 5 in the Grand Finals of the Season 1 World Championships.

    ording to the writer, Maple was a rising prodigy in League of Legends and one of the best yers in the world. It also said that Maple was clearly the only yer who could present a clear challenge to Rake, and possibly topple him from his throne.

    Su Xue¡¯s mouth popped open and she let out a soundless scream as all of the information about Maple flooded back into her mind. The dining room really did start spinning and she struggled to catch her breath. <i>MAPLE! HE¡¯S THE MAPLE! I thought he was just a pro yer¡­ but Maple!? This is Lin Feng¡­ but he¡¯s also Maple! I¡¯m sitting across a table eating chicken cutlet with the best yer in China and one of the best yers in the entire world! How can this be real? How is he so calm about this? How was I so stupid that I never realized who he was all these months? </i>

    While Su Xue sat therepletely stunned speechless by everything she¡¯d just learned, Lin Feng finished the rest of his chicken cutlet. He didn¡¯t even notice that there was something wrong with Su Xue¡¯s mental state. He calmly wiped his mouth and stood up and stretched. Then he yawned and rubbed his face. He was busy rubbing his eyes when he said, ¡°Su Xue, I¡¯m still a little tired from yesterday. I¡¯m gonna go back to bed now. Good night! Thanks for the chicken cutlet! I really needed that. You¡¯re the best!¡±

    Lin Feng turned around and headed upstairs back to his own room, stillpletely unaware of the effect that his revtion had on Su Xue.

    ¡°H-huh? Bed, oh, uh¡­ Alright.. Sleep tight,¡± Su Xue muttered. She was still dazed as Lin Feng walked out of the dining room. Su Xue stared at his back with a nk expression on her face. Her mind struggled to process everything she¡¯d just learned about Lin Feng. She simply couldn¡¯t believe that Lin Feng, the boy that she¡¯de to adore as a little brother, was Maple. Her heart was tearing itself with all the emotions pounding through her.

    After several very long minutes, Su Xue finally got up from the dining table and walked into her bedroom. She fell into her bed and tried to sleep, but she had too much on her mind. She tossed and turned the entire night, sleeppletely eluding her.

 Chapter 439: Identity

    Once he got inside his room, Lin Feng sat down on his bed. He was tired, but there was something he had to do before turning in for the night. Which is why he was sitting on his bed thinking instead of lying down and immediately knocking out. <i>What time is it right now? Hm¡­ that means that it¡¯ll still be morning in Los Angeles¡­ </i>Lin Feng considered what he wanted to do for another few seconds, and then pulled out his phone. He scrolled through until he found the person he wanted to call, and pushed the call button.

    The call connected after two rings, and a familiar, carefree voice rang out. ¡°Hello?¡±

    As soon as Lin Feng heard the greeting from the voice at the other end of the line, he stopped slouching and sat up straight. His expression turned respectful, and his tone reflected that same respect as he spoke. ¡°One! I did what you asked me to do! I kept my promise!¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Yeah, I heard. Good job, good job.¡± One said,ughing.

    The approval in One¡¯s voice and his praise was more than enough for Lin Feng. His face lit up with joy and he pumped his other fist into the air while eximing, ¡°Yeah!¡± That was all he could say out loud. What he really wanted to say was running through his mind. <i>Everything I¡¯ve gone through over the past couple of months¡­ all of that was nothing. I¡¯ve gone through this before. I worked myself to the bone over and over again during Season 1! I can take this much pressure ande out on top, I¡¯m already more than used to it. I just needed to remind myself who I am, who I was. But this was all worth it¡­ I¡¯d do it all over again if it means One¡¯ll acknowledge me. All the pain and pressure means nothingpared to One¡¯s approval!</i><i>And I didn¡¯t let One down! That¡¯s what matters most here. I proved to One¡­ and myself that I¡¯m still Maple! I¡¯m capable of being better than anyone else in this current era. It doesn¡¯t matter that the scene changed and that things are way morepetitive than they were in Season 1. I¡¯m still just as good as I was back then! </i>

    Lin Feng took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he continued talking to One, ¡°You know what really sucks, One? The n was to shoot for the Top 3. That¡¯s where I was aiming. I just ran out of time¡­¡± As he trailed off, Lin Feng¡¯s voice was tinged with regret. This wasn¡¯t Lin Feng overestimating himself or making an excuse. He really was nning to get into the Top 3. And he knew that if he had time for a few more games, he could¡¯ve continued riding the momentum from his victory against Orion into the Top 3.

    One chuckled. ¡°No big deal. It¡¯s fine, really. Rank 4 ain¡¯t bad. Besides, it¡¯s not like it makes a huge difference if you climbed into the Top 5 or Top 3. There weren¡¯t many other OGN pros apart from Orion yingst night. There¡¯s nothing more you have to prove to yourself, and nothing more you could¡¯ve proved by getting into the Top 3st night.¡±

    Lin Feng froze for a moment as he processed what One had just said. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ there really weren¡¯t many yers from the top of the OGN yingst night before thedder reset. Now that I think about it, that¡¯s probably why there wasn¡¯t too much resistance on my climb. Orion was the hardest opponent I faced off against. If there were more professional yers in the queue, I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve gotten any of my win streaks.¡±

    The depths of the Korean Challenger pool were far deeper than they appeared to be during Lin Feng¡¯s climb. There was a reason so many Chinese yers had failed to get into the Top 10 or Top 5 for so long. And Lin Feng knew that luck contributed to his seemingly effortless climb. He was more than aware that there were several other yers in the OGN who could¡¯ve pushed him aside and ruined his climb. None of these yers were weaker than Orion, and some of them were significantly stronger. yers like Fate¡¯s Moon or SSK¡¯s Rake.

    ¡°Enough about ranks and bragging rights for now! There¡¯s something else I want to talk to you about. Yourst game, that was the one you yed against Orion, right?¡± One asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Feng replied.

    One chuckled briefly before asking, ¡°So? How¡¯d it feel?¡±

    Lin Feng took a few seconds to figure out what One was asking. Then he replied, ¡°Orion¡­ he was really strong. But he was cocky in the beginning, and that made him careless. That¡¯s why I was able to snowball against him and win the game.¡±

    The gamest night sent shockwaves running through two regions, and thousands of yers were making assumptions about the mysterious yer who had beaten Orion. But Lin Feng didn¡¯t let any of that talk, or his victory, go to his head. He knew that he only managed to triumph over Orionst night because of many factors that worked together to give him an advantage. The simple truth here was that all of the yers talking about his match against Orion were wrong. The skill that a King possessed was somethingpletely beyond theprehension of ordinary yers. Lin Feng was not an ordinary yer, and he understood how and why things yed out the way they did.

    Lin Feng stayed quiet as he thought about the game for the first time. He was silent for so long that One decided to break it up by asking, ¡°Well? You gonna keep thinking about it or tell me what happened in that game?¡±

    ¡°Right! Yup!¡± Lin Feng said as he shook himself out of his own thoughts. Then he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Well, in any matchup where you have Yasuo and Zed, everyone knows that Yasuo is the slightly stronger champion. And there¡¯s no way that Orion doesn¡¯t know that. If he was ying more cautiously, he would¡¯ve never gone in for a 1v1 at Level 6. That was his first big mistake. I think he figured that he could make up for the difference with pure skill. His n was to go in and outy me in that duel, and then use that to zone me outpletely and win the game. But since he wasn¡¯t careful enough to think about how I¡¯d react, it didn¡¯t go his way at all. My Yasuo ended up killing his Zed, and that¡¯s where I got enough of an advantage to snowball into victory. Orion got a lot more careful after that first death, but that was too big of a mistake.

    If Orion had been more cautious and yed like he would against a professional opponent in a tournament game, it would not have been that easy to win against him at all. And there¡¯s a definite chance that I would have lost that game to Orion.¡±

    After hearing Lin Feng¡¯s analysis, One smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re aware. I was a little worried that you¡¯d get all big-headed after winning against a top OGN pro yer. But you know what happened in that game, and that¡¯s good. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, kid. Your progress so far has been phenomenal and deserves praise. But you and I both know that it isn¡¯t enough. You gotta keep working hard. The faster you can get yourself back to your old prime, the sooner we can start thinking about how to get you even better than that! Besides, the LPL badly needs some new blood right now. You need to shock them awake real quick. Plus, I want to keep bragging about my sessor in front of your uncle. Keep pushing, Lin Feng!¡±

    ¡°My uncle¡­?¡± Lin Feng asked, stunned.

    Oneughed. ¡°Yup. Your uncle, Lin Songshi. He called me upst night, sounded like he was conflicted about your return. I know the two of you have your issues, but deep down, he¡¯s got a lot of hope pinned on you. Don¡¯t let him down.¡±

    Lin Feng didn¡¯t know what to say, so he stayed silent. <i>My Uncle called One¡­</i> A few secondster, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he exhaled. When he finally opened his eyes, they were burning with determination and resolve. He¡¯d finally figured out what to say back to One. ¡°I understand.¡±

    The next day, Lin Feng woke up early in the morning after getting a good night¡¯s rest. He stretched his back, opened his eyes, and was back in his normal high spirits. He hopped out of bed and into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

    Lin Feng finished his morning routine and walked out of the bathroom just in time to see Su Xue walking out of her room. ¡°MORNING SU XUE! Wait¡­ woah. Why are you up so early?¡±

    Su Xue looked at Lin Feng with blurry red eyes. Truthfully and technically speaking, Su Xue did not get up early this morning. She¡¯d barely gotten any sleep at allst night. Since she didn¡¯t go to sleep, she didn¡¯t get up. She¡¯d been up all night. And now she was looking at the reason for herck of sleep. Su Xue rubbed her eyes with her palms and looked at Lin Feng again. She had two veryrge dark circles under her eyes. ¡°Oh, yeah. It¡¯s morning¡­ I¡¯m¡­ up.¡±

    Last night was not a good one at all for Su Xue. She could not stop thinking about what Lin Feng casually revealed to her over a chicken cutlet, that he was Maple. She could notprehend how she was living with someone who used to be China¡¯s best yer. Or that he¡¯d yed against some of the best yers in the world, including Phoenix and Rake. Lin Feng¡¯s history swirled around in her head all night and left herpletely unable to sleep. She tossed and turned, trying to getfortable enough to stop her mind from racing. She¡¯d even resorted to counting sheep for hours until her eyes were bloodshot, but sleep continued to elude her.

    As morning arrived, Su Xue finally had enough of trying to sleep and decided to get out of bed. She wanted to go to the bathroom and cover her face with a hot towel. Which is when she ran into Lin Feng as he walked out of the bathroom.

    When Su Xue saw Lin Feng again, her expression flickered with mixed emotions. Now that she finally knew who he was, his real identity, she didn¡¯t know how to look at him anymore. <i>He isn¡¯t an ordinary kid who just happens to be really good at League of Legends. Nope! He¡¯s a freaking legend who was even more amazing than Daybreak Hermes! And I¡¯ve been living together with him the whole time! No one is going to believe this. I don¡¯t even believe it! This is not something that happens to real people at all. I could probably go write a webnovel about this on the forums, that¡¯s how unbelievable it is!</i>

    Su Xue¡¯s mind was filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts. She only snapped out of her daze when she noticed Lin Feng waving his hand in front of her face. ¡°W-what, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was nning to go out and buy some breakfast. Do you want me to get you something too?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    Su Xue nodded slowly. ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Then she suddenly thought of something and said. ¡°Right. You¡¯re not doing anything today, right? How about youe and help me stream for a bit?¡±

 Chapter 440: The Invasion of Ionia

    Not a wink of sleep did Su Xue getst night, and she was miserable for it. Right before she gave up on sleeppletely and got out of bed, she had some sort of vague idea in her mind about taking a mini-holiday for the day. She wasn¡¯t in a fit state to stream, anyways. So right before she walked out of her room, she¡¯d made the decision to bezy today. Then she saw Lin Feng walking out of the bathroom, and a new n started taking shape in her mind.

    <i>I¡¯m always the one getting up early to make Lin Feng breakfast or running out to buy him something to eat! It¡¯s good that he decided to go get breakfast on his own, I cannot be bothered today. Let him handle everything for once in his life! You know what? I¡¯m going to have him stream for me today too. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s never subbed in for me before, and today is all his fault. If it wasn¡¯t for the bombshell he droppedst night, I would¡¯ve slept like a baby and woken up dewy fresh this morning! I¡¯m this tired and sleep-deprived because of him, so the least he can do to make up for it is to stream for me. Yup! All the tossing and turning I didst night, that¡¯s all Lin Feng¡¯s fault! </i>

    While Su Xue ranted to herself in her thoughts, Lin Feng had stepped out to get breakfast and returned. He walked into Su Xue¡¯s room to find her sitting on her bed. He handed her some of the food he picked up and walked over to herputer to set up for the stream. Lin Feng already finished his breakfast on the walk back to their apartment.

    Su Xue, still on her bed, started nibbling at her breakfast. She wasn¡¯t exactly hungry, but she wasn¡¯t not-hungry either. She was mostly just tired and angry at Lin Feng. She red at him out of the corner of her eye and thought, <i>I¡¯m going to make himpletely bnce this debt! He¡¯s the root cause of all my misery today! </i>

    <i>Maple¡­ Lin Feng¡­ Maple! That¡¯s it! He used to be Maple, and we can¡¯t just let something like that go without taking advantage of it, can we Su Xue? Nope! Now that I know, I¡¯m going to use this to make my stream explode. </i>Su Xue¡¯s lips curved with a grin. <i>I mean,e on, what other streamer on Huya can im they have China¡¯s best Miner helping them stream?</i>

    As for Lin Feng, he didn¡¯t really mind helping Su Xue out today. He was off from school for the winter holidays, and there was nowhere else he needed to be today. And after the Collegiate Cup and the climb up the Korean Challengerdder, he had nothing better to do for the time being. Besides, he¡¯d earned some rxation. Lin Feng could think of nothing more calming than streaming a few games in Diamond and chatting with the viewers on the stream.

    Once he finished adjusting the chair, Lin Feng sat down and turned on Su Xue¡¯sputer. He checked to make sure everything on the stream was set up properly before turning it on. Then he opened up the Chinese League of Legends client and used Su Xue¡¯s username and password to log on. Just as he loaded into the Ionia server, viewers started flooding into the stream. When they saw it was Lin Feng on the camera instead of Su Xue, some were happy and greeted Lin Feng. Others were surprised and wondered what happened to Su Xue. The chat struggled under the barrage of mixed messages from all the viewers.

    ¡¸<i>What? Where¡¯s xuexue?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>LIL BRO!! WELCOME BACK!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>BroFeng strem today gonna be good!!!!!!!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Lil bro your not as cute as Su Xue!!!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>I NEED THE REAL EVENING SNOWFALL</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Why is there always a guy when I click onto a cute girl¡¯s stream?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Is it just lil bro today?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>wut happin to suxue???????</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>she quit streaminggggg?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Is Su Xue Okay Lin Feng?!Q?!?A</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>where¡¯d the maaaaid gooooo?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lilbro don need no maid right?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Hihihihihihi LINFENG</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>LILBROLINGENG</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng noticed all the questions about Su Xue as he skimmed through the chat. He scratched his head as he wondered how to respond. After 30 more seconds and hundreds of messages asking why Su Xue wasn¡¯t on stream, he decided to reply. ¡°Su Xue? Oh, she¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry guys! She said she was feelingzy today, so she made me take her ce.¡±

    ¡¸<i>What¡­.?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>She¡¯s beingzy¡­.?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Didn¡¯t she get off at only 11 yesterday?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Yeah! Why¡¯s she taking the whole day off!?</i>¡¹

    A few of the more eagle-eyed viewers, ones who happened to be watching the stream onrge monitors instead of their phones, noticed that Su Xue could be seen in the background of the camera frame. She was sitting on her bed, still nibbling on her breakfast. Once they found her, the viewers considered it their solemn duty to inform the rest of the chat.

    ¡¸<i>LOOK IN THE CORNER!!!! THERE SHE IS!!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>SU XUE ON HER BED LOOOOK</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>The maid is sitting on her bed eating guys</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>theretherherherherhereraahs AAGH SU XUE!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>omg! there she is pigging out on the bed!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>looking at her goofing off and beingzy!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>no shame at all! Having poor lil bro take her ce!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>waht was that about being a professional streamer and taking things seriously now?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>we can¡¯t let her get away with this! BOIS! REPORT HER!</i>¡¹

    Soon enough, waves of requests to report Su Xue roiled through the chat. The viewers had all gotten riled up with righteous fury! While this was happening, Su Xue decided to take a quick peek at the chat to see what was going on. When she noticed all of the anger and threats to report her to Huya, her face turnedpletely pale. She jammed the bun she was eating into her mouth and huddled underneath her nket. She yelled, ¡°I¡¯m not here! I¡¯m not here! You guys can¡¯t see me!¡±

    ¡¸<i>in what world did you think that would work!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>talk about being an ostrich!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>we literally saw you eating just a moment ago!</i>¡¹

    But before long, the people watching the stream chat turned their attention back to Lin Feng and gave up on tormenting Su Xue. A game had popped up and he was loading into the Champion Select screen.

    ¡¸<i>bah, whatever! Lil bro is way more fun to watch anyway!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>yeah, i was getting tired of watching xuexue feed all the time!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>we¡¯ll let you off this once!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>you¡¯re lucky lik bro is so nice!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<ie on, lil bro! Let¡¯s see you stomping in diamond today!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>I wanna see a yasuo game!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>y a xerath game!</i>¡¹

    Su Xue, still hidden under her nkets, continued to watch the chat. When she noticed that they¡¯d given up on making her even more miserable and flooding the chat with what champion they wanted to see Lin Feng y, she breathed a grateful sigh of relief. Now that all of the viewers¡¯ attention swervedpletely away from her, she could finally get some sleep. Su Xue started to getfortable and her eyes slowly closed.

    Then, all of a sudden, her eyes popped open. Su Xue had just realised something. <i>Waitaminute! That¡¯s my channel and all of those stupid fickle morons are my viewers! They saw me and they decided to pile on instead of begging me to get up and y. None of them care about me at all. All of them jumped onto the Lin Feng bandwagon andpletely forgot about me. They have no loyalty at all!</i><i>It¡¯s all about Lin Feng now. But¡­ well, it¡¯s not like I can me them. Lin Feng is a living legend and I¡¯m hardstuck in Diamond¡­ I¡¯d probably jump ship over to him too if I was a viewer. That¡¯s just how it goes. But imagine if Lin Feng revealed his identity as Maple to the world¡­ my stream viewership would jump up by a couple million!</i>

    <i>Ahhh! It doesn¡¯t matter! </i>Su Xue shook her head. <i>Sleep! Sleep! I need sleep!</i>

    Shortly after turning on the stream, just as he was about to start his first game, Lin Feng was surprised to discover that the number of viewers on the stream had spiked. By a significant number. What made this even more perplexing was that Lin Feng had started the stream in the morning. There really weren¡¯t a lot of people who watched streams on Huya TV in the morning. Yet somehow, Su Xue¡¯s stream already had 30,000 viewers!

    The number wasn¡¯t particrly high for the normal viewer count on Su Xue¡¯s stream. But that was because she usually started her stream up in the afternoon or evening. If Lin Feng kept the stream up into the evening, there was no question that the viewer count would be somewhere north of 100,000. Su Xue had worked hard and built up arge following for her stream. And 30,000 viewers showing up for an off-peak stream in the morning was an indication of how popr she¡¯d be as a streamer.

    Lin Feng nced at the viewer count again. It was ticking past 35,000. <i>Guess I¡¯m not the only one who has been working hard these days. Su Xue¡¯s really been taking it up a notch on her channel. She¡¯s grown so much recently¡­ Oh! Time to focus on the game. Okay. Diamond on the Ionia Server¡­ this is going to be a piece of cake after all those Challenger games on the Korean server! </i>

    In his first game, Lin Feng was ying Xerath in the Mid Lane. One of the viewers had suggested it, and he saw no reason not to y Xerath. So he picked the champion and started. 10 minutes after the game started, Lin Feng had 3 Kills/0 Deaths/1 Assist. At 20 minutes, his KDA was 7/1/2 with a CS of 240. His Xerath floated around the map, stomping any enemy champion who happened to be unlucky enough to cross his path. After 8 minutes of constant harassment and overwhelming defeat, the opposing team surrendered. Lin Feng had ended his first game in 28 minutes.

    With that game out of the way and the viewers on the stream absolutely enthralled, Lin Feng decided to continue onto the next game of the stream. And then a third game. Two and a half hours flew by like this, and Lin Feng had yed five games. There was one game where his team lost because his teammates were unable to keep it together long enough for him to carry, but the other four were all easy victories.

    But something about the five games he¡¯d just yed nagged at Lin Feng. <i>There¡¯s something¡­ off about all of these games. I¡¯m not sure what it is¡­ but¡­ something doesn¡¯t feel right at all. This is supposed to be Diamond on the Ionia server, but the yers I was up against didn¡¯t feel like Diamonds. They¡¯re all much stronger than their rank¡­ weird. And there were a few who were Diamond 4 or Diamond 5 but they moved like high Diamond yers! Oh! Oh! There was even a yer who was only tinum 1 but yed like he was at the top of Diamond! What is going on? </i>

    <i>Now that I¡¯m thinking about this¡­ hm. Some of those guys didn¡¯t y like everyone else on Ionia either. Their mechanics were way cleaner and their decision-making was decisive¡­ something is definitely going on. I mean, it¡¯s possible that I ran into a group of yers who just happened to be above the normal Ionia yer¡­ but there was something wrong with their summoner tags too. All of the yers who stood out to me had odd names! Some of them were in English but they were different from the normal English summoner tags that people pick. And there were a few that were in Chinese characters¡­ but they made no sense at all. Sorta like someone just randomly mashed Chinese characters on a keyboard to make a name¡­ why would someone do that? </i>

    ¡°How strange¡­¡± Lin Feng muttered, rubbing his chin.

    The viewers on the stream knew exactly what Lin Feng was thinking without him exining what he found strange. Chat exploded as all the viewers tried to exin the situation to Lin Feng.

    ¡¸<i>lil bro, those yers were probably Korean!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>yeah! A lot of em were Korean.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>i don¡¯t know why, but there¡¯ve been a lot of Korean yers in the Ionia server today.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i> I bumped into a few when iw as ranking earlier.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>check the forums, i think they¡¯re here to get revenge?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>revenge for what? Seriously, we¡¯re not even allowed to get top 5 in their server?</i>¡¹

    After reading the chat, Lin Feng understood. Ionia was being invaded by the Koreans, and it was all his fault!

 Chapter 441: The Invasion of Ionia

    The invasion of Korean yers onto the Ionia server was technically Lin Feng¡¯s fault. But the more urate statement was CN?HOOK2¡¯s fault. Because there were very few people who knew that Lin Feng was, in fact, CN?HOOK2.

    The reason for this invasion started two days ago, when Lin Feng used the CN?HOOK2 to climb up the Korean Challenger Ladder. He eventually managed to climb into the Top 5 after a final game victory over Orion, one of the top Korean pro yers. As far as China was concerned, CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb was a huge source of pride. But on the flip side, it was a mark of shame and humiliation for the Korean yers. Many of whom could not let such an insult go unanswered, especially not when Chinese yers proudly boasted about how things were finally turning around and that there was now someone who could break Korean domination in League of Legends.

    The Korean League of Legends yers had apletely different perspective on CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb. As they saw it, the entire climb was dishonest and CN?HOOK2 deserved none of the des he¡¯d been receiving from the Leaguemunity. From their point of view, CN?HOOK2 only managed to get into the Top 5 through abination of luck and cheap tricks. It all boiled down to when the climb started, which was hours before the rankeddder reset. By that time, the Season 5 ranked rewards had already been given out and most yers on the Korean server were not paying attention to the rankings anymore. Most of the top Challengers didn¡¯t even log on that night, because there was simply no point in doing so. And that meant that CN?HOOK2 never faced the true Challengers of the Korean server on his climb into the Top 5.

    There was also the matter of CN?HOOK2¡¯s victory over Orion to consider. There was no doubt that Orion was a truly skilled yer and one of the best currently active in the Korea region. But the fact that someonepletely unknown came into the server from China and beat him in a game, that was something that many Korean yers could not believe happened without some mitigating circumstances at y. And what they believed was that Orion was only beaten because he was careless and not taking the fight against CN?HOOK2 seriously. Orion¡¯sck of focus and a bit of luck managed to put CN?HOOK2 in a position where he won that game. Therefore, no one on the Korean server considered it to be a legitimate victory. Because, as far as they were concerned, it waspletely based on luck! On any other day, they saw no possibility of CN?HOOK2 getting into the Top 5 on their server. Nor did they think he could win against Orion, a King, in a rematch.

    But all that justification and analysis could not change the fact that the Korean yers had to see CN?HOOK2¡¯s name on their Challenger leaderboard. Just sitting there in 4th ce. It infuriated and incensed them just looking at it, and every time it got mentioned was further salt in the wound. Something had to be done, their anger needed an outlet. So they decided to band together and avenge this insult to their honor!

    The n started out simple. Many of the top Korean yers had ounts on the Chinese server, just like many of the top Chinese yers had ounts on the Korean server. Initially, they wanted to go in and find CN?HOOK2, show him what it really meant to fight against Korean Challengers. So they jumped into the Ionia server, ready to hunt down CN?HOOK2. Unfortunately, very few of them had ounts on the Chinese server that were in Master or Challenger. They spent more time ying on their Korean ounts than their alt ounts on Ionia. That was where the n started to go a little sideways. But more than enough of the Korean yers who invaded the Ionia server had ounts that they¡¯d gotten to tinum and Diamond. So they decided they would vent their fury on any and all Chinese yers they could find!

    All of this led up to the moment where Lin Feng bumped into so many oddly named yers who were significantly better than what their rank suggested while he was ying on Su Xue¡¯s ount today. There were more than a few viewers who started investigating the disturbance long before Lin Feng even brought it up, and they¡¯d pieced together the chain of events from various sources. The chat collectively exined the situation to Lin Feng and he said, ¡°Ooooh! So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on here?¡± Then he looked at his screen pensively for a couple of seconds before breaking out into a beaming smile. He eximed, ¡°Well, this sounds like a lot of fun!¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t just ying up the situation for the viewers on the stream. He genuinely did not care that it was happening at all, and he wasn¡¯t even slightly bothered by it. <i>Hah! I was ying and winning against Korean Challengers just the other night. I spent the whole night doing that. Now that I¡¯m rested and ready to go¡­ this is nothing! Actually¡­ this is a pretty good surprise now that I think about it. I can get in more practice against Korean yers while I¡¯ve got a good ping! If fate is going to throw a bunch of Koreans right at me, then I¡¯m going to make the most of it! Time to show them that I¡¯m really good, too!</i>

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± Lin Feng dered to the stream as he cracked his knuckles. Before long, he found a game and entered Champion Select. He was on the Red Team, and waiting to select his Champion. He nced at the two teams and noticed the name of the yer on the Blue Team who locked in on Yasuo. It was KR?COFF. Before Lin Feng could say anything about this, the viewers flooded the chat with their own analysis.

    ¡¸<i>Another Korean yer!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>No shit! Even an idiot can tell with the KR In his name!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>he¡¯s ying Yasuo! Hook2 used Yasuo against Orion the other day!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lil bro! Kick his ass! Teach him a lesson!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes lit up as he read the chat, and the smile on his face grew wider. <i>Now this is what I call luck! I can¡¯t believe we bumped into one so fast. The viewers are right. I¡¯m 90% sure that this¡­ COFF picked Yasuo in an attempt to bait out CN?HOOK2</i>. <i>Or make a point about his Yasuo. Who knows? But I cannot believe I found the exact kind of yer I was looking for in the first game! This is going to be so good¡­</i>

    Without any hesitation, Lin Feng locked in his Champion for the Mid Lane. Alistar, the Minotaur!

    The viewers in Su Xue¡¯s chat were dumbstruck.

    ¡¸<i>Alistar!?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Ali into yasuo!?! What!?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lil bro, are you trolling!?</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng brushed the concerns off with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m really good at Alistar too!¡±

    In the dorms of an ordinary university in Seoul, Korea, a young man was shocked when he saw the opposing team¡¯s Miner lock in Alistar.

    ¡°What!? No way, Mid Alistar, really!?¡±Coff muttered. Then his lips curved into a mocking smile. ¡°I heard China¡¯s best yers were all on the Ionia server, but I guess you can still find a few noobs here too, huh? Only an idiot would pick Alistar against Yasuo. Like what can you even do!?¡±

    Coff¡¯s rank in the Korean server wasn¡¯t high. He had ended Season 5 at tinum 3. But on the Ionia server, things were very different. He¡¯d already managed to climb as high as tinum 1. And at the rate he was going, he didn¡¯t think it would take him very long to get into Diamond. If he won this game, he¡¯d be in the Promotion Series to go up to Diamond.

    ¡°This guy has to be trolling. Welp, thanks for the free win!¡± Coff said as Champion Select ended, and the two teams entered the loading screen.

    Coff had no idea what he was walking into, nor did he realize how painfully his eyes would be opened.

    ¡°Watch me stomp him!¡± Lin Feng dered in the loading screen. Then the game started.

    Despite Lin Feng¡¯s unshakeable confidence, the first few minutes of the game did not appear to be going well for his Alistar. There were too many things acting against him. Alistar was a melee champion, but one who didn¡¯t exert a lot ofne pressure in the Mid Lane. Compounding this issue was the fact that Alistar had no significant early game options to poke or duel against a highly mobile champion like Yasuo. The final impediment Lin Feng had to deal with was that Alistar had a very low attack speed during the early game. This made it very difficult tost hit minions and get gold from them.

    The biggest obstacle that made all the viewers worry though, was that there was no way Alistar could outduel Yasuo at Level 1. Lin Feng had no option except to y cautiously and let Coff¡¯s Yasuo zone him out of thene. And that¡¯s exactly what KR?COFF was doing with his Yasuo. He¡¯d decided on an extremely aggressive and oppressive y style, constantly poking at Alistar with Steel Tempest every single chance he could get.

    Before long, the constant barrage of Steel Tempest managed to whittle away half of Alistar¡¯s health. Lin Feng remained unfazed. He had his Alistar drink a health potion while he nced at his CS. The second minion wave was about to enter thene, and he¡¯d only gotten 4 CS from the first wave of the game.

    Lin Feng grimaced and muttered, ¡°Tch! Not enough CS¡­¡±

    Right as Lin Feng looked back at the center of his screen, KR?COFF¡¯s Yasuo hit Level 2 and learned Sweeping de. With that skill, Yasuo¡¯s aggression increased exponentially. He used Sweeping de to dash through red minions to get in range of Alistar, and poked with Steel Tempest constantly.

    Coff¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°What a shitter! Just a few more pokes, and he¡¯ll be dead if he doesn¡¯t recall back to base!¡±

    At the same time, Lin Feng dered to the viewers on his stream. ¡°It¡¯s fine! That Yasuo will be dead soon. Just watch.¡±

 Chapter 442: The Invasion of Ionia

    Things weren¡¯t looking good for Lin Feng, his Alistar was being pushed back by Yasuo. But he remainedpletely confident. The viewers on the stream didn¡¯t exactly see how it was possible for an Alistar who was behind in CS to kill a Yasuo. Especially considering that Alistar was down to half his health. But Lin Feng said that he¡¯d be killing the Yasuo soon, and the viewers believed in Lin Feng!

    ¡¸<i>goooooooo lilll broooooooo! We believe in you! MILK HIM!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>kick that t scrub¡¯s ass! Show us your top challenger skills!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>hahaha! I bet winfeng will carry with soraka next game too!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Seriously, though, guys¡­. How¡¯s he going to do it? His Alistar is behind on everything¡­</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>shut up dude! Just let lil bro work his magic!!! Real magicians never reveal their tricks!!!</i>¡¹

    While the chat cheered him on, Lin Feng continued to grapple with the Yasuo in thene, getting minion kills whenever he could. But, slowly and eventually, the minion wave was pushed all the way back to his Outer Tower. Yasuo was too nimble and aggressive, and his Alistar could not offer significant enough resistance to prevent the minion wave from being pushed back. Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and looked past the Yasuo, his thoughts centered on his real opponent. KR?COFF.

    <i>This Coff¡­ he¡¯s not half bad. Now that he¡¯s Level 2, he¡¯s using all of Yasuo¡¯s increased mobility to push his advantage. Not only that¡­ his CS is decent and he¡¯s constantly looking for opportunities to get some poke in. None of this is reckless either. He¡¯s ying with the exact amount of aggression that a Yasuo needs to have. You know what? Coff is apetent yer! He¡¯s decisive, methodical, and his ystyle keeps everything in bnce. Now that I¡¯ve seen this over and over, this is the difference between Chinese and Korean yers. The Chinese yers, especially the ones at tinum and Diamond, they all have decent mechanics. More than enough to rival the Korean yers. But their ystyle is so much more indecisive, and that leads to them making mistakes that can be exploited. </i>

    After these thoughts crossed Lin Feng¡¯s mind, he turned his attention back to thene.<i> You¡¯re good, KR?COFF. But I¡¯m really good, too! And now I¡¯m going to show you how much better I am!</i>

    After what seemed like an agonizingly long wind-up, Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar finally hit Level 2. Now he had the skills Headbutt and Pulverize at his disposal. More significant was that KR?COFF¡¯s Yasuo no longer had a level advantage on him.

    The viewers on the stream still weren¡¯t convinced that it would be enough. The Yasuo that Lin Feng was up against did not appear to be a weak opponent. KR?COFF yed aggressively when it came to offense, but that wasn¡¯t at the expense of his own defense. He also disyed quick reflexes. All of this was on disy when Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar made his first offensive y. Alistar managed to worm his way around the minion wave and found an excellent angle to Headbutt Yasuo. The attack connected, and Yasuo wasunched into the Outer Tower! But KR?COFF recovered quickly, and had his Yasuo dash out of the Tower¡¯s range with Sweeping de. The Tower only managed to get one hit on Yasuo before he was out of defensive range. The bolt from the tower managed to do some damage to Yasuo, but not enough to be significant.

    But Lin Feng was only just getting started. Over the next minute and a half, Alistar became more and more aggressive. He charged at Yasuo andnded Headbutt after Headbutt on him. And whenever he got the chance, Alistar would slip an auto attack right before the Headbuttnded. The damage from each of the Headbutts and Headbuttbos individually was not significant, but over time they started to add up. The more important part of the y was that Yasuo had no way to retaliate, because each of the Headbutts wouldunch him away from Alistar! This meant that Yasuo needed to constantly reposition himself, and the seconds lost meant that he¡¯d be missing out onst hitting minions.

    Lin Feng also had an ace up his sleeve. He had yet to use the other skill that his Alistar currently had, Pulverize. When Alistar used Pulverize, he¡¯d pound the ground to deal damage and knock up enemy champions. Lin Feng could have used it to further irritate Yasuo, but he was holding onto it as a deterrent. As long as Pulverize was avable, Yasuo could not recklessly rush right upto Alistar and attack. Lin Feng¡¯s decision to hold Pulverize forced the Yasuo to maintain some distance!

    Besides, it was more than clear that Headbutts alone were having the desired effect on KR?COFF. All of the viewers on the stream could clearly see him start to get irritated after beingunched from ce to ce, and constantly being knocked back. And after three more Headbutts, it was clear that KR?COFF was angry. When Alistar¡¯s third Headbutt connected and Yasuo was sent flying back, the strategy changed. Instead of recovering and repositioning himself, Yasuo dashed right back up to Alistar with Sweeping de and stabbed out with Steel Tempest. It was the first hit he¡¯d managed to get on Alistar since Lin Feng started ying more aggressively, but it was enough to drop Alistar¡¯s health even lower.

    What made every hit from Yasuo even more agonizing was Lin Feng¡¯s decision to go with a Mage build on Alistar, rather than the usual Tank build. This made Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar far more fragile than normal. Every hit that Alistar took from Yasuo did more damage. The build that Lin Feng was going for turned Alistar into a ss cannon. But he needed time and gold to get his Alistar to the point where the cannon part woulde online. This forced Lin Feng to walk the razor¡¯s edge between ying defensively while also not gettingpletely zoned out and falling behind.

    4 minutes had gone by since the game started. Lin Feng had already used up all of his health potions and his Alistar only had one-third of his health left. Some of the viewers on the stream started to get worried.

    ¡¸<i>hey, shouldn¡¯t you back¡­?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>this is getting dangerous!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Yasuo has Ignite! If he gets a few more Qs off on you, you¡¯re dead!</i>¡¹

    On the other hand, Lin Feng had also slowly and steadily shaved off half of Yasuo¡¯s health. There was another faction of viewers who noticed this, and spammed the chat in an attempt to push Lin Feng onto further aggression.

    ¡¸<i>lil bro! Don¡¯t back off!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Yasuo is also low health!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>get a goodbo off him + ignite and he¡¯s fucked for sure!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>fuck hiiim uup!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng looked at both sides arguing in the chat and smiled. Unlike them, he was neither worried or excited. Lin Feng waspletely calm and rx. He eventually nced at the webcam and said, ¡°You guys need to chill. Everything is fine. There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± Then his gaze sharpened up and locked onto Yasuo. ¡°He¡¯s going to die very soon.¡±

    Coff red at the Alistar on his screen with a cold smile and murder in his eyes. He knew exactly how much damage his Yasuo could do right now, and how much health Alistar had left. He¡¯d calcted the exact number of hits needed to kill Alistar, ande up with a strategy. <i>One more Q, and I¡¯ll have my tornado! Then I¡¯ll dash in, knock you up, and Ignite! You¡¯ll be dead before you even know what hit you! Two hits! </i>

    In Coff¡¯s mind, Alistar was already dead. All he was waiting for was the right moment to make it happen. One opening was all he needed, and as he watched his minion wave push into Alistar¡¯s Outer Tower, he saw the opening y out in his mind. This particr wave was one with a Cannon Minion. Ast hit on the Cannon Minion was worth a significant amount of gold. Coff was positive that Alistar would not want to miss out onst hitting the Cannon Minion, especially since the Alistar was behind on CS. That would be his opening. <i>That¡¯s right¡­ walk out from under your Tower to get thatst hit. You know you want it,e on. The second you walk out¡­ </i>His lips curved into a cruel smile. <i>I¡¯m going to cut you down and get the kill!</i>

    Two secondster, the Cannon Minion¡¯s life hung by a thread as the Tower¡¯s bolts hammered into it. Coff was practically salivating as he waited. And,pletely ording to the n, Alistar started walking forward to get thest hit on the Cannon Minion. But Coff continued to wait until Alistar got right up to the Cannon Minion. Then, just as Alistar started to wind up to attack the Cannon Minion, Coff¡¯s eyes zed with bloodlust. <i>Now!</i> His Yasuo moved into position and stabbed out with Steel Tempest!

    The attack connected! Coff grunted with joy. And this was the second Steel Tempest his Yasuo hadnded, which meant that the winds had gathered around Yasuo¡¯s katana. The next time Yasuo used Steel Tempest, it would unleash a whirlwind that could knock Alistar up. Everything was going exactly ording to the n, and ying out exactly as it had in Coff¡¯s mind. Now all he needed to do was dash into Alistar with a Sweeping de and unleash another Steel Tempest that would knock Alistar up, and Ignite! His Yasuo would be in the Tower¡¯s defensive range, but only for a brief instant. Coff was positive that he¡¯d only have to take a single bolt from the Tower, at most. Not enough to kill him, and he¡¯d get the kill on Alistar.

    With all the pieces set, Coff had his Yasuo dash at Alistar with Sweeping de. His finger hovered on the Q key, ready to unleash the third Steel Tempest the second his Yasuonded. Yasuo flew towards Alistar andnded, then pulled his katana back to unleash a blindingly fast Steel Tempest. But right as Yasuo stabbed out with his katana, Coff noticed that Alistar was no longer there!

    <i>You really thought I¡¯d fall for something as silly as a Cannon Minion bait? </i>Lin Feng¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. <i>I let you think that you were baiting me. But that Cannon Minion was my bait for you!</i>

    Lin Feng knew exactly what Yasuo was nning before the y even started. He had his Alistar walk out to the Cannon Minion to bait Yasuo closer and into the Tower¡¯s defensive range. When Yasuo dashed at Alistar with Sweeping de, it brought him close enough to the Tower to trigger its defenses. And just as the Tower locked onto Yasuo and fired its first bolt, Lin Feng pushed down on his D key ¡ª sh! His Alistar was wrapped by dazzling motes of light and vanished right as Yasuo unleashed a third Steel Tempest. This resulted in the moment where Yasuo¡¯s de only sliced the air, rather than Alistar¡¯s flesh.

    Coff¡¯s eyes popped open wide. There was nothing he could do! Alistar had shed through his attack, his Yasuo¡¯s whirlwind was now wasted, and he was now stuck in the Tower¡¯s range. Yasuo was still locked in the recovery animation after Steel Tempest, which meant that he could not move. All Coff could do was watch helplessly as Alistar materialized right in front of his Yasuo, and smashed the ground with Pulverize! His Yasuo was knocked up into the air, where a second bolt from the Tower mmed into him.

    Sadly, Coff¡¯s pain had only just begun. Right before the second bolt from the Tower hit, Alistar managed to Ignite his Yasuo. Then Alistar positioned himself right behind where his Yasuo was going tond, and waited for Yasuo to plummet back down to the ground. The second Yasuonded and got back up, Alistar Heatbutted him towards the Tower!

    Coff¡¯s eyelids twitched. He felt his heart sinking into his stomach as he frantically tapped on his E key in an attempt to dash out with Sweeping de. However, there was a brief one second stun after being hit by Headbutt. Coff¡¯s mind already knew what his heart refused to ept. It was all over. There was no way his Yasuo could escape the Tower¡¯s range in time!

    By the time Yasuo managed to dash out of the Tower¡¯s defensive range with a Sweeping de, a third bolt from the Tower was flying towards him. The bolt pierced through Yasuo¡¯s back mid-dash, andbined with the damage from Ignite, it was more than enough to end his life.

    <b>¡¶</b><b><i>First Blood!</i></b><b>¡·</b>

    As the announcer¡¯s voice rang out, chat erupted with excitement and congrattions!

    ¡¸<i>66666666666666666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666666666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>6666666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>WINFENG! 66666666666666</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>GET REKT YASUO</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>666!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng walked back to his Tower and eximed. ¡°You guys saw that, right? Just like I told you. The Yasuo is dead!¡±

 Chapter 443: The Invasion of Ionia - (4)

    Coff¡¯s face was a sight to behold as his screen faded into grey. The blood drained from his cheeks, turning them pale. But the muscles of his jaw popped in and out as he clenched his teeth in anger. And the humiliation burning in his heart, that was clear to see in his eyes. He mentally reyed everything that urred. <i>God dammit! I cannot believe I just did that! I was careless and didn¡¯t notice that he was baiting me. And I fell for it like a noob! I knew I¡¯d be walking into the Tower¡¯s aggro to hit Alistar with Steel Tempest. But I thought my skills and reflexes were way better than his, that¡¯s where everything went wrong. I was cocky and reckless. And I underestimated himpletely. I didn¡¯t stop for a second to think that his reflexes would be better than my own. I literally could not move fast enough when Alistar shed into me, and I didn¡¯t even notice that I got knocked up with Pulverize until my Yasuo was up in the air. By that point, there was nothing I could even do anyway. There was no chance of escaping after that Headbutt into the Tower¡­ Nope. The second he shed, it was all over. I cannot believe I just got outyed that hard by some Diamond 5 Chinese yer! You know what¡­ ?</i>

    Coff genuinely could not believe that someone he considered so inferior to himself could¡¯ve pulled something like that off. He knew exactly what happened, but he didn¡¯t want to believe that Chinese yers were skilled enough to pull off ys like that consistently. So he did the only thing he could do in this situation. Coff started typing in all-chat with the little Chinese that he had at his disposal.

    ¡¸<i>Luck! Trash! Come again! YOU ***!</i>¡¹

    ¡°Oh, look at that, guys. I guess he¡¯s mad now,¡± Lin Feng said to the stream with a smile.

    The people in the stream erupted with amusement.

    ¡¸<i>lmaaaao, he¡¯s still so cocky after getting solo killed!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>guess he still hasn¡¯t leanre dhis lesson yet!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>LILBRO hes a yasuo!!! Powerspike!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>He needs you to kill him 9 more times so he can powerspike</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>lil bro, beat his ass one more time!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>MIIIILKKK HIM!</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmm, I think you guys are right. He wants to be killed more until his 10 death powerspike. He¡¯s a true Yasuo yer. Well, if he wants more, I¡¯m more than happy to give him more!¡±

    6 minutes after the start of the game, Lin Feng pushed the minion wave all the way out to the Blue Team¡¯s Outer Tower in the Midne. Yasuo was being much more cautious and ying defensively, hanging underneath the protection of his Tower. And then, something interesting happened. Yasuo was locked onto a minion and started dashing towards it with Sweeping de. But right after the skill was activated, the minion moved. By the time the Sweeping de ended, Yasuo was now outside the Tower¡¯s defensive range. Lin Feng noticed this golden opening presented by fate, and wasted no time taking advantage of it. His Alistar immediately engaged the Yasuo with a Headbutt-Pulverizebo. Yasuo was knocked up and further away from his Tower with no chance to react or retreat. His health plummeted.

    While this was happening, the Red Team¡¯s Jungler decided to sneak into the Midne. He was ying the champion Kha¡¯zix. He crept in quietly from the right side of thene, through the Blue Team¡¯s jungle. And popped out just as Yasuonded from Alistar¡¯s Headbutt-Pulverizebo. Wasting no time at all, he pounced on Yasuo and shredded at the hapless champion with fangs and ws. Yasuo¡¯s health dropped to critical levels. But Kha¡¯zix¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t manage to kill him, and Yasuo found an opening to start running towards what he thought was safety. Unfortunately, he ran straight towards Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar, who stood there waiting. Yasuo was trapped in a pincer manoeuvre! In the end, it was a final auto attack from Alistar that cleaved the life from Yasuo¡¯s body.

    Coff stared at his screen with a nk expression in his eyes as he struggled to understand what just happened. He could notprehend how he¡¯d just been killed again, a mere two minutes after his first death. Slowly, his face flushed red with both rage and confusion. <i>I-I died again!?</i>

    <b>¡¶</b><b>You have in an enemy!</b><b>¡·</b>

    As the announcer¡¯s voice rang out, the people in the stream chat erupted with joy.

    ¡¸<i>hahaha get fked!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>he asked for it again, and lil bro gave it to him!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>that was so satisfying to watch</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>I bet he¡¯s raging his ass off!!</i>¡¹

    As Lin Feng walked back to his tower, he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s always the same with these Yasuo yers, sigh. First they want more, and then they get upset when you give them what you want. It¡¯s such a strange request. Now he¡¯s going to rage in all-chat instead of ying.¡±

    One of the hallmarks of League of Legends was the raging. It didn¡¯t matter what region one was ying the game. It was the same everywhere. In China, Korea, EU or NA, there were yers who constantly raged in the chat. And the raging was so inextricably tied to ying League of Legends that it was elevated to the level of tradition. ying with others who raged in team-chat andughing at yers who raged in all-chat added to the experience of ying League in a way that no other game could replicate.

    Coff was yet another yer who joined in on the time honored tradition of baby raging in all-chat after making mistakes that led to his death. He was upset after his first death, but retained some control over his anger. After the second death though, Coff was fuming and lost all sense of reason. He started cursing up a storm in all-chat, first in broken Chinese and then in English. Eventually he gave up the pretense and started attempting to curse in Korean. His rage had hit a point where he no longer cared if anyone could understand him or not, he simply needed to vent all of the ire in his heart. Unfortunately, his Chinese was horrendous and his English was not very good either. That made it difficult to understand what he was trying to say. Once he switched to Korean, the thoughts became slightly more coherent. But almost all of the words he was attempting to use were caught by thenguage filter.

    It was nigh impossible to understand what Coff wanted to say, but the sentiment was understood by everyone watching the stream. Coff the Korean was very, very mad. And that delighted the viewers to no end. Some attempted to piece together what he was saying in variousnguages tough further. Others just made jokes. There were even a few enterprising ones who took the initiative to try and add Coff as a friend, so they could poke and prod at him some more. Coff¡¯s incoherent rage added an entirely new dimension of entertainment to the stream.

    Lin Feng, unlike the chat, remainedpletely calm and rxed. He was smiling not because he cared about Coff¡¯s rage in the slightest, but because the viewers on the stream were enjoying themselves. As far as Lin Feng went, there was nothing worth thinking about with Coff¡¯s raging. He¡¯d been ying League of Legends for a long time, and he¡¯d lost count of how many he¡¯d run into who¡¯d given into the baby rage that Coff was currently writhing around with. Besides, there was no point in paying attention to it. Lin Feng knew that with the two kills he¡¯d gotten on Yasuo, his Alistar had pretty much won the Midne for his team. There was no way that Yasuo wasing back to present a serious challenge. And so, Lin Feng decided not to engage with Coff in all-chat, and instead peacefully farmed minions in the Midne.

    Once the game timer hit 8 minutes and the minion wave was pushed all the way out in the Midne, Lin Feng decided it was time to take his Alistar to help out his teammates. He looked at the minimap on the right-hand corner of his screen, and started to roam towards the Botne for a gank.

    He circled round through the tri-brush and waited for an opening. The second that Blue Team¡¯s Jinx walked out too far, Alistar charged into her with a Headbutt and Pulverize. Jinx was knocked up into the air with half her health gone. Then Alistar unleashed a barrage of auto attacks and an Ignite. By the end of the lethalbo, Jinxy dead on the ground at Alistar¡¯s feet.

    The Jinx¡¯s Support in the Botne was a Thresh. One who tried to avenge her death with Death Sentence. Thresh hooked Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar and tried to drag him under the Blue Team¡¯s Tower. But Alistar¡¯s Unbreakable Will made it impossible to cage him with any crowd control skills for long, and Lin Feng broke free easily. That¡¯s when Lin Feng noticed his teammates furiously running over to help. Instead of running away from the Tower, he decided to have his Alistar tank the bolts and dived under the Tower¡¯s range to continue attacking Thresh. Both the Ad-carry and Support on his team arrived, and the three of them attacked Thresh together.

    <b>¡¶</b><b>Double kill!</b><b>¡·</b>

    The longer the game went on, the more terrifying Lin Feng¡¯s Alistar became. He¡¯d already scaled to the point where he did enough damage to insta-kill Jinx. It had only been 10 minutes since the start of the game, but the bnce was heavily tilted towards the Red Team. Lin Feng¡¯s team. And once the game moved into the teamfight phase, Alistar wrecked devastation and decimated the Blue Team¡¯s champions.

    Red Team¡¯s yers finally noticed Lin Feng¡¯s summoner name and started asking questions.

    ¡¸<i>ali, you¡¯re a streamer!?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>you¡¯re freaking amazing!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>wait, are you a chick!?</i>¡¹

    Lin Feng happily replied, ¡¸<i>Yep! Yep! And Yep! Come over and watch!</i>¡¹

    He was more than happy to help advertise Su Xue¡¯s stream and bring her more viewers.

    Eventually, around the 20-minute mark, the opposing team unanimously agreed to surrender.

    Lin Feng eximed, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you guys? You see now? I¡¯m really good with Alistar too!¡±

 Chapter 444: The Invasion of Ionia - (5)

    Inside his college dorm room in Seoul, Korea, Coff had gone beyond mad. He¡¯d transcended raging. Right now, he was pure unadulterated fury at the world. <b>Bang! </b>There were no words to express or vent this fury that he was feeling, so he resorted to smashing his mouse down on his desk. But it wasn¡¯t enough. He let go of the mouse and balled his fists. <b>BANG! BANG! BANG! </b>Coff started pounding on his keyboard with both fists. The irony of the situation that waspletely lost on Coff was that the action was simr to Alistar¡¯s Pulverize. But he didn¡¯t notice, and continued to smash down on his keyboard. Sadly, it was not enough to vent the fury that coursed through both his mind and body.

    ¡°FUCK!¡± Coff screamed out loud. <i>That¡­ I never expected anything like that! This was the most infuriating game I¡¯ve yed in a long time. I literally cannot remember another one that made me rage this hard. How did an Alistar stomp all over my Yasuo?!</i>

    Coff took a beat to focus, and reyed the entire game in his head. All of the blood that rushed to his head and face drained, and his face turned pale as he understood. Coff clenched his jaw as the truth dawned on him. <i>There¡¯s no way around this. I hate to admit it¡­ but that Alistar was really good. Way better than me¡­</i>

    ¡°Dammit! I thought the Chinese server was supposed to be full of scrubs!¡± Coff screamed, cursing the universe and his own misfortune.

    From a zoomed in perspective, it was easy to think that Coff had truly terrible luck and managed to run into Lin Feng on his first game. But that was far from what was happening in reality. If one zoomed out and looked at all the Korean yers who had attempted to invade the Ionia Server to avenge their honor, Coff was not the only yer who was experiencing fury and failure. It was truly unfortunate that none of the invaders were aware of amon saying in the Chinese Leaguemunity. ¡°On the Ionia Server, high tinum and low Diamond are much more frightening than Master and Challenger.¡±

    It was an intrinsic truth of the ELO system on Ionia Server that all Chinese yers hade to understand after ying for many years. A curious quirk of the region that was created by abination of circumstances, and only known to the yers of China. That truth was that on the Ionia Server, the waters of high tinum and low Diamond ran much deeper than Master and Challenger. This situation was created by the fact that this particr rank division was simply too chaotic to urately state the abilities of the yers within it.

    High tinum and low Diamond was full of both seasoned yers, top professional yers, and absolute noobs. When one walked into the solo queue on the Ionia Server and started a game created by the match-making system, there was no way to tell how the game would go if you were in this rank division. One could end up on a team with professional yers who were smurfing a second ount, or with a seasoned yer who was attempting to raise an alternate ount to Challenger, or with aplete novice who had paid to have their ount boosted to tinum or low Diamond to brag to their friends. Or a true noob to League of Legends who had paid to purchase an ount in tinum/low Diamond because they had no understanding of the game and their own abilities.

    For the Chinese yers who yed at the tinum/low Diamond division, it all came down to luck of the draw. If they managed to high roll, they got a smurf or two on their team and that was something worth celebrating. If they low rolled and ended up with a few boosted yers who could notpete at that level of y, it meant helplessly epting a loss at 15 minutes. They had long since be ustomed to the state of things, and it no longer affected their mental state. The rough approximation that most yers understood was that about a third of the yers in the high tinum and low Diamond ELO didn¡¯t actually belong there. They could be from a higher rank or from a lower rank, but one never knew what their teammates would be like.

    But this was something that the Korean yers attempting to invade the Ionia server had no idea about. And the reality of the situation hit them like a sack of bricks and brought them untold misery. Their experiences during this doomed invasion gathered together made a tale of tragedy.

    One of the most tragic tales involved a Diamond 4 Korean yer. He was a Jungler, and he¡¯d just gotten into a game where he managed to lock in on his main champion. Lee Sin. He was nning on roaring out of the gate strong and solo carrying the entire game. In his mind, he was salivating at the thought of stomping on all 5 of the Chinese yers on the opposing team and giving them a taste of the true strength of the Korean server. He genuinely had no doubt in his mind that everything would go in his favor, and it did not matter how strong the opposing team was at all. He knew, for sure, that as long as he was ying Lee Sin, he could carry the game for his team!

    The first 3 minutes of the game went fantastically for this Korean Lee Sin. Then things turned horribly wrong. Before Lee Sin even had a chance to clear his Red and Blue Buff camps, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out.

    <b>¡¶</b><b>First Blood!</b><b>¡·</b>

    Lee Sin started to frantically scroll across the map to see what happened. That¡¯s when he saw that in the Bot Lane, his team¡¯s Ad-Carry had given away first blood. Then the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again.

    <b>¡¶</b><b>An ally has been in!</b><b>¡·</b>

    Lee Sin did not need to search for what happened this time. He¡¯d watched it happen. The Support yer on his team had also died. Both yers on his team¡¯s Bot Lane had been killed three minutes after the game started.

    <i>How!? This quickly!? </i>The Korean yer was in disbelief, but he quicklyposed himself. <i>It¡¯s fine. Bot is easy enough to gank. I¡¯ll just go over and help them get the advantage back.</i>

    The Lee Sin yer resigned himself to the fact that he¡¯d have to try a little bit harder, and focused. He cleared out both of his buff camps a minuteter, and was charting a path to the Bot Lane for his first gank. Right as he was about to ping his teammates to let them know he was on his way, and what his entry point was going to be, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again.

    <b>¡¶</b><b>An ally has been in!</b><b>¡·</b>

    Lee Sin had to scroll again to see what happened. He was sure it wasn¡¯t the Bot Lane, because he was watching what was happening there. This time, it was his team¡¯s Toner who had been killed. The Lee Sin yer clenched his teeth and decided he was going to first help Bot Lane, and then go up Top to set things right. With the n set, he started to walk towards Bot Lane when the announcer¡¯s voice rang out yet again.

    <b>¡¶</b><b>An ally has been in!</b><b>¡·</b>

    This time, it was the Miner who had been routed. As it currently stood, only four minutes had psed since the start of the game and the only yer on his team who had not been killed was the Lee Sin yer. He understood, then, that there was no hope. In a matter of mere minutes, all three of thenes on his team hadpletely copsed. There was no way for Lee Sin to prop them all up at the same time.

    The Diamond 4 Korean yer was about to lose his mind. <i>How am I supposed to y like this!? Why did all threenes lose so badly? Why is there such an insane skill difference between the teams?</i>

    Unfortunately, Lee Sin couldn¡¯t see what the opponent was typing in their team chat.

    ¡¸<i>Looks like topne got boosted to Diamond.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Mid too.</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Damn, really!? Bot too! Both the Ad-Carry and Support are trash!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>Hahaha! Lucky! It¡¯s a freelo game!</i>¡¹

    While the tragic tale of the Korean Lee Sin was terrible to the yer who experienced the whole thing, it was moreical to those who heard about it. There were other Korean yers who ended up in situations that could only be described as heart-rending. And genuinely unlucky. An example of this was what urred to a Diamond 2 Korean yer who had joined in on the invasion of the Ionia Server.

    This particr Korean yer was a little bit more clever than the average bear. He¡¯d heard what happened to other Koreans, and quickly understood that there were quite a few yers in tinum/low Diamond who were boosted. So he started checking to make sure that none of his teammates fell into the boosted category before starting the game. If he discovered any yers who were boosted or that he had doubts about, he would immediately dodge out of the game. Then, finally, he found a game where he had determined that none of the yers on his team were boosted. Relief washed over his heart, and he steadied himself to stomp all over the Chinese yers.

    This particr Korean yer was a Toner, and his main champion was Fiora. He¡¯d yed hundreds of games with Fiora, and knew her as intimately as one could know a MOBA champion. There were nights where this yer had dreams in which he¡¯d gotten to know Fiora far more intimately than that, but that isn¡¯t relevant to this story. This particr Diamond 2 Korean yer knew that as long as his teammates didn¡¯t feed, he could crush hisne opponent with Fiora and carry his team to victory!

    Unfortunately for him, that was not how the game went at all. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Korean Fiora had already died to the opposing Toner, a Riven, three times. After watching his screen turn ck and white again, the Korean yer rubbed his eyes in utter disbelief. <i>I-I died again!? I¡¯m a Diamond 2 yer on the Korean server! What is even happening? How am I getting crushed this badly in Ionia?! And I¡¯m getting stomped by someone who is only tinum 1! How is this even possible? How is this Riven only ranked tinum 1? What? Why? How? Why? Why? Why? Why? THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! </i>

    In the gaming house of a certain LPL team, a young man leaned back in seat with a toothpick in his mouth. He rolled his eyes and said, ¡°This Fiora. What. An. Idiot. He¡¯s still trying to fight me when he¡¯s behind. Doesn¡¯t this guy know how scary a fed Riven is?¡±

    On another nearbyputer, a teammate turned to look at the young man and smiled. ¡°Ah! You winning, son?¡±

    The youth looked up at his teammate. ¡°Of course! You think I¡¯d lose in a game like this?¡±

    The teammate smirked, ¡°Yeah yeah. Hows about you say stuff like that when you can actually get to Diamond, yeah?¡±

    The young man grimaced, as if he¡¯d had cold water dumped on his head. ¡°God dammit! Why you always gotta hit me where it hurts!?¡±

    In the Chinesepetitive scene, there were top LSPL or even LPL yers who were brilliant on thepetitive stage. But for some reason or another, they would have the worst luck in solo queue and could never climb higher than high tinum and low Diamond.

    This young man was a prime example of that. In fact, he¡¯d had such a hard time getting out of tinum that he¡¯d earned himself the nickname of China¡¯s #1 tinum Gatekeeper.

    In other words, the unfortunate Diamond 2 Fiora main from Korea had collided with a steel wall!

    The mostmon misfortune that the Korean invaders on the Ionia Server experienced was running into Chinese yers who were all significantly better than their rank and profile history implied. All of them were unanimously at the level of Master or Challenger. And they all shared a unique quirk. Their Summoner Tags always had the same two Chinese characters followed by a series of random numbers. None of the Koreans knew what the names of these yers meant, but they all started to understand that running into them as opponents meant that they were in for a truly terrible time. All sorts of theories ran through the Korean forums about these yers. The prevailing one was that this was a guild of Chinese yers who hade to defend the Ionia server from the Korean invasion.

    This theory was, interestingly enough, notpletely wrong. The Chinese yers whose names started with two characters and then a series of random numbers did belong to a guild of sorts. But they were not there to defend the Ionia server. Nor did they particrly care about the Koreans attempting to invade. Their presence and names was something every Chinese yer knew about and did not find even a little strange. The two Chinese characters that their names started with was the word for ¡°Booster¡±, and the string of numbers that followed was the booster¡¯s QQ number. They were advertising their services to any yer who might be interested!

    On the Ionia server, the boosters were unquestionably the most frightening yers toe against. They were ungodly skilled and absolutely ruthless. Not because they wanted to ruin the fun of any other yer, but because they were working to fulfill the demands of their clients, and that was paramount. Those unfortunate enough to run into a booster on the enemy team knew that they would be in for a terrible time. Their presence on the Ionia server was begrudgingly epted, because everyone had to earn their bread somehow. And for a great many yers, the boosters had be something of an aspirational job. They all secretly dreamed of the day they¡¯d be good enough at League to be a booster, and earn money by ying the game they loved.

    For Lin Feng, the presence of the boosters was something he didn¡¯t particrly mind. He enjoyed the challenge of having to y against someone with that much skill and experience. Besides, he understood that he was also somewhat of a booster himself for Su Xue. Every game he won boosted her rank. And he took some joy in joining up with the rest of the professional boosters to make life a nightmare for the Koreans who had shown up on the Ionia server. As a booster, Lin Feng had done a pretty good job. Since he started streaming in the morning and ying on Su Xue¡¯s ount, he¡¯d won every game he yed. By the afternoon, he¡¯d boosted Su Xue¡¯s ount from Diamond 5 all the way to Diamond 3!

    After ending the stream for the time being, Lin Feng turned to Su Xue in the bed and yelled, ¡°Su Xue, I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    Su Xue got up from the bed and rubbed her eyes, nodding sleepily. ¡®Oh, alright. I¡¯ll start making food.¡±

    Half an hourter, the table was lined up with steaming hot dishes. Lin Feng started digging in right away. Su Xue, on the other hand, was not eating. She picked at her food, but brought none of it to her mouth. She just continued to stare at Lin Feng in a daze. Not because she was sleepy. Not at all. Su Xue was fully awake. She was lost in her own mind because she started thinking about Lin Feng¡¯s identity and past once again. Even after she¡¯d thought about it for an entire sleepless night, she really did not know what to think about Lin Feng or how to face him at all. So much had changed since she figured out that he was not lying about everything he¡¯d told her, and she could not get a handle on the emotions swirling through her heart.

    After a while, Su Xue opened her mouth and asked, ¡°Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re really that Maple? The one that was China¡¯s number one Miner back in Season 1?¡±

    ¡°Yeup!¡± Lin Feng said, scarfing another heap of rice into his mouth.

    Although Su Xue had already confirmed it yesterday, after hearing it again, the truth still sent shockwaves through her heart. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, then asked the next question. ¡°So, does that mean you¡­ well, did you actually go toe-to-toe with Rake? And you were just as good as he was back then?¡±

 Chapter 445: A Serene Winter Vacation

    Something inside Su Xue¡¯s heart told her that there was more to the story of Maple and Rake. Which is why her heart was pounding in her chest when she asked Lin Feng the question. To her and countless other ordinary yers across China, SSK Rake was a god-like existence. Whenever they watched an OGN game or the livestream of Worlds, they would always pay careful attention to Rake¡¯s y, admiring andmenting on every little aspect. Rake was the number one Miner in the World. And someone who existed in a ne that would always be unreachable to them. There was nothing that an ordinary gamer could learn or practice to bring them anywhere close to Rake. Because he existed in an entirely different dimension of skill.

    It was a fact about gaming that was beyond reproach or argument. There were some yers who possessed otherworldly talent who could never be reached. Until right now, for Su Xue. She was sitting in front of someone who used to be on the same ne as Rake. She¡¯d been living with someone who had crossed swords with Rake as an equal! The entire situation feltpletely surreal to Su Xue, and shattered what she understood of the gaming world. Now that Lin Feng was sitting across the table from her, there was a fundamental shift in Su Xue¡¯s worldview. For the first time in her life, she started to think that the Gods who dominated the world of esports, the ones she always watched in videos and on streams, might be within arm¡¯s reach.

    ¡°Did I go even with him?¡± Lin Feng finally stopped shoveling food into his mouth as he considered the question. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought for a few moments. Then he nodded. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the Finals of Season 1 Worlds, I guess you could describe it like that. Yeah.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyelids jumped at the confirmation, and her heart rate sped up. <i>Oh my god. It¡¯s true. Holy crap! Holy crap! He actually yed against Rake! He even went even with him! </i>Then she started getting more and more excited. She asked, ¡°Then, then, what was it like? How was it ying against him? Is he really as good as everyone says he is? You even won two games! How did you win!?¡± Su Xue bombarded Lin Feng with questions. She¡¯dpletely let the fangirl inside go wild, and she wanted to know every detail of what happened during the Season 1 World Championships.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. Then he returned to shoveling food into his mouth, answering as he chewed and swallowed. ¡°Oh, Rake? He was really good. I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t feel anything special going against him. That¡¯s about it.¡±

    This kind of answer was far from satisfactory to Su Xue. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Stop pretending to be too cool to care about this! You were ying against Rake. There¡¯s gotta be more you can tell me. Come on! Give me the deets!¡±

    As Su Xue screamed at Lin Feng for more details, a warning went off in the back of her mind. All of a sudden and toote, Su Xue remembered who she was talking to and what happened in the Season 1 World Championships. She froze. <i>Oh no no no no no¡­ I forgotpletely. The Season 1 Worlds Finals was one of the most exciting things to happen recently in Chinese esports. It was a while ago, but there hasn¡¯t been much that managed to top that these days. I lost myself in all the excitement and forgot to think about what it must have been like for Lin Feng¡­ It probably wasn¡¯t as exciting or memorable for him at all. I¡­ well, I don¡¯t even know how he¡¯d have felt about what happened back then. After all, it was Rake who won the Championship Trophy in the end and established himself as the Sovereign¡­ not Maple. Poor Lin Feng¡­ he must¡¯ve been crushed. Maple lost against Rake 2-3 in that Finals matchup! And here I am, yelling at him for details and trying to drag all those emotions back up! What is wrong with you, Su Xue? </i>

    Su Xue felt a bead of cold sweat drip down her neck. All the excitement she¡¯d been feeling vanished. She knew that the higher one climbed, the more painful it was when you finally fell. Back then, Maple was only a single step away from achieving glory by winning the Season 1 World Championships and standing at the very peak. But he faltered at that final step, and was forced to watch his dream slip through his fingers. Su Xue knew that it was one of his most bitter memories and his greatest regret.

    Su Xue¡¯s expression dropped, and she apologized to Lin Feng. ¡°S-sorry, I probably shouldn¡¯t have brought that up, huh?¡±

    After swallowing his food, Lin Feng waved his hand and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Winning and losing is normal inpetitive y. Last time, I lost to him. Next time, I¡¯ll definitely win.¡± His eyes shone brightly with confidence.

    Su Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Then she eximed, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! I believe in you! Plus, you defeated Orion yesterday. If you can already beat a King, then that means it won¡¯t be long before you can face Rake again!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his hair and shook his head. ¡°Nah, I wouldn¡¯t say that. I got lucky with my win against Orion.¡±

    Su Xue¡¯s eyes rounded open. ¡°Then¡­ I guess¡­ What would happen if you faced Rake right now?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d get crushed for sure!¡± Lin Feng answered without any hesitation. He paused for a moment and looked Su Xue straight in the eyes. Then the seriousness in those eyes passed, and Lin Feng¡¯s normal twinkle returned. He pumped his fist into the air and yelled, ¡°That¡¯s why I need to keep working hard!¡±

    Lin Feng had grown and learned hard lessons since the Season 1 World Championships. One of the most important ones was that it was fine to work hard for a dream. But after working hard, it was important to cut loose and take a break. One had to find and maintain a perfect bnce between progress and rest. Which is why Lin Feng decided to spend the next two days at home. He did nothing except browsing the inte, watching movies and anime, and reading manga. Every now and then, he¡¯d join Su Xue while she was streaming and duo queue with her for a game or two. For these two days, Lin Feng hit a point of perfect rxation and recovery.

    But on the third day, Lin Feng was invited out by his ssmates. Ouyang, Yang Fan, Ren Rou, Wei Dong, Chen Ze, Liu Yue, and other others spent the first few days of their winter vacation doing exactly what Lin Feng did. They rxed at home. But after a few days, they started to get bored. ying League all day was fun, but there was somethingcking in the game when one yed it alone. That was because League of Legends was a team game, and it was best yed with a group of friends at an inte cafe. And that¡¯s exactly what Lin Feng¡¯s friends decided to do. They made ns to meet up at the NetCow Cafe, their regr spot.

    When everyone arrived at the NetCow Cafe, they went to the private room that they always used. First they talked about what had been going on in their lives during break and shared some of thetest gossip. Then they talked about interesting things that were happening in the League scene, like CN?HOOK2¡¯s climb up the Korean Challengerdder. Eventually, the conversation hit a lull and they split off into smaller groups to y games of League of Legends. And they spent the next three days of their winter vacation at the NetCow Cafe, together.

    Apart from the members of High School 13¡¯s esports club, Shanghai High School¡¯s members would also drop by to visit, which included Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao. After the Collegiate Cup ended, everyone had still kept in touch.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re so free these days, ZengZeng! I thought a bookworm like you would still be studying hard on break!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples and replied, ¡°I¡¯m almost finished with my assignments. Taking a breather every now and then is important too.¡±

    ¡°Damn straight it is. But¡­ Oh! Wait! I get it!¡± Lin Feng eximed. Then he patted Zeng Rui on the shoulder andughed. ¡°You could¡¯ve just said you missed us! You don¡¯t need to make up excuses to see your good buddies, you know.¡±

    The corner of Zeng Rui¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Who¡¯d miss a thundering dumbass like you?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ so you didn¡¯t miss us at all?¡± Lin Feng asked.

    ¡°Hmph! I was just a little bored, that¡¯s all.¡± Zeng Rui replied, expressionless.

    Lin Feng eyed Zeng Rui¡¯s expression closely. Then he turned to An Xin and Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°So, ZengZeng is what you call a tsundere, right!?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded. ¡°Mhm! A tsundere.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s a good thing that we¡¯re all still meeting up and hanging out.¡±

    Right now, life was great for Lin Feng and his crew. And several dayster, they heard something that was going to make it even better.

 Chapter 446: The Gang Gets an Offer!

    The next day, the gang met up at the NetCow Cafe as usual. They just started to get settled into their private room, but they hadn¡¯t yet queued up or started a game. Then the door to the private room opened and a fat middle-aged man walked through. It was unexpected, and everyone turned around to gawk at this stranger. ¡°Why hello there! I¡¯m the owner of the NetCow Cafe. I heard from one of my managers that you¡¯re the youngsters who recently won the Collegiate Cup, and that you¡¯re regrs here. I heard you even did some of your practice sessions for the Cup in this room. Is that true?¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head, confused by the appearance of this stranger. But he slowly nodded. He didn¡¯t know what to say or how to respond beyond the nod. Zeng Rui decided to step in after shooting an exasperated look at Lin Feng. ¡°Yes sir. We¡¯re the team from Shanghai who won the Collegiate Cup, and it is true that we held our practice sessions here. I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but you seem to know a lot about us and we don¡¯t know who you are at all.¡±

    The portly middle-aged man took a few steps into the room and closed the door behind him. Then he chuckled and said, ¡°Oh-ho-ho! That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Where are my manners? As I said earlier, I am the owner of this fabulous NetCow Cafe! My name is Qian Lu.¡± Then he fished around in his pockets for a business card, which he handed over to Lin Feng. ¡°As for why I¡¯m here, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve got an opportunity for talented League yers such as yourselves! I¡¯d like you to be the official NetCafe Team of the NetCow Cafe! Doesn¡¯t that sound exciting?¡±

    ¡°A NetCafe Team?¡± Lin Feng muttered, scratching his head. He¡¯d just epted a business card from the inte cafe owner. Now there was talk of a NetCafe Team. It was more than he could process at the moment. Lin Feng had questions, but he didn¡¯t know where to start or what to start asking. Thankfully, Zhang Hao jumped in to ask the most important question that Lin Feng bungled.

    ¡°Yeah, what does that mean? You want us to be the team for the NetCow Cafe?¡± Zhang Hao asked, equally confused. ¡°Does that mean¡­ Well, I think what it means is¡­ you¡­ IS THIS THE SAME THING AS A SPONSORSHIP OR SOMETHING?¡±

    Therge-bellied owner of the NetCow Cafe let out augh that made his belly shake like a bowl full of jelly. ¡°Oh-ho-ho-ho-hahahaha! No, no, no. Nothing like that at all. I¡¯m just the humble proprietor of a small business, this tiny little inte cafe. Sponsorships and that sort of thing, that¡¯s something beyond us.¡± Qian Lu waved a hand to dismiss the thought entirely. ¡°No, no. What I¡¯m asking you to do is represent the NetCow Cafe. You guys are the winners of the Collegiate Cup, and that makes you very famous. All I¡¯d like is for you guys to continue ying exclusively at this branch of the NetCow Cafe, using it for your practices, and be seen here. That will attract other customers to this establishment, and make us much more famous and renowned. I¡¯d also like to use your pictures on posters, maybe hold a few events where you y against local teams. It¡¯s all very small-time and simple, you see. Oh-ho-ho-ho-hahahahahaha!¡±

    ¡°So, what should we call you? Boss Qian?¡± Zeng Rui asked. He¡¯d nced at the business card in Lin Feng¡¯s hand and saw the name, Qian Lu.

    Qian Lu waved his hand with a ttering smile. ¡°Hahaha! Boss? No no no! What? Do I look like a boss? Oh-ho-ho-hahahahaha! I¡¯m just a humble business owner. Feel free to just call me Ol¡¯ Qian.¡±

    <i>Ol¡¯ Qian? Old money¡­.? </i>Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched.

    Zhang Hao almost burst out inughter. He was amazed by Qian Lu¡¯s thick skin. It was only their first meeting, but Qian Lu was already trying to have everyone treat him like they were old friends.

    Lin Feng finally caught on, and decided that there was nothing odd about this at all. He jumped into the conversation and asked, ¡°Hey, Ol¡¯ Qian. If we¡¯re gonna be representing you, what do you want us to do?¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s face lit up, and his cheeks turned red. He looked very much like a smiling Buddha. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do much at all! Your presence here is more than enough. But I would like you to do a few tiny things¡­ you know, like participating in the asionalpetition. Or helping us defend our turf if a rival cafe¡¯s team shows up and challenges us. Simply put, you¡¯d be the honorable defenders of our little NetCow Sect! Oh-hoho-ho-hahahahaha!¡±

    Qian Lu was a shrewd businessman. Before anyone could notice or object, he¡¯d managed to convince them all that the honor of the NetCow Cafe and his own honor as the owner of the establishment was, in fact, everyone¡¯s honor and that Lin Feng¡¯s gang absolutely had to help defend that honor.

    ¡°Oh, I see. That makes sense!¡± Lin Feng pped his thigh. ¡°So, we¡¯re basically like your hired muscle, right?¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s expression froze for a couple of seconds. Then he let out another one of his frequentughs from deep in his belly. ¡°Oh-hohoho-hahahahaha! Hired muscle? That makes it seem so violent and dangerous. Nothing like that at all! No, no, no. I¡¯d just like you to defend the honor of our humble NetCow Cafe dojo. Yup! You¡¯d be our guardians. Yes, yes. That sounds perfect! The Guardian Deities of the NetCow Sect!¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s lips faintly twitched. <i>Guardian deities¡­ Seriously?</i>

    An Xin finally joined in on the conversation and asked with a pleasant smile, ¡°Boss Qian. We¡¯d be happy to defend the honor of this cafe, of course. We practice here and we spend so much time here. But¡­ well, the thing is that even guardian deities need regr offerings. Or they be displeased and bring down disaster on the viges they¡¯re supposed to protect, if you get what I mean.¡±

    Qian Lu gulpd. Then he broke into a ttering smile, ¡°O-of course¡­¡±

    The ¡®offerings for guardian deities¡¯ that An Xin was referring to, that was her roundabout way of asking about thepensation they would receive in return for representing the NetCow Cafe. The deal that Qian Lu offered them was that the members of Team Shanghai would receive a base stipend £¤2,000 a month. On top of this, they would receive a bonus of £¤500 for every match victory in a tournament. Qian Lu also promised them that if the tournament was especially difficult, the bonus for each victory would increase ordingly.

    Lin Feng considered the offer carefully. <i>Hm¡­ thepensation for the match victories sounds fair to me. But the stipend¡­ that seems a little low. I should say something and try to negotiate. But make it seem like I don¡¯t actually care. I can do this! I¡¯m really good at negotiating too! ¡°</i>£¤2,000¡­¡± Lin Feng appeared to be mulling the number over as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. Then he turned to look straight at Qian Lu and said, ¡°That¡¯s only £¤400 for each of us. Ain¡¯t that a little low? Unless you mean that we¡¯re each going to get £¤2,000 a month. In that case, it¡¯s a very generous offer Ol¡¯ Qian!¡±

    Qian Lu nched. ¡°No, no. I meant £¤2,000 for the whole team. So, yes, that would be £¤400. But if you feel that is too little¡­ err, well¡­ I¡¯m just a small business owner¡­ Still! Let me think. How about £¤3,000 every month? Does that sound fair?¡± Deep within his heart, Qian Lu was conflicted. On the one hand, he was relieved that he did not identally created a misunderstanding that would result in him having to pay £¤2,000 to each team member every month. But on the other hand, he felt the pain of losing an extra £¤1,000 from his wallet every month.

    ¡°That sounds good to me. Deal!¡± Lin Feng agreed.

    Qian Lu breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Deal!¡±

    The two didn¡¯t haggle any further and immediately agreed on the price.

    An Xin watched on from the sidelines with a faint smile as Qian Lu and Lin Feng ended the negotiations and agreed on the terms of the deal. She didn¡¯t have any ns of jumping in and haggling for them. <i>If I tagged in¡­ poor Qian Lu. I¡¯d milk him for every penny he¡¯s got stashed away in that belly of his!</i><i>That would be fun. But this is fine too, Lin Feng did well getting some extra money out of him. Our goal isn¡¯t to make money right now, but a little bit of pocket money could alwayse in handy. Yes, this is fine.</i>

    Zeng Rui suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°Boss Qian? No, I will not call you Ol¡¯ Qian. But I do have a question. Are the other inte cafes putting together teams like this too?¡±

    Qian Lu replied, ¡°Yup. Over the past couple of months, all the inte cafes across Shanghai have started forming their own teams.¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. Then he continued asking, ¡°So, what kind of yers are these other inte cafes recruiting for their teams?¡±

    ¡°Oh, some recruit semi-professional teams who already use their cafes for practice. Others recruit top yers from elsewhere and wrangle them up to form a team,¡± Qian Lu answered, wondering what Zeng Rui was getting at.

    Zeng Rui raised an eyebrow. ¡°So I assume these semi-professional teams get paid more?¡±

    Qian Lu dryly coughed. ¡°Oh well, you know. It depends on the situation. Of course the better you are, the more you¡¯repensated. But I¡¯m just a humble owner running a small business¡­. There¡¯s no way I could afford to recruit people like that.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zeng Rui nodded, his lips curving into a faint smile. ¡°I wonder¡­¡±

    Qian Lu looked at Zeng Rui oddly, not understanding what he was saying. He could only smile and nod along.

    However, Zeng Rui¡¯s words were correct. Qian Lu had no idea that the team who won the Collegiate Cup was far more skilled than he thought. Or could possibly imagine. He also had no idea that he¡¯d somehow managed to recruit the former number one Miner in all of China, and one of the best in the entire world, for only £¤600 a month.

    A businessman never did anything without profit in mind. This applied to Qian Lu, who recruited Lin Feng¡¯s team for a very good reason. Just like he told Zeng Rui, many inte cafes across Shanghai were starting to recruit yers to build powerful teams. And the point was not to create a stable of influencers to attract customers. The bigger prize was that more and more tournaments andpetitive leagues for inte cafes were popping up across Shanghai. And there was a ratherrge and important tournamenting up soon. That was the primary reason for Qian Lu approaching Lin Feng¡¯s gang.

    The tournament was called the Shanghai Net Cafe Battle Bonanza, and the details of the whole thing were sparse at the moment. All anyone knew was a few vague inklings and rumors. But the fundamental idea was that every inte cafe across China would send in teams to represent them in battle. Then the teams would duke it out, after which the tournament organizers would tally up all the points and announce the final results. That¡¯s when they would announce the prizes, and what each team earned for their inte cafe. At this point in time, only the lowest of the prizes had been revealed. But those were more than generous enough to get Qian Lu salivating. He immediately signed up for the tournament, and then started trying to put together a team. That¡¯s when he heard from one of the workers at his NetCow Cafe that there was a group who yed there regrly in a private room. A group that won the Collegiate Cup.

 Chapter 447: The Immovable Mt. Tai Award

    ¡°Net Cafe Battle Bonanza?¡± Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be ying in a tournament the moment we started. And we have to go around to different inte cafes, challenging them? That sounds like a pain, especially when it¡¯s so cold outside. Why can¡¯t they all juste to us? That¡¯ll be so much easier, and it¡¯ll be more fun that way!¡±

    Zeng Rui, An Xin, and the others all nodded in agreement.

    Qian Lu looked confused at first, and then shocked. Lin Feng watched as the expressions raced across Qian Lu¡¯s face. Eventually Qian Luposed himself and yelped. ¡°Nononono! You guys don¡¯t have to go anywhere! All you have to do is stay here and defend our precious NetCow Cafe!¡± He shook his head frantically to underscore his statement. Then he took a deep breath and calmed down enough to exin the situation to everyone. ¡°You see, there are several prizes avable in the Battle Bonanza. The main prize, and the biggest one, is the Conqueror Award. This is given out to the team who goes out to battle other inte cafe teams and dominates all of them. But there is another prize, and that¡¯s the one that I have my eye on, the Immovable Mt. Tai Award! As the name implies, the award is given out for defense. The inte cafe that sessfully defends itself from challengers wins. There¡¯s no need for you guys to go anywhere for us to win the Immovable Mt. Tai award. All you guys have to do is stay here and make sure that none of the roaming teams win! You just need to stay here, don¡¯t go anywhere!¡±

    ¡°Oh, got it!¡± Lin Feng said. His eyes lit up. ¡°That makes things way easier! Whenever one of themes to pick a fight with us, we¡¯ll just crush them! It¡¯s that simple, right guys?¡±

    Zeng Rui noticed something shifty in Qian Lu¡¯s eyes during the whole talk about the defense award. He thought through all of the information, and realized that there was indeed something fishy going on. He red at Qian Lu with an expression of doubt. ¡°Hm¡­ If my guess is on the mark here, a lot of the other inte cafes signed up for the Conqueror Award, correct?¡±

    Qian Lu nodded and smiled. ¡®Correct you are, sir! Thest time I checked, I believe there were 28 other inte cafes that signed up topete for the Conqueror Award. But there may be more now.¡±

    Zeng Rui did some quick math in his head and then said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s assume that some of the people who signed up dropped out because they couldn¡¯t put a team together. We can also assume that a few more people also signed up after you saw the list. From that, the safe number to go with is 24 teams who arepeting for the Conqueror Award. Now if that number holds, that¡¯s 24 matches for us to y. And you¡¯re paying us £¤500 for every match we win, as per the deal we just agreed to. That brings us to the question at the heart of this. Even if we win the Immovable Mt. Tai Award, how exactly are you nning on making a return on this investment in us?¡±

    Zeng Rui¡¯s quick and analytical mind had pierced through the fog that Qian Lu was trying to blow, and hit the problem at the very core. There was no possible way that the prize money for an inte cafe tournament could possibly exceed a five figure number. If Lin Feng¡¯s team won every single one of their matches, the amount of money to be made was astronomical. Combined with the base stipend, they could easily make £¤25,000. Or more. Numbers like that meant that not only would Qian Lu not make a return on this investment, he¡¯d be taking a loss.

    Zhang Hao wasn¡¯t as quick as Zeng Rui. But he was no slouch when it came to money. He figured out what Zeng Rui was hinting towards and also jumped into the conversation, ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s up with that? I thought a small humble business owner like you couldn¡¯t afford to take a loss?¡±

    Tang Bingyao never made mistakes when it came to money. She figured out something was amiss around the same time that Zeng Rui did. But he spoke up first, so she continued to watch Qian Lu for any further suspicious activity.

    Qian Lu rubbed his hands and awkwardly smiled. ¡°Oh-hohoho-hahahaha! Well¡­ You see¡­ It¡¯s like this, the prize is one thing and the money thates with it is nice. But sometimes, there are more benefits than the tangible ones in front of you. For this, well, the truth is that the real money is somewhere else entirely.¡±

    Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao, and Tang Bingyao tried to get the truth out of Qian Lu. But he continued to deflect away from it and tried to cover up the deflections with his awkwardughter. It was clear to everyone in the room that Qian Lu had absolutely no intention of revealing his true reasons for participating in the Net Cafe Battle Bonanza. But everyone understood that Qian Lu was a businessman, and a shrewd one at that. There was no realm in which he¡¯d ept a financial loss for no reason. He had a goal. And if it wasn¡¯t the actual prize money, it was something else.

    Lin Feng listened to the back-and-forth for a while, but it was clear from his expression that he couldn¡¯t care less about Qian Lu¡¯s schemes. Eventually, he decided enough was enough and stepped in to say, ¡°Hey! Guys! Why do you even care? We¡¯re getting paid to y League! What more could you want? That¡¯s good enough for us, let¡¯s just be happy with it.¡± Lin Feng waved a hand at Zeng Rui to tell him to let it go. Whatever hidden agenda Qian Lu had in mind was not something that was of any interest to Lin Feng. He was itching for some goodpetition after spending thest few days rxing with nothing to do.

    Zeng Rui, Zhang Hao, and Tang Bingyao looked at each other to decide what to do. Then they looked at An Xin, who gave them a very small nod. They looked back at Lin Feng, then again at each other before slowly nodding in agreement.

    Zeng Rui broke the tense silence. ¡°Alright, yes. Perhaps the Thundering Dumbass is right. There¡¯s no point to overthinking, which is what we¡¯re doing. Lin Feng doesn¡¯t care because he doesn¡¯t think about anything, let alone overthinking them. ying in this tournament should be more than enough for us, and we¡¯re getting paid for it too. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Besides, we won the Collegiate Cup! This should be easy for us! Now let¡¯s get into it. ording to Qian Lu, the official start date of the Inte Cafe Battle Bonanza is this weekend. That means we¡¯ve got about four days to prepare.¡±

    Everyone nodded as Zeng Rui paused to massage his temples. They knew that when he did that, he was cooking up a n for them. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s get as much practice as we can right now. I want us all back inpetition shape by the end of this week!¡±

    Lin Feng wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d been getting bored over winter break after the Collegiate Cup. Zeng Rui was also itching for a fight, and everyone could see the fire zing in his eyes now that there was a good one ahead of them.

    But in an interesting turn of events, the first challengers that Lin Feng and the others had to face appeared before the start of the Net Cafe Battle Bonanza. It all started the next day, as they were preparing to start their practice session. The door of their private room opened, and Qian Lu walked in with a group of people behind him. All of them were somewhere between 22 and 25 years old. But they walked in with swagger and arrogance, and they red at Lin Feng and the others with contempt in their eyes.

    Lin Feng looked at Qian Lu and yelled, ¡°Oh! Heya Ol¡¯ Qian!¡±

    Qian Lu smiled. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re already starting practice now? You guys are so hard working.¡±

    Zeng Rui looked at the young men behind Qian Lu with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Sure. And these people are¡­?¡±

    Qian Lu wiped the sweat off his brow and exined, ¡°Well, they¡¯re also frequent customers of this inte cafe. When they heard you guys were practicing for the Battle Bonanza, they said they wanted toe in and take a look.¡±

    <i>Take a look? </i>Zhang Hao looked at the group of young men and curled his lips. <i>My ass¡­ These guys are obviously looking for a fight.</i>

    One of the young men who was at the front of the group stepped forward. He had a toothpick in his mouth that he was ying with as he nced around at Lin Feng and the others. Then he red imperiously at Qian Lu and said, ¡°These¡­ children? Really? You recruited these guys to represent our inte cafe instead of us? You thought they could put up a better fight than we could? Really? I¡¯m hurt.¡±

    Another one of the young men in the group chimed in, ¡°Right! They still look like they¡¯re in high school. Shouldn¡¯t they be studying hard for the college entrance exams, not fooling around ying video games? We¡¯d be way better!¡±

    The young man with the toothpick turned to Qian Lu and said with a smile, ¡°You know what really hurts me, Ol¡¯ Qian? Now this might be a misunderstanding, but what I¡¯m understanding here is that you think these kids are better than us. That hurts me so much it makes my heart weep. Is that really what you think? Do you want to hurt me like that after everything we¡¯ve been through Ol¡¯ Qian?¡±

    Qian Lu broke into an amiable smile. ¡°Hey, how could you say it like that? It¡¯s not about better or worse. I tried to recruit you guys! But when I came to you guys and asked you to defend our inte cafe, you weren¡¯t happy with my offer. I¡¯m just the humble owner of a small inte cafe business. There was no way I could afford to pay what you were asking!¡±

    The young man with a toothpick smiled. ¡°You have to understand. We weren¡¯t asking you to pay us more. We just wanted fairpensation. After all, you get what you pay for. These kids epted your offer, right?¡± He turned to look at Lin Feng and the others, his expression brimming with disdain. Then he turned back to Qian Lu and smiled. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s cheaper to recruit these kids, but can they reallypare with the real deal?¡±

 Chapter 448: BunBunâ€™s Plan for Dealing With the Lads

    Once they heard the exchange between Qian Lu and the young men who had walked into their private room, Lin Feng and his friends had a rough understanding of the situation. These young men were part of a local team, and Qian Lu approached them first to represent his branch of the NetCow Cafe. But theds wanted significantly more than what Qian Lu was willing to offer, which led to negotiations stalling. That¡¯s where things went south for theds who were regrs of the NetCow Cafe. They thought they had Qian Lu¡¯s back against the wall, and were waiting for him to concede. But Qian Lu found out about Lin Feng and his friends, along with their exploits in the Collegiate Cup. So he gave up on the team of young men and approached Lin Feng¡¯s gang instead, and made a deal with them.

    Theds eventually learned that Qian Lu had made a deal with another local team, and they came over today to check out the interlopers who had stolen their business. To put it another way, trouble had once again somehow found its way to Lin Feng and his gang. But this whole thing wasn¡¯t exactly a simple dispute between two local teams at this branch of the NetCow Cafe. No, no. There was aplicating factor, and that was Qian Lu. His involvement in the whole affair made it very clear to Lin Feng¡¯s friends that he was notpletely clean in the matter.

    An Xin simply watched what was happening with a smile. She was more than content to remain on the sidelines for this whole thing, and she didn¡¯t say anything out loud. <i>Oh, Qian Lu¡­ You orchestrated all of this didn¡¯t you? You wanted to push those guys into a confrontation with us, and I¡¯m guessing that you¡¯re very pleased with yourself that everything worked out this way. I¡¯m willing to bet that you think you¡¯re some grand puppet master with this mediocre maniption. Poor Qian Lu¡­</i><i>But let¡¯s see what everyone else has to say about this and what they¡¯re nning on doing it. </i>

    Zeng Rui figured it out quickly too. He looked over at Qian Lu with a meaningful nce. <i>Qian Lu¡­ what an asshole. He didn¡¯t tell them that we¡¯re the team that won the Collegiate Cup! Hmm¡­ let¡¯s think about this for a second. It¡¯s obvious that the first part of why he¡¯s doing this is because he doesn¡¯t want to turn them down directly, so he¡¯s letting us take out his trash. He doesn¡¯t want to create an issue with people who are his regrs and be the bad guy. But he doesn¡¯t want them constantly in his hair either. The other part of this is, if I¡¯m reading this situation right, that he¡¯s testing us. If we can¡¯t beat these guys, then he¡¯ll have more than enough reason to back out of the deal with us and go with them. It¡¯s a win-win situation for Qian Lu. </i>

    Aftering to this conclusion, Zeng Rui raised an eyebrow. <i>He¡¯s not the owner of this ce for anything. After spending some money to recruit us, he already wants to inspect us.</i>

    The young man with the toothpick, the leader of theds, turned to look at Lin Feng and the others after finishing his conversation with Qian Lu. ¡°So, you kids decided to get together and make your team? That¡¯s mighty impressive, that¡¯s for sure. You¡¯ve all been ying together for a while now, right? I¡¯m guessing that you guys aren¡¯t bad at the game. How about a¡­ friendly game with your seniors? Show us how good you guys are! Maybe you can learn a thing or two from ying against my team. You guys probably haven¡¯t had a lot of chances to y against real teams. This sounds like it¡¯ll be a lot of fun, right guys?¡±

    Qian Lu jumped in ¡°Nothing too serious, obviously. This will just be a friendly exchange between friendly local teams, you know? We¡¯re all friends here at this NetCow Cafe!¡± He said this with a fake smile stered on his face. Qian Lu¡¯s words were light, but his eyes twinkled with the joy that came from a well-executed scheme. He continued, ¡°I see you were all about to queue up for a 5-man ranked match, right? Well, Gang Zi and his friends have a full 5-man team too! Why don¡¯t you guys y against them instead of that ranked match? It¡¯ll be a good time, and that¡¯s what we¡¯re all about here at the NetCow Cafe! Gang Zi¡¯s team is famous, very famous. They¡¯re well known in all the other inte cafes in the area. Every single person on Gang Zi¡¯s team is Diamond 3 on the Ionia Server or higher. Now that I think of it, Gang Zi is a Diamond 1 Ad-carry!¡±

    Gang Zi¡¯s face lit up from the praise and the smirk on his face transformed into a smug smile. But perhaps the arrogance was something that he¡¯d earned. There were great League yers in every inte cafe across Shanghai, but even among that group there were very few who¡¯d managed to climb as high as Diamond 1 on the Ionia Server.

    Theds standing behind Gang Zi, his friends, also jumped in to praise their leader.

    ¡°Boss Qian speaks nothing but straight facts. Gang Zi endedst season at Diamond 1!¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t so hard for Ad-Carries to climb in solo queue, he could¡¯ve gotten to Master!¡±

    ¡°You guys are so lucky that someone like Gang Zi wants to y against you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I know you guys are just kids, but do you have enough guts to y us?¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk, there¡¯s no need to be mean. If they¡¯re scared, they¡¯re scared. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll understand if you¡¯re scared. Just say so.¡±

    Gang Zi¡¯s friends stared at Lin Feng and the others with mocking smiles, not bothering to disguise their hostility.

    Gang Zi didn¡¯t try to hold his friends back. He folded his arms across his chest as his gaze fell on Lin Feng¡¯s group. ¡°So, what¡¯s the answer?¡± He chuckled to himself. <i>These brats are so easy to read. Provoke them a little, and they¡¯ll take the bait for sure. Besides, how good could these kids possibly be? tinum, low Diamond at best? </i>Gang Zi¡¯s eyes wandered to An Xin and Tang Bingyao. <i>Tsk, they even have two girls on their team¡­ Actually, these girls are pretty cute. Maybe I can use this as an excuse to get to know them better. </i>

    Gang Zi licked his lips.From his perspective and understanding of how the world worked, his skills created an irresistible maism for female League of Legends yers. There was no chance that these high school girls wouldn¡¯t swoon over a Diamond 1 yer. In his mind, he waspletely sure that they would be begging to add him. Then he¡¯d see how things went from there. Gang Zi¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile as thoughts of romancing An Xin and Tang Bingyao on the Rift danced through his mind. He fixed his shirt cor and then popped it up to make himself appear more rakish and badass. Then he looked over at Lin Feng and the others. ¡°What¡¯s the hold up, small fry? You chicken?¡±

    When Gang Zi and hisds started boasting about their ranks, the expressions on the faces of everyone in Lin Feng¡¯s gang changed to a look of disbelief and confusion.

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head in the cute way she always did. <i>Average rank of Diamond 3? Their best yer is Diamond 1? Why are they so happy about that?</i> She looked at Gang Zi and his friends, confused. <i>Mhm¡­ I literally do not understand what they think is so impressive here. A few months ago, I was boosting ounts between Diamond 5 and Diamond 1. Why do they think Diamond 1 is so special? Mhm¡­mhm¡­ confusing!</i>

    Zhang Hao almost burst outughing. He had to turn his chair around and bite his fist. <i>These guys¡­ they have no idea how embarrassing their bragging is! I must notugh! I must not say anything! We need to y this game. I must notugh! Don¡¯t give away the joke, Zhang Hao! You can do this! Use all the willpower you gained during the Collegiate Cup. Keep a straight face, no matter how much these guys beg to be humiliated.</i>

    Zeng Rui couldn¡¯t even be bothered to pay attention to the conversation anymore. <i>Insects. Annoying, chirping insects. Forget about the five of us as we are now, even my old team from Shanghai High School would be more than enough to crush them.</i>

    In the end, it was Lin Feng who finally spoke up. ¡°Fine, sure! Let¡¯s y a match. It sounds like fun.¡±

    This sort of thing hardly bothered Lin Feng. As far as he was concerned, it didn¡¯t matter if they were ying against randoms in ranked queue or against these guys. The end result would always be the same. He would crush anyone in his path!

    After agreeing to a match, the two teams quickly started to get set up for a game. The private room that Lin Feng¡¯s gang used had 10puters. There was no need for them to move to arger room. Gang Zi and his friends sat down in the row ofputers across from the ones that Lin Feng and the others had already imed and started logging into League of Legends.

    Team Shanghai¡¯s members didn¡¯t sit down immediately. They huddled into a corner of the room and started talking about their strategy for this match. But the atmosphere in the room was strange. Everyone on Team Shanghai understood that they could crush Gang Zi and hisds with little to no effort. But Zeng Rui projected the same seriousness that he had before every match in the Collegiate Cup.

    An Xin and Zeng Rui nced at each other. Then, Zeng Rui massaged his temples and said, ¡°We¡¯ll stick with the original n for today. Nothing¡¯s changed. Also. I cannot believe I¡¯m saying this. But let¡¯s all try to take this seriously and not underestimate our opponents too much.¡±

    Only Tang Bingyao nodded earnestly. Zhang Hao¡¯s eyes flickered with excitement andughter. ¡°Heheehehehheheeheh! This is going to be so funny! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve gotten a chance to stomp on someone this stupid.¡±

    As for Lin Feng, he was already fired up. He made a fist pump and eximed, ¡°I¡¯ll crush Mid by 10 minutes. Wait! No! I only need 8 minutes!¡±

    That¡¯s when An Xin decided it was finally time to step in and say something. She interjected with a smile and said, ¡°Nope. We¡¯re not going to get anything out of ying against this opponent using our normal strategies and ystyles. It won¡¯t be practice. It wouldn¡¯t even be a warmup. But since we can¡¯t change the opponent, what we can do is give ourselves a handicap. That¡¯ll allow us to develop skills and practice even against someone who wouldn¡¯t normally pose any challenge to us.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Feng looked bewildered. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± As he saw An Xin looking at him with a mysterious smile, he immediately sensed something off. ¡°H-hey, BunBun! What are you nning?¡±

    An Xin smiled. ¡°Nothing really. Just a role swap. That¡¯s all.¡±

 Chapter 449: Not Really Good at Support Too!

    The reality of this entire farce was that Team Shanghai had just yed through the Collegiate Cup. They fought their way through the Quarterfinals to the Semifinals, and all the way to the Finals where they were victorious. The weakest opponents they went up against in the Collegiate Cup were teams from ces like Fudan and Shenyang University. Compared to that, well, there wasn¡¯t much that could be said about a team that barely averaged Diamond 2. This opponent was more of a distraction, an annoying mosquito that buzzed and annoyed, rather than a serious matchup. Theds of the NetCow Cafe were just too weak, and there was no way they could force Team Shanghai to their limits. Because of that, it was impossible for this scrim to be meaningful in any way for Team Shanghai. Truth be told, if Team Shanghai yed the way they¡¯d be ustomed to ying for the Collegiate Cup, this would turn into an absolute one-sided smackdown.

    That was why An Xin decided it was necessary to give Team Shanghai a real handicap. It was the only way they¡¯d get any viable experience from this scrim. The handicap she decided on was to swap their star yer, Lin Feng, from Mid to Support. That one change alone would make Team Shanghai weaker by a significant degree, which made it perfect against Gang Zi¡¯s team.

    An Xin turned to Zeng Rui and asked, ¡°You have no issues with this, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Zeng Rui nodded. An Xin was asking because Zeng Rui was Team Shanghai¡¯s Support, and she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he could y Mid. But Zeng Rui nodded at her again. He was certain he could y Mid well enough at the Diamond level.

    Lin Feng was the only onepletely unsatisfied with this change, much like every woman who dated Daoist Piousfire after he started antidepressants. He muttered, ¡°Why do I have to y Support? That¡¯s no fun at all¡­¡±

    ¡°HMM?¡± An Xin raised an eyebrow. She turned to Lin Feng and smiled at him. ¡°Did I hear you say something?¡±

    ¡°N-no no! Support is fine too!¡±

    Now that their new lineup was decided, Lin Feng and the rest of Team Shanghai sat down at theirputers, and the game started. Gang Zi and hisds were assigned to the Blue Team, and Team Shanghai was the Red Team. Champion Select started, and both teams quickly put in their bans and locked in on their champions. Everything was set for the NetCow Cafe Grudge Match!

    <b>Gang Zi¡¯s Lads (Blue) vs. Team Shanghai (Red)</b>

    Top: <b>Rumble </b>vs. <b>Irelia </b>

    Jungle: <b>Rek¡¯Sai </b>vs. <b>Kha¡¯Zix</b>

    Mid: <b>Lenc </b>vs. <b>Orianna</b>

    Ad-Carry: <b>Jinx </b>vs. <b>Kalista</b>

    Support: <b>Morgana </b>vs. <b>Garen</b>

    Lin Feng locked in on Garen. Normally, this champion was yed in the Top Lane. In lower ranked games, he could be yed as a Support. But it was notmonly seen after Bronze. Lin Feng sullenly stared at hisputer screen and muttered, ¡°You want me to y Support? Fine. I¡¯ll y Support. I¡¯m really good at Support too! It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m still going to carry.¡±

    Zhang Hao, Zeng Rui, and the others didn¡¯t know how to react to Lin Feng¡¯s decision. The n was to treat this like a real match for practice, which is why they could not understand why Lin Feng picked Support Garen, and treating the whole thing like it was a random solo queue game in Bronze or Silver. They let out a collective sigh of exasperation and shook their heads. There was no point in arguing with Lin Feng when he got like this. Besides, all of them were more than aware of how strong of a yer Lin Feng was. They were all positive that even if he was ying Support Garen, there was zero chance he would feed or grief the game. In fact, it was more likely that Lin Feng would be a living nightmare for the opposing boners. Zhang Hao even started feeling a little sorry for the enemy team.

    Sitting across from Team Shanghai, the expressions of Gang Zi and hisds darkened. Gang Zi¡¯s eyes turned cold as he looked deeply at Lin Feng.<i> Garen Support? Seriously¡­ </i>He could hardly believe that he, a Diamond 1 Ad-Carry, was being looked down on with so much contempt.

    The Support yer on the Lads¡¯ team was sitting next to Gang Zi, and he was fuming. ¡°Gang Zi, we gotta stomp on their balls in Botne. Are you seeing this? They¡¯re looking down on us! I¡¯m going to show him exactly how wrong he is!¡±

    Gang Zi nodded, his lips curving into a cold smile. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it at all, brother. We¡¯ll show them the meaning of real pain.¡±

    <b> ¡¶Wee to Summoner¡¯s Rift!¡·</b>

    In the private room in the NetCow Cafe, the members of both teams started focusing their attention on the game. The only spectator, Qian Lu, was standing behind Team Shanghai¡¯s members. His interest was in watching the team he had just hired, and he could always walk over to the other side to see how things were going from the Lads¡¯ perspective. Qian Lu was still wearing a friendly smile on his face, but his eyes watched the game with intensity, and flickered with the shrewd calctions running through his mind. He knew that Lin Feng and the others from Team Shanghai were better yers. But he refrained from telling Gang Zi and theds about Team Shanghai¡¯s aplishments for multiple reasons. First, he wanted Gang Zi to stop hassling him, and this was the easiest way to do it. But he also had an idea of how skilled Gang Zi and hisds were. Even though they were pretty mediocre amateur yers, they were still decent as far as inte cafe yers went. Using them to test out Team Shanghai¡¯s skills was the perfect silver lining.

    Qian Lu was feeling quite pleased with himself and how beautifully his genius n unfolded. Until Team Shanghai suddenly decided to swap their Miner to Support. <i>Why is Lin Feng ying Support now? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be their star Miner? What was the point of this move? If I¡¯m being honest, I never actually watched any of their games in the Collegiate Cup. But I heard about how incredible they were, and Lin Feng was always ying Mid¡­ There¡¯s also this whole futzing about with Support Garen. That¡¯s not something I¡¯ve seen before either. I wonder¡­ is this some special tactic of theirs that they decided to use so they could go all out against Gang Zi? Is Lin Feng actually a Support main?</i>

    In the end, Qian Lu shook his head. He would figure the truth out soon enough.

    2 minutes after the game started, Lin Feng¡¯s Garen and Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista walked into the Botne.

    ¡°Tang Tang, shove thene out,¡± Lin Feng said in voice chat while wearing a noise isting headset. ¡°We¡¯ll hit Level 2 first and go in on them!¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded earnestly, her eyes zing. ¡°Mhm!¡±

    The early game in bot was fairly standard, with both Ad-carries farming minions and the Supports helping to clear the minions or poke the opponent.

    But before long, Gang Zi was starting to feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. <i>This Kalista¡­ I thought she¡¯d be a pushover because she¡¯s so cute and small. But she¡¯s way better than I expected her to be. She¡¯s hyper aggressive inne and she¡¯s nning on getting to Level 2 first¡­ she¡¯s also got amazing mechanics. Her ability to dish out poke and farm at the same time is beautiful!</i>

    Gang Zi¡¯s eyelids twitched. <i>Alright! ytime is over! I was going to take it easy on her, I¡¯d feel bad if I pummel such a cute girl. But I can¡¯t toy around with Kalista at all, not now. It feels like I¡¯m ying against another Diamond 1 or higher Ad-carry, and my Jinx is at a disadvantage at Level 1! Hm¡­ if not Kalista¡­ well, her Support is a Garen.</i>

    Gang Zi red at the opposing Garen, his eyes flickering with disdain.

    Garen had just tried to rush him with Decisive Strike, but his Jinx was already in the process of backing away. His ally Morgana then rooted Garen with Dark Binding, and the two of them turned around and hacked away at a significant amount of Garen¡¯s health.

    Gang Zi smirked.<i>This guy doesn¡¯t even know how to y Support at all¡­ </i>

 Chapter 450: Even if Iâ€™m Playing Support, I Can Still Carry!

    At first nce, things weren¡¯t going well for Lin Feng in the Support role. His Garen had used Decisive Strike twice so far in thening phase. The skill gave the champion a burst of move speed and culminated in a downward sh that dealt extra damage to an enemy champion while also silencing them. It was a move to quickly close distance and engage. But both times that Lin Feng had used it, he failed to close in on the enemy Jinx. Making things even worse was that he¡¯d gotten hit with Morgana¡¯s Dark Binding on one of those chase attempts, which resulted in his Garen taking a lot of damage. All in all, things did not seem to be going well at all. But Lin Feng was unfazed, because all of this was part of a n that he¡¯d been cooking up.

    Everything was within expectations. The truth was that Lin Feng had no intention of actually closing in on Jinx while he was only at Level 1. He knew that he had no chance of actually pulling that off. If the Jinx couldn¡¯t avoid a Decisive Strike charge from Garen, she wouldn¡¯t even survive in the lowest tier of Silver. There was no chance of the Jinx making it all the way to Diamond. Given that obvious fact, Lin Feng never intended to target Jinx. His real target had always been the opposing Morgana!

    Lin Feng smiled. <i>I think they fell for it! That first Decisive Strike charge, that was just a feint. I was never going to catch Jinx. But it did get Morgana to drop her guard. And the second Decisive Strike managed tond on Morgana all because of that. But Morgana still doesn¡¯t get what¡¯s going on, and that¡¯s how I need to keep it.</i>

    Lin Feng nced down at his Garen¡¯s experience bar as he continued tone with Tang Bingyao. <i>Hm¡­ I¡¯m going to hit Level 2 soon. Tang Tang¡¯s Kalista has great wave clear and she¡¯s pressuring the Jinx away from minions hard¡­ we¡¯re going to hit Level 2 before they do. That might be a problem¡­</i>

    ¡°Tang Tang, slow down a little,¡± Lin Feng said in voice chat.

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao nodded, understanding what Lin Feng was trying to do.

    Once it became too obvious that Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista and Lin Feng¡¯s Garen would hit Level 2 first, the opposing duners start ying far more cautiously and have their guard up. They would start backing up towards their tower and wait for an opportunity. But if Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng slowed down and made it appear like the difference wasn¡¯t too insurmountable, that would change things. Instead of backing up, the Jinx and Morgana would see a chance to hit Level 2 first by pushing a little harder. And in that rush, they would be more reckless and leave themselves open. Tang Bingyao and Lin Feng already understood this at an intrinsic level, which is why Lin Feng didn¡¯t need to exin his n in detail or use any extra words.

    Tang Bingyao purposefully started slowing down her wave clear speed. And ording to the n, Gang Xi¡¯s Jinx started trying to mow down minions faster in an attempt to hit Level 2 first.

    As another blue minion died, Lin Feng nced down at his experience bar again. <i>Only one minion left¡­ </i>He spoke into the voice chat, ¡°Tang Tang, get ready!¡±

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, and his posture changed to reflect the intensity of the moment. Two secondster, the final blue minion had fallen to critically low levels of health from Tang Bingyao¡¯s auto attacks. At the exact same moment, Jinx took down another minion. She was also only a single minion kill away from Level 2.

    ¡°Go!¡± Lin Feng shouted. He flicked his mouse and tapped on his keyboard. His Garen charged out of the brush with Decisive Strike, straight at Jinx!

    Morgana immediately reacted to protect Jinx with Dark Binding. The violet coloured projectile flew at the charging Garen.

    <i>Now you¡¯re dead! </i>Lin Feng¡¯s eyes shed with bloodlust. Right as Morgana¡¯s Dark Binding was about to hit his Garen, Lin Feng pushed down on the D key¡ªsh! Dazzling motes of light enveloped his Garen and teleported him out of the path of the Dark Binding! But instead of shing towards the Jinx, Lin Feng¡¯s Garen appeared right in front of Morgana!

    Gang Zi¡¯s heart shook. <i>Shit! He wasn¡¯t after me! It was a bait! </i>He cried out in voice chat, ¡°Watch out!¡± He was already spamming the retreat ping inne, but it was toote. Garen¡¯s Decisive Strike ended when he ran into Morgana after the sh, and his de had already sunk into her flesh. Morgana¡¯s health was carved away, and the skill also Silenced her!

    While this was happening, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista finished off the final minion in the wave. A brilliant light encircled Garen and Kalista as both champions simultaneously hit Level 2!

    But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t even close to finishing with the Morgana. After the Decisive Strike, he unleashed his Ignite upon her. As the unquenchable mes roasted her health with every tick, Garen started whirling around with his de held out and cleaved further through Morgana¡¯s health with every rotation¡ªJudgment!

    Things were not looking good for Morgana, who was currently bleeding through her life. But things were about to get a lot worse. Once Tang Bingyao finished off the final minion in the wave, she had her Kalista leap forward with the skill Martial Poise. That allowed her to get close enough to Morgana to begin attacking. Kalista started hurling spears that pierced through the still Silenced Morgana. One spear! Two spears!

    That¡¯s when the Silence from Garen¡¯s Decisive Strike ended, giving Morgana a brief window to attempt an escape. Which Morgana took by shing away.

    ¡°Tang Tang! Chase!¡± Lin Feng cried out.

    Tang Bingyao was already moving before Lin Feng¡¯s reminder. She had her Kalista follow after Morgana with a sh of her own, and continued raining spears down. Three spears! Four spears!

    Gang Zi saw the danger that Morgana was in, and immediately activated the Summoner Spell Heal to try and help. It would give Morgana a little bit more of a buffer to escape. But unfortunately, it was too little toote.

    As Morgana frantically tried to flee, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista relentlessly pursued with deadly spears. Five spears! After the fifth spear had dug itself into Morgana¡¯s body, Kalista hurled a final spear. This one was empowered and stronger than the auto-attacks that had been harassing Morgana until now. Thatst empowered spear hurled through the air and buried itself in Morgana¡¯s back¡ªPierce!

    Then Tang Bingyao stopped, and pushed down on her E key. This activated the skill that Kalista gained upon reaching Level 2. Rend! Kalista telekically ripped out every spear in Morgana¡¯s body at the same time, dealing further damage!

    And with the spears came thest of Morgana¡¯s health!

    <b>¡¶First Blood!¡·</b>

    As the announcer¡¯s voice rang out, Qian Lu¡¯s eyes were trembling with emotion. <i>W-what a quick first blood!</i>

    Across the table, the two duners on the Blue Team had unsightly expressions on their faces. Gang Zi looked like he wanted to kill someone, his hand trembling as he gripped down harder on his mouse. <i>Fuck! Fuck! What the hell was that!? We had no time to react to any of that! How? Just¡­ how? How do you guard against that Garen Kalista double sh engage!? I¡¯ve never even seen that in a solo queue or anywhere outside pro y! Wait¡­ was Garen ying bad before on purpose?</i>

    As he slowly put everything together in his head, Gang Zi¡¯s jaw clenched from rage.

    After picking up first blood on Morgana, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista score became 1/0/0, giving her a lead over Jinx. Of course, Tang Bingyao only managed to get the kill thanks to Lin Feng¡¯s perfect engage. A fact that he was more than happy to point out.

    ¡°See! What did I say! Even if I¡¯m ying Support, I can still carry!¡± Lin Feng eximed in high spirits.

    But it wasn¡¯t just in the Bot Lane that Team Shanghai was currently shining. While everyone¡¯s focus happened to be on Bot Lane because of Gang Zi, there was action happening elsewhere on the Rift. Action that, sadly, went unnoticed for the most part. Four minutes into the game, Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia had managed to solo kill the opposing Rumble. But once the announcer¡¯s voice rang out, everyone paused to take a look.

    <b>¡¶An enemy has been in!¡·</b>

    They found Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia looking down at the corpse of the Rumble. And on Team Shanghai¡¯s side of theputers, they could feel Zhang Hao radiating pure bliss. This was a big moment for him, especially after the Collegiate Cup. During the entire tournament, he¡¯d been the weakest link on Team Shanghai. Every game of every match was an unrelenting torment of stress for Zhang Hao. He was so consistently outmatched that he couldn¡¯t even dream of getting a solo kill during the Collegiate Cup. In fact, a good game for him was one in which he didn¡¯t die to a gank! So this moment, right now, was a great confidence booster for him. It was easy to forget that Zhang Hao was a Diamond 1 Toner during the Collegiate Cup. So easy that he¡¯d forgotten it himself.

    Until right now, as he stared at the dead Rumble on the screen. <i>Ahhh! A solo kill! I haven¡¯t felt like this for months¡­ it feels so good to stomp on someone again. I should really thank the guy I¡¯m up against. I forgot what it felt like to be good, and this guy is ying so bad it touched my frozen heart and woke me up. Truly ad amongds!</i>

 Chapter 451: DEMACIA!

    The past few months had been tough for Zhang Hao, and it¡¯d been a hot minute since hest savored the taste and the tingle of pleasure that came from solo killing the enemy champion in hisne. Zhang Hao¡¯s mind shed through the memories of everything that took ce during the Collegiate Cup, and a single tear dropped from his eye and streaked across his face. Every single game during the tournament was a hard one for Zhang Hao. There wasn¡¯t a single opponent who was weaker than him as a yer. Even during the best games he had, his opponents were at the same level as him. It was not a great situation for Zhang Hao.

    And in that terrible situation, where Zhang Hao was the weakest link on Team Shanghai, the only thing that he could do was y as cautiously and safely as possible. He¡¯d have to wait until a teammate roamed over to help him with a gank, or until he scaled enough to be useful in teamfights. Every single second of every minute in a game, Zhang Hao felt the stress of that bearing down on his soul. But he made it through the entire Collegiate Cup, and it wasn¡¯t that Zhang Hao felt that he waspletely useless on Team Shanghai. Or that he was dragging them down. It was just difficult watching his teammates in the Midne or Botne or even in the Jungle pop off and pick up kills, while he had to y patiently and wait for his champion to scale. Unfortunately, Zhang Hao never had a moment in the entire Collegiate Cup where he felt like the star of the team or was truly popping off. Unlike everyone else on Team Shanghai.

    But today, in this game, things were very different. Zhang Hao thanked the stars and the Gods of RNG. Then he looked at Rumble¡¯s corpse in front of him one more time as his entire body trembled with joy. <i>Awesome! This is so awesome! This Rumble ain¡¯t bad, he¡¯s mid-Diamond at the very least. But I¡¯m a Diamond 1 yer and I¡¯m ying my main, Irelia! Rumble¡­ I, your father, will show you why I belong on Team Shanghai! I will grind you to dust and show you that you are nothing in front of me!</i>

    ¡°I¡¯ve got top secured!¡± Zhang Hao dered to the rest of the team in high spirits.

    ¡°Rodger, rodger! Nice work, Hao Bro,¡± An Xin said. Then, she turned her attention to the Midne and said, ¡°Zeng Zeng, get ready. I¡¯ming from behind.¡±

    A few secondster, An Xin¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix burst into the Midne for a gank. Together with Zeng Rui¡¯s Orianna, the two seized an opening and killed the opposing Lenc.

    <b>¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·</b>

    As the announcer¡¯s voice rang out, Zeng Rui nced down at Lenc¡¯s corpse in front of him. He shook his head. <i>40 points. At best. Pathetic. This Lenc¡¯s mechanics are at the mid-Diamond level, but she¡¯s got zero map awareness. Or game sense. As soon as the game started, she decided to be aggressive and used all of her abilities to poke my health down as much as possible. Including her only movement ability, Distortion. Didn¡¯t even think that it could be used as an escape mechanic or that there might be a gank that could cause her problems. Pathetic. That was the opening that An Xin and I used, but I doubt that Lenc yer can figure that out. When she used Distortion to try and go in again, that¡¯s all we needed to jump onto her and kill her. I don¡¯t see this guy climbing higher than where he is right now. </i>

    It hadn¡¯t even been five minutes since the game started, but things were already tilting in Team Shanghai¡¯s favor. The scoreboard was currently 3-0.

    Gang Zi¡¯splexion was ashen pale. <i>How the fuck is this happening? We¡¯re losing in every singlene. This doesn¡¯t make any sense! They¡¯re just a bunch of high schoolers with two girls on their team¡­ how¡­ why are they so good? Fuck!</i>

    ¡°y safe!¡± Gang Zi gnashed his teeth and shouted. ¡°Focusing on farming and scaling! Rek¡¯Sai,e gank bot!¡±

    This was not a bad call. Especially considering the fact that both Garen and Kalista had used their shes to get the kill on Morgana earlier. If Rek¡¯Sai roamed down to the Botne now, the chances of the gank seeding were much higher. Unfortunately for Gang Zi, reality and expectation didn¡¯t always align. A minuteter, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again from the botne.

    <b>¡¶An ally has been in!¡·</b>

    ¡°Fuck! Shit! Back back back! Now!¡± Gang Zi cried out in voice chat. But it was toote. The entire n turned out to be an unfortunate miscalction for the Lads¡¯ team. An Xin predicted that they would attempt something in Botne to turn things around, and started building up a counter-y. Right when Rek¡¯Sai started moving towards the Botne for a gank, An Xin¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix was already there and hidden, waiting for a good opportunity to ambush and counter gank.

    The doomed Rek¡¯Sai had no idea that Kha¡¯Zix was there or that the Botne was ready for the gank before it happened. Neither did Jinx or Morgana. When Rek¡¯Sai arrived and grouped up with Jinx and Morgana, all three of them decided to go in on Kalista and Garen. Lin Feng¡¯s Garen soaked up most of the damage and forced all three of them to blow all their skills. That¡¯s when An Xin¡¯s Kha¡¯Zix circled around and trapped all three of them in a pincer.

    That was when the counter-gank officially started. Rek¡¯Sai was the first to die, and Morgana followed to the afterlife shortly after.

    <b>¡¶Double Kill!¡·</b>

    As Gang Zi heard the announcer¡¯s voice ring out in his ear, he felt a chill wash over his body. He only managed to escape after using sh to get back to his tower. But his Jinx was barely alive, and Kalista had picked up another two kills. He understood in that moment, that he was truly and rightly fucked. There was noing back from that much of a lead. It was over, Botne was lost for his team.

    At this moment, the announcer¡¯s voice rang out again from the topne.

    <b>¡¶An ally has been in!¡·</b>

    Zhang Hao had taken out the Rumble again. Hao Bro had evolved into Han, because he was stomping all over Topne solo. And with that kill in the Topne, the score was now 6-0 with Team Shanghai solidly dominating.

    Gang Zi was on the verge of mental copse. <i>Why is it like this? Why? Why? Why! None of this makes any sense. This team is way better than I thought they¡¯d be. They¡¯re outssing us in everything from individual ability to team coordination! That doesn¡¯t make any sense. We¡¯re a Diamond 3 team! How are these high school kids this much better than us? </i>

    While Gang Zimented, Qian Lu celebrated. His eyes sparkled with excitement and his shrewd business mind recognized exactly how great of a deal he¡¯d made. Qian Lu understood that fate had smiled upon him and that he¡¯d picked up a treasure. <i>I heard about these high schoolers from my employees, and I looked into them. I knew that Team Shanghai won the Collegiate Cup. But I never understood what that meant or how strong they actually were. Right now though¡­ I¡¯m experiencing their strength firsthand! With my own eyes! I¡¯m standing here watching them clinically dismantle one of the best teams in the area! I¡­ have no words. This Team Shanghai is much stronger than I anticipated or even hoped. This is the best deal I¡¯ve made in my entire life!</i>

    It had been 10 minutes since the game started, and Team Shanghai had 9 kills, while the Lads¡¯ Team only had 1. It was an unbelievably pathetic situation, and one that defied expectation. The Lads¡¯ Team was full of yers who were ranked Diamond 3 or higher, and they were getting crushed.

    Over in the Botne, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista was 4/0/1. At this point, she could single-handedly contend against the Morgana and Jinx. She didn¡¯t need Lin Feng¡¯s Garen around for Support anymore. Which is why Lin Feng took the opportunity to abandon the Botne and started roaming around all over the map. ¡°Alright! Hahahaha! Watch me carry, guys. I¡¯m going to start roaming too!¡±

    Now, logically speaking, a champion like Garen who had no slows, stuns, or roots was not very effective for ganking. Which is why Garen was rarely yed in the Jungle or the Support role, and also why Lin Feng¡¯s roaming would¡¯ve been considered silly at best and griefing at worst. But there was an undeniable truth in League of Legends that made it permissible. That truth was that as long as you were ahead enough, it no longer mattered what champion you were ying or what their strengths were. You could do whatever it is you wanted. And what Lin Feng wanted to do right now was roam and gank, which is what he did.

    At 11 minutes, Lin Feng decided Topne was the target of his gank and started roaming up there. Once he got there, he circled around behind the Blue Team¡¯s Outer Tower and charged towards the low-health Rumble with Decisive Strike!

    Right as his de came down and Silenced the Rumble, Lin Feng also cast Ignite. Then his Garen started spinning around with his de held out¡ªJudgment! With every rotation, more and more of Rumble¡¯s health was shaved off. But Lin Feng wasn¡¯t content with just that much. Before Zhang Hao¡¯s Irelia could even rush over to assist with the kill, Lin Feng had already pushed down on his R key to activate Garen¡¯s ultimate. Demacian Justice!

    ¡°DEMAAACIAAA!¡± Lin Feng eximed.

    A gigantic sword of light descended from the sky and reaped away Rumble¡¯s life..

    <b>¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·</b>

    Across the row of tables, the Rumble yer was dumbstruck as he watched his screen turn ck and white. His mouth fell open, and the shock of it all rendered him speechless.

 Chapter 452: He Moves His Body like a Cyclone!

    There were over 100 champions currently yable in League of Legends. But out of all of them, Garen was one of the simplest and most powerful. And he was rtively easy to master. Once he hit the point where he became fed and snowballed, he¡¯d turn into something akin to a raid boss for the other team. Garen ended up developing high armor, high health, health regen, and his skills buffed his armor further. On top of this, his ultimate worked as an instant execution. A fed Garen was a threat anywhere on the Rift.

    Now, Garen was normally a Topne champion where he could slowly scale and then stomp all over the enemy team during the mid-tote game phase. But even when Garen was yed in the Support role, he could still be a formidable threat as long as he got enough kills and assists. And unlike the more traditional Support champions, he could still hold the front line and tank damage like a Topne champion.

    The gank on Rumble in the Topne that started with a tower dive earlier was a good example of this. Rumble still had a little more than half of his health left, but Lin Feng¡¯s Garen charged into him under a Tower with zero hesitation or concern. Then in the blink of an eye, he¡¯d shaved away all of Rumble¡¯s health. The way it worked, any champion with health below 50% was within Garen¡¯s killing range, as long as Garen¡¯s ultimate was off cooldown. All Garen had to do was run in, spin to win, and unleash his ultimate. It was that simple.

    And with that Rumble kill under his belt, Lin Feng¡¯s Garen started scaling even harder and better. Now that he¡¯d finished setting the Topne up, Lin Feng was trying to figure out what to do next. He started running around through the Blue Team¡¯s top-side Jungle and stealing camps from the Blue Team¡¯s Jungler. That was when he spotted Rek¡¯Sai, the Jungler on the Blue Team. Rek¡¯Sai also saw him, and immediately started running away in the opposite direction. Lin Feng shouted, ¡°Hey! Whatcha running away for? Come here! Come on, fight me!¡±

    Rek¡¯Sai had no intention of fighting Garen, and continued to flee. He eventually managed to make his escape, once Lin Feng grew bored of the chase. It was both hrious and a testament to Lin Feng¡¯s skill that a lone Support Garen could force Rek¡¯Sai to flee for his life. But since there was nothing happening in the Jungle or with Rek¡¯Sai, Lin Feng decided to recall back to base and then returned to the Botne. Just in time for another explosive fight with Jinx and Morgana.

    The second Lin Feng¡¯s Garen arrived back in the Botne, Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista initiated the fight with Fate¡¯s Call. She shot Garen right into the Blue Team¡¯s duners like he was a cannon ball. Jinx got knocked up into the air from the impact. Morgana reacted quickly and started shooting out a Dark Binding. But Lin Feng activated his Garen¡¯s Decisive Strike the second hended, and took advantage of the increased movement speed to avoid the Dark Binding. He charged at Jinx and shed down on her just as shended, which also Silenced her! But Garen wasn¡¯t done yet, not by a long shot. He moved his body like a cyclone, cleaving into her with every de stroke¡ªJudgment!

    This did so much damage to Jinx that Lin Feng had no need to use his Garen¡¯s ultimate, Demacian Justice. Tang Bingyao caught up and started hurling spear after spear into Jinx, and then ripped them all out with Rend!

    <b>¡¶You have been in!¡·</b>

    Gang Zi watched his screen turn gray, while the Announcer¡¯s voice dispassionately announced his death in his ear. He gnashed his teeth and mmed his mouse down hard on the mat. ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Once Lin Feng and Tang Bingyao picked up the kill on Jinx, Team Shanghai secured an absolute advantage in the Botne. Gang Zi waspletely shut down, there was nothing more he could do in thene with his Jinx. Even if Morgana joined in, the two of them together couldn¡¯t take Tang Bingyao¡¯s Kalista out. That¡¯s how fed she was at this point in the game. Jinx and Morgana had no other choice but to be pushed back over and over in the Botne, until the Blue Team¡¯s Outer Tower was destroyed.

    With the Tower down, Lin Feng recalled his Garen back to the base to heal up and purchase some items. Then he built up to the Boots of Swiftness. With those secured on his Garen¡¯s feet, he charged out of the fountain and started roaming around the map again. ¡°Come on! LET¡¯S GOOOOOO!¡± The movement speed buff from the Boots of Swiftness had made his Garen even more mobile than before. Apart from Lenc, who had two dashes, there was no champion on the Blue Team who could escape from him now.

    Lin Feng¡¯s Garen ran though the Blue Team¡¯s Jungle without a care in the world. While he did this, Lin Feng had no idea how much he was pissing theds off, especially since none of them could 1v1 his Garen, despite the fact that he was only the Support. And so, blissfully unaware of the effect he was having on theds, Lin Feng continued harassing the Blue Team in their own Jungle. He cleared all of Rek¡¯Sai¡¯s camps and left a ward behind on each one as a calling card. Lin Feng had decided that his Support Garen was done with camping out in bushes in the Bot Lane. Now, he was going to roam the enemy Jungle like a tiger on the hunt, waiting for his prey.

    14 minutes from the start of the game, Lin Feng finally caught sight of Rek¡¯Sai in Blue Team¡¯s top-side Jungle. His eyes lit up and he yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡± With those words, his Garen charged at Rek¡¯Sai with Decisive Strike. While his Garen chased after Rek¡¯Sai, Lin Feng happened to nce down at his minimap and noticed Lenc was missing from the Midne. ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Feng muttered. ¡°Where¡¯s Lenc?¡±

    ¡°RUN!¡± Zeng Rui shouted in the voice chat. ¡°Jinx and Lenc are closing in on you right now! Come towards me!¡± As soon as Zeng Rui shouted out the warning, two champions appeared out of the fog of war in the Jungle. Lenc and Jinx. And the two of them were running towards Garen as fast as they possibly could!

    ¡°Tsk tsk, they must really want me.¡± Lin Feng said, clicking his tongue. He immediately started running back up toward the river. Rek¡¯Sai joined up with Jinx and Lenc, and now the three champions from the Blue Team were hot on his tail with no intention of giving up. Lin Feng¡¯s Garen had gone from hunter to being hunted!

    During this game, Gang Zi and hisds had trulye to despise both Lin Feng and his Garen. In their minds, Lin Feng¡¯s meddling was half responsible for how badly they were losing this game. So they¡¯d alle together with a singr thought. The oue of the game no longer mattered to them, all that did matter was making sure that Lin Feng¡¯s Garen died and that Lin Feng suffered!

    Jinx, once she was in attack range, used Zap. She fired her sma rifle at Garen and slowed him down. Lenc dashed forward with Distortion and cast Sigil of Malice and Ethereal Chains at the slowed Garen. The mystical conjured chains flew through the air and wrapped around Garen, rooting him in ce.

    Gang Zi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°We can kill him! Focus the Garen!¡± He had his Jinx switch to her rocketuncher, then started sting away.

    Garen¡¯s health was quickly dropping.

    As Garen¡¯s health quickly dropped, Zeng Rui cried out, ¡°Come over to me! I¡¯m here!¡± His Orianna was rushing down the river entrance toward Garen.

    Lin Feng¡¯s eyes took on a sharp glint as he noticed how all three enemies were positioned. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no need to run Zeng Zeng! Just follow up on me!¡± Without giving Zeng Rui any time to respond, Lin Feng had already pressed down on his D key¡ªsh! His Garen was wrapped around in a dazzling motes of light as he blinked backwards into Lenc.

    Gang Zi¡¯s pupils constricted as he felt a cold chill run down his spine. <i>T-this isn¡¯t good!</i> He¡¯d finally noticed what was happening, and started trying to back away. But it was toote.

    Garen shed down on Lenc with Decisive Strike, silencing her!

    ¡°Zeng Zeng!¡± Lin Feng shouted.

    ¡°Coming!¡± Zeng Rui cried out, immediately seeing the opportunity. He also shed forward with his Orianna and sent her Ball flying toward Garen¡ªCommand: Protect! At this moment, Lin Feng was right in the middle of Lenc, Jinx, and Morgana. ¡°Perfect!¡± He mmed down his R key, and a powerful electromaic burst ripped out from Orianna¡¯s Ball¡ªCommand: Shockwave!

    Standing behind Team Shanghai¡¯s members, Qian Lu¡¯s eyes were beaming. ¡°That turnaround¡­ that was beautiful!¡±

 Chapter 453: Humiliation & Newfound Friendship!

    The turnaround y that Lin Feng¡¯s Garen had just pulled off with the help of Zeng Rui¡¯s Orianna, it was eerily reminiscent of a simr y made by God Roundy. One that was immortalized in the minds of many League of Legends fans across China, and objectively one of the most spectacr ys in recent memory. It was when God Roundy¡¯s Hecarim pulled off a turnaround 5-man ultimate during the Season 5 World Championships. Neither Gang Zi nor any of hisds expected Garen to pull off something simr, and they were shocked out of their minds when it happened.

    Slowed down, the pivotal point that initiated the y was when Lenc used Distortion to close the distance between her and Garen. That was apletely reasonable and normal thing for Lenc to do, against any other champion. If something in the engage went wrong, Lenc could always just recast Distortion to retreat back to her original position. But this was only true against any other champion. When faced with a Garen, that strategypletely fell apart. Lin Feng¡¯s Garen had shed right at Lenc with a Decisive Strike cued up and silenced her. This meant that Lenc could no longer use Distortion¡¯s recast to escape, nor could she use any of her other abilities. She was trapped and helpless against Garen¡¯s rage.

    The next part of the y was Zeng Rui¡¯s Orianna. When Gang Zi saw Orianna approaching, he figured out what was about to happen. Which is why he shouted ¡°Careful! Dammit! Back! Back! Back!¡± But it was too little, toote. His warning couldn¡¯te through faster than Zeng Rui¡¯s mechanics. Lenc, Rek¡¯Sai, and Jinx were all close enough to each other that Zeng Rui¡¯s Orianna could lob her ball right into the middle of them and activate her ultimate¡ªCommand: Shockwave! The resulting electromaic burst swept through all three of the enemy champions and then pulled them right up against Garen¡¯s de. All of this took ce mere seconds after Garen silenced Lenc with Decisive Strike.

    But Zeng Rui wasn¡¯t finished after setting up the three enemy champions for Garen. His eyes glinted fiercely as he followed up with Command: Dissonance! A second, smaller electromaic wave pulsed and inflicted a further slow on the three champions from the Blue Team. This meant that they would have even more difficulty escaping from Garen¡¯s de. On top of this, thebination of attacks from Orianna¡¯s ball destroyed half of Lenc, Rek¡¯Sai, and Jinx¡¯s health.

    Without missing a beat, Lin Feng followed up on Orianna¡¯s attacks. His Garen did the typical Garen thing, which is to spin-to-win. Garen started rapidly spinning with his de held out¡ªJudgment! Damage values floated up into the air as his de cleaved through the three champions around him.

    Lenc tried to walk away as Garen¡¯s de bit into her health, but Garen stuck close to her as he spun. And with the silence from Decisive Strike still in ce, she had no way of escaping with Distortion. Her hands werepletely tied! And in the blink of an eye, Lenc¡¯s health fell to one third. Making things worse was that there was still half a second left before the silence wore off, and Lenc¡¯s health had fallen low enough that she could be executed by Garen¡¯s Ultimate. A fact that both the Lenc yer and Lin Feng recognized at the same time.

    Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!¡¯ He pressed down on his R key to unleash Garen¡¯s ultimate¡ªDemacian Justice! A gigantic and magnificent sword of light descended down from the sky and bisected Lenc! Her health dropped to zero, and she copsed dead on the ground. The Lenc yer could do or say nothing as his screen faded to gray, much like his face.

    <b>¡¶You have in an enemy!¡·</b>

    Once Lenc was dead, Lin Feng looked for his next target. His eyes fell on the Jinx, and he decided that she was easy prey. Jinx currently had no sh and no way to escape. On top of this, Zeng Rui¡¯s Orianna had brought Jinx down to critically low levels of health with Command: Attack. Lin Feng¡¯s Garen finished her off with a single auto attack.

    <b>¡¶Double Kill!¡·</b>

    The only one that managed to escape the wheelhouse of ughter was Rek¡¯Sai, who got away through one of the tunnels she¡¯d dug before. But even with Rek¡¯Sai still alive, Lin Feng and Zeng Rui had dealt a heavy blow to the Lads Team, one that they were unlikely to recover from.

    As for Gang Zi, he was incoherent with rage as he watched Garen walk away while his Jinx and Lency dead on the ground. His blood pressure shot up so high that he nearly fainted.

    The long and short of it all was that Gang Zi and hisds had no way to counter Lin Feng¡¯s Garen. If Garen didn¡¯t want to fight them, it was impossible for them to chase him down and kill him. But if Garen did want to fight, they had no way to protect their backline from his de. The worst part about all of this, as far as Gang Zi¡¯s thoughts went, was that Lin Feng¡¯s Garen was only a Support! Gang Zi could not even begin to fathom how a Support was somehow carrying Team Shanghai.

    As for the rest of theds, they couldn¡¯t figure out what to do in this game. At this point in the game, it was like they were up against two fed Topners. One was Irelia, and the other was Garen. They were caught in the lowest circle of hell, where they had no counter for either Irelia or Garen! And by the time they figured this out, 20 minutes had gone by since the start of the game. The gold gap had widened to over 15,000.

    Theds all quickly came to the same conclusion. They had no hope of winning this game. Each of them looked at Gang Zi in turn. Gang Zi nodded as he clenched his teeth. He started the surrender vote, and every one of hisds voted yes. Their nexus exploded. Theds had learned a hard lesson by ying this game that they had no way of winning. It took a brick load of humiliation for them to realize that the high schoolers they mocked were far better than them. So much better that it wasn¡¯t funny.

    When the Lads surrendered, Lin Feng clicked his tongue. ¡°Aww, already? I¡¯m not even at full build yet!¡±

    Fortunately for Gang Zi and hisds, they didn¡¯t hear Lin Feng. If they did, whatever shred of dignity they had left would¡¯ve been obliterated.

    The so-called friendly scrim had ended with Team Shanghai¡¯s overwhelming victory. Gang Zi and hisds stood up with unsightly expressions on their faces. They struggled and failed toe up with a decent excuse for their defeat, and quickly left the room without even saying goodbye.

    Qian Luughed and shouted at their backs, ¡°Take care! I won¡¯t see you out! Come again!¡±

    Right now, at this very moment, Qian Lu was incredibly pleased with himself. Now that he¡¯d watched this game, he was more than confident in his decision to contract Lin Feng and the rest of Team Shanghai. He knew deep in his heart that this team was definitely more than good enough to represent his inte cafe. More than that, he was convinced that every other inte cafe that came to challenge his branch was destined to lose as miserably as the Lads had!

    While Qian Lu was lost in his thoughts and metaphorically patting himself on the back, Lin Feng got up from his seat and walked over to Qian Lu. ¡°So, Ol¡¯ Qian. Did we pass your little test here?¡±

    Qian Lu was stunned by the question. He was not expecting it, nor did he think Lin Feng could see his devious maniption. But one look at Lin Feng¡¯s eyes snapped Qian Lu back to reality. He sped his hands together and nodded with an awkward small. ¡°Ah, yes, yes! That was marvelous! All of you got full points!¡±

    Lin Feng, despite how he came off, was actually not as airheaded as he came off sometimes. The truth was that he¡¯d seen through what Qian Lu was trying to pull the minute the Lads walked in through the door. He just didn¡¯t care enough to question it or do anything about it. The whole situation was one that Lin Feng was more than familiar with. Back in Season 1, when Lin Feng yed with Tian Tian, Silent, and the rest of their team, they had to deal with people like Qian Lu all the time as they hopped from inte cafe to inte cafe. Lin Feng understood that the deal was only official once they proved themselves.

    And now that this rote formality was over, Lin Feng smiled and extended his hand out to Qian Lu. ¡°Alright then, it¡¯s settled. We¡¯re friends and officially working for this branch of the NetCow Cafe from now on!¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s eyes went wide. Then, he broke into a rare, genuine smile. He grabbed Lin Feng¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s be good friends and get along from now on! Haha!¡±

 Chapter 454: The Calm Before the Bonanza!

    The former Team Shanghai had defeated the Lads, and proved exactly how capable they were to Qian Lu. Once that was done, they all left for their respective homes for the night. The next day, all of them met up at the NetCow Cafe and started preparing themselves inside their usual private room. Today was the first day of the Battle Bonanza, and every match from here on out counted. The Battle Bonanza tournament officially started at noon. Teams aiming for the Conqueror prize would set out to challenge other inte cafe teams, and the teams aiming for the Immovable Mt. Tai prize would stand guard on their home turf awaiting these challengers.

    It was only 11:30 AM, rtively early for a normal day at an inte cafe. But the lobby of Qian Lu¡¯s branch of the NetCow Cafe was already packed with customers. And there were even more sitting down atputers, but not ying any games. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the center of the room, and hushed and tense whispers carried through the entire inte cafe. Literally none of the customers at the NetCow Cafe today came to y games. They were all here to witness the start of the Battle Bonanza. More than that, they wanted to see how the inte cafe¡¯s team performed. As regr patrons of this branch of the NetCow Cafe, their pride was on the line too.

    ¡°It¡¯s about to start soon, right? It¡¯s gotta start soon!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already 11:30, there¡¯s only 30 minutes before the first challenger walks in here.¡±

    ¡°Oh shit! Where¡¯s our team?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I don¡¯t see them either.¡±

    ¡°They should be here already¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen listen listen! I got a buddy, he hangs out at the Wyvern NetCafe next door. He was telling me that they signed up for this tournament too, but I think they¡¯re aiming for the Conqueror prize. Those guys are probably going toe challenge us!¡±

    ¡°Shit, real talk? You know how good their team is?¡±

    ¡°I heard a few things. Their team is made up of Diamond 2 yers, and they¡¯ve got one who is even a Master!¡±

    ¡°Hot-diggity-damn! A Master? Well, that¡¯s shit luck¡­ that¡¯s kinda strong.¡±

    ¡°Foshizzle my rizzle. My buddy, he was going on and on about how the Wyvern NetCafe¡¯s team is going to walk in here and stomp all over our asses. He even said they¡¯re going to make us their bitchnochizzles!¡±

    ¡°Dude¡­ your friend sounds like a raging asshole. You need to make better friends, no lie. Not only does he sound like an ass, he¡¯s way too cocky about a match he¡¯s not even ying in!¡±

    ¡°I know right! He pissed me off too. Whatever. The only thing I can do is hope that our team does really well¡­ But I¡¯d REALLY like it if they taught those Wyvern bastards a lesson so I can rub my friend¡¯s face in it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, fuck that dude. He¡¯s a douche.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s hardstuck in Bronze too!¡±

    ¡°Lol! Lol! Lol!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m friends with him, he thinks he¡¯s gangster because he has some rap music on his Microsoft Zune.¡±

    ¡°Wtf is a Zune?¡±

    ¡°Sssssshhhh! No one cares about your friend or his Zune!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Who asked?¡±

    The customers continued to talk amongst themselves, riling each other up more and more while building up hype for the first challenger to walk through the doors of the NetCow Cafe. All while watching the center of the cafe.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s where the match is going to take ce?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a regr genius! What was your first clue? The stage?¡±

    ¡°Hey guys! We got a real Sherlock Holmes here! He¡¯s cracked the case!¡±

    ¡°You bringing those skills over to the army, Captain Obvious?¡±

    ¡°Man¡¯s gonna tell us next that the switch turns the lights and screens on.¡±

    ¡°Nah mate. Ol¡¯ Qian set that stage up because Psy¡¯s gonnae here and dance to Gangnam style for us.¡±

    ¡°What. A. Moron!¡±

    As far as this whole Battle Bonanza thing went, Qian Lu was all-in. He¡¯d spared no expense in setting things up for the event despite the tight deadline. The stage that he set up in the center of his inte cafe was nothing short of magnificent. It was raised, and two rows ofputers sat in the middle of the stage. They were separated by custom ordered sanded ss dividers, and the floor of the stage was fitted with LED tiles that he¡¯d gotten preprogrammed with specific light patterns that corresponded to events in the game. Above the stage, Qian Lu had rented four giant LCD screens that faced all four sides of the inte cafe. Every customer had a clear view of the game, regardless of where they were in the NetCow Cafe. As for the actualputers, Qian Lu had gotten 10 that were as cutting edge as humanly possible. Even the peripherals were all professional gaming-grade. There was nothing that would inhibit either team from ying to the best of their abilities at this branch of the NetCow Cafe, and Qian Lu was proud of that fact.

    ¡°Damn. Ol¡¯ Qian really went all out this time, huh?¡±

    ¡°He really did. I can¡¯t believe he set up a professional tournament stage in the middle of an inte cafe.¡±

    ¡°Probs more than worth it though.¡±

    ¡°Damn straight. People wille in here just to watch teams y on a stage like this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, especially if our team does really well!¡±

    ¡°Ol¡¯ Qian¡¯s going to bring in way more than he invested into this, that¡¯s for sure!¡±

    Then, all of a sudden, a wave of silence rolled through the inte cafe. All conversations about challengers, the stage, and spection about the tournamentpletely ceased.

    ¡®They¡¯re here! They¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Our team is here!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯vee out!¡±

    When Lin Feng and the rest of Team Shanghai walked out of their private room and stepped up onto the stage in the center of the inte cafe, all eyes were glued on them. No customer, besides the Lads, had seen the team that would be representing their inte cafe before now. There was a few seconds of silence as everyone took in the sight of Team Shanghai, and then pandemonium erupted from the crowd of customers. The mood had shifted from excitement and curiosity to shock and disbelief.

    ¡°T-this, this is our team¡­?¡±

    ¡°No freaking way.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just high schoolers!¡±

    ¡°GG boys. We¡¯ve lost.¡±

    ¡°Shit! They even have two girls on their team!¡±

    The initial shock came from how young everyone on Team Shanghai was, but the disbelief came from the fact that An Xin and Tang Bingyao, two girls, were on the team. That disbelief came from two very different lines of thought though. One side was captivated by the beauty of the two girls, while the other one was mindblown that Qian Lu would hire a team with girls on it to represent their inte cafe.

    ¡°They¡¯re so pretty!¡±

    ¡°Both are hotties for sure!¡±

    ¡°Perfect 10s!¡±

    ¡°I mean, if the tournament was best on looks, we¡¯d definitely win right!?¡±

    ¡°Focus, morons! Does anyone even know if these girls are good?¡±

    ¡°Looking hot ain¡¯t gonna win us matches. All the other cafes are gonnae correct. They¡¯re not going to throw weak teams at us.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! What was Ol¡¯ Qian even thinking when he recruited a bunch of high schoolers? Those two girls, can they even y?¡±

    There were more than a few female gamers at the NetCow Cafe. When they heard all the doubts about An Xin and Tang Bingyao, every single one of them was pissed off.

    ¡°The fuck are you on about, twinkledick?¡±

    ¡°What? You think they can¡¯t be good just because they¡¯re girls?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re such hot shit because you got a pecker that people need a magnifying ss to see, why aren¡¯t you up on that stage?¡±

    ¡°80% of you are hardstuck at Bronze and Silver, but you¡¯re all god gamers because you¡¯re guys?¡±

    ¡°Sit the fuck down, you¡¯re just embarrassing yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Eat shit and die, virgin!¡±

    After another minute of insults and fighting the good fight against misogyny in gaming, all the girls started cheering in support of Tang Bingyao and An Xin.

    ¡°Do your best, you got this girls!¡±

    ¡°Girls get it done!¡±

    ¡°We believe in you!¡±

    ¡°Ignore the idiots!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s pretty packed today!¡± Lin Feng remarked in high spirits. He sat down in front of hisputer and looked around the lobby.

    An Xin turned to Zeng Rui. ¡°What¡¯s the time, Zeng Zeng?¡±

    Zeng Rui checked his watch and replied, ¡°15 minutes until 12.¡±

    ¡°And the tournament starts at 12. Do you think we¡¯ll get a challenger right away?¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure. This tournament is different from others. There¡¯s no fixed schedule for matches, and challengers get to pick who they want to face at any time. It¡¯s possible no one will turn up. There¡¯s also logistics to consider. It¡¯ll take time for people to get from their inte cafe to ours.¡±

    ¡°This sucks! The only thing we can do right now is sit around and wait¡­¡± Lin Feng chimed in with a sigh. ¡°Ya know what? Man! If Ol¡¯ Qian thought ahead a bit more and signed us up for the Conqueror prize instead, we wouldn¡¯t have to sit around waiting. We could go out and smash other teams. That¡¯d be so much more fun!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples. <i>Thundering dumbass.</i> Then he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re okay. Let¡¯s just keep waiting. We can get some practice games in while we wait.¡±

 Chapter 455: Dawn of the First Challenge

    The clock ticked closer and close to 12PM, the official start time for the Battle Bonanza. But Zeng Rui was fairly confident that no challengers would approach the NetCow cafe right when things started, so Team Shanghai decided to jump into a practice game rather than sit around waiting. The idea of practice wasn¡¯t inherently repugnant to the team, and even Lin Feng was on board. He smiled at all of them and eximed, ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s practice, guys! Think of it as practice for when we all go pro!¡±

    Zeng Rui stared at Lin Feng, his facepletely expressionless. <i>Lin Feng¡¯s been talking about going pro a lottely¡­ Hm. Hm. Hm. He¡¯s been hinting and pushing for all of us to go in every other conversation. But the thundering dumbass never bothered to ask if everyone here wanted to go pro¡­ </i>

    The decision to transition into the professional scene was simple for some of the yers on Team Shanghai, but moreplicated for others. When it came to Zhang Hao, he was perfectly content ying in low level amateur tournaments and enjoying his high school days. He had no aspirations of bing a professional yer or making League of Legends his life. He was more than aware that he was simply not good enough to jump into the next level of y. It was simple enough for him, which is why he either ignored Lin Feng or cheered Lin Feng on.

    When it came to Zeng Rui, that¡¯s where things took a turn for theplicated. Zeng Rui was a talented yer, one who definitely had the potential to go professional. Even the Shanghai Esports Association had their eye on him. Many of his friends, ssmates, and fellow club members in Shanghai High School believed that he would eventually jump on over to the professional scene. But he always remained quiet and pensive whenever Lin Feng brought up the idea of all of them going pro together. Zeng Rui never said anything or tried to shut Lin Feng down. He just remained quiet and lost in his own thoughts. From his demeanor, it was clear that Zeng Rui had some reservations about going professional in his heart. But he wasn¡¯t ready to start talking about them with the others. Zeng Rui was frozen in the limbo of hesitation.

    Tang Bingyao was abination of simple andplicated. She hadn¡¯t given much thought to going pro, nor had she paid attention to what Lin Feng was saying about going pro. Her mind was entirely preupied with the potential profits from the Battle Bonanza. That was why she didn¡¯t even mind practicing. All that mattered was the numbers. <i>Every match is a best of three series, and each win is</i><i>£¤500. So that means two wins are £¤1000, three wins are £¤1500, ten wins are £¤5000! AND ONE HUNDRED WINS ARE £¤50,000! </i>In her delight to watch the numbers grow in her mind, Tang Bingyao forgot that there were only so many matches to be yed. She didn¡¯t even care, she was too caught up in the windfall of finance that could be.

    As Team Shanghai prepared to jump into a practice game, Qian Lu stood next to the stage with a satisfied smile stered across his face. After watching them demolish the Lads, Qian Lu was more than confident in the skills that Team Shanghai possessed. And he knew that once all of the customers in the NetCow Cafe saw the team y, they would feel exactly as he did. There was nothing but profit to be gained from this practice game, and Qian Lu¡¯s heart quivered in anticipation as Lin Feng and the others queued up for a ranked game. He even turned on all of the LCD screens above the stage, so that everyone spectating could get a better view of Team Shanghai in action.

    But Qian Lu¡¯s stance that action speaks louder than words was not enough for some of the customers of the NetCow Cafe. When Lin Feng and the others entered into Champion Select, they inched over to Qian Lu and started bombarding him with whispered questions.

    ¡°Ol¡¯ Qian, where did you find these guys?¡±

    ¡°Are they good enough? This is our pride on the line too!¡±

    ¡°Why are all of them high schoolers? And they¡¯ve even got two girls!¡±

    ¡°Those two girls are pretty cute though. Hey, I¡¯m like your best customer, right? How about helping me out a little and introducing me to themter on?¡±

    Qian Lu ignored the customer who asked thest questionpletely. And the serene smile on his face never wavered. Instead of reassuring the customers, all it did was increase the tension. But he still refused to answer any of their specific concerns. All he said to them was, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll find out on your own. Just watch them practice, and every question you have will be answered! Just trust me, you¡¯ll know exactly how good they are after you watch!¡±

    The customers only grew more curious. But since Qian Lu was remaining tight lipped, they could only turn their attention back to the LCD Screen.

    ¡°Hey, does anybody know what rank they¡¯re ying in?¡±

    ¡°Not. A. Clue.¡±

    Over on the stage, Lin Feng and the rest of the gang had jumped into their first game. They werepletely rxed and unphased by anything going on around them. The whispers and doubts of the crowd didn¡¯t even reach their ears. Nothing about this caused them any stress or anxiety, because this practice game was no different than what they usually did. Or what they¡¯d been doing for months now. Over thest few days, the members of Team Shanghai had more or less returned to the state they were in during the Collegiate Cup. This ranked game was a cakewalk for them.

    3 minutes from the start of the game: Lin Feng picked up first blood.

    4 minutes from the start of the game: An Xin roamed over to the Topne and helped Zhang Hao pick up a kill on the opposing champion.

    5 minutes from the start of the game: Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao initiated a fight in the Botne that ended with them killing the opposing Support. Team Shanghai was winning in all threenes and starting to snowball hard.

    10 minutes from the start of the game: the score was 11-3 in Team Shanghai¡¯s favor.

    15 minutes from the start of the game: Team Shanghai was more than 6,000 gold ahead.

    18 minutes from the start of the game: All of the opposing team¡¯s Towers in the Midne were destroyed, and Team Shanghai also took out the Inhibitor. Super Minions started flooding down the Midne into the opposing team¡¯s base.

    21 minutes from the start of the game: The opposing team surrendered.

    The customers in the cafe were all dumbstruck as the victory crest floated up over the opposing team¡¯s ruined nexus.

    ¡°T-they won already?¡±

    ¡°How was that a practice game!?¡±

    ¡°That was way too fast!¡±

    ¡°Damn, they actually seem really decent!¡±

    ¡°They were like 20 kills ahead of the enemy team, right?¡±

    ¡°Their teamwork was pretty good too!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, mid had some great mechanics!¡±

    ¡°Why did it feel like aplete pubstomp?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! What rank was that game anyway? Bronze? Silver?¡±

    ¡°Bronze? Silver? No way right¡­¡±

    Despite all the spection, no one in the NetCow Cafe knew what rank the game that Team Shanghai yed was in. On the one hand, it really made no sense for the inte cafe to be represented by yers in Gold who could only stomp on Bronzies. But on the other hand, Team Shanghai had won that game far too easily. To the viewers, it looked like they were smurfing on noobs to make themselves look good. But there was no way for either side to be sure. And deep in their hearts, they all wanted to believe in Team Shanghai. They wanted to believe that these high schoolers were really that good, so they could watch the ughter that ensued when the teams from other inte cafes walked in to challenge them.

    After thatst practice game ended, Lin Feng and the others were more than ready to go again. The game didn¡¯t push them at all, it barely even counted as a warmup. The average rank of the yers in the previous game was Diamond 3. Decent enough, but nowhere near good enough to pose a real threat to Lin Feng and the gang.

    Lin Feng stretched in his chair and nced at the clock. <i>20 minutes past noon! It¡¯s been 20 minutes since the Battle Bonanza started and there are no challengers here yet! This is so boring. I don¡¯t want to sit here and do nothing, what¡¯s the point in that? Did Ol¡¯ Qian put us up on this stage just to watch the door? Nah, it¡¯s time to do something! </i>With that thought, Lin Feng got up from his chair and looked at all his teammates. Then he said, ¡°How about another one?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head and asked, ¡°Mhm¡­ What if we get a challenger soon?¡±

    Lin Fengughed. ¡°Good point. Okay! That just means we¡¯ll have to win our game even faster!¡±

    No one else cared enough to argue with Lin Feng, and they really did have nothing to do. So Team Shanghai started up another ranked game. One that went even more smoothly than thest one did. 10 minutes after the game started, the opposing team hadpletely lost in twones. But then, events took a surprising turn.

    13 minutes into the game, a group of people walked into the NetCow Cafe. Their entrance roused up all of the customers watching Team Shanghai practice, and sent electricity through the air. This group of strangers was known to a few of the customers.

    ¡°I know them!¡±

    ¡°Those guys¡­ THEY¡¯RE FROM THE MOONLIGHT NET CAFE!¡±

    ¡°I think the guy at the front is their owner?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our first challenger!¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s eyes flickered with a sharp light. He walked over and greeted these new guests with a smile.

    ¡°Boss Liu, wee wee!¡±

    Boss Liu and his team walked over. He greeted Qian Lu back with a polite smile. The two exchanged some more small talk, but their words wereced with all sorts of biting remarks.

    ¡°Boss Qian, our two inte cafes have always been neighbors. Regardless of the result of the match, I hope we can still remain good friends.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Liu, my ol¡¯ pal, what are you talking about?? Of course that¡¯s a given! Friendshipes first,petition second! Are you guys doing your first challenge?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nonono. We came over from another cafe. Haha! Our luck¡¯s been pretty good today. We¡¯ve already gotten our first win.¡±

    ¡°Oh-hoh-ho? A win already! Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Hahah! Thank you, thank you! I hope we can keep up this streak.¡±

    ¡°Hahahahahaha, you sure are optimistic. But this is still apetition. It¡¯s hard to say who¡¯ll win or lose in the end.¡±

    ¡°Hah, I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself. We¡¯ll only know once we y.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. Nothing has been decided yet.¡±

    As the two owners conversed, the air around them crackled with sparks. The fake smiles on their faces also turned increasingly menacing.

    One team was after The Conqueror prize, and the other was after the Immovable Mt. Tai prize. One was a challenger, and the other was the defender. Anyone that wanted to get far in this tournament would have to step over the corpses of their opponents.

    At this moment, Boss Liu looked over at the stage and noticed Lin Feng and the others. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hey, Boss Liu. That¡¯s the team you recruited? They look a little wet behind the ears.¡±

    Qian Lu narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a faint smile. ¡°Wet behind the ears? Oh, I don¡¯t know about that. How about you face them and then tell me how wet behind the ears they are, yes?¡±

 Chapter 456: Deuces, Not Truces

    The challenge and confidence in Qian Lu¡¯s words was too much for Boss Liu to handle. His eyes narrowed, and his narrow lips thinned further into a derisive smile. He replied with, ¡°Hm. Starting to feel confident about our chances, are we? You think this is going to go your way? Well, how about we just wait and see.¡± With those words, Boss Liu nced up at therge LCD disy above his head. Then he looked at Qian Lu from the corner of his eyes and said, ¡°Your team, they¡¯re still in a practice game?¡±

    Qian Lu gave Boss Liu his signature smile, friendly and harmless. ¡°Yes, yes. About that. So you see, we were waiting for a long time and no challengers appeared. They got bored sitting up on that stage doing nothing and decided not to waste the time. That¡¯s why they¡¯re in a practice game. Just some harmless fun to while away the time.¡±

    Right as Qian Lu said those words, Lin Feng happened to be recalling back to the base in the game. He nced down at Qian Lu, and noticed that Boss Liu was now there. Lin Feng decided to wave at the pair in high spirits and said, ¡°Look! Someone came to challenge us! Just give us a second, we¡¯ll finish this game really quick!¡±

    Boss Liu looked up and over at Lin Feng. His eyes flickered with hints of disdain, but he kept a polite smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s fine, fine, fine. Really. Take your time, we¡¯ll just be watching.¡± Then he turned around and faced his team. ¡°All of you, watch their game! Get a feel of how good they are!¡±

    All the guys on the Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team were all pretty young. Their average age was around 20, and the oldest guy on the team was only 25. It wasn¡¯t by much, but they were all still older than Lin Feng and the rest of the gang. That made them arrogant enough to look down on Team Shanghai. Despite the words of Boss Liu, they had zero interest in spectating the practice game that Team Shanghai was ying. They were, however, very interested in oogling An Xin and Tang Bingyao.

    ¡°A couple of high school brats. How good could they possibly be?¡±

    ¡°Looks like this is another free win.¡±

    ¡°Look at those two cuties!¡±

    ¡°Hot-diggity-damn! These high school girls, I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya, they just keep getting hotter and hotter.¡±

    The Captain on Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team was more level headed than his teammates. He coughed. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Leave that for after. Let¡¯s focus on the game they¡¯re ying and figure out how good they are right now. I don¡¯t want any of us getting careless because we were cocky, and then embarrassing ourselves. Is that clear?¡±

    The other members didn¡¯t appear convinced, but they were respectful enough to attempt to spectate on the words of their captain. That didn¡¯t stop them from continuing to whisper amongst themselves.

    ¡°How could we lose?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just brats¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop being such a nervous nelly, we got this in the bag.¡±

    ¡°Oh? It looks like the Blue Team has a huge advantage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been 13 minutes since this game started, but they already have a 6,000 gold lead!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising. Maybe they¡¯re a little better than we thought.¡±

    ¡°No way! They gotta be smurfing. The enemy team is probably all in Gold or something.¡±

    The team captain frowned. ¡°Smurfing? Gold? How does that make any sense? They¡¯re trying to get some practice in, why would they face such a weak opponent for practice? That¡¯s just such a waste of time, and I don¡¯t see this as the kind of team that would do something so useless.¡±

    The Support yer clicked his tongue. ¡°Who knows? Maybe they just want to show off in front of all these people? You know how high schoolers are these days? They¡¯re all ego. Since the other team is getting rekt this badly, I¡¯d say gold is the right guess.¡±

    The Toner¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°Who knows? Maybe the opponent is tinum, but I¡¯d find that really hard to believe.¡±

    Little did the members of the Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team realize that the yers they were looking down on, the enemy team in Team Shanghai¡¯s game, were all ranked somewhere in mid to high Diamond! They weren¡¯t even close to being considered bad yers. The reason why the game was so tilted was because of how good Lin Feng and the gang had gotten. They outssed the enemy team so significantly that they could deliver a one-sided beatdown. It looked like they were smurfing, especially to people like the Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team. It was a misunderstanding of the situation that would soon prove fatal to the Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team.

    This misunderstanding, or whatever it was that the Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s team thought of Team Shanghai, made no difference to Lin Feng and the gang. They couldn¡¯t be bothered to even think about it. The only thing on their minds right now was that they finally had a challenger for the Battle Bonanza. A challenger they couldn¡¯t keep waiting long.

    They all nodded to each other and started pushing their practice game to it¡¯s finale. Lin Feng and the others pushed down both the Top and Midne as the game hit the 22 minute mark. It was too much for the enemy team to defend against, especially considering how far behind they were. They understood that this game was over, and quickly surrendered. Team Shanghai¡¯s second practice game had ended with a Victory crest floating over the giant LCD screen.

    Below the stage, Boss Liu turned to Qian Lu and asked. ¡°We can start now?¡±

    Qian Lu smiled. ¡°Of course. Let me just ask them first.¡± He looked up at Lin Feng and the others up on the stage and asked, ¡°Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s members have been waiting for a while. Do you want to start now, or after a short break?¡±

    Lin Feng immediately replied. ¡°No need. We¡¯re good!¡±

    Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s members stepped on the stage and sat down on the row ofputers on the other side of where Lin Feng and the gang sat. And with the two teams seated and ready start, sparks started flying between them and the atmosphere heated up.

    The customers below the stage started feeling tense and nervous.

    ¡°Can they win¡­?¡±

    ¡°You can do it! We believe in you!¡±

    ¡°Get the victory!¡±

    ¡°Go go go!¡±

    ¡°Go girls! You all can do it!¡±

    ¡°Start out strong! Womp this first game!¡±

    ¡°NetCow! Net Cow! GOOOOOOOOO!!¡±

    In an instant, the air in the inte cafe sparkled and sizzled with electricity, the crowd had found a reason for hope and erupted into passionate cheers. Qian Lu beamed across the crowd, while thunderclouds roamed across Boss Liu¡¯s forehead. On the stage, the match was about to start. Lin Feng looked at his teammates and smiled. ¡°Alright guys. Let¡¯s do our best! No matter what, let¡¯s give it our all!¡±

    A minuteter, in the middle of the cheering crowd, the two teams loaded into the first game of this best of three match. And 25 minutester, the first game ended. Lin Feng and the gang had achieved an easy victory. With no pause or break in between, the two teams loaded into the second game of the match. And just like the first game, the second game ended in 24 minutes with Team Shanghai¡¯s victory. NetCow Cafe¡¯s team had won two games in a row, sessfully defending the NetCow Cafe. All in under an hour.

    The whole thing was so unexpected that the crowd didn¡¯t know how to react. There was just pin drop silence throughout the NetCow Cafe. Boss Liu had a dumbstruck expression on his face, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just seen. ¡°W-we? We just? Wait¡­ did we just? We lost¡­?¡±

 Chapter 457: End of the First Challenge

    A thick silence nketed the NetCow Cafe. No one made a peep. It was so quiet that the customers could hear the whistling from someone¡¯s breathing. They were all too busy staring at the LCD screens, too shocked to speak. Or cheer. Or even question what happened as the Victory crest floated over Moonlight Cafe¡¯s ruined Nexus. But without a word spoken, everyone had the same thought. <i>Th-they won! NetCow Cafe¡¯s team won! They beat Moonlight Cafe¡¯s team in a best-of-three in under an hour! </i>

    Qian Lu was just as surprised. He was more than confident in Lin Feng¡¯s team, but the victory happening that quickly was outside of his expectations too. He stood there with his mouthpletely open, alternating between staring at the LCD screens and at the team he hired. The sight was almostical, because of the dazed look on his chubby face. Qian Lu was a calcting individual and shrewd businessman, but this was still well beyond anything he could¡¯ve predicted. Even with all he knew about how strong Lin Feng and the others were, and even if he¡¯d watched them practice with his own eyes for thest few days. It was still shocking to see how easily and quickly they¡¯d defended the NetCow Cafe from the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s challenge.

    The reaction was no different on the stage. Moonlight NetCafe¡¯s entire team sat petrified in their seats with pale faces. They were so shocked by what just went down that they had no concept of how to process it properly, or understand what to think about the whole ordeal. They had lost, that much was clear. But it wasn¡¯t just that they had lost. They¡¯d beenpletely and utterly crushed.

    The opponent they¡¯d just gone up against, the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team, was so unbelievably strong that they had no chance to fight back at all. They were utterly helpless! There was nothing they could do, no way to prepare for the tidal wave that just crashed into them. Before they could even strategize properly and mount a counter-offensive, they were swept away by the frightening strength of NetCow Cafe¡¯s team. It was beyond belief how badly the games had gone for them. They¡¯d lost all threenes in both games, and NetCow¡¯s Jungler had managed to shut down any attempt at aeback. That wasn¡¯t even the worst of it. The team fights were another level of tragedy, where they got instantly stomped on. The only thing that was clear about both games was that there was nothing they could do.

    The Miner on Moonlight Cafe¡¯s team was the most level-headed and analytical out of all of them. But right now, he was slumped back in his seat. His face was lifeless, but the disbelief was clear in his eyes. The games had gone particrly bad for him, because he was also the best yer on the team. He was currently ranked at Master on the Zuan server. Despite this, hisne was the one that lost the fastest in both games.

    Thene situation was especially bad for him in the second game. His Yasuo was up against NetCow¡¯s Fizz. Things turned south within minutes, when NetCow¡¯s Jungler game in to gank him. After that, hisnepletely copsed and he ended up being solo-killed twice by Fizz. There was simply no way for him toe back or defend hisne.

    As he sat there, ruminating on what happened, he thought about what happened when he first walked in and saw NetCow Cafe¡¯s team ying their warm-up game. He¡¯d initially assumed that NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was ying a weak opponent, one whopletely gave up and became helpless to fight back after only falling behind a little bit. Because of that, he¡¯d also assumed that the opposing team was only ranked Gold or tinum. That was the only thing that made sense to him. But now, after ying against NetCow Cafe¡¯s team, he¡¯d realized something. Up against their team, he yed just as badly as the supposed noobs he saw during that practice game. Moonlight Cafe¡¯s Miner had figured out one thing. It wasn¡¯t that the yers from earlier were bad at all. It was just that NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was too strong!

    With the best-of-three series done and over with, the first victory went to NetCow Cafe. And it was a wless victory. Qian Lu was the first to snap back to reality and fight back against the gravity pulling his knees to the ground. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smug grin, and he immediately turned around to shake the hand of the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s owner. ¡°Oh-hohohoho-hahahaaha! That was spectacr, wasn¡¯t it? Thank you so much for going easy on us. Your team, they¡¯re pretty good too! Oh-hohohoho-haha! It¡¯s just¡­ well, ah¡­ what a shame they lost so quickly, right? But hey, there¡¯s no reason to give up, right? The Battle Bonanza has only just started, right? Do your best!¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s tone was polite, but the words were sugarcoated sharp needles that plunged deep into the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s owner¡¯s soul. ording to the rules of the Battle Bonanza, each participant could only challenge another inte cafe to a single match. That meant that since the Moonlight Cafe lost to the NetCow Cafe, those results were set in stone. There was no way for the Moonlight Cafe to challenge the NetCow Cafe again and reim their honor.

    The face of Moonlight Cafe¡¯s owner flushed red. He looked up at his yers up on the stage and hollered, ¡°What the hell are you guys still sitting there for!? The match is over, let¡¯s leave! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re waiting for them to give us drinks and snacks!?¡±

    The Moonlight Cafe¡¯s yers got up from their seats and descended from the stage with downcast eyes and shame on their faces. They said nothing to anyone else or each other as they quickly followed the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s owner out of the NetCow Cafe.

    Even after they left, the atmosphere in the NetCow Cafe remained heavy and silent. Until Lin Feng, still up on the stage, scratched his head and said, ¡°Wow! Those guys kinda sucked. They folded like a bad hand before I got warmed up and started to really hit my groove.¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded in agreement. ¡°Mhm! They were about the same as the team we yed before in the warm-up game.¡±

    Indeed, this was also the feeling that all the spectators around the stage got too. That best of three series just now was no different from the warm-up games that Lin Feng and the others yed before. Just another one-sided beatdown from the NetCow Cafe team.

    Previously the spectators believed Lin Feng and the others were only picking on noobs to make themselves look good to the crowd. But now, they realized that the ¡®noobs¡¯ from the warm-up game were actually high Diamond yers. If that was the case, the real question was where Lin Feng and the rest of the team ranked. Finally, the people in the audience recovered from their shock and started staring at NetCow Cafe¡¯s yers with heated gazes. Their passion had been ignited!

    ¡°666666666666666!¡±

    ¡°YOU KIDS WERE AMAZING!¡±

    ¡°The girls were awesome too! That Jungle was something else!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget their Ad-Carry! SHE WAS MOWING PEOPLE DOWN EVERY TEAMFIGHT! FREAKING NUTZ!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! OUR FIRST MATCH IS A WIN! WE¡¯RE GONNA BE UNSTOPPABLE!¡±

    ¡°That Immovable Mt. Tai prize is as good as ours!¡±

    Lin Feng and the others on the team were much less excited. They lounged around on the stage, still very rxed. The truth was that the level of opponent that was found in the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s team didn¡¯t mean much to them at all. It wasn¡¯t really a challenge, nor was it any different from their usual practice games. Actually. There was one significant difference. Lin Feng and the rest of the gang had made £¤500 for ying this best-of-three series. And that was enough to make Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes sparkle. ¡°One more match, and we¡¯ll have £¤1000!¡±

    Lin Feng¡¯s mind was in a different ce. ¡°Guys! Where should we eat tonight to celebrate? Wait! First! What kind of food do we want to eat to celebrate? That¡¯s what we need to be thinking about right now.¡±

    Zhang Hao was still riding high from being able to stomp on hisne opponent, and his face was flushed with excitement. ¡°If the other inte cafe teams are as weak as these guys, we¡¯re going to have that Immovable Mt. Tai prize for sure!¡±

    Zeng Rui massaged his temples, then gave everyone a stern look to silence them. ¡°Don¡¯t start celebrating just yet! That was only our first opponent. We have no idea who is going to walk through that door next, or when a team that¡¯s actually good is going toe at us. Let¡¯s just keep practicing.¡±

    An Xin nodded in agreement with Zeng Rui¡¯s n. ¡°Yup. Zeng Rui is right. Let¡¯s get into another practice game before the next challengeres. This was an easy first win for us, but let¡¯s not forget that this tournament isn¡¯t like any of the others we¡¯ve been in. Challengers are going toe in the whole day, and we need to keep our guard up before we end up losing to someone out of carelessness!¡±

 Chapter 458: Satisfying the Customers

    Lin Feng and the Gang had managed to deal with the Moonlight Cafe, sessfully defending the NetCow Cafe. Then they decided to continue on with more practice games while waiting for the next challenger toe in. But all the patrons at the NetCow Cafe were now fired up, and the excitement was palpable in the air. Even though Lin Feng and the gang were only crushing random yers in what they considered to be practice games, the entire crowd pushed closer to the stage to watch and continued to cheer just as loudly as they had during the match with the Moonlight Cafe.

    All of the regrs at the NetCow Cafe now understood that Lin Feng and the gang were god-tier yers! There was no longer any doubt in their skills, especially not after how cleanly they stomped on the challenging team from Moonlight Cafe. That was the moment that public sentiment at the NetCow Cafepletely turned. Before, the NetCow regrs had some lingering doubts about their team. It was entirely usible that the practice game was staged to build up hype, and that their team was ying against low ELO yers on the other team. But when Lin Feng and the Gang destroyed the Moonlight Cafe¡¯s team, those doubts were washed away.

    But the victory wasn¡¯t even the sweetest part of the whole thing for the NetCow regrs. Nor was it the best part. The thing that allowed Lin Feng and the Gang to win the hearts of everyone who visited the NetCow cafe, the real best part, was what happened after the match ended. The look of embarrassment and baby-rage on the faces of both the yers from the Moonlight Cafe and the Owner was the cherry on the sundae that had been that match. The NetCow regrs savored that look, and its taste was made even sweeter by how cocky they¡¯d been before the match kicked off. All in all, the day started out great for the NetCow regrs. Their cafe had won, and that victory was a truly sweet one!

    This was a big moment for the patrons of the NetCow Cafe. They were not ying up on the stage themselves, but they were being represented by Lin Feng and the Gang. Their honor was on the line with every challenge, and the Gang was fighting for their honor! And with that line of reasoning came a slow rumbling, a thought that gained momentum through the minds and hearts of the NetCow regrs. That thought was that it was a pity that the NetCow Cafe decided to go for the Immovable Mt. Tai prize. Now that they¡¯d recognized how powerful Lin Feng and the Gang were, they decided that it was quite possible for them to win the Conqueror prize. Easily. Just the thought of that got their blood pumping even more! But they knew, unfortunately, that such a thing was not meant to be. They were more than fine with winning the Immovable Mt. Tai prize, which they considered theirs already.

    In some ways, this was better. At least, that¡¯s what the NetCow Cafe regrs told themselves. There was real weight behind that argument too, because of one simple fact. If the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team decided to go for the Conqueror Prize, they¡¯d be running around challenging other inte cafes. The NetCow regrs wouldn¡¯t all be able to follow their team and watch the matches. Some inte cafes were far away, and other customers had transportation issues. Besides, it was much morefortable and enjoyable to stay at their regr spot and watch other teams getting wrecked.

    ¡°Hey, howe the next Challenger still isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been like 20 minutes already. You¡¯d think they¡¯d be here by now.¡±

    ¡°Come on! I¡¯m tired of waiting!¡±

    The waiting was getting to the NetCow regrs, and they were starting to get a little stir crazy. The first best-of-three against a challenger was exciting and entertaining, but it ended a bit too quickly. Now that their bloodlust was up, they needed to see more challengers getting stomped on to satisfy their cravings!

    While the NetCow regrs hyped each other up and whipped themselves into a frenzy for the next challenger, Lin Feng and the Gang calmly finished the practice game they were ying. It was yet another easy victory, a game that ended in 22 minutes as the opposing team forfeited after realizing how outssed and outgunned they were. But there was no sign of another challenger walking through the doors of the NetCow Cafe.

    Lin Feng scratched his head as he watched the door. ¡°Well¡­ I guess we just continue practicing?¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded. ¡°Yup, let¡¯s keep going.¡±

    And so, Lin Feng and the Gang continued onto another practice game. Which, predictably, led to another victory. But the doors of the inte cafe remained shut, and there was no sign of any challengering in. It had already been an hour since the end of the best-of-three series against the Moonlight Cafe, and the NetCow regrs were starting to get antsy. But not more than Lin Feng, who was getting tired of all the random practice games.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t anyoneing to challenge us? Didn¡¯t Ol¡¯Qian say there were a lot of inte cafes participating in this tournament?¡± Lin Feng asked, confused.

    ¡°Maybe Moonlight Cafe said something about how strong we were after we beat them? The other inte cafes heard about it, and now they¡¯re too scared to challenge us?¡± Zhang Hao guessed.

    Zeng Rui shook his head. ¡°Not possible. Anyone aiming for the Conqueror prize has to challenge every inte cafe that is defending. They cannot skip us, that just isn¡¯t an option.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s just chalk it up to the randomness of fate, or the luck of the draw,¡± An Xin concluded. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the other cafes are challenging the ces closest to them first. Once they finish up those games, they should be heading over to our side.¡±

    An Xin¡¯s assumption was, for all intents and purposes, a reasonable one. There was no other viable exnation for what they were currently experiencing, and it meant that there was nothing that Lin Feng and the Gang could do other than continuing on with more practice games. ying practice game after practice game against random enemy teams was dull, but it was something that Team Shanghai did for months on end. They were more than used to it, and it didn¡¯t make much of a difference to them. But the same could not be said for the NetCow regrs. They came into the NetCow Cafe expecting exciting games against challengers, and all they¡¯d seen was one curbstomp against the Moonlight Cafe. Now, they were starting toin.

    ¡°It¡¯s been an hour already¡­ how much longer are we gonna wait for?¡±

    ¡°How the hell is this tournament even organized? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re gonna be waiting the whole day without another match?¡±

    Qian Lu grimaced as theints from the customers of his inte cafe reached his ears. It was evident from his expression that he was not happy with the state of things at all. The way the Battle Bonanza was organized started to annoy him too, simply because the entire format was too open and easily allowed for situations like the one happening in the NetCow Cafe. And the annoyances didn¡¯t stop with the current problem. The other side of the coin was one that could prove to be equally irritating, when multiple challengers appeared at the same time. But despite all these reservations and irritations, there was nothing that Qian Lu could do about it for now. The only way out of the Battle Bonanza was through it, and he¡¯d have to deal with every situation as it popped up.

    That said, Qian Lu had a responsibility to his customers as the owner of the NetCow Cafe. He needed to make sure that his paying customers were not dissatisfied, or they wouldn¡¯te back. He looked around the room as the wheels in his head spun into action, trying toe up with a solution for the problems created by the Battle Bonanza. Then, a few secondster, his eyes lit up. Qian Lu had an epiphany, a brain st, and figured out a way to make his customers happy again. And it couldn¡¯t havee at a better time. Lin Feng and the Gang had just finished the practice game they were ying.

    Qian Lu approached them up on the stage. ¡°You¡¯ve won another game! Good! Good! It warms my heart to see how hard all of you are working!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at Qian Lu and asked, ¡°Hey, Boss Qian! When are we gonna get another challenger? Waiting around like this is pretty boring.¡±

    Zhang Hao decided to chime in also, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s no biggie if we¡¯re bored, but the customers¡­ they¡¯re starting to get really bored and impatient. You can¡¯t just leave them waiting around forever like this.¡±

    Qian Lu nodded. ¡°Right! Right! Right! You¡¯re 100% right! But¡­ sadly, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I have no control over when the other inte cafes wille to challenge us. But¡­¡± He looked over the team and smiled. ¡°I¡¯vee up with the perfect solution. It¡¯s just like you guys said, we can¡¯t keep the customers waiting around all day, right? Well here¡¯s the n¡­¡± Then, he exined his idea to Lin Feng and the Gang.

    ¡°1v1s?¡± Zhang Hao said, surprised.

    Lin Feng rubbed his chin. Then, his eyes lit up. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea! I¡¯m in!¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s n was simple. Since there was nothing he could do about the other inte cafes, he¡¯d get the customers involved in all the fun. The best way to do that was having them test their skills against the members of Team NetCow in a series of 1v1 duels. Lin Feng and the others had already proven themselves in thest match, so there was no doubt about their skills. And this was something that provided real value and excitement to the customers. For them, it was the chance topete against a famous athlete or superstar, and show what they were made of on the Rift. Qian Lu was quite proud of himself foring up with an idea this good. But he also had another ace up his sleeve.

    ¡°An Xin! Tang Bingyao! The two of you definitely picked up a lot of fans with your amazing skills and gamey in thest match,¡± Qian Lu said as he looked at the two girls. ¡°If you give the customers a chance to go up against you in a 1v1, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll make their day! They¡¯ll love it!¡±

    An Xin¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve put some thought into this, haven¡¯t you Qian Lu?¡±

    Qian Lu smiled. ¡°Of course! This is all for the sake of our business! We have to keep the customers happy, after all.¡±

    Then, An Xin turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Tang Tang, what are your thoughts?¡±

    Tang Bingyao tilted her head, then asked, ¡°Are we getting paid? If we¡¯re 1v1ing people, we should at least collect a fee.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Qian Lu was stumped. ¡°C-collect¡­ a¡­ fee¡­?¡±

 Chapter 459: Raking in the Money

    The first thing that needed to be said was that this wasn¡¯t Tang Bingyao¡¯s first, second, or even third time making money with League of Legends. She¡¯d been boosting ounts for a while now. Tang Bingyao had even charged Lin Feng a challenge fee when the two first met at the NetCow Cafe when the school year started. This was essentially the same thing, which is why the idea came so naturally to her. Nothing about making money from ying League games was foreign or unheard of to Tang Bingyao.

    ¡°You want us to collect a challenge fee?¡± Lin Feng asked while rubbing his chin. His bodynguage made it clear that he didn¡¯t like the idea. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ yeah, no. Okay. That doesn¡¯t sound good to me at all. Everyone here today, they came to cheer us on. Asking them to pay us a challenge fee to 1v1 them just feels too scummy.¡±

    An Xin frowned at Lin Feng and rolled her eyes. ¡°Idiot! We¡¯re not asking the inte cafe customers to pay us. What we¡¯re going to do, obviously, is we go to the owner of the business. Isn¡¯t that right, Boss Qian?¡± She turned to face Qian Lu with a faint smile.

    ¡°Eh!?¡± Qian Lu¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Yup! Yup! That¡¯s it exactly, An Xin!¡± Tang Bingyao said, nodding in agreement.

    An Xin looked straight at Qian Lu and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything about 1v1ing any customers in our contract. But since we are beingpensated for our matches here in this tournament, its only fair that we getpensated for any other games we y as part of that, right? That¡¯s only fair. Don¡¯t you think so, Boss Qian? That¡¯s only fair. Right, Boss Qian?¡± An Xin looked at Qian Lu, the same smile still on her face as she emphasized thest sentence.

    ¡°Oh no! She¡¯s doing that scary thing again¡­!¡± Lin Feng muttered under his breath as he felt shivers run down his spine.

    Qian Lu gulped. The corners of his lips quivered slightly as he slowly pulled them into a forced smile. ¡°C-collecting a fee..? W-well, about that.¡± He rubbed his palms on his pants, but he could do nothing about the beads of cold sweat running down his forehead. ¡°You know, we¡¯re only a small business here. So, paying you a fee for 1v1s is a little¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that so? That¡¯s too bad. Then, let¡¯s forget about it.¡± An Xin smiled. She turned to Tang Bingyao and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Tang Tang?¡±

    Tang Bingyao nodded earnestly.

    Qian Lu¡¯s smile was frozen on his face, despite the twinge of pain that flickered in his eyes. After a brief struggle in his mind between saving money and potential profits, he gnashed his jaw and asked, ¡°How much do you want?¡±

    An Xin smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll let Tang Tang deal with that.¡±

    Tang Bingyao thought for a moment, then raised three fingers. ¡°That¡¯s how much I want a game.¡±

    Qian Lu breathed a sigh of relief. <i>£¤30 a game? That doesn¡¯t sound too bad. </i>

    ¡°Wow, Tang Tang! That means if you do 1000 1v1s, you¡¯ll get £¤300,000!¡± Lin Feng eximed, then pped Tang Bingyao on the shoulder and continued, ¡°You¡¯re gonna be rich!¡±

    ¡°En!¡± Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°¡­.¡± Qian Lu¡¯s mouth gaped.

    ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Hao was speechless.

    Zeng Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched, as he turned his face away. But his thoughts were clearly evident on his face. He just didn¡¯t want to be associated with the morons. The childish morons.

    It didn¡¯t really need stating, but all of the discussion between Qian Lu and the team was held in private. But Qian Lu quickly drafted an amendment to the contract for the 1v1s, and it was signed. Once that was done, Qian Lu headed up onto the stage and announced that the NetCow Cafe team would be epting 1v1 challenge matches. It was an unexpected turn of events that stunned the customers of the inte cafe when they first heard it.

    ¡°1v1s¡­?¡±

    ¡°Against the NetCow Cafe team¡­?¡±

    But once they figured out what was going on, the entire inte cafe erupted into cheers! There wasn¡¯t a single customer who wasn¡¯t excited to y against the team representing their inte cafe. It wasn¡¯t every day that regr yers like them could test their skills in duels against top yers. And the cherry on top was that two of the yers were super cute. Almost in unison, every customer decided that there was nothing more to think about or consider. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and they were not nning on missing out. Qian Lu was swarmed by a mob of overexcited customers.

    ¡°Boss, Boss, me first!¡±

    ¡°No me! No me! Me first!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tinum 1! It¡¯ll be a more entertaining match if I y. Let me go up first!¡±

    ¡°Dumbass? tinum 1? Really!? Fuck you mate, I¡¯m Diamond in the Demcia server!¡±

    ¡°Bro, who the fuck cares. That¡¯s basically Ionia Bronze! At least get to Challenger there first!¡±

    The 1v1s hadn¡¯t even started, but the customers of the inte cafe already started fighting over who would get to y first. After a great deal of effort and shouting, Qian Lu finally managed to calm them down. Then he announced that the order of the 1v1 duels would be decided through drawing lots. As for who would be ying against the customers from the NetCow Cafe team, Tang Bingyao was the obvious choice.

    ¡°Oh, Tang Tang is going first?¡± Qian Lu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then that means we¡¯ll be doing ad-carry 1v1s first. Let¡¯s wee the first challenger!¡±

    There was only one reason that Qian Lu agreed to pay the fee for the 1v1 duels. He¡¯d seen and understood how popr An Xin and Tang Bingyao were among the customers. As he calcted it, the sheer amount of goodwill, advertising, and attention he¡¯d get from all this would end up being more than worth the expense! That reasoning held up right until the 1v1s started. From that point on, Qian Lu woulde to regret this decision.

    Once everything was decided and everyone got ready, the first 1v1 started. Tang Bingyao picked and locked in her signature champion with zero hesitation. Draven, the Executioner! The choice prompted a wave of gasps from the audience. Her challenger was a long time customer of the NetCow Cafe, and ranked tinum. He decided to y Lucian. With both champions locked in, the yers loaded into the game.

    3 minutester, the 1v1 ended.

    <b>¡¶First Blood!¡·</b>

    The announcer¡¯s voice rang out across Summoner¡¯s Rift, shaking the hearts of all the audience members.

    ¡°Ww-what the hell was th¡­ is that it!¡±

    ¡°Fuck! I can¡¯t even take a shit that fast!¡±

    The yer who had thought he was lucky to pull the first challenge against Tang Bingyao also had a dazed expression on his face. He didn¡¯t get up from his seat for several long minutes after the 1v1 ended. Mere moments ago, he¡¯d been confident that he could y well enough to impress Tang Bingyao a little. Then the game started, and he was dead before he even realized what was happening. He waspletely powerless against Tang Bingyao! The whole thing yed out so differently from the scenarios he¡¯d gone through in his head.

    Tang Bingyao, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. Right after securing an easy win in the first 1v1, she looked down from the stage and asked, ¡°Alright! Who¡¯s next?¡±

    Another customer stepped up from the crowd and raised his hand. ¡°Umm, that would be me.¡±

    Tang Bingyao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go! Mhm!¡± She was more than happy to y, and as quickly as they could get up on stage. Right now, every customer was a walking bag of cash to Tang Bingyao. Every takedown was £¤30 in her pocket!

    The second 1v1 began without much fanfare. Then five minutester, it ended. Tang Bingyao had switched to Lucian for this game, and her opponent decided on a Sivir. It was yet another easy first blood for Tang Bingyao.

    Tang Bingyao now had 2 wins in a row under her belt. Then it quickly turned into 3 wins in a row. Followed by 4 wins in a row. Before anyone could blink it was 5 wins. Tang Bingyao was mowing through the challengers in record speed!

    Below the stage, the NetCow Regrs roared and cheered, amazed at Tang Bingyao¡¯s skill. Meanwhile, Qian Lu was trembling. The blood drained from his face slowly. As Tang Bingyao notched victory after victory, he realized that he¡¯d made a mistake. A grave mistake. The initial n was for Tang Bingyao to boost the enthusiasm of the crowd, show them a good time while the Battle Bonanza continued. She was doing exactly that. But she was doing it so quickly, and Qian Lu started to tally how much money he was losing. He was hemorrhaging cash with every challenger!

    Lin Feng and the rest of the Gang also watched Tang Bingyao¡¯s 1v1 carefully.

    Zhang Hao sighed. ¡°Wow, Tang Tang¡¯s managed to improve her mechanics even more. She¡¯s getting so much better every time I see her y!¡±

    An Xin chuckled. ¡°Yup. Tang Tang¡¯s hit some rapid improvement.¡±

    After watching Tang Bingyao beat another customer, Zhang Hao swallowed his saliva. ¡°At this rate, she¡¯s going to be as good as a pro yer.¡±

    Zeng Rui shook his head. ¡°No, she¡¯s still got a ways to for that. Tang Tang¡¯s mechanics are great. But she¡¯s got a lot of progress to make in other aspects of the game.¡±

    An Xin nodded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. All of that wille in time. What she needs the most right now is experience.¡±

    Lin Feng waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s no problem! We¡¯ve got plenty of time! We can just take it easy!¡±

    After hearing Lin Feng¡¯s words, An Xin¡¯s eyes flickered with a trace of gloom. She lowered her head and thought, <i>Take it easy, huh? I wonder if I can afford that luxury¡­</i>

 Chapter 460: More and More Noisy

    The challenge series of 1v1 duels continued on at the NetCow Cafe. Tang Bingyao was the only one taking on challenges at the time. She easily defeated every single challenger she faced, and remained undefeated. But Tang Bingyao¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t only on winning. She was aware that this entire thing was meant for the entertainment of the NetCow Regrs. If she really wanted to dominate them, she could have just stuck to ying Draven. There was no doubt that she would keep winning if she did that. But it would get dull fast, and the customers would lose interest.

    That¡¯s why Tang Bingyao kept changing up the champion she was ying. It made the 1v1s considerably less boring, because every game was fresh. More importantly though, it would ignite thepetitive spirit of the customers even more, and entice even more people to go up and prove their worth. Because that was really the important thing here for Tang Bingyao. More customersing up to challenge her meant more money in her pocket. When it came down to making money, Tang Bingyao was just as savvy as Qian Lu. Her focus was on the path that she calcted would make her the most profit.

    And in the spirit of that, Tang Bingyao realized that she¡¯d been ying for a while now. She knew that the customers would get bored if there was only one person from the NetCow Team avable for a challenge. Especially given that she was currently undefeated. So after a final 1v1, Tang Bingyao decided to excuse herself and tagged An Xin to swap ces with her.

    ¡°My turn?¡± An Xin asked, pointing to herself. Then she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m the jungler though, and there¡¯s really no such thing as a jungle 1v1. What should we do? I suppose I¡¯ll just y mid instead. Are you guys okay with that?¡±

    The customers below the stage broke out into a frenzy, eager to agree to any request from the beautiful An Xin. With one swap, everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for the 1v1s shot up to astronomical heights again. It had started to dim with every game that Tang Bingyao won. The fighting spirit of the NetCow Regrs cooled down when they figured out how outssed they were against Tang Bingyao. But now, with An Xin taking the hot seat, all of that reversed itself. Especially because many of the customers who wanted to fight didn¡¯t main the Ad-Carry role. They were content to try their luck against Tang Bingyao, but it didn¡¯t matter if they won or lost.

    With An Xin, things were different. It was a 1v1 in the Midne, and An Xin was a Jungle main. The NetCow Regrs started to believe they actually had a chance of beating her!

    Unfortunately for the customers of the NetCow Cafe, they were being far too optimistic with their thinking. An Xin swapped seats with Tang Bingyao, but nothing else changed as far as the oue of the 1v1s was concerned. She got up onto the stage and won her first duel in five minutes. Then she won her second game in six minutes. Her third game onlysted four minutes, also ending in defeat for the customer who challenged her.

    An Xin¡¯s ystyle was very different from the aggressive one that Tang Bingyao favored. An Xin was much more controlled and reserved. The impression she gave off was that the entirene was her domain, and anyone who trespassed would be quickly put down. And that they were, as An Xin continued Tang Bingyao¡¯s undefeated win streak. She easily stomped on every challenger that stepped up to face her with a smile on her face. An Xin¡¯s performance and game presence left the customers watching mind-blown.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she supposed to be a Jungle main!? Why is she this good at mid?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got an insane champion pool!¡±

    ¡°Sweet mama¡­¡±

    Qian Lu was equally shell-shocked. But for very different reasons. He looked like he was on the verge of tears as he watched the 1v1s y out. The entire situation waspletely out of hand, and well beyond what he expected.

    ¡°H-how many wins in a row do they already ha-¡­?¡± Qian Lu muttered. ¡°And I have to pay £¤30 for each one¡­¡±

    But deep within his heart, he was conflicted. One part of him was happy that the team he hired to represent the NetCow Cafe was strong enough to put on a good show. The other part of him was bitter as money flew out of his pocket every few minutes.

    ¡°P-please¡­ please, I beg you, just lose a couple of games!¡± Qian Lu begged at the stage.

    The atmosphere inside the NetCow Cafe started getting more and more rowdy as the inte cafe grew packed with customers. So many people were going up to challenge the NetCow Team to a 1v1, and that increased the excitement for everyone. And with all the noise and cheering, customers from outside were being drawn in. When they saw how much fun everyone was having, they also decided to participate in the 1v1s. That was the one thing that soothed Qian Lu¡¯s heart, and mollified his miserly nature somewhat. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t losing out on this deal with Lin Feng and the Gang.

    After An Xin yed and won her sixth challenge, she decided it was time to swap out.

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s finally my turn?¡± Lin Feng said excitedly as he got ready to walk up onto the stage. He¡¯d been sitting on the sidelines for a while now, and he was itching to y. But just as Lin Feng started to climb up and passed An Xin on her way down, the doors to the NetCow Cafe opened. A team from another inte cafe had finally appeared to challenge them!

    ¡°Eh? Another challenger? Now?¡± Lin Feng remarked with a tinge of regret. ¡°Bad timing! They could¡¯vee a little bitter¡­¡±

    The customer who was about to face Lin Feng was also disappointed. He grumbled. ¡°Man, this sucks. They didn¡¯te when we wanted them to. Now that we¡¯re starting to have fun, that¡¯s when they decide they need to show up and ruin things!¡±

    The reaction was a surprising one for the yers and the owner of the challenging inte cafe team. Instead of the excitement and tension they were expecting, they were being treated as a nuisance the minute they arrived.

    Lin Feng turned to the disappointed NetCow Regr andforted him. ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s fiiiiiiiine! We can 1v1ter. Dontcha worry, we¡¯ll beat these guys real quick!¡±

    When the rest of the NetCow Cafe heard these words, the sheer boldness and confidence sent them into an uproar. They¡¯d already seen how amazing Lin Feng and the others on the NetCow team were in the games from earlier. They had no reason to doubt Lin Feng¡¯s confidence, or his deration that it would be over soon.

    However, the yers and owner from the inte cafe team that had just walked in the door became extremely displeased.

    ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Is that kid looking down on us?¡±

    ¡°Fucking hell¡­ they probably haven¡¯t heard about how we whooped thatst cafe¡¯s ass!¡±

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s teach these brats a lesson!¡±

    ¡°NetCow? More like NetCowshit!¡±

    Before long, the two teams got up on stage and the best-of-three series started. And ended 50 minutester, with the NetCow Cafe seizing two quick wins. The NetCow Regrs made the walls vibrate with their cheering. They weren¡¯t just celebrating a win. Nor were they celebrating a quick and resounding victory. They were cheering because their inte cafe had now sessfully defended themselves against challengers twice! But it didn¡¯t hurt at all that this match was as much of a one-sided beatdown as the one against the Moonlight Cafe had been.

    Amidst all that cheering, the yers and owner from the inte cafe that challenged the NetCow Cafe rushed out with pale expressions. There was nothing they could say to salvage the situation after losing so badly. And when the customers saw the challengers rush out, they broke into another round of loud cheering and pping.

    Lin Feng turned to the customer from earlier and said, ¡°See! Didn¡¯t I tell you we¡¯d beat them quick? Nowe on! We can y our 1v1!¡±

    Soon enough, it was 5PM. Evening had just started, and business at the NetCow Cafe was booming. The entire ce was packed, and the atmosphere was almostparable to how it got during Worlds. The smile on Qian Lu¡¯s face grew wider and wider with every customer that walked in. He knew that the spike in business was partially due to the Battle Bonanza. But it was more directly rted to the 1v1s that Lin Feng and the Gang were ying against customers. The cheering and noise would draw people in through the doors, and then pull them in towards the middle of the lounge where the stage was. They would see all the fun people were having fighting against the NetCow Team, and want to join in themselves. There were currently more challenges from customers than when they started.

    But the Battle Bonanza was still happening, and the number of challenging teams appearing at the NetCow Cafe also increased. In aplete reversal of the situation from earlier, three different inte cafes all arrived at the same time to challenge the NetCow Cafe!

 Chapter 461: Donâ€™t Sweat It!

    Both the entrance and the atrium of the NetCow Cafe became packed and cramped when three different inte cafe teams arrived at the same time. Two camps were created, the customers around the stage and the challengers at the entrance. The customers stared at all the teams that had arrived, astonished. The entire situation was a bit like waiting for a bus. One could spend ages waiting for a bus to arrive at the bus stop. But when the bus finally did arrive, there would be two more right behind it. And the customers weren¡¯t the only ones surprised. The three teams from various inte cafes also looked at each other, surprised. None of them expected this situation. Or that they would even meet up during their challenge circuits.

    Despite the awkward situation that had presented itself, rational heads prevailed and some sort of order was established. The third inte cafe team that arrived had a discussion amongst themselves. Then their owner walked over to Qian Lu and informed him that they would return after challenging another inte cafe that was nearby. Then they left.

    As for the second team to walk through the door, they were on the fence about what to do.

    ¡°I mean, we¡¯re second¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but who knows how long the best of three will take¡­? Maybe even an hour and a half?¡±

    ¡°It is gettingte too. Maybe we should grab dinner ande back?¡±

    While they talked this out, the first inte cafe team to arrive got up on the stage. So did the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team. They were getting ready to start the best-of-three. When Lin Feng saw the second team about to leave, he waved to them and shouted, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave! We¡¯ll finish real quickly! You can go for dinner after our match. There¡¯s still time!¡±

    The second cafe team¡¯s yers looked at him, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, the expressions of the yers from the first team immediately turned sour.

    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Big words for a pipsqueak¡­¡±

    The owner of the first team was also unhappy. He turned to Qian Lu and frowned. ¡°Hey, teach those kids of yours some manners. There¡¯s a limit to how disrespectful they can get!¡±

    Qian Lu feigned an apologetic expression and awkwardlyughed. ¡°Haha, yeah yeah¡­ Sorry about that. You know how the kids are these days.¡±

    After seeing this exchange, the customers couldn¡¯t help but roll their eyes andment in hushed tones to each other.

    ¡°What a two-faced bastard¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just cruel¡­ oh man, I can already see that guy¡¯s face two games from now¡­¡±

    ¡°Poor bastards! They don¡¯t even know what¡¯sing!¡±

    The customers and the NetCow Regrs were starting to understand Lin Feng, and where he wasing from. They knew that he wasn¡¯t just boasting or trying to y mental games with the other team. NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was more than capable of steamrolling through these opponents. Some of the customers who didn¡¯t get a chance to participate in the 1v1s stood up and started cheering.

    ¡°Woooo! Go Lin Feng!¡±

    ¡°End it in 20!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you to 1v1 us again!¡±

    ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡±

    Soon, the best-of-three series started. The first team of challengers on the stage were already angry. They had understood exactly how little Lin Feng thought about them, and they were burning up to show him that he was wrong. More than that, they were raring to go so they could teach Lin Feng and all his friends a lesson.

    The second inte cafe team that arrived decided that they would stay and watch the game. Lin Feng¡¯s confidence made them curious. They wanted to stay and observe the game so they could determine how strong the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was for themselves.

    The decision to stay was the smartest one that the team from the second inte cafe to arrive made. They quickly realized that the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team wasn¡¯t just strong. They were absurdly, insanely strong. The inte cafe team that went first had no chance at all. They were easily steamrolled, and utterly beaten two games in a row. And just to change things up, possibly even the ying field, Lin Feng and An Xin had swapped roles for the second game. It didn¡¯t make a difference at all. The second game was just as much of a curb-stomp as the first one.

    With the first best-of-three now over, the customers in the NetCow Cafe erupted into wave after wave of pping and cheering. Everyone¡¯s palms had turned red and started to sting from all the pping. But they had much to celebrate. Their team had now defended their turf three times in a row! From the start of the tournament this afternoon until now, the NetCow Cafe team had defeated every single challenger that hade through the door!

    Making the whole thing even sweeter was that the NetCow Cafe team had defeated every team that came up against them in 2-0 clean sweeps. The cherry was the defeated look worn by the first team up on the stage, and the shock and terror in the eyes of the second team waiting on the sidelines. The NetCow Regrs felt pride surge up in their hearts as they realized that their inte cafe was indeed the strongest one!

    The first team shuffled off the stage after being utterly destroyed and terrorized. As they left, the second team slowly walked up onto the stage. The nervousness and caution was evident on their faces. The match they had just watched, where the NetCow Cafe team faced the first team to arrive, had wiped away all of their confidence. But they still had enough courage left to y, and some semnce of a n. Once they got up on the stage and both teams entered Champion Select, the second team of challengers immediately banned all five of the champions that the NetCow Cafe team used in thest match.

    The customers below the stage clicked their tongues.

    ¡°They¡¯re target banning?¡±

    ¡°Hah, as if that¡¯ll work!¡±

    ¡°If the 1v1s from before taught us anything, it¡¯s that those kids have insane champion pools!!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no use trying to ban them out!¡±

    At this moment, Qian Lu was hardly paying attention to the match. It was because he knew the result was already decided, and that his humble little business would be losing another £¤500. ¡°Hah¡­ What¡¯s the point? If they win, they win. I¡¯d be surprised if they lost a single game at all¡­¡± Qian Lu muttered to himself.

    Qian Lu was not a prophet, but he could read enough of the future to figure out the oue of the game. The second best-of-three concluded in less than an hour. The NetCow Cafe team notched yet another wless victory on their belts after defeating the second team 2-0.

    The NetCow Cafe was currently 4-0 in the Battle Bonanza. Out of the three inte cafe teams that hade to challenge them, two had been swiftly put down. The third team, who had left to challenge another nearby inte cafe, had yet to return. But it was starting to gette.

    After waiting around for the third team of challengers for a bit longer, Lin Feng and the others started getting hungry. Qian Lu approached the group and suggested, ¡°How about we take a break for dinner? I¡¯ll order some take-out. It seems like that team earlier won¡¯t be back for a while.¡±

    Qian Lu¡¯s proposal was met with Lin Feng¡¯s enthusiastic approval. The rest of the team also didn¡¯t have any objections. So, Qian Lu pulled out his cell phone and ordered some take-out, and requested that it be delivered to the NetCow Cafe. Just as Qian Lu finished the order and started putting down his phone, the third team of challengers returned. They had just won a best-of-three against a different inte cafe that was nearby.

    After walking in the door, they were dumbfounded.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t there two teams before us?¡±

    ¡°Did they finish both matches in under two hours?¡±

    ¡°No way, right? That¡¯s way too fast.¡±

    Lin Feng and the others were also surprised. Before they even had a chance to eat their dinner, the opponents from earlier had returned. This was really some bad timing.

    Qian Lu walked over and exined the situation to the owner of the third cafe team. Then, the owner nodded and said, ¡®Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s fine. You guys can eat your dinner first. We can wait.¡±

    Even so, it would still take a while before the delivery driver arrived. Then, there would be the time spent eating on top of that. It wouldn¡¯t really be proper to make the opponent wait this long.

    Lin Feng raised his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay! We can y a match real quick right now and eatter!¡±

    The yers and the owner from the third cafe team politely declined.

    ¡°No no no, take your time. You can eat.¡±

    ¡°If we start ying now, your food will get cold by the time we finish.¡±

    Lin Feng smiled at them and said, ¡®Don¡¯t sweat it guys! Trust! There¡¯s still 40 minutes before the delivery driver arrives. We¡¯ll have just enough time for two games!¡±

    <i>Just enough time¡­? </i>

    <i>Is he serious? </i>

    The yers and owner from the third team looked at each other with stunned expressions. They could not figure out how to react. The kid in front of them was being friendly and cheerful, but there was something about his words that indicated to them that they were being looked down upon!

 Chapter 462: Another Strong Team!

    It took the yers and the owner from the third team a minute to figure it out. But they eventually did, and collectively frowned. They were annoyed now. Especially because they had more than enough reason to back the pride they had in their strength. They were from the Sacred Star Cafe, and their triumphs on the first day of the Battle Bonanza ced them at the head of the pack. They fought hard and proved that they unquestionably belonged at the top. This was the sixth inte cafe that Sacred Star Cafe hade to challenge today. In thest five challenges, Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team had won four. They only had one loss to their name. And now they were being looked down upon by a high schooler!

    The entire team exchanged looks that said the same thing. That they would not stand for this humiliation! ¡°We were even being nice, offering to let them eat their dinner first¡­ Fine, if that¡¯s how they want it, let¡¯s start! What do you say, Boss?¡± one of the yers muttered.

    Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s owner turned to his yers and said, ¡°Don¡¯t hold back. I want you to go all out right from the start!¡± His lips curved into a cruel smile as he added, ¡°They want to eat dinner soon, right? So let¡¯s be nice and help ¡®em get this over with quickly!¡±

    While Sacred Star team¡¯s made up their minds to pummel the NetCow Cafe, Lin Feng and the others were also talking strategy for the uing match. It was also oddly simr to the one that the Sacred Star team just had.

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s get this over with quickly!¡± Lin Feng eximed as he pumped his fist into the air.

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang bingyao nodded.

    It was clear that both teams wanted to finish the match quickly. But they wanted a quick finish for very different reasons. Sacred Star wanted to teach a lesson and soothe their damaged pride, while NetCow Cafe simply wanted to finish quickly so they could eat dinners while it was still hot. This match was one where two truly profound ideologies shed against each other to determine an answer to a question that has gued humanity.

    ¡°Sounds good to me! Alrighty then. If we¡¯re going to do this, then we need to y seriously¡­¡± An Xin smiled gently after she spoke. But there was a frightening pressure and caged ferocity behind her words. In the previous matches they yed today, the NetCow Cafe team had not been ying seriously at all. They swapped roles and yed odd teampositions. Partially to make the matches more fair, and partially for their own development and practice. But that was done for now. ying seriously meant that they would be running real teampositions and everyone would be back in their regr role. That meant that Lin Feng would be back on Mid.

    In other words, the fate of Sacred Star Cafe was sealed.

    There was nothing more to be said. Both teams got up on the stage and readied themselves up. The next best-of-three in the Battle Bonanza had started!

    The first game ran for a whooping 31 minutes. This was longer than any game that the NetCow Cafe team had yed against a challenging team. But that wasn¡¯t to say that the game went well for Sacred Star. It was clear that they were indeed better than the others that hade to the NetCow Cafe before. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t copse before 20 minutes like the others. But they couldn¡¯t hold on forever. Despite their best attempts, they lost two inhibitors and were eventually aced by the NetCow Cafe. Their inhibitor exploded shortly after.

    Sacred Star¡¯s team did not take the defeat well. All of their expressions turned dark, and they spoke in tense but hushed whispers. It wasn¡¯t clear exactly what was being said, but the gist was clear. The NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was significantly more powerful than they expected. It was clear to them now that they weren¡¯t being looked down on or underestimated. NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was dimensions ahead of them in terms of strength!

    They didn¡¯t have too much time to brood or wallow. The second game started up mere minutes after the first one ended. This was the deciding match, and Sacred Star made it clear that they were not going to go down lightly. They no longer underestimated the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team. This was evident from how targeted and calcted their bans were during champion select. And it was even more so seen once they got onto the rift. Sacred Star¡¯s team was ying more seriously than they had in the previous game. They were pushing themselves to their limits with the hope of going beyond!

    Once the game actually started though, it was starting to look like all of that effort would be for nothing. It¡¯d been 15 minutes since the second game started, and the flow of the game was looking eerily simr to that of the first game. NetCow Cafe was already ahead of Sacred Scar by 3,500 gold.

    Qian Lu had already chalked this game up as a win in his mind. But he still watched out of interest, because Sacred Star was a team of significantly higher caliber than the ones that came before. Then the doors of the NetCow Cafe opened again. Qian Lu¡¯s heart dropped at the thought of another teaming in to lose, and more money flying out of his ount. But it started beating again when he saw that it was a delivery boy carryingrge bags of food. The takeout he¡¯d ordered for the team had arrived. Qian Lu walked over to take the food from the delivery boy.

    Lin Fen also nced when the doors opened and noticed the delivery boy. His eyes glistened and he smiled, ¡°Eh? The food¡¯s here! Alright then! Let¡¯s end this quickly! My stomach¡¯s growling cause I¡¯m a hungry bear!¡±

    Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team had no idea what just happened. But out of nowhere, they started to feel even more pressure bearing down on them from the NetCow Cafe team. Especially from the Annie in the Midne. She was already oppressive, but now it was amped up to an entirely different level. The aggression was palpable in thene. The poor boys from Sacred Star had no idea that the root of all their misery was the arrival of a delivery man with takeout food.

    The game clock now had 17 minutes on it. The second Dragon was about to spawn, and both teams hovered around the Dragon Pit. They were setting down wards and feeling each other out for an opening. Lin Feng¡¯s Annie managed to circle around the Dragon Pit and then around Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team. Then, without them noticing her at all, she decided to engage with a sudden sh! Just as she materialized, she summoned Tibbers, her gigantic manying teddy bear, andnded a two-champion stun on the opposing botne duo. Before they could react or move again, Annie followed up with her full damagebo and instantly took out Jinx. The enemy AD-Carry was down and out before the team fight even started in earnest! The rest of NetCow Cafe¡¯s team also engaged. In the end, that team fight went to the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team. They had taken out 3 of Sacred Star¡¯s champions and lost none of their own.

    Things just went even further downhill for the Sacred Star team from that point on. When the game hit 20 minutes, NetCow Cafe was ahead by 6,000 gold. There was nothing Sacred Star could do other than helplessly run into the mill of death that the NetCow Cafe team had be. They realized that 5 minutester, and unanimously voted to surrender. The gamested 25 minutes, and NetCow Cafe was the winner!

    As the victory crest floated up on therge screen above the stage, the customers in the inte cafe erupted into cheers again.

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO! WE WOOON!¡±

    ¡°5-0 BABY! HAHAHA! WE¡¯RE UNDEFEATED!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s another clean sweep too! We haven¡¯t lost once!¡±

    The NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was less concerned about celebrating the victory and more concerned with celebrating the arrival of their dinner. Right after the match ended, Lin Feng and the others rushed down the stage to pick up their food.

    ¡°Time to eat! Time to eat!¡±

    ¡°Nice! It¡¯s still hot!¡±

    The Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team was still up on the stage. They hadplicated expressions on their faces. They were sad that they lost, yes. But they were also aware of how much better than them the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was.

    ¡°Shit¡­ we lost.¡±

    ¡°Man, that was so one-sided, I don¡¯t even feel bad.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no way we had a chance.¡±

    During the two games, Sacred Star¡¯s team realized that their opponent was in apletely different ss. There was simply nothing they could do against the NetCow Cafe. There was no way to push past a wall that loomed so high. Compounding this was that the yers from Sacred Star had gotten a sense that the NetCow Cafe¡¯s team was still holding back. That alone was enough to make their hearts skip a beat. The yers from the Sacred Star Cafe nced at each other and bitterly smiled. No words needed to be said. They were all thinking the same thing. The Battle Bonanza was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

    The truly mindblowing part about this whole thing was that this wasn¡¯t even the first time that the Sacred Star¡¯s team had run into an opponent in a different league today. Before they came over to the NetCow Cafe, they ran into another team that was also absurdly strong.

    It does need to be rified that the Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team definitely ranked among the top contenders in the Battle Bonanza. Their record before arriving at the NetCow Cafe was 4-1. Their first loss of the day was against Inky Cafe¡¯s team. That inte cafe¡¯s team was more or less at the same level as Sacred Star¡¯s. Perhaps even slightly better. Sacred Star had given it their all, but were still defeated 2-1 by the Inky Cafe.

    But it wasn¡¯t the Inky Cafe¡¯s team that Sacred Star was thinking about. The Inky Cafe had just been where they had run into that terrifying team. Right after Inky Cafe¡¯s match with Sacred Star ended, another team hade in to challenge them. It was this team that Sacred Star was thinking about. They watched as the team they just lost against was utterly crushed 2-0 by this mysterious team. It wasn¡¯t a beatdown. Because to call it a beatdown would be an understatement. Inky Cafe was paper that was blown away by this team. Watching those games left a deep impression on the yers from Sacred Star. And now, the NetCow Cafe left a simr impression upon them.

    Sacred Star Cafe¡¯s team knew they had lost and there was nothing they could do. But now they were all wondering what would happen if that mysterious team that had crushed Inky Cafe came to challenge the NetCow Cafe. How explosive would it be when those two teams faced off against each other? Who would win?

 Chapter 463: Falling Scraps and Shattered Hearts!

    The yers from Sacred Scar Cafe¡¯s team shuffled out of the NetCow Cafe, disappointed and dejected from their defeat. Before all of them even stepped out though, Lin Feng started tearing into the take out and setting up the tes. Everyone else, still on the stage, watched as he feverishly unpacked everything from the takeout packages. They¡¯d gotten so used to this that it no longer affected them. The rest of the NetCow Cafe team got down from the stage and joined Lin Feng. They sat down and started eating their dinner. Once they finished, they went right back up on stage and resumed the 1v1 matches against the customers.

    T¡¯was now evening, the period during which the NetCow Cafe grew the most packed and busy. And this evening, it was bustling on another level thanks to the Battle Bonanza and the 1v1s. Qian Lu fluttered about and basked in how busy his inte cafe had be. The sheer influx of customers brought some smallfort to his heart, and reassured him that the money he¡¯d spent today had not gone to waste. People were happy, money was flowing, and the vice around Qian Lu¡¯s heart rxed. Just a little.

    Time passed, and the Battle Bonanza hit another slow phase. No teams showed up to challenge the NetCow Cafe after thest three teams that hade together. The team continued to y 1v1s against the customers to pass the time. Then, at 8PM, two inte cafe teams showed up. The challenge was issued, and the matches were yed. There was nothing surprising or interesting about them. Lin Feng and the others loaded in, and proceeded to methodically and ruthlessly eliminate both teams. There was no fanfare or fuss from the team as they swept away both challenges 2-0. But the NetCow Regrs were another story entirely. With every victory, they found new wellsprings of energy to cheer even louder for their team!

    Every single team that hade to challenge the NetCow Cafe thus far had left with their heads hung low and the taste of bitter defeat. None of the teams that hade in so far had recognized Lin Feng and the others. They had no idea who they were up against. Every single team that had challenged Lin Feng and the others left wondering how and why a group of high schoolers were so insanely good at League. And deeper than that, they wondered why a group that was so close to the level of a professional team was participating in a local inte cafe tournament.

    The minutes ticked away, all the way to 9:30 PM. That was the official end-time for the first day of the Battle Bonanza. No more challengers would be arriving at the NetCow Cafe. Lin Feng and the others had ended the first day with a record that would go on to shock every other inte cafepeting in this tournament. The NetCow Cafe was currently sitting on 7 sessful defenses and not a single loss. But there was anotheryer on top of this. NetCow Cafe¡¯s team achieved a clean sweep in every best of three series they yed. In other words, the NetCow Cafe¡¯s win rate in the tournament so far was a perfect 100%.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the NetCow Regrs and the other customers who had stayed at the inte cafe until the end of the tournament day to figure this out, and they erupted into cheering! It was such a glorious record. So much so that everyone inside the cafe was convinced they had the number 1 spot in the tournament without even bothering to look at how the other teams did. As far as they reckoned, there was no need to check. A more perfect win streak was simply not possible! And so, they continued to cheer and apud even harder.

    Even old Qian Lu was grinning from ear to ear, and he joined in on some of the celebrating. Even his miserly heart was not immune to something this joyful. What really excited Qian Lu was the momentum. Just from this one day, he could see them charging ahead. Attaining the Immovable Mt. Tai prize was no longer a dream, it was now their destination! The whirlwind nature of it all was enough to let Qian Lu forget himself for a little bit. But then heposed himself. He was, of course, the owner of the inte cafe and the one sponsoring the team. He couldn¡¯t simply believe that his team was the best in the tournament like the customers. Qian Lu knew he had to do his due diligence, and carry out his responsibilities as team owner! He walked up onto the stage and pulled up the webpage for the Battle Bonanza tournament.

    All of the statistics for the tournament were aggregated in real time as teams called in to register wins or losses. Since the record for each best of three series was reported by two parties, it was easy to validate. All of this information was published on a leaderboard webpage, allowing for anyone interested to see how teams were doing. Now, at the end of the first day of the tournament, it was easy to see which teams fared poorly and which teams had potential. The real time aggregation and leaderboard page was created in an effort to motivate teams that had fallen behind and push teams who were ahead to greater heights. It also added anotheryer of strategy and depth to the tournament as a whole.

    Qian Lu brought the leaderboard page up on therge LCD screen above the stage, and a lull fell over the entire inte cafe as every single person scanned the page. Then, all at once, an audible gasp rolled through the building. The NetCow Cafe stood at the very top of the leaderboard for the Immovable Mt. Tai prize with their 7-0 record!

    ¡°Hahaha! Fucking nice!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re number one! We¡¯re number one! We¡¯re number one!¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    ¡°Freaking awesome! We¡¯re freaking unstoppable!¡±

    ¡°6666666666!¡±

    That was it. That was all the customers at the NetCow Cafe needed to put them over the moon, andpletely in love with the team that was representing them. They¡¯d already started developing an attachment to Lin Feng and the others,pletely getting over their initial shock that everyone on stage was a high schooler.

    Many of the male customers were already starting to revere Tang Bingyao and An Xin as their goddesses. Not only were they beautiful, but they were also unbelievably good at the game. They were unicorns! The gamer girl goddesses that only appeared in the dreams of the most deluded Huya viewers!

    But in a surprise twist, it wasn¡¯t only the girls who had a fanbase building in the customers. Some of the people who¡¯de to the NetCow Cafe today were female. They stepped in to y some League, but they werepletely entranced by the tournament and the 1v1s. Then something else distracted them. Lin Feng. Quite a few of the women in the audience started gazing at Lin Feng with starry doe eyes.

    ¡°If you look closely, he¡¯s kind of hot¡­ I bet he¡¯s a Challenger too!¡±

    ¡°That hair¡­ I kind of want to ruffle it.¡±

    ¡°His smile is so cute too!¡±

    Some of the girls that Lin Feng managed to draw into his orbit were quite attractive themselves. And a few of them summoned the courage to walk up to Lin Feng and talk to him. They asked him to add them as friends on League. And a few others who had blushing red cheeks handed him little pieces of paper with their phone numbers and League IDs.

    Lin Feng, with his usual cluelessness, epted every slip of paper from every girl. He didn¡¯t even think it was that big of a deal. In his head, he was wondering if he had enough room on his Friend¡¯s List for all of these new friends. Then, An Xin popped up behind him with a frightening smile on her face. ¡°Oh, wow. Look at that. You even got some numbers¡­ eh?¡± She red at the papers, and then at Lin Feng for the briefest of seconds. Then she reached out and said, ¡°How about letting me take a look at those?¡± It sounded like a request, and it was phrased as a question. But it was neither.

    Lin Feng looked over at her andughed, ¡°Haha! It seems like I¡¯m pretty popr!¡± Then he noticed the look in An Xin¡¯s eyes and theughter stopped. He handed over all the slips of paper to An Xin saying, ¡°Here, take a look for yourself.¡±

    An Xin snatched the numbers and summoner tags out of Lin Feng¡¯s hand. She rifled through a few and then passed them onto Tang Bingyao. ¡°Tang Tang, you should take a look at these too.¡±

    Tang Bingyao wasn¡¯t paying attention to what was going on until An Xin called her over and held some of the scraps of paper out. Tang Bingyao took two and looked them over. She saw the phone numbers, the Summoner Tags and the cute little hearts and smiley faces. She furrowed her brow and frowned.

    ¡°Are you guys done yet? You¡¯ve been staring at those for a while. You guys know any of these people? Anyways, if you¡¯re done then give them back to me,¡± Lin Feng said.

    An Xin hid the scraps of paper behind her back. She smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s with the rush? How about this¡­? Lin Feng, you¡¯re scatterbrained. An idiot. If you had these, you¡¯d probably lose them in the next 15 minutes. So how about Tang Tang and I help you out this time? We¡¯ll keep them safe for you.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Tang Bingyao eximed with a vigorous nod. Then she stuffed the two scraps in her hand deep into her back pocket.

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°Oh¡­ Well¡­ Yeah¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. Okay, yeah, this is fine too. I¡¯ll get them from you guyster on. I hope there¡¯s enough room on my Friend¡¯s list for all of these guys!¡±

    Zhang Hao and Zeng Rui simultaneously facepalmed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s serious¡­.¡±

    ¡°Does he really think he¡¯s getting those back?¡±

    Off on the side and in his own world, Qian Lu could do nothing to wipe the wide smile stered on his face. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that his NetCow Cafe would do this well! Whatever expectations he had when he first signed up for the Battle Bonanza had all been smashed and exceeded. He looked up at the words ¡®NetCow Cafe¡¯ sitting in first ce again, just to convince himself it was true. Then he nced at the team in second ce. They had lost two games already, and their record was 6-2. The difference in win ratio was huge here. NetCow Cafe had a 100% win rate, and the second ce team had a 75%.

    But Qian Lu wasn¡¯t the only one staring at the statistics and the leaderboards. Zeng Rui was studying them too. But he wasn¡¯t concerned with the Immovable Mt. Tai leaderboard, the one that the NetCow Cafe was on. Zeng Rui¡¯s attention was on the Conquerer leaderboard, and specifically on the first ce team there. That team currently had a record of 9-0. That meant that their win rate was also 100%. But they had yed and won two more matches than the NetCow Cafe.

    Zhang Hao noticed Zeng Rui ring intensely, and followed the gaze. The second Zhang Hao realized what Zeng Rui was looking at, his eyes went wide. ¡°Holy shit! They¡¯re even better than us!? They seriously won 9 games in a row today!?¡±

    Zeng Rui nodded gravely. ¡°Yes. Yes indeed. It looks like there are some strong teams in this tournament after all. Let¡¯s not get careless.¡± He then looked at the name beside the record andmitted it to memory¡ªRoom Temp Netclub.

 Chapter 464: An Unexpected Opportunity!

    Qian Lu let out a content sigh as he bid another group of customers goodbye. The NetCow Cafe had started to empty out, now that the first day of the Battle Bonanza hade to an end. The reason for Qian Lu¡¯s contentment was that the NetCow Cafe had a very good day. Specifically, the customers in the NetCow Cafe had a good day. That made all the difference to Qian Lu. He was a shrewd businessman, but he had too much heart to truly be a ruthless businessman. As much as he wanted to make money, he wanted his customers to enjoy their stay at the NetCow Cafe more. That¡¯s what brought him the most joy about today. His customers got to watch many exciting ys, they cheered louder and celebrated more with every victory, and they even got to 1v1 against the yers on the NetCow Cafe team! Qian Lu heard several groups of customers talking about how the trip to the NetCow Cafe today was definitely worth it.

    Qian Lu started tidying up here and there, smiling to himself some more. He¡¯d even heard that all of the customers were even nning oning again tomorrow, and that they were ready for the excitement to continue! He¡¯d decided at that moment that all of the money he¡¯d spent recruiting Lin Feng and the Gang was more than worth it. <i>Customers and excitement are the lifeblood of an inte cafe! These high schoolers are exactly what the NetCow Cafe needs to really get pumping. As long as this ce is lively, more customers wille here. That will pull even more people, turning into a positive feedback loop. I¡¯M GOING TO BE RICH! This isn¡¯t the Battle Bonanaza. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho no! This is just a bonanza for old Qian Lu! Especially those 1v1s¡­ perhaps that could be the specialty¡­ no! NO! It¡¯ll be the NetCow Cafe¡¯s ultimate move! I¡¯ll have the edge over all the other rival inte cafe¡¯s in the area! Oh-hohohoho-hohoho-hohohoo! It¡¯s a double bonanza for old Qian Lu! </i>

    Lin Feng and the Gang, now the established Team NetCow Cafe, started to pack their bags up to leave, since the tournament day had ended. And also because they were tired. They had spent the entire day ying game after game. While it was true that most of the opponents they faced were weak and didn¡¯t push any of them to go all out, it was still a lot of games. And each one, no matter how easy, took a mental and physical toll. It didn¡¯t help that the 1v1s continued in between tournament matches, which meant that Lin Feng and the Gang had not taken a break since the tournament started earlier that afternoon. It would be abnormal if they weren¡¯t tired after all that.

    It was feeling the toll of all that gaming that made Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao stare at Lin Feng. Several times. They understood how they felt right now. And they had not forgotten about the night that Lin Feng yed game after game to climb the Korean Challenger Ladder right after they won the Collegiate Cup. Because of how they felt right at that moment, they gained a much deeper understanding of the exhaustion and mental fatigue that Lin Feng endured on that night.

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell most of the time, but he really is amazing¡­¡± Zhang Hao muttered.

    Zeng Rui didn¡¯t respond and only shook his head.

    Completely unaware of what his two team members were thinking, Lin Feng had snuck over to Tang Bingyao¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Hey, Tang Tang! You got two of those scraps of paper that my new friends gave me, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Bingyao said, tilting her head. ¡°What slips?¡±

    ¡°Ya know¡­! The little pieces of paper with¡­ well, uhm. The ones with the phone numbers and summoner tags from the girls! Come on! I know you know what I¡¯m talking about!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Tang Bingyao replied. <i>Should I give them back? I don¡¯t want to! I¡¯m going to keep them. Mhm! It might be a little daring¡­ but I don¡¯t care! An Xin is in on this too!</i> Then she shook her head. ¡°No idea! Haven¡¯t seen them at all!¡±

    Lin Feng scratched his head. ¡°What¡­ why? I wasn¡¯t going to add any of them really! I just want them as proof. I can¡¯t tell Ouyang and the other guys that girls gave me their numbers without proof. They¡¯ll never believe me!¡±

    Tang Bingyao stared. Lin Feng withered a little, but she continued to stare. Then she stuck out her tongue and said, ¡°No way! Go ask BunBun!¡±

    ¡°Huh? BunBun?¡± Lin Feng considered the idea of asking An Xin.

    As if summoned by her name, An Xin looked over at Lin Feng with a smile that scared nightmares. ¡°Hm? Did you want to ask me something, Lin Feng?¡±

    ¡°¡­. No, nothing.¡± Lin Feng quickly replied.

    A short whileter, Lin Feng arrived back at his apartment. In a rare moment of togetherness, he¡¯d managed to remember bringing his house keys with him as he left that morning. He didn¡¯t need to knock on the door until Su Xue decided to let him in. He opened the door, took off his shoes and walked into the living room. It was empty. So he decided to go see if Su Xue was in her room. He stomped over and opened the door while yelling, ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy! I¡¯m home!¡±

    Su Xue was at her desk, streaming while holding half a watermelon in her hands. She was watching a livestream of a League tournament andmentating on it. She turned around when she heard Lin Feng¡¯s voice and said, ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back! Come watch this LSPL stream with me and the viewers!¡±

    Lin Feng looked at the melon in Su Xue¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I wanna eat some watermelon too!¡±

    Su Xue rolled her eyes. ¡°The other half is in the fridge. Run to the kitchen and get it yourself.¡±

    Lin Feng ran out. A few momentster, he barrelled back into Su Xue¡¯s room with the other half of the watermelon and a spoon. He settled in next to Su Xue and started shoveling a big spoonful of watermelon into his mouth. Then he looked at the stream. ¡°LSPL? Whoyin?¡±

    Su Xue looked at him and scowled. ¡°Can¡¯t you eat more gracefully? Watch me.¡± She daintily scooped up some watermelon and ate it. ¡°Oh, right. LSPL. The game is Deep Abyss against GG. They only just started.¡±

    ¡°Deep Abyss? GG?¡± Lin Feng realized that he¡¯d never heard of these teams before.

    The currentpetitive League scene in China featured far more teams than most people realized. Everyone knew about the most famous teams, the ones in the LPL. That went double for the teams at the very top of the LPL. But all teams in the LPL were considered Tier 1.

    Below the LPL was the LSPL. All teams in the LSPL are considered Tier 2 teams, and there are a total of 18 teams. But for most people, the only teams worth knowing about were the Top 8 LSPL. Everything below that line was relegated to obscurity. Because there were very few people who followed absolutely every single game ofpetitive League of Legends. Only the most dazzling of LSPL teams, the ones that had a shot at one day breaking through into the LPL, entered the public consciousness. Or teams that had famous yers. But the two teams ying right now, Deep Abyss and GG, belonged to neither category.

    ¡°Deep Abyss went 11th and GG ced 14th in thest LSPL season,¡± Su Xue said, understanding Lin Feng¡¯s confusion. She¡¯d done some research into thepetitive scene earlier, and was using this as an opportunity to put it to good use. ¡°Neither team has any yer of any real renown either. The only one that kinda qualifies¡­ I¡¯d say maybe GG¡¯s Support¡ªRed Breeze. He used to be pretty well known on the Ionia Server. Peaked somewhere in the 30s on the Challenger Ladder. He also did some streams for a while and picked up some fans. ¡±

    Su Xue looked at the other team, then continued, ¡°As for Deep Abyss, well, there¡¯s nothing to really talk about. At least I¡¯ve never heard the names of any of their yers before.¡±

    ¡°Oh gee whiz! Wow! You¡¯re a real encyclopedia here. If you had brown hair, you could be Encyclopedia Brown!¡± Lin Feng said, surprised. ¡°When did you start doing so much research into the LSPL?¡±

    Su Xue was taken aback. Then she immediately went on the attack, ¡°What? I¡¯m not allowed to learn stuff now? Just because I didn¡¯t do well in school doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to learn anything! I¡¯m serious about this streaming stuff. I¡¯m a professional streamer now!¡± Su Xue huffed as she finished her rant. Then she calmed down and fixed her hair before exining. ¡°Remember that contract I signed with Huya? They reached out to me a couple of days ago and said I should watch a few LSPL games, do some research. Because¡­ because¡­ there¡¯sachanceImightbecastingafewgamesthereinthefut¡ª¡±

    The chat exploded before Su Xue could finish mumbling out the rest of her words.

    ¡¸<i>HOLY CRAP! XUEXUE UR GONNA BE CASTING IN THE LSPL!?</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>WE RISING UP IN THE WORLDS BOIS!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>riseriseriseriseriseriseriserise</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>we¡¯re gonna be on top!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>damn¡­ i never thought that feeder caitlyn I was watching 2 months ago would suddenly be a professional caster. I feel so proud! It¡¯s like watching a stupid puppy learn how to walk for the first time! Or you know, like in those American movies where you¡¯re rooting for the idiot! think I¡¯m gonna cry!</i>¡¹

    ¡¸<i>tell us the deetz! When you starting!?</i>¡¹

    Su Xue finally realized what was going on in chat and waved her hands. ¡°Enough enough! This isn¡¯t even a sure thing! I was just saying it might happen. Don¡¯t celebrate too early! AND DEFINITELY DON¡¯T SPREAD IT AROUND!¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!