Ming god's retirement announcement was only a brief interlude. The finals weren't over yet. He had to pull himself together and finish playing the final battle of his professional career.
The audience began to return to their seats before the second round started…...In the darkness, no one paid attention to a short-haired girl who was typing something on her phone while briskly walking. If someone did notice the screen of her phone, that person would think she was simply one of the hundreds and thousands fans who was crying loudly about Ming god's retirement on Weibo-- --
She continued typing until the second before she reached her own seat. She blew a long breath out and posted the message onto Weibo, then put the phone back into her pocket.
A few seconds later, those who were on Weibo sharing the big news "I just watched Ming god announce his retirement" suddenly noticed another post that was being shared by ZGDX's official site-- --
[Smiling: ZGDX, smiling]
At that moment, those who knew "Smiling" began posting in a frenzy.
Ten minutes later, those who didn't know of "Smiling" and had search online about it also joined in the craze-- --
It was an explosive news for everyone!
[Pig Lady: Is it true that a girl plays professionally?]
[Ah Han: I've always said that this Smiling is either someone playing for her or is actually a man. Just what I expected.]
[King of the Bicycle: Damn, ZGDX is crazy to have an unknown streamer replace Ming god. And it's a girl! I don't believe Smiling is a girl!]
[Cute Cheng Ge:......really, ZGDX, as long as you're happy.]
[Wife of Lu Sicheng: What? You mean there will be a girl eating, sleeping, playing games, and competing together with my hubby? Excuse me, what's the address of their base? I'm sending over some blades.]
[ZGDX is the only one: …...I don't know what to say. You always want big news. So tonight, you plan to bombard your fans with one bombshell after another so the fans can't sleep tonight.]
[God of Support, Fatty: I told you girls can play professionally. I'll keep playing this game QAQ]
[AKB49: What's wrong with you guys? Is it that surprising to have a female player? Wasn't there a female support at the North America region last year?]
Ten minutes after the posting, there were over 5000 comments and the post had been shared over 3000 times.
...
While all this were happening, the one who posted the explosive news was busy taking out tissues from her pocket to hand over to the sobbing girl next to her and comforting her at the same time, "Don't cry, don't cry. The competition is still on. Look! The game is starting!"
The girl mumbled a thanks, took the tissue, and raised her head to watch the large screen. The second round had begun, they were banning champions-- --
All the players on the stage were wearing sound proof earphones. Whatever happened out there had nothing to do with them now. Ming god had also calmed down somewhat, though his eyes were still slightly reddish. He turned sideways to talk to the support, Little Fatty. Little Fatty had said something and both of them were laughing...
Tao Yao felt better seeing them laugh. Actually, she had been opposed to the idea of having Ming god announced his retirement during the intermission. She felt that it would affect the player's mindset…...However, the organizer needed a climax to make money and this year's Spring Finals was quite successful at creating a lot of buzz-- --
"Ming god announced his retirement at the LPL Spring Finals" had become the top search on Weibo.
Many people were posting their regret for not buying tickets to the competition.
As Tong Yao was browsing Weibo, the girl in front of her turned around to talk to the girl with the Ming god placard and waved her phone, "Hey, Ah Lu, go check out the ZGDX official site. The new mid is a girl, ahhhhh! It's that Chinese server number one Leblanc the commentators just mentioned!"
"Who?"
"That Smiling."
The girl was stunned. She put down the placard, took out her phone from her pocket, and got onto Weibo...
The two commentators behind them began talking about "Ming god's retirement", "the new mid of ZGDX is a girl" and so on so forth. The one who had commented earlier "maybe one day we'll see a female professional player at competitions" was getting worked up and lamenting the fact that he hadn't come up with numbers for the next lottery at the same time...
No one was analyzing the line-up of the current match-- --
Tong Yao raised her head to find that ZGDX didn't get a strong line-up this round. They didn't get many strong champions. It was crucial to get an advantage in the early game. If they couldn't, then they would have an uphill fight going forwards when it came to team fights...
"They don't have a good line-up, right?"
A whisper came from besides her. Tong Yao turned around and found it was the girl Ah Lu. She had put down her phone, her eyes fixed on the big screen. She felt Tong Yao's gaze and turned with a smile, "I'll enjoy Ming god's last game first, the rest can wait till after the game."
Tong Yao nodded and gave her the rest of the tissues...
The second round had officially begun.
"They didn't get a good champion to initiate with, we'll have to see how well the jungler will do this round." Tong Yao told her. "If the jungler can't get the right rhythm, they can't build an advantage in the lanes, then ZGDX will be on the defensive the whole match..."
"-- --What do you know about the game. ZGDX got a good line-up. How can they lose? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything. Don't curse them even before the game starts?"
A man's voice rebuked her from behind. Tong Yao turned to take a look and discovered that the two men who had argued with her outside the stadium were sitting right behind her. They were looking at her unhappily with arms crossed-- --
Why, they were everywhere.
She shrugged and turned back, not arguing with them. She could still hear one of them whisper to the other in disdain, "The Challenger at the Korean server? Just like this? Ha, if what she said is true, then every game can end right after the ban section."
"Yeah, yeah." His companion agreed.
Tong Yao rolled her eyes.
For the first ten minutes, both sides were pretty even. ZGDX's economy was slightly higher because Lu Sicheng at bot had killed about 20 more minions than the opposing AD. The difference was basically in Lu Sicheng's hand-- --
Fifteen minutes into the game, Nidalee played by ZGDX's jungler, Old K, went to bot. Everyone thought he was going to reinforce Lu Sicheng, yet he turned near the edge of the jungle and jumped over the rock wall to fight the dragon...
CK had no vision around the dragon's arena which was pitch black.
He was stealing dragon!
The audience was working into a frenzy-- --dragon is a little boss at the early stage of the game. There are five different kinds, ocean, infernal, cloud, mountain, and elder dragons. The first four will appear randomly and by killing them, it will bring permanent buffs to the team…...An ocean dragon would increase the health regeneration of a team's champions. If ZGDX could take down this ocean dragon, it was tremendously important to ZGDX to get every possible advantage in the early game to offset their lineup!
If they could take down this ocean dragon without the other team finding out, then it would be an easy boost for them!
All the ZGDX fans around Tong Yao cheered wildly!
The CK fans all watched nervously-- --
However, the support of CK seemed to sense something was amiss and left the ADC to move towards the dragon. When the little dragon was at half health, the CK support placed a ward at the other side, seeing everything inside the dragon's arena-- --
CK had seen ZGDX's attempt to steal dragon!
"He's been discovered, ahhhh!"
"What to do, what to do. CK's top still has Teleport, but ours had just used it. They have more people, will they start a team fight?"
"But their jungler isn't there!"
The two men behind began discussing-- --
Tong Yao slightly frowned and spoke again, "This ocean dragon doesn't have much use for CK's line-up later. The benefit from this dragon isn't that good either. They won't necessary start a team fight."
"What? How can that be possible? It's in CK's advantage to start a team fight now!"
The man yelled, but the scene on the big screen proved him wrong! The CK support just took a look and walked away. He didn't even bother harassing the enemy. CK's top continued farming minions without missing a beat...
They had no intention to teleport to bot.
Did they make the wrong decision?
Did they miscommunicate?
The audience all had question marks written on their faces. The commentators were also shouting in a frenzy, "It doesn't make sense not to initiate a team fight," while all the ZGDX fans breathed a collective sigh of relieve...
"Great." The man behind sighed, "No matter what, no team fight means we earn a dragon without losing anything."
"No, they discovered that Old K was stealing dragon. ZGDX will lose their top turret, Rift Herald, and its buff." Tong Yao frowned. "Look, now CK's jungler is moving to their upper jungle since CK knows where the other jungler is..."
"Hey, which side are you on anyway? You've been cursing them since the beginning-- --"
"It will be alright if Old K can realize it in time and go back up to the upper jungle after finishing dragon. If not, then-- --"
Before Tong Yao could finish her sentence, ZGDX's jungler continued to hide in the bushes in bot after he finished with dragon-- --He probably thought since he had been discovered, the enemy would expect him to go back to re-equip and wouldn't stay there to catch anyone, so he wanted to trick them by doing just the opposite...
The game was into its seventeenth minute, CK jungler, Jian Yang, moved top and worked with their own top to kill ZGDX's top. They got first blood!
The meager economic advantage from Lu Sicheng's performance at bot instantly disappeared!
The two from CK then proceeded to push down ZGDX's outer turret at top!
CK fans began jumping up and down in excitement-- --
Tong Yao sighed, "This round is finished."
The two men behind remained silent, but looked like they wanted to pounce on her and beat her to a pulp.
However, they didn't get a chance to do anything as the game went down exactly like what Tong Yao had predicted-- --Any movement from ZGDX's jungler was figured out by the enemy. Though he got the first ocean dragon, he couldn't catch anyone afterwards. The enemy even destroyed the outer turret in mid and bot!
With the collapse of mid's outer turret, CK's support began to ward ZGDX's lower jungle, all the monsters inside were now in the enemy's pocket!
-- --ZGDX couldn't get anything and played depressedly. They couldn't develop their economy, their players pitifully poor.
At the twenty-fifth minute, ZGDX had lost four turrets. Only the inner turrets on both top and bot remained. They had to fall back!
At the twenty-seventh minute, near the inner turret at bot, the recovered Jian Yang forcefully initiated a team fight. ZGDX didn't have any buffs and their equipment was inferior to the enemy. Though Lu Sicheng, by sharp maneuvering, was able to kill two of the enemy, ZGDX couldn't avoid being wiped out.
At the thirty-second minute, the same tragedy happened again at the inhibitor turret. This time, CK didn't give ZGDX any time to recoup and pushed down ZGDX's nexus turret with their nexus all in one go. Now the two teams were 1 : 1 even!
When the ending music began to play, the audience roared as CK fans jumped up from their seats. The CK players all smiled and walked over to pat Jian Yang's shoulder for a job well done-- --
Over at the ZGDX side, Old K, with a gloomy face, seemed to realize that the team lost because of his wrong decision. Ming god patted his shoulder and said something to comfort him…...All the players put down their earphones to go back to the rest area. This time, Lu Sicheng didn't bother to check the statistics-- --
There was no need to.
As the players left the stage, the audience began their discussion of the game. Most people didn't quite understand how ZGDX lost without engaging in many team fights with the other side-- --
Tong Yao listened to them for a while and checked Weibo on her phone. She found the post about her joining ZGDX had been shared 20,000 times, with 10,000 comments. There were all sorts of opinions. Even her Weibo fans number increased 30,000 or 40,000 all of a sudden...
It was really scary.
Tong Yao was ready to put her phone away when someone patted her shoulder from behind…...She turned around and saw the two men who had been silent throughout the last half of the game-- --
She raised her eyebrows, "What?"
The man who had sneered at her before were now smiling and said apologetically, "Xiao jiejie, you're awesome, predicting everything correctly. You're even more professional than those two commentators. What level are you at anyway?"
"..."
"Ah? Tell us! We'll kowtow to you, how about that!"
"...I already told you." Tong Yao said, "Challenger on the Korean servers."
"..."
"Don't feel superior just because you have a penis. It doesn't make you better at hitting the keyboard or clicking the mouse."
"...........yes, yes."
"Good."
Tong Yao clenched one fist in the other and shook her hands at the two men, with a satisfying smile.