"Let's go; it's time to shake hands." Ye Qiu stood up, his face revealing no emotion. He glanced lightly at Liu Hao and praised, "Your last poke command was good; you have a talent for commanding."
Of course, in my previous life, I was the team commander... Liu Hao felt proud but maintained a humble smile and said, "It's far from your level of command, Captain Ye. I was just lucky to take down Shi Bu Zhuan first. Otherwise, he might have figured out a way to counter our poke strategy."
Ye Qiu showed no expression, his eyes carrying both appreciation and... pity. "Liu Hao, next time, your 'plan' won't work."
"That's for sure. Zhang Xinjie learns from his mistakes. After successfully cutting him off once, he'll come up with at least three defensive strategies next time we face him," Liu Hao replied.
Ye Qiu laughed twice. "You know what I meant just now."
"Captain Ye, I'm the vice-captain of Excellent Era, the right-hand man of our team. It's one thing for you to be wary of our opponents, but why be wary of me?" Liu Hao feigned surprise but couldn't suppress his smile. He loved Ye Qiu's current expression—trying to look calm but probably cursing internally.
"The right-hand man? That term isn't quite accurate for you," Ye Qiu said.
"What term would you use to describe me then?" Liu Hao asked.
Ye Qiu thought for a moment. "A time bomb!"
Su Mucheng quickly chimed in, "Yes, Liu Hao, you're a time bomb."
Liu Hao waved dismissively, smiling. "Yes, I'm a dangerous bomb, but rest assured, if I explode, I'll take the enemy down with me."
Ye Qiu sighed, knowing he couldn't convince Liu Hao, and said no more. He was the first to leave the soundproof room.
...
The team lined up to shake hands with the Tyranny players, whose expressions were visibly grim. Did they play poorly? No, their strategy was excellent and mostly successful, but in the end, the chaotic Excellent Era team won.
Why did this happen? In esports, the result matters more than the process, but the process should at least justify the result. There's no precedent of a disorganised team defeating an ironclad one.
Zhang Xinjie was frustrated. Excellent Era's kiting strategy at the end was terrific, but only with counters. He had thought of a solution while watching but couldn't command his team because he was dead. Otherwise, Tyranny could have won.
Liu Hao approached Zhang Xinjie to shake his hand. Seeing his frustrated face, he couldn't help but say, "Good command, but it was useless."
Zhang Xinjie's face darkened. What did that mean? Was that sarcasm? Most people say comforting words post-match, like "You played well; we were just lucky," but this kind of sarcastic comment was too much.
In fact, Liu Hao wasn't being sarcastic, just honest, though honesty often unintentionally hurts.
"Next time, Tyranny won't lose!" Zhang Xinjie said.
"Good luck," Liu Hao replied indifferently, shaking his hand before moving on to Han Wenqing.
Han Wenqing's grip was like a vice, his voice steady. "You played well, but why did you sell out Ye Qiu again? I could see Ye Qiu's strategy required you to protect Mucheng, but you chose to go after Xinjie. If you hadn't killed Xinjie in time, Excellent Era would have lost."
Liu Hao frowned slightly. "Are you accusing me of not following commands?"
"Something like that," Han Wenqing stared at Liu Hao.
"What business is it of yours? The result is we won!" Liu Hao retorted bluntly.
Han Wenqing was taken aback, silent for a moment, then said, "You're right, Liu Hao. I agree with you. In esports, the winner is justice. I lost, and I accept that."
...
After shaking hands, the Excellent Era team was supposed to stand centre stage, bow to the audience, and thank the fans. But Ye Qiu didn't follow them on stage. He bowed backstage and then left alone through the tunnel.
The MVP of the team match usually has to be interviewed by the host post-match. When Ye Qiu was MVP, he always refused interviews and left immediately. Now, without the MVP title, he wouldn't stay in the noisy venue. The longer he waited, the higher the risk of exposure.
Fans were a crazy group; many hoped to catch Ye Qiu post-match and strip him to see the true face of the Battle God. So Ye Qiu didn't linger, changed out of his uniform, and escaped through the stadium's emergency exit.
Liu Hao and the others stood centre stage, bowed to thank the fans, and accepted their cheers.
On camera, Liu Hao and Su Mucheng appeared together, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Their excellent poke teamwork during the match made many fans think they looked perfect together.
"When the screen cannon was first developed, I loved shipping Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng. Now, I don't know why, but I want to go to Hao and Su Mucheng.
"Bro, the main reason is that Ye Qiu never shows his face. We don't know what he looks like, so shipping Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng is hard. But with Liu Hao's handsome face next to Su Mucheng, it feels more real and satisfying."
"Satisfying my ass, Mucheng is mine. No one can take her from me!"
"Get lost, Mucheng is mine!"
"Someone pour cold water on these idiots above. Dreaming too much is your fault!"
"Do you think Liu Hao is pursuing Su Mucheng? During the match, Liu Hao sat next to her..."
"Maybe not, but as Mucheng's true fan, I support whoever she likes, be it Ye Qiu or Liu Hao. Just not Han Wenqing."
"Ye Qiu is unlikely, right? Two months ago, Ye Qiu tweeted supporting Liu Hao as vice-captain of Excellent Era and clarified his relationship with Su Mucheng, saying she was just like a sister to him."
...
The live chat was full of discussions, with viewers' focus shifting to Su Mucheng's love life, some even wanting to play matchmaker for her.
After bowing and thanking the fans, the Excellent Era team left the stage, and Liu Hao was invited to the interview area to face the cameras.
The interview questions were simple and routine, mostly about Tyranny's performance and his thoughts on his teammates' play. After seven seasons, pro players had memorised standard answers, making the process smooth. However, the last question stumped Liu Hao.
"Player Liu Hao, what do you think of player Han Wenqing? Many Glory fans online say Han Wenqing is too old; his performance has declined significantly over the years, lacking his former dominance. What are your thoughts on this?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapters 83-87 are up on my Patreon. Chapter 67 is free on my Patreon.