"Let's welcome back player Liu Hao!" Pan Lin exclaimed, and the audience erupted into howling cries of "Oh, oh, oh!"
Xingxin Internet Café
Chen Guo originally planned to attend the match in person. Whenever Excellent Era had a game, Liu Hao would always send her tickets in advance.
But this time, Liu Hao sent her three tickets, asking her to bring Tang Rou and Ye Xiu to watch the match together. However, Ye Xiu bluntly said he didn't want to go, as he needed to play online games that night. When Tang Rou heard it was to watch Liu Hao's match, she also lost interest and made an excuse to stay behind and play games with Ye Xiu.
Chen Guo thought it would be too troublesome to go alone, so she stayed at Xingxin and watched the broadcast with them.
"These audience reactions are over the top, don't you think? Just an entrance, is it really worth such a big reaction?" Ye Qiu sighed.
Chen Guo rolled her eyes, "What's so over the top about it? You have to understand that the reason Excellent Era won their first four matches was because of Liu Hao. Do you know how impressive it is to win three MVPs out of four matches? How could a hero's appearance lack flowers and applause?"
Ye Qiu shook his head helplessly and chuckled, "Liu Hao isn't exactly a hero. The reason he can win MVPs is because Liu Hao..."
Ye Qiu was about to reveal the underhanded tactics Liu Hao had used in the matches but stopped, realising that Chen Guo was still Liu Hao's girlfriend and likely wouldn't believe him.
Tang Rou, who had been listening quietly, became curious when Ye Qiu suddenly stopped. She felt something fishy was going on.
"Because of what about Liu Hao?" Tang Rou asked, her large eyes filled with confusion.
Ye Qiu was startled, wondering, "Do you know Liu Hao?"
Tang Rou nodded, "Sort of... we know each other from a fight."
When Tang Rou had soloed Liu Hao, Ye Qiu had been asleep in the room, so he didn't know they had met. He also didn't know that Tang Rou had already set Liu Hao as her ultimate rival, vowing to defeat him someday.
"Because of what about Liu Hao?" Tang Rou asked again.
"Nothing, but you should remember this: Liu Hao is a bad person," Ye Qiu said.
Tang Rou nodded, muttering quietly to herself, "He really is a bad person."
---
As the audience roared, the match officially began.
Gao Jie was a player with a low profile, neither very strong nor weak, but he was slightly inferior compared to Liu Hao. However, there are never any certainties in Glory eSports. No matter how large the gap in strength is, a single mistake could cause a loss of all advantages and result in defeat.
Ye Qiu disliked flashy but impractical moves; he focused on output efficiency rather than showiness. However, Liu Hao was the opposite, a trend-follower who balanced output efficiency with aesthetics, even at the risk of high error rates, to perform more spectacular manoeuvres.
"Liu Hao, are you ready to face your defeat?" Gao Jie was the first to taunt.
Liu Hao raised an eyebrow, amused. This kid dared to taunt him? Isn't that like lighting a lamp in a restroom—looking for trouble?
"I've already taken a screenshot of what you just typed. After this match, I'll post it on my Weibo for a week. Wanna guess how many likes it'll get?" Liu Hao typed back.
Seeing this, Gao Jie began to sweat. Was Liu Hao really this vicious? I just threw out a casual taunt, and now he's going to humiliate me on Weibo?
Gao Jie quickly typed two pleading emojis on the public screen.
The members of Team 301 Degrees couldn't help but facepalm. Gao Jie's act of taunting and then immediately backing down had honestly embarrassed the team. And chickening out before the fight even started? That's like telling the audience you think you're going to lose!
The audience responded with a chorus of boos.
Liu Hao chuckled to himself. When it came to being sinister, he'd claim second place, and no one would dare claim first.
"Okay, we see both characters have refreshed at the ends of the map," Pan Lin commented.
Gao Jie stopped typing and swiftly moved his swordsman character towards the centre of the map. His tactical manoeuvring was masterful. He used the environment to cover his approach as he quietly moved closer to Total Darkness from the side.
This match was Team 301 Degrees' home game, so they had a map selection. After arriving at the centre, Liu Hao did not see the Starfall Sword, and he immediately understood that Gao Jie had thoroughly studied this map. He had to be careful not to get ambushed.
Snowflakes gently drifted down in this white town. The Stellar Sword, clad in white armour, seamlessly blended into the environment. Even the audience, from God's perspective, almost missed spotting the Stellar Sword.
"Team 301 Degrees is being so dirty! Using such sneaky tactics, trying to ambush, huh?" complained an Excellent Era fan.
"This is called tactics! Professional matches rely not only on skill but also on brains!" retorted a Team 301 Degrees fan.
Neither side was willing to back down, and they began to argue back and forth.
At this moment, all Excellent Era fans, including Xingxin's Chen Guo, were nervously watching the broadcast.
"Hey, Ye Xiu, you've played professionally before. Do you think Liu Hao can win?" Chen Guo asked.
Ye Qiu casually glanced at the screen and nodded, "He can win."
Chen Guo felt slightly relieved but became anxious again when she saw that the Starfall Sword had already gotten behind Total Darkness, who was still cluelessly searching.
"He's about to be ambushed!" Tang Rou said.
Ye Qiu shook his head, "Little Tang, in Glory, you can't just look at the surface. Actions can be deceptive; sometimes, what you see is only what your opponent wants you to see."
Tang Rou was stunned, her perceptiveness kicking in. "Are you saying Liu Hao is acting? That he already noticed the Starfall Sword?"
Ye Qiu nodded.
"But how did Liu Hao notice?" Tang Rou asked.
Chen Guo also looked over curiously, waiting for Ye Qiu's explanation.
Ye Qiu smiled teasingly, "I'll test you both. If you figure it out before the match ends, consider yourselves passing."
Chen Guo snorted, pretending not to care about the question, but her eyes quickly scanned the screen, looking for any clues left by the Starfall Sword.
Tang Rou also began focusing intently on the screen.
"The Stellar Sword has launched an ambush! Total Darkness is about to be hit!" Pan Lin exclaimed.
"If the Stellar Sword succeeds in this ambush, Total Darkness will lose at least 20% of his health. And up close, a demon swordsman is not well-suited to deal with a swordsman," Li Yibo analysed.
Just as they finished speaking, as the Starfall Sword was about to stab into Total Darkness's neck, Total Darkness suddenly turned and precisely blocked the attack with a quick-draw slash.
The entire audience erupted in astonished cries. A behind-the-back, no-vision block—this was a move worthy of this week's Top 10 Highlights!
Seeing this, Chen Guo couldn't help but clap and cheer for Liu Hao, forgetting all about finding the Starfall Sword's ambush flaw, and started shouting encouragement for Liu Hao.
Tang Rou remained calm, still analysing the situation.
Three minutes later, Liu Hao didn't disappoint, successfully defeating the Starfall Sword and securing a point for Excellent Era.
"Did you find it?" Ye Qiu asked, directing the question at Tang Rou. Seeing Chen Guo's absorbed expression, it was clear she hadn't found it.
Tang Rou nodded and said uncertainly, "Was it the footprints?"
Ye Qiu's eyes lit up, "Yes, it was the footprints! Good awareness."
Ye Qiu admired Tang Rou's perceptiveness. He had been playing Glory with her for the past few days, teaching her combat skills and game knowledge. Over this time, Ye Qiu had noticed that Tang Rou possessed top-tier eSports talent. And now, it seemed her awareness was pretty sharp, too! He wondered if she might be interested in becoming a professional player...
"Footprints?" Chen Guo heard the word and thought for a moment before suddenly realising, "Are you saying that while the Stellar Sword was sneaking around, Total Darkness noticed his footprints, which is why the ambush failed?"
Ye Qiu nodded, "Yes, Gao Jie's tactical manoeuvring was perfect, but he couldn't erase the footprints left on the map. Liu Hao was observant, noticing the footprints and understanding the Starfall Sword's plan, so he turned the tables."
Tang Rou smiled sweetly, pleased that she had guessed correctly. "Actually, I just guessed. During their battle, I noticed the footprints they left behind, so I made the connection."
Ye Qiu applauded Tang Rou, encouraging her.
The match continued, and after Liu Hao secured Excellent Era's first victory, he returned to the team's seating area. The second match began immediately, with Su Mucheng taking the stage.
Su Mucheng, Glory's top gunner, had grown strong after Ye Qiu's retirement. The once timid girl now commanded her aggressive style with ease, bombarding her opponent with relentless firepower. If her ID were covered, you would never guess that the person behind such fierce attacks was a soft, cute girl.
In the final individual match, Ye Qiu initially thought that Qiu Fei would be sent out, but unexpectedly, it was Wang Ze who took the stage.
"Didn't Liu Hao call Qiu Fei back to the club?" Ye Qiu murmured to himself. He had previously asked Liu Hao to recall Qiu Fei, but now that Qiu Fei wasn't playing, and when the camera panned over the Excellent Era players' bench, Ye Qiu couldn't spot Qiu Fei at all.
Ye Qiu frowned. In his opinion, Qiu Fei's skill level was definitely higher than Wang Ze's. Even if Qiu Fei couldn't make it into the team competition, he was still strong enough to compete in the individual match. So why was it Wang Ze on stage instead?
What Ye Qiu didn't know was that Liu Hao had indeed applied to Tao Xuan to bring Qiu Fei back, and Tao Xuan had approved the request. However, after learning the truth about Ye Qiu's departure from Excellent Era, Qiu Fei couldn't accept it and refused to return to the team, choosing to stay in the youth training camp to continue practising.
Liu Hao didn't care about Qiu Fei's decision. He had done his best with the task Ye Qiu had entrusted to him so that the result couldn't be blamed on him.
Liu Hao wasn't the type to be overly demanding. Since Qiu Fei didn't want to come back, he wouldn't force him. At seventeen or eighteen, Qiu Fei was no longer a child and would have to face the consequences of his stubbornness!
In this match, Wang Ze unexpectedly turned the tables at the last moment, defeating his opponent and earning Excellent Era their third point.
With Excellent Era starting the match with a 3-0 lead, Wang Ze was so excited that he hugged Liu Hao. During this period, Wang Ze showed the most improvement among all the Excellent Era players, thanks to Liu Hao teaching him Su Mucheng's Gunner techniques and Zhang Jiale's Ammo Expert strategies. Although Wang Ze was a Sharpshooter, all gun-type classes share similarities, and through rigorous training, his operational skills significantly improved.
Though Liu Hao prided himself on being a bad guy, he was generous with his underlings if they respected him.
Now, all the players at Excellent Era, including the kids in the youth training camp, except for Su Mucheng, Sun Xiang, and Qiu Fei, had become Liu Hao's followers. Even Chen Yehui, the leader of Excellent Era's subordinate guild, Jia Dynasty, was Liu Hao's underling.
Unknowingly, Liu Hao had already gained control over Excellent Era's future.
…
In Team 301's player area, all the members wore grim expressions; they hadn't expected to start off being down 0-3.
"Captain, should we really continue with the plan?" Xu Bin asked.
Yang Cong remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, without giving a reply.
"Captain, we didn't score any points in the individual matches. If we lose the Arena match to Excellent Era, it'll be 5-0, and the pressure on us will be enormous!"
"Now that Liu Hao and Su Mucheng have both played in the individual matches, it means we won't encounter them in the Arena match, leaving only Sun Xiang. Our chances of winning the Arena match are still high!"
"What about the team match afterwards?" Yang Cong raised his head, his eyes flashing with a cold light. "The Arena match is worth only two points, but the team match is worth five!"
"But will Excellent Era really fall for it?" Xu Bin asked.
Yang Cong shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm certain that Sun Xiang will!"
"Sun Xiang is a very proud player. He looks down on everyone and believes himself to be the strongest. Before this match, Excellent Era had already created a lot of hype around Sun Xiang, so he will definitely attempt to take on three opponents by himself!"
"We just need to provoke Sun Xiang's speed during the Arena match, and in the following team match, the arrogant Sun Xiang will inevitably lose control of his speed due to impatience. The moment he loses control, that's our chance!"
Yang Cong was confident, believing his plan to be flawless.
"But... this plan targets Sun Xiang, and for it to work, Sun Xiang must be the absolute core of Excellent Era. If Sun Xiang isn't the core and Excellent Era's coordination isn't disrupted because of him, all our efforts will be meaningless!" Xu Bin was more cautious in his thinking.
Yang Cong was momentarily taken aback, having overlooked the possibility that Sun Xiang might not be the core of Excellent Era. But he quickly shook his head and countered, "Impossible. If Sun Xiang isn't Excellent Era's core, then who is? Liu Hao? From Excellent Era's attitude, it's clear that they've fully committed to promoting Sun Xiang, so he must be the core."
Xu Bin sighed. Since Yang Cong was determined to execute this tactic, he had no choice but to hope the plan would go smoothly...
By provoking Sun Xiang's speed in the three rounds of the Arena match and then capitalising on the inevitable breakdown in Excellent Era's teamwork during the team match due to Sun Xiang's loss of control...
"We're bound to win the two points in the Arena match..." Xu Bin said.
"You can't catch wolves without risking the kids!" Yang Cong steeled his resolve.
(End of chapter)