After the match, the big screen is still replaying the exciting moments from earlier. No matter how many times you watch it, you will be amazed by Lin Lan’s smooth Lucian play.
Because it was so fluid, it made the opponents’ gameplay seem weak. But everyone knows that ASF’s AD is not weak. He is relatively well-known in the LPL, having caused trouble for some strong teams in the bot lane and creating many memorable scenes. Yet, unexpectedly, he appears so feeble in front of Lin Lan.
Online Barrage: [Did you notice that even though DT lost the first game, the bot lane has always been an advantage.]
[If it wasn’t for the top lane flanking and killing them all in the first game, letting Lin Lan farm up, the outcome might have been different.]
[The bot lane is still farming, and the top lane towers are gone; even if you switch players, it wouldn’t change much.]
[I’m starting to believe what that mysterious person said, DT might really dominate all the bot lanes in the LPL…]
If previously FIG was too weak to validate this statement, today’s ASF can definitely prove Lin Lan’s strength. They are a solid mid-tier team in the LPL, and Lin Lan easily handles them. This indicates that his skills are undoubtedly at the upper echelon of the LPL.
Everyone’s eyes on Lin Lan have instantly changed.
This is a genius AD, an AD delayed by playing support, a treasure AD discovered by them…!
The replay is finished and the data panel is revealed. Lin Lan dealt nearly twenty thousand damage in less than 20 minutes.
While others were farming in lanes, Lin Lan was outputting.
While others were outputting, Lin Lan was relentlessly trading.
Until the end of the match, many couldn’t forget the image of Lin Lan aggressively attacking. The last time they saw such a smooth Lucian was on the world stage last year.
A European player dominated the world with Lucian in the mid-lane, causing domestic teams to retreat one after another. He was hailed as the Lucian God. Now, unexpectedly, there’s a player in the domestic scene who handles Lucian with such smoothness.
The commentators on stage couldn’t help but praise Lin Lan: “This is the first time I’ve seen such a fluid Lucian. In the later stages, I felt like he was hitting more than one auto-attack per second, it’s so fast that you can’t even see…”
“Maybe one auto-attack per 0.7 seconds?” Jiang Jin provided a professional estimate. “Lin Lan, I think you were hitting at least seven auto-attacks in a second just now.”
Lin Lan chuckled, “That’s too exaggerated.”
He never bothered counting. Despite the praise from others, Lin Lan’s self-evaluation remains modest.
Lucian doesn’t feel like an AD carry to him; he’s more like a mid-laner. To truly capture the sense of bursting down opponents, the strength in his hands needs further development, and playing for an extended period can be quite tiring.
Typically, after experiencing fame, players tend to become somewhat conceited, but Lin Lan doesn’t display any of that. It’s as if these honors have nothing to do with him; all he cares about is winning or losing in the matches.
Jiang Jin looks at him with fervent eyes, increasingly convinced that joining DT was the right decision. Lin Lan is the teammate he has been searching for!
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lin Lan noticed the cat plushie on Jiang Jin’s desk was crooked and casually straightened it for him.
Having a small quirk, Jiang Jin treats the cat plushie as his talisman, always placing it nearby during matches. It may seem strange to others, but Lin Lan doesn’t seem to mind at all.
Jiang Jin’s gaze towards him becomes even more excited as if there’s a deep understanding between them that spans ages. This moment happens to be caught by the broadcast.
The barrage from viewers instantly goes wild:
[Xiao Jin’s gaze!!!]
[He understands all the peculiarities of our Ah Jin!!!]
[Xiao Jin finally found the AD he wanted!]
[Aww, so touching…]
Jiang Jin still holding his plushie, asked Lin Lan proactively, “Do you also like plushies? I have many in my room; I can give them all to you.”
Having seen Jiang Jin’s room in the original world, filled with plushies of all sizes crowding shelves and beds alongside neatly stacked data, Lin Lan stared at him fixedly…
Lin Lan rejected with horror, “I don’t want them.”
He, not disliking them, doesn’t mean he likes them, okay?
Feifei, sitting beside them, saw their friendly interaction and smiled knowingly. He whispered to Xiao Shengjing, “Their relationship seems extraordinary.”
Xiao Shengjing glanced at them, “Really?”
Feifei continued, “Jiang Jin was introduced by Lin Lan, and they’ve known each other for a long time. They’ve been secretive about it, there must be something going on.”
“Heh.”
It’s quite unusual. He only found out after both of them joined the team that they knew each other from before.
Xiao Shengjing stayed silent and sipped his vinegar in private.
The final match quickly began, with both teams at match point. The winner will be determined in this last round.
After discussions, ASF decided to stick with the line-up from the first two games, except they banned both Draven and Lucian.
Commentators exclaimed, “Targeting Kiner so directly!”
However, the excessive focus on Lin Lan resulted in an imbalanced ban-pick phase, granting DT favorable picks for mid and top lanes. Jiang Jin got Thresh, and Xiao Shengjing secured Lee Sin.
Lin Lan left himself for the last pick. He enjoys the counter-pick position because of his extensive champion pool and understanding of different compositions, which is sufficient to support him being the last pick.
Coaches generally appreciate players with deep champion pools. Players like Feifei and Wu Tianqi have shallow pools, often requiring sacrifices from Xiao Shengjing. This has made the team’s composition choices exceptionally challenging. With the addition of Lin Lan and Jiang Jin, the team’s composition instantly became more flexible.
“Xiao Lin, are you going for Tristana?”
With Draven and Lucian banned, Tristana was indeed a good choice, but Lin Lan felt it wasn’t good enough.
Casually scrolling through the list of champions, he said, “Help me pick Kalista.”
Jiang Jin was shocked, Feifei, who was drinking water, choked, and Coach Zhang was startled, “Ka-Ka-Kalista?”
What kind of AD would Lin Lan choose? On the big screen, the nine champions were already selected, waiting for Lin Lan’s final pick.
He leaped gracefully, appearing as scheduled, radiating a lavender glow before everyone.
The Spear of Vengeance, Kalista.
Each basic attack allows her to hop a short distance in the direction of the mouse, providing unlimited mobility, earning her the title of the AD with the most dashes in history.
With high difficulty in operation, frequent clicks, and the need for prediction in every step, it posed a challenge not only to hand speed but also to mental agility.
The accumulation of various difficulties also led to Kalista being considered the most challenging AD, a champion usually chosen by high-ranked players to dominate lower-tier matches.
At the same skill level, no one dared to pick her, and she was usually banned by default in matches.
What was Lin Lan thinking?
Did he consider ASF as easy opponents?
Seeing Lin Lan selected this champion, some criticized him for underestimating himself, scolding him for not treating the opponents seriously, and anticipating him to be beaten. But more people were excited and thrilled by Lin Lan’s choice.
This was a competition, a deciding match.
Choosing Kalista at this moment, was there anything more audacious and exhilarating?
In essence, everyone watches matches not only for their love of the teams and players but also for the excitement. Just considering Lin Lan’s pick of this champion was enough to captivate the audience.
As the excitement in the livestream soared, the director also received a message from the higher-ups, directing the focus primarily on the bottom lane.
If Lin Lan played well, it would undoubtedly receive applause, but if he didn’t, it would disappoint everyone’s expectations. This champion was a double-edged sword for him.
As both sides went to their lanes, they had a casual face-off.
Under everyone’s expectations, Lin Lan didn’t seem to showcase any extraordinary plays. He calmly last-hit minions like an ordinary player.
Instead, it was the opponents who were intimidated by him in the previous two games. They played cautiously in the lanes, even missing a few minions.
Some disappointed viewers thought Lin Lan would dominate the lane, but the reality seemed quite ordinary.
However, another portion of the audience believed that Lin Lan’s approach was correct: [Kalista isn’t strong at level one, why force fights?]
[He wasn’t affected by the previous games. It’s right to play it safe and focus on farming. Trying to dominate the lane might cause issues, right?]
[What’s with the barrage? He’s just a newcomer who switched from support to AD. Can’t we stop treating him like a legend?]
Just as the audience was gradually accepting that Lin Lan was just an ordinary person, he signaled Jiang Jin, indicating he was ready to engage.
Jiang Jin immediately flashed and used E1(Thresh)Flay: Passive: Thresh’s basic attacks deal additional magic damage, which builds up while not attacking (total souls collected plus up to 80/110/140/170/200% total Attack Damage).
Active: Deals 75/115/155/195/235 (+70% bonus Ability Power) magic damage in a line beginning behind Thresh. Enemies hit are pushed in the direction of the swing, then slowed by 20/25/30/35/40% for 1.5 second.
Cast forward to push; cast backward to pull. to engage the two opponents. He used his robust body to shield Lin Lan from crowd control and damage, accurately hooking the enemy AD carry.
Lin Lan, departing from his earlier calm demeanor, went aggressive this time, leaping forward and continuously auto-attacking the opponents.
During this process, he added a small detail. He deliberately left one low-health minion alive without finishing it off. Using his E2(Kalista)Rend: Passive: Kalista’s spears pierce their target, lingering for 4 seconds.
Active: Rip the spears from nearby targets, dealing 20/30/40/50/60 (+70% Attack Damage) (+ 20% bonus Ability Power) physical damage and slowing their Movement Speed by 10/18/26/34/42% (+ 5% per 100 ability power) for 2 seconds.
Each additional spear deals 8/12/16/20/24 (+25/30/35/40/45% Attack Damage) (+ 20% bonus Ability Power) physical damage.
If Rend kills at least one target, its cooldown is reset and it refunds 10/15/20/25/30 mana. skill, he exploded the dying minion, not only slowing down the opponents but also instantly refreshing his own E skill cooldown.
This showcased the unique aspect of Kalista’s E skill – the ability to reset the cooldown instantly by exploding one or more enemy units.
Lin Lan skillfully utilized the reset mechanism, intentionally auto-attacking the low-health minion, and unleashed a double E during the skirmish.
The double E not only applied a slow but also inflicted unimaginable damage. The opponent’s AD carry had no choice but to use Flash to escape.
Lin Lan decided not to dive into the tower and swiftly turned back.
It was a close call, but he didn’t hesitate.
Just when the opponent’s AD carry felt relieved, Lin Lan, who had already disengaged, suddenly turned back with a Q3(Kalista)Pierce: Hurl a fast but narrow spear that deals 20/85/150/215/280 (+105% Attack Damage) physical damage. Triggers Martial Poise (P), Sentinel (W), and Rend (E).
If it kills a target, Pierce continues onward, passing all stacks of Rend to the next target.-Flash, precisely hitting the major artery and sending him to meet his maker.
The deceased Kai’Sa didn’t even react; he was still holding onto the heal ability and died without using it. He couldn’t accept his death…
Here, another small detail emerged. Each player has their own muscle memory, commonly known as a reflex.
If Lin Lan had continued chasing forward, Kai’Sa would have reflexively used the heal ability to avoid death. However, by turning back, Lin Lan made the opponent’s muscles believe it was safe, causing them to relax their guard. When Lin Lan flashed back into the tower and Q4(Kalista)Pierce: Hurl a fast but narrow spear that deals 20/85/150/215/280 (+105% Attack Damage) physical damage. Triggers Martial Poise (P), Sentinel (W), and Rend (E).
If it kills a target, Pierce continues onward, passing all stacks of Rend to the next target.‘d, the opponent’s hands couldn’t respond in time!
First Blood.
When the game setting triggers the emoticon pack upon securing first blood, it was truly explosive when Lin Lan flashed to secure the kill, and the emoticon appeared above his head as he exited the tower.
So handsome!
That Flash-Q combo is spectacular!
Especially his calm and composed demeanor, it adds an extra layer of charm.
Even Xiao Shengjing, who just saw Lin Lan get a kill on the screen, couldn’t help but admit that Lin Lan’s Flash-Q was incredibly beautiful. He appeared like a young king towering above, exuding a unique charisma, manipulating the opponent as if they were mere toys in the palm of his hand.
Sometimes, after watching for a while, it becomes impossible to shift one’s gaze away from him.
The barrage of comments was filled with ecstatic screams, completely conquered by Lin Lan: [Is there anything he can’t play??? No!]
[So Kalista can be played this stylishly, help! This is a competition, why does it feel like he’s dominating so thoroughly…]
[Totally smashed, I feel like my heart has been hit.]
[So awesome, so awesome, Lin Lan is so awesome, Jiang Jin is also so awesome.]
[Now do you understand? Initially, not engaging was because they couldn’t win, but once they can, Lin Lan will charge fearlessly.]
[DT’s bottom lane is playing the game with their brains.]
But Jiang Jin feels like his brain isn’t enough. When the opponent flashed into the tower, Jiang Jin already felt he couldn’t secure the kill and just said, “Forget it.”
However, Lin Lan turned his head, instantly flashed and Q’d to take down the opponent, turning all his efforts into a reward.
Lin Lan effortlessly walked out of the tower and even joked with him, “If I didn’t kill him, your excellent engagement would’ve been wasted, right?”
Jiang Jin unexpectedly felt a kind of teary-eyed feeling. He thought he had made a great engagement, thinking that no one cared, but Lin Lan remembered.
Being a support is the most challenging position to prove one’s worth, and the only proof is that inconspicuous assist data at the end.
However, not every AD can achieve maximum output. Jiang Jin’s perfectly executed team fight, in the end, could only turn into a soliloquy5a literary or dramatic device in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud when alone or regardless of any hearers, revealing their innermost feelings, reflections, or intentions. It’s often used in plays, literature, or films to provide insight into a character’s mind. Soliloquies allow the audience to understand the character’s motivations, conflicts, or emotions. that moved himself, the kind of loneliness and confusion that had once left him lost.
But now, things are different.
Because Lin Lan is here.
He truly excels at the output, every positioning contributing to the damage as if born for the role of the damage dealer.
Jiang Jin doesn’t need to worry about damage at all; he just needs to focus on supporting, and Lin Lan will undoubtedly live up to every engagement.
This is the best partner he could have chosen.
On the other side, the face of the slain Kai’Sa turned pale. He had just made a massive mistake, a mistake that could potentially propel Lin Lan to dominate.
After three rounds, his teammates already had some complaints, “Really? Struggling against a Kalista?”
In their minds, Kalista before level six was nothing special, but they forgot that this Kalista had Jiang Jin as a support.
The man who once dominated the LPL with Thresh.
After praising Lin Lan in the commentary, the second one to be praised was Jiang Jin. Fans of Jiang Jin burst into tears of joy: [Xiao Jin’s efforts are finally being recognized, sob sob sob…]
With the advantage from the first wave, the following actions were unilateral suppression by Lin Lan and Jiang Jin. ASF’s jungler wanted to help them, but he was powerless.
The opponent is Kalista, and her W skill can release a little ghost to detect vision. No matter how many times the jungler comes, it will be detected immediately, making it impossible to catch.
Even if they forcefully dive under the tower, the opponent’s Thresh comes with two control skills, plus a 99% slow from the ultimate, and with Lin Lan’s ultimate bound to Jiang Jin, it’s another AoE control skill…
How the heck do you play against this?
I don’t want to play anymore.
Lin Lan directly ate the opponent’s outer turret, pushing it down in one go, and then started rotating to the mid lane, casting a shadow over everyone reminiscent of the base being destroyed in the previous game in just 20 minutes.
They also wanted to stop Lin Lan, but how strong is a mid-game Kalista? Basically, as long as Lin Lan controls her, anyone who comes will die.
ASF was completely crushed, desperately looking for opportunities to kill Lin Lan and relieve the pressure.
As a result, the persistent Jiang Jin never left Lin Lan’s side throughout the entire process. Even going out to the ward, he was afraid that Lin Lan would be in danger and immediately returned.
ASF’s mid-laner was about to vomit blood.
Are they supposed to kill Lin Lan in front of Thresh?
Don’t joke around; even a god couldn’t do that.
Lin Lan’s strategy in this game was the same as the previous one: relentlessly pressure the bottom lane, and coordinate with the jungler to secure the first dragon. Once they get the Dragon Soul, the game is essentially won.
However, just as Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing were securing the fourth dragon, Wu Tianqi, in the top lane, made a positioning mistake in the mid lane, got caught off guard, and died directly. Feifei, who tried to save him, also got caught in a strange rhythm and ended up sacrificing himself. The remaining four opponents immediately converged on Lin Lan’s team, determined not to let them secure this dragon.
The commentators sighed, “Oh, looks like they have to give up this dragon.”
“It must be given up; we can’t finish this. The opponents’ four are all in good shape. If we don’t give up, something bad might happen.”
Lin Lan didn’t want to give up. He knew exactly where the advantage lay in this game, and if it dragged on to the late game, the outcome would be unpredictable.
The Dragon Soul was a must-win for him.
He immediately instructed Jiang Jin, “Hold them back.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Jin went up to intercept them, using his ultimate to make it difficult for the opponents to move.
At this moment, the small dragon still had 2500 health. Lin Lan continuously attacked with basic attacks and jumps, his hand speed almost reaching the point of taking flight.
Countless spears of ethereal orchid color pierced through the dragon’s body. It spewed flames, roared in anger, and struggled against Lin Lan, refusing to die.
Jiang Jin used his E6(Thresh)Flay: Passive: Thresh’s basic attacks deal additional magic damage, which builds up while not attacking (total souls collected plus up to 80/110/140/170/200% total Attack Damage).
Active: Deals 75/115/155/195/235 (+70% bonus Ability Power) magic damage in a line beginning behind Thresh. Enemies hit are pushed in the direction of the swing, then slowed by 20/25/30/35/40% for 1.5 second.
Cast forward to push; cast backward to pull. skill to keep them at bay and intentionally threw a lantern to the side, making them think there was someone there.
As expected, the opponents hesitated and took two steps back, only to realize they had been tricked. They rushed forward again, trying to burst down Thresh.
At this moment, the Elder Dragon still had 1500 health.
Xiao Shengjing’s health was already low; he had to use Smite to heal. The small dragon instantly had only 800 health left.
At this moment, the opponent’s jungler had broken through Thresh’s interception, successfully reaching the dragon pit, ready to contest the small dragon.
In the instant he used Smite, Lin Lan pressed the E7(Kalista)Rend: Passive: Kalista’s spears pierce their target, lingering for 4 seconds.
Active: Rip the spears from nearby targets, dealing 20/30/40/50/60 (+70% Attack Damage) (+ 20% bonus Ability Power) physical damage and slowing their Movement Speed by 10/18/26/34/42% (+ 5% per 100 ability power) for 2 seconds.
Each additional spear deals 8/12/16/20/24 (+25/30/35/40/45% Attack Damage) (+ 20% bonus Ability Power) physical damage.
If Rend kills at least one target, its cooldown is reset and it refunds 10/15/20/25/30 mana. skill, instantly igniting numerous spears that pierced through the small dragon, directly killing it!
Each spear stack would infinitely increase the damage of the E skill. Lin Lan, with astonishing hand speed, had stabbed the small dragon with countless spears. When he triggered the E skill, the damage had long surpassed Smite itself.
As a matter of the jungler’s dignity, Lin Lan pressed him firmly to the ground!
The commentator couldn’t help but exclaim, “Kalista’s spears make the opponent jungler hate it teeth-grittingly!”
After securing the Dragon Soul, Lin Lan used basic attacks, constantly jumping with himself as the center, escaping the battlefield. Not only that, he also had Jiang Jin flash over, using his ultimate to pull the low-health Jiang Jin back to his side. With Xiao Shengjing guarding the rear, Lin Lan coordinated, and the three of them safely left.
This perfect cooperation and beautiful turnaround, infuriated ASF, breaking their defense. Wasn’t this just a team from LDL? Why were they harder to deal with than those strong teams?
Watching them carry the Dragon Soul, preparing to siege the high ground, and casually taking a Baron, everyone knew the game was over at this point.
However, ASF refused to admit defeat. They were still desperately defending their base, but what they got in return was only spear after spear, shattering their determination without leaving a trace of temper…
New viewer B couldn’t understand even at this point, “Didn’t you say DT was bound to lose?”
Viewer A’s mouth couldn’t close due to shock, eyes trembling intensely, “Oh my god, it’s me who’s bound to lose, ah ah ah, my money!”
As the crystal slowly exploded.
Game victory, Victory!
Kalista, controlled by Lin Lan, was lifting her spear high, and beneath her feet were piles of bodies slain by him. The impact of those scattered spears created an explosive sensation for the audience.
He played too smoothly!
Kalista, this champion, showcased Lin Lan’s hand speed to the fullest, pushing this game to its climax single-handedly.
He was achieving with Kalista, and Kalista was achieving with him!
After this game, no one dared to question the labels that fans had attached to Lin Lan. He was a genius, he was awesome, he, he, he was born to play AD!
There was even a large number of viewers lamenting, why they only discovered him now. It would have been so much better if they had known him earlier…
The commentators on stage were offering various congratulations while also consoling ASF. Indeed, facing a one-versus-two situation was tough, and it had a significant impact on the players.
But there was no way around it, in esports, being a noob was the original sin.
There was a handshake moment between the two teams. Lin Lan, as usual, went over to complete the ritual. However, when shaking hands with the AD player, the opponent suddenly grabbed his hand.
The tension instantly filled the air, both on and off-screen. The audience was nervous yet expectant. But the opponent just wanted to say to Lin Lan, “You’re really amazing.”
Lin Lan smiled, appearing confident and composed under the dazzling lights. He responded, “You played well too.”
Since the players didn’t have microphones, the audience couldn’t hear what they were saying. The barrage in the chat was filled with urgent cries: [Ah, ah, he looks so handsome when he smiles!!]
[He plays the game handsomely, looks handsome, really, so handsome, help!]
[What are they saying? I’m suffocating; does anyone know lip reading? Please translate for me, I beg you…]
[This generation of netizens is hopeless, not even someone who can lip-read? I’m so disappointed in you all!]
While the barrage was buzzing, Lin Lan was discussing what to eat for dinner: “What should we eat tonight? I’m so hungry; I might starve.”
Feifei: “Anything is fine. I was hungry too. But after winning the game, I feel like I’ve been injected with chicken blood, not hungry at all.”
Jiang Jin: “I’m okay. Just some bread is enough. We still have training in the evening.”
Lu Shi: “Why are you still thinking about food? We won the game; are you only concerned about what to eat?”
Lin Lan didn’t want to continue the discussion with them. What’s wrong with being hungry after winning a game?
After packing up his belongings, Lin Lan subconsciously rubbed his wrists. Playing Lucian and Kalista was tough on his hands, especially since he wasn’t originally an AD carry player. Handling two high-skill champions like them was a bit challenging for him.
As he rubbed his hands, he was suddenly pulled into a corner.
Xiao Shengjing blocked his way, grasping his hand and pulling out a tube of ointment from his pocket. He carefully applied it to Lin Lan’s wrists.
The light fell on Xiao Shengjing’s face through the cracks, gentle and warm. His indifferent gaze seemed focused, inexplicably reminding Lin Lan of the senior Xiao he saw in his memories as “Lin Lan.”
Some people may appear aloof, but deep down, they exude warmth.
He would save the bullied “Lin Lan”, stay behind to help DT and be the first to notice if something was wrong with his hands, attentively applying ointment.
Even though no one acknowledged his kindness, he would continue to do so day after day, year after year, because it was something inherent in his character.
As the ointment touched his hands, it initially felt cool, gradually turning into a warm sensation.
Xiao Shengjing, to enhance the absorption of the ointment, gently rubbed Lin Lan’s wrists with the palm of his hand, gradually melting the ointment. Lin Lan’s uncomfortable wrists were instantly enveloped in a warm sensation, which felt very soothing.
Lin Lan stared at him motionlessly. In the confined space, it seemed like there was something peculiar flowing between them.
Suddenly, he wondered, if he could have encountered such a gentle person during his youth, would his memories be less cold?
Xiao Shengjing slowly stopped, still holding his wrists in his palms. His throat involuntarily moved, as if there was a heartbeat echoing in his ears. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Lin Lan continued to gaze at him, not shifting his eyes.
“When did the captain buy the ointment?”
Unable to bear his intense gaze, Xiao Shengjing’s throat moved again. He handed the remaining ointment to Lin Lan, saying, “Found it.”
Lin Lan: ?
Is it so easy to come up with lies now?
