IRAJAS Chapter 81

What is the spirit of esports?

For Lin Lan, it’s the courage to fear nothing.

No matter how many times he falls, no matter how great the disadvantage, no matter how powerful the enemy, until the last second, never give up!

When his sword pierced the ENG base, it also struck the hearts of the audience inside and outside the arena.

Lin Lan was only 0.2 seconds faster than his opponent! Under the limit already beyond the human eye’s capture, he, with a resolute stance, claimed victory!

The audience below shouted Lin Lan’s ID loudly, drowning out the commentator’s voice, giving them an excellent visual feast in this match.

Are the ENG players not good?

No, they are very good.

They are still that top-tier team, with the best teamwork, and Qi Mo is still the all-around king with zero mistakes. Only when both sides are evenly matched and exchange blows can such an extraordinarily brilliant match be presented!

The commentator even asserted, “There won’t be a more exciting match in the Spring Split, not even in the finals.”

With evenly matched opponents, one side has a slight advantage, while the other is just a step behind in strategy.

ENG played very well. But their downfall was their inability to handle Lin Lan.

They seem comprehensive and flawless, but conversely, it also means that every path is rather mediocre.

Qi Mo sought stability and concealed his weaknesses. But he forgot that in the face of Fiora’s sharp rapier, even the most perfect defense is riddled with flaws.

The peerless Swordwoman, truly a sharp blade…!

Qi Mo calmed his emotions with closed eyes, accepting defeat gracefully.

He took off his headphones and looked towards Lin Lan, who was also looking at him.

Their eyes met amidst the noisy venue, the music deafening. At that moment, the world seemed shut out by them.

In Lin Lan’s eyes, Qi Mo saw no hint of disdain or smugness. He simply stood there, exuding the exclusive gaze belonging to Fiora’s top-tier mastery.

Qi Mo couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear. He swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that what seemed like an evenly matched game in his eyes might just be a routine crushing for Lin Lan.

Lin Lan just gave him that kind of feeling, and at the thought, Qi Mo’s scalp tingled.

Suddenly feeling dizzy, Qi Mo’s teammates asked him with concern what was wrong. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to calm his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, Lin Lan had already led his teammates towards him, ready for the final handshake as the victor.

Qi Mo felt a bit dazed. He grasped Lin Lan’s hand firmly, then hesitated. Unconsciously, images of Lin Lan evading his triple traps with the Enchantress flickered in his mind.

He instinctively tightened his grip on Lin Lan’s hand. His hand felt thin and weak, not at all forceful.

How did he manage to pull off such a feat with hands like these?

Qi Mo’s breath became erratic. He looked up at Lin Lan, his eyes filled with disbelief. “How did you dodge that wave?”

Perhaps among masters, there’s a strange kind of intuition. Lin Lan instantly knew which wave he was referring to. He smiled and replied, “With the Logitech GPROX, frame-perfect timing, 0.2-second limit. You can give it a try.”

After he finished speaking, Qi Mo froze on the spot.

Although they were opponents, Lin Lan casually shared his techniques with him in a familiar tone… Was that normal?

Lin Lan gently shook his hand, still humble in demeanor. He slightly bowed as a sign of respect, then proceeded with the rest of the handshake.

This little incident was shown on the big screen, and everyone was itching to know what they had said. The commentators were especially curious, “What will Lader say? Hey, bro, when are you coming to the mid-lane to duel with me?” He chuckled at his own joke, laughing on the spot.

Instantly, the barrage of comments stirred up a storm:

[You guys haven’t forgotten about Lin Lan’s Enchantress, have you?]

[Although Lin Lan’s Fiora is indeed good, his Enchantress can hang Qi Mo out to dry. Isn’t that scarier?]

[Stop it, my scalp is tingling.]

[I can’t believe it, is Lin Lan going to the mid-lane? Is he going to dominate the LPL?]

[This might even penetrate through the World Championships…]

The barrage erupted into intense debate over whether Lin Lan should switch to the mid-lane.

Some believe that if Lin Lan plays mid, the other four members of DT could effortlessly secure victory.

Others argue that DT lacks a strong top laner. If the top lane collapses, DT will struggle even more. Moreover, Feifei’s mid-lane performance seems promising.

[That last Q-flash-R combo was truly divine.]

[We have to admit, Feifei’s Malzahar is quite something.]

[Although Feifei doesn’t play perfectly, he’s incredibly stable. It’s rare to see him crumbling in the mid-lane…]

[Isn’t it because he’s got jungle assistance? Without the jungle, he’s nothing.]

[He just goes invisible in the late game, what’s the use of being stable?]

The barrage’s conflicting opinions sparked another round of arguments. Most of them are DT fans, while the previously noisy ENG supporters fell silent before quietly leaving the livestream.

It’s too heartbreaking! They came aiming for the championship, but ended up falling in the semifinals! Their faces are swollen from the beating. Who the hell can accept this?

And even their strongest player, Qi Mo, can’t defeat Lin Lan. It’s not unfair at all that they lost; they have nothing to say…!

But to be fair, DT’s Lin Lan is truly powerful.

Even as opponents, ENG fans who watched these five matches admire Lin Lan from the bottom of their hearts.

A player who can defeat Qi Mo in the LPL would at least be in the top three at the World Championships. This discovery fills the audience with anticipation for Lin Lan’s future.

I wonder what it would be like for Lin Lan at the World Championships.

The commentators on stage have already praised Lin Lan to the skies, and the barrage doesn’t find it off-putting at all. They even feel that the commentators are being too conservative in their vocabulary, failing to describe Lin Lan’s invincible momentum.

[Are the commentators always this conservative? It’s not “penetrating”, it’s “dominating”!]

[I’m getting anxious listening to this. Just say Lin Lan is invincible already!]

[Why didn’t that commentator who composed poetry live last time come? Let him write a piece for our Lin Lan!]

[Take them away. Take those two away. Bring the commentator who composes poetry up here…]

Although the barrage is noisy, everyone is happy.

Five matches filled to the brim with excitement, followed by post-match gift-giving and interview segments. Just thinking about it makes one feel blissful!

After a brief rest, the five members of DT came on stage with their prepared gifts. It’s evident they’re delighted, each one with a radiant face, chatting and laughing as if reminiscing about the highlights of the game just now.

Onstage, Qi Rong is going wild. She holds up Lin Lan’s cheering sign and shouts, “Pick me! Pick me!”

The first one picked is a fan of Xiao Shengjing, and she’s a girl.

She’s the vice president of Xiao Shengjing’s fan support club and didn’t expect to be chosen. She’s very emotional. When she hugs and takes a photo with Xiao Shengjing, she even cries.

Wiping away her tears, she holds the microphone and says to him, “I know it hasn’t been easy for you to come this far. We’ve all seen your journey. Now that you’ve achieved such results, seen by so many people, we’re all happy for you. Keep going! We all want to see you win the championship!”

She voiced the sentiments of many fans of Xiao Shengjing. He has been buried for so many years, finally able to shine and stand on the same starting line as those top players.

Xiao Shengjing himself is quite reserved. But it seems he was also touched for a moment. He glanced at the fans, then turned to look at Lin Lan.

His gaze lingered on Lin Lan for an unusually long time, long enough for everyone to notice a subtle nuance.

Why is Captain Xiao looking at Lin Lan with such tenderness?

Next up were the fans of Jiang Jin, Xu Shengwei, and Feifei, each taking the stage in succession. The last spot left was also the most fiercely contested, attracting the attention of the masses.

Qi Rong held her breath, tightly gripping the sleeve of the guy next to her, her eyes shining brighter than the lights above her head. “I have a strong feeling, I think it will be me!”

Suddenly, the spotlight shone on her head, and for that instant, everything around her became blurry, with only the figure of Lin Lan standing on the stage visible.

Her heart pounded “thump, thump,” and Qi Rong couldn’t describe the feeling of that moment. She was on the verge of standing up and screaming. Then, the spotlight abruptly moved away, swaying back and forth in the audience, finally settling on a spot far away.

Qi Rong couldn’t accept such a huge disparity. With a sob, she cried out, “It’s not me…”

She grabbed the sleeve of the guy in the hoodie, tears streaming down her face and snot running, “Why is my life so bitter, wuwuwu…”

The hoodie guy hurriedly handed her tissues, saying, “Hey, haven’t you thought about it? How many fans does Lin Lan have? How can you compete with so many people? Instead of competing head-on, why not take a detour tactic like that fan did last time? Pretend to be a fan of Xu Shengwei, go up there, and just take a picture with Lin Lan…”

“No way,” Qi Rong lifted her head, firmly refusing, “I want to be a fan of Lin Lan with dignity!”

Her face flushed red from crying, but her eyes remained stubborn.

For a moment, the hoodie guy seemed to understand why Qi Rong was a fan of Lin Lan. Because, in a way, they seemed to have something in common.

After the fan meet-and-greet segment ended, it was time for post-match interviews. The official only invited Xiao Shengjing, who turned out to be a particularly serious and boring person. Except for praising his skills, the whole interview was uninteresting.

The barrage of comments criticized: [The excitement level of this segment is not up to par.]

The fans who didn’t get enough satisfaction immediately rewatched the replay, marveling at Lin Lan’s extraordinary plays. Each time they praised, it was with astonishment: “Damn! Amazing!”

After this match, a total of 5 hot topics trended.

The hottest topic was ENG’s unexpected loss in the playoffs to the fourth-seeded unknown team. Fans, haters, and bystanders flooded the related discussions, sparking a heated debate that nearly made it into the top three trending topics.

Following closely was the complete defeat of Qi Mo by Lin Lan. Despite numerous replays of these clips, each viewing still evoked a sense of awe.

Next were Lin Lan and Xiao Shengjing, briefly trending.

The last trending topic was about Feifei, far behind the others. It mainly focused on Feifei’s understanding of Malzahar and how his decisive engagement in the final team fight bought Lin Lan a crucial 2 seconds.

Feifei was thrilled to see himself trending and spent the whole day smiling. “At that moment, the captain said I was DT’s last chance and asked if I was confident. I said of course I was, Malzahar is my signature hero!”

Beside him, Lu Shi was envious yet excited. “Wow, Feifei, you’re so confident in your gameplay. I feel like I can’t catch up to you now!”

“You’re just a substitute and you dare to challenge the starting lineup?”

“Hahaha…”

Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing. Feifei received a text message and happily went to the balcony to chat on the phone.

“They still haven’t broken up?”

“No, they haven’t. Their relationship seems to be getting better. Last time, he even ordered a birthday cake for that guy.”

“Well, it doesn’t affect the game anyway.”

“Not only does it not affect the game, but Feifei also performs exceptionally well in every match now.”

Lu Shi looked at Feifei, then squinted his eyes. His small eyes filled with the doubt of a single dog. “Can love really make people stronger?”

Jiang Jin, the No. 1 otaku, looked puzzled, while Xu Shengwei, the No. 2 otaku, shook his head. Only Lin Lan mercilessly quipped, “Sentimental.”

He didn’t need love; he was already strong enough on his own. Emotions would only be stumbling blocks on his path to success.

Lin Lan picked up his coat from the chair, effortlessly put it on, and left gracefully.

Xiao Shengjing suddenly choked on his coffee. After coughing hard, he looked puzzled and asked them, “Am I really sentimental?”

Lu Shi, who had been speaking energetically, suddenly fell silent. “Huh?”

Help, why did he ask such a serious question with such a girlish expression?

Back in his room, Lin Lan finished showering and was about to rest when he received a message from Xie Zilu: “I’ve already bought tickets for the finals, front row. I’m getting ready to witness your championship moment.”

Lin Lan replied while drying his hair: “Oh.”

Xie Zilu sent him a voice message with a smiling tone: “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwelcoming towards me?”

His voice was as sharp as his appearance, giving off a cold and ruthless vibe. But when accompanied by a smile, it seemed no different from an ordinary teenager.

Lin Lan almost forgot that he was dealing with a lunatic. Just as he was about to reply, he received another voice message: “Lin Lan, what do you think is the meaning of life? For you and me, it should be to retaliate against those who have harmed us, right? These days, I’ve been thinking a lot, both about you and about myself. I believe our thoughts should align. To live is to make those who have made mistakes pay the price; otherwise, it will be meaningless…”

Xie Zilu’s voice regained some of its fierceness. After he finished speaking, he chuckled slightly, with a faint wheezing sound, as if experiencing shortness of breath due to an allergic reaction after drinking.

The hand that was drying his hair slowly stopped. Water droplets continued to fall into his neck, sending a chilly sensation. Lin Lan furrowed his brows slightly, feeling his mood turning icy with each drop: Are you drinking?

Xie Zilu: “Just a little, not much.”

Then, he used a joking tone again, “Lin Lan, I’ll be waiting for you to win the championship. The day you become the champion should be a good day, perfect for settling some old personal grudges. If you’re interested, I can invite you after the match. Of course, only if you’re willing…”

Drunk Xie Zilu’s thoughts were scattered, and his language was confusing. Lin Lan listened twice but still couldn’t understand what he meant. He typed and asked him: Who are you talking about?

After waiting for a while and not receiving any reply, he immediately messaged Jiang Xi: What’s going on? What grudge does Xie Zilu want to settle?

Jiang Xi seemed very afraid: Lin Lan, you must not get involved in this matter, absolutely not. You must not get involved with anything related to that matter… Xie Zilu is like a mad dog now, he bites whoever he catches. Even if he asks you to come, you must not come…

Reading Jiang Xi’s response, Lin Lan felt enveloped in mist, his heart feeling a suffocating sensation akin to sudden cardiac arrest.

He gripped the phone tightly, his mind replaying the events that had unfolded.

What exactly is that matter?

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