In the subsequent matches, DT mostly encountered lower-tier teams that stood no chance against them, and they ruthlessly secured a seven-game winning streak.
On the other hand, ENG was not to be outdone, following closely behind with an eight-game winning streak, putting both teams’ names at the top of the leaderboard.
In contrast, IB struggled in their subsequent matches after losing to ENG, achieving a record of 5-2, with their points even lagging behind YTF.
Discussions about them in the community were everywhere:
[This year’s DT is so strong. With the addition of the new top laner, they’ve made a qualitative leap.]
[Now DT’s three lanes can all carry, and they control the jungle so well…]
[ENG has also made significant progress. It’s evident that Qi Mo has grown a lot.]
[This year’s World Championship looks promising.]
[It’s the first time I’ve been so excited for the World Championship.]
[I wonder which three teams will make it to the World Championship this year.]
[DT and ENG will definitely make it, and I think the third will be YTF.]
[IB shouldn’t go this year; they’ll just embarrass themselves.]
[Look at the Korean region; they’re really strong this year too…]
DT became incredibly popular in the community, almost surpassing ENG in terms of buzz. Brother Mu was so busy that he barely had a moment to breathe, and Coach Zhang had to assist with managing affairs, leaving almost all the training to Shi Quan.
Shi Quan’s training regime was intense before the season started. But once the season began, he relaxed the training intensity, with specifics as follows: if they won all their matches, they could rest after reviews; if they lost even one game, it was back to intense training.
Due to their carelessness, it’s said that DT lost two minor games earlier, and upon returning, they were subjected to hellish training. Shi Quan made them practice every mistake thousands of times until they were exhausted.
Under this extreme regimen, even the usually laid-back Lin Lan approached every match with utmost seriousness, determined to end matches 2-0 instead of 2-1 whenever possible!
Shi Quan’s training methods were frequently complained about by his teammates during live streams. Lin Lan even called this method “corporal punishment”. Even Xiao Shengjing, who is usually very calm, showed a slight change in expression when mentioning it, saying, “You guys better not know about this; it’s very brutal.”
Now the entire esports community knows that DT faces “corporal punishment” when they lose matches. Instead of feeling sorry for them, fans are all gloating and flocking to Lin Lan’s livestream to stir things up.
[Aren’t you playing with FO tomorrow? If you lose, won’t Coach Shi torture you to death?]
[Oh, my poor Lan Bao, you clearly dislike training, and now the new coach is torturing you with this method. Isn’t this forcing you to rise up?]
[The worst part is, he’s always giving Lan utility heroes. Even if Lan wants to carry, he can’t.]
[This is when Jiang Xu and Xu Shengwei’s importance really shows.]
[Haha, my poor Lan, how long has it been since you’ve played an assassin…]
[No wonder you’re always playing Zed during live streams; it’s to satisfy your craving.]
[Hehe, I love watching Lin Lan play Galio. Can Coach Shi give him Galio forever?]
Seeing this comment, Lin Lan was puzzled, “Why do other people’s fans shower them with love and support, while mine are all so mischievous?”
The fans got even more excited: [Maybe it has something to do with the streamer.]
[We learned it from you! Hurry up and sign a contract to open the gift channel! I want to humiliate you with money!]
[Live entertainment streamer seeking love online.]
[My Lan is both pitiful and adorable.]
[Don’t do that. My Lan is already playing so frustrated. Don’t make him die of anger.]
[Haha, I’m dying of laughter, guys…]
Lin Lan was indeed about to be driven mad by the comments. Coach Shi had chosen Galio for him seven times this summer split, and when it wasn’t Galio, it was either Ahri or Zoe.
Seeing the comments still mocking him, Lin Lan immediately picked Galio twice in a row. This champion wasn’t particularly entertaining to watch, and without team coordination, it wasn’t very exciting either. After watching two games, the viewers were dozing off, while Lin Lan enthusiastically emphasized, “Galio is so fun! I love playing Galio. I can just coast and still win. Coach Shi can pick Galio for me for the rest of my life…”
Only then did the fans realize Lin Lan was getting back at them and quickly surrendered: [Oh no, Lin Lan has gone mad with anger…]
[SOS. I’m starting to worry about the streamer’s mental state.]
[I was wrong. I won’t tease you anymore! Please play Zed again!]
[You finally stream, and you’ve already played Galio twice!]
[Help! It’s bad enough watching you play Galio in matches, now we have to watch it on stream too!]
[Why does the streamer bully me? I’ve never bullied you…]
[Drag out the fans who were teasing Lin Lan earlier and kill them.]
[My Lan is so mischievous, but why can’t I quit him? QAQ.]
Seeing the sudden shift in the comments, Lin Lan burst into laughter. He hadn’t expected interacting with his fans to be so much fun.
Being young, he had an air of youthful arrogance, and his laughter had a particularly teasing tone. “If you don’t want to watch me play Galio, you should go and persuade Coach Shi! Tell him to stop picking Galio for me in matches; I’m sick of playing it…”
[Ahhh, Lin Lan’s smile is so captivating!]
[Smile more, Lin Lan! I love seeing you smile!]
[Okay, okay. We’ll go bombard the official account and ask Coach Shi to pick Zed for you.]
[Hahaha, finally saying what you really feel…]
This quickly made its way to Xiao Shengjing’s live stream, where the screen was filled with comments about Lin Lan complaining about the coach and urging the captain to fine him.
Despite the noisy comments, Xiao Shengjing chose to ignore them, pretending not to see.
This made the chat explode even more. Everyone knew the captain had a soft spot for Lin Lan, but this blatant favoritism was too much!
The fans were buzzing, hopping between various live streams all night in excitement. However, the fun was short-lived; Lin Lan ended his stream at 10 PM to go duo rank with Xiao Shengjing.
Left with nowhere to go, the fans flocked to Lu Shi’s stream. Although he had transitioned to a staff role, his schedule still aligned with the players’, staying until they finished training. The fans bombarded his stream, asking if Captain Xiao and Lin Lan had secretly gone on a date.
Lu Shi loved watching the comments and joking around: “Yeah, they’re on a date in Summoner’s Rift. Just now, they were in the river, now they’re in the dragon pit, beating up anyone who interrupts their date.”
The chat exploded with laughter, agreeing that this was indeed how esports players would date!
The joyful day quickly came to an end. The next day, DT was set to face off against FO.
FO has made significant progress this year, especially in the top lane. Their top laner had gone from “timidly defending the tower while being beaten by Lin Lan” to now being able to “stand up and carry his team when needed”, showcasing tremendous improvement.
In his words: “I have to thank those matches where I was beaten by Lin Lan; they helped me improve a lot.”
This story became a running joke among FO’s fans. Whenever they saw him playing poorly, comments would immediately appear: “Does he need another beating from Lin Lan?”
Fans knew that FO’s players had a good relationship with DT. The top laner had even treated Lin Lan to a meal, and during live streams, he often mentioned how much he liked Lin Lan’s personality. This camaraderie led to frequent interactions between the two fan bases.
Before the summer split began, the official channel had recorded some videos. During the trash talk segment, FO’s top laner was asked: “What do you think about Lin Lan switching to the mid lane?”
Their top laner, who is a bit chubby and has a rather goofy appearance, instinctively recoiled as if avoiding the plague, saying, “Quick, switch!”
This video was screenshotted and turned into a popular meme, widely circulated, and brought out frequently by netizens for a laugh.
With the jokes out of the way, the match was about to start. The commentators on stage introduced the two teams with great enthusiasm, though introductions were hardly necessary since both teams were very well-known.
The players from both teams gradually took their places, adjusted their equipment, and quickly entered the pick-and-ban phase.
Both sides had studied each other thoroughly, so this phase proceeded swiftly. They both started by picking their bot lane champions.
FO then picked Karthus and Renekton, which theoretically meant Karthus would go mid and Renekton top. This setup would allow Lin Lan to comfortably play an assassin, as FO had not specifically targeted him in their picks, leaving most of his preferred champions available.
Shi Quan made a decisive call, “Let’s pick Zed for Xiao Lin.”
Lin Lan couldn’t believe it, “Really? You’re picking Zed for me?”
Shi Quan smiled, “Really, I’m not joking. Let’s pick Zed for Xiao Lin and let him have some fun in this game.”
Lin Lan immediately rolled up his sleeves. After nearly a month of playing utility mid-laners, he finally had a chance to shine. Since that was the case, he wouldn’t hold back.
The champion was selected and locked in, making it official.
“We never regret,” intoned the Master of Shadows, Zed, with his cold mask of disdain for everything.
Born of shadows emerging from hell, the invisible twin blades thirsted for blood. His unpredictable movements and high burst damage were the nightmares of mages. This was why Zed had always been the king of mid-lane.
Zed against a mage like Karthus, who had no mobility or crowd control, was like grinding him into the ground. With Lin Lan’s speed, they could already imagine how he’d dominate the match!
The commentator exclaimed, “Wow, Kiner is a god of assassins! Is FO really not afraid of getting beaten up with these picks?”
FO wasn’t afraid at all. They had picked their champions this way to force Lin Lan to choose Zed.
As soon as Zed was locked in, FO eagerly selected their remaining two champions: Aatrox and Nautilus.
The moment Aatrox was chosen, everyone realized DT had fallen into their trap.
First, Aatrox definitely couldn’t go mid-lane, and he wouldn’t stand a chance against Zed, so he had to go top. But then, what about Renekton and Karthus?
All the speculations had to be reconsidered, and the most disadvantageous scenario for DT was: “Karthus is likely going jungle; he can do that. So, is Renekton the mid-laner?”
If Renekton was mid, then Lin Lan’s Zed would be in trouble.
There are only two ways Zed can play against Renekton: either he gets beaten up and calls Renekton “daddy”, or he constantly calls his own jungler for help. There’s no third option.
It seemed FO hadn’t specifically targeted Lin Lan, but in reality, their entire composition was a trap for him!
The chat exploded with laughter: [Lin Lan is so doomed.]
[He finally gets to play Zed, and FO pulls this move, haha…]
[That’s a capital T-R-O-U-B-L-E.]
[Lin Lan: If I’d known, I would’ve stayed in the top lane.]
[It looks like DT is going to lose today.]
[After losing, they’ll have to face punishment again. Lin Lan seems to be the victim of a big injustice, haha…”
Lin Lan finally got to play Zed and enjoyed it for a bit, only to realize that the opponent’s Renekton was actually in mid-lane. His expression darkened, “I want to go back to the top lane.”
Why did so many people target him as soon as he played mid-lane? It was too much!
Shi Quan still had a relaxed smile on his face, showing no signs of worry. “It’s okay. I’ll pick Nidalee for the captain. She can help you out more.”
Hearing that the captain would play Nidalee, Lin Lan calmed down a bit.
With Nidalee’s damage combined with his own, as long as Renekton dared to make a move, they could definitely kill him.
But now the problem was…
“Damn it. Their jungle Karthus is a threat. If he just hides and ults, won’t I die?”
Lin Lan’s cheeks puffed up with frustration, and Xiao Shengjing couldn’t help but chuckle. If they weren’t on the stage, he would have wanted to pinch Lin Lan’s cheeks.
Xiao Shengjing: “It’s okay. I’ll just counter-jungle the Karthus.”
Xiao Shengjing’s joking tone was filled with seriousness. True to his word, once he entered the jungle, he swiftly utilized his fast clear speed to render the Karthus helpless.
While Karthus’s ultimate was indeed annoying, capable of indiscriminately attacking enemies across the map, he also had some fatal weaknesses. His self-defense capability was not strong enough, and his early jungle clear speed was slow.
Xiao Shengjing started invading the enemy jungle as soon as he reached level 2, leaving behind wards after each counter-jungle. The enemy Karthus was quite clever, immediately using a Sweeping Lens upon exiting base to clear out vision.
But clearing wards itself revealed his position. Xiao Shengjing jumped over the wall and lurked in the enemy bush.
Karthus was cautious, aware of his vulnerabilities. He cautiously probed each step forward, ensuring there was no danger before proceeding.
But ensuring his safety was also a risk.
Xiao Shengjing hugged the wall, dodging Karthus’s probing Q skill. When Karthus thought the bush was safe and started attacking the jungle monsters, Xiao Shengjing swiftly landed a long-range Q, initiating a series of skills to relentlessly chip away at Karthus’s health.
Xiao Shengjing’s Q skill was cast from within the brush and had terrain obstruction. Basically, once he revealed himself, there was no escaping.
Karthus gritted his teeth and endured a barrage of damage, his health dropping to less than half. He could only smite the jungle monster for life, buying himself a moment of respite. However, the monster’s health wasn’t low enough to be killed by the smite, so after smiting, not only did the monster not die, but it also ended up in the smite kill range for Xiao Shengjing!
With a swift smite, Xiao Shengjing’s body lit up, reaching level 3!
Nidalee had two forms, each with a complete set of skills. A level 3 Nidalee was equivalent to having six abilities, and the damage output was simply something a Karthus couldn’t withstand!
At this point, it was too late for Karthus to use Flash. Nidalee pounced alongside with Flash, landing several claws to take him down.
First blood!
Xiao Shengjing invaded the jungle, securing a solo kill against the enemy jungler!
The commentators began to get excited: “Nidalee didn’t just invade the jungle and steal the camp; she chose to ambush and solo kill Karthus! Even after dying, Karthus can still deal damage. What about Nidalee? Can she make it out?”
The fallen Karthus didn’t immediately collapse to the ground; instead, he rose as a soul in place. This was his passive ability. In this soul state, although he couldn’t move, he could still attack enemies.
After Nidalee killed Karthus, her health wasn’t in good shape. Utilizing nimble movements, she managed to dodge three consecutive Q skills and escaped over the wall with just a sliver of health left.
“Nidalee actually escaped over the wall!” The commentators couldn’t believe it. “With that low health, one Q hit would’ve been fatal! Her positioning is just incredible!”
Although Xiao Shengjing managed to escape, the danger was far from over. While he was entangled with Karthus, FO’s top laner and mid-laner were heading towards the jungle, cutting off all his escape routes.
Xiao Shengjing transformed into human form and healed himself a bit, barely restoring some health. But this amount of health wasn’t enough for him to flee. Whether it was Aatrox or Renekton, they both had the ability to kill him instantly.
Lin Lan’s voice came through the headset, “Captain, go this way.”
He marked a spot on the map. This location was enough for Xiao Shengjing to escape over the wall, but wouldn’t it be seen by Renekton?
Renekton only needed to flash and E to come up, give her two hits, and he could send her off.
But Lin Lan insisted, “Just go this way.”
He didn’t have time to explain to Xiao Shengjing. He chased after Renekton into the jungle. When Xiao Shengjing was preparing to escape over the wall, he immediately hit Renekton with a double Q.
The damage from Zed’s double Q was extremely high, and anyone would want to dodge it.
Renekton didn’t think much and immediately turned around to dodge, but that move happened to block his vision!
Xiao Shengjing followed Lin Lan to safety. Renekton didn’t know. He and Aatrox were still rushing into the jungle, searching for Nidalee in the bushes, wasting a lot of time.
This scene was so dramatic. The commentator puzzled, “Didn’t Renekton see Nidalee just now? She passed right by him.”
His partner replied, “He dodged Kiner’s double Q, and probably blocked the vision around that corner.”
At this moment, the director also wisely replayed the scene from FO’s perspective, and indeed, Nidalee’s figure couldn’t be seen.
In other words, Renekton’s instinctive reaction to dodge the Q actually caused him to miss the opportunity to kill. Lin Lan seemed to have only missed a double Q, but in reality, he saved Xiao Shengjing’s life.
In the resting room, FO’s coach covered his face, feeling like crying.
Where the hell can he argue now?
Lin Lan, who saved the captain, happily said, “It’s been a while since I saved the captain. I wonder if there’s a raise for that.”
In the past, Xiao Shengjing would have told him to scram, but times have changed. Lin Lan is now his wife, and Xiao Shengjing’s attitude immediately underwent a complete change: “I’ll give you a raise.”
Jiang Jin and Xu Shengwei were forced to eat dog food, while only Jiang Xu remained clueless, “Huh? Do you still have to pay for being saved?”
Jiang Jin replied, “It wouldn’t work with anyone else.”
Xu Shengwei added, “Special treatment for Lin Lan.”
This statement puzzled Jiang Xu for a long time until he suddenly realized. Oh my god! Could it be that Lin Lan and the captain have that kind of relationship? He must tell Qi Rong later! She’ll go crazy about it!
Back in the game, the advantage gained by Nidalee made everyone on FO’s side nervous, fearing being caught.
But Xiao Shengjing didn’t catch anyone; he kept invading the jungle. Wherever Karthus was, he was there, coordinating with Lin Lan’s damage to once again kill Karthus.
They both reached level 6, while Karthus was only level 4. The jungle was cleared out completely, becoming useless, and even became a breakthrough point.
The commentators lamented, “Originally, Karthus was picked to set up traps for Kiner, but unexpectedly, Nidalee’s rhythm flowed so smoothly, making Karthus completely ineffective.”
“Yes, without a level 6 Karthus, it’s impossible to assist the lanes. And Nidalee has been constantly catching, making it difficult for them in the mid and top lanes. FO’s plan has been completely shattered…”
As the game progressed, Lin Lan’s high burst damage combined with Xiao Shengjing’s tempo overwhelmed FO.
By the time Karthus finally scraped together enough for two items and had some damage, DT had already pushed the minion waves to their inhibitor turret and turned to take the Elder Dragon.
“DT is going for the Elder Dragon, while FO wants to contest. What will happen? DT backs off from the Elder Dragon, turns to fight, and Karthus is once again instantly killed by Lin Lan! But Karthus isn’t dead; he can still output damage!”
There’s a saying that only a dead Karthus can truly fulfill his purpose, and that saying holds true.
Karthus in his soul state won’t fall into death again. He can unleash his damage recklessly in the dragon pit, with explosive damage that no one can withstand. This is his strongest wave, and also FO’s strongest!
He brings all the members of DT to low health, starting the death chant: “Listen and rejoice for death!”
With just this one ultimate from Karthus, DT will lose at least half of their members!
This is the true intent behind picking Karthus!
The entire arena erupts in shock, sensing that the tide is about to turn.
Just as the death chant ends, a deep, rumbling sound echoes out. Lin Lan activates his ultimate, transforming into countless shadows that slice through the enemy.
At this moment, Zed enters a state of invulnerability, unable to be targeted by any skills, so Karthus’s ultimate can’t hit him at all. Lin Lan uses his ultimate to dodge Karthus’s ultimate!
On the other side, Xiao Shengjing transforms back to his human form, heals himself, and just manages to withstand the damage without dying.
The remaining Jiang Xu and Jiang Jin have relatively healthy health bars, so this ultimate won’t kill them. The only one who might have been killed by it, Xu Shengwei, manages to survive under the healing and shield provided by Jiang Jin.
“Oh my god, DT didn’t lose a single member! They all survived!”
Karthus in its soul state closes its eyes in frustration and falls to the ground with resentment. He thought this ultimate could kill at least three, but not a single one died!
As Lin Lan lands, he unleashes a burst of damage, taking out the enemy ADC, then swiftly retreats to his starting point, killing their support with two strikes. The remaining two members of FO flee in panic under Jiang Xu’s pursuit.
With such a good start and such a good position, they still ended up losing! Could it be that DT is truly unbeatable?
DT’s five members have shed their rookie labels; they all behave so professionally, taking dragons, taking towers, pushing onto high ground, and tormenting FO to no end.
They knew DT was strong and didn’t take them lightly. They even specifically devised a strategy to counter DT. But in the end, they still couldn’t win.
Whether or not to target Lin Lan, they would still lose. Is DT simply unbeatable in this way?
A relentless push from DT left FO with no chance to resist, swiftly taking down towers and securing victory in the first game!
The members of FO, defeated, wear bitter expressions, shaking their heads to express their belief that they simply can’t win.
Lin Lan’s Zed was just too agile and unpredictable; nobody could contain him. Moreover, if they focused all their efforts on him, Jiang Xu and Xu Shengwei would have the opportunity to develop…
A triple-carry lineup is simply unbeatable!
Unless every lane’s strength is on par with theirs!
But is that possible? Who can match Lin Lan’s strength? Or who can disrupt Xiao Shengjing’s rhythm?
Even meticulously crafted lineups can’t win against them, dealing a heavy blow to their morale. FO has a sinking feeling that they may never beat DT.
And it’s not just FO; every team watching the match is pondering heavily.
“Is there really no way to defeat DT?”
