Jiang Jin felt that after Xu Shengwei and Lin Lan talked, his whole person seemed to have been sublimated. He often asked questions, and he would also watch videos with a pensive look, appearing much smarter than usual.
Curiously, he asked, “What did Lin Lan say to you yesterday? Did he speak ill of me?”
In Jiang Jin’s subconscious, Lin Lan was a very picky person. Although Lin Lan usually didn’t say much during training, he could feel that they both fell far short of Lin Lan’s expectations.
He went to bed feeling quite guilty yesterday. That night, he even dreamed that Lin Lan looked at him with a complex gaze, somewhat disappointed and cold, which startled Jiang Jin awake in the middle of the night.
“Did he scold us?” Jiang Jin became more and more nervous as he asked, “Recently, we have indeed been lagging behind a bit. Maybe Lin Lan has been wanting to say it for a long time, but he didn’t want to lose face…”
Jiang Jin even regarded Xu Shengwei as a grasshopper on the same rope, even using the word “us.”
Xu Shengwei said, “He did mention the problem with our bottom lane.”
Jiang Jin started to feel nervous. “What did he say?”
Xu Shengwei: “He said I wasn’t playing professionally enough.”
Jiang Jin only cared about one thing: “What about me? Did he say anything about me?”
“He did.” Xu Shengwei paused for a moment, and Jiang Jin sitting in front of him visibly tensed up. “He said your understanding of the game is very advanced. In the next update, you will amaze the entire esports community.”
Jiang Jin gradually became stunned, his pupils dilating. He had thought Lin Lan would mention his recent poor performance, but unexpectedly, it was praise.
Xu Shengwei: “He also said for me to learn more from you. To learn from your understanding of the game, which would be helpful to me…”
Jiang Jin stared at him blankly, unable to describe the feeling. It just felt like his heart was warming up, and the whole world was blossoming. “Did he really say that?”
Xu Shengwei nodded. His demeanor was as stoic as a log, without any embellishment. “He said so.”
Jiang Jin suddenly became happy. The gloom left over from last night instantly dissipated, and Xu Shengwei, who usually seemed stubborn, suddenly became much more adorable.
Anyway, at least Lin Lan recognized him. That meant his playstyle was not a problem! He couldn’t let down Lin Lan’s approval. He had to teach Xu Shengwei well and lead him to victory in the finals!
Jiang Jin immediately sat back in his seat, putting on his headphones with great enthusiasm. “Come on, let’s duo queue.”
On the other side, Lin Lan was completely unaware of the impact of his conversation last night. He had simply found the recliner on the balcony comfortable, intending to rest for a while leaning against it. He hadn’t expected it to be so comfortable that he ended up falling asleep. By the time Lu Shi woke him up, it was already afternoon.
Lu Shi: “Hey, Lin Lan, why are you still sleeping? Do you know about IB wanting to scrimmage with us?”
Lin Lan, still groggy, opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had slept. “What’s going on?”
Lu Shi: “IB, you know, they offered to scrimmage with us, which was supposed to be a good thing. But their attitude is so arrogant, making a bunch of demands.”
As soon as he heard IB, Lin Lan instantly perked up. “What demands?”
Lu Shi: “They want us to accommodate their schedule because they have a training session with a Korean team. So they want our scrim to be split into two sessions, meaning we have to wait for their notification all day. And that’s not all, the most outrageous part is they also want the entire scrim to be live-streamed from our training facility to prevent cheating. But they’re hypocritical about it, only asking us to livestream to them, while they won’t livestream to us, claiming they’re afraid of tactical leaks.”
Lu Shi took a bite of the apple as he spoke. It was the apple he had brought back from the hospital when Lin Lan was admitted, and indeed it was no longer crisp.
He was extremely disdainful of IB’s behavior. “They initiated the scrimmage, it’s not like we begged them to invite us. Who do they think they are?”
IB’s boss was powerful, with strong connections, and extremely concerned about his reputation in the industry. Their attitude had always been arrogant, and their fans followed suit, making enemies everywhere.
Fortunately, their strength matches their arrogance. Otherwise, they’d be no different from a pile of crap.
Lin Lan sat up, feeling much more awake. “Did Coach Zhang agree?”
“He initially agreed. But then IB came up with a third demand, and the team captain refused to agree.”
Curious, Lin Lan asked, “What demand?”
“They demanded that DT must field all five starters, and you must play mid-lane.”
Lin Lan was momentarily stunned. His first thought was that IB wanted to take the opportunity to study him, and the second was that he felt uncomfortable about it.
Tactical arrangements were internal matters for DT. What did IB have to do with it? And he could play whichever position he wanted to play. It’s one thing for IB to manage their own players, but to meddle in the affairs of other teams’ players?
Moreover, without Lin Lan, what’s IB but a top-tier team? They’re not even on par with ENG. Is it necessary to compromise and scrimmage with them?
Lin Lan was rebellious by nature, and 80% of it was directed towards IB. When he heard their demand, he chuckled coldly, “They really think highly of themselves.”
Lu Shi’s eyes lit up. “Hey, the captain said the same thing.”
Excitedly moving closer, he continued, “The captain refused, and he also believed that scrimmaging with IB was not worth it. Coach Zhang couldn’t persuade him, so he had no choice but to reject IB. And guess what? IB’s coach got angry and accused us of being arrogant and looking down on them because we refused to scrimmage. Now Coach Zhang is worried that IB will use public opinion against us. He’s still trying to persuade the captain to agree…”
Lin Lan felt that a team like IB, with strength, was acceptable. But when their strength didn’t match their arrogance, they were bound to decline sooner or later. Besides, DT might not even be the finals opponent. There was no need to overly cater to them.
After careful consideration, he believed, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If DT can win over ENG, we can really embarrass IB.”
Lu Shi: “Yes, yes, yes. That’s exactly what the captain is thinking. He and Coach Zhang are now contacting ENG for scrimmages. It would be great if it works out.”
If they succeeded, it would be excellent. DT and ENG reconciling could also garner support from ENG’s fans. It’s a win-win situation, a welcome outcome for both sides, and IB would pay the price for their arrogance.
But the question is, will ENG really agree?
Qi Mo is a peacemaker by nature, always seeking stability. He might not agree to involve the team in the conflict between DT and IB…
When Lin Lan thought of this, he immediately stood up. He went to the office and saw Coach Zhang looking a bit overwhelmed, with the operations department also summoned to the office to address the issue.
Xiao Shengjing was actively contacting the ENG team. He knew Qi Mo held weight in ENG and had decision-making power, so he had a lot of discussions and analysis with them.
Unfortunately, Qi Mo was accustomed to seeking stability. His response to Xiao Shengjing’s warm invitation was always: “Hmm, I’ll discuss it with the team.”
Discuss it with the team, and then there was no follow-up. DT had been waiting for a response all along.
Meanwhile, the operations department promptly discovered: “There are people online talking about this.”
Lin Lan leaned over to take a look. It was a post by someone claiming to be an IB fan on Weibo. They posted a screenshot from IB’s internal fan group, where someone asked why DT refused to scrimmage with IB. IB’s leader self-deprecatingly commented that after DT defeated ENG, their value had far surpassed IB’s. So it was only natural for them to refuse, wasn’t it?
Once the revelation emerged, it instantly angered IB’s formidable fan base. DT’s official Weibo account was directly bombarded. Faced with the fierce invasion, DT’s fans were still in a state of confusion and disbelief.
Lin Lan suddenly realized that the war between DT and IB had begun. Prior to the competition, the first battle was the battle of public opinion.
Veterans in the industry had once said that if a team lost in public opinion, they would inevitably become the villain of the entire community. Losing a match was entertaining for everyone, but winning a match was scorned and looked down upon. Being taken down by everyone was the ultimate outcome…
For a newly famous team like DT, such a result was tantamount to a fatal blow, something that would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame.
Brother Mu rushed to the base in emergency. He hadn’t expected the situation to be so tricky. “Just a scrimmage and IB is going this far? Making such a scene?”
The head of the operations team nodded. “Yes, they are. IB uses these kinds of tactics to solidify their fan base, so their fans are all very fanatical.”
IB, through these fanatical tactics, tightly bound their fans’ fate with theirs. So whenever IB had an issue, this group of fans would charge forward for them.
Brother Mu: “What about ENG? Have they replied?”
Coach Zhang looked troubled. “They said they’re still discussing it and haven’t given a clear message.”
But at this time, they were still hesitating. It felt like ENG was preparing to stay out of it.
In the long-standing struggle between ENG and IB, ENG had always had this mentality of stepping back. This was why, even when they were stronger than IB, they could never win the battle of public opinion.
Lin Lan had said before that Qi Mo’s pursuit of stability was an advantage, but also a disadvantage. After ENG unexpectedly lost in the Spring Split semifinals, they had been mocked by IB’s fans endlessly. Were they really not planning to regain any public opinion advantage?
Brother Mu sighed. “Alright, you guys haven’t done anything wrong in this matter. I’ll go talk to the IB boss and try to agree to all their demands.”
Just giving in like this?
Lin Lan felt all his rebelliousness rise up. “Wait, Brother Mu. I’m quite familiar with Qi Mo. Let me ask him.”
On the other side, the players at ENG’s base were quietly discussing the matter.
The jungle player said, “We should agree. If DT can beat us, they can definitely beat IB too. We can use their momentum to pressure IB. How can we miss such a great opportunity?”
Qi Mo still believed, “But what if we lose? Then it would be IB gaining momentum and overpowering us. It’s better to maintain the status quo. Don’t help either side; whether they win or lose won’t affect us.”
“The captain’s thinking seems to be right…”
“Right about what? IB has been bullying us with public opinion for so many years. I still think we should take a chance. Who cares if we win or lose, as long as it feels good…”
“Hahaha, you’re just too impulsive. Just like in the match against DT. Even the captain can’t hold you back…”
They trained while chatting and laughing.
The gloom of losing to DT had almost dissipated, and as they thought about DT’s opponent in the finals being IB, their views on DT had changed. They even hoped DT would become stronger, to press IB down and show IB’s fans that their leader wasn’t as great as they thought. It would stop IB’s fans from constantly targeting ENG.
It’s just a pity that the captain didn’t agree to the scrimmage.
Qi Mo continued playing ranked games when suddenly his phone rang. He usually didn’t pay much attention to messages while playing ranked, but this time he picked up the phone.
After the semifinal ended, he took the initiative to add Lin Lan’s contact information. Most of the time, they had some casual discussions, occasionally chatting about their views on the game.
He did indeed pick up on some different things from Lin Lan, subtle nuances far above what he knew, which fascinated him. So Lin Lan became someone he particularly cared about.
When his phone rang, he realized it was from Lin Lan. He opened the message: Don’t you want to have a mid-lane showdown with me?
Qi Mo’s breath hitched, and he replied: When?
Lin Lan responded: Now. Scrimmaging with DT. You and I in the mid-lane.
Qi Mo had to admit that Lin Lan had indeed tempted him. He had been wanting to have a showdown with Lin Lan for the past few days but had been rejected. Now he finally had the opportunity.
However, he quickly calmed down. Impulsiveness wasn’t in his character.
Qi Mo asked: Is it also about that matter?
Lin Lan didn’t conceal it: Yeah. Compared to IB, I’d rather ally with you guys. They’re not qualified in my eyes.
When Qi Mo saw the message, he felt a subtle mix of emotions. He knew IB’s strength wasn’t up to par, but hearing it from Lin Lan made it different.
It meant Lin Lan acknowledged ENG but not IB.
The thought of being acknowledged by Lin Lan brought a hidden sense of pleasure to him…
For a moment, Qi Mo really wanted to impulsively agree, but then he hesitated. Could his own emotions really represent the team?
Lin Lan continued: I’ve been practicing Zed recently. You’ve probably practiced LeBlanc too, right? Let’s swap champions and give it a try.
The scene of him using Zed against Lin Lan’s LeBlanc was still vivid in his mind. He blocked all of Lin Lan’s avenues of escape, yet Lin Lan still managed to survive. What would happen if they swapped champions?
Qi Mo didn’t know, but he really wanted to try. He felt that Lin Lan had grasped his lifeline. After much internal struggle, impulsiveness ultimately triumphed over reason.
He stood up abruptly. “Alright, I’ll go talk to the coach.”
The jungle player next to him was surprised by Qi Mo’s sudden change of heart. “Why is the captain acting so impulsively?”
The top laner shook his head. He didn’t know. He only knew that the captain would be fined for AFK in games.
…
Just when everyone in DT was feeling frantic, Coach Zhang was pleasantly surprised. “ENG agreed!”
What? Did ENG really agree?
Before everyone could react, Coach Zhang had already begun arranging the scrimmage, while Brother Mu immediately organized the operations department. “Send out the press release right away.”
Everyone got busy. At that moment, they all felt the power of unity, like strands of rope twisting together, helping DT get through the difficulty.
Just when public opinion online was about to criticize DT to death, DT’s official Weibo finally came online to clarify.
The manager of the public relations department was skilled in language charm. Without naming names or pointing fingers at any specific incidents, he posted some updates from DT. Among them was the incident where IB asked them to scrimmage but was rejected. He explained the reason for DT’s refusal, quite simply: IB had scheduled a scrimmage with a Korean team and demanded that DT comply with their schedule. However, DT had already arranged a scrimmage with ENG, so they couldn’t accommodate IB and had to decline.
Throughout the entire statement, there was no accusation or complaint. The tone even carried a hint of pity, instantly highlighting IB’s bullying behavior.
As soon as this statement was released, everyone realized that it was DT’s counterattack. And ENG had joined in! It was a very impressive victory!
In the group chat, IB’s leader only complained about DT refusing the scrimmage, but conveniently overlooked their own demand for the opponent to comply with their schedule. This operation was both arrogant and disgusting.
For a moment, public opinion crazily reversed. Previously silent fans began to fight back, pushing back against the narrative IB had tried to create.
Furthermore, their groveling to the Korean team invited countless attacks from anti-Korean sentiment. Why should DT accommodate their schedule? Why not ask the Korean team to accommodate theirs? Do they think the Korean team is superior?
Don’t forget, DT is IB’s opponent in the finals! They just defeated ENG! Even ENG agreed to scrimmage with them! What exactly is IB trying to prove?
Public opinion overwhelmed IB. All the debts they had previously accumulated came back to bite them. IB’s loyal fans couldn’t withstand the barrage and started logging off one by one.
At the school, Qi Rong, who was preparing for a gathering with her girlfriends, saw this message. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed. Her favorite team had joined forces with her cousin? There was no need to ask, it must be IB’s fault!
She immediately canceled the gathering and called her girlfriends over, saying, “Do you have your phones? Are you fast at typing? Can you be a bit sarcastic? Alright. Follow me and let’s charge in!”
The overwhelming public opinion crushed IB. The big boss called and scolded the team manager and head coach over the phone, giving them a stern order: “Fix this mess or get out!”
The arrogant team manager, accustomed to his arrogance, ended up shooting himself in the foot and dared not utter a word.
However, he couldn’t understand why, after competing with ENG for so long, who had always been mild-mannered, they suddenly began to fight back.
As the situation unfolded, it resulted in IB firing the team leader and vowing never to hire them again. But everyone knew the team leader was just a scapegoat, and IB received criticism from all sides once again.
ENG and DT fans made peace, which was a good thing for both sides.
DT was a new team, as new as they could be, and they needed to rely on ENG’s foundation to establish themselves in the LPL.
Meanwhile, ENG had suffered a defeat in the spring season, and public opinion was already against them. They also needed to ride on DT’s success to regain their reputation.
This move, jokingly referred to by fans of both sides as “joining forces of the strong,”
“DT is nothing but a mediocre team,” IB’s big boss said impatiently, puffing on his cigar and patting his big belly like a nouveau riche. “Isn’t it just that guy named Lin Lan who plays well? Just wait, if DT wins, I’ll spend a fortune to poach him and turn IB into a galactic battleship. Then ENG will be nothing. I don’t believe there’s anything money can’t fix in this world…”
After intense preparations, the training match between DT and ENG officially began.
True to his word, Lin Lan directly took the mid-lane position, ready for a fair showdown with Qi Mo.
In this showdown, neither team’s jungler interfered in the mid-lane during the laning phase. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, everyone understood, leaving the battlefield quiet for the two of them.
Lin Lan didn’t take the match lightly just because it was a training game; it was a promise he made to Qi Mo, and he was determined to take it seriously.
As both sides went into the game, theoretically, these two champions were evenly matched, and victory or defeat depended entirely on their skillful play, which could change in an instant.
Qi Mo cautiously engaged in the lane, gripping his mouse tightly and controlling LeBlanc to trade blows with Lin Lan.
With a W-A-A combo, Qi Mo inflicted damage on Lin Lan, reducing his health. Not to be outdone, Lin Lan retaliated with a long-range Q.
Qi Mo slightly gained the upper hand in this exchange.
His LeBlanc was equipped with attack speed, making it effortless for him to procure the electric shock with auto attacks.
He had previously studied Lin Lan’s playstyle, but since he hadn’t played against an AD champion, he couldn’t replicate Lin Lan’s ability to land two auto attacks without attack speed. Therefore, bringing attack speed was the safest option for him.
Lin Lan knew about his attack speed, knowing he couldn’t avoid it. Instead of backing off, he chose to engage and trade blows, suffering a small disadvantage but not a fatal one.
As both champions reached level 2, Qi Mo continued to maintain a slight advantage in terms of health.
However, Lin Lan didn’t fall too far behind. He used his W to dodge the damage from LeBlanc’s W and managed to land a Q skill shot on Qi Mo.
Watching the training match from behind, Lu Shi couldn’t help but ask Coach Zhang, “Is Lin Lan losing?”
Coach Zhang shook his head, explaining that while Qi Mo’s attack speed gave him a slight advantage in the short term, he sacrificed adaptability for damage output. This would make him increasingly powerless in the later stages of the game.
“Let’s see how it plays out,” Coach Zhang advised, looking ahead.
Both continued to trade blows in the lane, neither returning to base, with their health consistently maintained at half.
The sensation was incredibly subtle. Qi Mo felt like it was more of a solo match, where everything besides Lin Lan seemed obscured and out of sight.
And in solo matches, Lin Lan had never lost to anyone.
Lin Lan tightened his grip on the mouse, expanding his dynamic vision to the maximum, even noticing the slightest details like the breeze brushing through the Summoner’s Rift bushes.
Qi Mo’s every move was under his surveillance. The moment Qi Mo raised his hand to cast W, Lin Lan preemptively used his W to perfectly evade it. The two exchanged positions, mirroring the situation from their previous match.
However, with different champions this time, the outcome would be different.
LeBlanc unleashed Electrocute on Lin Lan, dealing massive damage and reducing his health to a quarter. With Ignite applied, all Qi Mo needed was a few more basic attacks to take down Lin Lan. Moreover, he still had his second W available, making Lin Lan’s demise almost inevitable.
But Lin Lan remained unfazed. He was waiting for an opportunity, for Qi Mo to make a misstep. As Qi Mo stepped into the danger zone, Lin Lan’s eyes sharpened – now was the time!
He raised his hand and cast his Q ability. The shadow clone and he simultaneously threw a chakram. The two chakrams intersected and blended, forming an insolvable X-shape!
Qi Mo’s breath paused. It was that move!
It was his signature move. The same one Lin Lan dodged with the deceiver!
If Lin Lan could dodge it, why couldn’t he?
Qi Mo heightened his attention, displaying the results of his training for many days. He seized the opportunity to W back to his original position, but capturing that 0.2-second moment was simply too difficult!
“Swish, swish” — the two chakrams tore through his body layer by layer. Triumphantly returning blood allowed Lin Lan to gain a second lease on life, and the bleeding effect from Ignite ceased.
Qi Mo stared at the black and white screen, breaking out in a cold sweat.
It was too difficult! That move was already beyond human limits! Even if he had a fifty percent chance of dodging it during training, it would be absolutely impossible on the battlefield!
Because the arena and the training ground are completely different!
He could feel that the probability of making mistakes on the battlefield was almost one hundred percent for him, while Lin Lan could repeatedly perform flawlessly…
And, and, he even knew how to counter that move from Zed…
A tsunami of fear surged, engulfing him. Qi Mo once again experienced what despair truly meant when facing Lin Lan. He even felt that, without jungle interference, no one in the world could defeat Lin Lan.
How could such a terrifying existence exist?
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