When Shen Huai rushed over from the west gate, the enemy sorcerer had just finished controlling and was planning to counter-control. But just as he raised his hand, an assassin appeared out of nowhere and interrupted his skill with two close-range strikes!
At the same time, a bullet grazed his shoulder.
Shen Huai: …
Yuxue Feifei: Hehe, missed.
Seeing the assassin and sniper heading to the main gate, the resurrected Holy Light and Gunner on the opposite side also followed to the main gate. The Gunner, unwilling to be outdone, activated rapid fire, and the healer quickly restored the sorcerer’s health.
The Gunner typed in the team chat, “Gather at the main gate! Come help!”
Soon, all six players from both sides gathered at the main gate. The enemy was the first to kill a hundred minions, and the first attack vehicle appeared on all three lanes!
The attack vehicle randomly releases a flame spray skill on the enemy, dealing very high damage. Fortunately, there is a 3-second countdown before the skill is released, but if you’re controlled by the enemy, you’re basically dead.
Shen Huai was confident in his positioning, but the random players he teamed up with might not be. He immediately commanded, “Heavy Sword, disrupt their formation. Light Sword and I will cut to the backline, kill Holy Light first, then the sorcerer. Tianya and Yuxue Feifei, output. Wait for my signal when I type 1, then everyone go.”
The teammates all typed 1 to show they understood. Shen Huai didn’t rush; both sides were in a stalemate at the main gate, neither attacking.
At this moment, the resurrected Xifeng Qi Master once again charged into the enemy’s formation without hesitation. The enemy was already used to his behavior of giving away kills, so they eagerly used their skills on him.
Shen Huai simultaneously typed “1” in the team chat. The five players who had been holding back suddenly charged forward. The swordsman swung his massive iron sword, slashing at anyone in sight. The enemy didn’t expect them to dare attack 5v6, and they were caught off guard. When they tried to counterattack, they realized their skills had just been used on the Qi Master and were still on cooldown!
Only then did they realize that the Qi Master had come specifically to bait their skills!
Without skills, the enemy could only scatter and flee. The short-legged Holy Light was immediately isolated, watching helplessly as the assassin caught up from behind with a set of flashy critical hits, leaving him barely alive, then turned to charge at the nearby sorcerer.
The Holy Light, left with a sliver of health: ???
Did he not notice I’m still alive? Did I miraculously escape?
He was puzzled when suddenly an ice pillar fell from the sky, crushing him into a meat patty.
“…”
Only then did he understand that the assassin had actually left the kill for the Ice Mage!
The remaining five were quickly left with low health by Shen Huai and the swordsman. They found that this assassin had an incredibly strong pursuit ability, weaving through the attack vehicle’s flame spray skill with agility. No matter how they tried to slow him down or control him, he always seemed to anticipate and dodge just in time.
The players, having wasted all their skills, were so frustrated they could spit blood. Yet, this assassin only left them with low health, never delivering a fatal blow.
What’s going on? Is he out of skills? Did he run away?
In moments of panic, people tend to have wishful thinking. But when they calm down, they realize how ridiculous their thoughts were.
Thinking they had narrowly escaped death, the players ran no more than two steps before a wide-range Icebound World descended from the sky. The entire map seemed to plunge into a glacial world, and amidst the dazzling ice and snow, the screen turned gray.
—Tianya killed Nanke Yimeng!
—Six kills!
In arena mode, getting six kills is extremely difficult, a combination of skill and luck. Even in a one-sided match, it’s not guaranteed to achieve six kills.
Haixing, seeing the “six kills” on the screen, excitedly took off his headphones and shouted, “Six kills! How about that! Just ask if you accept it!”
Taking advantage of this team wipe, everyone pushed straight to the enemy’s barracks.
“Victory!”
Seeing the word pop up on the screen, Haixing felt a sense of pride and refreshment. He typed rapidly, “Xifeng, are you still calling? Who’s the noob? Huh? How does it feel to win lying down?”
Xifeng, used as a human target, was so angry he was fuming, wishing he could reach through the internet and grab Haixing by the collar for a three-day, three-night fight.
In his rage, he typed a string of censored words on the public chat, “I ￥#%@&*…”
Haixing watched Xifeng’s angry rant with relish, never having thought watching someone curse him could be so satisfying.
Even after exiting the arena interface, he was still savoring it.
Shen Huai said meaningfully, “Not bad skills.”
Haixing, instantly doused with cold water: !!
Should he have acted a bit more like a noob?! What to do if he accidentally went on a killing spree and got six kills!
But being praised by Feather God felt so good, he really wanted to play another round…
Seeing the mage suddenly go silent, Shen Huai found it amusing.
“Tianya’s” level was impressive, especially after arguing with Xifeng. His technical operation and positioning improved by more than one level. The Ice Mage is a difficult branch of the mage class, with most skills requiring casting time, making them easy to interrupt by the enemy. But this Tianya’s output position was very comfortable from start to finish, almost undisturbed.
In the Maple Moon team, there was a gunner very skilled at finding output positions, whose terrifying output on the battlefield accounted for almost a third of the team’s total. And his personality was just like his profession—volatile and explosive.
This Tianya must be Haixing, the youngest and most hot-tempered member of the Maple Moon team.
As for Yuxue Feifei, it seemed like he was just playing around the whole match, missing every long-range snipe, not even close to the level of the so-called hundred-shot-hundred-hit sniper Song Xueyang. However, every time he happened to attack the same enemy as Shen Huai and missed, this kind of tacit understanding, as if performed just for him, wasn’t something you could have with just anyone.
It could only be Song Xueyang himself.
Shen Huai wasn’t angry, but rather puzzled. How could Song Xueyang not realize something Shen Huai could see? If he realized it, why did he do it? Shen Huai couldn’t figure out if Song Xueyang wanted him to recognize him or not.
A phone ringing interrupted his thoughts, the caller ID showing it was his college class president, Liu Yueran.
“Big star, busy filming?” Liu Yueran’s voice was very cheerful.
Shen Huai, under his father’s arrangement, started school early. At 21, he had just graduated from college. While his classmates were busy with bit parts and seeking sponsorships, he already had several films starring himself, making others envious.
But Shen Huai’s acting was poor. He was introverted and not good at expressing himself, rarely showing any extra expressions. Even though he tried hard to immerse himself in the roles, he could never achieve complete immersion in front of the camera, perhaps the reason he couldn’t act well.
Many classmates, though not saying it out loud, looked down on him, thinking his poor acting wasted such good resources. Only Liu Yueran never showed him any disdain. Her straightforward and sincere nature made her one of Shen Huai’s few friends.
“I’m on a break,” Shen Huai replied.
“Come to the class reunion! It’s the end of the year, and everyone’s planning to gather. Your respected Professor Xu will be there too~”
Shen Huai wasn’t really interested in class reunions, but Professor Xu was his mentor, who helped him a lot during school. Plus, it was an invitation from a good friend, so he didn’t refuse.
“Time and place?”
Liu Yueran cheerfully said, “This Friday night, at Shanghai Baiwei Yiyu. You better hurry and get your ticket~”
Today was already Wednesday, so he should indeed hurry. Shen Huai booked a flight for the next day, quickly said goodbye to Song Xueyang in the game, and logged off to start packing.
*
Song Xueyang also had something to do. Fan Jingming, who had been traveling, was back, and now all the current official team members were gathered.
“Did you guys miss me?” He bent down as he entered, then raised his hand to tap the door frame, muttering, “This door frame is still so low. When will they remove the glass on top?”
Fan Jingming was tall, standing at 195cm, making him very noticeable wherever he went. His body proportions were excellent, and even simple shirts and casual pants looked tall and stylish on him. Before joining Maple Moon, he worked part-time as a model and still often handled the team’s endorsements.
Besides that, Fan Jingming loved traveling. As soon as the team had a break, he would immediately pack his bag, grab his camera, and wander around. This time, during a 7-day vacation, he went to Harbin to see the ice sculptures.
Haixing rolled his eyes, “Being tall is so great, huh? Always showing off.”
Fan Jingming patted his head, “Little shorty.”
Haixing stood up and kicked Fan Jingming’s knee, making him yelp and hop on one leg to his desk.
“Giving me such a big welcome gift as soon as I get back, you’re really something, little guy.” He placed his backpack on the desk and rummaged through it, “And I even brought you guys gifts.”
Song Xueyang walked over with a smile, “I can take Haixing’s share for him.”
Fan Jingming pulled out a rectangular red box and handed it to Song Xueyang, “For your fox.”
Song Xueyang opened it to find Yiquan Baijiu, a premium edition!
His eyes immediately turned into crescent moons, “Nice, I’ll give you a few more days off next time.”
Zhou Ning walked over and held out his hand, “Where’s mine?”
Fan Jingming pulled out a few red sausages and a face-sized big bread, “Harbin specialties, enjoy.”
After distributing to the two, Fan Jingming zipped up his backpack. Haixing, who had been waiting on the side, huffed, “I’m going back to the dorm!”
He was about to leave when Fan Jingming quickly stopped him, “Why so anxious? How could I forget Star Lord’s share?”
He magically pulled out a delicate wooden box from behind and handed it to Haixing. Haixing quickly opened it, revealing a finely crafted wooden… doll??
Doll?
Looking at the box containing a wooden doll dressed in a floral cotton jacket with rosy cheeks, Haixing was stunned for two seconds, then chased after Fan Jingming with kicks, “Fan Jingming!”
Fan Jingming laughed as he ran, “Russian nesting doll! Don’t you want to know more? It’s a genuine specialty! I walked several streets to find it!”
“Get lost! You’re asking for it!”
After being kicked twice by Haixing, Fan Jingming finally surrendered, taking back the doll and handing it to Zhou Ning, “For your sister.”
Then he pulled out a silver-white box and tossed it to Haixing, “This is for you, a City of Despair all-class chibi keychain.”
Haixing’s eyes lit up, the small and cute keychains lay on the white velvet, each class intricately carved, making him love it.
After distributing the gifts, Fan Jingming opened his computer, organizing photos while asking, “How’s the search for new teammates going? There’s less than a month left in the transfer period. If we don’t hurry, we won’t be able to play in next year’s professional league.”
Zhou Ning hinted, “The captain wants to invite a top player to hold the fort, can’t rush it.”
“Top player?” Fan Jingming was intrigued, “Who? Could it be Cang Yu?”
Haixing’s eyes widened, “How did you know?”
Fan Jingming smiled knowingly, “In the captain’s eyes, who else could be called a top player?”
Everyone in the Maple Moon team knew that Song Xueyang was a fan of Cang Yu. He almost never missed Cang Yu’s live streams and never hid it, always using his main account to send rockets. Not just them, probably the entire e-sports circle knew.
“But captain, are you confident? Cang Yu has refused many professional team invitations over the years.”
Mentioning Cang Yu, Song Xueyang’s gaze softened, “Of course, I never do anything I’m not confident about.”
In his eyes, he seemed to already see the day he and Cang Yu stood side by side on the podium, raising the championship trophy together.
“By the way, keep Friday night free.”
Haixing quickly asked, “Another training session?”
Song Xueyang tapped him, “Alright, then you train alone.”
Haixing was instantly confused, seeing the others shaking their heads and sighing, even more puzzled, “What’s wrong? No training?”
Zhou Ning said helplessly, “The captain is arranging for us to have a meal.”
“Why?”
Fan Jingming held up a calendar, “Happy birthday~”
On the calendar, Friday was circled, with a smiling fox head drawn next to it.
Haixing’s face turned red to his ears, “I-I forgot.”
Song Xueyang patted his head, “I’m generous, just punish yourself with three drinks.”
Haixing: “…”
Help! There’s a bad captain forcing a minor to drink here!
Zhou Ning asked, “Which restaurant?”
“Baiwei Yiyu, members get a 10% discount on their birthday!” Song Xueyang said with a smile.