“Did this rookie win again? He is a solo king!”
“Crap, our Blade lost a one-on-one? Is this the new clash laner?”
“Not just Blade, Three-fire and Brother Xu lost too! This isn’t just a new clash laner, this is a new all-around king!”
“Such a strong rookie? Is our team finally saved?”
At the entrance of the SR team’s second-floor small training room, people from the second team and the training squad swarmed around, focusing on the rookie inside and actively discussing the match situation with one another.
The atmosphere inside and outside the gaming room was completely different. Outside, people bustled about lively, while inside was an ancient Roman battlefield where the slightest carelessness would result in being cut down by the opponent. The two people currently engaged in a one-on-one held their breath and concentrated intently on their operations.
SR’s first-team starting marksman, SR-07, stared intently at his phone screen. His two thumbs controlling the directional and skill keys trembled slightly. Lin Qi was under a lot of pressure right now, with his heart rate exceeding 180.
He had already lost one game, and if he lost another, this best-of-three one-on-one match would be completely lost!
How humiliating would it be to lose to a rookie?
The person sitting opposite Lin Qi was the undefeated in one-on-one, all-around king rookie that the crowd outside had just been talking about.
As the center of attention, Yan Shu was completely unaffected by the commotion outside. He pursed his lips to moisten them slightly, a small black mole clearly visible on the right side of his lower lip. Those light-brown, beautifully shaped eyes flickered with the colorful glow of the mobile gaming interface.
“A dance of sword qi stirs the four directions!” Inside the game, Gongsun Li’s sweet voice rang out, and the attack’s drumbeats sounded at this very moment.
Yan Shu pressed his first and second skills, and Gongsun Li used a displacement from the bushes straight to Di Renjie’s front.
Lin Qi reacted quickly with his eyes and hands, pressing Di Renjie’s ultimate skill. If this skill hit, then he would be able to turn this game around.
In the blink of an eye, Gongsun Li’s umbrella suddenly retracted, and she returned to the bushes by a single position.
“What?” Lin Qi was struck with utter panic. He hadn’t expected Yan Shu to retract his umbrella so quickly, giving him no time to consider using his skill.
Yan Shu’s breathing was somewhat rapid, and when he inhaled and exhaled, his vocal cords trembled involuntarily. His heart rate was also very fast; even though this solo match was the fourth one he had played since arriving at this club, he still couldn’t calm himself down.
Returning to the esports training room, this was something he had thought of day and night for four years.
A second-team player squeezed against the glass window was able to clearly see the combat situation on the big screen. He stared intently at the LCD screen right in the center of the training room, providing a real-time commentary of the match.
Seeing an impressive play, he slapped his thigh in praise and said, “This rookie is so formidable. Di Renjie counters Gongsun Li, yet the rookie managed to bait 07’s ultimate skill using his skills and positioning.”
“At this level, he’s definitely a first-team starter,” the short person next to him responded.
The person staring at the LCD screen shifted his gaze to the rookie, attempting to guess his age. A glance made him even more envious of the rookie’s face, which looked as though it were powdered with makeup.
“Damn, look at that! Is that a male celebrity who just walked in? With skin that delicate and tender, isn’t he barely an adult?”
The short person leaned close to the window to look inside. “Gosh, I thought the only handsome guy in our team besides the captain was… Wait, isn’t this rookie way too gorgeous?”
“Our captain is what you call handsome to the point of angering both gods and men, but this rookie is truly beautiful, a genuine, textbook handsome guy.”
“He looks so young, yet another great prospect.”
Amidst the few words exchanged by the people outside, Yan Shu secured another victory.
“Victory!”
Yan Shu put down his phone and gave a polite bow. “A narrow win, I have learned much.”
Having just lost a match, anyone else would feel displeased to varying degrees. But Lin Qi was different; he had the best personality in the first team.
Perhaps this good-natured temperament had been forged from sitting in prison in the clash lane for too long. All in all, he was the only one who still initiated a conversation with Yan Shu after losing the match.
“You’re very strong. M… Moon?” Lin Qi remembered that this rookie’s gaming ID was Moon. “That pronunciation is a bit difficult. What’s your real name?”
This question actually put Yan Shu in a difficult spot. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but not a single syllable came out.
“Huh?” Lin Qi asked, confused. How could someone stutter during their own self-introduction?
Yan Shu’s throat felt both tight and dry, and he felt his breathing become somewhat unsteady again. To help himself settle down, he recalled Doctor Helen’s instructions.
The familiar voice echoed in his ear.
“Oh, dear Mr. Yan, you must forget those unpleasant things. Only by facing your fears head-on will you not be afraid. God will bless you, kind child.”
The memory stopped abruptly right there. Yan Shu raised his eyes and opened his mouth with a slightly weak voice, “I… My name is Yan, Yan Shu.”
He managed to say his name with great difficulty, and then noticed Lin Qi raising his arm. Watching that hand about to descend, Yan Shu instinctively assumed someone was going to beat and scold him again, so he quickly shrank his shoulders and closed his eyes tightly.
A warmth landed on his shoulder, and Yan Shu realized Lin Qi was not going to hit him. Yan Shu slowly opened his eyes, looking with gentle eyes at the person resting an arm around his shoulder.
“Yan Shu? Great, welcome to the SR team!” Lin Qi said enthusiastically, completely oblivious to Yan Shu’s abnormal expression.
Yan Shu was stunned.
Turns of events showed that, after all, no one really remembered him anymore. Thinking of this, he felt a sense of relief instead.
As an SR team starting player, Lin Qi very proactively led Yan Shu out to tour the base.
Yan Shu hadn’t interacted with someone this friendly in a very long time, so he simply let the marksman lead him along.
He had arrived at the team straight off the plane today, and even had to carry his suitcase while walking. When crossing the threshold, Lin Qi even helped him lift it, making Yan Shu feel exceptionally flattered.
As the two just stepped out of the training room, their path was blocked by the people gathered at the door.
The moment they abruptly pushed the door open, they had the illusion of being watched like monkeys in a zoo.
“All of you go back to train! Don’t think you can slack off just because the captain and upper management are absent. The GPL starts next month, step up your training!” Lin Qi put on the rare airs of a starter, dispersing the gathered crowd.
After driving everyone away, he smiled awkwardly at Yan Shu, scratching the back of his head as he said, “Sorry about that. Our team was just recently reorganized, and all aspects of discipline are managed by our captain. The captain and management went out today to discuss qualifications for the tournament, so it’s a bit chaotic. It’s definitely not like this normally.”
“Your captain… manages all this?” Yan Shu instinctively asked an extra question, then quickly covered his mouth, feeling that he shouldn’t talk too much.
Unexpectedly, this single sentence opened the floodgates to Lin Qi’s chatter. He seemed to hold an extreme adoration for the captain, his eyes glimmering as he spoke, “Our captain is the Wind God! The fans call our captain the jungle ceiling and the GPL league’s dark horse!”
“Wind God? Wind? He’s indeed quite strong,” Yan Shu said flatly.
Although he had lived abroad for the past few years, he still paid close attention to GPL matches. SR team’s Wind, Zhuo Yue, he was well aware of.
Only…
He didn’t really like Wind’s lone-wolf playstyle on the pitch.
The so-called lone-wolf playstyle was a combat system centered around a single player. Zhuo Yue was the jungler, so the SR team centered entirely around the jungler. All economic resources and kills were skewed toward the jungler, making Zhuo Yue a dictator on the battlefield.
This kind of playstyle was somewhat inappropriate for team-based esports.
“It’s no longer just strong, it’s way too strong!” Lin Qi grew more excited as he spoke. “If three of our first-team starters hadn’t been bought away by the Python team during the playoffs last year, I wouldn’t have had the chance to join the first team as a starter.”
The wheels of the suitcase rolled smoothly, and accompanied by Lin Qi’s high-spirited introduction, Yan Shu gained a preliminary understanding of the various functional areas at the SR team base.
Among them, one room was repeatedly emphasized by Lin Qi.
When they reached the innermost dormitory on the third floor, Lin Qi stopped at the doorway instead of opening the door generously for Yan Shu to tour like before. Instead, he mysteriously pulled Yan Shu aside. “Remember this room?”
Yan Shu looked puzzled.
“I just said it several times! It’s the captain’s room. Nobody is allowed to enter, this is an unwritten rule in our SR team. Aside from the captain, even the cleaners aren’t allowed inside!” After saying this, Lin Qi did not forget to cite a real case to emphasize the seriousness of the matter. “A new cleaner forgot this rule before, went inside, and was discovered by the captain. She was fired on the spot.”
“Got it,” Yan Shu nodded.
Lin Qi glanced around in all directions and opened two empty dormitories. “When management and the captain return, they’ll probably assign you a room. Based on your skill level, your room should be on this floor. Our first team lives here, while the other players are downstairs.”
Yan Shu was staring blankly at the room, completely unaware that someone had approached from behind.
“What skill level? You haven’t even played against me and you want to join the first team?” Zhuo Yue stood behind Yan Shu with his arms crossed, scanning his back with a wolf-like gaze.
He felt that this rookie’s back looked somewhat familiar.
Yan Shu happened to turn around at that moment and met Zhuo Yue’s eyes. He clearly sensed a momentary freeze in Zhuo Yue.
“Captain, you’re back?” Lin Qi stood up straight honestly. “I finished my training this morning, tested the rookie just now, and brought him up to take a look along the way. I didn’t go into your room, really!”
Zhuo Yue’s brow shape was sharp, and the sense of oppression was very heavy when he frowned tightly.
Lin Qi sensed the captain’s unusual demeanor and immediately shut his mouth, saying nothing more.
“Since when is it your turn to test rookies?” Zhuo Yue’s tone was poor. After chewing Lin Qi out, he turned his head to glare at the rookie. “Has our team fallen so far that we allow this kind of person to enter?”
The captain usually didn’t have the best temper, but this was the first time he had lost such a huge temper over a rookie. Lin Qi was scolded with zero room to talk back. “I…”
“I heard people say it. A rookie with a 100% win rate in one-on-one. You could even lose a one-on-one to this kind of person? Get the hell down and train,” Zhuo Yue snapped coldly.
“Oh, oh.” Lin Qi inexplicably felt that Zhuo Yue was full of anger right now, and most of that anger was directed at the rookie. Terrified that he would be severely reprimanded if he stayed any longer, he could only turtle his head and scurry downstairs.
Lin Qi jogged downstairs, and in the blink of an eye, only Zhuo Yue and Yan Shu were left on the upper floor.
Both of them were standing. Zhuo Yue stared mutely at Yan Shu, his sharp brows growing increasingly gloomy, resembling dark clouds piling up before a torrential storm.
Yan Shu didn’t understand why, but he was mentally sensitive and could sense the strangeness in the atmosphere.
Just as the two were at a stalemate, Zhuo Yue opened his mouth with a cold, completely inhospitable voice, “Our team does not welcome you. Get lost.”
Yan Shu widened his eyes, clenched his teeth tightly, and slowly shifted his gaze toward Zhuo Yue.
“You… know me?” He hesitated, his breathing somewhat unstable due to excessive nervousness.
Zhuo Yue walked slowly toward Yan Shu, cornering him against the wall, and sneered with unclear emotions. He bent down to lean close to Yan Shu, his tone filled with provocation and disdain.
“You dared to return to the league to start all over again after match-fixing? Keep dreaming.”