Team Shanghai showcased what was by far their strongest performance in the Round of 16 series versus Fuzhou Tech. But they were still a new team with clear weaknesses. Their teamwork left a lot to be desired and the individual players weren’t necessarily the best in their role either. Zhang Hao in the top lane was quite clearly one of the weakest Toplaners in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup, and though Tang Bingyao had a lot of untapped potential, she was only average right now. That left Zeng Rui, An Xin and Lin Feng. Zeng Rui was an uncontested A- Support. Everyone recognized that. But An Xin and Lin Feng were new to the Shanghai scene. No one knew them beyond the few games they’d seen. And in those games, An Xin had played a strange method that looked lacking, while Lin Feng had a habit to be better than his lane opponent without actually looking all that much better.

Fuzhou Tech was the strongest opponent Team Shanghai had faced in the Winter Collegiate Cup. But just like in the previous rounds, they played at a level right above their opponents and beat them. There were no flashy plays, except from Lin Feng at the end of the second game, and nothing that stood out in particular. So it wasn’t all too surprising that Team Beijing didn’t think too much about Team Shanghai.

Team Beijing was a team of monstrous talents handpicked by the Beijing Esports Association. They were the best players from their region specifically recruited to beat the teams from the Shanghai and Guangzhou Esports Associations. And Goalie belonged to Team Guangzhou. The Beijing Esports Organization learned about Goalie early on, and so they knew they needed a lot more than just a university level team.

Zhejiang University was a solid B team. It could be argued that Sun Ruinian lifted them up to a B+ grade, though not everyone agreed with that notion. But Team Beijing was indisputably B+ grade. In most years, this was enough to compete for the title. And odds were that it was enough this time around as well. But Fan Yuan, the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association, wasn’t satisfied with his team. He looked at the individual members in the office room, one at a time, before lecturing them. “Stop underestimating your opponent,” he said before turning his back to them and looking at the projection of the replays on the wall. He then slapped his ruler against it and continued, “These five players are handpicked by the Shanghai Esports Association! They have beaten every opponent they’ve faced so far! And odds are that we have to play against them in the main tournament.”

Fan Yuan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Our main roster consists of a B grade player, two B+s and two A-s. We have no Goalie in the mid lane, but we’ve got a strong team. Probably stronger than Team Shanghai. But not when we can’t even be bothered to take our opponents seriously. Team Shanghai has strong players. We need to… How do I get through their egos? He turned to look back at the seven players from Team Beijing and said, “Nothing good will come from looking down on them. All I’m asking is to consider their strengths and be ready to play against them, and beat them.”

A chuckle sounded in the quiet room. One of Team Beijing’s members shook his head and said, “You really think they’re going to make it to the main tournament? With that team? They’re playing Zhejiang University next, right? The way I’m seeing it, Zhejiang University has the better team. We just watched both games. Zhejiang University looked far more convincing.”

“I’d put my money on Zhejiang University. We should focus on them,” another team member chimed in.

The other players from Team Beijing all agreed. They started talking about the Zhejiang University versus Stepping Stone University game, commented on how Sun Ruinian had truly reached A- grade in the ad-carry role, and argued that with the line-up Zhejiang was sporting they really couldn’t be disregarded. Gradually, the arrogant and derisive undertone disappeared from their conversation and was replaced with respect. Zhejiang University was a strong team and deserved their full attention.

“True, true. Zhejiang University is indeed a strong team,” Fan Yuan agreed, nodding. I finally have their attention now. Good. We’ll focus on Zhejiang University first. He continued, “Zhejiang University won the first Collegiate Cup four years ago. Their founder became one of the best professional players in League of Legends, though he quit years ago. Our latest intel on him says he’s focusing on his studies.” He briefly paused before adding, “But that also means he’s still at Zhejiang University. Which means he is eligible to play. You might’ve heard his name before. AyDeeCee.”

Fan Yuan had joined the Chinese esports scene midway through Season 2. He was a young man eager to show his worth and climb the ranks of the Chinese Esports Association. To that end, he’d spent every waking minute of his life learning everything there was to learn about China’s competitive League of Legends scene. We were all still learning back then. There was just so much to do and not enough time to do it. He had briefly glanced at the data from before Season 2, but quickly cast that aside. He’d reasoned that players from the past weren’t going to help China win, only active players could do that. And the most famous active player in Season 2 was AyDeeCee. He was a phenomenon! It was actually exciting to go and watch games back then just because he was playing! I still remember how high we graded him. 81%! All this talk about B grade players and A grade players… At 80%, you transcend that rating system and truly step into the realm of a professional player! AyDeeCee took that step years ago! He was in a realm of his own! If he really starts playing again… He shook his head and turned to look at Yu Ping. I wonder if Yu Ping can beat him. Doubt it. Even after all this time, I doubt Yu Ping can beat AyDeeCee. He sighed and said, “Yu Ping, prepare to play against AyDeeCee, just in case.”

Yu Ping raised an eyebrow. Why would I need to prepare for him? He hasn’t played in years… He grinned and said, “Don’t worry about him. I’d love to show my skills off against him.” He paused for a moment, then shrugged and added, “He’s an old man from Season 2. It’s Season 5. Almost 6. This is our season.”

✹

Team Guangzhou had moved to a luxurious apartment building that the Guangzhou Esports Association had rented just for them. It was their little, very large gaming house. They were gathered in the main training room together with their coaches and were reviewing the games played in the East China Regionals. More specifically, they were talking about Zhejiang University and discussing the possibility of AyDeeCee stepping in to lead Zhejiang University to the main tournament.

Goalie listened to what his interpreter told him and then turned to look at his coach with a blank expression. He slowly enunciated, “Ay. Dee. Cee?” Then he grinned and shrugged, before leaning over to his interpreter and whispering a message in Korean.

The interpreter turned to look at the coaches and translated, “Goalie says he remembers that someone with that name played all the way back in Season 2, maybe even Season 1? He calls them a ‘relic of the past’. We’re now in a ‘new’ period of League of Legends that doesn’t care about ‘old fame’. Goalie also says that…” He briefly paused and turned to look at Goalie, who nodded at him. He bit on his lips before saying, “Goalie also says that if AyDeeCee really comes back, that he’ll ‘beat him back into the coffin he came crawling out from’.”

The two coaches both looked at Goalie who was still smiling. His pale, starved face created a terrifying expression. They almost recoiled back, but eventually just shook their heads. They were accepting of the confidence bordering arrogance, mostly because Goalie was one of the most talented players in all of League of Legends. His teammates, on the other hand, didn’t care one bit for Goalie’s antics. They were used to the strange things he said and of the fact he spent so much time behind his computer that he skipped more than a few meals. If anything, it motivated them to train harder too, just to be worthy to play together with him.

“That’s right! We’ve got Goalie! What’s some old bloke gonna do?”
“Lawl! Is Zhejiang University going to cast Dead Rite to bring AyDeeCee back to life?”
“Did that guy even play in the last three years? How good can he really be?”
“What Goalie said! A relic of the past! He shouldn’t come back. He’ll just stain his legacy!”
“I hope that old fart stays in his retirement home! The young rule now!”

✹

A loud sneezing sound boomed through a dorm room in Zhejiang University. Shi Hang, a 25 year old man, rubbed his nose clean on his sleeve and complained, “What the hell is going on? I’ve been sneezing all day! Is someone talking about me, or am I just getting sick?” He looked out of the window over an almost empty square down below. The coldness that winter brought carried people inside and made them turn on their heater. Shi Hang wasn’t any different. The temperature in his room was so high that he wasn’t even wearing a sweater, just a clean white t-shirt.

Shi Hang walked to his fridge and took two bottles of beer out. He looked over his shoulder and asked, “Want one?”

The other person in the room, sitting on the edge of a seat fiddling with his fingers, was Sun Ruinian. The ad-carry from Zhejiang University’s esports team chewed on his lips and shook his head. “No thanks.”

Shi Hang shrugged and put one beer back. Then he grabbed a knife and took the cap off his beer. He took a large swig and walked back to the small couch in his living room. There, he let himself fall down and put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. “So, what led you here?” he asked. “Looking to mooch food off of me again?”

“No, no,” Sun Ruinian replied, shaking his head. “I’m not here for that…” He pursed his lips and looked at the man sitting across from him. Would people still come to our esports club if they saw you like this? You know you’re the most popular guy at our university, right? Everyone wants to join our esports team because of you! They don’t even care about Rake or Hermes, they only talk about you! They’re proud of being part of the esports club you founded!

Shi Hang took a second sip from his beer, a special brew that had a salty bitterness to it. He let out a satisfied burp and leaned further back in his chair. Sun Ruinian, Sun Ruinian. He grinned a bit and nodded to himself. I did well recruiting him. He’s a great player and when I couldn’t be bothered with the club anymore, he happily picked everything up for me. I don’t have to do anything anymore. And he’s doing really well. We’ve got more than 500 members and are the university’s biggest club! Sure, many join because of me, but Sun Ruinian is making the right advertisements for that!

The smile suddenly disappeared from Shi Hang’s face. He moved his lips around and observed Sun Ruinian, disgruntled. But the number of members and how it’s going at the university is one thing, being competitive is something else. We used to compete. Really compete. But since I left the team, we’ve been falling behind. We haven’t won the Collegiate Cup even once since I won it. We didn’t even make the Finals last year! That was a damn disgrace! How could they get knocked out in the semis? It’s below us. He took another swig from his beer and shook his head. What’s next? We don’t even make it to semis? Are we going to drop out in Regionals? Fuck that! Sun Ruinian has a lot of talent, and he’s got the right attitude. But something is clearly missing. What did we have when we won? We had me. I was A grade back then, closing in on A+. I was better than Sun Ruinian is now. Far better. He’s talented and all, but he’s just not good enough. We need more!

“I’m really not here to mooch food off of you!” Sun Ruinian repeated, a cold shiver spiking down his spine. Why is he looking so mad? Did I do something wrong? What did I do wrong? He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and played with his fingers, nervous. He’s the founder of our esports club and I’m screwing up. But when I do something wrong, he’s always really blunt about it. If I screwed up, he would’ve told me already, right? What am I supposed to… I should talk. Maybe I can convince him to join our team… He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Then he opened his eyes to look at Shi Hang and said, “We won the Round of 16 yesterday. The quarter finals are up next. We can qualify for the main tournament again.”

Shi Hang took a large sip from his beer and looked at Sun Ruinian, uninterested. “Quarterfinals? Still the East China Regionals, right? That’s hardly worth mentioning. The only thing I care about is that you win that tournament. Come back to me when you have.”

Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly and complained, “You make it sound so easy, but it’s not. It really isn’t.”

Shi Hang raised an eyebrow and snorted. He said, “I won it four years ago, didn’t I? So let’s just assume I have a pretty decent idea about the skill required. And you guys? You aren’t that much worse than we were back then. So what’s the deal? Why aren’t you winning?”

“Because I’m not you!” Sun Ruinian exclaimed. He bit on his lips and looked down at his shoes. I’m trying, I really am! But I’m not you! You’re better. Even back then you were already far better than I’m now. Not just as an ad-carry but also as a shotcaller and team captain. He took a deep, long breath before saying, “You know, if you help—”

“Enough,” Shi Hang cut Sun Ruinian off. He shook his head and added, “Stop this. You keep trying it and I keep saying no. It’s starting to annoy me. I played in the LPL, you know that right?” He briefly paused to let his words settle in, then shook his head and continued, “How can I possibly lower myself to play in this kiddy league? Everyone will make fun of me. And they would have every right to! I’m too good to play in that tournament. That’s the end of it.”

I know, I know! That’s what you keep saying! Sun Ruinian rubbed his eyes and sighed, tired. He argued, “Yes, but have you seen the teams competing this time? They’re far better than befo—”

“So what?” Shi Hang asked, curling his lips into a frown. “They brought in kids, yeah? From high school? And you’re telling me they’re better than you are? What? You want me to come and show those kiddies the skills of an actual professional player? Do you really not hear how ridiculous that sounds?”

Shi Hang looked at Sun Ruinian and kept shaking his head. He continued, “Don’t think I haven’t paid any attention. I know about the three high school teams. Team Beijing looks decent. B+ maybe? You can beat them. I don’t see an issue there. And then there’s the Guangzhou team as well. I read something about a Korean import. What was his name again? Goalie or something, right? He’s the best player in the tournament? A+?” Shi Hang was still shaking his head and started grinning. “You do realise that my ‘grade’ is far above A+, right? This whole grading system, it’s for amateur players. It’s for university students, and not for real professional players. Do you really not see how weird it would look if I stepped in? Sure, nothing is stopping me. But nothing is stopping God Roundy from playing either, is it? But is he playing? No, of course he isn’t! He’s a professional player! This is an amateur tournament! Can I beat Goalie? Of course I can! Jesus! But I’m not going to lower myself to that level. I’m just not. And that’s the end of that.”

Sun Ruinian nodded in understanding. I know all of that! I know! It doesn’t make sense for you to come back and help us! But we both know how good our… how good my team is. We’re not good enough to win this tournament. We’re just not! And yes, I get why you don’t want to play. But with you, we’d win! That’s why I’m here again to try! I have to! He bit on his lips and wanted to argue, but held himself back.

“Right,” Shi Hang finally said. He took a quick sip from his beer and wiped the foam from his lips before asking, “Who are you guys playing in the next round anyway?”

Sun Ruinian grinned. Here it comes. He’ll laugh at me. He’ll call me useless. He shook his head and said, “The high school team from the Shanghai Esports Association. Team Shanghai.”

“Hoh? And they’re the team you want help with?” Shi Hang asked, worried. He sat up straight in his chair and even took his feet off the coffee table. He continued, “You mean you have to play against the team handpicked by the Shanghai Esports Association. Shit, they made it all the way to the quarter finals? They must be really good! You better not underestimate them. I want you guys to beat them—” He couldn’t keep the facade up and started laughing. He leaned back again and said, “That was a joke, if you didn’t catch on. I don’t know how good they are, but since I haven’t really heard anything about them, I’m sure you guys are better. Easy qualification for the main tournament, right?”

Yep, there it was. He made fun of the team I think we might lose to. What do I do now? Sun Ruinian smiled bitterly and replied, “We’ll do our best. I’m not going to underestimate them, because if we don’t give it our all, I’m not sure we can even beat them. I actually don’t know how we’re going to beat them.”

Shi Hang frowned in honest surprise and asked, “What? Are they actually good?”

Sun Ruinian nodded and explained, “Yeah, they’re surprisingly good. Their ad-carry and Toplaner are easy enough, but the other three members…” He briefly paused to take a deep breath and then continued, “Their Support is Zeng Rui. He’s an A- Support. He’s good, but not unbeatable. Then there is their Jungler. An Xin. I’m not sure what to think of her. Her gank timings and pathing gave me the chill—”

“WaitWaitWait!” Shi Hang interrupted. An Xin? He sat up straight for real this time and looked Sun Ruinian in the eyes. “An Xin? The player in their Jungle is called An Xin?”

“Yeah, that’s her name. I can show you,” Sun Ruinian replied, confused. He looked at Shi Hang doubtfully and asked, “Is something wrong? Do you know her or something?”

Shi Hang waved his hand and said, “Ah, it’s fine. I’m fine. Go on. Where were you? Just their Midlaner, right? What’s so bad about their Midlaner?” He raised his beer bottle and let the light fall on the glass. Just a bit left. He put it to his lips and emptied its contents into his mouth.

Sun Ruinian nodded slowly and said, “Yes. Their Midlaner. That’s the real problem. The others are good, but I can see how good they are for the most part and I can come up with a way to beat them. Then there is their Midlaner… I don’t know. The way he was playing, there just was something about it…” He shook his head and raised his shoulder before continuing, “I just don’t get it. I’m afraid he’s far better than Zuo Chong. I really don’t know what to do about this Lin Feng—”

The bottle of beer slipped from Shi Hang’s hand and fell on the ground, while the beer in his mouth went down the wrong pipe. He coughed violently and spit out the beer across his table, spraying Sun Ruinian. Tears sprung in his eyes from the pain, but he didn’t notice it. The shock was too great. LIN FENG? He coughed, choked, and couldn’t see much through the black spots clouding his vision. But he still jumped up and over the coffee table. He then grabbed Sun Ruinian by the shoulders and shouted into his face, “WHAT? LIN FENG!?”

There was no one who paid as much attention to the games from Zhejiang University as Tang Bingyao. Not even Rollfire. She zoned everything out. All she saw was the game playing on the large LCD screen. But even then, she wasn’t watching the bird’s eye view when it was focused on the top lane or mid lane. She was only paying attention to the Botlaners. To Sun ‘Samsara’ Ruinian. He’s good. He’s so good. Zeng Rui is right. He’s far better than I am! Everything he does, it just… Mhm. It looks perfect! She chewed on the inside of her cheeks and moved her head from side to side. He’s an A- ad-carry Zeng Rui says. I’m B. Maybe B+ on a very good day. But I’m not A-.

There was an intrinsic difference between B and A grade players. It was a vast chasm separating the cheerful amateur from the real professional. Tang Bingyao stared at the minimap on the large LCD screen throughout both games. She watched Sun Ruinian carry the first game on Tristana and the second one on Jinx. It’s something about the way he plays. It looks so clean and effortless! She briefly glanced at Lin Feng before turning back to look at the LCD screen. Kind of like how Lin Feng always makes his plays work. Mhm! There is something there that I’m not seeing. I’m missing something. She nodded at herself and breathed out. They’re better. Just a lot better. I’ll hold my own against any ad-carry in B grade. But Sun Ruinian? He’s better than I am. I can’t beat him. I might not even be able to stay even against him in lane!

Tang Bingyao had felt pressure before, like in the finals of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament. But the pressure she felt back then and right now were on a completely different scale. I wasn’t always winning the bot lane in the Shanghai 16 School Tournament, but I could see the differences in skill. I knew I was better, even if I didn’t always play better. And maybe in the finals I wasn’t exactly better… But I could see how good my opponent was! But him? Sun Ruinian? I can’t even tell how good he is. He is so good that I just don’t know how much better he is! Everything he does just looks perfect!

Another replay started on the large LCD screen. It was a teamfight in Game 1 of Zhejiang University versus Stepping Stone University. The game was 17 minutes in when both teams gathered around the Dragon Pit. They threw skillshots at each other and were searching for an engage. Zhejiang University found the opening first and jumped on it. More specifically, Sun Ruinian’s Tristana Rocket Jumped on it. She dodged the crowd control skills thrown her way, killed the low health targets first, and then kited back while killing the high health targets. It was a flawless fight where she never stopped firing cannonballs into Stepping Stone University’s team.

Tang Bingyao placed her hand over her chest, feeling her heart smashing into her ribcage. He’s so good! Mnh-mnh, I can’t beat him. I can’t. He’s too good! That was such a beautiful fight! It looked like he was dancing through them! How do you play against that? What can I do against him? We’re playing against them in the next round, and I can’t beat him! I’m going to lose and I’m going to… She clenched her fists and tensed her jaw. I can’t lose! But how can I not lose when I have to play him…?

Zeng Rui noticed how quiet Tang Bingyao was and saw the twisting expressions on her face. From serious to worried to something he couldn’t quite explain. What’s going on in her mind? Is she that worried about Sun Ruinian? He looked from Tang Bingyao up at the large LCD screen above the soundproof booths. He’s good, Tang Tang. Yes. He’s very good. There are only a handful non professional players in all of China who can beat him! But he’s been practicing for years! He’s been playing together with his team and training nonstop, while we only started playing together a few weeks ago. Your first tournament game was like two months ago! It’s normal you’re worse than him. But that’s just right now! You’ll get better than him! Don’t forget that it’s already frightening enough that you got so good so fast! He looked down at his hands before asking, “What do you think about him?”

Tang Bingyao didn’t take her eyes off the screen as she replied, “He’s good. Really good.” He isn’t just really good either… She pursed her lips and then added, “He’s better than me.”

Zeng Rui nodded and replied, “They have a strong team. Their Jungler is a B+ grade player and their other laners are all somewhere in the B grade. But their bot lane is their best lane.” He briefly paused before adding, “I’m not expecting you to reach Sun Ruinian’s level in the next few days. I just wanted you to see how good he is, so that you can prepare yourself for our series against them. He’s going to be your toughest opponent yet. You need to be ready for that.”

Tang Bingyao nodded slowly and mumbled, “Mhm, okay.”

Zeng Rui turned his head to look at the players from Zhejiang University who were sitting a short distance away from them. He massaged his temples. Tang Tang can’t catch up to him. We’re going to have to find a way to play around that. Our best odds are to ban out every ad-carry he likes to play and then aim for a lane swap. But that’s easier said than done. If they see it coming and also do a lane swap, Tang Tang will still be stuck in a 2vs2 against him. And I don’t see her winning that. He’s far better than she is. It’s going to be a real challenge.

Zeng Rui leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling of the venue hall. I knew this was going to happen. We all knew it from the start. The last round in Regionals is going to be harder than the start in the main tournament. There are just too many strong teams in East China. And we haven’t had enough time to prepare for that. We’re so far away from competing against a team like that. They aren’t even the strongest team either. But they could be, and we have to watch out for that possibility. He closed his eyes and thought about Shi Hang. Zhejiang University still has their old team captain. He’s a student there, so he’s eligible. If he decides to play, we’re screwed. He already was an A+ Midlaner four years ago. Luckily I heard he’s busy with graduate school and not interested in playing. But what if he does decide to? What are we supposed to do then? Having to figure something out for Tang Tang and Sun Ruinian is difficult enough. Zhang Hao will also need some help. If the mid lane also struggles—

“Man, I heard Zhejiang University’s captain was good, but this good?” Zhang Hao said, drawing the attention from his teammates. He shook his head and continued, “He has to have basically reached the level of their previous team captain, right? Do you guys think Sun Ruinian is going to go professional just like their old team captain did? You know, AyDeeCee—”

“THAT’S IT! THAT’S HIM!” Lin Feng exclaimed. He grinned and put an arm around Zhang Hao’s shoulder, shouting, “That’s where I remember Zhejiang University from! AyDeeCee! I remember him! I was sitting here trying to think why Zhejiang University sounded so familiar, but it was all because of AyDeeCee! Thanks HaoBro, you’re the best!”

Zhang Hao turned to look at Lin Feng in surprise and asked, “You know AyDeeCee?”

“Of course I do!” Lin Feng replied. Then he grinned and added, “I don’t just know him. I played against him, and beat him!”

Zhang Hao’s mouth fell open and he stuttered, “R-really?”

“Uh-huh!” Lin Feng nodded. “Back in Season 1! I kicked his ass!”

Zeng Rui glared at Lin Feng and wanted to shout at him. Thundering dumbass! What is this nonsense!? You were like 15 in Season 1! How are we to believe you beat a professional player back then? Did you even play League!? He forced himself into long, calming breaths before turning to An Xin and asking, “Did he finally break? I know he has issues. But this… even for him this is crazy.”

An Xin smiled and shook her head. She replied, “No. He’s telling the truth.”

He, he’s telling the truth? The words smashed into Zeng Rui’s ears like a battering ram. His head fell forward and his mouth opened. He stared at An Xin with round eyes before slowly turning to look at Lin Feng, stunned in shock. He, he, he, he, he… He, he, he… He felt a cold shiver run up and down his spine, until he finally muttered, “H-he what?”

An Xin explained, “Lin Feng’s telling the truth. He played against AyDeeCee and he won. I actually don’t think he lost a single game to that guy.” She then looked past Zeng Rui into the distance, her eyes glazing over. The first LPL season. AyDeeCee got bullied out of the bot lane by Silent and decided to switch to the mid lane. There he was the best player, very shortly. He beat every Midlaner in China except for Lin Feng. Lin Feng schooled him! But Lin Feng… Maple only played League professionally for a bit. AyDeeCee stuck around for a while longer and became the best Midlaner again. He was never as good as Maple though.

Zeng Rui didn’t hear another word. Nor did he see what was going on around him. The world before his eyes started spinning, dark spots clouding his vision. Breathe. Keep breathing. BREATHE! He tried to calm himself down, but the shock was just too much. I thought I prepared for everything! I’ve even been looking into how AyDeeCee has been playing lately and considering different tactics to face him! We can’t beeat him, I know that. We’re just not good enough. But that’s okay. He is China’s best Midlaner from Season 2. He even played back in Season 1! Yet now, now, now the thundering dumbass claims he beat AyDeeCee? It’s not possible! It’s not! He shook his head and turned to look at An Xin. Why couldn’t she just tell me that he’s lying? Just tell me that I misheard it! My ears aren’t working normally! This doesn’t make any sense! How can he… How can… He glanced at Lin Feng and felt his eyebrow twitching. How can this be real? I saw him play all the way at the start of the Shanghai 16 School Tournament! It didn’t look that impressive! He was the thundering dumbass! How can he have beaten AyDeeCee? How!?

Lin Feng looked from Zeng Rui to Zhang Hao and back at Zeng Rui. He nodded and said, “Yeah! I know him and beat him! Those games were so much fun!” He then turned to look at An Xin and added, “Who said I have a goldfish memory!? I remember him! I knew I remembered him!” My memory isn’t so bad! I remembered him! AyDeeCee! What was his real name again? Hang something… Ah whatever, I don’t care! He was the founder of Zhejiang University’s esports club! See? I do remember things! And, and… and I haven’t seen him in so long. I wonder how he is.

The name was the key to a large number of old memories. Lin Feng traveled back in time to four years ago, reliving his run-ins with AyDeeCee. I remember that he used to be an ad-carry! That’s how he won the Collegiate Cup! The first edition! He was the first to win it! And he was an ad-carry during that time. A really good one too! It wasn’t until he became a professional player that he made the switch to the mid lane. Lin Feng started grinning. Everyone always asked him why he switched to the mid lane and he would never tell them why. But a couple of us knew! He was practicing in the solo queue and kept being matched up against Silent! They played 11 games in three days. And he lost 11 times! Silent kicked his ass so hard that he ran away to the mid lane! It was so funny to watch him rage quit the ad-carry position!

Silent… crap, I miss you dude. Lin Feng grimaced and felt his stomach in turmoil. But he pushed that down and smiled, proud. We had such a good team. Silent was the best ad-carry in China and one of the best in the world! He made AyDeeCee rage quit his role! And then there was Eleven in the jungle. He was better than Read XIII and basically the best in the world! Then we had Autumn in Support and there was just no one better than him. He shook his head and grinned. Toplaner Fatty. He was one of the best and still is. His performance at Worlds this year was so cool to watch! We were all amazing! Our team, every part of it, was perfect! There weren’t any better players out there! We had the actual best team!

Lin Feng suddenly looked at the players sitting around him. Zhang Hao was still recovering from the shock, Tang Bingyao was staring at the large LCD screen, and Zeng Rui and An Xin were quietly talking about something. He bit on his lips and shook his head. We were all amazing. We were the best! But now… This team isn’t that team. That team is gone. They are gone. I left them. I don’t even know where Silent is! I want to see them again. I miss them. But what do I even tell them when I see them again? How do I face them after everything I did? I was the worst friend.

✹

The China Esports Association and its branches uploaded the footage of the Round of 16 from the various regions to their website. This allowed other teams to check out their potential opponents in the next round, which added a whole new dimension to the games. One of the teams who made a lot of use of this feature was Team Beijing. Fan Yuan, the vice president of the Beijing Esports Association, had gathered his players in an empty room and showed them replays of the games from Team Shanghai and also from Zhejiang University. He then asked the players, “We’ve seen the games. One of these two teams is making it to the main tournament. Tell me what you guys think about them. Talk me through Team Shanghai’s games first.”

The players from Team Beijing shrugged their shoulders and one of them said, “They were okay, I suppose. It looked better than their games in the previous round. Maybe they improved a bit? Eh, it’s whatever really. Just that much isn’t going to put any pressure on us.”

Fuzhou Tech believed that all they had to do to win this game versus Team Shanghai was to keep their eyes on Fiddlesticks. Know his moves and take preemptive measures to stay far away from him! This method worked flawlessly for the first 12 minutes of the game. There wasn’t a single instance where Fiddlesticks could use his ultimate. But that all changed around the 12 minute mark. More specifically, Zed changed. One pair of eyes on him suddenly wasn’t enough anymore. He ran around the map, half of the time using the shadows to cloak his movements. And when he did appear, it was with two sharp blades. He brought chaos to the game. And it was within this chaos that Fiddlesticks thrived.

There was nothing Fuzhou Tech could do once Fiddlesticks cast Crowstorm. They were caught with their pants down. Team Shanghai killed them and then went on to destroy the mid inner tower, inhibitor tower and inhibitor. After which they turned around and made their way to the dragon pit to take the second Dragon of the game. And finally, they recalled back to base to spend all the gold they’d earned in the last few minutes. All the while, the players from Fuzhou Tech stared at their dull grey monitors, waiting for their death timers to run out. It was this calm after the storm that allowed the audience to breathe out and digest the carnage they’d just witnessed.

“No way. No fucking way! How did they lose four Champions there? They didn’t even kill Zed! They didn’t even kill Zed! How is that even possible? They all jumped on him! How did he survive…?”

“Fuzhou Tech is out. They’re done for. It’s over for them! I spoke with their Jungler the other day and he told me they were going to make it to Nationals! And now they’re out this early! That’s going to sting so badly! But what a fight! What a fight! WOW!”

“No kidding! I don’t know what that was. I thought for sure Zed was dead when he did whatever the fuck that was! Did you see him flash-ult that Kog’Maw? How does that even work? And then he just jumped right out before going back in and getting a double kill! Insane! Mental! NUTS!”

“That could’ve been over at the very start of that fight. All Alistar needed to do was respond in time. But at the same time, can’t really blame him that he didn’t. That Zed came out of nowhere and was gone before anyone even knew what the fuck just happened. But still… if Alistar had responded in time, he would’ve killed Zed. And then, then Fuzhou Tech would be the one winning this game…”

“Not really. Never mattered if Zed survived. He was just the decoy to create an opening for Fiddlesticks. Fuzhou Tech lost the moment they committed four players on Zed. That was when they lost sight of Fids and let him cast his ultie.”

Sun Ruinian glanced over his shoulder at the audience and listened to what they were saying. Then he turned his head to look at the casters, who were surprisingly quiet. The initial shock he felt from Lin Feng’s engage and Team Shanghai’s follow up settled down a bit. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes. That guy is right. The fight was over when Zed engaged. He created the chaos his team needed. Team Shanghai knew it from the start. All they needed was a bit of chaos to throw this deadlock wide open. They played that so well.

Zhejiang University’s Jungler sighed loudly, drawing the full attention from his teammates, and said, “I guess that’s it for Fuzhou Tech. Team Shanghai is moving on to the quarter finals.”

“Pretty much,” the Toplaner replied. And the Support chimed in, “Just look at that gold gap! Zed alone can probably 1vs5 them at this point…”

Zuo Cheng hadn’t heard a word his teammates were saying. His eyes were locked on the large LCD screen and his mind was in a complete mess. T-t-that… What. That. It… Zed. He opened his mouth, his jaw trembling, and mumbled, “S-so strong…”

Sun Ruinian nodded to this and said, “Really strong. That was impressive.” He looked at Zuo Cheng and grimaced. Everyone on Team Shanghai played that really well. Leona with the follow up, Fiddle with his ultimate, Ezreal with the damage, Gnar… I guess Gnar wasn’t even there. But Zed. That Zed. He suddenly shivered, a cold spike pinning into his back. He sat up a little straighter and found himself staring at Team Shanghai’s soundproof booth. B+, A-, A… I just keep having to reevaluate him. Every time I underestimate him. And this is just in a single series! There’s something wrong, very, very wrong about that guy! He’s too good! He doesn’t belong here! He looked down at his hands that were shaking, then balled them into fists and pushed them against his thighs. Calm down. Just calm down. Take a deep breath. He breathed in, filling his lungs with air, then blew it all out. But he couldn’t find any relaxation. I’ve seen Shi Hang play so many games. He’s really good! But is he this good? Would he have played this fight just as good as that Zed? Who is the better Zed player? He shook his head, incredulous. This Zed is so good that I’m comparing him to Shi Hang… I’m comparing him to an actual professional player!

✹

An Xin and Zeng Rui had given Lin Feng free reign over the game at 12 minutes. Since then, he’d picked up a kill on Rumble and a double kill on Kog’Maw and Fizz. That all happened within 3 minutes, but it set the tone for the remainder of the game. He spent the gold reward from the kills on finishing two items, further increasing the gap in stats with the players from Fuzhou Tech, and went on a murder spree.

《Dominating!》
《Godlike!》
《Legendary!》
《Legendary!》

The announcer’s voice lacked the superlatives for Lin Feng’s Zed. He didn’t even need his ultimate to assassinate Kog’Maw or Fizz, neither having enough health to survive a basic Living Shadow into Shadow Slash and Razor Shuriken combo. As for the tankier members on Fuzhou Tech, it wasn’t all that different. Zed tore through their health bars, sometimes with and other times without his ultimate skill and Ignite. He killed them all, repeatedly.

But Fuzhou Tech refused to give up. This was their last chance to make it to the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup. They persevered beyond the 20th minute, arguing that only Zed was fed and that the rest of Team Shanghai didn’t really amount to much. It was a flimsy excuse. They knew it and they knew their teammates knew it too. But it was enough to keep them going. That was, until Lin Feng’s Zed dropped all pretenses and simply walked into Fuzhou Tech’s base to 1vs3 Fizz, Kog’Maw and Alistar. The rest of Team Shanghai was pushing the top lane. Zed was all by himself taking on three members from Fuzhou Tech. And he won. The voice announcer called out the triple kill and moments later Fuzhou Tech surrendered.

Lin Feng’s Zed was running towards the inhibitor tower in the top lane, about to tower dive the two Champions from Fuzhou Tech still alive, when his camera suddenly panned towards Red team’s nexus. The large crystal exploded and the energy inside burst out! Large red letters popped up onto his screen.

VICTORY!

The second game in the best of three series between Team Shanghai and Fuzhou Tech lasted 23 minutes. It was another decisive victory by Team Shanghai, who were moving on to the quarter finals of the Winter Collegiate Cup East China Regionals! The audience had long forgotten about their annoyances with the fact that Team Shanghai was a high school team. They only saw a strong team putting on a phenomenal performance, and that deserved respect. Their cheers rocked the venue!

The original players from High School 13’s esports team were also in the venue. They were on their feet, leading the celebrations for Team Shanghai! It wasn’t until their voices were hoarse that they calmed down a little. Ouyang turned to look at his friends and laughed. He said, “We won! We actually won! See, what did I tell you guys? Lin Feng is a Challenger on the Ionia server! This bro never doubted him!”

Ren Rou giggled and said, “You always believed him? Even when you wouldn’t let him join our esports team?” But then the smile disappeared from her face. She looked at a group of five sitting right in front of the soundproof booth and continued, “I’m just worried about their next round. They’re probably going to go up against Zhejiang University. That might very well be the best team in East China!”

Wei Dong, Chen Ze and Liu Yue looked at Ren Rou and then each other. All joy from the victory over Fuzhou Tech disappeared. They started biting their lips and chewing their nails, but didn’t say anything. They didn’t know what to say. Zhejiang University was one of the strongest teams in the entire Winter Collegiate Cup, everyone around them kept saying. And in their minds, Team Shanghai was still just a high school team. There was a certain amount of respect the former High School 13 members had for the status of a university team.

Liu Yue looked down at his shoes and muttered, “Everyone keeps saying we don’t stand a chance against Zhejiang University. Those guys aren’t even in the quarter finals yet! But no one doubts they’ll beat their opponents. And then us… I wonder if we really don’t stand a chance against them.”

Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and said, “I don’t know. But I won’t say that we don’t stand a chance at all. I’ve watched Zhejiang University play, and yes they’re good, but they aren’t invincible. When I compare them with how our team played today, I’m thinking we have about a 30% chance of winning.”

✹

Sun Ruinian had his eyes closed and was focused on his breathing, until his hands stopped shaking and the cold shiver disappeared from his neck. Then he got up from his seat and said to his teammates, “It’s our turn. Come.”

The other players from Zhejiang University got up from their seats and followed behind Sun Ruinian towards the empty soundproof booth. They walked with straight backs and steady steps, neither too fast nor too slow but just right to show to the audience how full of confidence they were. This round was just another they had to get through on their way to Nationals. Because anything less was beneath them.

“Look! Those five down there! That’s Zhejiang University’s team!”
“Oh my god! Sun Ruinian is soooo hot! HAVE MY BABY!”
“They look so calm! Their opponents must be shitting their pants right about now!”
“I think they are! Hahaha! Look over there, those five! Haha!”

“It is time for the second best of three series in Group A!” Silent Reed announced from behind the casters desk. She held the microphone in front of her mouth and continued, “Over there we have Zhejiang University! I don’t think we need any introduction for them, but let’s give them one anyway! Their captain is Samsara, or Sun Ruinian, one of the best Ad-carries at the university level! He led his team all the way to the semifinals in the previous edition of the Collegiate Cup! And they almost made it to the Finals!” She briefly paused to shake her head and then added, “But University of Science of Technology Beijing— Wow, that was a mouthful! Let’s go with USTB from now on! Anyway, USTB was too strong for them then. It was a big disappointment for the sky-high goals of this team! But they’ve had 6 months to prepare! They’re more ready than ever!”

Rollfire smiled when he saw the second game he was hired to cast. Now this is a series that has my name written all over it! Zhejiang University is a real team! Heck yeah! He grinned and grabbed his microphone. He then stood up and leaned on his desk before saying, “You’re right on that, Silent Reed! Such a shame that they went out too. They almost beat USTB! But they haven’t sat idly by these last few months. I have it from good sources that they’ve all improved tremendously! Did you know that Sun ‘Samsara’ Ruinian even made the massive leap from B+ to A-? He’s practically at the professional level! I don’t think anyone here can beat this handsome monster of an ad-carry! Let’s give it up for Zhejiang University!” He paused to let the audience cheer before eventually adding, “… And whoever they’re playing.”

✹

The players from Team Shanghai sat down in the player seating area at the very front of the venue to watch Zhejiang University’s games. Zhang Hao was playing with his fingers nervously, while Tang Bingyao became even more quiet than usual, her eyes trained on Sun Ruinian. Zeng Rui looked at his two teammates and saw the nerves and worry in their every motion. Then he turned to look at the other two members on his team. An Xin looks like her normal self. I can’t tell what she’s thinking with that smile. He shook his head and turned to look at Lin Feng and then furrowed his brow. What’s the thundering dumbass doing? Is he thinking really hard or something? Why is he scratching his forehead? Why… Why am I still surprised by all the stupid shit he does? I should be used to it by now.

Lin Feng felt the burning gaze from Zeng Rui and glanced over at his teammates. “ZengZeng!” he said, excited. But Zeng Rui only nodded, so he turned back to look at the soundproof booth in which Zhejiang University’s team had taken place. He tapped on his forehead with one hand and ruffled his hair with the other. Zhejiang University… It’s been nagging me for days now! Why does it sound so familiar? Do I know someone from there? That has to be it, right? Why can’t I think of it? I’ll figure it out! He shook his head and turned to look at Zeng Rui who had started talking to Tang Bingyao.

Zeng Rui pointed at Sun Ruinian and said, “He’s a solid A-. Play close attention to him. He’ll make the jump to the professional scene soon.”

“Mhm!” Tang Bingyao replied, nodding. Zeng Rui says I’m a B right now. When I’m playing my game, I can hold my own against B+ ad-carries. But I need to get better! A real A grade player is a professional player! This guy is practically a pro already! I need to watch him play and learn from him! There are many players who never make it to A grade! You need something special for that! If I want to be on Lin Feng’s superteam, I need to find that something special! I need to get even better! Mhm! She glanced at Lin Feng and raised her eyebrow. What’s gotten into him anyway?

Lin Feng had briefly listened to the exchange between Zeng Rui and Tang Bingyao before delving back into his mind. I’m sure of it! I know someone from Zhejiang University! Who is it? Where do I know them from? Maybe if I can figure that out I know. Aghh! This is so annoying! Why can’t I remember this? Stupid memory! Just tell me who I know from Zhejiang University. Zhejiang University. Zhejiang University. He shook his head, annoyed. Think!

✹

The series between Zhejiang University and Stepping Stone University was a massive  one-sided beatdown. Zhejiang University was just far better, so much so that people in the audience only found themselves cheering for one team. The first game lasted 18 minutes, the second making it to minute 20 before Stepping Stone University surrendered. The cheers of the Zhejiang University fans in the audience drowned the venue. It was too easy. Zhejiang University was just far too strong.

“Zhejiang! Zhejiang! Zhejiang!”
“Woooooo! What a game!”
“So fast! Zhejiang! Zhejiang!”
“I attend Zhejiang University! Best uni in all of China!”
“Gee-gee to Stepping Stone University! Well played!”
“Goooooo Zhejiang! All the way to the Championship title!”

Silent Reed sat at the caster desk, smiling. This wasn’t so bad in the end. A lot better since Zhejiang started playing. She glanced at Rollfire and then back at the game. I can finally cast! She giggled and said, “That was something! What a display of pure skill by Zhejiang University! They dismantled Stepping Stone University! It was a little hard to watch at times, to be honest. But this gives us some real hope!” She briefly waited, drawing in curious gazes from the audience, before continuing, “East China is the esports region in China, yet we haven’t won the Collegiate Cup for quite a while now. It’s about time that changes! And Zhejiang University is looking like the team who might just bring about that change! If they keep playing like they are, I think we have a real shot at winning the Winter Collegiate Cup!”

Rollfire grabbed his microphone and said, “Our last win was four years ago. Back then, it was also Zhejiang University who clinched the win! And that was all thanks to their former team captain, Shi Hang! The man doesn’t need an introduction, we all know him as the best Midlaner from China from Season 2! But his replacement is starting to look just as impressive!” Rollfire had completely forgotten about his anger and was even starting to enjoy casting this second game with Silent Reed. He smiled and continued, “Like Silent Reed just said, it looks like Zhejiang University has a real shot at winning this edition of the Winter Collegiate Cup! East China is back baby!”

✹

Chu Fang sat in his private room backstage. The games were finished but he was still watching the videofeed, listening to what the casters had to say. They’re right. Shi Hang was something else. Such a top talent. And now they’ve got Sun Ruinian. He isn’t quite as good, but he’s still a phenomenal player. If this was any other year, they would’ve made it to the main tournament. And then they’d have made it to the Finals and maybe even won it all. He pursed his lips into a smile and lightly shook his head. But this time Lin Feng is playing. Maple is in the house! He grinned at himself. Sun Ruinian can be A- all he wants, he still falls well short of Lin Feng. Even Shi Hang fell short of Lin Feng. He might’ve won the Collegiate Cup, but he never beat Lin Feng. It’s funny how I still remember them competing way back. A couple of times, in fact. And it was always Lin Feng who came out on top. Maple really was the best! Still is.

Fuzhou Tech had given up on defending their outer towers and were even willing to give up on large parts of their Jungle. They recognized that Team Shanghai was stronger right now, but they also knew that they were stronger in the late game. All they really needed was time. And when their line of wards was set up and they had a good idea of where Team Shanghai was at all times, they started feeling some confidence again. The mood in their soundproof booth lifted and they were actively talking with each other, discussing their next move.

Fuzhou Tech’s Midlaner said over the team’s voice chat, “Turtle. Sit back. Scale. Grow strong. We got this!”

“I’m on it!” the ad-carry replied, scanning the map for minions to kill.

The Toplaner chimed in, “I’m fine giving up a couple of minions in the top lane here. If either of you need it to hit your powerspikes faster!”

“Don’t forget to ward,” the Jungler reminded the team. “We need to keep an eye on that Fiddlesticks. If he gets an ult on us, it’s all over.”

“What about the second Dragon?” the Support asked. “Are we challenging it?”

The Jungler shook his head and said, “Don’t worry about that. There’s still a few minutes before it spawns. We’ll decide when it’s about to spawn.”

The game approached 12 minutes. After losing their mid outer tower, Fuzhou Tech also lost their bot and top outer towers. But they ignored the announcer’s voice and instead focused on the parts of the map where they did still hold control. There were Jungle Camps to clear and minions to kill. Each kill on them brought Fuzhou Tech one step closer to their power spike. One step closer to turning the game around.

Fuzhou Tech’s Midlaner had his Fizz recall back to base and spent his gold. “Oh!” he said over the team’s voice chat. “I’m a lot closer to hitting my power spike than I thought. I’m almost there! I think I can take out the Ezreal in the next teamfight! Just a little more, guys! We got this!”

“Already?” Fuzhou Tech’s ad-carry asked. He looked at his creep score and items and added, “I need a bit more. Maybe six minutes. But we’ll have the advantage when we get to the late game!” He glanced at his teammates and smiled. Rek’Sai and Rumble are a strong frontline. Then we’ve got Fizz who can jump to their backline and kill the Ezreal. And their Zed can’t jump on me because Alistar is next to me to protect me! I’ll free fire and kill all of them! This is going to be our game! We’re going to win this! We have to win this! Keep vision on that Fiddlesticks and we got this!

Fuzhou Tech’s Midlaner and ad-carry were on the same wavelength. Both had their cameras panned on the Fiddlesticks. The Midlaner reminded everyone over the team’s voice chat, “We can’t let Fiddlesticks get an ult on us! Keep your guard up.” One Fiddlesticks ult and we’re out. We can’t go out now! Not to this team! We’re ready to make it to the main tournament!

The Support from Fuzhou Tech chuckled and said over the team’s voice chat, “What are you worrying about? Look at our vision! We know exactly what they’re doing! And what they’re doing is slowly pushing towers and stealing some Jungle Camps. Big fucking deal! The Fiddlesticks isn’t getting the jump on us and we’re slowly fighting our way back into this game! And when we’re back in, we’re also winning. It’s easy!”

“Right! We got this! They’re searching for an opening to engage but we aren’t giving it to them! This is going to be a win for us! We just need to keep playing,” the ad-carry agreed.

✹

The players from Fuzhou Tech already saw themselves getting back into the game, while Rollfire was saying pretty much the same at the caster desk. The audience found themselves agreeing with him, quietly conversing with each other. No one understood why Team Shanghai went with Fiddlesticks in this game. They told each other it was obvious that Fiddlesticks wouldn’t get a good ultimate skill off, and they argued how it was possible for a team that showed so much skill in the previous game to fall flat on their faces in this game.

But An Xin and Zeng Rui were far more prepared than most people in the audience realised. An Xin had explained to Zeng Rui how they were going to get a good Fiddlesticks ultimate in a private message before the game even started. And now it was time to share that information with the rest of the team. An Xin smiled and said over the team’s voice chat, “You’re up, Lin Feng.”

“It’s my turn? Really?” Lin Feng asked, growing excited.

An Xin giggled and answered, “Yes. It’s your turn. Fuzhou Tech has let their guard down and we’ve taken everything they were willing to give away for free. Now it’s about time we shut down that Kog’Maw and end the game.”

Zeng Rui stared at his monitor. His Leona was standing on the fountain in their base. It’s all going to come down to him. BunBun told me to trust him. I know I have to trust him. I have to trust in the thundering dumbass. How did I get myself in this situation? He chewed on the inside of his cheeks and closed his eyes. Why is this so difficult for me to trust him? He opened his eyes again and said over the team’s voice chat, “Yes. You lead the charge. If you see the opening, go for it. We… we will follow up.”

Lin Feng’s eyes started shining. His entire face lit up with joy! He glanced at the minimap and exclaimed, “Alright! Follow me!”

✹

At 13 minutes, Lin Feng’s Zed was sitting in the river brush right above the mid lane. Fuzhou Tech was slowly pushing further and further out from their base to kill minions and Lin Feng just knew someone was about to make a mistake. He panned his camera towards the Red topside Jungle. There were several Blue wards there, revealing the Raptor Camp. Where are they? They should be here already. Come on! HA! KNEW IT! 

Fuzhou Tech’s Rumble was searching for minions or monsters to kill. His team had vision of their entire Jungle and they hadn’t seen anyone from Team Shanghai enter, so he felt safe enough to attack the Raptor Camp. But right as he engaged, four blood red shadows dashed at him from all around! They placed a Death Mark on him.

Lin Feng had used Zed’s ultimate skill on Rumble! Death Mark allowed Zed to dash at his target and mark them. He followed up with throwing a Razor Shuriken and Shadow Slashing with his bladed gauntlets! Then he Ignited Rumble, an unquenchable flame tearing through Rumble’s health bar!

“FUCK!” Fuzhou Tech’s Rumble exclaimed. He smashed down on his keyboard to activate Flash. His Rumble disappeared towards the Red Buff Camp. But in his panic, he forgot to look at his minimap. Fiddlesticks had walked through Fuzhou Tech’s Jungle and just arrived right where Rumble reappeared. An Xin’s Fiddlesticks targeted the Rumble with Terrify and then started sapping his life away with Drain!

Lin Feng’s Zed ran towards the Rumble that was walking aimlessly in terror! He auto attacked Rumble twice before the Death Mark triggered. A portion of all the damage Zed dealt to Rumble over the last three seconds was repeated, decimating Rumble’s health bar!

《Killing Spree!》

An Xin nodded and said over the team’s voice chat, “Not bad. Could’ve done without the killsteal.”

“What killsteal?” Lin Feng asked, confused. He narrowed his eyes and continued, “That was totally my kill! I got the pick and dealt the damage!”

Sun Ruinian watched the game on the large LCD screen above the soundproof booths. He chewed on his lips, listening to the audience cheering and the shoutcasters arguing with each other. Something has changed. That Zed. Something about the way he’s playing. It’s like he upped the tempo of the game by himself. How is he doing this? Was he just dicking around until now?

✹

Zeng Rui and An Xin had told Lin Feng to stop thinking a few weeks ago. They explained to him that they would make the decisions and that he just had to follow them. Right now, An Xin had taken that restraint away from him. Lin Feng was allowed to think and he was allowed to play as he liked. The rest of the team would follow him. And that change brought Lin Feng to life. He searched around the map, his eyes blazing with excitement, and said over the team’s voice chat, “Outer towers are gone, so let’s take the inner towers! Mid first!”

Fuzhou Tech’s Kog’Maw and Alistar were defending the mid inner tower when they noticed Lin Feng’s Zed killing minions and pushing the lane. The Kog’Maw player smiled. Nice! Keep pushing those minions here! That’s more free farm for me! And I have Alistar with me, so you can try and ult me all you want, it won’t work! Alistar will just knock you up and then we’ll kill you! He had his Kog’Maw move forward a bit and last hit a minion. This is so perfect! I just need a little bi—

Lin Feng grinned and pressed down on his D and R keys. Zed disappeared from the map, crossing a large distance through the shadows, and only reappeared when four blood red shadows dashed at Kog’Maw and marked him with the Death Mark!

“ZED WENT IN!” Silent Reed cried out into her microphone, her voice blasting through the venue speakers.

Rollfire’s eyes went wide and he screamed, “IMPOSSIBLE! THAT’S SUICIDE!”

Lin Feng pressed down on the R key again. Zed had left behind a Living Shadow when dashing at Kog’Maw, and now jumped back to his original position. But Fuzhou Tech wasn’t about to let him go. In their eyes, he’d overextended far too deeply and his Flash was on cooldown. Alistar flashed forward and then targeted Zed with Headbutt to close the gap and Pulverize to knock him up into the air!

Fuzhou Tech’s Fizz appeared from the Red team’s base and activated his ultimate! Chum the Waters! He tossed a fish at Zed that stuck to its target, slowly swimming in circles around him while a portal to the ocean opened up beneath him! Fizz followed up with Urchin Strike! He dashed through his target and dealt a large amount of magic damage! A shark suddenly jumped through the portal knocking Zed up into the air again and taking a large bite out of his health bar!

“THEY’RE GOING TO KILL THE ZED!” Rollfire hollered into his microphone, responding to the gasps sounding out from the audience.

But Lin Feng didn’t worry. He knew exactly how much health his Zed had and what he and his team were capable of. This play was still completely within his control. He smiled and said over the team’s voice chat, “ZengZeng! Stun them!”

“I’M TRYING!” Zeng Rui yelled. YOU SHOULD’VE SAID SOMETHING! He gritted his teeth and slammed down on his D key. Flashing forward was the only way to close the gap. He knew I had to Flash. He fucking knew! Zeng Rui was looking between the Fizz and Kog’Maw, deciding which one to target with his ultimate. A split second decision, but Fizz made it easy. When he flashed, the Fizz panicked. He hopped away with Playful Trickster and jumped right on top of Kog’Maw. How…? Zeng Rui couldn’t believe his eyes. He activated Leona’s ultimate skill. Leona raised her sword and called down a Solar Flare! The blast slammed into Kog’Maw and Fizz and stunned them both!

“Just like I planned!” Lin Feng exclaimed, laughing. He waited for his Zed to fall back to the ground and then cast Living Shadow! A new shadow appeared in front of Zed and he quickly switched positions with it to arrive next to the Kog’Maw again! Then he threw a Razor Shuriken and slashed at him with Shadow Slash!

Fuzhou Tech’s Rek’Sai dug his way into the battle. He shouted over the team’s voice chat, “BACK! BACK! KOG! CAREFUL! KILL THE ZED!”

“FIDDLE! FIDDLE!” Fuzhou Tech’s Midlaner suddenly screamed.

All eyes were drawn towards the minimap. Not just the players from Fuzhou Tech saw the Fiddlesticks charging up his ultimate skill, the people in the audience noticed it too. As did Rollfire. His eyes went wide and he shouted into his microphone, “They lost sight of the Fiddlesticks! He’s ulting! The Fiddlesticks is going in!”

The Jungler from Fuzhou Tech panned his camera towards the top side Jungle. His heart slammed into his chest and his throat dried out. He hoarsely shouted, “THE FIDDLE IS ULTING! BACK! BACKBAAACK!”

Fiddlesticks was a scarecrow. He stood in the topside Jungle, right above where the fight was happening in the mid lane. There was only a wall of trees separating him from the fight. But his ultimate, Crowstorm, allowed him to jump that wall. He raised his arms and struck a T-pose.

It felt like time froze. Fuzhou Tech’s Fizz, Rek’Sai, Alistar and Kog’Maw were all gathered together. They wanted to run, to escape, to have saved their abilities and knock the Fiddlesticks away! But they’d used their abilities on Zed, and failed to kill him. Rek’Sai and Alistar had used his movement skill to enter the fight and Fizz had used it to escape from Leona but was still stunned by her. Kog’Maw was the only one with an escape. Flash. But even that wasn’t enough to escape the range of the Crowstorm.

The distant cries from a murder of crows arrived. Fiddlesticks jumped over the wall and opened the portal of black death and damnation! The crows appeared and flew around within Fiddlesticks’ sphere of control! He drained everything of their life while the crows dove down and attacked everything that was still living! Fuzhou Tech’s health bars disintegrated!

Kog’Maw’s Flash carried him to the edge of the Crowstorm. Several ticks slammed against his health, but he got out alive! The inner tower was right in front of him and he was almost safe! But then Ezreal’s Trueshot Barrage washed over him! The powerful barrage of energy sheared away at his health until there was almost nothing left! I GOT OUT! I GO— A Razor Shuriken struck him from behind.

《You have been slain!》

The Kog’Maw player stared at his grey screen, numb. He could see the fight that was still going on. Tang Bingyao’s Ezreal had jumped in and was firing bolts of energy, helping the Fiddlesticks who was already dealing massive amounts of damage with his ultimate skill. And then there was Leona running interference and Zed jumping around his shadows. “We lost. This… We… No. Please. NO!”

Fiddlesticks had cast Terrify on Alistar and then Drain! Even his defensive ultimate skill couldn’t save him! His health bar dropped and dropped and bottomed out! But not before Rek’Sai died. She never got to buy items with magic resist or a lot of health. She died within seconds to the murder of crows.

《Double kill!》

“THE FIDDLE GOT A DOUBLE KILL!”
“WOOOOOOO! HAHAHA! WHAT AN ULTIE!”
“GET EATEN BY CROWS! HAHA!”
“WOOT WOOT! BUNBUN IS THE BEST!”
“HOLY SWEET MALONY! CHRIST! WHAT A FIGHT!”
“I thought for sure Team Shanghai was fucked!”
“DAMN! THEY CRAZY GOOD!”

The fight was over. Fuzhou Tech had lost Alistar and Rek’Sai to Fiddlesticks’ ultimate and Lin Feng’s Zed had slain Kog’Maw. Fizz was the only survivor. He’d escaped the Crowstorm and was now running away through his bottom side Jungle. Zed was hot on his heels, and Lin Feng had the patience to wait for Fizz to make the mistake. And then Fizz cast Playful Trickster to hop over a Jungle Wall. Lin Feng grinned and mouthed, “Got you now.” There was a brief moment when Fizz landed where he couldn’t dodge. Lin Feng had his Zed cast a Living Shadow over the wall and followed up with Razor Shuriken! The Living Shadow imitated the skill and threw the shuriken exactly where Fizz landed.

《Double kill!》

The crowd erupted in a second round of cheers, with Silent Reed hyping them on and Rollfire sinking back in his chair. Sun Ruinian watched all of this, pure horror playing in his eyes. That Zed even shut up Dickfire… What the fuck was that? How did he— What happened? He went from a decent Zed to— How did Team Shanghai play that fight that well? Everything just worked perfectly together! They couldn’t have done that any better if they’d tried it a thousand times! And they basically ended any hope Fuzhou Tech had to turn this game around! It’s over. It’s really over. Team Shanghai is moving on to the next round. All they gotta do is play this one out! We still have to win our games, but then, then we have to play against them. We have to play against that Zed. How?