Chapter 435: 435
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Fang Zhao couldn't tell anyone except Nanfeng and the other two about him participating in the Fiery Bird All-star Match as a special guest .
Nanfeng was especially delighted upon receiving this news . If it hadn't been confidential, he would have bragged about it to his friends . Only those god level players could snag a special guest invite to participate in the All-star Match . He had thought that Fang Zhao would only show himself in public after officially graduating, but there was a chance now!
"There are still a few days before the date set by Fiery Bird . I will still be staying in school before that . Venerable Mo has left me some tasks," Fang Zhao said .
"Don't worry boss, I will arrange everything," Nanfeng pledged repeatedly . "We definitely won't leak this news!"
Beside him, Zuo Yu and Yan Biao also expressed that they would absolutely keep it a secret .
Fang Zhao believed them in this aspect . Thus, after the travel arrangements were done, Fang Zhao continued with his preparation for his graduation concert . Fang Zhao had completed his dissertation, so the next task would be the concert .
Fang Zhao's movements after his dissertation defense had been photographed by a number of paparazzi that were camping at HuangArt . Sometimes, Fang Zhao would also be photographed outside Mo Lang's residence . Thus, it seemed very unlikely to many that Fang Zhao would appear at the All-star Match .
In the entertainment circle, if a celebrity didn't make the news for half a year, they would gradually become the content of stories and myths .
Fang Zhao was one of these people . However, unlike the majority of retired gaming gods, Fang Zhao was still rather active outside the gaming circles . People still frequently saw news concerning him, even if it was in a different industry . An esports reviewer had once said that Fang Zhao was "a shooting star that passed by and left to pursue the musical arts . "
Point-sweeping demon? That was something a long time ago and had now become folklore . Now, people could only watch and worship past videos .
Fiery Bird All-star Match competition grounds .
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Minor games were essentially treated as warm-up on days one and two . As more "Battle of the Century" gaming gods arrived, attention on the All-star Match rose . Many film and entertainment celebrities also showed up to take advantage of the hype .
Now, the most-discussed subject was who the special guests invited by Fiery Bird would be this time . On Fiery Bird's official All-star Match web page, there were twelve grayed out silhouettes of the special guests .
Jinro had also discussed this with his teammates .
"Somebody said they saw Rex show up in person at Fiery Bird HQ, but they didn't have enough time to snap a photo," Schwarzer said while browsing through news online .
When a certain older coach heard this, he said with a reminiscing smile, "Rex was my idol! Back then, he lit up the entire scene during my secondary school days . By the time I entered the professional circles, R-god had already retired from competitive gaming . "
"Forget about R-god . Someone managed to snap a photo of Bin-god! Didn't Bin-god retire from the gaming circles to become a stay-at-home dad and look after his kid?" Schwarzer was slightly unfamiliar with the names of these old-time gaming gods . When these gamer gods had been prominent, Schwarzer had yet to be born .
Jinro knew a little more about this person . "Dabin becoming a stay-home dad was over ten years ago . Now, he is more like a stay-home coach and supporter . His son is an exceptionally talented kid and is not at all inferior to Dabin . Wait another five years! He will enter the professional circles and shoot straight up . "
"15 years ago he was beating his son, now 15 years later he is getting beat by his son . " Schwarzer couldn't help but chuckle .
Regardless of what sort of lifestyle these people had after retiring professionally, they still were representatives of their generation . People associated them with various melancholic sentiments .
Fiery Bird was quite successful in capitalizing on the fans' nostalgia .
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As they continued chatting, a few of them received a new notification .
"Let's go, time to draw lots . "
Jinro and the other Silverlight members went to the designated venue to draw lots . The various gaming gods from all twelve continents would be scheduled according to the number they drew .
"Nine?" Jinro was beaming . "Good number! It's my lucky number!"
Beside him, Schwarzer moaned . "One! How am I so unlucky!"
Number one was the first to compete in the special guest match .
Schwarzer wasn't happy . The first match was too close to the start . He wouldn't have time to get used to Fiery Bird's modes for the All-star Match . Perhaps he wouldn't even be able to display half of his talent and genius .
Jinro and the others were all in team 3 or higher . Schwarzer was the only one who had drawn a 1 . Schwarzer felt that the opening match wasn't favorable and became gloomy . However, the outcome couldn't be changed . All he could do right now was to think about how to deal with the first match .
There would be two special guests matches in the late morning and two in the late afternoon . Although each special guest match would last half an hour on average, the scheduling was tight, and there were other activities before and after the matches .
According to the number card drawn, Schwarzer would be in the first match on the first day . Jinro's match would be two days later, and he would have ample time to practice .
Jinro held his own new team card and went to great his new teammates who had also drawn the "9" card .
"Bruce? You are also in team 9?" Jinro saw Phoenix E-sports Club captain Bruce from Huangzhou .
They had both been captains of their respective teams, but Jinro's Silverlight team hadn't ranked as high as Phoenix in the overall rankings . On the individual leaderboards, Jinro was also one spot beneath Bruce . However, Jinro wasn't willing to lower his head when they met .
"A team can only have one captain . What now? Should we draw lots? Or have a match?" Jinro said .
"Draw lots, I guess . It's simple and quick . " Bruce also had the same intention . A team could only have one captain . Who would be willing to be vice-captain after being captain for so long?
Jinro ended up drawing a higher lot than Bruce .
Jinro felt that his good fortune was bursting at this iteration of the All-star match . He had a feeling that he would surely break out at this All-star match!
Furthermore, he was delighted from seeing entertainment news regarding Fang Zhao's dissertation defense . Many fans expressed doubt that Fang Zhao could attend due to his school commitments!
He still remembered the previous time when Old Master Mo had said, "Strike a balance between work and rest . With tension there must be relaxation" . Back then, Fang Zhao had just finished a lot of practice questions in preparation for his entrance exams and hadn't vented his stress yet . Thus, he had thoroughly decimated the whole group of pros . Fortunately, Jinro had been wise at that time and avoided it smoothly by putting the blame on his son .
It was just so fortunate that this All-star Match coincided with Fang Zhao's dissertation . Fang Zhao can't come~~~
Jinro was in high spirits . When it came time for the first special guest match, Jinro watched team 1's miserable performance from the viewing terrace . "Hahahahaha!"
"Such a ferocious operation and only 5% damage to the boss . That coordination won't do . With such high defense and damage, the only way is to outsmart the boss," the unfortunate vice-captain Bruce said .
Another gaming god in team 9 chimed in . "We have to understand that some special guests have never played 'Battle of the Century' before . The officials have to give them special treatment . "
"Team 1's special guest has chosen to appear in the form of a monster . I wonder what sort our team will face . "
"I'd rather face a boss in the form of a monster . That would mean that the special guest hasn't played that before . However, if the boss is human, that would be slightly more troublesome . "
Jinro expressed his agreement .
On the day before the ninth special guest match, Jinro represented their team to draw lots .
"Leave the drawing to me . My luck is especially great . "
The others in team 9 believed Jinro . If Jinro didn't have such good fortune, how could he have become the captain over Bruce?
They were all gaming gods . What right did one have to be captain? Everyone had similar ability, so why would they have to listen?
Thus, the other members of team 9 had another round of lot drawing . Jinro's results were still the highest .
They had no choice but to accept this luck .
"Alright, Captain Jin, draw it . We believe in you!"
Thus, Jinro drew the lot under the watchful gazes of all the gaming gods in team 9 .
"Survival Mode?"