Chapter 1027: Seize the Competition
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Shen Jian walked off stage in a daze. The Excellent Era fans booed due to their discontent for the first time this match. Previously, Xiao Shiqin's 1v3 didn't need to be said. All the boos had been meant for Happy. Afterwards, Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang lost, but the crowd didn't react as harshly. The performances from Qiu Fei and Sun Xiang weren't bad. The fans didn't even look at the results. They also cared about the process.
Shen Jian's performance clearly didn't make them feel satisfied. It was just that compared to the boos towards Happy, the boos from the Excellent Ea fans were still much more polite. Amidst these boos, there was even some applause to encourage their team's players.
Shen Jian returned to the bench with his head drooped down. Tao Xuan patted his back and said a few consoling words before telling him to go rest. Tao Xuan was still the boss of a veteran team. He naturally wouldn't be so childish as to lose his temper like Jade Dynasty's Xiao Jie.
Excellent Era's final player was about to come on stage. Everyone stretched their necks waiting for this person to go up. Whether it was intentional or not, Tao Xuan stole a glance at Happy. On Excellent Era's side, Su Mucheng stood up.
As expected…...
Chen Guo thought to herself.
No one mentioned the possible conflict. Would Su Mucheng represent Excellent Era today? And now the truth had finally been revealed.
Su Mucheng glanced at Happy's side. Her gaze didn't expose too many things. She turned around and walked towards the player booth. On the other hand, Tao Xuan suddenly turned his head to look at Happy. No, to be more accurate, he looked at Ye Xiu. His eyes seemed to be filled with delight as if he were making fun of him.
What's that supposed to mean?
Chen Guo didn't understand. She turned her head to look at Ye Xiu and saw an expression she had never seen before on his face. Is that anger?
Yes, anger!
Even after Ye Xiu was kicked out and painted black by Excellent Era, he had always stayed calm. He's angry? Why? Because Su Mucheng was sent out?
Chen Guo felt like that wasn't the reason. Tao Xuan's expression when Su Mucheng went out was probably why Ye Xiu was angry. Chen Guo was still pondering over it, when she saw Ye Xiu stand up and walk over to Excellent Era's bench, to Tao Xuan.
Tao Xuan was still sitting down. He didn't move and simply raised his head slightly. He looked at Team Excellent Era's former captain. They were once good friends, who got to know each other in game. At that time, they were like brothers that had gone to hell and back together. Afterwards, he raised enough money to form a team and he pulled over his brother to become his team's captain. The two gradually stopped calling each other brothers and now, the two had become enemies.
"What's the meaning of this?" Ye Xiu had restrained his anger. He looked at Tao Xuan as calm as ever.
"I hope she'll give a good performance." Tao Xuan smiled, while giving an irrelevant answer.
"So it's like that." Ye XIu seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted and returned to his seat.
Chen Guo really wanted to ask, but... she was too afraid to. Ye Xiu no longer showed any anger like before, but his expression was gloomy. This was also an expression that she had never seen on him before.
"Calm down." Wei Chen suddenly said.
"Mm." Ye Xiu nodded his head. He didn't argue back or question him. He simply nodded his head, saying that the current him wasn't calm at all.
Ye Xiu wasn't calm?
Chen Guo felt like something must have happened. But what? Chen Guo looked at Wei Chen. She knew that he should know the answer. She used her eyes to tell Wei Chen, he could either die or explain the situation to her.
"Ahem….." Wei Chen was attacked by her glance. He gave a cough and then scooted over.
"Do you know why Su Mucheng was put last?" Wei Chen said.
Sure enough, it had to do with Su Mucheng.... Chen Guo thought to herself, but was there some sort of special meaning in it?
"Excellent Era is doubtful of Su Mucheng, but that they can't openly say that. After all, Su Mucheng is very popular. Just look at the crowd's reaction." Wei Chen said.
Yes, the stadium was already cheering. Shen Jian's embarrassing performance didn't wipe out their passionate cheers for Su Mucheng. She was only walking on stage and the crowd was going wild.
"So she's been placed last." Wei Chen said.
"Why?" Chen Guo still didn't understand.
"For one, this is their treat to the fans. If you look at how Excellent Era ordered their line up for the group arena, they planned to finish the group arena with three players, so the chances of Su Mucheng coming out is very small. However, she's at least a part of the line up, showing that they trust her. As for placing her last, that could be explained as a safeguard. This is completely reasonable." Wei Chen said.
"Mm." Chen Guo nodded her head in understanding.
"But if the situation arises and Su Mucheng needs to come out on stage, what then? She carries the burden of Excellent Era winning the group arena. Each and every move of hers will be watched with rapt attention. If she truly has ideas of sandbagging, I'm saying if!!!" Wei Chen said sandbag, Chen Guo's expression changed, so he immediately stressed the word if, "Then if anyone notices it, her reputation... will be completely destroyed."
"F*ck!" Chen Guo suddenly became angry. She shot a death glare over to Excellent Era's side. Unfortunately, no one was looking at her.
"I'm just saying if. Of course, you and I believe that Su Mucheng is a professional so she wouldn't do that. However, in such a sensitive match, even if she doesn't sandbag, if she loses, she'll most likely arouse the suspicions of others. For a match, a first impression holds more weight than the details. Any mistakes she makes could be viewed as sandbagging... so for Su Mucheng, she can only win. She cannot lose. If she loses, she'll be affected negatively." Wei Chen explained everything very thoroughly. After saying this, he put up his guard, making sure that their bold boss wouldn't flip a table over and try to murder someone.
What he didn't expect was that, after he finished explaining, Chen Guo didn't react aggressively like he thought she would. Chen Guo watched as Su Mucheng walked onto the stage; her expression was filled with bitterness.
Su Mucheng didn't want to win this match, but she had no choice but to. What type of conflict was going on inside her?
Chen Guo didn't know if Su Mucheng was aware of Excellent Era's intentions. After hearing Wei Chen's words, she felt like it wasn't really hard to figure that out, but even so, it was thanks to Tao Xuan leaking out such a delighted expression that Ye Xiu and Wei Chen realized it. If not, no matter how shameless the two of them were, they might not have thought much of it.
From this view, Su Mucheng might realize this despicable plan. What would she do to resist?
Would she directly type GG and leave? Use this type of reckless way against Excellent Era's coercion? Even though Chen Guo would feel great if that happened, the aftermath would be very worrying for Su Mucheng. Because the consequences were just like Wei Chen said, a complete loss in reputation. No matter the reason, a pro player was not allowed to violate the competitive integrity of the esport. It was for this reason that Excellent Era dared to treat Su Mucheng this way.
The current Chen Guo couldn't bother with getting angry at Tao Xuan. She also understood why Ye Xiu was so quick to restrain his anger. It was because the person everyone was concerned about was about to face this difficult situation. Was there time to worry for her? Who was in the mood to split their attention towards Tao Xuan?
What would she do?
Seeing Su Mucheng walk on stage and load in her character, Chen Guo's heart leapt to her throat.
Then, the match started. The two characters loaded into the map. Chen Guo watched Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain carefully and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Su Mucheng at least didn't say GG.
The two characters moved. Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep went straight for the center of the map. Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain moved more tactfully and quickly reached a place that Li Yibo called "an excellent sniping spot".
Launchers had the longest range out of all 24 classes. Utilizing the terrain, hiding, and constantly kiting the opponent with long-ranged attacks was the usual strategy, especially against an extremely aggressive player like Sun Zheping. This method of kiting could wear away the opponent's mental state and health. Su Mucheng should be using this method to covertly attack.
This was Coach Li's analysis, but the crowd saw Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain stand up on the wall with her heads held high and the cannon on her shoulders. She didn't seem to have any intentions of hiding. She completely exposed herself on the high grounds and started firing at Another Summer of Sleep.
Li Yibo's mouth dropped wide open. He had experienced a hundred battles, but this time, he couldn't save himself because Su Mucheng's slap to his face was too quick. As soon as he finished saying that she would hide, she stood up heroically and started firing. This pose was less like taking the initiative and more like shouting out loud "I'm attacking!!"
Chen Guo hadn't given up on listening to the commentators. When she saw the huge difference between Su Mucheng's play and the commentator's analysis, her heart suddenly thumped.
Su Mucheng didn't directly go so far as to say GG, but was she planning on boldly sandbagging to slap Excellent Era's face?
Artillery fire instantly covered Chen Guo's mood. The heavy suppression made it impossible for the aggressive Sun Zheping to charge at her directly.
Under the pursuit of artillery fire, Another Summer of Sleep ran behind a wall, planning his next step, when an enormous force lifted him up from behind. Another Summer of Sleep was overturned along with that wall from Su Mucheng's barrage.
"Excellent Era... are they planning on fighting force with force against Sun Zheping?" In the crowd, Team Tiny Herb's three pro players could see the pros and cons of that strategy.
Chapter 1028: It Ends HereTranslator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Su Mucheng's performance caused many of her die hard Excellent Era fans forget to cheer because this kind of strategy was indeed very different from her usual style.
When Ye Xiu was still on the team, Su Mucheng's Launcher had always played a supportive role. Her character's coordination with One Autumn Leaf had always been very distinct.
After Ye Xiu left the team, his successor, Sun Xiang, didn't have this same kind of implicit understanding with Su Mucheng. Dancing Rain's position on the team also appeared awkward for a time.
Fortunately, Su Mucheng rapidly adjusted herself, transforming from a support player into one of the main damage dealers. Yet even so, her style still wasn't as aggressive and unyielding as what she was showing today.
In reality, not being aggressive and unyielding was something that many people often accused female players of. Team Misty Rain's Captain Chu Yunxiu had constantly been flamed by critics because of this, to the point that it was considered one of her trademark weaknesses.
Except now, Su Mucheng was actually showcasing this kind of tough playstyle, making many people feel taken aback. Even a player like Sun Zheping had been suppressed to the point that he had no way to directly attack. It was obvious how intense her firepower had to be to reach this point.
Sun Zheping's Another Summer of Sleep and the wall behind him were both overturned, but Dancing Rain's offensive didn't stop for a moment. Only now could it be seen that Su Mucheng's original positioning of Dancing Rain on high ground wasn't to conceal her character to discreetly launch a sneak attack. Instead, it was done in order to obtain a wider field of view so as to allow her Launcher's attacks to cover a larger area. Attacking from afar allowed her to utilize her strength to the maximum.
Another Summer of Sleep still hadn't climbed out of the pile of rubble from the broken wall. A Stinger had long since been launched and had split in midair, the fragments raining downwards. This skill shot out at an arc. Although the distance the projectile could travel wasn't actually that long, Dancing Rain was currently towering above all on the high ground. The range of this skill had been increased a lot because of this.
The Stinger exploded above the ruins, turning the area into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye. Another Summer of Sleep suddenly rose, sweeping off the fragments of stone on his body. Looking at him, it really felt like a dramatic change.
However, Su Mucheng didn't let up at all. Dancing Rain had long since finished charging up a Laser Rifle. In the instant that Another Summer of Sleep burst forth, the laser beam was also released. Another Summer of Sleep's awe-inspiring pose didn't last even a second before he was pushed back by the Laser Rifle, sliding quite a distance. His feet had carved out two parallel grooves as he traveled.
At this moment, the stadium finally recovered and exploded in applause.
Facing Sun Zheping, a player who was defined by his aggressive playstyle, Su Mucheng was actually able to answer with aggressive plays of her own! Furthermore, her opponent didn't even have an opportunity to respond! If they didn't applaud for this kind of brilliant performance, what would they applaud for?
In comparison, Shen Jian's previous performance, which had been like a sheep in wolf's clothing, was unbearable. Except at this moment, who was even still thinking about his clumsy display? It was only brought up because the commentators used it as a comparison when they were looking for topics to talk about. After that, they went back to speaking about Su Mucheng's beautiful performance.
It really isn't easy ...
Even Sun Zheping, who was currently onstage, felt a sense of sorrow. He had lost many matches before, but there had been very very few in which he had absolutely no opportunity to advance on his opponent. Today, the beautiful Su Mucheng had set her heart on showcasing her power! Honestly, when he saw Su Mucheng go onstage, Sun Zheping had had some doubts about the quality of the match. Right now, since he was helping Happy compete, he obviously wouldn't shy away from any topics or problems regarding Excellent Era. He knew that Su Mucheng was in a very tangled situation. In this kind of match, would a beautiful girl still be able to display her full strength? In his heart, there was originally a question mark.
Now, however, the question mark was smashed to pieces. Su Mucheng had fought to the point that he had no way to push forward. This was practically exceeding her full strength.
However, although Sun Zheping understood Su Mucheng's inner turmoil, he wouldn't go easy on her during the competition. In his opinion, these were two completely unrelated things. In any case, all he was concerned with was winning the competition. It didn't matter who his opponent was. It didn't matter what the situation looked like. It didn't matter how he felt, or what his state of mind was. On the stage, outside of victory or defeat, there was nothing else ...
If strength wasn't enough, then what about tactics?
No, this was never Sun Zheping's style. It hadn't been many years ago, and it wasn't now. Perhaps there were many people secretly watching, watching to see if Sun Zheping had lost some of his former grandeur after being forced to retire due to an injury. Sun Zheping wanted these people to know that, even if he had a hand injury, even if he could only fight at a high skill level for a few minutes each time, in these trifling minutes, he wouldn't back down. He would press onwards with the same vigor, because that was his style. This was Sun Zheping. The grace and elegance of the Number One Berserker would not fade for any reason. Even if it could only manifest for a few minutes, so be it. In these few minutes, everyone would witness the grace, the beauty, the marvel, the brilliance, the excitement, the delight. This was the way of the Number One Berserker.
Another Summer of Sleep suddenly charged forward. Su Mucheng saw this clearly, immediately firing three Anti-Tank Missiles. Another Summer of Sleep raised his sword, releasing a Whirlwind Strike!
The blade of the sword swung towards the incoming projectile. The flames of the explosion were sliced clean in half by the sword, fluttering harmlessly before dissipating next to his body. One, then another, then the third and final one were all chopped in half by Sun Zheping in an aggressive manner. Another Summer of Sleep continued charging forth with large strides.
Everyone was stupefied. Under this kind of suppressive firepower, he actually still wanted to push forward. This kind of style was completely unreasonable. It was absolutely crazy!
Had any other player acted this way, they would likely have been seen as courting death. However, Sun Zheping and his Another Summer of Sleep pushed onwards step by step, beating into the hearts of every person watching. All they saw was this pro player and his character, possessing unyielding determination, tenaciously push forward. Step by step, they never stopped to rest. Perhaps he would die on this road, but never would he even think of compromising.
"This guy!!" At this moment, all of Happy's players felt incredibly moved.
Throwing the game?
If anyone watching this match still entertained these ideas, they really should be dragged out of the stadium and executed by a firing squad a hundred times over.**
This confrontation was one that required full commitment from both sides. There wouldn't be anyone throwing the match, nor would either side back down. Everything this stage represented, everything it embodied, all of it came down to the two players' Glory. At this moment, everything else became truly irrelevant.
Victory! This was what both sides were trying so hard to achieve.
Everyone present was influenced by the players passion. They too forgot everything. At this moment, all their attention was drawn to the confrontation unfolding before their eyes. Their only concern was who would attain victory. Not one person even considered the many consequences that would arise from either side's victory.
Who would win? Who would lose?
No one blinked, all eyes focused on the two characters on stage. Another Summer of Sleep — a character name that sounded extremely languid and laid back. No one knew what was going through Sun Zheping's mind when he came up with a name that had nothing in common with his playstyle. But now, the languidly-named Another Summer of Sleep had finished his Long March.*** Now, he had finally arrived in front of Dancing Rain, and he could finally sink his teeth into the one who had hindered his journey, the opponent who had lined his road with a thousand different obstacles and dangers.
However, it was also at this moment that Dancing Rain finally took a step back ...
Sun Zheping's strike only struck air. He stared blankly.
When he recovered his senses a moment later, he unexpectedly laughed.
He had only been thinking of charging forward, and he forgot. He forgot that Su Mucheng wasn't him. In these circumstances, Sun Zheping would stay and collide his opponent head on. But Su Mucheng, she temporarily retreated. This was something that Sun Zheping would never choose to do. Yet, it indeed was the smarter choice.
I'm going to lose ...
Sun Zheping knew this in the bottom of his heart. His opponent had fought more intelligently, whereas he had perhaps only been recklessly acting without thought all along.
It really was a pity because he wouldn't have many more opportunities to play so recklessly, without a regard for the rules. He really missed the old days, when he so recklessly fight onstage however much he wanted.
Dancing Rain retreated, and in the blink of an eye a Satellite Beam descended from the sky. Another Summer of Sleep had finally reached the last thread of his life, collapsing onto the ground. He brought with him Sun Zheping's profound regret, not only for this match, but for his entire Glory career. Even when he could only compete for a few minutes, he still was that Sun Zheping. Yet, such a short amount of time truly couldn't satisfy him ...
The group arena had finally concluded. Su Mucheng was victorious. Excellent Era finally won one point.
Sun Zheping walked out of the player booth first. The entire stadium was silent. Gradually, however, sounds of applause rang out, eventually spreading to the entire stadium.
In the past, Team Happy had only received booing and derision. Now, they were suddenly being applauded?
Of course not.
At this moment, they were applauding was for Sun Zheping. Although he had lost, through this one match, every person had experienced and appreciated his unyielding fortitude. Why did this kind of player have to suffer the misfortune of a hand injury, which was deadly to pro players? No one could voice the regret they fell. The audience could only send their respect and blessings through applause.
Afterwards, the applause was directed towards Su Mucheng, who had obtained victory for the team. The audience waited for Su Mucheng to exit the player booth. However, they discovered that Dancing Rain hadn't immediately logged off after winning. At this moment, she was still standing onstage.
"My time with Excellent Era ends here."
In the competition channel which had yet to be closed, this sentence suddenly appeared. Before anyone could react, Dancing Rain logged out, disappearing from the stage. Immediately afterwards, Su Mucheng exited the player booth.
For a moment, that inexplicable sentence caused the audience's applause to become scattered. Soon after, under the gaze of everyone present in the stadium, Su Mucheng walked off of the stage towards the team benches. When she passed the Excellent Era bench area, she didn't stop, walking all the way over to Happy's area before sitting down.
The entire stadium exploded. Amidst the commotion it was impossible to make sense of anything. However, Su Mucheng didn't care at all. At this moment, she felt more calm and at ease than she had in a year and a half. She no longer felt any inner turmoil, nor any burden weighing her down. Everything had returned to the beginning, when she had followed her brother and Ye Xiu as they struggled to make a living through video games. It had been hard, it had been exhausting, but they had been content.
Su Mucheng felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She quickly buried her face in the shoulder of the person sitting next to her.
"Leave the rest to me!" That person said.
"Okay...." Su Mucheng agreed. In reality, she had never wanted the spotlight for herself ...
Translator's Thoughts Nomyummi** This is the literal translation of 枪毙一百遍. The translators do not condone violence in any form.
*** 万里长征 refers to the Long March that the Communist Party of China took from October 1934 to October 1935 in order to escape from the Chinese Nationalist Party. Literally, it can be translated as "thousand mile expedition," although the Long March reportedly spanned over 5600 miles. This event would eventually cement Mao Zedong's ascent to power.