Chapter 1237: Thunderclap’s Focus
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
"Ah, the older generation really is…" Dai Yanqi was also dumbstruck. She had already put her guard up. Who would have thought that Happy would turn away so decisively just because of the words she said? This sort of reason wasn't logical! But the problem was that it truly happened, and Dai Yanqi couldn't help but feel a bit afraid. She hadn't ruined her own team's rhythm, right?
"Concentrate. Defend your position well and get back on track!" Xiao Shiqin messaged the team chat. Seeing the captain's words, Dai Yanqi seemed to have been hit by a tranquilizer and calmed down. Soon afterwards, her Elementalist Firebird Messenger hurried forward.
"Be careful of them switching targets, " Xiao Shiqin added.
"Switching targets?" Dai Yanqi was a bit surprised.
The crowd was in an even more of an uproar, because just when Xiao Shiqin typed out those words, Ye Xiu had typed in Happy's team chat: turn!
All of Happy suddenly turned around and switched back to Dai Yanqi's Firebird Messenger. Their shift towards Xiao Shiqin had been a bait. Unfortunately, Xiao Shiqin saw through their little trick and promptly warned Dai Yanqi no to cut in too deep. Dai Yanqi had originally readied a Teleport, and the moment she paused because of the warning, she saw Happy suddenly turn around and rush towards her.
"How crafty," Dai Yanqi wasn't a chatterbox, but she was among those who liked to talk in matches. As she grumbled, Firebird Messenger quickly retreated. Her staff flashed with lightning and a Lightning Bolt shot out. It was the very first attack in this team battle.
Lightning spells were fast, but in the end, it wasn't as immediate as firing a bullet. It only took the blink of an eye for elemental power to condense into electricity, but it still took some time, enough to react to. To pro players, a window for reacting and a close enough distance to complete the necessary action was more than enough.
Firebird Messenger's Lightning Bolt pierced through Happy's formation, but it didn't hit anyone. Following afterwards, Dai Yanqi had Firebird Messenger activate Absolute Focus and cast the Level 75 skill, Fire Bird. A Fire Bird formed at the tip of her staff and flew out with with its wings spread. The heat waves swept over the grasslands, wilting the once tall and straight stalks of green grass. Stalk after stalk bent over to half the size of their surrounding friends.
Compared to Lightning Bold, the area covered by Fire Bird was much larger, so Happy could not just open a path for the spell to pass by. Since it was no longer possible to continue maintaining their formation, Happy split up to the left and right. As the Fire Bird flew, the heat waves blurred their figures.
From the rear, sounds of machinery turning could be heard. They hadn't targeted Xiao Shiqin, instead, it was Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher who took the initiative to look for them. The knee-high grass hid lots of the ground machines. Happy could only see rustles from wherever the machines passed by, but they didn't know what exactly was hidden in the grass.
Firebird Messenger retreated as Life Extinguisher advanced.
But Firebird Messenger didn't back away too hard, and Life Extinguisher didn't advance too fiercely either. They seemed to be intentionally leaving Happy some space. These two long-ranged classes carefully controlled the distance, maintaining a certain gap between them.
The unknown machines traversing along the ground were getting nearer and nearer from multiple directions, arriving at different times.
Landmine Quake!
Fang Rui's Boundless Sea leaped into the air and slammed his two hands towards the ground. A wave of formless and colorless qi could be seen from its effects on the grass as it spread out towards the surroundings with Boundless Sea at the center.
Boom boom boom boom!
When the rustling grass and the grass wave collided, fire and light exploded into the air, creating a plume of smoke. Fang Rui had timed it well. He didn't care what the machines were and simply let out a Landquake Mine to destroy them.
But… those weren't all of them.
Who knew how many machines Xiao Shiqin had put into this wave. There were still three rustles in the grass. Perhaps they hadn't arrived yet, or perhaps Xiao Shiqin had maneuvered them away, but either way, they had avoided Boundless Sea's earthquake and started charging towards Happy again.
Qi Bullet!
Boundless Sea punched in the direction of a rustle.
However, Qi Bullet's flight speed was nothing worth noting. The mechanical tool sped up and easily evaded it.
Bang! Bang!
Lord Grm's Myriad Manifestations Umbrella transformed into its gun form and fired twice. But under the cover of the grass, it was difficult to get a good aim. After two shots, the rustling was still there.
Ta ta ta ta ta...
Su Mucheng saw that Lord Grim's few shots didn't hit, so she had Dancing Rain use Gatling Gun. The stream of bullets chased after the rustling grass in a line, finally shooting it into a smoke and fire. Su Mucheng didn't stop. While her skill was still in effect, she immediately switched to a different direction. However, Xiao Shiqin was clearly wary of Happy catching them all in one fell swoop. He had all three of his machines move along paths far from each other. Even though Su Mucheng quickly switched directions, she didn't have much time left on her skill. After a few bullets, her Gatling Gun stopped.
However...
Ta ta ta ta ta...
Lord Grim's Gatling Gun fired. His attack path followed along Dancing Rain's previous path. If you didn't look at the starting points of the bullets, it was practically impossible to tell that this attack had actually been done by two people.
Boom! The machine on that path exploded. When Lord Grim turned his gun, he still had half of Gatling Gun's duration left. Bullets chased after the last remaining mechanical tool, but who would have thought that it wouldn't be enough! Everyone could clearly see that the bullets landed on the right patch of grass, but the mechanical tool seemed to be perfectly fine!
Mechanical tools weren't like summoned creatures with health. They would go boom with just a knock. A bullet hitting, let alone multiple, was enough. The only explanation was that it didn't hit, but… the bullets clearly landed on it, unless...
Ye Xiu suddenly reacted, but it was too late. A patch of grass rustled in front of them, and then something suddenly leaped up out of the grass.
This wasn't a mechanical tool that traversed on the ground. It was an aerial Air Drop. However, Xiao Shiqin had it fly extremely low so that it would be covered by the grass. But because it wasn't touching the ground, Ye Xiu's previous attacks missed because of the slight deviation in position. At this moment, Air Drop was suddenly in front of them. Its stomach opened up and was just about to drop some bombs...
Boom!
The Air Drop suddenly exploded before it could drop any bombs. Amidst the black smoke, a white flame could clearly be seen.
Sacred Fire!
Prediction and timing were An Wenyi's strengths. At the most crucial moment, a calm Sacred Fire block the Air Drop.
The crowd applauded.
This wave of machines had happened in just a few short seconds. All of Team Happy had worked together to intercept these machines. Their teamwork had been beautiful.
"Pay attention. The other side's Assassin has disappeared…" Fang Rui typed in the chat.
Fang Xuecai's Assassin Demon Talent had been between Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher and Cheng Tai's Shattering Wind, but he was now nowhere to be seen.
Was he crawling through the grass, or was he using the Thief skill on his weapon, Stealth? Ye Xiu and the others started searching the grass. No matter which option he had chosen, any movement in the grass would leave behind a trace. The grass was only knee-high. The Mechanic's mechanical tools could hide there quite cleanly, but it wasn't so easy to hide an adult.
Demon Talent was gone right now, but Dai Yanqi's and Xiao Shiqin's pincer was still ongoing. While Happy was busy cleaning up Life Extinguisher's machines, Firebird Messenger took the opportunity to cast two high-level spells. Without trying to make any predictions, lightning and fire AoE spells were cast directly above Happy's heads. From the looks of it, she wasn't trying to stop Happy from advancing, but trying to blast Happy's formation apart.
A pincer from the front and rear. An Assassin gone without a trace. Chen Tai's Grappler, Shattering Wind, was the closest to Happy. He was constantly moving, and even though he had yet to make an attack, his presence alone gave them quite a bit of pressure. Happy had to dodge the attacks from the front and rear, while also making sure they weren't grabbed by Shattering Wind. If a Grappler grabbed them, the formation would certainly fall apart. Shattering Wind was moving around, looking for an opening. As Happy dodged, they also tried to see if they could swallow up Shattering Wind. However, Thunderclap had Xiao Shiqin watching over. His judgement towards tactics was clear and precise. Only the crowd knew just how dense Thunderclap's chat was. The density of messages was not lower than that of their match against Blue Rain.
Was Xiao Shiqin planning on using these varied and complex tactics to outpace Happy?
However, Happy's leader was Ye Xiu, not Yu Wenzhou. Their tactical skill was the same, but in terms of hand speed, if you said Ye Xiu was superior to Yu Wenzhou, then even Yu Wenzhou's most loyal fans could only concede tearfully.
Why? Why did Thunderclap need to make things so complicated? Xiao Shiqin made numerous commands, and every player's movements and attack rhythms were constantly changing. Not only were they adjusting according to Xiao Shiqn's instructions, but they had their own plans too. Thunderclap had clearly prepared this set of tactics.
What exactly is this?
"I get it!" Li Yibo suddenly shouted. His skill level was still far higher than the average player's. He saw through Thunderclap's tactical intentions first. But right after he yelled it out, he immediately felt regret. He was exposing himself too much! Why am I so overjoyed? I should be calmly explaining the thought behind Thunderclap's tactics. That would have made me look even more knowledgeable!
Unfortunately, the deed had been done. Pan Lin helped lead him in: "Coach Li, you've seen through Thunderclap's intentions?"
"Haha, I had a feeling earlier, but now I'm certain. Thunderclap is doing exactly what I had thought," Li Yibo said mysteriously.
"Please guide us Coach Li." How could Pan Lin not know of Li Yibo's cunning plot. In his heart, he was looking down on him, but out loud, he had to praise him.
"Thunderclap's strategy is similar to their one against Blue Rain with lots of variations. But when facing Blue Rain, they were mainly focused on varying and adjusting their tactics. Right now, they're more focused on their attack positioning and variation in rhythm."
"The purpose is the same. They're targeting a certain player on the opposing team. Against Blue Rain, their target was Yu Wenzhou. If Yu Wenzhou is unable to give out enough commands on time, Blue Rain would have trouble keeping up with Thunderclap's fast-changing tactics. Against Happy, their target is An Wenyi, Happy's healer!" Li Yibo said with certainty.
Chapter 1238: Symbol For a Healer
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Happy's healer, An Wenyi!
Li Yibo spoke with power and resonance, but since this was a live broadcast, he probably didn't know how many boos came his way when he said these words.
Happy's weak point was An Wenyi. We don't need you to say that. Who doesn't know it?
Yes, everyone knew, including Pan Lin. He hadn't thought that Li Yibo's secret ace would be such an obvious answer. After staring blankly for a few seconds, he finally followed up: "Yeah… An Wenyi really is Happy's weak point."
"Yes," Li Yibo was still smiling confidently, "Everyone knows this, but who among Happy's previous opponents fully took advantage of this weakness?"
Pan Lin was stunned again. He could hear that Li Yibo's words had substance to them, and he subconsciously started thinking about Li Yibo's question. Had any of Happy's previous opponents specifically created a plan to target An Wenyi?"
"We won't talk about matches too far in the past. Let's take a look at the two rather strong teams that Happy had faced in their recent win streak, Misty Rain and Void. Our friends who have watched Happy's matches against these two team, recall Happy's performances in the team competition," Li Yibo betrayed the key points in his analysis.
"Happy's performances in those two matches?" Pan Lin echoed as he pondered in his mind. His perception was quite a bit higher than the average player's. After thinking about it for a bit, he found out that he truly wasn't able to find anything.
"In Misty Rain's match, Happy utilized the terrain to set up their formation. At that time, An Wenyi's Little Cold Hands hid behind that big rock. Misty Rain didn't have the conditions to launch any attacks directly towards him," Li Yibo answered.
Pan Lin completely remembered now: "In Void's match, Happy switched out their Cleric to get into position faster. By the time An Wenyi went onto the field, Void only had four players remaining, and Happy's victory had pretty much been decided at that point."
"For those interested, we can go even farther back. In their match against Hundred Blossoms, even in the Challenger League finals against Excellent Era, these matches against strong opponents give us an even clearer picture."
"Right," Pan Lin completely understood what Li Yibo wanted to say.
"Happy's tactics seem similar to Thunderclap's in the sense that they're always targeting a certain person. However, Happy's tactics are always built off a foundation: protecting their weak point, An Wenyi. In every match, they will always try their best to end the battle without there being too great of a burden on An Wenyi," Li Yibo said.
"Xiao Shiqin has completely seen through this point, so in this match, he's taken the initiative to strike preemptively at Happy's tactical framework. He doesn't plan on letting Happy set up a situation easy for An Wenyi," Pan Lin said.
"Yes, so that's why their offensive rhythm is constantly changing. For a healer, grasping the opponent's offensive rhythm is extremely important. A healer needs to pay attention to any possible dangers, sometimes even needing to predict a crisis ahead of time, in order to prepare a long cast time heal in advance. Does Happy's An Wenyi have the ability to deal with such a hurried situation?" Li Yibo said.
The broadcast team coordinated with him and cut to An Wenyi's point of view.
His screen was shifting around extremely chaotically.
Sure enough, the situation was just as Li Yibo said. Before a healer healed, the first thing that needed to be done was to figure out who needed to be healed, which meant that the healer couldn't solely pay attention to his opponents. The healer needed to look at the overall situation from time to time. However, Xiao Shiqin had set it up such that the battle was spread out all around. An Wenyi could not simply look in one direction to observe the battlefield. He had to look towards one side and then look towards a different side from time to time. Along with Thunderclap's constantly changing rhythm, his inability to keep up and his confusion was completely exposed by the cameras.
The broadcast and the crowd's electronic screens aptly showed the health bars of the two teams.
This sort of image was usually shown to let the viewers know which side's healer was controlling the field well. A good healer would keep his teammate's health above a certain safe line at all times. The health bars would leap up and down like musical notes.
But the health bars of Happy's characters were a complete mess. It was like he was banging around clumsily without any vision. No one could tell what An Wenyi's safe line was.
Without a safe line, it wasn't possible to heal dependably.
Happy's stadium was quiet.
An Wenyi was Happy's weak point. This had been known since the very beginning, but up until now, it had never been fully exposed because every time the team lost, it didn't look like An Wenyi was dragging down the team. But when Li Yibo gave his analysis, everyone discovered that though An Wenyi didn't drag down the team in Happy's losses, he didn't contribute too much in their wins either. An Wenyi's role in Happy seemed to just be a symbol, letting the opponents know: we have a healer. Had Happy ever used any tactics that relied on their healer? Never. Even though An Wenyi had his moments of brilliance, he had always played under relatively safe conditions - conditions that Happy had set up for him.
But in this round against Thunderclap, Xiao Shiqin didn't give them an opportunity to set up these conditions. These multi-directional and constantly changing attacks forced out Happy's weakness. In a team battle, if the healer could not keep up, the entire team would suffer. Thunderclap's attacks weren't focused on any one person. They frequently changed targets, forcing An Wenyi to constantly search for their focuses, pressuring him into making more mistakes.
Happy wasn't routed yet. Their team still had Ye Xiu and Ye Xiu's Lord Grim. The unspecialized had limited healing capabilities, but it was better than nothing. These heals might be enough for crucial saves, but relying on Lord Grim to keep up the entire team's health was impossible.
What are they going to do?
This was Happy's home stadium, so the crowd was obviously worried for Happy. Thunderclap couldn't be too relaxed either though. Maintaining this sort of battle tempo without making mistakes was not an easy task.
"Keep this up!" From time to time, Xiao Shiqin would give encouraging words to boost the team's morale.
Thunderclap's offense was maintained extremely well. No matter how amazing a team's tactics were, if the team couldn't carry it out, then it was pointless. And in terms of execution, Thunderclap's players were second to none. This team had always relied on tactics to beat stronger teams. The team's players were very accomplished at tactics, even more so under Xiao Shiqin's guidance. They understood his commands very quickly and executed them smoothly.
"Happy's in trouble," Li Yibo was already announcing it.
"Let's see if they've got a way out!" Pan Lin said.
"Thunderclap is utilizing the map extremely well. I nearly forgot who chose the map," Li Yibo chuckled.
"Uh… I'm sure Happy chose this map for a reason." Pan Lin chose his words carefully because he had a premonition that as soon as he came out and announced Happy's demise, he would definitely be slapped in the face.
Li Yibo could feel Pan Lin's cautiousness and laughed. What could Happy do in this situation? No matter which direction you rush towards, you won't be able to escape from battle. Thunderclap doesn't need to trap you here. As long as they can continuously harass you and can stop your healer from being effective, this harassment is equivalent to damage. And enough damage means that it's their win! In addition, Thunderclap's leader is Xiao Shiqin. With him watching over, what tactical intents could be hidden from him?
"Cheng, pressure with triangular movement!"
"Dai, turn 30 degrees."
"Fang, move back."
Commands continued to be given as Happy wasn't just sitting there letting An Wenyi deal with the pressure himself. However, their intentions were always seen through by Xiao Shiqin, who would promptly respond and stop Happy from escaping this situation.
"Fuck. Bullying the rookie, you call that skill!" Fang Rui complained in the public chat.
"Keep pressuring them. Fang, move a little towards my location." Xiao Shiqin was unmoved. In a match, there was no such thing as trash talk only for the purpose of complaining. The words that jumped onto the screen always contained a message, which would automatically be read by the eyes. This sort of small distraction could lead to an unconscious change in emotions and ultimately, a mistake. Xiao Shiqin wouldn't be affected by it though. As soon as Fang Rui said these words, his first thought was that the opponents would be making a move soon, so he immediately warned his team to be wary.
Sky Piercing Strike!
After Fang Rui's grumble, Boundless Sea pushed out a blast of qi. The qi swept past the grass directly towards Life Extinguisher.
Laser Beam!
Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain immediately added to Boundless Sea's attack with a Laser Beam.
But their coordination was a bit off beat, so the effects weren't the most optimal. Xiao Shiqin's Life Extinguisher easily dodged it. However, his line of sight left that area for a short moment.
Chaotic Rain!
At this moment, greenish purplish raindrops suddenly poured down. It was Chaotic Rain summoned by a Warlock.
"Oh, so those attacks were cover for Chaotic Rain. Then, they plan on using Chaotic Rain's AoE to attack. In that case, we need to…" Xiao Shiqin thought and prepared to give another order.
Wait...
1, 2, 3, 4...
Happy was missing a person!
The missing person was Lord Grim?
"Where's Lord Grim?" Xiao Shiqin hastily asked in the chat. Did he disappear from view while I was dodging those attacks? Even if I didn't see him, my other teammates should have, right?"
"Ah?" His teammates all gasped in surprise.
No one saw?
Xiao Shiqin didn't ask further. Everyone's "Ah?" was clear enough.
Had there been a blind spot in everyone's field of view at that instant?
Was that a coincidence, or… had it been set up?
Xiao Shiqin reflected on this question. If it was the latter, then Happy's plan was currently being set in motion. Ye Xiu's Lord Grim was hiding in the grass. What was he planning on doing?
"Cheng, approach and search. Fang, support him." Xiao Shiqin immediately ordered.
Chapter 1239: Hoist By Your Own Petard
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Thunderclap's two close-ranged classes rushed forward. Xiao Shiqin didn't even blink as he looked around. But Thunderclap's attack formation didn't weaken because of this though, and Xiao Shiqin didn't neglect his shotcalling.
Happy might just be purposely trying to confuse them, using this to divert their attention and reduce the pressure. Xiao Shiqin considered this possibility. So even as Shattering Wind and Demon Talent pressed forward, they weren't just looking for Lord Grim, they maintained their attacks toward Happy's players. Happy didn't reduce the pressure, and in fact because of Lord Grim's disappearance, they had to work even harder under the conditions of a 4v5.
Show yourself!
Xiao Shiqin thought to himself. Ye Xiu couldn't play like this all the way until the end.
"2 o'clock." In the Thunderclap chat, Dai Yanqi suddenly called out. As she spoke, she prepared to fire a spell in that direction.
"Don't split your attention, leave it to me!" Xiao Shiqin immediately shouted. He was scared of this scenario exactly. If everyone switched their attention to target Ye Xiu's Lord Grim, then wouldn't this situation, which they had established with such difficulty, be broken? Seeing Dai Yanqi's Firebird Messenger already turning her head and about to cast in that direction, Xiao Shiqin truly applauded Ye Xiu.
It was just a small trick, but it caused a great disruption to Thunderclap's strategy. Ye Xiu truly understood the players' logic and reactions too well. At a time like this, anyone who suddenly discovered Lord grim's whereabouts would instantly try and attack, and with that, Thunderclap's strategic rhythm would be disrupted.
"But it's a shame, Ye Xiu's opponent is Xiao Shiqin." After seeing Xiao Shiqin's direction in the team chat, Li Yibo spoke with a smile. With an omniscient view, they of course saw Lord Grim's actions more clearly than Xiao Shiqin could. Li Yibo reached the same conclusion as Xiao Shiqin, but seeing that Xiao Shiqin saw through it entirely and was prepared against it, Li Yibo didn't feel like going to praise Ye Xiu.
"Yeah…" Pan Lin agreed, his heart beginning to waver. It looked like Happy was really struggling in this match! Should he begin to sing praises for Thunderclap?
As Pan Lin wondered, the situation onstage changed again.
The exposed Lord Grim suddenly began to move. Dai Yanqi's attack toward him had been stopped by Xiao Shiqin, but he still continued to charge toward Dai Yanqi.
"Don't panic, it's Mechanical Seeker," Xiao Shiqin called.
"Haha, seen through again," Li Yibo laughed. "A Mechanical Seeker and a character are very different in size, and so they move a little differently. Perhaps a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Xiao Shiqin is an expert Mechanic!"
The little trick once again failed to come to fruition. Ye Xiu seemed rather helpless, and Lord Grim finally charged out, this time toward Zhang Jiaxing's Returning Wind.
Attacking from behind to try and save your allies?
Xiao Shiqin smiled. He'd already thought of this possibility long ago!
Fang Xuecai's Assassin Demon Talent twisted and used a Shining Cut in the direction of Lord Grim's movement. If this kind of thing didn't happen, no one would notice, but as soon as it happened, everyone suddenly realized that Thunderclap's players, in maintaining their nonstop offensive, were coordinating with each other extremely well. The tactics of this team proceeded as precise and orderly as the gears of a machine.
Zhang Jiaxing wouldn't just sit around doing nothing. When he saw Lord Grim coming toward him, he cast a Sacred Fire, hidden in the grass.
Would it hit?
Zhang Jiaxing didn't know. He was too familiar with this opponent in front of him and knew just how scary he was. A little trick like this wouldn't be much use, would it?
This thought hadn't even finished crossing his mind when, at the position of his Sacred Fire, a blindingly white fire blazed to life.
It hit!
Fang Xuecai was delighted at this development, and of course he wouldn't let this skill-sealing opportunity slip away. Demon Talent used Swift Run and Swift Movements, prepared to instantly kill with a Heart-Piercing Stab.
This is?
Fang Xuecai stopped. A green-skinned Goblin waved a club as it came toward him. From its excited state, he could tell that it must have eaten an attack, otherwise how could it run so quickly?
This was a trap!
"It's a Goblin!" Fang Xuecai hurriedly sent a message. This lowest-level little summon was of course nothing to him, and he quickly took care of it.
A Goblin!
Xiao Shiqin jolted. This wasn't an attack from the rear to save the allies, this was… making a sound in the east and striking in the west!
Just as he reached this realization, Xiao Shiqin watched as the grass began to rustle once again. This time, Ye Xiu no longer bothered to hide Lord Grim's body, because now there was no one nearby to stop him.
Slide Kick, Charge, Colliding Stab, Shining Cut…
Lord Grim chained all of these low-level quick movement skills from various classes. Relying on the effects of all of these skills used consecutively, Lord Grim's speed at that moment couldn't be bested by even an Assassin, let alone any of the slower classes.
Cheng Tai's Shattering Wind wasn't fast enough to block him, and in an instant, Lord Grim was in front of his target.
"Captain Xiao, having fun?"
Lord Grim made his move. Dragon Tooth!
As soon as he knew about the Goblin, Xiao Shiqin instantly realized that he himself was Ye Xiu's true target, and he was already defending himself. But Lord Grim arrived too quickly, so quickly that Xiao Shiqin was feeling regret. Lord Grim could use skills to achieve this kind of movement speed; they really shouldn't have been tricked by that Goblin.
Roll!
Life Extinguisher rolled to the side, dodging the Dragon Tooth. He swung his Mechanical Box to the side and a Magnetic Field Coil was thrown onto the ground.
Boom!
The Magnetic Field Coil hadn't had time to release its magnetic energy when Lord Grim's spear pierced it, directly disrupting it. The spear jumped and again flashed in front of Life Extinguisher.
In the end, Ye Xiu was most familiar with handling a spear. All those years controlling the Battle Mage One Autumn Leaf hadn't gone to waste.
Xiao Shiqin could only have Life Extinguisher dodge again, but Lord Grim wasn't some ordinary Battle Mage. If the spear's range wasn't enough… The Myriad Manifestations Umbrella shifted to gun form, and Anti-Tank Missile was launched!
Boom boom boom!
The flames of the explosions swallowed Life Extinguisher whole, but at this moment Xiao Shiqin still sent a message in the chat. "Leave me, maintain the rhythm."
The Thunderclap players who had been prepared to rescue him suddenly stopped, but they understood their captain's intentions. Ye Xiu's powerful offensive toward Xiao Shiqin was his attempt at breaking the current situation. If the Thunderclap players broke formation to save thier captain, Happy would be free of their current difficult situation, and might even be able to launch a counterattack. This could be considered a variation of BOX-1 tactics, and Thunderclap's players, with their high tactical background, instantly understood.
"Maintain the rhythm, respond as appropriate," said another Thunderclap player. It was Fang Xuecai, a longtime teammate of Xiao Shiqin's in Thunderclap, the vice-captain of Thunderclap. He knew that Xiao Shiqin didn't have much space to give commands, so he supplemented the strategic plan.
They couldn't gather the strength of the entire team to force a rescue, but they couldn't not rescue him. Maintain the rhythm, respond as appropriate, a playstyle like that was to incorporate Lord Grim and Life Extinguisher into the rhythm of the battle as a whole. It was the logical way of breaking BOX-1 tactics.
But… To Thunderclap, Xiao Shiqin was more than just a battle core. He was the commander. This battle against Happy in particular required many directions from him, constantly adjusting their tactics and attack rhythm to target Happy's weak point, An Wenyi. But at this moment, under Ye Xiu's offensive raining down upon him, an offensive that could instantly defeat countless formidable players…
"How about it? Still have time to type any words?" Ye Xiu, shockingly, could still find the space to ask this question.
The crowd was silent. No one knew how to express their current emotions.
Xiao Shiqin… This was retribution, wasn't it?
Against Blue Rain, he had bullied Yu Wenzhou. Yu Wenzhou's handspeed was too slow to keep up with a rapidly changing battle, so Xiao Shiqin purposely directed his team so there were many changes and ultimately defeated Blue Rain.
And now, Ye Xiu, this Glory Textbook was teaching a lesson to the helplessly sighing Blue Rain. Was there really no way of dealing with Xiao Shiqin's harassment?
Of course there was, and it was simple. Tooth for Tooth, use their own strategy against them!
If he wanted to harass with a complex and changing battle style, Xiao Shiqin also needed to rely on a large number of commands. His handspeed wasn't a problem, but, when faced with this explosion of attacks raining down upon him…
"Your life or your commands?"
Ye Xiu's question was the dilemma with which Xiao Shiqin was currently struggling.
Thunderclap's players quickly realized as well, without Xiao Shiqin's commands, the amount of damage they were dealing was quickly slipping, and it seemed like Happy's weak point An Wenyi could endure this level. After all, he had walked with Happy through the Challenger League and played half a season with them on the main roster. He didn't neglect his daily training, either. Perhaps his talent was limited, but after a year and a half of growth, he was far from mediocre.
Thunderclap's strategy, broken!
The live crowd finally reacted with applause and cheers. And once An Wenyi was able to stabilize the situation, Happy's counterattack finally arrived. With regards to player quality, many people had already realized prior to this match that Happy was superior to Thunderclap.
"We have to save Captain!" Dai Yanqi said in the chat.
The others were also debating, but they also wanted to wait for Xiao Shiqin's direction. A "save" could be typed out! While he was tangled with Ye Xiu, Xiao Shiqin still occasionally had the space to issue a direction.
His life or his commands? This was the dilemma Xiao Shiqin faced.
To save or not to save? This was the choice Thunderclap had to make.
But Ye Xiu seemed like he knew that Thunderclap was facing this difficult decision. Lord Grim's attacks grew even more ferocious, so much so that people felt that the slightest slip could send Life Extinguisher straight to death.
Was it so bad that he couldn't even type a single word? The blood of the Thunderclap players went cold.
"Dai, help him!" At last, Fang Xuecai couldn't resist any longer, directing Dai Yanqi to give some support, or at least make an opening so that Xiao Shiqin could give a command. Just pointing them in the right direction would be enough!
"Understood!" Dai Yanqi's Firebird Messenger turned around.
The crowd saw all of this. Xiao Shiqin was suppressed, Dai Yanqi went to help him, this… this was a strategy often used by powerhouse teams with top-tier players during team competitions. Star 1v2.
This Ye Xiu… When the other side had stars, he played tactics with them. When the other side played tactics, he played as a star?