Chapter 98

“Broken water! Broken water!”

Amidst the cheers, members of the Broken Water team stepped onto the award podium.

Under the dazzling lights, they were bathed in radiance.

Beside them were their teammates, holding trophies, while below, the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

This was esports—brief yet splendid.

This moment would forever be engraved in the hearts of all the members of Broken Water, even if they were to retire or leave someday.

After the eSports host delivered the standard award speech, he handed over the microphone.

It was time for them to express their feelings after winning. This could be considered a reserved part of the ceremony, where winning players usually say some conventional words like “thanks to my parents, thanks to my teammates, I will work harder and strive for more glory in the future.”

In theory, it was a normal process. The host wore a smile on his face, but in his heart, he kept repeating, “Don’t let anything go wrong; please don’t let anything go wrong.”

Some might wonder, What could possibly go wrong during an awards ceremony?

But esports players were too young in this field—a group of passionate young people. Give them a microphone, and they will dare to say anything. Especially in the polar region, where interference was rare, the players became even more “unbridled.”

Some complained about the official food being unpalatable; some brought a snake on stage and said they wanted to share the glory with it; and some even demanded to sing for their fans on the spot. In one season, an entire team was composed of members with social anxiety. No matter how hard the host tried to guide them, they barely spoke three sentences altogether.

All of this was considered normal. What the host feared the most was a major blunder during the awards ceremony.

For example, a certain champion team from the previous season

A group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old players, looking innocent and well-behaved, took the microphone. Once they got on stage, their first words were, “It’s normal for us to win the championship. After all, the opponents couldn’t even put up a fight. Thanks to the opponents being so trash, we got the opportunity to win the championship.”

This directly led to the opposing team rushing onto the stage and wanting to beat them up.

The fans of the champion team were naturally unhappy. They wanted to help their own, but the opposing team also had fans. Both teams normally had a strained relationship, and their fans naturally reciprocated with mutual hostility.

Once a conflict broke out, both sides didn’t hesitate. They immediately picked up chairs and started a brawl.

What was supposed to be a proper awards ceremony turned into chaos. Fortunately, although many were injured, the most severe injuries were just fractures. No lives were lost, but due to this incident, the esports host, who had a stable position, was forced to resign.

What a good position to have as the host of such a globally watched event! That was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the hosting industry. But because of an unwarranted disaster like this, he lost his job.

Of course, there was some sympathy for the host of that season, but not much.

If that guy didn’t get fired, how could there be an opportunity for him?

Now he only hoped that his generation wouldn’t encounter any mishaps. In fact, after ensuring that the Broken Water team won the award, the host had been on edge because, as far as he knew, the esports scene in the country was already struggling.

In such an environment, the sudden emergence of a champion team would undoubtedly stir up emotions. He was even more worried.

Fortunately, to his relief, these young people from the Broken Water team were really just going through the “thank-you process” in a very normal manner.

“Esports is my dream. I once thought that I would never stand on this podium in my life. It was Team Leader Tan who lifted me up, teaching us step by step, devising strategies for us.”

“In addition to Team Leader Tan, I also want to thank President Sheng. Thank you for appearing when Broken Water was facing the most difficult time. Thank you for helping Team Leader Tan recover.”

“I still remember when I first entered the industry, nobody paid attention to me. At that time, it was Team Leader Tan.”

With the players getting emotional and grateful, their eyes moist, and their noses reddened, the microphone finally reached Tan Chen.

The host had relaxed considerably, but he saw Tan Chen smile faintly and speak in a slightly hoarse voice.

“I also want to thank many people. Thanks to the coach who taught me in the beginning, thanks to the teammates who fought side by side with me before my first retirement, and thanks to the current teammates, thank you for continuing to believe in me.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the young teammates beside him, and each of them was immediately moved.

Finally, Tan Chen’s gaze fell on Sheng Quan in the audience.

“Like them, I also want to thank President Sheng.”

Even though this was a dazzling award podium, Tan Chen still didn’t appear overshadowed by the brilliance. He looked at Sheng Quan, bowed slightly, and said:

“Only I know what kind of situation I was in before President Sheng arrived. At that time, I thought I would never experience the ending I longed for.”

This time, President Sheng still had a VIP seat, and don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t because she had shares in Polar. Polar’s official stance was impartial, both online and offline. As long as the money was enough, any number of seats was possible.

This scene seemed somewhat familiar.

Sheng Quan always sat in the audience, watching many people on stage radiate the light that should belong to them. At such moments, she could often interject with a satisfied remark: “Add more; I love watching.”

She knew what Tan Chen would say next.

Among so many people, it seemed like only Tan Chen had truly reached the destination he desired.

Tan Chen’s eyes were slightly red. He took a deep breath and looked at the large game logo in front of him. “Thank you, President Sheng, for giving me the opportunity to stand here before my final retirement.”

—Roar!

The audience, which had been quiet, started to discuss in low voices.

Did Tan Chen mean he was going to retire?

Right after winning the global championship?

Is he crazy?

Since the establishment of the Broken Water Club, the fan base of the team members has been growing rapidly every day. Naturally, there were many fans from the country in the audience.

There were team fans and individual fans.

At this moment, people started shouting from below, “Don’t retire! Don’t retire!”

“We want to watch you play forever!”

After saying the first sentence, the following words flowed more smoothly. Tan Chen continued, “The last time I retired, I couldn’t bid farewell to everyone properly. By coincidence, I got the chance to play again, but there’s no eternal feast in the world.”

His hand was still subtly aching, and the old injury had indeed recurred. Even after receiving a lot of treatment, Tan Chen knew his situation very well. If Sheng Quan hadn’t helped him with his illness, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on for much longer.

So when Tan Chen spoke, he had a smiling face. He was very grateful for the chance to play this last game.

Under the dazzling spotlight, Tan Chen personally put a perfect end to his esports career.

“I announce that esports player Tan Chen is not pursuing anything anymore and permanently retires.”

The host, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, was puzzled.

In the many sessions of the Global Championship, it was the first time someone had announced their retirement during the award ceremony. This was no different from actors winning the Best Actor award and immediately announcing retirement or singers becoming the Song King and declaring withdrawal from the industry.

He subconsciously glanced at Sheng Quan in the audience: You are the boss; aren’t you going to do something?

Sheng Quan not only didn’t intervene but also naturally applauded.

The people around her immediately followed with enthusiasm. It wasn’t just to give face to those who didn’t know her; most of the people around her were on her side.

There were even five bodyguards, plus two assistants. Even Jiang Ge, who had just relaxed, earnestly applauded on the side.

As everyone knows, applause is contagious.

With the applause starting in the front row of this corner, the rest of the audience also joined in.

In thunderous applause, Tan Chen handed the microphone back to the host.

Host: … Well, at least it’s better than insulting the opponents and causing a brawl on the spot.

On the hot search, with Tan Chen’s announcement, the original hashtags #PolarGlobalChampionshipBrokenWaterChampion and #BrokenWaterWillReallyBreakWater quickly gained another hashtag—#NotPursuingAnnouncesRetirement.

In front of a television in a certain city in the country, former teammates raised their glasses to see Tan Chen on the screen from afar.

“Congratulations; you’ve fulfilled your dream.”

A young coach from an esports club laughed and shook her head. She laughed as if in admiration, yet she also seemed envious. “He really said it and did it.”

In the Broken Water Club, the coach who was called back smiled as she tied the straps on her hands. “Brat, you still remember this.”

—

“Nowadays, players retire at an increasingly young age. I wonder if we’ll retire in a year or two. Tan Chen, how old do you think you can play until?”

“Me? Who cares how old, anyway? Players will eventually retire. If I have to retire, I hope I can do it on the award podium at the Grand Finals.”

The carefree and unrestrained youth, along with their teammates, frolicked around, and beside them was the coach who hadn’t been dismissed, just watching them with a smile.

In the most youthful and unrestrained years, listening to Tan Chen boast:

“When leaving the stage, I also want to retire at the most glorious moment. Look, the next champions will definitely be us.”

—

Sheng Quan looked at Tan Chen on stage, and in her ears sounded 006’s reminder: [Ding! [The host has successfully changed the sponsored person’s destiny line by one hundred percent.]

[Ding! Calculate the career index of the sponsored person. [Same percentage; no distinction between before and after]

Sheng Quan: Quite cautious.

[Tan Chen: 100%]

[Chen Mo: 100%]

[Zhou Ke: 100%]

[Hua Niao: 100%]

[…]

The Broken Water Club was too large, accommodating too many people, and 006 was handling all sorts of things. Seeing it list names for two minutes without stopping, Sheng Quan was a bit worried it might get tired (can a system get tired?).

“How about you make a table and send it to my computer?”

006 immediately stopped: [Good idea.]

The system had always managed reward funds, so making tables and the like was naturally within its capabilities. Soon, Sheng Quan received a long, long list.

In summary, the average career index for all members was 52%, which was already quite high. Sheng Quan thought the percentage might be pulled down to below 30% due to the large number of personnel, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Unexpected joy.

Sheng Quan was quite happy. She chose eSports in the first place because the industry updated and iterated quickly. Looking from another perspective, the career indices in esports grew rapidly as well.

For example, the Broken Water team winning the global championship was undoubtedly the pinnacle of their careers in this industry. It was a 100 percent achievement, both in their eyes and in the eyes of others.

With the rebates received, Sheng Dong instantly became wealthy.

She felt delighted for a moment, then shifted her attention back to herself. “006, what’s my career index now?”

006: [Host’s career index: 31%]

Sheng Quan: Hehe, higher than I imagined.

She speculated that the mechanical dog had contributed a lot, and participating in the large-scale global event of the Broken Water Club had also increased her fame.

After the settlement, 006 enthusiastically invited Sheng Quan to draw a lottery.

Sheng Quan: “Wait a moment.”

006 was puzzled. “Wait, for what?”

Sheng Quan sent a text message to Xing Mang.

“Wait for the movie to be released.”

Then, it was time to launch the hologram.

—