Every year, after the official matches of the real-life professional “Battle Royale” tournament organized by the S series, there is a tradition of holding a relaxed friendly match.

Whether it’s the winning team or rookie teams like the Congo Gorillas who couldn’t even qualify for the preliminary rounds, they can all sign up to participate.

It’s more of a game, where the outcome isn’t particularly important, just have fun. Therefore, during the competition, everyone tends to be more relaxed.

Each participating player is equipped with miniature cameras and wireless microphones. The footage and voices are recorded, and later edited into funny clips to create a video compilation posted online for fans to enjoy.

Seeing your favorite teams’ humorous performances in the game is quite captivating.

On platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and major live streaming platforms, this friendly match definitely attracts as much attention as the official matches.

The biggest suspense and highlight of this event is whether W will participate.

If she does, the question is whether she will team up with Queen or the rumored X.

Regardless of the choice, it’s quite delicate.

Some speculate that W won’t show up. After all, she just retired from Queen, and it would be awkward to face former teammates no matter which team she joins.

…

The gathering point for the competition was in the wilderness, a small campground no larger than 500 square meters.

Behind, a dense jungle served as the gaming area. Surrounding the campground were several military-green tents, equipped inside with BB guns, mock AKs, or submachine guns for players to warm up and practice.

The X Team’s three Chinese members entered the camp, attracting immediate attention.

Yuan Xiu wore a team uniform with black as the base color, outlined in red with an X logo on the left chest. Behind him were Ah Heng and Ren Xiang.

As they walked into the camp, they caught the eyes of many. After all, the Chinese team had never made it to the World Championships in the S series season, but this time, the X Team not only reached the finals but also made it into the top eight.

Several American teams, led by Queen, eyed them unfavorably.

Ren Xiang stared intently at a slender blonde with a low-cut tank top ahead, muttering, “What a dangerous weapon.”

Ah Heng, vigilant, scanned the surroundings and remarked, “It’s not danger, it’s the aura of death.”

“This bust isn’t that danger,” Yuan Xiu said calmly, kicking Ren Xiang away as he finished speaking.

In any case, the white people around them were unfriendly, with some even more brazenly flipping them off.

“In the real-life competitive arena of ‘Battle Royale,’ Asians have consistently been looked down upon. Korean teams have risen in recent years and earned respect through their strength. On the other hand, Chinese teams have emerged in the esports scene, but none have truly excelled internationally, remaining confined to domestic competitions within Asia.

On platforms like Facebook, Chinese teams have endured countless taunts from American fans. Recently, when news broke that X Team had made it to the finals, radical American fans created Weibo accounts to directly provoke several Chinese team’s official accounts with insults like ‘East Asian weaklings’ and ‘Get out, China.’

However, these American fans did not anticipate the fierce backlash they received. While not in competitive play, Chinese fans proved formidable in online battles, stunning their adversaries.

Once the provocation of ‘East Asian weaklings’ was posted, Chinese fans swiftly crossed over onto Facebook and Twitter, responding with a plethora of socialist-themed memes and unity against their overseas foes.

[Hey friend, you’ve stirred up quite a drama.jpg]

[Piggy, could you say a little less.jpg]

[You’ve successfully caught the attention of Chinese dad.jpg]

[See this piece of poop? You won’t even be given a chance to throw it away.jpg]

[Hmph, they target me just because I’m cute.jpg]

[What kind of breed are you? Why so fierce.jpg]

…

American fans were left bewildered.

“What are these bizarre memes? And what on earth do these translated texts mean? Even though I can’t understand, it seems impressive. I feel like I’ve been dissed but have no idea how to clap back!”

Ah, socialism is toxic!!

During that time, almost every day, Lu Manman was scrolling through and laughing so hard her belly almost burst. Chinese fans were hilarious; she was almost being won over by them.

This counterattack achieved unprecedented success. Normally, fans of several domestic teams often bickered among themselves, but this time, surprisingly, they united in supporting X Team heading to America.

In the end, all the memes were twisted into one sentence, circulating on Facebook and enduring over time.

[Fear those who threaten our China, no matter how far away they are!]

***

Soon, everyone’s attention shifted away from X Team’s Yuan Xiu and his teammates because at that moment, a girl walked slowly through the camp’s main gate.

A gentle breeze lifted her bangs off her forehead.

Her slender figure appeared at the camp gate, accompanied by the morning sun, her steps slow and steady, rising gracefully.

On her mask, the crimson letter “W” made everyone stop talking.

No one dared to disrespect that letter.

For a long time, “W” represented only one thing: win.

Lu Manman walked in through the gate, hands casually in her pockets. She tied her hair back into a neat ponytail, and her mask covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of cool black eyes.

She wore her own dark-colored hoodie, not switching to the team uniform.

Because she registered as a solo player.

All teams entered the camp area in small groups for jungle warfare, but W operated alone, one person per team.

In regular tournaments, this would not be allowed. Typically, teams consist of pairs, trios, quartets, or at most quintets; there are never mixed team sizes.

However, in these kinds of gaming sessions, forming teams freely is permitted.

Due to retirement, Lu Manman did not receive an invitation to this friendly match, and Queen had no intention of letting her participate in this game.

Nevertheless, Lu Manman showed up and entered the competition under her own name.

People whispered among themselves:

“How did she get here?”

“And she’s alone.”

“Is she here for revenge?”

“She’s definitely here to prove herself to X.”

“It might also be a demonstration against Queen.”

For Lu Manman, there wasn’t any particular reason behind it all. It had just been a long time since she last competed, and she was feeling the itch. After languishing at home for these past few days, she decided to come here to freshen up her spirits.

Her father, Alex, even joked this morning, “If you really go compete, winning would be great. But if you lose, you’ll give the American esports scene fodder for a whole year. Let me mourn for your selfless dedication for three seconds.”

In the serious meeting room of Goldman Sachs, several financial tycoons were furrowing their brows while analyzing this year’s stock data trends. Among them, Louis sat with a Bluetooth headset, his phone tuned into the live streaming platform.

As he watched the live broadcast, he enthusiastically sent virtual gifts to Lu Manman, quickly shooting up to the number one spot on the platform’s gift-giving chart, under the username:

“SmilingW Super Fan Dad.”

“Dad is cheering you on like crazy!”

“Dad loves you!”

Fans sighed in admiration. Truly deserving of being the undisputed goddess of the competitive gaming scene, even in retirement, her fanbase remained as robust as ever. This virtual gift probably just bought her an Audi A4.

***

Regardless of the whispers around her, Lu Manman had indeed arrived.

Ignoring the meaningful glances from the crowd, she walked up to the tent, picked up a replica MK5, and tested it in her hand.

At that moment, her ex-boyfriend, Qiao Xingye, dressed in the blue and white uniform of Team Queen, approached Lu Manman.

“Manman, you’re here.”

Lu Manman aimed at a target in front of her without even glancing at him, nonchalantly saying, “Congratulations.”

“Manman, I’m really sorry about the captaincy. Danny was insistent, and I couldn’t refuse.”

*Bam!* The shot hit the bullseye.

“It’s okay,” she said lightly. “You deserve to be Queen’s captain, and besides you, no one else in the team could handle that responsibility.”

Lu Manman had always been like this, seeming indifferent to everything, so Qiao Xingye couldn’t tell if she was actually upset.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I mean about the captaincy or finding empty boxes and plastics of condom in your drawer?”

Oh no.

Yuan Xiu, testing his gun beside them, twitched slightly, causing his shot to go off target.

“Manman, I’ve already explained to you. I had too much to drink that night at the party.”

“I know,” she replied casually.

Qiao Xingye said, “Isn’t this kind of thing common? You really need to be so concerned?”

Lu Manman nonchalantly remarked, “Yeah, seeing someone at a party and having a one-night stand is pretty common. My friends do it often, even with their fans.”

Ren Xiang quietly said to Ah Heng beside him, “Damn! I suddenly want to defect and join the American team.”

Qiao Xingye muttered, “Manman, we dated for over a year. Anyone else would have been rolling in the sheets by now.”

Lu Manman angrily retorted, “I wasn’t even eighteen when we were together!”

Qiao Xingye looked calm, glancing at the X Team members blatantly eavesdropping nearby.

“You’re American, not Chinese. Why are you so conservative?”

Both Ah Heng and Ren Xiang were furious: “Hey! Did Chinese people provoke or offend you?”

Lu Manman turned to leave. “Different values, can’t be friends.”

Qiao Xingye, somewhat angry, responded, “So because our values differ, you find it easier to align with these weak Chinese?”

He scornfully gestured towards the three X Team members nearby.

Ah Heng: “Why do we always end up being scapegoats?”

Yuan Xiu: “The price of being bystanders.”

Ah Heng: “Should we leave then?”

Yuan Xiu: “Leave? We haven’t finished watching the drama yet.”

Ah Heng: “Captain, you…”

Lu Manman glanced at the three dark-haired, dark-eyed members of X Team and spoke in a solemn tone, “I am like them, from the same country, with the same ancestors, and the same blood flowing in my veins.”

Finally, she looked at Qiao Xingye. “But don’t forget, you also have yellow hair and yellow skin, from the Han Chinese ethnicity. When you call others weak or chicken, aren’t you insulting yourself?”

Ah Heng: “Did she mean to say black hair, yellow skin?”

Ren Xiang: “This W girl seems a bit unclear in her speech.”

Yuan Xiu: “Just focus on the drama, don’t get distracted.”

Qiao Xingye pointed proudly to the stars and stripes emblem on his chest. “I am a citizen of the United States of America, just like you. You seem quite adept at twisting things around. Is it true what they say online, that you’ve already joined the Chinese X Chicken Team?”

Lu Manman retorted angrily, “You keep calling others chickens. The team captain is right here. Aren’t you afraid of getting punched?”

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow.

“It’s okay, both of you, please continue. Don’t stop on my account.”