Chapter 95 2/2

Sheng Quan was quite confident. “But in esports, seeing victory is already half the battle won. In order to achieve the maximum effect, we deliberately toned down the coverage before. It was all for this moment.”

“Moreover, don’t we still have an ace up our sleeve?”

***

As the publicity team hoped, news of “ruptured water advancing” was plastered everywhere overnight.

“Advanced to the semi-finals?! Is it true?” Esports fans who had left simply because domestic teams couldn’t secure victories were skeptical when they saw this headline, wondering if it was clickbait.

After opening the official website to confirm and being both surprised and hesitant, they quickly searched for information about the Ruptured Water team.

They found “small team struggling for survival,” “reliance on outdated equipment to compete in domestic matches,” “the entire team shares the cheapest device,” and “finally sees hope, but an attacker’s mistake leads to failure.”

It seemed like a dead end, but first, “the coach steps forward to shoulder the blame and resist pressure,” followed by “participating in variety shows to earn maintenance fees” and “the coach participating in arena matches to earn bounties.”

Finally, a turnaround occurred, and Starlight Entertainment Chairman Sheng Quan also participated in the offline event for “Interstellar Battle” during the variety show shoot.

The difficult situation of ruptured water changed from there.

This series of experiences was like a perfect cultivation novel, complete with ups and downs and antagonists (Bai Xiangyuan), hitting the public’s sweet spot perfectly.

Especially for old fans who had already grown disheartened with esports.

Having seen numerous news stories about clubs exploiting players, they were both relieved and worried upon witnessing the Ruptured Water Club’s operation, wondering if it was fake news.

“Then, before they could question it, numerous doubts had already surfaced on various platforms. The general sentiment was something like, ‘Haha, they just made it to the semi-finals, right? Did they really think a domestic team could win the championship? Psh, never even heard of them. Are they even famous?’

Sheng Quan remained unperturbed.

Because this was her arrangement.

Xu Man was right about one thing: the public is prone to rebellion. If she didn’t speak up, someone else surely would. But if she did, those who were initially thinking along the same lines would be stirred to rebel.

It was like if someone posted on a forum, ‘Looking for a good domestic skincare brand,’ the replies would largely depend on luck.

But if someone posted, ‘There are no good domestic skincare brands; it’s disappointing,’ a string of replies would quickly gather, each passionately refuting the original poster and providing evidence of effective and cost-effective products.

Sheng Quan knew about this tactic but rarely used it.

Because it easily led to criticism.

Indeed, the accounts that made such comments were immediately attacked. However, the good news was that Sheng Quan didn’t personally post (she couldn’t even if she wanted to); the promotion team and water army took care of everything.

It turned out that the combat power of esports fans was not to be underestimated.

Inside the Broken Water team, the members were aware that many people were speaking up for them online, supporting them. During the season, to avoid affecting their mood, they generally stayed away from the internet.

But being young, who wouldn’t want to see how everyone was supporting them?

Tan Chen was easygoing in other aspects, but in crucial moments, he was resolute. No matter how the young players took turns begging, he firmly refused.

On the other hand, Chen Mo, the clever one, took advantage of Sheng Quan’s arrival and playfully approached her.

Sheng Quan couldn’t resist and handed her phone to him, saying, ‘If you want to see it… but I suggest you prepare yourselves mentally.’

The players were puzzled: ‘Prepare for what? The coach said people are speaking up for us, right? ‘

Sheng Quan replied, ‘… Speaking up for you is correct.’

Chen Mo instantly became excited: ‘Let me see, let me see how they are speaking up for us! ‘

So thrilled!

Having so many fans supporting them felt amazing!

Chen Mo eagerly looked through the comments.

Indeed, everyone was speaking up for the Broken Water team.

And the division of labor was clear.

Some were reasoning, ‘Just a semi-final? Show the broken water records; if you can, go ahead! We won’t stop you! ‘

Some kindly advised, ‘It’s ridiculous; do you know how many years it’s been since a domestic team made it this far? If you’re so clueless, I suggest you cool off in the well for six months.’

Some consoled gently, ‘You [expletive], comfortably giving advice without feeling the pain yourself. In this situation, speaking such [expletive], I hope the club doesn’t let the team go online, or else these [expletive] will ruin the mood! ‘

After reading, Chen Mo said, ‘…’

Beside her, other players who had eagerly come to watch said, ‘…’

In their minds, the cute true fans were transformed into sturdy men with full beards, or rather, sturdy women, judging by some usernames.

Sheng Quan watched everyone’s collective stunned expression and took back her phone with a smile. ‘Understand a bit; they’ve been suppressed for several years.’

Leaning against the door, Tan Chen, who was doing rehabilitation exercises, helplessly watched the scene and said, ‘Don’t tease them.’

He urged Chen Mo and the others, ‘Go train. After the match, you can watch however you want.’

The group of young players reluctantly returned to their seats, not entirely giving up on watching.

Unlike their serious training, Bai Xiangyuan, who was almost forgotten by the Broken Water team members, continued to suffer from online attacks.

He had been ridiculed before, but now, with Broken Water securing a spot in the semi-finals, a wave of new fans flooded in, digging him up.

Even the Sky Wars didn’t defend him, allowing public opinion to attack him.

The more successful Broken Water became, the more foolish Bai Xiangyuan’s departure seemed.

What he couldn’t accept the most was that, in his current situation, there was not a single person from Broken Water mocking him.

It was as if they had forgotten him.

This was even more unacceptable to Bai Xiangyuan than being laughed at.

He didn’t believe it, and luckily, there were plenty of people attacking Broken Water online, giving Bai Xiangyuan some comfort.

He blended in, predicting that Broken Water would at most reach the semi-finals.

Of course, Bai Xiangyuan wasn’t trying to undermine Broken Water. He couldn’t do much alone. He just held on to hope.

He hoped that, for victory, Broken Water would bring him back. After all, their tactics required coordination and understanding, something the person replacing him couldn’t provide.

With more people paying attention, those on the internet who were adept at reading between the lines noticed this. The temporary substitute player was gradually falling behind the other members.

Not because of his lack of skill, but because the tactics were incompatible.

After all, the tacit understanding developed over such a long period of training, which was bearable in less intense competitions, became overwhelmingly challenging in the semi-finals, where almost every match was a hundred times harder than before.

Bai Xiangyuan continued to hope. After all, Broken Water’s tactics were too unique. Besides him, who else could they find?

Until Broken Water’s official website, under the gaze of countless people, replaced the player who had been trying to save the situation.

A new icon appeared, displaying the information.

Attacker: Tan Chen.