Chapter 16

Both teams were ready and began selecting their heroes.

The two professional players allowed the others to pick first, and the girl in a loli costume spoke up.

“Xiao Gege~ I can only play support.” she said, her voice sweet and coy.

“…..”

Yunhai nodded indifferently. “Then you can play support.”

He then turned to Jiang Mingyue and asked: “What heroes can you play?”

Jiang Mingyue slid her finger across her phone screen, pondering for a moment before replying: “Hmm… then I’ll play mid-lane, is that okay?”

“No problem, and you, handsome?”

Qi Ze responded indifferently: “I’ll play jungle.”

Yunhai nodded. “Alright, then I’ll go top lane. Qingchuan is strong as an ADC^[1]ADC stands for Attack Damage Carry.”

Since everyone was unfamiliar with each other, they didn’t discuss tactics.

They simply picked heroes based on their strengths.

Fenghuo Team: Zhu Bajie, Kongming, Marco Polo, Lan, Ming Shiyin.

Qingyun Team: Xiang Yu, Daji, Sun Shangxiang, Dongfang Yao and Yaria.

The girl in the loli costume said: “Xiao Gege, I’ll follow you.”

As soon as the match started, the support followed the jungler into the jungle area.

Qi Ze was focused on controlling his hero and didn’t respond.

On the opposite side, the mid-lane Kongming, played by Lu Lin, was doing very well, while Jiang Mingyue chose to play safely and farm for now.

In the top lane, Xiang Yu was up against the random player, Zhu Bajie. The professional player handled the match easily.

In the bottom lane, Sun Shangxiang faced off against Marco Polo. Both were professional players, and at this stage, neither had gained an advantage.

Firstblood!

The large screen in the middle displayed a notification that Yao had killed Ming Shiyin.

The enemy jungler, the professional player Langyan, had cleared his own blue buff with Ming Shiyin and then went straight to steal the enemy’s blue buff.

He was instead killed by Qi Ze, who secured the first blood.

The girl in the loli costume exaggeratedly gasped (Yaria): “Xiao Gege, you’re amazing! It feels like I can just lie back and relax this game.”

Qi Ze (Yao): “Be careful, the jungler might be waiting to ambush in mid.”

His clean and clear voice came through the headphones to Jiang Mingyue’s ears, carrying an added depth and magnetism.

Her ears felt a little ticklish!

Jiang Mingyue (Daji): “Mm, I noticed. Kongming should be heading to the bottom lane, be careful down there.”

Qingchuan (Sun Shangxiang): “Got it.”

Qi Ze also made his way to the bottom lane to assist.

Jiang Mingyue hid under the tower, knowing that the enemy jungler, having failed to find a good opportunity, would likely head toward the bottom lane.

She also took a route around to assist at the bottom.

Now, the bottom lane was a three-versus-three, with no clear winner.

Jiang Mingyue hid in the bush, waiting for the right moment to unleash her skills on Kongming

Kongming was already low on health, and her combo of skills finished him off perfectly.

Without looking back, she quickly returned to the mid lane.

The enemy’s Ming Shiyin arrived just in time to heal Marco Polo with a small amount of health.

Sun Shangxiang was killed. Qi Ze took the opportunity to eliminate the enemy jungler, then quickly retreated.

Yaria was hit and fell behind a step.

The girl in the loli costume cried out in a delicate tone(Yaria): “Ah, Xiao Gege, save me! I’m about to get caught!”

Qi Ze didn’t look back.

An ally has been slain.

Yaria was killed.

The girl in the loli costume (Yari) immediately pouted, saying: “Xiao Gege, why didn’t you save me?”

The emcee, who was also commentating, spoke up. “Our jungler didn’t save Yari, but I think that was the wise choice.”

The jungler was low on health, and all his skills were on cooldown. Even if he had tried to save her, it probably would have just resulted in handing over another kill.

Qi Ze was exceptionally skilled, comparable to a professional player.

Gradually, the Qingyun Team began to take the upper hand.

Jiang Mingyue was relatively fragile, so she played cautiously, using her skills and then retreating.

She only focused on throwing her skills at the enemy mid-lane and ADC.

It was hard to take down other opponents in just one combo.

She had just used her second skill on the enemy’s Kongming, and when she tried to use her third skill, she realized she had no mana left.

She immediately tried to run!

But she was still chased down.

Kongming relentlessly pursued her, and it looked like his ultimate would hit.

Just then, Qi Ze’s Yao arrived in the nick of time to save her, blocking the ultimate with his sword.

Yao who left Yaria.

The girl in the loli costume (Yaria): …

Jiang Mingyue (Daji): “You came just in time, thank you for saving my life!”

Kongming, now without any skills, was counter-killed by Qi Ze.

Jiang Mingyue (Daji): “I could have taken him down earlier, but I ran out of mana.”

Qi Ze didn’t reply but sent a message saying: “Mage, come take the blue.”

Yao then stepped forward and headed toward the blue buff area.

Jiang Mingyue paused for a moment before quickly following.

Just as the blue buff was left with a sliver of health, Qi Ze stopped attacking and left it for her.

She was about to take the shot when the blue buff fell.

The girl in the loli costume (Yaria): “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to help, I…”

Her voice carried a hint of tears.

Jiang Mingyue (Daji): “…It’s fine, I’ll recall.”

However, Yaria seemed to ignore Jiang Mingyue’s words and continued apologizing to Qi Ze.

The girl in the loli costume (Yaria): “Xiao Gege, I’m sorry… You… you won’t blame me, right?”

Jiang Mingyue (Daji): “…”

She wanted to curse!

But she had to hold it in!

Jiang Mingyue clicked to recall and didn’t engage with her further.

She noticed that Qi Ze hadn’t said anything to her either, so she gradually stopped speaking.

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Emcee: “Both sides are in a fierce battle now, and the match has entered a high-stakes phase. It all comes down to which team can secure the Storm Dragon King.”

Yunhai (Xiang Yu): “The enemy is probably going for the dragon. I’ll use my ultimate, everyone, follow me!”

Xiang Yu jumped directly into the dragon pit with his ultimate, immediately controlling four of the enemy heroes.

Then, a team fight erupted.

The Qingyun Team successfully secured the Storm Dragon King, and the enemy team was wiped out.

In the final push, they took down the enemy crystal to claim victory in the first round.

The audience below erupted in applause.

Emcee: “This match was absolutely thrilling! I didn’t expect these players to be so skilled, especially this handsome guy, who’s as good as a professional player.”

“Now, the pressure is on the Fenghuo Team. Whether they win or lose depends entirely on whether they can take the next round.”

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In the second round, the Fenghuo Team adjusted their strategy, placing both professional players in mid-lane and bottom-lane.

The Qingyun Team kept their lineup the same as the first round.

The enemy quickly noticed that Jiang Mingyue’s mid-lane was the weakest lane among the three.

So, they focused their attacks on her mid-lane from the start.

Jiang Mingyue was beaten badly and had to fall back step by step.

Her rhythm was completely thrown off, and the Fenghuo Team gained the upper hand.

Just like the first round, the second round lasted for over twenty minutes.

In the end, the Fenghuo Team emerged victorious.

The girl in the loli costume (Yaria): “Ugh, mid-lane was too weak in the early game. Otherwise, with Xiao Gege’s team’s strength, we definitely could have won this match.”

Jiang Mingyue: “…Then you want to play mid-lane next round?”

The girl in the loli costume (Yaria): …

Yunhai: “This round wasn’t the mid-lane’s fault. The enemy focused on mid-lane, and even I wouldn’t have been able to hold up. We’ll play well next round and still have a chance to win.”

Jiang Mingyue: “Mm.”

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In the third round, Jiang Mingyue played Cheng Yaojin and was responsible for holding out in the top lane.

The enemy team tried to focus on the weaker lane again.

However, this time, the Qingyun Team was prepared.

Jiang Mingyue focused on safely farming under the tower, and Qi Ze was ready to provide support at any moment.

The top lane didn’t collapse this time.

Both teams were chasing each other, pushing towards each other’s high ground.

But in the end, Qingyun Team was slightly better, and they secured the final victory.

Jiang Mingyue excitedly jumped up, saying: “Wow, that was so satisfying!”

She then turned and high-fived Yunhai and Qingchuan on her right to celebrate.

She then turned to give a high-five to the person on her left.

The person on the left, was Qi Ze and beside him was the girl in the loli costume. She was trying to talk to him.

Qi Ze still ignored her, instead lifting his gaze to look at Jiang Mingyue with a slight smile.

Jiang Mingyue stretched out her hand, raised an eyebrow, and smiled as she said: “Let’s high-five?”

Qi Ze raised an eyebrow slightly, and a glimmer of a smile flickered in his eyes.

Without speaking, he lifted his hand and lightly patted Jiang Mingyue’s palm.

The girl in the loli costume also noticed that Qi Ze wasn’t interested in speaking to her. She snorted coldly.

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Lucia: Such a pick me!

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