Chapter 3: Team Scrimmage
Actually, the lineup Qi Feng suggested was very suitable for Mai Shiranui’s growth. Mai Shiranui has high burst damage but clears waves relatively slowly. Paired with Sun Bin to clear the wave and then immediately roam to support, she could farm economy very well.
Game Start.
FM Lineup: Top: Ji Xiaoman, Jungle: Zhao Huaizhen, Mid: Mai Shiranui, Support: Sun Bin, ADC: Di Renjie. BP (Banned): Da Qiao, Gongsun Li. FIG Lineup: Top: Kuang Tie, Jungle: Kai, Mid: Wang Zhaojun, Support: Doria, ADC: Sun Shangxiang.
Comparatively, FIG was better suited for the mid-to-late game. Sun Shangxiang’s late-game burst damage could be better utilized when Di Renjie didn’t have his second skill. The Mid Laner Wang Zhaojun couldn’t beat Mai Shiranui in lane, so the Mid Lane was destined to be a weakness this match.
“Enemy forces will arrive in five seconds.” “All troops, attack!”
Mai Shiranui and Sun Bin started laning against Wang Zhaojun. The opposing support didn’t help Mid snatch the lane priority but instead followed the Shooter directly to farm. Qi Feng commanded the game calmly.
“Little Mo, play defensively in the development lane (Bot) and look for opportunities. Once I clear Red, I’ll gank Bot immediately. Support, help watch the Red Jungle, then go with Mid straight to Bot to wrap around them.”
On the other side, FIG laughed directly when they saw the enemy Mid Laner lock in Mai Shiranui.
Wen Yu smiled beamingly. “Although my pick of Wang Zhaojun isn’t great, how exactly does his Mai Shiranui pair with Sun Bin? Playing for support roams?”
Chi Yu (FIG Jungler) was still farming the jungle. After clearing Blue, he rushed straight toward the bottom lane, preparing for a three-man dive. He crouched in the bush for a long time, eyes staring straight at Di Renjie, as if looking at an ATM waiting to dispense three hundred gold.
After Qi Feng cleared Red, he went straight to the development lane, watching Chi Jing and Song Qi clear the first wave and head down.
Qi Feng said with ill intentions, “Little Mo, go up and bait him. Their Jungler should be in the bush too, but Mid has vision. Let’s force a small 4v3 skirmish.”
Mo Jingchun silently rolled his eyes, maneuvering Di Renjie out of the tower to hit the bird camp. The opposing Sun Shangxiang used her Skill 1 and 2 to deal burst damage. Kai used Skill 2 to slow and focus fire on Di Renjie. Mai Shiranui threw a fan (Skill 2) at Sun Shangxiang, instantly dropping her health bar by a third. Zhao Huaizhen wrapped around, pushing the Shooter and Support together. Mai Shiranui used a 2-1-Auto Attack combo to take down Sun Shangxiang.
The opposing Jungler saw the situation was bad and wanted to run! But it was too late. Sun Bin threw out Skill 1, inflicting a 40% slow on the enemy. Kai turned back, wanting to trade for Di Renjie. Di Renjie kited while retreating. Doria used Skill 2 to knock back the enemies. At this moment, Di Renjie’s health was critical, and he was claimed by Kai’s 1-2 combo. Mai Shiranui used Skill 1 followed by a basic attack to take down Kai. The two of them died together in the development lane. Doria used Skill 1 to return to the tower and recalled to heal.
Qi Feng cleared the development lane wave, then turned back to take Blue. After clearing the Blue Jungle, he went straight to Top to take the Scuttler, and casually helped himself to the enemy Jungler’s Red Buff as well.
Three buffs and two assists—a very smooth start. However, FIG was a team very skilled at finding opportunities in adversity. Qi Feng calculated the time in his head.
“Little Bai, come crouch in Mid with me. Their Jungler will definitely have murderous intent toward Mid after respawning to restrict development.”
Yuan Jibai finished the last minion, replied “Okay,” and rushed from the river toward Mid.
FIG Comms:
Chi Yu frowned and said, “If we let Mai Shiranui get fed, none of us will have a good time. Xia Ziji, stop pressuring the lane with the Shooter. Once I finish Red Buff and hit Level 4, come with me to Mid to surround their Mid Laner.”
Xia Ziji had finished his first big support item. Mai Shiranui was currently second in economy, but still led the opposing team’s number one economy by one hundred and seventy gold.
Qi Feng: “Don’t push too deep. Their Jungler is camping. Move forward a bit to bait, then retreat.”
Chi Jing controlled his character to walk forward a bit. The opposing Kai activated his Ultimate and burst out of the grass, using Skill 1 to slow. Paired with basic attacks, Mai Shiranui’s health dropped rapidly.
Chi Jing used Skill 2 to retreat, but unfortunately got frozen by Wang Zhaojun. Ji Xiaoman Flashed and knocked up Wang Zhaojun. Zhao Huaizhen pushed Wang Zhaojun forward, activating his Ultimate to tank damage, and teamed up to take down Wang Zhaojun. Mai Shiranui was solo-killed by Kai. Ji Xiaoman used her Skill 2-3 combo with basic attacks, then added Skill 1-2 to take down Doria.
Zhao Huaizhen released his Ultimate, blasting the low-health Kai to death. He and Ji Xiaoman cleared the minions and roamed straight to Top. Kuang Tie sensed danger and retreated, but sadly got slowed by Zhao Huaizhen’s Smite (Punish). Two against one, they took Kuang Tie’s head. They pushed the wave and took the Tier 1 tower.
In the bottom lane, Sun Bin and Di Renjie secured a kill at the same time, destroying the Bottom Tier 1 tower.
“4-1 split push. Little Bai, split push to take Tier 2. Little Mo, you guys come up, group as four in Mid to push Tier 1, then start the Dragon.”
Wang Zhaojun checked vision and saw the four enemies starting the Overlord (Dragon). Wang Zhaojun and Kuang Tie coordinated to crowd-control Zhao Huaizhen and Sun Bin. Wang Zhaojun used her Ultimate for an AoE slow. Kuang Tie used his Ultimate with basic attacks to take down Sun Bin first. Zhao Huaizhen activated his Ultimate for damage reduction. Mai Shiranui used a full combo to instantly take away Wang Zhaojun. Kuang Tie flashed to escape, but it was too late. Wang Zhaojun (Mai Shiranui?) used Skill 1-Flash combined with Skill 1 to take him out. [Translator’s Note: The text says Wang Zhaojun took him out, but she is dead in the context. It likely refers to Mai Shiranui finishing the kill or a typo in source. Translated as per context implying FM victory]
This team fight was executed perfectly, leaving FIG with no way to fight back. Qi Feng chuckled lightly. It had been a long time since they finished a scrim with such a fast pace. The previous Mid Laners didn’t have such tacit understanding with them, and their game sense was lacking; they would either get team-wiped in the late game or get crushed in Mid and Bot lanes directly.
Victory.
The Head Coach checked their damage data. MVP was Mai Shiranui, 28% damage dealt. Zhao Huaizhen took 54% of the damage, even higher than Sun Bin. He nodded, turned around, and spoke with the team manager.
Wu Cheng listened and said directly to Chi Jing: “Let’s go upstairs to sign the contract? We think your coordination is great, and your individual skill is very showy.”
Chi Jing nodded, his suspended heart finally settling down. Yuan Jibai shouted directly: “Yahoo! Can we compete next season? This new Mid Laner is too awesome!”
Wu Cheng had long since forged a heart of steel against his sudden outbursts.
Still, he dug his ear and couldn’t help but complain, “It would be great if you could fix that habit of getting startled and yelling about everything. I’m almost forty; aren’t you afraid of scaring me to death? Registration ends at the end of December. Your training volume will be relatively high during this period, mainly to practice coordination with Little Chi. Any objections?”
Wu Cheng looked around. Everyone had a look of surprise and joy on their faces. Even the usually poker-faced Mo Jingchun revealed a rare look of joy.
He cleared his throat: “Little Song, you and Little Bai go tidy up the room! Stop smiling, I see you two are quite free. Go!”
Chi Jing felt rare embarrassment. He had originally planned to stay at a hotel today; moving into the base on the same day felt a bit awkward to him.
He hesitated for a while, choosing his words carefully. “How about I stay at a hotel tonight? Tidying up a room at night is quite troublesome. I’ll come and tidy it myself tomorrow.”
Qi Feng had been staring at Chi Jing, seemingly not expecting Chi Jing to decline. He raised an eyebrow, speaking bluntly, “The nearest hotel is over ten kilometers away from here. Isn’t going out to stay more troublesome? The room is always cleaned; the base has a brand new bedding set ready. Just dusting it off and opening the window to air it out is enough. If you’re afraid of trouble, you can just make the bed yourself.”
A trace of strange emotion flashed through Chi Jing’s eyes. He didn’t decline further and agreed. After signing the contract, he was led to his new room by the manager. Just as he was about to go get his suitcase, he stepped out and ran into Qi Feng.
The other party was holding his suitcase. Under the dim light, his pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes slanted slightly upwards. The depths of his eyes were full of nonchalance. His thin lips parted slightly, his brows raised—looking lazy and casual, yet possessing a natural aura of command.
“New Mid Laner, hair color’s nice.”
Chi Jing hadn’t expected him to say something so random out of nowhere.
But he still answered softly, “A friend said platinum hair looked good, so I went and dyed it.”
Qi Feng pushed the suitcase into the room, looked around, and changed the subject.
“If you need anything, you can tell me. Just message on WeChat, no need to feel uncomfortable. Our schedule is usually unstable; we basically stay up until dawn and sleep until the sun is high. No need to wake up early. If there’s anything you’re not used to or don’t know, you can come ask me.”
By the end, the teasing tone was gone, replaced by a serious look at Chi Jing as he slowly continued, “I know what you’ve been worried about. Our team doesn’t lack money. The management has strictly forbidden match-fixing. We just think you’re very good. We were paying attention to you before you went pro. We originally wanted to poach you, but we were too slow.”
Speaking of this, he smiled with regret, a smile mixed with unwillingness and bitterness.
“If we had poached you earlier, we wouldn’t have had to go through two seasons so wretchedly. Don’t feel any guilt about reporting a match-fixing team. Gambling dogs and match-fixers deserve to die. Don’t mind it so much. Have you eaten?”
Chi Jing’s brain was a paste, his eyes dark. Qi Feng didn’t rush him.
“You probably haven’t eaten yet. We ordered late-night snacks. I remember you said on stream before that you like spicy food, same taste as us. Come down and eat in a bit.”
After speaking, he stepped out of the room and closed the door, giving Chi Jing enough independent space to think it over properly. Usually, this kind of thing only works if you figure it out yourself; otherwise, whatever anyone says is useless.
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