Chapter 14: Looking for Trouble — Like a Ghost from the Past Returning to Life
During the half-time break, Si Yan had just finished playing and had consumed a lot of energy, so Mu Jiu went to the water dispenser to get some water for him.
Just as the cup was filled and he turned around, someone crashed straight into his shoulder. The water in the cup immediately splashed out, soaking a large portion of his neat shirt.
Mu Jiu looked down and brushed at his clothes a few times, shaking off the water that hadn’t soaked in yet. He felt lucky; at least the water he just poured wasn’t hot.
The person who hit him didn’t even offer an apology, merely letting out a light snort before walking away.
Mu Jiu had no intention of pursuing the other party’s fault, assuming it wasn’t intentional and that it wasn’t a big deal. However, Li Qingming, who saw the whole process from the side, immediately flared up. With so much empty space around, that person had clearly bumped into Mu Jiu on purpose.
Striding toward Mu Jiu, he took the water cup from his hand to check if his hand was okay, then called out to the person with anger, “Stop right there! Are you blind? Don’t you know how to apologize after hitting someone?”
Hearing Li Qingming’s interrogation, the person turned around with an air of indifference, his disdainful gaze scanning Mu Jiu up and down.
“So what if you won a round? Who knows where you found this player; he doesn’t even dare to show his face to anyone.”
Due to personal reasons, Mu Jiu always wore a mask and didn’t accept official interviews. Aside from Si Yan, none of his other teammates knew the reason, but they respected his wishes.
The commotion here quickly attracted the attention of others. Once Si Yan saw who it was, he understood clearly.
Lü Shan, a human player from the opposing team, was also a streamer for Wuxian Weidu who had become popular by riding the coattails of other players. Si Yan had long since seen through his character. This time, he was likely unhappy that the spotlight of the Gaoxiao Bei was being hogged by him and Mu Jiu, so he came to look for trouble.
He didn’t dare bully Si Yan, so he went to bully juice, a newcomer.
Li Qingming also had a short-fuse temper. Seeing the other’s contemptuous attitude, he predictably rushed forward, “What business is it of yours!”
Mu Jiu hurried to pull him back. The match was about to start; it wasn’t worth getting into another conflict with the opponent, and it was even less worth affecting their own mental state.
Si Yan also went over to persuade Li Qingming. He cast a sidelong glance at Lü Shan, his eyes filled with contempt—low in lethality, but extremely insulting.
“Whatever tricks you have, just save them for the match.”
Seeing Si Yan arrive, Lü Shan didn’t dare cause more trouble. After all, Si Yan had many fans, and if this were exposed, it wouldn’t benefit him. He gritted his teeth in resentment.
However, while he was originally very angry, he seemed to suddenly think of something and laughed out loud, smiling strangely at Si Yan, “Is NK very confident in his own strength? Of course I have tricks to use in the match.” As he brushed past Si Yan, he spoke in a volume just loud enough for him to hear: “This time, the championship is as good as ours.”
Who else did their team have besides Si Yan?
As long as they could withstand the pressure of the first two rounds against Si Yan, their match was a BO3. If they dragged it to a tiebreaker, they were bound to win.
The half-time break ended quickly. Fearing Li Qingming might be in a bad state, they chose to let Si Yan go up first.
The opponent banned Huzhong Ying and Cengwei. Their lineup selection again forced Si Yan to take Xuenv. Si Yan always had confidence in his own strength and locked in Xuenv without much hesitation.
Mu Jiu, however, watched from below the stage with a deep frown. He had seen this composition in a post on the forum; it was a trap specifically designed for Xuenv. Moreover, Si Yan’s proficiency with Xuenv was relatively low; they had clearly studied Si Yan.
Unfortunately, his concerns couldn’t be directly conveyed to Si Yan on the stage. He watched helplessly as the system AI’s predicted outcome gradually shifted toward the human side.
Lü Shan stepped off the stage and shot an incredibly provocative smile at Si Yan.
And here he thought he was so capable.
[The first team in the entire tournament to get a four-out against NK has been born!]
[It’s over, it’s over. The result has suddenly become blurry again.]
[Just got here, what’s the score right now?]
[Lower half of BO3. For juice’s team to win, they need a three-out for a tiebreaker or a four-out to win.]
The BO1 score was 6:3, BO2 was 4:4, and the upper half of BO3 was 0:5. Currently, they had a 3-point lead in small points and a 1-point lead in major points.
If the lower half of BO3 ended in a draw, with the score finishing at 2:7, they would lose the match because the major points would be tied but they would be behind in small points.
If a three-out led to a complete tie in both major and small points, they would have to play a tiebreaker. Ban slots would continue to increase, and Si Yan’s character pool was already insufficient to guarantee an advantage. The opponent had been using this strategy from the very beginning.
Mu Jiu lightly patted Si Yan’s shoulder twice in comfort. He was dejected, and the team atmosphere was low. Having played together for so long, everyone had developed a deep bond of friendship.
“You still have us.”
Li Qingming was the best at livening up the atmosphere within the team. He stepped beside Si Yan with a cheeky grin: “Exactly. Don’t say it, this expression really doesn’t suit you. You’re more normal when you’re being cocky.”
Si Yan shoved a throw pillow hard into Li Qingming’s face, pushing him away to create distance between them. His mood lightened slightly as he sent the four of them onto the stage, helping Mu Jiu smooth out the wrinkles on his shirt that had just been soaked by water, “I’m counting on you guys.”
Even though he fought alone, he still had his teammates behind him.
“Eww, so mushy.”
Hearing his teammate’s words from not far away, Si Yan instantly retracted his hand and shoved it into his pocket, putting on a cold expression again as he urged Mu Jiu to hurry up and go.
Mu Jiu didn’t expose him either, smiling as he ran forward a few steps to catch up with the teammates who had already reached the door.
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