"Sigh." Xiao Tian pretended to shake his head and sigh. "It was too easy."
The YM players watched IG's base turn into pieces on the screen and listened to the enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience. It was impossible to say that they didn't feel anything.
Ever since they won the mid-season competition, their condition had been up and down for a few weeks. They even lost to JDG, who was at the bottom of the league.
They had just stepped into a high position when they were met with a painful blow. The group of young people faced a lot of psychological pressure.
It wasn't until they won the game that the YM players finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, IG was not weak now. Even if they lost the game with YM, they were still first in Group A. According to the LPL rules, if they had the same number of points, they had to look at the net score first. YM had won a few games before, and most of them had played three full games, so their net score had fallen behind by a lot.
Therefore, it was useless even if they had the advantage.
"Thank you, Ning." Lin Yan shook hands with Ning Wang with sincerity.
In his opinion, IG was simply a shot in the arm, comparable to a power bank.
Ning Wang's face was puzzled. With his dark face, he looked like Nick Young's black face with a question mark.
The Hy was still grinning. Those who didn't know would think that he had won.
Lin Yan didn't know why this person was so happy after losing the game.
He shook hands with him as usual, and then Lin Yan felt a tickling sensation on his hand.
Their eyes met, and then they separated.
The Hy still had an unfathomable smile on his face.
Lin Yan felt that this person was gay. If you want to shake hands, then shake hands. Why are you tickling me with your fingertips?
After shaking hands, the YM players came to the center of the stage and bowed to the audience.
Yu Zhen took the card and went on stage. Lin Yan and Xiao Tian stayed for the post-game interview.
Many of the audience's eyes lit up when they saw Xiao Tian in the post-game interview.
They wanted to know why Phyllostachys Pubescens had changed his Weibo name, but these audience members were definitely going to be disappointed.
It was impossible for Yu Zhen to raise this kind of question in an official setting. If the players themselves didn't take the initiative to respond, it would just be ignored.
After the routine self-introduction, she asked her first question.
"Two weeks ago, we also noticed that the entire team's condition had some ups and downs. After winning Group A's IG today, what kind of adjustments did the team make?"
Phyllostachys Pubescens was closer to the aftershock, but he didn't know how to answer the question, so he elbowed Lin Yan's waist.
"Just like what I said in the interview after the opening match, version changes are a problem that every team has to face. For the first two weeks, we were also a little confused …"
Lin Yan held the microphone and said, "This has nothing to do with the condition of the members. It's just that we're not used to the version. However, it's much better today. I believe that the team's condition is slowly improving. There's no need to be too worried."
Below the stage, there were still a few hardcore fans screaming, waving YM's signboards. These were the people who were most concerned about the club's situation, and they were overjoyed that YM's condition had improved.
"We also hope that YM's performance on the field will get better and better …" Yu Zhen looked at the card in his hand and asked his second question. "The first Asian League will be held next month. What do the two of you think about it?"
Xiao Tian thought for a moment. "We definitely won't disappoint everyone's expectations. We'll play every match seriously."
It was a more formal speech.
Lin Yan didn't want to be so humble, but he thought about it again. The Intercontinental League wasn't a game where one person or one team had the final say.
They still needed the cooperation of the other three teams to win the championship.
What if he shouted too loudly and realized that the situation was out of his control in the end?
Once he was slapped in the face, it wouldn't just involve him and YM.
After all, Lin Yan couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be a team manager who would say something as shocking as "inferior team."
"We'll do our best to keep the first Intercontinental League trophy in LPL." Lin Yan's words were very conservative.
This was their last match before the Intercontinental League.
Ten days later, they would fly to Kaohsiung with the other three LPL teams and compete with the teams from the other two divisions for the championship trophy of the first Asian League.
There was no holiday. YM practiced during the day and reviewed the game at night.
After Liu Qingsong came on as a substitute and won two games in a row, he had already secured his starting position in the practice match.
With such a suitable support, YM's win rate in the practice match soared. It was even higher than in the practice match during the mid-season.
However, White Crescent knew that this was a bit of an exaggeration.
Now, YM could get Canyon Vanguard within ten minutes of every practice match.
Canyon Vanguard's buff to YM was unparalleled. Compared to the mid-season match, they didn't delay the early stages of the game. At the same time, they also gained a Void Behemoth that could push towers much faster than the ADC.
It could be said that YM's current tactical arrangement and usage of Canyon Vanguard was the best in the entire Alliance.
But what if the other teams reacted and researched YM's tactics and found a way to break them?
Their win rate would definitely drop.
White Crescent didn't stay idle. Su Cheng had proposed a theoretical framework. He had to supplement and modify it to make this tactic more perfect.
However, this kind of tactic couldn't be perfected overnight. White Crescent didn't have any ideas in a short period of time.
At seven o 'clock in the morning on the 4th of July, the dull vibration of a phone echoed in the dark and silent dorm.
The blanket on the single bed moved. Then, a bony hand reached out and turned off the phone alarm.
"Xiao Tian, wake up …" Lin Yan's voice came from under the blanket.
Tortoise on the bed next door didn't move at all.
Lin Yan rubbed his eyes and crawled out from under the blanket. His eyes were still bloodshot.
Normally, he would have already gotten up and gone for a run at this time.
However, yesterday, a few of his team members got together to watch a horror movie called The Grudge.
Turning off the lights in the training room and pulling the curtains, the atmosphere of a horror movie came to life.
As soon as Kayako appeared, she directly numbed Lin Yan. The third floor of the YM base was filled with the team members' cries and howls. Phyllostachys Pubescens threw his headphones away. It wasn't until Guo Hao came that the group went to sleep.
However, when he was sleeping, Lin Yan couldn't control his thoughts. He kept thinking that Kayako would crawl out from under the blanket.
He was in a daze and didn't fall asleep until two o 'clock in the morning. The quality of his sleep was naturally poor.
He stared at the ceiling for a minute before getting out of bed and running to the bathroom to wash up in his slippers.
Half an hour later, he opened the bathroom door while drying his hair. He found that Xiao Tian was still covered by the thick blanket on his bed.
"Hurry up and get up. We still have to catch the plane."
Lin Yan slapped out, aiming for Xiao Tian's back.
With nearly 20 years of skill, Lin Yan was confident that Phyllostachys Pubescens would be as energetic as a hero.
He didn't expect to hit empty air.
"Hmm?" Lin Yan was stunned.
His first reaction was that Xiao Tian had already gotten up.
However, there was a bulge under the blanket, and he reached over.
Then the blanket moved violently.
A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the corner of Lin Yan's pajamas.
Lin Yan's heart stopped for half a beat.
At this moment, he remembered Kayako from last night.
The wild Phyllostachys Pubescens crawled out from under the blanket.
He crooked his mouth and stuck out his tongue to make a face. "I'm Kayako, lue lue lue …"
Lin Yan's face paled for a moment.
Then, with nearly 20 years of skill, he slapped Xiao Tian on the head.
"Lue your head!"
"F * ck!
Don't hit me! "Xiao Tian was chased around the room." You're not afraid?
This doesn't make sense! "
Lin Yan secretly rejoiced as he hit him. Fortunately, his face was white, otherwise, Xiao Tian would have found out.
The two of them woke up in the morning for five minutes before stopping.
Xiao Tian, whose eyes were as red as a rabbit's, ran to wash up, while Lin Yan put on his headphones and dialed a number.
"Are you up?" His voice was gentle and soft, completely different from before.
"Well … I got up early. I'm eating pan-fried bread." Su Cheng's voice on the other end of the phone was lively. "Do you want me to bring you some?"
Lin Yan was hungry. "Pan-Fried bread and beef vermicelli soup. They're having breakfast at the base."
"I sent you a list. Just pack your luggage according to it," Su Cheng reminded him. "Don't forget to bring your ID card, entry pass, and ID card …"
"I know, I know." Lin Yan folded his blanket neatly. "Don't just talk about me. You should check your ID too."
"I brought everything. Don't worry." Su Cheng yawned and took a sip of the vermicelli soup.
Lin Yan listened to the yawn on the other end of the phone and suddenly thought of a good idea. "Let's watch a horror movie together after the intercontinental competition."
"A local one?" Su Cheng's voice was suddenly full of caution.
"No, no decent person would watch a local horror movie … except for The Wicked," Lin Yan quickly explained. "It's better to watch Science than those local horror movies. At least the first half is quite scary."
"Oh, okay." Su Cheng agreed.
She would be leaving for Kaohsiung with the team today.
The exam week at Fudan ended early. On June 30th, Su Cheng finished her last exam, Mathematical Analysis AII. She was already enjoying her summer vacation.
When Lin Yan and Xiao Tian finished packing their luggage and locked the door, Guo Hao was already waiting for them on the third floor.
"Where's your ID?
Give it to me for safekeeping. I'll give it to you at the airport … "
This trip to Kaohsiung required a lot of ID. Guo Hao did this mainly to ensure that they had all the necessary ID when they left the base.
Seven suitcases with personal identification were neatly stacked at the gate of the base. The team members sat around the cafeteria eating breakfast.
"Brother Ran, you're not eating?"
Xiao Tian took a sip of the savory tofu pudding and took a bite of the crispy deep-fried dough stick. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
Lin Yan smelled the fragrance and felt his stomach protest more and more. However, when he thought of the pan-fried bread and beef vermicelli soup that Su Cheng brought, he could only shake his head.
"I'm not eating. Someone will bring it to me later."
Jack held the hot meat bun in his mouth with a satisfied look. "Then you can starve. It's best if you starve to death. Who asked you to show off? Why does everyone have a girlfriend now …"
"Hao, your bun isn't a dog's fault, right?" Lin Yan suddenly looked at the manager.
"No, why?" Guo Hao was a little puzzled. "Where can I find Tianjin Steamed Bun in Shanghai?"
Lin Yan sneered. "No wonder Jack ate it. If you buy a dog and ignore it in the future, he won't care about the bun."
"F * ck …" Jack immediately wanted to stand up and prove his position in the team. However, when he saw Lin Yan, who was half a head taller than him, he chose to swallow his anger.
For a moment, the base was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Lin Weixiang laughed and almost spat out his soy milk.
Jin Gong was still asking Xiao Tian what he meant, but Phyllostachys Pubescens didn't have time to pay attention to him. He was laughing so hard that he couldn't even hold his youtiao properly.
After the team members had eaten their fill, they set off with the hungry Lin Yan to pick up Su Cheng and head to Pudong Airport.
Lin Yan finally solved his breakfast problem on the way. He took a big bite of vermicelli and two slices of beef. A mouthful of hot soup warmed his stomach.
It was close to ten in the morning when they arrived at Pudong Airport. The buses of the other three teams arrived almost at the same time. More than 20 players met outside.
"Wow … Brother, you're so cute." The chubby Broiler looked at the BMW behind Lin Yan with some envy.
Because IG had its own financial backer, it didn't like to accept sponsorships. For the Broiler, a top-notch sponsor like BMW was still very far away.
"Their team is really rich." Xiao Hu laughed. "The champion has two more years. That's too ruthless."
"You're still talking?" Lin Yan glanced at him. "Why don't you guys return Xiao Ming?"
"Hehehe."
Xiao Ming, who was passing by, suddenly laughed. He had one hand around Ning Wang's waist and the other hand patting Jack's head. He looked very happy.
Lin Yan saw this scene and quickly filled in the gaps in his mind.
Shocking!
The champion's support was tangled up with two former Edisi players right in front of the current champion. Was this a loss of morals or a distortion of human nature?
Xi Ye was wearing WE's red and white team uniform. He held a can of Wangzai milk in his hand. "Is YM trying to monopolize the LPL?"
"Isn't that an easy task?" Lin Yan joked. "You want to take the Silver Dragon Cup?
Wait until I retire. "
Xi Ye couldn't stand Lin Yan's arrogance. "Mi De Hu, how about I make an exception and sacrifice my body to let you charge up?
The only price is that you guys have to help us take revenge and win against YM. "
Seer and Mi De Tiger seemed to have some sort of mysterious connection. As long as Mi De Tiger finished fighting WE, he would become as lively as a dragon and as lively as a tiger. He was basically using Seer as a charger.
"We don't even need you to charge up. We can beat YM." Xiao Hu was very proud.
He had been very arrogant recently.
As the Intercontinental Competition was an intercontinental competition that was mixed into the LPL summer competition, Teng Jing specially arranged the competition schedule for the four participating teams to be more compact. The two weeks after the Intercontinental Competition would be more relaxed to give the players some time to rest.
Therefore, the first round of the four teams was already over.
YM, IG, and WE were all 4-1. Only RNG was leading with 10 wins and 1 loss in small matches and 5 consecutive wins in large matches. They were at the top of the league.
Lin Yan only knew that RNG was very strong now. It was exactly as Xiao Ming and Xiao Hu had said before the Summer Season.
However, he didn't know exactly how strong they were.
These days, YM's coaches and players had shifted their focus to the Intercontinental Championship. They didn't pay much attention to their Pro League opponents.
"You think you can beat me?" Lin Yan pretended to be dismissive. "Don't tell me you're just good at talking?
You can get cloth armor shoes, golden body, and Banshee in a real match? "
"I can't beat you, but we still have Brother Ouze." Xiao Hu's expression was as arrogant as if he had a nuclear weapon.
"Ouze can't do it." Lin Yan began to boast. "I remember last year, I beat him with Vampire."
Xiao Hu was indignant and wanted to say something.
However, Tengjing's CEO, Bobby, suddenly called Lin Yan over.
As soon as he got close, Bobby put his arm around Lin Yan's body. They seemed to be very familiar with each other.
"Lin Ran …" he said softly. "The significance of this Intercontinental Tournament is similar to the mid-season tournament. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Lin Yan nodded to show that he understood. "But we can't win by ourselves."
Bobby nodded. "That's why I talked to these managers and coaches a few days ago. I guarantee that everyone's hearts are together."
"When the time comes, you'll all gather together to discuss tactics. You won't hide anything." He patted Lin Yan's shoulder. "As the core of YM, you have to ensure the team's condition."
"Although you can't win the Intercontinental Championship by yourself, without YM, there's an 80% to 90% chance that you'll lose the championship."
Lin Yan pursed his lips, but he still joked. "You're putting a lot of pressure on me."
"You can only improve with pressure." Bobby smiled. "I hope to be there to watch you hold the trophy."
"Everyone, gather together and take a photo." He clapped his hands and raised his voice. "Consider it a commemoration before the trip!"
A group of people squeezed over. Lin Yan only realized then that there were so many people heading to Kaohsiung.
The coaches, managers, team leaders, players of the four teams, more than ten employees of Tengjing Sports and Fist China, and the official team of photographers led by Yimura.
There were at least a dozen people in the group.
Tengjing's staff had specially brought the four teams and the LPL flag. Lin Yan and Jin Gong, the two tall men, stood in the middle, each holding a corner of the LPL flag.
"Can you take a photo of us all?" Bobby asked loudly.
Yimura made an okay gesture. "Everyone, smile … 3, 2, 1!"
Everyone smiled at the camera, and the image froze.
July 4th, 2017. YM, WE, RNG, and IG. With YM's champion team as the core, as well as celebrity players led by rookie, The Shy, uzi, mlxg, xiye, and mystic, the four teams headed to Kaohsiung side by side.
There was only one goal, to win the championship!
League of Legends officials quickly got hold of the photo and posted it on Weibo as the LPL team boarded the plane.
At this moment, it was LPL.
[LPL, go go go!]
[I took a look. This competition system feels a bit like Tianji's horse racing?]
(Some readers may not be familiar with the Intercontinental competition system. I'll post it in the next chapter.)
[Who cares about the competition system?
As long as we can crush LCK!]
[Let's put aside the conflicts between teams. Win the outer battle first, then come back and tear each other apart!]
[Didn't someone say that SKT lost in the mid-season competition, but LCK didn't?
They claimed that teams like Samsung and KT were stronger than the other LPL teams?
Let's see if they'll be slapped in the face in this Intercontinental competition?]
Half an hour after the Weibo was posted, the number of comments exceeded ten thousand.
In the face of the upcoming Intercontinental competition, the fans of the various teams put aside their prejudices and temporarily joined forces to cheer for LPL!
This was the honor of the division!
After a two-hour flight, the LPL team landed at Kaohsiung International Airport in the afternoon and rushed to the hotel they were staying in.
Fist booked two floors of the hotel for the four LPL teams. Since Kaohsiung was a big city, there were no problems with the hotel's facilities.
Simply put, the rooms were okay.
"Isn't the weather too humid here?"
Lin Yan hurriedly turned on the air-conditioner to get rid of the humidity. From the moment he got off the plane to the hotel, the sweat on his back had not stopped.
The geographical location of Kaohsiung, which was located in Tainan, determined that the temperature and humidity were more exaggerated than Shanghai's.
Lin Yan turned around to look at Xiao Tian, who was squatting on the ground and opening his luggage. He realized that Xiao Tian's condition was more exaggerated than his.
His slightly long hair hung loosely on his scalp, and his bangs seemed to have been soaked in water.
"I can't take it anymore, I'm going to take a shower first!"
Lin Yan looked at him and felt uncomfortable all over. He took a change of clothes and went to the bathroom.
"Hurry up and shower, I'm sweating all over!" Xiao Tian shouted.
Because he had already showered in the morning, Lin Yan took fifteen minutes to wash off his sweat and then rushed out.
Xiao Tian rushed in with his shorts.
Lin Yan dried his hair and opened his phone. Under Bobby's lead, the four teams created a large group chat and everyone was in it.
Just now, White Crescent had @ everyone to go to the training room arranged by Fist for a meeting.
"The notice said that there's a meeting. Xiao Tian, I'll go first. After you're done showering, just take the hotel elevator up to the first meeting room on the ninth floor!"
Lin Yan knocked on the bathroom door. After receiving an affirmative reply from Phyllostachys Pubescens, he quickly dried his hair and walked out of the room in his new team uniform.
Coincidentally, he bumped into Su Cheng who was in the room next door. She was bare-faced and her hair was slightly wet. It seemed that she had just finished washing up.
"Is there anything wrong with your roommate?" Lin Ran asked as the two of them walked together.
Two people to a room was also suitable for female staff. In fact, there were quite a number of female members in the four teams and the official team. Together, there were exactly eight people in four rooms.
"She's fine. She and I are schoolmates. She graduated from the administration department two years ago and joined Fist …" Su Cheng said with a smile. "I just found out that there's an internet cafe in Fist where you can play LOL!"
When the two arrived at the elevator, there were already quite a number of members waiting there.
The group took the elevator to the ninth floor.
They were greeted by the first meeting room.
Everyone looked at each other.
"This is the room, right?" Ouze was the first to speak.
"That's what it says on the room number." Spicy Saucepan went forward and pushed the door open.
"Wow …" Bao Lan could not help but exclaim, "Isn't this too amazing?"
Not only him, but most of the players were also shocked.
The three-hundred-square-meter meeting room was filled with computer parts and various tables and chairs.
Ten staff members were busy here, assembling the computer and the gaming chair.
In the middle of the meeting room, there were a few tactical whiteboards.
The huge meeting room had been transformed into a giant training room!
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Bobby did not know who he had learned from, but he began to take credit. "It's all thanks to my coaxing and pestering. Otherwise, the organizers of Wan Wan wouldn't have made it easy for us."
"How many computers are there?" Lin Yan asked.
"Fifty-two." He puffed out his chest. "Every member and coach will get one!"
"There are four rows of long tables. Each team can choose a row. We've also prepared a set of peripherals. Everyone can use the projector …"
Listening to Bobby's introduction, Lin Yan had only one thought.
LPL really wanted to win.
The computers and chairs were installed quickly. Before long, a perfect gaming training room was born.
After the staff left, White Crescent walked to the middle of the meeting room with a stack of documents.
"Everyone, pick a seat and sit down." He was very calm. "I'll say a few words first."
At this time, Xiao Tian and the other players who had arrived a little late because they had to wash up also saw the shocking structure of the room.
Even the most spacious and luxurious YM's training room was only half the size of this meeting room!
"For the next week, our four teams will be here for training and tactical communication …"
"The analysts of the four teams will share data and data, and the coaches will share tactical systems and ideas." As the coach of the mid-season champions, White Crescent became the boss. "Tonight, YM will have a training match against Lightning Wolves. The four of us can review it together and brainstorm to see if there are any shortcomings."
After he set an example, the other three teams had no reason to hide and express their opinions.
"Everything is for the sake of winning this Intercontinental Tournament!" White Crescent said resolutely.
"Victory!"