"First of all, congratulations to YM for winning their first match after the New Year …" In the middle of the stage, the host, Luo Xin, was holding her cards and asking Lin Yan and Xiao Tian, "In the second match that just ended, we can see that the two of you frequently lit up Teemo emojis. Are you trying to express something?"
Her Typhoon was considered cute. It was not quite the same as Aftershock. However, in Lin Yan's eyes, there was no difference. It was not as good as Chengzi's anyway.
After hearing the question, Lin Ran picked up the microphone and exchanged a look with Little Tian beside him. They both knew what was going on and laughed out loud.
After shaking hands with EDG, the two interviewed players and Luo Xin went through the script. They could roughly guess the purpose of the question.
Many of the audience smelled a bit of gunpowder from Lin Yan and Haro's frequent flashing of emojis. The league did not want to let this matter fester, so it was better to take advantage of the post-match interview to explain and let this matter end there.
Lin Yan and Xiao Tian were chosen because the two were the parties involved and did not like to cause trouble during interviews. They could handle this kind of interview perfectly.
If Jack and Liu Qingsong were to be interviewed, they would probably have a smug look on their faces.
Brother Ran lit up his emojis?
Actually, I wanted to too, but I couldn't find the right opportunity. What a pity.
Lin Yan pondered for a moment before responding, "The opponent's level two emojis lit up first. I haven't used the emoji roulette since it came out two months ago. I've tried it this time, and I think it's quite fun. I can use it more in the future if I have the chance."
The audience below the stage roared with laughter. Real-time posts from major e-sports forums that followed the competition kept surging up, filling the screen in an instant.
[Reading comprehension: First of all, I'm not trying to cause trouble. The opponent lit up first. I haven't used the emoji roulette since it came out two months ago. I hope you know why I used it this time. I think I can use it more in the future if I have the chance. We still have to compete in the Spring League. If you have the guts, keep on flashing it.
[Full marks!]
[You're so good at talking. Write a book, Autumn Pear Cream]
[I don't understand why you have to flash your emojis. You can't win, right?
What good juice do you have if you piss off YM?]
Haro, who had just finished the handshake session and returned to the team lounge to pack up his backpack, also saw the interview.
He didn't say anything. He just stuffed the peripheral into his bag and put on his jacket.
Ancestor Saiwen, who had come to watch the match as usual, patted the second prince's shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't be discouraged. It's not a shame even if you can't win."
After all, he himself had been crushed at that time.
"Let's take it slow. Don't look for such a strong reference point …"
In terms of mentality, Little Spicy Dance was really top-notch. She was simply not on the same level as Ouze. Every year, she made it to the top eight, but she continued to fight relentlessly. She firmly believed that failure was the mother of success.
"Didn't we beat WE before?
Then let's set a small goal for the second half of the spring competition — surpass RNG. What do you think? "
RNG had 2 wins and 3 losses. Their win rate was less than 50%. They did seem like a weak team.
Although the core of RNG, Ouze, hadn't played in these five matches, everyone felt that RNG's problem wasn't something that could be solved by an ADC. Even if Ouze played, RNG would only be at the level of the top four in the LPL. There couldn't be any more.
Haro smiled when he heard this.
After beating WE, if they beat RNG, then EDG really had a high chance of entering the international competition this year.
It was their duty to revive the glory of the top eight in the National Film Academy!
…
"Bring two more short-sleeved shirts and sweaters." Su Cheng's face was pale. She was sprawled on the bed in her rented apartment in Jibei Court. Her two slender legs were in the air as she watched her boyfriend tidy up the wardrobe. "The temperature in Chengdu is about the same as Shanghai."
"I know, I know." Lin Yan stuffed the clothes he had brought from Suzhou into his suitcase. "One suitcase should be enough … I'll be back in less than two weeks."
After YM finished fighting their five opponents in the East, they were the first to start the round-robin tournament.
According to the schedule arranged by Teng Jing, they were going to head west to Chengdu and Chongqing to play OMG and Snakes, the two home teams.
The journey west would take about one and a half weeks. The club specially gave them a day off to prepare.
Su Cheng hugged the frog cushion she had brought and placed it under her chest.
Lin Yan liked to sleep on a harder bed. She felt a little pain in her chest after lying on it for a long time.
It was mainly because she didn't have any meat. Otherwise, it would be more comfortable to have a cushion.
"If you go to Chengdu, can you go see pandas?"
She moved her dazzling white legs and got up to get the brown sugar water from the bedside table.
Her period had just come yesterday and she was feeling uncomfortable now. Su Cheng originally wanted to help Lin Yan pack his luggage. As expected, she was firmly rejected by him.
Lin Yan folded the clothes neatly and put them in the suitcase. He thought about the itinerary. "I think so. Our training schedule shouldn't be too heavy."
"Help me take a few pictures." Su Cheng was energized. Her eyes were shining. "I want to see Gungun. I want to see Gungun!"
"Aren't there a lot of pandas in the Shanghai Zoo?" Lin Yan didn't quite understand his girlfriend's thoughts. "If you want to see them, you can go this afternoon."
"This is different …" Su Cheng took a sip of the warm brown sugar water and lay down again. Her voice was a little weak. "There are baguettes in America too. Will you eat them when you go there?"
Lin Yan frowned. He felt that his girlfriend's logic was obviously wrong. He could come up with a bunch of theories to refute Su Cheng's statement.
But on second thought, he felt that there was no need. She was already like this. Why wouldn't he listen to her?
"Then do you have any snacks in Chengdu that you want to eat?"
Lin Yan squatted down and reached out to stroke Su Cheng's head. Her long black hair was soft and carried the warmth of her body. It made his heart burn.
"Do you want to send something flying into my hand?"
Su Cheng looked up at her boyfriend. She didn't expect him to be so thoughtful. Her face was full of joy and she was about to seriously think about what she wanted to eat.
Alms bowl chicken, dragon wok, and rabbit … Rabbits are so cute. They must taste good, right?
Lin Yan's deep voice sounded above her head. "You're thinking too much."
"I'm going to take a picture when I buy snacks for you. It's that simple."
The wonderful frog seed on Su Cheng's chest was still warm. It flew to Lin Yan's face. Her angry voice echoed in the room. "Lin Yan, you're finished!"
On the afternoon of March 4th, Lin Yan took his luggage and rushed to the airport. He and his teammates rushed to Chengdu to start their two away games in the west.
"Have you guys been to Chengdu before?"
On the plane, Shiba Inu adjusted his seatbelt and stretched his body before asking his teammates curiously.
However, there was no one from the Chuanyu region in YM's competition team. Most of their understanding of the region came from online guides.
"Let's go, let's go and eat hotpot when we land!" Shiba Inu felt that he was about to embark on a new adventure.
Everyone was very relaxed. Red Mi bought sunglasses from somewhere and looked funny and funny when she put them on.
They didn't think that this two-week trip to the west would be troublesome.
OMG had experienced the final glory of S7 and declined at the speed of light. Old Thief Sima, one of the core members of the team, had joined IG in the new season with the mentality of 'since everyone is useless, let's go our separate ways'.
This time, the team's strength had fallen off a cliff. Now, they could only rely on Young Master Leng Icon and support Five to drive the pace of the game.
The other home team, Snakes in Chongqing, was even more miserable. Ever since the heaven-defying best of 10 in S6, Snakes had never stood up again.
Although they were called crazy knives, most of the time, they were cramps. They claimed that they only knew how to play for the first 20 minutes. After that, their game IQ would suddenly drop by half. It was normal for them to send the Dragon to get wiped out.
This was especially true for the core members of the team, Holy Gun Bro and SOFM. It was common for them to fall sick. The audience would never know when they would cramp.
With these two weak teams, they didn't even know how they could lose.
The team members were quite relaxed on this trip to the west. They didn't consider the strength of their opponents. They were thinking about where to find good food and fun, treating it as a trip on public expense.
"What are you looking at?" Little Rascal, who was sitting next to him, suddenly poked his head over to take a closer look at the map in Lin Yan's phone.
Lin Yan turned his phone to the side. His voice was a little hoarse from Su Cheng yesterday. "I'm already studying the Giant Panda Base and the Samsung Mound."
"Whoa!"
Phyllostachys Pubescens was also a little tempted. He asked Jin Gong, who was sitting in the front row, "Do you want to go with us, Siberian?"
Jin Gong's eyes lit up when he saw the panda. "This Kuo Yi, let's go!"
He also dragged along Red Rice, who was also interested in the panda. On the other side, Shiba Inu and Unhappy were preparing to go with Guo Hao to the narrow alley.
They were full of anticipation and longing. After discussing their travel itineraries, the plane landed at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport.
Just as Su Cheng said, the climate here was generally similar to Shanghai. It was just that there were a lot of clouds today, covering half of the sun. It looked like milky white cotton candy floating in the air.
As soon as they left the airport, before they even got on the bus, they bumped into an acquaintance.
IG Competition Department.
"Eh?
You guys are here? "
Ning Wang came up and punched a few of his old buddies in the chest. His face was full of joy. "Let me tell you guys, Chengdu is really not a good place …"
Ning Wang, who had already traveled here once, pointed out a clear path for his old teammates and helped them circle a few must-visit attractions.
"Is the hotel okay?" Lin Yan was more concerned about the accommodation and the training environment.
Broiler, who was beside him, had a familiar smile on his face. He answered his question with a barbecue-flavored Mandarin. "It's all good. It's just that the food is a little … a little numb. I'm not used to it."
When Jin Gong heard this, he looked at the ulcers on Broiler's lips. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Koreans could eat spicy food, but their food was mostly sweet and spicy. Turkey noodles were a classic example of sweet and spicy food.
However, spicy food was really not good. This kind of spiciness was completely different.
IG's journey to the west this time was quite smooth. Located in the western region, they finished the group's round-robin tournament. With a record of 5 wins and 0 losses, they were tied for first place with YM.
With Old Thief Sima, they were even better than last year. Not only did they win 10 matches in a row, they also maintained an average of 25 minutes per match. Like YM and FPX, they were a standard team that did not work overtime.
Many viewers had already locked onto this year's Spring Finals on the eSports forums. Even though RNG and WE were two strong teams, their results were falling too quickly.
Just from the regular season alone, there were no teams in LPL that could compete with YM and IG. There was even a faint trend of a gap.
"Let's stop chatting. We still have to catch the plane," Su Xiaoluo urged. "If we're late, we won't be able to return to Shanghai tonight."
"I woke up too early today. I'm a little hungry. Can I go in and buy a bowl of dry-mixed noodles?" Bao Lan asked her manager.
The chubby eSports player, Yuan Shao, hugged Bao Lan's small and skinny body. "No problem. I'll show you my noodles skills later!"
"I'm not talking to you. Back then, I used my noodles skills to conquer Broiler and Sun Yeyou, that baldy …" Kid, Broiler, and Bao Lan began to talk about their glorious past.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Ning Wang grabbed Old Thief Sima's thin arm and walked towards the airport. Ever since he found out that Old Thief Sima was very generous when treating people to hotpot, the two of them had become good brothers.
Old Thief Sima looked back at Chengdu's sky for the last time.
Two days ago, he had killed his old team and taken down the MVP of two matches.
It was time for his story with OMG to come to an end.
Coach Jin Jingzhu, who didn't look like a pushover, shook hands with his compatriot, Red Rice, as a greeting.
When The Shy, who was at the back of the team, passed by Lin Yan, he imitated him and reached out his right hand. "Mud Howl Mud Howl."
After the start of the Spring Finals, IG had hired a Chinese teacher for him. He had learned a bit of Mandarin, but he couldn't help but have a slight accent.
Lin Yan subconsciously glanced down. The Shy, like other Koreans, wasn't afraid of the cold. Even though the temperature in Chengdu was less than 15 degrees Celsius, he was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
His fair and slender right arm was slightly protruding with muscle lines. His unscarred arm looked very smooth.
"Mud Howl." He imitated The Shy's way of speaking and reached out to shake his hand.
The Shy's cheeks inexplicably turned red, which scared Lin Yan.
He then mumbled something in Korean.
The eyes of the translator, Jiang Chenglu, lit up. He walked forward with his belly bulging, ready to start his performance.
But before he came, YM's merciless translation tool, Jin Gong, spoke first. "The Shy said he'll see you in two weeks."
When YM returned to Shanghai, they would have a pinnacle showdown with IG.
"Haha." Lin Yan smiled. "But the outcome of the regular season isn't too important. Let's see who's better in the Spring Finals."
Jiang Chenglu was just about to speak when Jin Gong subconsciously translated his words into Korean. With a sad face, he picked up his suitcase and went outside to get some fresh air to calm his mind.
He never thought that there would be a day when his job would be in jeopardy.
On the other side, The Shy bared his teeth and revealed a strange smile before he left. He reached out and patted Lin Yan's arm.
Lin Yan didn't understand what this person wanted to do. He liked to have physical contact with him. It was simply baffling.
After saying goodbye to the IG team, YM went out to eat hotpot. Then, they took a bus to the hotel that Teng Jing had arranged for them to check in.
The hotel wasn't luxurious. The standard rooms provided for the team members were also ordinary.
After all, Teng Jing wanted to book the entire spring for the teams that came west to play in the away game. If the hotel rooms were too expensive, the cost would be too high.
The training room was barely satisfactory. Although the area was a little small, it was enough for the team to complete their daily training and review.
There was only one problem — Chengdu's connection to the Korean server was very bad.
The physical distance between them and Korea was like that. Even if they used the accelerator, there was nothing they could do.
YM and the others could only give up on the Dragon Ball Alliance training match that was renamed to KING-ZONEDragonX.
The training match arrangement was messed up. Normally, YM could only use the ranking match to maintain their rhythm. They didn't expect the RNG coaching team to come to them through Gouba and ask for a BO3.
"What's the situation?"
Xiao Tian, who was sitting on the eSports chair, heard Gouba's words. He habitually touched the hair on his head. "What's the point of fighting them?"
Before the New Year, they had often fought against RNG. However, if they stayed in the bottom lane, their lane would always be destroyed by Jack. Although Xiao Ming was good at fighting his old friends, he couldn't do anything if he followed the lane and self-destructed.
They weren't afraid of winning all the time. They were afraid that they wouldn't be able to learn anything after winning the training match. This was purely a waste of time.
Later on, Red Rice decided not to practice with RNG. Heart and Sun Dayong understood the reason. After the New Year, they didn't communicate with each other again.
They didn't expect them to come again this time. There was only one reason left …
Gouba saw Lin Yan's gaze and nodded to confirm his guess. "Ouze just came back."
The little fatty originally planned to rush back to RNG after the New Year, but he didn't expect something to happen at home. It just so happened that RNG hadn't given up on cultivating the lane, so Ouze stayed in his hometown in Yichang for another week before rushing back to Shanghai.
At this time, RNG had finished the first round of the group cycle. Their winning percentage of two wins and three losses was less than half. They were ranked behind IG and RW in the Western Conference, and had the same number of points as BLG. They relied on a small point advantage to take third place, barely preserving the last shred of dignity from last year's top four.
Since Ouze was back, it was necessary to arrange a training match. It was a good opportunity to see the strength of RNG, who had the entire starting lineup of S7 and the strong support of Casa, and whether they could compete with them and IG.
"Even if he comes back now, RNG won't be too good, right?"
Lin Yan took advantage of the free time before the ten players and coaches entered the custom room to chat with his teammates.
Jack agreed. "I think so too. RNG's problem isn't something that can be solved by an ADC."
The few of them laughed. This sentence was faintly showing signs of coming out of the circle recently. Even Jin Gong, who usually didn't read e-sports forums, knew this joke.
But after 20 minutes, they stopped laughing.
Ouze, who had gone back to recharge and rest, suddenly used the S7 retro duo team Charlot to crush Jack and Liu Qingsong's lane.
"No, what's the situation?"
When reviewing the game, Lin Yan leaned back in his chair and pointed at the big screen. "This is the third wave of minions. How did your bottom lane get blocked into the tower?"
"They learned from W at level 1 and came up to fight with us. I accidentally messed up the minions' position." Jack admitted his problem honestly. "I couldn't snatch the level 2 minions, and then I was suppressed under the tower."
The level 1 Charlot's combat power was quite strong, but Jack and Liu Qingsong had Draven and Hammer Stone in this game. Both sides' bottom lane would fight if they didn't accept it. Whoever took a step back would lose.
But Ouze was very disgusting. He deliberately adjusted the angle during the activation stage of W's Deadly Feather Coat so that the feather pierced through Draven and the minions.
At the end of the fight, the four of them had about half of their HP left, but Jack found that there was a gap between the minions' HP.
Moreover, the feather's position was very tricky. In this situation, he could only retreat. Otherwise, if Ouze snatched the level 2 minions, it was very likely that he would be killed by the barb.
The result was that the third wave of Cannon Soldiers was pushed deep into the tower by Ouze. Xiao Tian and Casa were both farming from top to bottom. As a result, the first wave of Stone Beetle Camp was reversed.
This group of monsters that were invaded and robbed caused Phyllostachys Pubescens to not be able to reach level 4 even after the first wave of monsters was cleared.
The difference in the level of the jungler made Xiao Tian not dare to come to the bottom lane to help. However, the Cannon Soldiers that pushed deep into the tower were not killed by Jack and Liu Qingsong immediately, so the position of the Minions was not reset.
A wave of Ouze's push back was officially formed.
Then, as soon as the Minions pushed through the river, Casa came and controlled Princes to EQ Flash and kill Jack directly.
The bottom lane's line had already collapsed at this point. A large wave of Shiba Inu's minions pushed down the RNG tower. When he returned to the line again, the ADCs of the two sides were one level lower, and there was also a gap of 10 Swords.
"There's no need to fight in the bottom lane." Red Rice did not expect YM to be so brave in the bottom lane. They fought with the RNG as soon as they came online. "Xiao Tian took the Pig Girl. So what if you fight in the bottom lane and lower your HP?"
"Do you want the Pig Girl to be level 2?"
Red Rice explained a lot to the bottom lane before letting them start another round.
The quality of tonight's mock competition was extraordinarily high. Red Rice felt that YM's fierce attacks in the past were faintly being neutralized in front of RNG.
Although they gained some advantages through repeated attacks, it was not enough for YM to win.
Instead, they dragged it out and allowed Ouze to develop. Around 23 minutes, he came out of the mountain and began to violently attack with his three-piece set.
Although Letme's first half of the spring season was very bad, and he even rotated with Snakes.
However, he won because he knew his own limits. Now, he let Imperial know that he was not a top talent player. He played a tank hero and mixed in the early game. In the mid and late game team battles, he just needed to protect the big brother in the back.
RNG's choice of a mid-game team battle lineup made it very difficult for YM to push forward. If they were not careful, they could be bypassed.
Red Rice was very satisfied with the intensity of this mock competition.
RNG's defensive stance against YM tested their ability to deal with the details and positioning of their eyes when they pushed forward.
Heart also felt that the quality of the mock competition was very high. They could also find a way to deal with IG in the same group by playing against YM. Although the rhythm of the two teams was not exactly the same in the early game, they both played offense. Different paths led to the same goal.
The mock competition was extended from the original plan of a BO3 to five games.
RNG, who was still in the run-in stage, lost 1: 4. However, there was a back and forth in every game, and YM was only able to defeat their opponents in the middle and late stages of the game. This showed the tenacity of this new RNG team and the strength that was faintly revealed.
Before the members of YM boarded the plane, they would never have thought that they would play a full mock competition on the first day of their trip to Chengdu.
The exhausted Lin Yan took a shower and chatted with Su Cheng for a while before falling asleep.
The girl in the study of Tongji Bei Court watched her boyfriend close his eyes. She smiled helplessly and continued to flip through the textbook in her hand. After turning off the microphone, she picked up the pen and scribbled down the key points in her notebook.
…
"Captain Gimgoon's big move, Lady of Death, smashed the female gunner to critical health!"
Amidst the shouts of the commentator, Jin Gong set up an ambush in the Dragon's Pit and shot out three consecutive barrels. The explosive damage caused by the barrels instantly destroyed OMG's formation!
"Jack Ezreal at the side bent down and shot out a big move. The crescent-shaped bullet screen accurately swept across the bodies of the OMG players. Brother Ran entered the field and finished them off!"
What was left for Lin Yan was a pile of critical health. He did not need to waste any energy. He controlled Ryze to use his big move and lead his teammates to seal off the escape route while he ran forward.
"YM is pincer attacking from the front and back. They're like roujiamo, surrounding OMG!"
OMG's support, Bull's Head, found a solution in the desperate situation. In the nick of time, he turned around and rushed towards Lin Yan's face. W [Brutal Charge] and Q [Earth Shatter] were used together. He wanted to send Lin Yan into the air and cooperate with his teammates to kill him instantly!
In this way, OMG would be able to tear open a path to safety in the desperate situation!
However, the moment before Bull's Head touched Lin Yan, he turned into a golden statue!
"Zhonya Hourglass!" The live commentator, Yu Tong, imitated his senior and shouted, "Brother Ran's reaction is too fast!"
Not only that, Lin Yan even threw out a Q [Overload] before pressing down on Zhonya!
His perfect reaction left OMG at a loss. They still wanted to press down on Lin Yan, but in the 2.5 seconds of Zhonya, Liu Qingsong and the others had already arrived on the battlefield.
Lin Yan immediately picked up the lantern that he had dropped when he tore open his wound and returned to a safe position in the crowd. Behind him, his teammates went forward to clean up the mess!
"YM has successfully wiped out their opponents. They're going to win this match in one go!" Yu Tong was full of energy. He was still not satisfied with the game time from God's perspective.
OMG's base exploded at 28 minutes and 22 seconds. This had already exceeded YM's average game time for this year's Spring Competition.
Logically speaking, YM, as the top team in the League, should not have spent so much effort against OMG. However, YM had gone overboard today.
They had destroyed both of OMG's front towers. Then, with the five of them low on health, they had forcefully fought a team battle in front of the Main Crystal.
In the end, OMG had used the continuous recovery effect of the spring water to return to the city. They had actually managed to wipe out YM.
At that time, Jack's EZ had almost destroyed OMG's Main Crystal. In the end, OMG's base had only 50 health left. The live commentator and audience were extremely excited. They had thought that the home team was going to replicate S4's extreme comeback.
However, YM had been wiped out too early. Even though OMG had taken five kills, they had not obtained any crucial neutral resources.
The economic benefits from this wipe were only five kills. It was not enough to make up for the economic gap between them and YM.
Yu Tong tidied up the commentator's seat. In two days, he would follow YM to Chongqing to commentate on YM's match against Snake.
After YM had defeated OMG, they seized the time to play. Lin Yan and his teammates went to the Giant Panda Base and Sanxingdui for the whole day. After that, they went to the city to walk around between snack bars and hotpot restaurants.
There was no suspense in the match against Snakes. Under Red Rice's arrangement, YM had decided to play the stalling game.
Their main strategy was to survive. They had to survive until Snakes was at their strongest in the early and middle stages. Then, they just had to wait for Spear Bro and Sofm to fall sick.
They easily won the trip to the west. However, just as YM was about to return to Shanghai from Chongqing, something unexpected happened.
Jack was hospitalized.