The instant the Korean base Crystal exploded, the commotion in the stadium could no longer be contained as it rushed straight to the dome of Makah Plaza.
At this moment, the stadium was filled with the cheers and applause of countless people who were so excited that they couldn't be any louder.
The spotlights above the dome flickered and then focused on the CHN player benches.
Su Cheng was still in a daze. It wasn't until she saw the LED screen behind the CHN player benches that she realized it was real.
"We won, we won!" She happily hugged Yu Zhen. "We got the gold medal!"
The audience in the live stream also heard the deafening cheers and applause.
[This is awesome, Brother Cutie!]
[We're the champions again!]
[Faker didn't win even though he performed so well. Ruler Emperor is really ridiculous.]
[Ruler got lost in the middle of the classic. I thought I was watching a Snakes competition.]
[Doesn't Ruler Emperor owe Li Xianghe a championship?
As long as he plays a human in the end, this game can continue to drag on.]
[Who cares about them?
Let's just play CNLOL and be done with it!]
Everyone in the country was celebrating enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, in the stands of Mahakka Square, the Korean spectators next to Su Cheng and the others had sorrowful looks on their faces.
They didn't expect this to be the outcome.
In this game, the team had relied on Li Xianghe's two brilliant waves of play to recover from their disadvantage.
But they didn't expect that after 20 minutes, Ruler would continuously get lost and directly lose the game.
In the last wave, Lin Yan used EW to successfully stun Little Peanut and prevent him from stealing Dragon. At the same time, he also insta-killed Corejj's Hammer Stone.
In the end, he even used his big move, Energy Torrent, to force Li Xianghe's Little Temptress into a passive state.
Lin Yan had done his best and played Sindra's perfect upper limit.
With one hammer strike, the game ended.
The SBS commentary booth was also deathly silent.
Roaring Emperor's lips curled up. His expression had already frozen.
It had been 19 years since he started commentating StarCraft on OGN in 1999. He had become more and more knowledgeable, and it was difficult for him to find the helpless feeling he had when he first started commentating.
But today, this match made him recall the memories of being a rookie commentator.
The first live broadcast of the League of Legends project in Korea ended in failure.
This was undoubtedly a dark day for Korean eSports.
The roaring Emperor's heart was filled with mixed feelings.
However, he still forcibly pulled his attention back to the live broadcast. In order to maintain his proper demeanor in front of the public, Roaring Emperor smiled and looked at the camera.
"Congratulations to the CHN representative team for winning the gold medal in this Asian Games' League of Legends event, while the Republic of Korea placed second. Although the results weren't satisfactory, this competition was still quite exciting …"
"Without a doubt, they are respectable and powerful opponents. They have displayed their best in today's finals!"
"Sh * t … Champion, champion!" Jack took off his headphones with a whoosh, took off on the spot, and directly hugged Lin Yan who was next to him.
His mouth was crooked from smiling.
"Stop fooling around."
Lin Yan gestured for him to calm down. He held the Shiba Inu's paw with one hand and held the mouse with the other hand to click on the data panel after the start of the competition. He glanced at the damage output.
After he found that his damage was 777 points higher than Li Xianghe's, he took off his soundproof headphones with satisfaction.
This time, the thunderous cheers were no longer obstructed and completely entered his ears.
Liu Qingsong and Phyllostachys Pubescens looked at each other and smiled, then high-fived each other.
On the other hand, letme sat in his seat, still immersed in the joy of winning the championship, unable to extricate himself.
"What are you doing?" Jack patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't tell me you're so excited that you went crazy?"
Jack calmed down the excitement in his heart and began to mock his teammate instead. "No way, no way?"
Lin Yan frowned. "Your tone is really despicable. If I were letme, I would definitely punch you in the face and make your head smaller."
Hearing this threat, Jack laughed awkwardly for a moment, then stopped talking with some lingering fear.
Yan Junze then took off his headphones and looked back at his teammate, still confused. "What's going on?"
Realizing that he did not hear his mockery, the Shiba Inu chuckled.
Letme looked at the golden rain above the stage, still unable to believe all of this.
This Asian Games journey was extremely unreal to him, giving him a strong sense of unreality.
When he left the Haikou School of Economics and embarked on the professional path, he never thought that he would one day win the gold medal in the Asian Games.
"Go shake hands first," Lin Yan saw that Yan Junze was still standing there in a daze, so he quickly reminded his teammate, "Come back and we'll celebrate!"
He was in high spirits and his tone was full of vigor.
Although he usually looked calm in the face of changes, his heart throbbed when he imagined that he would soon be standing on the highest podium with the national flag draped over his shoulders.
He crossed the stage and went to the player seats on the other side.
Lin Yan reached out his right hand to the Korean team closest to him.
Corejj's expression was normal, but Ruler's back was facing Lin Yan, and his eyes were still glued to his monitor.
He looked like he had been beaten senseless. His right hand, which was holding the mouse, was still trembling.
In the end, Corejj patted him on the shoulder and reminded him before Ruler turned his head.
The moment he saw Lin Yan, he was so scared that he trembled.
Lin Yan's smile appeared on his face due to his excitement after winning the championship. In Ruler's eyes, it was like Satan sent him to punish him.
In last year's global finals, he was suppressed by Lin Yan's high pressure. In the end, he even made a name for himself by saving the wounded.
In this year's Asian Games, he died five times in a row in the middle of the life and death game. In the last team battle, he flew into the crowd like a moth to a flame and carried the CHN team.
Ruler wondered if he had a grudge against Lin Yan.
Why am I so unlucky?
Even when he shook her hand, he was trembling with fear. His entire being was terrified.
This made Lin Yan quite speechless.
He hurriedly shook hands with Ruler Emperor, and then looked at Li Xianghe.
Faker's eyes were red, and he couldn't help but feel a bit depressed.
Today, Li Xianghe boasted that he had recovered to his peak condition. In terms of individual strength, he wasn't weaker than he was two years ago.
However, he still couldn't beat Lin Yan.
"You played very well today." Lin Yan said sincerely in English.
He had to admit that Li Xianghe's performance in the finals had exceeded his expectations.
Even if he didn't win or lose, Lin Yan still felt satisfied.
The pressure that Faker exerted on himself also pushed Lin Yan to show his strongest side.
Both sides were scheming against each other. Every step was calculated to the extreme, and they minimized each other's mistakes.
Even though he didn't play all five matches, Lin Yan was still mentally and physically exhausted. Now that the match was over, his temples were throbbing.
This feeling was unfamiliar to him, but it also made him excited.
Always standing at the top, Lin Yan felt bored when there were no opponents of equal strength to challenge him.
Li Xianghe's outburst today made him feel like he hadn't felt in a long time.
"What's the use of that?
Didn't I still lose? "Li Xianghe was unwilling to accept this.
Lin Yan fell into a rare silence.
He couldn't comfort Li Xianghe with words like "a loss doesn't mean anything."
No one would believe this kind of poisonous chicken soup.
Professional players wanted to win. It could be said that it was purely for the desire to win, or it could be said that it was for money or fame, but in the end, no one wanted to lose.
Unless he was being coerced.
Lin Yan was today's winner. In a sense, no matter how he comforted Li Xianghe, it was like the winner taking pity on the loser.
"I'm looking forward to our next match." The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "See you in the international competition."
Li Xianghe was stunned for a moment before replying in slightly broken English, "I'll try my best."
However, he didn't have much confidence in saying this.
For this final, only he knew how much effort he had put in to force himself to recover to his peak condition today.
It didn't matter if he could continue to perform like he did today after returning to LCK.
Even if he was in top condition, it didn't mean that SKT could enter the S8 global finals.
So what if they were the world's number one?
It still depended on their teammates.
In the League Championship between China and Korea, it was impossible to play the North American model of forcing a team to enter the international competition with one god and four eyes.
There were too many strong teams.
There were only three spots, and the strong teams in the region were all fighting to the death. It was difficult for Dugu Charui to lead a team into the international competition alone.
Before Li Xianghe came to the Asian Games, he had already prepared himself to face Lin Yan in the competition one last time.
The two of them hugged gently and brushed past each other. Faker looked at the audience.
He found his father and grandmother at a glance.
Both of them had warm smiles on their faces and were giving him a thumbs up, encouraging him for his performance today.
The moment he saw his family, the unwillingness in Li Xianghe's heart dissipated slightly. It was filled with relief.
Victory or defeat was a foregone conclusion. He suddenly felt that he had nothing to worry about.
The 22-year-old Li Xianghe was no longer the teenager he used to be. He knew that hard work might not lead to good results.
Just like now.
However, at least someone remembered that he had worked hard.
He had given it his all, and that was enough.
Lin Yan continued to walk forward and shook hands with Little Peanut, who was behind Faker.
He looked at Peanut's bitter face and thought that he was going to die soon.
In every elimination round, he would always meet Peanut.
The international competition in S6 and S7, the mid-season competition in S7 and S8, the continental competition, and today's Asian Games.
Counting carefully, Little Peanut had acted as a backdrop for him a total of seven times.
It could only be said that there were seven reasons.
Peanut was no longer on the road to Manchuria.
As for Jin Gong … the Siberian came up and gave him a punch.
"Son of a b * tch, you're here to train me again in the second round, right?" Jin Gong reached out and grabbed the back of Lin Yan's neck.
After losing this final, the overall atmosphere in the Korean players' area was very heavy. He could be considered one of the more relaxed players on the team.
The difference was the public opinion in the country.
In the eyes of the Korean citizens, losing a game like this that concerned their country's honor would definitely cause them to curse to their heart's content. If they encountered some radicals, it wasn't impossible for them to send razor blades or personal threats.
However, Jin Gong didn't care.
He was in the YM Club. If the Korean keyboard warriors had the ability, they could send razor blades overseas.
In the face of Jin Gong's questioning, Lin Yan decisively chose to shift the blame. He said innocently, "It was all Xiao Tian's orders!
Do I look like the kind of person who would train you? "
Jin Gong thought about this sentence twice in his head and felt that Lin Yan was right.
Then, he looked at Xiao Tian with a sinister smile.
Phyllostachys Pubescens didn't dare to stay here any longer. He was afraid that he would be tortured by Jin Gong and wouldn't be able to hang the gold medal around his neck during the award ceremony.
The Siberian looked at Mongoose's back and used a Chinese saying that they had learned from somewhere. "You can hide from the first, but you can't hide from the second. Let's see where you can run to!"
In any case, everyone had to return to the YM Club. Phyllostachys Pubescens just had to wash his neck and wait for the beating.
After the handshake segment ended, Lin Yan returned to his seat. He quickly packed up his peripherals and rolled them up with a mouse pad before leaving the stage.
As soon as he entered the backstage lounge, he and his teammates were greeted with a wave of cheers.
The CHN team's coaching staff were all there. They couldn't stop smiling.
"Nice, Brother Ran!"
Ouze started to cosplay as Guan Yu again. His round face was red as he went up to Lin Yan and gave him a big hug. "You're too awesome today!"
He had watched all four matches and knew how scary Li Xianghe's condition was today.
Back then, he had lost to SKT, which was led by a pinnacle Devil King, more than once.
Ouze's PTSD was about to flare up again as he sat backstage.
He didn't expect Lin Yan and his teammates to beat Li Xianghe!
Although he didn't play in the finals and got a gold medal for free, Ouze's mentality was quite mature now.
Others couldn't get a gold medal for free even if they wanted to. He could get a gold medal after winning a few matches in the group stage and semi-finals. Why would he need a bicycle?
Even the usually serious Mrs. Yang revealed a rare smile.
"Now, let's celebrate with the national flag."
She handed the red flag that she borrowed from the women's national team to Lin Yan.
On the other hand, Abu and the others took their respective peripherals from the contestants.
Lin Yan freed his hands and unfolded the red flag.
The players discussed for a while and decided to line up in a row. Two of the taller players would stand on both sides. Each of them would hold a corner of the red flag and drape the large flag over the shoulders of the others.
Lin Yan took over one of the positions.
However, it was difficult to choose the remaining person to hold the corner of the red flag.
Gao Tianliang, Liu Qingsong, Jack, and Ouze were all about 1.7 meters tall. In the end, Letme competed with them and won by a narrow margin with a height of 3cm, successfully holding the other corner of the red flag.
The six contestants slowly walked toward the spectator stands.
When the audience saw them walking over, they couldn't hold back their excitement. They stood up and waved the red flag in their hands.
Lin Yan looked at his girlfriend in the front row.
"How was it?
My performance today was okay, right? "He asked with a smile.
Su Cheng praised without hesitation. "That's more than okay!
You're ridiculously strong! "
She waved her phone. "Say hello to the audience in your livestream?"
"Wait for me to finish my lap," Lin Yan replied. "I'll do a short livestream before I receive my gold medal."
Jack laughed heartily. It sounded like the quacking of a goose.
The six contestants received the applause of the audience with their red flags and returned to the lounge fifteen minutes later.
Su Cheng also ran over, leaving behind Yu Tong and Yu Zhen who were full of envy.
It couldn't be helped. They could do whatever they wanted with their work passes. All they had to do was go through a security check before entering and exiting the backstage. It was much better than audience members like them.
The waiting room was buzzing with activity. Whether it was the contestants or the coaching staff, everyone was chatting away, sweeping away the depressing atmosphere from when they first arrived at the competition venue. The short-haired reporter from Central TV also appeared in the room. He was leading the cameraman around, holding a microphone and interviewing everyone.
The smile on Abu's face showed no signs of fading.
If he received the gold medal this time, he could report back to his superiors. It was definitely worth celebrating.
"Everyone, listen to me!"
Madam Yang clapped her hands and used the crisp sound to attract everyone's attention. "When the athletes go on stage later, everyone will wear the award receiving uniform and drape the national flag over your shoulders!
"President Huo Qigang of the ATU will be presenting the award. Remember to lower your head when you receive the award. Let him hang the gold medal around his neck. Then, straighten up and shake his hand to show courtesy …
"Everyone, do you understand?"
The six contestants responded in unison.
Madam Yang turned to leave the lounge to ask the staff for the specific time to receive the award. Lin Yan then turned on the sound of his livestream.
The intensity of the bullet screen was not much worse than when they had just defeated the South Korean Crystal Division.
Lin Yan glanced at the questions raised by the audience.
"When are we going back to China … Probably in the morning the day after tomorrow. We have an LPL competition the day after tomorrow, so we won't have time to rest."
"When we're back to China, can we give some benefits to our fans and draw the gold medal?" Lin Yan did not know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not fun!"
"I still have to keep it as a family heirloom and let my child see his father's glorious history."
Lin Yan said righteously.
Then, he saw several bullet screen comments fly by.
"Then here's the question, when are we getting married …" Lin Yan read this and turned his phone around. He pointed it at his girlfriend who was sitting next to him. She was typing the good news to her family and friends. "Then you'll have to ask her."
Su Cheng did not even look up. She reached out and punched him.
He yawned and said, "I can't take it anymore, I'm so sleepy. Let's turn off the livestream."
This time, the livestream was filled with question marks.
"Brothers, I'm really sleepy." Lin Yan pointed the camera at his eyes and said, "Do you see the blood vessels?
I haven't slept well for the past two days. I can't take the high intensity training and competition. "
He waved goodbye to the netizens and immediately turned off the livestream.
"Put on your headphones and sleep for a bit." Su Cheng handed him the soundproof headphones from her backpack and said, "I think the award ceremony won't start for a while."
Lin Yan obeyed.
After adjusting a light song, he crossed his arms and leaned on the sofa. He closed his eyes and walked peacefully.
He was really sleepy. Today's battle had consumed most of his energy and he could not take it anymore. He closed his eyes and fell asleep in a moment.
When he was woken up, it was already 20 minutes later.
"It's time to go on stage to receive the award!" Mrs. Yang went into the room to inform them to get ready.
Lin Yan stretched his sore body and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Then, he and his five teammates went to the stage under the guidance of the staff.
They were accompanied by two teams from South Korea and Chinese Taipei.
After the three teams met, they just nodded to each other.
When they came to the stage again, the podium was already set up. The audience took out their phones to record this historic moment.
"Let's welcome the president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, Mr. Huo Qigang, to come on stage to award the athletes …"
Huo Qigang, who gave the keynote speech at the opening ceremony, appeared again in a suit. He was followed by three concierge ladies.
"Third place winner, China's Taipei!"
The six contestants from the Taipei team stepped onto the podium one by one. They bent down to let President Huo Qigang hang the medal ribbons around their necks. Then, they shook hands and received the mascot dolls and flowers from the two concierge ladies behind them.
"First place winner, Korea's Return!" the host said in a deep voice.
The South Korean team members stepped onto the stage slightly higher than the Taipei team and received a shiny silver medal.
This ending was not perfect for them, who had vowed to fight for the championship.
Chi Di was even more muddle-headed. He did not seem to have much energy left.
"Finally, let's welcome the champion … The People's Return of China!"
Lin Yan stood in the middle and put his arm around his teammates' shoulders. He counted down three, two, one. Then, the six of them stepped onto the podium to receive the highest award!
For a moment, there was applause. The flashes from the audience and the spotlights on the dome did not stop for a moment. Lin Yan's eyes were filled with light.
Countless people froze this scene in their cameras.
President Huo Qigang presented the awards to the contestants one by one. When it was his turn, Lin Yan bowed his head and let the heavy gold medal hang around his neck.
"You did very well." Mr. Huo spoke to him in Mandarin. "I've heard of your name before. After watching the final today, I was still in awe with President Yao. You are indeed the best player in this event."
When Lin Yan heard this compliment, he smiled and shook hands with him. Then, he received the Bali flower deer doll and a bouquet of flowers from Mr. Huo Qigang.
After the award ceremony, President Huo gestured for him to stand sideways. He also stood like this, facing the corner of the stadium.
There were flag bearers on standby.
The lights on the dome and the stands were no longer flashing.
Mahakka Square fell into silence.
The moment the sonorous rhythm and the bright and majestic melody rang out, the six players, led by Lin Yan, placed their hands on their chests and raised their voices.
"Rise up, people who don't want to be slaves …"
At this moment, the "March of the Volunteer Army" resounded throughout Mahakka Square!
The Chinese audience also stood up to sing. Their eyes were firm and their voices were powerful.
It was already dusk in Jakarta. The gentle evening breeze brought the coolness of the Indian Ocean, but it could not blow away the surging enthusiasm in Lin Yan's heart.
In the grand and loud national anthem, the five-starred red flag suppressed the Taiji flag of South Korea and the five-ring flag of Chinese Taipei and slowly rose.
At the end of the last syllable, the red flag fluttered at the top of Mahakka Square!
This was the best summary of China's e-sports history for the past 15 years.
The road was long and bumpy, but there was light at the end of the road.