Chapter 123 – The Miraculous Effect Of Last-Minute Efforts

Until the players of both teams returned to their seats, the noise in the entire venue had not completely quieted down. The ones uncontrollably shouting at the players were mostly fans of the Korean team, while those opposing them and booing were naturally fans of the Chinese team. As for those spectators who had come from Europe and America, they were all watching in confusion.

“How about that? All eyes are on us!” Lin Xiao grinned as he patted Xiao Li’s shoulder, spreading his arms wide and making a gesture of enjoying the cheers.

“Gee, thank you!” Xiao Li glanced at him irritably, placed his uniform jacket aside, discreetly wiped off his sweating palms, raised his head, and looked toward the crowded stands.

In the domestic League, he had never felt this nervous before. But at this moment, facing fans from all over the world, his heartbeat raced abruptly.

Liu Zeshen seemed to read his thoughts and asked half-jokingly, “What, nervous?”

Xiao Li looked away and took a deep breath: “Well…a little.”

This was probably the first time this person had shown his soft side in front of him.

Not expecting such an answer, Liu Zeshen showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. He patted Xiao Li’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, saying, “It’s okay, just play as you normally do.”

A sense of strength came from the touch of his shoulder and brought some calmness to Xiao Li’s inner turmoil. He shook himself up and gritted his teeth, saying, “I’m going!”

Just as he stepped onto the stage, the player for the MTG team had also been announced – Huan Bingxu, assassin.

“Who do you think will win?” Lin Xiao sat with his legs crossed and casually poked You Jing.

“Xiao Li.” You Jing replied.

“Are you so confident in Boss Xiao?” Lin Xiao didn’t expect him to be so sure. It didn’t seem like You Jing’s style.

You Jing pointed to the notebook open in Lin Xiao’s hand, his expression clearly saying that he had already seen the pre-match evaluation and analysis content.

Lin Xiao blinked and smiled mischievously: “So you have so much confidence in me?”

At this moment, You Jing’s gaze was focused on the big screen. He didn’t pay attention to Lin Xiao’s expression and instinctively replied, “For you, I should.”

After a pause, he asked, “I heard that you came up with Xiao Li’s ID?”

Looking at the English ID LaughingSky on the big screen, Lin Xiao proudly raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it great?”

Laughing Sky: laugh (Laugh); sky (Sky).

Very perfect! No problem!

You Jing: “…”

The cheering inside the venue interrupted their conversation. As the players entered the battle room, the cameras focused on the big screen. The second round of group-stage matches marked the official start of this individual competition.

Inside the battle room, Xiao Li looked at his opponent’s ID with an expression that revealed a sense of “just as expected.” He couldn’t help but recall what Lin Xiao had told him the previous night.

“The three teams from the Korean region are all very strong and quite evenly matched. So even though the MTG team is seeded second, they have enough strength to compete for first place. However, compared to the other two teams, they have a fatal flaw, which is—excessive arrogance,” Lin Xiao had said with a cunning smile. “Whether it’s tomorrow’s individual match or team competitions afterward, they will definitely stick to their most commonly used lineup. When you go up against Huan Bingxu’s assassin as your first opponent, make sure you give us a good start.”

After Lin Xiao finished speaking, he sneakily handed him a USB flash drive. Xiao Li thought there must be some extraordinary exclusive collection of videos inside, but when he opened it, he found it was full of videos and tactical analysis reports about Huan Bingxu’s battles. The detailed data analysis was astonishing.

Xiao Li yawned and collected his scattered thoughts, feeling a trace of deep resentment in his heart.

Speaking of this, Lin Xiao was obviously not a kind person. Since he already knew who his opponent was, he should have given him this study material earlier. Instead, he only gave it to him at the last moment yesterday evening, making him relive the sour experience back in the University days of making a hasty last-minute effort.

So damn sleepy! Let’s win and finish quick, quick, quick!

Xiao Li yawned again before focusing his attention on the map-banning phase that was about to start.

In everyone’s eager anticipation, the competition officially began. Huan Bingxu swiftly began to move after his character was imported, looking for the best coordinates for a surprise attack.

Being proactive was Huan Bingxu’s most habitual combat style, and in previous battles, his particular understanding of positioning always played a significant role. However, for some unknown reason, in today’s match against the Black Rose player, the further he advanced, the more he felt as if he was being closely watched.

It seemed like the opponent had an omniscient perspective; no matter which angle he chose to strike from, it appeared that he was always one step ahead. This feeling of actively trying opportunities but being constantly countered made him feel completely restrained throughout the game, which was very uncomfortable.

Compared with Huan Bingxu’s predicament, Xiao Li had completely let himself go. The sound of keyboard tapping fell compactly in the battle room, and his handsome face was filled with a triumphant and satisfied look.

In his heart, there was a voice laughing wildly—Damn it, Lin Xiao is so awesome! It wasn’t in vain that I worked so hard last night. The information in the USB drive was simply a BUG!

The audience naturally could not feel the completely different moods of the two players. All they saw were the extremely intuitive shots of the battle. From the global perspective, it was very clear who was better in the current situation.

Many Korean fans could no longer sit still.

The enthusiastic remarks from the interview a few days ago were still fresh in their minds. Now, in the first round of the individual competition, they unexpectedly found themselves completely suppressed by the opponent. It was truly difficult to accept.

“Come on!” The entire venue was filled with shouts in Korean from all the fans present and also expressed the sentiments of Korean fans around the world, who were watching the match on their screens.

They knew very well that these shouts would not reach Huan Bingxu’s ears inside the battle room, but this did not stop them from expressing their most heartfelt emotions in this way.

Compared to fans’ worries, the players on the MTG players’ bench looked even more grave.

“Huan Bingxu is already losing his composure.” Jiang Minjun frowned, his tone filled with displeasure. Although he had always had a good relationship with this teammate, he only admired Huan Bingxu’s hacking skills, and deep down, he didn’t have much confidence in his actual performance.

“Forget it, let’s just say we gave them a point as a meeting gift. They won’t have such good luck next time.” After Jiang Minjun said this, he stopped watching the game, took off his uniform coat, and stretched his muscles, warming up for the next match.

Victory!

As the screen in front of Huan Bingxu dimmed, the word “Victory” appeared on Xiao Li’s computer screen, bright and dazzling.

Xiao Li stood up from the chair in the battle room and rubbed his sore arms. Although he had the perfect strategy given by Lin Xiao, in reality, winning was not as easy as it seemed on the surface. Tactical analysis only allowed him to accurately understand his opponent’s movements, but the mental focus and precise operation required in specific actions were truly accomplished through his hard work.

“The players from the Korean team are indeed not easy opponents…” Xiao Li murmured with feeling. He took a deep breath and walked out of the battle room.

What awaited him outside was cheers and shouts from fans.

This revitalized Xiao Li’s somewhat weary spirit. He waved to the fans from afar and returned to his team’s bench with a smile. At this moment, he saw Lin Xiao standing up from his chair and exclaimed in surprise before he had time to take credit: “Eh? You’re playing the second match? Weren’t you supposed to be the closing game today?”

“The important task of closing the game is entrusted to our dear Miss Anqi.” Lin Xiao slyly winked at him and gestured with his eyes toward the MTG team’s bench. “Isn’t there another important task today?”

Xiao Li followed his hint and glanced at Jiang Minjun over there. He suddenly understood and laughed: “Our work is not done yet, we still need to work hard.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Lin Xiao waved with the demeanor of a general and suddenly patted Xiao Li’s shoulder heavily, praising, “You did well just now, Boss Xiao. Even the Korean commentators couldn’t help but praise how cool you are!”

Xiao Li was surprised: “You understand Korean now?”

Lin Xiao shrugged indifferently: “Looking at their expressions says it all; what do I need to understand?”

Xiao Li silently glanced at the footage showing the Korean commentators: “…”

Look at their expressions?! Their expressions were more disgusted than eating a fly. How can he tell they are complimenting someone?!

“Okay, it’s my turn.” Lin Xiao took a sip of water and turned to hand it to You Jing, saying with a smile, “I’m going then?”

You Jing took the water and nodded: “Go for it.”

The lingering traces of the first game still plagued the entire venue, and the overwhelming chatter was like a dense haze, pressing heavily on everyone’s minds.

However, when the setup for the second individual match was displayed on the big screen, the original murmurs seemed to explode in an instant, and even though the uninformed people didn’t understand the Korean language, they could clearly hear the words “LovelyGhost” between the lines.

Jiang Minjun had also seen the ID of the Black Rose team’s player and subconsciously looked toward their bench, just in time to see Lin Xiao looking back at him. The moment their eyes met, he was about to put on a look of contempt when he saw the man wink at him from afar and then blow a kiss with a sweet smile.

Jiang Minjun’s expression completely stiffened, and he stood there frozen in place, with goosebumps all over his body.