Chapter 1

October 2014.

A bustling internet cafe near a university town was almost full, with people packed inside.

Internet cafes and hotels near universities were the most popular entertainment venues, offering the most activities and being the favorite way for college students to have fun.

This internet cafe was currently overflowing with people.

The room was filled with shouts, the aroma of fried rice and beef noodles (Kangshifu), and a thick, smoky haze. Various scents mixed together, creating a unique atmosphere.

A light blue smoke floated in the air, like steam from boiling water, adding a different kind of scenery to the noisy place, making it feel as if one was in the clouds.

The tables were littered with snacks, sodas, and empty food bags. The keyboards and mice were covered in a layer of grease, and cigarette ash was scattered everywhere.

These mixed scents, in the somewhat enclosed space, could not be dispersed, but they did not dampen people's enthusiasm.

In a private room, the noise was much less. A young man was sitting inside, typing away on the keyboard.

He was playing the most popular game at the time—LOL.

The sounds of "Three hundred million mice's dream" and "Eight million warriors and orcs will never be slaves" filled his ears, but he was completely unaffected.

"5L mid, no support, thanks."

Unlike the loud noise outside, the private room was very quiet, and the young man seemed to be a very quiet person.

"I'll support, mid to you."

High-level ranked matches were better in this regard, unlike low-level matches where positions were often fiercely contested. Rational communication usually led to a fair distribution of roles.

Sure enough, during the hero selection, a mid-lane position was left open.

"What should I pick...?"

Chen Lang looked at the hero selection interface, his mouse hovering over each hero's icon.

"I've decided on you!"

He saw a hero and clicked the mouse.

"Death is like the wind, always by my side!"

In the end, Chen Lang chose Yasuo, the assassin mid-lane.

The previously quiet chat box suddenly became lively.

"Yasuo?"

"Katarina team?"

"Bro, if you had said you were playing Yasuo earlier, I would have taken mid. I'm a bit scared of this hero..."

The teammates typed their messages.

Fortunately, it was a high-level match; otherwise, in a low-level match, seeing Yasuo might have triggered a lot of complaints.

The nickname "Orphanage" wasn't given for nothing; choosing Yasuo meant that one's parents were already half gone...

"Stay calm, don't be afraid, my Yasuo is very good!"

"I am very steady, like a mid-lane turret, not a 'Troll Yasuo.'"

Chen Lang typed these words.

"..."

The teammates were speechless but didn't say anything. They were all at the Master level, and some of them were very skilled. If he dared to pick Yasuo, he must have some skills.

However, the Katarina team's lineup was not easy to play in the late game. After all, the enemy could just stack physical resistance, and the output of mages was still very important in the late game. The Katarina team had a low margin for error and required a significant advantage in the early to mid-game to win.

Compared to traditional lineups, the Katarina team was more challenging to play.

"Let's do our best, this is my promotion match, everyone, let's go!"

"Stay calm, don't be reckless if you have an advantage, or you might give it away. Yasuo, stay steady."

"We need a steady playstyle, not a reckless one. If you're reckless, I'll flame you."

The teammates reminded Chen Lang again, as players who chose Yasuo often had a desire to "show off" (be reckless).

"No problem!" Chen Lang replied confidently.

Although many people view gaming as entertainment, those who reach the highest ranks have a strong competitive spirit. A purely entertainment mindset wouldn't get them to such a high rank.

Moreover, even if gaming is for relaxation and fun, winning is definitely more enjoyable than losing!

The team compositions.

Blue side: Top—Crocodile, Jungle—Blind Monk, Mid—Yasuo, ADC—Caitlyn, Support—Hecarim.

Red side: Top—Riven, Jungle—Spider, Mid—Annie, ADC—Vayne, Support—Braum.

The game started, and everyone bought their items and went online.

It was a habit to press Tab to check the team compositions, information, and win rates.

"Damn, the enemy mid is ID 'Night God Yue,' is this Wu Zhi Tai?"

Wu Zhi Tai, as a well-known player, was known to many in the high ranks, and people often matched with him.

"Yes, I just came from his stream, it's definitely him." Crocodile typed.

"This match will be tough, Wu Zhi Tai is very strong."

"Our ADC has a high win rate, so we can fight."

In high-level matches, it was common to encounter professional players and some very skilled players. So while people were surprised, they didn't lose their will to win just because they saw a professional player.

After all, this game is 5v5, not 1v1. No matter how strong one person is, their influence is limited. Sometimes, even if one lane has an advantage, the other two lanes might collapse, making it impossible to turn the tide.

Then, they noticed that their Yasuo's win rate was very low, with only a few games, as if he was just practicing the hero...

????

As soon as the match started, the blue side chat box was already active.

When I type a question mark, it's not that I have a problem, but that I think you have a problem!

At this moment, Chen Lang's teammates were all marking Yasuo with yellow question marks.

The person who gave up the mid-lane position started to flame.

"Actor?"

"Damn, your 'very good' Yasuo has this win rate? 45 games, 16% win rate?"

"I don't want my points this game, I'll give them to you, you f*cking idiot!"

"My mindset is broken, how the hell can we play?"

The top-laner and jungler exploded, taking turns to curse.

Generally, the support curses the most. Who doesn't want to play a carry role?

If not a professional support, most people don't want to play this role, as it's hard to carry the team. In a normal match, the support has a limited impact on the game's outcome.

However, something was strange. The support Hecarim remained silent.

After the top-laner and jungler finished cursing, the support Hecarim typed a message.

"Let's just give up this game."

"What?"

The jungler was unwilling. He complained but still wanted to win.

"This is my promotion match, let's do our best, I don't want to give up."

"?"

At this moment, the ADC, who had been silent, typed a question mark.

This was the first thing the ADC said since the game started.

"Our Yasuo is a 'Troll Yasuo,' the enemy mid is ID 'Night God Yue,' it's Wu Zhi Tai!"

Wu Zhi Tai was the mid-lane player for the dark team OMG, a very popular and skilled player, and was known as the strongest domestic mid-lane player!

He had even solo-killed Faker, although it was under a tower, it still counted as a solo-kill.

At that time, Faker was a true god, dominating the mid-lane position. Not only was it hard to solo-kill him, but even holding the lane was a point of pride!

Since his debut, Faker was a genius mid-lane player, solo-killing all the mid-lane players in the LCK (OGN). In the blind pick mode, he played the classic "Double Ezreal" battle, half-blood counter-killing full health, with no mistakes from either side. He only took one ultimate from the enemy, dodging all other skills and attacks, and finally counter-killed the enemy!

The same hero, the same skills, and even the summoner spells were all in hand. Counter-killing full health with low health, what better way to demonstrate a player's skill?

This scene shocked the world, directly causing Yoeun to go into self-isolation and move to Europe, never recovering!

Another strong mid-lane player, Ambition, also lost confidence after being beaten by Faker and switched to the jungle. Faker's debut was built on the heads of many genius mid-lane players, so his fame and skill were very high!

He won the world championship on his debut, leading SKT to a 3-0 sweep of RYL (Royal) in the finals. Although he fell in S4 and didn't make it to the World Championship, the world's audience didn't forget him.

After the S4 World Championship finals, when the SSW team members were on stage receiving their championship, the host asked the audience, "Who is the world's best mid-lane player?"

All the audience shouted in unison, "FAKER!"

This made the new champion mid-lane player, Pawn, very awkward. Even though he became the world champion mid-lane player, the audience and players still remembered that man!

This shows the status and influence of Faker in the hearts of many players.

All mid-lane players in the world took pride in being able to solo-kill him, as it could make them famous!

Regardless, Wu Zhi Tai did solo-kill Faker, proving his strong skills!

With such a strong mid-lane player on the enemy side, and our side with a low win rate "Troll Yasuo," how can we play?

The mid-lane will definitely be destroyed, right?

This will definitely create a "big daddy"!

If the mid-lane self-destructs, the game will be very hard to play.

"Don't worry, let's try. I'll help you, I won't go mid, just play safe and farm."

The jungler spoke, trying to reassure the top-laner.

Hecarim added another message: "I just noticed, the enemy ADC is Uzi..."

"..."

PS: New book, all kinds of requests. Book group 600408224, everyone is welcome!