pjbooks Chapter 212, 55 pages
Chapter 212, 55 pages
Los Angeles in October.
The quarterfinals of the S3 World Championship, under the cruel draw rules, brought about the scene that all domestic players least wanted to see.
LPL regional internal battle!
Carrying the momentum of defeating the Demon King and crushing the Korean SKT, the "Dark Force" OMG ran head-on into the number one seed who was guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals - Royal Club!
Before the match, domestic public opinion was almost unanimously in support of OMG.
"OMG, charge! Crush Royal Club and go to the finals to fight SKT again!"
"With Wu-Zhuang in such hot form, what can Royal Never Give Up's mid-laner White do? He's just lucky to be guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals. If it really comes down to it, he'll be completely crushed by OMG!"
Countless domestic players placed all their hopes for defeating the Korean teams on this civilian team dressed in black.
However, the cruelty of esports lies in the fact that it never changes according to the will of netizens.
The competition officially began, and the intensity of the match exceeded everyone's expectations.
The two sides were tied after the first two games.
In the crucial final game, Royal Never Give Up's ADC player Uzi locked in Vayne, the Night Hunter!
As the game entered its late stages, a decisive team fight erupted between the two sides in front of OMG's high ground.
Just when OMG's formation was perfectly stretched and they were about to melt Royal Club's front line!
In the video, the Night Hunter with the ID "Uzi" above his head made a move that was considered suicidal in the professional scene at the time!
Instead of retreating, he advanced!
Activating his ultimate ability, "Final Moment," Uzi's Vayne, like an assassin lurking in the shadows, circled around to the flanks of OMG's formation and single-handedly plunged into OMG's backline!
"Uzi! He's flanking! An ADC actually flanking and cutting in!! Is he crazy?!"
The commentators on the podium, including Wawa and Miller, exclaimed in surprise!
On the screen, Vayne danced like a knife's edge amidst a hail of bullets and countless crowd control abilities!
Roll, kite, and flash to dodge fatal crowd control, and use stealth to avoid damage!
The crisp sound of the three rings exploding echoed throughout the entire venue. With a reaction speed and micro-operations that ordinary people could not understand, Uzi tore apart OMG's backline defense while at low health!
"Uzi is still dealing damage! He's not dead yet!! My God!! Is he even human?!"
"He crushed OMG! Royal Club won!!!"
Amidst the commentator's disbelief, OMG's base crystal finally shattered under Vayne's crossbow bolts!
God of War!
The name Uzi, standing on the bones of the "dark forces," is engraved in the annals of world esports with his extreme individual heroism!
……
however.
When Royal Club secured victory and advanced proudly to the semifinals, the response on the domestic internet was not all cheers and celebrations.
Jinling, Haofeng Group Data Monitoring Center.
On the big screen, Haofeng's Weibo trending topics list is being refreshed in a distorted manner.
#Royal Family Bullies at Home#
#GiveMeBackOMG#
#Uzi's rise to godhood was achieved by stepping on his own people#
Domestic players are devastated!
They couldn't accept that OMG, the team that had solo-killed Faker and placed all their hopes on defeating Korea, had fallen to "their own people"!
Anger, resentment, and jealousy transformed into the most vicious cyberbullying, surging towards the victorious Royal Club team.
"Royal Family is just a bunch of spineless cowards who only know how to fight amongst themselves! They're guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, let's see how they act when they beat OMG!"
"Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! OMG would have definitely won against the Korean team if they had gone to play against them. Now, they're sending Royal Never Give Up (RNG) to their deaths?!"
In this overwhelming online attack, the most concentrated firepower was directed at Royal Never Give Up's mid-laner, Wh1t3zZ.
Netizens' logic is simple and straightforward: OMG's Cool was able to solo kill Faker during the laning phase and hold his own.
But who do you think you are, White? You're a nobody who can't even rank in the LPL league. How do you expect to face that Korean demon king?!
"Let White lane against Faker? The mid lane tower will probably be destroyed in ten minutes!"
"That's it, there's no hope for S3 this year. Get ready to watch Royal Club embarrass themselves in the finals!"
……
"President Li, the Royal Family is being heavily criticized online. Should our PR department intervene a little to cool things down?" Old Chen looked at the screen full of vulgar language and was somewhat worried.
"If this really breaks the players' mentality, they won't be able to compete in the later matches."
"Intervention? Why intervene?"
Li Feng chuckled: "The harsher the criticism, the greater the controversy, and the more explosive the traffic!"
"Old Chen, you still haven't grasped the essence of this fan-circle-style operation."
"Netizens are now criticizing Royal Never Give Up for being a bully among its own people, which is an expression of their resentment over OMG's elimination."
"No destruction, no construction. Only after experiencing this baptism of online smear campaigns, once they win, will the rebound in prestige and traffic become fertile ground for creating idols!"
As Li Feng had predicted, things turned out exactly as he had.
A few days later, in the semifinals, Royal Club, facing a barrage of criticism online, took on Fnatic, a veteran European powerhouse.
Without the slightest lapse, Uzi and Royal Club unleashed their full power, delivering a dominant performance that brought down the European powerhouse and propelled them into the finals of S3!
Meanwhile, in another semi-final match...
The Korean SKT team, regarded as an invincible god by domestic players and possessing the Great Demon King Faker, actually encountered a tough battle when facing the NJS team from the same region!
The two sides fought fiercely, going to a decisive fifth game before SKT finally secured the victory!
The results of these two semi-final matches caused a dramatic reversal in public opinion in China!
"Holy crap! Royal Club actually crushed the European team?! They're pretty amazing!"
"Guys! Did you guys watch the SKT vs. NJS match?! SKT is bleeding! Even the Demon King got solo-killed!"
"SKT doesn't seem so invincible after all! They make mistakes too, and they can get pushed to a fifth game!"
"Damn it! The royal family is on fire right now, what if... I mean, what if... we actually win the championship?!"
Hope, like a wildfire, has been rekindled in the hearts of countless LPL players.
As long as SKT isn't invincible, and as long as Royal Club can maintain their hot streak, it's not impossible for them to bring the Summoner's Cup back to China!
……
Only one day remains until the ultimate showdown of the S3 World Championship.
The lobby of a hotel in Los Angeles, USA, where royalty stayed.
Esports media from home and abroad surrounded the area, their cameras and microphones aimed at the Royal Club players who were about to step onto the finals stage.
In this highly anticipated China-South Korea match, the media's focus naturally centered on the mid-lane duel between the two teams.
A reporter held a microphone to the mouth of Royal Never Give Up's mid-laner, White, his tone tinged with skepticism and provocation:
"White, many domestic players and media believe that your laning ability in the mid lane is far inferior to that of Cool, who previously solo-killed Faker."
"Tomorrow you'll be facing Faker, who's considered the world's best mid laner, in the finals. Are you feeling any pressure? Do you think you can hold your own in the laning phase?"
This question is sharp and merciless.
Everyone was watching this controversial player closely.
White looked at the camera in front of him, knowing that the entire internet was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
If he says he lacks confidence, he will be branded a coward tomorrow, win or lose.
Before setting off, Haofeng's operations team had given them private public relations training—in the spotlight, it's better to be arrogant than to back down!
White took a deep breath and straightened his team uniform.
He stared directly into the camera, a somewhat stiff but forcedly composed smile on his face, and uttered a timeless quote that could be recorded in the bible of Chinese esports and even the internet:
"Pressure? There's not much pressure."
"Faker is indeed very strong, but when I played scrims with him..."
White paused, raising a slight glint in his eye. "It's about even between him and me."
"Moreover, I often get one-on-one kills against him in practice matches."
boom--!!!
"50/50"
He frequently gets solo kills!
This statement caused a huge uproar when it was broadcast live back to China!
"Hahaha! Holy crap! This guy's bragging way too much!!"
"50/50? With his laning skill level, he's going to be even with Faker? You're probably factoring in turret damage too!"
"And he frequently gets solo kills?! That's hilarious! You think bragging is free?! I'm just waiting to see the Demon King turn me into an ATM tomorrow!"
Mockery, parodies, and memes swept across Haofeng's Weibo like a tsunami.
However, it is undeniable that because of this outrageous statement that was so entertaining, the hashtag #55kai# topped the Weibo trending list!
White's slightly comical face also went viral, with countless netizens turning it into parody videos that went viral on Bilibili.