By Zephyria 
That night, the young man slept exceptionally soundly.
When Jing Mian woke up, the sky was just beginning to lighten. He got out of bed, washed up in the bathroom, and changed into his Team uniform.
He went to breakfast with the other members. Red Hair, sporting dark circles under his eyes, took a sip of soy milk. Song Xianyang asked him, “Did you stay up late?”
He Jing shook his head. “I only fell asleep when it was almost dawn.”
Song Xianyang gave him a knowing look. “I get it, man. My nerves were shot too, I barely slept last night.”
Jing Mian: “…”
The young man silently finished his glass of milk, the snoring that had persisted from midnight till dawn still echoing faintly in his ears.
Xuan Cheng sat down beside Cen Xian, his gaze lingering on the latter’s left hand, where steel beads rolled soundlessly between his fingers. Picking up a slice of bread, Xuan Cheng remarked, “You’ve been unusually quiet since yesterday.”
“Is it because of Shock?”
At the mention of the name, Cen Xian’s fingers stilled, the steel beads dropping back into his palm. He replied coolly, “He’s not worth it.”
“The guys are a little worried about you,” Xuan Cheng said quietly, tilting his head toward him. “Especially MianMian. You know how he is, he won’t ask you outright, and he never stirs up trouble. But what he did to Shock yesterday… that was for your sake.”
Cen Xian’s eyes drifted to the young man at the next table, who was quietly drinking his milk. Lowering his gaze, he murmured, “I know.”
He turned back to Xuan Cheng, the steel beads in his hand tightening bit by bit, the healed scars faintly visible against his pale skin. “I’ll win this match.”
Xuan Cheng gave a silent nod.
“Mole, your hand has fully recovered.”
“Don’t forget that, no matter who the opponent is.”
E-sports Arena.
The spectator stands were already packed and ready.
Even before the players took the stage, the audience had erupted into cheers led by the host. Staff members waved flags, and the edges of the steps were bathed in fluorescent hues of red and blue, like the intersection of eras.
The live broadcast cameras swept across the arena and the stands, the screens as vibrant and grand as the venue itself.
After years of absence, ME’s banners weren’t just present at the start of the national tournament, they had finally made it to the Glory National Finals.
In the near future, this veteran Team, now revitalized with fresh blood, would step onto the world stage. From this moment on, they would no longer be that forgotten, outdated Team but an indelible, striking presence in the ever-changing landscape of Glory tournaments.
As the players took their seats, the live cameras began capturing their real-time conditions, while the three commentators engaged in fervent discussion.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you are now witnessing the Glory National Finals! The match we’re about to bring you is the thrilling showdown between the two Teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals, AUB and ME!”
“The first half will begin in five minutes.”
“This is ME’s first time reaching the National Finals, and they’ve delivered outstanding performances in every match so far, fighting their way through the competition. Meanwhile, this marks AUB’s third appearance on the National Finals stage.”
“Let’s look forward to the spectacular performances of all the players!”
By now, the number of viewers tuning into the live broadcast had far surpassed any previous match in the national tournament.
[It’s happening, it’s happening!!]
[Can’t wait to see Little Tear Mole and MianMian in team battles, watching them play is a visual feast.]
[Sheep has finally made it to the National Finals stage—ahhh!!!]
[Really, the old fans want to cry, having watched the little one start his first live stream, from clumsy to skilled, staying up late to compete for Ash. Later, he signed with a club, and after countless matches, it feels like witnessing his growth.]
[There’s no suspense, AUB has won two championships, dealing with ME is like dealing with a small dish.]
[Shock gives them a quick end.]
[ME. Must win!!]
……
The event live stream was placed on the Glory login page.
The promotional posters for AUB and ME members were displayed prominently, with a stark color contrast in the center, while above the live stream room, the voting between both sides was in full swing.
However, since voting involved Glory Coins, most players cast their votes for the side they believed had a higher chance of winning.
Currently, AUB, with its two championship titles, was far ahead.
After Sheep took his seat and put on the headset, the staff conducted the final tests. The members moved their mice and tapped the keyboard, waiting to enter the first match.
Soon, the system displayed the text:
[Matching loading—,]
He Jing’s palms were sweating.
A few seconds after entering the game, the character’s field of vision cleared up, and the players almost simultaneously recognized, it’s a snowy map!
“Icy Cold Snowfield” isn’t rare in the maps, the difficulty star rating isn’t the highest, but the terrain is both wide and dense, with wind and snow obstructing visibility. It doesn’t require the agility and instant judgment needed for a maze, but it does test skills considerably.
They had trained countless times in the base.
Sheep silently pressed his lips together, lowering his gaze, immersing himself in every previous training session, relying on instinct while forcing himself to make quick judgments, which required the young man to be highly focused from the start.
After long-term cooperation and training, he and Mole had developed a tacit understanding in their map-running strategies and habits, skillfully converging, collecting equipment while clearing enemies and waiting for the red door to appear.
However, this time, even though the opponent’s position was visible on the mini-map, they couldn’t advance due to the entanglement.
AUB’s players were all sharp, their playstyle aggressive yet decisive and rational.
Red Hair, ten minutes into the match, circled to the airdrop area, his footsteps mingling with the sound of crunching snow. Players in this map were more conspicuous than usual.
In that moment, Shock, lurking not far away, raised his hand and fired without hesitation, clean and swift.
With a bang.
Red Hair’s pupils constricted sharply, and as his character lost control and fell, the opponent walked over to finish him off.
[“AUB.Shock” used AWM to kill “ME.Lens”!]
There was no chance for the members to regroup.
Although they had lost before due to momentary judgments or mistakes, to struggle so much in a match like this, for the first time in the national competition and even in previous provincial competitions, since the Cross-Server Competition began, was unprecedented.
Shock didn’t celebrate for long.
Soon, he heard faint footsteps and instantly judged them to be at the nine o’clock direction, but just at that moment, gunfire rang out, and his health bar began to drop.
Shock decisively moved, using the original cover to see the enemy in the distance through the wind and snow.
…It was the little kid who had called himself the future champion right in front of him yesterday.
Shock didn’t heal. He turned around and chose another window. The moment his position was exposed, gunfire erupted instantly, from both himself and the enemy.
As Shock lost half his health bar, the system announced:
[“AUB.Shock” knocked down “ME.Sheep” with AWM!]
Players: !!!
Just as everyone thought Sheep was done for, Shock was about to peek and finish him off. But in that very second, gunfire suddenly rang out from the opposite direction, fierce and relentless.
—It was Mole!!
With his health too risky to gamble, Shock had no choice but to retreat and heal.
Mole, arriving just in time, revived the downed Sheep.
ME’s two most coordinated members had finally reunited, undoubtedly pushing the first half to an unprecedented climax.
Yet Shock gave them no breathing room. While regrouping with his main squad, he continued moving and firing without hesitation.
The heaviest firepower was concentrated at the center of the battlefield where both teams’ core members clashed. At this high-level play, every shot was executed with zero wasted movement, each decision, even the slightest misstep, could lead to total collapse.
The audience watched with bated breath, afraid to miss a single detail of this textbook-level showdown.
[Friendly reminder: You can breathe now]
[Holy shit… I can’t even eat my food. Is this what finals look like?]
[This is why it’s high-level play. Past matches can’t compare]
[Shock is ruthless]
[Not giving them any chances]
[Every shot aimed to kill Little Tear Mole]
[Heard they knew each other before, even played on the same Team. Old grudges die hard?]
[Shock usually seems so lazy and indifferent, but today he’s extra serious]
[Wouldn’t you be? This is the national finals]
Then, the system flashed a new alert:
[“AUB.Shock” eliminated “ME.Mole” with AWM!]
In just fifteen minutes, Shock had taken down three ME members, including their ace Mole.
The remaining, badly wounded Sheep managed to heal up just before the Red Door appeared, eliminating AUB’s second-to-last survivor.
At that moment, the system issued a glaring notification:
[Red Door has appeared! Survivors proceed to safety immediately!]
[Red Door has appeared! Survivors proceed to safety immediately!!]
Sheep checked the map.
The Red Door was close.
Shock’s elimination count now stood at three, surpassing Sheep’s. With such a points gap threatening the second half, only two options remained: rush for the door at all costs, or abandon it for a solo duel with Shock.
But even a mutually assured destruction would still boost Shock’s score through eliminations, virtually handing him the championship.
Turning back meant victory was the only acceptable outcome.
Jing Mian’s lashes trembled as he heard his own heartbeat grow thunderous.
Three minutes later.
[Clutch win! AAAAAH CLUTCH WIN!!]
[…]
[? Why is no one celebrating with me]
[…]
[Newbie upstairs?]
[There’s nothing to celebrate. Shock’s kill count was higher than Sheep’s. Sheep didn’t manage to kill Shock before entering the door, he only led by a narrow time difference.]
[Sheep could gamble, but against Shock, the chips he holds might not be enough to win.]
[What does this mean?? Can someone explain?]
[1. He had the chance to enter first, but with little advantage. 2. Instead of entering, he could turn back to kill the enemy MVP, turning a stable match into a life-or-death gamble that would heavily impact the second half, winner takes all, loser loses everything. For a rookie player, the pressure of these choices is overwhelming.]
[Sheep probably couldn’t bring himself to stake the entire team’s honor and fate on his own shoulders.]
The screen went dark, marking the official end of the first half.
Both teams were silent. The coaches stood up and walked over to their respective players, discussing in low voices.
ME.’s newly hired coach was a foreigner, gray-haired and dressed in a suit. He gestured animatedly while speaking in broken yet rapid Chinese.
Mole lowered his lashes, silently staring at his left hand before slowly clenching it.
Jing Mian looked up at the coach. Under the light, he noticed flecks of spit flying and discreetly lowered his head, shifting slightly closer to He Jing.
[I heard ME.’s old coach is crazy expensive.]
[Our boy is listening so attentively.]
[Sheep took a huge risk, but I think playing it safe was the right call.]
[Even if Sheep entered first, the points wouldn’t have given them much of an advantage, not enough to impact the second half. Strictly speaking, this round was a draw.]
[Their second half is where the real finals begin.]
In the lounge, Ren Xingwan sat on a bench, silently watching the live broadcast of the match.
Yang Fan stood nearby, also sweating nervously. He checked his watch and reminded him, “Brother Ren, the event is about to start.”
As the man stood, Yang Fan took his coat. Just as he was about to follow, he realized the match was still playing on the screen.
After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Yang Fan turned back to swipe the screen closed.
Before exiting, the last thing that caught his attention were two comments buried in the flood of messages:
[This match is too hard to break.]
[Unless Ash shows up, there’s no way out.]