By Zephyria 
At this moment, the air seemed to stand still.
Cen Xian’s pupils contracted, thinking he had misheard: “What did you say?”
Xie Sui’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, yet he didn’t look away: “I said, do you want to practice in advance? Kissing.”
Cen Xian’s eyelashes trembled, his pupils seemingly freezing along with them. It took a long while before he managed to squeeze out a few words: “……[He].”
Perhaps he had truly gone mad.
Although the sounds inside the classroom were clear and distinct—only the movie on the large screen and the quiet students in their seats remained—in this unnoticed corner, he had uttered words that left both of them frozen.
What surprised Xie Sui the most wasn’t the regret or the gap he felt after speaking those words. Because even he couldn’t understand it—he didn’t even feel such emotions. Even if given another chance, he would still uncontrollably, almost earnestly, want to try it with Cen Xian.
Kissing.
Out loud.
The only thing he somewhat regretted was the timing of his proposal.
For instance, right now, the movie was at its climax, and the entire class was silent. Even if Cen Xian were to respond, he wouldn’t speak aloud due to the volume.
Even if he did speak, even if he agreed to try, by the time the movie ended, they would have already missed the moment.
But just then, the light source at the front suddenly vanished.
Along with it, all the sounds from the movie playing at that moment disappeared, replaced by complete darkness and silence in the classroom.
The students gasped in surprise.
They instinctively assumed the computer had malfunctioned, but when they looked out the window, they noticed that all the lights in the building across from them had also gone out at that moment, plunging everything into darkness.
Not to mention the floor they were currently on.
So it was a power outage!
The students, who had been bewildered moments before, now erupted into faint restlessness and cheers, filling the room with noise.
No one would reject a sudden power outage in the classroom, especially when it happened close to dismissal time but before school was officially over.
In that moment of darkness, their vision hadn’t yet adjusted, creating an illusion of being plunged into pitch-black nothingness.
Xie Sui froze slightly.
At that moment, he instinctively turned to look at the person beside him, only to find that even the faint light from outside the window had nearly vanished, making it impossible to discern the other’s outline.
Yet in this utter darkness, the sense of hearing became exceptionally sharp.
He heard Cen Xian’s lowered voice, almost too soft to catch: “Didn’t you want to try?”
This nearly inaudible whisper struck Xie Sui’s ears like thunder, deafeningly loud. It left him rigid for several seconds, and by the time he regained his senses, his throat felt dry, but his body had already acted ahead of his thoughts.
The moment he lost his sight, his other senses grew even clearer. He raised his hand, and his fingertips found the other’s chin.
Even this touch was exactly as he had imagined, making Xie Sui realize that this wasn’t his first fantasy—it had appeared countless times in his dreams before.
Damn.
He leaned in, tightening his grip slightly with his knuckles before the other could even think of escaping, his breath growing scorching hot.
The next second, his lips met the other’s.
The moment they touched, even his nerves trembled.
And most importantly,
Cen Xian didn’t pull away.
Realizing this fact equally stimulated his consciousness and senses. Soon, mere lip contact seemed insufficient.
As Xie Qing leaned in, he pried open Cen Xian’s lips.
Thus, the kiss that began as an early experience transformed from a tentative taste into a full-scale invasion. Even their breaths grew scorching,
brushing against each other’s fair skin and leaving flushed patches.
Soon, his head was pressed down by a hand.
That hand carried a similar coolness and scent to what he’d been sensing – slightly cold with an almost pleasant fragrance that remained detectable even through the borrowed school uniform.
His already chaotic mind didn’t clear in the slightest from this restraining hand; instead, the turmoil intensified.
So this is what kissing feels like.
Xie Qing thought, no wonder people become obsessed with this sensation.
He was gradually beginning to understand.
Soon, the pressure from that hand increased, forcing Xie Qing to lift his head. Wherever the hand had touched seemed to burn with feverish warmth, clouding his mind.
Even in the darkness where visibility was poor, Cen Xian had never seen Xie Qing like this.
The situation was getting out of control.
When the other tried to approach again, this time the push came not against his forehead but against his well-defined jaw, forcing Xie Qing to tilt his head back slightly.
Cen Xian kept his hand against Xie Qing’s jaw, maintaining the position without releasing.
Seemingly equally breathless from the kiss, Cen Xian’s breathing sounded different from usual, as did his voice, but he still managed to scold:
“Are you some kind of dog?”
Xie Qing showed no anger, merely asking: “Aren’t we continuing?”
If power were restored at that moment, Xie Qing would probably have seen Cen Xian looking at him as if he were insane. Cen Xian demanded: “Have you lost your mind? The electricity could come back any second – you want to put on a live show?”
But Xie Qing focused on entirely different aspects of what he heard.
He murmured: “So anywhere but the classroom would be fine.”
Cen Xian:
……
Pushing the other away and lowering his hand, he stated: “Nowhere is fine.”
“Haven’t you experienced it already?”
In a lowered voice, Xie Qing dropped a bombshell: “If once were enough, why would people keep kissing?”
Just as Cen Xian was about to respond, the pitch-black classroom suddenly blazed with light. The computer and projector at the front rebooted, drawing disappointed sighs from students who had briefly gotten excited.
They’d hoped for an early dismissal, but the blackout had lasted barely half a minute.
The English teacher stood with hands on hips, caught between amusement and exasperation: “I already let you watch a movie, and you’re still hoping for early dismissal?”
Cen Xian felt a surge of relief.
Fortunately, he hadn’t shown any hesitation earlier, pushing Xie Qing away without mercy before things could escalate further.
Soon.
The bell rang, marking the official end of self-study period.
Even in summer, the sky had mostly darkened by this hour. Students walked in small groups, parents waited at the school gate, and vehicles mingled with snack stalls in a rather spectacular scene.
Later at the tutoring center, when the doctoral student graded Cen Xian’s completed problems, they discovered he’d made three or four more mistakes than usual.
Scratching his head in puzzlement, the doctoral student remarked: “This breaks your historical low – you’ve never made three or four consecutive mistakes before.”
Cen Xian:
“Are you feeling unwell?” the doctoral student analyzed. “It doesn’t seem like you don’t know how to do these problems—more like you did them while distracted. For example, this one shows clear reasoning but contains a pure calculation error, which never happened before.”
Only Cen Xian himself knew the real reason for his unusually high error rate tonight.
When packing his backpack to head home, Cen Xian unusually didn’t go straight back to change and shower. Instead, he glimpsed the faintly visible balcony lights of Zhenjin Community from afar. He paused at the edge of the demolition zone for just a few seconds before turning into the familiar internet cafe.
Xie Sui wasn’t there today, so his usual computer station sat empty and unoccupied.
Cen Xian sat down and opened Glory’s login interface. Just as he was about to input his ID, he noticed something unusual in the pop-up login history records—a completely unfamiliar account.
Glory’s login system, similar to Baidu and QQ, kept login records. Whenever someone logged in again, a pop-up would display the historical accounts.
But at this moment, Cen Xian froze.
His gaze fell on the line immediately below his own ID. In his nearly trembling vision were five letters he knew all too well—
Shock.
What’s going on?
Why would Shock’s login record appear here?
Cen Xian could hear his own uncontrollable heartbeat.
Why did it have to be that Shock from the PK rankings?
Had someone tried to log into Shock’s account? And at this very internet cafe, on this machine he most frequently used? If it was an attempted login, had it ultimately succeeded? Would failed attempts also leave records?
Countless possibilities swirled in his mind, but none of them involved Shock personally appearing at this internet cafe to log into the Glory account on this machine.
Because subconsciously, he simply couldn’t believe it.
Cen Xian logged into his own account as usual. Having suffered setbacks in his studies today, he wanted to regain some ground in the gaming world. Deep down, he was also unconsciously avoiding going home too early.
Because he had given the other person a key. If he opened his door now, he’d probably find Xie Sui waiting for him at home… especially after what had happened.
Mole’s record today: five wins, two losses.
It seemed he couldn’t escape disappointment in both the academic and gaming fields.
Before leaving, Cen Xian retrieved his membership card. Today the father-daughter pair was managing the shift. Just as he stepped out of the internet cafe, he seemed to remember something and turned back.
He asked Song Zhi: “Has anyone with the ID ‘Shock’ logged in at my usual station?”
Song Zhi rubbed her eyes, looking sleepy but with clear logic and memory: “I don’t really understand these ID things, but we have customer flow records. Would you like to see them, Brother Cen Xian?”
Ultimately, curiosity won over his reluctance to waste time. Cen Xian agreed, and Song Zhi looked down to pull out the ID-registered records for him to examine.
After briefly scanning through them without gaining any insights, Cen Xian asked: “Is this all there is?”
Song Zhi nodded: “That’s everything. I keep very careful records—they won’t be wrong.”
Cen Xian noticed that aside from Xie Sui, most names on the list were unfamiliar. The time span was large, but there hadn’t been many people using that particular machine—countably few over the past half year. Even if unfamiliar names appeared on the login terminal he always used, he wouldn’t have no impression of them at all, let alone Shock.
The name Shock only appeared today…
At this thought, Cen Xian’s gaze suddenly paused.
He abruptly asked, “Are the login pop-up records in Glory sorted chronologically?”
Song Zhi knew this – someone had tested it at an internet cafe before, so she remembered clearly and nodded, “Yes, they’re in chronological order.”
This time, the answer was met with Cen Xian’s prolonged silence.
Then, Cen Xian lifted his head and asked the crucial question:
“Who was the last person to use my computer?”
Cen Xian walked toward his home. Though it was only a ten-minute walk, he found himself unconsciously breaking into a run for no apparent reason.
He wasn’t normally the type to run for anything.
But Cen Xian couldn’t stop, even though he knew the other person was already in his room.
Soon, he pushed open the main door. The inner door had been left slightly ajar. Cen Xian passed through the cool corridor, entered the elevator, and pressed the button for his floor.
The dull hum of the elevator’s operation made his heart sink along with it.
Until the moment his fingertips knocked on the door, and it opened.
The person inside the room appeared in his sight. With their back to the faint light, their face was outlined by shadows, features sharp and handsome.
Xie Sui lowered his gaze and asked, “What took so long?”
As if catching a whiff of the faint cigarette smoke from the bar, Xie Sui leaned slightly forward, his nose approaching the collar. He frowned, “Did you go to an internet cafe?”
Cen Xian didn’t answer him.
Instead, after several seconds of silence, he parted his lips: “You asked me before if I’d ever played Glory.”
Xie Sui froze: “Yes.”
As Cen Xian raised his eyes, he spoke softly: “I have played.”
“Not only have I played – I’m very good at it.” Cen Xian’s voice was light, yet it seemed to pull at the moonlight, clear and moving, carrying an almost imperceptible echo from the corridor: “I made it into the top ten of the PK rankings.”
Under Xie Sui’s astonished gaze, Cen Xian pressed his lips together and slowly said:
“My Glory ID is Mole.”
This was the first time he had introduced himself with this identity outside, and probably the last, but his purpose wasn’t just that, nor was it simply self-introduction.
“On Glory, there’s a player I really dislike.”
Cen Xian lowered his gaze, as if recalling, or listing a somewhat lengthy fact: “Since the Glory ranking system was first implemented, he appeared right after me in the rankings. We’re always adjacent.”
“After that, it was like he had his sights set on me.” Cen Xian continued: “He would grind experience and points frantically overnight before each monthly ranking update, and after surpassing me the following month, he would slack off – but not completely. As long as we remained adjacent the next month, he would stop.”
“Later, just that seemed to become boring.”
Cen Xian said calmly: “He started sending me PK challenges during the months when I was ahead.”
“The so-called PK challenges were just to take my current ranking, when he could have overtaken me just by grinding experience and points for a few nights.”
Cen Xian looked at Xie Sui, the air falling silent.
Yet everything seemed to have sound.
“When such a person asks to kiss me,”
Cen Xian said slowly, “should I refuse, or should I punch him hard in the face?”
Xie Sui’s expression shifted from initial surprise to a profound, unfathomable smile in his eyes.
“You should kiss him back.”
“Right.”
Xie Sui looked at him and spoke softly, word by word:
“I am Shock.”@Infinite Good Literature, all at Jinjiang Literature City
Two years later.”
The Glory tournament remained as popular as ever.
Shock and Mole’s rankings on the Glory PK leaderboard had climbed from their original tenth and eleventh places to fifth and sixth.
Of course, these two rankings often swapped positions, as each monthly update would only see them competing for one spot higher, always remaining adjacent to each other.
In reality, the two players had accompanied each other through their second and third years of high school, and through the college entrance exams that followed.
The catalyst for their relationship had been a kiss under the guise of “practicing in advance.”
Of course, the more decisive turning point came when two rivals who had been entangled in the game for nearly two years discovered they were not only classmates in the same high school class but also desk mates after a major seating rearrangement, eventually leading to mutual identity revelations.
After graduation, they stayed in neighboring cities for university.
The distance between their two universities wasn’t particularly close, but it didn’t span half the city either. They compromised by renting an apartment midway between their campuses, choosing to live together rather than in dormitories.
By this time, the government had already implemented relevant policies legalizing same-sex marriage, with increasingly more people registering at civil affairs bureaus. Thus, even two boys living together didn’t attract much controversy in the current social climate.
Subsequently, their high positions on the Glory PK leaderboard drew increasing attention. As both player IDs joined the same station group with matching IP addresses, and more players testified to witnessing them gaming together—occasionally even hearing them sound like classmates when they forgot to mute their microphones—these two top PK players transformed from former rivals into what fans called the “rival CP” in players’ hearts.
Adding two letters made everything about them worth obsessing over.
Simultaneously, more clubs and Teams began extending olive branches through various channels—some via private messages on personal profiles, others through Weibo DMs.
Some even contacted them directly through Glory’s headquarters system via phone calls or text messages.
This near-frenzied attention made Shock and Mole certain that the player who had risen from fifth to first place on the PK leaderboard in just six months—the one who could be called Glory’s most mysterious miracle and legend—ash, had probably received countless Team invitations already.
There had even been rumors for a while that Ash joined a Team called ME.
But no one had heard of this name before. Online searches only revealed a registered company without traceable founders, as if deliberately concealed.
Moreover, Ash’s login frequency had significantly decreased compared to before—from daily logins to at most two or three times per week—making players anxious. Forget joining a Team; they feared Ash might quit the game entirely someday.
Glory had been officially released for nearly three years and had now become a mainstream game in various major tournaments.
Even overseas servers are continuously upgrading, with their emphasis on tournaments and player training now surpassing domestic levels.
Abroad, an entirely new mode has been introduced. Over the three years since its launch, if any top-20 ranked god-tier players on the PK leaderboard remain inactive for over three years, their in-game avatars and combat capabilities transform into NPC-like roles, allocated to successive generations of players.
As knights guarding their own characters in the mysterious second half of the game.
This gameplay mechanic immediately gained unanimous popularity among players. Even on the domestic Glory forum, people are eagerly pushing for its introduction domestically.
What everyone desires most is probably ash’s Shadow Guard.
Simultaneously, they don’t wish for Ash – who has become the belief of countless Glory players – to retire too early, creating quite a contradiction.
Yet
also
extended an olive branch.
Right at this peak momentum, approaching the most prosperous period of Glory’s development, a club quietly reached out to these two god-tier players.
What’s particularly special is that compared to other clubs’ persistent pestering, this club’s representative approached with remarkable generosity.
He
directly spent money through Glory’s personal backend to make inquiries. Although it involved one-sided Glory Coins, the recipients felt no pressure. The spending merely prioritized the payer’s chat window, making it more visible to the recipients.
Moreover, this club called TeX offered more generous and superior conditions than any previous club.
For instance, after the adjustment period, they promised both players permanent starting positions, participation in various major official tournaments, and even for top-tier players, still offered unprecedentedly attractive guaranteed revenue shares and bonuses.
The club also showcased their team environment, base, and past achievements and videos of members. Upon closer inspection, it proved to be a highly professional major club focused on cultivating championship Teams and seed players.
Thus, after comparing invitations from various clubs, Xie Sui and Cen Xian found that although TeX was generous, it was also the most suitable for them.
TeX soon received replies from both god-tier players.
The TeX boss trembled with excitement, nearly overwhelmed by the impending tremendous fortune.
The contract was quite complex, and formal team entry wasn’t a matter of just one or two days. So even with previous tournament recordings for reference, before signing with the Team, under the watchful eyes of TeX’s captain, coach, and current members, Xie Sui and Cen Xian conducted early training demonstrations at the base.
They chose the Arena map for a duel between the two of them.
Since this was primarily about testing their skills, the Arena map was absolutely perfect. Eliminating the uncontrollable external factors of Haunted house matches, shooting duels provide the best way to test a player’s skill ceiling.
Both prospective team members had no objections.
Thus, under the tense gazes of TeX team members, the Arena duel officially began.
Both started at opposite ends of the map. As the Arena is the initial map, most god-tier players already have thorough familiarity with all cover positions and ambush/sniping paths.
Mole showed no mercy from the very start. He began calculating Shock’s habitual movement patterns and, behind the first cover, the moment both of them simultaneously peeked out, Mole didn’t hesitate—he landed a perfect headshot on Shock.
The TeX members behind them gasped in amazement, and from the back of the crowd, a young fan clapped repeatedly.
He had been following the ranked matches Mole participated in through highlight compilations of PK leaderboard experts. Without exception, Mole’s playstyle was efficient and never dragged its feet—more like a lone, aloof wolf than someone fostering team harmony.
This often led to Mole standing out in PK matches, performing so brilliantly that it was impossible to look away.
At the same time, this style came with its drawbacks. In team battles, for instance, teammates frequently complained in the comments section, asking why Mole abandoned them and went off on his own throughout the match.
It was likely that among Glory’s current user base, there wasn’t a single player—or even a teammate—who could seamlessly synergize with Mole and achieve perfection in team battles.
Shock slightly curled the corners of his lips, unfazed even after being headshot.
After respawning at the revival point, Shock didn’t rush to leave this time. Instead, he raised his gun and lingered for a few seconds, as if pinpointing Mole’s current position. Suddenly, he vaulted over a crate and leaped onto the cover of a ruined wall.
At that very moment, a shadow appeared on the screen—though only at the edge—and with one shot, Shock was instantly eliminated.
The entire sequence took no more than three seconds.
Such is the nature of duels between top-tier players: decisions and eliminations happen in mere seconds. A single minor mistake can lead to falling behind in points, making the game highly demanding in terms of skill and requiring intense concentration.
After the score tied, both players respawned at their respective revival points, repeating the cycle without either gaining a significant lead.
The teammates watching from behind couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
This is just too damn thrilling!?
Among TeX’s members, only one player had made it into the top 20 of the PK leaderboard, and even then, their ranking was at the very bottom.
Suddenly having two high-ranking PK leaderboard players show up was a first for them—a true visual feast.
In the end, the two prospective team recruits were almost neck and neck in score.
It was nearly impossible to determine a clear winner.
The coach realized that even if they played another match to settle it, the point difference between them wouldn’t exceed two points.
No wonder the Glory national server PK leaderboard is the most accurate measure of a player’s true skill. Two players who are always close on the leaderboard and hard to separate will also be evenly matched in a real showdown.
Although the contract process was tedious, compared to the excitement of joining the team and becoming official players, it was more than worth it.
Half a month later, Shock and Mole officially joined the team.
The team’s news update was simultaneously posted on Glory’s official website. Players who unexpectedly saw the pop-up notification were instantly sent into a frenzy.
【Shock and Mole?!!】
【】
【Holy shit, my rival CP actually became real!】
【Wuwu, they actually teamed up!! Tex, how did you manage this?】
Leaving aside the usual relationship between these two experts, Tex hit the jackpot this time by recruiting two top PK leaderboard players, both with solid rankings. Now they have three PK leaderboard players?! How did they pull that off?】
【Other teams must be crying their eyes out.】
[“I can’t just ignore those two – that’s Shock and Mole ahhh!!”]
[“Since they first appeared on the rankings, their positions have been alternating at the top. Shock has challenged Mole multiple times, yet these arch-rivals in everyone’s eyes secretly joined the same Team together. Who wouldn’t ship this?”]
[“Agreed, I’m shipping them to death”]
[“Let me be bold here: there’s no need to rush judging which Team is strongest yet. Don’t forget, Ash hasn’t joined any Team so far”]
[“No one would forget the terror of being dominated by the absolute strength of the server’s top player”]
[“Are you sure they haven’t signed with any Teams? I seem to remember Ash being linked with a club called ME. Team before
The above still can’t be confirmed – most consider it rumor since Ash hasn’t participated in any official matches yet.
Soon after joining the team, they began intense group battles and training sessions. Professional Teams differed greatly from casual practice – they were divided into zones with players categorized accordingly. Even renowned PK ranking gods like Shock and Mole couldn’t immediately qualify as starting players for official matches.
This situation lasted about three months.
It wasn’t until their first opportunity to compete as starting players in an official match that this monotonous training pattern finally changed.
In their debut official competition, Shock and Mole weren’t separated but competed together as starting teammates.
It was an exhilarating and spectacular match.
Their opponents were a national tournament preparation team that had already participated in two national events – considered top-tier adversaries for any Glory club with extremely strong explosive power.
Yet in this showdown against the newly-formed starting lineup, they suffered nearly hopeless, lopsided defeat.
First match: Sky City. Second round: Horror Amusement Park.
These two maps presented numerous unpredictable variables that most Glory players struggled to handle, yet here they could fully feel the skill gap, almost completely powerless to counterattack.
This match also made the previously unknown tex an instant sensation, with recordings being broadcast wildly. The most spotlighted were undoubtedly these two starting members.
Though Mole disliked cooperation and often took on troublesome enemies alone, whenever Mole appeared somewhere during matches with Shock, Shock would rapidly arrive at the same location within moments.
This almost magical guardian and tacit understanding sent their win rate skyrocketing. By the end of just their first match, they’d already opened a four-point lead over their opponents.
[“Holy shit”]
[“First time seeing such shocking results right after a Team recruitment”]
[“Shock and Mole’s tacit understanding is insane!”]! Even though Mole lacks team fight skills and never found suitable partners before, Emm honestly, it might not actually be synergy. Feels like Shock appears wherever Mole might charge, never giving enemies openings. This seems more like protection, or perhaps磨合 and pursuit, rather than pure默契”]
“Though that being said, does a player who can truly build synergy with Mole even exist?”
“He will appear.”
While the outstanding performances of these two players were spreading like wildfire, their Team also gained tremendous fame. The club owner was overjoyed; he had previously worried that the transition from casual players to professional competitors would be overly difficult, requiring extensive time to adapt. Now it seemed he had worried unnecessarily.
He only regretted not putting these two players in the starting lineup earlier.
Subsequently, Shock and Mole began representing Tex in various tournaments the club needed to participate in. The national championship was held once a year, and if they were lucky enough, they might even compete in underground matches against renowned international Teams that very year.
Despite being in peak condition, the excessive tournament schedule and corresponding training regimen began taking a toll on the starting players who had to participate in every match.
During that period, whenever Cen Xian returned to his residence, he would inevitably fall into a deep sleep after showering, his exhaustion comparable to being thoroughly overwhelmed by shock multiple times.
The Team advisor couldn’t stand watching this, so before the next intense regular season match, he advised the coach, captain, and club investors: “Both players are still young with stable skills—they don’t panic in major tournaments. Players of this caliber should preserve their strength; they need adequate rest alongside training. Maintaining this pace of all-nighters and high-intensity matches will drain both their physical energy and mental focus, ultimately backfiring.”
To this, the Team manager waved his hand dismissively: “Didn’t they join the Team to compete? If they want rest, wouldn’t letting them grind maps in internet cafes every day be more satisfying?”
“They’re getting paid to play games—they should be secretly delighted.”
Soon after, Tex Team’s ranking points indeed skyrocketed.
Within just eight months, they climbed from the bottom to secure the second-place position. The top-ranked Team was an established powerhouse with massive scale that couldn’t be overtaken overnight, so achieving second place was already enough to create widespread shockwaves throughout Glory.
Right after the final match of the provincial tournament, the club manager successfully secured an invitation to the underground matches.
These so-called underground matches were alternative competitions outside official tournaments, but with significantly richer rewards.
Clubs and investors tended to approach such underground matches cautiously, as being exposed by mainstream tournaments could cost them their eligibility for that year’s national championship.
Nevertheless, virtually every notable Team had participated in underground matches—partly to train players against international Teams and broaden their horizons, and partly because the prize money was unimaginably high, equivalent to what players would earn from a full year of domestic competitions.
Upon hearing about the invitation, the starting players couldn’t help feeling eager.
Opportunities to face formal international Team players were rare, and the primary daunting prerequisite was qualifying for the global championships.
The only path to global championship qualification was by winning first or second place in national tournaments.
Even the most confident players couldn’t guarantee dominance in national competitions, making this confrontation opportunity exceptionally precious.
Consecutive victories had made the players ambitious.
So compared to the temptation of prize money, Shock and Mole cared more about competing against unknown players outside the national server.
The underground tournament was finally scheduled for August.
For the first time, the Team players traveled abroad at public expense, arriving in a location in northern Europe and checking into the most luxurious local hotel. Rumor had it these expenses weren’t covered by the club but by the organizers of this underground tournament.
Shock and Mole were assigned to the same room.
The accommodation arrangements for the opposing team were identical to theirs, staying on the same floor.
So before the pre-tournament practice began, as Shock wrapped an arm around Mole’s shoulder and they stepped out, they immediately came face to face with the players from the rival team they were about to compete against.
The blonde team leader at the front, seeing their Team uniforms, instantly recognized them as the Chinese team they’d be facing. His gaze fell on Cen Xian who was being held by the shoulder, and the player whistled, saying in English: “Look, a beauty from the East.”
At that moment.
Another player behind him snorted with laughter and, before entering the elevator, made a racist gesture at them by pulling the corners of his eyes.
Cen Xian’s gaze turned cold, but just as they were about to enter the elevator, Xie Sui – who should have followed closely – instead dragged those two players out.
The elevator doors closed without stopping.
Cen Xian and the few remaining ordinary tourists were left in the elevator, looking at each other in stunned silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
When they next encountered each other on the street near the esports arena, those two players looked pale and immediately averted their eyes when they made eye contact with Mole.
Cen Xian asked curiously: “What did you do?”
Shock: “Just discussed proper etiquette when encountering Chinese friends with them.”
Soon after the practice matches concluded, the team members got a brief break. When they returned to the esports arena, it was time for the underground tournament to officially begin.
Although not conducted through official channels, the opening ceremony was fully equipped and the venue was luxurious, completely different from the harsh and chaotic environment the players had imagined something like a black market would have – more like a competition funded by wealthy spendthrifts.
…And that was indeed the case.
Soon, the players took their respective seats, and the tournament quickly commenced amidst the enthusiastic cheers from the audience below.
Despite having participated in countless official competitions before, now that they were truly facing foreign opponents whose capabilities they’d never assessed, the team members couldn’t help feeling somewhat nervous.
Cen Xian also inevitably became more cautious than in any previous match.
Soon, their first matched maps were Silent Desert and Wilderness Forest.
Mole quickly took the initiative, throwing Smoke Grenades early in the game while sealing lines and gradually closing in for the kill.
After gunshots were heard, Shock also joined up with Mole at top speed.
The two players quickly took down the first enemies who breached their position, and just before the final showdown, three members from their side remained alive.
While the opposing team had already been completely wiped out.
Even in global underground tournaments, such a disparity rarely occurs.
This meant it wasn’t just a matter of skill difference – perhaps for the next few years, as long as these two players from their team remained partnered, other teams would find it difficult to surpass them.
Not only the opposing team, but even the other watching players and coaches present, at this moment, collectively felt a sense of crisis.
These two players from Tex are growing at an astonishing rate.
The owner of Tex was already overjoyed.
They knew they might win this match, but they didn’t expect it to be so effortless. Looking ahead, by the time of the national championships—no, even the global championships—they would become the championship favorites that every Team would fear.
Soon, the day’s matches concluded.
Although the prize money hadn’t been transferred yet, the current winnings already amounted to several months of revenue for their club.
There were still five matches left.
At this point, the Team advisor approached the general manager and worriedly advised, “Brother Wang, I think we should leave after finishing two more matches.”
“Our Team has fresh blood, but after all, we have limited competition experience. We might be on a hot streak now, but it’s easy to attract others’ attention. This is a global tournament, and since we’re not going through official channels, if we become too conspicuous, it’s easy to…”
“Easy to what?” Manager Wang frowned and couldn’t help but scold, “I’m telling you, if you don’t even have this much courage and foresight, what did we hire you for?”
“Because right now we’re on a hot streak, we should participate in more matches. Otherwise, when these young players get older, their reactions slow down, and their skills decline, then we have them frantically compete? Are you fucking out of your mind?”
After this intense argument, the Team advisor was furious too, but with limited authority, he couldn’t change the minds of the manager and the coach.
And so, Tex won four consecutive matches in the underground tournament. If they won the fifth match on the final day of the schedule, they would receive the bonus issued by the tournament organizers.
The night before the final match.
Shock and Mole walked from the esports arena back to the hotel as usual.
The distance between the two places wasn’t far. Since the hotel’s food was terrible and the Chinese cuisine options were quite limited, many team members, after nearly a week, would go to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner before returning.
Just after they crossed the intersection of this street, the night wasn’t too cold, so after leaving the restaurant, Cen Xian remembered that he had left his jacket hanging on the back of the restaurant chair.
Xie Sui said, “I’ll go back and get it.”
During the five minutes Shock was away, Cen Xian planned to head back to the hotel first to take a hot shower.
But just as he passed the alley entrance, several people approached him head-on. At first, Cen Xian thought they were strangers, but the moment they spotted him, they all stopped abruptly, as if they had been prepared.
The leader was none other than the blond guy they had encountered at the hotel room door before.
The blond guy slightly frowned and asked in English, “Why is he alone?”
Another person said, “That other guy seemed to have gone back for something. Damn, he’s lucky.”
Although it was in English, Cen Xian understood.
It was the Team they had faced in their first match. The leader was a player, while the others didn’t seem to be competitors. They had probably been lying in wait here for a while, and with such a setup, they had originally intended to deal with both of them.
He discreetly took out his phone from his jacket pocket, the screen faintly glowing. Cen Xian parted his lips and said in English, “My companions are not far away.”
“If you’re thinking of doing something suicidal, I’ll call the police at the same time.”
Apparently surprised that this Chinese guy could speak English, the
Everyone froze for a moment, exchanging glances before falling into an unspoken, unanimous silence. After all, they still vividly remembered how their companions had been thoroughly taught a lesson when they had provoked him earlier.
They had reviewed the replays of these four matches and were well aware of the almost terrifying strength this team had developed after recruiting new members. Subsequently, they had smoothly qualified for the global tournament. If these two players returned to their home country and won the championship and runner-up titles in their national competition, then no one would be able to stop them from advancing toward the world championship.
Everything had to be stopped right here.
“Relax, we’re not here to take your life,” the man at the front chuckled, spreading his hands in a gesture of surrender. Yet the atmosphere around them grew several degrees colder, as his companions closed in. His voice, laced with a chilling mist, enunciated each word clearly: “We’re just here to make sure you never win a championship again.”