By Zephyria 
Cen Xian’s pupils reflected the figures of several men, slowly constricting in that moment.
Though spoken in English, it was enough to send chills down one’s spine.
Only one match remained in the underground tournament. These people hadn’t appeared without reason. If they won the final round tomorrow, the prize money would go to TeX.
But if it were merely about the prize, several professional players wouldn’t act so recklessly. This likely meant someone behind the scenes had given them confidence.
The man who had circled behind Cen Xian reached out, but was suddenly struck by a hard elbow that smashed into his nose bridge with a faint cracking sound. The man immediately cried out in pain, squatting down while clutching his nose, blood instantly appearing.
Cen Xian turned and ran toward the direction of that Chinese restaurant.
The leader cursed under his breath and shouted in English: “What are you all standing around for?!”
The remaining men quickly snapped out of it. They swarmed forward, this time not daring to be careless. With numerical advantage, within seconds they had restrained Cen Xian, who had been separated from his team.
The blond man glared at the passersby who were looking over with surprised expressions, then tilted his chin, signaling the others to drag their captive deeper into the alley.
Then they heard the young player speak, calling out a name.
“What did he say?” The man pinning his shoulder seemed to have heard clearly while covering his mouth: “What’s ‘Xie Sui’?”
“Sounds like Shock’s Chinese name.” The blond man sneered, his voice tinged with resentment: “They seem to be in a relationship. That Shock gave us plenty of trouble last time. He’s lucky he didn’t come today.”
Restraining Mole wouldn’t be easy – clearly this player wasn’t as frail as he appeared. Without adequate preparation, in one-on-one combat they’d likely stand no chance and might even suffer losses. The blond man broke out in a light sweat, constantly scanning the surroundings. Only when they finally reached the deep alley did he relax, secretly grateful he’d brought extra people.
“If you hadn’t traveled thousands of miles to a foreign country, I wouldn’t have known China had such outstanding players.” The blond man tilted his head slightly, dragging over a discarded wooden table from under the netting. The wooden edge scraped against the ground with a rough, muffled sound as he spoke calmly yet ominously: “Fortunately you came, and played so brilliantly, letting me know we’ll likely have the chance to meet such strong opponents in future global tournaments.”
“The underground tournament will be the peak of your gaming career.” The blond man leaned down, patting Cen Xian’s cheek: “Say goodbye to your world champion dreams today.”
Cen Xian couldn’t speak, the light in his eyes cold enough to freeze one’s soul. He broke free his restrained leg and kicked hard at the blond man’s knee.
The muffled sound of impact made the blond man cry out in pain, nearly squatting down. This finally enraged him completely. Grabbing Cen Xian by the collar, he threw him against the table.
“The knife?” His voice dropped to an icy chill.
Another man pulled it from his pocket, handing it over hesitantly: “Are we really doing this?”
“Idiot.” The blond man glared at him, then suddenly noticed something had fallen from Cen Xian’s pocket during the struggle.
He took a small step back, looking down: “What’s that? Pick it up.”
The man beside him bent down and discovered it was a fountain pen.
At that moment, the Chinese player’s back stiffened, and his struggles suddenly intensified.
The blond-haired man took the pen with keen interest, examining it closely. He noticed it wasn’t new – the edges showed signs of wear, the patterns had faded and lost their smoothness, yet it appeared to have been carefully preserved by its owner all this time.
With a mocking laugh, he said in English: “Why carry a pen with you? Is this your self-defense weapon?”
The person behind them applied pressure, forcing Cen Xian face-down onto the table.
Also being restrained and pressed against the table… was Cen Xian’s left hand.
At this moment, Cen Xian’s pupils trembled violently as he realized what these people were about to do. No matter what he tried now, he couldn’t escape this nightmare reality.
The blond-haired man suddenly handed the knife to his companion, telling him to put it away.
Under his companion’s puzzled gaze, the man seemed to have a sudden inspiration and uncapped the pen.
Cen Xian’s breathing quickened, his eyes widening until they seemed about to split.
“Watch carefully…” the blond-haired man leaned close to Cen Xian, lowering his voice to whisper in the player’s ear: “How you say goodbye to your championship.”
The tightened pen tip pointed downward, the dim night reflecting off its sharp surface.
The next second, the pen tip pierced through the back of his hand without any resistance, embedding itself into the decaying table surface after passing through.
“…!”
A muffled groan of pain escaped his throat as unbearable agony spread from his left hand. Cen Xian’s body convulsed violently, his vision began to blur, and physiological tears dripped from his eyes.
Plop, they soaked into the table surface.
“Really tough, aren’t you? Not even screaming through that,” the blond-haired man said in surprise.
Then, he pulled out the pen and casually threw it to the ground.
However, seeing blood slowly seeping from the table surface where the pen had been, the companion grew nervous. Planning was one thing, but witnessing such brutality firsthand was another.
They swallowed hard, suddenly wanting to flee.
Just as they turned to leave, their peripheral vision caught a tall figure standing behind them.
Those pale blue eyes held shadows beneath the lashes, fragmented and violent enough to chill one to the bone – like someone who had walked straight out of hell.
And those eyes…
Were fixed on the player whose left hand had been pierced on the table.
The expression… was terrifying.
Perhaps it was the shock of someone appearing behind them unnoticed, or perhaps it was the outline of those eyes and the burst blood vessels within them, or maybe the spine-chilling gaze itself – they momentarily forgot to breathe, feeling only an endless, overwhelming fear and coldness rising from their chests.
The first to be grabbed by the nape was the foreigner closest to Xie Sui. Before he could scream or curse, his head was slammed into his companion beside him with such force that both crashed into the brick wall with a heavy thud.
Then came the next person.
What was truly terrifying was Shock’s current state.
This wasn’t just retaliation, or simply venting anger for a partner – this was more like… going for the kill.
So when the blond-haired man realized he was the last one remaining, his hair stood on end and he completely panicked.
“Hey, calm down…” the blond-haired man slowly raised his hands, trying to stabilize the madman who seemed intent on killing him: “I can pay his medical expenses, we can discuss this…”
Before his words could fully leave his mouth, the blond suddenly felt a brutal, merciless force clamp down on his face, followed by a choking sensation in his throat that made him forget to swallow.
The next second, his shoulder blades and back slammed violently against the wall. The impact of flesh against cold, hard concrete produced a sickening crunch of twisting bones. The blond nearly forgot to breathe, the sheer force of the collision made stars burst before his eyes, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. His eyes widened in disbelief as the metallic taste of blood flooded his throat.
Then came the fists, pummeling down one after another. Each blow forced choked, pained whimpers from him as he weakly cried for help.
Soon, his trembling pupils grew blurry. He couldn’t even stand.
Just then, members of Team TeX arrived one after another, running in from the end of the alley. But what they saw left them in stunned silence, the blond’s companions had already been beaten half to death by Shock. In less than half a minute, without anyone else lifting a hand, the scene had turned into complete chaos.
What in the world had happened here…
They watched as Shock scooped up Mole and dashed frantically out of the alley.
Once in the car, Xie Sui held Cen Xian tightly. Though his clothes pressed against the wounds, they couldn’t stop the blood from seeping through, stark and vivid. Xie Sui pressed his lips together, head bowed, tears falling onto Cen Xian’s arm, one drop, then another.
Cen Xian lowered his gaze, trembling from the pain. As his consciousness partially returned, he murmured faintly, “That fountain pen… they threw it away…”
“Xie Sui, what do we do?” Cen Xian repeated, “We have to get it back…”
“I’ll get it back.” Xie Sui kissed his cold, sweat-beaded forehead. The blood on his fingers had nearly dried, but his heart felt shredded, each breath labored and strained. “I’ll get it back for you.”
After Cen Xian was rushed to the hospital, he was immediately taken into the emergency room.
Doctors began cleaning the wound, performing debridement, and suturing.
Not long after, the club owner arrived, flustered and sweating. He anxiously asked the attending physician about Cen Xian’s condition, only to be told, “With a penetrating injury like this, we need to see if nerves, tendons, or ligaments are damaged. If it’s just muscle injury, recovery after surgery is relatively quick, and the prognosis is good.”
“But if nerves or ligaments are damaged, the recovery will be slower. If he wants to use his hand for precise movements or compete in the future… it might have some impact. But it’s not certain—it depends on individual recovery.”
“Besides, the weapon wasn’t just any blade—it was a fountain pen. We also need to watch for possible infection.”
The owner was dumbstruck. He pressed further, “He… he’s an esports player. What about tomorrow’s match? Can he still compete tomorrow?!”
The doctor frowned, looking at him as if he couldn’t comprehend the question. “Given the patient’s current state, you still expect him to compete in an esports match? Of course, he needs to rest and recover properly. With a hand injury this severe, he’ll definitely need a cast.”
The owner looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. He slumped into a chair outside the door and didn’t get up for a long time.
The team members stood silently in the hallway, no one knowing what to say.
When Shock finally emerged from the room, everyone rushed over to ask for updates. The club owner was the first to reach him, demanding, “How is he? Can he still move his hand?”
But as soon as he met Shock’s gaze, a chill ran down his spine. A boy in a team jersey stepped forward, holding something in his hand…
A pen was handed to Xie Sui. The pen had been thrown to the ground earlier but was now wiped clean.
The manager behind him paused before continuing, “I’ll have someone stay to take care of him. All starting players for tomorrow, return to the hotel now. Leave the rest to me—I’ll handle communication with the police…”
He patted Shock’s shoulder and lowered his voice, “I’ll resolve this. When you get to the police station, don’t admit to hitting anyone. You’ll be released before morning and can compete as usual…”
Suddenly, the manager felt his collar tighten. Before he could finish speaking, he was lifted up as if being choked.
Shock looked down at him coldly and uttered, “Screw your competition.”
The teammates nearby dared not even breathe heavily.
After watching this scene intently, Xie Sui turned and walked toward the exit of the ward.
“Xie—Xie Sui!” The manager suppressed his fear and shouted, “We signed an agreement! Whether you like it or not, you must compete in this final match. Otherwise, be prepared to pay the penalty for breach of contract. It’s your call!”
In response, Shock walked away without looking back, followed by the loud slam of the corridor door.
Inside the ward.
Cen Xian lowered his gaze, looking at his left hand, deliberately relaxing it with feigned curiosity. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a cast since I was little.”
Xie Sui sat beside him without speaking.
After a moment, Cen Xian noticed something was wrong. He reached out with his uninjured hand and lifted Xie Sui’s chin, only to discover his red-rimmed eyes in that instant.
Cen Xian was stunned.
Surprise flickered in his eyes as his fingertips brushed over Xie Sui’s eyes. “Why are you suddenly like this…”
In Cen Xian’s memory, Xie Sui had always been like a careless yet effortlessly capable demon king. But as Xie Sui raised his hand to hold Cen Xian’s, his eyelashes trembling with restraint, his palm brushing against his face, Cen Xian vaguely felt that his lover resembled a whimpering wolf cub after being hurt.
Xie Sui whispered, “I came back too late.”
Cen Xian, his lips pale, ruffled Xie Sui’s hair. “Who could have expected those perverts to be waiting on the street?”
Xie Sui said, “I shouldn’t have gone back alone in the first place.”
Cen Xian sighed. “Xie Sui, this isn’t your fault.”
Xie Sui kissed Cen Xian’s hand, then let it go. He said, “Rest for a while. I’ll be right here.”
Cen Xian was dazed for a few seconds before asking, “What about tomorrow’s match?”
Xie Sui replied, “Canceled.”
He said calmly, “Without you, nothing matters…”
Cen Xian suddenly spoke, interrupting him, “You should go compete.”
Xie Sui froze.
“…What?”
Xie Sui lowered his eyelashes and said calmly, “Even without me, you would have won that match.”
He looked up at Xie Sui. “We both know it, don’t we?”
“Cen Xian, I said I don’t want to compete.” Xie Sui stood up. The anesthesia is just wearing off—you’re not fully awake yet. I’ll go buy water downstairs.”
Cen Xian watched his retreating figure, his lips parting slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
He lowered his head, looking at his cast-bound hand, immobile. As the effects of the medication faded, the pain grew increasingly clear, causing cold sweat to seep from his spine.
He didn’t know if the pain would vanish once the cast was removed someday, or if his left hand would ever regain its former agility and ease.
He leaned against the headboard, his vision plunged into darkness, no longer able to see the path ahead.
But before long, the remaining team members knocked and entered the hospital room together.
After a few words of concern, the leading player hesitated for a long while before speaking up: “Cen Xian, for tomorrow’s match, could you help persuade Shock to participate?”
He scratched his head, his face flushed as if struggling to get the words out: “Maybe this match doesn’t matter to you and Shock, but we’ve worked so hard to get to this point. Only five consecutive wins will get us the underground tournament prize money… My family needs this money, but Shock isn’t listening to anyone from MBI now…”
“I’ll talk to him.” Under everyone’s tense gazes, the young man said calmly: “You can go back now.”
They exchanged glances, quietly relieved.
Just as they hesitated about how to comfort the esports player with hand injuries before them, they heard him speak: “It’s not that I don’t care.”
Cen Xian sat on the bed, his eyes calm yet inexplicably revealing an indescribable desolation.
He had never been indifferent.
Esports was everything to him.
And tonight, he had lost everything.
The next day.
The coach and substitutes who thought they wouldn’t see Shock were surprised to see Xie Sui wearing his esports uniform, walking slowly onto the stage under everyone’s gaze.
Only his expression was gloomy, and his teammates nearby didn’t dare to speak to him.
The manager nearly cried tears of excitement, quickly organizing the substitutes to leave the starting positions. They looked up to see the players neatly seated at the competition stations.
The only difference was that the person beside Shock was no longer Mole.
Their opponents were ZLE with four wins and one loss – a team formed less than three months ago with very young members. When they saw Shock appear, they felt both nervous and apprehensive, while also somewhat relieved that Mole surprisingly wasn’t playing this match.
Soon, the host and commentators announced the official start of the match.
The map for the first half was Mirror Maze.
This was a relatively difficult map – a maze composed of mirrors where every player had to be alert for potential enemies while also being confused by their own reflections in the mirrors, potentially misjudging and exposing their positions.
Although it was a map that tested skills the most, it actually gave Shock a significant advantage because of his quick reactions and excellent skills – this kind of map would be absolutely beneficial for the final match situation.
But unexpectedly, the highly anticipated star player of the first half, Shock, made frequent mistakes – not only bumping into mirrors repeatedly but also misjudging situations, exposing his position several times while shooting. Within just a few minutes, even before the red door appeared, he found himself in danger multiple times.
The first half ended.
Although he survived, unexpectedly, he failed to enter the door.
“What are you doing?!”
During the break, the manager called the players to the side of the stage, almost furious. He yelled at Xie Sui: “Are you doing this on purpose? Or are you worried about your Mole?”
“This is the final match! Do I need to emphasize how important this game is?”
“Cen Xian’s injury isn’t your injury! Are you so distracted just because his hand got stabbed? Do I need to bring Cen Xian from the hospital to the competition venue right now for you to give your all in this match!?”
The name seemed to have struck a nerve in the young man.
Shock, who had been silent all along, actually reached out and grabbed the team owner by the collar in front of everyone. The owner nearly lost his footing as Shock calmly stated, “The only reason I’m still standing here today is because of Cen Xian.”
“Do you really not understand what a hand injury means to a professional player?”
Shock looked down into his eyes, his gaze icy cold. “You knew the inside story of the underground match and still demanded we play the full game.”
“Did you even consider us as players?”
The team owner was left speechless.
But soon, he noticed the audience and organizers were watching them, and he grew flustered. He could only say, “You fucking… let go first… Hurry up and let go, everyone’s watching!”
At the tense standoff, the host announced the start of the second half.
Trailing by two points, if they could achieve a decisive victory in the second half, TeX would likely have a chance to turn the tables.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Even though it was a map they had practiced numerous times, until the very last moment of the match, Shock, as the main player, failed to equalize the score.
Under the hopeful yet gradually fading gazes of the team owner and substitute players, TeX ultimately lost the match.
The TeX owner’s face turned ashen. He stood up and left the arena without looking back.