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Shi Du hailed a taxi and told the driver their destination.
Yu Zhaohan said, “Shi Du, today we have a script for meeting Alligator. You need to cooperate with me.”
Shi Du couldn’t even be bothered to struggle; he simply surrendered to fate, “Sure, sure, how do you want me to cooperate?”
“I think that if we can convince Alligator to switch teams, that would be ideal. But even if we can’t, we shouldn’t go on this trip for nothing.” Yu Zhaohan explained his script to Shi Du in detail, “Do you have any questions, Shi Du?”
Shi Du raised his hand to speak, “Yes, your script doesn’t have my lines.”
“Ah,” Yu Zhaohan tapped his head, “I’m sorry, I forgot. But that’s okay, you can improvise your lines freely. Just remember one thing, which is to highlight my maturity and stability.”
Shi Du acted like he had suddenly realized: “Understood.”
ZC was staying at a budget chain hotel located in Itaewon. The hotel was close to the street, bustling with various tourists, and far from quiet. It might be convenient for tourists, but they were here for a competition.
After getting out of the taxi, Shi Du claimed to be hungry and bought two servings of fish cake skewers from a nearby stall. Yu Zhaohan was concerned about being recognized by ZC’s teammates, so he finished the skewers with Shi Du’s cover before sending a message to Alligator on WeChat.
Not long after, Alligator hurriedly came downstairs. He looked somewhat weary, unshaven, holding a half-eaten lunchbox in his hand, and had a grease stain on his clothes. Upon seeing Yu Zhaohan and Shi Du, he quickly smiled, “Shine, Timeless.”
This smile didn’t seem forced; Alligator’s mood didn’t appear to be affected by external factors.
Alligator noticed the band-aid on Shi Du’s nose bridge and asked curiously, “What happened to Timeless’s nose?”
Shi Du was surprisingly not being stubborn in front of outsiders, “I’m just clumsy, unlike our captain, mature and steady. He never hit his nose like I do.”
Yu Zhaohan: “…”
He should write lines for Shi Du next time, Shi Du’s own lines were too deliberate, and his acting was awkward, lacking his usual natural and agile manner. Shi Du’s attempt to highlight him was even worse than simply writing “mature and steady” on his forehead.
Well, not everyone can pull off this act. He had devoted years of research to it, which resulted in his current achievements. Apart from being seen through by Shi Du, he was unbeatable in the art of acting. Shi Du was a beginner in this field, so it was quite normal for him to stumble and fall.
Fortunately, Alligator was not flustered by Shi Du’s acting skills. He laughed and said, “You’re still clumsy? Did you forget how you took on four of us in the practice match?”
Shi Du looked at the cheap lunchbox in Alligator’s hand, which consisted mainly of rice and a few vegetable dishes, “Why don’t you find a place to finish your meal first?”
Alligator was taken aback and then realized he was still holding the lunchbox. He chuckled awkwardly, “I just had lunch… Shall we go to my room and talk?”
Alligator led them upstairs. He had been in such a hurry that he hadn’t even closed his room door. Yu Zhaohan noticed the messy state inside – papers with game terrain sketches covered the floor, bed, and table, leaving hardly any space to sit.
Taking a quick look around, Alligator said hesitantly, “Just a moment, please.” He gathered all the papers from the bed and piled them onto the already overwhelmed table. “Please sit, Shine…”
Yu Zhaohan sat down on the bed: “Where are the others?”
“They’re all training next door,” said Alligator.
Shi Du said, “Captain, can I go play with them?”
Yu Zhaohan nodded: “Yeah.”
After Shi Du left, Alligator handed a bottle of water to Yu Zhaohan and chuckled, “Timeless is such a good brother in front of the captain.”
Yu Zhaohan said succinctly: “I have watched the match between you and Cobra.”
The smile on Alligator’s face turned bitter, “I’m sorry we embarrassed our brother team. I thought we could at least win the first game…”
“Being zeroed out is indeed embarrassing,” Yu Zhaohan stated calmly, “but Cobra’s victory is even more embarrassing. Have you seen the accusations from their fans?”
Alligator shook his head, “Not really. We’re playing against TCO next week, and I still have a lot to prepare. I filed an appeal for the last game; currently waiting for the results.”
Alligator wasn’t interested in the online drama; he only wanted to focus on the next match. ZC was unlikely to make it to the playoffs this season, and they had only a few regular season matches left. If ZC couldn’t secure a victory by the end of the regular season, they would become the first team in the league’s history to suffer a fifteen-game losing streak.
Yu Zhaohan said, “Your tactics are not the problem, but your players aren’t fully executing your tactics.” He attempted to approach the topic of a transfer, using a more cautious approach. “Have you ever considered moving to a different place, somewhere that can amplify your strengths?”
Alligator wasn’t naive, and Yu Zhaohan’s probing was quite apparent. He suddenly paused, catching on, “Are you suggesting…?”
Yu Zhaohan subtly curved the corners of his mouth, a carefully calibrated expression that exuded just the right amount of appreciation and encouragement. “Yes, I am.”
Alligator was suddenly flooded with mixed emotions. He was a coach who had entered the scene halfway – before taking up the position of ZC’s head coach, he had no prior experience in E-sports, merely an avid spectator of the game. If not for this season’s cost-cutting measures at ZC, both players and coaches would only be receiving base salaries for their efforts in the competition, making it unlikely for him to even step into the professional realm.
When ZC announced him as the head coach for the new season, ninety percent of the fans were left wondering, “Who’s that?”
His name quickly became recognized, not due to his tactics, but because of ZC’s ten consecutive losses record.
Abandoning a high-paying job for the world of E-sports, he faced numerous doubts and insults. And now, Shine, the league’s most valuable player, the dream target of all teams, had verbally recognized his abilities.
If his team could have Shine, could have Timeless, he could unleash his full potential without any constraints. Just the thought of these two executing his devised tactics on the battlefield excited him to the point of boiling blood.
However, R.H was already strong enough; his addition would just be a cherry on top. But for ZC, he was the sole ember in the harsh winter.
Alligator’s throat felt constricted, his voice muffled, “Thank you for coming here, Captain Yu, but ZC is already good enough for me.”
Yu Zhaohan raised his chin slightly: “Are you sure?”
“The four kids in ZC were all inexperienced newcomers. We’ve been exploring and growing together up to this point. I can sense that we’re all maturing.” In the midst of the cluttered environment, Alligator’s eyes seemed particularly bright, “I want to remember victories with them, Shine. I will lead them to victory.”
Yu Zhaohan’s face remained expressionless, “Forgive my frankness, but ZC’s players lack exceptional talent.”
Alligator couldn’t agree with that. “As long as they are my players, I’m willing to believe in their talents.” Alligator said with a hint of embarrassment, “In my eyes, each of them possesses talents that aren’t inferior to yours or Timeless’s.”
Alligator’s tactful refusal fell within Yu Zhaohan’s expectations. He had already spoken quite a bit, and saying more would contradict his image of being concise.
“If you’re interested in arranging training matches with R.H, you can contact our manager,” Yu Zhaohan stood up and extended his hand towards Alligator, “Well then, looking forward to working with you in the national team, Coach.”
Alligator was taken aback, then firmly shook Yu Zhaohan’s hand, “See you in the national team, Captain Yu.”
Alligator saw them out of the room and noticed Timeless and his own team captain standing at the doorway. He asked Timeless, “Did you have fun, Timeless?”
Timeless smiled, “We only played one match, but it was okay.”
ZC’s captain’s eyes were slightly red, “Coach…”
“We also chatted about the fact that R.H changed the boss back then.” Shi Du said, “Not every team that was ruined by the boss can reproduce R.H, you should be clear about this.”
Alligator nodded: “I understand.”
Being able to reach the top eight of the playoffs after a year of poor performance, coupled with star players like Shine, R.H can have such a good new boss because R.H deserves it.
Walking out of the hotel, Yu Zhaohan asked, “Did they hear my conversation with Alligator?”
Shi Du said: “The soundproofing in small hotels isn’t great, I heard it, so they probably did too.”
On the car back to the temporary base, Yu Zhaohan opened Weibo and saw Cobra’s response to the matter of only killing players and not taking points.
[Busan Cobra E-sports Club: Most players are aware that blocking doors is a strategy in objective-based games. In the match against ZC, our players employed this strategy – trapping enemies at spawn points to delay time as much as possible, allowing us to secure the objective points. However, due to the influence of ZC’s tactics, miscommunication occurred; they mistakenly assumed their teammates were securing the objective points, resulting in the “killing only” situation.
The only fault on Cobra’s part is a communication error. Our coach has already criticized and educated the players for it. We hope everyone watches the game rationally. For those spreading baseless rumors, Busan Cobra E-sports Club will hold them accountable for their legal responsibilities.]
Yu Zhaohan scoffed in disdain, making a sound of disgust, and showed the message to Shi Du. Shi Du quickly read it and opened the comments section.
[WTF? ]
[Help, someone’s treating me like an idiot.]
[Come on, sue me, I’m afraid of you]
[To sum up, not only are the referees blind, but Cobra’s players are also deaf.]
[The parents of these people must be very humorous, birthing such a joke.]
Yu Zhaohan sighed in defeat, “Online users are really good at cursing. They’re not even using expletives, yet they’re still so aggressive.”
“What’s the use?” Shi Du mocked, “Even if we curse at Cobra, they won’t apologize. It’s us who are being grossed out.”
“But cursing feels so good,” Yu Zhaohan came across Jiang Di’s post and saw that he had liked Jiang Di’s commentary on yesterday’s match. Jiang Di’s post was like a small essay, a few hundred words long, quoting poetry and allusions, using specific examples to point out that if Cobra’s players and referees aren’t subject to official sanctions, the spirit of E-sports will forever be tarnished.
Unless Old Tan forces them to operate normally, Jiang Di hardly ever logs into Weibo, let alone give likes.
This was the first time.
Jiang Di cared most about the fairness of competition. If even E-sports couldn’t meet his pursuit of fairness, would he be disappointed?
Yu Zhaohan was about to show Shi Du the small essay, “Shi Du, take a look.”
Shi Du glanced, “Too long, not reading.”
Yu Zhaohan said, “Then I’ll summarize the main idea for you. I’m really good at this. I used to score high in reading comprehension tests.”
“Well, I’m the opposite. I often failed in Chinese.”
Yu Zhaohan’s attention was shifted like this, “What? Are you that bad? Then I’ll deduct two points.”
Shi Du remained silent for two seconds and then replied nervously, “We’re professional players now. Do you really have to care about academic achievements? No need for that, wife.”