Chapter 3

Gu Qian kept sending messages.

[NSN-GU]: [He'll be there for the preseason match against your team next Monday. Whether he'll play is still up in the air.]

[NSN-GU]: [Don't start anything when you see him.]

[NSN-GU]: [You're not a kid anymore.]

[NSN-GU]: [I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I was worried finding out on the spot would throw off your game.]

[NSN-GU]: [The preseason results don't affect either team's points for the year, but I don't want to win with an unfair advantage. Get yourself in the right headspace beforehand.]

Once Shi Luo had finished laughing, he stared blankly at the screen.

He wondered whether Yu Sui was standing beside Gu Qian's computer at the NSN base right now.

Whether he was watching Gu Qian give Shi Luo this little heads-up.

Shi Luo rubbed the back of his neck and typed: [The right headspace for what?]

[NSN-GU]: [?]

[IAC-Evil]: [You think I'm going to get into a fistfight with him at the venue?]

[IAC-Evil]: [Ancient history. I've forgotten all about it.]

[IAC-Evil]: [Also, just a friendly heads-up, Captain Gu: you've stirred up one hell of a controversy around your team. I'm streaming.]

[NSN-GU]: [...]

[NSN-GU]: [...You.]

Shi Luo grinned and typed: [Your fingers were too fast, Captain Gu. Couldn't stop you.]

Once Gu Qian learned Shi Luo was streaming, he stopped talking. Shi Luo said nothing more either. In silence, they steamrolled the opposing team, then both left the map without so much as a goodbye when the game ended.

Naturally, the esports forums were nowhere near as quiet. Gu Qian had personally dropped a bombshell, and the forums instantly blew up.

There was far too much for the players to pick apart. Some were already imagining NSN winning next season's World Championship. Others lamented that NSN still lacked a badass sniper. Some, always hungry for more drama, regretted that Yu Sui hadn't ended up on the same team as Shi Luo. Others still hadn't let go of their old grudges and were calling Yu Sui a piece of trash who'd betrayed his region and had no right to come back. Reasoned discussions flew alongside personal attacks, with countless people slipping in their own agendas and using the opportunity to spread rumors and smear players. The moderators were practically wearing their hands out locking threads. Things only began to settle down around four or five in the morning, when even the die-hard night owls could no longer stay awake.

Once they'd argued and cursed themselves out, the people who remained calmed down and suddenly realized something: it was already Saturday.

Saturday!

Which meant there was only one more day before Monday!

Every year, there was a three-month break between the end of the FOG World Championship and the start of the new season. During those three months, teams openly or quietly overhauled their rosters, the professional league teams that had failed to retain their spots the previous year competed in qualifiers, and newly transferred players and coaches got to know their new teams and teammates. To keep players interested and engaged throughout that chaotic stretch, the league slotted in a monthlong preseason tournament—the "warm-up matches" Gu Qian had mentioned.

Preseason wins and losses didn't affect team points. The tournament existed purely to make money, keep people talking, and give transferred players some practice ahead of the new season.

It used a single round-robin, best-of-one format: one game decided each match. Excluding the two teams that had failed to retain their league spots the previous year, all ten remaining teams participated, playing each of the others once. And next Monday's preseason opener was Shi Luo's IAC against Gu Qian's NSN.

IAC versus NSN had already been a highly anticipated matchup. With Yu Sui added to the mix, the buzz skyrocketed. In just two days, fans of both teams and Yu Sui's fans back home drove ticket prices to more than ten times their original value. On match day, fans packed the area outside the venue so tightly it was impossible to get through. Shi Luo's fans and Yu Sui's fans even seemed to be competing, each side sporting bigger support signs than the other.

Inside IAC's van, manager Zhao Feng looked out the front passenger window and clicked his tongue. "Scary... Shi Luo, your fangirls aren't their usual sweet selves today. They're ready for war."

Shi Luo said nothing. Wearing his headphones, he leaned back against his seat with his eyes closed, blowing and popping bubbles of gum.

Zhao Feng turned to look at him. "Headphones again. Can you hear me? Look... I'll be honest. The boss is watching the stream today too. He's pretty invested—he was just messaging me on WeChat. Give it to me straight. What do you think our chances are?"

Shi Luo chewed his gum and slipped one side of his headphones off his ear. After a moment, he said, "Twenty percent."

Zhao Feng's face fell. The other players in the van, however, instantly relaxed. If even Shi Luo said their chances weren't good, losing would be perfectly normal! No taking the blame, no getting chewed out!

The other three teammates visibly loosened up and began joking around. Zhao Feng wasn't ready to give up. "Come on, do you have to talk them up like that? NSN's sniper is nothing special, and the team hasn't even had time to gel. I think we've got a pretty good shot. And, well... like I said, the boss is watching."

"It's twenty percent whether the boss watches or not." Shi Luo had no intention of promising victory just to make the club's owner happy. "Our win rate against NSN used to be fifty percent. Now..."

He paused before continuing. "Now they've replaced their medic and fixed their weak link. Of course our chances are lower. Isn't that just a fact?"

Zhao Feng understood the reasoning perfectly well. He smiled. "People can still play out of their minds on match day, can't they? All right, all right, no pressure. Just do your best out there."

The fans' cheers faded into the distance as the van entered the underground garage. Shi Luo put on his team jacket and got ready to get out. "Of course I will."

Venue staff led IAC's players and entourage toward their lounge. As they made their way down the long corridor and passed the room bearing NSN's logo, Shi Luo paused and glanced at its closed door.

Zhao Feng's heart leaped into his throat.

Shi Luo had seemed perfectly normal these past two days, but they'd worked together for two years, after all. Zhao Feng could clearly tell that the young master had been holding back his anger ever since he'd learned Yu Sui was back in China. And it was no small amount of anger.

Right now, Zhao Feng was very worried Shi Luo might suddenly kick open NSN's door and turn this into a police matter.

Fortunately, Shi Luo only glanced at it.

Headphones on, he blew a large bubble without a trace of expression and walked into IAC's lounge with his gear bag on his back.

IAC's coach wasted no time going over the key points with each player and getting everyone into the right frame of mind. There was rarely anything he needed to tell Shi Luo, and he generally didn't waste time giving him unnecessary advice. Today, though, he broke with habit. "Evil, any thoughts?"

Shi Luo had been looking down at his phone. He raised his head. "About what?"

The coach wasn't nearly as cautious or sensitive as Zhao Feng. He came straight out with it. "Everyone else on our team is new. You're the only one who knows Whisper. Anything you want to point out? Anything we should watch for?"

He added, "You should know Whisper's playstyle better than anyone, right?"

Shi Luo put his phone away.

No one could possibly know it better.

Back when Shi Luo had played medic, Yu Sui had taught him personally, bit by bit, down to the smallest detail. Shi Luo had been called "Little Whisper" then—not just because he was good at the role, but because his entire approach to the game was almost an exact copy of Yu Sui's.

No one understood Yu Sui's habits and playstyle better than Shi Luo.

He nodded. "Of course."

Reassured, the coach said, "That's a major advantage for us. Everyone follow Shi Luo's calls in the early game. Keep a close eye on Whisper. You absolutely cannot treat him like an ordinary medic. He can kill you. Do not let him get any kills, and ideally, don't even let him earn support points early on. Once he can tap into the shared funds, he gets scary. If we let him buy three photon shields in the late game, we'll have an even harder time. Pay attention to him. Shi Luo..."

Shi Luo looked up. The coach stressed, "Don't spend the whole game focusing on Gu Qian against NSN today. Keep an eye on their medic. Target Whisper. No problem with that, right?"

Zhao Feng watched the coach in alarm, his expression practically screaming, Do you have a death wish? Why do you keep bringing up Whisper?

To his surprise, Shi Luo's expression remained perfectly normal. "Target Whisper. No problem."

The coach went over a few more things to watch for. With ten minutes left before they were due onstage, a staff member came by for a final check of the players' information, then informed them, "NSN's starting lineup for this match is sniper ROD, assaulters Gu Qian and Xinran, and medic Wawa."

Shi Luo turned his head. "What?"

Everyone in IAC froze. Zhao Feng asked for confirmation. "Their medic is Wawa? Whisper isn't playing?"

The staff member nodded. "That's right."

Puzzled, Zhao Feng asked, "Is Whisper here?"

"Yes. I just saw him."

"Well, look at that." Zhao Feng laughed. "That's weird. Who knows how much NSN paid to get Yu Sui, and they're leaving him on the bench to look pretty? Are they trying not to reveal too many tactics in the preseason? Isn't that overkill? Doesn't Yu Sui need to get used to his teammates?"

The staff member only smiled. After confirming the information, they left. Zhao Feng turned happily to the team. "Come on, let's do this! With Whisper sitting out, this just got a lot easier. Shi Luo..."

He asked, "What are our chances now?"

Shi Luo frowned slightly. He had no idea what NSN was up to. "Forty percent."

Zhao Feng wasn't satisfied. "Back in the van, you said we had a fifty-percent chance against NSN without Yu Sui. How did it drop to forty in just a few minutes?"

Shi Luo opened his gear bag and took out his keyboard and mouse. "Morale boost."

There was no need to say who was providing that boost.

On reflection, Zhao Feng had to agree. With an ace like Whisper up their sleeve, the entire team would be brimming with confidence whether he played or not. Zhao Feng shrugged it off with a smile. "Whatever. Just give it your best. This is good news, regardless. It's the preseason opener. Let's make it count!"

Everyone nodded. Zhao Feng glanced at Shi Luo again and, satisfied that his mood was stable, finally relaxed. He sighed at himself. Maybe he'd just been overthinking it. Shi Luo couldn't have looked more normal.

A few minutes later, staff returned to tell the players it was time to take the stage. Everyone got up and followed them toward the front.

Shi Luo led the way, walking toward the stage as he exchanged a few last words with the team's other assaulter, just as he always did. They hadn't made it halfway down the long corridor when his steps faltered and he stopped.

Less than five meters ahead, the door to NSN's lounge opened.

NSN's coach and players filed out.

The coach came first, followed by Gu Qian. Behind Gu Qian were Rod and Xinran with their arms slung around each other's shoulders, then Wawa. And behind Wawa... patting him on the shoulder, was someone in street clothes.

Perhaps he'd joined the team in such a hurry that they hadn't yet finished making a uniform with his player ID on it.

He looked as though he hadn't cut his hair short in two years. His brown hair now fell past his shoulders.

The food in Germany must not have been much good. He'd gotten a lot thinner too.

He'd changed so much, so very much, that the others from IAC were all asking in bewilderment, "Who's that tall, good-looking guy behind Wawa?"

Only Shi Luo recognized his former captain at a glance, even from that utterly changed figure seen from behind.

Staring at Yu Sui's back, Shi Luo was rooted to the spot.

Ever since learning that Yu Sui had returned to China, Shi Luo had considered himself reasonably composed. He hadn't lost control, hadn't made a scene, hadn't caused any trouble for his team or given his haters anything to laugh at. He hadn't gotten worked up or flown into a rage. He hadn't carried on as though his life were over, shouting and making a fuss the way he had two years ago.

Shi Luo had thought it was because he'd grown up. He was an adult now, mature enough to calmly face the past—and this person.

Unfortunately, that was only what Shi Luo had thought.

His breathing grew a little heavier. His right hand clenched around his mouse until it creaked.

"Shi Luo? Shi Luo?" Zhao Feng frowned and patted him lightly. "What's wrong?"

Shi Luo took a deep breath and accidentally choked.

Looking baffled, Zhao Feng glanced ahead. "Who's that?"

Shi Luo gradually brought his expression back under control. "Whisper."

"Holy fuck!"

Everyone from IAC jumped. Zhao Feng was speechless. "That's... that's..."

They'd made enough noise that the NSN players ahead turned around, Yu Sui included.

Yu Sui froze for a moment when he spotted Shi Luo.

Shi Luo's breathing grew heavier. He turned his eyes away from Yu Sui's gaze. Unable to stand it any longer, he gripped his gear and strode past everyone from NSN, staring straight ahead.

He kept going, ignoring the staff member asking him to wait for his teammates. In a few strides, he crossed the holding area and walked straight out onto the dazzlingly bright stage.

The audience erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.