Signing
Before the signing announcement, Shenhe's game ID was already a regular on the leaderboard.
Styx, who has topped the top ten on multiple servers, has an extremely deep ADC champion pool, but his most skilled champion is Wind String Hunter. He doesn't stream or use a microphone; players' entire impression of him comes from replays, watching games, and "encountering" him.
This MOBA game, Axiom Vale, has been online for five years, yet its popularity remains as volatile as a volcano. With five roles and over a hundred heroes, every year sees new talents rise to fame, while others fade into obscurity.
Styx is one of the most difficult ADCs to master. She's agile yet incredibly fragile; a single mistake can lead to a team wipe. However, with precise execution, she can carve a path through chaos, leaving opponents in despair. Her detached voice lines contrast sharply with her vibrant and passionate appearance, creating a dual experience of visual and gameplay excellence that makes her one of the most popular characters in the game. For many ADC players, Styx is synonymous with this champion.
When he first reached the top of the ranked ladder with Wind String Hunter, there was a short commentary in the esports column:
"Cold, accurate, thin-blade adc.
Coldness is his ability to never be swayed by emotions; even with a sliver of health remaining, his positioning is as steady as a ticking time mark.
Precision means that the timing of basic attacks and skill releases is perfectly synchronized, like dancing on the tip of a knife, without wasting a single second of output time.
His thin blade was his reaper—silent and without a sound, but when it truly entered the fray, its sharpness was enough to take one's breath away.
A calm rhythm, precise calculations, and ruthless finishing moves are enough to strike fear into the hearts of any opponent.
"Styx is like an underground river. It is usually silent, but by the time you realize its direction, it is too late to turn back."
The accompanying image features a black and gold arrow that appears to slice through the screen.
In a high-elo game late at night, the live stream camera of [North Shore OB] was focused on the blue team's bottom lane. This match featured not only several top-ranked solo queue players and streamers, but also professional players on the red team, and the viewership quickly rose to the top of the section.
Four minutes later, the minion wave was pushed to the tower, and the enemy's marksman, jungler, and support initiated a tower dive. The Wind String Hunter executed a "left-step, stop, turn around and auto-attack, skill move diagonally forward to the right," drawing an asymmetrical rhombus. Finally, she flashed to the wall to dodge skills, escaping with low health and even managing a kill. An arrow streaked across the sky with a thin glint of light, and a cold female voice echoed in the game: "Ignorant creature, foolish prey."
The live stream was silent for two seconds before the observer exclaimed, "His performance was absolutely phenomenal! He didn't waste a single second of his movement time."
The live chat exploded instantly:
"His movement is like it's measured with a ruler."
"It's cold, so cold."
"Playing against him is like playing a alphabet game; just watching him is like being choked."
Some people joked:
"I want to see the full clip of the 'streetball king' beating up a pro player by tomorrow morning."
"Is there anyone who can save the streamer next door who's had a meltdown? His fans are already uploading compilations of never winning against Styx overnight."
Twelve minutes in, he pretended to recall in the tri-bush, then canceled the recall animation, stopping at a pixel. The enemy support scouting the bush was instantly stunned, the arrow fell, and the character's voice line coldly said, "Hunting, begin." A crucial kill disrupted the enemy jungler and support's coordinated attack, allowing them to aggressively invade and control the map's resources.
At the 25-minute mark, during a resource-based team fight, Wind String Hunter silently waited on the flank. Both sides traded blows, neither daring to make the first move. The instant his ultimate's cooldown reached zero, he teleported into the fray, instantly activated his ultimate, secured a triple kill, took the dragon, and ended the game.
[North Shore OB]'s post-match summary was: "Another match that showcased coldness, accuracy, and sharpness to the extreme. Styx was low-key, but his actions in every game were like writing a formula."
That night, the video section was quickly flooded with clips of diamond-shaped movement under the tower and fake empty city, with comments and edits vying for attention.
Just as the hype was building, ASG suddenly made its official announcement on Weibo at midnight.
The copy was very short, consisting of only one concise sentence: "Welcome Styx to ASG".
The accompanying photo is a group photo taken two weeks ago in the signing room. Under the cool white light, a figure in a black team uniform stands in the center, his expression calm, his shoulders and back straight. There are no superfluous lights or shadows in the photo; his entire being seems frozen in the simplest lines.
The news was like a bomb dropped into the canyon; within three minutes of its release, media headlines had flooded the front page.
[ASG officially announces Styx]
[Streetball King Signs Professional Player]
[ADC position confirmed for veteran powerhouse team]
[Esports Eye]: "Styx signs with ASG, adding a new ADC to the arena."
[Commentator Zee]: "Cold, precise, and sharp—we'll have to wait and see if he can deliver on that on the professional stage."
A data blogger cautioned: "His Rank stats are impressive, but he almost never uses voice chat. Whether such an ADC can integrate into the team is uncertain."
The player community is also actively discussing the game. Some are analyzing his match history on the ladder, while others are replaying his replays. On video websites, highlights are being spliced together again. The cover art is a desaturated version of the Wind String Hunter's character design, with only the arrows retaining their sharp gleam.
"A rare find is an ADC who is not emotional, but rhythmic."
"I've been looking forward to this for so long, and I'm finally going to see him on the field."
The discussions continued non-stop. Three days later, at 8 a.m., the ASG base press conference started on time. The curbs were still wet from the rain, and reporters and fans crowded at the entrance. Chenhe followed the team management as they approached, flashes of light coming one after another, casting dappled patterns on the ground.
This was his first real "public appearance".
The reporter's whisper was accidentally picked up by the microphone: "He's even cleaner in person than in photos... unlike a traditional esports player."
In the video, he has gentle features, clear facial contours, and a straight neck and shoulders, which contrasts sharply with the stereotypical image of most esports players as unattractive or grotesque.
Some people forgot to ask the question for a moment, and just thought to themselves: If this kind of person is not sitting in front of a keyboard, no one would associate him with "playing professionally".
Soon, the problems resurfaced:
Why choose ASG?
What are the goals for the new season?
"You'll soon be facing last year's champion team, as well as three-time champion jungler Chen Yuchuan, who is the most watched player in the league. What do you think?"
Shenhe raised his eyes, his expression unchanged, and introduced himself in a clear and concise voice: "I am Styx Shenhe, ASG's new starting ADC." He paused for a few seconds, then added: "Just play well in the game."
This short sentence was used as a headline by various media outlets.
The brief press conference ended quickly. Shen He entered the base, and the originally noisy hall quieted down. Everyone curiously looked at this newcomer who had never appeared before but was quite popular.
He collected his name tag, signed it, and straightened his team uniform collar—all in a clean, fluid motion. Pushing open the training room door, he found it empty; his teammates hadn't arrived yet. The cold white lights automatically turned on, a little glaring, and the screen glowed blue on the standby screen. Shenhe set up the keyboard and mouse, adjusting the DPI to his familiar level, the HUD to his usual percentage, shrinking the minimap by two notches, and turning off edge-scrolling. He closed the settings panel page by page, hovering the mouse over the "Apply" button. After finishing the setup, he exited the game. The outside world's attention was still rising, with clips and news flashes flooding in.
Chen He looked up at his blurry reflection on the screen. There was no surge of joy in his heart, only a clear understanding:
This is not an ideal; it's just another set of rules.
Within these rules, he can play chess in his own way.
The practice match, scheduled for 10 o'clock, was about to begin, and teammates and coaches who had just finished the off-season entered the training room one after another.
The first person to push open the door was Zhang Cheng (ID: Kite), the top laner. He had a backpack slung across his shoulder, with a pair of collaboration headphones that had become very popular in the electronic music scene in recent years hanging on it. It was hard to guess from his plain appearance that he had such a wild hobby. He turned the volume down to the lowest setting as he plugged it in. The sound of his keyboard was as steady as a metronome. He didn't say much, only glancing at Chen He and nodding as a greeting.
Shen He replied, "Good morning." His voice was soft, clear, and crisp.
Following him was mid-laner Li Anze (ID: Cleo), a fair-skinned chubby guy who started complaining before he even sat down: "Don't let the opposing team pick any overpowered heroes in today's scrim. I need to practice the new Dark Witch's combos."
After saying that, he laughed first, then turned to Shen He and said, "I'm Cleo, you should know me, right? We used to queue up together a lot in the Chinese server."
Before anyone could answer, he had already eagerly entered the training field to warm up. Li Anze and Zhang Cheng were long-time partners on the team, with very different styles—one calm and collected, the other aggressive. They often bickered, but they were also the most compatible pair.
Zhou Yifan (ID: Dusk), a jungler, strolled in leisurely, carrying breakfast in his hand. As he placed the paper bag on the table, he casually remarked, "Ignore him. All he thinks about all day is showing off his combos and hand speed. What we need is rhythm."
He'd been with the team for quite some time and was used to covering for them. He didn't say much, and his tone was flat, but it sounded like a casual reminder. Shen He simply smiled in response.
The last to enter was support player Gao Mingyuan (ID: Mori), who was a bit older than the others and had a tall, burly build. As he put down his coat, he casually pushed the bottled water from the bag next to Chen He: "Have some water. Don't rush, get used to our team's rhythm first, and we'll get used to each other gradually."
His tone was slow, with a natural soothing quality, friendly but not insincere. Shen He had the best impression of him.
After a brief meeting with the coaches, the group went off to play games and adjust their equipment. The spacious training room was filled with scattered complaints and jokes; it wasn't noisy, but it was certainly different from the quiet world Shenhe usually experienced.
He didn't interrupt, but the harmless chatter wasn't too annoying. After a quick preparation, he joined the team room; he would be there to complete the final piece of the puzzle.
The opponent in the training match was a second-string team.
In the early game, Shenhe was targeted twice in the bottom lane, falling behind in gold. In the mid-game team fights, he single-handedly defended the high ground with his positioning and kiting, securing a triple kill and dragging the game to 40 minutes. However, they ultimately lost due to the team's weaker lineup. But during the post-game analysis, everyone was very satisfied with him; this newcomer was able to keep the game going even in a disadvantageous situation.
Two days later, the second training match.
The opponent was a strong team from the same region. Shenhe picked a late-game carry with no mobility or survivability, and held his own in the bottom lane for the first ten minutes. At fourteen minutes, he coordinated with Zhou Yifan's jungle rhythm, counter-attacking and securing a double kill, allowing him to complete the crucial item Bloodthirster ahead of time. At twenty-five minutes, in the dragon fight, he tightly controlled the enemy mid laner's skill cooldown, initiating a kill and taking control of the entire game. At thirty minutes, ASG destroyed the opponent's main crystal, securing the victory.
The atmosphere during the debriefing was noticeably more relaxed, and jokes began to fall on him. In Shen He's view, his teammates were gradually starting to see him as part of the team. But at the same time, the outside comments were much colder.
The prevailing opinion is simply this: This is a gamble.
Styx's individual skill is undeniable, but what the team needs is never a solo performance by a genius player, but a core damage dealer who can integrate into the whole and match the team's rhythm.
Styx himself ignored all of this, and went on to review the team's games, challenge external opponents, and practice tactics one after another. In the end, the opening match of the new season was approaching on the schedule: ASG vs VLG.
The outside world interprets this as "a veteran team facing off against the champion."
But what the audience finds even more noteworthy is another layer of meaning:
Styx's first professional match.
River's path to defending his championship title.
The two faced off for the first time on the field.
Chenhe exited the game, took off his headphones, and the training room was quiet.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the empty water bottle on the corner of the table and suddenly remembered a summer a few years ago. By the playground, the iron railings were scorching hot from the sun, and a boy leaned against them, his sharp eyes and brows pointing out a provocative tone that was half-serious and half-joking.
That memory was as fleeting as a shadow, devoid of sound or emotion, yet it surfaced at this moment.
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