A test of tacit understanding in the final game of the regular season
On the morning of the final regular season match, the plaza outside the eSports Center was already packed with fans. Orange cheering flags fluttered in the wind, and chants of "Lin Su, united in purpose, their strength can cut through metal" echoed from all directions. The air was thick with tension and excitement—today, Team AY would face Team RJ, also undefeated. The outcome of this "peak preview" would directly determine the regular season championship.
The atmosphere in Team AY's training room was unusually quiet. The coach slammed a thick stack of stats onto the central conference table and poked the screen at the portrait of RJ Jungler Lao K. "Lao K's Jing is top-tier in the league, with a 78% success rate in red zone invasions, five percentage points higher than Lin Yu's Lan. His strategy is very consistent—help the mid lane at level 1, then immediately attack the opposing team's red zone. You must be prepared."
He paused, then turned the tactical board towards Lin Yu and Su Ran. "Lin Yu, you'll defend the red zone first. Let Taiyi Zhenren go to the blue zone to provide vision. Once you see Jing, signal immediately. Su Ran, you'll use Wang Zhaojun. You must grab the second lane in the first wave of soldiers. After clearing the middle lane, regardless of whether there are soldiers or not, you must go to the red zone to provide support. Even if you have to sacrifice a wave of soldiers, you must defend the red buff."
Lin Yu and Su Ran exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously. Over the past two weeks, they'd practiced fifteen scrimmages specifically on counter-jungle strategies, refining every detail, from vision placement to support routes. But they knew that against an opponent of Lao K's caliber, any deviation in their rhythm could be exploited and completely derail the game.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself." During a break in training, Su Ran walked over to Lin Yu and handed him a bottle of warm water. "Although Lao K's Mirror is strong, his weakness is obvious - he relies too much on the early game rhythm. As long as we hold on for the first 10 minutes, our lineup will be more advantageous in the later stages."
Lin Yu took the water, and his fingertips touched Su Ran's hand, feeling a familiar warmth. He looked at the determination in Su Ran's eyes, and the tension in his heart gradually dissipated. "I know. When I'm defending the red zone later, you don't have to rush over. First, make sure the mid lane troops aren't suppressed by Zhou Yu. We'll follow the rhythm we trained on."
At 5:00 PM, the competition officially began. When Lin Yu and Su Ran, wearing their AY Team blue uniforms, walked onto the stage side by side, the audience erupted in thunderous cheers. Orange signboards flashed like a sea of stars, and shouts of "Lin Su!" echoed endlessly. Even the referee couldn't help but pause his work and take in the enthusiastic scene with a smile.
The moment the BP screen lit up, the audience held their breath. RJ Team went straight for their core strategy—the first ban targeted Da Qiao, cutting off AY's teleporter strategy; the second ban banned Su Ran's signature Zhuge Liang, denying them the opportunity to use a mid-jungle combo.
"Ban Pei Qinhu and Mai Shiranui." The coach's voice boomed through the headset. "Limit Lao K's jungle options and deny Zhou Yu the opportunity to cooperate with Mai Shiranui to suppress the opponent in the early game."
Team AY immediately banned Pei Qinhu and Mai Shiranui. When it came time to pick heroes, Team RJ immediately locked onto Jing in the first floor and Zhou Yu in the second floor, clearly determined to dominate the early game. Team AY, on the other hand, chose Lan in the first floor, Wang Zhaojun in the second floor, Lü Bu and Gongsun Li in the third floor, and finally Taiyi Zhenren as support. This lineup combined Lan's agile attack with Wang Zhaojun's control and Lü Bu's teamfighting prowess, making it extremely powerful in late-game teamfights.
"AY's lineup is a solid one!" the commentator said excitedly. "Lan and Wang Zhaojun's synergy is the combination with the highest win rate in their scrimmages. Wang Zhaojun's freeze creates an environment for Lan to deal damage, while Lan's charge helps Wang Zhaojun damage the backline, which is a perfect counter to RJ's squishy lineup!"
As the game loaded, Lin Yu's fingers gently caressed the edge of the screen, his heartbeat a beat faster than usual. Su Ran, sensing his nervousness, nudged his arm with her elbow and whispered, "Don't be nervous. Just do it like you do in training. You guard the red zone, and I'll come after I clear the center line. We've practiced this so many times before, it's no problem."
Lin Yu turned to look at him, and just happened to meet the smile in Su Ran's eyes - it was a trust that needed no words, as if saying "I'm always behind you." He took a deep breath and nodded, and the trembling in his fingertips gradually subsided.
"The game begins!" As the referee's voice fell, the game officially entered the competition stage.
Lin Yu controlled Lan and headed straight for his own red zone, with Taiyi Zhenren following closely beside him, charging his first skill, "Golden Flash," in advance, ready for any unexpected situation. Following their training tactics, Taiyi Zhenren placed his vision in the bushes near the red buff, ensuring he wouldn't be ambushed by Jing from behind.
Sure enough, when Lan had just finished defeating the red buff and reached level two, Jing's avatar suddenly appeared on the minimap - just as the coach had expected, Lao K immediately moved towards AY's blue zone after clearing the center line, trying to counter the blue buff.
"Support center-left!" Lin Yu's voice had barely fallen when Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun had already cleared the first wave of soldiers. He abandoned the ranged soldiers of the second wave and used his second skill, "Imprisoning Frost," to attack the blue zone. Simultaneously, he activated his first skill, "Withered Ice Crystal," to accelerate and dash towards the blue zone.
When Jing reached the blue buff, Wang Zhaojun's frost landed right at her feet, stunning her. Lan took the opportunity to circumvent the red zone and accurately pushed Jing against the wall with his first skill, "Breaking Waves." With Taiyi Zhenren's stun, he used a basic attack followed by his second skill, "Severing the Sky," instantly reducing Jing's health to a meager stat.
"First blood!" The moment the system prompt sounded, the fans in the audience instantly boiled over, waving orange light boards more enthusiastically, and the shouts of "Lin Yu" and "Su Ran" almost blew the roof off.
"Beautiful! This support was so timely!" the commentator exclaimed excitedly. "Wang Zhaojun's freeze was predicted perfectly, and Lan's charge was perfectly timed, directly disrupting RJ's early counter-jungle momentum!"
Lao K's Jing clearly wasn't expecting a counter-kill. After resurrecting, he didn't immediately invade again, choosing instead to play it safe, clearing his own jungle before heading to the side lanes for support. However, Lin Yu and Su Ran didn't give them a break. Lan frequently created vision in the jungle, limiting Jing's development. Wang Zhaojun, on the other hand, played a steady hand in the middle lane, using her ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived," to suppress Zhou Yu's health and deny him the opportunity to support the side lanes.
Three minutes into the game, RJ Team's Guan Yu suddenly swerved from the top lane, collaborating with Jing and Zhou Yu to double-team Lan, who was currently attacking the blue buff. On the minimap, Guan Yu's portrait flashed through the river grass, and Lin Yu immediately realized something was amiss: "Retreat! Guan Yu's swerving!"
Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun was clearing lane midway. Upon hearing the shout, she abandoned her minion line without hesitation and unleashed her ultimate, "Winter Has Arrived," towards the blue zone. Golden ice crystals instantly covered the blue zone, freezing Guan Yu and Zhou Yu. Lan took the opportunity to use his first skill, "Breaking Waves," to create distance and avoid being double-teamed.
Although they failed to kill the opponent, this wave of support successfully saved Lan's life and thwarted RJ Team's counterattack plan. The following game, the two sides fell into a stalemate. Lao K's Jing repeatedly looked for opportunities to cut into the back row, hoping to kill Gongsun Li instantly, but Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun predicted it in advance and blocked Gongsun Li with an ice wall. Lin Yu's Lan used flexible displacement to continuously harass RJ Team's development. At 10 minutes, he cooperated with Wang Zhaojun's control to successfully grab the first Overlord.
At the 20-minute mark, the gold gap between the two teams was only 300, and the Storm Dragon King became the deciding factor. Team RJ gathered first at the Dragon King's pit, and Zhang Fei activated his ultimate ability, "Beast Bloodthirst," blocking the pit with his massive body, attempting to force Team AY back.
"Lü Bu, prepare your ultimate! I'm flanking!" Lin Yu's voice was filled with decisiveness. He controlled Lan to sneak from the flank into the brush below the dragon pit, waiting for the right moment to initiate a teamfight. Su Ran understood his intention and aimed Wang Zhaojun's second skill, "Imprison Frost," at the dragon pit entrance, his eyes glued to the screen, waiting for Jing to appear.
Sure enough, when Jing was about to use punishment to grab the Dragon King, Su Ran's freeze suddenly fell at the entrance of the dragon pit, freezing RJ's Zhang Fei, Zhou Yu and Di Renjie at the same time.
"Now!" Lin Yu's Lan suddenly rushed out from below the Dragon Pit, using his ultimate "Execution" to precisely push Jing in front of Lü Bu. Lü Bu seized the opportunity and unleashed his ultimate "Demon God's Advent," trapping all five members of Team RJ inside the Dragon Pit. Gongsun Li's ultimate "Lonely Bird Severing Clouds," combined with Taiyi Zhenren's damage output, instantly killed Team RJ's backline, Di Renjie and Zhou Yu.
Without the backline's damage output, Team RJ completely lost its ability to resist. Team AY took advantage of the opportunity to capture the Storm Dragon King and, with the Dragon King's buff, pushed all the way to RJ's mid-lane high ground. When Lan's blade pierced the RJ crystal, the system prompt sounded: "Team AY wins!"
The moment the match ended, Lin Yu took off his headphones and immediately turned to look at Su Ran. Su Ran also turned to look at him, and the two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with a tacit understanding that needed no words. The fans in the audience were excited, shouting "Champion! Champion!" one after another, and the orange light signs illuminated the entire venue like daylight.
Staff members wheeled the championship trophy onto the stage. Lin Yu and Su Ran stood side by side at the front of the line, raising the trophy with both hands. Lin Yu felt the cool metal touch, but his heart warmed. He knew this championship wasn't just his, or Su Ran's, but belonged to the entire AY team, to every fan who supported them, and, most importantly, to the tacit understanding between them that transcended the playing field and their mutual trust.
In the post-match interview, the host asked Lin Yu: "The coordination in the last wave of grabbing the Dragon King was so exciting. How did you communicate with Su Ran at that time?"
Lin Yu smiled and looked at Su Ran beside him, and replied, "We don't communicate much, but we practice a lot during training, and we both know what the other will do. He knows I will go around, and I know he will release control in advance. This is probably the tacit understanding between us."
Su Ran added: "It's very comfortable to work with Lin Yu. He has a clear rhythm in the jungle and always finds opportunities at the most critical moments. In the upcoming playoffs, we will continue to maintain this state and strive to win the final championship."
The setting sun filtered through the glass walls of the arena, casting a shadow on the two players. They stood side by side on the stage, clutching the championship trophy, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future. The end of the regular season was only the beginning of their road to glory. The playoffs held even tougher challenges, but as long as they maintained their tacit understanding and mutual trust, no obstacle would be insurmountable.
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