Undercurrents in the tug-of-war
The air-conditioned air at the esports center blew a cool breeze across the battle arena. Lin Yu's fingertips swiped across his phone screen, his eyes fixed on the BP interface. When he saw Wu Zetian's avatar on the second floor of Team AY, his lips curled into a straight line. Su Ran had indeed played an unconventional game, abandoning the typical control-focused mid laner in favor of a Wu Zetian capable of global support, clearly aiming to break SG's jungle suppression tactics.
"Ban Wang Zhaojun on the first floor, pick Pei Qinhu on the second floor." Lin Yu's voice came through the microphone, his tone even graver than in the first game. In the first game, Su Ran's Wang Zhaojun had chilled him to the point of losing his composure. This time, he had to seize the initiative from the early stages. Pei Qinhu's human form's damage output was just enough to counter Jing's jungle confrontation. As long as he could successfully invade early, he could disrupt AY's rhythm.
SG's draft strategy was clear: ban Wang Zhaojun to eliminate Su Ran's dependence on control, use the Pei Qinhu + Zhang Fei combination to strengthen jungle invasions, add Marco Polo and Lu Bu for late-game teamfights, and finally pick Shiranui Mai mid for burst. AY, on the other hand, built their lineup around Wu Zetian: Jing in the jungle ensured jungle flexibility, Xiang Yu and Gongsun Li in the bottom lane for aggressive attacking and sustain, and Su Ran's Wu Zetian in the center, maximizing the overall support capabilities of the lineup.
"Match Begin!" the referee's voice fell, and Lin Yu controlled Pei Qinhu and headed straight for AY's red zone. He had calculated Jing's jungle route accurately, and Jing would most likely go to his own blue zone at level 1, making this the perfect time to invade the red zone. Zhang Fei followed closely behind, using his first skill, "Draw a Prison," to clear the minions at the red zone entrance in advance, clearing the way for Pei Qinhu.
Sure enough, when Pei Qinhu reached the AY red zone, the red buff was standing alone. Lin Yu switched to human form, using his second skill, "Tiger Roaring Wind," to fully stack his passive. He then combined his basic attacks with his first skill, "Inch Force," to rapidly deplete the red buff's health. Zhang Fei stood at the entrance to the red zone, charging his ultimate, "Wild Beast Blood," to prevent Jing from suddenly returning to defend.
"Su Ran is coming to the Red Zone!" SG's mid laner, Chen Yang, suddenly shouted. On the minimap, Wu Zetian's portrait was moving from the river toward the Red Zone, and the golden beam of her first skill, "Empress's Radiance," had already appeared in sight.
Lin Yu didn't even raise his eyelids as he continued to damage the red buff. "Don't worry, he's not level enough to hit us." As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Zetian's first skill landed next to Pei Qinhu, only knocking off a small portion of his health. Su Ran controlled Wu Zetian to use another skill, but Pei Qinhu had already taken the red buff, switched to tiger form, and used his first skill, "Tiger Leap," to leap out of the red zone, leaving Wu Zetian staring at the empty jungle area. She had no choice but to retreat to mid lane.
"Beautiful! Brother Yu's invasion was so stable!" Zhang Fei player Li Xiang shouted excitedly.
Lin Yu ignored the call and controlled Pei Qinhu to head straight for his own blue zone. He knew Su Ran wouldn't give up easily—Wu Zetian's ultimate skill provided global support. If there was a flaw in the bottom or top lanes, Su Ran would definitely rush to support. He had to clear the jungle quickly and gain a level advantage to suppress AY's counterattack.
Sure enough, three minutes into the game, a teamfight notification suddenly came from the bottom lane. AY's Xiang Yu suddenly activated his ultimate, "Overlord Slash," pushing SG's Marco Polo under the tower, with Gongsun Li following closely behind to deal damage. Just as Lin Yu was about to control Pei Qinhu to provide support, a golden beam of light descended from the sky—Su Ran's Wu Zetian ultimate, "Life and Death," accurately struck Marco Polo and the support. The stun effect triggered, and Gongsun Li instantly secured two kills.
"The bottom lane is gone." Li Xiang's voice was filled with regret.
Lin Yu's fingers paused, but he remained calm. He had long anticipated Su Ran using his ultimate to support the bottom lane. His previous invasion of the red zone had been designed to slow down Jing's development. Now Jing was still farming his own jungle and hadn't sent any support to the bottom lane. Although Su Ran had secured two kills, the mid lane minion line had already been pushed under the tower by Chen Yang's Mai Shiranui. Wu Zetian had to return to defend, otherwise the mid lane tower would be lost.
"Continue to invade the blue zone." Lin Yu's voice was very calm. "Chen Yang, you defend the middle lane. Don't let Wu Zetian support. I'll go to counter the blue zone."
Pei Qinhu's jungle clearing speed was very fast, and with the experience bonus from the red zone, he had already reached level 4. He went around the river to AY's blue zone. At this time, Jing had just finished killing the small wild monsters in the blue zone and was about to hit the blue buff. Lin Yu seized the opportunity, switched to human form, used the second skill to stack the passive, and combined with basic attacks and punishment, he directly grabbed the blue buff. Jing wanted to chase, but Pei Qinhu's tiger form's first skill pulled him away, and he could only watch Pei Qinhu walk away with the blue buff.
"AY's jungle is about to explode! Lin Yu's Pei Qinhu is so bold!" The commentator's voice rang out during the live broadcast, and the SG fans in the audience were instantly excited. "Now Pei Qinhu has counterattacked two jungle areas and is over 200 gold ahead of Jing. AY's rhythm has been completely disrupted!"
Su Ran sat in the battle seat, his fingers moving quickly on the screen. He knew the consequences of being countered in the jungle - Jing's development would be hindered, and he would be unable to drive the rhythm of the side lanes, and could only rely on his Wu Zetian for support. But Shiranui Mai's wave clearing speed was faster than his. Every time he wanted to support the side lanes, the middle lane troops would be pushed under the tower, and he couldn't get away at all. He could only remind his teammates in the voice chat: "Guard your own jungle, don't push the lane alone, wait for my ultimate to support."
Ten minutes into the game, SG's gold lead was already two thousand. Lin Yu looked at the Overlord on the minimap and communicated with his teammates in the voice chat: "Take the Overlord before Jing develops."
Pei Qinhu led Zhang Fei and Lu Bu straight to the Overlord pit, while Marco Polo and Shiranui Mai held off on the side lanes. Lin Yu's jungle clearing technique was very delicate. He first used the first skill in tiger form to clear the small monsters around the Overlord pit, then switched to human form to deal damage to the Overlord. Just when the Overlord's health was only one-third left, Su Ran's voice suddenly rang out in AY's voice chat: "Ultimate ready, ready to grab the Overlord."
Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously controlled Pei Qinhu to retreat - he knew Su Ran too well. Wu Zetian's ultimate move had a wide range and could stun. Su Ran would definitely use it when the Overlord was low on health. Even if he couldn't grab the Overlord, he could still injure them and create an opportunity for Jing to break in.
Sure enough, a golden beam suddenly descended upon the Overlord's pit. Wu Zetian's ultimate skill accurately struck three SG members, stunning them. The instant the stun effect was triggered, Jing suddenly rushed out from the flank, using his ultimate skill, "Wan Xiang Tian Gong," to trap Pei Qinhu and Zhang Fei in a mirrored space. Xiang Yu and Gongsun Li followed closely behind. Xiang Yu's first skill pushed Lü Bu against the wall, while Gongsun Li activated her second skill, "Frost Leaf Dance," to block Marco Polo's damage.
"Retreat!" Lin Yu shouted decisively, but it was too late. Jing's mirror clone, combined with his basic attacks, instantly reduced Pei Qinhu's health to a mere sliver. Gongsun Li's basic attacks followed closely behind, taking Pei Qinhu's head. Zhang Fei tried to rescue him, but was controlled by Xiang Yu's ultimate and ultimately killed.
"AY's counterattack was crucial! Su Ran's Wu Zetian ultimate was perfectly timed!" the commentator's voice rose. "Even though they didn't grab the Overlord, they killed SG's jungler and support, instantly narrowing the gold gap to 1,000, and the situation is back on balance!"
Lin Yu looked at the "Death" notification on the screen, his fingers tightening slightly. He'd been careless earlier—while Su Ran's Wu Zetian was slow to clear waves, her ultimate's cooldown was faster than he'd imagined. Furthermore, Su Ran always managed to predict his position, making her ultimate a surefire hit. He took a deep breath, resurrected Pei Qinhu, and headed straight for the jungle, mentally telling himself he couldn't be impatient anymore.
The rest of the game descended into a stalemate. Despite SG's economic lead, AY, thanks to Wu Zetian's all-around support and Jing's agile penetration, consistently found opportunities to counterattack in teamfights. Lin Yu's Pei Qinhu repeatedly attempted to penetrate the backline, but was forced back by Su Ran's Wu Zetian's ultimate. Sometimes, just as he circled to the flank, Wu Zetian's ultimate would land prematurely, stunning him and preventing him from reaching Gongsun Li. Other times, just as he finally reached the backline, Jing would suddenly appear, trap him with her ultimate, and then, combined with Wu Zetian's damage output, kill him.
"This Wu Zetian is so annoying!" Li Xiang couldn't help but complain, "Every time I start a team fight, I get stunned by her ultimate. It's impossible to fight."
Lin Yu didn't say anything, but communicated with his teammates in the voice chat: "Wait until I finish using Broken Army, then we'll find an opportunity to start a team fight. Pei Qinhu has enough damage after using Broken Army to kill Wu Zetian in one second."
By the 25th minute, the gold gap between the two teams had narrowed to 500. The third Overlord spawned, and both teams gathered near the Overlord pit, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch. The SG players waited for Pei Qinhu's Broken Army, while the AY players awaited Wu Zetian's ultimate. Whoever could seize the opportunity first would seize the initiative.
"Wait for Zhang Fei's ultimate, then start the team fight." Lin Yu's voice was firm. "After Zhang Fei uses his ultimate, I'll attack Wu Zetian, and you protect Marco Polo's output."
"Got it!" the teammates responded in unison.
Zhang Fei slowly advanced, charging his ultimate, "Beast Blood," ready to engage at any moment. Not to be outdone, AY's Xiang Yu took two steps forward, attempting to force Zhang Fei back. Just then, Zhang Fei suddenly activated his ultimate and charged towards AY's formation, his tremendous roar sending the AY team members reeling.
"Go!" Lin Yu controlled Pei Qinhu to switch to tiger form, and with his first skill, "Tiger Leap," he charged towards Wu Zetian. He calculated the distance carefully; as long as he could get close enough to Wu Zetian, a combination of basic attacks and his second skill would instantly kill her. But just as he was about to reach Wu Zetian, a golden beam of light suddenly descended—Su Ran's Wu Zetian ultimate skill accurately hit him and Zhang Fei again!
"That ultimate again! Su Ran's prediction is incredible!" the commentator's voice rang out, "Jing seized the opportunity to cut in, SG is finished!"
Jing activated his ultimate skill, "Wan Xiang Tian Gong," trapping Pei Qinhu and Zhang Fei in the mirror space. Combined with Xiang Yu's output, he instantly killed them both. Without their core damage output and frontline, SG was instantly defeated. AY took advantage of the opportunity to take the Overlord and pushed down SG's crystal in one wave.
"The game is over! Team AY is leading 2:0!" The referee's voice sounded, and cheers instantly erupted in the AY team's rest area.
Lin Yu took off his headphones, his fingers trembling slightly. He stared at the word "Failure" on the screen, his ears filled with the cheers of AY fans in the audience. His heart felt heavy, like a weight on his chest. He turned to look in the direction of Team AY. Su Ran was lowered, talking to his teammates. His profile, illuminated by the bright lights, appeared remarkably calm, as if that crucial ultimate move had just been a routine operation.
"Don't take it too seriously." Chen Yang patted his shoulder. "The second game was just bad luck. We still have a chance."
Lin Yu nodded without saying anything, and followed his teammates into the locker room. The coach's face was grim. He placed the tactical board on the table, pointed at the records, and said, "Your coordination just now was too chaotic, especially Lin Yu. You were too impatient, always trying to force your way in, ignoring Su Ran's ultimate cooldown. Next, in the third game, we'll use a late-game lineup. Lin Yu, you pick Sun Wukong, relying on crit damage for burst. Wait until you have six items before looking for opportunities."
Lin Yu listened attentively, taking his coach's words to heart. He knew he'd been too impatient earlier. The moment he saw Su Ran's Wu Zetian, he couldn't help but want to rush in and kill her instantly, only for Su Ran to seize the opportunity. He took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and began reviewing the game, noting down Su Ran's Wu Zetian's ultimate cooldown and support routes in his notebook.
In the AY team's lounge, while teammates were celebrating their two consecutive wins, Su Ran walked to the window alone and looked at the night view outside. He took out his phone, flipped to Lin Yu's WeChat profile picture, and hesitated for a long time on the screen. He thought of the big move just now. In fact, he did not predict Lin Yu's position, but saw Pei Qinhu's movements through the small map, so he used the big move in advance. He knew that Lin Yu must be very disappointed now, and wanted to send a message to comfort him, but he didn't know what to say - they were opponents, and saying this now would only make Lin Yu more disgusted.
Su Ran sighed softly, put his phone back in his pocket, and turned back to his teammates. He picked up the tactical board and discussed the strategy for the third game with his teammates. "SG will probably use a late-game lineup next. We'll pick Diao Chan and Zhao Yun, relying on their flexibility to deliver sustained damage and target their backline."
At the start of the third game, SG adjusted their lineup: Sun Wukong as jungler, Marco Polo as marksman, Lu Bu as side laner, Sun Bin as support, and Shiranui Mai as mid laner, a lineup that was incredibly explosive in the late game. AY, on the other hand, selected Zhao Yun as jungler, Diao Chan as mid laner, Xiang Yu as side laner, Gongsun Li as marksman, and Taiyi Zhenren as support, relying on Diao Chan's agility and Zhao Yun's penetration to win mid-game teamfights.
In the early stages of the game, both teams played cautiously. Lin Yu, controlling Sun Wukong, steadily farmed in the jungle, avoiding the aggressive incursions he'd made in the previous two games—he knew Sun Wukong's early damage wasn't enough and needed to wait until he'd finished building Infinity War to be effective. Su Ran, controlling Diao Chan, cleared the minion wave before supporting the side lanes, helping Zhao Yun take down the first Tyrant and establishing a small advantage for AY.
At 15 minutes into the game, the economic gap between the two teams was roughly even. The first Storm Dragon King spawned, and both teams gathered near the Storm Dragon King pit. Whoever could capture the Storm Dragon King would take control of the game.
"After I get Broken Army, we'll fight the Storm Dragon King." Lin Yu said in the voice chat, "We don't have enough damage now, we can't beat them."
"Got it!" the teammates responded.
Team AY didn't want to wait. Zhao Yun kept probing near the Storm Dragon King pit, trying to force SG to initiate a teamfight. Su Ran's Diao Chan also roamed nearby, using her first skill "Falling Red Rain" to constantly wear down SG's players, looking for an opportunity to initiate a teamfight.
At that moment, Lü Bu suddenly activated his ultimate, "Demon God's Descent," and leaped towards Diao Chan—he intended to instantly kill her and create a chance for SG to capture the Dragon King. Su Ran reacted quickly, maneuvering Diao Chan to activate her ultimate, "Blooming Splendor," maneuvering flexibly within range to evade Lü Bu's attacks. Simultaneously, he used his second skill, "Destiny: Heart Knot," to dodge Lü Bu's first skill, then used his first skill, "Falling Red Rain," to deplete Lü Bu's health. Combined with Zhao Yun's damage output, he instantly killed Lü Bu.
"AY killed Lu Bu! They are going to get the Storm Dragon King!" The commentator's voice sounded, and the AY fans in the audience instantly boiled over.
Lin Yu's eyes lit up—Lü Bu's sacrifice had created an opportunity for him! AY's attention was now focused on the Storm Dragon King. Diao Chan's ultimate was still on cooldown, making it a perfect time to swoop in. He controlled Sun Wukong to activate his ultimate, "Ruyi Jingu," and leaped towards Gongsun Li. With one strike, he instantly killed her.
"Beautiful! Lin Yu's Sun Wukong instantly destroyed Gongsun Li!" The commentator's voice rose. "SG's players seized the opportunity to launch an attack. AY is about to be defeated!"
SG's team members followed closely behind. Marco Polo activated his ultimate skill, "Frenzy Barrage," and Shiranui Mai also used her ultimate skill, "Sure Kill Flower Butterfly Fan," to cut in. Together with Sun Wukong's output, they killed AY's team members one by one. Lin Yu controlled Sun Wukong to capture the Storm Dragon King, gaining a crucial advantage for SG.
With the help of Storm Dragon King, SG team successfully pushed down AY team's mid-lane high ground. In the following games, SG team's morale was greatly boosted, and Lin Yu's Sun Wukong was unstoppable. After he finished using Infinity Edge and Broken Army, he could instantly wipe out AY's back row with a single blow. In every team fight, he was the first to kill Gongsun Li or Diao Chan, creating opportunities for SG team to win.
In the end, SG team successfully pushed down AY's crystal and brought the score to 1:2.
Lin Yu took off his headphones and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked in the direction of Team AY. Su Ran was looking down, her fingers swiping across her phone screen, her thoughts etched in her mind. A complex wave of emotions suddenly welled up in Lin Yu—he wanted to win the match, but he also didn't want to see Su Ran's disappointment. He shook his head, pushing the emotion aside. The most important thing now was to do well in the next match.
Su Ran raised her head and met Lin Yu's gaze. For a moment, neither of them spoke, simply staring at each other in silence. Su Ran's eyes held a hint of disappointment, while Lin Yu's were filled with a hint of complexity. Soon, they looked away, each returning to the lounge to prepare for the next decisive round.
The lights in the esports center remained bright, and the cheers from the audience continued. The finals battle had reached a fever pitch. Who would ultimately win, who would resolve the conflict between the two, remained uncertain.
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