Chapter 46 (Second Update Combined)
Wow, this is a huge undertaking!
[Isn't this a bit too difficult? I'm watching a children's reality show, aren't I?]
[Are the children okay with such harsh conditions on the island?]
[Oh my god, Jiang Mingzhe just recovered from a cold!]
[But this topic looks really interesting!]
[Haha, I've been followed!] This kind of thinking isn't just among netizens; some esports teams also share this sentiment.
“These are all teams with rich experience in the secondary league,” Leng Zhi glanced at them quickly, nodded, and was satisfied with the level of the opponents. “The intensity of the opponents is also increasing, so we cannot relax our training.”
He said calmly, "In the last world, we were indeed invincible, but whether the highest level of strength here is completely equivalent to that before is still unknown. Let's arrange training matches whenever possible."
Zou Shu agreed with Leng Zhi's point of view and forwarded the document to the team manager: "Manager Chen, please arrange a time."
Manager Chen hesitated for a moment: "Do we want them all? Won't that expose our strengths in heroes and strategies?"
Since LSG team shone brightly in the last city tournament and showed their true strength, she no longer doubted whether this job could last, and specially began to study the e-sports industry intensively.
She now knows that many teams don't schedule a lot of practice matches before major tournaments to avoid revealing their killer moves in the official matches.
Yu Fu exclaimed boastfully, "Oh, you even know this? You've learned quite a bit these past few days!"
Manager Chen touched his face: "Of course, we must be serious about our work."
Luo Hongshuo patiently explained, "What you said makes sense, but our team is different; we don't need to follow this rule."
Manager Chen was taken aback: "Why are they different?"
“We have a captain,” they answered in unison.
He pleaded, "Just kidding! It must be because your wife is so talented!"
He actually took his friend's half-joking remark to heart.
Secretary Li looked up at Jiang Yijing's expression but couldn't discern anything: "Then... should we continue investigating? Could he really be an e-sports genius?"
Jiang Yijing waved his hand and said, "No need, you go ahead and do your work. You don't need to worry about these things. I'll talk to him about it."
Gong Cheng's screen went gray, with only the kill announcements still flashing with iridescent borders.
Tang Wenshi patted his poor fellow player on the shoulder: "Brother, you all think the core of my team is the jungler, the side laner, or the marksman, right? You think that as long as you dominate one lane and gain an advantage, you can win the game?"
The middle-aged man straightened his collar and continued, "Heh, you have no idea what their real core is."
Coach KM was still a little unconvinced: "The support is the core... It just so happens that the Treant happened to be here, don't get cocky!"
However, three minutes later, he shut his mouth completely.
In a game with five players, the map is like an invisible spider web, connecting every detail. Froster is involved in every turning point, and even when Froster is not around, it can be seen that it is positively related to some of his previous decisions.
If you still can't see it, Coach KM might as well quit this job.
He opened his mouth wide, watching as the originally superior lineup was slowly being tightened up by the spider web, its territory being gradually eroded.
The scoreboard mercilessly landed on the number that marked the end of the race.
Behind them came the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, whose eyes were only on this legendary new team that had defeated the veteran team 3-1 in their first meeting.
"LSG! LSG!"
The broadcast echoed with the commentator's shouts: "Congratulations to LSG for advancing!"
Tang Wenshi, who was standing beside him, clapped his hands gently and stood up.
“By the way, your explanation just now wasn’t quite accurate,” he suddenly added. “Rather than saying that Froster is the core, it’s more accurate to say that LSG is a whole.”
“Each of them can be the visible economic core... but in terms of team contribution, none of them can be missing.”
"Indispensable." A moment later, as the KM crystal exploded in animation, the scoreboard jumped one place!
A sea of red and black rose from the stands; judging by the way they cheered, it was as if this were LSG's home ground.
This time, KM's coach couldn't sit still any longer. He disregarded his composure and kicked open the door to the players' room.
"What's wrong with you guys?! If you lose one more game, you'll get completely wiped out! What kind of lineups did you pick?!"
Zhuang Yu shrank back and whispered in protest, "Wasn't this chosen according to your instructions, Coach? ...Is this my fault?"
The coach had a lump in his throat: "..."
Who would have thought they were playing mind games!
The scene in LSG's preparation room was quite different.
Tang Wenshi gave Leng Zhi a thumbs up: "KM's coach must be kicking himself."
The two commentators were still a bit slow to react, but the viewers watching the live stream started typing "6".
The draft phase of the fourth game began, and Tang Wenshi quickly learned why KM had suddenly mentioned Gong Cheng.
KM had a trick up their sleeve.
Yu Fu saw that the other party was focused on Erlang Shen and blurted out, "How could it be this hero!"
Even Leng Zhi frowned slightly: "This is the first time he's chosen this."
KM's unexpected player selection also stirred up many silent viewers in the live broadcast room.
Leng Zhi specifically chose Thunder Captain for Yu Fu, which was the advantage he gained by giving up a point in the previous game. Now, the three ban slots are filled with the three heroes in Gong Cheng's hero pool that can counter Thunder Captain.
Erlang Shen was not considered because he had zero appearances.
Before Leng Zhi could say anything, Yu Fu interrupted, saying, "It's all the same. My Captain Thunder is not afraid of this at all."
The black-haired youth pursed his lips, remaining silent. He gave his teammate an encouraging look, and began to devise a new strategy for the next round.
There are variables... but it's not like there's no chance of winning.
Just then, Yu Fu's phone suddenly rang.
He stared at the information displayed above, momentarily stunned.
Ever since his father became dissatisfied with his e-sports "career" and cut off all his funding, Yu Fu has had less and less contact with his family.
The immense popularity of esports events is fueled by a massive player market numbering in the tens of millions.
After years of mature operation, a standard logical closed loop has long been formed—when a highlight strategy appears in the competition, players delve deeper into it, and the environment can then produce even more outstanding results.
The match between LSG and KM brought out a lot of laid-back, casual gamers.
Jiang Mingzhe was finally picked up from school by his parents after a long time.
He no longer found the slide appealing; from afar, he spotted a striking pair of fathers in the crowd.
"dad!"
The little one buried his head in Leng Zhi's arms: "I haven't seen Daddy for days! Big Daddy told me that you and the uncles are about to win the championship!"
He had a loud voice, and all the children around him looked over.
Jiang Yijing: "Do you want to watch the finals?"
Jiang Mingzhe said without hesitation, "I want to see it!"
“Okay,” he readily agreed. “We’ll go see it together then, and the tickets are ready.”
Leng Zhi: "...When did you buy it?"
The rest stayed at the base for individual training. Tang Wenshi, with his extensive experience, arranged a perfect pre-competition practice for everyone, and they practiced extra every night.
Secretary Li: "..." You're just going to keep pretending to be blind, aren't you?
He walked away carrying the pile of documents, inwardly grumbling to himself, "President Jiang has really lost his mind now that he's married. He was the one who asked me to do a thorough background check before, but now that he's discovered the problem, he's pretending not to see it!"
"I'll be a dog if I ever interfere in young couples' affairs again!" he swore.
With Coach Tang's explanations and guidance in the second half, Jiang Mingzhe had already come to equate the phrase "peerless master" with his own father.
He said, still savoring the moment, "That uncle just praised you for being amazing!"
There was no live broadcast yesterday, and this morning, viewers gathered in the live broadcast room early to wait for today's latest program, but they did not expect it to be such controversial content.
The concerns expressed by the viewers were also shared by the guests.
Shaoqi asked directly, "Is it a completely deserted island? What should we do if an emergency occurs?"
She has a straightforward personality, and compared to her concerns about the production team, she was more worried about safety and hygiene—even adult guests on the survival show next door participate with the accompaniment of professional outdoor experts. Today, the production team really gave her a bombshell.
Li Chi pressed his palm down, signaling everyone to calm down:
“I understand everyone’s concerns very well. However, this island is not completely abandoned. On the contrary, it is a favorite island among outdoor enthusiasts. They have carried out a lot of renovations on the island to make it easier for later visitors to explore and play here.”
"As for safety, there is no need to worry. A large number of ordinary citizens have proven that it is harmless by safely entering and exiting. In addition, the program team has also invited experts to cooperate with the staff to do a good job in the investigation and rectification of potential hazards."
"Furthermore, our photographers and professional team will accompany you to the island to ensure everyone's normal recording and absolute safety."
He spoke very sincerely, almost completely reassuring the guests' concerns.
Once Li Chi regained control of the game, he continued explaining the rules:
"Considering the children's gaming experience, our desert island survival game will have plenty of supply packs, from tents to food, all obtainable from these packs. To find these supplies, our guests will need to use their brains and work hard, because supplies can be snatched up by others!"
"The final stars will be awarded based on everyone's quality of life on the island, with a maximum of eight stars! In addition, there are hidden missions on the island that can unlock stars!"
Leng Zhi: "..."
This sudden surge in stars and inflation is far too obvious.
He really didn't like the variety show the original owner had chosen—from the wedding dress to the distribution of stars, and the attention-grabbing topic on the last day, it was easy to see that the production team was very ambitious.
While this ambition certainly attracts viewers, it's all aimed at him!
Li Chi smiled as he put on a life jacket and gestured for everyone to join him on the island. He said, "Please board the speedboat and come with me. I will be randomly following the guests and broadcasting the event live for the audience."
A subtle premonition welled up in Leng Zhi's heart.
Sure enough, after landing on the island, Li Chi followed behind him and Jiang Mingzhe.
He said with a smile, "Don't worry about me, just go your own way."
Leng Zhi looked in the direction of Jiang Mingzhe's chubby little hand and saw Coach Tang nodding to him.
Coach Tang extended his right hand: "Tang Wenshi, coach of PX team, sorry for being late."
Leng Zhi returned the handshake politely: "Leng Zhi, captain of LSG team."
"Where is your coach? The draft just now was truly brilliant," he exclaimed sincerely.
Zou Shu leaned over and said, "We don't have a coach, so our captain will be the coach too!"
Jiang Yijing rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling a bit of a headache.
What... exactly is going on?
He vaguely realized that everything about Leng Zhi was actually slipping out of his control.
At the city competition, the audience became more and more excited as they watched.
In previous years, the city tournaments were a free-for-all, with each team displaying their unique skills. Although the overall level was quite different from the main tournament, it was impossible to know which team would win until the very last moment.
However, one team stood out from the crowd on the leaderboard.
LSG team, a name I had never heard before, gradually climbed to the top of the leaderboard.
4 wins and 0 losses, what a proud achievement!
More importantly, in every match, they displayed overwhelming momentum, putting their opponents under immense pressure from the very beginning with their lineups, and maintaining a solid approach to every detail until the end of the game, giving them no chance to turn the tide.
The referee, who was gloating over his success, looked increasingly displeased.
Sun Wei was surprised to find that this small team actually had some real skills.
As a member of the second team of the official team, he had some ability to judge people. After cutting several matches, he couldn't help but be surprised by the opponent's consistent strength.
Now that it was the final match, he watched Leng Zhi enter the e-sports room, his face grim.
Just then, Leng Zhi also noticed his unfriendly gaze.
Halfway there, the captain suddenly put two fingers together, raised them to his forehead, and made a gesture of respect towards the referee's table, while also mouthing the words.
Yun Jingcheng had changed from trying to cover the baby's mouth to covering her own face. It's okay, if you can't see it, it's as if it didn't happen.
When his phone suddenly rang, Yun Jingcheng felt like he had found a savior and quickly went to the side to answer it: "Hello!"
Leng Zhi watched as Yun Jingcheng nodded at the air and said "okay" repeatedly before hanging up the phone and walking straight towards him.
“Brother Leng, the production team contacted me and said they want our two groups to do a special event... as a bonus event, with extra stars.”
Leng Zhi: "..."
Although this part is not in the original book, encountering the protagonist of the original book will indeed trigger a special plot.
Seeing that Leng Zhi did not object, Yun Jingcheng continued, "Xiao Yu and I have only bought half of the groceries we need to buy, and there is still half of the list to complete. The director's idea is to have Xiao Yu and Ming Zhe have a grocery shopping competition, where the children take their own grocery lists and shop independently to see who can shop the fastest and best."
His voice grew softer and softer.
A seven-year-old child versus a five-year-old, especially a capable child like Xiaoyu, without parental help, it seems like an unfair victory for Xiaoyu.
"How about we ask Mingzhe to list fewer dishes? That way..."
“No need.” Leng Zhi interrupted Yun Jingcheng, who was rambling on.
The director's intention was clear: to create a contrast between two children with completely opposite personalities, which would generate more buzz and higher viewership.
That's not a problem. There won't be any malicious editing in the live stream. So far, Jiang Mingzhe's personality hasn't been disliked by the audience.
The story is probably because the show's producers always paired the main characters with other characters, which made the original owner jealous. As a result, she kept making things difficult for the main characters and eventually became cannon fodder in the book, being sold off by the author.
Leng Zhi didn't put much thought into winning or losing in the variety show.
His heart is in the e-sports industry; this is just a stopover to avoid the 30 million mark.
and--
Including Lei Shen's debts, Jiang Mingzhe already has fifteen stars, while Xiao Yu, who is in second place, only has nine.
It can be said that they were far ahead of the competition.
Leng Zhi glanced at Jiang Mingzhe, who was not far away. The latter had already pulled Xiao Yu to the aquarium in the shop next door to count starfish, not hearing a word of the adults' conversation.
"Let's do it the way the production team wants, no problem."
Sun Wei understood. His eyelids twitched suddenly, and his fists clenched tightly under the table. If this weren't a competition, he would have definitely given this kid a beating.
He felt very resentful. Why was this team able to win all the way, while he had been sitting on the bench in the second team for a year and hadn't even gotten a chance to become a starter?
The final match began, and the LSG team members were on fire, focusing all their attention on the computer in front of them.
Zou Lin and the team manager below were also excited, and no one noticed that a man wearing large sunglasses had quietly slipped into the audience behind them.
Seeing is believing, and Jiang Yijing, being a man of action, decided to come in person.
He arrived at just the right time, just in time for the last game.
In order to understand Leng Zhi, Jiang Yijing has been playing Di Yao a lot these past two nights.
He's a talented player who picks things up quickly. Although his skills are still a bit raw, he's already grasped some of the game's underlying logic.
"Wow, Jiang Yijing, you've only been playing for two days and you've already figured out that the key to this game is economy and tower destruction. Many newbies are still obsessed with kills!" Ling Feng exclaimed last night.
Jiang Yijing became somewhat interested in the game. Ten people, hundreds of heroes, and a vast map could indeed create countless possibilities for the game, no wonder so many people were immersed in it.
Today was the first esports event he ever watched.
The spotlight shone on the players' room, and the big screen broadcast the live battle situation, while the serious expressions of the players could also be seen.
Tang Wenshi couldn't help but take a second look at the young contestant with a mischievous "little monkey" hanging on his arm.
Almost all teams in the league have at least one coach as standard, and some top teams even have personal training partners tailored for all players in addition to having a head coach.
These coaches are often experienced retired players, or players who are too old and their physical abilities can no longer keep up, but who are analytical players with exceptional awareness.
This situation, where the coach and captain are the same person, often occurs in smaller teams in the secondary leagues—because they can't afford to hire a coach.
"Your decision to switch to attacking the bottom lane at the thirteen-minute mark was excellent," Tang Wenshi said.
Leng Zhi: "Teacher Tang is too kind."
“However, there should be a better way to handle this,” Tang Wenshi changed the subject, “We could choose to enter the jungle first.”
"Isn't the jungle too risky?"
"No, your jungler's economy at this point in time is enough to carry three enemies, it's high risk, high reward."
Tang Wenshi is a complete workaholic; once he starts talking, he can't stop.
A glint flashed in Leng Zhi's eyes.
Tang Wenshi's approach was indeed feasible—he knew Meng Cheng's abilities very well, and if Tang Wenshi's approach were adopted, the speed of victory could indeed be accelerated even further.
The two tactical masters stood there, seemingly about to continue their discussion, when Manager Chen, unable to bear it any longer, quickly stepped between them.
"Let's go to the conference room to review the game; the PX team is still waiting!"
She has a point; theoretical discussions alone are indeed lacking.
Back in the meeting room, the first thing they arranged was for both parties to conduct a joint review and analysis.
The first thing to be criticized was PX's draft picks in the first game.
However, Coach Tang can understand the players' choices.
He raised PX team from scratch. Although the team has almost completely changed now, he still gives detailed drafting advice and tactical choices for every game. You could say he teaches them step by step.
This also resulted in the team members being somewhat too weak in this aspect.
When the video replay was about a third of the way through, Leng Zhi called a timeout.
"The economic ratio here can be further optimized. Meng Cheng in the top lane can farm two more waves of minions, so you can play more aggressively later on."
Leng Zhi gestured to the staff to continue playing: "Continue."
“Amusement park? No way.” Leng Zhi said decisively.
Jiang Mingzhe immediately shouted, "No! I have to go! I just appeared on TV! I want to play with my classmates!"
Jiang Mingzhe received a call from his classmate early this morning, who excitedly asked if he wanted to go to the children's amusement park the day after tomorrow.
At this moment, the little boy's thoughts were written all over his face; he clearly wanted to show off his invincible performance on the variety show to his classmates.
Leng Zhi: "Today is the last day of recording. If you lose and go back with last place, you won't want to go to the amusement park."
Jiang Mingzhe's eyes widened: "You're threatening me!"
What a vicious and wicked father! Knowing that most of his stars depend on Leng Zhi for them, he actually used that to blackmail him!
Leng Zhi pulled back Jiang Mingzhe's blanket: "Get up, are you going to check on your performance?"
Jiang Mingzhe wasn't buying it today; he was determined to go: "I don't care, if you won't come with me, I'll have my uncle come with me."
As he spoke, he jumped up and, before Leng Zhi could react, pressed the one-button call button on his watch and sent several voice messages to Jiang Yijing, embellishing Leng Zhi's "threat".
Jiang Yijing was having breakfast when she suddenly received a voice message from Jiang Mingzhe.
Zai Zai's voice sounded completely free of any aftereffects of the fever; it was full of energy, even a bit ear-piercing.
He stroked his fork, thought for a moment, and replied with a "okay".
Since Leng Zhi moved into his home, he has indeed spent less and less time with Jiang Mingzhe, so this is a good opportunity.
As for whether a certain employee is not working hard—that's probably just my opinion; it's definitely because the child misses him.
Thinking that he was still the child's first choice, Jiang Yijing couldn't help but smile.
"Wait a minute." Tang Wenshi paused again.
“From here on, Shen Yingcai, you’ve taken too much of the people’s money.”
With two weeks to go before the World Invitational Tournament, LSG decided to fly to Country Y ahead of schedule.
It was winter in Country Y, which is the same season as China, but it was still a long way across the ocean. To prevent any sudden acclimatization issues before the competition, Coach Tang suggested that the whole team go there a week earlier.
The World Invitational Tournament organizers only prepared accommodations for players from various countries a week in advance, with Leng Zhi personally covering the extra costs.
After all, he's not worried for the time being that the contract with President Jiang will lead him into a huge debt.
Changing the tickets was very convenient. After the alliance contacted the airline, they immediately arranged new seats for them.
"Have you seen videos of the sea in M City? It's very beautiful. If you have enough time, you can take a day to go see it before the game."
"We'll make arrangements, but training will be the main focus. The format of the World Championship is slightly different from here, so we'll need to adjust our tactical system again."
"Okay, Coach! I'll do whatever you and Captain Leng say!"
"Speaking of which, Captain, have you spoken to President Jiang yet?"
Coach Tang changed the schedule so quickly that it took only twenty minutes from making the decision to discussing the training plan, so much so that Leng Zhi didn't even have time to report back.
He stood up: "Okay, I'll go report to the boss."
"Captain Leng, there's a question I've wanted to ask for a long time." Zou Shu followed him out of the room and suddenly whispered gossipy, "What exactly is your relationship with President Jiang now?"
Leng Zhi glanced at his good brother, who was looking at him with curiosity, and said succinctly, "Boss and subordinate."
Zou Shu jumped up: "Who are you kidding! Try to fool your brothers, but don't fool yourself!"
"Same-sex marriage laws have been in place for so many years, and we brothers absolutely support you—you two are already a legal couple."
Leng Zhi stopped and corrected him, "It's a contract couple."
Zou Shu was speechless: "...You're so stubborn. Honestly, do you dare say you have absolutely no feelings for President Jiang?"
This statement finally had an effect on Leng Zhi.
He sighed and lowered his voice: "Zou Shu, you should know very well that we come from a parallel world. We can come here, but we might leave at any time. Besides..."
He didn't say the second half of the sentence:
Moreover, what if he arrived at the wrong time? Jiang Yijing had actually set his sights on the original owner of this body from the very beginning.
Although the original owner was a cannon fodder character, he didn't see the ending of the book. If the book describes some romantic storyline for the cannon fodder character later on, then his role would be quite inexplicable.
These questions couldn't be thought about in detail, so Leng Zhi could only say, "Let's finish the World Championship first. The competition is the most important thing right now. I'll talk to Jiang Yijing about this after the competition is over."
"Damn it!" Zou Shu cursed.
What that kid said actually makes a lot of sense! What if they suddenly go back again sometime? I wonder how my little niece is doing lately.
"Knock knock"
Leng Zhi knocked on Jiang Yijing's office door.
Leng Zhi, a man who has made support the position with the highest MVP rate in the team, has an unpredictable tactical style. He may use one set of tactics in scrims, but in the official match the next day, he may use a completely opposite approach.
Many teams have been tricked by him and have never dared to believe the rumors released by LSG team during scrims since.
"Speaking of which, this last one was a formal team just two years ago. Won't that put some pressure on you?" Manager Chen dragged the document to the end.
Team PX is also an unlucky little team. They emerged as a dark horse in the playoffs two years ago, fought their way to the finals, and became an official team the following year. This also means that the team with the last place in the standings will be removed from the competition.
However, the club did not want to give up. They had struggled in the second division for a year, and this year was their last chance—if they did not return to the league, the investors would be completely unwilling to invest any more money.
Leng Zhi carefully reviewed the opposing team's resume and excitedly wiggled his fingers: "A spent force? That should be a good touchstone."
Manager Chen looked up at the five people who had perked up and couldn't help but shudder.
Those five people are terrifying.
Now the audience is all waiting to see what Leng Ge does.
[Don't worry, our Brother Leng isn't under any pressure!]
[Wasn't today supposed to be a survival show on a desert island? How did it turn into a beachcombing reality show?]
[Shh, beachcombing is so much fun! Let Mingbao play a little longer. Look how happy he is!]
[The neighbors have already entered the Stone Age, lol, they're completely different styles.]
[Damn, it seems he really has mastered how to use Jiang Mingzhe.]
[Hahaha, Jiang Mingzhe basically did all the picking!]
[Shouldn't we have released it sooner to stabilize things?]
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