Chapter 39
[Wait, a small internet cafe on the street?]
[LOL, could it be the one who secretly went online the day before yesterday?]
No wonder Jiang Mingzhe wanted to get off the bus too; he was missing the snacks!
[The driver thought Brother Leng was incredibly powerful, but he's just a tech addict, hahaha!]
Unfortunately, the audience will likely be disappointed.
LSG, which is known for its unconventional tactics, has become much more cautious this time.
Both sides were vying for control of the jungle and marksman roles. WRC banned Zou Shu's Gongsun Shangxiang, while LSG also secured a strong jungler in the current meta. Both teams played their lineups steadily and neither showed any obvious counterplay.
At this stage, the draft picks for common lineups are not significantly different, and the basic skills of high-level players are not too different. The most important thing is the team's synergy and mentality during the game.
WRC demonstrated its deep experience as a long-established powerhouse to LSG.
Gu Zuo chose the most conservative and steady operational tactics.
In MOBA games, the strategic value of minion waves is undeniable. At fixed intervals between the three lanes, minions and siege minions from both sides will be deployed.
In the early stages of the game, these minion waves are like ATMs for lane heroes, serving as a supply package for them to maintain good economic development.
However, when the game enters the mid-game skirmishes, the minion waves will demonstrate their strategic value.
Clear the minion wave before the next wave converges, and your siege siege vehicles will directly attack the enemy's defensive towers.
Based on this idea, questions such as when to clear minion waves, whether to clear them first or later, and whether to prioritize the jungle or minion waves, all pile up to form operational tactics.
WRC is the most loyal fan of this style of play, playing steadily and methodically, which appears unpredictable to the audience, often ending the game with a low number of kills.
The downside is that it's not very entertaining, with fewer team battles, so viewers don't really enjoy watching it.
"Captain Leng, there's still one wave of minions left in the top lane."
Leng Zhi glanced at the minimap: "Let's give up this wave, then we'll go for the dragon."
“I’m on my way,” Meng Cheng said, maneuvering his hero at breakneck speed through the jungle. “I guess they’ll take the tower, not the dragon.”
Leng Zhi did not respond.
In this match, LSG cautiously chose the same strategy as WRC, in order to test the level of their opponents.
Watching countless match videos is no substitute for the simplest thing: a real, hands-on experience.
Contrary to Meng Cheng's prediction, WRC promptly noticed LSG's change of direction and headed towards the Dragon Pit, intending to engage in a direct team fight.
Leng Zhi finally lowered his gaze.
The opposing team is indeed very good at this system, reacting quickly and leaving no openings.
WRC wins the first game.
Bian Xiangyu, unlike his hesitant demeanor during the trash talk segment, displayed exceptional skills in the game and showed no emotional change during the intermission.
He exchanged a glance with Deputy Captain Gu: "It's feasible, continue."
Gu Zuo breathed a sigh of relief and patted Jing Cheng on the shoulder: "Not bad, you were very steady today. It seems the special training was very effective. Keep up the good work!"
Jing Cheng was suddenly flattered by Gu Zuo's affirmation, and felt a little dizzy. He grabbed his collar, wiped the sweat from his neck, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Keep it up!"
He knew best that the victory in the previous game was hard-won.
The tension turned into motivation. Jing Cheng carried the hopes of the whole team today and had to perform exceptionally well. Fortunately, he won the first game, and everything is temporarily looking up.
Many years ago in the orphanage, Leng Zhi also had the same heartwarming moments that Jiang Mingzhe is experiencing now. The director, like Jiang Wenzhuo, was a master of cat's cradle. The orphanage's children's activity room had little funding and couldn't afford novel toys, so these few red ropes were one of their common forms of entertainment.
Leng Zhi's nimble fingers were discovered around that time, and the caregivers were disappointed that they couldn't send him to learn a musical instrument—but this talent was not wasted at all, and he is climbing to the top on another track.
Leng Zhi nodded to Jiang Wenzhuo. He didn't know when the old man had come to the room, and he didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Jiang Wenzhuo was gentle and didn't leave Leng Zhi standing awkwardly at the door.
"Xiao Leng, come in. I saw that Mingzhe is awake, so I came to play with him for a while. I didn't touch your bedroom."
The two generations spent the afternoon playing with Jiang Mingzhe, and Jiang Yijing finally returned for dinner.
When Leng Zhi saw his boss return home, he felt like he had seen a savior for the first time.
Although Jiang Wenzhuo is talkative and cheerful, spending a day with him is much more tiring than a day of training.
However, this delicate feeling was quickly shattered.
Jiang Wenzhu smiled and watched the two young people enter the bedroom: "You two should go to bed early. Xiao Mingzhe will sleep with his great-grandmother tonight. Leave some space for the adults."
After saying that, the door was closed, and outside, Jiang Mingzhe followed Jiang Wenzhuo without looking back.
In the dim light of the room, only Leng Zhi and Jiang Yijing remained, silently staring at each other.
The room had been decorated by the housekeeper and was filled with traces of the couple's life, but this could not hide the subtle tension at the moment.
Leng Zhi: "We..."
Jiang Yijing raised a finger and made a shushing gesture to his lips.
After the commotion outside had completely subsided, he walked to the bedside, picked up a stack of blankets, and said, "I'll sleep on the floor."
Jiang Yijing lowered his eyes and did not look at Leng Zhi when he spoke. He deftly picked up Jiang Mingzhe's toys from the ground, making room for a quilt.
Leng Zhi couldn't help but feel his ears burning.
He admitted that he had indeed had some doubts about Jiang Yijing and wanted to condemn the special situation in the contract where the contract was not signed.
But before he could even speak, Jiang Yijing had already cleared out two sleeping areas, clearly indicating that he had no intention of taking advantage of the situation.
Leng Zhi couldn't help but recall that day at the amusement park and the kiss that landed on his ear.
Just like that kiss, Jiang Yijing was frank and restrained.
"Wait a minute," Leng Zhi said.
Jiang Yijing stopped tidying the bedding, turned her head to look at Leng Zhi, and gave him a questioning look.
Leng Zhi gritted his teeth: "It's okay, we're all men, what's wrong with sleeping in the same bed? The floor is too cold."
That's right, everyone has their own blanket, what else could happen?
Jiang Yijing did not refuse: "Sure, I'm fine with anything, but I'm afraid you're not used to having someone share a bed with you."
“What’s the big deal?” Leng Zhi waved his hand, stepped forward, picked up the half-spread blanket Jiang Yijing had laid out, and threw it back onto the bed. “My brothers and I used to sleep on a large communal bed.”
He was referring to the days when LSG was still a small internet cafe team, struggling to compete in the secondary league.
“It’s easier for them to eat the branches and leaves at this height, but it’s more complicated to transport them. Usually, it’s not just me; the veterinarian from the next district also comes to help,” Lao Qi explained.
He reached out and touched the head of a giraffe that was leaning close: "There are four giraffes here. This one is called Anan, the one over there sitting and resting is Xiaobei, and these two fighting over the tender leaves are Mingming and Yuanyuan."
Seemingly hearing his voice, Mingming, who was snatching the tender leaves, stopped what she was doing, glanced at Lao Qi, and was very perceptive.
[Haha, it's actually named Mingming! Jiang Mingzhe has found his giraffe brother!]
[Look at Xiao Mingzhe's expression!]
Jiang Mingzhe was suddenly called by a nickname. He opened his mouth slightly and realized that Lao Qi was talking about giraffe.
He looked at the one that was making eye contact with Lao Qi, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Old Qi placed the branches and leaves on the ground: "Children, spread these branches and leaves out on the platform, just like I just did, and then we'll go and transport a few more truckloads."
The guests followed him back to the bait room's storeroom—judging from the children's performance just now, pushing a cart full of branches was still a bit too much for them.
For a time, only a few children and scattered tourists remained on the platform.
In order not to disrupt the zoo's normal operations, the photography team traveled light today, using only mini handheld cameras. If you don't look closely, they look like ordinary photography enthusiasts rather than a commercial shoot.
Perhaps seeing that there were no zookeepers on the platform, the surrounding tourists started making small movements.
He pulled out a carrot, and she took out a bag of apple slices; both of them wanted to feed the giraffe.
"Grandpa! This giraffe is scary, and its breath smells awful!"
A boy behind me made a disgusted comment.
Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but turn around and take a look. The boy had a shaved head and was older than the five kids, even a bit stronger than Xiaoyu.
Seeing the little glare Jiang Mingzhe shot at him, the bald boy glared back fiercely: "What are you looking at? Go feed your stinky giraffe!"
Upon seeing the size of the opponent's body, Jiang Mingzhe immediately shrank back.
If you can't afford to mess with them, then avoid them!
The next second, there was a "whoosh" sound overhead, and a whole carrot flew through the air and hit the giraffe named Mingming in the mouth.
The little bald boy clapped his hands: "I was right! Giraffe, hurry up and eat!"
Mingming only wanted to eat the tender leaves in front of it and wasn't interested in the rather thick carrot, so it spat out the carrot and continued to focus on the tender branches in front of it.
The little bald boy was dumbfounded; the carrots he had precisely fed him had been ignored!
Then, there were two more "whoosh" sounds above Jiang Mingzhe's head.
Two pebbles hit Mingming squarely in the face, and one even struck near its eye.
The giraffe stopped eating and emitted a low, mournful call.
"Godlike" means that the Child of Stars has killed seven people in a row without dying.
In the first match, Meng Cheng displayed terrifying economic advantage and conversion efficiency.
On the other hand, the PX team is the complete opposite.
Perhaps it was because the coach was absent, but LSG felt something was off about the opposing team's performance throughout the game.
Although Meng Cheng's last Bloodthirsty Blade Battle was very strong, it doesn't mean that this hero has no weaknesses.
In reality, as long as you have a little knowledge of team composition analysis, even a team composition centered around Bloodthirsty Blade Fighting will expose its weaknesses.
This is not a strong enough single-core hero. He doesn't need much resource allocation to survive the early game, but his damage is relatively insufficient in the late game, so he will inevitably need to be paired with another damage-dealing core.
The hero selection and banning in the game are carried out in an alternating manner. When the third ban is reached, it is clear from the lineup of the LSG team that they will choose a single-core jungler.
Lei Ling was completely unaware of the new broadcast footage, and the production team also forgot to inform the cameraman who was filming them. As a result, the two of them acted as if they were in an empty room, and the tone of their conversation gradually turned into a denunciation of the production team.
The young man was somewhat taken aback by Lei Ling's fierce retorts, feeling like a sandwich sandwiched between the production team and the guests.
"Lei Ling, you're pressuring me, but I can't help it. I'm just an employee. Doesn't the boss know that if he's not satisfied with the camera work, he'll deduct my salary? I came to this group because of the high salary, but now it's not even as good as the salary level of other variety shows!"
The cameraman poured out his grievances, and the two of them angrily cursed the production team, much to the delight of the viewers watching on screen.
Unfortunately, the assistant who was supposed to be reviewing the audio and video quality was in the bathroom, clutching toilet paper and urinating uncontrollably, so no one paid any attention to the audio.
The public opinion team's response was not that fast either. The video of Lei Ling and the photographer arguing was mixed in with the already explosive wave of negative comments on the forum, like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, and no one noticed it for the time being.
Having a common enemy can quickly forge a wonderful bond of friendship. After chatting for a while, if it weren't for the rain, Lei Ling would have liked to hand the guy a cigarette.
He subconsciously tilted the umbrella toward his "brother": "I shouldn't have made things difficult for you just now, brother. You gave me the umbrella, and you've been suffering in the rain. Come on, let's share it."
The photographer was taken aback and quickly pushed away the umbrella handle offered by the other party: "I don't need it, quickly use it for the child, this umbrella is too small, Xixi's body is already half wet."
It wasn't just half his body; Lei Ling was tall, and he held the umbrella high. Unlike Yun Jingcheng and Li Chi, he didn't hold Xiao Yu in his arms. This tall umbrella couldn't block the torrential rain at all, and even his own trouser legs were soaked, not to mention Xi Xi who was clinging to his legs.
Xixi sniffed, raindrops streaming down his face, but what he said was, "It's okay."
Just as he never dared to disobey his father's wishes, this uncle is now his father's spokesperson, and he dares not and cannot resist him either.
Lei Ling glanced at Xi Xi, his eyes cold and emotionless: "It's fine. He's already soaked, and he'll probably catch a cold and fever when he gets back. What a hassle."
The live stream fell silent for a second after those words were spoken.
The next instant, the screen was filled with puzzled question marks.
This situation continued until the third game.
So far, LSG has won the first two games. According to the best-of-five rule, if they lose this game, the training match will end immediately.
The entire live stream was filled with dissatisfied comments, and this atmosphere extended to the forums, where numerous posts criticizing the production team sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
The director was at his wits' end, wishing he could kneel down and deliver tents to each guest on the island. However, the production team had no emergency plan to react quickly, and the task force responsible for monitoring public opinion was reporting new developments almost every minute.
"Director, the live stream is filled with insults."
"Director Chen, viewers have already started criticizing the production team on the forums."
"Now they're starting to dredge up old grievances!"
"Leiling's side has requested that the production team send spare equipment over immediately!"
The director sat down wearily, supporting himself with his hands against his temples, and quickly devised a temporary contingency plan.
"Send over the spare photography equipment immediately, and also bring disposable raincoats and umbrellas!"
"Not enough raincoats and umbrellas on the island? Then send them over by speedboat! Pay extra and the faster the better!"
"What? The rain is too heavy, the speedboat can't go out to sea? Those damn idiots!"
For temporary vessel deployment, speedboats are the most convenient, but in severe weather, vessels of a certain tonnage are needed to withstand the wind and rain. At the moment, it's impossible to send additional personnel or supplies.
"All the teams on the island are dispatched to coordinate supply packages and help them set up camp as quickly as possible!"
This was the only arrangement he could make.
Because there is only one day and one night, it is difficult to build a reliable shelter in a short-term desert island survival situation. Therefore, the production team simplified this aspect and set up some special supply points on the island, providing tents and sleeping bags that need to be set up by the participants themselves, and these are available in different sizes.
These supply points are well hidden, unlike food and water supplies which are readily available. As planned, purple smoke will rise from the supply points in the afternoon to alert the guests to compete for the tents.
The situation is urgent now, and we can't worry about the segment design of the variety show!
At this tense moment, news arrived that was neither good nor bad.
"Director Chen, there's a situation. It seems that one of the hidden cameras set up by the guests this morning happened to capture footage of Lei Ling's group."
Without a second thought, the director said, "Perfect. Let's take over Lei Ling's live broadcast room first, and then replace the signal source once the spare equipment is delivered."
All he could think about was his career, which he feared would be ruined by this heavy rain.
The assistant knew the director was in a bad mood and was busy coordinating the staff on the island. Upon receiving the order, he quickly went to adjust the signal.
Fortunately, the coach of the PX team finally arrived.
Unlike the very approachable manager, Coach Tang is a serious middle-aged man.
He glanced at the results of the first two rounds, said nothing, but gave Shen Yingcai a warning look before uttering a single word: "Start."
The third round began. To their surprise, Xian Chang did not dodge.
In the LSG players' room, Luo Hongshuo gently curled the corners of his lips.
What he wanted was for the two people opposite him to come closer at the same time.
A dreamlike purple magic circle reappeared beneath their feet.
The damage from the opponent landed on him, but his health bar didn't drop much; instead, his mana bar suddenly fluctuated wildly.
During the skirmish in the jungle, three groups of jungle monsters were simultaneously drawn into Luo Hongshuo's aggro and followed him.
The more target objects there are, the more mana the magic circle can draw back according to a percentage.
The jungler was puzzled: "This shouldn't be the case. Chang'e can restore mana but not health, and her shield isn't 100% damage-resistant, so why isn't she losing health?"
“It’s a vampiric rune…” Gu Zuo finally realized, “He’s wearing a fully equipped vampiric rune.”
Before the game starts, players can customize the runes they want to carry. These rune combinations can increase the hero's basic attributes such as health, mana, attack power, and defense, as well as more unconventional attributes such as lifesteal percentage, natural health regeneration speed, and skill cooldown speed.
Mages' runes have always been relatively fixed: Archmages stack damage, support mages stack defense, and there are rarely any third paths. Therefore, WRC never expected Tyrant to make a move on this.
They finally realized where that subtle disharmony they felt during their previous encounters came from—the lack of offensive runes, resulting in low damage.
"Then he won't be able to unleash burst damage, right?"
"No, what he wants is to waste our time."
Xian Chang's damage wasn't enough to kill them both, and their early-game burst damage wasn't enough to kill Xian Chang either.
Gu Zuo glanced at the minimap again. After both groups of guests entered the escape room, the live stream switched to a close-up of the host.
"Now, our two groups of guests have been blindfolded and will be led by staff into two secret rooms, one red and one blue."
The camera then cuts back to the interior, showing a pre-recorded video introducing the escape room. Viewers can clearly see that, apart from the different colors of the walls, these are two rooms with completely identical furnishings.
After the staff finished setting up, the camera switched back to live footage of the two rooms.
The chat was silent for a second, then burst with exclamation marks all over the screen.
Once inside the secret room, Leng Zhi was already thinking of calling the police.
He was blindfolded and tied to a chair with ropes by staff. The chair was also fixed to the ground and could not be moved at all.
The thin rope was made of a special material, binding his hands and feet. Because his vision was obstructed, Leng Zhi could only feel the fine, cold touch on his wrists.
Leng Zhi: "...?"
As the staff member lowered the knot, they explained, "Mr. Leng, this is part of the game. Don't worry, this material will definitely not hurt you, and this is the first puzzle, it's not difficult."
Leng Zhi didn't speak; he was already tied up, so it wouldn't matter what he said.
Then he heard the door close.
They've left?
Leng Zhi was confused. From the noise of the cubs around him, it wasn't hard to deduce that he was the only one of the five who was tied up.
I'm in a real hurry and want to call the police. What kind of punishment should be given to an unscrupulous TV program crew for abusing their guests?
Li Chi, always eager for excitement, promptly updated the blue team on the red team's progress: "Twenty minutes have passed! Our red team has successfully found a password with their flashlights, but the blue team's progress seems to have stalled. Keep it up, blue team!"
Suddenly, he paused, his speech slowing as if he doubted his own eyes: "Wait... our Red Team finished this level?! In twenty-one minutes and ten seconds... Let's congratulate the Red Team! Good heavens, what just happened? Did the production team replay it?!"
Li Chi couldn't believe what he was seeing on the monitor. According to the design of this escape room, the guests needed to find three sets of passwords to get the final password to leave. Hadn't they just found one set?
The production team was also shocked, and the videotape was cut back to two minutes earlier.
After receiving the first set of passwords, the children were immediately excited to try every possible place to enter the password.
Duoduo longed for the door she was leaving through. She ran to the door and carefully entered the four numbers 9276.
Incorrect password!
When Leng Zhi heard the password error message, he turned around and wanted to take Duo Duo to join the other kids.
He had just reached the door when—"Password correct!"
Immediately afterwards, the door opened.
Cold treatment: ?
For those of you still entering your previous password: ?
Duo Duo clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Yay! It really opened!"
Froster has been gone for a while.
The opposing marksman picked another marksman, which is quite an oddball. They can't win in a 2v2, but they're very effective in a 1v1. Any player can tell that the opposing support is heading straight for the jungle.
For the first time, Gu Zuo felt that the competition was a headache. He calmed himself down and tried to find a clue in the broken logic of the battle.
"Let's retreat first. I'll help you quickly clear the other half of the jungle. If you lose some points here, you'll never be able to develop properly."
Luo Hongshuo watched the little grass spirit fly away again, and even the little tiger that had just been so arrogant couldn't help but click his tongue.
"The square jungle strategy failed, Cold Team."
Leng Zhi played a control and disruptive support role in this game, the Mech.
The mecha didn't stop. Gu Zuo had just left when the mecha swaggered into the enemy's jungle.
“If the other side can’t even see this, then they should probably pack up and retire,” Leng Zhi mocked, then added, “Since we’re already here, let’s help you farm. Once we cross the mid-court line, we’ll continue our antics.”
The situation on the field changes rapidly, and the commentators are always a step behind.
However, he certainly lived up to his boasted title of "Immortal Chang" in the national server, and one could see the ingenuity of Luo Hongshuo to some extent.
"I was proven wrong. I take back what I just said. LSG's Tyrant has shown us another possibility for this hero!"
He gestured to the director to switch the camera to Tyrant's numerical panel.
The commentator got excited: "As a hero abandoned by the version, Tyrant has made changes to the gameplay of Chang'e in order to revive her."
Leng Zhi could sense that the previously chaotic strategy on the other side had finally come together.
He sat up slightly.
—That's right, that's what makes a worthy opponent.
The screen was like a giant chessboard, containing ten players and hundreds of heroes, with Leng Zhi and Tang Jiao sitting on either side.
This was the first time since he transmigrated that he felt the opponent was someone worthy of playing this game with him.
A long-dormant surge of passion began to spread through my chest.
"Attack the bottom lane."
"Zou Shu, switch lines with me, the rest of you prepare to push the middle."
"Meng Cheng finished clearing the jungle and came over to start the dragon."
Leng Zhi directed the operation methodically.
Unfortunately, the feeling that PX team gave him was just a flash in the pan.
Despite the opponent selecting a lineup that was evenly matched with his, the actual game still deviated from his initial strategy.
PX team suffered another defeat, as expected.
With three wins and zero losses, this training match ended a little too quickly.
Shen Yingcai was still somewhat dazed.
How did we lose again?
"What's wrong with you guys? You were all out of sorts during those last few team fights," he began to scold his teammates.
Jiang Mingzhe was the first to discover the source of the stones. He didn't care whether he could win or not, he turned around, put his hands on his hips and shouted: "No! You can't smash them!"
The little bald boy was holding the third pebble, laughing heartily, secretly pleased with his punishment of the giraffe. Suddenly being lectured by a tiny creature, he retorted indignantly, "Why? This ugly thing ignores me when I give it food! It should be taught a lesson on behalf of the zoo!"
Jiang Mingzhe panicked: "It will hurt him!"
[Holy crap, what a brat and his parents!]
[Seriously, I encountered someone smashing animals like that when I went to the zoo last time.]
[Damn it, don't you dare bully Mingzhe! Protect him!]
[Wait, I just did a quick search on Qichacha!]
[Huh? What does this have to do with this?]
[The Jiang Group actually invested in this zoo...]
[What! It...it really is his family's?!]
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