55. Semifinals
Zhang Mingying's aggressive playstyle quickly broke the opponent's rhythm. SPG felt increasingly strange as the game progressed. Why was everyone else at 0-0, while the opponent was able to build up a 5-0 lead?
SPG had never seen this style of play before and were a little intimidated. They unknowingly went from being on the offensive side to being on the defensive side.
Zhang Mingying successfully invaded the enemy jungle, leaving his own jungle monsters for his teammates. Lin Jiang could farm the F6 camp, and Chen Ju could farm the Krugs, giving them a lead in both gold and experience.
After being targeted for three games, Lin Jiang finally had a chance to rise. He used his W to step in and unleashed a combo, taking away half of the opponent's health. The opponent didn't want to give up the wave of minions and could only play defensively and call for their jungler.
Lin Jiang quietly finished off the opponent, then suddenly flashed forward and precisely chained the opponent.
This flash startled everyone, but upon closer inspection, if they had locked on this attack, they could have definitely gotten a kill! Lin Jiang wanted to kill someone!
The opposing team didn't want Lin Jiang to get the first blood, so they had no choice but to use Flash to escape.
As it turned out, Lin Jiang was still holding onto his W ability. He followed the opponent's Flash forward and locked him down just as he landed!
The chain of the Enchantress has an elastic contraction time, and it can only be kept from breaking if the displacement is almost simultaneous. Lin Jiang's W can be considered a successful prediction.
The domestic commentators exclaimed, "River's hand speed is amazing! He locked onto the opponent, what do you say? Are you going to force a kill?"
But this is at the foot of the tower!
SPG's mid laner's expression changed.
What is Lin Jiang planning to do?
Did he intend to tower dive and kill him?
For all professional players, being tower-dived and solo-killed is like having their face rubbed into the ground, something that is absolutely intolerable!
SPG's mid laner was thoroughly enraged by Lin Jiang. After being locked down, he immediately chose to fight back. Just then, his jungler also surrounded them, determined to make Lin Jiang pay the price for his recklessness!
The moment he threw out his skill, Lin Jiang didn't linger in the fight. He used his ultimate to copy W and escape outside the tower, causing all his skills to miss.
Lin Jiang actually gave up?
Just when he thought he was safe—
Suddenly, a loud "bang" rang out!
Lin Jiang suddenly turned around and used AQA, which triggered the electric shock and took him away on the spot!
First Blood!
Lin Jiang walked directly out of the turret. Although it was a tower dive kill, he only took one hit from the turret the whole time, and his health remained at around half!
SPG's mid laner's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his fear of Lin Jiang reached its peak at that moment.
Such meticulous attention to detail!
LeBlanc's chains only immobilize, not stun. Although they imprison him in place, he can still deal skill damage from that spot.
Lin Jiang had already chased them deep enough; if they were hit by his skill, they would inevitably be killed in return.
But Lin Jiang's cleverness lies in the fact that after locking himself in, he immediately used his ultimate to copy W and escape in the opposite direction, not only dodging his damage but also avoiding the turret's attack.
He turned around again, took him away, and went straight out of the tower. He only took one hit from the tower the whole time!
Although their jungler arrived, he was only level 4 due to Zhang Mingying's invasion and couldn't kill Lin Jiang at all. There was also a high chance that Lin Jiang would outplay him and kill him, so they had to give up.
Domestic commentators went wild, praising: "River completely stunned SPG's mid laner with this play, flashing in to engage and leaving the opponent no way out!"
There's another detail here: the reason Lin Jiang used Flash to engage him was because the opponent had gotten used to the timing of stepping on W, and Flash is faster than W. Lin Jiang's Flash-initiated move was calculated to ensure a 100% kill on him!
Is this the same person as in the first three games?
SPG's mid laner was stunned. He began to suspect that Lin Jiang had deliberately sabotaged him earlier, causing him to embarrass himself at such a crucial moment.
A tower dive kill is already a disgrace; no matter how well he played before, it will all be wiped out after this.
Moreover, this was an OT (overtime) match point game, and to embarrass oneself right from the start would have a huge impact on morale.
Korean netizens have started to criticize him relentlessly. They were all hoping that SPG could send the last LPL representative home, but they still lost so badly to OT, who was in such poor form!
Everyone said it was unforgivable.
[If you lose, just renounce your citizenship.]
[I've always considered you as the second seed, but now it seems you're only fit for the third seed.]
[The Korean duo is a joke; I've said it before, don't have any expectations of them.]
They were only the third seed.
The trolls in South Korea are much fiercer than those in China, putting immense pressure on the players.
The faces of the five players on stage grew increasingly grim. The already difficult situation had deteriorated further with two more mistakes in the middle of the game.
In front of Lin Jiang, one mistake is all it takes to say goodbye.
He flashed and used his W to step in and take down the enemy AD carry who was alone. The cheers in the stadium were deafening. Even in a foreign land, you could still feel the enthusiasm from home.
Lin Jiang felt his tinnitus begin to lessen, and the light spots in front of his eyes began to slowly dissipate. His condition improved with each battle, and he wiped out the opponents in one wave, pushing directly to the high ground.
The game ended in just 25 minutes. Before the bottom laner, Shenju, could even exert his strength, Lin Jiang and Zhang Mingying led the team to an easy victory.
After the match, everyone was celebrating excitedly, but Shen Ju rubbed his wrist, feeling a strange sensation. He felt that Lin Jiang had taken such a risk to initiate the team fight just now because of him.
OT's match started slowly but improved significantly. They didn't play particularly well in the first two games, but they really showed their talent in the last two.
Shen Ju's initiation of the team fight in the third game and Lin Jiang's tower dive kill in the fourth game were both highlight moments, so highlight that everyone forgot about the unpleasantness of the first two games.
That's how esports competitions are; no matter what the process is like, everyone only cares about the result.
Domestic viewers erupted in cheers. The commentators in the broadcast studio could finally unleash their fury, and even the popular streamer Lao Mao could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Finally won! Ugh, I was so suffocating! I knew they couldn't lose, right? If they had lost, I would have exploded on the spot..."
"OT's condition was indeed not good at the beginning, but it has to be admitted that even if their condition is not good, their bottom line is not very low. As long as Lin Jiang and Shen Ju do not fall, you can always believe in them."
The phrase "You can always trust them" struck a chord with everyone. They finally understood why they loved watching OT's matches so much: whenever they faced dire situations, as long as Lin Jiang and Shen Ju survived, the spark of hope would forever remain, igniting a prairie fire...
#OT Advances to Semifinals#
It quickly became a trending topic.
A guaranteed top-four finish is much more satisfying than all eight finishes, and the group of netizens who were initially furious have gradually calmed down.
Seeing the rebound in traffic, the official team took the opportunity to promote OT and also contacted several teams that hadn't taken a holiday, hoping they would extend their holiday to help OT overcome the difficulties.
TG and YIG readily agreed, firstly because they had developed a good relationship with OT after spending time together, and secondly because they wanted to find an opportunity to salvage their team's reputation after losing the World Championship.
Subsequently, teams like SNG and XIG, who had not taken a break, also expressed their willingness to cooperate.
As the sole representative of LPL, OT has received widespread attention from all sides during this period. They place their hopes on them, hoping that they will lead LPL to the end.
While OT advanced, SPG also lost their qualification. In a post-match interview, they tearfully confessed and hoped that the audience could forgive them.
South Korean netizens unanimously declared: No forgiveness!
They angrily attacked SPG, revealing the nationalities of all the players.
Seeing how obsessed South Korean netizens are, people have gradually discovered the key point.
It seems that after SPG lost, LCK is left with only one representative! Doesn't that make it the same as LPL?
[Hahaha, half a catty laughs at eight ounces.]
[So that's why they suddenly lost their guard; it turns out their sense of superiority was gone.]
[Hilarious! Turns out we started from the same point as LCK!]
Why did I suddenly stop feeling nervous?
What else can I say? I can only say OT is awesome.
[Here's an international joke: The only son.]
Of course, jokes aside, when it comes to the competition itself, the OT schedule is still incredibly tough.
The teams that advanced to the semifinals were the top seeds from the four major regions. OT will first face WAG, the top seed from Europe. Even if they win, they will still have to face the top seed from Korea or North America. Neither team is easy to deal with. Some foreign media even analyzed that OT is the weakest team in the entire semifinals.
However, is it polite of you to say that?
You know you're the weakest before the competition even starts?
As the only representative of LPL, OT naturally receives the support of all netizens. LPL may not have much else, but it has enough players. No matter which region someone from, if they mock them, they will be immediately attacked and torn to shreds.
Most people felt that the competition in this year's World Championship was too fierce, and that OT's entry into the top four was beyond their expectations. Even if they did fall in the top four, it wouldn't be too shameful.
Anyway, TG's huge upset has already made them lose face, and every additional match OT plays is an effort to save face for them.
The public opinion has eased somewhat, which is good for both the players and the officials. All that's left is to focus on preparing for the semifinals.
During the five days of preparation, the entire OT team did not slack off at all.
After the competition, Lin Jiang went to the hospital for a check-up. He found nothing wrong with him, but the light spots in his eyes and tinnitus did not lessen at all, and in fact, they often seemed to worsen.
Especially after falling asleep every night, he would always be able to recall events from his past life, unable to distinguish between reality and fiction, and the light spots became more and more severe.
After the examination yielded no results, Lin Jiang registered for a psychiatric appointment.
He lay on the white hospital bed, staring at the white ceiling. A doctor in a white coat sat beside him. It was so quiet that it didn't feel like the real world.
Lin Jiang speaks a little Korean, and with the help of translation software, there are basically no obstacles in communicating with the doctor.
“Mr. Lin, I can sense that you are very uneasy. Can you tell me where your unease comes from?”
The sunlight outside the window seemed to dapple. Lin Jiang moved his eyes, but unfortunately, the dappled light remained on his retina. He cleared his sore throat and said, "I'm not sure if this world is real. I always feel like it's a life I've imagined. I often dream of another world where I have nothing, and everything in this world is so beautiful, it's like a dream."
"Mr. Lin, have you ever suffered a major setback before?"
Lin Jiang nodded, then shook his head. He was no longer sure. He didn't even know if the events of his past life were just his own imagination.
"Okay, Mr. Lin, can you relax now? The human brain has a protective mechanism that allows you to selectively forget those painful memories, so it's normal and healthy for you not to remember whether those things actually happened. Mr. Lin, you're fine as you are now, and I can tell you with certainty that you are in the real world right now."
But why haven't those light spots disappeared?
Lin Jiang reached out to touch it, but there was always a corner he couldn't see. He didn't dare tell anyone that in those two games where he made mistakes, there was actually a blind spot that he couldn't see.
He's not in a good state to compete; he might fall in the semifinals like he did back then, and then repeat that same cycle endlessly...
"Mr. Lin, can you tell me what your world is like in your dreams?"
It began brilliantly, but gradually decayed and fell into ruin, leading to an unimaginable and unavoidable end...
“Mr. Lin, there are similarities between the two worlds, which is why you feel this world is fake. But think about it carefully, there must be something different and real there. You need to think about it carefully…”
Under the doctor's hypnosis, Lin Jiang fell into the intersection of worlds. The two worlds began to overlap, infinitely overlapping. Originally different plots seemed to overlap in some way. In the end, he couldn't find a single different place. His heart began to pound. Suddenly, darkness fell around him, but the area reached by the light spots was still his blind spot.
Suddenly, there was a kicking sound at the door. He sat up abruptly in bed and saw Shen Ju rushing over with an angry expression, grabbing his hand and shouting, "Lin Jiang, do you really think I'm just a figment of your imagination?"
The world's connection points suddenly changed.
Lin Jiang suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils trembling. It was still that white room, and the light spots in front of him had dissipated a little more.
The doctor stood beside him and asked, "What did you see?"
"I……"
"Bang, bang," this time there was a real knocking on the door.
The doctor opened the door, and Shen Ju came in from outside. He had run there, his forehead covered in sweat, and his eyes were wide open with slightly trembling pupils as he stared at Lin Jiang. "What are you doing here?"
The hospital was full of Korean, and Shenju didn't understand a word of Korean, so he knew he couldn't find him and wandered around the hospital in a frenzy.
Lin Jiang suddenly realized that Shen Ju was so disobedient and unpredictable, how could he be fake? Even if he was just imagining things, he must have imagined something that suited his own taste.
The overlapping of worlds was suddenly shattered by a single point. Once the cracks started to appear, the authenticity was put to the test. The light spot disappeared, the tinnitus lessened, and he could clearly hear the most authentic sounds of this world.
Lin Jiang got out of bed and saw Shen Ju arguing with the doctor. He didn't say anything, but went straight over and hugged him tightly. "Shen Ju, thank you."
Thank you for making me feel alive.
After being hugged, Shen Ju finally calmed down. He suppressed his temper and hugged him anxiously, saying, "Please don't come to the hospital alone, okay? I was really scared just now..."
After leaving the consultation room, Lin Jiang sent a message to Ryan and left alone with Shen Ju.
When he arrived, he told Ryan that his eyes were uncomfortable and he needed to see a doctor, so Ryan immediately contacted this hospital for him.
Everything went smoothly during the examination, and the doctor told him, "There is nothing wrong with your eyes; it may be a psychological problem."
Lin Jiang seemed to realize something, so while Ryan was handling some paperwork, he went to the psychiatric ward on his own. Ryan couldn't contact him, so he notified Du Lun. When Shen Ju heard about it, he insisted on coming to find him.
From Shen Ju's perspective, who couldn't speak the language, he might think that Lin Jiang was lost, or that he had been kidnapped; he might even have thought of worse things.
Lin Jiang couldn't help but laugh after hearing his description, "We are players who come to the World Championships often, are you worried that we will get lost? We usually communicate with Korean players in Korean as well."
Shen Ju blushed slightly and turned his face away. "I will do it in the future too."
Regardless, Lin Jiang was very grateful that he came to find him. He and Shen Ju held hands and walked side by side on the streets of a foreign land. They no longer had to worry about being seen or having their pictures posted online, and they became much bolder in their actions.
As dappled shadows fell from the trees, Lin Jiang suddenly turned to him and asked, "What were you thinking when you were looking for me just now?"
Shen Ju's voice lowered, "I'm wondering if I'll ever see you again..."
His fear of hospitals stems partly from his mother, who has a very serious illness and can only receive treatment abroad.
At that time, Shenju couldn't even recognize all the characters, let alone English. Every day, he would stumble and cry, looking for his mother. The adults wouldn't let him go. He got lost in the hospital and thought every person covered with a white sheet was his mother. Until one of the white sheets was lifted, he really saw his mother's face.
He instinctively gripped Lin Jiang's hand tightly, saying, "The room my mother was lying in was all white, just like the room you were lying in today. I almost thought..."
Those white monsters permeated Shenju's entire childhood; he often dreamed of running through an empty hospital.
Everything was white, and monsters were everywhere.
He couldn't find his way; every room looked exactly the same.
He pushed open one door after another, and in the white room, his mother was covered with a white sheet. His hands trembled as he reached out to lift the sheet, but it wasn't her. He searched for the next room...
An endless recurring nightmare.
Chen Ju stopped and said with some lingering fear, "Could you please not come to the hospital alone in the future? I'm really scared."
His emotions were too intense, beyond Lin Jiang's imagination. He suddenly missed his own courageous self from back then, and now he should have that courage too. Even if it's fake, he will make it real.
Lin Jiang reached out and cupped Shen Ju's face, giving him a firm kiss. He rarely had such an intense moment, and he finally realized that Shen Ju was not an illusion, but a real person standing before him.
"We promised each other we wouldn't lie to each other much. Are you ready to hear my secret?"
Even someone as bold as Shen Ju had his ears turn bright red from the kiss. Without a second thought, he nodded, his gaze still sincere. "No matter what secrets you have, I won't be afraid. Even if you're an alien, I'll accept it."
Lin Jiang smiled and rubbed his neck. "It's good to be young. You're always quicker to accept new things than they are."
He took him to a quiet park and then earnestly told him what had happened to him, using the words of another world, which sounded more like his dream.
After listening, Shen Ju stared intently at him and suddenly blurted out, "You don't have a split personality, do you?"
Lin Jiang: ?
"No, do I look like a lunatic? Besides, I have a habit of seeing a psychologist, and the doctor said that I just have anxiety caused by stress."
Oh, no, that's good.
Shen Ju was terrified. He almost thought that Lin Jiang, whom he liked, was going to be split into two parts: one part showing his love for him and the other part showing his lack of love for him, just like the Lin Jiang in private and the Lin Jiang in the training room.
Lin Jiang laughed after hearing his explanation. Since he was so receptive, he would tell him all his thoughts.
"I've almost forgotten most of what happened in my past life. Sometimes I wonder if it was all a dream, and I woke up to make me cherish what I have now. But other times I think it's just that people habitually forget their tragic past, and that everything I'm experiencing now is just a figment of my imagination..."
Shen Ju didn't care whether it was a dream or not. He held his hand firmly and placed it on his chest. "I don't care about others, but I'm sure it's real."
As he said this, his eyes darkened slightly, and he buried his head in his shoulder, breathing softly: "Lin Jiang, I know how you feel. When I hugged you then, I also thought it was fake, but you had a high fever that day and went to the hospital. I was the one who personally applied the medicine to you. How could it be fake? Believe me, even if the whole world is fake, I am real."
Even if the whole world is fake...
I really mean it.
Shen Ju was so close that their hearts were touching. Lin Jiang could hear his heartbeat, so strong, and the tinnitus that had been bothering him completely disappeared.
He heard Shen Ju say, "I don't care what you experienced or saw in your past life. As long as it's an ending you don't like, I will accompany you to change it."
Lin Jiang always thought of himself as a stubborn person, but after seeing Shen Ju, he realized what a truly stubborn person is like.
He didn't even doubt whether the past life he was talking about really existed; he just had the courage to say such things to him.
Lin Jiang seemed to understand why he was attracted to Shen Ju: Shen Ju reminded him so much of himself in the past, and he possessed the courage that Lin Jiang had lost and never regained.
He cupped Shen Ju's face in his hands and kissed him. "Okay."
Shen Ju is young, and he really learns things very quickly.
He would hold Lin Jiang's hand and walk a few steps, then ask another strange or unusual question.
For example, "What was I doing in my past life?"
"You've had to retire due to a hand injury."
"That bad?"
"It's alright, you were already 23 years old back then, you should have retired by now."
"Did I come looking for you in my past life?"
"No."
Shen Ju's expression turned serious. "Then I must have had a really miserable past life."
Lin Jiang laughed. He liked this sincere affection and Shen Ju's straightforward expression.
He took Shenju for two more streets. The two drank milk tea and ate ice cream, just like an ordinary young couple, finding joy in doing everyday things.
Back in the training room, looking at his concerned teammates, Lin Jiang said frankly, "I asked the doctor, and he said there was nothing wrong with my eyes, it was psychological. Then I went for a walk, and I'm fine now..."
Upon hearing this, the anxious Duren finally relaxed. He stepped forward and hugged Lin Jiang, patting him hard on the shoulder. "You really scared me to death. I thought something had happened to you."
Lin Jiang said helplessly, "What could possibly happen? I'm just in a bad mood, trying to cheer myself up."
Li Qian, standing behind Du Lun, snorted and said, "Look at you, worrying about nothing. I told you Lin Jiang is better at managing his mindset than you are. Just mind your own business."
With the crisis resolved, the team resumed training.
Unburdened, Lin Jiang's condition rebounded rapidly, even showing signs of surpassing his former self.
Li Qian adjusted his glasses, looked at Lin Jiang and Shen Ju's data, and nodded in satisfaction.
Looking at Song Zhixu, his progress is also hard to imagine. Before the World Championship started, Song Zhixu's mastery of three heroes had only exceeded his requirements, and the rest were in a bottleneck period. But now, Song Zhixu has reached his requirements for five heroes. If he continues to work hard like this, he will definitely become a qualified top laner.
The three most important lanes are all fine; the remaining positions are support and jungler.
The support role is also steadily improving, and he has found his own playstyle. Breaking through the bottleneck is only a matter of time. The only position he is most worried about right now is the jungler.
Zhang Mingying is alright; he just lacks experience, but with Lin Jiang holding him back, he's barely passable.
Only Ah Deng's form is declining. He was full of confidence before the match, but now it has almost completely worn away.
This won't do; he's the main force against WAG.
Li Qian adjusted his glasses and called Lin Jiang aside for a private chat; the two shared the same thoughts.
WAG's playstyle is too unpredictable, and it's basically impossible to figure out their patterns. They also like to pick some strange heroes, which makes it easy for the inexperienced Zhang Mingying to fall into their trap.
Ah Deng is experienced and steady, and the safest approach is to remain unchanged in the face of constant change.
"We still need to let Ah Deng lead the way."
What if we lose?
"If you lose, try one more game. If you still lose, switch to Zhang Mingying. That kid has a big heart. The more pressure you put on him, the more amazing his performance will be."
But Zhang Mingying is a double-edged sword, and Lin Jiang is not confident that he can control him. "What if I can't keep him in check?"
Li Qian sighed, "Then accept your fate, Lin Jiang. People always have to accept their fate. Maybe this championship wasn't meant to be for us."
Lin Jiang disagreed with him. He took a drag of his cigarette and coughed because he was smoking too fast. He leaned on the railing and thought that if he were to live another life and end up like this, what would be the point of being reborn?
He threw down his cigarette. "I don't believe in fate."
The next day was the semi-final match between South Korea and North America, which Lin Jiang watched the entire time.
This year's top seed from South Korea is really strong; he won two games with almost no effort.
In the third game, North America pulled out their trump card and quickly launched a counterattack. The fourth game also dragged on into the late game, but in the end, South Korea's strong strategy secured the victory and they successfully advanced to the finals.
North America lost too quickly and in a meaningless way. They didn't even use any of South Korea's hidden tricks. All the moves they used that were on the surface were ones that South Korea had already used before.
Li Qian was also deeply worried after reading it. He was certain: "The other side must have some ultimate moves they haven't used yet, saving them for the finals."
Lin Jiang had stopped thinking about that matter. He was now focused on the semi-finals. If he could win the semi-finals, it would prove that he could really break the curse of his past life, and then winning the championship would not be impossible.
Everyone was in top form, fully focused and ready for the match to begin.
The day after South Korea advanced, OT faced off against WAG.
The match was already generating a lot of buzz before it even started, and with the news of South Korea advancing to the finals yesterday, everyone in China is now very interested in who will win or lose.
[Can I dream of a final?]
[Korea has advanced, LPL mustn't lose!]
[If we win, I'll burn incense for the entire OT team.]
[We were promised the top division; at least one of us should have a spot in the finals.]
[Okay, you dream of the finals, I dream of the championship.]
Domestic streamers and industry insiders also pulled all sorts of stunts in their live streams, some saying they would wash their hair upside down, others saying they would do aerobics in women's clothing, basically making all sorts of boasts to increase OT's chances of winning.
Lao Mao was also begged by fans in the live stream, and finally he generously agreed: "Okay, if OT can advance, I will shave my head for everyone on live stream!"
It's well known that being bald is very demanding on head shape, and Mao Zedong had a typical large and flat head, so shaving his head would have made him look terrible. Fans could all see that Mao Zedong truly loved Lin Jiang.
The domestic broadcast started generating buzz very early, and everyone was looking forward to the start of the match. The commentators were doing all sorts of funny things in the live stream. Because they were broadcasting, their whole demeanor was biased towards OT. One minute they were saying that today's weather was very favorable for OT's performance, and the next minute they were saying that this was the time when Shenju was awakening, which made the audience laugh so hard.
The match is finally about to begin, and both sides have taken their seats.
Lin Jiang looked to be in pretty good shape. The director even gave him a close-up shot, showing that his face had regained its color and he was completely different from when he played in the quarterfinals.
The Korean commentator also said, "Today's OT looks different; they're clearly well-prepared. WAG, don't underestimate them!"
The match officially began. OT was in good form, and WAG was not bad either. They immediately picked a robot support, which completely countered OT's bottom lane.
Chenju couldn't exert any pressure and could only quietly develop. The opposing jungler kept an eye on Lin Jiang, so Lin Jiang didn't dare to push the lane too much and played rather conservatively.
The match between Song Zhixu and Shang Lu is also even, a situation where neither side will suffer a loss.
In the early stages, both sides seemed to perform similarly and were quite stable. However, in the mid-game team fights, the nightmare of losing aggro began.
The opposing robot realized that Ah Deng was the weakest on their side, so it specifically targeted him with hooks. Ah Deng's hooks were fast, ruthless, and predictive, and Ah Deng had no experience in dealing with them. He was hooked every time and lost his dragon every time.
Viewers have started to complain, but fortunately the disadvantage is not too great and they can still fight. However, they can't withstand this happening too many times, and OT's economy is being slowly worn down.
OT couldn't beat the opponent, couldn't win team fights, and couldn't push lanes. They were slowly pushed back on both lanes in a torturous situation and eventually lost the game.
In fact, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju both played exceptionally well in this game. They were particularly good at dodging hooks and often tricked the opposing support into hooking them in the opposite direction of their movement.
Ah Deng didn't make that move; he seemed to be OT's biggest weakness, becoming the opponent's breakthrough point...
Domestic viewers were clamoring for Ah Deng to be replaced, but in the second game, Ah Deng still played.
The audience exploded!
[The enemy team has found a weakness! Why aren't you changing your lineup?!]
[Oh my god, I'm seeing completely black.]
[Don't you guys think Ah Deng is a bug in the OT (overtime) system...?]
[What were they thinking, letting him go up there?]
In the second game, OT banned the robot, which freed up Nightmare, and WAG immediately picked it first.
The audience was so angry they almost laughed.
[Banning Blitzcrank and letting Nightmare run away, you guys really know how to play.]
[Is the coach alright? This is the first time I've ever seen a team ban Blitzcrank.]
[What are you guys playing? Huh? Banning bots?]
[What the hell is this draft pick/ban?]
The consequences of letting Nightmare play were very serious. WAG controlled almost the entire game's tempo. In the mid-game, Lin Jiang managed to hold things back, but in the late game, Shenju was directly killed by Nightmare and unable to deal damage.
The two sides fought back and forth, battling for three hundred rounds, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
at last.
We still lost.
This result is truly unacceptable. When countless players stepped up, everyone thought they would win. But with the final team fight, Chenju fell, and Linjiang fell...
Suddenly, they lost all hope.
In the long, endless night, they were always the ones who led the flame toward hope, and the audience always believed that their spark could start a prairie fire.
But now, the spark has suddenly gone out.
The two losses in OT disappointed all the hopeful viewers.
[OT can't be this bad, right? How could they play like this?]
[WAG really messed up the OT (over-aggression) situation; they're particularly good at exploiting loopholes, and OT conveniently created opportunities for the jungler to exploit.]
[Get Zhang Mingying up here right now!!!]
[Why keep two lineups if you're not going to switch?]
[It feels like the same as the CCP, they hid their stuff and ended up killing themselves.]
[You didn't even win the semifinals, why are you thinking about the finals so far in the future?]
[Replace Zhang Mingying!!!]
Domestic viewers are going crazy! They wish they could teleport to South Korea immediately, grab OT's ears, and yell, "Change him!!!"
Lin Jiang, who came down from the stage, looked unwell. He went straight to the bench and met Zhang Mingying's gaze. Both of them looked very serious. "Did you see it clearly just now?"
Zhang Mingying nodded vigorously, "Look carefully."
He saw it clearly, very clearly. WAG's habits, direction, and movements—every tiny detail was imprinted in his mind.
A Deng was substituted off, and Zhang Mingying came on.
While organizing the equipment, he couldn't help but think of what Lin Jiang had said to him yesterday when he called him out.
It was already very late, and it was time to rest. He didn't expect Lin Jiang to suddenly call him out and say a lot to him.
“I’ve seen your talent, and I know that given time, you will definitely become an excellent jungler. But Zhang Mingying, OT has no chance, and neither do I.”
He looked at him in the darkness, his expression complicated. "I admit you've grown very quickly, but it's not enough. Lack of experience is your Achilles' heel. We haven't played any practice matches against WAG. If you go up there, you'll inevitably make many mistakes. The opponent is very good at seizing opportunities, and it's impossible to defend against them. So we can't let you go up in the first two games."
Zhang Mingying knew, "It's okay, I can sit on the bench and watch you guys."
"Then you need to watch carefully. You need to observe each person's habits, positioning, and style closely. I will do my best to replicate their moves. You need to cherish everything you see and not miss anything."
Zhang Mingying nodded, then paused, and suddenly looked up at him, "What do you mean?"
Lin Jiang's gaze was darker than the night. He held a cigarette between his fingers, and his throat sounded like it had been torn by the wind. "A Deng will most likely lose if he goes on stage. You need to be prepared. After A Deng loses two rounds, we'll put you on. You need to use your talent to remember the smallest details of each of them, and then defeat them by focusing on those details. This is our last chance."
"I will do my best to bring out more of what the opponent has to offer. The worst-case scenario is that I will let you play when the score is 0-2."
"Zhang Mingying, you must prove yourself and show me that I made the right choice in selecting you."
The sounds and lights at the scene paved a path leading to the summit.
Zhang Mingying put on her headphones, her eyes piercing.
He had never taken a game so seriously before. Despite being at a huge disadvantage, he actually wanted to turn the tide and prove to everyone that Lin Jiang had made the right choice in selecting him.
Seeing Zhang Mingying enter the game, the audience finally saw a glimmer of hope again, and the domestic commentators cheered up and started praising him: "Zimy is a tough player with a versatile style. Most importantly, he dares to fight and take risks. I think OT still has a great chance this time."
Zhang Mingying's appearance on the field changed the dynamics of OT, instantly turning OT from the defensive to the offensive side. Coincidentally, the opposing team, WAG, was also a skilled attacker, and the match quickly became a bloody battle.
Viewers could feel the brutality of the match even through their screens.
[Hopefully, OT's jungle won't be invaded again.]
[Hilarious! You think Zhang Mingying can tolerate this?]
[A wild guess: a jungle swap.]
[It's better to invade together than to invade alone.]
[Let's play in the enemy jungle together, hahaha, so funny!]
[Why am I still hoping something will happen even though we're down 0-2?]
[No matter what, we're going to come back from 0-2 down to win 3-2!]
In any case, as long as Zhang Mingying takes the stage, the momentum is already there!
As soon as Zhang Mingying entered the game, the entire match turned into a bloodbath, with small-scale team fights breaking out frequently, blood splattering everywhere, and you could almost smell the blood through the screen.
When WAG first faced Zhang Mingying, they were clearly at a loss. They tried to invade and they also tried to play conservatively. Then they quickly found that this kid was not swayed by either soft or hard tactics!
He's like a silent gourd, neither listening nor looking, just going about his own business. The key is that no one can guess what he's thinking—it's the most outrageous thing ever.
Sometimes when he goes too far, Lin Jiang will stop him in time. So far, it seems to be much more effective than A Deng's approach.
Moreover, Zhang Mingying's positioning is really amazing. The opposing team picked Blitzcrank again this game and wanted to target the jungler, but unexpectedly, Zhang Mingying dodged the hook three times like a monster.
The audience didn't know if they could win the game, but at least the start of the game certainly gave them a thrill!
In South Korea, a foreign land, someone in the audience suddenly shouted, "OT, win!"
Then came a chorus of cheers.
They didn't care whether OT had lost two games, or whether WAG had reached match point, nor did they care about other people's strange looks or whether they had lost face.
At that moment, they had only one belief: to make the OT hear their voices!
The sound penetrated the headphones and reached the contestant's ears. Song Zhixu became alert. "Huh? Did I hear wrong? Why am I hearing Chinese?"
Zhou Wen chimed in, "I heard it too."
With the other three teams eliminated, the remaining fans were there for them, and everyone was united by a new will: not to disappoint their fans.
Lin Jiang's command came through the headset: "Prepare the Dragon Regiment."
Phew~ It's the last day of my daily 9-day update! I'll be writing a little slower from now on, but there's not much content left, so I'll still keep updating daily. Finally, I wish everyone a happy National Day in advance!
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