13. Summer Season begins
Training time is over, and the exciting Summer Split has finally arrived.
The opening match was between KUG and WG, which can be considered a traditional clash of titans. However, KUG's overall strength was stronger than WG's, especially in the mid lane. As a result, Alike delivered a very impressive performance, winning two consecutive MVPs and securing the victory.
KUG got off to a flying start and won beautifully.
This proves that KUG made the right decision by buying Alike; he's the kind of player who plays exceptionally well, bringing them not only victories but also increased viewership.
Faced with victory, Lin Jiang's departure became insignificant. Some fans even believed that Lin Jiang was just taking advantage of his seniority. Whoever has the ability should sit in that position, and those who don't have the ability can only leave!
[To be honest, if I were in management, I would also choose Alike.]
[I've said it before, Lin Jiang is no longer good. His playing style is completely unwatchable, and his wins are mostly due to his teammates' contributions. I really don't know what his fans are babbling about.]
[I initially thought Lin Jiang was alright, but then he left KUG to go to OT. I really wonder if he's lost his mind.]
[Let's see what Lin Jiang can do while dragging down the bottom-ranked team.]
[Lin Jiang's fans should get something good to eat.]
After the match that night, KUG trended on five different social media platforms, all of which mentioned Lin Jiang and Alike. Lin Jiang became the first player in the Summer Split to be relentlessly mocked before even playing a match.
Before the post-match discussions began, Song Zhixu was enjoying the game immensely, and he even actively invited Lin Jiang: "Captain, come on over, come watch with us..."
Lin Jiang declined, saying, "No, you guys can decide."
Song Zhixu called out to him foolishly, "Come over and rest while you watch..."
Duren quickly tugged at him and showed him the online comments, which made Song Zhixu realize what was going on.
In the KUG competition, Lin Jiang was actually the one who suffered the most.
“KUG’s actions this time were really unethical. People in the industry are all criticizing them, but they are indeed good at marketing, and their reputation is slowly being restored. You should also be careful in the future and not mention these things in front of Lin Jiang.”
Song Zhixu obediently shut up.
As he ate potato chips and watched Alike dominate the competition, winning two games in a row and causing a frenzy in the arena, he suddenly remembered that this position once belonged to Lin Jiang.
The more Song Zhixu ate, the more uneasy he felt.
He turned to look at Lin Jiang and saw him standing quietly on the balcony drinking coffee, a stark contrast to the lively competition.
Lin Jiang must be feeling really bad...
Suddenly, with a "snap," the screen went off. Shen Ju, drinking his cola, casually tossed the remote onto the sofa in front of everyone, saying, "What's so interesting about the Broken Team?"
Song Zhixu: !!!
Shen Ju did what he wanted to do!
After KUG secured their first victory, online opinions began to turn against Lin Jiang. Duren was worried that this would affect Lin Jiang's performance, so he even spoke to him privately.
As a result, Lin Jiang acted as if nothing had happened, saying, "Manager, don't worry about me. I've been through much worse things, this is nothing."
Duren was still worried, so he secretly observed Lin Jiang for two days. As a result, Lin Jiang ate and drank as usual, and his training rhythm was not affected at all.
He couldn't help but mutter to Song Zhixu, "If this doesn't affect him, what exactly has he been through?"
Of course, it would be best if Lin Jiang were unaffected.
Because the first match of the OT Summer Season is about to begin!
...
The venue was bustling with noise.
On the third day of the Summer Split, the first OT match finally took place.
Lin Jiang's fans were even more excited than he was—
[It's here, it's finally here!]
[Who knows? I haven't watched a match in ages, but I absolutely have to watch Lin Jiang's match!]
[These past few days, Lin Jiang has been relentlessly attacked online.]
[Don't go online lately, River! It's all negative reviews!]
Hopefully, the online opinions won't affect him...
Lin Jiang, who had been ridiculed online, was quietly organizing his equipment in the lounge, while the OT team members gathered around, listening to the coach make final arrangements.
The OT coach is named Fang Xinglu, and he is a very new coach.
He was originally a data analyst, but became an OT because no one else wanted him. He recently transitioned to coaching and lacks confidence, always asking Lin Jiang, "Is this okay?" before making any decision.
Lin Jiang nodded, "Sure, I think it's fine."
"Okay, then let's do it my way. I've also made a few adjustments to the plan. Take a look at the ones I've made..."
Fang Luxing rambled on and on, but not only was Shen Ju uninterested, even Song Zhixu didn't want to listen anymore.
Today they're facing VT, who's also at the bottom of the standings. If Lin Jiang's addition makes even beating VT this difficult, honestly, OT should just disband.
Fang Luxing felt a little embarrassed when he saw that no one was listening. He closed his notebook and looked at Lin Jiang nervously, "Did I talk nonsense again?"
His nervousness about today's match was actually for a reason. VT and OT have similar points. If OT loses to VT, then there will be a head-to-head record between the two teams, which may affect them in the relegation matches.
Lin Jiang understood. He patted the other man on the shoulder to comfort him: "You're just too nervous. Relax, leave it to us, we won't lose."
Fang Luxing felt comforted.
He smiled sheepishly, then suddenly realized what he had just realized.
Wait a minute, I'm the coach, why are the players comforting me? QAQ
Looking up again, Lin Jiang was already fully prepared, followed by Shen Ju, who was also dressed in a black battle robe, as well as Song Zhixu, Zhou Wen, and A Deng.
The originally lazy team was suddenly united by Lin Jiang.
The host on stage was introducing the contestants one by one. As Lin Jiang and Shen Ju appeared, the atmosphere at the scene instantly exploded.
Lin Jiang and Shen Ju are both players who naturally attract attention. In addition, the popularity of Lin Jiang has soared recently, so fans, haters and casual viewers alike flocked to watch the match. As a result, the live broadcast of this match, which originally had few viewers, almost surpassed the popularity of the KUG opening match the day before yesterday.
The comments section was also polarized.
[Come see Lin Jiang.]
[Let's look at the trolls on the Chinese server.]
[Let's look at Lin Jiang and the Chinese server's trolls.]
[Let's see the River fall from grace.]
[Look at River, he brought shame upon himself.]
[Let's see how top mid laner River ruined his own career (starry-eyed).]
The contestants' headphones can block out most of the sound, but if the audience's emotions are too intense, some sound can still be heard through the headphones.
Song Zhixu: "Wow, when did our OT have so many viewers?"
Zhou Wen: "Don't you even know who our captain is?"
Ah Deng: "Brothers, play well, I want to win this game without lifting a finger."
Shen Ju: "If I can lose, I'll retire on the spot."
Lin Jiang: "???"
Coach Fang Luxing awkwardly tried to smooth things over: "Ajiang, don't mind them. They like to joke around during matches. They'll be fine once they get into the game."
Lin Jiang thought all teams were as serious as KUG, but it turns out they weren't.
After the lineup was finalized and the coach left the field, the team members chatted even more freely.
Song Zhixu: "They actually dared to pick a crocodile? Do you believe I can easily beat them?"
Zhou Wen: "I don't believe it."
Song Zhixu: "Hey, don't disbelieve me. I've played against so many crocodiles with Lao Mao in training matches, I already have experience."
Ah Deng: "Aren't you always getting solo killed? Are you sure it's not just experience from being killed?"
Song Zhixu: "Stop, stop, stop, let's change the subject."
Shenju: "Then tell me, what does it feel like to die twice at level 5..."
Song Zhixu: "Stop!"
Everyone laughed, and Lin Jiang joined in the fun.
To be honest, OT was much better than he had imagined.
He had a hidden hope in his heart: to take them to the world championships.
As the game began, Lin Jiang, the team's commander, immediately became serious. "Don't overstep the boundaries. Don't place wards too deep; just enough is fine."
It has to be said that after playing several training matches with them, Lin Jiang really gained a certain understanding of them.
Originally intending to risk placing a ward, Song Zhixu turned back and placed the ward in the river.
Shen Ju, who was in the bottom lane, also abandoned his killing intent and led Zhou Wen to a safe position.
The commentator, with his God-like perspective, exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, OT almost fell into an ambush! VT's five players were lying in wait in the bottom lane bush. If sgod had taken just half a step forward, he would have been dead!"
Given the usual pattern of OT, the bottom laner Chenju should definitely be pressuring the opponent, but today he didn't cross the safety line even a little bit.
The audience at the scene and those watching online began a heated discussion—
[Oh my god, OT has changed.]
[I thought Shen Ju was going to give away the first blood again.]
[Shen Ju's turn around was so cool, it even cured my high blood pressure.]
[I came to watch the bottom-ranked team, why are you guys having a show?]
VT couldn't find anyone to ambush, so they had to give up.
Both parties went online simultaneously.
It's clear that VT has prepared very seriously this time. They don't want to be relegated and are determined to win.
But the OT changed drastically after Lin Jiang joined.
Song Zhixu in the top lane has made some progress. He fought the opponent for a long time without dying and even gained a slight advantage.
Needless to say, in the bottom lane, Chenju kept pressuring the opponent, forcing the opponent's jungler to stay in the bottom lane.
Although A-Deng's rhythm was not good, he was obviously used to protecting the bottom lane, and he was able to fight back and forth with the enemy jungler for a while.
Lin Jiang is in the middle lane.
He played a very strong hero in this game, Blade Dancer, also known as Irelia.
He was like a cunning old fox who had been in the underworld for many years, every move he made was a trap set for the other side, and the wanderer on the other side was completely unaware of the danger that was coming.
Lin Jiang hid his E at his feet, and the moment he reached level 3, he immediately used Q to approach the low-health minion, followed by the second part of E to stun the opponent, dealing half of their health in one combo. He then used the refreshed Q skill to turn around and achieved a wave of damage without taking any damage.
The opposing team was playing the Rogue Mage, who originally wanted to try and win in the late game, but Lin Jiang came up at level 3 and completely overwhelmed him.
This incredible burst of energy consumption immediately triggered screams from the audience.
The commentator couldn't help but praise him: "River is still River! That hidden E move was such a subtle detail, it completely fooled the opponent!"
Lin Jiang's combos were so smooth they flew by. He finished his combo and left before the opponent even realized what was happening and threw out a Q, which missed.
The contrast between the two operations was striking. Everyone knew that Lin Jiang was very fast, but this was the first time they had seen such a direct experience!
The commentators on stage clearly favored Lin Jiang: "This kind of attrition is truly despairing. If Wanderer doesn't go back soon, he'll die here in the next wave!"
The wandering mage had no choice but to abandon a wave of minions and return home. When he logged back in, Lin Jiang had already reached level 4.
What does it mean to be one level higher than the opponent?
Lin Jiang immediately Q'd the low-health minion, followed by a double E to stun it, unleashing a seamless AQA combo. He then used W to return the damage, followed by another auto-attack, and used his refreshed Q to teleport back to the minion safely.
This combo is Irelia's most damaging, and a level 3 Ryze simply can't withstand it. Moreover, Lin Jiang has Flash and Ignite, so it's not impossible to kill him.
The wandering monk had no choice but to return home once again.
It is expected that when he comes out next wave, he will lose at least two more waves of minions!
In other words, when Lin Jiang reaches level 6, he will be at most level 5!
The audience erupted in a chorus of "Wow!"
No one expected that Lin Jiang would play like a stomp on a weak team in the professional league. The opposing team, Wanderers, seemed stunned in front of him, as if they were not even in the same league.
The commentators on stage were full of praise, and the live chat was also flooded with comments.
Those comments mocking Lin Jiang suffered a backlash—
[Lin Jiang left KUG and is in phenomenal form.]
[Putting everything else aside, Lin Jiang was visibly happy.]
[I don't think Lin Jiang is bad at the game.]
[It's not that River's playstyle isn't entertaining, but rather that the other four members of KUG are too bad, forcing him to play this way; otherwise, how could he win?]
[Finally, someone has spoken my mind.]
While the haters were still stubbornly arguing, the game announced "First Blood," and Lin Jiang instantly leveled up to 6 and took down the enemy's wandering enemy.
The commentator was shocked to discover: "The wanderer was only level 4 when he died, and only leveled up to 5 after he died. I can't believe my eyes, right? How could River's experience be so much higher!"
The scene erupted in uproar—
Is this definitely not a noob-stomping match?
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