17. Against FOU
The next day, the match between OT and FOU finally arrived.
KUG was scheduled for the same day as them, but in the game before them.
The staff assigned the best lounge to KUG, FOU to the next room, and OT to the corner room. Even the staff assigned to them were divided into different classes.
Lin Jiang was used to it; the alliance was, after all, a game of capital.
Whoever has the strength will get better resources, more traffic, and their competition time will be scheduled in prime time.
Regardless of resources or capital, it all comes down to the competition.
They will kill without hesitation.
Lin Jiang wrapped his wristband around his wrist while watching the broadcast in the lounge.
KUG was facing a bottom-ranked team in this match, and Alike went on a killing spree, even refusing to push the base and engaging in nearly two minutes of fountain camping.
Song Zhixu felt physically uncomfortable watching this. "Is it necessary to kill people like this? The referee didn't even warn them. Last time we were warned after just chatting on voice chat for a few minutes."
Zhou Wen sighed, "Perhaps this is what they mean by different fates for the same people."
In the second game, Alike continued the same playstyle as the previous game, but this time he wasn't so lucky. The opposing team seemed to be getting revenge for the previous game, with their jungler constantly ganking the mid lane, and Alike was caught and killed twice.
Instead of playing cautiously and developing his character, Alike, whose development was hindered, chose a more risky playstyle, which resulted in him always falling just short of dealing damage and dying twice in a row.
Seeing his 1-4-1 score on stage, the audience was already expressing their dissatisfaction.
Lin Jiang didn't continue reading.
He had previously commented on Alike: "He's like a child who never grew up. He always treats his opponents like idiots. On the field, he's either a god or a monster."
After saying that, he turned around and utterly annihilated Alike on stage, leaving him completely defeated and in a very ugly manner.
Alike harbored resentment towards him because of this incident.
Back to the match, although Alike didn't develop well in this game, KUG's overall strength overwhelmed the opponent, and they easily won the game after 30 minutes.
KUG is currently in first place with a score of 2-0.
In this game, Alike not only failed to get MVP, but his score was almost lower than that of the support player.
After the competition, Alike had a dark expression on his face on stage, and he didn't even appear in the post-competition interview.
The barrage of comments was filled with criticism of Alike. Alike's fans argued that he simply left because of eye discomfort and that the stage lighting was off, and that there was no such thing as him turning sour.
At this point, Lin Jiang's fans stirred things up by bringing up data comparisons to prove that Lin Jiang was Alike's nemesis, having utterly crushed them in previous matches.
The two sides argued fiercely, and the most hurt were KUG's career fans. They just wanted to see KUG focus on his career. No one expected that they would let Lin Jiang go and bring back Alike.
[Is nobody going to speak up for us?]
Song Zhixu chuckled when he saw this. "Captain, Captain, they're talking about you! They're probably kicking themselves for saying KUG..."
Lin Jiang put on his wristband and reminded him, "It's time to hand over your phone."
With both games taking place in the same venue and only an hour in between, OT can begin preparations.
Lin Jiang took a deep breath. Actually, he wasn't very confident that this tactic would be able to defeat FOU.
He rubbed his aching wrists and prepared to go to the restroom. On the way, he ran into Song Zhixu coming out and insisted on going in with him to use the restroom again.
"Captain, Captain, I just saw FOU's mid laner, and he even asked me about you."
"Ask me what?"
"They asked you what special tricks you had prepared. Don't worry, I didn't tell them a thing."
Lin Jiang shook his head helplessly and told him while washing his hands, "Teams should avoid each other, how could you still dare to talk to him?"
"Oh, do we have to avoid suspicion when greeting someone? Old Du didn't tell me that."
"It's not a mandatory rule, but you should still pay attention to it."
After washing his hands, Lin Jiang washed his face as well; the cold water washed away many of his worries.
He finally calmed down and looked up at himself in the mirror.
A straight-backed figure walked over from next door, dressed in a black suit, impeccably dressed.
In the mirror, he lowered his head, slowly took off his watch and put it in his pocket, unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up. Even a simple handwashing action exuded an air of aloofness and arrogance.
Lin Jiang stared at the mirror and stopped.
The water cascaded down with a splash.
"Captain, your sleeve is wet."
Song Zhixu quickly pulled out a bunch of paper towels, grabbed his sleeve, and started frantically wiping his hands.
Her hair was wet and dripping water.
Lin Jiang originally wanted to prove to He Gu that he was doing just fine without KUG, but looking at his already disheveled self in the mirror, he felt indifferent.
He Gu wouldn't care whether he was doing well or not.
He took the tissue Song Zhixu handed him, looked up, and said, "Long time no see, Young Master He. I didn't expect you to be interested in LPL matches."
He Gu was always very busy, so busy that he didn't have a chance to watch Lin Jiang play a single match. Later, when he went abroad, he was even busier, so busy that he didn't even reply to messages.
Lin Jiang naively thought that it was normal for He Gu to be busy during the rising phase of his career, and that it didn't mean he didn't consider her a friend.
Looking back now, it was all just wishful thinking on my part.
Now, his cousin is playing a competition, and he rushed back from abroad to watch the game.
He Gu did not speak.
He wiped the water stains clean with a paper towel, then slowly buttoned the opening back up and put the watch back on.
The long silence was torture.
Song Zhixu couldn't hold back any longer.
He was about to say something when Lin Jiang ruthlessly pushed him away, saying, "Go back and check your equipment."
Song Zhixu left, turning back every few steps. Even after walking out the door, he wanted to look back inside, but was stopped by He Hu's bodyguards and had no choice but to go back.
The restroom is really not a suitable place to chat.
Lin Jiang smiled politely, "Young Master He, I have a match next, so I'll head back now."
"Lin Jiang," He Gu suddenly called out to him.
He stood ramrod straight, exuding an aura of superiority and even when he spoke softly, there was a hint of coldness in his voice.
"Let's talk after we finish playing."
In He Gu's eyes, the only difference between him and Lin Jiang was a year of time spent abroad, but for Lin Jiang, there was also a year of rotation and three years of substitute service in between...
Lin Jiang took a deep breath; he really wasn't in the mood to talk to him.
He shook his head. "No need. I have my own circle of friends and I'm usually quite busy. If there's nothing else, Mr. He, I'll be going now."
He arrived at the door and was stopped by the bodyguards. They deliberately glanced at He Gu's expression before daring to let Lin Jiang out.
He Hu put his hands in his pockets, and the air pressure in the bathroom instantly dropped.
My phone lit up in my pocket: Bro, where did you go? I can't find you.
He Gu replied: I have to go now.
He put away his phone and left the scene with a cold expression.
For someone in his social circle, nothing can make him bow his head repeatedly, not even Lin Jiang.
...
Lin Jiang returned to the lounge and heard Song Zhixu's voice from afar: "Damn, that guy is the big boss of KUG? No wonder Lin Jiang's face looked off when he saw him... Damn it, does KUG have no shame? They actually came to the bathroom to snatch someone away..."
"Song Zhixu".
"arrive!"
"Could you use the time you spend gossiping to improve yourself?"
"Yes, Captain!"
Everyone in the lounge was trying not to laugh, but Duren was clearly worried after hearing that He Gu had come to see Lin Jiang.
Everyone in the industry knows what kind of person He Gu is.
The fact that he was willing to condescend to seek out Lin Jiang is enough to prove how much he values Lin Jiang. If they really had to fight over him, OT would have no chance of winning at all.
call--
Let's finish the match first.
OT's match finally began, and since their opponent this time was FOU, whose strength was in the middle range, almost everyone was not optimistic that Lin Jiang could win.
With OT's level, they're good for playing VT, but they're still a long way from competing with strong teams.
Against all odds, FOU banned Lin Jiang's three best mid-lane heroes right from the start, preparing to pick Galio first.
OT didn't let them get away with it either; they banned Jayce and Galio, for a total of five mid-lane bans.
The main message is: Don't play any of them.
Commentator: "Wow, this match is so intense! Five mid-lane heroes have been banned. Now it's FOU's turn to pick first. What will they choose?"
FOU had a lot of flexibility in their draft, but OT banned two mid laners, putting them in a difficult position.
"What kind of tactic is this? Are they going to sink with us?"
"Let's give it to the mid laner first. If we don't give it to the mid laner, we'll really be out of heroes."
"Yes, yes, give it to Ajue first."
With FOU locking in Viktor, Lin Jiang is now completely out of heroes to pick.
When it was OT's turn to pick, they didn't take the mid laner, but instead gave the top laner and jungler the heroes first.
The commentator speculated: "OT probably wants to take mid first, but let the top and jungle take it first. No problem, the top and jungle are more important in this version."
FOU picked the bot lane and jungle, and it was OT's turn to pick again.
Commentator: "OT will probably give Ahri to the mid lane, right? There aren't many mid laners left to choose from. Let's see what River picks."
As a result, Lin Jiang unexpectedly got the Magnum Gunner, also known as the Little Gunner.
This is an AD champion. Its unique jumping mechanism gives it the ability to clean up in team fights, and it's not weak in the early game. It seems to be a little bit better than Ahri.
But Lin Jiang probably has never played AD mid lane, right?
Back when Lucian was all the rage in the mid lane, he never played him, which was suspected to be due to a lack of confidence in AD champions. He was criticized by his haters for a long time because of this.
The commentator suddenly realized: "Could Tristana be for the bot lane? Isn't OT going to pick a mid laner yet? If they don't pick soon, they won't have any champions left to choose from!"
At this point, FOU realized what had happened, "That old fox Lin Jiang almost fooled me! He doesn't know how to play Tristana mid at all!"
They excitedly banned another mid-laner and a hard support, completely cutting off Lin Jiang's escape route.
Just when all the fans were worried about OT's fate, OT suddenly picked Lucian as their last pick.
fan:?
FOU: ? ? ?
Commentator: "Hmm? Lucian mid, oh wait, I mean Tristana mid! So River actually secretly practiced Tristana mid!"
The atmosphere at the scene became lively again.
The first time I saw Lin Jiang play AD carry, besides excitement, I was actually more worried about him.
[Can Lin Jiang play AD mid lane?]
"Of course I know how to play."
"Back then, I was pretty good at playing Lucian in the mid lane, but I felt that it was difficult for Lucian to transfer the advantage to his teammates, so in the end I would still choose Galio."
"As a result, the word got out that I don't know how to play Lucian."
As a top-tier mid-laner, Lin Jiang's minimum requirement for himself is that he must be proficient in and master all the heroes that can be played.
That's why, when the game version changed, he transitioned so smoothly into a team-oriented mid-laner; unexpectedly, this was misinterpreted by outsiders.
Lin Jiang has become a fisherman.
However, Lin Jiang didn't care about those comments. His playing style wasn't for show, but for winning.
The record for the highest win rate among mid-laners in the league is the best proof of his talent.
He controlled the Tristana to go online, and the opposing player, Ajue, was very wary of him. At this stage, Viktor was no match for Tristana.
Lin Jiang immediately launched a fierce attack. His kiting technique was incredibly tricky, and his subtle head-turning to change his position even revealed a unique style to some.
[Help! When did Lin Jiang learn AD?]
[I genuinely thought he couldn't play AD mid lane.]
[Those who said he couldn't play Lucian mid have been proven wrong, haven't they? Lin Jiang didn't dare pick it not because he couldn't, but because his four useless teammates couldn't function without his support.]
Lin Jiang's hand speed already surpasses many players, and coupled with the advantage of the small cannon in lane, he quickly suppressed the opponent and prevented them from farming.
If you get to level 3 quickly, go all out on him. If the jungler comes to gank, just use W to jump away, pat your butt, and leave without looking back.
The commentator remarked, "River's Tristana is something else. Look at his poke combo, it's so smooth."
He quickly chipped away at two layers of the enemy's turrets. Ajue's development was not good, and FOU's jungler did not dare to go forward. At least before the two of them reached level 6, they absolutely could not fight with Lin Jiang.
And so a very dramatic scene unfolded.
Lin Jiang attacked face-to-face, and Viktor didn't dare to turn around. The passing jungler ran away as fast as he could.
By the time Ajue finally reached level 6, Lin Jiang was already level 7 and had even gotten a kill by roaming.
By the time A-Jue finally managed to get his core equipment and start dealing some damage, Lin Jiang's core equipment was also ready, and he had even higher damage output and was more agile.
Ajue: It's so frustrating.
The audience was laughing hysterically.
[Haha, Lin Jiang's player selection really screwed over A-Jue...]
[A-Jue will never be able to beat Lin Jiang in his entire life.]
[Who remembers the times when Lin Jiang drove Xiao Ajue mad?]
I think A-Jue's fear of Lin Jiang is ingrained in his bones, and has nothing to do with what hero Lin Jiang plays.
Besides the advantage in the mid lane, Chenju in the bottom lane also dominated the opponent with his Lucian, making their lives miserable.
With advantages on both fronts and two high-damage dealers, viewers felt hopeless for FOU.
Narrator: "What should FOU do? It can't withstand the frontal attacks at all..."
He had barely finished speaking when Zhou Wen suddenly flashed in and initiated a team fight. Chen Ju rushed in and unleashed a Holy Lance Baptism, leaving the opponent with very low health.
Lin Jiang jumped in and wiped out the enemy team.
Then, they decisively turned around, took the Baron Nashor, and pushed onto the high ground.
"We lost this game."
A-Jue's expression was not good; he hadn't expected Lin Jiang to come up with a solution so quickly.
"We underestimated our opponent in this round."
But it's okay, this is a best-of-three series, as long as we keep targeting Lin Jiang, we'll definitely have a chance.
"Let's ban Lin Jiang's small cannon next game."
In the next game, OT will definitely choose the blue side, and will have the first pick position, so Tristana must be banned, Galio must be banned, and Jayce must also be banned.
This allowed Lin Jiang's seductress to be released.
The jungler frowned.
Something feels off.
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