Chapter 31 Although the bonds of camaraderie within the Righteous Slash faction are eroding…
Although the camaraderie within the team has grown stronger through the process of getting to know each other, the professional league standings will not be warmed up in the slightest as a result.
In the second round, Yi Zhan faced the Yan Yu team at home. Yi Zhan still failed to break the deadlock and only managed to get 1 point in the individual competition. In the end, he suffered another miserable defeat with a score of 1 to 9, firmly occupying the bottom position in the league.
As the main host, Zhao Zhinian stood under the dazzling stage lights, clearly feeling the low pressure of the Yizhan fans in the audience, whose anticipation gradually cooled into disappointment. She only completed the most basic announcements and contestant introductions. As for the lucky audience interaction segment that had been carefully planned and rehearsed many times before? Faced with such an embarrassing result, any cheerful interaction seemed inappropriate, even tinged with irony.
Although a few lucky audience members were still randomly selected according to the procedure, the staff gave the fans a heads-up beforehand: if you win, there will be a post-match interaction with the player; if you lose, there may not be, but the support gifts prepared by Yizhan will be distributed to everyone, and we hope that everyone will continue to support Yizhan.
The result is self-evident.
Looking at the understanding yet inevitably disappointed eyes in the audience, Zhao Zhinian felt a pang of sadness. Although some fans spontaneously applauded and encouraged Yizhan, the sparse applause was more like a silent sigh, gently tapping on the hearts of every Yizhan member.
After the match, the base seemed to be shrouded in an invisible dark cloud.
The players were in low spirits. Even Lin Shuang, usually the most lively one and in charge of the official Weibo account, looked like a wilted eggplant, slumped listlessly on the table, listlessly swiping her phone screen: "Ugh, posting on Weibo every day feels like torture. It's either dry match announcements or post-match apologies... Today, a hater even said my Weibo is a 'regular column for announcing bad news,' which made me so angry! But I don't even have the confidence to talk back..."
Zhao Zhinian was completing a mission in Glory when she heard this and sighed in empathy: "The fan interactions and team daily routines that we originally planned were the icing on the cake when we won the game. But once we keep losing..." She shook her head, "all the 'gossip' loses its meaning. My 'Yizhan Fresh News' column on Weibo has also been inactive for a long time."
People are naturally drawn to underdog success stories and the triumphant rise of young talents. However, Yi Zhan Kong had plenty of publicity and buzz, but failed to deliver commensurate results. The higher the initial expectations, the stronger the backlash.
Results are the most valuable asset for professional esports teams. Without results, even the best strategies seem weak and ineffective.
Just then, the training room door opened, and Lou Guanning led Zou Yunhai, Wen Kebei, and others out, all dressed in sportswear and carrying badminton rackets. Zhong Yeli also came over to greet them: "Zhinian, Xiaoshuang, come on, let's go exercise together."
"Aren't we training today?" Zhao Zhinian asked, somewhat surprised.
Zhong Yeli smiled helplessly: "We lent all our silver weapon equipment to Ye Qiu for the challenge matches. Plus, everyone's condition is really not good. Team Leader Lou said that forced training is not effective, so it's better to relax and adjust first."
"Borrowing equipment to play in the competition?" Zhao Zhinian was astonished. "As expected of the great Ye Qiu, his actions are extraordinary."
The group walked towards the stadium, chatting and laughing, which livened up the atmosphere a bit. Wen Kebei waved his badminton racket, his tone filled with envy: "Ye Qiu's effortless confidence is something I can't learn."
Gu Xiye suddenly remembered seeing Zhao Zhinian's official introduction and looked at Zhao Zhinian: "By the way, Zhinian, you seem to be a fan of the great god Ye Qiu, right? We are quite familiar with the great god, let's see if we can get you an autograph later."
Zhao Zhinian was stunned for a moment, and before she could respond, Wen Kebei next to her retorted: "Come on! Zhinian is definitely a fan of Captain Zhou!"
Zhong Yeli immediately smacked him with a badminton shuttlecock: "You talk too much!"
Gu Xiye also realized what was going on, recalling the gossip she had heard in the group chat before. With a mix of curiosity and teasing, she posed a multiple-choice question: "Chinen, if... I mean, if one day we, Gizen and Samsara, meet in the finals, who would you support?"
The question caused a brief moment of silence.
Lou Guanning laughed heartily upon hearing this, speaking up to help Zhao Zhinian out of the predicament: "Xi Ye, you really dare to dream big! The finals? Given our current situation, if that day really comes, let alone whether Zhinian supports Samsara or not, I'd be willing to switch sides and support Samsara! That would mean that our Yizhan would at least make it to the finals!"
Everyone was amused by Lou Guanning's self-deprecating humor and burst into laughter, the slight awkwardness from before dissipating with the wind.
The brief respite failed to immediately reverse the tide of the game. In the next away game, Zhao Zhinian did not travel with the team, and the result was still unsatisfactory, with Yizhan firmly occupying the bottom position.
Coincidentally, there were no commentary slots available for her at the Glory Challenge recently, so the company arranged another job for her: hosting offline audience interviews and commentary sessions for the game "Star Trek," a real-time strategy game.
These kinds of interview hosting jobs are basically just for show. In the past, StarCraft also invited some internet celebrities to do interviews. They didn't require much skill and relied more on their image and eloquence to keep the show going. It wasn't difficult for Zhao Zhinian.
But Zhao Zhinian still downloaded the game seriously, intending to at least learn the basic gameplay.
Upon seeing the new game icon on her screen, Lin Shuang immediately rushed over, wailing in anguish, "Oh my god! Yi Zhan is so disappointing, are we all going to have to switch to another game?"
Zhao Zhinian was amused by her exaggerated expression and joked along with her words: "Yeah, when I go to other games to make some money, I'll come back and support you guys and Yizhan."
Lin Shuang immediately switched into her dramatic mode, grabbing her arm: "Okay! It's a deal! You'll support me! If the Lou team loses the game, they can go home and inherit the family business, but I'll be unemployed!"
Joking aside, Yi Zhan's struggles in the league are a reality. In contrast, Team Samsara is making great strides on the field, and Zhou Zekai, as the core player, is naturally extremely busy. He not only has to deal with matches but also some commercial activities. The communication between Zhao Zhinian and Zhou Zekai has become brief messages across time zones.
Even in the game, Gu Yin cautiously probed more than once: "Sister Nian, do I... do I still have a chance to play with the pro player in the tenth server again? You're online every day, but Captain Zhou... is he completely unavailable?"
Zhao Zhinian was both amused and exasperated by his cowardly yet hopeful tone, and deliberately stabbed him in the back: "Give up, it's over! I'll find a power leveler to quickly reach the God Realm and completely extinguish your hopes!"
As the challenge progressed, Zhao Zhinian finally received the job of commentating on the Zhuxian team's match in the fourth round. Although she had done her homework before the match, Zhuxian's opponents were of average strength, the match lacked excitement, and it didn't attract much attention. Her commentary debut passed smoothly in this lukewarm atmosphere, without any mistakes or highlights.
This could barely be considered a milestone in her career, and Lin Shuang originally wanted to celebrate it properly for her. However, considering Yi Zhan's dismal record of not even getting 5 points in the last two rounds, she felt embarrassed to have a big celebration at the base. In the end, Zhao Zhinian, Lin Shuang, and Zhong Yeli simply went out for a nice meal privately as a small commemoration.
Zhong Yeli is usually busy with training, but since there's a competition tomorrow, she can't train too late tonight, so she took some time out.
During the meal, Lin Shuang couldn't help but ask about Zhao Zhinian and Zhou Zekai's progress.
Zhao Zhinian stirred the drink in her cup with a straw, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible melancholy: "He's busy, and I'm busy too. Today was my first commentary session, and he only sent me a message wishing me good luck, telling me he didn't have time to watch."
Lin Shuang understood. Having witnessed the dedication of her own players during training, she could naturally imagine that the Samsara captain's schedule would only be even fuller.
"Fine, you guys really are taking this 'take it slow' approach to the extreme." She sighed, then looked expectantly at Zhao Zhinian and Zhong Yeli. "Feelings will only affect our career progress. Should we focus on our careers...? Can we win tomorrow? Can Zhinian do the post-match fan interaction tomorrow? Can I post a happy Weibo without having to apologize?"
Zhong Yeli shook her head: "I don't know. Tomorrow's opponent is Tiny Herb, but Chinen will definitely host the interactive session after the match tomorrow."
Tomorrow is Yizhan's home game against their city rivals Tiny Herb, which can be considered a city derby. The managers of both teams have communicated in advance and decided to draw lucky audience members from both teams in advance: regardless of which team wins, the winning team will participate in a post-match fan interaction session.
Upon hearing this arrangement, Zhao Zhinian couldn't help but smile wryly, his tone tinged with self-deprecation and a hint of helplessness: "So, as the resident host for Yizhan, my first post-match fan interaction as a professional player will be dedicated to Tiny Herb's fans?"
The question caused a moment of silence at the table. The flashing neon lights outside the window reflected the complex expressions on the three people's faces: worry, resentment, and a touch of bittersweet humor honed by reality.
On the morning of the match, the tense atmosphere of the city derby could already be felt backstage at the stadium.
Zhao Zhinian went to the Tiny Herb lounge to confirm the post-match interaction procedures. The Tiny Herb manager greeted her warmly, Wang Jiexi stood to the side and nodded steadily, while Gao Yingjie next to her nodded shyly and quietly apologized for the commotion he had caused in the players' group chat earlier.
"It's okay, it's all a coincidence." Zhao Zhinian gently comforted him, but couldn't help but smile to himself: it seems that the subtle gossip in the Tiny Herb team members' eyes came from this.
"I didn't expect Ms. Zhao to come to Beijing to develop her career," the Tiny Herb manager said with a smile. "We Tiny Herb also have some events with teams from the same city in the future, so we can cooperate more." He then subtly changed the subject, seemingly casually mentioning, "Team Leader Zhou, he..."
Zhao Zhinian timely interrupted this overly enthusiastic concern, smiling politely: "We are both focused on our own careers."
Wang Jiexi naturally picked up the conversation, steer the topic back to business, and glanced casually at his teammates. No words were needed; a single look was enough to quell any restless gossip.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhao Zhinian returned to the Yizhan lounge. Lou Guanning, seeing her enter, decided to take this opportunity to boost morale: "Everyone knows that today's winner will have a fan interaction session, right?" He deliberately paused, "We can't really have our host host the Tiny Herb fan interaction session after the match, can we?"
"Exactly!" Lin Shuang immediately jumped up and chimed in, holding up her phone and looking at everyone expectantly: "And my official Weibo account! Please, everyone, let me experience what it feels like to announce a victory! I really want to fight back against those haters!"
Wenkebei was the first to respond: "Absolutely not! Chinen should definitely host the fan interaction for our own Gizen!"
“That’s right!” Gu Xiye also stood up, “For Zhi Nian’s hosting, for Lin Shuang’s freedom on Weibo…”
"And for the dignity of our Righteous Execution!" Zou Yunhai added.
Lou Guanning looked at his teammates, who were now full of enthusiasm, and smiled as he extended his hand: "Come on!"
The team members immediately gathered around, their palms overlapping.
However, this passion proved so fragile in the face of a true difference in skill. When the match ended, the cheers of Tiny Herb fans in the arena surged like a tidal wave, while only silence remained on the side of Yizhan.
The cruelty of this match lies in the fact that it once generously gave Yizhan hope.
With two wins in the individual competition, Yizhan led 2-0; the advantage they built in the arena match even held them by one kill against the defending champion Wang Jiexi. However, all of this vanished thanks to Wang Jiexi's composed and unhurried play. He defeated two opponents in a row, securing both points for Tiny Herb in the arena match.
In the team match, Yi Zhan took the lead in eliminating the opponent's priest with his ingenious tactical arrangements, but this only confirmed the cruel fact once again: if you can't deal with Wang Jiexi, you can never truly defeat Tiny Herb.
Every stage of the competition ignited a glimmer of hope for Yizhan, only to be extinguished one by one by Wang Jiexi.
Wang Jiexi's very existence is a destruction of belief.
His strength as the "Magician" lies not only in the unpredictable nature of his Glory Techniques, but also in his very existence: a despair-inducing and comprehensive suppression that makes Tiny Herb's opponents clearly realize that as long as he stands there, they cannot defeat Tiny Herb and can never cross this mountain.
When you're in the middle of your industry, hard work is your most reliable ladder; but when you truly stand at the top and compete with the most outstanding geniuses, you'll realize that that 1% talent is a chasm that 99% of effort cannot cross. What's even more frightening is that people like Wang Jiexi not only possess talent that surpasses everyone else, but also put in effort that rivals anyone else's.
On the battlefield of Glory, there is no shortage of geniuses. But when you give it your all, only to find that your struggles are nothing but a joke in the face of true talent... that sense of powerlessness is enough to shatter even the strongest beliefs.
In the post-match lounge, the players either leaned against the wall or slumped in chairs, and no one spoke.
“We played very well at the beginning, but… when I felt I had given it my all, Wang Jiexi seemed to be telling me that there is a limit to effort. I had this feeling before when facing the great Ye Qiu.” Lou Guanning broke the silence with a bitter smile, his voice dry, “And we, perhaps, will never reach that limit even if we exhaust our entire professional careers.”
Lin Shuang, her eyes red, tidied up the things she had brought. Even the usually most lively Lin Shuang couldn't utter a single word of comfort, only murmuring, "So close." This match was different from previous crushing defeats. Its unfolding seemed to tell Yi Zhan that there was hope, yet it ruthlessly took that hope away, leaving Yi Zhan to be crushed to pieces by reality.
"It wasn't just a little bit." Zhong Yeli smiled wryly. The broadcast TV in the rest room was still playing Wang Jiexi's highlight reel of taking on two opponents in one go. When the opposing priest was focused down and taken down in the team match today, she really relaxed for a moment, thinking that it was a sure thing. But then Wang Buluoxing appeared behind her like a god descending from heaven: "We thought it was just a little bit."
Although Zhao Zhinian was also saddened by Yizhan's defeat, she could not let her emotions interfere with her work. She dutifully hosted the interaction between the Tiny Herb team members and fans.
On stage, Tiny Herb fans excitedly expressed their admiration for Wang Jiexi, shook hands with him, took photos, and shouted "Long live Wang Jiexi!" saying, "He has protected everything Tiny Herb has to offer." Every fan's face was filled with pride and excitement.
At this moment, standing at the door of Yizhan's rest room, looking at the deathly silence inside, she suddenly felt that professional competition was too cruel. Wang Jiexi's protection of Tiny Herb was also a kind of destruction of Yizhan's belief.
For professional players, some failures are valuable lessons, a necessary step in their transformation; while others become hidden scars in their hearts, buried deep within, untouchable yet forever unforgettable.
Outside the window, the night in Beijing was deep. Although it was very late, the cheers of Tiny Herb fans could still be heard, making the lounge seem even more silent. No one knew how Yizhan would get through this night.
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