Sorry, Stuck Again [Esports] Chapter 31

Chapter 31

[Official Sacred Domain Clash]

The match schedule for the seventh round of the round-robin is freshly released. Adventurers, please check it out~

[I'm Chouzi: Parachuting success! Arrow's mom is here!]

[Biscuit: What did I just see! Judgement! WIN is actually up against Judgement!]

[Eating Vitamin C: Sacred Domain, you really know what we want to see!]

[Yuma: Make way, make way, frontline reporter coming through! Judgement's Flash, first on the ladder, combat power 13105; WIN's Arrow, second on the ladder, combat power 13089]

[Slacking Off: No more talking, I'm off to buy tickets!]

Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere filled the resting area of the Judgement team. Mage Yichen was so angry he threw down his chopsticks, unable to eat, his face full of frustration: "What terrible luck, Arrow's debut match and he runs into us, how unlucky can we get!"

Flash quickly pulled out a tissue, carefully wiped the chopsticks, and handed them over, but Yichen seemed oblivious, and the three others also looked dejected. Seeing this, Flash tried to lighten the mood, half-jokingly saying, "What's going on? If we don't eat, the food will get cold. We even got through the third match against KP, are we really afraid of WIN?"

The oldest among the four, sidelaner Yuguang, broke the silence with a heavy heart. "Do you think Yichen is worried about WIN? Shanshan, look at how many layers of complaints are stacked under the official account. How many more days can we old guys hold on?"

Shanshan was Flash's nickname. Flash's face showed a hint of irritation, but he quickly adjusted, speaking in a light tone: "Don't worry, I've improved, we'll definitely win this time!"

"But we can't improve anymore," Yuguang replied. The jungler self-deprecatingly said, "I don't even dare to open my private messages on Weibo now, nine out of ten are calling me trash, hahaha."

Yichen followed up, "Shanshan, if it weren't us by your side, but any four young teammates, the situation would definitely be better than it is now."

Here we go again. Flash felt a wave of annoyance, automatically tuning out their words, stubbornly poking at the rice in his bowl with great force, "I don't want to hear this!"

"Anyway, I'm not leaving, I won't leave Judgement." He stopped his actions, the last part of his sentence trembling slightly.

Yichen caught a glimpse of the tears in his eyes, and his emotions collapsed, getting up and leaving. Sidelaner Yutian gently placed a hand on Flash's shoulder, silently accompanying him.

"Shanshan, you've really done enough, and we're really powerless, we can't fight anymore." His voice was full of melancholy.

Flash swallowed the emotions surging in his throat, looking up with tearful eyes at Yutian in front of him. "Brother, am I wrong for dragging you down like this?"

Yutian pressed his head against his shoulder, hugging Flash tightly, shaking his head vigorously. "Without you, I would have given up long ago, Shanshan, we brothers don't want to drag you down anymore."

Flash's long-suppressed emotions completely erupted. He felt as if his four brothers were suddenly so far away, they were leaving, and he couldn't stop them.

Judgement team is currently the smallest team in the esports circle, with only five members. Sidelaner Yuguang is the team's owner and manager, the founder of Judgement. Back then, Judgement was truly a grassroots miracle, four like-minded young people with dreams formed a team on a whim. Despite the constant changes and varying levels of skill in the marksman position, the four of them, with their strong abilities, managed to drag the shortcoming of the marksman position and carve a bloody path in the secondary league.

That year, the oldest, Yuguang, was only twenty, and they were even given a domineering nickname—"Judgement's Four Blades." Two years later, Judgement broke out of the secondary league, the grassroots team rising against the odds, becoming a new force in the esports circle, knocking on the door of the professional league, and securing a ticket to the Spring Season.

At that time, Flash had just turned eighteen. Driven by his esports dream, he took a leave of absence from university without permission, using all his savings to try and get into KP's youth training camp through the back door, only to be scammed out of all his money. Flash was so broke he didn't even have money to go home, resorting to earning money by dueling for elementary school students in an internet cafe, which attracted a lot of attention to that cafe.

Until one day, he met Yuguang. The four of Judgement never expected to find a suitable marksman for the team so quickly, and they doted on Flash, the little brother, afraid he'd go hungry or cold. Even when his mom came to the base to take him home, Yichen took a slap from the aunt to protect Flash, calming the situation down. It was also Yuguang who took out his savings and certificates, patiently explaining for a long time, allowing Flash to stay.

Since then, Judgement, which always had a shortcoming in the marksman position, finally found the last piece of the puzzle. The team became more and more coordinated, and their results became increasingly impressive. With the help of his four brothers, who were four years older, Flash improved rapidly. From barely keeping up with his brothers' operational pace to being able to hold his own and execute brilliant plays, from being criticized as a vampire kid by fans to climbing to the top ten on the ladder, even reaching first place.

But as Flash's fanbase grew, so did the controversies. He realized that the brothers who once led him to grow were gradually unable to keep up with his pace. The team repeatedly lost to old rivals, and the comments section on the official Weibo became increasingly unbearable. Yuguang and the others were once prominent figures in the esports circle, proud and ambitious, but when the desire to win could never overcome physical limitations, they had to accept this reality.

The nickname "Judgement's Four Blades" was twisted by haters into "Judgement's Dead Blades," and they were seen by fans as four ghouls constantly leeching off Flash. Black fans and negative comments flooded in like a tide. Everyone advised Flash to leave Judgement, saying that joining any strong team would elevate his career to new heights. Eventually, even the ones persuading him became the four of them. Because they didn't want to see Flash, so young, unable to sleep night after night, frantically improving his skills. They didn't want to see Flash, late at night, deleting negative comments from the official Weibo one by one.

Gradually, Flash grew to hate hearing these words, even turning hostile at the mention of them. It was as if as long as he covered his eyes and charged forward with his brothers, they could return to their former glory, but all they got were unsatisfactory results and fans leaving. The Spring Season started, Judgement lost four out of six matches, Flash got MVP every time, and the team ranked at the bottom. His fans couldn't take it anymore, and under the guise of "for his own good," they relentlessly hurt the four brothers he cared about the most.

This time, Flash had to face reality. Online, they said he was a fool dragging four others, that Judgement was an orphanage. But how had Flash not also held them back? They could have retired early, but instead, they endured years of infamy. The esports circle is cruel, everyone has reasons they must persist or leave. Yuguang and the others are already 24, the oldest "living fossils" among active players. There's no such thing as a never-ending feast, Flash can't stop anyone, nor can he save anyone.

——

Ji Feng hadn't been home for a long time due to training, so the first thing he did after retiring was to go home and take a look. When Cloud found out, he insisted on tagging along, directly making a move without informing Shen Chuan. Helpless, Ji Feng stood at the airport with his suitcase, making a call full of promises and apologies, and only then did Shen Chuan not punish him. Therefore, Lu Chang Kong was up for the match against Judgement.

Lu Chang Kong was also making his debut on the professional stage, and upon hearing the news, he was both excited and anxious, even getting three cold sores overnight from stress. The day before the match, he stuck to Pei Yun Chang every minute, discussing tactics. Bian Yan and Pan Shi found it hilarious.

"Brother Lu, is it really necessary? You're at least in the top twenty on the ladder," Bian Yan, who didn't have to play, was leisurely enjoying a lollipop, teasing Lu Chang Kong.

Lu Chang Kong now had PTSD at the mention of "going on stage," nodding like a garlic crusher, hurriedly saying, "It's necessary, very necessary. I'm afraid if I mess up tomorrow, Pei Ge's fans will throw rotten eggs at me on stage."

Pan Shi added fuel to the fire, "That's light, they might rush up and stomp you half to death, then go online to greet Auntie Lu and Uncle Lu."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bian Yan burst into laughter. "Oh, you two really have it easy talking like this!" Lu Chang Kong couldn't sit still, pushing Pei Yun Chang towards the computer, "Ignore them, Pei Ge, let's practice more!"

Bian Yan watched the two's backs, chewing on the word "we" that Lu Chang Kong used, a hint of secret longing in his eyes. The two practiced until mealtime, and Pei Yun Chang used the excuse of eating to finally send Lu Chang Kong off.

Lu Chang Kong reluctantly leaned on the doorframe of his room, unwilling to give up, asking again, "Can we win tomorrow? Pei Ge, are you really not nervous?"

This was the eleventh time he asked today. "Not nervous, we'll win easily." Pei Yun Chang calmly tidied up his keyboard, glancing at Lu Chang Kong with patience.

"Really?" Lu Chang Kong asked with a mournful face, still uneasy. Pei Yun Chang coldly raised his eyes, giving him a sidelong glance. Lu Chang Kong awkwardly smiled, nodded knowingly, and quickly left.

Pei Yun Chang closed the door, swiftly tidying up the equipment on the table, and looked at the clock—it was only a little past seven in the evening. Meanwhile, the door was knocked again—

Pei Yun Chang was in a good mood, his steps light, but when he opened the door, he saw the familiar face of Lu Chang Kong again, and his smile froze. Before Lu Chang Kong could speak, Pei Yun Chang rattled off a long string of words.

"I'm not nervous, we can win, you don't need to be nervous, don't ask me this question again." Followed by a loud door slam. Lu Chang Kong silently swallowed, a bit amused and helpless.

Isn't it possible that he just came to get the charger he left in the room? Pei Yun Chang, with nothing to do, unlocked his phone, aimlessly scrolling for a while, and the door knocked again.

He opened it with a face full of impatience, looking quite displeased, and started to rant, "I already said…"

Until he saw it was Bian Yan, and his voice abruptly stopped. Bian Yan was startled by his aura, discreetly taking two steps back.

"What's up?" Pei Yun Chang awkwardly coughed twice, explaining, "I thought it was Lu Chang Kong again…"

Bian Yan nodded thoughtfully, shaking his phone, and asked, "Then why did you call me here?"

Pei Yun Chang arrogantly lifted his head, speaking as if it was only natural, "To have dinner with me."

"Why?" Bian Yan chuckled. "Because I'm nervous." Pei Yun Chang answered with righteous confidence.