Chapter 29

“Wolves, ROC, Weibo. Group B is undoubtedly the undisputed Group of Death.”

In the first team training room, Jack stood before the scrim whiteboard. The board was densely covered with detailed stats on the three Group B teams’ per-round points from past weeks’ matches. The focus was especially on the Wolves, down to their Ban-Pick and strategic decisions for every single round.

Jack stated, “Over five match days, the Wolves took first place on four of them. Twice by directly breaking two bricks to end the match, twice by playing all six rounds and winning on points. The Wolves are currently first in the league’s overall standings, two points ahead of us.”

During this period, every team in the league had been constantly reviewing the Wolves. OLG was no exception. Jack analyzed, “The Wolves’ greatest strength is their stability. Mocha is a veteran from the first DFL season, famous for his rock-solid consistency since three years ago. Now he’s even more steady, like an old dog. And their new player, Clever, is young but incredibly composed; he’s barely made any mistakes.”

Rose added, “With those two backing him, Zhang Minjie can truly let loose and play his game.”

Jack began outlining tactics. “For Thursday’s match, we have two options. One: we also play it steady and compete with them on points. On the two match days Wolves broke two bricks, they faced weaker groups. Tomorrow’s match has us, plus ROC and Weibo. Breaking two bricks will be extremely difficult for them. Judging by their past choices, they’ll aim to play all six rounds.”

He paused, his expression serious. “Or… we blitz them.”

Yan Xiu had also reviewed the Wolves’ matches multiple times. Listening to Jack’s tactical analysis, a rough outline formed in his mind. Suddenly his phone buzzed. He opened it and said to Jack, “Coach, my friend is here. I’m going to give him his offline ticket.”

Jack asked, “The VIP ticket you asked me for yesterday—is it for this friend?”

Yan Xiu nodded. “He’s visiting Shanghai for a few days. He also plays Delta Force. He’s a game companion at Laifu Esports, called Pineapple.”

Jack immediately remembered him. “Pineapple! The one who wanted Danger’s autograph.”

Rose said, “I gave him a personalized signature.”

Qin Baotian chimed in, “I gave one too. So he’s here in Shanghai, at our doorstep?”

Yan Xiu gave a light nod. “Yeah, I’ll just give him the ticket. Be right back.”

He grabbed the physical VIP ticket from the desk and got up to go downstairs.

DFL tickets actually had digital versions. Even for VIP tickets, just scanning a QR code to register info allowed e-ticket entry. But last night, Pineapple had hemmed and hawed, begging Yan Xiu to get a physical ticket for him.

【It’s a memento! God Show, it’s my first time watching an OLG match live, and it’s a VIP ticket! Massive bragging rights!】

September in Shanghai, the “autumn tiger” was still stiflingly hot. The moment you left air-conditioned rooms, you were hit by a wall of heat.

Yan Xiu stood at the entrance, looking around. He immediately spotted a short young man standing not far away. He walked over and asked, “Pineapple?”

Pineapple was already dumbstruck.

Online, he’d seen Yan Xiu’s roster photos and match streams. But the difference between on-camera and real life was night and day. Even the best-looking celebrity appeared larger-headed and less sharp on screen, diminishing their real-life looks. Yan Xiu in person was even more striking than those polished roster photos: tall, lean, with a very small face. He looked entirely like he was meant to be a celebrity.

Pineapple stared, mouth agape, for a long while. Yan Xiu asked again, “Pineapple?”

He snapped back instantly, stammering, “Y-yes, yes! That’s me, that’s me.”

Yan Xiu handed over the physical ticket. Pineapple hurriedly accepted it.

Yan Xiu reminded him, “The match starts at 3 PM tomorrow. You can enter the venue at 2 PM. Your ticket is in the VIP section, close to the stage. You might get caught on camera.”

Pineapple replied, “No worries, I’ll wear a mask.”

Many viewers didn’t like being on camera. Unless they were exceptionally good-looking, even a decent-looking person could drop from an 8 to a 6 under the high-definition live broadcast lens.

Yan Xiu looked at Pineapple for a few seconds.

When he first went public as a pro, several game companions and clients said they’d come watch his offline matches someday. But after over a month of playing, only Pineapple had actually come.

Pineapple couldn’t help but ask, “Are you all… inside the club?”

“What?” Yan Xiu didn’t catch his meaning.

Pineapple gave an awkward laugh, looking a bit shy. “Qingbao, Rose, and God D… are they all inside?”

Yan Xiu shook his head. “God D isn’t. He went out this morning with Sister Hua.”

Pineapple was visibly disappointed. “He’s not here!”

Yan Xiu: “…”

It was way too hot outside, and it wasn’t convenient for Yan Xiu to invite Pineapple into the base. Seeing the sweat covering Yan Xiu’s forehead, Pineapple wisely said his goodbyes, preparing to hail a cab back to his hotel.

Yan Xiu offered, “I’ll walk you to the compound gate.”

“No need, no need. I know the way.”

“It’s just a short walk.”

When Yan Xiu had been desperately taking orders to save for the transfer fee, Pineapple had referred several clients to him. Not every boss could consistently afford a 500/hr game companion. Sister Qiqi, whom Pineapple had connected him with, was a very wealthy client, basically playing with Yan Xiu and Pineapple every day. At least fifty thousand of that transfer fee had been sponsored by Sister Qiqi.

Yan Xiu pulled a plastic-sleeved photocard from his pocket and handed it to Pineapple. “Almost forgot this. I grabbed it from OLG’s storage.”

Pineapple took the photocard, his pupils dilating. “HOLY SH—! God D’s limited-edition secret-rare trophy-lift photocard from this year’s Spring Split!!!”

Yan Xiu explained, “The league gives each club some merchandise.”

Pineapple was moved to tears. “Dad Show, you are my biological father, no blood relation needed!!!”

Hearing himself called “Dad” for the first time, Yan Xiu felt a bit awkward. He changed the subject. “Did you order your cab?”

“Just about to, Dad.”

Yan Xiu: “…”

After seeing his newfound “son” to the compound gate, Yan Xiu walked back via the underground garage. Near the basement level entrance of the OLG base, Jack’s gruff voice carried from a distance.

“The most critical piece of the Wolves is still Mocha.” Jack took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes distant. “He’s the Wolves’ brain. Battlefield analysis is fierce. Tomorrow, he’ll definitely be watching you closely.”

The white-haired figure leaned against that ridiculously flashy white Lamborghini, head bowed, giving a “mm.” A cigarette dangled from his fingers, his expression clearly annoyed.

Jack continued, “What I’m saying is, play it steady. If we can’t break through the Wolves’ iron bucket formation in one go, if we can’t instantly delete ZMJ, Mocha can revive him. Or they might just sacrifice ZMJ alone to trade for two of us, or even a team wipe.”

Hearing footsteps, they fell silent, looked up, and saw Yan Xiu.

Bai Wei raised an eyebrow in surprise. Jack asked, “Your friend left?”

Yan Xiu nodded. “Just walked him out.”

OLG’s basement entrance had a designated enclosed trash bin outside. Bai Wei stubbed out his cigarette and flicked it in. Hearing Jack’s question, he asked, “Which friend?”

Before Yan Xiu could answer, Jack spoke, “That Pineapple guy. You even signed an autograph for him.”

“Oh. Pineapple.”

Yan Xiu greeted them and then went inside. Bai Wei watched his slender back, tracking him all the way through the door. He leaned against the car, deep in thought.

Jack leaned in with a gossipy smirk. “Just remembered something I heard from Hades the day before yesterday. About the Wolves and Show. Wanna hear?”

Bai Wei’s interest was piqued. “What?”

Jack said, “During the transfer window, the Wolves had a Headhunter contact Show. They were about to arrange a trial at their base… but two days before, they suddenly informed him not to come. They’d already signed a rookie—that rookie was Clever. Wolves are so loaded. If Show had trialed well, they’d definitely have been willing to cover at least half the two-million transfer fee.”

Bai Wei did the mental math.

Wolves covering half meant Yan Xiu would only need to come up with the other half. He’d already had a million saved up himself; he wouldn’t have needed to borrow money everywhere.

Bai Wei scoffed, full of contempt. “The Wolves have always had no eye for talent. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed Lin Sihong back then, and now they’ve just gotten themselves a Mini-Mocha. ZMJ’s playstyle is too aggressive, with no thought for the rear. Clever is basically Mini-Mocha. Looks very useful at first glance, makes the whole team more stable. But wait until next year when Mocha is too old and retires—Mini-Mocha won’t even cover half of Mocha’s role. Without Mocha, no one on the Wolves can hold ZMJ back anymore.”

Jack agreed completely. “The Wolves should have signed a secondary Entry Fragger. Relying only on ZMJ, who’s either godlike or feeding—if two or three teams go head-to-head with them at once, their record will be brutal. They should use the time while Mocha hasn’t fully retired to transition their tactics and adapt to a world without Mocha.”

“Mm, besides, Show doesn’t fit the Wolves anyway. It’s reasonable they didn’t let him trial. Saved him a pointless trip in the summer heat.” Bai Wei kept justifying it, though the smile on his lips remained neither warm nor cold.

But Jack disagreed. “Shouldn’t the Wolves be looking for a secondary Entry Fragger? Show fits that pretty well.”

Bai Wei thought back to that afternoon when he first met the youth: hair a bit long, delicate collarbones peeking through the locks. He smiled, his voice becoming casual and ambiguous. “He’s more suited for OLG. OLG is more suited for him…”

Jack looked at Young Master of Shanghai and suddenly blurted out incongruously, “Workplace romance isn’t good, you know…”

Bai Wei froze.

Jack himself froze for a moment too, but since the words were already out, he asked with some concern, “Hypothetically, say Show actually does like men, and you two actually started dating… what if one day you break up? Could the match still be played? If you had to, probably not well. Couldn’t even play together on stage. Between you and him, OLG would definitely choose you. No way they’d pick him. He still has over a year on his contract… meaning, break up with you, and he loses his job too. Too pitiful.”

Bai Wei: “…”

“You really should donate your mouth to science if you can’t speak properly.”

Jack didn’t dare piss off the Crown Prince. He defended himself, “Just saying. You two might not even end up dating.”

Bai Wei: “…”

“Fk! The most poisonous mouth in OLG is actually yours?!”

Disgusted beyond belief, Bai Wei threw up his hands and stormed into the villa. The basement door slammed with a thunderous boom, shaking the three cars parked outside. The kids in the academy training room, headsets on, were jolted by the terrifying noise. They took off their headphones and turned around, only to see Bai Wei with an expression like someone owed him eight million—dark and utterly ugly—stomping up the stairs.

With his long legs, he cleared two steps at a time. The twelve-step staircase, he ascended in four strides.

Academy Team: “…”

Jack outside also felt he might have misspoken. He rubbed his nose and went to open the door to go inside. He pulled the handle twice, but it wouldn’t budge. Jack was stunned. “???” No way, it’s actually locked from the inside? That means I have to walk all the way around to the front door to get in!