Chapter 1175: Tyranny Fanclub
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
September 27th, Glory Pro Alliance Season 10 Round 4 began, with Happy playing their home game against Tyranny.
The influence of a powerhouse team was incomparable. Although Happy now had a certain amount of popularity themselves, the crowd they could attract wasn't enough to fill the entirety of Xiaoshan Stadium. Compared to Excellent Era's glory days, when they'd sell out seats and even one ticket was hard to come by, Happy was still lacking.
But this time Tyranny had come, which drew many spectators. Plus, Tyranny itself had its fans organized everywhere. Many of Xiaoshan Stadium's seats were filled up.
For a weak team, this was an annoyance of something fortunate. When a powerhouse came, they could generate a lot of ticket revenue. But at the same time, when a powerhouse came, that meant defeat was likely.
For Happy, this was only their second home game, they didn't have any expectations regarding ticket sales. Even with so many spectators, Chen Guo wasn't particularly excited. Her focus was all on the upcoming match.
There were many highlights to watch for in this match. There was the confrontation between longtime rivals Ye Xiu and Han Wenqing, there was the former duo Fang Rui and Lin Jingyan, there was Tang Rou's promise of a 1v3 within five rounds. Unfortunately, although there were so many highlights, this match wasn't the most beautiful in this round. At the same time, City S's Samsara was playing their home game against Blue Rain.
A showdown between powerhouses, the television broadcast stations wouldn't miss any of it. For those who wanted to watch the livestream of Happy against Tyranny, they would have to stream it online.
Xiaoshan Stadium, the away team Tyranny came onstage first. During an official match, the team members all wore their team uniforms. Tyranny, as a powerhouse team, had unusual influence. Throughout the country, their fans had formed their own fanclubs. Whenever Tyranny had a match, the diehard fans that travelled with the team to watch all their matches would contact the fans in whatever city they travelled to, and they would all come to the match together to cheer Tyranny on. Right now, on the west side of the stadium were gathered many Tyranny fans all wearing Tyranny's uniform, and when their team came onstage, they began wildly cheering and yelling, waving various banners and slogans. Compared to Hundred Blossoms who had come in the second round, their spirit was much stronger.
Although Happy now had quite a few fans, they didn't have these sort of organized fanclubs. Everyone came to cheer the team individually. In the face of the other team's powerful momentum with their organization, Happy's fans suddenly seemed very fragmented. Happy's home field was about to be conquered by Tyranny.
Tyranny's players waved to acknowledge the support of their fans, igniting more waves of excitement from them. It wasn't until the home team came out that Happy's fans started cheering, temporarily suppressing Tyranny's spirit. But it was only temporary. The unorganized and scattered cheers were no long-term match for the Tyranny fanclubs, and Happy's fans had to admit defeat first.
It seemed… they needed to create their own team fanclub.
Seeing all of this, Chen Guo thought back to when she was still an Excellent Era fan and her experiences with Excellent Era's fanclub. These fanclubs, although initially formed from spontaneous friendships, after obtaining a certain amount of unity and influence, the official club would give them a certain amount of support. Happy could also follow this pattern, but for now, since Happy had only just started, they didn't have any powerful clubs. During the Challenger League, Tian Qi and the other guild brothers had grouped together quite fiercely, but now unfortunately they weren't in City H. Building a home team fanclub would progress more smoothly starting from the fans in the city.
The noise of the fans reached a peak when the players of the two teams greeted each other. At this time, the fans would become the powerful backing of their respective teams, giving them momentum from behind. The Tyranny fans, with experience and training, was able to give their team an aggressively powerful momentum at this time.
After the teams shook hands and exchanged greetings, they returned to their player areas. The match was about to begin, and the players for the first battle of the individual round were announced.
Team Tyranny. Player: Lin Jingyan. Character: Dark Thunder, Brawler.
Team Happy. Player: Su Mucheng. Character: Dancing Rain, Launcher.
A faceoff between top-level players at the very start! The crowd went wild. The two players stood from their respective areas, and after a casual greeting, they headed toward the stage.
The experienced players entered the match, and the first battle swiftly began.
A one-on-one map, a village at dusk. It seemed less like a battlefield and more like a scenic view at twilight, slowly revealed by the holographic projection. This was a map with which Su Mucheng was very familiar. She liked the scenery of this map, and because she liked it, she became familiar with it, and once she was familiar, she could use it in a competitive match.
What about Lin Jingyan?
With his former partner Fang Rui, Happy knew all of his secrets. When they were choosing maps, they considered opinions from all sides. Following Fang Rui's reports, all of the maps they had chosen for today's match were ones that Lin Jingyan hadn't studied. Of course, on the other hand, any maps that Lin Jingyan hadn't studied, Fang Rui wouldn't have any deep understanding, either. He had grown up under the same training as Lin Jingyan, the only change being that one year when Lin Jingyan had left first.
That year, Wind Howl had made some adjustments to welcome the new core Tang Hao, so they had practiced a few new maps.
"However, these maps were to welcome Tang Hao, who had grown up in Hundred Blossoms. I think that even if they don't fit Tyranny, Zhang Jiale would probably be familiar with them anyway." This was Fang Rui's analysis. It was evident that the effects of a player transfer were complex and far-reaching. Those who thought that Glory was just about hitting and killing had a far too shallow understanding of this game.
So, for the first battle of the individual round, the player Su Mucheng selected a map she liked, Rainfall Village.
When talking about how big a 1v1 map could be, they would talk about this village. It was really an entire corner of a village.
The two characters loaded on the map and the battle began. After circling around a small hut in front of the spawn point, Su Mucheng already saw Dark Thunder ducking around and borrowing the scenery as cover, looking like he wanted to do some strategic maneuvering.
But at this point Lin Jingyan clearly saw Dancing Rain over here, so Dark Thunder stopped ducking around, and boldly walked forward.
"This map really doesn't have good cover!" Lin Jingyan said in the chat.
Su Mucheng replied with a smiley face.. Of course that was the case. A long-ranged attacker needed the target to exist in their line of sight; it wasn't good for a Launcher if there was a lot of cover. Su Mucheng chose a map she liked, but of course she would first consider how advantageous the map was to her in a battle.
"Here's not bad!" Lin Jingyan suddenly sent this message. Dark Thunder, in the afterglow of the setting sun, circled behind a tile-roofed house.
Su Mucheng smiled. Dancing Rain continued to move, and then she lifted her cannon. Power accumulated at the opening, a charged Quantum Bomb.
Dark Thunder, behind the house, was currently looking around. Lin Jingyan was truly rather unfamiliar with this map, and he was currently investigating to see if he could find something he could use to his advantage. He was trying to develop a strategy, he wasn't in a hurry to directly fight Su Mucheng. As an old veteran, it wasn't suitable if he always wanted to fight head-on to determine victory. A veteran should use the experience and tactics he had accumulated through the years. Leave the direct confrontations and the hand speed competitions to the youngsters!
As Lin Jingyan studied, he suddenly heard a "biu" sound, short and sharp.
Quantum Bomb!
The sounds of the Launcher's skills were quite loud, and they all sounded different. Just from the sound, you could distinguish the skill. Not only could Lin Jingyan hear that this was a Quantum Bomb, he could also tell that this shot was charged.
The power of a charged Quantum Bomb simply couldn't be compared to a direct instant shot. Lin Jingyan hadn't even figured out where Dancing Rain had appeared and he had no idea which way he should dodge. But ducking and rolling would at least reduce the area of his body that was exposed, and it was certainly better than just standing around and waiting to be attacked.
But Dark Thunder had barely started to roll before the powerful shockwave hit. The wall of that tile-roofed house was blasted into pieces, bricks flying everywhere, a few hitting Dark Thunder. The power of the Quantum Bomb could directly break through walls, and the rolling Dark Thunder was sent tumbling.
"Damn, that's dizzying!" Lin Jingyan controlled Dark Thunder to stand up, and saw that the Quantum Bomb had directly blown a hole in that wall. Through this hole, he could see the large open doors on the other side of this building. Dancing Rain? Lin Jingyan had no time to see those shadows clearly, for a beam of light shined at that door, as though to swallow it, but in the end it only passed through the doors, and then the hole, directly toward Dark Thunder.
Laser Rifle!
Across the house, Su Mucheng's attacks were still continuous. Lin Jingyan, who had just been knocked down by that Quantum Bomb, was clearly a bit slow to react to this. He was unable to dodge this Laser Rifle either, and was hit square on, directly pushed back into a pile of hay behind him.
The hay scattered around him, swirling in the wind like snowflakes. Dark Thunder waved his claw and burrowed out of the pile, only to see that Dancing Rain had already gotten a lot closer. She lifted her hand and a brilliant lighter flew toward him in an arc.
Is this still scientific? The throw was this far and this strong, yet the flames of that lighter were as stable as ever.
Lin Jingyan cursed silently, but he also knew, the lighter wasn't the point here, the fearsome thing was the subsequent Heat-Seeking Missile.
Once he accurately studied the path of that lighter, Dark Thunder retreated back, quickly returning to that haystack.
But the path of that lighter wasn't what Lin Jingyan had predicted. It seemed to fly a bit farther.
It was affected by the wind speed?
At this time, there was no time to ponder scientific principles. Dark Thunder retreated further.
Boom!
Dark Thunder was instantly surrounded by roaring flames. When that lighter landed, the Heat-Seeking Missile hadn't even arrived yet. The hay was ignited first.
Suddenly surrounded by fire, Lin Jingyan was clearly stunned for a moment, his controls a bit slow. Dark Thunder was just a few beats slow in escaping from the field of fire, and he was hit by the Heat-Seeking Missile.
The mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the thick smoke again enveloped Dark Thunder.
Chapter 1176: Starting to Falter
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
They'd only been attacking for a short while now, only three attacks had been used, but the beautiful rural scenery had already gained a broken wall with a gaping hole, and an inferno of flames, and a rising mushroom cloud.
The sunset, the quiet evening beauty, was gone in an instant. The sight of Lin Jingyan's Dark Thunder pathetically crawling out of the thick smoke only added more tragedy to the setting.
But not all was lost. Dancing Rain continued to follow him with her attacks, and Dark Thunder had to jump this way and that to try and hide. Not long after, the map scenery was destroyed even further. This setting was beautiful, but the Launcher was a force of destruction upon this map. And this was a map that Su Mucheng liked…
Lin Jingyan didn't even have the strength to complain right now. He was at far too much of a disadvantageous situation right now, and as he looked around, he couldn't find a single suitable place where he could hide and catch his breath. In the face of a Launcher's firepower, everything on this map might as well be non-existent.
What a weak little village!
This was the only lament Lin Jingyan had left.
Was he going to just lose like this?
There was no way for Lin Jingyan not to think like this. If he lost, the media, the reporters, the commentators, the players, countless people, would they all once again start pointing at his old age?
Do I need your gossip? I know my own condition better than anyone else. Old age? Yeah, right! I'm not even thirty yet, okay?
Lin Jingyan had a very gentle and warm personality. In the face of all sorts of provocative questions, he generally wouldn't have any sort of aggressive response. But no response didn't mean that he didn't have any opinions. Lin Jingyan felt that he was still fine, that he could still fight.
But could he really still fight, or… or was he just unsatisfied, and motivating himself to make this sort of assertion? Sometimes Lin Jingyan himself was unclear, but he still believed in the feelings he had during a match.
This match was extremely difficult. But this was absolutely not because of his age.
On this map, Su Mucheng's offense was extremely coherent. All of the map's features could be used to help her attack. And Lin Jingyan wasn't very familiar with this map. But even if he were, it wouldn't have helped much. By now, the features had basically all been destroyed.
It was definitely because of that kid Fang Rui, Lin Jingyan could guess. But this sort of "selling out" was very logical, and while in Tyranny he had also given lots of reports about Fang Rui, possibly even more than what Fang Rui had revealed about him. After all, he had watched Fang Rui as he grew up, all the way from when he was a baby rookie switching classes and finally settling on a Thief. More could be seen when looking down as opposed to looking up.
Was there really nothing he could use to change this situation?
Lin Jingyan hadn't given up yet. He used the Glory knowledge he had accumulated over eight years.
Thick smoke, thick smoke, thick smoke…
Thick smoke covered the areas the Launcher had destroyed.
And then, the wind direction on this map…
Lin Jingyan studied his surroundings. Behind him, the Launcher's cannon shots were loud as Su Mucheng chased him closely.
Lin Jingyan hadDark Thunder duck through a cloud of smoke. It was much like the effect of a Smoke Bullet; once Dark Thunder entered, he couldn't be seen.
Su Mucheng immediately adjusted Dancing Rain's position.
Over here, a line at 2 o'clock… Lin Jingyan calculated, and continued to move Dark Thunder.
Still nothing?
Su Mucheng had Dancing Ran increase the angle,, but Dark Thunder was still nowhere to be seen.
Next, I can walk over here… this wall was half-exploded, a bit low, if I duck down… no, I'll be exposed. Too bad I don't have the Gunner's Slide Kick! Alright, I'll have to be a bit wasteful…
In a place where there was no target at all, Dark Thunder suddenly used a Tyrannical Chain Punch.
This skill was used to press an opponent onto the ground and flatten them. Naturally, there was a forward charge movement to throw the person. With this throwing animation, Dark Thunder passed over the wall as as though he were crawling.
Then over here…
Lin Jingyan continued his careful calculations.
Su Mucheng was surprised to realize she'd lost Dark Thunder's position.
He just vanished right from under her eyes? Su Mucheng didn't know where he was, so she could only look around randomly.
The audience had the greatest clue. The omniscient view of the battle showed them that Dark Thunder was currently circling around to the back. But the path he chose to get there, how come Su Mucheng couldn't discover him? Even though the screen displayed Su Mucheng's camera view, you needed to be able to visualize on your own to understand what was going on here.
Under his patient persistence, Lin Jingyan finally succeeded in circling around.
The audience let out some gasps. Even the home fans were feeling a little moved. And the Tyranny fans were shouting and cheering like crazy, as though they had just won a grand prize.
But even if he had successfully circled around, Lin Jingyan still had a ways to go! Even if he managed a beautiful sneak attack, that didn't necessarily mean he could close the gap between himself and Su Mucheng for good.
He had spent too long being attacked in the beginning! Lin Jingyan understood this clearly. This opportunity now had been difficult to come by, so he treasured it. Carefully and silently, he moved Dark Thunder forward.
Powerful Knee Attack!
Lin Jingyan finally launched his offensive. Dark Thunder, who had vanished from Su Mucheng's eyes for so long, suddenly appeared, but he was already behind Dancing Rain's body. The knee hit right at the center of Dancing Rain's back. After that attack finished, he followed with a Brick, knocking Dancing Rain dizzy.
Combo start!
One hit, two hits, three hits…
The system's combo counter jumped upward as Lin Jingyan fought meticulously. The veteran maintained the precision and accuracy of his controls. Although his hand speed had slowed, it was now more stable.
To directly take down an opponent with one system-counted combo attack was very unlikely. A pro player might be able to do it when fighting an ordinary player, but in an equal fight, there was no way to play so gorgeously.
So, false combos were created. When chaining attacks together, the usefulness of false combos couldn't be disregarded.
Lin Jingyan's ability to execute false combos was also quite significant. The true combo had already been interrupted twice, but with a precise false combo attack linked on, he was able to continue attacking.
Slap, Uppercut, Sand Toss, Tiger Flips the Mountain, then toss a Molotov Cocktail…
Lin Jingyan continuously adjusted his attack method.
But in the gap between the Sand Toss and the Tiger Flips the Mountain, Dancing Rain suddenly fired a shot.
The powerful recoil changed Dancing Rain's position in the air. But the Tiger Flips the Mountain also came very quickly, and the swinging arm headed toward Dancing Rain in midair.
A grenade flew from Dancing Rain's hand.
Lin Jingyan ignored it. He wouldn't give up his currently ongoing offensive just to dodge this attack.
Tiger Flips the Mountain must stop her!
Lin Jingyan grit his teeth. With a swipe of his mouse, Dark Thunder's hands advanced swiftly.
Boom!
The light of the grenade swallowed Dark Thunder whole.
He missed… In the end, the Tiger Flips the Mountain hit nothing but air. The grenade hit Dark Thunder, and Dancing Rain's next attack landed as well, beginning the counterattack.
Lin Jingyan felt a twinge of sadness in his heart.
He hadn't been able to stop it?
If this was before…
Yes, to be suppressed by Su Mucheng at the start of the match wasn't because of his age. But this time, he failed with this Tiger Flips the Mountain, precisely because his reaction time and his speed were falling…
Uppercut, Sand Toss, then Tiger Flips the Mountain… Had he already fallen to the point where he would leave an opening with this combo?
To realize one's inability during a live match was truly a heartbreaking thing. Especially this kind of inability, in an area that couldn't be improved further. If he couldn't do this now, he would never be able to do it again. This is what the passing years brought; no one could turn back time.
Dark Thunder was once again beaten down.
Lin Jingyan, discovering that his ability was slipping, found his attention divided. He was unable to take back the initiative. In the first battle of the individual round, Su Mucheng won.
The stadium was filled with applause.
The scattered fans could still come together at this time to show their enthusiasm.
Su Mucheng came offstage and waved to greet the audience.
Lin Jingyan came offstage and smiled bitterly.
This time, if he was criticized again, he truly had no rebuttal.
Was he really starting to falter? Lin Jingyan lifted his head to look at the scoreboard in the stadium. Tyranny: 0. Happy: 1.
It was just one point.
The difference wasn't so large!
It was still early! Lin Jingyan's thoughts suddenly cleared. If there was an opening in this combo, then in the future he'd just have to pay attention to it, that's all. How could he fill this opening, what effect would this opening have when fighting the various classes, would he need to warn his teammates to cover and coordinate in a team battle…
After they went back home, he would just have to study this!
As Lin Jingyan thought to himself, he returned to the player area.
"Your positioning was pretty good." Zhang Jiale praised him.
"Haha!" Lin Jingyan laughed. It was true, that bit of positioning was pretty good. He had lost some things, but gained some things as well. Perhaps he could no longer accomplish the Uppercut - Sand Toss - Tiger Flips the Mountain, but he could still accomplish this kind of clever positioning.
"Now, watch me!" Zhang Jiale gave Lin Jingyan a thumbs up, and Lin Jingyan responded in kind.
The second battle of the individual round.
Tyranny: Zhang Jiale, using the Spitfire Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.
Happy: Ye Xiu, using the unspecialized Lord Grim.
"Oh hey, it's you," Zhang Jiale said, as they shook hands before the battle.
"Scared? Kneel before me!" said Ye Xiu.
"We'll see who's kneeling in a bit," said Zhang Jiale.
"Such irrational confidence." Ye Xiu shook his head and sighed.
Zhang Jiale was a mighty God, what was so irrational about being confident? Ye Xiu's mockery was baseless.
"Fuck.." In the end, Zhang Jiale just cursed bitterly. Because he was clear that in a 1v1, his chances of winning were indeed not very high.
His Hundred Blossoms style relied on confusing the opponent and hiding himself. But Ye Xiu was the Glory Textbook, and his skill at playing a Spitfire himself was quite high. Compared to others, he could see through the skill composition of Zhang Jiale's Hundred Blossoms style, and then find the secret door to unravel it all.
There was a reason, after all, that Ye Xiu had been able to break through Blood and Blossoms by himself all those years ago.
But the past was the past, and now was now.
Without having fought, who knew the outcome?
Zhang Jiale shrugged his shoulders and entered the player booth.
Second battle of the individual round, begin!
Chapter end
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