The sudden announcement of an esports tournament by Phoenix Authority Esports genuinely caught many by surprise.
Especially Deng Zheyan, the boss of Yan Internet Cafe.
As the saying goes, a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal. Deng Zheyan's arm had been fractured several times already, and according to the doctor, it would take at least half a year to properly recover.
Just a few days after getting his arm bandaged up, this guy learned about Phoenix Authority's move and couldn't stay put in the hospital any longer. He sneaked out, determined to see with his own eyes what they were up to.
Deng Zheyan was the type who forgot the pain once the wound healed, quickly brushing off how Zhao Junjie had fallen down the stairs and how his own arm had gotten broken in the first place.
Sure enough.
When he arrived at his own internet cafe, he saw the Phoenix Authority Esports place across the street packed with people, even spilling out the door. It was a sea of humanity, with bursts of cheers erupting from inside every now and then.
A perfectly good internet cafe had been transformed into something resembling an esports arena.
Hardly anyone was playing games on the first-floor hall anymore; they were all intently watching some kind of match.
The spectators were clearly divided into different groups, mostly students from Finance University and Vocational College, as it was currently a showdown between teams from these two schools.
They had all come to cheer for their own school's team.
With the crowd far exceeding the available seats, they had divided into seated tickets and standing tickets.
The original gaming area in the hall had long been occupied by early arrivals who had logged onto the machines, turning it into a VIP viewing section.
Those without a machine had to make do with the complimentary standing-room-only treatment.
A projector was set up in the central area, broadcasting the live match onto a large white screen.
Two rows of computers on either side of the screen had been deliberately cleared to serve as temporary player stations.
Whenever a thrilling kill appeared on the screen, the audience below would immediately erupt into roaring cheers.
"Holy shit! That snipe! A-site, one through two! That's insane!"
"See that, see that? I told you this sniper was solid, A-site is completely locked down! They still dare to push? Really thick-headed!"
"Never expected Finance University's team to have such a skilled player. I originally thought they'd definitely lose to Vocational College."
"Tell me about it. I thought Vocational College had it in the bag too, especially since Finance University's 'Lady Purple Team' even has a girl on it."
"What, looking down on us Finance University girls?"
Someone instantly remembered Liu Yutong, the daughter of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, and quickly waved their hands: "Wouldn't dare! Wouldn't dare!"
"........."
At that moment.
In front of a row of computers to the right of the projection screen, a girl wearing a purple wig was staring intently at her monitor, wearing headphones and shouting.
"Oh no, oh no! The mid smoke is a fake! Watch A-short, go there now!"
"B-site, B-site! Three entering! Can't hold it!"
"Ugh, what's the shot-caller thinking? Why did they send people to A?"
"Aren't you the shot-caller?"
"...Am I? Hehehe... my mistake."
Her four teammates: "......."
Soon, this round put Lady Purple Team on the back foot. A poor decision nearly led to a team wipe.
In the end, only a sniper and a little Samoyed, hiding behind a crate waiting for a chance to knife someone, were left.
To make matters worse, both were low on health.
The spectators in the cafe, especially the Finance University supporters, had their hearts in their throats.
"It's over, it's over! Only two left! And both are low health! The rotation routes are blocked now, mid is smoked, and there's probably someone holding A-short too. This round's gonna be tough."
"Sigh, it's all the shot-caller's fault... that last call was terrible, basically gave away three players. This clutch situation is impossible even for a god!"
"......."
The Vocational College students couldn't help but burst into laughter seeing this.
"Hahaha, see that? That's the skill gap! The girl calling shots for Finance University is still a bit lacking, boys. Get ready to celebrate the win! Five versus two, it's in the bag!"
"See that little Samoyed? Cowering behind the crate, trembling, hahaha........."
"This round is ours! Boys, get ready to shout 'Vocational College rules!'"
"........"
Li Xiaohui was indeed getting nervous. The Vocational College team was genuinely strong, managing to fight her team to a standstill.
After all, the teammates she had gathered were basically the top players from Finance University. And yet, facing their first Vocational College team, they were already on the verge of an upset.
The tournament format was single elimination, one match decides it all. Losing meant immediate elimination.
Right at that moment.
Fang Haoran's voice came through the headset: "Don't panic, I'm still here, Hui-jie. Try to draw their fire in a bit, leave the rest to me."
Hearing him, Li Xiaohui gave an affirmative hum. She switched her weapon a few times before finally pulling out her knife.
This way she could run faster, maybe buying Fang Haoran a little more time and creating a sniping opportunity.
Two players on the opposing team, perhaps having heard the shouts from the audience—after all, the environment here was no match for a professional soundproofed venue, so sound leakage was normal—vaguely caught that someone on the other side wanted to knife them. They, too, wordlessly switched to their knives, planning to strike first and knife that little Samoyed!
How dare you be so cocky, trying to knife them when you're at a disadvantage.
Just as they were about to rush over and raise their knives,
A sudden change!
The little Samoyed, who had been crouching behind the crate as if frozen in fear, suddenly flashed out, raising her combat knife for a wild slash.
Perhaps by sheer luck, those two just happened to run right into the blade's path.
The in-game voice announcement instantly played.
Double kill!
The entire internet cafe fell silent for a moment, everyone stunned.
Vocational College spectators: "???"
Finance University spectators: "!!!"
You've gotta be kidding me? That actually worked?
But soon, someone shouted excitedly.
"Holy crap! She actually knifed them?! Lady Purple Team got the knife kills, and two headshots at once! Lady Purple rules!!!"
"See that? See that? Who said our little Samoyed was a coward? That knife play is insane!"
"More like two idiots ran headfirst into Lady Purple's blade."
"Hahaha......."
The remaining three Vocational College players were also startled by the sudden kill feed, then quickly pushed forward, spraying bullets all over the little Samoyed's last known position.
Just as they exposed themselves...
"Bang!"
A crisp sniper rifle shot rang out!
One of the three instantly dropped.
Similarly, the little Samoyed was also gunned down in the hail of bullets.
The situation instantly shifted from an initial two-versus-five to a one-versus-two.
The two remaining Vocational College players also pinpointed the sniper's location. One provided covering fire while the other seized the chance to rush out!
Another burst of intense gunfire sounded.
But the one who dropped wasn't the sniper!
The atmosphere in the venue was completely ignited!
"It's a 1v1! A 1v1!!"
"That sniper still got hit, he's down to one HP, one touch and he's dead. This is too intense!"
"Vocational School team, hold the line! He's one shot! A single bullet graze and he's done!"
"........."
The last player from the Vocational School team, even though he knew his opponent had barely any health left, was still tense. After all, the other guy's aim was too precise.
Then he switched weapons and realized he still had a flashbang left. A plan instantly formed: flash out first, then rush him hard. The moment they faced each other, victory was guaranteed!
However, he still underestimated the skill and mental fortitude of the sniper from Team Purple Lord.
Just as he threw the flashbang, exposing only a sliver of his body for a split-second before ducking back behind cover, the sniper rifle roared again.
Bang!
A near-impossible reaction in a fraction of a second. The sniper seemed to have predicted it, swinging out and firing a quick-scope shot.
The screen immediately washed out into blinding white.
As the white faded, the victory screen for the Counter-Terrorists appeared on the monitor.
The entire venue fell silent for a few seconds before erupting completely.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
"We won!! An epic comeback!!"
"The God of Snipers! Xiao Samoyed! You're insane!!"
"Team Purple Lord is fucking awesome!!!"
.............
