Xie Linchuan was fuming.
"What's so funny? Ruying really went AFK. Didn't you see that when Meng Tian came to kill me, the support didn't move an inch beside me?"
Ruying (Sang Qi): [I didn't go AFK. It was lag.]
Xie Linchuan was puzzled: "Aren't you in our voice channel? Why didn't you say anything?"
Ruying (Sang Qi): [Not convenient.]
Xie Linchuan didn't overthink it.
"Oh, I get it. You're in the dorms and it's not convenient, right? Don't use WiFi, switch to 5G."
Ruying (Sang Qi): [Alright.]
After Qingshan Dugu Yuan operated Meng Tian to take down Ai Lin's head, he habitually turned his direction to move toward the mid lane.
He was planning to set up an ambush on Lan Lengyu's Mi Laijie in the middle.
He was confident, knowing exactly which bushes could block vision.
Meanwhile, Qiao Liuyue controlled Ah Ke as she came out of the jungle.
Her gold had just hit level four, with her ultimate unlocked.
She glanced at Lan Lengyu, who had already retreated under the tower.
"Fishing."
Lan Lengyu's tone was excited: "OK!"
Mi Laijie suddenly walked out from under the tower. Her movements seemed casual, but every step she took was right at the edge of Meng Tian's skill range.
Not too close, not too far—it was tantalizing, making anyone's heart itch.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan took the bait as expected.
Meng Tian charged out of the bush, unleashing skills quickly. Mi Laijie's health bar dropped by half in an instant. The little mechanical minions scrambled to protect their master, but Meng Tian swept them away with a single strike.
But while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole is hidden behind.
In the window of time right after Qingshan Dugu Yuan's skills entered cooldown, a dark, blood-red figure silently pressed against his back.
Ah Ke emerged from stealth. The dagger of her first skill stabbed into the back of Meng Tian's neck, fast and precise.
Then, using her second skill to dash to his side, two slashes later, Meng Tian's health bar was plummeting fast.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan's fingers frantically tapped on his screen, but the cooldown countdown wasn't finished.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Ah Ke brought him down in one final blow.
Chu Xubai's Cheng Yaojin also pushed down the enemy's unguarded tower.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan (Meng Tian): [Lan Lengyu! If you've got the balls, let's 1v1. Ambushing people is not a skill.]
Lan Lengyu (Mi Laijie): [If you're bad, just practice more. Stop trash-talking. If you can be a game streamer like this, I really feel sorry for your fans.]
Qingshan Dugu Yuan (Meng Tian): [Fine! Just wait!]
He laid down the threat.
Everyone thought he'd focus on the mid lane—after all, Mi Laijie was a threat with her tower-pushing speed, and shutting her down once could stall the rhythm.
But instead, he started targeting the assassin.
He had his sights set on Qiao Liuyue.
In the voice channel, Xie Linchuan's voice carried an unmistakable note of schadenfreude, his tone curling upward.
"Watch out. Your jungle's probably doomed. He's coming to steal your resources."
Qiao Liuyue shot back without hesitation: "Are you saying the way you just died was peaceful?"
Xie Linchuan: "...!!!"
Chu Xubai's voice cut in at the right moment, unhurriedly steering the conversation back on track.
"Everyone, keep an eye on the jungle. Don't let them counter-jungle us. Ping if you need backup."
A message from Gu Ying popped up in the chat: ok.
Lan Lengyu replied cheerfully: "No problem."
After respawning at the fountain, Meng Tian cleared a minion wave first.
Lan Lengyu's Mi Laijie was laning against Anji La in the middle. As her eyes scanned the minimap, she saw Meng Tian's icon emerge from a blind spot in the battle lane, heading straight toward the dragon pit.
Ah Ke was fighting the Tyrant, and its health bar was already halfway down.
Lan Lengyu's tone grew urgent: "Watch out! Watch out! Meng Tian's coming, heading to the dragon pit—he's definitely after you!"
Qiao Liuyue's fingers remained steady on the controls. Ah Ke's dagger stabbed the Tyrant again, pushing its health down just a bit more.
She glanced at Meng Tian's icon closing in on the minimap, then at the Tyrant's remaining health.
In her mind, she did a quick calculation.
Retreat or fight?
Fight!!!
By then, Meng Tian had stepped into the dragon pit's vision range.
This time, Qingshan Dugu Yuan had learned his lesson. He didn't rush in recklessly. Instead, he paced back and forth at the edge of the pit, waiting for Ah Ke to bring the Tyrant's health down to a point where his first skill could steal it.
It was the classic move of an experienced player.
If you don't take the dragon, I'll force you to.
If you do, I'll steal it and take your head while I'm at it.
Lan Lengyu's voice climbed even higher: "Ah Ke, just retreat! Let the dragon go—don't force it!"
Chu Xubai stayed silent, but his Cheng Yaojin was already moving toward the dragon pit.
Yet Qiao Liuyue's Ah Ke showed no sign of backing off.
Her voice carried a smile, laced with a hint of laziness and arrogance.
"Little Blue Rain, don't worry. Big sister's here to get your revenge."
The moment the Tyrant's health dropped to the execution threshold, Meng Tian moved.
First skill dash into smite—the standard steal combo. The angle and timing of his shield slam were perfectly executed.
It was clear that Qingshan Dugu Yuan had charged in with the ambition of taking both the dragon and the kill.
But he overlooked two things.
First, Qiao Liuyue was faster.
Ah Ke's smite had already gone off in the split second before Meng Tian landed. The Tyrant let out a dying roar.
A notification flashed at the top of the screen: the team's economy had surged.
The dragon was hers!!!
Second, Qiao Liuyue had no intention of running after taking the dragon.
The second the Tyrant fell, Ah Ke's ultimate was already active.
Stealth.
Her figure disappeared from view.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan realized something was wrong and prepared to retreat.
But the dagger was already pressed against the back of his neck.
Ah Ke emerged from stealth. Her first skill's damage was fast and precise.
Her second skill dashed to his side.
Critical hit!
Meng Tian's health bar drained rapidly.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan's fingers mashed the skill buttons, but Meng Tian's skill casting delay was too long. Before he could do anything, Ah Ke's second slash came down.
The massive frame of Meng Tian collapsed to the ground.
The system announcement rang out: "You have slain an enemy!"
The kill was hers too!!!
And Ah Ke's health was still firmly above two-thirds.
Lan Lengyu paused for a second in the voice call before letting out a heartfelt, "…Nice."
Chu Xubai didn't say anything, but a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.
Qingshan Dugu Yuan (Meng Tian): […]
That ellipsis said it all louder than any threat—he probably couldn't even figure out how he'd failed to steal the dragon and lost his own life in the process.
In the voice channel, Xie Linchuan's voice chimed in: "Ooh, that was a nice move. That Meng Tian's mentality is probably shattered by now."
Qiao Liuyue didn't reply.
She simply let out a soft, quiet laugh from her throat.
Her voice was a low, mature, slightly haughty tone—a hint of disdain ringing through.
