The live chat was laughing, while the director was practically tearing his hair out.
The match consisted of three games, with points awarded according to ranking: seven points for first place and one point for last.
If both players who had just been eliminated were given the usual six points for second place, it would be far too unfair to the others. It would also make it nearly impossible for anyone behind them to catch up by even one ranking position.
In the end, after discussions among the organizers, they decided that since one player had eliminated four others, the four contestants would each receive four points. This would maintain a gap between them and first place without making it too difficult for the lower-ranked players to catch up.
After a short break, the competition continued.
Qiuyun checked the time and saw that the cookies were ready. She found a paper bag and packed them up, planning to give them to Qiu Ze as a small gift to congratulate him in advance on successfully completing his debut match.
The second game began.
This time, everyone’s focus-fire was even more obvious. It was standard practice in competitions like this: players would first target opponents with high scores so they couldn’t race too far ahead.
As a result, everyone built only a small portion of their bases. The moment they obtained the qualifications to become a lord, they impatiently began coordinating with the others to eliminate QY.
Even the commentators had never seen such a chaotic opening, with everyone ganging up on one player right from the start.
“Hey! TC is making a move! He swung his dagger, but missed—QY dodged and countered with a brick! Huh? A brick? Well, bricks are definitely cheaper than daggers. What incredible hand speed! Let’s look at the live stats—he’s spiking at 570! Almost 580!”
System announcement:
QY has killed TC.
The battle changed in an instant. QY picked up the dagger and used a powerful dash to evade a sneak attack. The screen became a blur of chaos as he swiftly and precisely took down two opponents. He simply couldn’t keep track of everyone else, however, and another player took advantage of the confusion to finish him off, earning fourth place.
The live chat erupted.
—That’s a little excessive, isn’t it?
—It was incredibly exciting and intense to watch, and his movement and execution were so detailed. Taking on six people alone is seriously impressive, but this really is a bit much.
—Haha, I think the kid brought this on himself by being too sneaky in the previous game and making everyone angry. Didn’t you see TC charge straight at him?
—Exactly. TC, don’t be so stupid next round. Someone was obviously pushing you forward as cannon fodder.
—TC is really in trouble. Two points last game, one point this game. Unless he gets some useful points in the next few regular-season games, he’s definitely headed for the losers’ bracket.
Whether the tournament organizers had warned them or everyone had finally realized that targeting QY meant playing directly into his strength in close combat, attacking him had only backfired.
In the third game, everyone finally settled down and honestly focused on building their bases, developing their economies, earning money, buying equipment, and expanding their territories. They proceeded with familiar probing and testing, and the match returned to its normal rhythm.
Seeing that it was about time, Qiuyun tidied herself up and prepared to leave. She kept the livestream playing as she hailed a car to the venue of the finals.
With the flashy plays gone, the live chat turned its attention back to the new player’s face.
—He really is handsome. Handsome from every angle, with no blind spots. Even under such an unforgiving overhead light, he still looks amazing. I can’t imagine how good-looking he must be in person.
—He’s already trending. Our niche game rarely makes the hot-search lists during the regular season unless it’s the finals, and today’s match is already so lively.
—You’re underselling it. Our game is pretty popular overseas too, and next year it’ll be an Asian Games event. I wonder if QY can qualify for the national team.
—You can’t imagine how much mileage you can get from good looks. The moment this guy appeared, he became a hot topic. He’s a celebrity player in the making. Endorsement deals will be pouring in.
—Everyone’s prepared now. They know QY excels at mechanics, so this next game is going to be purely about strategy and macro play. He’ll have a hard time winning.
—He and Ren are tied for first with thirteen points each. I’m guessing Ren won’t let him off easy.
—But only two or three players near the top of the rankings are targeting him. The ones farther behind still have to fight for their own rankings.
Just as the live chat predicted, Ren applied maximum pressure to QY from the very beginning, repeatedly increasing his firepower in an attempt to break through his defenses.
Unfortunately for him, QY’s hands were steady and so was his composure. He manipulated the mouse and keyboard with ease, maintaining a hand speed of around 560 the entire time. He withstood such a concentrated barrage alone and nearly dragged his opponent down with him in the end.
Ren had no choice but to withdraw regretfully. If he didn’t, someone else might launch a sneak attack, and he would be the one eliminated.
The commentator sighed. “QY is an incredibly mentally tough player. Ren was last year’s national finals bronze medalist, yet QY maintained an astonishingly high hand speed and command output throughout his assault. His mechanics and game sense kept pace perfectly. What an outstanding new talent—the younger generation really is formidable!”
The other commentator added, “Maintaining a hand speed of 560 for nearly two minutes is genuinely terrifying. No wonder he’s known for his technical style.”
“And his strategic ability is no weaker.”
“Exactly.”
Once the match returned to its normal pace, games usually lasted thirty or forty minutes. Qiuyun listened with one ear as she got out of the car, then contacted CEO Liang and had one of the staff members escort her backstage.
“Sis?” Qiu Ze was getting his hair and makeup done. “Why are you backstage?”
Qiuyun placed the cookies on the table. “One of the staff members is my old middle-school classmate. He let me in.”
“Oh.” He looked at the paper bag. “What’s this?”
“Cookies I made. To congratulate you on making it to the finals.” Qiuyun patted him on the shoulder. “No matter what place you end up taking, you’ve already proven yourself. You have nothing to regret.”
Qiu Ze stared fixedly at the bag of cookies without responding.
“What’s wrong?” Qiuyun asked.
Qiu Ze lowered his head slightly. “Sis, when my match is over, can you answer a question for me?”
Qiuyun smiled. “Of course.”
She promised, “Whatever you ask, I’ll answer honestly.”
“Okay!” Qiu Ze beamed and gave her an encouraging thumbs-up.
Qiuyun went to the backstage broadcast lounge and waited for the opening with the staff.
By then, Pei Cizhou’s match had also just ended.
He had proven through sheer ability that QY was not only excellent at movement and marksmanship, but also first-rate at game sense, strategy, and siege warfare. In the end, he steadily wore down the other two opponents and claimed first place.
When Qiuyun found a seat, he was in the middle of his post-match interview.
“Hello, QY. Why don’t you say hello to everyone here and everyone watching in the livestream?” the host began.
Pei Cizhou raised a hand slightly. “Hello. I’m QY.”
The host consulted his cue card. “Today was your first time competing, and you got off to a winning start. Did you undergo any specialized training beforehand?”
“No.”
“Many viewers have praised the tactics you used in the first game as exceptionally clever. Why didn’t you use them again in the later, more important games?”
“The opportunity just happened to present itself.”
The player was so aloof that the host found the conversation difficult to keep going. Thinking that perhaps the coaching staff had instructed him to keep his tactics confidential, the host stopped asking about the match and shifted to a question unrelated to the game.
“I think the viewers are also very curious: why did you choose ‘QY’ as your in-game ID?”
