TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 59

After furiously typing out this series of ruthless words, Xia Tong immediately blocked Goblin. But even blocking him wasn’t enough to quell his anger—he rolled around in bed, gnawing at his blanket in frustration, so enraged that he nearly lost his sanity.

He thought about going to Lin Mingfei to complain again, but just as the idea surfaced, another thought drowned it out.

When did he become just a tool for others to attack Zero and Polaris? He couldn’t even protect the people and things he cared about most.

These Alphas were just too awful!! Infuriating!!!

This couldn’t go on!! He had to change!

With that unwavering determination, Xia Tong buried himself in sleep.

–

The next morning, without hesitation, he got up early to join Lin Mingfei and the others for morning training. After that came stretching, washing up, logging into the game for sparring matches, and in the afternoon, more reaction training with Lin Mingfei using jump rope and mental arithmetic.

This tight, almost monotonous routine continued for nearly a week. As Xia Tong gradually adjusted, he also started noticing small, subtle changes in himself.

In the blink of an eye, the scheduled training match with Gourd Squad was right around the corner.

He Youjin had been making frequent trips to the league office, handling all sorts of procedures and paperwork, moving at a breakneck pace. Occasionally, he even brought back league staff to install network-sharing devices in their “cocoon” training facility.

This level of formality created a tense atmosphere within Polaris.

Xia Tong, feeling anxious, took a step back, then leaped up like a little monkey and clung to Lin Mingfei’s neck.

“Zero!” He whispered in Lin Mingfei’s ear, full of worry. “I still… I still haven’t played a full five-man ranked match with everyone yet!”

“Oh, that’s true.” Lin Mingfei, that smug Alpha, had the audacity to calmly confirm it.

“But tomorrow… tomorrow at this time, we’ll be playing the scrim against Gourd Squad!” Xia Tong shook Lin Mingfei as if he were a giant tree, hoping to shake some sort of solution out of him. “How can you still be so calm?! How are we supposed to win?!”

“Why wouldn’t we be able to play?” Lin Mingfei chuckled as he was being shaken. He remained utterly unbothered. “What do you think we’re lacking right now?”

“We’re lacking… coordination!” Xia Tong blurted out.

“Coordination?” Lin Mingfei pretended to think deeply. “Do you really think a mixed-blood team that spent the last week cramming tongue-twisters has any coordination?”

Xia Tong froze. “Huh?”

Shi Ya took a light breath and turned to him with a smile. “Zero has a point! Gourd Squad just bought a few big, strong European players. We didn’t have time to train team synergy, and they definitely didn’t either!”

“So tomorrow’s scrim… is just going to be a ten-player free-for-all?” Zhou Yanjun guessed. “A free-for-all… I haven’t played one in ages. Feels like something you’d only see in low-rank matchmaking games!”

Bo Yu murmured, “Do they really think just having strong players means they’ll win?”

“It’s possible,” Shi Ya said with a chuckle. “Maybe they think we’re just a bunch of washed-up old players who can barely move.”

“So… what does this mean for us?” Xia Tong was still lost.

Lin Mingfei turned around, crossed his arms, and calmly analyzed, “In a match with no real strategy, it all comes down to individual skill. Whichever team has the higher average skill level will win.”

“But… what if I drag down your average level—”

“Then Manager He is screwed.” Shi Ya grinned. “Didn’t Zero already joke about tying up Manager He and selling him to the league?”

Xia Tong froze. “Huh?”

Lin Mingfei coughed. “Ahem, that’s a discussion for later.” He patted Xia Tong’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “Don’t overthink it. Just treat it as a test to see how much you’ve improved.”

—

The league’s early promotional efforts had been incredibly effective.

This so-called “friendly exhibition match” was, in reality, a battle to the death, eagerly anticipated by the masses.

On Weibo, discussions about this special match had been heating up for days, with mixed opinions:

【The league is just using Polaris for marketing! My P-Team still has the strongest fan base!】

【Polaris forever! The one and only legend!】

【I get to see Zero again!!! My husband is back!!! I’m so excited, I’m crying!!!】

【I haven’t seen Z-God play in ages!! My youth is back!! I’m not working overtime tonight! I HAVE to watch the livestream!!】

【Z-fans are always so confident. Aren’t you afraid your idol will embarrass himself tonight?】

【Haha, clearly a Sabertooth fan. You guys are always so sour and stinky!】

【Can D-fans not show up here? This has nothing to do with you!】

【Timer!! Timer!! I love you, Timer!!!】

【Fatty!!! Play well or get lost!!!】

【I saw Island streaming a farm life simulator two weeks ago, and now he’s competing again? Feels surreal. Island, go get ‘em!】

【Who even is Gourd Squad? Never heard of them. Why is Polaris playing against them】

【I can smell the decay… Are they just squeezing out Polaris’ last bit of value before ditching them?】

【It’s been two years, and I haven’t seen Polaris train at all. Are they really ready for this scrim? Hope they don’t lose too badly.】

【Honestly… Polaris isn’t the same anymore. It’s just an empty name now.】

[So am I the only one who noticed that not all of P Team’s members are here?]

[You’re not the only one upstairs, I noticed too. I heard Ping didn’t return to P Team after joining Saber Tiger.]

[Why isn’t anyone calling Ping a two-faced wolf now? Indifferent.jpg]

[Out with the old, in with the new! It’s no big deal if he doesn’t come back.]

[Eh? Did P Team recruit new members? How come there’s been no announcement?]

[Do we even need to ask? Of course, they’ve recruited new members. How else would four people be on the field?]

[Ah, I get it. This match must be to promote the new recruit!]

[Curious about the new recruit!!!]

During dinner, Xia Tong was deep in thought, his entire being tense. He was jolted when Zhou Yanjun poked his shoulder with his finger and reminded him, “Xia Xia Tong, the name change card I gave you earlier… don’t you think it’s time to use it?”

“Huh?” Xia Tong froze for a moment.

“At this point, do you really want to keep using this three-character game ID? It might not be very appropriate.” Zhou Yanjun said casually, “You should change your game ID, Xia Xia Tong!”

“Oh right.” Shi Ya also slapped his forehead and suddenly came to his senses, adding with enthusiasm, “Hurry up and think of a new ID! We need to match the format so you can officially join our Polaris family!”

“Didn’t we already say we’d put up a big poster tomorrow? You’d better change it quickly and report it to Manager He!” Bo Yu chimed in from the side.

“A new game ID…” Xia Tong’s tongue trembled slightly, filled with excitement. He suddenly recalled a few days ago, when he had just arrived at the base and Zhou Yanjun had mentioned changing his game ID. Back then, he was nervous and unsure, even calling Lin Mingfei to cry about it… so foolish.

Now, revisiting the issue, his mindset was completely different.

“Change the ID, change the ID…” He rested his chin in his hand, thoughtfully muttering, “Timer, Fire, Island, Zero… how about Blink?” He winked, his eyes sparkling, signaling, “That’s it, Blink.”

“Blink, Polaris_Blink.” Shi Ya stared at him for a moment, then smiled and said, “It really suits you.”

“Then it’s decided!” Xia Tong said happily.

After reporting the new game ID to He Youjin, everything was ready. Xia Tong went to bed early that night, and by 2 PM the next day, he logged in with the P Team members, joining the specially set-up event server.

The major streaming platforms were already prepared, and the bullet comments flooded the screen. In fact, after the final version of the poster with members’ names was released, the discussion reached a new peak.

[Polaris_Blink, so it really is a new member!]

[I can’t believe P Team, they quietly recruit a new member without any announcement. Are they thieves?]

[What’s the deal? Can’t they treat the old fans better? Can’t they give the old fans some hope?]

[What does the new member look like? They better not be too ugly! P Team is supposed to be a beauty-focused team!]

[Ugly or not doesn’t matter. As a professional club, I just hope they’re not too bad!]

[No way they can be worse than the departed Ping, right? Can’t wait for the debut.]

The people in the game couldn’t see these bullet comments, and Xia Tong didn’t realize when he had already become the center of attention.

The comments exploded.

[Eh??? Is this the younger brother——]

[Familiar! Familiar!!]

[Isn’t this the handsome younger brother who was streaming eating big plums with Island?]

[???? Isn’t he an internet celebrity?]

[Didn’t Timer say he was an outsider? How is he here??]

[Looks like they’ve known each other for a long time, there’s a story here!]

[This younger brother is so short and petite… I’ve never seen an Alpha like this.]

[Is he an Omega…]

[???? Don’t you all know that P Team’s new recruit is an Omega?]

[Omega??? An Omega in a full-hologram esports team???]

[Holy shit??? Holy shit??? I can’t believe this!]

[Is P Team really that desperate? Recruiting an Omega?]

[Is Zero crazy? Doesn’t he care about their reputation anymore? They’re supposed to be an old-time powerhouse team!]

[So P Team is really going to become a beauty team, huh? Might as well form a boy band and debut. Don’t bother with pro play anymore.]

[I’ve been saying, they can’t recruit anyone, Ping’s stuck with Saber Tiger, so what’s P Team supposed to do?]

[Is this Lin Mingfei’s reason for picking an Omega to fill the gap?]

[No wonder I’ve been smelling the scent of decline from the start… the sunset is here.]

[So… is this just the league trying to ride on the last heat of the old powerhouse teams? The league is amazing, huh? Capital is amazing!]

[I’m so damn angry! Even if it’s the last match! They shouldn’t be using an Omega to fool people!]

[Putting an Omega in a club full of Alphas? Are you sure he’s here to play professionally? Don’t tell me he’s just a plaything for special use!]

[Does P Team still have any face left? Lin Mingfei can go to hell! Don’t report me, because this is the truth!]

[I’m done. I’m so pissed. Whoever wants to watch this trash livestream can go ahead.]

[My youth is officially over. Thank you, league. Thank you, P Team. Thank you, Zero, for putting this ugly end to it.]

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