TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 108

Lin Mingfei’s prediction was absolutely correct. The five members of Polaris’ ‘antics’ during the pre-match interview caused a huge uproar online, and the battle between their supporters and haters was once again on the verge of erupting.

【Hahahaha, so this is what they mean by “former glory”? Yeah, definitely former.】

【Nobody does arrogance quite like Polaris. They showed up for the group stage without even opening their eyes. If they win, I’ll cut off my own head and mail it to Zhou Yanjun for him to kick around like a ball, okay?】

【It’s normal for old people to be unable to stay up late. Just look at Amoon—that’s what youthful energy looks like.】

【When they lose later, they’ll probably blame A-Sheng for playing dirty and bullying old people!】

【Hahahahaha, the more I see P-team fans desperately hyping up their nostalgia, the more I want to laugh!】

The haters were having the time of their lives, while Polaris’s fans barely had the energy to argue back.

【I’m a Polaris fan, and I have to say, when I saw that pre-match interview, I was freaking terrified QAQ】

【Sis above, you’re not alone QAQ. Honestly, I’d already built my coffin.】

【Thanks for asking. I’m already lying in it.】

【What the hell are these five old veterans doing? QAQ This is the group-stage qualifier!! Are they planning to get eliminated in the first round?!】

【Waaaaah, I don’t want to watch the livestream anymore. I have a weak heart—I’m afraid I’ll die.】

【As a P-team fan, I honestly don’t even think they’re going to win……】

【I’m once again hovering on the verge of unfollowing them. These damn idiots never let anyone relax QAQ】

……

Under Lin Mingfei’s leadership, not a single member of Polaris looked at their phone. Their fans’ fragile hearts, already teetering on the verge of shattering, were even less within their sphere of concern. He Youjin went out and bought several cups of freshly brewed strong coffee, making each of them gulp one down. Then, like a boxing coach warming up his fighters before a match, he grabbed Zhou Yanjun by his chubby cheeks and vigorously rubbed them.

“Wake up!! You guys aren’t going to fall asleep in the cocoons later, are you!!!”

Zhou Yanjun responded with one of his thick eyelids drooping right back down.

“Don’t worry. We’ve still got enough professional discipline for that.”

It was utterly unconvincing.

He Youjin’s heart sank into despair.

Time waited for no one. Soon, the players from both sides took the stage. After sitting down inside their “cocoons,” they all closed their eyes. The broadcast director even gave them a close-up, showing the entire row of players wearing remarkably peaceful expressions.

The Polaris fans watching the livestream online collectively lost it.

【No way, no way! They’re not actually asleep, are they?!】

【QAQ Mom, I’m so scared! I’m going to lie down in my coffin!!】

【If I’ve done something wrong, let the law punish me!! Just don’t punish me by making me a Polaris fan!!】

—

At this moment, the five members of Polaris, whose names were currently at the center of a storm, had successfully entered the world of Wangling.

“That coffee Old He bought wasn’t expired, was it……? Why the hell didn’t it work at all?” Zhou Yanjun squinted and lazily tilted his head. “I’m still so damn sleepy.”

“It was freshly brewed coffee. How could it possibly be expired?” Bo Yu said. “Didn’t you feel anything when you drank it?”

“No. Did I even drink coffee?” Zhou Yanjun rubbed his eyes. “Crap, I can barely remember anymore.”

Xia Tong walked over to Lin Mingfei and tugged on the Hunter’s sleeve. His face was utterly obedient, but what he said was a completely different story.

“Zero, you absolutely have to pay attention to the health bar I whittle down later, okay? You need to coordinate with me and burst people down. One kill is one kill! I really don’t want to drag this out anymore! I’m so sleepy. I miss my bed. Please, please don’t let me down!”

“Sure.” Lin Mingfei agreed readily. “Whoever you tell me to kill, I’ll kill. I’ll follow your calls.”

At that moment, the livestream watched by countless people could not pick up their conversation. The only audio was the commentators’ enthusiastic, nonstop introductions and analysis. All the viewers could see was the little Wizard toddling over to the Hunter on his short legs and coquettishly tugging at the Hunter’s sleeve. The Hunter then lowered his head to speak to him, his expression indulgent.

Chat:

【Holy shit, this is an Omega?? Why is he so damn girly!!!】

【Is he asking Zero to take extra care of him? Someone this timid is playing holographic esports?!】

【The Wizard is the team’s carry, too. Can he actually play?? I can’t tell.】

【I’m gonna puke, seriously. The world of tough guys has been defiled by an Omega.】

【This must be what they call a “rank-climbing slut” [manual sarcasm]. Looks like Polaris has a pretty colorful private life.】

【Omegas, get the hell out of holographic esports!!! Give the passionate and glorious esports industry back its clean ground!!】

【Omegas, get the hell out of holographic esports!!! Give the passionate and glorious esports industry back its clean ground!!】

……

Once the arena opened, both teams were teleported into the map.

When the loading finished and their feet touched the ground, the five members of Polaris looked at the desolate ancient battlefield, the cold gray fortresses, and the flag pits—and immediately started laughing.

Shi Ya: “This damn capture-the-flag map again.”

“Holy crap, talk about revisiting an old haunt.” Zhou Yanjun laughed helplessly. “The officials really are planning to roll out this kind of map on a large scale, huh?”

Bo Yu: “The captain really is like a worm in the game developers’ stomach. He predicts everything with uncanny accuracy……”

Xia Tong: “But didn’t we lose to Sabertooth here last time?”

At the mention of that, everyone’s expressions became indescribably awkward, and they all turned toward Lin Mingfei.

Lin Mingfei gave a soft “tsk.”

“What are you all looking at? You’re making it sound like we never reviewed that match.” He said, “Last time we were up against Sabertooth. What are we facing this time?”

“Five little brats who need a beating,” Zhou Yanjun said.

Lin Mingfei neither agreed nor disagreed. “Amoon, led by A-Sheng, is made up entirely of talented young prospects. Their advantage is their quick reactions and aggressive playstyle. Every one of them is an excellent solo player, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re suited to playing as a team.”

“Our reactions aren’t that slow, okay?” Shi Ya said, both exasperated and amused. “The way you put it is seriously making me wonder whether we’re a bunch of seventy- or eighty-year-old relics.”

“I’m just telling you, this one should be easy to beat,” Lin Mingfei said. He smiled faintly, and the match officially began.

–

With so many teams participating in the preliminary group stage, the rules required every team to face off against every other team. The sheer scale of the schedule was enormous, so the organizers opened two major competition venues in different cities, splitting the schedule in half so that matches could take place simultaneously and the overall process could move faster. Even so, the schedule remained extremely tight. To avoid losing viewership, the organizers adopted a continuous livestream format running uninterrupted from morning until night, filling non-match periods with advertisements, giveaways, and other activities. They also needed to finish the group-stage qualifiers within ten days, which meant two groups of four teams had to compete against each other every day.

On the first and second days, all four matches went the full BO5. The schedule was roughly divided into morning and afternoon sessions. By the time the morning session ended, it was generally lunchtime, so the organizers would insert half an hour of advertisements and giveaways, using the opportunity to let the exhibition center staff receive the teams and players arriving for the afternoon session. The timing was fairly evenly distributed.

The Nine-Headed Bird team was scheduled as the second group on the third day. Based on what had happened during the previous two days, they had assumed they would at least be able to sleep at the hotel until after eleven in the morning, so nobody was particularly concerned. However, shortly after ten that morning, their manager began receiving a barrage of frantic calls from the league office and the exhibition center’s stage-control staff, urging them to hurry to the venue.

“What time is it?” the manager of Nine-Headed Bird glanced at his watch and said unconcernedly. “Relax. Our hotel is very close to the venue. It only takes fifteen minutes by car. There’s no need to rush this much.”

“No!!!” The stage controller on the other end of the phone felt like he was about to tear his hair out. He screamed hysterically, “Your match has been moved up!! It’s going to start around eleven-thirty!! Hurry up and get here!!! If you don’t, it’ll be a livestream disaster!!”

Nine-Headed Bird’s manager: “???? What are you talking about?! Aren’t we the afternoon session??”

“Who told you there were separate morning and afternoon sessions?! The schedule was always supposed to run continuously!! As soon as the first group finishes, the second group has to go on!!”

“But it couldn’t possibly be this early! Isn’t Polaris playing Amoon this morning?” Nine-Headed Bird’s manager said.

“Yeah!! They’re done!!” the stage controller shouted.

“They’re done??? How is that possible??” The manager of Nine-Headed Bird felt like he was listening to some absurd fantasy. “Didn’t they only officially start at nine?!”

“Yes!!! It was 3–0, Polaris completely crushed them. They didn’t even go the full BO5……” the stage controller said helplessly.

The manager of Nine-Headed Bird was stunned for two seconds before counting on his fingers. “That still can’t be possible! Even if you give them twenty minutes per game, three games would take an hour!! And what about the commentary and breaks in between??”

“Where are you getting twenty minutes from?! Didn’t you watch the livestream just now?!!!” The stage controller was so frantic he was practically smoking. He threw all courtesy and formalities out the window and roared uncontrollably, “Not a single one of the three games lasted more than ten minutes!!! Our commentators already did everything they could to drag out the time!! They still couldn’t stretch it out!! I’m telling you right now! Polaris got out of their ‘cocoons’ five minutes ago! We added an extra interview segment with the host, which can buy you twenty minutes at most!! If you don’t show up right now, get ready to forfeit by default!!”

With that, the person on the other end hurriedly hung up with a sharp click.

The Nine-Headed Bird manager stood there dumbfounded.

A match finished in ten minutes?? What kind of absurdity was this?? Polaris had to be monsters!

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