# Chapter 72
Saint's home turf, Free's fans weren't few either. In the massive arena, the two sides had roughly equal numbers of fans. As Free's team arrived at the competition venue and headed toward the locker room, passing through the viewing corridor, Chen Huo pushed open the fire door and peeked outside, clicking his tongue. "It's just a regular season match, the fans are way too enthusiastic. Today's light stick count is off the charts."
Puppy also poked his head out to take a look, and said with a hint of jealousy, "Damn, even from this distance, Yu Sui's light stick is still so huge. Did his fans rent a truck to transport them? It's just a regular season match, is it really necessary?"
"Calm down, that's just standard operation for God Yu's fans," Zhou Huo said with pride, playing the expert. "A regular season match wouldn't usually warrant this, but Yu Sui's fans are probably worried that Angel Sword has high popularity plus home court advantage, so they'd try to outdo Yu Sui in light stick numbers, hence the preparation."
Zhou Huo glanced over and was quite satisfied. "Pretty good—Yu Sui's fans are the most numerous. Shi Luo and Angel Sword are roughly tied. As for everyone else... well, if you dig through every nook and cranny, you can probably find someone else's support. Still acceptable."
Puppy found it very unacceptable and spat before heading to the locker room.
As usual, Zhou Huo went to check in while the rest of Free's members tried to dodge the makeup artist through various means.
Makeup done, pre-match confirmations finished, after all the preparation work was complete, everyone grabbed their peripherals and went to the backstage corridor to wait. When the host called out the welcome, they took the stage, bowed to the fans' cheers, then returned to their glass booth to debug their peripherals.
"Angel Sword really does have high popularity..." Puppy said, plugging in his peripherals with envy. "And almost all female fans. Listen to those cheers... tsk, so gentle."
Chen Huo, the assault player who commanded a good number of tough-guy fans, was also a bit envious. "Can't be helped—play a medic, and you usually get more female fans."
"Really?" Yu Sui lightly tapped his keyboard, uncertain. "My fan base is too large. I haven't done the statistics. Maybe."
Shi Luo was already used to his team's pre-match ritual of attacking each other's mentality, so he put on his headphones without a second thought. "Following what was discussed in the locker room—responding according to Saint's usual playstyle?"
In the public voice channel, Yu Sui hummed in agreement.
They had no choice. Back when the team was first formed, they'd scheduled a few practice matches with Saint. But not long after, Saint's manager explicitly said they would no longer scrimmage with Free.
It had been a long time since they'd faced Saint. They didn't know what tricks Angel Sword had hidden, nor whether Saint was planning to go all out now or play conservatively, saving their best strategies for playoffs to surprise Free. Their current analysis of Saint could only rely on their recent matches.
And Saint's recent matches were frankly unremarkable—they still employed their usual conservative playstyle. In the early game, they never pushed the front line. Whenever they encountered a 3v3 engagement with others, they'd retreat quickly, just refusing to fight.
They wouldn't do 3v3s, but their front line trio loved specifically targeting the solo player who circled the edges to clear毒—poison fog. They'd do 3v1, and every hunt was successful. Because they had Angel Sword as a god-tier healer, no matter how the isolated "one" performed at their absolute best, they could absolutely never take down even a single one of Saint's players. After several such exchanges, Saint's front line had kills under their belt, all upgrading their equipment. Meanwhile, their opponents, who had cleared more poison fog in the early game, had no kills. Even with more money, they couldn't spend it on anything—their overall equipment fell behind Saint's by a significant margin.
When Saint played against IAC a few days ago, they'd even managed to not give IAC a single kill for an entire match using this strategy. IAC's four players, suffering with basic equipment in the mid-to-late game, were completely overwhelmed by Saint's upgraded gear. They didn't even reach the late game before being wiped out across the board, ending the match early.
Both teams had entered the match map. As the countdown ticked down, the two commentators for this regular season match were still speculating whether Saint would play guerrilla again this round.
"I feel there's a high chance they'll still use guerrilla tactics," Commentator A said. "When facing other teams they need to use softness to overcome strength, but against Free they need to avoid their sharp edge. Everyone knows Free's front line has nearly the strongest damage output, after all, they have Whisper as an assassin-medic."
"That should be the case." Commentator B smiled. "So why don't we guess which one Free will use as bait? Free is facing two paths. The first option—their front line medic and two assault players stick together,，不再让一个突击手出去清毒，免得被天使剑他们三人包，但这样问题就来了……"
Commentator A laughed. "That would be equivalent to handing over their edge of the map to the enemy and delivering Puppy to them for ganking. Compared to assault players, snipers are actually more afraid of being triple-teamed. Assault players can still make a desperate push, but snipers don't even have time to reload!"
"Then it'll test Puppy's scouting ability. He needs to locate Saint's front line trio the instant they appear and call for reinforcements from his own front line." Commentator B said. "I think this is feasible. As for ambushing, our Puppy God absolutely ranks in the top ten of the league, right? Hiding well and reporting enemy positions to teammates for immediate coordination shouldn't be a problem."
Commentator A nodded. "That's also a way to break Saint's guerrilla tactics. The match has started. Now let's see what Free chooses."
The countdown ended.
Free's members had discussed their counter-strategy against Saint's guerrilla tactics days ago: use Puppy as bait.
Because Yu Sui and Chen Huo had been teaming together longer, most of the time at the start of a match, Yu Sui and Chen Huo would handle the front line while Shi Luo circled the edges to steal poison clears. They'd already tested this extensively with their practice squad. Whether it was Shi Luo or Chen Huo, neither could handle solo lane combat. Free wasn't being greedy—they didn't need their solo assault player to get kills. They only required that the assault player not feed in a 1v3 situation and escape cleanly. But after multiple experiments, they still couldn't guarantee success. Saint's guerrilla strategy had been trained for so long, and encountering it was an instant death sentence.
Puppy reluctantly agreed to be the bait, acting as commander and comprehensively monitoring the map. Free's front line trio would group up instead, counter-guerrilla-ing against Angel Sword's three.
Free had tested this counter-method against NSN, and the success rate was quite high.
But less than a minute into this match, Free's members sensed something was subtly off.
Saint seemed to have forgotten how to play "guerrilla." They charged straight toward the exact center of the map where the two teams' territories met.
Puppy didn't need to monitor from the back anymore—Saint's movements were so loud that Shi Luo could hear footsteps from the front line.
Free's front line trio didn't need words, they engaged directly. Their combined combat power was never to be underestimated against the enemy's two assaults and one medic. Saint charged too fast. Neither side had managed to clear an area free of poison fog. They fought right along the map's edge line.
A perfectly straight dividing line stood at the center. The enemy map was nothing but dense fog before their eyes—one touch meant death. Both sides were extremely careful with their positioning, relying entirely on sound to judge enemy locations. In a flash, Yu Sui slashed with his dagger, injuring Saint's two assault players while simultaneously taking two bullets to the chest. The photon shield on Yu Sui shattered. At the same moment, Shi Luo and Chen Huo fired together and took down one of Saint's assault players.
The advantage fell to Free. But before anyone could press the attack, the situation took a sharp turn. Yu Sui was hit by a sniper shot on his right shoulder, and his health bar instantly bottomed out.
The sniper rifle's sound was right beside him. Yu Sui swiftly used Shi Luo as a shield, retreating two steps to hide behind a rock formation, frowning slightly. "Their sniper got close?"
Puppy, who had been老老实实 acting as bait in the back, was also shocked. "Their sniper pushed through? You guys aren't clearing poison— I can't see anything, firing two shots would definitely be wild shots, wasting ammo. Should we retreat?"
No one waited for Puppy to finish. The moment Yu Sui's health dropped, Chen Huo instinctively retreated, already blocking shots for Yu Sui. Shi Luo automatically covered the retreat, pressing the enemy fire line to ensure the two could fall back before Shi Luo himself returned behind the rock. As they retreated, Shi Luo's health also hit bottom.
"Four people." Shi Luo rapidly reloaded his magazine. "...There's definitely a new strategy."
The two sides were pressed too close together. Retreating now was impossible—their positions were already locked. Any exposed head was a death sentence. Yu Sui immediately shielded Shi Luo, then healed all three, but the instant Shi Luo's health was topped off, Saint had already placed their first Purification Dish. Saint pressed their advantage without mercy, charging again from the Purification Dish's area.
"Whoa, has Angel Sword gone insane?!" Chen Huo couldn't believe it. "Going this aggressive all of a sudden—what's he doing? That's not his style!"
Shi Luo's brow furrowed deeply. "...3v3 and we're actually scared of you?"
Half a second after being healed, Shi Luo didn't waste any time, raised his gun and swept it across. He shot while turning his head, instantly taking a bullet to his left shoulder. His photon shield shattered again. At the same time, Chen Huo opened fire for support. But before the two could take down Saint's sniper who'd gotten up close, Saint's earliest-deployed assault player had already respawned and returned.
Saint's two assaults together collected Shi Luo's kill. The situation was completely suppressed—Saint now had a 4v2 advantage over Free.
Shi Luo had to wait to respawn. Puppy hastily said, "I'll fill in."
"No need." Yu Sui said without hesitation. "Sacrifice him."
Yu Sui wasn't about to waste resources—he didn't even shield himself or Chen Huo. Before he finished speaking, Saint had already placed their second Purification Dish. All four of them came at once. Yu Sui and Chen Huo performed at their absolute limit, killing one of Saint's assault players, then were both collected for kills together.
Puppy was still holding down the back line. All three others had returned to the respawn stone. Saint took advantage of this moment and instantly cleared a massive section of the map.
Saint's positioning when placing Purification Dishes was extremely tricky. Puppy couldn't find an angle to try sniping someone.
Chen Huo still hadn't processed what was happening, speechless. "This is... this..."
Shi Luo said flatly, "This is also guerrilla warfare."
"Specially designed against us." Yu Sui said softly. "4v3 straight up, we wouldn't be outmatched originally, but we can't sustain it because Angel Sword's healing is just too good. They're not afraid of dying—dead? Just resupply. With Angel Sword healing, our collective health bar can't compete with theirs. Eventually we'll be worn down."
"Saint has long been called the Taiji team, best at using softness to overcome strength." Shi Luo had respawned. He'd already gotten a kill earlier and was now rapidly upgrading his gun attachments. "Right now they're relying on Angel Sword's unmatched healing tech, engaging us in endless skirmishes. When they take damage they don't retreat, when they have the advantage they don't quit while ahead—they just circle and拉扯, constantly draining us. Our damage output being 3v4 stronger doesn't matter—the health pool is what it is. Eventually we'll bottom out."
Under normal circumstances, when other teams' front lines collided, it was basically a matter of one charge meeting another. Saint had developed this new strategy specifically targeting Free, latching on and not letting go. They weren't afraid of taking damage either, with Angel Sword as their built-in blood bank.
"It's getting hard to play." Puppy wasn't rash, and still hadn't revealed his position at this point. "This composition completely counters us. Who thought of this..."
Shi Luo's brow was slightly furrowed. "Next encounter, go for Angel Sword first. He's too annoying."
Yu Sui didn't speak.
Just moments ago, Saint's players' positioning had been very deliberate. Angel Sword had always stayed at the very back. It would be too difficult to target him during combat, not to mention that just now Angel Sword had already earned an assist. His photon shield had already been upgraded, and his health had thickened another layer.
Yu Sui knew in his heart this round was getting away from them, but they'd always have to break this situation eventually. Below was just needing to make different attempts to see how to dismantle Saint's move. Yu Sui nodded. "Ok."
The front line trio was much more conservative this time, trying to play Saint's counter-moves. But their early-game deficit was just too massive. After several more attempts failed, they were pushed back step by step by Saint. After being wiped out completely in the final engagement, Saint swiftly destroyed Free's respawn stone. Saint took the match.
Puppy had almost no room to perform in this round. When the defeat notification appeared on his monitor, Puppy's brow locked tightly, and he muttered quietly, "F**k."
Chen Huo's expression wasn't great either. He shook his head.
Yu Sui's expression was as usual. He stood up, picked up the jacket that had fallen onto his gaming chair, and walked backstage.
Shi Luo had already anticipated that Saint would develop a strategy specifically targeting their team, so he'd had some mental preparation. Being压制 so thoroughly, while his heart felt heavy, it wasn't that bad. Shi Luo removed his headphones. The moment the noise-canceling headphones came off, the arena commentators' voices and the fans' noisy cheers flooded into his ears. Coincidentally, the two commentators were comparing Yu Sui and Angel Sword—the two medics.
Commentator A clicked his tongue. "I guessed Saint would have some tricks, but I didn't expect the specificity to be this strong. Seriously, this strategy was definitely tailor-made for Free."
"Not only tailor-made for Free, but also tailor-made for Saint themselves." Commentator B laughed. "Looking around, where else would you find a medic who can heal this much? Only Angel Sword can sustain this endless skirmish strategy."
"A complete counter. Before, we were worried—what if other teams, especially teams from other regions, learned this tactic to target Free? But it turns out our worry was unfounded. Where else would you find a healer who can output this much?" Commentator A exclaimed. "Seriously, after watching this match, I suddenly feel more hopeful about Worlds. Our region doesn't just have the league's number one medic Whisper, but we're about to have the league's number one heal-output medic Angel Sword!"
Commentator B smiled and nodded. "Exactly. With that perspective, there's suddenly no rush. Free fans don't need to worry too much. Thinking about it this way—the twin medics of the league, right here in our region!"
Shi Luo had already walked to the backstage corridor entrance. Hearing the phrase "twin medics," Shi Luo's footsteps faltered. His originally indifferent eyes flashed with a hint of viciousness.
Yu Sui, walking ahead of Shi Luo, also froze upon hearing the commentator's words. He下意识 turned his head to look at Shi Luo. Their gazes clashed. Yu Sui pressed his lips together, internally muttering a curse in his mind.
Free's members returned to the backstage lounge. Zhou Huo was busy consoling them. "A complete counter. Can't be helped. You all performed fine."
Old Qiao nodded. "Every step of the earlier execution was fine. We knew Saint would be targeting us. Learning about this earlier is actually beneficial. However, Puppy."
Old Qiao looked at Puppy. "You hesitated in the early game, right? If you'd pushed through directly from the start, there might've been room to perform."
Puppy was precisely unhappy because he knew he hadn't performed well. Zhou Huo was worried Puppy would carry the emotions into the next round, so he quickly changed the subject. "It's not Puppy's fault, right? Who could've predicted whatever strategy Saint came up with."
"Not saying he'll hesitate in the next round—you yourself should be clear. Hesitate half a second, and this match could've been gone." Old Qiao's expression didn't change. He turned to Zhou Huo again. "And don't worry about him. He's a Worlds-level player. He can消化得了 this much."
Zhou Huo looked at Puppy with worry, only to see Puppy's expression was normal, completely different from just after the match ended.
Puppy lounged lazily on the lounge's sofa. "I did hesitate in the early game this round. Criticizing me is fair. Relax... I've seen every kind of storm. You think I'd be affected by a regular season match?"
"Angel Sword really played dirty. During our平时的 duo queue he was so gentle, speaking to me so nicely, but secretly he had this trick up his sleeve." The just-moment-ago frustrated Chen Huo now had an expression no different from usual. He flopped down next to Puppy, not forgetting to curse Angel Sword. "Damn it,果然爱笑的男人没一个好东西."
Worlds-level players—if they have emotions, it only lasts a few seconds. With extensive competition experience, they can all adjust their state the first moment, not bringing negative emotions into the next round.
Zhou Huo let go of his worry.
But Yu Sui, drinking water off to the side, couldn't relax.
Yu Sui, while drinking water, was watching Shi Luo, who'd entered the lounge面无表情嚼口香糖—chewing gum expressionlessly. His chest felt heavy.
The commentators earlier might've been trying to reassure Free's fans, or genuinely feeling that the region was strong. Either way, that sentence was definitely just casually said.
The speaker was无心, but the listener took it to heart.
Yu Sui was always extremely precise at catching Shi Luo's emotions. So the instant the commentator's words hadn't even finished, Yu Sui knew something was wrong.
And Yu Sui knew very well in his heart—Shi Luo wasn't being jealous.
Shi Luo had indeed been jealous since before he was an adult. But Yu Sui knew clearly—Shi Luo wasn't jealous at this moment. That wasn't what was wrong with him.
If it were just jealousy, that'd be easy to handle.
Yu Sui knew very well the real reason for Shi Luo's emotional change.
Yu Sui set down the mineral water bottle and gently exhaled.
This industry updated too fast. The commentators were the same; the fans were the same.
Many people had forgotten. The original pair of twin medics—there were others.
One was the league's number one medic. The other was the league's number one medic's substitute.
Yu Sui took a deep breath and controlled himself from thinking any further. If he thought too much, Yu Sui himself would have problems with his emotions next round.
The other members in the lounge were still discussing how to counter Saint. After a while, the break time was up. Staff came to knock on the door, signaling Free should head out. Yu Sui put on his team jacket. "You all go first. I need to say something to Shi Luo."
Yu Sui thought he could still manage to调整一下—adjust Little Kid's emotions. It's just that Shi Luo didn't like showing weakness to begin with. Comforting him in front of everyone could easily add fuel to the fire. Yu Sui had already figured out what to say once everyone left. In the end, he could even kiss Shi Luo again, and then things would差不多…
Shi Luo, who had already stood up, said without hesitation, "No need."
Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo, surprised.
"I." Shi Luo paused and said quietly, "am not a world-level player, but I should also start learning to not depend on you, to regulate my emotions myself."
Shi Luo turned to look at Yu Sui. His expression had returned to normal. He stared at Yu Sui, then blew a huge bubble with his gum.