Entering the game, during the last moments of preparation before leaving the base, Jiang Hao used his mouse to click several times on Cheng Wensheng’s character portrait furiously.
“I’ll let it slide for now, you unfilial captain,” he trash-talked while he could. “But after this match, I’m absolutely getting you suspended, okay?”
“Show-off.”
“6666, he’s already staging a mutiny.”
Teammates chimed in that this unlucky top laner needed to be replaced. Even jungler Yu Xiu exclaimed, “It’s over, our captain’s getting abolished.”
Cheng Wensheng’s mouth twitched slightly. “Heh.”
[TL_Amor] signals that the enemy is missing!
With a gentle tone, he threw a huge question mark onto Jiang Hao. “Can’t you do something actually useful?”
“I’m the pressure sponge, I’m proud of it!”
Cheng Wensheng was speechless, too lazy to argue any further. He tapped Sui Ning’s skill bar. “…Everyone stay alert. The enemy mid also brought Teleport.”
[TL_Amor] signals that [PNG_Wind]’s [Teleport] is ready!
This game he was playing Soulreaper King. Against a lane-bully like Phantom Trickster, he basically couldn’t do anything during laning. It was hard to push HP advantage or create kill pressure early. Ignite wasn’t very meaningful.
Most ranked players tend to take Flash + Barrier/Heal for safety. But to make up for TL’s weak early roaming and support potential, Cheng Wensheng had no choice but to drop survival tools and go Flash + Teleport.
…Still, he really hadn’t expected Sui Ning to also bring Teleport.
The commentators noticed this as well.
Qing Ci spoke first. “Wind’s summoner spell choice this game is interesting. This is actually my first time seeing Fran bring Teleport. Whether on the national server ranking or in general ranked games, Ignite is basically standard.”
“She’s a burst assassin — Ignite is what lets Fran gain early advantages. And with her multiple dashes and high mobility, she roams better than Soulreaper King. Is Teleport really necessary?”
[A Fran without Ignite is just a salted fish??]
[It’s over, Wind chickened out.]
[COWARD COWARD COWARD~~]
[Of course, he chickened out~! This overhyped mid laner raised by bought marketing—when he meets someone actually strong, won’t his true form show? Whose boss’s son is he anyway? PNG’s been protecting him like crazy. Don’t tell me that 50 million transfer fee was PNG paying TL??]
[Which mental-hospital pet escaped to spread rumors^^? Y’all really get triggered just because Feng-bao changed one spell? Fragile much?]
[How many times have I heard “true colors revealed” today? Can you clowns bow to your Chinese teacher and ask for more idioms? (sweating emoji)]
[Some Bronze-tier keyboard warriors think their trash rank makes them authorities. Hilarious.]
Chao Mi tried to spin it. “Actually, taking Teleport isn’t unreasonable here. After level 6, both mids clear at similar speeds. Top and bot are hard to gank. I personally think Fran’s roam success rate will be low this game. But she has to roam — if she just farms, Soulreaper King will love it.”
He continued, “In this case, TP is useful. Even if she just uses it to return to lane every wave, she keeps her tempo from falling behind.”
Qing Ci considered it. “That… does sound reasonable.”
“It’s interesting. PNG drafted such a bloody, aggressive comp — I thought they’d go all-in on early/mid.”
“But from these small details, you can tell they’re actually calm. The comp looks headstrong, but there’s room to play it with some maneuver. With both mid and top having TP, PNG won’t fear TL’s split-push or map pressure later.”
“Of course, all of this comes at the cost of sacrificing Fran’s kill pressure.”
Qing Ci switched topics and pulled up a stats sheet. “Speaking of which — PNG has played 11 BO3s so far, and Wind’s mid lane solo-kill rate is 11/11, a full 100%. Terrifying! He’s the current Solo-Kill King of the Summer Split.”
He said eagerly, “I wonder if Wind can keep that record without Ignite this game?”
[LOL Qing Ci has no awareness. The guy didn’t take Ignite and he still brings up solo kills?? Does someone really think Amor is some random cabbage?]
[So you’re saying Wind’s previous opponents were all trash? That’s some broad shade you’re casting.]
[So? Has Wind even fought a real top-tier team yet? How many of the ABCD Four Gods? How many EU mage kings? Korean mage kings? …Oh? Is the answer ZERO^^~]
[Man’s trembling. Judging players by their ID like a coward~ vs weak teams he goes all out, against a big name he cowers and takes TP. First-place wimp, I won’t say who]
[Can you idiots stop dragging Amor into your drama?? I’m begging.]
[Cheng Wensheng himself said he rates Wind highly. Why are his fans panicking??]
[Every time Wind plays, haters implode. Every match he turns another ‘super team’ into frauds. If PNG wins this one, will you two-faced dogs dare say Tayloo isn’t a top team?]
[Wow wow, already borrowing future victories?~~]
On the surface, Sui Ning’s path had been too smooth, and plenty of people couldn’t stand seeing him thrive. Normally, they hid in the gutter and didn’t dare speak, but since this match involved TL, they all climbed out using TL fans as a shield, stirring hate and spamming the barrage like crazy.
Back when their results were good, flaming them didn’t have much bite. But today, haters were convinced PNG wasn’t a match for TL, so of course they acted wildly—
Otherwise what? Did PNG have even a 1% chance of beating TL?
Even though the commentators couldn’t see the toxic barrage of comments, Chao Mi still instinctively felt that what his partner said earlier might attract hate toward Sui Ning.
He had a great impression of Sui Ning, practically half a Feng-bao’s fan, so he quickly tried to smooth things over: “Everyone knows Amor’s skill level. Forget HPL—line up every pro mid laner in the world, and the ones who can solo-kill him can be counted on one hand. I actually think Wind doesn’t need to focus on that at all.”
“He has TP. He can completely control the tempo himself!”
——
Just as the commentators predicted, Sui Ning’s usual playstyle in earlier rounds was to first dominate mid lane, then invade the enemy jungle with Ji Yunyu, secure neutral objectives, and spread the advantage to both sides.
But this game, he needed to adjust his approach a bit. Not because he feared facing A-god—one of the Four Phantoms—but because TL drafted a second-tier pseudo-turtle comp. PNG’s lane swap and tower pressure rhythm would need to be even faster than usual.
Sui Ning pressed his lips together as he moved the Phantom Trickster to lane, quietly watching the Soulreaper King emerge from the shadows behind the mid tower.
His left index finger instinctively tapped Tab several times, bringing up the matchup panel to check the opponent’s items—sure enough, full stacks of healing potions.
Cheng Wensheng didn’t feel embarrassed at all. His age was what it was; in terms of extreme mechanics, he might not match Sui Ning. But when it came to “stability,” he was absolutely in a league of his own in HPL.
Even though this was just a warm-up game, Cheng Wensheng had come fully prepared, exuding an attitude of “surround me with ten thousand layers, and I remain unshaken.”
…Don’t rush. Wait for the opportunity. Sui Ning told himself quietly.
Almost at the same moment, the assassin master in his control seemed to sense the same thing. Her seductive, velvety voice murmured:
[A warrior’s greatest weapon is patience.]
As she spoke, her long, bright phoenix eyes swept calmly over the Soulreaper King.
Everyone reached their lanes one after another.
Before a few seconds had passed, as the first two low-HP minions died, Sui Ning heard his bot-lane teammate’s voice through the headset.
“What’s with the enemy?” Lin Zhaoxu sounded confused. “Level 1 and they’re just… giving up the lane?”
He pinged a question mark.
The minion waves met in the center, yet the enemy Frost Archer and Little Traveler didn’t step forward at all.
Only when they were about to miss CS did the Frost Archer finally lift their hand and toss out a W—Frostburst Volley, dealing long-range AoE damage.
“Unbelievable, this Frost Archer is really cowardly! And their W placement is totally random. Feels like they don’t even plan on hitting me.”
Lin Zhaoxu couldn’t help complaining. “Do they have to be this scared? As soon as their skill’s up, they walk up just long enough to toss it at the caster minions, then when it’s on cooldown, they run all the way back and only CS the ones right in front! I try to pressure forward a little to auto them and I can’t even reach.”
As he spoke, another casual W came flying. Lin Zhaoxu sidestepped easily.
From the top lane, Wei Ye chimed in: “Is this TL tradition? They talk big before the match, each louder than the last, and once the game starts, they’re each more scared than the next.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “For once, I picked a fighter, and the enemy top laner refuses to fight me at all, won’t even take minions.”
It was exactly like him a few days ago—was this what they called a reversal of fate? Wei Ye happily last-hit minions, inwardly laughing with schadenfreude.
Cheng Su glanced at the Little Traveler, who clearly had no intention of helping auto minions, and frowned. “They’re planning to fully turtle. That means Little Traveler definitely leveled W.”
Little Traveler’s W could protect teammates, but provided zero help in pushing the wave. So if you wanted first-wave priority, Little Traveler had to learn Q—Dreamquake Pulse for damage.
Switching from contesting lane to conceding lane, TL’s bot lane’s desire to be turtles was obvious.
…Which put Lin Zhaoxu and Cheng Su in a bit of an awkward spot.
[Here we go, TL’s signature move. I said their laning phase is the second most boring to watch—who dares claim first place?!]
[As long as I give up lane fast enough, no one can solo-kill me!!]
[It’s hopeless. Even PNG’s brawlers would shake their heads. Selling mattresses and bunk beds for in-lane sleeping!]
[I’ll nap for 20 minutes. Wake me when the teamfights start.]
Ji Yunyu took a moment to glance at bot lane and warned, “Their jungler started blue. Watch out for a level-2 gank bot!”
“They wouldn’t prioritize me that much, right?” Lin Zhaoxu muttered, slowing his last-hitting.
“Can’t be sure. The ward near small wolves didn’t catch Owld’s location.” Ji Yunyu said seriously. “I’ll finish red and counter-gank.”
After speaking, he glanced at TL’s blue-side jungle.
PNG had no vision there, just darkness, yet Ji Yunyu had a strong, mysterious premonition—Owld’s jungle pathing would be: Blue Buff Boars gank bot.
At 2:15, if Owld still hadn’t shown up at the small-wolves ward… Then he was coming bot. Ji Yunyu gritted his teeth and decided to trust his instinct.
Cheng Su wasn’t convinced. “Risky. Their bot lane is hard to gank. If he doesn’t come, you’ll waste your early-game tempo.”
His concern was clear—counter-ganking someone who never shows up would cost precious seconds early on, which could be fatal.
Sui Ning quietly pinged bot lane.
[PNG_Wind] is on the way!
Ji Yunyu grinned. “If you think he’s ganking bot, then say it. Why are you pinging and misleading teammates? You can’t even come.”
But he instantly understood what Sui Ning meant.
“…I have TP,” Sui Ning murmured.
But Ji Yunyu was right—even if he went crazy, there was no way Fran could roam at level 2. That signal simply meant he agreed with Ji Yunyu’s prediction.
——
On the commentary desk.
“The opening… this situation is about what we expected.”
Qing Ci sighed helplessly. “TL’s top and bot lanes are both… visibly cautious. At least Ljbf in top lane is trading a few skill shots with Myerii as a friendly gesture. But bot lane? They’re straight-up giving up the wave.”
No sooner had he said this than the minimap in spectator view lit up with multiple red and blue [On My Way] signals, all pinged on bot lane.
Chao Mi nearly jumped at the flood of pings. “Wait—what does this mean??”
“What is Owld doing?!!”
On the big screen, the red-side jungler, the Void Devourer, had only cleared the two camps closest to him. He skipped the small boars entirely, ignored the juicy river crab without hesitation, and headed straight for bot lane.
[????? Am I hallucinating??]
[What is this?! A level-2 bot gank??—TL actually level-2 ganking bot??]
[Did someone possess Owld??]
[Holy crap—the moment Owld walked toward bot, I literally looked up to double-check the team name.]
The viewers were absolutely stunned by Yu Xiu’s movement.
But even more surprising was that the blue-side Shadow of Vengeance had seemingly anticipated Yu Xiu’s path perfectly. After clearing red buff, he skipped small wolves and arrived early in the lane bush.
[??????]
[WHAT IS THIS???]
[It’s over guys—someone’s cheating!!]
After all the brutal lessons he had suffered recently, Lin Zhaoxu had become a master actor—his performance impeccable. He pretended to mismanage the wave, allowing Ji Yunyu to slip into the vision blind spot and enter the bush unseen by TL.
Jian Wang noticed Lin Zhaoxu’s odd movements and frowned slightly. “Is Mior… making too many wave-control mistakes?”
Lee Jae-hee muttered something in Korean first, then shook his head vigorously. “I, I control HP. He no way!”
The young Korean player clearly wanted to take credit.
His meaning was obvious—he wasn’t throwing W out randomly; every cast precisely chipped minion HP, making it impossible for Lin Zhaoxu to stop the wave from pushing toward TL.
“…Is that so?” Jian Wang still felt something was off.
[TL_Owld] is on the way!
“I’m done with boars, arriving soon,” Yu Xiu said. “Forcing a flash is profit.”
In mid lane, Cheng Wensheng asked, “Should I ward your red-side entrance for defense?”
Yu Xiu shook his head. “No need. Once I show bot, Cloud will definitely invade my red. You can’t stop him. Swapping jungle sides is fine.”
As he spoke, Yu Xiu mentally simulated both junglers’ pathing.
“Alright.”
Cheng Wensheng didn’t question Yu Xiu’s judgment. He knew that “no need” didn’t mean he didn’t have to pretend. Not using their precious early ward didn’t mean he shouldn’t act to mislead the enemy.
He neatly last-hit a low-HP caster minion, then casually turned back, stepping out of PNG’s vision.
About two seconds later, he reappeared mid.
Sui Ning had been watching his every move.
When Cheng Wensheng made that performative loop around the red-side entrance, Sui Ning selected him and opened his item panel.
[True Sight Ward]: Places a Sight Ward at a designated location. Charges reset upon returning to base. (Unique)
Current charges: 1/1
It was a universal, zero-cost item—and the only early-game source of vision.
Cheng Wensheng hadn’t placed it.
“They’re ganking bot.”
Sui Ning stated it plainly. “We can fight.”
[PNG_Cloud]: Understood.
Ji Yunyu lay in wait in TL’s blind spot.
Sure enough, Yu Xiu soon appeared from the river. Lin Zhaoxu acted as if caught off guard, immediately turning tail with Soul-Piercing Spear.
Yu Xiu dashed forward with Q: “Fight, fight—lock him down!”
The monstrous Void Devourer opened its gaping maw, razor-like teeth clamping brutally onto Soul-Piercing Spear.
-86!
Lee Jae-hee also dropped the harmless act and put every bit of auto-attack damage onto Lin Zhaoxu.
“Lower their HP, just lower their HP! Watch their support’s position!” Yu Xiu asked rapidly, “What skill did their Shadow Hawk take?”
Jian Wang replied, “QW. He hasn’t used the W control yet.”
…Still not using it? Yu Xiu’s brows tightened instinctively, a shadow of unease spreading through his chest.
But in this split-second confrontation, there was no time left for him to think calmly.
The moment he stepped forward again, Cheng Su finally released the W he’d been holding—[W – Grand Entrance]—knocking both Jian Wang and Yu Xiu into the air at melee range.
At that exact moment, Ji Yunyu moved.
Shadow of Vengeance’s shadow blade pierced straight into the Void Devourer’s body. The creature let out an agonized scream, black pus splattering everywhere.
“Erllit—!! He’d been holding his W this whole time, waiting for TL to chase!! W–Flash instantly knocks up the jungle-support duo, and Cloud and Mior’s damage is all landing—beautiful!”
“TL might be in serious trouble!! There’s no way they expected Cloud to already be hiding in that bush! And Cloud has red buff—his combat power is way higher than Owld with blue!!”
Qing Ci shouted excitedly, “Unbelievable!! How did PNG even predict this?? They actually counter-ganked this perfectly??”
“Referee, I’m reporting wallhacks!!”
[666666]
[PNG — LET’S GO!!!]
[Beautiful!! My boys are making me proud!!]
[Some people aren’t talking anymore… I won’t say who.]
In stark contrast to the hyped commentary, TL’s comms instantly descended into panic.
Yu Xiu: “What the—?!”
“Ssibal(Fuck in korean)—No no!!”
“What happened, how is Cloud here?!”
Jian Wang was the first to calm down. “Back up, back up, we can’t fight! Their 3v3 is stronger right now!”
He immediately used W to pull Yu Xiu into the hollow abdomen of the Little Traveler, preventing him from being instantly killed.
The creature’s abdomen was a bizarre nebula—rumored to contain countless pathways to dreams—capable of storing allies and enemies alike.
Carrying Yu Xiu, he burned Flash to retreat. Lee Jae-hee always obeyed Jian Wang, so he followed without question.
“Support no flash.”
Cheng Su clicked his tongue, a little regretful.
But Lin Zhaoxu, for once, had his brain online. “Don’t chase. We can’t chase. Their support must recall. Their jungler’s HP is terrible—if he clears another camp before recalling, he won’t make it to the next drake.”
Ji Yunyu: …?
Ji Yunyu: “Damn, son—how’d you suddenly get enlightened? Intelligence skyrocketed?”
Even Sui Ning turned to look at him in surprise.
Lin Zhaoxu snorted proudly. “This? Please. Stop underestimating your dad!”
He had been practicing extra hours—he wasn’t doing it for nothing!
Wei Ye: “Wow, he’s powered up.”
Cheng Su sighed. “My prediction is: soon you’ll be crying for your dads to save you.”
——
Neither side chased further. Both supports traded flashes—nothing more.
“Aiya…” the commentator lamented, “Not getting first blood there is a pity! Both sides played it very safe—TL’s retreat was extremely decisive.”
“It’s rare to see TL proactively attack at level 2—that was unexpected. Theoretically, almost no one would predict it! But Cloud—”
“I really want to know what Cloud was thinking! How did he know Owld would level-2 gank bot for sure? He went into the bush before seeing anything, didn’t clear his small camps at all! If he guessed wrong, his early game would’ve been ruined!”
Chao Mi laughed helplessly. “Honestly… unless we hear the team comms afterward, no one will ever know what went through their minds.”
After a pause, he added, “This opening is already so intense—looks like the rest of the game will be wild! PNG definitely wants to fight, and TL picking this comp also wants to fight. I didn’t expect that!”
“The first dragon fight is gonna be huge!”
……
And then his curse struck again.
The moment Amor said “stable” in voice chat, Tayloo suddenly awakened, returning to the essence of the iron-turtle comp—they gave everything up.
River crab? Given. First dragon? Given. Outer towers? Given.
TL compensated in other ways, keeping their economy from falling too far behind.
Only at 14 minutes—when Sui Ning teleported bot for the second time—was the 0:0 score finally broken.
[PNG_Wind (Phantom Trickster) has slain TL_Freeloop (Frost Archer)!]
[First Blood!]
[PNG_Wind (Phantom Trickster) has slain TL_JW (Little Wanderer)!]
[Double Kill!]
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