You Call This Steady

With a full two rows of buffs empowering him, Luo Zhen was no longer afraid of anything.

The most unpretentious American Iaido made Renekton and Viego kneel on the spot. The super long-range Bullet pulled from his crotch made LWX's Jinx's scalp tingle instantly.

The damage output was too high.

Caitlyn, when she has four items, has terrifying damage output. Now, he's wielding Kraken Slayer, Infinity Edge, and Serylda's Grudge, four god-tier items, and is also equipped with gear forged by Ornn. Combined with Lethal Tempo's extra 100 range.

A war machine with 750 range capable of high-intensity, sustained output is a living war machine on this battlefield of the Rift.

FPX began to collapse.

[Holy crap, what a fierce Caitlyn.]

[No, how did he manage to be timid as a mouse in lane and fierce as a tiger in team fights? Is this how ADCs charge?]

[An engage ADC, this isn't Little Uzi, this is clearly Little JKL.]

[Turtle turtle, V5 really found a treasure.]

The audience with a god's perspective wouldn't care about the overall strength of the players on both sides. From their viewpoint, all they saw was Caitlyn charging forward, unleashing relentless damage. As for LWX on FPX's side, although he was also dealing significant damage, the gap in the front line was simply too vast.

Renekton and Viego couldn't withstand even a few rounds from Caitlyn, while Trundle and Ornn could hold off Jinx for a long time.

What does this explain?

Bigger things indeed perform better in actual combat, so there's a reason why men generally pursue bigger things ( ).

A 0-for-3 team fight.

After chasing down and killing the enemy support who was covering the rear, V5 smoothly took Baron Nashor, completely solidifying their victory in this game.

From then on, it was Caitlyn's time to farm KDA with her face in the enemy's.

Although the current situation was desperate for LWX, this was the reality of competition. He was leading a team that was almost completely depleted: four rookies and a dean. Even if an old player were there to share the pressure with him, he wouldn't be having such a difficult time.

But this is reality.

In terms of spirit, the opposing team was also the Avengers.

In terms of fame, the opposing team had two star players.

In terms of tactics, how many coaches in the entire LPL could be stronger than Coach Homme?

This all-round crushing defeat led to what was subsequently a one-sided slaughter.

The Nexus was collapsing, and the minions were wailing. In the past, even when the team faced such a huge disadvantage, there would always be a noisy presence like a stubborn monkey in the team chat, BB-ing and encouraging everyone not to give up. But now... the entire team voice chat was dead silent, as if the situation had reached its end.

LWX remained silent, but resolutely controlled Jinx to charge forward.

Until... he finally witnessed the annihilation of the Nexus with his own eyes.

3:1

When the final score appeared before LWX, his eyes were filled with hesitation.

If the player's seat on FPX's side was filled with silence, then V5's side presented a completely different scene.

For a moment, Luo Zhen almost jumped up from his chair in excitement, but reason quickly suppressed his impulse, allowing him to transition from excitement to calmness to picking up a cup and drinking water in the shortest possible time.

Just one word: Act cool!

Act cool, damn it!

"Holy crap, is it necessary? It's just a Demacia Cup semifinal."

PPGOD couldn't stand it. Although he was also very happy in his heart, and this Demacia Cup might be a chance to wash away his record of 16 consecutive losses, when he excitedly jumped up and saw his AD standing there with a calm and collected, seen-it-all master's demeanor, the contrast was stark.

It made him look like a noob.

"What do you mean necessary? It's just winning a match. Do Brother Yijin and Brother Ka have such a big reaction as you?" After speaking, Luo Zhen even pulled the mid and jungle over to use as a shield.

This scene made the mid and jungle duo laugh, while only Rich looked confused, unable to understand, and could only laugh along blindly.

Of course, it's not entirely their fault, these Korean imports. Mandarin is indeed difficult for foreigners to learn, and if the teacher also has a dialect, it becomes even more extreme. Yes, we're talking about the dialects of Guangxi, Northeast China, Tianjin, and Sichuan.

If there was even one person from these four regions in a university dorm, the Mandarin accent of the entire dorm could be skewed within a semester.

"Alright, alright, get ready. You'll probably be the one doing the interview later." Karsa was in a very good mood. As a jungler who had just left TES, in less than a month, he was already preparing to face his former teammates again in the Demacia Cup.

The thought of a future where he could prove them wrong made his blood boil.

Of course, this was based on the assumption that TES would advance in the other semifinal. However, looking at the players competing on both sides, he really couldn't imagine TES losing.

"Huh? Me?" Luo Zhen pointed to himself with a confused finger. Logically, interviews like this should be for Rookie or Karsa, right? The fame of the other people on the team was not on the same level as theirs, so it shouldn't be his turn.

"Who else? In the last game, you almost carried the entire field. If not you, then who? Hurry, hurry, remember to run through what you're going to say in your mind, be careful not to say the wrong thing and get flamed when you come down."

"Oh, okay."

Although he didn't quite understand how this was judged, Luo Zhen eventually appeared in front of the interview seat obediently.

By the end of S11, LPL interviews had become very streamlined.

For any question asked, they would first go over the script, which was to avoid players improvising and causing major drama as much as possible, thus avoiding a lot of unnecessary trouble. This made Luo Zhen breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

What a shame... he had originally wanted to create some big surprises.

"That's the last question." As he fell into thought, the interview segment had slowly reached its final step. "Facing so many top-tier bot lanes since your debut, do you have any special words you'd like to say?"

"Special words… actually, I used to study art." Luo Zhen propped his chin, a rather interesting piece of news coming to mind.

"Oh? Is there a special meaning to that?"

"There is, actually. This year, the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in Austria had only one person fail, just like over a hundred years ago."

"Huh? And that's it?" Luo Xin, the interviewer, was a bit confused. She couldn't quite grasp the subtext of his statement.

"No, that's all I have to say. Thank you."

Meanwhile, the live stream's bullet screen was filled with: ???

Chapter 35: Commonly Known As: Being Imprisoned

After showing off at the interview desk, Luo Zhen made his escape with incredible speed.

Seriously.

He could only fool female hosts like Luo Xin, whose knowledge base was relatively limited. If it were a top student like Xi Ran, she'd probably have flipped his skull right there upon realizing how he was playing things.

Of course, after showing off, he could also anticipate the drama that would unfold tonight.

Even though he expected many people to mock him, he figured, youngsters, right? If they aren't arrogant and wild in their youth, what's the point? Especially for a transmigrator like me.

He wanted confidence, he wanted arrogance!

However, just as Luo Zhen was about to rush back to the lounge to share his joy with the coach, he ran smack into his opponent from the last match at a turn in the backstage area: LWX.

Luo Zhen: !!!

"Brother Xiang… good evening."

Seriously.

Back in his past life as a spectator, he had countless times imagined that if he ever became famous, he'd leave Uzi in the dust with one foot and JackeyLove with the other. LWX, Viper, Karsa – they would all be eating his dust behind him.

But when he actually came face-to-face with LWX, especially this darkened version of him, he suddenly chickened out.

It was mainly that imposing brow. When he wasn't smiling, he really exuded an oppressive aura. Plus, he hadn't been eating well these past couple of years and his body hadn't kept up. He did a quick comparison in his mind and felt like he might not be able to win.

Of course, LWX didn't make a move. He just stared intently at Luo Zhen with a frown for a long time before muttering.

"Don't rush it. I just came to take a look."

"Huh?"

"Okay, I've seen enough. I'm leaving."

With that, he adopted a posture like he was ready to bolt, which completely baffled Luo Zhen.

What is this, a zoo visit? You specifically came over to see what I look like?

"Oh, right." As if remembering something, LWX turned back and glanced at Luo Zhen's position. "Since you've already beaten me and LNG, could you do me a favor in the finals?"

"Huh?"

"Although I think the possibility is slim, you should be close to reaching that door by now, right? If so, maybe you can create some surprises for them at a critical moment."

"?"

"Don't look so confused, you look as silly as can be. Add me on WeChat first. When we get back and finish the review, call me during your free time, and I'll give you some specialized training."

"???"

Until LWX's back finally disappeared from view, Luo Zhen still hadn't figured out what had just happened. He just looked at the WeChat ID that had appeared on his phone, his mind feeling a bit disoriented.

Did he… really become an avenger?

V5's advancement in the Demacia Cup caused a huge stir on the night the match ended. After all, for the vast majority of trolls, seeing a scrappy underdog team rise to prominence was quite entertaining.

Of course, there was something more important: the V5 players generally had good public appeal.

Karsa had always been gentle, Rookie was an esports good old boy, and the remaining three unfamiliar rookies wouldn't have much of an impression on public opinion. But when you added their tragic pasts, it naturally attracted traffic from casual fans.

And, most importantly, the fans of this team had absolutely no conflict with the fans of other teams.

Because V5 had no fans at all.

If there were die-hard fans after 16 consecutive losses, then every single one of them would undoubtedly be a hardcore troll.

"Quick, Xiao Zhen, have you seen the internet? You've become a little famous."

As soon as he returned to the lounge, Karsa cheerfully handed his phone to Luo Zhen. Never mind how many teammates he carried this round against FPX; just the fact that he could hold his ground in lane and dare to charge forward when at a disadvantage proved that his floor wasn't too low.

At this point, most evaluations of Luo Zhen were along the lines of "promising future."

Well, even though "promising future" was somewhat negative in the LPL context, it was still a good evaluation overall.

"I know about that. I just casually opened an app, and the notification sounds from the backend almost blew me up."

"Then you need to be careful. Don't fall for the tricks of those demonesses."

Karsa said meaningfully. For such a promising ADC, he could imagine with his toes how many internet celebrities would be targeting Luo Zhen like a tree. After all, he had gone through the same thing.

Moreover, he couldn't even help himself.

"Don't worry, Brother Ka. Although I haven't dated much, I know a lot about cars. I know many cars, even if they haven't been registered, have temporary plates. They've been test-driven countless times on the highway by several people. This era doesn't lack people who test drive; it lacks people who actually buy after test driving. Turbocharged engines aren't scary; direct injection is."

Luo Zhen's words left Karsa speechless.

"I used to hear people say that if you have problems in your love life, you should ask single people. I thought those people online were joking, but after hearing your words, I'm starting to believe it again."

"???"

After a brief chat, they moved on to reviewing the match. As the absolute core of the fourth game today, Luo Zhen's performance truly surprised Coach Homme.

Well, not because he played too well.

It was because, even though they had decided to make the bot lane the core, Luo Zhen still actively coordinated with the jungler and played cautiously in the early game.

This sounds simple, but imagine a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. Which of these new players doesn't want to show off as soon as they debut and get on the field? They play selfishly in a way that's hard to reason with.

But Coach Homme never expected that, well, Luo Zhen was a transmigrator. He skipped the rebellious phase entirely.

Even Bai Seyueya would have to admit he was an expert.

Of course, after the praise, there was also plenty of criticism. As a rookie, Luo Zhen still made quite a few small mistakes. If it weren't for LWX picking Jinx in the final game, lacking synergy with his support, and being outplayed in the BP, it would have been hard to say how the fourth game would have gone for their bot lane.

Since they were the first team to play in the semifinals, after today's match against FPX, they would have a day of rest before tomorrow's semifinal between TES and IG. The winning team would have to play back-to-back.

There were pros and cons to both scenarios.

The advantage was that V5 could analyze the champion pool of the winner between TES and IG, making it easier for Coach Homme to strategize the BP.

The disadvantage...

Playing back-to-back meant maintaining momentum. They might face TES or IG at their peak.

Rookie and Karsa, on the other hand, were both looking forward to it.

If IG advanced, Rookie would get his revenge. If TES advanced, Karsa would prove them wrong. Either way, there would be plenty to watch.