You call this thing stable?

The Demacia Cup championship sparked a wave of "Avengers" in a short period.

TES's popularity was the main reason. Although both teams were a mix of veterans and newcomers, one had dual carries while the other had a mid-jungle duo. Logically, either outcome should have been normal, but online opinions don't play by the rules. First, they praised one side and trashed the other, then the infamous "mole hunt" began.

Under the pressure of public opinion, most of the blame for TES's loss was placed on Qing Tian. Zhuo, being even newer than Qing Tian, managed to escape unscathed. The intense scrutiny from the top lane was mostly absorbed by the dual carries, leaving little for him.

This made TES's manager, Guo Hao, anxious.

Normally, TES's urgency wouldn't concern Luo Zhen. Currently, the online audience was showering him with praise. Based on his Demacia Cup performance, Luo Zhen definitely deserved the title of "promising future." He hadn't gone anywhere these past few days, spending all his time at the club reading compliments from his fans on the "Kuang Ba" forums.

Well, he did have a nice meal with Xiang Zhangmen in the meantime.

Honestly, if LWX hadn't impulsively decided to annoy Xiao Tian and used his "power transfer technique" on him overnight, he might not have been able to withstand the pressure from TES's bot lane in the finals. That day and night of one-on-one coaching had saved his professional career from going down the wrong path for at least several months.

But just as he was planning to slack off, freeload, and eat at the club until his teammates returned, V5's team leader and Coach Homme unexpectedly hadn't gone home. Seeing him bored and twiddling his thumbs at the club, they directly took him out with them.

Luo Zhen was bewildered.

He was happily drinking cola, singing songs, watching anime, and enjoying the air conditioning. Before he could savor it any longer, why was he suddenly being pulled into overtime?

Although the overtime came abruptly, Luo Zhen eventually resigned himself to it, thinking that he had nothing else to do anyway. He was just a little curious if, like in his previous life, he would have to accompany bosses to social events as a professional player.

Please, no.

As if sensing Luo Zhen's panic, Coach Homme and the team leader exchanged glances and then chuckled, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, it's nothing for you. We just want you to get some fresh air. Don't stay cooped up in the club all day."

"So, where are we going specifically?"

"Just picking up a top laner. It's a small matter."

You call this a small matter? (Black person with question mark face)

On January 13th of the original timeline, the third day of the LPL Spring Split regular season, the LPL suddenly issued a new regulation allowing players to transfer mid-season. Onlookers who didn't follow the matches closely couldn't understand this new rule, but fans who watched the games daily knew exactly why it was implemented: to create an opening for Top Esports to sign an auxiliary player.

In this timeline, however, the rules had changed slightly because they were now in greater need of a top laner.

"To be honest, this new member has a lot to do with me," Coach Homme said, scratching his head with a hint of helplessness. "Actually, before joining V5, JDG contacted me first. I thought I would be joining JDG at the time, so I proposed a player to JDG's management."

"Who?"

"369."

"Pfft~" Luo Zhen, who was drinking water at the moment, choked on his drink. He had transmigrated to this parallel world before the S11 World Championship finals. In Luo Zhen's memory, 369's performance and reputation in S11 were both extremely poor.

Picking 369 at this time, Luo Zhen wasn't sure if Coach Homme had a discerning eye or had lost his mind.

"Wait, do we even have spare cash?" Luo Zhen suddenly realized the crux of the issue. Even with his poor reputation, 369 wouldn't be cheap. Did V5 really have the spare funds to poach from TES?

"We don't have spare cash, but considering Coach Homme's foresight, we decided to take a gamble. We proposed a concept to JDG and TES during the transfer window – a trade," the team leader interjected at the opportune moment. This gamble was submitted by him personally, and if it failed, he would bear the brunt of the responsibility.

"Trade?"

"Yes, a trade!"

TES needed a stable and experienced top laner, and they had their sights set on JDG's Zoom.

Coincidentally, because Coach Homme was initially with JDG, they had agreed to this exchange. However, Coach Homme was poached midway, causing the trade to stall. JDG wasn't foolish; their own club's reputation was already bad enough, and they couldn't afford to take in a player like 369, whose mechanics and reputation were both questionable. They couldn't afford the risk.

This time, V5 contacted both parties again, advocating for the continuation of the exchange, but hoping to involve a third party.

"You mean..."

"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. Rich goes to JDG, Zoom goes to TES, and 369 comes to us. The day after the Demacia Cup ended, Rich had already packed his bags and left."

If this deal had been proposed before the Demacia Cup, JDG would have definitely refused.

But V5's performance in the Demacia Cup was excellent. Their top laner, Rich, could split push, sacrifice himself, and engage in team fights. His champion pool seemed to fit the meta perfectly, and the salary offered wasn't as high as what would be needed for Zoom. JDG was tempted. After communicating with the players from all three teams, everyone eventually agreed to the exchange.

Rich received a higher salary from JDG. Zoom, driven by his dream of winning a championship, voluntarily took a pay cut to join TES and form a "Galactic Battleship." As for 369, hearing that he was personally chosen by Coach Homme, he put on a show of loyalty, as if willing to die for his benefactor. However, he wore a strange expression upon hearing that Karsa was also involved.

But ultimately, the outcome was good.

Ordinary coaches shuffle the BP on the field; top-tier coaches shuffle the players off the field.

This move truly left Luo Zhen, a fellow coach, speechless.

When 369 arrived, he was incredibly moved, looking as if he would kneel before Coach Homme and declare, "If you don't abandon me, I wish to take you as my sworn father." Fortunately, the V5 team leader, being physically imposing and well-read in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, immediately interrupted his dramatic display.

Looking at 369's striking hairstyle, which resembled the "Qiqi Dan" toy, Luo Zhen suppressed his laughter and introduced himself to him earnestly.

Then, they were sold out by the coach and team leader.

"Wait, are the two of us going back on our own?" Luo Zhen looked at the two leaders with surprise, his face filled with disbelief.

"You're not kids anymore. Is it that hard to get back to the club? You still have a few days off, and we want to go back and see our wives and children. As for 369, you'll escort him back. Oh, right, the plane ticket has been sent to your phone. Please check it."

Despite the bewildering situation, 369 and Luo Zhen eventually boarded the bus to the airport together.

JDG was indeed impressive, with their home base being in the capital. This was Luo Zhen's first time here, and the surrounding scenery surprised him. He looked around and finally his gaze fell on the hat of the driver in front of him. He nudged 369 next to him and asked in a low voice.

"Hey, Brother 9, you're experienced. What's with the Red Bull logo on the driver's hat?"

"Really? Let me see." Hearing this, 369 also looked at the driver's hat in front of them. The Red Bull logo was clearly visible on the side of the hat. "It really is. That's rare. Has Red Bull invested in the ride-sharing market too?"

"How about this, let's ask?"

"Okay, you do it."

Thinking that Luo Zhen was more outgoing, 369 gave Luo Zhen the chance to ask. In fact, Luo Zhen had some impression. He seemed to remember seeing the Red Bull logo somewhere when he was browsing videos before, but he couldn't recall it immediately.

Since that was the case, he might as well ask.

So, after organizing his thoughts, Luo Zhen subconsciously used the greeting he learned during V5's home games (in Guangdong Province) and said to the driver:

"Driver."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Have you eaten?"

Silence, dead silence.

The driver's previous calm expression was long gone. His sharp eyes began to open and observe the passengers in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Expert?

After carefully examining Luo Zhen and the others' hands, his years of experience as an extreme sports challenger made him keenly aware that they were both in the same profession, relying on their hands for a living.

In other words... challengers?

"Young man, can you repeat what you just said?" The driver's voice was a little low.

For decades, ever since he learned to drive, he couldn't remember how long it had been since someone had openly mocked him like this. Were young people nowadays so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, coming up to provoke him, an old comrade?

"Oh, driver, I just asked if you've eaten?"

Luo Zhen was a bit confused.

He didn't understand why the air pressure in the car seemed to have dropped a few degrees. He hadn't seen the driver adjust the air conditioning, so where was this strange low-pressure situation in the car coming from? It couldn't be ghosts during the day, could it?

"Young man, I dare to ask your profession. Who are you two?"

"Oh, driver, we're both professional players. Have you heard of professional players? The kind you often see online." Hearing this, 369 chimed in at a very opportune moment. But the moment he finished speaking, Luo Zhen felt the air pressure in the car seemed to drop even further.

The driver in front of him seemed to be brewing something.

The oppressive feeling emanating from him made Luo Zhen wonder if he had accidentally hailed a black car.

One advantage of the airport was that its location was usually quite remote, and the roads leading to the airport were long and had little traffic during off-peak hours. Looking at the traffic light ahead, the driver's expression gradually became nostalgic, and he said softly, "Fifteen years. This is the first time in fifteen years that someone has seriously challenged my driving speed."

"Huh!?"

"For a front-wheel-drive civilian car to start, you need to control the force of your left foot at the critical point of the clutch. That way, you can get better grip."

At this point, even Luo Zhen, who was usually slow to react, clearly felt that something was wrong.

"No, driver, I think there might be some misunderstanding."

"No, misunderstanding? Perhaps there is, but it's not important anymore. Fasten your seatbelt... pardon me for showing off!!!"

"Bang!"

Chapter 2: Social Death Award

A few days later.

When Coach Homme and his group returned to the club, they were surprised to find that the friendship between 369 and Luo Zhen seemed to have rapidly escalated in just a few days, reaching the point of calling each other brothers.

This detail left them slightly confused and bewildered. Of course, while others didn't know what had happened, the two of them knew very well.

Teammates who had gone through thick and thin together were at least brothers when they returned to the base. Ever since they had left the capital alive that day, both of them had developed a psychological shadow regarding that place, vowing never to set foot there again unless absolutely necessary.

Rookie and the others were also a bit stunned when they returned to the club and found that the top laner had changed. However, after learning that Rich had gone voluntarily, they didn't say anything more.

As long as it wasn't forced, he had no reason to restrict his old friend from pursuing a higher salary.

Only...

"Yo, isn't this 369? Haven't seen you for a season, why is your head so bald?" Karsa started to chuckle as soon as he saw 369, and even his greeting became increasingly comical.

"Get lost~" 369 jokingly threw a pillow at him, but Karsa skillfully dodged it.

The two old teammates started to tease each other as soon as they met. However, in reality, they didn't mean what they said. Anyone who played games knew that people could get heated after losing a match, but it only lasted for a while. A man's grudge was usually either settled on the spot or forgotten after waking up. They had long since forgotten about that incident, and the previous TES vlog had been too misleading.

369's addition would definitely be a negative impact on the team in the short term, as they hadn't coordinated much.

But in the long run, players who were handpicked by Coach Homme were worthy of renewed expectations. After all, Luo Zhen was a perfect product discovered under Coach Homme's discerning eye.

And his potential had already been felt by everyone during the Demacia Cup.

"Alright, let's get acquainted with each other. We'll also strive to find our synergy as soon as possible, as the spring season is starting soon. And due to our performance in the Demacia Cup and 369's addition, we will undoubtedly become the focus of everyone's attention in the short term. I don't think anyone wants to be embarrassed, right?" Coach Homme casually pulled up a chair and sat down, then looked at the players in the room.

The spring season of S12, in terms of lineups, could be described as a battle of gods.

RNG welcomed Bin, BLG welcomed TheShy, WBG signed TheShy, EDG maintained their championship roster, and LNG was even more so. Doinb + Tarzan's combination was already a very strong pairing. Adding their V5 and the similarly reorganized JDG, it was almost all Galactic Battleships at a glance.

The challenge of S12 was undeniable.

"Therefore, I discussed with the team leader, and we have set a goal for each of you. If the goal is not met, then – you will face severe punishment." Coach Homme and the team leader looked very serious when they said this.

"Um... Coach, can I ask what the severe punishment is?" Luo Zhen weakly raised his hand.

If it was just a salary deduction, his salary was already low, so it wouldn't make much of a difference whether it was deducted or not. Anyway, the club covered food and housing, so being a freeloader wasn't so bad.

"Oh, this," Coach Homme's expression held a hint of amusement. He could tell at a glance what Luo Zhen was thinking, but it didn't matter. His punishment was incredibly effective, not just for these youngsters, but even for the veterans.

"We've decided!"

"If we find that you haven't met the monthly targets we set, we will punish the person by making them publicly read aloud old posts from their QQ Zone and personal signatures, oh, and also their Baidu Tieba comments, in front of everyone."

The V5 players: !

"Oh, and we'll also record it. If there's no change for a long time, we might even include it in the team's vlog and release it online together. You know, the team's operations team doesn't have much material on hand right now. If you're willing to help, I'm sure they'd be very happy."

The V5 players: !!!

Killing someone by merely beheading them is nothing compared to this. Luo Zhen originally thought that fining them was the harshest punishment, but he never expected that there were always worse things. This club actually came up with such an inhumane method.

Those QQ Zone posts, which were set to "only I can see," could they really be shown to the public? Just thinking about those things made his toes curl and his feet want to bore holes through the floorboards whenever he accidentally clicked on them.

Rookie chuckled.

He didn't even use that platform, so this punishment seemed useless to him?

But...

"For Rookie, we'll just make your browser history public. Since you have a girlfriend, I assume there won't be any major issues if your browser history is revealed. Consider yourself lucky this time."

Seeing Coach Homme's expression that implied he was getting a great deal, Rookie immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Are you crazy!"

How could there not be major issues? If his browser history was made public, would he even dare to show his face in public anymore?

This was truly a Social Death Award.

Under such cruel and inhumane pressure, the new V5 team miraculously recovered nearly sixty percent of their regular season form in just one day. Their recovery speed was so absurd that even the team leader who came up with this idea was astonished.

Meanwhile, online.