The loading screen finished, and the game officially began!
The other two random teammates on the blue side, both in the Star Glory rank, were immediately drawn to Ling Yun's loading frame—the dazzling gold border of Top of the Peak and the sparkling provincial-first Ma Chao badge!
Han Xin: Holy crap?! Top of the Peak? Provincial-first Ma Chao?! Carry me, boss! I'm ready to lie down!
Lu Ban No. 7: Top of the Peak daddy! I'll be your dog this game! I'll lie down properly!
"Heh heh, see that, Brother Yun? That's what you call prestige!" Zhou Da said smugly, as if the halo belonged to him.
However, King Lanling, whose ID was Night Hunter and who had the city-first badge on the opposing side, let out a sharp taunt:
King Lanling (All): That little Daji on the other side? Just wait. Big brother will cure your internet addiction this game! I'll catch you until you question your entire life!
He seemed particularly fond of ganking fragile mid-laners, especially couples—unfortunately, there wasn't one this game—and imagined the thrill of making a girl cry.
Angela, whose ID was Sweetheart Mage, immediately chimed in:
Angela (All): Hee hee, our King Lanling brother is a city-first expert! You're all doomed!
When King Lanling saw Angela's ID and tone, his thoughts began to stir.
King Lanling (All): Miss Angela? Add me as a friend? Big brother will carry you from now on!
Angela (All): Let's see how you perform this game~
King Lanling (All): Just watch! I'll show you how big brother carries the whole game!
Looking at the "interaction" in the all-chat, the remaining eight people all had the same thought: speechless.
Zhou Da's fingers were already poised over the keyboard, ready to start flaming. "Brother Yun! You're going to let this slide? A city-first player dares to show off in front of Top of the Peak? Watch me flame him to death!"
"Don't rush." Ling Yun's voice carried a hint of amusement as he controlled Ma Chao and charged straight toward the Clash Lane. "Let's 'remind' them when the game is almost over. That'll be more interesting, won't it?"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Brother Yun, you're really something!" Zhou Da understood instantly and let out a mischievous chuckle.
In the team channel, Jiang Yingxue typed somewhat nervously:
Daji (Jiang Yingxue): Ling Yun, that King Lanling said he was going to crush me... What should I do?
"Don't panic." Ling Yun's voice was steady and powerful, filled with reassuring confidence. "Before level four, have Zhou Da's Zhang Fei stick to you without leaving your side. Clear the waves under the tower and don't go out. Once I reach level four, they won't have any chance to act up."
In Season 16, it was standard for the support to help the mid-laner secure the first wave. Lu Ban had no objections and happily lay down.
Daji (Jiang Yingxue): Mm! I'll listen to you!
Everyone began following Ling Yun's instructions.
At level one, Lu Bu probably thought he could beat Ma Chao, so he didn't even contest the wave and directly traded basic attacks with him.
But Ling Yun's flawless kiting completely baited out Lu Bu's cooldowns. Not a single one of his three enchanted strikes landed.
Ling Yun secured the solo kill at the fifty-second mark, while Lu Bu hadn't farmed even one minion.
King Lanling (All): Lu Bu, stop feeding! How did you get solo-killed by Ma Chao, that trash-tier hero, in the early game?
King Lanling questioned Lu Bu, who had just been solo-killed.
Lu Bu said nothing. He felt an overwhelming pressure. The enemy's mechanics were simply monstrous.
Meanwhile, because Ma Chao's basic attacks restored health and he had used two health packs, Ling Yun was already at full health after clearing the level-two wave.
He went straight to the grass by the second tower and continued waiting for Lu Bu.
Lu Bu had barely left the fountain before Ling Yun sent him straight back there again.
King Lanling (All): Seriously, Lu Bu, are you capable or not? How did you get this bad? You've been solo-killed twice in less than two minutes.
Seeing Lu Bu die so quickly, King Lanling completely lost his composure.
Lu Bu wanted to explain, but he didn't know how.
Just then, Ma Chao's provincial badge lit up.
Lu Bu (All): I was wondering why I couldn't beat the enemy Ma Chao. Turns out he has a provincial badge.
Now Lu Bu had an excuse. After all, it was perfectly normal for a Star Glory player like him to lose to an enemy with a provincial badge, right?
King Lanling (All): Then play more cautiously under your tower. I'll come help you later.
After seeing that Ma Chao had a provincial badge, King Lanling stopped pressuring Lu Bu. A city-first player facing a provincial-first player had instantly lost much of his swagger.
King Lanling started on red and ganked the Farm Lane. Since both supports had followed their mid-laners at the start, he went straight to the bottom lane and used an effortless 2-1-3 combo to take out Lu Ban.
King Lanling (All): I'll gank mid first, then go to the Clash Lane and help Lu Bu kill Ma Chao.
After killing Lu Ban, King Lanling was extremely confident and began issuing orders.
However, because of Ling Yun's warning to Jiang Yingxue at the start, she had remained safely under her tower, leaving King Lanling with no opening at all.
Helpless, King Lanling could only return to the red jungle to take his red buff. But when he got back, he discovered that the red buff was gone too.
King Lanling was just about to question Lu Bu about where his red buff had gone when Ma Chao suddenly burst out of the nearby grass and killed him with three spears.
King Lanling (Team): Everyone, play cautiously. Ma Chao knows what he's doing. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage.
King Lanling felt somewhat embarrassed after being killed by Ma Chao.
But Ling Yun gave them no opportunities at all. He devoured the farm from two lanes while also taking the enemy jungle, carrying the entire game and reaching 10,000 gold in less than ten minutes.
By comparison, King Lanling, who had the highest economy on the opposing side, had only 4,000 gold.
Watching the enemy fall further and further behind, Ling Yun curled his lips into a wicked smile and said over team voice chat, "Sister Yingxue, remember that King Lanling who claimed he'd crush you at the start? He's definitely taking his red buff to recover right now. Hide in the grass beside the red buff and ambush him! Let him see how terrifying a fed Daji can be!"
Jiang Yingxue's eyes lit up when she heard that. Ling Yun still remembered to help her get revenge!
A warm feeling surged through her heart. At the same time, she controlled Daji and silently slipped into the grass beside the red buff.
Sure enough, the low-health King Lanling was attacking the red buff while encouraging his teammates in all-chat.
King Lanling (All): Don't panic, brothers! There's still a chance! Once I get this red buff, I'll find an opportunity to cut down their carry! Watch my play, sweetheart!
The instant he finished speaking—
Let Daji see your heart!
A heart flew out from the grass! Immediately afterward, a blazing Soul Shockwave and the foxfire of Queen's Admiration poured forth!
King Lanling didn't even have time to react before his screen instantly went black.
King Lanling (All): Fuck!!! Broken Daji! Without your Ma Chao, you're nothing! I'll kill you five times in one minute!
King Lanling was so furious that he completely broke down.
Seeing King Lanling's enraged message, Jiang Yingxue's earlier nervousness and grievance at being targeted vanished without a trace. She felt thoroughly vindicated! Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed the words she had been holding back for a long time:
Daji (Jiang Yingxue) (All): I hope you're furious! Ma Chao and I are duo-queuing! If you have what it takes, come gank me! Top of the Peak Ma Chao is carrying me. No matter how you fight us, you'll lose!
Those words exploded across the enemy formation like a nuclear bomb:
Lu Bu (All): Top of the Peak?! Holy crap! So I was destroyed by Top of the Peak? Then it's fine! Rounding up, that means I'm basically Top of the Peak's runner-up!
King Lanling (All): ...I surrender, I surrender. What's the point of playing this garbage?
King Lanling's thoughts of adding the sweetheart as a friend were completely extinguished. He only wanted to end this humiliating game as quickly as possible.
Angela (Sweetheart Mage) (All): Big brother Ma Chao~ You're so amazing! Can you add me after the game and carry me sometime? I'll play Cai Wenji and follow you~
Seeing Angela's sudden "change of attitude" and flattery, Jiang Yingxue's good mood instantly vanished, and her brows unconsciously furrowed.
Angela (Sweetheart Mage) (All): Big brother Ma Chao~ Pretty please? As long as you carry me, I can send you some... um... cooler photos~
"Shameless!" Seeing those words, Jiang Yingxue felt an inexplicable fury shoot straight to her head!
She could no longer hold back. She immediately turned on her microphone, her voice carrying obvious anger and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness as she said to Ling Yun, "Ling Yun! Don't agree to her! Someone who would... who would do that just for a game definitely isn't a good person! If you... if you want to see... those kinds of photos... I... I'll send them to you!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she was stunned herself, and her cheeks instantly became hot!
Jiang Yingxue's voice suddenly came through the headset, filled with embarrassment and anger, and Ling Yun froze as well.
He had never planned to respond to that kind of "online princess," but Jiang Yingxue's sudden declaration of ownership and astonishing words... made his heart skip a beat.
He forced himself to remain calm and replied with a hint of a smile, "All right. I'll listen to you." But ripples rose uncontrollably in his heart. Mm... photos I get to look at for free? That doesn't sound bad either.
Hearing Ling Yun's obedient reply, Jiang Yingxue's anger was instantly replaced by a strange sense of satisfaction. But right behind it came overwhelming embarrassment. Oh my god! What did I just say?!
"What a disaster..." Zhou Da, who had listened to everything, covered his ears in pain and wailed inwardly, Dog food during the day, dog food at night, and now enhanced dog food with "photos"! How am I supposed to play this game?! I want to quit! But my stars... For the sake of ranking up, he could only silently endure it with tears in his eyes.
Ling Yun and Jiang Yingxue tacitly ignored Angela's subsequent messages.
With the enormous gap in economy and strength, the red side surrendered without suspense. The crystal exploded. Victory!
Before you continue