Two minutes later...
smooya stared blankly at the Sniper Rifle he had saved.
They'd agreed to clear Banana Alley and make a play, but who could've known that they'd lose a man to a random spray there right at the start of the round?
At last, they'd cleared the close angles on Banana Alley, only to be stalled by two CT smokes cutting them off.
They'd spent an entire round without seeing so much as a glimpse of the CTs, and were once again forced to Save Guns.
"It's fine. It's just a scrim. Try to stay calm," Tomas reminded them over voice chat when he saw that their main AWPer was getting discouraged.
But that did nothing to change ITB's brutal loss in the first half.
Throughout the entire half, ITB never even got a look at B Site Bomb.
The only round they won came when they rushed mid and caught poizon with his gun out.
At halftime, Qin Feng's stats were the best in the lobby.
22 kills, 1 assist, 3 deaths.
"Man, you're even stronger than you were at the Huaguo Major," Samuelsson said, looking at Qin Feng's stats. "And I never expected your utility management to be this good for someone who just joined the team."
Samuelsson could hardly believe his eyes.
Qin Feng's timing with counter-utility and his positioning to hold angles both seemed incredibly well judged.
As if that was simply how the game was meant to be played.
Was this really a rookie who'd been playing professionally for less than half a year?
"Aether, are you smurfing?" KRIMZ, who'd been holding B with Qin Feng, couldn't help exclaiming.
The second half was even more one-sided.
ITB seemed to have lost all will to fight, and Fnatic put them away with two fast B rushes.
Even though Qin Feng didn't get a single kill in the final two rounds, his 22–3 KD still topped the lobby.
"Qin Feng, do you know what I've started thinking about after watching this match?" Samuelsson asked with a smile as he came over and patted Qin Feng on the shoulder.
"What?" Qin Feng asked, relaxing as he took off his headset.
Samuelsson grinned mysteriously. "The Major Qualifier hasn't even started yet, but I'm already thinking about when we should apply for our visas to Antwerp."
After a pause, Samuelsson's expression turned serious. "As for the contract, I'll talk to the team manager."
"We can have it drawn up tomorrow."
"I believe what you showed today is enough to get you a contract ten times better than your previous one."
KRIMZ chimed in from the side. "With Aether on the team, I really think we can get results at the Major."
Although he was the one who'd recommended Peppzor to Fnatic's academy from FPL, it was clear now that Qin Feng far outstripped Peppzor in both skill and potential.
Samuelsson somehow produced a bottle of champagne and several flutes, then filled them one by one.
"Come on, let's toast to Aether joining the team!"
"And to a successful Major run for Fnatic."
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
That evening.
In one of the rooms at Fnatic's training facility.
Samuelsson listened to the voice coming from his phone, his face full of frustration.
"Manager, why is Aether's contract only until the end of the Major?"
"I believe he has what it takes to become the cornerstone of Fnatic."
"His potential is definitely greater than poizon's, and we just signed him."
"More importantly, he's young—only 19—and has plenty of room to improve."
He couldn't understand why the manager was unwilling to offer Aehter a long-term contract.
On the other end of the call, Fnatic's CSGO division manager listened to Samuelsson's questions without changing his expression.
He wasn't particularly impressed by the talented young player from Huaguo.
"Samuelsson, you know we've been in talks with several players from Copenhagen Flames for a long time, right?"
"In fact, some of them have already shown interest in joining us."
"If the Flames players prove themselves after the Major, there's a good chance we'll bring in some of them."
"There's really no need to prepare a long-term contract for Aether."
Hearing the manager's reasoning, Samuelsson could only sigh helplessly.
"Manager, hear me out."
"I see the potential of a world-class player in Aether."
"Even with his current level, he's no weaker than the young players from the Flames."
"I have a feeling he'll be the most important piece in building a Fnatic dynasty."
On the other end of the call, Fnatic's CSGO division manager frowned.
He hadn't expected Samuelsson to rate the young player from Huaguo so highly.
"Samuelsson, haven't I already told you? I think the Flames players are a better fit for Fnatic."
"Besides, this so-called talented young player of yours has only played one scrim against them."
"Wasn't Peppzor, the player we promoted to the main roster, also called an FPL-smashing prodigy?"
"And look how that turned out."
"I'm the manager of the CSGO division!"
"Hey, Feng."
"Even though the pay in the contract has gone up, our manager only wants to sign you to a two-month temporary deal."
The next morning, in Qin Feng's room, Samuelsson looked at the young man in front of him with a helpless expression.
Just yesterday, he'd promised to fight for a better contract for Qin Feng.
But the CSGO division manager was only willing to sign him until the end of the Major.
He hadn't even considered the possibility that Qin Feng could prove his worth at the Major.
Qin Feng simply smiled, unruffled.
"It's okay, Manager."
"Even if the contract is only for two months,"
"I'll still do everything I can for Fnatic and try to win a championship while I'm here."
For him, being able to compete at the Major was already the best outcome he could've hoped for.
Samuelsson looked at Qin Feng's calm expression and felt guilty.
"I'm sorry, Feng."
"I promised you yesterday that I'd try to get you a better deal."
"It's all because of that damn... Ah."
With a sigh, Samuelsson took out the contract that had just been printed.
"Until the Major ends, your weekly salary will be $1,000."
"If player stickers come out for the Major, you'll get 70% of the revenue from your own stickers."
"After the Major, you'll become a free agent."
"If everything looks good, we'll announce your signing on HLTV and the club's official accounts."
"Any questions?"
Qin Feng looked over the contract and nodded firmly. "No problem!"
Meanwhile, not long after Qin Feng and Fnatic signed the contract,
HLTV's website and Fnatic's official social media accounts announced the news they'd prepared in advance.
The player Aether from Huaguo had officially joined Fnatic, while Peppzor was announced as having been moved to the bench.
It was evening in Huaguo.
Local gaming news communities translated HLTV's announcement at lightning speed:
<Break to Build Anew: Aether Officially Joins Fnatic>
The pinned post immediately stirred up a commotion among players in the community.
[Wait, this Aehter is actually a player from Huaguo?]
[Now we can really bring glory home!]
[Aether: I'll bring the glory of Huaguo CS to Fnatic.]
[Peppzor got kicked? With a 0.78 rating, he deserved it!]
[Is he the first player from Huaguo to join a European team? I've got one word: glory!]
Before you continue