"How does this familiar feeling feel?"
K0nfig racked his brain, but he hadn't played Ladder lately, and the ID was completely unfamiliar.
Maybe it's just a fan trying to get my attention, k0nfig thought.
Although his form had fallen off considerably, he was a pro who'd made a name for himself early. Plenty of the pros currently active on the top circuit had grown up watching him play, so it was only natural that he had a fanbase.
The four NIP players didn't take the pistol round loss to heart. They were just here for fun, so they'd been playing pretty casually.
And that casual play had casually taken the score to 6–1.
"What's the deal with this Arrow?"
Es3tag opened the TAB scoreboard. The KD was already 8–2!
The attackers' approach was simple, too. Once they realized Su Zhe had an astonishingly high success rate breaking through, they couldn't be bothered with complicated tactics. They just threw a volley of utility to send Su Zhe into the bomb site, while his teammates followed behind to trade kills.
Wave after wave of attacks caught the four NIP players off guard. Only headtr1ck had managed to get Su Zhe's first kill with a Big Sniper through the smoke from CT Spawn, helping his team secure a point.
Es3tag finally figured out what felt familiar. He turned to K0nfig and said, "Why does this kid feel so much like that guy we ran into on Ladder in Shanghai last time?"
Hearing es3tag say that, k0nfig remembered, too. He typed on the Public Screen: "CN?"
"Yes."
"Damn, what are the odds? It really is him!" K0nfig glanced at Arrow's ping, which was over 100, and felt even more certain.
Es3tag laughed when he saw the exchange. No wonder the guy was playing like such a madman.
But remembering how he and k0nfig had been utterly helpless against him last time, he said to his teammates:
"Let's get serious and show them what it's like to face a pro team. Their top fragger is playing with over 100 ping. If we still lose, we might as well disband on the spot."
His tone was half-joking, half-serious.
Then he set up a standard professional defensive formation.
Knowing the Ts liked to throw utility and speed up their attacks, they used plenty of defensive utility early on.
Then they strengthened their control of Mid with their positioning, making it difficult for the other team to easily pinch either bomb site.
The adjustment paid off immediately, and NIP took two rounds in a row.
Su Zhe quickly realized something was wrong. Purple, the temporary in-game leader, immediately called a timeout. His own team might not be top-tier, but he'd put plenty of effort into studying tactics.
Just from NIP's utility management and map-control rotations, he could tell they'd started taking things seriously.
"We need to change our approach," Purple called. "Their individual skill isn't that great, but their teamwork is much better than ours."
"Let's play default for now and see if they give us an opening while taking map control."
They knew it would be tough once NIP got serious, but driven by their competitive spirit, they still wanted to do their best to find an opening.
When the countdown ended, Su Zhe went straight to B2 to play default.
The five of them had only been thrown together at the last minute, so they couldn't pull off a tightly coordinated attack. A simple default like this was more effective.
As soon as Su Zhe peeked out from B2, he spotted someone jumping at White Car to gather information.
A grenade immediately flew in through the window. Luckily, Su Zhe reacted quickly and only lost a little over 10 HP, but he was now vulnerable to getting instantly killed by a single M4 headshot.
An invisible pressure bore down on him.
"There are at least three on A!" a teammate suddenly shouted over the headset.
Su Zhe checked the kill feed and saw that his teammate on A2 Floor had been cleared out.
But that also revealed all five CTs' positions. After glancing at his teammates' locations on the map, he asked, "Can Mid put some pressure on Side Path? I want to work my way into B2."
Blue, playing default at T Spawn, understood right away. He threw a deep smoke inside Archway, then planned to take Side Path control with the teammate who'd gone through the sewers at the start.
Ten seconds later—
Blue: "F**K! They timed me with a grenade through Archway while I was throwing smoke!"
Su Zhe: ...
He hadn't even fired a shot, and they were already down to three. Worst of all, the two who'd died hadn't even gotten a shot off.
The CT Side's airtight defense made it incredibly hard for them to find an opening.
He knew this round would be tough, but he still wanted to try.
After coming out of the kitchen, he shoulder-peeked again to check B2 and make sure nobody was holding a Direct Hold from White Car.
Then a head flickered past beneath White Car. Another player was jumping to gather information. They weren't giving him an opening at all!
A Molotov immediately flew out of the B2 window, once again halting his advance.
Su Zhe was starting to get irritated by this smothering defense.
These were normal defensive tactics in a match. They'd never bothered him when he watched games, but facing them himself showed him how frustrating they could be.
After figuring out roughly where the two players on B were, he threw a smoke to extinguish the flames, then tossed a pop-flash through the smoke and followed it out.
The Flashbang hit the ground with a clear sound. REZ at White Car immediately hugged the wall to avoid it, while es3tag at the Side Path pillar shoulder-peeked into cover, then swung out again.
Es3tag hadn't fallen for the fake, but Su Zhe was too fast. His AK sprayed a few shots, yet the angled position meant he only landed two body shots.
REZ had already reacted and immediately fell back, actively looking for a kill. But Su Zhe had the high ground. The moment he spotted the CT, he opened fire and controlled his spray.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow killed REZ with an AK-47 headshot]
After securing the kill, Su Zhe didn't hesitate. He turned and pre-aimed the right side of the B Short pillar, swinging out sideways from Balcony. When he spotted a CT to the pillar's left, his crosshair snapped over.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow killed es3tag with an AK-47 headshot]
"Damn, that's some insane aim!" Es3tag laughed helplessly as he died. He'd had such a strong angle, yet still hadn't managed to take the other guy down.
"Bring the bomb to B! Watch the sewers!" Su Zhe immediately called after getting the kill. He threw a Smoke Grenade onto Side Path, then went to the edge of B bomb site and shoulder-peeked to hold the Market Window.
It was a risky Direct Hold, but he didn't want the CTs entering the site and setting up. He didn't think he and his teammates could win a 3v3 against the coordination of professional players.
The CT who'd queued with the team reached Market first. With headtr1ck's Big Sniper watching his back, he dashed past the window.
But Su Zhe's lightning-fast reaction didn't let him cross safely. His AK instantly took him down.
Knowing someone was close, headtr1ck repeeked with his Big Sniper to trade the kill. But Su Zhe's AK never stopped firing. As soon as he saw the CT swing out again, he transferred his spray.
Headtr1ck had barely repeeked, and his scope hadn't even finished coming into focus, when an AK bullet came flying at him.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow killed headtr1ck with an AK-47 headshot]
After the kill, Su Zhe didn't hesitate for a second. He swung his crosshair toward Side Path again.
At that moment, k0nfig had just emerged from the smoke on Side Path. Seeing nobody at B2, he immediately went to help his teammate at Market.
But as soon as he swung out, he saw the T, who'd just had his back turned, suddenly whip his gun around.
"Rat-tat-tat!"
[Arrow killed K0nfig with an AK-47 headshot]
"WTF! NICE!!" A steady stream of praise immediately poured through Su Zhe's headset.
Fat Brother and Xiao Guang were both stunned beside him, and the comments in the Live Room exploded.
[??????]
[What kind of Big Spinning Top is this?! Are you jks, too?]
[Holy shit! A five-kill round! Three kills with one sweep! He just wiped out NIP!]
[That's ridiculous! You're telling me you're not cheating?]
[I thought Xiao Zhe was great as a streamer, but it'd be such a waste not to bring that talent to the Professional Arena!]
After claiming the last kill, Su Zhe excitedly pounded the desk.
Getting a five-kill round after all that pressure was unbelievably satisfying!
Before you continue