You've Got to Give It Your All!

Over the next few days, Su Zhe worked through the visa process and, whenever he had time, queued up for Ladder matches with the four members of Nip.

The visa wasn't too much of a problem. Nip was a publicly listed company, after all, and could provide the necessary documents to help his application go smoothly.

Playing five-stack Ladder matches also gave the Nip players an ever deeper sense of just how terrifying Su Zhe was.

Compared to when they'd encountered him on Perfect World Platform, k0nfig and es3tag both felt that his aim had improved by leaps and bounds. He'd also become noticeably more seasoned in his game sense.

The speed of his improvement left them both speechless.

But the most outrageous thing was Su Zhe's wide swings, powered by his lightning-fast reactions. He could often help the team seize control of a match in no time, making the games a breeze for the four Nip players.

Even headtr1ck, the youngest sniper on the team, admitted that his own reactions weren't as fast as Su Zhe's. With reflexes like that, he said, it was a real shame Su Zhe didn't play Big Sniper.

And Su Zhe was doing all of this while playing with over a hundred milliseconds of ping!

If they had to play with that kind of latency, they'd probably be furious enough to smash their computers, let alone perform well in a match.

With the trial date drawing closer, Su Zhe finally got his visa, and getting leave from school proved even easier.

He told them, "My family's taking me to Sweden for treatment for my depression," and showed them his round-trip tickets.

This time, the young counselor didn't give him any trouble at all and immediately approved more than a week of leave.

A little after eight that evening, Su Zhe—who rarely skipped streaming—went with Fat Brother and Xiao Guang to a hotpot restaurant to see him off before his trip to Sweden the next day.

"Enough talk. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow." Fat Brother finished off the beer in his glass.

Su Zhe downed his own glass of juice. He had to leave early the next morning to catch his flight, and drinking could easily cause trouble.

"I've got you to thank, too, Fat Brother. I wouldn't have improved so quickly without you," Su Zhe said with a smile, thinking back over the past few months.

"What are you thanking me for?" Fat Brother shook his head with a grin. "I'm only Gold S at best. What could I possibly have done to help you improve?"

"If we went head-to-head now, you'd probably smash my head in."

Su Zhe explained, "If it weren't for you, I'd have had a hard time reaching S Division in the first place. I probably wouldn't have run into those two Nip players on Perfect World, either, and I wouldn't have this opportunity now..."

He wasn't just being polite. At the stage when he most needed to build a solid foundation, Fat Brother's fondness for lecturing had saved him from plenty of unnecessary detours.

Otherwise, he would have wasted a long time getting from A to S. Back then, Fat Brother would make time to point out the little mistakes Su Zhe made without realizing it during matches.

Fat Brother picked a slice of lamb from the pot and smiled. "That's nothing. Even if I hadn't taught you, with your talent, you'd have figured it out sooner or later. It was only a matter of time."

Su Zhe smiled and shook his head. Time was precisely what he lacked most—though it was the one thing most college students took for granted.

He glanced at Xiao Guang, who was eating with his head down, and asked in confusion, "Did you forget to eat lunch?"

Xiao Guang put down his chopsticks and sighed. "No. Things are just changing so fast that I don't know what to say. If you pass the trial, are you going to take a leave of absence and focus on going pro?"

Su Zhe nodded. "Yeah."

As long as he could earn a spot on a professional team, all he'd have to do after that was work hard to improve.

Xiao Guang was a sentimental guy. The thought that he might not see his close friend—someone he'd spent nearly every day with—for a long time made his heart ache.

"Now I'm thinking it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't go pro. The three of us could keep streaming together for at least another two or three years. We'd have fun..."

"What are you saying?" Fat Brother smacked Xiao Guang on the back of the head. "Going pro is a good thing! Streaming is only popular for a while. When the hype dies down, are we supposed to let Su Zhe keep wasting his days with us?"

"I know. I'm just saying..." Xiao Guang trailed off. He was afraid his voice would choke up.

Su Zhe patted Xiao Guang on the back to comfort him. "It's okay. No matter how the trial goes, I'll be coming back to school. Besides, I hear pro teams have off-seasons. Even if I do end up staying with Nip, I'll come back to see you guys whenever I can."

"By the way." Fat Brother suddenly seemed to remember something. He gave Xiao Guang a look, then pulled out his phone.

Su Zhe was still wondering what the two of them were up to when a notification appeared on his phone: two new messages.

He picked it up and saw that they'd both sent him money.

Su Zhe asked, puzzled, "What are you two doing?"

Fat Brother answered casually, "It's your share of the money we've made streaming lately. I heard things are expensive over there, and you'll probably have plenty of expenses in Europe. The two of us don't spend much while we're at school."

Su Zhe immediately tried to send the money back. "I've got more than enough! I checked out some travel guides, and Nip even offered to reimburse my round-trip airfare after they heard I'd be flying over from China."

Xiao Guang snatched the phone out of Su Zhe's hand and quickly tapped to accept the transfer.

"Just in case! Keep it. Think of it as a loan from us. When you make it big, just don't forget the two of us..."

Su Zhe nodded and didn't refuse again. Once he got settled, he planned to pay them back—with interest.

He picked up his chopsticks and started eating without another word. Though they'd only known each other for a few short months, he'd never forget their friendship for as long as he lived.

The meal lasted well over two hours. Both of them drank quite a bit, though Su Zhe didn't.

He helped them stagger back toward the dorm.

Halfway there, Xiao Guang couldn't help but shout, "Zhe! You've got to give it your all! You've got to give it your all!"

Inside the meeting room of the CSGO division at Nip Esports Club.

THREAT was in a terrible mood. Someone was about to join the main team for a trial, yet he, the team's manager, hadn't been told a thing—and the recruit was an inexperienced newcomer with no tournament record.

"Give me an explanation." He glanced around at the team and spoke coolly.

"I—"

K0nfig was about to speak, but es3tag stopped him. "I'll explain."

He looked at THREAT and said, "It was my idea. He's a complete newcomer, but the talent he's shown is really compelling, so I made the decision on my own."

THREAT glanced at him. "You may be the team captain, but don't forget you're only filling in temporarily. What right do you have to make decisions for the club?"

Es3tag was also getting angry, and his voice grew heated. "Do you think I wanted to make this decision on my own? If the team weren't having such a hard time finding a newcomer, I wouldn't have bothered with any of this!"

"If the club doesn't want to put any effort into the CSGO division, what's wrong with us finding a newcomer ourselves?"

Es3tag's retort left THREAT at a loss for words.

He fiddled with the lighter in his hand for a few minutes before finding a way to back down without losing face.

"Let's put this matter aside. But if it happens again, I'll agree to let you approach players from other clubs on your own."

He had no desire to stay any longer. As he got up to leave, he tossed out one last remark: "I'll personally review the results of this trial. If he doesn't pass, don't blame me for rejecting him."

I forgot to schedule the post while watching the match. Starting tomorrow, I'll post extra chapters.

Thanks to Rotten Orange z for the 100-point tip.