The Lurker

Although he didn't know why his parents had accepted so calmly that he wanted to become a pro, it was a good thing.

He didn't want this turning into some melodramatic family feud, with his father and him cutting ties.

Over the next few days, Su Zhe first went to school to file for a leave of absence. Then, after mailing his computer home, he said his final goodbyes to Fat Brother and Xiao Guang.

Perhaps because they knew they wouldn't see each other for a long, long time, the three of them got completely wasted that night.

If the owner of the barbecue shop hadn't notified the school's gatekeeper, the three of them would probably have spent a freezing winter night sleeping on the street.

During his final week, Su Zhe chose to stay home and spend time with his parents.

His mom kept nagging him from time to time. "How could you be so bold? How did you get the nerve to sneak off to another country all by yourself?"

Whenever his dad heard that, he'd scoff, thinking that his son had finally grown up. At the very least, he wouldn't have dared to go abroad alone when he was eighteen.

Once everything was taken care of, the club's training camp was just around the corner.

"Mom! You don't need to pack so much food! And all these drinks—won't they cause trouble at security?"

"Oh, is that so? Then take more clothes. I heard it's cold over there too, so dress warmly and don't catch a cold. Remember to message us often, and take good care of yourself..."

"I know, Mom."

"Dad, keep your secret stash for yourself. I know it's not easy for you either. I have enough money, and they'll pay me a salary over there."

"Enough! Take it. And when I ask to borrow money from you in the future, don't you dare say you're broke! Who would've thought my son would be able to support himself so soon?"

"...I know, Dad."

Su Zhe checked his phone. "It's almost boarding time. You two should head back. It's really cold out."

His dad waved him off impatiently. "You go on! We've already come all this way. What's a little more time?"

"Okay, then..." Su Zhe didn't feel uncomfortable at being scolded. Instead, he felt a warm glow inside.

For a moment, it all seemed like a dream. The things he'd worried over before had somehow gone incredibly smoothly.

Things he'd once thought would be so difficult had disappeared as soon as he'd made all the preparations to face them.

Leon Kai searched for the ID "Arrow" on Douyin.

"He hasn't streamed today, either. Could he really be giving up on going pro?"

Leon Kai couldn't help sighing at the thought. What a promising talent! How could the teams back home not know how to value him?

He'd originally planned to recommend Su Zhe once he reached Diamond S, but before he could, Su Zhe had gone to try out for a team on his own.

Later, Leon Kai heard that Su Zhe no longer planned to go pro in China. He thought the kid was giving up, but then Su Zhe had gone on to reach number one on the Perfect World Platform.

After that, Leon Kai contacted Su Zhe on Douyin himself. At first, he'd thought it was unrealistic when Su Zhe said he wanted to make the main team within a year.

But then he reconsidered. With talent that extraordinary, was the goal really that unreasonable?

So he'd used his connections in the scene to help Su Zhe find a team. But he'd been turned down every time.

"Do they really not know how talented this kid is? Even without match experience, isn't that better than failing to get results at all? Why not take a chance?"

Leon Kai was baffled, but he was only a streamer who'd never quite made it big. There wasn't much he could do.

"Man... when will CNCS ever get better?"

Leon Kai sighed and opened his last conversation with Su Zhe.

It was a long message from Su Zhe with advice on streaming.

After reading it carefully, Leon Kai went to Faze's official store and bought a ropz jersey...

"He really put thought into it. He even made a video to promote my stream before he quit. I hope he finds the path that's right for him..."

"Bro! We meet again!" As soon as Su Zhe arrived at the club, k0nfig greeted him with another big bear hug.

"Let him get his luggage settled first. What are you doing?" Es3tag said helplessly from the side.

Then he turned to Su Zhe. "The dorm rooms are usually shared, but Bao Lan went home, so you'll have to stay by yourself for now. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Su Zhe smiled. What was there to complain about? A double room turned into a single room was nothing but a pleasant surprise.

Es3tag nodded. "All right. A staff member will show you to your room in a bit. Get your things unpacked, and then we'll have a meeting this afternoon."

Su Zhe was pleased with his room when he arrived. It wasn't very spacious, but he liked places that were small and cozy.

After unpacking and buying some toiletries from the nearby shops, he went straight to the Training Room.

As soon as Su Zhe pushed open the door, he saw that the rest of Nip had already arrived.

"Let's welcome our new teammate, Arrow!" K0nfig led the applause, and the others joined in with smiles.

The small gesture warmed his heart and quickly dispelled the unease he'd felt as a stranger. "Thanks, everyone! I hope we'll get along."

Coach djL patted the chair beside him. "Sit here. I just need to go over some of the team's plans."

Once Su Zhe sat down, djL continued. "Arrow, how about you start out playing the lurker for the team?"

"The lurker?"

Su Zhe was a little surprised. He'd thought they would have him play entry fragger, since that role seemed better suited to the way he usually played Ladder.

DjL nodded and explained. "That's right. The Katowice qualifiers are coming up soon, and we don't have much time to work on the lineup."

"The four of them have already played in some events and built up a certain amount of coordination, so I think the lurker role suits you better for now."

Su Zhe nodded. He didn't have any objections. After watching a lot of match footage lately, he'd gained a better understanding of the European pro scene.

What impressed him most was how tightly coordinated the teams' tactics were.

The entry fragger's role might look simple on the surface, but it also relied on a lot of support from teammates behind him.

Without good coordination, it was easy for the attack to lose its rhythm and fall apart.

The lurker role, on the other hand, was just as its name suggested: more flexible. The player mainly gathered information, flanked the enemy, and covered the team's retreat.

However, it also demanded a great deal of individual skill. Otherwise, losing a one-on-one gunfight could put the whole team at a disadvantage.

Seeing that Su Zhe had no objections, the coach continued. "That means our Nip lineup is more or less complete for now. All that's left is the training camp. Let's do our best and get a good result at the next event!"