Xu Cheng had actually sensed for a while that there was something strange about the Factory Director's identity.
After spending so much time together, Xu Cheng was inclined to believe that the other guy wasn't a fraud.
If he wasn't a fraud, then...
What was Xu Cheng supposed to do?
After reaching National Server First, he seemed to have proved that he really did have some talent for LOL.
But when it came to professional players, Xu Cheng knew absolutely nothing about them. He'd spent the first sixteen years of his life without learning a thing about the scene—
The unknown was what scared him most.
That was one of the reasons he wanted to take a break.
He needed time to think things through and weigh his options.
And then there was his family... If he really wanted to go pro, what his parents thought would be an issue too.
He couldn't accept the hundred thousand yuan for now. Going pro was one thing, but if he didn't, he had no reason to take their money.
"Fair enough. I'll use this time to get the competition out of the way and think about all this... Anyway, I've already deleted him as a friend, so he can't tempt or influence me anymore."
Coming back to himself, Xu Cheng put those thoughts aside and prepared to focus on the competition ahead.
[What did you say? Data Monster quit the game?]
[Seriously? That's huge news.]
[Holy crap, it seems to be true. All the clubs are going crazy... The two places I tried out for last time just messaged me, asking me to try and get in touch with Data Monster...]
[...!]
In the small group chat.
After completing a thrilling, utterly explosive sniper battle, Ah Shui and the others had been in high spirits, dreaming about how they'd make it into the LPL next year and take the scene by storm.
Then the devastating news arrived.
Everyone was stunned and disoriented.
They might have seemed to be Xu Cheng's fiercest rivals lately.
Ah Shui especially had rallied people to snipe him, causing him countless problems on his way to the top.
But deep down...
These young boys had gradually developed a subtle feeling of mutual respect—and even admiration—for Xu Cheng through their many clashes and battles.
When he reached the top of the CN Server and the top ten spots in ranked became fixed, everyone had been filled with pride and confidence. They'd already come to see Xu Cheng as one of their own, even the big brother leading the group of hard hitters who'd be entering the LPL for S6.
And now, news had suddenly come from outside that their big brother had run off first...
"We were all ready to die fighting, so why has Your Majesty surrendered first?"
This was ridiculous!
Almost in an instant, everyone was filled with disappointment and dejection, anger and confusion.
[Nooo, if Data Monster's gone, who's going to lead our generation? We'll be arguing about it all over again...]
[We used to be rivals, and I hated that bastard for humiliating me so much my teeth hurt, but honestly, I respect his skill. He'd definitely make a name for himself in the LPL!]
[Seriously... This is so sudden. I can't accept it. If he's gone, what's the point of us making it into the LPL?]
[Don't rush to conclusions. Everyone's looking for Data Monster now, but we're the ones who've had the most contact with him. Let's look together. We'll find him and talk him into coming back.]
Then Ah Shui, the group's backbone, stepped forward.
He waved a hand and said with absolute conviction: [I don't care what the hell he's thinking. He beat us, then ran off himself? What gives him the right?]
[I've never admitted anyone was better than me, but he's the first.]
[So no matter what you all think, I'll find him, even if it kills me, and drag him back in front of everyone!]
[We're all entering the LPL next year. The LPL Region has been bullied by other regions for so long. With his talent, at his age, how can he sleep at a time like this?]
[This time, it's not for the bounty those clubs are offering. It's for the future of the LPL. I'll give it everything I've got. A pearl like him can't be left in the dust. He has to be part of the next generation's hopes for the LPL, along with us!]
[...!]
[Holy crap! What a big-picture mindset!]
[I've always respected Jackey's big-picture mindset!]
[The AD with the best emotional intelligence and big-picture mindset—that's you!]
[Exactly! He can't just beat us and then run off! That heartbreaker has to be found!]
[Let's do this, brothers! I'm going to look for him. If I can't find him, I'm not sleeping!]
[Charge!]
Ah Shui's words instantly stirred the pure-hearted spirit of these usually proud and arrogant young geniuses.
Almost everyone began looking for Xu Cheng.
Countless clubs did the same. Among them were Factory Director and Abu, who embarked on a long and tedious search for him that very day.
"These are people he played matchmaking with at least three times before, and they were all on his team. Maybe they duo-queued with him and know who he is..."
"Useless. We already contacted them. They just got lucky and ran into him..."
"What about this one? He talked to him. Try getting in touch."
"Damn, this guy's a fraud! Fake! I almost fell for it!"
"...!"
Days passed.
The entire Esports Circle, along with some spectators who'd joined in for the excitement, went from fired up and confident at the start to sighing and losing heart.
And finally, they became numb and disillusioned.
They couldn't find him. They couldn't find the slightest clue.
The ID [Our Family's Rich Now!], now famous across the CN Server, had a past record as blank as a sheet of paper.
It was as if he'd appeared out of nowhere. They couldn't find a past, and couldn't see a future.
Aside from Factory Director, who'd spent a long time in contact with him, no one in the scene truly knew him.
A fleeting bloom became Xu Cheng's defining image.
Like a shooting star or a flower that bloomed only at night, his brief, dazzling brilliance had stunned everyone.
Unfortunately, it wasn't forever. It lasted only an instant.
Then he vanished without a trace.
For half a month—an entire half month—the whole Esports Circle and countless Passerby Kings couldn't find the slightest trace of Xu Cheng.
They couldn't find out who he was in real life. Even the ID that had shaken the entire CN Server half a month earlier hadn't lit up once since.
"Ming Kai, give up. He really has quit the game."
At the EDG Club.
Abu walked into the training room and found Factory Director sitting alone in front of his computer, just as he had been for the past few days. After every ranked game, he'd open Duowan Box to check whether Xu Cheng was online.
His bloodshot eyes and lifeless, dead-fish stare made Abu feel for him.
"No. I know him. He wouldn't do that."
"Come on, he has things to do too. I know what you're thinking. You feel like you're close to him, but the truth is, you really aren't!"
"Do you think you're upset because you waited so long and put so much into this?"
Only then did Factory Director look up at Abu. He shook his head.
"I'm not upset. We were just friends playing together. Neither of us owed the other anything. I just don't think he'd leave like this without a word."
"At the very least... he'll give me an answer."
"No! He'll definitely give me an answer!"
"Maybe... it'll be today!"
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