Lu Yuan's Tactical Playbook

Origin Internet Cafe, main hall.

Today was the day the Shrek Academy delegation set off for Star Luo City. Before officially departing, the seven members of the reserve team, led by Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao, had specifically come to the internet cafe for a final farewell.

The moment they pushed open the door, a burst of frantic keyboard clattering reached them.

"Go, go, go! Di Tian, you coward! Are you the Black Dragon King or a black turtle? Get up there!"

"Stop yelling! I'm adjusting my angle! Can't you see there are three mages on the other side?"

Behind the counter, the Ice Empress, dressed in a sharp black-and-white maid outfit, had her feet propped up on the desk without a shred of dignity as she shouted into her headset.

Up on the second floor, the Beast God Di Tian operated his controls with a dark expression, muttering, "I will not lower myself to argue with a woman."

Seeing this scene, the corners of the Shrek group's mouths twitched wildly.

These were the legendary ruler of the Far North and the Beast God? Their image had completely fallen apart!

"You're here?" Lu Yuan emerged from the lounge area with a cup of cola in hand, looking as though he had been waiting for them.

"Boss, we're leaving," Huo Yuhao said as he stepped forward, his expression respectful.

By now, Lu Yuan inspired not only gratitude in him, but also the reverence one felt toward a mentor.

"Mm, I know." Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the seven young people.

After being tempered by Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, the childishness had faded from them, replaced by a restrained edge. But that was still not enough.

"Since you're going to compete, and you'll be representing the results of training at our Origin Internet Cafe..." Lu Yuan set down his cup and dragged a black metal briefcase out from beneath the counter.

"Then don't embarrass me! If you lose to those primitive soul masters who only know how to flash their soul rings and trade attacks, don't ever say you're my members again."

The case opened.

Inside were no powerful offensive soul tools, but seven futuristic-looking headsets arranged neatly in a row.

"This is..." He Caitou, a genius of the Soul Guidance Department, stared wide-eyed. "A communication soul tool? But there's no fluctuation from a core formation?"

"These are tactical bone-conduction headsets." Lu Yuan picked one up and tossed it to Huo Yuhao. "System-made! They don't need soul power to operate. They use bone-conduction technology, have an effective range covering the entirety of Star Luo City, a fully encrypted channel, anti-interference capability, and zero delay."

Lu Yuan pointed at his ear. "On the battlefield, information is life. Teams that still rely on shouting to command are blind and deaf before you. With these on, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection Sharing won't need to divide its attention to relay voices. Your communication will be instantaneous."

Everyone's expressions turned solemn. They knew exactly what that meant.

In a rapidly changing team battle, even one second of communication delay could determine victory or defeat.

With this, they would become a true special forces unit!

"And this." Lu Yuan took out a thick book that even carried the scent of fresh ink and handed it to Wang Yan, the teacher leading the team this time.

Wang Yan froze for a moment before accepting the book in flattered surprise. "Boss Lu, this is?"

He lowered his head to look at the cover, where several bold words stood out: <The Art of MOBA Tactical Command: From Beginner to Master>.

When he opened the table of contents, he saw topics such as lane management, 4-1 split pushing, jungle vision, and team-control coordination... things he could not understand at all.

"...Mo... MOBA?" Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, looking utterly bewildered.

"This is a book of military strategy." Lu Yuan smiled meaningfully. "Teacher Wang, I know you're highly learned, but your Douluo Continent concepts of team-battle command are far too outdated."

"For example, having the assault-type soul masters at the front and the support-types at the back? Too rigid. This book records profound tactics from another world known as esports."

Lu Yuan casually flipped to a page and pointed at the diagram. "Take this 4-1 split push, for example—you can have Huo Yuhao or Jiang Nannan, the solo lane, use their high mobility to tie down the enemy's main force while everyone else groups up to push forward."

"Or this poke composition—use Xu Sanshi's defense and He Caitou's firepower to wear them down. Don't engage in a full team fight."

"Take it and study it." Lu Yuan patted Wang Yan, who was already dumbstruck. "Master it, and you'll become this world's tactical grandmaster."

With trembling hands, Wang Yan opened to the first page. After reading only a few lines about vision control, his eyes lit up like two light bulbs.

"Genius... This is a genius concept! It completely overturns the soul master world's theories of team combat!" Wang Yan treated it like a priceless treasure, practically wanting to kowtow to Lu Yuan on the spot.

With the equipment handed out and the tactical book delivered, Lu Yuan finally looked toward the seven monsters about to set out.

His expression turned serious. It was one of his rare earnest moments.

"One last thing. Once you step onto the battlefield, forget that you are noble soul masters. Forget glory, forget manners."

Lu Yuan pointed toward the Resident Evil footage playing on the screen. "Treat your opponents as zombies, and treat the competition as a hunt. Don't pursue flashy soul skills. That's merely a performance for the audience."

"There are only two words you should pursue—efficiency! Use the least amount of soul power and the fastest speed to make your opponents lose their ability to fight."

"That is called—professionalism."

Huo Yuhao gripped the tactical headset in his hand tightly, feeling the cold metal against his palm, and nodded heavily.

"Yes, Boss!"

"We'll remember!"

"Go." Lu Yuan waved his hand, picked up his hot cocoa again, and returned to his lazy demeanor. "The Ice Empress, Di Tian, and I will be watching you from the screen! Don't disappoint us."

[Shrek Academy Gates]

Xuan Lao was already waiting there, still holding his wine gourd.

When he saw the reserve team members wearing strange headsets, their gazes sharp enough to suggest they were heading out to assassinate someone, Xuan Lao paused.

"Ho, what spirit." Xuan Lao grinned. "Looks like Boss Lu gave you quite a few extra tricks."

Wang Yan carefully tucked MOBA Tactics into his robes, adjusted his glasses, and a wise gleam flickered in his eyes. "Xuan Lao, in this tournament, we may... change our style a little."

"Change it, then." Xuan Lao took a careless sip of wine. "As long as you can win, even if you punch a hole through the sky, this old man will cover for you."

"Set off!"

At Xuan Lao's command, the Shrek Academy delegation—this team that had been completely modified along this timeline—officially embarked on its journey toward Star Luo City.

And in the Mingdou Mountains, at the Inspection Corps mission point they were bound to pass through, a group of self-righteous Death Messengers hid amid piles of corpses, waiting for their prey to come to them.

Little did they know that this time, what was coming was not a group of flowers raised in a greenhouse.

It was a group that had just crawled out of the hell of Raccoon City, wielding heavy firepower and skilled in counterterrorism tactics... reapers of death.