Without hesitation, Zhongyi said, "Ninety percent!"
A moment later, he added, "In a one-on-one solo, I'm a hundred percent confident I can beat Xiaopang. But in the five-on-five match afterward, if Fly joins in, I'm afraid I can't guarantee a win."
Yinuo pondered for a moment. "I know what Fly is like, so you can put your mind at ease. He's with RW Xia now, but even if he were still with Wolves, he wouldn't step in to help Xiaopang."
"As a player with a King title, he wouldn't lower himself to do that. The chances are so slim they can practically be ignored!"
"Oh, come on, Captain Nuo. So what if Fly sticks his nose in?" Xuanran said breezily. "With the four of us starters backing Zhongyi up, I refuse to believe Fly can beat all of AG."
Xuanran's words sounded a little arrogant.
But they were true. In the current Honor of Kings scene, no team could stand against AG's five starters.
Yinuo looked at Zhongyi. "Compared to Xiaopang, Zhongyi, I think you should focus on guarding against the young prodigy selected from the streamer bracket."
"Zongshi?" Zhongyi's brows knitted together.
Zongshi's full name was [Dengwo Shuaba Zongshi]. He had been the hottest Honor of Kings skill streamer the previous year, playing both mid lane and jungle. He had once created the ultimate myth of a 26,000-power Mai Shiranui and earned the title of 2023's mid-lane overlord.
In the recently concluded S39 season, he had even swept the top three spots on the jungle peak leaderboard. Known as the pro max version of Han Han, he was at least as strong as the KPL's top junglers, if not stronger.
Of course, the most important thing was that Zongshi was eighteen years old!
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. Never underestimate the top streamers from the casual-player scene." Yinuo took out his phone and pulled up a chat. "Our old opponent at eStar, Huahai, told me he'd sparred with Zongshi in private. His assessment was that Zongshi's jungle solo play was already at King-title level!"
Hearing that,
Zhongyi's pupils contracted. "What?!"
The next day, at Huating Residential Complex in Jiangcheng.
Su Hang got up early. After finishing his indoor workout, he set up his streaming equipment in his bedroom. It would have been a lie to say his first Honor of Kings stream didn't feel novel.
After giving the stream the title [Fastest Winning Streak from Bronze to King], Su Hang began his streaming journey. To make sure he earned a top rating in every match, he also decided to use a jungle hero capable of carrying the whole game.
But [Exalted Emperor] was a new account, after all. It had only five heroes in total, and not a single jungler to choose from.
"Looks like I'll have to spend some money."
With a grand wave of his hand, Su Hang made a first-time top-up of six yuan and unlocked Zhao Yun. It was also the first time in his ten years playing Honor of Kings that he had spent his own money on the game.
His main account, which he had played for ten years, was a V10 Honor Noble account, but he hadn't spent a single cent of his own on it.
Su Hang started matchmaking and glanced up at his stream. He suddenly froze. Without him noticing, the number of viewers had climbed to 1,000, and the endless barrage of comments covered nearly half the screen.
"Holy shit! Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Exalted Emperor is streaming!"
"Awesome, bro. I wouldn't even bow to a wall, but I bow to you."
"I knew it. Exalted Emperor was bound to use this wave of popularity to start streaming and rake in a pile of cash. I was right!"
"Those hands have well-defined knuckles and look fair and clean. You look pretty young. Bro, bro, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
"I didn't expect Exalted Emperor really to be a newcomer to the Honor of Kings streaming scene."
"Streamer, streamer, are you the Exalted Emperor who crushed Gu Shi last night?"
Coming back to his senses, Su Hang smiled and introduced himself. "Hello, everyone. I'm Exalted Emperor, a new streamer. I've just arrived in Douyin's gaming section, and I hope my stream can bring you all some fun."
He showed no sign of nervousness or restraint.
"Also, to answer the question everyone's asking most: I just turned eighteen!"
At that moment, the game found a match.
Su Hang locked in Zhao Yun and looked at the stream chat.
Since his stream showed only his hands, many spectators wanted to see what Su Hang really looked like.
As a perfectionist, Su Hang had no intention of showing his face during his first stream. Just like in a professional physique competition, he wouldn't step onstage unless he had brought his body fat down to five percent and honed his lean muscles to the pinnacle.
By the same token, he wouldn't show his face without making careful preparations and sprucing himself up. After all, first impressions were crucial.
"I won't be showing my face for now. I'll do it when I reach a hundred thousand followers."
He had just picked an excuse at random, but the moment he said it, he gained several hundred followers.
"A gentleman's word can't be overtaken by four galloping horses. Followed. I'll be waiting for you to show your face at a hundred thousand followers."
Su Hang smiled faintly. "I never go back on my word."
"Really? Then your stream title, [Fastest from Bronze to King], isn't just clickbait?"
"It couldn't be more real," Su Hang replied. "I'm going to solo queue, win every match, and reach Mighty King in the shortest time and fewest matches possible."
His words instantly caused an uproar. The passersby who had stumbled into the stream were especially skeptical.
"Bro, you're digging your own grave. Never mind the number of matches and the time-do you know how hard it is to reach King on a solo-queue winning streak now? Run into teammates who go AFK or play like garbage, and you won't even have a place to cry."
"666, bro's a master at talking bullshit. Who do you think you are? You picked the name Exalted Emperor to ride the coattails of Emperor-title players? Do you really think you have Emperor-title skills?"
"You can still take it back, streamer. Don't wait until you can't save face and we flame you until your mental collapses."
Faced with the doubts and mockery of so many passersby, Su Hang remained unmoved. In the current version, reaching King on a solo-queue winning streak was indeed harder than in previous seasons, but for him, it was still relatively easy.
Besides, he was playing jungle this time.
"Then let's wait and see."
Su Hang turned his attention back to the game and devoted himself to the matches. Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. After ten matches, he had earned a top MVP rating with Zhao Yun every time, and his rank had risen from Bronze to Platinum.
"Damn? He's got some skills. He used the rank-up mechanic that gives you three stars at once for a top rating and actually cut the thirty matches to Platinum down to ten. Not bad."
"The rank's so low that any veteran player could do it. This is just the beginning. This guy's only been lucky."
Some viewers had begun to notice the signs, but many others remained dismissive.
Su Hang knew full well that the most direct way to slap those sneering keyboard warriors in the face was to let his record do the talking. He cracked open a can of sugar-free cola, replenished a little energy, and threw himself back into King's Canyon.
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye. After twenty matches, he had still earned a top MVP rating every time, and his rank had climbed all the way from Platinum to Star.
This time, the viewers could no longer stay calm. In several of those twenty matches, his teammates had gone AFK, but Su Hang's Zhao Yun had turned the tide and forced defeat into victory. It was genuinely surprising.
The stream chat filled with cries of "Holy shit."
"Damn, thirty consecutive wins in five hours, and a fucking top badge every single match. Brothers, this is starting to get scary."
"A top badge and three stars every match. Ranking up is literally as easy as drinking water for him. That's insane. Could Exalted Emperor be the ace player from some boosting studio?"
"The key is that he's playing Zhao Yun. That's the scariest part. Jungle Zhao Yun depends on his teammates more than anyone, yet he can get a top badge without relying on them. That's off the charts!"
The stream's viewer count skyrocketed to 10,000, and the chat was full of astonished comments sharing the stream.
Su Hang took a sip of cola and continued climbing without taking a break. He kept earning top ratings with Zhao Yun, and after eight consecutive matches, he reached Star I with full stars. One more match, and he could complete the undefeated King challenge.
At that moment, he glanced up at the comments and paused.
"I got matched with a top streamer?"