Back in reality.
The countdown ended, and the game entered the loading screen.
Su Hang's team: Sun Ce (Stun), Monkey (Smite), Xiao Qiao (Flash), Marco Polo (Flash), Su Lie (Flash).
Nuanyang and Zimo's team: Ma Chao (Sprint), Yao (Smite), Mai Shiranui (Flash), Meng Ya (Sprint), Mozi (Flash).
Of the ten heroes on both teams, Su Hang was the only one not wearing a skin.
The vast majority of viewers in the livestream were thoroughly confused.
"V10 on the fourth floor already sent Exalted Emperor a skin-sharing poke. Why isn't he using it? A skin gives ten extra attack points, after all."
A small number of viewers, however, had long since seen the situation as clearly as a blazing fire.
"It's hard to bite the hand that feeds you. If Exalted Emperor used the fourth floor's skin and his Su Lie went super-ghost and broke the account's perfect win streak, Exalted Emperor could only swallow his anger, even if he was furious."
"On the other hand, if Exalted Emperor doesn't use it, he won't have to worry about that. But given his personality and temper, he probably wouldn't flame a teammate who dragged him down anyway."
"Welcome to Honor of Kings. The enemy will reach the battlefield in five seconds. Please prepare yourselves. All troops, attack."
With the familiar female voice's opening announcement, the game officially began.
Su Hang bought equipment, leveled up a skill, and steered Marco Polo toward the farm lane up top. With two top KPL players on the opposing team, he was already prepared to be at a disadvantage early on.
After all, Marco was genuinely weak in the early game. Before he built the Lightning Dagger, he had practically no fighting power.
His teammate Su Lie didn't help clear mid. Instead, he chose to follow Su Hang's Marco, heading up the lane shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Hm?"
Su Hang casually glanced at Su Lie beside him, and his eyes instantly filled with surprise. Whether it was his movement habits or the little detail of throwing out basic attacks at nothing, he was the spitting image of a national-server Su Lie.
He was even better.
This Yugong is a ranked big national Su Lie. After watching him a little longer, Su Hang made his judgment.
And when Su Lie sent the signal "Second skill is ready," Su Hang was even more certain that he was a big national Su Lie!
They were about to reach the farm lane's first tower.
Yugong's Su Lie and Su Hang's Marco parted ways.
Yugong's Su Lie passed the farm lane's Crimson Golem without stopping. Instead, he circled around to the river brush behind it and quietly lay in wait.
Su Hang instantly understood what Su Lie was planning. He raised both guns and made a show of attacking the Crimson Golem.
Before long.
Two red figures appeared in the river by the clash lane: the enemy marksman Meng Ya and support Mozi.
The two were clearly familiar with Marco's usual opening of farming the Crimson Golem first, so they didn't even clear their minion wave and came straight over to steal it.
But they had no idea that Su Lie was already lying in wait in the river brush, pillar in his arms.
The instant Meng Ya and Mozi entered the river brush, Su Lie, who had been waiting for them for some time, hefted his Black Tortoise stone pillar and slammed them both against the wall, crowd-controlling them.
Meng Ya and Mozi were stunned, their heads buzzing. Both were somewhat dazed; neither had expected Su Lie to predict their opening strategy and lie in wait beforehand.
"Nice crowd control."
Su Hang didn't hesitate. He used Flash to cross the wall and immediately fired a full burst into Meng Ya's face. Though the damage was pitiful, landing the entire burst still took a fifth of Meng Ya's health.
Meng Ya and Mozi both recovered from the stun.
Although Su Lie had seized the initiative at the start and Marco Polo had followed up with a combo, they didn't lose their composure and maintained their own offensive rhythm.
Meng Ya in particular activated Sprint, raised the two carp Gatling guns in his hands, and chased Marco Polo, firing wildly with a rat-a-tat-tat.
Mozi, wearing the Dragon Knight skin, charged up his chest and fired an energy cannon at Marco, who was trading blows with Meng Ya. Su Lie decisively used Flash to get in front of Marco Polo and blocked it for him.
At that, Meng Ya, who had been so fierce a moment ago, immediately lost his nerve and hurriedly retreated while Sprint was still active.
"Where's that determination to fight me to the death from just now? Where'd it go? Come on, stand and trade blows!"
Su Hang controlled Marco and continued chasing Meng Ya.
Meng Ya was now at full stacks of Marco's true-damage passive. Every bullet from Su Hang's Marco dealt true damage that ignored armor! In just a few seconds, Meng Ya's health dropped to a sliver.
Mozi watched the whole time, frantic, but his second skill still had several seconds left on cooldown. With no other choice, he saved up an enhanced basic attack and used Flash to get right in Marco Polo's face, intending to drive him back with his palm cannon.
"I've been watching out for you."
Su Hang had already anticipated it. With a slight turn, he narrowly dodged Mozi's palm cannon and continued chasing Meng Ya.
Meng Ya's Sprint wore off. He was still a short distance from his clash lane's first tower, but his precariously low health was no longer enough to let him make it back under the tower.
As soon as Su Hang's Marco's first skill came off cooldown, a stream of golden bullets poured into Meng Ya. White true-damage crits flashed, Meng Ya's health bar emptied, and he fell to the ground.
"Marco Polo has defeated Meng Ya!"
"First Blood!"
The livestream viewers were both surprised and delighted.
"Holy shit! Incredible! Exalted Emperor and Su Lie's teamwork flowed like clouds and water-it was absolutely seamless!"
"We have to give Su Lie special praise. Damn! He used Flash to block that cannon for Exalted Emperor. That's so fucking touching."
"Those two are like a married couple. This is the first support who's been in sync with Exalted Emperor!"
"Ahem, brother upstairs, I just checked Su Lie's Honor of Kings Camp. His in-game gender shows male."
"Damn! Su Lie's a guy? I couldn't tell. From how modest he was at the start, I thought he was a girl."
"Su Lie deserves a ton of credit for Exalted Emperor's Marco getting first blood."
As Su Hang cleared the minion wave, he typed.
[Exalted Emperor] (Marco Polo): Nice play, Su Lie.
[Yugong] (Su Lie): Thanks for the compliment. You're really good too. You're the second player who's understood my approach and rhythm.
"There's another expert?"
Su Hang was momentarily stunned. If anyone else had been playing Marco Polo during that joint kill with Su Lie, it would definitely have ended in a one-for-one trade.
Just then, another kill announcement rang out across the battlefield.
"Ma Chao has defeated Sun Ce!"
The first-blood advantage they had just gained hadn't even warmed in their hands before their clash-lane teammate gave it back.
"Sorry, Exalted Emperor." Sun Ce's apologetic voice rang out in shame.
"It's fine." Su Hang knew full well that Ma Chao, as a top professional player, had honed his skills to perfection. Handling a Glory 50-star clash-lane player couldn't have been easier.
Suddenly, another announcement rang out.
"Yao has defeated Xiao Qiao!"
"Ahhh, my bad, my bad! I thought Yao had left, but he was waiting for me in the brush to the left of mid the whole time. Pro players are so sneaky, the hateful guy!" Xiao Qiao stomped her feet in anger.
Su Hang's expression changed slightly. The game had barely begun, yet his teammates were already giving up kills one after another. He could only say he had overestimated their abilities.
"I can't expect anything from my teammates."
"Mm."
Su Hang glanced at the pillar-bearing burly man beside him. "Except Su Lie."