At Huya, in Nuanyang's livestream.
Comments swarmed across the public chat like a marching colony of ants, a dense black mass.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Killing people like slaughtering chickens. God Nuanyang's Yao is as smooth and dominant as ever. Xiao Qiao throws off her covers in the middle of the night, and it's all 'watch the sword, watch the sword,' followed by more 'watch the sword.'"
"July's strongest Dongfang Yao on the national server, one of the KPL's five great Dongfang Yaos, second only to Fly's Dongfang Yao. You think Brother Yang is playing around?"
"Nuanyang's Dongfang Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao are a perfect match, two powerhouses joining forces. Exalted Emperor's in for a world of pain this match."
Nuanyang couldn't help curling his lips as he read the comments.
Although Exalted Emperor's Marco had taken first blood at the start, his teammates in the top lane, mid lane, and jungle were like idiots, with abysmal game sense and skills.
As long as Nuanyang and Zimo hunted down Exalted Emperor's noob teammates like crazy early on and snowballed their gold lead, they could stir-fry Exalted Emperor any way they liked.
Suddenly, right then.
The announcement for a kill rang out across the Rift.
"Marco Polo defeated Meng Ya!"
"Marco Polo defeated Mozi!"
"Double kill!"
"What the hell?"
Nuanyang's smile froze, surprise flashing in his eyes as he quickly looked toward the farm lane. His team's marksman and support lay dead in a neat row outside the defensive tower.
"Fuck! What are Meng Ya and Mozi doing?" Before Nuanyang could speak, Zimo, all the way over in the clash lane, exclaimed in shock, his temper flaring. "Was it really that bad? How did you let Marco get a double kill?"
"Did you two buy your national badges on Pinduoduo or something?"
It was hard to blame Zimo for giving the marksman and support a hard time. The two of them were truly outrageous: less than two minutes into the match, they'd handed Exalted Emperor's Marco three kills, faster than fucking Meituan food delivery.
"What are you two doing?" Nuanyang frowned in displeasure. "If you can't beat Marco, just play safe and clear the wave under the tower. What did you go out for?"
"God Nuan, God Zimo, you really can't blame us for this." Meng Ya felt wronged to the extreme. "Their Su Lie forced an engagement first. We had no choice but to fight back."
Mozi complained, "Su Lie and Marco were in perfect sync. I almost thought I was facing a top KPL marksman-support duo, especially Su Lie-"
"You're just bad." Zimo cut him off, his voice cold as ice. "Don't give me that nonsense."
Meng Ya and Mozi were like mutes eating bitter herbs, unable to voice their grievances.
"Looks like we need to change plans."
Nuanyang looked toward the farm lane. Exalted Emperor's Marco had three kills and had already gotten through the stifling period of being stuck in jail. Their national-server marksman and support didn't stand a chance against him and couldn't even do something as basic as defend their tower.
If they didn't hurry and gank Exalted Emperor a few times, the farm lane would probably be overrun!
"Zimo, after you take the next mid-lane wave, show yourself to give them false vision, then come to the farm lane. We'll gank Exalted Emperor. This kid's farming too comfortably."
"OK, Captain Nuan."
The match reached three and a half minutes.
Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao arrived at the farm lane, stayed out of vision, and hid in the river brush.
To keep Exalted Emperor's Marco from detecting them with his passive, Nuanyang deliberately had their marksman and support show themselves within the enemy's vision.
Meng Ya and Mozi put on Oscar-winning performances, trying to lure Exalted Emperor's Marco into range for their teammates to focus fire on him.
But Exalted Emperor wouldn't take the bait. He hovered at the edge of the defensive tower's range, refusing to take a single step forward.
"Captain Nuan, have we been spotted?"
"Probably not." Nuanyang watched Exalted Emperor's Marco as he spoke. "But if we keep waiting here, he'll realize something's wrong sooner or later and retreat under the tower."
"Then what do we do?" Zimo asked.
Nuanyang looked at the minimap and said slowly, "Their mid laner and jungler showed themselves in the clash lane. That means nobody's in Exalted Emperor's blue-side jungle. We'll circle around and lie in wait in the opening brush there, then pincer him with Meng Ya and Mozi!"
"Brilliant!"
Zimo's eyes gleamed as he chuckled. "Enemies on every side. Even if Exalted Emperor sprouts wings, he won't escape this time!"
Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao skirted the very edge of enemy vision and crossed the wall. Without disturbing the nearby Crimson Golem, they silently slipped into the opening brush beside the enemy's first farm-lane tower.
In the game.
Having received Nuanyang's instructions, Meng Ya and Mozi stopped acting and quickly charged Exalted Emperor's Marco.
Exalted Emperor's Marco reacted extremely quickly, turning and darting under the defensive tower. He didn't seem to notice that Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao were lying in wait in the Crimson Armor opening brush right beside him.
"Go!"
Nuanyang shouted and was just about to use his second skill, Star Chaser, to dive the tower.
A deep, powerful hero voice line rang out: "Banish the desolation, stir the heavens!"
"Fuck! Captain Nuan, Su Lie's coming at us from the blue-side jungle!" Zimo shouted in alarm.
Nuanyang looked back and saw the enemy Su Lie charging toward them, clutching his stone pillar and charging up his ultimate. His target was the opening brush where they were hiding!
"Shit, we've been spotted!" Nuanyang's heart trembled violently, and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat. "When did that happen?"
There was no time to think. Driven by his survival instinct, he immediately abandoned the plan to dive Exalted Emperor's Marco and prepared to flee.
But it was already too late.
Su Lie's Black Tortoise stone pillar crashed down into the opening brush, and a powerful seismic wave knocked Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao high into the air, along with the innocent jungle monster, the Crimson Golem!
"Show time!"
Exalted Emperor's Marco followed up in an instant, using his ultimate, Barrage Fever, and spinning toward Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao. Huge critical-hit numbers popped up in rapid succession.
Nuanyang and Zimo's health dropped rapidly, reaching the execute threshold in less than three seconds.
After casting his ultimate, Su Lie quickly followed up with the crowd control from his second skill, ramming Nuanyang and Zimo into the wall and stunning them both.
"Mozi, interrupt Marco's ultimate, quick!" Veins bulged on Nuanyang's neck as he roared.
Dragon Knight Mozi slid under the defensive tower with his first skill. Energy gathered before his chest as he used his second skill, firing a crucial shot at Exalted Emperor's spinning Marco.
Su Lie decisively used Flash to move behind Exalted Emperor's Marco and block it. The energy blast that should have hit missed once again.
"Damn! That Su Lie!" In his heart, Zimo cursed eighteen generations of Su Lie's ancestors.
"It's all gone to hell." Nuanyang's heart sank at once.
Exalted Emperor's Marco dealt the full damage of his ultimate.
Nuanyang's Yao and Zimo's Ma Chao had their health bars emptied and died on the spot!
The Rift's stirring kill announcements rang out.
"Marco Polo defeated Yao."
"Marco Polo defeated Ma Chao."
"Double kill!"
"Fucking annoying, ah! That Su Lie is so damn sneaky!" Zimo's furious voice rang out over team voice chat, accompanied by the sound of him pounding his desk.
Looking at the dimmed game screen, Nuanyang was both angry and shocked. "Wait, how did Su Lie even find us?"
Throughout this carefully planned tower dive, he and Zimo's Ma Chao had never shown themselves in enemy vision. Even if the enemy had spider-sense, they absolutely couldn't have guessed which brush the two were hiding in.
Yet Su Lie, whose in-game ID was [Yugong], had guessed it. Had a blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse, or was his game sense astonishing?
Nuanyang's expression turned extremely ugly as he looked up at the comments in his livestream.
In an instant, his pupils shook!