Huya, Yun Shu's livestream.
"You picked a fight with me, your grandaunt, and kicked an iron plate."
Hatred flashed in Yun Shu's beautiful eyes. She switched rapidly between map views, already plotting how to relentlessly target Exalted Emperor's Gan once she respawned.
The respawn countdown on the black screen was about to reach zero.
Suddenly, a clump of glowing green brush sprang up inside the crystal base. Immediately afterward, the enemy Sang Qi fluttered in, deliberately drawing fire from the mid-lane high-ground tower.
"What is he doing?"
Yun Shu knitted her brows, utterly baffled.
But the moment she saw Exalted Emperor's Gan appear at their high-ground tower, all her confusion turned to horror.
"Exalted Emperor's going to fountain-dive us!" Dehua shouted over team voice chat, his hair standing on end. "Holy shit, is he insane?"
Even if Exalted Emperor's Gan had the highest gold in the match.
Even if Exalted Emperor's Gan had astonishing skill-shot prediction.
It was only four and a half minutes in. Not only were their outer towers still standing, but they hadn't lost a single high-ground tower either. Even so, Exalted Emperor actually dared to bring the support Sang Qi to fountain-dive them!
In the match, under Sang Qi's cover, Exalted Emperor's Gan reached the fountain without a scratch.
"Once we respawn, spread out immediately. Don't give Exalted Emperor a chance to wipe us all out in one pot!" Yun Shu was shocked and furious, but she didn't forget to steady the team's nerves. "We have the fountain to rely on. He can't burst us down!"
The game screen lit up, and Yun Shu's Pei Qinhu, Dehua's Lu Bu, and Goya all respawned in the fountain.
Just as the three scrambled to rush out of the fountain, the low-health Sang Qi used Flash to charge into it. His little wooden sword gathered the energy of fireflies, and he slammed it down!
"Constellations Illuminate the Golden River!"
Yun Shu's Pei Qinhu, Dehua's Lu Bu, and Goya were all crowd-controlled and lifted into the air!
A nameless fear gripped Yun Shu and the other two.
"In the face of absolute precision, running away is useless!"
Exalted Emperor's Gan hurled out two swords with Twin Swords: Far, instantly followed with Twin Swords: Near, activated his ultimate at lightning speed, and threw four enhanced swords!
Goya was killed in an instant, her corpse left lying in the fountain!
Yun Shu and Dehua were in no better shape, both reduced to a sliver of health!
"My damn ultimate is ready!" The moment he landed and was freed from the knock-up, Dehua roared and unleashed his ultimate. "You brat Exalted Emperor, take a strike from my halberd!"
But before he could leap into the air, Exalted Emperor's Gan struck again with Twin Swords. Dehua's Lu Bu's health bar vanished, and he fell beside Goya's corpse.
"Bastard!" Watching her two teammates die horribly beside her, Yun Shu's eyes turned red, and she was overcome with grief and indignation. "You bastard, you've gone too far!"
Yun Shu switched to tiger form and charged out of the fountain with her second skill, Tiger Descends the Mountain. Before she could do anything else, Exalted Emperor's Gan used his first skill to knock her into the side wall, then stepped forward and raised his arm high.
Smack!
A resounding slap echoed across King's Canyon.
Exalted Emperor's Gan slapped Yun Shu's Pei Qinhu to death!
An exhilarating multikill announcement rang out.
"Gan & Mo killed Goya in one hit, dealing 100% of her health!"
"Double kill!"
"Triple kill!"
His slaughter complete, Exalted Emperor's Gan walked into the base's safe zone and began recalling. Shortly afterward, Wang Zhaojun and Sun Bin respawned. Sun Bin hurriedly flapped his wings and brought Zhaojun along, hoping to stop the killer who had slain their three teammates from leaving.
But they were a second too late in the end.
Exalted Emperor's Gan teleported back to base.
"Aw, fuck!" Dehua put on a mask of pain. "How did we still let him get away?"
Yun Shu bit her lip, humiliated tears glistening in her eyes. Now, at last, she understood one thing: the enemy Exalted Emperor had never regarded her as a formidable opponent!
Even though she was currently the strongest female jungle king in King's Canyon, someone whose mechanics and game sense rivaled the Jungle Overlord's.
Exalted Emperor still hadn't taken her seriously.
Just like that last play: why had Exalted Emperor's Gan dared to fountain-dive them?
It wasn't because he was confident, nor because he was certain he could get a triple kill. He simply thought his opponents were too weak, and that by diving the fountain, he could break their mental and end the match as quickly as possible.
"Guys, I can't take it anymore!" Their teammate Goya's mental had shattered. "At six minutes, tap the little green lucky bag in the upper right."
"A predator like Exalted Emperor, who's at the top of the Honor of Kings food chain, isn't someone small fries like us can handle." Wang Zhaojun, having faced reality, spoke in utter despair. "Surrender at six, and we can stop him from getting a top badge, too!"
The team was falling apart.
Yun Shu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and rallied their spirits. "Come on, everyone, stay focused. The game has only just begun; we don't know whose hand the deer will fall to yet."
The words had barely left her mouth.
A kill announcement rang out across the canyon.
"Gan & Mo killed Sun Bin in one hit, dealing 100% of his health!"
"Legendary!"
Douyin, Su Hang's livestream.
"Four minutes in, a fountain-dive triple kill. Tell me, who besides the great Exalted Emperor could pull that off?"
"He kills people like chickens. That's absolutely unhinged."
"Watching the big shot Exalted Emperor's Gan reminds me of one of Li Bai's lines: kill a man every ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles!"
"Battle qi turned into a horse, terrifying as this is. He really kills wherever he goes!"
"I just got back from that local chicken Dehua's stream. The local chicken's so tilted he's questioning his life; he's already handed his phone over to Xijianchui."
"Looks like our Exalted Emperor made Yun Shu cry. But honestly, if I ran into the big shot Exalted Emperor's Gan, I'd be scared to tears too. He's too brutal!"
Su Hang controlled Gan & Mo. His passive was almost fully stacked, and he was practically a killing machine that slew men and Buddhas alike when they stood in his way. If anyone on the other side dared show their face, he would kill them instantly!
"This match is a foregone conclusion."
At the six-minute mark, Su Hang opened the scoreboard. The enemy Lu Bu was 0-6, already super feeding, while the biggest threat, Pei Qinhu, was already 2-5.
Then he checked the enemy towers. Their outer towers had all been pulled down, and the mid lane had been pushed all the way to the high-ground tower.
"If nothing unexpected happens, we can end the game a little after eight minutes."
Su Hang guided Gan & Mo into the enemy blue jungle and started taking the blue buff. Suddenly, the enemy Pei Qinhu leaped over and used Smite to steal it.
"You dare steal my blue?"
Su Hang pressed his ultimate and fired four swords point-blank. Then he raised his arm high and slapped Pei Qinhu to death. "Remember that next time."
The all-chat scrolled.
(Aries) Yun Shu: Targeting me? Fine, fine, fine. Exalted Emperor, you like slapping me that much, huh?
"Doesn't she have a persecution complex or something?"
Su Hang couldn't be bothered with the tiger and continued setting the pace for the team.
Who would have thought that a while later, after respawning, Pei Qinhu would switch to tiger form and suddenly appear by the mid-lane minion wave? Facing Gan & Mo, who was right in front of her, she began taunting him with a twitchy recall spam.
(Aries) Yun Shu: How about that, Exalted Emperor?
Pei Qinhu bit into the minion wave to close the distance, then quickly used her second skill, Tiger Turns Back, to leap away.
(Aries) Yun Shu: I bit my way over again, and I jumped back again. How about that, how about that, how about that? Come slap me some more, idiot.
Her moves and words made Su Hang laugh.
He looked up at the livestream chat and said, "You all saw that. The tiger asked to be slapped."
He knew perfectly well that Pei Qinhu was deliberately taunting him to drag out the match and give her team's late-game heroes room to farm.
But to be fair.
He had never seen anyone actually ask to be slapped in his life.
Su Hang took a sip of sugar-free cola and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "I'd like to finish this match quickly, but since the tiger has a masochistic streak, I don't mind spending a little time giving her some proper training."