The game entered the loading screen.
Su Hang's team: Zhu Bajie (Execute), Yun Ying (Smite), Diaochan (Teleport), Sun Quan (Weaken), Zhong Kui (Flash).
Citong's team: Xiahou Dun (Execute), Liu Bei (Smite), Gao Jianli (Frenzy), [Citong] Lady Sun (Flash), Donghuang Taiyi (Flash).
"Welcome to Honor of Kings. The enemy troops will reach the battlefield in five seconds. Prepare yourselves. All troops, attack!"
With the familiar opening announcement, the game officially began.
Su Hang steered Diaochan in her default skin toward mid lane, rapidly opening and closing the economy panel along the way to keep his hands warmed up.
"Boss Exalted Emperor, I'm really nervous. What should I do?" The Sun Quan player's voice trembled slightly in team chat. "I'm just a scrub with a minor national badge. I'm laning against Citong, the first Farm Lane King. I might as well go AFK."
Su Hang had a deep impression of Citong. Seven or eight years ago, they had often been matched in high-rank games, and among all the expert marksmen Su Hang had faced to date, Citong ranked near the top in how troublesome and difficult he was to deal with!
Su Hang turned on his mic to calm his teammate. "Whatever you do, don't be nervous. If you don't even have the courage to face him, you'll get crushed in the laning phase, guaranteed."
Hearing that, the Sun Quan player grew even more nervous.
"Then what should I do, boss Exalted Emperor?"
Su Hang said gravely, "Is there a supermarket or convenience store near your home?"
"Yes, boss Exalted Emperor, there is." The Sun Quan player answered hastily.
Su Hang's eyes flickered as he said seriously, "Here's what you do. Go buy a can of sugar-free cola later. Just one; you don't need more. Get one of those small cans that cost two or three yuan."
The Sun Quan player carefully took note, his heart in his throat. "And then?"
"Drink that can of sugar-free cola." The corners of Su Hang's mouth rose. "It won't do much, but it tastes great."
"Huh?"
The Sun Quan player didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Come on, boss Exalted Emperor, at a time like this, you're still cracking those fifth-rate dad jokes?"
Su Hang took a sip of sugar-free cola. "Still nervous?"
The Sun Quan player was surprised to find, "Whoa, I guess I really am not nervous anymore."
"In the early game, just let loose and lane against Citong, whether you can beat him or not," Su Hang said calmly. "I've got your back."
Those few words doubled the Sun Quan player's confidence. "Got it, boss Exalted Emperor. I'll give it my all against Citong."
The word "jealous" flooded the livestream chat.
"I love Exalted Emperor so much! If I were on his team, I'd wake up laughing in my sleep."
"Boss Exalted Emperor is cold on the outside and warm on the inside, and his temper is unbelievably good. Unlike some top streamer players, who turn on their mics and pile pressure on their teammates the moment they show any fear, like powder kegs."
"Sir is a good man. Citong used to be the number-one marksman in the KPL, so boss Exalted Emperor must be under a lot of pressure too, but he bears it silently and even tells dad jokes to calm his teammate. For that alone, here's a gift!"
Gifts flooded the screen.
The game reached two and a half minutes.
Su Hang's reassurance and encouragement at the start had paid off. Although Sun Quan and Zhong Kui were being brutally suppressed in bot lane by Citong's Lady Sun and Donghuang, they hadn't given up a kill.
But Su Hang knew that if he didn't go help bot lane soon, it was only a matter of time before they gave up a kill.
"All quiet on top lane." Su Hang glanced at the clash lane, where Zhu Bajie and the enemy Xiahou Dun were trading blows, a rake for a blade. The two big tanks were afraid of neither.
Su Hang made his decision.
"Jungler, cover mid lane. I'm going to help bot."
Yun Ying readily agreed. "You got it."
Su Hang tapped the summoner skill Teleport.
He selected an allied minion in bot lane as the target.
A beam of purple light enveloped the allied minion in bot lane, putting it in a temporary state of invincibility.
Seeing this, the enemy Lady Sun and Donghuang didn't linger to last-hit the minions. They retreated to their tower without looking back.
Su Hang's Diaochan teleported to bot lane.
The suppressed Sun Quan and Zhong Kui were able to come out from under their tower and clear the minions.
Su Hang steered Diaochan toward the enemy tower and asked Zhong Kui beside him, "Are you confident you can hook their Lady Sun?"
Zhong Kui said awkwardly, "Lady Sun's movement is way too slick. I've tried to hook her five times and missed every single one!"
"Try again," Su Hang encouraged him. "Maybe you'll land it this time."
"Okay!"
Zhong Kui didn't waste time. Swinging his giant hook, he swayed from side to side in front of the enemy's first tower, then decisively threw it the instant Lady Sun showed herself!
Lady Sun rolled at the last possible instant, dodging the hook.
"See? I told you I couldn't hoo-" Before Zhong Kui could finish, he saw Exalted Emperor's Diaochan leap into the enemy tower's range like an arrow and get right in Lady Sun's face!
"Holy shit!" Zhong Kui jolted in fright.
Hadn't they agreed to fight once he landed a hook? Why had she suddenly forced a tower dive?
"He has his ultimate! Donghuang has his ultimate, boss Exalted Emperor!" Sun Quan was like an ant on a hot pan, frantic with worry. He even stopped clearing the minion wave and rushed over to help.
Su Hang's livestream exploded!
Haters poured into the public chat like a tide.
"666, Lady Sun has Donghuang guarding her personally, and you still dare dive the tower? Do you really think you're a Trisolaran?"
"Insane Diaochan! Insane play! You're really just handing them a free kill?"
"Exalted Emperor, do you even understand Diaochan? You're just playing blindly and making assumptions."
Sure enough, just as the haters had ranted, Su Hang's Diaochan had barely jumped twice under the enemy's first farm lane tower when Donghuang flashed in and bit her, putting on a Soul Child display: GG.
Citong's Lady Sun hefted his crossbow cannon and unleashed a torrent of bullets, not caring in the slightest whether his teammate Donghuang lived or died. After all, even if it ended in a one-for-one trade, exchanging Donghuang for Diaochan would be a huge profit!
"Don't attack Donghuang!"
Zhong Kui and Sun Quan were frantic.
They wanted to dive the tower and help, but Exalted Emperor's Diaochan was hard-CC'd by Donghuang. Any skill or attack would only harm her!
Exalted Emperor's Diaochan's health plummeted.
Within seconds, it had dropped into execute range!
"You know what? Players who like Diaochan all have one problem in common."
Suddenly, Su Hang's voice rang out in team chat.
Zhong Kui and Sun Quan froze on the spot.
"They can't show off unless they're low on health!"
As Donghuang's control ended, he threw out a black orb.
Su Hang's hand speed surged. In an instant, he activated his ultimate, the lotus formation, retreated out of tower range with his second skill, and threw out a petal orb. He marked Lady Sun and Donghuang Taiyi while dodging the tower's lethal damage at the very last moment!
"The flowers are blooming!"
Su Hang's Diaochan cast her first skill's flower at Lady Sun and Donghuang behind her. The true-damage marks above them exploded with a bang, dropping the full-health Lady Sun to two-thirds health and Donghuang to half.
At the same time, Lady Sun and Donghuang slowed sharply. Diaochan was clearly at low health and right within reach, yet they couldn't so much as touch the hem of her clothes.
"Hold on! We're coming to get you right now!"
Sun Quan and Zhong Kui were overjoyed and hurriedly dove the tower. They had thought Exalted Emperor's Diaochan would die on the spot, but her perfectly timed second skill had actually dodged the fatal tower damage.
She jumped behind the enemy tower!
But to Sun Quan and Zhong Kui's utter surprise, Exalted Emperor's Diaochan turned back and launched a counterattack, using her second skill to jump back under the enemy tower and brush past the rolling Lady Sun and the floating Donghuang!
It wasn't just Sun Quan and Zhong Kui; the livestream viewers watched with pounding hearts too. Doing the exact opposite like that was practically dancing on the tip of a blade!
Su Hang's Diaochan successfully joined her two teammates who had dived the tower. Then, with her first skill off cooldown, she cast it behind her, once again placing true-damage marks on the pursuing Lady Sun and Donghuang.
Having reached Su Hang's Diaochan, Sun Quan and Zhong Kui turned and retreated out of tower range.
"Are you sure you don't want to hit them once and pick up an assist?"
Su Hang's question reached them.
Sun Quan and Zhong Kui were utterly baffled.
"They're alive and well, and they've still got half their health. How are we supposed to get an assist?"
Su Hang's Diaochan used a shortened second-skill jump to get out of tower range. Facing Lady Sun and Donghuang Taiyi under the tower, Su Hang said softly,
"Explode!"