She scratched her head in irritation.
Keep playing ranked!
Jiang Jinran entered the matchup screen, and finally-
When she saw the huge Fatal ID on the opposing side, excitement stirred in her for the first time in a while.
Jiang Qiche, you punk, I finally caught you!
Meanwhile, news that Fatal and Sha Yu had met again in ranked instantly spread to every corner of the game server.
Even many players who were offline logged in specifically to watch the two face off.
Naturally, the Legend Forum was flooded with posts about them.
[Sha Yu and Fatal have met again. Who still remembers that bet?]
[Um, was that post actually made by Sha Yu herself?]
[I think it probably was. The account was registered at the same time as Sha Yu's first ranked match, and he didn't talk big either. He said his piece and left.]
[A great battle is about to erupt.]
[Is there even any point betting on this? Sha Yu's definitely going to lose.]
[Sha Yu, don't gamble away even your underwear. Don't you know how much you weigh? You actually went and challenged Fatal to a bet?]
[Fatal is such a nice guy, actually agreeing to an unreasonable demand from someone he already beat.]
[You're all cursing here, but you'll rush to watch faster than anyone. If you've got the guts, don't watch the stream.]
[I'm watching, I'm watching! I'm going to watch Sha Yu get thrashed and humiliated. Nyah, nyah, nyah!]
Before the match officially began, Jiang Jinran quickly typed in all chat-
[Fatal, remember the bet we agreed on last time?]
Fatal didn't reply.
The other teammates and opponents flooded the chat first.
[Shit, that bet was real?]
[I thought someone was impersonating you and spreading nonsense on the forum.]
[You're putting us under quite a bit of pressure here.]
[No way, you two are serious?]
[What happens if we lose? You two gods aren't going to take it out on us small fry, are you?]
[We all got randomly matched here. If I make either of you lose, I'm not taking responsibility.]
Jiang Jinran said nothing more in all chat, while Fatal went a long time without replying.
Only when the game was about to officially begin did Fatal finally show up, typing a "yeah" in all chat.
Immediately afterward, the game began, and everyone entered.
Jiang Jinran had been holding a fierce determination inside her all day.
She had a reason she absolutely had to win this ranked match.
It wasn't just to avenge her crushing defeat in the previous match, but also to win the bet and make Jiang Qiche comply with her request.
But this was a team game, after all.
Relying on her alone would never work. Last time, for example, Jiang Qiche had targeted her relentlessly. With her unable to carry, they had naturally lost the game...
This time, she would unite all five players.
At that thought, Jiang Jinran immediately spoke in all chat-
[As you all know, this ranked match is very important to me.]
[I won't ask too much of you. Just follow my calls and do what I say.]
[If I get targeted, please give me some protection.]
Her teammates were all very nice and said okay.
Jiang Jinran arrived in mid lane, just as Jiang Qiche arrived on the opposite side.
She was already prepared. If this guy was going to target her today like he had last time-
But strangely, Jiang Qiche didn't immediately call his teammates over to surround and hunt her down like last time. Instead, he stayed steadily across from her and laned against her.
What was this guy up to...?
As she was thinking, Jiang Qiche suddenly advanced and unleashed a barrage of skills at her!
Fortunately, Jiang Jinran was still reasonably focused, and a flurry of inputs let her narrowly dodge those skills...
By now, the spectator stream's popularity had gone through the roof.
Some had come to study their mechanics, some to enjoy Sha Yu and Fatal's "fated showdown," and some to see who would win the bet.
[6666666]
[Now this is a real clash between experts.]
[Great movement from Sha Yu! She actually dodged every skill.]
[Sha Yu's reactions are really fast. She must be pretty young, right? I'm older, so I can't react that quickly anymore. I envy young people's speed.]
[Looks like we've got a fight this time, unlike that one-sided match last time.]
Jiang Jinran let out a long breath.
That had been close. If she hadn't dodged those skills just now, Jiang Qiche would definitely have solo-killed her and taken first blood.
That would have been mortifying.
However, Jiang Qiche across from her clearly had no intention of letting her off just like that!
His attacks were fierce yet steady, every move lethal-
Jiang Jinran could see it now. Jiang Qiche had changed tactics today. He wanted to pit his mechanics against hers, brutally solo-kill her, and humiliate her!
Jiang Jinran gritted her teeth, anger rising inside her.
Naturally, she wouldn't let Jiang Qiche have his way.
At that moment, Jiang Qiche charged forward as though he didn't care whether he lived, frantically trading damage with her. Jiang Jinran fought hard to strike back-
Both their health bars dropped rapidly until they were critically low.
At this point, no skills were even needed. A single basic attack would be enough to kill either of them.
Jiang Jinran's nerves were stretched taut.
She had very little health left and no healing potions on her. One wrong step could give away first blood.
Fortunately, Jiang Qiche across from her was in the same situation.
They were in the same predicament. That much, at least, was fair.
Just then-
Jiang Qiche suddenly made a strange movement, his attack shooting toward Jiang Jinran like a sharp sword...
It came from a tricky angle, one that guaranteed a hit. Jiang Jinran knew-
She was certain to die.
But she couldn't die for nothing.
At the last moment, Jiang Jinran loosed a surprise arrow, unleashing a crowd-control skill that dragged the equally low-health Jiang Qiche beneath her turret.
Her team's turret would attack opposing enemies unconditionally.
Jiang Qiche's attack finally landed on Jiang Jinran, but at the same time, the turret's damage landed on Jiang Qiche.
Both of them died.
A one-for-one trade!
At that moment, the spectator stream's bullet comments exploded.
[666666666]
[So freaking cool!]
[That was a feast for the eyes. Could these two possibly show off their mechanics any harder?]
[That was so satisfying to watch. It's been ages since I saw such an exciting match.]
[Everyone who said Sha Yu was bad, get out here and apologize! I told you he had the skills. He just got targeted with a four-man gank last time, and all you know how to do is flame.]
[This is Sha Yu's real strength. Only armchair gamers watch one match and start flaming.]
[The match has only just started, and Sha Yu fanboys already can't wait? Can you wait until the match ends before hyping her up? Are you not going to live that long?]
[Poor Fatal. He's going to get pestered by brainless Sha Yu fans again.]
[Once the match ends, Sha Yu fans definitely won't have anything to brag about. They can only hurry and do it now.]
[What exactly makes Fatal fans so noble? Fatal's the skilled one, and you fans somehow feel superior?]
[Sha Yu is more badass than I imagined, and Fatal is really cool and skilled too. They're both great. Can you all stop arguing?]
[They're clearly both insanely good, and you can still fight over this? Can the moderators mute these fans who are making the place a cesspool?]