***
Chapter 56: Reigniting the Sparks
The teams gathered near the dragon pit.
Same scenario, same positioning and tactics.
WAG adopted the same offensive approach—Blitzcrank charged forward at full speed, tightly guarding Zhang Mingying. If they could shut down the jungler like they did in the first game, victory in the dragon fight would be theirs.
But they overlooked one crucial detail.
Zhang Mingying was not A’Deng.
The moment Blitzcrank lunged, Zhang Mingying twisted away with inhuman reflexes, dodging the enemy’s hook.
Playing Lee Sin this round, he dashed forward with W, brushing past Blitzcrank, then landed a spinning R-Flash, instantly kicking the enemy AD back into his team.
Almost the instant he landed, Zhou Wen raised his Sword of Justice, using his ultimate to simultaneously stun WAG’s frontline and AD. The domestic commentators roared in excitement: “Beautiful!”
A beautiful initiation often requires a skilled aggressor.
Lin Jiang didn’t hesitate. He unleashed his ultimate, landing and instantly eliminating the enemy AD. Then, using his repositioning, he executed a reverse EQ combo, landing again to take out the enemy mid laner.
Double Kill!
Lin Jiang’s damage output was insane, his mechanics lightning-fast.
WAG’s double carries melted under his blades, while Blitzcrank stood helpless.
Blitzcrank was a great initiator, and it had indeed set up many brilliant fights. But when it came to the core purpose of a support, this meta demanded protective ones.
This desperate double kill exposed the Blitzcrank’s shortcomings. WAG wasn’t as invincible as they seemed, and their composition had glaring flaws.
The domestic audience erupted. The commentators on stage screamed their analysis. “river secures the double kill! sgod is still chasing! His farm is solid, his damage is insane! What’s the call here? Are they going for a team wipe?
WAG’s jungler fell, followed by their top laner. Only Blitzcrank remained, desperately trying to save his teammates with another hook only to miss again!
The audience had lost count of how many hooks Blitzcrank had missed in this fight. All they knew was that in the first game, it had performed like a god, forcing OT to prioritize banning it in the second game even at the cost of leaving Nocturne open.
Yet now, in the third game’s teamfight, this once-terrifying robot had contributed absolutely nothing!
Meanwhile, Zhou Wen’s Leona executed flawless initiations, follow-up CC, and protection.
Blitzcrank missed all three hooks, and its ultimate failed to land on the key target Lin Jiang, who practically trampled over it, slaughtering their carries right in its face. The robot was powerless!
Even its final desperate hook, aimed at saving their top laner, was effortlessly dodged by Shen Ju, leaving it utterly helpless.
OT’s entire team transformed into mechanical monsters, rendering the robot completely useless!
Watching this, the audience exploded. The domestic commentators couldn’t resist teasing: “At this point, the robot might as well go split-push. The whole teamfight hinge on its hooks, and it missed every single one.”
As the commentators’ voices faded, the slowed robot was finally cleaned up by Shen Ju, completing the ace. WAG was wiped out!
After being tormented by this robot for two straight games, the LPL fans finally vented their frustration in this glorious moment.
[This trash-tier champion belongs back in the gutter where it came from.]
[Daring to pick Blitzcrank in this damage-heavy meta, do they really think OT is a pushover? Do they really believe they won’t make mistakes?]
[They only picked it to counter A’Deng, right? Now that A’Deng’s been swapped out, their robot is useless.]
[Winning one game with it was already absurd, and they dare pick it again?]
[Good, good, I see hope for a comeback now!]
After wiping out WAG, OT’s morale soared higher and higher.
Zhang Mingying didn’t seem like a rookie at all. It was as if he knew the opposing team inside out.
The moment the enemy made a move, he could instantly predict their intentions. With this terrifying insight, he flanked from the side, repeatedly using R-Flash to kick back their key damage dealers.
In this damage-heavy meta, a single misstep from either carry meant instant elimination.
The moment they landed, Lin Jiang instantly killed them, while Shen Ju relentlessly pushed forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks straight to the high ground.
Wave after wave of offense finally revealed the gap between OT and WAG to the audience. OT’s carries were inhumanly steady. Unlike WAG’s mid and AD, who made two critical mistakes, OT’s duo remained flawless throughout.
Old Mao, watching the stream, remarked, “In this meta, if the carries make even one mistake, they’ll be stuck in an endless death loop. Having such stable carries like ours in OT is truly a blessing.”
They secured the third game cleanly. Although WAG still held match points for the next two games, the audience finally saw a glimmer of hope.
[Zhang Mingying’s playing really well.]
[He’s so good at finding opportunities. He doesn’t feel like a rookie at all.]
[It’s like he’s actually played against WAG before.]
[But they never had any training matches. How does Zhang Mingying know them so well?]
[I’ve always felt Zhang Mingying was kinda mysterious, like he’s hiding something.]
[Seriously, this is giving me chills.]
Many began noticing the oddity, and streamers across platforms speculated wildly, but none could pin it down. In the end, Old Mao dropped the bombshell:
“You guys really think Zhang Mingying was just warming the bench as a substitute? Lin Jiang let A’Deng play twice for a reason. He wanted Zhang Mingying to observe closely. That kid learns freakishly fast, like some kind of monster.”
So OT wasn’t just passively reacting, after all? They had their own strategies, their own offensive tactics?
So they were still the reigning demons, standing atop the summit, and their tactics were finally bearing fruit?
In that instant, OT’s image in the audience’s eyes rose to new heights. During this period without training matches, they had been stubbornly growing in their own way.
Perhaps fate hadn’t been kind to them. Perhaps the road ahead was thornier than they’d imagined.
But OT never lost their will to win.
And so, the spark in the hearts of countless esports fans has never gone out either.
Amidst the overwhelming barrage of curses, some viewers spontaneously spoke up for OT.
[OT isn’t slacking off! Haters, shut the hell up!]
[Did you lose too much on betting? Why are you always targeting OT?]
[They lack major tournament experience. What’s the point of piling pressure on them? Why didn’t you criticize TG like this before?]
[They haven’t even lost yet, so what are you spamming for? Go scrub your toilets instead.]
[OT is already struggling. Anyone who keeps flaming them here, don’t blame me for cursing your whole family.]
[Anyone who flames before the match is over will be treated as a foreigner!]
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strawberrypoptl: I’m baacccck! I was extremely busy this December that I really can’t find the time to upload chapters. I really want to finish uploading the main story this years so I will rush to edit the remaining 15-16 chapters. To compensate for the 3 weeks I failed to upload, Chapters 56-61 will be uploaded today. Starting tomorrow, two chapters will be uploaded daily. Hope you all have a great holiday!
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Thank you!!! Happy holidays to you too, @strawberrypoptl 💕