TCWSITD – Chapter 63

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Chapter 63 – The Trap Set By HIT

Nothing terrifies players more than direct comparisons.

No matter how impressive HIT’s previous achievements were, no matter how perfectly rounded their five players’ stats appeared, when facing OT, not a single one of them could truly step up.

Even their strongest mid laner failed to demonstrate dominance against Lin Jiang. The slightest mistake would cost them the entire game.

An eerie atmosphere enveloped HIT. After careful discussion, they still believed OT was merely gambling, betting everything on the first three games. If it went to a fourth game, victory would undoubtedly belong to HIT.

The third game officially began.

Unlike the confidence of LPL fans, Li Qian was secretly uneasy. They had revealed all their strategies in the first two picks, while HIT was still holding back. Their ultimate trump cards remained unused.

The next three games would be HIT’s true counterattack.

With OT at match point, morale was soaring. Everyone believed OT would likely take the championship. Surely they could win at least one of the remaining three games, right?

Under the crowd’s eager gaze, HIT finally unveiled their ultimate strategy: the full-map composition.

Mid and top both had Teleport, coupled with their ultimates for cross-map plays, plus the jungler’s Nocturne. No matter where a team fight broke out, they could instantly assemble all five members!

This composition heavily relied on individual player skill, and HIT’s roster consisted of perfectly rounded warriors. They were extremely familiar with this playstyle and executed it flawlessly, quickly seizing control of the tempo.

Lin Jiang poured all his strength into breaking through, but each attempt ended in failure.

It felt like an insurmountable mountain stood before him. It was an impenetrable fortress. Nothing in this world could breach their defenses.

If this match were a battle, OT was the force laying siege to the city, while HIT was the fortified stronghold with both offense and defense. OT faced inherent disadvantages against them.

Unable to crack their formation, the team’s hopes rested entirely on Shen Ju. His expression was cold and focused as he last-hit minions, fingers dancing across the keyboard, relentlessly farming to accelerate his scaling.

But it was too slow. No matter how fast Shen Ju’s mechanics were, in HIT’s eyes, it was still far from enough.

They were like towering giants, looking down upon them with disdain, requiring them to exert all their strength just to withstand a single slap.

Netizens finally witnessed the terror of HIT. A combination of five all-round warriors could be this horrifying!

Even OT, hailed as the sharpest in history, couldn’t breach their offense and defense.

After all, Lin Jiang and Shen Ju’s hand speed ranked among the top five in the world. If even they couldn’t break through, who could?

In the lounge, the big screen showed Lin Jiang’s forehead drenched in sweat. He had no time to wipe it away, pouring all his focus into the match. The excessive strain caused his wrist to bear too much pressure, resulting in a slight deviation of his mouse.

Although this deviation wasn’t fatal in itself, in the eyes of professional players at the same level, it could be devastating.

Li Qian frowned, while Fang Luxing beside him remained unaware of the severity. “This round is tough, but there’s still a chance.”

There was no chance left.

The team fight erupted in an instant, with HIT striking first.

Lin Jiang’s mouse deviated slightly again. Just this tiny misstep led to disaster. HIT’s AD flashed to safety and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. Song Zhixu fell at their feet the moment he entered the fray.

The scales of victory instantly tipped toward HIT. Lin Jiang couldn’t escape either, falling to the enemy mid laner. Shen Ju activated his ultimate, dealing continuous damage, but his growth was slightly lacking. All three opponents were left with slivers of health, yet none fell! Was this the terror of an all-round tactical approach?

The hearts of netizens instantly sank.

Then Zhou Wen fell, followed by Shen Ju. Only Zhang Mingying remained, but even retreating to base couldn’t save their towers. With all three lanes of high ground destroyed, there was no turning back.

Although Lin Jiang revived, his 0-2 score and Shen Ju’s 1-3 made a miracle seem impossible. The spark they had ignited was extinguished along with them.

Although online comments reassured each other that losing this game was fine and there are still two more match points, some had already sensed unease. OT’s entire lineup had been countered by HIT, while OT had no effective strategy against HIT’s ultimate-focused playstyle.

As the match dragged into the fourth game, Lin Jiang’s expression visibly changed. Struggling to support his weakened body, he stood up, grabbed Shen Ju’s hand, and led him into the hallway. “Can your hand still hold up?”

Shen Ju’s condition was better than he expected. He nodded, his gaze burning with determination. “I took painkillers. I can handle two more rounds. If you’re too tired, leave the match to me.”

Enduring three rounds had drained Lin Jiang too much. Exhausted, he rested his forehead against Shen Ju’s shoulder, suddenly at a loss for words.

He had failed to keep his promise to Shen Ju. He hadn’t lasted all three games.

What followed might be a reverse sweep, a recurrence of his hand injury, or an ugly loss. The ensuing pressure from public opinion could push Shen Ju to the brink of retirement.

For a fleeting moment, Lin Jiang even felt the championship didn’t matter anymore. Rebirth didn’t matter either. If his fate meant climbing over Shen Ju’s back, he’d rather not have it.

“If you can hold on for two more rounds, so can I. If we’re going down, let’s go down together. After this match, let’s take half a year off. I’ll take you wherever you want to go, eat whatever you want to eat…”

No matter the outcome, he would do his utmost to help Shen Ju handle the pressure of public opinion and stay by his side for a lifetime.

Shen Ju’s eyes instantly lit up. He quickly grabbed Lin Jiang’s hand. “It’s a promise!”

His hand didn’t look injured at all.

Lin Jiang was a little confused. How could he still be so energetic after playing three games? Was the painkiller really that effective?

Duren had brought a team doctor with them, who immediately gave Lin Jiang a brief relief treatment.

Meanwhile, Li Qian took the opportunity to discuss his thoughts with them: “The full-map strategy isn’t invincible. In fact, this tactic has been absent from the world stage for three years. What we see now are mostly refined versions, but HIT’s five players are too well-rounded, which elevates this strategy to a terrifying level.”

Song Zhixu only wanted to know one thing. “Can we counter it?’

Li Qian answered firmly, “Yes. Their strategy revolves around Twisted Fate. Banning him will slightly weaken their mid lane engage potential. That will force them to pick Galio. They’ll have no choice. It’ll improve the survival rate of our bot lane, but that’s still not enough. The bot lane also needs to prevent dives and hard engages from the enemy.”

None of the champions Shen Ju excelled at could effectively counter this. Xayah could, but she’d likely be banned, leaving only one option…

“Kalista.”

The Spear of Vengeance, Kalista.

This was a champion Shen Ju had been practicing in secret. Due to its unique jump-auto mechanic, it placed an extreme burden on his hands. Lin Jiang had often forbidden him from training with it.

Now, asking him to pull it out in a match, lack of practice was the least of their worries. If his hand injury flared up, it would be a real disaster.

Just as Lin Jiang was about to speak, Shen Ju cut in first: “I can pick her.”

He glanced at Lin Jiang, a little guilty. “… I’ve been practicing in secret.”

Lin Jiang: “…”

Who the hell else would get a hand injury if not you?

He took a deep breath. “If Shen Ju’s injury worsens, it’ll be even more troublesome. I still recommend giving him a safer pick.”

Li Qian hesitated, but Shen Ju immediately rolled up his sleeve to show them his hand. “Really, it’s fine. Trust me. I’ve taken painkillers. I know my own condition best.”

His hand was steady. No issues at all.

A nerve in Lin Jiang’s head twitched, and he began to doubt himself. Were painkillers really this effective? Had he been taking fake ones all this time?

Picking Kalista was only the first step.

“With Kalista and Alistar in the bot lane, the enemy won’t be able to break through your defense. They’ll shift their focus to mid and top. Lin Jiang, you’re the most at risk. The mistakes from the last game can’t happen again.”

Lin Jiang nodded. As a seasoned veteran, he knew where to focus his energy. His laning phase wouldn’t be a problem. In the last game, he’d been too eager to take down the enemy and ended up falling into a self-proving trap, giving HIT the opening they needed.

He knew very well that he wasn’t a god, just an ordinary person. The mind was the key to victory.

“I’Il conserve my energy for the next game and save it for team fights.”

Li Qian trusted Lin Jiang completely and didn’t doubt his words.

Both the mid and bot lanes were doing fine, and the top lane had the ultimate pressure absorber. The key to this game lay with Zhang Mingying.

Li Qian looked at him with a grave expression. “Have you noticed that you can’t do anything against HIT?”

Zhang Mingying nodded. He had actually realized it long ago. His proud sharpness and catching ability weren’t very effective against HIT. Instead, HIT’s all-around individual skills controlled the pace of the game.

“In the first game, you and Lin Jiang did use your powerful calculation abilities to control them, but they quickly caught on and started dismantling your tactics. The effectiveness of calculations became minimal.”

“In the second game, HIT was still testing you. They used the prototype of their ultimate lineup, and you started struggling. And you, Zhang Mingying, from the second game onward, you were the one being calculated by them, disappearing in the jungle.”

Zhang Mingying’s pupils dilated slightly. He had indeed felt that strange sensation throughout, as if he couldn’t exert his strength no matter where he went, always failing to do what he intended.

“Lin Jiang is an experienced player. He won’t fall into the traps HIT sets, but this is your first time facing such opponents, so you’ve already unknowingly fallen into their trap.”

They used Zhang Mingying’s own methods against him, turning him invisible and marginalized.

By the third game, it was fully accomplished.

Zhang Mingying had successfully vanished in the jungle.

His pupils trembled slightly.

For the first time, he realized how insignificant he was in a true battle between masters.

As the match replay continued, netizens also began to notice something was off.

[Why does it feel like Zhang Mingying isn’t doing anything?]

[The second game was okay, but the third was truly unbearable. Zero impact the whole time.]

[How can someone get worse as they play?]

[Wasn’t Zhang Mingying supposed to be HIT’s nemesis?]

[No way, figured out after just two games?]

OT had won the first two games too easily, making many forget that HIT was a crafty old fox that had fought its way out among the top teams. A squad with all-rounded tactics, a team that had made it to the finals.

Would they really lose so quickly?

Author’s Note:

A clean sweep against HIT is impossible.

During the quarterfinals, YIG’s Emperor F kept pulling off miracles, dragging it to the fifth game, but victory still belonged to HIT. And they didn’t even use any of their trump cards. This shows how unfathomable the strength of their five players is. Right now, OT is more like groping in the dark, not knowing when they’ll step on a mine.

But it’s okay. The puppy will take action.

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