Chapter Twenty-Five: Disappointed Expectations

On the first page, Yuan Chong felt the heat of battle in his hands, having collected a few kills without looking back, and crouched in the bushes to wait. The opposing jungler came, using abilities to scout the area.

Yuan Chong remarked, "Oh, Zhao Yun is quite cautious." He dodged with a flash and retreated behind the minion wave. Zhao Yun pursued, but Zhen Ji's bouncing ball came again, and Zhao Yun was slowed by Yu Ji's skills; fortunately, his controls were good enough to escape at the last moment.

Yuan Chong said, "Zhao Yun is low on health; whoever finds him can take the kill."

Jing replied, "That would have to be me."

After a while, the system announced that Jing had killed Zhao Yun.

It was another favorable match. Yuan Chong hid in the bushes to recall and took a glance at the economy panel. Ah, the opposing tank, Cheng Yaojin, seemed to be developing quite well.

Zhang Shun noticed too and asked, "Is Cheng Yaojin a problem?"

Cheng Yaojin was a hero known for his self-healing, a real nuisance; just when you thought you could kill him, he would heal up and, if luck was against you, might even turn the tables.

Lin Hui remained silent.

Yuan Chong commented, "Xiahou Dun's damage isn't high; it's normal for Cheng Yaojin. Hui Hui, I'm coming!"

Only then did Lin Hui speak up, "It is a bit troublesome. Can you see if you can ambush him? At least apply some pressure; otherwise, I feel stifled."

Zhang Shun added, "I’ll push down the first tower quickly so I can switch lanes with you."

Lin Hui fell silent again.

Jing chimed in, "No problem, I’ll head over too. Three against one; I don’t believe he can survive."

Yuan Chong’s Zhen Ji circled around from their jungle, taking a wide path to avoid detection.

Support Zhang Fei saw this and laughed, "Zhen Ji, with your short legs, running slow and taking the long way?"

Yuan Chong replied, "I’m afraid of being seen; I want them to think I’m still farming."

Jing praised, "This is called hiding vision; what do you know, support!"

Zhang Fei retorted, "What’s wrong with being support? Am I not a person? You better treat me well, or I won’t use my ultimate during fights later."

Jing quickly reassured him, "Alright, alright, support is a person; I admit it."

Zhang Fei shot back, "You just rely on your skills and look down on me every time. But now, you might not be the most skilled in our team. Can you admit that?"

Yuan Chong remembered that when he was sneaking a peek at Zhang Shun and the others ranked, Lin Hui had said that jungler was quite strong; it must have been him.

Jing remained silent.

Zhang Fei continued, "The last match with Zhuge Liang, his performance was much better than yours, so since you didn’t pick Zhuge Liang this time and chose Jing instead, you were probably afraid of being outperformed, huh, haha!"

Jing retorted, "That was my performance in a losing match; find a winning match to compare. I’m not talking to you; you wouldn't understand!"

Yuan Chong laughed and added, "Right, right, the environment in losing and winning matches is different; it significantly affects Zhuge Liang."

Lin Hui interjected, "Zhuge Liang is not like Bai Li Shouyue; how big can the differences be in winning and losing? It mainly depends on the skill of the player; just accept it."

Zhang Fei was getting more into it: "Exactly! Zhuge Liang shines in losing situations; turning the tide is what makes him impressive."

Jing responded, "But that game was a win, you ungrateful person."

Zhang Shun said, "Alright, alright, you’re all impressive; can we deal with Cheng Yaojin?"

Yuan Chong crouched in the grass and observed, responding, "Hui Hui, don’t clear the lane yet; lure him in, leave the minions for my bouncing ball to assist, and Jing, you go in last."

Jing cheerfully acknowledged, "Got it."

Yuan Chong felt a bit embarrassed; how did he end up giving orders? He chuckled a couple of times to ease the awkwardness.

Xiahou Dun took a few steps back and forth near the tower, waiting for the minion wave to approach before stepping up to clear the lane, deliberately avoiding Cheng Yaojin.

Yuan Chong laughed, "Hui Hui is acting well; Cheng Yaojin is definitely falling for it."

Cheng Yaojin, who had been pressuring Xiahou Dun, saw that he was half health and, feeling bold, moved closer to the edge of the tower.

Only then did Xiahou Dun step forward, activating his second skill shield, followed by his first skill, trading blows with Cheng Yaojin.

Zhen Ji seized the opportunity to step forward, using her first skill to slow Cheng Yaojin, protecting her marksman, and then launched her bouncing ball.

The ball bounced back and forth between the minions and Cheng Yaojin twice, freezing him in place.

On the second page, Jing had long been hiding in the opposing bushes, and upon seeing the situation, decisively entered the fray and unleashed her ultimate, delivering enough burst damage to secure the kill on Cheng Yaojin.

Feeling quite arrogant, Jing called out to the opponents, "I’ve taken Cheng Yaojin's head; let’s see you act so wildly now!"

Cheng Yaojin retorted, "If you have guts, let’s duel; what’s a three-on-one?"

Jing responded, "A duel it is, just wait for your respawn."

Zhang Shun cautioned, "We’re in a great position; don’t throw it away!"

Jing assured him, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

Yuan Chong returned to the farming lane, continuing to lurk in the bushes.

Zhang Fei remarked, "This Zhen Ji is interesting; she hasn’t stayed mid since level four, constantly in the farming lane while the fighting lane is an errand."

Yuan Chong chuckled; indeed, she had been playing Zhen Ji as a support this match.

Jing noted, "Zhen Ji excels in team control; her burst damage may not be enough to secure kills, but the strategy isn't wrong."

Lin Hui stated, "Clearly, she has a better grasp of support strategy than you; how about you take a mage next game and let her take support?"

Zhang Fei shouted, "Ah, someone actually wants to compete for support with me?"

Yuan Chong thought about it; since they often played together and had established roles, it would be inappropriate for him to take support, so he quickly said, "No need, you can choose freely."

But Zhang Fei insisted, "No, I haven’t played support in ages; I’ve always been looked down upon, but I’ve been dreaming of this. I didn’t expect to see my dream come true today."

Lin Hui said, "Alright, let’s agree; next game you take a mage, and let Zhong Zhong play support."

Zhang Fei, overexcited, shouted a loud cheer, but it was poorly timed; feeling embarrassed, he ran a couple of laps and could only hit a few roadside minions out of frustration.

Zhang Fei apologized, "Sorry, sorry, I got a little too excited; I never thought I could change roles from a lifelong support."

Everyone laughed.

Yuan Chong began to look forward to the next match.

In the mid-game, Xiahou Dun began to join team fights, allowing Cheng Yaojin to take advantage and push down the second tower in the fighting lane.

Cheng Yaojin, feeling quite cocky, shouted, "Come on, come on; no one is stopping me, I’ll push into the high ground and destroy the crystal!"

Jing replied, "He’s looking for death; let’s help him along."

Cheng Yaojin entered the jungle and began to farm.

Jing returned to attack, and Yuan Chong followed Zhang Shun’s marksman and support into the jungle.

Cheng Yaojin was busy attacking the blue buff when Jing blinked in and unleashed her ultimate, only to find the opposing jungler, Zhao Yun, lurking in the bushes, who struck first and claimed Jing's life.

Jing exclaimed, "…What happened to the one-on-one?"

Cheng Yaojin laughed, "Who said I couldn't call for help, huh, haha!"

Yuan Chong and the others arrived, with Zhang Fei charging ahead, Yu Ji following for damage, and Zhen Ji positioned at the back.

Zhao Yun dodged Yu Ji while Cheng Yaojin jumped over, healing while searching for Yu Ji. Zhen Ji first cast her skill to slow Cheng Yaojin and protect her marksman before launching the bouncing ball.

However, Zhao Yun chose not to attack the marksman but jumped over to attack Zhen Ji. Yuan Chong remained calm, unleashing his ultimate to push Zhao Yun away, with a lingering freeze effect.

Jing sighed, "Now is the best time for me to join in; ah, I was careless."

Yu Ji secured the kill on Zhao Yun, and then the three of them took down Cheng Yaojin together.

Zhang Shun remarked, "I told you not to be reckless."

Jing countered, "He insulted me to my face; do I have no pride?"

Zhang Fei laughed, "So you do realize."

Feeling disgruntled, Jing mumbled a few complaints, fell silent, and after a while, went looking for Cheng Yaojin again.

Zhang Fei said, "Hey, I told you not to be reckless; why are you going to find death alone again?"

Yuan Chong helped explain, "Cheng Yaojin is pushing a lane; someone needs to keep him in check, and Jing is trying to restrain him."

Jing remarked, "Listen, a skilled player is a skilled player; they can read the situation. Players like us can’t communicate with you."

On the third page, Lin Hui said, "I’ll go restrain him."

Yuan Chong replied, "Xiahou Dun is better off with the team."

Zhang Shun suggested, "We’re almost there; let’s gather at the dragon pit and wipe them out. Cheng Yaojin can’t do anything alone."

Yuan Chong agreed, "Alright, let’s cut off their resources."

Fighting the dragon was just a pretense; they truly aimed to ambush the opponents. In one team fight, Zhang Fei finally unleashed a great ultimate, wiping out four enemies. Cheng Yaojin rushed back to base in a hurry.

Jing called out, "Zhen Ji, let's block him for a moment; I must kill him."

Zhang Shun warned, "It’s too late; hit the crystal!"

The opposing crystal exploded, and Yuan Chong's team emerged victorious.

"Ah, what a pity; I was just toyed with by Cheng Yaojin," Jing lamented.

Zhang Fei, unable to wait, exclaimed, "Hurry, hurry, let's start again; I want to play a mage!"

Yuan Chong felt quite pleased inside but remained silent, curious to see if Zhang Shun would say something.

At that moment, Jing spoke, "How about I play marksman this time? Skilled players match skilled players; we’ll dominate this casual match."

Yuan Chong was reluctant but didn’t voice it, hoping Zhang Shun would refuse.

However, Zhang Shun agreed, "Sure, I’ll jungle; I can use Dian Wei."

Jing said, "Then I'll use a long-range hero, like Guo Jia. If he’s banned, I’ll pick Sun Shangxiang."

Lin Hui noticed Yuan Chong’s silence and the disappointment on his face, so she said, "Zhang Shun jungling isn’t reliable; it’s safer to use a marksman."

But Jing laughed, "Hey, Shun Zi, they say you’re not good enough."

Zhang Fei also laughed, "Then you must play jungle this time; you need to prove yourself."

Zhang Shun replied, "Then I’ll go with Dian Wei."

Lin Hui sighed and turned to look at Yuan Chong, her face filled with helplessness; she truly hadn’t meant it.

Yuan Chong waved his hand, covering his microphone, and said to Lin Hui, "It’s fine; there’s always the next game."

Lin Hui also covered her microphone and whispered, "Him jungling is really... not good; if we lose later, he’ll naturally switch back." She regretted saying "not good" earlier and decided it was best to keep quiet.

In the pick phase, marksman Guo Jia always seemed destined for the ban list, so the home team’s marksman picked Sun Shangxiang; seeing that the opposing team had Wang Zhaojun, Yuan Chong chose support Zhuang Zhou; the mid-lane mage went with Gao Jianli; Lin Hui selected Cheng Yaojin; and Zhang Shun stuck to the plan, picking Dian Wei.

Marksman Sun Shangxiang said, "Look at the mage you picked."

Gao Jianli replied, "What’s wrong? This hero is pretty good right now."

Sun Shangxiang retorted, "He’s good, especially for you."

Gao Jianli asked, "What do you mean?"

Yuan Chong chuckled.

Gao Jianli grew anxious, asking, "What’s going on?"

Yuan Chong said, "Don’t rush; you’ll find out soon."

Sun Shangxiang laughed, sensing mischief.

Gao Jianli asked Zhang Shun, "Shun Zi, what are those two laughing about?"

Zhang Shun answered, "I don’t know."

Gao Jianli then asked Lin Hui, who also said she didn’t know.

Gao Jianli became impatient, saying, "Lin Hui, you’re not being fair! You’ve been classmates for so long; Yuan Chong is right next to you; how could you not know?"

Lin Hui had no choice but to respond, "You’ll know soon enough."

Gao Jianli exclaimed, "Wah, you’re all not good people!"