Chapter 105: The Return of the Jungle Carry

Just as Ye Shaoyang took off his headset, he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by Chi Shuo. He froze for a moment before hearing Chi Shuo’s low voice in his ear: “Shaoyang, thank you.”

A thousand words were condensed into a simple “thank you.”

Thank you for coming to my side.
Thank you for joining Tianhuan.
It was you who let me regain my confidence in playing a carry jungler and gave Tianhuan the hope and courage to return to the championship throne.

Hearing Chi Shuo’s gratitude, Ye Shaoyang’s heart softened slightly. He knew exactly what Chi Shuo was thanking him for, and he was well aware of the pressure Chi Shuo carried. Having been a captain himself in his past life, whenever Team GD lost a match, he was always the one scolded the most. Comments like “His form is slipping; he should retire,” “He’s going downhill,” and “Cancer of the team” were constant.

The words used by anti-fans were incredibly harsh. At first, Ye Shaoyang felt hurt seeing them, but after being scolded enough, he learned to automatically ignore them.

He had watched all of Tianhuan’s matches from Season 9, as well as Chi Shuo’s performance during Tianhuan’s most glorious era in Season 6. He believed that Chi Shuo wasn’t suffering from a decline in skill; rather, Chi Shuo had always been a sharp assassin with distinct ideas and strong macro sense—he had simply been suppressed too severely to display his true strength.

Although Tianhuan lost that match against Beimu last season, Chi Shuo had held on until his last breath, defending the base until the final second, ultimately dying right in front of the crystal. It was in that moment that Ye Shaoyang decided to team up with Chi Shuo—he wanted to help alleviate this captain’s burden, helping him shine on the field once again. In turn, he could borrow Chi Shuo’s strength to realize his own championship dream.

Actually, there was no need for thanks.
Because they were teammates who supported and completed each other.

Ye Shaoyang gently patted Chi Shuo on the shoulder and smiled. “No need to be polite. You’ve played the ‘tool’ for me so many times—giving me blue buffs, helping me get MVP. Isn’t it only right that I protect you for once?”

Chi Shuo let go of him, his gaze upon Ye Shaoyang warm and gentle. “You’re right. We are teammates; we should trust each other.”

Beside them, Cheng Xing whipped off his headset and ran over, shouting excitedly, “Brother Yang is awesome!”

Seeing Chi Shuo and Ye Shaoyang talking, he quickly followed up with, “Master is awesome!”

The two of them: “…”

Cheng Xing was truly their number one die-hard fan.
After every match, he had to shout about how awesome his Brother Yang was.

Ye Shaoyang smiled at Cheng Xing. “In that last team fight, the enemy Top Laner and Jungler both dove to cut you off. It was impressive that you managed to survive.”

Chi Shuo agreed, “Mn. Winning this game wasn’t entirely our credit; everyone coordinated very well.”

If Cheng Xing had died instantly, even if Chi Shuo managed to turn the tide and kill three enemies in the final fight, they wouldn’t have been able to push the high ground quickly. Without a Marksman, tower pushing would be too slow.

Hearing rare praise from his master, Cheng Xing was overjoyed. He turned around and hugged Qu Jiang and Qin Yizhu.

The MVP for the third game was, unsurprisingly, given to Chi Shuo.
Solo-killing the Mid-laner, ambushing the Jungler, instantly killing the Marksman, and a triple kill in the final fight to end the game. It could be said that Chi Shuo drove the rhythm of the entire match—this was a true Jungle Carry!

“The MVP of this match is Tianhuan Shuoyue! Let’s hand the time over to the interview booth.”

At the venue, Chi Shuo’s fans teared up as they saw him appear in the interview room.
It had been a long time since they saw Captain Chi win an MVP on a carry jungler. But today, in this match, the sharp youth they loved from Season 6—now a much more mature captain—had returned!

As Chi Shuo appeared at the interview desk, the reporter was also excited. “Congratulations to Tianhuan for taking the match 2:1! Welcome, Captain Chi, to the interview!”

Chi Shuo nodded politely at the reporter.

The reporter asked, “Tianhuan has played a Mid-Core strategy all season. Today was the first time you brought out a Jungle Carry lineup. Is there anything you’d like to say to everyone, Captain Chi?”

Chi Shuo took the microphone and spoke calmly, “Our lineup adjusts based on our opponents at any time. We’ve been practicing the Jungle Carry system privately as well. Actually, bringing out the Jungle Carry this game was Shaoyang’s suggestion. He said he would be my shield. In that last team fight, if he hadn’t sacrificed himself, I wouldn’t have been able to secure that triple kill so smoothly.”

The reporter was surprised. “It was actually Lieyang’s suggestion? It seems Lieyang trusts you very much!”

The corners of Chi Shuo’s lips lifted slightly. “Yes. We duo-queue often, and he understands me well. Giving me his final shield before dying… he trusted that I would definitely be able to turn the tide.”

The reporter nodded earnestly. “Trust between teammates is indeed vital. Sometimes, sacrificing one person in exchange for a triple kill is absolutely worth it! I have one more question for Captain Chi: Do you think Tianhuan can make the playoffs this season? What is your goal?”

Chi Shuo looked into the camera and said calmly, “Tianhuan’s goal is, of course, the championship.”

Reporter: “Tianhuan won the domestic championship in Season 6, but failed to medal in S7 through S9. Do you feel Tianhuan truly has the strength to reclaim the champion’s seat this season?”

Chi Shuo: “Of course.”

Thunderous applause erupted at the venue.

In the #SunAndMoonShineTogether super-topic (fan forum), the CP fans were going crazy.

[It was actually Yangyang who suggested being Yueyue’s shield! God-tier romance, I’m shipping this so hard!]

[Before, Shuoyue acted as a bodyguard for Lieyang. Today, Lieyang actively stood behind Shuoyue to protect him, letting Shuoyue show off his Jungle Carry style. Sun and Moon Shine Together—they match so well, boo hoo hoo!]

[I’ve been a die-hard fan of Captain Chi for 4 years. I’m so happy Yangyang came to his side. I feel like Captain Chi’s entire state of mind has improved this season, and he’s more confident. I can’t wait to see them stand on the championship podium together!]

[Right after the match ended, the first thing Captain Chi did was turn around and hug Yangyang. It’s so sweet it’s killing me, sisters!]

 [If this couple doesn’t get married, it’s going to be really hard to explain~]

CP fans watched the live stream while happily feeding themselves sugar within their own community.

However, Chi Shuo’s post-match interview evoked complicated feelings among pro players from other teams watching at the same time.

Especially Zhao Xin’an. Resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall, he grumbled, “I really don’t understand. Qu Jiang and Chi Shuo played together for three years and never had this kind of synergy. Xiao Bai has only known Chi Shuo for a few days—how can they be this in sync? Is it logical? Is it scientific?!”

Zhao Xinping said coldly, “It’s not logical. And you discovering Xiao Bai and sending his video to the group chat was even less logical.”

Zhao Xin’an: “…”

That hit where it hurt. From now on, every time they played a match, it would feel like a knife to his heart.

The Beimu coach said helplessly, “I’ve realized that after Lieyang joined Tianhuan in Season 10, because he draws so much aggro, the pressure point on Chi Shuo has actually been completely released. In today’s three games, the BP (Ban/Pick) priority was never the jungler. Chi Shuo’s carry heroes were all left open. If he can pick carry junglers freely in the future, that’s going to be a bit terrifying.”

Zhao Xinping added, “Yes. Judging by current matches, both Tianhuan’s Mid and Jungle have the ability to carry the rhythm. They have many strategies now: Utility Jungle + Mid Core, Protective Mid + Jungle Carry, stalling for macro play, or fast-paced Mid-Jungle synergy. Their tactics have become much richer.”

No one expected that the addition of a single player would completely change the landscape of a team.
Tianhuan’s tactical depth this season was indeed unfathomable.

Today against Yueying, they brought out one of Chi Shuo’s signature heroes, the [Stealth Rogue]. Who knew what other heroes might reappear on the stage in the future?

The Beimu coach analyzed, “Their Mid-Jungle hero pool is too deep; it’s hard to target ban. Yueying tried desperately to target the Top lane this game, but the effect wasn’t great. They won the second game by lane-swapping, but in the third game, their Marksman was blown up by Tianhuan.”

Zhao Xinping suddenly said, “We can go without a Marksman.”

The coach looked at her. She analyzed with a cool expression, “The strength of Tianhuan’s Mid-Jungle core system lies in quickly killing the enemy’s key Carry (C-position) to establish an advantage. Marksmen are very squishy and easy to kill. But if we pick mobile Warriors for both side lanes, and a Mage with strong escape capabilities for Mid, they won’t have a target to pick off.”

The Beimu coach stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Xinping’s idea is actually quite good. If we pick Warriors for both sides, the overall lineup will be tankier. The downside is that tower pushing will be slower, and pushing the high ground might get stalled. Hmm… the coaching staff will research this. In the future against Tianhuan, perhaps we can run a Double Warrior + Mobile Mid lineup—a composition with no weak points across the three lanes.”

**

Meanwhile, in the backstage viewing area.

Fang Zhengqing yawned. “They finally finished. It’s already 9:30.”

Originally, today’s matches were Tianhuan vs. Yueying at 7:00 PM, and Jingzhe vs. Yaoguang at 9:00 PM.
However, two of the three games between Tianhuan and Yueying turned into “bladder matches,” dragging on for over 35 minutes. Added to the pre-match BP, post-match ads, commentary, and interviews, they had gone overtime.
It was now 9:30, and the second match hadn’t even started.

Fang Zhengqing stood up and stretched. “Let’s go. It’s our turn.”

Xie Yuan followed him, whispering, “Just now, Chi Shuo said he was confident about winning the championship. Don’t you have any thoughts on that?”

Fang Zhengqing raised an eyebrow. “Everyone says that during interviews. I’m also confident about winning the championship.”

Xie Yuan: “…Alright then. You two are certainly in sync on that point!”

Fang Zhengqing and his teammates walked toward the main stage.
Chi Shuo was just returning from the interview. The two crossed paths in the corridor. Chi Shuo glanced at Fang Zhengqing, and Fang Zhengqing adjusted his glasses, saying, “Nice game. Your Jungle Carry style is finally back.”

As a friend, he was happy for Chi Shuo. The carry playstyle that had been suppressed for three whole seasons had finally returned to the arena, and Chi Shuo was as sharp and dazzling as he had been in Season 6.
No longer would anti-fans tell him to retire due to declining form.

However, as an opponent, the return of Chi Shuo’s carry jungle was not good news.

Fang Zhengqing immediately added, “Don’t get smug. Your jungle creeps are just there to deliver buffs to me. Remember how you didn’t want to give me the Blue Buff when we teamed up? Wait until the match; once I collect your head, the Blue is mine.”

Chi Shuo said indifferently, “You’re still dreaming, aren’t you?”

The surrounding team members: “…”
Everyone was used to the bickering between these two captains.

Xie Yuan coughed lightly to interrupt them. “Captain Fang, it’s time to enter.”

As Chi Shuo passed by Fang Zhengqing, he gently patted his shoulder and whispered, “We’re staying to watch the match. Play well.”

Fang Zhengqing nodded once, leading his team onto the main stage.

Chi Shuo returned backstage.
Ye Shaoyang and the teammates were waiting for him. The corners of Chi Shuo’s mouth lifted slightly as he walked quickly to Ye Shaoyang. “Let’s go to the backstage lounge.”

Ye Shaoyang followed him to the lounge, where everyone sat down to watch the match.
The match between Jingzhe and Yaoguang was a Group S group stage match; it had no impact on Tianhuan’s standings. Ye Shaoyang wanted to stay and watch simply to understand their opponents in advance.

In the first game, Jingzhe brought out a Double Carry system. Fang Zhengqing took the [Kraken of the North Sea], a mage with high burst damage, while Xie Yuan took his specialty marksman, [Poison Warlock]. Although the full poison team comp was broken up, playing [Poison Warlock] in the marksman position provided terrifying stack damage and poke. Within six minutes, they had beaten the opposing Yaoguang marksman into retreating to base.

Ye Shaoyang commented, “Yaoguang’s ‘Yu’mao’ actually has decent skill. His positioning looks quite agile, and his playstyle is aggressive.”

Chi Shuo said, “Mn. But facing a top-tier league marksman, there’s still a gap.”

Ye Shaoyang nodded. “Lack of tournament experience, and not careful enough. I estimate he can’t beat Jingzhe’s Xie Yuan… Perhaps, if Yaoguang and Yueying went head-to-head, he might not be able to suppress Xie Weiyu either.”

Recently, there had been a lot of voices online cursing Xie Weiyu.
After Xie Weiyu transferred, Yueying dropped from Group S to Group A, and today, they lost to Tianhuan. Ye Shaoyang had casually scrolled through Weibo earlier and, sure enough, people were calling Xie Weiyu a jinx who crashed Yueying. Others gloated, thinking Xie Weiyu leaving Yaoguang was him letting Yaoguang off the hook…

Among these people, some were genuine anti-fans who hated Xie Weiyu.
But there were also a large number of familiar-looking paid trolls.

Ye Shaoyang opened his phone and showed it to Chi Shuo. “Xie Weiyu is quite pitiful. After losing to us today, he’s probably going to get blackened even worse.”

Chi Shuo frowned as he looked at the big screen. “If we want to play against Yaoguang, it can only happen in the relegation match.”

Ye Shaoyang said, “With Yaoguang’s strength, they won’t stay in Group S for long. Strong teams like Jingzhe and Beimu will teach them a lesson soon enough. If Yaoguang ranks fifth or sixth in Group S after this round, and we take the top two in Group A… we’ll meet them in the promotion/relegation match.”

Chi Shuo looked at Ye Shaoyang. “Your Goddess of Destiny can be brought out then.”

When that time came, the surprise gift package prepared for Yaoguang could be officially unlocked