ARML CH64

The scale of the Imperial Capital Esports Center was even larger than that of Star City. After all, being the capital, the venue was built to be more imposing than in other cities. Every year, the Gods’ War Professional League grand finals were held in this, the largest esports venue in the country.

When the Tianhuan team arrived at the venue at 5 PM, there were already many spectators lining up outside, preparing to enter.

November in the imperial capital had entered late autumn, and the weather was gradually turning colder. Many spectators wore thick coats, yet their enthusiasm remained undiminished, their faces full of excitement. Tonight was the showdown between the ICE Binghun team and the Jingzhe team. Through the car window, Ye Shaoyang saw many fans carrying support merchandise for these two teams.

It was unknown who suddenly shouted: “The Tianhuan team’s car is here!”

A large group of people surged over, blocking their car, shouting excitedly outside: “Captain Chi! Captain Chi!” “Captain Chi, I love you!”

The car was forced to stop by the side of the road. Chi Shuo opened the window and made a gesture to the fans outside. The fans screamed wildly, followed by a girl’s crying shout: “Waiting for you guys to enter the finals next season! Tianhuan, keep going!”

The tearful voice almost pierced the clouds.

The team members in the car all felt a complex mix of emotions. Chi Shuo nodded to them and said softly, “Thank you, we will work hard. Everyone get ready to enter the venue; pay attention to safety.”

The handsome Alpha captain looked serious, his deep, pleasant voice carrying a convincing power. He pointed to the queueing area ahead, gesturing for everyone to go over. The fans waved at him while reluctantly walking away.

The driver then restarted the car, quickly driving it into the underground parking lot.

Although Tianhuan didn’t make it to the grand finals this season, as a veteran team established for 10 years, they still had many die-hard fans. In the adjacent seat, Cheng Xing murmured softly, “I used to be a fan of Tianhuan too and even went to the venue to watch matches. Tianhuan in the S6 season was just too awesome.”

Xie Xiaotian joked: “Uh-huh, everyone knows you’re Captain Chi’s die-hard fan.”

Hearing this conversation, Ye Shaoyang couldn’t help but turn back and ask, “So, Xiao Xing started practicing the Jungler role because you wanted to inherit your idol’s mantle?”

Cheng Xing blushed scarlet, secretly glancing at Chi Shuo: “I just thought playing Jungler was pretty cool.”

The car fell into a momentary silence.

Chi Shuo in the S6 season was indeed very cool. Securing Pentakills multiple times in the Regular Season and ranking first on the kill leaderboard for the entire season cemented his position as the top Jungler in the China region. Later, his World Solo Tournament championship was even more unparalleled. Chi Shuo had just turned 18 that year; he was like a rising star, carrying the hopes of many for the China region.

However, just as many anti-fans said, Chi Shuo peaked upon debut.

Since the defeat in the S6 World Finals, Captain Ming retired, and Chi Shuo took over as captain. During the S7-S9 seasons, Tianhuan’s performance steadily declined. Chi Shuo also seemed to have his edges smoothed out, never again experiencing a highlight moment like in S6.

Ye Shaoyang looked at the captain beside him. The pressure he had endured these past years could only be understood by someone who had been a captain. He slowed his pace and changed himself for Tianhuan. His condition hadn’t declined, much less was he constantly going downhill after peaking at debut—he simply restrained his sharpness for the sake of his teammates.

Ye Shaoyang gently patted Chi Shuo’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Next season, that sharp and handsome Jungler, Xiao Xing’s idol, will return, right?”

Because they were whispering, they were very close, and he could feel the Omega’s warm breath by his ear. Chi Shuo’s ears turned slightly red as he nodded stiffly, “En.”

Ye Shaoyang sat back, not feeling anything wrong with an Omega and an Alpha whispering to each other. The crying shouts of those fans just now were quite hard to listen to. He was just afraid Chi Shuo would feel bad and wanted to encourage his teammate.

The car finally stopped in the underground garage. The team manager, Tang Can, got out of the car, took the access pass provided by the league, and led everyone through the players’ dedicated elevator directly to the 2nd-floor viewing area to sign in at the front desk.

At the entrance of the viewing area, there was also a pheromone detector and spare Alpha masking spray, so Alpha players who forgot to spray before leaving could apply it here.

Just as Ye Shaoyang passed through the security channel, he heard a boy complaining ahead: “Security checks are so troublesome every time. We don’t even have any Omega players in our viewing area; what the hell are we afraid of without masking spray? Could Alphas and Alphas fight because of pheromone repulsion?”

A cold female voice came from the side: “You just talk too much.”

The boy’s momentum immediately weakened: “I was just complaining casually.”

Ye Shaoyang: “…” Without even guessing, he knew this was the Beimu team’s sibling duo, Zhao Xinping and Zhao Xin’an.

Sure enough, after the Tianhuan group passed through the security channel, they saw a group of Beimu players standing together, preparing to enter the viewing area. The tall and slender Missy Zhao Xinping was very conspicuous in the crowd. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, met Chi Shuo’s gaze, and greeted politely, “Captain Chi, you’re here too.”

Chi Shuo nodded: “Captain Zhao, long time no see.”

Over a month had passed since the Tianhuan vs Beimu match at the Star City venue. At that time, Tianhuan lost 2:3 to Beimu, but right after, Beimu lost 2:3 to Jingzhe. As two teams that experienced a “one-round tour” of the playoffs, they were both here today as bystanders to watch the spectacle.

Coach Lin shook hands politely with Beimu’s coach, then led his players into the viewing area.

The league had reserved a dedicated viewing area for professional players, media reporters, and invited commentators. It could seat around 100 people and offered an excellent view, looking directly at the main stage on the 1st floor, with a high-definition screen right in front for match projection.

Ye Shaoyang followed behind Chi Shuo, walking towards the third row of seats.

When passing in front of Zhao Xinping, she suddenly said, “Wait a moment.”

Ye Shaoyang and Chi Shuo stopped simultaneously. Zhao Xinping looked at Ye Shaoyang and asked, “I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”

The players of Tianhuan’s Team 2 often appeared on the bench previously, and Zhao Xinping recognized most of them. But this person today looked very unfamiliar. The boy’s features were delicate and handsome, and his chestnut-blonde short hair made his skin look even fairer. Especially his eyes—clear and round, with long and thick eyelashes. When he smiled, there seemed to be a light in his eyes. If she had seen such a handsome young man before, she would definitely remember him.

Chi Shuo frowned slightly and said, “He’s our new rookie at Tianhuan, Xiao Ye.”

Ye Shaoyang smiled and nodded at Zhao Xinping: “Hello, Captain Zhao.”

Zhao Xinping: “…”

A rookie? A newly signed player, or a rookie promoted from the youth camp?

While Zhao Xinping was puzzled, a noisy voice sounded next to her: “Sis, let’s sit here. The view is good here; we can see the center of the stage on the first floor.”

Zhao Xinping nodded politely at Ye Shaoyang, turned, and walked away. Her high ponytail swung behind her, looking very sharp and neat. Ye Shaoyang glanced at her back and couldn’t help thinking, Female Alphas are indeed so cool, with a calm and sharp gaze full of presence. There must be many girls who like a missy like Zhao Xinping, right?

Seeing Ye Shaoyang watching Zhao Xinping’s back, Chi Shuo couldn’t help but cough lightly: “Come sit over here.” Ye Shaoyang withdrew his gaze, followed Chi Shuo into the viewing area, and sat in the middle of the third row.

A moment later, another team arrived. It was the Huowen team. They didn’t wear their team uniforms today; Zhou Jiawen wore a tailored khaki trench coat. Although this Alpha player was young, he was handsome and had excellent fashion sense, looking like a fashion model in his clothes. His smile was polite and courteous. Therefore, in less than two years, his popularity was already on par with veteran players like Fang Zhengqing.

Zhao Xin’an shouted from the front: “Xiao Zhou!”

Zhou Jiawen smiled at him and greeted Zhao Xinping: “Captain Zhao, flying all the way from Star City to watch the match—that’s quite a distance.”

Zhao Xinping said flatly, “I’m bored anyway, and there are no matches to play. The league reimburses the flight tickets.”

Huowen’s Coach Li smiled and leaned in next to Lin Feng and asked, “By the way, didn’t Tianhuan’s Marksman and Support retire? Any leads on next season’s Marksman and Support?”

The moment this question was asked, many people present pricked up their ears.

Lin Feng gave him a smile: “Not telling you.”

Coach Li: “…”

Zhao Xin’an laughed loudly from the front: “Coach Li, blatantly spying on the enemy like this is too much.”

Coach Li shrugged: “I haven’t even asked you yet. What’s the rush! Didn’t Beimu’s mid-laner retire too? How about it, found a suitable mid-laner yet?”

Zhao Xin’an really wanted to complain—he had originally wanted to sign the streamer Xiao Bai, but someone beat him to it! It made him angry just thinking about it.

Zhao Xinping said flatly: “We’d actually like to sign Captain Zhou over. Will you Huowen guys let him go?”

Zhou Jiawen smiled politely: “Captain Zhao really wants to sign me? Then I’ll go communicate with the club and list myself for transfer.”

Zhao Xin’an waved his hand: “Forget it. You’re too expensive; we can’t afford you!”

The crowd bantered and joked around. Chi Shuo wasn’t the joking type; he sat there calmly, remaining silent. It wasn’t until a moment later, when another team arrived at the venue and walked to the fourth row, that Chi Shuo stood up and turned around to gently hug and greet their captain.

This captain wore a light gray thin sweater. Although his appearance wasn’t considered handsome, it was very upright, with a face full of righteousness, and his laughter was very hearty: “Chi Shuo, you guys arrived quite early!”

Chi Shuo said, “Tianhuan’s base is right here in the imperial capital; it wouldn’t make sense to be late.”

The people nearby also greeted politely: “Captain Xu!”

The man’s gaze swept over the crowd and finally rested on Ye Shaoyang, asking curiously, “Who is this handsome young man? How come I haven’t seen him before?”

Chi Shuo said, “Our new rookie at Tianhuan.”

After speaking, he introduced in a low voice to Ye Shaoyang: “The captain of the Yueying team, Xu Zhuo.”

Xu Zhuo, the top laner player with the strongest pressure resistance in the China region, one of the few Glory 9th Dan players certified by the World Alliance. He graduated from the Star City youth camp base in the same batch as Chi Shuo, Fang Zhengqing, and others. They had known each other for over four years, so it was no wonder Chi Shuo greeted him individually.

Ye Shaoyang stood up and extended his hand with a smile: “Hello, Captain Xu. I’m Tianhuan’s new rookie, Xiao Ye.”

Xu Zhuo gave an “Oh,” and while shaking his hand, joked: “The appearance level of your Tianhuan team is getting higher and higher. Are you guys planning to debut and act in an esports idol drama?”

Hearing him say this, everyone turned their gazes toward Ye Shaoyang.

The person beside Captain Chi indeed had a very high appearance level, with very distinctive features. He seemed to have some mixed-race characteristics. His hair was a natural chestnut-blonde, but it didn’t look gaudy; instead, it complemented his fair skin perfectly. His eyes were extremely beautiful, and when he smiled, he gave off a very warm feeling—a typical sunny, handsome young man.

Captain Chi bringing this person to the venue and even having him sit beside him showed how important he was.

Could it be Tianhuan’s newly promoted Support? Zhao Xin’an leaned into his sister’s ear and whispered: “It should be Tianhuan’s new Support. Their Team 2’s Marksman, Fu Yue, might fill the Marksman role next season. With this handsome young man playing Support, their roster is complete.”

Zhao Xinping was thoughtful: “It’s possible. I have absolutely no impression of this person, so he shouldn’t be a player poached from another team. He was probably cultivated in Tianhuan’s youth camp.”

Zhao Xin’an nodded: “I think so too. Since he’s a rookie, I wonder how his strength is.”

Zhao Xinping: “We’ll know next season.”

The crowd at the venue was very curious about this new face at Tianhuan, frequently casting inquiring glances at Ye Shaoyang. Regardless of whose gaze Ye Shaoyang met, he returned it with a ^_^ smiling face. Gradually, the surrounding people felt embarrassed to keep looking at him and withdrew their gazes to look at the main stage.

The match hadn’t started yet. On the main stage, staff members were nervously adjusting the equipment.

Nearby, Zhao Xin’an said loudly: “Hey hey, do you guys want to place bets? Who will win tonight?”

Zhou Jiawen smiled: “I bet on Jingzhe. After all, we beat Jingzhe in the playoffs. If Old Fang wins the championship, it’ll save some face for us.” Huowen had beaten Jingzhe, and if Jingzhe won the championship, wouldn’t that prove Huowen’s strength was actually on par with the champion?

Zhao Xin’an’s eyes lit up: “Captain Zhou, this logic is awesome! Then I also bet on Jingzhe to win. We were sent packing by Jingzhe; being eliminated by the championship team makes us look a bit better!”

Sitting in the row behind Chi Shuo, Xu Zhuo heard this and couldn’t help but ask: “A-Shuo, what do you think?”

Chi Shuo said flatly: “I think Binghun will win.”

Xu Zhuo chuckled, leaned back in his chair, and said lazily: “It hasn’t been easy for Xiao Chen. Leading this fragmented Binghun team all the way to the grand finals, I also hope he wins for once.”

Ye Shaoyang lowered his head and quickly took out his phone to search for team information.

The captain of ICE Binghun, Chen Qianhua, the most popular among the league’s Beta players. Chen Qianhua was a classmate of Chi Shuo, Xu Zhuo, Fang Zhengqing, and Xie Yuan at the youth camp, playing the Support, Jungler, Top Laner, Mid-laner, and Marksman roles respectively—which is what netizens often refer to as the Five Gods who came out of the Star City youth base.

He also debuted in the S6 season. Initially, his performance wasn’t good, far inferior to the rising stars Chi Shuo and Fang Zhengqing. Later, he gradually developed his own style, belonging to the type of player who blooms late.

The Binghun team had undergone two reorganizations. After Chen Qianhua took over as captain, he turned the tide, leading the team—which was almost eliminated from the professional league in the S8 season—back into the playoffs, and even reaching the grand finals in S9.

Chi Shuo peaked upon debut, and his results in subsequent seasons began to decline; Chen Qianhua was exactly the opposite—his light was dim upon debut, but he accumulated strength and erupted later, counter-attacking all the way and saving the collapsing edifice. This person’s resolve was also beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Binghun’s strongest point lay in team fights; their team coordination was exceptionally formidable. Under the command of Support Chen Qianhua, the 5 of them could exert a powerful force where 1+1+1+1+1 was greater than 5. Many teams playing against Binghun would have an advantage in the early game. But they collapsed as soon as a team fight started.

Between Binghun, led by Chen Qianhua, and Jingzhe, led by Fang Zhengqing, whose odds of winning were greater?

Ye Shaoyang looked expectantly at the main stage. S9, the champion of the China region, was about to be born right here!