ATIBTF Chapter 101

The tense and intense WOC Professional League Global Finals continued.

After JW managed to reclaim a victory in the previous match, NG selected Pepper’s signature mid-lane champion, Infernal Dragon.

Jiang Min did his best to defend the mid-lane. However, since the hero he picked was not strong in lane control, he fell behind during the laning phase.

With the mid-lane collapsing and NG’s third and fourth players exerting strong pressure, JW unfortunately lost the third game.

NG now led 2:1.

The match reached NG’s match point.

Usually, when faced with their opponent’s match point, team members feel the most pressure. However, JW’s players seemed completely unfazed by the score. They had fully entered the competition mindset, focusing solely on the match itself.

This was thanks to Yan Junying’s rigorous training regimen. Now, every member of JW possessed an exceptionally strong mentality.

“Next round, we need to show Pepper proper respect during the ban phase,” Yu Hao began summarizing in the lounge after the third game. “He’s the world’s top second-position player. We were too careless in the last game.”

“No problem with that,” Yan Junying agreed. “But if we focus too many bans on Pepper’s champion pool, we won’t be able to target the others’ pools effectively.”

“You can’t ban everything,” Hao Qianyi said, crossing his arms behind his head. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s prioritize holding down Pepper. We can’t let mid-lane keep losing out, right?”

Strong teams like NG are tough to handle.

They don’t just have one standout player. Trying to target-ban any one player often yields little benefit.

“The more mid-lane bans we use, the fewer options there will be,” Wei Yabo said, rubbing his chin. “Feels like it could hurt us more than them. Can Sugar pull this off?”

Jiang Min took a sip of water and said, “It’s fine.”

“I, Sugar, am known for my ocean of heroes. I should be about even with Pepper!” Hao Qianyi said, once again hyping up Jiang Min.

A staff member entered the lounge to notify the players it was time to head onstage.

“Alrighty!” Hao Qianyi stood up and stretched. “If we lose this one, we’re going straight home!”

Wei Yabo: “You don’t seem too upset about that?”

Hao Qianyi shrugged. “Of course I’d be disappointed not to win the championship, but losing to a team like NG isn’t exactly shameful.”

For once, the twin brothers nodded in agreement with Hao Qianyi’s words.

“Alright, let’s give it our best, guys,” Yu Hao said, stepping up. “Let’s try not to let this be the final game.”

After speaking, he glanced at Jiang Min, then walked over and put an arm around his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Sugar. Time to shine.”

As they walked side by side toward the stage, Yu Hao leaned in and whispered into Jiang Min’s ear, “Don’t worry, Sugar. We won’t lose this one! I’ve got faith. Plus, if we don’t win the championship, I won’t get my candy reward, and I’ve been looking forward to that!”

Hearing this, Jiang Min immediately thought of certain moments, and his ears turned red in an instant.

In the fourth game, JW banned four second-position heroes, and with NG banning two more, a total of six commonly used mid-lane champions were off the table.

In the end, both mid-laners opted for highly unconventional picks.

NG chose the Flower Spirit, while JW selected the Infernal Warlock.

These two heroes are typically fifth-position mages, yet they were brought to mid-lane in the world championship finals by both teams.

The spotlight naturally fell on the mid-lane.

However, Jiang Min had an advantage with the Infernal Warlock.

The Warlock’s poke damage was stronger than the Flower Spirit’s, forcing the latter to spend more resources on self-sustain.

As the game progressed, Jiang Min gradually established dominance over Pepper.

In a skirmish near the mid-lane river, Yu Hao leapt in and lifted Pepper’s fragile Flower Spirit. The Infernal Warlock followed up with an ultimate and a combo, instantly eliminating Pepper. NG, having lost their core, was forced to retreat.

In the ensuing chase, JW, with a five-on-four advantage and a fed Infernal Warlock, solidified a commanding lead.

JW’s lineup had plenty of crowd-control abilities, allowing them to pick off the fleeing NG players one by one. Apart from Wei Yafeng sacrificing himself to shield Wei Yabo, JW achieved a stunning 1-for-5 team wipe and took the opportunity to push down NG’s Nexus base.

The score was tied 2:2.

The WOC Professional League Global Finals had reached its most critical game.

JW’s journey to this point had been anything but easy. For them to push NG to the final game of a best-of-five series was already a testament to their worth.

The five young players had also garnered significant global attention.

The JW Club itself was already quite satisfied with their performance in the finals.

Ji Xiuyan, who couldn’t attend the event due to business matters, was watching the live stream late at night in his office alongside Lu Huai.

“Honestly, I’d be happy with them taking second place,” Ji Xiuyan said. “Of course, winning the championship would be the best outcome.”

Lu Huai leaned against the sofa, silent.

He wasn’t much of a WOC player, but even as a MOBA outsider, he could tell this was a spectacular match.

“To be honest, I bought the club in the beginning because of you,” Ji Xiuyan admitted. “I wanted to get closer to you, so I bought JW…”

Ji Xiuyan had already confessed this to Lu Huai before, so Lu Huai wasn’t surprised.

“But gradually, I think I fell in love with the esports industry,” Ji Xiuyan murmured. “I love the passion, the vibrant energy… and I want to keep building this business.”

“Mm.” Lu Huai nodded. “I support you.”

Ji Xiuyan sighed. “If the WOC division wins the championship this year, along with your Fortune division’s championship, our club will have an incredible year.”

Lu Huai ruffled Ji Xiuyan’s hair and said, “As long as I’m still active, I’ll try to make every year incredible for you.”

Ji Xiuyan smiled. “…Alright!”

---

In Z Country, at Yu Hao’s home.

Even in the middle of the night, Yu’s mother and younger brother, Yu Ning, were wide-eyed, staring at the TV screen.

“Goodness, son, it’s 2:2. Does that mean there’s only one game left?” Yu’s mother anxiously eyed the score.

Yu Ning nodded. “Yeah, Mom! If they win this game, my brother’s team will be world champions!”

Yu’s mother nervously wrung her hands. “Oh dear, why am I so nervous? If we have a world champion in the family, I’ll be jumping with joy!”

Yu Ning whispered, “Then I’ll finally have something to brag about at school…”

At this moment, Yu’s father came down from the second-floor bedroom, yawning. “Why are you two up in the middle of the night, making such a racket?”

Of all the family members, Yu’s father was the only one who had minor reservations about Yu Hao pursuing a career in esports.

Though open-minded and supportive of his son’s dreams, as a successful businessman, he felt his son should have focused more on academics before entering such a field.

After all, he didn’t fully understand the concept of “careers that thrive on youth.”

Still, since it made his son happy, he didn’t stand in his way.

After all, what’s the point of earning a lifetime’s worth of money if not to let your children live the life they want?

That said, he was baffled by his wife and grade-school son staying up so late, especially when they were usually so strict about bedtime routines.

“Watching the match, Dad!” Yu Ning blurted out.

“What match?” Yu’s father rubbed his eyes.

Though drowsy, the excitement of the mother and son in the living room was impossible to ignore.

“It’s my brother’s match!” Yu Ning exclaimed. “The global finals! If they win, they’ll be world champions!”

“World champions?” Though unfamiliar with esports, the words “world champions” carried undeniable weight for Yu’s father.

No matter the competitive field, being a world champion held profound significance.

Suddenly intrigued, Yu’s father joined them in the living room.

He had never watched his son compete, neither online nor in person.

His wife, however, had taken their younger son to watch several matches live.

Tonight, for the first time, he felt a desire to see for himself what his son had been working so hard to achieve.

The successful businessman, who had an important meeting early the next morning, completely forgot about his schedule and joined his wife and son for a night of watching esports.

For WOC players in Z Country, this was destined to be a sleepless night.

Aside from the fans glued to their TVs, computers, and phones, various WPL teams already on holiday were also camped in live streams, watching the JW vs. NG showdown.

“Holy crap! They’ve made it to Game 5!” Jade was unusually hyped.

For teams that hadn’t qualified for the world championship or had already been eliminated, this was the offseason.

With little else to do, Jade had organized a group watch party on a streaming platform, bringing together several pro players to watch the finals.

“Man, this is so intense! What’s going to happen next?”

“Sugar is holding his own against Pepper—what a legend!”

“Captain Yu’s jump initiation was gorgeous—such a decisive play.”

The voice chat was lively, with pro players chiming in from all sides.

Though rivals during domestic tournaments, they were united on the world stage, all rooting for JW to bring home the championship trophy.

Similarly, the nearly 30 million live viewers, even at 5 a.m., reflected the passion and anticipation of WPL fans.

As everyone waited eagerly, the live stream returned to the match, signaling the start of the final game.

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