Chapter 644
Training Significant
After dinner, there is one hour of free time.
Su Mo returned to his dormitory and had just lay down on his bed when a video call invitation popped up on his phone.
Four delicate, pretty faces appeared on the screen, clearly indicating a party.
"Surprise!!"
Rita held up her glass, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly having already had a little to drink. "Brother Mozi, how's it going in 'prison'? Have you missed us?"
The background is Su Mo's villa in Shanghai, which these people actually used as their base.
"I've had a fulfilling time." Su Mo looked at the scantily clad figures on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "But you guys, you drank all my good wine, didn't you?"
"No way~" Yu Shuang leaned closer to the camera and said gently, "We're helping you take care of your plants at home. By the way, you've lost some weight? Is the food in the cafeteria not good?"
"Those are the muscle lines you've developed through training," Su Mo teased with a smile. "But you, Sister Shuang, have you gained weight recently? Your face looks rounder."
"Su Mo!!" Yu Shuang instantly exploded, "Do you even know how to talk?! That's camera distortion! Don't you understand distortion?!"
Xiaoyu and Xiran next to them burst into laughter.
Luo Xin interjected at this moment: "Brother Mozi, you don't know, since you left, the LPL commentary booth has become much quieter. Brother Guan keeps saying on stage every day, 'What if Brother Mozi were here?' We're sick of hearing it."
"Let him wait," Su Mo smiled. "Once I bring the gold medal back, he can brag about it to his heart's content."
"Tch, narcissist." Rita said with disdain, but her eyes were full of admiration. "Then you should get some rest and not overwork yourself. We... will wait for you to come back and pay your dues."
She spoke the last three words very softly, but to Su Mo they sounded like a thunderclap.
After hanging up the video call, Su Mo felt the heat in his body intensify.
"These demons..."
He shook his head with a wry smile, got up, washed his face with cold water, put on his team uniform jacket, and headed back to the training room.
The allure of pleasure is a hero's grave, and he cannot stop now.
……
Two o'clock in the morning.
The training room was still brightly lit.
Su Mo was reviewing the training match video from this afternoon, with Coach Zhu Kai sitting next to him, who was also awake.
“Here,” Su Mo pointed to a time point on the screen, “Bin’s teleport is too slow. If it were Zeus, he would have already been supporting the bottom lane by this time. Bin’s TP awareness is still stuck in the ‘protect yourself’ stage.”
Zhu Kai nodded and wrote it down in his notebook: "Indeed, Bin's individual ability is undeniable, but he's still a bit less intuitive than Zeus in terms of teamwork. That's why we need to bring 369; 69 is indeed more like a tool in this aspect."
“But that’s not enough.” Su Mo frowned. “Faced with the suffocating tactics of the Korean team, we need to be better at seizing opportunities. Starting tomorrow, I will strengthen the coordination training between the mid, jungle, and support players.”
Just then, the door to the training room was pushed open.
Knight walked in carrying two bags of barbecue, followed by JackeyLove wearing slippers.
"Brother Mo, Instructor Zhu, still awake?" JackeyLove placed the barbecue on the table, and the aroma instantly filled the air. "Just ordered takeout, that lamb skewers place is amazing, wanna have a couple?"
"You two..." Zhu Kaigang wanted to scold them for eating greasy food too late.
Su Mo laughed and picked up a skewer of mutton: "Sure, I'm starving. But after this meal, you two will have to do an extra two kilometers of physical training tomorrow morning."
"Huh??" JackeyLove wailed, "Brother Mo, I came here to visit the leader, how can you repay kindness with enmity!"
"That's called the law of conservation of energy." Su Mo took a bite of meat, his mouth greasy. "The amount of calories you eat determines the amount you have to burn."
A group of people sat around the computer, eating skewers and discussing their understanding of the game.
From draft strategy to understanding minion waves, from the Korean team's habitual ward placement to Zeus's subtle maneuvers.
This pure e-sports atmosphere made Su Mo feel extremely comfortable.
"To be honest," Knight suddenly said sullenly, "I really want to beat Faker. I lost last time, and I'm not happy about it."
“Me too.” JackeyLove’s eyes also turned cold. “Ruler is an old rival. If we can beat him at the Asian Games, that would be really satisfying.”
Su Mo looked at these two former genius teenagers, now pillars of society, and raised the can of cola in his hand.
"Let's do it."
"No matter who the opponent is, we will kill gods and Buddhas if they stand in our way."
"Dry!"
The three Coke cans and Zhu Kai's thermos clinked together, making a crisp sound.
……
A week later.
The training team had their first official scrimmages. Their opponent was GEN.G, who had just won the LCK runner-up title (although some players like Chovy were on the national team, GEN.G still fielded a scrimmages composed of substitutes and top players from their second team, making them a formidable opponent).
This training match was not open to the public, but it was the first touchstone to test the results of the training camp.
first round.
Su Mo started as the top laner, and the other four players were Jiejie, Knight, Elk, and Meiko.
In this game, Su Mo brought out his signature move—Jayce.
"Three minutes," Su Mo said calmly over the voice message. "Jiejie, come on over."
"receive."
GEN.G's top laner was clearly prepared to withstand the pressure, picking Sion and staying under the tower.
But Su Mo's Jayce displayed a suffocating dominance.
Switch forms, accelerate the gate, and unleash a surge of electrical energy!
He hit Sion with a shot, then immediately used Q to unleash a burst of damage, triggering Phase Rush and pulling him out of the tower.
Jiejie's big tree kept up with the control.
There was no suspense; a tower dive and a kill.
This game turned into a solo show by Su Mo. Wherever his Jayce went, the enemy's health bar disappeared.
At 15 minutes, Su Mo blasted the enemy AD carry to near death in front of the high ground tower, ending the game.
On the post-match data panel, Su Mo's damage share was as high as 42%.
"That's incredible..." Bin, who was watching from the back, swallowed hard. "His mastery of Jayce seems to have evolved since MSI."
369 nodded frantically beside him: "That's Mozi, he's always evolving."
However, in the second game...
Zhu Kai substituted Su Mo for Bin in order to give his troops more experience, and replaced the jungler with Xun.
As a result, the situation instantly became tense.
Although Bin's Fiora gained an advantage in lane, his attempts to engage in mid-game team fights were repeatedly thwarted by the opposing team, causing the team to become disjointed and allowing GEN.G to capitalize on the opportunity to counterattack.
Ultimately, they lost the second game.
The atmosphere in the lounge was somewhat somber.
Bin kept his head down, saying nothing, his fingers tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.
Su Mo walked over, but instead of scolding him, she handed him the notes she had just taken.
“At the 18th minute, the dragon fight. You were too eager to flank the backline.” Su Mo pointed to the diagram on his notebook. “Your position was about 800 yards out of sync with the team. At that distance, Meiko’s skills couldn’t reach you. Remember, although Fiora is a split-push champion, in team fights, you are both an assassin and a frontline. You need to learn to ‘spread’ the enemy formation instead of charging in headfirst to your death.”
Bin looked up at the dense notes and diagrams, his eyes slightly red.
He thought Su Mo was watching the show from below, but he didn't expect Su Mo to remember every single one of his mistakes so clearly and even provide solutions.
“Brother Mo, I…” “Stop talking nonsense.” Su Mo patted his head. “Next game, 369 will be up. You sit next to me, watch carefully, and learn well.”
The third round.
369 came on and picked Ornn.
In this game, although he was out-farmed in lane, 369's sheep calls were incredibly accurate in team fights.
Several perfect team fights, combined with the damage output of Knight and Elk, secured a solid victory.
"See?" Su Mo turned to Bin and said, "That's the value of 369. Sometimes, being alive and in control is more useful than your four breakthroughs in one second."
Bin remained silent for a long time before nodding heavily.
"I understand."
……
The days passed by in this monotonous yet fulfilling training.
This hastily assembled all-Chinese team, under Su Mo's guidance, gradually transformed from a disorganized mess into a cohesive unit.
Bin learned patience, 369 learned confidence, JackeyLove learned composure (although he still occasionally makes mistakes), and Knight learned to roam.
Finally, the day of departure arrived.
September, Hangzhou.
The main stadium for the Asian Games, the e-sports center.
When Su Mo and others from the Chinese team, dressed in red and white national team uniforms with the five-star red flag printed on their chests, walked into the venue in an orderly fashion.
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Go China!!"
"Go, Mozi!!"
Rita and Yu Shuang were also in the stands. They were no longer wearing revealing casual clothes, but instead wore cheering T-shirts with "CHN" printed on them, with national flag stickers on their faces, and waving glow sticks.
Su Mo looked up, his gaze piercing through the layers of people, and accurately located their positions.
He smiled slightly, clenched his right fist, gently pounded the national flag on his chest, and then pointed to the stands.
That was a promise.
It is also a declaration of war.
On the other side of the venue.
On the South Korean team's bench.
Faker pushed up his glasses, his gaze fixed on the radiant man standing center stage through the lenses.
“Mo…”
Zeus stood behind Faker, his body trembling slightly. Not with fear, but with excitement.
"This time, I won't lose again."
September 29, Hangzhou, the final day of the Asian Games e-sports event.
It didn't rain in Hangzhou that day; the autumn air was crisp and clear. However, the air around the Hangzhou Esports Center seemed to freeze, filled with the tense atmosphere and heat of an impending battle.
Backstage lounge.
Unlike the usual casual atmosphere at the club, the lounge today had a more solemn feel. Bright red five-star flags hung on the walls, and red and white team jerseys and equipment bags with the word "CHN" printed on them were neatly arranged in every corner.
"Stop shaking your legs."
Su Mo sat on a folding chair, holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand, glancing indifferently to the side.
369 was sitting there, his legs shaking wildly as if they were powered by a motor, causing the entire row of chairs to vibrate in sync.
"Brother Mo, I... I'm just warming up, stretching my muscles." 369 chuckled dryly, wiping the sweat from his forehead, but his hand was clearly trembling slightly.
"Warming up?" Bin, who was stretching his shoulders with resistance bands on the other side, snorted coldly upon hearing this. "I think you're just bluffing. If you're scared, just say so. Let me play the first game."
"Who's scared?!" 369 instantly became like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I'm excited! Excited, you know! Last time during training camp, my Ornn bleat was so accurate. If Kanavi dares to catch me today, I'll knock his hood askew!"
"okay."
Coach Zhu Kai pushed open the door and came in, holding a thick stack of tactical boards. His expression was serious. "They're already fighting amongst themselves before they've even taken the field? The South Korean team next door will laugh at us."
He walked to the center of the room and looked around at the group of legendary players who usually dominated the LPL.
“We’ve been in this business for so long, I’ve said all the same things.” Zhu Kai took a deep breath. “But this one is different. You have the national flag printed on your chests. If you win, the national flag will be raised and the national anthem will be played; if you lose, you’ll watch others celebrate on our doorstep.”
"I don't think anyone wants to be just a background character, right?"
The room was deathly silent.
JackeyLove silently chewed his gum, his eyes sharpening. Meiko bent down to organize the peripheral cables, her fingers tightening their grip noticeably. Knight stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, but the fighting spirit in his eyes was unmistakable.
Su Mo stood up, walked to the row of uniforms, and picked up the one that belonged to him.
It says CHN.Mo on the back.
He deftly slipped on his team uniform, zipped it up, and turned up the collar to cover half of his neck—there, the "hickey" Rita had given him a few days ago had faded a bit, but to be on the safe side, it was better to cover it up completely.
"Let's go."
Su Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pillar of strength.
"Go and tell the world who is the boss of Asia."
……
Inside the narrow passageway leading to the stage.
The lights were dim, and only deafening cheers came from the far end, like waves crashing against our eardrums.
Enemy road is narrow.
At the corner of the passage, the Chinese team and the South Korean team met face to face.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
Faker walked at the head of the Korean team. He still had his signature hairstyle, round-framed glasses, and an expressionless face. But the moment he saw Su Mo, the man known as "God" paused slightly.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
There was no trash talk, no provocative gestures.
Faker simply adjusted his glasses and nodded slightly, a gesture that served as both an acknowledgment of strength and a silent declaration of war.
Su Mo smiled and nodded, appearing even more relaxed, as if he had bumped into a neighbor while taking a walk downstairs.
But the atmosphere wasn't so "harmonious" at the back of the line.
Kanavi and Ruler looked at their former teammates 369 and Knight.
"Hey, isn't this the movie-watching guy?" 369's legs were still shaking, but he didn't hold back, shouting in Chinese, "Don't come to the top lane today, I'm afraid I can't help but solo kill you."
Kanavi understood, rolled his eyes, and replied in broken Chinese, "You... watch out... your... ass."
Ruler looked at JackeyLove; both were top-tier AD carries, and sparks flew as their eyes met.
Zeus walked at the back, staring intently at Su Mo's retreating figure. The crushing defeat at MSI was a nightmare for his career; he had trained day and night for the past few months, all for this moment.
"This time, I must win..." Zeus muttered to himself, the hand warmer in his hand becoming deformed from his grip. (End of Chapter)