Chapter 656
Chapter 656
Su Mo opened the message.
Shen Yiyin: "Su Mo, I heard you guys are flying to Korea tomorrow to play in the S-series?"
Su Mo thought for a moment and replied with a very brief reply: "Okay. My flight is tomorrow morning."
The person on the other end seemed to be glued to their phone the whole time, replying instantly: "I watched your match replays online. Although I don't understand those fancy maneuvers, you looked really cool playing that red guy with the greatsword! I wish you all the best in your trip to Korea and hope you bring the championship back!"
Immediately afterwards, a small cat "Go for it!" emoji popped up.
Looking at the cartoon cat waving its little fists on the screen, a rare gentle smile appeared on Su Mo's usually tense face, which was used to keeping his emotions hidden.
He didn't treat her as some high-profile celebrity, but simply as a polite ordinary girl he had met once at a convenience store.
"Thank you," Su Mo replied with two words. After thinking for a moment, she added, unusually, "Eat less oden late at night; it's bad for your throat."
After sending the message, he immediately locked his phone and turned off the lights in the room.
In a high-end apartment in downtown Shanghai, Shen Yiyin, who was wearing a face mask, stared at the “dad-like” reply on her phone screen for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh so hard she rolled around on the bed.
"This guy is even more long-winded than Sister Hua..." Shen Yiyin muttered under her breath, changing Su Mo's nickname from "Su Mo" to "Oden Old Cadre".
Looking out the window at the dazzling Oriental Pearl Tower, she recalled the profile of the man in the black hoodie with clear and determined eyes.
"Keep it up in Seoul, Su Mo."
……
The next morning, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
A team dressed in matching black team uniforms appeared in the international departure hall, instantly causing quite a stir.
"That's Su Mo!! Ahhh, Brother Mo!!"
"LPL's number one seed has set off!! Go for it!!"
Although the itinerary was kept secret, many enthusiastic fans were still waiting at the airport early. Facing the enthusiastic fans, Su Mo did not wear a mask, but simply smiled and waved to them, while also stopping the security guards from pushing and shoving him roughly.
"Everyone, please be careful and don't push." Su Mo took a notebook from a few fans in the front row, signed his name in a flourish, and spoke in a gentle tone as if he were reminding an old friend, "Be careful on your way back. Thank you all for watching the games these past few days. We will do our best in Seoul."
There were no grand pronouncements or arrogant pre-match threats.
But it was this low-key and easy-going nature that made the fans present feel extremely at ease.
After a four-hour flight, the plane landed smoothly at Incheon International Airport in South Korea.
As Su Mo pushed his suitcase out of the passage and stepped onto this land that holds countless memories of love and hate for the LPL, the cold October wind, carrying the distinctive aromas of Korean kimchi and coffee, rushed towards him.
"Damn, Seoul is so much colder than Shanghai!" Jungler Chen shrank his neck and zipped his jersey all the way up.
Su Mo looked up at the huge S13 World Championship promotional poster hanging in the waiting hall not far away. In the center of the poster, the gleaming Summoner's Cup exuded a deadly allure under the spotlight.
"Damn, Seoul is so much colder than Shanghai!" Jungler Chen shrank his neck, zipped his jersey all the way up, and muttered as he looked around.
Su Mo looked up at the huge S13 World Championship promotional poster hanging in the waiting hall not far away. In the center of the poster, the gleaming Summoner's Cup exuded a deadly allure under the spotlight.
Behind the trophy is a huge silhouette of a player wearing an EDG black and white jersey, facing away from the camera, with only a side profile visible – a special presentation designed by the organizers for the defending champions. Or, more accurately, a throne prepared for this "Great Demon King" who has dominated League of Legends for six years.
"What are you looking at? Are you so engrossed in your own handsome photo?"
A hand landed heavily on Su Mo's shoulder. Meiko pushed her suitcase over and followed Su Mo's gaze, then clicked her tongue twice. "Seriously, Mozi-ge. Ever since we first lifted the trophy at the Bird's Nest in S7, you've been hanging this crappy poster in the center for six years. The designers at Riot Games probably don't even know who else could draw besides you."
"Stop joking." Su Mo withdrew his gaze, a faint smile on his lips. "Let's go, the media waiting outside are probably going crazy."
Just as Su Mo predicted, the moment the entire EDG team pushed their luggage carts out of the arrival gate, it was as if a flashbang had been thrown into the entire arrival hall of Incheon Airport.
"Snap! Snap!"
The blinding flashes of light turned the area into daylight. Korean media, and even Western media who had come specifically to wait, swarmed in like sharks smelling blood. If airport security hadn't set up a cordon beforehand, the EDG players probably wouldn't have been able to move an inch.
“Su Mo! Su Mo! ssi!”
A female reporter from the South Korean KBS esports channel held up a microphone and asked loudly in slightly broken Chinese: "From S7 to S12, you and your team have won all the World Championship titles in the past six years, putting the LCK region through a 'darkest hour' for six long years. Now that you're back on home turf in South Korea this year, do you feel unprecedented pressure? The LCK is confident that it will keep the trophy in Seoul this year!"
This question was extremely aggressive, even carrying a hint of provocation characteristic of home-field advantage. The two young players, Ah Chen and Xiao Yue, standing nearby, frowned, a sense of oppressive pressure, as if they were being surrounded, rising within them.
But Su Mo didn't even pause. He merely turned his head slightly, facing the countless cameras and microphones pointed at him, his tone as calm as if stating an objective fact:
"The trophy is indeed very heavy, but I've been holding it for six years and I'm used to its weight."
He looked at the South Korean reporter, his deep eyes completely calm. "As for keeping it in Seoul? That depends on whether the LCK teams can surpass my abilities. I look forward to their challenge."
Domineering, yet elegant.
There was no arrogant provocation, but the absolute confidence of the "six-time champions" instantly silenced the noisy Korean media present. Only when EDG's bus slowly drove away from the airport did the reporters snap out of their daze and frantically type on their keyboards, sending the words back to headquarters.
……
The bus drove into downtown Seoul and eventually stopped in front of a five-star hotel that Riot Games had booked for the participating teams.
When the entire EDG team walked into the hotel lobby carrying their peripheral bags, the once bustling lobby instantly fell silent.
This place is home to top teams from all major regions around the world, including C9 from North America, G2 from Europe, and teams from South Korea. But when the young man in the black EDG jersey stepped through the gate, everyone's eyes were instinctively drawn to him.
It was an instinctive sense of awe, almost like facing the "final boss".
"Hey! God Mo!"
G2's star mid-laner Caps was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee when he saw Su Mo. He immediately smiled, waved, and walked over, giving him a big hug. "My god, how come you're still so calm? Could you please go easy on us in the playoffs this year? You still have psychological trauma from how you beat our top laner with Fiora!" Su Mo patted the "European King of Mid" on the back and replied with a smile in fluent English, "Well, you guys have to make it to the playoffs first. I heard G2 is really good at pulling off some crazy stunts this year?"
“Of course, I’ve prepared a lot of surprises for you.” Caps winked mischievously.
Just then, the elevator doors in the hotel lobby opened with a "ding".
The Dplus KIA (DK) team members, dressed in black and mint-colored jerseys, walked out. Leading the way was ShowMaker, the top mid-laner from the LCK.
The two teams unexpectedly met in the center of the lobby.
Ah Chen and Xiao Yue instinctively straightened their backs. Although EDG is a six-time champion, the young players still felt nervous facing such a top team on their home turf in South Korea.
ShowMaker stopped in his tracks, his gaze piercing through the crowd and fixing on Su Mo.
"Brother Mozi".
ShowMaker stepped forward, bowed slightly, and spoke with a touching stubbornness, "From S10 until now, every night when I close my eyes, your image is all I see. For the past three years, I have been thinking about defeating you every single moment."
He took a deep breath, raised his head, and his eyes were sharp as knives: "I will never let the rebuilding of LCK's glory this year become just empty words again."
Su Mo looked at the young mid-laner in front of him, who was trembling slightly from his intense desire for victory, and a hint of genuine appreciation flashed in his eyes.
He nodded seriously:
“Xiu, I remember you once said, ‘Failure is a constant throughout life.’”
Su Mo reached out and shook hands tightly with ShowMaker. "But your perseverance has made you a great player. I will wait for you at the summit, and I hope that this time, you can show me a different view."
……
We arrived at the officially assigned training room.
The smell of gunpowder in the air still seemed to linger around everyone's noses.
While plugging in the keyboard's peripheral cable, Ah Chen swallowed hard, "Goodness... these Korean teams all look like they want to eat people alive. The way ShowMaker looked at Mo Ge just now was like he was looking at his father's killer."
Mid-laner Xiao Yue rubbed his hands nervously: "Brother Mo, to be honest, I'm a little nervous. If we don't win the championship this year, our dream of seven consecutive championships will be shattered by me and A Chen. The fans in China could drown us with their spit."
This is a very real problem.
EDG's Grand Slam from S7 to S12 was absolutely built on SuMo and Meiko, but the jungler, mid laner, and AD carry were replaced by some new partners due to injuries or retirement.
For Ah Chen and Xiao Yue, who have just joined this "Galactic Battleship", the pressure they are under is like Mount Tai pressing down on them.
If they won, it was because Su Mo led the team well; if they lost, it was because these few "traitors" ruined the dynasty.
"Clap!"
Su Mo suddenly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
He pulled over a gaming chair and sat down backwards, resting his chin on the back of the chair. He looked at Ah Chen and Xiao Yue with a gentle gaze that conveyed a powerful, penetrating strength.
"Six championships, those were won by the old EDG, what does that have to do with you now?"
Su Mo pointed to the six gold stars on his team jersey, "I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid of taking the blame, afraid of becoming sinners in history. But let me tell you, in esports, there are no past glories, only the Summoner's Rift in front of you."
He stood up, walked behind Ah Chen, and pressed down on his trembling shoulders: "You are a very good jungler. Don't always think about 'what will happen to Brother Mo if I make a mistake this time'. What you should be thinking about is 'how to ruin the enemy's jungle this time'."
He then looked at Xiaoyue: "Xiaoyue, you're the mid laner, the engine of this team's rhythm. I don't need you to become Faker, I just need you to be the best version of yourself. The other team also has two shoulders and one head, what's there to be afraid of?"
Meiko, who hadn't said a word until now, smiled and walked over to put her arm around Xiao Yue's shoulder: "That's right, even if the sky falls, your brother Mo will hold it up. He's been beating these Korean top laners since they were kids, you guys just need to stay behind him and deal damage."
A few simple words, interspersed with jokes, instantly dispelled the suffocating oppressive atmosphere in the training room.
Ah Chen took a deep breath, his eyes hardening again: "Let's do it! So what if it's Korea's home ground? Who are we going to play against in tonight's scrim? I'm going to farm in their jungle!"
"Very good, keep up the momentum." Su Mo's lips curled up slightly as he sat back down in front of his computer. "Tonight's training match opponent is T1."
Upon hearing the name "T1," the training room fell silent for a second before erupting into excited keyboard typing.
"That's really... a small world." Meiko laughed as she put on her headphones.
……
The training room door was pushed open, and accompanied by a familiar set of footsteps, a man wearing an EDG coaching staff uniform and holding a black tactical tablet walked in.
He has a meticulously styled hairstyle, and even though he has been a coach for many years, his sharp eyes still reveal the dominance he once had in the jungle.
"Who was it that just said they wanted to raise pigs in the Korean jungle?" Mingkai (the factory manager) raised an eyebrow, walked behind Achen's gaming chair, and gently tapped him on the head with his tablet, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Raising pigs in Seoul? That's patented. Did you pay the copyright fee, kid?"
The training room erupted in laughter, and even Xiao Yue, who had been nervously rubbing his hands, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ah Chen scratched his head and chuckled, "Ming Cult, look at what you're saying. Your skills are at the level of a patriarch, like 'Level Two Grabbing' and 'Piglet Raising Techniques.' I'm just thinking of carrying forward your fine traditions on the S13 stage!"
"Stop being so cheeky." Mingkai pulled up a chair and sat down behind everyone. The smile on his face faded a bit, replaced by the seriousness of a head coach. "Tonight's match against T1 is not just a regular training game. It's not only about assessing their strength, but also a psychological battle."
He swiped his tablet and projected a data file onto the large screen in the training room.
“Look at T1’s recent Korean server ranked data. Faker’s win rate with Azir and Orianna is ridiculously high, he’s in excellent form. And look at this ID—” Mingkai pointed to a familiar name on the screen with a laser pointer.
Zeus. (End of Chapter)