Ye Xiu put down his headset and turned his head towards Chen Guo.
"What's up, boss?" he asked.
Chen Guo was startled; she slapped her flushed cheeks lightly and grabbed Ye Xiu's shoulder.
"Hey, who in the world was that?" she asked. It gives her a feeling of nostalgia, but she couldn't really put her mind into the clear picture.
It was actually when the character named Cold Season assassinates One Autumn Leaf during the season 4 finals, ending the three streaks and becoming a champion. The comparison was a bit exaggerated, but she could see some traces of Ji Leng and even Yang Cong on Ron; in fact, it's like a better version. If Ye Xiu knew what was going on in her mind, he would just laugh at her.
Faced with her question, Ye Xiu simply said, "An expert."
"..."
Gou Guo strangles him violently. "I know he is an expert, but I'm asking, who were you fighting!?"
"Haha…" Ye Xiu just laughed, which further annoyed her. Seeing the sudden change in mood, he immediately raised his hand in surrender and said, "Boss, I have no idea…"
"Really?" She didn't believe him but reluctantly let go, still her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Yes…" Ye Xiu just smiled and continued looking at the screen; Ron had already left the room. "In fact, should you be the one to know him instead?" he said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, that guy entered the cafe and challenged me. I thought you knew him since he is a customer here," he said.
Gou Guo cast a disdainful glare at Ye Xiu. "Would you remember every single piece of bread you have eaten?" she asked.
Ye Xiu, being Ye Xiu, simply said, "Of course you would, if you only eat a single brand of bread all this time."
"This guy…" Guo Guo wants to be angry, but after thinking he is intentionally doing it, she tries to control herself. *It's not worth it...*
Meanwhile, Tang Rou was laughing on the sidelines. Listening to Guo Guo's praise, her interest was aroused. This girl hasn't learned her lesson yet.
"The guy you fought… was he good?" Tang Rou asked.
Ye Xiu only smiled at her and said, "He was a little bit worse than me," then shifted his gaze behind the approaching figure. "Oh, he is coming now."
The two turn around and notice Tang Ron in eSports wear. Guo Guo's first impression was, *This guy is probably a pro player like Ye Xiu and came out of retirement?* She couldn't see his face, so Guo Guo was uncertain.
Tang Rou, on the other hand, was thrilled, although she lost to Ye Xiu and couldn't win against him. There's another strong opponent here; her instincts basically scream, "Challenge him."
Ron just walked past the two ladies and handed 100 yuan to Ye Xiu. "That was an impressive match," he said, offering a handshake.
Ye Xiu gladly receives the money; compared to fighting a noob like Tang Rou, fighting him gives the satisfaction of an actual battle, which makes the money worth it.
"You played well," he said, received the money, and accepted the handshake.
Ron just nodded, and when he was about to head back, he was stopped by Tang Rou.
Little Tang observes him from head to toe; he gives a strange familiar feeling, but she couldn't put her head into it. Still, fighting was the most important thing right now.
"Do you have time?" she asked.
Ron simply nodded. For him her thoughts are obvious; no matter which place he goes, there's always someone asking him to compare notes. Sometimes it was him. Over time, Ron became accustomed to it. For him this is just another day, but for Tang Rou it's an opponent she must crush.
"Then, can you go to the arena with me?" she asked.
"Okay…" he said, "create a room, and then I will head into the second floor."
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble," Tang Rou said with a polite smile.
Ron just gives a nod. While Tang Rou logs in on her previous spot, Chen Guo observes Ron. According to Ye Xiu, he was a customer, but it's her first time seeing him.
"Hey, are you new in this area?" Chen Guo asked. It wasn't a random question; she was trying to see if this person was a new recruit in Excellent Era (a trainee) and just happened to visit her cafe.
"Yes… I just happened to pass by," he replies.
Chen Guo looks at him in amazement. She thought, "I knew it!" He is definitely a recruit in Excellent Era; that's the only explanation.
"Which area are you using a computer in?" she asked.
"I'm in area B on the second floor," he answered.
*Second floor? If he plays on that, I wouldn't be able to watch.* She thought of something. Then, Guo Guo taps his shoulder lightly, "Do you mind playing here?"
"I guess I don't…" he said.
"Then you can play next to Tang Rou!" she shouted; inwardly, she's also cheering, *"Yes, I can take a closer look at a pro player in action."*
Although Ye Xiu was already retired, he was also in the pro scene and incredibly good. Now this kid can fight him close and is just starting in the pro scene? How good will he be in the future? Definitely worth cultivating!
Oblivious to her thoughts, Ron just asked. "Really? I already registered on the second floor; is it alright?"
"Of course! I'm the boss here!" she stated proudly, puffing her chest.
Ron's eyes just move behind her, meeting Ye Xiu's gaze. Seeing him nod in approval, he reluctantly agreed. "Okay…"
Tang Rou could also hear the conversation; she took the initiative to open the computer next to her. She turns around and taps the seat. "Here, I take care of it for you," she says, smiling.
"Okay. Thanks…" Ron said and sat down next to her.
"I created the room; you can join now," Tang Rou said, informing him.
"Okay…"
Seeing the fight about to start, Ye Xiu and Chen Guo stand behind them.
Still, unable to hold back her curiosity, Chen Guo asked Ye Xiu. "Hey, who do you think will win?"
Ye Xiu stared at her, like looking at an idiot. *Didn't you already have an answer?* Still, he gives her some face. "He will win, and it's likely less than 10 seconds.
Although she has some thoughts. Chen Guo was shocked. "Less than 10 seconds!? How is that possible?" she asked, but Ye Xiu didn't give her an answer. She just clicked her tongue and watched the match.
The map they chose was the same as the previous map.
This is the heavenly domain battle arena, a free field where the stats wouldn't be restricted.
Compared to before, Ron's character was fully equipped. This was the moment Ye Xiu was waiting for, just as he suspected. The No Name character was wearing a set of silver equipment, and it's a stamina type.
Ye Xiu's analysis was accurate; the reason why Ron didn't equip himself with armor was because he doesn't have any spare low-level, and they are fighting at a fixed field; now he's at the free field. His equipment was on display. Everything was silver; for now only he notices this, and Guo Guo didn't. What was odd was the dagger he was holding.
"Are you ready? Or do you want to add a bet?" Tang Rou asked.
"No need. I'm not short on money," he said.
"Okay, then."
Tang Rou attacked first; since she doesn't have any account, she borrowed the Chasing Haze from Guo Guo. Which turns out to be the biggest mistake of her life. A launcher and assassin in a small map where there's no place to hide and restricted maneuver? Clearly an idiotic choice for Tang Rou. Being a noob, no one said anything against her.
Tang Rou uses aerial fire as a starter, shooting bullets at Ron while using the recoil to put some distance between them.
Ron could dodge attacks on the level of Ye Xiu; if he failed to avoid this basic shooting from a noob, he would be a laughingstock. As usual, he just sidestepped, avoiding the bullet. Tang Rou wasn't fazed by this.
In fact, she would be surprised if he got taken down by it.
To keep him under control, Tang Rou fired a heat-seeking missile, followed up by a grenade to the area where he could land the best according to her analysis.
Contrary to her thoughts, Ron didn't move; instead, he used assassin skills to hit the missile, altering its trajectory before rushing forward. The missile exploded close to Ron; it did some damage, but that didn't matter. The thing is he used the knockback effect to boost his character forward.
"What?"
Tang Rou was taken by surprise; she didn't expect this type of microing skill. It was the first time for her. She was also aware that letting the assassin close could be deadly, but her hands were uncoordinated, and her decision-making was so bad. Instead, she makes things worse. She uses aerial fire to distance her character; this can be used nonstop, but it can only fly at low velocity.
Ron didn't miss any opportunity available; he used to shake his character, avoiding the incoming bullets. It's an actual move called Z-shake, followed up by Shadow Steps to confuse Tang Rou, then activated Shadow Clone to blink. It happened so fast only Ye Xiu could keep up.
Five identical characters appear, each showing a hand sign. That's the speed of his APM; the shadow steps imitate his clone state. Now Tang Rou couldn't identify which was real and fake; she couldn't process which skill she used and what it does. Being in a daze, Tang Rou didn't notice that Ron was already on her side with an active skill, Vital Strike!
It's an instant kill skill, where he could identify the vital spots on Chasing Haze (target). In exchange for life, he would deal damage; now that his character was equipped with silver weapons and stamina-type equipment, Chasing Haze was as good as dead.
Tang Rou picked the wrong opponent, in the wrong place at the wrong time. The battle was basically over before it could even start.
Seeing the Glory Loss logo on her screen, Tang Rou was dumbfounded. "What just happened?"