The duration of the Treasure Chest Battle was 20 minutes. When Ye Shaoyang returned to the Red Team's spawn point, the time was exactly 19 minutes, with 1 minute remaining until the end.
However, even if the Yellow and Blue teams respawned and rushed over, they could do nothing to him.
Above Ye Shaoyang's head were the golden characters [Treasure Chest × 85]. The 5 members of the Yellow Team and the 5 members of the Blue Team who had rushed over after respawning stood not far away, watching this final boss.
They could only watch helplessly as he monopolized 85 treasure chests, unable to kill him. This was the most infuriating part!
No matter how the Yellow and Blue teams fought, their treasure chests could not exceed 85. This round was a guaranteed loss.
As the match time froze at 20 minutes, the final results appeared on the big screen.
First Place: Red Team, Treasure Chests × 85;
Second Place: Yellow Team, Treasure Chests × 65;
Third Place: Blue Team, Treasure Chests × 0.
There were a total of 160 treasure chests in a match. Everyone didn't have time to pick up all the chests dropped randomly in the last wave, and the Baron at the Blue Team's doorstep wasn't killed either. Therefore, the total count was only 150.
The Blue Team had been leading from the start, but in the end, they were ambushed by the Red Team in the last wave, losing all their treasure chests instantly.
Pitifully, they were shaved clean.
Yao Mu suppressed her laughter and said, "Congratulations to the Red Team for winning the Treasure Chest Battle!"
Brother Dong praised, "The Red Team's tactics were truly unexpected. After being wiped out once in the early game, they learned to hide their light and nurture in the dark, not participating in the fight for treasure chests and ranking last to lower their own aggro."
"In the late game, when the Blue and Yellow teams were fighting fiercely for treasure chests, the Red Team maintained an attitude of it being none of their business. Until the last wave of Barons refreshed, they calculated the number of treasure chests accurately, launched a sudden ambush, wiped out the Blue Team, snatched all of the Blue Team's treasure chests, instantly turning the tables and reversing the battle situation!"
"Let's give applause to the Red Team, and also thank the Blue and Yellow teams for their participation!"
Applause thundered from the audience.
Ye Shaoyang took off his headphones, and the teammates sitting beside him gave him a thumbs up. Zhao Xin'an couldn't help but slap his thigh: "Beautiful! Xiao Bai commanded very well; I finally don't have to perform."
The players of the Blue and Yellow teams also took off their headphones and stood up, looking rather helpless.
Yao Mu said, "Please return to the main stage, players."
Everyone stood in a row in the center of the stage again, and the 5 members of the winning Red Team were invited to the very front by Yao Mu.
Yao Mu handed the microphone to Ye Shaoyang and interviewed, "Was the Treasure Chest Battle just now commanded by Yangyang?"
Ye Shaoyang beamed: "Yes."
Yao Mu: "How did you think of this strategy of suddenly attacking to snatch treasure chests?"
Ye Shaoyang said: "Because we were at a disadvantage in the early game and lagged too far behind in the number of treasure chests. If we picked them up one by one, we definitely couldn't win, so we could only gamble. Killing the Boss at the last moment, we would become the Boss."
Yao Mu applauded and said, "This strategy is indeed effective! Congratulations to the Red Team for winning the first round of the All-Star game. We have prepared some prizes for the winning players!"
Hostesses brought the prizes to the main stage.
The prize for the winning team in the first round was the new merchandise for Season S10, a plush pillow of the hero [Forest Envoy].
Printed on the pillow was the cute little girl with twin ponytails wearing a green layered dress. As the healer with the strongest healing ability in the game, this hero was very popular and had a very high pick rate.
Ye Shaoyang grabbed the pillow and examined it carefully. This pillow was fluffy, the material was quite good, and it felt soft to the touch. Why not take it back for my cat to use as a pillow?
Xiao Bai would definitely love sleeping on this.
Thinking of this, the corners of Ye Shaoyang's mouth lifted into a smile, and he hugged the pillow tightly in his arms.
Yao Mu said, "Next, we will enter the highly anticipated punishment round. Let me read the rules of the punishment round. The Red Team, as the winning side, has the right to punish any player from the Blue and Yellow teams. As the defeated side, the Blue and Yellow teams must satisfy all conditions proposed by the Red Team players."
Hearing this, Zhao Xin'an said excitedly, "I can take revenge, hahaha."
Ye Shaoyang looked at him in confusion and asked softly, "Who do you want revenge on?"
Zhao Xin'an: "My sister, of course! I've been oppressed by her since I was little. Last year when I lost the All-Star, she was the one who designated me to dance. This time I can designate her. Hehehe, just the right justifiable reason to make her embarrass herself."
Yao Mu's voice came to their ears: "Then, next, please ask the Red Team members to use their punishment rights! Note, you can only use it on one person."
Brother Dong looked back at the 5 members of the Red Team: "Who will go first?"
Seeing Zhao Xin'an couldn't wait, Ye Shaoyang took the initiative to say, "Let Reporter Zhao go first."
Zhao Xin'an didn't decline. He took a step forward and said excitedly, "I designate the Blue Team's Zhao Xinping!"
Zhao Xinping stepped out expressionlessly and glanced coldly at her younger brother.
…That look was full of murderous intent.
Ye Shaoyang felt that Xiao Zhao would probably be dealt with after returning. He silently lit a candle for Xiao Zhao in his heart.
Zhao Xin'an said: "Sister made me dance last year. This year, why don't you also do a dance!"
Zhao Xinping raised an eyebrow: "Dance?"
Zhao Xin'an: "Correct!"
A burst of screams erupted from the audience.
Yao Mu also looked at Zhao Xinping expectantly: "Can Sister Xinping dance?"
Zhao Xinping walked to the center of the stage and said indifferently, "Anyway, I can't refuse the winner's request. Since Xiao Zhao named me, I'll just dance a bit casually." As she spoke, she tied her hair into a high ponytail behind her head and nodded to the staff below the stage: "Music teacher, please give me some music, thank you."
Rhythmic music soon rang out at the scene. Zhao Xinping walked to the center of the stage, froze for 2 seconds, found the rhythm, and immediately danced to the music.
She danced very freely. Her dance moves were crisp and neat. Hands, legs, almost every joint of her body was completely under her control. A segment of street dance was performed quite professionally.
Deafening screams erupted from the audience, mixed with voice-cracking shouts of "Sister marry me!"
Ye Shaoyang also felt that Zhao Xinping's dance was very flavorful. The moves were cool and handsome, full of explosive power, and her aura was strong. Worthy of being a female Alpha sister.
[Sister is so cool; queue here if you want to marry Sister Zhao.]
[I've always been a brainless fan of Sister Zhao; I just want to birth an e-sports team for sister~]
[Xiao Zhao danced once last year and lost 100,000 followers on Weibo; Sister Zhao danced today and gained 100,000 followers on Weibo? Hahaha, this is the gap!]
[Both surnamed Zhao, why is the gap so big?]
[Xiao Zhao's dumbfounded expression makes me die of laughter; he probably didn't expect his sister could dance too, right?]
Zhao Xin'an was indeed in a dumbfounded state at this time.
I wanted to prank her, but ended up helping her gain popularity?!
Zhao Xin'an whispered a complaint: "When did she learn to dance? How many things is she hiding from me!"
Beside him, Xie Weiyu whispered, "Yangyang, have you decided who to punish?"
Ye Shaoyang remembered that on the car ride to the venue this afternoon, Qu Jiang had said Chi Shuo sang very well. He had an idea in his heart long ago and leaned into Xie Weiyu's ear: "I choose Chi Shuo."
Xie Weiyu was very conflicted: "Then what about me? Can I give up the punishment?"
Ye Shaoyang suggested: "Why don't you call Captain Xu's name?"
Xie Weiyu said: "I don't know if he can sing or dance. Making him embarrass himself isn't very good, right?"
Ye Shaoyang smiled and said: "It's okay, the All-Star is just entertainment. Someone as generous as Captain Xu definitely won't be angry with you. You're most familiar with him, so just let him do it."
If Ye Shaoyang were on the Blue or Yellow team, Xie Weiyu would definitely ask Ye Shaoyang to perform. After all, they had a good private relationship, and he knew Yangyang was big-hearted and wouldn't mind these things.
But Captain Xu? Xie Weiyu was still a bit hesitant, after all, he was a player he respected very much.
However, he really wasn't familiar with people from other teams, so he could only bite the bullet and pick Xu Zhuo.
The host's excited voice sounded again: "Did Captain Zhao learn dance since childhood?"
Zhao Xinping said: "I didn't learn specifically. Some time ago for fitness, I just danced along with videos casually."
Yao Mu widened her eyes: "Just practiced casually and can dance so well?"
Brother Dong sighed: "Probably this is talent!"
Yao Mu smiled and said: "Thank you, Captain Zhao, for the wonderful dance brought to us!"
Applause thundered at the scene. Zhao Xinping bowed politely to the audience and turned back to the Blue Team.
Brother Dong followed up: "Next, please ask the Red Team winners to continue using their punishment rights."
Yao Mu suggested: "Who's next?"
Xie Weiyu was pushed out by Ye Shaoyang. This introverted Beta always couldn't help but be shy when facing the camera. Before speaking, his face turned slightly red first.
Brother Dong couldn't help teasing: "It's not you accepting the punishment. Don't be nervous, Xiao Yu. Who are you going to designate?"
Xie Weiyu took the microphone and stammered: "Then designate Xu… Brother Xu."
Yao Mu was stunned for a moment, realized who he was talking about, and looked back towards the Yellow Team: "Please welcome Captain Xu!"
Xu Zhuo walked over and said helplessly: "What do you want me to perform? I really can't sing or dance."
Xie Weiyu thought conflictedly for a while before saying: "How about you COS [Kung Fu Master]'s actions?"
Xu Zhuo: "…"
A burst of laughter erupted at the scene.
Kung Fu Master, a top lane hero difficult to operate in the game, was also Xu Zhuo's signature hero. This hero had quite high burst when flashing to cut the backline, and the hero's actions in the game were also very cool.
Amid the cheers of the whole venue, two staff members brought a set of clothes to the main stage.
Xu Zhuo was speechless: "Your prop team is quite prepared? Even cosplay clothes are ready-made?"
Yao Mu smiled: "Of course. If Captain Xu puts on the clothes, the performance will be a bit more realistic."
So, Xu Zhuo helplessly put on [Kung Fu Master]'s battle robe and casually took the shining big blade handed to him by the staff. The game music sounded, and [Kung Fu Master]'s hero voice line played clearly at the All-Star venue.
"In this world, no one can stop my blade."
As soon as the voice fell, Xu Zhuo shouldered the big blade and simulated the chopping action of [Kung Fu Master] in the game. He suddenly jumped forward one meter and annotated verbally: "Pretend I used Flash."
As a result, with this "human flash," the hat on his head flashed right off.
The audience on site was about to die of laughter, and Xie Weiyu was also amused by him. Xu Zhuo quickly bent down to pick up the hat and put it on properly. The shining blade in his hand chopped horizontally and hacked wildly; the combo was actually very handsome and smooth.
Obviously, he knew this hero's actions like the back of his hand.
After a segment of performance ended, Xu Zhuo changed out of the clothes and looked at Xie Weiyu: "Do I pass?"
Xie Weiyu nodded seriously: "Performed very well!"
The audience also gave warm applause to Captain Xu, who performed without regard for his image.
When it was Xie Yuan's turn, Xie Yuan called out without hesitation: "Captain Fang, come on."
Fang Zhengqing walked to the center of the stage, adjusted his glasses, and said: "We see each other all the time; have mercy."
Xie Yuan smiled squinting: "The punishment round requires a talent show. What talent do you have? You can recommend yourself."
Fang Zhengqing said: "Can raising cats count as a talent?"
Xie Yuan said: "Your cat isn't here today; how are you going to perform raising cats?"
Fang Zhengqing thought for a moment and said: "I can mimic cat meowing."
Xie Yuan looked at the audience: "Captain Fang said he wants to mimic a cat's meow. Does everyone agree?"
The audience shouted in unison: "Agree!"
Fang Zhengqing smiled, took the microphone, and began to mimic the meow of a Ragdoll cat.
"Meow meow… Meow wu…"
The kitten's milky and cute voice came from Fang Zhengqing's mouth, and the audience on site was stunned.
This is an Alpha?
Ye Shaoyang suppressed his laughter on the side. Unexpectedly, the meow of Captain Fang's cat sounds just like my Xiao Bai, sounding like a child acting spoiled.
It's really hard for Fang Zhengqing to make this kind of sound with a straight face.
[League's Poop Scooper, cat language level has reached level 10?]
[Fang Zhengqing actually can meow and act spoiled. Oh my god, my worldview is shattered~]
[Stop meowing, going to buy you canned food right now.]
[An Alpha meowing so soulfully, I suspect his soul has been possessed.]
[This counts as a talent show too? I can do it if I go up; I can mimic dog barking [DogHead.jpg]]
[Yuan Yuan is just saving him face. Otherwise, if Fang Zhengqing sang, he could scare away 500,000 followers.]
[Does Fang Zhengqing sing out of tune?]
[He can't find the tune and can't remember the lyrics. He can sing every song into a unique original song~]
Netizens in the livestream room were teasing, and Fang Zhengqing's brainwashing cat meowing finally ended.
Yao Mu gave him applause, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and didn't make things difficult for him, letting him go back.
In the Red Team, only Chen Qianhua and Ye Shaoyang hadn't used their punishment rights.
Ye Shaoyang let Chen Qianhua go first. Only Chen Qianhua from Team Binghun entered the All-Star this year. He couldn't pick a teammate to accept punishment. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and said: "I'll pick Sean. Let our international friend participate too."
Sean didn't expect to be named suddenly. He stood out with a confused face, pointing at his nose: "Me? I don't know other talents; singing and dancing are both no good. Can I say a tongue twister for everyone? Just learned it."
Chen Qianhua said: "Sure."
Sean picked up the microphone, cleared his throat, and immediately began to recite the tongue twister seriously: "Si shi si, shi shi shi, shi si shi shi si, si shi shi si shi, mo ba si zi shuo cheng shi, mo jiang shi zi shuo cheng si…" (Four is four, ten is ten, fourteen is fourteen, forty is forty…)
At first, he could still distinguish clearly. When reading the second sentence, he confused himself. "Si," "shi," "shi" became a mess in his mouth, and his tongue almost rolled into a ball.
The audience watching the livestream was about to die of laughter.
[Sean performing for us on the spot: Split Apart.]
[Four and ten, can't tell them apart stupidly. This must have been taught by Xiao Zhao.]
[Sean, is your tongue okay? Don't make it difficult for your tongue anymore.]
[Recited well, don't recite next time.]
Sean also knew he read several wrong. He scratched his head and said: "I did my best."
Yao Mu took the initiative to smooth things over: "Sean's Chinese is already good enough. Let's give applause to Sean who works hard to learn Chinese!"
Sean pressed his palms together and bowed to the audience seats, quickly retreating.
In the Red Team, only Ye Shaoyang hadn't used his punishment rights. Yao Mu handed the microphone to him and asked: "Lieyang, it's your turn. Who is the person you want to punish?"
Ye Shaoyang looked towards the Blue Team's direction and said without hesitation: "Captain Chi."
Chi Shuo wasn't surprised, and his expression was also very calm when walking to the center of the stage.
Ye Shaoyang said: "How about singing a song for everyone? I heard Captain Chi sings quite nicely?"
Chi Shuo was silent for a moment, nodded, and said: "Okay."
Yao Mu asked proactively: "What song does Captain Chi want to sing?"
Chi Shuo said: "«Irreplaceable». Trouble the teacher to give the accompaniment."
The on-site music teacher quickly found the accompaniment for this song and played it.
The sound effect at the All-Star venue was quite good; after all, it was the venue for the grand finals, and the equipment was top-notch.
Ye Shaoyang hadn't heard the song «Irreplaceable» that Chi Shuo wanted to sing. After transmigrating to this world, he spent most of his time in team training and didn't pay much attention to popular songs and TV dramas on the internet.
But judging from the prelude, it shouldn't be a song from his original world.
This was his first time hearing Chi Shuo sing. Ye Shaoyang looked at Chi Shuo full of anticipation.
Chi Shuo stood in the middle of the stage holding the microphone. The surroundings went completely dark, and a spotlight projected onto him, as if plating a layer of soft light around his body.
The prelude was very soothing, a very pleasant piano accompaniment, fresh and ethereal. After the prelude ended, Chi Shuo's deep voice slowly cut in, sliding past the ears of the audience through the amplification of the microphone.
The day I first met you
The sunlight was dazzling
Your smile warmed the world
My heart leaped for you
…
Later I finally discovered
With you by my side
Every day is like a sunny day
…
Even if time flows away and looks fade
In the bottom of my heart
You are forever irreplaceable
Chi Shuo's voice was originally a somewhat cold male god voice. But today, when he sang, his expression was very devoted, his voice deliberately lowered, as if gently whispering his heartfelt feelings into his lover's ear.
Coldness was no more; instead, it revealed a tenderness that struck directly at the heart.
When singing the line "In the bottom of my heart, you are forever irreplaceable," Chi Shuo's gaze suddenly looked towards Ye Shaoyang, seemingly unintentionally.
Ye Shaoyang stood on the side of the stage, coincidentally close to a camera position. That glance Chi Shuo gave him lasted less than 1 second, fleeting and almost impossible to capture.
From the audience's perspective, Chi Shuo was just looking in the direction of the camera. Since he looked at the camera, what the livestream big screen captured was also Chi Shuo's full face.
No one knew that Ye Shaoyang happened to be standing in that patch of darkness on the stage.
Their gazes met from afar.
Ye Shaoyang's heart felt like it was struck hard by something, trembling violently.
As a player with S-rank evaluations in all talent tests, Ye Shaoyang's dynamic visual capture ability was outstanding. Although they only made eye contact for less than 1 second, in that moment their gazes met, Ye Shaoyang was certain that Chi Shuo was looking at him.
Was it a coincidence?
Looking at him right when singing the line "You are irreplaceable"?
Why did Chi Shuo suddenly look at him?
Ye Shaoyang didn't hear clearly what Chi Shuo sang next at all.
Chi Shuo's line "In the bottom of my heart, you are forever irreplaceable" echoed repeatedly in his mind.
Compared to straightforward love songs like "I love you," the lyrics of «Irreplaceable» were actually written relatively implicitly, describing the ignorant, raw, yet pure sentiments of a boy experiencing first love.
It sounded very nice when Chi Shuo sang it, simply striking directly at the heart.
Ye Shaoyang heard the sound of his own heart beating violently. He froze there, his mind in a mess.
Could it be that Chi Shuo likes him? He had always regarded Chi Shuo as a comrade-in-arms, a brother. Although Chi Shuo had marked him a few times due to the suppressant, that was out of necessity.
In that situation, Chi Shuo was the only trustworthy Alpha around. He asked Chi Shuo for help, and Chi Shuo, considering the team, reluctantly marked him.
Ye Shaoyang knew his actions were scummy, letting Captain Chi have an intimate relationship with him, but he didn't do it on purpose. He couldn't help his constitution being allergic to suppressants, not to mention he didn't understand the significance of marking at all back then!
The two had made it very clear some time ago that competition was the priority.
Could it be that while marking, Captain Chi developed feelings for him? No way!
The more Ye Shaoyang thought about it, the more his head hurt.
Maybe I'm just overthinking it? Looking at me once while singing doesn't mean anything, right?
The hundreds of thousands of spectators in the entire venue were silent. Chi Shuo's voice was infinitely amplified by the microphone.
Clear lyrics flowed slowly by the audience's ears.
"Even if time flows away and looks fade
In the bottom of my heart
You are forever irreplaceable."
The chorus part repeated several times.
The tune of this song was inherently gentle and soothing, not difficult to sing. Chi Shuo sang very seriously from beginning to end, didn't go off-key, and his breathing wasn't disordered at all, almost comparable to a professional singer's live concert.
It wasn't until the song ended that the audience below the stage finally reacted.
Deafening screams and applause erupted at the scene.
Ye Shaoyang snapped back to reality, quickly did a "human flash" side-step, and by the time the lights on the big stage lit up, he had already run between Xie Weiyu and Chen Qianhua, standing straight pretending to be calm, and applauding with the people around him.
Yao Mu said excitedly: "Thank you, Captain Chi, for bringing us this song «Irreplaceable»! Didn't expect Captain Chi to be hiding his light under a bushel; singing is actually so nice?"
Brother Dong joked: "Not considering becoming a singer?"
Chi Shuo said: "I learned singing from my mother when I was little. My favorite is still e-sports. Never considered being a singer; my level isn't enough to be seen in front of professional singers."
Yao Mu asked curiously: "Is this song «Irreplaceable» sung for a specific person?"
Chi Shuo said calmly: "Just a song picked casually. There aren't many songs I can sing to begin with."
Brother Dong said: "Okay, let's give applause to Captain Chi again!"
Applause thundered below the stage, and the bullet screen in the livestream room was packed densely—
[Sang well, sing another one next time!]
[I've already clipped this part as an alarm.]
[To be honest, Chi Shuo sings really nicely; not going off-key live is not easy.]
[Not worse than the original singer!]
[Today's punishment round, Sister Zhao opened with dance, Captain Chi closed with singing, and the middle was responsible for comedy?]
[The talent representatives of e-sports players are Zhao Xinping and Chi Shuo!]
[Actually, I was looking forward to Yangyang performing talent~]
Meanwhile, in the #SunAndMoonShineTogether# Super Topic area, CP fans were going crazy over the sweetness.
[Captain Chi's song was obviously sung for Yangyang, right?]
[Irreplaceable, Yangyang's status in Captain Chi's heart is irreplaceable!]
[He can't say openly that it's for Lieyang, but I think it's very obvious; those who understand, understand.]
[Has Yangyang, this blockhead, understood or not?]
Ye Shaoyang, called "blockhead" by CP fans, was currently standing between Xie Weiyu and Chen Qianhua, smiling and applauding vigorously.
Chi Shuo returned to the Blue Team and turned to look at Ye Shaoyang, only to find that Yangyang was avoiding his gaze.
Just now, at the climax of the song, he subconsciously looked at Ye Shaoyang. Although the surroundings of the stage were dark, he knew Ye Shaoyang was right there.
Their gazes met. Chi Shuo stood under the spotlight, and Ye Shaoyang stood in the shadows, but they indeed saw each other. If not for so many players and spectators around, Chi Shuo really wanted to go up and hug that person tightly.
But Chi Shuo didn't do that. He quickly controlled his emotions and looked away.
Yao Mu asked him if this song was sung for a specific person?
Of course, it was sung for Shaoyang to hear. But he couldn't say it directly. He perfunctorily passed it off as "a song picked casually" to avoid the media writing nonsense. Otherwise, Tianhuan's PR team would have a headache, and Master would also scold him for being insensible.
Now was not the time for a public confession.
One day, he would personally tell Ye Shaoyang the words in his heart—
You are my irreplaceable.
And the beloved I have decided to spend my life with.