Will Liu Hao Give a Reminder?

"The first round of the match has begun, and the first players to take the stage are... Sun Xiang and Yang Cong!!" Pan Lin exclaimed in surprise, turning to his co-commentator, Li Yibo. "Coach Li, it's unusual for the team captains to appear in the first round of the match, isn't it?"

"It certainly is unusual because, generally, team captains prefer to appear last in a match to secure their team's position. But here, both captains are appearing in the first round. Could it be that they're aiming for a 'one versus three' achievement?"

...

As the two commentators chatted, the match had already begun.

Yang Cong surprisingly didn't use the stealth tactics typical of an assassin; instead of positioning himself for a sneak attack, he charged directly toward the centre of the map. The characters from both teams met head-on in the middle!

Sun Xiang, seeing nothing unusual, directly controlled One Autumn Leaf to charge forward. But Liu Hao, watching from below, frowned.

Yang Cong is a seasoned player. His abandonment of the low-margin-for-error strategy proves his steadiness. Logically, Yang Cong should have used tactical positioning to seek opportunities for a sneak attack... Sure enough, even though 301 Degrees was down 0-3 at the start, they still chose to target Sun Xiang with a tactical strategy.

"Sun Xiang is going to go for a one-versus-three," Liu Hao said calmly.

"No way! It's just the beginning, and 301 Degrees isn't weak, right? Even if Sun Xiang is a Rookie King, there's no way he could pull off a one-versus-three!" Shen Jian was sceptical.

The rest of the team also shook their heads in doubt.

Su Mucheng didn't think Liu Hao was just talking nonsense. After pondering for a moment, she couldn't see how Sun Xiang could achieve a one-versus-three.

Even if Sun Xiang managed to defeat Yang Cong, how could he possibly defeat Xu Bin next? Both of these players are core members of 301 Degrees.

"Liu Hao, why do you think Sun Xiang can go for a one-versus-three?" Su Mucheng voiced her confusion.

Liu Hao looked at Su Mucheng in surprise, feigning astonishment. "Wow, our Chief Su is actually asking me a question?"

"Stop being annoying and just tell me!" Su Mucheng snapped, clearly irritated.

Liu Hao chuckled. "Is this the attitude of a student seeking knowledge? I remember that Chief Su graduated from high school, so you must have studied the classical essay 'Encouraging Learning,' right?"

Su Mucheng unconsciously clenched her fist, trying to remain calm as she replied sweetly, "Well then, I humbly seek advice from our vice-captain. Why do you think Sun Xiang can pull off a one-versus-three?"

"I like your tone, but I don't appreciate the phrase 'humbly seek advice,'" Liu Hao said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Just say it!" Su Mucheng urged, holding back the urge to punch him.

"Alright, alright. Actually, this match is completely 301 Degrees' strategy!"

"What strategy? Isn't the goal of any strategy to win? Why would they let Sun Xiang go for a one-versus-three?" Su Mucheng didn't understand, and neither did anyone else.

"The reason is simple. Do you all know the dangers of losing control of one's hand speed?"

The team members looked at each other, nodding. Su Mucheng replied, "Ye Qiu once told me that faster hand speed isn't always better. The higher the hand speed, the greater the chance of losing control. And once hand speed is lost, it can lead to mistakes in teamwork, affecting the entire team."

"Exactly! 301 Degrees is counting on this. Sun Xiang is young and hot-headed, with weak emotional control. If Yang Cong provokes him, Sun Xiang will subconsciously increase his hand speed, aiming to take him down."

Liu Hao's explanation stopped there, but it was enough for the team to grasp 301 Degrees' strategy. They immediately began to worry for Sun Xiang.

Although the team didn't particularly like Sun Xiang, he was still a member of their team, and they naturally didn't want their team to lose.

"What do we do then?" Su Mucheng frowned. "The boss has asked us to build our strategy around Sun Xiang, but if Sun Xiang increases his hand speed and loses control, our team coordination will inevitably suffer."

Liu Hao looked at Su Mucheng with an expression that suggested she was missing something obvious.

Feeling strange under his gaze, Su Mucheng's face started to flush. "What...what are you looking at? Did I say something wrong?"

Liu Hao nodded. "You're right, but isn't the solution quite obvious?"

"Huh? Is it? What's the solution?" Su Mucheng asked.

Liu Hao smirked, gently pressing down on Su Mucheng's head. Her hair was soft and pleasant, with a citrus scent.

Liu Hao grinned, "Why does it seem like since Ye Qiu left, our Chief Su has suddenly lost her mind? If we can see that Sun Xiang might fall into a trap, why not just remind him after the match?"

That's right! Su Mucheng suddenly realised how simple the solution was. How could she not have thought of it? It felt like missing an obvious answer on a high school exam.

Feeling the warmth of Liu Hao's hand and seeing his teasing smile, Su Mucheng's face turned red with anger. It was infuriating to be mocked for her intelligence by someone she disliked. "Liu Hao, I-I-I... I actually thought of that earlier!"

Liu Hao looked into Su Mucheng's evasive eyes and laughed, "Is that so? Of course, I believe you, Chief Su."

Su Mucheng's face turned even redder as she continued to stubbornly insist, "I really thought of it earlier!"

"I believe you!" Liu Hao withdrew his hand from her head and sat up straight, returning his focus to the match.

Seeing Liu Hao's mocking smile, Su Mucheng knew he didn't believe her at all, and she sulked in silence.

The other team members saw this interaction and didn't dare interrupt. They whispered among themselves, "Hey, He Ming, have you noticed that since Captain Ye Qiu left, Brother Hao and Su Mucheng seem to be getting along better?"

"Yeah, I noticed, too. Before, when Brother Hao would ruffle Su Mucheng's hair, she'd always stop him, but this time, she didn't push his hand away!"

As professional players, their hearing was sharp. Despite the two whisperings, both Liu Hao and Su Mucheng overheard them. Liu Hao simply smiled and ignored it, while Su Mucheng suddenly turned around, her expression furious, glaring at Wang Ze and He Ming like a Medusa turning them to stone.

...

"One Autumn Leaf's V-shaped Sky Strike—what a dazzling move! Scene Killer dodges it with a back jump and counters with an Arc Flash!"

"It hits... What?!! Sun Xiang's swift reaction actually blocked the Arc Flash with a Dragon Tooth! Unbelievable!"

The audience members couldn't help but gape in awe at Sun Xiang's performance, thinking that his talent might not be much weaker than that of God Ye Qiu!

...

"Ah, youth is truly youthful!" Ye Qiu suddenly remarked. "I used to be able to unleash my hand speed without a care, but now I'm old enough to have to control it and worry about post-match recovery."

Chen Guo gave Ye Qiu a sideways glance, internally wondering how he could talk like a legendary player when he hadn't even been on the field. Someone who didn't know better might think he was the great Ye Qiu himself.

...

Sun Xiang, pleased with his successful move, immediately launched a counterattack.

After Dragon Tooth hit, it produced an attribute-less Radiant Crescent. One Autumn Leaf launched it, but Scene Killer easily evaded it. The Radiant Crescent, a unique mechanism of Battle Mages, increases movement speed and grants an additional speed boost upon hitting. However, Scene Killer evaded it effortlessly, frustrating Sun Xiang.

Crashing Blow! Missed! 

Triple Strike! Missed! 

Round Dance! Missed!

Scene Killer, like an elegant dancer, dodged three of One Autumn Leaf's skills in close combat with swift hand speed.

Sun Xiang's face visibly darkened, and his hand speed subconsciously increased.

Sensing One Autumn Leaf's increasingly aggressive attacks, Yang Cong felt a surge of joy: "Sun Xiang fell into the trap!"

"No wonder he's Glory's number one assassin; his movement is practically an art!" Liu Hao couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration, growing more eager to get his hands on Yang Cong's assassin techniques.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?" Su Mucheng demanded.

"Hehe, what I actually meant to say is that Sun Xiang has fallen into a trap. Has Chief Su noticed it yet?" Liu Hao raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph!" Su Mucheng tossed her head proudly, ignoring Liu Hao.

...

After Sun Xiang increased his hand speed, despite Yang Cong's movements remaining highly impressive under the fierce assault, he still inevitably got hit by a few skills, and his health gradually deteriorated.

The members of Jia Shi were all focused on Sun Xiang's skyrocketing hand speed while other spectators marvelled at the growing synergy between Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf.

Since Sun Xiang's One Autumn Leaf was able to suppress Yang Cong so effectively, didn't it prove that Sun Xiang and One Autumn Leaf had reached a perfect level of coordination?

"God Ye handing over One Autumn Leaf to Sun Xiang doesn't seem like such a bad decision after all," a Jia Shi fan remarked.

Out of nowhere, someone shouted, "The Battle God is still here!" and the scene erupted in excitement.

The atmosphere in the Xingxin Internet Cafe was also infected by Sun Xiang's overwhelming momentum, with everyone shouting and cheering for Sun Xiang. Even Chen Guo couldn't help but start rooting for One Autumn Leaf.

Only Ye Qiu's face was full of helplessness. As the saying goes, "Amateurs watch the fun, while professionals watch the strategy." He had already noticed something off about Sun Xiang's hand speed.

Sun Xiang's hand speed was too fast, unnaturally so. This was only the first round of the ring match, and his hand speed had already soared so high, which meant that in the following rounds, Sun Xiang would definitely not voluntarily slow down.

"Yang Cong is still cunning, effortlessly raising Sun Xiang's hand speed," Ye Qiu sighed.

As Scene Killer fell under One Autumn Leaf's spear, the atmosphere in the arena reached its peak, with screams, cheers, and applause echoing endlessly.

"Sun Xiang won!" a fan in the Xingxin Internet Cafe shouted, his eyes already red with excitement.

"It's just a win in one match; is it really worth getting this excited?" Ye Qiu asked in confusion.

Hearing this, Chen Guo unhappily slapped Ye Qiu on the back and explained, "Don't say that. This isn't just a simple victory; Sun Xiang defeating Yang Cong gives all Jia Shi fans hope. None of us want to see One Autumn Leaf fall into obscurity like Dazzling Hundred Blossoms and Falling Flowers in Disarray. He shouldn't be without a worthy successor."

"Heh, Falling Flowers in Disarray might have no successor, but the successor of Dazzling Hundred Blossoms, Zou Yuan, is still excellent," Ye Qiu retorted.

"What I mean is that Jia Shi's fans have recognised Sun Xiang's performance!" Chen Guo smiled. "Why can't you ever focus on the main point?"

Chen Guo didn't realise that her words had unknowingly stabbed Ye Qiu right in the heart.

Ye Qiu couldn't help but feel a bit sad. He actually hoped that Sun Xiang could perform well and gain the audience's approval. But after all, One Autumn Leaf was his first account card; it was he who brought One Autumn Leaf into the Glory League.

This feeling was strange. One Autumn Leaf was like Ye Qiu's own child. He wanted his child to succeed but didn't want the one nurturing his child to be a stepfather.

After the first round of the ring match, One Autumn Leaf's health had barely dropped by a third!

Yang Cong was still Glory's number one assassin, and even if his talent and operational skills were inferior to Sun Xiang's, the numbers shouldn't have been this bad!

Ye Qiu smelled a conspiracy.

The second player from 301 Degrees soon entered the stage but was quickly defeated, unable to last even three minutes against Sun Xiang.

When Ye Qiu noticed the third player from 301 Degrees stepping onto the stage, his eyebrows knitted into a "川" shape.

Xu Bin! The third player from 301 Degrees was Xu Bin!

Ye Qiu understood 301 Degrees' strategy: After defeating Scene Killer, One Autumn Leaf still had two-thirds of his health remaining, so Sun Xiang would strive to achieve a triple kill, maintaining his high hand speed!

301 Degrees wanted to cause Sun Xiang to lose control of his hand speed, leading to mistakes in the team match!

Ye Qiu's heart sank, but then he remembered that Jia Shi still had Liu Hao, and his emotions calmed down, "Mucheng isn't good at tactics, so she might not notice 301 Degrees' plan, but Liu Hao should definitely see through it and warn Sun Xiang..."

Ye Qiu fell silent for a moment, his brows unconsciously furrowing again. "Liu Hao will warn Sun Xiang, right?"

Suddenly, Ye Qiu wasn't so sure anymore. Liu Hao had been willing to sabotage him for the MVP title, so it wouldn't be a big deal for him to sabotage Sun Xiang...

...

Xu Bin from 301 Degrees took the stage. Xu Bin was also a well-known player, not because he played exceptionally well but because his playstyle disgusted the audience.

In one word, he was a "grinder"! Extremely grinding. A typical 1v1 match usually lasts 4-6 minutes, at most 8 minutes, if it becomes a stalemate. But every time Xu Bin competed in a solo game, it would drag on for over ten minutes, torturing not only his opponents but also the audience.

That's why Xu Bin earned the nickname "Grind King."

The audience had high hopes for Sun Xiang. One Autumn Leaf still had about half of his health left. Although his mana was low, the chances of him killing Xu Bin were relatively high.

As expected, at the beginning of the match, Xu Bin turtled up behind his massive shield, playing a defensive game.

Sun Xiang charged forward, his hand speed surging, but he couldn't break Xu Bin's defence! At that moment, even Sun Xiang was close to losing his cool.

"If you know you're going to lose, can't you fight like a man?" Sun Xiang cursed angrily.

But Xu Bin ignored Sun Xiang's anger and continued to play the "turtle."

...

After over ten minutes, Sun Xiang finally defeated Xu Bin, completing a triple kill and winning the ring match.

Sun Xiang's forehead was covered in sweat, and his fingers trembled slightly, but the joy of the triple kill made him completely ignore the fatigue.

(End of Chapter)