Glory [e-sports]
Chapter 22: Was this person that Close had taken a liking to an ancestor or a top-laner?!

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & juurensha

After getting in the car, Wei Xiao was still not at ease, “You really don’t have to bring the dog, Soybean can take care of himself.”

Lu Feng: “You don’t take it out often?”

Wei Xiao was addicted to gaming. He basically wished he could spend 48 hours a day playing ranked games; how could he have time to walk his dog outside?

Lu Feng: “Huskies are full of energy. If you don’t want him to wreck the house, you should take him out to run five kilometers a day.”

Wei Xiao: “???”

Lu Feng: “Or eight kilometers.”

Wei Xiao was silent for three seconds, “No need, no need. With that amount of effort, I might as well stew it and eat dog meat hotpot.”

Five kilometers, eight kilometers?

In the heart of a shut-in, even 100 meters was like the distance between heaven and earth!

Lu Feng looked at him through the rearview mirror, “I can do it.”

Wei Xiao: “Ah?”

Lu Feng spoke casually, “There’s no difference between running by myself or with a dog.”

Wei Xiao: “!”

What are you talking about? How can I ask you to run with my dog?

Yet at this time, the husky even let out a fascinated ‘Ao’.

Wei Xiao laughed dryly, “Cough, the FTW base is so big. You can consider raising a dog or something.”

Lu Feng: “Mm.”

Wei Xiao was worried that his next sentence would be ‘How about you leave Soybean there?’.

Although he scolded this doggy son all day long, there was true love between him and Soybean. He would cry if he didn’t have him and cry very loudly at that!

“Oh, right.” Wei Xiao quickly changed the topic, “Has the list of names for the training match been settled?”

He seemed to be asking casually, but it was something that Wei Xiao had on his mind, was curious about, and really wanted to know.

Lu Feng: “It’s settled.”

Wei Xiao’s heart clenched, “I heard Old Bai say that you have your eye on a top-lane player?”

Lu Feng held the steering wheel in a one-handed grip. He didn’t even blink, “Yes.”

Wei Xiao stroked the dog’s fur, “Who is it? Is it from FTW’s second team? Or is it someone who just got listed?”

The off season was also the transfer period. Glory had had mature team management processes for many years now. After the global finals, the players in the sixteen competition zones could consider whether or not they wanted to list themselves based on their existing contracts. As long as they were listed, other clubs could bid, and they would join the highest bidder. It was considered a fair process.

Wei Xiao thought through all the top-lane players who were on the listing, but he couldn’t think of who it could be.

A lot of data emperor and analysis emperor insiders had said that this year was the year for the rise of the China competition zone, and it wasn’t an unreasonable statement to make.

After one year of training, the batch of players that included Moonlit and Eurostar had found their footing. There were also some amazing talents like Asleep. Even Little Ning, who’d been signed by FTW at a high price, was a talented player who could only be found by chance.

It was precisely because several seed teams had gradually already taken shape that this listing period was relatively lackluster.

If the teams worked well together, then players wouldn’t be willing to leave their team. Regarding money, it was more of a number; everyone paid more attention to the results.

Winning the championship was like a big stone of pressure pressing down in the hearts of countless Chinese contestants.

Not only for FTW. The China competition zone had 16 active teams, and there wasn’t a single one who didn’t want redemption or want to regain glory for their country!

With this in mind, Wei Xiao really didn’t feel that any of the listed players were appropriate. In that case…

Who exactly was Lu Feng interested in?

Lu Feng spoke calmly, “Neither.”

Wei Xiao was startled, “A newcomer?!”

Lu Feng didn’t say anything.

Wei Xiao was shocked, “Will that be okay? One Ning Zhehan is already quite risky, will you guys be able to hold up with another one? Besides, other than Little Ning, there weren’t any outstanding players in this year’s youth training camp…”

FTW was going to overturn like this!

China’s competition zone was surrounded by tigers and wolves this year. Polaris was on the rise, but FTW was planning to introduce two newcomers with no competition experience at this time…

It was going to be a big deal!

So what if there was Lu Feng there to cover for them?

5v5 matches placed great importance on the entire team. In the professional arena, the five people must be twisted together into a metal barrel. If any gaps could be found, they would be pried open further and exploited by their opponents until they were defeated.

Although FTW always did a round tour for the international championships, for better or worse, they were still the domestic competition champions.

If they couldn’t even take the domestic championship this time…

As a die-hard loyal FTW fan, Wei Xiao’s dedicated professional heart exploded.

“That’s too risky!” Wei Xiao’s voice had risen up slightly.

Lu Feng focused on driving. “He’s excellent.”

When he heard these words, not only did Wei Xiao’s heart explode, it also collapsed, “How excellent are they?”

F*ck, exactly which newcomer was this that could actually get such a high evaluation from Close?!

Lu Feng paused for a moment, then spoke steadily, “They have a strong personal ability…”

Wei Xiao interrupted him, “Could they be better than…” He originally wanted to say, could they be better than me, but when he thought about it, those words didn’t seem right, and he hurriedly stopped himself. He switched to, “Could they be better than you?”

Lu Feng laughed briefly, “Hard to say.”

Wei Xiao: “……”

Lu Feng: “He’s young and inexperienced, but his future is promising.”

Wei Xiao: “………………”

The husky felt a sting of pain from having its fur pulled, “Arooo~”

Wei Xiao hurriedly let go and stroked its fur, but the fur in his heart had already exploded in all directions!

“The new season is about to start. Is there enough time for him to build up experience?”

Lu Feng: “The competition arena is the best coach.”

The implication beneath the words was that playing matches would increase his experience and the entire team would accompany him to grow.

Wei Xiao’s heart, it was so sour. It even created little vinegar bubbles in his words, “You really value him.”

Ahhhhh, who the hell was it?! He wanted to hammer him, wanted to smash his entire hero pool!

He wouldn’t need to gain experience from playing in competitions. Wei Xiao would first show him how cruel reality was!

“Mm.” Lu Feng looked at him in the rearview mirror. “He’s worth it.”

Wei Xiao was stunned, and the sourness in his heart stabbed him again.

Worth it.

He was worth it.

And he wasn’t worth it.

Wei Xiao hugged the husky. His voice was a little hoarse, “Stop moving around!”

The well-behaved Soybean who was sitting properly, “Ao?”

It hadn’t been moving around, it was just that its father was holding it really tightly!

Wei Xiao knew that he deserved it, but he still felt upset in his heart.

What did he have to be jealous of.

Back then, he’d been the one who didn’t take the opportunity. Back then, Close had also valued him this much, but hadn’t he just run off without saying a word?

Regardless of his personal ability, at least this new top-lane was someone who Close felt was worth it.

At least it was someone who wouldn’t run off on the spot.

FTW base.

Tang Chen looked at the huge neck protector in front of him, and the corners of his lips twitched.

Chen Feng: “Put it on, quickly!”

Tang Chen pulled it over his head resignedly and said, “I don’t look like I have a bad neck now, I look like a paraplegic!”

Chen Feng: “Weren’t you the one who took the initiative to add drama.”

Tang Chen put on the neck guard, and his neck couldn’t move at all. “It’s rare for Old Lu to be concerned. How could I refuse to help?”

Chen Feng frowned, “I’m not very sure about this. Can someone who is pulled in with any means at our disposal actually be on the same page as us in the end?”

Tang Chen: “You don’t need to worry about that. I feel that that kid loves the game to his bones more than anyone else. As long as he returns to the team, he’ll definitely be a valiant general for the team.”

Chen Feng paused for a moment and glanced towards this wooden block, “Don’t you think that Close is too interested in Wei Xiao?”

Tang Chen struggled to adapt to the neck guard, “Don’t you know Old Lu? He looks cold and indifferent, but in fact, his heart is softer than anyone else. Back then…”

Chen Feng shifted his gaze and said angrily, “But he f*cking can’t tell good from bad and ends up with white-eyed wolves!”

Tang Chen was more open minded, “Well, it’s already been so many years. Haven’t we been doing well?”

Chen Feng’s liver hurt when he thought about it, “To hell with doing well. It’s been three years. Have we gotten a championship? Have we gotten even one?!”

Tang Chen: “Cough.”

Chen Feng got angrier the more he thought about it, “They’re all dogs, each and every one of them. If they have the ability, then go and compete in the individual competition as well. It’ll be strange if Close doesn’t smash their dog heads open!”

These grudges were too complicated…

Tang Chen didn’t dare to answer and pretended that he’d been strangled by the neck guard.

Bai Cai yawned as he came downstairs. He was confused for a moment when he saw Tang Chen, “God Tang?”

Yue Wenle was also confused, “You’re…”

Ning Zhehan was still rather young and said whatever was on his mind, “Brother Tang, were you in a car accident?!”

Tang Chen clunked granny grey on the head, “Stinky boy!”

Ning Zhehan squeaked, but he was still worried about him, “Be careful, your neck…”

Tang Chen cleared his throat and tried out his poor acting skills, “It’s fine. My cervical spondylosis is acting up; it’s an occupational disease and a standard thing for e-sports players. Especially a retired one like me, if there wasn’t something or the other, I’d be embarrassed to say that I played professionally.”

It wasn’t a secret in the team that Tang Chen had a bad neck.

In particular, during the competition in 2020, Tang Chen had gotten sick several times, suffering from major headaches. He forced himself to play and performed badly, ending up tragically bashed by the haters.

Ning Zhehan opened his mouth and mentioned the big elephant in the room, “Brother Tang, haven’t you been much better recently? How did it suddenly become so serious?”

Tang Chen had been recovering for half a month, and it was indeed much better. Now…

Wasn’t there a script to follow!

“Sigh.” Tang Chen told himself that he had to first deceive himself in order to trick others and said realistically, “This disease can’t be cured, it’ll just act up every now and then.”

Chen Feng went downstairs and glanced at him, “Will you be able to participate in the training match later?”

He’d said that he wouldn’t follow the script, but his body was very honest about cooperating.

Little Ning was actually very afraid of Coach Chen Feng.

In the China Glory circles, if Close was the great demon king, then Coach Chen Feng was her majesty, the queen.

Newcomers admired the great demon king and feared Coach Chen Feng.

There was one reason for it.

The great demon king was untouchable and unreachable, but Coach Chen Feng had a sharp tongue. Occasionally, when they reviewed the replays, he could speak gently with a warm voice and still be able to make professional players cry.

Ning Zhehan had experienced it before and was very scared of it.

Bai Cai had thick skin and dense flesh and had become immune to it long ago. He looked left and right and savored it a little, “Indeed. With God Tang’s neck like this, will he still be able to play in the training match?”

Tang Chen said helplessly, “There’s no other way. The team is short a top-laner, and the training match is a rare opportunity. We can’t just postpone it.”

Yue Wenle was unaware of the situation, “What, the new top-lane candidate hasn’t been determined yet?”

Chen Feng looked outside, “Almost.”

Yue Wenle, “Then, is he not joining the training match?”

Tang Chen thought to himself: Whether he joins or not will depend on my performance!

Who could’ve thought that the retired God Tang would switch careers and become an actor?

Ning Zhehan was very curious and whispered quietly, “About that, I heard that the captain wants to sign One Lamp Grandmaster?”

Yue Wenle, who’d immersed himself in training and hadn’t inquired about worldly matters, “What?!”

Ning Zhehan vaguely knew about the grudge between God Le and the Grandmaster and didn’t dare say more.

Bai Cai said, “Didn’t you look at Weibo? We’re just short of an official announcement.”

Yu Wenle: “F*ck! That beast is coming to FTW? Damn, laozi…”

Bai Cai thought about it: Lao Wei, it was the right decision for you not to play professionally. Not only is there a forest full of foreign enemies, even your own nest is full of unresolved debts!

—

This was Wei Xiao’s first time at the FTW base, but he’d seen the promotional film a long time ago. This base was just like a castle…

“F*ck! It’s so big!”

Sorry, he might’ve seen the promotional film, but the real visual impact still hit hard.

The car drove all the way in, and they only got out of the car when they arrived in front of the ‘castle’.

Wei Xiao leashed the husky and noticed Tang Chen with a large neck guard around his neck with a glance.

“God Tang… You…” Were you in a car accident?

Tang Chen went all out, “Ah, I fell off my bike yesterday and damaged my neck.”

Chen Feng: “……” Damned fool, can this be enough to trick Little Lunatic Wei?

Tang Chen pushed on, “The worst part is, I still have to play training matches when I’m injured like this.”

Wei Xiao was confused, “You’re playing in the training match?”

Chen Feng: “…………” It, it worked?

Tang Chen was extremely aggrieved, “How can I not? It’s a training match that wasn’t easy to obtain. I can’t let everyone down.”

WeI Xiao was incredulous, “What about your new top-laner?!”

Tang Chen looked at him quietly.

Wei Xiao interpreted his gaze as full of grievance.

F*ck!

What kind of big name was this? They didn’t even come for a training match?

Was this person that Close had taken a liking to an ancestor or a top-laner?!

Juurensha: WX you’re eating so much vinegar about yourself hahahaha. And I love Tang Chen happy in his overacting.

xiin: Tang Chen, you’ve worked hard for the sake of the team… i love how they’re all kinda in on the scheme, it’s so fun~