Chapter 3 The Turnaround?

With two matches concluded, the score between [Shanhe] and [Hell's Frontline] had become zero to two.

At this point, the outcome of the entire match was practically a foregone conclusion.

Considering that [Xu Huai Shang] and [Bei Ling Xiao Gu], two very stable players, hadn't even entered yet, and given [Shanhe]'s "three-match lineup" strategy, even if [Hell's Frontline] sent Snow out in the third match and lost the "Vice-General Battle," [Shanhe] would still face a 10-to-1 chance in the following two matches.

Moreover, that assumption was based on the premise that "there would even BE later matches"... Realistically speaking, [Shanhe] had little chance of winning three consecutive matches to turn the tide; even whether they could win the current "Vice-General Battle" was questionable.

In such a situation, [Chen Wu Suo Ying], who was about to fight in the third match, found himself surprisingly relaxed.

In any case, the team's overall situation was hopeless, so the upcoming battle became a fight for honor. If he won... the overall score would look a bit better. If he lost... no one would blame him; they would simply say that the difference in strength was evident.

...

[The match will begin in 30 seconds]

After a brief break, the system voice sounded on time, and both players immediately entered the battlefield.

At this moment, everyone had already guessed that [Hell's Frontline] would send out [Xu Huai Shang]; because judging from the lineups of the previous two matches, [Hell's Frontline] was clearly also using a "three-match lineup" to counter [Shanhe]'s strategy.

Furthermore, someone had long ago calculated that in [Hell's Frontline]'s first nine rounds of matches, Goddess Xu's appearance rate was one hundred percent, meaning... Feng Bujue arranged for her to fight in the first three matches every time.

Of course, Brother Jue had his reasons for doing so – apart from "lineup needs," this arrangement was also a form of "care" for Xu Huai Shang personally.

Although Goddess Xu was the kind of superstar who could maintain her popularity even without signing with a studio, losing access to various official resources would inevitably lower her exposure... As a professional player in her prime, this was definitely not a good thing.

Feng Bujue was well aware of this. Although he never explicitly said it, his actions showed that he was always silently supporting his teammates – allowing Xu Huai Shang to appear in as many matches as possible was undoubtedly an effective way to maintain her exposure.

Sure enough, accompanied by a flash of white light, Goddess Xu's ethereal figure appeared on the arena. At the same moment, the popularity of the channels broadcasting the [Hell's Frontline] vs. [Shanhe] match on various live streaming platforms immediately surged noticeably.

Compared to Xu Huai Shang's unreasonable popularity, Chen Wu Suo Ying on the other side of the barrier seemed a bit tragic.

Although Brother Chen was also an outstanding professional player at the peak of his career, his popularity had always been lukewarm. Perhaps it was because many people couldn't pronounce one of the characters in his chosen ID, perhaps it was because he lacked so-called "star quality," or perhaps it was because his characteristics weren't distinct enough...

In short, he was a player whose number of fans was disproportionate to his strength.

In the professional player industry, there were many people like Chen Wu Suo Ying; they lingered at the threshold of "top-tier" but couldn't cross it, and might not even be as successful as some people with lower skill but more hype; they could enter the first lineup in team games, but could never become the focus or selling point of the team; they could mostly obtain some team honors during their prime years, but might not receive any personal honors.

The careers of such players were usually very stable, with no major ups and downs, generally a gradual slope... But after walking down this slope, their future direction often caused worry and唏嘘 (xīxū, sigh).

The saying "personality determines destiny" clearly applied in the gaming industry as well.

A good player was not necessarily a good streamer, a good coach, or a good commentator... Not to mention taking on management roles or even becoming a boss; whether it was entertaining the public, guiding the team, or managing the company... all required skills and talent.

Therefore, if you only knew how to play games, and you did have some talent and used it to make a living, then you'd better take this one thing you could rely on to the extreme. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before you had nothing; just like those countless..."mediocre first-class players" who were hindered by talent and personality, gradually fading from people's sight, never to be mentioned again.

Of course, it wasn't impossible for them to shed that "mediocre" halo...

Opportunities still existed, it just depended on whether people could seize them.

Currently, what lay before Chen Wu Suo Ying was one such "opportunity."

What did players like him need to rely on to break through in their careers? There were only two shortcuts: one, win a major championship in an individual event; two, achieve an upset victory in a battle against a superstar opponent.

At this very moment, he was facing the most top-tier, most popular player in the gaming world, quite possibly without "any" rivals, in the most watched event, on a stage that was attracting worldwide attention...

What was the reason Feng Bujue first rose to fame? Wasn't it because he defeated Xu Huai Shang in S1?

As long as Chen Wu Suo Ying won this match, regardless of whether [Shanhe] was ultimately eliminated, he himself would definitely make the headlines tomorrow.

In addition... this "Vice-General Battle" was already inconsequential to the overall situation, and there was no external pressure whatsoever; means like "legendary consumables" or "secret trump cards that could only be used in later rounds," in this situation where "the team was already on the verge of elimination," he was naturally free to use them as he pleased.

Combining the above conditions with Chen Wu Suo Ying's own solid combat strength (his combat ability alone was above Qiu Feng Se)... the vast majority of insiders felt that he actually had a very good chance in this match.

Relatively speaking, Xu Huai Shang, who still had room for retreat in terms of score and needed to consider the later rounds, was at a disadvantage in terms of mentality and momentum.

[Five... Four...]

As the countdown sounded, Xu Huai Shang stood still, while Chen Wu Suo Ying had already retreated more than a hundred meters.

There was nothing to criticize about his response; ever since Goddess Xu displayed a "weakness-exploiting instant kill" in the first round, no one dared to stare her down across the barrier at the start of a match anymore.

"Hoo... Stay calm..." At this critical moment, Chen Wu Suo Ying took a deep breath and said to himself, "Everyone is level 60, with the same S-level fighting specialization... She hasn't received resource support from a studio for half a year, my equipment and skills might be stronger than hers... There's no reason to be afraid of her."

[Three... Two...]

"No matter the outcome, at least put on a spectacular match that's no less impressive than 'Qiu Feng vs. Crazy Unawakened'..."

[One...]

"If I win, during the post-match interview, I'll use... the line 'What was the most glorious moment of your life? As for me... it's right now.'"

[...Fight!]