At the same time, Pei Qian, the "culprit" far away in Jingzhou, was silently drinking his soda and contemplating life.

It was winter, and the sunrise was later. Pei Qian had set his alarm for 5:00 AM to get up, but it was still dark.

In the end, the three games only lasted an hour and a half, and by 6:30 AM, it wasn't even fully light outside!

This Bo5 was remarkably quick. After it was over, the audience had a feeling of "That's it? What just happened?"

Pei Qian had originally thought that FV would be cleanly swept 3-0, but the opposite had happened!

Could it be… something had gone wrong?

His mind was already a little foggy from waking up early, and now that something completely unexpected had happened, Pei Qian even suspected that he wasn't awake yet, that he was dreaming.

The next Bo5 had already started on the livestream, but it was clear that the viewers in the chat were still immersed in the previous match and couldn't pull themselves away.

Pei Qian browsed the forums with confusion, wanting to see the reactions of the netizens.

The forums were visibly filled with joy.

"3:0 and they fountain-dived! So satisfying, so satisfying!"

"These European and American teams still look down on people? Still won't scrim with FV? Are you convinced now?"

"LOL, this is the old European powerhouse Cem that everyone was hyping up before the match? How come they crumbled as soon as they were touched? We let you play all the heroes you like, and then we beat you to a pulp!"

"I've noticed that FV is good at messing with people's mentality. You could clearly feel that after the first game, Cem's players were a bit tilted. They weren't mentally prepared at all and were completely dumbfounded."

"Indeed, it seems that although the first game was completely countered tactically, it was the game in which Cem performed the best. In the latter two games, they were more or less self-destructive and their mechanics were out of shape."

"It's like a dream. Before the match, everyone said it would definitely be 3-0, but who would have thought it would actually be 3-0? I have nothing to say, FV is awesome!"

"I used to criticize FV as a useless club, I apologize! Now it seems that FV has definitely been practicing, and they've been practicing a lot, otherwise how could they have improved so quickly in such a short period of time? They even came up with the Chaos Doom playstyle?"

"That's right, FV is like a completely different team compared to the previous qualifiers, a complete transformation!"

The silly netizens on the forum began to praise them like crazy. All the sarcastic and contrarian posts were attacked by the crowd, and the posts that had maliciously stepped on FV before were all dug up and repeatedly lashed.

That's how esports is. If you play well, you get praised; if you play poorly, you get flamed. As long as you have results, even a derogatory nickname can become a positive meaning. The team that can win can do whatever it wants.

FV wasn't favored before the match, and they were facing a recognized strong team, but they put on a one-sided performance, crushing their opponents 3-0. No amount of praise would be too much for such a performance.

Moreover, many people were so excited because they had been suppressed for too long!

The two domestic teams didn't make it out of the group stage, and the foreign websites kept spamming "cnioinoob." In addition, FV was revealed to be unable to find scrim partners, and many domestic viewers felt a little ashamed.

But FV's performance slapped the haters in the face and made all the domestic players feel proud!

Many people were translating foreign comments, wanting to see how foreigners were praising the FV team. There were also many people doing post-match analyses, explaining from all aspects—tactics, details, mechanics, execution—exactly where FV was strong and why they were able to take down Cem 3-0.

When watching the match, the situation on the field changed rapidly, and many details went unnoticed.

Most viewers only remembered FV doing whatever they wanted like they were playing against bots, but they couldn't figure out why Cem could only be passively beaten and was completely unable to resist.

Many viewers on foreign websites were also angrily criticizing Cem, saying that they had performed abnormally, had a terrible mentality, and hadn't even performed at 10% of their usual level in the crucial quarter-finals.

This was normal, after all, it was difficult to sincerely acknowledge that others played well.

However, as various professionals replayed and analyzed the three games, the secret to FV's strength gradually surfaced.

From the targeted tactical arrangements in the Banning Phase to the players' execution in the game, to their on-the-spot reactions in unexpected situations, and finally to their ability to snowball by strengthening support and seizing map resources…

After seeing these replays and analyses, the netizens couldn't help but exclaim: FV is so meticulous, so meticulous!

Countless details piled up together, leaving the opponent completely unable to fight back.

Did Cem perform abnormally? There was definitely that factor. After all, being completely crushed and unable to fight back in the first game was too heavy a blow for Cem, who had been full of confidence before the match, and it clearly affected their mentality in the latter two games.

However, mentality issues were definitely not the main reason why they lost this Bo5.

After watching the replays and analyses, most netizens reached a consensus: this wasn't a mentality problem at all, this was a skill problem, they just couldn't beat them!

It wasn't like Cem hadn't looked for opportunities, but FV was like an iron barrel. With an economic lead, both their vision and their pushing formations were too perfect. Cem couldn't find any opportunities at all, and forcing a fight was just suicide.

That's why they lost the match in such a stifling way. It had nothing to do with mechanical skill, it was a complete stomp in terms of game understanding!

All the forums were filled with this joyous atmosphere, and no one was even discussing the next Bo5 anymore.

Most people had thought that FV would probably be swept 3-0 and be eliminated in the quarter-finals, but now it seemed that as long as they continued today's performance, there shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to reach the finals, and they might even have a chance to compete for the championship!

At this moment, some netizens noticed that FV had posted a new Weibo post.

The content of this Weibo post was very short: cnioi, charge!

The picture was of a sci-fi fighter jet (actually the concept art from "Mission and Choice"), with pale blue flames spewing from the rear, and the entire space seemed to be slightly distorted due to the excessive speed.

The head of the fighter jet had the FV logo, and the wings of the fighter jet had the logos of the other two domestic clubs.

When many netizens saw that FV had posted a new Weibo post, they thought it was another troll post, like throwing Cem into the trash can or something.

According to FV's previous habits, they would mock all the other teams even when they didn't have a match to play. Now that they had swept their opponents 3-0, wouldn't they be riding on their faces and putting on a big show?

However, the content of this Weibo post was beyond everyone's expectations.

They didn't mock any other teams, but instead, they gave a boost to the two domestic teams that had been eliminated in the group stage.

The comments below this Weibo post immediately grew rapidly.

"FV is awesome!!!"

"Keep winning, I want to see another 3-0 next week, understand?"

"The foreigners deliberately ganged up and wouldn't let us scrim, and they also said that the domestic ioi teams are trash. Luckily, you guys are good enough. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't be able to get rid of the 'noob' label for the next year. Well done, so satisfying!"

"Hurry up, I want to see the players' new vlog immediately!"

"Wouldn't it be too much for the other two teams to kowtow to FV?"

"The last hope of cnioi, FV, charge!"

Domestic players hadn't particularly liked FV's troll posts on Weibo before.

Because the traditional virtue of Chinese people is humility and low-key behavior. This kind of flamboyant behavior represents immaturity and is inherently unlikable, and if they lose, they will definitely be held accountable.

Moreover, FV's troll posts didn't distinguish between domestic and foreign teams, and they used all the memes they could. The previous Weibo post "Me and my teammates" did hurt the fans of the other two teams.

However, this Weibo post after the quarter-finals completely reversed the public opinion of FV!

These three teams that went abroad represented the domestic ioi scene. Although the FV team won, they didn't forget the other two clubs and gave them a place on the wings.

Obviously, FV's troll posts weren't aimed at anyone, just for the sake of the show.

The other two teams just didn't play well. Was it necessary to protect them if they didn't play well? That was meaningless.

If you lose, you stand up straight and take the beating, and then work hard to improve. That's the right attitude.

What's more, the other two clubs didn't treat FV as one of their own, and they never thought about sharing tactics with FV, and they didn't show any goodwill. Since everyone was doing their own thing, why should FV care about their thoughts?

The latest Weibo post was precisely a demonstration of FV's broad-mindedness, which greatly reduced the pressure of public opinion on the other two clubs and slapped the "cnioinoob" remarks in the face.

Originally, domestic players had nowhere to vent their anger and were all angrily scolding the two clubs that didn't make it out of the group stage, but now that FV had won, everyone went to praise FV, so naturally, they were no longer in the mood to continue scolding the two clubs.

On the contrary, many people felt that there was nothing to criticize. They had tried their best, it was just that their abilities were not good enough.

In addition, no one criticized the photos and vlogs that FV had frequently posted before, but instead, they were urging them to post more!

Since arriving in Los Angeles, FV's three photographers had been constantly taking photos and short videos and uploading them to Weibo, "poisoning" everyone late at night.

Most people were very envious of seeing that FV's players were enjoying such a good environment.

Did you go to compete or to travel and enjoy yourselves?

However, after winning the match, this mentality disappeared completely. Netizens said that it was right to eat good food and stay in five-star hotels if you played well!

They even hoped that the official would release more photos and vlogs of the players so that everyone could better understand FV's life and training in Los Angeles.

At this moment, a new post once again sparked heated discussion.

"Insider news! It is said that FV paid for the entire trip to Los Angeles, and Long Yu Group didn't care about them at all!"

"Today, I ate a big melon with a friend from a certain club. Many people may be wondering why the FV club is flying business class and staying in luxury hotels, while other clubs never post these things. It's not because other clubs are low-key, but because there are other hidden reasons!"

"Finger Company officially arranged food and accommodation one day before the start of the competition, so according to the normal schedule, they should have arrived in Los Angeles one day before the start of the competition. Long Yu Group was worried that the domestic teams would not perform well, so they paid out of their own pockets to cover the domestic clubs' food and accommodation for a week in advance, so that they could go to Los Angeles to adapt to the environment and scrim as soon as possible."

"However, Long Yu Group didn't invite the FV club at all!"

"As for why, the reason is very simple. The FV team has always been at odds with the official. Everyone knew that FV was a club invested by President Pei during the previous qualifiers, and it was a direct competitor with Finger Company and Long Yu Group. The two sides had always had conflicts of interest, so they were very unfriendly to FV, the number one seed."

"Therefore, although the FV club arrived in Los Angeles a week early like the other two clubs, it was completely at its own expense, and they didn't scrim with the other two domestic clubs. From food and accommodation to daily training, they were all on their own!"

"Even after the official start of the competition, Finger Company provided food and accommodation, but FV didn't accept it and continued to pay for it themselves."

"To be honest, I was shocked when I heard this news. Fortunately, the FV team made it through. If they had been swept 3-0 because they didn't have any scrim partners, they would have been torn apart as the number one seed, and probably no one would have cared about the hidden reasons behind it."

"I can only say that FV is great, Long Yu Group sucks!"

As soon as this post was released, it immediately gained extremely high popularity and was repeatedly quoted and discussed by netizens!

The matter of Long Yu Group taking the two clubs abroad for training was relatively insider news, but basically everyone in the ioi esports circle knew about it, and it couldn't be hidden.

Wu Yue had wanted to expose this matter online before, but was stopped by Manager Lu, because the competition hadn't started yet, and exposing it too early wouldn't have any effect.

Since the FV club didn't say anything themselves, others naturally didn't bother to speak up for them. What's more, FV was unpopular in the entire ioi esports circle at that time, and there were too few people who were willing to stand up for them.

But now that FV had cleanly won the quarter-finals with a score of 3-0, it was very suitable to settle accounts after the autumn and talk about it.

Moreover, Wu Yue didn't need to stand up and say it himself, and naturally, passers-by who couldn't stand it would come out to reveal the news.

Although this post didn't have any solid evidence, the content was basically accurate, and it could be completely matched with some clues in reality.

Many netizens had been watching the FV club's Weibo before and were also wondering why Finger Company could arrange such good food and accommodation conditions, but they didn't think much about it at that time.

Now, combined with this post, it was indeed very problematic.

It turned out that those good conditions were not arranged by Finger Company at all, but by the FV club at its own expense!

As for where the money came from, did they even need to say? How could FV, such a small club, be so extravagant? The money must have been paid by President Pei!

In this comparison, Long Yu Group and Tengda were simply on completely different levels!

One was stingy, one was generous; one was petty, one was broad-minded!

The angry players immediately cursed Long Yu Group to hell.

If they engaged in differential treatment at such a critical moment, and if it caused FV to perform abnormally and be eliminated in the quarter-finals, who would be responsible for this?

Moreover, strictly speaking, the two domestic clubs were not innocent either.

Obviously, the two clubs had not considered the FV club at all. As brother teams, why didn't they secretly scrimmage a couple of times or provide FV with some tactical support?

Although it would be completely useless to do so given the strength of the FV club, the fact that the two clubs did nothing was not a matter of ability, but a matter of attitude.

Obviously, the two domestic clubs had unhesitatingly stood on the side of Long Yu Group and had not regarded FV as a brother team at all.

However, the FV club chose to repay kindness with malice. After successfully advancing to the semi-finals, they did not complain on Weibo, but instead, they generously posted a "take off" photo, bringing the two clubs along with them and declaring the victory of "cnioi."

In this comparison, it was clear who was superior and who was inferior!

The image of the FV club enduring humiliation, going to Los Angeles alone, being alone and helpless but still training hard, and achieving good results with its own efforts and sweat, was vividly displayed.

Of course, did Long Yu Group and the other two clubs do anything wrong?

In fact, from a profit perspective, it was completely understandable.

Long Yu Group didn't want to give the spotlight to Tengda and GOG, and thus resented the FV team; and the other two clubs didn't dare to offend Long Yu Group. These were all understandable things.

But it was precisely because of this that FV's victory was all the more difficult.

As a result, a storm of public opinion instantly swept across the entire internet, and the players unquestioningly unleashed a barrage of criticism on Long Yu Group!

…

Pei Qian was overwhelmed from eating melons at such high intensity.

This was possible?

All of FV club's previous negative news had been reversed!

Even the Weibo posts, the troll posts, and so on, had all become topics that netizens were talking about with relish, and no one was criticizing them anymore!

Occasionally, a few trolls would appear on the forum, wanting to set the tone, but they would immediately be blasted to smithereens and beaten into the ground by the angry netizens.

FV club's excellent performance had conquered the vast majority of passers-by, so the trolls who were going against the wind were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers and could no longer exert any influence.

Pei Qian couldn't help but sigh, these trolls' professional skills were still not good enough.

Actually, Pei Qian's attitude towards these trolls was, to be precise, indifferent. They were nothing more than clowns who were making noise online. They couldn't possibly follow the internet cable and beat them up, so being too concerned would only make himself uncomfortable.

As a result, now that these trolls couldn't even make a splash, Pei Qian felt a bit sorry for them and angry that they were not living up to expectations.

How can you guys take money from Long Yu Group with peace of mind like this?

Is this all the haters got? Do something!

Pei Qian was very melancholy. He silently finished his potato chips, brushed his teeth, and decided to go back to sleep.

…

At the same time, the FV players had returned to the backstage lounge, preparing to leave the arena and return to the hotel.

Everyone's faces were filled with excitement.

After arriving in Los Angeles, everyone had been leaving early and returning late every day, focusing on training except for sleeping and eating. Now, they had finally won the quarter-finals with a clean 3-0, which could be regarded as a reward for their previous efforts.

President Pei, who was far away in Jingzhou, should also feel sincerely gratified, right?

Wu Yue hugged the players one by one: "You played so well! But everyone must guard against arrogance and rashness. Let's go back and rest today, and training will continue as usual tomorrow."

The players nodded one after another and had no objections to Wu Yue's arrangement.

The next match was the semi-finals a week later, but no one dared to relax.

Although today's match was a crushing victory, since ancient times, an arrogant army is bound to be defeated. During the World Championship, various teams were practicing like crazy and improving rapidly. As long as there was any slight relaxation, they could be caught up or even surpassed by their opponents.

Under the escort of the four bodyguards, the players boarded the minibus one by one, ready to go back to rest.

Wu Yue happily held his phone and checked the comments on the domestic forums, beaming as he looked at the rainbow farts that were praising the FV team in various ways.

A few months ago, he could never have imagined such a scene: the FV club's players had become the last hope of domestic players on the stage of the World Championship, and they had cleanly eliminated a foreign powerhouse 3-0.

At this moment, the team translator's phone rang.

After speaking a few sentences in English, the team translator said to Wu Yue: "President Wu, it's a call from the Fry team, they want to schedule a scrim with us."

The smile on Wu Yue's face instantly collapsed.

How dare these people come to schedule a scrim again?

The FV team had contacted several teams before, including Fry, but these teams had all seemed to have discussed it and uniformly said "the scrims are full" and were unwilling to play a single game.

As a result, now that they saw that FV was playing so fiercely in the match, they wanted to schedule a scrim to probe their secrets.

Wu Yue chuckled: "Oh, tell them I'm sorry, our scrims are already full."