Chapter 1364 What Are You So Proud of, You Traitor!

"What?"

"The former head of Tenda Games, transferred to Tuwei Live?"

Jin Yong almost got dizzy from Zhao Xuming's words.

What was he even talking about?

The Tenda Games department wasn't the same as the GOG project team. The Tenda Games department specifically referred to the one that developed single-player games like *Turn Back to Shore* and *Struggle*.

The head of that department was transferred to Tuwei Live?

That had to be a demotion, right?

The games department was Tenda's core department.

And this person, after arriving at Tuwei Live, actually spearheaded the development of the in-game spectating feature, delivering a fatal blow to IOI?

That was just absurd!

If this idea had come from Zhao Xuming, Eric, or even President Pei, Jin Yong wouldn't have anything to say. He'd just have to admit that they were more skilled and concede defeat.

But to find out that the fatal blow had been struck by someone who had previously had nothing to do with this area of business was hard to accept!

It was like two large armies were locked in fierce combat, and then suddenly, a random passerby appeared and killed their general, causing their side to collapse instantly.

Unbelievable!

Jin Yong fell silent. He seemed to understand why IOI was so helpless.

Tenda's talent pool was just too terrifying!

Someone like Zhao Xuming could become the person in charge of GOG's national server and not have to rack his brains for schemes. As long as he completed his duties in a step-by-step manner and scored 60 points, the other departments would naturally bring him up to 80 or even 100.

Jin Yong was incredibly envious.

Why couldn't I have such an easy win?

He couldn't chat anymore. The more he talked, the sadder he became.

Jin Yong exchanged a few more brief pleasantries with Zhao Xuming. Considering their different positions, they couldn't continue the conversation.

Jin Yong returned to his seat.

Kratian had gotten an internal ticket, so he was sitting next to him, waiting for the match to begin, seemingly lost in thought.

Jin Yong said, "President Zhao is here at the venue, and Eric might be here too."

Kratian frowned involuntarily. "What are they doing here?"

"Is it because GOG is a foregone conclusion, so they're here to watch the FV team?"

Jin Yong nodded. "Most likely."

He hesitated for a moment and added, "President Zhao seemed to be in good spirits. I asked him, and he said that the GOG spectating feature was the work of the former head of Tenda Games who was transferred to Tuwei Live..."

Kratian fell silent as well.

He really wanted to say, what are you so proud of, you traitor!

But that would make him sound bitter.

Yeah, if you can coast to victory, who would want to be the MVP of the losing side?

"Let's watch the match," Kratian said with a sigh.

...

It had to be said that the IOI Global Finals were quite impressive. To avoid losing to GOG in terms of spectacle, Finger Company spared no expense. They even invited a famous foreign rock band to perform live. The publicity and buildup surrounding the two finalist teams brought the atmosphere to a climax when they entered the arena.

But it was clear that the cheers for the FV team were louder than those for the opposing CEM team.

This was normal because the FV team had already generated more hype than the CEM team!

Finger Company had wanted to create a "big boss" persona for the FV team, so they couldn't help but pour resources into them.

The FV team was the defending champion and was known for their unconventional plays, so they already had a large global fan base.

Moreover, based on their performance in the playoffs, the FV team, although no longer as dominant as last year after being targeted by the patch, still had the raw strength to make it to the finals.

The CEM team was different. During the playoffs, they were just one of the foreign teams that Finger Company was optimistic about.

Whether from Europe or North America, the teams that came seemed strong, and three or four of them had the potential to reach the finals.

So Finger Company was hesitant when it came to promoting them. Who should they bet on?

There was only so much hype to go around. If they bet on one team and it got eliminated, not even making it to the finals, what would they do?

So they could only spread the hype evenly.

This created an awkward situation: everyone had exposure, but the exposure was far less than that of the FV team.

Fortunately, in the end, it was CEM, the veteran European powerhouse, that made it to the finals and had the home-field advantage, so the cheers weren't too one-sided, which was the best of a bad situation.

CEM was the team that had been defeated 3-0 by the FV team in the quarterfinals last year. They had been heavily criticized by fans after losing the match.

The players were also very demoralized. Participating in the World Championship, they had at least planned to make a run for the finals, but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals, and in a 3-0 sweep. Who could handle that!

But after watching the subsequent matches, they suddenly felt better.

Because everyone was 3-0...

The Fry team in the finals was also crushed, and their performance wasn't even as good as theirs!

So they felt better again.

This year, after Finger Company targeted the FV team by nerfing several of their strong heroes, they strengthened some of the heroes favored by European and American teams, which happened to be in the CEM team's hero pool. So they also benefited from Finger Company's patch and improved their strength.

Soon, the match officially began.

Jin Yong noticed that Kratian seemed a bit nervous, clutching his hands in a sweat.

Finger Company definitely wanted the CEM team to win.

If the FV team won again, wouldn't all the hype they had accumulated be for the benefit of the FV team again?

What's more, Finger Company had adjusted the patch to target them so much, yet the FV team could still win. Wouldn't that be too much of a slap in the face...

If FV lost, there was no point in blaming the patch; people would just call you bad. But if they won, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Kratian seemed a bit nervous from the start, probably because he was experiencing PTSD from watching the matches last year.

Back then, no one thought the FV team was strong, but they came up with a surprising strategy in every game, leaving not only the opponents but also the audience and commentators dizzy, completely subverting everyone's understanding of IOI.

Even some of the IOI designers didn't expect the game could be played that way.

Kratian was obviously afraid that the FV team would be like last year, quiet in the group stage, then unleashing a powerful barrage in the finals. If they came up with some completely unseen new strategy and crushed CEM 3-0, that would be truly despairing!

But after watching the Banning Phase, Kratian visibly relaxed and wiped his brow.

Okay, okay, things were finally normal.

The FV team didn't come up with any particularly shocking picks or tactics this time. Their lineup had changed a bit compared to the semifinals, but it was more about improvisation and countering the opponent's moves. All their choices were within the understanding of the audience and commentators.

This meant that the FV team was going to compete with CEM based on raw strength.

This was also normal, because Finger Company was determined to win this World Championship. They decided on the patch in advance, nerfed the heroes that the FV team was good at, and gave the foreign teams plenty of time to study tactics.

Unlike last year, when the World Championship patch changed too much, many foreign teams didn't adapt well, allowing the FV team with its strong tactical reserves to take advantage.

Reaching the final stage, both teams had thoroughly studied the current patch. Even if there was a slight difference in lineups and tactics, it wouldn't be enough to have a decisive impact on the outcome and trend of the match. In the end, it all came down to raw strength.

And raw strength was nothing more than the players' mastery of heroes, as well as the team's coordination and execution.

The CEM team definitely had an advantage in the former.

Because these strong heroes were originally the CEM players' signature heroes. Although the FV team players had been practicing hard since the patch change, there was still a certain gap.

This gave Kratian hope.

There was a chance to win!

Once the CEM team won, they could steal the hype from the FV team, which would have a positive impact on boosting the European and American markets. Finger Company would also save face, and this IOI World Championship would be a success.

And this success would definitely affect the attitudes of the Dayaak Group's executives towards the IOI game, and it would be relatively mild, and they wouldn't just be thinking about how to squeeze out the remaining value as before.

Kratian watched the progress of the match with a nervous and expectant mood.

...

In the first game, CEM took the lead, but the FV team quickly made tactical adjustments and retaliated in the second game.

The two sides exchanged blows, neither giving way, and finally reached the deciding game!

Jin Yong was also enjoying the exciting match. It had been a long time since he had seen such a great game!

Although he was now the person in charge of the IOI national server, it didn't stop him from appreciating a great match from the perspective of a pure spectator.

And his attitude was different from Finger Company's. Finger Company didn't like the FV team very much, but Jin Yong still had a good impression of the FV team. In his heart, he was actually looking forward to the FV team winning consecutive championships.

Before the final deciding game began, Jin Yong glanced at Kratian sitting next to him.

He suddenly found that Kratian's face was a bit pale, and he seemed even more nervous than before the first game started.

And it didn't seem to be entirely nervousness, but also a heavy sense of worry?

Jin Yong was a little puzzled and asked, "We're at the deciding game, which means both the FV team and the CEM team have a chance. Even if you really want CEM to win, there's no need to worry to this extent, right?"

Kratian shook his head. "No, that's not it."

"I suddenly realized a very serious problem."

"How the last game turns out doesn't really matter anymore. Whether the CEM team wins or loses the last game, we've already lost to President Pei!"

Jin Yong was stunned. "How is that possible? Winning is winning, and losing is losing!"

Kratian said, "Our only chance to win was for the CEM team to take down the FV team in a clean 3-0 or 3-1."

"In this situation, we've already entered a dead end!"