Chapter 1 The End of the Beginning

The tenth season of the Glory Alliance, the final round of the regular season's team matches, was about to kick off successively at the home stadiums of ten teams. Twenty teams, each with six players, totaling 120 players, 60 of whom would conclude their year-long struggles, 48 of whom would embark on a more demanding playoff journey, and 12 of whom would temporarily bid farewell to this stage after this match.

Happy's home stadium, two teams.

One side had already confirmed they would continue their journey, while the other was still making a final effort to continue.

They had to win.

Team 301 had no other choice; only in this way could they ensure that their year's efforts had not been in vain.

And Happy?

"It's the last round of the regular season, so show off how much you've grown this year!" said Ye Xiu.

All the players were solemn.

"That goes for you too, Fang Rui," Ye Xiu pointed out.

"Get lost, get lost, get lost!" Fang Rui protested, annoyed that he, an already established All-Star level player, still had to be described with such a naive term as "growth." Even if he was transitioning to a new class, Fang Rui felt that "fusion" was a more appropriate word than "growth."

"Defeat them properly; this is a rare warm-up for the playoffs. Team 301 will definitely have the determination and desire to win of a playoff team at this time. Carefully feel this rhythm!" Ye Xiu said.

This was not just a slogan.

Playoff experience, Finals experience, these were things that would normally be singled out. Playoffs had a more intense rhythm and atmosphere, and the Finals would reach a peak. In such circumstances, a player's mental state was particularly important. Many players without this kind of experience would be either too nervous or too cautious and hesitant in such situations.

Experienced players knew what kind of attitude was most suitable in the playoffs or even the Finals and could better regulate their emotions and psychology. They were cautious when they needed to be cautious and decisive when they needed to be decisive. Many players seemed unremarkable in the regular season but would immediately shine in the playoffs. These were the so-called "big-hearted" players, with super strong psychological qualities, who could stand up and turn the tide in the most critical moments.

Blue Rain's current player, Qigong Master Song Xiao, was a famous big-hearted player. Judging solely from his regular season performance and statistics, he couldn't be called a top-tier player, but his combat power would soar in the playoffs. Entering the league in the fifth season, he became a starter after his rookie season, helping Blue Rain win the sixth season's championship and earning the reputation of "Mr. Clutch" after that year's playoffs.

Blue Rain's lineup had undergone considerable changes over the years, but Song Xiao had always held a position on the team. He often participated in rotation during the regular season, but his playing time would suddenly increase in the playoffs, clearly showing that Blue Rain clearly understood his value.

Song Xiao could be said to have a natural talent in this regard. And the vast majority of such players were cultivated through accumulated playoff experience. These experienced and calm veterans might not play much in the regular season, but they would shine in the postseason. This was the so-called value of playoff experience.

Happy's rookies certainly didn't have this kind of experience. Although, from Ye Xiu's observation, Happy's rookies already had an unusually strong mental fortitude, no one could say for sure whether they could withstand the playoffs. This match was a rare experience, and Team 301 would definitely be as motivated as they would be in the playoffs, so Ye Xiu hoped that the Happy players would not be too relaxed and could also take a corresponding attitude to carefully experience the atmosphere of this life-and-death battle. Although the competition between the teams in the previous rounds had been fierce, it still couldn't compare to the intensity of the playoffs, as it hadn't reached the point where one match decided life and death.

"Understood." After Happy's players who were playing responded, they each entered the competition booths. Team 301 was also ready, the map began to load, and the two sides would soon begin the match.

Happy's selected map: Tongmu Tower.

A map with a high point was obviously chosen considering the current tactical characteristics of Team 301. With a high point, Happy could grasp the actions of Team 301 from more angles and prevent their current common method of using an assassin's suicidal strike.

So the tactical intention at the beginning was very simple and direct: seize the high point!

Team 301 was obviously not ignorant of this map. After the start, they did not make any tactical avoidance and charged straight out with the main force.

As such an important tactical point, Tongmu Tower was certainly not biased in terms of distance from the teams' spawn points. The distance from the spawn points to Tongmu Tower was exactly the same. Whoever arrived first depended on the speed of both sides.

Team 301 went all out, but soon, the characters were layered.

Scenery Killer!

Team 301's captain Yang Cong's Scenery Killer rushed to the front, with no intention of cooperating with the team's speed. With his faster movement speed, he rushed towards Tongmu Tower first.

Happy's team had fewer silver equipment on their characters, and their relative attributes were more transparent. After fighting to round 38, Happy had attracted enough attention, and the teams had already studied Happy's players and characters thoroughly. In terms of movement speed, Yang Cong was confident that he wouldn't lose to any normal character on Happy's team. But unfortunately, Happy had an abnormal character.

Lord Grim.

If this unspecialized character used skills to move, his movement speed would probably be above Yang Cong's Scenery Killer.

But regarding the occupation of the high point, Yang Cong judged that Happy wouldn't let Lord Grim take on this task. In Happy's main lineup, Lord Grim would be the team's close-range attacker, and the one occupying the high point would undoubtedly be Su Mucheng's Dancing Rain.

But Dancing Rain couldn't run faster than Scenery Killer. Yang Cong believed that Happy also had a clear judgment of this. So, letting Lord Grim temporarily occupy and defend, and then having Dancing Rain arrive later to replace him, would be a more stable plan.

Yang Cong's thinking was clear and detailed.

Although Team 301 hadn't had any outstanding playoff results for many years, they had entered and exited the playoffs quite a few times. Yang Cong, as a third-season player, had accumulated several seasons of experience and was very clear about the suffocating feeling in such a match that determined life and death. He certainly didn't lack so-called playoff experience, so he could calmly and cautiously analyze the problem.

His Scenery Killer charged out alone, not to seize a point, but to scout. Happy's Lord Grim could be one step faster than him and take the initiative, so fighting head-on at this time was not a prudent decision. And the rhythm of the playoffs was to first put oneself in an invincible position, so Yang Cong had no intention of fighting at this time.

He just wanted to see, to see clearly Happy's arrangements, to see clearly Happy's intentions. If there was an opportunity, he would go; if not, he would wait. In short, he would not go out unless absolutely necessary, and only when he had enough certainty.

Tongmu Tower soon appeared in Yang Cong's sight. He observed the surrounding terrain and began to circle Scenery Killer closer.

Based on his assessment of Lord Grim's speed, if he was going all out, he should have arrived by now.

There seemed to be no one on top of the Bai Tong Tower. Where was Lord Grim hiding? Downstairs? Inside? Or somewhere nearby? Waiting to launch a sneak attack when he went forward?

While Yang Cong was judging his opponent's movement speed, he believed that the opponent also had a clear judgment of him. Although his Scenery Killer was wearing silver equipment and his attributes were hidden, after fighting in the circle for so many years, even without accurate data, Scenery Killer's attributes had long been roughly judged by everyone. There were veterans on Happy's team, so they definitely had an idea of what he was capable of.

Circling was to comprehensively and meticulously determine Lord Grim's location.

But, after a complete circle, he found nothing.

Yang Cong had clearly seen the several locations near the Bai Tong Tower where one could hide. There was no trace of Lord Grim. Then, if Lord Grim had arrived, there was only one possibility: he was hiding in the Bai Tong Tower.

The Bai Tong Tower had a circular staircase built inside the building, all the way to the top. There were no windows inside the building. If Lord Grim was hiding inside, then Ye Xiu would have no way of knowing whether the 301 people outside had arrived. He could only lie in ambush and wait for the rabbit.

Yang Cong didn't go any further to confirm. After circling around, he had a new plan in mind. He found a good cover next to the Bai Tong Tower, and Scenery Killer moved there and then ambushed.

Yang Cong wasn't sure if Lord Grim had arrived.

But he was sure that Dancing Rain hadn't arrived yet. And if she wanted to seize the point first, then she would arrive soon. And the position where Scenery Killer was hiding was perfect for intercepting Dancing Rain. Entangling Dancing Rain would disrupt Happy's plan to seize the high point. A close-quarters battle with a Launcher wouldn't put Yang Cong's Assassin at a disadvantage. If Happy was forced to come and support, that would further restrain them overall and completely disrupt their planned strategy.

Yang Cong's thoughts were meticulous. This was the quality of a veteran with playoff experience.

Scenery Killer ambushed in this way, and the selection was obviously excellent. It formed an offensive against Happy's respawn direction, but ensured that he wouldn't be attacked from above or below the Bai Tong Tower. From both ends, it was a blind spot.

Just as Yang Cong had buried Scenery Killer, he heard the sound of gunfire in his ears.

Here it comes!

Yang Cong knew that Dancing Rain was using aerial artillery to move.

The sound was getting closer and closer. Yang Cong had already begun to count down in his mind. He wanted to launch an attack at the best time.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Yang Cong could almost imagine the gliding image of Dancing Rain firing a cannon and jumping!

Boom!

Here!

After another sound, Yang Cong immediately had such a clear thought in his mind. This was the accumulation of years of experience. Without calculation, he could get the answer based on feeling.

Scenery Killer got up, and Dancing Rain's figure immediately appeared in his sight.

Arc Flash!

Scenery Killer rushed out.