Chapter 111: The Overwhelming Pressure of the Main Path

A newcomer who hasn’t played a single match, still just a temporary foreign aid, dares to demand command authority.

Everyone in the lounge was momentarily stunned, soon replaced by strong resistance and disdain.

“General Manager Jiang, this isn’t appropriate. We don’t even know his skill level,” Zhou Kang said sarcastically. He didn’t dare openly oppose Li Xin, as this guy had already brought two major shareholders to the club.

“Team leader, I must refuse. I’ve always been the one directing team coordination and substitutions during matches. Mid-game changes are the greatest taboo,” Li Gang rejected firmly, his expression darkening.

“Right, I disagree too. Brother Gang’s command is excellent; we’re already familiar and used to it.”

“Team leader, this is a critical moment. We can’t ignore the bigger picture just because of someone’s special status.”

The players spoke up, some out of selfishness, others genuinely for victory, but none agreed.

Jiang Chuxue sighed softly. Who was Li Xin? The former nine-time champion, his strength unquestionable. But she could never reveal his identity, lest it cause a huge scandal. She was truly caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

“General Manager Jiang, General Manager Zhou, Captain Li, everyone,” Li Xin suddenly stepped forward, his gaze sharp and serious.

“I’ll say it again—I’m only here temporarily to save the situation. I won’t threaten anyone’s position in the future. Once the match is over, I’ll leave. I originally declined, but now that I’m here, I just want to give you all a chance to advance.”

“Yesterday, I spent the entire day reviewing data on five teams and have some rough conclusions. Let’s put aside everything else—our team, Pepsi. Li Gang, you’re the sniper; your aim is good, but your offensive probing still has flaws. Liang Zi, you handle scouting, but your shooting is slightly weaker. Kairy, you use the AK, but mainly spray-fire; your point-shooting is inadequate. And all of you have your own problems as well.”

He paused, leaving everyone stunned, deeply shaken.

Pepsi was a professional team; ordinary players and spectators couldn’t spot these flaws. Only top-tier teams could discern such issues. Without a doubt, this man before them was a supreme expert.

Until now, everyone had thought he was obscure, uncertain of what connections he had.

Li Gang, as captain, felt it most strongly. Though unwilling to admit it, with the match imminent, results mattered most. After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, it’s in your hands. Don’t let us down, or I won’t be polite.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best,” Li Xin exhaled and smiled faintly.

No one knew that beyond winning the match, he harbored a small personal ambition: to hone the title of “Spirit of the Game.”

At precisely ten o’clock, the match began on time, Pepsi facing off against Mengnan. The host drew lots: team mode, Desert 1-TD.

The first round was team mode, focusing on marksmanship with teamwork as a complement.

The match had started; in the stands, over a thousand people sat, each expression focused and tense.

“Li Gang, you cover mid-hall and watch the rear yard. The four of us will push straight through the main path!” Li Xin immediately issued commands.

Li Gang was a bit displeased. He was the captain, after all, and a skilled sniper, yet he was assigned to rifle coverage. Was this an underestimation? But as captain, having agreed to let Li Xin command, he showed some magnanimity.

“I’ll hold the spot well; you just focus on pushing home,” Li Gang muttered, dashing toward the side path.

Yesterday, Li Xin had analyzed Mengnan’s team: in team TD, 2 wins and 4 losses, especially poor kill ratios on the main path. Simply put, their shooting wasn’t fierce enough.

Team mode was all about marksmanship. The best approach was to play to strengths and avoid weaknesses—set aside the sniper, and have the main path aggressively suppressed.

Mengnan knew their weakness but couldn’t afford to lose the main path and thus grit their teeth and sent three players to contest it.

From the start, the main path was a hail of bullets, intense suppression.

“Wow, they’re really fighting! This is a do-or-die match, so intense!” a spectator shouted excitedly.

“Yeah, this is the kind of match that’s thrilling to watch.”

“Hey, did you notice? Pepsi’s new foreign aid is commanding. Who is he? How is he so amazing?”

Sharp-eyed viewers had already noticed.

“Bringing in a foreign aid to command? Pepsi is going all-in.”

“Four players on the main path; this guy’s command is impressive.”

“Look, he just got a double kill!” someone yelled in excitement.

At this moment, Li Xin had already secured a double kill on the main path and then leapt to mid-hall via a high platform, coordinating with Li Gang to take out the opposing players.

Right from the start, Pepsi scored a small 4-0 lead, instantly igniting the players’ fighting spirit.

“Didn’t expect it, he’s quite talented,” Li Gang smiled faintly, his tone softening.

“Enough chit-chat. Keep up the suppression; keep pushing home. Mid-hall is all yours now,” Li Xin ordered quickly.

“Don’t worry.”

Mengnan was caught off guard, never expecting four players to suppress simultaneously—a style unlike Pepsi’s usual tactics. Even their captain Li Gang had given up the sniper role.

Confident at first, they began to fall behind.

In the audience seats.

Lei Yin frowned, whispering, “He certainly has skill, but I still don’t understand why you chose him.”

Jin Hua smiled faintly, sipping her cup of tea.

“The eldest daughter of the prosperous Jiang family specifically hired a foreign aid. To dare change command after just one day of coordination speaks volumes about his gaming talent. Also, the eldest daughter personally went to fetch him, which shows his identity is no ordinary one.”

“Maybe she’s worried you’d injure him and he couldn’t play?” Lei Yin countered.

“You make a valid point, but do you think the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is insignificant? She holds dual master’s degrees from Harvard and Yale,” Jin Hua reminded softly.

Lei Yin’s eyes flickered, as if suddenly enlightened.

Meanwhile, in a VIP section of the audience, a handsome young man dressed in designer clothes looked surprised and delighted, as if something wonderful had happened.

“Tian Hao, what’s wrong?” the beautiful woman beside him noticed his change in mood and asked softly.

“Nothing, nothing, just the match is really exciting,” Gao Tianhao hurriedly explained.

Indeed, it was thrilling! But compared to that, Gao Tianhao was more focused on the breakthrough player in the defending Pepsi team.

Yi Ran: a triple kill!

Gao Tianhao knew the name Yi Ran very well—just a month ago, during a wild match, Yi Ran had displayed exceptional command skills, leading a wild team to a comeback. Gao Tianhao had added him as a friend afterward, but Yi Ran had never been online since.

Unexpectedly, he had now appeared here.

Fate was truly narrow yet vast, crossing paths again by chance.

Gazing a few times through the thick glass of the competition room, Gao Tianhao couldn’t clearly see the faces inside. Slightly disappointed, he resolved to wait for the match to end and then pay homage to the master of the Pepsi team.