The Strongest God

Not long after the Bronze Sparrow team lost to Chang'an 0:9, they lost to Huaxia with a big score of 0:9.

Lu Xiang happened to meet his master Liu Chuan in the group arena, and Liu Chuan flew a kite all the way. The poor deer's ult continuously missed a piece of Liu Chuan's clothes. Before he realized what was going on, he was caught by Liu Chuan. The puppet Seven Killing Formation exploded to death.

To make matters worse, in the third game they lost to Qixingcao again with a big score of 0:9.

A barrage of blows left the players feeling down, and they didn't take their chances against a weaker team in the fourth game.Because Lu Xiang was too nervous in the group arena, he accidentally fell off the air combat map and turned into a pulp.In the team battle stage, due to the cooperation between Lu Xiang and Shao Zehang, Tongque missed the good opportunity to win the red flag. In the end, only Shao Zehang's explosive power turned the tide to win the black flag and scored a pitiful 2 points.

——That was the first 2 points scored by the Bronze Sparrow after playing four full games.

And Huaxia, Seven Star Grass, and Chang'an have scored more than 20 points after four games.

Lu Xiang looked at the Bronze Sparrow team, which ranked last in the team standings, and lowered his head in disappointment, clutching the mouse tightly.

Before participating in the competition, he thought it was very easy to play the game. He and Team Shao often won ten consecutive victories in the online game qualifying matches, and the crushing all the way was very smooth.But when he actually played in the professional league, he realized that he was still too immature and too weak compared to those great masters and experienced veteran players.

The young boy who debuted at the age of 16 has had an extremely difficult journey in the league.

Unlike those rookies who showed their sharpness at the beginning, Lu Xiang's consecutive 0:9 games after his debut caused the Tongque team to be criticized. When many people mentioned him, they would say with a regretful tone: "After all, he is only 16 years old. ""It's too young to play the main force at this age" "Looks like a middle school student who hasn't grown up."

Because of this, Shao Zehang, the captain of the Bronze Sparrow, is under great pressure. The public mailbox of the Bronze Sparrow team often receives anonymous emails from fans. Some fans who like the Bronze Sparrow team strongly demand that Team Shao replace Lu Xiang. Let Lu Xiang sit on the bench for two seasons before playing.

Hearing such remarks a lot, Lu Xiang couldn't help but start to wonder: Is it true that he is too young to take on such a big responsibility?Why is it that he can't keep up with Team Shao's rhythm every time?No one wants to be a drag, and it doesn't feel good to lose several games in a row because of him.

Therefore, Lu Xiang thought of Liu Chuan. At that time, Liu Chuan was the only senior with a good relationship in the alliance. When he was at a loss, he immediately thought of asking for help from the most respected master in his heart.

"Master, should I take the initiative to tell Team Shao that I want to play a few games as a substitute first?"

Lu Xiang sent a private chat message to Liu Chuan. When he typed this line, he was very disturbed, because it was equivalent to admitting defeat, and he was afraid that his master would scold him.

In the end, Liu Chuan didn't scold him, but replied calmly: "If Shao Zehang doesn't mention this, then don't take the initiative to mention it."

Lu Xiang was stunned, and retorted: "But I think I should have self-knowledge, and I can't always hold him back..."

Liu Chuan said: "Is there too much pressure recently? Don't pay too much attention to the evaluation of the outside world. Back then, the chairman and they were willing to modify the age limit of the contestants for you. This shows that they also affirmed your talent. You should treat yourself Just a little more confidence."

"Oh."

"You have been training in China before, and the training time with the Bronze Sparrow players is too short. In addition, you have just started playing games, and you are not quite used to the rules and rhythm of the game. It is normal to make mistakes. Don't just because of one or two If you make a single mistake, deny yourself and communicate with your teammates more.”

"Oh."

Lu Xiang obediently listened to Master's teachings, and he felt that every word Master said was very reasonable.

After chatting with Master, he felt much better. Lu Xiang turned around and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Shao Zehang just came to look for him in the bedroom and found that he had not closed the door. Shao Zehang walked into the room and saw the chat records on the computer at a glance. Asking for help, this made Shao Zehang feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

After taking a shower, Lu Xiang found that Team Shao was in his room, but he didn't mind. He scratched his head with a smile and said, "Captain, are you looking for me?"

Shao Zehang frowned, and said coldly: "You are now a member of the Bronze Sparrow team. If you have any questions, you should come to me instead of always thinking about looking for your master. He is the captain of the Huaxia team, and it is not good to interfere with our Bronze Sparrow team." Internal affairs."

Shao Zehang deliberately emphasized "internal affairs". Seeing Lu Xiang looking at him in surprise, he touched his nose in embarrassment, and said, "Hey, what I mean is... you should contact me for any difficulties you encounter. Your master is also very busy, isn't he?"

Lu Xiang didn't understand whether the captain was angry, but he bowed his head immediately after apologizing to Shao Zehang, "I'm sorry..."

Seeing him bowing his head and apologizing, Shao Zehang began to regret that he shouldn't be so penny-pinching. In fact, Lu Xiang has always had a good relationship with Liu Chuan's master and apprentice. He has been by Liu Chuan's side for many years. When encountering difficulties, it is human to ask for help from the master. It's only natural that I reacted so strongly just now, but it seemed like I was jealous...

Lu Xiang was in a bad state recently, Shao Zehang had come over to comfort him on purpose, but it turned out to be good, he scolded him with a cold face, Xiao Luxiang must be in a worse mood.

Shao Zehang wanted to slap himself. After a moment of silence, he stretched out his hand and gently touched Lu Xiang's head. He changed the subject and said, "Hey, you're done taking a shower, right? Start the game, let's play ranking together."

Only then did Lu Xiang regain his energy, and sat back in front of the computer to open a trumpet with Shao Zehang and enter the game.

***

Three days later, Tongque played Luohuaci at home in Guangzhou.

At that time, due to the retiring of old players such as Si Lan and Hu Liang, Ye Chenxi was replaced as the captain of the new generation. The strength of the entire team declined sharply. The Bronze Sparrows in the four games are simply a pair of difficult brothers. Even the points are exactly the same with 2 points, and they are pitifully ranked in the bottom two of the team standings.

This game attracted the attention of many reporters, and the audience was also very interested. Everyone happily placed bets: Is Tongque losing five games in a row?Or Luohuaci lost five games in a row?Who will be worse?

Facts have proved that the copper sparrow is even worse.

Although Luohuaci has changed to a new generation of players, but after all, there is the heritage left by Silan. The whole team has very distinctive characteristics. Everyone is a player who came out of the training camp together. Under the leadership of Ye Chenxi, they cooperated very tacitly. The way of playing is also relatively new.

As for Tongque, because Lu Xiang, a newcomer who joined for less than a month, directly played the main force, the coordination of the entire team was often out of touch, which gave Ye Chenxi the opportunity to directly destroy the Tongque group with a wave of teleportation during the battle.

In this contest, the Bronze Sparrow team finally won 3 points in the group arena with Shao Zehang's defense, but Luo Huaci scored 6 points in a team battle.

After five games, the Bronze Sparrow only scored 5 points in total, and the average score of 1 point per game was not even as good as that of the second-tier teams. It's a joke, Lu Xiang, who lost the team battle because of many mistakes in coordination, became the target of everyone's bombardment.

However, when everyone began to question Lu Xiang, Shao Zehang stood up firmly and said firmly, "Lu Xiang is the best partner I chose."

During that post-match interview, many reporters bombarded Xiao Lu, causing Lu Xiang to hang his head in shame and dare not speak. Shao Zehang's cold eyes swept over everyone present, and finally landed on Lu Xiang beside him, saying word by word: "Tongque's recent performance is very bad, but this is not Lu Xiang's responsibility alone. I hope everyone will give us a little more time, so that I can have more opportunities to get in touch with him."

"I think a good partner should face and bear everything together. So, please stop saying 'replace Lu Xiang', I will never abandon him."

Shao Zehang's words were very firm, and Lu Xiang raised his head in surprise, just in time to look at the captain with encouragement and trust.

At that moment, he suddenly felt very ashamed. The captain never gave up on him. No matter how the outside world questioned him, Team Shao had always stood firmly by his side to defend him. However, because of his continuous failures, he actually began to lose confidence and even doubt himself.

What about being young?So what if you lose many times?No one can win to the end from the very beginning, even if it is the strongest ring king in the league at the moment, who is open to all rivers, didn't he fall on all fours in the game and couldn't even pass the simple plum blossom pile challenge task?

All the people who conferred the gods walked slowly step by step.

I am still young and still have a lot of time, so what qualifications do I have to give up so early?

Lu Xiang, who wanted to understand, finally cheered up, looked back at the reporters and said, "Don't worry, everyone, I will cheer with Team Shao."

The young boy's expression was very serious, and his dark and bright eyes finally recovered. It was also the first time that he faced the reporter's question calmly and no longer had stage fright, because he knew—Team Shao was by his side.

***

After that interview, Shao Zehang called all the Tongque team members for an emergency meeting. The meeting lasted for four full hours. Let me tell you all, I hope you will not be affected by the loss of several consecutive rounds.

After returning to the room at night, Shao Zehang stopped Lu Xiang, put his hand gently on Lu Xiang's head, and said, "Little Lu, there is something I must tell you. In fact, it's not that you can't keep up with our rhythm, but ...we can't keep up with you."

For the proud Shao Zehang, it took several days of mental struggle to admit this.

——Lu Xiang is a genius, a talented player who is better than himself.

It's not that Lu Xiang can't keep up with them, but that Lu Xiang is too fast, and the rest of Tongque can't keep up with Lu Xiang's speed.

Lu Xiang himself is ignorant, and he doesn't know how to cooperate or how to arrange tactics. He also trained one-on-one with Liu Chuan in Huaxia, and he has no experience and awareness of group cooperation. Therefore, every time he makes a mistake, Lu Xiang Xiang will subconsciously think that the person who made the mistake is himself, but only those who really understand know that, in fact, it is the Tongque team as a whole that cannot keep up with Lu Xiang's speed.

Facing Shang Xiaolu's shocked eyes, Shao Zehang couldn't help but smiled, and said, "So, don't blame yourself all the time, you are actually the best player of our Bronze Sparrow. The next thing to do is for the rest of us to work hard to improve and keep up with you." Get up to your level."

"Don't always think about how to cooperate with me. In the future, I will actively try to cooperate with you."

The meaning of Shao Zehang's words is that the real core of Tongque will be transferred from Shao Zehang to Luxiang.

Lu Xiang stared at him blankly, not knowing what to do.

——How much trust is it to entrust such an important position to a 16-year-old boy?

When Lu Xiang thought of this, his eyes were a little moist, he raised his head and looked at the man with gentle eyes in front of him, choked up and said, "Captain, I..."

Shao Zehang gently touched his head: "Needless to say, you don't need to change yourself, leave the rest to me. Believe me, Tongque will gradually get better."

Lu Xiang nodded vigorously: "Yeah!"

That night, Shao Zehang brought Lu Xiang into the online game together. Instead of playing qualifying matches, they built a ring to play 1V1 heads-up, because Shao Zehang said: "To be a good partner, you should at least understand each other thoroughly. It is easier for me to understand your train of thought and rhythm if you are singled out."

Lu Xiang thought it made sense and immediately accepted the captain's invitation.

The two played too high and played more than a dozen rounds in a row, but they didn't rest until 12:30.Shao Zehang was so tired that he fell asleep quickly, got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and suddenly heard strange rustling noises from the kitchen, like rats making trouble.

Shao Zehang walked over to take a look, and saw Lu Xiang sitting at the dining table in pajamas, holding a pack of snacks and eating there with gusto.

Shao Zehang: "..."

When Lu Xiang saw Captain Shao, he immediately stood up nervously: "Captain."

Shao Zehang said, "Are you hungry?"

Lu Xiang nodded: "It's too late to play in the ring, I'm a little hungry."

Shao Zehang said: "From now on, it seems that I will let you have a snack before going to bed, lest you get up in the middle of the night and look through the refrigerator. I thought there were rats in the house."

"There are no mice, yes, it's me." Lu Xiang grabbed the snack bag with one hand, scratched his hair with the other hand, and said with a smile, "I just digest quickly and my stomach and intestines function well, and I woke up hungry in the middle of the night, hehe. "

Seeing his familiar little canine teeth when he laughed, Shao Zehang couldn't help laughing, thinking that this little guy is really cute, he is not tall, but he eats a lot.

From that day on, Shao Zehang would build a room called "Waiting for Xiaolu" in the game every night. After Lu Xiang took a shower, he entered the room to fight in the ring. The two played more than ten rounds in a row. Just take the initiative to cook for supper, cook two bowls of noodles, order some glutinous rice balls, or cook some lean meat porridge. In short, you must feed the deer once two hours before going to bed, otherwise this big eater will get up in the middle of the night and look through the refrigerator Looking for food - this is one of the rules Shao Zehang found.

Shao Zehang has always eaten three meals a day on time since he was a child, but Lu Xiang likes to eat supper, and he is not easy to watch from the side. Every time he finishes cooking, he will eat a little with Lu Xiang. Gradually, Shao Zehang himself also develops I got into the habit of eating supper at 10 o'clock in the evening.

The arrival of Lu Xiang changed a lot for Shao Zehang.

Not only the change in his own living habits, but also the change in the style of Bronze Sparrow's entire team.

After Team Bronze Sparrow experienced the initial trough, Shao Zehang finally found a style of play that suits the team - that is to keep up with Lu Xiang's rhythm and play fast!

In the beginning, Tongque's tactics were just to play steadily and control the field. Now that they have Lu Xiang, they can completely formulate a new strategy for Lu Xiang. The auxiliary invincible time, the two of them can use the fastest speed to kill the core of the opponent.

This new tactic around Luxiang played a miraculous effect in the second half of the regular season. The Bronze Sparrow team, which had been ranked at the bottom in the early stage, soared into the sky like a bird with wings spread. He scored high scores many times in a row, rushed into the playoffs in one fell swoop, and even won the bronze medal!

The Bronze Sparrow team became the most surprising dark horse in the fifth season, and Lu Xiang also won the "Best Newcomer" award in the fifth season.

He quickly became a god in one season, and Lu Xiang set a record for the youngest player in the history of the league.

However, Lu Xiang knew that he could quickly become one of the top players in the league. There were two people who had the most influence on him: one was Liu Chuan, the master who discovered him, trained him, and decisively sent him to Tongque, and the other was No matter what the situation is, Tongque captain Shao Zehang is by his side to protect him, and he does not hesitate to change tactics for him alone.

In an interview later, Lu Xiang always said that he was a very lucky person to meet such a good master and captain.

But in fact, only Shao Zehang knew how serious and hard Lu Xiang trained every night. Sometimes Shao Zehang felt tired, but Lu Xiang never yelled the word tired.The young boy has a simple mind and works hard every day to practice. It is also the result of his own hard work that he can achieve what he is today.

***

In the past few years, Shao Zehang and Lu Xiang have been living together, fighting in the arena and eating supper every night, this way of getting along has almost become their habit.Shao Zehang's short-term protection is also well-known in the league. Even the reporters joked: Team Shao always protects the deer everywhere, no wonder the deer has not grown tall.

Shao Zehang knew that he shouldn't do this. Lu Xiang also has a time when he grows up, and a day when he must shoulder the responsibility of Tongque.

But Shao Zehang can't help but want to protect Lu Xiang, because he likes this simple boy, and he doesn't want this person to suffer any harm.

But as time went by, this unilateral maintenance method gradually became no longer applicable, and Shao Zehang also began to think about the future of Tongque.

——If one day I leave the Bronze Sparrow team, then what I leave to you will definitely be the best Bronze Sparrow that is most convenient for you to manage.

Zhou Xinchuan has a good relationship with Lu Xiang, and they are similar in age. After Tongque’s healer Chen Weisen retired, Zhou Xinchuan can take over the treatment class and will serve as the vice-captain in the future, just in time to assist Lu Xiang in managing the Tongque team; For two seasons, before he retires, he must choose an auxiliary successor; Ding Rong and Feng Chao, the two players transferred from Chang'an, are still young, and they can play for a few more seasons...

When Lu Xiang happily played games with the team every day, Shao Zehang began to think about the replacement of Tongque very early.Lu Xiang usually works hard to learn tactics, but his brain is not enough. The analysis of those tactics is too complicated. He can only understand and execute them, but he cannot take the initiative to analyze and command.

——Anyway, Team Shao is there.

Lu Xiang kept thinking like this, until one day, he finally realized Shao Zehang's intention.

That was the time of the fourteenth season.Longyin just won the championship in the thirteenth season, and Seven Star Grass won the runner-up. Starting in the middle of the fourteenth season, both Longyin and Seven Star Grass are preparing for replacement. The Longyin side is all under the command of Wu Zewen, and the old Xiao of Seven Star Grass also In the decentralization of command, even the apprentice Xue Ke of Lun Shen boldly served as the command of the playoffs.

Even the slow-witted Lu Xiang smelled that the two strong teams were about to change their captains. Once when he went out to eat with Chang Sheng, he couldn't help but said: "It seems that the next captain of Longyin is Wu Xueba, and the captain of Seven Star Grass The next captain is Lun Shen's apprentice Xue Ke, I always thought it would be Chen Xiaobei."

Chang Sheng said: "Chen Xiaobei's character is not suitable for being the captain. It's better to choose Xue Ke. That guy is young, but he is very stable."

"Yeah." Lu Xiang agreed, "Ye Chenxi from Luohuaci seems to be cultivating newcomers, and that guy named Hu Bin has started to play the main force this season, and he's pretty good."

Chang Sheng smiled and said while drinking: "That's right, the captains of many teams will pay attention to their successors. Calm down, before Captain Shao leaves, he will probably be trained as the next commander. If you become the captain, Zhou Xinchuan will be the vice-captain."

Lu Xiang was stunned for a moment, then raised his head and said, "When did Team Shao say he was going to leave?"

Chang Sheng looked at him in surprise: "It's obvious, a group of Chuan Shen and the others are going to retire this season, and the Shao team will probably retire after another two years at most. His family has been urging him... Don't you know? ?”

Of course Lu Xiang knew this. As a roommate, he overheard Shao Zehang calling his family many times, and he also knew that Shao Zehang's family had been urging him to go abroad.

However, Lu Xiang never thought that this day would come so soon...

Shao Zehang has been by his side since his debut, no matter how difficult he encounters, as long as Shao Zehang is there, Lu Xiang has never worried, because Team Shao will always solve all problems smoothly.Regardless of whether Tongque wins the championship or has nothing to gain, Lu Xiang's mood has never been ups and downs, because with Shao Zehang around, he feels that as long as he plays together, he will be very happy. The result is not the most important thing, the important thing is to play with Shao The process of fighting side by side with them.

But today, Chang Sheng's words made Lu Xiang enlightened.

——The Shao team will also retire.

——One day, Team Shao will retire before him.

***

The atmosphere of the awards ceremony in the [-]th season was extremely sluggish, because Chuan Shen, Ye Ye, Si Lan, Lao Xiao, Lun Shen, the remaining five first-generation great players in the league announced their retirement collectively, and Long Yin and Seven Star Grass successfully completed the captain's honor. handover.

After the awards ceremony, the alliance organized a farewell party, and it was rare for everyone to have a dinner together to see off these five great masters who had a profound influence on the professional alliance.

During the banquet, Liu Chuan was pushed out by everyone to speak as a representative. Liu Chuan picked up the microphone and said with a smile: "After retiring, we don't have to play games. Our mood will be more relaxed, and we will have more time to spend with our loved ones. We want to go out and play. I don’t need to ask for leave, and I feel very happy when I think about the days when I sleep until I wake up naturally every day. Don’t feel sorry for us, it should be said that the five of us are finally free, and you still have to continue to struggle.”

Before Chuan Shen finished speaking, a group of people ran over to pour him wine: "Okay! You are about to retire, so don't hold grudges!"

"That is, you are relieved, we are still struggling in the sea of ​​suffering, don't you think it is particularly interesting to see us frowning for the game from the perspective of a bystander?"

It was a sad farewell party, but after what Liu Chuan said, everyone cheered up—retirement is actually a new beginning. Although the five outstanding players have left the competition field, everyone believes that they will be in other fields in the future. will be fine too.

Lu Xiang was depressed from the beginning to the end, and he didn't speak after returning to the hotel. He seemed to be thinking about something with his head down.

Shao Zehang thought that Xiaolu was sad for his master's retirement, so he patted him on the shoulder lightly, and comforted him: "Don't feel bad, although your master can no longer play games after retiring, he will stay in Longyin as the boss, and, The approval document from the E-Sports Association has also come down, he will be the director of the E-Sports Association next year, and it will be easy for you to see him in the future."

"Yes." Lu Xiang agreed lightly, then suddenly raised his head and asked, "What about you? When will you retire?"

Shao Zehang was taken aback, and found that this guy's eyes were a little red.

After a long silence, Shao Zehang asked softly, "Are you so sad because...the thought of my retirement?"

Lu Xiang said in a low voice: "Seeing so many people retire today, I feel very sad. Thinking that you will leave in the future, I don't know what to do..."

Since his debut, Lu Xiang has habitually relied on Shao Zehang. When he was made things difficult by reporters, Shao Zehang would take the initiative to solve the trouble for him as long as he bowed his head; Come to rescue him; fight in the arena together every night, eat supper together, watch game videos and practice lineup coordination in the training room together during the day...

They have always been the best partners, the best partners for childhood sweethearts to grow from rookies to masters together.

Lu Xiang never thought, what would he do if Team Shao left one day?

He, a road idiot who is often targeted by other teams, how can he lead a team like Bronze Sparrow well?How can he find a partner who understands him best and can cooperate with him best for his frivolous style of play?

Lu Xiang raised his head to look at him, and seeing his red eyes, Shao Zehang's heart was so soft that it almost melted, he stretched out his hand involuntarily, gently embraced the boy in front of him, stroked his head and said softly: "Don't worry, my family is urging me very hard, but I will not retire in a hurry. I used a reason to hold them back for a while, and I can stay in Bronze Sparrow for at least another two years as the captain."

Hearing this, Lu Xiang was a little relieved, and asked again with confirmation: "Is there still two years left?"

"In fact, it doesn't have to be two years. If possible, I can continue to stay, it depends on whether the person is willing."

"Which person?" Lu Xiang wondered, "What do you want?"

Shao Zehang replied: "My parents urged me to go home. The most important reason is that I have been single for the past few years to play games. I told my dad, give me three years, and I will bring him a daughter-in-law back. If we can really bring that guy back, they won’t urge me anymore, and I can stay in the country to accompany him.”

Lu Xiang was startled, and finally understood: "Take your wife home? Do you have someone you like?"

"Ah."

Lu Xiang asked curiously: "Who is it? Could it be Lin Tong from Dragon Singing Team?"

Shao Zehang: "..."

Realizing that he had guessed wrongly, Lu Xiang continued to guess: "Could it be He Fang from Seven Star Grass? She is also a beauty. Li Suyue from Team Snow Wolf...isn't that right? Could it be Yan Ziyi from Team Shengtang? But Team Leader Yan is younger than How old are you, do you like sibling love?"

Shao Zehang: "..."

Shao Dui's face became more and more ugly, so Lu Xiang had to stop guessing, scratched his head and asked, "Who the hell is it?"

Shao Zehang looked at him helplessly. In order to satisfy the young boy's curiosity, Shao Zehang decided to tell him the answer so that he would not have to guess the whole league.

"It's you."

Lu Xiang: "???"

Seeing the young boy's blank face, Shao Zehang repeated helplessly: "The person I like is you."

Lu Xiang: "..."

Xiao Lu Xiang's mouth can be directly stuffed into an egg.