SITS CH23

Chapter 23: The Taste of Victory

The final draft phase began, and the stadium fell into absolute silence.

The tension from the audience seeped onto the stage. Liu Shishi, sitting on the edge of his seat, couldn’t stop bouncing his leg in an attempt to shake off his nerves. He figured his teammates might be just as anxious.

But when he looked up, he saw two completely calm faces.

One was Shen Man, which wasn’t surprising.

The other was Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye’s usual bright, sunny smile was gone. His face was expressionless as he discussed hero picks with the coach, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about dinner plans.

This was his first-ever finals match, yet he showed none of the jitters from Game 1.

Instead, he exuded an uncanny sense of calm, as if he had played in a thousand finals before.

Somehow, seeing him like this settled Liu Shishi’s nerves. He took a deep breath, stabilizing his emotions.

Xu Zhouye’s potential was obvious to anyone who had played against him. His near-terrifying mechanics and game sense left a deep impression on everyone.

Yang Shanhe had once believed that Qin Yixing was the undisputed best jungler in the league—if he wasn’t first, then no one else dared claim the title.

But now, facing Xu Zhouye, he felt the same suffocating dominance.

No one could underestimate an opponent like that.

“Final match,” Qin Yixing said coolly. “Let’s go.”

His cursor moved and locked in Ashen Heart—a champion that marks a single enemy from the start of the game, dealing double damage to them while also taking double damage in return.

Once Ashen Heart chooses a target, there are only two possible outcomes—either he dies, or his target does.

Just like Qin Yixing’s mindset in this moment.

The final pick.

ACE’s coaching staff saved the last counter-pick for Xu Zhouye.

A counter-pick allows a player to choose a champion specifically to counter the enemy’s draft. But this only works if your champion pool is deep enough—otherwise, your opponents could just ban all your strong picks.

Shen Man knew Xu Zhouye’s hero pool was deep. He expected him to choose an early-game champion to quickly snowball the match.

But instead, Xu Zhouye locked in Tinar, the Queen of All Things—often called “Queen” for short.

A late-game scaling champion who permanently gains attack speed by collecting souls.

She was shockingly similar to Ashen Heart in design—both thrived in drawn-out fights, but Queen was even more aggressive and explosive.

If left unchecked, she could shred the enemy backline like paper.

Instead of backing down from Qin Yixing’s aggression, Xu Zhouye met him head-on.

TKR’s Reaction.

“Xu Zhouye plays Queen?” TKR’s players were stunned.

Yang Shanhe muttered, “How many secret picks does this guy have?”

Their ADC rubbed his nose. “I’ve never seen him use it before.”

Not in scrims. Not in ranked games. Nowhere.

This was ACE’s hidden trump card.

“Fest picked Queen?” The first commentator sounded shocked. “I don’t think we’ve seen him play this in the group stage at all!”

“It’s locked in!”

“This is so exciting. What other secret weapons are they hiding?” The second commentator added, “Nine also got his comfort pick—this is going to be intense!”

“You think he actually knows how to play it?” Yang Shanhe still couldn’t wrap his head around it. Queen was a difficult champion—while viable in the current patch, her win rate in high-level games wasn’t great.

Qin Yixing didn’t respond.

“You don’t think he just blind-picked it, do you?” Yang Shanhe pressed.

Qin Yixing finally spoke. “Never underestimate your opponent.”

Yang Shanhe sighed. “I wouldn’t dare. He’s already shown how terrifying he is.”

Meanwhile, the game had begun.

——

Late-Game Chaos was on the Lava Map.

This was an evenly matched game, both sides refusing to break.

The stadium’s air conditioning was on full blast, yet Shen Man’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

A game that normally ended in 30 minutes had now stretched to nearly 40 minutes.

Both teams had full item builds.

The fourth Lava Pit had already spawned. Soon, the fifth and final Lava Pit would appear.

Even though ACE had secured the last three Lava Buffs, they still couldn’t close the game.

“If they go for the Lava Pit, we take Serpent,” Shen Man commanded. As ACE’s shot-caller, he spoke the most during matches, always keeping a calm, analytical approach. “Zhao Rui, go with Liu Shishi and set up vision on Serpent.”

“Got it,” Zhao Rui responded.

“Their bot lane’s ultimates are synced and still on cooldown for another minute and a half—they can’t fight yet,” Xu Zhouye reported steadily. “Mid, top, and jungle have their ultimates ready. Be careful.”

“Understood,” Shen Man replied. “I’m about to buy my revive. We can fight.”

(Note: In the Heart of Wasteland, after 30 minutes, players can spend gold to revive instantly.)

“Force a fight,” Xu Zhouye suggested. “Liu Shishi, clear the wave and recall. TP in. There’s a ward at the triple brush that they haven’t cleared.”

Shen Man glanced at the mini-map.

At that moment, TKR’s mid-laner appeared in bot lane, slightly out of position.

His eyes sharpened.

“Rush Serpent. We’re fast.”

The first commentator gasped, “ACE is going for it—they’re decisively starting Serpent!”

In the late game, Serpent was the ultimate game-changing objective. There was no way TKR would give it up for free.

ACE executed flawlessly. As soon as Shen Man called for it, everyone fully committed.

With max items, their objective clear speed was insanely fast. By the time TKR realized, Serpent was already at half HP.

The second commentator yelled, “TKR’s top-laner is teleporting in! Can they make it in time?”

“Nine dives in—what a beautiful engage—he hits Slow with his ultimate! SLOW IS INSTANTLY DELETED!!!”

Qin Yixing, the undisputed best jungler in the league, had once again demonstrated his godlike skill.

Using a vision blind spot, he landed a full-map, pinpoint-accurate ultimate, obliterating Shen Man in an instant.

His passive mark doubled the damage, making Shen Man melt like butter on a hot pan.

ACE’s fans screamed in shock. The entire stadium gasped in unison.

“It’s over?! Wait—FEST HAS DIVED TKR’S BACKLINE! TKR’S FRONTLINE CAN’T STOP HIM—”

With her passive fully stacked, Queen became the true ruler of the battlefield.

Her dual blades effortlessly sliced through TKR’s ADC’s neck.

The squishy marksman barely lasted three seconds against her overwhelming burst damage.

A ruthless trade of backline carries.

This was the terror of a jungle carry composition—once the game reached late-stage team fights, fragile ADCs had no chance to survive.

Xu Zhouye showed no mercy, controlling the terrifying Queen of All Things, dealing explosive damage as he reached for his next victim.

“Wait, Slow’s not dead, Slow’s not dead!! He bought a revive, his teammates didn’t follow Nine’s rhythm—Slow’s back up!!”

The nonstop action kept the commentators shouting.

What seemed like a certain defeat turned into a complete turnaround in an instant. Shen Man, barely alive, rose from the ground once more. Everyone knew Qin Yixing would try to kill him while he was low, but Zhao Rui, as the support, used all his strength to control Qin Yixing, trying to give Shen Man a moment to breathe. However, Zhao Rui could only control one target at a time, and if someone else dealt damage, he couldn’t do anything about it.

At this moment, Zhao Rui was so nervous he almost felt sick. His hands trembled as he gripped the mouse, staring at the screen. Time seemed to slow down, and every movement of the characters on the screen felt like slow motion. He saw Shen Man, with barely any health left, pull off an extreme play, using the limit of his movement speed to leap over a thick wall, barely escaping with a sliver of health—and no one was able to stop him! Qin Yixing, who had been controlled by Zhao Rui, just watched as Shen Man ran away.

Looking back, Zhao Rui realized that TKR’s backline had been nearly obliterated by Xu Zhouye’s terrifying Queen. TKR’s ADC wasn’t as resilient as Shen Man, and upon buying a revive, was immediately killed by Xu Zhouye again, unable to help Qin Yixing deal enough damage to kill Shen Man.

The difference between an ADC and a mage was that as long as the ADC was alive, they could keep outputting damage. They didn’t need to wait for cooldowns; each auto attack was the most powerful weapon.

So in any team fight, as long as the ADC was still alive, there was a chance to win.

In the brush, Shen Man quickly used jungle monsters to restore some health, stabilizing his lifeline. When he returned to the battlefield, he had become a terrifying damage dealer. He controlled his positioning, and without Ashen Heart’s ultimate for mobility, the enemy couldn’t get close. Ashen Heart was being pulled in multiple directions while exploding bullets pierced through his skull, the firepower overwhelming—another Q skill sent all the bullets in Ashen Heart’s body to explode simultaneously.

Ashen Heart let out a scream and collapsed to the ground.

But that wasn’t enough.

Ashen Heart could still buy a revive. Just as he was about to respawn, Zhao Rui used his skill to perfectly control Ashen Heart. Although the control was only for less than a second, Shen Man didn’t waste the opportunity and shot Qin Yixing down with a few quick hits.

Dressed in his glistening six-piece armor, Ashen Heart exploded in a bright burst—the death effect of his champion. But at this moment, it looked more like a mocking firework, celebrating his failure.

As the screen faded to black and white, Qin Yixing knew it was over.

He saw Shen Man, who had just killed him, gliding smoothly as he hunted down the remaining wounded members of TKR. Xu Zhouye, controlling Queen, with her beautiful head held high, was like a king surveying his spoils, stepping over the bodies of fallen enemies as she ascended to her throne.

Qin Yixing closed his eyes, bracing for the deafening sound of defeat.

What seemed like an unexpected reversal, combined with amazing gameplay, pushed the match to its climax.

Just as Shen Man fell, ACE fans sighed, disappointed by the apparent defeat. The next moment, they were shocked by Xu Zhouye’s plays, shouting in excitement.

TKR fans, too, went through extreme emotional highs and lows. They thought the game was over when Shen Man was killed, but Xu Zhouye’s sudden appearance threw their excitement into a nosedive.

Xu Zhouye cut through the backline, shredding TKR’s ADC like chopping vegetables.

At that moment, Shen Man, thanks to Xu Zhouye’s disruption, had found a slim chance of survival.

The situation had completely reversed.

The massive Victory word appeared on the screen, accompanied by triumphant music.

The commentator beamed, “Let’s congratulate ACE for winning the Summer Split Championship!”

“This is ACE’s second Summer Split Championship,” the other commentator said, slightly emotional. “It’s been three years since they last lifted the trophy! Let’s look forward to seeing them at the Global Championship!”

ACE fans were ecstatic, waving their support items, light sticks, and banners. The chants of ACE! ACE! ACE! filled the air, like a wave crashing into their ears.

The five members of ACE took off their headsets and walked slowly to the center of the stage.

On the stage, the golden trophy sparkled under the lights, and colorful confetti rained down, falling onto their hair and shoulders like a crown for the victors.

The five of them carefully held the trophy together and lifted it in unison, completing the hard-earned trophy ceremony.

“Ahhh!!! We’re the champions!!!”

“ACE! ACE! ACE!”

“We will always love you—”

In the livestream chat, the usual sarcastic comments were replaced by a single, repeated message that flooded the screen.

“Congratulations, ACE”

Congratulations to ACE for winning the Summer Split Championship and earning the first ticket to the Global Championship.

After the trophy ceremony, the interview segment began.

The MVP of the fifth game was awarded to Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye took the stage, and the interviewer handed him the microphone, smiling as she asked him, “Who would you like to say something to right now?”

Xu Zhouye blinked and replied, “I’d like to say something to my 15-year-old self.”

The interviewer asked, “Oh? What would you say?”

Xu Zhouye chuckled. “Go to the internet café more and work on your skills.”

The interviewer laughed, “How did you think of that?”

Xu Zhouye grinned. “Hahahaha, just trying to make up for some regrets.”

……

As an esports player, there was nothing more exhilarating than winning a match, and if there was, it was beating your greatest rival.

TKR and ACE had a three-year-long rivalry. In the first two years, ACE was crushed online and ridiculed by fans offline—it was a truly miserable time.

Now, they had turned it all around, and everyone was ecstatic.

Even the manager was so moved he said, “Let’s go out for a big meal tonight. It’s on me! I’m hopeful for next season’s salary increase…”

Though the game had been exhausting, the excitement had made the fatigue feel insignificant.

After bidding farewell to the passionate fans, the team got on the bus and started discussing what to eat.

“Xu Zhouye, you’re the MVP, so you decide!” the coach said, looking at Xu Zhouye with affection.

“Let’s have barbecue,” Xu Zhouye raised his hand. “I know a place that’s really good; I’ve already lined up for it.”

“Sounds good.” The manager was about to call it out, but then noticed someone was missing. He looked around and asked, “Wait, where’s Zhao Rui?”

“Didn’t he just go to the bathroom?” Liu Shishi asked, “Isn’t he back yet?”

The manager looked suspicious. “He dares to go to the bathroom at this time? Isn’t he afraid of getting cornered by fans asking for his autograph?”

Shen Man: “…”

The manager asked, “Why the expression? Have you ever had that happen?”

Shen Man coldly replied, “Better call him and check if he’s still alive.”

The manager responded with a quick “oh.”

The call went through, but no one answered.

The manager tried calling a few more times, and finally, Zhao Rui picked up, sounding a bit panicked. “I-I’m here.”

The manager said, “Hurry up and come out, we’re waiting for you. What took so long? Did you fall into the toilet?”

Zhao Rui replied, “Okay.”

A while later, Zhao Rui appeared out of nowhere, his face red and breathing heavily, taking a seat in the back row.

The manager eyed him suspiciously. “What were you doing?”

Zhao Rui’s expression shifted uneasily. “I had something come up, got delayed.”

The manager pressed, “What’s going on?”

Shen Man flatly stated, “His girlfriend came to see him.”

Coach: “Huh??”

Zhao Rui: “Ah—”

The manager was confused, and Zhao Rui was shocked.

“Zhao Rui has a girlfriend? Isn’t he all about online dating? Can he actually date girls in real life now?” Xu Xiaochong remarked, aiming for the heart.

“You’re the one who does online dating! Captain, how do you know about this?” Zhao Rui asked, sounding guilty.

Shen Man casually said, “You might want to tidy up that long strand of hair on your shoulder.”

Zhao Rui: “…”

Everyone: “…”

“Alright, the kid’s grown up,” the manager sighed. “Let’s go, we’re having barbecue. It’s on me.”

The manager paid the bill, and everyone loosened up.

Shen Man found a corner with dimmer lighting and slowly started marking the dishes he wanted to order.

Xu Zhouye peeked over, noticing there wasn’t a single vegetarian dish on the list.

Shen Man handed the menu to him. “Here.”

Xu Zhouye added a few more items and passed it on to the next person.

The mood was light, and the atmosphere was lively.

Shen Man took out his phone, scrolling through it. He saw that their Summer Split Championship victory had made it to the trending topics. When he clicked on it, the first post was by Xu Zhouye. There was no caption, just an image of a trophy.

At first, Shen Man thought it was the trophy they’d just won, but after a closer look, he realized it wasn’t. The trophy in the image was much simpler, looking almost like a child’s toy.

Shen Man furrowed his brows, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, as if he’d seen it before but couldn’t recall where.

The comments below were also puzzled, asking why Xu Zhouye posted this image and not one of their Summer Split trophy. Many people were confused.

Despite the numerous questions, Xu Zhouye didn’t respond to a single one.

Since the person in question was right there, Shen Man asked directly, “What’s up with the trophy in your post?”

Xu Zhouye paused, his hand halfway through pouring some wine. “Hmm…”

Shen Man asked, “Not convenient to talk about?”

Xu Zhouye smiled sweetly, his eyes curving. “Not really. It’s just my motivation for playing games.”

Shen Man raised an eyebrow. “Motivation for playing games?”

Xu Zhouye blinked. “Huh? So, Captain, why do you play games?”

Shen Man was silent for a moment before answering, “If I’m doing alright, I’ll keep playing.”

Xu Zhouye: “…” If Shen Man only considers himself “doing alright,” then no one in HCC can dare say they’re truly good.

“And you?” Shen Man asked Xu Zhouye. “What’s your motivation?”

Xu Zhouye didn’t answer directly, instead, he gazed intently at Shen Man.

Shen Man was puzzled. “What are you staring at me for?”

Xu Zhouye shifted his gaze, flashing a signature smile. “Because I love playing games.”

Shen Man: “Oh.”

Loving games was a perfectly reasonable answer. In esports, most players enter the field because of a passion for the game. That love is what drives them through endless training sessions, and it’s what gives them the courage to keep going after the thrill of success or the despair of failure.

“I bloom alone, and wither alone. Both the sunshine and the snow are the crowns that were placed upon me.” This was a line from a hero in the game, and Shen Man liked it.