SITS Ch5

Chapter 5: The Shura Field

On Sunday night, ACE faced off against BK.

BK had not been performing well this season, losing both games last week, while ACE won 2-0.

Shen Man, unsurprisingly, was awarded the MVP for both matches.

Xu Zhouye looked at Shen Man with eyes full of admiration, and Zhao Rui, watching him, felt like he had seen that kind of gaze somewhere before. After thinking for a moment, he realized: “You little brat, are you a fan of Shen-ge?”

Xu Zhouye, confused: “Zhao-ge, aren’t you a fan of the captain?”

Zhao Rui was speechless: “I’m not, I don’t…”

“But I’ve seen your interview from a few years ago,” Xu Zhouye said. “You said it yourself…”

“Alright, alright,” Zhao Rui hurriedly interrupted, trying to avoid exposing his past history, “Don’t bring it up, don’t bring it up.”

Xu Zhouye obediently said “Oh” in response.

“Wait, hey, how do you even remember interviews from a few years ago?” Zhao Rui realized.

“It’s not that, I just remembered it because it left a deep impression,” Xu Zhouye explained.

Zhao Rui: “……Fine then.”

To be honest, in the world of esports, it’s hard to get someone to acknowledge that they’re inferior. Most players are in their teens or early twenties, at the peak of their youth, and it’s not easy to admit that someone else is better.

However, when it comes to Shen Man, it’s an exception. Zhao Rui was sure that over eighty percent of the professional shooters who had joined HCC in the past two years had been influenced by Shen Man. Even if they weren’t fans, they would still study his item builds and laning techniques.

Shen Man had taken the role of the shooter to its limits.

After winning two matches, the atmosphere in the base was good.

“Captain, what do you want to eat tonight?” Xu Zhouye asked.

“I don’t know, not really hungry,” Shen Man replied.

“Do you want to go out for a walk?” Xu Zhouye invited. “We can grab something to eat along the way.”

The weather was nice today, with a setting sun hanging in the sky. Their base was near the river, and the surroundings were great.

“Sure,” Shen Man said. Xu Zhouye hadn’t expected him to agree, so he was pleasantly surprised.

Before leaving, Shen Man saw Zhao Rui sitting on a chair, grinning at his phone. This scene was too familiar to him, so familiar that he couldn’t help but sigh, “Zhao Rui.”

Zhao Rui: “Hey, hey, hey, what’s up, Shen-ge?”

“Stop with the online romance,” Shen Man said.

Zhao Rui: “……”

Xu Zhouye, surprised, asked, “Zhao-ge likes online romance?”

Before Shen Man could respond, Zhao Rui quickly said, “No, no, no, I’m just chatting a bit.”

Shen Man, knowing his support player well, sneered, “Don’t come crying to me if you get heartbroken. It’s annoying.”

Zhao Rui said, “Shen-ge, don’t worry, I won’t be tricked by a woman. This is just part of my plan. Don’t say anything, I have my own rhythm!”

Shen Man: “…… Your own rhythm, huh. It’s hard to give advice to a fool.”

Shen Man grabbed his coat and turned to leave.

Xu Zhouye watched his resolute back and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The sunset hung over the river, and the ground was covered with a stone-paved path. A warm breeze ruffled Shen Man’s dark hair.

Shen Man walked beside Xu Zhouye, his hands in his pockets, his head slightly lowered, revealing a sharp side profile.

The scene was so beautiful that Xu Zhouye hesitated for a moment, resisting the urge to pull out his phone and take a picture.

“I’m hungry,” Shen Man said. “Let’s find something to eat.”

Xu Zhouye asked, “There’s a place over there with pretty good spicy chicken, do you want to try it?”

Shen Man looked at Xu Zhouye with curiosity.

Xu Zhouye said, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Man replied, “You’ve only been here at the base for a month, right? How come you seem to know the area better than I do?” He had been at the base for years and still didn’t know what spicy chicken was.

Xu Zhouye smiled and said, “Maybe it’s because I’m curious about the surroundings and like to wander around.”

This explanation made sense. Shen Man didn’t have much desire to explore his surroundings and usually only went out when necessary.

“Sure,” Shen Man said, “Trying it sounds fine.”

The two were chatting as they walked toward the restaurant when suddenly someone grabbed Shen Man’s arm, and an excited male voice came over, “Slow, is that you?!”

Shen Man turned around to see a face full of excitement.

“Is it really you, Slow? I’m a fan, can you give me an autograph?” The man was gripping his arm with excessive force.

“Sure, I can sign, but could you stop grabbing me?” Shen Man frowned.

The fan didn’t loosen his grip and, even more excited, tried to get closer but was pushed back by a hand that firmly created distance between Shen Man and him.

Xu Zhouye, standing beside Shen Man, stepped forward, separating the two.

His usual friendly smile was gone, replaced by a frosty expression. Standing at 186 cm, he looked like a wall, shielding Shen Man behind him. He grabbed the fan’s hand, speaking in a slow, deliberate tone, “Let go.”

The fan winced from the pressure and released Shen Man’s arm, saying, “What are you doing? Want to fight?”

“He already said, he’ll sign, but no hands-on actions,” Xu Zhouye replied.

The fan mumbled, “I… I get it.”

Xu Zhouye turned and looked at Shen Man. Seeing Shen Man nod, he let go and stepped aside.

The fan, seemingly prepared, quickly pulled out paper and a pen from his bag. Shen Man glanced at it, then shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t sign on blank paper.”

The fan froze.

“Change the paper, can’t you understand?” Xu Zhouye furrowed his brow, his tone harsh. Usually, his constant smile made him seem approachable, but with his face now darkened, he looked like a tough guy from the streets, his gaze fierce enough to suggest he might punch someone in the chin at any moment.

The fan, clearly intimidated by Xu Zhouye’s expression, shivered and pulled out another sheet. This time it wasn’t blank paper, but a photo of Shen Man.

Xu Zhouye stared at the photo, his expression tightening rather than relaxing. “You came here just to stalk Shen Man?” he asked. How else would he have this with him?

The fan didn’t expect Xu Zhouye to say that, and his face immediately turned awkward. He glanced at Xu Zhouye, then at Shen Man, offering a forced, apologetic smile. “No… No, it’s just a coincidence.”

“This can’t be signed; you can leave now,” Shen Man said coldly.

The fan wanted to say something, but Xu Zhouye cut him off, blocking him with his hand. “I already said it can’t be signed. Can you understand what I’m saying?”

The fan fell silent, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction as they lingered on Shen Man. But seeing the intimidating Xu Zhouye in front of him, he finally said nothing and walked away in defeat.

Shen Man watched him walk further away, his face devoid of any smile, reverting to his usual expressionless look. “Let’s go.”

Xu Zhouye asked, “Captain, do you often encounter this kind of thing?”

Shen Man answered, “Not really.”

Xu Zhouye asked, “Really not?”

Shen Man didn’t respond. He rubbed his wrist where the fan had grabbed him earlier. Xu Zhouye glanced at it and noticed a ring of red marks on Shen Man’s fair skin, a stark contrast.

This sight made Xu Zhouye’s jaw tighten, and his hand, which had been hanging by his side, clenched into a fist.

“Let’s go,” Shen Man said. “Weren’t we going for spicy chicken?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Yeah, let’s go.”

The spicy chicken was delicious. Xu Zhouye knew Shen Man liked strong flavors, so he made sure it was extra spicy.

The chicken was freshly killed, and the peppers were fresh too.

The rich aroma of the food helped ease the discomfort from earlier, and Shen Man ate with focus. The intense spiciness made his eyes and nose redden, but he still carefully picked up the chicken and ate.

Xu Zhouye sat nearby, occasionally handing him water or napkins.

“Aren’t you eating?” Shen Man asked, noticing that Xu Zhouye hadn’t really touched his chopsticks.

“I’m eating,” Xu Zhouye replied. It wasn’t about the food; seeing Shen Man eat so seriously made him feel like he was already full.

“Thanks for earlier,” Shen Man said.

Xu Zhouye replied, “No problem. Captain, do you often deal with this kind of thing?”

Shen Man answered, “Occasionally.”

Xu Zhouye asked, “Doesn’t that get annoying?”

Shen Man said, “It’s fine, just a nuisance. I’m a guy, so he can’t really do anything. The most that happens is that I get grossed out. Is he going to knock out this 1.8-meter tall man and drag him away?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Oh…”

After the meal, the two of them returned to the base.

When they passed by the entrance, the security guard suddenly called out, saying there was a delivery for Shen Man, and pulled out a large doll about half a meter tall from the corner.

The doll was very detailed, with clothes and hairstyle almost identical to Shen Man’s, showing that a lot of effort had been put into it.

Xu Zhouye was a bit surprised. “Did you buy this?”

Shen Man shook his head as he took the doll. “No.” He turned to the security guard. “Who sent it?”

The guard said, “The courier.”

“A fan’s gift?” Xu Zhouye asked. “It’s quite cute.”

Shen Man held the doll without saying a word, as if this seemingly thoughtful gift didn’t make him happy.

Xu Zhouye asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Man said, “Uncle, I can’t keep this doll. Next time, please have the courier return it.”

The guard replied, “Oh… alright.” He seemed to be used to it and didn’t ask why.

Seeing this scene, Xu Zhouye quickly picked up on the situation. He glanced at the doll and said, “Afraid there’s something inside?”

Shen Man nodded, “Yeah… I’ve received stuffed dolls before and later found hidden cameras inside.” Since then, he had stopped accepting gifts.

Xu Zhouye frowned. “That’s going too far.”

Shen Man thought of himself as just a gamer. He didn’t understand why people were still so enthusiastic about ACE’s decline over the past two years. Zhao Rui had his own explanation—being a fallen idol somehow makes you more attractive, but Shen Man dismissed this as nonsense.

“Have you finished your hours?” Xu Zhouye tried to lighten the mood, but as soon as he said it, a trace of heaviness appeared on Shen Man’s usually expressionless face.

Xu Zhouye: “…Uh-oh, asked the wrong thing.”

Shen Man replied, “Twenty hours left.”

Xu Zhouye: “Hmm…”

Shen Man said, “I stream for five hours a day, so it’ll take four days to finish.”

Xu Zhouye: “…”

Shen Man added, “There are only four days left this month.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That means I have to work four consecutive days.”

Looking at his tired expression, Xu Zhouye couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

Shen Man asked, “Is it funny?”

Xu Zhouye said, “No, it’s just that I’ll be here with you.”

Shen Man didn’t respond and just walked away.

In the remaining days, after training, Shen Man was forced to spend time with his fans during his streams.

[Love watching SW’s reluctant yet obligatory demeanour; it always reminds me of a boss being forced to work.]

[What new bottom lane combo will we see today? Wasn’t that green cat support close to breaking his defense yesterday?]

[Today’s definitely gonna be a win.]

Shen Man glanced at the bullet screen but didn’t reply. He quietly sipped his tea.

Zhao Rui leaned in and noticed the dark liquid in his cup. “Shen-ge, still drinking coffee this late? Be careful, you might not sleep.”

Shen Man didn’t turn around. “It’s not coffee.”

Zhao Rui asked, “Then what is it?”

Shen Man answered, “Herbal medicine to reduce internal heat.”

Zhao Rui: “…”

Shen Man took another slow sip.

Zhao Rui couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “I knew it! Every time Shen Man streams at the end of the month, I thought it was coffee to stay awake, but it turns out it’s herbal medicine.”

The audience in the stream quickly filled the screen with “Hahaha.”

The game started, and Shen Man clicked ready.

Zhao Rui glanced at his screen and was taken aback, “This ID looks familiar… Wait, isn’t that Nine’s main account?”

Nine was Qin Yixing’s ID in the game, and his main account was called this.

Shen Man still remembered asking Qin Yixing why he used “Nine” instead of “One” in his name, and Qin Yixing had jokingly explained it was “nine-nine returns to one.”

Before the bullet screen could react, Qin Yixing messaged Shen Man in the chat: [Yo, what a coincidence.]

Shen Man thought, what coincidence? In a server with so few top-tier players, meeting him wasn’t strange.

Just then, Xu Zhouye’s cheerful voice came from behind: “Captain, the bullet screen says I’m facing you!!”

Shen Man: “?”

Zhao Rui: “Oh~~~”

Shen Man glanced at the ID on his screen, “Which one is yours?”

Xu Zhouye replied, “They said you’re on my opposite team.”

Zhao Rui burst into laughter, “This is a battlefield!”

Shen Man: “…”

It seemed Qin Yixing hadn’t noticed the situation, as he continued greeting Shen Man in the chat: [Why aren’t you replying? Nervous?]

Shen Man ignored him, focusing on setting up his shooter hero and slowly adjusting his starting items.

The audience, seeing the situation, started to have fun with it.

[Betting time! Is it the ex or the current one who’s going to be the tough one!]

[Definitely Nine! I think Fest is going to get destroyed.]

[It’s not that bad, he’s the King of the Casual Players in HCC, well-known for dominating both the CN and overseas servers.]

[So what if he’s at the top? Why not get a world championship?]

[Didn’t the world champion get destroyed last week?]

Qin Yixing messaged again: [Your teammate is on the other side, don’t go easy on me, okay?]

Shen Man replied, [Stop with the nonsense. If you want to fight, let’s fight. If not, just leave.]

Qin Yixing: [….]

Xu Zhouye saw the bullet screen and realized not only Shen Man was on the opposite side, but also Qin Yixing. He glanced at the screen, where Shen Man’s ID was next to Qin Yixing’s. The smile in his eyes faded, and his mouse hovered over one hero before moving to another, finally locking in his choice.

Zhao Rui remarked, “Oh, you picked the Rabid Dog.”

Shen Man said, “He used Rabid Dog to top the CN server.”

Zhao Rui was surprised, “Right, I almost forgot.”

Rabid Dog, full name “Hidden Dog,” was one of the few stealth heroes in the game, known for its high burst damage. But using it to reach the top of the CN server was no easy feat.

Shen Man thought, he was curious to see what Xu Zhouye’s Rabid Dog could do differently.

The game began on a jungle map, the worst for marksmen.

Qin Yixing, without buying a starting dagger, immediately went to the “Wanxiang Sky Moth” for a possible bot lane gank. It looked like the same old routine Shen Man had seen before. He glanced at it, expressionless, thinking there was nothing new but it was still practical.

Shen Man played aggressively in lane, suppressing his opponents and pushing the minion wave into their jungle. With poor vision in the bot lane, he couldn’t afford to be too reckless. Jungle maps often had thick bushes blocking sight, making it feel like enemies could jump out from anywhere with buffs.

Qin Yixing didn’t find a good opportunity, so after some thought, he turned and went to another jungle area to avoid wasting time.

Five minutes later.

Shen Man’s bottom lane was nearly wiped out, with just a sliver of health left. It seemed like a kill was imminent, but just then, the character Shen Man controlled suddenly emitted a cloud of red mist—like being poisoned. This red mist surrounded him, as though it were a noose about to tighten around his neck.

Shen Man had anticipated this. He quickly turned and moved into the bushes to block vision, but his teammate made a mistake and used a control ability too early, failing to disable the Rabid Dog. As a result, Shen Man could only watch helplessly as the red mist enveloped him, accompanied by the raspy voice of the Rabid Dog: “My beloved, let me savor your sweetness,” followed by the disappearance of his health bar and the screen turning to black and white.

Zhao Rui, who was watching nearby, clicked his tongue. “If they had controlled him, you could have escaped.” He was referring to Shen Man’s teammate’s mistake.

Shen Man replied, “Can you guarantee it?”

Zhao Rui scratched his nose. “Hard to say.” But if they had controlled him, they might have had a chance. Unfortunately, the control ability thrown by Shen Man’s teammate was dodged by Xu Zhouye’s Rabid Dog, and the opportunity was lost.

Shen Man remained expressionless, while Qin Yixing secured a kill, tying the score to 1:1.

At the 20-minute mark, Qin Yixing and Xu Zhouye were just two kills ahead. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much of a difference, but everyone could sense something was wrong.

“This game’s over,” Zhao Rui realized, glancing at Xu Zhouye’s economy and feeling uneasy. “How did he manage to buy a Stone Blade? How are we supposed to fight against that?” The Stone Blade was an expensive item, and looking at the enemy’s inventory, it was clear that everyone was contributing to support Xu Zhouye’s jungle carry. This item was very effective against physical damage heroes, and it was only 20 minutes into the game. Xu Zhouye was already tanky like a block of iron, while Shen Man’s mage was still nowhere near completing their first major item.

After saying this, Zhao Rui glanced at Shen Man.

Shen Man didn’t look up but seemed to know what Zhao Rui was thinking, slowly replying, “I expected it.”

Zhao Rui: “…”

Earlier, when Qin Yixing suddenly left ACE, there had been various speculations about internal conflicts. Some said Shen Man had a bad temper, others said Qin Yixing was motivated by money. Zhao Rui had asked Shen Man about it once, but he never received an answer. From the looks of it now, Zhao Rui suspected that their breakup was likely due to disagreements over gameplay style.

Both of them had issues with the double-C (carry) system, and in the end, they went their separate ways.

That’s just how life is—people come together and eventually drift apart.

Before, Zhao Rui had only heard rumors about it, but now, Shen Man, as an unprotected marksman, was experiencing firsthand the terrifying power of Xu Zhouye’s top-tier Rabid Dog.

Xu Zhouye had an excellent sense of timing when it came to ganks, and in the fog-covered jungle map, it was as if he had a map hack, appearing anywhere at any time.

Shen Man couldn’t even fight back. Whenever a fight broke out, he was sure to see those terrifying red mist signals appear on him.

Xu Zhouye was like an unstoppable predator, joyfully taking the life of his beloved—each time Shen Man died, he had to listen to the Rabid Dog’s harsh laugh and watch as the dog circled his dead body, wagging its tail in the thick shadow.

Shen Man: “…” This kid really has a twisted sense of humor.

After dying twice, Shen Man’s mood actually improved, and he asked Zhao Rui to add some hot water to his herbal medicine so he could keep drinking.

Zhao Rui was taken aback, thinking to himself that only Shen Man could treat herbal medicine like a tea bag.

When Shen Man saw that Qin Yixing had also been caught off guard and killed by Xu Zhouye, he knew how this game would end.

[Team] nine: Don’t you feel frustrated?

[Team] Fourth Floor: ? (Fourth Floor is Shen Man’s game ID).

Seeing the indifferent question mark, Shen Man’s extremely handsome yet cold face flashed in his mind. Shen Man’s eyes were empty, as if nothing could catch his attention.

There was a brief silence before the enemy pushed to the high ground.

The view suddenly zoomed out, accompanied by an explosion. The rotating glowing base was covered in black smoke and finally shattered into pieces with a loud bang.

Before Shen Man could even exit the game, he heard a cheerful “Captain” behind him. He turned and saw Xu Zhouye’s sparkling eyes.

Those eyes immediately reminded Shen Man of a puppy—devout yet carefully trying to please, wanting to get closer to the owner but afraid of being pushed away.

Shen Man couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “What is it?”

Xu Zhouye asked, “Captain, you’re not angry, are you?” He had killed Shen Man several times.

Shen Man replied, “Of course not.”

Xu Zhouye said, “I knew Captain had the best temper.”

Shen Man nodded, “Mm, I also think my temper’s pretty good.”

The bullet screen exploded with comments:

[Ahhhh I can’t take it, where did SW find this kind of teammate?]

[Fest is terrifying, calling the captain his favorite, but shows no mercy when he’s killing SW in the game.]

[Yeah, while admiring the captain, he sneaks around like a weirdo, waiting to kill SW at any moment.]

[You don’t get it; it’s just a little couple’s game of cat and mouse.]

Shen Man stretched lazily, finished his herbal medicine in one go, and, in a good mood, decided to end the stream and go to bed.