Pei Qian rubbed his eyes and looked closely at the team logo on the big screen.
That’s right, it is FV Club, it is that weakling club that I invested in!
Why would the commentator use the term ‘All-Stars’?
Could the three players that no one wanted be considered celebrities?
It didn’t make any sense?
The competition progressed as Pei Qian pondered.
The camera took close-up shots of the players preparing for the game. On the big screen, there were close-ups of the players. Their game ID, real name, age, game rank, position they played, and other information were displayed.
The players who noticed the cameras showed different reactions.
Some greeted the audience, some posed, and some remained indifferent as they warmed up their hands.
The two commentators were also introducing the details of these players to the audience, including the amount of time they played professionally, interesting things in their professional experiences, and interesting memes.
“Everyone is now looking at the top player of FV Club. He was one of the earliest star players in IOI. He had already made a name for himself in the international server before the local server was released. He has a lot of experience and is also known for his fierce playing style and strong suppression.”
“Next is FV Club’s mid-laner. He’s very young, only 17 years old this year. He used more than twenty different mid-laner heroes to beat IOI’s world server’s number one. He’s a true genius. We can’t wait and see his performance today.”
“The FV Club’s jungler used to be a newbie who wasn’t particularly famous. It’s said that he met the mid-laner in Ranking competitions and they had been playing together. They have very good chemistry. We can look forward to the cooperation between the two of them today.”
“The bottom laner duo of FV Club were originally the celebrity bottom laner of SUG Club. They are also known as the number one bottom lane duo of IOI’s local server. There were rumors that the two of them seemed to have switched to GOG, but no concrete news had been released. I didn’t expect that the first competition to take the stage would be a direct confrontation with their old boss. I wonder what sparks would fly between the two of them?”
“On the other hand, while the SUG Club’s lineup revolved around the core of the bottom lane, the strength of the other three veteran players could not be underestimated. They might have some advantage in terms of tactics and tacit understanding.”
“We don’t know why the SUG Club wanted to switch their celebrity duo bottom laners. Perhaps they gave them to FV club because the new bottom laners are doing better than the original bottom laners?”
“In any case, today’s competition is full of interesting things to look forward to!”
The boss of the SUG Club, Ding Gan, was also watching the battle below the stage. He gritted his teeth in anger after hearing the commentary.
The new bottom laners performed better than the original bottom laners?
F*ck you!
There was no news of IOI internationals at all at that point in time. Ding Gan felt that there was no point in keeping this IOI team, and the transfer fee offered from the SHG team was very high. That was why he sold the bottom laner duo!
He would not have sold them if he had known that IOI’s international competition would start so soon!
Ding Gan knew in his heart that even though the new bottom laner duo was not bad, they were still incomparable to the original two. There was a huge gap in strength.
However, there was nothing he could do about it. He would not be able to take back the players that he had released.
Ding Gan was anxious, angry and panicking in his heart.
Pei Qian, who was seated not far away from him, was also panicking.
He did not have any prior knowledge of these players but the commentator had already explained in detail, giving him a clear and objective understanding of the strength of the entire team.
It was no exaggeration to call this team “All-Stars”!
The veteran top-laner, mid-laner, jungler were the top of their classes, and the celebrity duo at the bottom lane was the former tactical core of the SUG. This lineup looked ridiculous no matter how one looked at it!
Pei Qian only had one question: Where did Wu Yue, the boss of FV Club, obtain these people from!
Didn’t he only give him three million yuan? He could buy one or two good players with that amount of money at best. What’s more, the other clubs might not even be willing to sell.
They formed a Dream Team and gathered all the best IOI players in the country. That was ridiculous!
Pei Qian quickly took out his cell phone and entered the live-stream of the IOI Qualification Competition to see what the bullet screen said.
“What the f*ck? FV Club has made a comeback? The boss won the lottery? Why did they suddenly form an all-star team? Where did they get the money from?”
“An old FV fan of ten years is here uninvited!”
“Beating up their old boss? This will be a good show!”
“These two sides seem to form a sharp contrast. The members of FV Club are all tall and well-built against skinny monkeys from SUG.”
“I remember that the duo bottom laners were quite skinny when they were in the SUG. Why do I feel like they have grown in size and have become better? Did FV hire a plastic surgeon? Or did they go through some secret training?”
“So why did the SUG end up giving up the duo bottom laners? Why did the best top laners in the country end up in another club? Logically, they should not be for sale, right? No matter how much the transfer fee is!”
“I’m not sure. There were rumors that they wanted to change to GOG because IOI was dying. There were even rumors that a team from GPL bought them off. I’m not sure if that’s true.”
“No wonder FV Club spent so much effort to publicize before the competition began. I was wondering why they spent so much money to help others. Now, I understand. They’re trying to build momentum for themselves!”
The competition had not even started, but the bullet screen comments were already gaining heat.
The competition in the morning seemed to be quite popular but there were not many bullet screen comments. Perhaps it was because there were not many hot topics to discuss.
However, when FV Club appeared in the afternoon with the All-Star lineup, many old players and viewers of IOI could not contain their excitement and began to discuss enthusiastically.
After the publicity by FV Club and Long Yu Corporation, the IOI qualifiers were still not as popular as the GPL league. However, they had at least captured all of the old IOI players and viewers in the country.
Now, all of these hard-earned popularity was focused on FV, an All-Star team that had appeared out of nowhere.
The competition had not even started, but it was already very popular.
Pei Qian and Ding Gan were below the stage, watching the competition with fear.
…
“Let us congratulate the FV! They managed to win the competition without any mishaps even though there were some twists and turns during the competition!”
The big screen displayed the scene of victory amidst the passionate commentary. The five members of the FV Club had a domineering air around them.
The players packed their equipment and left the stage. The players from FV Club did not look too excited. Instead, they looked very calm.
The qualifiers were more intense this time. There were a total of four teams in the group. It was a single set of ‘best-of-one’ matches loop. They would be done in one afternoon thus every small game was very important.
The strength of the SUG in this group was obviously higher than the other two teams. Thus, it was basically confirmed that FV would qualify after they won this round.
SUG could not make any mistake in the following competitions if they wanted to qualify.
The two commentators began to comment on the match.
“We saw that the members of the FV Club did not seem particularly happy after winning this match. Perhaps they were not particularly satisfied with their performance today, or perhaps they had higher expectations for themselves.”
“Indeed, based on the performance in the game alone, we can clearly see that the FV Club’s individual ability is higher than that of the SUG. However, there seems to be some flaws in the selection of players and the implementation of tactics. Otherwise, there might be even less suspense in this competition.”
“Does this mean that the current FV team hasn’t completed their team building?”
“I don’t think it’s all about teamwork. Their tactical system and understanding of the game seem to have some problems as well. We can see that their preferred heroes are not recognized as the strongest heroes of the current version. They prefer team-type heroes. Moreover, in terms of playing style and understanding of the game, they do not emphasize their individual abilities. They seem to be out of place with the mainstream playing style of other teams…”
“Does that mean that the team members had a different tactical understanding of this game version?”
“That’s possible, but the game’s understanding doesn’t seem to be very mature yet. The main reason why the FV won the SUG today is because they are stronger individually. If they were to meet a foreign team whose individual abilities do not lose to FV, it would be questionable whether they will be able to win this competition…”
The two commentators were speaking the truth. From their point of view, the FV team’s playstyle was indeed a little strange. It did not fit in with the current mainstream playstyle.
What’s more, this kind of playstyle did not have a very good effect. It overly emphasized teamwork which had certain restrictions in choosing heroes and decision making in the game. That prevented the players’ personal strengths from being fully displayed.
However, these words sounded like complete mockery to Ding Gan.
“What’s the meaning of this? Are they using us to train?”
“Who are you looking down on?”
“How dare they put on such an ugly face after winning. Damn it, these people are too arrogant!”
Ding Gan was fuming with anger. It was alright to lose the competition, but using them to train seemed to him like FV was deliberately showing off the strength of their team in his opinion.
What? Not convinced? An All-Star team could do whatever they wanted!
That was the meaning.
Ding Gan was even more furious when he thought about how he was the one who released the bottom laner duo in the current FV Team. How could SUG have lost if this duo was still around?
However, even though he was angry, Ding Gan knew very well that winning or losing this round was not a big deal. In any case, two teams would qualify for each team. SUG would prevail no matter what. What he really had to worry about was the elimination round tomorrow.
The knockout round was a set of ‘best-of-five’ matches. It would depend on who was the unlucky one of the four teams to be eliminated.
…
At the same time, at the GPL competition venue in Jingzhou…
Zhang Yuan, Ye Zhizhou, Xiao Peng, and a few other people in charge were watching the opening battle of the GPL.
Both teams were currently the two strongest teams in the GPL. They were also the champion and runner-up of the previous international competition. The competition was extremely tense and exciting.
In the game system of ‘best-of-three’ matches, both teams had already reached 1: 1. They entered the deciding round, and the atmosphere at the venue had reached its peak.
Fans from both sides cheered for the two teams amidst the enthusiastic cheers, however, they did not forget to shout ‘Go DGE’ at the same time, forming a special competition culture.
Tengda Corporation’s internal employees were neither at the front most nor the back most seats. Instead, they chose a slightly forward position in the center.
That was because the front row tickets were prepared for both teams’ core fans and supporters. Internal staff’s gift tickets should not affect the fans’ viewing experience.
The deciding round was still on the BP interface. Zhang Yuan took out his cell phone and checked the comments of the players on the internet. He found that only a small group of people were discussing the opening battle itself. Most of the topics were focused on the comparison between the IOI qualifiers and the GPL opening battle.
“The difference in venues between both parties is too huge. Wasn’t IOI organized by Long Yu Corporation and Finger Games? Why is the venue so shabby?”
“To be honest, the IOI competition feels like a complete copy of GOG. Even the settings and the BP in the game and the audience interface are very similar. Is there really no problem?”
“I think it’s alright. They’re all similar types of games; there’s no need to be so harsh.”
“Sigh, who asked IOI’s competition to take place so late? GOG’s competition is already doing very well. It’s perfect in all aspects. IOI can easily give people the impression that it is imitating GOG, even though IOI was released before GOG.”
“However, it’s still a little lacking no matter how you learn it. The details are much worse. Take the image of the contestants for example. Look at the GPL’s contestants. They are all tall and straight, and they look completely different. On IOI’s side, however, other than the players from FV team who are not bad, the rest of them still look like internet addicts. Their image is much worse.”
“Indeed, the accumulation of such details makes me feel like IOI’s competition is a fake version of GPL.”
“Tengda is still awesome. I feel like it has brought the entire E-Sports industry forward by itself!”
Obviously, most viewers felt that the GPL league was more exciting than IOI’s qualifiers.
On one hand, it was because there were more gamers in GOG. On the other hand, it was because the details of GPL were done better.
One point that was repeatedly mentioned was the image of the contestants. Most of the GPL contestants had a standard figure, and there were a few muscular men. They looked very bright and handsome, giving people a positive feeling. On the other hand, IOI’s contestants looked more like traditional internet addicts. They were at a disadvantage in terms of image.
Such details were constantly being added, causing IOI’s competition to drop by a level compared to GPL. It made people naturally feel that IOI’s competition was a knock-off GPL.
Zhang Yuan could not help but sigh. “Now that I think about it, Boss Pei is really good at devising strategies.”
“GOG’s success in the eSports field was in part due to the success of the game and in part due to the success of details. Who else could have predicted the importance of the player’s image to the popularity of the esports competition apart from Boss Pei?”
“Boss Pei used the DGE Club to set the training standards. He guided the other clubs to focus on training the players’ bodies. On one hand, he ensured that the players were healthy. On the other hand, he improved the image of the league…”
“That would be akin to creating a moat for GOG, gaming and E-Sports that would protect and complement each other.”
Ye Zhizhou, who was seated at the side, said, “Speaking of which, we’re already at the deciding game. Is Boss Pei really not going to watch today? This is the opening battle after all.”
Logically speaking, it was the first day of the GPL competition, and was very meaningful. IOI had also created a qualification competition, which put a little pressure on the GPL side. He should really come and take a look.
Xiao Peng, who was seated on the other side, said, “Perhaps Boss Pei thinks that victory is already in his hands. IOI’s qualifiers would not pose any threat to the GPL. That’s why he did not come.”
Zhang Yuan laughed and said, “You’re all wrong. Boss Pei is not in Jingzhou now.
Ye Zhizhou was stunned. “He’s not in Jingzhou? Is he on a business trip?”
Zhang Yuan lowered his voice and said, “Boss Pei went to Shanghai alone to watch IOI’s competition!”
Ye Zhizhou and Xiao Peng looked surprised.
Boss Pei had gone to Shanghai alone and went deep into the enemy’s lair to watch the game?
That was because Boss Pei had always given people the impression that he was a wise general who could devise strategies and win thousands of battles. He would be able to see everything that happened across the country as long as he stayed in Jingzhou.
Yet, Boss Pei had personally gone to Shanghai to attend the IOI competition… For some reason, everyone felt like he was heading into battle alone.
Xiao Peng felt a little confused as he sighed. “However, does Boss Pei have to go personally if it’s just to get a closer look at the enemy?”
Zhang Yuan sniggered. “Of course, it’s not just to spy on the enemy. How can Boss Pei only have one goal? He must have a complete plan!”
“Actually, Boss Pei had already invested in FV Club in private. He had planted a foreshadowing in IOI’s team.”
“I think Boss Pei is probably waiting for a suitable time. FV Club might become the deciding factor in IOI and GOG’s eSports industry!”
“As for the specifics… I’m not sure either. Let’s wait and see!”
Ye Zhizhou and Xiao Peng nodded in agreement.
…
“Let us congratulate FV Club and SUG Club for their qualification!”
“Tomorrow morning and afternoon, we will have two rounds of ‘best-of-five’ matches to determine the final spot for the World Series. Please wait and see!”
Ding Gan, who had been sweating profusely in the audience, finally relaxed slightly.
The afternoon group match was considered a close shave for SUG. Even though they had lost the first round to FV Club, they still won the next round without any mishaps to become second place in the group.
The schedule for tomorrow’s elimination tournament was still full. The first and second place teams would each play one set of ‘best-of-five’ matches. The two winners would compete for the first seeded team while the two losers would compete for the last spot.
IOI’s international competition schedule this time was protected by competition zones.
That was because Zhao Xuming knew very well that the current IOI team in the local server was not good enough. If they were to fight against foreign strong teams, they might be beaten up badly. They had to have a hand in the competition system to save face.
Thus, Chrétien and the upper echelons of Finger Games decided that the first seed of each division would start from the top eight, and the second and third seed would start from the group stages.
That would prevent all teams from being wiped out in the group stages. At the very least, it would keep the attention of domestic players to the top eight.
There would be no helping… if the strongest team in the country was still beaten after entering the top eight.
Ding Gan’s emotions became much more stable after watching SUG torture the remaining two teams.
“It doesn’t seem to be a problem with SUG. This FV is just too strong.”
“On the bright side, it’s also a good thing to meet FV in the group stages. It’s almost impossible to meet them tomorrow.”
“We have to play two ‘best-of-five’ matches tomorrow. We’ll definitely qualify as long as we don’t meet FV Club.”
Ding Gan kept consoling himself. He finally calmed down.
It was already very late when the competition ended. The audience left the stage one by one. Ding Gan stood up and prepared to go backstage to comfort his team members.
However, just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. He seemed to have seen him somewhere before.
Ding Gan was seated in the front row of the VIP seats. Many people had already stood up and left the venue. Most of the seats were empty except for a figure wearing a black mask who was still seated. He looked out of place.
Ding Gan frowned and took a closer look. This person’s eyes and clothes looked familiar even though he was wearing a mask.
“Boss Pei?!”
Ding Gan specially went to Jingzhou to meet Boss Pei after SUG Club was removed from GPL. That was why he recognized him.
Many thoughts surfaced in Ding Gan’s mind after confirming Boss Pei’s identity.
All the plots seemed to connect at that moment.
Why did FV Club take the initiative to spend money on publicity?
Where did the celebrity players of FV Club come from?
Ding Gan believed that Boss Pei had many hidden tricks up his sleeve, but he had not seen through them yet.
All of this was obviously Boss Pei’s plan. It was just a game of chess between GOG and IOI in the eSports field, while SUG and the other clubs were just pawns!
Boss Pei even personally came to Shanghai to the IOI Qualification Competition to enjoy his own set up.
He was just like a psychopathic murderer who had to return to the crime scene after committing a crime. He would only be able to obtain a sense of satisfaction by observing the situation closely.
Ding Gan suddenly shuddered!
