Assassin, Don't Be Too Arrogant [E-sports] - Chapter 15

Jian Yao had heard of his reputation—fast hand speed, with every move aimed to kill, never swinging a blade without certainty.

An assassin understands another assassin best.

Xu Leming seemed utterly confident, launching an attack on Jian Yao the moment he entered the arena.

Just as Jian Yao had done to Wu Yu earlier, darting chaotically across the disc, though seemingly erratic, Jian Yao could see that Chen Leming was setting up a formation—the “Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare” formation.

The “Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare” formation was an assassin’s exclusive killing array, laid inconspicuously around the enemy. Once anyone within the formation moved, they would instantly meet their demise.

Jian Yao, of course, understood. Breaking this formation was actually quite simple.

If the target of the formation sealed the formation before the caster completed it, the one to be punished would be the caster themselves, with no escape.

Thus, at this point, the caster would exert skill pressure on the target, trapping them within the formation.

Chen Leming was no exception. The moment Jian Yao moved, Chen Leming would preemptively place his skill at the next formation node Jian Yao was heading toward, rendering him immobile—

The best defense is a good offense. Since Chen Leming was blocking the bridge Jian Yao came from, Jian Yao would cut off the path he intended to take.

The informal players in the training room hardly dared to breathe, fearing they might affect the others’ performance.

Only Su Ze, like a commentator, was chatting with Zhong Yuyi, while everyone else worried the two might be disturbed.

“Don’t worry,” Wen Zhe glanced at the few exchanging looks. “There are far greater factors to contend with during a match.”

With these words, murmurs began to spread among the crowd.

“This YAO is incredible! He can keep up with Brother Ming’s pace.”

“Is it possible that YAO is actually better than Chen Leming?”

“I don’t believe it. Brother Ming has never lost except to the official first-team members.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. No one can remain a god forever.”

“But there is—our captain.”

“Yeah, I agree with that.”

Jian Yao truly had no time to pay attention to their discussions. He was gradually deciphering Chen Leming’s fighting style.

Chen Leming’s hand speed was indeed fast, but it couldn’t hide his indecisive heart.

Facing Jian Yao, an unknown opponent, he was uncertain which moves could land a hit. And when a skill was dodged by Jian Yao, he would repeat it, as if determined to hit Jian Yao at least once.

Yet, as Jian Yao dodged again and again, Chen Leming grew tense and impatient. The rhythm of his keyboard taps became chaotic, and he even made mistakes, pressing the wrong keys.

Jian Yao frowned slightly. This kid was now full of openings.

He disliked prolonging battles. Since the opponent had gaps for him to exploit, why waste such a generous opportunity?

Wen Zhe saw it all, turning slightly to Su Ze and Zhong Yuyi. “It’s over.”

“Yeah, fighting so chaotically—how could he win?” Su Ze scratched his head.

Though the voices were soft, they seeped through the cracks into Chen Leming’s ears. He turned and shouted at the three, “I can do this!”

“Brother Ming, watch out!”

As the warning from beside him faded, Chen Leming looked at the screen to find Jian Yao already charging toward him, completing the final formation node in one swift motion.

The disc stabilized. Jian Yao stood calmly before Chen Leming, whose screen began to tremble before being engulfed in a dark red hue.

This was the first time Chen Leming witnessed the perspective of a formation caster having their array broken…

Seeing him staring at the screen without a word, Jian Yao stood up and said, “So defeating the top player is this easy.”

“No, it’s not!” Chen Leming rose to his feet, his head lowered, the smile he had when Jian Yao first met him long gone. “It’s not…”

Tears dripped onto the tablecloth, startling Su Ze and Zhong Yuyi slightly. They had never seen Chen Leming cry before. He always ranked first in every training session and comprehensive test, forever smiling, answering questions from those less skilled with neither arrogance nor humility.

But esports is like this—the strong survive, the weak are eliminated.

If Jian Yao were a trainee player, Chen Leming, as an assassin, would have packed his bags and gone home immediately.

Perhaps he should be grateful that Jian Yao wasn’t.

Jian Yao walked over to the young man. “You still have a long road ahead. Before reaching the peak, all kinds of twists and turns will appear. Don’t let yourself stay too comfortable in your comfort zone. Today, it was me who defeated you, but there will be many formidable people who will catch up later. You need to understand this.”

The young man looked up at him as Jian Yao continued, “After all, I’ve walked this esports path a few years longer than you. We’re from different batches, so it’s normal for you to lose.”

Su Ze covered his mouth, pinching Zhong Yuyi’s arm to keep himself from laughing. “Xiao Yi, do you think Xiao Yao’s way of comforting people actually works?”

Zhong Yuyi pointed at Chen Leming and replied, “Maybe it does.”

“Ah…” Su Ze was taken aback and turned back—

Chen Leming leaned against Jian Yao’s shoulder and cried unrestrainedly. “Senior… I understand… Th-thank you…”

“Thanking me is fine, but you…” Jian Yao raised his hand and gently pushed Chen Leming’s head away. “You can thank me while standing.”

Wen Zhe’s gaze swept over the two of them, his voice turning cold. “Everyone, back to training.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The others dispersed, leaving only Chen Leming still chattering nonstop with Jian Yao.

Clearly, Chen Leming recovered quickly, returning to his cheerful self once more.

No, even happier…

“Alright, alright,” Su Ze stepped in to stop Chen Leming. “How can you keep a guest here just to chat with you? Go train.”

“Ah…” Chen Leming was reluctant.

“Go on. We’ll have another chance to duel one-on-one next time.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jian Yao regretted them. It was the first time he had witnessed such a rapid shift in someone’s mood—from sorrow to joy, like a puppy.

“Okay, definitely! Teacher Yao!” Chen Leming happily returned to his seat. “I’ll work hard, Teacher Yao!”

“Mm.” Jian Yao nodded.

Next time, for sure.

–

When the three of them led Jian Yao to the fourth-floor training area, he was drawn to the photos on the honor wall. He turned back to look at Wen Zhe, then at the photos again.

They seemed different, yet somehow the same.

Only missing that kind of smile.

“Wen Zhe…” Jian Yao compared them back and forth. “Can you smile for me?”

“Silly,” Wen Zhe wrapped an arm around Jian Yao’s shoulder and ruffled his hair. “It’s been so long.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s been so long’? You’re still you,” Jian Yao retorted.

“No,” Wen Zhe’s expression darkened as he looked at the ground. “Once someone is forgotten, they’re no longer me.”

Jian Yao paused, not quite understanding the meaning, and stared at the photo. “It’s only been three years. I remember…”

Wen Zhe smiled but said nothing.

You remember Wen Zhe, but you’ve also forgotten him.

–

“Where is everyone? The training match is about to start.”

As the four of them entered the main team’s training room on the fourth floor, they heard head coach Fu Feng calling for people.

“Coach Fu, Brother Xu ate something bad and is stuck in the bathroom.”

“Let him be greedy!” Fu Feng rubbed his temples in frustration. “I was hoping to wrap up tonight’s practice match quickly, but of all times, we’re short an assassin…”

“We’ve got an assassin right here!” Su Ze immediately stepped forward. “Feng-ge, we happen to have an assassin with us.”

Following Su Ze’s gaze, Fu Feng noticed Jian Yao standing beside Wen Zhe. “And this is…”

“YAO. You know, Feng-ge—that gaming streamer.”

“Hello, Coach. I’m Jian Yao.” Jian Yao gave a slight nod.

“I’ve seen your playstyle.” Fu Feng nodded back, a look of appreciation on his face. “Alright, let Xu Xu stay in the bathroom then. I’ll contact the opposing coach.”

Fu Feng stepped aside to make the call.

“Hey, Old Lai, we’re making a last-minute substitution for our assassin.”

“You don’t know him—just a streamer.”

“That works? Great, great. Thanks for being so accommodating.”

Old Lai? The only coach in the league with the surname Lai was Lai Yu, the coach of KOG.

So, today’s opponent was the “rookie” team that had risen to prominence in this season’s professional league—KOG.

As a new team, KOG hadn’t been studied much by other squads, leading to a series of “unexpected” results. They had surged into the top four, and many thought they would only make it to the semifinals, but they were ultimately eliminated by AFG in the quarterfinals.

According to Su Ze, one of the players on that team was a big fan of Wen Zhe.

After logging into the game and entering the room, Jian Yao witnessed the fan’s enthusiasm firsthand in the message box.

[KOG.Myu: Good evening, Zhe-shen!]

[KOG.Myu: Zhe-shen, have you eaten?]

[AFG.Wzhe: Good evening. Yes, I have.]

[KOG.Myu: Zhe-shen, I heard you switched assassins?]

[KOG.Myu: Is he as good as me?]

[KOG.Myu: Do you want me to come to your club and be your assassin?]

[KOG.Myu: His name is Jyao… ‘Pick up medicine’?]

Before Wen Zhe could finish typing, Jian Yao started firing back.

[Jyao: Are you Muyu?]

[KOG.Myu: What Muyu? It’s Moyu!]

[Jyao: Oh, ‘Inkfish’—no wonder.]

[KOG.Myu: You…]

Laughter erupted in the KOG clubhouse. Moyu pouted. “What’s so funny?!”

“Hahahaha, nothing. It’s just the first time we’ve seen Little Mo get shut down like that.”

“Yeah, yeah, this is hilarious.”

“Captain! Look at them!” Moyu pitifully approached KOG’s captain, Yin Mo.

“It’s fine. ‘Inkfish’ is quite cute.” Yin Mo patted Moyu’s head. “Go back and sit down. The practice match is about to start.”

“Got it…” Moyu huffed and returned to his seat. “I’m going to target him and hunt him down.”

–

[Match Found]

[Current Map: Spring]

The first round randomly selected the Spring map.

AFG was on defense, with four positions: Warrior, Tank, Marksman, Assassin.

KOG was on offense, with four positions: Warrior, Mage, Marksman, Assassin.

Clearly, KOG was aiming for a late-game strategy.

But AFG couldn’t afford to wait.

The only drawback of the Spring map was the sudden, torrential downpour—

Not just any rain, but a plum rain. Getting hit by it would inflict a burn effect.

The more hits taken, the larger the burn area, eventually causing the player to die from full-body decay.

Moreover, visibility would drop to its lowest during the rain, giving teams with a Mage a natural advantage.

Mages can grant teammates the “Night Vision” attribute through chanting, allowing allies to navigate freely even in dense fog.

Not only that, they can even cast protective shields on teammates, akin to cheating.

Faced with such a significant disadvantage, AFG must resolve this challenge as quickly as possible before the rainy season arrives.

Support