Captain, I Beg You to Give Me an Official Status [E-sports] - Chapter 11

In the five training matches that followed, the four of them avoided making any major mistakes. Aside from failing to hold off a four-man push in the early game of the penultimate match, their performance today was commendable and showed smooth coordination.

When the rankings were released after the six matches, Team TK sat in fourth place for total points, but they ranked second out of sixteen teams in elimination points.

Both entry fraggers on trial played with intense focus, consistently ranking first or second in K/D within the team. Duoming broke into the top five of the overall kill leaderboard, while Zhidao, who usually dealt massive damage but struggled to secure kills, finished third on the overall damage leaderboard.

“ZD dealt that much damage and only got five kills? That is honestly a bit tragic.”

“Who knows how many of TK’s kills were stolen? They stole their share too, but it feels like many of the people ZD knocked were finished off by other teams.”

“It cannot be helped. It is normal for the cover fire position to have high damage. With ZD’s terrifying accuracy, it is not surprising to see these numbers.”

“It is already great for the first day! Eat well and keep it up tonight!”

“I wonder how many days TK booked them for. This lineup is actually very logical.”

“It should have been three fraggers and one cover all along. ZD is average at close range, but he never fails at long range. I feel like last season’s problem was those two players; the more they played, the weirder it got. They barely won any team fights.”

“Last season was truly bizarre. Was it not said that there were internal conflicts? It is normal to play poorly then. You could tell from the first-person perspective that those two simply did not respect him. It would be a miracle if they played well while ignoring the shot-caller.”

“Last season, every time TK was given the first-person stream, it went viral on trending. It got so toxic that they stopped showing it altogether.”

While the chat and forums were in a heated debate, the meal prepared by Team TK for their guests was served.

Xu Ziqi found a random seat. While waiting for the others, he pulled out his phone to watch a recording of the team fight they had just lost. As he was nearly finished with the clip, someone pulled out the chair and sat down beside him.

Sheng Huanian had just returned from the base entrance, placing two large bags of coffee on the table.

Xu Ziqi only looked up when he heard the sound of the bags, just in time to see Sheng Huanian place a latte by his hand. He looked up and asked, “You bought these?”

Sheng Huanian nodded. After setting down the latte for Xu Ziqi, he pushed the entire bag toward Paipai. “Help yourselves.”

Paipai took it with a smile and began distributing the coffee. “I was just debating whether to order some. Good thing I was slow to act.”

Sheng Huanian took an iced Americano and sat to the right of Xu Ziqi.

Lot walked over and sat down, looking at the coffee. “Who bought this?”

Paipai pointed a finger. “He did.”

Sheng Huanian said nothing, sitting quietly in his seat.

Yan picked up the conversation, saying with a smile, “Tomorrow is on me. Do not try to beat me to it.”

Standing to the side, Qiqi could not hide his delight. His smile was almost uncontrollable as he thought to himself: There is a chance. This really feels like there is a chance!

After dinner, Sheng Huanian sat alone on the living room sofa. He planned to rest for a while before practicing his aim while waiting for the training matches to begin at 7:00 PM.

Xu Ziqi had already returned to his room, having been called away by a phone call.

Sheng Huanian had been sitting next to Xu Ziqi earlier and saw the phone screen light up, displaying the caller’s name.

It was two letters.

GU.

With just one glance, Sheng Huanian remembered it and guessed who the caller was. He forgot to turn his head back, staring openly at the screen until Xu Ziqi took the phone away.

Xu Ziqi took the phone upstairs, answering the WeChat voice call as he reached the stairs. “Hello.”

“Yes, we just finished eating.”

“Wait a second.”

Then, the bedroom door closed, the sound was cut off, and Sheng Huanian could hear no more.

At 6:30 PM, Xu Ziqi, who always arrived at the training room at least half an hour early to practice, found Sheng Huanian already in the game.

Xu Ziqi walked to his seat. Just as he was about to sit down, the person next to him took off his headphones, stared at him with those sharp eyes, and asked, “Do you want to play a solo?”

Startled by his serious and earnest expression, Xu Ziqi paused for a second before smiling and sitting down. “Sure. What do you want to play?”

“The Tavern, M4s.” Sheng Huanian had already exited the training grounds and turned to ask, “Is that okay?”

The Tavern was a classic 1v1 map, and the M416 was the most commonly used rifle in tournaments.

Xu Ziqi logged into the game and nodded quickly. “Sure. Let us play for kills.”

Sheng Huanian looked back at the screen, his gaze inexplicably solemn. He replied in a low voice, “Okay.”

Once the room was created, Xu Ziqi invited Sheng Huanian. With twenty minutes left before the training matches began, it was just enough time for a solo match.

The two were exceptionally quiet. By the time Paipai and Yan arrived ten minutes early, the kill count was already at 10 to 15.

Paipai walked over to Xu Ziqi’s side, silently watching him play.

On the screen, the two were showcasing their movement, keeping the score tight. In long-range duels, Xu Ziqi was more accurate, but Sheng Huanian’s suppression in close-quarters combat was undeniable.

Five minutes later, Sheng Huanian reached 20 points. Xu Ziqi’s screen went dark as he lost with 14 points. He took off his headphones and was startled to find three people surrounding him. “You guys,” he said.

Head coach Lot was also spectating. He leaned over and asked, “How did you two end up in a solo match?”

Xu Ziqi glanced at Sheng Huanian, then looked away and said softly, “We just happened to have time for a game.”

Lot placed a hand on Xu Ziqi’s shoulder. “You lost?”

Xu Ziqi’s expression was normal, a trace of a smile on his lips as he spoke in a joking tone, “I could not beat him. I got crushed.”

Lot patted him and said quickly, “The training match room is open.”

Xu Ziqi nodded, while Paipai and Yan also began preparing at their desks.

The evening training matches did not end until nearly 11:00 PM. They were eliminated early in the first three matches; though they picked up some elimination points, their total score remained low. In the final three matches, they averaged eight points and secured a second-place finish. Their final ranking was fifth, which was slightly fewer points compared to the afternoon session.

It was very late, so there was no review session for the final match.

As Sheng Huanian was getting ready to leave in the car, Qiqi said to him with a smile, “Your base is quite far. If you do not want to commute during these three days of tryouts, you can just move your luggage here. We have empty rooms, single occupancy.”

Sheng Huanian rested a hand on the car door. After thinking for a few seconds, he lowered his head and asked, “Have you booked other entry fraggers for the following days?” He added, “I am trialing for three days. Have you booked anyone after that?”

Qiqi stared at him blankly. “We booked a flex player, and we also booked two other entry fraggers, but there are a few days we have not filled yet.” He looked at Sheng Huanian with a hint of doubt. “Are you,” he began.

Sheng Huanian nodded to show he understood and spoke again. “Then can I bring my luggage tomorrow? For the following days, if you do not book other entry fraggers, I will play. If you book others, I will not.”

To be honest, Qiqi had only mentioned the room in passing to show sincerity; he never expected Sheng Huanian to agree.

Hearing this, Qiqi quickly hid his surprised expression. “Sure, no problem! You do not need to bring much; we have everything here.” Right after saying it, he felt something was off and asked, “Are you not trialing for other teams?”

Standing there without a hint of hesitation, Sheng Huanian said in a low voice, “I am not.”

“Oh,” Qiqi suppressed the urge to ask more and nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay, I understand. I will set it up for you. Just bring some clothes and personal items.”

Sheng Huanian got into the car and nodded to him. “Okay, thank you.”

Qiqi’s grin was now impossible to hide. “You are welcome.”

After the car drove off, Qiqi rushed to the training room. Seeing Lot and Xu Ziqi sitting together reviewing matches, he lunged toward them.

Lot clicked his tongue at his lack of composure. “What are you doing?”

Qiqi hurried to report the news. “Holy crap, Duoming just told me he is not trialing for any other clubs. He plans to move in here tomorrow.”

“What?”

“What?”

The reactions from Xu Ziqi and Lot were identical.

“What do you mean what?” Qiqi pulled up a chair and sat down. “He said it himself. He said if we do not trial other entry fraggers afterward, he will play; if we do, he will not. Does that not mean he is leaving it up to us? Also, I was the one who asked about him moving in. Since his base is far, I just mentioned it. I did not think he would actually agree. Who knew he would agree so readily and even tell me he does not plan to trial for other clubs?”

Xu Ziqi frowned upon hearing this, unable to believe it. “How is it possible that he is only trialing with us? There must be other teams wanting to book him.”

Qiqi felt his word was being doubted, but honestly, he had trouble believing it himself. His voice weakened slightly. “It is true; he said it himself. Why don’t you ask him yourself when he arrives tomorrow?”

Lot did not quite believe it either, but he did not dwell on it. “We still have to see how the trials go. We will talk about it when he gets here tomorrow. It is not as if we have to sign him just because we are the only team he is trialing for.”

Xu Ziqi nodded. “Yeah. But if he has no other arrangements, he can play alongside Jax. We have those empty days anyway, right?”

Qiqi slapped his thigh. “That is exactly what I was thinking!”

Xu Ziqi looked back at the large screen and said quietly, “Confirm it with him tomorrow, then we will decide.”

Actually, there was no need to wait until tomorrow. An hour later, a shot-caller from a certain team started a livestream. He was the player most known for stirring up drama in the league; some said he just enjoyed the chaos, while others said he was simply blunt and never hid anything.

“We definitely need to strengthen the roster! Entry fraggers, entry fraggers!”

“Today was just one disaster after another. Every other team is doing trials, so why are we still playing with subs?”

“Book an entry fragger! I am jealous as hell after seeing TK’s lineup. Duoming is definitely available, and his aim is rock solid!”

The shot-caller hooked one leg over his gaming chair. He let out a laugh when he saw a certain name, his expression unfriendly. “It is not that we did not try to book him. It is that he looked down on us and rejected us outright.”

“???”

“Who rejected you?”

“A player rejecting trials right at the start of the transfer window? Is his schedule already full?”

He felt a surge of annoyance. He lowered his leg and leaned into the microphone, speaking sarcastically. “We reached out to book a trial as soon as we heard the news. But his team said they are respecting the player’s wishes, and he is not doing trials for now. Yet, on the first day of the transfer window, he showed up at TK. Is that not hilarious?”

“666”

“I think I know who you are talking about. Someone on the forums said last night that Duoming has currently only agreed to trial with Team TK and has rejected trial invitations from at least three other teams.”

“Is it a crime if he just wants to trial for TK?”

He immediately blocked several users and dropped a harsh final sentence. “Of course it is fine. What is wrong with putting all your eggs in one basket? Let us just see if TK even wants him in the end.”

“The way you say it, as long as the price is not astronomical, why wouldn’t they want him?”

“Respect the player’s wishes. He can go wherever he wants.”

“Stop talking. Watch your words. I feel like you are going to get flamed again.”

“Have I been flamed any less than usual? Let them flame me. I truly admire people who think they are above everyone else.” He sneered and continued, “He does not want to go to Wing, and he will not do trials elsewhere. I really want to see if TK takes him in the end.”

At 1:00 AM, Sheng Huanian started his livestream and learned about the situation from the chat.

“I am currently only trialing at TK. I do not know what will happen after that.” He found some of the comments annoying and said indifferently, “Do not say this or that. If I do not want to go, do I really need to give a reason?”

“Alpha move.”

“Have you really made up your mind? TK. If you are willing, we support you. You played well today, keep working hard.”

“Seriously, can fans of other teams stop stirring up drama? This is the first time I have heard of a player being flamed because he did not want to trial for a certain team. You guys are being ridiculous.”

“You played great today, and TK did not have any major issues. If you can really go there, then let us work hard together!”

Sheng Huanian scanned the chat a few more times and said quietly, “Nothing is settled yet. It is just a tryout. Do not go starting drama with them.”