Captain, I Beg You to Give Me an Official Status [E-sports] - Chapter 13

Five minutes later, when the training room door opened, the heart of Sheng Huanian sank.

Xu Ziqi sat back in his seat, placed his phone by the table, and gripped his mouse again. “Let us get into the circle.”

Sheng Huanian watched the movements of Xu Ziqi out of the corner of his eye, only breathing a sigh of relief the moment the in-game character started moving again.

In this round, the two of them made it to the final circle, but they were eventually ambushed by two players and finished in third place.

As soon as the game ended, Xu Ziqi stood up and briskly closed the game interface.

Sheng Huanian took off his headset and looked at him. He saw Xu Ziqi reach for his phone with an urgency that suggested he had encountered a pressing matter.

Xu Ziqi looked down, met the eyes of Sheng Huanian, and quickly looked away. “I am not playing anymore,” he said softly.

Just then, Lot opened the door and walked in, nearly bumping into Xu Ziqi, who was on his way out.

Xu Ziqi had intended to tell Lot anyway, so he spoke up. “I am going out for a bit.”

Lot stared at him for a second and quickly asked, “Are you coming back tonight?”

Xu Ziqi actually smiled slightly. “It depends on the situation,” he said in a low voice. “I will definitely be back before the training matches tomorrow.”

Lot never worried about him, but he asked as a friend and nodded quickly. “Alright, go ahead.”

Xu Ziqi had a partner, and it was a man.

The first fact was known by very few people.

The second fact was likely only known by Qiqi and Lot in the entire professional scene.

After Xu Ziqi left the training room, Lot walked in. Passing Sheng Huanian, he saw him sitting blankly at his station with his stream running but the camera turned off.

“You.”

Sheng Huanian finally snapped out of it. He looked up with a dazed expression, slowly put his headset back on, and turned the camera back on that he had shut off minutes ago. “I am playing ranked.”

Lot withdrew his gaze, not paying it much mind.

In the live stream, the small box in the bottom right corner showed the current appearance of Sheng Huanian. He looked the same as usual, but the person who had been talking constantly not long ago suddenly went quiet. For the next hour and a half, he did not say a single word.

【Wait? What kind of stream am I watching? Why is he not saying anything?】

【I am counting for the streamer. He has not spoken for exactly one hour and seven minutes. He has just been grinding solo queue.】

【Is it just me, or does he look fierce? Who upset him? He was fine when he started the stream.】

【He has been like this since ZD left. Is it because he cannot play duos anymore?】

Some viewers were guessing, some were curious, and some were finding ways to ship the pair.

Sheng Huanian did not look at the chat once. Like a machine, he started the next game as soon as one ended.

Late at night, Paipai asked, “You are still not leaving?”

Sheng Huanian remained sitting in the same posture. He had ended his stream but had not stopped playing ranked. He did not even turn his head. “No,” he said in a low voice.

Paipai had wanted to leave long ago, but seeing Sheng Huanian keep playing, he did not want to fall too far behind. He stayed for another hour. His hands were a bit sore. Looking at this person who seemed not to know fatigue, he muttered “freak” in his heart. Aloud, he said, “Then I am leaving first. Remember to turn off the lights.”

Sheng Huanian did not respond. When the door closed, it was as if he had blocked out the world.

As his ranked points increased, the queue times grew longer. The ranking of his secondary account had already broken into the national top twenty, closing in on a certain ID.

Sheng Huanian did not know what time it was. He only remembered his fingers trembling slightly as a dull ache quietly spread through them.

He was not wearing his headset while waiting. He heard the faint sound of the door opening behind him and slowly turned around. In his field of vision, the figure of Xu Ziqi became clear.

The person standing at the door looked surprised, but the fatigue and weariness were more apparent. His eyelids were half-drooped, and the corners of his eyes were slightly red. He looked like he was in a worse mood than when he had left.

Sheng Huanian saw the change in the emotions of Xu Ziqi at a glance.

Xu Ziqi was indeed exhausted. He held the door with one hand, frowning slightly. “Why are you still playing?”

Sheng Huanian did not reply. His gaze shifted, landing on the exposed part of the neck of Xu Ziqi.

On the pale side of his neck, there was an uncovered red mark, exceptionally prominent against the snowy skin.

Xu Ziqi immediately noticed the direct gaze of Sheng Huanian.

He looked down, and his hurried attempt to pull up his collar was futile. He pulled at it twice but still failed to cover the glaring mark.

Xu Ziqi did not care that much either. Seeing he could not cover it, he simply stopped moving. Standing there, he asked, “You are not going back yet? You have been playing until now?”

Sheng Huanian turned his chair, facing away from him. His voice was even lower and colder than usual. “I will go back in a bit.”

Xu Ziqi looked at the stubborn back. He did not want to be meddlesome and gave one last piece of advice. “Go back early.”

The door was closed once again.

This place felt like a tightly sealed plastic bag. At the edge of suffocation, it wrapped around the body and made the head spin.

The back of Sheng Huanian looked lonely. One hand was clenched into a fist, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the screen.

In a room separated by a few walls, the legs of Xu Ziqi felt numb. He went to take a shower while suppressed with anger. Half an hour later, he felt a bit more relaxed when he came out, but picking up his phone, he saw several new messages.

【GU: Are you still angry?】

【GU: Have you reached the base? Give me a call back?】

【GU: I did not mean anything by what I said today. I just wanted you to think it over properly. You cannot keep playing forever; you have to think about your future. I am not trying to decide for you, but should you not consider what I said? It is hard for me too. If I go abroad, I want to be with you. Can you think of me for once?】

Seeing those dense paragraphs, Xu Ziqi remembered how he had argued with him an hour ago.

Despite not seeing each other for a long time, Xu Ziqi had planned to stay with him at the hotel until noon the next day. However, the man insisted on saying these disappointing things when the atmosphere was just right.

Xu Ziqi sat on the edge of the bed and started sending a voice message. His voice was deep and suppressed, clearly holding back his emotions. “I have already made it clear to you. What more do you want me to say? Do whatever you need to do, and do not say you are hesitating because of me. Even if you hesitate, it is impossible for me to do as you say.”

After saying this, the emotions of Xu Ziqi seemed to stabilize somewhat. Perhaps it was the thought of the face of the man when he said those words.

The man was sincere, and Xu Ziqi knew that. But this sincerity was heavy.

Xu Ziqi pressed the button again. “We both have our own lives. If we can be together, then we will. If not, let us not force it. That is all I want to say. I cannot go abroad with you. If you still cannot accept my current job, then there is no need for us to continue.”

The moment the voice message was sent, a video call popped up.

Xu Ziqi watched it quietly for two seconds, then chose to hang up and sent a text. 【Do not contact me until you have made up your mind.】

When the world went quiet, Xu Ziqi did not move for a long time. He sat on the edge of the bed, gripping his phone with his eyes downcast. His mind was still a mess.

He was still sad. After all, they had been together for over a year. Aside from the disagreement on this matter, the two of them rarely argued, but this time, it was a major conflict.

This irritability and sadness came to a halt the next day. At noon, Xu Ziqi entered the training room looking no different than usual. After adjusting his equipment at his seat, he began target practice.

However, the area around his eyes was slightly red, looking like he had not slept well last night.

Sheng Huanian, sitting next to him, was the first to notice.

Sheng Huanian did not look much better himself. But perhaps because he was young, even though he had slept for less than four hours, he was still able to arrive early at the training room.

Xu Ziqi did not take the initiative to talk to him. He kept practicing his aim until the training match started. He wore a high-collared shirt to hide the mark he had not managed to cover yesterday.

Sheng Huanian only gave him one glance. Seeing nothing, he turned his head back and did not look over again.

Two people sat in the silent training room. It was only when the other players walked in that the quiet, slightly oppressive atmosphere gradually vanished.

After the fourth round of the training match, Lot said, “The last two rounds will be hot drops. Stay together after landing; do not spread out too much.”

Xu Ziqi nodded. “Understood.”

Lot looked at the desk and saw the phone screen of Xu Ziqi flashing. He looked up to remind him, “Your phone. Someone is calling.”

It was not that Xu Ziqi had not seen it. After looking down at the caller ID again, he simply flipped the phone over with a cold face.

Lot stared at him for a few seconds but did not say anything.

Xu Ziqi quickly spoke into the microphone. “If you can make a play, go ahead, but keep an eye on the positions of your teammates. Wait to group up if possible. The opponents usually land in pairs. We will catch the ones in the small building first and take it bit by bit.”

Sheng Huanian nodded and gave a faint response. “Mm.”

The fifth round of the training match began. When the viewers in the live stream saw this unexpected hot drop, they quickly expressed their excitement in the chat.

【Wait? TK is hot dropping again?】

【The loot at Ancient City is too poor, so hot dropping is normal.】

【They hot dropped at the start of the Winter Split. It is just that their win rate was terrible back then, so they did not dare to do it later.】

【It would be a waste if these four did not fight. With two top-tier entry fraggers, it would be wrong not to fight! Fight! Give it your all!】

The landing positions of the four TK members were pre-arranged. At this moment, they seemed to form a perimeter, trapping two opponents inside a house.

Xu Ziqi picked up a gun and immediately said, “Follow me. Charge him directly.”

Yan was on the roof. “The three of you clear it as a group. I will watch the two in the back; they cannot get over.”

Sheng Huanian got an S12K, a shotgun. Although it was not as good as a DBS, in his hands, it was still a one-shot kill. He moved quickly, staying very close to Xu Ziqi. “I am with you.”

The three of them rushed into the housing area, staying very tight. After charging to the second floor and knocking one down, the opponent who ran to the top floor was directly taken out by Yan, who was covering from the side.

Yan shouted, “Down! Both of the ones near you are gone.” His gaze fixed as he saw a vehicle pass by. He immediately fired toward the distance. “They are driving away. The rear tire is blown. Should we chase?”

Xu Ziqi knew their team was currently in the center of the first circle. He quickly said, “Do not chase. Finish them off and loot up.”

Yan was very obedient and responded immediately. “Okay, I am going to loot then.”

Sheng Huanian got a kill. Just now, he had been at the very front, knocking the opponent down with a single blast. Xu Ziqi, who was behind him, did not even get a chance to help finish the kill.

【Good fight!】

【That was a complete victory. Driving the opponents away is enough.】

【That shotgun was so fast. The coordination of these four is really good. I feel like they will take the top spot this afternoon.】

【This is the four-man squad! I declare the TK lineup for the Spring Split is set! You must keep these two entry fraggers.】

They enjoyed themselves in this round at Ancient City. Although they were completely pushed out of the circle by the sixth shift, they had truly done their best, taking a total of ten kills.

Lot was also satisfied. “Continue in the next round. The opponents will be prepared, and their tactics might change. Adapt as needed.”

The sixth training match began shortly after. After landing, Xu Ziqi said over the microphone, “I have three near me.”

The opponents had indeed changed their landing pattern. They were no longer split two-and-two. All four concentrated their landing, and three of them rushed into the small bungalow of Xu Ziqi immediately after getting guns.

Paipai had just picked up a gun. “I am coming over.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Ziqi, who was unlucky and had not found a gun, was knocked down by the two people who rushed in.

Xu Ziqi sighed lightly. “I did not find a gun. You guys fight; they are all on my side.”

[Seven. Huan Yu killed TK. Zhidao.]

Xu Ziqi was immediately finished off. Even though the broadcast had already come out, the gunfire in his headset did not stop.

Xu Ziqi looked at the screen and chuckled. His tone was not particularly surprised. “They are even attacking the body.”

Paipai was surprised. “What?”

The viewers in the live stream were also surprised.

【What is going on? Attacking the body? Where are the manners?】

【What is wrong with that? It is just players messing around.】

【Others might be messing around, but did you see who was doing it?】

Only then did some people notice that the prefix of the player ID who was firing magazine after magazine into the box was the same as Xu Ziqi’s.

1. 1. XMode.