The Doctor said I Have to be A Kept Man - Chapter 2

“I only teamed up with you because I knew you could carry me.”

Chi Ruanfan smiled, maneuvering his Time Messenger closer to Jin Zhu’s Gunner.

Jin Zhu was the most competitive player Chi Ruanfan knew. Whether it was an offline tournament, an online ranked match, or just a casual game, he always gave it his all.

As he thought this, Chi Ruanfan suddenly spotted a wisp of black mist creeping out from the riverbank brush, quietly closing in on the Gunner.

“Shadow Assassin is here. Watch out,” Chi Ruanfan warned.

The Shadow Assassin was the enemy jungler: high burst damage, multiple displacement skills, and a massive threat to squishy heroes like the Gunner.

Jin Zhu had already used his movement skill; he absolutely could not let the Shadow Assassin get close.

Calculating the Shadow Assassin’s movement speed, Chi Ruanfan tossed a Time Chain toward the Gunner’s flank. The chain snagged the black mist, binding a flickering, humanoid silhouette.

The Time Chain could only briefly slow an opponent; it could not provide hard crowd control. Fortunately, Jin Zhu’s reactions were lightning-fast. He used Flash to pull away and opened fire on the enemy assassin slowed by the chain.

The moment the chain vanished, the Shadow Assassin was revealed with only two-thirds of his health remaining. Clad in both Red and Blue buffs, the Shadow Assassin ignored the Time Messenger and lunged straight for the Gunner.

The Red buff slows an enemy’s movement and attack speed. With the Gunner’s movement skill still on cooldown, being hit meant he would likely be kited to death.

“Hold them off. My cooldown is at 0.5 seconds.” As the words left his mouth, Chi Ruanfan tapped his keyboard.

A speed boost appeared on the Gunner. Jin Zhu immediately used the burst of movement to widen the gap. The Shadow Assassin swept his hand, throwing a Dark Blade to snare his target.

However, the instant before the blade struck, the Time Messenger intercepted the path, using his own body to block the hit.

“He is out of skills. Get him!” Stunned by the Dark Blade, Chi Ruanfan called out to Jin Zhu.

Without needing further instruction, the Gunner used his refreshed movement skill to dash forward and secure the kill on the Shadow Assassin.

The Fire Mage, lying on the ground waiting to respawn, witnessed the entire exchange and clicked his tongue.

“If Team Chaoge had this kind of coordination on the pro stage, they would not be such an eyesore. Holy crap, Paladin! Do not steal my lane farm!”

Chi Ruanfan did not take the Mage’s words to heart. Even in the professional circuit, Chaoge’s coordination was top-tier; this Mage was likely just a hater.

While the Time Messenger teleported back to base to recover, Chi Ruanfan glanced at the map and warned the Mage anyway: “The Elf Ranger is heading mid.”

The Mage clearly did not take the warning seriously. Seconds later, he strolled out to clear minions and was instantly deleted by a bush-camping Array Master and Elf Ranger.

Chi Ruanfan, who was busy buying equipment, heard the kill announcement and took a moment to send a quick [Great Job!] to praise his teammate.

“Enemy mid and bot are rotating for a gank. Finish this quickly,” Chi Ruanfan reminded Jin Zhu as he hurried back to the lane.

“Got it,” Jin Zhu replied. He dashed under the tower, executing a series of maneuvers that forcibly took down the enemy Priest.

Before the enemy Array Master and Elf Ranger could close the trap, the Gunner retreated swiftly, leaving only the minion wave to demolish the energy tower.

Starting with four kills and double buffs, the Gunner was unstoppable: a god among men. Chi Ruanfan followed Jin Zhu like a “salted fish,” coasting for ten minutes until they reached the enemy high ground.

Suddenly, a kill notification rang out. It was not the Gunner killing someone; it was the Fire Mage diving headfirst into the enemy high-ground tower. Even a Time Regression could not save him.

“He is too strong,” Chi Ruanfan sighed helplessly.

You do not fear god-like opponents; you fear ghost-like teammates. This Fire Mage was the biggest obstacle to their victory.

Looking at the five enemy players with nearly full health, Chi Ruanfan said, “Let’s stabilize and wait for a wave.” He activated a speed boost to lead the remaining teammates in a retreat.

During the retreat, Chi Ruanfan saw a low-health ranged minion. He could not resist hitting it twice, and immediately, the five enemies who had been huddled under their tower charged out.

“Seriously? I cannot even take one minion?”

With his teammates already gone, Chi Ruanfan could only drop a Silence Domain to buy time and try to make a run for it. But as a poor little thing who had already used his speed boost, he could not outrun five enemies with dashes and stuns.

Just as the Array Master was about to lock him down with a Flash-stun combo, Jin Zhu’s Gunner burned both Flash and his movement skill to reappear by his side.

Seeing the Gunner return, Chi Ruanfan felt a flicker of emotion. “I did not protect you for nothing.”

The Gunner was the team’s core damage. Losing a Time Messenger was fine, but if the Gunner died with him, the loss would be catastrophic. Everyone knew the Gunner should not have turned back, yet Jin Zhu did.

“Crap! What is happening? Were we not retreating? Why did you two run back?” The other teammates were baffled.

While the two surviving teammates hesitated on whether to help, Chi Ruanfan and Jin Zhu had already engaged the enemy in a 2v5.

[Chaoge-Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Shi Congxin Bu Shi Song (Array Master).]

[Chaoge-Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Little Cat Doesn’t Eat Fish (Elf Ranger): Double Kill!]

[Chaoge-Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Don’t Touch My Carry (Priest): Triple Kill!]

[Chaoge-Jin Yi (Gunner) killed Is Man or Demon (Magic Swordsman): Quadra Kill!]

While micro-managing his skills, Chi Ruanfan responded to the Paladin’s earlier question: “We found five people wandering alone. It would be a waste not to kill them.”

Paladin: “Damn, that is insane. Is he getting a Pentakill?”

[Chi Fou (Time Messenger) killed You Can’t See Me (Shadow Assassin).]

“Ahem, Pentakills are a matter of luck,” Chi Ruanfan said, pulling his hands off the keyboard and pretending he had not just stolen the kill.

“Haha, even without the Penta, that was amazing. Seriously, your coordination is god-tier, like you have played together for years,” the Paladin said excitedly.

They had played together for years: rivals who targeted each other ruthlessly on stage, but best friends who could share a blanket off-stage.

The teammates destroyed the enemy Nexus, declaring victory.

“A free win. My condition seems pretty good today,” Chi Ruanfan said, slowly flexing his fingers. His long, well-defined fingers moved smoothly without any stiffness or discomfort.

Today’s form is exceptionally good, he thought.

“How about one more?” Chi Ruanfan started another queue. “The last one.”

In Infinite Tower Defense, the system only matched players with similar MMR. Since Chi Ruanfan’s score was so high and there were few high-level players online during the day, he waited ten minutes for a match.

A pure white avatar flashed by.

“Jin Zhu is still here,” Chi Ruanfan noted. “Too bad he is on the opposite side. No free carry this time.”

He was not disappointed. Being carried was great, but facing each other in opposite camps was equally fun. Seeing Jin Zhu lock in the Gunner again, Chi Ruanfan smirked. “Heh, time to deal with him!”

The best way to treat a good friend when you meet in a match is to crush them into the dirt. Chi Ruanfan opened the character selection panel, hovered over Night Hermit, and locked it in.

What is the best way to kill a squishy Gunner? Naturally, an Assassin-type Jungler.

Entering the game, Chi Ruanfan was on the Scourge (Undead) side. As skeleton minions poured out of the Necropolis, Chi Ruanfan maneuvered the Night Hermit through the trees and river toward the enemy jungle.

Since the player pool for high-stakes games was small, the top-laner from the previous game was the Paladin again. Seeing Chi Ruanfan’s ID, the Paladin came running over with sword and shield in hand. “Bro, invading? I will help.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

As they moved through the trees, Chi Ruanfan spotted the Gunner approaching from the main path. He told the Paladin, “Bro, block the enemy Gunner for me. Do not let him get close.”

“You want me to block a pro player?” The Paladin froze, instantly regretting his decision to follow. But since he was already there, he had to bite the bullet. “I will try my best.”

“Do not worry, he is only Level 1. He cannot kill you.” Chi Ruanfan’s Night Hermit reached the Red Buff.

Jin Zhu’s Gunner maneuvered around the Paladin, firing his twin pistols at the Idol Guardian. Their own jungler was at the Blue Buff and could not make it, so the Gunner intended to steal the buff.

How could Chi Ruanfan let a buff slip away? He managed the Idol Guardian’s health carefully, waited for the Gunner to exhaust his skills, and delivered the final blow.

Securing the Red Buff, Chi Ruanfan’s Night Hermit turned to attack the Gunner. The Gunner immediately retreated under the Tier 2 tower. Chi Ruanfan backed away, and once out of the Gunner’s vision, he activated Stealth.

He was baiting Jin Zhu’s vision, making him think he had left. He had used this trick on Jin Zhu many times; the chances of Jin Zhu falling for it were slim. However, there was a wave of minions in front of the Tier 1 tower, and Jin Zhu definitely would not want to lose that gold.

Chi Ruanfan bet that even if Jin Zhu knew he was camping, he would still risk stepping out.

The returning Paladin saw the Night Hermit standing still and asked, “Not leaving?”

Chi Ruanfan: “Go back and farm. I am going to play with him for a bit.”

The Paladin was shocked. “You still want to kill Jin Yi? He is a pro player.”

“Killing pro players is exactly why it is fun.”

These days, who was not a pro player?

Chi Ruanfan saw the Gunner step out from the Tier 2 tower, heading for the minions. He immediately moved the Night Hermit forward.

Footsteps: The Night Hermit did not leave!

Jin Yi was startled and immediately fired toward the Red Buff area. A black symbol appeared over the Gunner’s head: he had been marked by the Night Hermit.

The Night Hermit’s silhouette appeared beside him. Between two players of equal skill, a Level 2 Night Hermit with Red Buff vs. a Level 1 Gunner meant the outcome was already decided.

[Chi Fou (Night Hermit) killed Chaoge-Jin Yi (Gunner): First Blood!]

To improve player experience, the five teammates could use voice chat, but communication with opponents was limited to the public text chat. Chi Ruanfan tapped his keyboard and sent a simple [ : ) ] in the public chat.

The Night Hermit sauntered away, clearing two of the enemy jungler’s camps on the way out.

Inside the Chaoge training room, Jin Zhu stared at the smile in the chat box and pursed his lips. He had been careless; he did not expect the other party to camp in the woods after securing the buff.

Click:

A teammate pushed the door open with a yawn. Seeing Jin Zhu at the computer, he greeted him, “Morning, Jin-ge.”

“Morning,” Jin Zhu replied. Without looking back, he opened the equipment tab to check the Night Hermit’s stats.

The teammate was used to Jin Zhu’s cold demeanor and headed toward his own seat while scratching his hair. But after a few steps, he froze.

Wait: was Jin-ge’s screen just grey?

His Jin-ge was a player whose average deaths per game were close to zero. Who could possibly kill him in a ranked match?

It must be an accident, haha.

In the game, the Paladin’s voice was buzzing with excitement: “Incredible, brother! Killing Jin Yi once is enough to brag about for an entire year!”

“Is that so?” Chi Ruanfan laughed. “Then I would like to brag for a few more years.”

In reality, he had already killed Jin Zhu nearly a thousand times. Of course, he had died by Jin Zhu’s hands just as often. That is what brothers do: they hurt each other.

After Chi Ruanfan cleared his own jungle, he rotated to kill the enemy Mid Laner. Two kill announcements rang out almost simultaneously: one for his kill in the mid lane, and another for Jin Zhu killing the Paladin.

The Paladin sighed: “This is not working. I cannot beat Jin Yi.”

Their mechanical skill was on completely different levels. Even though the Paladin had more gold than the Gunner, he was still outplayed and styled on.

“It is fine. I will help you get revenge in the next wave,” Chi Ruanfan said, maneuvering the Night Hermit into the trees. “Wind Mage, head top after you clear your lane.”

Wind Mage: “OK.”

Two minutes later, Chi Ruanfan’s Night Hermit flanked from behind. Coordinating with the Paladin in the front and the arriving Wind Mage, they forcibly dove the tower to kill the Gunner. However, the Gunner managed to leave the Paladin and Wind Mage at critical health before dying. The Paladin was picked off by the enemy jungler arriving late, while the Wind Mage used a speed boost to escape.

Seven minutes in: The Night Hermit camped the brush behind the Dragon Pit and secured a solo kill on the Gunner. Gunner Death Count: 3.

Ten minutes in: During a team fight, the Night Hermit dove in to assassinate the Gunner despite the protection of an Ice Mage. He then helped his team clean up the Ice Mage and Support. With three enemies down, they pushed through the Tier 1 towers in all three lanes. Gunner Death Count: 4.

Twelve minutes in: With a speed boost from his support, the Night Hermit dove past the high-ground tower to kill the Gunner. Gunner Death Count: 5.

As well as Chi Ruanfan had protected Jin Zhu in the previous game, that was how ruthlessly he hunted him in this one. The smile on Chi Ruanfan’s face widened. “Why is Jin Zhu so easy to catch today? This feels too good.”

Fifteen minutes in: The enemy support used Flash to initiate on the Night Hermit, but he used a displacement skill to dodge. The Paladin and the rest of the team swarmed in. Chi Ruanfan was preparing to counter-attack when he saw his teammates ignore him and the enemy support entirely, charging straight for the Gunner.

Chi Ruanfan: “?” Enemy Support: “???” Paladin: “Kill the Gunner!” Teammates: “Kill kill kill kill!!!”

Chi Ruanfan: “Wait… why are you all targeting him too?”

With no other choice, Chi Ruanfan could not act as if the Gunner’s teammates did not exist. He stayed back to solo-stall the other four enemies. Relying on sheer mechanics, the Night Hermit killed all four. When he looked back, he saw that the Gunner, despite the gold deficit, had actually managed to turn the tide in a 1v4 and kill two of his pursuers.

“Heh, not bad.” But it ended there.

Chi Ruanfan moved the Night Hermit back in, finished off the Gunner, and secured a Pentakill. He and his remaining teammates pushed the high ground with the minion wave and destroyed the Life Core. The golden “Victory” badge appeared on his screen.

In contrast, Jin Zhu’s screen was a piercing, bloody red “Defeat.”

Jin Zhu stared at the silhouette of the Night Hermit. This person was strong. Whether it was game sense or mechanical execution, they were at a top-tier professional level. In the last two matches, this person had dictated the entire rhythm of the game.

What was even more terrifying was that this player, ID “Chi Fou,” seemed to know him perfectly. His playstyle, his habits, what he would do at what time and under what circumstances: the opponent saw through it all. For the first time, Jin Zhu felt completely exposed.

As the game moved to the results screen, Jin Zhu clicked on Chi Ruanfan’s profile to check his history.

ID: Chi Fou Historical Roles: Night Hermit, Time Messenger, Gunner, Elf Ranger, Bounty Hunter…

Except for the first two, every role was a Bottom Lane Carry. Jin Zhu was surprised. Was he actually a Bottom Lane main? If his Jungle and Support play—roles he had only played a few times—were at this level, how strong was his main role?

Although Jin Zhu had played Gunner for two games, his actual role on the team was Jungler. Team Chaoge was struggling this year because the three veteran players in Mid, Bot, and Support had retired one after another. The promoted players from the second team were not yet mature and struggled to synergize with the main roster. It could be said that Chaoge was desperate for elite talent.

If—if this person could join Chaoge…

Jin Zhu did not hesitate. He clicked the “Add Friend” button under Chi Fou’s avatar and typed the verification message:

“Are you interested in playing professionally?”

After sending it, Jin Zhu took a sip of water and waited for a reply. One minute passed, then five. There was still no notification of an accepted request. He prepared to send it again, only to find that Chi Fou’s avatar had turned grey.

Had he gone offline?

“Yeah, I am done playing. Time to go out and see the guys who set up that prank for me.” Chi Ruanfan shut down the computer and stood up, bracing his back.

“Eh?” Chi Ruanfan pressed his waist. “It does not hurt?”

During his five-year professional career, Chi Ruanfan had accumulated various injuries. It was not just his waist; his cervical spine, fingers, and wrists all had issues. In the past, every time he sat down and stood back up was a form of torture. Now, there was zero discomfort.

“Strange,” Chi Ruanfan muttered. He walked to the door and pulled it open.

In the next instant, his eyes widened. Outside was a cramped, narrow hallway. Looking up, he could see the neighbor’s door covered in small advertisements. The sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed as an elderly man, who had passed away years ago, walked up the stairs.

Seeing Chi Ruanfan, the old man asked politely, “Going out?”

Chi Ruanfan: “:”

The way I opened this door must have been wrong.

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