The Esports Little Demon King Is a Sweet and Fierce Omega - Chapter 26

Training for FOX was gradually falling into a rhythm. With only two weeks left before the start of the league, the first round of the match schedule was finally released.

Inside the review room, a massive virtual screen displayed the pairings.

The league was structured around the Top, Middle, and Bottom tiers. The Bottom-tier teams would compete first; twelve teams would be split into six pairs. The winners would move up until a champion was crowned to face off against the 3rd-rank team of the Middle tier.

This meant FOX, as a Bottom-tier team, had to win at least three consecutive matches just for a chance to advance to the Middle tier. Only by beating the Middle-tier’s 3rd rank could they challenge the Top-tier giants.

“Our first opponent is Fire, a team famous for their explosive playstyle,” Zhou Funian said, tapping the screen to bring up their profile.

Fire consisted of a Cannoneer, a Fire Mage, an Assassin, a Defender, and an Elf. Their core strategy revolved around a “Magic-Cannon” system.

“Their Cannoneer, Zhongcheng (Loyalty), and their Mage, Chiyan (Blazing Flame), are elite graduates from Imperial University. Both are A-rank Alphas and very powerful.”

“The other three are B-rank Alphas, significantly weaker than the core duo.”

“In past matches, the teammates’ sole job was to protect and highlight the cores; they usually build purely defensive items while the core duo handles all the damage.”

Zhou Funian played their highlight reel from the last tournament. Zhongcheng was burly with bronze skin and a shaved head, looking like a gang leader from the Lower District. The cannon on his shoulder was even larger than Tian Jiu’s.

“Wow,” Tian Jiu said in wonder. “Is his arm mechanical?”

“Yes,” Feng Wu said flatly. “He wasn’t born disabled. To handle a heavier cannon, he chose to have his arm replaced with a mechanical one.”

Tian Jiu’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean ‘replaced’?”

Lin Luohai laughed. “It means he chopped off his arm to install a prosthetic.”

My god. Tian Jiu was stunned. “Just to play a game?”

“It’s common,” Lin Luohai said, unbothered. “Have you never walked through the Lower District? You’ll see cyborgs everywhere.”

“Since AI and robots took over most jobs, the poor have to increase their mechanization just to qualify for labor to feed their families.”

“In short, he’s a ruthless opponent. They call him the ‘Deadly Cannoneer.'”

“He’s known for ‘life-for-life’ trades. And word is, Li Duan, the genius equipment maker from Imperial University, just made a new weapon for him; stronger than anything he’s used before.” Zhou Funian’s expression turned grim.

Tian Jiu blinked. He felt like he had heard that name before.

“Doesn’t Li Duan usually only make gear for Top-tier teams?” Shi Xincheng asked.

“The man is unpredictable,” Zhou Funian sighed. “But it doesn’t matter. No matter how strong the gear is, the attribute values won’t exceed 400,000. Ultimately, the player determines the victory.”

Everyone nodded.

“The Mage, Chiyan, has incredible control over his pheromones. He specializes in precision fire control. If you’re in his range, you won’t escape his fireballs.”

For the next week, the team focused on a “counter-force” strategy designed by Feng Wu and Zhou Funian. By the time the week ended, they were tearing through the AI simulations.

“One week until the official match,” Zhou Funian smiled. “Everyone feeling confident?”

“Yes!” Tian Jiu cheered enthusiastically.

The others felt a bit awkward. Tian Jiu looked at Feng Wu with sparkling eyes. “Captain, do you?”

Feng Wu: “…Yes.”

Tian Jiu turned to Mo Li. “Mo Li, do you?” Mo Li froze, then gave an awkward nod.

Lin Luohai, fearing the question, chimed in: “I do, I do!”

“And Old Shi?”

Shi Xincheng cleared his throat. “I… I do too.”

“Then we all have confidence!” Tian Jiu high-fived Zhou Funian, who burst out laughing.

******

Suddenly, Zhou Funian received a call on Star-Net. He shared his screen with the group.

“The sponsors want us to address the rumors on Star-Net,” Zhou Funian said.

The top trending topic was: [Please, FOX, Give Us a Clear Attitude!]

“They want an ‘attitude’?” Feng Wu snorted. “What kind of attitude do they want?”

“They want to know our actual strength,” Zhou Funian said with a headache.

People were demanding a stream to prove FOX wasn’t just a collection of “pretty faces” before the betting pools closed.

“They think we’re hiding because we can’t work together,” Lin Luohai noted.

“Since we’re doing a five-man queue, let’s just mess around,” Feng Wu suggested.

Feng Wu titled the stream: The Attitude You Wanted.

“What should I play?” Feng Wu asked.

Tian Jiu said, “Captain, do you want to play Cannoneer? I’ll play Assassin.”

Feng Wu locked in Cannoneer. Tian Jiu picked a fish-bone dagger. Lin Luohai took a Gunner, and Shi Xincheng and Mo Li swapped roles as well.

The audience flooded in, confused by the role-swapping.

“Are you kidding? We came to see your strength, and you’re playing an entertainment match?”

“So unreliable. I’m betting on Fire.”

Even with swapped roles, the match was a slaughter. Their game sense was so high they barely needed to speak. Rival teams watching turned grim.

“They understand the rhythm of every role perfectly,” Shadow noted.

Despite the “messing around,” FOX’s dominant victory gave the fans confidence.

******

After dinner, Lawrence, the AI butler, announced a visitor: Ji Xianzhang.

“I don’t really want to see him,” Tian Jiu said.

“I’ll go with you,” Feng Wu said, grabbing his coat.

Outside, Ji Xianzhang was pacing in the cold. When he saw Tian Jiu with Feng Wu, his smile stiffened.

“Xiao Yin, I missed you,” Ji Xianzhang said. “Come talk to me in the car. It’s cold out.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Tian Jiu said, clutching Feng Wu’s sleeve.

“Wait! Your gland… it didn’t break during your differentiation,” Ji Xianzhang blurted out.

Tian Jiu froze. Feng Wu’s brow furrowed.

“This is a family matter,” Ji Xianzhang glanced at Feng Wu. “I’ll only tell you alone.”

“Captain isn’t an outsider,” Tian Jiu pouted. “If you won’t say it here, don’t say it at all.”

Feng Wu gripped Tian Jiu’s hand back. “How did it break then?” he asked with a smile.

Ji Xianzhang laughed. “If you want to know, let Xiao Yin come ask me.”

“I see,” Feng Wu nodded. “Then get lost.”

He called the police to report a “suspicious person” and led Tian Jiu back inside.

“Captain, I think he’s lying,” Tian Jiu said. “Why did you even listen?”

“Just playing along for a second,” Feng Wu laughed.

“Oh.” Tian Jiu asked innocently, “Can I have another ice cream then?”

“You’ve had two today.”

“I eat three meals a day, so I should have three ice creams!”

Feng Wu looked at the fluffy silver hair and sighed. “Just this once. Not a habit.”

“Yay! Captain, you’re the best!”

[AAAAHHH! Hubby, you’re finally here! You’ve gotten even more handsome in the past half-month!]

[Get out of the way, don’t block me from kissing my son! Jiu-jiu baby, Mommy loves you!]

[Wow, wow, wow, it’s a five-man queue! Finally getting to see all of FOX together—this battle will determine if I become a team fan!]

[God Wu’s title for this livestream, hahaha, I’m dying.]

Feng Wu’s livestream title was simple and violent: “The Attitude You Wanted.”

“What should we play?” Feng Wu asked, lazily scrolling through the weapon library.

Tian Jiu said immediately, “Captain, are you playing Cannoneer?”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll play Assassin.”

Feng Wu nodded. “Sure.”

Lin Luohai said happily, “Then I’ll play Gunner.”

“Okay,” Shi Xincheng added. “Mo Li, shall we swap?”

Mo Li nodded silently. “I’ll play Defender.”

The viewers in the livestream were dumbfounded. What the hell? Was this the “attitude” they wanted?

[So you guys are just playing an entertainment match? Did we come here just to watch you mess around?]

[Speechless. This is so unreliable. I think I’ll just bet on Fire to win.]

Tian Jiu looked at the comments in surprise and suddenly realized he might have caused trouble. He shouldn’t have suggested swapping with the Captain from the start.

“Then… maybe I should play Cannoneer after all?” he whispered.

Feng Wu poked his cheek and said lazily, “It’s an entertainment match anyway. Play whatever you want.”

“Exactly,” Lin Luohai said as he decisively locked in Gunner.

Feng Wu found a cannon that looked very similar to Tian Jiu’s. He clicked confirm; the cannon had a metallic luster with green neon light strips—aside from its size and weight, it was almost identical to Tian Jiu’s.

Shi Xincheng and Mo Li each selected their weapons and confirmed. Tian Jiu bit his lip and chose a fishbone-shaped dagger, clicking confirm.

Once the match was found, the five of them appeared in front of the Temple.

[Holy crap! Tian Jiu is a little fox today!]

[Ahhh, too cute! I really want to ruffle that big tail!]

Feng Wu turned his head to look at him. Today, Tian Jiu was a cyan little fox. His clothes were trimmed with soft cyan fur, his triangular ears twitched every now and then, and his big, fluffy tail was especially eye-catching as it swayed behind him.

“This tail looks so real.” Lin Luohai reached out in wonder, wanting to touch it, but was slapped away by Feng Wu. “Don’t just touch whatever you want.”

Lin Luohai giggled. “Got it, got it. The Captain’s little fox is off-limits.”

Mo Li also found it amazing; the person who made this outfit must have put in a lot of heart.

Tian Jiu noticed his gaze and immediately said, “Mo Li, do you like clothes like this? I can ask Qingqing to make some for you too.”

That way, they could be the “Little Animal Duo” of the canyon. He had actually wanted the Captain to be part of a duo with him, but the Captain didn’t seem to like wearing this kind of clothing, so he had reluctantly given up.

Recently, he had worn rabbit and sheep outfits and asked Mo Li many times if he wanted to be a duo, but Mo Li had always declined.

However, Tian Jiu wasn’t discouraged. If he could make Mo Li fall in love with ice cream cones just like him, he could make him like these clothes too.

Mo Li still shook his head like a rattle. “No, no, no. I still prefer tracksuits.”

“Alright then,” Tian Jiu sighed.

Feng Wu chuckled and pinched one of the fox ears. “Let’s go.”

“Mhm.”

The game officially began, and everyone headed to their respective lanes. Tian Jiu hopped and skipped into the jungle, entering stealth to watch over the small jungle creeps.

[Ah, why did the little fox have to play an Assassin? Stealthing all the time is so painful.]

[Raise your hand if you want to see the little fox every second!]

[Me me me! Baby, please don’t play an Assassin next time!]

In a casual public match, they were basically “slaughtering noobs.” Even though everyone had swapped classes, their grasp of the rhythm was flawless. They didn’t even need Feng Wu to lead; their coordination was seamless.

The major teams who had come to watch the stream began to look uneasy.

“Coach, why do I feel like every one of them understands the playstyle and rhythm of every class perfectly?” Shadow asked hesitantly.

The coach nodded. “Yes. They aren’t playing the classes they specialize in, but look at their farming time, rotations, and lane swaps. They’re perfectly in sync. They aren’t even communicating, but their awareness is spot on.”

It wasn’t just them; other teams noticed it too.

The Captain of Team Fire frowned deeply. “They’re too cunning. By not playing their main classes, we can’t collect any info on them.”

Zhongcheng remained silent.

Chiyan smiled. “Who says there’s no info? At least we know their game sense is incredibly strong.”

“That’s bad news.”

“Not necessarily.” Chiyan watched Tian Jiu and Feng Wu happily harvesting the enemy jungle. “Don’t you see? Because everyone in FOX has such strong awareness, their communication is minimal.”

Having too much self-awareness could be a fatal flaw in team competitions. Everyone has their own ideas and playstyles. No matter how strong they are individually, they will expose weaknesses during team fights.

The coach nodded. “Exactly. To beat them, we must drag the game into the late stage for team fights. We just need to catch one opening to throw off their rhythm.”

“Plus, this pair of ‘Jungle Rogues’ might be strong, but they have a fatal weakness—they love wandering into the enemy’s jungle too much.”

Maia, who played Assassin, yawned. “Don’t worry. I might not be good at much, but guarding the jungle is my specialty.”

A simple entertainment match had still given the outside world a lot of information. Their crushing victory gave the viewers confidence, and the topic demanding an “attitude” gradually cooled down.

After the match, the delivery arrived, and everyone ended their streams. However, just after eating, the team received an uninvited guest.

“For me?” Tian Jiu asked in surprise. “Who is it?”

Lawrence said, “Facial recognition matched. The guest is your biological father, Ji Xianzhang.”

“Huh?” Tian Jiu instinctively looked at Feng Wu.

Feng Wu paused his drinking and met his eyes. “Do you want to see him?”

“Not really.”

Lawrence immediately played the recording from the gate. Ji Xianzhang’s voice said: “Please tell him I won’t leave until I see him.”

Tian Jiu sighed. “I’ll go out for a bit then.” He didn’t want the man blocking the base entrance and affecting FOX’s image.

“Mhm.” Feng Wu stood up and grabbed his coat. “I’ll go with you.”

Tian Jiu was instantly happy. “Okay!”

As the two left, Lin Luohai immediately began winking at Shi Xincheng and Mo Li.

“Do you have a cramp?” Mo Li frowned.

Shi Xincheng burst out laughing.

Lin Luohai said speechlessly, “Are you two blocks of wood? Can’t you see our Captain and Xiao Jiu have something going on?”

“Duh, I’m not blind.” Shi Xincheng stood up to pour himself a glass of red wine. He liked a little drink every night; otherwise, he couldn’t sleep comfortably.

Lin Luohai looked at Mo Li again. “You saw it too?”

“Duh, I’m not blind.”

“…”

******

The sky had already turned dark, and the rain from the afternoon had made the air damp and cold. Ji Xianzhang was pacing at the gate in a heavy coat, his face pale from the wind.

Seeing someone approaching, he immediately flashed a smile, but the smile froze the moment he saw Feng Wu following Tian Jiu. Tian Jiu was wearing a hoodie with a long, thick coat over it, making him look even smaller.

“Why are you here again?” Tian Jiu asked across the gate.

Ji Xianzhang glanced at Feng Wu and then smiled at Tian Jiu. “Xiao Yin, Papa just missed you. I came to see if you’re doing well.”

“Oh, I’m doing much better than I ever was at the Ji house,” Tian Jiu said bluntly. “You should leave. Stop coming to find me.”

Ji Xianzhang was anxious, but he couldn’t snatch the boy away in front of Feng Wu. He said gently, “Papa has something to tell you. My car is right there; why don’t we go talk inside it? It’s too cold out here.”

“I have nothing to say to you.” Tian Jiu grabbed Feng Wu’s sleeve, preparing to go back.

Ji Xianzhang shouted, “Wait!”

Tian Jiu turned back to look at him.

Ji Xianzhang took a few deep breaths and suddenly said, “Your gland… it didn’t break during your differentiation.”

“What?” Tian Jiu froze.

Feng Wu’s brow also furrowed.

Seeing that he was interested, Ji Xianzhang said, “This matter is hard to explain, especially to outsiders.” He glanced at Feng Wu. It was obvious who the “outsider” was.

“The Captain isn’t an outsider,” Tian Jiu pouted. “Say it if you want to, or don’t.”

The gland was already broken; did it matter how? Besides, the original host was already dead; anything they said now was meaningless.

“Let’s go back, Captain.” He held Feng Wu’s hand and prepared to walk away.

Feng Wu, however, held his hand firmly and didn’t move.

“Captain?”

Feng Wu looked at Ji Xianzhang and smiled. “How did his gland break?”

Ji Xianzhang stared at him for two seconds, then smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ll only tell Xiao Yin. If you want to know, let Xiao Yin come and ask me.”

“Oh.” Feng Wu nodded. “Then get lost.”

“You—!”

Feng Wu led Tian Jiu away by the wrist, ignoring Ji Xianzhang. He even used his AI brain to call the local police station, reporting a “suspicious person loitering at the team’s gate with ill intentions.”

“Captain, I think he’s talking nonsense,” Tian Jiu looked up at him. “Why did you even go along with him?”

Feng Wu laughed. “It’s nothing. I was just humoring him.”

“I see.” Tian Jiu nodded and said lightheartedly, “Then, can I have an ice cream cone in a bit?”

“Haven’t you had two today already?”

Tian Jiu immediately acted cute. “Aww, I eat three meals a day, so of course I should eat three ice cream cones too.”

“No.”

“Fine…” Tian Jiu sighed, looking totally dejected as if not getting an ice cream was the end of the world.

Feng Wu stared at the fluffy top of his head for a moment and said, “I’ll make an exception today. But never again.”

“Really?!” Tian Jiu’s eyes lit up instantly. He looked up at Feng Wu with a sweet smile. “Captain, you’re the best!”

Feng Wu chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair into a mess.