Chapter 5: Honorable in Defeat, Feng Nan Pays Respects to Jiang-Esse AD é muito consistente(Noite de lua cheia na Ponte Ershi.)

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“The economic disparity is too great, resulting in a huge gap in equipment between the two sides. Given RNG’s reduced numbers, they simply can’t hold this team fight.”

At the commentary desk,

Doll watched the scene with a somewhat heavy heart: “G2 is even taking the second Elder Dragon—there really isn’t a single chance left for RNG.”

Miller, comparatively calmer, adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and began analyzing how RNG should resist G2’s assault going forward:

“Although the situation is unfavorable for RNG right now, the most important thing is their mindset. As long as RNG remains stable, they can still drag the match out. In the late game, RNG’s lineup still has fighting power!”

Everyone knew Miller was just offering some moral support to the audience.

Meanwhile,

Inside RNG’s team voice chat,

LetDi said, “Sigh, in this team fight, do we engage or not?”

Karsa replied, “Engage with what…!”

Xiaohu said, “I think we should play it safe and conservative. If they force the fight, then we engage! After all, we are down a man.”

Xiaoming apologized, “Sorry, this one’s on me.”

Lu Zi’ang remained silent.

Though the teammates’ words lacked emotional fluctuation, their inner turmoil was clearly written on their faces.

From the start, this match had been mired in difficulties. The drafting phase wasn’t problematic, but they lost due to mentality—too many mistakes, each one exploited by G2.

With fewer players now, who could shoulder the responsibility to initiate a fight?

LetDi? Xiaoming? Karsa? Or Lu Zi’ang?

Their states were poor, making it hard to perform normally. Even if they managed to start a fight with a 5v4, could they really win?

Soon, G2’s players reached RNG’s high ground, crossed the mid-lane Nexus, and began assaulting the inhibitor.

On RNG’s side, they tried to clear the waves with ranged skills while retreating, but it was ineffective; super minion waves were hard to clear.

G2 didn’t seem eager to initiate a fight—they just went straight for the base!

This team fight never fully ignited. The vast economic gap and RNG’s manpower disadvantage meant everyone could only helplessly watch G2 dismantle the base...

“Bang.”

With a crisp sound,

the base exploded.

RNG... was defeated!

This battle, seemingly dreamlike, ended in failure.

S8 was hailed as the most promising year for the LPL, for RNG, and for Uzi.

Yet this dream team, bearing the hopes of an entire nation, didn’t even reach the finals. They fell in the quarterfinals, losing to an obscure third-rate wildcard team called “G2.”

At that moment, the official LOL event livestream had reached a terrifying 250 million viewers.

Fans’ emotions shattered, the chat flooded with curses and wails:

“Little Dog... why do you always choke at the crucial moment?”

“Sorry, I cried. Why? I just can’t understand how we lost to G2. Even if we lost to IG, I could accept that.”

“Uninstalling!”

“RNG wasted my youth.”

“Why did they bench Uzi?”

“Can someone tell me, was it the coaching staff’s decision or Jian Zihao’s own?”

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That night,

was destined to be anything but quiet.

“RNG lost” instantly exploded across the internet, dominating the trending headlines on every major platform.

It became a nationwide hot topic.

Meanwhile, G2, a previously unknown team, rose to fame after defeating RNG, with many fans even considering them championship favorites.

At this moment, after winning the match, the entire G2 squad felt as if they were living in a dream.

Before the match, their official Weibo staff had even prepared a statement for losing to RNG, but now they had to rewrite a victory message.

When RNG lost,

all the club staff accompanying the players to the event were tearful; some even wept uncontrollably.

The players were silent, faces ashen.

In the players’ lounge, Uzi looked utterly lost, his expression vacant.

He sat on the sofa, clutching his head, lost in thought.

Just then, he saw Lu Zi’ang returning from the stage and said with some apology, “Sorry.”

Lu Zi’ang’s expression was complex, but he simply replied with a faint “Hmm.”

He wasn’t supposed to have the chance to play.

No one really knew what the coaching staff was thinking.

But from their perspective, RNG’s fate was sealed.

Uzi was RNG’s ace, the LPL’s shining star, a phenomenally popular player.

If they lost,

he would be attacked by the entire internet and dragged into a whirlpool of public opinion.

But by substituting Lu Zi’ang in,

he could save face.

Many would then think, what’s the big deal about losing? It’s RNG that lost, not Uzi. What does it matter if G2 wins? They only beat an incomplete RNG.

And Lu Zi’ang?

He was just an unknown player, a scapegoat, cannon fodder, the one to take the blame, an outsider.

He was the club’s shield to absorb the backlash; no one cared what happened to him.

Yet for a boy who dreamt of esports and trained diligently fourteen to fifteen hours every day, such treatment stung deeply. Who could understand the feelings?

He had been selected for RNG’s youth academy in his first year of high school. Thanks to his talent and hard work, he excelled in the academy and even played in the LDL for a while. Yet he never got the chance to join RNG’s main LPL roster.

Even Qiqi, known online as the “Esports Edison,” had played in many matches, but Lu Zi’ang never got his opportunity.

And Qiqi’s overall skill was nowhere near his.

He thought this World Championship would be his chance.

But who could have expected that he would only watch from the sidelines, and then be thrown out as cannon fodder in the quarterfinals.

Fortunately!

He had the system.

Thinking of this, Lu Zi’ang’s mood lifted again. With the system, what was there to fear?

Though he wasn’t yet eighteen, this experience gave him a shallow understanding of “fate.”

In life, many times,

you really just have to rely on “luck.”

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As the saying goes, “In the martial world, one’s body is not one’s own.”

As another saying goes, “When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength; when it passes, even heroes have no freedom.”

He did not blame RNG, nor Uzi.

He knew his fate with RNG had ended; he and Uzi were never meant to be on the same team.

This was not the place for him to showcase his talents.

...

On the trending list,

just below the topic “RNG lost” was “SUn” Lu Zi’ang’s professional ID!

This match made Lu Zi’ang famous.

The scapegoat of domestic esports.

Gathering five million irate fans,

all kinds of information about Lu Zi’ang were dug up immediately.

At the same time, some fans organized a “Ceremony of Worship” for Lu Zi’ang, as he was now the highest-ranked player in the entire LPL with a “sauce” generation title.

So far, only a handful of players had earned this rank.

The three most famous were: Bath Sauce (Uzi), Seven Sauce (TheShy), and Wei Sauce (Weishen).

On a forum, a post titled “Scapegoat Sūn, snatching Elder Dragon in adversity, admirable courage—any objections to crowning him Sauce Lord?”

Within just ten minutes of posting, it had over 2,000 replies and more than 10,000 votes, 91% of which supported crowning him Sauce Lord.

“Sauce Lord” is an old tradition in the community.

Simply put, it ranks players by seniority and ability—essentially a title.

The content read—

“Take care of the young ones, masters: The RNG management’s dirty move to bench Uzi in the critical match and bring in Sūn was obviously transparent. Scapegoat? Sure! But Sūn showed terrifying resilience in this do-or-die match!”

“At the end of the game, he had 77 more minion kills than G2’s ADC, secured an Elder Dragon, and barely made any mistakes in lane. This man must be crowned!”

“I hereby declare that from now on, no matter what ID Sūn uses, he is our Sūn-man. This spirit deserves praise and commendation. He has earned the ‘man’ title.”

First reply:

A VIP member who had recharged 180 million said:

“Well said! RNG management is truly disgusting. And Bath Dog’s performance and subsequent actions tonight are revolting... I feel like, Oibk!”