Chapter 65: Season Opener Victory, Back-to-Back MVPs!

"This... is too tragic, isn't it?" At the caster desk, Miller stared blankly for a few seconds. The battle had unfolded far too suddenly, and no one had anticipated that the Lee Sin would suddenly appear behind FPX.

How could an Ashe possibly withstand a Jinx that had just completed her item upgrades?

And the Thresh in the bottom lane was completely incapable of detaining Tian's Lee Sin, leaving them with no choice but to watch helplessly as Ashe perished.

"The momentum is snowballing!"

Walla couldn't help chiming in. If the first ten minutes had still held some suspense, from this moment onward, FPX collapsed across the board, repeating the exact fate of the previous game.

Chaos was the only word to describe it. The bottom and middle lanes fell into crisis one after another, and Lu Zidang's Jinx grew into an increasingly unstoppable snowball.

Inside the FPX team voice comms:

GimGoon: "I picked an Ornn this game to absorb pressure and play for teamfights, and I finally managed to hold out... It hurts. But how are we even supposed to initiate a teamfight now?"

Jiejie: "This loss is largely on me. I didn't manage to help you guys with any ganks."

Doinb looked utterly dead inside: "It's over. It's truly over. Sigh, our drafting, our strategy—we've been completely outclassed."

Lwx, currently sitting at 0-7, said with a bitter expression: "Consider this an educational match. EDG is indeed extremely strong this year. I admit I can't beat Lu Zidang; this guy is just too monstrous!"

Crisp: "Their synergy in the bot lane is completely unsolvable, I honestly don't know how we're supposed to play against that... The coach isn't going to yell at us, right?"

...

The match had reached the twenty-fourth minute. At this point, FPX had suffered a total collapse, with only the top laner and the jungler seeming detached from the disaster, their personal KDA records entirely untainted.

Teamfights could not be initiated!

Ganks were utterly impossible to execute.

Laning phase was entirely unplayable—they could only manage to scrape by at a dead even state.

At the twenty-sixth minute.

Accompanied by the shattering of the FPX Nexus, the opening match of tonight's LPL Spring Regular Season officially came to an end.

At the caster desk, Miller finally raised his voice, declaring:

"Let us congratulate EDG for securing the victory in tonight's LPL Spring Regular Season opener! Their points temporarily place them at the very top of the standings!"

"I must say, EDG's performance across both games tonight was exceptionally brilliant, and moreover, they have established a brand-new aura of dominance."

"The S9 season has arrived, and the revamped EDG is coming in fierce! Let us hand the broadcast back to the player stage." PDD delivered the concluding remarks.

Immediately afterward, the spectator camera shifted to the stage, showing all the members of EDG standing up and heading toward the FPX player booth for the ceremonial handshake.

This was a gesture of sportsmanship and respect shown to the vanquished.

Having secured victory in the season opener, the faces of every EDG member radiated excitement. Starting off on the right foot signified auspicious beginnings.

Over at the FPX booth, everyone sat like pins and needles, desperate to sprint straight back to the player lounge, grab their keyboards and mice, and rush back to the training facility for mandatory overtime practice.

"You're strong. But rest assured, the next time we cross paths, I will be stronger than you."

As Lu Zidang shook hands with Lwx, the opposing ADC spoke up abruptly, his gaze burning with unyielding competitive spirit.

"Alright, see you in the playoffs." Lu Zidang nodded, his expression remarkably calm.

The handshakes concluded—the entire EDG squad gathered at the exact center of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience cheering throughout the venue.

All around, waves of cheers echoed through the air, every voice chanting a single name—Lu Zidang!

Across both games tonight, he had claimed MVP in each. Furthermore, in every single match, he had delivered several breathtaking plays that few others could replicate!

His overall persona was so immaculate that the moment he first appeared full-screen on the venue displays, countless female fans in the audience burst into shrieks of excitement.

"He is living proof of the male protagonist from an esports novel~ Damn, how can someone be this handsome?"

"I feel like if they ever shoot a television drama themed around esports, they should just cast Brother Ang directly and save themselves the trouble of writing a script. His temperament is out of this world!"

"He's almost catching up to me," an older gentleman nearby lazily remarked, prompting numerous female spectators in the surrounding seats to glance his way.

Followed by a synchronized rolling of eyes.

After briefly greeting the fans, the EDG members packed up their keyboards and mice and retreated to the player lounge.

Moments later, the stage host stepped onto the platform, and the post-match interview segment was about to begin!

Back in the EDG player lounge, Clearlove caught sight of Lu Zidang's return and hurriedly urged him on: "Zidang, hurry up and head back out for the interview! You're the face of our EDG brand, this kind of stage interview has got to be handled by you."

Lu Zidang didn't particularly mind being interviewed. He nodded and asked, "Coach Clearlove, is there anything specific I need to keep in mind?"

"Keep in mind? Nothing of the sort. Just answer honestly. Oh, and Zidang, my boy, you're great at everything, but you're just a tiny bit too humble. Try not to be too modest, alright? Show just a tiny, tiny shred of arrogance? Geniuses are supposed to have personality, after all."

Clearlove gave him one final piece of advice. Lu Zidang simply replied with an "Understood" and headed back out onto the stage.

The host in charge of tonight's post-match interview was LPL official presenter余霜 (Yushuang). Somewhat taken aback by Lu Zidang's striking appearance, she took a deep breath to steady herself before regaining her composure.

Without delay, she extended the microphone toward Lu Zidang and began:

"Hello, player Lu Zidang. Everyone refers to you as a genius ADC, and your performance on the stage tonight certainly proves you are worthy of such high praise!"

"The question our online fans are most eager to ask right now is: besides Jhin and Jinx, are there any other champions you excel at to this degree?"

Lu Zidang's peripheral vision cast a subtle glance toward the seating area in the distance.

There, in the audience, a young woman wearing a black sweater and a face mask was making encouraging cheering gestures in his direction.

"There are many. I am quite comfortable playing practically all ADC champions."

Lu Zidang replied.

Yushuang wasn't particularly surprised by the answer—it was essentially a non-answer.

She swiftly followed up with her next question: "Then how would you evaluate your own performance in the two games tonight?"

"Speaking strictly from a execution standpoint, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Personally, I am not entirely satisfied, but I will continue to work hard and push further."

Lu Zidang answered smoothly. Hearing this response, the members of FPX, who were currently packing up their gear, felt an urge to vomit blood. Securing back-to-back Carry performances and consecutive MVPs, and you call that "not entirely satisfied"?

Yushuang offered an "I see" and then posed her final question: "Our last question comes straight from the burning curiosity of the fans!"

"For the S9 season, what is the ultimate goal of the EDG team? To be precise, your goal for this Spring Split!"

This time, Lu Zidang did not use his peripheral vision to glance at the black-sweatered girl sitting in the audience.

Instead, he lifted his head slightly, gazing out at the spectators filling the entire esports arena with an earnest expression and an unwavering, sincere look in his eyes: "EDG will finish the Spring Regular Season in first place to advance into the playoffs, and then we will claim the championship of the LPL Spring Split!"

"Finally, we will represent the LPL region at the S9 Mid-Season Invitational, and once again capture the second MSI title in our team's history."

With those words, Lu Zidang voluntarily bowed slightly toward the audience gathered at the venue: "Thank you all for your support. Please continue to place your trust in EDG; this time, we will not let you down."

As soon as those words left his lips, deafening cheers erupted throughout the arena. Lu Zidang's tone had been utterly sincere, carrying an incomparable and persuasive weight!

Moreover, every single word he spoke radiated an absolute, formidable confidence...

"EDG! EDG! EDG!" Amidst the thunderous chants echoing through the esports stadium, Lu Zidang turned and walked away from the stage.

"Cheer up! Lu Zidang, you will definitely achieve your wish and realize your dreams. (Effort)"

The moment he stepped off the stage, Lu Zidang received a message on his phone from Jelly. He glanced at it and quickly tapped out a reply: "Is that you?"

"It's me."

Jelly responded with a rare two-word reply.

An indescribable wave of warmth washed over Lu Zidang, because it truly was her—she had come to the venue in person.

It felt as though ever since he had gotten to know Jelly two years ago, whenever he queued up for solo queue, she was always the one waiting for him.

Lu Zidang typed out a sentence in the chat box and hit send: "I want to see you."

Within the chat window,

Jelly's reply appeared almost immediately:

"Okay, I'm waiting for you backstage right now, near the utility rooms. Right outside Room 108! We just saw each other earlier. You know what I look like, right?"

Lu Zidang only read the opening sentence.

Then he shoved his phone into his pocket, and unconsciously, his pace quickened...

"What is wrong with me?"

He could feel his own heartbeat accelerating.

...

Chapter five, completed.

Total cumulative word count: 11,000 words.

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