Led by Niko, the G2 lineup passed through the slightly noisy studio hall and headed toward Team Liquid’s booth on the opposite side.
At this moment, matches involving other teams were still being played simultaneously in the studio.
Among them was the 0-1 bracket match between EG and COL—COL being the team that Vitality had stomped 16:1 yesterday.
But today, not only was EG trading blows back and forth with COL, the score in the upper right corner of the screen shockingly read [18:17]. From the looks of it, they were about to enter a second overtime.
At that moment, COL’s coach called their final timeout and began spraying spittle everywhere as he frantically explained tactics.
At EG’s booth.
2K subconsciously let go of his mouse and moved his slightly aching wrist, his gaze sweeping aimlessly across the studio hall.
Suddenly,
his gaze froze.
A group of figures in G2 jerseys was walking past not far from their booth.
His eyes quickly locked onto the figure among them—one meter ninety tall, standing out like a crane among chickens among esports players who generally were not that tall. G2’s jersey outlined his broad shoulders and upright frame, and one could faintly make out the balanced, powerful lines of muscle beneath the fabric.
Both hands casually in his pockets,
there was an indescribable air about him.
It was him!
Dark!
Meng Lang!
2K froze completely.
G2’s match… was already over?
Hadn’t their match against Liquid started at almost the same time as ours?
It might even have started a little later!
Wait!
That direction they’re going in… are they going to shake hands?!
They won?!
They beat Liquid, the team ranked ninth in the world last year?!! And from the looks of it, it was even a quick win!
Belatedly, 2K suddenly realized what had happened.
What did this mean?
It meant G2 had already won two in a row and advanced to the 2-0 bracket!
It meant that “fellow countryman” whom he had personally kicked off the team and mocked sarcastically on social media was now only one BO3 away from the Major Legends Stage.
Meanwhile, their EG was still locked in a second overtime death match against COL, the team Vitality had farmed like bots yesterday, fighting tooth and nail for a precious spot in the 1-1 bracket, their future uncertain!
Fuck!
2K immediately felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.
Of course, if he knew at this moment what kind of absurd, smurf-level stats Meng Lang had put up today against Liquid, the team ranked ninth in the world last year,
he would probably have been so angry that his blood pressure spiked on the spot, spraying a mouthful of old blood all over the screen!
And at this moment,
the studio director’s camera was also following the G2 lineup as they went to Liquid’s booth for the handshake.
All of a sudden, in the lower right corner of the frame, 2K, sitting at EG’s booth and staring at Meng Lang in a daze, accidentally appeared on camera.
Seeing this, the director immediately gave him a close-up.
And so,
on one side of the shot was Meng Lang, hands in his pockets, having just won a thoroughly satisfying victory, now striding spiritedly toward his next opponent.
On the other side was 2K, trapped in a brutal overtime struggle, staring at Meng Lang with a face full of mixed emotions.
Connecting it with the grievances and entanglements between the two of them,
this scene, this moment—the sheer cinematic tension came rushing up all at once. Even the director felt like he was a damn genius!
In the 6657 livestream room,
Wanjiqi, who had just finished his passionate commentary, also saw the shot cut over from the English broadcast. He immediately burst into amusement and teased with a chuckle:
“Oh? Looks like 2K also noticed that G2 has already finished work for the day. Wow, that expression of his… he looks pretty miserable.”
“But it’s fine, bro.”
Wanjiqi continued, smiling as he joked, “You might feel even worse later. I feel like after this timeout, EG is most likely going to get dragged into a second overtime by COL. These two godly teams are evenly matched today. From the looks of it, they won’t be able to decide a winner without three overtimes.”
The barrage in the livestream room instantly exploded, filled with a joyous atmosphere:
“I’m dying, I screenshotted Banana Man’s face—that’s a whole pie chart of emotions!”
“2K: No, wasn’t everything supposed to reveal its true form? How the hell are you already 2-0?”
“Hahaha, this Major director is too funny! He’s still giving him close-ups!”
“…”
Antwerp Major studio.
Completely unaware of all this, the G2 lineup arrived in front of Liquid’s booth.
As per custom, they began the post-match handshakes.
Niko was the first to shake hands with Liquid’s in-game leader nitr0, then moved on to the next person and clasped hands with EliGE.
“Well played, Niko.”
There was a trace of fatigue in EliGE’s voice, but he still maintained his composure.
Losing this BO1 and dropping from 1-0 into the 1-1 bracket meant that their path to advancement from here on would become even more difficult. It inevitably left him somewhat unwilling to accept it.
“You guys too. It was a great match,” Niko replied with a smile.
The two let go, and EliGE’s gaze naturally fell on the figure behind Niko—Meng Lang.
Looking at the sunny-faced, tall and upright Eastern youth before him, EliGE could not help but recall the Inferno match that had just ended.
To be honest, as his opponent, he could clearly feel that Meng Lang’s understanding and familiarity with this map did not seem particularly good.
Some of his detail handling and default map control still showed signs of inexperience.
But!
It was precisely this kind of guy
who had relied on that inconceivable Desert Eagle five-kill ECO turnaround, as well as multiple follow-up AK spray transfers to break open bombsites, and that close-range dual-Berettas spray transfer that looked as if he had turned on a clicker, to forcibly blast out a terrifying stat line of 27 kills and 6 deaths!
The key was that his hand was still wrapped in bandages.
Compared with the Dark in his memory from their encounter at BLAST—the one who had played mainly as an AWPer yet seemed somewhat strained—this was practically a different person!
Could someone really “evolve” like this?
Was he even human?
EliGE was stunned for a moment, then a relieved smile appeared on his face.
A loss was a loss.
27/6!
When someone killed that hard,
if they still didn’t win,
there would really be no justification.
At the end of the day, as a rifler, if he himself could have killed like that today, they would have won too.
Thinking of this, he took the initiative to extend his hand toward Meng Lang and said sincerely, “You played really well, Dark! Very impressive today.”
Meng Lang also extended his hand, clasping it with this man who had once almost ended his professional career with a “random spread” AK bullet.
After winning this match, the depression and unwillingness that had once accumulated in his heart had already vanished like smoke and clouds. He smiled and replied, “Thanks. You’re very strong too.”
EliGE smiled and continued, “If there’s a chance, let’s meet again in the Legends Stage. But next time, you won’t win so easily.”
Hearing this, Meng Lang blinked. “All right, then I’ll head to the Legends Stage first and wait for you there.”
At those words, EliGE could not help but pause, then shook his head with a laugh.
This guy…
He really was confident.
However, EliGE had a good personality, and he did indeed admire this outstanding junior to some degree. In the end, he still smiled and nodded.
“All right! Then it’s settled. See you in the Legends Stage.”
After the handshake ended, the others packed up their things. For today’s post-match interview, the host handed the microphone to Niko, who had also performed excellently in this match.
“First of all, congratulations to G2 for taking another beautiful victory today and successfully advancing to the 2-0 bracket! Niko, is there anything you’d like to say at this moment?”
Niko placed both hands on his hips, swayed his body, and smiled brightly. He stroked the beard on his chin and said into the microphone:
“First, I want to thank my teammates. Everyone played extremely well, and that’s why we were able to win this match. Of course, I have to give special thanks to Dark. His performance today was especially outstanding. Multiple times, in key clutch situations, he exploded and forcibly pulled us back from the edge of rounds we should have lost. I think a truly strong team needs this kind of player. I’m now very certain that Dark is the perfect puzzle piece we’ve been looking for all along!”
The host followed up naturally, “It seems you’re very satisfied with how Dark has adapted. Then after this Major, will G2 consider officially signing Dark?”
Niko shrugged, lightly swaying his shrimp-like frame, his smile growing even brighter:
“Why not? I personally like him very much. But as for the specific contract issues, that still depends on the club’s subsequent evaluation and the results of the matches. Of course, most important of all is Dark’s own willingness.”
The host continued pressing, “Dark’s performance over the past two days has indeed been stunning. We know that when he joined the team, he replaced Jackz in the support role. Will the team make positional adjustments going forward? For example, letting him lean more toward a core firepower role?”
Niko shook his head. “Mm… that involves our tactical arrangements going forward, so it’s not very convenient to reveal too much. But what I can say is that, if necessary, I’ll communicate with the coaching staff and do my best to let Dark get the positions he feels most comfortable in.”
In the 6657 livestream room.
Wanjiqi was translating the interview. When he reached this part, he could not help but laugh. “Brothers, did you hear that? This is Black God’s status. He’s really bringing honor to our CNCS! Seriously, I won’t jinx it anymore. I just hope Black God absolutely doesn’t fade in the remaining matches of this Major.”
“Tsk, tsk! Brother Shrimp really loves Dark!”
“Forget everything else, who wouldn’t love that Desert Eagle five-kill comeback today?”
“Every time Brother Shrimp looks at Dark, it feels like he’s looking at his younger self. His gaze is practically pulling threads.”
“Stop hyping him. If Dark starts learning from Brother Shrimp and gets weak legs in key games, let’s see if he still looks at him like that.”
“…”
While the outside world was buzzing with heated discussion, on Meng Lang’s side, after they defeated Liquid today and waited for Niko’s interview to end, the group also took a car back to the hotel.
Next came today’s match review.
Although they had won, and even won by a large score of 16:3, G2 had still made quite a few mistakes today.
If nothing else,
the pistol rounds alone had to be thoroughly reviewed.
In the second-half pistol round, if Meng Lang had not spray-transferred three kills with the dual Berettas, they would have lost that pistol round, and they would not have been able to win so easily afterward.
Against Liquid today, Meng Lang could rely on individual ability to save them. But what about the other teams they would face later?
At a Major,
each step was a new level of difficulty.
Leaving aside the strictly stratified Legends Stage waiting later, even the next round’s 2-0 bracket advancement match would be more than a notch stronger in intensity than the matches before it.
It had to be said,
XTQZZZ was still very farsighted.
That night, after all of today’s matches concluded, the four 2-0 teams were also freshly decided—G2, forZe, ENCE, and Vitality.
And G2’s opponent in the next BO3 advancement match
was none other than
Vitality, who had once again stomped Astralis 16:7 today!