“Welcome, everyone, to a new episode of the China Server Rank One series. Today, I’m bringing you a replay from the number one Talon on the Chinese server—Ba Ji Da Kuangfeng—in a thousand-point match on Ionia…”
On the screen, Xiao Mo was commentating in a relaxed tone.
A trace of impatience flashed through the eyes of the youth sitting before the desk, and he decisively muted the video.
Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. He tapped lightly on the desk, propping up his chin with his right hand.
His mechanics were concise and decisive.
His last-hitting showed extremely solid fundamentals.
His roaming was clear-headed and excellent.
The youth made his evaluation and nodded lightly.
If this was his level, then it really wasn’t strange that that bastard Han Jin couldn’t beat him.
Ding—
His phone rang.
The youth glanced at it and saw that it was a call from his good-for-nothing friend.
“Did you watch Xiao Mo’s video?”
“I did. He really is pretty fierce. It’s not strange that he beat you. Trash below a thousand points really can’t beat him.”
“So last time, when I lost…”
The youth laughed.
“Don’t make me laugh. If my Ahri could beat him casually, that only proves you didn’t learn properly.”
Han Jin fell silent for a second. “Wei Zhen, do you not want your mother anymore?”
The youth named Wei Zhen curled his lip, but he didn’t continue disgusting the other party.
Mainly because he was afraid of making him completely break down.
“Oh right, there’s something I should tell you.”
Han Jin suddenly said, “I promised this guy before that I’d show him around WE. He also seems to want to go pro. If you want to stay, be a little careful. Don’t let it end up with Ruofeng leaving and your starting spot getting snatched.”
Wei Zhen understood what he meant, but that was precisely why he was unhappy.
“What the hell are you saying? Aren’t you looking down on your brother a bit too much?”
He spoke with a cold laugh, his eyes filled with pride.
“If it’s a starting spot I want to fight for, then no one can snatch it from me, no matter who he is.”
“Do you still remember what I told you last year?”
“There isn’t a single strong mid laner in China. They’re all trash. If they go play against that Faker or whatever, they’ll get the shit beaten out of them. Only I can beat him.”
“What Wuwukai, what Ruofeng? Playing against them is like beating dogs. Don’t tell me you don’t believe that?”
He paused, then continued with a smile.
“If WE wants to give him mid, then let them. I’ve already found my next team. I don’t think this team is very good.”
Han Jin quietly listened to these words that, in anyone else’s ears, would be considered arrogantly boundless, yet he unconsciously nodded.
That was the right flavor.
This really was the kind of bullshit that bastard Wei Zhen would say.
Ever since they had known each other, Han Jin had barely ever heard Wei Zhen say that anyone was strong. His main trait was sheer arrogance.
The person who had received his highest evaluation so far was precisely that rising mid-lane demon king next door in the LCK—Faker.
In fact, when Wei Zhen had said earlier that Chu Bai “really was a little fierce,” Han Jin had already been very surprised.
Because even Wuwukai, who made it into the finals last year, was merely “so-so” in Wei Zhen’s mouth.
Han Jin gave a sound of acknowledgment. “You’ve made your decision?”
Wei Zhen yawned.
“Aren’t you leaving too? Don’t tell me you want to stay in WE?”
Han Jin was very calm.
“I can’t stay. Staying means taking over from Weixiao, and people will pick bones out of eggshells.”
Who was Weixiao?
The one and only hard carry of the powerhouse WE, nicknamed the Universal Team; the robotic AD carry rumored among the public to have “added the C to AD.”
Whether in popularity or strength, he was currently world-class.
Was it that easy to take over from a star player like that?
If an average rookie performing at sixty points could be considered passing, then a rookie replacing a star player had to put out at least an eighty-point performance to barely count as qualified.
Was Able, who took over from Uzi, strong?
In truth, he was strong.
When he first came onstage, even against the world’s top AD carries, he merely failed to gain an advantage; there were no problems in lane.
But even that Able was still madly criticized by RNG fans at the time.
Because what they wanted to see was a rookie who, like Uzi, played with extreme dominance and could smash his opponent to pieces in lane.
On other teams, Able’s performance would already have counted as outstanding.
But to say he could take over from Uzi?
Sorry, in the eyes of RNG fans back then, he was far from qualified.
Han Jin still understood this principle.
Imagine finishing a game 0/0/0, only to get flamed afterward with people saying, “Feels worse than Weixiao.”
Just thinking about that made Han Jin want to run from WE.
He wasn’t afraid of challenges, but he was afraid of trouble.
To Han Jin, staying in WE symbolized trouble.
Wei Zhen laughed.
“See? You know it too.”
“So stop asking such idiotic questions. It’ll make me question whether you’re still human.”
“Oh right, have you thought of your pro ID?”
Han Jin subconsciously nodded, even though Wei Zhen on the other end couldn’t see it.
“I have. I’ll call myself Sima Laozei.”
Wei Zhen said in surprise, “Because of that master of yours? But isn’t a Chinese ID not cool?”
“…It has a bit to do with my master, but mainly I just think Sima Yi is pretty cool.”
Han Jin’s master’s Chinese server ID was Situ Yinzei. Later, after he went pro, his professional ID used the initials of that name: Styz.
This person was also a heavyweight.
In his debut, he got a pentakill with Caitlyn. After picking Kog’Maw and Twitch, his average damage share reached as high as 38%, and he was once hailed as the “new hope of domestic AD carries.”
In 2014, his momentum even came close to Uzi and Namei, the two AD carry players publicly acknowledged as the top in China at the time.
Under those circumstances, he privately contacted other teams, wanting to use that as leverage to negotiate a higher contract with WE.
In the end, WE.A directly reported him under the reason of “a player privately contacting other teams and participating in boosting,” and the ACE Alliance handed down a one-year suspension, with WE.A pressing him down completely.
A year later, he had already faded into the crowd.
Han Jin didn’t want to talk too much about his master, because Wei Zhen and his master both had explosive tempers, and the two of them would start arguing at the slightest provocation.
“What about you? What ID are you planning to use?”
“Me?”
Wei Zhen smiled. “To be honest, I’m a little torn. Help me choose?”
“Hmm?”
“KingV or GodV. Which do you think is better?”
Han Jin: ?
“Can’t you pick something a little more low-key?”
What kind of bullshit IDs were these? You’d completely used up all the arrogance!
Wei Zhen asked back with a grin, “Then which one do you think is more low-key?”
Han Jin thought about it. “KingV, I guess. At most it just means King Wei. The one after it is too arrogant.”
“GodV, Wei Shen. You think that’s suitable?”
Wei Zhen grinned. “Then I’ll use GodV.”
Han Jin: ?
Then why the fuck did you ask me!
How many damn mothers do you have to talk to me like this?
“Huh.”
A surprised sound suddenly came from Wei Zhen on the other end of the phone.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Wei Zhen licked his lips and hung up the phone, the game screen reflected in his eyes.
Opposite his Zed was an assassin whose face was hidden beneath a hood.
The ID beneath him was impressively none other than [Ba Ji Da Kuangfeng].
“Even if it’s something I’m too lazy to take, it’s not something someone else can just casually walk away with.”
He muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth curving into an intrigued smile.
Number one Talon on the Chinese server?
If I play a few more games, I can become the number one Talon on the Chinese server too!