You’re Causing Chaos Again

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Initially, Andrew had no idea what Shen Yanming had said, until a good-hearted soul who understood Chinese translated it for him. Only then did his face truly become fascinating.

Aren’t Easterners supposed to care a lot about face? How does this Chaos manage to talk about this matter so casually? Isn’t he afraid of embarrassment?

But that wasn’t all – Chaos even mocked him openly!

Even though Andrew had a strong mental fortitude, after hearing a string of comments like “He’s too scared to accept my match invitation,” “He’s a coward,” “Maybe he can’t beat me,” he couldn’t remain calm anymore. He initially declined Shen Yanming’s challenge to avoid unnecessary complications, fearing Chaos might have other intentions. He preferred to avoid unnecessary complications and quietly get through the next few days. It wasn’t that he genuinely couldn’t win.

Now, with his competence questioned, he felt his blood boil. He stood up and responded to Shen Yanming, “Let’s play, but make it a solo match.”

At their level of play, in 4v4 team battles, factors determining victory or defeat go beyond just the players’ individual abilities. Various elements like team coordination and strategy play a significant role. On the other hand, 1v1 battles eliminate many other variables and more clearly show the gap between the two sides.

Although they were only scheduling a game, not an actual fight, the organizers saw that both sides were quite fired up. However, they didn’t interfere, especially since they themselves had some shortcomings in handling the situation. They were relieved that Shen Yanming didn’t directly point fingers at them in front of the large live audience. Instead, he precisely targeted Andrew, which they considered a small blessing.

Seeing that Andrew fell for the provocation, Shen Yanming was quite satisfied. However, he didn’t forget his original intention, “Let’s make it clear first. If you lose, you have to promise to explain the situation and publicly apologize to me.”

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Andrew agreed, “Alright.”

Shen Yanming chuckled, “Everyone present heard that. He said ‘alright.’ But wait a minute, didn’t he just pretend not to know a moment ago? How come he’s agreeing now? It seems like challenging me to a solo match is helping him regain his memory.”

Initially, Andrew agreed on impulse. Now, hearing Shen Yanming’s words, he realized that he had fallen into a trap. He originally wanted to play dead and brush off the situation. He assumed that as long as Shen Yanming still wanted to save face, he wouldn’t spread it around, and he could play ignorant and let things blow over.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yanming not only brought it up, but also talked about it in front of so many people in the livestream.

By agreeing now, Andrew was admitting in front of the audience that he had indeed harassed another player and used inappropriate language.

Now he regretted it. Very much so. He thought he was flirting with a sweet little guy, only to find out he was dealing with a hedgehog… and now he realizes the other person is simply a demon!

With things having gone this far, Andrew had no way to back out. However, he still needed to salvage some dignity for himself. His thoughts were a complete mess now, and he blurted out without thinking, “What if you lose?”

Shen Yanming was taken aback.

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Andrew thought he had hit a nerve, but Shen Yanming looked at him like he was an idiot and said, “Are you alright? You were the one who messed up. Originally, whether you win or lose, you still had to apologize. Now, as a grown-up, I’m allowing you to lose and then apologize. You still dare to negotiate terms with me?” It’s really not a good idea.

Andrew: “…”

Although Andrew was furious, he couldn’t say anything more. He usually wasn’t completely devoid of intelligence, but he had a tendency to target weaker individuals. Not having failed before had inflated his ego a bit. But this time, he accidentally picked a soft target that exploded like a bomb. A series of chain reactions caused his adaptability to plummet, and he started speaking without thinking. One step wrong led to more missteps.

He’s frustrated to the extreme, but he swallows his anger and sits down to play the game.

During this training camp, there was a temporary server for all players to match in these few days. After the game starts, Shen Yanming isn’t too surprised to find that the players aren’t matchmaking or practicing. They may seem unmoved by external factors on the surface, but in reality, as soon as they start a solo game, most of them flood in to watch.

It seemed that loving to watch a spectacle was an inherent human trait – a truth that had stood the test of time.

Shen Yanming asked Andrew to choose his character first and then picked the same character for himself – the Death Knight.

Originally, this character was the type that dealt pure damage by brawling mindlessly. After the update, a new skill was added that pushed enemies away. Since the update was recent, this pushing skill was primarily used for survival or team battles in coordination with teammates.

As soon as Shen Yanming entered the game, he met Andrew and immediately used a knockback skill on him.

The onlookers gasped.

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Someone shook their head and commented, “While I sympathize with Chaos’s situation, his awareness… He pushed the opponent away from the start. Now he’ll have to spend time getting close again, which isn’t beneficial for skill combos. Unless he intends to capitalize on the opponent’s inability to use skills after the knockback and execute a combo attack. But without coordination from his team, it’s hard to pull off.”

However, before this person could finish their statement, they witnessed Shen Yanming quickly follow up the knockback with a dash. He positioned himself in the direction Andrew was knocked back, arriving even faster than Andrew did. Before Andrew could react, Shen Yanming executed a series of combo moves.

The person who was just commenting quickly changed their tone, “Amazing! His hand speed is incredible. I shouldn’t have said it’s hard to do! In the face of absolute speed and reaction, nothing is impossible.”

Shen Yanming’s livestream was ongoing, and his recording angle was unique. Nonetheless, it didn’t hinder viewers from observing his actions.

Shen Yanming proudly addressed the livestream audience, “This is the hand speed cultivated from being single for over a decade.”

Beside him, He Changkong gave him a sidelong glance.

Single? Alright then.

Andrew was caught off guard at the beginning and, combined with his unstable mindset, he made a few small mistakes one after another. Shen Yanming hammered him with no room for defense. This solo match lacked suspense and ended with Shen Yanming’s victory.

However, perhaps Andrew hadn’t fully accepted the outcome or maybe he was attempting a last-ditch struggle, “This doesn’t count, It’s best of three.”

In truth, Shen Yanming didn’t want to waste too much time on Andrew. He only wanted to gain the respect and apology he deserved. Originally, he wanted to quickly finish a solo match, and then continue to devote his precious time to training.

But since Andrew wasn’t content, Shen Yanming was willing to entertain. Normally, Andrew might have put up a fight, but his mindset was currently in shambles. His flaws were apparent, and despite insisting on a best of three, he ended up losing the second match as well.

Seeing Andrew still wanting to say something, Shen Yanming beat him to the punch with a light tone, “I don’t have time to play with you anymore. Here’s some advice, cut your losses while you can.”

After these few matches, Andrew made an excuse and left. In the afternoon, when people inquired, they found out that he had quietly packed up and left the training camp.

They also heard that he had been punished quite severely this time. Initially, their club had wanted to protect him, but he embarrassed himself repeatedly during the livestream, which brought a lot of negative public opinion impact on the team.

They had already witnessed Shen Yanming’s prowess, so to prevent any further mishaps, the club forced Andrew to issue a public apology on social media.

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Although it was posted on an overseas platform, numerous domestic gaming bloggers reposted it. Together with the substantial number of viewers who stayed up late to watch the livestream, the incident quickly spread. The group of people who had earlier criticized Shen Yanming for his arrogance and poor attitude towards others now fell silent.

Shen Yanming briefly glanced at the outcome of the matter and didn’t dwell on it. He merely sighed, “He should have owned up to it earlier. I’m not the kind who doesn’t give others a way out.”

During dinner time, Zhang Xixi left the team temporarily and came to the TMM side, insisting on sitting next to Shen Yanming. Upon hearing Shen Yanming’s words, Zhang Xixi immediately chimed in, “No, no, no, Luan Ge, I think you look particularly handsome when you don’t spare your opponents.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a cold gaze sweep over from the opposite side. Zhang Xixi glanced at him, seeing that He Chongkong, who was sitting diagonally across and facing Shen Yanming, had a seemingly expressionless face. The feeling of icy hostility might just be his imagination. Zhang Xixi instinctively shrank back.

“Well, yeah, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” Meng Yan inserted, putting a piece of fruit into his mouth and mumbling unclearly, “But that opening move in the first round of your solo was quite impressive. Such a move could certainly be useful in an official competition.”

Zhang Xixi got enthusiastic and patted his chest like taking credit, ‘Me, me, me!’

Meng Yan asked, ‘You, you what?'”

Zhang Xixi said, “This move was developed by me and Luan ge when we were soloing a couple of days ago!”

Back then, they had tried out many characters and even unconventional strategies, mainly aiming to discover unique tactics for gaining an advantage. Of course, the knockback move of the Death Knight wasn’t exceptionally unique; other players and streamers had mentioned this approach before. However, not many people use knockback skills when facing one-on-one situations, mainly due to the high difficulty and low payoff.

During that night, Zhang Xixi tried several times but couldn’t successfully use the knockback to immediately bounce behind the opponent. There was always a slight time gap. Shen Yanming had only watched Zhang Xixi’s performance that night and hadn’t tried it himself.

Zhang Xixi never expected Shen Yanming to use this move today. He asked again, “Did you secretly practice this on your own?”

Shen Yanming looked innocent, “No, I didn’t.”

Zhang Xixi was shocked, “Then how did you manage to pull it off?”

Shen Yanming replied, “I could do it from the start. Why would I need to practice?”

Zhang Xixi angrily lowered his head and took a few bites of food. He thought to himself that comparing oneself to others is a surefire way to be miserable. It’s like studying all night for a whole semester and just passing, while a genius sleeps for a semester and aces the exam.

Shen Yanming scratched the back of his head, sensing that what he said had struck a nerve. He added, “I wasn’t being precise enough. Reaction speed and such are things I practiced before. That’s why practicing new characters is easier for me now.”

Zhang Xixi pondered and soon realized something was off, “No, you joined the professional team even later than me! You definitely practiced less than I did! Ahh, don’t try to comfort me.”

Shen Yanming responded, “…” It seemed like he struck a chord again.

Hand speed could indeed be improved through practice. However, everyone has different physical conditions. Some people have a natural talent for it, enabling them to easily outperform others who have practiced tirelessly. Shen Yanming was one such person.

Back when he had just been reborn, he struggled with slower reaction times. However, after joining the team and practicing intensely every day, he felt like he had unlocked his hidden potential. With the same amount of practice time, he achieved better results than others.

Shen Yanming felt a bit guilty and admitted, “Hey, but the idea was yours. If you hadn’t brainstormed with me, I might not have been able to showcase it today.”

This was a well-intentioned lie. How could Shen Yanming from the future not know about such a playstyle? In fact, many top-tier speed players used this tactic later on.

Zhang Xixi found a slight consolation in Shen Yanming’s words, and he immediately got enthusiastic, “Then after we finish eating, let’s go for a solo!”

Shen Yanming was about to agree when He Changkong intervened, “No.”

Zhang Xixi asked without realization, “Why not?”

He Changkong thought for a moment. He seemed to lack a strong reason to stop them, so he reluctantly said, “Well, I guess it’s fine.”

Shen Yanming slapped the table, coming up with an idea, “How about we do a round-robin? It’s not very interesting if it’s just the two of us honing our skills in isolation. Let’s mix with a few more players, and collide with different styles, sparking more ideas and excitement.”

He Changkong almost immediately accepted this proposal.

As long as it’s not just the two of them playing alone, it’s fine. They get along well, and who knows, if they start playing, they might end up playing until midnight.

The idea of the round-robin was Shen Yanming’s, and he was the defender. Initially, only XXL and TMM players joined in, but later members from other teams participated as well. After these few days, Shen Yanming had gained some reputation within various teams. Many people wanted to play against him, but due to unfamiliarity or other reasons, they hadn’t directly invited him. Some even hoped to get matched with him. Now with this opportunity, those who wanted to challenge Shen Yanming rushed in.

He Changkong watched the scene with a sense of frustration. Originally, he had agreed to this proposal to prevent Shen Yanming and Zhang Xixi from playing alone. But now, Zhang Xixi was absent, and a multitude of players had swarmed in.

Of course, there were times when Shen Yanming couldn’t hold onto the top spot either. However, as soon as that happened, someone else would leapfrog over their own solo matches and directly challenge Shen Yanming. It was endless, but surprisingly, Shen Yanming seemed to be enjoying every bit of it.

So, they played until after 1 a.m. Shen Yanming realized that it had long surpassed He Changkong’s bedtime according to his elderly sleep schedule, so he quickly shooed away the players who had come to challenge him.

He Changkong didn’t say much, but when he returned home, he casually remarked, “My Xiao Luan seems to be quite popular.”

Shen Yanming followed along with the joke, sticking to He Changkong and asking, “Shall I comfort you a bit?”

He Changkong responded, “Mhm.”

The two leaned against the wall and shared a kiss. After the kiss, Shen Yanming’s face turned rosy, seemingly wanting to say something.

He Changkong gently touched his face, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yanming hesitated and stammered, “Um… it’s just… well… gege, could you be a little more domineering?”

For a moment, He Changkong didn’t quite understand, “… Huh?”

Summoning his courage, Shen Yanming blurted out, “Oh well, I mean! When we’re kissing! Could you be a bit more fierce? I… I kinda like it that way…”

Thank you for reading! 

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