LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Su Mo looked at the row of flashy battle records on the screen, a playful smile curving his lips. He placed the insulated box on the table and said calmly, "He's quite good at tormenting people with his long arms against short arms."

"Right! Who can withstand this!" Flandre exclaimed, still shaken. "Top lane Kalista, that thing jumps around all the time, you get stabbed in the back just trying to last hit a minion. It's like she's playing with you, it's so frustrating."

The factory manager twirled a pen in his hand: "WBG is a team with a very high skill ceiling and a very high floor. If TheShy has a good time, they'll win. SofM is also unpredictable; his jungle planning is very strange. Mozi, if he really picks a ranged champion, how do you plan to counter him? How about you pick Lucian to go head-to-head with him?"

“Lucian?” Su Mo shook his head. “A real man should do something exciting. I’ll put on a show for everyone.”

"Since he likes playing AD top lane, likes kiting, and likes to enter bushes to block vision... then I'll let him know that besides vision, there might also be a man-eating beast hiding in the bushes."

Jiejie stared at the beast head for a long time, then suddenly her pupils contracted and she gasped, "Holy crap! Brother Mozi, you're not thinking of taking the dog, are you?!"

Su Mo chuckled: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

……

Two days later, the LPL Summer Split regular season begins.

EDG vs. WBG.

This is a highly anticipated match.

After all, Su Mo was on the field.

The stadium was packed, with EDG's black and white flags on one side and WBG's orange support flags on the other, the shouts were deafening.

In the commentary booth, Miller and Wawa, the Haier Brothers, reunited, with special guest Zitai sitting next to them.

"Wow, the atmosphere today feels like Chinese New Year!" Wawa rubbed his hands excitedly. "Teacher Zz1tai, as a former top laner and RNG's old teammate, what are your thoughts on today's top lane matchup?"

Zita adjusted his glasses and gave a smug smile: "To be honest, I'm a little nervous. These two are both unpredictable. TheShy has been obsessed with long-range top laners lately, and Mozi is the kind of guy whose hero pool is unfathomable. When these two get together, it's like Mars colliding with Earth; whoever backs down is a coward."

“That’s right!” Miller nodded. “And according to rumors, TheShy has been practicing top lane Kalista like crazy on the Korean server lately. I wonder if he’ll bring it out today.”

Before the words were even finished, the BP screen lit up.

In the first game, WBG was on the blue side, and EDG was on the red side.

WBG's first three bans were very generous: Riven, Yasuo, and Irelia.

Targeting Su Mo.

EDG, on the other hand, removed Gwent, Ahri, and Wukong.

During the player selection phase, WBG was instantly locked in on the first floor!

Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance!
"Wow!!! Here it comes!" Zz1tai jumped up from his chair. "I knew it! TheShy dared to do it! He went straight for the top lane with Kalista! This isn't just confidence, it's blatant provocation!"

The entire WBG fanbase erupted in cheers, their screams piercing eardrums.

Kalista top lane is TheShy's signature move, and it has defeated countless professional top laners.

On EDG's side, Jiejie looked at the avatar and swallowed hard: "Brother Mozi, he really got away with it. This thing has too much early-game pressure."

Su Mo remained calm, as if he had expected this: "It's alright, let him choose. If he doesn't choose this, I have no reason to take that one."

EDG's initial picks were fairly standard: Blade of the Ruined King for jungle, Lissandra for mid, and Aphelios with Nautilus for bot lane.

WBG drafted a jungler Lee Sin, a mid laner Taliyah, and a bot laner Zephyr paired with Lulu.

Finally, it's time for the highly anticipated EDG top laner pick.

What are some good strategies against a top lane Kalista?

Nar? He's been labeled a Muggle.

Jayce? It's a 50/50 match in terms of skill.

Stone golems? They're easy to beat, but too reckless; they don't fit Su Mo's style.

Just as everyone was speculating, Su Mo whispered that name in the voice chat.

Jiejie's hand trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth, found the profile picture, and locked onto it immediately!

"Let's hunt to our hearts' content tonight!"

Rengar, the Prideful Hunter!
"A poodle?!"

At that moment, everyone, from the commentators and the audience to the viewers in the live stream, was stunned.

Even Zz1tai's jaw dropped: "Top lane Rengar?! My god! What is Mozi doing? Is this a surprise he prepared for TheShy?"

Miller took a deep breath and analyzed, "Rengar top lane... it's very strong in the hands of a skilled solo queue player, utilizing the bush jump mechanic for extremely high burst damage. Kalista is agile, but she's squishy! And there are three bushes in the top lane! Mozi is using the terrain to turn the top lane into his hunting ground!"

"This is so interesting!" the doll exclaimed. "Long arms fighting short arms? No, this is hunter hunting prey! There's going to be bloodshed in the top lane this game!"

The camera pans to the players' seats.

TheShy's previously serious face broke into an excited smile the moment he saw Rengar lock onto the target.

He adjusted his posture, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

"Interesting...a poodle?"

The game loads, and you enter Summoner's Rift.

Su Mo's starting outfit was extremely aggressive—a Doran's Blade and a health potion.

TheShy's skateboard shoes are made from recycled materials!
Extreme greed, extreme confidence!
"Extract from the start!" Zz1tai exclaimed. "TheShy isn't treating Mozi like a human being! Does he think Rengar can't touch him in the early game and wants to farm straight to the end?"

Level 1 is now online.

Su Mo controlled the Rengar and, without the slightest hesitation, darted into the bush in the middle of the top lane.

TheShy's Kalista bounced onto the lane, but he was cautious and didn't face-check the bushes. Instead, he stood behind the minion wave, waiting for the minions to be low on health.

The two sides' soldiers clashed.

Su Mo didn't move; he was waiting.

TheShy tentatively took a step forward, intending to farm a minion.

The instant the skateboarder raised her hand was the moment her basic attack animation could no longer be canceled!
"Roar!"

A white figure leaped out of the bushes!

Rengar's passive ability, "Unseen Predator," allows him to leap and attack from the bushes!
That jump was as fast as lightning!

The moment Su Mo landed, he used his Q skill [Cruel and Ruthless] to reset his basic attack, AQA!

Instantly unleashing an electric shock!

The skateboard shoe's health dropped by one bar instantly!
TheShy reacted extremely quickly, countering with a basic attack and placing a ward in the bush.

But the next second he was stunned, because the poodle was equipped with a scanner that directly blocked his vision.

In this version, you can bring a scanner directly when you go out; you don't need to wait until level nine.

After finishing his combo, Su Mo immediately ducked back into the bushes, using his increased movement speed to draw the minions' aggro.

"The Rengar got the better deal!" Zita analyzed. "Rengar is staying in the bushes, which is making things difficult for Kalista. If you go into the bushes, you'll get jumped on, and if you don't go into the bushes, you can't attack anyone. The key is that Rengar's scan this time makes it impossible for Kalista to do anything."

For the next two minutes, Su Mo's control over the bushes reached an unparalleled level.

He used three bushes as springboards to repeatedly jump between the minion waves.

Jump out to finish off the enemy, jump back to avoid damage, and then jump onto the skateboarder's face to unleash a combo.

Despite TheShy's skillful play, he seemed somewhat powerless against the unreasonable mechanics of Rengar.

Most importantly, Rengar's W [Battle Roar] can heal and remove crowd control effects, greatly offsetting the damage output of Kalista.

Level three.

Su Mo was filled with rage.

TheShy's Kalista only had two-thirds of her health left, but he still wanted to greedily get a cannon minion.

The instant he deployed his A-class cannon, Su Mo moved!

Jump from the bushes!

Aerial E [Lasso Strike]!
The precise five-star E-net directly immobilizes the skateboard shoes in place!
QQ has landed!

Double Q burst!

Ignite it and hang it up!

TheShy couldn't even use Flash because he was rooted!
You can only watch helplessly as your health bar disappears in an instant!
"First Blood!"

"Solo kill! Another solo kill!" Miller roared, "That's Mozi's Rengar! TheShy's Kalista is like a fragile toy in front of Rengar! This burst damage is just too unreasonable!"

After getting the first kill, Su Mo went home and immediately pulled out two longswords, and even placed a control ward.

Back online, he became even more unscrupulous.

He not only controlled three bushes, but even took over the bush in front of TheShy's tower.

TheShy, if he dares to leave the tower, is like a Rengar descending from the sky. Six minutes, level six.

Su Mo went home and crafted the [Serrated Dagger] and [Boots of Clarity].

TheShy only has a pair of attack speed boots and a longsword; his Cull hasn't been activated yet.

"Jiejie, wanna do it?" Su Mo said in the voice chat.

"Here they come!" Jiejie's Ruined King had already caught a whiff of the scent and arrived on the road.

At this moment, TheShy was hiding under the tower, farming minions.

Suddenly, a wolf head symbol lit up above his head.

That's the poodle activating its ultimate move, "Hunting Rhythm"!
The next second, Su Mo's figure appeared from the disguise.

Instead of jumping directly to TheShy, he used the vision provided by his ultimate to spot Lee Sin counter-ganking at the Malphite!

"Got you."

Su Mo changed his target and jumped directly towards the blind monk who was completely unprepared!
SofM's Lee Sin unleashed a burst of damage upon landing, and before he could even react, his health was reduced to almost zero!
Jiejie's Blade of the Ruined King followed up, landing a direct R and securing the kill on the Lee Sin.

At this moment, TheShy, who was under the tower, was in dire straits.

There is a wolf in front and a tiger behind.

The two went straight in and tanked the tower to kill the enemy!

Despite TheShy's exceptional skills, he was powerless against overwhelming damage.

Kalista fell to the ground.

0-2.

This was just the beginning of a nightmare.

With his ultimate ability, Rengar is no longer limited to the top lane.

Taliyah in the mid lane, Lee Sin in the jungle, and even Zephyr in the bot lane.

As soon as that damn exclamation mark lights up above their heads, the next second they're greeted with a black and white screen.

fifteen minutes.

Su Mo's Lion Dog had a 6-0 record and was equipped with [Dark Walker's Claw] and [Collector].

TheShy's Kalista score was 0-4, and his Cull skill still didn't work. Instead, he was used as an ATM by Rengar.

The match has been going on for 20 minutes.

The WBG jungle was pitch black.

GALA's Aphelios carefully went to collect the red buff.

Suddenly, without any warning.

The screen instantly went black and white.

I couldn't even see the poodle clearly, only a leaping afterimage and the red "999" critical hit number.

"Huh?" GALA took her hands off the keyboard, looking completely bewildered. "Where am I?"

"How are we supposed to play like this?!" Wawa looked at the scene with despair for WBG. "This Rengar is instantly killed as soon as he lands, there's no time to react at all. TheShy's Kalista is completely a side effect, not only did he fail to suppress the enemy, but he also created a carry for them."

The game ended in 22 minutes.

Su Mo's Rengar achieved a godlike score of 12-0-3, completely dominating WBG.

TheShy looked at his 0-7 score, smiled helplessly, and shook his head.

This time, he was truly defeated.

The oppressive feeling in the bushes is more terrifying than any hero.

...

The first game ended with the Crystal Nexus exploding amidst a dazzling magical light effect.

The camera focused on TheShy in the bottom right corner of the screen.

To everyone's surprise, despite his disastrous 0-7 record, he showed no sign of frustration or anger. He took off his headphones, scratched his head, and gave a simple, helpless smile.

For TheShy, encountering such an opponent who left him helpless, this Rengar who could appear and disappear unpredictably in the bushes and pull with incredible skill, did not undermine his confidence. Instead, it allowed him to experience a long-lost sense of pure gaming fun—the thrill of a duel between strong players, even if he was the one being attacked.

After all, it's not shameful to lose to a monster like Su Mo.

Even on his way back to the rest room, TheShy stopped when he met Su Mo, who had just come off the stage. He gave him a thumbs up and said in broken Chinese with a smile, "Awesome, I'll definitely beat you next time."

Su Mo smiled and nodded in response.

The atmosphere inside the EDG lounge was as relaxed as if it were Chinese New Year.

"Brother Mozi, that jump of yours was absolutely amazing! SofM was stunned!" Jiejie was still savoring the memory of that ambush in the jungle.

Su Mo unscrewed the thermos, took a sip of water, and waved his hand casually: "Alright, warm-up over. Let's go for the next round, Holy Gun Bro."

Saint Gun Bro, who was about to sit down and watch the show, suddenly froze, pointing to his own nose: "Huh? Me? Mozi Bro, why don't you play another round? The other side is probably getting carried away right now, it would be so much fun if you went up and crushed them again!"

"It's pointless. Bullying people isn't my style." Su Mo leaned back on the sofa, took out his phone and sent an emoji to Luo Xin, who was watching the live stream. "Besides, I'm tired too. I need to leave the stage to the younger generation. Go ahead and let him see what the pressure resistance of a top-tier LPL blue-collar top laner is like."

Flandre looked bitter: "You're pushing me into a fire pit! TheShy must be furious right now, if I go up there, wouldn't I just be a punching bag?"

Despite complaining, Flandre still obediently put on his team uniform jacket.

……

After a short break, the second game began.

When the big screen showed EDG making a roster change, with Su Mo leaving the field and Flandre taking over, the audience let out a sigh of regret.

In this game, WBG took the initiative to move to the red side, while EDG was on the blue side.

Perhaps to vent his frustration from the previous game, TheShy immediately locked in Fiora, the champion known as the "top lane quality inspector".

Looking at the murderous Fiora on the other side, Flandre sighed and, at the coach's signal, silently locked in that seemingly tough champion—the Undead Warrior, Sion.

"Alright, the second game begins! Flandre's mission this game is very clear: stay alive!" Miller said with a smile.

As expected, just as Flandre predicted, the top lane in this game was simply a one-sided "bullying" scene.

TheShy's Fiora, without the threat of Rengar's bushes, completely unleashed her true potential this game.

Q skill, Sky Piercing Slash, precisely strikes at weaknesses; W skill, Insightful Blade, blocks Sion's knock-up; every movement is full of pressure.

In just ten minutes, Flandre was down 30 CS and could only cower under the tower, trembling with fear, while constantly on guard against the enemy jungler diving under the tower.

The top lane tower was destroyed early on, and TheShy even rushed to the second tower to cut off the minion wave, carrying out the "don't eat" playstyle to the end.

However, League of Legends is ultimately a five-player game.

Although top laner Flandre had a tough time, he performed his mission exceptionally well in this game—he successfully used his relatively inexpensive body to slow down TheShy's development and prevent Fiora from snowballing uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, EDG's bot laner Viper and mid laner Scout stepped up.

Jiejie abandoned the top lane in this game, focusing all her efforts on protecting the bottom lane.

Viper's Zephyr demonstrated a terrifying ability to take over the game after gaining an advantage.

At the 28-minute mark, a team fight broke out between the two sides at the Dragon Pit.

TheShy's Fiora attempted to flank and assassinate the enemy carry, but as soon as he showed himself, Flandre's Sion activated his ultimate, "Rampage," and charged in recklessly.

Although the impact didn't knock TheShy unconscious, his massive body successfully blocked Fiora's position, and he used his tanky build to withstand Fiora's full combo of damage.

It was this brief delay of a few seconds that gave Viper the perfect output environment.

Zeli unleashed her ultimate move, and in a flash, an overload of lightning exploded among the crowd.

Despite TheShy's masterful play in replacing Meiko as support, he was still helpless against the overwhelming damage output of EDG's two carries.

With Fiora's death, WBG's team fight collapsed instantly.

"ACE!"

The sound effect of a team wipe rang out, and EDG took advantage of the situation to push down WBG's crystal in one fell swoop.

2: 0!

Although the second game lacked the extreme visual impact and overwhelming thrill of the first game when Su Mo was on the field, this steady and methodical victory once again proved EDG's overall strength as the defending champion.

Saint Gun took off his headphones, let out a long sigh, and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Damn, TheShy is really strong. If we play for another ten minutes, my tower will be completely destroyed."

Despite being dominated for the entire game, Flandre smiled more than anyone else when he saw the victory results screen.

After all, winning is the only true measure of success. (End of Chapter)