LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

"My brothers have been waiting for my live stream. So many people have come at once. Thank you for your support."

Su Mo adjusted the microphone, and when he finished speaking, his face, with a slightly lazy smile, appeared on the camera screen.

Almost instantly, the already somewhat laggy live stream froze for a second.

Immediately afterwards, the barrage of comments flooded in like a burst dam, completely obscuring the screen.

If you don't turn on the simplified mode, you can't even see Su Mo's face.

Open the door!! Open the door!!

[Missing person returns!!]

[Honey!! You've finally started broadcasting!!]

【FMVP! ! Noodles! ! 】

[Brother Mozi, I've missed you so much!]

I'm not sleeping tonight, I'm staying up all night to watch you brag!

Send gifts now!

Seeing the screen full of special effects and enthusiastic comments, Su Mo smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, stop spamming. Where are the moderators? Ban those male fans who are spamming 'husband,' it's too cheesy!"

The live chat was instantly flooded with "hahahahaha".

"Thanks to 'Aidezhu' for the 10 treasure maps... Boss is so generous, Boss is still awake?" Su Mo looked at the familiar ID at the top of the gift list and joked, "Looks like you haven't had enough wine yet."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Su Mo took a sip of his soda, leaned back in his gaming chair, and got down to business.

"I was watching the live chat just now and I saw a lot of guys asking the same question - which champion skin to choose."

Su Mo clicked the mouse lightly and opened the League of Legends client. His FMVP official photo on the interface looked particularly domineering.

"To be honest, I've been really torn these past few days." Su Mo sighed, looking like he was in Versailles. "The main problem is that I've had too many carry heroes along the way. You see, it's like choosing concubines for the imperial harem. They all have amazing skills, and I can't bear to abandon any of them."

It's so pretentious! But I like it!

Pick Riven! Pick Riven! For our beliefs!

[It has to be the werewolf! That quadra kill was so cool!]

[Gwen! Gwen! I'm Miss Gwen's dog!]

You absolutely have to pick Fiora! Her Transparent World is too ruthless!

Su Mo shook his head as he looked at the comments: "Riven... there are indeed a lot of requests for her. But I have to think about the guys. Riven is a champion that requires a lot of skill. If I pick a Riven skin, you guys will buy it, play a slow QA combo in ranked, deal 20 damage, and then get solo killed by Darius. You'll then complain that the skin doesn't feel good."

"To protect everyone's ranked points, let's put Riven aside for now."

【? ? ? ? ? 】

Who do you think you are?!

【That really hurts, Mozi!】

Even though what you said is true, I still want to buy it!

[The main reason is probably because Riven already has a championship skin.]

"Not to mention werewolves." Su Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud. "This hero is too unpopular. If you pick him, you'll probably only be able to sell a few copies."

As Su Mo spoke, he opened the list of top lane heroes, and the mouse finally hovered over two portraits.

"Actually, I'm mainly struggling with two things right now."

"One is Jax, and the other is Jayce."

Su Mo pointed to the screen: "Brothers, give me some advice."

"Let's talk about Jax first. This champion is really strong, and I quite like him. Moreover, Jax is a simple and straightforward champion; you can just activate his E and go in to poke."

A wave of Jax players immediately started spamming the chat:
[Weapon Master! Everything can be smashed!]

Pick Jax! I'm going to take on five opponents!

Seriously, Jax is a champion that holds its value, and picking Prestige Edition makes him look absolutely stunning!

Su Mo nodded, then changed the subject: "But then again, I think Jess is pretty good too."

"Think about it, Jayce is such a cool champion! He's a handsome, rich, and successful man! The Guardian of Piltover!"

Su Mo gestured: "And Jayce is one of my signature champions, right? Although I didn't use him in the finals, my shots in the group stage and quarterfinals were pretty accurate, weren't they? Most importantly, Jayce, with just a little bit of special effects, is incredibly high-tech. The particle effects when you fire a shot, wow..."

"Moreover, even if you have a 0-5 score with Jayce, as long as you stand under the tower and fire a powered-up cannon, that cool pose will still make you maintain the demeanor of a strong player. Unlike Jax, who becomes a lamppost when you're behind."

The comments section instantly erupted into a chaotic uproar:
[Jayce! It has to be Jayce! Good looks are justice!]

【No way! We want to see the aesthetics of violence! Choose a weapon!】

[Mozi, did you choose Jayce because he's handsome?]

Am I the only one who thinks Aatrox is pretty good too?

Seeing the heated debate in the live chat, Su Mo grinned mischievously and said, "How about this? Talk is cheap. Let's have a 'skin selection contest' tonight."

"I'll play two ranked games. One with Jayce, and one with Jax."

"I play in the Challenger tier of the Korean server. Whichever game I enjoy killing more in, whichever game I look cooler in, that's the one we'll choose, how about that? That's what you call learning from real battles."

【66666! 】

Excellent work! Deserves a reward!

Zeus is on his way, sword in hand.

[Korean server 1000 MMR? Mozi, are you going to stomp the low-skill pool?!]

"Come on, log in." Su Mo logged into his Korean server account with practiced ease.

The moment the account with the ID "EDG Mo" came online, the friend list exploded.

Bin, 369, Breathe, and even Nuguri, who had just returned to Korea, all sent messages.

369: "Brother Mo! Pick Jax! Pick Jax! I don't understand Jayce, but I can carry with Jax! Please!"

Bin: "You absolutely have to pick Fiora... If all else fails, Jayce is fine too. Jax is too lame."

Doinb: "Hey Mozi! Pick Ryze! I'll definitely buy it!"

Su Mo looked at his friends' messages and found it somewhat amusing; he hadn't expected these guys to be watching his live stream too.

He chuckled: "Looks like even professional players don't agree. 69 wants me to give him a signature skin."

He didn't reply to the message, but directly clicked on the ranking queue.

"Alright, for the first game, let's try Jayce."

"This time, I'm going to show the other side what it means to 'kill four PDDs with one shot'."

"If Jayce can get a pentakill this game, we won't need to hesitate anymore, we'll just ban Jayce!"

A "clang" sounded indicating a successful match.

Su Mo entered the ban/pick screen and instantly locked in Jayce.

Su Mo adjusted his posture, his eyes becoming sharp.

……

Fifty minutes later, Su Mo finished two matches.

I played both Jayce and Jax, and my score in the first game was 14-1-3.
The weapon score in the second round was 12-0-5.
Both are very C.

This put Chen Lie in a dilemma, and also sparked debate among the audience.

So Su Mo said he would make a decision in a few days, let everyone discuss it, and then hold a vote to let the audience choose.

This immediately calmed everyone down a lot.

……

In the days following the livestream's end, Su Mo enjoyed himself immensely, but the entire esports community was in an uproar. Mid to late November is always the most nerve-wracking period of the League of Legends transfer season.

Teams are scrambling to come up with rosters for the new season, while fans are jumping around in a field of gossip, some true and some false.

This year, in particular, EDG's near-invincible defense of their title has put immense pressure on all other LPL and LCK teams.

"If we don't build a super team, we won't be able to beat the current EDG at all; we won't have even the slightest chance."

This has become a consensus among the managers of major clubs.

Thus, the S12 winter transfer window became the most frenzied transfer period in history.

JDG was the first to make a move. After losing to T1 in the semifinals, they learned their lesson and their owner immediately invested heavily.

First, they officially announced the departure of Ruler from Gen.G, the ADC who was once brought to tears by Su Mo, vowing to come to the LPL for revenge; then, they poached "Golden Left Hand" Knight from TES.

369, Kanavi, Knight, Ruler, Missing.

The new generation of "Galactic Battleship" JDG has officially set sail, aiming for S13 and targeting EDG.

As for why it was EDG and not the champion... those who know, know.

Team WBG was not to be outdone. They took the route of transforming an "old man's kayak" into an "old man's battleship".

RNG's star player Xiaohu has announced his departure from the team, transferring to WBG as their mid laner... oh wait, this time it's the top laner who's joining. Adding to that, jungler Karsa, support Crisp, and the unpredictable top laner TheShy.

This lineup features an all-villain cast, with an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor, guaranteeing massive viewership.

After losing Xiaohu, RNG brought in Angel in an attempt to maintain the glory of an all-Chinese roster, but from the outside perspective, their competitiveness has clearly declined.

As for LCK, although T1 lost the finals, all members renewed their contracts, and Faker said he would fight for another year to take back everything he had lost.

Team HLE formed an "Avengers" team, with Kingen and Zeka, the champion top and mid laners from the original timeline, joining in an attempt to challenge for supremacy.

Amidst this tumultuous transfer frenzy, EDG remained remarkably quiet, like an outsider.

Until 7 p.m. on the last day of the transfer window.

EDG's official Weibo account has finally spoken. There were no fancy photoshopped images, just a neat group photo of the five players, and Su Mo standing in the center with a confident smile.

[EDG Esports Club Roster Change Announcement]

"Following friendly communication and consultation with the contestants, we are very pleased to announce that:"
Top laner EDG.Mo (Su Mo) has successfully renewed his contract!

Top laner EDG.Flandre (Li Xuanjun) has successfully renewed his contract!
Jungler: EDG.Jiejie (Zhao Lijie) has successfully renewed his contract!
Mid laner EDG.Scout (Lee Ye-chan) has successfully renewed his contract!
ADC: EDG.Viper (Park Do-hyun) has successfully renewed his contract!
Support player EDG.Meiko (Tianye) has successfully renewed his contract!

The champions are all staying! In S13, we'll continue together, forging a dynasty!

This Weibo post instantly went viral across the internet.

Viper, who was rumored to be returning to the LCK, stayed, as did Scout, whose value was said to have skyrocketed and who was supposed to be poached.

Of course, the most crucial one is Su Mo.

It is said that both JDG and T1 offered Su Mo blank checks, allowing him to fill them in as he pleased, but he still chose to stay with EDG.

As in previous years.

The comment section instantly erupted:
[Tears welling up! Is this the bond of champions?]

[Aidezhu really went all out this time; it's said that the combined salaries of these five people exceeded 100 million!]

[Viper's survival is crucial! Tsutemi is still around!]

With this lineup, Season 13 is practically over, right?

As long as Mozi is on the team, this EDG team is invincible!

The dynasty is secure! Its dominance is just around the corner!

……

Amidst the turmoil outside, Su Mo, at the center of the storm, is enjoying a rare vacation.

A villa district in Shanghai.

At this moment, the heating in the living room was on full blast.

Su Mo, dressed in loose loungewear, was sprawled on a soft leather sofa, holding a tablet computer and scrolling through online comments about the contract renewals of all EDG members, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"This generation of netizens has good taste; they all say I'm a big shot," Su Mo muttered to himself.

Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted over.

Rita, wearing a purple silk slip dress and carrying a plate of washed strawberries, strode over with her stunningly long legs.

Without any hesitation, she plopped down next to Su Mo, leaned on his shoulder, and held a strawberry to his lips.

"Open your mouth~" Rita said lazily, "Great hero, what are you looking at and laughing so happily?"

Su Mo took a bite of the strawberry and gently bit Rita's finger, which made Rita playfully scold him.

"I'm seeing netizens praising me," Su Mo mumbled. "By the way, I'm pretty free, and I haven't had any matches lately. I was thinking... shouldn't we go out and get some exercise?"

"Activity?"

Xiaoyu, who was laying out a yoga mat at the other end of the living room, heard this and turned around.

She wore a tight-fitting yoga outfit that accentuated her perfect curves, and her high ponytail gave her a youthful and energetic look.

"Great! Where to? I'm practically going moldy from being cooped up at the base!" Xiaoyu said excitedly. "How about we go skiing? Changbai Mountain?"

"Going skiing in this cold weather?" Luo Xin came down the stairs, wearing an adorable bear onesie and clutching a plush toy. "I want to go somewhere warm! I want to go to Sanya! I want to swim! I want to wear a bikini!"

“I also vote for Sanya.” Yu Shuang came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of hot milk. She was the most homely and gentle among them, wearing a set of beige cotton home clothes, her long hair casually tied back, exuding an intellectual beauty. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the sea, and relaxing there will be good for your wrists and back.”

Looking at the four close female friends in front of him, Su Mo felt extremely satisfied.

“Okay, then let’s listen to Auntie… oh no, let’s listen to Sister Shuang,” Su Mo said. “Let’s go to Sanya, book a villa with a private pool, and have a nice vacation.”

"Yay! Long live my husband!" Luo Xin pounced on him and clung to Su Mo.

Rita looked at Su Mo with a half-smile: "Going to Sanya is certainly good... but Brother Mo, when you said 'getting some exercise,' did you just mean going swimming?"

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, his eyes becoming somewhat meaningful: "Of course not. As professional players, physical fitness is very important. I see that you guys usually sit at the commentary booth or in the interview area, lacking exercise. Before going to Sanya this time, we need to build up our physical fitness at home."

"Physical fitness reserves?" Xiaoyu blinked. "You mean practicing yoga like I do?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Su Mo stood up, stretched his neck, and heard a cracking sound.

He pulled Xiaoyu up from her yoga mat while she was doing leg stretches, and then casually put his arm around Rita next to her.

"Since it's special training, it has to be intense."

Su Mo looked at the four of them with a mischievous grin: "For example, we can have a 'multi-person sport' competition. I've already thought of the events: first squats, then push-ups, and finally a flexibility test."

Yu Shuang blushed, clearly sensing the impropriety in Su Mo's words, and spat out, "You scoundrel... in broad daylight."

“What’s wrong with it being daytime? Life is about movement.” Su Mo said confidently, pulling Yu Shuang into his arms as well. “Besides, the four of you usually coordinate so well when you commentate, so I’ll just have to test your teamwork in ‘real combat’.”

Luo Xin peeked out from Su Mo's back and said with a grin, "Is there a punishment for losing?"

“Of course.” Su Mo’s eyes swept over the four people’s stylish pajamas. “The loser will be responsible for… extra practice tonight.”

“What if we win?” Rita asked Su Mo provocatively.

"You won?" Su Mo laughed heartily, picked Rita up in his arms, and carried her to the huge master bedroom on the second floor. "Since you won, I'll reward you with myself, and you can do whatever you want with me!"

"Ah! Put me down!" Rita exclaimed, but her hands clung tightly to Su Mo's neck.

"Sisters! Let's go! We can't let him look down on us!" Xiaoyu got excited and pulled Yu Shuang and Luo Xin to follow.

"We're going to squeeze this guy dry today!"

"Make him so weak in the knees he'll be walking tomorrow!"

The villa was filled with laughter and a delightful atmosphere.

Outside, a biting wind howled, but inside, it felt like springtime. (End of Chapter)