LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Mingkai pointed to the skateboarder on the screen who had already started eating the turret plating, his eyes full of awe: "Top lane Kalista, top lane Vayne, top lane Cassiopeia, and even top lane Iceborn Gauntlet Viktor. He's mastering these champions to the highest level."

Linna felt a chill run down her spine. The official intention was to restore stability to the top lane meta, but instead, it created an even more terrifying, tank-killing tormentor!

The film crew captured these precious moments from every angle. Su Mo's focused profile, the cold kill notifications on the screen, and his hands flying across the keyboard like he was playing the piano—these constitute the core essence of this documentary.

The filming continued until evening. Before leaving, Lin Na gave Su Mo a deep look. She suddenly realized how ridiculous and naive it was to try to limit this man through different versions of his life.

As we move into late September, the battle for the World Championship is about to begin in Europe.

Late at night in Shanghai, the entire EDG team gathered in the conference room, where the group stage draw ceremony for the World Championship was being broadcast live on a huge projection screen.

As the official representative of the LPL region, Yu Shuang stood on the European draw stage, dressed in a bright red cheongsam, exuding elegance and grace. She took out the spheres from a transparent glass container, each one determining the fate of the teams.

"The draw results for Group A are now clear." The commentator's voice echoed throughout the world via the sound system.

Ah Chen nervously bit his fingernails, while Xiao Yue stared intently at the screen.

"The results are in." Mingkai's expression instantly turned serious.

On the big screen, the names of three teams were clearly displayed for the four spots in Group A:

EDG (LPL No. 1 seed)
T1 (LCK second seed)

C9 (LCS North American Region)

“The group of death.” Abu took a deep breath, his brow furrowed. “We’ll be facing T1 in the first round of the group stage. They recovered their form quite quickly this summer, especially their top laner Zeus, who is thriving in this meta that buffs tanks and is known as the best defensive wall in the LCK.”

As expected, the esports forums in various regions exploded with excitement as soon as the draw results were announced.

In particular, South Korean esports forums were in a frenzy of celebration.

[Thanks, Riot! This patch was tailor-made for our Republic of Korea! Tank League is back!]

[Mo's clause has taken effect! EDG's biggest asset has been neutralized; let's see how they face our Zeus!]

Without Riven and Fiora, that arrogant Chinese player can only obediently pick Ornn to tank under the tower. T1 can definitely get a double kill against EDG and advance as the top seed in their group!

Domestic social media platforms like Weibo and Tieba are also filled with concerns. Many fans feel that the official version change at this critical juncture is undoubtedly a devastating blow to EDG.

However, in EDG's conference room.

Su Mo, at the center of the media storm, leaned back in his soft gaming chair, flipping through a set of period costume photos that Lin Xuan had just sent him. The girl in the photos was dressed in flowing white robes, ethereal and otherworldly.

He casually replied "Very beautiful" before turning his attention to the grouping results on the big screen.

"T1?"

Su Mo unscrewed the black thermos and casually took a sip of the warm water infused with goji berries.

“Perfect.” He put down his cup, his eyes revealing an extreme restraint of coldness and arrogance. “Let’s test my new toy with them.”

Ah Chen swallowed hard, then curiously leaned closer and asked, "Brother Mo, what's the new toy? Are you planning to use Kalista to stab Zeus?"

Su Mo shook his head, stood up, and picked up the black coat draped over the back of the chair.

"To deal with the thick turtle shell, using needles alone is too slow."

He walked to the meeting room door and glanced back at his teammates and coach, who were somewhat stunned.

"In the mage version, you naturally have to use magic to defeat magic."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out, leaving the people in the conference room looking at each other in bewilderment.

Mingkai seemed to have thought of something and suddenly turned to look at Abu: "What hero has this kid been practicing on the Korean server lately? What's his win rate again?"

Abu gasped, his voice trembling slightly: "Thirty-seven games, undefeated. And every single one was a godlike performance."

There are only five days left until the start of the World Championship.

That afternoon, a minivan quietly pulled up in front of the EDG training base. Yu Shuang carried in several elegantly packaged food boxes. With the upcoming tournament, the players were in a completely closed training environment, so she could only visit them during her breaks.

Upon entering the lounge, Su Mo was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, receiving hand therapy. The red light from the device shone on his long, strong fingers.

Hearing the sound of high heels, Su Mo opened his eyes, his cold and stern face instantly softening.

"I've made you a soup with cordyceps flowers and black-boned chicken, along with some of your favorite light side dishes." Yu Shuang opened the food box layer by layer, and the aroma filled the air.

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, looking at the faint dark circles under his eyes with concern: "Are you under a lot of pressure? I've seen you training until four in the morning every day lately."

Su Mo took the spoon from her with his good right hand and slowly took a sip.

“No pressure.” He looked at Yu Shuang with gentle eyes. “I just want to make sure our trip in Europe can be shortened. If we can get there quickly, I can spend more time with you taking walks along the Seine in Paris.”

These words were as plain as a trivial everyday conversation, but to Yu Shuang, they were more touching than any sweet words.

She blushed and scolded, "You're just talking big. The international internet is praising T1 to the skies right now. Everyone's saying you're going to fall from grace at the World Championship."

"Altar?"

Su Mo put down the soup spoon and picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Those are the steps for mortals to look up to."

He reached out and gently embraced Yu Shuang's waist, pulling her into his arms. His chin rested on the crook of her neck, his voice deep and commanding:
"Where I am is the top of the sky."

In the last three days before their departure, an eerie atmosphere descended upon the EDG base.

There was none of the suffocating tension that usually precedes major competitions. Instead, the training room was occasionally filled with the unrestrained laughter of Ah Chen and Xiao Yue. This wasn't because they were blindly confident, but because the man sitting in the corner, always holding a black thermos, gave them an almost religious sense of absolute security.

It was midday, and the sun was blazing. The lingering heat of late summer in Shanghai still radiated a sweltering warmth.

"drop--"

The base's electronic door lock was swiped open, and a series of cheerful, playful sounds broke the afternoon's tranquility.

"Brother Mozi! We've come to visit you!"

Luo Xin, Xiao Yu, and Rita, carrying several large bags of chilled Starbucks coffee, various high-end fruit platters, and a large box of exquisite macarons, rushed into the lounge. Lin Xuan, who was filming out of town, unfortunately couldn't come, but she had someone send a box of expensive liver-protecting supplements. Ah Chen, who was eating takeout, stared wide-eyed at the sight and fawned over to take the bags, exclaiming, "Sisters, you're too kind! This is a godsend!"

Rita naturally walked to Su Mo's side and placed a specially made iced Americano next to him. Today, she was wearing a fitted halter-neck dress, showing off her great figure, and her peach blossom eyes were full of unyielding affection.

"Don't drink the kind that's all ice." Su Mo didn't take the coffee, but calmly picked up his thermos and took a sip of goji berry water. "My stomach can't handle such a strong temperature difference."

Although Rita was rejected, she showed no anger on her face. Instead, she obediently pushed the coffee to Xiao Yue next to her, then naturally pulled up a chair and sat down next to Su Mo, resting her chin on her hands and looking at his profile as he watched the game video.

"Brother Mozi, I heard you're playing T1 in your first group stage match?" Luo Xin asked curiously as she munched on watermelon. "I saw some arrogant comments from Korean netizens online, saying their top laner Zeus has figured out your playstyle and is planning to use Maokai and Sion to wear you down under the tower!"

Su Mo's gaze calmly fell on the LCK Summer Finals recording playing on the screen.

In the video, Zeus's Maokai tanked tons of damage, allowing the jungler to secure a solid team fight victory.

"Have you figured it out?" Su Mo's lips curled up slightly, a cold smile.

He slowly pressed the pause button, freezing the image at the moment Zeus used Flash to escape.

“He even has a slight deviation in judging the attack range of the turret.” Su Mo’s voice was gentle, but it was full of infuriating contempt. “His ability to withstand pressure is based on the weak assumption that the opponent dares not dive the turret.”

"Wow..." Xiaoyu cupped her face in admiration beside her, "Brother Mozi, that was so domineering! So, which hero are you planning to use to teach him a lesson?"

Su Mo didn't answer, but simply picked out a less sweet macaron from the box Rita had brought.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened again. Yu Shuang, dressed in a sharp business suit and high heels, walked in. She had just finished an important official meeting.

"What are you chatting about so happily?" Yu Shuang smiled gently, naturally walking to Su Mo's other side and handing him an exquisite envelope.

“It’s an invitation to the send-off banquet jointly hosted by Tencent Sports and the sponsors,” Yu Shuang said softly. “It’s a very grand event. In addition to all the players from the participating teams, many well-known celebrities from the entertainment industry and sponsor bigwigs will be attending. Abu repeatedly told you that you must make an appearance this time, even if it’s just for a short ten minutes.”

Su Mo looked at the gold-embossed envelope and frowned slightly.

He has always disliked these social interactions in the world of fame and fortune.

"I'm not going," Su Mo resolutely refused.

"No way, Mozi!" Abu walked in from outside with a bitter face. "This time, the presidents of Mercedes-Benz and Nike Greater China personally requested to see you! You are now a very important living advertisement for our LPL. This is not only related to the club's huge sponsorship fees, but also to the core business layout of the entire region next year!"

Abu humbly clasped his hands together and said, "My dear ancestor, I'm begging you! Just go shake hands and have a glass of juice, and I promise I'll arrange a car to bring you back in ten minutes!"

Looking at Abu's pitiful eyes, and then at Yu Shuang's expectant gaze (Yu Shuang is also one of the important official hosts of tonight's banquet).

Su Mo sighed helplessly and slowly picked up the thermos.

"Ten minutes," Su Mo said calmly.

"Long live!" Abu was so excited he almost jumped up.

That evening, in the luxurious ballroom on the top floor of the Bulgari Hotel in Shanghai.

Amidst the elegant attire and glittering lights, the players from the four LPL teams were unusually dressed in sharp formal suits. Moving among them were countless glamorous entertainment stars and powerful business tycoons.

When Su Mo pushed open the heavy doors of the banquet hall, almost everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him.

He wasn't wearing a formal suit, but rather a well-tailored black turtleneck sweater, over which he wore a fitted dark gray casual trench coat. His cold, handsome face, tall and slender figure, coupled with his restrained yet terrifying aura of authority, instantly overshadowed all the elegant male celebrities in the room.

"That...that's God Mo? My god, he's even more imposing in person than in the high-definition footage!" A popular young actress covered her mouth in a gushing frenzy.

Not only female celebrities, but also several top sponsor presidents greeted Su Mo warmly upon seeing him.

"God Mo! I've heard so much about you! I am..."

Su Mo shook hands with each of them politely but coldly. He suppressed his impatience and his eyes searched the hall for Yu Shuang's figure.

At this moment, Yu Shuang was dressed in an elegant black evening gown, conversing gracefully with several high-ranking officials. Seeing Su Mo's pleading eyes, she smiled apologetically at the officials and naturally walked towards Su Mo.

"Are you not used to it?" Yu Shuang gently took Su Mo's arm and considerately handed him a glass of warm water. "Just bear with it for five more minutes. Abu's car is already waiting downstairs."

Just as the two were quietly talking in the corner, a discordant voice suddenly broke in.

"Hey, isn't this our LPL's invincible seven-time champion, Mo?"

A young, wealthy heir, dressed in a flashy pink suit and sporting voluminous hair gel, swaggered over. He was the son of one of the secondary sponsors of the dinner party, and he enjoyed networking in the esports scene and flirting with pretty female commentators.

His unbridled gaze greedily swept over Yu Shuang's graceful curves, then he looked at Su Mo provocatively.

"Mo, I'm a seasoned League of Legends player, I love playing Fiora." The rich kid arrogantly held up his wine glass. "I heard you're good with Fiora? How about you play a few private coaching matches with me sometime when you're free? I'll offer you a million."

These insulting words instantly darkened the expressions of the nearby professional players and coaches. To treat a supreme seven-time champion like a mere playmate and humiliate him? That's suicidal!

Yu Shuang's face also turned cold, and she was about to speak sternly in rebuttal.

But Su Mo naturally reached out and gently shielded her behind him.

Su Mo did not fly into a rage.

He slowly turned his head, his eyes, hidden under the soft light, calmly looking at the reckless rich kid.

His gaze was deep and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were calmly observing an insignificant paramecium.

"One million?"

Su Mo's voice was gentle and warm, without a trace of anger, but that extreme indifference was terrifyingly cold, instantly freezing the air within a few meters around him.

"All your wealth."

Su Mo slowly put down the water glass in his hand and calmly uttered a sentence that shocked the entire audience.

"They're not even worth a second of my time."

The entire room fell silent.

The previously bustling corner of the banquet hall seemed to have been put on pause. Several high-ranking officials and sponsors passing by stopped in their tracks, their gazes filled with shock. (End of Chapter)