LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

The deep purple venom spread out in a fan shape, trapping Quesanti and the tree, who had just rushed over, within the binding area!

Oner and Zeus were both stunned. They had expected Cassiopeia to Flash backward, and they had even thrown the sapling in Cassiopeia's path to the turret. But Su Mo's reverse Flash not only caused the sapling to miss, but also trapped them both in the poison mist.

"Such a calm handling of the situation..." Faker saw this scene on his screen and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Within the poisonous fog, the two, unable to use their movement abilities, became sitting ducks. Although Su Mo lacked the poison bonus from his Q skill, he relied on the base damage of Cassiopeia's E skill, Twin Fangs, combined with auto-attacks, to relentlessly unleash firepower on the two.

Because the tree had built tank items, its health didn't drop quickly. However, Quesanti, who had activated "Full Power Mode," sacrificed some of his armor and magic resistance and maximum health in pursuit of damage. Under the continuous breath attacks from Cassiopeia, his health began to drop rapidly.

"How can the damage be so high!" Zeus gritted his teeth. As soon as the poison mist wore off, he immediately used his Q skill to try to slow down Cassiopeia, but Su Mo's movement was like dancing on a knife's edge. With an extremely delicate little twist, he once again made Quesanti's Q skill graze past him.

Seeing this, Oner knew that the gank had failed and that continuing to chase might result in a counter-kill.

"Retreat, we can't kill her." Oner decisively commanded, and the two of them, enduring the damage from the Cassiopeia, retreated in a sorry state towards the T1 jungle.

"Brother Mozi's reverse flash followed by a ground lock was a textbook example of anti-gank technique!" Guan Zeyuan clapped excitedly. "Not only did he survive, but he also completely disrupted the rhythm of T1's top and jungle!"

8 minutes 30 seconds.

After thwarting the gank, Su Mo pushed the minion wave into the enemy's turret and safely returned to base.

Back at the fountain, his inventory now contained a Lost Chapter and a pair of Straw Sandals (Cassiopeia's passive prevents her from buying boots; this is set up so that other items, such as the Explosive Wand, can be purchased). His ability power and mana sustain have been greatly improved.

9 minutes 00 seconds.

The situation on the middle and lower flanks remains tense.

After securing First Blood, Faker's Azir played extremely aggressively in lane. Xiaoyue's Orianna could only cower under the tower, struggling to hold on.

In the bottom lane, the combination of Gumayusi and Keria displayed terrifying dominance. Leave and Vamp were completely suppressed, and the turret had already lost a layer of its armor.

"Everyone, hold on. We'll drag this out to the mid-to-late game team fights." Mingkai gripped the tactical board tightly backstage, a layer of sweat beading on his forehead. T1's early-game pressure was too strong. If Su Mo hadn't been drawing away so much of the jungler's attention in the top lane, EDG's other lanes might have fared even worse.

9 minutes 40 seconds.

The second small dragon—the Earth Dragon—let out a low roar in the lower riverbed.

"The dragon has spawned. Ah Chen, can we take it?" Su Mo glanced at the minimap while pushing the lane.

Ah Chen's Vi had just finished clearing the bottom half of the map and was crouching near his team's blue buff. He glanced at the dark river and said helplessly, "We can't gank Mo Ge. They have lane priority in the bottom lane, and Maokai and Azir have already moved there. We can't establish vision."

"Release him. Go get the vanguard." Su Mo said calmly, without the slightest hesitation. "Xiao Yue, you cover Chen as he takes the vanguard. If the Tsar goes over, you don't need to fight him head-on, just hold him off."

This is a resource exchange with a very broad perspective.

10 minutes 10 seconds.

T1 defeated the Earth Dragon without firing a shot.

Meanwhile, EDG secured the first Rift Herald in the top half of the map with Vi's Smite.

"EDG's response was very clever. They took advantage of Mozi's lane control in the top lane and forced a trade for the Rift Herald," Miller analyzed. "For EDG, who were at a disadvantage in the early game, this was a very good decision to stop the bleeding."

10 minutes 40 seconds.

After acquiring the Herald, Chen didn't go to the mid or bot lanes, but instead went directly to the top lane.

"Brother Mo, should I put the Vanguard in the top lane to help you get the first tower?" Ah Chen asked.

Su Mo glanced at Quesanti, who was huddled under the tower with only half his health left, and shook his head slightly.

“No need. Leave the Vanguard to the mid lane to relieve pressure on Orianna.” Su Mo’s voice was gentle. “As for the top lane tower, I can take it down by myself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Mo controlled the snake woman to press forward.

Zeus felt a chill run down his spine as the Banshee approached. His current equipment consisted only of Mercury's Treads and a small magic resistance cloak. Against the snake woman, who possessed the Lost Chapter and the Bursting Wand, his tankiness was as fragile as paper.

Su Mo pushed the minion wave into the tower, but did not immediately attack the tower. Instead, he positioned himself at the very edge of the tower's attack range.

If Quesanti dares to step forward and finish him off, a pool of green venom will land precisely at his feet.

"呲-"

The poison hits. The user's E skill unleashes three rapid, machine-gun-like spits.

Zeus's health instantly dropped to zero!
"His damage is terrifying! I can't stay under the tower!" Zeus shouted desperately in the voice chat, forced to abandon the large wave of minions pushing into the tower and retreat back to the second tower in a sorry state.

"This is too torturous..." The director gave Zeus a close-up. The young top lane prodigy had his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with deep helplessness.

11 minutes 20 seconds.

Without any interference, Su Mo casually destroyed T1's top lane tower with one basic attack after another.

The bounty for First Blood Tower went into the snake woman's pocket.

"He soloed the first tower! Mozi showed absolute dominance in the top lane!" Wawa exclaimed in amazement. "Without any jungle help, he single-handedly made the tankiest hero in the current patch abandon the tower!"

11 minutes 45 seconds.

After taking down the first tower, Su Mo did not rush forward recklessly. He knew that T1's support speed was extremely fast, so he immediately retreated to his own jungle and pressed recall.

Meanwhile, in the mid lane, Chen's Vi decisively released the Rift Herald.

The massive vanguard rammed into T1's mid-lane tower. Although it failed to destroy the tower, it still managed to knock off two layers of tower plating, greatly relieving the laning pressure on Xiaoyue's Orianna.

12 minutes 00 seconds.

The game time has reached twelve minutes.

The director switched to the economics panel.

Although T1 led 2-0 in dragons and secured first blood in the mid lane, EDG actually surpassed T1 by 500 gold overall thanks to their first turret kill in the top lane and a significant CS advantage (SuMo was 35 CS ahead of Zeus)!
The advantage of those 500 yuan was mostly concentrated on the man sitting in front of the computer, occasionally taking a sip of goji berry water.

In the spring water.

Su Mo opened the store.

With a flash of golden light, a mythical item that strikes fear into the hearts of all squishy and semi-tanky heroes—[Landry's Bitterness] (the Great Mask)—was revealed in his inventory!

A twelve-minute masked snake woman!

When the equipment panel appeared on the broadcast screen, the entire audience gasped.

"This equipment progression is outrageous," Guan Zeyuan couldn't help but exclaim. "The percentage-based burn damage from the Liandry's Anguish, combined with Cassiopeia's sustained damage, means that in the upcoming Vanguard or Dragon fights, as long as Cassiopeia applies poison, even T1 frontliners might be instantly melted!"

After buying the equipment, Su Mo did not leave immediately.

He glanced at the minimap; T1's bot lane duo had disappeared from sight after pushing the lane.

"Chen, Yue, the bot lane duo, move towards the mid lane."

Su Mo's gentle voice rang out in the voice message, yet it carried a sense of confidence that he was in control of the entire situation.

"They're going to switch lanes and get the second-generation Herald."

"Since they want to fight, then we'll spar with them."

12 minutes and 30 seconds. The wind direction in the canyon subtly changes.

Just as Su Mo predicted, T1 demonstrated exceptional tactical execution. After pushing the minion wave, Gumayusi and Keria's bot lane duo immediately rotated to the mid lane. Meanwhile, Faker's Azir, equipped with Teleport, headed to the bot lane to continue applying pressure.

"T1's lane swap was very clever," Miller analyzed on the commentary stage. "They knew that if Cassiopeia was allowed to farm safely into the mid-to-late game, the completion of Liandry's Torment and Rylai's Crystal Scepter would be a nightmare for T1's front line. So they proactively moved their strongest bot lane duo to the mid lane to cooperate with Maokai, preparing to contest the second Rift Herald."

At this moment, EDG responded just as quickly. Leave's Kai'Sa and Vamp's Alistar had already moved towards the mid lane, while Xiaoyue's Orianna switched to the bottom lane to face Azir.

Meanwhile, Su Mo's Cassiopeia continued to push the minion wave at a leisurely pace in the top lane.

"Brother Mo, their mid, jungle, and support are all up there. How are we going to respond to this wave from the vanguard?" Chen, controlling Vi, wandered around his own red buff jungle, looking at the dark river, feeling a little uncertain.

Su Mo glanced at the minimap and said gently, "No rush. Let them fill up the vision first. Ah Chen, take the control ward and clear the small area behind their blue buff."

"it is good!"

13 minutes 15 seconds.

The second-generation Rift Herald spawns inside the Dragon Pit.

T1 acted extremely quickly. Oner's Treant Protector, Keria's Lena, and Gumayusi's Varus grouped up and took control of the river, covering the entire upper half of the map with dense vision.

"T1 is determined to get this Rift Herald!" Wawa shouted. "With this Rift Herald, they can take down EDG's mid-lane tower and completely turn the tide of the game!"

After clearing a wave of minions in the top lane, Zeus's Quesanti also began to move towards the river.

At this moment, Su Mo's Cassiopeia pushed a wave of minions to the T1 top lane second tower. However, he did not choose to push the tower, but instead quietly retreated into the shadows of the jungle.

"The Serpent Woman is missing," Zeus reminded him in the voice chat. "She might have gone to meet the Vanguard."

"It's okay, we've placed saplings and control wards in the river. She doesn't have any mobility skills, so she'll be spotted as soon as she gets here," Oner calmly replied, as the tree had already begun attacking the Rift Herald.

13 minutes 45 seconds.

The vanguard's health has dropped to half.

EDG's front line consisted of only Vi, Kai'Sa, and Alistar. They were probing the river pass relentlessly, but faced with the defensive formation of Lena and Maokai, they dared not advance too far.

"Brother Mo, they're attacking very fast. Should we charge in head-on?" Ah Chen asked anxiously.

"Wait."

Su Mo only replied with one word.

His Cassiopeia did not head from her own jungle to the river as T1 had predicted.

The director's camera focused on an unexpected spot.

In the upper jungle of T1, in that small clump of bushes behind the red buff!
"Brother Mozi has circled around!! He went all the way from the outside of the T1 high ground wall and managed to sneak into T1's back garden!" Guan Zeyuan gasped. "This position is too deep! Once discovered, the Snake Woman has no mobility, so she's definitely doomed!"

This is an extremely risky yet highly lethal movement technique.

Su Mo sat upright in front of the screen, his gaze so focused it seemed to pierce through the fog of war. He had calculated all of T1's blind spots, using the vision behind the blue buff that Ah Chen had just cleared as cover, like a true viper, silently lurking behind its prey.

14 minutes 00 seconds.

Vanguard's health is down to one-third!

"open!"

Su Mo's gentle yet decisive voice boomed through the voice chat.

Without hesitation, Vi immediately charged up her Q skill [Power Punch], flashed through the river wall, and used her ultimate [Skybreaker] to lock onto Varus, who was attacking the Rift Herald!

"Vi has made her move! EDG has launched a full-scale attack!"

T1's reaction was world-class. Keria's Lenata applied her W skill [Timely Rescue] to Varus with extreme precision the instant Vi's ultimate landed, while simultaneously unleashing her ultimate [Helpless Acquisition] towards EDG's chasing backline.

Oner's tree also unleashed its ultimate ability, Nature's Grasp, with its massive roots blocking Kai'Sa and Alistar's entry routes.

"T1's counterattack was perfect! Vi's in-game play was just suicide!" Miller exclaimed.

Just as Vi was about to be focused down and killed by T1, and EDG was about to suffer a crushing defeat!
A deep purple cloud of poisonous mist suddenly sprayed out in a fan shape from the side and rear of the T1 formation, behind that thick wall!

"Highly poisonous fog!"

The poisonous fog covered Varus, Lenata, and Quesanti, who was on his way to provide support, with remarkable precision!

"Bind to the ground!!"

"Brother Mozi!! Cassiopeia unleashed her W from behind the wall! It completely shut down the mobility of three T1 members!"

As the poisonous fog descended, Su Mo's snake woman gracefully glided out of the shadows.

He didn't directly attack Varus, who was targeted by Vi, because he knew that Lena's W skill would revive him.

Su Mo's gaze was fixed on the tree standing in the crowd, who had just unleashed his ultimate move and was currently in a skill cooldown period!
Q skill [Plague Explosion] exploded precisely at Oner's feet!

The burning effect of the large mask was triggered instantly.

"Hiss—hiss—hiss—"

E skill [Twin Fangs] unleashes a barrage of attacks.

The snake woman, equipped with a large mask and the [Exploding Wand], unleashed terrifying sustained AOE and single-target burst damage within the confined dragon pit terrain.

The tree's pride in its tankiness seemed like paper in the face of the snake woman's venom, and its health bar dropped rapidly at a visible speed.

"Such high damage!" Oner was shocked and tried to Flash away, but found that he had accidentally stepped on the edge of the poison mist while trying to avoid Vi's impact, and he couldn't use Flash!
Just two seconds.

"boom!"

Oner's big tree crashed to the ground.

"EDG.Mo has killed T1.Oner!"

After killing the tree, Su Mo did not pause at all. He controlled the Cassiopeia and used the movement speed bonus provided by the Q skill to dodge Lena's Q skill control with extreme dexterity, as if dancing on the edge of a knife.

At this moment, Zeus's Quesanti finally arrived. He activated his ultimate ability, [Full Power], attempting to forcefully eliminate the demon who was relentlessly dealing damage from the backline.

But Su Mo was prepared.

In mid-air during Quesanti's E skill dash!
Look me in the eye!

Ultimate move: Earth-shattering!
A cold, petrifying beam of light swept across. Although Zeus tried to turn his back, the high speed and momentum of his sprint at full power made it impossible for him to adjust his orientation in time.

"Crack!"

Quesanti was frozen in place, completely petrified! For a full two seconds!
These two fatal seconds became the fuse for T1's defeat.

Su Mo unleashed all his firepower on the petrified Quesanti. The percentage damage from the Liandry's Anguish combined with Cassiopeia's E skill instantly melted this tankiest T1 front-line tank.

"Double Kill!" (End of Chapter)