Full-time: The Strongest Sniper

July 4th, the fourth day of the summer transfer window.

As afternoon approached, the members of Team Happy, whose biological clocks were either normal or reversed, finally reunited. Xiao Nai and the others ate their 3 PM lunch while logging into the game.

"Any news from the professional league today?" Xiao Nai asked.

Although the two-shift system allowed Xiao Nai and his team to have a period where they didn't have to face Zhang Xinjie, they still couldn't completely avoid the time from afternoon until Zhang Xinjie slept at night. However, this was also when Happy's fighting strength was at its peak, so it wasn't that they were particularly afraid of a direct confrontation. It was just that this arrangement was more balanced in terms of work and rest.

“There really is!” Chen Guo said, opening the Glory Forum. Chen Guo is now the main observer of external news for Happy.

"The news of Lin Jingyan and his teammates' transfer had already been pushed off the front page headlines before today," Chen Guo said.

"So fast? I was thinking I could at least have it for a day or two?" Mu Cheng said, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the current headline is a new transfer news: Tang Hao from the Hundred Blossoms team has transferred to the Howling Team for ten million yuan," Chen Guo said.

"So fast, they really can't wait," Xiao Nai said with a sigh.

The veteran was just gone and a new one immediately took his place. Xiao Nai would never believe it if you said there had been no prior contact.

But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, theoretically, the other side didn't do anything wrong. That's how professional leagues are—strength speaks for itself, and that's the cruel reality of competitive sports...

You may have had your moments of glory, but unless you can guarantee that no one will surpass you until you leave, it's only a matter of time before you're fired as your physical abilities and other skills decline. This is especially true in the esports industry, where most professionals only live to be around 25.

The acquisition of the Howling Gaming team certainly caused a stir, considering it was worth ten million! This is the first time in the history of the professional esports league that a player's transfer fee has exceeded ten million. This price alone was enough to keep the news of Howling Gaming trending on the Glory forums for days.

Of course, the transfer buzz surrounding Lin Jingyan and his team the day before also played a role. After all, no one would believe that this transfer had nothing to do with Lin Jingyan and his team, given that the Roaring Tigers had replaced two generations of captains in such a short time. Coupled with Tang Hao's upset victory at the All-Star game, various topics about the two of them emerged at the time, and now the final result has finally been revealed to all players.

It's nearly impossible for a team's core ace to finalize transfers and replacements in a single day. This proves that Howling had been actively contacting Tang Hao beforehand, preparing for Tang Hao to directly replace Lin Jingyan. Lin Jingyan's transfer, however, saved him the awkwardness of encountering his old teammate. Howling also revealed their true, ruthless nature through this transfer.

After all, if Tyranny's acceptance of veteran Lin Jingyan gave the impression of taking him in, then Whistlewind's willingness to spend a sky-high transfer fee to bring over the currently dominant Tang Hao undoubtedly demonstrates their courage and determination to win the championship next season.

Coupled with the passionate speech that was prepared as usual at the Howling press conference, it directly ignited the enthusiasm of all Howling fans. As a result, the Howling team, from the official team to the fans, is now very excited. This team, which has only ever been competing for a playoff spot, has suddenly become a favorite to win the championship for many people next season.

Although the Whirlwind lost an All-Star, Fang Rui's playing style didn't match the dominant Tang Hao. Instead, it was a perfect fit for the Whirlwind's Rookie of the Year from last season, the rising star Zhao Yuzhe. With a dominant All-Star, a promising Rookie of the Year, and a strong roster of players, the Whirlwind's future seems very bright.

In contrast, the current Hundred Blossoms team, having just discovered the departure of its core player, now gives the impression of being on its last legs.

It's worth noting that Hundred Blossoms was once a strong team in the professional league, but now they give people the same feeling of decline as Excellent Era before.

After all, Baihua's decision to let Tang Hao transfer was indeed unbelievable to many people. It was as if they had traded away their only core player that they could rely on. It would have been more reliable to buy Tang San from the Howling Team instead.

Chen Guo is one of those people who thinks this way.

"Why would Baihua do this? Doesn't that mean they won't even have a core player left?" Chen Guo asked curiously.

"Not necessarily. In my personal opinion, Hundred Blossoms is making a better choice by doing it this way," Ye Xiu said.

"Why?" Chen Guo asked Xiao Nai, who was acting as Ye Xiu's translator.

"Because of the team's style," Xiao Nai said.

"Team style?" Qiao Jingjing was clearly not very familiar with this either.

“A team’s playstyle is usually built by its core players, and those core players naturally have core roles to complement them. Ultimately, each team’s tactical style is formed by the core players and their roles. Since the first captain of Hundred Blossoms retired, Hundred Blossoms has always had a tactical style centered around the Gunner, which is also their most familiar playstyle. On the other hand, Howling on the other side has a tactical core centered around the Rogue,” Xiao Nai explained.

“That’s right. If the Hundred Blossoms team really acquires Tang San, it means they will have to rebuild a tactical and even professional player combination centered around Tang Hao and Rogue. This will not only change their playing style over the years, but may also lead to a larger personnel reshuffle, and the consumption of various resources and time will only be greater,” Ye Xiu said.

"Actually, because of Zou Yuan's mediocre performance last season, they have already tried to adjust their tactics around Tang Hao, but the results still did not satisfy them. In this situation, even if Tang Hao is replaced with a stronger character, it will not change much, not to mention the possible subsequent costs. In the end, the Hundred Blossoms team is not suitable for a tactical style centered around a rogue." This time, it was Zhang Jiale who was being said, and as the former captain of Hundred Blossoms, his words on this matter are obviously the most authoritative.

"With this transfer, Howling got what they wanted, and Hundred Blossoms also received a large sum of money, which gives them the resources to choose other suitable players from other teams in the league. It's actually a win-win situation," Wei Chen continued.

"A very clever transfer," Xiao Nai and Ye Xiu concluded. (End of Chapter)