LPL History

Chapter 96: The Marketing Strategy Creates the Alliance's Momentum; A Serendipitous Encounter w

Chapter 96: The Marketing Strategy Creates the Alliance's Momentum; A Serendipitous Encounter with a Deliveryman During Trials
Although the OGN organizers very cleverly canceled the post-match interview segment.

However, this does not mean that other media outlets at the scene will let such a good story pass them by.

As soon as WE stepped off the stage, they were immediately surrounded by various media outlets.

These media outlets include those from South Korea, China, and Europe.

"Lion, what are your thoughts on winning the OGN championship?"

"Lion, why did WE resort to 'fountain camping' at the end? Do you think this behavior violates professional ethics?"

"Lion, what are your thoughts on the network outage during the match?"

Faced with the chaotic scene, Zhou Li smiled and said:

"I am very satisfied with today's match."

Zhou Li's first words surprised the reporters greatly.

Zhou Li continued:
“We are very grateful to the OGN league for providing us with a unique match. During our WE team’s internet outage, Frost killed our character, pushed down our high ground, reversed our economic deficit, and added some fun to the otherwise boring match.”

One reporter couldn't help but ask:
Aren't you angry about this behavior?

"Angry?" Zhou Li blinked and said with a smile, "Why would I be angry? You know, playing against bots too much can get boring. At least this little incident prevented me from falling asleep during the match."

"I heard that you requested a rematch from OGN officials, but were refused. Is that true?"

“Yes,” Zhou Li nodded. “I confirmed with the referee several times whether a rematch was necessary, but the referee said no rematch was needed.”

He shrugged, looking somewhat innocent.

“I’ve already given them a chance, but they didn’t appreciate it.”

"So you guys 'camped' Frost?"

Zhou Li appeared somewhat puzzled when he heard the reporter's question.

"How can this be called fountain diving? We just decided to give Frost a chance to face us head-on after we sensed their strong desire to win. We didn't want them to be cowards AFK in the fountain, especially since they showed unprecedented passion when we disconnected."

What do you think is the reason for WE's unilateral internet outage this time?

"A network outage is a network outage, what else could it be?"

Zhou Li responded with a smile: "Although we all know that South Korea has always been proud of its excellent network, with a latency of only ten milliseconds in League of Legends, the network outage was an unexpected event. The fact that OGN officials were able to restore the network before Frost destroyed our base is enough to demonstrate South Korea's excellent network capabilities. Most importantly, we didn't even lose the network a second time. Actually, since it had already been lost, losing it a few more times wouldn't have been a problem."

He raised the trophy in his hand and said with a smile:

"Actually, I don't care much about the OGN championship, after all, beating a Korean team isn't that impressive. But as Confucius said: 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.'"

"No one can take away what I don't want myself."

Zhou Li's interviews quickly spread all over the world.

The incident of South Korea pulling out the internet cable immediately became a hot topic among all gamers.

This topic has gone viral, becoming a widely discussed topic not only within the League of Legends community but also across the entire esports scene.

So much so that whenever people mention South Korean esports, some will complain that if they can't beat you, they'll unplug your internet cable.

It has become a defining characteristic of South Korean esports.

The Koreans never expected that they would use this OGN league to bring the Korean League of Legends scene to the global stage.

In the end, the business failed to expand globally.

They only launched one type of network cable globally.
-
Busan Airport.

Lee Hyun-kyung's gaze followed the roaring plane as it took off, her eyes filled with reluctance and sadness at parting.

That dashing young man was finally going back.

I don't know when we'll meet again.

The anti-Zhou Li movement is growing stronger in South Korea, with some even petitioning the Blue House to ban him from entering the country forever.

Lee Hyun-kyung felt that doing so was wrong.

Only he knew how considerate and gentle that boy was.

Isn't the reason why Korean esports teams are so aggressive on the field because they're doing some shady things behind the scenes?
She also wanted to follow in the footsteps of that boy.

But she knew she had an even more important task to do.

That is to stay here and cultivate the foundation of Zhou rituals in Han.

He has already established a fan club for Zhou Li in Korea, and to her surprise, there are quite a few people who admire Zhou Li just like her.

The fan club has only been established for a few days, but it has already received hundreds of applications to join.

It is worth mentioning that women make up 100% of this group.

Compared to the sensitive, vulnerable, and insecure side of Korean men, women seem to appreciate the strength and beauty of Zhouli (the Zhou Dynasty's social customs).

She will definitely be here to praise the power and beauty of Zhou rituals, and let more women realize the difference between Korean men and Chinese men.

On the plane, Zhou Li was resting with his eyes closed when suddenly the Records of the Grand Historian popped up.

[You admire the beauties of Goryeo, and see the frailty of the Korean men, yet yearn for the strength and resolve of the Chinese. The virtuous King Yi established a society in the capital, spreading his benevolence and spreading his virtues. Thus, the beauties of Goryeo vied to fall in love, wishing to entrust their lives to the Chinese. The Korean women's admiration for the Chinese grew ever stronger, and marrying a Chinese man was their primary desire. Your achievements and virtues extend throughout the world; there is no greater good than this.]

[You have won over the women of Korea. They have come to understand the vulnerability and sensitivity of Korean men, and admire your confidence and strength. Lee Hyun-kyung established a fan club for you in Korea, diligently promoting your message and inspiring more Korean women to aspire to marry strong and confident Chinese men. Korean women's positive feelings towards Chinese men have increased significantly, and marrying a Chinese man has become their greatest wish. You have done a truly great service.]

[Unlocked group: Korean women. Gained ability: Sigma men.]

[The Sigma Man: Never falls into a woman's trap. While enhancing your feminine charm, you become immune to female seduction, always maintaining a clear head. Admiring flowers, smelling their fragrance, playing with their stamens, breaking branches and treading on petals—leaving no trace of their scent.]

Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but complain in his heart, "What's the use of this skill?"

He subconsciously turned his head and saw the flight attendant looking at him not far ahead.

This young man has a really good presence; he's completely different from those losers who just play video games.

"Ok?"

Zhou Li looked at the subtitles that suddenly appeared above the flight attendant's head, somewhat bewildered.

He then turned his head to look at Mingkai, Ruofeng, and the others.

Nothing strange happened.

Then he looked at Abu.

I need to figure out how to curry favor with Brother Zhou when I get back; he's definitely going to become the number one player in the league.

"Um?!"

That wretched beaker.

Zhou Li scratched his head, feeling that the plot was heading in a rather strange direction.

He came here to play games, so why is he being given a romance novel cheat code?
Zhou Li, who was on the plane, had no idea that the outside world was in an uproar because of him.

Foreign media outlets have directly hailed him as the most outstanding genius in the history of esports. Yes, in the history of esports, not just in the history of League of Legends.

Foreign media believe that Zhou Li's dominance in League of Legends is breathtaking.

His skills and awareness are simply a game-changer for other professional players.

In OGN matches, Zhou Li always manages to pull off unexpected and previously unknown amazing plays in every game.

The Lee Sin from the first game is still so good that no one has been able to replicate his plays against bots.

In the second game, Anivia taught the so-called world's best Anivia player, Rotroot, a lesson by setting a new record for the most last hits in a single game.

In the third game, the Master Yi's AWAA tower dive and Q flash made people realize that this seemingly simple hero that everyone can play is not so simple.

In the finals, the AP Nidalee mid-lane instantly killed Graves with a single Q, the Geometric Barrel skillful solo kill, and Diana's RQR combo.

His mastery of each hero was so incredible that even those who specialized in just one hero found it unbelievable.

As we all know, going from 1 to 100 is not difficult; the most difficult part is going from 0 to 1.

Zhou Li, in every match, was creating a 0-1 situation.

Even Riot Games' designers have publicly stated that they never imagined these mechanics could be combined and used in this way.

One OGN match made Zhou Li and WE's names known throughout the global esports community.

Meanwhile, in the country, those born in the 60s have already celebrated the New Year.

The crazy 60e almost destroyed the Anti-Japanese War Bar, changing history and depriving future generations of a valuable spiritual legacy.

But there is no doubt that WE has become the number one team in China.
-
The day after WE returned to China, the club held an internal meeting.

At the WE Esports Club strategic adjustment meeting, the management announced several important personnel decisions:
I. Following a comprehensive evaluation, former jungler Dao was no longer retained due to issues with tactical system compatibility. During the meeting, Dao became quite agitated, questioned some management measures, and had a heated confrontation with former team captain Ruofeng, angrily denouncing Ruofeng as Yue Buqun (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for his incompetence).

Second, support player IF applied to leave the team due to personal career development, and apologized to the original analyst Abu on the spot, acknowledging his past spiritual support for the team.

Third, coaching staff member Joker announced his transition to the field of event commentary, and the club will provide resource support for his development in this new field.

Regarding personnel appointments:

Team coach: Ruofeng, the former captain and mid-laner of Team WE, will be in charge. His rich experience in the competition will inject vitality into the tactical innovation.

Team Manager: The former analyst Abu has been promoted to this position to oversee all aspects of training and operations.

Team captain: Core mid-laner Zhou Li has taken office, and his overall vision and leadership have been recognized by the entire team.

This adjustment aims to build a "professional, tiered, and international" management system, and will present a brand-new image for competing for top-level honors.

With this, WE has completely completed its personnel adjustments and integration.

For WE, the next important event is the S2 World Championship, which will be held in a month.

However, during this period, the WE team did not have time to rest.

Following their victory in OGN, Tencent launched a major marketing campaign.

Zhou Li's photo was directly posted on the homepage of the Chinese server client.

The heroes that Zhou Li used in the competition have become the pursuit of countless players.

At a time when players need to level up to 30 to barely accumulate enough gold to buy rune pages, the sales of heroes like Lee Sin have provided Tencent with a significant amount of revenue.

Players who log in to QQ will receive a message: "[Light up the League of Legends icon with the world's best Lee Sin player! Log in now to win tons of prizes!]"

Amid Tencent's massive advertising campaign, a campaign to create a celebrity quietly began.

In order to cooperate with Tencent's promotion, WE has also taken on a lot of commercial activities recently.

Of course, these commercial activities are not just about money; more importantly, they aim to increase the popularity of League of Legends in China.

Countless talented amateurs, influenced by this spectacle, have become determined to pursue a professional gaming career.

This allowed League of Legends to experience an explosive growth in talent reserves two years ahead of schedule.

For the sake of the development of e-sports in China, Zhou Li has been working incredibly hard lately, even more so than when he was competing.

Each day, the diary entries consisted of only a few lines.

[September 6th, Sunny. I played an exhibition match at the anime convention during the day, and many cosplay enthusiasts lined up to ask for my contact information. I refused them all, afraid of catching a disease.]

September 7th, rain. A rare quiet day, so I practiced Latin dance in my dorm.

September 8th, sunny. Big Nose bought a new electric scooter. I test drove it, but it's not as powerful as the Jebo King scooter.

[September 9th, Sunny. IG qualified for the S2 World Championship through the qualifiers. We played a scrim. I heard that Zz9tai likes to practice Latin dance during matches, which I think is wrong. Practicing Latin dance should be done with reverence.]

[September 10th, rain. In preparation for the upcoming S2 World Championship, IG club invited me to scout the area.]
-
A light drizzle was falling from the sky.

Zhou Li, wearing sunglasses and a mask, and holding an umbrella, looked around at the two-story villa in front of him.

IG is rich and powerful; in comparison, WE's base is like a slum.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Zitai, indicating that he had arrived. Suddenly, someone jumped in and crawled into his umbrella.

"Hey bro, you should come play on IG too."

Zhou Li turned his head and glanced at the person next to him.

The man's thick black hair was soaked by the rain and clung to his scalp.

This person had a face that looked like it had been etched by the mists of a canyon, and his thick black eyebrows didn't resemble those of Shin-chan from Crayon Shin-chan, but rather those of a stereotypical character from Western animation who was all muscle but not very bright.

Zhou Li looked down and saw that the man was carrying a large bag of takeout food.

Zhou Li smiled.

"Yo!"

"Zhu Kai!"

Zhu Kai was taken aback when Zhou Li addressed him by his full name.

"Brother, do you know me?"

Zhou Li put his arm around Zhu Kai's shoulder and said with a grin:
"Of course I know him, he's Zhu Kai, the coach of IG!"

Zhu Kai's mouth clenched into a chicken beak shape from excitement, then he quickly pursed his lips and said with a smile:

"No, no, I'm still an assistant coach."

He silently pulled the item out of Zhou Li's hand.

Judging from this kid's appearance, he's probably here for a tryout with IG.

Zhu Kai coughed twice, put on airs, and shook the takeout in his hand.