Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The aftereffects of the Tokyo expedition were not muscle soreness, but a withdrawal reaction called "disappointment".

Returning from the fiercely competitive arena to the rural gymnasium of Miyagi Prefecture was like being thrown back into a beginner's village to grind slimes after completing a challenging raid. The air was less filled with the smell of gunpowder and more with an unsettling tranquility. But Ukai Kinshin clearly didn't intend for this tranquility to last long; the crumpled training schedule in his hand was the culprit behind his forced overclocking of Karasuno's old computer.

"stop--!!"

U-yang's roar echoed through the stadium dome, accompanied by a dull thud of flesh colliding.

At the net, Hinata Shoyo, like an out-of-control torpedo, crashed headfirst into Higashimine Asahi's back. The ace, who was preparing to spike, staggered back two steps from the impact, and the ball slipped awkwardly from his hand, hitting the instep.

"Hyuga! Can't you even watch where you're going?!" Kageyama Tobio gripped the volleyball, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. "You're blocking the way! How is Asahi-senpai supposed to get a running start?"

"I want to attack quickly!" Hinata shouted, covering his forehead.

"Fast is not chaotic!"

Lu Ren sat on a bench by the court, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hand. His tactical board, spread out in front of him, was covered in a dazzling array of arrows. He looked at the chaotic scene on the court as if watching a piece of code riddled with bugs frantically throwing errors.

This is the "Chimera" tactic he proposed—or its official name, "simultaneous multi-point attack."

In theory, four or five people could take a running start simultaneously, using staggered cover to tear apart the enemy's defenses and create a significant opening. However, in reality, their teamwork is still at the dial-up internet stage. If their rhythm is even slightly off, it's a complete disaster.

"Is this the 'Version T0' tactic you were talking about?" Kiyosawa Yazhi handed over a bottle of water, watching Higashimine Asahi frantically apologizing to Hinata on the field, and couldn't help but complain, "It looks like they're playing bumper cars to me."

"When a new system goes live, there always has to be a blue screen crash process." Lu Ren unscrewed the bottle cap, took a swig, and said, "The current chaos is necessary. Only by breaking the old single-threaded logic can we run multi-core programs."

He stood up and walked to the sidelines.

"Hey, Kageyama."

Kageyama, who was about to grab Hyuga by the collar, stopped and turned around: "Senior Rikuren?"

"Is your CPU fried?" Lu Ren pointed to his head. "The core of a multi-point offense isn't 'speed,' it's 'deception.' When you passed the ball to Hinata, your intention was too obvious. Were you trying to feed him the ball, or were you trying to write 'I'm going to pass for a fast break' on your face?"

Kageyama was taken aback, then frowned and retorted, "I'm matching Hyuga's speed..."

"Wrong." Lu Ren interrupted him, his tone lazy yet sharp. "In this tactic, Hyuga isn't the only finisher. He's the bait, and also the fangs. You have to learn to treat everyone's offensive desires as cards in your hand. Right now, you're forcing your way in, and they're forcing their way out; there's no interaction."

He pointed to Tanaka and Sawamura in the back row: "When these two start up, Hyuga should just be a speck of noise in your eyes. Don't keep staring at that orange head, it'll make you stupid."

"Who are you calling a nuisance?!" Hinata jumped up and down beside him.

Kageyama fell into deep thought. For this single-celled genius, understanding such complex tactical logic was harder than solving a math problem. But he had one advantage: he listened to advice, especially from those more capable than himself.

"One more set," Coach Uyang blew his whistle.

This time, the ball was tossed up.

In an instant, the entire Karasuno half team sprang into action.

Sawamura Daichi cut in from the right wing, Tanaka Ryunosuke spread out on the left wing, and Hyuga Shoyo charged like a madman in the middle, even Higashimine Asahi from the back row pressed forward.

The floor screeched as the sneakers rubbed against the floor. Four players, four attack routes, like four sharp knives simultaneously stabbing at the net.

Kageyama stood under the net, his gaze sweeping over all the moving targets in an instant.

There was no collision.

The moment Hyuga leaped, he drew everyone's attention, while Sawamura's run stretched the space. Kageyama touched the ball with his fingers and, without hesitation, backpassed it into the unclaimed area on the left wing.

Ryunosuke Tanaka arrived quickly and, taking advantage of the absolute gap without any net, swung his arm in a wide arc.

"nice shot--!!"

The volleyball hit the floor and bounced towards the ceiling.

The crisp sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock silenced the entire stadium for a second.

"Holy crap..." Tanaka landed, staring at his palm in disbelief. "Was that... really empty?"

There were no annoying net holders, no walls obstructing the view. The feeling of having such a wide field of vision was exhilarating.

"A success rate of five percent," Lu Ren coldly counted from the sidelines. "If Hyuga had been 0.1 seconds slower on that last shot, he would have collided with the ground. If Asahi-senpai hadn't followed up, the backcourt defense would have been completely exposed. You guys are walking a tightrope."

Although he was pouring cold water on the idea, the tip of his pen on the tactics board circled that "successful" case.

Once you succeed, your body remembers the pleasure. This is the most terrifying learning mechanism of humankind.

The next training session shifted to an even more challenging aspect – passing the ball by the libero.

Nishitani Yu stood behind the three-meter line, her expression as serious as if she were defusing a bomb.

"Noya-san, don't be nervous," Sugawara Koji encouraged from the side. "Just like you normally do, only change your target to the attacker."

"I know!" Nishiya took a deep breath, bending his knees slightly. "But I always feel that catching the ball with my hands...isn't cool!"

"Nobody's telling you to make it look good, as long as the ball doesn't spin," Lu Ren interjected. "Just think of it as hairspray on your hair, you have to apply it steadily."

"What a terrible analogy!" Nishitani yelled, but his body had already moved.

The ball was in a bad position, slightly too low. Instead of using his usual pass, Nishiya forcefully raised his hand and touched the ball with his fingertips.

stiff.

The ball flew straight towards the net as if it had been hit by a stone, without any spin or arc, it was incredibly stiff.

Dong Fengxu had to adjust his steps, awkwardly jump, and barely manage to get the ball over the net.

"Ugh! This feels wrong!" Nishiya grabbed her hair. "It feels like I've touched a hot potato!"

"Your fingers are too stiff." Kageyama couldn't help but walk over, pick up a ball to demonstrate, "You need to use the strength of your wrist to cushion the impact, 'wrap' the ball, and then send it out."

As a setter, seeing someone set such a terrible ball would trigger Kageyama's obsessive-compulsive tendencies. But instead of getting angry as usual, he awkwardly tried to explain.

"Wrap it up?" Nishiya's eyes widened. "Like wrapping dumplings?"

"...Probably." Kageyama abandoned the metaphor.

Lu Ren watched this scene, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Ensuring that everyone on the team except the setter masters setting skills is another piece of the "Chimera" tactic puzzle. When Kageyama is forced to receive the first pass, the attack cannot be interrupted. This requires the libero, and even the outside hitter, to possess setting abilities.

This is breaking down the barriers of professional division of labor.

"The current Karasuno is like a guild where everyone is changing jobs," Yazhi whispered from the side. "Warriors have to learn healing, and mages have to learn tanking."

"This is the correct answer," Lu Ren said. "Specialization is a dead end; versatility is the way to go. Although our current proficiency levels are quite pathetic."

The training continued until 8 p.m.

The exhaustion caused everyone's movements to become distorted. Hinata was already slumped on the floor with his tongue lolling out, and Tanaka's roar had become weak and feeble.

"gather."

Coach Wuyang's voice, though tired, was filled with excitement.

The crowd, dragging their heavy legs, gathered around.

"Our teamwork today was absolutely terrible," Uyang summarized mercilessly. "The error rate was alarmingly high. We overlapped in positioning eighteen times, and our interference led to twelve turnovers."

Everyone lowered their heads in shame.

"But," Uyang changed the subject, "remember the feeling of those last few goals?"

Everyone looked up abruptly.

"That oppressive feeling of everyone attacking, that chaotic feeling that leaves the opponent unsure of who to defend against." Wu Yang clenched his fist. "This is the weapon we need to hone. Our current disarray is for dragging our opponents into an even deeper quagmire in the future."

"yes!!!"

After the meeting was dismissed, everyone started packing their things.

Lu Ren was organizing data tables when he suddenly felt a figure appear beside him.

He didn't look up: "What, Tsukishima? Want to request a reduction in training volume?"

Hotaru Tsukishima stood there, headphones around her neck, a water bottle in her hand. He didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a few seconds.

"Regarding that multi-point attack," Tsukishima's voice was flat, devoid of emotion, "if the opponent doesn't follow the decoys but instead directly uses this position..." He pointed to a point on the tactics board, "...to set up a fixed-point block, and our attack route will be cut off in half."

Lu Ren's hand paused.

He looked up at the tall man with a cold expression.

In the past, Tsukishima would never have proactively considered tactical weaknesses. He would simply follow orders or mentally criticize such reckless tactics. But now, the point he pointed out is precisely the biggest vulnerability of the "Chimera" tactic.

This kid is starting to use his brain when playing games.

"It is indeed a bug." Lu Ren closed his pen and looked at Tsukishima. "So someone needs to exploit this vulnerability. If it were you, what would you do?"

This is a test.

Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, the glare from the lenses obscuring his eyes: "If it were me... I would deliberately slow down in this area by half a beat, creating the illusion that I want to launch a fast attack, drawing the blockers over and creating space on the flanks."

Delayed positioning. Utilizing its own height as a reverse decoy.

Lu Ren smiled. It wasn't a mocking smile, but a smile of relief seeing his teammates finally catch up with the pace.

"Good idea." Lu Ren patted the tactics board. "Try it tomorrow. But if you mess it up, don't blame me for laughing at you in front of the whole team."

"No need for your trouble." Tsukishima turned and left, his back still exuding an aloof arrogance, but his steps seemed lighter than usual.

Tadashi Yamaguchi, who had been eavesdropping in the corner, immediately rushed towards Tsukishima like a puppy waiting for its owner when he saw him approaching: "Tsukishima! Let's go back together!"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

"Sorry, Yue!"

Watching the two figures leave, Lu Ren stretched, his bones cracking.

"Looks like the patch installed successfully." Yazhi walked over with her bag on her back. "Tsukishima actually offered tactical suggestions. Has the sun risen in the west?"

"That's because he realized that if he didn't use his brain, he would be overwhelmed by these physical monsters." Lu Ren stuffed the tactical board into his bag. "And he also tasted the benefits."

"What kind of benefits?"

"The sweetness of controlling the game." Lu Ren looked at the empty stadium. "He used to be just an observer, but now he wants to be the strategist. Although he's still a novice, at least he's willing to get involved."

The two walked out of the stadium. The night sky outside was dark, with only a few stars scattered about.

"Hey, Lu Ren," Ya Zhi kicked at a pebble by the roadside, "can Karasuno really beat Shiratorizawa like this?"

The moment that name was uttered, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

An absolute king. Ushijima Wakatoshi's unreasonable left-handed heavy cannon was like a mountain pressing down on everyone's heads.

Lu Ren stopped and took out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

"The current Karasuno definitely can't win." He chewed on his candy, his voice muffled. "It's just a Frankenstein's monster made of scrap metal, its parts fall off after a couple of steps."

He looked up at the dark street in the distance.

"But hey, Ya-zhi, do you know which team is the most disgusting in the game?"

"What?"

"Not the kind of 'rich man' team that brute force their way to victory with stats." Lu Ren grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "It's the kind of team that you can't kill no matter how you attack them, and every time they respawn, they come up with a disgusting new strategy to mess with you... a bug team."

He put his hands in his pockets and started walking.

"We're creating bugs right now. Once this system is fully debugged, even Ushijima Wakatoshi will find that his violent aesthetics are... worthless in the face of gibberish."

The wind blew through the boy's hair.

Karasuno's evolution has only reached one percent of its progress. But within that one percent lies a virus called "Possibility," which is replicating wildly.