Valorant: I Am Still the World's Best

After EDG wins a match, they usually go out for a celebratory dinner.

Today is no exception.

There are many Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles, but finding an authentic beef hot pot restaurant takes some effort. Fortunately, the logistics team did their homework in advance and booked a table near Chinatown.

There are two private rooms: one for the athletes and coaches, and the other for the photographers, drivers, and other support staff.

The bottom of the pot is bubbling with red oil. The sliced ​​beef can be scooped out after three seconds. Dip it in sesame sauce and minced garlic and stuff it into your mouth—so satisfying!

When Qiuqiu went to the restroom outside the private room, she was recognized by two Chinese female international students.

"God of Football! We're your fans!"

"Wow, the football god is as tall as me!"

Qiuqiu was all smiles at first, but he gradually calmed down when he noticed the two girls glancing into the private room. When they saw Su Ming and Zhang Zhao, they let out a soft scream and their faces turned red.

...Ha, obsessed with looks!

...In esports, skill speaks for itself, you know?

Qiuqiu returned to the private room and continued enjoying beef hotpot with everyone, but her eyes were glued to her phone screen—FPX's do-or-die match against T1 was underway.

They're all teams from the CN region. Winning or losing doesn't matter, everyone hopes their team can go further.

Backfired.

T1 swept FPX 2-0.

AAAAY put up some impressive stats, but his teammates in other positions were completely ineffective. With one green player carrying four red players, they simply couldn't win!

"What a pity." Zheng Yongkang immediately took out his phone and sent a voice message to Tang Zhehao, with whom he had a good relationship.

"This veteran's camera angle is so shaky..." Qiuqiu frowned, handing her phone to Zhang Zhao next to her to watch the playback. "So nervous?"

Zhang Zhao took the phone, looked at it for a few seconds, put the beef into the dipping sauce bowl and stirred it, without rushing to answer.

He thought back to his first time at the World Championship. It was a hard feeling to describe—you're sitting in that chair, your earpieces are filled with noise, your palms are sweaty, and you can barely hold the mouse. You can hear your own breathing, even your heartbeat, but you just can't make out what positions your teammates are calling out.

"It's the first World Championship, so it's normal." He took a bite of beef, his tone flat. "Suddenly standing on a bigger stage, facing teams whose playing style is completely different from what we do in the league, your brain will short-circuit. Your hands can't keep up with your brain, your brain can't keep up with the pace of the game, and then you just collapse."

"Hopefully he can adjust in the future. Otherwise... it won't just be his career that's being jeopardized."

After Zhang Zhao finished speaking, his chopsticks paused in mid-air, and his gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Su Ming.

This guy was busy putting the third plate of tripe into the pot.

From before the match to after, from ranked games to the stage, Su Ming's performance fluctuated remarkably little. To put it nicely, he has a big heart; to put it bluntly—this guy didn't take the World Championship seriously at all.

No, he was more serious than anyone else, but that seriousness was a pure focus on the game itself, without any extraneous emotions.

Is it talent or personality? Zhang Zhao couldn't say for sure.

But one thing he was certain of: not everyone can do it.

"Let's order first!" Su Ming used serving chopsticks to scoop a slice of cooked beef from the pot and precisely placed it into his bowl. "If we don't have enough food, we can order a few more plates."

"Are you still eating?" Wang Senxu asked, looking at the mountain of empty plates piled on the table.

"You need to eat well to have the energy to work. I still have to review and train when I get back at night."

Having played a full Bo3 today, Su Ming was almost ready to draw another Remembrance Chest, so he was naturally eager to go back and play Ranked matches.

But his unwavering enthusiasm still made the EDG members look at each other and smile with relief.

-----------------

The next day.

The group stage of the Los Angeles Championship has entered its most brutal elimination phase.

Every team fought tooth and nail for a spot in the quarterfinals, and after three days of fierce competition, the fate of the four second seeds was finally decided.

Loud, led by Aspas and Less!

PRX, returning from the loser's bracket hell!

—FUT, the Turkish team of gunners!

— BLG, the other CN team that defeated NRG twice!

In the Huya live stream, the commentator had just finished commentating on the second match between BLG and NRG.

2: 0.

It's 2-0 again.

NRG suffered two consecutive defeats on their home turf at the hands of the same CN team. The camera focused on several prominent players: Fns, the commander, looked dejected as he took off his headphones; s0m kept his head down and remained silent; and ardiis's face was flushed red.

Rhythm grinned from ear to ear: "Between BLG and NRG, 2-0 twice, are they really not worried? What did that chubby, humorous ardiis do these two games? He's probably going to get flamed by North American fans and forced to retire!"

The comments section was flooded with messages.

[whzy played incredibly well this game! Keep it up!]

Has another team finally risen to prominence in the Chinese region?

Right now, the players who least want BLG to lose are the NRG players. The better BLG performs, the more gracefully they can lose.

Amidst a joyous atmosphere, the number of viewers in the live stream actually increased instead of decreasing. Usually, the number of viewers would drop significantly after a match, but today the number of viewers kept growing.

The reason is simple—the quarterfinals draw is about to begin.

Riot Games specially invited Tenz, one of the most popular retired players in North America, to be the guest for the draw.

The rules are very clear.

The four teams that advance from the group stage with a 2-0 victory are the number one seeds and have priority in map selection for the quarterfinals. Teams that advance with a 2-1 victory are the number two seeds. Number one seeds will not face each other in the quarterfinals; their opponents will only be drawn from among the number two seeds.

Tenz stood on the stage, casually reaching into the draw box to retrieve a ball.

Group 1 – FNC vs PRX.

"This group looks pretty good!!" Rhythm leaned forward. "Fnc's luck is really bad, they drew the big shark from the second seed. But the same goes for PRX."

Group 2 – EG vs FUT.

"EG should be fine."

Group 3 – DRX vs BLG.

"DRX has been a consistently strong team this year, never falling out of the top six. BLG needs to step up their game."

The draw has reached this point, and the last group is already quite clear.

——EDG vs Loud.

Rhythm froze in his chair.

He was stunned for a full two seconds before managing to squeeze out, "Huh?? EDG is playing Loud in their first game?"

Rhythm was originally a professional League of Legends player. He started playing Valorant before it even got a license, and thought it had a good future, so he switched careers.

Although his own skill level was average at the time, he still watched the matches. Aspas's performance in those matches during his peak period completely impressed him, and from then on, he would watch every match, no matter how different the time difference was, without fail, and watch it with his viewers in the live stream.

Fans affectionately call him "Pa Filial Son," a nickname he never denies.

But today's fortune—

Rhythm stared intently at the matchup chart on the screen, his expression contorted as if he'd been constipated for three days.

The live chat exploded.

[Loyalty and filial piety are both difficult to reconcile, O tortoise.]

[Hey streamer, you don't want to lose your job at VCT CN, do you?]

[The ruler of the world governs with filial piety, Turtle, have you thought this through? If you choose EDG, you are both unfilial and loyal; if you choose Loud, you are the epitome of filial piety!]

[Quickly express your opinion! Quickly express your opinion!]

The fans were having a blast. Rhythm stared at the screen for a long time, then finally took a deep breath and looked like a hero making a painful sacrifice.

"As you know, I've been a fan of EDG ever since the Tokyo Masters."

He paused for a moment.

"As for Aspas—"

He swallowed hard.

I wish him good luck.

The live chat exploded.

[I'm so grateful to your parents.]

[My job is more important, let's just go for it!]

This is so true.

-----------------

"Playing Loud in the quarterfinals?"

EDG also saw the draw results immediately.

Several people gathered around Zhang Zhao's iPad, where Tenz was still exchanging pleasantries with the host, and the sign-outs had all been announced.

Zhang Zhao placed the iPad on the table and looked at his two duelist partners.

"What are your thoughts on playing Aspas?"

"We've already beaten them once at the Tokyo Masters, what's there to be afraid of?" Zheng Yongkang blurted out.

This reaction was expected; that's just Zheng Yongkang's personality.

Everyone's eyes naturally fell on Su Ming.

Su Ming did not answer immediately.

He tilted his head and thought for a few seconds.

"I'd rather feel anticipation than pressure?"

His tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of excitement that he himself wasn't fully aware of.

The significance of the name Aspas among duelist players needs no explanation.

Since winning the championship last year, this Brazilian has consistently performed at a top level in every world championship.

In the finals of this year's São Paulo preseason invitational, Fnc and Loud played a full five maps. On map five, Winter Harbor, Fnc did something very unusual—tactically, they avoided Aspas's defensive areas throughout the entire map, circling around him.

"Dodging tactics".

These four words themselves represent the highest level of praise.

How strong do you have to be for your opponent to abandon the best offensive route rather than engage you in direct combat?

Even so, Fnc only managed a narrow victory in overtime, with a score of 14:12 in map 5.

It was after that defeat that rumors of internal discord began to circulate within Loud, causing the team's performance to become inconsistent.

The fact that EDG eliminated them 2-0 at the Tokyo Masters brought these conflicts to the forefront.

But the team's inconsistent performance is one thing, and Aspas' individual skill level is another.

Currently, there are only two names recognized as contenders for the world's number one duelist position.

Aspas and Derke.

In terms of the number of championships, Derke has one more.

In terms of community voting and audience popularity, Aspas is clearly ahead.

These two are two mountains that no duelist can avoid.

Zheng Yongkang had already turned the tables once in Tokyo, but that was a team victory. Nobody had an explosive performance in that match, contributing a top-tier moment of "taking a hit from the Iron Arm and killing three opponents".

And Su Ming—

He hasn't faced either of them in an official match yet.

"Loud's overall strength isn't what it used to be, but Aspas hasn't declined." Wang Senxu, observing Su Ming's expression, added, "Less is also a formidable opponent; Qiuqiu even considers him the world's number one Viper..."

"Got it." Su Ming nodded, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the table twice. "After training tonight, we'll watch the recordings together. I've thought through all the demos of their group stage matches."

Wang Senxu withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

We are not cowardly, but we will not underestimate our opponents.

This kid's mentality is sometimes more stable than those of veterans who have been playing professionally for three years.