[Esports] Team Leader Xie, your mid laner is causing trouble again.

Back in the lounge, Song Bo approached anxiously, "Why did it take you so long? I was about to go back to find you guys."

Xie Jichuan released Li Zhi's hand, placed their accessory bags on the table for a routine check by the staff, and said casually:

"It's nothing, we just met a dog on the road and played with it for a while."

Li Zhi chuckled to herself but didn't reply.

Song Bo clearly didn't realize it was a metaphor, and his anxiety finally subsided.

"Once you've checked the peripherals, get ready to go on stage. Go up and log into the training area to warm up and get a feel for the game. Don't mess things up if the key bindings aren't set up correctly."

As is customary, athletes are given five minutes to warm up before each competition.

You can sit on the stage to check the equipment, adjust the sensitivity, change your preferred key bindings, and so on.

Li Zhi picked up her peripheral bag again and followed Xie Jichuan onto the stage.

As you walk through the passageway, lights stream down from above, and uplifting music accompanies the narration:

"Now taking the stage is a brand new team from our WPL this year! Although it's a new team, there are quite a few familiar faces on it."

Another commentator chimed in: "Indeed, River, Star, and CY are all seasoned veterans with extensive experience in major tournaments, and there are also two rookie cup champions who are renowned."

"This setup is absolutely amazing! It's clear that Lychee is in even better shape after being away from the competition for two years!"

The audience responded enthusiastically, with cheers and applause filling the air.

Li Zhi sat down in her seat and connected the peripherals one by one.

To prevent players from peeking at their screens, the five gaming tables were arranged at different angles, so that the only thing visible to the players was their own computer screen and half of their teammates' shoulders on either side.

He picked up his headphones and put them on, and the noise in the stadium instantly disappeared.

It was as if someone had pressed a mute button; everything was shut out outside the foam earmuffs, leaving only pure silence.

Li Zhi heard her own heartbeat clearly.

Only at this moment did he truly feel that he had returned to the competition.

That burning sensation, almost becoming muscle memory, seeped out from between my bones, spreading along my blood vessels to every part of my body, as if something had ignited it from within.

He became excited, his heart pounding fast and powerfully, each beat striking his chest.

Bang, bang, like war drums.

He stretched his fingers, which were trembling slightly with excitement, and placed them on the keyboard, skillfully pressing out a series of combos to warm up.

The headset connected to his teammates and coach's channels. After a brief static, Jiang Xingle's voice came through first:

"Can we order the new sour soup hot pot at Hedi Lao? I think GG is drooling over it; the color of the soup base looks so appetizing."

Next up was Cheng Yi, whose voice was steady with a hint of agreement: "Spicy and sour, it really cuts through the greasiness."

Ling Wang: "Indeed, then I want to eat sour soup hot pot too."

As soon as Liang Shoucheng connected to the live stream, he heard his teammates already thinking about how they would eat and drink to their hearts' content if they won, even before the game had started.

He was silent for two seconds, his voice tinged with helplessness:

"You're already thinking about what to eat if you win before you even start playing?"

Jiang Xingle said in a relaxed tone, "Coach, to be honest, this game shouldn't be that hard to win, right? We can scare Song Bo, but we professionals can't back down."

Liang Shoucheng sighed, and said earnestly, "That's true, but pride comes before a fall. Look at Lychee and River, how composed they are."

Li Zhi smiled upon hearing this, a professional at undermining others:

"Coach, I'm just wondering, can I beat the captain to the MVP award this time?"

Liang Shoucheng remained silent: "..."

Xie Jichuan chuckled softly in the channel, his voice low and deep: "I won't hold back on the field. If you want it, come and get it yourself."

Liang Shoucheng, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted, "You've already won, and you're already spouting this nonsense! All of you, be quiet and warm up!"

The group stopped fooling around and quieted down to focus on their work.

They had no idea that their casual conversation about the sour soup hotpot and MVP had been broadcast verbatim.

The commentator chuckled, a hint of awkwardness in his voice:

"Haha, judging from this pre-match voice chat, our RAK team is determined to win this match."

The commentator, half-jokingly, chimed in to ease the tension:

"Indeed, it makes me curious about what the sour soup hot pot at Hedilao tastes like. I'll have to try it sometime."

Ke smiled and shook his head, quickly steer the conversation back on track:

"It seems our newly developed pre-match voice chat feature is working well this season. Now let's play VD's pre-match voice chat and hear what they have to say."

Song Bo was sitting in the audience when he suffered a heart attack.

This is a new segment that just came out in the league for the new season, and he didn't even know it existed.

There was no prior notice; the main point was to take them by surprise.

He frantically pulled out his phone, clicked on the trending topics, scrolled through the comments section a few times, and then everything went black.

[How arrogant! River is one thing, but who are the rest of them to act so cocky?]

[Especially that Lychee guy, is he that trash streamer?]

[Hilarious! Trying to steal River's MVP award? His ambitions are sky-high. He should figure out how to lane first.]

[VD is a top-four team, how can you look down on them like that?]

[That's normal, isn't it? Only one of the original VD members is left; what kind of performance can they possibly deliver?]

[I hope VD will teach these people a lesson and show them what respect is.]

Song Bo flipped through the pages while anxiously shaking his leg.

This is it. If they don't win, they'll be ridiculed by these netizens for the rest of their lives.

He anxiously brought his fingers to his lips, about to bite his nails, when suddenly the VD team's pre-match voice message came from the speakers in the audience.

In the noisy venue, Da Shan's slightly cold voice clearly penetrated into the ears of everyone present:

"I saw his neck ring; he's definitely not the Alpha as the internet says."

"What kind of esports can Lychee, an Omega, possibly do?"