I'm just an internet cafe owner

Alicia continued, "What about Tina? She's a veteran player too, right? And after multiple physical modifications and the trials of reality, her tactics and strategies should be considered quite good among players, right?"

Liu Yuan shook his head: "It's not likely. If it were Senju Natsume, she might have won, but it's a pity that this little girl encountered Lelouch in the preliminary round. Although she is intelligent, she is not as good as Lelouch at manipulating people's hearts!"

While Liu Yuan was making his comments, Alicia noticed the perspective had shifted to Tina and Lelouch. Yes, fate is indeed interesting; during the preliminary rounds, Lelouch encountered Chizu Natsuyo.

The two fought fiercely, but in the end, Lelouch, relying on his understanding of human nature and his intelligence gathering on Chiju Natsuyo, led a final Elven charge that wiped out all of Chiju Natsuyo's human forces.

For Natsume Senju, Lelouch was a formidable foe, after all, he had defeated his family.

The match had just begun. Lelouch was playing Eldar, while Tina was unusually playing Zerg.

Yes, Tina usually only plays Terran, as she's not used to fighting with Terran.

Seeing this, Alicia chimed in, "Hey~ Boss, your favorite and your least favorite are facing off. Do you think Tina has any chance of winning?"

Observing the developments on both sides, Liu Yuan pondered, "Tina lost. Using a faction she's not good at against Lelouch's strongest faction, the Celestials, it's a sure loss. Look at the win rates: Tina's Zerg win rate is only 5%, while Lelouch's Eldar win rate is 95%! How can they win?"

As a professional player, Liu Yuan has a keen eye. He wouldn't have dared to make a definitive statement if the odds were 7:3, but with the score at 9.5:0.5, there's only one possibility for Tina to win: Lelouch is throwing the game.

But would Lelouch hold back? Obviously not. Even if he did, he'd only go easy on C.C., never on Tina. Furthermore, Lelouch's understanding of the Celestials is far too profound; Tina's combat record against the Zerg is far too limited, and she has won...

The odds are too low; it's hard to win.

As Liu Yuan made his prediction, Jibril, who was working, suddenly had a bad feeling. Even Lelouch in the game felt green numbers popping up above his head.

Chapter 527 The Crazy Poisonous Milk Boss!

The StarCraft match between Tina and Lelouch has begun. Tina has chosen the Zerg, while Lelouch, playing as the Protoss, quickly blocked the Zerg's base and defended against their fast attack.

But this time, Tina clearly didn't use aggro or other normal development methods to compete with her opponent in terms of strategy. Instead, she used an extremely clever approach to fight her opponent.

The term "fountain hook" and its associated tactic haven't yet appeared in internet cafes. This is because StarCraft has only been available for a short time, and many players are accustomed to direct confrontations. Furthermore, basic tactics against mechs generally have no effect on them.

But this competition is different. Mechs have been banned, and several gaming legends who are so amazing that even the gods are not participating.

That's why, when Tina participated in the competition, Chizu Natsuyo discovered that her opponent was Lelouch. Although she had a chance to win, she gave up on using her brain to fight against Lelouch.

Instead, she discovered Lelouch's weakness through a single operation. With her high IQ of 210, she managed to figure out Lelouch's weaknesses through forceful manipulation.

According to Natsume Senju's analysis, neither he nor Tina could win against Lelouch in a battle of strategy.

However, Lelouch's biggest mistake was this tournament; he was the only one from their world to make it into the top 64. Because of this, Natsume Senju devised a little Zerg strategy for Tina.

This strategy is designed to catch opponents off guard. As long as they defeat Lelouch, a formidable opponent, Tina, based on Chizuki Natsume's estimation, should at least make it into the top eight if she doesn't underestimate her opponent.

The strategy she used was the Zerg's infamous "fountain hook" tactic.

The fountain hook is a unique tactic in Dota 2, where a character with a hook ability pulls an enemy into the fountain and eliminates them from there. The fountain hook in StarCraft is a similar tactic.

The key to this tactic is to be stable while also catching Lelouch off guard.

Meanwhile, Lelouch was commanding his troops with a serious expression. Even though Tina's win rate was very low, he was still fighting with utmost seriousness. He sent out his own units to scout, and although he couldn't figure out how the scouts died, he learned the enemy's approximate location.

After determining the approximate location, he began to rapidly develop his army. During this period, Tina, like any other Zerg player, constantly harassed him.

"She should be spreading the creep on a large scale, but unfortunately, if the Zerg can't gain an advantage in the early game, they're doomed to lose in the late game."

This is a point universally acknowledged by all players in the internet cafe: if the Zerg player can't win against the other two races in the early to mid-game, they'll be even less likely to win in the late game. Once the Terran player establishes their cities, they simply can't be invaded.

With the Protoss's golden fleet deployed, the Zerg had no choice but to consider relocating their base.

Those who participate in the game will be prepared for a base-trading strategy. If Tina tries to trade bases, Lelouch will make her end the game quickly. With Mommy Ship around, any base-trading attempt can be stopped in time.

Once his mother ship and the Colossus were built, hordes of troops began to move out.

How do I lose in F2A?

Meanwhile, Liu Yuan, who was live-streaming, was also giving a passionate commentary.

"Look! Lelouch has assembled his forces. Wait? What's Tina's tactic? A water hook? It's a water hook! But unfortunately, against overwhelming power, even a water hook can't win. Unless Lelouch sacrifices his mothership and the Colossus. Wait? What's Lelouch doing? Oh no!!!"

Those watching the live stream could feel Liu Yuan's pained cry. Lelouch, perhaps out of control, was completely overwhelmed, his team utterly crushing the enemy. Logically, this shouldn't be happening, but for some reason, Lelouch's mind was focused on the "F2A" strategy—how could he lose?—and he just went for it.

The so-called F2A strategy involves F2 assembling all units and then attacking. However, Lelouch was too confident and knew Tina's development range and approximate technology level based on his known vision. But he completely failed to anticipate that Tina would employ a strategy that no one knew.

So when the main force rushed over, Tina's side directly pulled over all of Lelouch's most important units from the Celestial Spirit army.

As key units were drawn in for focused fire, Tina's Zerglings also charged in. If it were a simple head-on attack, Tina's side would definitely lose. Putting aside everything else, just the two Colossi alone could teach the Zerglings a lesson. However, in the very instant the battle began, the Colossi were pulled away, the Mothership was pulled away, and even the Lightning Bolt was instantly destroyed.

Before the battle even began, almost all of the key units were wiped out, while Tina's Zerglings suffered no losses whatsoever. While Tina was dealing with the Protoss's key units, the Zerg swarm surged forward.

What looked like a complex maneuver actually took only a dozen seconds in the live stream. Just a dozen seconds earlier, Liu Yuan was saying that Tina was bound to lose and Lelouch was going to win. Then, as if his mouth had been blessed, he said that all the units that couldn't die died, and Lelouch's side surrendered without any hesitation.

There was no need to fight anymore, because he knew he had underestimated his opponent.

Even if you say you value your opponent, if you look at their record and your own intelligence on the enemy is flawed, defeat is inevitable.

Liu Yuanren was stunned to see Lelouch surrender so quickly.

Alicia then looked at Liu Yuan: "Boss..."

"Boss"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Liu Yuan snapped out of his daze: "Ah!! What happened? Lelouch, how did you lose?! Couldn't you have just tried to get a better view?! Did you have to charge in without any vision?!"

Alicia, propping her head up, waited for Liu Yuan to finish speaking before asking curiously, "Boss, your favorite lost, and the one you didn't like won."

"Ahem, isn't this normal? The battlefield situation changes in an instant, and any underestimation of the enemy can lead to an unexpected outcome. It's not a big problem!"

"No! The problem is huge."

Alicia didn't offer any explanation, while Liu Yuan stared at the match results in deep thought. His three favorites had all lost in the round of 64 to 32.

Lelouch lost to Tina, and Suzuki Satoru lost to Agumon? At this moment, Liu Yuan rubbed his eyes, afraid that he had seen something wrong. The result was clearly written above: Suzuki Satoru lost to Agumon.

Minato Namikaze lost to Yunru. Don't let Yunru's unassuming appearance and her seemingly simple role as a researcher in the game fool you; her experience commanding aliens and insects in this other world has given her a wealth of experience.

Although she primarily played PvE in StarCraft, her real-world PvP experience had given her a complete understanding of the Zerg's characteristics. She used a 12D rush to harass the enemy in the early game, then transitioned to a direct development phase, catching Namikaze and Watergate completely off guard. And then she lost.

As for the match Suzuki Satoru lost, it was also due to underestimating his opponent. People have always thought Agumon isn't very bright because it has consistently demonstrated exceptional fighting power, not exceptional intelligence.

The problem is that the proportion of time in the Digital World it lives in is even more exaggerated. While the StarCraft competition was being promoted, Agumon was frantically learning and absorbing data in its own world.

In reality, everyone underestimated Agumon. Under Taichi Yagami's leadership, Agumon has been constantly evolving and devolving, evolving into some Digimon skilled in strategic command, absorbing their experience and using it.

Daigo and Accelerator, who were "cursed" by the jinx, also successfully entered the top 32.

In the following matches, Liu Yuan also demonstrated his extraordinary talent.

When it comes to games, he's truly a professional. While he might not be considered a top player in these games, his basic analysis using data from internet cafes is still quite accurate.

But who would have thought that these customers were all playing dirty tricks?

Like Accelerator, he's unassuming most of the time, but he's always playing LoL with Kinji Toyama, going 0-12-12. In Rainbow Six Siege, he's practically invincible, like a baby room and a mansion, going toe-to-toe with him. One day he's playing a duo lane and getting chased all over the place by Red Spirit; the next day he's playing Red Alert and getting his base raided.

Because of his poor gaming skills, everyone assumed Accelerator was a noob. Also, due to the different worlds, no one knew about the esper system in Academy City.

Meanwhile, Accelerator usually acts too recklessly, and combined with the live stream's effect, Liu Yuan also labeled him as someone who would lose.

As a result, Accelerator didn't waste any time from beginning to end. He directly activated the highest calculation mode, and with the help of Misaka Mikoto, Shokuhou Misaki, and the Misaka Sisters, he collected all the information on the Machine Race StarCraft duel in order to win this match.

Why is Accelerator going to such lengths? Because Misaka Misaka wants a limited-edition Jashin-themed Gekota plushie. There are only three of these Gekota plushies currently available, and the person who owns them is incredibly wealthy; they simply can't buy them.

Just as Accelerator was about to redo his game, he saw this competition and decided to participate. Because his usual behavior was so silly, people didn't notice Accelerator until the round of 64.

However, in the remaining matches, there was no opportunity to collect data on Accelerator's normal condition, resulting in his easy victory.

After the match ended and everyone was happily discussing it, a player uploaded a video of what Liu Yuan said during the match.

What? "No one will be able to get their base stolen by 12D, right?" But then I saw that Tatsumi actually managed to get into the round of 16 by stealing the base with 12D.

There's nothing Daigo can't do in terms of operations. He still managed to make it into the top four thanks to his strong operational skills and lightning-fast reaction speed.

Manipulating people's hearts is no match for Lelouch, and as a result, Lelouch's troops were lured away, etc.

In addition, considering the predictions that Liu Yuan made intentionally or unintentionally for the sake of the show, which have backfired, Liu Yuan has gained another title: "Poisonous Milk Liu"!

Meanwhile, in another world, a silver-haired girl named Hu Xingfu watched the live stream from beginning to end and felt somewhat moved.

"Old Hu! I didn't say a word this time, and I didn't think about who would win. The result is the opposite of what you guessed, and it wasn't because I jinxed you! I just said what he said made sense; it has nothing to do with me!!!"

"...

Even across worlds, genders, and ages, when people with similar talents meet, they will always feel a sense of mutual appreciation.

Chapter 528 Nana, the Powerless One~

The event has ended, and Liu Yuan has successfully earned the title of "Poisonous Milk" (a term used to describe someone who is unlucky in love). You might say Liu Yuan doesn't understand the guests or the StarCraft game? Obviously not. According to the guests' descriptions, the number of guests who have been directly or indirectly helped by Liu Yuan could form an entire army.

And everyone has also watched Liu Yuan's game livestream,

While his understanding of the game may not be groundbreaking, his unique insights are definitely among the best of all players.

But this time, all the praise was completely wasted, while those who were said to be bad were ranked at the top. This ability to "poison" the jinx can only be described with one word: "amazing".

To put on a show? Obviously not. As gamers, it's fine for them to do whatever they want in their daily lives, but when they're in a competition and streaming, why would they put on a show?

Besides, the rewards for the first few rounds are just too tempting, especially the wish from the Law of Cycles, which is something that people in every world would want.

As a result, Accelerator took it. And to make matters worse, his wish was to have a rare Gekota plushie.

Ugh! Shameful! Misaka Mikoto regrets ever knowing Accelerator; if she had won first place, she would have gotten at least two!

As the competition ended and the new day began, a new customer arrived at branch number three.

Her name was Zhong Nana, a girl with beautiful pink hair. She smiled as she looked at everything in the internet cafe, but in reality, she had no idea what was happening.

She was tasked with assassinating superpowered individuals on an island inhabited entirely by them. However, on her first day of school, she found herself transported to this internet cafe.

When the internet cafe manager, Shirley, saw the newcomer, she immediately greeted her: "Hello, welcome to Four-Dimensional Space Internet Cafe, my name is Shirley~"

Sherry, who has pink hair, feels a strong liking for Nana Hiiragi, who also has pink hair. However, for some reason, she feels that something is off about the newcomer when she looks at the girl in front of her.

Hitomi, who was at the front desk, smiled at Nana Hiiragi. Feeling Hitomi's gaze, Nana Hiiragi smiled back at Hitomi.

"Senior, is there anything I can do for you?"

"What can you do? Go online and play games. Kinji Toyama!!!"

Hitomi's shout made Kinji Toyama, who was playing a game, stop, and the three Toyamas also stopped.

The Toyama Trio is a team of three, led by Kinji Toyama, with Accelerator, Shido Itsuka, and Ichika Orimura at the core. Don't ask why a trio has four members; it's exactly the same principle as the Four Heavenly Kings having five.

As one of the oldest customers at Branch 3, Kinji Toyama's pursuit of an ordinary life has influenced many people. At the same time, Kinji is a huge fan of Liu Yuan; whenever he starts teaching, Liu Yuan's name is always on his lips.

In addition, his experience in armed police investigation makes it easy for him to help mentor a troubled newcomer.