Before they could even realize what had happened, one of their teammates had suddenly been killed—
Obviously, Hardcore wouldn’t be content to just sit down and take it, so they jumped into action, firing in the direction they heard the shot come from.
However, Wu Biaoqing was at an advantage, as he’d already climbed a tree, a skill that only thieves and assassins possessed.
Hardcore only had one player who could also climb trees; their youngest player, Clementine, whom Wu Biaoqing had just unceremoniously headshot.
Coupled with the fact that the random realm they’d gotten was the jungle realm, the map he was most familiar with, Isolation seemed to have suddenly revived, the initial struggle of the previous round forgotten as he moved with a subtle sense of grace, shooting another member of hardcore with ease.
The shot hit, but didn’t kill instantly like he hoped.
Modest, whom he hit, stayed true to his style, typing out a message in the chat box.
Hardcore.Modest to LIFE.Isolation — Bro, so OP!
He then promptly shot him, knocking down a third of Wu Biaoqing’s health in one go.
He sighed and entertained the taunting message by chatting back, his blank expression never changing.
LIFE.Isolation to Hardcore.Modest — Don’t be so kind (///▽///)
Bang!
Bang!
Just as he was shot again, Wu Biaoqing managed to fire back, successfully bringing the match that began as a 3V1 to a 1V1.
{Raise was killed by LIFE.Isolation. 10 second cooldown enabled.}
Raise, who had yet to join in the conversation, was killed before he even had the chance to speak.
Watching his aggrieved expression caused the audience to laugh loudly, and even the hosts fanned the flames.
“Ah, poor Tan Shen,” Qian Liqiu chuckled, “he clearly hit Isolation, but he didn’t get even a second to flaunt it.”
“Well, Isolation is quick with his decisions,” Liang Enlai noted, “he replied to Modest, so most would assume he was planning on killing him next, but he’s actually been planning on killing Raise first. It’s a good decision.”
“How so,” His fellow host asked, intrigued, “it would be better to get rid of the stronger of the two first, no?”
“Raise and Modest are married in the game, so they have a couple buff,” the actor explained, “which is why Raise plays with his alt account, Rising, during the professional competitions. There’s no rule against it in the CCC tournament, though, so he’s free to play with his main account. The perks of gaming with the player you’re married with are much higher for female characters, like Tan Shen’s, so it was better to kill him first then risk them being able to use their couple skills, which benefit him the most.”
“I totally forgot about that!” Qian Liqiu exclaimed, “hopefully we’ll get to see them utilizing their buffs soon. Not very many teams are able to take advantage of the marriage system.”
Liang Enlai hummed, adding simply, “we’ll see it in this round if they can last that long.”
Under the questioning look of the host, he returned his focus to the screen in front of him, where the gameplay was unfolding.
Wu Biaoqing was hopping from tree to tree at a shocking speed, getting further away as Modest followed from the ground, shooting at him and missing or only lightly grazing him.
“Looks like Isolation is trying to lure him away from that area,” Qian Liqiu observed, “but why is he going closer to his teams’ base?”
The question was short lived, as Wu Biaoqing stopped right before the trees cleared, and dropped to the ground as Modest’s character ran to catch up.
Hardcore.Modest to LIFE.Isolation — (´･Д･)」 playing hide and seek??
LIFE.Isolation to Hardcore.Modest — taking a nap (｡ ˇ‸ˇ ｡)
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“…why do I feel like he’s better at using emojis?” Liang Enlai commented, “he barely used the in-game chat during his older live streams, but he started replying recently.”
In the audience, Zheng Shun barely managed to stifle his laugh.
At the same time, Modest realized he couldn’t find Wu Biaoqing anywhere above him, and he paused, waiting for any sight or sound of movement that would give away the other players’ position.
Unfortunately for him, Wu Biaoqing had spent a lot of time on his side account playing as an assassin, in order to implicate techniques from the play-style into his warrior-thief main.
Even in his recent live streams, his fans had taken notice of his gradual progression into becoming more assassin-like, something that worked well for his normal style that involved frequent sneak attacks.
Some had gone so far as to ask why he hadn’t chosen to main as an assassin, and he’d never actually explained why, despite there being obvious perks that would help with sneaking and ambushing.
In this moment, however, him being warrior-thief would prove to be an important distinction.
Isolation snuck up behind Modest as he turned around again, deciding to walk forward and see if he could find the enemy further ahead.
Wu Biaoqing followed behind him in close pursuit, his steps so light they were practically inaudible even against the grass.
“Did Wu Biaoqing pay to change to an assassin?” Liang Enlai wondered aloud, “I’ve never heard a warrior’s footsteps so soft.”
“No, I think he’s- he’s jumping!” Qian Liqiu noticed, gasping, “he’s using the jump and arrow button at the same time, so his character is walking forward while making less noise! Who would’ve thought the game had this kind of cheat…”
“Wait, I don’t think it’s a cheat,” the co-host remarked, “I think he’s switching between jumping and walking so quickly that the game doesn’t have time to decipher what audio to play. To do that, his hand speed would have to be among the best, even by professional standards, right?”
“So that’s why no one has made use of a cheat like that,” the host was in awe as he watched the game unfold, “incredible!”
But the most incredible thing was not only his hand speed, but also his ability to think within the moment.
While most people would simply get a headshot in and be done with it, Wu Biaoqing remembered that Modest was known for his extremely precise close combat, and going for a headshot was risky in the event that he managed to spot him and fight back.
However, warriors were able to wield extra weapons, one one suck weapon Wu Biaoqing collected was perfect for the job—
A poisoned knife.
The poisoned knife was great for when thieves had to play close combat, as it continued to deteriorate a player’s health subtly even after revival, but it was low on most player’s radar for the extremely difficult task of getting close enough to use it.
Luckily, all weapons in LOW could be thrown, regardless of what kind of weapon it was.
So long as Wu Biaoqing maintained the distance he was at, he could safely throw it and have enough time to switch back to a gun and finish the job, or at least try to fight if the knife missed.
A perfectly crafted plan unfolded in the audience’s eyes as he crept up on the unsuspecting Modest, and after a moment of deliberation that had the audience waiting with baited breath, he hurled the knife at his opponent.
It whizzed through the air with a sound in the game that could be identified, but Modest realized too late, turning around but failing to dodge the knife before it hit him, effectively poisoning him.
Wu Biaoqing’s lips curled in a satisfied smile as he took a hit straight on, knocking him down to a sliver of his health, before shooting Modesty one last time.
{Modesty was killed by LIFE.Isolation. 10 second cooldown enabled.}
The crowd went wild with cheers and applause for the smart thinking of the gamer who’d been playing so poorly not too long before, and he’d cemented himself as a player to watch out for in the future of LOW gaming with his risky yet rewarding set of moves.
“It looks like Isolation is going to be the man to beat during the playoffs,” the body grinned, “If he continues improving at the rate he has been, he might even stand a chance against He Weizhe!”
The moment he blurted the comment out, not thinking before he spoke amidst the celebration and awe, everyone went silent.
Regardless of if one was a hardcore fan, or a passerby, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know about the current strongest LOW player in all of China, He Weizhe, known by his username Saint.
To say a new player had enough skill to even get to play against him was enough to send fans into a frenzy, and the offhand comment sparked an online debate that spread across the internet at lightning speed, igniting the fighting spirits of his fans as well as fans of his team.
Compared to the number of people who knew about LOW, and the number of fans of LOW, arguing for Isolation was akin to fighting a battle that was already lost.
[saintslittlewifey: who the fuck does he think he is? Our family’s Saint could pummel this hood into the ground! Not even a five minute match, tops.]
[windyfan01: Commentators like this make me mad. You think just anyone is on par with He Weizhe? Tell me, who can challenge ESSU outside of teams in the world championship? No one.]
[lowislovelowislife: Saint has more experience, more talent, more skill, and more power than Isolation will ever have.]
[user04747329373: comparing my idol to a lowly tournament gamer… what a joke]
Of course, this led to Isolation’s haters bashing him too, making the mess run wild and successfully brought public attention to poor isolation once again.
Luckily, Wu Biaoqing was too busy rejoining his team and winning the match to check his phone and see the current weibo hot searches.
{Team LIFE has toppled team Hardcore’s crystal}
During the few seconds between the actual win, and the ‘you win’ screen showing up on his computer, he smugly typed out a simple phrase.
LIFE.Isolation to Hardcore.Modesty — Bro, so OP!
Across the stage, Xie Xiaosi, who played Modesty, fumed.
—
In the end, Hardcore managed to win the second match, but LIFE took the overall victory for the second time in a row.
While not perfect, it was definitely satisfying after such a struggle the first time around, and Wu Biaoqing heaved a sigh of relief as he sat down in the waiting room once more.
“Please don’t tell me we have a lot more to go,” Men Wu whined, draping himself over Xi Zhe like an overly obnoxious blanket.
“We only have one more round for the day, and then we’re done,” their captain reassured him, “we’re last, though, so we have some time to spare.”
“Ugh, thank god, I’m starving!” Chang Hui complained, “Wu-ge, let’s get some lunch?”
“Oh, I guess it is lunchtime,” Wu Biaoqing nodded.
The two of them dutifully took their teammates’ and manager’s orders, and walked together to the nearest restaurant.
The sun hung high in the afternoon sky, and the weather was nice as they stepped outside, a gentle breeze tugging at their clothes like it had a secret to share.
Wu Biaoqing took a deep breath, trying his best to relax after such an eventful day—
After all, he’d already gone through so much, and the day wasn’t even over yet.
It was a bit laughable, how so much and so little could happen all at once, all within the span of a few measly hours.
As they walked, they passed by some security standing outside the back door exit, but other than that it was practically empty, and the walked the streets to find something to eat with a thin veil of silence hanging over them.
It was Wu Biaoqing, in the end, who decided to speak.
“You want to ask,” he observed, a statement as opposed to a question.
After a moment, Chang hui replied with an awkward smile, “…yeah, I do.”
His teammate shrugged, “then ask.”
“But you—”
“Chang Hui,” he paused in his steps as he spoke, and his friend walked slightly further ahead before coming to a stop as well, turning around to face him, “would you lie to me?”
His teammate frowned, before replying honestly, “if it was for your own good, yeah.”
Wu Biaoqing laughed, “you don’t have to be so serious, this isn’t a pop quiz.”
It made Chang Hui chuckle too, and the tense atmosphere lightened slightly.
“Would you lie to me on purpose?” be rephrased the question slightly, “would you admit it if I figured out you lied?”
“I might,” he said, “but I’d never deny it. Not if you knew. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to.”
Wu Biaoqing smiled then, softly, eyes tiny crescents that reminded Chang Hui of the moon on a lonely night, the kind of moon that drew people in and listened to their sorrows because it held centuries worth of heartbreaks, both its own and others.
“Good,” he replied, “then there’s nothing wrong with me trusting you. You can ask.”
His friend hesitated.
Swallowed dry, mustered up his courage, and Wu Biaoqing watched it all from a few steps away, watched the way he tried to speak and paused, as if he wasn’t exactly sure what he really wanted to ask.
There was silence, for a few precious seconds, as he parsed out how to say what he wanted to, and Wu Biaoqing sat in it, let it fester, let himself drown in the quietness of a nice spring day, and let himself breathe.
“Are you alright?” He settles on at last, though it doesn’t feel completely right, “I know you’re better than this morning, but are you really alright? Can you do this?”
“I’m alright,” Wu Biaoqing nods, “I’m more than alright. Better.”
“Even though we’ll have to face ZD tomorrow?” Men Wu stared at him like he was trying to piece everything together, but he was still missing most of the story.
“Even then,” he assured his teammate, “it’s better now. It’s easier. I talked with Zeng Yuan and it helped. I don’t know if I’ll ever talk to Jiang Yu.”
“Are you going to try?” He asks, a mixture of concerned and something the fellow gamer can’t quite figure out.
“Mn,” Wu Biaoqing hums, “only if he wants to. If he doesn’t, I could care less.”
“Are you… happy?”
The question struck him as odd, because neither of them ever really ask each other that.
There’s a sense of taboo to it, the question feeling foreign as it leaves Chang Hui’s lips, but it makes a lot of sense when put into perspective.
Chang Hui had seen him at his worst.
He wanted to make sure something like that wasn’t going to happen again.
But when Wu Biaoqing really thought about it, he remembered the smell of a borrowed leather jacket, the chair in his sister’s flower shop, Zheng Shun’s lovely voice that he’d grown fond of, the sparkle in Zeng Yuan’s eyes when they shook hands, a cozy family dinner, text messages with more emojis than a chat between two guys should probably have, even if he thought Zheng Shin’s way of texting was cute, and he found the answer he’d always wanted to say came to him as easy as breathing.
“Yes,” he whispered, a hint of disbelief coloring his words like an artist who finally finished a painting years in the making, “I am.”
Chang Hui smiled, “I’m glad.”
The two walked side by side underneath the vibrant blue sky, neither speaking, just breathing, and Wu Biaoqing realized for the first time in his life that being happy was really such a simple thing.
The author has something to say
How did this chapter develop from gaming to another emotional scene? I’m the one who wrote it, that’s how (￣▽￣””) blame it on the 2am sleepiness, writing emotions is easier than the dearly dreaded gaming 555 I hope there aren’t too many extra typos from me writing so late…
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Also, don’t worry, we’ll be back on track for our regularly scheduled WBQ & ZS flirting here soon. I can’t wait for the scenes I have planned for them but there’s so much gaming I have to write first… oh the pain of having story arcs XD
See you next week dears~
Y’know, feeling, admitting that you feel happiness… It’s such a luxury? At least for me haha
I mean, for someone who feels sad quite a lot, being able to look at things and saying “I’m happy” it’s so meaningful. And like, not JUST saying it, FEELING IT. Idk if I get across well, I just wish I could say that too ┐(´ー｀)┌
The same is true for Wu Biaoqing, as he both struggles to express his emotions and also struggles to understand what he’s feeling. So for him to say that, and for the answer to be honest, means a lot more than simply yes . It’s a sign of healing. He’s grown, he’s changed, and he’s learning that happiness is so much easier to feel than he used to think it was.
So, in a way, I think the end of this chapter signifies a very major turning point in his life. He’s able to feel happy, and he’s able to feel that way consistently, after everything he’s gone through. It’s a completely new, wonderful experience. He’s not happy despite the things he’s gone through. He’s still gone through those experiences, and he’s not detaching himself from them, he’s existing with them. And he’s happy.
So I guess that dialogue is, more than anything, a reminder to myself and to anyone else who believes that happiness is a luxury, or that it’s something they won’t be able to feel consistently. There will be ups and downs, bad days and good days, but I think eventually, happiness always finds a way. I’m going to keep living my life again, and this time, let it chase after me.
(I hope that makes sense ;;)
Oh yes it did make sense. Y’know TODAY I was feeling really down suddenly, it was just the same as always, worrying uselessly about a lot of things; and I always end up in the idea that I can’t go on living bc life is sad and hard blah blah blah. I think I just want to be happy. I actually want to think about everything and conclude that I’m happy. Sadly that isn’t going to happen any time now but, it would be great if one day I could feel like that. Glad to hear that you have a nice mindset, it’s very helpful!
I hope you’re able to be happy too. I can totally understand that type of thinking— sometimes I think that way as well. Best of luck to you dear （＾ν＾）