East China University of Science and Technology had come into the Winter Collegiate Cup thinking they could make it all the way to the main tournament. They were convinced that they finally had what it took to compete with the big teams. But that confidence disappeared and morale crashed after Wang Hes death in the mid lane. It was just the latest instance of how their game against Team Shanghai was going. Terribly. They werent just losing the game, they were getting schooled by a group of high schoolers!

East China University of Science and Technologys soundproof booth was silent. The players looked at their screens in numb horror. They knew what was happening. Zhu Feng glanced at his teammates, chewing on the inside of his cheeks. Were losing. Were losing this. Theyre so much better. He took a deep breath and then said over the teams voice chat, Come on, guys! Next game will be ours. We just need to He couldnt even get himself to finish his motivational speech. His words were all lies. He knew it and his teammates knew it too. It was so obvious how vast the chasm between them and Team Shanghai was that it wasnt even funny.

The audience came to the same conclusion, as did the players from the other teams present. Team Shanghai was the better team and was more than likely going to win this series. There wasnt much in terms of excitement, most people in the crowd remaining silent. Theyd made fun of the high school team by telling jokes about how Team Shanghai was going to get eliminated in the first round. But no one was laughing now. Team Shanghai displayed incredibly high individual skill levels. And now that the game was moving into the mid game, they proved that their map control and macro ability were of an equally high level.

Theyre going to be a tough team to beat, someone in the audience said. It was a notion that received a lot of agreement. Team Shanghai wasnt here to sightsee, they were here to compete. To win this local division of the Winter Collegiate Cup and move on to the next round!

40 seconds until the next Dragon, Zeng Rui said over Team Shanghais voice chat. Get ready. He was already on the move himself, clearing wards in the river around the Dragon pit and placing down wards of his own to gain vision.

Zhang Hao nodded and said, Just pushing out this wave and then Im coming down. There were only a few more Red minions in the top lane. He used his skills to kill them and then recalled back to base. Teleport is still on cooldown. I shouldnt have used it Ah, nevermind. He clicked towards the Dragon pit. Theres still plenty of time. Lets go and help the team.

The calmness and focus in Team Shanghais soundproof booth was completely missing in East China University of Science and Technologys soundproof booth. Zhu Feng watched his teams wards disappear in the bottom side jungle. We need to stop them! We cant just sit here and do nothing! But Dammit! STUPID! He sighed in annoyance. The Jungle was a combination of small, winding paths and monster camps. It was suicide to walk into there without proper vision. All Team Shanghai had to do was wait in one brush and then land their area-of-effect skills on the members of his team. Threshs Q Luxs Q and ult J4s EQ Theyve got all the skills to f.u.c.k us up. He shook his head and gnashed his teeth. But he finally made the only call he could make. Were giving up on the Dragon. Let them take it.

Zeng Rui was slightly surprised when he saw the opposing team giving up on the Dragon. Theyre not even trying to steal it? Do they really think some CS in mid and top is worth more? Though it is probably the right call. Were really far ahead. They made a fast call and followed it. Thats something to remember. He turned to look at An Xin and said over the teams voice chat, Theyre decisive.

An Xin smiled and replied, Yep. Guessing they realised that it isnt worth the risk to contest this Dragon.

Nooooooo! Why would they do this to me? Lin Feng whined. He curled his lips and added, And I just hit my power spike too! His Lux had pulled so far ahead in experience and gold that she was an absolute monster. Her burst damage was so high that Red teams Jinx and Syndra would instantly die to it, while even the tanky frontline Champions would find it difficult to survive. Team Shanghai didnt even really need the rest of their team anymore. Just Lux alone could do the engage, the damage, and the cleanup!

Good call to give up. That Lux is unkillable.

I think they should just surrender This game is over. That Lux

Look at her items! Oh my god! How did she get so strong this early?

I mean shes at almost 12 CS a minute. Thats just insane

That must be some kind of record, right? 12! Holy shit!

Its mental. Absolutely f.u.c.k.i.n.g mental! That Lux is just crazy strong right now!

The game was only 18 minutes in, but by the way Team Shanghai was pushing it felt more like the 35th minute. And the 12th minute for East China University of Science and Technology in terms of items. Zhu Feng gritted his teeth and glanced at his minimap. Were all here defending our mid inner tower. All five of us. And those c.o.c.ky high school kids are pushing with only two! Lux and Thresh! Their Toplaner is pushing the top lane and we cant stop him, because well lose mid if we do! And I dont even know where their Graves and Jarvan IV are. Probably coming mid? Best to assume that. But the only one defending the Lux right now is Thresh. If were ever going to do anything to get back into this game A jolt sparked in his stomach. He realised that this was probably their last chance at a comeback. He made the call and said over the teams voice chat, We have to act now! Kill the Lux!

Zeng Rui was trying to keep up with Lin Fengs Lux, who just kept pushing and pushing. Lin Feng! he shouted over the teams voice chat. Dont push so deep! We need to wait for the others!

An Xin followed up by saying, Yeap! Wait for me and Tang Tang! Were almost there!

But Lin Feng didnt worry. He ignored the yellow retreat pings on his minimap and the sound they made in his ears. ZengZeng has my back. Well win this. Itll be easy. He had his Lux auto attack a minion and said confidently, Its fine! Ive got really good items! Theres nothing to worry about!

Zhu Feng flicked his mouse, moving around the mid lane to make sure everything was in place. Their Alistar was hiding in the Jungle, ready to Flash over the wall and catch the Lux off guard. The rest of the team was in position to follow up on that. He smiled. Well get him and then win the fight! Without the Lux, we can kill them! He shouted over the teams voice chat, GO!

There was a small nook in the entrance to the top side Jungle from the mid lane. Team Shanghai didnt have vision on it. But Lin Fengs Lux still walked dangerously close to it. The Alistar waited, waited, and then flashed forward! He arrived right on top of the Lux with a mottled flash of light and activated Pulverize! He clenched his massive fists and raised them up high above his head. Then he slammed down on the ground with all the force in his body! The earth cracked and the two Champions from Team Shanghai caught in its radius were hurled up into the air! The Alistar used this brief period that the Lux was airborne to run behind her and then, as she landed back on the ground, he Headbutted her towards the inner tower!

OH SNAP! That engage!

WOOT WOOOO! Lets f.u.c.k.i.n.g goooooo!

NICE-LA! We turning this around! Beat em high schoolers!

RIP the high schoolers! GOOOOOOOOOO ZHU FENG!

Is this the turn around?

They caught the Lux! Shes gonna die! AND THEN THE WHOLE TEAM WILL DIE!

TURNTABLES TIME! WOOOOOOOOO!

The players from East China University of Science and Technology moved into action. Hu Huis KhaZix leaped onto the Lux and cleaved her with his claws, while Wang He activated Flame Chompers. His Jinx took out her bazooka and fired three grenades! They landed right underneath Lux, where they exploded! And rooted her!

Nice! Wang He exclaimed over the teams voice chat. He had his Jinx take out her minigun and switched to automatic. Bullets flew through the air and pierced Lux, shearing away at her health!

Lin Feng didnt panic. He stared at his screen, his fingers gliding over his keyboard. Jinxs Flame Chompers rooted his Lux to the ground. But he could still cast his abilities. He waited for a brief moment as the KhaZix moved ever so slightly to line up with the Jinx. Then he cast Light Binding. A sphere of light flew through KhaZix and then Jinx, rooting them both! He followed up with Lucent Singularity and Final Spark, completing Luxs full damage combo!

An anomaly of twisted light flew out from Luxs wand and covered a circle wide enough to encapsulate both the KhaZix and the Jinx. Then Lux threw her wand up in the air and had it spin in front of her! She jumped up, arching her back backwards and gathering all the power she could muster! Then she unleashed it all! A massive laser beam blasted through the Jinx and KhaZix!

The Jinx and KhaZix survived the burst damage from Lin Fengs Lux for one reason only. Wang He managed to get off a Heal between the detonation of Lucent Singularity and the damage from Final Spark. But they were both at critical health. One more auto attack was enough to kill the Jinx, and two for the KhaZix. But right then Zhu Fengs Syndra flashed towards the Lux. She used Dark Sphere to set up for Scatter the Weak! Ill stun you! See how you dodge this!

Lin Feng smirked. Im really good at baiting too! He pressed down on the 2 key, activating the active skill on his item Zhonyas Hourglass. The golden grains of time flashed into existence. They wrapped around Lux and paused her very existence in time and space! She was untargetable and invulnerable for a brief period of time. For a valuable few seconds.

HOLY SHIT! How? HOW!?

Did he plan this all along? Was he actually baiting them?

F.u.c.k me, what a bait!

DAYUUUUM! Crazy plays by that Lux! Absolute madman!

I like him. Really f.u.c.k.i.n.g like him!

WOOOOOOO!

Time ground to a halt in the soundproof booth from East China University of Science and Technology. No one knew what to say. Their last ditch effort had failed, and all because they forgot to take the item Zhonyas Hourglass into consideration. Zhu Feng hit himself in the forehead in annoyance. I shouldve known. I shouldve f.u.c.k.i.n.g known! STUPID!

There was one player on the team who was dealing harder with this loss than Zhu Feng, harder than the rest of his team combined. Wang He was staring at his screen, metaphorical smoke rising up above his head. Just a few seconds ago, hed been ecstatic. Theyd caught Lux out of position and were going to finally turn this game around! It all began so perfectly. Alistar got the catch, he got the root, and then Syndra arrived for the stun. It was the perfect plan! It shouldnt have failed! It He gritted his teeth, a familiar anger appearing in his eyes. F.U.C.K.I.N.G BULLSHIT! ZHU FENG SHOULDVE LINKED THAT BETTER! HE WAS TOO LATE!

The game had started terribly for Wang He. His Jinx was constantly forced to play on the backfoot, even after hed told his teammates that they should give him some help! But he didnt get the help he needed. And wherever he went, he died. If not in the bot lane, then in the mid lane. And then there was his creep score. He didnt even want to look at it. The game was 18 minutes in, yet hed only gotten 74 last hits. That wasnt anywhere near enough. He needed at least double that number to be competitive! THIS IS F.U.C.K.I.N.G BULLCRAP! WHY DOES IT ALWAYS GO LIKE THIS? WHAT THE F.U.C.K! I SHOULDVE WON THIS! IM BETTER THAN THAT STUPID THOT!

Theyre only high schoolers. High Schoolers! They cant be this good. They arent. Im just seeing things. Zhu Feng is having a bad game, thats why that Lux looks so good. That Lux Wang He took a deep breath. He needed to find an excuse as to why the Lux was so far ahead of everyone else. Even after roaming around to the bot lane and helping pick up kills there, she still breached 200 CS at 18 minutes. ITS F.U.C.K.I.N.G IMPOSSIBLE! Cheating! He must be cheating somehow. He has to be. You cant get 202 CS this early! ITS IMPOSSIBLE!

WE HAD HER! WE F.U.C.K.I.N.G HAD HER! WHY DID ZHU FENG F.U.C.K UP!? Wang He was completely losing it. His head was turning red and purple and his hands were trembling. I HATE THAT F.U.C.K.I.N.G BITCH! STUPID SHIT LUX! WE F.U.C.K.I.N.G HAD HER! SHE GOT KNOCKED UP!

She shouldve tried to escape! Why did she engage? No one engages 1vs5. She shouldve ran away! That was the plan. Chase her down. Kill her. And then kill the rest of the team! Why did she turn on us? That was just suicidal! But she isnt dead yet. She isnt Wang He stared at his screen, time slowly winding up again. He faintly heard Zhu Fengs voice in the background, BACK! NOW! BAAAACK!

Zeng Rui watched Lin Feng going in. Shit! Why doesnt he back? I told him he has to He gritted his teeth. No time. He made his decision and said over the teams voice chat, Were fighting this! He then flashed towards the still rooted Jinx and KhaZix and whipped his chain and sickle backwards, flaying them towards the approaching Jarvan IV and Graves.

An Xins Jarvan IV was the next to arrive to the fight. She engaged on the Jinx and KhaZix with her flag-toss combo, knocking them up right as the root wore off. This gave Tang Bingyaos Graves enough time to get in range for her ultimate skill. She pressed down on the R keyCollateral Damage! Graves fired an explosive shell that smashed into the Jinx and blasted away the last of her health, while also splashing damage onto the KhaZix.

You have slain an enemy!

Zeng Ruis Thresh had an easy target for his Death Sentence. The KhaZix was still airborne and couldnt dodge. The scythe hooked the KhaZix and Zeng Ruis Thresh dragged him backwards. An Xin followed up with Cataclysm! Jarvan IV leaped up above the KhaZix and then came back to the ground with such force that the earth terraformed into an arena! But there was no opponent inside this arena. KhaZix had died on impact.

You have slain an enemy!

Zhu Feng watched on in horror as his teams perfect engage ended in them giving away two kills without getting anything for it in return. Its over. Its Its over. He said through gritted teeth, Retreat. Get out if you can. He then took the lead, running away and giving up on his teammates and the inner tower.

WOOOOO! Thats game! THATS GAME!

G f.u.c.k.i.n.g G!

How did they win that fight? SNAPPERINO!

I know! Crazy, right? So much luck for that Lux!

Dunno about that, mate. Did you see the player cam? That dude did not look worried at all.

Shit. Youre right! Look at the replay! Hes grinning!

THE DUDE IS GRINNING! WHAT A CHAMP!

The large screen above the two soundproof booths was showing the replay of the last fight. Right next to the minimap was the player feed. Everyone was staring at it, including the players from the other teams. The replay was shown a second time, and then a third. The players in the player seating area started discussing what they saw on the replay.

Could it be No way. Did he let himself get caught on purpose?

No way Right? But that smile He looks scary.

Guys, guys. Those are high schoolers! HIGH SCHOOLERS! What crap are you all talking?

Right. High schoolers who are stomping Zhu Fengs team

That Lux is f.u.c.k.i.n.g mental if he did that on purpose!

ILL EAT A ROCK IF THAT WAS ON PURPOSE!

If that was on purpose, then hed be some kind of LPL pro

Lin Feng grinned and turned his head to look at Zeng Rui. He said over the teams voice chat, My bait worked! Everything went according to plan! See, ZengZeng? I told you I hit my power spike!

Zeng Rui wasnt amused. He replied, Attack the inner tower. He then took a couple deep, long breaths. No. I have to say something. He added, You do realise we wouldve lost a big teamfight if we didnt follow up on your engage, right?

What do you mean? Lin Feng asked, confused. He laughed and said, I knew you guys would follow up! Thats why I engaged!

Zeng Rui felt his eyebrow twitching again. Thundering dumbass! I really want to strangle you! Im going to go bald because of you! Dammit! I He gritted his teeth and glared at Lin Feng. As long as I have to play with you, all Ill be doing as a Support is running after you and wiping your ass!

An Xin giggled and said, Seems like you still have that bad habit. Didnt I tell you to do something about that? She glanced at Zeng Rui and read the rage in his expression. Maybe I should say something She hesitated for a brief moment before adding, At least try to change a bit.

Huh? Whats there to be changed? It worked great back then and its clearly still working great right now! Didnt you see that teamfight? We won it! Lin Feng answered over the teams voice chat, puzzled. He shrugged and continued, You guys are my teammates. I can make these plays because I believe in all of you!

There was a rare moment of complete silence in Team Shanghais soundproof booth. No one expected these words from Lin Feng. He said them as though it was the most normal thing ever. But it wasnt normal. It was easy to tell someone that you trust them. It was another thing entirely to actually trust them. The players from Team Shanghai were doing this too. They told each other that they believed in each other, yet they didnt play like it. There was reservation and uncertainty in every play they made. And then there was Lin Feng, who went in deep behind enemy lines utterly unconcerned. I can make these plays because I believe in all of you!

Zhang Hao found himself looking at Zeng Rui. Im Waiting for him to give an answer. Why do I always do this? He glanced at Lin Feng. Hes right. Lin Feng is right. Ive always just done what Zeng Rui told me to do. I trusted him to make the right calls. But that isnt what Lin Feng is talking about. With Shanghai High School, we all trusted Zeng Rui to lead us. It was a one way street that we were all happy with. But we never trusted each other, or got his trust.

What Lin Feng is saying, is that he trusts me just like I trust him. Its a back and forth. Its Zhang Hao smiled. This is how it should be. He nodded at Lin Feng and said over the teams voice chat, Well said! Dont worry about making crazy plays like that! Ive got your back!

Zeng Rui stared at Zhang Hao. It was the second explosion that went off in his head. What Lin Feng suggested was an approach to the game hed never considered. Each team needs a shotcaller. A leader to tell the rest what to do! What hes saying No Or Yes? I He chewed on his lips. What if...