The King's Avatar

During the regular season, Blue Rain was one of the few teams that defeated Happy twice in the team round. No, more accurately, it was three times. During their last match in the playoffs, even though Blue Rain had lost in the end, they had defeated Happy in the team round.

Three victories against Happy. Logically, they should be relatively experienced in dealing with them. But, as Blue Rain’s commander, Yu Wenzhou didn’t have that feeling at all.

Two meetings in the regular season, and then their last meeting during the playoffs. Three battles against Happy, and they had all felt different.

This wasn’t just because of Happy’s adjustments in terms of players and tactics. Over the course of these three battles, what was even more clear to see was Happy’s growth.

Ever since entering the pro scene, Happy’s players were recklessly absorbing experience and growing up at a crazy rate. Every year brought new teams, and these new teams, after entering the high-end refinery that was the pro scene, all demonstrated clear improvement. But Happy was the only one that had reached such heights so fast.

Most people looked at Ye Xiu, Su Mucheng, and Fang Rui. They felt that because Happy had three All-Star level players, they weren’t a typical new team, and that was why they could have such a strong performance.

But was that the only reason?

Consider Happy’s three All-Star level players.

Ye Xiu had left the pro scene for a year and a half and was now playing a new unspecialized class; Su Mucheng had left the pro scene for a year; Fang Rui had been standing at the pinnacle of Thieves before switching classes.

These three people all had their own problems. In fact, it could be said that they were among Happy’s weaknesses. For Happy to become such an unusual new team, it definitely wasn’t only because of the presence of these three All-Star level players.

Improvement. This was the key word shared by Happy and all other new teams. And the biggest difference between Happy and these other new teams was that Happy was able to completely turn their improvement into capability.

As long as the players became stronger, the team’s capabilities would increase, right?

This logic seemed obvious. But in reality, even though this logic worked in 1v1s, in team battles, this statement wasn’t so certain.

A team needed cooperation, needed understanding, needed mutual adaptation.

When a new team’s players began to grow, quickly or slowly, could the team stay whole and adjust appropriately to this kind of growth?

This wasn’t a simple matter. The biggest difference between Happy and the others was that Happy achieved this point very well. They were adjusting nonstop in response to the improvements made by the individual players.

In the end… it was still because of that guy, the one at Happy’s helm, Ye Xiu. He accurately grasped the fabric of Happy, and he let all the teams that only faced Happy once in the span of months feel the leaping growth of their battle ability. They were able to completely take advantage of that exceptional growth that characterized new teams.

And when they stood on the battlefield?

Countless scenes from Happy’s battles flashed through Yu Wenzhou’s mind.

The immature Happy had many weaknesses, but when opponents tried to charge toward Happy’s so-called weaknesses, how many teams were actually able to use that to crush Happy?

Happy had areas where they had yet to mature; they had areas where they weren’t good enough. But Happy themselves knew all of this, clearer than their opponents did, and so they had ample preparations to counter those who tried to attack their weak areas.

It all came back to Ye Xiu…

In Yu Wenzhou’s mind, the image of Ye Xiu and Lord Grim continued to sharpen, and what he covered was no longer simply Steamed Bun and Steamed Bun Invasion – it was the entirety of Happy!

If we don’t defeat this guy, we have no way of truly defeating Happy!

Those so-called breakthrough points, weaknesses, could all turn into reversals because of the presence of one person.

To defeat Happy, Yu Wenzhou discovered that what he had to do was so simple, yet not at all.

Defeat Ye Xiu.

Yes! That was all.

Beat Ye Xiu, and you can beat Happy.

This goal simply sounded like nonsense. Because this sentence could be applied to any team.

Beat Wang Jiexi, and you can beat Tiny Herb.

Beat Zhou Zekai, and you can beat Samsara.

Beat Han Wenqing, and you can beat Tyranny.

Every team had its core, and if the core was defeated, the chances of victory would greatly increase. But a core was a core because it was the most difficult person to beat in the entire team.

To beat them, you would have to pay an unusual price.

Just like that Happy versus Tiny Herb match, where Happy forcefully took down Wang Jiexi, trading two for one. And in the end, their plan worked, and they beat Tiny Herb.

The battle had been thrilling, but Yu Wenzhou didn’t agree with the reliability of that method. In that battle, it could be said that they won because they defeated Wang Jiexi, but it would be better to say that by defeating Wang Jiexi, they destroyed the confidence of the rest of the Tiny Herb players.

That was the main reason why Tiny Herb had lost. If the other players hadn’t wavered because of this, the fact was that the core player had traded themselves for two players and achieved the advantage of numbers. Many teams probably wouldn’t find that a difficult trade at all.

Happy targeted Wang Jiexi not for a strategic victory, but a psychological victory. That was why they could strive for this without worrying about the cost.

And this had been possible because of the problem with Tiny Herb itself.

If it had been Samsara, and they’d tried to trade two players for Zhou Zekai; or if it had been Tyranny, two for Han Wenqing, the result likely would not have been the same.

Then right now, against Happy, against Ye Xiu, could they use this kind of method?

In Blue Rain’s team channel, the captain’s directions suddenly appeared: Attack Ye Xiu.

They could!

After reflection, this was the conclusion that Yu Wenzhou ultimately drew.

To Tiny Herb, Wang Jiexi was the backbone of their spirit; to Happy, Ye Xiu was the backbone of their strategy.

In those scenes from Happy’s battles that had flashed through his mind, Ye Xiu was like a foundational rock. Wherever he was needed was wherever he was moved.

Without his support, Team Happy wouldn’t be able to tie together into a whole. And on this battlefield, the ticking time bomb that was Steamed Bun Invasion would lose his bomb disposal expert.

Defeat Ye Xiu! That would destroy the structure of Happy’s strategy, and without that linchpin, Happy would show many openings. At that time, it was likely that no one would be able to patch them up well enough.

Yu Wenzhou gave this direction, and Blue Rain immediately began to carry it out.

Troubling Rain, Flowing Cloud, one fast blade and one slow, suddenly flung off Steamed Bun Invasion and pointed toward Lord Grim.

“Damn!” Steamed Bun immediately started mocking them. “You can’t even take care of me and you still want to take care of our boss?”

Steamed Bun’s words were only because he was still alive. To be honest, this powerful offense that Blue Rain had launched against him had rendered him quite helpless.

“Little guys move aside!” Huang Shaotian rudely replied. His lightsaber Ice Rain had already pierced toward Lord Grim’s heart.

Whoosh whoosh, Lord Grim’s silhouette flashed like a ghost, and suddenly he had already moved to Troubling Rain’s side.

Ice Rain hit air, but Troubling Rain immediately turned, and the slightly slower Flowing Cloud bolstered the attack as he continued to stab toward Lord Grim.

Lord Grim tried to move again, but Swoksaar’s curses and Bullet Rain’s firepower together sealed his paths of retreat.

Lord Grim, without anywhere to run, instantly became a crowd of shadows.

Shadow Clone Technique!

Lord Grim left behind a fake body while his real body was taken away. The first phase of Blue Rain’s offensive ultimately missed.

But the whole team adjusted its offensive very quickly and continued to attack. Happy’s scattered formation had yet to restabilize.

Yu Wenzhou continued to carefully watch the whole situation. When they began focusing all their attack on Ye Xiu’s Lord Grim, how would Happy adjust? Yu Wenzhou didn’t dare let down his guard. Especially since they were attacking Ye Xiu, it would be very easy for this guy to lead him into a trap. He had to pay careful attention to the development of the battle as a whole.

Yu Wenzhou’s gaze passed over Happy’s players, one by one.

Someone’s missing!

Yu Wenzhou suddenly discovered.

“Where’s Fang Rui?” Yu Wenzhou asked in the chat.

“Circling around,” said Zheng Xuan.

Yu Wenzhou let out a breath. He’d missed one character, but fortunately, he had his teammates.

Fang Rui circling around, that was almost certainly to take advantage of the wind. The force of the wind didn’t affect a Warlock’s curses or a few other spells, but fire-type magic and a Qi Master’s qi could be strengthened by the wind’s momentum.

Knowing the opponent’s intent, naturally he could counter it. But Blue Rain didn’t do anything for now, because if they defended too early, then Fang Rui would withdraw his plan. Might as well use the opponent’s move against him, let him circle around, wait for him to try and attack before discovering that he was thwarted.

Blue Rain continued to chase Lord Grim, until their heads hurt.

Lord Grim’s movement was simply too fast – it was like he was leading them on a train ride. From afar, Su Mucheng’s Dancing Rain showered them in cannonfire.

But all of this was within Yu Wenzhou’s expectations. Swoksaar’s skills now were like a guiding beacon. Under his adjustments, Blue Rain’s chase was not impatient. The two Blade Masters Troubling Rain and Flowing Cloud didn’t attack hand in hand; Troubling Rain chased more tightly, while Flowing Cloud lagged slightly behind. Zheng Xuan and Yu Wenzhou’s characters were still in the wind zone, moving parallel, and their healer was also closely keeping up with the team’s rhythm.

Lord Grim hadn’t been chased down, but inadvertently, Fang Rui’s plot to circle around was already interrupted. Blue Rain, in chasing Lord Grim, had changed their position drastically, so their back was no longer their back. Where Fang Rui’s Boundless Sea entered the wind zone, he was now at a crosswind with Blue Rain’s players, so that neither side had the advantage.

Fang Rui controlled Boundless Sea to move, because he still wanted to pull out the angle to get the wind advantage, but he ended up running this circle in vain.

In the wind zone, Happy’s few players were helping Ye Xiu as much as they could.

It was about time.

Yu Wenzhou coldly assessed the situation.

Another message appeared in the team chat: 1, Ye Xiu, cut Steamed Bun.

The offensive changed again.

Steamed Bun. Blue Rain’s target was still Steamed Bun. But one player was left next to Ye Xiu’s Lord Grim.

Troubling Rain, Huang Shaotian.

The “1” referred to BOX-1. Team Blue Rain was using Huang Shaotian to execute BOX-1 against Ye Xiu.

Because Ye Xiu was the core of Happy’s strategy, then BOX-1 was the perfect strategy to use. But Ye Xiu was a demon, and if they tried to do it directly, there was probably no one who would be able to directly restrict him. And so Blue Rain first used a powerful all-around attack, relying on their numbers to advantage. They let Fang Rui go so that Happy’s side over here would be even weaker, like luring the tiger off the mountain. And when the time was right, Huang Shaotian would hold down Ye Xiu, and the others would attack Steamed Bun.

This time, if Ye Xiu wanted to defuse the bomb, it wouldn’t be so easy.