Chapter 31: I Am the Top-Ranked Player on the National Server, It Is Only Natural You Cannot Beat Me

Lin Ruo took his seat at the player station, surrounded by streamers. Of course, given their top-tier rankings on the national server, there was a high probability that they would all become professional Overwatch players in the future. They were, after all, quite different from the average streamer.

Across from them sat VG, a veteran powerhouse in the esports scene and one of the first professional teams to emerge in the Chinese Overwatch circuit. It must be said that a professional team taking on a group of "random" streamers made for a highly entertaining exhibition match.

"Coach, that’s him! He’s the one who pulled that overtake and snatched my spot as the number one on the national server."

At the VG player station, their core damage dealer, Diya, was cracking his knuckles, ready to reclaim his pride during the match. He had spent two grueling months grinding to reach the top of the national ladder for the prize money, only to wake up and find his house robbed—his spot stolen—for no apparent reason. Losing the number one spot by such a razor-thin margin was agonizing. His anger only intensified upon learning that his opponent was a professional League of Legends player. It made no sense; Overwatch was brimming with talent, and he refused to let a "LoL guy" occupy the throne of the national server.

Yil, the head coach at the time, glanced over in that direction. Recalling the ups and downs of his career, he couldn't help but sigh. He had originally been the head coach for VG’s League of Legends division, but after a poor performance last year, he had been demoted and shipped off to help develop the emerging Overwatch field. Not only was his salary slashed, but he was also forced to juggle multiple roles, essentially playing both mother and father to the team.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. He’s just a LoL pro; no matter how good he is, he can't beat us. But this is an exhibition match, so don't go too hard. We need to consider the viewing experience for the fans on-site," Yil said calmly, adjusting his glasses.

Diya didn't hear a word of his coach's advice. He remained arrogant and aggressive: "Just pick McCree for me. I’m going to carry this." He wouldn't be able to swallow this humiliation unless he beat the living daylights out of the opposition.

The match began shortly after. After four intense games, the professional VG team pulled out all the stops, nearly defeating the streamer squad—only to be soundly beaten 4-0. The audience was stunned, and the live stream chat went into a frenzy.

During the post-match handshake, Diya had completely lost his spirit, on the verge of tears. Lin Ruo gave the distraught player a hug and consoled him: "So you're Diya, huh? You're pretty good; you almost beat me. But it’s alright, keep working hard next time. It’s no shame to lose to the national number one."

Diya stared helplessly at the retreating figure. *That was supposed to be my line.*

The angry VG fans had already begun throwing water bottles onto the stage. If they couldn't even beat a team of streamers, what was the point of playing in the professional league?

***

"Breaking News! EDG’s Lin Ruo crushes Overwatch pro team VG in an exhibition match."

That evening, the online forums, which had just quieted down from previous debates, exploded again with pinned threads about Lin Ruo. The comment section was a chaotic, runaway train of opinions. Everyone knew that since the formation of the Chinese Overwatch scene, VG had been the representative of a top-tier powerhouse.

"That animal Lin Ruo! He single-handedly ruined the Overwatch professional league. If you play like this, how can China ever have the face to compete in the World Championships?"

"LOL, the future of Chinese Overwatch is in League of Legends."

"Don't kid yourself. You think you're actually good because you won an exhibition match? They were just messing with you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Their main damage dealer, Diya, was 'messing' himself all the way to tears."

"Getting swept 4-0 is a funny way of 'messing around'."

"My god, is he actually a one-in-a-million, all-powerful esports genius?"

"What kind of grudge is this? Finished killing in LoL, now he's targeting VG in Overwatch?"

"I don't buy it. What's so special about winning an exhibition match? If you're so good, go win an Overwatch World Championship and show me."

"Do you know the popularity of the LoL league versus the Overwatch league? You think he's stupid?"

"Management can't save the LPL! Overwatch players can't save Overwatch, and Lin Ruo can't save RNG."

"RNG is crying in the bathroom; if they had known, they would've let him play other games."

"A pure esports prodigy. Dead-sister-Bu [manager] struck gold. Now the 'Waste Factory' [EDG] has another domestic thigh to hug."

"Morning News: EDG announces the temporary establishment of an Overwatch club, hiring five boosters to win the World Championship."

Back at the club, two days later, Lin Ruo finally started a live stream again. The popularity of his stream soared, instantly surpassing that of Tianye, who was usually surrounded by fans. There were no "white knights" here, only haters and trolls.

"Am I a Uzi fan? How many times do I have to say it? I've been a die-hard Uzi fan since 2013, ever since Royal Club got 3-0'd by SKT at the World Championships."

"When am I going to play in the Overwatch pro league? What, are you going to pay me a high salary? I can't handle the misery of a measly ten-thousand-yuan monthly salary."

"What do I think about the Syrian War? I think about it while sitting down."

"Is a degree in postpartum care for sows any good? It's great. Come report to EDG after you graduate, and I'll let you run the Weibo account."

For a professional player, he spent an awful lot of time bickering and flirting with netizens. But Lin Ruo loved it. There was no helping it; these netizens were all talented, and they spoke so sweetly.

Ignoring both League and Overwatch, Lin Ruo chatted happily with the stream while planting peashooters in his yard.

"Hey, hey, block those adult ads. I don't take that kind of business here."

A man has to have principles. If they weren't paying for ads, why should he promote them? Trying to get something for nothing? Go cool off somewhere else.

"Brother Lin, you got Smeb to coach A-Guang on Jayce, why didn't you find one for me?"

Having finished his meal, LoveLing stood behind Lin Ruo, picking his teeth and voicing his grievances. Ever since Lin Ruo had brought him the first milk tea of the winter, he had been calling him "brother" with every other sentence. Although everyone got a cup, LoveLing felt his was the sweetest.

"What kind of coach do you need? Just focus on practicing your Chu Yuxun [a champion nickname] and you'll be fine," Lin Ruo said impatiently. LoveLing seemed to be getting more shameless by the day.

LoveLing disagreed: "Doesn't a hero like Chu Yuxun just require hands to play? Why do I need to practice?"

Lin Ruo retorted sharply: "You rely entirely on my mouth to direct you! Otherwise, you’d just be wandering aimlessly for the whole game. If you don't practice your mindless engages on Chu Yuxun, what are you going to practice?"

Knowing the importance of hugging the "thigh" of a star player, LoveLing silently logged into the game.

"Don't mess around; we have to play WE the day after tomorrow. Practice properly."

Tianye, who spent every day complaining about people messing around, sighed dramatically. In his eyes, all his teammates were abstract artists. Only Scout, due to the language barrier, couldn't integrate into the chaos.

"Which team are we scrimming against tomorrow?" Lin Ruo asked, minding his own business.

"KT. Didn't you ask Coach Nofe to set it up?" A-Guang, who was working hard to master carry top-laners, replied with a deadpan expression. He had been playing all day and his brain was fried.

"That was fast."

LoveLing clicked his tongue: "KT has Deft and Pawn, it's not like you can just book them whenever."

Lin Ruo paused, stunned. He had completely forgotten about that. So, asking Nofe had been useless after all. If he had known, he would have just had Tianye send a message to her "ex-husband"—that would have been faster and easier than any other channel.

Nofe really was useless after all.