Chapter 139: A Small Demonstration of Skill

Having gone without rest all day, Li Xin, following his usual habit, threw himself wholeheartedly into studying the play styles of the three opponents. During this time, Jiang Chuxue and Jiang Ke’er each came to see him once, but seeing his intense focus, they chose not to disturb him.

After dinner, Li Gang gathered the CF team members and prepared for a light jog on the basketball court to relax. Upon learning that the obsessive Li Xin was still in the data room watching footage, he decided to head there.

As soon as they entered, they witnessed an unforgettable scene. The slightly overweight man was intently watching the projection screen, one hand shoveling food clumsily—half the spoonful spilled with every bite. What was most shocking was that the dishes remained untouched; Li Xin occasionally scooped around without noticing that he was digging into the ash.

The ashtray was enormous, filled to the brim with cigarette butts. Just how many cigarettes had this guy smoked?

The seven men were deeply impressed, genuinely admiring him from the bottom of their hearts. No wonder he possessed such profound skill—the effort he put in was beyond ordinary imagination. Even many professional players couldn’t match him…

Silently seated behind him, watching as he circled and pointed on the video, drawing and annotating on the diagrams, the seven suddenly had their minds opened, learning many new theoretical insights.

Early the next morning, Li Xin switched off the projector and was about to leave when he noticed Li Gang and the others slouched in their chairs, sound asleep. He quickly understood the situation and felt somewhat satisfied with them.

At nine sharp, the bus departed toward the Wankai International Exhibition Center. Today’s audience was exceptionally large, nearly full to capacity. Many had heard about the thrilling last elimination round and had come specifically to learn and pay homage. Almost everyone who had watched that match was present today.

Jinhua was absent; only Ma Rulong and She Shiyu came. Even so, their presence added much to the discussion. With shareholders stepping in, it showed just how seriously the Pepsi team regarded this CF sub-league final. Moreover, many affluent young ladies from Hangzhou had invested in Pepsi, making it the hottest news in the city’s investment circles.

All this was because of that rising star foreign recruit.

The finals adopted a single-match advancement system. The four teams were paired off, with winners competing for the championship and losers contending for third place. Each match followed the usual rules: one round of team mode and one of bomb mode. If tied, an annihilation mode match would be added.

Soon, the draw results were confirmed.

Vivii versus Blue Lantern; Black Wind Club versus Pepsi Team.

This result brought joy to some and worry to others. Vivii was the biggest favorite to win the championship. Although Pepsi’s strength did not match Black Wind or Blue Lantern, their impressive four consecutive wins in the elimination rounds made everyone keenly anticipate this dark horse.

Avoiding Vivii was definitely a huge relief for Pepsi.

Though Black Wind was strong, Pepsi had already faced them during the group stage. Black Wind had a sturdy team but slightly weaker coordination in bomb mode. Coincidentally, Pepsi’s powerful foreign recruit excelled in intelligence—unpredictable and elusive.

Despite Black Wind’s leader, commander, and captain having prepared thoroughly these past two days, they remained extremely cautious and wary of Li Xin.

The first match was Team Desert 1TD.

Almost all spectators considered it an exciting and passionate battle, but Black Wind dominated from the outset with overwhelming force, suppressing Pepsi continuously, and clinched the first victory in just nine minutes with a score of 150 to 128.

The arena erupted in murmurs and debates.

“What’s Pepsi playing at? They clearly have the skill but seem to have given up on themselves.”

“Hah, what’s surprising? They only got lucky in the elimination rounds. Black Wind isn’t just some weak team; all five members are famous sharpshooters from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.”

“Exactly, Pepsi just had extraordinary luck, but in the end, skill decides matches.”

“Bullshit! Pepsi even beat the Fish-Loving Cat team last time. You really think Black Wind’s players are better than Zhou Yang, the world champion who came from that Cat team? Zhou Yang got thoroughly crushed by Pepsi!”

The audience volleyed back and forth in heated argument. In the VIP section, a young man around twenty-two furrowed his brow, clearly annoyed.

Fed up with the noise, he took a sip and commanded, “Quiet down, will you? Don’t you see Pepsi’s holding back? They’re saving strength!”

At his words, the crowd fell silent, nodding in agreement.

This was Guo Tao, captain of the Fish-Loving Cat team. If he said so, it must be true.

The reality was just as Guo Tao said. Although Black Wind had taken the first round, they were far from happy. Pepsi had a super commander and likely to dominate bomb mode. Their strategy was clear: sacrifice the first round to secure the next two.

The second match was bomb mode on Eagle Eye.

This map was one of the smallest in CF bomb mode. Yet, don’t underestimate it—this map was widely regarded as the most difficult to play.

Whether attacking or defending, there were three main challenges:

1. Few strategic positions to hold.

2. Shallow front lines leading to multiple points vulnerable to sudden enemy raids.

3. Difficult to respond effectively once the opponent launched a strong attack.

These issues were acknowledged by both casual and professional players. Even professional teams often lost ground due to the scarcity of hold points.

Of course, the chance of failure was only about 50%, but that was already significant.

Especially in professional matches, a single minor mistake could alter the outcome.

Thus, as soon as the match started, Black Wind’s attackers immediately blocked the three routes: A main, mid, and B path. Then, using flash grenades to lure at mid, all five players grouped tightly and launched a ghost jump assault on A main.

“Damn, they’re not defending the A bombsite but all retreating to B!” the crowd, with a god’s-eye view, cried out in surprise.

“This commander’s tactics are really strange—how did he know they’d attack A so hard?”

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Look, all five are rotating simultaneously!”

As the spectators discussed, Black Wind’s team, perplexed, planted the C4 bomb and contracted near the A bombsite, covering three directions.

Flashbang!

Two flash grenades exploded at mid, blinding all lurking defenders and cutting off the audience’s god’s-eye view. The seasoned director deliberately did not switch to the defending Pepsi side, leaving the audience in suspense.

Black Wind’s captain and sniper, L3, spotted an enemy at the A main cliff through his scope and fired, landing a precise shot. Just as he prepared to celebrate, a series of fierce gunshots erupted from the A main corner.

At that moment, Li Gang stealthily emerged from the cliffside, raised his Tianlong sniper, and decisively took down Black Wind’s captain, L3.

Grenades!

A hailstorm rained down on the A bombsite.