Chapter 20 The Match Continues

The competition continued.

The second match was between the SUG club and the top team from Group A. In terms of overall strength, SUG was clearly weaker, but the match was extremely close, going the full distance of the Bo5.

Ding Gan was offstage, sweating nervously.

After yesterday's match, he had spent a long time working with the players, telling them to focus all their energy on preparing for today's first match and try to win it directly.

This arrangement was made for two main reasons:

First, the opponent for the first Bo5 was certain, while the opponent for the second Bo5 was uncertain. What if FV lost? The opponent for the first Bo5 would be easier to target.

Second, it’s best to strike while the iron is hot; the players' spirits were at their highest during the first match, making it more likely to win. Once they lost, the next Bo5 would be even harder.

Therefore, Ding Gan had given his players a pep talk yesterday and had the coach make various targeted tactical arrangements against the familiar team that was first in Group A. Today, it had indeed produced good results.

However, things did not develop as Ding Gan had imagined.

The gap in strength between the two sides was still there. The SUG players fought hard for five rounds, but still narrowly lost.

Ding Gan, who had watched the entire match from the stage, almost passed out, but there wasn't much he could do. He could only quickly go backstage to comfort the players and have them continue to prepare for the next Bo5.

...

At the same time, Pei Qian was sitting in the audience, boredly browsing his phone.

Because the schedule was so tight, to allow the players to rest a bit and the audience to take a break, this intermission was relatively long.

FV Club had already secured a spot in the World Championship after winning the first Bo5, and Pei Qian's expectations had been dashed.

But as the saying goes, since we're here...

Having come all the way to Shanghai, and the match was quite exciting, he had to watch the remaining two Bo5s before leaving.

Today's grueling schedule had already stretched from morning to afternoon, a full two Bo5s, but what was even more terrifying was that there were two more Bo5s to go.

Many viewers couldn't take it anymore, feeling hungry and their throats were getting hoarse.

Some viewers were clever and brought a lot of snacks and drinks, constantly replenishing themselves; those who didn't bring snacks were in a more awkward position and could only leave midway to buy hamburgers, sandwiches, and the like to fill their stomachs.

Of course, Pei Qian wouldn't go hungry. He secretly ran to the FV Club's rest area and had a good meal.

So, Pei Qian was now full and satisfied, waiting for the match to begin while browsing his phone.

There were many unread messages on his phone, all sent by Zhang Yuan, Lin Chang, and others.

"President Pei, how's the situation in Shanghai? Is there anything we can help with?"

"President Pei, there are many messages about you online, probably released by Long Yu Corporation, trying to gain popularity while stepping on GPL. Do we need to counterattack?"

Clearly, the fact that Pei Qian had been "caught" by the director at the IOI qualifier was already well-known across the internet.

Pei Qian didn't reply. He browsed the trending comments on his phone, a look of surprise on his face.

Long Yu Corporation was doing a good job!

Their intelligence gathering was good, and their hype was clever!

Currently, there were two main topics being hotly debated online: first, that FV Club was a club built by Tengda with huge investments, aiming to create the strongest IOI team, and President Pei attached great importance to it; second, that President Pei had personally attended the IOI qualifier, indicating that the IOI qualifier was more popular than the GPL preseason.

This was a very standard case of praising to kill.

First, use internet trolls to create hype, saying that FV Club was built by Tengda, was a dream team, and was determined to win the championship, causing excessive praise and arousing the resentment of passersby while also maximizing attention.

This way, as long as FV Club lost in the competition, the trolls could immediately reverse their stance and trash FV Club.

A classic case of fighting with both hands, building a target and then shooting at it themselves, achieving a precise strike. The targets were naturally FV Club, President Pei, and Tengda Corporation.

It was conceivable that once FV Club lost, similar remarks would immediately spread across the internet:

"Isn't Tengda good at esports? Is this what a galaxy battleship built with huge investments looks like? Getting crushed?"

"Facts prove that IOI is greater than GPL. President Pei, who was once a dominant figure in the GOG competition, can't handle IOI and can only be beaten!"

"What if GPL is flashy? Didn't President Pei still travel all the way to Shanghai to watch his club get虐 (nue)?"

As long as the waters were muddied, Long Yu Corporation would have plenty of room to take advantage of the situation.

Of course, no matter how much they took advantage, it wouldn't affect GOG's dominant position in China, but IOI would definitely absorb the popularity.

Zhao Xuming was using President Pei to make a fortune from traffic and build momentum for the upcoming IOI World Championship, which would definitely be a great achievement for 指头 (zhi tou) Corporation.

Pei Qian couldn't help but give a silent thumbs up in his heart.

Well done!

FV Club's winning streak and qualification for the IOI World Championship had made Pei Qian feel heavy-hearted, but seeing that Long Yu Corporation was finally being useful, he couldn't help but feel gratified.

This way, as long as FV Club lost in the competition for the top seed, there would definitely be overwhelming negative publicity online.

As for whether FV Club would actually lose? Pei Qian felt that it was highly likely.

SUG going the full distance of Bo5 was because they had made thorough preparations, but FV Club hadn't made such thorough preparations. On the contrary, the other side must have studied FV's play style.

Moreover, the other side had just won the Bo5, so their morale and condition were at their peak. It was highly likely that they would win FV in one fell swoop.

Pei Qian and Zhao Xuming patiently awaited the failure of FV Club in the audience and backstage of the studio, respectively.

...

Amid the cheers and shouts of the audience, the competition continued.

In the first game, FV Club's play style seemed to have been figured out by the other side. The players also failed to get into the game and performed abnormally. After a symbolic resistance, they were steamrolled.

Zhao Xuming was overjoyed and ordered the internet trolls to intensify their efforts and launch a heavy attack on FV Club and Tengda.

In the second game, FV Club changed to a tactic they had never used before, winning unexpectedly. Although there were some twists and turns in the middle, they still managed to tie the score without any danger.

In the third game, FV Club made a small mistake that was seized by the other side, losing by a narrow margin, giving the other side two match points.

In the fourth game, FV Club fought for nearly fifty minutes, finally winning by stealing the base in a thrilling manner.

After four games, the two sides came to the deciding game.

Pei Qian looked at his watch. It was already past 8:00 p.m. The audience in the stadium had entered a state of hopeless boredom, slumped listlessly in their chairs, occasionally shaking their empty drink cups beside them, licking their chapped lips, and then helplessly putting them down.

There was no way around it, constantly cheering had made their throats hoarse.

Some viewers couldn't take it anymore and wanted to leave, but considering that it was already the fifth and deciding game, they were gritting their teeth and holding on.

Pei Qian couldn't help but want to leave, but then he thought, "Since I'm here, and I've watched four Bo5s, I have to watch the deciding game, right?"

He suppressed his restless mood and patiently watched the fifth game.

Although the commentators had already been replaced, the newly arrived commentators were already parched and hoarse.

Even so, they still tried their best to stir up the atmosphere.

"Alright, the final deciding game is about to begin. Please give your support to the teams you support with applause and cheers!"

"I have to say, today's competition is worth the price of admission. All three Bo5s have gone the full distance, giving everyone a great show."

"Many viewers may be feeling a bit overwhelmed now, but for the players, reaching this stage is no longer just a competition of skill and tactics, but more of a battle of willpower."

"Indeed, we can see that many players don't look well and are seizing every opportunity to recover their energy."

"Let me explain to you, players don't dare to eat too much during the competition, because after eating, the blood will supply the stomach, causing insufficient blood supply to the brain and slowing down reactions. For professional players, one reaction often determines the outcome of a game. So we can see that neither side's players have eaten too much, only eating some high-calorie foods such as chocolate and candy to replenish their energy."

"I feel very sorry for our players. They have been competing since morning until night today. Each team has already played nine games, and most people's physical strength and attention have reached their limits. I hope they can withstand the final deciding game, risk a wonderful game for us, and not leave any regrets for themselves..."

Hearing the commentator's remarks, Pei Qian was suddenly stunned.

He realized that something seemed wrong!

He took a closer look at the expressions on the players' faces on the big screen.

The players on FV Club's side were all eager to fight. Although it was obvious that they were also very tired, their spirits were still good, and they were still in a state of high morale.

Looking at their opponents, some were slumped in their gaming chairs, closing their eyes to rest, some were drooping their heads on the table, and those who were still barely supporting themselves and looking at the computer screen also had pale faces, trying hard to chew gum to cheer themselves up.

The difference in physical strength between the two sides was obvious at this moment!

Esports mainly relies on brainpower. Under normal circumstances, the impact of physical strength is not that great. In a GPL schedule, a team plays at most one Bo5, and all the players can maintain their competitive state at a relatively good level.

But the situation of this invitational tournament was special, accidentally turning into a grueling battle, and the two sides fought fiercely, eventually turning into Bo10, and the opposing players naturally couldn't handle it.

On the other hand, the players on FV Club's side had been working out every day at the GPL club, and their physical strength had greatly improved. Although they were also very tired now, their condition was much better than their opponents.

And this difference was very likely to determine the outcome of this game!

Pei Qian instantly felt his hands and feet turn cold.

Bad!

Amid Pei Qian's worries, the final game officially began!

The two sides already knew each other well, and in the deciding game, they didn't dare to use any big moves, seeking stability in everything. The final battle became a competition of willpower.

Both sides began to make mistakes, but it was clear that FV Club was in better condition and more focused. After seizing several opportunities, the scales of victory gradually tilted towards FV Club, and the economic gap between the two sides widened...

"Let us congratulate FV for obtaining the number one seed qualification for the IOI Global Finals!"

The commentator's voice resounded throughout the stadium. All the FV players jumped up and excitedly hugged each other.

"Awesome!"

"We haven't failed President Pei's expectations, we did it!"

"We're coming to the World Championship!"

The audience under the stage also spared no applause and cheers. The entire stadium was filled with enthusiastic emotions.

Although SUG still had one Bo5 to play and the final spot hadn't been decided yet, at this moment, the FV Club players were the absolute focus of the stadium!

...

In the backstage of the studio, Zhao Xuming slumped in his chair, feeling a bit hopeless.

Is that it?

After fighting to the end, FV Club still won?

Then all the warm-up and preparations that had been done before, weren't they all in vain?

Zhao Xuming's mind was blank.

The director frowned and said, "Bad news, President Zhao, a lot of viewers are leaving the stadium!"

Zhao Xuming looked up and, sure enough, a large number of viewers were leaving the stadium!

Many viewers had finally persisted in watching this Bo5. They looked at the time, and it was already almost 9:00 p.m. Although there was another Bo5 later, many people couldn't take it anymore and left to go home.

Originally, Zhao Xuming had planned the schedule very well.

If there was a weak team, they could play fewer games, so all the games could end around nine o'clock.

Leaving the last Bo5 for the last spot to be played last could keep the suspense until the last moment, and it would be perfect to hold a send-off ceremony directly after the game.

However, FV's disruption had messed up all the previous arrangements!

Now the last Bo5 hadn't started yet, it was already very late, the audience couldn't take it anymore and wanted to leave, so how many viewers would be left at the scene for the send-off ceremony later?

Zhao Xuming looked blankly at the ceiling, feeling that the situation of this IOI qualifier had completely exceeded his control...