Chapter 296: Breaking Records, the Stunned Liquid Crowd! (Ten Thousand

"Nice has already secured four kills, could he actually pull off an ace in the very first Pistol Round?"

"Zywoo at CT Spawn has rotated into position, he has spotted nitr0's location, and Xu Beifang is showing no mercy, jumping directly toward A1. nitr0 is still fighting back, but Xu Beifang hasn't given him any room to maneuver!!"

"Nice!!" The broadcast audio carries the passionate roars from the venue, and Wanjiqi also shouts in the stream: "He won the fight!! In the very first round of the finals, Xu Beifang has already pulled off an ace. You should never underestimate the power of a Boss in his Second Stage!!"

"It looked like Liquid had him surrounded, but in reality, he was the one who had all the Liquid players surrounded!"

The broadcast screen is replaying Xu Beifang's individual kill sequence.

They watch as Xu Beifang, while trading fire with stewie2K, abruptly flicks to the right to kill Twistzz, then turns to hold NAF, and the moment he finishes him, turns again to take down stewie2K at Short Box.

Every movement was so swift and unexpected, yet it produced results.

The audience Under Platform, even having already seen the content, is still filled with amazement watching it again.

【???】

【This is truly a thunderbolt of an opening】

【I thought Vitality was done for this round and was thinking about going to pour a glass of water, but when I got back, Xu Beifang had killed everyone】

【Not even pretending anymore, huh】

【Do you understand what a Boss in his Second Stage from the start is? It's just freaking ridiculous】

【The movement is just ridiculously fluid】

In the first map of the finals, in the first round, Xu Beifang immediately pulled off an ace.

For this match, it is truly explosive.

The audience was just starting to get energized and invested in the match when they saw such a crazy scene; right now, Under Platform, they could already feel the 'passion of a LAN tournament'.

And Liquid is also having a massive headache.

If this were the start of the second map, or any of the later maps, they would have called a Tactical Timeout already.

But it is too early now; calling a timeout this early would be a huge blow to their morale and confidence.

But if they don't call it, their Mindset has already been affected by this ace.

After the Liquid members discussed it, they ultimately decided not to call a timeout.

They wanted to use the subsequent pure ECO to stall for time, adjust their feel, and cool down Xu Beifang's exaggerated Hand-hot state.

But the Vitality members were not affected at all by this round's delay; apEX even transformed into a special forces soldier, using an MP9 to take down two players without taking damage in the second round, and with the help of Zywoo's SSG 08 in Mid, they easily took this round.

Arriving at the third round, the first Full Buy Round of the first half officially begins.

Liquid chose a fast Mid-to-B split for this round; they knew the two defenders in the B site didn't have particularly good weapons and wanted to rely on synchronization and utility to suppress them with superior firepower.

Vitality's Retake speed was very fast; Zywoo hadn't swapped out his SSG 08 from the previous round, and while he didn't get any kills with it this round, the problem was he dealt damage to three people!

This turned their first head-on trade into a 2-for-4, and Xu Beifang and JackZ rotated to retake, easily securing the final kill on nitr0.

The Vitality members are Hand-hot, and their rhythm is excellent.

Relying on the morale brought by Xu Beifang's Pistol Round ace, they went on a continuous run, directly taking five rounds.

It wasn't until the sixth round that Liquid, during an A site execute, managed to get their first round thanks to a near-spinning triple kill from Twistzz.

After taking this round, the Liquid members finally let out a sigh of relief.

Xu Beifang's ace at the start had left them a bit sluggish; their offensive plans hadn't been disrupted, but their Gunplay couldn't support their tactics, so they couldn't score.

CSGO is, after all, a game where Gunplay carries more weight; if you can't get kills in head-on fights, everything else is useless.

Now that they are scoring again, it is good news for them.

For Vitality, losing their first round only in the sixth round is nothing they can't accept.

After losing two consecutive rounds, Xu Beifang began actively looking for opportunities at A1.

An aggressive playstyle brought Xu Beifang exaggerated risks as well as considerable rewards.

In the eighth round, Xu Beifang tried pushing A1 for the first time; Liquid's Default details were quite good, and Elige held him from the start, clearly having done some homework before the match, as their Default positioning was very tricky.

However, Vitality didn't lose this round; Zywoo teamed up with JackZ to turn the tide, and they still managed to take the round without any danger.

Xu Beifang wasn't discouraged by giving up the Entry Kill either.

In the ninth round, he crept into A1 in the Second Stage and quickly discovered the information that no one was doing an A1 Default.

He successfully liberated the A1 defense and also let the team know that Liquid's focus was in the direction of the B site, so they stood in their defensive positions at B in advance.

Liquid's attack came, and they were directly crushed by Vitality's defensive setup; Vitality took another round.

At the Liquid player bench, nitr0 scratched his head: "It seems we still have to commit to the A site Default; I guess the information was taken by Nice again."

They had watched plenty of Vitality's match footage before the game, and they were very clear about their playstyle on several key maps.

Especially Xu Beifang, whose playstyle is so distinct that it's hard to forget.

nitr0 thought their tactical movement in this wave had been fast enough, but the crossfire already set up at B told him that Vitality was prepared.

apEX, as the IGL, prefers to fly to the Second Floor rather than gamble on sites.

The only answer to that is that Xu Beifang helped them get the information, right?

Elige nodded: "We have to take this kid out, otherwise our backline will always be uncomfortable."

nitr0 nodded: "Then let's have people go to A1 and A2 at the start, hold for a bit longer, and find a way to kill him first."

"Let's go, let's go, let's try to get a few more rounds in the first half."

"Key, buddy!" apEX extended his fist toward Xu Beifang, "That's it, you have ideas, speak them out, and we'll build our tactics around your ideas."

Xu Beifang is the team's offensive focal point, and even on the defensive side, he is the engine of the team's rhythm.

His ideas play a huge role in their tactics.

Xu Beifang extended his fist and bumped it with his: "I'll look for trouble at A1 early in this round; JackZ doesn't need to follow, I'll go solo early and see how it goes."

apEX added: "Then let's go with a 3-1-1 start for this round; I'll hang out at A, and if Zywoo can't get vision from VIP, he'll quickly rotate to B."

The countdown ended, and Xu Beifang, holding the AK47 apEX had dropped for him, began walking toward A1.

He first threw an Incendiary Grenade deep, then switched weapons and held an angle.

Only after discovering no one stepped out through the fire did he continue to move forward.

Many people's A1 Default has flaws; if someone wanted to step through the fire to seize an opportunity, he would be unable to defend against it at all.

Because in that A1 area, whether stepping through the fire or standing on the small platform to the right, there is an opportunity to contest an Entry Kill.

And as for the preparation of holding an angle, if the opponent wants to step through the fire, under the dual damage of the flames and bullets, this Terrorist playstyle would just be a pure gift.

After throwing the fire, Xu Beifang arrived at the A1 close point and tossed an HE Grenade inside.

Immediately after, he prepared his Pre-aim and moved forward slowly with a crab-walk to the left.

This is actually a very common Ladder playstyle.

Xu Beifang has no discriminatory thoughts regarding Ladder play; in his eyes, as long as it can be effective, this kind of playstyle is excellent.

stewie2K had a good spawn at the start and wanted to seize an opportunity to contest vision in the A area.

But the Vitality A1 fire came too fast, so he could only watch the Jump Platform area with his sniper rifle from the close point.

But just seconds after setting up, an HE Grenade flew in.

HP-33

The health damage caused was not particularly high, but in the subsequent duel, he would already be killed by a CT Headshot.

The black smoke raised by the Incendiary Grenade and the damage caused by the HE Grenade made stewie2K's mood not very pleasant.

Just at this moment, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Da-da-da~"

Where the black smoke rose, the sound of an AK47 rang out.

【Nice used an AK47 to get a Headshot kill on stewie2K】

"A1 close point, this guy pushed again!" stewie2K said quickly in voice chat.

The Liquid members' hearts sank upon hearing this callout.

They had played similar starts several times, and the final results were never particularly good.

The time is not even 1:30 yet, and stewie2K died too early this round.

NAF, who was at A2, heard the news and immediately leaned forward, wanting to go over and find an opportunity.

But a Smoke Grenade at A2 blocked his vision, making it impossible for him to intercept Xu Beifang.

"I'm moving back toward the Archway." apEX threw a Smoke Grenade at A2, "Nice has already gotten a kill, next we mainly just need to protect both sides."

They didn't exert too much Map Control at the start in Mid; if they continued to obsess over fighting in Mid, it was very likely they would be outnumbered by Liquid.

Now that they have gained a numerical advantage in the A area, continuing to focus their defense around the A area is the optimal solution.

apEX explained a mid-round playstyle; Xu Beifang looked at the sealed-off A2 and then at the dissipating utility at A1, and ideas were already forming in his mind.

"Jack, can you throw a Smoke Grenade to cover A1? I want to finish gathering information at A1," Xu Beifang said.

JackZ at CT Spawn nodded: "No problem."

Saying this, he communicated briefly with Xu Beifang and then threw an A1 smoke.

Xu Beifang had already crept to the A1 close point, waiting for the A1 smoke to fly over and bounce a few times on the ground.

The moment it popped, he immediately peeked to the left to take a look.

This was a technique he had gained from NIKO's insights on the Desert Eagle.

NIKO likes to peek out in the final second before a Smoke Grenade pops to seize an opportunity.

Because when the smoke is flying, most players assume the close point is safe, and their attention drops slightly.

At this time, if Xu Beifang actively peeks, it is very easy to catch enemies whose attention is scattered.

However, the moment the Smoke Grenade popped, he strafed left but did not see any enemies.

"After gaining a numerical advantage, Vitality directly gave up Map Control in Mid. Since they got this advantage so early, they will likely defend very steadily later on."

Wanjiqi looked at the mini-map UI and analyzed: "Vitality is currently in a 3-0-2 setup. Liquid has two people in Mid and one each at A and B. They probably haven't decided which side to hit yet and both want to try things out."

"But Xu is still very aggressive. He didn't become a 'war god' under A2, but instead used his teammate's Smoke Grenade to check A1 information and actively crept in!"

Wanjiqi raised an eyebrow; this decision was quite bold.

"No one was holding A1 this time, Xu pushed all the way in. He has liberated A1 once again!!"

"Twistzz is still looking for an opportunity at B2. He is Pre-aiming point by point, but he never imagined that shox was hiding in the corner to the right of B2!"

"Twistzz adjusted his Pre-aim to look at the Bomb Site, shox just happened to pull out, a perfect side-angle. shox didn't let this opportunity go and directly took Twistzz down. Vitality has once again expanded their numerical advantage."

"However, with Twistzz killed in the B area, NAF at A2 seized the opportunity and Headshot apEX at the VIP entrance."

Both sides traded one-for-one on the map, but for Vitality, they still held the numerical advantage.

"What will Liquid do next?" Wanjiqi took a breath, "Are they going to take advantage of the empty defense at the Jump Platform to execute an Archway pinch on A?"

"They didn't. Ji Ge and EliGE silently returned to the Terrorist spawn and launched an explosive utility set from the front."

"But Nice is still standing in his familiar position. Does Liquid understand this?"

As Liquid began their explosive utility set, the director also gave the camera to Xu Beifang at A1.

He was holding A1 for defense, and Liquid happened to be executing an explosive set on the A area; a clash between the two sides was inevitable!

"NAF even threw a fire under A2; Liquid doesn't seem to know Xu's position."

Wanjiqi said: "Wow, then his teammate at A1 is going to be in trouble!"

A Jump Platform smoke, plus two Flashbangs, and the explosive set for A1 was already over.

As for the Connector smoke, it could only be thrown by NAF at A2.

Liquid's utility management has never been particularly ideal.

After an early round of Map Control in Mid, there wasn't much utility left. Now they could only use the little utility they had to launch an offensive.

After EliGE finished throwing the Flashbang for NAF, he immediately started charging toward A1.

Because of Xu Beifang's presence, he was on guard against A1.

But—Xu Beifang was standing at the A1 vase position holding a direct angle; from this position, one could see shadows first.

Elige's shadow was exposed, and he was immediately gunned down by a burst from Xu Beifang.

"Nice is still at A1!" Elige shouted.

"Although Ji Ge pre-aimed, he simply couldn't beat Nice, who was firing at full power. Now that Ji Ge has been taken out, the player count for both sides has reached 2 vs 4, and the connection between Nitr0 and NAF has been completely severed by Nice."

"Nitr0 was somewhat hesitant about whether to save his weapon, but Nice had already taken the initiative to come knocking. Unfortunately, there was a slight error in his gunplay, and a single burst only left Nitr0 crippled."

"After taking down Nice, NAF still wanted to make a play and strafed out directly from A2 stairs, but he was instantly headshot by JackZ from CT Spawn. Nitr0 had no choice but to save his weapon."

Wanjiqi took a breath and summarized: "How are Liquid supposed to play this? From the start of the round to the end, their tempo has been led by the nose by Vitality."

"Liquid's information, from the beginning to the end, has all been gathered by little Xu."

"They actually played a Default at the start, but stewie2K was outplayed by little Xu right away, and the entire A1 area subsequently fell out of their control."

"Liquid thought Vitality had thrown a smoke, so little Xu had retreated to the Bomb Site to defend, but who would have known that little Xu had actually returned to A1, standing in an advantageous angle to hold a direct line, not giving them any chance at all."

【Feels like little Xu is treating the opponents like bots, pushing forward crazily, afraid that his teammates will steal his kills.】

【You can tell Liquid's playstyle is very targeted, but little Xu doesn't play by the rules, he's constantly pushing forward.】

【Liquid are such blockheads too, knowing little Xu is pushing A1 and still not using a Flashbang to counter-flash.】

Wanjiqi looked at the discussions in the livestream chat and replied: "It's not that Liquid are blockheads; they had no way to use a Flashbang to counter-flash in this situation."

"Time was already running out, so they could only execute a fast explosive rush. This A1 counter-flash is a relatively troublesome thing that consumes too much time. They definitely had precautions for A1, but they could only rely on their gunplay to speak."

"But you all saw the result: little Xu's gunplay was more ruthless, and the gains from his forward push were too great."

Speaking of this, Wanjiqi added another sentence: "Actually, you all keep saying how amazing little Xu's gunplay is, but I personally believe that what is most top-tier about little Xu is his psychological game; he is always able to catch the opponent's psychological blind spots."

"Everyone knows that the forward-push playstyle has high rewards, but why do so few people play like this? Because it is very difficult for a CT to push forward."

"But looking at little Xu's footage, he is always able to push out at the right time to get information; this is where his strength lies."

nitr0 successfully saved that long gun, and Vitality did not take excessive risks, taking this round step by step.

"The score has reached 8:2, the first half is already more than halfway over, and Liquid has proactively called for their first Tactical Timeout. On their own map pick, being led by 6 rounds at the start is definitely not a good beginning," Wanjiqi added, "And Nice's outstanding performance on the front line keeps the nerves of everyone on Liquid on edge at all times. They must now consider how to deal with this A1 forward-push monster."

"However, although they are trailing by 6 rounds, there are still 5 rounds left in the first half. If Liquid can adjust well, they will still have a fighting chance in the second half."

Wanjiqi's analysis was very rational.

Liquid's continuous trailing was mainly affected by the five-kill in the Pistol Round. Later, after adjusting slightly, they were disrupted again by Xu Beifang's forward pushes, which broke their Default strategy. After a few attacks, the tempo was completely led by Vitality.

Their information was obtained by Vitality too early, allowing Vitality to make preparations in advance.

So what if they are called an aim-bot team?

Vitality laid out their plans in advance, gained the advantage in positioning, and set up a Crossfire.

When Liquid's players rushed in, at most they would trade one kill before being traded back, so this front-line engagement naturally collapsed at lightning speed.

However, after this timeout, they should make some adjustments.

After Liquid called the timeout, in every subsequent round, they placed two people to defend at the start.

Entering the mid-round, they would also at least leave one person at the back of A1 to gather information.

This attitude was also very obvious: they would not let Xu Beifang push forward so comfortably today.

And in those rounds where they didn't play a Default, they also very decisively chose to speed up directly, not giving Xu Beifang time to push forward and gather information.

After Liquid's timeout, their overall playstyle became more decisive.

When the final round of the first half arrived, the score was 9:5.

"Hiss~" Xu Beifang looked at the score above his head, his teeth aching slightly.

Although they were still in the lead, the original 6-round gap had been narrowed by Liquid's continuous scoring, and the advantage was no longer that obvious.

And he had to admit that as a top-tier team, Liquid's reaction speed was quite fast.

Before this final started today, he knew that Liquid would target him.

After all, he was at the very front of the team and was the member involved in the most frequent exchanges of fire.

So Xu Beifang specifically watched a few of his recent recordings and then thought about making some changes to his tempo.

This change in tempo indeed made Liquid unable to adapt.

However, Liquid's adjustments were also fast; they knew that since one person couldn't restrict Xu Beifang, they would arrange two.

And when they weren't playing a Default, they would simply and cleanly speed up, using tactics to ensure Xu Beifang couldn't get a large amount of information or put on too outstanding a performance.

Now entering the final round of the first half, they had saved up enough economy for a Full Buy Round again, which gave them something to talk about.

apEX noticed Xu Beifang's thoughtful expression and asked: "Any ideas? How about I have JackZ coordinate with you to take A1 at the second timing?"

Taking control of A1 and then setting up formations around the information gathered was already one of Vitality's most proficient playstyles.

"No." Xu Beifang shook his head, "The opponent's vigilance is too high. Last round, I just threw a Smoke Grenade, and they started wall-banging."

"Liquid has already defended this A1 to death, and this positioning isn't suitable for rushing A2 either."

He looked around and said: "I'll jump to Mid to play; Shushu, help me burn the Sandbag later, I'll catch a timing to push forward and try it out."

Zywoo added: "Then I'll jump down with you. Liquid throws the VIP smoke quite quickly, and I basically can't get vision. Jumping down, I can still help you."

apEX said: "Then I'll help you guys throw flashes for Mid-to-Long in A site. I'll throw one at the start, and Beifang, you tell me if you need a second one."

apEX was prepared to make this Mid forward push complete.

Originally, he thought it was just Xu Beifang preparing to give it a try, but now he found that Zywoo was also getting involved.

This kind of playstyle was relatively dangerous; once Xu Beifang couldn't hold the front point, Zywoo, who was helping watch the Sewer, basically wouldn't be able to escape.

But, a high-risk playstyle represented extremely high rewards.

After communicating the details, the countdown ended, and Xu Beifang led the charge into VIP.

He really wanted to win this round; although it was just one round, it was the difference between a 5-round lead and a 3-round lead.

Xu Beifang and Zywoo jumped down from VIP one after another. Zywoo pulled out a Flashbang: "I'm throwing a flash behind the Sandbag first, Beifang, watch out."

"No worries, I'm watching the left side the whole time."

……

"Vitality, in the final round of the first half, has deployed an unconventional strategy again. The twin stars jumped directly into Mid; it seems like Xu is going for an aggressive push in Mid."

"Liquid opened the round by throwing a VIP Smoke and an Overpass Smoke, but a Flashbang and a fire behind the Sandbag from Zywoo directly forced the Liquid members to retreat."

"Xu pushed to the right side of the Sandbag. The Terrorist was just flashed and hid in the Recess; they didn't realize at first that Xu had already pushed up. Could this be a foreshadowing?"

Xu Beifang successfully arrived at the right side of the Sandbag.

Once he stood in this position, he had already succeeded halfway.

The fire on the right was still burning quietly. Xu Beifang waited for the flames to dissipate, then asked Zywoo for a Flashbang.

His position was very mysterious, capable of gathering most of the Terrorists' rotation information.

But the safety of his flank relied entirely on Zywoo's Sniper Rifle.

Unless he held a direct angle, hiding here wouldn't guarantee Zywoo's safety.

Compared to continuing to hide, actively counter-flashing and looking for a fight with the opponents was a better choice.

Zywoo threw a Flashbang, and Xu Beifang peeked out to the right again.

He caught two Terrorists pushing into Mid at the second timing; they were covering their eyes, completely Flash-ed, and fleeing backward.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

Good Positioning allowed him to quickly headshot one Terrorist, then immediately adjust and re-position.

"Xu with a Spray Transfer, forcibly Tap-ing down two! This counter-flash was very successful!"

"But while counter-flashing in Mid, Twistzz had unknowingly crept to the close point of the Sewer. Zywoo seemed to sense something; he retreated all the way back into the Archway, but he didn't hold the angle!!"

"Twistzz with a wide peek, came out and one-tapped him!"

Someone suddenly rushed out of the Sewer; this truly caught them off guard.

Zywoo's information was read, and he was instantly one-tapped by Twistzz's wide peek.

Xu Beifang had just finished a magazine and was reloading when he heard Zywoo's urgent warning, so he hurriedly moved behind the Sandbag.

But he was still hit and reduced to low health in the process.

At the same time, Zywoo obtained information through Xu Beifang's perspective and said quickly over voice chat: "Footsteps at A1, someone's coming out!"

apEX was quietly holding an angle under A2, but was forced out by a fire.

He had already used his Smoke Grenade on A2 earlier, so he had no choice but to step through the fire and fight the opponent at A1.

But just as he peeked out, only a "Bang" was heard, and he fell beside the flames.

JackZ peeked out from CT Spawn, didn't see anyone at first, and wanted to retreat to play it safe, keeping his position hidden so the opponent couldn't confirm his info, waiting to sneak a kill when they went to Plant.

But in the last second before returning to cover, he saw Elige from A1 wide-peek out.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

【Elige used SG553 to Headshot apEX】

【Elige used SG553 to Wallbang JackZ】

"Twistzz took down Zywoo in the Sewer, and Ji Ge also started an active assault from A1 and found an opportunity. A top-tier breakthrough that directly tore through the A site!"

"Now what's left for Vitality is a 2v3 Clutch, but Xu's position has been locked down. stewie2K and Twistzz want to take him out first to expand their numerical advantage!"

【Elige!!】

【The one and only Ji Ge!!】

【Ji Ge's Recoil Control, it's all on one point, just exaggerated.】

【This bullet spread is ridiculous, chasing Jack to spray him.】

【……】

Xu Beifang had just been sprayed by Twistzz at the side of the Sandbag and was down to half health when he saw Ji Ge spamming the kill feed in the top right.

The instant death of his teammates at A made his heart sink.

Originally, even if Twistzz had one-tapped Zywoo, they would still have been in an advantageous position.

But Elige stepping up to break the A site made him feel quite troubled.

He didn't have any thoughts of blaming his teammates; after all, that's CSGO. You have your moments of brilliance, and the opponent naturally has theirs.

If the final confrontation were to be a complete stomp, where the weaker side didn't even have the strength to fight back and was flattened, then this final wouldn't be interesting.

A final doesn't just represent the championship; it is also proof that you have defeated a powerful opponent!

"shox is playing B, Banana, let's take out Nice in Mid first. He doesn't have much health left; I sprayed him down to very low health." Twistzz made a local call.

Xu Beifang's performance had always been a headache for them.

Just this round, they had been put at a numerical disadvantage by Xu Beifang's aggressive push.

Fortunately, Twistzz and Ji Ge stepped up; otherwise, this round might have fallen into Vitality's rhythm.

If they could take out the exposed Xu Beifang, the pressure of the Clutch against shox (7/2/5) wouldn't be as great.

Having secured 6 rounds in the first half, they still had a good chance of operating in the second half.

stewie2K had originally been holding a sniper in B, preparing to play Whack-a-Mole, but when nitr0 decided not to hit B, he started to rotate back. He happened to encounter Twistzz's call for help, which was why he actively brought his Sniper Rifle over to look.

"Xu's position has been locked down. Twistzz and stewie2K have both flanked him; this round might really be over for him here."

"But shox has arrived from B-Short; he suppressed Twistzz, who was moving toward the Sandbag, giving Xu some room to operate."

shox's rescue was very timely; he gave the high-strung Xu Beifang a chance to catch his breath.

But just at this moment, the sound of a Sniper Rifle rang out from T Spawn, and the bullet flew past Xu Beifang's side.

From the moment he pushed up this round, Xu Beifang's mind had been in a state of high tension.

Although the gunshot behind him was abrupt, Xu Beifang's Reaction was still very rapid; almost as a subconscious reflex, he performed a 180-degree turn.

"Bang bang!"

【Nice used an M4A4 to get a headshot kill on stewie2K】

At this moment, the entire arena let out an instinctive gasp.

As spectators, they were in a god's-eye view, so in most situations, they could predict subsequent events through the positioning of both teams, the use of utility, and so on.

Watching Twistzz apply pressure toward the Sandbag, even closing in with footsteps.

stewie2K at T Spawn was quietly pushing over with an AWP; everyone thought Nice would be killed just like that, and then shox, who had already exposed his position, would follow in his footsteps.

Quite a few Liquid fans had already raised their beer glasses in their seats.

But they missed that scene that made everyone gasp.

Perhaps because of nerves, the shot stewie2K took while brushing past was just a little bit off.

And then everyone watched as Nice turned around and took stewie2K out with two M4 shots to the head!

They knew this was a reflex shot.

But this accuracy, this reaction, was truly astonishing.

Twistzz had just managed to take out shox on the B-Short passage by relying on an angle advantage when he saw the kill feed in the top right corner.

"What's going on?" he said in surprise.

nitr0 shouted urgently: "Don't look for him, don't give him any chance!"

He had long since become a Fountain Commander, and he had just seen the entire process of stewie2K's attempt.

Although that missed shot was a bit speechless, the opponent's exaggerated reaction and aim had also broken them out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, they couldn't help but feel a bit worried—don't tell me Nice is going to start popping off again.

Hearing his teammate's warning, Twistzz prepared to retreat, but just as he had this thought, an Incendiary Grenade was thrown into the Archway, cutting off his retreat.

After throwing the Incendiary Grenade, Xu Beifang immediately peeked back.

Twistzz was still a bit hesitant; he didn't step into the fire to enter the Archway immediately, but instead stood in the middle of the road, preparing to contest reactions with Xu Beifang.

But Xu Beifang's focus was now fully maxed out, and he was confident that in terms of positioning, he was not inferior to any Professional Player.

The crosshair adjusted rapidly, and he pulled the trigger to fire.

"Da-da-da..."

【Nice used an M4A4 to kill Twistzz】

"Hiss~" Xu Beifang drew a breath; the confrontation between Riflemen is sometimes just this thrilling.

Even though his movements were already very fluid and his reaction very fast, he was still hit by two shots from Twistzz, and now he only had 3 HP left.

"Little Xu's movements are very fast. While taking out stewie2K, he also locked onto Twistzz's position. He pulled out for a duel and successfully took out Twistzz. The Clutch has come down to a 1v1!"

"If I remember correctly, Little Xu has already picked up four kills this round. Will there be a second Five Kill?" Wanjiqi's tone was full of anticipation.

The moment Xu Beifang took out Twistzz, he threw a Smoke Grenade directly toward the Archway, extinguishing the Incendiary Grenade he had thrown earlier.

After a brief moment of thought, he took large steps to the vicinity of the Archway and walked directly through the smoke toward the A Bomb Site.

This was the last round of the first half; there was no need to Save Weapon, and this Clutch definitely had to be played.

But Elige had already planted the bomb at the A site. Although Xu Beifang had a Defuse Kit, if he went the long way around, time would be quite tight.

He had extinguished the fire early specifically to let Elige know that someone was at the Archway.

But because the information came too early, he might think it was fake information put out by Xu Beifang.

This approach wasn't particularly meticulous, mainly because there wasn't enough time to be meticulous; he could only execute some open schemes based on the current situation.

Fortunately, when Xu Beifang snuck out from the Arch Smoke, he didn't see Elige holding a direct angle on him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief; at least he had some room to operate.

Leaning against the side of the Bench, Xu Beifang slowly cleared the difficult-to-check positions like under A2, and after confirming no one was in the standard spots.

Looking at the increasingly urgent ticking of the bomb at the Long Box, he understood in his heart that it was either inside A2 or at CT Spawn.

Xu Beifang had a Defuse Kit, so he proactively tapped the bomb once, then held his crosshair toward the CT Spawn direction.

The sound of a Flashbang came from the CT Spawn direction; Xu Beifang took a small step to the right, gave up a body width, and then immediately wide-peeked.

"1v1 head-on bullfighting segment, there is very little time left on the C4. Little Xu tapped the bomb to try and force the opponent out. Elige at CT Spawn threw a flash to try and stall for time; he wants to run the clock out and win this point."

"But Little Xu is doing a Fake Defuse. Elige can't judge whether the opponent has a Defuse Kit, so he has to come out to find him!"

"Little Xu gave up a body width, wide-peeked, and sprayed a magazine directly, bringing Elige down to low health. Elige was so scared he immediately ran backward."

Xu Beifang didn't get anxious even though he didn't take Elige out with one spray.

He understood very clearly in his heart that being anxious at this moment would have no effect.

He turned back to Fake Defuse, then instantly crouched and moved a body width to the left, finding more angles.

Elige didn't dare to go too far either; he wasn't sure if Xu Beifang had a Defuse Kit, so he could only peek to scout.

Confirming Xu Beifang wasn't defusing, he retreated back to the Trash Can at CT Spawn.

Xu Beifang continued to Fake Defuse, repeating the same action once more.

Only this time, the moment he turned his head, he went directly into a crouch-peek to the left.

Elige happened to peek out to scout, but in his field of vision, Elige had already exposed more than half of his body.

"Da-da-da!"

【Nice used an AK47 to kill Elige】

"Nice!!!"

"Little Xu, he did it!! This is his second Five Kill of the first half on Mirage!"

"With his dominant performance, he shattered Liquid's hope for a Reset. He got his second Five Kill of the match. From the first kill of the opening to the very last, this boss's Second Stage today is truly too exaggerated!" Wanjiqi exclaimed in the livestream.

He had seen Xu Beifang get a Four Kill earlier and had been looking forward to Xu Beifang getting a second Five Kill in this match.

Amidst the cheers at the venue, rain god shook his head and sighed: "This is fucking insane, Nice's form is just exaggerated."

Olofmeister nodded: "It's just like when I was young; it feels like you can bring back any round."

Olofmeister was the 2015 TOP1, and he achieved that TOP1 status as a Rifleman, so he is indeed qualified to say that.

Back in his day, he was a true top-tier Superstar.

"Could he be the first player in professional history to get two five-kill rounds?" Rain asked with some curiosity.

Olofmeister shook his head: "How could that be? Although two five-kill rounds are rare, there have been a few; shox once got two five-kill rounds back in 2013."

"It's just that it is indeed rare to see two five-kill rounds in a final of this caliber."

"Then could he be the only player to get two five-kill rounds in a single half?" Rain asked again.

Olofmeister rolled his eyes at him: "Who would deliberately keep track of that!"

……

Vitality fans were already cheering in the arena, while Liquid fans had been silenced by this five-kill.

They also wanted to cheer for their Primary Team, but they had to admit that the opponent, Nice, was indeed a monster-level player.

He got a five-kill in the Pistol Round, and now in the final round of the first half, he got another five-kill; it's just absurd!

Now they wanted to cheer, but they felt they didn't have much spirit left.

They looked expectantly at the Liquid members in the player booths.

But the Liquid players were also trying their best to adjust their Mindset at this moment.

Only by maintaining a calm state of mind could they find a way to bounce back in the second half while trailing.

……

The halftime break ended, and both teams swapped sides.

Vitality arrived on the offensive side.

Liquid had finally calmed down during the halftime break.

After all, no matter how many five-kills Xu Beifang got, Liquid had at least secured 5 rounds in the first half, so the second half was not unwinnable.

Clinging to this self-comforting logic, they managed to get their emotions under control.

In the second half Pistol Round, Vitality played a rather special 3-man Sewer pinch on A.

The tactic was roughly: 3 people start by going through the Sewer, then JackZ throws an Arch Smoke, and they take the opportunity to sneak into the Archway.

A1 provides pressure from the front, and the Archway team synchronizes to take down jungle and VIP.

The tactic was quite good, and it had a high win rate in practice matches before.

But the problem was—

【Twistzz used a usp to get a Headshot kill on ZywOo】

【Twistzz used a usp to get a Headshot kill on apEX】

【Elige used a usp to get a Headshot kill on shox】

"We didn't play that well," apEX said self-reproachfully, "We all got insta-killed by Twistzz in that exchange."

The role of a star player is displayed right here; sometimes you are just helpless when facing them.

"You two just try your best to make a play; if there's a chance, try to Plant the bomb."

The main force at the front was mostly dead, so asking them to handle a 2v5 Clutch at this time was indeed asking too much.

So apEX just told him to play however he wanted; one kill counts as one, and if they could Plant the bomb, that would already be hitting the jackpot.

Xu Beifang and JackZ silently crept out from A1, with JackZ in front leading the charge and Xu Beifang, who had Armor, following behind to provide a Trade Kill at any moment.

As the two pushed out from A1, JackZ was Pre-aiming the Bomb Site, and Xu Beifang, who was behind, saw a CT peek out from the Jump Platform.

Xu Beifang and the CT on the Jump Platform engaged in a firefight, but Elige on the Jump Platform was also very cautious; seeing he couldn't get a cheeky side-angle kill, he immediately steadied himself.

If it were any other time, Elige would definitely look for an opportunity to perform a second peek.

Today, he really didn't dare to play recklessly.

Even though they were 5 against 2, the fact that Xu Beifang was still alive made him feel a bit nervous.

They were already sensitive to this ID.

"Don't dry peek, I'll throw a flash and then you look!" nitro rotated back from B-Short and immediately threw a retake Flashbang for the A site.

Their strategy now was to be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.

They had already been hit with two five-kills by Xu Beifang; if they got hit with a third, they would become the background for Xu Beifang's highlights today.

Xu Beifang and JackZ continued to push forward, with Xu Beifang leaning against the A1 box, his Crosshair trained on the Bomb Site direction.

A Flashbang exploded on the right, blinding him halfway for a moment.

Through his hazy vision, Xu Beifang saw a CT strafe out from the Short Box.

"Short Box, Headshot!" JackZ said quickly over the voice comms.

Xu Beifang also lowered his Crosshair a bit and fired a shot at the CT at the Short Box.

【Nice+JackZ used a Glock to kill stewie2K】

After getting one kill, he immediately looked up toward the Jump Platform, but didn't see any enemies.

"Back off a bit, let's stabilize first."

Xu Beifang still wanted to get more kills, and besides, the CT Spawn couldn't be cleared in this wave, making it too difficult to Plant.

The two retreated directly back inside A1, entering the opponent's blind spot.

Xu Beifang silently checked the rear, wanting to see if anyone was flanking from behind.

Confirming there was no one behind, Xu Beifang finally relaxed, but then felt a bit regretful.

If Liquid didn't come to find him, he wouldn't have many opportunities for head-on duels.

Just then, seeing that there was no one behind Xu Beifang, JackZ took the initiative to scout for information from the front and exchanged a shot with Twistzz.

As a result, he was insta-killed, while Twistzz was only hit by one of his shots.

The Pistol Round director has already found his rhythm.

"A 1v4 Clutch, Liquid has all 3 players covering Bomb Site A, with the remaining one, nitr0, defending Bomb Site B."

"JackZ is taken down, it's another 1v4 Clutch for Xu Beifang, NAF has already hugged the A1 close angle, and there are people both on and under the Jump Platform; once the Firing starts, it will be several people swinging out together."

The bomb dropped at A1, Xu Beifang arrived at the A1 close angle, controlled his positioning, and peeked directly out.

"Pfft!"

A bullet from a USP hit Xu Beifang's body.

But he instantly acquired the director's position, and his Crosshair immediately performed Secondary Positioning.

"Click!"

The bullet from the Glock flew from A1 toward the Jump Platform, finally passing through the director's head.

【Nice+ZywOo used a Glock to get a Headshot kill on Twistzz】

The director, already low on health, couldn't withstand the Headshot damage at all and was instantly killed by Xu Beifang.

But the moment he took down the director, Xu Beifang heard footsteps at the close angle.

Day-after-day training made him extremely sensitive to this kind of sound location.

His information behind the cover on the left had already been read by the opponent.

At this moment, Xu Beifang had to disrupt the opponent's perception; he walked one body-width to the right.

NAF, who was swinging out, saw Xu Beifang halfway through, swayed slightly for a moment, and pulled back while Firing his USP.

But his Secondary Positioning Ability wasn't very outstanding, and the first shot only hit Xu Beifang's body.

As for Xu Beifang, he made an active response; his Crosshair had already been set to the general position, requiring only a slight adjustment.

"Pop!"

【Nice used a Glock to get a Headshot kill on NAF】

Elige, who was Under Platform, saw his teammate swing out and followed him out; he had gained vision.

But at the first moment, NAF happened to be blocking the line between Xu Beifang and him, so he didn't dare to Fire.

Xu Beifang, however, was not so polite; after taking down NAF, his Crosshair instantly snapped to Elige's head.

"Pop!"

【Nice used a Glock to get a Headshot kill on Elige】

"A 1v4 head-on Clutch, but Liquid has made all the preparations; Nice swings out and instantly kills one, two, three!! Nice!!!!"

"This time Nice has instantly killed everyone who wanted to catch him head-on! This Nice!!"

"The 1v4 Clutch has reached a 1v1, with only an unarmored nitr0 left; could it be that Nice is going to get his third ace on this Mirage??"

Xu Beifang methodically picked up the bomb, switched to the USP, and then entered the Bomb Site while holding the angle toward the Jump Platform.

He remembered very clearly that Liquid's Flashbang had previously flown from the direction of B Short; Liquid's utility was usually handled by nitr0, and this guy was the one defending B.

So, since he didn't see anyone in the direction of the Jump Platform at first, the Bomb Site was safe.

Confirming the Bomb Site was empty, Xu Beifang directly planted the bomb by the Long Box.

His expression was calm, but his teammates nearby had already raised their hands early, as if waiting for something.

Xu Beifang planted the bomb and then actively peeked, just in time to see nitr0 walking from the Archway toward Bomb Site A.

It was as natural as eating or drinking for him to flick his Crosshair over.

"Pop!"

【Nice used a USP to get a Headshot kill on nitr0】

11:5

The second-half Pistol Round was successfully taken.

When Xu Beifang brought the Clutch into a 1v1, the casual spectators in the arena had already, like the members of Vitality, raised their hands and watched the screen with anticipation.

And after this final, unadorned kill, the emotions that had been building up in the arena were like a long-dormant volcano, instantly erupting.

Exciting sounds filled every corner of the arena at this moment.

Their gazes were all fixed on the man in the center of the screen.

Xu Beifang had created a miracle tonight; three aces in a single match—this was a record that was hard to achieve even on the Ladder, let alone in professional play.

And this was a professional tournament final, with their opponents being the current world number 3, some of the strongest people in the world.

Yet, despite that, that guy still put on a miracle for them!

Three aces, a full 10 Pistol Rounds played; was there anything he couldn't do?

On camera, the man just smiled slightly, looking at his teammates with a grin.

And his teammates had already fallen into a frenzy, taking off their headsets and jumping around in the room, as if they had never seen the world before.

In fact, they really hadn't seen the world before.

Everyone in the arena, who had ever seen a scene like this!

Three aces, are you smurfing in a beginner lobby?

……

I'm having a bit of writer's block today, I deleted a lot of content, and I'm still not quite satisfied with it, so I'm going to revise it again.