Chapter 84: Already in the shape of a bulldozer

ZOTAC Masters Day 2, match venue.

The first map of the best-of-three has already concluded; VP lost 12-16 on their own map pick, Train.

Xu Beifang's stats were 25/9/20, ranking first in the server with a 1.31 rating, yet he still couldn't secure the map.

The moment the first map ended, he let out a long breath, closed his eyes, leaned back into his gaming chair, and began to contemplate life.

Although VP hadn't spent much time training before this tournament, he knew that Pasha and Neo's problems were due to their advanced age and the inevitable decline in their skill levels; they were already on the downward slope.

He had done his best on that first map, but still couldn't take it; it was truly helpless.

However, he couldn't put pressure on his teammates. First of all, he was a newcomer; unprovoked pressure on teammates would only result in him losing his job, just like s1mple once did.

VP was already a team on the decline; you couldn't demand they still be capable of dominating the scene.

Moreover, when teammates are genuinely struggling rather than throwing, you can't lose your temper, as that is tantamount to humiliating them.

The old men beside him were feeling somewhat defeated by the loss.

Their opponents, Fallen, Fer, and the others, were all from their era.

Yet these old friends were still shining on the stage, while they were already starting to drag a newcomer down—this was undeniably a blow.

During the halftime break, Xu Beifang adjusted his mindset and, in turn, comforted the old men on the team:

"It's alright, we just need to do our best in every match. Our lineup hasn't reached its peak synergy yet, so it's normal to struggle against them."

Michu, listening from the side, felt somewhat awkward; this wasn't about not reaching peak synergy—the peak had already passed.

Pasha nodded. Although they lost the first map, it was only a four-round difference; if they worked hard, it wasn't impossible to take a map.

"Nice, why don't you swap positions with Neo? When we get to the second half of Inferno, you go anchor B site."

The maps for today's best-of-three were Train, Inferno, and Mirage.

Inferno was MIBR's map pick, but after some consideration, VP chose to start on the Terrorist side, as Xu Beifang's performance on the offensive end was clearly better, and this would also avoid exposing their defensive weaknesses too early.

VP's recent performance on Inferno had been poor, especially their B site defense, which was as flimsy as paper. Their B site defense had failed multiple times, forcing Pasha to consider a position swap, letting Xu Beifang, who was clearly performing better, anchor the B site.

This man, once a god of war and the team's pillar, had now become a weak link, which was truly lamentable.

Looking at the score when the previous map ended, Pasha clenched his fists, thinking that no matter what, they had to win at least one map in this best-of-three, otherwise it would be too embarrassing.

The second map was about to begin. Stewie2k laughed and said to Fallen beside him, "I really hope there are more tournaments like the ZOTAC Cup; it's just too awesome!"

"We get to travel, the opponents are weak, and the prize money is high. This is the tournament I've been dreaming of!"

Fallen, as the godfather of Brazilian CS: GO, was very rigorous about his attitude toward matches. He immediately said sternly to Stewie2k, "Don't get cocky. Although VP's overall strength has declined, who's to say they won't find their rhythm in the next match? Pasha and Neo were once legendary players; don't underestimate them."

"Besides, didn't that newcomer on the opposite side get 25 kills?"

Stewie2k laughed dismissively, "So what if he got 25 kills? They still lost, didn't they? Even if he got 40 kills, it wouldn't matter. And at the end of the day, he's just a rookie. Why are you guys so serious? We're just here to fry some fish and relax."

Coldzera, standing to the side, didn't see it that way: "A rookie? You underestimate rookies like that? You should know, I was also a 'Best Rookie' once!"

"..." Stewie2k was left speechless by the retort, and in the end, could only laugh, "He can compare to you?"

As the strongest rookie who reached his peak the moment he debuted, Coldzera had achieved the highest honor of Top 1 in his debut year. At present, perhaps only the Danish "Shake-Shooting Brother" could contend with him for the title of the greatest rookie in history.

So, when Coldzera used this to shut him down, he really had no way to argue back.

Although they were on the same team, Stewie2k knew that not many people in MIBR liked him; their relationship was merely that of colleagues.

His personality was too flamboyant, while these Brazilians in MIBR possessed a passion and inclusivity unique to Brazil. They were friendly to professional players from all over the world—except for Astralis.

But this mentality of wanting to pull teams from all over the world to improve together didn't align with Stewie2k's own values.

Perhaps because he grew up in the United States, Stewie2k valued the "survival of the fittest" more; this idea of everyone being friendly didn't suit him.

This match would likely end 2-0 soon; there wouldn't be any surprises.

As for VP once having a peak? Ha, that was just the past!

VP vs MIBR

Map: Inferno

T: Paszabiceps, Neo, Nice, Michu, Byali

CT: Fallen, Fer, Coldzera, Stew2k, Tarik

The match officially began.

"For the pistol round, let's do a slow execute onto A2. Start by holding for a bit, then move toward A2 on the second timing, and go in one wave." After adjusting his mindset, Pasha began giving instructions in an orderly fashion.

The countdown ended, and they set off according to the plan. Xu Beifang, holding a Glock, went straight to the bottom of A2, preparing to jump onto the VIP area on the second timing, then synchronize to clear out A2.

"Someone jumped in VIP! Slow down and rethink the plan!"

Pasha, positioned far back, saw someone jump toward the spiral stairs and knew their movement had been exposed; forcing an A2 execute wasn't a good choice anymore.

Neo suggested, "Let's just clear A2 first; otherwise, our movements will always be known by them."

Pasha didn't object, seemingly agreeing.

Xu Beifang was holding the T-junction in mid. Just as he was about to turn, a CT peeked out.

"Pop!"

A bullet instantly headshot him.

【Coldzera used USP to headshot Nice】

After getting the kill, Coldzera didn't linger at all, jumping straight back into the connector.

"They have too much information on us," Xu Beifang frowned and said.

They hadn't taken control of Banana in this round, side information had been gathered, and they hadn't even put anyone in the sewer to watch mid.

The professional player POVs he'd been watching for over half a month had gradually improved his game sense; he immediately realized that the team's overall formation was flawed.

Otherwise, how could Coldzera have pushed up to that position and one-tapped him with a USP before he could even react?

After getting the opening kill, MIBR didn't move their A site defense, while the B site had a long-range and a tree-position setup. VP tried to execute onto B, but they didn't even manage to rush into Banana before being wiped out by crossfires.

In the end, VP lost the pistol round 1-5.

【The match has started!】

【The pistol round is already over!!】

【As expected, 6657 (VP) never has pistol rounds】

"The match has started?" Wanjiji, who was still playing Deathmatch, said with some surprise.

He quickly switched to the stream and found that the pistol round had just ended.

"Alright, friends and viewers, welcome back to the ZOTAC Masters VP vs MIBR map two. I am your commentator for this match, Wanjiji."

After a brief opening, Wanjiji looked at the bullet screen and made a small joke: "Who says there's no pistol? Isn't VP doing a pure ECO this round? Isn't this pistol versus long guns?"

Wanjiji's sophistry left the viewers speechless.

However, the result appeared on the screen quickly; VP, on a pure ECO, couldn't put any pressure on MIBR and were easily taken down by Coldzera in a connector rush.

Round three arrived.

VP didn't buy guns in the previous round, and their average economy was now 3,500.

Pasha thought for a moment and chose the "protect the star" tactic: "Nice, you take the AK-47, and drop me a Bizon."

Xu Beifang nodded without refusal; he understood that better weaponry would allow him to get more kills and provide greater feedback to the team.

"We don't have many grenades left. Let's hold off on Banana for now and just put some pressure on them. We'll find a timing to take control on the second wave, then choose a site to execute. Let's start by controlling A2."

The countdown ended, and everyone set off. Xu Beifang and Byali worked together to synchronize control of A2.

"Should we probe A site?" Pasha asked for the team's opinion.

Neo felt something was off: "Wait a bit. I think we can look toward B site; they should have full grenades this round, but they are making too little noise on the map!"

When they have grenades, if they are suddenly silent, either they are making a mistake...

... or they are up to something strange.

After discussing, VP decided to go back to B site to check the situation.

Xu Beifang threw a flashbang over the tree, and Michu peeked toward the stone slab on B site.

"No one holding the slab directly, and no one near the tree or the recess."

Xu Beifang frowned. Just as they were wondering what the opponents were up to...

Byali, who was in the boiler room, saw an incendiary grenade fly into the room from the top right. He jumped back a few steps and shouted loudly: "There's someone on the shed! It might be the Astralis setup!"

The Astralis setup on Inferno refers to one person standing on the shed, one below, and one deep in A1 covering A2—a concentrated formation.

"Michu, throw a mid flashbang. Once the fire in the boiler room goes out, Byali and mid will peek together."

Seven seconds later, the fire in the boiler room dissipated, and VP was ready. A pop-flash blinded everyone on the shed.

"VP realized it! They all peeked out with a flashbang. Fer, standing on the shed, is completely blinded! Coldzera, below the shed, killed Nice, who was watching the connector, but it doesn't matter anymore. The mid-fight has become a 2-on-1."

"Now there's only the Godfather left at the A1 corner. How many can he take?"

"The Godfather peeks out actively. Byali, who was low on health, is killed, but Pasha's trade-kill is fast! The A site trio is all down. The two B site players with Bizons should be coming to try something."

"Michu, mixed in the archway smoke, caught Tarik and also mixed into the 2k behind him. The AK-47 is out of ammo, but 2k jumps out of the smoke and is killed by Michu's pistol!"

The moment he got the double kill, Michu shouted excitedly in the voice chat: "Keep jumping into the smoke!!"

Stewie2k's strange smoke-jumping and fire-stepping play from the previous match had frustrated him greatly. Now, with a double kill, he finally cleared away some of the negative emotions in his heart.

The score became 1:2.

VP got a point back; the situation was looking decent.

"VP's offensive in that round was quite beautiful. They must have guessed there was something special in mid, so they used a flashbang combined with a synchronized multi-peek to hit A site, successfully taking a point."

"However, MIBR still has the economy to buy long guns. With four FAMAS rifles and a small amount of grenades, they can still contend with VP this round."

"MIBR went for a 3-B formation, but the grenades in their hands clearly can't support effective control of Banana. They can only play a grenade-trading game from the back, which is just gambling on the site."

Wanjiji didn't quite understand MIBR's thinking. What's the point of hiding in the back with a 3-B setup? Even if you don't have many grenades, you should at least be looking for opportunities to counter-flash!

Are you just betting on the site? But your team name isn't Natus Vincere, is it!

Fortunately, MIBR adjusted quickly. On the second timing, Stewie2k and Tarik came down from the flowerbed and the second box. Taking advantage of the yellow wall fire dissipating, they threw a yellow wall flash and cleared the information near the point.

VP, however, didn't rush at all. Michu hung out at the tree position, ignoring their counter-flash near the point.

After the second timing, he called Pasha over, used a sandbag fire, and peeked to clear the near point.

Meanwhile, Xu Beifang and Byali had also taken control of A2.

"Should we turn and execute B?" Xu Beifang asked.

This answer concerned his and Byali's subsequent actions.

"No need to come over. We'll throw some grenades on B to feign an attack, then we'll prepare to go to A and group up with you guys for an execute. You guys put some pressure on A first." Pasha explained his thinking.

He wasn't a world-class commander; his ideas were simple and effective.

If they executed grenades on both B and A simultaneously, MIBR would have to either gamble on the site or maintain their original formation if they didn't come out to gather information.

Then VP could get a local numerical advantage.

After hearing Pasha's instruction, Xu Beifang threw a connector smoke, and Byali threw a fire under the shed.

Combined with a flashbang, Xu Beifang peeked the connector double-boost position and the left-hand wall position.

After clearing those areas, he moved silently to the near point of the connector.

"I'll throw a library smoke, then send you into the connector. After that, we'll go straight to A1." Pasha said to Xu Beifang.

Soon, a library smoke was given. As the connector smoke dissipated, Xu Beifang asked his teammate for a flashbang.

"Boom!"

The flashbang exploded, and Xu Beifang rushed into the connector.

"Coldzera was hiding in the connector recess to retake. Will Nice clear that spot? He did! Very detailed! Coldzera is completely blinded and doesn't even have the ability to fight back!"

"Nice continues to push forward! VP's A site pinch has unfolded!"

"I'll take the connector, you watch A1!" The connector Coldzera was killed, leaving the remaining two in a passive position, but Fallen's rational voice calmed Fer down.

"Alright, I'll take one, then I'll hide, and you watch A1." Fer replied to the Godfather.

The Godfather stood in the small pit, choosing to hold the connector direction directly, adjusting his crosshair for the pre-aim.

A terrorist appeared in his field of vision, and Fallen immediately followed with his crosshair and sprayed.

"Pop!"

The AK-47 bullet headshot him from a distance. Blood splattered, and Fallen fell backward!

"Ah!! What's happening! Nice just one-tapped Fallen again!"

Wanjiji's voice was full of surprise. He was still discussing how MIBR was a strong team and could adjust to this formation even after one person was killed, and would cause VP a lot of trouble.

But how had this formation been torn open by Nice before it even started?

Fer, at the bomb site, saw that the situation was wrong and immediately jumped down from the dead point, crouching behind the second box to counter-hold the connector.

Xu Beifang heard the landing sound and kept his crosshair pre-aimed at the dead point area.

The first pre-aim point was off, but the crosshair instantly snapped onto Fer's head.

"Now there's only Fer left at the bomb site. How many can he take? Nice rushed up and killed Fer again! Entering the long-gun round, Nice has started to take the shape of a bulldozer, completely flattening the entire A site by himself. It looks like the two brothers on B site can start saving their guns."

【Nice used AK-47 to headshot Coldzera】

【Nice used AK-47 to headshot Fallen】

【Nice used AK-47 to headshot Fer】

VP's offensive was destructive; the three Brazilians on A site were broken one by one by him alone. Stewie2k and Tarik looked at the kill feed in the top right.

They could only helplessly save their guns.

The score reached 2:2; VP was starting to overtake the score.

(End of chapter)