Chapter 13: The Off-Center Battle

Although Ling Tian was full of fighting spirit, he knew clearly that in terms of raw strength, KID was still a cut above. Under these circumstances, if he wanted to secure a victory, the choice of race would be the first key opportunity.

Ling Tian remembered very clearly that in the Star Cup tournament that had just concluded, KID had consistently chosen the Terran race. Tight defense, frequent scouting, overwhelming pressure on the front lines like a tidal wave, and the ability to accurately drop units behind enemy lines even during high-intensity confrontations were the reasons for KID's success. It could be said that KID’s playstyle was the most tedious and exhausting, and it demanded the highest level of micro-management, but it was also a playstyle without weaknesses. Unless someone could surpass him in absolute strength, KID was invincible.

This was precisely the type of player Ling Tian—who preferred to win by baiting enemies and exploiting their vulnerabilities—feared the most.

In other words, if Ling Tian could not control the situation and allowed the battle to proceed at KID’s rhythm, forcing both sides to decide the outcome through a clash of raw strength, then his chances of winning would be...

Almost zero.

Because his opponent was the top-tier micro-management master known as the "Man Who Can Control Time"—the Crimson King, KID!

Ling Tian was almost certain that if he chose his specialty, the Protoss, his opponent would still use the Terran. When Protoss faced Terran, victory depended on who could suppress the other; the situation would inevitably devolve into a head-on clash, and the outcome would be a foregone conclusion. In that case, he could only...

Amidst a chorus of surprised gasps, Ling Tian unexpectedly chose Random.

In high-level 1v1 matches, the opening is extremely important, and both sides usually lock in their most proficient race. Although the race balance in StarCraft is already very refined, there are still some unavoidable formulaic strategies during the opening phase of a match.

For example, in Protoss vs. Terran, if the Terran does not wall off the entrance to produce Marines, a small number of Protoss Zealots transitioning into a mass of Dragoons would be a powerful suppression. In the mid-game, High Templars and Dark Templars are also decisive support units. If the Terran chooses to wall off and transition into a mechanized build (Note 1), a fast Dragoon build from the Protoss is a very effective harassment, allowing them to attack the Terran’s supply depots from the entrance while remaining safe due to their range advantage.

There are many such formulaic strategies, such as Zerg vs. Protoss choosing Zerglings paired with Mutalisks transitioning into Lurkers to seal the entrance, or Terran vs. Zerg choosing Marines paired with Medics and Tanks, and so on.

Of course, so-called formulaic strategies are not guaranteed wins; they are simply safe opening strategies in matches between evenly matched players that ensure one doesn't fall behind. The true outcome still depends on the players' subsequent performance and a little bit of luck.

If one side chooses Random, their opponent usually has no choice but to opt for a more moderate opening and decide their development path only after scouting the opponent's race. This was exactly what Ling Tian was fighting for, because the Terran opening has the most variations: to wall off or not? One Barracks or two? At which worker count to build the Refinery? Whether to rush?

As long as KID hesitated even a little, the situation would change, and the more chaotic the situation, the greater Ling Tian’s chances of winning. Moreover, Ling Tian had another reason for choosing Random: would KID’s pride allow him to use his specialty, the Terran, against a child’s Random pick?

Just as he expected, KID did not use his specialty Terran, but also chose Random.

The corners of Ling Tian’s mouth curled up slightly; the match was gradually beginning to follow the script he had directed.

At this moment, I sat in front of the computer in my dormitory, having entered the game as an observer. The result of this battle would be an important reference for whether I could defeat KID.

Because Ling Tian was the same type of player as I was.

>>>>>>

The match finally began.

KID received the red Zerg, appearing at the 9 o'clock position. Ling Tian received the green Protoss, appearing at the 3 o'clock position. (Note 2) I let out a long breath; Ling Tian was using his specialty Protoss, while KID was not Terran—perhaps the gap in strength would narrow a little.

When the Protoss's seventh worker walked out of the base, it planted a Pylon, followed by a Gateway. It seemed he was preparing to use the most common double-Gateway opening to suppress with powerful Zealots.

I shifted my view to KID’s side and discovered he hadn't used the most common double-Hatchery opening, but had instead planted both a Spawning Pool and a Gas Extractor simultaneously. It was estimated he would fast-tech to Tier 2 to produce Mutalisks; Zerglings paired with Mutalisks were indeed more economical and effective than the Protoss Zealot-Dragoon combination.

Ling Tian’s scouting worker walked into KID’s territory, discovered the gas, and slipped away. KID hadn't planted any Sunken Colonies; a Zerg without defensive structures would find it hard to block a Protoss Zealot rush! I suppressed my slight excitement, wanting to see how many Zealots Ling Tian had produced, but the result left me dumbfounded.

Only two! Ling Tian hadn't built a second Gateway at all, but had instead built a Gas Extractor and even the Cybernetics Core required to produce Dragoons! What is this idiot thinking?! Choosing to fast-tech against Zerg? Could it be that he was afraid of KID’s micro-management and didn't dare to rush? I looked at the other side; KID had actually built a Hydralisk Den—could it be he wasn't going for Mutalisks?

I sat in the dormitory facing the screen, lost in thought, while the computer hall was in an uproar.

Ling Qing asked Lei Xue in a low voice: "Why can't I understand this? If Ling Tian doesn't rush, maybe it's out of caution, but there's no reason for KID to build a Hydralisk Den, right? If he's not producing Mutalisks, is he going for Lurkers? Doesn't he know how terrifying Protoss detection is?"

Before Lei Xue could speak, the situation changed again. Ling Tian produced another Zealot, joined up with the scouting worker, and three Zealots and one worker headed straight for KID’s lair! The attack had finally begun, but having only one Gateway meant an insufficient number of Zealots. If the Zerg had built defensive structures—Sunken Colonies—at this time, they could easily have blocked this attack.

At this moment, KID’s Hydralisk Den and Tier 2 base weren't finished yet, but an Overlord in an excellent position allowed him to discover Ling Tian’s attack in advance. He added six Zerglings and, unexpectedly, still didn't build any Sunken Colonies. Everyone couldn't help but frown at his arrogance—thinking he could defend against a Protoss attack with just six Zerglings?

Ling Tian’s troops arrived quickly. KID had buried the six Zerglings, which had been upgraded with Burrow, at the entrance. Just as Ling Tian’s troops passed by, five of them immediately burrowed out. The poor worker was killed instantly. Ling Tian left two Zealots to fight, while the other continued inward. When he scouted that KID had actually built a Hydralisk Den and added another six Zerglings, Ling Tian was also taken aback. He hurriedly micro-managed the two Zealots locked in a bloody battle to retreat. The two remaining Zerglings continued to chase and bite one of them. Just as the heavily wounded Zealot was about to escape, the sixth Zergling, which had been burrowed underground, appeared, and two bites ended the Zealot’s life. Ling Qing held the remaining two healthy Zealots at the narrow entrance on the high ground. Although KID had nine Zerglings, he chose to retreat when faced with Zealots holding the high-ground advantage.

Almost at the same time, the Zerg Tier 2 base and Hydralisk Den were completed. KID didn't hesitate to upgrade the Lurker research and simultaneously produced two Hydralisks. Faced with the impending long-range and melee attack, Ling Tian retreated.

The audience was buzzing with discussion. Ling Tian had traded one Zealot for three Zerglings, suffering only a minor loss, but the two players' bizarre playstyles raised many questions. KID chose Lurkers to counter the Protoss, while Ling Tian abandoned the rush and only conducted a feint that was clearly for scouting. After discovering his opponent's intentions, he didn't build a Robotics Facility to produce Observers for detection, but instead built a Citadel of Adun to upgrade Zealot speed, and even built a Templar Archives! Did he not know the danger of Zerg Lurkers? High-attack invisible units, paired with Zerg Overlords that naturally detect invisible units—Dark Templars would be useless.

Then... was Ling Tian preparing to produce High Templars?

I saw the Protoss continuously add three Gateways, while the Zerg kept morphing Hydralisks into Lurkers and simultaneously planted a Spire. However, the Lurkers had already consumed a massive amount of gas, leaving nowhere near enough to produce even a few Mutalisks!

Ling Tian’s four Gateways were working busily, producing large numbers of Zealots and High Templars. Zealots only cost minerals, while High Templars mainly cost gas; the Protoss resources were being fully utilized, yet there was still no sign of producing detection units.

A Zerg Overlord with speed upgrade flew in for a lap. Ling Tian had no Dragoons, so he merged two High Templars into one Archon. The Archon was the bane of Mutalisks and Overlords, and KID rationally withdrew the Overlord.

I watched the changes on the field quietly. It seemed Ling Tian wasn't being too cautious, but rather too confident! Although the method he used to guard against Zerg Lurkers was indeed clever, wouldn't KID see it? ...However, KID wouldn't need to produce Scourge to deal with Observers either. Ling Tian’s plan to make the situation chaotic was going very smoothly... But, with neither side playing by the rules, to whom would the victory belong?

KID quickly canceled the construction of the Spire and built two more Lurkers, adding a squad of Zerglings. Now the Zerg had nine Lurkers and over two squads of Zerglings. The Protoss had one and a half squads of speed-upgraded Zealots and eight High Templars. The strength was indeed similar, but the effect of the High Templars' Psionic Storm could not be estimated in advance. Theoretically, if the Zerg troops gathered together, two Psionic Storms could make them all disappear.

Ling Tian’s face had a flush of excitement, but his hands didn't tremble in the slightest. Ling Tian calculated the situation: "The opportunity for victory has arrived! With Lurkers, Zerglings and Hydralisks cannot block me! The advantage of unit types cannot be recovered by micro-management alone; I will tell my opponent this truth immediately!" Without hesitation, Ling Tian’s Protoss army finally marched toward his opponent.

KID’s Overlord reported the opponent’s movements once again. Four Lurkers and one squad of Zerglings immediately left the base to meet the enemy, and he immediately sent a worker to build a base at the expansion.

"Building an expansion at this time? Isn't that suicide?" Even I couldn't understand KID’s intentions this time. "And he only sent half his forces to meet the enemy?" I muttered to myself.

Could it be...

A chill ran down my spine. When I saw the remaining half of the Zerg forces burrowing underground at the expansion, I suddenly understood KID’s idea.

At this moment, the hall was full of cheers. KID’s micro-management was indeed powerful. When the Psionic Storm exploded, the squad of Zerglings split and converged, managing to kill two High Templars right under the Zealots' noses. Although Lurkers were invisible units, Psionic Storm was a map weapon that ignored invisibility and dealt area-of-effect damage! After six Psionic Storms, the Lurkers that had met the attack had all been sacrificed.

Although the Zerg still had a force at the expansion, as long as Ling Tian followed suit, victory over the world champion seemed within reach. The students of Mingqing Academy were overjoyed, holding their breath and waiting for this moment, yet no one noticed the "stop" key on KID’s operation panel flashing incessantly. (Note 3)

The mighty Protoss army finally attacked the Zerg expansion. Although the remaining five Lurkers were already burrowed, they didn't attack; KID kept clicking the S key to keep them quiet. The audience also seemed to see the mystery in this, and their expressions suddenly became heavy.

Finally, the Zealots swarmed up and began to dismantle the newly built expansion base, while the High Templars, who had no damage output against buildings, watched quietly from behind.

It was at this moment that KID released the S key.

The cross-shaped line attack of the five Lurkers and the ten-plus Zerglings that suddenly burrowed out of the ground easily tore all the High Templars to shreds in an instant. The Zerglings retreated skillfully, blocking the Zealots' path of retreat. All the Zealots rushed toward the Zerg main base, intending to fight to the death. Waiting for them, however, were two brand-new Lurkers that had just been built...

The outcome was decided.

In the silence, Ling Tian suddenly burst into loud laughter.

>>>>>>

Note 1: The mechanized playstyle means producing few or no infantry-type Terran units, instead relying on the Spider Mines of Vulture vehicles and the ultra-long range and high attack power of Siege Tanks in siege mode to block the Protoss inside their own home. There are many variations, and in the late game, Science Vessels, Goliaths, and even Battlecruisers are added. It is named because the strategy is composed entirely of mechanical units.

Note 2: In StarCraft battle reports, "o'clock" is used to indicate direction. It essentially treats the entire map as a clock face; 12 o'clock is the top-middle position of the map, and so on.

Note 3: In StarCraft, the stop command (shortcut key S) makes the selected unit remain in its original state without moving, and its state cannot be changed. Clicking S repeatedly can prevent Lurkers from attacking targets that have entered their range.

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