Chapter 20: Fog and Lightning

"Watch the 6 o'clock position; someone seems to be building an expansion, Li Lin."

"... That's your sector. Didn't you see I'm dropping into another base right now?"

"Then can't you throw your Psionic Storm more accurately? My Marines are almost all dead because of you!"

"You're blaming me? My Dark Templars were blown up by your tanks. That one was a hero who had already killed over a dozen workers."

"Who told you to see me setting up tanks and then charge? You don't need to steal credit like that."

"I'm stealing credit?! I've already crippled my opponent's base. I only came to help because your progress was so slow."

"If I hadn't set up two tanks on their high ground to harass, could you have finished so fast?"

"... That's because you wanted to. Besides, I even sent a Dark Templar to kill workers for you."

"My Wraiths killed all their workers, and you only sent one Dark Templar to steal the kill. How dare you say that!"

"Wahahaha, my opponent has already conceded. I'm faster than you! Iwin!"

"Didn't you see my opponent typed 'gg' first? Clearly, I'm faster!"

"Surrender doesn't count! I'm faster!"

"..."

>>>>>>

Relying on our superior individual skills, KID and I quickly broke through the first two rounds, drawing a large crowd of spectators. Our lightning-fast operations were certainly a major factor in attracting attention, but I suspect many more people were just there to watch the spectacle...

We did have coordination in the match; on the contrary, our teamwork was very tacit, and the complementary advantages of our units were seamless. The heavy, steady suppression and expansion of the Terran, combined with the fierce attacks and omnipresent drops of the Protoss, plus the late-game technological superiority of the Terran and the ghost-like hidden units of the Protoss, left our opponents with only one option: to struggle in a sweat-soaked frenzy before helplessly giving up the match.

The opponents were not strong enough to make the matches particularly exciting; what the audience found truly fascinating was the non-stop arguing between KID and me from the start of the match, and the "meticulous" trouble we caused each other:

When fragile Marines faced a horde of Hydralisks and Zerglings, one or two Psionic Storms would always fall at just the right moment, and unfortunately, the landing spot was always just a little too close to the Marines...

And when Zealots charged alongside the Dragoons, the tanks would sinisterly sing their songs from the rear, raising their incredibly powerful cannons...

A Terran expansion base, having finally flown to the mineral field, helplessly discovered that a few Protoss Observers were already flashing there. By the time it flew to the next mineral spot, unfortunately, a Dragoon had just drawn the enemy's main force over...

And as a reward, when an SCV returned from a stroll, it would inevitably build a Bunker inside the Protoss base, claiming to assist in defense, but actually forcing innocent Dragoons to diet, otherwise they would be forever blocked between the Bunker and the Barracks. Even more terrifyingly, by the end of the match, not a single Marine had ever entered that Bunker...

The pressure of nearly a 1v3, plus the extra operations of constantly typing and arguing during the match, pushed my APM almost beyond my peak level. After a very short period of adjustment, I regained my best form, and even performed somewhat beyond my capabilities in certain aspects. KID's performance could only be described as perfect.

Only Lily frowned and muttered to us after the match: "... Do you two really have the self-awareness of partners?"

I smiled gently: "We are certainly partners."

Then, when I finally succeeded in destroying the opponent a few seconds before KID during the match, I still kept that smile: "It's just that, in a certain sense, it would be more interesting if we were opponents!"

KID was also smiling.

Only Lily helplessly shook her head: "You two really are a pair of willful partners..."

>>>>>>

On the other hand, the first opponents Ling Tian and Lei Xue faced were a Protoss-Zerg combination.

The enemy Zerg player obviously had very rich experience. Seeing Lei Xue choose Terran and judging that the early pressure on their side would be relatively low, they immediately prepared to use a two-base opening. However, the Protoss worker sent by Ling Tian to scout agilely stuck to the Drone sent to build the expansion. That poor insect circled around and around but could never turn into a base under Ling Tian's interference. After delaying for nearly ten seconds, the Zerg expansion finally began construction with the help of another Drone, but the position was not very good and could not fully cover the entrance. That Protoss worker, who had given the opponent a headache, strutted back with a trace of blood on it.

Just as the opponent let out a sigh of relief, a Zealot and four Terran workers had already killed their way to the door. At this time, the Zerg expansion was only half built. The Zerg, with no units, immediately mobilized almost all their workers to engage the enemy. The Zealot was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, while the four Terran workers carefully attacked isolated workers.

Ling Tian carefully controlled the sole Zealot, making it attack continuously without getting surrounded by too many workers. Thus, when this heroic Zealot reached low health, more than half a squad of Zerg had been sent to heaven. Lei Xue's operations were obviously not so detailed; by the time three Zerg were killed, two SCVs had already died. The tenacious Zerg built a well-positioned Defense, immediately organized six newly hatched Zerglings to plan a counterattack, but the newly arrived Zealot and four Marines not only dispelled this idea but also forced them to build another Spine Crawler. The Zerg economy suddenly faced exhaustion, and newly spawned larvae had to be turned into workers.

While the Zerg struggled desperately, they also felt very angry and confused by their ally's attitude of refusing to save them. When they finally found time to observe the situation, they discovered that their ally was also willing but unable. Ling Tian's two Zealots firmly blocked the exit of the Protoss high ground, and behind the Zealots were three Marines eyeing them hungrily. Although the ally already had four Zealots, fighting Ling Tian in such a narrow terrain with fire support was obviously very irrational.

Time is always fair. When the Zerg turned their view back to their own base, four Zealots and more than half a squad of Marines had launched an attack. At this time, although the ally already had six Zealots, the smiling face of the Medic sisters appeared behind the Zealot blocking the entrance for Ling Tian...

The Zerg player was forced to concede in a hysterical despair.

The Medicated Marines didn't even spare the remaining larvae. Until every movable object was beaten into a pool of blood, Xue'er was satisfied and moved her troops to follow Ling Tian's Zealot group.

Facing a massive army, the opposing Protoss player perfectly demonstrated the professionalism expected of a pro. They politely typed GG only after all living forces were eliminated, but their politeness was repaid with the same fate of being forced to concede by a horde of Marines...

When Xue'er finally clicked exit, the game time had only just passed thirteen minutes.

The spectators breathed a sigh of relief in unison, then expressed their admiration for the battle with thunderous applause. For a moment, Xue'er and Ling Tian were the center of attention throughout the venue.

Objectively speaking, although KID and my performance was wonderful, we wasted too many operations in meaningless mutual sabotage. Even if a spectator's view was locked on one of our screens, they might not be able to fully see these small moves. Moreover, a spectator has to watch four people at once. Watching such a match, many parts were inevitably missed. The final impression left was a fog of mystery; before one could fully understand what we were doing, the match ended inexplicably.

The match between Ling Tian and Lei Xue was different. It was full of fierce confrontation from the very beginning. Perhaps there were no profound tactics here, but this direct and tragic fighting style, like sparks ignited by colliding lightning, gave people a sense of beauty that sparkled. Most spectators' StarCraft skill level was not high; such a match that was easy to understand and exciting was naturally more popular than the cloud-covered and foggy match between KID and me.

The opponents in the second round for Ling Tian and Xue'er were even weaker than in the first round. As a result, the match process was almost a replay of the previous one. Although this time the opponents, with self-awareness, increased the number of Photon Cannons, the match ended even faster. When Xue'er forced the opponent's last building to concede, the time was fixed at 12 minutes and 40 seconds.

Perhaps because this was not a very formal tournament, the skill levels of the participating players varied. After Xue'er and Ling Tian broke through the first five rounds and advanced from the group, the average time per game was actually only 13 minutes. But what was even more surprising was that they were not the fastest players. The pair littlebear and Faith completed their first five matches with an average time of only 11 and a half minutes. In sharp contrast was the other pair, wzllt229 and cool-water; every one of their matches lasted over 40 minutes, and the decisive match for advancement lasted more than an hour before a winner was decided, causing their group's matches to end much later than other groups. However, with the advancement of this pair, the top eight were finally all born, meaning the finals were about to begin.

To increase the randomness and excitement of the tournament, the finals still adopted a single-game-decides-all format, so determining the champion from the top eight required only seven matches.

After the draw determined the schedule, the organizing company squeezed in some prize-giving mini-activities for advertising, while the players used this time to eat and rest. To my regret, Xue'er said she wanted to discuss secret tactics with Ling Tian and refused the invitation to dine with us.

>>>>>>

Due to KID, I wasted a lot of energy and stamina in the morning matches. Since these foods with exotic flavors were quite delicious, while the others had already finished eating, I was still burying my head in my meal.

At this time, KID took a sip of black tea, casually picked up the afternoon schedule, and then elegantly frowned.

Lily keenly noticed this and couldn't help but worry: "What? Are the opponents in the afternoon very strong?"

"No, our opponents are weak. Entering the finals will be easy." KID answered absentmindedly.

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I am not worried. I just feel that our little friend has met a very interesting opponent."

Hearing this, I also raised my head: "Ling Tian?"

"Mm." KID handed the schedule to me. "Li Lin, what is your opinion on Ling Tian and the others' tactics?"

"Just two people working together to produce troops, then using the numerical advantage to suppress, then breaking through the opponent's defense lines separately, and then..."

"In other words, it's a combined extreme rush strategy, right?" KID interrupted me.

"Mm... you could say that." I thought for a moment and answered.

"Then how do you think Ling Tian and the others are applying it?"

"This... Ling Tian's style determines that he is not suitable for rushing. Xue'er's early resource allocation and build order are perfect, but her operations and the race she uses determine that Xue'er also cannot unleash the maximum power of this tactic." I analyzed very carefully.

KID smiled: "littlebear, nicknamed Animal, specializes in Zerg, likes to harass relentlessly in the early game to gain an economic advantage, and overwhelms the opponent with a sea of Zerg in the mid-game. Faith, nicknamed Assassin, specializes in Protoss, produces troops incredibly fast, and is famous for early rushes..." Then he pointed at the tournament schedule in my hand. "These two are the representatives of the European extreme rush style, and they are Ling Tian and the others' next opponents."

Lily was very worried when she heard this: "Those two people win a match in just over 11 minutes on average in the prelims. Xue-jie and the others are in serious danger."

"If that's the case, Ling Tian and Xue'er have already won." I chewed the food in my mouth firmly. "Right, KID?"

"I think so too," KID smiled again, "but they'll run into 229 and Liangshui in the semifinals."

"229 and Liangshui? Those two super-slow noobs?"

"Noobs?" KID's smile vanished. "In the last tournament I only got runner-up, and the champions just happened to be the noobs you mentioned."

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