Chapter 9: Days Without Games

I threw myself heavily onto the soft bed in the dormitory, secretly relieved in my heart: another day survived!

For several days, as a language teacher, my teaching load was not heavy, but these quirky students were truly killing me. They did not break discipline; they just constantly found new ways to be "affectionate" with me during breaks. Each one acted as if they were very familiar with me, ganging up to mock me in unison, making me so angry that smoke seemed to pour from my seven orifices. I could only comfort myself: they are the flowers of the motherland, and I am the diligent gardener; if a gardener gets pricked by a flower he planted, even the pain is a happy one...

But what I found unbearable was that Lei Xue, that girl, didn't stay in the Education Office; she kept running to my class. Actually, if that were all, I would welcome it, but when she came, she led the mocking of me, and the students looked at her with such trust, so my suffering multiplied geometrically. Xue'er, oh Xue'er, can't you see the affectionate look in my eyes? Even if you don't like me, you don't have to hate me so much... sob, sob, my pure feelings~~

I could only silently say to her in my heart: If you are the tearful archer, then I am the white bird determined to no longer dodge... let the storm come even more fiercely...

However, compared to the torment others inflicted on me during the day, the internal struggle within me every afternoon was even more agonizing. On one side was a large stretch of leisure time where I had nothing to do; on the other was the game's deadly attraction to me... I had always dared not enter the school's computer hall, fearing that my long-held resentment against the students, especially Ling Tian, would explode, causing me to recklessly beat him up in the game... I couldn't even dare to return to the dormitory, because a devil would whisper in my ear: "No one will know if you play, so play..." I could only kill time by working desperately, which unexpectedly won Director Lei's favor; she praised me in front of everyone several times, saying, "There aren't many young people working so hard these days... only by not touching games can one be so focused..." (the following n words omitted)

Occasionally, I wanted to go to the Education Office to see Lei Xue, but her sharp little mouth made me hesitate; it was one thing to be mocked in front of students, but if she mocked me in front of colleagues, where would I put my face? Only when lying in bed every night could I get some true rest...

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It was another crisp morning. I walked energetically on the way to the classroom. A student from my class came towards me. Just as I was about to pretend not to see him and walk around, he nodded at me, "Old Li is good!" and then passed by.

I was startled, then delighted. "The students finally know how to respect me... but there's no need to call me 'Old Li' so seriously... I'm only 22 years old..." In the blink of an eye, I arrived at the class, and only then did I understand how this "Old Li" came about...

A poem was written on the blackboard, and the students below were chanting in unison: "Old Li, Old Li, never fall, Dragon Knight's build, Zergling's look, work hard, never shower, flatter shamelessly, gain much, words are tasteless, surely no brain..." Immediately, a dizziness swept through my mind.

"Shut up." I finally spoke a sentence with restored calm. The composure I possessed when long experienced on the battlefield returned to me. If my teammates saw my expression now, they would surely discover: it was exactly the same as the expression I wore when facing provocateurs in the game. "Duty student!"

The students, not expecting that I, usually so submissive, could be so majestic, were somewhat at a loss.

"Here..." A little girl stood up with her head down.

"Wipe the blackboard!" She immediately obediently wiped the blackboard clean.

"I know you don't like me as a teacher; I'm too rigid, too serious, I don't join in your antics, and I don't play games with you. But, no matter what you do, working hard is not wrong! I do not think my hard work deserves mockery, just as I do not think my not playing games should be looked down upon by you. You play every day; who has made anything of it? Who has won a ranking in a major tournament..." Hehe, I didn't expect I could talk quite well...

Hearing this, the students stirred a little, consciously or unconsciously looking at Ling Tian. Ling Tian indeed stood up. "Teacher, not everything can be done well just by hard work. I practice StarCraft diligently every day, yet I lost in a tournament to a guy with a divided mind... The competition and challenges in the game, outsiders will never understand!..."

"He took fourth place in the WCG StarCraft tournament!" A student said to me proudly.

I was just about to sneer and say what does fourth place matter, when I suddenly remembered that I was not the gaming master Li Lin now, but just an ordinary teacher. I suppressed the surge of ** within me and said calmly, "Since you like games so much, for today's composition, write about your understanding of games; if you can't, submitting a game battle report is also acceptable... but the language must be fluent, and the text must be coherent..."

The students' reaction was more enthusiastic than I imagined; they asked me all at once with many voices.

"Teacher, can we write about StarCraft?"

"Teacher, is it really okay to submit a battle report?"

After I gave affirmative answers one by one, the students calmed down and all bent over their desks to start writing. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of going to the corridor to get some fresh air. I turned my head, only to find Xue'er standing at the door, looking at all this thoughtfully...

After work this afternoon, contrary to my usual habit, I did not go to the office to work overtime; instead, I carried the compositions collected at noon back to the dormitory.

I first opened Ling Tian's composition. The article did not describe how he won fourth place in the WCG; instead, it revealed the desolation and loneliness he felt in school, where he looked around and found no one equal to him. Without a suitable opponent, once one's skill reaches a certain height, it is very hard to take another step... Only then did I realize how lucky I was, to have brothers like Xu Ge and the old guns...

I continued flipping through the compositions and battle reports one by one. That long-lost feeling of emotion gradually filled every nerve ending of mine again. The suppression during class made the restlessness in my heart gradually impossible to restrain...

Finally, with trembling hands, I turned on the computer switch and sat in front of the computer I hadn't touched for 8 days and 16 hours. I kept telling myself in my heart: Once! Just this once!... But when I entered the school's local network, I had already forgotten everything else.

Students of Mingqing Academy log into the network using their student ID numbers. As a hacker, I easily found Ling Tian's location: he was playing StarCraft against someone.

I modified my attributes, entered the game as an observer, and quietly watched this 1-on-1 match.

Actually, Ling Tian and I had clashed before, in the semi-finals of the previous WCG. At that time, I had just eliminated Grrr, ranked first in the world, feeling triumphant. After easily defeating him, I turned and left without seeing his stunned, wooden-faced reaction after the loss. It was said that was his first defeat in an official tournament; he could only blame his bad luck for meeting me.

This time, watching carefully with a calm mind, Ling Tian's strength was indeed not ordinary. His opponent was not weak; he fully utilized resources to produce a large number of troops, and the main base's defense was as solid as a fortress, appearing to be a steady-type player. Ling Tian was using a small number of Dragon Knights to probe with attacks; upon encountering the opponent's main force, he immediately retreated. The opponent did not let him go; the Terran mechanized forces immediately pursued. Ling Tian's Dragon Knight Dance (Note 1) was flawless; he finally successfully lured the opponent into a narrow mountain path. Immediately, Psionic Storms from the High Templars on the highlands on both sides erupted among the mechanized forces. Then Ling Tian's main force closed in from behind. Although the baiting Dragon Knights were instantly obliterated, the Terran main force simply vanished... The opponent helplessly typed "gg" and withdrew...

It seems Ling Tian belongs to the type that likes risky tactics, but if that Terran player had scouted earlier, not entered the mountain path, and instead rushed directly towards Ling Tian's ambushing main force or even the main base, Ling Tian's tactic would have become a fatal flaw that scattered his own forces... It seems, compared to me, he is still too green... I thought proudly.

To warm up, I first played two games against others. Then I directly issued a challenge to Ling Tian; the map was still the familiar Lost Temple. I randomly got the Zerg race, quickly started with a double base, and prepared to swarm Zerglings. My opponent, Ling Tian, still chose the Protoss race.

After a few contacts, my Zergling sea had taken shape. Suddenly, an encounter battle broke out near the central temple. Ling Tian's forces were far weaker than mine; upon contact, he immediately retreated. Proudly, I selected all my troops and was just about to pursue with full force when the scene from the first match flashed before my eyes. An onlooker sees clearly; now that I am in the situation, I almost fell into the same trap as that person...

But fortunately, I saw his match; now is the time for me to use this opportunity... Hehe, kid, the long-held resentment of many days, today I will settle it all!

I still pursued with the entire army, but upon reaching the entrance of the mountain path, I suddenly turned the entire army around and rushed straight for Ling Tian's main force's ambush spot. All the Zerglings were ready for battle, but... there was absolutely nothing! His main force was not here! Then what was his purpose in luring me? Cold sweat immediately broke out on my back. Sure enough, a large number of Protoss Zealots and Dragon Knights surged out at my expansion base. My workers were instantly overwhelmed; if the entrance to my main base was breached again, I was finished! I hurriedly built three or four defense towers and, using the transport capability of the Overlords that had just been upgraded, air-dropped the main force that couldn't return in time to Ling Tian's main base. I operated desperately; I hadn't felt this sense of going all out for a long time... Soon, the Zerg's excellent production capability showed itself. Although Ling Tian barely managed to break into my main base, due to the entanglement of the defense towers, a new batch of my warriors was produced. The Protoss's individual combat capability was indeed very strong, but under the Zerg's wave after wave of people's war, the invaders were finally eliminated. I gathered the remaining forces at home and rushed straight for Ling Tian's main base. With the inside-outside cooperation of the air-dropped troops, Ling Tian's defense line soon had a gap...

Ling Tian finally gave up, but he did not politely type "gg"; instead, he typed another sentence: "whoareyou?" I was startled, suddenly remembered my identity, and hurriedly exited the game. Just at that moment, my dormitory door opened, and a girl with two crystal-clear eyes walked in with a half-smile.

Lei Xue!?

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Note 1: Dragon Knight Dance is a famous micro-management technique targeting Dragon Knights; simply put, it utilizes the Dragon Knight's characteristic of not needing to turn around to attack, allowing them to hit and run.

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