Chapter 23: G2 Badass LEC!

It was past three in the afternoon.

A white minivan was parked outside the gate of the G2 base.

Everyone boarded the vehicle in single file.

The van was meant for seven, but with the driver they squeezed in eight people, four of them crammed on the back seat, and Liang Yan was sandwiched between three big guys, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

It was mainly because of their body odor.

Normally it was fine, since teammates used deodorant sprays and weren't that close, so you usually couldn't smell it.

But now their left and right shoulders were pressed together, and with the poor ventilation in the van, waves of rich odor began to seep bit by bit into Liang Yan's nose.

That was a real treat.

Liang Yan almost couldn't help shouting at the coach right there, "I want to get out!"

He had to distract himself with something else.

So he started counting heads.

Up front was the driver, with Ka Lao Si in the passenger seat.

Behind Ka Lao Si's single seat was AP, and next to AP was Expect.

That single seat beside Expect was originally meant for CyanideFI, but he modestly waved it off and took a seat in the back.

In the back row, from left to right, were CyanideFI, Liang Yan, Mithy, and Zven.

Wait...

"Coach! Lao Zhang hasn't arrived yet!"

Liang Yan raised his hand and shouted.

Ka Lao Si turned his head:

"Oh, I know, he went to the bathroom."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lao Zhang came rushing out of the gate, fussing over his uniform while shouting, 'Fei te fei te, fei te mi!'

After Lao Zhang got on the van and saw how packed it was, he was dumbfounded:

"Um… where should I sit?"

Ka Lao Si scratched his head embarrassedly:

"Well… looks like we need to switch to a minibus, haha..."

Lao Zhang couldn't sit on someone's lap, so he had no choice but to squeeze into the back as well.

The minivan hit the road, swaying back and forth.

The five people in the back kept squeezing in, and the smell grew stronger.

When they finally arrived at the venue and the van doors opened, the two mid laners in the back bolted out like a whirlwind, covering their mouths as they searched everywhere for a trash can.

But Europe isn't like back home—public places don't have trash cans everywhere……

So the two of them had to rush inside like a gust of wind, looking for a restroom.

The three white guys in the back stared at each other, completely baffled by what was up with those two, since they either lacked such a keen sense of smell or had simply grown accustomed to it, so they noticed nothing of their own body odor.

Finally CyanideFI hesitated and said:

"They……are carsick?"

Upon hearing that, Ka Lao Si felt embarrassed again:

"Maybe it's just too crowded, hehe..."

Then he let out a sigh.

Sure enough, we really need to switch to a minibus.

……

The European League is directly operated by Riot, its home venue also built by Riot, named the Berlin Arena, located in Science City, not far from the G2 base.

The venue isn't large, but the roughly hundred‑square‑meter stage is set up quite elaborately.

The stands have a few hundred seats.

Today's attendance is a full house.

The players are about to appear, all the lights are turned off, and the faint glow of the cheer sticks is the only light source in the venue; in the dimness, heads bob.

Here they don't do the light‑stick cheering, but the fans are even more enthusiastic, with many drawing a player's ID or big portrait on their faces or clothes.

In the crowd sit many cosplayers with dyed rainbow hair, their faces painted in bright colors, their costume props light and cool, their styling extremely exaggerated.

All this creates a wild, unrestrained, fervent atmosphere throughout the venue.

Of course, it's not like this every day.

Today it's because the super‑popular team OG is playing.

Although OG was only formed last spring, its founder is the big‑draw S1‑world‑champion mid laner, the European 'Law King' xPeke.

Strangely, in OG's officially announced roster for today, xPeke is listed as a substitute.

OG's starting mid laner is PowerOfEvil, UOL's former starting mid laner, a 1997‑born youngster who was poached by OG this year and immediately made the starting line‑up; nobody knows whether xPeke picked him as his successor, but after OG announced today's starting roster, commenters have already guessed as much.

After all, xPeke isn't young either—he's already 24, considered 'old' in esports.

Many spectators were whispering as well; they had arrived early with tickets, hoping to see the old friends xPeke and CyanideFI face off for the first time on stage, but OG didn't even start xPeke, leaving them somewhat disappointed.

Backstage in the G2 lounge, Lao Zhang returned from the makeup room to the lounge; his face, powdered, looked a bit pallid.

Liang Yan was a little worried about his condition:

"You alright, bro?"

Lao Zhang was so nervous he could barely sit beside Liang Yan, forcing a smile, afraid that if he spoke his voice would shake and reveal his inner fear, so he stayed silent.

Ka Lao Si also noticed Lao Zhang wasn't doing well and asked anxiously:

"Zhang, are you okay? If not, I'll still let Expect take the first game……"

Lao Zhang's weapon master is the first trump card Ka Lao Si intends to play today, aiming to give OG an early blow and crush the opposing players' morale.

But Lao Zhang's current state makes Ka Lao Si very worried.

"I can do it!"

As soon as Lao Zhang heard he might be taken off, he instantly got pumped up, as if injected with chicken blood.

Ka Lao Si was doubtful:

"Really no problem?"

"Absolutely no problem! Let me go up!"

Lao Zhang had already given such assurance; Ka Lao Si couldn't say anything more, though a hint of worry still lingered in his eyes.

At that moment, the front desk relayed the opening commotion.

On stage, the lights suddenly flashed, and with a burst of strong background music, two spotlights shone on the G2 and Origen logos.

The background music abruptly stopped after reaching its climax.

Europe's renowned commentator Drakos' booming voice echoed throughout the venue:

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

"Welcome back to the European League of Legends Championship Series, the LEC!"

"Oh wait, let's just use that old, long-winded official name—"

"This is the EU. LCS!"

"Welcome, everyone!"

"But today's match is anything but cliché!"

After finishing the opening remarks, Drakos suddenly shifted his tone from passionate and booming to a heavy tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm:

"We've been singing praises of G2 all spring."

"We called G2 Europe's new force, new benchmark, the hope we would send to MSI to prove our region's strength!"

"But what was the result?"

"Just a vacation!!!"

Another commentator's voice chimed in:

"They really went on a vacation before MSI, hahaha..."

bullet chat:

"【G2 go eat shit!】"

"【Even before Worlds they went on a vacation—is that your confidence, O European new kings? hahaha!】"

"【I announce that G2's new team name is changed to 'Europe's Shame'】"

"【G2, get lost, LEC!】"

"【What are you talking about? There's no G2 in EU, isn't it G28?】"

"【NA fans have been here; EU is better than you】"

On the commentator's desk, Drakos nodded heavily:

"Yes."

"So their MSI trip also turned into a vacation!"

"We reaped a resounding slap! And also PerkZ's lighthearted apology left on Twitter!"

"Listen, how are the NA folks saying it?"

"Europe is better!!!"

"Fuck!!!"

"I can't accept this!!!"

"......"

"......"

"Add a patch:"

"Drakos wasn't well-known at this time; logically he shouldn't have appeared in the S6 summer season opener, but I thought he fit here, so I let him appear."