Chapter 555: What the hell kind of metaphor is this?

Domestic, 2 a. m.

Although it was already midnight, the LPL livestream room's popularity was explosively abnormal; the real-time viewer count surged like a rocket, climbing steadily, and the comments piled up layer upon layer—without enabling filter mode you couldn't see a single frame.

【Here they come, here they come, here they come!】

【Jiao Shen said, today he's coming to C!】

【Anyone else staying up all night in an internet cafe? From S3 to S7, for the first time I'm not nervous at all before the finals, and I even want another bowl of instant noodles】

【VG, charge, charge, charge!!!】

【Jiao Shen, kill for me!!!】

【No, why are you guys 'fat four'? The opponents are at least LCK champions, do you really look down on people like that? Have you started taking out loans to become champions?】

【Smeb, world's number one top laner, can Fu Lan Duo hold up?】

【KT's group stage is fully charged; I feel VG is going to get beaten badly】

【Losing to KT in the group stage is just putting pressure on yourself; if you don't understand the match, don't shout】

【It's not false that KT can beat SKT in the finals; their actual strength is indeed stronger than VG】

【Some people have already called someone 'dad' before even playing】

The comments were buzzing happily, when the livestream picture suddenly darkened, a black screen reflected countless stunned faces. But the comments still flooded the screen.

【???】

【What's going on? Why did it suddenly go black?】

【Let me out!!!】

【Damn! Disconnected? Garbage livestream!】

The black screen lasted several seconds.

Suddenly a soft sound rang out, a low and firm voice.

"I'm here……"

An old fan recognized it instantly, becoming utterly thrilled; the comments exploded again, the screen full of 'I'm here'.

"I see……"

Liang Yan continued narrating in his low voice, his face gradually emerging from the darkness.

But he didn't say the following three words; when his face became completely clear on screen, the camera suddenly flashed, switching to a seaside where the morning sun rose and seagulls cried.

Gentle waves lapped the shore; Sima Laozei walked over barefoot, holding his shoes, sat with his back to the camera on the sand, gazing at the rising red sun:

"I want to win the championship."

Well, but in the first game of the finals, VG sent out Gangzi……

The finals promotional MV continued playing; the camera switched to Smeb training at his computer. On screen, Smeb's Olaf achieved a triple kill in a team fight despite being outnumbered; after the play, Smeb turned his head to look at the camera:

"Today I want to prove two things. First, KT is the strongest team in the world. Second, LCK is the strongest region in the world."

Then the camera turned to the other side, showing Score, who was duo queuing with Smeb:

"Fire is indeed a world-class jungler, I respect him greatly. But today he will realize that even the strongest jungler needs teammates, and his teammates cannot stop me."

Both teams took the field, exchanging a few harsh words.

KT's side spoke with utter confidence, as if saying 'who else but me,' injecting considerable confidence into LCK viewers watching the livestream, who felt today's championship was a sure win for KT.

Little did they know, the KT members on stage adjusting their equipment were actually extremely nervous.

Even setting aside past KT-VG practice match records, just looking at their head-to-head record in this MSI, KT cannot be said to have a sure win over VG.

During the group stage, the two teams faced each other twice, each winning one game.

Besides that, KT and G2 played twice, each winning one game, and the semifinals were KT 3:2 G2; whereas VG swept G2 in the group stage.

Against the other teams, both have undefeated records.

From this record, one can actually summarize a very simple logic:

VG > G2

KT ≥ G2

Then what is the relationship between VG and KT?

Even if we cannot say VG is definitely stronger than KT, at least it is greater than or equal to, and there is absolutely no claim that KT will surely beat VG.

However, self-deception counts as a traditional skill of LCK netizens, so on major Korean media forums, public opinion naturally leans entirely toward supporting KT.

Unlike the LPL.

Although the LPL side's voices mostly support VG as well, there are also many barks mixed in, somewhat annoying.

Domestically, VG boss Lu Wenjun, like countless night‑owls, sat at his computer watching the livestream; during a free moment before the match, he glanced at Weibo Tieba. Overall, Lu Wenjun felt satisfied with VG's current reputation among netizens, but he was genuinely annoyed by a few rotten apples, so he casually grabbed screenshots of the most outrageous comments and posted them to his own Weibo, with the caption:

【Some remarks truly leave me baffled; please, oh wise ones, give me some guidance】

After the Weibo post went out, netizens swarmed in.

Derailing threads is also a traditional skill of the LPL region; the comment section, sorted by likes, looks like this:

【You dare scold? You're the wise one, your whole family is wise!】

【It's nothing; the world is so big you have to tolerate some non‑human oddities—because in their past lives they were beasts, just reborn with their brains still unturned】

【Thanks, Boss Lu, for using examples to explain what cultural diversity and biodiversity are; my natural science class is saved!】

【I'm not laning, but I want to ask on behalf of all netizens: the championship is within reach—have you prepared the prize money, boss?】

Lu Wenjun saw that comment, couldn't help but smile, and immediately replied:

【Rest assured, I won't let anyone down】

Too bad the VG members have already had their phones confiscated and are on stage; otherwise they'd be howling again. How to manage a club well? Don't bother with the empty stuff—just spend money!

On site.

After the pre‑match promotional MV finished, the camera cut to the on‑site commentary desk.

Three commentators sat on the platform in front of the side of the stage; behind them was a curved giant screen formed by three huge electronic screens combined—adding the four large screens above the stage, the venue had a total of seven big screens.

The bottom of the big screen began displaying real-time support rates for the match.

The blue bar KT, the red bar VG, the two color bars are basically the same length, and the specific values are both fluctuating slightly around 50%.

The commentators' discussion also started with the support rates:

"It seems everyone's view is unanimous—today's final has no challenger, no defender. This match is the pinnacle showdown of the two strongest teams on our planet over the past six months!"

Another commentator from the Bei Mei Sai Qu region took over, seemingly imitating the style of the famous poet commentator Darkos, his words carrying a poetic touch:

"From the group stage to today, VG and KT each have taken a different path. VG is like a silent giant ship, from day one it has loomed before everyone, unmoving like a mountain, forging ahead through waves; while KT is like a repeatedly tempered sword, each match making them sharper... until today! The sword and the giant ship collide!"

"Er..."

The last commentator awkwardly scratched his nose, unable to speak, thinking what kind of metaphor is this……hitting a giant ship with a sword?

"Better to hit it with your head!"