Chapter 17: Together, I Really Was Playing 1 vs 9! The Unexpected

After collecting the rewards from the [Temporary Mission] that popped up before him, Ye Bo prepared to walk back with his teammates.

However, he was suddenly intercepted by Chu Jun, who had walked over from the backstage area.

"You guys head back first; I have something to discuss with Ye Bo."

Since today was well-known to be Ye Bo's final match, it was only logical for Chu Jun to come over and say a few words.

Yet, it was obvious that the other four, as they were leaving, kept looking back with incredibly guilty expressions.

"You're strong! To be able to carry and win a match like that—even I thought it was a guaranteed loss from backstage!"

After the other four left, Chu Jun dropped his serious expression, broke into a smile, and made no effort to hide his amazement.

"Oh, it was just simple stuff~" Ye Bo replied with a grin.

But clearly, even though the match seemed to end quickly, anyone who understood the game knew the level of difficulty involved was far from simple.

If not for the LeBlanc’s outrageous plays that repeatedly turned the team fights around, allowing her to reach an unstoppable state of growth early on.

And subsequently using a rapid tempo to push, lead the offense, and finally executing a clean and decisive bait to seal the game in one go.

Otherwise, had the game dragged on for even ten more minutes, the outcome of this match would have been hard to say.

"No, it was not simple at all," Chu Jun suddenly changed his tone. "I don't believe you didn't feel it."

"For some reason, your match just now suddenly received a massive amount of attention. Before the game was even over, there were already several trending topics on Weibo!"

Ye Bo was not allowed to carry a phone while playing, so Chu Jun handed his own over to him.

Ye Bo fixed his gaze on the screen.

He saw that among the top ten Weibo trending topics, aside from the number one spot [Yi Yangqianxi-Acting Skills#].

Immediately following were the eye-catching tags [LDL#] and [Match-fixing#]!

"Match-fixing?" Ye Bo read the trending tag he saw.

Although Ye Bo had indeed harbored suspicions in his heart, he hadn't dared to reach that conclusion, nor did he want to easily judge his teammates.

After all, the final result was a win.

Yet, at this moment on the Weibo plaza, countless netizens were heatedly discussing the many brilliant highlights from that match; the comments were full of disbelief and exaggeration!

"Actually, I felt something was strange from the first few waves in the early game, but I could barely justify it then. But later on, it was obvious they were anxious; their acting became increasingly clumsy."

"If this is actually real, I bet they must have bet everything they had... They're going to be crying over their losses now~"

Chu Jun spoke with a tone full of schadenfreude.

Even though this was a problem within the team he worked for, as long as he kept his own conduct upright, he had nothing to fear.

Furthermore, to put it bluntly, the amount involved in a mere LDL match-fixing scandal couldn't be that high. As a video creator with a following of over a million, there was really no reason for him to earn money that way.

Besides, he was only an assistant coach; if it weren't for wanting to find an opportunity to enter the LPL by recommending Ye Bo, he wouldn't even return to the youth training camp often.

"So, is it really match-fixing?" Ye Bo asked, still somewhat unable to believe it.

"Of course, I can't be certain yet, but as far as I know, because the heat of this incident has exploded beyond imagination, the official investigation team has already set out. Now that it's blown up this big, it's impossible for there to be no outcome."

"I came to tell you: just don't go back to the youth training camp for now. Go home for these two days and wait for news."

After listening, Ye Bo thought for a moment and nodded.

In any case, his purpose for coming to the youth training camp had been fulfilled; there was truly no need to stay here.

"However, doesn't this require me to cooperate with any investigations?"

Chu Jun let out a dry laugh after hearing this, then sighed with some helplessness: "Big brother, do you even know how fierce you were in that match? Let me tell you, Mr. Abu was backstage just now, and his eyes were practically turning green looking at you!"

"Your performance this match could be described as one-versus-five, and every single wave was a play you forced and created yourself. The opponents didn't give you any openings at all."

"If there is a need, someone will contact you, but I don't think there will be."

Chu Jun spoke with confidence. This was why he dared to let Ye Bo go home first, to avoid letting this player—whom he still wanted to rely on—get caught up in any negative influence.

After all, anyone with eyes could see who was the only person playing the game normally in that match.

If Ye Bo's key kills had been due to the opponents being stupid or feeding, there might have been a shred of suspicion.

But the problem was, those plays by Ye Bo—let alone ordinary viewers, even professionals were screaming in amazement!

Would someone with that kind of strength need to rely on match-fixing to win?

Just thinking about it, you know it's absolutely impossible~

Just as Ye Bo stepped onto the road home, he received a message from "Coach Abu," which came as no surprise.

However, when Ye Bo saw the conditions offered by the other party, he still did not respond immediately.

Since everything was already prepared.

Now, let the bullets fly for a while longer.

One week later.

Due to the continuous fermentation of the incident, the League officials investigated the matter with rare efficiency and quickly announced the investigation results.

[Announcement Regarding Recent #2022LDL# Anti-Match-Fixing and Anti-Gambling Rectification]

"Regarding the match between TO and 12 on June 18, the League of Legends Professional Esports Disciplinary Management Team established a special task force to investigate. Based on on-site investigation, evidence collection, and verification with relevant parties and individuals, the League of Legends Professional Esports Disciplinary Management Team has clarified the following situation and has imposed penalties based on corresponding rules and standards."

"The TO Club and 12 Club teams are hereby permanently stripped of their LDL spots effective immediately. The following personnel are subject to 'lifetime bans' according to the 'League of Legends Development League Competition Rules': Ying Tianci (ID: icbrerg), Xiang Chao (ID: xxx), Xu Qingbin (ID: wynn), Chen Meijiang (ID: v30)."

"At the same time, the League of Legends Disciplinary Management Team conducted surprise investigations on the remaining 22 LDL teams, imposing lifetime bans on players such as Lu Qi (ID: asura), Liu Ziyan (ID: jingyi), and You Chonghui (ID: op) for 'illegal betting behavior'."

"In addition, the LDL officials will communicate with various streaming platforms; all the above ID holders may not engage in any League of Legends-related streaming or commercial activities."

Aside from the 9 players from the TO and 12 teams involved, as well as the original mid-laner who wasn't present, they were all clearly listed.

This time, they even caught 11 other LDL players with "illegal betting behavior"!

Once this announcement was issued, it instantly ignited public opinion!

[That's fucking ridiculous, so it really was match-fixing! I was wondering how anyone could be that bad!]

[Wait, I didn't misread that, did I? Asura also match-fixed? Is this what they call divine retribution!]

[Do you know why Ruozi's monthly phone call is to Tong Yang and the others instead of his family? Because even while in a cage, Ruozi's hand still controls everything!]

[Education? Undergraduate!!]

[Holy shit!? Wait! Oh my god, so '1 vs 9' wasn't just a meme!]

[It's too dreamlike; in a single match, except for me playing seriously, everyone else was an actor...]

Ye Bo was finishing his daily tasks on the treadmill, watching the small screen in front of him automatically scroll through comments from netizens standing up for him.

And immediately after, the officials released a second "Investigation Details" report.

According to the recovered mobile phone information, it turned out that in that match that day... all 9 people had participated in betting!

9 people, all of whom bought the 12 team to win!

Because the TO team had already achieved a four-game winning streak after Ye Bo arrived, the odds for that match were driven very high, so these 9 people had placed heavy bets with their own money.

It is said that they threw in all the savings from their professional salaries over the past few years.

They were just planning to make a big score before Ye Bo left!

That explains why, when they realized it was too late toward the end, they were so anxious they were practically acting openly!

But due to Ye Bo's decision in the final wave, using his own body to bait the Leona and forcing a four-versus-five push, these people couldn't find a chance to drag the game out.

Truly, they lost everything!

"Damn, so I really was playing one-versus-nine in that match."

Ye Bo slowed down the treadmill and couldn't help but sigh.

Thinking about how his dream had always been to play professionally and take this game, which he was best at and loved most in his life, to the extreme.

Yet some people really got the opportunity but didn't know how to cherish it.

Ye Bo just thought about it and felt these people deserved no sympathy.

He even specifically clicked on the esports toilet "Kangya Bar" to see the output from the "maggot babies" there.

However, what Ye Bo didn't expect was.

Upon entering the bar, his own name was visible everywhere!

"How to evaluate the incident where 9 people match-fixed in an LDL match?"

[Good riddance, meow~ It's said that some big shots have already doxxed them. I won't say much more, but don't even think about making a living off this game ever again; even if you go to a gaming companion shop, they'll catch you!]

[I just think the punishment is too light. Honestly, there are quite a few people in LCK and Korea who match-fix in esports, but what's their punishment? They go straight to jail for 18 months!]

[But I think what's even more insane is: in a match where nine people wanted to lose, how did one person carry it to a win? Isn't this guy a bit outrageous!]

[They really couldn't win 9 vs 1 (]

[It is indeed outrageous, but it's also a fact. I watched the live stream of that match; this guy is fucking strong to the point of being a freak!]

[Rising from the mud without being stained, right? He already has a title before even debuting: Saint Lotus!]

[Laughing, I can already imagine the environment of Kangya Bar. Anyway, if he plays well in the future, he'll be 'Saint Ye', and if he plays poorly, he'll be a 'Wild Ye'. Once targeted by Kangya Bar, his life is set.]

[Anyway, I'm starting to look forward to this guy's performance in the LPL. He already has 'legendary moments' before debuting. Is the LPL mid-lane finally saved?]

Kangya Bar, known for its foul stench and hostility, was actually full of positive comments about Ye Bo, aside from the usual aggressive language!

Just as Chu Jun thought, there was absolutely nothing to question about Ye Bo's performance.

During the investigation, the officials only came to ask questions once as a formality, and never bothered him again.

After all, the first-person perspective footage and the archived records of the voice channels were more direct evidence.

And at this moment, it went far beyond Kangya Bar; it was all over internet forums like Hupu, Weibo, and Zhihu.

Even in corners Ye Bo didn't know about.

When this incident spread to overseas regions, perhaps because "betting" is truly too common in foreign environments, the first reaction of most people wasn't even shock at the "match-fixing."

Instead, they were all shocked that...

There was actually someone! Who could forcibly reverse the result of a match with 9 actors!

As a secondary league, the LDL might not have much inherent value, and there are plenty of cases of players who controlled the lightning in the LDL but became nobodies upon arriving in the LPL.

Yet this "1 vs 9" match, this match of malicious match-fixing—actually became the best "foil" for Ye Bo's strength!

In an instant.

The name "Ye Bo" spread rapidly across the global League scene in an unprecedented and bizarre way.

I fear that even Ye Bo himself had never thought of this.

A matter that should have had nothing to do with him ended up making him the lucky "greatest beneficiary."

Of course, Ye Bo, who had just finished running, did not know these things.

[Daily task completed! Reward: 66 Counterattack Points]

"Minimum payout again, what a stroke of bad luck."

After a quick wash, Ye Bo came to the computer to wait.

Over the past few days, he was, after all, a party involved; even though everyone knew there were no issues, some teams, out of caution, still needed to wait for the official final result before daring to make a move.

This is why Ye Bo had waited until now.

Having experienced the miserable encounters in his "memory," he was extremely cautious in this regard and did not want to miss any choice.

Just as he expected.

Ten minutes after today's announcement was released.

All of his contact methods began to ring incessantly.

This chapter is a two-in-one.

This is a true event; those interested can search for the S12 LDL match-fixing incident, I won't write much more about it here.

Actually, things like match-fixing exist in all sports and all countries; it's not just an LDL issue, there's plenty in South Korea too, so it can only be said to be one of the reasons for the rot, not the sole root cause.

The next chapter should be about choosing a team, the most troublesome part is coming.

I can only say, everyone should be easygoing about the team choice; I won't choose teams that are huge pitfalls or players who are notorious, anyway, the focus is on the protagonist.

Asking for monthly tickets! Asking for recommendation tickets! Asking for follow-up reads!

Thanks for the brothers' support!

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(End of chapter)