I just turned eighteen, and you want me to make a comeback?

Ultimately, RNG lost the match 3-1 as expected.

When the word "GG" lit up on the big screen for the third time, sighs rose and fell from the audience.

RNG's logo trembled slightly in the blue light, freezing together with the players' expressions to become the most regrettable footnote to this late autumn in the CPL region—the score of 3:1 made this veteran team, which carried countless expectations, the second team to fall in the quarterfinals of this World Championship.

During the draft phase of the decisive game, the coaching staff's tactics board was clearly illuminated.

The combination of Ashe and Bounty Hunter as marksmen instantly caused a stir in the commentary booth. Miller gripped the microphone tightly: "This is an extremely rare bot lane pick from the CPL region at the World Championship!"

Uzi's mouse traced clean arcs across the Summoner's Rift map. His precise E skill prediction during the level 1 team fight secured the Rift Scuttler, and combined with Miss Fortune's double barrage, they maximizing their lane dominance within three minutes. The light boards in the stands reflected the boys' flushed faces, and the roar of "RNG, go!" nearly lifted the roof off the arena.

However, when the camera cut to the mid lane, Syndra was seen retreating to farm minions when facing the enemy Galio.

The veteran's recall animation was 0.3 seconds slower than usual, and his CS under the turret widened the gap with his opponent.

In a Rift Herald team fight, Letme's Ornn was hit precisely by the enemy Kennen's lightning strike. The clumsy Lamb's Breath of Life missed its mark, and amidst the dust it kicked up, the audience could hear the gasps of the fans in the front row.

"They are too eager to disrupt DWG's rhythm."

The Flash Wolves' coaching staff's tactical analyst pushed up his glasses and traced messy arrows on the whiteboard with his fingertips.

Replays show that in the second game, RNG abandoned their preferred four-protect-one strategy and forcibly picked LeBlanc as a counter pick, which left Uzi's Kai'Sa without her protective shield.

As the enemy Camille flanked and the ADC fell in front of the fountain, the broadcast director captured Uzi clenching his fist.

The third game became the center of a media storm.

As the countdown to the blue team's Nexus ticked, Mata's Zyra was still standing at the edge of the dragon pit, shielded by Windspeaker's Blessing, yet recklessly used her Q without any vision. A flood of comments poured in: "What's with that flash-initiation?"

"Did Mata buy it?" The live broadcast quickly switched to the bench, where Coach Heart's knuckles were white as he gripped the tactics board. The stats panel showed that this mistake caused RNG to lose Baron Nashor, and the gold difference instantly widened from 2K to 6K.

"RNG in the first game was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath."

In the post-match interview, the retired player smiled and rubbed his temples as he analyzed, "Uzi's Kai'Sa, in combination with Alistar, pushed down the bottom lane's second tower in just 15 minutes. Mata's roaming was also very skillful; a three-man gank in the mid lane directly ended the enemy Ryze's development." But the turning point came in the second game's draft. When DWG picked Mordekaiser to counter Ornn, RNG's response seemed rushed—the top laner was forced to pick Jayce, a champion he wasn't familiar with, and the entire team's rhythm was disrupted.

In the media area outside the venue, a South Korean reporter asked in broken Chinese, "What do you think of Mata's performance in the last three games?" Before the translator could finish speaking, the RNG team leader hurriedly stepped in front of the camera.

Social media was already buzzing, with the hashtag #MataWarCriminal# garnering over 100 million views in just half an hour. Fans dug up his highlight reels from the CPL Spring Split for comparison: back then, he made precise saves with Thresh's lantern and turned the tide of battle with Bard's ultimate, but now he's silencing Zyra's potential in crucial team fights.

In the Flash Wolves' viewing room, Snake stared at the replay in silence for a long time. His mouse suddenly stopped on the third game's dragon fight: Mata's Zyra, after flashing over the wall, didn't use her E skill vines on the low-health Uzi, but instead chose to chase down the enemy's low-health support.

“This decision was too risky.” Casa typed on the keyboard and pulled up the data. “Mata’s vision score plummeted from 9.2 in the first game to 4.1 in the third game, and his key control hit rate dropped by 63%.”

Three hours after the competition ended, night fell in Busan and the athletes' rest room.

Uzi took off his headphones, his Adam's apple bobbing but he didn't speak. On the tactical notebook in front of him, the words "feasibility of the dual marksman system" were circled in red, with messy annotations next to them. Mata was tidying up his peripherals with his head down, his Korean apology mixed with static leaking from the microphone, quickly drowned out by the sobbing of the fans outside the door.

The cruelty of esports lies in the fact that no amount of "what ifs" can change the score. As the Flash Wolves' team car crossed the Busan Bridge, the players inside stared at the match report on their phones. Wei Shen suddenly spoke up: "They (RNG) are too eager to prove themselves."

This sentence silenced the entire carriage—under the name of the "Big Three" in the CPL region, and under the halo of Uzi's comeback, perhaps it was this heavy expectation that made the tactical choices even more burdensome.

On the second day of the competition, the Flash Wolves' logo lit up under the spotlight.

The CPL audience below the stage raised new light boards, the six characters "CPL's Last Hope" stubbornly shining in the darkness. Meanwhile, at the RNG base, staff carefully packed away the World Championship team flag, the trophy in the glass case gleaming coldly. Someone noticed Uzi's ranked game log was still lit up; his Kai'Sa had once again charged into the enemy backline, the kill notifications on the screen flashing incessantly, just like that night that should have belonged to them.

More and more people began to suspect foul play in the match and started to condemn Mata on various media platforms.

As a result, Mata became the target of public criticism overnight.

None of the CPL viewers praised him; instead, they all criticized him.

Even some professional streamers have spoken out at this time.
But although this is likely to bring about a new wave of rhythm, RNG's performance today gives them a chance to win.

If it weren't for Mata's mysterious operations, this situation would never have happened.

And the last hand of Windtalker Jyra directly pushed Mata to the forefront.

The tenth most trending topic on Weibo right now is Matalun ECPL.

The RNG players walked silently out of the player tunnel. Uzi's black hoodie was pulled low, obscuring his reddened eyes. Zz1tai's mechanical keyboard clattered in his backpack, each click like a blow to everyone's hearts.

In the distance came the suppressed sobs of fans, mingling with the match results broadcast on a loop on the LED screens outside the stadium, forming an unyielding, leaden cloud in the deep autumn night.

The incandescent lights in the lounge were so bright they made it hard to open your eyes.

Mata squatted in front of the locker, packing up his peripherals. His Korean apology drifted out intermittently: "I'm sorry, it's my fault..." Letme suddenly slammed his fist on the metal back of the chair, making the water bottle on the table shake violently: "What's the use of saying all this? When you flashed in to feed in the dragon fight in the third game, did you think about our tactical plan?"

The air seemed to freeze instantly, with only the hum of the air conditioner's outdoor unit echoing in the corner.

Coach Heart paused, his hand still flipping through his tactics notebook. Tucked between the yellowed pages was half a convenience store receipt—a coffee receipt from the team's all-night review sessions during the group stage. "We clearly had a chance," his voice hoarse. "Our four-protect-one strategy in the first game was flawless, Uzi's Kai'Sa accounted for 42% of the team's damage..." Before he could finish, Mlxg suddenly kicked open the locker room door, his training clothes still stained with energy drink from the match: "Don't fucking mention the first game! In the next two games, our drafts were completely dictated by the opponent. What did we become? Tactical puppets?"

At the end of the corridor, Looper is being interviewed by South Korean media.

This former RNG top laner, now wearing the JDG jersey, used the Captain's triple barrel combo to shatter the enemy backline in the decisive game, prompting even the commentators to exclaim, "That's the veteran's instinct!"

The camera panned across the faded RNG team logo wristband on his wrist, and he earnestly said in Korean with a Busan accent, "The moment I put on the team uniform, I am no longer Looper, but a CPL player."

This statement was transmitted back to China via live stream, and the chat was instantly flooded with "Looper yyds," creating a stark contrast with the hashtag #Matawarcriminals#.

On the team bus late at night, the club manager's phone screen lit up and went out repeatedly. Messages from the investors kept popping up: "We can forgo Mata's contract breach penalty, but we must give the fans an explanation."

"Let's re-evaluate the all-Chinese roster plan. Public opinion is too unfavorable for Korean players." The neon lights outside the window swept across the tired faces of the team members. Uzi suddenly broke the silence: "Boss, let's form an all-Chinese roster. Last year's Demacia Cup rookie AD Xiaotangyuan had some brilliant plays. I can coach him."

The projector in the conference room cast a pale blue light. The tactical analyst pulled up CPL data from the past three years: "Korean players' peak period is on average 1.5 years, while local players have a longer growth period but are more loyal."

On the screen, Mata's KDA curve plummeted from 5.8 in the Spring Split to 2.1 at Worlds, while the stats of non-Korean imports like IG's TheShy and FPX's GodV bucked the trend and rose. "We've nurtured players like 'Walking A' and Betty," Uzi tapped the table, "as long as you give newcomers a chance..."

When the club's official announcement was posted on Weibo, the server was flooded with millions of visits instantly.

The comments section exploded with two opposing camps under the bold headline: "RNG will reorganize its all-Chinese roster and will no longer bring in Korean players in the future."

Some people dug up the glorious moments of the all-Chinese team in the S8 season: "Royal Never Give Up! The all-Chinese team is the soul of CPL!" Others poured cold water on it: "Without top Korean players to back you up, how can you compete with LCK?" At this time, Mata was packing his bags, and his Korean server account ID had been changed to "Sorry_RNG".

Inside the Flash Wolves' base, Snake frowned, staring at the news on his phone. The training room's large screen was still replaying RNG's defeat when Wei Shen suddenly said in Chinese, "Their decision... is very courageous." Karsa twirled his SteelSeries mouse, the click of the metal scroll wheel particularly clear in the silence: "The CPL can't always rely on Korean imports. Remember the S7 Bird's Nest finals? Back then, four Korean teams made it to the semifinals, how ironic."

Amid the undercurrents of the transfer season, RNG's youth training base remained brightly lit.

After getting a pentakill with Kai'Sa in a ranked game, Xiao Tangyuan excitedly messaged Uzi: "Brother Zaozi, doesn't this play look like your famous moment in S8?" Uzi smiled and gave a thumbs up, while the first snow of Beijing fell softly outside the window.

On the training room wall, the slogan "Royal Family Never Gives Up" has been repainted red, gleaming slightly warm under the lights.

Meanwhile, on the world stage, the Flash Wolves' logo stood alone in the CPL region section.

When the host announced, "Flash Wolves will face SKT," the CPL fans in the audience suddenly shouted in unison, "Go Flash Wolves! The all-Chinese team is waiting for you to come back!" The sound traveled through the stadium dome and startled a flock of seagulls on the distant sea.

In this wave of esports, RNG's decision was like a stone thrown into a deep pool. Some said they were too idealistic, while others praised their do-or-die courage. But when the new generation of CPL players started using phrases like "For an all-Chinese team" in ranked games...

When encouraging each other, everyone understood that in the e-sports arena, what is more precious than the championship is the unyielding belief and legacy.

This defeat is a torment for the entire CPL, especially for the seven strong teams.

Currently, apart from Flash Wolves, the other two CPL teams are not considered strong contenders in the world rankings. While RNG has reached the World Championship stage and even made it to the quarterfinals, many still doubt their chances, believing they still have shortcomings in certain areas.

For such a situation, today is undoubtedly the best opportunity for revenge.

However, their dream was ultimately shattered due to Mata's mistake. Now all the power has come to the Flash Wolves. This year, the Flash Wolves are still strong in every position.

They all possessed absolute dominance. However, compared to them now, Flash Wolves seem somewhat isolated.

There is no way, compared with the LCK teams.

Based on the current situation, LCK teams have already secured two spots in the top eight.

This is still a significant challenge for Flash Wolves!

If they want to win the championship in the end, they will most likely face challenges from three LCK teams.

Every team in the CK region is performing very strongly right now. Even with Flash Wolves' current good form, it will be very difficult for them to defeat three such teams in a row.

After the match, Uzi immediately called Yuan Shen.
Although they are fierce rivals on the court, they are very good friends off the court.

Moreover, in this match against SKT, DG also gave enough advice.

Their advice was a major reason why they were able to win the first match.
Moreover, the previous Olympics had already forged a deep friendship between Yuan Shen and the dog.

So when he needed comfort the most, Xiao Gou found Yuan Shen without hesitation.

However, after Uzi got through the call, he found that he didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a long time, he just said "come on".

Although it was just two simple words, Yuan Shen felt a strong sense of unwillingness, a thirst for victory.
The cold winter wind lashed against the glass of the BJ club's training room. Uzi took off his noise-canceling headphones, and the cold light from his phone screen reflected on his angular face.

He repeatedly stroked the name "Yuan Shen" in his contacts until it shone slightly, and finally, he pressed the call button.

There was static on the other end of the phone, followed by rapid breathing. "Brother Zaozi?" Yuan Shen's voice was hoarse, typical of a young man, with the faint sound of keyboard typing in the background—he was playing Xayah and Rakan in a ranked game.

Uzi leaned back in his swivel chair, his World Championship jersey hanging on a rack behind him, the team logo on his shoulder slightly faded under the light. "Yuko," he paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Good luck in tomorrow's match..." (End of Chapter)