CS: The Last Dance, a Dance That Leads to Professional Success

Chapter 1 The Last Dance at Seventeen! (Seeking monthly votes and favorites)
Douyu, 6657.

In the live stream room where people are playing with machines.

"Stewie2K is a no-killer!", "Is Brehze even playing?", "Autimatic is selling out his teammates again!", "Sigh, RUSH should take on one too."

"Oh~ The army has collapsed like a house of cards! Poet of Quandu! Now you are the only human left! Dark!!! A genius boy from CN, a young player who has been a substitute for two and a half years and is making his first appearance in a top-tier competition!"

"Can you snipe four of them?!"

At this moment, the live stream on Wanjiji is playing a clip from the BLAST tournament on Bilibili in January of this year, specifically the map 2, Mirage, between EG and Liquid.

In Figure 1, Liquid won by a large margin. In Figure 2, the score was 17-18, and the next point was crucial.

If EG wins, they can force a second round of overtime!

If we lose, it's like being kicked out of the game by Liquid 2-0.

Moreover, it should be noted that EG was already crushed and eliminated by FAZE in the first round, and if they lose to Liquid today, they will be completely eliminated.

Suddenly, the incredibly captivating bubble sound of someone playing with the machine in the video abruptly appeared!
"Holy crap! oSee's sniper rifle is set up at the mid-lane archway! The sniper rifle missed! oSee got ambushed from the front! Dark's Peek takes out the sniper rifle first! While inspecting the sniper rifle, he Peeks out again!"

"Another shot! Dark's back-turn repeek! One kill and back again! Did you guys see anyone when he scoped in? No, we didn't! But the rifleman on the platform is already dead! Awesome, Dark! You can't carry any further!"

"What?! He turned and sniped down the sewer! Dark is still killing people! He even got executed when Dark tried to sneak out of the sewer to flank them!"

"Fast! Too fast! Dark's flick shot was so fast that the kill scene was invisible! He spun like a top at Miraji Arch!"

"Come on! Show some skin! Right!"

"This is Dark! A prodigy from Dongda University! A young CS substitute for North America for two and a half years! No one is as accurate or as fast as him! And no one on this server is faster than him!!!"

"Now Liquid only has one left! Dark planted a bomb on the second floor of point A, climbed up to check the CT spawn, and then directly positioned himself at the archway. He smelled the enemy's presence! EliGE is already here! Dark only needs one more kill to secure a pentakill in this clutch situation! At the same time, he can drag the game into overtime! EG will then have a chance to advance!"

"Time is running out for the CTs! Chicken Bro's about to speed things up! Can Dark hold them off?!"

The rapid beeping of the bomb countdown made many viewers in the live stream instinctively tense, even though they knew it was just a recording. The incredible bubble sounds from the person playing with the machine in the recording were almost like moans!

boom!
Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the central archway!

Dark fired a shot almost without thinking!
However, the moment the gunshot rang out, there was no expected kill notification.

The high-speed spinning bullet pierced the sky, brushing past the enemy's trouser leg and splattering a staggering amount of blood, yet the man did not fall to the ground.

An empty gun?!
wrong!

It hit his leg!
The next instant, just as the sniper on the A2 building was about to pull back with his empty shot, Chicken Bro, who had "jumped out" of the archway, landed without stopping!

The crosshair wasn't even properly aligned!

As if by reflex, he fired a shot at the A2 building with the AK in his hand!
Pure nerve gun!
puff-!
A burst of blood erupted instantly!
The figure behind Building A2 suddenly fell backward to the ground!

OneTap!

One second!

At that moment, the sound of playing with the machine in the video instantly broke through my defenses!

"What the hell! Is this true?!"

"No anti-flashbang! No seedling cultivation! No emergency stop! No more CS! Only random bullet trajectories in the trenches—!"

"Wow! Chicken Bro, one lucky shot! He took down Dark who was trying to retreat! He extinguished EG's last hope! This match is unbelievable! I'm totally impressed by this match. I'm counting on you, Aimu!"

Bang-!
Suddenly, a deep yet loud thud shattered the brief silence in the video!
In the camera shot of the players shown by the director, a black-haired boy with an Asian face in the EG booth seemed to have his psychological defenses breached. His taut arm, filled with frustration and resentment, slammed his fist hard onto the metal table next to him!
With a dull thud, the metal tabletop was dented by the enormous impact—at the cost of a bright red mark instantly appearing on the back of the boy's hand!

That was a violent collision between bone and metal!

But the boy seemed to feel no pain at this moment. He just stared wide-eyed at the screen, his muscular chest heaving as he gasped for breath, as if trying to ease his inner regret with these heavy breaths.

On the EG player bench, the teammates were stunned by this sudden action!
In my memory, the black-haired boy next to me was always smiling and had a very good personality. He could get along with almost everyone on the team, but at this moment he looked somewhat unfamiliar—it was a sudden psychological collapse caused by the extreme desire for victory buried deep in his heart!

For a moment, only the boy's heavy breathing echoed in the silent arena.

Live streaming of playing with machines.

The pig-headed man who never dreams of bunny girls raised his hand and deleted the Bilibili match recording.

Even though several months had passed, he still shook his head and sighed:

"Seriously! Dark lost this point. It was supposed to be a world-class individual show, I really am! This match! Holy crap! I'm totally speechless about this match. I don't understand why you guys keep making me play this replay every day? It's just ridiculous!"

After talking about playing with the machines, he changed the subject again:
"Dark was a bit unlucky this time, but then again, if someone jumps out from the mid-lane archway and you're holding a sniper rifle and you take them out with one shot, it doesn't solve everything."

"If hitting the leg gives Chicken Bro a chance to react, then I can only say it's a regrettable end."

"Some people ask what the regrets are? Well... there's really nothing to regret. CS has never been a game of luck; it's just a matter of the strong getting lucky and the unlucky getting bad."

"You just need to practice more."

Upon hearing that the gamer had started arguing again, the viewers immediately flooded the chat with messages.

"Haha, the more you practice, the better you'll get."

"It can only be said that he is not a child prodigy."

"Hey, you're just messing with your good buddy like this? You didn't say that when we duo queued last time."

"You are the best sniper I have ever seen in CNCS," "Your great optimism gives you everything you need to become a legend," "I can't wait to commentate on your first major tournament debut," "Some snipers are bad, just practice more!"

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! This is just too awesome."

"To be honest, Dark is a brute force sniper. His awareness and skills are completely useless. He might have a chance if he studied more academic CS."

"Saying there's any hope is ridiculous! EG, with their current roster of four dishes and one soup, think they can win?"

"Indeed, the C9 championship trio that Bananaman (2K) brought to EG this year, autimatic and RUSH, are all ruined. He wants to revive the glory of North American CS? Revive his grandma's leg."

"Hehe, is Black ÷ going to be dominated by the banana people before this Major? He didn't even play in ESL in February. The background of his Instagram and Weibo posts is next to the water dispenser. It's hilarious."

"There's nothing I can do. Hei's punch this year was a huge blow to his ego, but his hand has been wrapped in bandages for almost half a year now. If he doesn't recover well, his professional career will be over."

"If you ask me, why bother competing abroad? Why not just come back to Shijiazhuang and find your big brother? Didn't that idiot say he was going to take on the second channel last time? Why not give your good buddy a hand?"

"."

Seeing the comments in the live stream while playing with the machine, he immediately laughed and said:

"You know what! You really can't believe it! Who knows, maybe we can actually get our second channel up and running by the end of the year. EG's performance has been terrible since last year, they haven't even made it to the knockout stage of a major tournament. The club's management is definitely going to have to make a change. Dark's situation isn't looking too good."

The viewers in the live chat burst into laughter upon hearing this!

You're cursing your best friend to get kicked out, right?
Everyone said he was disgusting, and his good brother was always right.

Playing with the machine, he immediately felt wronged and said:

"No! It's not that I'm trying to disgust my good brother, okay? It's just that Dark's situation is a bit special. He started playing CS at six, went pro at thirteen, went to North American youth training at fifteen, and is a veteran at only seventeen! Dark is definitely one of the most talented young people in CNCS."

"Some viewers commented that he's lost, but it's not that bad. Dark's situation is simply due to a lack of systematic training. How far can one go relying solely on talent?"
"Plus, he was impulsive when he was young. After that hand injury this year, his performance started to decline. I watched his recent FPL (Faceit platform's professional player server) ranked matches, and he started missing his shots. All he did was aim fast without any accuracy."

"As you know, it's really scary when a sniper starts missing shots; it means he's slowly starting to lose confidence."

All I can say is, it's a regrettable ending.

While he was feeling sentimental while playing with the machine, the viewers in the live chat suddenly started cursing his good friend to retire, confirming that he was indeed a "hardcore gamer"!

Quickly wave your hand if you want to play with the machine:
"No, bro! Dark is definitely my good bro, I definitely want him to keep playing! Hey, you guys won't believe me if I say too much, brothers, don't mess with me, I was definitely the first commentator in China to follow Dark back then, okay?"

Back then, the 13-year-old boy didn't need any hard work to pay off.

In those small and medium-sized domestic tournaments, pure talent and incredibly fast sniping skills were enough to destroy everything, which also attracted the attention of European and American clubs.

"The main issue is that Dark has reportedly switched to rifle defense and positional play in the team after that hand injury. It seems his recovery isn't going well, and he probably can't snipe anymore. I hope we can see him dance one last time at the Antwerp Major, even if it's his 'last dance'!"

No skewers! There really weren't any skewers this time!

"Oh, by the way, let me tell you a funny story about Dark when he first started playing professionally in China."

at the same time.

Seattle, the beautiful country, EG Club base.

Under the fluorescent lights on the white ceiling, a long-haired boy wearing a loose white shirt with only the second button fastened on his chest was playing FPL with his cousin from China.

"Hey hey hey! Did you see that?! That was fucking awesome!"

"I'm practically spinning like a top in the middle of the X-box! This game is so stupid, Xiaotong, there's no teammate here!"

"Holy crap! I got attacked from the front!"

"Quickly! Quickly! A small three-shot head! Big cripple!"

Meng Lang never stops talking while playing games.

On the other end of the voice call, his cousin Wang Yitong in China remained expressionless, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

You mean, son?!
Three shots to the head left him severely injured?
You are awesome!
Could it be any more outrageous?

My cousin, Wang Yitong, is a main sniper for TyLoo and spent a year in the NAVI youth training team.

In early 22, he actually had the opportunity to receive a starting sniper offer from G2, a top European club.

Unexpectedly, when the time came, another talented teenager from Russia took the job away from him.

Ultimately, upon returning to China, I chose Tyloo.

Despite his handsome appearance, Wang Yitong was a deadpan character, comparable to Sima Laozei from the League of Legends professional scene next door. He was inwardly cursing him, but his face remained completely expressionless.

He calmly raised his AWP, and with a nonchalant peek, blew the A-grade CT that Meng Lang had mentioned to death.

"Wow! The airplanes fly high in the sky, but my cousin on the ground is the most flamboyant!"

"Hey hey hey! We brothers are like cows taking a sauna on this server! It's like steaming beef!"

Meanwhile, Meng Lang stood smugly with his hands on his hips!

Just as he was about to win the final point of the game, and was about to say a few more words of boasting, the door to the training room behind him was pushed open, and a voice with a California accent urged him on:
"Are you done playing? If you are, come to the meeting. The manager said he'll let you know if there's anything else."

"Ook! Coming right now!"

Meng Lang made a gesture without turning his head, and the smile on his lips gradually faded.

EG Club meeting room.

The ceiling lights were a stark white, and the team members stared down at the hem of their clothes.

The occasional screeching of seats was jarring, and silence weighed heavily on everyone's shoulders like a lead weight.

Last year, EG had a poor performance, failing to reach the playoffs of any major tournaments, and their world ranking continued to decline.

This year, they made a firm decision to make adjustments, introducing Stewie2K, RUSH, and autimatic, attempting to revive the glory of North American CS with this "North American champion team" from Cloud9 in 2018.

The result, however, was still dismal.

In January, during the BLAST Premier Spring Group Stage, EG suffered a complete defeat and was eliminated, finishing at the bottom of the group and failing to qualify for the Spring Finals.

In February, at the ESL Melbourne North American Closed Qualifier, EG lost 1-2 to Party Astronauts (a second-tier North American team), once again failing to advance to the main event, which also completely exposed the team's lack of potential.

At this point, North American fans were completely disappointed with EG's supposed "integration into the C9 championship team," and the outside world continued to criticize the players on the EG team.

Stewie2K, the team's leader, was criticized by community members for his reckless and undisciplined command, refusing to communicate with the head coach and ignoring tactical timeouts, which exacerbated internal conflicts within the team.

However, 2K, as the commander, did not think so.

"There's a cancer in the team!"

In the quiet meeting room, the silence was broken before everyone had arrived.

"You probably already know who it is without me saying."

2K immediately pointed the finger at Meng Lang, who had not yet arrived.

why?
On the one hand, he disliked the personality of this "fellow villager".

He's always cheerful and can chat with anyone, making it seem like he's very popular.

On the other hand, he felt that Meng Lang's transition to a rifleman was really bad, and that losing matches was a real problem for him. He only had slightly better stats, but the outside audience thought it was his command that was the issue.

If not him, then who?
After a pause, 2K continued, feigning objectivity:
"Actually, Dark used to be a decent sniper, but he couldn't snipe this year due to a hand injury. He switched to rifleman and played defense, and everyone has seen his performance in the training matches. I personally feel that there is no need for him to stay on the team."

"What do you think?"

After saying that, 2K turned to look at the others.

Brehze and CeRq from the EG team looked at each other in bewilderment.

To be honest, as veterans who stayed with EG after the team's restructuring this year, they think this handsome young man from the East, who was promoted from the youth training program, has a great personality.

Although he talks a lot, he is optimistic and cheerful, and can chat with anyone. During the competition, he is willing to sacrifice for the team. When he loses points, he will take the initiative to help everyone twist the rope. When he scores points, he will immediately cheer for them.

Moreover, his cheers weren't just superficial shouts of "Nice" like others; this guy could even pinpoint exactly where the "Nice" was.

For example, your sudden stop was very smooth!

This sweeping attack is unbeatable!

Good information gathering from the mid lane push!
There's really nothing to praise, except that you threw away that cigarette well.
In short, the emotional value is maximized.

Anyway, it's much better than the team leader in 2K who constantly puts pressure on his teammates.

But before they could speak, a somewhat impatient voice rang in their ears.

"Make him leave immediately."

The EG club manager sat reclining on the sofa, waving his hand somewhat angrily.

He didn't think Meng Lang's skills were so bad that he had to kick him.

To put it bluntly, from last year to the first half of this year, EG was almost completely ruined.

It doesn't matter how bad this one is.

This Asian guy posts on Instagram every time he finishes a match, and he also has a Weibo account with nearly a thousand followers. If any underhanded dealings or power struggles happen in the club, he'll expose them all, and the management will be the first to get scolded.

As a manager, he subconsciously disliked such uncontrollable players.

Coach Vorborg hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "But Dark is only eighteen this year. I feel he has good potential. He recently switched to rifleman, so perhaps we can nurture him."

"How about we train him?"

The EG manager immediately scoffed and interrupted:
"Bro, are you out of your mind? Potential? There are plenty of people with potential."

"This guy completely exposed the inherent weaknesses of Easterners last time: impotent rage! He smashed the table after losing the game, so his career ceiling is pretty much set."

“I think transitioning to a rifler is still too much of a stretch for him,” Bananaman2K said expressionlessly. “There’s an old Chinese saying, ‘To fight external enemies, you must first secure internal stability.’ If we want to achieve results at the Antwerp Major, the cancerous elements in the team must leave.”

"Either he stays, or we leave." In the end, an impatient 2K used his C9 group to force a change of heart.

Coach Vorborg glanced at 2K, sighed inwardly, and knew he couldn't keep him.

It's very simple, it's an internal conflict within the team.

Dark was ultimately too young and offended 2K, the team's commander, on a regular basis.

The current EG team is clearly built around 2K, a former Major champion, and plays a "small team" professional style.

If he doesn't leave, who will?

"Alright, guys."

The EG manager sensed that the coach seemed to want to say something more, so he decisively waved his hand, as if swatting away some annoying fly.

He said with disgust:

"He's just a clueless Chinese player, no need to talk so much. His contract is about to expire anyway, I'll let him know later and tell him to pack up and leave tonight."

"The main point I want to make at today's meeting is about the Antwerp Major."

Squeak-!
Suddenly, the conference room door was pushed open, and a tall, slender young man walked in.

Black hair fell down his forehead, covering his eyebrows. His nose looked as if it had been shaved with a folding knife. Underneath the club's white team uniform, one could vaguely see slightly protruding muscles. For some reason, the EG manager recalled the terrifying punch he delivered at last year's IEM Winter Tournament that almost sent a steel tabletop flying.

Almost instinctively, the somewhat guilty white manager shrank back, only to realize a second later that he seemed to be behaving timidly. He immediately straightened up and glared back.

But he was shocked to find that the latter completely ignored him.

"It seems the meeting about me is over?"

silence
"Looks like I don't need to notify you further."

Finally, the EG manager, his expression returning to normal, said coldly, "The club just held a meeting and decided to demote you; we will not be renewing your contract."

Meng Lang chuckled, but ignored Manager E and instead turned to stare directly at 2K.

"You have a problem with me?"

He said this while a smile still lingered on his lips.

But it made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Banana Man 2K recalled that punch and instinctively looked away.

But then I thought, I'm at the club's training base, would he dare to hit me?
She immediately glared back, "Is that not allowed? The AWP is so powerful in this version, and you can't even win a crucial clutch round. You have the nerve to ask me if I have a problem with that?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Lang immediately shook his head with a smile and took two steps closer to 2K, whose eyes immediately showed some panic.

"I'm not going to talk about whether the commander has a brain or not."

"Then let me ask you."

Standing at 1.9 meters tall, he looked down at 2K and said, "This version of the AWP is indeed powerful, but is my AWP headshot lock? Is my AWP burst fire?"

2K was caught off guard by the question!
"answer me."

Meng Lang raised his voice slightly.

"Is my sniper rifle a burst-fire weapon? Can it be unlocked?"

"Do I need to reload if I snipe one? Can I snipe five with one shot?"

"You can question my endgame skills, but let me ask you, after the game, was my rating green? We lost, so wasn't I one green and four red?"

"Hmm? Answer me."

2K suddenly felt uncomfortable being stared at by Meng Lang, so he looked down and turned his gaze away, but the tone of Meng Lang's voice suddenly rose again!

answer me!
Meng Lang's voice suddenly exploded!

Like a bolt from the blue, the banana man suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

He lowered his head instinctively, his heart pounding faster involuntarily.

At that moment, a strange emotion welled up deep within him.

--Fear!
Yes, at this moment, Banana Man 2K was actually a little scared by Meng Lang, a boy who was usually harmless.

Was it because that punch was so memorable?

wrong!

Why the hell should I be afraid of him!

Suddenly, 2K, who had just woken up, noticed the strange looks from his teammates. As the captain, his face instantly turned red to his neck. He forced himself to look up and glared fiercely at Meng Lang.

"It's no use telling me this."

"This is the club's decision. If you have any objections, you can speak to them."

"Who didn't give it their all? We all played with our full strength."

"."

Suddenly, Meng Lang chuckled and interrupted him.

"Who said I have a problem with it?"

In an instant, the imposing aura he had just exuded vanished, and he reverted to his usual sunny, boy-next-door demeanor.

Twisted melons are not sweet.

"I respect the club's decision."

A light word.

After saying that, the young man waved casually to Coach Vorborg and his two former teammates.

He turned around and disappeared through the conference room door.

Out of the palace intrigue?
It doesn't matter.

Anyway, he had already made preparations.

However, behind him, 2K stared blankly at Meng Lang's carefree departing figure.

Why did Minggong leave the team's toxic elements?

But I didn't feel any sense of satisfaction at all!
Hey!
He was clearly a stray dog, a piece of trash whose incompetent rage during the game ruined his career.

What is he showing off about?!

2K, realizing what was happening, gritted his teeth in anger!
There was faint thunder and a gloomy sky.

Thick clouds, like cotton wool, spread from the southeast, gradually enveloping the city of Seattle, and a heavy rain was brewing.

Meng Lang was wearing a loose white shirt, with only the second button fastened on his chest, vaguely revealing the powerful muscle lines of a cheetah. He was standing at the club entrance, pulling a suitcase.

He raised his hand to touch his chin, looked up at the sky, took a deep breath of the wind-swept air, and inexplicably, images from the past surfaced in his mind.

I was introduced to computer science at the age of six.

At eleven years old, I went to school at eight o'clock and came home at four o'clock.

That night, he beat up a pro player in CS:GO and also won the Sichuan-Chongqing Provincial Mathematical Olympiad.

He played in an online tournament at the age of thirteen, but was suspected of cheating by a professional player. His father bought him a ticket and took him to Jianghai to prove himself offline. After that, he received an invitation from TyLoo and officially embarked on his professional career.

Unfortunately, the following year, his father, who drove a large truck, died in an accident.

At that time, there were elderly and frail grandparents in the family, and they could only watch helplessly as their mother, who sold vegetables at the market, worked hard from dawn till dusk to support the family and pay for their education.

So, with the help of Niko, a "helpful netizen" from abroad, Meng Lang finally chose to suspend his studies.

He went to North America to join a youth training team and officially entered the professional world, even if he could only play in some small and medium-sized online tournaments abroad.

There was no other way; at that time, there was no CS environment in China at all, while even small and medium-sized tournaments abroad had considerable prize money and high salaries.

On the eve of leaving the country,

He said confidently to his mother:

My father is gone, but I can support my family by playing Counter-Strike!
Two and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I never expected to face the crisis of being laid off.

Meng Lang couldn't help but chuckle.

Is being imprisoned uncomfortable?
It would be a lie to say I'm not upset.

But CS is such a brutal competitive game.

Contradictions are contradictions,
Ultimately, it all comes down to strength.

There's no need to complain or blame others.

Meng Lang never engages in internal strife; he posts on Instagram first.

He took out his phone from his pocket and took a selfie standing in front of the EG club, twitching his lips to reveal his healthy, white teeth.

Of course you have to smile when taking a selfie!

【Farewell, EG! ——Dark, 18. 】

Attached is a selfie.

Instagram is essentially the international version of "Xiaohongshu" (Little Red Book), with 20 billion monthly active users worldwide. Compared to Twitter, which uses text and hashtags, it places more emphasis on sharing images and text.

Meng Lang is undoubtedly a person who loves to share; his Instagram followers just reached 777 today.

After posting on Instagram, he remembered his fans in China and then posted a Weibo post.

Farewell, EG! — That year I was eighteen

Although he's said to be eighteen, Meng Lang is actually only seventeen now. He'll be eighteen after his birthday in June.

Meng Lang has about two thousand followers on Weibo, of course, many of whom are fake followers.

Before long, the comment sections of both platforms were filled with enthusiastic messages from his regular fans.

"Holy crap! Blackie really got laid! They're really going all out!!!"

"I'm impressed by this prediction! The high monk has truly brought about a dynasty!"

"Still laughing even after being castrated? I really admire the mentality of those who criticize! No wonder they have the 'great character' of those who play the sharp commentary game!"

"I'm just wondering, EG played so badly this year, wasn't the biggest blame on the banana-man's terrible command? Why is the first person to criticize Gong Hai ÷?"

"Hilarious! Black's sniping skills have been terrifying since his injury, and his transition to rifleman just doesn't feel right. On EG's side, CeRq, the veteran sniper, is just sitting around doing nothing. Who else should they kick if not him?"

"Serves you right! You spend all your time playing with those machines and playing with Nikos."

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know. Hei ÷ and Young Master Ni are quite familiar with each other."

"Fun fact: It was Young Master Ni who introduced Hei to the North American youth training team back then, and Young Master Ni even gave Hei a computer."

"."

At this moment, Meng Lang, having just posted on Weibo, paid no attention to the comments—he posted on Weibo purely to share his life, alone in a foreign land, which was a way for a 17-and-a-half-year-old boy to adjust.

Pulling my suitcase, walking in the dim light of the day, on the streets of Seattle illuminated by the lights of the shops, I felt a faint sense of unfamiliarity.

Perhaps it was during these years of pursuit that...

They gradually lost themselves.

Thinking back to the Antwerp Major a week later.

Having debuted at the age of 13, he was considered by many Chinese fans to be the most talented child, and everyone believed that it was only a matter of time before he stepped onto the world stage of top-tier competitions.
Unexpectedly, Meng Lang, who is now 17 years old, had just stepped onto the stage of a major competition for the first time, only to have it become his last dance, and was about to miss the most important Major event of his career.

Originally, he thought he could at least try one more top-tier tournament and qualify for another Major.

I never expected that even the last chance would be lost.

Looking down at his right hand, a report from six months ago came to mind—fracture of the fifth metacarpal neck, soft tissue injury, and neurovascular damage, which could lead to the complication of traumatic arthritis.

The first two are alright; they should recover in two or three months.

However, traumatic arthritis is a type of bone hyperplasia that occurs after damage to the joint surface, which may cause chronic pain and decreased grip strength. For an FPS competitive player, a decrease in the ability to control fine hand movements is undoubtedly very fatal.

In reality, a normal young man wouldn't act so irrationally. But when you're fully engaged in a fierce battle that goes into overtime, and you're on the verge of winning, only to fall short at the last moment—that moment of extreme regret and the negative emotions caused by an intense desire to win are enough to easily shatter a young man's rationality.

He moved his hands, and the slight pain brought Meng Lang back to his senses a little. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Only now does he gradually understand that he became famous in China at a young age because of his talent, and even after joining the North American Party Astronauts (PA) youth training team, he was still playing "instinctive CS".

He used to think that outstanding talent could overcome everything, and that going abroad was just to make money. He believed that he could win those competitions with pure reflexes and gun skills, and there was no need to learn too many miscellaneous academic things.

However, every gift from fate comes with a hidden price tag.

Yes, long ago.
What lies ahead?

Should I keep trying my luck at other clubs in my job search?

Or will he retire and start a live-streaming business?
Or maybe I should go to Shijiazhuang to work as a second-tier live streamer, playing with machines?

But he really loves CS!

I really love the competition!
I really love the stage!

While some players described feeling "nervous" during offline competitions, Meng Lang never experienced that feeling.

In-person competitions only excite him, and then his attention becomes more focused than ever before!
Just as the young man was lost in thought.

bite-!
Without warning, a mechanical system voice echoed in Meng Lang's mind.

[Host information detected!]

[Goat system binding begins!]

This system provides guidance for hosts who are new to Counter-Strike. Completing beginner tasks will earn rewards, allowing hosts to gradually ascend to godhood.

Ok?
system?

Meng Lang was taken aback at first!
Another shock!
One last piece of good news!
Do I need some spicy food?!

and many more!

Beginner's Guide?

Something seems off about this hanging thing.

　This is a new, fledgling book; please add it to your collection, give it a like, and support it!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)