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

Chapter 141 I will personally prove who the pests are!

Meng Lang ended the game.

The Falcon won the game.

English-language commentary platform.

The two official commentators exclaimed in surprise!
"Man and sniper separated! My God! Did you see that?! In the 1v1 clutch of the match point round, facing an opponent wielding a sniper rifle and completely focused, he chose the most unbelievable, the craziest, and the most confident way to end the game!"

"He used the AWP as a decoy flashbang! He used a $4750 weapon to gain a fraction of a second of reaction time for his opponent! It was a magnificent art performance! Every move was precisely calculated! Torzsi was completely manipulated by him!"

"I declare this to be one of the most entertaining endgame solutions of the year! It's insane! It's brilliant!"

"Yes! From the moment he picked up the AK, to switching to the M4A1, then the AWP, and finally ending the match with a Glock, he was like an all-around weapons master, showing us his arsenal."

"That's right, the feeling I got from him throughout the match was 'relaxed'. Yes, that's the word, effortless! He didn't seem to be using his full strength, like a peerless master pointing out the world, changing the weather with a casual wave of his hand."

“We’re always talking about who the GOAT is, who has the most talent, but today, I saw a whole new possibility in Dark—a CS style that perfectly blends extreme individual skill with boundless imagination, unique to him. It’s terrifying, and it’s so… fascinating. I feel sorry for torzsi; he may not even be facing an opponent on the same level today.”

The chat in live stream room 6657 exploded with comments:
"Separation of man and sniper! Panic! Steadfast as a rock!"

"After watching the whole match, it seems like Kurokami was really 'at ease' today. He just wandered around and killed people casually, and Toko was already at the red-hot level."

"Tuko's expression... she looks wronged, like she wants to cry but is holding it back. Her cheeks are flushed, she looks so pitiful!"

"Dark, you've done so many terrible things!!!"

Falcons Hotel match room.

"Nice!!! We won!!!" Niko was the first to take off his headphones and jump up, pumping his fist and beaming with a bright smile, as if he had won the championship.

m0NESY also breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and revealed a relieved yet excited smile. His defensive combination with Meng Lang in Area A today, especially that blind sweep triple kill, was the finishing touch.

Commander Snappi beamed with joy. He stood up and high-fived each of his teammates, finally giving Meng Lang a particularly firm handshake. Everything was understood without words—that unarmored AK was well worth it!

Coach Zonic stood behind the group, hands on his hips, a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

He stepped forward, said nothing more, and simply patted Meng Lang and Snappi firmly on the shoulders:

"Well done, guys!"

Amidst the clamor of celebration, and as Meng Lang basked in victory with a smile, the cold yet familiar system notification arrived as scheduled.

【Ding--! 】

"The enemy has surrendered! A new chapter begins on the path to the throne! Rejoice, chosen one! At the pinnacle of esports' holy temple, Cologne, you swiftly defeated your formidable foe, achieving a resounding victory in your first battle and joining the ranks of the victors! This is the clarion call announcing the return of the king, the sharp sword that shatters the clouds of doubt with your brilliance! Countless eyes are focused upon you, and countless exclamations resound! This battle forges the foundation of your invincible power! The journey begins, the legend continues!"

[Main quest updated: "Cologne - Conquer the pinnacle of esports!"]

[Mission Content: "Cologne! This is one of the three 'super-elite tournament' temples standing atop the CSGO world, gathering the strongest warriors and immortal legends from all over the globe! This place is the ultimate crucible of will and marksmanship, the final proving ground for glory and dreams! Conquering this fortress and imprinting your name atop the temple is an indispensable coronation ceremony for you to ascend to the 'Goat' throne! Use the defeat of your enemies to pave your throne, and use absolute dominance to make the world remember your name! Go, and let Cologne become the most dazzling jewel in your legendary crown!"]

[Task Rewards: Determined based on task completion rate and final ranking]

Meng Lang was somewhat pleased with the main quest. The Goat system's flattery was something only a normal person could come up with, but could it please stop being so childish every time?

He was pondering it.

Another notification sounded in my ear!
[Congratulations, host, you have received a reward for your performance in the competition: A-grade treasure chest * 1]

[Treasure chest being opened...]

[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the new title: "AK Tyrant"! (Title: Activates upon equipping; only one title can be equipped at a time)]

"title?"

Meng Lang's heart stirred slightly.

His "Title" field on the system panel has always been empty, and the system has never given any related prompts.

He almost forgot that this feature even existed.

What a surprise today!
He immediately focused his consciousness into the system and carefully examined the description of the new title.

【Title: AK Tyrant】

[Effect: When the host kills the same enemy player five consecutive times using an AK-47 in the same map, the "Imperial Majesty" effect will be applied to that player! Being enveloped by "Imperial Majesty" will greatly reduce their focus, confidence, and shooting accuracy for a short period of time! (Limited to one player)]

【King Killer】: If the marked player can kill the host in a direct confrontation in a subsequent game, there is a certain probability that the "King's Majesty" effect will be broken.

"interesting."

Meng Lang carefully considered the effect of this title.

The "Regal Might" effect, limited to one person, isn't that just a targeted "marker of the weak"?

Once this debuff is applied, the opponent is basically guaranteed to underperform. It's perfect for targeting one person specifically and messing with their mentality.

However, he didn't have any enemies.

Actually, you don't really need it.

Moreover, killing the same person with an AK in five consecutive rounds... to be honest, that's quite a demanding condition.

Meng Lang pondered it carefully.

If he were to kill me five times in a row with his AK, even without this debuff, it would probably take a while to recover.

He thought of Torzsi, whom he had "taken care of" in various ways today, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
But now with the [AK Tyrant], once triggered, this 'Majesty' effect... is like having an "insurance" against this kind of psychological blow!
Make sure the other party is stable!
"Interesting... This title seems pretty fitting!" Meng Lang thought to himself.

at the same time.

6657 live broadcast room.

The machine expertly opened the HLTV website and refreshed it frantically. Soon, Meng Lang's detailed data for this match popped up.

Map: Ancient Ruins

ID: Falcons-Dark
K/D: 31/7
ADR: 156.6
Rating: 1.96
"Hey! They're here, guys. Check out your Black God's stats today."

He looked at the screen while playing with the machine, laughing and joking, his tone carrying a Versailles-like ease.

"31 kills and 7 deaths, ADR 156.6, Rating 1.96... Tsk tsk, to be honest, these stats are just so-so. My touch doesn't seem to be very good. It's definitely not comparable to when I used to get forty kills all the time."

He paused, suppressing a laugh, and continued, "But I only... casually killed 31! It felt like I didn't even put in much effort before the opponents went down! My rating is almost 2.0, who can I complain to?"

"Bad Feelings," "Just Killing Randomly," "Only Thirty-One"

"Got it, if the rating isn't above 2.0, it's basically dead!"

"Indeed, I would say this data is awesome if it were anyone else, but for Dark, I can only say he needs to practice more!"

"Toko: Can you even speak like a human being? I'm completely numb!"

On the other side of the earth,
In the live stream of Brazilian man Gaules, a spectacular face-changing drama unfolded.

Just over half an hour ago, when the match had just started, this Brazilian CS godfather was still using his dramatic and inflectional tone to vehemently criticize the Saudi oil tycoons!

They say they are using money, tainted by greed, to corrupt and destroy pure CS esports.

He also specifically criticized young players who transferred teams for higher salaries, saying they couldn't resist the temptation and their will was corrupted by money.

The criticism focused heavily on Meng Lang!
But at this moment, looking at the huge score of 16:3 on the screen and Dark's terrifying personal statistics, the Brazilian old man suddenly got a little stuck.

His eyes were wide open like copper bells, and his mouth was agape in an "O" shape, big enough to fit an egg.

After a brief, three-second silence, he slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, sprang up from his chair like a volcanic eruption, his expression instantly changing as he roared, spittle flying:

"My God! This is art! This is the magic of CS!"

He instantly switched gears, launching into his "whitewashing" speech with an almost fervent, pilgrimage-like tone:
"Friends! I take back what I said before! I was wrong! Money does not corrupt the will of a true strong person! On the contrary, it makes the will of a strong person even stronger!"

"When a genius no longer has to worry about making a living, when he has the best equipment and the most professional team in the world, he can devote 100% of his energy to the competition he loves!"

“That’s right! Dark is the best example! He wasn’t corrupted, he was elevated! He’s showing us what a brilliant light can be unleashed when talent and resources are perfectly combined!”

Gaules's live stream chat exploded with excitement!
"Hahaha, Gaules, doesn't your face hurt?"

"You were just saying 'dirty money' a moment ago, and now it's become 'sacred investment'?"

One second: The oil tycoon ruined the game! The next second: Dark is different from everyone else!!

"Haha! As long as Brazil doesn't lose, everything is fine!"

"."

But there are also dissenting voices.

"Playing Mouz is such a hassle!"

"Indeed, not many strong teams made it to the qualifying rounds!"

"Teams like the Little Bees, NAVI, and FAZE don't need to play in the play-in stage. If the Falcons, this new team, really wants to become a top-tier team, they still need to compete against those strong teams first!"

"."

at the same time!

Same country, different cities!
Berlin, Germany

G2's training base.

In Carlos's office,
The atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed like it could drip water. The cigar he had accidentally cut off still lay forlornly in the crystal ashtray, as if silently mocking his decision.

Carlos looked at the report on the screen showing Falcon's easy victory and Meng Lang's glaring 31 kills, and his expression was quite strange.

In his mind, Meng Lang, who he considered to have "betrayed" G2 and gone to the Middle East to "retire," along with Niko and m0NESY, were the three traitors!

Having not played a formal match for over a month, he should be completely out of form and in terrible shape.

The results of it?
Cologne Play-In Debut: Rating 1.96, 31 kills, a series of incredible plays and outplaying opponents...

This was the complete opposite of the script he had imagined!

"Is this Dark... really that insane?" Carlos muttered to himself, his composure crumbling.

He originally thought that although losing Meng Lang was a pity, G2 could still function, and might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

But now, seeing Meng Lang still dominating in the new team, he felt like a stone was stuck in his chest.

He felt a burning shame as he recalled his slightly sarcastic "I refuse to return this" comment on social media.

at this point,

He has no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.
Forcing myself to comfort myself:

It's just a game of MOUZ. It's normal for a team made up of young people to be unstable.

A team like Falcon, with its obvious weaknesses, won't go far!

"Yes, they can't have gone far!"

The Cologne qualifying rounds are held online.

After the match, the players from both teams conducted post-match interviews in their respective hotel rooms.

The director first focused the camera on torzsi, the sniper from the losing side MOUZ, who was being interviewed by a blonde, blue-eyed, and sweet-smiling female host from the Cologne tournament.

The female host's first question was quite pointed: "Torzsi, hello. As far as I know, before today's match, almost all analysts and viewers favored you, believing you could easily defeat this new team from the Middle East, making their debut in the S-level tournament. Why do you think you lost to the Falcons today?"

Upon hearing the question, Torzsi's already somewhat gloomy face stiffened slightly. He paused for a moment, but still managed a polite smile as he replied:

"Um... I think the Falcon team is seriously underestimated. Their individual skills are very strong, and their tactical execution is also... very good. The only reason we lost to them today is that they played better than us."

The female host smiled and nodded, then continued, "We've seen a lot of interaction and 'coordination' between you and Dark today. Do you think you could perform even better if you had another chance?"

In the 6657 live stream room.

While playing with the machine, he was showing the audience the post-match interview when he heard this question. He couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, slapping his stomach: "Haha! This is hilarious, guys! This interview is so hurtful! It's like killing someone by attacking their spirit! Let's hear what the troll has to say."

Upon hearing this question, Torzsi's mind instantly flashed back to the scenes from the first half of the film that nearly shattered his Dao heart, like a movie playing in fast-forward...

If I had another chance... could I have performed even better?

This thought, like a spell, swirled in his mind.

He had been trying hard to maintain a stiff smile, but this time, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

An indescribable sense of grievance and frustration surged into my heart like a tide.

He could no longer maintain his composure. His emotions surged, and he abruptly took off his glasses and covered his face with his hands!

"It's...it's my fault! I played terribly today. Yes, my performance was...very poor. I let the team down, and...I also feel very disappointed in myself."

Speaking of last,
His shoulders had begun to tremble slightly.

This scene caused the chat in the 6657 live stream room to explode instantly.

"I'm going to cry, Desuwa!"

"When emotions get the better of you, you say yes!"

"God! My God!"

"Dark is so evil!"

"Can the people of Sichuan stand seeing this?"

"My heart is broken! I can't watch this!"

"Waaaaah! Toto, don't cry! Mommy loves you! I'm tearing up too!"

"Burn (referring to the one on the left)"

"."

Torzsi's interview quickly ended in a slightly somber atmosphere.

The director immediately switched the camera to the other side of the hotel competition room, where Meng Lang, who won the MVP today, would be interviewed by his old acquaintance, the well-known host Banks.

What's more difficult to maintain is that

Just a second ago, in the director's shot, Torzsi was still holding back tears, looking dejected.

As soon as the camera panned over, Meng Lang was seen facing the camera, making a classic "bear shrug" gesture with his hands outstretched, looking slightly innocent.

As if to say:

This has nothing to do with me!

It wasn't me!
(Motion instruction)
6657 live broadcast room.

Playing with the machine, he couldn't hold back any longer, slapping the table and laughing, "Hahaha, that's hilarious! Dark's immediate attempt to shift the blame is a bit ridiculous!"

"They must have asked us a question we didn't hear, but the camera work, combined with Torzsi's interview just now, really maximized the entertainment value of the show!"

The interview has officially begun.

Banks smiled and looked at Meng Lang:

"First of all, congratulations on winning the match, and in a very dominant way! Many people may have had doubts about you before the match, but your performance today was beyond expectations. Congratulations on advancing to the winners' bracket."

Meng Lang took the microphone, looking relaxed: "Thank you. I also feel that we played very well today. My teammates, whether old or new, all performed exceptionally well today. We are a cohesive unit."

"Extremely Awesome? Are you sure?"

"Our old teammate Nini Haihai was pretty good today, and our new teammate... Snappi's AK shots were really impressive!"

Snappi: This game is so easy? You win just by firing an AK?

"Hilarious! Snappi gave Dark an AK in the second half without armor today, it completely stunned me, he's a top-tier utility player!"

"Demon Man: What about me? Didn't I shout loud enough?"

"Hilarious! The Demon Man had such a smooth game today, but his record is still negative. I don't know how he did it."

"This is only possible against MOUZ. If it were against other strong teams, the point of the Demon Man would have been infinitely broken through long ago."

"."

Banks continued to ask:

"As we all know, your team faced a lot of public pressure before the competition. Many people thought that you hadn't played for a month, your form was questionable, and even... you were 'corrupted by money.' I know that it's very difficult for players to maintain their focus and mindset for the game..."

Before Banks could finish speaking, Meng Lang suddenly laughed and chimed in, "Actually, it's not that difficult."

Banks was slightly taken aback by his sudden, direct answer, but quickly realized what he meant and shook his head with a wry smile:

"Well... it seems that the outside world's perception of the Falcon team is indeed quite skewed, or rather, incorrect."

A confident smile appeared on Meng Lang's face. He looked at the camera and said in a relaxed but firm tone, "I think so, but we will make all the audiences see us in a new light at this Cologne tournament."

This statement caused the live stream chat to erupt in excitement once again.

"Holy crap! Dark's comment reminds me of the Antwerp Major all over again!"

"This guy is so confident! I love him!"

"Nonsense! You won the Major MVP when you were seventeen, you have reason to be confident!"

"The problem is that Dark dared to say his goal was to be number 1 even before he won the championship! That kind of confidence is ingrained in him!"

"Perhaps this is the exuberance of a genius."

"."

After the interview, the Falcons' debut in the Cologne play-in tournament ended with a not-so-unexpected upset—a 16-3 victory over MOUZ.

Following that, the other matches also began.

Back in the locker room, Meng Lang casually asked Coach Zonik, "Coach, who's playing whom next?"

zonic glanced at the match schedule on his phone and said with a smile, "It's your former team, EG vs. PaiN, they're about to start."

Meng Lang was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and couldn't help but laugh, "Doesn't that mean whoever wins will beat us in the next round?"

Old Ni, standing to the side, nodded with a smile: "That's right. I still remember the last Antwerp Major, when we ran into EG in the Challengers Group. Before the match, 2K was still mocking us on Twitter."

"But now that you're the youngest Major MVP in history, if they beat PaiN and play us tomorrow, they probably... won't be making any more trash talk, right?"

Meng Lang recalled 2K's vengeful and never-say-die personality when he was with EG, and suddenly shook his head with a smile, his tone somewhat certain: "Hard to say."

After thinking it over carefully, Niko realized that given 2K's personality, even if he wasn't confident, he probably wouldn't admit defeat verbally. So he smiled and shook his head, saying, "That's true. But let's wait until they figure out a way to beat PaiN first."

That evening, all eight best-of-one matches of the first round of the Cologne qualifying tournament concluded.

Next, the sixteen teams were divided into winners' bracket and losers' bracket.

The eight teams in the winners' bracket will face off in pairs, and whoever wins another BO3 series will advance directly to the Cologne main event.

The losing team will fall into the loser's bracket and play another best-of-three series against the winner of the loser's bracket.

They are vying for the final spots in the next round.

The eight teams that have advanced to the winners' bracket today are: Falcon, EG, Spirit, Astralis, BIG, VP, MRS, and COL.

Yes, EG has finally advanced.

In the BO1 match against the Brazilian team PaiN, this team, which is mainly composed of former Major champions C9 members, suddenly surged in the second half after falling behind 6-9 in the first half, and made a crazy comeback!
In the end, they didn't concede a single point in the second half and won the game with a score of 16-9.

Commander 2K was in superb form, as if he had returned to the year he won the Boston Major in 2018, scoring the highest number of kills in the game with only 13 deaths!
KD's stats are impressive.

The post-match interview was still hosted by the same blonde, blue-eyed female host.

She smiled and asked, "2K, congratulations on advancing to the winners' bracket. How does it feel?"

2K, brimming with confidence, pumped his fist at the camera and shouted, "We're back! Everyone's back! This is our victory!"

The female host pressed on, her questions still sharp: "So, tomorrow your opponent will be the Falcons, who had a very impressive performance today. What are your thoughts on tomorrow's best-of-three series against the Falcons?"

Facing the camera, 2K was full of confidence and clearly well-prepared: "At the Antwerp Major, we only played one BO1 against them in the Challengers Group. To be honest, we had the advantage in the first half of that match, but a moment of carelessness led to them turning the game around and defeating us with their unarmored Glock. This was a huge blow to our mentality at the time and indirectly led to our failure to advance!"

"But! Some mistakes only need to be made once!"

He emphasized his words.

"This time, I will absolutely not give our opponents any more chances like this! We will not be careless in the slightest, and I will personally lead the team to defend our honor!"

The female host clearly knew how to create buzz, and she continued to press, "In the Falcon team, there was a former teammate of yours, Dark! He is now the most watched rising star in CS:GO and the youngest Major MVP in history."

"For a time, many people were puzzled by your club's decision to let go of such a player. I want to ask, looking back now, do you and your club regret your decision?"

2K's smile froze slightly!
But he quickly recovered, trying to appear nonchalant, and shrugged, saying:
"In fact, no. Neither I nor my club regret the decision we made in the first half of this year."

"I admit that Dark's performance is indeed very impressive, and his talent is beyond doubt."

"However, I'm sorry, I don't think he was a good fit for our EG system and atmosphere at the time!"

"It's like, even a player as strong as S1mple can't perfectly adapt to every team, right?"

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, then spoke to the camera in a tone that was half-joking and half-serious:

"So, back to your question... back then, Dark was perhaps... really like a 'pest' to us at EG."

"No offense."

"But if I had another chance, I think I would still kick him out!"

The female host was stunned!

She definitely wanted to cause a stir.

But I didn't expect 2K to be such a huge hit right from the start!

At this moment, she asked incredulously, "Huh? A player like Dark is a pest?"

2K smiled slightly.

"Tomorrow, I will prove it with my own hands."

Cologne Holy Land

Under the interview lens!
The 24-year-old "banana man" is full of vigor!
Om-!
The moment this interview clip aired, it caused an uproar in CS communities around the world!

(End of this chapter)