Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

"Isn't this too hasty?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhuo did not answer immediately.

He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, picked up the half-cold teacup beside him, took a sip, and then slowly put the cup down, turning to look at Chen Li.

What are you trying to say?

"I mean, WE just won the world championship, so if they could face a strong team like HWG a little later..."

"Are you worried that WE fans, having lost their tempers after the opening match loss, will attack us?"

"...Yes, a little."

Chen Li honestly admitted, "After this match, the public opinion will definitely explode."

"With HWG's performance, they treated the world champions like bots in the opening match. I'm sure some people on Tieba (a Chinese online forum) are accusing us of deliberately sabotaging WE and promoting the new team."

"Moreover, the WE club will probably be unhappy too - the opening match was a huge blow, the fans' mentality collapsed, and the attendance rate for the Spring Split may be affected."

From the league's perspective, in terms of attendance alone, one side is a newly established team, and the other side is a champion powerhouse with a solid fan base. It's really not hard to decide which side to favor.

Wang Zhuo nodded: "What you're saying is possible."

He suddenly smiled, placed the teacup in his hand on the table, and it made a soft tapping sound.

"But so what?"

"Even if WE didn't face HWG in today's opening match, and even if they won, does that mean they'll never meet again? Or do you think that with a one or two-week break in the schedule, WE will be able to defeat the current HWG team?"

Chen Li was stunned for a moment.

"It's only a matter of time."

Wang Zhuo held up one finger. "HWG's strength can't be hidden. Even if we don't let them face WE in the opening match, they'll still face them in the second or third week. That knife has to fall eventually. Whether it falls sooner or later, which do you think is better for WE, or for us?"

"In esports, there are always winners and losers!"

"There has never been a saying that whoever has the stronger paper strength or is a powerhouse can keep winning."

Chen Li opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Wang Zhuo continued, "A short pain is worse than a long one. WE just won the IPL5 championship, and all the fans think they are the best in the world."

"But IPL5 is a thing of the past; LPL is the future."

"A new king challenging an old king is only natural in the opening match—isn't that how competitive sports are? When an old king sits on the throne, he has to be prepared to be kicked off."

"It's better to kick them sooner rather than later. If they're kicked sooner, WE will still have time to adjust. If HWG goes on a winning streak all the way to the playoffs before facing WE, that would be a truly devastating blow."

He walked to the screen and pointed to the five members of HWG advancing on the framed screen.

Do you think HWG beat WE today because WE was in poor form?

Chen Li shook his head: "...It's not a matter of condition, it's a difference in raw strength."

With an 11-0 score and an economic gap of six or seven thousand, even someone who doesn't understand the game would know they've been crushed just by looking at that huge zero score on the left.

So that's why.

Wang Zhuo turned around, his gaze calm. "The All-Star Game is coming soon. The LPL region needs to select five players to compete on the world stage. Tell me—if we don't let everyone see clearly beforehand who is truly strong and who is just the remnant of the old era, how can we select the five strongest players based solely on past experience?"

Chen Li remained silent for a few seconds, then his furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Wang Zhuo picked up his teacup again and took a sip, lowering his voice as if he didn't want the director outside to hear:

"Furthermore... there are some things that are not yet ready to be said publicly, but you should be able to sense that the LPL needs a new regional identity."

"WE has indeed made outstanding contributions, but their performance has clearly declined since they returned from IPL5."

"The fact that WE has been struggling more and more in the cup competitions recently speaks volumes... Our LPL is still in its early stages, and a healthy region cannot rely on just one team."

"HWG?"

Wang Zhuo did not answer directly.

He smiled and looked back at the ID on the screen—Emperor.

"Before today's opening match, countless players across the country already knew this ID. After today's opening match, how many more do you think that number will reach?"

"YY even did a special live stream on overseas websites. The LPL new team crushed the world champions in their opening match. Do you think that will cause a huge uproar on overseas websites?"

"Old Chen, don't be afraid of trouble. As the saying goes, the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish."

"For us, as long as we can withstand the short-term storms, HWG replacing WE will prove the strong competitiveness of our league, and at that time, the domestic and international viewership will explode..."

Wang Zhuo didn't continue, but he believed that his right-hand man could understand the subtext.

"The data department needs to give me a report this week," Wang Zhuo said, "to see how much new attention this match brought to the LPL."

"Especially overseas!"

"Of course, we still need to make the necessary preparations. We need to send some people down to guide public opinion online."

"Let the strong teams clash first—not to ruin anyone, but to get the whole region moving."

……

Back on the field.

HWG's offensive came wave after wave.

After wiping out the enemy team in the mid lane, two players were left to push the tower and clear the wave, while the other three turned around and headed to the jungle, taking down the dragon as well.

With the economic situation completely out of control, the timing of the subsequent matches can be considered a foregone conclusion.

Upgrade equipment, improve vision, clear the minion wave, continue to whittle down the blue side's limited resources in the jungle, and try to pick off a couple more isolated enemies.

With the initiative firmly in their hands and the Dragon Girl card paralyzed, the blue side doesn't even have the conditions to counterattack.

The final difference lies in whether to demolish towers and wait for the Baron, or to push high ground and end the game in one fell swoop.

Lin Shu showed no mercy in this opening match; in fact, one could say he went a little too far.

Although it may seem ruthless, he believes it is necessary for HWG's future development in the LPL.

Let me start with something unrelated.

The mindless protection of the bottom lane, the unconditional tactical bias towards the AD position, and the fan culture that were criticized by LPL players in the past actually originated not from NG, but from WE.

The reason is simple: during the early stages of the LOL professional league, from 2012 to early 2013, WE was the "textbook" for the entire LPL.

By employing a strategy of protecting the bottom lane's development and dragging out late-game team fights, they won IPL5—the first truly world-class championship in CNLOL history.

For all LPL clubs at the time, WE was the model of success.

The rest of the storyline is pretty clear to everyone.

Even though WE didn't perform well in S3, OMG, who focused on the top, mid, and jungle, stepped up. Royal Club, with its four-protect-one strategy, managed to achieve two consecutive runner-up finishes at the World Championship.

Even EDG, who replaced Royal Club as the dominant force in the LPL, still focused their tactics on the mid and bot lanes, with Clearlove even pulling off a memorable gank on the bot lane at level two.

Imagine that several clubs have consistently achieved success with their defensive tactics. As a newcomer, what would your choice be?