759 A Discouraging Day for Team Hundred Blossoms

After this quiet character transfer was dug out, it immediately became the headlines of every site related to Glory or eSports. Posts on the various forums exponentially increased. The discussion was, of course, about the transfer of Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.

Once the initial puzzlement and frenzy passed, logical analysis of the transfer gradually floated up to the surface.

Was Zhang Jiale planning on returning to the Alliance by joining Tyranny? There was originally no discussion over this question, but how fierce could gossip spread? Even an unfounded story could be told to make it extremely clear and logical. Zhang Jiale joining Tyranny was the truth and the most likely explanation for the transfer.

Because in the current competitive scene, there weren’t any particularly outstanding Spitfire players. Perhaps this was why Team Hundred Blossoms decided to give up on their core character. It was undoubtedly a daring decision. Once news of Dazzling Hundred Blossoms being sold exploded, the fans were outraged at Team Hundred Blossoms. None of them were in the correct mindset to rationally analyze it.

Maybe Team Hundred Blossoms couldn’t find a suitable core player, so they might as well completely rebuild the team, but why did Tyranny purchase Dazzling Hundred Blossoms? Did they have some sort of exceptional Spitfire player in hiding?

When Tang Hao transferred to Team Wind Howl, discussion over the good Spitfire players in the current competitive scene had already been done. The conclusion was that there was no Spitfire that had a transfer value of more than 4 million. None of them had the potential to be Gods either.

As a result, there were only two logical possibilities for Tyranny purchasing Dazzling Hundred Blossoms.

The first possibility was that Tyranny had raised an exceptional new player, who was a Spitfire.

The second possibility was that Tyranny would be inviting the retired Zhang Jiale to join next season.

There were people who discussed both possibilities. Of course, Ye Xiu and the others in Happy knew that the second possibility was the truth.

Ye Xiu even guessed that when he and Zhang Jiale met in the game, Tyranny had already started doing work for him.

Lin Jingyan’s transfer seemed sudden, but perhaps Tyranny had already made plans beforehand. It was also possible that these plans were the deciding factor for Zhang Jiale.

Han Wenqing, Zhang Xinjie, Lin Jingyan, and Zhang Jiale would be an All Star line up that had never once appeared before in the history of the Alliance. Even though a few powerhouses possessed three All Stars, their circumstances were completely different from Tyranny.

Han Wenqing, Lin Jingyan, and Zhang Jiale could easily be the ace player of any team. They had all been the core of their former teams, and now these three core players had gathered together. It was absolutely unprecedented. If this couldn’t move Zhang Jiale, then was he even aiming for the championships?

However, the argument against this reason was that if he really was returning, Team Hundred Blossoms wouldn’t sell Dazzling Hundred Blossoms. Team Hundred Blossoms was Zhang Jiale’s home. He had served the team for six years!

Without a doubt, those who held this perspective were loyal fans of Team Hundred Blossoms and Zhang Jiale.

Ye Xiu and the others in Happy, who knew the truth, couldn’t keep looking any further. They were already thinking of how many people would be heartbroken once the truth actually came out.

Per the Alliance’s rules, retired players could only return after a year of retirement. Zhang Jiale had decided to retire at the beginning of the season last year, catching Team Hundred Blossoms unprepared. At that point, the transfer window was about to close. In addition, there weren’t any particularly outstanding Spitfires, so Zou Yuan had no choice but to fill in.

This rule only indicated when a player could officially register and join a team though. A public announcement could be made earlier.

As a result, that night, the truth came out. There wasn’t much news of Zhang Jiale before, but he received an interview and admitted his return to the Alliance. He told the reporter that he had already long since reached an agreement with Team Tyranny. He would be joining Team Tyranny next season.

A lot of gossip had been made, but the power of the truth would always be greater than mere gossip. News of Dazzling Hundred Blossoms being purchased by Team Tyranny and Zhang Jiale joining Team Tyranny became a stickied post everywhere. The entire scene in Glory went wild. In comparison, Tang Hao’s ten million yuan transfer appeared weak.

Just as Ye Xiu and the others in Happy expected, once the truth came out, many hearts were broken. The ones who spoke the loudest and the most intense were Team Hundred Blossom’s most loyal fans.

They could still endure Team Hundred Blossoms giving up on Tang Hao. After all, he wasn’t the core member that Team Hundred Blossoms needed. They preferred a Spitfire as the core.

But giving up on Dazzling Hundred Blossoms was something that they could not accept. By the time the news came out, what was done could not be undone. The Alliance had officially recorded the transfer. The fans had no chance to object because no matter how they objected, reality wouldn’t be changed.

They felt like the team wasn’t respecting the fans. They felt like they had been cheated, fooled, and betrayed. All of the loyal fans furiously shouted for the entire afternoon. They loudly criticized Club Hundred Blossom’s decision, calling it moronic, and demanded an explanation from the Club to the fans.

Those gossipers, who just wanted to stir things up, wrote about their conjecture that Zhang Jiale would join Team Tyranny, making them feel even angrier. In their fan’s eyes, even if Zhang Jiale did not take responsibility for suddenly retiring last season, he was still Team Hundred Blossom’s former ace player and team captain. He was a person of Hundred Blossoms. How could he go to Tyranny?

The fans lashed out at the Club, but also clashed with the gossipers to defend their Club’s current players. These loyal fans truly loved the team. They didn’t understand the Club’s decision, but when others began attacking a former player of their team, they immediately took up arms.

Up until night came.

When Zhang Jiale’s interview was released, the gossipers were ecstatic. They waved around this news, slapping Team Hundred Blossoms’ fans, who had argued with them that afternoon. At this moment, the Team Hundred Blossom fans were unable to retaliate.

The Club sold their most beloved character and their favorite player had given up on the team to go to another on his own accord. For a loyal Team Hundred Blossom fan, it was as if their entire world had collapsed. Today was a discouraging day for them.

They didn’t have the strength to argue anymore.

Nothing was more sorrowful than a withered heart.

What could the fans use to argue with?

Countless fans quietly shut down their computers. Today’s news caused their hearts to sink to rock bottom. Following afterwards, quite a few fans erupted out in anger. The lashed out at Club Hundred Blossoms with greater fury. This time, Zhang Jiale was enveloped in it.

Zhang Jiale had predicted this would happen. In the interview, once the reporter learned of his decision, they anticipated this would happen too. The reporter asked this question. Zhang Jiale’s reply sounded very calm. He apologized for not taking responsibility for his sudden retirement, and for not returning to Team Hundred Blossoms this season. He didn’t say anything like I hope my fans will understand. The reporter might have felt Zhang Jiale’s pain and worry and continued to ask Zhang Jiale why he made this decision.

His answer was simple: to be a champion.

To be a champion.

Some could understand the significance of these four words.

Amidst the storm of anger, quite a few fans wished Zhang Jiale good luck. Their good blessings didn’t receive widespread support though. They became another target to be spat on besides Club Hundred Blossom and Zhang Jiale.

The noise persisted for an entire week.

Even the pro players felt the vibrations. The pro players, who had gone on vacation or back home, suddenly popped up, discussing the news with other players and in their chat groups. Zhang Jiale was actually a part of a few of these groups, but as the person involved, he didn’t say anything. Team Tyranny’s players gave out a "he he". Their attitude towards this transfer went without saying.

However, everyone was a mature pro player. They wouldn’t go so far as to argue over who would win the championships next season. In the early days, there would be disputes over this topic, but nowadays, everyone was much more mature. This sort of transfer was shocking to the outside world, but most pro players would face the news calmly.

The reason was because they understood the words "to be a champion" more than anyone else.

Of course, there were also players who disagreed with Zhang Jiale’s actions, but no matter what they discussed in their chat groups, Zhang Jiale never appeared. It was just as if he were still in retirement. Who knew if he was lurking?

Team Tyranny’s new season plan was clearly displayed in front of the public. This was statistically the strongest line-up ever seen before in the history of Glory. It naturally attracted a lot of attention. The media even went so far as to say Team Tyranny could challenge the record for the most points in the season.

As for the issue of Han Wenqing’s, Lin Jingyan’s, and Zhang Jiale’s age, no one disregarded it. Age became their biggest power though. Many could see this point. The reports had already elaborated on this issue clearly and logically. They almost wrote how these three brothers would ignite their cosmo and blow up the earth. (TLN: A Saint Seiya reference I think)

As for Team Hundred Blossoms? These two transfers alone had earned them 26 million yuan. This itself was a record, but they were currently being looked at as pitiful creatures by everyone.