CH 75

The JW team’s live stream has set a new record for popularity on the JJ platform since the beginning of the year.

The JW team has also gained a large number of new fans due to their championship win in the Spring Finals.

The team’s value has been steadily rising, which should be a cause for celebration for the entire club.

However, in recent days, the club has been shrouded in gloom, without any atmosphere of a newly crowned champion club.

The Fortune division has gone to Country E to participate in the Eurasian League, and for some reason, Boss Ji, who usually doesn’t travel with the team, has gone along as well. Currently, the club is being overseen by manager Shen Qi.

Shen Qi has been overwhelmed these past few days and once again found himself talking to Coach Bai Yin of the WOC division.

“Old Bai, can’t you hold on just a bit longer?” Shen Qi asked pleadingly.

Bai Yin shook his head helplessly. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but my body just can’t take it anymore.”

A few days after the Spring Finals, Bai Yin expressed his intention to leave the team, citing health reasons that would prevent him from continuing with the team.

“What exactly is the reason?” Shen Qi couldn’t help but ask. “This season we won the Spring Finals, and based on the points standings, as long as we finish in the top two in the upcoming regional matches, we’ll secure a spot in the World Championship. Why are you quitting now?”

Bai Yin looked grim. “I would love to go to the World Championship with the kids, and I even dream of winning the world title, but I really can’t delay any longer.”

Shen Qi looked at him, waiting for more.

Bai Yin seemed to make a decision and sighed. “Old Shen, we’ve known each other for years, so I’ll be honest with you. A few months ago, I had a physical and found a tumor in my lung. The doctor recommended immediate surgery, but the Spring season had just started, and I couldn’t abandon the club.”

Shen Qi gasped, “A tumor!?”

Bai Yin continued, “I had a follow-up a few days ago, and the doctor said I can’t delay any longer. Early detection and treatment give me a chance. If I wait, it could be too late.”

Shen Qi remained silent.

Bai Yin didn’t smoke or drink, and aside from often staying up late for work, he had no other bad habits. How could he have such an illness?

Shen Qi opened his mouth but couldn’t find any words.

In this situation, all he could offer were words of comfort.

There wasn’t much he could do except pray for Bai Yin’s recovery.

“When will you be admitted?” Shen Qi asked.

“This week,” Bai Yin replied with a bitter smile. “So I’m really sorry, but I have to resign. The regional match in Country R is coming up, and I definitely won’t be recovered by then. There’s still some time before the match, so I’ll do my best to find a suitable replacement coach.”

With the transfer window open after the Spring Finals, JW has the financial resources to attract a suitable coach.

At least, that’s what Bai Yin was thinking.

“Oh, Old Shen, don’t tell the players about my illness. I don’t want them to worry,” Bai Yin added. “Just tell them I’m leaving for health reasons.”

“Ah… Old Bai, I wish you a speedy recovery,” Shen Qi said sincerely.

“But,” he sighed, “all the good coaches have been booked. Where can we find a suitable coach on such short notice? Xiao Nan is a good assistant coach, but he’s only switched to coaching this season. It’s not suitable for him to take on the head coach role yet. The WOC kids are young and inexperienced in major tournaments; they still need a reliable coach to lead them.”

“Keep looking, we’ll find someone,” Bai Yin said.

However, after several more days, every potential candidate JW contacted was either already contracted with another team or felt too much pressure to lead a Spring Championship-winning team through the rest of the season and declined.

Not everyone has the heart of steel needed for such a high-pressure role, and Shen Qi understood the pressures coaches face.

After all, following JW’s Spring Championship victory, they carried the expectations of many WPL fans who hoped JW would perform well in both the upcoming global points tournaments and the World Championship at the end of the season.

The pressure was greater on the coach than on the players.

But with the first stage of the global points tournament in T City, Country R approaching, JW still hadn’t found a head coach, and the club was growing increasingly anxious.

The JW players had been training on their own for some time without a head coach.

But without a head coach, it felt like something was missing.

“Sigh.” Hao Qianyi let out a long sigh after losing a training match. “Why did Old Bai have to leave?”

“He said it was for health reasons,” Wei Yafeng replied. “If he left, he must have encountered some insurmountable problem.”

“But we can’t go on without a head coach,” Hao Qianyi said, frowning.

They had already lost several training matches in a row, and if this continued, their confidence as WPL Spring Champions would be shattered.

It seemed like other teams were actively preparing for the global points tournament and making continuous progress, while they were stagnating or even regressing.

If this continued, they were sure to flop in the global points tournament.

Jiang Min, seeing the situation, didn’t know what to say.

He understood the team’s predicament. As the captain, Yu Hao was doing his utmost to adjust the team’s condition, but without a head coach, it still lacked a certain strength.

Yu Hao was under a lot of pressure and had been on edge for days.

Jiang Min couldn’t help but worry about his mental state.

Seeing Yu Hao seriously reviewing the replay of their latest lost training match at his station, Jiang Min decided not to disturb him.

But as a teammate and a close friend of Yu Hao, he felt it was important to check in on the captain’s state of mind.

So, Jiang Min decided to talk to Yu Hao after today’s training session and have a heart-to-heart.

Next up was ranked training.

Jiang Min opened the WOC interface and was about to start a solo queue when a friend request popped up.

“Bar Uncle” has requested to add you as a friend.

That’s what the system interface showed.

Jiang Min recognized the ID “Bar Uncle.”

This ID, which he had encountered multiple times in ranked matches, belonged to the current top player in the national server.

It was rumored that Bar Uncle was very aloof, never adding friends proactively and always rejecting friend requests.

Why would he add me today? Jiang Min found it odd.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Min accepted the request.

To his surprise, as soon as they became friends, Bar Uncle pulled him—using his “Experienced Mid Lane Driver” account—into a room and initiated a 1V1 duel.

【?】 Jiang Min typed a question mark.

【Let’s SOLO】Bar Uncle immediately replied.

Jiang Min was baffled.

He didn’t know this person well, so why were they starting with a SOLO match?

【Are you in or are you scared?】Bar Uncle typed when Jiang Min didn’t immediately start the match.

There was no way Jiang Min would back down.

SOLO matches were fought 1V1 in the mid lane, and that was his territory. No way would Jiang Min be scared.

Bar Uncle reaching the top of the national server and staying there for so long wasn’t without reason.

Jiang Min knew this and, having matched with Bar Uncle a few times before, was curious to see who was stronger between them.

So, Jiang Min accepted the match.

They entered the SOLO battlefield.

The SOLO rules were that neither side could buy equipment or supplies, and the first to kill the other would win.

【Pick Lumberjack】Bar Uncle typed.

In SOLO, you could either both pick the same hero or different ones. The former tested the players’ individual skills more.

【…】 Jiang Min locked in Lumberjack.

The match began, and both Lumberjacks came online at the same time.

They both pressured the minion wave in the mid lane, probing each other.

Lumberjack was a hero that relied purely on basic attacks for early game damage. To gain an advantage, it all came down to positioning and awareness.

Jiang Min and Bar Uncle’s health dropped at a similar rate; neither gave the other any quarter.

They clashed around the mid lane minions.

In the end, Jiang Min cleverly redirected the minions’ aggro onto Bar Uncle, securing a narrow victory through this slight edge.

Jiang Min watched the screen display [You have killed Bar Uncle], feeling a sense of relief.

If he hadn’t manipulated the minion aggro, he might not have won a straight-up fight.

Bar Uncle’s positioning was too precise, and his game sense was extraordinary.

Fighting this person felt like they could read his every move.

Luckily, he had the aggro manipulation trick up his sleeve, or he would have lost.

【Not bad】 Bar Uncle typed on the screen.

Jiang Min was even more puzzled.

What was this person up to? Why did it feel like he was being evaluated?

【Your other teammates are there, right? Let them come one by one to SOLO me using your account】 Bar Uncle continued.

Even Jiang Min, usually calm, was unsettled by this.

What was this supposed to mean? It was too impolite.

Many players knew his identity, but he had never encountered such a rude request before.

Who asks professional team members to SOLO one by one?

Seeing no response from Jiang Min, Bar Uncle typed, 【If you don’t want your assistant coach to be in charge of BP, then hurry up.】

【?】 Jiang Min was puzzled.

【Let me see your skills.】

Jiang Min was speechless.

This person’s tone was outrageous.

What did he mean by “see their skills”? Even though Bar Uncle was the top player in the national server, he didn’t have to be so arrogant, did he?

And what did he mean by “if you don’t want your assistant coach to be in charge of BP, hurry up”?

It sounded like they were about to get a head coach soon.

…Huh?

Head coach? Could it be…?

A more outrageous thought crossed Jiang Min’s mind.

Because this idea was so startling, he temporarily kept it to himself and told his teammates about the request.

“What? SOLO? That top player Bar Uncle? So arrogant? Watch me take him down!” Hao Qianyi was the first to step up.

【Professional ID】 Bar Uncle noticed Jiang Min’s account selecting a hero, realizing that the opponent might have changed players.

【Q.one, watch me crush you!】Hao Qianyi, as always, was full of bravado.

【Sure, bring it on.】

The result: Hao Qianyi was utterly defeated.

The young and spirited team members couldn’t stand it after Hao Qianyi lost. The Jin-Yin Mantou brothers also insisted on taking turns.

Both twins also lost to Bar Uncle.

Finally, Yu Hao, who had paused his review session, went up last. Like Jiang Min, he barely managed to win.

After the SOLO match, Yu Hao frowned.

Who exactly was this Bar Uncle? And what was his purpose in doing this?

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading ️”