Volume 2 - CH 31

Playing Fish Trapped in Secret Room

Book 2: You’re Beautiful

Chapter 31

Dt wasn’t looking down at Inin.  After all, Inin wasn’t a weak player.

But this was the first time Dt and Ai Qing were truly the opponents.

He wasn’t going to hold back.

“Ah. Our runner-up last year chose the best map for him.”  The male commentator standing behind them was also very surprised.  “Does this mean that he plans to go all out for the first round?”

The female commentator was puzzled, too.

Since they were the champion and runner-up of last year, the difference between their abilities shouldn’t be that much.

Inin choose to put all his eggs in one basket……

Didn’t seem very reasonable.

All four groups started their rounds shortly.

“Ok, today the round between last year’s champion and the runner-up has already fired off from the start. The Terran tank king, Inin, our runner-up last year from SP China, chose the first map, one giving Terran the best advantage.”  The male commentator held the microphone standing behind Inin.  “In other words, Inin’s already got a leg up for the first round.”

“The system has already automatically assigned Foxtrot Labs and Merry Go Round for the next two games.”  The female commentator smiled and explained while walking behind Dt.  “Inin’s opponent is the Protoss master, Dt.  He’s famous for his perfect mechanics.  He’s the Protoss maestro.”

Heavy metal music played in the background.

The camera displayed close up of the players.

Dt’s side view lacked any expression.  Inin was sticking out the tip of his tongue.

A huge cheer came from Dt’s fans……

But he had restored his usual coolness.  Everything between his left hand and right hand created a world of his own.  The overall passionate atmosphere and support of the fans had nothing to do with him.

Ai Qing glanced at Gun.  The two cousins were very similar to certain degree.

They both had many female fans.  But they both were indifferent to their fans, yet they became even more popular because of that indifference……

“What did he say the names of the next two maps are?” Gun asked suddenly.

Grunt didn’t come here today, so they were the only two sitting in the Chinese rest area.  They sat side by side but they happened to be from opposing clubs.

“Foxtrot Labs and Merry Go Round.”

“The Chinese translation of the names of these maps are really, really-- --”

“Cute?”  Ai Qing laughed.  “Merry Go Around, Foxtrot Labs, Illusion Light, Green Warm House, Katrina, Deadwing…...all these names are very lovely.”

Gun didn’t really appreciate it.  He laughed cynically.

Time passed while they were making fun of the map names for a while.

When Inin launched a strong attack at the twentieth minute, Gun was surprised.  “Your crying baby turns out to be a fierce player, huh?”  Ai Qing glanced at him.  “It’s really a tough job for you to come to watch the StarCraft competition.  Don’t you even know the characteristics of the top ten players?”

Gun shrugged, “As long as Dt knows.  I’m just watching it for fun here.”

“Our Inin specializes in small maps.” She smiled.  “Once the crying baby gets on the battlefield, he wipes his tears with his sleeves and jumps into the fight with a sword.  Don’t you think he has all this power ready to burst at any moment?”

Gun scoffed.

The result of the first game was determined as soon as the name of the map appeared.

When top players compete, the slightest difference can affect the outcome of the game. An map that heavily favors a race enhances the ability of the player and ensures the victory of the round.

After the first game finished, both commentators finally got back into the groove.  “Alright.  Congratulations to Inin for winning the first round.  Let us look at the other groups.  Three groups have not finished yet.  Wait.  Did Tatami win the first round?”

The two commentator looked at each other.  There were so many surprises today.

The female commentator said, “Frankly speaking, from the live broadcast, the first rounds didn’t have much suspense.  I’m really looking forward to the next two rounds.”  The male commentator laughed and pointed out, “The last champion is going into two maps that heavily favor him. There doesn’t seem to be much suspense here either.”

The female commentator said,  “You’re wrong, Koomi. If Inin hadn’t gone all out in the first round, I believe there would’ve been no suspense at all.  But now, there’s a lot to look forward to.  I eagerly await to see what sort of strategy our runner-up from last year, who was also the champion of the American region last year, has cooked up.”

Two commentators spoke alternating between each other.

Gun started to yawn.

Inin unexpectedly took the chance of the short intermission and ran out of the competition area to Ai Qing directly.  Before she had chance to ask what he wanted, the young boy jumped into her arms with great cheer and rubbed against her.  “I beat my idol!!”  Gun raised his eyebrows.  Why was he so excited about winning by choosing a map that gave him the advantage?

She chuckled and pushed him out from her arms. “Hey, hey.  Your elder sister hasn’t got married yet.  Don’t rub against my chest.”

Inid said ah.  With his entire face red as a beet, he turned around and began running back.

…...

She looked at Dt who sat on the chair resting calmly.  She suddenly thought about last night: what he had said when he held her from behind in the hotel lobby.  Her head was in chaos at the time.  She just buried her face into his chest and wailed. Though he was a familiar person, it was an unfamiliar embrace.  She flushed away the negative emotions.  When she was looking for tissues to wipe her tears, she bashfully checked his clothes to see whether her tears had soaked his shirt.

So they were looking at the wet stains left by her tears.

One person had a completely red face without knowing where to place her hands and feet.  The other person didn’t know what to say to lighten the atmosphere……

“I remembered one thing.”  Gun interrupted her thought.  “Were you with Dt yesterday?’”

She didn’t reply out of her guilty conscience...

Gun:  “Xiao Bai------”

Xiao Bai?  Did he mean Wu Bai?

“He’s very good.”  Gun commented in a low voice,  “I have great expectations of him.”

Gun rarely spoke in such serious way.  The stage had begun the countdown.  The second round was going to start soon.

“He’s the kind of player who draws the most attention no matter which club he’s in.”

Whether it was SP, K&K, and TUMA in Asia, or RAP and FI in Europe, or the recently merged Ui in the American region, or efk, etc……

“Unfortunately, individual events are already out of date.”  Ai Qing saw Dt put on the black earphones for the next match.  “It’s all about group competitions in the future.”