Chapter 138: Compromise (2)
(The five of you walk onto the arena.)
(The match begins, and three of your team members are very passive, frequently making baffling moves, drawing a chorus of boos from the audience.)
(As expected, you lose the first game.)
(Back in the resting room, the coach is very satisfied.)
(Coach: Good job. Now, just lose two more matches, and we'll make a fortune. Mid-laner, some of your moves were too obvious, try to act a little better next time, you don't want the referees to notice, right?)
(Mid-Laner: Yes, I'll be careful next time.)
(Coach: Take a ten-minute break.)
(The coach stays in the resting room, not planning to leave.)
(You can't communicate with the AD player.)
(AD frowns at you, seemingly blaming you.)
(The break ends, and you go back to the arena.)
(This time, the loss is even more devastating. The AD player seems to have given up, becoming the most feeding player on the field.) [1]
(But you know that the AD isn't genuinely performing; he's just trying to use his own strength to drive the team.)
(You lose the second game.)
(You notice the opponents giving you strange looks.)
(You know an opportunity has arisen.)
(The third match.)
(After you choose your in-game character, you keep dancing on the lane, twitching non-stop with a peculiar rhythm.)
(The camera focuses on you many times.)
(The coach pauses the game.)
(Coach: What exactly are you doing?)
(You: I'm not doing anything?)
(Coach: Even if you're acting, you can't be so deliberate about it, can you?)
(You: I got it.)
(The match resumes, and while making the last moves on minions, you keep hitting 'S', making jerky movements.)
(It seems the enemy front-laner catches on and starts spamming 'S' alongside you.)
(Both players on the front lane are having a dance-off, making the audience burst into laughter.)
(In the middle of the dance, your opponent suddenly retreats to their tower.)
(The opponent requests a timeout.)
(You notice the opponents huddling around the referee, whispering. You are unsure if the opponent understood your hint.)
(The match starts again.)
(The opponents gain a huge advantage.)
(But they are deliberately stalling the game.)
(Until 30 minutes into the match, the police arrive at the scene and halt the game.)
(You are taken off the arena and subjected to an investigation.)
(You are blocked in the resting room by the coach, and his henchmen block the door, using various means to obstruct the police investigation.)
(The coach's willpower is far beyond that of ordinary people.)
(If there's no way to break through the coach's mental defenses, then your skills won't take effect.)
(The third match begins.)
(You focus on the game.)
(AD: It's bad, your parents have been brought here.)
(You take your hands off the keyboard and see your parents sitting in the audience. Your mother's face is pale, squinting and leaning back in her chair; your father looks tense.)
(Next to your parents stand two of the coach's thugs.)
(You pretend not to see them.)
(Using your ability of psychological suggestion, you concentrate all your attention.)
(Like the last match, you win the game with your excellent personal skills.)
(You leave the soundproof booth and look towards the audience, only to find that your parents are no longer there.)
(You return to the resting room.)
(The coach lets out a cold laugh and picks up a cellphone.)
(Coach: I keep my promises, your parents have been stuffed into a sack and are about to be thrown into the river. Are you sure you won't throw the match?)
(Support: Coach, aren't you going too far?)
(Mid laner: Don't be like this, coach, we can just lose more in the following games.)
(AD: You scum!)
(The coach slaps AD across the face.)
(Coach: I'm giving you one last chance, are you going to fake the game or not?)
(You: I understand.)
(In the fourth match, it's your win.)
(You still don't hold back, just like in the previous two matches.)
(Your teammates are scared.)
(They turn off the microphones in the arena and all look at you.)
(Support: Have you lost your mind? Is a championship more important than your parents' lives?)
(AD: Let it go, we don't need to be so ruthless.)
(Mid-laner: What are you thinking?)
(Jungler: The coach will really kill them!)
(You: Keep playing! If we don't win, I could kill you all right now.)
(You pull out a pen from your pocket and forcefully stab it through the desk in front of you.)
(AD: I request a timeout.)
(The match is paused.)
(Your four teammates drag you to the resting room.)
(The coach blocks the door, watching you with a sneer.)
(AD: What the hell are you doing? You're going to get your parents killed.)
(You: The person who's going to kill my parents isn't me, it's him. My job is to win the match, and nobody can stop me.)