Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 275 The Great Land of China! What is a Hero!
The two were taken to the LPL interview area, and the others also went over to request interviews.

Unlike regular tournaments, in the S-series, as long as you win a match in the knockout stage, you'll be invited for interviews by the media, from star players to tactical coaches.

Even Xiaotian and Xiaodongbei received exclusive interviews from major domestic e-sports media outlets.

The LPL interview session that Li Luo and Letme attended was arguably the most prestigious, and it was broadcast live globally.

As soon as they stepped out of the backstage area, they were greeted by a deafening roar of cheers, making them feel as if they were on their home turf.

This kind of treatment, reserved for away games, is enjoyed by only a handful of people worldwide.

The cameraman cooperated by immediately focusing the camera on the two people who were leaving. The audience, who were leaving, stopped in their tracks and started to go wild.

"Uzi!!!"

"Uzi's here! Uzi's here!! Let's find a place to sit down quickly!"

"Brother Zaozi, I love you!!! You're invincible!!"

"Let me!!!"

The screams and cheers from the audience were mixed together. It wasn't just the domestic audience; even the local LCK fans cheered enthusiastically when RNG didn't win against the home team.

Some male players who value skill above all else were even captivated by RNG's incredibly strong performance in the three games.

On Weibo, people often complain about the serious invasion of fan culture in China, even reaching the last pure land - e-sports.

But little do people know that this esports fan culture originated from the very source of all evil – South Korea. Compared to LPL's ability to create idols, LCK is truly number one.

With their deep-seated worship of the strong, these South Koreans are even more fanatical than their domestic counterparts.

Not only did Letme's steps falter as she went on stage, and her hand on Li Luo's shoulder tightened its grip, but Li Luo himself also felt a surge of emotion that he could not contain.

"Welcome to the post-match interview! We have invited RNG's ADC Uzi!!! And their top laner Letme!!"

As soon as the South Korean host arrived on stage and began his introduction, tens of thousands of audience members immediately stood up and gave him their warmest applause.

On stage, the LPL's translator and host also came up, looking just like Aunt Yu Shuang, who is fluent in multiple languages.

Feeling the adoration of the audience, Li Luo picked up the conversation and smiled at them, saying, "Hello everyone, I'm Uzi!"

"Wow wow wow!!!"

"Uzi!!! A humanoid weapon!! Awesome!!"

"First of all, congratulations to RNG for advancing to the semifinals with a 3-0 victory. Today, they also presented a spectacular Yasuo show to our global audience. I know that countless overseas netizens also participated in the voting process. With such a phenomenal influence, I would like to ask how Uzi and Letme are feeling right now?"

First, the Korean host asked a question, and the aunt quickly translated.

Li Luo thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "It feels like so many fans have been silently and unwaveringly following my matches. Now that I've already won an S-series championship, I might as well give back to my fans this year and let them see another side of me! I guess that means I haven't let everyone down~"

Letme, on the other hand, was rather shy: "I'm very happy to have so many people like me, and I really enjoy every game on this stage."

His humble words elicited two different reactions from the audience.

Fans in China who could understand the language immediately thought it was pretentious and burst into laughter.

However, after the translation, Korean fans felt that the person was so strong yet so humble, which was amazing.

Immediately, the cheers from the audience rose again, leaving the Korean host looking helpless. He could only wait for the cheers to subside before continuing:

"Congratulations again on winning the championship! I believe that not only the fans at the venue, but also the fans watching on screen, were not disappointed. Just like Faker, Mata, Deft, and Ambition, Uzi is about to become a phenomenal player in League of Legends!"

"???"

"Holy crap, there really is a dog here. Those Korean bastards are up to no good!"

"This kind of back-and-forth is unacceptable; this person is utterly disgusting."

"???? I can understand talking about Faker, but bringing up a North Korean pilot and Mata is just disgusting?"

"YYY, when did Deft become a phenomenal player?"

Hearing the Korean host's slightly sarcastic praise and flattery, viewers in front of the screen immediately sensed something amiss.

Sure enough, the Korean host started setting the tone in the next sentence.

"Ahem, having defeated G2, RNG's next opponent will be Rw, another newcomer from the LPL region. As the LPL's third seed, Rw has already demonstrated their unique understanding of the new version in the quarterfinals, becoming known as the dark horse. I wonder if RNG is confident about their match against Rw next week?"

Listening to the aunt's translation, even Letme, who was rather slow to react, immediately understood and her face darkened. She clearly understood the host's "good intentions".

As long as you answer according to the host's line of questioning, whether you say you are confident or not, or even humbly say that friendship comes first and competition second, it will cause a stir after the competition.

They lack confidence, right? Saying RNG is being overly modest, or that RNG doesn't have the confidence to win the championship this year. Even if they win two consecutive championships, they can still come out and embarrass themselves.

Saying you're confident is just as off-putting. Although everyone knows that RNG's apparent strength is far superior to Rw's, you can't say that out loud. If you say you're confident, you can immediately stir up a war of words between the two teams before the match even starts.

Even after the match, if RNG loses the finals, there will immediately be a wave of comments saying that RNG owes RW a championship.

A cycle repeats itself.

Last year during S7, the LPL's "villains" also arranged a disgusting event, which was different from the direct approach taken by the Koreans now. At that time, the S7 League of Legends semifinals were about to begin, and the four teams were in intense preparation.

Just as the four teams arrived at a hotel in Shanghai, an awkward situation arose. The hotel provided four training rooms, but the rooms were divided into high-class, medium-class, and low-class. Even the Koreans found this blatant hierarchy disgusting.

Seeing that Letme was getting a little impulsive and wanted to pick up the microphone to retaliate, Li Luo gently tugged at her from a blind spot out of the camera's view, indicating that he would answer the question himself.

Picking up the microphone, without any hesitation, and staring directly into the face of the South Korean host, Li Luo confidently began to speak:
"Sword energy traverses thirty thousand miles, a single sword's light chills nineteen continents."

As soon as the first sentence was uttered, viewers from other regions had not yet reacted, but Chinese viewers, including millions of LPL fans in the live broadcast room, were in an uproar.

Uzi's words at MSI have become the undisputed number one statement in the history of Chinese esports, not only fully embodying Chinese culture but also enhancing China's national prestige.

This time, everyone was looking forward to Uzi pulling off another great performance after RNG won the championship. Unexpectedly, the championship was decided early after the quarterfinals.

"Damn, the Third Young Master's sword has been arranged, it's got the feel of it!"

"The puppy's eyes are so fierce! The host is a bit scared! Holy crap!"

"I can't take it anymore, this puppy is too domineering, this is what a wild puppy should be!" Ignoring the controversy and commotion around him, Li Luo continued to shout loudly:
"I possess unparalleled sharpness, drawing upon heavenly thunder to forge the nine provinces into a cauldron."

"I have the ambition to slay dragons, and set the world ablaze with flames, turning it into wine."

Two words with murderous connotations came out of Li Luo's mouth. Even though the Korean host couldn't understand their meaning, he could still feel the domineering aura from Li Luo's murderous eyes.

"This"

An involuntary murmur escaped from the Korean host's lips. Looking at the aggressive Li Luo, he involuntarily took a small step back, which, though very discreetly, was clearly captured by the camera.

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck, as if a raging inferno had erupted. Even though the Korean host boasted of his profound skills, he never imagined that he would be afraid of the aura of a professional player.

Not giving an inch, two more sentences were uttered, clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through the microphone:
"The sun and moon tilt to the southeast, the rivers and mountains rise and fall like rotten axes."

"I disregard jade shattering and tiles falling, my long sword shines forth, and I reign supreme!"

With each line he uttered, Li Luo's figure seemed to rise higher and higher in the eyes of the Korean host, almost towering over the sky.

Another small step!

This time, not only the viewers in the live broadcast room could see it clearly, but even the audience at the scene noticed something was wrong, and the overwhelming cheers were mixed with boos.

Even if the LCK audience couldn't understand what Li Luo was saying, and couldn't see how captivating Li Luo's piercing gaze was at that moment!
Seeing the Korean host's behavior, Li Luo lost the will to continue pressing the issue and recited a classic line that would later become highly controversial yet enduring in esports history:
"Having slaughtered a million soldiers in the north and east, the blood on the sword at my waist is still fresh."

"This old monk doesn't recognize a hero, he just keeps asking my name!"

Seeing Li Luo's disdainful gaze and noticing his figure that had already turned slightly backward, for some reason, the Korean host felt a mixture of fear and resentment.

This idea is extremely contradictory.

His lips twitched slightly; he was scared. He glanced at the question card in his hand, and as his aunt translated, large beads of sweat dripped from his head under the watchful eye of the long-range camera.

Do you still dare to ask? Do you still dare to provoke me?

the answer is!
dare not!

No matter how vivid the poem, the translation will always lose its cultural charm, but all LPL viewers heard it clearly:

"Northeast. This little dog is really bold! Isn't he afraid of being censored by 404 (censored content)?"

"What are you talking about, Northeast or Northwest? I don't understand!"

"Why did my color turn red?!"

In the domestic live stream, the screen was already flooded with comments, a deluge of shocked and hilarious reactions from netizens.

Especially after some kind-hearted people provided the answers, the uninformed viewers were even more shocked!
Northeast! That's the direction of South Korea!

In S7, something happened that angered everyone. The reason why everyone hoped that the Chinese team could defeat the Korean team was due to a strategy by someone named Sade.

Unexpectedly, a year later, the puppy is going to shout and wave the flag on Korean soil!
"This old monk doesn't recognize a hero, he just keeps asking for names, damn it! This little dog is directly insulting the host, you have no right to start a fight here, you're not worthy at all!"

"This host cracked me up! I've already made a GIF of it, it's a classic!"

"Originally it was meant to provoke a fight between two teams, but now they've not only united but also mocked each other! Awesome!"

"The poem is from... Turns out reading novels can really broaden your horizons, I've learned something new! (laughs)"

Despite the heated discussions among netizens, the atmosphere at the scene was still incredibly lively. The post-match interview, which was hailed as the most outspoken in history, was hastily concluded due to the South Korean host's drastically poor performance.

Regardless of how LCK fans reacted after the match with translations from Chinese-speaking viewers in other regions, the backstage experience caused a major upheaval among LPL staff.

"Bro, you're awesome! To be so tough in front of the whole world? A role model for us all! From now on, if anyone dares to criticize you, I'll be the first to beat them up."

These are the sincere words of the security guards at the entrance to the LPL.

"Well done, Uzi! That's the kind of domineering spirit we need. Whatever happens, we LPL staff and LPL fans will stand by you! What's there to be afraid of?"

This is the team leader in charge of coordinating matters on-site, and also a staff member of Riot Games in the LPL region.

"From now on, who will dare to say that the LPL region has no nationality and that all the players are just businessmen after money? Uzi is awesome. If anyone has to take the blame, count me in!"

This is Yaofeng, the LPL referee, who is extremely familiar and jokingly referred to as the RNG Victory Goddess off the field.

On the way back to the RNG rest room, countless staff members spontaneously came to support them, willing to be the two's strongest backing.

League of Legends seems to be more than just a simple game.

It's more like a flag, a flag that signals an impending charge, a flag powerful enough to sway public opinion in times of peace.

Outsiders, the trending topic of RNG and RW advancing to the semifinals together, which was originally at the top of the trending searches, hadn't even had time to cool down before it was immediately overtaken by a series of other topics that were soaring to new heights, reminiscent of the awe-inspiring feeling of winning the S-series championship back in the day.

#Speak up for me, speak up for my country#
#The Flag of Esports#
#China's National Prestige!#
Apart from the second one, which is reminiscent of League of Legends, the first and third ones seem to be topics under the mainstream ideology.

But once you click in, listen to the speech, and watch the video, even someone who has never played League of Legends before will be amazed.

The original dry speech looked a bit awkward in the video, but as long as you add a section about the struggle of revolutionary martyrs and a stirring background music, it will be much more effective.

Suddenly, the taste changed!

The traditionally modest esports culture in China seems to have been severely impacted, with hundreds of thousands of replies to the topic undoubtedly demonstrating the terrifying traffic that esports has today.

Yasuo's several incredible plays have now been hailed as legendary, with various GIFs and memes created and widely circulated.

However, among all these trends, the most popular one is still a meme!

This meme, consisting of just a few lines of lyrics paired with a GIF of a Korean host continuously backing away, has become incredibly popular across various League of Legends communities.

"Were you serious about taking that half-step back?"

"Such a small action can cause so much harm; I can only play the role of a gentleman."

"Only then can I talk to you!"

Tomorrow is the national civil service exam, so I'm taking a day off. I wish all my fellow test-takers the best of luck in guessing correctly and passing the exam!


(End of this chapter)