LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

During FPX's team voice chat, Doinb's heart sank.

The gray icon of Nuguri's death struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He instantly understood Su Mo's intention. It wasn't a simple solo kill at all, but a death sentence that could declare the end of the game!

"Go back! Stop fighting! Go back and defend the base!" Doinb shouted. "Quick! He's about to make a decisive push!"

They failed to initiate a clean team fight at the beginning, and if they continue fighting now, their base crystal will be destroyed by Fiora.

However, leaving is easier said than done.
Upon hearing Su Mo's command in the team voice chat, Meiko became incredibly excited. He shouted, "Brothers, let's stick! Don't let a single one escape!"

At this point, FPX's formation had been completely disrupted by Meiko's Alistar and Scout's Viktor.

As soon as Tian's Olaf ultimate ended, he immediately destroyed the lane.

However, Meiko's bull's head was like a moving wall of iron, firmly blocking him from the exit of the dragon pit.

"Want to leave? Did you even ask me, Old Niu, first?"

Meiko used her W skill, Savage Charge, to precisely knock Olaf, who had just taken a step, back into the depths of the dragon pit, causing him to crash headfirst into Jiejie's Fryegor's face.

Jiejie showed no mercy, using a combo of skills combined with Viper's Moonlight Cannon to instantly reduce Olaf, who was already in poor condition, to near-death.

"Leave me alone! You guys go!" Tian roared desperately in the voice chat. He knew he couldn't escape anymore and could only use his own life to buy his teammates a final chance to return to base.

On the other side, FPX's backcourt duo, Lwx and Crisp, were also in dire straits.

Scout's Viktor is like a positional mage, always precisely casting his spells along their retreat route.

If Lwx and Crisp want to return to base, they have to take a long detour, which undoubtedly gives the rest of EDG the opportunity to chase them down.

"I'm flashing away!" Lwx used Flash, passing through the wall of the Dragon Pit, and began chanting recall the moment he landed. On the screen, the blue bar began its countdown, FPX's last hope.

But after Jiejie's Foljego killed Olaf, he successfully retrieved the soul and became the berserk Viking god of war.

He spotted Lwx's position and, without thinking, used Flash to follow up, delivering an axe blow that precisely interrupted Lwx's recall!
"It's broken! Jiejie interrupted Lwx's recall!" Miller spoke quickly. "EDG's execution is terrifying! Their goal is very clear: to keep all four FPX players here at all costs!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the war waged by one man had entered a fierce stage.

The commentators and director thoughtfully cut the camera to two split screens, one large and one small.

The large screen showed the intense 4v4 team fight, while the small screen in the upper right corner focused entirely on the lone figure pushing the tower.

After killing Nuguri, Su Mo's Fiora didn't even glance at the team fight in the distance; his eyes were only on the enemy's lonely top lane inhibitor crystal.

A massive wave of super minions that had just emerged from his own high ground became his strongest support.

One, two, three...

That seemingly indestructible high ground turret in the mid-game became as fragile as a sandcastle in front of a Fiora whose development far surpasses the timeline.

In just three seconds, the turret's health bar was emptied and it collapsed with a crash!

"The high ground tower has fallen!" Wawa's voice trembled slightly. "Now it's the crystal! This is too fast! FPX's players don't have time to get back!"

Su Mo's target shifted to the high ground crystal, which had more health.

Without pausing for a moment, like a highly efficient demolition worker, the longsword in his hand transformed into a deadly phantom.

In FPX's team voice chat, Doinb was extremely anxious as he listened to the ear-piercing sound of his team's crystal being attacked.

He knew that the main battlefield had been defeated, and he could only place his last hope on himself.

He controlled Galio, using his E skill [Righteous Punch] to create distance, wanting to return home as quickly as possible to stop that demon!

However, Scout's Viktor is like his shadow.

Flash over and use W to catch him.

"Scout! It's Scout again! His skill usage is so crucial! He's like a calm commander, always making the right judgment at the most critical moments. Doinb is gone forever!"

With Doinb's failed recall, FPX's main battle completely collapsed.

Lwx was relentlessly pursued and killed by Jiejie and Viper, and Crisp's Titan was unable to hold out alone and was eventually killed as well.

Doinb was left alone, surrounded by four EDG players, and finally fell in despair into the dragon pit.

【ACE!】

The notification sounded that the entire party had been wiped out!

Meanwhile, on the small screen in the upper right corner, Su Mo had already tapped the high ground crystal.

Miller's voice was hoarse: "Mozi hasn't stopped! He's still pushing! He wants to end this game by himself!"

The camera switches back to the home screen.

Su Mo's Fiora, along with the minions, headed towards the two last bastion towers.

The FPX players could only helplessly stare at their gray screens, waiting for the long countdown to their resurrection.

Their faces were filled with helplessness and resentment.

They used every tactic and tactic they could muster, but they still couldn't stop this unreasonable man.

A dental tower has collapsed.

Another dental tower collapsed.

Su Mo's Fiora walked to the base crystal that symbolized victory.

He paused for half a second, seemingly admiring the last bit of scenery.

Then, he raised the sword in his hand.

One, two, three...

Every attack was like a death knell, signaling FPX's demise.

Finally, with a crisp and loud explosion, FPX's base crystal was reduced to countless fragments.

In the center of the screen, the two bright red letters representing victory slowly appeared.

【VICTORY】

After a brief moment of deathly silence, the entire venue erupted in cheers as loud as a landslide!

"They won! EDG won!" Miller shouted. "A breathtaking duel! A solo backdoor play that will go down in history! Mo used the most unbelievable and unreasonable way to tell the world—as long as he's still playing, he's the only focus!"

"The score is currently tied at 1-1, and the next game will be the decisive one."

At the EDG booth, Jiejie and the others jumped up excitedly and rushed towards the man who was still sitting calmly in the chair, surrounding him.

"Brother Mozi is awesome!!!"

On the other side of the stage, in FPX's booth, there was a deathly silence. Doinb took off his headphones, leaned back in his chair listlessly, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He lost, and he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

This is neither a tactical failure nor an operational error.

This is a pure, higher-dimensional crushing defeat.

He felt that sometimes one person's strength can truly surpass the wisdom of an entire team.

A moment later, both players returned to the rest room.

"boom!"

The moment the door closed, Crisp could no longer contain his emotions and slammed his fist into the wall of the lounge with a thud.

The atmosphere in the entire lounge was as oppressive as solidified lead.

No one spoke; a heavy sense of resentment and frustration filled the air.

Doinb walked silently to the water dispenser, filled a glass with ice water, and gulped it down in one go. The cold liquid seemed unable to extinguish the flames in his heart.

Nuguri sat quietly in his seat, his hands clasped and his head bowed; no one knew what he was thinking.

FPX's head coach, "WarHorse," did not immediately reprimand or comfort him.

He simply watched his teammates quietly, giving them time to process the impact of the defeat.

A few minutes later, when the team members had calmed down a bit, Warhorse took the tactics board and walked to the center of the rest room.

"I know everyone is feeling terrible right now." His voice was calm and powerful, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "We lost, and in a way that we're least good at and most frustrated by. This proves one thing."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the faces of each team member.

"In the face of EDG.Mo, individual skill is ineffective because you can't beat him."

This statement, like a sharp knife, though cruel, precisely dissects the core of the problem.

Doinb looked up, his eyes bloodshot: "My roaming didn't work at all. He didn't give us any chance to coordinate with our top, mid, and jungle."

Nuguri slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "No, it's my fault. I didn't play against him in lane, which allowed him to farm too comfortably and gave him the ability to split push. This guy... his distance control, his prediction of skills, even his sense of the jungler's movements, had no flaws whatsoever. It was like he was on fire!"

“Now is not the time to assign blame,” Warhorse interrupted them. “We don’t have time to regret. We only have ten minutes to figure out how to play the third round.”

He picked up a pen and drew a heavy circle on the tactics board, encircling the ID "Mo".

"Conventional tactics are no longer working. We can't contain him online, and we certainly can't stifle him through ganks, since their jungler is constantly protecting him. In that case..." Warhorse's eyes sharpened, "then let's change our approach—avoid their strength and attack where they must defend!"

He looked at Nuguri, his tone becoming incredibly serious: "Nuguri, in the next game, I need you to completely sacrifice yourself. I won't pick Kennen or Camille for you anymore, heroes that require farming and skill. I'll pick a pure tank for you, Ornn, or Malphite. Use everything you have to withstand the pressure, farm as many minions as you can, it doesn't matter if you don't. As long as you don't die and can keep him in the top lane, you've won!"

These words mean that FPX will completely abandon their proud top lane offensive system.

Then, Warhorse turned his gaze to Doinb and Tian: "You two, from this moment on, completely forget about the top lane. In your world, there is only the mid and bottom lanes. Lwx is our only hope in this game. We need to give all the resources, all the ganks, and all the tactical adjustments to the bottom lane! We need to use the ultimate 'four-man gank' to nurture a monster-level ADC before the 20-minute mark!"

“Then,” Warhorse’s pen pointed heavily to the lower half of the map, “we’ll use Lwx’s equipment advantage to force them into small-scale team fights, which is what we excel at. No matter how strong Mo’s split-pushing is, he’s still just one person. As long as we can win team fights in the main battle before he destroys our base and secure Baron or the Dragon Soul, we’ll have a chance!”

This was a decision as drastic as cutting off one's own arm.

Abandoning their preferred playing style, they resorted to a near-gambling approach to try and secure a glimmer of hope.

After hearing the coach's tactical instructions, the FPX players' eyes lit up again.

That kind of ruthlessness and determination born from desperate circumstances appeared on everyone's face.

“No problem!” Nuguri was the first to speak, his eyes firm. “As long as we can win, I’ll play whatever I want.”

"Let's do it!" Doinb nodded vigorously. "Being a bot lane fodder is my specialty!"

"Then it's decided." WarHorse made the final summary, walking to the team members and placing his hands together. "Forget about the last game's defeat. From now on, our Summer Split has just begun. Let them see what kind of team FPX really is!"

"FPX!"

"come on!"

EDG's backstage lounge.

In stark contrast to the somber atmosphere at FPX's side, EDG's rest room was filled with a relaxed and joyful mood.

"Brother Mozi, that last solo base-pushing was so cool!" Meiko said with a laugh. "I was completely stunned on the front lines, wondering when our top laner would arrive, and then I looked at the minimap and wow, you were tanking the tower and Camille killed you in a few hits..."

Saint Gun Bro handed over a bottle of water with an admiring look on his face: "Brother Mozi, teach me, how do you manage to perfectly block Fiora's W every time? I feel like Nuguri is going to get psychological trauma from it."

Su Mo took the water, took a sip, and leaned lazily against the sofa: "It's nothing, just press W when he raises his hand. Practice more."

This casual remark made Saint Gun's lips twitch.

It's easier said than done; it's a pipe dream.

Abu and the factory manager also had smiles on their faces, but they were not blinded by victory.

"You played well, especially the decisive decision to steal the base at the end." Abu first affirmed the players' performance, then changed the subject, "However, they will definitely change their tactics in the next game."

The factory manager walked to the tactics board and analyzed, "I guess they will completely abandon the top lane next game. Nuguri might pick a tank hero to farm, and then Doinb and Tian will treat the bottom lane as their home and launch endless attacks."

He looked at the bottom lane duo, Viper and Meiko: "You'll be under a lot of pressure in the next game."

Viper, through translation, confidently stated, "It's okay, we can handle it."

Meiko adjusted her glasses and calmly said, "As long as Jiejie can counter-gank in time, we can make a move."

"Very good." Abu nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the leisurely Su Mo. "So, Brother Mo, what do you want to play in the decisive game?"

All eyes were focused on Su Mo.

Su Mo yawned, seemingly uninterested in the topic: "Whatever. Just pick one you can fight with."

This answer was exactly what everyone expected.

Abu and the factory manager exchanged a glance; they already knew the answer in their hearts.

“Since they’re going to take the bottom half of the map, let’s play along.” Abu’s lips curled into a confident smile. “We’ll pick a hero with stronger lane dominance for Mozi, so he can have more fun playing top lane alone. At the same time, we’ll pick a strong defensive and counter-attacking combination for the bottom lane. Jiejie, you should also shift your focus to the bottom half of the map. If they want to gank 4v1, we’ll play along to the end!”

"Our objective is clear," the factory manager concluded with his signature serious tone, "The upper half of the map is Mozi's hunting ground. The lower half is our meat grinder. Let them understand that no matter where they choose to fight, we'll be there to the end!"

"come on!"

"come on!"

The bell rang to signal the end of halftime.

With completely different tactical arrangements and mental states, the players from the two teams rearranged their equipment and team uniforms, and walked proudly back onto the brightly lit, highly anticipated stage.

The final battle is about to begin! (End of Chapter)