LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

This answer was exactly what Rita and Luo Xin expected, yet it still made them exchange a knowing smile.

“That won’t do,” Rita shook her finger, feigning seriousness. “The regular season ends and the playoffs begin. This is your most precious adjustment period. Sister Camel and I have discussed it and decided that starting tomorrow, we will officially take over your life. Codenamed ‘Championship Formation Plan’!”

“That’s right!” Luo Xin nodded vigorously in the back seat, like a little soldier about to go to battle. “Brother Mozi, you don’t need to worry about anything. You just need to relax and keep your touch! Leave the rest to us!”

Looking at the two girls' confident expressions in the rearview mirror, Su Mo felt a warm current flow through his heart, but he still spoke in his lazy tone: "Alright, then it's up to you two."

In fact, he doesn't need to relax at all; he's always slacking off and relaxing all the time.

However, since both beauties had said so, he naturally wouldn't spoil the mood.

The van smoothly drove into the underground parking garage of the upscale residential complex, completely shutting out the bustling city night scene.

……

For the other LPL playoff teams, the next two weeks will be a brutal elimination tournament where every step is crucial and a single misstep could lead to their demise.

For EDG, who had already secured a spot in the semifinals, especially for Su Mo, it was a rare period of leisure.

Rita and Luo Xin executed the "Championship Development Plan" meticulously.

They completely turned Su Mo's apartment into a "champion's supply station".

Luo Xin somehow acquired a bunch of health-preserving recipes and prepared a variety of nutritious meals for Su Mo every day, from deep-sea fish to protein-rich foods to goji berry and chrysanthemum tea for clearing the mind and improving eyesight.

Rita took on all the housework and served as Su Mo's sparring partner and entertainment committee member.

"Brother Mozi, how about playing Sekiro for a while today? I heard it's great for improving reaction speed!" Rita handed the game controller to Su Mo.

So, all afternoon, Su Mo's gaming room echoed with the clanging of metal, and Luo Xin's occasional exclamations: "Wow! Brother Mo, you 'saw through' it again! So cool!"

They said they were accompanying Su Mo to play, but in reality, it was Su Mo who took them out to play.

Su Mo was happy to have some free time.

In the days that followed, he slept until he naturally woke up every day, and when he stepped out of his guest room, he could smell the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.

After finishing his meal, he lay on the sofa, playing various single-player games while enjoying the meticulous care of the two beautiful women.

This harmonious and warm atmosphere stands in stark contrast to the intense and fierce competition of the playoffs outside.

Online discussions about the playoffs have already reached a fever pitch.

LNG went on a rampage! They swept SN 3-1! Tarzan's jungle dominance was terrifying!

[TES won too! Knight, the Golden Left Hand, is back in form, looks like they're looking for revenge against EDG!]

The match between RNG and WE was incredibly intense, a full five-game series! In the end, RNG came out on top!

Stop guessing. No matter how exciting these matches are, in the end they all have to face that mountain. I just want to know, who will EDG face in the semifinals?

As the knockout rounds came to an end, EDG's opponent in the semifinals finally emerged.

Led by the "Jungle Tiger" Tarzan, LNG emerged as a dark horse at the end of the regular season and showed great resilience in the playoffs!

The news reached EDG's base, and the atmosphere in the training room gradually heated up.

“LNG has been in excellent form recently,” Abu said during the tactical analysis meeting, highlighting LNG’s jungler Tarzan’s profile picture. “Their core tactic is ‘jungle carry.’ Tarzan has top-tier jungle planning and ganking ability. He will use his early game tempo advantage to help the mid and top lanes establish an advantage and then snowball it. The key to our semifinals is how to limit Tarzan’s performance.”

The factory manager added, "Jiejie, you'll be under a lot of pressure in this match. You need to engage in direct confrontations with him in the jungle and not let him have too much of an easy time."

"Understood." Jiejie's expression also became focused.

Su Mo, the team's anchor, remained aloof, sitting in a corner watching an old movie on his tablet, as if the tactics discussed by the coaching staff had nothing to do with him.

Abu looked at him and smiled helplessly, then said to everyone, "We'll prepare the standard tactics as usual. As for Brother Mozi... let him improvise."

As August drew to a close, the LPL Summer Playoffs semifinals officially kicked off at the Shanghai Hongqiao Tiandi Performing Arts Center.

EDG vs. LNG!

This duel was seen by countless viewers as a clash between the "sharpest spear" and the "strongest shield".

Can LNG continue their dark horse legend and tear through EDG's defenses with their wild offense? Or will EDG use their suffocating macro play and unstoppable individual skills to tell everyone that a mountain is still a mountain?
Even before the match started, the atmosphere in the entire venue was already boiling over.

Miller, Wawa, and Rita were back in the commentary booth.

"Welcome back to the 2021 LPL Summer Playoffs!" Miller's voice was rousing. "A showdown to determine who will be the first to advance to the finals is about to begin! The regular season champions EDG will face off against this season's biggest dark horse, LNG!"

Wawa exclaimed, "Yes! LNG's performance in the playoffs can only be described as 'terrifying.' Especially Tarzan, he almost single-handedly carried the entire team. But today they're facing EDG, who are undefeated so far. And, according to the starting lineup we have, EDG will still be starting Mo today!"

This news caused the live stream chat to explode with comments, like a waterfall.

[Is Mo Shen starting directly in the semifinals? Not giving Flandre a chance?]

This line of comments, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a huge wave on major live streaming platforms and e-sports forums.

Every game in the playoffs is crucial, and EDG's decision to bring on SuMo in the first game of the semifinals is a decision that has been the subject of much speculation and analysis by countless viewers and analysts.

Discussions in the online world reached a new peak in the hours leading up to the start of the match.

On the LPL's official app discussion forum, a post titled "[Rational Analysis: EDG's starting lineup Mo in the semifinals - is it arrogance or respect?]" quickly became a hot topic.

The original poster wrote at length: "On the surface, EDG seems to be using their strongest lineup to deal with the formidable dark horse LNG, which is a sign of respect. But I believe that at a deeper level, it is a strategic deterrence born from absolute confidence! They want to tell all their playoff opponents: We will crush you from the very first second with our strongest performance!"

The comment section below the post has already been filled with hundreds of comments.

"I agree with the original poster! With Mo Shen on the roster, LNG's top laner Ale is probably shaking right now. This isn't just a tactical battle anymore, it's a psychological blow!"

"Bullshit! I think EDG is just getting cocky! Do they really think they're invincible? LNG has swept the playoffs, their skills are hot right now! Tarzan will teach Jiejie how to play the game!"

"Flandre's fans are in tears... Is it because our Gunner isn't good enough? He played so well in the regular season, but he can't even make the starting lineup in the playoffs?"

"Don't stir up trouble upstairs. The atmosphere within EDG is great. Against a jungle-centric team like LNG, the top laner needs absolute dominance. Letting Mo Shen play is the safest choice. It has nothing to do with Flandre."

On NGA and Hupu forums, known for their professional analysis and tactical reviews, tech gurus have begun analyzing LNG's game footage from the first two rounds of the playoffs frame by frame, trying to find a "way out" for their top laner, Ale.

"In summary, Ale is a very strong player with an aggressive playstyle and a deep hero pool. However, his style has one characteristic: he likes to make big plays and trade blows. And this characteristic is precisely his biggest weakness against Mo. I predict that as long as Ale dares to even think about trading blows, he will be solo killed within level three."

"The only way out is to pick a tanky champion, like Ornn or Malphite, and hide under the tower as a support. But this completely silences LNG's 'top-mid-jungle synergy,' and Tarzan's jungle will be endlessly invaded by Jiejie. It's a dead end." "So, that's what makes EDG so terrifying. Mo's presence means the opponent has already lost half the game in the draft phase. If you target him, he has a vast champion pool; if you don't, he can completely dominate your top lane. How can you play this game?"

The uproar in the media amplified the pre-match atmosphere to its extreme.

But in the eye of the storm, the atmosphere in the two teams' rest rooms was completely different.

LNG's preparation rest room: A desperate struggle
"Mo...first release."

LNG's head coach looked at the updated starting lineup on the big screen and slowly uttered three words, his voice somewhat hoarse.

The atmosphere in the entire lounge instantly became more tense.

Although they had prepared themselves mentally for this situation, when the moment actually arrived, the immense pressure made the young players' breathing quicken.

Top laner Ale, a young man known for his skill and confidence during the regular season, was repeatedly wiping the sweat from his palms with a towel.

On the screen, a loop played recordings of Su Mo's few regular season games—his composure as Yasuo toying with Jayce, his terrifying four-hit combo with Fiora in a second, and his ruthless execution of Gwent amidst a sea of ​​enemies.

The more I looked, the heavier my heart became.

“Coach,” Tarzan, the team’s absolute core player, spoke first after a long silence. Although his Chinese was accented, his eyes were unusually firm. “I can’t help him in the top lane. I probably won’t find an opportunity to gank him.”

This is not shirking responsibility; it is the most level-headed judgment of a top jungler.

The head coach took a deep breath and walked to the tactics board.

He knew that conventional tactics would be futile against Mo, like throwing an egg against a rock.

“I know. So, we're not going to play games with him today!”

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resounding.

“Ale,” he looked at his top laner, “today, I need you to forget you’re a carry. You have only one task—to survive. Pick the champion you can withstand the most pressure with, abandon the minion wave, abandon your pride, as long as you don’t die, keep him in the top lane, and you’ll win!”

Then, he turned his attention to Tarzan and mid laner Icon: "From today onwards, there is no top lane in our world! Tarzan, Icon, you two, from level one, you'll be inseparable! We're going to put all the tempo and all the ganks on EDG's bottom side of the map! We're going to help Light grow into a monster as quickly as possible! And then force them into team fights!"

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

Abandoning the top, mid, and jungle synergy, they gambled on a slim hope with an almost abnormal tactic.

"Understood!" A struggle flashed in Ale's eyes, but it ultimately turned into determination.

In stark contrast to the somber atmosphere at LNG, the atmosphere in EDG's rest room was so relaxed that it felt like they were preparing for a regular practice match rather than playing in the semifinals.

"Hey, are they really going to stick to playing a two-man show with me in the top lane?" Jiejie said with a grin as he looked at the coaching staff's tactical predictions.

“Dream on,” Meiko pushed up her glasses. “I bet they’ll just give up on top lane and then the four of them will come to bottom lane to play mahjong. Viper, me, you, Jiejie, the four of us will be the pressure-resistant F4 today.”

Viper simply smiled and replied in broken Chinese with two words: "Not afraid."

Abu and the factory manager were at a loss for words, looking at this bunch of clowns.

In fact, EDG isn't just strong with Mo; the other members are equally formidable.

"Alright, stop fooling around." The factory manager cleared his throat. "We already analyzed the tactics yesterday. They will most likely focus on the bottom lane. Meiko, Jiejie, you two need to make sure you have good vision control and counter-ganking in the early game. Scout, hold the lane priority in the mid lane and be ready to support at any time."

Finally, everyone's attention fell on the man who was still slacking off in the corner.

“Brother Mozi,” Abu said, “you might be playing a single-player game on your own today.”

Su Mo slowly opened his eyes and yawned: "It's okay, as long as they don't come to gank me, I can take down the enemy tower."

The competition officially began at 5:00 PM sharp.

The stadium was already packed, with the black and gold EDG support sticks and the light green LNG support flags clearly distinguishing each other, forming two surging oceans.

At the center of the enormous stage, dazzling AR effects outlined the Silver Dragon Cup, while the playoff anthem resonated powerfully, striking the hearts of every spectator.

The pre-match trash talk segment is always a favorite among LPL viewers.

LNG, as a dark horse, delivered a speech full of the spirit of a challenger.

Ale: "Mo is very strong, but I'll show him today that young players can be incredibly ruthless!"

Tarzan: "EDG's jungle will be my playground today."

Light: "Viper, are you ready to AFK under the tower?"

When it was EDG's turn, their style instantly became calm yet domineering.

Jiejie winked at the camera: "I heard Tarzan is a tiger in the jungle? What a coincidence, I specialize in dealing with all kinds of dissent. Today, I'll show him who the real king of the jungle is."

Meiko remained as calm and studious as ever: "Tactical analysis complete. LNG's win rate is 0%."

Viper simply replied, "Light, keep it up."

Finally, the camera focused on Su Mo.

He said lazily:
"I hope you can put some pressure on me."

In short, it sounds calm and collected, yet it contains a suffocating sense of oppression!

The EDG fans at the scene erupted in a deafening roar of screams, while the live stream chat was completely flooded with the words "crazy" and "godlike".

After the trash-talking segment ended, both contestants took to the stage one by one amidst a deafening roar of cheers.

The atmosphere reached its peak when Su Mo was the last to appear on stage!
"Mo! Mo! Mo!"

The unified shouts demonstrated the unparalleled popularity of this league's number one player.

"Alright! Both players are ready! The first game of the BO5 series, the ban/pick phase, is officially beginning!"

Miller's voice opened the curtain on this epic showdown.

The game in the BP phase was incredibly intense. (End of Chapter)