LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

The JDG fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Their fearless spirit and youthful energy were truly admirable.

All eyes were focused on the fifth-floor counter position of the red team EDG.

The camera cuts to Su Mo's face. He still has that unwavering, indifferent expression, and even takes a sip of water from his thermos during a break in the BP session.

"Brother Mo, should we pick Jax? Or Aatrox?" Mingkai asked from behind.

Su Mo put down his thermos, looked at the Fiora opposite him, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

“He wants to show off his skills and dominate the lane.” Su Mo’s tone was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner. “Then let him understand that League of Legends is not just a game of fighting and killing.”

"Get me this."

The moment the hero's portrait on the fifth floor lit up and locked, the entire performing arts center fell silent for a second, followed by a huge gasp of amazement!

"Balance exists in all things."

Eye of Twilight - Beware!!!

"Shen?! Mozi picked Shen!!!" Miller's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "In this meta where top laners are all about all-out duels, Mozi actually picked a pure team-oriented blue-collar tank in the counter role?!"

"What does this mean? Does Brother Mozi want to coast through today and play a four-protect-one strategy?" Guan Zeyuan was also puzzled. "But Shen is extremely difficult to play against Fiora in the laning phase! Fiora's true damage and vulnerabilities are the nightmare of all tanks!"

However, Su Mo, sitting in the battle arena, didn't even lift his eyelids.

He chose Shen not to coast along. He simply wanted to tell that passionate newcomer in the cruelest, most despairing way possible:
With absolute macro-level understanding and micro-level skills, you don't even have the right to compete with me in terms of skill.

Welcome to Summoner's Rift!

The lanes converge.

Sheer's Fiora played exceptionally aggressively, immediately learning the Q skill "Rupture" at level one. Relying on her Doran's Blade, she crossed the minion wave to try and poke Shen's weak points.

Su Mo's Shen stood behind his own melee units, appearing calm and unhurried.

Just as Fiora landed her Q!
Su Mo didn't retreat, but instead took a step forward, perfectly positioning himself at the edge of the wall where the opening was! At the same time, he activated his Q skill [Ultimate! Duskblade], the soul blade piercing through Fiora's body, slowing her down and empowering Shen's three basic attacks!
"Bang! Bang!"

Shen turned around and landed two powerful auto-attacks on Fiora. With the healing from Grasp of the Undying, the trade was surprisingly worthwhile!

"Great detail! Mozi used the wall to hide an opening, which meant that although Sheer's first Q skill hit, it didn't trigger the true damage healing and speed boost!" Tongxi saw the trick from the commentary booth.

Sheer paused for a moment, clearly not expecting the veteran on the other side to not only be unable to withstand pressure but also dare to trade blows with him at level one. He gritted his teeth and continued to auto-attack.

However, Su Mo did not linger in the fight. After unleashing three enhanced basic attacks, he immediately used the shield provided by his Soul Blade to safely retreat behind the minion wave.

Three minutes later, both sides reached level three.

Sheer's Fiora, now equipped with her W [Laurent's Eye], was filled with killing intent. He spotted an opening directly in front of Shen and dashed in with his Q!
At that very moment, Su Mo lightly tapped the keyboard with his left hand.

W Skill [Ultimate! Soul Blessing]!
A sword formation instantly unfolded beneath Shen's feet!

Fiora's Q skill struck Shen, but all that appeared was a big "Dodge" message! No damage, no healing!

Not only that, the moment Su Mo activated the sword formation, he immediately used his E skill [Ultimate! Shadow Bind] to taunt the opponent!
At such close range, Sheer had no time to react and parry!

"He's got it!! Fiora is being mocked by Shen right inside her own sword formation!!" Guan Zeyuan roared.

The mocked Fiora was forced to auto-attack Shen, but all her auto-attacks were perfectly dodged by the sword array! Su Mo used his Q skill to pull the Soul Blade back, and his three empowered auto-attacks were deadly, taking away nearly half of Fiora's health!

After the taunt ended, Sheer was so frightened that he quickly used his W to slow Shen, and awkwardly pulled backward.

"This... how is this possible?" Sheer swallowed hard over the voice chat, his palms sweating profusely. He realized that his proud skills were like punching cotton against Shen, not only achieving nothing but also being thoroughly humiliated by the opponent's simplest skill combinations.

"Stay calm, I'll be level 6 and help you gank," Kanavi reassured him over the voice chat.

The game has been going on for seven minutes. Both top laners have reached level six.

Kanavi's Vi had quietly circled around to the top lane river bushes, activating a scan to confirm there was no vision.

"I'm in!" Sheer saw the jungler in position and immediately activated his ultimate skill, [Unrivaled Challenge], instantly placing four vulnerability points on Shen, intending to coordinate with the jungler to secure the kill!

Vi burst out of the bushes, charging up her Q skill, Powerful Punch, ready to follow up with crowd control!

Despite being surrounded by the two, Su Mo's eyes remained calm and composed.

He didn't use Flash to escape.

"Chen, we can gank the bottom lane." Su Mo calmly switched screens to check the situation in the bottom lane and gave the instruction over the voice chat.

Then, just 0.5 seconds before Vi's Q skill was about to hit his face!
Su Mo pressed the R key—[Secret Technique! Compassionate Salvation of the Soul]!
Target: Jinx, who is being pressured under the tower by JDG's bot lane duo and has only half health left!

"Shen used his ultimate!! Mozi not only didn't run away, but instead used his ultimate on the bot lane AD right in front of the enemy top and jungle!!" Miller shouted hoarsely.

A thick purple shield instantly enveloped Leave's Jinx.

Vi's Q skill slammed into Shen, interrupting his teleport!
But this is exactly the result Su Mo wanted!
He used his ultimate ability to ensure the absolute safety of the bot lane AD carry and successfully kept JDG's jungler stuck in the top lane!
Meanwhile, in the bot lane, Jinx, protected by Shen's ultimate shield, instantly gained confidence. Together with Chen's Lee Sin, who had been lurking in the bushes, they launched a counter-attack!

Ah Chen's Lee Sin landed a beautiful Insec kick, sending JDG's ADC Zephyr flying back under the tower. Leave's Jinx easily secured the kill, triggering her passive [Guilty Pleasure], and took off, eventually taking down the support as well!
"Double Kill!"

"Double kill in the bottom lane!! EDG has opened up the game in the bottom lane!! Although Mozi's ultimate was interrupted, the shield was given to the most crucial person!!" Guan Zeyuan slammed his fist on the table.

In the top lane, although Su Mo's ultimate was interrupted, he immediately activated his W sword array to block the burst damage from Fiora and Vi. He then used his E skill to taunt through the minions, gracefully creating distance. Kanavi and Sheer used all their key skills, but they couldn't even force Shen to use Flash!
"It was breathtaking..." Miller watched the replay and couldn't help but exclaim, "Mozi's Shen was simply on another level. He used the most extreme micro-management to hold off two people in the top lane, but then used a single skill to revitalize the bottom lane. That's the terrifying thing about the seven-time champion. He doesn't need to solo kill you; he just needs to stand there to make you feel hopeless."

The rest of the match fell entirely into EDG's familiar operational rhythm.

Fifteen minutes in, Su Mo's Shen built Iceborn Gauntlet and Sunfire Cape. He not only single-handedly defended against Fiora in the top lane, but also used his E-flash to taunt JDG's mid laner and ADC in a jungle skirmish, helping his team achieve a 3-for-0 exchange.

At 28 minutes, with Jinx, who was fully equipped in the bottom lane, unleashing a barrage of attacks, JDG's base crystal shattered.

2 is better than 0!

EDG swept aside all opposition and won the final battle!
"Congratulations to EDG!!!" The three commentators on the commentary booth all stood up in unison. "16 wins and 0 losses!! They've made history! With their undefeated record and absolute dominance, they've perfectly concluded the 2024 LPL Spring Split regular season!!"

Golden rain fell from the sky, and the cheers of the fans were deafening.

The match ended, and the two players shook hands.

When Su Mo walked up to Sheer, the once spirited eighteen-year-old prodigy had red eyes, biting his lip tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.

His prized Fiora failed to find a single weakness in Shen throughout the entire match, and was even completely outmaneuvered by a pure tank in the split-pushing lane. That profound sense of powerlessness utterly shattered his resolve.

Su Mo stopped and looked at the young man who was almost ten years younger than him.

He extended his right hand, not to shake hands, but to pat Sheer's shoulder gently twice, like a kind older brother.

"Your play was good, but the top lane isn't just an arena, it's also a game of chess." Su Mo's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Sheer's ears. "Don't be discouraged. Go back and watch more replays. I'll be waiting for you in the finals of the playoffs."

After speaking, he withdrew his hand, turned around, picked up the thermos cup on the table, and walked calmly to the center of the stage.

Sheer stared blankly at that retreating figure. The sense of defeat she had felt before miraculously transformed into an even more fervent fighting spirit after Su Mo's two gentle pats and a kind word of encouragement.

He finally understood why all top laners considered defeating that man their lifelong pursuit. Because he was not only an insurmountable mountain, but also a beacon inspiring awe.

……

On the night the regular season concluded successfully, the entire EDG team held a grand celebration banquet at their base.

But as the biggest contributor, Su Mo drank two glasses of juice with everyone before making a quick getaway, citing "it's time to leave work."

A black SUV drove out of the base, the night gentle.

Today is not only the day the regular season ends, but also a special day.

Back at the river-view apartment, I pushed open the door.

The main lights weren't on in the room; only the warm glow of the electronic candles scattered on the floor provided comfort. On the dining table sat an elegant two-tiered cake, topped with a few unlit candles.

Yu Shuang, Xi Ran, Rita, Luo Xin, and Xiao Yu, the five beauties, all surprisingly canceled their evening work to gather together. Not only that, even Lin Xuan, who had just finished a brand event in Shanghai, stood in the crowd with a smile, wearing an elegant beige dress.

Six women who are dazzling and captivating to countless people are now standing in a row like ordinary family members.

Upon seeing Su Mo walk in, hope Ran and Luo Xin immediately set off their firework tubes.

"Bang! Bang!"

Colorful pieces of paper drifted down and landed on Su Mo's black coat.

"Brother Mo! Congratulations on a perfect finish to the regular season!!" the six girls shouted in unison, their voices filled with pride and affection.

Su Mo was stunned for a moment, looking at the meticulously arranged scene before him and the six bright smiling faces. A deep and tender ripple finally appeared in his usually calm eyes.

Yu Shuang stepped forward and very naturally helped him take off his accessory bag and thermos. Then, she stood on tiptoe and placed a light, feather-like kiss on his cheek.

"Welcome home, our great hero." Yu Shuang's voice was so gentle it could melt your heart.

Lin Xuan also came over and handed over a glass of freshly poured warm water, her eyes sparkling: "Teacher Su, that Shen game today was absolutely amazing. Even someone like me who doesn't understand the game felt like you were shining on the field."

“Yeah, yeah! Brother Mo, when you patted that newbie on the shoulder at the end, it was like killing him on the head and crushing his heart! So domineering!” Rita came over and took his arm without any hesitation.

Su Mo smiled helplessly, reached out and ruffled Rita's hair, then glanced around at the six girls.

In this world full of interests and noise, he doesn't need flowers and applause.

All he needs to do is clock out and leave work, then push open this door to see these people who have left the lights on for him and are waiting for him to come home.

"Thank you." Su Mo's voice was deep and gentle, carrying an unprecedented sense of relaxation. "The cake is beautiful. Go get a knife, let's cut it together."

In late March, the spring breeze in Shanghai already carried a touch of warmth.

In the spacious living room of the river-view penthouse apartment, sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows onto the carpet. A massive 100-inch LCD TV was playing the LPL's newly released "Top 100 Highlights of the 2024 Spring Split Regular Season."

Yu Shuang, Xi Ran, Rita, Luo Xin, and Xiao Yu, the five beauties, were unusually off duty today and were sprawled out on the large leather sofa without any regard for their image. Although Lin Xuan had returned to Beijing to attend a promotional event, she was also on voice chat in the group, joining in the fun with everyone.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the official editing is so biased! In this twenty-minute highlight reel of the regular season, Mo Ge alone took up ten minutes!" Luo Xin, holding a bag of potato chips, looked at the cold face on the TV screen and couldn't help but complain.

“Can you blame the officials? It’s because our Mo Ge played superhuman skills.” Rita leaned back lazily on the sofa armrest, her long legs in skinny jeans casually crossed. “Look at that match against WBG in week seven, it was simply a brutal one-sided massacre.”

As Rita spoke, the television screen switched back to mid-March, to the seventh week of the regular season match between EDG and WBG Weibo Esports Club.

That was a crucial battle that would determine whether EDG could solidify their undefeated streak. WBG's roster not only boasted the newly transferred star mid-laner Xiaohu, but also the top laner Zdz, known for his stable playstyle and ability to withstand pressure. (End of Chapter)