LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

Without his ultimate ability, Kennen was instantly melted in the crowd. EDG, riding the wave of their invincibility, swept through the enemy with a 0-for-4 exchange, and secured the dragon and Rift Herald.

Twenty-four minutes.

With the huge economic gap and Taric's desperate protection, JDG was powerless to turn the tide.

With EDG pushing forward with the Baron buff, the first game ended in a crushing victory for EDG.

[Second Game]

JDG adjusted their tactics, first-picking Lee Sin on the blue side and picking Ornn for Sheer in the top lane, attempting to counter any tricks SuMo might pull out with a pure tank build.

"JDG has learned their lesson this game. They're not going to try to out-maneuver you anymore. They're just going to pick Ornn and AFK under the tower to farm gold," Miller analyzed. "As long as Ornn can farm to the late game and provide items for his teammates, JDG's team fight composition is still very solid."

The fifth-floor counter space for EDG.

Su Mo looked at Ornn opposite him, a faint hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Want to AFK under the tower? That's not how you clock out.

"Choose this one," Su Mo said.

The Desert Butcher—Rekton Crocodile!!!

"Crocodile! Mozi has picked a very traditional lane bully, Renekton!" Guan Zeyuan said. "This is a great counter to Ornn, with absolute lane control in the early game. It seems the top lane is still going to be very intense."

Game loading.

In this game, Su Mo displayed an outrageous ability to control the lane.

He learned the W skill [Ruthless Hunt] at level one. When the minion waves met, instead of pushing the wave, he crossed the minion wave and stood between Ornn and the experience zone. If Ornn dared to take a step forward, he would be beaten up with a full combo of his empowered W.

Sheer's Ornn was suffering terribly, and could only hide under the tower and use his Q skill [Volcanic Strike] to farm a few low-health minions from a distance.

In six minutes, the crocodile reached level six.

Su Mo glanced at the minimap and saw that the enemy jungler, Lee Sin, had just shown up in the bottom half of the map.

"Chen, come and get the vanguard. Don't worry about me," Su Mo said calmly over the voice chat.

He then pushed a large wave of minions directly under Ornn's turret.

Sheer watched the minion wave push towards the tower, a sudden, intense unease rising within him. Even though he was a full-health Ornn, he was facing that man.

Just as Ornn was about to last-hit the enemy under the tower!
Su Mo activated his ultimate skill, [Ultimate Domination]! The crocodile, its size drastically increased and surrounded by a dark storm, charged directly into the turret's attack range!
E skill [Charge] passes through Ornn's body, and the red-rage W [Ruthless Hunt] strikes fiercely!
"clang!"

Three stages of dizziness!

Combined with the damage from his Q skill [Tyrant's Strike] and Ignite, Ornn's health dropped by more than half in an instant!

Sheer was shocked and, upon waking from her stun, immediately used her E skill, "Blazing Charge," to try and knock the crocodile away and create distance.

But Su Mo's movement was like a ghost. The instant he unleashed his W with his red rage, he used his basic attack to cancel the animation and with a tiny, extremely precise step, dodged Ornn's knock-up!

Then, the second stage of E [straight charge] followed, and another close-range basic attack!

The turret's laser beams kept hitting the crocodile, but thanks to the health bonus from his ultimate and the healing from his Q skill, the crocodile's health remained at a safe level.

With the final auto-attack, Ornn's massive body crashed down beneath his own turret.

Su Mo's crocodile, however, used Flash to stay within the turret's attack range until it was just a hair's breadth away, and with less than fifty points of health remaining, safely walked out of the turret's range.

"Tower dive kill!!! Ornn at full health!! Gets solo killed under the tower!!!" Zz1tai held his head in the commentary booth, his face full of disbelief. "This Renekton's damage calculation is so precise it's down to the single digit! He even calculated that Ornn would die before the fourth tower attack landed!!"

This tower dive and solo kill completely shattered JDG's defenses in the upper half of the map.

Without Ornn's restraint, Su Mo's Renekton was like a prehistoric beast broken free of its chains in the top lane. In fifteen minutes, he not only destroyed two turrets in the top lane, but also completely invaded Kanavi's jungle.

In the 22-minute dragon fight, a prehistoric crocodile, two items ahead of the entire game and three levels higher, activated his ultimate and charged into JDG's ranks like a tiger among sheep. His empowered Q instantly melted JDG's two carries.

2-0! EDG takes match point!

[Third Game]

This is a do-or-die battle on the edge of a cliff.

JDG displayed remarkable resilience in dire straits. During the draft phase, they allowed SuMo to pick Camille, instead giving Sheer his most confident signature champion – Jax.

"JDG is going all out!" Guan Zeyuan looked at the draft panel. "Jade Master vs. Camille, this is definitely a game of skill. Whoever gains an advantage in the laning phase will take over the game. Sheer, this young man, still has a very strong mentality."

Games start.

The intensity of this match far exceeded that of the previous two games.

Sheer's Jax played exceptionally aggressively, frequently trading blows using his E skill [Counter Strike] and Q skill. Meanwhile, Su Mo's Camille remained as steady as a rock, utilizing her passive shield and W skill to kite around the edges.

Eight minutes in, a team fight at Rift Herald.

A fierce 5v5 team fight broke out between the two sides in the upper river. JDG's coordination was extremely good. Kanavi's Lee Sin used an R-flash to kick back EDG's mid laner Xiaoyue. JDG scored a 2-for-0 exchange and took the Rift Herald.

"EDG is at a disadvantage! JDG handled this team fight perfectly!" Miller said worriedly.

With the Vanguard buff, JDG pushed down EDG's mid-lane tower and gained a 2,000 gold lead.

"Stay calm, don't rush. Let me get my items." Su Mo's voice remained calm and composed in the voice chat. He didn't engage in a direct team fight, but instead firmly positioned himself in the bottom lane for split pushing.

Camille, with Divine Separator and Ravenous Hydra, is a devastating force in split-pushing.

Twenty-five minutes.

JDG grouped up all five players at the Baron pit to force a team fight. If they manage to secure Baron, EDG will face a desperate situation.

"We can't let this go, we have to take this wave." Mingkai gripped the tactics board tightly backstage.

The four EDG players cautiously approached the Baron pit.

But at that moment!
The director suddenly switched the camera to the bottom lane!

Su Mo's Camille, without anyone noticing, had already led a large wave of super minions and pushed directly onto JDG's bottom lane inhibitor tower!

"Brother Mozi isn't facing the enemy head-on! He's backing up the base!!!" Guan Zeyuan roared, "What kind of guts does he have?! His teammates are facing a 4v5 situation head-on and are at risk of being forced to engage, and he's actually pushing the high ground!!"

JDG's commander panicked. Baron Nashor still had half its health left. If they went back to defend, they might lose Baron; if they didn't, their high ground and even their inhibitor turrets would be destroyed by this Camille with her Radiant effect!
"I'll defend him! You guys fight to the end!" Sheer's Jax gritted his teeth, activated Teleport, and landed in front of the bottom lane inhibitor turret.

"Sheer went back to defend! Jax is going one-on-one against Camille, who will win this round?!" Su Mo looked at Jax who landed, his eyes showing no emotion.

He did not back down.

The instant Jax activated Counter Strike and used his Q!
Su Mo's Camille E skill [Hook Hook] shot towards the broken wall of the high ground tower. At the moment of contact with the wall, she not only dodged Jax's stun, but also kicked Jax directly in the face with the second part of E at an extremely tricky angle!

Stunned! Basic attack, followed by Q! Divine Separator's true damage is triggered!

Sheer reacted extremely quickly, activating his ultimate to increase his armor and magic resistance, and then used his W to strike Camille.

But Su Mo didn't engage in a stand-up fight with him. He activated his ultimate ability, [Hextech Ultimatum], leaping high into the air and trapping Jax within his absolute domain. At the same time, he used the untargetable frames of his ultimate to dodge Jax's most lethal third passive auto-attack with an extremely tight time!

Landing, wait 1.5 seconds.

Second stage of Q true damage fully charged!

The long, slender leg blade, gleaming with a dazzling white light, slashed down fiercely!
"boom!"

Jax, equipped with his ultimate ability and double resistances, had a large portion of his health bar evaporate instantly!

"The damage from those two Qs is outrageous!! Sheer can't withstand it at all!!" Zita shouted.

Sheer tried to use Flash to escape the ultimate's range, but was bounced back by the edge. Su Mo followed up with a basic attack, his W's outer edge slowing and healing her, and finally finished with another basic attack.

"EDG.Mo solo-killed JDG.Sheer!"

Before the highly anticipated high ground, Su Mo's Camille stepped over Jax's corpse and calmly destroyed JDG's bottom lane inhibitor.

On the main battlefield, having lost their most fed Jax, JDG's formation completely collapsed under Wei's aggressive initiation. EDG scored a 3-for-1 trade and successfully secured Baron Nashor!
The match ended at 28 minutes.

With the Baron buff and super minions, the five members of EDG swept through JDG's base like autumn leaves in the wind.

3 is better than 0!

EDG swept JDG with an unparalleled performance, becoming the first team to advance to the 2024 LPL Spring Split Finals!
"Let's congratulate EDG!!!" The three commentators on the commentary booth all stood up in unison. "With three resounding victories, they've declared the invincible champions! They're just one step away from defending their title!!"

The entire stadium erupted in cheers! Although the golden rain hadn't fallen yet, the red and black support lights belonging to EDG had already illuminated the entire venue.

The post-match handshake session.

When Su Mo walked up to Sheer, the young man, though he had lost the match, had a sense of relief and a more determined look in his eyes.

"Su Shen, I accept defeat wholeheartedly." Sheer extended his hand, his voice a little hoarse but full of respect. "Your understanding of split pushing and minion waves is far behind mine. But in the summer, I will definitely become stronger."

Su Mo reached out and shook his hand firmly.

"I look forward to seeing you in the summer." Su Mo's voice remained calm and gentle, without any arrogance. "Go back and thoroughly review your minion wave management during the second game when the crocodile tower dived. You have great talent, don't waste it."

After saying that, he picked up the black thermos and turned to walk towards his stage.

……

The night after the competition ended, the Shanghai night sky was dotted with stars.

At the EDG base, despite winning the semifinals, Mingkai did not let everyone off easy.

"The opponent for the finals hasn't been decided yet, but it's highly likely that BLG will fight their way up from the loser's bracket. We'll rest for half a day tomorrow and continue training in the afternoon!" Mingkai summarized in the meeting room.

Su Mo, carrying his peripheral bag, was the first to clock out.

When he drove back to the river view apartment, it was already 11 p.m.

Pushing open the door, the room was warm and cozy.

Surprisingly, the apartment was unusually quiet tonight. There was no playful banter from Luo Xin and Xiao Yu, nor were there any variety shows on TV.

Only a warm yellow chandelier remained on the dining table in the restaurant.

Several delicate home-style dishes were laid out on the table, along with a bowl of steaming pork rib and corn soup.

Yu Shuang, dressed in a beige silk robe with her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, sat at the dining table. She rested her chin on her hand, her head nodding off as if she had been waiting for too long.

Hearing the door open, she woke up with a start, rubbed her eyes, and the moment she saw Su Mo, the gentlest smile bloomed on her soft and mature face.

"You're back? Congratulations on making it to the finals." She stood up, walked over, and took his coat very naturally.

"Where are they?" Su Mo changed into slippers and glanced around the empty living room.

“Xiran and Xiaoyu went out of town to commentate on the loser's bracket matches. Rita has an e-sports variety show recording tonight, so she'll probably be up all night. Lin Xuan is in Hengdian rushing to finish a project and won't be back in Shanghai until tomorrow.” As Yu Shuang spoke, she put the dishes on the table back into the microwave to reheat them. “Tonight, I'll be the only one keeping you company.”

These words were spoken very naturally, yet carried a subtle hint of allure.

Su Mo washed his hands at the sink and then sat down at the dining table.

As Yu Shuang brought him the warmed-up food and soup, the deep look in his eyes softened into a warm feeling.

"You've worked hard too. Why aren't you asleep so late? Were you waiting for me?" Su Mo picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of pork rib.

“You played three high-intensity BO5 matches today, so the food in the base cafeteria must not have suited your taste.” Yu Shuang sat opposite him, resting her chin on her hands, her eyes, as clear as autumn water, were full of tenderness and love. “I can’t sleep soundly until I see you finish this hot meal.”

Su Mo didn't say anything, but quietly finished the simple late-night snack.

After the meal, he voluntarily put the dishes and chopsticks into the dishwasher.

When he finished washing his hands, dried them, and turned around, Yu Shuang was already behind him.

She reached out and gently wrapped her arms around his strong waist from behind. The silk robe rubbed against his clothes, creating an indescribable tactile sensation. She pressed her cheek against his back, her voice so soft it seemed to melt away:
"There's still a week until the finals... Tonight, could you put aside everything in the Rift and spend some time with me?"

Su Mo paused slightly.

He turned around and looked at the gentle, kind woman in front of him who had cooked for him.

In the dim light, Yu Shuang tilted her head slightly, her eyes hazy yet brave, her slightly parted red lips exuding a fatal attraction.

Su Mo did not respond with any further words.

He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her lips that was both aggressive and incredibly tender. His large hands grasped her slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

The spring rain outside the window continued to fall softly, pattering against the huge French windows, completely isolating the city's hustle and bustle. (End of Chapter)