AWM: PUBG - Chap 82
Regarding the performance of HOG in the World Invitational Tournament Team Match, it can be summarized by the top-rated comment: “How to evaluate? Just praise them.”
After refusing to bow down to the Korean teams at the Busan Invitational, HOG, even without Drunk, managed to secure its place among the top European and American powerhouse teams, representing the Chinese region. As Qi Zui said, as long as HOG exists, the right hand of God will be present in the FPS arena.
HOG may experience temporary setbacks, but it will never wither away. As long as the team exists, new prodigies will emerge, and the HOG logo will be engraved on the champion walls of major tournaments once again.
During the initial team matches, Yu Yang showcased impressive performances that amazed European and American commentators. Bu Nana stabilized the team’s pace, controlling the entire squad, while Xinba demonstrated exceptional accuracy and agility in gunfights. Overall, the squad’s performance was nearly flawless.
“Unfortunately… we didn’t make it to the top three.” Exhausted after being highly focused for five to six hours, Bu Nana sighed and slumped in the back seat of the car. “We were just a bit short…”
At the end of the first day, Team Gem held the top spot, followed by Team FREE in second place, and Avengers in third. Among the three Chinese teams, besides HOG, TGC ranked fifth, and Knights ranked eighth.
Still trembling, Xinba didn’t have a chance to take responsibility before He Xiaoxu smiled and said, “Fourth place is not bad. Did you notice the expressions on the faces of the top three teams’ players just now?”
“They were on guard.” Lai Hua, holding a notebook, rapidly adjusted the progress of the match videos, compressing time to edit all the necessary replay segments. Without lifting his head, he continued, “After the last match, how did the Japanese evaluate our team?”
Qi Zui, leaning against the backrest, slowly spoke, “They need to be forever cautious of this team, cautious of Youth and his players. Every person on this team is formidable. Once given a glimmer of hope, they can climb to the top three, top two, or even first place.”
Unable to contain his excitement after months of tension, Xinba lowered his head and buried his face in his peripheral equipment bag, completely relaxing.
He fulfilled his mission.
“We’ve exceeded expectations.” Qi Zui smiled. “Well done, everyone.”
Bu Nana joined in cheering and asked Qi Zui to treat them. Qi Zui readily agreed, “You can choose the place after the match.”
Bu Nana sat next to Xie Long’en, and Qi Zui looked at Yu Yang.
Their eyes met, and Qi Zui licked his lips.
Yu Yang froze for a moment, then awkwardly turned his head to look out the window.
Qi Zui took out his phone from his pocket and started typing.
In the next second, Yu Yang’s phone vibrated.
Yu Yang unlocked it…
【Drunk】: Can you leave the door open for me tonight?
【Youth】: … No rush.
【Drunk】: What’s the rush?
【Youth】: …
Qi Zui stifled a laugh and continued typing.
【Drunk】: Are you in a hurry for me to give you a blowjob?
【Youth】: No!!! I mean… we have a match tomorrow.
【Drunk】: Will it affect the match?
【Youth】: It will… if we do that, I’ll be thinking about you all day tomorrow.
【Drunk】: Just one blowjob, and you’ll be like this?
【Youth】: … Yes.
【Drunk】: … Good, I like this naive side of you.
【Drunk】: After the match?
【Youth】: … Okay.
【Youth】: Um… if we make it to the top three tomorrow.
【Drunk】: Isn’t that inevitable?
【Youth】: If we make it to the top three tomorrow, I’ll also… give you a blowjob.
【Youth】: Not just that, you can do anything you want.
Yu Yang covered his face with the team uniform and pretended to sleep.
Qi Zui read Yu Yang’s last message over and over again, then looked up at Bu Nana and Lao Kai, who was dozing off. Suddenly, he felt a bit uneasy about something that was originally a sure thing.
On the road to happiness, there always seem to be a few stumbling blocks.
Qi Zui looked at these two stumbling blocks with a complicated gaze and suddenly said, “Tomorrow…”
Bu Nana was exhausted and dozing off, while Lao Kai was resting with his eyes closed. They were startled when Qi Zui spoke, thinking there was something important. They sat up straight and looked over.
Qi Zui looked at his phone and muttered, “I didn’t expect things to develop in this direction. It seems like we’re destined to make it to the top three tomorrow. Yu Yang has already agreed with me just now, so if we make it to the top three, he’ll…”
Suddenly, Yu Yang coughed loudly.
Qi Zui paused, swallowing the rest of his sentence. He smiled kindly at Bu Nana and Lao Kai, “He’ll come home with me. So, don’t let us down tomorrow, okay?”
Bu Nana and Lao Kai vaguely sensed the resentment emanating from Qi Zui, who was still a virgin, and they nodded timidly, “Okay.”
Qi Zui sat back down.
【Youth】: Don’t say…
【Drunk】: I’ll try my best, but you know… I can’t guarantee I can hold back.
【Youth】: …
【Drunk】: After the match, can I post on the team’s official Weibo about it?
Yu Yang, who had covered himself with the team uniform, suddenly felt suffocated.
Qi Zui struggled to hold back his laughter. After posting that Weibo, he wouldn’t bother Yu Yang anymore.
They had a good night’s sleep at the hotel.
The next day, Qi Zui woke up earlier than everyone else.
Qi Zui appeared relaxed, and when they had breakfast together, no one could detect any signs of nervousness from him.
It was as if he had just taken a break and returned.
“I have some regrettable news to share with you.” He Xiaoxu had inexplicably become elegant and noble since yesterday. He held a glass of milk gracefully and smirked, “Yesterday, the top three teams in the Four-Man team matches found videos of our new four-man group, studied them repeatedly, seriously considered them, and developed targeted countermeasures against our composition.”
Xinba almost sprayed milk.
Bu Nana felt sorry and heartbroken, “Damn it… at least they won’t have a chance to face our new four-man group in this match. What a waste of effort.”
Lai Hua took a tissue and wiped his mouth, saying, “Our new four-man group has been targeted… Let’s surprise them today when we have substitutions.”
The substitute slowly spread butter on a piece of bread and took a bite with a lowered head.
Before setting off, Lai Hua hesitated for a while and returned to his hotel room to retrieve something.
“What did you go back for?” He Xiaoxu sat in the passenger seat and looked back at him. “Did you forget something?”
Lai Hua paused and whispered, “The national flag.”
He Xiaoxu was taken aback and awkwardly said, “I didn’t dare to bring it…”
“Maybe we’ll need it.” Inspired by yesterday’s results, Lai Hua’s ambitions grew. He stuffed the national flag into his bag and urged, “Don’t mind me, I’m happy to carry it. Let’s go!”
Three hours later, the HOG Four Gods arrived at the competition venue.
Before leaving the rest area, He Xiaoxu checked the peripherals bag for the four of them and said, “It’s been over half a year…”
“We weren’t highly regarded, we faced defunding, we were mocked by trolls, and we were almost sold to some unknown new owner,” He Xiaoxu paused, took a deep breath, and continued, “I… had to put on a fake smile and network with everyone.”
He Xiaoxu finished checking the peripherals for the last person, stood up straight, and said calmly, “But I don’t feel ashamed…”
“Because we made it through.”
“Each one of you was privately contacted by other teams, but none of you left.”
“Our club was successfully acquired by Qi Zui.”
“We lost our sponsors, and now our jerseys are empty, but our team is still here. We secured a spot in the World Championship, and we’ve achieved the results we have today, damn it.”
He Xiaoxu looked at each person, solemnly saying, “You’re all fucking awesome. That’s enough. Stay calm and go for it.”
Before the match started, Hua Luo, who was playing with his fingers, looked up and caught a glimpse of Qi Zui. He was momentarily stunned but soon felt relieved.
Xinba was probably scared and had to go to the bathroom frequently, so Qi Zui was here as a substitute for him, adjusting the machines.
Zhou Feng, sitting not far away, squinted his eyes, feeling that something was off… If it was just machine adjustments, did he need to wear the team jersey?
The letters behind Qi Zui’s jersey were piercing to the eyes.
On the stage with nearly a hundred people, everyone’s field of view was limited. Apart from the two Chinese teams near HOG, few people noticed the subtle change in the HOG team.
It wasn’t until the pre-match trash-talking session began.
Traditionally, before the match, trash-talking videos from the top three teams in the standings would be played in sequence. However, this time, there was a small change. After the video of the currently ranked third team finished playing, another video was inserted.
It was from the HOG team.
Everyone had watched this video, but it didn’t evoke much of a reaction. Numbly, the audience watched the trash-talking from Xinba, Bu Nana, Lao Kai, and Yu Yang. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the spectator stands.
At the end of the video, there was an additional segment of around twenty seconds.
Qi Zui appeared on the screen.
This time, it wasn’t just the spectator stands; even the players on the competing teams were shocked.
Qi Zui’s years of terrifying dominance were not just empty words. With eight years of service, he had earned the nickname “The Professional Terminator” for a reason.
As long as he was around, there was no chance for anyone else from his generation.
All the players held their breath and watched intently…
On the giant screen in the center of the venue, Qi Zui smiled at the camera. “Do you still remember the feeling of competing for the runner-up spot and scrambling for it during my active years?”
Qi Zui’s expression was relaxed. “I hope everyone can perform normally today and not suffer from PTSD after seeing me.”
The trash-talking segment came to an abrupt halt, and the teams ranking high in the standings felt almost hopeless.
Qi Zui had returned.
