Chapter 32: More than once, I have wanted to trust you!

Chapter 32: I Have Wanted to Trust You More Than Once!

Skill Card: Eagle Eye!

It did not illuminate the literal fog of war in the canyon. Instead, it mapped out the entire battlefield within Cheng Xian’s mind. Every action taken by every player over the next sixty seconds sprawled out like a spiderweb, radiating from the center of the lane. It was as intricate and calculated as a game of chess, with moves intersecting and overlapping.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Every action to be taken in the canyon for the next minute was laid out before him like a completed draft.

Rookie’s Cassiopeia had not yet returned to base and was being pressured by the opponent’s Tristana, who had already recalled and Teleported back. Cassiopeia’s health was below half, while Tristana was at full health and mana. Their own mid-lane minions were down to three low-health units, destined to be pushed into their tower within ten seconds. As for the enemy jungler, Volibear, he had shown himself in the top lane earlier, but had vanished again after the Cho'Gath was killed. A minute had passed, and Volibear was now clearing his upper jungle, reaching level three.

Inside the TES voice comms, the discussion had just ended.

"This vision-dodging ability... is he hacking?"

The opportunity was now!

The yellow, rusted iron shell, wearing Boots of Mobility, surged toward the mid-lane amidst a cloud of steam! The duration of Eagle Eye had less than ten seconds remaining.

"Okay."

Suddenly, the opposing Cassiopeia initiated. Cheng Xian closed his eyes, contemplating for a brief second. Volibear, carrying both buffs, was deep in a solo battle with the Gromp. Yet, Cheng Xian was orchestrating one astonishing play after another!

He reflexively glanced at the illuminated river vision on either side. Being pressured meant they couldn't place deep wards; at best, the support could only loop around to the tri-bush to plant a ward in the river grass.

It wasn't just the viewers in the stream; even the caster, Guan Zeyuan, exclaimed in surprise.

Cheng Xian had spent countless nights in the training room, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. In the dim glow of the computer screen, he would sit hunched over, staring intently, his eyes unblinking.

"Initiating with W?" Knight, at full health, never expected a half-health Cassiopeia to dare jump on him.

In an instant, Cheng Xian opened his eyes, a glint of sharpness within them. Shaqima, this player—though his time on stage was brief, totaling only four games including this one—had proven himself.

The director specifically cut to the TES perspective. A rusted, yellow iron shell burst directly out of the mid-lane fog of war!

With Boots of Mobility and his W ability, his movement speed exploded to 800! In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Tristana!

"My god! Is this how Shaqima ganks with Blitzcrank? Both sides of the mid-river have vision, but Shaqima didn't come from the left or the right; he used the burst speed of his boots and W to charge straight out from the mid-lane! Knight had vision covered on both sides, but there's no way to ward in front of the IG mid-lane tier-two tower! This angle for a gank is just too devious!" As the battle ignited, Guan Zeyuan shouted into his microphone.

On the red side, obscured by the fog of war, the team was unaware.

"The Blitzcrank is roaming. Shaqima seems to be looking for a big play, but with the TES bot lane's defensive wards ahead, wouldn't he be spotted if he just rushed into the bottom lane like that?" Guan Zeyuan stared at the screen, continuing his commentary.

This scene sent the stream’s chat into a frenzy.

At the absolute limit of his range, he fired his Rocket Grab! Hooked!

"Shaqima’s judgment is incredible! His control over the vision radius is absolutely flawless!"

Seeing the Blitzcrank burst from the fog, Knight panicked. Professional instinct told him he was in danger, but he couldn't stop his forward momentum. In reality, many professional players overlook such details.

"Guys, the Blitz has been missing for a while, be careful of his roam," 369 had warned in voice chat after returning to his lane and failing to spot the robot.

Knight had been confident. "I’ve warded both sides of the river. If I see him, I’ll just walk away."

But he never expected the robot to charge straight out from the middle... If you’re that good, Shaqima, you can’t just teleport onto my face, right?

He had locked down both sides; regardless of whether the robot came from the left or right, he could retreat. But the robot, just before being detected by the wards, hit 'S' to come to a screeching halt, as if the river itself had left drift marks.

The Cho'Gath had shown top. The bot lane duo, suppressed by the enemy Lucian-Nami, were pushed under their tower and couldn't roam.

The robot remained in the blind spot, completely invisible to the wards.

Cheng Xian had finished his mid-lane gank and, with a 'courtesy' gesture from Rookie, claimed the kill on Tristana.

"???"

"Damn! How can this guy just walk out of the mid-lane to gank?! He's like a ghost!" Knight stared angrily at his gray screen.

But the 800-movement-speed Blitzcrank was as fast as lightning.

"Nobody’s there, yet you dare lead with W to trade health with me? Looking for—" Before he could finish the word 'death,' Knight’s eyes widened.

Stepping on Cassiopeia’s W, he couldn't use his movement skills or Flash. He couldn't even Flash!

The giant iron fist slammed upward—knock-up!

"Boys, he's scripting!"

The giant iron fist slammed down, and combined with Cassiopeia's burst damage, Tristana was executed on the spot.

"A light cheat isn't a hack."

In the god’s-eye view, it was clear he was strutting toward the bottom lane from the dragon pit.

These were the lessons Cheng Xian had painstakingly mastered. Not just practicing skill shot ranges on dummies, but studying the exact limit of vision for every ward in every area.

"Lower jungle, based on the timing, he should be doing Blue Buff or the Gromp!" Cheng Xian looked at the spiderweb-like canyon map, and the answer was clear.

*I see you!*

Once his boots cooled down, he engaged his speed mode again and vanished from vision.

Backstage, Nofe watched this scene and smiled silently.

Perhaps in total, they hadn't even played two hours of matches together.

"It’s not that I wanted to keep you on the bench. I have wanted to trust you more than once." Nofe looked up slightly, his gaze lingering on the rusted yellow shell standing in the river, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It’s just that this is the first time you’ve truly proven yourself worthy."