Chapter 1281 - Waiting for the Return of Supreme Alliance

Bo Jiu noticed his drastic mood swings. From his initial aversion to the subsequent mention of their past, there wasn’t an inch of warmth in his eyes. But she didn’t expose him because it didn’t matter what his intentions were as long as he was willing to return to Jiang City.

They were three days away from the Asian Cup. She had checked the competition format and their competitors. Supreme Alliance needed the Almighty. It hadn’t been easy for them to reach this state and since they were here, it would be an eternal regret for everyone if they had to brush past the Championship because they didn’t appear on time.

Compared to the other teams that had just debuted, Supreme Alliance were no longer young. In the esports arena, there was an abundance of young and talented players. Many of them might claim to like them but it wasn’t just their team. Being surpassed had always been the principle in this industry.

Bo Jiu wasn’t the only one aware. Yin Wuyao, Lin Feng, and Rao Rong had been in the industry long enough to know this, especially Yin Wuyao. Even though he might claim that age wasn’t always an issue, he knew deep inside that he was no longer at his peak. Once this match was over, whether or not he could continue this path was no longer certain.

They wouldn’t be able to keep up with the newer teams as those youngsters were still young with endless potential waiting to be unleashed. Hence, Bo Jiu had to use all her means to bring the Almighty back to Jiang City.

He knew that this was what he wanted – even though he may not remember it. But it didn’t matter because she would remember it for him.

Compared to the no man’s land, the prosperous Jiang City had begun with overwhelming publicity for the upcoming Asian Cup. Both online and offline, as long as they were esports players, they would be anticipating the match that was held in Jiang City.

The light in the Qin Group clubhouse was switched on the entire night. Yaoyao seemed to be living in the internet cafe. Meals could be delivered to internet cafes after all, for example the ten-dollar rice dish. There was a wide variety, with chili pepper pork strips, stir fried pork strips with fish, stir fried potato, eggplant, and green pepper along with various others.

There weren’t many people in the afternoon and when night fell, those that came to play overnight would order a set at about 12am.

In the past, Xue Yaoyao had skipped dinner to lose weight. But now, in order to better familiarize with the arena, she had started to increase her training by double the amount of time. And when she was hungry, she would order a set with the order players in the internet cafe.

Xue Yaoyao started to gain popularity and to grow fans. Thus, Yin Wuyao had specifically prepared a cap for her. Feng Shang would always be seated beside her with the same baseball cap.

Coco wanted to come over for food as well. He looked at the mirror and started to prepare. After he was done disguising himself, he stealthily passed a bunch of female fans waiting for him downstairs. His eyes curved into a smile, sending Yin Wuyao a voice message. “Uncle, I’m telling you, this time, I was extremely successful. None of them recognized me! Wait a while longer, I’ll be right over!”

Yin Wuyao was smoking his cigarette when he listened to the message. He glanced up but didn’t reply to the voice message because no matter how Coco disguised himself, he would always be recognized.

As only Coco wasn’t aware of that, he was ecstatic. He had even covered his eyes but was wearing a pair of furry ears on his head.

Since Christmas was coming, as the perfect otaku, Coco was exceptionally interested in certain things. He used twenty minutes to get rid of his assistant. He had prepared to have a cold and had insisted for his assistant to buy him cold medicine just so he could go to the internet cafe at night.

Coco barely had any experience going out by himself since he was a young master from overseas and was the livestream esports celebrity groomed and nurtured by Supreme Alliance. Hence, his movements were unlike the rest. There would always be a nanny car following him.

His fans are relatively young and possessive and would often be waiting below his apartment. Sometimes, they would be waiting at the airport for his arrival even though it wasn’t anything large scale. Undoubtedly, it wasn’t easy for him to have come out.

As it hadn’t been easy, Coco assumed he had gotten rid of the fans and had wanted to take the metro by himself but he hadn’t realized that his suspicious behavior had been photographed by someone behind him.

There were three girls, their voices hushed. “Coco is so adorable!”

“He thought he had us fooled, so adorable!”

Since there was someone taking photos, it would definitely be uploaded online.

Coco bought the metro ticket with a mask over his face. His eyes were serious when he asked the ticketing officer, “Do you know me?”

Next, he was successfully met with a dumbfounded expression. Coco wasn’t angry, instead, he was satisfied. See, I knew there wasn’t any problem with coming out by myself.

However, at the next second, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Feng Yi. Coco was startled and glanced left and right before answering the call. With a feigned calmness, he asked, “Hello, what is it? I’m practicing my hand speed. If there isn’t anything important, I’ll hang up now.”

“Playing esports? Training your hand speed?” Feng Yi laughed. “Perhaps you should explain how you can practice your hand speed in the metro.”

Coco stiffened, telling himself it wasn’t possible for the old fox to know where he was. It must have been a wild guess. “Cough, what are you saying? I can’t hear you clearly, my character is about to die.”

Feng Yi placed his pen down very slowly, looking at the laptop screen that his assistant had brought over. The photo was extremely striking. “The cat ears on your head look good.”

“F*ck!” Coco removed his mask, feeling frustrated. “How did you know?”

Feng Yi signaled his assistant before continuing, “All thanks to your fans, there should be a few of them following behind you right now and the numbers will gradually increase. Before they realize what’s happening, you better leave the place. As for the internet cafe you are heading to, do you wish for them to go out of business? Stay where you are, an assistant will be over in the next minute.”

Coco couldn’t fathom his actions. “Manager Feng, you better fess up, are you hiding something from us?”

In the past, he would be allowed some freedom occasionally as long as it didn’t cause any major disruptions.

Feng Yi paused. “No.”

Coco wore his mask. “Stop lying, I use the internet as well and know that Little Spade is still being scolded. You are just worried someone else screws up.”

Feng Yi laughed. “Since you are well aware, go home.”

“I understand.” Coco tilted over, his eyes dimming. “But does it always have to be like this?”

Sometimes, he didn’t understand the netizens. Just because that person was a girl, all her previous hard work had been neglected. If it hadn’t been for Big Spade, they would not even make it past the provincial level and would have been a defeated team. What future could they possibly have?

Big Spade had never done anything over the line. If she had gotten a substitute player, perhaps that might have been immoral and he might not be able to forgive her since it was linked to her behavior as a professional esports player. But what was this?

Coco had always believed that fans should not act like this. But he also knew that there were many who used their love as an excuse, which was the reason Feng Yi had to put aside some time to do some management.

Some adoration was scarier than hatred and dislike because they used it as a weapon, for them to be grateful. If they weren’t willing to be grateful, they would be seen as ingrates.

The commentary online hadn’t settled. Sometimes, Coco would feel upset and wonder why he continued to play esports. There were many reasons for him to give up but there was only one that kept him going: His teammates were here. There were many who raised their light cards in support. It was probably the question every Supreme Alliance member would think about deep into the night.

However, they didn’t know that the commentary online was just a part of it.

Feng Yi had used his background to get real time information from the Courtyard and the news put him at a loss. Qin Mo was missing and the higher management was looking for him. There wasn’t any concrete news and the person telling the news wasn’t sure either because any news regarding Qin Mo was considered confidential.

After ending the call, he wasn’t sure how to break the news to the other members, who were still waiting for his return. He didn’t know how to tell them their captain might never be back...

“Boss Feng.” His assistant was worrying at the side from his expression as she had never seen such an expression on his face in the long period she had worked there. Regardless of what they were going through, he would never allow anyone to think Supreme Alliance was in jeopardy. Even after the competition, he would still be smiling, moving around in the corporate world with ease.

But it was different this time. He removed his spectacles, his voice slightly raspy probably from exhaustion. “Prepare the announcement.”

“Do we really have to do it?” The assistant couldn’t help it. “Is there any other way?”

Feng Yi glanced over and massaged his temples in silence.

His assistant continued, “Actually, Boss Feng, I had my grievances against Big Spade since I couldn’t fathom how she could behave so fearlessly. She wasn’t even afraid of her fans. Who gave her the rights to act in such a manner? But subsequently, I realized she didn’t do anything wrong. Esports is simple. If she didn’t maintain such a firm stand, Supreme Alliance would have remained stuck at the provincial level. It’s us outsiders that think too much into it. We want our idols to act and behave in a way we desire but that itself is an issue.”

Feng Yi tilted over and lit a cigarette. “It’s too late.”

After experiencing such things, no one would be back. There were many fans who were disappointed and upset. Perhaps, they didn’t know but an idol would be disappointed and upset as well.

Right at this moment, a video appeared on Weibo. The media were startled at the rate the video was being reposted as it was quickly creeping into the most popular topics.

Feng Yi was still thinking about how to remove Coco from public opinion. Thus, he hadn’t noticed what was happening.

The staff from the advertising department pushed open the meeting room door, panting breathlessly. “Boss Feng, Weibo, Weibo...”

Feng Yi’s face changed immediately, assuming that something bad had happened. Everyone knew Supreme Alliance had been crumbling down ever since news of Spade Z being a female had exploded onto the internet. Even until this day, the news had yet to subside. If it was stirred up again, even Feng Yi couldn’t be sure if they would lose the match before competing.

“Boss Feng, here!” The staff in charge of operations came over with her laptop, tapping onto a Weibo post.

This was how it went, “Do you still remember the brothers who gamed in the dormitory together? Do you remember the crystal towers you pushed off together and do you remember turning your head to give that person a high-five, shouting double kill out loud while slurping on instant noodles? Do you still remember the team you love so passionately, Supreme Alliance? ”

After the words Supreme Alliance faded away, a video started to roll. The video seemed like a mini movie that reflected the true events around them.

In the first scene, there was a teacher teaching ABCs on stage.

The second scene showed a computer programmer, the camera sliding past his computer screen with the Hero logo. He worked late into the night and was caught staring at the logo on the screen for a long time but didn’t click on it.

In the third scene, a driver leaned back against his seat and waited for the traffic light to change. The high school students beside him were discussing, “Do you know that Supreme Alliance will be representing China in the Asian Cup held in Jiang City?”

The driver stilled, driving off after three seconds.

In the fourth scene, there was a man editing a video. He couldn’t seem to get it right and had just been scolded. He tilted his head and smoked. “Brother Li, get me a bottle of water,” someone instructed him. He didn’t move though. The man watched his own computer screen and arched his brow. “Brother Li, you know how to play computer games?”

“I don’t.”

However, the next second, he glanced up, looking straight into the camera lens. In the same moment, the other three from different parts of the world glanced up.

The video showed a scene of the former Supreme Alliance in the National League. 11 members, standing in a straight row in their uniform.

During your midnight dreams, do you still remember the paths you took when you were young, the people you used to love and the games you used to play?

2018, we are here waiting for you – Supreme Alliance.

All of a sudden, their gazes changed, returning to a year ago when they had been in their dormitory, each of them wearing an earpiece and tossing peanuts at each other.

The soundtrack started to play, a song that Spade Z had hummed while recording a variety show. “You and I are from Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi, Ningxia, Henan, Shandong, Guizhou, Yunnan, a small town and village. We once vowed to be an outstanding person but

one night in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, we suddenly woke up, seemingly awakened by fate, telling us not to continue living like this...”

Telling us not to continue living like this.

With a swoosh, the image turned and the four of them gathered in Jiang City. After a tight hug, they sat in an internet cafe just like back when they had studied, wearing their earpiece with the passionate and fiery music blasting through. “We are here, the real Supreme Alliance. Where are you?”

The real Supreme Alliance?

It wasn’t just Feng Yi who stiffened. The operations staff became teary. A Supreme Alliance without Spade Z wasn’t the real Supreme Alliance.

What they hadn’t expected was the continuation of the video. The next segment was a five second interview of everyone.

“I’m from Jiangxi. Big Spade, where are you?”

“A citizen of Shandong here to watch the competition, gender doesn’t matter, Supreme Alliance is only complete with Almighty Z.”

“I’m in Hangzhou and the first time I knew about Spade Z, she was so amazing, FC King of Zone C. She wouldn’t say a single word during the game. She was so cool she took my breath away. We would win as long as we followed behind her. Ah, time’s up? It’s a pity. Let me say one last line. Almighty Z, we miss you.”

Almighty Z, we miss you.

They were only five short words but carried the voices from all over the world because it wasn’t just from China but included various other nationalities. Whenever another city’s name appeared on the screen, a shock would jolt through the viewer. At the end was the sentence, “Supreme Alliance, we will wait for your return.”

The operations staff was a girl after all and could not control her emotions, tearing up.

Feng Yi turned back towards the name list. All the positions had been filled up, except the assassin. He inhaled deeply. “Contact the committee and enter Spade Z’s name.”

“What if she can’t make it back...” The operations staff sniffed.

Feng Yi’s gaze remained firm. “At the very least, she has to appear in Supreme Alliance’s name list.”

“Alright.” The operations staff knew that once Spade Z’s name was entered, the team would be subjected to enormous pressure since commentary of Spade Z’s crossdressing would continue. If they lost, it would be the end for Supreme Alliance. But what else could they do? Being young was meant to be impulsive.

The calls to the clubhouse exploded. There were many people who questioned Feng Yi’s operating ability since he was great at creating momentum.

Gradually, people started to realize those reposts, comments, and the voice from official platforms weren’t a tactic.

Please take a look if you have a heart. This was the expectation of real fans.

The ones that really liked her shouldn’t be doing things she didn’t like because to really like someone was to distance from her personal life as the competition approached. And to really like a team meant to see them play together even if it might be the last match.

They knew that in less than a year, these people would continue to leave the team. Perhaps, many years later, they would turn into someone unrecognizable, for the sake of their jobs, business, and to socialize – to live a frenzied and busy life. But when that day came, they would still remember how they felt right now and that was enough.

There were many anti-fans that had forgotten that esports wasn’t the entertainment industry. They might have fallen for their appearance but there was a bunch that truly loved them that was strong and cohesive.

In the end, they found the producer of the video. He was a fan. Yes, a fan and one of the four in the video.

The girls that twisted facts online would probably never understand the strength that Supreme Alliance instilled in others. This courage was best illustrated from a man’s point of view.

There were many people who stopped by the roadside when they saw the video...