Chapter 14 — Middle Road Rules

The win against Trần Phú school created great psychological momentum for HD E-sports.

In the next two rounds against moderate opponents, Châu remained loyal to the role of "Puppet Mage", but she improved in that she no longer accidentally "sacrificed" herself. Her absolute safety in the Mid lane, combined with the lag-free Wifi network, has completely unleashed the power of Kiên '3G'. Under the protection of the pair of meat shields Hùng - Nam and Tuấn's lighting system, Kiên destroyed all enemy formations.

They entered the Regional Quarterfinals in style, becoming the biggest dark horse of the tournament.

But their opponents in the quarterfinals were not easy opponents.

Alpha International School team - defending city champions. Alpha not only had excellent individuals with Challenger-level skills (the highest rank), but also a professional coaching staff sponsored by major gaming-equipment brands.

The atmosphere at the Central Gymnasium on the day of the Quarterfinals was completely different. The stands were packed with students from two schools. Banners and slogans cheering for team Alpha filled the sky. Hoàng Diệu's team only had a few spontaneous fans drawn to it by the attraction of the viral video "Holy Lady of the Bullets".

When Hải Đăng entered the Ban/Pick area with four members and Châu, he immediately felt a familiar murderous aura.

On the other side of the battle line, Team Alpha's Coach - a man wearing a suit, with a faint scar at the corner of his eye - was staring at him with eyes as sharp as razors.

Hải Đăng paused slightly, his thumb unconsciously clenched into his palm. The medical mask and hoodie didn't seem enough to hide him from his eyes.

The guy was Lê Hoàng—the former deputy coach of the VG team. The person who arranged the dirty matchmaking scenario and pushed all the blame onto Đăng six months ago.

"Meeting an old acquaintance again, Shadow," Hoang muttered under his breath, loud enough for Team Alpha's Jungler - also his nephew - to hear. "Are you going to use these Macro nonsense to get past me?"

The ban/pick phase began.

Hải Đăng quickly realized the abnormality. Team Alpha does not ban any of Hoàng Diệu's champions. On the contrary, they banned all generals who had the ability to clear minions quickly and hold positions well - the generals that Đăng forced Bảo Châu to practice to play the role of "puppet".

They had carefully researched the gameplay of HD E-sports. They knew Hoàng Diệu's mid lane was a fatal weakness, and they decided to dig deeper into that wound.

"They banned all my champions! What should I play now, Mr. Đăng?" Châu panicked, her hands fumbled on the keyboard. Picks are running out.

Đăng bit his lips tightly, sweat dripping from his forehead. Lê Hoàng's eyes from the other side of the stage were like a ghost squeezing his throat. The pressure of the past comes back. The curses of "Traitor" and "Traitor" on online forums six months ago were ringing in his ears.

"Mr. Đăng! Time's up! What should I choose for Ms. Châu?" Hùng 'Gaur' shouted enthusiastically.

Đăng suddenly woke up. He glanced at the remaining chart, then looked at Châu.

"Choose 'Astra'," Đăng ordered, his tone a bit urgent.

Astra was a controlling Mage, difficult to play, and especially fragile in the early game. This was not a safe choice for a new player like Châu.

"In this match, they will camp in the Mid lane to kill Châu," Đăng said quickly, leaning close to the team's microphone. "Tuấn, completely abandon the lower half of the jungle, place wards to protect Châu. Hùng, push minions quickly and be ready to Teleport down to support. Kiên and Nam, have to play and fend for themselves in the Bottom Lane, understand?"

"Yes!" The whole team said in unison.

The match began, and the nightmare quickly arrived.

Alpha's Jungler - Lê Hoàng's nephew - continuously roamed the Mid lane right from level 2. Combined with the pressure from their Mid Laner, who inherently had outstanding personal skills, Bảo Châu was suffocated. Even though she was just standing holding the pillar, they still aggressively rushed straight into the pillar (Dive) to kill her.

*FIRST BLOOD.*

*ENEMY DOUBLE KILL.*

In less than 10 minutes, Châu lost three lives. The atmosphere in Hoàng Diệu's communication system became heavily silent. Châu bit her lip so hard that it bled, trying to control the weak General Astra to run out and pick up soldiers one by one, but as soon as she showed her face, the enemy rushed out from the bushes and killed her.

On the Bot Lane side, due to the lack of protection from Tuấn, Kiên and Nam were also pushed down by the opponent's Jungle and Mid Lane.

The gap in skills and qualifications is too great. Hải Đăng's "Macro Lesson Plan" cannot be effective when the skill links (Micro) are completely broken right from the laning phase.

Lê Hoàng stood with his arms crossed outside the competition area, smirking triumphantly. He didn't just want to win, he wanted to crush "Shadow's" self-esteem, proving to that kid that without his protector, he was nothing more than a turtle.

Minute 15, the difference in Gold reached 10,000. The outer pillar of HD E-sports completely collapsed. The whole team was forced into the Altar, helplessly watching the Alpha team dance and spam provocative symbols right in front of the main base.

"DEFEAT."

A white-knuckled defeat. Overwhelmingly lost. There was no chance of resistance.

The four Hoàng Diệu boys took off their headphones, their faces blank. They had never been defeated this humiliatingly since Hải Đăng was coach.

Bảo Châu put her face down on the keyboard, her shoulders shaking. She cried. She felt guilty because she was a black hole that swallowed all the team's efforts.

On the training bench, Hải Đăng clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms and bled. He could endure being cursed at and trampled on. But seeing his new teammates, who had placed all their trust in him, being brutally humiliated by his old enemy, Đăng's anger reached its peak.

He stood up and walked quickly toward the competition area.

NHEC tournament rules: In the BO3 format (Best of 3 - Win 2 games), between games, teams have the right to change personnel if they register a valid reserve list.

Đăng walked to Châu's side and gently placed his hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Stand up, Châu. Crying won't solve anything," Đăng said softly, his voice unusually warm.

Châu raised her tear-stained face to look at Đăng.

Đăng took off his black medical mask and threw it straight into the trash. He turned to look at the referee and spoke clearly enough for Lê Hoàng on the other side of the stage to hear clearly.

"Team Hoàng Diệu would like to change personnel for Game 2," Đăng said, his fiery eyes looking straight at Alpha's terrible Coach. "Captain and Coach Hải Đăng - will enter the field to play in the Mid lane position."

The whole gym seemed to hold its breath. A real earthquake was about to begin.

While the technician was preparing the computer system for game two, Bảo Châu pulled Đăng to a hidden corner behind the competition cabin. She looked at his wrist, her eyes full of worry but not dissuading him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice so quiet that only the two of them could hear.

"Not sure," Đăng replied honestly, something he rarely admitted. "But if I don't go in, we'll lose right now. And if I do, at least we have a chance."

Châu nodded and said nothing more. She took off the small handkerchief she still carried with her and wrapped it lightly around Đăng's wrist outside the bandage, like a simple amulet.

"If it hurts too much, raise your left hand. I will ask the referee to pause immediately," she instructed, her voice determined not to allow argument.

Đăng looked at the scarf, then looked at Châu, and nodded slightly. "Okay. If it hurts too much, I'll tell you."

That promise, short and simple, carries greater weight than any eloquent words of encouragement. That was the first time in his career that Hải Đăng accepted to put his own limits above his desire to win — not because he was weak, but because he learned that someone really cared about whether he was okay or not.

The referee called loudly, signaling that the break between two games was over. Đăng turned back to look at his four teammates waiting, each person's eyes were a mixture of worry and hope.

"Listen here," Đăng said, his voice regaining its familiar decisiveness. "In this game, I don't come on the field to carry the whole team alone. I need you guys to fight like I've never left the coaching chair. I'm just a piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture."

"Understood, Captain!" All four said in unison, their voices regaining some momentum after the shock of game one.

Bảo Châu stood back, watching five people enter the competition cabin, her hand still feeling the warmth from Đăng's wrist where she had just wrapped the scarf. She silently prayed, not for a victory, but for none of them to leave the field with an incurable wound.