Just after finishing an intense match against Xantares, Jiang Yang was in an exceptionally good mood. He was about to call in the hard-hitters for another ga when he heard Ming Riqing shout,
"Xiao Yang, stop playing! It’s almost ti for dinner, and we need to head to the venue this afternoon."
"The venue?" Jiang Yang was puzzled. "Isn't dia day tomorrow?"
Ming Riqing explained, "You need to go finalize your signature design today. The stickers you’ve been looking forward to are coming out soon!"
Even though his plans were disrupted, Jiang Yang was still thrilled to hear that the stickers were finally happening.
He had already thought of a general design and was just waiting to communicate with the designers. He only had a rough concept in mind, but he was eager to see how his sticker would actually turn out.
After all, player signature stickers co in three types—regular, shiny, and gold. While they could decide the overall design, the final material effect was out of their hands.
The good thing was that, this ti, they were the clients. Valve's designers had to adjust according to their requirents.
"Alright, I’ll take a quick nap. Call when it’s ti to eat," Jiang Yang said to Ming Riqing.
In reality, he just closed his eyes.
"Can Can word!"
With a thought, the system panel appeared.
[Old Veteran: Jiang Yang]
[Age: 30]
[Team: Steel Helt]
[Status: Final Dance!]
[Overall Level: Professional LV.5]
[Coback Points: 14,396]
[Signature Skills: ECO Clutch (Advanced), The True Essence of Pre-Aiming (Advanced), MachineWJQ’s Formulaic Comntary (Beginner), syrsoN’s Scout Techniques (Interdiate), Twistzz’s Burst-Fire Technique (Beginner), snax’s Pistol Mastery (Beginner)]
[Personal Items: Sleepy Black Tea x5]
[Hextech: Choose Your Opponent, All-or-Nothing (Consumable)]
[Skill: Fresh Start]
[Missions: 1. Achieve excellent results in this Major. Reward: TBD.
2. Run 5 kiloters daily…]
Jiang Yang didn’t check the system data every day since he saw it more as an extension of his current form. He would only glance at it periodically to assess his progress.
His [Overall Strength] was still at LV.5, with no major improvents, but he felt he had made significant strides lately.
He was getting more comfortable in high-level matches and had identified his weaknesses.
For instance, in their ga against Firefly and the match against MR on Inferno, he struggled when faced with disciplined crossfire and enemy repositioning.
And this was before the Major had even concluded—none of the top-tier teams had ti to specifically counter him yet.
If they really focused on shutting him down, he’d likely hit a rookie wall.
Steel Helt wasn’t a professional team, and Ma Xixi wasn’t by his side. Jiang Yang had to figure everything out on his own.
That’s why he’d been saving up a large number of Coback Points.
He planned to use them to assemble an 18A Team lineup in simulation mode and see if he could replicate their real-life strength.
Facing off against the grandmasters of tactical play would help him adapt and develop counter-strategies.
But… it was expensive. He had been saving up for a long ti.
In the anti, he had been grinding his Scout rifle skills, regularly pulling out the Scout (bird sniper) to take precise shots at enemies.
[syrsoN’s Scout Techniques (Interdiate)]
[Progress: 369/5000]
[Features: Improved movent agility, increased Scout counter-strafe headshot accuracy, higher jump-snipe success rate.]
The first two made sense—his movent was becoming more flexible, and his counter-strafe shots were slightly more accurate.
But jump-sniping?
Could that even hit a target?
Actually… it could.
Jiang Yang recalled S1mple's legendary Scout jump-shots on Dust2 against A-Team. One of those shots even turned into a featuring dev1ce’s reaction.
He knew that at the peak of a jump, the Scout’s accuracy was montarily perfect.
But he had never considered using it to secure kills.
Now, it seed like sothing worth practicing.
Jiang Yang decided to check the system shop as part of his daily routine.
A quick scan revealed the following items:
[Sleepy Black Tea], [Golden Enoki Skewer], [Boston Lobster], [Shotgun Beginner XP Pack], [Skill: Abstract Virus], [art’s PP-Bizon Techniques]
He had already stocked up on [Sleepy Black Tea], so he skipped that.
The [Boston Lobster] was tasty but not particularly exciting.
But [Abstract Virus] caught his curiosity.
He focused on it.
[Abstract Virus]
[Price: 5000 Coback Points]
[Description: When the Old Veteran performs an abstract (chaotic) play, there is a chance to infect the opponent with the sa behavior.]
Jiang Yang: "..."
So… if he played like a clown, his opponent would start clowning too?
But thinking about it, this could actually be useful.
If the enemy tilted and made erratic plays, wouldn’t that increase his chances of a coback?
Still, 5000 points was a steep price.
He hesitated and decided to check out [art’s PP-Bizon Techniques] first.
Jiang Yang knew about art—a well-known pro and master of unconventional weapons, especially the PP-Bizon (Bullpup SMG).
Since he was already skilled with the MP9, he had so understanding of SMGs.
Compared to the MP9, the PP-Bizon had good run-and-gun accuracy and a huge ammo capacity—great for eco rounds or surprise rushes.
[art’s PP-Bizon Techniques]
[Price: 2000 Coback Points]
[Description: Guess where my Bizon is now?]
[Do you want to learn "art’s PP-Bizon Techniques"?]
"Yes!"
The mont he accepted, an image ford in his mind—art, smirking devilishly.
"You want my secret Bizon jump-shot course? Go ahead, take it!"
The sinister grin made Jiang Yang more intrigued by the weapon.
Then, the vision shifted to a Nuke match.
After winning the previous round, art predicted the enemy would full-save.
He quickly did the math:
"$600 per kill, $1200 for two, $3000 for an ace!"
Jiang Yang: "So you use the Bizon… just for money?"
He never thought the reason could be so simple.
In the vision, art grabbed a PP-Bizon and rushed through B-Tunnels, juking pre-aim spots and gunning down eco players with a sweeping motion.
Jiang Yang was stunned.
That one mag wiped out the entire enemy team.
In close-range fights, the Bizon’s high ammo count really made a difference.
And because he was constantly moving, the pistol-wielding opponents struggled to land shots.
It was annoying yet effective.
Jiang Yang realized that in specific situations, the Bizon could not only farm economy but also tilt the enemy.
No pro wanted to be sprayed down by a Bizon—it ssed with their pride.
And in competitive matches, frustration led to mistakes.
art’s Bizon was operating on a whole other level!
Then, a new mission popped up:
[Mission: Get 5 kills with a Bizon in a single match.]
[Reward: Random Hextech Card]
Jiang Yang: "Since when did I want to beco the Bizon Cult Leader?"
He sighed and looked back at [Abstract Virus].
If he Bizon-rushed the enemy and tilted them, wouldn’t they start making weird plays too?
After so thought, he gritted his teeth and bought it.
His Coback Points balance dropped to 7,369.
Since Ming Riqing hadn’t called him for dinner yet, Jiang Yang entered [Choose Your Opponent] to simulate a match against A-Team.
Jiang Yang swung his aim to the side.
A Terrorist had just turned around, and their eyes t instantly.
His position was exposed!
Jiang Yang managed to take the enemy down through sheer reaction speed, but since his location had already been revealed, he had little room left for follow-up plays.
Because he hadn’t paid the venue fee, his simulated teammates weren’t particularly strong.
Taking out just one opponent wasn’t nearly enough to win against A-Team.
What really caught Jiang Yang off guard was their search pattern and discipline—even though they had already cleared Sandbags, they kept checking it.
That was the hallmark of a top-tier tactical team.
From the God’s-eye view in the replay, Jiang Yang could see how A-Team executed their push—their positioning and clearing were incredibly fluid.
As they moved, they always had soone watching the flank, ensuring that no bad timing monts occurred.
Compared to them, Steel Helt felt like a random stack from ranked gas.
Jiang Yang continued the match.
Unsurprisingly, the score reached the rifle round, where he finally had access to a trusty AWP.
As soon as the countdown ended, Jiang Yang rushed to Banana Path, hoping to capitalize on positioning advantage for a quick shot.
However, when he peeked, there wasn’t a single A-Team player in sight—worse, he ended up stepping on fire, losing a chunk of health.
Trying to recover, he aid his AWP at Coffins, planning to tax the enemy with a toll shot.
But just as he was setting up, a flashbang forced him back.
Jiang Yang had no choice but to retreat another gun position, moving to CT Base.
He could feel A-Team’s invisible pressure.
Step by step, his AWP had been pushed further back, and he hadn’t even forced A-Team to waste much utility.
Focusing his sights down mid, he waited for a target to swing.
But before he could even see anyone—
BOOM! BOOM!
Two grenades exploded, launching him into the air.
"Holy sh*t!! They really play like this?!"
It suddenly hit him—A-Team was famous for these weird grenade combos.
At their peak, gla1ve’s ga sense was unreal, and his set plays were insanely effective.
Jiang Yang moved on to the next round, this ti defending A-Site.
From mid, he traded utility with A-Team a few tis.
They were slowly squeezing his space, making him feel like an A-site hit was imminent.
But—
A-Team suddenly exploded onto B-Site instead!
Jiang Yang was frustrated.
Their fake execute looked so convincing, like they were about to pressure the connector and hit A.
Yet, in complete silence, they rushed B with a full execute.
Jiang Yang sighed—this was a real skill.
So teams fake hits poorly, making the defenders rotate too early.
But A-Team?
They sold it perfectly.
The next round, sa position, sa setup, but this ti, A-Team used smoke and flashes to directly hunt him down.
Jiang Yang was speechless.
Lately, he had been mocking Lucky for not being good enough.
But now he realized—Peak A-Team was just too dominant.
People expected the new guy to help A-Team at least maintain their level.
Instead, they got soone who dragged them down even further.
Who could tolerate that?
Jiang Yang continued the simulation match, but by the end, he only managed to win two rounds.
Apart from gla1ve (2018 version), the other players weren’t at their peak, which gave Jiang Yang so openings.
Even so—winning clutches against A-Team’s structure was almost impossible.
A-Team was too damn systematic, but that system was precisely what they considered ‘Perfect CS’.
And beating perfection was never easy.
Jiang Yang was ntally drained.
But he understood—if he wanted to perform well against tactical teams, there was no shortcut.
The only way to get better was by playing against them over and over again.
Just like NAVI, who got crushed by Gambit for a whole year before finally learning how to fight back in the second half of the season.
If he faced these teams enough, he’d eventually figure out their patterns and find ways to counter them.
AFTER LUNCH, AT THE VENUE
Steel Helt’s entire team arrived at the arena.
As soon as Jiang Yang stepped inside, he saw Big Cousin winking at him from a distance.
"Oi~ Little Ghost, you’re looking pretty hot right now~"
Since they had played basketball together before, Jiang Yang was already familiar with them.
Big Cousin clapped him on the shoulder. "What are you here for?"
Jiang Yang thought for a second before joking, "Ca to hand in my resu to join Faze. What else? To design my signature, obviously."
Big Cousin took a deep breath. "Are you serious, kid? That’s kinda tempting, you know~"
"You play rifles?" Big Cousin asked casually, as if making small talk.
The Steel Helt squad started signaling to Jiang Yang from the side, practically begging him to say yes.
At their level, a player’s word carried weight.
If Big Cousin, Faze’s IGL, actually recomnded Jiang Yang, the possibility of him joining Faze was very real.
But Jiang Yang ignored all their hints, casually shrugging.
"Nah, I’d rather be a sniper."
Big Cousin didn’t seem too disappointed. Instead, he pulled Broky over.
"See this? Soone wants to take your job. Next ti you ss up a flash, you’re getting benched!"
"What do you an ‘ssed up’?!" Broky protested. "Did you go blind or not?"
"I was fully blind!!"
"Then that ans it worked!" Broky smirked. "Our own flashbangs should blind us, not them—you greedy bastard!"
The lighthearted atmosphere in Faze was honestly very tempting.
But Jiang Yang didn’t respond further.
After saying their goodbyes, Steel Helt continued into the venue.
As they walked, his teammates couldn’t help but tease him.
"Dude, why didn’t you just say yes?! That would’ve been an instant rank-up!"
They knew Jiang Yang’s performance was attracting attention.
But for Faze to show interest?
That was unexpected.
Faze wasn’t the type to pick up nobodies.
Then again, Jiang Yang wasn’t exactly a nobody anymore.
"The problem is, they want as a rifle player." Jiang Yang explained. "My real strength is sniping. And in a team like Faze, I might not get to play my best role."
Jiang Yang’s AWP skills and rifle skills were on completely different levels.
Joining tier-one teams wasn’t as simple as just signing a contract.
If he entered as a rifle player, transitioning to an AWP role later would be extrely difficult.
While Faze was tempting, Jiang Yang knew what he truly wanted.
As long as he continued proving himself, he would still have a shot at teams like NAVI, G2, or Faze—but as a sniper.
MO gritted his teeth, feeling a bit frustrated.
He thought getting into tier-one first and then switching roles was a valid strategy.
At least get that big org experience on his resu!
But unlike Ma Xixi, he wasn’t in a position to say that out loud.
Jiang Yang quickly changed the subject. "So, how are you guys designing your stickers?"
DD rubbed his hands together and shared his idea. "I’ll stick with my usual design, but this ti, I’m adding two tilde marks (~) above the 'DD' to make them look like eyebrows."
MO raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you have a smiley face before?"
"Yeah, but I realized my 'DD' can’t really be turned into anything cool. The only option left is to make it look more like a face." DD sighed. "Man, I really should've thought twice before picking my ID back then."
"True that."
Having an ID that was either too simple or too long made it harder to co up with creative designs.
A na with a balanced length gave more room for customization—both in typography and artistic elents.
As they chatted, the group soon arrived at the eting room where the Vacation Club design team was waiting for them.
DD and the others went ahead to discuss their designs, while Jiang Yang stayed behind, looking through so initial drafts of player signature stickers.
His eyes quickly landed on S1mple’s design.
It was minimalist—only a small tweak to the letter "i," turning it into an arrow.
Above the S and M, there was a curved line, resembling a drawn bow, symbolizing his role as an AWP sniper.
Next was B1T’s sticker.
His design was even simpler—he just turned the dot on the 'i' into a crosshair.
cadian’s design featured a karambit knife embedded within the letter "C".
NIKO’s signature had an almost Lovecraftian, Cthulhu-inspired font—wavy and twisting. The "O" was modified to look like a sniper scope.
By the ti the designer finished with the others and approached Jiang Yang, they asked, "Any particular style you like?"
Jiang Yang quickly shook his head. "I just noticed that a lot of people like adding crosshairs or sniper scopes to their designs."
"Do you want one too?" the designer asked.
Jiang Yang thought for a mont before replying, "Nah, forget the scope. Just add a sniper rifle for ."
Worried that he might not explain it clearly enough, he pulled Ming Riqing over to help translate his vision.
"I want the overall style to be bold and sharp. Extend the tail of the 'y' into a sniper rifle, and change the 'o' into a little sun. The rest of the letters can be styled freely."
The designer quickly sketched a few rough drafts on paper. After a bit of back-and-forth adjusting the layout and size, the design was already looking quite solid.
"Any other requests?" the designer asked straightforwardly.
Jiang Yang thought for a mont before answering, "I have an older brother. He’s the reason I got into CS:GO…"
The designer grinned knowingly. "Ah, the classic CS:GO player backstory—always about an older brother."
"Yeah, so I’d like to add his ID sowhere in the design. Where do you think it’d fit?" Jiang Yang asked.
The designer took a deep breath. "Technically speaking, in recent years, we’re not allowed to add any extra English text beyond the player’s ID."
Seeing Jiang Yang’s disappointed expression, the designer paused to think.
Then, suddenly, they snapped their fingers.
"Wait! I just thought of a perfect workaround!"
Jiang Yang perked up. "Really?"
"We keep your ID exactly as it is… but we make it so that your brother’s ID can be scratched off to reveal it underneath!"
Jiang Yang’s eyes lit up with excitent.
"That actually works! And it doesn’t ss with the design at all! You’re a genius!"
Ming Riqing watched them go back and forth, feeling a bit speechless.
"I thought they said three n together always produce one 'idea guy'… how co these two are already enough?"
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