Although Ling Ning felt a sudden urge to join the competition, as a lone player with no acquaintances around, and considering how far this internet café was from ho, winning wouldn’t serve much of a purpose. It was better to just find a computer and focus on her own studies.
With the number of people present, she couldn't find a spot in the corner and had to settle for a seat that was slightly less conspicuous. After all, during her entire lap around the café, she hadn't spotted a single girl studying. But most people seed engrossed in the ongoing competition, so maybe no one would pay attention to her... right?
However, the mont Ling Ning clicked on the study icon, she imdiately attracted onlookers.
"Whoa~ I never thought we’d have a girl here playing Overwatch. This is unreal. She’s pretty cute too, but I wonder if her skills are any good?"
"What skills could a girl have? I'd be surprised if she doesn't drag the whole team down."
"Co on, don’t be like that. What if she's secretly a pro?"
"How about we place a bet? If she doesn’t ss up, I’ll live-stream myself jumping into a at grinder. If she does screw up, you cover my internet fee for today. How’s that?"
"Deal! It's just so small internet fee. I can't wait to see you jump into a at grinder."
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"The guy who just said I'd ss up—I can see from your bone structure that you're destined to be forever alone," Ling Ning thought to herself, expressionless. Why was it such a rare thing for a girl to play Overwatch? Was there a rule against it?
After spending all that ti passing out flyers, her skin had grown thick enough that no crowd could break through her face armor. She quietly selected "Quick Play." It wasn’t that she didn’t want to do competitive matches—her learning level was just too low at 16. Most of it had co from the tis she played during slow monts at the café. To qualify for competitive, she needed to reach at least level 25.
"Look, she’s only level 16. How good could she possibly be?" The guy who had predicted her failure laughed imdiately upon seeing her level, feeling that his internet fee would be covered.
"Well, you never know. The ga hasn’t even started yet, so let’s not jump to conclusions." His companion's tone seed a bit uncertain, as anyone would be skeptical when faced with such a low level.
The ga started!
Ling Ning chose rcy as usual, but their team composition was problematic—four snipers. She had no idea what her teammates were thinking. It reminded her of a conversation she hated most in her past life.
"Blackwatch can rebuild your father's empire."
"At what cost?"
Even the guy cheering for Ling Ning shook his head. This lineup looked like they were asking for a beating, but in Quick Play, this sort of chaos wasn’t unusual.
Before long, they saw Ling Ning's rcy mowing down enemies, even brazenly camping at the enemy spawn point. And her opponents? They were like ants trying to save their elder, rushing out one by one, only to be obliterated by her. With every one that erged, she gunned them down rcilessly. By the end of the match, the enemy's payload hadn’t even moved out of its starting position.
Seeing this, the guy who had supported Ling Ning laughed, turning to the guy who had doubted her. "So, um... weren’t you planning on live-streaming yourself jumping into a at grinder?"
"Uh... let's not talk about that. How about I treat you to an all-night gaming session tonight, plus a midnight snack?" The forever-alone guy looked pained—he had never expected this once-in-a-lifeti girl to turn out to be a skilled player. It hurt both his pride and his wallet.
Before long, more and more spectators gathered around Ling Ning. After all, female Overwatch players were rare, and beautiful ones were even rarer. And if that beautiful girl also had amazing skills, well, no need to elaborate.
"Huh?!" Ling Ning looked up to find herself surrounded by layers of people. When had they all gathered here? Her attention had been entirely on the screen, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized.
"Hey beautiful, how about joining our café competition? We're actually one player short," said the guy who had been cheering her on.
Upon hearing this, the "forever-alone" guy seed like he wanted to say sothing, but the other guy silenced him with a swift kick, making him swallow his words instantly.
"Well..." Ling Ning lowered her head, thinking for a mont, then smiled gently. "Sure, as long as you don’t mind my lack of skills."
"How could we mind? My na's Zhao Jue. What should I call you, beautiful?"
"Just call Ling Ning."
"Alright then, Ling Ning. The competition won’t start for a while, so how about we spend so ti getting used to each other's playstyles? The four guys over here, plus myself, are your teammates." They had decided to leave out the "forever-alone" guy without a second thought.
It was only then that the surrounding spectators realized they had missed their chance—why hadn't they thought of inviting her earlier? Regret filled the air, for they had just missed a golden opportunity to team up with a beautiful player.
Having a girl on the team had an obvious effect—the guys' morale skyrocketed, and they began showing off with all sorts of flashy plays. After all, who wanted to look bad in front of a pretty girl?
The "forever-alone" guy could only stare at his forr teammates with a resigned look. Shaking his head, he sighed. If he had known, he wouldn’t have been so mouthy and made that bet...
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There were eight teams in this competition. The rules were simple—randomly draw opponents, and the winners advance until the champion erges.
Ling Ning's team’s first opponents were a "pick-up" team—players who had been thrown together just for the sake of the competition. Their skills were inconsistent, with varying levels of coordination.
It seed that Ling Ning's opponents lacked experience, and despite their best efforts, they found themselves pinned at their spawn point without being able to advance, not even an inch. It was a rciless thrashing.
During their practice rounds earlier, Ling Ning had noticed that her teammates were quite competent. They were all university students from a nearby college, living in the sa dorm and playing together every day. In fact, they had been the champions of the last café competition, and they were here to defend their title.
Their second opponents were also college students, from Zhao Jue's own university, with skills that were almost on par with his team. This match was tough—after all, they had swapped in Ling Ning at the last minute, and their coordination was a bit off. Fortunately, Ling Ning’s skillful plays helped bridge the gap, and they scraped by with a hard-fought win.
Their final opponents were stronger than their first, but not quite as good as Zhao Jue's schoolmates. In the end, Ling Ning's team managed to pin them at their spawn, giving them no chance to reach the first checkpoint.
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Author's Note:
There might be another chapter tonight... maybe?
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