Everyone outside the stage held their breath, staring at the exit of EAR's platform. The cameras all turned toward that spot.
A young man in EAR's uniform walked out.
His expression was serious, completely different from usual. With his head slightly lowered, he stepped up to the hunter's seat.
[The kid looks so serious today.]
[Probably nervous before the match.]
[Looks cool though.]
When Lu Xiangyang sat down, he glanced toward the section filled with EAR's support signs, then lowered his gaze and focused on the match.
During ban-pick, Yishui leaned close and whispered, "It's okay. Don't be nervous."
Lu Xiangyang shook his head. "I'm not nervous."
The moment he saw the vast sea of EAR banners and heard the fans cheering, his nerves vanished.
His thoughts became crystal clear—he wanted to win.
Shen Kuangye and the others had just fought hard to secure a four-man escape. He absolutely couldn't drag them down.
More than that… he wanted to secure a huge advantage for the team.
In the first round, Lu Xiangyang picked the standard Opera Singer.
The opposing survivor team also played seriously, giving no openings the entire match. It ended in a draw.
In the second round, the opposing hunter picked Ivy and played very aggressively. Pei Xunan made a mistake during the rescue, leading to a double down, and they were ultimately caught three.
Even the commentator Aurora sighed, "If the Mercenary hadn't double-downed just now, this could've been at least a draw or better."
Back in the prep room, Pei Xunan sighed. "That was my fault."
"It's fine. Mistakes happen."
Lu Xiangyang spoke up, confidence filling his youthful features.
"I'll win it back."
Shen Kuangye looked at him.
The boy who was usually obedient and easily flustered had now stepped up as the backbone of the team.
And Lu Xiangyang proved his words, he immediately secured a three-catch.
Now EAR held a slight advantage, but no one dared relax. The further the match went, the fewer viable characters remained. For a hunter, especially a newcomer like Lu Xiangyang—it was a huge challenge.
Shen Kuangye watched as Lu Xiangyang struggled more and more. In the first game of BO3, Lu Xiangyang was hit with a four-man escape.
At that point, the gap between them and MIRA had become very small. In his eagerness, Lu Xiangyang grew flustered, tried to overextend, and was punished—losing their advantage instead.
When he returned to the prep room, his lips were pressed tightly together.
Li Shu wanted to say something, but Xing Xing tugged his sleeve and signaled him to stay still.
Li Shu froze, then noticed everyone else was standing quietly on their side, all watching the highlight replay on the big screen. He didn't understand, but he still focused on it seriously.
Shen Kuangye walked over and used a tissue to wipe the sweat from Lu Xiangyang's forehead.
Lu Xiangyang stopped him, his bright eyes fixed on him.
"No need to comfort me, gege."
He looked back at the replay.
"I've already found my mistake. I won't make it again next round."
Sweat still lingered on his pale face from the tension. Shen Kuangye gently wiped it away and responded softly, "I believe you."
He opened a thermos and handed it to him.
"Take a break. Drink some water."
Lu Xiangyang obediently took the cup and sat down.
To maintain their advantage, EAR needed to secure more escapes in this round.
But strong characters were limited now. In the end, they chose Wildling, Psychologist, Weeping Clown, and Puppeteer.
Just by looking at the hunter bans, Shen Kuangye knew the opponent would play Hermit.
And sure enough, once the match started—it was Hermit.
The map was Chinatown, and Hermit immediately went after Shen Kuangye's Weeping Clown.
Aurora laughed lightly, "I've noticed WILD seems to get chased first every round."
Zuiying nodded. "Yeah, maybe it's some mysterious 'kiting aura' he has, haha. And everyone knows WILD's fundamentals are extremely solid, he usually guarantees at least three ciphers every match."
Before he could finish, seeing that he couldn't catch the clown, Hermit switched targets to Li Shu's Psychologist.
Inside the team comms, Shen Kuangye quickly relayed Hermit's movement, and Li Shu immediately adjusted into a defensive position.
On the second floor of Chinatown, Hermit had a hard time dealing with a full-health Psychologist. It looked like no ciphers were done yet, but in reality, the map was full of primed machines.
Hermit started to panic. Just as Psychologist dropped a pallet and hadn't even vaulted yet, Hermit blinked directly to the other side.
The commentators and audience all reacted at once: "Huh?!"
Zuiying quickly tried to explain, "Maybe the Psychologist predicted the blink in advance…"
Even he sounded unsure.
At this point, Hermit's advantage was gone—not to mention rescue abilities and kiting tools hadn't even been used yet.
In the end, EAR secured a three-man escape and regained the advantage.
At 10:30 PM, everyone held their breath for the final deciding match.
Those who had doubted EAR as merely lucky to reach the finals fell silent. After one night of matches, it was clear how strong their momentum was.
The young hunter SUN consistently secured at least draws.
And the new survivor players were terrifyingly steady—kiting, rescuing, and decision-making were all solid. As long as the hunter chased first, they could kite for a long time.
In the final match, where MIRA's hunter needed a four-catch, the crowd erupted.
On the big screen, MIRA's hunter chose Joker.
Joker, a character nearly outdated in the current meta—but also the very character that had won MIRA the Summer Finals championship years ago.
Despite facing a highly countered survivor lineup, he still chose Joker.
Everyone understood.
This was MIRA's final trump card.
Some fans covered their mouths, eyes fixed on the screen.
But when they saw EAR's talents, the light faded from MIRA fans' eyes.
Because EAR's lineup heavily countered Joker—and each survivor brought Flywheel.
Aurora sighed, "EAR's survivors are showing respect to Joker."
Some teams wouldn't even ban or prepare for a signature pick, believing it wouldn't be chosen—or wouldn't win even if it was.
But EAR's triple Flywheel was the highest respect they could show this hunter and his signature character.
If MIRA's Joker ignited the atmosphere, then EAR pushed it to its peak.
The commentators' voices were filled with excitement:
"Alright, we're entering the match! MIRA's hunter versus EAR's survivors—live commentary by Aurora, Zuiying, and Yanwu!"
The match began on Lakeside Village.
Joker had a bad start, running into Li Shu's Entomologist in mid.
The commentator frowned. "Should he switch targets? WILD's Faro Lady might be easier to chase."
Joker cut his losses and dashed off to find Faro Lady.
"He's heading to first pallet, first window—be careful," Li Shu quickly called out.
Before his words even finished, Joker was already on Shen Kuangye.
Shen Kuangye rotated into a pallet area, dropped it for safety, and said, "I'm rotating to Double Eleven, then heading to big ship."
"Got it," Cheng Rang responded quickly.
But the distance was too far, he took a hit before reaching it. Joker's blink came back up, and before Cheng Rang's Antiquarian could arrive, Faro Lady was knocked down.
The entire arena erupted.
Zuiying shouted excitedly, "There's a chance! If they intercept the rescue, a four-catch is still possible!"
But the Coordinator still managed a half-health rescue.
"Rotate—I'll help you," Cheng Rang said.
Faro Lady moved toward shack while Antiquarian interfered nearby. Just as Joker was about to chainsaw again, the Entomologist's swarm appeared out of nowhere—interrupting it!
"Oh my god! That coordination from EAR is crucial! They've brought us so many surprises tonight! Joker is in a terrible spot now—there are enough ciphers. Even if Faro gets downed again, the machines will still be primed!"
By the end, many MIRA fans couldn't bear to watch.
They hoped for a miracle—but EAR's three-man escape sealed the result.
"Congratulations to EAR for winning this match!"
The commentators applauded.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Shen Kuangye took off his headset and was suddenly hugged by Li Shu. Before he could even react, Li Shu had already bounced off to hug someone else.
After their victory, two trending topics shot up on Weibo:
#EAR Advances
#IdentityV Joker
—
"SO COOL!"
Outside the venue, Xing Xing finally couldn't hold it in.
"I was so nervous—I thought we'd get caught more," he said, patting his chest.
Li Shu grinned. "You've gotta trust our captain. Those plays tonight were all thanks to his kiting."
Ever since Shen Kuangye's clutch half-health rescue as Seer, everyone had started calling him captain—intentionally or not. And tonight, his performance was undeniably outstanding, earning him FMVP.
Everyone in EAR had solid fundamentals, but they lacked consistency and sometimes got overwhelmed.
Shen Kuangye's steady kiting and clear in-game thinking perfectly filled that gap.
He had become the core of the team.
"Exactly!" Xing Xing added. "You don't even know—during the match, so many club managers came asking about transfers, trying to poach him. I refused."
"No way! we can't lose anyone!" Li Shu said. "We're family! If we get rich, we don't forget each other!"
Shen Kuangye wasn't used to the praise. Back in ELLA, no matter how well he played, he had never received compliments.
He lowered his gaze, unable to say a word.
Beside him, Lu Xiangyang slowed his steps, falling behind with him.
After making sure no one was paying attention, he leaned close to Shen Kuangye's ear, eyes sparkling as he whispered,
"Gege, you were super handsome today."
Shen Kuangye's ears turned red.
He coughed lightly and awkwardly murmured, "Mm."
After a whole night of matches, everyone was hungry. Xing Xing had already ordered takeout, and they gathered to eat.
When Shen Kuangye picked up some grilled cold noodles for Lu Xiangyang, Li Shu mumbled, "Captain, get me some too?"
Shen Kuangye paused, then grabbed a pair of serving chopsticks and gave him some.
Li Shu frowned. "I don't mind."
"I mind," Cheng Rang joked. "He's a germaphobe. Didn't you notice?"
Li Shu: O.o
"But he serves Xiangyang too!" Li Shu protested proudly.
Cheng Rang shook his head, giving up on explaining.
Yishui laughed. "Sometimes germaphobia is selective. If Xiangyang served you, it might be different."
Li Shu turned to Lu Xiangyang—
"He is too," Shen Kuangye suddenly said.
Li Shu felt attacked. "Then why does he eat what you serve him?!"
He dramatically rubbed his temples. "All these years… wasted."
Jiang Chixin finally shoved a drumstick into his bowl. "Just eat."
—
After dinner, Yishui and Xing Xing reviewed the match and talked about tomorrow.
"Just play well. Don't feel pressured."
For EAR, even reaching this point was already unbelievable.
If they could go from last place to champions in one season—it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Everyone returned to their rooms.
Shen Kuangye and Lu Xiangyang walked side by side. Xing Xing leaned at the door, squinting at them.
"Whatcha doing?" Yishui asked. "Trying to look deep?"
"Get lost," Xing Xing muttered, still staring.
He watched as Shen Kuangye gently fixed Lu Xiangyang's collar, his expression unusually soft and indulgent. And Lu Xiangyang looked back at him with a certain gaze…
"…Don't you think something's off between them?" Xing Xing asked.
"Off?" Yishui blinked. "Looks fine to me. One's outgoing, one's introverted—they complement each other."
Xing Xing hesitated.
Maybe he was overthinking.
—
Back in the room, Lu Xiangyang collapsed onto the bed.
The heater was on high. He turned his head just in time to see Shen Kuangye take off his uniform—catching a glimpse of his slim, pale waist.
But Shen Kuangye changed too quickly, already pulling on a white T-shirt.
Their eyes met.
"…."
Caught peeking, Lu Xiangyang immediately shut his eyes. "I didn't see anything."
Shen Kuangye chuckled softly and sat beside him.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Lu Xiangyang defended.
A faint smile tugged at Shen Kuangye's lips. "It's not like I won't let you look."
Lu Xiangyang's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"…Mm."
"…Can I touch?" he asked hesitantly.
"…You can."
Shen Kuangye turned his head, ears red.
Lu Xiangyang slowly slipped his hand under his shirt.
Soft.
That was Shen Kuangye's first thought.
He even shamefully thought about those same hands during matches—beautiful and gentle, yet capable of such fierce gameplay.
Lu Xiangyang quickly withdrew his hand, reminding himself to be restrained…
Then he froze.
"…Gege…"
Shen Kuangye's face flushed, color spreading to his ears.
He cursed himself internally, grabbed his pajamas, and said stiffly, "I'm going to shower."
But before he could stand, Lu Xiangyang grabbed his hand.
"…Do you want me to help?"
"…No. A shower's enough. And… we have a match tomorrow."
"…Then after it ends—"
Shen Kuangye quickly covered his mouth, breath unsteady. "Don't say that."
Lu Xiangyang nodded obediently.
Only after Shen Kuangye entered the bathroom did he realize what he had just said.
He collapsed onto the bed, covering his face—his ears burning red.