Honorable Sacrifice - FIYS

Stamp collection is a common problem

"Tamamo-no-Mae, a top gamer in the server will join Team ZDGX. This is the start of breaking free from the conventional form. Ever since North America first accepted a female professional gamers into the, final things have started to change. Will ZDGX from China follow suit?" Pang grinned as he read the comments

Lao K, on the other hand, was far less enthusiastic. He sat back in the chair, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "How is this Smiling supposed to take God Ming's place?" he grumbled, clearly salty about the situation. "We're replacing one of the best mid-laners in the league with some random rookie?"

Mao, who was calmly preparing his settings, chimed in without looking up. "ZGDX put a lot of effort into making Smiling join the team. They wouldn't do that without a reason, K."

Lao K wasn't having it. "Effort?" he scoffed "They should put effort into making sure the girl doesn't drag us down in the starting lineup. What does being good at skating have to do with gaming? Just because she's some big-shot figure skater doesn't mean she'll be a good player."

Xiao Pang, ever the optimist, jumped in cheerfully. "Well, Smiling commented she said being a gamer has nothing to do with gender. It's about skill and teamwork."

Lao K turned to Xiao Pang with an irritated scowl. "Are you done yet? Why are you being so talkative all of a sudden? Whose side are you really on?"

Xiao Pang pouted, deflated by K's tone. "I'm just saying..."

Before the tension could escalate further, God Ming, ever the voice of reason, stepped in to cool things down. "K, calm down. Smiling isn't our enemy. You're getting worked up for no reason. We're here to win, right? If we keep up this attitude, we might not even get through the game properly."

K huffed but stayed silent, clearly still annoyed but unwilling to push the argument further.

Xiao Rui, who had been silently observing the discussion from the side, muttered quietly under his breath, almost sulking. But it's Yona Linghuo..."

Mao glanced over. "We know, Rui-ge" he commented amused at the older man's clear hero worship. Xiao Rui blinked and sat up straight, a bit embarrassed at being heard.

Lao K scoffed again, and rolled his eyes but quietly leaned back in his chair when he saw Ming's stern glare.

Though Ming's attention was caught by Xiao Pang, his brows were furrowed and he was chewing his lips, a clear sign of nervousness. "What's wrong, Fatty?" he asked, his tone gentle but concerned.

Xiao Pang hesitated, biting his lip. "It's just... some comments about you, God Ming. They're—" He paused, reluctant to continue.

Lao K, narrowed his eyes. "What comments?" he demanded, pushing his chair back and standing up abruptly. The sudden motion caught everyone's attention, and the room fell silent.

Fatty glanced nervously between his teammates and his phone. Slowly, he read out the critical comments, his voice shaking slightly. "They're saying that God Ming isn't what he used to be... that he's paying for trying to be a hero, if he so desperately wanted to be a hero then he should h..."

Before Fatty could finish, Lao K had already started marching toward him, anger flashing in his eyes. His fists clenched at his sides, and his nostrils flared as he made a beeline for Xiao Pang, who visibly recoiled in his seat, but before he could get too close. In a swift motion, Fatty's phone was snatched from his hand, the screen switched off before anyone could even react.

Everyone's heads whipped around at the sound of a sharp gasp—Xiao Rui's gasp, to be exact.

Standing in the doorway, was Lu Sicheng their ever stoic captain who was looking at them with narrowed eyes, but what caught their attention was the young woman standing behind Fatty with his phone in her hand, grinning brightly, her presence both disarming and surprising.