Chapter 137: The Marksmanship of the Unlucky

The match begins.

Lin Hao is on the blue side, with a team composition of Luna, Baili Shouyue, Damo, Zhong Kui, and Xi Shi. His opponent, Meng Lan, is on the red side with Li Yuanfang, Pei Qinhu, Xiahou Dun, Donghuang Taiyi, and Yang Yuhuan.

At the start, Lin Hao hugs the wall as he heads to his lane. He reaches the edge of the bottom lane, near the brush by the defensive tower, but stops short. A popular strategy for Baili Shouyue used to be utilizing the high movement speed near walls to reach the brush before the opposing marksman, waiting for them to enter, and then landing a point-blank second skill for a potential first blood. However, as players grew wise to this tactic, they started playing more defensively. Knowing that Li Yuanfang has a passive ability that reveals nearby enemies, Lin Hao decides against that gamble. Still, with two charges of his second skill ready, he is eager to score an opening victory.

Before the minion waves clash, Lin Hao spots Li Yuanfang. Simultaneously, an eye icon appears below Baili Shouyue’s health bar, indicating he has been spotted. Lin Hao steps out and fires a basic attack at Li Yuanfang. Meng Lan’s Li Yuanfang doesn't back down, standing his ground to trade hits. Since he didn't tag him with his first skill, he must have learned his second skill first. That thought barely crosses Lin Hao’s mind when he follows his basic attack with a flash and an instant release of his second skill!

Bang!

Baili Shouyue closes the distance, but the shot grazes past Li Yuanfang. A miss! Lin Hao gasps. Li Yuanfang is startled but reacts quickly, continuing to trade basic attacks. They exchange another shot, and then Meng Lan makes his move, using his second skill to roll directly toward Lin Hao.

Meng Lan’s mind is racing. He hadn't expected such an aggressive play from Shouyue, but he immediately anticipates the standard basic attack-into-second-skill combo. Normally, a skilled Shouyue would use the second skill to cancel the recovery animation of a basic attack. Since the first shot missed, the rhythm should be another basic attack followed by a frame-perfect second skill. Knowing that Li Yuanfang’s second skill makes him untargetable during the roll, Meng Lan uses it to dodge the next anticipated shot.

Lin Hao, however, realizes the first shot was just to catch him off guard; he decides not to commit his second skill until Meng Lan uses his. Once Meng Lan finishes his roll, Lin Hao holds down the second skill, aims quickly, and fires!

Bang!

The point-blank flick-shot connects! A flash of panic crosses Meng Lan's eyes, as if his intentions were read. They continue to trade, their health bars plummeting. Meng Lan’s early-game basic attacks aren't as strong as Shouyue’s, but Lin Hao is standing in the burning trail left by Li Yuanfang’s second skill. A second later, Shouyue’s health is the first to bottom out.

Lin Hao remains calm, crouching to aim his rifle. He knows Li Yuanfang is low enough to be finished by a single second skill. Since he started with an Iron Sword, his attack speed is insufficient, making the second skill the better choice. He can't afford to aim for two seconds; he has to fire immediately, or the damage won't match a basic attack.

In that split second, Meng Lan flashes—a prediction. But he miscalculates. Lin Hao, holding his second skill tight, fires the moment Meng Lan flashes. The bullet finds its mark, pushing Meng Lan’s health to the brink, but Shouyue is already dead.

The final hit comes from Meng Lan, as Li Yuanfang’s throwing star flies out. Lin Hao, just recovering from his own animation, manages one last basic attack.

"First blood!"
"You have slain an enemy!"

Li Yuanfang takes first blood, but Lin Hao’s Shouyue manages to trade, landing his final shot before falling.

"Damn, that was close," Lin Hao mutters. "If it weren't for the fact that Shouyue’s basic attack projectile is faster than Li Yuanfang’s, I wouldn't have landed that last hit."

In his stream chat:
"I thought the streamer was a bronze player when he missed that first shot, but those two flick-shots were incredible. He's a master!"
"I saw it too! The mind games with Meng Lan were brilliant. But could you explain why that first shot missed?"
"Missing doesn't matter; it's the audacity to make the play, especially against Meng Lan! You've got a new fan."

Meanwhile, Lin Hao hears the system chime: "Rage points from Meng Lan +300."

Although it was a trade, he had completely controlled Meng Lan’s flash and second skill usage. No wonder Meng Lan was frustrated. Lin Hao does the math—300 points times seven—resulting in 2100 points. That’s nearly the total of an entire normal game!

Lin Hao clears his throat and explains, "My execution was perfect. The standard combo is to basic attack, flash, then use the second skill. The basic attack calibrates the aim, and the second skill must be instant after the flash so the opponent can't react. There's a tiny chance of a bug causing a miss, so the first shot was just bad luck. But remember, in a level-one duel as Shouyue, it all comes down to the second skill. You usually only have time for two shots. Two hits mean the enemy dies, one hit means a trade, and missing both means you're done for."

Since Meng Lan had used two movement abilities to predict, he had occupied his own reaction time.

Respawning, Lin Hao returns to the lane, choosing to play cautiously under his tower. Li Yuanfang is now level two, and without his flash, Lin Hao knows that if he trades, Meng Lan just needs to control the distance, tag him with his first skill, and roll in. At level two, Li Yuanfang’s burst damage is faster than Shouyue’s. Lin Hao stays back at his base, aiming his rifle at the Li Yuanfang who is busy clearing the wave.