Chapter Forty-Five: These Minions... Have Betrayed Us!

In Ji Ran’s streaming room, Ji Ran finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Why won’t this bald guy just die already!”

The chat was exploding with comments.

“He’s lost it, he’s lost it!”

“Spread the word, Ji Ran made a random Jin Chan rage so hard he broke down.”

“Spread the word, Ji Ran made a random Jin Chan cough up blood from anger.”

“That Jin Chan isn’t a random, he’s Haoran!”

“Who’s Haoran? Never heard of him.”

“Haoran streams on Shark Live.”

······

Whether it was for show or genuine frustration, Ji Ran’s anger toward Jin Chan was now impossible to suppress.

However, Ji Ran still cared deeply about winning or losing in the top-tier match.

Even though he was the first to fall this round, with Ma Chao’s flanking move and Luban and Zhou Yu charging head-on, Jin Chan and the Elder Master—both lacking mobility—were finally left behind.

A two-for-one trade—it wasn’t a loss!

But since he hadn’t personally slain Jin Chan, Ji Ran was still deeply annoyed.

Truth be told, Jin Chan should have been easy to kill. A hero with no mobility and weak control, up against Han Xin—a hero with high mobility and explosive power—was doomed in any one-on-one encounter.

At first glance, Jin Chan’s control seems strong—a three-second binding spell that confines his opponent to a small circle. But if an enemy warrior or assassin forces their way in and is already chest-to-chest with Jin Chan, he’s helpless; the binding spell does nothing.

This time, Lin Hao’s Jin Chan may have been ranked nationally, but the intensity of the match meant Lin Hao didn’t have much of an upper hand.

He relied on information asymmetry—the new hero had just been released and players didn’t know him well, so he could exploit that.

For example, that level-one play, dragging Han Xin’s blue buff away from the blue zone.

And his well-honed techniques for provoking opponents. Scientific studies suggest frequent recall taunts make enemies lose their minds and want to attack you.

On one of these recall trips, Lin Hao was finally caught off guard by Ji Ran, who seized the opportunity and scored a solo kill.

“Shadowless Step!”

Lin Hao narrowed his eyes; he hadn’t expected this move.

Han Xin used his multiple mobility skills, weaving through the bushes without revealing his position, timing his support route perfectly and ambushing him.

Lin Hao had been cautious this game, armed with his national-level Jin Chan skills. He could judge when to cross the river and where the opposing jungler was likely to be.

Yet he still got caught. Truly the ceiling for Han Xin!

And just now, Han Xin had used Shadowless Step, a technique involving moving from one bush to another using only mobility skills so you never appear in vision.

Many Han Xin players know the basics of Shadowless Step, sneaking through the dragon pit in the first thirty seconds to the enemy jungler’s red buff bush, then waiting to steal.

Most viewers didn’t know about Shadowless Step, and Lin Hao had no time to explain.

Now he had to adjust his strategy.

Lin Hao sensed Han Xin was targeting him.

This was a premeditated ambush; Han Xin had sacrificed many opportunities to farm, just to catch him once.

So...

“I’ll stick with the main group! Stay by the marksman, all the way!”

Lin Hao declared.

Afterwards, several small skirmishes occurred, with some kills exchanged.

Lin Hao’s lane was always unfavorable; though they won some team fights, they couldn’t push forward.

This time, at the mid-lane second tower, the enemy minion wave was already at the gates.

Previously injured Liu Chan and Marco Polo were still making their way from the base toward the second tower.

Zhou Yu had prepared his fire, waiting for the minion wave to reach the tower so he could burn.

Han Xin was taking the dragon, while Zhang Fei and Luban waited for the minion wave to reach the tower before starting to attack.

On Lin Hao’s side, only he had full health, still at the tower.

His teammates would arrive in about three seconds, but Jin Chan’s burst couldn’t clear a wave with a siege minion instantly.

Lin Hao moved closer to the red zone, showing no intention of retreating.

And, brazenly, he typed “Sorry.”

“Still so smug at a time like this? My wildfire is already blowing your way—I don’t mind giving you a little extra,” Zhou Yu thought to himself.

Luban Seven was near the blue zone, watching Jin Chan and waiting for the minion wave to reach the tower before rushing to push, fearing if Jin Chan traps him, escape would be difficult.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu sneered, “Want to clear the wave? Did you ask me first?”

He immediately unleashed fire on Jin Chan’s head.

Lin Hao ignored it, quickly swiped his second skill left!

He cast the second skill just to the left of the minion wave.

It was the same move as dragging the blue buff earlier!

Instead of marching obediently to the tower, the minions turned and slowly moved toward the magical device Jin Chan placed beside them.

At least three enemies were watching helplessly.

They’d been waiting for the minion wave to enter the tower so they could launch a big attack.

Now, the minion wave...

Had defected!

After casting the second skill, Lin Hao retreated, but Zhou Yu still burned off half his health.

His goal was achieved, though; his teammates began arriving at the second tower one after another. Seeing their numbers, Liu Chan rushed at Luban.

Unable to pressure the tower, the enemy retreated!

Luban Seven, Zhou Yu, and Zhang Fei silently agreed—since their teammate was taking the dragon, engaging now would mean fighting outnumbered and losing big.

They wouldn’t make such rookie mistakes.

It was a pity; they could have destroyed the mid-lane second tower during those few seconds when the defenders were weak.

In Lin Hao’s streaming room—

“This Jin Chan is playing with style!”

“Who’d have thought Jin Chan could be played like this!”

“That was a nice trick, learned something new!”

“Hao’s Jin Chan feels stronger than those national-level mid laners, and his detailed maneuvers are one of a kind!”

Most chat messages were compliments.

As Lin Hao moved into the mid-to-late game, he focused more on playing than on showmanship.

It meant his rage-meter collection was becoming harder.

“A national-level Jin Chan doesn’t require much precise positioning. These two skills can’t be combined as well as Yuan Ge or Elder Master,” Lin Hao thought. “Mid-lane heroes may rely more on awareness. Looks like just using national-level hero skills isn’t enough to stand out at this rank. Maybe when I acquire personal skill with awareness, I’ll understand mid-lane at a higher level.”

This game, he wasn’t dragging the team; he trapped Ma Chao and Han Xin, helping his teammates seize momentum.

Though Lin Hao’s side was at a disadvantage, the match remained close. At nineteen and a half minutes, after a roar from the dragon pit, the Overlord and Tyrant vanished into the void, and the Storm Dragon King finally entered the battlefield.