Xzone was a national chain of five star hotels located near the national team’s e-sports park. This was the main branch in the capital and the environment was very good. The number of rooms was more than 800 and it was enough to accommodate all the participants.
On May 3rd, Yu Mingxiang sent the list of contestants to the person in charge of the hotel to arrange accommodations. Everyone was scattered in different rooms for the tryouts. If there was a network delay, computer failure, etc., then it would affect the result of the competition.
The team’s engineer, Qin Bo took two assistants to the hotel in advance to check all the computers carefully and install the necessary software on the computers to ensure that each computer could smoothly run Gun King.
The second week of May happened to be the league’s offseason week and all the players were on holidays, allowing them to participate in the tryouts. Due to the large number of applicants for this competition, the original two day time period wouldn’t work and it was extended to three days.
On the afternoon of the 9th, players came to the national team one after another to report.
There was a row of sign-in booths next to the playground of the national team’s base, led by Yu Mingxiang. Many players were coming to the national team for the first time and were excitedly taking photos everywhere.
“This base is so big. It is bigger than the campus of my high school!”
“Is that the dormitory building for players?”
“Does this count as a day trip for our team? I really want to live there!”
“At my level, I can only think about it. There is a high probability that it won’t work.”
Qin Xueyao heard the discussions around her and looked up at the dormitory of the national team with a bit of envy in her eyes. How great would it be if she could really live there? She also wanted to go abroad to play.
At this moment, a luxurious black business car stopped at the gate of the team’s base and a handsome young man got out of the car. There were a lot of discussions around her. “God Lu!”
”That is TNG’s God Lu, right?”
A player ran over excitedly. “Brother Lu! I am a fan of yours. Can you give me an autograph?”
Lu Xingyun smiled and signed the autograph with grace.
The TNG Club was in the capital and drove all the players over. All five members of the main team arrived. Lu Xingyun’s popularity was very high and he was full of followers everywhere he went. On the contrary, no one paid attention to the fat Pang Yu and thin Si Wenhui behind him.
Yu Feng, the sniper of the Snow Leopard team, sighed softly and said enviously, “A big club is so good. There is a car to drive them. Meanwhile, we came here by subway. It is too shabby.”
The teammate next to him whispered, “That very thin Si Wenhui plays a scout, right?”
Qin Xueyao nodded. “Yes, TNG’s Sing. He is very powerful.”
The moment she finished speaking, another group of eye-catching people arrived. Their hair was dyed colorfully and stood out. Qin Xueyao said with a smile, “The rainbow team and Xiao Yezi are here as well.”
There were so many scouts participating in the selection and Qin Xueyao felt that she had no hope. However, her main goal wasn’t to be selected into the national team. She just wanted to try it. How could she be willing if she didn’t work hard once?
In addition to the fierce competition among scouts, the snipers could be considered hell mode.
Pei Feng came to sign in. There was also the third place kid from the Rising Stars Cup, BM’s captain Liu Shaozhou and CIP’s Mo Hantian. The small, invisible players were blinded. Some people went to find Captain Liu for an autograph and some found Pei Feng for a group photo. The sign-in place was chaotic and it was like college freshman reporting to school.
Liu Shaozhou shook hands with Pei Feng. “Long time no see.”
As disciples of Qi Heng and God Wing, they had known each other for five years. In the beginning when the two teams played matches, the two young trainees often sat next to each other and argued about childish topics such as ‘is your master stronger or is my master stronger?’
In the blink of an eye, a few years passed and they grew up and matured. One was a top streamer and the other was a wealthy captain. It was just that they had never fought each other, nor had they determined the winner or loser.
Liu Shaozhou lowered his voice and jokingly said, “Your master and my master are both examiners, right? I don’t know if I can compete with you this time?”
Pei Feng smiled. “It isn’t necessary to determine the winner and loser. We can become teammates.”
“You mean, teammates of the national team?”
“Of course. Don’t you want to be in the national team?”
The two people looked at each other and smiled. If ACE hadn’t disbanded and Pei Feng had taken over Jiang Shaoyu to become ACE’s new captain, they might’ve become the strongest opponents in the arena.
Today, Pei Feng didn’t play in the A-grade League and they could only get together in the national team. It wasn’t bad to be teammates.
Liu Shaozhou said, “Then don’t overturn in the tryouts.”
Pei Feng said bluntly, “You should be the one who doesn’t overturn and disgrace your master.”
Seeing Liu Shaozhou and Pei Feng chatting in a familiar manner, Mo Hantian felt more and more apprehensive. There were only two sniper places in the national team and there was a high probability it would be these two people. Was there no hope for him?
He signed in silently with a lowered head. Then he received his entry card and competition instructions booklet. Looking at the sign-in sheet, he didn’t find Shi Xiaobin so he walked to the side and sent a message to Shi Xiaobin: I saw Pei Feng and Hua Ran. Didn’t you join them? I didn’t see your name on the sign-in sheet.
Shi Xiaobin quickly replied: I’m still in the dormitory. Coach Jiang said that I am an omega and there was a lot of negative news about me some time ago. If I go to sign in, I will be watched by everyone. I’ll go over when there is no one in the evening.”
Unexpectedly, the always indifferent God Wing would be so considerate to Shi Xiaobin.
Mo Hantian headed to the hotel in a complicated mood and happened to meet Xia Li on the way. Xia Li grinned and ran over to say hello. “Eldest baby, long time no see!”
Mo Hantian’s face turned pale. “Can you stop mentioning this?”
Xia Li bluntly said, “What is so embarrassing? I am still the Third Baby.”
The two of them walked forward together. Xia Li lowered her voice and said, “I saw Lu Xingyun and Tang Kai just now. All of our Gourd Babies Squad has arrived this time. I don’t know how many people can be selected.”
Mo Hantian also had no idea in his heart. He took a deep breath and told her, “Come let, let fate decide.”
The national team’s base was lively. Jiang Shaoyu sat on the balcony and drank tea while looking out the window. These energetic e-sports players gathered in groups. They curiously and excitedly visited the place and took photos.
In this selection competition, Jiang Shaoyu had specially opened the national team’s base so the small, unknown players could see the highest palace of the e-sports circle. It was especially so for the young players who couldn’t be selected in this season. This would make them work hard in the next season and be full of expectations. They would be more motivated when playing the game.
Jiang Shaoyu saw the five members of the Snow Leopard team taking a group photo in front of the sign on the other side of the playground.
Qin Xueyao and her teammates came to the stone monument of the ‘Chinese Gun King E-sports Park’ to take a group photo. The moment they finished taking the photo, they heard low voices coming from the corner. “I don’t know what those rookies from the secondary league are doing here. They are like bumpkins and are so noisy.”
It was the very popular Lu Xingyun who spoke. His hands were in his pocket and his tone was full of contempt.
Next to him, Zhang Yu said sarcastically, “I guess they came here to drink. In addition, they can come to the national team to take photos, right? The fare, food and accommodation expenses are all reimbursed. It doesn’t cost anything to come.”
Lu Xingyun laughed. “That’s right. After all, they usually can’t touch the threshold of the national team with their strength. This time, they came for free travel. It is no wonder they are so excited.”
Qin Xueyao felt very uncomfortable when hearing these words. Were all the unknown players signing up for the tryouts here to eat, drink, travel and take photos? Couldn’t they have a dream of making it to the national team? Couldn’t they come to gain experience?
Her teammates also heard these words of ridicule and Yu Feng frowned. “F*k, who are they looking down on? He would just be an onion if the club didn’t support him so much.”
“These two were members of the last national team, right? They won’t necessarily be selected for this season.”
“Yes, maybe players from the secondary league can also be selected for the national team.”
Qin Xueyao didn’t speak and took her teammates to the hotel to check-in.
The conditions of the five-star hotel were very good. The e-sports themed rooms were even more popular with everyone.
This year’s national team selection competition was huge and the open selection channel gave everyone a chance to compete fairly. Regardless of whether they could be selected or not, at least everyone was standing at the same starting line.
It wasn’t like before when they didn’t even have the qualifications to enter the examination room.
They were all young e-sports players and many of them had met in the game. Everyone added each other as friends, pulled people into groups and played games. It was very lively.
That night, many people were so excited that they couldn’t fall asleep. They were even more excited than when they were taking the college entrance examination.
At noon the next day, the contestants went to the cafeteria to eat according to the instructions in the competition manual.
In order to take care of the players’ work and rest, Jiang Shaoyu arranged the game times for the afternoon and evening. After all, most e-sports players were night owls. They might not be awake in the morning, which would affect the state of the game.
After lunch, at precisely 2 o’clock, everyone followed the instructions to the conference hall on the 4th floor.
They also finally met the legendary God Wing.
Jiang Shaoyu wore a pure white t-shirt with black trousers. The simple and clean outfit made him look very young. His delicate eyebrows showed a trace of coldness. His eyes were sharp and he gave off a strong aura.
It wasn’t known who shouted, “Coach Jiang is here!”
The moment he appeared, the noisy conference hall instantly fell silent.
Jiang Shaoyu walked to the middle of the conference hall with a few staff members. He picked up the microphone, looked at the audience and said in a calm voice, “Hello, everyone. I am Jiang Shaoyu, the head coach of the national team. I welcome everyone to participate in the tryouts of the 6th national team.”
There was warm applause from the audience. There were quite a few players here who were fans of God Wing. Even if they weren’t fans, they had heard of his name. Now that they finally saw the real person, everyone couldn’t hide their excitement. They applauded very vigorously. They all knew that it was Coach Jiang who opened the door to the team for them!
Jiang Shaoyu’s clear voice rang out through the conference hall. “For this selection competition, in line with the principle of fairness and justice, we will give every player who wants to enter the national team the same opportunity. Now you will be on the same starting line. Play fair and I hope you will let me see your best level.”
“The two people next to me are the referees of the league’s tournament committee. They will oversee the whole process of the competition. If you have any doubts about the fairness of the competition schedule, you can appeal to the referee.”
“I will now announce the rules of the competition. Please listen carefully.”
“Once you all return to your room, open the tryouts software on the desktop. Enter your information according to the prompts and randomly draw lots to be assigned to groups. You will have 10 minutes to check your equipment. If you encounter various network or hardware failures, please call the referee to check it in time. At 2:30 p.m., the games will officially begin.”
“This competition adopts a double-blind scoring system. The judges won’t know the number of each contestant and will only score according to your performance. Please note that the judges’ scoring has nothing to do with winning or losing the game. It just depends on how well you perform in the game. The MVP of the losing side can also get high scores so please try to show your strength.”
“The computers in all rooms have voice changer software installed. Please turn on the voice changer to prevent your identity being leaked to the judges. If the voice changer isn’t turned on, it will be judged as a violation and the participant will be disqualified. In addition, skins aren’t allowed in this tournament. Only the original firearms can be brought into the competition.”
“The specific competition rules will be described in detail on the ‘Tryouts’ app on the computer desktop. Check it carefully after you go back.”
“Now, please leave in an orderly manner. Go back to your room and prepare for the first round of competition today.”
Everyone looked stunned when listening to the rules.
Double-blind scoring, random matching? A voice changer to change their voice and not being allowed to use skins? They had never experienced such a strange competition system before!
Hua Ran scratched his head. “I’m not allowed to use skins so my cherry blossom flying special effect is gone.”
Ye Qingming smiled. “Your playing style is too special. The moment the cherry blossoms and colorful light effect comes out, the judges will know it is you. Pay attention to your positioning later and don’t blow up your teammates.”
Hua Ran nodded. “Yes, I will pay attention.”
During the training some time ago, Hua Ran blew up Ye Qingming many times and the cooperation between the two of them was messy. Then after a period of cooperation, Hua Ran learned to look at the position of his teammates before throwing bombs. There would be no mistakes like blowing up his teammates.
He saw that Shu Chen was silent next to him and leaned over to whisper, “Brother Chen, if you can’t use skins then your Red Cross pistols can only be turned into black pistols and your shield of angel wings can only become a metal shield. Can you get used to it?”
Shu Chen replied, “…Yes.”
The skins didn’t affect the data, it only changed the appearance. Naturally, professional players wouldn’t be affected because of the skin. This rule was actually aimed at the acquaintances of Jiang Shaoyu.
After all, if Pei Feng took out the Balot-Jungle Hunter + MSG-Aurora, Shu Chen took out the Angel Wings Shield + Red Cross Double Guns and Hua Ran took out all types of colorful grenades and bombs, it would almost be like writing ‘Who am I?’ on themselves.
If the skins were disabled, everyone’s firearms would look the same and it would be hard to tell the difference.
Of course, some clues could still be found from the characteristics in the style of play. It was unavoidable. It was just like how teachers became familiar with the handwriting of the students and could recognize it. However, subjective scoring had been minimized.
There were many masters in this selection competition and everyone was randomly grouped. This would test their ability to react and work as a team. Everyone returned to their rooms with apprehension.
They opened the small software called ‘Tryouts’ on the desktop of the computer. There were detailed schedule instructions and operating instructions in it. The first step was to enter their name information and receive a contestant number. The second step was to be grouped randomly. The third step was to turn on the voice changer, open the game and log into the competition room…
There was a fool-like guidance and even computer idiots would know what to do.
Qin Bo’s small software was very professional.
The system randomly issued over 300 numbers before starting the matching process.
The pace of a shooting game was very fast. One game lasted approximately 10 minutes and there were more than 300 people. Today’s first round would have more than 30 games.
[Matching teammates and opponents for you.]
[The matching is successful. Please enter the game room.]
In the game room, everyone’s avatars were the masked people that came with the system. Seeing 10 identical profile pictures and randomly assigned numbers, the contestants in front of the computer couldn’t help feeling nervous.
Pei Feng sat in front of a computer and saw a message pop up on the screen. [You have been matched to the first match of the first round. Please enter the match room and get ready.]
Pei Feng raised an eyebrow. The first match? He didn’t know if his luck was good or bad.
At this time, in the meeting room on the hotel’s top floor, the match videos were being streamed live on the big screen. There were 10 small screens next to it, showing the first person perspective videos of 10 players.
Under the stage, there were seven people sitting side by side. They were the judges of this competition.
Everyone had a grading sheet in their hands so they could score on the spot. Qin Bo was in charge of adding the scores to the computer while Yu Mingxiang ran over as logistics, serving tea or water to everyone.
Jiang Shaoyu said, “Next, we will be watching hundreds of matches in a row. In the first round, we will make a preliminary evaluation. Then in the second round, we will review and check. I want to thank you all for your hard work.”
Old Xu said cheerfully, “I have been a coach for nine years and this is the first time I have been the judge of a competition. It isn’t hard. It is very interesting!”
Beside him, Qi Heng couldn’t help laughing. “It is just like Ah Yu to come up with this double-blind competition system. Let’s look forward to the players in the first match.”