***
Chapter 54.2 – Total Annihilation
In the second game, it was still A’Deng who took the stage.
The public opinion weighed heavily on him, and he looked even more nervous than in the previous game.
The audience was already dissatisfied, but to their surprise, Li Qian locked in the exact same composition again, which even made the SPG players laugh, as if asking: Are you serious?
This time, the audience’s anger reached its peak.
[What the hell are they doing? Didn’t they lose enough last game?]
[No adjustments at all? Same comp after a loss?]
[Is OT really going to stop at top eight?]
[I swear, I’m gonna die of rage watching this year’s Worlds!]
[You’re our only hope! If you lose, I’ll hang myself on the spot!]
SPG’s mid-jungle duo had faced Lin Jiang before. They’d even sniped him twice during his solo queue streams.
They won the first time, but lost the second. Now, at Worlds, it was their chance to reclaim their pride!
Old grudges and new scores settled at once. SPG relentlessly targeted mid lane. Lin Jiang’s growth was stifled, and his form today really wasn’t the best. He made two mistakes in mid, both of which SPG capitalized on, giving up first blood.
They lost the first game, and the second was even worse than the first…
No one could believe it. The first one to fall in OT was actually Lin Jiang!
[No, please… You’re our only hope!]
[Lin Jiang, wake up!]
The commentators on the domestic broadcast grew frantic. “river can’t stay asleep any longer. LPL needs you!”
Lin Jiang, wake up.
You can’t keep sleeping…
It was strange. Voices from his previous life began echoing in his mind.
An invisible thread seemed to pull him toward an inevitable ending. No matter how many teams he switched to, he couldn’t escape his own tragic fate.
He was so tired. His body felt too heavy to lift. His fingers were like lead, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach his true strength.
He couldn’t stop the ringing in his ears, nor could he change the flickering light spots.
The suffocating sensation of being buried by fate coiled tightly around him, already beyond his ability to save himself. He could only watch quietly as he sank into the lake, slowly descending, descending…
Through his headphones came A’Deng’s anxious voice: “Captain, are you sure you don’t want my help?”
Let me help you…
Help you…
But in this game of rebirth, no one could help him except himself—only he knew the rules.
Lin Jiang, sinking into the lake, suddenly opened his eyes. “Focus on your own lane.”
A’Deng recalled Lin Jiang’s pre-match warning and quickly left mid lane, resolutely sticking to his own path.
Although now awake, Lin Jiang remained shrouded in suffocation. But this time, he had made up his mind. Even if fate truly existed, he should fall in the semifinals, not in this match against SPG!
At the 15-minute mark, the once-lost Lin Jiang suddenly snapped back to form.
Despite the light spots obstructing his vision, he executed a flawless spiral R over the dragon pit wall, instantly pinning the enemy bot lane in a deadly corner.
The spiral R is one of Azir’s most difficult combos — it requires drifting mid-air while adjusting the direction of the ultimate via repositioning, using an unexpected angle to catch the enemy off guard!
He precisely used the inertia of angle change to make the enemy let their guard down — and turned them into prey caught in a trap.
A teamfight erupted instantly, with OT seizing the advantage. The 3,000-gold deficit was erased in this single play.
The crowd roared. The Great Demon King Lin Jiang had finally returned! Once again, he stood atop the Rift, becoming every summoner’s nightmare.
Farming was Lin Jiang’s greatest weapon. He summoned sand soldiers relentlessly, quickly amassing an extraordinary lead.
SPG initially paid no heed until a mid lane skirmish, where Lin Jiang alone, shredded two of their frontline champions, forcing a panicked retreat.
It’s happening—OT’s lineup was finally clicking!
This was a strategy Li Qian painstakingly crafted to counter SPG, making it nearly impossible to defend against. Song Zhixu stands as the team’s biggest shield and Shen Ju was the last line of defense.
And Lin Jiang? He was the sharp spear. As long as he could stand, he could pierce through SPG’s comfort zone.
As the match progressed, the tide turned decisively in OT’s favor. Ultimately, SPG couldn’t withstand OT’s dual carries’ damage output, losing the second game.
This victory massively boosted OT’s morale. Fans saw hope. If they maintained this momentum, semifinals were guaranteed!
SPG, having lost the second game, also realized that they were being specifically trained against. OT’s lineup had definitely been practiced many times and was specially designed to counter them. If this continues, they will definitely lose.
Returning to the stage, SPG abandoned their comfort picks, gambling on a secondary composition: Yone + Viego.
This mid-jungle duo boasted relentless engage and kill pressure, with both champions having strong engage abilities and devastating damage. Even bronze-level players would know how powerful this combo is.
Old Mao exploded on commentary: “Damn, they’re really targeting Lin Jiang to the end!”
SPG’s strategy had always been simple: kick them when they’re down.
Since Lin Jiang was underperforming, he was OT’s weak point, the obvious target.
The Twin Tyrants of the opposing team simultaneously revealed confident smiles.
Li Qian knew these two players best. Seeing this combination, he immediately understood their strategy. “Lin Jiang, are you ready? They’re going to target you hard this round.”
Lin Jiang nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Li Qian didn’t say anything more. After finalizing their strategy, he left the stage. He knew Lin Jiang was an experienced player. There was no need to teach him how to manage his mentality.
From the very start of the match, Lin Jiang was relentlessly targeted.
A Level 2 gank cost him lane priority. At Level 4, they came again, forcing out his Flash. The enemy mid laner froze the wave perfectly in the center, while their jungler lurked nearby, ready to intervene at any moment.
Lin Jiang himself remained unfazed. He was used to this kind of pressure. But A’Deng, still too young and impulsive, couldn’t hold back any longer and came to mid lane to camp at Level 6. After 10 seconds of finding no opening, Lin Jiang’s voice came through the headset again: “Play your own game, don’t let them lead you by the nose.”
Adeng hesitated for a moment but still obediently left.
With mid lane under siege, top lane at a disadvantage, and their jungler struggling to make an impact, all the mid-game pressure fell on the bot lane.
Shen Ju knew he had to perform exceptionally well to secure victory.
This round, he was playing Kalista, a strong lane bully. But the champion’s mechanic of hopping with every auto-attack placed immense strain on the player’s hands.
One hit, two hits, three hits—each last-hit sent jolts of pain through his nerves. After months of careful rehabilitation, his hands had regressed to their original state within just two weeks at Worlds.
The more his fingers ached, the more fiercely Shen Ju fought.
He knew his hands wouldn’t last until a potential fifth game, so he had to end this match within two rounds.
Just then, Lin Jiang was targeted yet again.
He was playing Ahri this game, but even her three dashes couldn’t withstand the enemy mid-jungle duo.
The enemy’s Yone directly used his ultimate to dash in, landing the first hit, followed by a spinning slash for the second. Lin Jiang held onto his last dash stubbornly, but it was futile. The enemy jungler Flash-engaged, cutting off his escape route.
Lin Jiang fell once more, his score now 0-2.
It seemed even the most elusive fox couldn’t survive against those two. The audience had no choice but to resign themselves to the inevitable.
The situation was very grim. At that moment, Shen Ju from the bot lane suddenly engaged aggressively, with whirlwind-like speed, extremely efficiently picking off the enemy AD’s kill, and finally escaping successfully.
Shen Ju’s solo kill injected a surge of morale into the team. A’Deng secured the dragon buff, and Lin Jiang could finally breathe a little easier.
But this was far from over. The enemy mid-jungle continued targeting Lin Jiang, burning his Flash and preparing for a dive under the tower when suddenly…
Disaster struck again in the bot lane!
Shen Ju actually Flashed into the tower, frantically jumping around with an inhuman hand speed, and took out their AD!
By the time he finished the kill and was already exiting the tower, Zhou Wen barely managed to catch up with his speed to provide some cover.
What just happened?
What did Shen Ju eat to be this fierce?
Old Mao exclaimed in his livestream. “Holy shit! Shen Ju just leveled up big time! I take back all the bad things I said about him before. These two plays literally saved Lin Jiang’s life!”
Shen Ju’s two lane kills made SPG feel threatened, forcing them to shift from mid to bot lane and start targeting him.
At this point, Lin Jiang could finally catch his breath. He went top for a gank, secured an assist, then quickly rotated back to bot lane for a counter-gank, perfectly exploiting the enemy’s support gap and picking up two more assists.
Things were slowly turning around. Shen Ju’s two godly plays gave Lin Jiang the breathing room he needed.
Bit by bit, he clawed back his farm, surviving the enemy mid-jungle duo’s strongest phase. The entire team composition finally began to take shape, gradually coming alive!
In the break room, Li Qian saw this and finally stopped anxiously shaking his leg. He had even drafted his retirement statement earlier, never expecting OT to regain their momentum so quickly.
The more he watched Shen Ju now, the more he found him endearing. “This kid’s really something. Really something.”
Although he’d always complained about him in front of Lin Jiang, at least in this moment, Shen Ju had fully met his expectations.
Lin Jiang is famous in the circle for being steady. Once given a chance to recover, he immediately takes control of the opponent’s rhythm.
By mid-game, Lin Jiang had a firm grip on the pace, pulling the enemy top and bot lanes apart until they were utterly miserable. They couldn’t understand how a single failed gank had allowed Lin Jiang to turn the tables so decisively.
Once past the danger zone, it was Shen Ju’s turn to dominate in teamfights.
This round, Shen Ju played with fierce aggression, darting wildly across the screen, his hand speed climbing to levels no one could quite comprehend.
Although the Yone + Viego mid-jungle combo was fierce, their damage fell off hard in the late-game. Meanwhile, OT’s dual carries were highly mobile, causing the enemy’s skill accuracy to plummet. A single misstep often cost them the entire fight.
With the domestic commentators wildly praising him, Shen Ju secured a triple kill to seal the victory. OT took the Baron, pushed through all three lanes of high ground, and slowly choked SPG to death.
Everyone was hyping Shen Ju, but no one noticed that the hand he hid under his sleeve was actually trembling.
Lin Jiang sensed something was off. He took off his headset and called out to him. Shen Ju’s expression seemed normal, but when Lin Jiang reached for his hand, Shen Ju suddenly pulled away.
On stage, the lights flickered between brightness and shadow as the crowd roared.
Lin Jiang’s pupils trembled slightly. As if realizing something, he strode forward and caught Shen Ju’s hand in the dim backstage corridor, his voice laced with concern: “Does it hurt a lot?”
Shen Ju didn’t want to worry him. Glancing around, he muttered, “It’s fine.”
“Fine? Then why are you shaking?” Lin Jiang tightened his grip, warning him, “No more Kalista.”
A surge of warmth flooded Shen Ju’s chest. Although Lin Jiang always insisted on keeping his distance, the moment something happened, Lin Jiang couldn’t help but care.
Sneakily, Shen Ju squeezed Lin Jiang’s hand back. “I won’t let you lose.”
In that moment, their hearts soared together once more. Lin Jiang didn’t care anymore if anyone noticed. But when Zhou Wen glanced their way, Shen Ju gently pulled his hand away, not wanting to cause Lin Jiang even the slightest discomfort.
Such a thoughtful, obedient little puppy—there was no way he could be just a figment of Lin Jiang’s imagination.
Lin Jiang was sure now: he had truly been reborn. Everything here was real, not a dream. For these teammates who truly existed beside him, he vowed to fight with everything he had and close out the match in the very next game.
The ringing in his ears began to fade, and the spots obscuring his vision grew lighter.
Both teams returned to the stage, their spirits high, treating this game as the final showdown.
SPG boldly picked their most compatible top-jungle duo, while their bot lane secured Kai’Sa and Yuumi.
Just as everyone was worrying about OT’s fate, Lin Jiang pulled out his first LeBlanc of the entire World Championship.
Lin Jiang had once said that LeBlanc held special meaning for him. She granted him unique strength in any adversity. Whenever he felt lost, he would pick this champion, and she would help him find the ultimate answer.
This game, OT was on the blue side. With their last pick, they locked in LeBlanc, leaving SPG with a dilemma.
They had originally planned to pick Galio, but they had seen Lin Jiang’s Statikk Shiv LeBlanc. That game had left Galio utterly helpless.
But if not Galio, then what?
Which champion could counter Lin Jiang’s LeBlanc?
After searching through the roster, they came to a devastating realization: Lin Jiang’s LeBlanc had never feared any champion.
His LeBlanc was like a bug in the system. Even Galio, the so-called AP counter, had fallen before her.
“Can he even pull it off in this state?”
“No idea. He hasn’t played LeBlanc this entire World Championship.”
“Hah, probably just bluffing.”
At this moment, the Korean duo still hadn’t sensed the danger. Their mid laner picked Ryze, eager to test whether Lin Jiang’s LeBlanc was truly as formidable as rumored.
Just like in the previous games, Lin Jiang appeared unremarkable at first. Both sides settled into their lanes as usual, and the jungler came for a gank at Level 2.
The hearts of the domestic commentators clenched: “river’s getting targeted again! Another Level 2 gank mid!”
Lin Jiang’s condition had improved significantly, although his fingers still felt slightly numb. Unless absolutely necessary, he avoided unnecessary mechanical plays.
This wasn’t his first time facing the Korean duo. He had studied their playstyle extensively. The moment the enemy mid laner took a subtle step back, Lin Jiang instantly recognized the danger.
When a figure darted out from the brush, Lin Jiang reacted within 0.2 seconds, instantly using W to retreat. Calmly, he landed two auto-attacks before stepping forward to farm two minions once the threat had passed.
Commentator: “Beautiful! Perfect dodge, no health lost, and no minions missed! Meanwhile, the enemy jungler has revealed their position!”
A Level 2 gank mid isn’t a wise decision because if it fails, no matter which path the jungler takes afterward, their route for the next three minutes will be exposed.
Remember, OT’s jungler this round isn’t Adeng, but the fearless Zhang Mingying, known for bleeding and fighting tooth and nail on the stage.
Zhang Mingying was the polar opposite of A’Deng—his audacity was sky-high. Seeing the enemy attempt a Level 2 gank mid, he didn’t hesitate to clear the entire enemy’s top-side jungle before taking the river crab.
His strategy was simple: “I take what’s mine; you take nothing.”
This brilliant invade earned unanimous praise from the audience. After three suffocating games with A’Deng’s playstyle, watching Zhang Mingying was an absolute thrill!
Now, the enemy jungler didn’t dare return mid, and the lane finally became a pure 1v1.
SPG’s mid laner had always been famous for his mid-jungle synergy, but without his jungler, he was no match for Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang played lazily at first, then suddenly dashed in with W, chunking half the enemy’s health in an instant.
He retreated to his original position, applying relentless pressure and securing lane priority.
Seeing mid had priority, Zhang Mingying couldn’t resist. He blatantly invaded the enemy jungle again, stealing another round of camps, nearly making the enemy jungler spit blood.
The audience was finally hyped.
[Wow, so satisfying! So satisfying!]
[This is how international matches should be played!]
[Zhang Mingying really is the Korean teams’ kryptonite!]
[Hahaha, SPG must be stunned! Our Zhang Mingying isn’t some pushover!]
[Lin Jiang’s form is back too!]
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