In Berlin, R.H faced off against PPZ in the winner’s bracket finals. The winner would advance directly to the grand finals, while the loser would drop to the loser’s bracket, competing against IPL, DSD, and Lawman for another spot in the grand finals.

R.H and PPZ’s match was scheduled as the first major showdown. After evaluating PPZ’s strength, the coaching staff decided to keep Qi Xian (Clown) for the grand finals. The starting lineup for the first match featured the usual double C setup with Jiang Di and Stone as a tank-support combination.

After the 4-0 training match the day before, PPZ had managed to devise a system to disrupt R.H’s tank-support synergy. However, in the official match, R.H surprisingly deployed a lineup centered around the violent support strategy, with a focus on the healer. The preparations PPZ had made in advance were rendered useless.

At the end of the first half, R.H led 2-0. During the halftime break, PPZ’s coach made tactical adjustments, substituting the tank with a more aggressive playstyle. This change allowed PPZ to barely reclaim one point from R.H, but it was essentially a desperate struggle.

In the end, R.H won the match 4-1, securing a ticket to the grand finals in Madrid, Spain.

While the victory was expected, the R.H team, though happy, wasn’t overly excited. After the match, instead of rushing back to the hotel, they stayed in the lounge to watch the IPL vs. DSD match.

For many domestic fans, both IPL and DSD were beloved teams. Regardless of which team advanced, there would be joy for their success and regret for the other’s loss.

[Suddenly I really hope that Destination has a draw mechanism, I don’t want either of them to lose. QAQ]

[Regardless of whether IPL or DSD wins, they still have to face PPZ and Lawman next; honestly, it’s quite suspenseful.]

[Destination God, I am willing to exchange ten pounds of meat for the domestic team to join the global finals!]

Cheese looked at the barrage in the live broadcast room and said thankfully: “Fortunately, we didn’t enter the loser group, otherwise if we want to win the championship, we would have to step on the corpses of our brother teams.”

“What’s the point?” Shi Du said nonchalantly, “The scope is getting smaller and smaller. Cheese, I remember you were quite excited when you won against them in the regular season.”

Cheese retorted, “Can’t I just lament a bit? Timeless, you’re heartless. Bi An and Xu are your former teammates.”

Among the six domestic teams, IPL and R.H have the best relationship. The players have good personal relationships and the fans of both sides get along well. In the eyes of some all-support fans, both R.H and IPL had already given birth to several generations.

Yu Zhaohan had a deep expression: “Isn’t it one of the charms of competition to eliminate former teammates and friends with your own hands?”

Jiang Di understood it deeply and all agreed: “Yes.”

Yu Zhaohan’s simple remark turned Cheese’s melancholy into motivation, “My goodness, Captain, you’re so eloquent!”

Shi Du raised his eyebrows, and when the game started and everyone else’s attention was focused on the game, he asked in a low voice: “You probably didn’t copy that sentence from the Internet.”

Yu Zhaohan said: “How do you know? This is my true feelings.”

Shi Du smiled and praised him: “That’s great, Yu Zhaohan.”

Yu Zhaohan lightly furrowed his brows, “Once again, you’re calling me by my real name.”

Shi Du lowered his eyes and chuckled.

While Shine was a captain persona that Yu Zhaohan adopted, it wasn’t something anyone could casually mimic.

Shine’s gameplay, command, care for teammates, and understanding of the game and competition all stemmed from Yuyu himself.

Rather than saying Shine was a persona put on by Yuyu, it would be more accurate to say that Shine was another side of Yuyu.

In preparation for coming out to his family in the future, Shi Du had gradually laid the groundwork with both of his mothers. For instance, every time he changed cities, he would casually bring up to his mom, “Same-sex marriage is legal in the UK, France, and Germany. What do you think about this?”

For another example, he added Mother Yu’s WeChat account and greeted her attentively from time to time. Mother Yu once told him that she hoped Yu Zhaohan could be himself without pressure on the team, and she wanted him to help Yuyu be himself in front of everyone.

However, Shi Du always felt that, whether it was a boyfriend or a mother, they should interfere less with Yuyu’s decisions.

Because Yu Zhaohan…was just like that.

Lu Youshan’s words of “good arrows” brought Shi Du back from his thoughts. It was Archer’s arrow with a thread of blood, counter-killed the assassin attempting to take him down

IPL and DSD had been evenly matched opponents throughout this season, each playing to their full potential. They left no regrets, pushing the games to a 2-2 and 3-3 tie, showcasing a level of excitement not much less than the R.H vs. Lawman match.

In the seventh game, IPL selected the only Chinese-style map in Destination, Daming Palace.

Reaching the decisive round, the condition of all eight players on the field had visibly declined. It was a moment of determining who could hold their ground, who could seize the opponent’s weakness.

Xu was eager to give Bi An healing, so he moved a little boldly but was assassinated by DSD’s assassins. Xu’s death signaled the start of DSD’s offensive, capitalizing on the numerical advantage of 4v3. They cleanly won the final team fight.

IPL was wiped out, and DSD’s capture progress had reached 92%.

With no time for a resurrection, IPL was destined to lose.

Cheese sighed and stood up, “I’ll go to IPL’s lounge and comfort Xu later.”

“What are we waiting for?” Cheese nervously sat back down, “Does IPL still have a chance?”

IPL couldn’t turn the game around, and all four of them were well aware of that. Their heroes died at point C, unable to move. The only thing they could do was leave the final spray on the map.

A dazzling shade of red Chinese.

—Brothers, our strength falls short, so we’ll take a step back first. Win it with the spirit of our brothers.

DSD’s four standing players responded with the same red spray.

—Alright.

The Destination competition is a global league. Among the 32 teams, including the coaching staff, you could count all the fully Chinese teams on one hand. More and more teams are recruiting from South Korea, Europe, and America for better results, which is understandable.

However, for Chinese fans, a fully Chinese team is different — 4 Chinese will always be the most unique.

This year has been the best-performing year for fully Chinese teams. R.H, DSD, and IPL, three Chinese teams, defeated over 20 teams, mainly composed of Koreans, Europeans, and Americans, step by step to reach where they are today.

They are opponents, and they are also compatriots.

DSD occupation progress:…98, 99, 100

The red spray paint disappeared as the map disappeared, and a line of large characters appeared on the screen——

[Hangzhou DSD Victory]

The whole place was boiling.

The whole arena erupted.

The camera lingered on a fan of IPL. He was a middle-aged man, one of the first batch of players in the early public beta of DES. He had IPL’s logo painted on his left face, and on the right side was the national flag. Tears flowed from his eyes, blending the dazzling Chinese red.

[Crying! How can these brats be so amazing! My tears are free…]

[IPL is awesome, DSD is awesome!]

[This year’s top five, three are fully Chinese teams; among the top 20 global players, 12 are Chinese.]

[Fully Chinese teams are awesome, Team China is awesome!]

During the handshake segment after the game, none of the eight players shook hands. Instead, there were sixteen hugs and a few wet shoulders.

After the hugs, the four DSD players came to the middle of the stage to bow to the audience. IPL’s players silently packed up their keyboards and left the stage.

Cheese sniffed and said hoarsely, “Why are they all crying? It makes me want to cry too.”

Qi Xian squinted at the screen, “Bi An seems calm; he’s indeed the most stable tank in the Eastern Division.”

Yu Zhaohan said, “Bi An is the captain.”

A captain cannot cry in front of everyone.

Archer won the MVP of this match and was about to face an official interview — the time ahead belonged to the winners.

Yu Zhaohan said: “Timeless, come with me to see IPL’s members.”

Xu was the support brought out by Yu Zhaohan, and Bi An was Shi Du’s former captain. After IPL’s regrettable defeat and elimination, they should go and offer comfort. No need for many words, a silent pat on the shoulder is enough.

Timeless put on his coat, “Sure.”

As they passed the restroom, they faintly heard the sound of a man sobbing inside. The hidden corners after the game always carry too much regret and unwillingness.

Yu Zhaohan asked, “Is it Xu?”

In the final team fight that IPL lost, the trigger was Xu’s overly adventurous positioning. Just based on this, fans would at least put half the blame for IPL’s loss on him, no matter how well he performed in the early and mid-game.

Handling pressure has always been Xu’s weak point, so it’s normal for him to hide in the restroom and cry at a time like this.

Shi Du listened carefully: “It’s not Xu, this voice is… Bi An.”

Yu Zhaohan was slightly startled.

Bi An is a veteran who has been playing for five or six years, with active duty time twice as long as Yu Zhaohan. When Yu Zhaohan was still in youth training, it was Bi An’s peak period. At that time, tanks ruled the battlefield, able to withstand damage and deal damage themselves. Bi An alone could even duel the opposing double-C.

In recent years, with the changes in the meta, C positions gradually dominated the field, and Bi An’s outstanding performances became rarer. Many said he was getting old, couldn’t keep up, and should retire. But Bi An always managed to save the team at the most critical moments, using data to slap down those who doubted him.

He is one of the best tanks in the Eastern Division, the captain of IPL, and a recognized “senior” player. Perhaps he has experienced no less storms than Yu Zhaohan.

He missed the championship last year and stopped at the top five this year. Even if he is a senior captain, he has the right to cry.

Shi Du asked: “Do you want to comfort him?”

Yu Zhaohan shook his head and said softly: “Let him cry.”