Chapter 296 – Tactical Arrangement
After a good night"s sleep, Li Cangyu called all the national team members to open the live broadcast of the Italian match. There was a group match between Italy and Australia this afternoon. Everyone sat in front of the computer to watch the match. The match hadn"t started yet so people discussed the lineup of their team.
[Isn"t the captain of Italy a psychic?] Pure Cleansing"s vice-captain, Chu Yan asked through the Q group.
[Yes, the captain"s name is Alberto and he is one of the top three psychic auxiliaries in the world.] Zhang Shaohui quickly answered. [I just checked the information of the Italian players. They have four psychics who are all strong. This is natural since Italy is a European team that loves the illusionary flow tactics.]
[Do we have to use the illusionary flow to stop it?"] Red Fox"s Meng Jie had a straightforward personality and quickly expressed her doubts. "Are there other methods to crack it?"
Li Cangyu came out and said, [Let"s watch this match before discussing it.]
The match was just about to begin. Everyone cut back to the live broadcast and stared seriously at the screen.
This match was still being explained by Yu Bing and Kou Hongyi. Yu Bing briefly introduced the players of both sides before the map selection started. The two sides banned each other"s maps and left the official map Dark Reef.
Due to the fact that the Australian team was the overall weakest of the group, the first arena game was easily taken by Italy. There was also no suspense in the economic war and death racing. Italy won three straight games and scored 15 points in one breath.
This way, Group B"s current ranking was the Chinese team first with 30 points and Italy second with 25 points. Spain and Australia were destined to be eliminated while China and Italy had successfully won the qualifying spots.
Yu Bing was relieved. "China and Italy have already qualified for the group stage. The match in two days will just decide the ranking of the group."
Kou Hongyi opened the World League"s rankings table and said, "According to the league"s compet.i.tion system, the teams in Group B will play in the quarter-finals against Group D. I just received news that the third round in Group D is over and Germany, England and France are very close together. We need to wait until every match is decided to see who comes first and who comes second."
Yu Bing nodded. "In other words, if the Chines team beats Italy to enter the quarter-finals as the group"s first ranked team, their next opponent could be England, Germany or France."
Li Cangyu heard up to here before closing the live broadcast and asking in the group chat, [What do you think of the match just now?]
Zhang Shaohui actively expressed his opinion. [Italy"s illusion flow is really strong but the World Compet.i.tion has three rounds. They could use the illusion flow in the arena and we can definitely win five points.]
Lou Wushuang added calmly, [It is best if we can win all three rounds and take the points.]
Li Cangyu couldn"t help smiling when he saw these words.
Captain Lou looked cold but he was a fighter to the bones. He actually wanted to win the record group score?
Of course, Li Cangyu also hoped that the Chinese team could enter the quarter-finals will an all victory record.
However, Italy was indeed much stronger than Spain and Australia. It wouldn"t be easy to win three games in a row. It was necessary to plan well.
He thought this and couldn"t help looking over at Ling Xuefeng. "Xuefeng, do you have any suggestions?"
Ling Xuefeng was staring thoughtfully at the information of the Italian players. His side profile was as handsome as a statue. He was probably thinking too hard and didn"t hear Li Cangyu"s question.
Li Cangyu pinched his face and repeated, "I asked you, what do you think?"
In all of the league and the whole world, he was the only one who dared to pinch Ling Xuefeng"s face!
Even so, Ling Xuefeng didn"t mind. His expression was calm as he grasped Li Cangyu"s hand and replied seriously, "The Italian team has four psychics. I found that in today"s match against Australia, one psychic was sent in the economic war and one in death racing. The other two psychics played soy sauce under the stage."
Li Cangyu instantly grasped his thoughts. "You mean, they are likely to send all four psychics out against the Chinese team, scattered across the two team battles in order to achieve the ultimate effect of the illusion flow and went two consecutive games?"
Ling Xuefeng nodded while feeling very pleased in his heart. Having such a connected partner made it really easy to communicate. He looked at the other side and continued, "When playing against Spain and Australia, they only sent two psychics. This is because the two teams weren"t enough to force their strong lineup. On the other hand, the Chinese team is ranked first in the group. After a few games, they should"ve realized the strength of our team and certainly won"t hide their strength."
The result of the group stage would determine the opponents in the quarter-finals.
The strongest team in Group D was the French team. The level of Germany and the United Kingdom was almost the same. Italy obviously didn"t want to meet France in a knockout stage. If they qualified in first place, their opponent would be the relatively weaker UK or Germany and their chances of reaching the semi-finals would be higher.
Li Cangyu strongly agreed with Ling Xuefeng"s thoughts and then said, "It seems we also can"t hide our side. I will personally command a team battle. The arena… how about I hand it to you?"
"No problem."
Li Cangyu touched his chest and muttered, "The death racing mode is definitely the most complicated and difficult to fight. Let me take it. In the case of the economic battle, if Italy wants to take a psychic to kill us then we will let Captain Chu teach them a lesson. The specific lineup will be handed over to Chu Yan to decide. Do you think it is appropriate?"
His ideas were very thoughtful. There was Ling Xuefeng in the arena and gaining five points would be very stable. He would personally lead the most difficult death racing mode. With his ability to adapt and rich experience, he would be able to quickly think of a response no matter what type of map was encountered. In contrast, the map changes for the economic war wouldn"t be so big and Chu Yan would feel more confident as the commander.
Ling Xuefeng looked at the other person with eyes full of praise. "Just do as you said."
Li Cangyu was affirmed by him and felt very happy. He couldn"t help hugging Ling Xuefeng and patted him on the shoulder. "Let"s strive for victory."
Ling Xuefeng nodded and exclaimed in an emphatic manner, "No problem!"
***
The next moment, the entire national team came to the meeting room, energized after the break.
Xie Shurong looked refreshed and Bai Xuan also seemed much better. Once the two people walked into the conference room, many people paid attention to Bai Xuan.
Su Guangmo stepped forward first. "Vice-Captain Bai, do you feel better? Did Ah Shu take good care of you?"
Xie Shurong smiled. "Of course, my care was absolutely meticulous and comprehensive, right Vice-Captain Bai?"
Bai Xuan smiled calmly and replied, "Yes, Ah Shu"s care was good." He felt a bit awkward in his heart. Only the two of them knew how this person took "care" of him.
He was afraid of being seen by others and immediately headed towards Li Cangyu. "Captain, I have come to report."
Li Cangyu patted him on the shoulder. "If your body is fine, sit down first. I will talk about the arrangements later."
Ah Shu and Bai Xuan went to sit at their spots. At this time, Tan s.h.i.tian also came in, Cheng Wei following behind him with a listless expression. Li Cangyu saw Cheng Wei"s dark circles and couldn"t help asking, "Xiao Wei, what happened? Didn"t you sleep well?"
Cheng Wei"s face was slightly red as he stammered, "I…well… I had a nightmare!"
Li Cangyu told him, "Did you watch the match between Australia and Italy yesterday?"
Cheng Wei looked at him with guilt. "I-I watched! Of course I did!"
This guy turned red when he lied. It couldn"t be more obvious.
Li Cangyu smiled and patted his head. "You have an emotional nature. If you watched the match then the national team"s group will be filled with all the comments you sent. I didn"t see you in the group yesterday afternoon. Why didn"t you go?"
Cheng Wei hung his head and replied honestly, "I"m sorry, I overslept…"
Li Cangyu didn"t blame him and spoke gentle, "Never mind. Go back and review the match later."
Cheng Wei was very happy and nodded hard. "I know!"
Li Cangyu signalled him to sit down. Once everyone arrived, Ling Xuefeng took the initiative to go to the projector and open the PPT in advance. As Yan Ruiwen said, their captain had become a full-time PPT producer and English interpreter for Cat G.o.d!
Still, Ling Xuefeng"s PPTs were accurate. The information listed was simple and clear, not making people feel bored. The effects of the slides weren"t gorgeous but they could instantly attract people"s attention.
Li Cangyu pointed to the screen with a laser pen and quickly gave an introduction. "The biggest feature of the Italian team is that their ranged output and auxiliary players are very strong. They have the world"s strongest psychic and a number of excellent black and white magicians while they are best at using the illusion flow.
The information of the four psychics appeared on the screen. "For an extreme illusion flow, you need at least two psychics to form a seamless connection and cooperation. If I guessed correctly, they are likely to send two psychics to death racing and two to the economic war in order to win the team battles and get 10 points."
Speaking of which, a confident smile appeared on Li Cangyu"s face. "However, they are thinking too beautifully! I will never let them take two games, maybe not even one game!"
This sentence made many players clap with excitement. The captain of the national team should have such force!
Wanting to take two games from them? Don"t tease. We won"t even give one game away!
The applause subsided and Li Cangyu continued, "The death racing will be personally commanded by me. I will first determine the players involved in death racing."
His eyes swept over the group and he soon called a few names. "The Lou Wushuang and Zhang Shaohui combination, Qin Mo and Xiao Han, the four of you will go with me to death racing."
Xiao Han and Qin Mo glanced at each other and naturally didn"t have any opinions about Cat G.o.d"s arrangement.
Lou Wushuang soon understood the tactical thinking and nodded in acknowledged. However, Zhang Shaohui was one of the two fools and couldn"t help expression his doubts, "Cat G.o.d, our team seems to have low defense?"
Li Cangyu patiently explained, "There are four blood kin players with many stealth skills. Italy"s illusion play won"t be as effective."
Zhang Shaohui discovered the key point of this lineup and his eyes brightened. "Yes! I am with my brother while there is Qin Mo and Xiao Han. All of us are blood kin players and can go invisible!"
Li Cangyu asked, "Do you have any other doubts?"
“No, it"s gone!" Zhang Shaohui smiled. "This lineup will definitely kill the Italian commander. There is only Cat G.o.d on the map and no one else can be seen!"
The other players couldn"t help laughing at the scene described by Zhang Shaohui. Cat G.o.d"s trap level was too strong. A total of five players partic.i.p.ated in the team battle while four were invisible and the other was the witty and quick summoner. The Italian team would definitely be full of questions.
Where were the people? Where was everyone going? Should they attack the summoner?
In order to fight against Cat G.o.d, the other commander must lose countless brain cells. Everyone wanted to light a candle for the commander in advance.
***
Next was the arrangement of the economic war. Li Cangyu looked in the direction of the Pure Cleansing pair and directly said, "The economic war will be handed over to Pure Cleansing"s master and apprentice pair. I think your psychic combination should go against the other one."
Chu Yan smiled cheerfully, "No problem!"
Li Cangyu glanced at the small crybaby and asked, "What about Xiao Zhu?"
Zhu Qingyue scratched his head and answered seriously, "After playing with Cat G.o.d, I have already found the feeling."
Li Cangyu was rea.s.sured. "Chu Yan, please choose the people."
Chu Yan gazed at the remaining players and soon called out, "Yan Ruiwen, Guo Xuan, Cheng Wei and Yang Muzi, please join me in the economic war."
He wanted two black magicians, two white magicians, plus his and Zhu Qingyue"s psychics. This was obviously a pure remote magic and illusion style. The Chinese team would face the Italian team"s illusion flow head on!
Chu Yan choosing this lineup showed that he had confidence.
There were already eleven great G.o.ds in the death racing and economic war but the number of G.o.ds in the national team was like clouds. Li Cangyu looked at the man next to him and said, "The rest is up to you."
Ling Xuefeng had long been aware of this and simply said, "The Su Yu combination will go first, the Shu Bai combination will be in the middle and I will be with Xiao Zhuo."
Su Yu and Shu Bai were fixed partners and no one had any opinions about them appearing. However, Ling Xuefeng was personally taking care of Zhuo Hang, making many people look at the Canglan teenager with surprise.
Zhuo Hang was also very shocked and expressed his doubts, "Captain Jiang is stronger than me. Wouldn"t the victory rate be higher if you pair up with him?"
Zhuo Hang was very excited about being chosen by Ling Xuefeng but this involved the interests of the national team. The teenager under 18 years old quickly calmed down and raised his doubts.
They were both hunters and Jiang Xu"s personal strength was indeed stronger than Zhuo Hang. If Ling Xuefeng and Jiang Xu paired up, the winning percentage would certainly be higher. Zhuo Hang wasn"t been falsely humble. He was telling the truth.
Li Cangyu was very pleased when he heard this. Zhuo Hang had truly grown and could focus on the overall situation, regardless of his own interests. This showed that his vision had taken a qualitative leap.
Ling Xuefeng explained, "Captain Jiang"s strength truly isn"t weak but I"m worried that the trap map submitted by the Chinese team will be chosen. Your ability to use the map in conjunction with traps is very good and I want to give you this opportunity."
Jiang Xu patted Zhuo Hang on the shoulder. "Don"t be modest. Captain Ling specifically asked you to be his partner and naturally has his own reasons. I believe that you can cooperate with him as a hunter."
They had been sharing a room and exchanging tips as hunters. The two of them weren"t on the same team but Jiang Xu appreciated Zhuo Hang and encouraged him with a few words.
Zhuo Hang no longer pushed and just smiled. "Okay, since the seniors trust me so much, I will do many best!"
Ling Xuefeng nodded with satisfaction. "We haven"t cooperated a lot. In these two days of training, you should try to keep up with my rhythm!"
"I understand, Captain Ling!"
"The tactical arrangement is like this. People who need to play will have time to train." Li Cangyu ended the meeting and turned off the PPT. Then he paused and turned back. "By the way, Tan s.h.i.tian, Lu Xiao, Liu Xiang, Jiang Xu and Meng Jie, how about you give the players some compet.i.tion?"
He was in a hurry and directly called their names. It wasn"t a problem since Li Cangyu was the oldest big G.o.d in the national team!
Tan s.h.i.tian heard Cat G.o.d call his name and smiled. "Okay, no problem."
Tan s.h.i.tian took the lead and the others easily agreed. They would rotate in groups to act as sparring partners for the other players.
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Chapter 297 – Training
After a long day of practice, Zhuo Hang could finally keep up with Ling Xuefeng"s rhythm. He couldn"t help sighing in admiration at Captain Ling"s violence. It was so terrible as his partner. What about his opponent?
In the past, Zhuo Hang hadn"t dealt directly with Ling Xuefeng. He just felt that the other person"s style was aggressive from the perspective of a watcher. Today, Zhuo Hang stood by his side and felt a huge pressure!
Captain Ling was not only fast, he was quite decisive. Attacking the enemy with a wave of skills in seconds was the play he was best at. Zhuo Hang was busy setting up traps and always felt that eight hands weren"t enough!
After returning to the room in the evening, Zhuo Hang couldn"t help telling Li Xiaojiang on WeChat: [Xiaojiang, I am partnering with Captain Ling and I always feel that I don"t have enough fingers. His play is too violent…]
Li Xiaojiang was surprised. "Hey? You, you are partnering with Captain Ling? Is it for the next match against Italy?"
The voice coming through the phone seemed to be softer. Zhuo Hang listened to the stuttering and his mood became better. He held the record b.u.t.ton and continued, "yes, I didn"t expect Captain Ling to call me to go to the arena with him. This is my first time partnering with him and I feel good."
Li Xiaojiang listened to the voice and immediately changed to typing: [The tactics of the national team, you can"t reveal it in advance!"
He naturally didn"t stutter when he typed. His sentence was very fluent and seemed to have a hint of criticism. Zhuo Hang saw the serious line of words and couldn"t help smiling. [Do I have to conceal it from you? Will you go out and say it?]
Li Xiaojiang: [Of course not!]
Zhuo Hang: [Then why does it matter? I"m just telling you and you are my most trusted friend.]
Li Xiaojiang saw this and couldn"t help feeling moved. The tactics of the next match in the National Compet.i.tion could be called the biggest secret. The players had to keep it a secret. Zhuo Hang took the initiative to tell Li Xiaojiang that he was partnering with Captain Ling in the arena. This showed his absolute trust in Li Xiaojiang. He was very happy about being trusted by Zhuo Hang.
Even so, Li Xiaojiang still replied sensibly: [Don"t tell me other tactics. This isn"t very good. Cat G.o.d will be angry if he knows.]
Zhuo Hang inexplicable felt some loss when he saw this and quickly typed: [I just wanted to share my excitement with you. It is the first time partnering with Captain Ling and it feels very different. I just wanted to tell you this. Don"t think too much."
After typing it out, he felt it was too immature and immediately deleted it, changing to another reply: [I know. I will pay attention and not tell anyone the tactical secrets.]
Li Xiaojiang: [That"s good.]
Zhuo Hang still felt a bit depressed. He wanted to share a secret with his friend and ended up being scolded by his friend. "You can"t tell the secret. It isn"t right."
It felt like being splashed with cold water.
However, Zhuo Hang saw him seriously considering the national team and couldn"t be angry.
Xiaojiang was indeed more sensible than him. Tactical secrets shouldn"t be leaked. This was the morality of a professional player. He couldn"t say it even to his best friend. For example, Cat G.o.d had a good relationship with Captain Ling but in the domestic league, he didn"t mention any tactical arrangements.
This wasn"t just responsibility to his teammates but also respect for the other side.
Zhuo Hang thought this and sent another message to Xiaojiang: [You are really smart. I hadn"t thought of this problem. Thank you for reminding me! There will be a few days of rest after this match. I"ll take you to eat something delicious!]
Li Xiaojiang instantly replied: [I don"t want to eat. You should train well in the national team and don"t think about running out.]
Zhuo Hang, "…"
How did he have the tendency to be controlled by Li Xiaojiang?
Zhuo Hang scratched his head in a confused manner but the feeling of being taken seriously by the small snail wasn"t bad.
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