Chapter 976: Steamed Bun’s Vanishing Step
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Thwack!
The sound of a brick smashing into a skull was clear and crisp.
This brick was an expected follow-up in the eyes of Ye Xiu, Zhang Yiwei, and other skilled pro players. It was something that should have happened. However, in the eyes of normal players, it was completely unexpected. What they saw was Steamed Bun Invasion being chased all over the map like a cowardly dog. Tang Xing's rhythm had become passive, creating an opening. This was pretty high end, so it wasn't something just anyone could see.
Yet this rookie who was completely unworthy of the pro stage in Zhang Yiwei's eyes not only saw it, but managed to grasp it. It was just that this Brick was as inelegant as always, as if he had only managed to achieve it through pure coincidence.
Was it a coincidence or...
Zhang Yiwei was a little doubtful at first, but that doubt soon disappeared because the Brick was only the beginning. After that, Steamed Bun Invasion, who was originally at a disadvantage, unleashed his counterattack. Brawler skills came one after the other, instantly becoming a combo of skills. Tang Xing's Sharpshooter's health plummeted. The advantage he had obtained through Gun Fu was soon turned around by this wave of counterattacks.
Steady now! Zhang Yiwei secretly wiped away some sweat. Tang Xing wasn't Mysterious Fantasy's captain and the player Zhang Yiwei gave the highest regard to for nothing. He might not have been able to take the counterattacks, but he quickly steadied himself after that. He threw out a grenade and then jumped backwards with the help of an Aerial Fire, hoping to create some distance between them. Who would've expected his opponent to be so fast to prevent this. After avoiding the shockwave from the explosion of the grenade, he charged forth with an attack readied, swiftly tossing a fistful of sand at the other.
Tang Xing turned his view hurriedly. He could take the damage from Sand Toss, but not the blind it would induce. Yet just as his view turned, he heard another thwack of a Brick becoming intimate with his Sharpshooter's head.
So fast?!
Tang Xing was shocked. The Brick had come immediately after the Sand Toss. This was a speed that even Tang Xing could only be ashamed of not having. This seemingly noobish rookie wasn't as simple as he had initially imagined.
With the Brick smacking into the back of his head, it had the priority of an attack from behind and the Sharpshooter immediately entered a dizzy state. Steamed Bun Invasion's next attack quickly followed, an Uppercut launching the Sharpshooter up into the air.
The dizzy state wore off as soon as the attack hit. His character was already airborne, but Tang Xing didn't panic, turning his view and hoping to continue his offense. The aerial combat skill of Gun Fu was very impressive as well, especially if you managed to combine it with Aerial Fire, you could create amazing combos and attacks. Tang Xing wasn't skilled enough for that, but he could add a little into his mechanics every now and then. Yet, turning his view all the way round, he was surprised to realize that he hadn't seen Steamed Bun Invasion at all.
Where was he?
Tang Xing was wondering in surprise, but then took another hit from Steamed Bun Invasion.
The shock he felt from this couldn't compare to his shock at getting hit by a few Bricks.
He was here, but unseen. This technique… this was the legendary Vanishing Step. Even in the pro circle, this was a skill at the cream of the crop and very few could master it. Yet now, a rookie, a rookie that often made rookie mistakes no less, was somehow able to use such a high end technique?
Tang Xing was dumbstruck. Zhang Yiwei, in the audience, was also dumbstruck.
Spectators often wouldn't be able to tell when Vanishing Step was being used. However, Zhang Yiwei had experience and judgement, and he was also very familiar with Tang Xing. Seeing Tang Xing's Sharpshooter look around, he had been silently praising the other for being so calm in such a disadvantageous situation, but then he realized that after turning his view, Tang Xing's Sharpshooter didn't take any action and seemed to have no intentions of attacking Steamed Bun Invasion.
Zhang Yiwei immediately managed to figure out that it wasn't that Tang Xing missed the opportunity, but that he had none in the first place. After turning his view around, he never found Steamed Bun Invasion.
Then what could it be? Obviously Vanishing Step.
Alighting on this thought, Zhang Yiwei forgot to close his gaping mouth. He subconsciously glanced at Ye Xiu. Ye Xiu's smile looked very enigmatic.
So Happy really would do anything for victory, huh?
Even an expert who could accomplish the high end technique Vanishing Step was pretending to be a complete noob. What couldn't they do?
Pretending to be a swine to eat a tiger*! Zhang Yiwei's head was filled with this phrase. His mental representation of Steamed Bun Invasion became more and more towering. What was this person's true strength? His original research and understanding seemed to be completely wrong; what should he do?
Zhang Yiwei was extremely anxious, but even if he thought of something now, what could he do? He couldn't communicate with the in-match Tang Xing. Once the match started, everything relied on the player.
Tang Xing was obviously also caught completely off guard by this Vanishing Step, getting beaten to the ground by a round of combos from Steamed Bun Invasion, even taking two sweeps. Tang Xing had even forgotten how to use the basic Quick Recover.
Zhang Yiwei's mood fell further. However, he didn't blame Tang Xing. This unimaginable strength of Bao Rongxing's was something completely out of their expectations. Going up against an expert that had mastered Vanishing Step was a bit too much for Tang Xing.
However, Tang Xing soon steadied himself.
His stupor just now was because of surprise. He was already used to being intimidated. Mysterious Fantasy was a weak team and he was a player with limited skill. In his two years with Mysterious Fantasy, he had been continuously engaging with players whose strength was beyond his. This was the story of Tang Xing's pro career.
He was very experienced with fighting stronger opponents. What this experience gave him, was mostly calm in facing such perilous situations. If he really could use this to win, then he wouldn't be such a weak player.
Seeing Tang Xing steady himself again, Zhang Yiwei sighed. He knew that this was something brought to Tang Xing by Mysterious Fantasy's situation in the Alliance. However, after he sighed, his eyes lit up.
The calm that Tang Xing had when going up against experts allowed him to occasionally grasp some opportunities, especially those who were proud and underestimated their opponents, or the young and inexperienced.
Bao Rongxing being proud and underestimating them? Of course he hadn't. To win against them, he didn't care about how inelegant he had to be, was there any pride in that? As for inexperienced, this newbie who had barely experienced any pro matches had pretty much no experience. The experience from PKing in the arena was completely different from pro match experience.
Bao Rongxing was a player that Tang Xing could win against! Seeing Tang Xing calm down and engage the other again, Zhang Yiwei suddenly found a new hope, staring at the match intently.
An opening!
Zhang Yiwei's eyes lit up, but it seemed as if Tang Xing hadn't seen it and the opportunity passed.
Zhang Yiwei shook his head and sat up straight. Yet it hadn't been five seconds before his heart leaped again.
Another opening!
Yet Tang Xing still wasn't taking advantage of this opening. Or rather, he didn't even try.
What on earth?
Zhang Yiwei couldn't understand. The first opening came and went quickly, so it was normal that Tang Xing wouldn't be able to grasp it. However, the second opening was a big one; there was no reason that Tang Xing wouldn't be able to use it.
Could it be...
Zhang Yiwei glanced at Ye Xiu on Happy's side. This guy still had the same smile on his face as before.
Those two openings were traps!
Zhang Yiwei felt enlightened. Pro matches were always like this, full of feints and traps. Everyone was trying to find openings, but had to be careful that the opening they found wasn't actually bait. Realizing that Bao Rongxing wasn't a simple character, then what else could those mistakes be? Did this even need an explanation?
Tang Xing was doing the right thing; he had to maintain this calm. Zhang Yiwei nodded in approval.
Thus, the calm Tang Xing continued to stall with Steamed Bun, not daring to be impatient and waiting for a better chance to turn the tables.
There was a song that was appropriate for the current situation: Waiting and seeing, fading away quietly.
Tang Xing's Sharpshooter's health began to fade quietly, just like that. This was because he never managed to find "a better chance to turn the tables". The openings that his opponent gave all seemed fake to him, like there was a label "trap" pasted on it. In addition, he, who had positioned himself in the place of the weaker player in his mind, gave up on attacking directly, and instead went on the defensive, making sure he was as safe and secure as possible. Defending and counter attacking was the usual strategy of the weak.
Unfortunately, this time, his strategy wasn't very appropriate. No matter if it was him or Zhang Yiwei, they had both deeply misunderstood Steamed Bun. What sort of player was he, really? Their understanding was continuously changing.
Currently Tang Xing thought that Steamed Bun was an expert, so he went on the defensive, immediately receiving a round of vicious smacks from Steamed Bun Invasion. Steamed Bun was having so much fun smacking him that his attacks became full of openings. Yet Tang Xing, over here, shook his head telling himself no, these aren't openings. Such ridiculous openings had to be traps.
He continued to wait and see. Disregarding his slowly fading health, he himself ended up desolate and heartbroken as well.
Zhang Yiwei was much more experienced than Tang Xing, understanding what was happening after watching for a while.
This Bao Rongxing was actually like they had originally thought!
He wasn't pretending or anything. Upon being ambushed by Gun Fu, something he couldn't deal with, he ran. While running, he found an opening, so he counterattacked. His counterattack hit, so he made a follow up combo. This was something every player of Glory should be able to do. As for that Vanishing Step, it might really have been a coincidence that he moved into Tang Xing's blindspot with a step.
Then all the openings now were real?
So seeing that Tang Xing was letting all these opportunities slip away, Zhang Yiwei was anxious to the point where he wanted to stomp his feet. He hoped that Tang Xing could quickly figure out what was happening. However, Tang Xing's mind was set this time. In the end, he never found the "opening" he wanted and was wiped out by Steamed Bun Invasion. When he came down from the stage, his was still wearing a perplexed expression. He felt exactly how he felt against the experts and gods he had faced in the past. Though he had lost, he had done all he could.
Zhang Yiwei wanted to cry. This was no expert! He really was just a rookie!