——  After the first preparatory meeting for the national team, everyone went back to pack their bags. Li Cangyu returned to Changsha with the other members of Canglan and unexpectedly saw two friends at the door of the Dragon Song Club.

  They were the original members of the Canglan team, Luo Zilong and Huo Jie, who haven’t been seen in a year. Li Cangyu saw the two men and greeted them with excitement, hugging his two good friends. “Long time no see!”

  Bai Xuan also walked over and asked with a smile. “Ah Long, Ah Jie, what are you going here?”

  “I heard that you have been selected for the national team, congratulations!” Luo Ziling said as he handed two boxes to them. They were hollow metal ornaments of Li Cangyu and Bai Xuan’s characters in the game. They were also engraved with words. Li Cangyu’s one said ‘the elf summoner will win’ while Bai Xuan’s priest said ‘World-class god milk!’

  Li Cangyu couldn’t help laughing. “You are really considerate.”

  He asked Old Zhang to bring the players into the club while he and Bai Xuan took his two old friends to a nearby restaurant to chat.

  After the disbandment of Canglan, all teammates except for Li Cangyu and Bai Xuan had left the e-sports circle. Luo Zilong had returned to his hometown to become a civil servant, marrying and having a son. Huo Jie went to his father’s food factory to help. They all had an ordinary but peaceful life, no longer needing to worry about playing the game every day.

  They could each find their own home. Li Cangyu was naturally very pleased and patted the shoulders of both people. “It seems that you have a good life. I can finally rest assured.”

  Luo Zilong rubbed his eyes and whispered, “In fact, we have been reflecting after the disbandment. In the past few years, we dragged down both of you. Perhaps the two of you would’ve already won the championship…”

  Bai Xuan smiled. “Should you say this? The team was built by all of us. Our results might not be good in recent years but we all worked together. There is nothing to regret.”

  Huo Jie protested, “But…”

  “If you treat me as a brother, don’t say such things again.” Li Cangyu interrupted. “The fact that you are following the competition shows that you still really like it. Everyone has a limited ability. A player who hasn’t won a prize isn’t necessarily a bad player. After two days, I will leave for the national team training. I am really happy to see you before the training.”

  His sincere eyes made the two of them stop talking about it. They chatted about what happened after leaving the e-sports circle.

  Their days have indeed become calmer and stable. Every day they would go to work then go home to take care of their wife and children, like many of their peers around them. There might be no special achievements but they didn’t have to worry about losing their job.

  It was just that they couldn’t forget the heated blood and excitement of the league and Li Cangyu. It was the most precious thing they buried in the depths of their memories and would never be forgotten.

  Today, Li Cangyu was the captain of the Chinese Miracle national team and Bai Xuan was also selected. This could be regarded as a substitute for the small group’s unfinished dream.

  Luo Zilong suddenly grabbed Li Cangyu’s hand and said, “You must refuel for the World Competition. We will watch every game. If you enter the finals, I will take my wife and child to the United States to cheer you on!”

  \r \r \r

  Huo Jie also said, “I might not be able to go abroad because I’m too busy lately but I will cheer for you in front of the TV.”

  Li Cangyu smiled. “Rest assured. We will try our best.”

  Li Cangyu’s heart was really warm at receiving the encouragement of old friends.

  Perhaps in the eyes of many people, it was just a waste for him to play with the ordinary players in the game. However, for Li Cangyu, it was very meaningful to work with his good brothers for a common goal. He didn’t regret his original choice at all.

  ***

  After returning to the team, Li Cangyu lay in bed and couldn’t fall asleep. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Ling Xuefeng: [Today my old friends and former teammates came to Changsha to find me.]

  Ling Xuefeng replied in seconds: [What did they say?]

  Li Cangyu: [The congratulated me for becoming captain of the national team and cheered me on.]

  Ling Xuefeng: [It seems they are quite loyal. Despite retiring, they paid attention to the competitions you participated in.]

  This sentence made Li Cangyu’s mood improve. [Yes, in fact, several of them are very good people. Their level wasn’t high enough for the competition. This is a matter of talent and there is no way to force it.]

  He was pleased that Ling Xuefeng could understand his feelings towards these friends instead of questioning him.

  A few years of wind and rain had passed. Now he won the championship and was serving as the captain of the national team, as well as having a strong partner like Ling Xuefeng to assist him. He believed that on the stage of the World Competition, the Chinese team would definitely give the opponents a surprise!

  Ling Xuefeng knew this person couldn’t sleep. He turned on the voice chat and whispered, “If you can’t sleep, do you want to analyze the characteristics of players from various countries?”

  Li Cangyu was instantly spirited. “Good!”

  Ling Xuefeng told him, “Let’s start with the American team…”

  The two people started to talk until around midnight. Then Ling Xuefeng hung up to let Li Cangyu sleep.

  ***

  The next morning, a special visitor came to the Dragon Song Club. It was a female reporter with her hair in a ponytail. The simple white dress made her look fresh and capable. She introduced herself, “Hello Cat God, I am Zhao Yue, the reporter for the national team. This is the photographer Zhou Yang.”

  Li Cangyu looked at her doubtfully because he felt this reporter was a bit familiar.

  Bai Xuan whispered to him as a reminder, “In every post-match interview, her questions are very straightforward and sharp.”

  Li Cangyu suddenly realized and smiled at her. “Miss Zhao came to our Dragon Song Club. Is it an official interview task from the league?”

  Zhao Yue explained simply, “I need an exclusive interview with the captain of the national team. This was a task the league arranged.”

  Li Cangyu nodded. “Please come this way.”

  He took the two people to the office of the Dragon Song Club. The photographer held his camera and Zhao Yue asked him, “Cat God, do you want to change your clothes?”

  Li Cangyu looked at his simple t-shirt. “Do I need to change it? This should be fine.”

  Cat God wasn’t the same as Captain Ling and didn’t like to wear formal clothes. Since he wanted to be free, Zhao Yue didn’t hesitate and turned on her recorder pen to start the interview. “You have won the championship and five of your players are selected for the national team. Cat God is a really good captain. Were there any strategies when training your team?”

  “I developed a personal training program for each person’s characteristics and weaknesses. The four newcomers had different training tasks every day and this arrangement had a better effect.”

  Zhao Yue then asked, “Will you continue this method of training in the national team?”

  Li Cangyu smiled and shook his head. “The national team is different. The foundation of Canglan’s four newcomers wasn’t good and some of them encountered a bottleneck. I needed to think of a method to help them break through that bottleneck. The national team players are different. Everyone is top-notch and there is no need to strengthen their personal standards. Teamwork is more important for the national team.”

  Zhao Yue wondered, “Is it because everyone comes from different teams?”

  “That’s right.” Li Cangyu explained, “Every team has a different style and the great gods of different teams will have to adapt to each other. That’s why the national team will go to a secret training camp, helping everyone became one as soon as possible.”

  “With so many great gods together, there is bound to be a difference in opinion. What will you do then?”

  Li Cangyu answered, “I will use their opinions as a reference but the final plan is decided by me and Ling Xuefeng. Otherwise, won’t the national team be a mess?”

  Zhao Yue nodded in agreement. “In the domestic league, every team has distinctive features, such as Ghost Spirits’ assassination tactics or Time’s kiting. However, the national team only has two or three of each class. Is the national team going to abandon the original tactics like assassination and kiting?”

  This question was the key point. In order to consider the overall lineup, the national team was balanced when choosing players. The result was that some extreme tactics couldn’t be achieved.

  Li Cangyu thought about it before replying. “I have discussed it with Xuefeng and received the approval of the chairman. Apart from us, the national team will have four mobile commanders, namely Tan Shitian, Lou Wushuang, Su Guangmo and Chu Yan. Captain Tan will be mainly responsible for the kite flow tactics, Captain Lou will be in charge of the assassin based lineup, the melee violent play will be handed over to Captain Su and Chu Yan will deal with the European illusionists. I can’t command every game with Xuefeng. These great gods will be in charge when necessary.”

  This news will definitely make many fans excited.

  The Chinese team was star-studded. If Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu took full control of the command, there would be people who were dissatisfied. For example, a tactical arrangement based on assassination was something that Lou Wushuang was best at. Li Cangyu wouldn’t hold exclusive power would would hand it over to the other gods when needed. This practice was very good.

  Zhao Yue asked the last question. “Cat God, recently there are many e-sports websites that use the word ‘late’ to describe you. Your success came too late and you won your first trophy at the end of your career. What do you want to say about this?”

  Li Cangyu smiled and said, “I might’ve gotten the trophy a bit late but there is nothing to regret. These years of experience made me never afraid of losing. It was the countless failures that enriched my experience and tactics. There are disadvantages and advantages. There is no need to feel sorry for me.”

  These words were very calm and atmospheric. This man worked hard for so many years but didn’t sell his hardships to the fans to seek sympathy. It was enough to see his strength.

  As long as he chose a path, he would firmly walk on it, every step very practical. He didn’t regret it, even if he walked seven years on the tip of sharp knife

  Seven years, this might be ‘late’ but Li Cangyu didn’t have any complaints.

  Such a person was the captain of the national team. Zhao Yue suddenly had full confidence in the journey of the national team!