Chapter 007: Targeted by EDG!

Does Lu Zi’ang have affection for RNG? To be honest, yes, but not much. Over the past two years with RNG, Lu Zi’ang’s skills have improved significantly.

At the same time, the atmosphere in RNG’s youth academy was quite good—the living conditions, diet, and coaching staff were all beyond reproach.

But there were drawbacks. First, the pay was particularly low, especially for players in the youth academy. Second, RNG’s management was known for their erratic decisions, making the club’s operations extremely chaotic.

Star players within the team even had the power to influence the team’s ban-pick strategies and tactical decisions, especially in the ADC position.

To put it plainly, as long as Uzi was on RNG, no other ADC could hope to rise to prominence. Uzi was simply too important to RNG.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was the undisputed boss of the team.

The most critical issue was that any player who signed a contract with RNG risked being sidelined indefinitely.

Every industry has its harsh realities, and Lu Zi’ang understood this very well.

But he could not accept these dark undercurrents.

At this stage, Lu Zi’ang lacked the strength to confront the capital interests. So, the moment Sun Dayong put him into a life-or-death match, he had already made up his mind—to leave RNG.

In the first-class cabin, several RNG executives and Xiaogou were deep in discussion, the atmosphere heavy.

The S8 World Championship had not yet ended, but for RNG, it was effectively over. They now had to prepare for the S9 season, starting with player arrangements.

The most crucial matter was Uzi’s contract, which was about to expire. For many years, RNG and Uzi had been deeply intertwined, mutually defining each other.

Of course, Uzi’s signing bonus was astronomical—unique in the entire esports world, a true ceiling-level valuation.

“By the way, it’s about Lu Zi’ang. The contract of that ADC from the youth academy is expiring,” said Feng Ge, general manager of the LOL esports department, tapping his finger on the tea table.

“He performed quite well at the World Championship this time—a promising talent. I think we can promote him to the main roster as Xiaogou’s backup,” he added without hesitation.

Feng Ge was known for his appreciation of talent, a fact recognized throughout the esports circle.

However, upon hearing this, Uzi frowned.

From Uzi’s perspective, Feng Ge was clearly referring to him. After so many years with RNG, Uzi knew there was no place for both him and Lu Zi’ang on the team.

If Lu Zi’ang stayed, it would benefit no one and he would likely be benched.

With a smile, Uzi said, “Lu Zi’ang did play well tonight, but only tonight.”

“I think he’s still too young and needs more time to develop.”

That was all he said.

Feng Ge did not pursue the topic further.

The other executives seemed quite satisfied with Uzi’s remarks, feeling it struck the right tone.

Meanwhile, sitting unaware in the economy class, Lu Zi’ang had no idea that RNG was already planning to cast him aside.

…

Tonight’s quarterfinal match stirred quite a commotion in the esports community.

Major clubs watched with a spectator’s interest. The hope that the entire LPL would unite was clearly unrealistic—at best, there would only be superficial camaraderie.

All the hopes of the LPL audience now rested on IG.

Many RNG fans, disillusioned by the defeat, turned their backs on the team, becoming critics in droves.

On the surface, the major clubs appeared calm, but behind the scenes, fierce competition and intrigue were rampant.

The player drawing the most attention was RNG’s substitute ADC, “Sun.” Even some top-tier teams already eliminated had begun investigating Sun’s background.

RNG’s loss was unrelated to them, but the skill Sun displayed was enough to attract any esports club’s interest.

Particularly those without a strong ADC—teams like EDG, OMG, WE, JDG, and others—were eager to recruit a powerful and cost-effective ADC.

Across the entire LPL, many domestic ADCs were strong and consistent, but most were highly expensive, lacking cost-effectiveness.

These clubs’ interest in Lu Zi’ang stemmed primarily from his strength, but also from his labels as a “youth academy player” and a “substitute ADC.”

Night had fallen deep across the nation.

Online, public opinion surged, with everyone focused on the hot topic of RNG’s defeat.

In the city known as the Oriental Pearl, in a relatively remote suburb, the headquarters of EDG Esports Club—nicknamed “Guodian” within the LPL region—stood quietly amidst serene surroundings.

Though late at night, the EDG training base was still brightly lit, with players gathered to watch their coach analyze tonight’s quarterfinal match.

In the EDG general manager’s office, Abu held a thin dossier, studying it intently. After finishing, he slammed it onto the desk, a rare smile crossing his face.

“Xiao Chen, how reliable is this data?” Abu asked excitedly, looking toward a young man sitting on a nearby sofa.

The young man was Chen Dong, the chief data analyst for EDG Esports Club and a graduate of a prestigious university.

Besides analyzing match and lineup data for the team, he was also half a scout for EDG, specializing in talent acquisition.

Chen Dong had access to abundant, reliable data on youth academy players from various teams, helping him identify the best fits for EDG.

“Is there any mistake in the data I compiled?” Chen Dong said, a bit annoyed. “According to the algorithms, Lu Zi’ang’s compatibility rate is as high as 99%!”

“Whether we recruit him is up to you. And based on my prediction, this player is highly likely to be discarded by RNG. When that happens, we can extend our olive branch.”

This year, EDG was knocked out in the round of sixteen, performing worse than RNG. Next year, EDG could not afford another loss.

For so many years, the LPL had been dominated by fierce rivalries—between Uzi’s fans and those of TheShy, between RNG and EDG.

No other team commanded such popularity.

Now, with RNG facing widespread criticism, it was foreseeable their popularity would decline from its peak, which was good news for EDG.

“LDL total appearances: 100.”

“Death rate: 1% (ranked first).”

“Average damage per game: 34,396 (first).”

“Average minion kills per game: 369 (first).”

“Average assists per game: 16.6 (first).”

“Average kills per game: 2.9 (15th).”

“Total champion pool: 27 (first).”

…

These are Lu Zi’ang’s statistics over 100 games in the LDL, nearly perfect.

As a dual carry, he delivers the highest average damage output and the lowest death rate. Even considering only these two metrics, countless clubs would be eager to recruit him.

What kind of ADC player is this?

Assists, team participation, damage output, champion pool—all are exemplary. Such an ADC is virtually flawless.