Chapter 103: The Wait Has Been Long Enough!

So Zhong Kui made a wise choice, first helping the bottom lane secure an advantage.

This was a slight blow to Lin Hao.

Jin Chan was quick to contest the lane early on, and without a support, it was likely they’d lose the skirmish and fail to provide timely assistance.

The minion waves clashed, and Lin Hao cast his second skill, drawing the enemy minions closer to his own.

However, like Lin Hao, Huo Wu only dared to toss out her second skill fan from a distance to clear the frontline minions.

Lin Hao’s gaze sharpened.

Was she afraid Zhong Kui was hiding under the tower, waiting to hook someone?

This was a common opening tactic for Zhong Kui: lurking near his own tower with a blind ward, waiting for the enemy support or mid laner to come forward to clear minions, then suddenly launching a hook to pull them under the tower.

Lin Hao kept a safe distance from the bushes on both sides and began to auto-attack the frontline minions.

From this position, even if Liu Chan charged at him with arms raised, Lin Hao could retreat instantly back under the tower.

But Liu Chan made no move.

Huo Wu remained at a distance, clearing minions, and Liu Chan was completely still.

Something was off.

Lin Hao studied Huo Wu’s positioning and suddenly understood.

They were setting a trap in the top lane!

He quickly pinged a location for Xiahou Dun in the top lane.

But it was already too late. In the top lane, as Xiahou Dun was clearing minions, he was ambushed and overwhelmed by Liu Chan and Sun Ce!

Xiahou Dun had brought a Smite, but facing the combined slow and control of Liu Chan and Sun Ce, he was trapped, his health rapidly decreasing.

His plan had been to clear the wave and then take the river crab, but he hadn’t expected Liu Chan’s ambush.

Sun Ce, who had learned the second skill, coordinated with Liu Chan to lock Xiahou Dun down.

Meanwhile, in the bottom lane, Zhong Kui paired with Sun Shangxiang managed to catch the enemy Yu Ji.

Zhong Kui expertly cast a hook into the bush with perfect prediction, as if seeing through walls, pulling Yu Ji right into the hidden bush where Dai Zi was waiting.

Dai Zi followed up with damage.

Seeing Liu Chan appear in the top lane, Lin Hao stopped playing cautiously. After clearing the wave, he moved directly toward the enemy’s blue buff area.

Huo Wu headed to assist the top lane.

At the enemy blue buff, Lin Hao saw Nakoruru still auto-attacking the buff, and judging by its health, Nakoruru was still holding onto her Smite.

Lin Hao grinned and flicked his skill.

He cast his second skill, placing the Nine Rings Staff just outside the blue buff pit.

In the next moment, the blue buff’s aggro shifted to the Nine Rings Staff—Jin Chan’s skill!

The blue buff slowly moved toward the staff’s center point, ignoring Nakoruru’s efforts to attack it.

When it reached the center, the buff disengaged, then moved back into the pit, its health gradually recovering.

“Anger from Nakoruru +500.”

This Jin Chan trick was limited in use but could seriously disrupt the enemy jungler’s mindset.

In other words, pulling the buff away only delayed the opponent’s jungle clear, but the psychological impact was significant.

“Hahaha, that’s so dirty!”

“This is hilarious!”

“I remember Haozi played Jin Chan a few days ago and started the same way.”

Lin Hao sent a taunt through the wall at Nakoruru’s recall, then hurried down to the bottom lane.

He didn’t forget to ping the top lane again.

Huo Wu was moving up top, which explained why Lin Hao could shamelessly pull the enemy blue buff through the wall.

At this moment, the tempo initiated by the two supports on top and bottom lanes bore fruit.

Although Xiahou Dun had been caught off guard, his passive was still active. After dropping to half health, he retreated while auto-attacking to heal, barely making it back under his tower alive.

However, he was definitely missing out on the minion wave. After Lin Hao pinged, Xiahou Dun, aware that Huo Wu was coming around to flank, chose to forgo teleport and walk home cautiously.

At the bottom lane, Sun Shangxiang’s damage was still lacking without her second skill, so when Yu Ji’s health dropped to a sliver, she flashed away.

Lin Hao had just arrived at bottom lane.

“Yu Ji’s barely got any health left. Jin Chan’s combo can one-shot her!”

Dai Zi said.

Lin Hao intended the same. He approached from the river’s inner path above, flashed into the enemy tower, and unleashed a combo.

The Tightening Curse locked Yu Ji down.

Yu Ji struggled to escape, but the curse held her fast, and the Nine Rings Staff’s damage followed swiftly.

At that moment, Yu Ji caught sight of the monk calmly stepping out of her tower and starting a taunt recall — a deliberate step-by-step mockery.

“Anger from Yu Ji +400.”

Lin Hao secured the first blood.

“Hao Ran, your recall taunt’s a bit harsh!”

Dai Zi laughed.

Lin Hao shook his head with a smile, thinking silently: The system forced my hand.

If Yu Ji hadn’t tried to wait under the tower for the minion wave and the health pack for a minute, choosing to retreat sooner, Lin Hao wouldn’t have been able to catch her.

After all, he had already harassed Nakoruru’s jungle first with that wall pull.

Having gathered that anger, Lin Hao returned to mid lane.

He then helped the jungler secure a river crab.

Nakoruru didn’t contest because Lin Hao had severely slowed her jungle clear earlier.

The game reached level four.

At level four, Lin Hao pinged the jungler Jing in mid lane, then cleared the wave.

He then headed to the top lane.

“Hao Ran, coming to gank top?”

Dai Zi saw Lin Hao reach level four and ping mid lane to signal the jungler to farm, expecting Lin Hao to roam and support him.

But unexpectedly, Lin Hao went top.

Top lane was a clash between two tanks.

Sun Ce, though considered an offlaner, stacked armor with his passive and was effectively a tank early on.

Ganking Sun Ce seemed less effective than annoying Yu Ji in bottom lane.

Lin Hao said, “Sun Ce’s almost level four. I’ll disrupt his ultimate first.”

He settled into the bush near the dragon pit to wait.

Moving forward, he thought he might catch the enemy jungler coming to farm a lane.

Lin Hao shifted his view to the top lane.

Sure enough, Sun Ce cleared the last minion, avoided much conflict with Xiahou Dun, and set sail in his boat, heading straight for the river.

Lin Hao smiled slyly.

After a moment’s wait, a Tightening Curse suddenly flew out from the bush, trapping Sun Ce’s boat.