Chapter 56: The Great Flash into the Grass?

Mirror, Yuange, and Xishi—all explosive, all capable of control. As long as their skills aren’t wasted, taking down Old Master is a simple matter. Not only that, it won’t drag out the timing; if the enemy tries to reinforce, they can choose to turn the fight around depending on the situation.

“There’s no other way right now. We have to catch Old Master, otherwise this wave of minions won’t get out, and sooner or later we’ll get strangled by their rotations,” Xinran explained to her audience as she slipped into the bushes by the second turret on the top lane. Judging by Old Master’s position, he’d just finished the dragon with his team and was now heading back to the top lane to push out the wave.

“What a great opportunity!” Xinran’s eyes lit up.

When Old Master is present in lane, it’s actually pretty hard for Xishi to sneak into the bush for a counter-ambush. Right now, Old Master is a dominant laner, controlling both the minion waves and vision, including the river. But at this point, sneaking up to the intersection of the forward top lane waves, Old Master has absolutely no vision.

Xinran slipped in quietly.

In the middle lane, the enemy was already starting to pressure the tower. It was only one wave; the siege minions would arrive with the next. Marco Polo could clear this one easily. Lin Hao’s side was obviously playing a 4-1 split push. After a quick pressure on the mid outer turret, the team immediately rotated towards the bottom lane.

At this moment, both sides’ second wave of minions was departing, and Lin Hao’s teammate, Fei, released the dragon on the bottom lane.

There was still time.

Seeing Old Master swagger forward, Xinran silently calculated. If they killed Old Master now, the pressure on the top lane would be greatly relieved. Even if the enemy took the bottom second turret, pushing top in exchange would keep the tempo even.

The high ground wouldn’t fall—after killing Old Master, they could teleport back for a five-on-four. They’d never lose the fight.

Xinran made it to the top lane bushes just before Lin Hao arrived.

As planned, Yuange and Mirror were both moving to the top lane. Yuange lagged a bit and only just reached the second turret. Mirror followed right behind Xishi, but instead of hiding in the bush, he started clearing the wave directly.

...

On Lin Hao’s side.

“This round we’re running a 4-1 split. Let me explain what that means,” Lin Hao addressed his viewers as he played. “It’s when a hero with strong split-pushing power—usually a sidelaner or jungler—pushes one side lane, while the other four teammates group up to push the other lane.”

“You can split with the mid lane, but the distance between mid and the sides is short, and positioning the minion wave is tricky. If the enemy rotates just a little faster, it’s almost like a wasted attack.”

“By pushing both sides like we’re doing, the enemy is forced to make a choice. One hero alone can’t kill me—at least three are needed to pin me down, which means my teammates can break through bottom lane unopposed.”

“If the enemy defends bottom, I’ll just keep pushing top. I’ve got both Scourge and Flash; even if Yuange tries to defend the tower, I can pull off a vanishing act under the turret!”

Lin Hao, brimming with awareness, took the opportunity to break down the situation for his viewers. This was true composure.

Many streamers, when they reach this level of play, can only focus on mechanics. The slightest distraction, a lapse in awareness, and they might start making mistakes or lose momentum.

“Hm?” Lin Hao walked straight to the top lane and suddenly realized—Mirror was pushing the wave alone. The instant Lin Hao saw him, Mirror’s movement—he retreated, but not in a way that looked like a full withdrawal.

At this distance, Old Master’s flash-and-bind could reach Mirror. If Mirror wanted to escape, he should have used his skill to create distance immediately.

So... they’re lying in wait for me!

But who is it?

Lin Hao kept his composure and kept moving forward, glancing at the mini-map. Marco Polo was exchanging shots with Lianpo in the bottom lane, and Liu Chan was also visible.

As for Yuange, Lin Hao frowned in thought. There wasn’t enough time. From the last time Yuange was seen in mid to now, unless he’d used all his skills to rush over, there was no way he could be hiding in the bush first.

If he had, Yuange without skills wouldn’t be a threat.

That left only one possibility: Xishi. And now, thinking back, Xishi did have the time and motive.

Many players at this rank, reviewing the match or pausing the replay, would eventually figure out this deduction. But to realize it, as Lin Hao did, in a split second—that’s the difference in awareness.

To recognize, in this situation, that if Mirror is so bold to show himself and push the wave, there must be someone waiting to ambush—that’s already top-tier awareness.

Thousands of thoughts flashed through Lin Hao’s mind, but all he said to his viewers was, “Xishi’s hiding in the bush, waiting for me.”

The next moment, as Lin Hao approached the minion wave, he didn’t act immediately. Instead, he watched Mirror’s movements.

Mirror’s positioning was clearly shifting toward a particular part of the bush.

Lin Hao’s eyes gleamed. Now that he’d reached this spot and Xishi hadn’t acted, combined with Mirror’s movement, Lin Hao could pretty much pinpoint Xishi’s position in the grass.

They were still waiting for one crucial party to complete the kill—the last bit of damage.

Yuange!

If this were the finals of the King Pro League, a championship-deciding match, Lin Hao would have stayed outside, baiting them, signaling his teammates on the bottom lane to take advantage of the numbers while he delayed as long as possible.

But since it was Xinran hiding in the bush, things were different.

Lin Hao could sense that this streamer was a bit unwilling to go the whole game without catching him even once.

So he decided to give her a real show.

There was no time for commentary; Lin Hao’s fingers were already moving.

Old Master edged closer to Xishi’s location and instantly opened with a flash-and-bind!

Bang!

Old Master’s lantern snared its target!

At the same time, Xishi’s first skill landed exactly where Lin Hao had just flashed.

WHAT?

Xinran was completely caught off guard by Old Master’s flash, momentarily stunned.

Did I miss a vision check?

Why would he flash me like that?

Xinran couldn’t make sense of it.

Worse still, she’d already used her first skill!

When she cast it, she was sure she’d read Old Master’s movement and path perfectly—it was supposed to be a guaranteed hit.

But who could have guessed that Old Master would flash right into the bush and bind her?

All Xinran could do was toss out her second skill for a bit of damage.

After snaring his target, Lin Hao started swinging away. He’d already landed three attacks on the front minions, stacking his passive to three, and instantly entered his rage state.