Chapter 337: The Charm of Competition

Zhao Ya was clearly also the type who could only appreciate from the audience, not perform on stage.

Shen Xinghe didn’t comment, just nodded.

However, with his abilities, he certainly wasn’t the type to get stage fright just from being watched. Besides, Shen Xinghe’s previous takedowns of the guys who tried to hit on them at the basketball court and that upperclassman from the street photography club were sharp-tongued and merciless.

His eloquence was definitely not an issue; he simply disliked showing himself off with it.

Zhou Yue listened to everyone’s discussion and summarized, "So it seems we all agree the Debate Club is impressive, but we also basically all feel like we’re not cut out for it, right?"

She smiled and glanced around at the group, her eyes suddenly landing on Chen Mo. "Chen Mo, you seem a little interested?"

Chen Mo smiled, remaining noncommittal. "I’m interested, but my time and energy are limited. It might not be a high priority."

"This kind of brain-burning stuff is too exhausting! I’m gonna go find something more fun and relaxing! That club up ahead has a huge crowd. It looks interesting, let’s go check it out!" Lin Xiaoxiao cheerfully cut off the deep analysis of debate. She linked arms with Zhou Yue and Zhao Ya and immediately rushed forward.

Her interruption snapped everyone out of the serious, contemplative atmosphere. Following the direction she pointed, they saw a booth not far away that was indeed swarmed three layers deep, with bursts of gasps and laughter drifting over. It was a stark contrast to the silent brainstorming at the Debate Club.

Pulled along by the energetic Lin Xiaoxiao, the group navigated the somewhat crowded walkway, heading toward the booth that was packed to the gills and constantly erupting with cries of shock and admiration.

The closer they got, the clearer the air became, filled with a mixture of intense electronic sound effects, the rapid clatter of keyboards and mice, and the involuntary shouts of the audience, forming an incredibly infectious wave of heat and excitement.

The banner above the booth boldly read: [Peak Esports Club - Welcome to the Valley of Heroes!].

The booth’s design was filled with a sense of technology and competition: the background was a giant LED screen, live-streaming the intense battle raging inside the booth.

On both sides stood roll-up banners with posed photos of the team members. The players wore matching team uniforms, their expressions either stern or confident.

Dazzling RGB light strips were wrapped around the display stands, flickering and changing colors in time with the rhythm of in-game kills.

The core attraction came from a specially constructed semi-open competition area in the center of the booth.

Ten high-performance computers were arranged back-to-back, forming a standard competition setup.

Ten club members were in the middle of a 5v5 exhibition match, with the giant LED screen displaying the real-time battle from an OB (spectator) view.

Right now, the game had clearly reached a white-hot team fight.

On the large LED screen, the camera view switched rapidly. The skill effects were brilliant and dazzling, almost dizzying to watch.

An assassin hero from the blue team was using extremely tricky positioning and a dizzying array of mobility skills to try and cut into the red team’s backline.

The red team’s support player reacted with lightning speed, throwing out a crucial crowd control ability almost predictively. It missed the assassin by a hair’s breadth, drawing a collective "HISS—!" as the audience sucked in a sharp breath.

Almost simultaneously, the red team’s ADC (Attack Damage Carry) demonstrated incredible reaction speed and micro, sidestepping the enemy assassin’s key ability with a small movement. At the same time, their keyboard and mouse clattered as they kited perfectly, maxing out their DPS and unleashing a torrent of damage onto the enemy frontline.

The blue team’s top-laner, playing a heavy tank, roared as they Flashed into the battlefield. They swung a massive weapon, attempting to disrupt the red team’s formation...

"Focus the AD! Focus the AD! Watch the AD’s position!"

"CC him! CC him! Can you lock him down?"

"Nice! He’s controlled! Focus fire! Focus fire!"

"Go, go, go! We can’t win this! Leave me, leave me!"

Inside the competition area, the participating club members communicated at lightning speed, their voices a little hoarse from tension and focus, but their commands were crystal clear.

Their fingers flew across the mechanical keyboards, moving so fast they almost left afterimages. Their mice were clicked and dragged frequently and rapidly, emitting a dense storm of CLICKS.

Every player’s expression was one of extreme concentration, their brows furrowed as they stared intently at their screens, completely immersed in the virtual battlefield.

The crowd of onlookers was packed incredibly tight, three layers deep. It was almost all guys, but you could also spot a few girls who were just as interested.

Their reactions were completely dictated by the progress of the match, their emotions rising and falling dramatically.

When a brilliant play occurred, like the support’s god-tier predictive hook or the ADC’s last-second dodge, the crowd would immediately erupt with shouts of "WOAH—!!!," "SO SICK!!!," and "THOSE REFLEXES ARE INSANE!!!" alongside other gasps and heartfelt praise.

When a team fight reached a critical moment and the outcome was uncertain, the entire viewing area would fall silent in an instant. Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the big screen, the only sounds being the intense in-game skill effects and the players’ hurried communications.

That collective tension was almost palpable.

When one side made a mistake and got focused down and insta-killed, or when the team fight finally had a victor, the crowd would immediately erupt with huge groans of disappointment like "AWW—! SO CLOSE!" or deafening cheers and applause like "Nice! They won!" and "Beautiful team fight!" depending on who they were rooting for.

In the lulls between fights, the people around would immediately fall into heated discussions: "Did he use his Flash too early?" "The red team’s shot-calling is so decisive!" "The blue team’s jungler is getting completely read." "This mid-laner’s mechanics are insane!" All sorts of debates would arise.

Chen Mo’s group of six finally managed to find a spot on the outskirts of the crowd where they could get a clear view of the big screen.

Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Yue might not have understood the specific game mechanics, but they were swept up by the incredibly enthusiastic atmosphere and the cool visuals on screen, watching with great interest.

Su Yuqing and Zhao Ya were more like casual spectators, carried along by the energy of the scene, finding it novel and exciting.

Shen Xinghe’s gaze swept coolly over the players’ hyper-focused, almost ferocious expressions, then shifted to the brilliant plays and complex skill effects on the screen. He also seemed quite interested.

Chen Mo watched calmly with his arms crossed.

He rarely played competitive games like this on the computer because a single match took too long. In his free time, he would occasionally pull out his phone to play a round or two of a mobile competitive game.

Even though he didn’t play these types of games on a PC, all competitive games shared the same fundamental principles.

He could still understand what was going on.

He could discern a lot from this high-speed confrontation: extremely fast reflexes, complex tactical decisions, teamwork, and the mental fortitude to stay calm under intense pressure.

As one team fight concluded, the red team won by a slight margin and destroyed the blue team’s high-ground turret.

The red team supporters in the crowd immediately burst into fervent cheers and applause.

A club member in charge of recruitment seized the opportunity, grabbing a microphone and shouting, "Did you see our upperclassmen’s moves? Isn’t that hype? Any interested students are welcome to come sign up and learn more! Our club has dedicated scrims, organized premade teams, and even chances to compete in the university league!"