It was the winter of 2010, and the weather was exceptionally cold. It even snowed in Shanghai. At this moment, in a large internet café on Jinyang Street in Pudong, it should have been bustling with noise and excitement, but instead, the huge internet café was eerily quiet. Yet, upon opening the door, one would find the place packed to the brim, with everyone gathered in front of the big screen, heads raised, each face grave and tense.

In this era, the most popular e-sports game was, without a doubt, StarCraft. Globally, Korea held a dominant position in this game, boasting top players with nicknames like the Pope, the Mad King, the God Lord, and the Six Zerglings, as if they were set to conquer the universe. However, they suffered a crushing defeat in the previous SCG 1v1 International Championship, losing the title. Of course, the Korean media claimed it was because they hadn’t taken it seriously. So this time, they sent a star-studded lineup to defend their supremacy.

Yet, the process was not as easy as they had anticipated. The finals of the second SCG were in full swing, and one of the competitors was the 16-year-old Chinese prodigy Peter.

The ID Peter was already legendary in China’s e-sports scene. He peaked as soon as he debuted, showing his prowess in fighting games at a very young age. In the past two years, he had dominated the domestic StarCraft scene, winning multiple championships, especially last year’s SCG title, which made him an overnight sensation. At his age, his future seemed limitless. At this moment, Peter’s opponent was the Terran king, the Pope Luke from the Korean StarCraft League. By now, Luke had essentially mastered the game, earning the nickname “StarCraft Destroyer,” meaning he was so strong he could break the game itself. Likewise, his e-sports powerhouse team SK had monopolized the championship for three consecutive years—a miracle in the fiercely competitive world of e-sports.

Chapter 2: The Final Battle with the Pope

The match was extremely intense. Peter chose Zerg, but the RH strategy didn’t succeed. In Zerg vs. Terran, if you don’t gain an early advantage, you’re 80% likely to lose. The battle-hardened Luke clearly saw through his opponent’s intentions—the title of Pope was well-earned. His opponent’s micro was astonishing, forcing him to go all out on defense in the early game. But still, he underestimated a pro player. The anti-air and radar were already set up. The only way for his opponent to turn the tables was to drop Lurkers to disrupt the economy, but that was wishful thinking. In at most five minutes, it would be the Terran’s absolute crushing period. With his macro, even if an average player took over now, they could win.

A confident smile appeared on Luke’s face. In a corner of the internet café sat a man in a suit, his face a bit long, completely out of place in the environment. He was the general manager of Korea’s SSG e-sports club. Once a powerhouse, the club had fallen into crisis as SK dominated, with almost all domestic resources monopolized by SK. He had no choice but to look further afield.

To be honest, even he found it unbelievable that he would come to a country where e-sports was still in its infancy to scout players. But the first time he saw Peter’s highlight reel, he was deeply captivated. When he learned this player was only 16, Eric Bennett immediately bought a ticket to Shanghai and went to great lengths to find the internet café hosting the match. Just as he had predicted, Peter made it to the finals. Along the way, he had already eliminated two Korean pro players and was now facing the terrifying Pope Luke.

Frankly, the tactics weren’t extraordinary; what was terrifying was his reaction speed and micro. As a professional, he felt his hair stand on end.

This might be SSG’s only chance to get out of its predicament.

In the first four games, the two were tied at 2-2—a score no one had predicted. Almost everyone thought Luke would win 3-0 with ease. It was unimaginable that a non-professional player could push the all-powerful Pope to this point. In the first four games, both players’ APM had exceeded 400. What does that mean? Usually, an APM of over 200 is enough to go pro; over 300 is top-tier. But these two had soared past 400, and sustained it for four games. There were fewer than three people in the world with such ability.

But in this game, Peter was out of luck. As both general manager and coach, Eric Bennett’s judgment was undoubtedly accurate. At this moment, internet cafés all over the country were watching this match. Since e-sports was still in its infancy, the only way to watch live was through a fan-run platform called U.

A suffocating sense of despair filled the internet café. If it weren’t for the two earlier victories, it might not have felt so bad. Not just Eric Bennett, but anyone with a bit of knowledge could see the situation.

The failure of the RH strategy for Zerg meant there was no chance to play a macro late game. Mutalisks or Lurkers had to go all-in for a gamble.

Peter chose Mutalisks, which offered more room for micro than Lurkers, but Luke had already seen through it. He was already building Missile Turrets and Cloaked Wraiths at home—a perfect counter.

Eric Bennett was biting his finger, a habit when he was conflicted. As a Korean, of course he wanted Luke to win, but as SSG’s general manager, he hoped Peter would win, as it would greatly help his future plans for a comeback. E-sports is about competition, but it also needs hype and labels. A genius who defeats Luke would absolutely set off a storm in the Korean e-sports scene.

On the battlefield, Peter was now fully on the defensive, pouring all his economy into Mutalisks. But waiting for him on the other side was a mixed force of even stronger Cloaked Wraiths, Missile Turrets, and Marines. Anyone with a bit of knowledge knew—Mutalisks would be utterly crushed.

“Wouldn’t it be better to add some Zerglings for support?”