David Thompson casually picked Darkin Blade Demon, moving his mouse to select—at this rank, it didn’t matter what he played. Just like the “123” pick method, on the champion select screen, the first top lane champion he found in the first row was Aatrox.

Samuel Reed and John Foster, this pair of hard-luck brothers, really wanted to cry. Even though they were only in Gold, they were close to Platinum. Black Rose was considered a suburban server, but among the suburbs, it was still a major region. Because of its name, it attracted all sorts of “girl-carrying maniacs” and countless smurf accounts of top players stirring up trouble.

Aatrox, Master Yi, Fiora, Yasuo—known as the Four Swordsmen of the League. When Aatrox first joined the League, he had his moment in the spotlight, but as the patches kept nerfing him, he became the weakest of the four. In his own words: he could only live timidly under the tower.

This was the old version of Aatrox. Thanks to “杀千末” and “社会人两把刀” for their generous 100,000 tip—awesome, thank you.

Chapter 15: Level 1 Q Upgrade. Thanks to “洛奇斯灭寂” for the million reward.

Samuel Reed and John Foster picked their most practiced combo—Vayne and Leona. It was a solid choice; when they got serious, this duo could really put up a fight.

The match loading screen popped up, and the summoners entered their prep phase.

On the other side, after class, Lily Walker took the subway to Pudong. Looking at the slightly rundown internet café in front of her, she hesitated.

She knew exactly why she came back to China as an exchange student—she wanted to find that person. Her family tried to stop her. In their eyes, they were from two different worlds. Since Lily had already moved on, there was no need to bring up that person again. Besides, so many years had passed—who knew what he was like now? But no one could stop her. Without this stubbornness, there would be no Lily Walker standing tall today.

This was a promise she made to herself: as long as she could stand up, she would go find him.

In her darkest moments, when she was about to give up, it was that person who gave her hope. Over the years, she kept working hard, persevering, falling, getting back up, falling again, and rising once more. She was no longer afraid of ridicule, always wearing a smile. Because she had hope, all her efforts gradually became part of her life. Now, everything she had given and persisted in was for the hope that one day she could find him in person and stand before him.

Even now, the scene of him defeating ook, that unintentional smile at the corner of his mouth, still felt like it happened just yesterday. She believed some things never change.

Her mother once said, “Meeting is worse than not meeting; reality is often harsh.” But so what? She had already survived the darkest, most desperate times.

“Welcome to Jinyang Internet Café.” Jinyang was an old internet café, a bit behind the times, but it survived thanks to its low prices and the popularity of League of Legends.

Internet cafés are constant, but the girls at the front desk come and go. Even though she was a girl, the receptionist was stunned for three seconds, looking Lily Walker up and down, her expression gradually turning cold. “All the seats are full.”

Lily Walker acted as if she didn’t notice, still flashing a brilliant smile. “Sister, I’m not here to use the internet. Can I ask you about someone?”

Honestly, the receptionist was annoyed. She used to be the “flower” of the café, but now this “Lux” with red and blue buffs and full build had instantly turned her into a “Tristana.” Still, that smile made her feel a bit better—after all, she was a customer.

“This is an internet café. If you’re looking for someone, go to the police station,” the “flower” said coolly, but without the previous hostility.

“I know. Actually, I just want to know if there used to be a boy named ‘kier’ who played StarCraft here, about five years ago.” Lily Walker was a bit nervous; it had been a long time since she’d felt this way.

“Never heard of him five years ago. The owner here has changed several times since then.” With that, the “flower” ignored Lily Walker, secretly thinking, “Is she crazy?”

Walking out of the internet café, Lily Walker couldn’t help but pause, gazing at the bustling street, feeling a bit lost. Yes, it had been over five years. Things had changed, people had changed. Maybe he already had a girlfriend, maybe he wasn’t here anymore.

No, no matter what, she had to see him at least once. She had crossed mountains and rivers to get here—how could she give up now?

Lily Walker had her reasons for coming here. Back then, sixteen-year-old kier must have lived nearby. If he’d moved away, it was fate. But if he was still here, it was very likely he’d show up at this internet café.

Besides, with League of Legends being so popular and so captivating, she absolutely didn’t believe he would stop playing. Not only would he play, but he’d definitely be very good at it. That’s why Lily Walker had been preparing all along.

Someone who stood up step by step during rehabilitation had a resilience beyond imagination.

“Hi, excuse me, do you know kier?”

“Huh? What’s that? Your English sounds so good—where did you learn it?”

“No idea. Are you looking for someone? Want me to help?”

Lily Walker wasn’t discouraged, because she was getting closer to him—at least they were under the same sky.

Meanwhile, David Thompson and his two teammates had already queued up and entered the game.

His lane opponent was Mundo. As soon as the enemy Mundo saw he was up against Aatrox, he was overjoyed. They were a five-man premade: four guys and one girl. The girl picked a support, and Mundo himself was Gold I on Ionia. To brag a bit, in the suburbs, that was basically high Platinum. Of course, Black Rose was a bit tougher.