Chapter 143 Rhythm

Upon seeing Lin Yu's message, Jiang Zheng replied that he had no objections and would wait a moment for the platform to make the arrangements.

The promotional campaign quickly spread out.

The viewers in Jiang Zheng's live broadcast room were immediately excited; this time, the opponent wasn't a domestic professional player, but an overseas pro.

Compared to matches against domestic professional players, they were far more eager to see Jiang Zheng go head-to-head with international pros.

Before long, the match officially began.

Jiang Zheng's matches against several overseas professional players went smoothly, and Jiang Zheng emerged victorious.

The audience in the live broadcast room cheered, frantically spamming the chat with "Streamer is a god."

Having won against several international pros, a long time had already passed since the stream started. Since Jiang Zheng had classes tomorrow, he couldn't stay up too late.

He sent a message to Lin Yu: "Last one. After this match, I'm ending the stream."

"Understood. However, Mr. Jiang, this professional player is Alllard. Would you like to play against him?" Lin Yu asked via message.

Alllard.

Jiang Zheng had heard of this person; he was a very famous professional player and a top-tier solo laner internationally.

"Sure," Jiang Zheng replied.

An opponent he would have to face sooner or later, Jiang Zheng felt no fear in his heart.

"Alright, I'll arrange it for you right away," Lin Yu replied.

............

"Supervisor, are we really going to schedule Alllard?" Lin Yu asked again with a hint of uncertainty.

"Arrange it. If Jiang Zheng can win this time, his follower count will surge even higher," the supervisor said.

"But that's Alllard!" Lin Yu exclaimed.

"So what if it's Alllard? As long as Jiang Zheng keeps going, he's bound to run into him sooner or later. It's just a matter of sooner or later," the supervisor said.

Lin Yu acknowledged the order and immediately went to make the arrangements.

............

Jiang Zheng announced in his live broadcast room that he would play one final match before ending the stream.

The viewers were reluctant to see him go, but there was nothing they could do.

Soon, the final opponent was arranged, and everyone realized something was wrong.

The live chat was scrolling incessantly.

"The opponent looks like Alllard."

"It doesn't just look like him, that is Alllard."

"Is that the God of Solo Lane?"

"When it comes to laning, this guy is a top-tier player. Can the streamer win?"

"Please don't doubt the streamer's strength. When has he ever not won?"

............

The match began.

Both players were in the solo lane. According to the match rules previously set by Jiang Zheng, the opponent got to choose the lane.

Although Alllard was a top-tier player, he didn't stand on ceremony and directly chose his most proficient lane.

He wasn't stupid; why wouldn't he use his best lane and instead play in one he wasn't familiar with?

After each selected a hero and entered the game, Alllard launched an attack.

His playstyle was exceptionally ferocious. Jiang Zheng had encountered professional players who attacked right from the start before.

Yet, it felt completely different—they didn't have the kind of oppressive aura that Alllard possessed. Even through the screen, Jiang Zheng could feel the crushing pressure emanating from Alllard.

This was the terror of the God of Solo Lane: an invisible pressure during the laning phase that made opponents cower before the fight even began.

This pressure had some impact on Jiang Zheng, but it was manageable, not overwhelmingly severe.

He operated at full capacity, maximizing all his mechanics, but his opponent was no pushover either, possessing equally top-tier skills.

First blood was conceded by Jiang Zheng.

This was the first time Jiang Zheng had given up first blood so quickly.

After gaining the advantage in kills, Alllard's playstyle became even more aggressive, directly suppressing Jiang Zheng under his own tower and preventing him from coming out.

Alllard didn't bother farming the jungle or anything like that; he simply kept Jiang Zheng pinned down, and stepping out by even a single step meant taking a full combo to the face.

After several exchanges, Jiang Zheng's health and resources were in terrible shape, though his opponent's state wasn't entirely pristine either.

Jiang Zheng wanted to recall, but he was afraid his outer tower would be pushed down; if he didn't recall, he would eventually be worn down and killed.

The viewers in the live chat were also sweating for Jiang Zheng; this opponent was far stronger than any previous ones.

Soon, after clearing a wave of minions, Jiang Zheng chose to recall.

After restoring his status, Jiang Zheng did not cower under the tower anymore; instead, he engaged Alllard directly.

During the exchange, Jiang Zheng rapidly observed Alllard's operational habits.

The price for this was that he handed over his second death.

The viewers in the live chat wrung their hands in regret, feeling that Jiang Zheng had been far too rash this time and should have played it safer.

Ordinarily, after this kill, Alllard could have capitalized on the moment to push the tower and secure victory in the first game.

Yet he didn't. He merely recalled to replenish his resources and then returned to the lane to wait for Jiang Zheng.

To this, Jiang Zheng was actually quite willing. It wasn't about finding hope for a comeback through such means, but rather that being able to trade blows longer would allow him to gain a deeper understanding of Alllard.

After respawning, Jiang Zheng went into the battle against Alllard braced for the defeat of this game. He hadn't intended to secure a kill this time, so his focus was entirely on observation.

However, Alllard refrained from killing Jiang Zheng for a long time. There were clearly several opportunities to secure the kill, but he simply refused to do so.

When Jiang Zheng tried to retreat, Alllard wouldn't let him back off, nor would he finish him off.

Alllard's intention was glaringly obvious, and Jiang Zheng wasn't a fool—he naturally saw through it. He was being toyed with.

Instantly, a trace of anger flared up in Jiang Zheng's heart.

The chat in his live broadcast room grew even more furious.

Perhaps in previous matches against domestic professional players, everyone's emotions hadn't been this stirred up.

Even though Jiang Zheng had wanted to further observe Alllard's operational habits, now that he was being humiliated and toyed with, he no longer had the composure to observe.

Fighting with a desperate, do-or-die mindset, Jiang Zheng gave up his third death.

The first game, he had lost.

In the live stream, the audience's emotions ran high, and the chat was being spammed frantically.

Soon, some critical and accusatory comments targeting Jiang Zheng began to appear.

"So he's just a domestic tiger and a foreign mouse!"

"So good at beating domestic professional players, why can't he do it against foreign ones?"

"He's such a disappointment, actually getting toyed with like this."

"Could the streamer have thrown the game on purpose?"

"Running his mouth with all that big talk, I thought he was amazing, but this is it?"

"A total slap in the face and a disgrace. He slapped his own face and shamed all of us. Stop streaming and go home to farm the fields!"

............

Before long, this narrative was deliberately stirred up by people with hidden agendas. Even though it was just a single lost game, it was treated as if Jiang Zheng had committed some unforgivable crime.

Jiang Zheng didn't pay too much attention to the accusations in the chat; his mind wasn't focused on the screen right now.

At this moment, all his thoughts were consumed by how to better lane against Alllard.

He desperately tried to recall the details of the laning phase just moments ago.

……………………

Looking at the comments in the live chat, Lin Yu said anxiously, "Supervisor, what should we do now? Someone is deliberately stirring up negative sentiment in Jiang Zheng's stream. If this keeps up, he's going to lose followers."

The supervisor said, "Go investigate who is behind the stirring up of trouble, and give them a warning to keep a low profile."

"Supervisor, what about the chaos in the live stream?" Lin Yu asked.

"The momentum in the chat has already been built up; just have someone steer the narrative back a bit. That's all we can do," the supervisor said with a headache.