Chapter 151 Severe Depression
"Well...we won so easily," Moon Cat said in the channel.
"Thanks to that kid Yun Ling, Captain, are you convinced now?" Soldier chuckled.
"Yeah, very strong. As long as he expands his hero pool, he'll definitely become the new era's top lane overlord," Brownie didn't hold back her praise.
"I have to log off, it's getting late, my mom's going to lecture me if I don't go back soon."
Yun Ling glanced at the time, took off his headphones, bowed slightly to Soldier, and then hurriedly left.
"Soldier, find a way to recruit him into our team. With him on the team, the Sixth League championship is definitely ours!" Brownie's tone was incredibly serious.
"Yes, Captain," Soldier nodded.
"If we can get him, I'll give you a raise. Oh, and we can offer Yun Ling 15,000 RMB/month during his probation period, and even more after he signs the contract. We can sign him to the highest standard. In short, we must get him!"
"Hiss... Captain, I'm getting a little jealous." Soldier couldn't help but gasp.
Offering a newcomer the highest-level contract—that's a bit too much.
"Enough talk, hurry up and make your move, don't let someone else beat you to it," Brownie said calmly.
Soldier hurriedly chased after Yunling in the direction he had left.
"Bronya, this is the first time you've valued someone this much," Moon Cat couldn't help but tease over the voice chat.
"Silly Kiana, with his talent, the benefits he can bring far outweigh our costs. His gaming talent is absolutely unmatched."
"Most importantly, he's only in the second year of junior high. His prime will last at least four to seven years, which means that for the next four to seven years, barring unforeseen circumstances, our BRN team will be invincible!"
Bronya valued not only Yun Ling's potential but also his age.
Age is the biggest obstacle for professional players. As they get older, it's normal for their hand speed and awareness to decline, but at least Yun Ling doesn't have to worry about these issues right now.
"I don't understand any of this, but I just need to guard my mid lane. The rest is up to you guys," Kiana said with a grin.
"Sigh, if only it weren't for the signal transmission problem, one second is still too long." Bronya's tone carried a hint of melancholy.
Kiana is currently on the moon. Although the Anti-Entropy technology allows Kiana and Bronya to play together, signal transmission is clearly a significant problem.
In other words, Kiana always plays with a delay of over a second.
If Kiana weren't so skilled, a normal person couldn't possibly close that one-second gap.
But precisely because of this, Kiana's impact during team fights is minimal. After all, the situation changes rapidly during team fights, and a single second can be enough to end the game.
...
Meanwhile, Yun Ling returned home, looking at the still-steaming food on the table.
"Dad, Mom, have you eaten?"
"We have. Remember to finish all the food, don't waste it."
"..."
Another unchanging answer. He'd told them countless times not to cook so much, but his parents never listened.
Perhaps this was their way of expressing love.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who are you looking for?" His mother looked at the person outside with suspicion; she didn't recognize them.
"Hello, I'm Yun Ling's friend. My name is Da Bing. I'm here to talk to you about some things concerning Yun Ling," Da Bing introduced himself politely.
"Brother Dabing?" Yun Ling turned around, puzzled, upon hearing the voice.
His mother stared at Da Bing suspiciously, but still let him in.
Da Bing gave Yun Ling a look, signaling him to relax.
"Actually, I'm here to invite Yun Ling to join the e-sports industry," Da Bing explained his purpose.
"E-sports? Playing games?" His mother's expression suddenly became incredibly strange.
"Yes, Yun Ling's talent in e-sports is the best I've ever seen, so our club wants to recruit him as a professional player to participate in competitions," Da Bing nodded.
"Wait, you mean Yun Ling?" His mother's voice suddenly rose considerably.
"Yes." Da Bing thought she was proud and happy for Yun Ling, but the next second...
"He sneaked off to the internet cafe?!"
Yun Ling, who was engrossed in his meal, felt a chill run down his spine, barely daring to chew.
"Uh...it's normal for teenagers to be interested in games, but that's precisely why we discovered Yun Ling's talent." Da Bing's voice became hesitant.
"Phew...we're not considering that right now. Please leave." His mother exhaled, her voice barely containing her anger.
Hearing this, Da Bing panicked.
"Our club offers very generous terms. With Yun Ling's talent, he could get..." Da Bing hadn't finished speaking when his mother shooed him away.
"Get out! I'll call the police if you don't leave!!!" His mother's words became almost frantic, and she grabbed a broom and started chasing him away.
Seeing this, Da Bing had no choice but to leave.
Next, Yun Ling bore the brunt of his mother's anger, two red marks appearing on his face.
His father returned and, seeing this, asked what had happened.
When they learned that Yun Ling had secretly gone to play video games, they were equally furious.
But seeing Yun Ling's tear-streaked face and two red handprints on his cheek, they softened.
"What future can you have playing video games? I've looked into the e-sports industry. 99.99% of people fail halfway through, and only the 0.01% succeed... It's much crueler than studying."
"We're only doing this for your own good."
The father patted Yun Ling's head, trying to dissuade him.
"If you ask me, no wonder your grades haven't improved. You must have been secretly going to internet cafes to play games!"
The mother, still seemingly angry, blamed everything on the games.
Yun Ling didn't speak, only silently sobbing.
The two of them, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, stifled Yun Ling's budding dreams.
From then on, Yun Ling's school hours were monitored, and he was forbidden from leaving the house on weekends.
His desk was piled high with review questions; it seemed there was nothing else he could do but study.
They didn't expect Yun Ling to succeed; they just wanted him to live according to their wishes.
Soon, Yun Ling entered his final year of junior high, and the workload became incredibly heavy.
He stopped touching the computer, and his former playmates began to distance themselves from him because of his parents.
Until one day, while looking at the English words on the blackboard, Yun Ling suddenly vomited in class.
He was then taken to the infirmary...
He was diagnosed with severe depression.
...