Chapter 34 – The Finals Command Is Yours
Xu Shaoqiu had already entered the lounge. Upon hearing the news, he nearly dropped his phone and rushed out, shoving the door open.
“Make way! Everyone, make way!”
At the scene, a crowd had already gathered around Yin Sijue. Da Shu had called the police and an ambulance, while Mi Li had summoned several staff members for help. Everyone was frantically searching for something to stop the bleeding.
“How do you disinfect a knife wound like this? Will iodine work?”
“We need to get to the hospital for a tetanus shot!”
“That match—”
The din of voices blended with the roar of traffic. Ji Wei stood beside Yin Sijue, his eyes red, a sob lodged in his throat. He raised his stiff hand, unsure where to touch, and gasped frantically for air.
“I saw him!” The boy broke down, tears as large as beans rolling down his cheeks. “I saw him when I got off the bus! If I had said something sooner…”
“There are no ifs.” Yin Sijue looked down at him, twisting his blood-stained hands. “It’s no use saying anything. He’s coming for me.”
Xu Shaoqiu rushed over with a bundle of gauze. “Stop the bleeding first.”
He pressed the gauze against the wound. Blood still seeped through, bringing a sharp sting and prickling pain. Yin Sijue frowned slightly.
Xu Shaoqiu swallowed his anger and asked, “Did you see who it was?”
Yin Sijue was silent for a moment, then looked at him with complex, restrained eyes, tinged with disgust.
“I saw him.”
“…”
As clever as Xu Shaoqiu was, he understood immediately. He pressed down on the gauze with one hand while the other clenched into a trembling fist.
Da Shu suddenly looked up. “What do you mean? Do we know this guy?”
Yin Sijue didn’t answer. Instead, he wiped the blood from his hand with a tissue, then brushed Ji Wei’s cheek lightly with his knuckles.
The boy’s eyes and nose were red from crying, tears leaving translucent trails down his porcelain-white skin. Though he tried to hold back, a few broken sobs still escaped.
“Don’t cry.”
“I dodged it. The wound isn’t deep. I’ll just go to the hospital and have it bandaged.”
Realizing he had lost control, Ji Wei wiped his face with his hand, turned his head aside, and choked back a sob.
“You pushed me away. If you hadn’t, he wouldn’t have hurt you.”
The words made him want to cry even more. He lowered his head, whimpering, new tears welling in his eyes—quickly blinked away before they could fall.
“Don’t dwell on what didn’t happen.”
Yin Sijue lowered his hand and grasped Ji Wei’s wrist. The boy’s arm was pale, his wrist so slender it could easily be wrapped in one hand.
After comforting Ji Wei, he turned back to Da Shu and finally answered.
“It’s Wolf.”
Silence fell again.
Several staff members who knew Wolf turned in surprise, exchanging looks as their movements halted for a moment.
Xu Shaoqiu lowered his head in silence, a cloud passing over his features. In fact, when he heard the word “motorcycle,” he had suspected something — Wolf had bought a high-end bike two years earlier.
At the time, the clerk, seeing Wolf was underage, had refused to sell it; Xu Shaoqiu had accompanied him to pick it up.
Xu Shaoqiu glanced at the nearby staff and sighed, “Please don’t tell anyone yet. The club will handle this. We’ll hold an interview soon. Let the players finish the competition first…”
He choked up, which was rare for him.
How could they possibly compete after this?
As the finals approached, their captain and shot-caller were injured. Yin Sijue was clearly unable to play in his condition. Even if he could get back from the hospital in time, he wouldn’t let a teammate compete while injured.
Xu Shaoqiu drew a deep breath and looked up at the gloomy sky, bewilderment in his eyes.
Is this fate? Is this the end of AVG’s run this year?
A warm hand pressed on his shoulder; Yin Sijue squeezed it with his uninjured hand.
“You can change the lineup up to three hours before the match. Jerry’s still on the roster, so hurry.”
Xu Shaoqiu came to his senses and understood, but he hesitated.
AVG had always been built around Solve — he held the most important position as in-game leader. Putting aside whether Solve could competently replace him, would the players adapt to a new leader’s style? Jerry had no major tournament experience; could he step into a final right away?
The more Xu Shaoqiu thought about it, the more desperate he felt. The lines between his brows were so deep they looked like they could pinch a fly, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Suddenly he felt a light pressure on his shoulder.
Yin Sijue met his gaze and said calmly, “You have to trust them.”
Da Shu, watching nearby, chimed in, “That’s right! Brother Qiu, don’t underestimate us, okay? Jerry often teams up with us. We can win the finals no problem!”
Mi Li rolled his eyes. “You’re acting like we’re doomed without our captain. Take him to the hospital and let him recuperate. We’ll win.”
Ji Wei wiped his tears away and said evenly, “Brother Qiu, it’s okay. It’s a good thing you put Jerry and me on the roster — otherwise we’d only have three players right now.”
The PUBG Pro League allows roster changes, but all potential changes must be submitted to the league and made public before the regular season.
Xu Shaoqiu managed a bitter smile. “Who would’ve thought this when we first submitted the report?”
He then pulled the assistant coach aside and instructed, “I’ll take Solve to the hospital first. You go to the league, explain the situation, and request a roster change. Lao Ma and the second team will be here soon — call Lao Ma so Jerry can be ready.”
“And notify the legal department to work overtime today. I’ll sue them to death.”
The assistant coach nodded, then turned and led the on-site staff toward league management.
“Who called the police?”
A police car arrived just in time. Two officers stepped out and walked into the crowd to inquire.
Xu Shaoqiu grabbed Da Shu’s phone. “I did. Someone attacked a person with a knife in the street. The surveillance cameras at the stadium entrance should’ve captured it. We’ve already called an ambulance. A player injured his hand and needs immediate medical attention.”
One of the older officers noticed Yin Sijue’s still-bleeding wound and said with understanding:
“Understood. We’ll coordinate with the 120 ambulance team to transport the injured to the hospital. Another officer will accompany you and record the entire process. Your cooperation will be needed.”
“Is the stadium staff here?” He scanned the group.
“Yes.” One staff member raised his hand.
“Please take me to check the on-site surveillance.”
“Okay, please follow me.”
The staff member took two steps, then turned to Xu Shaoqiu. “I was on duty at the gate the whole time and didn’t see any suspicious motorcycles. He might’ve followed you all the way to the venue. If you have a dashcam, you can check to see if it captured anything.”
The ambulance arrived quickly, sirens wailing. Dashu, still on the phone, exaggeratedly described the situation in agitation. The paramedics got out, pulling a stretcher. When they saw the injured man — pale, leaning against a nanny car — they quietly put the stretcher back and instead brought over a box of medical supplies to stop the bleeding.
Xu Shaoqiu lifted Yin Sijue’s hand as carefully as a eunuch supporting a concubine, treating it as if he were escorting a jade Buddha.
“Let’s go, let’s go! If we delay even a second, I’ll be the next one in the ambulance.”
“It’s not that serious,” Yin Sijue said, turning to the medical staff working on the wound. “Sorry, it wasn’t really necessary to call an ambulance. I only called because it was urgent.”
A nurse applying styptic powder glanced up at him.
“It’s fine. I understand. Professionals get anxious when they injure their hands. The hospital’s emergency resources are ample today — there won’t be any delays.”
Xu Shaoqiu was still muttering anxiously to himself. “I wonder how long this cut will take to heal… Hey, this car’s from the People’s Hospital! I need to call Xu Xingchen and find a specialist.”
“Do you know Dr. Xu? He’s on duty today.”
Ji Wei anxiously watched them tend to the wound, not daring to approach until Yin Sijue’s gaze settled on him.
That look seemed to say: Come here.
The boy obediently blew his nose and walked over, watching as the nurse applied sterile gauze to the long, horrific cut.
The nearly ten-centimeter wound had finally stopped bleeding.
“Does it hurt?”
Yin Sijue lowered his eyes, noticing the boy’s still-pink nose. Without answering, he said:
“Ji Wei, listen to me. The finals command is yours. Do as you see fit. Jerry specializes in sniping and gun-mounting — he’ll take the fourth position.”
Ji Wei was a little surprised. “But I…”
“You’ll be the flex player. If necessary, you and Mi Li will engage in close combat.”
The flex player is the most adaptable role in a PUBG team—neither a pure assaulter nor a pure sniper, but a versatile position responsible for key tasks such as battlefield coordination, information gathering, and flanking.
AVG’s current flex player was Da Shu, but double—or even quad—flex lineups weren’t uncommon in professional play.
Yin Sijue lowered his gaze to the person before him, his eyes thick and misty, filled with trust, hope, and something more.
Ji Wei froze, the words he wanted to ask catching in his throat.
How do you know I can do this?
He didn’t ask. Yin Sijue’s injury couldn’t be delayed, and Xu Shaoqiu’s anxious gaze was pressing on both of them. The medical staff had already finished treating the wound and were packing up to return to the ambulance.
Ji Wei stood beneath the low-hanging sky, staring at Yin Sijue’s bandaged hand. He had joined the team to become the strongest support for the man before him—but now he would face the finals alone.
After a long moment, the boy’s bewildered eyes slowly sharpened with resolve. He lifted his head to meet Yin Sijue’s deep gaze.
In that gaze, three years had passed.
Ji Wei was no longer a slacker, nor a youth trainee temporarily promoted to the starting lineup.
He had once had his wings clipped, endured controversy, concealed his talents, lost everything he had worked for, and started from the beginning again.
For three years, he had never stopped practicing, never loosened his grip on his weapon.
He was [Unique]. And he was also [WEI].