Chapter 5 – NO.1：Unique – 11 kills
Ji Wei was brushing his teeth in front of the mirror when he received the tryout notice. He almost swallowed the foam when he saw the message.
I actually passed!
The other party added him directly on WeChat to notify him of the tryout next Wednesday, along with some important details. They told Ji Wei that the tryout would last seven days, that he would be staying at the base with food and lodging provided, and that he needed to bring some essential supplies.
His morning drowsiness hadn’t fully worn off. After yawning and reading the message three times, Ji Wei suddenly remembered something very important.
Wait… seven days?
Wouldn’t that mean he couldn’t livestream?
Luckily, his contract with Maoyu was about to expire, so he wouldn’t be fined much. But—his fans would probably be pissed!
Ji Wei scheduled a leave notice on Weibo to be posted in two days, then closed the notification app.
Hopefully, netizens would show him some leniency.
…
It had rained for several days, but Wednesday brought a rare burst of sunshine. The sun shone brightly, making him feel a little dizzy.
The AVG base was located in Hai City’s prestigious villa district, overlooking the river. Precious flowers and trees were meticulously trimmed, the central fountain sparkled, and imported sculptures gleamed in the sunlight.
Ji Wei, burdened with bags and small luggage, looked like a traveler during the Spring Festival rush. By the time he reached the gate, his face was already flushed from the heat.
The security guard, apparently informed in advance, let him through after registering his name.
As Ji Wei reached the entrance, a familiar-looking middle-aged man came out to greet him.
“Unique, right? The security guard called me. I’m Xu Shaoqiu, AVG’s team manager and head coach.”
Xu Shaoqiu handed him a bottle of water, but since Ji Wei’s hands were full, he tucked it under his arm.
Leading the way, the man said, “I was surprised when I heard you signed up. I’ll show you around first. You can put your things in the dorms later. The others haven’t arrived yet.”
Ji Wei followed him to a small villa. As they neared the door, Xu Shaoqiu noticed the boy’s belongings were about to fall.
He quickly stepped forward to grab a bag. “Why do you have so much stuff? Didn’t they tell you the tryouts were only seven days?”
Ji Wei, a little embarrassed, replied, “Thank you… they did, but I’m just used to bringing more.”
The base had four floors. It wasn’t as magnificent as he had imagined, but it was well-equipped—training rooms, physical therapy rooms, and even a gym. More than adequate.
Several younger members were practicing on the first floor. They were all unfamiliar faces, probably from AVG’s second team.
But something puzzled him.
Where was the main lineup? Could they still be asleep?
Xu Shaoqiu interrupted his thoughts: “There are four tryouts this time, so the rooms aren’t big enough. We’ll split them into pairs. Your roommate hasn’t arrived yet.”
Ji Wei said, “OK,” then carried his bags into the room to unpack and arrange his belongings.
In his bag was a bottle of scented body lotion he’d bought ages ago and never used, along with four sets of loungewear he had picked up on impulse.
The room was much larger than his old studio, with two beds, a private bathroom, and a balcony.
Soon, his roommate—the person he would be spending the next seven days with—arrived.
He was short, wore thick glasses, and had the typical look of an internet addict: a little chubby, with a simple, adorable air.
“Oh my God! Are you Unique?”
Ji Wei hadn’t interacted with anyone face-to-face in a long time. Feeling a twinge of social anxiety, he gave a slight nod.
The newcomer wasn’t the least bit embarrassed and immediately started talking non-stop:
“My name is Lin Tao. I didn’t expect you to show up for the tryouts. How are you going to livestream here? I didn’t even realize we’d be roommates. Hey, why are the rooms so small? Which bed do you want? You came first, so you pick.”
Ji Wei: “Any bed is fine. Take your pick.”
Lin Tao: “Oh, then I’ll take the one by the bathroom. I need to get up in the middle of the night.”
“Okay.”
Ji Wei placed his bedding and eye mask by the window.
After everyone had arrived, the two of them gathered in the conference room downstairs.
Xu Shaoqiu had gone to fetch the documents, leaving the other two tryout players whispering to each other.
“Why don’t I see any members of AVG? I really want Solve’s autograph.”
“You’re overthinking it. I just asked. This is the second-team dormitory. How could tryout players live with the starters? Don’t you know AVG has several buildings?”
Ji Wei was stunned when he heard this.
So the starting lineup and the tryout players didn’t live together.
Before Ji Wei could figure out the source of his disappointment, he saw Xu Shaoqiu walk into the conference room carrying some documents.
Placing the contract on the table, Xu Shaoqiu gave Ji Wei another glance.
“What’s wrong, Unique? If you regret it, you can leave before signing.”
Everyone in the room turned their eyes toward him.
Ji Wei quickly shook his head. “No, I’m just sleepy.”
Xu Shaoqiu raised a brow. “It’s past four and you’re still sleepy? Then you’d better get used to it quickly. Our training starts at two in the afternoon, and you can’t be late.”
He placed the documents on the table and looked around at the four boys.
“Now that everyone is here, let me briefly outline the arrangements for the next seven days.
The first day will be the preliminary test, the last day the final assessment, and the five days in between will be training matches. We’ll play through all the competition maps, and individual scores will be calculated based on the results. The highest scorer will stay.
The preliminary test is tonight, so the schedule will be tight. If you have no questions, come and sign the tryout contract.”
…
After signing the contracts, the tryout players began to get to know each other.
The other two were streamers on another platform, Aurora TV, named Tornado and Xingzai. They weren’t very famous, but both had solid rankings on the server.
Although active elsewhere, they had still seen clips of Unique’s livestream on short video apps and were shocked to see him at the tryout.
“Hey, buddy, I thought I was seeing things, but it really is you. My girlfriend watches your livestream every day. Can we take a picture? I want to show her.”
Ji Wei: “Sure, but can you please not tell her I’m trying out here? I haven’t made it public yet.”
He was mostly worried about failing and looking embarrassed. He didn’t want to become a target for online mockery.
…
At nine o’clock that evening, the group had their first tryout match. Their opponents were members of AVG’s current second team.
The staff handed them accounts and pulled them straight into a custom room where the second team and their sparring partners were already waiting.
Looking at the row of identical accounts, Xing Zi sighed. “As expected of a top-tier team, they even have so many sparring partners.”
Xuan Feng added, “If even the second team has this kind of setup, the starting lineup must be even more insane. A pro team really is something else.”
The game began. The custom map was set around G Port in Erangel, a classic drop spot for the AVG team.
Just as the four of them were about to parachute, Xuan Feng asked, “Unique, do you struggle early on? How about you play backup this time—help us grab more ammo and supplies. I prefer gunfights anyway, and I’m fine with close combat.”
Xing Zi agreed. “Yeah, this custom map is so small, it’s obviously meant to test close-range combat. Why don’t you wait for us in Upper City? Don’t land on the containers—it’s too hard to hide there.”
Ji Wei was silent for a moment, then marked the spot where he wanted to jump.
Lin Tao was stunned when he saw the mark. “You want to drop on that container in the middle? Won’t you get caught too easily?”
Xing Zi laughed. “Brother, I’m not saving you if you fall.”
Ji Wei didn’t elaborate. “It’s fine. Everyone just go at your own pace. You don’t have to save me if you fall.”
…
Next to the training room was a viewing room where Xu Shaoqiu and the team analysts were watching real-time data.
This was the first match for the four academy players. Regardless of their previous experience, this match was their first step in being evaluated.
Suddenly, a furtive human head appeared in the doorway.
Xu Shaoqiu heard the noise, turned around, and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of a head peeking in.
“What the hell are you doing here instead of training?”
Da Shu: “Oh, I just came to watch. I’ve been grinding all day—what’s wrong with watching and learning?”
Xu Shaoqiu gritted his teeth. “Come on, you just want to see Unique, don’t you? I saw the other day that you followed him on your smurf account on Maoyu.”
Da Shu: “Huh? Why are you even looking at my smurf’s follow list? Even a team manager has boundaries, you know.”
Xu Shaoqiu: “Don’t change the subject. I’m warning you—our team doesn’t do backdoors. Don’t bring your idol nonsense into practice!”
Da Shu: “What kind of backdoor could I possibly give him? Didn’t you always tell me to practice scouting? I just wanted to watch his streams for inspiration.”
AVG didn’t have a rigid division of roles; they usually assigned positions flexibly based on tactical needs. The team’s most recognizable style was recklessness—charging in without hesitation.
But as time passed, every pro team developed diverse strategies and refined operational plans for different maps and terrains. Relying solely on raw mechanics made it hard to secure consistent wins.
That was one of the main reasons AVG missed the championship last year.
Except for Yin Sijue, the whole team tended to be reckless, often falling into enemy traps. Xu Shaoqiu had long been considering letting the often-lost idiot Da Shu take on the role of scout.
In-game, scouts were responsible for early reconnaissance and intel gathering. Sometimes they needed to sneak close to enemy lines, even tracking down hidden positions.
Convinced, Xu Shaoqiu asked dryly, “Since when were you so eager to learn?”
Da Shu: “I’ve always been this eager to learn, okay?”
“Enough,” the analyst beside them interrupted nervously.
“Brother Qiu, take a look at these stats.”
The two men leaned in. The battle panel before them prominently displayed the ID of the player with the most kills:
[No. 1: Unique — 11 kills]