He was once a brilliant shot-caller who blazed across the esports firmament. Known by the ID “Zero,” he earned the nickname “Zero-Degree Shot-Caller” for his extraordinary composure and pinpoint predictions. But a crushing defeat in the finals three years ago left him under suspicion of match-fixing. He fell from grace overnight, drowning himself in alcohol and numbness, banishing himself to the corner of an internet café and becoming a living corpse with no future in sight.
She is Su Xiaoxi, ID “Sunset,” the fearless captain of a grassroots team with nothing to her name. Her team is called “Dawn,” and every member is a walking problem: a reckless entry fragger, a silent sniper, and a support player whose theories have no place in actual combat. They’re so broke they can’t even afford the most basic AI assistance, yet they’re full of pure passion and the will to win.
By chance, she recognizes him.
“Zero, we need you!”
“Do you really want to rot here for the rest of your life, watching machines take over the arena you love?”
“...Do you provide room and board?”
And so begins the journey of a disillusioned retired star, a bottom-ranked team as scattered as sand, and a campaign no one believes in.
Ling Han must reclaim the past he cast aside and use his supposedly “outdated” human intelligence to challenge the absolute authority of data and algorithms. He must teach these troubled youngsters discipline, communication, and trust, while facing his own struggle to keep up with the current meta and the truth behind the failure he would rather leave untouched.
From the muddy battles of the city’s internet café tournaments to making a name for themselves in the minor leagues, and finally to challenging the top teams armed to the teeth by the “Zeus” System...
