Chapter 55: Thoroughly Investigate Arrow Computers! (The 10,000-Word Update Arrives Though Late)

The defeat on Mirage did not have much impact on the Falcon players.

On the one hand, the Falcons Club was exceptionally wealthy, and their current salaries were quite good...

On the other hand, all five players on the team were seasoned professional veterans; they were well aware of their team's weaknesses on Mirage, and it was entirely normal for Ninjas in Pyjamas to win their own map pick.

However, as the in-game leader, Snappi still spoke up in the lounge to comfort everyone: "Losing one map is nothing. We will definitely take Overpass and push this to map three, and we'll be back on a level playing field."

As he said this, Snappi's tone was filled with confidence because they had a win rate of over 60% on this map recently, having defeated opponents that included several top-ten professional teams in the world.

......

"Arrow! Great performance!"

After the match on the first map concluded, es3tag stood up and shared a high-five with Su Zhe.

Although Su Zhe's statistics on Mirage were nowhere near as exaggerated as before, es3tag knew that it was Su Zhe's containment in the side alleyways that prevented the Falcons from daring to rotate or retake sites arbitrarily.

Because of this, the other four members were able to play so comfortably on the main battlegrounds.

Speaking of which, it even made him somewhat nostalgic for the period in early 2023 when he served as a temporary stand-in for FaZe...

At that time, rain from the FaZe roster could not participate in the BLAST Spring Groups due to other commitments, so es3tag stepped in as a substitute player.

To his surprise, his performance exceeded all expectations, producing multiple carry-level stat lines. Against Complexity on Overpass, in particular, he even posted an ultra-high rating of 2.02.

Yet, in just a single year, as the game transitioned from CS:GO to CS2,

his own form had plummeted rapidly upon returning to Ninjas in Pyjamas, and he had never put up a respectable set of numbers since.

Today, with the Falcons focusing their attention entirely on Su Zhe, es3tag was rarely given the opportunity to post decent stats on the main front.

djL called out to the group: "Let's go, back to the lounge for a short break, and we can discuss how to play the next map."

Having won the first map, the Ninjas in Pyjamas squad walked happily toward the lounge, but Su Zhe noticed that headtr1ck, walking at the very back, was not in high spirits and even carried a trace of faint dejection.

Since both of them were at the rear of the queue, Su Zhe asked out of concern: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Professional players were human too and were frequently plagued by injuries and physical ailments, so seeing headtr1ck's expression, that was the first thing that came to his mind.

After all, how could anyone be unhappy after winning a match? It wasn't as if he had bet on his own team to lose.

Upon hearing Su Zhe's words, headtr1ck shook his head and said, "No, it's just... I feel a bit ashamed..."

Confused, Su Zhe asked, "Ashamed? Didn't we win?"

headtr1ck maintained the same expression: "Before the match, I told you I'd perform well today, but my stats on the first map were still at the bottom..."

Su Zhe was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. Even when Ninjas in Pyjamas were on the T-side, es3tag had repeatedly asked headtr1ck to buy the AWP specifically to limit SunPayus's impact.

As a result, more often than not, by the time headtr1ck arrived at the frontline, his teammates had already rushed into the bomb site and eliminated everyone.

How could his stats possibly look good under those conditions? Anyone playing that sniper role would find it impossible to put up strong numbers in such a setup.

Su Zhe comforted him: "It's fine, the match isn't over yet! Map two will give you plenty of chances to shine, I believe in you!"

Hearing this, headtr1ck nodded, and his mood improved considerably. The primary reason for his low spirits was simply a sense of embarrassment, feeling that he had failed to deliver on his promise.

After all, he was only twenty years old, equivalent to a college sophomore back home, and remained quite innocent in his thoughts.

......

Following a brief halftime intermission, the match on the second map commenced.

With Overpass chosen as the Falcons' map pick, Ninjas in Pyjamas elected to start on the CT side.

"We'll open with our standard 2A 3B defensive setup. headtr1ck, at the start of the round, go out to monster to put some pressure on them, don't let them execute too easily, and just fall back while keeping an eye on their sewer push speed."

"For the B site, make sure we secure control of construction first, and don't let the T's easily pull off a split or a rotation."

After laying out the tactics for the pistol round, the Ninjas in Pyjamas players discussed the finer tactical details.

Having never played Overpass with this new roster configuration, they still harbored some underlying concerns.

As they prepared for the official start, k0nfig shouted in the voice comms: "Let's go! Let's try to secure another nine rounds in the first half!"

He remained as passionate as ever.

However, securing nine rounds as the CT on Overpass was a fairly standard occurrence; after all, it was a heavily CT-sided map, where getting eight rounds was roughly considered a passing grade.

Without any special arrangements on Overpass, Su Zhe's designated position was primarily defending the B site.

Once the preparation time ended, Su Zhe bought half-armor with a USP and walked alongside his teammates toward the B bomb site.

He followed closely behind k0nfig all the way to short. After es3tag jumped to check and confirmed that long was clear, Su Zhe stepped out to hold the sewer iron door, escorting k0nfig right beside it.

"The Falcons are opening this round with a 1-3-1 T-side execute, choosing three players grouped up to clear the sewers. headtr1ck pushed out into mid at the start to tax the T's crossing, but the Falcons are playing very cautiously; they know that losing this map means they can pack their bags and head home."

"The Falcons are showing their heads from the sewers, testing B-short. headtr1ck has already fallen back in the second timing and hasn't given the Falcons an opening. Are they planning an A-site execution instead?"

"SunPayus on the B-long stairs is pulling the pin on a flashbang. Judging by the crosshair placement, it's a construction flash. Are they planning to harass A-short first before turning back to break open construction!?"

k0nfig, standing outside the iron door with dual Berettas, was holding short directly when the flashbang detonated, turning his entire screen pure white.

"Watch the iron door!" k0nfig yelled in the voice comms!

Fortunately, Su Zhe was glued to the right wall of short, and the flashbang's detonation did not affect him.

The moment the iron door swung open and a T's silhouette appeared, Su Zhe's crosshair snapped rapidly onto target.

"Pew pew~"

[Arrow killed Snappi with a headshot using the USP]

After securing the opening kill, Su Zhe adjusted his aim for a follow-up, but after missing two shots—and to avoid being traded by a T holding a wider angle—he chose to yield the angle and peek a second time to fire a preemptive shot.

Still, he bought enough time for k0nfig. As k0nfig's vision recovered and he spotted the T at the iron door, he pulled the trigger directly.

"Bang bang bang!"

[k0nfig killed B0ROS with the Dual Berettas]

Having secured a kill, k0nfig sought to use the close-range advantage of the dual pistols to push closer and eliminate any remaining T's inside the iron door, but es3tag's voice rang out in his headphones.

"Watch short! They might also come through long!"

Su Zhe glanced at the kill feed in the top right and saw that es3tag, gathering information in long, had been taken down by SunPayus with a P250.

Hearing this, k0nfig abandoned the pursuit of the sewer players and immediately turned his sights toward short, only to see a T's silhouette the moment he turned his head.

"Oh! SunPayus first takes down es3tag in long, and then follows up with a kill on k0nfig! The two teams trade blows!"

"It's now a 3-v-3 late-round scenario, which puts the CTs at a severe disadvantage! They have to contract their defense and wait for the Falcons to initiate!"

Seeing k0nfig drop, Su Zhe gave up any thoughts of going for a trade.

Against a team like GamerLegion, he would have charged in without hesitation to secure a trade, even if it meant facing multiple crossfires.

However, having experienced the first map, he knew that every player on the Falcons had reliable aim; when it came to bullying the weak and avoiding the strong, he knew what he was doing.

Consequently, he immediately repositioned himself to B-1st floor and began jiggling angles to gather information.

At the same time, headtr1ck returned to the B-2nd floor position, where he could contest the B bomb site or rotate to support the A bomb site within four to five seconds.

"Arrow gives up the construction angle proactively and falls back to hold deep. The Falcons intend to continue pressing the B bomb site; SunPayus takes long, while the other two plan to pinch through short."

"headtr1ck holds the short cross-fire, and Maden is instantly dropped the moment he peeks! What a crisp shot!"

Seeing the kill feed from his teammate, Su Zhe's mind settled. At this moment, REZ at the A bomb site had also pushed up to the sewer entrance to prevent any Falcons rotation.

"You keep holding short, I'll watch the slope!" Su Zhe communicated with headtr1ck in voice comms to divide the crossfires.

"Don't worry! Nobody is getting past short!" With one kill under his belt, headtr1ck was brimming with confidence.

Hearing his teammate's words, Su Zhe couldn't help but curve the corners of his mouth upward, then refocused his attention entirely on the screen.

He was holding the slope to the right of the pillar when he suddenly noticed a head pixel appear on the left, prompting a rapid reaction to snap his crosshair over.

"Pew pew pew!"

[Arrow killed SunPayus with a headshot using the USP]

Simultaneously, another kill feed entry popped up.

[headtr1ck killed Maden with a headshot using the USP]

"Nice!! headtr1ck, incredible play!" The moment the round was secured, Su Zhe shouted excitedly in the comms.

headtr1ck replied with a smile, "You played even better!"

Unfortunately, with es3tag lying dead between them, high-fives were out of the question.

Watching Su Zhe's expression, k0nfig looked as if he had seen a ghost; in all their previous matches, no matter how spectacular Su Zhe's kills were, he had never celebrated so proactively.

Usually, he would either let out a deep sigh to release internal pressure or smile politely at his teammates' praise.

Even during the previous map on Mirage it had been like this; how was it that coming into map two, he seemed like an entirely different person?

Noticing k0nfig's puzzled expression, Su Zhe asked, "What's wrong?"

k0nfig shook his head: "Nothing, just feels like I'm meeting you for the first time."

Su Zhe smiled and refocused on the match.

He felt that he was increasingly able to experience the pure joy of esports, rather than viewing it merely as a job or a target.

After securing the pistol round, the Falcons—failing to even plant the C4—opted for a full-force force-buy featuring four Tec-9s and a Mac-10.

However, they failed to achieve favorable results during their accelerated B-site pinch. On the one hand, the crossfires at the B bomb site were drawn out quite wide.

Both Su Zhe and k0nfig had purchased rifles this round to hold long angles, leaving only es3tag with an MP9 positioned close in long as an early warning system.

After the Falcons executed their utility dump and traded 1-for-1 with es3tag, they found themselves completely unable to pose a threat to the two long-range rifles, and were systematically picked apart one by one.

Winning the force-buy allowed the early stages of the match to transition smoothly into Ninjas in Pyjamas's scoring rhythm.

Soon, with the score reaching 3-0, both teams welcomed the first full-buy round on Overpass.

Ninjas in Pyjamas opened this round once again with their standard 2A 3B defensive setup, but right at the start, Su Zhe heard REZ shouting in his headphones: "They're out in the sewers!"

Glancing at the mini-map, he saw that REZ had pushed up to the sewer entrance at some point, only to be cleaned up at close range by Maden's Mac-10.

Luckily, headtr1ck, holding mid with the AWP, fell back quickly; otherwise, he would have been caught in the encirclement as well.

es3tag instructed Su Zhe to rotate to A to help gather information and cover one side for headtr1ck.

However, Maden had already pressed up close to A-long, and Su Zhe was caught in a timing disadvantage during his push, giving away a free kill.

Meanwhile, although headtr1ck secured a kill on Maden while holding short with the AWP, he was also tagged in the head by Maden's silenced M4.

With no other choice, es3tag instructed k0nfig to rotate and assist at the A site, but in a 3-v-4 situation, they were far too passive.

The Falcons executed a utility dump onto the A site, successfully tricking es3tag into committing there, before rotating from construction back to B for an uncontested plant.

The three remaining CTs wanted to retake, but the A-B connector had already been infiltrated long ago. es3tag was caught off guard and dropped, though k0nfig fortunately managed the trade.

However, with the Falcons smoking off B-1st and B-2nd floors, the two remaining players ultimately chose to save their weapons. k0nfig swapped out his silenced M4 for a dropped AK, heading down to the park to save alongside a low-health headtr1ck.

The score moved to 3-1.

During the preparation time of the fifth round, es3tag checked the team economy and let out a sigh of relief—they could still afford full rifle buys with armor, though utility would be slightly lacking.

After pondering for a moment, es3tag said: "Let's do a 3A 2B setup this round, let's see if they put pressure on A again."

Turning to k0nfig, he added: "Drop the AK you saved for Arrow. This round, take an MP9 and hold close with me on B."

"Got it."

Showing no dissatisfaction, k0nfig dropped the AK to the floor, and upon picking it up, Su Zhe tossed an MP9 back out.

"Woah! Wild Lotus!"

Holding the AK in his hands, Su Zhe instantly felt energized. While the silenced M4 excelled at long-range duels, its slow rate of fire made it a weapon he didn't particularly favor.

After es3tag went over a few more tactical details, the countdown timer hit zero.

Su Zhe's mission at the start of this round was to act as a bodyguard for headtr1ck's AWP. He followed closely behind headtr1ck all the way to mid, positioning himself close to the sewer entrance while headtr1ck held the T-cross.

To his surprise, the T's opened with another three-man group rushing the sewers. Su Zhe caught sight of their silhouettes, fired a few exploratory bursts, and fell back.

"At least three in sewers, lots of footsteps." After relaying the info, Su Zhe and headtr1ck began retreating toward the bomb site.

headtr1ck repositioned to hold A-long with the AWP, sending REZ to push up through the flank to see if he could catch a timing, while Su Zhe held short, covering both the restrooms and mid.

While jiggling angles to gather information, Su Zhe suddenly experienced an inexplicable sense of familiarity, though he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.

A small dark object flew out from the T-cross; spotting it, Su Zhe instantly turned away to avoid the flash, then quickly snapped his view back.

Seeing a T's silhouette swing wide out of the sewer entrance, his crosshair whipped over instantly to initiate a spray-down.

"Dada da!"

[Arrow killed Magisk with a headshot using the AK-47]

Just as Su Zhe secured the kill and wanted to fall back, another T swung out from mid on the right, looking for a trade.

He quickly counter-strafed, snapped his crosshair, and fired.

"Dada da!"

[Arrow killed Snappi with a headshot using the AK-47]

Immediately after, a third T emerged from the sewer entrance.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Su Zhe crouched to control his recoil, dumping the remainder of his magazine straight down.

"Dada da!"

[Arrow killed B0ROS with the AK-47]

Securing his third kill left Su Zhe himself down to critical health. Hearing the empty-magazine sound effect, he instantly switched to his knife to speed up his movement back to cover.

Instead, Maden stepped out from the sewer entrance and easily tapped him down with two bullets.

It wasn't a picture-perfect ending, but it didn't prevent the caster from letting out a long, drawn-out "Ah~~"

"The Falcons have gotten way too used to finding success in this A-short area! But they didn't expect Arrow to be holding short this round!"

"Arrow turned away from the flash thrown from the T-cross and immediately transitioned into a spray transfer to secure three kills!"

"The round instantly shifts to a 4-v-2 situation! Maden on screen looks utterly helpless! He probably really wants to ask the admin to thoroughly inspect Arrow's PC!"

"With one minute and twenty seconds left in the round, the two remaining Falcons immediately initiate a save sequence....."

The caster had been hoping to see how Ninjas in Pyjamas would tactically counter the Falcons' executes this round, only for it to end just like that?

Why did it feel like it was over at the climax before it even truly began?

......