Chapter Nineteen: A Web of Intrigues

"Damn it, I'm seriously done with this."

Returning to his jungle empty-handed, Kid’s face shifted between a sickly pale and a frustrated flush. He hadn't managed to steal any camps, but instead, he’d been harassed by the enemy bot lane. With his mid-laner holding priority and the enemy jungler nowhere to be seen, the fact that he couldn't waltz in and take a red buff was absolute nonsense. Kid shot a resentful glare toward his bot lane duo.

As the progenitor of the infamous "443" damage record, he had spent his career as a jungler dishing out the misery, not receiving it. This was a first, and he was determined to vent his frustration.

"Our bot lane is the problem; we didn't play the laning phase well," the submissive "Princess Lan" adjusted his glasses and admitted his fault obediently. Marge, meanwhile, didn't dare utter a sound. Kid was the veteran leader of the team, and his word carried significant weight. Besides, the mistake was undeniable; their failure to trade effectively at level one had massive repercussions. Without lane priority, the jungle became a minefield.

The perceptive Rookie sighed inwardly, stepping in to diffuse the tension. "Don't worry. Wait for me to hit level six, and we can invade together. We’ll set up a four-man dive bot."

He had originally hoped that the addition of the championship top-laner Duke would help the team shake off its dark clouds. It wasn't until the end of the Spring Split that he realized he was still the same boy, the sole head of an "orphanage." Kid remained the same massive liability from start to finish. If you asked what Kid’s greatest contribution was, the answer would be: retiring. After all, shortly after he retired at the end of the 2018 Spring Split, IG went on to win the World Championship.

"I’m going to farm the top side," Kid said abruptly after recalling, seemingly giving up on the bot lane entirely. The atmosphere in the training room turned frigid. JackeyLove, sitting quietly, looked on in silence. Even with two ADs, they couldn't even win the early-game wave contest. He could already tell that Marge’s skill level was subpar. Kid wasn't a bad person, but as for his skill... He looked at the pitiable Rookie and felt an urge to kick the AD away and grab the mouse himself. *How can I save you, my "Meat Chicken" (Rookie)?* JackeyLove could only pray silently, *Wait until I debut next year; I won't let anyone make you cry.*

On the other side of the map, the late-arriving Fireloli entered the bottom jungle and found the red buff untouched. His mouth curled into a grin; he was absolutely delighted. No one would have expected that after ganking top, the big buff would still be waiting.

"The enemy jungler is a saint who wouldn't dream of taking what isn't his," Fireloli remarked.

"Stop giggling like an idiot and come control the dragon," Lin Ru urged. He and Meiko had already pushed the wave in, and with the enemy jungler having just recalled, it was the perfect window.

"Coming, coming!"

After finishing the red buff, Fireloli raced toward the dragon pit without a single word of complaint. Less than ten minutes into the game, he had already grown accustomed to Lin Ru’s commands, acting like a waiter being barked at by a patron. There was no helping it—following the big brother’s lead always meant there was meat on the table.

"Top lane, remember to ward the tri-bush by the tower," Lin Ru added.

Mouse, who had just returned to lane, hesitated for a moment before dutifully retreating to the tower to place his only ward. Lin Ru’s reminder hit home. The purpose of the ward wasn't to prevent a dive, but to guard against a flanking tunnel. Facing a champion like Rek'Sai, even if he was pushed under his own tower, the enemy could still emerge from behind the wall. A single flash-knockup combo would be enough to send him to his grave. Keeping a watch on the brush behind the tower was absolutely necessary.

Kid, having just left the base, was banking on exactly that. *The enemy likes to play tricks and catch people off guard? I can play that game too!*

To execute his plan, Kid had a meticulous process. He cleared his Krugs, then lurked in the upper river brush, intentionally revealing himself to feign a gank. Seeing the Nautilus back off, Kid pretended the gank had failed and retreated toward his own upper tri-bush. By doing this, the Nautilus would surely think he was returning to take his newly spawned red buff.

Convinced his plan was flawless, Kid dove into the dragon pit and swaggered into the blue team’s jungle. He placed a ward at the blue buff to prevent any Kha'Zix interference and finally arrived at his destination: the wall by the tri-bush. Just beyond the wall was the blue team’s tier-one tower; he could dash through at an angle without drawing tower aggro.

Duke, catching on, began to slow-push the wave to lure the Nautilus forward. As the Nautilus leveled up, Maokai couldn't keep complete control of the lane, but thanks to the Rek'Sai’s earlier visit, Mouse had surrendered lane priority, causing the equilibrium to shift toward the blue tower. Duke slowed his pace; unless the Nautilus was willing to forgo all experience, he had no choice but to step forward.

Kid was waiting for the Nautilus to fully leave the safety of the tower range, ensuring he couldn't flash back to safety before he struck. Ready to pounce, Kid focused intensely, his finger hovering over the E key, dying to press it.

"Come on, move out. Why aren't you moving? No need to be so cautious, you're missing out on experience," Kid muttered.

The Nautilus wasn't very tanky yet; this was his only chance. If he missed this window, the Nautilus would have his ultimate next time, and he and Maokai wouldn't be able to burst him down.

"Why isn't he moving? Is there vision here?" The slow-witted Kid began to doubt the very ground beneath him.

Just then, the Nautilus finally moved, inching toward the minion wave while hugging the wall near the right river. One step, two steps... like a devil’s dance.

"Now!"

Kid’s spirit surged. He lunged out with unstoppable momentum, appearing behind the Nautilus and preparing his movement to cancel the Q animation. The Nautilus would either hook him or the wall; either way, he wouldn't gain much distance.

However, the next second, Kid’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He didn't see a panicked Nautilus blowing skills or flashing in anticipation of his knockup. Instead, he saw the Nautilus start hooking the wall to reposition midway through. He wasn't mistaken; the moment Kid emerged from the wall, the Nautilus had already latched onto the left wall, struggling to reach the safety of the tower.

This wasn't a prediction. This was pure, unadulterated "God's Eye" vision.

*It’s a trap! There’s a ward in the brush!*

Kid wanted to bury his face in his hands, but his stubborn will to survive wouldn't let him sit idly by. Watching his enemy escape, Kid summoned every ounce of his reaction time to flash and knock up the Nautilus, interrupting his slide. The skill was interrupted, and the Nautilus took some light damage, followed immediately by Maokai’s flash-W combo, shoving him further away.

It was fluid, but it was utterly useless.

Mouse remained calm as a mountain, flashing back under his tower without losing much health. Two flashes for one—a massive loss.

Duke, usually stable, shook his head. If there was vision, there was nothing to be done. He had deliberately kept his distance, staying outside of flash-W range to clear minions, all to prevent the Nautilus from getting suspicious and staying back. He had planned to wait for the Rek'Sai to knock him up, then flash in to chain the crowd control and secure the kill. But the Nautilus was still too close to the tower; there simply wasn't enough time to kill him.

"Damn, EDG is playing 4D chess. How are we supposed to play against this?"

Kid, on the verge of tears, felt his mind go blank.