Chapter 3: Remember, in CSGO, C comes before S! |
The name "Sleepy Black Tea" is truly intriguing.
Even if it was system-generated, Jiang Yang instinctively felt a twinge of caution.
Getting "wrecked" by it would be no fun.
After some thought, he addressed the viewers in his stream:
"I’m going to grab some water. Let’s finish watching S1mple’s highlights afterward."
Although he was eager to explore the system’s contents, leaving the stream idle for too long wasn’t an option. Otherwise, Ma Xixi would definitely jump up and knock some sense into him.
With S1mple’s highlight reel still playing on the Small Broken Site, Jiang Yang’s consciousness sank into the recently appeared system.
Suddenly, a system panel materialized before him:
[Old Veteran: Jiang Yang]
[Age: 30]
[Team Affiliation: None]
[Status: Retired]
[Overall Skill Level: Unknown]
[Comeback Points: 259]
[This is the Old Veteran Comeback System, designed to help Old Veterans stage their final dance and ascend to the peak of the professional stage!]
So, the system really did show up too early.
He was only 16 years old—how did he qualify as an "Old Veteran"?
Then, his attention shifted to the "Personal Items" section. A single thought opened it, revealing an item resembling a tea bag.
[Sleepy Black Tea (Consumable)]: Add to hot water and stir well to gain a 2-hour "Energized" buff. Once the buff ends, additional sleep will be required to recover.
PS: At 30, Old Veterans no longer have the stamina of youth. Sleepy Black Tea will be your best partner on the road back to the pros!
Jiang Yang gave it some thought, confirming once again that this system had shown up prematurely.
The rewards were clearly tailored for older players. At just 16 years old, he had so much energy that he could stay up through two consecutive nights in a net café before taking this summer job with Ma Xixi.
Although he didn’t see much utility in the tea right now, its potential was undeniable. He might not have followed many CS:GO matches, but he was familiar with League of Legends competitions. He vividly recalled a famous BO10 match in the LPL, where both teams were mentally and physically exhausted by the end.
If something like Sleepy Black Tea had been available then, who knows how things might have turned out?
While that BO10 was largely the fault of the event organizers, the grueling overtime matches in CS:GO, which sometimes stretched for hours, also called for energy. In such bladder-busting scenarios, a boost like this could make all the difference.
So, Sleepy Black Tea turned out to be an unexpected blessing.
After examining it, Jiang Yang turned his focus to the [Comeback Points], which displayed a count of 259.
[Comeback Points]: Can be used to purchase items, skills, or techniques from the system store, aiding Old Veterans in reclaiming their professional peak. Points can be earned through mission rewards, daily training, and training session completions.
After reviewing everything, Jiang Yang began piecing things together.
This summer job was supposed to be a turning point in his life, leading him down the path of becoming a CS:GO pro—a path where he performed quite well. Although he eventually retired after being shattered by the "peer prodigies" of his era, it implied he had at least reached the top tier.
Originally, this system was meant to activate at age 30, helping him return to the competitive scene. However, its premature arrival had altered the plan.
Judging by the information provided, he couldn’t just shout at the system, "Deep Blue, show me your limits!" Its functions were more akin to an auxiliary tool. Whether he could avoid being crushed by the "peer prodigies" again would ultimately depend on him.
As his thoughts became clearer, the system panel reappeared, displaying a new set of small characters:
[After two years of retirement and barely scraping by with popular games, you’ve abandoned the CS you once loved in a corner. You’ve finally resolved to stage your final dance, but you no longer know your own skill level.]
[Mission: Rank yourself on any platform to determine your current CS level.]
[Reward: A random player’s signature technique.]
Reading the system’s description left Jiang Yang a bit dumbfounded.
What exactly had 30-year-old Jiang Yang been doing? He’d somehow managed to scrape by with all the popular games on the market? That was impressive.
Who would’ve thought his future self had such a knack for streaming?
Jiang Yang couldn’t help but admire his future self for a moment. But on second thought, he didn’t aspire to become that kind of person.
Earning a living through streaming was fine, but one’s heart needed a goal—a sense of purpose.
Take his cousin, Ma Xixi, for example. While he earned money through streaming, his love for CS was unwavering. Despite numerous opportunities to switch to more popular games and become a caster, Ma Xixi chose to stay and became one of China’s best CS commentators.
As netizens often said: "While CNCS may lack top-tier players, we have the best commentators."
Jiang Yang didn’t want his future to be defined solely by "scraping by." The system’s reward made one thing clear: redemption lay within.
Moreover, he was genuinely curious—who, in the future, had managed to shatter his resolve? He considered himself a pretty optimistic person, so whoever managed to break him down must have been extraordinary.
First, though, he needed to finish the placement matches.
In high school, his games had always been casual, but now that he knew he had talent, he wanted to see how far he could climb when he took it seriously.
Since Ma Xixi was still indisposed, Jiang Yang had a bit of time. With a thought, the Sleepy Black Tea appeared in his hand.
Checking the system again, he noticed the item was gone from his inventory, confirming it as a one-time consumable.
Examining the tea bag in his hand, it looked ordinary—like something you’d find on Taobao.
Without overthinking it, Jiang Yang grabbed a cup, searched online for how to cold brew tea, and prepared it. Returning to the stream, he raised the cup and took a sip.
Tasty and refreshing!
Back at his computer, only two minutes of S1mple’s highlight reel had passed. Pausing the video, he searched his desktop and found only the 5E matchmaking platform. He downloaded the Perfect World matchmaking platform via Baidu.
In China, CS:GO players often preferred third-party platforms due to poor official servers. The three most popular platforms were 5E, Perfect World, and B5, each with its pros and cons. Jiang Yang chose Perfect World because he was already used to it from playing with classmates.
Thanks to Ma Xixi’s high-speed internet, the download finished quickly.
After installation, Jiang Yang logged in, went through some tedious verification steps, and finally got into the game.
His friend list showed no classmates online, so he queued for ranked matches. He selected three maps: Dust2, Inferno, and Mirage—the iconic "Old Three" maps of CNCS, known for their simplicity.
【Why not enable all maps?】
Noticing this comment in the chat, Jiang Yang replied honestly:
"I don’t play much, and I’ve only practiced these maps with my classmates. I know the callouts and can throw some basic utility, so I won’t drag my team down."
"Besides, sticking to these maps might get me a higher placement."
His sincerity left a good impression on many viewers.
Most viewers in the stream were fans of the CSBOY duo—Ma Xixi and MO, the former Tyloo captain. Both were known for their candid, no-nonsense style, which naturally endeared viewers to Jiang Yang’s straightforwardness.
As he started matchmaking, Jiang Yang continued responding to chat questions:
"What’s my major in college? Civil Engineering."
"Is Ma Xixi really 1.5 meters tall?" Reading this aloud, Jiang Yang instantly perked up. "What nonsense! Cousin, your viewers are slandering you!!"
Feigning a sob, he added: "You can’t say that about my cousin! He’s clearly 1.6 meters tall!"
His exaggerated reaction cracked him up, and soon the entire chat was filled with laughter.
【This guy’s a natural actor.】
【??????】
【Confirmed: Xixi is 1.6 meters, straight from the cousin’s mouth.】
【This cousin is hilarious!】
【He seems so relaxed—no fear of streaming whatsoever.】
Then a new comment popped up:
CSBOY: "Yang Yang, if you keep dissing me, I’ll dock your pay!"
Jiang Yang immediately fell silent, but two seconds later, he couldn’t help adding:
"Cousin, I was defending you! They’re the ones saying you’re 1.5 meters tall."
Before he could continue bantering, the match was found.
[9/10]
Accepting the match, Jiang Yang saw the map was Dust2, a favorite of Chinese players.
As the game loaded, he casually quipped to the viewers:
"Honestly, my cousin may not be as tall as me, but I’m definitely better at this game!"
The viewers in the livestream couldn’t stop laughing at Ma Xixi’s cousin, Jiang Yang. He was hogging all the glory for himself with his antics.
Seeing the barrage of puzzled comments from the chat, Jiang Yang confidently declared:
"Don’t be fooled by the fact that my previous rank was Perfect C+, but remember, in CS:GO, the C comes before the S!"
"My cousin’s an S, but I’m the C that comes first!"
The chat was utterly dumbfounded, wondering where this kid got his absurd logic.
In Jiang Yang, they saw a reflection of themselves when they first started playing CS:GO. Back then, they too thought they had exceptional talent, embellishing their memories and convincing themselves they were amazing.
But CS:GO is, at its core, a hardcore FPS game with a high skill barrier. Most viewers were now just waiting for Jiang Yang to get a taste of reality and have his confidence shattered.
Some were still holding onto the hope that Jiang Yang might actually be skilled enough to back up his bold claims.
Then the game began, and they saw Jiang Yang stumbling around, barely understanding the map. That’s when they knew for sure—this guy was a genuine local C+ through and through.
Once in the game, Jiang Yang stopped paying attention to the chat and focused on the match. His team started on defense, and having not played in a long time, he felt like a complete novice with a mouse and keyboard.
In the pistol round, he grabbed a USP and stationed himself at the CT base. Soon, enemies began rushing through A long. Jiang Yang unleashed a chaotic barrage of shots, spreading the damage but failing to secure a single kill.
The opposing team’s aim wasn’t much better, and they exchanged fire in a messy standoff until Jiang Yang’s teammates rotated and cleaned up the attackers in a chaotic firefight at A site, securing the round.
However, their success didn’t last. In the following rounds, a series of aim mishaps from the CT side gave the opponents the upper hand, leading to a few upsets.
The viewers were thoroughly entertained—matches at this level were filled with non-stop comedic moments.
After being outplayed, Jiang Yang saved up for a sniper rifle (AWP). Watching S1mple’s highlights earlier had made him eager to try out the weapon. He figured nothing could beat the cool factor of racking up kills with an AWP.
Many in the chat were reminded of Ma Xixi’s infamous sniping mishap when he got dismantled by a Desert Eagle, and they were now looking forward to seeing if Jiang Yang could carry on his cousin’s legacy.
But to their surprise, Jiang Yang wasn’t just about gimmicks—his youthful reflexes and dynamic vision were truly impressive!
Positioning himself at the VIP spot, Jiang Yang aimed his AWP toward mid doors. The enemy’s smoke grenade missed its mark and landed in the lower tunnel, leaving the entrance exposed.
A Terrorist peeked out, and Jiang Yang calmly pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
[‘Miss Excellence Is Here’ used AWP to headshot ‘One Day Without Yang Virtue’!]
He retreated to cover, chambered the next round, and peeked again. This time, another Terrorist had pushed to mid, near the sandbags. Jiang Yang flicked his crosshair and fired.
"Bang!"
[‘Miss Excellence Is Here’ used AWP to eliminate ‘Two Days Without Yang Virtue’!]
Now fully immersed, Jiang Yang peeked again for a third shot. His first attempt missed, but he adjusted and fired again, scoring another kill before finally being taken out by a return shot.
Still, a 1-for-3 trade at mid was a huge win. The in-game voice chat exploded with teammate praise:
"Whoa, that was insane!"
"Nice one, bro!"
"I’ll grab your AWP for you!"
Jiang Yang tried to act humble, but the genuine admiration from his teammates left him grinning ear to ear. It deepened his newfound love for CS:GO.
Glancing at his second monitor, he noticed the chat going wild:
[What’s this sorcery?]
[C+ is flexing hard!]
[You call this a noob?]
[That flick was nuts!]
[The enemy really handed him those kills, though.]
[This is totally smurfing!]
Some viewers, however, were fixated on the peculiar in-game IDs:
[That username is abstract as hell.]
[Whoa, an actual farmer?]
[Did nobody notice those two IDs on the enemy team? I’m dying over here!]
[CS:GO really attracts all kinds.]
Noticing the commotion, Jiang Yang finally paid attention to the opponents’ quirky usernames. The sheer absurdity made him laugh out loud.
After that round, his teammates managed to win, one of them even retrieving Jiang Yang’s AWP and returning it to him. Jiang Yang didn’t refuse; the sniper rifle had proven to be not only effective but also incredibly fun.
While his movement mechanics, like counter-strafing, were shaky, his reflexes and raw aim compensated when using the stationary AWP. For the rest of the half, his impactful sniping helped his team end the defensive half with a 9:6 lead.
Switching to the offensive side, however, Jiang Yang found himself struggling. Defensive sniping was relatively straightforward, but attacking with an AWP required much more tactical awareness.
Around this time, Ma Xixi joined him, offering advice and critiques as he observed Jiang Yang’s gameplay. Though the offense was more challenging, their earlier lead allowed them to secure a 16:12 victory.
Jiang Yang ended the match as the MVP, with 28 kills, 3 assists, and 11 deaths, boasting an impressive 132.1 ADR. It was a textbook "carry."
"Just a little C+, no big deal!" Jiang Yang remarked smugly.
Ma Xixi chuckled, teasing, "Not bad—you remind me of my younger self. Both natural prodigies."
"Eh, it’s just one placement match," Jiang Yang replied, toning down his bravado. "You take over; I’ll read the chat for you."
Although he was eager to continue, Ma Xixi still had his own streaming duties to fulfill.
But the viewers weren’t pleased:
[Can’t we just keep watching the cousin?]
[Kick Ma Xixi out; let the cousin reign!]
[Cousin’s streams are the real deal!]
[Justice for the cousin!]
Laughing at the barrage of comments, Ma Xixi grumbled, "In half an hour, you’ve hijacked my stream, haven’t you?"
Despite the complaints, Ma Xixi sent Jiang Yang to set up an old computer in the next room. Once everything was ready, Jiang Yang gleefully jumped back into CS:GO.
After several more matches, Jiang Yang finished his placement games with a 3-win, 2-loss record, ultimately landing at Rank C+ with 1598 points—just shy of the B rank.
Feeling slightly annoyed at the system’s trolling, he turned his attention back to the Comeback System, eager to see his reward.
The familiar text appeared:
[Congratulations, Old Veteran! You’ve unlocked ‘Hunter’s Eco Clutch Technique’!]
Jiang Yang’s eyes lit up. The system’s reward seemed like a promising tool for his comeback journey.
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