Dragon E-sports Club, the dining room.

Captain Max was sitting at the table for dinner. He had been very fond of eating fish since he was a child. Today, the braised fish made by the cafeteria’s chef was fresh and delicious and Max finished the meal on the plate. This man looked serious and upright when working and would only show a relaxed smile when eating.

Vice-captain William passed by with his dinner plate. Once he saw that Max was eating fish, he smiled and said, “Captain, let’s go to the training room. The manager wanted me to pass on a message to you.”

Max made a sound of agreement and quickly finished the fish in front of him.

He was very skilled at eating fish. He would eat it cleanly and could even peel off the complete fish bone. The team members often joked, “Are you are cat?”

In addition, his game ID was ‘Old Cat’ so the fans affectionately called him ‘Cat God.’

Three days ago, Wulin’s official 16th season of the professional league had ended. The Dragon team missed the trophy again.

In the past few days, the Dragon team had been listless. They worked hard for half a year only to get no results, the team members were naturally not happy. Captain Max looked calm but he could guess that it wasn’t a good thing that the manager looked for the vice-captain.

However, he was the captain and couldn’t hide from the problem.

Max wiped his mouth, tidied up his dishes and returned to the team’s training room.

Several players hadn’t turned on their computers and were chatting to each other. Once they saw him come in, a trace of embarrassment flashed across their faces and they stopping their conversation. They called out in unison, “Captain…”

Max smiled and walked over to pat the shoulders of his teammates. “Don’t be too discouraged. Cheer up and refuel for next season.”

When he smiled, he revealed neat and white teeth. His features were very handsome and manly, while his smile was very confident. He gave off a very reliable and trustworthy feeling.

In the era of effeminate and pretty-faced men, such handsome men like him were uncommon.

“There will be no next season.” The vice-captain, William suddenly said, “The manager told me to tell you that the team’s performance in the last two years hasn’t been very good. He has experienced losses with funding and can’t sustain the daily operations of the team. Thus…he wants to settle our salary for the season and then…disband the Dragon team.”

William’s words were very difficult to say and Li Cangyu listened to him in silence.

This wasn’t the first time the team had been disbanded

At present, there were two hot e-sports games in country. One was Wulin and the other was Miracle. Max wasn’t a competitive player on the side of Wulin. His debut was actually in Miracle, a large-scale 3D Western fantasy online game. At the time, he was still young and he established a team with William and several friends. It was called FTD, an acronym for ‘For the Dream.’

Just look at the name and you would know that this team carried many teenager’s dreams.

Unfortunately, the performance of the FTD team wasn’t very good and it was impossible for FTD to reach the playoffs for two consecutive years. Eventually, the FTD team was disbanded due to a lack of sponsorships.

At the time, Max was in his early 20s. Despite the fact that the strength of a 20 year old competitor was likely to decline, he wasn’t reconciled with being quiet. After the team was disbanded, he refused the offers from many giant clubs. He moved with a few friends to another game called ‘Wulin.’

When he left ‘Miracle’ and transferred to ‘Wulin’, he was undoubtedly under tremendous pressure. The Miracle players thought he was fleeing while the Wulin players thought he was an annoying outsider.

He was sandwiched in the middle, neither on the inside or outside.

However, Max’s purpose in making this choice was very simple. He just wanted to win the trophy with his friends.

In the domestic gaming circle, Max was one of the few players to switch games.

From Miracle to Wulin, everyone thought he would quit. But he persisted. He clenched his teeth and built a new team called Dragon. Then he entered the Wulin professional league and reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Unfortunately, they could only stop at the quarterfinals.

The professional league masters were like clouds. Despite the fact that Max and William were in the Dragon team, the level of their other teammates wasn’t outstanding. The overall strength was still weak and it was impossible to compare with those top players who were like clouds.

For three consecutive seasons, they lost in the first round of the playoffs and the trophy was always one step away.

This step looked very close, but also very far.

Max sometimes felt that as long as he tried harder, he might be able to touch the edge of the trophy. However, the results were always regrettable or disappointing.

Today, he once again heard the words ‘the team is disbanded’ from William. Max’s mood was much calmer than the team members had imagined. He was only silent for a few seconds before he asked, “How will the players be settled, did the manager say?”

“The manager said that anybody willing to stay in the game can wait for the transfer window and see if any other team accepts them. For those unwilling to continue the league, he will help them find another job.” William carefully conveyed the manager’s words.

Max nodded. The manager was doing his best with just this. Max was actually very grateful for the manager for taking over the mess after the team was disbanded. After all, he was a businessman and not a philanthropist. He had been losing money for two consecutive years after investing in the team. How could he continue to lose money?

The ones to blame were the team members for not having enough strength. Without the trophy, there were no league tournament prizes. The rank of the team wouldn’t go up, advertisements and endorsements would decrease and the investment in team operations would be lost.

Max didn’t blame the manager for his decision. Li Cangyu was realistic. This was the team he built and now that it reached a dead end, it was time to finish it.

After a moment’s silence, Max’s eyes calmly swept over everyone. He said in a low voice, “A few years have passed since we set up the team together. I didn’t take you to win the trophy. This is a dereliction of my duty as captain.”

“Now the team is disbanded again. I don’t want to force you to stay. If you are willing to continue playing, you can try to transfer to other teams. If you are tired and want to change course, I will help you find another job.”

“Brothers, everyone will now scatter. I only hope that you don’t regret the experience of playing with me all these years.”

The captain’s words were very calm but every word seemed to carry a heavy weight. Several members couldn’t help having red eyes.

Their captain had played games since he was 17 years old. Despite struggling step by step, he didn’t get any good results. However, the days when everyone worked hard together were the most precious memories kept.

Max was a good captain, this was the consensus of all the Dragon team members.

During the Miracle League, Max barely failed in the singles stage. He had an outbreak of nearly 600 hand speed and this was at the level of world-class e-sports players. When he played a summoner, he took first place in the professional rankings for a long time. The captains of several powerful giants in the Miracle League were envious of him.

At his level, he could clearly have better development. But he couldn’t give up on his good brothers and insisted on staying with the weaker team. He was a very loyal and affectionate man.

Now that the team was going to disband, he still wanted to help them find jobs. With such a captain, even if the end result wasn’t satisfactory, there was nothing to regret about the past few years.

Max saw that everyone was depressed and stretched out his arms, hugging a few good friends. He said, “Don’t frown. There are other ways, even if you can’t be an e-sports player. After all, we are still friends!”

The group listened to him and couldn’t help letting go of their heart’s grievances. The group of great men hanging their heads with expressions like they were at a funeral, wouldn’t it be shameful if they were seen by outsiders? They might’ve lost the game but they couldn’t lose their backbone.

“Captain said it well! Disbandment is disbandment. We are all still friends! We will often contact each other!”

“It is better to go out and have a drink. Let’s get drunk tonight!

“We will team up to take down the captain!”

The group of people went to a restaurant they often frequented and asked for a private room. This last meal meant people were excited and most of the players became drunk. Max had a high alcohol tolerance and remained sober despite drinking with them to the end. Vice-captain William didn’t touch a single drop of alcohol.

After eating and drinking, William helped Max bring the drunkards back to the dorms. Then the two people returned to the double room at the end of the corridor.

At the door, William habitually poured two glasses of water and handed one cup to Max. Max drank to soothe his dry throat and said, “This isn’t like the last time we disbanded. Many players have already reached the retirement age. I can no longer form a new team with everyone. They should think about other ways. Some people want to go and I won’t stop them.”

“I understand.” William whispered. “They all have their own plans. No one will blame you for disbanding the team.”

“What about you?” Max looked back at him. “What are you doing to do?”

“I want to study abroad. I have studied English. If I go for further study abroad, I might be able to become a professional translator.”

Max looked surprised, “You aren’t playing anymore?”

“Well, I am tired.” William shrugged helplessly. “I’m not like you. You’re not young. You still aren’t giving up?”

Max smiled. “Give up, these two words have never been in my dictionary.”

William couldn’t help looking at Max. Max's expression was as calm as ever.

Yes, the man in front of him had experienced many setbacks. However, he always remained calm and confident no matter what difficulties he faced. William believed that there was no difficulty that could knock Max down, because his heart was always rock solid.

As his partner, William was well aware of Max's level when it came to game playing. He was the real deal. Unfortunately, he had the bad luck to not meet strong teammates who could fight next to him. He didn’t receive a trophy for years and couldn’t prove his true level.

Regardless of whether it was Wulin or Miracle, individual heroism wasn’t popular. The team was the most important thing during the competition. A strong personal ability was useless if the teammates couldn’t keep up. The disbandment of the Dragon team was painful. However, this was also a new opportunity for Max. Perhaps he could find a team more suitable for himself?

William thought about this and couldn’t help wondering, “Since you don’t want to give up, you can try going to other teams. Looking at the current teams on the Wulin side, your style of play can only be integrated into the Dragon Warriors team right?”

“That’s right. Max took out his phone and called a person’s number in his address book.

–Hoah.

This person was the manager of the Dragon Warriors team and also the executive director of the country's E-sports Association.

“Cat God?” The call was quickly accepted and a gentle voice was heard. There was clearly a smile in the person’s tone. “This is the first time you took the initiative to call me. Suddenly looking for me in the middle of the night, did you go on a late night adventure with your team?”

“I wanted to talk to you about a serious matter.” Max said seriously. “The 16th season has just ended and the transfer period is approaching. As a manager, are you interested in accepting a homeless god-level player?”

“……” The other person seemed to be choking. After several coughs, they asked with surprise, “Who is the homeless great god player? Who is it?”

“It’s me.” Max said calmly.

“……” The silence lasted for a few seconds. Then the other person spoke at a very fast speed, “Are you sure you’re not drunk? Wait, I’m going to buy a plane ticket. I will meet you at noon tomorrow!”

Noah's actions were as quick and as energetic as Max. He quickly bought a ticket.

William made a facial expression, “You are thick-skinned enough to call yourself a great god?”

Max smiled and said, “Don’t you know that I just called Noah? In order to deal with his thick skin, I need to be more thick-skinned. Tactically speaking, this is fighting poison with poison.”

“……” What was with the poison? William rolled his eyes and asked, “Are you really going to the Dragon Warriors team? Aren’t you going to think about others?”

“Yes.” Max had already made his decision long ago and he spoke without hesitation. “I know Noah and I believe that only he can provide me with the best platform.”

Feeling self-pity because the team was disbanded wasn’t Max’s style. He preferred to take the initiative and seize opportunities.

A talent scout couldn’t find a good steed, then the good steed would find his own talent scout.

Opportunities were only reserved for those were ready, wasn’t this the case?

Noah couldn’t help smiling at the thought of seeing the shameless team manager tomorrow

The Dragon team members packed their bags and left the club the next time. This was the ultimate result of the struggle and everyone felt uncomfortable. However, many people had reached the age of retirement. Plus, their own gaming level was average. It was really time to find another path.

Max sent them away one by one, although he couldn’t help feeling a hint of sourness in his heart.

The nature of a competition was cruel. Some people would win and others would lose. The end of the Dragon team was tragic. Fortunately, a few teammates found good jobs. As captain of the team, he could feel a bit more at ease.

At noon, Max ushered in a surprise visitor. It was Noah, manager of the Dragon Warriors team.

Noah was less than 30 years old and was currently the youngest team manager in country. He was also an e-sports player. He created the Dragon Warriors team and led the team to win the championship. After retiring, he naturally became the person behind the Dragon Warriors Club and was also invited to join the E-sports Alliance as the executive director. In the domestic e-sports circle, he was a famous and promising person.

This person was always looking at the long term. It was the reason why Max chose to cooperate with him.

Today, Noah was wearing a handsome khaki long trench coat over a simple white shirt. Just looking at his figure, he was definitely the level of a model. However, there were big sunglasses on his face as well as a mask, ensuring his face was tightly covered.

Max laughed at the sight and asked, “Dressing like this, were you chased by the paparazzi?”

Noah took off his sunglasses and spoke helplessly. “The Dragon Warriors team just won the championship. The e-sports reporters have been blocking the entrance of the team for the past few days. I had to dress like this to sneak out.”

One of them was the manager of a championship club while the other was a desperate captain who just experienced the disbandment of his team. This strong contrast seemed to show Max's failure.

But Max showed no signs of inferiority or distress. He made a calm ‘please’ gesture and smiled. “Come in and chat. I didn’t think that one day, I would actually be talking to you about cooperating.”

“I didn’t expect it either.’ Noah smiled and followed him into the house.

William had booked a ticket for a few days later. At present, he was still staying with the team to sort things out in the meeting room. After seeing that Noah came, he took the initiative to give them hot tea and said, “You talk. I will go back to the dormitory first to pack my luggage.”

“Well, you are busy with your own things.” Max said.

Once William left, Noah opened his mouth and asked, “Are you disbanding the Dragon team?’

“Yes.” Max nodded.

Noah saw his calm expression and couldn’t help patting him on the should. “I won’t say any words to comfort you. I don’t think you need it. I heard rumours that Dragon was going to be disbanded. However, when your team disbanded last time, you took your teammates and transferred to Wulin. This time, I thought you would continue to form a new team and never thought about contacting you. I was really surprised when you called me.”

Max asked directly. “Can you accept me into the Dragon Warriors team?”

“Certainly.” Noah laughed. “It is my wish.”

“What position do you plan to place me on the team?”

“If you come over, I’ll make you the captain.” Noah didn’t hesitate. “Wouldn’t any other position be disrespectful to you?”

“I will be the captain?” Max was obviously a little surprised. “What about the current captain, Sam?”

“My family’s Sam is naturally still the captain.” Noah smiled and continued, “The two of you won’t come into conflict.”

Max understood what Noah meant. “Do you want to build two teams?”

“That’s right.” Noah's expression became serious as he gazed at Max. “Cat God, I won’t speak secretively. You actively sought me out so you should also be thinking about this. There are many comprehensive overseas e-sports clubs. Their clubs have a business model where they are developing simultaneously in several games. country's Dragon Warriors team will follow this precedent and set up a team in both Wulin and Miracle. When I created Dragon Warriors, I said that I had to expand Dragon Warriors into a domestic first-class comprehensive club, providing e-sports players with the best platform. In the past few years, I have been looking for a suitable opportunity….Now that opportunity has finally come. You should know what I mean.”

“You mean…the Miracle World Competition.” Max saw Noah's nod and continued. “I’ve heard some news about the Miracle World Competition. Miracle has been in operation for six years. It has its own professional leagues in various countries and many masters have emerged. Now the game headquarters wants to launch a world competition to expand its influence. It is indeed a ripe time.”

“Yes.” Noah agreed. “I will take advantage of this opportunity to form a team to enter Miracle. Recently, I have been looking for a suitable leader. If you join, it really is a timely rain!”

“You want me to lead a team back to Miracle?” Max asked.

“Isn’t that your own wish?” Noah replied.

“…Indeed.” After being poked by the other party, Max no longer disguised it as he smiled. “I have missed my summoner in the two years that I left Miracle. Of course, it would be good if I could go back.”

This is why Max looked for Noah.

He had long seen that Noah was ambitious and interested in the Miracle Alliance.

After all, Miracle was the first competitive online game that Max played. He might’ve gone to Wulin for two years but he couldn’t forget the summoner created when he first entered Miracle at a young age. It was his favourite game character.

He went round and round and actually returned to his original point. Max didn’t feel frustrated or ashamed. He was actually very happy.

He could operate his summoner again!

“It is best if you go back. But returning to Miracle will be a great challenge for you. You must think clearly.” Noah looked at him seriously. “You have been away from Miracle for two years. The Miracle League has developed rapidly after many large-scale updates. The competitive rules have changed as well as the league system. You will have to start from scratch after you go back, as well as re-adapt.”

Noah was right. Two years was enough to make a game new.

However, Max didn’t mind this. Instead, he smiled confident and declared, “It doesn’t matter. I will start from the beginning.”

The name ‘Cat God’ originated from Miracle. Its final destination should also be there.

He had been able to turn a rookie who didn’t know anything into a superb summoner of Miracle. Now, he had the foundation of many games as well as competition experience. He didn’t believe that he would be weaker than that time!

Noah saw the confident expression on Max's face and couldn’t help patting him on the shoulder in appreciation. “Then the mission of the Dragon Fighters club is to enter Miracle. Can I confidently give this mission to you?”

This was a very difficult task that was likely to be full of twists and turns. But Noah believed that Max would be able to raise this team. It was because the light in the man’s eyes hadn’t faded despite experiencing many failures.

He could get up from where he fell.

Cat God who climbed up, this time he would make everyone admire him.

Max nodded seriously at the sight of Noah's trusting eyes and said, “Rest assured, I will do my best.”

Noah smiled and stretched out his hand. “Then, shall we cooperate happily?”

Max reached out his hand and shook it. “Happy cooperation!”

The two people had simple personalities and the negotiations were quick. Both of them had the same goal and they clicked together.

For Noah, the emergence of Max solved his urgent problem. Good players weren’t hard to find, but finding a good captain was difficult!

“The Miracle Professional League is held once a year. This year, you won’t be able to catch up. We are half a year away from next year’s league. You can take a break and practice. Wait until next spring. You will directly lead a team to kill Miracle. What do you think?” Noah asked.

“I agree.” Max said.

“I will help you with the transfer procedures. You just need to prepare to go back to Miracle.”

Noah was the executive director of country's E-sports Alliance. The process of changing games was naturally easy for him. Max felt relieved that Noah was helping with this and said, “Then I will trouble you.”

“So polite!” Noah smiled and spoke again. “Yes, you should also think of a name for the new team. It is too ugly to have two Dragon Warriors. We should have separate names or the fans might become confused.”

“Yes.” Max agreed. “Why not keep the name Dragon? I’m incompetent when it comes to naming things.”

“Didn’t you decide this name?” Noah was obviously surprised.

Man and explained, “William named it. He is more talented than I am.”

little William was the nickname that Max commonly used for William, the vice-captain of Dragon and a god-level healer.

Nowh couldn’t help being curious at the mention of William. “I just heard the vice-captain say he was going to pack. Is he going somewhere?”

“Yes.” Max was helpless. “He doesn’t want to continue playing and is preparing to go abroad to study.”

Noah frowned. “His ability is good. Isn’t it a pity for him to leave like this?”

“I think so too.” Max looked in William's direction and spoke in a low voice. “I will try to convince him. He is my best vice-captain. I can’t bear it if he runs away.”

“Yes. It is best for him to stay. If both of you come to the team, I will have a vice-captain and won’t need to worry!” Noah happily patted Max's shoulder and said, “I will go back to city to arrange things. Come see me when it is convenient and I will help you clean the dormitory.”

“There is no hurry. I will wait until one month before the start of next year’s professional league. If I go to the Dragon Warriors club too early, I would have to wear sunglasses every day to hide from the paparazzi.” Max spoke seriously. “I hope that the matter of our cooperation will temporarily be confidential.”

“I understand.” Noah nodded and stood up. “I will wait in city for you after the spring festival next year. We will sign the contract first.”

As he spoke, he took a laptop out of his bag and found the contract template for the Dragon Warriors club to sign an e-sports player. Then he added another zero to the salary.

Giving such a high salary proved he attached great importance to Max. This was indeed the treatment for the captain of a team.

It wasn’t easy to meet a boss who truly appreciated him. Max knew that his cooperation with Noah was really the right choice.

Max smiled and signed the printed contract.

The two people did things in a straightforward manner. They quickly finalized the cooperation plan before Noah hurried away in his sunglasses and mask. He said there was an E-sports Association meeting tonight in next city to wrap up the summer. He had to be at the airport for his flight.

After sending away Noah, Max returned to the dormitory. He opened the door to see William leaning down to pack.

William's skin was very white and his facial features were gentle. He felt particularly gentle when he smiled. William was very good-tempered. No matter how others provoked him, he always smiled and never became angry. In addition to arranging the daily training of the players, he was also a good cook. He was the best super stay-at-home dad.

If it hadn’t been for his help over the many years, the team established by Max wouldn’t have persisted to the present.

Now that he was leaving, Max didn’t want to give up. He walked over and whispered, “William, please don’t quit.”