CS: I’m Only 16, and You Want Me to Stage an Old Veteran Comeback?

"Are there any more matches today?" Jiang Yang asked while packing up his gear, looking over at Ming Riqing.

After arriving in Stockholm, Ming Riqing had basically taken on the roles of coach and team leader, handling the schedule, and Jiang Yang would ask her about anything related.

Ming Riqing shook her head. "Today, all teams are playing their first round. The teams that are 0-1 will play again later. Tomorrow will be more complicated—after the second round, the 2-0 teams will go directly to the next stage, where the top three teams will qualify."

The Major uses a Swiss system, meaning you'll only face opponents with the same record as you. With the BO3 format for advancement and elimination, it significantly raises the value of qualifying.

"Tomorrow’s qualifying matches are going to be brutal," Jiang Yang said. "We’ll have just finished one BO1 and don’t even know who we’re facing, and then we’ll be thrown into a BO3."

Ming Riqing smiled slightly. "Don’t you realize that Steel Helmets might qualify?"

Jiang Yang paused for a moment, then realized.

After defeating Heroic, Steel Helmets were now 1-0 in their group, and if they won tomorrow’s match, they’d still have to play another round.

"Seems tough," Jiang Yang rolled up his gear. "But I do hope we get a BO3 because at least that would mean we have a shot at qualifying."

MO put his hands on Jiang Yang’s shoulders and pushed him forward. "We’ll probably connect with your cousin soon, then we’ll go over the match and review it."

Steel Helmets didn’t have a coach for now, but they were all former pros, and the habits were still there.

The team was ready to head back to the hotel when an old acquaintance stopped them at the door.

It was a handsome man with slightly thinning white hair—Li Wenzhe, the man under Ma Xixi’s shadow.

Li Wenzhe was a well-known figure in the CNCS circle, considered a top coach and commentator in China. He once spent three months disbanding EDG’s CS:GO roster and was often teased as "Baldy" due to his hair loss.

Now he wasn’t in the professional scene anymore, but still teamed up with another commentator, doing interviews and meeting fans at large events like the Major.

Steel Helmets had arrived with them earlier, so they recognized Li Wenzhe right away.

Li Wenzhe approached with a microphone, fist-bumped Jiang Yang, and said, "Cousin, nice job today. You beat the world’s 5th-ranked team? You guys are really on fire!"

Jiang Yang leaned over to "Ma Xixi" and asked, "Are you live-streaming?"

After getting confirmation, he waved at the camera, "Hey, guys, how’s it going?"

As the only CNCS team in the Major, Steel Helmets had gained a lot of attention. When the handsome young man appeared on camera, the fans went wild.

【Cousin’s alive!】

【Cousin, you smell great~】

【Did Baldy really catch him for an interview?】

【I laugh every time I see this Little Pony】

【Especially that Red Warm expression meme, so cringe, this cousin really knows how to have fun】

Li Wenzhe asked, "Do you have time for an interview?"

Jiang Yang looked over at his noisy teammates and nodded, "Sure!"

"After beating the 5th-ranked team, how do you feel?"

Jiang Yang thought for a moment. "Heroic’s really strong. Even though I carried so hard, we almost lost."

Li Wenzhe smiled. "True, you got 42 kills, that’s pretty insane."

"Before the match, a lot of fans were saying you might not do so well at the Major, but now you’ve proven them wrong."

Jiang Yang put down "Ma Xixi" and replied, "It’s nothing to prove. I win this BO1, and they’ll say it’s just a BO1. Even if I win again tomorrow, they’ll call me the BO1 specialist or something."

"They’ll always find an excuse if they don’t like you. What I need to do is make them believe in me!"

When he said that, the young man’s face was full of confidence, as if he’d never doubted his ability to succeed.

Li Wenzhe smiled too, feeling energized by the youth’s confidence. It was easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm, making him feel young again.

He asked, "Do you know you pulled off a rare 1V5 today? What were you thinking when it happened? I mean, with just a Desert Eagle, how did you come up with that play?"

Hearing Li Wenzhe’s question, many viewers in the stream nodded—this was the interview they were waiting for.

Jiang Yang thought for a moment. "My teammates confirmed their positions, and then I just tried to split up the situation and play it step by step."

"I didn’t even think about a 1V5 at first. I was just trying to eliminate their guns."

Jiang Yang shrugged nonchalantly, with a casual demeanor.

【His tone is so nonchalant, like it was easy】

【Can’t believe he’s downplaying a 1V5 like it’s no big deal】

【This young guy’s got some guts】

"Alright then, I won’t take up any more of your time," Li Wenzhe said, fist-bumping Jiang Yang once again. "I’ll be cheering for you tomorrow! Let’s make Steel Helmets shine on the stage!"

Jiang Yang chuckled. "Steel Helmets Dynasty?"

He found Li Wenzhe quite amusing—he wasn’t as dull as his cousin had described.

After bidding Li Wenzhe farewell, Jiang Yang followed his teammates back to the hotel.

Although there were no special plans, after the match, they still needed to do their training and review the game.

...

In CSBOY’s livestream, Ma Xixi was savoring the impressive stats of her cousin, feeling proud.

"You guys saw the interview with Li Wenzhe, right? Well, let’s not forget, our team has emotional value too!"

"But let me check if Ming Riqing has time—training is the most important right now, don’t want to delay it."

While Ma Xixi wanted to share the excitement with the Steel Helmets brothers, she knew it wasn’t the right time to disrupt their plans.

After confirming with Ming Riqing, she quickly set up the call.

"What are you guys up to now?" Ma Xixi asked, seeing MO on the screen.

MO adjusted the camera, and Ma Xixi saw DD and Brother Xiaosa playing King of Fighters on the red-and-white console.

"Is this how you’re training?" Ma Xixi asked in surprise.

"Oh!! That coordination is impressive, no wonder you beat the 5th-ranked team today!"

【Amazing!】

【Preparing for King of Fighters!】

【So you’re going to switch to offline CS tomorrow?】

【If you play King of Fighters, you might have a real chance at the Major title!】

【Hahaha】

MO couldn’t help but laugh but explained, "Just got back from the venue. Everyone’s taking a break in the activity room, but we’ll be heading to dinner soon. If you want to see more, we can show you the player’s room later."

Ma Xixi asked, "Where’s my cousin? Why isn’t he playing?"

MO switched the camera to Jiang Yang, who was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone.

"He just ran into Rain God and the old veterans, and they dragged him off to play ping pong."

At this point, MO laughed, "And the kid didn’t know any better—he ended up beating the entire Faze team at ping pong, and now they don’t even want to play with him anymore."

"Hahaha!" Ma Xixi laughed. "That really happened?"

MO added, "Make sure you remember this, guys—Cousin’s record now includes a 1V5 against Faze!"

【Hahaha】

【No wonder Cousin looks a little moody】

【Faze dared to challenge Cousin? Don’t they know he was a high school student just months ago?】

【Wow, the main team had their tactics studied by a youth!】

【Faze got wiped out, hahaha】

【Such professionalism!】

"Faze just couldn’t handle his shots," Ming Riqing chimed in. "He really went all out, and Faze was scrambling to recover."

MO commented, "And don’t think Cousin slacks off on training. While we’re all sleeping, he’s still practicing."

"We, the old veterans, can’t keep up with him sometimes. But he really deserves to succeed!"

MO had grown fond of Jiang Yang—unlike his own generation, he didn’t have all the bad habits.

He was naturally gifted, yet he worked hard.

"When we first arrived in Stockholm, DD and Su Di were excited to try the local food, but Cousin went straight to the training room as soon as we got to the hotel."

"The kid really wants to make a name for himself, and today he proved he’s capable."

"Guys, we can start to look forward to it. The future of CNCS really has someone who can step up!"

MO became a bit nostalgic. "If he had just been born a few years earlier, it would’ve been perfect."

If Jiang Yang had been around in 2018, they could have gone much further.

But the cruel reality is, there are no 'what-ifs.'

As MO and the viewers reflected on fate, Ming Riqing spoke up.

"When we first came to Stockholm, I asked Xiao Yang if he regretted joining Steel Helmets. I mean, joining Tyloo or VG would’ve guaranteed better results, maybe even a chance at the Legends stage."

At the time, Jiang Yang only replied, "Who said the old veterans can’t make a comeback?"

Though he didn’t directly answer, his words gave Steel Helmets’ members a lot of confidence.

In that moment, MO felt that meeting Jiang Yang just a few years later wasn’t such a bad thing after all.