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

"The last two CTs are on the retake! Steel Helmets are delaying with utility, but they know time is running out—they’re forcing through the smoke!"

"Cousin takes one down!! Just like three years ago, DD lands the final shot!"

"16:13!!" Ma Xixi shouted passionately in the livestream, "No overtime, no third map! This BO3 is officially over!!"

"We are destined to see Steel Helmets in the Legends Stage!!"

The venue wasn’t anything luxurious, and there were no live spectators cheering for them.

But that didn’t stop the Steel Helmets squad from celebrating. They roared with excitement, letting out all the emotions they had been holding in.

Ma Xixi was still lost in the euphoria of the moment. "I never imagined Steel Helmets would make it to the Major, and I definitely didn’t expect them to reach the Legends Stage!"

"The last time we got this far was at the 2018 London Major. That was when Tyloo made history and became a Legend."

"Three years later—over a thousand days and nights—CNCS has kicked open the door to the Legends Stage once again. Steel Helmets really did it!"

But before he could finish his sentence, DD pounced on him from behind, gripping his buzzed head excitedly. "Cousin, you were insane!! Holy sh*t! When we’re back in Maoming after the Major, I’m taking you out for some white-cut chicken!"

"We made it back to the Legends Stage!" DD pumped his fist, eyes gleaming. "【Cantonese curse word】! Three f***ing years! I thought I’d never get another chance!"

There was even a hint of tears in his eyes.

Originally, forming Steel Helmets to play in the Major wasn’t taken too seriously. After all, they were just a streamer team.

Sure, they had always wanted to compete against pro teams, but it was more of a personal challenge than a serious goal.

But once they truly stepped into competition, the gap in skill was evident.

DD wasn’t like his brother qz—he didn’t have that overwhelming natural talent for streaming. So after retiring, he cherished every opportunity to compete against professionals.

Countless nights, he would reminisce about the aggressive entry fragger he used to be in 2018.

So when he realized that Steel Helmets actually had a shot at making the Major, he threw himself into training with everything he had. He fought for every round, working tirelessly to hold the team together.

He and MO felt like they were stuck in London, 2018.

Trying to move forward, but being pulled back by time.

Trying to let go, but being pushed forward by their own unwillingness to quit.

DD had assumed that after a few more years, they would have to face the reality of their regrets.

But then, this kid right in front of him had kicked open the door to the Legends Stage and dragged them back in.

DD, who usually acted carefree, was actually the most sentimental one. His eyes were already glistening.

And then, he saw Jiang Yang scrunch up his face and say in disgust, "DD, why aren’t you wearing shoes?"

DD, caught in his emotions just moments ago, suddenly looked embarrassed. But he quickly shot back, "You guys don’t get it… this is called… this is called ‘pure essence’—no words needed!"

Laughter erupted from the team, and DD hurriedly put his shoes back on.

Jiang Yang then turned to MO with a grin. "Captain, I told you, we were just one BO3 away. I kept my word!"

"And the Legends Stage is just the beginning. I’m going to keep climbing. I’ll make it to the Champions Stage. One day, I’ll compete on a stage with tens of thousands of people watching—I’ll put on a show for them!"

MO stared at him, momentarily stunned.

At this moment, Jiang Yang was radiant, full of ambition.

Teenagers never know their limits. They always think they’re destined for greatness.

But it’s that arrogance, that unshakable pride—that’s their most precious quality!

"You’re definitely going to make it there. You belong on that stage!" MO laughed, a rare sight.

—

After Steel Helmets secured their victory against MR and advanced, the camera focused on their players’ area, capturing their live reactions.

In the English broadcast, the commentators could only interpret the emotions from their tone.

But in the Chinese CSGO streams, Jiang Yang and MO’s words were crystal clear.

Hearing familiar Mandarin, the live chat exploded.

【Absolute madness!】

【How do you even write out Cousin’s uncontainable energy?】

【Spring breeze at his back, lol】

【He’s only 16! This is the perfect age for arrogance!】

【I’m actually crying—Cousin came out of nowhere, like a gift from the gods to CNCS.】

【We finally have a top-tier sniper! Tears in my eyes!】

Ma Xixi waved his hand excitedly. "Brothers, let’s celebrate! Spam ‘Steel Helmets OP’ in chat! I’m rolling 20,000 giveaway prizes tonight!!"

After setting that up, he turned his attention back to the stream. The camera had switched to MR’s players.

sunPayus had his face buried in his hands, his entire expression one of defeat.

In today’s match, as MR’s star player, he was utterly crushed by the young prodigy on the other side.

On Mirage, it wasn’t even close—his opponent had over 20 more kills than him.

On Inferno, thanks to alex’s strategies, he barely had direct duels with young.

But in those few key rounds where he did face him, he couldn’t withstand the pressure.

Just earlier, he had been feeling pretty good about his own talent—after all, they were Spain’s only Major representative this year.

But then this 16-year-old kid came along and smashed him into the ground.

What the hell was this?!

sunPayus looked like his resolve had been shattered.

"Esports is brutal," Ma Xixi sighed, watching MR’s expressions. "MR was one of the biggest dark horses in this Major. But when two dark horses collide, one has to fall."

—

As MO led the team over for the post-match handshake, Jiang Yang felt the extra attention on him.

After all, as the most impactful player of the BO3, it was impossible for the other team not to notice him.

During the handshake, MR’s captain alex gave him a nod. "You’re really impressive. Accept my friend request later—let’s play some FPL together when you have time."

Jiang Yang wasn’t expecting that. He chuckled and nodded.

MR’s emotions toward Steel Helmets were complicated.

On one hand, they were their opponents—the ones who had just crushed their dreams and taken the Legends spot.

On the other hand, their journeys were similar—both were small teams fighting for recognition.

So after the match, there was a sense of mutual respect.

Only sunPayus was still sitting there in silence, struggling to recover.

Jiang Yang exchanged a few words with the MR players before excitedly heading back to his team’s side.

—

"That was an insane game!!" Ma Xixi praised, then immediately pulled up HLTV to check the stats.

"There's no debate about who the MVP of this match is. But DD was also crucial—so many key rounds were won with him and Cousin working together."

ID: young

Kills/Assists/Deaths: 73/8/28

Average Damage: 155.3

Rating: 2.31

The moment Ma Xixi saw the stats, he couldn't hold back a grin.

"Averaging 2.31 rating?! He’s still smurfing!!"

【Two maps’ worth of kills in just one!】

【How is he getting stronger the higher he climbs?!】

【Like Wan Ji Qi said—Cousin is undergoing super evolution!】

Ma Xixi took a deep breath. "There’s no doubt—he’s the best player in the Challenger Stage of this Major!"

Ma Xixi was still in awe as he refreshed the HLTV page, eager to check Jiang Yang’s impact rating—a measure of his influence on the game.

"Aside from deaths per round, Cousin's stats blow past the averages in every single category! His impact rating is a staggering 1.98! This is insane—he’s basically playing as two players!"

"He’s averaging 1.4 kills per round! That’s even crazier than the so-called ‘consistent 1 kill per round’ standard!"

Ma Xixi took another deep breath. "No doubt about it—he’s the best player in the Challenger Stage of this Major, and his stats might leave everyone else in the dust!"

"This is what true dominance looks like, brothers!"

—

Just as he was hyping things up, the broadcast cut to a new scene—CSBOY’s other members had entered the frame.

Jiang Yang and MO were being pulled in for an interview, while Jiazi had stepped in to help translate.

James Banks, dressed in a sharp suit, approached them with a bright smile. "Congratulations on your victory! Young, how are you feeling right now?"

Jiang Yang responded in Mandarin, "I’m really happy. Since we made it to the Legends Stage, I’ll be getting my own sticker now!"

Ming Riqing quickly translated for Banks.

Jiang Yang’s English was actually decent—he often used interviews as an opportunity to practice. He could understand most things but was still a bit hesitant when speaking.

Since he knew plenty of Chinese fans were watching, he figured he might as well respond in Mandarin.

Banks smiled. "You’ve been one of the most outstanding players in this Major. Do you realize just how much impact you have in the server?"

Jiang Yang, in classic humble-bragging fashion, replied, "I don’t know. I just shoot whoever appears in my crosshair. That’s all."

【"Just shoot"—LMAO】

【Bro is casually dropping wisdom】

【"Put your crosshair on the enemy’s head, click left mouse button, congrats, you’re now on A-Team."】

【Steel Helmets' golden rule: Don’t appear in Cousin’s crosshair!】

【I’m dying here LOL】

Hearing the translation, Banks burst into laughter. He was really starting to like this kid.

This kind of bold, arrogant attitude reminded him of his good friend S1mple.

"In today’s match, you had some unbelievable AWP plays. When you're in those clutch situations, what goes through your mind?"

"Are you purely relying on instinct, or is there a thought process behind it?"

Jiang Yang suppressed a grin and replied, "I just click my mouse, and they fall over."

MO, standing next to him, couldn't help but chuckle—this kid was really laying it on thick.

"Alright, let’s be more specific," Banks pressed on. "On Inferno, you pulled off a 1v3 clutch. What was your thought process there?"

Jiang Yang pondered for a moment. "Actually, it wasn’t a 1v3, it was a 2v4. Brother Xiaosa helped a lot."

"He aggressively pushed B, making the enemy think we were both there. That gave me an opening, and I took my chance to create space."

"As for the final kills on sunPayus and alex, it was mostly careful clearing and a little positioning mind game."

Jiang Yang made it sound so simple, but those who watched the match knew how much pressure he was under in that moment.

One wrong move, and they would’ve gone to Map 3 instead of celebrating a win.

—

"Throughout the Challenger Stage, you’ve been putting on monstrous performances. How do you maintain such consistent form?" Banks asked, wrapping up the interview.

Jiang Yang looked a little embarrassed. "I don’t think I’m the right person to answer that. I barely have 1,000 hours in CS:GO. You should probably ask one of the Old Veterans instead."

"Wait—what?" Banks stared at him in shock.

When Jiang Yang first went viral, it had only circulated within certain groups. Most people just thought of it as a joke.

More people only took him seriously when his stats in the Challenger Stage became absurd.

"Yeah," Jiang Yang nodded. "I only have about 1,000 hours in total. I haven’t really experienced performance slumps yet, so I can’t give you an answer. You should probably ask someone like NIKO or dupreeh instead."

"Hold on—you made it to the Legends Stage with under 1,000 hours of playtime?!"

Banks' entire worldview was collapsing at this moment.

He had expected a young prodigy—sure. But he had assumed that Jiang Yang was at least a grinder, someone with thousands upon thousands of hours logged in CS:GO.

Yet here was this kid, destroying seasoned pros and dropping historic ratings, all with less playtime than the average FACEIT Level 10 player.

His jaw dropped even further when Jiang Yang casually confirmed it with a nod.

In that instant, the English livestream chat exploded.

[WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF]

—