Chapter 126: Exhibition Match
The first match went fine, but by the second and third matches, Chen Mo was already speaking bluntly, clearly pointing out every mistake the players made. He quickly offended many fans of the players.
"Damn, he never stops! He dares to criticize anyone!"
"You can criticize the losers for playing badly, but you're nitpicking the winners too?"
"Wow, I've really seen what it means to be a Monday morning quarterback!"
"I really want to say, if you're so good, why don't you play yourself!"
Of course, there were also many people on Chen Mo's side.
"Brain-dead streamer fans, get lost!"
"Can't you just listen to the commentary? Is there anything wrong with what Chen Mo said? He's the designer of this game, his understanding of it is way better than you keyboard warriors!"
"Here we go again with 'if you're so good, why don't you play.' I need to know how to make a refrigerator just to comment on one?"
"If you don't want to hear the commentary, mute it! No one's forcing you!"
"Chen Mo, well said, keep it up, don't mind those trolls!"
Soon, the bullet comments started to go off track, with the two groups arguing fiercely.
In reality, the majority supported Chen Mo, but the opposing side was more aggressive, spamming all kinds of comments across the screen.
During the break between matches, a staff member approached Chen Mo.
"Mr. Chen Mo, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. A lot of people in the bullet comments are saying your commentary is too harsh, and the two sides are arguing. For the rest of the matches, could you maybe tone it down a bit?"
Chen Mo smiled. "I understand what you mean. I've seen the bullet comments. It's fine, I know my limits. Besides, creating a bit of controversy only increases the popularity of the tournament, right? That's good for you too."
The staff member hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, Mr. Chen Mo, the thing is, after tomorrow's matches, we've arranged an exhibition match where you'll play against this tournament's champion."
"Huh?" Chen Mo was taken aback.
The staff member explained, "Of course, we definitely don't mean for the champion to go all out against you. Our idea is to have this tournament's champion play against you using only the mouse, no keyboard. It's mainly for entertainment purposes. You understand what I mean, right?"
Chen Mo nodded. He understood.
The organizers had planned an exhibition match from the start, just for fun, to let Chen Mo play a bit. After all, players would probably be interested in seeing the designer play his own game.
Of course, considering the potential skill gap, they decided to have the champion use only the mouse, making the exhibition match more entertaining.
But with the bullet comments arguing today, the exhibition match had taken on a different tone.
Many viewers thought Chen Mo was just a Monday morning quarterback. They felt he had a good understanding of the game, but that didn't mean he could play well. If he played the exhibition match and got crushed by the champion with one hand, how embarrassing would that be?
Those viewers would probably mock him endlessly!
The staff member said, "How about this: you keep commentating as you like, and I'll talk to the higher-ups about canceling tomorrow's exhibition match. It's not a crucial segment anyway."
Chen Mo shook his head. "No, that won't do. It's fine, don't worry about it. We'll play as planned. The exhibition match goes on as scheduled."
The staff member was a bit confused. What did he mean? Was he really that confident in his own skill?
The staff member didn't know Chen Mo's skill level, but seeing how confident he was, it probably wasn't too bad. And since the champion would be playing with one hand, it shouldn't be a big problem.
The staff member nodded. "Alright, we'll do as you say."
The first day's matches continued. Chen Mo didn't change at all. He spoke bluntly, saying whatever he wanted, completely ignoring the bullet comments.
Even Zhang Yang was silently sweating. This Chen Mo really didn't know how terrifying trolls could be!
The matches went smoothly. The players played seriously, Chen Mo's commentary was excellent, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.
The organizers were also satisfied. It seemed hiring Chen Mo for commentary was the right call. Totally worth it!
Of course, there were a few discordant voices, but the organizers felt it wasn't a big deal. Since they had already talked to Chen Mo and he said it was fine, that was that.
The next day, the matches continued.
The semifinals, the third-place match, and the finals played out one after another, with the audience cheering throughout. In the end, Goph proved superior, defeating Digwa to claim the championship.
Zhang Yang said, "Alright, let's congratulate player Goph on winning the Phantom Cup championship and the 500,000 prize money! Congratulations!"
The bullet comments were also flooding the screen.
"!"
"King of the Orcs! Goph crowned!"
"Awesome! The Orc race rises!"
"Ah, what a pity. If Digwa hadn't made that mistake at the expansion base, he might have won. Such a shame!"
"This match was amazing! The spectacle of Warcraft completely crushes Legion Conquest!"
"It got my blood pumping. I want to go play ranked matches right now!"
Zhang Yang said, "Friends in the livestream, please don't leave. This tournament isn't over yet. That's right, next up, we have a very exciting exhibition match!"
The audience was stunned. An exhibition match? How would that work?
Zhang Yang explained, "This exhibition match features our champion, player Goph, facing off against the designer of Warcraft, and my commentary partner for this tournament, Teacher Chen Mo!"
As soon as he said this, the bullet comments exploded!
"What?! Chen Mo is playing an exhibition match? Against Goph?!"
"Are you kidding? Goph has 4000 points. He'd crush Chen Mo like a noob!"
"Not necessarily. Chen Mo has a strong understanding of the game."
"What good is game understanding? This game is all about APM and mechanics. Goph would wipe the floor with Chen Mo! What were the organizers thinking?"
"Haha, didn't we just call Chen Mo a Monday morning quarterback? Nice. He's great at criticizing this and that. Let's see how he actually plays."
"Wow, Chen Mo actually agreed to this? Respect! Or is this just ignorance being bliss?"
While the bullet comments were still scrolling, Chen Mo had already taken his seat at the player station and started adjusting his equipment.
Zhang Yang said, "Alright, since this is an exhibition match, player Goph will be playing one-handed against Mr. Chen Mo. That means Goph can only use the mouse, no keyboard."
The bullet comments started flooding again.
"I knew it. If Goph played seriously, it would be a massacre. Giving up one hand makes it fair!"
"Wow, that feels kind of embarrassing. Playing with one hand?"
"But I still think Goph will win!"
"Haha, if Goph wins with one hand, how awkward would that be for Chen Mo?"
"It's hard to say. I think he might last a little while?"
But before this wave of bullet comments had even finished, Zhang Yang paused. He pressed his earpiece, a look of surprise on his face.
Half a minute later, Zhang Yang continued, "Alright, I just got word from the director. Mr. Chen Mo has requested that player Goph use both hands to play against him. Honestly, I was surprised to hear this too. I won't say more, so let's all look forward to this special exhibition match!"
In that short minute, the tone of the bullet comments did a complete 180-degree turn. At first, there were still some sarcastic remarks, but after Zhang Yang finished speaking, the screen was filled with "???" and "666".
"What the hell? Chen Mo wants Goph to use both hands?"
"Wow, that's really bold. Does he think losing with one hand is too embarrassing, so he's asking to be crushed with two?"
"Haha, this is going to be good. Go, Goph! Crush this Monday morning quarterback!"