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

Inside the VG Club.

Jamyoung had just finished watching the match between Steel Helmets and MR with 259.

"They actually made it through?!"

Even after the post-match interview, Xiaojv still found it hard to believe.

He knew Jiang Yang was insanely talented, but carrying a team to the Legends Stage with a 1v4 performance? That was beyond his comprehension.

It was already incredibly difficult for five proper professional players to make it into a Major!

"This makes no sense!!" Xiaojv was still struggling to understand.

259 pointed at Jiang Yang, who was being interviewed on the stream, and said calmly, "Because that guy is good enough to carry."

After getting to know Jiang Yang, he realized that many of his previous understandings of CS:GO had been shattered.

Before this match, he couldn't have imagined such an aggressive sniper playstyle in a tournament setting.

If someone had covered the team logos and player IDs, showing him only the gameplay, he would've thought it was a ranked match.

But this was a Major-level match, and not only did Jiang Yang play in it, but he also led the Steel Helmets—a team of veterans—to qualify for the Major.

259 had no choice but to slowly accept this unconventional way of thinking.

"But how does he always manage to put up such ridiculous stats?" Xiaojv stared at the screen, half-amused and half-frustrated. "Watching from his POV, it just looks like he's playing against a bunch of noobs. This makes no sense at all."

"It's because Steel Helmets give him a lot of opportunities to fire. Sometimes it's forced, but as a sniper with a high fire rate, he naturally gets way more kill opportunities. So his kill count is always inflated—it's actually pretty normal."

Xiaojv looked at 259. "Then let me ask you—if you put me in Steel Helmets, could I put up those kinds of stats?"

"Haha, nope."

Xiaojv's expression darkened. "Then what the hell are you even talking about?! [Anime-style expletive]."

259 chuckled at Xiaojv’s reaction, clearly amused.

Meanwhile, Ah Zhong, who was munching on a duck neck, chimed in, "You think playing the ‘Prince’ role is easy?"

"Prince?"

"Isn't Cousin the ‘Prince’ of Steel Helmets? Hahaha." Ah Zhong took a sip of milk tea to cool off the spice before explaining, "If he didn't have real skill, he'd just be inheriting Ma Xixi's legacy as Asia's #1 exit-fragger."

Xiaojv thought about it and realized that was true—if Jiang Yang weren’t skilled enough, he'd just be constantly losing site control and saving his AWP.

"But his stats right now are seriously hard to wrap my head around," Ah Zhong added. "He must be hitting a 1.8 rating in the Challengers Stage."

Back in the day, even a 1.4 rating in the Challengers Stage could put a player at the top of the leaderboard.

But Jiang Yang was simply on another level—especially after today's match, where he put up a staggering 2.89 rating. That alone was going to inflate his overall stats significantly.

While Xiaojv was shocked, he was also extremely curious. He wanted to see if he could learn anything from Jiang Yang’s success.

259, being an in-game leader, saw things from a different perspective—he wasn’t just watching for the flashy kills.

So, he quickly shared his analysis.

"Steel Helmets' team setup allows Cousin to fully showcase his skills. Plus, did you notice how proactive he was today? That only amplified his personal impact."

"And then there's his ridiculous ECO round ability. He racks up a ton of kills during ECO rounds, which lets Steel Helmets maintain momentum once they start winning."

When teams like Tyloo or VG played against Tier 1 opponents, they often took the lead early but faltered during ECO or force-buy rounds, allowing their opponents to make comebacks.

Steel Helmets, despite their overall weaker team strength, had MO as their leader. He was smart—he fully utilized Jiang Yang as an ‘ECO specialist,’ ensuring they could trade effectively.

As a result, Steel Helmets had an exceptionally low chance of getting upset by an ECO round.

259 had watched all of their matches, and as far as he could recall, Steel Helmets had only been ECO’d once.

Avoiding those losses meant they could build up a strong economy, which gave them more leeway in matches—creating a positive feedback loop.

"It's like peak Astralis," 259 explained. "Astralis was dominant because once they strung a few rounds together, their economy snowballed, and they became nearly unbreakable."

"Steel Helmets are kinda like that right now—except they're relying on Cousin’s AWP plays. He’s probably the most active AWPer in the entire Challengers Stage."

"That’s also why, in really close matches, his performance tends to dip a bit."

Ah Zhong took another sip of milk tea and added, "And their bracket was pretty lucky too."

"The first round against X-Team was a lucky draw—X-Team wasn't in form, and Cousin popped off."

"The second round, Mouz let Mirage through."

"The third round, they ran into a fully-powered Firefly and lost."

"The final round, they faced a Spanish team and managed to qualify."

"They got a fortunate bracket, no doubt," Ah Zhong continued. "But luck is only part of the equation—Cousin is genuinely insane. His improvement during the Major has been way too fast."

Before the Major, everyone knew Jiang Yang’s pistol rounds were his weak point.

But once the Major started, he just kept getting better and better.

"Now that they’re heading into the Legends Stage, his stats are probably going to drop," 259 predicted. "But he should still be among the top players."

Xiaojv listened intently to 259’s breakdown—until 259 suddenly groaned in frustration.

"Damn it! If only I had been a little more aggressive back then!!"

"Maybe right now his prefix would be ‘VG’ instead of Steel Helmets!!"

Ah Zhong burst out laughing. "See? That’s what you get for playing hard to get—being tsundere is outdated!"

"There's still a chance, right? No way he stays in Steel Helmets after the Major."

259 shook his head knowingly. "With his talent, if he doesn’t move up, he might as well retire at home."

"Yeah, no chance he stays."

Jiang Yang had no idea that professional teams back home were analyzing his performance.

After the match, the team had just returned to the lounge when MO made a grand announcement.

"Guys, we’re celebrating tonight! Let’s go get some BBQ—Captain's treat!"

"Big words from you," DD smirked. "Hope you’re ready to go broke."

Xiaosa raised his hand, "Hey, can we get hotpot instead? It’s warmer."

"You’re being picky when it’s free?"

Laughing and chatting, they carried their gear back to the tournament hotel.

After setting down their equipment and freshening up, they were about ready to head out.

While waiting for Ming Riqing to finish his shower, Jiang Yang wandered around the hotel and stumbled upon a media area.

There, he saw Jame interviewing NIKO.

He knew about this—Jame, as the founder of "Jame Time," often ran interviews with players for his content.

Jame noticed him and gave a friendly wave.

Even though they hadn’t interacted before, Jame obviously knew about the biggest star of the Challengers Stage.

Noticing Jame’s reaction, NIKO turned to look as well.

"Oh! I know you—you’re that prodigy who hit pro level with just 500 hours!"

"NIKO, hello!" Jiang Yang greeted him with a wave.

NIKO smiled, but then Jiang Yang suddenly froze.

NIKO, confused, glanced at Jame. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing," Jiang Yang stammered in broken English. "Just... a bit nervous meeting an idol."

In reality, he was startled by a few lines of text that had appeared before him.

[At 30 years old, you attempt your final dance. By chance, you reunite with an old comrade—NIKO. You once fought side by side through tough times, but in the end, parted ways due to differing philosophies.]

[Mission: Reconnect and mend the rift. Reward: 3000 Comeback Points.]

The reward wasn't much, but the implications caught Jiang Yang’s attention.

"So... 30-year-old me was NIKO’s teammate for a long time?"

"But we had a falling out later?"

Still, that was a problem for the future.

NIKO, seeing Jiang Yang's hesitation, encouraged him, "Don’t worry—just speak up. The only way to improve a language is to use it."

That warmed Jiang Yang’s heart—his first impression of NIKO was incredibly positive.

It’s rare to see a sniper with exceptional pre-aiming skills, but Jiang Yang was an exception.

Not only was his AWPing outstanding, but his pre-aiming was also rock solid—NIKO could tell at a glance.

Jiang Yang didn’t pre-aim in a rigid, mechanical way, memorizing maps like a robot. His style had a natural flow, full of intuition.

"Sometimes, though, your pre-aiming is a bit too casual," NIKO pointed out. He had watched several of Jiang Yang’s match replays.

Jiang Yang’s pre-aiming habits actually resembled S1mple’s—he simply aimed wherever enemies might appear.

NIKO, on the other hand, was meticulous, systematically checking every angle before advancing.

Jiang Yang explained, "It’s all about trade-offs. If I were a rifler in my team, I’d probably play like you—clearing every possible angle to help the team minimize risks."

"But as the dedicated AWPer, I don’t always have the luxury of time for thorough pre-aiming. You know how it is—sometimes even half a second can completely change the timing."

Hearing this, NIKO wasn’t upset at all. Instead, he gave Jiang Yang a thumbs-up. "That’s pro-level thinking! I knew you had a unique understanding of pre-aiming."

"Different roles require different approaches—you’re thinking exactly the same way I do!"

The two pre-aiming enthusiasts got more and more excited, diving into a deep discussion about how pre-aiming varied across different maps and how to handle special terrain.

Even though Jiang Yang’s English was a bit shaky—sometimes he had to look up words on his phone—the conversation flowed naturally.

But soon, Jiang Yang’s phone rang—it was a WeChat call. Ming Riqing had finished his shower.

Jiang Yang looked at Jame and NIKO, gesturing toward his phone. "My teammates are calling me. We’re heading out for dinner. Let’s add each other on Twitter—we can chat more next time."

NIKO nodded immediately, pulling out his phone to exchange contacts.

He found himself really liking Jiang Yang—his thought process and playstyle just clicked with him.

Jame suddenly suggested, "How about a group photo?"

When God suggests a photo, you know it’s happening. Jiang Yang quickly took out his phone, found a good angle, and snapped a picture of the three of them.

After the photo, Jiang Yang waved goodbye to the two top-tier players and left.

Watching the young talent walk away, NIKO felt a tinge of regret.

"Damn. If only he had shown up two months earlier."

His team, G2, desperately needed a strong AWPer.

But they had already signed a young talent from NAVI’s academy—m0nesy.

Between an unproven prodigy like m0nesy and a player who had already demonstrated his brilliance on the big stage, NIKO actually preferred the latter, even if his English wasn’t great.

But now, it was too late.

"What are you up to?" Ming Riqing leaned in, her voice carrying a playful clip queen tone.

Jiang Yang turned his phone toward her, showing the screen. "Just had a chat with God and Prince NIKO. Got a photo. Posting it now."

As he spoke, he uploaded the picture to Small Broken Site (Bilibili) with the caption:

"These two clearly don’t know how to play CS:GO."

Ming Riqing laughed. "You guys really love messing around. You enjoy trolling, and Xixi is naturally chaotic."

Jiang Yang burst into laughter.

Soon, they drove to a well-reviewed BBQ restaurant nearby.

After waiting a while, the food was finally served.

As a young guy, Jiang Yang was starving. The moment the meat was grilled, he wasted no time digging in.

The BBQ itself wasn’t particularly unique, but the fresh meat quality made up for it. The moment he took a bite, the tender beef burst with juices, making him unconsciously chew faster.

"Nice pick, Captain. This place is legit!" Xiaosa praised.

MO raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of networking? We’ve got fans in Stockholm too, you know. Just asked a local."

Jiang Yang instantly took notes.

He was likely going to spend the next few years in Europe. Knowing where to find good food was critical!

He had seen plenty of posts online about international students struggling with bland white people food. A good restaurant was a true treasure.

Might as well learn how to scout for good eats in advance.

While the rest of Steel Helmets chatted away, Jiang Yang focused on devouring his meal. His sheer appetite made the others pause.

"Damn, Cousin can really eat?"

Jiang Yang responded between bites, "Still growing—can’t afford to go hungry."

Looking at Jiang Yang’s tall frame—well over 180cm—MO took a deep breath. "What’s going on with you two? Feels like you stole all of Ma Xixi’s height!"

"If you keep growing, you’ll hit 190cm soon. Crazy." Xiaosa added, "Kids these days are getting taller and taller."

Back in their time, 175cm was already considered pretty good.

Now, everyone seemed to be over 180cm, with some even pushing 190cm. It was just unfair.

Looks like Ma Xixi would never live down his height issue.

Since tomorrow was a holiday, the old veterans of Steel Helmets cracked open some drinks.

But as minors, Jiang Yang and Ming Riqing could only sip on orange juice.

MO suddenly reminded the team, "By the way, have you guys thought about your autographs?"

"Over the next couple of days, the designers will probably ask us to finalize our signatures. This is a hard-earned Legends Stage spot—let’s make the most of it!"

After the Challengers Stage, the tournament organizers had set aside a day to work with them on autograph designs.

"We’re all set. What about you, Cousin?" Xiaosa, now slightly buzzed, raised his voice.

Jiang Yang chuckled, "I haven’t decided yet, but I am going to include my cousin in it."

"Without his help, I wouldn’t even be here."

Ma Xixi had always been good to him. Back when Jiang Yang wanted to go pro, Ma Xixi ran around making connections and helping him out.

Jiang Yang had never figured out how to properly thank him.

Since Ma Xixi loved saving face, why not sneak his name into the autograph design?

Imagining Ma Xixi trying to suppress a smug grin and saying "That’s prestige," Jiang Yang couldn’t help but smile.

"You two have a great bond," MO said enviously. "I’ve partnered with your cousin for years, and he’s never been that nice to me."

Ming Riqing, ever the instigator, added, "Oh? Not nice enough? You two slept in the same bed!"

The room erupted in laughter.

"Something’s off about this partnership~"

"MO is the real love of Ma Xixi’s life!"

The playful banter between teammates made Jiang Yang feel genuinely happy.

After eating his fill, he grabbed his phone and started scrolling through the forums.

Many teams had finished their matches, and the results affected numerous prediction bets—sparking heated discussions.

With Steel Helmets qualifying for the Legends Stage, the forum had descended into pure chaos.

["What year is this? MO and DD are still in the Legends Stage?!"]

["It was these old veterans back then, and it’s still these old veterans now. Have I wasted years of my life?"]

["Cousin is carrying this Challengers Stage. Aside from Firefly, no one else can match him."]

["His stats are insane compared to everyone else."]

["Captain MO’s stock is rising again!"]

Jiang Yang kept scrolling through an endless wave of praise—so much that even he felt a little overwhelmed.

Some posts were going way overboard, claiming he could "outpunch S1mple and outkick ZywOo."

Jiang Yang wasn’t sure if people genuinely believed it or if someone was just trying to stir the pot.

Either way, he didn’t like this kind of atmosphere.

After some thought, he turned to Ming Riqing.

"Hey, do you have an extra Perfect World account?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked casually.

"Find one you don’t use and let me log in. I want to post something, but using my main account wouldn’t be ideal."

She assumed he wanted to fight back against haters. "Someone flaming you?"

Jiang Yang shook his head and simply gave her a mischievous smile.

Once logged in, he quickly typed out a post:

"Making Legends is one thing, but it’s not like we won the Major. Is Ma Xixi handing out snacks or something? Y’all need to chill with the hype. He’s just holding an AWP and cleaning up kills from the back—how is that ‘outpunching S1mple’ level? Chill out, Yang fanboys."

Ming Riqing: "???"

She stared at him, stunned.

She had seen people flame their opponents.

But this was the first time she’d seen someone flame themselves.

A true pioneer.