It turns out Jiang Yangâs instincts were spot-on.
After losing the first rifle round, Tyloo seemed to stabilize for a moment, but they quickly followed it up with a second-timing explosive play on A-site.
This A-site push wasnât anything specialâno synchronized maneuvers or intricate micro-strategiesâit was just straight-up ladder-level gameplay.
But Tylooâs players had rock-solid aim. They bulldozed their way through A-site and took the round.
That said, Steel Helmets didnât go completely scoreless afterward. The issue was that Tylooâs raw aim was exceptional, and their individual 1v1s were proving too tough to handle.
Adding to that, Steel Helmetsâ economy collapsed, and before they realized it, the score had climbed to 3:6.
Finally, they scraped together enough cash to buy Jiang Yang an AWP.
However, this round saw MO leading Su Di in a forward push toward B-site, only to get completely shut down by somebody holding the B2 balcony. B-site crumbled instantly.
Jiang Yang managed to take down three players with the AWP on the retake, but without a defuse kit and with time running out, he had no choice but to save the gun.
âMan, Tyloo is straight-up disrespecting us!â DD vented over voice comms. âThey just keep dry-peeking everything!â
Tylooâs approach was way too unexpected. In the first few rounds, Steel Helmets hadnât prepared for it, and their raw aim had overwhelmed them. Combined with their shattered economy, they were bleeding rounds.
In truth, Tyloo wasnât applying overwhelming pressure overall.
Jiang Yang felt relatively okay, but due to timing and positional issues, he spent most of the earlier rounds playing retakes.
His teammates also failed to trade effectively, making it hard for him to turn things around.
The AWP, powerful as it is, has its pros and consâthe biggest downside being how difficult it is to quickly push forward on a retake.
âIf itâs my spot, how about MO covers me from B2 balcony?â Jiang Yang suggested. âIâll solo B-site and hold the gap in the B2 balcony.â
MO could sense the frustration in the young manâs voice but turned him down. âLetâs double up on B. Iâll watch B short with my Deagle, and worst case, Iâll be your bodyguard while you save the gun.â
The teamâs economy was rough this round. Other than Jiang Yangâs AWP, only DD had a rifle.
They had to be prepared for the possibility that Jiang Yangâs AWP might not find any targets again, forcing another save.
Still, Jiang Yang was eager to create opportunities for the team.
When the pause ended, he headed straight for B2 balcony.
â¦
âJiang Yangâs still holding onto his AWP, but the rest of Steel Helmetsâ loadout is looking rough,â commented MachineWJQ.
âAnd here he is, setting up on B2 balcony. Is he planning to snipe through the gap?â
From B2 balcony, Jiang Yang scoped in, aiming directly at the narrow gap by the B2 entrance.
If anyone pushed into B2 balcony or jumped into lower tunnels, theyâd fall into his sightline.
The gap was small, though, and required lightning-fast reflexes to make the shot.
Typically, only the most confident snipers would take this position.
Jiang Yang steadied his aim and locked his gaze on the gap, waiting patiently.
The moment the gap darkened, he immediately pulled the trigger and jumped off the balcony.
âIf someone rushes up close, Jiang Yang wonât be able to hold this spot. Heâll have to reposition for a second shot.â
âBut he wallbanged them!!â MachineWJQ exclaimed. âTyloo likes to sneak through silently, and one of them just got tagged hard!â
âThankfully, they didnât die outright, but Tyloo seems set on another B-site push. Is this their go-to plan when all else fails?â
After firing the AWP on B-site, Jiang Yang rotated to A-site, thinking Tyloo would avoid him now that they knew where he was.
His logic made sense. Staying on B with the AWP wouldnât yield much.
But just as he left, smokes popped at VIP and the inner side of the arches. Thatâs when he realized something was off.
Sure enough, Tyloo launched a second-timing pincer attack on B-site.
âTylooâs reverse psychology strikes again. They figured Jiang Yangâs AWP would rotate to A, so they accelerated the B-site push.â
âWith just MO defending B, armed with only a Deagle, he managed to blind SLOWLY with a teammateâs flash and landed two shots, taking him down!â
âBut as the attackers flooded the balcony, MOâs efforts werenât enough. His Deagle tagged another player but left no more room to work with.â
Meanwhile, at A-site, Jiang Yang landed a clean AWP shot on a flanker sneaking through the archway, turning it into a 3v3.
DD was the first to arrive at B for the retake, but his timing was unlucky. Every time he spotted an opponent, they were behind cover, and he ended up getting picked off.
âTwo of them are low HP! One hit will kill them!â DD called over comms.
The situation was still grim. Even with the enemies low on health, their numbers advantage made it hard to break their hold.
Jiang Yang held his AWP at the supermarket entrance, scanning carefully. According to the minimap, there was one player in that area, another near the bomb site, and one unaccounted for.
Fortunately, Brother Xiaosa had picked up an AK dropped by the flanker and had some room to make a play.
Their team was still trailing in score, and the pressure was mounting.
Even though the situation was difficult, Jiang Yang wasnât ready to give up.
âLetâs try this,â he suggested to Brother Xiaosa. âIâll cover the couch. You push forward.â
AWP covering and rifles pushingâtextbook retake strategy.
Brother Xiaosa nodded and began creeping forward from the supermarket entrance.
The tension rose as Jiang Yang held his AWP crosshair on the couch while keeping an eye on the white car and bomb site.
He had to be ready for the bomb carrier to peek out and sync with the defenders.
Brother Xiaosaâs movement control wasnât perfect. He made some noise while peeking.
Hearing the footsteps, Baicai, positioned on the couch, couldnât resist peeking out to end the round then and there.
But as soon as he peeked, he was met with Jiang Yangâs scoped-in AWP.
ãyoung+captainMO killed Attacker with an AWPã
MachineWJQ was astonished. âTylooâs players are peeking too aggressively in these post-plant situations. Why not just hold their angles?â
Hearing gunfire at the supermarket entrance, Cy1 tried to swing out to trade, but Brother Xiaosa bested him in the duel.
âNow itâs just Danking left in a 1v2!â
Danking tried to stall for time by dancing around the pillar, but Steel Helmets carefully cleared white car and set up a trade.
âDanking pops out, takes one down, but Jiang Yang lands the final shot!!â
MachineWJQâs excitement peaked.
From Jiang Yangâs POV, his movements were calculated and precise. He stood atop the white car, adjusted his scope mid-action, and delivered the finishing blow with lightning speed.
This clutch was breathtaking. Jiang Yang immediately rushed to defuse, but time was tight. The spectators held their breath as the C4 timer ticked down.
âIs he gonna make it?! Itâs gonna explode!â
Just as the C4 beeped urgently, the defuse bar disappeared, signaling success.
MachineWJQ exclaimed, âHe did it! A last-second defuse! Jiang Yang is carrying Steel Helmets on his back!â
ãHoly crap, Yang God!!ã
ãThat last shot was insane.ã
ãFour AWP shots, four killsâthis guyâs a beast.ã
The livestream chat erupted with cheers. Even Steel Helmetsâ comms were buzzing with excitement.
âNice one, Xiao Yang! That was clutch!â
Jiang Yang was still riding the adrenaline, but his nerves were frayed after such a tight round.
The score closed to 4:7, with the gap narrowing.
âLetâs go! Weâre not far behindâwe can do this!â Jiang Yang encouraged.
By the end of the first half, the score was locked at 7:8, with Steel Helmets still trailing Tyloo by one round.
They actually had a chance to overtake.
After Jiang Yangâs incredible clutch, the teamâs morale surged, and they managed to string together a few more rounds.
However, during the final round of the half, an unexpected incident occurred.
All Jiang Yang saw on the public chat was a message from the referee:
Referee: Steel Helmets, no smoking during the match.
This immediately set off a wave of complaints from the Steel Helmets squad in voice chat.
âWhat the hell is this?!â DD grumbled. âWe were doing fine, and the refâs gotta come in and Gank us? How are we supposed to play like this?â
âTheyâre targeting us,â Brother Xiaosa chimed in. âI bet Tylooâs over there chewing on betel nuts or something. Why donât they get called out?â
Jiang Yang burst into laughter at their complaints and joined in the banter. âThis refâs gotta be biased! Black whistle! No way this is fair!â
Brother Xiaosa raised his voice dramatically. âIf we canât smoke, weâre not playing! This is an online match;
who cares if weâre smoking?!â
Jiang Yang wasnât a smoker himself, but the rest of the teamâthese old-timersâhad a habit of gaming with a cigarette in hand.
Most of the time, they didnât even smoke during the matchâthey just liked to hold the cigarette between their fingers, pretending they were busy.
Being told they couldnât smoke made them uncomfortable, but it wasnât a serious issue.
MO, ever the voice of reason, spoke up: âIf the ref is Ganking us, it means Tylooâs feeling the heat. Weâre doing great so farâjust one round away from catching up. Letâs keep it up!â
Meanwhile, in Tylooâs training room.
The team was surprised that Steel Helmets had managed to secure seven rounds in the first half.
Danking broke the silence. âMan, their old captain is really strong. Heâs putting so much pressure on us.â
Baicai chimed in, âItâs mostly Ma Xixiâs cousin. That AWP of his is insaneâalmost never misses. Iâve lost track of how many times heâs picked me off. Iâve only managed to get him once.â
Danking didnât say much. As a sniper himself, he was directly matched against Jiang Yang.
While the duels between them werenât frequent, Danking had to admit that Jiang Yangâs performance in the first half was superior.
Looking at the scoreboard, Jiang Yang had already racked up an impressive 23/2/11 for the half.
In contrast, DD was the only other player on Steel Helmets breaking double digits with 11 kills. The rest of the team had single-digit frags, with Su Di bringing up the rear at just two kills.
It was obvious who was carrying the team.
As a fellow sniper, Danking felt the pressure. Ma Xixi, meanwhile, began to feel a different kind of concern.
If Jiang Yang kept performing at this level, Tyloo might want to recruit himâand if that happened, Jiang Yang could take his spot.
Suddenly, Ma Xixi felt the weight of the competition increase tenfold.
The second half began with the pistol round.
This time, MO called for a pincer strategy involving the archway and A2 tower.
Jiang Yang was tasked with flanking from A2 while the main force hit through the archway.
As the flanker, Jiang Yangâs job was to wait patiently until the main force made contact.
âAt the archway, the team is grouped up, waiting for the smoke to fade. Once it clears, itâs all about reaction time!â
âDanking gets instantly taken down, but he still manages to trade one for one!â
âAnd whatâs this? On B-short, the flank! Little Ghost gets one kill, then another!â
âDD finally turns around and takes him out, but the damage is done. This push is falling apart!â
The 4-man archway strategy only yielded a 3-for-2 trade, leaving Steel Helmets in a precarious position.
âJiang Yangâs finally moving out of A2 tower, but can he predict that someone is holding close to his position?â
On this map, Jiang Yangâs pre-aiming and clearing routines were unmatched in Asia.
From A2 tower, he methodically used half-body peeks to check VIP, sandwich, and the headshot angle at the stairs, before moving to clear the corner.
Since his teammates hadnât checked the position, Jiang Yang was vigilant.
Sure enough, the next second, someone rushed out.
Jiang Yang was ready. He crouched and adjusted his crosshair in one smooth motion.
ãyoung killed summer with a Glock headshotã
As he got the kill, he heard a frantic call in comms: âCT at the phone booth!â
Without hesitation, Jiang Yang turned, peeked, and adjusted his crosshair mid-motion.
Rhythmic taps from the Glock landed perfectly, taking down the CT at the phone booth.
ãyoung killed Attacker with a Glock headshotã
âWhat just happened?! CY1, worried about DD jumping onto the platform, pushed into A2 tower but got shut down by Jiang Yang!â
âJiang Yang then swung out and took out the CT at the phone booth. Within seconds, Steel Helmets turned the numbers around!â
âI donât even know what Tyloo is doing. They had the man advantage and just threw it away!â
With Tylooâs players falling apart, only SLOWLY remained at B-site.
Meanwhile, Steel Helmets planted the bomb at A-site and spread out to hold post-plant positions.
SLOWLY rotated to clear A1 but lost a duel to DD.
The pistol round ended with Steel Helmets clutching the win.
For the first time in this match, Steel Helmets tied the score!