In a moment that blurred the line between grassroots livestreaming and elite esports, 66的娟姨 (Auntie Juan) — a 59-year-old streamer from China’s southern Guangdong province — did the unthinkable. During a friendly exhibition match, she landed a fatal blow, or “one-tap,” on Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, a phenom widely regarded as the best Counter-Strike player on the planet. The clip exploded across social media, not for the stakes of the match, but for the sheer improbability of the sharpshooter: a woman who defies every stereotype of the “professional gamer.”

What began as a way to pass time during the pandemic, encouraged by her son, gradually evolved into thousands of hours of practice, livestreams, and an unexpected online following.

Credit: Reporter: Lü Xiao; story editor: Marianne Gunnarsson