(The author went to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and got altitude sickness. I've been feeling awful, so updates may be irregular over the next couple of days. Sorry, sorry.)
After landing in a small cluster of buildings, Little Lee was lucky enough to find a Level 2 Helmet, a Level 2 Vest, and a Level 1 Backpack. Most importantly, he got a six-times scope and an M24!
Little Lee was most comfortable with submachine guns, and sniping was his next favorite. As long as he had a fully kitted Uzi or Vector and a sniper rifle, he could dominate the battlefield!
The roar of a plane passed overhead. The airdrop was on its way!
And judging by the sound, it was very close!
Little Lee left the buildings and stood in the open, gazing up. A plane roared past through the sky nearby. He looked behind it but couldn't see an airdrop, which meant it hadn't dropped one yet!
Little Lee stared hard at the plane and silently prayed:
Drop it!
Come on, drop it!
Hurry up!
At last, a dark box drifted down from the sky beneath a parachute. Little Lee scoped in and saw that the airdrop was headed toward the Castle.
He wasn't very close to the Castle, but he wasn't too far away either—just a few hundred meters. Little Lee ran to the roadside and, luckily, found a Snowmobile. He hopped on and sped toward the Castle.
That airdrop's mine!
But when he got to within about three hundred meters of the Castle, Little Lee suddenly spotted a figure moving inside. It was incredibly brief, just a shadow flashing past one of the windows, but Little Lee's eagle-sharp eyes caught it in time.
An enemy!
He jumped off, darted into the dense grass nearby, crouched, and concealed himself.
As he aimed at the window where the figure had appeared, he quickly assessed the situation.
The Castle probably wasn't occupied by bots. Most bots spawned out in the open, so anyone lurking inside the Castle had to be a real player. They were probably lying in wait, ready to focus fire and take out whoever went for the airdrop. Good thing he hadn't rushed in, or he would've fallen for it.
The captain of the world champion Winner Winner Chicken Dinner team getting killed in an ambush while going for an airdrop in a random match? That would be a complete disgrace!
After a brief moment's thought, Little Lee pulled out two Smoke Grenades and tossed them toward the grass in the distance.
It was a simple trick to draw out an enemy. Plenty of inexperienced players would scope in and look through the smoke as soon as they saw a Smoke Grenade. That was the perfect chance to take them out.
Sure enough, after a brief wait, a head appeared in one of the Castle's windows!
Little Lee scoped in and fired!
He was certain he'd landed a headshot, but to his utter surprise, no knock or kill notification appeared.
The enemy must have been wearing a Level 3 Helmet. Otherwise, he should've been knocked. But that didn't matter. The enemy would definitely show himself again.
Little Lee waited quietly and patiently, like a leopard lurking in the grass, ready to pounce on its prey. No matter how long it took, he wouldn't move a muscle before his target appeared. But the instant it did, he'd strike with a deadly shot!
The world champion was in combat mode!
Inside the Castle.
Little Bamboo Shoot crouched behind a wall, hurriedly healing and drinking an energy drink. She'd only stood by the window for a moment, and someone had already shot her in the head! Luckily, she had a Level 3 Helmet. Otherwise, she'd have been knocked.
Chen Zhao didn't need to be told. He knew a skilled player had come to contest the airdrop!
Little Bamboo Shoot had only been by the window for an instant, yet her Level 3 Helmet was already damaged. Her enemy was clearly an incredible sniper—possibly even a professional esports player!
Chen Zhao stayed calm. The stronger the enemy, the more important it was not to panic.
He crouched and moved close to the wall. That way, he couldn't be shot from outside, and he could peek out to observe the situation.
At first glance, Chen Zhao spotted two patches of milky-white smoke outside. They were impossible to miss.
But with his extensive experience and quick judgment, he realized in less than half a second that the Smoke Grenades were just a decoy, like a soldier in World War I sticking a helmet on a rifle and raising it above the trench to draw fire.
Chen Zhao scanned the other areas, especially the grass, the bridge, and the distant buildings.
But he couldn't see anyone.
Could the enemy really be in the smoke?
Or hiding behind a tree?
Some of the grass was so thick that nothing could be seen. Maybe the enemy was crouched in there?
At the same time, Chen Zhao's fans in the livestream were just as confused:
"Th-this is impossible! I can't see the shooter at all!"
"Could the other guy be a cheater? An invisibility hack or a burrowing hack?"
"He's hidden way too well. Neither side can hit the other. They'll probably have to wait each other out and use meds when the circle shrinks."
"I think the other guy must be down by the river, near the bridge."
"The streamer usually snipes at people in the open. Now he can't even see the guy. What can he do?"
Chen Zhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
"Little Bamboo Shoot, crouch below the window, then stand up and crouch again."
"Oh, right. Give me your AWM." Chen Zhao paused, then added.
Little Bamboo Shoot asked, "So you're using me to draw fire again?"
"Yes."
Little Bamboo Shoot's livestream chat exploded. Chen Zhao had forced her to act as a meat shield more than once. Her fans had watched it happen, their hearts aching for her:
Hand Holding Kitchen Knife Chopping Power Lines: "Seriously? Again?!"
Love Eating Bamboo Shoots Every Meal: "What the hell, Chen Zhao? I'll never forgive you!"
Bamboo Shoot Is The Cutest: "Shameless! Absolutely shameless! You're always making a girl draw fire for you. Do you have a conscience?!"
Oreo and Lao Gan Ma: "Little Bamboo Shoot, don't agree to it! Don't give in!"
Little Bamboo Shoot Mwah: "Little Bamboo Shoot, don't listen to him! Have some backbone! Make that jerk Chen Zhao draw fire himself!"
Coffee With Garlic: "Can anyone tell me Chen Zhao's address? I'm sending him a giant cleaver!"
But to all her fans' great disappointment, Little Bamboo Shoot dropped her AWM on the ground, obediently crouched, and moved beneath the window as Chen Zhao had instructed.
Little Bamboo Shoot said pitifully, "This is the last time!"
Chen Zhao showed no mercy. He picked up the AWM and chambered a round. "Stop talking and hurry up! I'll count down from three. Then you stand up and crouch right away."
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Little Bamboo Shoot sprang to her feet, but before she could crouch, a bullet flew in through the window and hit her Level 3 Helmet dead-on, knocking her to the ground!
At the same time, Chen Zhao spotted a slight movement in the grass. He sprang up, raised his gun, and fired!
The Magnum round streaked across the snow, scoring a headshot!
[You killed Bobli with a headshot using the AWM Sniper Rifle]
Chen Zhao calmly lowered his gun and went to revive Little Bamboo Shoot, who was crawling on the ground.
Before you continue