Cheng Feng glanced at the map. In this scenario, the map couldn’t be modified or zoomed in on, and with short-distance character movements, it was virtually impossible to tell from the positioning alone. She immediately snapped in a low voice. “You’re talking nonsense!”
Then she goaded Xiang Yunjian. “He’s slandering you – if you don’t actually come over, you’re missing out!”
“Everyone, cut it out.”
Xiang Yunjian’s voice carried a hint of authority, trying to keep these willful teammates from wasting their energy on internal squabbling.
“I’m looking for a place to rest and resupply. It’s getting dark in the dungeon timeline -hurry up.”
At that moment, the in-game time displayed around 3:00 PM. The time flow was slightly faster than reality. The characters’ fatigue levels were hovering right in the middle, which meant they would need to get some sleep within the next twelve hours.
After dark, even with night-vision equipment, the players’ movements would still be relatively inconvenient. In the early stages of the competition, contestants generally followed the day-night cycle, restoring their characters to peak condition before picking the right moment to strike out and farm points.
The central area where Xiang Yunjian currently was should be the most active zone for contestants, making it unsuitable for an overnight stay. He was gradually moving toward the periphery, searching for a location that was both defensible and offensively viable.
That said, Xiang Yunjian was indeed heading in Cheng Feng’s direction, because Cheng Feng was the one who most needed backup.
Even though everyone was using the same standard-issue gear, Cheng Feng’s personal appearance was still strikingly distinctive, and as an infantry MVP, she was essentially a walking, oversized cannon fodder magnet.
Xin Kuang said, “No need to explain.”
Yan Shen let out a long sigh. “The old just can’t compete with the new.”
“When I first joined the team, Xiang Yunjian also gave me special treatment – times have changed,” Xin Kuang said mournfully. “It’s us who don’t deserve it anymore.”
Yan Shen asked: “Who joined the team last? Was it me?”
“It used to be you, but not anymore,” Jiang Linxia said hypocritically. “From now on, remember to eat faster, or Xiang Yunjian won’t wait and will just kick you straight up. You need to have some self-awareness – you’re not the favorite anymore.”
Xiang Yunjian couldn’t help but laugh and swear at them. None of these people were doing anything serious.
Cheng Feng was double-checking the items in her backpack.
Five demolition devices, two directional blast charges, five throwable bombs, and two smoke grenades.
Her primary weapon was a long-barreled rifle, loaded with about a hundred rounds of ammunition. It could be fitted with a grenade launcher attachment, but there were no rifle grenades in her pack – she’d need to resupply at an armory.
She also had a light submachine gun with three hundred rounds of ammo.
On top of that, there was a liter of water, a small amount of food, a long rope, a multi-purpose knife, and various other standard-issue gear.
It wasn’t a whole lot, but all the odds and ends added up to a good sixty or seventy pounds. Thanks to the exoskeleton gear, moving around with it was still fairly easy.
As the group chatted idly, a sudden bang of gunfire crackled through the team frequency – it sounded fairly close, though it was unclear whose vicinity it was in.
Jiang Linxia let out a whistle. “Is the killing starting this soon?”
When Yan Shen was with the team, he was noticeably more talkative, and at the moment his breathing was a bit ragged from running. He speculated uncharitably. “The unlucky one’s gotta be Cheng Feng, right?”
Cheng Feng let out a “hmph,” closed her backpack, and chose not to hold it against him. “I’m low on ammo – can’t sustain a prolonged fight. A hundred rounds will be gone in no time.”
Xiang Yunjian said, “After we rendezvous, I’ll split some bombs with you. Take a look at the terrain and find a good spot to plant them.”
The only one who hadn’t spoken up was Xin Kuang. Which meant he was most likely the one who’d fired the first shot.
Cheng Feng hugged the heavy firearm to her chest, half-crouching on the ground, and pulled up some suitable vegetation nearby to use as camouflage.
Just as she was tucking plants into her gear, a figure flashed through her scope -charging bravely downhill at full speed.
The distance was a bit too far from her.
Cheng Feng’s shooting accuracy had improved significantly over the past year and a half of training, but over extreme ranges, the rifle would have slight deviations. She didn’t want to draw attention from the surrounding area, so she held her fire.
After finishing her camouflage, Cheng Feng kept a wary eye on her surroundings and moved back up the hill in the opposite direction.
While everyone else was busy trying to rendezvous and running around frantically, a static ambush was actually an excellent strategy.
Her current position wasn’t ideal for concealment, nor were there any safe routes down the mountain nearby. Following the flow of the crowd would only expose her to danger – like that brave brother who had just flashed by a moment ago.
Moreover, while the central area of the map seemed like the best spot for teams to meet up, first conducting a partial rendezvous at the periphery, or finding temporary allies and then waiting with a small group for the right moment, was also a perfectly sound choice.
There were bound to be experienced contestants who would do exactly that.
“I won’t head over for now. The conditions here aren’t great.”
Cheng Feng laid out her reasoning, calmly analyzing the situation the entire time. Facing solo action, she showed neither fear nor impulsiveness.
Her composure was steady – nothing like what you’d expect from a sophomore in college.
“Might as well snag a few kills while I’m at it. Warm up a bit.”
After hearing her out, Xiang Yunjian paused thoughtfully and nodded. “Alright. I’ll see if I can find a way to get over and support you. Stay safe.”
The instructors gathered around the large monitor in the control room, watching the competition, began to murmur among themselves.
One instructor rubbed his chin and remarked with feeling. “The students these days… they’re not quite the same as we were back then, are they? Did I have that kind of nerve when I was young?”
His buddy shook his head. “Don’t even go there. Keep dreaming and that Expeditionary Force General position might just be yours.”
The instructor laughed and shoved him. “Shut up! Get out of here!”
For most students, the first priority upon entering the arena was to rendezvous with their team – for no other reason than fear.
Failing to complete the squad assembly in the shortest possible time meant losing a huge advantage, and a critical part of that advantage was the sense of security that came with numbers.
Just imagine walking alone in a encirclement of over nine hundred enemies – what a chillingly terrifying prospect.
Students like Cheng Feng, who dared to make the decision to go solo right from the start while also seeking opportunities to counter-kill, were few and far between. Saying she had a boundless future ahead of her was by no means an exaggeration.
Cheng Feng was currently moving forward in a crouched, stealthy manner.
Before long, a crackle of static came through from Xin Kuang’s end as he re-established communications – it seemed he’d already dealt with his trouble.
He sighed. “I don’t dare go over and loot the bodies, but it’s still early in the match, so their packs must be loaded.”
At the very start of the match, anyone bold enough to initiate an attack was either a lucky player whose teammates were nearby – or had already met up – or an unlucky fool who had just planted blast mines, tried to lure Xin Kuang over, and ended up bringing disaster upon themselves instead.
Xin Kuang weighed his options for a moment, then ultimately gave up on that backpack.
If he hadn’t been the one to ambush the player, he really didn’t dare touch the loot. These days, the world was a treacherous place – and that wasn’t just empty talk. He had to resist the temptation.
Yan Shen had spawned in an abandoned residential area. He lay prone on a rooftop, using the railing for cover, both hands gripping the stock of his rifle as he aimed at a furtive figure on an open patch of ground five hundred meters away. In a calm tone, he said, “Nice first blood, Xin Kuang. Not bad – lives up to our finance guy.”
A gunshot rang out. Yan Shen raised an eyebrow, maintaining his aiming position as he waited to see if anyone would go over to loot the body.
Cheng Feng, out of habit, glanced at the map again and noticed that everyone was still hovering near their spawn points without making any major moves.
At the start, all the players were too scattered, and the terrain was completely unfamiliar – there was no way to confirm whether an enemy was lurking behind some blind spot. So although everyone was chatting cheerfully, they were actually moving with extreme caution. The one running most aggressively was Xiang Yunjian.
Soon after, vague sounds of gunfire came through from Xiang Yunjian’s background -and it sounded like more than one shooter. He directly turned off his one-way audio.
It seemed that the first hurdle facing every team was the same: rendezvous.
The response from Xiang Yunjian’s squad? Everyone does their own thing.
Cheng Feng had been heading upward for about fifteen minutes. The surrounding weeds grew thicker and thicker. For safety, she dropped to the ground and crawled forward on her belly.
Her caution paid off. Before long, a faint tremor ran through the ground.
Cheng Feng stopped immediately and tucked herself into a concealed spot.
Footsteps sounded – intermingled and chaotic, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, as if gradually moving away.
Then gunfire erupted, its rhythm growing increasingly intense. In an instant, the battlefield ignited.
Cheng Feng said in a low voice, “Looks like there’s a firefight near my side.”
She hesitated over whether to go check it out. From the sound of it, quite a few people were involved – probably the first major skirmish after the start. The commotion would likely draw even more contestants in.
After all, everyone’s packs were still loaded at the beginning, and no proper teams had formed yet – the temptation was enormous. Everyone had a scavenger’s heart.
Cheng Feng moved cautiously toward the combat zone. After a moment’s thought, she pulled a demolition device out of her pack. Just as she closed her backpack, she heard Jiang Linxia say in a hushed voice. “Hey Cheng Feng, you know? We Shennong folks have two racial talents.” [1]
“Huh?” Cheng Feng was caught off guard by his sudden topic and replied with only a vague understanding. “Sniper? That can’t really count as a talent, can it?”
“One!” Jiang Linxia said with mock solemnity. “Is watching the drama!”
Cheng Feng: “…”
Xin Kuang said discontentedly, “Pfft! That’s called stepping in to do the right thing! Don’t you go slandering the people’s image on the side – where’s your sense of linguistic artistry?”
Jiang Linxia gave a perfunctory grunt in response and continued, “Two!”
Cheng Feng jumped in. “Breaking up fights?”
Jiang Linxia said, “Is farming.”
Cheng Feng: “…” Engaging with this guy was the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her life.
Jiang Linxia’s laugh had all the sinister cunning of a villain. “Dig them a pit and bury them all.”
Cheng Feng wanted to bury him instead.
Jiang Linxia laughed for a while, then continued, “Then do you know the two major innate talents of us UFU students?”
Cheng Feng didn’t respond.
Jiang Linxia went on answering himself. “One is being flashy, and two is playing it safe. So of course we’re gonna jump into a fight like this! And you’re still asking that kind of question?! That’s not in our army’s style!”
Xiang Yunjian couldn’t help but interject. “Can you stop teaching her all this weird stuff?” Cheng Feng’s brain was already peculiar enough as it was.
Jiang Linxia said, “What do you know? She’s about to integrate into our human society!”
Xiang Yunjian said, “Don’t listen to him. He’s leading you astray.”
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Shennong (literally “Divine Farmer”) is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, often regarded as the “Father of Chinese agriculture” and “God of Medicine.”
