Chapter 43 – He Hit Me
In official matches, players cannot use all-channel voice chat, but in the All-Star game, anything goes. As long as it’s within the rules, even players from different teams can communicate with each other.
Not only that, but to make the event more entertaining, the broadcast director will occasionally randomly reveal a team’s in-game footage and voice chat, allowing the audience to see a lesser-known side of professional players during matches. Last year’s All-Star game produced many hilarious viral moments from the voice chat, leaving fans in stitches.
At the start of the first match, the cabin was as chaotic as a chicken coop—everyone was shouting and messing with each other’s mentality.
“If you’ve got the guts, aim for my head instead of just trash-talking…”
“Are you insane? I didn’t even do anything to you! Just get out of here, dumbass!”
“Being invincible is so lonely… 1v5, Dragon Gate Inn—come on, if you’ve got the guts, bring it on!”
Two seconds later, the broadcast director swiftly cut the voice chat.
Commentator A: “Ahem… This is probably the charm of Mandarin’s natural expressiveness. Just by listening to the players talk, you can feel their excitement. I wonder, though, do international players find this overwhelming?”
Commentator B: “Oh, I see what you mean! Speaking of which, let me introduce a foreign player in this All-Star game—his name is Li Junxian. He’s well-known in Korea’s PKL league and has achieved impressive results in intercontinental tournaments. He was recruited by NSN as an import player and has now secured a spot in the playoffs.”
Commentator A: “Looks like NSN is dead set on winning this summer championship. Recruiting a Korean import means they’re not just aiming to qualify—they’re going for the title!”
Commentator B: “That may be true, but I think NSN might have been provoked by Tan Shen’s return. This time, they’re really going all in.”
The broadcast camera roamed across the map before focusing on Tan Mo’s “death group.”
On the big screen, Tan Mo appeared calm and expressionless as he looted equipment, repeatedly asking:
“Got a SCAR? A flash hider? A stock? A compensator…?”
XXY’s captain, Fang Fang, replied impatiently, “What do you have?”
Tan Mo shamelessly answered, “A crowbar.”
“Get lost!” Fang Fang snapped, exasperated.
Commentator A: “Hahaha! Tan Shen is trolling! In a hastily assembled team like this, it’s all about fair trades—everyone gives something, and he pulls out a crowbar? No wonder Fang Fang doesn’t want to play along.”
The audience burst into laughter.
The broadcast then seamlessly switched to Sang Ye’s team.
Among the four Gen Z players, two weren’t talkative, and since it was still early in the game, the entire team remained relatively quiet.
Just then, gunshots rang out across the battlefield, and a kill notification popped up in the upper right corner.
Miracle was surprised. “JunX? NSN’s new player? Why does this ID look so familiar?”
Sang Ye glanced at the notification and, without much interest, said, “Isn’t that just that Xiao Xi—” His tongue suddenly tripped over the word, and he awkwardly corrected himself mid-sentence, “—the cheerful Korean guy?”
Miracle: “…Oh yeah, now I remember.”
Meanwhile, the live chat was already exploding with laughter.
[“HHHHHHHHHHHHHH~ Rich and adorable!”]
[“Just call him Xiao Xi, we all know what’s up. 🤭🐶🐶🐶”]
[“That reaction speed is insane.”]
[“Look at how scared he is—he can’t even talk properly.”]
The game continued. Looking at the big picture, most veteran players were having a blast—some were experimenting with mortars and accidentally blowing themselves up, some were using drones to scout out prone campers, and others were simply running around causing chaos and drawing aggro.
Tan Mo’s team was having the roughest time—wherever they went, they ran into squads blocking their way. But with three experienced captains and a rising star on their side, they managed to escape death multiple times.
Although Sang Ye was the captain of his own team, he had other plans in mind. Throughout every rotation, he kept a close eye on the kill feed, solely focused on tracking Tan Mo’s position.
Finally, on the fifth circle shrink, he found him.
Unfortunately, My Husband’s Team1 was already battered and bruised, caught in a chaotic fight near a seaside house against a fully stacked enemy team.
Commentator A: “Alright, Song has arrived—he must have a plan. Given their positioning, they can first team up with ‘Braving the World’ squad to wipe out Tan Shen’s weakened team, then turn around and finish off the remaining enemies while they’re still recovering. Genius!”
Miracle rushed to a vantage point near the seaside house, crouched behind a broken wall, and aimed toward the east. “Cover me! Hurry! Someone’s down inside!”
Sang Ye jumped out of the car, pulled out his shotgun, and fired several shots to the south, eliminating one player from Braving the World.
Miracle hesitated. “Song?”
Commentator A’s voice shot up in pitch: “Huhhh~~~???”
Commentator B immediately laughed: “Unexpected, but… somehow not surprising at all.”
Sang Ye reloaded and continued sniping, but his tone was slightly awkward: “Doesn’t matter which side we shoot first—they’re all ours in the end.”
Miracle sighed—what else could he do? He turned his gun around. “Alright, you’re the boss.”
After a chaotic battle, Braving the World was ultimately taken down by the combined efforts of two teams. Tan Mo, who had been fighting on the front lines the entire time, finally couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed with low health. However, he wasn’t eliminated yet, meaning he still had a teammate who could revive him.
Commentator A teased: “Oh? Look at this—what a coincidence! We’ve got a ‘Wife Team’ and a My Husband team on the battlefield. This scene reminds me of an old saying… what was it again?”
Commentator B played along: “Oh, you mean that one? ‘When a couple works together, they can break through anything.'”
[“Hahaha! That’s the one!”]
The livestream chat went wild, with viewers laughing and rolling on the floor.
[“Whoever came up with these team names deserves a medal—this is too perfect!”]
[“Braving the World probably didn’t even realize they lost to love in the end. HHHHH~”]
[“If cross-team alliances were allowed, I bet Song would’ve already rushed over to revive Talk.”]
Right on cue, the broadcast switched to Sang Ye’s first-person perspective.
Through the crystal-clear 8x scope, his crosshair was locked onto the man kneeling on the open ground in front of the buildings.
The silver-haired boy remained motionless, his face cold and unreadable as he held his gun steady.
The chat was caught off guard:
[“Oh my god! The couple has turned against each other!”]
At that moment, the broadcast director pulled up Tan Mo’s camera feed and placed it on the other side of the big screen.
“Come on, Xiao Yu.” Tan Mo was trying his best to lure his teammate into saving him through the team chat. “Just come over, throw a smoke—I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t tell they’re baiting us?” Fool was still calmly looting their fallen teammate’s crate inside the building. “The moment I step out, they’ll all rush in. You’re dead, and I’ll be dead too.”
Tan Mo continued his shameless persuasion: “It’s just four enemies. You got this.”
Fool, heartless as ever: “No, I don’t.”
Realizing there was no hope of rescue, Tan Mo’s tone instantly changed. “Stupid Yu, just die.”
The audience burst into laughter: [“HAHAHAHAHAHA—!”]
Meanwhile, Sang Ye had been holding his sniper, waiting patiently for nearly thirty seconds.
Commentator A clapped his hands: “For someone so young, he’s got incredible patience. Song still hasn’t finished off Talk—he’s waiting to bait Fool into making a move. But what he doesn’t know is… Fool has already given up on his only teammate.”
If he didn’t shoot soon, the revive timer would expire, and Tan Mo would be automatically eliminated. That meant Sang Ye’s team would miss out on the kill point.
All eyes were on the silver-haired boy. His expression remained calm, his dark pupils deep and unreadable. His gaze, locked onto his target, was as cold and ruthless as ever.
Fans frantically took screenshots:
[“I’m about to pass out—he’s too stunning! 💖”]
Then, the sound of a bolt being pulled echoed.
Just as everyone held their breath, the boy’s eyelashes quivered ever so slightly. The icy look on his beautiful face softened as he turned to Xing Xing beside him and said,
“You do it instead.”
Everyone: “……”
Xing Xing had no hesitation. He swiftly switched to a Kar98k, aimed, and lined up the shot in no time.
Sang Ye was still watching from the side. His voice, barely audible yet tense, was picked up by the microphone:
“Go easy on the kill…”
The chat collectively lost their minds—not a single survivor.
“WHO CAN SURVIVE THIS?!” The commentator nearly coughed up blood, slamming the desk. “My wife is killing me!!!”
…
The first match wrapped up in a heartwarming and hilarious atmosphere, and soon, the second round began.
Sang Ye understood that even though this was an entertainment match, it was still a competition. He had to respect his teammates and play seriously. But when it came to going all out against his idol, he simply couldn’t do it. So, for this round, he decided not to focus on Talk at all—he even hoped their teams wouldn’t run into each other.
But this time, they met much sooner.
During the third phase of the circle rotation, Wife Team was stuck in a forest near the edge of the blue and white zone. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, knocking Miracle down.
The moment Sang Ye saw the enemy’s ID, he had already started firing back in the right direction.
The shooter was Shine. Sang Ye unloaded nearly ten bullets against a tree trunk, and bright green blood splattered behind it—clear evidence of a hit.
Just as Sang Ye was confident he could take Shine down, shots came from another direction. A series of precise, single-tap bullets struck him in the head.
In an instant, Sang Ye lost all combat ability and collapsed to the ground.
[husband-WLGTalk used Beryl M762 to headshot and knock down wife-WLGSong]
Sang Ye was momentarily stunned, caught off guard. A few seconds later, he furrowed his brows, an expression of discomfort flickering across his face.
Tan Mo, having counted the gunshots, holstered his M762 after firing. He didn’t take another shot to finish the kill. Instead, he led his team away.
The chat exploded:
[“Ohhh! This is getting intense!”]
[“Aaaaa I’m shipping them so hard! Talk didn’t fire a single extra shot—if he had, Song would’ve been eliminated! He even counted the bullets perfectly!”]
[“They’re totally going easy on each other.”]
But Sang Ye didn’t notice any of that.
He gripped his mouse, his heart tightening bit by bit. Only a few words echoed in his mind.
—He shot me.
—He actually shot me… for Shine.
Sang Ye pressed his lips together, blinking rapidly to suppress the stinging mist threatening to cloud his eyes.
Just then, another squad crept closer and launched a fierce attack on their team at the edge of the circle.
System Notification:
[wuli-NSNJunX used M416 to eliminate you]
Wife Team was completely wiped out.
As the second match ended, Sang Ye left the competition area without a word.
Back in the lounge, Tan Mo looked around but didn’t see him.
“Where’s Song?“ he asked.
“No idea.” Yu Haotian looked confused. “He hasn’t been back. Why? He’s not on stage?”
Tan Mo didn’t say anything else. He didn’t enter the room either—just quietly closed the door again.
At that moment, Sang Ye stood at the end of the hallway by the window, facing outside. He pulled out a roll of toilet paper he had taken from the restroom and wiped his face. His delicate skin quickly turned a faint shade of red from the rough friction.
Sang Ye understood the logic.
In a competition, you’re supposed to uphold the spirit of the game. Since they were on opposing teams, there was no room for hesitation—it was a battle, and the only rule was to pull the trigger first. As a team captain, if your teammates were under attack, you had to step up. Doing nothing would have been too much.
He knew that.
But emotionally… he still felt a bitter ache in his chest.
Oh! I was nice enough to let you loot before the match, and now you’re turning around and shooting me?
One shot wasn’t enough? Three shots? Three whole shots?!
Why not just finish me off completely?!
Sang Ye held his breath, nearly on the verge of frustration-induced tears.
And then he thought about Shine.
Shine had better luck than him. One year by Talk’s side wasn’t enough—he even ended up on the same team again.
Even his in-game ID, Xia Zhiyan, was personally chosen by Talk. Unlike Sang Ye, who had to rely on Baidu to come up with a name.
The more he thought about it, the more his heart twisted into knots, like a piece of over-salted pickled radish.
What Sang Ye didn’t realize was that this unfamiliar emotion—possessiveness—had already begun to creep in.
All these insignificant, trivial things suddenly felt connected, looping together in a spiral of overthinking. Lost in his thoughts, he absentmindedly shredded the tissue in his hands into tiny pieces.
“Why aren’t you going back?”
The sudden voice startled Sang Ye, causing him to quickly pull his hand from behind his back. He turned around to find Tan Mo walking toward him.
Sang Ye’s face flickered with surprise, but he pushed a strong, stubborn feeling down inside him, so he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.
Tan Mo approached, easily noticing the shift in the young boy’s emotions. He lowered his voice, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Sang Ye put his hands down, shook his head, and pressed his lips together without speaking.
Tan Mo thought for a moment and guessed, “Is it because the last match didn’t go well?”
Sang Ye furrowed his brows slightly, stayed silent for a while, and then said, “No.”
Tan Mo patiently asked, “Then what happened?”
Sang Ye took a deep breath, looked up, and spoke in a deliberately casual tone, “Nothing happened. Why would something happen? I’m totally fine.”
“…………”
Fine.
It was clear there was something going on.
Tan Mo’s gaze casually scanned Sang Ye’s face.
The boy’s eyes were clear and sharp, filled with stubbornness. His small face still carried a faint blush from his earlier frustration, looking vivid and bright.
Tan Mo asked, “Is it because of what happened just now…?”
Sang Ye stiffened his neck, insisting, “Captain, I’m fine.”
“…………”
He’s even calling me captain now.
At just that moment, the music signaling the start of the event played from the front.
Sang Ye glanced back and said, “I’ll go ahead.”
Tan Mo stayed in place, watching the boy’s retreating figure, feeling uncertain for the first time.
He sighed and called out, asking, “If I run into you again, should I fight or not?”
Sang Ye paused, turned around, lifted his white head high, and, while backing away, said seriously, “Of course you should fight!”
Tan Mo opened his mouth, about to say something.
Sang Ye continued calling out to him, frowning, “Fight me to the death, don’t leave me any chance to survive!”
“…………”
Tan Mo stood there, hands on his hips, watching the boy proudly walk away. He bit his lip, wanting to laugh, but clearly feeling more frustrated.
The third round began.
Sang Ye landed, grabbed a gun, and immediately sprayed down the people in the building next door.
His teammate stared in disbelief, “What the hell, what did you just do? Did you eat explosives or something?”
“Search quickly,” Sang Ye said indifferently, too lazy to talk, “Search and get out.”
While one team was looting in the city, two cars arrived from outside the city.
Commentator A, excited, said, “Whoa! Looks like husband and wife are destined for a life-or-death showdown today!”
The audience was particularly eager to see this, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
The jeep…
“They just wiped out a team, and now they’re loaded with supplies.” Fang Fang turned the steering wheel, saying, “Tsk, the kid’s still too green… We’ll flank from both sides and rob them.”
“Forget it, forget it.” Tan Mo, looking a bit tired, said, “Let’s go.”
Fang Fang’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she smiled. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of the wife fans? I’ve heard he’s not easy to deal with, but you shouldn’t be that scared, right?”
“Which way are we going?” Yu Zhe, still driving behind them, asked. “Are we going for this team or not?”
“Cross the bridge, head to Y City.” Tan Mo pointed to a route.
“Hey, don’t!” Fang Fang, who loved stirring up trouble, teasingly said, “Stop right here, let’s take out the team of kids inside first.”
Unexpectedly, Tan Mo turned his head toward her, his voice turning cold and his tone firm:
“Either you crowdfund to buy me a washboard right now, or you drive this d*mn car out of here.”
Teammates: “…………”
As luck would have it, at this very moment, the director was showing their team’s internal footage and voice chat.
Five minutes later, the hashtag #Let’sCrowdfundForTalkAWashboard# trended.
Note :
- Tan Mo’s squad ↩︎
Crowdfund for a washboard LMAOOOOOOO