Chapter 47 – Isn’t That a Victory?
Yin Sijue looked calmly at the person in front of him. “Have you already made up your mind?”
“Hmph.” Ji Wei staggered out of the locker room and made a shooting gesture. “Just wait — I’ll shoot you down!”
Outside, the others had already changed and were waiting at the game entrance.
Before they arrived, everyone had worried about heatstroke and fainting during outdoor summer games. In reality, it wasn’t that hot here. Besides the natural shade of the forest, the manor had installed outdoor cooling devices and water-mist sprayers throughout. Walking inside brought a refreshing breeze — a very comfortable experience.
Da Shu fumbled to fasten the top button of his camouflage uniform. “Is this one-size-fits-all? Why does it feel so tight? And this belt makes my butt look huge…”
“Who told you to eat so much?” Mi Li said.
“Oh my god!” Da Shu fumed. “The fit of these uniforms is wrong. They look terrible on everyone. It’s not my fault. Look at Brother Qiu and Lao Ma — they look ten years older in them!”
Xu Shaoqiu’s eyes flashed like knives.
Mi Li stayed silent, patted Dashu’s shoulder, and motioned for him to look back.
Ji Wei and Yin Sijue were walking out of the locker room. Their mismatched clothes somehow looked even better on them, like the male leads from a military idol drama.
They usually lived together in casual clothes or team uniforms. After changing into these new outfits, Dashu suddenly found his teammates unfamiliar.
Da Shu looked down at himself, then at the two of them. “How can they look so good in these clothes?”
Xu Shaoqiu couldn’t help but pick up the camera again. “These two look like male models.”
Da Shu was puzzled. “Unique is so much shorter than me — why do his legs look the same length?”
Mi Li said meaningfully, “That’s normal. This is why fans don’t believe you’re 1.80 meters tall.”
Da Shu: “…”
“Are you guys done changing? Holy crap, are you two filming a Korean drama?” Rex called as he approached.
The UGC team, who had changed at the hotel, arrived one after another. KK walked over to Dashu and stood next to him.
“No wonder they say you’re the most attractive team in the PCL.”
Da Shu opened his mouth to retort, then realized the praise included him and quickly affirmed, “Yes, yes!”
The butler counted everyone and handed out wristbands with electronic screens. “This will display the number of survivors in real time.”
Besides the starting lineups and the two teams’ managers, the participants included Lao Ma, Rex, and two assistant coaches — sixteen people in total.
“The clothes you wear have sensor chips on the neck, chest, waist, and thighs.” The butler then distributed the guns to each person. “There are no bullets in the guns — use the infrared sensor. Aim at the enemy’s body and shoot. The maximum range is 300 meters. There will be a sound effect when you fire.”
As he explained, he pulled the trigger, the gun emitting a simulated gunshot:
“Three hits and you’re out. Medical supplies will be randomly dropped around the arena, and you’ll need to find them yourself.”
“Three hundred meters?” UGC’s gunner 66 asked. “So… no sniping?”
KK smacked him on the head. “You’re playing real CS and still want to snipe? Are you crazy?”
The housekeeper concluded with a smile. “That’s basically it. The arena is large, and there aren’t many of you, so the game may run for quite a while. If you feel unwell, use the intercom on your chest to call the staff.”
“You can go in now. Find your base. The game starts in three minutes.”
Ji Wei immediately stepped away from Yin Sijue. “I’m going to hide. Don’t follow me, and don’t peek at where I’m going.”
Yin Sijue asked with amusement, “You want to win that badly?”
Ji Wei nodded. “Anyway, I won’t lose.”
“Okay.” Yin Sijue rubbed his head. “Then keep it up.”
UGC manager Youyou was the only female participant. As Xu Shaoqiu walked past her, he heard the distinct tapping of heels.
“You’re wearing high heels to play this game?”
Rex said nonchalantly, “She’s always like that. Last year, during our team-building trip, she walked five kilometers in stilettos.”
Xu Shaoqiu gave him a thumbs-up. “Respect.”
Youyou shot him a glance and snorted. “You know nothing! When I was fighting in high heels, you were still drinking milk.”
With that, she put on her sunglasses and strode into the dense forest with a swagger.
Da Shu sighed behind them. “Oh my god, so cool! How come other managers are this stylish?”
Xu Shaoqiu: “…Alright, shut up and get in.”
…
The game venue was just as described—huge. Ji Wei turned a few corners and found no one behind him.
Opening a wooden hut, he saw a table covered with supplies—presumably medicine packs to restore health, along with snacks and water.
Ji Wei grabbed some food and began strolling around leisurely.
From the outside, it looked like a forest, but in reality, most of the vegetation—aside from the trees—was fake. To make it feel more realistic, there were even a few rideable bicycles parked in a corner.
However, Ji Wei definitely wouldn’t ride one; the noise was too loud and would easily give him away.
Yes, after careful consideration, he ultimately decided to follow his heart and slack off.
Ji Wei was very self-aware. He could handle gaming, but real-life CS was more of a test of physical stamina, and he knew he couldn’t outrun anyone.
He gathered some branches and leaves from the ground, fashioned a small green straw hat, and crouched in the bushes, gun in hand.
Soon, a staff member’s voice rang out over the intercom:
“The game has begun. All your devices are powered on. Have fun, everyone.”
Ji Wei swallowed nervously, crouching in a corner, listening carefully to sounds from every direction.
Bang, bang—
Almost the very next second, Da Shu’s triumphant laughter echoed from the southeast:
“Hahahaha! Brother Qiu, you’re running too slow! Remember to change your profile picture on the AVG official blog to mine later—smooch!”
Oh my god! Ji Wei shrank back in alarm. Although the forest was vast, every sound carried far. Any movement could be spotted at a glance. While Da Shu was laughing, at least two figures had already moved in front of him!
There also seemed to be movement behind him. Ji Wei leaned back into a safer spot and kept his eyes on the surroundings.
Xu Shaoqiu, unfazed by the chaos, wandered through the forest aimlessly. “I’m not playing anymore. I’ll just take some videos here. If anyone sees me, pretend you didn’t.”
With that, he came face-to-face with Ji Wei, who was hiding in the bushes.
Xu Shaoqiu: …
He was silent for ten seconds, then simply lifted his camera and pressed record.
Ji Wei didn’t dare speak while being filmed and could only stare into the camera with a blank expression.
Ten minutes later, Da Shu—having been the first to fire—naturally drew the most attention. In the end, he was gunned down by Mi Li.
“I’m so impressed!” Da Shu groaned, pointing at his watch, which displayed the number of survivors. “Two people died right at the start, and it all ended up being our team’s fault!”
Mi Li: “Reflect on yourself. After all these years, how have you treated your teammates?”
The two of them were so noisy it sounded like a full-mic PUBG match. Ji Wei quickly noticed someone else approaching the scene of their argument.
Crunch. The sound of footsteps pressing on dead branches and leaves.
Ji Wei tightened his grip on his gun, ready to fire. He waited until the person’s feet passed in front of him, then immediately raised his gun and pulled the trigger.
The health bar on Kelly’s chest—an innocent bystander—instantly dropped to zero.
Kelly turned around in disbelief, but saw nothing. After searching for a long while, he finally noticed that the bushes near his right foot looked slightly off in color.
“You fuck*ng bast*rd!” Kelly gritted his teeth, but fearing someone might overhear, he whispered, “You’re the slacker in this game too?”
“Yes.” Ji Wei nodded, also whispering. “I didn’t expect you’d be slacking off here as well.”
Kelly was completely speechless. He flipped Ji Wei the middle finger and left the game area without a backward glance.
…
Although the two had spoken quietly, Ji Wei had fired his gun, and the sound range was unpredictable.
He noticed that someone else seemed to be nearby.
Ji Wei bit his lower lip, annoyed at how crowded the place felt. For such a large venue, the players were far too concentrated. Clearly, these lazy people hadn’t gone very far!
Of course, he himself was one of those lazy people.
If he switched positions now, his footsteps would likely be heard, so he could only continue to wait.
Just then, a numbness shot through the soles of his feet. The tingling from poor circulation made it impossible to keep his balance, and he stumbled backward.
With a dull thud, Ji Wei landed on his butt again, like a penguin with a wobbly center of gravity.
Oops!
Nearly face-planting, Ji Wei scrambled back to his feet—only to meet Lao Ma’s indescribable expression.
Lao Ma: …
He shook his head and sighed, raising his gun in his right hand. “There’s nothing I can do. Who brought you here? I can only—”
Before he could finish, a burst of gunfire rang out, and his health bar instantly dropped to zero.
Lao Ma: “What the hell?”
Both of them immediately looked in the direction of the shots. Only a bird flew past—no human figure in sight.
Lao Ma died unjustly, staring at Ji Wei in despair. “Who was it? Why didn’t they hit you?”
“Uh… I don’t know.” Ji Wei sat on the ground, just as confused. “Maybe they were too short to hit me?”
“…Forget it.” Lao Ma rubbed his hands and walked off. “There aren’t many people left. I thought I could at least get one point today. Do your best and try to win for our team.”
Ji Wei watched him leave. On the display screen, the number of survivors continued to drop, while he remained safe and sound on the ground, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Several times, he heard footsteps and thought he was done for—that the next second, someone would pop out and kill him. But every time, the enemy ended up being taken down by someone else from the shadows. Fortunately, the field was shaded, so staying put wasn’t uncomfortable.
By the time the number of survivors had dwindled to just three, forty minutes of the game had already passed.
“No more hiding.”
Ji Wei stood up, patted the dust off his butt, and muttered under his breath, “I’m probably the strongest player left. Any more hiding would just be a waste of time.”
He cautiously searched the field with his gun in hand, passing Xu Shaoqiu—still diligently working as a photographer—and Dashu, who had stayed inside a house eating snacks after being eliminated.
“I just saw Solve!” Da Shu tattled, pointing in a direction. “Go over there, he might still be there.”
“Okay.” Armed with the intel, Ji Wei headed that way, determined to capture Yin Sijue today.
He was already imagining eight hundred ways to kill his boyfriend, but he failed to notice the rising muzzle of a gun aimed at him from behind a tree to his left.
Click. The sound of long nails scraping across metal buckles echoed. Ji Wei turned toward it—it was UGC manager Youyou. She was still alive!
The woman winked at him, then raised her gun and fired without hesitation.
Bang, bang—
Gunshots rang out, but not from Youyou’s direction. They came from behind Ji Wei.
Yin Sijue emerged from the forest, gun in hand, tall and slender, his outfit making him look like a rugged, handsome soldier.
He glanced at the stunned Ji Wei, tilted his head, and smiled casually. “I’ve been watching you for a long time, player. It hasn’t been easy keeping you from getting killed.”
…
Yin Sijue had actually spotted Ji Wei within minutes of the game starting.
The reason was simple: the bushes Ji Wei had chosen stood out sharply against his camouflage uniform. Only someone as oblivious as Kelly could have missed it.
What’s more, this so-called master of concealment was restless—glancing around, fidgeting like a wobbly little mushroom, with a straw hat perched on his head, so ridiculous it was almost cute.
Yin Sijue hid behind a tree, silently taking down opponents for him, then waited for his boyfriend to stumble over.
Youyou wasn’t too surprised after being eliminated. She rolled her eyes, traced a finger between the two of them, and snapped:
“You’re breaking the rules! Solve was right behind Unique and didn’t even shoot him first. I’m not changing my profile picture!” With that, she turned and stormed off without a backward glance.
Ji Wei, standing nearby, realized that his every little move had been noticed and felt mortified. “Why didn’t you just call me out?”
Yin Sijue fiddled with his gun as he walked over. “Don’t you want to team up with me?”
“But you make me look stupid.” Ji Wei lowered his gun in defeat, a gesture of surrender. “Then just shoot me. I really can’t beat you.”
“Don’t be mad.” Yin Sijue’s eyes softened. He stepped forward, took Ji Wei’s hand on the gun, lifted it, and pulled the trigger for him.
As the game sound effect ended, the health bar on Yin Sijue’s chest dropped to zero.
“Isn’t that a victory?”