Chapter 3 – The Fear of Being Dominated by a Pro
The nuclear power plant was located in a remote area with scarce supplies, yet it had a high ranking and a complex terrain. It was an ideal spot for duo play, requiring solid combat skills.
If the safe zone shrank unfavorably, driving out would mean passing through countless checkpoints.
However, such scenarios were rare in casual matches. Moreover, this was a Bronze-tier game, so the likelihood of encountering these issues was minimal.
Light-Tee planned to take some time to drive his fans around and let them enjoy the island’s scenery. After landing, he casually picked up a SCAR-L, jumped onto the rooftop, and shot down two players who had followed him to the nuclear plant.
[Light-Tee used SCAR-L to kill Squirrel Sweet and Sour Soup.]
[Light-Tee used SCAR-L to kill Butt Up Pff Pff Pff.]
Immediately after, Tee leaped to the adjacent rooftop and took out the remaining two enemies. Meanwhile, Bull and another teammate from Light’s team were pinned down but managed to hold their ground with solid tactical execution. Their fan teammate, however, remained silent, looting items inside a building.
Tee had seen this kind of situation countless times. Three years ago, when he was still making pocket money by playing for others at an internet café, people would pay him 30 yuan an hour just to squad up. The paying customer would spend the entire match chatting and looting, often without firing a single shot before the game ended.
Not bothering to argue with the fan, Tee finished off an entire squad from the rooftop, then jumped down, casually grabbed a helmet, and prepared to find a vehicle to rotate with his teammates.
Just as he landed, he was ambushed mid-air by a sneaky enemy emerging from the water.
Quickly adjusting his vision to find cover for a counterattack, he received a notification that his teammate had run over the enemy with a vehicle.
His fighting spirit was still high, but as soon as he touched the ground, his path was abruptly blocked by a speeding two-seater motorcycle. Before he could react, the ground before him was instantly filled with a Level 2 vest, a Level 2 helmet, an M16A4, a stock, bullets, and a fuel canister.
While Tee hesitated, his teammate on the motorcycle turned the speaker to full blast.
Startled, Tee immediately snapped out of it, grabbed the gear, and quickly hopped onto the motorcycle.
Huddled pitifully in the back seat, clutching his gun and gazing at the sky, Tee—who was supposed to be leading in a Bronze-tier match—found himself unexpectedly experiencing the feeling of being taken care of by a pro.
In reality, the earlier mishap was just a result of a momentary lapse in awareness. It was hard for a professional player to fully engage in a match against casual players.
However, as a competitive player, being led around the map like a baby by a fan was simply unacceptable. He made up his mind to regain some dignity at the next location.
As they advanced toward M City, they passed through a small, resource-scarce town. They hadn’t planned to loot, but just as they were about to cross the street, they were ambushed by an enemy’s sneaky shot.
A figure flickered past the second-floor window. Just as Tee set up his aim, his teammate, who was driving, had already jumped out, using the car as cover while throwing two grenades—one aimed at the lower window, the other at the upper. His movements were swift and precise, with no hesitation or wasted motion.
The commentator, responsible for live commentary, paused for a moment in surprise. Was this really the same shy and bashful Bronze-ranked player from earlier, who had claimed to be unfamiliar with the game mechanics?
With an awkward chuckle, the commentator tried to smooth things over: “Well, it seems our players are all quite… ‘humble.’ I wonder if that was just a stroke of luck or a true display of skill. And let’s not forget about our rising star, Light’s rookie, Tee—he needs to step up his game as well! Let’s see what they’ve got in store for us.”
Despite the lively chatter in the background, Tee remained completely focused. He immediately aimed at the enemy’s position, and upon confirming that there was no return fire, prepared to switch seats to support his isolated teammate.
Just as he was about to stow his weapon, he heard a command in the team voice chat: “Cover fire.”
Instinctively, Tee aimed down his sights, scanning the area for enemies. By then, his teammate had already taken down a low-health enemy sneaking out from behind the building, then swiftly hopped back onto the now-stationary motorcycle, reclaiming the driver’s seat.
It was only at that moment that Tee realized the real reason his teammate had told him to provide cover—it wasn’t for tactical support, but simply to avoid losing the driver’s seat.
Sitting in the same spot, still holding his gun, Tee sulked. This fan didn’t seem to understand how this game was truly meant to be played.
But soon enough, he would make everyone see him in a new light.
Tee made up his mind to approach this casual match with the focus of a professional esports athlete—he wanted to give the audience member he had personally chosen a taste of just how terrifyingly skilled a pro player could be.
Just as he was thinking this, the motorcycle sped along the ridgeline, attempting to cross the mountainside, only to be ambushed by an enemy lying in wait on the reverse slope.
Remaining as calm as ever, Tee relied on his professional-level composure, aiming and firing while in motion.
[Light-Tee used M16A4 to knock down Two-Sleeves Wind.]
However, instead of rushing forward to finish the kill, he held his position, gun at the ready, waiting for the enemy’s teammates to come for the rescue.
In a professional match, the best play for an entry fragger like Tee would have been to jump off at a strategic point, using the terrain for cover before launching an attack. Standing out in the open like a sitting duck was far from optimal.
But that kind of maneuver required strong coordination with teammates. From their brief interaction so far, Tee didn’t think he and his random teammate had any real synergy—so he simply let go of strict tactical play.
Who would have thought that just as he knocked the enemy down and was baiting for a revive, smoke suddenly engulfed his position, leaving Tee momentarily unsure whether to jump out or retreat?
He quickly composed himself. Situations like this were inevitable when teaming up with untrained players. It was even worse when these players had a mind of their own.
Because at that point, the real danger often didn’t come from the enemy—but from within the team.
Just as Tee was about to communicate with his teammate, someone suddenly jumped into the driver’s seat and, in an icy voice, uttered two words: “They’re coming.”
A small black figure appeared at the mountaintop. Without hesitation, Tee secured two easy kills. His teammate also cleared out another squad along the slope.
The fight was over in an instant, but from behind a nearby ridgeline, a chaotic firefight erupted—at least three squads were clashing.
Tee was itching to step in and third-party the fight. For once, his teammate was on the same page. However, the player’s driving skills were clearly subpar—the landing zone skidded way past the battle area, barely brushing the safe zone, and they only stopped when the vehicle crashed straight into a rock.
Tee watched helplessly as he lost HP for no reason but held back his complaints.
“Cover me.”
His teammate spoke for the first time. Tee glanced at a care package slowly descending in the distance, then checked the safe zone. If his teammate was fast enough, they had time to outrun the storm—so he said nothing and silently took down a lurking enemy trying to ambush them.
When the motorcycle returned, it dropped off a Level 3 vest, Level 3 helmet, and a Kar98k.
Tee immediately jumped on the bike, ready to escape the shrinking zone—only for the motorcycle to speed off in the opposite direction, clearly still hung up on missing the earlier fight.
“Are we really going?” Tee’s question felt like it was swallowed by the vast, empty grasslands—there was no response.
Silently, he resigned himself to the reckless push. Sitting in the backseat, he healed up and prepped his meds. The moment he was ready, he jumped off mid-ride and started spraying, his movements swift and precise.
The once-deadlocked battle was wiped out in an instant, like a storm sweeping away fallen leaves.
Tee gripped his Kar98k, maintaining a steady rhythm of two shots, one kill. This exhilarating slaughter was something he hadn’t experienced since becoming a professional player.
As a rookie who had clawed his way up from the youth training system, he had been bullied by top players for too long. In his excitement, he almost forgot to remind his teammate to escape the encroaching storm.
Luckily, just as the toxic zone closed in, a canvas-covered Jeep came speeding toward them.
Bull’s booming voice rang through the team comms, calling for everyone to get in. Tee and his rookie teammate abandoned looting and sprinted toward the vehicle.
At the very moment they were about to board, a sudden burst of gunfire shredded Tee’s health down to a sliver while simultaneously blowing out the Jeep’s tires.
Bull, who had planned to run over the enemy, immediately jumped out—only to see that their rookie teammate had already destroyed the remaining tires, ensuring that the enemy couldn’t use the vehicle either.
At the same time, through precise movement and sharp shooting, the rookie broke the enemy’s armor and helmet, leaving them vulnerable.
A glance at the enemy’s ID confirmed that they belonged to the same squad as the players they had just wiped on the horizon.
They had been hiding the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush them from behind.
Bull had already lost a teammate earlier. Now, being surrounded like this made his blood boil with frustration. He instinctively let loose a stream of curses, though his in-game avatar remained eerily silent. His voice, however, was captured loud and clear in the team chat:
“What kind of trash gameplay is this? Do you even know how to shoot? If you don’t, go home and raise your kids!”
Bull was notorious for his foul mouth in practice matches. While he restrained himself a bit during official tournaments, today—being a casual match—he made no effort to hold back.
As Light’s frontline fragger, Bull had never played such a miserable game before.
This was clearly a trap, and he had walked straight into it—just to save two rookie teammates.
If this weren’t a fan match, someone would have already lost their head for dragging him down like this.
Then—bang, bang, bang.
Three crisp sniper shots.
Bull watched in shock as his screen turned grayscale. He was so stunned that he even forgot to swear.
In the deathly silence, an engine roared to life.
A motorcycle glided in a smooth arc, coming to a perfect stop in front of Tee.
“Time to run. Heal up first.”
Before Tee could even react, his fan teammate spoke.
For some inexplicable reason, the helpless feeling of being controlled washed over Tee once again as he climbed into the backseat.
Suddenly, a thunderous voice exploded over the team channel:
“WHY DID YOU SNIPE ME?! I CAME TO REVIVE YOU, AND YOU REPAY ME LIKE THIS?!”
But no matter how much he yelled and cursed, nobody in the match responded.
Fuming, he ripped off his headset and angrily started packing up his gear.