Even though Jing Shu started in the center of the hot, dusty map, she was stuck in a resource-poor zone where the sand offered little more than heat. Right after the match began, she used her bugs to comb through the gritty sand and check around the only bit of cover nearby; a massive rock that looked like it had been carved from solid granite. All she found was a stiff bulletproof vest and the broken, splintered butt of some unknown gun. There wasn't even a damn axe to be found.
Maybe it was deliberate, or maybe not, but it didn't matter much to her anyway. She didn't know that much about the inner workings of firearms. If she really had to gather various parts and assemble one under pressure, she would probably get shot halfway through the process.
Still, being at the center of the open arena felt far too dangerous.
So the moment the game started, she sprinted toward the big rock, grabbed the heavy vest, and pulled it on over her uniform. Staying alive came first.
Just then, a burly American soldier came charging from the other side of the dunes. He didn't have any weapons either, and clearly hadn't found anything of use yet, but he was rushing to regroup with his teammates.
From the way his team kept yelling their relative positions to each other across the field, it's seemed like they planned to meet up before hunting anyone down. Jing Shu's group, on the other hand, had members strong enough to fight solo. Everyone trusted their own individual skills in a raw brawl.
The soldier looked surprised to see her standing there, then he grinned wickedly and started walking over. He was cracking his knuckles as he approached, looking like he had just found some easy fun to pass the time.
The host's voice boomed through the overhead speakers, sounding all excited for the crowd. "Look at that! Our lovely lady seems to be in a bit of trouble. What do you think that soldier is going to do when faced with a female opponent? Damn, I hope he takes it easy; she is the most beautiful Asian woman I have seen in years!"
A sudden, sharp gunshot rang out from a distance; someone somewhere had already found or assembled a weapon. The audience's attention immediately shifted toward the sound of the crack.
Jing Shu didn't waste any time. She tested the weight of the wooden gunstock in her hand and, under the soldier's mocking gaze, swung it hard at his head. That look in his eyes said it all. It was pure contempt, like he was watching a kid throw candy at him. He didn't even bother dodging the blow.
But he clearly had no idea how heavy solid wood could be, or what it could do when backed with enough force. A gunstock without a barrel could still pierce flesh if the blow was strong enough.
There was a heavy, sickening thud. The soldier's vision went black instantly, sharp pain shot through his skull, and he felt something jagged jam into his eye. His mind blanked as one of his eyes went blind in a burst of red.
The first scream that echoed through the underground arena came from him. By the time the crowd and the host turned back to look, they saw the wooden gunstock buried straight into his eye socket. The soldier roared in agony and lunged at Jing Shu, half-crazed by the pain. Even wounded, his special forces training kicked in; eliminate the threat first, and think about the consequences later.
But what happened next made several spectators in the front row subconsciously touch their own necks and mutter under their breath, "Women really are terrifying."
Jing Shu kicked the frenzied soldier to the ground with a sharp strike, yanked the gunstock out of the socket without hesitation, and ignored the warm blood spraying everywhere. She then drove the wooden end straight into his throat. He spasmed a few times in the sand, then went still, his one remaining eye staring lifelessly at the arena ceiling.
The crowd booed and cheered at once, a mix of shock and dark excitement rippling through them.
First blood.
The host chuckled into the mic, his voice rasping. "Well damn, looks like no one in a B-tier mercenary team is easy to mess with. Women are the most dangerous kind of scorpion."
Right after the kill, Jing Shu saw Xiao Hei sprinting toward her from the edge of the desert area, screaming his lungs out. Behind him was a huge, muscle-bound man with a heavy shield in one hand and a sharp axe in the other. It's like watching a cat chase a panicked mouse, and the gap in power was obvious to everyone.
The worst part was that the guy was fast. In just a few seconds, he had closed most of the distance between them.
"Save me! Save me! Tank! Ahhh!" Xiao Hei was howling for Tank, running past where Monkey, Snake Spirit, and Ling Ling were supposed to be, but Tank was nowhere in sight. He was on the very verge of breaking down. He knew he shouldn't have joined this damn death match; he was really going to die here.
The muscleman looked unbeatable, his shield positioned to block bullets and his axe raised and ready to split skulls.
The host laughed at the sight. "Oh, this is getting good! The big guy is about to take down two at once!"
To everyone watching from behind the glass, Jing Shu seemed like an unarmed beauty about to be crushed by a brute. It looked like another cat-and-mouse scene. The host hyped it up further, grinning wildly. "Honestly, I love watching people get chopped up piece by piece. I can't wait to see our big guy turn her into mince."
The audience roared in agreement, chanting "Chop! Chop!" while the nobles in the balconies above sipped their wine and watched the bloodbath like it's fine theater.
But what happened next shattered their composure completely.
The supposedly delicate woman suddenly grabbed a massive boulder. It was one that was meant as a prop for the set. She hurled it straight at the big guy.
How big was the rock?
It was big enough that it'd been delivered to the arena floor by a truck. It was the kind of thing used for cover or visual flair on the simulated battlefield, not for someone to use as a personal weapon.
Nobody was never supposed to move it.
The boulder crashed down from above with terrifying speed. The man instinctively raised his metal shield, thinking it's some lightweight, hollow prop. But a heartbeat later, the ground beneath their feet shook with a deafening boom.
The rock hit like a falling meteor. The shield held up against bullets, sure, but it couldn't hold against a one-ton boulder.
The man's head was crushed instantly, blood and brain matter splattering across the dry sand. His body turned into mush beneath the weight of the rock, leaving only a pair of half-intact legs sticking out from the side.
Double kill.
Xiao Hei swallowed hard, collapsing onto the ground in shock. He'd almost been caught in the impact too. Just one step closer and he'd be a pancake right next to that guy. He stared at Jing Shu, who dusted her hands off like she'd just finished a minor chore, and stammered, "B-b-boss…"
So she was the real leader of the squad all along.
Gunfire erupted nearby, sounding deafeningly close in the enclosed space. Jing Shu's ears rang from the noise, and fear crept up her spine. Being at the center wasn't just dangerous, it was suicide. Her bugs scurried across the sand, relaying the exact positions of nearby enemies to her mind. She needed to move; and she needed to move fast.
Two more enemies were heading straight for her, and they'd already started firing. The bullets rained down around her like they didn't cost a damn thing.