Chapter 6

After meeting Old Gun, I deeply realized my own shortcomings. So in the following days, snipers from several nearby internet cafes began spreading the word: some expert had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, always looking for trouble with snipers...

When I thought my sniper dance steps were sufficiently practiced, I suddenly thought: since I always lose to Andy at medium range, could that also be due to my footwork?

Perhaps because the movement speeds of characters in the two games differ, my ghost-like agility in Thunder God could never be replicated in CS. After countless failed experiments, I finally realized: these are after all two different games; in CS, it is often impossible to avoid being hit completely. How to dodge vital points, minimize the damage enemies deal to oneself, while simultaneously inflicting maximum damage on the enemy became my research topic.

I first observed how others did it. Some jumped immediately upon meeting, as if reincarnated as frogs, but the consequence of such actions was often being calmly shot down in mid-air by experts, or having an uncontrolled, wildly rising AK from a rookie smash into their heads...

More people chose to crouch immediately upon meeting. This was actually a good idea; it was stable and reduced the target area. Yet from afar, it seemed as if we had returned to the Qing Dynasty: two people met, one immediately bent a knee into a half-kneel and performed a kowtow, "Your slave greets you, master..." The other person on the opposite side, without a word, crouched down to return the greeting, then both pulled out their guns and shot at each other. Look! This is what a civilized ancient nation is, this is what a nation of etiquette is! Far more civilized than that Western duel nonsense... However, if you kill someone this way, even if you don't die, you'll be left with half a life. — If both are crouching motionless, who can't hit whom?

The method I finally adopted was actually very simple: relying on my extraordinary reaction, the moment we met, I resolutely moved in an arc toward the opponent's side, avoiding most bullets from the front, while using my outstanding dynamic vision to focus attacks on the opponent's head during movement... I think most experts would do this, but I firmly believe: only I can do it the fastest and the best!... Through constant practice, I gradually integrated my lost dance steps into my medium-range footwork. I began to look forward to my next meeting with Andy...

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed. "The passing of time is like this river, flowing day and night without cease..." I pressed my palms together, sighing at the passage of time while praying for the wandering souls who had sacrificed their lives under my gun these past days: Rest in peace... Your deaths will not be in vain... It is precisely your sacrifices over these ten-plus days that have forged my growth... I will miss you...

>>>>>>

Tomorrow is the competition; today is our day for joint practice. I couldn't wait to let Xu Ge and the others see the results of my special training, so I arrived at the internet cafe early. To my surprise, Xu Ge and Xiao K were already there.

I cleared my throat and asked, "How is it? Did the special training yield results?"

Those two completely ignored me, continuing to stare at their screens in a state of self-forgetfulness. So my hand fell heavily on the shoulders of those two who disregarded their captain. "How is it? Did the special training yield results?" I asked again with a smile.

"Ouch!" The two were startled.

Xu Ge rubbed his shoulder. "Boss, did you go train the Iron Sand Palm...?"

Xiao K seemed very happy. "Xu Ge's sniping is really good now; we don't have to worry about lacking a sniper anymore."

Xu Ge wore a foolish grin. "Oh, nowhere near that. Your burst fire is also unparalleled..."

"I practiced for a long time! As long as I can get into position first, I can hit grenades flying through the air..." Xiao K acted proud. "But that only results in a tie with you..."

Xu Ge immediately switched to a smug expression. "Of course, I..."

"Enough, enough," I waved my hand to stop them from continuing their mutual flattery. "We'll know everything once we fight for real."

"That's right!" Yang Mo and Andy had arrived at some unknown time, both looking equally impatient.

Thus, the final joint practice before the competition began...

Bang! Xu Ge took out another terrorist trying to peek out, Xiao K occupied a position and picked off incoming enemies one by one, while Yang Mo and Andy had already jointly fought their way to the enemy headquarters...

"Sigh, looks like there's nothing for me to do again..." I held my gun, thinking listlessly.

At this moment, Xu Ge spoke up. "This has no challenge at all! The opponents are too weak; the results of the special training can't even be shown!"

Yang Mo fell silent for a moment, then said, "How about this? Let the five of us create a separate server to play..."

"But how do we split five people? How can two fight three?" Xiao K objected.

"Add me," came a familiar, dry voice. "Three versus three!"

"Wang Dong!?" Andy looked very surprised. "You play CS too?!"

Old Gun glanced at him without speaking, simply and efficiently swapped in his ridiculously large mouse.

"Good, that's settled!" I had been looking for a chance to settle scores with Old Gun, and he had just walked right into my trap. "Me, Xu Ge, and Xiao K form one team! The rest form the other!"

"Wait... hey, hey... this isn't fair..." No one paid attention to the fat man's groans. But his groans quickly turned to silence when Old Gun decisively shot Xu Ge dead with a single shot...

Treading my familiar steps, I was about to pass a corner when I suddenly sensed something wrong. Reflexively, I raised my gun muzzle. Sure enough, Andy, holding an MP5, flashed past me at high speed. My crosshair immediately locked onto his figure, but at that moment, Yang Mo had appeared like a ghost, easily blowing my head off while my form was already disordered.

"Two against one, that's unfair!" My veins bulged again.

"Hehe, I don't care if you die!" Andy revealed a sinister grin. "This is the coordination Yang Mo and I have honed. Wahahaha..." He probably laughed too happily, and was immediately shot in the front teeth by Xiao K, who was crouching at the very back...

After several failed sniper duels, Xu Ge finally picked up the M4A1 again. With Xiao K's fire cover and the help of a flashbang, he finally successfully charged to Old Gun's front. He, lost in his own arrogance, pulled out his knife. "Let you know the power of an all-around player!" Then, while chasing Old Gun, he died under the muzzle of a pistol...

"Looks like only I can take him down!" A sense of historical mission and responsibility suddenly surged in my heart. I plucked my beloved dombra and danced those familiar steps... Old Gun did not let his guard down; he focused entirely on finding my rhythm... Closer, closer... I was about to enter my firing range, and Old Gun's finger on the trigger had already begun to apply pressure... At this historic moment, Xiao K, who had been crouching behind at some unknown time, opened fire...

"Hehe, I took him down!" Xiao K danced with joy.

"Sneaky..." A smile seemed to appear on Old Gun's dark, heavy face.

In the subsequent practice, I gradually discovered everyone's progress.

Xu Ge's sniping level had not only begun to approach Old Gun's, but his overall strength had reached new heights. Especially his ability to choose weapons under different situations was outstanding. The "Encyclopedia" from the Thunder God competition had returned...

Yang Mo and Andy's medium-range shooting had both improved another level, and their chemistry was excellent. When the two charged out in coordination, I did not dare to challenge their peak.

Xiao K's burst fire had been practiced to a state of divine mastery. If he could get into position first, even Yang Mo and Andy would be suppressed and unable to charge out. Of course, when they couldn't charge out, they would launch various grenades from hiding spots...

However, the one who changed the most was me. In one-on-one confrontations, no one could gain an advantage over me anymore. Moreover, as I constantly dealt with snipers, I became intimately familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. Unknowingly, I had also become a decent sniper...

During a break in practice, I stole a glance at Old Gun. Yes, a smile truly permeated his rustic face...

He looked very happy...

>>>>>>

"Hey, Wang Dong, I didn't expect you to play so well... A true master never shows off!" Andy looked as if he had found a treasure. "How about joining us? What do you say?"

"Exactly, exactly, join us!" Xiao K chimed in.

Old Gun's face darkened. "I have already joined another team."

"Yes, and we registered for the same competition..." I wore an expression as if I couldn't wait for the world to descend into chaos.

"Ah?" Xu Ge and the others were genuinely shocked.

"Old Gun, how about this?" I said casually. "If we defeat your team in the competition, you will join us. I saw you were having quite a fun time just now."

Old Gun fell silent for a moment. "Alright."

"However, I will not lose!" The faint smile on his face had vanished.

>>>>>>

The next morning, we arrived at the internet cafe for the competition. The cafe manager suddenly required every participating team member to fill out a personal information form, including age, height, hometown, school attended, and so on. Fine, fill it out. I still didn't think much of it. After everyone finished filling it out, the four groups for the competition were announced. Strangely, almost all teams that performed poorly in the practice matches and were considered weak were assigned to Group One. The only strong team in Group One was our old rival, =NoNoYes=, which had maintained a perfect record in the practice matches. We were assigned to Group Four. It seemed revenge would have to wait until the semi-finals.

Xu Ge and the others had not yet recovered from the excitement of yesterday's practice; they were all radiating killing intent. We easily broke through the first two rounds. The opponent in the third round was also a newly formed team; they had stumbled their way to barely winning two matches.

"What is wrong with you? You forget your tactics just because the opponents are weak?" Although we won two matches, I was still very dissatisfied. "Everyone acting alone! Do you think you are all Rambo?!"

"The next opponent is of average strength. Since you think you are very strong..." Actually, I had been getting excited very little recently. "No one is allowed to buy primary guns! Only pistols and grenades are permitted!"

My last sentence might have been a bit too loud; the members of that newly formed team seemed to hear it, and each revealed an expression of being insulted. I didn't care; strength decides everything.

In the first round, we indeed won easily. Although the opponents looked very angry, they still shot many bullets into the sky. I was helpless... In the second round, we did not change guns, and the opponents indeed heard my pre-match command; they all spent their limited money on the light machine gun MP5. Thus, our enthusiastic anti-terrorist pioneers fell under the opponents' powerful firepower.

The opponents' equipment became increasingly complete, while we were always stuck with pistols and grenades, so we lost two more rounds in a row. Unexpectedly, Xu Ge and the others did not complain at all; they simply calmed down, took their positions, and used crossfire to pick off isolated bandits. When the enemies stopped moving separately, several grenades would explode among them...

I helplessly glanced at the score again: 12 to 4. "Sigh, the opponents are really too weak... even so, they can't beat us..."

I looked again at everyone's money, which had reached the cap of 16,000. "Let's switch to main guns, just to show some courtesy..."

"Yes, sir!" These guys had been holding back for a long time, so they all bought heavy machine guns, the SAW (B51), at the same time. Thus, the match ended amidst the earth-shaking roar of machine guns.

The ★BigBoss★ team, hailed as one of Beijing's top four, easily advanced from the third group. However, there were three members I had never seen before, and that arrogant long-haired kid was not there either. It seemed the team that competed against us last time was not the main lineup.

The second group descended into a chaotic melee, and finally, a team of average strength managed to advance by sheer luck.

After the draw, our semi-final opponent turned out to be our old friend, =NoNoYes=. Their lineup had also changed quite a bit. The fake foreigner and their captain were still there, but the remaining three had been replaced. One of them was none other than Old Gun! Although the average strength of the teams in the first group was far inferior to the other groups, their advancement with a perfect record and no lost rounds was still quite astonishing.

Remembering the humiliation of our first practice match, we all rubbed our fists in anticipation. Hehe, we are not the same as we were before... Strangely, the fake foreigner actually ignored our hostility and did not come over to provoke us... Meanwhile, the others all wore an air of calm confidence. Where did they get such confidence? Everyone had seen our performance in the preliminary rounds.

Suddenly, I noticed that Old Gun seemed a bit unfocused. This was a fatal flaw for a sniper during a match! What was wrong with him? Never mind, after this match, he would be one of us anyway. I looked at my teammates again. Good, calm yet with appropriate excitement; they were in peak condition.

Unless something unexpected happened, we would definitely be the final victors!

But my sixth sense told me that this match was far from simple...

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