Chapter 15: Annihilation and Looting

Su Hai City, a coastal metropolis with formidable economic strength, had just been designated a first-tier key city this year. The downtown area of Su Hai was a place where every inch of land was precious—flourishing, dazzlingly prosperous. For many salaried workers, owning a home here was the ultimate goal of their struggles. Dingxiu Huacheng Residential Complex, situated in the heart of the city’s villa district, was a sanctuary reserved for the wealthy and the powerful.

Inside one of these villas, a young man dressed in a simple black tank top was hunched intently over his computer, engrossed in a game.

His name was Gao Tianhao, twenty-one years old, a veteran with five years of experience in CrossFire, and he considered himself quite skilled. Born into affluence, he would often lead his friends to internet cafés to compete in tournaments, occasionally achieving impressive results. With no classes at university this morning, he had holed up at home to play. Luckily, his father wasn’t around; otherwise, he would have been scolded again for wasting his time.

Yet after just a short session, his fighting spirit was nearly spent. In a random match, he’d been saddled with a team of utter novices—if not for his own heroics, pulling off two triple kills and defusing the bomb, their “glorious” result would have been a 0:10 sweep.

This round, once again he was the last one standing, facing three lurking enemies who had already planted the bomb at site B. He didn’t have much confidence left.

“Damn it, I’m about to be driven mad by these idiots,” Gao Tianhao grumbled, sprinting from the respawn point towards B Doors.

A new teammate had just joined, but he paid no attention. At this stage, even a professional player would struggle to turn the match around.

“Toss a grenade at B Doors, then rotate through Mid to B Water, and breach from B Warehouse.”

Suddenly, a teammate’s voice came through his high-end Siberia V3 headphones. Gao Tianhao was momentarily stunned, a little annoyed. How dare these noobs try to command him? He ignored the suggestion, charging ahead, already passing under the Alley Bridge.

“C4 was planted six seconds ago; you have thirty-four seconds left. After throwing the grenade, rotate to B Warehouse—you’ll make it in time.”

The voice came again, more composed, making Gao Tianhao increasingly irritable. He held down the V key, snapping back, “Screw you, who do you think you are, telling me what to do?”

Wait—he noticed the speaker’s nickname: Yi Ran.

It was the new recruit.

Gao Tianhao felt a bit embarrassed; despite being raised with the manners befitting a scion of a wealthy family, he’d let his frustration get the better of him. Still, what did it matter? Judging by the rank—Sergeant 1—this was clearly a rookie. How much could he possibly know?

No need to bother. The online world was vast; no one knew who he was anyway.

He pressed on.

The voice didn’t respond to his insult, merely continued in a calm tone, “Only thirty-two seconds left. Whether you listen is up to you.”

A chill ran through Gao Tianhao. He was usually keenly aware of timing, but with the match all but lost and his nerves frayed, he hadn’t been thinking clearly. This “Yi Ran” was remarkably composed, his analysis spot-on. As he’d pointed out, Gao himself had considered that B Warehouse was the ideal spot for a solo assault—versatile for offense and defense. If not for the mounting frustration, he would have wanted to attempt a dramatic comeback.

“Thirty seconds.”
“Twenty-nine seconds.”
...

The voice, steady and unruffled, continued its countdown. Gao Tianhao hesitated, then gritted his teeth and decided to follow the suggestion. There was something unusual about Yi Ran.

He switched to a grenade, maneuvered his Avenger character to the gap at B Doors, and hurled it forcefully inside. Instantly, he changed direction, heading for Mid Doors. In his mind, the grenade was just a distraction.

A loud explosion rang in his headphones, and then a grenade kill icon popped up at the bottom of the screen. At the top right, it showed that his high-explosive had instantly eliminated the enemy’s ACE.

“Incredible!” Gao Tianhao gasped, his hands remaining steady as he dashed forward, knife in hand.

A grenade kill wasn’t all that special—the opponent’s ACE only had 23 HP left, unable to withstand the blast. It was just a stroke of luck.

On voice chat, the defenders were already buzzing.

“Wow, that’s insane! How did you know someone was there?”
“Big deal, with 23 health, even a regular grenade would’ve done the trick.”
“Yeah, the guy was just unlucky—ran straight into the blast.”

The chatter was noisy, and Gao Tianhao frowned, slamming the V key: “Shut the hell up, all of you! Will you die if you stop talking?”

Instantly, silence fell. As a Grand Marshal with both skill and money, he was not to be trifled with. Annoy him, and he could easily rally a crew to spam the global chat with megaphones—it would ruin the game for everyone.

A few bunny hops later, Gao Tianhao reached B Water Bridge, moving quietly, intent on sneaking forward.

“No need to walk; you still have a flashbang. Use it and rush in, guns blazing,” Yi Ran instructed.

Though irritated, Gao Tianhao was willing to give it a try. He took a deep breath, tossed a flashbang inside, then charged in with his M4 Thor, spraying bullets.

Headshot!

The crisp notification rang out, sending a thrill through him—there really had been someone in B Warehouse, and he’d caught them off guard.

Not only he, but the entire defenders’ team was electrified. The chat filled with “666,” “Comeback, comeback!” and “Awesome!” Meanwhile, the attackers’ morale plummeted. They had no idea what had happened, assuming the Grand Marshal had simply pulled another miracle.

“So what if you win this round? You’re still way behind.”
“Defenders, give it up—struggle is pointless in the face of defeat.”
“Pathetic. Why get so worked up over a single team wipe?”

The more the opposition cursed, the more exhilarated the defenders became. Gao Tianhao’s fighting spirit surged, and his admiration for Yi Ran soared—this was godlike game sense. But with only about twelve seconds left, he couldn’t allow his focus to waver.

“Where should I go?” he asked instinctively.

Li Xin replied coolly, “Your turn. If you don’t have the awareness to finish this, then we’re doomed.”

Gao Tianhao was taken aback; he’d expected guidance until the end, but the final trial was left to him. If he lost, the match was over; if he won, there was still hope for a comeback.

“I’ll do it,” he replied quickly.

Peering through the window gap, he fired toward B Connector—empty. He shot at the blind spot behind the box—nothing. That left two possibilities:

1. The enemy was hiding behind the box directly beneath him; if he jumped down and fired through the box, there was a 40% chance of success.
2. The enemy had already retreated from B Doors, lying in wait between B Connector and B Doors. In that case, he would have to fake a defuse to lure them out, then strike immediately—a strategy with less than a 20% chance, and perhaps too little time left to finish defusing.

What to do?

Gao Tianhao hesitated, more nervous than ever before.

His teammates remained silent; no more chat, no more advice. The master’s guidance ended here—if he still couldn’t grasp the intent, he truly was hopeless.

The seconds slipped away. The C4 bomb icon turned red, its flashing doubling in speed. The insistent warning sounds hammered at his nerves; Gao Tianhao knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer.

He gritted his teeth, leaped from the window, firing at the box as he landed. No response. He immediately sprinted to the C4.

A forced defuse—just three seconds, that’s all he needed.

While faking the defuse, Gao Tianhao watched B Doors and B Connector intently. Footsteps—B Doors!

He fired—hit.

Finally, Gao Tianhao exhaled, his pounding heart settling back into his chest. The bomb’s flashes were now at their fastest, but for him, it was enough.

C4 defusal tool—he had one.