Qin Mubai raised his gaze, a short knife appearing in his hand. Without saying a word, he went straight for the attack.
He Miao sensed the murderous intent radiating from him, her mind ringing like an alarm. Her eyes widened, and the next moment, she stumbled to the ground, clutching her bleeding arm and rolling to the side.
He Miao was quite capable; after all, she had ranked third as an S-class player. If her reaction had been just a moment slower, she would have lost her position.
She had warned herself not to target Qin Mubai.
Ye Nianchu hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not draw her gun. With only one bullet, it was best to use it wisely.
If she had a fifty percent chance of taking He Miao down with one shot, she would have acted without hesitation.
He Miao was indeed strong, and with plenty of cover around, the chances of a successful hit were too low. This wasn’t the time for wasting resources like when she had bought weapons with in-game currency.
He Miao ran a few steps to create distance, then turned back to glare at them in anger.
Her proud skills had never been met with such cold treatment before.
In her mind, new plans formed. She could wait at the edge of the safe zone until someone surpassed her, then join up with other players.
She could wait for others to team up and come to take them down, then find her opportunity to regain her spot in the top three.
---
“Didn’t you seem unhappy just now, sister?” Qin Mubai’s lips pressed together slightly.
Ye Nianchu was taken aback, unsure how to respond.
This question caught her off guard.
She truly wasn’t pleased.
As an older sister, she felt annoyed that others were targeting Qin Mubai right in front of her.
With just one bullet, if there had been two, she wouldn’t have let He Miao get away.
“Mm.” Ye Nianchu replied softly.
Meeting those clear eyes, she couldn’t lie.
Qin Mubai tilted his head and smiled, opening the map to glance at the red dot labeled "3" as it fled.
Seeing his expression, Ye Nianchu knew what he was thinking. She reached out and pulled him along to keep moving through the toxins. “The poison is coming; we’ll encounter them once we get into the safe zone.”
They were pressed for time.
The spread of the toxins had accelerated drastically.
By 7:50 AM, the safe zone was just ahead.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzed through the air toward them.
The two quickly ducked behind a large tree, followed by a flurry of bullets that grazed the trunk, splintering wood and sending rainwater flying.
Someone was lying in wait at the edge of the safe zone for them. The moment they peeked out, bullets would come flying.
The toxins were closing in fast behind them; if they didn’t hurry into the safe zone, they would be poisoned.
They could deduce the opponent’s hiding position from the direction of the bullets, but they had no idea how many were out there.
Ye Nianchu took out a piece of clothing and used the long knife to prop against the tree trunk, just as another bullet flew by, piercing the fabric.
There were so many bullets.
It felt like everyone else had plenty of guns and ammo, while they were left empty-handed.
But they could seize what was available; it was right there for the taking.
Ye Nianchu raised the long knife again, using the clothing to shield herself as a rain of bullets hit the tree trunk beside her. Timing the opponent’s reload, she and Qin Mubai dashed toward the thicket.
Hearing the gunfire around them, Ye Nianchu couldn’t help but sigh internally—another few bullets wasted.
---
On the other side.
Two players who had been lying in wait furrowed their brows as they stared at the dense underbrush ahead.
After firing so many rounds without hitting anything, they were down to their last few bullets and dared not shoot carelessly anymore.
The toxins were about to engulf all areas outside the safe zone.
“We can’t hit them; we need to retreat.”
They had initially planned to use their advantageous position and ample weaponry to launch an ambush, but now the situation was turning dire, and retreat was their best option.