Chapter 026: A Bullet to the Head

As Chen Feng was about to step forward, Jia Tianming, who had just managed to get up from the ground, suddenly lunged at Li Gang’s legs, wrapping his arms tightly around them and pulling with all his might, dragging Li Gang down.

“Chen Feng, quick! Grab the gun and finish him!” Jia Tianming shouted desperately at Chen Feng as he clung fiercely to Li Gang, refusing to let go.

Li Gang was caught off guard by the sudden attack and struggled violently, but his opponent seemed determined to hold on no matter what. Even as Li Gang stabbed Jia Tianming’s arm several times with his knife, Jia Tianming only let out a few pained cries but never released his grip. He knew that as long as Li Gang was taken care of, no matter how serious his injuries, as long as he was still breathing, he could recover fully with comprehensive treatment.

Chen Feng quickly spotted the pistol that had fallen earlier, picked it up, and approached the two men. Seeing Li Gang struggling with all his might, Chen Feng sneered cruelly.

Li Gang’s face twisted in terror and despair as he saw what was about to happen. Chen Feng, savoring the fear in Li Gang’s expression, seemed to relish this moment.

“Chen Feng, shoot! Aim for his head! I can’t hold on much longer, this guy’s strong as hell!” Jia Tianming yelled, seeing that Chen Feng was still hesitating.

On hearing this, Chen Feng raised his gun and aimed at Li Gang’s head. Despair filled Li Gang’s eyes, but he did not plead for mercy.

Bang!

But the next moment left everyone stunned. Chen Feng’s temple was pierced by a bullet, the shot passing clean through his head. He collapsed at Li Gang’s side, his open eyes staring directly at him.

Li Gang could see clearly that the cruel smile still lingered in Chen Feng’s gaze, now mixed with confusion and disbelief.

Bang!

Another shot, in the exact same spot. The side of Chen Feng’s head exploded, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere—a few drops even splattering across Li Gang’s face.

Li Gang’s pupils contracted. Having never witnessed such a scene in his life, he was utterly shocked, especially by the brutality of that final shot. For a moment, he forgot to struggle.

Jia Tianming did not see what had happened. When the sound of gunfire faded and his opponent stopped moving, he assumed Chen Feng had succeeded and was overjoyed.

He let go and turned around, only to see Chen Feng lying on the ground, his eyes wide open as if he could not rest in peace. Jia Tianming froze, then quickly realized who had fired the shots.

“Lin Yan, why?!” Jia Tianming spoke into his earpiece, questioning the sniper hidden in the darkness, named Lin Yan.

He had always had his doubts. Lin Yan was notorious for pouring all her enhancements into speed, and her marksmanship was legendary. Why had her first shot missed Li Gang? At the time, he had blamed it on the distance, but now he realized that it had been Lin Yan who had proposed this ambush in the first place. Things were clearly much more complicated.

“Why? Heh. I’ve disliked him for a long time. I just took the opportunity to get rid of a pest, that’s all.” The woman’s voice came through the earpiece, calm and indifferent, as if she had simply squashed an annoying cockroach.

Jia Tianming was momentarily stunned, then recalled how last night Chen Feng had tried to sneak into Lin Yan’s room with ill intent, only to be caught at gunpoint.

“That filthy whore!” Jia Tianming cursed inwardly, but outwardly he said, “To be honest, I couldn’t stand Chen Feng either. Now that he’s dead, so be it. Quick, help me take care of this guy. As long as we work together, we’ll grow stronger in this game and win the final reward.”

“Heh heh.”

Only a mocking laugh came through the earpiece, then it went dead silent.

By the time Jia Tianming had shouted into the earpiece, Li Gang had recovered from his shock. He didn’t understand everything that had just happened, but he knew there was trouble within the enemy’s ranks. The mysterious sniper had, in fact, saved him. Confused as he was, he realized he still had a chance to live.

And who doesn’t want to live? It’s the most basic instinct.

Li Gang flipped over, reversing their positions in an instant, and pressed his knife to Jia Tianming’s throat. A thin line of blood welled up immediately.

Now, the man’s life hung by a thread.

One slip of the blade and it would all be over.

Yet Li Gang didn’t kill him right away. Instead, he took the earpiece from Jia Tianming and put it on, knowing the hidden sniper was surely watching everything that happened.

“Why?” Li Gang asked quietly.

“Li Gang, finish him, then stay where you are. I’ll be there soon.” The calm female voice came through the earpiece. It was so familiar that he immediately recognized her.

“So it’s you. I didn’t expect you to survive,” Li Gang replied, his voice trembling with excitement and joy.

“Let’s talk when we meet,” Lin Yan answered, then ended the communication.

“Lin Yan. So that’s her name.” Li Gang recalled the figure in his mind, remembering how Jia Tianming had called out to her earlier.

The thought of seeing her again filled Li Gang with hope and nervousness.

After a brief hesitation, he ignored the pleas for mercy before him and drew the knife across Jia Tianming’s throat, ending his life.

It was Li Gang’s first time killing a man. The act made him deeply uncomfortable, but he forced himself through it, only relaxing after he was certain his opponent was dead.

He gazed off into the distance, his mind drifting back to his university days.

He had been a freshman at the time—four years ago. With plenty of free time and no clear goals, Li Gang preferred solitude to crowds and noise. He often spent his nights alone at an internet café, gaming until dawn. It was cheap and quiet, just the way he liked it.

He often saw the same girl there, gaming through the night just as he did. Though they never spoke, they both knew of each other’s existence.

After a while, Li Gang considered greeting her, perhaps playing together, maybe even something more—he had never been in love and yearned for it.

But he soon realized that she played completely different games, and she was a master—the kind that made his unspoken hopes fade away without a word.

She seemed to only play FPS games, and not just as a hobby—she was an elite among elites, a high-level technical player. Once, passing by on his way to the restroom, Li Gang caught a glimpse of her screen: it was the global FPS community, a hub for enthusiasts around the world. She was ranked 44th on the global solo leaderboard.