Amber lighting. A private room that was quiet, yet still warmly alive.
And then the music—
“Bang!”
“Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!”
“Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!”
Tense, exhilarating gunfire mixed with the buzzing hum of flashbangs and fragmentation grenades echoed through the room.
Even so, it could not drown out the suffocating rhythm of Zong Cheng’s own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“Hmm. Feels like our team’s players still are not quite strong enough.”
Yin Chen’s voice suddenly rang out, snapping Zong Cheng out of his spiraling thoughts.
“How so?”
Zong Cheng leaned closer.
As long as he was not embarrassed—
His heartbeat would not be able to catch up to him!
Seeing him come over, Yin Chen shifted slightly to make space.
“Look.”
?
Zong Cheng’s heart stirred.
He edged closer without making it obvious.
The moment he did, he caught a faint scent drifting from Yin Chen.
Zong Cheng froze—and then nearly suffocated.
Why was Yin Chen’s fragrance not overwhelmed by the smell of hot pot?
And…
It actually smelled good.
“Look, Tang Chen has already been spotted by them.”
Yin Chen pointed at the screen. “He does not have much loot right now, and he is only wearing a level-two helmet. That is pretty dangerous.”
What?
Zong Cheng snapped out of the scent-induced daze and focused on the screen.
Tang Chen was in a jeep, speeding away at full throttle.
Resting his chin in his hand, Yin Chen analyzed calmly.
“He did not land in a great spot. Bad luck—there was not much loot there. And he got discovered right away. The three on the other side landed together, so their equipment is definitely better.”
At least he was his cousin. Zong Cheng finally spared him a bit of attention.
“So what is Tang Chen doing now?”
Yin Chen pointed again. “He got lucky. When they chased him downhill, there just happened to be a jeep there. Or maybe he scoped it out beforehand?”
“He would have that kind of memory.”
Zong Cheng agreed.
Of course Tang Chen did!
When parachuting down, he had even deliberately counted the number of parachutes landing nearby.
He just had not expected his luck to be that bad!
Only three other parachutes dropped—and all three happened to be from ZWG.
Still, not bad.
Tang Chen sounded smug.
“Good thing I had my eye on this jeep early.”
He slammed the gas pedal and sped toward Zhang Taining to regroup.
In the livestream chat, Zhang Taining’s fans immediately flooded the screen.
[See? When it matters, he still comes running to us. Hah.]
[Some people act tough, but when it is time to fight, they still chicken out.]
Tang Chen did not see the comments. He quickly drove the jeep to Zhang Taining.
Zhang Taining smashed through a second-floor window and jumped down, swiftly getting into the vehicle.
Tang Chen took off at once.
Behind them, the faint outline of a sedan in pursuit was already visible.
Huopao commented, “We can see here that ZWG’s FD, Spider King, and Zhemei landed in a very loot-rich area. All three are now fully geared and have found a vehicle. They are currently chasing BZ’s Stars and Seas.”
Little Sweet Pepper nodded. “Yes. Stars and Seas has regrouped with his teammate NDW, but they only have two players. If ZWG’s three catch up to them, a two-versus-three car fight will not be ideal.”
Huopao continued, “Exactly. And among those three, Spider King and Zhemei are both strong in direct gunfights. With FD driving, the other two can focus entirely on output. The situation is not favorable for BZ.”
Zong Cheng tapped the table lightly.
“That is true. But Tang Chen has always been quick-witted. He might come up with something.”
And besides—
He glanced at Yin Chen.
Although it was not the nicest thing to say, BZ’s roster was objectively weaker. Even if they lost this round, it would not be surprising.
“Let us see what he can do,” Yin Chen said, chin still propped on his hand.
Then he pressed his lips together slightly.
Zong Cheng’s heart stirred. He stood up.
“Wait here a second.”
“Hm? Oh. Okay.”
Yin Chen waved absentmindedly and kept watching.
On screen, Tang Chen and Zhang Taining were racing forward. The broadcast switched to a mini-map, and Huopao let out a small sound of confusion.
“It looks like Tang Chen is circling the zone. They do not seem to have a clear destination. That is not good. Their fuel is probably running low. If ZWG catches up, they will be stuck taking fire passively.”
There was a hint of disappointment in his tone.
He had not expected much from a team that had only been formed a few months ago, but seeing them play this poorly still felt…
Little Sweet Pepper’s voice remained sweet yet steady.
“Do not rush to conclusions. The match has barely begun. It is too early to say.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Chen and Zhang Taining suddenly stopped on top of a hill.
She paused for a split second before continuing rapidly.
“They may be out of fuel. There is no cover on that hill. If they plan to go prone, that would be a very unwise decision. The other side still has a vehicle—and likely just enough fuel left to drive straight up.”
Her analysis matched ZWG’s thinking exactly.
On ZWG’s side, Feng Jingshuo, who was driving, immediately noticed the abandoned vehicle on the hill ahead.
“They stopped.”
Spider King and Zhemei instantly sharpened their focus.
“Finally not playing turtle anymore? Good. I prefer a head-on fight.”
“Yeah. But our fuel is not looking great either. I will adjust the angle in a second. You two good?”
“No problem!”
“They are about to push Tang Chen.”
Yin Chen was just about to turn and share the situation with Zong Cheng—only to realize he was not there.
He blinked.
Where did Zong Cheng go?
He instinctively glanced around the room, then hesitated for a second before looking back at the screen.
Why did the stream suddenly feel a little less interesting?
Was it just his imagination?
Yin Chen wondered.
“Here.”
A bottle of ice-cold cola suddenly appeared in front of him.
Yin Chen instinctively turned his head.
Zong Cheng was smiling, holding another bottle in his own hand.
“Almost forgot your favorite. Does this make things even happier?”
Yin Chen popped the tab and took a sip.
Yes. This was the real deal.
He gave Zong Cheng a thumbs-up. “As expected of you.”
Smiling faintly, Zong Cheng naturally took a seat beside him.
“So, how is it going?”
Not great.
Tang Chen was already down, and Zhang Taining was barely alive behind a rock.
Yin Chen took one look and two words flashed through his mind.
It is over.
Zong Cheng let out a small sound of surprise. “ZWG has two down as well?”
“Huh?”
Yin Chen quickly looked again.
Sure enough, ZWG had abandoned their car. One player still had decent health, but two teammates were down beside him. He had thrown a smoke grenade and was likely trying to revive them under cover.
“They lost two already? How did that happen?”
Yin Chen was stunned.
The livestream chat answered him immediately.
[Wait, did I see that right? The knock notification looked like it was from BZ’s Zhuo Fan?]
[Yeah! It was Zhuo Fan! That was insane. I checked the map—he was like five hundred meters away!]
[So good. I just rewatched it. Both knocks were 98K headshots on ZWG. Huge advantage for Zhang Taining’s side now.]
[Hard to say. ZWG already spotted Zhuo Fan’s sniping position. See the smoke? They are reviving outside his line of sight. Once they are back up, BZ is still in danger. Zhuo Fan’s position is exposed now—no more easy ambush shots.]
[BZ still looks doomed to me.]
On ZWG’s side—
“Damn it! That bastard ambushed us?”
The Spider King cursed while using a first aid kit.
FD’s voice was steady. “Stop talking. You are messing up the footsteps.”
Zhemei’s expression was grim. “I hear them. They are pushing.”
Two figures were indeed rushing toward them. The clash was seconds away.
“Ah, the food is here.”
Zong Cheng’s fingers briefly blocked part of the tablet screen as he reminded Yin Chen.
Yin Chen looked up.
Sure enough, a neatly dressed chef was directing two staff members carrying a large pot toward them.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The chef smiled warmly as the pot was set down.
“Allow me to introduce this base. I heard you both enjoy spicy food, so I selected our signature house blend. It uses a rich broth for depth and adds a touch of matsutake mushrooms for extra umami. It is absolutely delicious even without dipping sauce.”
Perfect.
He liked confident chefs.
Yin Chen tried to maintain composure, though his gaze kept drifting toward the pot.
“In addition, there are the assorted ingredients President Zong ordered, along with some complimentary desserts and snacks. Since President Zong is a regular, I will not go through each one. Please enjoy your meal.”
With a wave of his hand, the two staff members rolled over small carts laden with dazzling ingredients.
For a moment, Yin Chen did not even know where to start.
Ah, so this was the burden of happiness.
While thinking that, he quietly nudged the tablet aside.
Please.
With joy like this, who cared about the match?
He could watch the replay later.
Zong Cheng caught the subtle movement and felt a quiet sense of triumph.
He rose smoothly and uncovered a tray.
“Why not start with your favorite—tripe?”
Inside a silver container filled with crystal-clear ice cubes, the tripe was neatly arranged, fresh and inviting.
Yin Chen silently gave Zong Cheng another mental thumbs-up. His chopsticks were already reaching forward.
Seven up, eight down.
He had the rhythm memorized.
The moment the crisp tripe, soaked in broth, entered his mouth, his eyes lit up.
Oh—
The texture was perfect.
And the broth—
Incredibly flavorful. The chef had not lied.
It was delicious even without sauce.
Seeing his expression, Zong Cheng felt confident.
“Try the lamb. It is premium lamb flown in from South Africa, reserved in advance. Very tender.”
“And this one was imported from Japan…”
“And this is from Australia…”
As he introduced each ingredient and dropped them into the pot, Yin Chen ate with unrestrained delight.
Between bites, he looked at Zong Cheng sincerely.
“You really know how to eat. And you even remember all their origins and characteristics. That is impressive.”
Zong Cheng smiled modestly.
Then his eyes flicked quickly toward the small cheat sheet resting on a nearby table, concealing his achievement like a true master.