On the icy path amidst the dense bamboo forest, at coordinates 1800, 5004, a solitary gunner stood motionless in a clearing, gripping a Desert Eagle tightly. Thirty meters to either side, two ice bears eyed him hungrily.
After a tense moment, the bears lunged with astonishing speed. Yet, the gunner remained still. At the instant the bears crossed paths, he pivoted gracefully, evading their fierce assault with a mere turn.
In that same motion, two precise gunshots rang out—"Bang! Bang!"—as crimson splattered from the left bear's head, vanishing into a burst of white light. Without hesitation, he half-turned, aiming the dark muzzle of his weapon at the other bear, executing the movements fluidly, devoid of any panic. Such composure could only come from rigorous training and innate skill.
As silence fell over the snowy ground, Edward raised his Desert Eagle, blowing the smoke from the muzzle. He relished the scent of sulfur in the air. Suddenly, a disturbance in the bamboo grove caught his attention; his sensor device vibrated. Looking down, he noted two green dots appearing on the screen—despite the frigid environment, they were unmistakably human heat signatures.
"Who's there?" Edward called, raising his weapon toward the thicket.
A rugged man emerged, his face reflecting surprise. "Friend, not only is your marksmanship impeccable, but your eyesight is quite impressive as well."
Edward noticed the man wore camo gear, with a belt full of ammunition and a large black rifle slung across his back. Following him was a vibrant young woman dressed in winter gear.
The gunner approached, eyes fixated on Edward's Desert Eagle. "A red Desert Eagle couldn't possibly deliver such high damage. Stay low-key, you're a master."
Edward lowered his gun slightly, recognizing a fellow expert. Only someone seasoned could make such a discernment. Most players flaunted their gear, particularly those with purple-tiered equipment. Edward, however, preferred to conceal his gear's color, allowing others to underestimate him.
"Hello!" he greeted, maintaining politeness.
Before the gunner could respond, the young woman rushed forward, stars in her eyes. "Wow! You were so cool back there, especially that spin while shooting!"
Edward chuckled at her enthusiasm.
The gunner chimed in, "That Desert Eagle of yours must be purple-tiered?"
Feeling no need to hide the truth, Edward replied, "Yes."
"Explains the impressive damage," he nodded. "Friend, there's not much company deeper in. Interested in teaming up? I can supply some gear."
Edward frowned slightly.
The young woman jumped in again. "You came in alone and didn't run into many bears, huh?"
Hearing her call the ferocious ice bears "cute" made Edward nearly choke. "How do you know that?"
"I've researched," she replied with a wink. "Ice bears are more active at night. It's noon now, and with the sun out, they won't be moving much. But as the day cools, their numbers will rise. It's safer for us to travel together."
Edward was surprised by her knowledge.
The gunner, sensing Edward's hesitation, said, "To be honest, we've been here for a day and a night, planning to explore further. But we're slow. If you're willing to team up, I'll supply you."
With that assurance and the gunner's earnest demeanor, Edward relented. "Alright."
"Yeah!" the young woman cheered, clapping her hands. "Finally, a master to team up with! Safety at last!" If only she knew Edward was only level 13.
The gunner, named "Motorola," was a level 21 gunner.
"Are you sponsored by some phone store?" Edward teased.
"Of course not," Motorola laughed. "I just like that brand of phones."
The young woman's name was as peculiar as her brother's—"Fastest I'm the Quickest."
Edward joked, "Little Quick, you won't be the one to lead me to death, will you?"
Her eyes widened. "Big Bang, you're incredible! How did you figure that out? I'm so impressed!" She seemed about to leap into Edward's arms.
Edward quickly stepped back.
She giggled. "It's mainly because I'm an 18-level Metal Mechanic."
Edward's surprise was evident. Metal Mechanics were one of the hardest professions to master. Unlike gunners who spent money, Mechanics consumed energy and intellect.
In this battle world, combat roles were limited. Many female players found healing roles too simple, leading to the introduction of the Metal Mechanic. They could quickly transform materials into tech machines, accomplishing various offensive and defensive tasks.
Mechanics inherently possessed high agility and defense, with a focus on learning reading skills—essential for their specialization. The game restricted access to electronic libraries, allowing each player to borrow just one book every half month. Those with higher specialization could shorten this time, broadening their knowledge, and thus enhancing their modification skills.
Edward now understood why she had so much knowledge—she was well-read and experienced.
"Knowledge is power," Edward mused.
"Of course," she replied, cheerfully sitting in the snow and rummaging through her backpack for materials. Within minutes, she produced a small device.
"What's this? It looks like a toy truck with a flashy receiver—is it a radar?" Edward asked, intrigued.
"Smart," she beamed. "This is my invention, called the Snow Spike Car."
"Sounds interesting. How does it work?" he inquired.
"You'll find out soon," she said, grinning as she took out a remote control.
The remote resembled a liquid touch screen, displaying a third-person view of the truck as it zipped through the snow, automatically setting spikes every meter.
"These spikes are coated with poison, buried underground. Once I hit a button, they'll all pop up," she explained.
"Traps," Edward realized.
"Exactly, but… we'll still need to rely on ourselves," Motorola added.
The truck zipped around the bamboo grove, luring in ice bears. After some time, Edward saw multiple shadows on the screen, and suddenly, a spike shot forth, hitting one bear in the head, which roared in fury.
"—100, —15, —13, —12…"
The damage numbers displayed on the screen indicated the bear was poisoned.
"Not bad," Edward remarked.
The young woman swiftly pressed a few buttons, igniting a blue flame from the truck's rear—a booster for speed, powered by energy crystals, which were valuable resources for Metal Mechanics.
The truck executed a slick maneuver and raced away, pursued by over twenty ice bears.
Edward realized the toy had successfully drawn the monsters in. As it led the bears on a chase, the young woman activated the buried spikes, which shot up repeatedly, displaying a whirlwind of damage numbers overhead:
"—99, —100, —103, —105…"
"Impressive," Edward admired, noting how quickly the bears lost health.
"Here they come," the toy truck returned to the starting point. The young woman swiftly tucked it away, hiding behind Motorola, knowing she lacked combat skills.
Both Edward and Motorola knelt, taking aim.
Edward observed Motorola wielding a high-grade FAMAS automatic rifle.
With superior performance and stability, the rifle could deliver a damage of 1670 with an effective range of 150 meters. However, it had a drawback—a magazine capacity of only 25 rounds.
As the bears charged into range, Motorola hesitated, and the FAMAS erupted in gunfire, unleashing 25 rounds, yet the damage values that appeared were disappointing: "—651, —681, —666…"
It was clear that Motorola's rifle was likely a white-tier piece. Despite this, he managed to take down four bears, given the rifle's accuracy.
During this, Edward remained focused, waiting until Motorola reloaded before unleashing his Desert Eagle with a roar, delivering a devastating attack.
In no time, he had fired nine rounds, all hitting their targets.
"Impressive!" Motorola exclaimed, admiring not just Edward's skill but his timing and understanding of teamwork.
As they unleashed their firepower, the area erupted in chaos, and the trio successfully took down all the ice bears, leaving a field of crystals.
"Brother Bang, that was the quickest we've ever done it! Without your coordination, we'd only dare to lure ten bears at a time," Motorola said, sweating.
Edward laughed heartily, reveling in their success.
The three continued to strategize, planning to expand the traps and lure in more bears, with the young woman controlling the spikes effectively. However, as evening approached, they faced a challenge—her energy crystals were nearly depleted, signaling the end of their easy trapping days.