Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
West of Mylta, in the grassy plains next to Farm.
Evan, the rifler from the North American team Underhood, saw that he was nearing the safe zone.
He opened his backpack, reaffirmed the count of the four bandages in it, and then let out a long sigh of relief.
‘Hm, this should be enough.’
If the audience had witnessed this scene, they might have felt a sense of pity well up in their hearts.
‘This poor child has a tough life…’
Especially compared to ‘that guy’ who had been making rounds beyond the blue circle. Not to mention, he would gulp down an energy drink every once in a while to keep himself healthy.
Evan was so, so poor.
At the start of the match, Evan had drifted his way to the Shooting Range in the north to search for resources. Unfortunately, he found no vehicles, and even when he did, someone else was one step ahead of him.
That was why he was still in the first circle even though the second circled had refreshed, and that was also why he was in the second circle when the third circle had refreshed.
It has to be mentioned that there should not have been a shortage of vehicles in Erangel. If it were a squad match, every squad would have been able to claim two to three vehicles for themselves in the early stages of the match.
In solo tournaments where everyone was a team on their own though, the number of vehicles might not satisfy everyone’s needs. Players would have to fight for ownership.
For people like Evan, who could not get themselves a vehicle and were far away from the safe zone, they had to make their way to the safe zone on foot while taking damage along the way.
‘That guy’, whizzing about on his motorcycle, was evidently hunting for people like Evan.
A professional esports player would know about the existence of such ‘hunters’ even if they did not meet them in the game.
Logically, the players escaping the blue circle while suffering circle damage were the ideal prey.
It was not out of compassion that players did not usually hunt for stragglers. Rather, doing so was a risky prospect.
In PUBG, it was a player’s natural instinct to get away from the blue circle.
Who would want to make rounds in the blue circle while taking circle damage?
“Ain’t nobody got the health for that!”
The better choice was to snipe the stragglers from the edge of the safe zone.
That was a much safer option. The risk of something going awry while outside the safe zone was much greater and one might even face death doing so.
Liu Zilang, who could set up a convenience store with his stash of healing items, did not have such worries.
Evan, who was almost inside the safe zone, had not expected a psychopath to be making rounds on a motorcycle outside the circle.
When Liu Zilang found his target and suddenly appeared from the flank, Evan’s first reaction was, ‘This person is also escaping the blue circle?’
He quickly realized that he was wrong.
Liu Zilang gave off a predatory aura, and it did not look like he was escaping the blue circle…
Evan immediately put up his guard and was ready to fight to the death.
Then, Liu Zilang’s actions puzzled him.
Liu Zilang did not steer the motorcycle toward him but instead brushed past his side and continued off into the distance.
???
Evan was prepared for a fight but his opponent blew past him like a gentle breeze. It made him confused.
What the hell was that?
Intimidation?
Biker gang?
Evan loosened up as he heard the sounds of the motorcycle fade out from beyond the corner of the residential area.
He was a little flustered when he saw his health dropping. He ran a few steps forward and then applied a bandage to calm himself down.
While Evan was applying the bandage.
He heard a whoosh come from behind him as if a gentle breeze had brushed past his back.
Then, Evan was suddenly pushed to the ground by a strong force from his back!
As he looked downward, the pupils in his eyes constricted!
He saw a long and thin crossbow bolt coming out of his chest.
Thud!
Evan, whose health level was then empty, had not figured out what had happened before his knees became weak, and he fell on the ground.
‘What the f*ck?’
‘Where did that cunning old snake come from?’
Evan suddenly felt like an idiot!
He had not expected Liu Zilang, who had ignored him earlier, to have parked his motorcycle and then shoot a crossbow bolt at him.
The bullet screen of the live stream channel exploded as viewers saw the scene.
“Wow! That Vic is a b*stard! No one would expect a bolt from the back!”
“That’s a horrible way to die… that f*cker is a psychopath!”
“Vic: I let you die peacefully and painlessly. Isn’t that enough?”
“…”
In the match, Vic saw that his plan of sneaking from behind had worked. He happily ran over to where the corpse was.
He was not short on consumables. However, he had plenty of backpack space, and more items were definitely welcome.
In any case, looting consumables from his victims sustained his career as a ‘highwayman’. It was something that he had to do.
The John Marston wannabe rode his motorcycle over to the crate. He was full of anticipation. However, his face turned green when he opened the crate and saw only three bandages in it…
It was a total loss. It could not even recoup the cost of his motorcycle fuel.
Liu Zilang felt a little better after he reminded himself that his victim had padded his kill count.
Meanwhile, Evan was so frustrated that he was about to puke…
…
Liu Zilang continued making rounds at the edge of the safe zone.
He killed several more people with the same tactic. First, he would ‘brush past their shoulders’ as if ignoring them before turning around and shooting their backs. It was a much safer killing method compared to riding the motorcycle up someone’s faces for a direct confrontation.
Furthermore, if he had a direct confrontation, his motorcycle would not be able to withstand too much damage.
Another thing worth mentioning was that Liu Zilang had analyzed the psychology of the players who were escaping the blue circle.
Players like Evan, who were taking circle damage, were in an unfavorable situation. If they met someone on their way, they hoped that their opponent would not notice them.
Liu Zilang only had to pretend that he was ‘just passing through’ and his opponent would be more than happy to let him go his way. That gave him the chance to go for the kill from behind them.
When the third blue circle started shrinking, Liu Zilang’s ‘hunting trip’ came to an end. He had a total score of eleven kills.
He had reaped a massive harvest during his career as a highwayman, and his kill count ranking was in third place.
After some time, the third circle had finished shrinking, and the fourth circle refreshed.
This circle was on the mainland, and it was between the east and west bridges. In other words, it covered the expanse of flat land that included Farm. The circle barely covered the sea that was in the southeast.
After the second and third circles, the number of survivors decreased sharply again. Including Liu Zilang, only thirty-nine people remained.
Other than ‘hunting’, Liu Zilang also had to worry about how he would survive the final circles.
He took another look at the map and quickly rode his motorcycle toward the grain silos at Farm.
It was too risky to keep on making rounds. The correct decision was to find a place for target practice.
Liu Zilang utilized the versatility his motorcycle provided. He had to find a camping spot before anyone else did.
What Liu Zilang did not know was, as he neared the two-story-tall grain silos, a ‘familiar face’ was watching his approach with eager eyes…
…