Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Pei Ran once again failed to last more than five minutes in this round of the game. Watching his opponent sprawl on the ground and greedily loot his belongings, he couldn't help but frown.

Was the game always this challenging?

He unlocked his phone and glanced through his messages. Lin Kang's name appeared most frequently, with screenshots of Su Nian gossiping in the group chat.

"Lin Kang: [Chat Log] Damn, I thought he was just a bit melodramatic and troublesome, turns out he's also a chatterbox."

"Lin Kang: What did you do to provoke him? Should I invite you into the group? Don't worry, I'll stand up for you."

"Lin Kang: If you're too embarrassed, let me give him a piece of my mind. We're all friends here, there's no need for such remarks."

"Pei Ran: No need, thank you."

"Pei Ran: No need to send me screenshots. Next time, I'll treat you to a meal."

Pei Ran reread the chat log, his expression unreadable.

In truth, Su Nian's words weren't entirely wrong; he indeed didn't hold the younger man in high regard.

Yan Zhun's request to team up was sent over, and Pei Ran casually tossed his phone aside before accepting the invitation.

"Boss," Yan Zhun's voice sounded a little hoarse, as if he had just woken up.

Pei Ran instinctively responded, "Hm?"

Then he added, "You don't have to call me that..."

Yan Zhun undressed his in-game character, transforming it into the same default outfit as Pei Ran's.

After some thought, he further changed the character's appearance to a female.

"Shall we try something different today?" Yan Zhun asked.

Pei Ran: "Like what?"

"A duo in the Jungle map," Yan Zhun suggested. "I'll show you how to take down enemies."

Pei Ran tugged at the corner of his mouth. Although they had won several matches yesterday, he often ended up with zero kills by the end of each round.

Despite being carried to victory, it was still enjoyable. He replied, "Sure."

It didn't take long for him to understand what Yan Zhun meant by 'killing'.

As soon as they entered the game, Yan Zhun marked a spot on top of the training base.

The Training Base, colloquially known as Loneliness City, was a place where loot was scarce compared to the number of players who would parachute in, resulting in a fight to the death.

"Jump," Yan Zhun reminded him.

Pei Ran hastily pressed 'F', using the parachuting technique that Yan Zhun had taught him the day before.

As they approached the base, Pei Ran glanced back and saw a sea of players behind them. "............"

"Land at Warehouse Three and stay close to me."

The moment they touched down, Pei Ran's headphones were filled with the incessant sound of gunfire, reminding him of the symphony concert he had attended recently.

In his panic, he scrambled to pick up the gun. By the time he had reloaded it, Yan Zhun had already taken down two opponents.

Pei Ran was about to follow him when he heard the sound of a door opening behind him. Before he could react, he was knocked to the ground and mercilessly eliminated by an unknown attacker who then swiftly fled.

This person must have approached from a distance, unseen by Yan Zhun during his parachute descent. After clearing out two teams, Yan Zhun asked, "What was the person who killed you wearing?"

Pei Ran was momentarily stunned. "I think... it was primitive clothing. Never mind."

"Wait for me in spectator mode for a moment," Yan Zhun said after looting the fallen player. "It won't be long."

Ten minutes later, Yan Zhun single-handedly eliminated every player in the training base wearing primitive clothing.

When only one squad remained, Yan Zhun knocked one of them down and asked over the voice chat, "What's your teammate wearing?"

The opponent, confused, obediently replied, "A black coat, the fancy kind. Do you want it? I can get him to take it off for you."

Under the man's eager gaze, Yan Zhun then committed suicide by jumping into the explosives.

Pei Ran was taken aback. "You didn't need to kill yourself. I could have watched you play."

"You're not playing without me," Yan Zhun said. "According to plan, let's proceed to the next round."

After parachuting down three consecutive times, Pei Ran finally managed to eliminate an opponent.

"Yan Zhun, I killed someone!" Pei Ran exclaimed, his palms burning with excitement. "And... I got two kills!"

Only after speaking did he feel embarrassed—the two kills in three games were inferior to Yan Zhun's casual matches with random players.

"I saw that," Yan Zhun replied casually. "Well done."

Pei Ran's heart raced faster than it did during exams; he was more nervous now.

Buoyed by his momentum, Pei Ran took down another player. A few minutes later, the usually bustling 'Solitary City' fell silent.

"Yan Zhun," Pei Ran whispered, seeking confirmation, "Is it clear now?"

Yan Zhun chuckled at him. "Yeah, you've eliminated everyone... There's no need to whisper, only I can hear you."

Pei Ran realized how foolish he must have sounded. Crouching inside a house, he scavenged through the loot when Yan Zhun suddenly climbed in through the window. Recalling last night's events, Pei Ran had a conditioned response and instinctively removed his weapon, tossing it aside.

Yan Zhun's in-game character visibly paused for a moment. Then, with a playful tone, he said, "I just wanted to see if there was an extra scope in this box."

Pei Ran: "…"

Pei Ran immediately retracted his weapon. He felt like he had never picked up a gun on the ground faster.

Yan Zhun: "But I still want to use your gun."

Squatting beside him, Yan Zhun tossed his own weapon aside. "I'm not joking anymore… give me another chance to buff up."

Pei Ran turned and walked away. "Forget it, I'm not swapping anymore."

Yan Zhun got up and chased after him, following him across the entire training base. When Pei Ran stopped to pick up items, Yan Zhun knelt down in front of him with an in-game gesture of a grand bow.

Pei Ran returned the grand bow.

Yan Zhun bowed again.

The two of them bowed at each other like fools for a while. Eventually, Pei Ran still handed over his gun.

Yan Zhun: "Not praying anymore? You're just one short."

Pei Ran was confused. "Short of what?"

"Nothing."

Yan Zhun activated auto-run, muted his mic, and lit a cigarette, thinking that another prayer might send them straight to the bridal chamber.

After two more matches, as Pei Ran was getting into the game, Yan Zhun said, "Let's jump somewhere else this round. The rain here is too loud; I can't hear footsteps."

Only then did Pei Ran notice the sound of raindrops hitting the window.

"It's raining here as well."

Yan Zhun acknowledged with a soft hum. "We must be in the same area. I live near Manzhong High School."

Pei Ran blurted out, "I attended Manzhong for high school."

"I know," Yan Zhun replied. "We're alumni."

Pei Ran was taken aback. He didn't recall ever meeting Yan Zhun during high school.

Seeing him silent, Yan Zhun said, "Don't think too much about it. We live on different floors, so we won't bump into each other."

Pei Ran casually acknowledged him, sensing something odd in his words but unable to dwell on it before Yan Zhun interrupted.

"Jump. I'll play seriously this round and help you win."

After a night of duo queueing, Pei Ran suddenly remembered the vacation plan he had set before the break as they were closing the game.

"See you tomorrow," Yan Zhun said lazily, "Boss."

Pei Ran thought that plans were meant to be broken.

Before going to bed, Pei Ran habitually checked his WeChat messages. It wasn't until he saw the 23 unread messages from Luo Qingshan that he remembered the disgusting incident he had encountered earlier that day.

The thrilling experience in Solitude City that evening had made him almost forget about it entirely.

Luo Qingshan's messages were mainly explanations, stating that he hadn't seen the group chat earlier and was unaware of what had transpired between Pei Ran and Su Nian. He also reassured Pei Ran that he had truly severed ties with Su Nian, hoping not to cause any misunderstandings.

After finishing his reading, Pei Ran followed his usual routine and cleared his screen before closing his eyes to sleep.

-

The holiday passed quickly, and it wasn't until he received a call from his mother that Pei Ran realized it was his last day off.

Over the phone, his mother inquired about his well-being, expressing guilt for not being able to accompany him back home and asking about his activities during the break.

Pei Ran blinked rapidly, not entirely skilled at lying. "I just doodled a bit."

In reality, he had been engrossed in the game, gradually mastering the skill of suppressive fire.

After ending the call, Pei Ran hesitated but ultimately decided to decline today's gaming invitation.

As he opened WeChat, a voice message came through from the other side.

"Boss Pei," Yan Zhun said, "there's a new vehicle – a helicopter. You can even shoot from the passenger seat. When are you online? I'll take you for a ride."

Pei Ran bit his lip and started typing his reply.

"I won't be playing today."

"Later then."

---

Yan Zhun savored the milky sweetness of the White Rabbit candy in his mouth, intrigued by the "Typing" indicator above his boss's chat window.

Time seemed to pass unnoticeably.

"Pei Ran: Alright."

The corners of Yan Zhun's lips curved up involuntarily as he bit down on the candy, shattering its sweetness.

With a sense of guilt, Pei Ran turned on his computer and logged into PUBG. Almost immediately, an invitation to join a squad popped up on his right side. He casually accepted it.

Upon entering the team, he found himself paired with a player whose outfit was flamboyant, adorned with rare, vintage costumes from head to toe.

Before Pei Ran could fully process the situation, the host started the game. It was a duo match, and they were the only two players on the team.

"Pei Ran…" Luo Qingshan's voice sounded through the headphones, low and filled with grievance. He muttered softly, "You finally paid attention to me."

Yan Zhun logged in to the game, intending to invite someone, only to see that "ranbaobei" was already online.

He looked down and noticed that "airanbaobei" was also in the game.

Yan Zhun lowered his eyelids, taking a while before he picked up his phone to send a message.

"Yan Zhun: ?"

"Pei Ran: I accidentally started a match…"

"Pei Ran: You play by yourself for a bit."

Thus, Yan Zhun leaned back in his chair, smoking as he fixated on Pei Ran's username.

His phone pinged, indicating that he had been added to a new group chat, though this time, it wasn't by Su Nian.

"Lin Kang: Let's communicate in this group from now on."

"Lin Kang: Should I invite Pei Ran into the group? @Luo Qingshan"

"Lin Kang: @Luo Qingshan, where are you?"

"Luo Qingshan: Not right now."

"Luo Qingshan: Don't disturb me, I'm duo queuing with my wife."

"Lin Kang: ???? You two made up?"

"Luo Qingshan: She's finally paying attention to me... okay, enough said."

Yan Zhun closed the group chat and extinguished his cigarette with a raised hand, unintentionally smudging his fingertips with ash.

Disregarding the dirt, he sent a voice message to Lin Xuhuan on WeChat.

The other party answered promptly, "What's up? I'm live streaming."

"Do you need more players for your team? Add me in."

Lin Xuhuan was taken aback. "What? Forcing a purchase?"

Yan Zhun whispered, "I won't charge you. Your team score is high, so killing will be satisfying."

Lin Xuhuan chuckled. "So impatient? Alright, I'll invite you right away... Aren't you accompanying your boss today?"

Yan Zhun laughed without much mirth. "Yeah, the boss doesn't need me today."